RTHK: Russian missiles hit crowded shopping centre Two Russian missiles slammed into a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 50, the regional governor said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said more than 1,000 people were in the shopping centre at the time of the attack, which witnesses said caused a huge fire and sent dark smoke billowing into the sky. "It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims ... It's useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, wrote on Telegram that 11 people had now been confirmed killed by the strike, adding that rescue workers would keep searching through the smouldering rubble, with more bodies likely to be found. Lunin also wrote on Telegram that 21 people had been hospitalised and 29 others had been given first aid without hospitalization. "It's an act of terrorism against civilians," he said separately, suggesting there was no military target nearby that Russia could have been aiming at. Kremenchuk, an industrial city of 217,000 before Russia's military campaign began, lies on the Dnipro River in the region of Poltava and is the site of Ukraine's biggest oil refinery. Ukraine's air force command said the mall was hit by two long-range X-22 missiles fired from Tu-22M3 bombers that flew from the Shaykovka airfield in Russia's Kaluga region. Russia did not immediately comment on the Ukrainian assertion. It has denied deliberately targeting civilians in Ukraine. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-06-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Sturgeon proposes consultative independence vote Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans on Tuesday for a second referendum to be held on Scottish independence in October next year, vowing to take legal action to ensure a vote if the British government tried to block it. Sturgeon spoke as the Scottish government, which is led by her pro-independence Scottish National Party, published a referendum bill outlining plans for the secession vote to take place on October 19, 2023. She also said she would be writing to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for permission to hold a consultative referendum, but had already set in motion plans to get the legal authority should he try to block her. "The issue of independence cannot be suppressed. It must be resolved democratically. And that must be through a process that is above reproach and commands confidence," Sturgeon told lawmakers in the devolved Scottish Parliament. "What I am not willing to do, what I will never do, is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister." Voters in Scotland, which has a population of around 5.5 million, rejected independence in 2014. But Scotland's semi-autonomous government says Britain's departure from the European Union, which was opposed by a majority of Scots, means the question must be put to a second vote. Pro-independence parties won a majority in the elections last year and Sturgeon, under pressure from some in her own party, had promised to hold a vote by the end of 2023. Polls suggest a vote would be too close to call. Johnson and his ruling Conservative Party, which is in opposition in Scotland, strongly oppose a referendum, saying the issue was settled in 2014 when Scots voted against independence by 55 percent to 45 percent. Polls in 2022 vary, with some showing a similar split, and others showing the gap narrowing. Johnson has previously refused to issue a "Section 30" order, which gives authority to the Scottish parliament to hold a referendum, and said earlier on Tuesday the main priority for Britain was the economic pressures the country faced. His spokesman later reiterated that the government believed it was not the time to be discussing a new referendum. Sturgeon said that the legality of a referendum without permission from the British government was contested, and so she had already asked the Lord Advocate, the senior Scottish Law Officer, to refer the question to the UK's Supreme Court. "A decision has been taken by the first minister so we will carefully study the details of the proposal and the Supreme Court will now consider whether to accept the Scottish government's Lord Advocate's referral," Johnson's spokesman said. If the court found the Scottish parliament could not hold an independence referendum without the prime minister's consent, Sturgeon said the SNP would instead fight the next UK election on a platform of whether Scotland should be independent. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia A cholera outbreak in Iraq claimed its first victim Tuesday, with 17 new cases recorded in the country within 24 hours, a health ministry spokesperson said. The death was recorded in the northern province of Kirkuk, the ministry's Seif al-Badr was quoted as saying by state media. "Over the past 24 hours, 17 new cases were detected, bringing the total to 76 cases registered in Iraq since the start of the year," he said. The outbreak was first officially reported earlier this month, with Kirkuk accounting for one of the 13 cases confirmed at that time. The other infections were mostly concentrated in neighbouring Sulaimaniyah province, in the autonomous Kurdistan region. The country's last broad cholera outbreak dates back to 2015, Badr had said previously, with the central provinces of Baghdad and Babil to its south the worst affected. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours without medical attention. It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug. According to the World Health Organization, researchers estimate that annually there are between 1.3 million and four million cases of cholera worldwide, leading to between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths. Explore further Iraq confirms 13 cholera cases, scores suspected 2022 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Health care workers in New Zealand already face life-and-death decisions daily. But as multiple winter illnesses add pressure to a system already stretched by COVID, staff now also have to deal with daily abuse, acute staff shortages and unsafe working conditions. At times, they cannot provide the care they would like for their patients. The impact on health workers is often described as stress and burnout. The consequences of this prolonged pressure can be seen in the number of doctors, nurses and other health professionals leaving their jobs for overseas positions and the private sector, or being lost to their professions completely. Many of these health care workers may well be suffering from a more serious form of psychological distress than burnout: moral injury. "We are overloaded with the workload, we are all fatigued so I'm not sure how long this can go on. It's very difficult," say Auckland GPs as an overflow of winter patients, diverted from emergency departments knock on their doors.https://t.co/iR7PMoBk5g RNZ (@radionz) June 20, 2022 Moral injury refers to the psychological, social and spiritual impact of events on a person who holds strong values (such as caring for patients) and operates in high-stakes situations (hospital emergency care), but has to act in a way inconsistent with those values. Examples include having to turn patients away despite them being in pain or discomfort; being unable to provide adequate care due to staff shortages; having to care for a dying patient isolated from their loved ones while wearing full protective gear. Symptoms of moral injury can include strong feelings of guilt and shame (about not being able to uphold health care values, for example) as well as high levels of anger and contempt towards the system that prevents proper care. High levels of self-criticism, loss of trust in people and organizations and a weakening of personal relationships are further symptoms of moral injury. It can be viewed as a more severe form of burnout. But while burnout can happen in most workplaces, moral injury requires the three core components listed above. From war to the operating table The term moral injury arose in military psychology to refer to situations where, for example, soldiers were unable to intervene to save lives in case they risked breaching the rules of engagement. More recently, the term has been adapted to apply to health care. Viewing the experiences of health workers through this lens can help us understand why they may experience a seesawing emotional state and the confusing conflict of simultaneously wanting to be at work while wishing they were anywhere but. For health care workers, understanding the concept of moral injury may help reframe it as something that is happening to them rather than because they don't have the skills to cope. The latter can sometimes be a mistaken implication of the term burnout. While health care workers are largely at the mercy of the organizations they work for, there are some steps individuals can take to alleviate moral injury. Firstly, simply recognizing they may be suffering from this condition can reduce confusion and validate their experiences. Secondly, reconnecting back to an individual's values and beliefs can help refocus and re-energize, at least temporarily. Reminding themselves why they got into this job in the first place is a useful place to start. Organizational responses Organizations and businesses must play a lead role in preventing and treating moral injury. Many of the factors leading to it (lack of resources or staff, a pandemic or peak flu season) are outside the control of individuals. Most modern businesses will be aware they have a legal responsibility under the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act to look after their employees' mental and physical well-being. At a high level, organizations can advocate for systemic change and increases in funding and resourcing, where needed. But these higher-level changes take time to achieve. In the meantime, it is important health care workers are protected and supported. Broad steps an organization can take to prevent or reduce moral injury include removing the burden of difficult ethical decisions from frontline workers and instead adopting evidence-based policies to guide an organization-wide response. Where possible, rotating staff between high and low-stress environments may help. Providing funding for workers to access professional psychological supervision is another practical step businesses can consider. At a team level, it can be helpful to have leaders who are visible, validating and can help make sense of the moral conflict. Leaders can also play a role in keeping alive professional values and modeling their own struggles with the situation. The general public also has a role to play in supporting health care workers. Any steps we can take to protect our own health and thereby reduce pressure on the system can have a cumulative effect on the well-being of doctors, nurses and allied health clinicians. The health of our nation rests with those who work in this field and it is in all our interest that their health is protected and prioritized. Explore further Hospital work during pandemic was like a war zone: Study This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Nurses and midwives feel "forever altered" by the impact of COVID-19 and remain deeply affected by what they experienced, new research from the University of Surrey reports. None felt they came through the last two years unscathed. Researchers say that there is an urgent need to tackle stigma to create a psychologically safe working environment and have called for a national COVID-19 nursing workforce recovery strategy to retain nurses and help restore their psychological well-being. Jill Maben, Professor of Health Services Research and Nursing at the University of Surrey, said: "Nurses and midwives put their own health and psychological well-being on the line for the public during the pandemic and many unfortunately lost their lives. Others experienced burnout, high levels of moral distress and PTSD. We have a duty as a society to take care of frontline staff who experienced such extreme psychological and emotional distress during this pandemic. "To prevent a mass exodus of our nursing and midwifery workforce, it is important that they are offered the care and support that they need. A new national strategy focusing on their well-being is essential. The support currently offered is a good start in improving well-being, however more needs to be done at organizational levels (not just letting the responsibility rest with the individual nurse or midwife) as a one size fits all approach does not work." The findings are published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, as part of the ongoing Impact of COVID on Nurses (ICON) longitudinal interview study which arose from the ICON survey, researchers examined the impacts of the pandemic on frontline nursing staff's psychological and emotional well-being during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewing nurses and midwives from across the country, researchers identified high levels of distress amongst participants about the lack of compassionate care they were able to offer patients during this time. One nurse, spoke about her distress and embarrassment about the care her patients received while she was redeployed, and her hope that investigations would be launched into patient care after the pandemic. Redeployment was also found to have caused trauma to nurses, with many being unaccustomed to caring for high numbers of critically ill patients and being witness to such high numbers of patient deaths. A lack of trust between existing and redeployed nurses was also identified with many experiencing distress when forced to carry out tasks that they felt insufficiently trained to do and were concerned that their professional registration may be endangered. Stigma was a factor in some nursing staff not accessing counseling services during the first wave of the pandemic. Some participants referred to the notion that nurses seeking counseling would be viewed as a 'sign of weakness." Those who did seek out counseling often did so through anonymous sources such as charities or Trade Unions suggesting a lack of trust in the confidentiality of resources offered by employers. Professor Maben added: "These interviews were some of the most challenging of my career. We felt immensely privileged as a research team to bear witness to the selflessness and skillful work of nurses and midwives during the pandemic, while also hearing their often harrowing stories. We were often in awe of their work and felt their stress and distress deeply. However, interviewees suggested that by listening to their stories we provided some therapeutic space and comfort, with many very grateful that we were undertaking this work and recording their experiences for posterity." More information: J. Maben et al, 'You can't walk through water without getting wet' UK nurses' distress and psychological health needs during the Covid-19 pandemic: A longitudinal interview study, International Journal of Nursing Studies (2022). J. Maben et al, 'You can't walk through water without getting wet' UK nurses' distress and psychological health needs during the Covid-19 pandemic: A longitudinal interview study,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104242 Brazilian researchers surveyed 900 volunteers via an online platform for five months. Most reported feeling that time passed more slowly during home confinement in the early months of the pandemic, associating this perception with feelings of loneliness and a lack of positive experiences in the period. Credit: S. Hermann & F. Richter/Pixabay The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people perceive the passage of time, according to an article published in the journal Science Advances. At the end of the first month of social distancing, in May 2020, most participants in the study (65%) reported feeling time was passing more slowly. The researchers classified this perception as "time expansion" and found it to be associated with feelings of loneliness and a lack of positive experiences in the period. An even larger proportion (75%) reported feeling less "time pressure," when the clock appears to go faster, allowing less time for day-to-day tasks and leisure. The vast majority of interviewees (90%) said they were sheltering at home during the period. "We followed the volunteers for five months to see if this 'snapshot' of the start of the pandemic would change over time. We found that the feeling of time expansion diminished as the weeks went by, but we didn't detect significant differences with regard to time pressure," Andre Cravo, first author of the article, told Agencia FAPESP. Cravo is a professor at the Federal University of ABC in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The study began on May 6, when 3,855 volunteers recruited via social media answered a ten-item online questionnaire and completed a simple task designed to gauge their ability to estimate short intervals (pressing start and stop buttons in 1, 3 and 12 seconds). They were then asked about their routine in the previous week (whether they had completed all the requisite tasks and how much time they had devoted to leisure), and how they were feeling now (happy, sad, lonely etc). "They were invited to return every week for further sessions, but not everyone did," Cravo said. "In the final analysis, we considered data for 900 participants who answered the questionnaire for at least four weeks, albeit not all consecutively." Using time awareness scales from 0 to 100 that are standard for this type of survey, the researchers analyzed the answers and calculated the two parameterstime expansion and time pressureto see whether they increased or decreased week by week. "Besides a rise or fall on the scales, we also analyzed the factors that accompanied the changes. During the five-month period, we observed a similar pattern: In weeks when participants reported feeling lonely and experiencing less positive affect, they also felt time pass more slowly. In highly stressful situations, they felt time pass more quickly," Cravo said. When the first set of answers to the question on the passage of time was compared with the second, provided at the end of the first month of confinement, perceptions of time expansion had risen 20 points while time pressure had fallen 30 points, according to Raymundo Machado, a researcher at the Brain Institute of the Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital (HIAE) in Sao Paulo, and last author of the article. "These results are evidently affected by memory bias, however, because no measurements were made before the pandemic," he said. Time slowed most for younger participants early in the pandemic, when compliance with social distancing rules was strictest. Except for age, demographic factors such as household size, occupation and gender, had no influence on the results. For the authors, this may be an effect of the sample profile. Most of the volunteers (80.5%) lived in the Southeast region. A large majority were women (74.32%). Most had completed secondary school, and a great many even had a university degree (71.78%). In terms of income, roughly a third were upper middle class (33.08%). Sizable minorities worked in education (19.43%) and healthcare (15.36%). "This is typical of online surveys, where a majority are women living in the Southeast with high levels of formal education. The influence of demographics might have been more evident if the sample had represented the Brazilian population better," Machado said. Internal clock Although the pandemic changed participants' perceptions of the passage of time, it apparently did not affect their ability to sense duration, measured by the button-pressing task. "All of us are able to estimate short intervals. When the results of this time estimation test [including overestimation and underestimation of the intervals] were compared with the time awareness scores, there was no correlation," Machado said. According to Cravo, evidence from the scientific literature suggests the feeling that time is passing more slowly or more quickly is influenced mainly by two factors: the relevance of time in a particular context, and unpredictability. "For example, if you're late for work [so that time is relevant in the context] and have to wait for a bus [unpredictable timing], you have an extreme perception that the minutes aren't passing. When you're on vacation and having fun, time isn't relevant and appears to fly," he said. The perception often changes when we recall past situations. "When you remember what you did during a vacation, time seems to have lasted longer. On the contrary, when you're standing in line, time goes all too slowly but when you recall the situation some time later, it feels as if it was over quickly," Cravo said. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, how people will remember the passage of time during the period of social distancing is unknown. "Several temporal milestones, such as Carnival, the June festivals and birthdays, had to be skipped in the last two years, so the question remains open," he concluded. Explore further Distorted passage of time during the COVID-19 lockdown More information: Andre Mascioli Cravo et al, Time experience during social distancing: A longitudinal study during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Science Advances (2022). Journal information: Science Advances Andre Mascioli Cravo et al, Time experience during social distancing: A longitudinal study during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj7205 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Pollution is linked to more than 10 percent of cancer cases in Europe, a report by the European Environment Agency said Tuesday. Most of these cases are preventable, it said. "Exposure to air pollution, carcinogenic chemicals, radon, UV (ultraviolet) radiation and second-hand smoke together may contribute over 10 percent of the cancer burden in Europe," the agency said in a statement. But EEA expert Gerardo Sanchez said "all environmental and occupational cancer risks can be reduced". "Environmentally determined cancers due to radiation or chemical carcinogens can be reduced to an almost negligible level," he told journalists last week before the release of the report, the agency's first on the link between cancer and the environment. In the European Union, 2.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and 1.3 million die from it. The continent, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the world's population, reports almost a quarter of new cases and a fifth of deaths. Air pollution is linked to around one percent of all cancer cases in Europe, and causes around two percent of all cancer deaths, the agency said. Indoor exposure to radon is linked to up to two percent of all cancer cases, and one in ten lung cancer cases in Europe. Natural UV radiation may be responsible for up to four percent of all cancer cases in Europe, the agency said. Exposure to second-hand smoke may increase the overall risk for all cancers by up to 16 percent for people who have never been smokers, it added. The agency warned that some chemicals used in European workplaces contribute to causing cancer, including lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, acrylamide, and pesticides. Asbestos, a well-known carcinogen, is estimated to account for 55 to 88 percent of occupational lung cancers. The EU banned asbestos in 2005, but it is still present in some buildings and workers involved in renovation and demolition work are still exposed, the agency said. "Environmental and occupational cancer risks can be reduced by cleaning up pollution and changing behaviors," it added. "Decreasing these risks will lead to a fall in the numbers of cancer cases and deaths." Explore further Thousands of new cancer cases in Ontario each year due to environmental exposures 2022 AFP Photos of most of the face masks with numbers corresponding to Table I. Mask 2 is not shown because it is the same as mask 1 but with a printed design on it. Masks 1012 looked similar and so are represented by mask 10. Mask 13 (not shown) looks like mask 15. Masks 18 and 19 (not shown) look like mask 3. Mask 20 and 21 (not shown) look like mask 7. The dot on the lower lip of the mannikin was used to align the microphone. Credit: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2022). DOI: 10.1121/10.0010384 A new face mask designed by Manchester researchers is promising to end the stress and anxiety talkers and listeners experience when they cover up. Designed by a team at The Universities of Manchester and Salford, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Center (BRC), the revolutionary design will protect wearers from viruses such as COVID-19. The need for safe and effective covering remains important to protect wearers and bystanders for some groups. This can include elderly people or those who are are immunosuppressed (have a weakened immune system). A study by Dr. Gaby Saunders, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, showed how opaque masks were associated with anxiety and stress in both the talker and the listener, spurring the project. Dr. Saunders, who manages Manchester BRC's Hearing Device Center, said: "Facial expressions are used extensively in communication, even among hearing people, and our research showed how face mask wearers feel less connected, less willing to engage in conversation. "That is linked to increased anxiety and stress, as well as fatigue, frustration and embarrassment in both the listener and speaker." A 12-month "rapid-response" grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) allowed research audiologists at The University of Manchester, Dr. Michael Stone, Marston Senior Research Fellow, and Professor Kevin Munro, Honorary Consultant Clinical Scientist at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), to assemble a team of experts. Dr. Stone, who is also Manchester BRC Developing Engineering Solutions Program Lead, consulted with members of the Deaf community and people with experience of hearing loss. Feedback from the community, and other users, allowed the team to refine the design, which was validated in a recent paper in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Professor Trevor Cox, from the acoustics research center at the University of Salford, and the Maker Space team, also based there, developed a re-usable cotton-based mask design, allowing it to be manufactured widely. The design incorporates an optically transparent panel, supported on a thin "scaffold," which produces less muffling of sound than a conventional opaque mask with the acoustic signal (sound) from the mouth. Prof Cox said: "By reducing the weight of the transparent plastic, we could stop the high frequency parts of speech being lost in the mask. The scaffold to support the thin plastic sheet is carefully designed not to hinder the sound." Dr. Stone said: "This is a brilliant linking up of two diverse academic pursuits, psychology and physics, to produce real-world benefit for a wide range of people. The optical panel has also been shown to be effective in face visors, and we are now looking for commercial partners so as to extend the reach of the designs and prototypes as well as incorporating a novel lightweight filtration material developed at the University of Manchester." Explore further Face masks leave us feeling isolated and stressed, survey reveals More information: Trevor J. Cox et al, Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2022). Trevor J. Cox et al, Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields,(2022). DOI: 10.1121/10.0010384 Gabrielle H. Saunders et al, Impacts of face coverings on communication: an indirect impact of COVID-19, International Journal of Audiology (2020). DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1851401 Journal information: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new talking therapy for men in prison who struggle with suicidal thoughts and feelings is being launched in the U.K. The team of clinicians, academics, researchers, service users and caregivers will study the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Suicide Prevention therapy within prisons. Suicide is the leading cause of preventable death in prisons in England and Wales with 86 prisoner deaths and 52,000 episodes of self-injury in 2021 alone, leaving prisoners five times more likely to take their own lives than the general population. The Prevention of Suicide in Prisons: Enhancing Access to Therapy (PROSPECT) program is a collaboration between Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Manchester, the University of York, and King's College London. If proven to be effective, the promising new therapy could offer hope to those currently living in prison and also to the families, friends and professionals who care for them. Cognitive Behavioral Suicide Prevention is a talking therapy delivered in once or twice weekly 1:1 sessions, each lasting 3060 minutes with up to 20 sessions in total. The therapy supports patients to develop a personalized understanding of the reasons for suicide. It aims to provide short term, immediate benefit while also working towards longer-term gains through development of resilience to future suicidal episodes. Dr. Tim Kirkpatrick, a Research Fellow from The University of Manchester, said: "Suicide in male prisons is a serious problem and there is a great need to prevent it. "The PROSPECT program aims to improve treatments by promoting access to a promising new therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Suicide Prevention (CBSP) within prisons. "If successful, the PROSPECT program will help to reduce the personal, economic, and social costs of prison suicide." The trial will aim to test the CBSP therapy with men in four prisons from across the North of England, who have had recent difficulties with suicidal thoughts or behavior. Study participants will be randomly allocated to either receive the CBSP therapy in addition to their regular treatment offered to prisoners thought to be at risk of self-harm or suicide, or to receive regular treatment alone. Alongside the trial, researchers will be conducting an evaluation of how the CBSP therapy is carried out in the prison environment, to better understand factors that help or hinder successful implementation in this specific context. Dr. Daniel Pratt, a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Manchester and Chief Investigator for the PROSPECT project, said: "This is the first prison-based trial in England that has sought to improve access to a psychological talking therapy for suicidal thoughts and acts. "If this study proves the therapy to be effective, then we could see significant reductions in the number of suicide attempts and related deaths in prisons as well as improvements in prisoner mental health services." Dave Honeywell, an ex-prisoner who is now a lecturer at Arden University, said: "I was made blatantly aware there was a mental health crisis in prisons from my very first experience of prison in the early 1980s. It almost seemed an accepted part of prison life and certainly not taken seriously by the staff. "When I returned to prison in the 1990s it really stood out how much things had worsened and clearly exacerbated by drug use. The availability of therapy in prison could at least give prisoners hope and options which was something I was never offered. "My mental health suffered immensely in prison and if therapy was available, I was not aware of it because I would have been very eager to receive it. Not only would the availability of therapy be hugely important but all prisoners must be made aware that there is therapy available." Explore further Greenspace outside prison walls has a positive effect on prisoner wellbeing More information: For more information, see For more information, see sites.manchester.ac.uk/prospect/ Government publishes Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence Taoiseach joins the Minister for Justice and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to publish the most ambitious plan to date requiring whole of Government and community effort to create an Ireland where gender based violence is not tolerated 363 million investment will double the number of refuge spaces and improve services and supports for victims The establishment of a statutory agency for domestic, sexual and gender based violence by January 1, 2024 Updated primary and secondary school curricula to include consent, coercive control, domestic violence and safe use of the internet Maximum sentence for assault causing harm a common domestic abuse offence to be doubled from five to ten years Public awareness campaigns to challenge existing myths and biases Regular research will measure prevalence and support change The Government has today published the Zero Tolerance strategy. Led by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, it is an ambitious five year programme of reform to achieve a society which does not accept domestic, sexual and gender-based violence or the attitudes which underpin it. The 363 million strategy is built on four pillars Protection, Prevention, Prosecution and Policy Co-ordination and the accompanying implementation plan contains 144 detailed actions to be implemented this year and next through new oversight structures. This will ensure that everything that is promised in the plan is delivered according to the clear timelines that have been set out. Its central aim is Zero Tolerance of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in our society. The actions are drawn from across Government departments and State agencies to reflect the fact that Zero Tolerance can only be achieved through a whole of society effort, and that domestic, sexual and gender-based violence cannot be treated as a criminal justice issue alone. The Zero Tolerance strategy also seeks to clearly identify children and young people as both witnesses and victims and survivors. The strategy was approved by Cabinet today and launched by Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic OGorman. An implementation plan, as also approved by the Government for the first 18 months was published by the Minister today, with annual action plans to follow for every subsequent year of the lifetime of the Zero Tolerance strategy. Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: The launch of the third Domestic Sexual Gender-Based Violence strategy is an incredibly important moment for our country. It signals the Governments determination to affirm and protect some of our most vulnerable people. It will accomplish this through a comprehensive set of actions reaching across Government, spearheaded by a dedicated new Agency with oversight from the Department of the Taoiseach. Its ambitions extend to many parts of our society from education, to healthcare, and into our workplaces to name a few. Every sector has a part to play in calling out and taking action against DSGBV so that, once and for all, we reject the outmoded beliefs on which it rests. Minister McEntee said: Zero Tolerance means we dont turn a blind eye to violence and abuse just because its behind closed doors. It means we dont laugh off inappropriate touching or comments. It means we teach our children equality and respect from a young age. We will strive for Zero Tolerance through greater education and awareness to change attitudes and teach respect. By supporting victims with compassion when they take the brave step and come forward to seek our help. With effective punishment for perpetrators. And with a sustained will and dedication to bring about the change we need. This strategy is the most ambitious to date in seeking to bring about that change. It will see the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces and improved services and support for victims through a 363 million investment, and updated primary and secondary school curricula to include consent, coercive control, domestic violence and safe use of the internet. It has been developed with those working in the sector and on the frontline with victims. The knowledge and experience of these groups has been crucial in drafting this plan, and will be central to its implementation over the next five years. It has also been developed with the pain and suffering of too many victims at the forefront of our thoughts we commit to them and their memories, and to each other, that we will work towards Zero Tolerance as our ultimate goal. Minister OGorman added: I welcome the introduction of the Third National Strategy on DSGBV. This Strategy is the culmination of months of collaborative work between Government Departments, Tusla and organisations in the DSGBV sector. The Strategy is ambitious and far-reaching, and will go a long way to protect and support all victims of DSGBV. I am glad to see that many of the recommendations from the Review of Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Violence, published by Tusla, have been incorporated into the Strategy and in due course will make for a significant expansion of refuge places, improving availability of DSGBV service nationwide. I look forward to working with partners in Government, Tusla and the sector to progress this strategy and make Ireland a safer place for all. Among the actions to be completed or begun within the first 18 months to two years of the five year strategy, under each of the four pillars of the plan, are: Prevention Updated secondary school curricula at junior and senior cycle to include consent, domestic violence, coercive control and safe use of the internet. The new junior cycle curriculum will be finalised in September 2022 for public consultation and rolled out in September 2023, with revised senior cycle curriculum finalised by September 2023 for public consultation and rolled out in September 2024. A revised primary school curriculum to include the same topics, taught in an age appropriate way, will be finalised for consultation by 2024. The Anti-bullying procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools will also be reviewed and updated in parallel with this work. Ambitious awareness raising campaigns to focus on attitudes among men and boys, increase awareness of services and supports among victims and reach migrant and minority communities, as well as the rollout of the national campaign on consent Updated planning guidelines to ensure public safety concerns are central to the development of public spaces, with planning to begin for local safety audits to assess lighting, seating and other factors to make public spaces are safer Improved training for professionals and support staff engaged with domestic, sexual and gender based violence Develop and implement a Night Time Economy Charter to develop industry safety standards this will be a requirement for annual licence renewals New public transport passenger safety and personal security reports to be undertaken and published by Department of Transport and National Transport Authority every year Roll-out of an online hub on consent and sexual awareness across the third level education sector Collect data on rate of sexual violence and harassment across the higher education sector Protection Progress work to double the number of refuge spaces an apartment type unit where victims of domestic abuse can seek safety over the lifetime of the strategy, from 141 to 282. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces and will ensure that every county has a refuge a building which can contain a number of apartment type units. Key milestones to reach this target include: The completion of 24 spaces in locations in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan by 2024 98 new refuge spaces in Sligo, Cavan/Monaghan, Cork City, North Cork, West Cork, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Westmeath, Portlaoise, Balbriggan Longford, Carlow and Offaly. Project management and capacity building supports are being made available under the strategy throughout 2022 and 2023 to progress these refuges A further 19 refuge units will be provided in other locations, including Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan/Monaghan Increase the number of safe homes accommodation for victims and children in homes in the community, rather than refuges by a third by the end of this year, up from 30 to 44 with further expansion over the duration of the plan Work to remove the legal barriers that prevent individuals experiencing sexual or domestic violence remaining at home where it is safe to do so and examine how to allow An Garda Siochana issue removal orders to take offenders out of the home in high risk cases New training for healthcare workers to be developed by the HSE to identity domestic violence and refer victims to appropriate services The introduction of statutory domestic violence leave this year The development of national support services for children as victims/survivors of DSGBV; DSGBV trauma informed therapeutic counselling services for adults and children; DSGBV trauma informed parenting supports Prosecution Increase the maximum sentence from five years to ten years for assault causing harm one of the most common charges in cases of domestic abuse. This measure will be included in the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill which will be enacted by the end of the year. Begin engagement with the judiciary to consider the creation of specialised judges for domestic, sexual and gender based violence cases Establish a review cycle within the Department of Justice to identify and consider further reforms to the law, beginning with, among others: Strengthening the range of emergency orders available to the Courts Increased powers of detention when investigating specific domestic abuse related offences, allowing for detention of more than 24 hours Limiting bail for breaches of barring orders where there is a history of violence How to better protect vulnerable women against sexual exploitation and sex for rent Improve the prosecution of domestic, sexual and gender based violence cases by providing specialised training across the entire Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and strengthening training in An Garda Siochana Additional training in An Garda Siochana to improve prosecutions and breaches of all DSGBV civil orders Publish and implement the Family Justice Strategy and enact the Family Court Bill to make a more user friendly family court system Work with An Garda Siochana to examine the establishment of a Domestic Violence Register Continue the implementation of the Supporting a Victims Journey Plan to place the victim at the centre of the criminal justice system Enact legislation to introduce stand-alone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation Enact the Sexual Offences Bill to implement a number of recommendations in Supporting a Victims Journey, and to provide for a revised National Referral Mechanism to ensure that we can support the victims of human trafficking and disrupt the criminal networks which seek to exploit such vulnerable persons Enact the new Hate Crime Bill to introduce new, specific aggravated offences with enhanced penalties for crimes motivated by prejudice against certain characteristics, including gender. This will mean that certain types of crimes can be prosecuted as hate crimes where they are motivated by misogyny The rollout of body worn cameras in An Garda Siochana top help investigate domestic abuse cases and other crimes and protect Gardai Policy Co-Ordination The establishment of a statutory agency for domestic, sexual and gender based violence by January 1 2024. The new agency will: Co-ordinate the implementation of the Zero Tolerance strategy, and report to the Minister for Justice. The Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality will provide political oversight for the implementation of this strategy. Deliver excellent services to victims, including the provision of accommodation, helplines and other supports Lead on awareness raising campaigns to reduce incidence of DSGBV and ensure victims can access supports Leading on consistent and ongoing research to inform policy development Report to and follow policy as set down by the Minister for Justice, who has lead government responsibility for DSGBV The establishment by the Central Statistics Office of a new National Domestic Violence Prevalence Study. The first survey results will be published in 2028, and will be conducted in alternating five year intervals with the National Sexual Violence Survey, which is due to be published in 2023. Oversight to be supported by new High-Level Oversight Board to be jointly led by the secretaries general of Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Justice Work with the Ombudsman for Children to support the strategy, with the Ombudsman providing advice and support to implement actions aimed at children While outlining the detailed actions in her plan, Minister McEntee also said that achieving Zero Tolerance will require a commitment from every person in society Government can and will lead the implementation of policy. Through awareness-raising campaigns and education by parents and schools we can encourage cultural change. We can educate our children that hate is destructive and that sex is not degrading or violent. But Government cannot call out inappropriate behaviour in the workplace or the WhatsApp group. We cannot question the lewd comment nor ask if someones actions on the street at night are making the woman walking home on the path ahead feel unsafe. It is for all of us to realise that we must in our everyday lives eradicate the social and cultural attitudes which can contribute to women feeling unsafe. The Minister for Justice has led the development of Zero Tolerance strategy, with input from across Government, detailed consultation with the NGO sector and the public. The consultation process saw over 70 written submissions from community groups, over 1,200 responses from members of the public, as well as inputs from workshops which included children and specialist organisations working in the sector. It also builds on a significant body of work from Minister McEntee in the area of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including the enactment of Cocos Law to tackle intimate image abuse and the implementation of the Supporting a Victims Journey Plan to put the victim at the centre of the criminal justice system. The implementation of Supporting a Victims Journey has to date involved a number of significant reforms, including: The introduction of pre-trial hearings to streamline the trial process and better support victims The national rollout of Divisional Protective Services Units, which are specialised units within An Garda Siochana to deal with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence The establishment of a new sexual offences unit in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Other reforms underway from Minister McEntee include: The Sex Offenders Bill will strengthen the management and monitoring of sex offenders in the community. Reforms to the law on the mandatory life sentence for murder to allow judges set a minimum number of years to be served. Notes: The 363 million budget is broken down as follows: The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and the Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD have today announced Government approval for the Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Bill 2022 which seeks to ensure adequate provision of special educational needs placements for the coming school year. The key provision in this new legislation provides for a truncated Section 37A process, whereby a school can be directed to make additional provision for children with special educational needs. This new process can lead to a Ministerial direction to be served on a school within 6 to 8 weeks of receiving a report from the NCSE setting out its opinion that there are insufficient schools places in a certain area. The shortened process still allows two opportunities for school patrons and boards to make representations to the Minister ahead of a direction issuing. Minister Foley said: I recognise the importance of inclusive education for all children. It is my primary objective to promote and support actions that will ensure that the school setting is a welcoming environment for all. This legislation is an important step in ensuring that children with special educational needs have a school place for the upcoming school year. This legislation means that a child-centred and child-focused approach is taken to the provision of special education classes. The Department and the NCSE will continue to engage intensely with school authorities to open new special classes for September, but I am confident that this legislation can also play a key role in helping us with those efforts. Minister Madigan said: We are committed to providing appropriate places for all children with special educational needs. We know that Dublin is the real pinch point in relation to placements for these children and this announcement seeks to address that shortage. Schools have been working with us and the NCSE to open new classes and we will open at least 315 additional classes this year. I am grateful to all concerned for their ongoing work in this regard and I want to commend the schools that are making provision for these students. All parties would prefer to see schools volunteer to provide more places rather than places being secured on the back of an order or a direction from the Minister. It is also important to note that a range of supports is provided to schools opening new classes, these include funding for new staff (for example certain special classes will consist of 6 students and one teacher, plus two SNAs), support from the Planning and Building Unit within the Department for any physical alterations needed to the building, a grant for equipment, and a range of training courses provided by the NCSE. The Department and the NCSE continue to have a lot of engagement with patrons and school authorities in relation to opening special classes for 2022/23 school year. Primary schools in Dublin are a particular focus for intensive engagement where the NCSE is aware of 80 children who are awaiting a placement in a special class and who are not already in a mainstream setting. Over recent weeks this engagement has resulted in confirmations from 8 primary schools that they will open special classes for the 2022/23 school year. This will reduce the number of children who are awaiting a placement in a special class to around 56. Further engagement is happening with schools at present and this will continue intensively in the coming weeks with the intention of further reducing the number of children who require a special class placement. In addition, the NCSE advises that approximately 50 children require a special school placement, and the Department and the NCSE are actively engaged in work to ensure that additional special school provision is made available on both the North and South side of Dublin. ENDS The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led states will ban or severely limit abortion immediately, while other restrictions will take effect later. In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access. The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted. Here is an overview of abortion legislation and the expected impact of the courts decision in every state. ALABAMA Political control: Alabama has a Republican-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Background: In 2019, Alabama lawmakers approved what was then the most stringent abortion ban in the country, making it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The only exception would be when the womans health was at serious risk. A federal judge issued an injunction, under the precedent of Roe v. Wade, blocking the state from enforcing the law. In 2018, voters agreed to amend the Alabama Constitution to say the state recognizes the rights of unborn children and does not protect the right to an abortion or require the funding of abortion. A 1951 law made it a crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to induce an abortion, unless it is done to preserve the life or health of the mother. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortions became almost entirely illegal in Alabama on Friday. A 2019 state abortion ban took effect making it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. All three clinics stopped providing abortions Friday morning under fear of prosecution under the 1951 state law. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson hours later granted Alabama's request to lift an injunction and allow the state to enforce the 2019 abortion ban. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said it is now a felony to provide an abortion in Alabama beyond the one exception allowed in the 2019 law, which is for the sake of the mothers health. Doctors who violate the law could face up to 99 years in prison. Marshall said the state would also move to lift other injunctions that blocked previous abortion restrictions, including a requirement for doctors who perform abortions to have hospital admitting privileges. Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers have said they would like to see the state replace the 2019 ban with a slightly less stringent bill that would allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Proponents said the 2019 ban was deliberately strict in the hopes of sparking a court challenge to Roe. ALASKA Political control: Republicans currently hold a majority of seats in the state Legislature, but the House is controlled by a bipartisan coalition composed largely of Democrats. Fifty-nine of the Legislatures 60 seats are up for election this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican who believes life begins at conception, is seeking reelection. Background: The Alaska Supreme Court has interpreted the right to privacy in the state constitution as encompassing abortion rights. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The U.S. Supreme Court's decision is not expected to immediately affect abortion rights in Alaska, given the existing precedent in the state. Whats next: Voters in the fall will be asked if they want to hold a constitutional convention, a question that comes up every 10 years. Many conservatives who want to overhaul how judges are selected and do away with the interpretation that the constitutions right to privacy clause allows for abortion rights see an opportunity in pushing for a convention. Recent efforts to advance a constitutional amendment through the Legislature have been unsuccessful. ARIZONA Political control: Both legislative chambers are controlled by Republicans, who regularly pass abortion restrictions that for the past eight sessions have been quickly signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, an abortion opponent. Background: Arizona law allows abortion through about 22 weeks, but the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban in March mirroring the Mississippi law that was contested before the Supreme Court. It was to take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourned on June 24. Current restrictions include bans on abortions because of gender and a 2021 law that makes it a felony for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy because the child has a survivable genetic abnormality. Arizona also has a pre-statehood law still on the books that would ban all abortions, although it has not been enforced since Roe was decided. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Ducey has argued in media interviews that the law he signed in late March takes precedence over the total ban that remains on the books. But the law he signed specifically says it does not overrule the total abortion ban in place for more than 100 years. Ducey is term-limited and leaves office in January. Abortion providers across the state stopped all procedures after the court ruled because of concerns that the pre-Roe ban could put doctors, nurses and other providers at risk of prosecution. Republican state Attorney General Mark Brnovich said on June 30 that the pre-statehood law could be enforced, putting him at odds with the Republican governor. Brnovich said he would seek to remove an injunction in place since shortly after 1973s Roe decision. Also on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Arizona to enforce a ban on abortions done solely because the fetus has a genetic abnormality. A federal judge blocked that part of the 2021 Arizona law last year, saying it was unconstitutionally vague, but will now have to reconsider that decision. Hes also being asked again to block a personhood provision that grants rights to eggs and fetuses, which medical providers worry could be used to bring various charges for harming an unborn child. Whats next: Abortion-rights supporters in Arizona have launched a long-shot bid to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. Rolled out weeks after the draft U.S. Supreme Court decision showing Roe could be overturned was leaked, backers must collect more than 356,000 signatures by July 7 to get the initiative on the November ballot. Voters would then be able to decide. ARKANSAS Political control: Arkansas legislature is controlled by Republicans who have supported dozens of abortion bans and restrictions in recent years. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson also has supported bans on abortion with some exceptions. Hes term-limited and leaves office in January. Republican nominee Sarah Sanders, press secretary to former President Donald Trump, is widely favored in the November election to succeed him. Background: Arkansas already had a law banning most abortions 20 weeks into a womans pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. The state has several other bans that have been struck down or blocked by courts in recent years, including an outright abortion ban enacted last year that doesnt include rape or incest exceptions. That ban has been blocked by a federal judge, and the state has appealed. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Arkansas has a law it enacted in 2019 that bans nearly all abortions now that Roe is overturned. That ban, along with the outright ban thats been blocked by a federal judge, only allows exceptions to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. Hutchinson has said he thinks bans should include rape and incest exceptions, but he has not called on the Legislature to add those to either of the bans. Whats next: Hours after Fridays ruling, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge signed certification that Roe had been overturned. That certification allows the states trigger ban to take effect immediately. The only exception in that ban is to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. The Legislature isnt scheduled to meet until January, but Hutchinson is considering calling a special session to take up tax relief proposals. The Republican governor said Friday he does not plan on asking lawmakers to consider adding rape and incest exceptions to the states ban. CALIFORNIA Political control: Democrats who support access to abortion control all statewide elected offices and have large majorities in the state Legislature. Background: California outlawed abortion in 1850, except when the life of the mother was in danger. The law changed in 1967 to include abortions in the case of rape, incest or if a womans mental health were in danger. In 1969, the California Supreme Court declared the states original abortion law to be unconstitutional but left the 1967 law in place. In 1972, California voters added a right to privacy to the state constitution. Since then, the state Supreme Court has interpreted that right to privacy as a right to access abortion, allow minors to get an abortion without their parents permission and use public funding for abortions in the states Medicaid program. California now requires private health insurance plans to cover abortions and does not allow them to charge things such as co-pays or deductibles for the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortion will remain legal in California prior to the viability of a fetus. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to make California a sanctuary for women who live in other states where abortion is outlawed or severely restricted. The number of women who travel to the state for abortions is expected to rise significantly. Whats next: The state Legislature is considering 13 bills that would strengthen or expand access to abortion. The bills are based on a report from the Future of Abortion Council, which Newsom formed last year to study reproductive rights in California. They include proposals that would help pay for women from other states to come to California for abortions, ban enforcement of out-of-state civil judgments on California abortion providers and volunteers, and increase the number of people who can offer abortions by authorizing some nurse practitioners to perform the procedure without the supervision of a doctor. Lawmakers also plan to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would explicitly guarantee the right to an abortion and contraceptives. COLORADO Political control: The Democrats who control the Colorado Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: A 1967 state law legalized abortion up to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has been accessible ever since, despite repeated legislative attempts and ballot initiatives to restrict or abolish the procedure. Colorado voters have consistently rejected such initiatives, the latest in 2020 that would have banned abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2022, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a law placing the right to abortion in state statute. The law guarantees access to reproductive care before and after pregnancy and bans local governments from imposing their own restrictions. It also declares that fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses have no independent rights. Abortion rights advocates plan a 2024 ballot initiative to add abortion rights to the state constitution and repeal a 1980s constitutional amendment that bans public funding for abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The decision wont have any immediate impact on Colorado law -- but providers are preparing for a surge of out-of-state patients. Democratic House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar says lawmakers must consider how to invest in a health care workforce to ensure Colorado has the capacity to meet that anticipated demand. Colorados health department reports there were 11,580 abortions in the state in 2021; of those 14% were for non-residents. More than 900 of those non-residents were from Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska. Whats next: Its impossible to predict how many more patients from states surrounding Colorado will potentially seek care now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. But the Texas law could induce more people to come. Oklahoma now has an early pregnancy abortion ban; Utah and Wyoming have trigger laws banning abortion now Roe is overturned; the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on an August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it. CONNECTICUT Political control: Democrats who control the Connecticut General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Connecticut passed a law in 1990 giving women the legal right to abortion. Having passed with strong bipartisan support, it was lauded at the time for being a rare compromise between abortion rights advocates and opponents. It affirmed a womans unqualified right to an abortion prior to viability of the fetus, as well as later-term abortions necessary to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman. It also repealed state laws predating Roe v. Wade that had made it a felony to have an abortion or to perform one and required that patients under 16 receive counseling about their options. This year, Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation to protect medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions. The same law allows advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives or physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, has vowed to challenge any attempt to nullify Connecticuts abortion rights law. Lets not mince words. They will come for us, Tong warned abortion rights supporters during a recent news conference. We will fight that effort tooth-and-nail. Any court, any place, Connecticut will be there and will fight. The state is already involved in major abortion cases across the country. And while Connecticut is surrounded by mostly pro-abortion states, its still bracing for out-of-state patients seeking abortions now that Roe has been overturned. Whats next: Connecticuts new law protecting abortion providers from other states bans takes effect on July 1. It creates a legal cause of action for providers and others sued in another state, enabling them to recover certain legal costs. It also limits the governors discretion to extradite someone accused of performing an abortion, as well as participation by Connecticut courts and agencies in those lawsuits. Theres discussion of possibly amending the states constitution to enshrine the right to abortion, making it more difficult to overturn, but that would be a multi-year process. DELAWARE Political control: Democrats control the governors office and both chambers of the legislature in Delaware and have taken several steps to ensure access to abortion. Background: In 2017, Delaware became the first state following the election of President Donald Trump to codify the right to an abortion. A bill signed by Gov. John Carney, a Catholic, guarantees the unfettered right to an abortion before a fetus is deemed viable. The law defines viability as the point in a pregnancy when, in a physicians good faith medical judgment, there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus can survive outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures. The law also allows abortion after fetal viability if, in a doctors good faith medical judgment, abortion is necessary for the protection of the womans life or health, or if there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus cannot survive without extraordinary medical measures. The law eliminated existing code restrictions on abortions, much of which had already been declared unenforceable by Delawares attorney general in 1973 following the Supreme Court rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. In April of this year, Carney signed a bill allowing physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe abortion-inducing medications including mifepristone and misoprostol. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: In Delaware, the privacy protections of Roe v. Wade are codified in state law, guaranteeing residents have access to legal abortion services even if Roe were to be undone at the federal level, Democratic lawmakers noted earlier this month in unveiling legislation further broadening access to abortions. The bill, which is likely to pass before the end of June, allows physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwifes to perform abortions before viability. It also includes various legal protections for abortion providers and patients, including out-of-state residents receiving abortions in Delaware. Those provisions include protections from civil actions in other states relating to the termination of a pregnancy, and protecting individuals from extradition to other states for criminal charges related to terminating a pregnancy. Whats next: According to state health officials, 2,042 abortions were performed in Delaware in 2019, with 1,765 involving Delaware residents and 277 involving nonresidents. Delaware is not likely to see a huge influx of women traveling from out of state to get abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned, given that neighboring Maryland and New Jersey also have liberal abortion-access laws. In neighboring Pennsylvania, where Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, future abortion access could hinge on the outcome of this years gubernatorial contest. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Political control: The local government in the nations capital is completely controlled by Democrats, with a Democratic mayor and the D.C. Council split between Democrats and nominal independent politicians, who are all, invariably, Democrats. Background: Abortion is legal in the District of Columbia at all stages of pregnancy, a status that was upheld in the 1971 Supreme Court case United States v. Vuitch. However, the U.S. Congress has oversight power over D.C. laws and Congress has already banned the city from using local funds to pay for abortions for women on Medicaid. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Elected officials in Washington, D.C., fear Congress could move to restrict abortion access, particularly if Republicans recapture the House of Representatives in midterm elections later this year. President Joe Biden could theoretically veto such a move, but that protection is subject to political calculations and is not guaranteed. Whats next: Local officials have pledged defiance against any sort of Congressional move to restrict local abortion access. The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would declare Washington, D.C., a sanctuary city for those coming from states where abortion is banned. According to federal data, most of the women getting abortions in Washington already are coming from out of state. Those numbers could increase, particularly if new Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin moves to restrict abortion access in neighboring Virginia. FLORIDA Political control: Republicans control both chambers of the Florida Legislature and this year passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which was signed into law by the states Republican governor. Background: Abortion was legal in Florida until the 24th week of pregnancy, though lawmakers have been tightening access in recent years with bills requiring a one-day waiting period and requiring parents of a pregnant minor to be notified before an abortion can be provided. This year, in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Legislature passed a ban on abortions after the 15th week, except to save the mothers life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape or incest. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the legislation the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The decision places Floridas 15-week ban on firm legal ground, at least under federal law. However, the legislation is being challenged in state court on arguments that it violates a guarantee of the right to privacy under the state constitution. Whats next: Floridas 15-week ban took effect July 1, but it will be in place only temporarily after a judge ruled that it "violates the privacy provision of the Florida Constitution. The law will be in effect only until the judge signs his written order, something that is expected to happen within the week. Although only about 2% of Floridas abortions take place after 15th week, abortion rights advocates have expressed concern over declining access to the procedure not only for Floridians but for residents from nearby Southern states where restrictions have historically been stricter than in Florida. GEORGIA Political control: Georgia has a Republican legislature and governor who support abortion restrictions, but all are up for election this November. Republicans are likely to retain legislative control, but theres a possibility a Democrat could become governor. Background: Georgia lawmakers in 2019 passed a law by one vote that would ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, when fetal cardiac activity can be detected. The measure is unlike other so-called heartbeat bills in that it also contains language designating a fetus as a person for certain state-law purposes such as income tax deductions and child support. A federal judge quickly put the law on hold and in 2020 struck it down, saying it was unconstitutional. The state appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 11th Circuit said it would wait to rule on the appeal pending a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Mississippi case. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Georgias attorney general asked the 11th Circuit to reverse the lower courts ruling and allow the states abortion law to take effect. That same day, the 11th Circuit directed the parties to file briefs within three weeks addressing what effect, if any, the Supreme Court decision has on the Georgia appeal. If the law takes effect, it would ban the large majority of abortions that currently take place in Georgia about 87%, according to providers. The change could happen in the middle of tightly contested races in Georgia for governor and U.S. Senate. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger for governor Stacey Abrams say they want to secure abortion rights. Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp support restrictions. Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers and candidates want Georgia to go further and ban abortion entirely, but Kemp is unlikely to call a special session before this Novembers general election. Lawmakers are likely to consider further action when they return for their annual session in January. The Legislature or courts will have to sort out whether the provisions designating a fetus as a person are workable. HAWAII Political control: Hawaiis governor is a Democrat and Democrats control more than 90% of the seats in the state House and Senate. Background: Hawaii legalized abortion in 1970, when it became the first state in the nation to allow the procedure at a womans request. The state allows abortion until a fetus would be viable outside the womb. After that, its legal if a patients life or health is in danger. For many years, only licensed physicians could perform the procedure. Last year, the state enacted a law allowing advanced practice care nurses to carry out in-clinic abortions during the first trimester. This helps women on more rural islands who have been flying to Honolulu to obtain abortions because of doctor shortages in their communities. The law allows the nurses to prescribe medication to end a pregnancy and to perform aspiration abortion, a type of minor surgery during which a vacuum is used to empty a womans uterus. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Existing Hawaii law allows abortions, but Gary Yamashiroya, a spokesperson for the state attorney generals office, has said the attorney general was carefully considering measures Hawaii might take to protect and strengthen reproductive rights if Roe ended. No matter the outcome, our state remains committed to reproductive freedom and choice, he said. Whats next: Political support for abortion rights is strong. Anti-abortion bills are rarely heard at the state Legislature. When they have been, they havent made it out of committee. Gov. David Ige issued a statement supporting abortion rights when the Supreme Courts draft opinion overturning Roe leaked. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, I will fight to ensure a womans right to choose in the State of Hawaii, he said. The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women earlier this month said 72% of the state Senate and 53% of state House members signed a pledge supporting abortion rights. IDAHO Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in the House and Senate and oppose access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor. Background: Following the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, Idaho passed a law generally allowing abortions in the first and second trimester up to viability at about 23 to 24 weeks. The law allows abortions after viability only to protect the mothers life or in cases of nonviable fetuses. This year, lawmakers passed a Texas-style ban prohibiting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and authorizing family members to sue medical providers for performing an abortion. That law is on hold following a challenge by Planned Parenthood. The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in August. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It triggers a 2020 Idaho law banning all abortions except in cases of reported rape or incest, or to protect the mothers life, to take effect in 30 days. Under the law, the person performing the abortion could face a felony prosecution punishable by up to five years in prison. In cases of rape or incest, the law requires pregnant women to file a police report and provide a copy of the report to the provider prior to an abortion. If the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the states Texas-style abortion ban and Roe v. Wade is tossed aside, a medical provider who performs an abortion in Idaho could face a lawsuit and criminal charges. Whats Next: Pregnant women seeking abortions will have to travel out of state; the nearest abortion providers would be in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Planned Parenthood is renting space in the town of Ontario on the Idaho-Oregon border and says its preparing for an influx of patients seeking abortions. Some Republican lawmakers in Idaho might propose new legislation in January to outlaw abortion pills and emergency contraception. ILLINOIS Political control: Illinois is overwhelmingly Democratic with laws providing greater access to abortion than most states. Democrats hold veto-proof supermajorities in the House and Senate, and the Democratic first-term governor seeking reelection this year, J.B. Pritzker, has promoted peaceful street protests to protect the constitutional right to an abortion. Background: Abortion is legal in Illinois and can only be restricted after the point of viability, when a fetus is considered able to survive outside the womb. Medical science determines viability at 24 to 26 weeks, but the Illinois law does not specify a timeframe, saying a medical professional can determine viability in each case. Abortions are also allowed after viability to protect the patients life or health. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It won't change access to abortion in Illinois. After the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 legalized abortion but enacted a trigger law that would reinstate the ban if Roe were overturned. That trigger law was repealed in 2017 in legislation that also required Medicaid and state employees group health insurance to cover abortions. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act replaced the 1975 law, large parts of which were never enforced because they were found to be unconstitutional. Whats next: Like other states providing access to abortions, Illinois has seen a steady influx of patients crossing the state line for abortions in recent months and those numbers are expected to increase. Planned Parenthood of Illinois says it expects to handle an additional 20,000 to 30,000 patients in Illinois in the first year following the reversal of Roe. INDIANA Political control: Indiana has a Republican-dominated Legislature and a Republican governor in favor of restricting abortion access. Background: Abortion in Indiana is legal up to about 20 weeks, with some provisions for medical emergencies. Before an abortion, patients must undergo an 18-hour waiting period. Medical providers must tell patients about the risks involved in abortion and must say the fetus can feel pain around 20 weeks, which is disputed. Providers must report complications related to abortion; failure to report can result in a misdemeanor, 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Federal courts have blocked several restrictions in Indiana, including an attempt to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a law that would have required doctors to tell pregnant women about a disputed treatment to potentially stop a drug-induced abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: No immediate changes came from the decision, but the states Republican attorney general has asked federal judges to lift orders blocking several state anti-abortion laws. Those include one aimed at prohibiting abortions based on gender, race or disability, and another banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure that the legislation called dismemberment abortion. Whats next: Republican legislative leaders said they expected lawmakers to act on tightening Indianas abortion laws during a special legislative session starting July 6 but gave no details about what restrictions would be considered. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb called the Legislature into a special session to take up a tax refund proposal, although state law allows legislators to consider any subject. The session can last up to 40 days. ___ IOWA Political control: Iowas legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access and a Republican governor who agrees and is up for reelection this year. Background: Iowa allows most abortions until the 20th week of pregnancy, when theyre banned except to save a patients life or prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. In 2018, the state Supreme Court declared access to abortion a fundamental right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution. The states high court, now with a conservative majority, overturned that decision June 17, thus allowing a state law requiring a 24-hour waiting period to go into effect immediately. That requirement is being challenged in district court. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing is expected to change immediately in Iowa. The GOP-controlled Legislature has been working to get an amendment on the ballot in 2024 that would declare the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion but, with Roe overturned, Iowa lawmakers can ban abortion without completing that lengthy process. Whats next: Now that the Iowa Supreme Court has struck down its 2018 ruling, the state Legislature can convene a special session this summer and pass abortion restrictions. Republicans could still move to get the constitutional amendment on a public ballot in 2024. KANSAS Political control: Kansas has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for re-election this year. Background: Under current law, Kansas does not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, when theyre allowed only to save a patients life or to prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. The state Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution does currently. State law, however, doesnt allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Kansas. The state Supreme Court blocked enforcement of a 2015 legislative ban on a common second-trimester procedure, and abortion opponents fear a host of other rules could fall to legal challenges in the near future. The GOP-controlled Legislature responded by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot during the Aug. 2 primary, when turnout is expected to be much lower than in a general election and will likely see a higher proportion of Republicans voting. The amendment would declare that the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion. It would allow lawmakers to restrict abortion as much as the federal courts will allow . Whats next: If voters approve the amendment, the Legislature would still have to approve the new restrictions, and lawmakers are out of session until January 2023. They can call themselves in to special session with two-thirds majorities, but theyre likely to wait until after voters decide in the November general election whether to give Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a second term. KENTUCKY Political control: Republicans have a supermajority in the Kentucky Legislature and have been restricting abortion rights since the 2016 election over the vetoes of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who supports abortion rights and will seek a second term in 2023. Background: Kentucky bans abortions after 20 weeks, but all abortion services were temporarily halted in April after the legislature imposed new restrictions and reporting requirements on the states two abortion clinics. The clinics, both in Louisville, said they suspended abortions because state officials hadnt written guidelines on how to comply with the new law. Noncompliance could result in stiff fines, felony penalties and revocation of physician and facility licenses. Abortions resumed after a federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law, including a provision banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortion services in Kentucky immediately became illegal under a trigger law enacted in 2019. The measure contains a narrow exception allowing abortion to prevent the death or permanent injury of a pregnant woman. Kentuckians will be able to vote this November on a proposed amendment declaring there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution. Whats next: Abortion-rights activists say the suspension of abortion services in April foreshadowed what would happen in Kentucky and other Republican-leaning states if Roe v. Wade was overturned. It likely ends several legal challenges pending against other Kentucky abortion laws including a 2018 measure that abortion-rights supporters say would effectively ban a standard abortion method in the second trimester of pregnancy. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that Kentuckys Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, can defend the measure that was struck down by lower courts. LOUISIANA Political control: Louisianas legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access. Its Democratic and Catholic governor also opposes abortions, though he supports exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Background: Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 stating that a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution. Of the about 2 million people who voted, 62% approved the amendment. Abortion had been legal in Louisiana through the 19th week of pregnancy. After that, it was legal only if the fetus would die anyway or if continuing the pregnancy would threaten the mothers life or health. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Louisiana has a trigger law that immediately outlaws abortions. There is no exception for rape or incest. The only exception is if there is substantial risk of death or impairment to the woman. Earlier this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signed a bill updating various aspects of the law and subjecting abortion providers to up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000. Edwards office said the bill allows the use of emergency contraception for victims of rape and incest prior to when a pregnancy can be clinically diagnosed." Edwards signed another bill that would require the doctor to certify that a drug used for abortion was being prescribed for another medical reason. The bill makes it illegal to deliver abortion medication to a state resident by mail-order, courier, or as a result of a sale made via the internet. Whats next: Louisianas three abortion clinics in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport were no longer providing abortions to patients as of Friday and instead are recommending pregnant patients seeking the procedure to go to states where it remains legal. MAINE Political control: Both chambers of the Maine Legislature, which has adjourned, are controlled by Democrats. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has vowed to protect the right to an abortion, saying she will fight with everything I have to protect reproductive rights. Background: A Republican governor in 1993 signed a Maine law affirming the right to abortion before a fetus is viable. After that, abortion is only allowed if the life or health of the mother is at risk, or if the pregnancy is no longer viable. In 2019, lawmakers eliminated a physician-only rule and Mills signed it into law, allowing nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals to perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change in Maine. Any attempt to restrict abortions when lawmakers reconvene next year would face fierce pushback. Abortion providers, meanwhile, said there could be an influx of patients seeking abortions from states that outlaw the procedure. Whats next: Any major changes are unlikely unless former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, unseats Mills and Republicans take control of both chambers of the Legislature in November. LePage, a Catholic who opposes abortion rights, has said its up to lawmakers to address the abortion issue as they see fit. MARYLAND Political control: Marylands legislature is controlled by Democrats who expanded abortion access this year by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogans veto of the bill in April. Background: The right to abortion is protected in Maryland law. The state approved legislation in 1991 to protect abortion rights if the Supreme Court should ever restrict access. Voters approved the right in 1992 with 62% of the vote. Maryland law prohibits restrictions on abortion prior to viability. Maryland does not have a gestational limit. After viability, clinicians make the determination, based on clinical standard of care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Maryland law. Whats next: Marylands new law that will enable nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide abortions with training is set to take effect July 1. However, $3.5 million in state funding to provide training isnt mandated until fiscal year 2024. Hogan, who is term limited, has indicated he will not approve the money sooner. Some nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants already have received training on medication abortion and will be able to provide those services starting next month. MASSACHUSETTS Political control: The Democrats who control the Massachusetts Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor, although they differ on specific policies. Background: Massachusetts once had a contentious relationship with abortion in part due to the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes it. In recent years, that influence has waned and Massachusetts has become a strong supporter of abortion rights. In 2018, in anticipation of the conservative tilt on the U.S. Supreme Court, the state removed an 1845 abortion ban from its books that was not enforced. Two years later, Democratic state lawmakers clashed with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker who says he supports access to abortion over an effort to codify abortion rights into state law, allow abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the child would not survive after birth, and lower from 18 to 16 the age at which women could seek an abortion without consent from a parent or guardian. Lawmakers passed the bill dubbed the Roe Act over Bakers veto. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Baker has vowed to fight to keep abortion legal in Massachusetts, but it is his last year in office. Both Democratic candidates for governor state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Attorney General Maura Healey support abortion rights. Republican candidate Geoff Diehl said he believes in the need to protect human life wherever and whenever possible. Fellow GOP candidate Chris Doughty said he would not seek any changes to our states abortion laws. Whats next: There is little chance Massachusetts will restrict abortion rights. Baker signed an executive order June 24 barring state agencies from assisting another states investigation into people or businesses for receiving or delivering reproductive health services that are legal in Massachusetts. The state also wont cooperate with extradition requests from states pursuing criminal charges against such individuals. The state House of Representatives has approved a bill later that is similar to the governors executive order. It would add protections into state law for individuals seeking abortions and providers so they would not be subject to actions taken by other states. MICHIGAN Political control: Both chambers of Michigans legislature are controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access, but the states Democratic governor supports access. Background: A dormant 1931 law bans nearly all abortions in Michigan but it hasnt been enforced since Roe v. Wade. The law made it a felony to use an instrument or administer any substance with the intent to abort a fetus unless necessary to preserve the womans life. It has no exceptions in cases of rape and incest. Anticipating that Roe could be overturned, Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit challenging Michigans ban. A state judge suspended the law in May, saying it violates the states constitution. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, hailed the decision. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The injunction granted in the Planned Parenthood case ensures that abortion does not immediately become illegal. Planned Parenthood of Michigan and other supporters hope the injunction indicates abortion rights in the state will be preserved. But in a statement to The Associated Press, Nessels office said given the ongoing lawsuits, we cannot speculate what the state of abortion rights will be in Michigan after Roe. Whats next: Whitmer also filed suit asking the states Supreme Court to declare the 91-year-old law unconstitutional. It has not acted yet. Michigan abortion rights supporters hope to put the issue on ballots this fall. Their proposed constitutional amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and other reproductive services such as birth control. The Reproductive Freedom for All committee needs to collect about 425,000 valid voter signatures by July 11 to make the November ballot. The measure would become law if voters approved it. The issue also is expected to shape statewide elections Whitmer and Nessel are both up for reelection in the fall and legislative races. MINNESOTA Political control: The Minnesota Legislature is divided; Anti-abortion Republicans control the Senate and Democrats have the House, but the majorities are slim in both chambers, so control will be up for grabs in the November elections. Most legislative Democrats support abortion rights. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has said no abortion ban will ever become law while hes governor. But he faces a challenge this year from Republican Scott Jensen, who opposes abortion rights. Background: Abortion is legal in Minnesota up to the point of fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy. The state has some restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period with state-mandated counseling, both parents generally must be notified prior to a minor getting an abortion, and only physicians can perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Minnesota because the state Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that the state constitution protects abortion rights. If Republicans take control of both chambers, they could put a constitutional amendment on the ballot as soon as 2024 to reverse that ruling, but its not clear yet if they would take that path. Minnesota governors cant block constitutional amendments with vetoes. But amendments are hard to enact because they require the backing of most of the citizens voting in that election, not just those voting on the amendment. Leaving the ballot blank counts as a no. Whats next: Providers are preparing for a surge in women coming from other states to get abortions. Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said before the ruling that her organization was fortifying its delivery systems, including telemedicine. Dr. Sarah Traxler, the groups medical director, has said demand in Minnesota is expected to rise by up to 25%. MISSISSIPPI Political control: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and leaders of the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature have been working for years to chip away at abortion access. Background: Mississippi already had a law banning most abortions at 20 weeks, although the states lone abortion clinic offered the procedure only through 16 weeks. The state tried to enact a law in 2018 to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. That law is the basis for the case that the Supreme Court has now used to overturn Roe v. Wade. A federal district judge blocked Mississippis 15-week law from taking effect in 2018, and an appeals court agreed. The Supreme Court agreed to take the case in 2021. Justices heard arguments in December, with the Mississippi attorney generals office saying the court should overturn Roe v. Wade. Mississippi has one abortion clinic, and it stops offering abortions at 16 weeks. Reeves was lieutenant governor in 2018, when Mississippi tried to enact the 15-week ban, and in 2019, when the state tried to enact a six-week ban. Mississippi law does not allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Mississippis only abortion clinic, Jackson Womens Health Organization, is expected to close by early July unless a judge blocks a trigger law. The clinic filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the 2007 law that bans most abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned. That law is set to take effect July 7. Abortions still would be allowed if the womans life is endangered by the pregnancy or if the pregnancy was caused by a rape that was reported to law enforcement. Any person who knowingly performs or attempts to induce an abortion, except the pregnant woman, could be punished by up to 10 years in prison. Whats next: Mississippis 2007 law says the state attorney general must publish a notice in a state administrative bulletin after the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Mississippis ban on most abortions will take effect 10 days after that publication. MISSOURI Political control: Both GOP Gov. Mike Parson and the Republican-led Legislature support laws against abortion. Background: Missouri law previously allowed abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy. But a 2019 state law banned abortions except in cases of medical emergency, contingent upon the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Under that Missouri law, performing an illegal abortion is a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison, though women receiving abortions cannot be prosecuted. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The 2019 law contained a provision making it effective upon notification by the attorney general, governor or Legislature that the U.S. Supreme Court had overruled Roe v. Wade. Moments after Fridays Supreme Court decision, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Gov. Mike Parson filed the necessary paperwork for Missouris law to kick in. State statutes were subsequently updated online Friday saying the abortion-ban law had taken effect. Whats next: Some Missouri residents wanting abortions are likely to travel to neighboring states, including Illinois and Kansas. A new Illinois logistics center near St. Louis helps women from out of state find travel, lodging and childcare if they need help getting to the area for an abortion, and it connects them with funding sources. The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution. Even without the ban in Missouri, the number of Missouri patients seeking abortions in Kansas has gone up in recent years, increasing about 8% from 2020 to 2021. MONTANA Political control: The Republicans who control the Montana Legislature and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte want to limit access to abortion. Background: Abortion used to be legal in Montana up until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy, but the state Legislature passed a bill in 2021 to reduce that to 20 weeks, arguing that is when the fetus can feel pain. That law, along with one that requires chemical abortions to be done with in-person medical supervision, are being challenged in court. A state judge temporarily blocked enforcement in October 2021 while the challenges move through the courts. The state has asked the Montana Supreme Court to vacate that injunction and overturn a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion that found the states constitutional right to privacy guarantees a womans access to abortion care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The effect is unclear because of the unresolved legal challenges to the 2021 state legislation. Montana does not have an abortion ban that was triggered when Roe v. Wade was overturned, but the Legislature could seek to further restrict access in the next session. Whats next: The Montana Supreme Court will issue a decision on the preliminary injunction. The Montana Legislature also passed a referendum to ask voters this November whether they support a state law to require abortion providers to give lifesaving treatment to a fetus that is born alive after a botched abortion. Opponents argue federal law already offers those protections. NEBRASKA Political control: Nebraska has an officially nonpartisan legislature with a Republican majority, but not a super-majority that would let the party unilaterally pass an abortion ban. Democrats appear to have enough votes to block such a bill, but just one defector could swing the vote. Nebraskas Republican governor vehemently opposes abortion. Background: Nebraska allows most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, although a few small towns have voted to outlaw the procedure within their borders. The state requires doctors to be physically present when patients take the first of two drugs that are used in medication abortions. Lawmakers have rejected attempts to allow abortion medications to be administered remotely, which would provide easier abortion access in rural areas. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ruling that lets states set their own abortion laws will trigger an immediate push by Nebraska conservatives to ban the procedure, but its not clear whether they could do it this year. Unlike other conservative states, Nebraska doesnt have a trigger law that automatically outlaws abortion. Gov. Pete Ricketts and other top Republicans have said theyll seek a special legislative session, but its not clear whether they have enough votes to pass anything. Whats next: If Ricketts calls a special session, attention will likely shift to state Sen. Justin Wayne, an Omaha Democrat who has declined to specify where he stands on abortion. Wayne was notably absent from a vote on the issue this year; his support would give Republicans the super-majority they need to enact a ban. He has struck deals with senators from both parties in the past. If a proposed abortion ban fails during a special session or if no special session is called, the issue will likely become a factor in the November election. NEVADA Political control: Nevadas governor and state attorney general are Democrats who are up for reelection this year. Democrats control the state Senate and Assembly. Background: Nevada voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution in 1990. The law says a pregnancy can be terminated during the first 24 weeks, and after that to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. It would take another statewide vote to change or repeal the law. Most Republican candidates for Congress, governor, state attorney general and other statewide posts say they oppose abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Here in Nevada, overturning Roe would not be felt immediately, state Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a position paper released after the draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion became public. Ford noted that a federal ban on abortion would supersede state law and said it would be naive not to recognize that some people want to ban abortions or make them more difficult to obtain. But he said his office will fight attacks on abortion rights, rights to birth control access and rights for LGTBQ people. Gov. Steve Sisolak on June 28 signed an executive order protecting abortion patients and providers from prosecution by other states. State agencies are barred from assisting other states in investigations of people who come to Nevada from other states for abortions. The order also protects providers from discipline and having their license revoked. Whats next: Anti-abortion advocates are not expected to focus on trying to repeal Nevadas abortion law. But they will seek laws affecting waiting periods, mandatory counseling or requiring parental notification or consent. Melissa Clement, executive director of Nevada Right to Life, said she believes there is strong support for parental involvement. NEW HAMPSHIRE Political control: New Hampshire has a Republican governor and the GOP controls the 424-member Legislature. All face reelection this fall. Background: Any abortion restrictions New Hampshire had on the books before Roe v. Wade were not enforced after the landmark 1973 ruling, and they were repealed altogether in 1997. The state had no restrictions until January, when a ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy was enacted. In June, an exemption was added for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life. Anticipating the Supreme Court action, Democrats this year tried unsuccessfully to enshrine abortion rights into state law and the state constitution. Gov. Chris Sununu calls himself pro-choice and says he is committed to upholding Roe v. Wade, but he also has boasted Ive done more on the pro-life issue than anyone. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in New Hampshire. The Legislature wont return until fall, when there will be a one-day session to take up vetoed bills, and it would take a two-thirds majority vote to introduce new legislation then. Whats next: The majority leader of the New Hampshire House has said the public should not expect Republicans in the Legislature to further tighten state abortion laws. But anti-abortion lawmakers who have filed bills in the past are expected to try again. Democrats are urging Sununu to call a special session of the Legislature to codify abortion rights into state law, but both he and Republican legislative leaders say there is no need. NEW JERSEY Political control: Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature and the governorship. Gov. Phil Murphy started his second consecutive term this year. Background: Murphy ran for reelection on the promise that he would sign legislation to enshrine abortion rights into state law, and he fulfilled that promise in January. The measure also guaranteed the right to contraception and the right to carry a pregnancy to term. It stopped short of requiring insurance coverage for abortions, something advocates had sought. Instead, it authorizes the state Banking and Insurance Department to study the issue and possibly adopt regulations if a need is discovered. Under Murphys predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, state funds to womens clinics, including Planned Parenthood, were slashed. Murphy restored those and has been a strong supporter of abortion rights. New Jersey doesnt have any significant restrictions on abortion, such as parental consent or a mandatory waiting period. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Officials, including the governor, have said the end of Roe would not lead to any rollback of abortion services in the state. Instead of hoping for the best, we prepared ourselves for the worst, Murphy said in May, addressing reports of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling. What's next: A week after the Supreme Courts ruling, Murphy signed two bills aimed at protecting the right to abortion for out-of-state residents and barring extradition of providers and patients to states that have prohibited the procedure. Another bill that would require health insurance companies to cover abortion services and set aside $20 million for access to the procedure remains pending in the Legislature. The bill would set aside $5 million for an abortion training program, $5 million for a health security grant and $10 million for health care facilities. ___ NEW MEXICO Political control: The Democrats who control the New Mexico Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Several conservative Democratic state senators who voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2019 were ousted from office in 2020 by more socially progressive primary challengers. Background: In 2021, state lawmakers repealed a dormant 1969 statute that outlawed most abortion procedures as felonies, thus ensuring access to abortion even after the federal court rolled back guarantees. Albuquerque is home to one of only a few independent clinics in the country that perform abortions in the third trimester without conditions. An abortion clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is just a mile from the state line with Texas and caters to patients from El Paso, western Texas and Arizona. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change in New Mexico now that the high court has overturned Roe v. Wade. It is unclear if Democrats, who control the state Legislature, will pursue additional guarantees to abortion access when lawmakers convene in January. Possible avenues of legislative reform include enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, which requires approval by voters. Abortion rights activists say the states equal rights amendment could be harnessed to guide more public funding for abortion-related programs. Raul Torrez, the district attorney in Albuquerque and the Democratic nominee for attorney general, is urging lawmakers to take further steps to protect access to abortions, including protections for women coming from other states. The state Republican Party said its time to elect more anti-abortion candidates to the Legislature. Whats next: The state can expect to continue to see a steady influx of people seeking abortions from neighboring states with more restrictive abortion laws. It already hosts patients from Texas and Oklahoma where among the strictest abortion bans in the country were introduced this year. NEW YORK Political control: The Democrats who control the New York Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in New York state since a 1970 law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. The law allows abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy or to preserve the mothers life. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act removed abortion from the states criminal code, codified Roe v. Wade and allowed abortions after 24 weeks if a fetus isnt viable or to protect the mothers life or health. Lawmakers have passed laws extending legal protections for people seeking and providing abortions in New York. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Roe v. Wade protections are enshrined in state law. New York is planning to give abortion providers $35 million this year to expand services and boost security in anticipation of an influx of out-of-state people seeking abortions once any ruling comes down. Its unclear how many more people from neighboring states could travel to New York to receive abortion care. New York had 252 facilities providing abortions as of 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. Whats next: Planned Parenthood and civil liberty groups are urging lawmakers to start the process of passing a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortion care in case a future Legislature repeals the state law. NORTH CAROLINA Political control: Republicans hold majorities in the state House and Senate, but the party lacks the margins to defeat a veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter. Since 2017, Cooper has vetoed a born-alive abortion measure and a bill prohibiting abortion based on race or a Down syndrome diagnosis. He cant seek reelection in 2024 due to term limits. Background: A 1973 North Carolina law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is currently unenforceable after federal judges struck it down as unconstitutional in 2019 and 2021. Instead, abortions can be performed until fetal viability. A state law approved in 2015 provides for post-viability abortions only in a medical emergency, which means the woman would die or face a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment without the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the 20-week ban could be restored. Legal experts say formal action would have to be taken to cancel the earlier court rulings striking it down. On the day of the ruling, Republican legislative leaders asked state Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat and abortion rights supporter whose agencys lawyers defended the 20-week law, to act. Otherwise, they said they would seek to intervene. In a response Friday, Stein didnt commit to going to court, telling lawmakers that his offices attorneys are conducting a thorough legal review that may take weeks to complete. Whats next: Republican General Assembly leaders didnt consider additional abortion restrictions in their legislative session that ended July1. The party will likely intensify its efforts in this year's elections to gain the five additional seats it needs for veto-proof margins. Cooper and other Democrats already are making abortion rights a key campaign issue. Abortion politics also are expected to figure into two state Supreme Court elections in November. Republicans would gain a majority on the court if they win at least one of them. NORTH DAKOTA Political control: North Dakota has a legislature dominated by Republicans who want to ban abortion, and the GOP governor had hoped to see Roe v. Wade wiped off the books in favor of states rights. Background: The state has passed some of the nations strictest abortion laws, including one that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant. The law never took effect because the states lone abortion clinic successfully challenged it in court. One failed Republican proposal would have charged abortion providers with murder with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: North Dakota has a trigger law that will shut down the states sole abortion clinic in Fargo after 30 days. That 2007 state law makes it a felony to perform an abortion unless necessary to prevent the pregnant womans death or in cases of rape or incest. Violators could be punished with a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. Whats next: The owner and operator of the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo said she would explore all legal options to ensure abortion services are available in North Dakota. Should that fail, clinic leader Tammi Kromenaker plans to move across the river to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion has not been outlawed. Planned Parenthood says it can provide abortions in Moorhead until Kromenaker gets up and running. OHIO Political control: The Ohio Legislature is controlled by Republicans who support restricting or banning abortions, and the Republican governor backs those efforts. He is up for reelection this year against a former mayor who supports abortion rights. Background: Before Friday's ruling, Ohio did not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy; after that theyre allowed only to save a patients life or when their health is seriously compromised. But the state imposes a host of other restrictions, including parental consent for minors, a required ultrasound, and in-person counseling followed by a 24-hour waiting period. Abortions are prohibited for the reason of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis. Ohio also limits the public funding of abortions to cases of rape, incest or endangerment of the patients life. It limits public employees abortion-related insurance coverage and coverage through health plans offered in the Affordable Care Act health exchange to those same scenarios. Clinics providing abortions must comply with a host of regulations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat became the law in Ohio hours after the ruling. Enforcement of Ohios 2019 heartbeat ban had been on hold for nearly three years under a federal court injunction. The state attorney general, Republican Dave Yost, asked for that to be dissolved because of the high courts ruling, and U.S. Judge Michael Barrett agreed hours later. Two trigger bills are on hold in the Legislature, but a key legislative leader has said he anticipates needing to write new legislation after the decision is reversed that more carefully reflects the actual ruling. That all but certainly would not happen until lawmakers return to the capital after the November election. Whats next: Activists are considering how to help Ohioans get abortions elsewhere. They may also mount a statewide ballot initiative that would embed the right to an abortion in the state constitution, though that could not happen before next year. Abortion opponents are weighing strategies for imposing a statewide abortion ban. OKLAHOMA Political control: Republicans in Oklahoma have a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature and a Republican governor up for reelection this year who has vowed to sign every pro-life legislation that came across my desk. Background: Abortion services were halted in Oklahoma in May after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that prohibits all abortions with few exceptions. The ban is enforced by civil lawsuits rather than criminal prosecution. Republican lawmakers have been pushing to restrict abortion in the state for decades, passing 81 different restrictions since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It will have little practical effect given that abortions are no longer being provided in Oklahoma. Oklahoma also has a trigger law that outlawed abortion as soon as Roe was overturned. Whats next: Given the fierce opposition to abortion from the governor and Legislature, Oklahoma will continue to prohibit the practice if states are given the option to do so. Meanwhile, abortion providers who had been operating in the state are taking steps to help patients seek abortions out of state, including coordinating funding for these women and developing a referral network of therapists to help address complications before or after a woman receives an abortion. OREGON Political control: The Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: The Oregon Legislature passed a bill legalizing abortion in 1969. In 2017, Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a bill expanding health care coverage for reproductive services, including abortions, to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity. Oregon does not have any major abortion restrictions and it is legal at all stages of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The Guttmacher Institute has estimated that Oregon will experience a 234% increase in women seeking abortions arriving from out of state, especially from Idaho. In March, Oregon lawmakers approved $15 million to expand abortion availability and pay for abortions and support services such as travel and lodgings for residents and out-of-state patients. Whats next: Brown said after the draft Supreme Court decision was leaked that access to abortion is a fundamental right and that she will fight to ensure access to abortion continues to be protected by state law in Oregon. Democratic state lawmakers recently formed the Reproductive Health and Access to Care Work Group of providers, clinics, community organizations and legislators that will make recommendations for the 2023 legislative session and beyond. Recommendations may include proposals to protect, strengthen, and expand equitable access to all forms of reproductive care. PENNSYLVANIA Political control: Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are hostile to abortion rights, but the states Democratic governor is a strong supporter and has vetoed three GOP-penned bills in five years that would have added restrictions beyond the states 24-week limit. The race for governor this year could tilt that balance. Background: Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania under decades of state law, including a 1989 law that was challenged all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. That produced the landmark Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the high courts 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide, but also allowed states to put certain limits on abortion access. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Gov. Tom Wolf has vowed to protect access to abortion for the remainder of his time in office, through January. Running to replace him is the states Democratic attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who supports abortion rights, and Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has said he supports banning abortion altogether, with no exceptions. The Legislature is expected to remain in Republican hands next year. Abortion clinics in some parts of the state already are experiencing fallout from the ruling. Less than a week after it came out, a clinic in Pittsburgh was flooded with patients who suddenly lost appointments in Ohio, the clinic director said. Clinic representatives are warning that Pennsylvanians will have a harder time finding appointments because of rising demand from out-of-state residents. Whats next: Legislation to outlaw abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat which can happen at six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant has passed a House committee and is awaiting a floor vote. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers aiming to overturn a 1982 law that bans the use of state dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. In response, Republican lawmakers are advancing a proposed amendment that would declare there is no constitutional right to an abortion in Pennsylvania or to public funding for an abortion. RHODE ISLAND Political control: The Democrats who control Rhode Islands General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the Democratic governor. Background: Rhode Islands governor signed legislation in 2019 to enshrine abortion protections in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The law says the state will not restrict the right to an abortion prior to fetal viability or after if necessary to protect the health or life of the pregnant woman. It repealed older laws deemed unconstitutional by the courts. The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the 2019 law in May, just two days after the Supreme Court draft opinion was leaked suggesting that a majority of the justices were prepared to overturn Roe. Abortion opponents had argued the law violates the state constitution. In 2020, there were 2,611 abortions in Rhode Island, according to the state health department. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Rhode Islands attorney general believes the 2019 Reproductive Privacy Act will continue to protect access to abortion. Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island also said abortion will remain legal regardless of the decision because the right was codified in state law. Whats next: On the Monday after the Supreme Court decision, Rhode Islands Democratic governor said he will sign an executive order to shield abortion providers in the state from lawsuits by anti-abortion activists in other states. McKees office didnt have a date for the signing, but said the governor wants to act as soon as possible. Two of his opponents in September's Democratic primary for governor, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and Matt Brown, had urged McKee to sign such an order. They also want state lawmakers to return for a special session to add abortion coverage to Rhode Islands Medicaid program and to the insurance coverage for state employees. Legislative leaders said they plan to address abortion coverage next year because it has financial implications and wasnt included in this year's budget. SOUTH CAROLINA Political control: South Carolina has a Republican governor, and its General Assembly is dominated by the GOP. However, the party doesnt quite have the two-thirds majority in either chamber needed to overcome procedural hurdles or a veto if a Democrat wins the 2022 gubernatorial election. Background: In 2021, South Carolina passed the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act that requires doctors to use an ultrasound to try to detect a fetal heartbeat if they think a pregnant woman is at least eight weeks along. If they find a heartbeat, they can only perform an abortion if the womans life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The law is currently tied up in a federal lawsuit. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a federal judge allowed the state to begin enforcing the 2021 law. Planned Parenthood and others dropped their lawsuit, but the organization said it would continue to perform abortions in South Carolina under the parameters of the new law. Whats next: The South Carolina General Assemblys regular session ended in May, but Republican leaders had agreed they could return for a special session to take up more restrictive abortion bills if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They have yet to announce a special session, despite Friday's ruling. Some Republican lawmakers have opposed a complete abortion ban, especially without exceptions for victims of rape and incest. SOUTH DAKOTA Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in both Statehouse chambers. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is up for reelection this year and has been an ardent opponent of abortion rights. Background: South Dakota law bans abortions except if the life of the woman is at risk. The state had only one clinic that regularly provided abortions, a Planned Parenthood facility in Sioux Falls. The Legislature has worked over the years to make it more difficult for women to get abortions, passing mandatory waiting periods and requiring them to review and sign paperwork that discourages them from ending their pregnancies. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: South Dakotas trigger law immediately banned abortions except if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. Whats next: Noem has called for a special session to craft laws under the new legal landscape now that Roe v. Wade is overturned. She hasnt commented on specific legislation, but lawmakers have floated proposals that would make it more difficult for women to seek an abortion out of state. However, South Dakota voters rejected outright bans in 2006 and 2008, and abortion rights advocates are preparing for a similar referendum on abortion access. The ban on abortions could eventually be challenged through a citizen-initiated ballot measure. TENNESSEE Political control: Tennessee has a Republican governor who is consistently vocal about his opposition to abortion. The GOP holds a supermajority in the state legislature and has steadily chipped away at abortion access. Background: In 2020, Tennessee passed a law banning most abortions when the fetal heartbeat can be detected at about six weeks, before many women know theyre pregnant. The measure has never been enforced because it was promptly blocked by a federal court. On June 28, a federal appeals court let it take effect. Tennessee voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the states constitution doesnt protect or secure the right to abortion or require the funding of an abortion, and empowering state lawmakers to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion. State law also doesnt allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. There are six abortion providers in Tennessee. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The states attorney general, a Republican, has said a trigger law will go into effect in mid-August that bans all abortions in Tennessee except when necessary to prevent death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Doctors could be charged with a felony for providing an abortion under the law. Whats next: Tennessees attorney general has said the trigger law will take precedence over the 2020 law banning most abortions at about six weeks. Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to continue to have supermajority control after this years midterm elections. Reproductive rights activists say they will direct patients seeking abortion to clinics in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned, or to Florida, which would ban abortions at 15 weeks. North Carolina and Virginia also could be options for women in eastern Tennessee. TEXAS Political control: The GOP has commanding majorities in the Texas Legislature and has controlled every statewide office for nearly 30 years. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is up for reelection in November and is favored to win a third term. Background: Texas has given the nation a preview of the landscape of abortion access without the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade. A new Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks before many women know they are pregnant took effect in September and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Because of how Republicans wrote the law, which is enforceable only through lawsuits filed by private citizens against doctors or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion, Texas has essentially outmaneuvered decades of Supreme Court precedent governing a womens constitutional right to an abortion. State data shows the number of abortions performed in Texas roughly two dozen clinics fell by half in the five months after the law came into effect compared to the same period a year earlier. Effect of the Supreme Court ruling: Texas had more than 40 abortion clinics in 2012 before a decade of Republicans chipping away at abortion access began forcing providers to close. Without Roe v. Wade, Texas plans to ban virtually all abortions 30 days after the Supreme Court issues its judgment in the case, which could take about a month. Abortions would only be allowed when the patients life is in danger or if they are at risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. Whats next: Many Texas women have already traveled out of state for abortions since the law took effect, but they would likely have to travel much farther now that Roe is overturned as more states outlaw abortion. Some Republican lawmakers also want to punish companies that help their Texas-based employees get abortions elsewhere, although its unclear how much support that idea will have when the Legislature returns in 2023. UTAH Political control: Utah is deeply conservative and the Legislature is controlled by a Republican supermajority. Background: The state has been restricting abortion for years, including a ban after 18 weeks passed in 2019 thats now blocked in court. The following year, lawmakers passed a trigger law that would outlaw nearly all abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The trigger law banning nearly all abortions became enforceable Friday evening, after the legislative general counsel certified the Supreme Court ruling to lawmakers. It does have narrow exceptions for rape and incest if those crimes are reported to law enforcement, and for serious risk to the life or health of the mother, as well as confirmed lethal birth defects. Whats next: Utah law makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. While its aimed primarily at providers, lawmakers have acknowledged that a woman who self-administers an abortion, including through medication, could potentially face charges. VERMONT Political control: The Vermont Legislature is controlled by Democrats, but Republican Gov. Phil Scott is a firm supporter of abortion rights. Background: Vermont has a 2019 law guaranteeing the right to an abortion and voters will consider a proposal in November to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. Also in 2019, the Vermont Legislature began the process of amending the constitution to protect abortion rights, known as the Reproductive Liberty Amendment or Proposition 5. Vermonts proposed amendment does not contain the word abortion. Proponents say thats because its not meant to authorize only abortion but also would guarantee other reproductive rights such as the right to get pregnant or access birth control. Opponents say vague wording could have unintended consequences that could play out for years. Lawmakers approved the proposed amendment in February, leading the way for a statewide vote. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Vermont. Whats next: Vermont voters will cast ballots in November to decide if the state will amend its constitution to protect abortion rights. VIRGINIA Political control: Virginia has a Republican governor who says he would support new state-level restrictions on abortion. Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday that he will seek legislation to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. Youngkin told The Washington Post he has asked four antiabortion Republican lawmakers to draft the legislation. He told the Post that a cutoff at 20 weeks might be necessary to build consensus in the divided Virginia legislature, where Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate. Youngkin generally supports exceptions to abortion restrictions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. Background: In recent years, when Democrats were in full control of state government, lawmakers rolled back abortion restrictions. They ended strict building code requirements on facilities where abortions are performed and did away with requirements that a patient seeking an abortion undergo a 24-hour waiting period and ultrasound. Advocates said the changes would make Virginia a haven for abortion access in the South. Republican victories in the November elections shook up the states political landscape, but Senate Democrats defeated several measures that would have limited abortion access during the 2022 legislative session. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change to abortion laws in Virginia now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Some abortion providers expect to see an uptick in patients seeking care in Virginia from neighboring states with trigger laws that would ban abortion. Whats next: The future of abortion access is Virginia is murky. Senate Democrats say they intend to continue blocking attempts to roll back abortion access, though they control the chamber by the narrowest possible margin and have one caucus member who personally opposes abortion and says he is open to new restrictions. Republicans also have a narrow hold on the House, with several moderate members. Every seat in the General Assembly will be on the ballot in 2023. WASHINGTON Political control: The Democrats who control the Washington Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in Washington state since a 1970 statewide ballot referendum. Another ballot measure approved by voters in 1991 declared a womans right to choose physician-performed abortion prior to fetal viability and further expanded and protected access to abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned. And in 2018, the Legislature passed a measure that would require Washington insurers offering maternity care to also cover elective abortions and contraception. Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure that grants specific statutory authorization for physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners and other providers acting within their scope of practice to perform abortions. Supporters say the move is designed to help meet the demand from the potential influx of out-of-state patients. That same measure also prohibits legal action by Washington state against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The state will use every available tool to protect and preserve Washingtonians fundamental right to choose, and protect the rights of anyone who wants to come here to access reproductive health care, said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat. Data from the Washington state Department of Health from 2020 shows that of the 16,909 abortions performed in the state that year, 852 involved non-residents. The majority of those people came from neighboring states such as Idaho and Oregon. Whats next: Its impossible to predict how many more non-resident patients will potentially seek care in Washington now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, but the increase will likely be in the thousands, said Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. The state has more than 30 in-person abortion clinics, though the vast majority are in western Washington along the Interstate 5 corridor. WEST VIRGINIA Political control: West Virginia has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, opposes abortion access and has signed two anti-abortion laws since taking office in 2017. Background: Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, West Virginia law banned abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy unless a patients life is in danger or they face substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. The state has several other abortion restrictions that include: requiring patients seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after undergoing legislatively mandated counseling that is designed to discourage a woman from ending a pregnancy; requiring minors to get parental permission; banning the use of telemedicine to administer a medication abortion; and prohibiting abortions on the grounds that the child will be born with a disability. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: West Virginias only abortion clinic announced after the Supreme Courts ruling that it would immediately halt abortion services out of concern that staff could be prosecuted under a state law banning abortion that dates back to the 1800s. Charleston-based Womens Health Center of West Virginia Executive Director Katie Quinonez said it would be impossible for the clinic to continue performing abortions with such a law on the books. Under that law, providers who perform abortions can face felony charges and three to 10 years in prison, unless the abortion is conducted to save a patients life. The law makes no exceptions for rape or incest. In 2018, West Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to declare patients do not have the right to abortion and banning state funding for abortions. Whats next: State officials have not said formally how the 19th century abortion ban will be enforced. Abortion is addressed in numerous statutes in West Virginia state code, including the 20-week ban passed in 2015 that acknowledges the right to abortion access in the state. State Senate President Craig Blair and Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, both Republicans, said legislative attorneys are reviewing each statute on the books to determine how they apply" in light of the high court's decision. No lawmakers have commented on whether they intend to outlaw medication abortion. The governor has said he will not hesitate to call the Legislature into a special session if the states abortion law needs to be clarified. Quinonez said while her clinic is not currently performing abortions, it will remain open to continue to provide reproductive care, such as birth control and diagnosis, and to treat sexually transmitted diseases. She said the clinic will help women travel to other states for abortions through its abortion fund. ___ WISCONSIN Political control: Wisconsin has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for reelection this year. Background: Wisconsin has allowed most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy to save the health or life of the mother. A woman seeking an abortion must meet with a counselor and doctor before obtaining an abortion and wait at least 24 hours before having it done. Anyone under age 18 must have an adult relative over age 25 with them to obtain an abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, it is presumed that a state law passed in 1849 making an abortion a felony offense could go into effect, and doctors have halted procedures. However, Wisconsins Democratic attorney general argues that the law is so old that its unenforceable. The language allows a woman to legally destroy her own fetus or embryo and grants immunity if an abortion is needed to save a womans life and is performed at a hospital. Another state law, passed in 1985, prohibits abortions performed after a fetus reaches viability -- when it could survive outside the womb -- conflicting with the 1849 ban. Whats next: Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit June 28 against Republican leaders of the state Legislature, arguing that the 1849 abortion ban conflicts with a 1985 law that prohibits abortion either after 20 weeks or at the point of fetal viability. His lawsuit says the 1985 law should take precedence. Republican lawmakers are expected to attempt to clarify the 19th century law during next years legislative session to ensure a ban is in place, even as that issue is being argued in the courts. Lawmakers efforts would be stymied if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wins reelection. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, said he supports a rape exception to an abortion ban, but also said the overturning of Roe could prompt Republican lawmakers to consider other reproductive issues, such as contraception. WYOMING Political control: Wyoming has one of the most Republican legislatures in the U.S. and a long tradition of libertarian-type if not always social or religious conservatism. That may be changing. In March, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a bill that would ban abortion in nearly all instances should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Background: Current Wyoming law allows abortions up to when a fetus might be able to survive on its own outside its mothers body. The law does not specify when that happens, but it is generally considered to be at around 23 weeks into pregnancy. Wyoming currently doesnt allow abortions after then except to protect the mother from substantial risk to her life or health. Wyoming Republicans have traditionally taken a hands-off approach to abortion but have proven more willing to limit the practice lately. The number of Democrats in the Legislature has dwindled from 26 in 2010 to just nine out of 90 total seats now. A 2021 law requires physicians to provide lifesaving care to any aborted fetus born alive. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The new state law that bans abortion only provides exceptions in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mothers life or health, not including psychological conditions. Though Wyoming has no abortion clinics, abortions still occur. Ninety-eight took place in Wyoming in 2021, according to state officials. Whats next: A planned womens health clinic in Casper that would have been the only one offering abortions in the state was on track to open in mid-June but an arson fire May 25 delayed those plans by around six months. Clinic founder Julie Burkhart said Friday that, despite the ruling, she still plans to open the clinic and will continue to seek legal means to keep abortion legal in Wyoming. Police continue to look for a suspect in the arson investigation, and have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Associated Press statehouse reporters from across the U.S. contributed. For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: June 25 The Washington Post says GOP support for gun bill offers hope for more reform Fifteen Republicans in the Senate and 14 in the House joined with congressional Democrats this week to break more than 25 years of inaction on gun safety. That these Republicans, many of whom had ratings of A or A-plus from the National Rifle Association, defied the gun lobby with their support of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act suggests they saw the political peril in doing nothing about the gun violence gripping the country. Indeed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who voted for the bill, admitted as much when he said he hoped GOP support for the measure will be viewed favorably by voters as the party seeks to regain the majority next year. The public sentiment for gun safety that has steadily built with each mass shooting, finally forcing Republicans to drop their ironclad opposition, offers hope that the legislation, signed into law by President Biden on Saturday, will be the first and not last step in bringing some rationality to the nations gun laws. The 80-page bill, produced by a small group of Republican and Democratic senators in the aftermath of back-to-back mass shootings at a Buffalo grocery store and a Texas school, falls far short of the tough but common-sense measures long sought by gun-control advocates. There are no universal background checks, no ban of large-capacity magazines, no requirements for safe storage of weapons and no action not even raising the minimum age of purchase on assault weapons. That, though, does not detract from the significance of what was achieved. Among the worthwhile reforms: enhanced background checks for younger gun buyers to include juvenile and mental health records; incentives for states to adopt red-flag laws that allow guns to be temporarily confiscated from people deemed dangerous by a judge; tougher penalties on illegal gun purchases; and revision of a federal law intended to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers to close the boyfriend loophole. Those measures along with billions of new federal dollars to expand mental health programs and improve school safety will save lives. Credit for the hard work of fashioning a compromise that both sides could agree to goes to Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R- Tex.), aided by Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Mr. Murphy had just been elected to the Senate in 2012 when a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in his home state and has been tireless in his pursuit of common-sense gun control despite many setbacks. Mr. Cornyns willingness to negotiate and his refusal to back down even when faced with withering criticism from former president Donald Trump, Fox News and his state GOP party is equally praiseworthy. So is his forthrightness in standing up to the NRA. We worked with the NRA, listened to their concerns, but in the end I think they simply they have a membership and a business model that will not allow them to support any legislation, Mr. Cornyn said. Passage of the bill came a day after the Supreme Court expanded gun rights by striking down a New York law limiting the carrying of guns in public. That ill-advised and dangerous ruling may have tempered any celebration over the gun bill, but it cant squelch the public sentiment that has risen up in support of rational gun-safety laws. June 25 According to the New York Times, the SCOTUS puts gun rights above human life The Supreme Court this week embraced a vision of the Second Amendment that is profoundly at odds with precedent and the dangers that American communities face today, upending the longstanding practice of letting states decide for themselves how to regulate gun possession in public. This decision reveals the vast gulf between ideologues on the court and those Americans ordinary people and their representatives in Congress who want this country to be safer from guns. As the high court issued its 135-page ruling, the Senate, across the street, approved an 80-page bipartisan bill that tightens restrictions on who can possess and purchase a gun. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Friday, and President Biden signed it Saturday. This breakthrough came after decades of virtually no congressional action on gun safety and was fueled by public outrage over a series of mass shootings, including the recent massacres in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo. Gun enthusiasts and gun manufacturers have long sought a ruling like the one the court delivered on Thursday: Its decision in the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, is an assertion that the Second Amendment trumps reasonable efforts to protect public safety. The United States as it exists today awash in insufficiently regulated, high-powered weapons and afflicted by staggeringly high rates of gun homicide and suicide is the society that their preferred policies have created. The best that gun control advocates can hope for after the Bruen ruling is what Congress passed: gradual legislative tinkering. In its 6-to-3 ruling, the supermajority of Republican-appointed justices struck down a century-old New York law that placed strict limits on handguns. But the decision will also affect similar laws in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii and California. Many of those are states with some of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the country. Extensive research has shown that strict regulation of guns leads to fewer deaths. Relying on a highly selective reading of history, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his majority opinion that these gun restrictions violate the courts new interpretation of the Second Amendment. (It was only in 2008, with its decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, that conservatives on the court divined an individual right to bear arms hidden somewhere in the 27 words of the Second Amendment.) New Yorks law requires that a person seeking a concealed carry permit for a handgun must show a good reason for doing so, known as proper cause, which covers law enforcement officers and others who can demonstrate a reason to fear for their own safety. We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need, Justice Thomas wrote. It is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense. The majority left open the ability of states to ban guns from certain sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, but it cautioned that there is no historical basis for New York to effectively declare the island of Manhattan a sensitive place. What about, for instance, the subway, the site of a mass shooting in April? The court didnt say, as Justice Stephen Breyer noted in his dissent. That leaves an opening for the states to decide which spaces are off limits. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York plans to call the Legislature back for a special session to address the ruling for just that reason. Lawmakers will consider legislation that could designate New Yorks public transit system a sensitive place, along with schools, parks, hospitals and office buildings, and buffer zones around them. The state should also institute extensive training requirements for concealed weapons permits. Lawmakers in several other states that will likely be affected by the decision said they were working to tweak their laws to meet the courts new standard for permissible firearms regulation. The justices bickered openly in their written opinions in the Bruen ruling, with the three liberals on the court pointing to various grim statistics on mass shootings and suicides, while Justice Samuel Alito asked what any of those deaths had to do with handgun regulations. Their discord reflects a grim truth about gun violence in the United States: It is several distinct and deadly crises happening simultaneously suicides by firearms, homicides related to domestic violence, gang killings and spectacular mass shootings. Cities, states and the federal government have approached these overlapping crises in various ways and with varying degrees of success. Broadly speaking, regulating guns saves lives. More guns and less regulation of them result in more deaths. The new legislation aims to tackle several types of gun violence at the same time. Called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the law will enhance background checks for potential gun buyers under age 21, which might have helped thwart the mass shooting in Uvalde. It directs millions of dollars to states to put in place so-called red flag laws or other crisis intervention efforts, which will help stop domestic violence-related killings and suicides. It adds serious dating partners to the list of domestic abusers prohibited from buying guns, which is now limited to spouses and domestic partners. It also directs millions of dollars to mental health and school safety programs. The specifics of this bill matter. Of equal importance is the fact that the bipartisan legislation tackles an issue that has stymied Congress for decades. It isnt quite true, as some supporters of the new bill claim, that there hasnt been any gun control legislation passed in the past 30 years. Congress passed, and President Trump signed, a minor update to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in 2018. But no legislation equal to the size of the problem has made it to a presidents desk. With this new law, however limited, lawmakers are at least responding to the fundamental mandate of every elected government to protect its citizens. Given the political paralysis in Congress on so many other issues, any progress on guns is progress worth making. June 24 The Wall Street Journal suggests that abortion will still be widely available in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision on Roe v. Wade Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion could soon become illegal in half of the country. Or so Democrats warn. But its impossible to know how the debate will play out in many states. And a study this month by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, suggests that the practical consequences for abortion could be far less severe. Many GOP states have increased abortion regulation in recent years, including parental consent and notification requirements for minors and mandated waiting periods. Yet abortions increased 8% nationwide between 2017 and 2020, according to Guttmachers abortion provider survey. More abortions arent something to celebrate, especially as births simultaneously declined 6% in the same period. But Guttmacher claims it may be a positive development if it means people are getting the health care they want and need. This is a tacit admission that stricter laws in GOP states havent stopped women from obtaining abortions. One reason is that left-leaning states have expanded access to abortion. Abortions increased by 25% between 2017 and 2020 in Illinois as more pregnant women came from surrounding states with more restrictive laws. Illinois in 2018 also began covering abortions with state Medicaid funds. Abortion providers responded to increasing demand by opening more clinics. Progressives claim traveling to other states to get an abortion will be a grave hardship for women. But the Guttmacher report suggests that thousands of women already do so. Many employers in recent months have also offered to cover the travel costs of employees in states where abortion is banned to get an abortion elsewhere. Abortions have also increased as local and national abortion funds increased their capacity and helped even more people pay for their abortions, the report says. Many pro-abortion rights groups have used the potential demise of Roe to boost their fundraising. The Supreme Courts ruling on Friday will be a fundraising boon for Planned Parenthood. States that are more likely to ban abortion already regulate it more strictly, so the Courts decision may have a smaller effect in those states. The Guttmacher report notes that because restrictions in recent years were adopted in states generally considered hostile to abortion rights already, they may not have played as much of a role as the measures expanding access in other states. This evidence from an abortion-rights group suggests that abortion will still be widely available in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision on Roe v. Wade. States will respond to the Courts decision in different ways, and thats the beauty of the U.S. federalist system. June 24 The Los Angeles Times says Roe being overturned should serve as a call to action - to fight to get it back In a dreaded and once-unfathomable decision, the Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade. Its a dark time in America as this once-revered institution has taken the rare and awful path of depriving people of their rights. With its 5-4 decision the court abolished the constitutional right to an abortion up to the point of viability of the fetus outside the womb, forcing the nation back 50 years to a time when state legislators decided whether to allow pregnant women control over their bodies. Or maybe the court has taken us back even further in time. Part of the justification for overturning Roe was because centuries of history indicate abortion was criminalized. When the majority says that we must read our foundational charter as viewed at the time of ratification (except that we may also check it against the Dark Ages), it consigns women to second-class citizenship, the three dissenting justices wrote. The decision was not a surprise, because a draft had been leaked earlier this year. But its devastating nonetheless that the Supreme Court has chosen to take away a constitutional right. The repercussions will be quick and severe: 13 states have trigger laws and others have pre-Roe bans still on the books. In Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi the state that brought the case that led to the ruling Friday the ban will go into effect within hours of Roe being overturned. Even if we dont return to the time of back-alley abortions, whats ahead is uncertainty. For those living in states that outlaw or severely restrict the procedure, getting an abortion will now involve traveling hundreds of miles out of state to find care with all the attendant costs or obtaining medical abortion pills. But obtaining the drugs through the mail might be considered a crime under these state laws and subject to prosecution. Some states are considering how to ban the pills. As always, abortion restrictions fall heaviest on those who already have trouble accessing healthcare people of color, people in rural areas, disabled people and those with low incomes who have less ability to pay for the procedure as well as arrange for child care and time off from work while they go to another state for abortion care. This is not a simple matter of returning a controversial issue to the states to decide, as Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. makes it sound in his opinion. The Supreme Court is depriving people of the right to control their own bodies and allowing state politics to determine the existence of a fundamental liberty. Roe v. Wade guaranteed the right to choose a path to either end or continue a pregnancy. It is incalculable how much that freedom, that opportunity, that choice to control ones body shapes a persons life. And everyone, not just those who can get pregnant, should be outraged that the court would do more to ensure that people can carry a concealed gun in public than defend the right of Americans to make personal reproductive decisions. The three liberal justices who dissented in this decision Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan ended their opinion with this heartbreaking coda: With sorrow for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection we dissent. So be angry about what the court did. Feel betrayed that Brett M. Kavanaugh, Neil M. Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett all said during their Senate confirmation hearings that Roe was a precedent, which many took to mean they wouldnt seek to overturn it. The conservatives on the court have forced this nation back to an age that most Americans dont remember well, if at all. The work now falls on this generation to restore the right to abortion and personal freedom. What abortion rights advocates are doing and what everyone should be focused on is how to make abortion accessible across the nation in a post-Roe world. Dozens of organizations across the country are raising money to help needy people without means to travel for an abortion. A number of states have introduced motions to enshrine the right to abortion in their constitutions. California is one of them. Legislators here have also introduced bills to help fund abortions and thwart other states efforts to criminalize any of their residents when they seek abortions in this state. The Biden administration is exploring options to help women get abortions as well including declaring a public health emergency, which might protect doctors in states that allow abortion when they provide the procedure to people from states that dont allow it. The Food and Drug Administration already allows abortion pills to be shipped to a person after a telehealth consultation. There is a move afoot to get the Food and Drug Administration to declare that its federal authorization of the use and shipment of the drugs nationwide overrides any state trying to ban the sale or receipt of them. Sadly, the Womens Health Protection Act, a federal bill that would ensure the right to an abortion, was voted down in the Senate recently. This is just the beginning of a battle over reproductive rights in America, and possibly for other rights as well. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should reconsider landmark decisions on contraception, sodomy laws and same-sex marriage. If that seems unthinkable, consider how unlikely it seemed even a year ago that Roe vs. Wade would fall. Dark times, indeed. June 26 The Guardian The decision, when it came on Friday, was not a surprise. Even before the dramatic leak of Justice Samuel Alitos draft opinion last month, it was widely predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court would grab the opportunity presented by the Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization case to rescind the decision made in 1973 in Roe v Wade. This, after all, was the purpose of President Trumps three Supreme Court selections and the culmination of a decades-long campaign by anti-abortionists to return to states the authority to ban the procedure. But the announcement still came as a shock. The U.S.s global influence means that the decision to remove a womans constitutional right to abortion there reverberates far beyond its shores. The speed with which multiple U.S. states reacted is disturbing; already, abortion has been outlawed in 10, with 11 more expected to follow shortly. While all women should be entitled to control their own lives and bodies, there are instances when denying this is particularly cruel. Americans who oppose forced pregnancy and birth now face the horror of rape and incest victims, including children, being compelled to become mothers. The U.S. is exceptional in its lack of federal maternity provisions; children as well as parents will suffer the consequences of unwanted additions to their families, with poor and black people the worst affected. Early signs are that the most extreme Republican legislatures could try to block girls and women from travelling out of state for treatment, and impose further restrictions on care delivered remotely including medication sent by mail. The potential for personal data stored online, including on menstrual apps, to be used against women is causing justified alarm. Having relied on Roe v. Wade to protect access to abortion for half a century, politicians can no longer do so. Abortion is now set to become a key issue in this autumns midterms. How this pans out will depend on public opinion; polling data suggest that 85% of Americans support legal abortion in some circumstances, and Democrats hope that this could work to their advantage. But the anti-abortion right is a formidable force. With hindsight, President Obamas decision not to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs choice not to retire when he could have nominated a replacement, look like disastrous errors. The three liberal justices who dissented said they did so with sorrow for many millions of American women and also for the court itself. With this decision, it has chosen to reopen deep wounds. The 14th amendment on which Roe v. Wade rested granted rights to former slaves, and is the basis for other crucial decisions including on same-sex marriage. By dismissing Roe v. Wade in the way that they did, and against the wishes of Chief Justice John Roberts (who argued to retain it, while allowing Mississippis 15-week rule to stand), the courts hard-right wing has seized control. Unprecedented division, and greatly increased hardship and risk for those denied safe healthcare, will be the outcome. While there is reassurance in noting moves elsewhere towards liberalization, U.S. anti-abortionists are far from unique, as tightened restrictions in Poland and the situation in Northern Ireland show. It is too soon to say whether Trumps justices and their backers have overreached from an electoral perspective. If there is an early lesson to be drawn, it is that once gained, womens rights must be constantly defended. END Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MONDAY, June 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel will vote on Tuesday whether to recommend that updated COVID-19 booster shots be used this fall to protect against omicron and its highly contagious subvariants. Because the virus mutates so quickly, the FDA may approve the new vaccine formulations as COVID-19 cases are expected to surge again this winter. Given how fast the virus changes, lengthy human trials may have to be abandoned in favor of more laboratory tests and animal tests, The New York Times reported. Human trials can take up to five months, which can make the vaccine obsolete before it is even released to the public. Both Pfizer and Moderna have been testing updated booster shots that target the omicron variant, with early trial results showing the tweaked shots boost protection against omicron. Since then, subvariants of omicron have surfaced and are spreading. As of June 18, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants accounted for 35 percent of all U.S. infections. "Omicron is clearly in the rearview mirror," Peter Hotez, M.D., a vaccine expert with the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told The Times. An omicron booster is not necessary unless it works against the newest omicron subvariants, but "I haven't seen evidence of that," he said. Even the FDA said in a briefing document prepared for the advisory committee meeting that the bivalent booster targeting both the original virus and omicron is "already somewhat outdated." But Kelly Moore, M.D., president of Immunize.org, a nonprofit that works to increase vaccine rates, told The Times that an accelerated process is already used to update the flu vaccine each year. Although this is the first time the process would be used with COVID-19 vaccines, they have been safely given to hundreds of millions of people, she noted. Updating them might call for "very well-educated guesswork," she said, that is "appropriate for the circumstances." Still, the chance exists that the virus will change again and make the updated vaccines ineffective. John Beigel, M.D., a clinical research director at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, told The Times, "They [the new vaccines] may be old news by the time the fall comes." Beigel said one option is to stick with the existing vaccines, which continue to provide robust protection against severe disease, while offering very little protection against infection. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents who experience cyberbullying are more likely to think about suicide, a new study shows. Researchers found a link between being bullied online, through texts or on social media, and thoughts of suicide that go above and beyond the link between suicidal thoughts and traditional offline bullying. "At a time when young adolescents are spending more time online than ever before, this study underscores the negative impact that bullying in the virtual space can have on its targets," said senior study author Dr. Ran Barzilay, an assistant professor at the Lifespan Brain Institute of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). "Given these results, it may be prudent for primary care providers to screen for cyberbullying routinely in the same way that they might screen for other suicide risk factors like depression. Educators and parents should also be aware of the substantial stress bullying in the cyberworld places on young adolescents," Barzilay noted in a hospital news release. The researchers analyzed data collected between July 2018 and January 2021 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (ABCD study), which contains information from 10,000 U.S. children between the ages of 10 and 13, including data from a cyberbullying questionnaire. Adolescents were asked if they had ever been the target or perpetrator of cyberbullying, which the questionnaire defined as "purposefully trying to harm another person or be mean to them online, in texts or group texts, or on social media [such as Instagram or Snapchat]." The participants were also surveyed separately about traditional offline bullying, with categories that included overt aggression, such as threatening or hitting; relational aggression, such as not inviting or leaving someone out; and reputational aggression, such as spreading rumors or gossiping. About 7.6% of the young adolescents responded that they had experienced suicidal thoughts, 8.9% reported being targets of cyberbullying, and 0.9% reported cyberbullying others. While being a target of cyberbullying was associated with suicidal thoughts, being a perpetrator of cyberbullying did not appear to be. That was different, the authors said, from with traditional bullying, where being a perpetrator is also linked with suicidal thinking. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 in 2018 in the United States, and rates have been steadily rising, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Our findings suggest being a target of cyberbullying is an independent risk factor for youth suicidality," Barzilay said. "For policymakers wishing to optimize youth suicide prevention efforts, this study should further encourage interventions for those who are being bullied online." The findings were published June 27 in JAMA Network Open. More information SOURCE: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, news release, June 27, 2022 You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Toking up increases your risk of landing in the hospital, a new study reports. Recreational marijuana use was associated with 22% greater odds of needing to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized, Canadian researchers found. The study showed physical injuries, lung ailments and gastrointestinal problems were the top three reasons why pot users had to go to the hospital. Pot is "a product that is now decriminalized and is being used with increasing frequency, and at least some portion of the population thinks it's benign, doesn't cause problems, can be used safely," said lead researcher Dr. Nicholas Vozoris, an assistant professor of respirology at the University of Toronto. "We're showing that it is associated with a significant risk of an important kind of hard outcome -- coming to the emergency room and being hospitalized," he said. The findings were published June 27 in BMJ Open Respiratory Research. For the study, Vozoris and his colleagues analyzed health records of more than 35,000 residents of Ontario who were between 12 and 65 years of age. Of those, nearly 6,500 had used cannabis within the past year. The data spanned 2009 to 2015. The increased odds that cannabis users would need emergency care or hospitalization held up even after researchers controlled for such factors as other illicit drug use, alcohol use, tobacco smoking and a variety of other mental health issues, Vozoris said. About 15% of the ER visits and hospitalizations were due to acute trauma; 14% to respiratory issues, and 13% to gastrointestinal illnesses, the study showed. Vozoris said there are a number of potential explanations for why pot use might lead to physical injury. "Some of that might be increased motor vehicle accidents related to cannabis-related drowsiness or altered level of consciousness," he said. "Some of that might be falls and fractures from, again, a cannabis-related altered level of consciousness or drowsiness. Some of it might be the cannabis making someone anxious or mentally unstable and then getting into physical altercations or injuring themselves." The overall risk of death did not differ significantly between the two groups, the study found. Leaders of NORML, a group advocating for reform of U.S. marijuana laws, downplayed the findings. Because the study was observational, it "does not indicate whether cannabis consumption was directly linked to the actual events triggering admittance," said NORML's political director Morgan Fox. "This is a highly speculative corollary only," Fox added. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano added that the findings run counter to other studies that found no increased risk of injury among marijuana users. But Linda Richter, vice president of prevention research and analysis at the Partnership to End Addiction, said the study is further evidence of the unintended consequences that could come with the spreading legalization of pot. "The growing notion that marijuana use is harmless and even medicinal for the general public -- a belief pushed by the cannabis industry and the legalization movement -- is especially dangerous given the steep rise in the drug's potency in recent years, the many toxic chemicals that are in the various types of marijuana products, and the increasing accessibility of the drug to people of all ages, especially children and adolescents who are most vulnerable to its effects," Richter said. "As more and more states legalize the drug, it is essential for them to launch effective public education efforts to dispel the myths and inaccuracies propagated by those who stand to gain financially from broader use of the drug," Richter added. More information The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about marijuana. SOURCES: Nicholas Vozoris, MD, assistant professor, respirology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Morgan Fox, political director, NORML, Washington, D.C.; Paul Armentano, deputy director, NORML, and chair, science, Oaksterdam University, Oakland, Calif.; Linda Richter, PhD, vice president, prevention research and analysis, Partnership to End Addiction, New York City; BMJ Open Respiratory Research, June 27, 2022 You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. MONDAY, June 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) Pfizer Inc. announced Saturday that it has two possible candidates that beat back omicron infection more effectively than its original vaccine. The news follows Moderna's announcement last week that its omicron booster shot showed greater protection against the highly contagious variant. On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's scientific advisers will meet to debate whether to recommend updating existing vaccines to provide greater protection against spreading variants. As part of that process, the panel will be analyzing data on the updated shots from both companies. Pfizer said Saturday that it was confident its new booster candidates are better than their predecessor. "Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a company statement. In one new booster option, Pfizer targeted just omicron. In the other, they combined omicron protection with that of the original vaccine. The company also tested the current dosage of 30 micrograms and a higher dosage of 60 micrograms. Both the combined shot and the omicron-specific shot provided a substantial increase in omicron antibodies in middle-aged and older adults who had received three previous COVID-19 vaccine doses. About 1,200 people took part in the study. The omicron-only booster prompted the strongest antibody response. However, some experts believe that the combo shot may be a better choice because it retains the original shot's power while adding in extra protection against omicron. One month after vaccination, those who received the combo shot had a nine-fold to 11-fold increase in omicron antibodies -- 1.5 times better than simply getting another dose of the original vaccine, Pfizer's data showed. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the state's 173-year-old abortion ban, arguing that statutes passed in the 1980s supersede the ban and it's so old that modern generations never consented to it. Wisconsin passed a law in 1849, the year after the territory became a state, banning abortions in every instance except to save the mother's life. The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling, which essentially legalized abortion nationwide, nullified the ban. The court's decision on Friday to reverse Roe vs. Wade has created questions about whether the ban is back in effect. Anti-abortion advocates insist it is. Abortion providers in the state stopped offering procedures on Friday out of fear of prosecution. Attorney General Josh Kaul had hinted before the Supreme Court's decision reversing Roe vs. Wade that he would challenge the ban's validity. He followed through on Tuesday, filing an action in Dane County Circuit Court. He blasted the ban during a news conference with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to announce the filing. We're talking about returning Wisconsin to the 19th century, Kaul said. Evers said Democrats are taking very, very, very important steps to return rights to the women of Wisconsin. According to the lawsuit, Wisconsin adopted a post-Roe vs. Wade law in 1985 that prohibits abortions after a fetus has grown enough that it could survive outside the womb. That point in time is the subject of debate. Some physicians say it's around 20 weeks, others around 28 weeks. Kaul argues that the 1985 law superseded the ban and therefore abortions before the point of viability remain legal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin abortion providers cannot be held to two sets of diametrically opposed laws, and the Wisconsin people deserve clarity, the lawsuit said. Kaul goes on to contend that the ban should be declared unenforceable because it has become obsolete, saying a law that was enacted so long ago cannot be said to have the consent of the governed." This Court therefore should declare that (the ban) cannot be enforced as applied to abortions until and unless new legislation is enacted into law," the lawsuit says. Republican lawmakers have said they may update the ban when they return to Madison for the next two-year legislative session in January. Evers would veto any of their attempts if he wins reelection in November, however. The lawsuit names Senate President Chris Kapenga, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as defendants. Vos said in a statement that Evers and Kaul's decision to sue is just as misguided as the original Roe vs. Wade ruling. Once again we will do Attorney General Kaul's job and vigorously defend the law, Vos said. Kapenga and LeMahieu spokesman Adam Gibbs didn't return messages. Julaine Appling, president of anti-abortion lobbying group Wisconsin Family Action, said the 1849 ban is a duly enacted law and Kaul is simply playing to Democratic supporters. What you have here is political grandstanding, Appling said. He's playing to his political base and doing their bidding, unfortunately, rather than doing what he was elected to do. Kaul faces an uphill fight in the courts. The lawsuit is so important it will likely work its way to the state Supreme Court. Conservatives hold a 4-3 advantage on the court. Justice Patience Roggensack isn't running for reelection next April, which gives liberals a chance to regain the majority, but Kaul said during the news conference he wants a quick resolution of the case. We're right on the law, he said. Dr. Kathy King, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's medical director, thanked Kaul and Evers for taking action. She said her organization has been forced to turn patients away, causing suffering because of a vague law from 1849. Meanwhile, three Republican gubernatorial hopefuls warned they would fire prosecutors who refuse to enforce the ban. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, management consultant Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun all said during a debate on Monday that they would remove district attorneys who won't enforce the ban. Former President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate, Tim Michels, didn't attend the debate. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has said he won't enforce the ban. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has hinted he won't enforce it, either. Ozanne and Chisholm are Democrats. District attorneys are elected officials but state law allows the governor to remove them from office for cause. Also Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced it would hear three new cases, including that of an anti-abortion protestor who lower courts determined was harassing a Planned Parenthood employee in 2020 when he followed her to her car and told her bad things could happen if she didn't repent. The court is expected to determine whether the protestor's statements were indeed harassment and whether the lower court's decision to block him from protesting outside Planned Parenthood for four years violated his First Amendment rights. Associated Press writer Harm Venhuizen contributed to this report. Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Nonprofits around the state are increasingly losing bidding wars for affordable apartment housing complexes when they compete against investors and for-profit developers, and one organization is trying desperately to preserve an aging 161-unit apartment project in Missoula. In the worst-case scenario, hundreds of people could be left without a home. Heather McMilin, the project development director for the nonprofit Homeword, told the Missoula city council last week that her organization is applying for a chunk of a very limited amount of highly-sought-after federal low-income housing tax credits for the Creekside Apartments. They need the credits to make urgently-needed repairs to the complex, which houses 300 people and is located on the Clark Fork River between Missoula and East Missoula. Homeword used a 501(c)3 bond in 2017 to purchase the apartments from a for-profit developer and the units are rented to those who make 60% or less of Area Median Income. Montana has been awarded about $29.75 million in federal Housing Tax Credits for 2023, and eight projects across the state are finalists for those credits. However, some will get denied because the total combined amount the applicants are asking for is $51 million in tax credits. Montana has no state housing tax credit program, and a bill to create a program was vetoed by Governor Greg Gianforte. Homeword is planning on applying for $5.75 million in tax credits to renovate 40 of the units as part of a larger package to rehab the entire property, and the Montana Board of Housing will choose among them and seven other applications this fall. McMilin said it's no exaggeration to say that hundreds of people could become homeless if they don't get the tax credits. "If we get to a point where we can't get enough money to do the proper rehab, even if it's a partial rehab and then we plan the additional pieces later, an option for us is to sell it on the open market because the deed restrictions are coming off," she said. And that's the last thing they want to have to do, she told the council. "Because in reality, we're looking at 300 people being, I would say, homeless," she said. "And I say that with a straight face because there's no place for them to go. All of our units are full. All the (Missoula Housing Authority's) units are full. Yes, we're building 400 homes, but these particular projects are absolutely critical." McMilin said Creekside was built cheaply in 1996. It was built at the lowest cost per unit that (building) code allowed, she explained. All major systems are at the end of their useful life, but its critical to preserve the existing homes that people can afford to rent. Homeword knew the building was going to need major repairs when it bought the complex, but the organization knew that if the complex was bought by a for-profit investor, rent prices would be jacked up after a few years and people living there with low incomes would have no options. Missoula has experienced surging housing prices since the end of the last recession, as has most of Montana and the United States. The Creekside Apartments are now falling apart, literally. Were talking about the replacement of siding, roofing, windows and mechanical systems, McMilin said. If I ever have to use vinyl siding on a project, just light me on fire. Its never going to work. She said the siding is just peeling off the building, and residents are having to use foil in their windows to keep their apartments from being too drafty. Before the pandemic, Homeword might have been able to afford to renovate the building without using tax credits. But now, costs are so high that were looking at $9 million worth of work, she said. Unfortunately, all the systems are kind of coming to a crown in which theyre failing at very much the same time over a two- or three-year period. If theyre awarded the credits this fall, they could preserve the complex as affordable housing for another 46 years. But in just three years, the apartment might have to be sold on the open market, she said, because provisions that keep it affordable will be expiring. Thats happening across the state, and nonprofits dont have the firepower to keep up with out-of-state investors who are snapping up properties amid rising prices. Thank goodness we were proactive, the city and Homeword, in 2017 when Creekside became available, she said. It was at risk of going to market and we were able to get that bond and borrow as much money as we possibly could to be competitive with market-rate developers and we acquired it and we preserved it. Today, under current housing conditions, that might not be possible. If this had happened in 2020, if it had happened in the last two years, we would have never competed because whats happening statewide is these projects that are 30 years old have two to three years of (low-income affordability) compliance left, she said. We have gone after six different projects around the state, and so has the Human Resource Development Council in Bozeman and Blueline (a for-profit housing developer in Missoula). They've been outbid every time because their best offer hasn't been enough. We have all competed against our great developers and maxed our debt as far as we could or higher, she said. We looked at what projected rents could be, tax credit rents, with our board. And we are short $3 million to $5 million. Because whats happening is outside investors are buying these properties knowing that they can hold it, take losses for three to five years and then they can take it to market. She said Creekside would be in a similar position now if Homeword hadnt bought it. Thank goodness we preserved Creekside when we did," she said. "It was a high cost, but not as high as we are now. And we can take it and fold it back into the program and reinvest in its affordability and the longer deed restrictions." McMilin said it's extremely important for affordable housing developers to use long-lasting materials instead of building cheaply at first. She also said Montana needs a state housing tax credit. City council member Amber Sherrill said she's glad Homeword is working on the issue. "I'm scared that all those people are being displaced and I'm hopeful, that we have all these people in the community working toward making sure that doesn't happen," she said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 5 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Missoula City Council approved a divisive rezoning request Monday night in front of a crowd of public commenters. More than 30 people spoke to council about the request to rezone two parcels located at 2900, 2920 and 2990 Expo Parkway. After numerous comments in favor of and in opposition to the request, which would pave the way for a development known as Grant Creek Village, the council voted 10-2 in support of the proposal. During a housing crisis, we need to stop making housing illegal, said Ward 3 Council Member Daniel Carlino, one of the supporters of the rezone. We need to legalize housing. The need for more housing outweighed concerns raised by neighbors of the subject property, who turned out in droves to the Monday meeting. Joe Hertig, a Prospect subdivision resident and opponent of the rezone, likened the proposal to putting lipstick on a pig. Hertig referenced the lack of changes present in the current proposal, which evolved out of a 2020 proposal from the same developer. The 2020 version of the request was rejected by council. The rezone would increase building heights and allow the building density to go from approximately 500 units to 700 units. Hertigs neighbors raised issues related to traffic, fire hazards and density in the Grant Creek area. The addition of this many housing units, apartments in that section of Grant Creek will be a nightmare for both traffic and congestion, warned Grant Creek resident Jim Gray. To approve a development of this size, I think would be extremely dangerous and harmful to the neighborhood, Gray added. I think that this radical change will turn our neighborhood into something it isnt, agreed Prospect resident Nate Thomas. Proponents of the rezone emphasized the housing crisis in their support for the request. Missoula is a thriving and, most of all, its a growing city, said supporter Liam Seymour. Its growing around us every day and the best thing we can do for that growth is to embrace it and more importantly to plan for it. Missoula as a whole needs to grow and it needs to grow as a whole community, Seymour continued. No neighborhood can be exempt from that growth. The housing crisis is a crisis, its an emergency thats happening right now, not a potential emergency that we can mitigate going into the future, said fellow supporter Luke Santore. We need to do something right now to deal with the emergency that we are currently experiencing. Its not inconvenience, its people dying. Its people living a life of unimaginable stress that most of the people in this room, myself included, cant even fathom. Most city council members voiced support for the approach favoring more housing in the city. Ward 1 Council Member Jennifer Savage said concerns about traffic, fire and density are not unique to the Grant Creek area, and the need for housing prevails over those issues. These are the growing pains of growth and we are all struggling with these all over town, said Savage. If we said no to rezones, if we said no to projects every time neighbors didnt like it, nothing would ever happen, added Ward 4 Council Member Mike Nugent. And thats true in Missoula, thats true in every community in Montana and thats true across the country. The neighbors concerns, however, resonated with Ward 2 Council Member Mirtha Becerra, who lives in the Grant Creek area, and Ward 5 Council Member John Contos. Considering the addition of hundreds of units, thousands of people with no plan in place is simply, in my mind, irresponsible, said Becerra, referencing the lack of an evacuation plan for the area. While many have said that our housing need is reaching public health and safety levels, I would argue that allowing this development trades one type of safety for another. All of us were here first, Contos said. People coming in, they need to wait their turn or do what they need to do to stay here. The final vote was 10-2, with Contos and Becerra opposed. Council also voted 10-2 to approve a developers agreement alongside the rezone request, which guarantees the developer will only develop 700 units as part of the project. Council members Carlino and Ward 6's Kristen Jordan voted against the developers agreement. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 4 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina Republican legislative leaders have reached an agreement on adjustments to the second year of the two-year state government budget approved last fall, officials said Monday. House Speaker Tim Moore and Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger, confirmed the agreement separately, but neither provided details about it, saying they'd likely come on Tuesday. Moore said the actual legislation would be filed by Tuesday night, with two affirmative votes in the House and Senate required by the end of the week before it could head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The new fiscal year starts Friday. Berger and Moore began meeting late last week to hash out differences that their respective budget and tax-law writing lieutenants could not. Horsch said the two chamber leaders spoke on Sunday with Cooper who would be asked to sign any budget legislation into law on Medicaid and the budget. Cooper spokesperson Ford Porter made a similar comment, writing in an email Monday that the governor is having discussions with House and Senate leaders about budget and health care issues. Last November, Cooper signed his first comprehensive state budget into law since getting sworn in 5 1/2 years ago, saying the good inside of it outweighed the bad. The measure in part included a multi-year plan to reduce the personal income tax from 5.25% to 3.99% and eliminate the corporate income tax, currently at 2.5%. The General Assembly's annual work session began in mid-May. The chief challenge for GOP legislators who control the General Assembly has been to figure out what to do with an additional $6.2 billion in projected revenues above and beyond what they anticipated state government would receive this fiscal year and the next year that begins July 1. The enacted budget already tells state government how to spend about $27 billion for the next 12 months. Negotiators this month have been working through differences on additional tax cuts and pay raises beyond what is in the already-approved budget law. The possibility of expanding Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults in North Carolina surfaced again as negotiations near their end although under different dynamics than in previous years. Berger, a longtime expansion opponent, has changed his mind. He embraced legislation this spring that would expand Medicaid while making several other changes to nursing licensure and hospital construction that he said would help increase both health care access and professionals. The bill passed the Senate in early June, but House Republicans were cool to the measure. Moore pitched a competing expansion bill last week that would direct Cooper's administration to develop an expansion plan by mid-December after which legislators would take an up or down vote on all or parts of it Berger dismissed the House measure as essentially another expansion study. As in previous years, Cooper proposed expansion in his budget proposal in May. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Even the wind passing can carry harmful microplastics into Flathead Lake, according to a new study by the University of Montana Flathead Biological Station. Through routes like river runoff or simply washing your clothes, microplastics are accumulating in water, creating a toxic threat toward humans and ecosystems. Experts say the situation, which is a global issue, is concerning. Plastics are falling out of the sky, but the sky has not fallen yet, said Jim Elser, Flathead Lake Biological Station director. Microplastics are everywhere. Its hard to function in society without coming into contact or using them. Microplastics are tiny, microscopic pieces of plastic used in commercial products like soap or broken down from larger plastic pieces. First publicized after researchers found microplastics in seafood, the issue has been discovered in most places humans live. Since 2018, visiting research professor Dr. Xiong Xiong, from the Chinese Academy of Science Institute of Hydrobiology, teamed up with UM researchers to find where microplastics accumulated the most in Flathead Lake. It looks quite clean, but if this clean lake is suffering from plastics, I want to check that, Xiong said in a press release at the start of his study four years ago. People think (plastic pollution) is more serious in the ocean, but many people live inland, and we need the freshwater. It may affect our daily life more directly than the plastic in the ocean. Scientists have found microplastics in a majority of ocean samples across the world. High levels of the particles can damage or kill human cells, and can be ingested through someones natural environment, or from eating animals contaminated with the plastics. Researchers have known about plastics in the lake for years, but the study was the first time they identified where the substances are coming from. Using 12 data sites across the lake, the study found Flathead Lake had similar levels of microplastics as other rural lakes. And Flathead Lake is not the only location in Montana that has microplastics, as the particles are floating through the earths atmosphere. The university study used two buckets that collected either dry deposition of the particles (in the earth), or plastics coming through rain and snow. While dry deposition peaked in the fall, some particles were found in the spring and summer as well. Wet deposition mostly happened in winter, and came through snowfall. Elser also said small towns surrounding the lake and intensive shoreline use contribute to microplastics through pollution. Trash and litter can be carried in a stream or river, slowly breaking into pieces of plastic too small to see with the naked eye. Maybe a less obvious source of microplastics is peoples clothes. Many synthetic fabrics use plastic, some of which breaks off in a laundry machine and flows into a water system, according to the study. Some of the most concentrated areas of plastics hug more populated places like Polson or Bigfork. Elser said the problem overall is caused by the sheer amount of plastics Americans use. The U.S. generated more than 35 million tons of plastic waste in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency the most per capita in the world. Elser pointed out that Flathead Lakes plastic levels are not as bad as other places. Xiong produced a similar microplastic study in China's Yangtze river, which yielded much higher levels the bigger the city, the more microplastics. There is not a clear path to getting rid of microplastics, but Elser recommended people should try to cut down their plastic use in general. The problem is that supply chains and producers often use plastics during the production process, even if the final product is non-plastic. Elser said some businesses have made progress on limiting the release of microplastics. Some laundry units, for example, are built with water filters that can keep microplastics from escaping. But while awareness is growing, Elser said plastic will continue to build in small amounts at Flathead Lake. Once it degrades, and we can't see it, it still exists, Elser said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 4 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An Army private charged with plotting to murder members of his unit overseas with help from a secretive violent anarchist group was planning a defense calling it all an internet fantasy before pleading guilty just before trial, court records show. Plans for the defense of Ethan Phelan Melzer was revealed in court papers in the months before the Kentucky man abruptly pleaded guilty to charges Friday, eliminating the need for his July 5 trial in Manhattan federal court. Sentencing is set for Jan. 6. He could face up to 45 years in prison rather than the life sentence that a jury conviction could have brought. Melzer, 24, was in Italy in October 2019 with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team when he communicated online with others prior to plotting an attack against his Army unit once it was redeployed in 2020 to guard an isolated and sensitive military installation, prosecutors said. But court papers reveal the individuals he was communicating with online werent members of the Order of Nine Angles or 09A as he believed, but rather, government informants who helped build the case against him, defense lawyers said. The Washington Post quoted a European security official in a June 2020 article as saying that the Nazi-Satanist group was established in Britain in the 1970s and has promoted extreme violence for decades. The official who spoke on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told the newspaper that 09A membership ranges from a few dozen to about 2,000, targeting young people and sending supporters into groups to influence and recruit. Prosecutors said the white-supremacist group espouses neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic and Satanic beliefs and encourages members to infiltrate the military to gain training, commit acts of violence and identify like-minded individuals intent on subverting the military from within. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Friday that Melzer sought to orchestrate a murderous ambush on his own unit by unlawfully disclosing its location, strength and armaments to 09A members online. Story continues The defendant believed he could force the U.S. into prolonged armed conflict while causing the deaths of as many soldiers as possible. Melzers traitorous conduct was a betrayal of his storied unit and nothing short of an attack against the most essential American values, he said in a news release. Before Fridays plea, Melzers lawyers were building a defense asserting he was merely indulging in fantasy chats similar to a New York City police officer dubbed the cannibal cop by tabloids when he was convicted in 2013 of kidnapping conspiracy in a plot to rape, kill and eat women. They said it was a case with similar facts as those facing Melzer. Online, Officer Gilberto Valle had discussed the cannibalistic plot with others in grisly detail. But in throwing out the jury verdict, a judge wrote that while Valles misogynistic sexual fantasies reflected a diseased mind, prosecutors failed to prove hed taken steps to carry out any gruesome deeds. As Melzers lawyers wrote: The charges in this case are sensational, the facts less so: No jihadist ambush on Melzers unit happened, none was close to happening, and Melzer had no intention of seeing one happen. In post-arrest interviews with law enforcement he made clear that he never intended to see an attack occur and that he believed that his interlocutors were jokers who similarly had no intentions or capabilities of orchestrating one. They said his online prose was bluster falsities designed to impress the people he was communicating with online. And the lawyers wrote that while Melzer was curious about 09A, he thought it was weird and pretty much a cult and its beliefs were polar opposite of his own. They said one government cooperator posing as an 09A sympathizer online claimed to be a former Canadian paratrooper injured in Iraq, but he was actually a mentally ill 15-year-old who had been hospitalized for psychiatric care months before he began communicating with Melzer. The governments efforts to paint Melzer as an O9A-devotee committed to murdering his fellow soldiers are overblown, defense lawyers wrote. They said three post-arrest interviews in 2020 with law enforcement amounted to full-throated denials of the most serious charges against him. The guilty plea came after prosecutors clarified theyd built a case against Melzer that included evidence from his electronic devices and barracks photographs, videos and documents that could be characterized as jihadist and 09A materials. Also recovered were books titled The Sinister Tradition and The Anarchists Cookbook, which prosecutors maintained had detailed instructions on how to manufacture and use explosives and weapons. But the most potentially damaging evidence prosecutors said they planned to show the jury was proof Melzer sought to earn a self-initiation into 09A through violence as a street-level drug dealer after shooting a marijuana dealer in the arm in January 2017 near his Louisville, Kentucky, apartment. He joined the Army the following year. The Biden administration is set to hold lease sales for new oil and gas drilling on public lands starting this week and, for the first time, it will implement new regulations for producers. The oil auctions will effectively be the administrations first, since the only other lease sale it has held was tossed in court on environmental grounds. But neither industry nor green groups are particularly pleased with the sales, as industry wanted more land and fewer stipulations while many climate hawks wanted no lease sales at all. The Biden administration is expected this week to auction off parcels of federally owned land for drilling in seven Western states. The sale in Wyoming is expected to be by far the largest, with 130,000 acres available for lease, while the next largest comes in at just a few thousand acres. The other sales will take place in Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. When it announced the sales in April, the Interior Department said it was shrinking the overall land it was making available by 80 percent compared to the total amount of land it originally considered for the sale. The department also announced that it would hike fees that oil companies pay to the government for the oil they extract, raising royalty rates from the 12.5 percent imposed on previous sales to 18.75 percent for the new sales. In a statement from the time, the department said that the changes would help with addressing deficiencies in the program. For too long, the federal oil and gas leasing programs have prioritized the wants of extractive industries above local communities, the natural environment, the impact on our air and water, the needs of Tribal Nations, and, moreover, other uses of our shared public lands, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement at the time. Today, we begin to reset how and what we consider to be the highest and best use of Americans resources for the benefit of all current and future generations, she added. Story continues The lease sales are not expected to immediately impact the countrys oil supply, since it takes more than four years on average from the time they acquire their leases for companies to begin producing oil. But at a time when many Americans are struggling with skyrocketing gasoline prices, the optics of the sale could matter. Industry has mixed feelings about the sales. Frank Macchiarola, the senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, said hes glad the administration is holding the sales but didnt like the smaller size or other stipulations. We are concerned about the reduction in available parcels, were concerned about royalty rate increases, were concerned that the administrations approach is limited at a time when we really need something bold, he said. But he added that the organization is pleased that finally the administration is actually moving forward with leasing. Weve seen an unprecedented delay in oil and gas leasing. Meanwhile, the administrations decision to hold lease sales at all has irked left-wing environmentalists who note that locking in more oil and gas drilling will worsen climate change. Why are they having these lease sales given the climate impacts that the Biden administration itself recognizes? asked Michael Freeman, a senior attorney at Earthjustice. Theres a clear contradiction between what the Biden administration says it wants to do on climate and what its doing with these lease sales, he added. But others were more understanding, saying they believe the Biden administration did the most it could to implement important reforms without running afoul of the federal judiciary. We look at it from a perspective of what is possible right now given the regulatory framework, given the legal landscape, what is defensible, and that is, from our perspective, where this lease sale landed as good as it could have given where the courts are, said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities. The sales are slated to be the first onshore lease sales held under the Biden administration, which paused new oil and gas leasing during much of its first year as it reviewed the federal program. But that pause was halted by a court and the Biden administration held an offshore lease sale in November. The offshore sale, however, was also struck down in court on environmental grounds, making this weeks sales likely to effectively be the first the Biden administration is holding. Macchiarola, with the oil industry group, described the new lease sales as the bare minimum, saying the administration should do more to ramp up oil production. Its a small step in the right direction, but we need to see a lot more out of this administration, he said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A search warrant at a Mooresville residence led to the arrests of two people on a felony drug charge. Christine Yvonne Mays, 47, of Charlotte Highway, Mooresville, and Allen Jennings Campbell, 33, of Liledoun Road, Taylorsville, were arrested. Mays was charged with felony possession with intent to sell or deliver crystal methamphetamine and felony maintaining a dwelling, vehicle or place for the sale or use of a controlled substance. A magistrate set bond at $50,000. Campbell was charged with felony possession of crystal methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A magistrate set bond at $20,000. Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell, in a news release, said narcotics investigators received information that Mays was selling and distributing crystal methamphetamine from a residence on Charlotte Highway. Surveillance operations were launched and investigators verified the information, Campbell said. Undercover investigators bought crystal methamphetamine from Mays, he said. On Friday, narcotics investigators and road patrol deputies executed a search warrant and 22.76 grams of crystal methamphetamine, valued at more than $2,000, was found, Campbell said. Campbell was in the home at the time the search warrant was served and a hidden handgun was found in the bedroom where he was staying, the sheriff said. Mays history includes felony obtain property by false pretense, felony possession of Schedule I and felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana, resisting a public officer, hit-and-run failing to stop, possession of drug paraphernalia, school attendance law violation and DWI. Campbell, authorities said, is a North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections verified member of the Nazi Low Riders Gang and is a registered sex offender. His history includes felony indecent liberties with a minor, felony fail to register as a sex offender, felony sex offender using a social networking site and failure to register new address as a registered sex offender and misdemeanor counts of injury to personal property, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, resisting a public officer and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Historic Burke Foundation will host a theater company with local ties for a special presentation. The organization has invited actors Kim and Ken Kay of Kay-Squared Productions to present two plays on stage at the historic Burke County courthouse at 201 S. Green St. in Morganton. The Kays have been married for 32 years and have worked together in many productions in theater and film. They founded Kay-Squared Productions in 2014 in Jupiter, Florida. Since Kim is a Drexel native, the couple has a strong connection to Burke County. We reached out to the Historic Burke Foundation board about a year ago, and they graciously invited us to meet with them and submit a proposal, Ken said. The folks with HBF have been real partners with us and super nice to boot. Were really pleased and grateful to have this opportunity. Kim will perform the one-woman play that she wrote called, Silver Shadows: Dark Side of the Mountain, at 7 p.m. July 12, 13 and 14. The play illustrates the life of Burke County resident Frankie Silver. Silver was one of the first women hanged in North Carolina after she was convicted of killing her husband, Charlie Silver, with an axe and dismembering his body on Dec. 22, 1831, according to previous News Herald articles. Many today believe that Frankie acted in self-defense during a violent argument with Charlie that preceded his murder. She was hanged on July 12, 1833. Kim, a graduate of Appalachian State University, debuted the play at the courthouse in 2014, directed by Ken. Frankies legend continues to fascinate her. I have done more research that informs me of that time period what Burke County and Morganton was like in 1831, Kim said. I have located and chatted with some of Frankies family, heard their voices a bit. I am still haunted by this story and the circumstances which led to Charlies murder and Frankies death. The wheels of justice moved so slowly for her. In my mind, she must have heard the present courthouse being built. You stand on the stage in this hallowed hall and it connects all of us to our history. Themes in the story, such as intolerance, domestic abuse and human rights, are social issues people still grapple with today. Voices of minorities not given a voice rings too true in our present society, Kim said. When Frankies daddy said, Die with it in ya, Frankie, at the gallows, she was silenced, in many ways as women and people of color are. Ken will take the stage in his one-person production of The Things They Carried at 7 p.m. July 20, 21 and 23. The play is a staged adaptation of Tim OBriens award-winning literary classic about a company of soldiers in Vietnam, according to the press release. I play a dozen different characters in The Things They Carried, Ken said. First, there is Tim, who is based on the real Tim OBrien. He is the main character of the play. The other characters are members of his infantry platoon, but there is also Tims father, his daughter and an old man named Elroy who helps Tim during a real crisis of conscience. Finding the distinct voices and physical characteristics of each of these people has been part of the challenge, but also a lot of fun. Its what gives the play its real punch. Ken served with the U.S. Navy Seabees during the Vietnam War era. I wasnt sent to Nam the Navy had other plans for me but many of the guys I served with did go, and some did not survive, Ken said. Their stories and experiences still resonate with me today. Though the play, like Silver Shadows, is historical in nature, Ken noted how it also highlights themes relevant today. I discovered in an earlier production how much this conflict still affects the families and friends of veterans to this day, Ken said. As a widow of one Vietnam vet wrote to me, We left the theater changed, with bigger, more vulnerable hearts, and with an undeniable pride in the sheer bravery of people who survived the most intolerable circumstances and compassion for their humanity. As an actor, you cant ask for any more than that that connection is priceless. The Things They Carried is performed by special arrangement with Susan Schulman Literary Agency in New York City. The Kays are looking forward to performing at the old courthouse again. The old courtroom space is just perfect for the kind of plays we will be doing there, Ken said. Its small and intimate. And its a great space for the audiencethere are no bad seats! Plus, the courthouse has a very long and colorful history as a place where a lot of legal drama took place. I feel like were just following in that tradition. Tickets for Silver Shadows and The Things They Carried are $20 for adults, $18 for veterans and students and $15 for HBF members. Tickets may be purchased from HBF by contacting 828-437-4104 or visiting the historic Burke County courthouse from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. People also may purchase tickets online at historicburke.org or at the door the day of any given show. Seating is general admission for both plays. These stories are your stories, Ken said. Frankie Silver was a real person who lived and died right here. Her legacy and the remaining mysteries surrounding her fate is the stuff of legend and great theater. Likewise, Vietnam and the lasting effects that conflict has had on our country continue to impact us today. The Things They Carried offers some understanding of that time and maybe a bit of closure for those who lost someone important to them. And, of course, buying tickets for either play will help support the Historic Burke Foundation and all the important work they do. So, go see a show and help keep your history alive. For information on the productions or sponsorship opportunities, contact Debbie Bradley at 828-437-4104. Staff writer Tammie Gercken can be reached at tgercken@morganton.com. The case against a then-Montana Technological University student from Nevada, who was jailed for statutory rape on Jan. 27, 2020, has been dismissed. Caden Joseph Constable was 19 years old when Butte police arrested him for intercourse without consent with a girl more than four years younger than him. Under Montana law, a person under the age of 16 cannot consent to sexual intercourse. The felony charge carries a minimum two-year term but a four-year minimum if the offender is four or more years older than the underage victim. It carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or up to 100 years. Butte-Silver Bow Attorney Michael Clague said the charges against Constable were dropped because the state lost track of the victim. She got moved around, and we lost track of her, Clague said. We kept hoping wed be able to track her. He added that although there was probable cause to arrest Constable at the time, a witness is oftentimes needed in court. Butte police found the girl in Constables dorm room at Montana Tech on Jan, 25, 2020 at around 2:40 a.m. after they were informed by university security that she was believed to be a runaway and might be with Constable. He was arrested and later charged with allegedly having sex with the girl. Security at Montana Tech was tipped off by police in Elko, Nevada. Constable is from Spring Creek, Nevada, which is about 15 miles southeast of Elko in the northern part of the state. According to a January 2020 article written by The Standard, police at the time believed the girl knew Constable and came to Butte on her own. Constables defense attorney, Jeffrey Dahood, did not return attempts to reach him for a comment by the time of publication. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 9 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. VIRGINIA CITY Maggie Monaghan tearfully implored the judge to reject a plea bargain offered to defendant Ethan Jacob Choate, who prosecutors have alleged participated in assaulting Monaghan, her husband and his brother outside the Pioneer Bar in Virginia City. Choate was the first of five defendants linked to the July 10 fight to resolve his case in court. He had been charged initially with misdemeanor assault but a plea agreement allowed Choate to plead no contest Tuesday in Madison County Justice Court to a lesser offense of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Four other defendants who, like Choate, were linked in July to the non-profit Heroes and Horses ranch for veterans near Virginia City, remain charged with felony assault. Justice Court Judge Marc Glines did not grant Maggie Monaghans wish. But he studied the disorderly conduct statute and the penalties allowed for a conviction and concluded, with obvious disappointment, that he could not include jail time in Choates sentence. Instead, Choate was ordered to pay a fine of $100, a surcharge of $85 and restitution of $660.10 to help pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses of Chase Monaghan for injuries suffered during the fight. Witnesses to the bar fight gave varied accounts about the specific involvement that night of defendant Choate. But most put him in the midst of the fray. The July 10 fight started inside the Pioneer Bar in Virginia City but didnt get bloody and brutal until the conflict shifted outside, where Cody Monaghan, Maggies husband, was beaten to the ground and kicked in the face, according to witnesses. The Madison County Sheriffs Office received reports about the fight at about 10:45 p.m. that Saturday. Deputies who investigated that night and into the next morning interviewed a number of suspects. At the time, Choate was a staff member at Heroes and Horses. The non-profit organization offers veterans emotionally scarred by service non-traditional approaches to healing such as backcountry horse packing. Later, four men believed to be clients at the non-profit Heroes and Horses ranch west of Virginia City were charged with felony assault. Cody Monaghan suffered serious injuries that night, including a broken nose and several facial fractures, according to court records. Witnesses said he was surrounded outside the bar by five cowboys, men wearing cowboy hats and jeans. One witness told the deputies Cody Monaghan was injured so badly because the cowboys were punching and kicking him on the ground. This same witness said Choate was not involved with attacking Cody Monaghan. Instead, the witness said Choate was engaged in a one-on-one fight with Cody Monaghans brother, Chase, on the boardwalk outside the Pioneer Bar. Witnesses told deputies some of the men described as cowboys left the area in a silver or gray pickup and headed west. Deputies interviewed Choate around 1:20 a.m. at the Heroes and Horses ranch. According to their report, Choate had dried blood on his right cheek. Later, Maggie Monaghan told investigators Choate was the person who threw or slammed her to the ground outside the bar. And Chase Monaghan allegedly attacked him outside the bar, court records show. The four defendants still facing felony assault charges are: Christopher Michael Kase, Arizona, charged with felony aggravated assault; William Robert Haley, Salt Lake City; Dalton Fish, Dowelltown, Tennessee; and Karson Edward Yuan, Phoenix, Arizona. These cases are in varied stages of potential resolution, with trial dates set in September, October and November. Cody and Maggie Monaghan and Chase Monaghan told authorities that on the night of July 10 they had attended a Brewery Follies show in Virginia City and were planning to have a drink at the Pioneer Bar before participating in the Virginia City Ghost Tours. They told investigators they found a table in the crowded bar and noticed there were men in cowboy hats at the bar, but turned away from the bar to face the tables. Maggie Monaghan told authorities a man in that group approached their table, confronted Chase Monaghan and snatched his sunglasses. Pushing and shoving ensued, witnesses said, and the bartender cleared the bar. Security camera footage seems to support this account, court records show, and the aggressor appears to be Kase. And from a photo lineup, Cody Monaghan said he was pretty certain Kase was among those assaulting him outside the bar, court documents show. Once the fight resumed outside the bar, accounts from witnesses varied about who shoved or hit whom first. There seemed to be general agreement, however, that a man picked up Maggie Monaghan and slammed her on the ground, and that more than one person from the cowboys group attacked Cody Monaghan. When deputies visited the Heroes and Horses ranch in the early morning hours after the fight one deputy observed what appeared to be dried blood on Kases right boot. Deputies reported that Kase stated he did not kick anyone. They spotted other apparent bloodstains on the inner side of Kases left pants leg, records show. Heroes and Horses started in 2014. CEO Micah Fink, a former Navy SEAL, has said he was motivated to help establish the organization after recognizing that suicide and addiction rates continued to rise among veterans in spite of the work of thousands of PTSD-related nonprofits and billions of dollars spent annually. Heroes and Horses says it works to offer combat veterans an alternative solution for defining and approaching their physical and mental scars a solution that does not include prescription medications or traditional psychotherapy but rather the opportunity to use tools to redefine their purpose, rediscover their inner strength, and maximize their potential by taking ownership of their lives for the first time since leaving service. Fink provided a statement in September responding to criminal charges filed against Choate and Heroes and Horses participants. Heroes and Horses mission is to provide life-saving personal infrastructure for American military heroes who have suffered emotional scarring after being wounded by war. Heroes and Horses has grown to be a respected program aimed at addressing the unique needs of veterans in the United States. Heroes and Horses values our community and remains committed to our mission of changing the lives of our veterans through our rigorous program. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 6 MUSCATINE Although a weekend has passed since the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, many people citizens and government officials alike are still discussing whether or not the court made the right decision. In Muscatine, similar views can be found on both sides. I was pretty disgusted, Kelcey Brackett, chair of the Democrat Central Committee, said. This was settled law for the past 50 years, and weve had two Supreme Court justices who lied under oath and should be impeached. This is referring to Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who both said they considered Roe to be settled law during their confirmation hearings. When asked about his reaction to the overturning, Fred Grunder, chair of the Republican Central Committee, shared that he was happy with the decision and agreed with those who believe the Roe v. Wade decision was wrong originally. From a personal standpoint, my view is that life begins at conception, Grunder said. If life begins at conception, then abortion is basically killing a human being. I know all the arguments, and I struggle with certain things like instances rape and incest its certainly something I would never have to deal with but on the other hand, its still a human life. Grunder argued that, according to statistics he has found, rape and incest account for less than 1% of all abortions performed. This aligns with findings reported by the state of Florida, which records a reason for every abortion that occurs within its borders each year. According to its 2020 report, out of 74,868 Florida abortions, 0.01% were due to an incestuous relationship, 0.15% were due to rape and 0.20% were because the mothers life was endangered by the pregnancy. Regarding that final possibility, Grunder emphasized that he would support the choice of abortion if a mothers life was physically in danger. Not mental or if she had a reason like, Well, I wouldnt be able to finish college, or something like that, but the mothers physical life I would prefer a second opinion, but if the doctors say, This lady will die if she carries to term, then I believe the lady should be able to make that decision if it really is a matter of life and death. Brackett, on the other hand, stated his belief that mothers should have a choice whether or not they are in a life-or-death scenario and that this and cases of rape or incest should not be the only exceptions. This shouldnt be a political issue, Brackett said. This should be something that a woman decides on her own with her doctors advice. I believe in peoples rights to their freedom and their ability to make decisions on their own life that dont impact others, and people should not be forcing their beliefs upon others. This country is supposed to be built on freedom, not religious oppression. Brackett also argued that those who fight for the life of an unborn fetus while not allowing any exceptions for abortion often disregard not only the pregnancy dangers but the child itself after it is born. One of the things that disgust me is that most of the men that are pushing this forward dont even understand the dangers that go along with so many pregnancies, Brackett said. The fact that they are so ignorant that they dont understand the dangers they are creating means theyre not qualified to be in the positions theyre in. Once the fetus is born, they dont seem to give [an expletive] about it because they dont do anything to help take care of children or other people in situations that are outside of their own control once theyre born. All they care about is forcing women to give birth. Although Iowa currently doesnt have any trigger laws regarding abortion, it is expected that Gov. Kim Reynolds will continue fighting to outlaw abortions within Iowa now that the decision is up to each individual state, which Grunder also says he supports. If a state wants to have abortion, it will. If you look at places like New York, you can have abortions. Its not a federal thing outlawing abortions, its just saying, Hey, this is something that wasnt in the Constitution, so its relegated to the states and the people, Grunder said. I just think most people, if given the choice of maybe a child living and you sacrificing your life, theres at least going to be a percentage of mothers that will take that chance, I believe. But at that point, it should be their choice. Brackett, however, still believes that all mothers in every state should get to have their choice and shouldnt be controlled by those in power who want to enforce their own beliefs. As such, he said he will continue trying to fight for womens rights as well as freedom of choice and freedom of religion. Its a sickness that has infected our country that people think that they have to control every aspect of others lives, Brackett said. What well be doing is the same thing that we have been doing, though I expect there to be a bit more steam in it now, which is making sure that were doing our best to support candidates that respect the rights and beliefs of others and are not insistent of monotheistic religious control of our nation. There are no local protests planned within the city of Muscatine, according to City Communications Manager Kevin Jenison. Looking at statewide events, an Iowans for Reproductive Freedoms event has been scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Aide: Trump dismissed Jan. 6 threats, wanted to join crowd WASHINGTON (AP) The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House. A former White House aide also tells the House committee investigating the attack that Trump desperately attempted to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol. In her testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson described an angry, defiant president who grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to allow him go to the Capitol. Trump has dismissed her as a total phony. Trump painted in testimony as volatile, angry president WASHINGTON (AP) A former Trump White House aide has painted a portrait of a volatile commander-in-chief who lashed out at advisers as his grasp on power was extinguished. Though accounts of the former presidents temper are legion, Cassidy Hutchinson offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trumps rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that supporters had weapons with them and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol. The testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee deepened questions about whether Trump himself could face criminal charges for his conduct and came as Trump weighs running for reelection in 2024. 1/6 Takeaways: Angry Trump, dire legal warnings and ketchup The House Jan. 6 committee held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trumps actions that day. Witness Cassidy Hutchinson is a lesser-known former White House aide who had proximity to power as an adviser to the then-president and his chief of staff Mark Meadows. She rebuffed Trumps team warnings against testifying and provided firsthand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the insurrection. She described an angry and defiant Trump who ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then refused to intervene to stop the violence as rioters laid siege. Colorado GOP deals blow to election denial movement DENVER (AP) Colorado Republicans have rejected two prominent election deniers in primaries Tuesday night. It's a setback for the movement to install backers of former President Donald Trump's election lies in positions with power over voting. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters lost the Republican primary for secretary of state to Pam Anderson, a former clerk in suburban Denver. Peters was indicted for her role in a break-in of her county's election system. An ally, State Rep. Ron Hanks, lost his bid for the GOP Senate nomination. Hanks attended the Jan. 6 protests. He was beaten by businessman Joe O'Dea, a rare GOP backer of some abortion rights. Takeaways from first primaries since Roe v. Wade overturned NEW YORK (AP) A rare Republican who supports abortion rights found success in Colorado in the first primary elections held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, New Yorks first female governor positioned herself to become a major voice in the post-Roe landscape. In Illinois, Democrats helped boost a Republican gubernatorial candidate loyal to former President Donald Trump in the hopes that he would be the easier candidate to beat in November. And in at least two states, election deniers were defeated, even as pro-Trump lightning rods elsewhere won. 51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones as authorities begin identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press that the driver of the truck and two other people were arrested. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from a truck parked on a lonely back road. Ukrainian survivor: Only a 'monster' would attack a mall KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) The shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of war it offered an escape for some residents. In a few moments on Monday, it suddenly became a hellish inferno after it was hit by a Russian airstrike. Authorities say at least 18 people are dead, more than 20 are missing and scores are wounded. The Kremenchuk mall is now the latest addition to the allegations of war crimes levied against Russia in the Ukraine war. One mall employee who said he had stepped outside for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off estimated 1,000 people had been in the mall, contradicting Russias claim it was empty. Turkey lifts its objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO MADRID (AP) Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told the AP that the membership should be completed the sooner the better. Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte's legacy MANILA, Philippines (AP) The thousands of killings under Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes campaign against illegal drugs have left families in agony and a savage side to his legacy. Duterte ends his turbulent six-year presidency Thursday after building a reputation for expletives-laced outbursts and a disdain for human rights and the West. He's seen as a human rights calamity not only for the deaths in his drug crackdown, but also for his brazen attacks on critical media, the Catholic church and his political opponents. He's still an endearing, popular character to many Filipinos, however, and state-run TV has been highlighting infrastructure and poverty-alleviating projects of his administration. But in the homes of those lost in the drug war, an air of indignation and mourning permeates. EXPLAINER: Abortion, tech and surveillance With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use data troves from Facebook, Google and other social platforms against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever peoples personal data is tracked and stored, theres always a risk that it could be misused or abused. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LONDON (AP) Scotland's leader told lawmakers in Edinburgh Tuesday that she plans to hold a fresh referendum on Scotland's independence on Oct. 19, 2023 even though U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintains it wasn't the right time for such a vote. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the question to be asked will be the same as that in Scotlands first independence vote in 2014: Should Scotland be an independent country? The U.K.-wide government of Johnson opposes a new referendum and has repeatedly said the issue was settled in 2014, when 55% saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotlands government requires a special order from Johnson to legally hold a referendum. Sturgeon said she will ask the U.K. Supreme Court to rule on the Scottish governments right to hold the vote if Johnson does not give the go-ahead. Scotlands most senior law official has referred the matter to the top court on Tuesday, she said. She added that she would be writing to Johnson to inform him of her plans. Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party and the devolved government in Scotland, insists its time to revisit the matter of independence, not least because of Britains exit from the European Union a move opposed by a majority of Scots. My determination is to secure a process that allows the people of Scotland, whether yes, no or yet to be decided, to express their views in a legal, constitutional referendum so the majority view can be established fairly and democratically, she said Tuesday. Johnson said he would study Sturgeons plans for a second referendum, but stressed that the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy." We will study it very carefully and we will respond properly ... I certainly think that well be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together," he told reporters. A spokesman for Johnsons office said his position is unchanged and he continues to think its not the time to be talking about a referendum. The spokesman said the government will not be drawn into hypotheticals about whether it would open negotiations for Scottish independence if Scots vote for it in a referendum next year. Even if the referendum does go ahead as proposed, a majority vote will not by itself make Scotland independent from the rest of the U.K. For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the U.K. and Scottish Parliaments, Sturgeon stressed. Sturgeon maintains that her party's success in local elections last year gives her a mandate for a fresh referendum. While the Scottish National Party did not win overall control in the Scottish Parliament, the election of a record number of Scottish Green lawmakers means there is a majority for a new independence vote. Sturgeon said that if there was no lawful way for the Scottish government to hold a referendum, and if Johnsons government refused to grant permission for such a vote, she would fight the next U.K. general election on the single issue of independence. Opposition parties have criticized Sturgeon for her obsession with holding a new independence vote and say she should instead be focused on more practical matters such as tackling the soaring cost of living. A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said. We wont play Nicola Sturgeons games. We wont take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done." Like Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has its own parliament and devolved government and makes its own policies on public health, education and other matters. But the U.K.-wide government in London controls matters such as defense and fiscal policy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- The city of Estherville came together Monday to rescue a bulldog from a sinkhole. Estherville police officers responded to a report of a missing elderly bulldog named Tupelo at 3:10 a.m. According to a statement from the police department, the caller said she could hear her dog barking in a ravine behind a house in the 20th block of Orchard Lane. The officers and the dog owner searched the area and eventually found Tupelo in a cement drainage tile. The area around the tile had created a sinkhole approximately 3 feet in diameter and about 3 feet deep. The statement said the dog was wedged into the cement tile. Estherville Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Travis Sheridan, Estherville firemen, the City of Estherville's electricians and street department, Emmet County's secondary roads department, Dr. Arlen Omtevdt from the Estherville Veterinary Clinic, and neighbors assisted in the efforts to dig around the tile to free Tupelo. At 6:24 a.m., Tupelo was successfully removed from the tile and found to be in "great condition." He was returned to his very happy owners, according to the statement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 State-owned power utility Eskom has warned that South Africa could see load-shedding escalate to Stage 6 by Tuesday evening unless its situation improves drastically. This is after ten generating units went offline overnight, representing over 6,000MW of capacity. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said that capacity loss due to breakdowns was 14,204MW. It is also seeing associated load losses of 3,661MW due to the unavailability of coal and labour. Another 3,218MW of capacity is offline due to scheduled maintenance. Medupi and Tutuka power stations lost three generating units each, while Kriel, Kusile, Kendal, and Duvha each lost one. This situation creates substantial risk, De Ruyter said. De Ruyter said Eskom plans to return 3,400MW to service by 17:00 this afternoon. If we get all of that back there is a possibility that we may avert Stage 6, he said. However, De Ruyter stated that it is not clear whether Eskom could return the capacity to the grid due to ongoing illegal strikes at its power plants. Chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer explained that the expected generation deficit for todays evening peak sits at 1,400MW, even with Stage 4 load-shedding taken into account. He added that Eskom would therefore need to return the offline units to operation well ahead of the evening peak to prevent increasing power cuts to Stage 6. We are communicating proactively with the South African public so they can plan accordingly, said De Ruyter. Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer warned last week that the power utility may need to escalate load-shedding due to the illegal protest action. The protest erupted after Eskom declared deadlock during wage negotiations with labour unions. Unions have distanced themselves from the protests and disavowed violent acts committed by their members. The Constitutional Court has ruled that South Africa may not switch off its analogue TV signals on 30 June 2022. In a unanimous judgement in favour of E-tv in the latest battle over South Africas migration from analogue to digital TV, the Court declared the 30 June cut-off date irrational and unlawful. Justice Nonkosi Mhlantla wrote in the judgement the communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni had erred on several counts. The decision of the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies not to give notice and take account of representations received on the analogue switch-off date is unlawful and is set aside, the Constitutional Court ruled. The Ministers decision to determine the deadline for registration of set-top boxes to be 31 October 2021, without considering the number of people who will be adversely affected by the analogue switch-off, tainted the process with irrationality. Households without a satellite service or TV capable of receiving digital terrestrial signals require a decoder-like set-top box (STB). These STBs convert digital TV broadcasts into signals that older, analogue-capable televisions can display. Indigent households qualify for a free STB. However, Ntshavheni had set a deadline of 31 October 2021 for needy families to register to receive their free boxes. The Court held there was no sense of urgency on the steps taken before October 2021, and there was insufficient evidence on the actions taken by the Minister between February 2021 and October 2021 to notify the public of the urgent need to register for STBs. As the process was defective, the Minister did not have the necessary information before her regarding the number of persons who qualified and wished to register for state-sponsored STBs before the analogue switch-off date, the Court stated. Regarding determining the analogue switch-off date, Mhlantla found it was not procedurally rational for the Minister to set it without adequate notice to the industry and affected parties. Ntshavheni should have sought the views of stakeholders on the matter. In the result, the Ministers decision not to give notice and take account of the representations received on the analogue switch-off with the public or affected parties was found to be unlawful, the Court held. The Constitutional Court also stated that it was within the Ministers executive powers to determine the analogue switch-off date and registration deadline for STBs. However, it found the Minister had not exercised this power rationally and lawfully. The Constitutional Court set aside the original order of the High Court in favour of Ntshavheni and replaced it with an order declaring the analogue switch-off date and the imposed deadline to register for STBs unconstitutional, invalid and set aside. The Court further ordered the Minister to pay the applicants costs, including the costs of two counsel. Ripple effect One of the benefits of migrating from analogue to digital terrestrial TV broadcasts is the digital dividend. These are large chunks of radio frequencies that become available because digital TV is more spectrally efficient than its analogue ancestor. The International Telecommunications Union earmarked these frequencies for use by mobile networks for 4G services. Since the digital dividend is located in a relatively low-frequency band much lower than South African networks have used in the past it is well-suited for rural rollouts and indoor coverage. This is because lower-frequency signals naturally propagate further, creating a larger coverage area per tower. They also penetrate walls better. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) included some of these frequencies in its March 2022 spectrum auction. However, operators cant use them until the analogue migration is complete. Ntshavhenis setback at the Constitutional Court impacts the availability of crucial cellular network capacity and not only terrestrial television broadcasts in South Africa. Full judgement E-tv vs Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies The St. Helena Historical Society is bringing back what will be its 16th annual "Spirits of St. Helena" Cemetery Tour on Sunday, Oct. 9. COVID-19 has shut down the event for the last two years. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Were excited to be collaborating again with Patti Coyle and the St. Helena High Schools drama students," said research director Mariam Hansen. "This years focus is on persons of Italian and Italian-Swiss heritage who are buried in the St. Helena Public Cemetery, including Robert Mondavi; Antonio and Ida Rossi; Antonio and Marianna Forni; Battista and Liberata Maggetti; Battista and Sabina Salmina; and Albino and Maria Pestoni. Its a chance to learn about the reasons our early settlers came to Napa Valley the challenges and hardships they faced." Theres a lot going on in St. Helena in the fall, and we want to make sure we get on everyones calendar. Oct. 9 is a Sunday, so this will be an event that families can enjoy. Well have two tours, each lasting about an hour. Tickets will be available at the cemetery or through Brown Paper Tickets. A Napa man is expected to spend the rest of his life in state prison after his sentencing for molesting three underage victims over nearly a decade, prosecutors have announced. Antonio Sarraza Villegas, 46, received a term of 128 years to life from Judge Monique Langhorne during his June 17 sentencing in Napa County Superior Court. Langhorne also ordered Villegas to pay $1.125 million in damages to the survivors and their families. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. A Napa jury convicted Villegas April 19 after a 10-day trial on six counts involving sexual assault of children, including forcible sexual penetration and lewd acts on a child 15 or younger. Jurors also accepted 38 special allegations and aggravating factors in the case. The charges resulted from the abuse of two of Villegass family members and a close family friend from 2010 to 2019, when the victims were between 10 and 15, the office of District Attorney Allison Haley said in a news release Monday. Napa Police arrested Villegas May 22, 2019, after a Napa school reported the abuse, police said at the time. The victims did not live in the same west Napa home as Villegas but did live on the same property, the department said shortly after the arrest. Two of the survivors addressed the court personally at Villegas sentencing, and the third had an impact statement read on behalf of their family, according to the District Attorneys Office. Abuse should never be tolerated. Although the sentence is severe, it is commensurate with this defendants horrific actions against three innocent children, Deputy District Attorney Kristen Orlando said in the statement published Monday. I am in awe and deeply proud of the courage, strength, and bravery displayed by all three survivors and their families throughout this case. They all deserve to be heard, to heal and to be free from the holds of this defendant. I hope that with this sentence, they can begin that journey. A second man, 46-year-old Lucio Villegas, was arrested in 2019 at the same time as Antonio Villegas and also booked into jail on similar allegations of sexually abusing children. The outcome of Lucio Villegas' case was not immediately available Monday. Napa County on Monday released the final results for the June 7 election, and there were no substantive changes from the partial results announced on Election Night. The only difference is that Oscar Ortiz is now officially the winner for the Sheriff's race, the Measure L quarter-cent fire prevention sales tax has now officially lost and so forth. None of the races were nail-biters. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. But there is more to come. The races for the two county supervisor seats resulted in November runoffs because no candidate claimed more than 50% of the vote. Napa County voters cast 36,285 ballots for a 43.12% turnout. Voter turnout statewide as of Monday morning was 32.7%, though that state number could still change as counties report results. Canvass procedures producing the official certified results included a manual tally of several randomly chosen precincts to confirm that machine tabulations are accurate, county Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said. Among the final county tallies: Sheriff-coronor race Oscar Ortiz 61.14%, Jon Crawford 38.86%. Ortiz wins. 1st District Board of Supervisors Joelle Gallagher and Suzanne Truchard advance to November runoff. Gallagher, 42.70%, Truchard 29.21%, Garrett Hale, 14.15%, David Graves, 13.95%. 3rd District Board of Supervisors Anne Cottrell and John Dunbar advance to November runoff. Cottrell 37.97%, Dunbar 17.84%, Anna Chouteau 13.91%, Matt Hooper, 13.09%, Lucio "Cio" Perez, 12.40%, Rafael Rios, 4.80%. Measure L fire prevention tax Yes 56.35%, no 43.65%, needed two-thirds (66.6%) to win. Measure I American Canyon term limits Mayor, yes 80.54%, no 19.46%. City Council, yes 82.31%, no 17.69%. Measure G to no longer directly elect St. Helena mayor No 60.42%, yes, 39.58%. Measure H St. Helena bond Yes 74.74%, no 25.26%. You can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are poised to eliminate the tax on marijuana growers, in a bid to provide relief to the flagging industry. However, some in the cannabis industry say that the tax cut doesnt go far enough, with industry advocates arguing that they were shut out of the process. In a budget trailer bill, which will be voted on by state lawmakers later this summer, the cannabis cultivation tax paid by growers would be set to zero, while the excise tax which will be shifted from distributors to retailers will remain at 15% for at least the next three years. After that, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the Department of Cannabis Control, will have the power to adjust the excise tax upward to capture revenues equivalent to the cultivation tax, according to an Assembly budget document. The tax cut wont come at the expense of the youth services and child care programs which receive funding from cannabis tax revenue; the proposed budget sets a baseline of funding for such services at $670 million, and also sets aside $150 million in general fund dollars to make up for any revenue loss. The proposed budget includes additional enforcement tools against the illicit cannabis market and worker protections, including enforcement of labor peace agreements. A revenue neutral approach Jim Keddy of youth advocacy group Youth Forward said he is satisfied with what the governor and Legislature have agreed upon. I have to say that Im very appreciative that the governor and Legislature chose to maintain the funding streams for child care and youth prevention programs, he said. With a possible recession on the horizon, Keddy said he was glad to see that the proposed budget calls for increasing the excise tax in the near future, making it effectively revenue neutral and ensuring a steady revenue stream for youth services. Theres so few reliable funding streams for youth services and child care, he said. Moving the goalposts Not everybody is happy with the proposed budget. Theres really nothing good about it, said Jerred Kiloh, president of the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry trade group for cannabis retailers. Kiloh said that the new provisions make it easier to tax the industry, and includes plenty of funding for enforcement and audits. I dont really know what the cannabis industry got out of it, Kiloh said. There was no relief for taxpayers or consumers of legal cannabis. Kiloh referred to a National Cannabis Industry Association survey of cannabis operators across the U.S., a survey which found that just 26% of California respondents report being profitable, according to the North Bay Business Journal. Kiloh vented his frustration with the governors office, which he said had told industry leaders to seek a remedy through the Legislature. Yet lawmakers declined to pass either of two bills that would have lowered the excise tax, Kiloh said. Wherever the goalposts are, they keep moving them, Kiloh said. ...It seems like its two steps forward and three steps back. Could prices go up? Despite a tax cut for the growers, Kiloh warned that the proposed budget will lead to rising cannabis prices, particularly in high-rent, high-labor-cost markets like Los Angeles or the Bay Area. Thats because the excise tax is being shifted to retailers, where the markup rate for us is about 100%, a 25% increase from the markup for distributors, Kiloh said. What are we doing to the consumers who are supporting legal cannabis? Kiloh said. As families of the more than 60 people packed into a tractor-trailer began to confirm their worst fears and talk of their relatives, a common narrative of pursuing a better life took shape from Honduras to Mexico. Armenia president congratulates Biden on US Independence Day anniversary Nigeria police free 77 people being held in basement by religious organization members Armenia opposition MP: It's just terrible what police have done Japan PM says marginal price of Russian oil will be halved Czech fighters to guard Slovakian airspace General Milli: US is watching China very closely over Taiwan situation Egypt closes Red Sea beaches after shark attack Peskov: Kyiv will have to agree to the conditions of Russia Protests continue in Sudan against military rule in the country Shoigu briefs Putin about taking control of Luhansk territory Two people killed in Texas: 3 police officers wounded Iranian MFA: Any Turkish military operation in Syria will lead to instability in region Passenger bus plunges into ravine in Pakistan, killing 19 North Korea to further strengthen its military potential due to military cooperation between US, South Korea and Japan Hungary to accelerate its defense development program Bloomberg: Russia's redistribution of ownership of Sakhalin-2 will push Japan to compete with Europe Migrants stage shootout on Serbian and Hungarian border: 1 killed, several people injured German State Minister urges to maintain openness towards culture of Russia Ryanair airline head predicts rise in airfare over next 5 years European countries to help Greece in fight against forest fires The Sun: Chaos reigns at London Heathrow Airport Russia lifts entry ban for 47,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan Armenian protester released on bail of AMD 2.5 million Paris airport workers set to go on strike again Missing private helicopter Robinson found in Russia: Pilot is alive Boris Johnson at focus amid another sex scandal around UK Conservatives Protests break out in Uzbekistan autonomous region over constitution reform plan Azerbaijan FM to visit Tehran Germany fears complete stoppage of Russia natural gas deliveries Armenian National Committee of America presents findings from fact-finding mission in Artsakh Bordachev: Russias surrounding area, where Armenia is also present, will be part of general conflict space Ministry aims to combine establishment of stable economy in Armenia with building of green economy Timofei Bordachev: Russia, Armenia are linked by one of worlds closest relations Political scientist: If Armenian authorities had goal to keep Berdzor they would have found way to keep it Mikhail Gorbachev hospitalized US, South Korea discuss Russia oil price cap New York state tightens rules for carrying weapons in public places Syria accuses Israel of rocket attack on Tartus Governorate Bulgaria President commissions finance minister to form new government 5 dead, 19 injured after two quakes jolt Iran in one day Libya protesters storm parliament, set part of building on fire Newspaper: What disrupted show planned in legislature by Armenia authorities? Newspaper: Even Armenia ex-President Sargsyan is used in having opposition MP join fellow opposition Albania in talks with NATO to build naval base Firefighters contain forest fire near Machu Picchu after 3 days US hypersonic missile system flight test fails WB approves creation of fund to combat pandemics Resistance Movement to have march on Armenian Constitution Day Australia and France announce new start in relationship Taliban supreme leader urges world to stop telling how to govern Afghanistan Indonesia and UAE sign free trade agreement Norway pledges 1 billion euros to help Ukraine for defense Armenian resistance movement holding march Erdogan: Turkey can re-export grain products from the Black Sea Armenian PM and Tashir group head discuss investments programs BREAKING digest: Armenian opposition MPs announce mass resignations Armenian opposition holding rally in Yerevan Armenia and Turkey agree to ensure possibility of crossing the land border as soon as possible Czech Republic takes over EU Presidency Armenian and Turkish representatives meet in Vienna Armenia National Assembly to convene special session on July 6 Russian billionaires lose almost $36 billion since 2022 Bloomberg: Kyiv is obliged to pay $1.4 billion of public debt by September Armenia Supreme Judicial Council acting head resigns Another opposition legislator resigns from position of deputy chair of parliament committee Turkey closes access to Deutsche Welle and Voice of America Another Armenia opposition MP resigns from post of parliament committee vice-chair Dollar, euro rise after long fall in Armenia Russia company head expresses hope that interesting projects will be implemented with Armenia Armenia opposition lawmaker resigns from position of National Assembly standing committee deputy chair Lavrov speaks on loss of NATO meaning after collapse of Warsaw Pact Finnish FM speaks on timing of country's entry into NATO Lukashenko says other post-Soviet countries should get closer to Union State of Russia and Belarus Dr. Akira Ishiyama is awarded with Armenia PMs letter of thanks Armenia parliament opposition: Authorities removal from power is inevitable EU Toivo Klaar welcomes Armenian and Azerbaijani efforts towards 'peaceful future' Putin: Moscow and Minsk, being pushed to speed up unification processes Armenia opposition legislator submits resignation from position of parliament standing committee chair Erdogan allows sudden start of military operations in Syria Armenia prosecutorial system several employees receive state awards Armenia opposition to have new MP Japan introduces electricity saving mode for first time in 7 years Germany economy minister visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Armenia opposition MP: Parliamentary opposition will resign from other administrative positions Armenia legislature majority faction member says there is heated battle within ruling party Catholicos, Israel envoy discuss preservation of Armenian heritage in territories that came under Azerbaijan control US and Japan conduct drills with strategic bombers 2 Armenia opposition MPs are recalled from their National Assembly leadership positions Armenia President nominates his Constitutional Court judge candidate Karabakh ombudsman: Aghavno village residents may move to Hin Shen, Mets Shen settlements State Department welcomes change of Israeli PM World oil prices are falling slightly Copper prices are falling Pashinyan to Trudeau: Armenia appreciates development of relations with Canada Armenia legislature holding special session, removing 2 opposition MPs from office is on agenda Converse bank will cover the insurance costs within the framework of program lending State Department announces reward of $10 million for reports on foreign interference in elections Armenia opposition movement staging protest outside parliament building Ukraine introduces visa regime for Russia Gold prices are falling A number of officials in the White House are increasingly doubtful that Ukraine will ever be able to regain control of the territories lost since the beginning of the Russian special operation, CNN reported, citing sources. According to him, advisers to US President Joe Biden are discussing whether there is a need for Ukraine to recognize territorial concessions in order to end the conflict as soon as possible. However, Washington does not intend to put pressure on Kyiv in this matter, the channel's sources noted. One of the sides of CNN considers the reduction of the territory of Ukraine not inevitable. The ability to regain the lost regions depends to a large extent, if not entirely, on the support Washington provides to Kyiv, he said. So, according to the source, Ukraine asked the United States for 48 multiple rocket launchers, and the Pentagon at the moment promised only eight. Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24. By June 28, the Russian military and forces of the DPR and LPR control the Kherson region, most of the Zaporozhye region, part of the Kharkiv region, almost all of the Lugansk region, with the exception of Lisichansk, and part of the Donetsk region. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the return of territories lost after February 24 a condition under which Ukraine would return to negotiations. The Kremlin, in turn, noted that peace with Ukraine is possible if it fulfills Russian demands. Thus, the goals of the special operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced the "denazification" and "demilitarization" of the neighboring state, as well as the protection of the inhabitants of Donbass from "genocide". After negotiations in Istanbul, an agreement was reached that Kyiv refuses to return the Crimea and Donbass by force, but then, as Putin noted, Ukraine moved away from these agreements. Over the past month, a number of politicians - both Western, in particular British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Ukrainian - have begun to notice "fatigue" from the ongoing conflict and its consequences. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, a number of countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East offered Kyiv to stop resisting Russian forces so that Ukrainian ports would be unblocked and grain exports would continue. The minister himself called this initiative "an unthinkable proposal." US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacted sharply to President Bidens decision to once again waive Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, greenlighting new U.S. military aid to the Aliyev regime despite its ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). In a statement, Chairman Menendez noted, As Azerbaijan continues to further occupy territory from its violent assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, during which more than 6,500 people died and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced in 2020, it simply makes no sense to say that U.S. assistance and training has not impacted its military balance with Armenia. I will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of any and all assistance to Azerbaijan and expect the Department of State to operate with complete transparency and provide all necessary details for Congress to assess any assistance provided to Baku. In commentary released to the ANCA, Chairman Schiff pledged to work with Congressional allies and the Armenian American community to remove a presidents power to waive Section 907 and to urge the Biden administration to reinvigorate the peace process. Chairman Schiff explained, Azerbaijan is responsible for provoking a horrific war and humanitarian disaster in Armenia and Artsakh, killing thousands of Armenians over 44 days in September 2020 and forcing thousands more to flee their ancestral homelands. To this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain Armenian soldiers who have been subject to torture, and to threaten thousands of innocent civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh who live in fear of another attack and invasion. Chairman Schiff continued, Under no circumstances should the United States be providing military support to such a regime it not only runs counter to our nations core democratic values, but could empower the Aliyev regime to continue or escalate its provocative actions against Armenians. President Biden should not have waived Section 907. On June 23rd, the Biden Administration reportedly notified Congress of their decision to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The measure, adopted in 1992, establishes statutory restrictions on U.S. assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Congress included a Section 907 waiver in the FY2002 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. U.S. presidentsRepublican and Democrathave waived Section 907 annually ever since. During his run for office, on October 14th, 2020, then-candidate Biden stated that the United States must fully implement and not waive requirements under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan. As President, he first reversed his position on the issue on April 23, 2021on the eve of his historic announcement properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide. YEREVAN. Speaker Alen Simonyan of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) on Tuesday received the new Ambassador of Syria to Armenia, Nora Arisian. The NA President congratulated her on being appointed to this post. I am glad that a diplomat of Armenian origin represents Syria in Armenia. I think that your appointment is also symbolic for our friendly countries, and in the near future there will be many occasions for already practical meetings, Simonyan said, the NA informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. The RA NA President noted with regret about the deprivations of the Syrian friendly people, including the Syrian Armenian community during these years. At the same time, he expressed conviction that the Syrians, as well as the Armenian people, will overcome the grave consequences of the long-lasting crisis and will enter into the phase of progress. Alen Simonyan expressed his gratitude for the initiative of the Ambassador to include the theme of the Armenian Genocide in the school textbooks of Syria. The sides touched upon the inter-parliamentary cooperation within the framework of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Syria, stressing the role of the Friendship Groups. Alen Simonyan noted that Armenia continues its efforts in establishing lasting stability in the region. At the end of the meeting, the RA NA President wished the Ambassador of Syria good luck in her diplomatic mission, adding that he is ready to support her any initiative for the benefit of the development and deepening of cooperation between the two countries. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. The war in Ukraine has caused a "fundamental shift" in NATO's approach to defense, and member states will have to increase their military spending in an increasingly volatile world. Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the alliance, stated this. According to him, the upcoming summit will outline the plan for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world. "So Russia has walked away from the partnership and the dialogue that NATO has tried to establish with Russia for many years. They have done so not least by the brutal invasion of Ukraine, a blatant violation, not only of international rule, but also of all the documents and agreements we have signed with Russia to try to establish a framework for a meaningful dialogue with Russia. So the meaningful dialogue we worked for so many yearsthat's not on the table, that's not working, simply because of Russia's behaviour. They have chosen confrontation instead of dialogue. We regret that, but of course then we need to respond to that reality. And that's exactly what we do with the fundamental shift in our deterrence and defence, and all the other measures we take, not least to provide support to Ukraine from NATO Allies and NATO," he said. "Then of course, there is a need to still have lines of communications to prevent incidents and accidents. And also at some stage, hopefully, be able to engage in some kind of arms control efforts. But the dialogue and the partnership we strived for we have to remember that, for instance, in the current Strategic Concept, agreed at the Lisbon Summit in 2010 - and I attended that Summit as the Prime Minister of Norway - at that time, President Medvedev of Russia participated in the meeting and we agreed in the Strategic Concept, which is still the current Strategic Concept, and we will have a new one later this week, we said that Russia is a strategic partner. That will not be the case in the Strategic Concept we will agree in Madrid. I expect that Allies will state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security, to our values, to the rules-based international order," he added. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told lawmakers she plans to hold a new Scottish independence referendum on 19 October, 2023, the AP reported. She said the question to be asked will be the same as the first referendum in 2014: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Back then, voters rejected independence, with 55 percent saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government opposes a new referendum and has repeatedly stated that the question was settled in 2014. Any vote for independence would have no legal effect without Johnson's government's approval. Sturgeon said the senior official would ask the U.K. Supreme Court whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate an advisory referendum on independence. She added that she would write to Johnson to inform him of her plans. A majority vote in the referendum alone would not make Scotland independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the U.K. and Scottish Parliaments, Sturgeon said. It's not the authorities that gave us the mandates, so they can take them away, the mandate was given to us by the Armenian people; 270 thousand citizens voted for the bloc "Armenia" with a certain goal and agenda, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Supreme Body representative and deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament from the opposition Ishkhan Saghatelyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. He recalled that one of the bloc's main messages during the campaign was to remove the government of evil and lead the country out of the current situation, prevent the expulsion of Armenians from Artsakh, build a strong Armenia, and bring dignified peace. Today, the agenda of building a strong Armenia and a dignified peace is outside of parliament and lies, in his estimation, also through the removal of the government. "We serve the agenda of those citizens of Armenia who gave us the mandate to do so. Today, the agendas of the parliamentary government and the opposition do not overlap. We said that we would go to parliament exclusively with our agenda. And we did, and the authorities ran away. Tomorrow, if we need to go to parliament again with this agenda, the authorities will run away again because they have nothing to say. As for the attempts to intimidate us by depriving us of our mandates, this is for them that mandate is the aim of life. Didn't we (both members of Armenia bloc and With Honor bloc) struggle before 9 November, when we have no mandates yet? We have fought and will continue to fight with the same resolve and the same success, because we know what to fight for. Intimidating us by depriving us of mandates is nonsense. We are committed to the agenda for which we have received votes, and we do not want to be discouraged by the authorities. It does not bother us at all. We have more important things to do, we have a mandate from the people, which they do not have, no matter how much they try to prove otherwise. They go to cafes accompanied by numerous police officers, they go to bed and walk the streets with fear in their hearts, they know they won't be able to hold on to power for long. They have reasons for all this. We know what we are fighting for and we know that we will not be ashamed to look our children in the eye. But they don't have the answer to that question. The mandate will remain for us just a tool of struggle. If the authorities want to take it away from us, then let them. It will have no effect on our struggle. If they see it as a tool to blackmail us in order to take us to the Parliament and then speculate with that, then they made a mistake in their calculations", said Saghatelyan. Earlier it was reported that the ruling Civil Contract party in Armenia was discussing the issue of depriving opposition deputies of their mandates. Evergrande opposes winding-up petition China Evergrande faces a winding-up lawsuit as it seeks to undergo major restructuring. File photo: RTHK China Evergrande said on Tuesday it will "vigorously oppose" a winding-up petition filed by an investor, while dismissing that the lawsuit will affect its restructuring efforts. The cash-strapped mainland developer acknowledged in a stock exchange filing that Top Shine Global had submitted the petition to the High Court on June 24, over a financial obligation amounting to HK$862.5 million. Top Shine Global is an investment holding firm that had bought 0.46 percent of Evergrande's online real estate and automobile marketplace, Fangchebao (FCB). It alleged that the embattled property developer had not honored an agreement to repurchase shares it bought in FCB. The winding-up petition is the first known to have been filed against Evergrande, which is reeling under more than US$300 billion in liabilities and whose offshore debt was deemed to be in default after missing payment obligations late last year. "The Company does not expect that the Petition will impact the Companys restructuring plans or timetable," Evergrande wrote, in its filing to the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. The developer added that it is on track to reveal the details of a preliminary plan to restructure its offshore debt by the end of July. Trading of Evergrande shares has been suspended since March 21. (Additional reporting by Reuters) Turkey backs Finland and Sweden for Nato membership Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (centre) shakes hands with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: AP Turkey has agreed to support Finland's and Sweden's bids for Nato membership, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. "I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join Nato," he told reporters on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Madrid. "Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism," he added. (Reuters) Minister and Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told reporters that the government decided to limit fuel distribution to essential services like ports, airports, health, food distribution, and agriculture. "This decision was taken to protect the limited reserves of fuel in the country and that they be used only for the essential services," he said. Requesting all others to work from home, the minister urged people to support attempts to limit the consumption of fuel in the country All schools in capital and other main cities are to be closed until July 10 while long distances bus services are also to be cancelled from midnight. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda met India's Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri to discuss urgent issues relating to bilateral energy cooperation. Moragoda had detailed the current crisis Sri Lanka and its people are facing due to lack of fuel and had urged for a possibility of securing petrol and diesel supplies that are required by Sri Lanka at present on an urgent basis. Meanwhile, opposition parties had demanded the government resign forthwith in light of the worsening fuel crisis. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa demanded that the government that had failed to provide basic needs of the people should resign while Marxist party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed that country's governing system "had exploded with careless and negligence". The bankrupted south Asian island nation, with hardly any dollar reserves, was depending on India's $500 million line of credit to purchase petroleum products since February and the final shipment with 40,000 MT of diesel arrived in Colombo on June 16. --IANS sfl/vd ( 320 Words) 2022-06-27-23:08:01 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on The Tiruchengode Co-operative Urban Bank, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, for non-adherence or violation of directions issued under various guidelines including Know Your Customer (KYC) Guidelines, the central bank said in a statement. The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (AACS). "This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers," the statement said. The inspection report of the bank based on its financial position as of March 31, 2020, revealed violations or non-compliance with the norms. Based on the same report, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why a penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance, it added. "After considering the bank's reply and oral submissions during the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the aforesaid charges of non-compliance with RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty." Earlier on Friday, the central had imposed a penalty of Rs 57.50 lakh on Indian Overseas Bank for non-compliance with certain directions. The non-compliance included failing to report certain instances of frauds involving ATM card cloning or skimming within three weeks from the date of detection, among others. (ANI) Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 28 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Reckitt, the world's leading consumer health and hygiene company, under its flagship campaign Dettol Banega Swasth India launched 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow today. In the next 3 years, the program will directly impact 10 million people across Uttar Pradesh addressing 26 per cent of the burden of diarrhoea. 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' was launched by Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia and other dignitaries with an aim to achieve net-zero Diarrhoeal deaths among under-5 children in Uttar Pradesh. The program will follow the WHO-7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh namely- Bahraich, Bulandshahar, Firozabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mathura, Mirzapur, Muzaffarnagar, Shravasti and Sitapur. The vision is to take this initiative to 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, Reckitt - South Asia said, "Uttar Pradesh is doing phenomenal work for the upliftment of its economy and for its people. We are truly proud to have worked closely with the State Government towards creating a 'Swachh and Swasth' India with our programs. In the last 7 years, we have touched the lives of over 10 million children in Uttar Pradesh. To further strengthen this relationship, we have launched India's first Diarrhoea Net Zero program with the support of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Our vision with this program is to ensure that there are Net Zero Diarrheal deaths among Under 5 children in Uttar Pradesh." Ravi Bhatnagar, Director- External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia said, "Uttar Pradesh has shown tremendous improvement in several health indicators and has been recognized as the top-ranking state in incremental growth on health by NITI Aayog. Dettol Banega Swasth India, Reckitt India's flagship purpose programme has been a partner to the state's development journey for the past 7 years in the fields of hygiene, health and sanitation. Recognizing the role of health as a foundation for development, the programme further aims to increase its depth and breadth of engagement in the state in the next 3 years by rolling out initiatives like Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero, which will focus on preventing under 5 mortalities due to diarrhoea by following the WHO 7-point plan." Dettol Banega Swasth India has been consistently working to improve child health standards in India with specialized programs that address health, hygiene, and sanitation. To support Uttar Pradesh in its fight against diarrhoea, Dettol 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' supports the WHO 7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea, which comprises a prevention package and a treatment package. As a part of the programme, Reckitt will create a scalable and replicable model to: -Build capacity amongst frontline workers (Asha workers, Anganwadi workers etc), Indian Medical Associations (IMA) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) aligned with the WHO 7-point plan- Advocacy, communication and social mobilization around Diarrhoea prevention, health promotion and treatment through on-ground engagement- Assessing supply chain to ensure availability of Zinc and ORS across government health facilities- Monetary support for outpatient and inpatient treatment through the 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' voucher scheme to complement AYUSHMAN BHARAT The initiative will help improve the quality of care by addressing emergency cases faster, increasing focus on complete immunization coverage and improving the overall public healthcare system's responsiveness to diarrhoea care. Dettol Banega Swasth India has been working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh since 2015 to improve the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of children and the community and ensure better hygiene and health outcomes. Dettol and its partners have reached over 10.8 million children with its 'School Hygiene Education Programme' leading to a reduction in diarrhoea cases in school children and a reduction of nearly 39 per cent in school absenteeism due to health issues. Reckitt's various interventions across the state, include supporting villages to become Open Defecation Free, promoting hygiene and sanitation at India's biggest religious gathering - Kumbh Mela, receiving multiple accolades and appreciation from the Government of India for its initiatives. With the launch of 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' programme in partnership with Uttar Pradesh government, Dettol Banega Swasth India will continue to bring positive change in the lives of children and reduce the prevalence of Diarrhoea in the state through a scalable and replicable model. Note to Editor:The WHO 7-point plan is a comprehensive framework to reduce the burden of childhood diarrhoea. The plan is made up of two treatment and five prevention strategies. For treatment, children need fluid replacement to prevent dehydration, and zinc supplements. The prevention package consists of: i) Rotavirus and measles vaccinations; ii) Promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation; iii) Promotion of handwashing with soap; iv) Improvement of water quantity and quality, including treatment and safe storage of household water; and v) Promotion of community-wide sanitation. It is important that implementation of the prevention package is approached in a concerted way since single interventions alone are likely to result in lesser overall impact. The package should be accompanied by clear, targeted and integrated behaviour and social change communication strategies to improve uptake by families and communities. To know more: http://7pointplan.org/diarrhoea-control.html This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI/BusinessWire India): The fourth edition of the annual prestigious 'Smt. Jyoti Dwivedi Memorial Scholarship Awards' was held by Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) on June 25, 2022. Six scholarships were presented, including two core awards of Rs 1 lakh each and four ad hoc awards of Rs 50,000 each. Exclusive to JBIMS, the scholarships are given to second-year M.M.S. students to meet their educational expenses based on their first-year scores and their family's financial standing. The scholarship amount is provided to JBIMS personally by Nimish Dwivedi from JBIMS' batch of 1993 in memory of his Mother, Jyoti Dwivedi. This is the first-ever scholarship instituted at this prestigious business school. The winners of the two core scholarships are Pranali Mahajan and Kaushal Jain; the ad hoc scholarship winners are Ajay Vasudevan, Niraj Zambre, Shubham Deora and KevalAjmeri. The winners were also gifted with a copy of Nimish's best-selling book 'Marketing Chronicles: A Compendium of Global and Local Marketing Insights from the Pre-Smartphone and Post-Smartphone Eras.' Dr Srinivasan R. Iyengar, Director of JBIMS, said, "This is the fourth edition of the Smt. Jyoti Dwivedi Memorial Scholarship started by Nimish Dwivedi, an Alumnus of the batch of 1993. It just shows that all of our Alumni still have a strong connection with JBIMS, and we are eternally grateful to Nimish for his continued support in helping the current students at JBIMS. I am sure this will bring a mindset of supporting their Alma Mater within students when they venture into the Corporate world to build their life." Nimish Dwivedi, the benefactor, said, "Heartening for me to present the 4th round of this Scholarship initiated in my Mother's memory. Her guiding value was - living means giving and giving means living." Two industry veterans attended the online event, Bobby Kakar and Shailesh Joshi. Bobby Kakar, 93 batch bajajite, has extensive experience in financial services, digital and payments. He has held leadership roles across numerous multinational and regional banks and is currently based in Dubai, U.A.E. He is a mentor to numerous Fintechs and a pioneer in the regional Blockchain payments ecosystem. Shailesh Joshi, 93 batch bajajite, is an Energy Industry veteran with over three decades of experience across the entire value chain of the energy industry from Fuels, Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Renewables and new technologies. Over the last 4-1/2 years, he has been running his own venture, ENCOSYM Solutions, dedicated to the cause of Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Sustainability. Speaking at the event, Bobby Kakar said, "I congratulate Nimish on this very noble initiative which gives deserving students a chance to pursue their career aspirations and also serve as a role model for other students. It is very fitting that the scholarship honours the memory of his Mother, Jyoti Dwivedi. She was a pioneer in education and a role model to numerous women as one of the first graduates of her home town in Gujarat in the 1960s. I wish all the winning students the very best in life and success in their professional careers." Shailesh Joshi said, "My heartfelt thanks to Nimish for this magnanimous initiative of supporting talent and offering a helping hand to the deserving. Many a times, success evades talent because there is no recognition or support at the right time. The installation of this Smt. Jyoti Dwivedi Memorial Scholarship provides that much-needed encouragement to talent enabling them to achieve more while instilling a culture of "gratitude".The initiative personifies the feeling "Buland Bharat Ki BulandTasveer...Hamara Bajaj...!!!" This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India) New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI/Mediawire): The world of fashion is continuously revolutionizing with social media and technology playing a significant impact on how it is perceived across the globe. Post-pandemic there has been a fast-paced inclusion of technological advancements in the world of fashion. Without disrupting the creative design and ideas, the comfort of the fabric has taken a center stage in the behaviourism of the consumers. Taking into consideration the global demands, ETRetail has initiated a series of Panel Discussions titled the "Fashion Forward" series in partnership with Fashmates, a renowned global platform in styling. The first-panel discussion happened on May 27, 2022, with the topic being "The Future of Fashion By Fashmates: Revamping Fashion Industry With CX Trends & Technology." The team of panellists included several dignitaries from the fashion industry. Among them were: - Harish Ramchandani, Founder and CEO, Fashmates. His brand is a global leader in the styling and outfitting of content platforms aiming to deliver hyper-personalized fashion to its customers. - Akhil Duggar Jain, Executive Director, Jain Amar. Jain Amar is an integrated network of distribution, e-commerce, and large format stores in modern clothing and accessories. - Vinay Chatlani, MD and CEO, Soch. Soch is a well-known chain of retail fashion outlets delivering a perfect combination of Indian traditional style with a touch of modern design. - Eshaa Amiin, Founder of the EshaaAmiin Label and The Style Elevator. The label is a well-recognized name in the Hindi film industry with a design experience for celebrities such as Amitabh Bacchan, Saif Ali Khan, Jahnvikapoor, and several others. - DevangiNishar, Director of Aza Fashions. The Indian luxury fashion label caters to the personalized fashion needs of both men and women. Amit Kumaar Manna, Partner Consumer Products, Retail and eCommerce, KPMG was the moderator for the discussion that took place. The fashion industry stalwarts provided pertinent details during the hour-long virtual discussion on several important areas. All of these note-worthy personalities who have created a stir in the world of fashion helped the audience get an even better understanding of the fashion business. Here's a quick crux of all the relevant points of the discussion: - The future of E-commerce looks quite promising as it is making Indian brands easily accessible to the customer base all around. The discussion focussed on how E-commerce with expenses quite less than the traditional business model is reshaping the fashion industry. With a greater outreach in comparison to store business, the concept of e-commerce has reduced the cost of marketing and store management as well. - The panellists talked about how the pandemic has drastically shifted the customer demands in terms of fashion. The demand for off-the-rack fashion is surging each day with customers wanting clothes tailored as per their comfort and preference. This shift in customer behaviour is restricting the scaling of a fixed mechanism that can help in the production of quantity as well as deliver personalized clothing items to the consumers. - The virtual session talked about how technology is enabling customer-centricity. Adopting innovative techniques such as AR and VR trial mirrors can fast-track the process of delivering value and enhanced experience to the end-users. It can also help your business stay relevant amidst the new developments in the industry. - Sharing their views on hyper-personalization, the members talked about how it is all about the realignment of fashion from the pre-existing stereotypes and shifting it to exactly what the consumer needs. Machine learning and data science play a crucial role in this context helping understand a particular consumer's choice based on their past buying choices. This increasing demand for personalization in the fashion industry is leading to flourished demand for designers. - The role of social media was also a crucial point of the discussion. The panellists discussed how storytelling and connecting with customers on social media have become extremely important for the success of any brand. Different social media platforms help businesses understand the needs and choices of their customer base without having to step into the market. Consumer mindset can be easily gauged and taken care of with the help of these social media platforms. - Influencer marketing has been emerging as the perfect tactic to reach the masses and prompt them to buy the different products out there. With millennials spending, a majority of their time on social media, new-age influencers have come into the limelight with their unique styling options. Be it a top-notch brand or a start-up, all of the brands are fetching influencers to make their products appealing to their customer base and boost their sales. Be it a conversation on where the technology is taking the fashion world next or the AR/VR dressing rooms, the virtual discussion proved to be extremely beneficial for the retail outlets and marketers out there planning to thrive in the industry. The fashion stores out there need to revamp their business and accelerate their digital positioning to stand out among their competitors. The discussion led to an understanding of how the future of fashion rests with the brands and labels that believe in flexibility and innovative technology. To watch the entire panel discussion please click here Click here to know more about Fashmates This story is provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Mediawire) Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): After winning a slew of accolades and awards domestically, the Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER) was accorded with a rare honour in the United Kingdom. The deemed-to-be varsity was conferred with the Asian UK Award 2022 at a star-studded ceremony held recently, at the UK's House of Commons in London - the iconic building that houses Britain's parliament. The award was received by the President of the Chennai-based Group of Educational Institutions, Dr J Sundeep Aanand. Dr Aanand received the Asian UK Award 2022 for Best Edupreneur, for his impeccable track record in educating thousands of students and ensuring they get employment opportunities in the biggest companies the world over. While former Union Minister for External Affairs and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and Former MP and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury were part of the awards ceremony, the citation was given to Dr Aanand by Virendra Sharma, an Indian-origin Member of Parliament in the UK's House of Commons. Their flagship multi-stream university, the Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), was awarded for having one of the most robust systems of promoting Industry-Academia relations, as evidenced by their robust NIRF rankings over the past few years. Dr Aanand also announced that the Bharath Group would create a program to fund and assist 100 deserving, underprivileged students pursue research grants abroad and create intellectual growth for India and Tamil Nadu, over a period of time. "No student studying in any of our group institutions should ever feel that they cannot do research overseas for lack of funds. We will help disadvantaged students with great ideas travel and conduct research and make us all proud," he said. Currently, the Bharath Group of Institutions has MoUs with 100+ international universities including legendary citadels of learning such as the University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, Harvard University, Auckland University of Technology and URAL Federal University, etc. Reflecting on what the award, given by WBR Corp UK, meant to him, Dr Aanand said that this was merely the beginning of the grand plans they have for helping more of their students access global education through research collaborations. "I am truly honoured and blessed that a large UK-based combine has bestowed this honour on us. We have made great strides in the kind of research we are doing, despite working with some of the most rural and underprivileged students in the South of India. We do this by encouraging this kind of forward-thinking thought process to solve society's problems as opposed to simply showing statistics. That is more important to us," he said. During the Ideas for India conference which was organized by Bridge India, Dr Aanand, was one of the key delegates and discussed business, start-ups, defence tech, clean energy and how to tap the potential of students in rural areas with panellists who included the likes of Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, and Dr C Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education et al, Government of Karnataka, London's Deputy Mayor Rajesh Agrawal, Lord John Browne, Chairman of BeyondNetZero. He said, "It is an absolute pleasure to have debated and spoken with some of India's best brains and this honour will go a long way in making our colleges sustainable and continuing our commitment to shaping some of the country's best young minds." Started way back in 1984, what started as one of Tamil Nadu's first private engineering colleges is now a massive educational conglomerate. Comprising BIHER (One of India's most reputed multi-stream universities comprising Medical, Nursing, Architecture, Management, Agriculture, Pharmacy, Law, Management, Allied Health Sciences and Humanities and Sciences) the group also boasts of running the Bharath Medical College and Hospital and Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences. The institutions are widely regarded as among the most well-attended in India and are known for opening their doors to students from disadvantaged families to help them get a great education. You can read about their work at www.bharathuniv.ac.in Dr J Sundeep Aanand is an educationist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast and knowledge center. He currently serves as the Group President of the Bharath Group of Educational Institutes and has been instrumental in driving its growth from a small educational group to one of India's biggest conglomerates for multi-disciplinary education. A skilled business watcher with an eye for start-ups and a keen investor in all things AI and defence, he routinely promotes ideas by young people because he believes they are the future of Tamil Nadu and India. He is also a leading member of India's hospitality ecosystem as promoter of luxury hotel chain, the Accord Group of Hotels and Companies. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI/NewsVoir): Ujjivan Small Finance Bank's initiative 'Shagun Ka Lifafa' won a Gold at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in Creative Commerce category. The initiative aims to give financial independence to women in Tier-II and III Indian cities through a redesigned version of 'Shagun Ka Lifafa' - the traditional gifting envelope presented at weddings. The envelopes were redesigned to become joint bank account opening forms, urging women to be actively involved in financial decisions. The creative agency that partnered with Ujjivan was McCann Worldwide. The initiative was based on the insight that, in the financially backward and economically weaker sections of most Indian households, men oversee the finances, including access to the bank account. As a result, women tend to lose out on opportunities to be financially active or independent. Even among newly wedded couples, every aspect of their life is characterized by togetherness. However, the finances continue to be managed predominantly by men. Also, Indian marriages, at every strata of society, traditionally see guests bearing cash gifts, called 'Shagun'. Most of these cash gifts are in multiples of Rs. 100's, and in round numbers. As per tradition, the Shagun is never a round figure, and hence is always accompanied by a 1 Rupee coin, since this addition signifies prosperity and continuity. Guests usually place this cash or 'Shagun' in a special envelope, or 'Shagun Ka Lifafa' - which has a 1 Rupee coin attached for convenience. A variety of lifafas with different motifs commonly associated with weddings were designed and were made available in stationery shops, gift stores and popular wedding shopping destinations. This lifafa was redesigned into an Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Joint Savings Account and presented to the newly-wed couples, thereby inviting them to commence their financial journey together. Speaking on the achievement, Ittira Davis MD & CEO, commented, "Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has been championing the cause of financial inclusion among the financially unserved and under-served. With this initiative we aim to redefine financial independence for women in Tier II and Tier III cities. 'Shagun ka Lifafa' is one such initiative where we aspire to see the women asserting themselves better as equal contributors to their financial freedom and prosperity." Dileep Ashoka, EVP & Head of South, McCann Worldwide mentioned, "McCann and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank have been in a close partnership for several years with a shared agenda of innovation in marketing communication. 'Shagun ka Lifafa' is a testimony to this. This idea hit the sweet spot since it addressed the inherent social, economic and gender inequities that exist in our society. We are elated and honoured that it received the top honours. It is a rare achievement." Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited is one among the leading small finance banks. The bank remains committed to serving unserved and underserved segments through financial and digital inclusion as a mass-market bank. Ujjivan is a one-stop destination for financial services, offering a personalized customer experience. The strengthened digital interfaces across regions and languages have empowered Ujjivan customers to seek timely and easy access to finance at all times. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir) New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI/India PR Distribution): NTC Group has launched two New Businesses - Boxory Logistics and Cargonix XpressThiru. The announcement was made on June 24 in Chennai at the NTC event held by Thangam Thennarasu, (Minister for Industries, Tamil Official Language & Tamil Culture Archaeology, Tamil Nadu). Cargonix Xpress will mark the entry of NTC Group into the express logistics vertical. Boxory Logistics is a freight consolidation service provider with services such as LCL, FCL, NVOCC, Air Freight, Multi-city consolidation, Warehousing and more. NTC Group commenced its journey in 1997 as a General Transportation provider with its flagship company NTC Logistics. Since then, it has been constant progress for the NTC Group as it expanded and crossed every benchmark it set. Crossing many significant milestones and having numerous entrusting clients across various sectors, today, the group has emerged as a conglomerate with diversified businesses and a family of nearly 5000 people. NTC Group has completed nearly 24 years of trusted partnerships in building Indian industrial establishments. Today, it contributes to vital economy-strengthening sectors such as Logistics, Engineering, Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, Manufacturing, Technology, and Agriculture. The Partners in Progress meeting organized by NTC Group was on June24, 2022 in Chennai turned the limelight on the launch of two new business verticals titled Boxory Logistics Pvt Ltd and Cargonix Xpress Pvt Ltd, where they exhibited their offerings and potential. Speaking at NTC Group event, Thangam Thennarasu, (Minister for Industries, Tamil Official Language & Tamil Culture Archaeology, Tamil Nadu) announced the launch of two New Businesses - Boxory Logistics and CargonixXpressThiru. He praised Dr K Chandramohan, Founder & Chairman, NTC Group of his vision and appreciated investment of NTC Group made in Tamil Nadu, which is the strongest economy in India. Such investments offer both employment and business opportunities. He added that growth of the NTC Group is because of Dr. Chandramohan's friends across the globe that has helped in diversifying and expanding his business globally. NTC Group is also completely stepping into the express logistics vertical with Cargonix Xpress. Cargonix has the express cargo capabilities to meet the dynamic market requirements for businesses of diverse nature with its services such as Same Day Delivery, Committed Delivery, Deferred Delivery, COD / FOD, Milk Run, as well as a spectrum of industrial solutions and more. Besides the offerings in the consolidation services, NTC Group also has a presence in the Warehousing and 3PL spheres. SCINNTC Supply Chain Solutions is the NTC Group's tech-enabled supply chain service provider with warehouses in 22 locations in India. With over 5 Million sq. feet of Warehouse Space and 4.5 Million sq. ft of 'Site Storage' facility, the company is offering the best in class warehouse facilities at all consumption centres in the country. SCINNTC is also listed among the world's Top 10 Inbound to Manufacturing (I2M) service providers. During the Partners in Progress meeting, the NTC Group launched a 70 m Truck Trailer for the first time in India, for transporting windmill blades. The trailer is manufactured by MAHA Auto Components, an NTC Group company, which can customize trailers to any possible lengths to suit diverse requirements, especially in the renewable energy logistics space. This trailer which is 70m in length when fully extended, is the largest of its kind to be made in India. Equipped with advanced accessories like ABS, EBS, Load Sensing Valves and more, the trailer is custom-made to ensure safety & reliability giving more thrust to the logistics of windmill blades. Today, there is a growing need in the world to focus on renewable power because of the drastically changing climate. However, the renewable energy supply chain is complex, time-sensitive and needs experience, perfection, and safety at every stage of the supply chain. Having foreseen the necessity in the early 2000s, NTC Logistics was the first in India to foray into wind logistics with the movement of long wind blades and other large wind turbine components. Through innovation and technology, NTC has successfully handled the 83m wind blade and has been the frontrunner in introducing technology through extendible trailers, blades and tower adapters. These achievements have given the company a remarkable value in the market, making it the number one renewable logistics player in the country today. Further, to enhance its green-energy mission, NTC Group has been executing renewable energy projects through its group company, Everrenew Energy. Everrenew offers a complete concept for commissioning renewable energy solutions under one roof, starting from logistics to site construction activities for wind and solar projects, as a packaged solution. To commit more towards increasing the green covers and contribute to its carbon offset measures, NTC Group has been planting trees on over 5000 acres of land in association with the Vanam India Foundation. Recognizing the fusion in the group's potential and the emphasis on customers seeking a broader set of logistic services, NTC Group is offering an entire gamut of services, well equipped under its roof to cater to their every need. With extensive presence across India, the group is outlining its expansion and is potentiating its strategic reach to where the demand is. It has now embarked on creating footprints across the globe, and the recently opened office in Malaysia is a step in that direction. Today, the NTC Group has overseas offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, with partnerships in Asia, Australia, the Americas, the Middle East, and the Far East. This story is provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/India PR Distribution) Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): In the coming first week of July 2022, ICFAI Business School (IBS) is all set to launch IBSAT 2022, for admission to the batch of 2023-2025. The exciting part of the entrance exam this year is the scholarship program, which comprises an attractive amount of INR 10 crores which will be awarded to the meritorious students under different categories. The different categories are: wards of IBS Alumni, wards of defence personnel, and candidates with disabilities. With a history of more than 25 years of existence, IBS has produced more than 65000 Alumni, working in the corporate sectors across the country and abroad, and this is one way of thanking the IBSAF community. For the wards of defence personnel who strive hard to ensure the nation's security and also, this scholarship will be awarded to persons with disabilities, as a part of our corporate social responsibility. For the batch of 2023-2025, candidates need to be toppers in IBSAT 2022, NMAT 2022, CAT 2022, XAT 2023, GMAT (during 2022), or qualified CFA, CA, CS, ICWA. This initiative is to help the deserving candidates with a proven record secured in the entrance exams mentioned, encouraged to join ICFAI Business School (IBS). The scholarship amount will be adjusted towards fee payable by the students in the first and second semester after joining IBS and is subject to certain terms and conditions. ICFAI Business School (IBS) is hopeful of the fact that it will be able to attract more students, willing to get enrolled in one of the nine ICFAI Business Schools spread across the country. Here are just some of the multiple reasons to consider IBS as one of the best options to enroll: More than 25 years in existence, IBS is one of the most prestigious B-School. Most of the 65000 plus alumni members are in touch with their alma mater and are constantly helping the students by mentoring and guiding, perhaps directly or indirectly preparing them to secure the best placements. The placements of 2022 have been one of the best, with international placements having the highest CTC in excess of 50 LPA, and the highest national placement of over 22 LPA. Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity calling for MBA aspirants! Candidates who are aspiring to get enrolled in top MBA colleges and B schools in the country for the best Management studies along with a merit scholarship program, must not miss out on this opportunity offered by ICFAI Business School this year. With the launch of IBSAT 2022 in the 1st week of July, meritorious students will be able to avail this grand opportunity by cracking the exams and getting selected in any of the 9 ICFAI Business School campuses by clearing the selection process (GD & PI) scheduled during February/March 2023. The campaign of IBSAT 2022 will commence in the 1st week of July 2022. The IBSAT examination will be conducted in the last week of December 2022. A brief overview of the IBSAT Examination IBSAT stands as the abbreviated form for ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test which is administered by ICFAI Business School (IBS). IBSAT is among the top national level MBA entrance exam conducted across India by the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (Deemed to be University) and is a gateway to MBA/ PGPM 2023-25 at 9 campuses of ICFAI Business School spread across the country namely, IBS Hyderabad, IBS Mumbai, IBS Bengaluru, IBS Pune, IBS Gurgaon, IBS Kolkata, IBS Ahmedabad, IBS Jaipur and IBS Dehradun. IBSAT is a two-hour-long Computer Based Test (CBT) that comprises of multiple-choice questions and is aimed at testing the eligibility of the candidate for admission. IBSAT is generally conducted once a year, over a window of two days in the month of December. Qualified candidates will have to attend two processes, first the selection briefing process and second the final selection process, i.e. Group discussion (GD) & Personal Interview (PI) round. A quick look into the IBSAT Eligibility Criteria for 2022: Candidates are required to complete the following eligibility criteria for IBSAT 2022- Candidates should hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent in any discipline with a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate score. Candidates not meeting the eligibility criteria for English medium in graduation need to submit the TOEFL/NELT/IELTS score Applicants in the final year of graduation are also eligible to apply. Candidates with a valid score of GMAT, CAT, XAT and NMAT by GMAC need not appear for IBSAT and they can directly apply for admission. Candidates who are aiming to pursue an MBA/PGPM degree and build a career in global business should opt for ICFAI Business School. Since its inception, IBS has been one of the best B-Schools in the country, providing excellent academic delivery and infrastructure to its students. ICFAI Business school (IBS) aims to offer innovative, globally accepted programs and great opportunities for the all-around development of the students. 100 per cent case-based learning technique is a unique aspect of IBS and it ensures the transformation of its students into future leaders. IBS campuses offer two years, full-time Management Programs to prepare the students and equip them for successful corporate careers. These campuses are independent professional institutions that are neither affiliated to nor are any off-campus centres of any University. For more details, please click on the link below: https://ibsindia.org/ IBS Admission Office Plot No. 65, Nagarjuna Hills Punjagutta, Hyderabad - 500082 Telangana Ph: 040 - 23440963 (5 lines) Toll Free :1800 425 55 66 77 E-mail: ibsat@ibsindia.org This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) Actor John Abraham, who is busy promoting his upcoming thriller, 'Ek Villain Returns,' recently opened up about his preference as an actor for the big screen, rather than OTT platforms. "I would not like to be available for Rs 299 or Rs 499," the actor was cited as saying. According to Mashable, the 'Satyamev Jayate' actor in the interview shared his thoughts about the growing OTT platforms and that, he "loved" the OTT space only as a producer and not as an actor. "I am a big-screen hero and that is where I want to be seen. At this point, I will do films that cater to the big screen. I would find it offensive if someone shut off my film midway on a tablet because they needed to rush to the washroom. Also, I would not like to be available for Rs299 or 499. I have a problem with it," the actor said. The OTT space has been growing at a fast pace over the past few years and many big Bollywood names like Shahid Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra among others are all geared up to mark their OTT debut very soon. However, the 'Batla House' actor doesn't seem much interested to work in a digital project even though his last film 'Attack Part One' was released on digital platforms after its theatrical release. Meanwhile, John Abraham faced some ribbing from netizens for his statement on OTT platforms. "I will go to John Abraham's next movie in the theatre and walk out to pee when he inevitably takes his shirt off" a user tweeted. Another user wrote, "Can please someone pass this gentle reminder to John Abraham that no one wants to see his acting on OTT as well as in the theatres." On the work front, the actor will be next seen in Mohit Suri's 'Ek Villain Returns' with Arjun Kapoor, Tara Sutaria and Disha Patani. The film is all set to hit theatres on July 29, 2022. His upcoming line-up also has 'Pathaan' with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, which is slated to release on January 25, 2023. (ANI) 'Robin Hood' actor Russell Crowe is all geared up to feature in the latest supernatural horror-thriller 'The Pope's Exorcist'. Crowe would be playing the role of the real-life chief exorcist of the Vatican City, Father Gabriele Amorth, who performed over 100,000 exorcisms in his life, reported The Hollywood Reporter. He also wrote two memoirs titled 'An Exorcist Tells His Story' and 'An Exorcist: More Stories' which recorded his experiences of battling demons that possessed people. Father Amorth passed away in 2016 when he was 91 years old. 'The Pope's Exorcist' is helmed by Julius Avery, known for his 2018 super-hit horror film 'Overlord' while Screen Gems would be the official producers of the movie. The script of the film is written by Evan Spiliotopoulos. Screen Gems has acquired the life rights of Father Gabriele Amorth from producer Michael Patrick Kaczmarek and production company, Loyola Productions. The rights include access to the two best-selling memoirs of Father Amorth alongside some of his other troves which host detailed accounts of his acts of exorcism. Talking about Crowe, Avery revealed in a statement that working with the actor on this project was a 'dream come true', reported The Hollywood Reporter. "It's been a goal of mine to work with Russell. "To collaborate with him on the amazing Pope's Exorcist is truly a dream come true," confessed Avery. 'The Pope's Exorcist' would start production in Ireland in September, reported The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, actor Russell Crowe who had previously bagged an Oscar for his film 'Gladiator' has a number of projects lined up. He recently wrapped up his shoot for the film 'Kraven the Hunter' and would be seen portraying the role of Zeus in 'Thor: Love and Thunder' as well. The latter is slated to release in July this year. Apart from that, Crowe will also be starring in the film 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' directed by Peter Farrelly. He will also feature in the movie 'Poker Face', directed and written by Crowe himself, opposite Liam Hemsworth. (ANI) Veteran music producer Chaka Zulu, the longtime manager of actor-rapper Ludacris is recovering from injuries sustained in a shooting that took place in Atlanta on Sunday, media reported. According to an incident report filed by the Atlanta Police Department on Monday (June 27), officers were notified around 11: 35 p.m. that "multiple persons [were] shot at the location of 2293 Peachtree Rd," reports Billboard. When police arrived on the scene, they "located three adult males with gunshot wounds." One victim was pronounced dead after the three of them were taken to a local hospital. However, the Atlanta Police Department did not release the identity of the victims. The incident report continued, "Homicide investigators responded to the scene to begin investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. This investigation remains active and ongoing at this time." Atlanta news reporter Michael Seiden on Monday, tweeted, "Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed just sent me the following statement on Chaka Zulu: We are fortunate to report that Chaka Zulu is in stable condition and recovering. The family thanks everyone for their well wishes and prayers, and asks for their privacy at this time." Chaka Zulu has managed Ludacris for more than two decades. On December 16, 2012, Ludacris, posing alongside Zulu, shared an Instagram post with the caption, "Me & my manager of 14 years Chaka Zulu #loyalty." Under Chaka Zulu's influence, Ludacris has released 11 albums that have charted on the Billboard 200, including two No. 1 albums and a total of eight Top 10 LPs, having also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 56 times. (ANI) The Hyderabad Police on Monday conducted test identification parade in the Jubilee Hills gang-rape case. The test identification parade was held at Juvenile Home and Chanchalguda Central Prison. The minor victim has reportedly identified all the six accused. The police took the 17-year-old victim to both the places and recorded her statement in the presence of a magistrate. The girl was accompanied by her guardians. At the prison, she identified Saduddin Malik, the only major accused in the case while at Juvenile Home, all five minors were paraded before her. Since the victim had told the police that she had met the accused for the first time, the police conducted the identification parade after obtaining permission from the court. The police expect identification to help them in nailing the accused by producing strong evidence against them in the court to seek maximum punishment. Earlier, Hyderabad police received permission from a city court and Juvenile Justice Board to collect DNA samples from the accused and send the same to forensic lab for analysis. Five accused including four minors will be subjected to DNA profiling. The fifth minor, son of a city MLA, is facing only charges of molestation. The DNA samples will be collected from four minors lodged in Juvenile Home and from Saduddin Malik, the only major in the case who is lodged in Chanchalguda Central Prison. The DNA matching is considered crucial in the investigations into the sensational case, which had rocked the state and triggered national outrage earlier this month. As part of its efforts to build a strong case against the accused, the police are focusing on gathering all the technical evidence. The investigators have already collected clues from Innova vehicle in which five accused had sexually assaulted the 17-year-old victim. The DNA test results are likely to help the police in matching the same with the clues gathered from the vehicle. This will be important to prove in the court that the gang rape was committed in the SUV, which is a government vehicle. One of the minors charged with gang rape is son of a leader of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and chairman of a government-run body. The SUV was allegedly allotted to him for official duties. The investigators, if required, may collect DNA samples from the victim, who has already given her statement to the police and the court. The Juvenile Justice Board had last week dismissed bail petitions of the minors. The Board agreed with the argument by the police that in view of the serious nature of the offence they should not be granted bail. The police told the court that since the case is at the investigating stage, if minors are released on bail they may try to influence the witnesses. The court was also told that the minors' parents, who hold influential positions in the society, may try to hamper the investigation. Six accused were arrested earlier this month for gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in a car on May 28 in the upscale Jubilee Hills. They had trapped the victim after a daytime party at a bar and after offering a lift sexually assaulted her. The police questioned the accused in their custody and carried out scene reconstruction. Potency test was conducted on five accused who were involved in the gang rape. The test established that they are capable of engaging in sexual acts. Saduddin Malik and four minors have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 D (gang rape), 323 (causing hurt), Section 5 (G) (gang penetrative sexual assault on child) read with Section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 366 (kidnapping a woman) and 366 A (procuration of a minor girl) and Section 67 of Information Technology Act . Police say the accused could face punishment for not less than 20 years or imprisonment for life till death or even death penalty. The sixth minor was not involved in rape but he kissed the victim in the car. He has been booked under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 and Section 9 (G) read with 10 of POCSO Act. He could face 5-7 years imprisonment. --IANS ms/pgh ( 718 Words) 2022-06-27-20:30:03 (IANS) Opposition members protested in the Bihar Assembly on Monday over the Agnipath scheme of defence recruitment and demanded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar spell out his stand. Opposition parties, including the RJD, the CPI, the CPI-M, the CPI-ML, and the AIMIM sought to move an adjournment motion to discuss the Agnipath scheme. "We have demanded an adjournment motion in the Vidhan Sabha to discuss the Agnipath scheme. We want CM Nitish Kumar to clear his stand on this issue. During the Agnipath agitation, Bihar was burning for three days. Hence, the youths of Bihar and the country want to know the stand of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is silent on this issue," senior RJD leader Bhai Virendra said. "The Centre has put the country under threat. The Centre wants security for the country through contracts. We are against this decision. Securing the borders of our country on contract is absolutely the wrong decision," he added. CPI-ML lawmaker Mahboob Alam said: "The BJP has brought a scheme to change the structure of defense forces having a history of 250 years. Changing the structure of the defence system through a scheme cannot be possible. Center is playing with the future of youths." Opposition leaders asserted that that the agitation against the Agnipath scheme has not ended, and the RJD and Left will continue the agitation in Bihar and in the country. --IANS ajk/vd ( 245 Words) 2022-06-27-22:04:04 (IANS) The dissident Shiv Sena MLAs, who are camping at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati for the past few days are passing their time by playing various indoor games including chess and ludo. "Other than a couple of meetings within themselves, they have no other serious activity in Guwahati. To pass their time, they are playing various indoor games including chess and ludo to keep themselves engaged," a source close to the MLAs told the media on condition of anonymity. The rebel legislators led by disgruntled Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde are not allowed to go outside the hotel. Initially, the MLAs booked rooms of the hotel for about a week. Assam BJP MLAs, leaders and ministers are occasionally visiting the hotel, and briefly talking with the Maharashtra lawmakers. Assam police commandos led by senior officials are closely looking after the security of the MLAs, and from time to time, also reviewing the hotel security. The hotel authorities refused fresh booking of common boarders except the passengers from airlines, with which the hotel has long term arrangements. Assam's ruling BJP has been maintaining that it has nothing to do with the Maharashtra political crisis and camping of the MLAs in Guwahati. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that these people are guests and have chosen Guwahati for their stay on their own. Shiv Sena leaders from Manipur led by state President M. Tombi Singh came to the hotel on Monday to meet Eknath Shinde. However, they were not allowed to meet. The main opposition Congress in Assam earlier asked the dissident Maharashtra MLAs to leave the state at the earliest in the greater interest of the state. Since last Wednesday morning, dissident MLAs of Shiv Sena, Independents and others have been camping at the hotel posing a threat to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government in Maharashtra. --IANS sc/pgh ( 323 Words) 2022-06-27-23:26:01 (IANS) The EOW joint CP Chhaya Sharma said that arrests were made near Cross River Mall in the Shahdara area of the national capital after a detailed analysis of data and manual surveillance. The accused were identified as the main accused Pradeep Paliwal alias Mahesh Gupta (70) and his associate Vinayak Bhatt. According to police, Paliwal was wanted in four cases and his associate Bhatt was also wanted in a CBI case. Police said Paliwal and his associate used to cheat people and banks on the pretext of getting money for investing in the granite mining business and getting loans on forged papers against already mortgaged properties. "He was using Telegram and Whatsapp on mobile numbers of Zimbabwe and never stayed at one location for more than 24 hours. He also avoided travelling by plane. He was using one private Pajero vehicle to travel from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujrat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi," said Police. Further investigation is underway. (ANI) The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Eknath Shinde camp, who are currently in Assam, will hold a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the further plan of action, amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra. According to the sources, they are expected to take an important decision today. Independent MLAs might approach Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari very soon. Sources have earlier learned that they are likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati and are unlikely to return before July 5. "Rebel Maharashtra MLAs likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The hotel was booked till July 5 and the booking can now be extended as per requirement," sources said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". Additionally, a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation amid the crisis faced by the MVA government. Notably, the political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. (ANI) A total of six persons have been rescued so far and efforts are to rescue the others, ONGC said. Till now 6 persons are rescued. Operations are still on .= According to official sources, the Indian Coast Guard has also joined in the rescue operations. The Coast Guard has diverted two ships towards the site for the rescue operation. One Dornier aircraft, which took off from Daman dropped one life raft in the area, official sources said. The site of the mishap is located 7 nautical miles inside the Arabian sea from Mumbai. (ANI) Five people died after a speeding car collided with a truck on NH 325 earlier today. According to the information, all the five occupants of the car died on the spot. Locals said that the accident happened in the early hours of Tuesday. "The road accident in Jalore, Rajasthan is very sad. I express my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this. May God give them strength in this hour of grief" the Prime Minister tweeted. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to tweet: "The death of five people in a road accident near Charalee village in Ahor area in Jalore is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family, may God give them strength to bear this loss and may the soul of the departed rest in peace." Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia tweeted, "The horrific road accident in Ahor area of Jalore district is extremely sad; May God rest the departed souls and give courage to the families to bear this loss. The @BJP4Rajasthan family stands with the bereaved family in this hour of grief. Peace!" As soon as the information about the incident was received, senior police officers reached the spot. The deceased are yet to be identified and Police have sent the bodies for a post-mortem. (ANI) Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion of a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday said that they are waiting for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to declare that they don't have the numbers to prove majority in the state assembly. "BJP doesn't need to prove the majority as of now. We are waiting for MVA to declare that they don't have the numbers," he said. Mungantiwar further said that right now the BJP is in wait-and-watch mode. "We had clarified yesterday as well that we will hold another core team meeting in the days to come, keeping in mind its necessity - if any. We will deliberate and make a decision. Right now we are in a wait-and-watch mode," the BJP leader added. Another Maharashtra BJP leader Pravin Darekar said that the political situation in Maharashtra is unstable right now and the MVA government is in minority. "The political situation in Maharashtra is unstable right now. MVA government is in minority. They are issuing 200-300 Government Resolutions (GRs) every day. It is public money. I have requested the state Governor about it and he has asked the government to investigate it," said Darekar. Earlier on Monday, a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held to discuss the state's political situation amid the crisis faced by the MVA government due to the revolt in Shiv Sena. The BJP has decided that the party will follow the "wait and watch" approach. The meeting was held at the residence of former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and other BJP leaders. Meanwhile, Congress's Rashtrawadi Yubak has called the rebel MLAs of Maharashtra traitors and they put up posters in various locations of Guwahati. A poster that reads "Sara desh dekh raha hai, Guwahati mein chhupe gaddaron ko, maaf nahi karegi janta aise farzi makkaron ko (The whole nation is watching traitors hiding in Guwahati, people will not forgive such cunning persons". Also, the banner, with the faces of Balasaheb Thackeray, Eknath Shinde and Anand Dighe, was seen yesterday on the route between Radisson Blu Hotel and Somnath Temple in Guwahati and it was removed today. A total of 48 rebel MLAs of Maharashtra including 39 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena are staying at Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati since June 22. Notably, the political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. (ANI) Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday reached Delhi amid the ongoing political situation in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. He came to Delhi after a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation. A total of 48 rebel MLAs of Maharashtra including 39 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena are staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati since June 22. After BJP manages to secure a majority in the 2019 Assembly election, Fadnavis took oath as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra, but soon he had tendered his resignation after his deputy and NCP leader Ajit Pawar quit. After Fadnavis quit, a post-poll alliance of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) and the Congress picked Uddhav Thackeray as their nominee for the chief minister's post. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44. Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had warned the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis to not get involved in the crisis unfolding in the MVA government. "If they do, then their party (BJP), Fadnavis and PM Modi's names will be tarnished," Raut said. The political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". (ANI) Shiv Sena on Tuesday refuted reports which claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had called BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to save the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. In an official statement, Shiv Sena spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said, "Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray called Devendra Fadnavis to save the government some such news is going on but this news is only to mislead. Whatever, Uddhav Thackeray has to say, he speaks publicly." Earlier, sources had claimed that Thackeray was in touch with BJP leaders to find a way out of the political crisis facing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that includes the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress apart from Shiv Sena. The sources had also said that Thackeray was ready to resign on June 22 at 5 pm after it was clear that there was "no way out" of the political crisis facing the Maharashtra government but MVA allies convinced him not to resign. A core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation. The BJP has decided that the party will follow the "wait and watch" approach. "We had clarified yesterday as well that we will hold another core team meeting in the days to come, keeping in mind its necessity - if any. We will deliberate and make a decision. Right now we are in a wait-and-watch mode," said Sudhir Mungantiwar, BJP leader. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Eknath Shinde camp, who are currently in Assam will huddle together this afternoon to discuss the further plan of action, amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra. According to the sources, they are expected to take an important decision today. Independent MLAs might approach Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari very soon. Sources have earlier learned that the MLAs are likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati and are unlikely to return before July 5. "Rebel Maharashtra MLAs likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The hotel was booked till July 5 and the booking can now be extended as per requirement," sources said on Tuesday. Notably, the political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. (ANI) With two days left for the Amarnath Yatra, the langar committees are gearing up to facilitate Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Udhampur and Baltal. In Jammu and Kashmir, all necessary arrangements have been completed by the Ramban district administration for the convenience of the Amarnath Yatries during their Yatra (pilgrimage) starting from June 29 from Jammu, on the 66 Km journey from Nashri to Banihal. "We have made arrangements for langar here. The District administration has also completed preparations. We are ready to welcome devotees," says YP Sharma, Sarpanch, Halqa Tikri, Udhampur. "Government doesn't provide food here, only langers are served. They serve over 1.5 lakh meals a day. 38 langer organizations have been given permission to serve this time," said Camp Director NS Jamwal. Besides this, the DRDO hostel has been made prepared for the Amarnath Yatris. "DRDO hostel is ready in both the base camps for Amarnath Yatris. We have made arrangements for the pilgrims to stay. Langar, medical, communication and sanitation facilities for the pilgrims have been done here," said Nitishwar Kumar, CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. Additional District Commissioner, Ramban, Harbans Lal who is also the Nodal Officer for Amarnath Yatra in Ramban district said that as many as 1,005 toilets excluding mobile toilets have been arranged for the Yatris along the NH44 as well as in the shelter sheds. He said that special designated water supply has been made for the pilgrims. CCTV cameras have been installed for the security of 'Yatris' (tourists). Besides this, signboards and a public address system have been made for providing necessary information for pilgrims. In addition to this, Police Control Rooms and Joint Control Rooms the Helpline, and District Emergency Operation Centre numbers have also been established. Meticulous arrangements have been made for sanitation at their shelter places. All arrangements have also been made for any medical emergency of Yatris in the langars and other shelter sheds under the supervision of the Chief Medical Officer. "Those going on the Amarnath yatra should be careful, should mask up and maintain distance," said Dr Sujeet Singh, Director NCDC. In the Ramban district along the NH-44, as many as 33 Langars by various religious and philanthropic organizations are all set to serve the pilgrims. In these langars besides free breakfast, lunch and dinner would be provided to the pilgrims. Besides this, there would be beds for night stays and free medicines in case of emergency. Nodal Officers have been deputed for ensuring the smooth running of langars. According to the Nodal Officer, Amarnath Yatra, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Harbans Lal the facilities of water and power supply besides security, medical and sanitation have been ensured in these Langars and Nodal Officers have been deputed for ensuring the smooth running of langars. Besides langars, many wayside eateries and food joints have been established. As many as 14 vulnerable points have been identified on the NH-44 where the road can be blocked due to landslides which can disrupt the Yatra and in case of emergency the stranded Yatries can be sheltered in newly established Yatri Niwas with a capacity of about 3600 Yatris. Besides this 4,600 pilgrims can take shelter in the way-side RAHAT Centres, Community Halls, and some schools where all arrangements like 24-hour water and power supply are available. The NDRF, SDRF, Quick Response Teams, and Disaster Management Teams are on the alert to rescue the Yatris to safer places in case of any emergencies. According to the Ramban SSP, Mohita Sharma, besides Police, Indian Reserve Police, 15 Companies of ITBP, and seven Companies of CRPF will be on duty along the NH-44 for the security of pilgrims throughout the Yatra. Round-the-clock surveillance by CCTV and drones will be done which will be monitored through Control Room. Occasional Mock drills have been carried out, awareness camps have been held by anti-sabotage teams to educate the drivers about the sticky bombs. For traffic regulation, no other private vehicle will be allowed to move during the Yatra convoy and a separate Traffic Advisory will be issued for Yatra days. The police would conduct random checkings of vehicles. The civil and Police administration of the Ramban district will hold a special program to welcome the Yatries at Nashri-the Gateway of the Ramban district, by garlanding the Yatries on June 29 morning. Meanwhile, pilgrims embarking on the Amarnath Yatra are advised to bring along their Aadhar Card or any other biometric verified Government ID Card. IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar along with SSP Anantnag visited Amarnath holy cave and conducted a security review of the deployment of forces on the ground. He physically inspected all deployments and gave further instructions for better coordination and joint efforts. (ANI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will hold a cabinet meeting at 5 pm today, informed Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Tuesday. As per the sources, Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar will not be physically present in the Cabinet meeting today. "CM will chair the meeting virtually and Deputy CM is likely to join through VC as he is COVID-19 positive," said sources. The cabinet meeting will be taking place amid the ongoing political crisis which was triggered when Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. The meeting came a day after Thackeray reshuffled the departments of ministers and took away portfolios of nine ministers who have joined the Eknath Shinde camp. Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray had on Monday accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". Notably, the battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12. During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for Eknath Shinde and others told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending. (ANI) Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who is currently camping in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati, on Tuesday claimed that he has the support of 50 MLAs and will soon return to Mumbai. Speaking to reporters here, Shinde said, "We are in Shiv Sena and we are taking Shiv Sena forward. There should not be any doubt about it. We will give let you know about our further course of action. I would be in Mumbai soon." On the claim of Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray that 15 to 20 MLAs had claimed that they had been abducted and had reached out to party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati, Shinde said that "no MLA has been suppressed" and all are with him of their own will. "No MLA is suppressed here, everyone here is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the MLAs present here are in contact with them, they should reveal the names," he added. He further said that the rebel MLAs were in favour of Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva and enthused about carrying it forward. "Our spokesperson is Deepak Kesarkar, he will give you all the information. He is letting you know about our stand and role. We are speaking about Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva and we are carrying it forward," Shinde told reporters in Guwahati. Earlier, attacking dissident MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday arrived in Delhi amid the ongoing political situation in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. He reached the national capital after a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation. The political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde reached the Supreme Court with pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenging the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. (ANI) The Delhi Police on Tuesday said AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair had intentionally formatted his phone and also refused to co-operate with authorities in the investigation against him in connection with an "objectionable" tweet, providing grounds for his arrest. Zubair was arrested on Monday for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community in a Twitter post he had written in 2018 "Mohd Zubair's objectionable tweet led to a Twitter storm with hate speeches, detrimental to communal harmony. Two things including technical gadget and intention was important. He was evasive on both, the phone was formatted. This formed grounds for his arrest," said KPS Malhotra, DCP IFSO. The official said that Delhi Police will seek more remand time to question him. The police official further refuted reports that Zubair's arrest was "politically motivated." "If someone is booked in several cases it's our right to question him in all. Judiciary is involved, custody given, bail not granted, there must be some substance to case. Calling it politically motivated doesn't stand right. We'll ask for more remand," said KPS Malhotra, DCP IFSO (Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations) unit of the Delhi Police. Zubair was arrested and sent to one day of police custody after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him based on a Twitter posting, which another Twitter handle alleged "hurt Hindu sentiments." Delhi Police said that Zubair was evasive during questioning and did not cooperate in the investigation. "He was evasive on the questions and neither provided the necessary technical equipment for the purpose of the investigation nor cooperated in the investigation," said Delhi Police senior officials. The officials also mentioned that the conduct of Zubair was found questionable, which warranted his custodial interrogation to unravel conspiracy in this matter. The contentious tweet by Zubair was posted in March 2018. "The said post of Mohd. Zubair containing picture and words against a particular religious community are highly provocative and done deliberately which are more than sufficient to incite hatred among people which can be detrimental for the maintenance of public tranquillity," the Delhi Police said in a statement. DCP Malhotra said: "If you endorse a view on social media, it becomes your view. Retweeting and saying I don't know, doesn't stand here. The Responsibility is yours. Time does not matter, you only have to re-tweet and it becomes new. Police action was taken on basis of when the matter came to our cognizance." The FIR against Zubair was lodged on June 20 based on the complaint filed by the Duty Officer of the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell which tackles cyber crimes. According to duty officer Arun Kumar, while he was monitoring social media, he saw a tweet shared by a person with the Twitter name 'Hanuman Bhakt' and Twitter ID @balajikijai. The shared tweet was Mohammad Zubair's and contained "objectionable" words. "Today, I was present in IFSO (Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations) unit of Delhi Police, Dwarka as an emergency officer, and during social media monitoring, it came to notice that a Twitter handle Hanuman Bhakt shared a tweet against another Twitter handle - Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear in which it has been tweeted by Mohammed Zubair 'before 2014: Honeymoon hotel, after 2014: Hanuman Hotel...and has shown a picture of a signboard of one hotel, "honeymoon hotel changed to Hanuman hotel," Kumar stated in his complaint. The screenshot of the board is from a Hindi movie."These words and the picture found to be used by Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear against a particular religious community and are highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite feeling of hatred amongst people which can be detrimental for maintenance of public tranquility in the society. Transmission and publication of such posts has been deliberately done Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with intent to provoke breach of peace which attracts offence under Section 153-A and 295..From the contents of the post from Twitter handle Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear, offence 153-A and 295 is made out," the FIR further stated. Counsel for Alt News co-founder Zubair had moved bail application which was declined by the court on grounds of "not finding merits."Delhi Police's application for one-day police remand was granted by the court," said Delhi Police officials. Zubair was booked under Sections 153A (promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Delhi Police said. Pratik Sinha, another co-founder at Alt News, commented on his colleague's arrest and wrote on Twitter on Monday, "Zubair was called today by special cell, Delhi for investigation in a 2020 case for which he already had a protection against arrest from High Court. "However, today at around 6.45 pm we were told he has been arrested in some other FIR for which no notice was given which is mandatory under law for the Sections under which he has been arrested. Nor FIR copy is being given to us despite repeated requests," Sinha said in a statement on the microblogging site yesterday. (ANI) Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has resigned from the board of Reliance Jio handing over reigns to his elder son Akash Ambani, who will be Chairman of the Board of Directors. In a stock exchange filing, Reliance Jio Infocomm said the company's board has approved the appointment of Akash M Ambani, non-executive director, as chairman of the board of directors of the company." It said that the Board of Directors in their meeting held on June 27 noted the resignation of Mukesh D Ambani as Director of the company effective from the close of working hours on June 27, 2022. Akash has been closely involved with the disruptive and inclusive growth path charted by the digital services and consumer retail propositions of Reliance group and is now leading the creation of the 'convergence dividend' for over 500 million consumers, digitally and with high-inclusivity across geographies and income levels. His elevation as Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm recognises the specific contributions made by him to the digital services journey and rededicates him to even higher levels of responsibilities, going forward. Mukesh Ambani will continue to be the Chairman of Jio Platforms Ltd, the flagship company that owns all Jio digital services brands including Reliance Jio Infocomm. Akash Ambani, who has graduated from Brown University with a major in Economics, has been closely involved with the creation of the digital ecosystem around Jio's 4G proposition. He was closely involved with a team of engineers in inventing and launching an India-specs focussed Jiophone in 2017 which became quite a revolutionary device to take many people out of 2G to 4G. Akash personally led the key acquisitions made by Jio in the digital space in the last few years and has also been keenly involved with the development of new technologies and capabilities including AI-ML and blockchain. He was integrally involved in the trailblazing global investments by tech majors and investors in 2020, which in many ways catapulted Jio onto the global investor map. Akash is expected to continue to operate on the cutting-edges of innovation and technology to encourage an ecosystem that will further digital solutions and make the power of data and technology more accessible to all, including those who are still at the margin. He will continue Jio's efforts "to build India into a highly inclusive, highly digital society". According to the filing on stock exchanges, Pankaj Pawar has been appointed Managing Director of Reliance Jio Infocomm for the next five years. The Board has also approved the appointment of Raminder Singh Gujral and K.V. Chowdary, as Additional Directors of the Company, designated as Independent Directors for a period of five years commencing from June 27, 2022, subject to the approval of the shareholders. (ANI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) headed by Justice Arun Mishra, has issued an Advisory to the Centre, States and Union Territories Administrations to protect the human rights of commercial truck drivers. Prior to this, chairing the Core Group meeting on Business and Human Rights on the issues of commercial truck drivers, he had expressed serious concerns over the plight of commercial truck drivers and suggested collaborative, pragmatic and implementable solutions to safeguard their rights. Issuing the Advisory, the Commission has observed that despite making a significant contribution to the economy of the nation, the rightful entitlements of the truck drivers do not get adequate attention, as the truck business remains fragmented and unorganised. "The majority of the truck drivers do not get social security benefits such as provident fund, pension, health insurance, life insurance, gratuity, etc. long working hours, lack of adequate rest and sleep, long absence from family, low salary, non-availability of clean and healthy food in time, the constant threat of exploitation by law enforcement agencies and anti-social elements and high risk of road accidents makes the truck drivers prone to physical and mental stress, drug addiction and irresponsible sexual behaviour," the release read. The Commission, in a letter through its Secretary-General, Devendra Kumar Singh to the Secretaries of concerned Union Ministries/Departments, Chief Secretaries of States and Administrators of Union Territories, has asked for the implementation of its recommendations in the Advisory and sought Action Taken Report within three months. The Advisory has focused on four key areas for action by the Centre, States and UT Administrations. These include: Protection from exploitation, Provision of amenities to the drivers, provision of Socio Economic Security and the Physical & Mental well being of the commercial truck drivers. Some of the important recommendations, among others, include to amend the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 to provide for mandatory purchase of personal accident cover for an amount not less than Rs. 15 lakh for each driver, co-driver and helper of a commercial truck. Provide cashless treatment to drivers, co-drivers and helpers injured or incapacitated in road accidents is another recommendation. Establish and regularly maintain driver rest stops and lay byes consisting of parking area, furnished rest rooms, toilets/wash rooms, restaurants providing food and beverages at reasonable rates in clean hygienic environment, mechanic shops, medicine shops, doctor's clinics, etc. at regular intervals, not exceeding 40 kilometres, along National Highways and at prominent locations along the State Highways and other major district roads, the release read. "Establish fully equipped Trauma Centres at regular intervals along highways to extend emergency to victims of road accidents," it read. Launch a special drive to create awareness and register all truck drivers, co-drivers and helpers on the e-Shram portal to avail benefits of Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-ABJAY) as well as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PM-JJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PM-SBY) and Old Age Protection under Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mann Dhan (PM-SYMD), the release read. (ANI) Earlier, rebel Shiv Sena MLA Mangesh Kudalkar expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the incident and announced that the family of the deceased will be given Rs 5 lakh each while the injured will get one lakh. "Rs 5 lakhs to the kin of those who lost their lives in the Mumbai accident, along with Rs 1 lakh to the injured," Kudalkar said in a tweet. The four-storeyed building collapsed in Mumbai's Kurla late on Monday night. The incident took place in the Naik Nagar area. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Potnis said, "In 2016, the building was listed under the C1 category. Later, following an audit, it was reclassified under C2. It should have been repaired, but it wasn't. I, however, don't think there has been negligence on part of BMC." On Monday night, Minister Aaditya Thackeray visited Kurla where the building collapsed and said that such property should be vacated on the notice of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). "Whenever BMC issues notices, (buildings) should be vacated themselves...otherwise, such incidents happen, which is unfortunate...It's now important to take action on this," Thackeray said. (ANI) Hours after a video went viral on social media wherein a shopkeeper is seen being beheaded by two men in Udaipur for supporting Nupur Sharma's controversial remarks, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to appeal to the youth of the state to maintain peace. Addressing the reporters today, Gehlot said, "It is a sad and shameful incident. There is a tense atmosphere in the nation today. Why doesn't Prime Minister and Amit Shah address the nation? There is tension among people. PM should address the public and say that such violence won't be tolerated and appeal for peace." "It is a very sad incident. It is not a small incident, what has happened is beyond one's imagination. The culprits will not be spared," Gehlot said on Udaipur murder. Rajasthan Assembly's Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria also condemned the incident that took place in Udaipur. "We have had a conversation with Chief Minister Gehlot, and he said that teams have been deployed. He himself has talked to the officials and further said that those who committed the incident will be arrested soon," Kataria said to reporters on Udaipur murder. Meanwhile, the internet services have been temporarily suspended for the next 24 hours in the Udaipur district, following the incident of murder of a man in the city. A man was beheaded by two men in Udaipur's Maldas street area today. He had shared a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma a few days ago. The two men posted a video boasting about the beheading and threatened PM Modi's life as well. Locals protested after the incident that took place in broad daylight. Shops in Maldas street area of Udaipur have been closed following the incident. Udaipur Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Choudhary said a few accused have been identified and a thorough probe will be conducted. "A heinous murder has been committed and a thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. Few accused have been identified. Police teams constituted to locate the accused. We will take action on the video of men claiming to have committed the act," Choudhary said. District Collector of Udaipur Tara Chand Meena urged the people to maintain peace and law and order. "I appeal to all to maintain peace and law and order. The affected family will be provided help from the government. Stringent action will be taken against the accused," he said. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot promised the strictest action against the culprits and said the police will go to the bottom of the matter. "I condemn the heinous murder of youth in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all the criminals involved in this incident and the police will go to the bottom of the crime. I appeal to all parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to every person involved in such heinous crime," he said. The BJP had suspended party spokesperson Nupur Sharma earlier this month for her controversial remarks during a TV debate. (ANI) A trial court has dismissed the plea of the prosecution seeking to cancel the bail granted to actor Dileep in the 2017 actress assault case. The prosecution argued that Dileep, who is the eighth accused in this case, has influenced the witnesses and tried to tamper with the evidence. The prosecution further claimed that they have the evidence to prove this. But the court today dismissed the plea. The survivor actress, on May 23, had approached the Kerala High Court seeking its intervention in the case to ensure justice and alleged that a move is being made to subvert the case. In her plea, she alleged, "It is an attempt to influence the politicians in the ruling alliance to end the case. Despite the evidence that accused actor Dileep's lawyers were trying to influence witnesses, they were excluded from the investigation by the probe team. It was informed that a move was being made to end the case in a hurry. This raises the question of whether this will lead to denial of justice." Earlier on May 24, the Kerala Communist Party of India (Marxist) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had said that the plea filed by the survivor actress in the 2017 actress assault case was mysterious and allegations raised by her against the state government were baseless. Dileep is the Malayalam actor who has been the eighth accused in the case apart from Sunil Kumar, Martin Antony, Manikantan, VP Vijeesh, Salim, Pradeep, and Charley Thomas. The case pertains that an actress, who worked in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films, was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of 17 February 2017. (ANI) As the political turmoil in Maharashtra continues to unfold, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis accompanied by 8 independent MLAs on Tuesday submitted a letter to the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and demanded an immediate floor test. "We have given a letter to the Maharashtra Governor demanding an immediate floor test," Devendra Fadnavis said. Sources earlier today also learned that eight independent MLAs have sent an email to the registered email address of the Maharashtra Governor demanding for an immediate floor test. It is being reportedly said that Fadnavis will further demand a meeting with the Governor. Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday appealed to the rebel MLAs to come for talks. "Don't fall prey to anyone's missteps. The honour given to you by Shiv Sena cannot be found anywhere. If you come forward and speak, we will sort out the issues. As Shiv Sena party chief and family head, I am still worried about you. Come here for a dialogue," he said. Meanwhile, rebel leader Eknath Shinde stated that he will return to Mumbai soon and that his faction was taking "Balasaheb's Shiv Sena forward". Shinde has claimed the support of over 50 MLAs. In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on June 20 and camped in Gujarat's Surat. Later, the rebel MLAs shifted base to a hotel in Guwahati. "10 people attacked a Shiv Sainik. His condition is fine. It is because of such Shiv Sainiks that our party is standing high. The person who got elected on a Shiv Sena ticket and is sitting in Guwahati got our Shiv Sainik attacked through his supporters," Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. The rebellion was triggered by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam. Sources have now learned that they are likely to stay for more days at a hotel in Guwahati and are unlikely to return before July 5. "Rebel Maharashtra MLAs likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The hotel was booked till July 5 and the booking can now be extended as per requirement," sources said on Monday. The political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde's rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party. Earlier, two MLAs, on June 26, called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn't have the majority and they can't disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court," he said. Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn't have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party Shiv Sena in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary's name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena". Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena's legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today wrote to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and urged them to return to Mumbai and talk to him. Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde today declared that he will go to Mumbai and "take Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy forward" as he spoke to reporters outside a hotel in Guwahati where he and other rebels have been staying for a week. Eknath Shinde, the leader of a staggering coup against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, claims that he has the backing of around 50 MLAs, nearly 40 from the Shiv Sena. (ANI) It has been an eagle one week for the Eknath Shinde-led rebel Shiv Sena faction that is camping at a luxury hotel in Assam's Guwahati. While they have been watching every bit of development on television and through their contacts in the state of Maharashtra, those who have watched them closely say that the rebel Sena MLAs have maintained a reasonable calm so far. While the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis came down to Delhi on Tuesday afternoon and by the evening, he was in Mumbai at the Governor's House. It was a simple Dal khichadi meal that Eknath Shinde and his rebel MLA friends are enjoying at the five-star hotel. The mood was entirely different after the court gave a huge sense of relief to the rebel MLAs by putting on hold the disqualification notice till July 11 and that was celebrated by eating the famous Maharashtrian Malvani mutton last evening. The MLAs have been very particular about having their own local cuisine which is essentially Maharashtrian food, sources told ANI. Most of them have been either camped in their own rooms or in the room of Shinde having a long conversation about what lies ahead for them in the future. Sources said many of the times, the MLAs in the Guwahati hotel come down to the lobby and have chat among themselves or indulge in multiple photo opportunities. Sometimes they also recline by the swimming pool. Many of them have often been seen engaging in long video calls with their family or loved ones and sometimes playing a board game. Regular meetings are being held and motivational speeches are given by Shinde, the leader of the faction in order to keep the legislators together especially when the halt in Guwahati is taking longer than expected. 39 Shiv Sena MLAs and nine other MLAs, including two from Prahar Janshakti Party, have been staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati since they landed in the city last Wednesday in a private charter from Surat. (ANI) In an apparent softening of stance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the Shiv Sena President, on Tuesday appealed to the rebel group camping in Guwahati to return and hold discussions, but rebel leader and state minister Eknath Shinde indirectly spurned the latest overtures. "Many of you are in contact with us and are still emotionally connected with the Shiv Sena. The families of many have also got in touch with us and conveyed your sentiments to us," said Thackeray. He assured that as the head of the Sena family, he respected their views and made it clear from his heart that till date "nobody is out of the party" though the (rebels) are stuck in Guwahati with all kinds of speculation. "I appeal to you all... Come before me, let's remove all the misconceptions in the minds of the people and the Shiv Sainiks," Thackeray appealed. The CM said if they all sit together, they can definitely come up with a solution to the political imbroglio even as he cautioned them against falling prey to any kind of wrong measures, hinting at a possible tie-up with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. He made it clear that the respect and dignity the Shiv Sena accorded to them, they can never get that privilege anywhere else. "Come in front of me and present your views, let's work out a solution. I am still worried about you," concluded Thackeray, as the worsening crisis threatened the survival of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress. Hours later, Shinde hit back at Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray and the party's chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut in a sharp tweet. "On one hand your son (state minister Aditya Thackeray) and spokesperson (MP Sanjay Raut) called the revered Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sainiks pigs, gutter-muck, dogs, cattle, morons, zombies, and even brought in their fathers, and on the other hand, they are making a call to save the anti-Hindutva MVA by trying to get back the very same MLAs...What does this mean," Shinde asked. This was the third direct appeal made by the CM to the rebels since the party's crisis exploded on the night of June 21-22. The ruling MVA plunged into turmoil when around 39 Sena MLAs and 11 others sneaked out to Gujarat and then to Assam as part of the rebel faction herded by Shinde. On previous calls for rapprochement from the Sena side, Shinde has categorically demanded that first the CM should quit the MVA alliance and join a BJP-led government in the interest of the people of the state, Hindutva and safeguarding the future of the Sena threatened by the NCP-Congress partnership. Earlier on Tuesday, Shinde even challenged the Sena leadership to "name the rebel MLAs" who are reportedly in touch with the party top brass in Mumbai. "They are deliberately spreading such misinformation, and misleading the people and the Shiv Sainiks. We are with the Sena and are followers of Balasaheb Thackeray whose Hindutva we are carrying forward," declared Shinde. The rebuttal came in response to Aditya Thackeray and Raut's repeated assertions that around 20 MLAs who went to the 48-strong rebel camp are in contact with them and would vote for the Sena upon return. While the BJP has decided to adopt a cautious wait-and-watch policy, the Shinde camp continues to hold strategic meetings in the Guwahati hotel though formal movements are yet to start amid speculations that around a dozen Sena MPs are likely to raise a banner of revolt. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) --IANS qn/arm ( 611 Words) 2022-06-28-20:20:03 (IANS) Actor Dileep on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief when the trial court here on Tuesday dismissed the petition of the Crime Branch police probe team demanding cancellation of the bail. Actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the actress abduction case. The probe team had filed this petition in April and since then there have been several arguments in the case, but the beleaguered actor had the last laugh. The details of what transpired in the court on Tuesday will be known only on Wednesday as the court only announced that the application of the probe team has been dismissed. The actress abduction incident occurred in 2017 and Dileep was in jail for 85 days after which he is now out on bail and the probe team approached the court that he has violated the bail conditions and hence his bail should be cancelled. The case has in the past few months taken numerous twists and turns and in December last year, a fresh case was registered against the actor and his close associates based on a disclosure made by Dileep's former friend and director Balachandrakumar that he had conspired to do away with the police officials who probed the 2017 actress abduction case. And in this case, it was after several rounds of hearing that he got anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court in March. --IANS sg/skp/ ( 246 Words) 2022-06-28-20:28:03 (IANS) Several villages in Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar in Seemanchal, as well as East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Supaul and other districts were affected due to flooding. In Araria, the water level of Nuna river rose on Tuesday and flooded several villages after washing away the embankment at Sikti block. The section of road connecting Sikti to Singhiya was also damaged by flood water. Children were seen playing in flood water. Beside Nuna river, Lohandra river was also flowing above the danger mark and flood water entered everal villages coming under the Kursakanta block. The Parman and Bakrav rivers were 10 centimetres above the danger mark in Jokihat block. The water level of the Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kosi, and Kamla Balan river have also crossed danger level in several places, due to continuous rainfall in Nepal. A total of 1.32 lakh cusec water was released from Valmikinagar Barrage in the last 24 hours leading to flood like situation in Bettiah, Bagha, and Gopalganj. The administration of these districts were on high alert as the rain is continuously taking place in Nepal and adjoining districts of Bihar. The districts of north Bihar lie lower than contiguous areas of Nepal, and hence, water accumulates there and creates havoc for the residents. The administration has alerted people and asked them to move to higher ground. --IANS ajk/vd ( 261 Words) 2022-06-28-20:34:03 (IANS) The Delhi Police on Tuesday outrightly denounced claims that termed the arrest of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, as politically motivated. "It is not right to call this case politically motivated. He had been evasive during the questioning, which basically formed the ground of his arrest," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, Special Cell), K.P.S. Malhotra, told IANS. Zubair, 33, was arrested by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police's Special Cell for allegedly posting a controversial tweet that hurt sentiments of a particular religious community. The IFSO functions under the Special Cell and is a specialised unit that handles all complex and sensitive cases of cyber crime, including those in which victims are women and children. The unit is equipped with a state-of-the-art cyber lab having cyber forensic capabilities such as extraction of deleted data from hard disks and mobile phones, imaging and hash value calculation, forensic servers, portable forensic tools for on-site examination, facility to extract data from latest Android and iOS phones as well as Chinese phones. The tweet for which Zubair was being questioned is four years old. In the said tweet, Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading Hanuman hotel' instead of Honeymoon hotel'. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel." The DCP said that it does not matter whether the tweet in question was posted recently or four years back. "We took action when a social media user raised the issue with us," Malhotra said, adding that even endorsing [retweeting] a view on social media becomes the view of that person who has endorsed it. "Such tweets were getting retweeted and it appeared that there is a brigade of social media entities, who indulge in insult mongering, thereby leading to a possible ramification on communal harmony and are overall against the maintenance of public tranquility," the senior officer stated. The DCP averred that after Zubair's tweet, his followers on social media amplified and created a series of debates and hate mongering in the thread which were detrimental to communal harmony. "Moreover, apart from being evasive during questioning, the accused had even formatted his phone," said the official. Malhotra said that the police will be requesting the court for further custody of Zubair so that they can take him to the place of his stay where his technical gadgets are kept. "There was a case registered against Zubair in 2020 as well. But now in this particular case we have found pith and substance that warranted his custodial interrogation," the DCP said. Sources said that after recovering Zubair's laptop, the police will try to access its hard disk memory to check the materials which were allegedly posted by him. Later the laptop may be also sent for forensic examination at CFSL, Rohini. IANS spoke to DCP Malhotra before Zubair was produced before the court. Later, the court extended his police remand by four more days as Zubair's phone/laptop used for posting the tweet in question is to be recovered from his Bengaluru residence. (Ujwal Jalali can be reached atAujwal.j@ians.in) --IANS uj/arm ( 550 Words) 2022-06-28-20:52:05 (IANS) AIADMK's expelled interim General Secretary V.K. Sasikala has commenced a tour of Tamil Nadu to drum up support from the party cadres to emerge as the top party leader amid the intense power struggle between former Chief Ministers, O. Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami. Aiming to travel across all the state's districts to meet local leaders and members, Sasikala had termed her venture 'Puratchi Payanam' (revolutionary trip), aimed at defending the rights of Tamil soil and the dignity of women. Sasikala, who was once the most trusted and powerful aide of former Chief Minister, late J. Jayalalithaa, told media persons during her yatra that she has the responsibility to protect the movement and has commenced this tour for the protection of the AIADMK. She also said that the AIADMK must have a single leader to lead the party but that leader must be elected from among the cadres and not decided by a few people. Sasikala said that the AIADMK was facing its biggest challenge in 50 years of its existence and that this adversity could be overcome by staying united. She also said that the recent developments in the AIADMK are to the happiness of the ruling DMK and that she would not allow the AIADMK to be decimated and hence the yatra. She said that she had made both Panneerselvam and Palaniswami Chief Ministers but both of them did not show gratitude to her in the long run. The powerful Thevar community, which has been the vote bank of the AIADMK in south Tamil Nadu is expecting a realignment between Sasikala and Panneerselvam, both of whom are from the community. Sources in the AIADMK told IANS that several meetings were conducted between the Thevar community leaders with both Sasikala and Panneerselvam separately. With the power of Panneerselvam waning in the AIADMK, the only option left is to drum up the support of cadres and for that, Sasikala is undertaking her state-level yatra. --IANS aal/vd ( 339 Words) 2022-06-28-21:04:02 (IANS) West Bengal is all set to witness scorching political heat in July over packed schedules of both the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition BJP. On one hand, seven Central ministers are slated to visit West Bengal next month to hold public interactions to boost the morale of the party workers in the state. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress is launching a massive campaigning exercise for its annual Martyr's Day programme in Kolkata on July 21. Although officially there has been no announcement from the state unit of BJP on this count, party insiders said that these seven Central ministers will conduct a massive public interaction exercise throughout the state, especially in the 19 Lok Sabha constituencies from where the party candidates got elected in 2019. A state committee leader of the BJP, who did not wish to be named, said that the probable list of ministers includes Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav and Kiran Rijuju, among others. "The final list is expected to be announced by next week. These Central ministers will interact with the people in the Lok Sabha constituencies from where the party's candidates had won in 2019, have lunch at their places and try to have a feel of the public pulse. The ministers will also hold meetings with the state unit office-bearers at different levels," the state committee leader said. According to political analysts, retaining the 19 Lok Sabha seats that BJP won in 2019 will be crucial for the party in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and probably that is why the Central leadership of the BJP is focusing on West Bengal early. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress leaders have set a target to organise a record gathering on the occasion of Martyrs' Day on July 21. During the last couple years, the event was observed at a low-key level and that too mainly online because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and hence this time the party leadership wants it to be a mega event. --IANS src/arm ( 352 Words) 2022-06-28-21:12:03 (IANS) Fifteen people consuming alcohol in a closed industrial unit were arrested by the police on Monday evening. By Tuesday evening all were released on bail. Rajkot rural police was tipped off by the Anti Terrorist Squad that a rave party was going on in a closed industrial unit in the Matoda industrial estate area. A Paddhari police station team led by Sub Inspector M D Makwana carried out a raid on the plastic factory. Instead of a rave party, police found that 14 males and one woman were drinking liquor. The police arrested all of them and also seized cars, 19 cell phones and IMFL bottles. These youths were from Rajkot and Bhavnagar districts. They told the police that because police raids have become common on farmhouses, they had decided to party in a closed industrial unit. In another incident, Rajkot city police arrested three college students. The group led by Krishnapalsinh Vaghela allegedly stole iron scrap from construction sites. They were going to celebrate the birthday of one of the accused with the money earned from selling scrap. Krishnapalsinh reportedly told the police that he and his friends had hired two vehicles, a Scorpio and an i-20 for Rs 4500. When the police arrested the three youths, there was 150 kgs of iron scrap in the Scorpio. The police have recovered Rs 12 lakh worth goods. --IANS asmita/bg ( 241 Words) 2022-06-28-21:12:04 (IANS) Satish Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Alluri Sitharama Raju, said the arrested Maoist Vanathala Rama Krishna was area committee secretary and was involved in the murder of then Telegu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma in Araku in 2017. Police recovered Rs 39 lakh cash from his possession. Further, 5 kg landmine, five detonators, batteries, a 9-mm pistol and ammunition were seized from the arrested Maoist. According to Police, the arrested Maoist was involved in a total of 124 cases, including 14 murders and 13 exchanges of fire, the explosion of landmines and arson. SP Satish Kumar said that 33 CPI (Maoist) members and 27 militia members, including eight women, surrendered before the police. One of the surrendered militia members Korra Chinnayya alias Srikanth, was involved in 95 cases. Each CPI (Maoist) member who surrendered carried Rs 1 lakh reward on their head. "With the recent surrenders, arrests and deaths of top leaders, the Maoist party has become weak in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district," the official said. (ANI) Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Tuesday condemned the Udaipur killing incident and called it against Islam and the law of the land. "Maulana Halceemuddin Qasmi, General Secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, has condemned the incident of brutal killing in Udaipur apparently on the pretext of the insult to the Prophet (PBUH) and called it against the law of land and against the religion of Islam," reads the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind statement. "Has said whoever has perpetrated this incident cannot be justified in any way, it is against the law of the land and our religion. In our country, there is a system of law, no one has the right to take the law into his own hands. Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi appealed to all the citizens of the country to restrain their emotions and maintain peace in the country," it added. After the horrific murder of a tailor in Udaipur sparked outrage in the entire state, the Rajasthan government on Tuesday announced the imposition of section 144 of CrPC in all the districts for the next one month. The state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The SIT includes the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Special Operation Group Ashok Kumar Rathore, Inspector General of Police (IG), Anti Terror Squad (ATS), Prafulla Kumar and a Superintendant of Police (SP) rank officer and an Additional SP rank officer.Internet services have been suspended in the entire state on Tuesday. Udaipur Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Bhatt appealed to the people to maintain peace. "We appeal to the people of Udaipur to maintain peace. The (victim Kanhaiya Lal's) dependents have been assured of recruitment through placement service in UIT, and the family will be given compensation of Rs 5 lakhs," said Bhatt. Police are on high alert in every district of Rajasthan. "In view of the prevailing situation, Section 144 has been imposed in the entire district as well as the state. Shanti March has been cancelled by the organizers. We appeal to the people to maintain peace. Leaves of police personnel have been cancelled and they have been asked to report back. They are being deployed in law and order duty. We will ensure peace is maintained and take strict action against those attempting to disrupt it," Ajmer SP Vikas Sharma told ANI.The NIA team includes a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer, a source told ANI on anonymity, adding the move comes following an order issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). As per government sources, the NIA team is likely to file a case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after visiting the crime spot. The incident took place in Udaipur's Maldas area. Soon after committing the crime, the two accused posted a video on social media boasting about the beheading and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life as well, police said. The two accused were arrested within hours of the incident. One of the assailants, who was identified as Riyaz Akhtar, attacked Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghos Mohammad, recorded the crime on his mobile phone, police said. The victim, a tailor, reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma-- former BJP spokesperson who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad. Following the murder, local markets in the area were shut as the traders demanded justice for the victim. "Both the accused have been detained and the law and order situation is under control. Some people were attempting to come out of the bylanes but were controlled. Curfew imposed in the nearby areas," Manoj Kumar, SP, Udaipur said. A statewide alert has also been issued to all Superintendents of Police and Inspector Generals to increase the mobility of forces and to maintain officers on the ground. (ANI) A new study that examines how heat impacts the behaviour and physiology of Zebra finches found that heat altered the activity of hundreds of genes in the testis, but fewer in the brain, suggesting that the brain may be less responsive to extreme temperatures. The study also provided some hopeful insights into birds and their ability to handle the threat of climate change. "Most of what we know about the behavioural and physiological effects of heat comes from aquatic organisms or terrestrial cold-blooded animals, but heat waves could be a real problem for terrestrial birds and mammals too, especially if heat interferes with critical components of their reproductive behaviour and physiology," said Sara Lipshutz, assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago, former graduate student at UT, and first author on the publication. "We wanted to understand how that happens as a first step towards understanding how to manage these problems." Heat waves can be lethal for warm-blooded animals, but behavioural and physiological effects are missing from recent high-profile studies on climate change. The researchers wanted to know about sub-lethal effects of heat that do not kill animals but still might impact their ability to adapt and thrive as the climate changes. Lipshutz and colleagues exposed zebra finches to a four-hour heat challenge, similar to what wild birds might experience during the afternoon heat on a summer day. Zebra finches were selected for the study because these songbirds experience extreme temperature fluctuations in their native Australia. The team measured heat effects on thermoregulatory behavior and looked specifically at how heat changed gene activity in tissues that are critical to reproduction -- the testis that control fertility and a part of the brain that regulates singing, which is an essential mate-attraction behavior in birds. They discovered that heat altered the activity of hundreds of genes in the testis, but fewer in the brain, suggesting that the brain may be less responsive to extreme temperatures. "At the same time, we found evidence that dopamine-related signalling was affected in the brain, meaning that even sub-lethal heat may change a bird's ability to reproduce, via changes in motivational circuits for song production," Lipshutz said. "If they can't sing, or sing well, they aren't going to breed." Bird populations have been dramatically declining over the past few decades, and male songbirds need to sing to attract a mate. Coupled with previous studies showing that birds sing less during heat, this project reveals potential underlying mechanisms by which heat may contribute to avian population declines. "It's really a triple-whammy," said Derryberry, corresponding author on the publication. "Heat's not only affecting their brains, but it also appears to affect testicular gene networks related to self-maintenance and sperm production. So, there's potentially less motivation to sing, reduced gonadal function, and greater investment in self-maintenance, all of which can detract from successful reproduction." The study also provided some hopeful insights for birds and their ability to handle the threat of climate change. Males that panted more often during the heat challenge exhibited more limited effects on gene activity in the brain and testis. "For a long time, researchers have reasoned that behavioral flexibility might be key for animals' ability to handle novel environmental challenges," said Kimberly Rosvall, associate professor of biology at IU Bloomington, whose lab oversaw that genomic side of this project. "We saw that some individuals better used behavioral thermoregulation to dissipate the physiological effects of heat. If animals are able to adjust their behavior. or if behavior can evolve to keep pace with climate change, birds may be able to adapt." According to Lipshutz, the results have important implications for sexual selection in a warming world as well. "Some individuals, or even some species, may perform well under extreme temperatures," she said. "That could influence both how thermal tolerance evolves and how behavior evolves too." (ANI) Multiple fatalities took place and at least 50 people were injured when an Amtrak train derailed after hitting a dump truck on Monday in Missouri, US, as per multiple media reports. In a communication, Amtrak media centre on its website wrote, "On June 27 at 12:42 p.m. CT, Southwest Chief Train 4, traveling eastbound on BNSF track from Los Angeles to Chicago, derailed 8 cars and 2 locomotives after striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri." According to the company's statement, there were approximately 243 passengers and 12 crew members onboard with early reports of injuries. Following the incident, the company said that local authorities are currently assisting customers. "Our Incident Response Team has been activated, and we are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs." Amtrak said that individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. Additional details will be provided as available, it added. Eric McKenzie, the superintendent with Chariton County Ambulance Service, told CNN that multiple fatalities were reported. A spokesperson for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B, said authorities are still trying to ascertain the number of fatalities. The train hit a dump truck, he added. He also said that a school has been turned into a triage center for victims with minor injuries, he said. Governor Mike Parson tweeted that the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the highway patrol and other personnel were responding. "We are saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon ... We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted," Parson said. Amtrak did not provide any additional information about the crash or the condition of the train and its passengers. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India's position clear on the Ukraine conflict at the G7 summit where he reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Replying to a question on India's stand on Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kwatra during a press conference said, "On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India's position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue & diplomacy to resolve the situation." Foreign Secretary Kwatra also highlighted that PM Modi has spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially on the vulnerable countries. "PM also put forward knockdown effect of the conflict on food security crisis, especially on vulnerable countries," Kwatra said. Ever since the war started on February 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace and an end to hostilities. Earlier, PM Modi intervened and had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that a direct conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts to deal with the ongoing conflict. PM Modi had also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict. India is looked upon as a solution provider by all which was quite evident by the body language and camaraderie of leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra over PM's visit to G7 Summit in Germany. PM Modi on June 26-27 attended the G7 Summit in Germany, held meetings with world leaders as well as interacted with the Indian diaspora. During a press conference, Kwatra said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at the G7 summit showed that India's presence is valued by all and that India is looked upon as a solution provider by all. You would have seen the body language and camaraderie of leaders with our PM." In an instance of bonhomie between the leaders of the two largest democracies of the world that caught the eye of viewers, US President Joe Biden walked up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to greet him at the venue of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday. India is among the five partner countries invited to attend the G7 Summit. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today welcomed the Prime Minister at Schloss Elmau, ahead of the G7 Summit. (ANI) An accessed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between China and Nepal on Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) projects reveals how China seeks economic hegemony in Nepal through these projects, local media reported. These BRI projects even after so many years of signing the MoU are nowhere to be seen on the horizon and in a key development, a procured copy of the MoU exposed China and its attempts to dominate Nepal's economy with its currency and free trade provisions. Notably, in May 2017, the government of Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on China's BRI. However, neither Nepal nor China made the document public in all these five years. Meanwhile, Khabarhub has obtained a copy of the MoU on the widely-talked BRI signed between the two countries. As per the analysis of the contents of the MoU by Nepal's local media outlet, China, through its BRI agreement, has attempted to impose its economic hegemony, conditions, and vested interest in Nepal in the name of Free Trade Connectivity. The MoU obtained revealed that the document signed by both Nepal and China on BRI is a clear gesture on the part of China that it is not only trying to dominate and capture Nepal's economy and to use its currency in Nepal, but it is also trying to sell its goods through zero customs. In the document, China's endeavour to impose its monopoly in Nepal in the name of "promoting cooperation on mutually beneficial areas" under the principles of BRI, looks evident. Experts have expressed concerns over Nepal not able to make this document public. Political analyst Saroj Mishra has serious doubts that Nepal could be under immense pressure from China to not make the document public. "Until and unless it is a very sensitive and security-related document, every Nepali citizen has the right to exercise the right to information," Mishra said, adding, "If so, why is the government reluctant to provide the information?" He also raised concerns about what is barring the government from making it public. China, in the MoU, has imposed its clause saying that both the sides would "strengthen cooperation for connectivity by enhancing cooperation on transit transport, logistic systems, transport network security and related infrastructures development through joint studying and promoting cross border infrastructure projects, including railway, road, civil aviation, power grid, information, and communication." Moreover, according to the document, the MoU shall be automatically renewed for another three years thereafter unless and until terminated by either side by giving written notice at least three months in advance to the other side prior to the expiration of the present MoU. Even though while signing the MoU in 2017, it was stated that the MoU shall enter into effect on the date of signing and shall remain valid for three years. However, not a single project has taken off. "This is a traditional and conversationalist approach on the part of Nepal and China for not making public the BRI document," says Taranath Dahal, a senior journalist and Chairman of Freedom Forum, an anti-corruption non-government organization."Since there is no transparency, the question of accountability pops up," he said in a conversation with Khabarhub. According to the MoU, the two sides shall modify and supplement the MOU, when necessary, and any agreed revision in writing shall be considered an integral part of this MOU. The MoU also mentions that either side intends to terminate this MOU shall give written notice to the other side through a diplomatic channel at least three months prior to the expiration of this MOU. (ANI) After a senior Communist Party official said that the "zero-Covid" policy would remain in place in Beijing "for the next five years," Chinese censors removed his speech from the Internet. The misleading quote was made by Beijing's city party chief, Cai Qi, in Beijing Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper for the Chinese capital. Cai said on Monday that "for the next five years, Beijing will resolutely implement COVID-19 pandemic control measures and uphold the 'zero-Covid' policy to prevent imported cases from coming in and domestic cases from rebounding." Cai is a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and his "the next five years" remark sparked a huge backlash on Chinese social media. "I have to rethink whether I should continue to stay in Beijing in the long term," one user wrote on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform. "For the next five years...what is the point of being alive even," another user said. In an effort to tame an online backlash, Beijing Daily removed the line, describing it as an "editing error" while leaving his other remarks about pandemic controls intact, reported CNN. Weibo has since banned the hashtag "for the next five years" from its platform. While the entire speech and the published quote from Beijing Daily was misleading, Cai did discuss at length the possibility of keeping zero-Covid policies in place in the capital over the next five-year period, according to CNN. The pandemic controls that would stay in place include routine PCR tests, strict entry rules, regular health checks in residential neighbourhoods and public venues, as well as rigorous monitoring and testing for people entering and leaving Beijing, state media quoted Cai as saying. In early May, Xi doubled down on the zero-Covid policy in a meeting of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, the country's top decision-making body, ordering officials and all sectors of society to adhere to the "decisions and plans" of the leadership. For months, cities across China -- including Beijing and Shanghai -- have been placed under full or partial lockdown because of the strict zero-Covid policy, wreaking havoc on economic activity and hurting the job market. In May, the unemployment rate for people aged 16-24 hit a record high 18.4 per cent, reported CNN. China continues to shut down entire communities and cities over just a handful of Covid cases. All positive cases and close contacts are sent to government quarantine. China reported 23 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases nationwide on Sunday, with Beijing and Shanghai each recording four cases, according to the country's National Health Commission. (ANI) Amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping centre in central Ukraine on Monday, killing 16 people. At least 10 people are missing and 59 people were severely wounded in the deadly strike that took place at a shopping mall near a railway station in the industrial city of Kremenchuk, located in Ukraine's central Poltava region, the New York Times reported. Condemning the attack, Ukraine's Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrskyi said "People just burned alive," in a statement. The strike came after Russia, in a sudden escalation, fired more than 65 missiles at Ukraine over the weekend. Smoke engulfed the surroundings after the missile hit the mall in Kremenchuk as local residents desperately searched for the missing, according to city council officials. Ukrainian officials said that as many as 1,000 people could have been inside the building at the time of the strike, though the exact number was not clear. Until Monday, the centre of the city had not been hit -- Russian forces had only hit industrial targets and an oil refinery. The Amstar mall, located in the city's centre, is not far from an industrial facility and is believed to be used to repair tanks, the officials added. "When they hit infrastructure or factories, we can understand that someone was given the coordinates," Olha Usanova, a deputy mayor of Kremenchuk, said. "This is just destruction of civilians. I have no words for this horror." Earlier, a strike in the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed five people and wounded 22 on Monday, New York Times reported citing local authorities. Quoting the head of Ukraine's emergency services, Serhiy Kruk as saying "So far, 16 people had been killed and 59 injured, 25 of whom were hospitalized," the media outlet reported. The strike had been carried out by a Russian X-22 missile weighing nearly 2,000 pounds and was fired from Russia's Kursk region, near the border, Ukraine's Defense Ministry stated. Ukrainian media reported that 115 firefighters had managed to put out the massive fire and rescuers were continuing to search through the debris for survivors. During the ongoing G7 summit that is taking place in Germany, the world leaders called the mall attack a "war crime" in a statement Monday night, as per the reports by New York Times. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine dedicated most of his nightly address on Monday to the strike, calling it "one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history." "Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object," Zelensky said, adding, "Russia will stop at nothing," he said. Kremenchuk had a population of almost 220,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. The previous strikes by Russia have targeted a theatre, a maternity hospital and people waiting in line for bread, a shopping centre being the latest addition. On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine. Nearly 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to United Nations (UN) estimates and most of those displaced are women and children. The conflict has left 15.7 million Ukrainians in need of humanitarian support, with some of them lacking access to water and electricity. Three million children inside Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries are now in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost two out of every three children have been displaced by incessant rocket attacks and fighting between the two nations. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a visit to Germany to attend G7 Summit, presented its leaders with various gifts displaying India's rich art and crafts, particularly, those related to Uttar Pradesh's one district one product scheme His gifts included a hand-knotted carpet, carved matka, itr bottles, tea set, brooch and cufflinks. PM Modi gifted a Metal Marodi carving matka to German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. This nickel-coated, hand-engraved brass vessel is a masterpiece from District Moradabad, which is also known as the Peetal Nagari or "brass city" of Uttar Pradesh, India. After casting the pot, the design that has to be engraved is first sketched on paper. An outline of the whole design is done with a fine engraving tool hammered with a wooden block. This particular type of engraving is called Marodi, owing to the curved lines used to fill up negative space in this design. He gifted Gulabi Meenakari brooch and cufflink set to US President, Joe Biden. Gulabi Meenakari is a GI-tagged art form of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. A piece of pure silver is moulded into a base form, and the chosen design is embossed in the metal. The embossed shapes are then filled with great dexterity with crushed meena glass mixed with an intriguing natural anardana (pomegranate seeds) glue. The paint is fired layer by layer for permanence. The motifs primarily use the colour pink (Gulabi), which lends its name to the craft. These cufflinks were prepared for the President with a matching brooch for the First Lady, Jill Biden. Prime Minister Modi gifted a platinum-painted, hand-painted tea set from Bulandhshahr, Uttar Pradesh to UK PM Boris Johnson. The crockery is outlined with platinum metal paint in honour of the Queen's platinum jubilee being celebrated this year. The base form is hand-painted and fired at 1200 degrees Celsius. The embossed outlines are laid on manually with Mehndi cone work and require an extremely confident hand. Each shape is then separately filled with colour, with great dexterity and the entire cup is fired again. To French President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi gifted Itr bottles in Zardozi box. The carrier box has been crafted in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India. The zari zardozi box has been hand embroidered on khadi silk and satin tissue in colours of the French National Flag. The motifs are traditional Indo-Persian, lotus flowers hand-embroidered with metal wire in blue and a pendant used in Kashmiri carpets and motifs from Awadhi architecture. This box included Attar Mitti, Jasmine oil, Attar Shamama, Attar Gulab, Exotic Musk, and Garam Masala. PM Modi gifted hand-knotted silk carpets which are famous all over the world for their softness and craftsmanship to Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. A Kashmiri Silk carpet is known for its beauty, perfectness, lushness, luxury and dedicated craftsmanship. Each Kashmiri Silk carpet is considered to be a never-before-seen piece of hand-made art. The Kashmiri silk carpets are made predominantly in the Srinagar area of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir in India. These exquisite creations are hand-knotted on the warp threads, one at a time, in accordance with a strict code of colours in the order of their appearance in the pattern. The knotted product is clipped with shears to smoothness and then treated with several brightening processes. Characteristically, all silk carpets have an amazingly innate attribute of displaying different colours when viewed from different angles or sides. PM Modi gifted Black Pottery pieces to Japan's PM, Fumio Kishida. The Black Pottery of Nizamabad in Uttar Pradesh uses a special technique to bring out black colours- while the pottery is inside the oven, it is ensured that there is no scope for oxygen to enter the oven and the heat level remains high. The presence of oxygen can turn the pottery red. The glaze on the pottery comes from the high zinc content of the soil and the layer of mustard oil applied before firing the pottery. PM Modi gifted a marble inlay table top to Italy's PM, Mario Draghi. Pietra dura or Marble inlay has its origins in the Opus sectile- a form of pietra dura popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. This marble table top with Inlay work has its origin in Agra of Taj Mahal fame. This particular table top is made of semi-precious stones with gradients in their colour, making it very similar to Italian marble inlay work. Stones with colour gradients are harder to place, but make the inlay more realistic. The delicate process involves cutting and engraving semi-precious stones on marble manually. To start with, a pre-defined pattern e.g., a floral design or a geometrical design, is engraved on the marble item. Small pieces of different semi-precious stones are then cut delicately. These small pieces are then slipped into grooves, making the simple marble item a beautiful and colourful masterpiece of art. Other than G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union, PM Modi also gifted items to leaders from Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina. The Prime Minister gifted Dokra Art with Ramayana Theme to South Africa's President, Cyril Ramaphosa. Dokra Art is non-ferrous metal casting art using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. There are two main processes of lost wax casting: solid casting and hollow casting. The product of artisans who are mainly from Central and Eastern India are in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of their primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. This particular art piece from Chattisgarh, a state in Central India, is based on the Ramayan theme. The principal characters in the artwork are Lord Shri Ram riding an Elephant along with Lakshman, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman. PM Modi gifted Nandi-themed Dokra Art to Argentina's President, Alberto Fernandez. Dokra Art is non-ferrous metal casting art using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. There are two main processes of lost wax casting: solid casting and hollow casting. The product of artisans who are mainly from Central and Eastern India are in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of their primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. This particular art piece from Chattisgarh, a state in Central India, is a figure of 'Nandi - The Meditative Bull'. According to Hindu mythology Nandi is considered as the vehicle (mount) of Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction. In front of every Shiva temple, on the court facing the shrine, you can see the image of a Nandi. PM Modi gifted Moonj baskets and cotton durries to Senegal's President, Macky Sall. Moonj is a wonderful example of utilitarian handicrafts made with sustainably sourced material. Like Senegalese baskets, Moonj craft also utilizes bright, jewel-tone colours. This particular piece is by a master craftswoman from Prayagraj. The blades of the sarpat grass used here are much thinner, making them more difficult to weave. The cotton Durries are hand woven in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The art of Manjak loincloth weaving is similar to shuttle handloom work done in Sitapur durrie making. The beauty of this particular piece is the thin width of its loom which increases the work out into the Durrie threefold. PM Modi gifted lacquerware Ram Durbar to Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo. The GI-tagged lacquerware art-form has its roots in the temple town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The wooden statues of gods, goddesses and sacred animals served as coveted souvenirs taken back by pilgrims. The process is a tedious one, requiring assembly of a base wooden form with separate limbs, which is covered layered by layer with distemper or lac-based paint. True to their city of origin, Lacquerware items always come in bright, jewel tones. This particular piece is made on Goolar (Botanical name: Ficus Racemosa) wood. The principal characters in the artwork are Shri Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman and Jatayu. It is believed that the Indonesian version of Ramayana was written during the Medang Kingdom (732-1006 AD) in Central Java. It is known as Kakawin Ramayana. The story of Ramayana was narrated to the people through shadow puppetry (wayang kulit and wayang purwa). (ANI) "On behalf of the Government, the people of India and on my own behalf, I extend warm greetings and felicitations to Your Excellency and the people of Madagascar on the occasion of your National Day", said President Kovind in his message. He further said that India and Madagascar are important partners in the Indian Ocean Region, adding that India acknowledges and appreciates Madagascar's friendship and cooperation in diverse areas of mutual interest and our people-to-people relations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also congratulated his Malagasy counterpart on social media. Taking to Twitter, he tweeted "Congratulate FM @RichardJRand and the Government and people of Madagascar on their National Day. Will continue working together to further our SAGAR vision for a secure and prosperous Indian Ocean Region". India-Madagascar relations have grown manifold during the past four years. The bilateral ties between the two nations are going from strength to strength since the visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Madagascar in 2018 under the collaborative vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). India sees Madagascar not only as an important bilateral partner but also as a vital role in the collaborative maritime vision of SAGAR. Madagascar's Foreign Minister Richard J. Randriamandrato visited India India in April 2022 and had an hour-long meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi. Numerous agreements in the field of traditional medicine, training of diplomats, environment, tele-education and tele-medicine are ready to be sealed between the two countries. MoUs on health, culture and customs and administrative matters are also under finalisation. An India-Madagascar Chamber of Commerce was launched in April in Antananarivo to further strengthen the trade ties between the two countries. Moreover, a Green Triangle named after Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo in March of this year. Madagascar has over 17,500 people of Indian origin, mostly from Gujarat, living and working there. (ANI) The number of people who died in the Russian missile strike has reached 18 as a Kh-22 (Russian: X-22) missile weighing nearly 2,000 pounds struck a shopping centre in the industrial city of Kremenchuk on Monday. Another 36 people are missing as the search continues, CNN reported. Dmytro Lunin, head of the Poltava region military administration said that rescuers continue to work round the clock as the dismantling of damaged building structures is ongoing with the help of heavy engineering equipment and small machines. "25 people were admitted to intensive care at the hospital in Kremenchuk," CNN quoted Lunin, as saying. Ukrainian officials said that as many as 1,000 people could have been inside the building at the time of the strike, though the exact number was not clear. The strike came after Russia, in a sudden escalation, fired more than 65 missiles at Ukraine over the weekend. The strike had been carried out by a Russian X-22 missile weighing nearly 2,000 pounds and was fired from Russia's Kursk region, near the border. During the ongoing G7 summit that is taking place in Germany, the world leaders called the mall attack a "war crime" in a statement Monday night. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine dedicated most of his nightly address on Monday to the strike, calling it "one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history." Kremenchuk had a population of almost 220,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine. Nearly 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to United Nations (UN) estimates and most of those displaced are women and children. (ANI) China is forced to toe a cautious line on its plan to annex Taiwan after seeing the global condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. As per HK Post, China finds it difficult to use the Ukraine template for the Taiwan invasion as it may end up paying a heavy price- militarily, economically and diplomatically. But it has not deterred Beijing from its intentions to take control of the island nation. It has continued with its regular practices of mounting pressure on Taiwan through military threats, psychological warfare, and economic coercion. In the recent few days, China carried out ballistic missile tests, and sent a large sortie of warplanes into the Taiwanese airspace, apparently in response to the US, rejecting China's claims on the Taiwan Strait. Several other such actions by Beijing reflect its aggressive stand on the Taiwan issue. However, all this is drawing major military and economic powers into the Taiwan Strait conflict, many extending their active support to Taipei. Thus, it would not be easy for China to attack Taiwan on the lines of the Ukraine conflict, reported The HK Post. Amid strong opposition from the US and its allies, China has been treading cautiously. It is testing waters to gauge how the west block would react in case it attacks Taiwan. It has been sending its warplanes inside Taiwan's airspace to provoke Taiwan and to put the ageing Taiwanese air fleet under constant stress. In the third week of June, as many as 29 Chinese jets and bombers made an incursion into Taiwanese territory. Taiwan has shown great restraint though the military harassment by China is unsettling the Taiwanese people. Beijing is well aware of the fallouts and collateral damages in case it takes direct military action against Taiwan. Thus, it has resorted to "cognitive warfare", in which Taiwanese citizens are wooed using the same Chinese identity, reported The HK Post. Social media platforms and technological solutions are used to spread misinformation to cause social unrest and lower people's morale. China's cognitive warfare managed to generate fear and defeatism as well as disturbed trust and solidarity in Taiwan, said Alexander Huang Chieh-cheng, a professor at Taipei-based Tamkang University. But Taiwanese agencies managed to thwart these threats effectively through a series of actions. Taiwanese people are against the idea of reunification with mainland China as over 80 per cent rejected the "One China" principle. Although cognitive warfare has seen China pumping a huge amount of resources, it has failed to produce desired effects, and the intended reunification could not be done without military action. Moreover, Chinese President Xi Jinping has permitted military operations outside China's borders in the backdrop of Beijing making claims over the Taiwan Strait. The US too is changing its strategy. Although the US maintains "strategic ambiguity" over the Taiwan issue, the American President Joe Biden has clarified that it would support Taiwan in case of a Chinese attack, reported The HK Post. Biden administration is helping Taiwan to boost its self-defence capabilities. A new US legislation, the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, sends a clear message to China not to treat Taiwan as same as Ukraine. Other western powers such as France and the UK have warned China against any misadventure in the Taiwan Strait. Japan too has expressed concerns over Taiwan and decided to acquire a pre-emptive strike capability as any conflict in Taiwan Strait would draw it in naturally. Moreover, China is starting an economic slowdown. Thus, undertaking military operations to annexe Taiwan would not be easy for China. (ANI) The Group of Seven (G7) nations on Tuesday committed USD 4.5 billion to protect the most vulnerable people from malnutrition and called on Russia to end its blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports. "We commit to an additional USD 4.5 billion to protect the most vulnerable from hunger and malnutrition, amounting to a total of over USD 14 billion as our joint commitment to global food security this year," the G7 said in a statement. "We reiterate our urgent call upon Russia to, without condition, end its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, destruction of key port and transport infrastructure, grain silos and terminals, illegal appropriation by Russia of agricultural commodities and equipment in Ukraine and all other activities that further impede Ukrainian food production and exports," they added. The G7 leaders announced that they are not planning to apply sanctions against imports of agricultural products, including from Russia, and humanitarian aid deliveries. "We will continue to ensure that our sanctions packages are not targeting food and allow for the free flow of agricultural products, including from Russia, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance," the leaders said. Ukraine is regarded as the "breadbasket of Europe" supplying 10 per cent of the world's wheat, 12-17 per cent of the world's maize and half of the world's sunflower oil. Twenty-five million tonnes of corn and wheat - the entire annual consumption of all the least developed countries - can't be exported and is currently at risk of rotting in Ukrainian silos. The West accuses that Russia's actions have driven up prices in countries like the UK and the ongoing blockade has placed 47 million people around the world on the brink of humanitarian disaster. In addition to preventing grain from leaving Ukraine via the Black Sea - the route by which 96 per cent of Ukraine's grain has historically been exported, Russian attacks are disrupting rail exports. According to Western countries, not only is Russia preventing Ukraine from exporting its grain, but there is also increasing evidence that Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine, smuggling it over the border to sell and boost Putin's war coffers. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, security experts say one of Moscow's earliest strategic aims quickly became apparent as its armoured columns advanced along the coast in an effort to seize Ukraine's coastline. The seizure of ports would strangle Ukraine economically at a time when it most needs the funds to fend off Russia. After more than four months of the conflict, two of Ukraine's five main commercial ports have been taken and both are in the northeast of the Black Sea. (ANI) Highlighting the strong bilateral ties between India and Mongolia, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal underlined how the exposition of Buddha relics in Mongolia showcased similarities and nearness between the two nations. The holy Kapilvastu relics of Lord Buddha, which were on the display for 11 days in Mongolia, were received by Meghwal on Monday. Speaking to ANI, the MoS said "The exposition of Buddha relics in Mongolia for 11 days showcased similarities and nearness between the two countries." He recalled the strengthened bilateral relations that India and Mongolia share. The mutual understanding between both the countries regarding the exposition of relics also developed brotherhood between the two nations, he added. The four Holy Relics - known as the 'Kapilvastu Relics' were brought in two special bulletproof caskets on board an Indian Air Force aircraft by an Indian delegation led by Union Minister Rijiju. The Holy Relics of Lord Buddha which are considered one of the most sacred relics of Buddhism returned to Mongolia after 29 years are considered one of the most sacred relics of Buddhism. They were displayed at the Batsagaan Temple in Gandan Tegchenling Monastery complex in Ulaanbaatar for 11 days. In 2015, the Holy Relics were placed under the 'AA' category of Antiquities and Art Treasures which should not be ordinarily taken out of the country for exhibition, considering their delicate nature. However, upon the special request of the Mongolian government, the government made an exception and permitted the exposition of the Holy Relics in Mongolia to boost cultural and spiritual relations between the two countries. (ANI) Pakistan's former director-general (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Zaheerul Islam has denied the "rumours" of joining former prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), asserting that he has neither joined the party nor met its chief. This comes after pictures of General Zaheer addressing a PTI gathering in Kahuta city of Rawalpindi district went viral on social media. The News International quoting Zaheer reported that he had recently held a gathering of the local elders at his house in his native village in Kahuta where the community decided to support the PTI candidate for PP-7 Rawalpindi in the upcoming by-elections. "It was the decision of the baradari and being part of it, I simply announced the decision," he said and explained that his presence in the event had been greatly misrepresented by the social media, The News International reported. He noted that he had not met Imran Khan for the past few years, at least not after he became the Prime Minister in 2018. However, the former spymaster has said that supporting the PTI chairman Imran Khan was the need of the hour. Several reports claimed that the retired Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam has entered the political sphere and joined a political party but he has not yet commented on these reports, the Dawn newspaper reported. A picture of Gen Islam was shared by journalist Saleem Safi on his Twitter account where Islam could be seen delivering a speech at a political event while standing at a podium emblazoned with PTI's flag. The information secretary of the party Fawad Chaudhry has dismissed the reports of the former ISI DG joining the political sphere. The former general was elected as the ISI chief from March 2012 to November 2014 and it was also speculated that he was a part of the negotiations during the party's sit-in outside the parliament. Earlier, voting for the first phase of local government elections was held in 14 districts of Sindh. The total number of registered voters is 1,149,2680. The election commission printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of the Sindh LG polls. While polling began in the morning in all 14 districts, reports of violence, scuffles and ECP mismanagement started pouring in from upper and lower Sindh regions. These clashes were said to emerge out of missing election symbols as well. Polling was suspended at various polling stations. Voting will take place in the Hyderabad division -- part of lower Sindh -- along with provincial metropolis Karachi in the second phase on July 24. Hyderabad division has nine districts. (ANI) Sri Lankan opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya has announced to hit the streets this week demanding a change of government as the nation continues to battle its worst economic crisis. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) national organiser Tissa Attanayake on Monday said that the party will launch "street battles" this week for a change of government and called for a joint opposition struggle against the present administration. "The Rajapaksa - Wickremessinghe government will not remain in power for long," The Daily Mirror reported quoting Attanayake. Attanayake stated that the government has not been able to control the economic crisis in the country and the cost of living has seen a spike of 150 per cent. "People have been pushed to an even more difficult situation with the fifth fuel price hike for the year," he added. Ananda Palitha, the spokesperson of Samgi Trade Union Alliance, said that there was a move to allow private sector companies to import and distribute fuel and to sell more than 1000 filling stations that are held by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. SJB Organizer for Colombo North C. Y. P Ram said, "Many industries have been affected by the power crisis." Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the island nation. The nearly-bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt. The economic crisis has particularly impacted food security, agriculture, livelihoods, and access to health services. Food production in the last harvest season was 40 - 50 per cent lower than last year, and the current agricultural season is at risk, with seeds, fertilizers, fuel and credit shortages. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) gas on Sunday decided to increase the fuel prices with effect from 2 am. The prices of a litre of petrol 92 octane have been increased by Rs 50 while a lite of petrol 95 octane has been increased by Rs 100, Daily Mirror reported. Sri Lanka is one of the few nations named by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is expected to go without food due to the global food shortage expected this year. (ANI) Iran and Argentina have applied to join the BRICS grouping, that account for more than 40 per cent of the world's population and about 26 per cent of the global economy, media reports said. An Iranian official said on Monday said that country has submitted an application to become a member of the group of emerging economies known as the BRICS, Al Jazeera reported. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the country's membership in the BRICS group "would result in added values for both sides." Besides Iran, Argentina is also keen on joining BRICS. Notably, Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez in recent days reiterated his desire for Buenos Aires to join BRICS. On Monday, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov told a press briefing that Moscow favours the enlargement of the BRICS association but suggests defining procedures and criteria for future candidates first. "In principle, we look positively at the issue of the association's potential enlargement, although we understand that it is necessary to approach this issue very carefully," Ushakov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. "What do we propose? First of all, we propose defining the procedures and requirements for potential candidates for joining BRICS," the Kremlin aide said. On 23-24, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa held the XIV BRICS Summit under the theme "Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development" on June 23-24. They recalled that in the past 16 years, BRICS countries have strengthened mutual trust, deepened intra-BRICS mutually beneficial cooperation, and closer people-to-people exchanges, which has led to a series of significant outcomes. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi was also invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the event, he elaborated on his country's viewpoints on the important international issues and the expansion of cooperation with other countries. (ANI) The programme was organised by the National Investigation Agency, in collaboration with the National Security Council Secretariat. The event saw participation from India, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Seychelles. The training programme was one of the engagement activities identified in the Colombo Security Conclave's Roadmap for Cooperation and Activities for 2022-23 agreed by member countries at the 5th NSA level Meeting held in Maldives on March 9-10. "Participants discussed the various challenges related to investigating terrorism-related cases in their respective countries and shared experiences and best practices on prosecution of terrorism-related cases, legal provisions in their respective countries, terror financing (including counterfeit currency), online radicalization and social media footprints, organized crime, economic intelligence, cyber and mobile forensics, and role of INTERPOL," the National Security Council Secretariat said in a statement. According to the press statement, panellists emphasised on the need for experience sharing, closer cooperation and coordination among member and observer countries of the Colombo Security Conclave for effective investigation and prosecution of terrorism and radicalisation-related cases. They agreed to identify specific areas to take forward the cooperation on countering terrorism and radicalisation under the Colombo Security Conclave. Back in April, the Colombo Security Conclave Virtual Conference on Sharing of experiences in investigation of terrorism cases was organised by the National Investigation Agency of India. Panellists and participants from India, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh participated in the virtual conference. The conference was one of the engagement activities identified in the Colombo Security Conclave's Roadmap for Cooperation and Activities for 2022-23 agreed by member countries at the 5th NSA level Meeting held in Maldives. (ANI) A minor boy of the Hindu community was kidnapped from outside his residence in Pakistan's Sindh province. The boy was abducted on Monday morning by unidentified men from Ranipur town, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The incident took place when the boy was playing with his two neighbourhood friends in front of his house, the newspaper said citing police and family members. According to the report, two suspects riding a motorcycle appeared in the lane and kidnapped him. "Initially, the abductors tried to kidnap two children, but one managed to escape, so they fled the scene with Aadesh in front of the area people," Sawan Raj, maternal uncle of the child, told The Express Tribune. The boy's uncle said that local people tried to chase the suspects but they managed to escape. Hero Mal, the minor's father, said that they belong to the lower middle class and cannot afford to pay ransom to recover his son. "We have not received any call from the kidnappers yet, but such incidents frequently happen with the intention of collecting ransom," he said. Following the abduction, the members of the Hindu community demonstrated in front of the police station. They also demanded the boy's recovery and strict security in the area to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. "Some time ago, a child belonging to the Hindu community was kidnapped from Babarloi Town of Khairpur Mir on World Children's Day. He was later sexually assaulted and murdered," Zameer Solangi, a local activist. Activists say human rights in Pakistan records have touched a new low with several media reports and global bodies reflecting the dire situation for women, minorities, children, and media persons in the country. In Sindh, forced conversions and attacks on minority communities have become even more rampant. Forced conversion of minor Hindu, Sikh, and Christian girls, always under duress, has become an increasingly common phenomenon in the country. (ANI) China on Tuesday asked the United States to strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and cease any form of official exchanges with Taiwan. According to Chinese News Agency Xinhua, While responding to a query on the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in a news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, "The United States must abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, halt all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop negotiating agreements with implications of sovereignty and of an official nature, and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces." He said that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, adding "The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China." Zhao further said, "China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction with the Taiwan region by countries having diplomatic ties with China, including negotiating or concluding agreements with implications of sovereignty and of an official nature. This position is consistent and clear." "We would also like to make it clear to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities that they need to give up at once on the idea that they could seek independence with US support because the more ambitious they are, the more bitter their failure will be," Xinhua quoted Zhao as saying. Notably, On June 1, Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwan Minister John Deng met virtually and launched the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade. The two sides met under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO). The new initiative intends to develop concrete ways to deepen the economic and trade relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth. Earlier, China warned the US against enhancing ties with the democratic island that Beijing regards as its island and threatens to overtake it by force. China announced a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan, the third such exercise in the past month as tensions continue to rise in the Taiwan Strait. (ANI) Kofe was already on his way to Lisbon, Portugal, for the meeting but decided to withdraw after China's actions, Taiwan News reported citing Radio New Zealand. Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) thanked Kofe for his support and for not giving into China's abuse of power. MOFA also expressed its sincere gratitude to the Tuvalu government for assisting Taiwan in advancing its international participation. The ministry strongly condemned China for its abuse of power on the U.N. Credentials Committee to threaten Tuvalu, Taiwan's ally, to revise the list of delegations, Taiwan News reported The Ministry further said that China's pressure on member states has only revealed its vile nature once again. The Taiwan government will continue to cooperate with allies and like-minded countries to jointly counter China's expanding malicious influence on the UN, the ministry added. The UN Oceans Conference took place from June 27 to July 1. It will focus on substantive issues such as marine pollution, marine conservation, and ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources. Representatives from 193 countries, including 938 civil society groups, 75 foundations, and 74 universities, will also be attending the conference, in addition to around 24 heads of state and governments, Taiwan News reported citing New Zealand media. Three Taiwanese delegation members ultimately announced their withdrawal from the delegation. (ANI) Cultural liberty in Tibet is a myth as Tibetans under the Chinese administration are strictly forbidden to follow their religion. In Tibet, those who are found practising their own religion, get arrested, beaten up and tortured brutally. While many of the arrested Tibetans were released after a deterioration in their health, Tibet Press reported, adding that the nuns and the monks are the targeted people of the Chinese. According to Radio Free Asia sources in the region, Chinese authorities have long sought to restrict the size and influence of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, traditionally a focus of Tibetan cultural and national identity. In a recent "All China Religious Circles" conference" in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa on May 13, the need for impelling Tibet's long-term peace and stability and cohesive consensus on high-quality development was emphasized along with the sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism. Aggressive promotion of Mandarin from the primary level of schooling of children from minority ethnic groups is part of this agenda contrary to China's purported "Bilingual Language Policy". This conference was also attended by TAR Chairman Yan Sinhal. Recently, US State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke at the release of the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom at the State Department. He mentioned that China prosecute religious followers and called it as contradicting the CCP's doctrine for destructing religious places and discriminating Tibetan Buddhists. Rashad Hussain, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom who also spoke at the State department expressed that many governments use unfair laws to prosecute religious practitioners. He stressed that China is still cracking down on Tibetan Buddhists. Authorities arrested, tortured and use other abuses against Tibetans who promotes their language and culture, keeps pictures and writings of the Dalai Lama or practiced their religion at Buddhist monasteries. The Report released is divided into four parts. They are categorized as Religious Demography, Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom, Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom and US government Policy and Engagement. Since their illegal occupation in Tibet, China has assaulted the rights of the Tibetan people to practise their own religion, language, tradition and culture. The Chinese authorities, in order to accomplish their sinicization mission, have attacked their cultural identity by making their language, Mandarin, the medium of instruction in the schools in Tibet from the primary level, reported The Singapore Post. Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it. The 1959 Tibetan uprising saw violent clashes between Tibetan residents and Chinese forces. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to neighbouring India after the failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, the supreme Tibetan Buddhist leader, established a government-in-exile in India. (ANI) After Pakistan quietly sentenced the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack mastermind Sajid Mir this month, questions are being raised about what prompted this sudden decision. Mir, a senior member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is among India's most wanted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He was awarded 15 years in jail term by a Pakistan court this month. Mir was LeT's operations manager for the attacks, playing a leading role in their planning, preparation, and execution. Mir, 44, was sentenced by an Anti-terrorism court in Lahore this month after convicting him in a terror-financing case. He was also fined Pkr 4,20,000 and is currently serving sentence in Kot Lakhpat jail, the Dawn newspaper reported citing a source. His sentencing came as Pakistan is struggling to exit the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) terror-financing watchlist. Currently, Pakistan is on the 'Grey List' of the watchdog for not fulfilling the parameters to counter terrorism in the country. Pakistan media reports said Mir's court verdict was done so quietly that no one came to know about such a high-profile case, except for a very brief report in one of the newspapers, which too could not attract the attention. Writing for the InsideOver, Federico Giuliani said it is clear that only a combination of impending economic doom and tough posturing by international organisations like IMF, prodded by the US, has forced Pakistan to act against a terrorist known to be a key asset of the Pakistan Army. "There ought to be a similar clarity in understanding that the arrest and sentencing of Mir is not a move by Pakistan to disassociate itself from terrorism but to extricate from greylisting of FATF, get IMF bailout loan and reset its relations with the US, all in one go," he added. Giulian argued that Mir's arrest in April and sentencing in June were perfectly timed to persuade FATF to take Pakistan off the grey list. The country has failed to take adequate steps to counter-terrorism and prosecute terrorists including masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) founder Masood Azhar and LeT's Sajid Mir, according to an earlier US report. Pakistan made limited progress on the most difficult aspects of its 2015 National Action Plan to counter-terrorism, specifically in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination, said the US State Department had said in its 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism. The report recalled how in 2021, a Lahore anti-terrorism court convicted LeT founder Hafiz Saeed on multiple counts of terrorism financing and sentenced him to five years and six months in prison. "Pakistan did not, however, take steps under its domestic authorities to prosecute other terrorist leaders residing in Pakistan, such as JeM founder Masood Azhar and LeT's Sajid Mir, mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks," it had said. The report goes on the mention the effectiveness of Indian security agencies in disrupting terror threats, although gaps remain in interagency intelligence and information sharing. (ANI) The United States has begun talks with India on how Russian oil price caps, National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday as he described New Delhi as one of the key consuming countries of Russian oil. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Germany on Monday on the margins of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit. When asked about discussions between the two leaders about India's purchases of Russian oil, Sullivan said, "One aspect of that, of course, is intensive engagement with key consuming countries. India is one of those countries. That engagement has begun. We have begun talks with India on how the price cap would work and what implications would be." Biden did not speak directly about this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, however, senior government officials have discussed the topic, Sullivan noted. "The President did not speak with Prime Minister Modi about this yesterday, but at senior levels of the U.S. government, we had communications with the Indians yesterday. Before it goes to leader-to-leader level, we need to work through the details with their team at basically the Cabinet-level, which is where it is right now," he said. On Monday, PM Modi attended the G7 where he integrated with several world leaders including Biden. "Interacting with @POTUS @JoeBiden and PM @JustinTrudeau during the @G7 Summit," PM Modi tweeted. On Saturday, US National Security coordinator John Kirby said that the US wanted other countries including India to help them increase the costs and consequences of the war on Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine conflict. Addressing a press briefing, Kirby said the US shares a deep partnership with India but Washington wants international pressure on Russia amid the Ukraine conflict. "We're glad that India is coming. There are a lot to discuss on the agenda with India. We have a very deep partnership with them, even in the defence world," he said. "I'll let Indian leaders speak for themselves here, but obviously, what President Biden is focused on, what the administration is focused on is making sure that the costs keep rising for Putin, that it's harder for him to wage war. And obviously, we want to see all nations participate in those kinds of efforts," Kirby added. India in recent weeks has spiked energy imports from Russian despite global sanctions on Moscow. US officials conveyed the message to India there is no ban on energy imports from Russia but they do not want to see a rapid acceleration. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier this month hit back at the unfair criticism of Indian oil purchase from Russia amid the Ukraine war that has created a knock-off effect on the world economy. (ANI) Urban refugees on Monday staged a sit-in protest at the entrance of the UN refugee agency-UNHCR, seeking 11-point demand that as per them would make their stay in Nepal easier. A large canopy of the urban refugees including the elderlies to children has been sitting despite the downpour and scorching sun. An Afghan refugee taking part in the protest, Nargesh Husseini told ANI, "Actually Nepal is safe we know, but there is no work, we don't have job permission also so it's very difficult for us to survive. We're safe, we are not in danger but we don't have food to eat, UNHCR doesn't help us, they don't do anything for us." During the protest, a clash also broke out between the agitated group and security officials leaving a few injured. Nargesh said that UNHCR says there is no resettlement or help for refugees in Nepal as the policy changed the year they came in. "They (UNHCR) have to help us or resettle us. We came to Nepal in 2015, they say the policy changed the year we came here and there is no resettlement or help for refugees." Another refugee from Myanmar, Jafar Miya, who has lived for about a decade in Nepal complained that they don't have any facilities. "We neither have a house here nor a permanent residence ship, our children are not getting a proper education, nor we are getting the work permit. We don't have anything that facilitates us. The Nepal Police also has been called here, we don't want that, this is not what we want," he added. The protesters are a part of a growing number of so-called urban refugees in Nepal whose number, according to the official records, till the year 2019 had reached around 700. Urban refugees seek asylum in urban areas and live in their own apartments, unlike other refugees who live in camps. In recent years, the number of ethnic Rohingya Muslims has increased in Nepal. The ongoing canopy also has a large number of ethnics from now military-ruled Southeast Asian nation. However, the Nepali government, which is not a signatory to the 1951 UN convention on refugees, does not recognize them as refugees. Under its law, urban refugees are considered illegal immigrants and are subjected to a daily fine of USD 6. Refugees seeking to resettle in Western countries incur a large fine when trying to leave. In Nepal, UNHCR works independently to determine the status of refugees and assists them with subsistence allowances, health care, education and other basic needs. It also coordinates sponsorships in third countries or refugees themselves can seek private sponsorships. Then, the UN refugee office in Kathmandu writes to the government to waive overstay fees. Anyone remaining in Nepal for more than 185 days after the expiry of their visa is considered "illegal immigrant". Those overstaying have to pay USD 5 per day as per the immigration law. In December of 2014, the UNHCR decided to reduce the monthly stipend of $50 by 25 percent. It said that while it would stop the allowance from next year, it would continue to provide it to refugees with special needs, including ailing, women, elderly and children. The UN agency at the time had issued the statement stating the office was forced to cut allowances due to large-scale displacements in other parts of the world. Though the UN body had issued temporary identification for the registered refugees which too has expired earlier this year. "The paper which UNHCR had given us works temporarily. The police cannot arrest us, that's only its purpose. With that card we cannot get job, we cannot go anywhere, no other facilities would be guaranteed by that card while staying in Nepal. We only can stay here temporarily," Abu Taher, another Myanmar refugee told ANI. The Rohingya community in Myanmar has been denied citizenship since 1982 and they are not provided job opportunities as well. The crisis of this community intensified after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is regarded as a terrorist organization in Myanmar, killed nine officials and nearly 400 people in August 2017. In response, the military and the Buddhist people, in general, started targeting the Rohingya. These Rohingya started coming to Nepal starting 2012. These refugees had crossed Myanmar into Bangladesh and then entered Nepal, via the open border with India. The issue of refugees also entered the Nepal's Upper House on Monday where a member of National Assembly questioned about granting status to those undocumented foreign nationals. The Home Minister Balkrishna Khand replied, "Those who were left behind will also get their identification card and we are doing necessary homework to grant the document to them. We also bore that amiability that they also would be able to live an easy life." Those urban refugees that has continued to turn in front of UN refugee body had fled from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Iran and Iraq amongst others who entered Nepal on various timeframe. But now they are struggling to solve their hand to mouth problems and are worried for the forthcoming days. (ANI) A minor boy of the Hindu community was kidnapped from outside his residence by unidentified men in Sindh's Ranipur town, Express Tribune reported. According to police and family members, the incident took place on Monday morning when the boy, Aadesh Kumar, was playing with his two neighbourhood friends in front of his house. Two suspects riding a Honda 125 motorcycle appeared in the lane and kidnapped him. "Initially, the abductors tried to kidnap two children, but one managed to escape, so they fled the scene with Aadesh in front of the area people," Sawan Raj, maternal uncle of the child, told The Express Tribune. He said that the local people followed the suspects till Kot Banglow, some 50 km away from the crime scene, but they managed to escape. A man also sustained injuries after the kidnappers allegedly shot at him as he was trying to save Aadesh. "The nearby people saw the boy screaming from between the two bike riders when they crossed any populated area," Raj said, adding that soon after the incident, they informed the police. However, he lamented that the law enforcers have only given "empty assurances" for the child's recovery. According to the police, they have checked the CCTV recordings and have started an investigation into the matter. "We have also arrested a few suspects and hope that we will be able to recover the boy and arrest the real criminals," said Ranipur SHO Ameer Ali Chang. Hero Mal Aadesh's father, who runs a grocery shop in the Shahbaz Colony area of the town said that they belong to the lower middle class and cannot afford to pay ransom to recover his son. "We have not received any call from the kidnappers yet, but such incidents frequently happen with the intention of collecting ransom," he said, Express Tribune reported. After the incident, the Hindu community members and local activists protested in front of the police station by staging a sit-in. The protesters demanded the boy's recovery and strict security in the area to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. "Some time ago, a child belonging to the Hindu community was kidnapped from Babarloi Town of Khairpur Mir on World Children's Day. He was later sexually assaulted and murdered," Zameer Solangi, a local activist told the media. --IANS san/skp/ ( 396 Words) 2022-06-28-20:18:03 (IANS) A ringleader of the UK's notorious Rochdale grooming gang has won his battle against deportation back to his native Pakistan, media reports said. Abdul Aziz, known as 'The Master' by his fellow abusers, was stripped of his UK citizenship in 2018 after using human rights laws in a bid to avoid being thrown out of the country, Daily Mail reported. But while fellow gang members Adil Khan, 52, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 53, are still fighting efforts to send them back to Pakistan, the status of Aziz has been shrouded in secrecy. The 51-year-old taxi driver, who ferried victims to sex parties as far away as Leeds and Bradford, was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child and jailed for nine years in 2012, Daily Mail reported. But on Monday, to the outrage of campaigners, it was revealed that in reality, Aziz won his fight to stay in the UK almost four years ago. The truth was revealed when a barrister representing Rauf in his battle against deportation read out a document which she said then Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to Aziz on Halloween 2018. It revealed that Aziz renounced his Pakistani citizenship on July 13, 2018 - five days before a hearing before the Court of Appeal where he, Rauf and Khan lost their battle against being stripped of British nationality. As a result, the Home Secretary "has decided not to make a deprivation order in respect of you", the letter went on - meaning Aziz retained his British citizenship, Daily Mail reported. The Home Office last night failed to deny that Aziz was therefore no longer facing deportation. Whistleblower Maggie Oliver, who resigned a detective over failings in how police handled grooming cases in Rochdale, said victims would be "horrified" to learn that Aziz has secretly had his British citizenship restored. "All three of them should have been kicked out of the country as soon as they were released from prison," she told the Daily Mail. "Instead they've been given hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal aid to pay for clever lawyers who seek to defend the indefensible. "It's just the latest evidence that our criminal justice system is broken and that victims get no consideration at all." Victims have repeatedly told of their incredulity that the trio - all of whom had dual UK-Pakistani nationality - remain in the country a decade after they were jailed. --IANS san/ ( 419 Words) 2022-06-28-22:58:04 (IANS) US President Joe Biden congratulated Finland, Sweden and Turkey for reaching an agreement which will pave the way for the Nordic countries to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. In a statement, Biden said, "I congratulate Turkey, Finland and Sweden on signing a trilateral memorandum, which paves the way for Allies to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO at the Madrid Summit." US President recalled Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Sweden Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's visit to the White House and said that they strongly support their membership. "Their membership will strengthen NATO's collective security and benefit the entire Transatlantic Alliance. I look forward to working with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, our Allies, and with Congress to ensure that we can quickly welcome them into our Alliance," Biden said. "As we begin this historic NATO Summit in Madrid, our Alliance is stronger, more united and more resolute than ever," he added. Earlier, on Tuesday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said that Turkey has agreed to support Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids, removing a major hurdle to the two countries joining the alliance. In a statement, Niintso said that a joint memorandum on the matter was signed by Turkey, Finland and Sweden in Madrid. The joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey "to extend their full support against threats to each other's security," Niinisto said as quoted by CNN. "The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO allies during the next two days, but that decision is now imminent," he added. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he is "confident" that Finland and Sweden will be able to successfully join NATO after the signing of the trilateral memorandum of understanding. "I'm pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports, and the fight against terrorism," Stoltenberg said, speaking to journalists in Madrid following the signing of the memorandum. (ANI) Two women from Raleigh who were shot In downtown San Diego on Friday night have gained over $111,000 in support for medical costs. The San Diego Police Department reported that Lane Sheer and Toni Yrlas, employees for The Preiss Company, a Raleigh based student housing organization, were caught in the crossfire of an argument between two groups they were not part of. One of the women was shot in the hand and the other was shot in her upper body, according to police. They were on a business trip to attend the National Apartment Association conference in San Diego from June 22-24. The shooting occurred around 10:30 p.m. in a busy section of the city with several bars and restaurants. Police say an argument erupted between two groups and one person involved in the argument began shooting at the other group. No details have been released about the nature of the argument or how It started. Investigators have no leads on or accurate description of the shooter. GoFundMe support To help pay for surgeries, transport, rehabilitation and other expenses, Adam Byrley, the chief operating officer of the Preiss Company, created a GoFundMe page for Lane, the co-director of property operations, and Yrlas, a property training specialist. As of Tuesday morning, nearly 700 people had donated $112,623 surpassing a goal of $75,000. Donna Preiss, the founder of the Preiss Company, donated $10,000. The donations continue to increase. If you have ever met Lane and Toni before, you know how kind and sweet those two are, Byrley wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. Our collective families are devastated. As first reported by FOX 5 San Diego, a Twitter user posted a video shortly after the shooting showing a large crowd and the voice of an Individual on a scooter saying one of the women was shot in the chest. I live DT.. video from right after it happened.. kid on the scooter explained what happened saying woman got shot in the chest in front of Patricks pic.twitter.com/sWXAN6zRKp Tige (@Ryan_Theige) June 25, 2022 San Diego Police have asked anyone near the scene of the crime to contact their crime stopper at 888-580-8477. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information Is released. The Daily Beast CNNRepublican Gov. Kristi Noem ducked and dodged Sunday morning when asked if South Dakota would force a raped 10-year-old to give birtheventually suggesting that tragic situation shouldnt change her states restrictive abortion laws. The law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother, Noem told anchor Dana Bash on CNNs State of the Union.Bash had pressed Noem about the case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was denied an abortion because she was three days Xaiana bought black market misoprostol from a drug dealer and terminated a pregnancy. (Dado Galdieri/The New York Times) RIO DE JANEIRO Last November, Xaiana, a 23-year-old college student in northern Brazil, began exchanging text messages with a drug dealer in the south of the country. Following the dealers instructions, she transferred 1,500 reais ($285), her living expenses for several months. Then, she waited three agonizing weeks for the arrival in the mail of a blister pack of eight unmarked white pills. When she took them, they had the effect she was hoping for: She underwent a medication abortion at home with her boyfriend, ending an eight-week pregnancy. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times But Xaiana kept bleeding for weeks, an unusual but not rare complication. It was like a murder scene every time I had a shower, she said. She was afraid to get help because it is illegal for a woman in Brazil to use the drug, misoprostol, to trigger an abortion. If she went to a clinic, she feared, the staff might figure out she had induced the abortion and report her. The penalty for having an abortion in Brazil is up to three years in jail. Its the loneliest feeling Ive ever felt in my life, she said, asking to be identified only by her first name out of fear of prosecution. After seven weeks, she went to a womens clinic and admitted to having terminated a pregnancy. She was given a simple cauterization, and no one reported her. Proponents of abortion rights in the United States have suggested that a post-Roe America would differ in a key way from the era before abortion was legalized nationally. Women seeking abortions today have the option of a medical termination, using hormone pills to trigger the body to expel the fetus in private, a practice approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But the wave of state trigger laws that have begun to take effect after the Supreme Courts ruling overturning Roe on Friday bar all abortion, including medication abortions. To get the pills legally, women will have to travel to states where it is allowed for a medical consultation, even if it is by video or phone, as required by the FDA. Story continues The trajectory of access to abortion pills in Brazil may offer insight into how medication abortion can become out of reach and what can happen when it does. While surgical abortion was the original target of Brazils abortion ban, the proscription expanded after medication abortion became more common, leading to the situation today where drug traffickers control most access to the pills. Women who procure them have no guarantee of the safety or authenticity of what they are taking, and if they have complications, they fear seeking help. Today, black market misoprostol, brought in from India, Mexico and Argentina, is sold for anywhere from about $200 to $400 for the eight tablets recommended for an abortion, compared with less than $15 for a 60-pill bottle in the United States. It took a New York Times reporter less than one minute of asking to find someone willing to sell eight pills for $300, in a Rio neighborhood known for the sale of black market goods. You buy it from a dealer. You dont know what it is. The whole process is made frightening. Its secret. Its not a medicine anymore, said Maira Marques, who is the director of campaigns for an abortion access advocacy organization called Milhas pelas Vidas das Mulheres. This is supposed to be the straightforward, less complicated way to have an abortion, but now, instead, its buying contraband. It has been illegal in Brazil to have an abortion since 1890, although exceptions were added in 1940 for women who were pregnant as a result of rape or incest and in cases where a womans life was endangered by the pregnancy; more recently, access was added for women carrying a fetus with anencephaly (missing parts of its brain). But starting in the late 1980s, word spread that an ulcer medication called Cytotec could bring on a period. In fact, it was Brazilian womens experience with off-label use of the drug that led to research and eventual global adoption of medical abortion as a lower-cost, less invasive way to end pregnancies that could increase access, especially in developing countries. Cytotec is misoprostol, one-half of the World Health Organizations recommended combination of hormones (the other is mifepristone) to carry out a medication abortion. Mifepristone has never been approved for use in Brazil, and women, unaware of the drug, do not seek it on the black market. Misoprostol is usually enough to induce a safe abortion; a study published in The Lancet found that 8% of women who used misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy experienced complications, including bleeding and abdominal pain requiring medical attention. The drug was sold in pharmacies without a prescription until 1991, and then it was regulated to require prescription, although the prescription rules were lax. The availability of the pills sharply reduced the number of women turning up in hospitals with the life-threatening infections or hemorrhages from abortions they had tried to induce with the castor root or bleach or coat hangers, said Dr. Ana Teresa Derraik, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Rio. It was a big relief for those of us who didnt think women should be punished like this. But misoprostol was becoming a focus of attention for anti-abortion campaigners in Brazil and beyond. In 1998, Brazils health regulatory agency, ANVISA, included misoprostol on the list of controlled drugs, alongside opiates, which meant a prison sentence of up to 15 years for anyone caught importing or buying it. International pharmaceutical companies that made misoprostol were hit with boycotts and stopped producing it; a small domestic company took over manufacturing a generic version of the drug to sell only to the Ministry of Health for hospital use. In 2006, the law prohibiting misoprostol distribution was strengthened to ban selling or publishing information about the drug on the internet. When Jair Bolsonaro was elected Brazils president in 2018, with the enthusiastic support of Brazils fast-growing evangelical Christian community, access became even more scarce. International reproductive rights organizations such as Women on Web used to mail abortion pills to Brazil, and local feminist groups used to source them and supply them, along with instructions for safe use, said Juliana Reis, director of Milhas. Now they have almost entirely stopped. Because of the political climate, its much more difficult to get safe products and to get proper counseling, because the networks that used to do that are much more afraid, said Sonia Correa, a researcher of reproductive health technologies in Rio. New guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health this month include the assertion that inducing abortion by telemedicine, using drugs from the special control list, can cause irreversible damage to the woman. Dr. Helena Paro, a gynecologist in the city of Uberlandia who introduced telemedicine consultations for legal abortion patients during the COVID pandemic, called the guideline completely ideological and contrary to the scientific evidence. The WHO considers the practice safe. In response to questions from the Times, the ministry said the guidelines reflect that misoprostol is authorized only in hospital establishments, that its use outside this environment is not allowed by law and that use of misoprostol for abortion via telemedicine meant women would not have timely access to health services that can manage the possible clinical or surgical complications resulting from the procedure. Derraik said she has seen an intensification of scrutiny for use of misoprostol in the hospitals where she offers abortion services to women who qualify as well as a simultaneous increase in the level of investigation of women who report miscarriages. Other women have fallen into police traps. In 2012, a Rio sociologist decided she could not continue her pregnancy; she was already struggling to parent a 12-year-old with intense special needs. The sociologist (who asked to be identified by her first initial, A., because her family does not know about her abortion) went to her gynecologist. He said, This medication exists, Cytotec, but I cant give it to you; youll have to buy it from the black market, she recalled. She found a website, ordered the drug and paid several months salary for it, but the package never arrived; she was tracking it online and watched it stall when it entered the country. She found a drug-trafficking contact through a friend of a friend and bought a second batch, took the drug at home and ended the pregnancy with no complications her only regret being that she had to be alone through a frightening process. A year later, a letter arrived summoning her to the police. She thought it was about her car, which had been stolen the year before. But when she arrived, a male officer asked her, Do you know what Cytotec is? She said she did. He asked if she had bought it. She could see he had her credit card information from the purchase on the paper in front of him, so she admitted she had. He asked if she had carried out the abortion. She replied, Of course not. The medication never arrived. It turned out that police were monitoring the website where she bought misoprostol, traced the package and said they would charge her with unlawful purchase of a controlled substance. After several years of hearings, she entered an alternative sentencing program and performed 60 hours of community service. She continues to have to report her whereabouts to police and cannot leave her state. Womens reliance on the black market for access to medication abortions means they may not follow best medical practice. When C., a 24-year-old teacher in Recife, bought misoprostol from a drug dealer last year, she searched Google to figure out how to take it. Because it was illegal, there was no information about how to take it or what to take, she said. Her search found recommendations to insert the tablets in her vagina, as a doctor would if she were in a clinic, but cautioned that traces might be left behind and give her away if she wound up in hospital; instead, she dissolved them under her tongue, a method that also works but less quickly. C., who asked to be identified only her middle initial out of fear of prosecution, bled for weeks after and wanted to ask her mother, a gynecologist, for advice. But her mother is an anti-abortion activist. Finally, C. said she thought she had miscarried, and her mother took her to see a colleague who performed a dilation-and-curettage under anesthetic. When I was having the curettage, I had to keep saying over and over to myself, Dont say anything. You cant say anything. It was torture, she said. Even though I was totally sure that I wanted an abortion I had no doubts you still feel like youve done something wrong because you cant talk about it. The restriction on misoprostol has complicated regular obstetric care, which uses the drug for induction of labor, said Derraik. At the Rio public maternity hospital where she is medical director, a doctor must fill out a request in triplicate for the drug, have it signed by Derraik, take it to the pharmacy where the supervisor must also sign before taking it out of a locked cabinet, and then the physician must administer the drug with a witness to ensure it is not diverted for black market sale. Not all of these steps are officially required, Derraik said. But hospitals do them because of the intense paranoia around the drug. 2022 The New York Times Company A new royal court of famous faces could soon join the Oscars voting ranks. The Academy announced Tuesday the list of 397 Hollywood and international film community professionals invited to join AMPAS' 2022 class, including Outlander and Belfast star Caitriona Balfe, reigning Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), and superstar musician Billie Eilish, who won Best Original Song for her James Bond theme "No Time to Die" earlier this year. Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Billie Eilish Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Billie Eilish, more invited to join Academy in Oscars voting ranks. Joining the aforementioned trio on the list of invitees are CODA's Best Supporting Actor winner Troy Kotsur, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jessie Buckley, Jamie Dornan, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Finneas O'Connell, and Drive My Car mastermind Ryusuke Hamaguchi, among others. According to an Academy press release, the 2022 class is comprised of 44 percent women, with 37 percent belonging to underrepresented ethnic or racial communities. About 50 percent of the invited class are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States. Overall, 71 potential new members are Oscar nominees, including 15 winners. Oscar Winners FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images 2022 Oscars winners include Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur, and Jessica Chastain. An invitation to the Academy does not automatically guarantee membership; those invited are often asked to join in more than one branches (such as Hamaguchi, who was this year invited to join both the writing and directing groups), and must formally accept their invitation before becoming official Academy members. The Academy previously announced that Michael J. Fox would receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts at the upcoming Governors Awards, with Peter Weir, Euzhan Palcy, and 13-time songwriting nominee Diane Warren also receiving Honorary Awards at the same ceremony for their contributions to the industry. Story continues Per an internal survey obtained by EW earlier this year, the Academy is seemingly considering changes to its live telecast, following industry uproar over its decision to pre-tape the presentation of select technical categories and re-edit portions of those clips into the live show. Questions also referenced the decision to include an #OscarsFanFavorite audience-voted category for popular film moments of the year, which was announced during the ABC broadcast as well. See the full list of people invited to join the 2022 Academy class on the Oscars website. Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV. Related content: STORY: On February 24, Penn was in Kyiv attending a press briefing at Zelenskiy's on the first day of Russia's invasion, recording footage for a documentary chronicling the crisis. Days later, Penn found himself among thousands of refugees fleeing to Poland, joining the exodus on foot. Penn is producing the documentary on Russias invasion of Ukraine for Vice Studios, a U.S.-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company, according to Variety. During their meeting on Tuesday (June 28), Zelenskiy thanked Penn his support for Ukraine, according to the presidential office. For his part, Penn said he was willing to visit cities and towns affected by the war, the statement added. Jun. 28The father of missing Manchester child Harmony Montgomery will face decades in prison if convicted on charges handed up by a Hillsborough County grand jury. Indictments returned by a grand jury earlier this month against Montgomery, 32, spell out the tough sentencing provisions of two "armed career criminal" charges: A minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, with a maximum of 40 years. A judge cannot shave off any portion of the sentence. A judge cannot order the sentence served concurrently with another sentence. Early parole is prohibited. Authorities can bring the career-criminal charge against a person who has a record that includes three felonies and is arrested with a weapon in their possession. The grand jury returned six other felony charges against Montgomery, all in connection with a theft of two firearms that took place in September or October 2019, when Montgomery was living in a car in Manchester with his wife and children. Meanwhile, Montgomery's lawyers appeared in Hillsborough County Superior Court on Tuesday, where Judge Amy Messer set a date of Nov. 7 for jury selection on eight gun-related charges. Messer said she expects that most court papers filed in the future will be done so publicly and told lawyers on both sides that they have to consult the law when it comes to records involving Montgomery's daughter, Harmony, and the state Division for Children, Youth and Families. "I do believe the law is strongly in favor of public access unless it is required to be under seal," Messer said. "Don't ask me to put an entire pleading under seal unless there is no way to redact (portions)." Montgomery's daughter, Harmony, was last seen in the fall 2019 and is the subject of an ongoing search by Manchester police and the FBI. Both Adam Montgomery and his estranged wife, Kayla Montgomery, face criminal charges, some involving Harmony and some involving the gun thefts. Kayla Montgomery, Harmony's stepmother, has been the subject of frequent court hearings and is currently out on bail. But the hearing on Tuesday was the first time that Adam Montgomery's case was discussed in open court. He was not present. Story continues He will face three trials. The first will be on the gun-related charges, followed by two separate trials: one on a single charge of hitting Harmony in the face and another on misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and interfering with custody. The indictments issued against Montgomery on June 20 include two armed career criminal charges, two charges for theft, two for felon in possession of a firearm and two for receiving stolen property. All involve a rifle and shotgun stolen in Manchester in September or October 2019. Prosecutors often bring multiple charges against defendants to encourage cooperation with authorities. Police have steadfastly refused to discuss Adam or Kayla's cooperation with the investigation into Harmony's disappearance, but the lengthy list of charges hints at little if any. Montgomery's lawyer, Caroline Smith, said she is yet to have meaningful discussions about a plea bargain with the prosecutor in the case, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jesse O'Neill. No formal offer has been made, but Smith said no deadline was necessary. Smith's biggest concern was how to file court papers that mention records from DCYF. State law calls for such records to be confidential, but some have already been released. "I really need guidance here," Smith said. For example, under pressure from Gov. Chris Sununu, DCYF released a synopsis of the Harmony investigation. It attributed a black eye received by Harmony, which is the basis for the felony assault charge, as the result of horseplay. Out of an abundance of caution, Smith said she filed under seal a pleading that seeks to separate the 12 charges into three trials. That remained sealed as of Tuesday, O'Neill said police continue to receive tips about Harmony. Harmony's disappearance has received national attention, and three activists in the movement to find Harmony were in court on Tuesday. mhayward@unionleader.com Chapel of the Fields Loblolly Farm Loblolly Farm There's a tiny chapel in Semmes, Alabama, that's built to hold a whole lot of love. Gary Smith constructed Chapel of the Fields on his property at Loblolly Farm in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. The 14.44-square-foot structure measures 40 inches by 52 inches and holds two standing people. It is being billed as the "smallest church on Earth." "She's little bitty," Smith told AL.com. The current record for Smallest Church in the World is held by a chapel in Spain that is seven square feet larger than Chapel of the Fields. Smith said he's currently waiting to hear back from Guinness World Records about making the title official. "If anybody builds anything smaller, they'd just be putting a steeple on top of a phone booth," Smith told AL.com. Chapel of the Fields was designed to resemble an old-fashioned Southern church, topped by a wooden steeple in a cross design. While there has yet to be a ceremony inside the chapel, plenty of couples have taken photos there. It's become a bit of a roadside attraction. "We've seen [car] tags from Nevada, Texas, North Carolina People just keep stopping by," Smith told AL.com. "They're weird, like we are." For more information about Loblolly Farm and booking the tiny chapel for yourself, visit loblollyfarm.com. PROVIDENCE Dr. Stephen Salloway, director of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital and one of the nations leading Alzheimers disease researchers, is stepping down, the hospital announced on Tuesday. Salloway will continue his research and maintain his leadership roles at Brown University, according to a news release from Butler, which is part of the Care New England health-care network. He will serve as a consultant to interim director Dr. Meghan Riddle until a new permanent director is appointed, the hospital said. Dr. Stephen P. Salloway, Brown University professor of neurology and psychiatry, is stepping down as head of the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital. It has been my honor and privilege to lead the Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Program for the past 25 years. Thanks to the dedication of our staff and contribution of thousands of study volunteers, the Memory and Aging Program has grown into a leading international center for Alzheimers research, Salloway said in the release. Mary Marran, Butler president and chief operating officer, praised Salloway and his accomplishments, saying: We will remain forever grateful that he dedicated his career to this effort. Butler Hospital and Care New England look forward to continuing our work with Brown to advance AD research, including creating a caring environment that encourages people of all backgrounds to participate in research and take advantage of new treatments. Alzheimer's drug: FDA approves use of aducanumab despite cautions, criticism Butler hospital Alzheimers studies According to Butler, the Memory and Aging Program has conducted more than 100 clinical trials for Alzheimers and related disorders The program has embarked on a multitude of landmark Alzheimers studies focused on the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimers. Salloway will continue as the Martin M. Zucker Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and Professor of Neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and as associate director of the Brown University Center for Alzheimers Disease Research, according to Butler Hospital. Story continues A national search will be conducted to find Salloways successor. Mental health care: Butler Hospital workers seek government aid to boost services The scientist and doctor is the latest in a number of prominent Rhode Islanders to leave their posts or announce plans to do so. Former Lifespan head Dr. Timothy J. Babineau stepped down at the end of May, and Dr. James E. Fanale, his counterpart at Care New England, the states second-largest health care system after Lifespan, plans to leave early next year. Meanwhile, Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg announced last month that he will retire from that post on May 1, 2023. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Alzheimer's researcher Salloway to step down as Butler program head STORY: This festival celebrates Amazonian folklore Location: Parintins, Brazil This is the Boi-Bumba festival It features a three-day contest between red and blue teams to celebrate a local legend about a resurrected ox [Maracol Levy, Blue team performer] Every year is very exciting; it seems like it's always the first time. We get nervous and anxious, and after a two-year pause, the emotion is even bigger. We are very excited and happy to be here today. The festival was on pause due to the global health crisis This marks its 55th year PORTSMOUTH Andrew Kelly, currently serving his second term as an elected member of the Town Council, announced Monday his candidacy for the District 11 state Senate seat currently held by James Seveney, who will not seek reelection. District 11 was adjusted by the states recently passed redistricting legislation to remove a section of North Tiverton and include only Portsmouth and the southern end of Bristol. North Tiverton is now a part of District 10. In addition to his position on the Town Council, Kelly, running as an Independent, previously served as an elected member of the School Committee for six years. He also indicated in a press release his service on Town Council-appointed committees, including the Economic Development Committee, the Glen Manor House Authority, the Elmhurst Re-use Committee and the Charter Review Committee. Election 2022: Chappell seeks to bring voice and law experience to State House as state Senate candidate During my years of service, I have championed high-quality public education, improved roads and infrastructure and preservation of our environment," Kelly said in the press release announcing his candidacy. "We are facing difficult economic challenges, and I would like to help foster small businesses and job creation. I will always stand up for the rights of women, workers and all Rhode Islanders. Andrew Kelly. Kelly, a Portsmouth High School and Salve Regina University graduate who works for the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, stated in the press release his family has multi-generational roots in Portsmouth. He is a parishioner of Saint Barnabas Roman Catholic Church and serves on the Portsmouth Community Theaters board of directors. Election 2022: Portsmouth Town Council Vice President Linda Ujifusa will run for open state Senate seat "I am running for state Senate because I can effectively represent the people of Portsmouth and Bristol," Kelly said in the release. "There are key legislation and reforms that should be put in place and I am willing to do what needs to be done to help my constituents." Kelly is the second member of the Portsmouth Town Council to seek the District 11 seat after Vice President Linda Ujifusa announced her candidacy in mid-June. Local attorney Matt Chappell also intends to run. All three are Democrats. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: State Senate District 11: Portsmouth Town Councilor Andrew Kelly to run SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A man who shot and killed a passenger on a San Francisco subway commuter train will be charged with gun crimes but not homicide in what was clearly" a case of self-defense after he was attacked with a knife, his attorney said Monday. Javon Green, 26, will face charges of having a concealed weapon in a public place and having a loaded gun in a public place, both felonies that possibly could be reduced to misdemeanors, attorney Randy Knox told the San Francisco Chronicle. Green was scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office declined to comment to the paper Monday. Messages from The Associated Press seeking comment weren't immediately returned. Green shot to death Nesta Bowen, 27, last Wednesday on a Muni train, his attorney said. Knox told the paper that his client was a security guard who carried a gun for protection because he had twice been shot, and that he had twice tried to move away from a man on the train who is believed to be Bowen. The man had been sitting next to Green. According to his client's account, the man was mumbling and saying aggressive things" to Green, who got up and walked away from him, but the man followed him and took a knife from his pants, Knox said. According to Knox, Green said to him, what are you going to do, stab me? And thats when he started to run away, Knox said. Its a clear case of self-defense. Surveillance footage obtained by the Chronicle appeared to show the man pulling something from his pocket and charging at Green, swinging at his face with his fist and what appears to be a knife, the paper said. Green backs up but as they approach the end of the train car, Green shoots the man, the paper said. Police said the shooter fled when the train stopped in the Castro neighborhood. Green was arrested the next day in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Pittsburg. A 70-year-old passenger on the train was wounded and received non-life threatening injuries. Knox said Green apologized to the man and to other train passengers. (Bloomberg) -- Chinas two largest cities have contained Covid-19 following a bruising four-month fight that saw millions of residents locked in their homes, exhaustive testing and restrictions on daily life that impacted every facet of society and the economy. Most Read from Bloomberg The capital and financial hub both recorded zero new locally-transmitted Covid infections for Monday, the first time both cities had no virus freely circulating since Feb. 19. Nationwide, China reported just 22 cases, according to the National Health Commission. Reaching the milestone in Beijing and Shanghai shows it is possible to eliminate the virus despite the arrival of the highly-contagious omicron variants that are able to evade immunity gained from vaccination. The victory has come at a significant cost, however, and doesnt mean the fight is over. New infections could emerge, triggering a renewed cycle of containment in either city. China itself hasnt been virus-free since October, but is still pursuing its intensive Covid Zero strategy. Constant Cycle of Restrictions Is Chinas Covid Future Its not surprising that China has managed to return to so-called zero, after all the huge effort its made, said Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. But that doesnt mean it can claim a thorough and durable victory because it didnt eradicate the virus, he said. Unless they thoroughly fence off Beijing and Shanghai, the virus could sneak in anytime. Halting local circulation of the virus required harsh measures to root out infections and break chains of transmission. In Shanghai, which last reported no new community cases on Feb. 23, more than 25 million residents endured a two-month lockdown. Targeted restrictions, extensive contact tracing and regular testing are now widespread in both cities. Story continues Lofty Goals The demands of Covid Zero show how difficult it is to stamp out the infectious pathogen for long, and underscore the risk facing the worlds second largest economy. Many now expect Beijing to miss its 5.5% growth goal for the year, with economists projecting 4.2% gross domestic product gains in 2022. The repercussions are being felt around the world, with Nike Inc. the latest company to offer a gloomy forecast based on dimming expectations in China. Zero tolerance is isolating China from the rest of the world, which is awash in the virus after shifting to living with it. Still, Chinese authorities are under massive pressure to insulate the economy from Covid Zero, especially ahead of the Communist Party congress later this year when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term. There is no end in sight for local leaders who are juggling efforts to keep Covid out while spurring their economies. At least five key cities and provinces have said virus control measures will continue as their party chiefs -- many of whom are Xis close allies -- addressed local party congresses in recent days. Chongqing party boss Chen Miner pledged no slack in implementing Covid control measures. Tianjins Li Hongzhong promised to normalize pandemic prevention. And while Beijing Daily retracted a report that sparked a social media backlash for saying the capital would stick to a zero-tolerance approach in the next five years, it was based on comments from party leaders who were addressing the major tasks for the next five years. Meanwhile, Shanghais leader said the citys approach was completely correct as he declared victory in defending the financial hub against Covid-19. Most pandemic restrictions in Beijing, which last reported zero cases on April 16, are on track to be eased and students will be allowed to return to in-person school on Monday. But there is a new normal. Residents are required to show a green code on a mobile app that tracks their health status, and take a Covid test every three days to enter any public venue, including restaurants, shops, and mass transportation. Even kids over age three must be tested to play in the park. Looming Threat The virus is still circulating elsewhere in the country, as well. Several cases have emerged in the technology hub Shenzhen, which is in the spotlight as Xi is expected to stay there later this week during the 25th anniversary celebration of the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese. His attendance is also anticipated at the swearing-in ceremony for the citys incoming chief executive John Lee. There were five local infections in Shenzhen on Monday, found after the Futian district that borders Hong Kong was locked down, non-essential businesses were shut and restrictions were imposed on residents leaving their compounds. The northern port city of Tianjin also reported four Covid infections on Monday. They were found during regular checks of staffers working in a closed-loop system used for inbound international flights, state media reported, citing the municipal government. Its unclear how or when China will exit the Covid Zero mindset. From the government perspective, authorities think the costs are worth it as they believe they have avoided the most dangerous situation, said Huang, from the Council on Foreign Relations. And while the government claims the social and economic costs are still affordable, there are far larger indirect costs that havent been taken into account, he said. We cant foresee an end. (Adds outside comment in the fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. President Biden on Tuesday said the Pentagon will send additional Navy destroyers to Spain as part of U.S. efforts bolster NATO defenses in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine. In talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Biden promised to increase the number of Navy destroyers stationed at Rota Naval Station in Spain from four to six. As I said before the war started, if Putin attacked Ukraine, the United States would enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the reality of a new European security environment, he said alongside Sanchez after the two met. Together, the new commitments will constitute an impressive display of allied unity and resolve and NATOs 360-degree approach to our security. Biden, who is in Madrid as part of a three-day NATO summit, said the additional destroyers are just one of several announcements that he and allies would make during the gathering. National security adviser Jake Sullivan referenced those announcements earlier aboard Air Force One as Biden was flying to Madrid, telling reporters they will respond to a more acute and aggravated Russian threat. The United States will be making specific announcements tomorrow on land, sea and air on additional force posture commitments over the long term beyond the duration of this crisis, for however long it goes on, Sullivan said. Among those expected announcements is a plan to extend the presence of American troops in Poland, who were initially stationed there following Russias Feb. 24 attack against Ukraine. The Pentagon deployed at least 4,700 U.S. troops to Poland, which borders Ukraine, while other American forces were repositioned in Germany and Romania ahead of the invasion. The troops have added to a significant U.S. force presence increase in Europe from about 80,000 troops to roughly 100,000 since late February. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said the alliance plans to significantly increase its quick-reaction force to well over 300,000 soldiers, a huge boost from the forces current 40,000-person standing. We will enhance our battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance up to brigade-levels. We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000, Stoltenberg said at a Monday news conference. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Tuesday confirmed that President Biden will meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in July. Ebrard confirmed the news on Twitter and added that the meeting between Lopez Obrador and Biden will take place on July 12. He shared that the agenda for the meeting has already been agreed upon with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House team. The meeting will come a month after Lopez Obradors snub of the U.S.-led Summit of the Americas; the Mexican president pulled out of the event after the U.S.s refusal to invite the leaders of Cuba and Nicaragua and representatives of the Maduro government in Venezuela. There can be no Summit of the Americas if all the countries of the American continent do not participate, Lopez Obrador said in May. Or there can be, but we believe that means continuing of old politics of interventionism, of a lack of respect of their communities. Lopez Obrador, who has praised former President Trump despite Trumps anti-Hispanic campaign rhetoric, has had a tense relationship with Biden since he took office. He had initially refused to recognize the results of the U.S. presidential election and said he would hold off on recognizing Bidens win until it was officially announced. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports For weeks, two teams have been linked to Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield the Panthers and the Seahawks. With all teams in position to study film from offseason workouts and with plenty of teams perhaps not having clear answers at the position, which teams should be at least pondering the possibility of a potential upgrade [more] In the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Chicago fired off hundreds of letters Monday to Fortune 500 CEOs in states facing abortion bans, pitching the city as a more welcoming location for their businesses. The letter, which was signed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other civic leaders, was mailed to about 300 CEOs in 25 states that are enacting trigger bans, restricting access and criminalizing abortion. It warns that employees in those states may suffer and see their lives upended as a result of the decision to end the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right. Advertisement As you weigh the repercussions facing your employees, customers and vendors, we welcome the opportunity to highlight the ways in which Chicago remains a welcoming city for all, the letter states. [ The Supreme Courts ruling on Roe v. Wade could offer a surprising benefit to Illinois: More corporate offices ] World Business Chicago, the citys public-private economic development arm, launched the letter-writing campaign. It is buying a full-page ad this week in The Wall Street Journal featuring a copy of the letter, which was also signed by Michael Fassnacht, president and CEO of World Business Chicago, and Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments and vice chair of the economic development agency. Advertisement The Supreme Court decision Friday struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which along with the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, held abortion was protected by the 14th Amendment until a fetus was viable outside the womb. With abortion no longer a constitutional right, states are free to enact their own standards, with a wave of restrictions and outright bans expected to severely limit access for many women. The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization that supports reproductive rights, projects 26 states are certain or likely to attempt to ban abortion following the Supreme Court ruling, including such longtime Illinois corporate rivals as Texas, Florida, Arizona, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Indiana. Illinois is among about a dozen states classified as protective of abortion rights by the Guttmacher Institute. Current state regulations allow for abortion until fetal viability at 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy, with state Medicaid and private health insurance plans required to cover the procedure. Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago to protest the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortions, on June 24, 2022. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for a special legislative session this summer to increase legal protections for providers and potentially expand the ranks of medical professionals allowed to perform abortions as Illinois prepares for an expected influx of out-of-state patients. World Business Chicago is unabashedly promoting a values proposition as states competing with Illinois for corporate headquarters rush to ban abortion, despite polls that show the majority of Americans do not support overturning Roe v. Wade. When companies or capital or talent makes a decision about where to start a career, where to relocate or expand, you have to take into consideration the values that a city and a state has, and it has to be part of the site selection decision, Fassnacht said. Its not just always about low taxes, it is the value and the climate that your employees are living in. Last week, the Chicago area suffered its latest corporate blow when billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin announced he was moving Citadels headquarters to Miami. Earlier this month, Caterpillar announced it would relocate its headquarters from north suburban Deerfield to Irving, Texas, outside Dallas. Fassnacht declined to comment on the impending moves, calling on employees of companies considering relocation to states with more restrictive abortion laws to speak up for themselves. Advertisement I encourage employees working for companies who are contemplating where to build their business or relocate, to raise their voice and make sure that their CEOs know about their feelings, that they might feel uncomfortable moving to one of these states that does not protect your rights, Fassnacht said. It is not the first time World Business Chicago has attempted to leverage the fallout from controversial legislation to lure businesses to relocate. In April, the agency took out full-page newspaper ads in Florida, Texas and Arizona touting Chicagos inclusivity as those states enacted legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, such as the Florida education law critics have dubbed Dont Say Gay. Last September, World Business Chicago took out a full-page ad in the Sunday Dallas Morning News inviting businesses to head north after Texas passed restrictive abortion and voting legislation. rchannick@chicagotribune.com US Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell wipes his eye as he watches a video being displayed during a House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Jim Bourg/Pool via AP A Capitol Police officer said on Tuesday that "our own president set us up" on January 6, 2021. "He wanted to lead the mob and wanted to lead the crowd himself ... he wanted to be a tyrant," Sgt. Aquilino Gonell told HuffPost. Gonell attended the sixth public hearing of the House January 6 committee on Tuesday. A US Capitol Police officer injured during the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol told reporters on Tuesday "our own president set us up" during the sixth public hearing of the House commitee investigating the Capitol riot. Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, an Army veteran who was in the room during Tuesday's hearing, testified before Congress last year about the injuries he suffered while defending the Capitol. Gonell underwent surgery and was moved to desk duty as a result of the injuries he sustained to his foot and shoulder while being physically attacked by rioters during the Capitol siege. "I just feel betrayed," Gonell told HuffPost's Igor Bobic on Tuesday. "The president should be doing everything possible to help us and he didn't do it. He wanted to lead the mob and wanted to lead the crowd himself ... he wanted to be a tyrant." He later told Insider that he still remembers how him and his fellow officers tried to stop pro-Trump supporters from forcing their way inside of the US Capitol building on January 6. Gonell said the latest hearing has shown that Trump was actively "working against" the police officers that day. "Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know, he still didn't do anything to help us," he told Insider. His remarks come after Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, testified before the House panel investigating the January 6 insurrection. She later testified that President Donald Trump was "furious" that people with weapons were prohibited from passing through metal detectors outside of his rally on January 6 because it kept the crowd size small. Hutchinson said the former president ordered his aides to remove the metal detectors, also known as "mags," and said that he wasn't concerned that his supporters brought weapons, including assault rifles, to the rally, insisting they be allowed to march to the Capitol. Hutchinson said, "I was in the vicinity of a conversation where I overheard the president say something to the effect of, 'I don't f-ing care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the f-ing mags away. Let my people in, they can march to the Capitol from here.'" Read the original article on Business Insider ABC It was a rare and opportune moment to have a woman hosting a network late-night talk show. As previously scheduled, comedian Chelsea Handler began her week of shows filling in for Jimmy Kimmel just a few days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Ill be here all week long, Handler said at the top of her monologue. Or at least until Republicans make it illegal for women to talk. She then joked that Kimmel is currently on vacation doing whatever the fuck he wants with his body. And then, At this point, Id probably have more rights if my vagina was an AR-15. Overall, Handler took the opportunity to tell numerous jokes that never could have been made by the shows regular host, including one about women deleting period-tracking apps from their photos. Because if they get an abortion, theyre worried law enforcement might use the data to track and prosecute them, she explained. I also deleted my menstruation app, but mostly because Im on the eve of menopause. The court decision, Handler said, has made her a very strong advocate of the pull-out method, which she described as when you pull Clarence Thomas out of the Supreme Court. I was thinking to myself, who would ever marry a pig like Clarence Thomas, she added, before pointing to Ginni Thomas insurrectionist tendencies. Thats right, she was working behind the scenes to overturn a democratic election. Isnt it so beautiful when two disgusting and awful people find each other? They are the ultimate abuse-of-power couple. The whole thing is especially upsetting, Handler said, when you realize that three of the six justices who voted to overturn Roe were appointed by a former president with a over a dozen sexual assault allegations, who lost the popular vote twice, who was impeached twice, and attempted a coup because hes a little, fat, big baby loser. Samantha Bee Goes on With COVID to Raise Hell Over Roe Decision Handler also sounded off on the Republicans who still claim to be pro-life despite doing everything they can to make life harder for the same kids they claim they want to save by outlawing abortion. Story continues Universal health care, thats pro-life, she said. Restricting guns, thats pro-life. Fighting climate change, thats also pro-life. Listening to doctors during a pandemic, also pro-life. Not forcing women to give birth like livestock. But your party opposes all of those things. Calling Republicans pro-life is like calling O.J. Simpson pro-wife. And Handler made sure viewers knew she was speaking from experience as someone who had three abortions while still high school. And if that sounds too extreme, lets pretend I had two, she joked. Because heres the thing, this planet is a much safer place without me polluting it with my children, she concluded. For more, listen to Chelsea Handler on The Last Laugh podcast. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. This vehicle, thought to be a Chevy Malibu, is believed to have been involved in a robbery and homicide on the city's Northeast Side on Saturday night. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Terry Kelley at 614-645-0907. Columbus police homicide detectives are asking for help in identifying and locating suspects in a Saturday night shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead. Around 10:10 p.m. Saturday, Neal Smith, 24, had made a cash purchase at a market on the 2000 block of Arygle Drive on the city's Northeast Side. Police have released photographs of people they say are suspects in Saturday's homicide. Surveillance video shows three men "closely watching" Smith as he receives his change, according to Columbus police. Smith then left the market and was followed by the three men, who were in a vehicle. That vehicle is believed to be a Chevy Malibu with damage to the rear passenger side. Smith's killing is 61st homicide: Man killed in Northeast Side shooting; 14-year-old charged in separate stabbing As Smith approached the intersection of Argyle Drive and Woodland Avenue, two of the three men got out of the vehicle and approached Smith. Witnesses told police they heard Smith yell "Just take it" followed "almost immediately" by gunfire. One of the suspects in a Saturday night homicide has a number of distinctive tattoos, including this one on his left hand. Police are asking for anyone with information to contact Det. Terry Kelley at 614-645-0907. The two men then ran back to the vehicle, which drove off southbound on Woodland Avenue. Smith attempted to run after being shot, but he collapsed a short distance later. A 34-year-old woman who was in the area but had nothing to do with the incident also was struck by gunfire. She also ran a short distance before collapsing. Homicide database: Here's where homicides have occurred in Columbus since 2017 Detectives believe Smith was targeted for a robbery because he had cash. One of the suspects has several distinctive tattoos, including what appears to be a spiderweb on his left hand. Detectives do not believe Smith knew the men who robbed and shot him. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Terry Kelley at 614-645-0907 or email him at tkelley@columbuspolice.org. Anonymous tips can also be called in to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police need help ID'ing suspects in Saturday night shooting Fifty-five years after its inception, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival was finally recognized by Congress. The U.S. Senate agreed by unanimous consent on a resolution that acknowledges the festival and the 1970 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The resolution was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. It states that the last weekend of June 2022 will commemorate the first weekend of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, with the Senate recognizing that the festival represented a shift in Black culture, consciousness, and expression. The festival, which ran for six weeks the same summer as Woodstock, kicked off on June 29, and was the subject of the documentary that swept the nation, Questloves Summer of Soul. The Oscar and Grammy winning film looked at the festival and how unknown it is in history, forgotten by the masses for decades. According to Rolling Stone, the festival was the brain child of New York City Parks department employee Tony Lawrence in 1967. Lawrence was a local entertainer who was hired by the department to organize summertime programming in Harlem. Held in Harlems Mount Morris Park (now known as Marcus Garvey Park), the festival celebrating Blackness, featuring free events that celebrated Black people and highlighted Black music. Over the next few summers, the festival grew exponentially. Great artists like Count Basie, Bobby Blue Bland, Tito Puente, and Mahalia Jackson performed to tens of thousands of festival-goers. Soon, White politicians gunning for bigger political opportunities, as well as Black community organizers and civil rights leaders, wanted to make an appearance at the festival. It was official The Harlem Cultural Festival was a force to be reckoned with. Story continues In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination, the community needed the festival more than ever. Lawrence hustled to get the funding and support needed to make the 1969 festival bigger than ever. A record 300,000 people showed up, and some of the greatest entertainers of all time, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King, and many, many more, graced the stage. The Black Panthers even provided security for the event, History reports. 69 was a pivotal time period for a lot of Black people in the country to have self-pride and self-love, Questlove explained on a call discussing the Senate resolution. That was a new concept to them. Schumer was also present on the call, and when he asked how folks learned of the festival, Summer of Soul producer Joseph Patel explained information was spread the old fashion way. Mostly in Harlem, word of mouth, local radio, he said. Some people from other boroughs showed up, but really it was put on for the community and sort of kept within the community. David Dinerstein, another producer on the film, echoed his explanation. He also noted that the festival didnt get the coverage it deserved. Unfortunately the media didnt really pay much attention it got very little coverage both on the promotion side and the review side after the fact, he explained. Questlove shared his shock at the Senates recognition on social media. WHOA! He wrote, probably realizing the influence Summer of Soul had on Congress. The resolution takes it a step further, encouraging collaborations between the U.S. government and Black artists, Rolling Stone reports. It encourages Senators to plan appropriate activities that support the objectives of the [festivals]and encourages local governments in the United States to build partnerships with local Black artists, performers and activists to further uplift Black culture and art and promote equal treatment of all people. The New Voice of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine are successfully using new weapons delivered from the U.S., said Foreign Policy journalist Jack Detsch on Twitter on July 1. In particular, he commended the use of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to target Russian command posts and weaken their capabilities on the battlefield. This was noted at a closed briefing at the U.S. Department of Defense. The Biden administration is preparing to send an advanced air defense system to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight back against the Russian invasion, an announcement that was followed by a devastating Kremlin strike on a Ukrainian mall. Well share the details on the Washingtons latest weapons pledge and Russias response, plus NATOs move to increase its quick-reaction force and what to watch for at this weeks NATO meeting. This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, Im Ellen Mitchell. Subscribe here. US preps advanced air defense system for Ukraine The Biden administration is preparing to send an advanced air defense system to Ukraine as part of another tranche of military assistance to help Kyiv fight back against the Russian invasion. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit Monday that the U.S. is in the process of finalizing a package that will include advanced air defense capabilities, though he declined to provide details on the specific system. This week, as the President told his fellow G-7 leaders and as he told President Zelensky we do intend to finalize a package that includes advanced medium- and long-range air defense capabilities for the Ukrainians, along with some other items that are of urgent need, including ammunition for artillery and counterbattery radar systems, Sullivan said. More details: CNN reported that the Biden administration is preparing to send Ukraine a Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, a medium- to long-range air defense system that has a range of more than 100 miles. A plea: President Biden and other G-7 leaders met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, the second day of the summit in Germany. Sullivan said that during the closed-door meeting, Zelensky brought up recent Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and asked for more air defense capabilities that could shoot Russian missiles out in the sky. The Ukrainians have been pleading for more heavy weapons to push back against the Russian assault that has been focused on the eastern part of the country. Story continues Still unclear: Its unclear precisely when the U.S. will finalize the next military assistance for Ukraine. The Biden administration just last week announced another $450 million security assistance package including more advanced rocket systems, ammunition and other weaponry. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters later on Monday that the U.S. is seeking ways to help Ukraines air defense: Thats certainly something that were looking at is the way to help the Ukrainians with additional air defense assets. I dont have the particulars associated with the systems, but as soon as we know that and as soon as those are finalized, we will certainly work to provide you with those details and the particulars of the systems that were employing. Read more here NATO to significantly increase quick-reaction force While the West moves to ship more weapons to Ukraine, NATO seeks to bolster its defenses against any potential conflict spillover by significantly increasing its quick-reaction force to well over 300,000 soldiers, the head of the alliance said Monday. During a news conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance plans to increase its Response Force on its eastern flank. We will enhance our battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance up to brigade-levels. We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000, Stoltenberg said. We will also boost our ability to reinforce in crisis and conflict. What that includes: Stoltenberg said the boost in military units will also include more pre-positioned equipment, stockpiles of military supplies, more forward-deployed capabilities, upgraded defense plans and strengthened command and control. These troops will exercise together with home defense forces, and they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and our new pre-positioned stocks, Stoltenberg said. So that they can respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency. Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War. Read more here Alleged Russian attack on Ukrainian mall rocks West People watch as smoke bellows after a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping mall, in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Monday, June 27, 2022. Ukrainian officials say scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post Monday that the number of victims was unimaginable, citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged on Monday that Russia had hit a crowded shopping mall in the Kremenchuk region, calling it one of the most daring terrorist acts in European history, with resulting casualties likely significant. Sharing video from the strike on his Telegram account, Zelensky said: The mall is on fire, firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine. He added that about 1,000 people may have been in the structure when it was struck, and the shopping mall had posed no strategic value or danger to Russian forces. This is not a mistaken hit of missiles. This is a planned Russian strike at this shopping center, Zelensky said. Western leaders react: The G7 leaders quickly condemned the attack as abominable in a joint statement on Monday. We, the Leaders of the G7, solemnly condemn the abominable attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, according to the statement. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account. An increase in strikes: Earlier on Monday, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters that Russia has increased its strikes into Ukraine in the past week, though they could not pinpoint the reason. It could be related to the G7. It certainly could be related to the Ukrainian movement of [High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems] into theater, they said, referencing the system the West was providing Kyiv in its fight. Or it could be a larger portion of their long-term battle strategy here. Im just not sure. Read that story here Pentagon: Russias latest nuke threats irresponsible Russian President Vladimir Putins weekend pledge to transfer nuclear-capable missile systems to Belarus is being viewed by U.S. officials as cavalier and irresponsible language, a senior U.S. defense official said Monday. Certainly, anytime anybody uses the word nuclear you have concerns. Quite honestly it seems pretty irresponsible of a national leader to talk about the employment of nuclear weapons and to do so in a generally cavalier fashion, the defense official told reporters in an on-background briefing. Over the weekend: Putin on Saturday told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the Kremlin will transfer Russian-made Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus in the next few months. The mobile, short-range ballistic missile systems with a range of up to 310 miles can use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both in conventional and nuclear versions, the Russian leader told Lukashenko at a meeting in St. Petersburg, according to a readout from Moscow. Always watching: The U.S. defense official said Washington takes such threatening language seriously and has from the very beginning of Russias attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24. The way that statement read from Putin was, Hey were going to give them Iskanders, and oh, by the way, they can hold nuclear weapons. And everybody takes that very seriously when you use that language, the official said. Our strategic forces are always monitoring things in that regard, they added. Read the full story here BIDEN AT NATO SUMMIT: FIVE THINGS TO WATCH President Biden will convene with allies this week at a NATO summit in Madrid, which is expected to focus on the security alliance projecting its unity and coordination amid Russias war in Ukraine. The meeting, which follows the Group of Seven summit in Germany, is expected to cover a hosts of issues beyond the Russian war, including the bids by Finland and Sweden to join the organization. Read about the five things to watch for at the meeting here ON TAP TOMORROW President Biden will attend the G-7 summit where he will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz , French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson , then deliver remarks at the final session of the summit. He will then travel to Madrid to participate in the NATO summit. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Madrid to attend the NATO Leaders Summit and then to Stuttgart, Germany for the change of command ceremony for Gen. Christopher Cavoli , set to become head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will give the opening speech at the Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Madrid, Spain at 9:30 a.m. The U.S. Institute of Peace will host a virtual discussion on Delivering Justice for Ukraine: Pursuing Accountability for Russian Atrocities and Restoring the Constitutional Rights of the Ukrainian People, with Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova ; Ukrainian Ambassador at Large Anton Korynevych ; U.S. Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova , at 1 p.m. The Atlantic Council, the Elcano Royal Institute, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Munich Security Conference will provide a NATO Public Forum during the NATO Summit at 3 p.m. The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold an event on National Security and Artificial Intelligence: Global Trends and Challenges, at 4 p.m. WHAT WERE READING Thats it for today. Check out The Hills Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow! VIEW THE FULL EDITION HERE For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Phenix City dentist was arrested Monday after shooting a technician in the parking lot of the office on 4th Street. The Phenix City Police Department responded to a shooting at about 6 p.m. and found Phenix City resident Michael Brown, 30, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release. Brown was shot during a verbal altercation with Dr. Hugh Ogletree, 73, of Salem, Alabama. Ogletree was arrested at the scene and booked into the Russell County Jail where he made bond. He was charged with attempted murder, said Phenix City police Capt. Darrell Lassiter. Brown was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional for his wounds. The Phenix City Criminal Investigations Division is looking into the incident. A suspect believed to be holding two women hostage was fatally shot by deputies along Floridas Space Coast following a chase that spanned three counties. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The Brevard County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that a woman on Saturday night was shot and kidnapped in Osceola County, located south of Orlando. The suspect was pursued into Indian River County and then Brevard County with the wounded woman and another woman in his car. The suspect fired several times at Indian River County deputies. After the suspects car became disabled in Brevard County, the wounded woman was able to escape the vehicle and was assisted by Brevard County deputies, according to the news release. The suspect then fled into nearby woods holding a gun to the head of the other woman, authorities said. Aviation units tracked the suspect and hostage, and the man was fatally shot following an exchange of gunfire with deputies on the ground, the news release said. Read: Man exonerated after wrongful conviction accused of shooting man on Jacksonvilles Northside No deputies were injured during the shootout. Both women were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The Brevard County Sheriffs Office didnt release the names of the suspect, hostages or deputies involved. As is customary, the deputies involved in the shootout have been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. The U.S. Supreme Courts decision to undo Roe v. Wade and end federal protections for abortion has propelled companies into the issue of reproductive freedom, with some employers around the country saying they will cover expenses when workers travel to get an abortion. The topic has taken on heightened importance for Illinois, whose role as a haven of legal abortion care in the Midwest is likely to be amplified as other nearby states have, or are expected to, ban or significantly limit abortion access. Terminating a pregnancy is enshrined in Illinois state law as a fundamental right. Advertisement But for workers in the roughly half of the states that are expected to curtail or ban abortion, two law professors said plans to cover travel costs to undergo the procedure could face headwinds. Advertisement Executives at Bolingbrook-based Ulta Beauty said the company would provide travel expense assistance for eligible reproductive health services where access to care is restricted, including legal abortions. The coverage took effect Friday, the same day as the Supreme Court ruling, according to a company statement. As always, we encourage our teams and our guests to learn more and act on issues important to them by making their voice heard and their vote count, company executives said in a statement. Banking giant JPMorgan Chase will also cover travel to receive legal abortions, according to a company benefits memo sent June 1. JPMorgan has long covered abortion under a health insurance plan, and also covered travel for certain health care services. In July the travel coverage is set to expand to all health care services that can only be obtained far from home, including, for some, legal abortion. Spokespeople for Ulta Beauty and JPMorgan Chase declined to specify how many employees could be eligible for the policies because they live in states that restrict abortions. Chase Tower on July 6, 2021. JPMorgan Chase occupies much of the 1.9 million-square-foot tower. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Among the other companies that said they would cover employee travel costs are The Walt Disney Co., Facebook parent Meta, American Express, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. Companies like Apple, Starbucks, Lyft and Yelp reiterated after Fridays ruling previous statements taking similar action. Outdoor clothing maker Patagonia posted on LinkedIn Friday that it would provide training and bail for those who peacefully protest for reproductive justice and time off to vote. Chicago-based United Airlines said in a memo to employees that its benefit policies did not change as a result of the Supreme Court ruling. The companys medical plans cover reproductive health care. In an email to the Tribune, spokeswoman Christine Salamone said employees can fly on United for free. Chicago-based McDonalds did not respond Monday to a Tribune question about its policies. The Associated Press reported the company also did not respond to a request from the news organization Friday, and neither did dozens of other big businesses. Even as companies announce policies in response to the ruling, World Business Chicago, the citys economic development agency, has already seized on the states abortion rights protections, mailing letters Monday to some 300 Fortune 500 companies located in states that have or are expected to limit abortion access, and offering to highlight the ways in which Chicago remains a welcoming city for all. Advertisement Residents of those states including those who work at your company may suffer as a result of this decision (undoing Roe v. Wade), the agency wrote in the letters, signed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, vice chair Mellody Hobson and CEO Michael Fassnacht. Families and individuals can now be punished for private healthcare decisions. Not to mention, many lives will be upended as people are stripped of 50-year-old right. Meanwhile, companies that are covering travel to receive an abortion out of state could face roadblocks or confusion. One concern is whether a company paying travel costs might face a lawsuit for violating a state ban on aiding and abetting an abortion. There could also be tax implications for employees, said Robin Wilson, a University of Illinois College of Law professor. She praised Gov. J.B. Pritzker for calling a special legislative session, saying it was necessary to sort through these and other issues. There are these sort of downstream questions, she said. Its what I would call a bramble of issues. States could also pass other laws targeting companies that pay for travel to receive an abortion, said Sonia Green, an associate law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. But overall, companies that pay for travel are likely to have protections, she said. Enforcing some of the laws states could enact would be difficult, and many types of insurance plans are subject to a federal law that restricts states ability to regulate insurance. About 65% of workers get their insurance through plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, she said. Advertisement I think the landscape is such that employers could and should provide these benefits and protections, because the potential consequences are, I think, maybe more theoretical than real, she said. Even for companies that pay for travel, questions remain about whether employees will take advantage of the policy, Green said. Some women might be reluctant to discuss abortion care with their human resources department. Ultimately, she said, laws targeting companies that offer travel payment could cause businesses to leave states or make it harder for them to recruit talented employees, especially women, who dont want to work in a state with an unfriendly environment. Are states going to risk that? she asked. Are they going to risk hurting their economies? The Associated Press contributed sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com Advertisement lschencker@chicagotribune.com The Daily Beast Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty/APHes been called the Mormon Manson, but polygamist Ervil LeBaron and his Mexican-based family managed to make Charlie and his gang look almost tame by comparison. A 68 white supremacist and religious fundamentalist who loved to seduce underage girls, LeBaron trained women to kill for him and ordered hits on rival polygamists and apostates from his church. And kill they did: Members of LeBarons family were responsible for as many as 50 murders, Photo credit: Wally Rides on YouTube The EPA has proven yet again that there will be consequences for those in the automotive aftermarket who are unwilling to respect the Clean Air Act. Spartan Diesel Technologies founder Matthew Sidney Geouge of Hendersonville, North Carolina, as The Drive and MarketWatch report, is now facing a year in prison for his actions in relation to selling and distributing thousands of emissions defeat devices for diesel trucks. That's on top of two fines of over a million dollars. More precisely, Geouge has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for conspiracy to violate the CAA, according to the Department of Justice, as well as a charge of tax evasion. Spartan Diesel Technologies is a well-known diesel tuner among the Ford crowd, with the brands tunes for the 6.4-liter Power Stroke claimed to be among the best quarter-mile performers on the market. Those tunes were accessible through the companys "Phalanx" tuning devices, which weve seen the EPA take a stronger stance on in recent years. Like many diesel performance tunes, Spartans setups would often dump huge amounts of black soot out of the exhaust. This trend of rolling coal is commonly cited by aftermarket industry leaders as one of the key instigators of the EPAs current CAA enforcement strategy. The EPA specifically notes that Spartan Diesel Technologies has sold more than 14,000 Phalanx tuners. According to MartketWatch, Geouge managed to bring in around $10 million from selling the emissions defeat devices. The EPA had previously issued Spartan Diesel Technologies a violation notice for selling these tunes back in 2015, but the company never responded. That inaction was followed up by a $4.15 million fine in 2017, which Geouge allegedly tried to skirt by selling Spartan off to another company called Patriot Diagnostics. The EPA has argued that Geouge instead attempted to rebrand the business. Geouge would ultimately plead guilty to the charges levied against him in 2021. In addition to the aforementioned jail time, Geouge is slated to spend six months in home confinement, and an additional three years of supervised release after his sentence. The EPA always expects $1.3 in penalty payments, with the IRS asking for another $1.2 million. Three of George's associates have also been issued six months of home confinement and probation, in addition to community service and other financial penalties. Story continues It is no secret that the EPA is cracking down on some of the biggest names in the aftermarket industry. That said, it is hard to come to the defense of the folks who peed in everyone's pool. Diesel tuners have to be aware of the fact that they played a huge role in the EPAs renewed vigor surrounding the CAA, and that were all left to deal with the consequences. We wouldnt be surprised if this is just the start of the Department of Justice taking things further than fines. You Might Also Like MarketWatch As record-breaking numbers of Americans pack their cars and travel to Fourth of July barbecues that will cost them more than last year, theyll fill up at gas stations where they are likely to be paying just a little less at the pump. Believe it or not, national gas price averages recently have been declining. On Sunday, the average edged down again to $4.81, down from the record high of $5.01 set in mid-June, AAA said. BALTIMORE -- Doctors learned early in the pandemic that COVID-19 was more than a respiratory disease. It was attacking bodily organs, including the heart even in healthy, young athletes. Enough athletes with COVID were experiencing heart inflammation, called myocarditis, that doctors at the University of Maryland and other Big Ten schools didnt want to take any chances. Myocarditis already was seen as one of the leading causes of sudden death in elite athletes, so doctors across the conference immediately imposed official protocols that kept some players off the fields for up to six months. Some grumbled, but everyone recovered. They could be walking time bomb and wed only find out retrospectively, said Dr. Yvette Rooks, who oversees care for more than 530 athletes on 19 teams as head team physician at the University of Maryland, College Park. Some had symptoms and many did not. This really could save lives. The doctors also started taking a deeper look into the chests of each student-athlete testing positive for COVID-19 starting in the early months of the pandemic, eventually reviewing some 1,600 cases. As they learned more about the risks, doctors scaled back intense testing and reduced the length of time out of play. But a registry created from the athletes health data is now poised to help the doctors understand more about the longer-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19. Doctors and researchers at the University of Maryland and other Big Ten schools plan to follow the athletes even after graduation to better understand the consequences of COVID-19 on the heart, said Rooks, also a clinical assistant professor of family and community medicine at the universitys school of medicine and a co-investigator on the registry. The registry has specific findings from several tests, including MRIs, which are not typically performed on people testing positive for COVID-19. The detailed images found 37 cases of myocarditis, though only eight of those athletes had cardiovascular symptoms. Story continues Lacrosse player Jack Brennan was one of the asymptomatic cases. While home in Rochester, New York, in December 2020, he took a COVID-19 test so he could visit his grandparents and was surprised it came back positive. He was even more surprised when he returned to College Park in January 2021 and an MRI found swelling around his heart. He was frustrated to sit out the spring 2021 season, but with time and learning about the seriousness of the condition, he became more understanding. He was cleared by the fall of 2021 to return to play, and now 21, hes eligible to compete as an intercollegiate athlete for two more years, instead of one. (The Big Ten gave athletes who missed a season under the more extensive timeouts an extra year of eligibility.) I didnt know what to think or what it was at first. All I heard was, Youre not allowed to play, and I did give them a hard time, because I was impatient, Brennan said. But Im not an expert. You have to listen to the doctors. And hes glad theyre using his records to keep looking at the long-term effects. If they can figure out the process you go through, figure out how myocarditis affects athletes, that would be helpful, Brennan said. No one really knows the long-term effects yet. Among the things researchers want to know is whether damage or scarring will ever cause issues and when and what is the cardiovascular tie to so-called long COVID, where symptoms persist well after an infection. Another lingering question is whether those who had asymptomatic cases, like Brennan, should be concerned. Early indications show that mild cases with no symptoms wont be an issue, said Dr. Matthew Martinez, past chair of the American College of Cardiologys Sports & Exercise Cardiology Section. Hes not involved in the Big Ten registry. Martinez studied data from a larger subsequent registry of athletes that found up to 15% developed myocarditis after COVID-19 infections, but there were no cases of sudden cardiac death. The study concluded that the intense across-the-board testing done by the Big Ten, specifically the use of MRIs, was needed only when athletes had cardiac symptoms or other heart tests were abnormal. Further, Martinez said, returning recovered athletes to play faster was safe in most cases. Martinez said, however, the abundance of caution taken for all the athletes wasnt a bad idea when no one knew what to expect from the new virus. Its really important to know, said Martinez, also medical director of Atlantic Health System Sports Cardiology at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. Were all learning this on the fly. There is a measure of relief across the athlete community. Going forward, Martinez said, athletic programs ought to have a plan for athletes who develop heart issues on the field, including increasing access to defibrillators across all playing arenas. He said that cardiac testing, even an MRI, is needed when athletes have symptoms such as pressure in their chests, fast heart rates or breathlessness, or if they later develop those symptoms. He also said there should be study of protections from vaccines against myocarditis, which appears to be significant, as well as the risk from the vaccines themselves, which seems minimal. None of the Big Ten athletes developed the condition after the vaccinations. Martinez hopes there is a continued focus on health and safety for athletes, including cardiovascular health. Big Ten researchers say studies are underway using the registry data, and that others are planned. Dr. Geoffrey Rosenthal is a professor of pediatrics in University of Marylands School of Medicine and chief of pediatric cardiology at University of Maryland Medical Center. He is serving as coordinator of six core labs that make up the registry. Thats where data from specific tests are housed so they are uniformly interpreted. The epidemiology and cardiac MRI labs are housed in Marylands medical school, while the overall registry is based at the Ohio State University. Rosenthal said answers to the doctors questions will come in time. But he already had immediate advice for the general population. One of the biggest takeaways for the athletes and the general population is that the best way to protect ones heart is to get vaccinated and get boosted when its time, he said. The second public health message for people who have or had COVID: If they have heart palpitations or chest pain, they should seek medical attention. The researchers also were glad they have a bank of MRI data that identified all the myocarditis cases, even the asymptomatic ones. That offers a unique opportunity for researchers, said Dr. Jean Jeudy, professor of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine at the Maryland medical school. He leads the cardiac MRI core lab for the registry. It will be important for us to follow these student-athletes over time to determine whether mild myocarditis has any permanent impact on their heart health, he said, and how any findings may apply to the general population that tends to be older and sicker than these athletes. A Twitter video of a husky licking a TV screen depicting a plate of meat went viral this week, but the statuesque golden retriever sitting next to the husky steals the show. In the video, which was posted on Sunday, the husky tries to get its face close enough to the TV screen to lick it. Beside the husky, the retriever is motionless, seemingly oblivious to the other dogs antics. If this were not enough, a person in the background most likely the one filming the scene can be heard singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. More from NextShark: White men date Asian women because of imperialism, according to TikToker The video has garnered over 9.3 million views and 66,600 likes so far. In response to several Twitter users questions about the retriever, the user who posted the video has since uploaded a new clip, this time of the dog following along with a yoga video and doing the downward dog pose. Featured Image via My China Trip More from NextShark: Singaporean TikToker explains why sharing plane ticket photos on social media poses serious risks Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Meet Ytiet, the Vietnamese cowherd whos been popping up in your favorite artists' songs The wife and stepdaughter of a Fort Worth police officer who was killed in the line of duty gave emotional testimony Tuesday about how Garrett Hulls murder changed their lives. Hull was shot and killed while tracking down three men who robbed a bar in Fort Worth in September 2018. His shooter, Dacion Steptoe, was killed by another officer seconds after Steptoe shot Hull. On Monday, Timothy Huff was found guilty of capital murder in Hulls death. While Huff did not pull the trigger, a jury found that he was responsible for Hulls death because he was part of the robbery and foot chase that led to Hulls death. The jury determined Huff was guilty because he should have reasonably known that someone could die during the commission of the crime. The trial is continuing Tuesday and likely Wednesday to determine his sentence. The maximum sentence for capital murder in Texas is the death penalty. Timothy Huff looks back toward the gallery during his trial on Monday, June 27, 2022. Huff was found guilty of capital murder in the 2018 shooting death of Fort Worth police Officer Garrett Hull. On Monday afternoon, the punishment phase of the trial began in Judge George Gallaghers courtroom with testimony from one of Hulls colleagues who helped take him to the hospital the night of Sept. 13, 2018. On Tuesday morning, testimony continued, and Hulls daughter and wife took the stand in Tarrant Countys 396th District Court. Jordan Haenszel, Hulls stepdaughter, first met Hull in 2002 when she was about 3 or 4 years old, she testified Tuesday. Haenszel and her mother moved into the same apartment complex as Hull, and they became friends, Sabrina Hull testified at the beginning at the trial. Haenszel, 22, said Hull bought her her first hula hoop so I liked him a lot. Haenszel described herself and Hull as best friends and said she always felt safe with him, and she thought Hull being a police officer was the coolest thing when I was little. He made the choice every day to love me, Haenszel said. The night of the shooting, Haenszel was in England, where she was enrolled at Oxford University. She was celebrating her 19th birthday and planning a trip to London when he mother called her. Sabrina Hull told Haenszel there had been an accident, and Hull had been shot. Story continues Haenszel got on a plane that day and described the 11-hour flight as terrifying. She tried to tell herself that Hull was going to be OK and probably had been shot somewhere nonfatal. But when Fort Worth police picked Haenszel up at the airport to escort her to the hospital, she learned her stepfather had been shot in the head. She visited Hull in his hospital bed. He was unconscious, but when Haenszel held his hand, he squeezed her hand back. Since Hull died, Haenszel said, her younger sister has been more quiet and reserved. She has changed, too. I dont think Ill ever be whole again, Haenszel said. I cant even celebrate my birthday anymore. Haenszels mother, Sabrina Hull, testified after her daughter. She described how she fell in love with Garrett Hulls smile and how safe she felt around him. She never expected to marry a police officer, she said, and never expected someone like Garrett Hull to love someone with such a broken background. She explained she grew up in foster care, and her parents were both addicted to drugs. Garrett Hull was a steady force, someone who protected the people he loved and called his parents every single day, she said. Sabrina Hull, wife of former Fort Worth police Officer Garrett Hull, leaves the courtroom on Monday, June 27, 2022. Timothy Huff was found guilty Monday of capital murder in the 2018 shooting death of her husband. During Sabrina Hulls testimony, prosecuting attorney Timothy Rodgers showed a photo to the courtroom titled Last photo. In the picture, Sabrina Hull is curled up on her side in the hospital bed alongside her husband, who is bandaged and unconscious. The picture is the last one she took with her husband. Sometimes I wish they would have just buried me, too, she said. I am not the same woman I was. I dont feel safe in this world, thats for sure. Body-camera footage, other testimony Two other witnesses testified Tuesday morning a juvenile probation officer who knew Huff when he was a minor and another Fort Worth police officer who previously testified about the night Hull was shot. Fort Worth Officer Victor Rankins drove Hull to John Peter Smith Hospital after he was shot. Rankins body-cam footage from the drive was presented in court Tuesday, and showed the chaos and efficiency in which the officers rushed Hull to the emergency room. The emotional footage showed Hull on a stretcher, surrounded by ER staff as police officers waited in the hospital hallway. Rankins was emotional in his testimony about the video. He said watching the footage made him feel like a failure. A wife lost a husband. Children lost a father, he said. The world lost a great man. Several family members left the courtroom before the video played. When the court took a break afterward, family, friends and colleagues comforted one another in the hallway. The juvenile probation officer testified about Huffs time spent in and out of foster care and juvenile detention facilities as a child. Huffs mother was in and out of prison, and his household was chaotic, she said. At least six children lived in the house, and Huff at times took care of his younger siblings. His mothers boyfriend was physically abusive toward the children, the probation officer said. During juvenile court hearings, she said, Huff sometimes asked to talk to the judge alone, and would speak to the judges in their chambers. When they would emerge, Huff at times would be granted probation instead of being sentenced to a detention center. He ran away from at least one foster care placement, the probation officer said. First, Ron Johnson denied he knew about an offer from his top aide to deliver phony electoral votes for Donald Trump denied he had anything to do with it. The next day, he said Trump's lawyer in Wisconsin asked him to deliver a document regarding "Wisconsin electors" to Vice President Mike Pence but said he didn't know what that meant. The more we learn about the role Wisconsins senior senator played in the days leading up to the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, the more things dont add up. And the more it looks like Johnson or his team may have aided a Trump administration conspiracy to overturn the lawful election of Joe Biden. A top Pence aide says he has no reason to believe Johnson was involved directly in an attempt to pass fake electors to Pence. But the Justice Department should launch an investigation into the phony elector scheme, including what Johnson and his staff knew and what they did in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. The latest revelations are stunning: Just minutes before Congress was to meet to certify Joe Bidens win over President Donald Trump, Johnsons top aide, Sean Riley, texted a staffer for then Vice President Mike Pence: "Johnson needs to hand something to VPOTUS please advise." This happened just before Pence prepared to preside over the official certification of Bidens victory. It was 12:37 p.m. and the joint session of Congress was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. What could be so urgent at that late hour? An alternate slate of electors for MI and WI ... Riley replied. The fake electors were part of a plan to give Pence cover to not certify Biden's election by either illegally accepting the fake votes ginned up by Trump or by claiming the election results were so murky they had to be sent back to the states to decide. Trump's team hoped that once the matter was returned to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia and other key battleground states won by Biden, Trump could pressure Republican-controlled state legislatures to overturn the citizens' decision and select false electors from his own party. The hearings of the bipartisan congressional committee looking into the attack on the Capitol that afternoon have brought this Trump conspiracy into the open for all to see. Story continues The alternate elector slates were part of a scheme advanced by Trump and his personal attorneys, John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, to steal the presidency on the false claim with NO evidence to support it that the election was fraudulent. In reality, Trump lost the 2020 election by more than 7 million votes and in the Electoral College by 306 to 232. Trump lost recounts in Wisconsin and dozens of lawsuits around the country challenging the results. Chris Hodgson, Pences legislative liaison, texted back to Riley: Do not give that to him. Pence did his duty that day, refusing to intervene and insisting that congressional certification take place just hours after a violent mob of insurrectionists, egged on by Trump, stormed the Capitol, with some of them vowing to hang the vice president. They came within 40 feet of Pence at one point, the hearings revealed. It was one of saddest chapters ever for American democracy. After the texts were revealed, Johnson claimed to have no knowledge of his chief of staff's request that he hand-deliver fake electors from Wisconsin and Michigan to Pence. He called it a "nonstory," saying he was "basically unaware" of the effort. Then he changed his story. By Thursday of last week, Johnson was saying he had coordinated with a Wisconsin attorney to pass along the information and that the documents came from Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania which Kelly's office said was "patently false." Heres what we know: After the election, even after it was clear Trump had lost, Johnson fanned the flames of the election deniers. Johnson acknowledged that Biden had won but then chaired a bitterly divided hearing while he still was a Senate committee chairman in December, 2020, allowing witnesses to spew unsubstantiated claims of fraud and irregularities that had already been knocked down repeatedly in courts. Just two days before the Jan. 6 debacle, Johnson and other GOP senators heard from MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell, a leading proponent of false election conspiracies who urged Trump to use every tool at his disposal to retain power. In the lead-up to the certification vote, Johnson signed onto a plan with other GOP senators to object to the Electoral College results. As the electoral count started on Jan. 6, Johnson formally objected to electors from Arizona, another state where Republicans control the Legislature and Bidens margin of victory was slender. A short time later, a violent mob stirred up by Trump and led by white supremacist groups attacked the nation's Capitol with the goal of stopping the electoral vote certification. At first, it appeared to work. Proceedings were halted as members of Congress and Pence were whisked to safety. After the National Guard and police officers regained control of the Capitol from the insurrectionists, Johnson, perhaps momentarily sobered by the violence that had just occurred, changed his plans and voted to recognize the legitimate electors chosen by the people of Arizona. Ever since, Johnson has downplayed what happened on a day when several people died, many more were injured, including 140 police officers, and our democracy suffered a gut punch with ramifications were only now beginning to understand. Johnson has said the violence at the Capitol didnt seem like an armed insurrection to me. Tell that to Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who described in a committee hearing how she suffered a concussion while trying to hold the rioters back. I was slipping in peoples blood. I was catching people as they fell. It was carnage. She recalled seeing Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the next day, turn ghostly white after being sprayed with chemicals. She and others described the scene as a battlefield, which was apparent to anyone watching the scene on live television. Johnson also claimed that the Trump supporters who rioted and ransacked the building didnt worry him because those were people who love this country, that truly respect law enforcement. He might have been concerned, he added, if the rioters had been supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. Thats textbook racism. Our senators represent all Wisconsin citizens, not just white Trump supporters. Whether it be promoting disproven treatments for COVID-19, visiting Moscow on the Fourth of July, or blaming global warming on sunspots, Johnsons judgment has been suspect for years. Despite Johnsons attempts to deflect attention, what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, was a very big deal a day when our 246-year experiment in citizen government was put at risk by the narcissistic, power-hungry egotist in the White House. Johnson has proven by his past actions that he isn't fit to be a U.S. senator. This latest episode only makes that more clear. The citizens of Wisconsin, regardless of party, should vote him out of office in November. Federal law enforcement officers, who are assigned to defend the Constitution, should get to the bottom of the effort to unlawfully create phony electors in Wisconsin and other battleground states. And they need to look into whether Johnson played any role to overrule the citizens' votes and overturn the last presidential election. 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We remain independent of any politician, political party or special interest group. We work for our subscribers period. To contact us, email: jsedit@jrn.com USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Editorial Board Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson's denials about Trump's fake-elector plot don't add up Yaroslav Halas KUSHNYTSYA, UkraineLike thousands of Ukrainian men, Vasil Shtefko volunteered to fight after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade his country in February. The fact that Shtefko is 55 years old and lost both of his legs nearly 20 years ago did not stop him. I was making pelmeni, traditional dumplings, when he called saying he had enlisted and is heading to the east, his wife, Oksana, told The Daily Beast from the kitchen of their home in the village of Kushnytsya in central Transcarpathia, Ukraines westernmost region.I didnt believe he would do it. I cried a little, she admitted. But then she regained her self-control. And I went back to my pelmeni. From Kushnytsya alone since the start of the war, six freedom-fighters-to-be, including Shtefko, have joined the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, an elite military unit of some 6,000 soldiers with headquarters in Mukachevo, Transcarpathias second biggest city. Throughout the region, the brigadeknown as the Transcarpathian Legionenjoys legendary status. The brigade already has an indelible place in Ukraines history. Natalia Bodnar In 2014, the brigade was at the core of the defense of Luhansk Airport, and in 2015 it fought in Debaltseve, one of the biggest combat zones in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern region. Its war-weary fighters were awarded several state honors, including Hero of Ukraine, the highest national title, for Serhiy Shaptala, the brigades commander and current Ukrainian Chief of General Staff. In a video recorded from the front, Shtefko told The Daily Beast that he thought about enlisting the moment he had learned about the war. I love my country, he said. Whatever obstacles Im facing, Ill overcome them in order to defend Ukraine. [My country] put me on my feet helping to get prosthetics, she offered me a pension, moderate as it is, but still. The brigade was effective against Russia-backed separatist groups on Donbas plains, but what makes it unique is its special training for fighting in the mountains, Yaroslav Halas, a journalist-turned-soldier and the brigades press officer, told The Daily Beast. Story continues Its hardly surprising: Transcarpathia is a mountainous region separated from the rest of Ukraine by the bend of the East Carpathians, while the traditions of its military mountaineering are rooted in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Transcarpathian Legion also represents the regions ethnic diversity: many Hungarians, Rusyns and Romanians enlisted to fight for Ukraine, as well as local Ukrainians. There are women too, mostly as doctors and psychologists, said Halas. To wear a beret with an edelweiss flowerthe brigades insignia and a dream for many Transcarpathiansone must complete a grueling obstacle course in full combat gear. Shtefko, a car mechanic, lost both his legs at the age of 38 (he asked not to reveal the details of the event) and has since relied on prosthetic legs. After joining protesters at the Maidan in Kyiv in 2014a wave of demonstrations that ended up with deadly clashes with the security forceshe was rejected by the brigade due to his disability, despite having completed military service in Kharkiv in the Soviet era. Now, even more determined to become a part of the Transcarpathian Legion during Putins war, he chose the simplest possible strategy for his advantage: a lie. He informed the committee that he has only one prosthetic. Without pulling up his pants its almost impossible to know, Oksana said. They all found out in the combat zone when he accidentally broke one of the prosthetics. Working on Ukraines eastern battlefields as a driver and mechanic, Sergeant Shtefkoas hes now known to his compatriotsis continuing his family traditions of semi-legal military service: his father drifted into the Red Army during World War II claiming he was 18 years old, though he hadnt yet turned 16. Natalia Bodnar Transcarpathia is proud of its boys, Lyubov Povadaychyk, a volunteer whos been helping the brigade for eight years and whose son is also fighting in Ukraines east, told The Daily Beast. And not just of those who fight, but of everyone who does something, either contribute with money or just pray. Only staying away is immoral. The son of a Russian mother, Shtefko is outspoken about his attachment to Ukraine. In the army different things happen There are often conflicts, especially when people come from different districts, he said in his video message to The Daily Beast. But here is different. My soul is happy to be here. There are many youngsters around us, but all the boys are patriotic and well-integrated. Its a joy to serve with them and to see a united Ukraine fighting for a common goal. His wife described him as a person with a deep interest in politics and the law and a restless soul who has long been following the political developments in Ukraine and was looking for an opportunity to make his mark. Ukraines Resistance Is Heroicbut Putins Ready to Unleash Hell When they speak by phone, Shtefko and Oksana try to avoid discussing horrors of the war. Instead, they focus on the wellbeing of their 11-year-old daughter Sofia and their cat Frozca, in addition to household chores. Shtefko recently sent her instructions on how to take care of the plum trees in their yard. He even made an instructional video from the front, Oksana said. Love is when you understand and feel one another. Natalia Bodnar When asked what plans she had for her husbands return, Oksana is quick to return to her usual matter-of-fact attitude. Renovation at home has to be done, she said, smiling and pointing to a burnt-out wall outlet. The first task is to replace the electrical system. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Elon Musk hasn't tweeted in a week, amid his bid to buy Twitter and take it private. Up until June 21, Musk's tweets were making headlines near-daily as he shared updates on the deal. Musk is arguably Twitter's most visible user, one who's only ever taken short breaks from tweeting. Do you hear that? It's the silence of a week without a single tweet from Elon Musk. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO and potential future owner of Twitter has been noticeably absent from the platform since June 21. Save for a few likes on June 22, Musk has been mum; up until last week, he'd tweeted at least once each day since as far back as May 1. It's a mysterious silence for arguably Twitter's most visible user, one whose tweets have been making headlines near-daily since he offered in April to buy the company outright. Though his $44 billion bid to take Twitter private has gone anything but smoothly, he got one step closer last week when the social-media giant's board endorsed the takeover bid. Since then, he's gone dark, causing observers and fans to wonder where he's gone, even as he reached a new milestone on Twitter: 100 million followers. Musk, like many of us, has taken Twitter breaks before. In June 2020 shortly after the birth of his son, X Musk announced that he'd be "off Twitter for a while," only to return four days later. And in 2019, he quit tweeting for all of three days after pondering the "good" of Twitter. Though unannounced, this could be another hiatus for Musk. Perhaps the exec, worth $223 billion, is cruising on a yacht or lounging on a beach somewhere in celebration of his 51st birthday on Tuesday. But perhaps not Musk is famously vacation-phobic. Back in 2000 when he was CEO of PayPal, the board fired him while he was en route to Australia for a vacation. Soon after, on another vacation to Brazil and South Africa, Musk contracted what he's said was a "near fatal" case of malaria. Another time, one of his rockets exploded during his week off. Story continues He's since said that "vacations will kill you" and claimed in 2015 that he'd only taken two vacations since founding SpaceX in 2002. So if he's not relaxing somewhere without internet access, it's possible Musk is working through the "firehose" of Twitter data he requested in order to close the deal. Hung up on the prevalence of bots on the platform and unconvinced by Twitter's own investigations, Musk demanded Twitter's trove of internal information in order to conduct his own analysis and just last week, Musk asked for and received even more data. That data includes real-time information on the hundreds of millions of tweets sent every day, most likely requiring a team of experts and massive computing capacity to comb through it all which may not be leaving Musk much time for his favorite pasttime: tweeting. Read the original article on Business Insider Walgreens Boots Alliance has decided not to sell its huge United Kingdom Boots business, after months of floating the idea. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune) Walgreens Boots Alliance has decided not to sell its huge United Kingdom Boots business, after months of floating the idea. Deerfield-based Walgreens began reviewing whether to sell Boots in January, but recently decided not to sell Boots or its No7 Beauty Company business, noting in a news release that since launching the process, the global financial markets have suffered unexpected and dramatic change. Advertisement Boots is a major retail pharmacy chain in Britain with more than 2,200 stores. As a result of market instability severely impacting financing availability, no third party has been able to make an offer that adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots and No7 Beauty Company, the company said in a news release Tuesday. Consequently, WBA has decided that it is in the best interests of shareholders to keep focusing on the further growth and profitability of the two businesses. Advertisement Walgreens has been performing well recently. In the second quarter of this year that ended Feb. 28, Walgreens reported adjusted earnings of $1.59 per share, beating expectations, and revenue climbed about 3% to $33.76 billion. Still, Walgreens has been trying to cut costs in recent years, announcing plans in October to try to slash $3.3 billion in costs by 2024, up from an earlier goal of $2 billion a year by 2022, which the company has already reached. Its also been increasingly forming partnerships to better compete and bring more people into stores. Earlier this month, it announced plans to launch a clinical trials business. In October, Walgreens said it would invest $5.2 billion in Chicago-based VillageMD, which provides primary care to patients, and increase the number of Village Medical clinics in its stores, with many in medically underserved communities. Walgreens also announced in October a majority investment in CareCentrix, a Connecticut-based company that coordinates home care for patients, including after they go home from the hospital. In September, Walgreens said it would invest $970 million in Massachusetts-based Shields Health Solutions, which is a company that helps hospitals and health systems with specialty pharmacy services. Kryvyi Rih TPS Read also: Russian airstrikes hit Zaporizhzhya, Kryvyi Rih, and Kharkiv oblasts Earlier, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson claimed that there were Ukrainian troops at the power plant. Reports of armed personnel on the premises of DTEK Kryvyi Rih TPS are absolutely fake, DTEK said, commenting on the Russian claim. Read also: Wartime Kryvyi Rih: Zelensky's hometown gets back to work, welcomes refugees, and rediscovers its Ukrainian identity According to the company, there is, and never was any military presence at the facility. Only the regular staff of the facility is present on site, operating the power plant. Read also: Russia has not abandoned its goal of crushing Ukrainian statehood The company (DTEK) considers such claims by the officials of the aggressor country as attempts to justify further terror attacks on Ukraines civilian infrastructure by its invading forces, DTEKs message said. Help NV continue its work reporting on the Russian invasion. The New York Times Republicans are bracing for Donald Trump to announce an unusually early bid for the White House, a move designed in part to shield the former president from a stream of damaging revelations emerging from investigations into his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election. While many Republicans would welcome Trumps entry into the race, his move would also exacerbate persistent divisions over whether the former president is the partys best hope to win back the White House. The par Erie police are searching an impounded vehicle for evidence including a gun following a reported shooting on the city's west side on Monday night that led to a pursuit and the arrest of the suspected driver. No one was reported injured in the shooting, which happened in the area of West 18th and Chestnut streets shortly after 9 p.m. Monday. A 19-year-old man, whom police accuse of driving the vehicle involved in the shooting, is facing charges including attempted homicide and aggravated assault, according to Erie police. He had not been arraigned on the charges as of Tuesday morning. A second suspect, who is not yet identified, ran off after police stopped the vehicle in the area of West 10th and Cascade streets. The suspect remained at large Tuesday morning. Erie police were initially sent to the area of West 18th and Chestnut streets on Monday at 9:02 p.m. to investigate a report of multiple gunshots fired, Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said Tuesday. As officers were heading to the location, the person who reported being shot at said the suspect vehicle, a gray four-door Dodge, was last seen heading north from the area, Lorah said. Officers spotted the vehicle at West 12th and Liberty streets and saw that a passenger in it was wearing a mask and a hood over the passenger's head, according to Lorah. Police pulled behind the Dodge, which took off and led officers on a pursuit, he said. The passenger in the Dodge exited the vehicle and ran off in the area of West 10th and Cascade streets. Officers removed the driver from the Dodge and spotted a pistol and shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle, Lorah said. The driver was taken into custody. Police impounded the Dodge and will serve a search warrant on it for evidence, Lorah said. The man who was shot at told officers he was going to his brother's house when he noticed a vehicle that seemed out of place stopped near the residence, so he drove by his brother's house. The man said the suspicious vehicle then began following him and rammed his vehicle before someone started shooting at him, according to Lorah. Story continues The man was not injured and police found no evidence indicating that the man's car was struck by bullets, according to police. Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie shootings: Suspected driver charged after shots fired at vehicle A former CIA officer based in Moscow said Putin might face threats from within his inner circle. Daniel Hoffman told The Daily Beast that Putin could get a "hammer to the head." Another former CIA officer said Putin is safe as long as his elite security guards are on his side. Russian leader Vladimir Putin could face severe internal threats and be at risk of getting murdered or deposed by a member of his inner circle, said a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA officer who was once based in Moscow, told The Daily Beast that Putin might face threats from top aides frustrated with his actions in Ukraine. Per the outlet, Hoffman highlighted three people close to Putin as potential threats: Kremlin security council chief Nikolai Patrushev, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister. "Nobody's gonna ask, 'Hey Vladimir, would you like to leave?' No. It's a fucking hammer to the head and he's dead. Or it's time to go to the sanatorium," Hoffman told The Daily Beast. "They schwack him for it. That's what they'll do." Meanwhile, Ronald Marks, a former CIA officer and currently a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, told the outlet that Putin might still be safe if the agents protecting him remain loyal. Video: The event that led to Putin's rise to power "And he's done a nice job of getting rid of those who aren't on his side," Marks said. However, comparing Putin to other ousted Russian leaders, Marks said such figures "either drop dead in office" or get removed from power. In May, former British intelligence chief Sir Richard Dearlove also speculated that Putin might end up in a sanatorium and be ousted from power by 2023. That same month, a Ukrainian intelligence official said Putin was the target of an assassination attempt. Western officials refuted that claim, saying that the "controlled environment" around Putin would make an assassination attempt "hugely complex." In April, reports speculated that Putin had purged members of his inner circle. According to media reports, similar purges have also occurred amongst national guardsmen in Putin's "private army" and the Russian military's top brass. Read the original article on Business Insider By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) -A nearly $17 billion JP Morgan fund is expected to reset its options positions on Thursday, potentially adding to equity volatility at the end of a dismal first half for stocks. Analysts say the JPMorgan Hedged Equity Funds reset roiled markets in the closing hours of the last quarter and has the potential to move markets again this time around. Here is what you need to know: WHAT IS THE JP MORGAN HEDGED EQUITY FUND? The JPMorgan Hedged Equity Fund holds a basket of S&P 500 stocks along with options on the benchmark index and resets hedges once a quarter. The fund, which had about $16.71 billion in assets as of June 27, aims to let investors benefit from equity market gains while limiting their exposure to stock declines. For the year, the fund was down 9.7% through June 29, compared with a 19.3% decline for the S&P 500 Total return Index. Its assets have ballooned in recent years, as investors seek protection from the sort of wild swings that rocked markets in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. The fund's positions include some of the market's biggest names, such as shares of Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc. HOW DOES THE FUND USE OPTIONS? The fund uses an options overlay strategy that involves buying put options that make money if the S&P 500 drops about 5% or more from its level at the start of each quarter. To limit the cost of these put purchases, the fund also sells puts that would make money if the S&P 500 drops more than 20%. In addition, the fund sells call options struck about 3.5%-5.5% above the market level, to help fund the cost of the hedge. In all, the trade is structured so that investors are protected if the market falls -5% to -20%, and they are able to take advantage of any market gains in the average range of 3.5-5.5%. In March, the refresh of these positions involved about 130,000 S&P 500 contracts in all, worth some $20 billion in notional terms. Story continues HOW CAN THIS AFFECT THE BROADER MARKET? Options dealers - typically big financial institutions who facilitate trading but seek to remain market-neutral - take the other side of the fund's options trades. To minimize their own risk, they typically buy or sell stock futures, depending on the direction of the market's move. Such trading related to dealer hedging has the potential to influence the broader market, especially if done in size, as is the case for the JPM trade. The S&P 500 Index fell 1.2% in the last hour of trading on March 31 amid a lack of any obvious news - a move some analysts pinned on options hedging flows. Traders say the refresh could exacerbate market swings on Thursday, as the fund rolls over its options positions and dealers buy and sell futures to hedge their exposure. Charlie McElligott, equities derivatives strategist at Nomura, believes that all else being equal, more volatility and stock weakness could follow after June 30, once the trade is out of the way. The strategy's puts corresponding to the 3,620 level on the S&P 500, the lower leg of the trade, may have lent support to the market during its slide this month, he said. (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in New YorkEditing by Ira Iosebashvili and Matthew Lewis) Facebook Abortion Pills (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Facebook and Instagram have begun removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access. The news follows the Supreme Courts decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. Roe v Wade guaranteed a womans constitutional right to an abortion, but Justice Samuel Alito and the other members of the court gave states power to legislate abortions at a state level. Previously, women had total autonomy to terminate a pregnancy during the first trimester, and allowed some state influence over abortions in the second and third trimesters. We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled, Justice Alito wrote in a draft of an opinion dated 10 February. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives. There are at least 13 states with so-called trigger laws that have now banned abortion with Roe getting overturned. At least 26 states are likely to ban abortion quickly now that power has returned to states. Memes and status updates explaining how women could legally obtain abortion pills in the mail exploded across social platforms. Some even offered to mail the prescriptions to women living in states that now ban the procedure. Almost immediately, Facebook and Instagram began removing some of these posts, just as millions across the U.S. were searching for clarity around abortion access. General mentions of abortion pills, as well as posts mentioning specific versions such as mifepristone and misoprostol, suddenly spiked Friday morning across Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and TV broadcasts, according to an analysis by the media intelligence firm Zignal Labs. By Sunday, Zignal had counted more than 250,000 such mentions. The AP obtained a screenshot on Friday of one Instagram post from a woman who offered to purchase or forward abortion pills through the mail, minutes after the court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. Story continues DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours, the post on Instagram read. Instagram took it down within moments. Vice Media first reported on Monday that Meta, the parent of both Facebook and Instagram, was taking down posts about abortion pills. On Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills. The post was removed within one minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on a warning status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on guns, animals and other regulated goods. Yet, when the AP reporter made the same exact post but swapped out the words abortion pills for a gun, the post remained untouched. A post with the same exact offer to mail weed was also left up and not considered a violation. Marijuana is illegal under federal law and it is illegal to send it through the mail. Abortion pills, however, can legally be obtained through the mail after an online consultation from prescribers who have undergone certification and training. In an email, a Meta spokesperson pointed to company policies that prohibit the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals. The company did not explain the apparent discrepancies in its enforcement of that policy. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed in a tweet Monday that the company will not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information on how to access pills. Stone acknowledged some problems with enforcing that policy across its platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram. Weve discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these, Stone said in the tweet. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that states should not ban mifepristone, the medication used to induce an abortion. States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy, Garland said in a Friday statement. But some Republicans have already tried to stop their residents from obtaining abortion pills through the mail, with some states like West Virginia and Tennessee prohibiting providers from prescribing the medication through telemedicine consultation. Digital rights advocates and abortion campaigners have warned women to take action to protect their privacy online. Those seeking, offering, or facilitating abortion access must now assume that any data they provide online or offline could be sought by law enforcement., Cindy Cohn and Corynne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation write. This could be through apps, search engine requests, posts on social media. People should carefully review privacy settings on the services they use, turn off location services on apps that dont need them, and use encrypted messaging services. Companies should protect users by allowing anonymous access, stopping behavioral tracking, strengthening data deletion policies, encrypting data in transit, enabling end-to-end message encryption by default, preventing location tracking, and ensuring that users get notice when their data is being sought. Additional reporting by Associated Press By Daina Beth Solomon and Laura Gottesdiener MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The family of a murdered Honduran activist filed a petition with prosecutors in the Netherlands on Tuesday to urge a criminal probe into a Dutch development bank that financed a Honduran infrastructure project linked to her killing. Environmentalist Berta Caceres was organizing to stop a hydroelectric dam's construction on lands of the indigenous Lenca people when she was shot dead in 2016. The 138-page petition, prepared by the Amsterdam-based Global Justice Association, argues that bank FMO ignored warnings of potential graft and fraud while providing millions of dollars to the project. In a statement to Reuters, FMO said it deeply regrets Caceres' death, which it called "a dark page" in the bank's history. "However, we distance ourselves strongly from the accusations that - as we understand - have been put forward against FMO. If it should give rise to an investigation, FMO will of course fully cooperate," the bank said. FMO exited the project after Caceres' killing and says it has since improved its human rights policies. The Dutch public prosecutors' office did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Caceres' family wants prosecutors to investigate whether FMO violated anti-money laundering and other financial laws, and whether it could be held liable for complicity in violence surrounding the project, including Caceres' murder. FMO is already the target of another civil lawsuit in the Netherlands, in which Caceres' family alleges the bank contributed to human rights violations. FMO has said it is seeking a settlement. Earlier this month, Roberto David Castillo, former president of Desarrollos Energeticos (Desa), the Honduran power company financed by FMO, was sentenced to more than 22 years for participating in Caceres' murder. Bertha Caceres, daughter of the slain activist, said she hopes a Dutch criminal probe could reveal "the faces of those whose money enabled the attacks against the Lenca people." The hydroelectric project also received financing from the Finnish state investment fund Finnfund and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. The petition against FMO does not ask for criminal investigations into either. (Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener in Monterrey and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Stephanie Van Den Berg in The Hague; editing by Richard Pullin and Richard Chang) Federal agents seized the cell phone of John Eastman, an attorney who advised former President Donald Trump in his bid to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Eastman said in a court filing on Monday. Eastman filed a lawsuit asking the Justice Department to return his property and destroy any records it had obtained after FBI agents in New Mexico stopped him as he was leaving a restaurant last week. The investigators had a warrant and seized his iPhone, the filing says, and agents were able to access his email accounts. The lawyer said in the filing the agents forced him to unlock the device. By its very breadth, the warrant intrudes on significant privacy interests, both of [Eastman] and of others whose communications with him are accessible on the seized cell phone, his attorneys wrote in the filing, obtained by The Hill. Eastman was a key figure in developing a plan that would have seen Vice President Mike Pence delay or block certification fo the 2020 Electoral College results, and his work has become a central focus of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Pence refused to go along with the scheme. (Photo: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) (Photo: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Eastman also spoke at the Jan. 6 rally just before the Capitol attack, where Trump falsely claimed that widespread election fraud had cost him the White House. There is no evidence to support those allegations. The seizure of Eastmans phone came the same day federal authorities searched the home of Jeffery Clark, a former Justice Department official under Trump who encouraged the then-presidents efforts to remain in office despite his Electoral College loss to Joe Biden. Clark had served in the Trump administration as assistant attorney general of the environment and natural resources division but became close to the White House after the 2020 election. At one point, Trump mulled putting Clark in charge of the Justice Department after William Barr resigned after refusing to go along with Trumps false claims of widespread voter fraud. Story continues The House select committee focused heavily on Eastmans efforts to aid Trump during its third hearing this month. The body, citing an email he sent to Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, also noted that Eastman sought to be on the presidents pardon list. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there's no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall especially since people who get today's recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19's worst outcomes. Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign. We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer, said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego. The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine. None of us has a crystal ball" to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what's circulating now rather than far older virus strains. It's not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy. Current COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Story continues Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call bivalent vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today's vaccine. Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much. Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines' proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic. The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said theyd have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicrons newest relatives might delay its version another month. Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that's recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one. Marks said that by tweaking the shots, we're hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave. The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven't had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligible and it's not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA's advisers said it's important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too. And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change. Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people's cross-protection against multiple variants. We dont want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available, said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Tomato farmer Lossim Lazzaro standing in front of crops Under the beating Tanzanian sun, Lossim Lazzaro nervously looks over his farm. He slowly pours livestock manure on his crops, in a last-ditch attempt to help them grow. Mr Lazzaro owns five acres (two hectares) of land and was once a successful tomato farmer in the northern Arusha region. But now, like many others, he is battling to keep his business and crops alive, amid a global fertiliser shortage. "It's been difficult for me to get fertiliser in the market," Mr Lazzaro says. Fertiliser - the key ingredient needed to help crops grow - is in short supply across the world. Global prices have also sky-rocketed in part because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "I used to buy fertiliser for about $25 [20] per 50kg bag in 2019," Mr Lazzaro recalls. "But the same bag now goes for almost double that price. It is extremely expensive for me." The amount of fertiliser available globally has almost halved, while the cost of some types of fertiliser have nearly tripled over the past 12 months, according to the United Nations. That is having a knock-on effect in countries like Tanzania, where farmers are dependent on imported fertiliser. "I ended up buying fertiliser from a local manufacturer but still I have to place an order months earlier due to the shortage," Mr Lazzaro adds. Rising fertiliser costs are pushing up prices The crisis is fuelling fears of food scarcity. Africa - which already uses the least amount of fertiliser per hectare in the world - is at high risk. The short supply will inevitably impact crop yields, particularly for wheat which requires a lot of fertiliser and is essential for feeding millions. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the fertiliser shortage could push an additional seven million people into food scarcity. They say that cereal production in 2022 will decline to about 38 million tonnes, from the previous year's output of more than 45 million tonnes. Tanzania, like many other African countries, relies on fertiliser from Russia and China - the two leading global manufacturers. Story continues Russia, which is under Western sanctions, produces large amounts of potash, ammonia and urea. These are the three key ingredients needed to make chemical fertiliser. They helped to fuel the Green Revolution in the 1960s which tripled global grain production and helped to feed millions. Russia exports around 20% of the world's nitrogen fertilisers and combined with its sanctioned ally Belarus, 40% of the world's exported potassium, according to data from Rabobank. The cost of fertiliser was already high following the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the sanctions on Russia and Belarus, compounded with export controls in China, have made a bad situation worse. The crisis has left many African countries, which are heavily dependent on foreign imports, scrambling to find solutions. Wheat prices have also soared, pushing up the cost of everything from bread to noodles Demand for locally produced fertiliser is rising. Small-scale farmers in the north of Tanzania are now turning to places like Minjingu Mines and Fertilizer Ltd, one of the biggest fertiliser manufacturers in the country. The company says it is experiencing a sudden increase in demand and is struggling to fill orders. But bosses say they are unable to increase their capacity because of heavy taxation. "We don't have a level playing ground compared to the importers," said Tosky Hans, a director of Minjingu Mines and Fertilizer. "Local manufacturers have to pay a lot of taxes, whereas the importers don't," he added. Like many other countries, foreign investors are given subsidies in Tanzania to attract investment while local manufacturers pay set taxes. Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), a non-government organisation that promotes green solutions across the continent, says this is an opportunity for farmers to become more self-sufficient. Vianey Rweyendela, country manager of Agra Tanzania, encourages farmers to unionise and form co-operatives. A move he says that could give them a voice on market prices. "That will help them have bargaining power and fertiliser sold to them will be affordable," argues Mr Rweyendela. The richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, recently commissioned a fertiliser plant in Nigeria, which is expected to produce three million tonnes of urea fertiliser annually. He believes guaranteed supplies will make the difference. "Ordering fertiliser and having it arrive has been a big challenge for farmers in Africa and they end up missing their planting season," said Mr Dangote. "With the launch of this plant, we shall ensure farmers get the nutrients early." Corky Siegel remembers Jim Schwall, vividly and forever. It is all clear as day, Siegel said. Jim could do pretty much anything he wanted to do. He was a master of the guitar, an artist, an incredible photographer. He was a poet and a great songwriter. He was also a humanist. A great man. Advertisement Schwall died June 19 of natural causes at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 79 years old. He had long been gone from Chicago; making a life and making music in rural Wisconsin; in Iowa for a time; and for a longer time in Madison, Wisconsin, where he earned a doctorate in musical composition, tirelessly advocated for human rights and homeless causes, and ran unsuccessfully for mayor. Advertisement Talking late last week, Siegel remembered the day he met Schwall in the mid-1960s. They were young students studying music at Roosevelt University and playing in the schools jazz band. They found one another riding in an elevator, Siegel carrying a saxophone, Schwall with a guitar. They talked, they shared their passion for music and they were soon visiting one anothers apartments to play. Then they traveled south, to sit in with the blues greats who frequented a place called Peppers Lounge. We were amazed and so lucky, hired to play from 9 at night to 3 in the morning, Siegel told me. Two young white kids just learning the blues and having this mind-blowing experience. Joined on stage by Muddy Waters or Buddy Guy or Otis Spann or Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Hound Dog Taylor. The next week it was Howlin Wolf and James Cotton. Another week it was Junior Wells and Magic Slim. It became clear to me how fortunate we were to be on stage every week with these blues masters coming and going all night long. They quickly formed the Siegel-Schwall Band with Siegel on harmonica and piano, Schwall on guitar, Rollo Radford on bass, and Shelly Plotkin on drums. It would become one of the most influential bands in the history of the city. They played such local clubs as Peppers, the Quiet Knight and Big Johns. They traveled and shared billings with such performers as Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell. They recorded a number of studio and live albums for Vanguard and RCA/Wooden Nickel. They also became the first blues band to ever perform with a symphony, playing Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra with the San Francisco Symphony and elsewhere, a piece written by Chicagos William Russo and conducted by Seiji Ozawa, the Japanese-born conductor who had initiated the collaboration when with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jim Schwall outside his home in Madison, Wisconsin, in August 2000 at a time he was running for mayor of the city. (PETER THOMPSON) Memories of all this, and much more, came rushing back to Siegel at the news of Schwalls death. I will never forget the number of people, people like Larry Coryell, the late acclaimed jazz guitarist, telling me how great Jim was and how much he admired him. Billboard magazine once referred to the band as one of the best acts in America and the Boston Globe called Schwall undoubtedly the best electric guitarist in the country. It came as a surprise to many when the Siegel-Schwall Band broke up in 1974. But it was a split without acrimony or rancor. As Siegel would later recall, There were a couple reasons we stopped playing together. One, people were getting real rowdy at our concerts, and we werent feeling real good about it. And two, we werent doing anything we could feel very proud about. Schwall would continue to live on a Wisconsin farm for a time with a wife and a dog; in Davenport, Iowa, working in shipping at a gas station supply distributorship; and for a lengthy time in Madison, Wisconsin. Advertisement Siegel would fashion a new career playing clubs as a solo folk and blues act, record a couple of albums, play keyboards and harmonica on albums by John Prine and Steve Goodman, and was a guest harmonica player with major symphony orchestras in here and Europe. He would become a member of the Blues Hall of Fame and be acknowledged as one of the worlds greatest harmonica players. Inspired by the collaboration with Ozawa, Siegel would also found Chamber Blues, a compelling and wildly entertaining blending of classical music and blues that remains a vital part of the music scene. And Siegel-Schwall would live on, reuniting for shows over the decades. That, for both men, was a joy. As Schwall would say, That was only part of being a musician that I like and the only part that I ever have liked is the part that involves me having a guitar in my hands in front of an audience. I dont like any of the rest of it, and I especially dont like the business part. In addition to his playing with the reconstituted Siegel-Schwall, the guitarist also fashioned a career with the Jim Schwall Band and as a solo artist, which resulted in such albums as a Spring Vacation in 1978, 1995s Live at Heroes, and 2014s Bar Time Lovers. He gave live performances at various Madison-area taverns and coffeehouses. And he and Siegel talked frequently. Advertisement Eventually he gave up music, said Siegel. He sold his guitars. He was reading books, just hanging out. We talked often on the phone and I would say that he was happy, very happy. The last few times they spoke, Siegel said, I realized that in the 60 years we had known each other, played music together, there had only been two disagreements, and each of those lasted one minute. I made it a point to tell him in some of our final conversations how much I loved him and how important he had been to my career, to my life. Schwall is survived by two brothers, William and Stephen. A memorial service is planned. rkogan@chicagotribune.com The Filipino American family who was threatened and physically attacked by a man at a McDonalds drive-thru in North Hollywood, California, last month will seek an extraction order on their assailant. Patricia Roque, 19, expressed her frustration at her familys ongoing case against Nicholas Weber, who faces hate crime charges, as he refused to attend his arraignment for the third time. Its very frustrating, Patricia told migrant rights advocate Xenia Tupas on June 24. How long do we have to wait to get a solid confirmation on anything? This is Webers third refusal. I know were putting enough pressure, but its very difficult to get that pressure to the right authorities so they could hear what the people and what my family want in this case, she added. More from NextShark: Heroic Dog Who Lost Her Snout Saving Two Girls Years Ago Passes Away in the Philippines Weber, who is currently in police custody, refused to leave his cell for the arraignment. The hearing has not been pushed through due to his absence, according to a joint statement by the Filipino Migrant Center, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and Migrante Los Angeles. An arrest warrant was issued after Weber did not appear in court on June 8. He was arrested in Orange County on June 16 and charged with battery causing serious bodily injury and misdemeanor battery, both with hate crime enhancements. The 31-year-old suspect was filmed harassing and assaulting the Roque family at a McDonalds drive-thru on Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood on May 13. Weber reportedly rear-ended the familys car before telling Patricia and her mother, Nerissa, that they were so Asian. Weber allegedly used racial slurs and threatened to kill them in a mock Asian accent. More from NextShark: Pokemon Go Trainer, 56, Arrested for Brawling With Another Trainer, 55, Over Control of Gym The verbal attack became physical when Weber tried to open their car door to get to Patricia but was stopped by her father Gabriel, who arrived at the scene minutes after being called by Patricia. The 60-year-old father was punched to the ground and suffered a broken rib from the attack. Nerissa was allegedly choked while trying to stop Weber. Story continues Activists rallied outside the Van Nuys District Attorneys Office on June 17 to demand justice for the family. Dozens of supporters called for officials to investigate the case in-depth and prosecute Weber for committing a hate crime. Patricia called District Attorney George Gascons claim of being in close contact with the family an exaggeration. More from NextShark: Missouri Police Restart Search for Body of Chinese Woman Missing Since 2019 Hes got his information wrong. If hes trying to appease the people, appease my family for his own political and personal gain, then he might as well shouldve looked up the background of our case first before giving out any statement that was obviously false, Patricia said. He said that the incident occurred 10 days ago when in fact, it has been more than a month since the incident happened. He also mentioned that hes in close contact with the family. No, she added. I think hes only contacted my parents once, but that doesnt equate to close contact. And not only that, were not even hearing anything from the defense attorneys and from him. Featured Image via ABS-CBN News (left, right) More from NextShark: Korean Consulate In Canada Warns of Danger After Citizens are Stabbed and Beaten Because of Coronavirus TVLine.com When Kristian Alfonso tendered her resignation from Days of Our Lives in 2020 after 37 years, the actress seemed rather emphatic about it being a permanent departure. Cut to July 2022, Alfonso is set to reprise her role of Hope Williams Brady opposite former leading man Peter Reckell in the second installment of Days offshoot Beyond [] The 74 This week the U.S. Interior Department released a 100-page report on the lasting consequences of the federal Indian boarding school system. You might recall last June Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo, announced the federal agency would investigate the extent of the loss of human life and legacy of the federal Indian [] Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that will require apartment landlords to conduct background checks on employees, a response to the September murder of a Valencia College student. With the signature, DeSantis finished taking action on all of the bills passed during the 2022 legislative session. Under the new law, criminal and sexual-offender background checks will be required for apartment-complex employees. Also, tenants will have to be given 24 hours notice before workers can enter apartments. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The measure (SB 898), known as Miyas Law, was crafted after the death of 19-year-old Miya Marcano, who was found dead a week after she went missing from her Orlando apartment. The suspected killer, who later committed suicide, worked as a maintenance worker at Marcanos apartment complex. According to investigators, he used a master key fob to enter Marcanos apartment the day she went missing. By signing this legislation, we are making it safer to live in a rental unit and giving renters more peace of mind in their home, DeSantis said in a prepared statement. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] In March, the House and Senate unanimously passed the measure, which was sponsored by Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood. Although this legislation will not bring Miya back, it will help save lives and bring a greater sense of security to college students moving into their first apartment, seniors residing in apartment communities, and all the 2 million renters in Florida, Bartleman said in a statement. The measure also will ban motels and hotels from charging hourly room rates as a way to try to prevent sex trafficking. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Boston Police are charging four teenagers in the beating of a local musician outside South Station in Boston on Friday. The attack was caught on video by witnesses and shared widely on social media. Adam Neufell suffered a broken nose and a concussion in the assault. All of the teenagers charged are juveniles. One of them is 15 years old and the three others are 16 years old. Charges include simple assault and battery and larceny. Boston 25 News is blurring the faces of those involved because they are being charged as juveniles. The suspected attackers had yelled at Neufell to get a haircut before the incident, according to a police report. Neufell was out with his girlfriend trying to get home after missing a train when the alleged assault happened. Adam Neufell is a drummer for the local rock band Young Other. On Tuesday morning, the band announced it had to cancel some upcoming shows, while Neufell recovers from his injuries. Young Other, of Worcester, will not perform in Ohio or New York in early July in wake of a beating early Friday morning that left their drummer, Adam Neufell, with a concussion and a broken nose. It is with heavy hearts that we must announce that we will be unable to perform our upcoming July dates that kick off this Friday in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, due to the severity of Adams concussion, the band said in a Facebook post. Local band cancels upcoming tour dates after drummer severely injured in Boston attack This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Former President Donald Trump and Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images Fox News host Martha MacCallum argued Tuesday's January 6 testimony was not surprising. Former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified about a pair of violent outbursts. MacCallum said it's not "wholly out of character" that Trump "might throw his lunch." Moments after a colleague referred to Tuesday's January 6 committee testimony as "stunning," Fox News host Martha MacCallum downplayed new revelations about former President Donald Trump's violent outbursts surrounding his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Trump threw a plate in the White House dining room after he found out former Attorney General Bill Barr publicly said there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, leaving "ketchup dripping down the wall." "I mean, I'm not sure that it really shocks anybody that the president just knowing what we've seen, observing him over the years if he got angry then he might throw his lunch," MacCallum said. "I'm not sure. It's obviously a very dramatic detail, and the way that she describes it, um, is. But I'm not sure if this is wholly out of character with the Donald Trump and the President Trump that people came to know over the years." The Associated Press (@AP) June 28, 2022 Similar to her remarks during last week's hearings when she said "not to say that it's not truthful" to preface the testimony MacCallum tried to include the pro-Trump perspective while acknowledging the former president was unable to back up his voter fraud claims with any evidence in court. "And there's a lot of people out there who obviously shared his feelings of frustration over the course of those days," MacCallum said. "The problem was that they couldn't back it up with anything in the courts and they couldn't back it up with evidence they produced." Hutchinson also testified that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel and lunged at a Secret Service agent when he found out he wouldn't be driven to the Capitol after his speech the morning of the riot. Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Donald Trump during a Fox News virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2020. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images Fox News and other Murdoch-owned entities are showing signs of a new post-Trump era. The primetime lineup is still in his corner, and January 6 remains a sensitive topic. But some hosts are pivoting, and the network recently lost a motion to dismiss Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit. After a 4-year presidential term of "Fox & Friends" call-in interviews and live tweeting the network's weekend programming, Donald Trump is facing headwinds at his once-favorite cable news channel. A variety of Fox News hosts and contributors have either recently issued stern critiques of the former president or outlined a vision for the 2024 presidential election that does not include him. Even the network's latest Trump exclusive showed how a new dynamic is at play: his reaction to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade ran on Fox News' website, not as a live TV appearance. Fox News and its parent company are also dealing with a legal fight inextricably linked to Trump, who gave interviews to the network around 8 times more often than any other TV channel during his presidency. Failure to dismiss Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Dominion and Smartmatic, two rival election technology companies, have filed a series of defamation lawsuits against right-wing media organizations and individuals they say falsely accused them of rigging the 2020 election results against then-President Trump. Newsmax, One America News Network, and Fox News are among the institutional defendants. Individual defendants include MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and other election conspiracy theorists closely aligned with Trump. All of the lawsuits have continued to make their way through the courts. Dominion achieving a major victory last week, when the Delaware judge overseeing its case against Fox News ruled that Fox Corporation, the media organization's parent company, would also be subject to discovery. Dominion made a convincing case that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, who oversee the company, pushed the media organization to follow Trump's the election lies in order not to lose ground to Newsmax and OAN, the judge said. Story continues While Fox News did not carry nearly as many election fraud-related segments as Newsmax or OAN, an interview from host Maria Bartiromo 's weekend show with former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell was one of the video exhibits during the January 6 committee hearings. The interview has also become a centerpiece of both Smartmatic's and Dominion's lawsuits against Fox News. Powell's lawyers have argued "no reasonable person would conclude" her claims about the 2020 election and vote stealing to be "truly statements of fact." Fox News did not return Insider's request for comment. Fox personalities leaving Trump in the past Brian Kilmeade, co-host of "Fox & Friends" on Fox News. Noam Galai/Getty Images Piers Morgan appeared on Fox News last week to flesh out his latest column for the New York Post, titled "Memo to Republicans: It's time to dump The Donald and run with The Ronald" the latter a reference to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. "He isn't just 35 years younger than Trump, he's more eloquent, focused and organized, going about his business with military-style planning," Morgan wrote. Later, in an appearance on Fox News' "Your World with Neil Cavuto," Morgan compared DeSantis to Barack Obama for the Democrats in 2008. Vanity Fair also recently reported on the Murdoch property-wide phenomenon of boosting DeSantis ahead of 2024. The primetime lineup of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham are still nowhere close to being Never Trumpers. Carlson counter-programmed the first night of the January 6 hearings with a version of his demonstrably false streaming mini-series on the insurrection being a "false flag operation." Hannity has recovered from his reported falling out with Trump after the election, with the former president calling into his show back in January. In the case of the January 2022 call-in, Hannity did not ask Trump about the substantial body of text message correspondence between network stars like himself and White House officials particularly Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff around January 6. When mutually beneficial, Trump and the top stars at Fox News have shown they're still willing to get along on-air even after the election fallout. The same can't be said for one of the morning side's biggest stars. On Sunday, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade harped on Trump for not letting go of his election lies. "I've said this before: I believe from the time when the election results came in until January 6th is the worst moment of Donald Trump's political career," Kilmeade said on the Fox News Sunday show "Media Buzz." "I think how you lose in life defines who you are," Kilmeade continued. "And even if there are things that bother you, welcome to the world." Kilmeade, who once pressed a 6th grader in a live interview for praising Biden and not giving Trump enough credit on school reopenings, recalled how Trump stormed out on him off camera after he briefly pushed back on the former president's claims of election fraud. "As soon as we were done, he just stormed off," Kilmeade said. "And you know how long I've known him, for 15 years or 20 years prior to him going to the White House. I've never seen him so angry." Trump has already given Fox News 1.6 billion reasons why they shouldn't let him hitch his wagon to theirs again. DeSantis, should he run for president, might be the best protection they can find. Read the original article on Business Insider Banning Russian gold is a way to block off paths between the Russian economy and the broader global financial system, a White House official said. (Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press) As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth month, the U.S. and its allies are taking aim at Russia's second-largest export industry after energy: gold. On Tuesday, the Group of 7 advanced economies agreed on a ban on Russian gold imports in the latest round of sanctions over Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. says Russia has used gold to support its currency as a way to circumvent the impact of sanctions. One way to do that is by swapping gold for a more liquid foreign exchange that is not subject to current sanctions. Some experts say that since only a few countries are implementing the gold ban, the move is largely symbolic, while others, including those in the Biden administration, say a ban on imports of Russian gold will target Moscow's ability to interact with the global financial system. How a G-7 Russian gold ban would work: How much gold does Russia have? Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told CNN on Sunday that because gold is Russia's second-most lucrative export after energy and nearly 90% of the revenue from it comes from G-7 countries, "cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year thats significant. Blinken said that without the money, Russia cant acquire what it needs to modernize its defense sector, to modernize its technology, to modernize its energy exploration." Russia began increasing its gold purchases in 2014, after the U.S. issued sanctions on Russia for Putins annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. Now the country holds $100 billion to $140 billion in gold reserves, which is roughly 20% of the holdings in the Russian Central Bank, according to U.S. officials. How would a gold ban work? While Russia will still able to sell gold to other countries outside the G-7's jurisdiction, it will impact the ability of Russia to earn export revenue, says Chris Weafer, a Russian economy analyst at consulting firm Macro-Advisory. Its that high level of export receipts that is sustaining the country and sustaining the economy since sanctions were ratcheted up" after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Weafer said. Story continues In practice, it could result in civil or criminal penalties on people who come from countries that have agreed on a gold ban from Russia. Swiss customs officials Friday said they were tracking roughly three tons of Russian gold worth more than $202 million that entered Switzerland from Britain last month as they monitor potential violations of economic sanctions against Russia. What other measures have been taken on the gold trade? In March, the U.S. and its allies moved to block financial transactions with Russias Central Bank that involve gold, aiming to further restrict the countrys ability to use its international reserves. That came after calls from members of Congress to restrict Russias gold trade. The Treasury Department issued guidance that American individuals, including gold dealers, distributors, wholesalers, buyers and financial institutions, are generally banned from buying, selling or facilitating gold-related transactions involving Russia and the various parties that have been sanctioned. How will this move punish Russia? Like the thousands of sanctions already imposed on Russia, the gold import ban is meant to isolate Russia economically, starve its funding arm and prevent money-laundering. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the G-7 meetings in Elmau, Germany, that the ban would directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putins war machine. Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war. He is bankrolling his ego at the expense of both the Ukrainian and Russian people," Johnson said. A White House official told reporters the ban is yet another way to block off paths between the Russian economy and the broader global financial system. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven leaders agreed that they want ministers to urgently look into how prices of Russian oil and gas can be curbed to limit revenues flowing to President Vladimir Putin, though exactly how the initiatives would work remained unclear. Most Read from Bloomberg We reaffirm our commitment to phase out our dependency on Russian energy, the leaders said in a joint statement Tuesday following their three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps. In addition, we will explore further measures to prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression. The move by the club of rich nations comes as part of a broader push to choke off the profits Russia makes from energy exports that are helping to fund its invasion of Ukraine. The war has been the dominant topic at the gathering at Schloss Elmau hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, where leaders pledged indefinite support for the government in Kyiv. Key Developments G-7 Grapples for Ways to Punish Russia While Taking on China From Scholz to Biden, a G-7 Scorecard of How Each Leader Got On G-7 Oil Price Cap Idea Beloved by Economists Faces Harsh Reality G-7 Launches Climate Club in Attempt to Avoid Green Trade Wars G-7 to Allow Fossil-Fuel Financing If Climate Pledges Are Kept (All times CET) Kishida Wants Freedom Partnership With Europe (4 p.m.) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he wants to strengthen ties with NATO and build a partnership for freedom and democracy between Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Kishida spoke at a news conference in Munich just before departing for Madrid, where he will be the first Japanese premier to attend a NATO summit. Canada May Expand Energy Support for Europe (3:45 p.m.) Story continues Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country is looking at expanding energy infrastructure to help Europe over the medium term to transition away from Russian oil and gas. Trudeau said, without providing details, that there are opportunities to build facilities that could export liquefied natural gas to the continent. The infrastructure could then be used for hydrogen exports in the future, he said, keeping it consistent with Canadas longer-term climate goals. G-7 Launches Club to Tackle Climate Change (3:15 p.m.) Leaders agreed to form a Climate Club, where members agree on joint rules and standards in the fight against global warming with the hope that it will avoid spats over green tariffs. The initiative was a significant achievement for Scholz, who has made better coordination on climate protection measures a key theme of his G-7 presidency. We note with concern that currently neither global climate ambition nor implementation are sufficient to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the leaders said in a joint statement. The Climate Club will address that by accelerating climate action and increasing ambition, with a particular focus on the industry sector. Putin Wont Attend G-20 in Person, Draghi Says (3 p.m.) Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Indonesian President Joko Widodo told the G-7 gathering that Putin wont attend a G-20 summit in November in person. Widodo was categorical, he has excluded it, he will not come, Draghi said at a news conference. What might happen, is a remote appearance, but this is not clear, we will see. An official familiar with the Indonesian governments thinking said the invite for Putin to attend stands and its up to him if he comes in person or takes part virtually. Both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have accepted invitations to the meeting in Bali from G-20 presidency Indonesia. Putin has declined to meet with Zelenskiy, who has said its the only way to end the war. Asked earlier whether Germany and other G-7 nations will attend the meeting in Bali, Scholz said there was broad agreement among the leaders that they dont want to drive the G-20 apart. As things stand, the decision of the countries gathered here was that they will attend, Scholz said at a news conference. Oil-Price Cap Very Ambitious, Scholz Says (2:15 p.m.) Scholz hinted that hes skeptical about the viability of a cap on the price of Russian oil, saying its a very ambitious and prerequisite-rich plan. Thats why there will still be a lot of work on this to do, he said at his concluding news conference. At a separate briefing, French President Emmanuel Macron said sanctions on Russia will remain for as long as needed and with the necessary intensity in the coming weeks and months. Biden-Erdogan Meeting at NATO Summit Uncertain (11:30 a.m.) A possible bilateral meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of this weeks NATO summit in Madrid is one of the most anticipated of the gathering in the Spanish capital, except neither are confirming it will happen. At stake is whether Biden can do something to overcome Turkeys opposition to Sweden and Finland joining the military alliance. The two men spoke earlier Tuesday and Erdogan was first to announce it to state television. Its pretty clear what hes after. Erdogan pointedly said he wants to discuss F-16 fighter aircraft and mentioned seeing the president on the sidelines of NATO. The White House, in its own statement, confirmed the call and said Biden looks forward to seeing Erdogan. Leaders Commit $4.5 Billion to Fight Famine (11:10 a.m.) In a separate statement on global food security, leaders committed to providing an additional $4.5 billion to protect the most vulnerable from hunger and malnutrition and called on Russia to unconditionally end its blockade of Ukraines Black Sea ports and attacks on key infrastructure. We are strongly supporting Ukraine in resuming its agricultural exports to world markets, as well as UN efforts to unlock a safe maritime corridor through the Black Sea, according to the statement. G-7 Wants China to Intervene With Russia (10:45 a.m.) In the draft of their statement, leaders called on China to use its influence with Russia to try to convince Putin to end what they called the unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine. The government in Beijing should urge Russia to stop its military aggression -- and immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine, according to the text of the statement. They also said they are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in China and called on the government to respect universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in Tibet and in Xinjiang, where they said forced labor is of major concern to them. G-7 Reference Chinese Competition Curbs (10:30 a.m.) The leaders also referenced what they called challenges posed by non-market policies and practices which distort the global economy practiced by China. We will build a shared understanding of Chinas non-transparent and market-distorting interventions and other forms of economic and industrial directives, the statement said. We will then work together to develop coordinated action to ensure a level playing field for our businesses and workers. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to engage over the course of the next few weeks. Biden to Leave Early for NATO Summit (10 a.m.) Biden will leave the summit at Schloss Elmau early to head to Madrid for a meeting of NATO leaders that starts later on Tuesday, the White House said. Leaders meeting in the Spanish capital will sign off on a document outlining the alliances priorities for the coming decade. The so-called Strategic Concept is set to label China a systemic challenge while also highlighting Beijings deepening partnership with Russia, according to people familiar with the matter. The previous version, published in 2010, made no mention of China and referred to Russia as a partner, wording that is set to be scrapped. Biden Summit Bilaterals Limited (9:30 a.m.) Biden had a handful of meetings with world leaders behind closed doors at the summit. He huddled with Japans Kishida out of view of reporters, and they discussed the NATO summit, which will include Indo-Pacific leaders like Kishida for the first time, according to the White House. Biden also spoke about food security, Ukraine and infrastructure in a private meeting with Senegalese President Macky Sall, who was invited to the summit as one of a number of special guests, according to the White House. The only public meetings Biden has held with G-7 counterparts was a Sunday huddle with Scholz and a separate meeting with Scholz, Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Macron was also captured on camera telling Biden about a conversation he had with the UAEs Mohammad bin Zayed about oil production. G-7 Says Kremenchuk Attack a War Crime (7:30 a.m.) Scholz and his fellow leaders published a statement late Monday in which they condemned what they said was Russias abominable missile attack earlier in the day on a shopping mall in central Ukraine, which left at least 18 people dead and dozens injured. G-7 leaders said that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime and vowed that Putin and those responsible would be held to account. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes, according to the statement. Yellen Presses Europeans on Price Cap for Oil (7 a.m.) US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is pressing European counterparts to embrace measures designed to enforce a price cap on Russian oil, a move that officials in Washington hope will maintain global supplies while at the same time limiting Moscows revenue. Yellen spoke Monday with Constantinos Petrides, the finance minister of Cyprus, a major maritime player that serves as Europes largest ship-management center. The two spoke about the goal of placing a price limit on Russian oil to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to finance their war in Ukraine while mitigating spillover effects for the global economy, the Treasury said in a statement. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. On July 1, visitors at Adler Planetarium will be able to see full-scale models of the Mars Perseverance rover and its sidekick helicopter Ingenuity as NASAs Roving with Perseverance traveling exhibit stops in Chicago. Nicknamed Percy and Ginny, Perseverance and Ingenuity landed on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, where they are exploring the planet with the hopes of learning more about how its past climate could have been warmer and wetter than it is now. Advertisement Perseverance, which is as large as a small car, is also collecting rock samples that will be studied on Earth with the goal of finding signs of ancient microscopic life. Meanwhile, Ingenuity, which is small and light, is the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Visitors will get a close-up look at the technology on board the real Perseverance, follow its travels across Mars and see the Ingenuity helicopter hanging above the exhibit space. Advertisement Scientists and engineers who were involved with the NASA Perseverance and Ingenuity projects will take part in special programs at Adler as part of the exhibits tour. More details about those events will be announced at a later date. July 1 through Jan. 2, 2023. The exhibit is included with all ticket options; more information at adlerplanetarium.org Artists concept of the rover Perseverance and helicopter Ingenuity on the surface of Mars. (NASA/ JPL-Caltech) What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. Sign up for our Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. Take our survey: We want to know what you think about our work. So weve put together these five questions. The Group of Seven (G-7) countries are endorsing investments in natural gas as many seek to reduce their dependence on Russian fuels. In a communique issued on Tuesday, the group, which is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S., also backed increased deliveries of the fuel. In this context and with a view to accelerating the phase out of our dependency on Russian energy, we stress the important role increased deliveries of [liquified natural gas] can play, and acknowledge that investment in this sector is necessary in response to the current crisis, their statement said. It continued that in some cases, government investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response. The support for the fossil fuel comes as Russia has moved to cut off gas supplies to several countries when they have refused to pay for it in Russian rubles. Russia has been a major supplier of European gas, providing 40 percent of the European Unions gas consumption in 2021. However, the endorsement miffed climate advocates, who argue that the countries should be moving more towards energy sources that dont contribute to global warming. Public support for gas infrastructure is not the climate presidency Joe Biden promised. Climate activists will not sit idly by while our tax dollars lock in another generation of extraction, said a statement from Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager for Friends of the Earth U.S. The G7 countries are failing as true climate leaders by abandoning their Glasgow commitments and holding up LNG as an energy response, DeAngelis said. The G-7 memo also further floated putting a price cap that has been discussed on Russian oil, saying it may do so by banning services that help Russian oil travel by sea, unless the oil is purchased below a certain price. As for oil, we will consider a range of approaches, including options for a possible comprehensive prohibition of all services, which enable transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultation with international partners, the statement said. Additionally, the countries said they hope to create an international Climate Club by the end of this year. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Philip Blenkinsop GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) -G7 leaders urged China on Tuesday to use its influence with Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine and drop "expansive maritime claims" in the South China Sea, in unprecedentedly tough criticism of Beijing's policies and human rights record. They called on China to press Russia to pull forces out of Ukraine immediately and unconditionally, citing a ruling by the International Court of Justice that Moscow suspend its military operation, and related U.N. General Assembly resolutions. China says sanctions on Russia cannot resolve the Ukraine crisis and has criticised the United States and its allies for supplying arms to Ukraine. "G7 countries only make up 10% of the world's population. They have no right to represent the world or to think their values and standards should apply to the world," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press briefing on Wednesday, when asked about the G7 communique. In the communique, concluding their three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps, the Group of Seven rich industrial democracies took aim at what they called coercive Chinese non-market policies that distorted the global economy. The Chinese section of the communique, highlighted by the United States, referred to China's "non-transparent and market-distorting interventions" and other forms of economic and industrial directives. The G7 leaders committed to work together to ensure a level playing field for their businesses and workers. The communique further voiced serious disquiet about the situation in the East and South China seas and unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. "We stress that there is no legal basis for China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea," it said. It also the G7 was now "gravely concerned" - a term not used in their summit a year ago - about the human rights situation in China, including forced labour in Tibet and Xinjiang. China should also honour its commitments to uphold rights, freedom and a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong, they said. A NATO summit starting immediately after the G7 summit will tackle China's deepening ties with Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and what is seen as Beijing's growing inclination to flex geopolitical muscle abroad. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; editing by Mark Heinrich and Frank Jack Daniel) When Ghislaine Maxwell arrived in New York City in 1991, she seemed like the perfect candidate for its elite social scene. The British socialites father, UK publishing titan Robert Maxwell, had dispatched her to launch an international magazine called the European, as part of his sprawling media conglomerate. Robert Maxwell had also purchased the New York Daily News in March of that year, around the time of her arrival, further boosting her status, as ownership of that tabloid once conveyed real-world influence. Maxwells pedigree and appearance further enhanced her profile. Related: Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking crimes The Oxford-educated Maxwell cut an impressively attractive figure; she was about 5ft 8in, with a slim frame and bold dark hair, her defined cheeks drawing notice. She had a polished English accent. By years end, however, Maxwells position among New York Citys power players was imperiled: Robert Maxwell died in a boating accident on his yacht, Lady Ghislaine, on 5 November 1991. Shortly after Robert Maxwells death, it was revealed that 460m ($565m) was missing from his businesses pension funds. Maxwell faced financial and social ruin, decamping from a very large Columbus Circle residence to a mere studio apartment within months of her fathers death. But one of Maxwells new associates, the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, stood by her side. Three decades later, Maxwells relationship with Epstein would come to a sordid conclusion. Following an international criminal drama that culminated in Maxwells sex-trafficking conviction, she was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in jail for luring girls, some as young as age 14, into Epsteins abusive world. The pair were romantically linked early on, and in 1992, Maxwell was managing Epsteins Palm Beach estate, setting the stage for her longtime management of his various properties. Maxwell appeared to have assumed the role of Epsteins procurer by 1994. Story continues That year, Maxwell met Kate in Paris. She brought Kate, then 17, into Epsteins orbit shortly thereafter, luring her into sexual encounters with him under the false pretense of providing massages. Kate testified that Maxwells relationship with Epstein appeared to pay financial dividends, saying, she told me that she owned her house in New York City, and that Jeffrey had got it for her. David Rodgers, Epsteins longtime pilot, said that Maxwells residences changed while she dated the businessman owning a townhouse on East 65th street around the late 1990s. Prosecutors presented evidence that Epstein transferred in excess of $30m to Maxwells bank accounts from 1999 to 2007. Their romance ended in the early 2000s, and Maxwell stopped working for him. Despite their split, Maxwell remained in high-profile social circles. She began dating Ted Waitt, the co-founder of Gateway Computers. The tech billionaires check-writing helped secure her place at conferences as they replaced benefit galas as the first-tier social gatherings of the late aughts, the New York Times reported. The immense benefits Maxwell enjoyed from her association with Epstein imploded in 2007. That year, Epstein came to a controversial plea deal that permitted him to avoid federal charges for child-sex crime accusations. Maxwell was protected by a non-prosecution agreement, but she was not insulated from negative publicity. Waitt grew weary of this imbroglio, and they broke up in 2010. He had donated $12m to Bill Clintons charitable foundation, however, which helped Maxwell maintain ties to the former first family. With connections forged at Clinton family conferences, Maxwell launched an ocean charity called TerraMar in 2012. The New York Times noted that TerraMar had a website, and raised funds, but didnt seem to give out any grants. In the mid-2010s, Maxwell found herself under scrutiny yet again. Virginia Giuffre openly accused Maxwell and Epstein of forcing her into a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew when she was only 17. Maxwell responded by calling her a liar, and Giuffre hit back with a defamation suit in 2015. The suit was settled in 2017, and it appeared that the controversy had largely subsided. Late in 2018, Epsteins crimes once again drew international attention when the Miami Heralds Julie K Brown published a bombshell series that prompted outrage over his non-prosecution agreement. Epstein was arrested for sex trafficking in July 2019. He killed himself in jail about one month after his arrest. Epsteins victims, denied justice once again, were allowed to speak in court following their death. Five women named Maxwell as an enabler or participant in his abuse. All eyes were turned to Maxwell, with many wondering whether she would be prosecuted. One year after Epsteins arrest, federal prosecutors in Manhattan revealed that Maxwell was arrested at her tony estate in Bradford, New Hampshire. She was charged with sex crimes, conspiracy and perjury, for her role in Epsteins sexual abuse of minors. Maxwell went on trial for sex trafficking and related crimes in November 2020. The prosecution presented 24 witnesses over the course of 10 days, and her team brought nine witnesses to the stand over a two-day period. After 40 hours of deliberations, spanning six days, jurors found Maxwell guilty. Her fate was handed down in a New York court room six months later: 20 years in jail. Maxwell maintains her innocence. Ghislaine Maxwell, the high-flying socialite born with a silver spoon in her mouth, completed her riches-to-rags descent Tuesday in shackles as she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for enabling Jeffrey Epsteins serial abuse of children. The steep prison term all but ensures Maxwell, described by Manhattan Federal Judge Alison Nathan as instrumental in Epsteins international exploitation of teenage girls, will remain imprisoned until her twilight years. Nathan rejected Maxwells longstanding defense that she had been scapegoated for the financier, who hanged himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 while awaiting trial for underage sex trafficking. It is important at the outset to emphasize that although Epstein was of course central to this criminal scheme, Ms. Maxwell is not being punished in place of Epstein or as a proxy for Epstein, said Nathan. Ms. Maxwell is being punished for the role that she played in the criminal conduct. As to that role, the trial evidence established that Ms. Maxwell was instrumental in the abuse of several underage girls, and she herself participated in some of the abuse. ... The damage done to these young girls was incalculable. Maxwell, 60, learned her fate after making a somewhat remorseful statement to her victims that stopped short of an apology. I want to acknowledge their suffering. I empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. I also acknowledge that I have been convicted of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes, Maxwell said. I know that my association with Epstein and this case will forever and permanently stain me, said Maxwell, wearing a blue jail jumpsuit. It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein. Testimony during last years trial revealed how Maxwell instructed teen victims as young as 14 on how to pleasure Epstein and sometimes even joined in the abuse. She forced them into repeated rapes and sexual assaults at his Palm Beach mansion, Upper East Side Townhouse, and remote Zorro ranch in New Mexico. Epsteins sick routine typically began under the guise of a massage. As Epsteins Lady of the House, Maxwell enforced a strict code of conduct that indulged his every desire while treating him like royalty. Maxwell kept a basket full of sex toys in her private bathroom at Epsteins Palm Beach residence, which he used on underage victims. Story continues Witnesses recalled Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and other powerful men flying on Epsteins private planes. A photo introduced at trial showed Epstein and Maxwell lounging at the Queen of Englands Scottish castle. Todays sentence holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children. This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. Maxwells lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said her wealthy client had been vilified and pilloried and that she would appeal. We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain, and receiving the punishment he truly deserved, Sternheim said. Clever and cunning to the end, Jeffrey Epstein left Ghislaine Maxwell holding the whole bag. Nathan, who also imposed a maximum fine of $750,000, handed down the sentence after a three-hour proceeding in which Maxwells victims detailed the enduring trauma of her and Epsteins abuse. The former socialite appeared tense at times, puffing her chest out to take deep breaths and looking resigned in other moments, staring into the distance with a glazed expression. She showed little emotion when the sentence came down. In attendance were the British defendants siblings, who had written to Judge Nathan ahead of the sentencing. Also spotted was juror Scotty David, who almost jeopardized Maxwells conviction when he revealed discrepancies in his juror questionnaire in media interviews after the verdict. Four victims described Maxwell as a master manipulator who had ruined their lives. One victim, Annie Farmer, asked Nathan to consider the womens ongoing suffering and the calculated nature of Epstein and Maxwells crimes. She doesnt think what she did was wrong. She is not sorry, and she would do it again, said another victim, Kate, who described Maxwell as a manipulative, cruel and merciless person who only uses kindness to manipulate. Victim Elizabeth Stein said the predatory couple had almost killed me. For the past 25 years, Ghislaine Maxwell has been free to live a life of wealth and privilege, said Stein. Shes had her life. Its time to have mine. She needs to be imprisoned so all of her victims can be free. By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for helping the sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The British socialite, 60, was convicted in December for recruiting and grooming four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004. The monthlong trial was widely seen as the reckoning that Epstein - who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial - never had. It was one of the highest-profile cases in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out about sexual abuse, often at the hands of wealthy and powerful people. In often emotional and explicit testimony during the trial, four women testified that Maxwell was a central figure in their abuse by Epstein. U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan read the sentence at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors last week called Maxwell's conduct "shockingly predatory" and said she deserved to spend at least 30 years behind bars for the five charges on which she was convicted, based on their interpretation of federal sentencing guidelines. Maxwell's lawyers had earlier said in court papers that she should be sentenced to no more than 5-1/4 years, arguing that she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes and that she had already spent significant time in jail. Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and repeatedly denied bail. Since then, she has been held mostly at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where she has complained of vermin and the scent of raw sewage in her cell. Her lawyer has compared her confinement conditions to those of Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs." Maxwell was placed on suicide watch over the weekend. However her lawyers said she was not suicidal. In April, Nathan rejected Maxwell's bid for an acquittal, but set aside guilty verdicts on two counts because they overlapped. That reduced Maxwell's maximum possible sentence to 55 years from 65 years. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Noeleen Walder) Ghislaine Maxwell turns to sketch court sketch artist Jane Rosenberg during the trial of Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate accused of sex trafficking, in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S., December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg A federal judge sentenced Ghislaine Maxwell to 20 years in prison. In December, a jury found her guilty of sex-trafficking girls for Jeffrey Epstein. The trial shed light on how Epstein and Maxwell preyed on teen girls for sex. A judge on Tuesday sentenced Ghislaine Maxwell to 20 years in prison for trafficking girls to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein and sexually abusing them herself. Maxwell was also fined $750,000, the judge announced, and would be on probation for five years following her time in prison. A federal jury in Manhattan convicted Maxwell in December, finding she was guilty of five of the six sex trafficking and conspiracy charges brought against her. US District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversaw the trial in Manhattan federal court, said the sentence which slightly exceeded sentencing guidelines addressed the "heinous and predatory" nature of Maxwell's crimes. She also took into account statements given by victims. "The damage done to these girls is incalculable," Nathan said. Before her sentencing, Maxwell, now 60 years old, addressed the court her first public remarks since her arrest in 2020. She walked into the courtroom wearing a pale blue jail-issued smock, chains on her ankles clanking. Though Maxwell didn't take responsibility for trafficking girls to Epstein and sexually abusing them herself, she acknowledged the "pain and anguish" expressed by the victims. Maxwell said statements by the victims were "difficult to hear and absorb" and said she's had plenty of time to think about her actions in solitary confinement. "It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein," Maxwell said. "I have had plenty of time to think, having spent two years in solitary confinement. I believe that Jeffrey Epstein was a manipulative, cunning, and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life and fooled all of those in his orbit." Maxwell said Epstein "should have been here" to hear the stories of the victims. Story continues "I hope my incarceration brings you closure, some measure of peace and finality," she said. "May this day help you travel from the darkness into the light." In issuing the 20-year sentence, Nathan said her version of events, false claims made in depositions for civil lawsuits against her for her conduct, exaggerations about her conditions in jail, and inconsistencies in financial statements for bail reflected a "pattern of deflection" and dishonesty. "Ms. Maxwell is wealthy or that this case is high profile is not a basis for increasing punishment in any regard, but the rule of law demands and this Court must ensure that whether you are rich or poor, powerful or entirely unknown, nobody is above the law," Nathan said. Maxwell's victims spoke in court before she was sentenced Four women took the stand throughout the monthlong trial and, in painful testimony, described how Maxwell befriended them as teenagers, groomed them for sex with Epstein. One of the accusers, who testified under the pseudonym Kate, said Maxwell told her Epstein needed sex three times a day and that she couldn't keep up. Two of the accusers Jane, a pseudonym, and a woman who testified using only her first name, Carolyn said that the sexual acts started when they were as young as 14 and that Maxwell sometimes participated in the abuse. Annie Farmer, the only accuser to testify using her full name, said Maxwell fondled her breasts during a visit to Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was 16. On Tuesday, she gave a statement to the court about her experience. "For a long time, I wanted to erase from my mind the crimes that Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein committed against me and pretend they hadn't happened," she said. Annie Farmer, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, speaks to the press as her lawyer Sigrid McCawley looks on following the sentencing of the Ghislaine Maxwell outside the U.S. Courthouse in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid The sentence given to Maxwell was slightly above statutory sentencing guidelines, which Nathan said demonstrated the severity of her crimes. "There are a small number of cases where the Court imposes an above-guideline sentence," prosecutor Alison Moe told Nathan during the sentencing hearing. "This is that case." Following the sentencing, Farmer told Insider that she was "very happy" with the 20-year sentence. In the days leading up to the sentencing, prosecutors and attorneys for Maxwell's accusers submitted statements from victims. Maxwell's attorneys sought to limit who would be able to speak, but Nathan permitted statements from each victim who testified, others identified by witnesses as her victims, and two other accusers who watched but did not participate in the trial in court. The accuser who testified in the trial with the pseudonym Kate said that her experience on the stand was "both terrifying and retraumatizing" but that she does not "regret it for a moment." "There is nothing more important than protecting the innocent and, if I was able to provide, in any way, information helpful to understanding the nature of this type of abuse, as perpetrated by Ghislaine Maxwell, then my pain has had meaning and therefore not been for naught," she wrote. The trial shed light on how Epstein and Maxwell controlled girls During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that shed more light on Epstein's lavish lifestyle, connections with the powerful, and the way he pursued children. Epstein funded and maintained a "scholarship lodge" at a summer camp where he and Maxwell targeted Jane, instructed his household staff to pay little attention to visitors, and kept a stash of money and diamonds in a safe in his Manhattan townhouse. His victims testified that he namedropped the likes of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew to keep them in line. Epstein also gave Maxwell more than $30 million during their time together, which included a romantic relationship as well as a period of time where she acted as his household manager. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of at least 30 years in prison for the disgraced socialite, in addition to fines. Maxwell's lawyers fought for five years and said she plans to appeal her conviction. During the trial, they argued she was unfairly targeted after Epstein died in jail following his arrest in 2019, and presented friends to testify that they never witnessed her sexually abuse anyone. In a sentencing memorandum, Maxwell's lawyers said she should be granted leniency because of childhood abuse from her father, the late British mogul Robert Maxwell. An undated photo of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein entered into evidence during her criminal trial. US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York The verdict against Maxwell was nearly derailed after one of the jurors said in media interviews that he was personally a victim of sexual abuse as a child something he failed to disclose on his prospective juror form. After Nathan questioned him under oath, she ruled that he made an honest mistake and that the situation didn't meet the legal standards for throwing out the jury verdict. Prosecutors have also said they would drop a separate set of perjury charges against Maxwell, for lying about her sexual abuse in a deposition taken for a civil case involving Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre has accused Maxwell and Epstein of sexual misconduct, and earlier this year secured a settlement with Prince Andrew, who she accused of sexually abusing her as part of Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme. Giuffre was not brought as a witness in Maxwell's criminal trial. Nathan dismissed the charges, at the prosecutors' request, at the end of the sentencing. She noted in her sentence that she believed Maxwell lied in her depositions, given the evidence in her trial. "Overall, the behavior appears consistent with a pattern of deflection of blame," Nathan said. In her own impact statement, Giuffre said she hoped Maxwell's trial would "set a precedent for victims and the hunters who prey upon them." "Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible pedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you," the statement reads, addressing Maxwell. "For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it." Read the original article on Insider NEW YORK (AP) Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said a very significant sentence is necessary and that she wanted to send an unmistakable message that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while Maxwells defense sought a lenient sentence of just five years. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, sat quietly before the sentencing, looking ahead as Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to horrifying nightmares by taking them to Epstein. They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together, she said, calling Maxwell a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings. When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell called him a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life, echoing her defense attorneys assertions, in court filings calling for a lenient sentence, that Epstein was the true mastermind. Story continues Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her unusual incarceration bring some measure of peace and finality. Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Annie Farmer, whose voice cracked several times as she said we will continue to live with the harm she caused us. Farmer said her sister and herself tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwells siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britains Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them. Many described Maxwell as acting as a madam who recruited them to give massages to Epstein. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticize her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadnt told the court during jury selection. Maxwells lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwells seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. Maxwells fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections. This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature, they wrote. Prosecutors called Maxwells shifting of blame to Epstein absurd and offensive. Before her fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and scribbled on a notepad as Sarah Ransome an accuser whose allegations werent included in this trial spoke of the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times . Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide, finally drew a look from Maxwell when she said: You broke me in unfathomable ways but you did not break my spirit. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. lithium factory - REUTERS/Stringer The Government has invested in a company hoping to help end Britain's reliance on China for a key electric battery component. Livista Energy's bid to set up one of the first lithium refineries in Europe has won support from the Government. The new plant, set to be built in England, will produce the materials required to build batteries for electric vehicles. Livista's co-founder Roland Getreide told the Financial Times: "The electrification of the car fleet means a whole new supply chain and the UK Government has chosen us to explain the process and how to build a refinery here." The funding will help Livista pick a location for the refinery, Mr Getreide said. Britain and the European Union have been trying to end their reliance on China for refined lithium amid concerns about security of supply. Lithium is set to be a key material in the coming decade as the world shifts towards electrification. China is the biggest refiner of lithium in the world, though it sources most of the raw metal from beyond its borders according to S&P Global. Britain has deposits of lithium and start-ups Cornish Lithium and British Lithium are exploring commercial mining. The Daily Telegraph revealed last month that Green Lithium, another British start-up backed by the worlds biggest private metal trader Triafigura, is also considering setting up a refinery in Teesside. The funding for Livista came as part of a 43.7m package of co-investment from the Government and the automotive sector for 21 projects aiming to decarbonise the car industry. Lord Gerry Grimstone, minister for investment, said: "By investing in projects, such as electric motorcycles, to develop the latest clean auto tech or to investigate the potential for further growth in UK electric vehicle manufacturing, we are not only keeping the UK at the forefront of this vital sector, but also securing potentially thousands of highly-skilled jobs for the future." The Government also announced it would invest 4m in a rare earth refinery to be built in the Saltend Chemicals Park in Yorkshire. Story continues The plant recently received planning approval from local councillors and will be built by rare earth metals company Pensana. Rare earth metals are required to manufacture essential equipment for the healthcare sector and the military. China provides around 98pc of the EU's requirement for rare earth metals after heavily investing in the production capacity needed for processing and exporting them. On Monday night, the Chicago Symphony Orchestras moniker for its annual free community concert felt like more than lofty branding. Much more. The CSO and music director Riccardo Muti last performed a Concert for Chicago at the Pritzker Pavilion back in 2018. The roving annual series usually signals the end of summer and the beginning of the fall season. But in a city where summers can hang heavy with strife, the CSOs concerts in Millennium Park, the citys symbolic heart with other visits in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015 feel like a special balm. Advertisement And after the grief of the intervening four years? Well. How long is this concert supposed to be again? In case the more literal among us were wondering: a tight hour, give or take a few minutes. But it was a dense hour, pairing Dmitri Shostakovich and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian symphonists who wrote the book on waltzing, marching and grinning through tragedy. Advertisement Tchaikovskys Symphony No. 4 is one of the composers most programmed symphonies, if not the most programmed. But Mutis interpretation curry-combed this war horse head to hoof. His recording of the symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra offered a blueprint for Mondays performance, but with some fanciful updates that threw back to his idiosyncratic Pathetique with the CSO last fall. The calls-and-responses between strings and winds in the middle of the first movement dramatically seesawed tempos, whetting Tchaikovskys schismatic emotional contrasts to sharp points. When first violins shriek out the opening fanfares return in a fearsome orchestra tutti, that section can feel like a sudden reckoning, a strike from the heavens. In Mondays rendition, Muti guided listeners step by step to that clash, and it was not a lick less thrilling because of it. We knew we would meet our fate. All that was left, it seemed, was to confront it. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs its "Concert for Chicago," in Millennium Park on June 27, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) An appropriately uptempo Andantino followed, led by William Welters endearingly midcentury take on the opening oboe solo. Though its rolling string lines are most singable, this movement was the winds show from start to finish, with plush legatos from the brass and short yet scene-stealing contributions by principal clarinet Stephen Williamson. The fine-boned third movement is a tall order for any outdoor setting, but from this reviewers seat about ten rows from the stage, string pizzicatos sounded robust and the winds were appealingly tart in some of their figures. Hopefully, that sly sarcasm landed for those hearing an amplified version on the lawn. The symphonys finale is all fun and games until the shattering return of the first movements brass theme, which was exceptionally devastating on Monday night. Muti let the orchestras two strikes ring out, and in those pregnant pauses, one could have sworn not just Millennium Park but the whole Loop fell silent. The whiplash between celebration and anguish is just one commonality between Tchaikovskys Fourth and Shostakovichs Festive Overture. The concert made it abundantly clear these works share the same cultural bloodline, from their opening fanfares to their extra-high flourishes for violin and piccolo. The Chicago brass sounded especially magnificent at Overtures beginning, paving the way for an engaging and extroverted sonic parade. Muti and CSO leaned into contrasts in timbres and tempos but, for the most part, kept dynamics assertive for the Pavilions wide-open acoustic. Riccardo Muti prepares to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in its "Concert for Chicago," featuring Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, in Millennium Park on June 27, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Nearly as spunky as the Overture was Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association president Jeff Alexanders introductory remarks. Alexander deviated from usual decorum to make a point of unfolding a piece of paper and rotely reading off a thank you to concert sponsors Ken Griffin, Citadel and Citadel Securities, who recently announced their relocation to Miami. The obligatory acknowledgment was greeted by deafening boos. Advertisement Mutis concluding paean to the importance of culture was more heartfelt, if also more predictable. He implored the 12,000 audience members to come to a concert at Symphony Center if they enjoyed the performance, and called for increased government subsidies for the arts, so it is possible for you all to come to concerts in a more simple way. Unfortunately, in this country, the prognosis on that possibility never seems to get rosier. But hey, its always worth a shot next season. Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer. The Rubin Institute for Music Criticism helps fund our classical music coverage. The Chicago Tribune maintains complete editorial control over assignments and content. Don't miss CoinDesk's Consensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) wont be a silver bullet that solves all issues with cross-border payments, according to Cecilia Skingsley, first deputy governor of Sveriges Riksbank, Sweden's central bank. For instance, countries wont necessarily play nicely with each other, making interoperability or the way CBDCs interact with other payment systems complex and layered, Skingsley said at the European Central Banks (ECB) annual forum on central banking held in Sintra, Portugal, on Tuesday. We have to think about different levels of interoperability, Skingsley said, adding, It's going to be jolly hard for everybody who wants to be part of that to agree on governance and supervision and the like. Skingsley was joined on a panel by ECB Executive Board member Fabio Panetta; Ulrich Bindseil, ECB director general of Market Infrastructure and Payments; Princeton economist Markus Brunnermeier; and Neha Narula, a director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. Last year, payments giant Visa announced it was working on a platform that would enable interoperability between CBDCs and other private digital currencies such as stablecoins, which are pegged to the value of another asset such as the U.S. dollar or gold. Skingsley, who recently became the head of the innovation arm at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), an association of central banks from around the world, said BIS is set to release a report on CBDC interoperability in two weeks. The BIS Innovation Hub is conducting several CBDC experiments with central banks around the world. In September 2021, BIS told central banks around the world they should start working on CBDCs because central bank money must evolve to fit into a digital future. At that time China had already made some progress on a digital version of the renminbi, its sovereign currency. Story continues Now, countries around the world are looking into establishing a CBDC which, panelists were told by Panetta, is at least in part in response to the crypto market boom when the market hit $2.7 trillion in October. There are high expectations for CBDCs, from potentially streamlining cross-border payments to improving financial inclusion. According to the panelists, CBDCs will introduce competition to a digital payments world increasingly dominated by private banks. But serious experimentation into CBDCs has only just begun and there are a host of implications and design elements to consider. One thing that could complicate interoperability between different nations CBDCs is the level of access governments will be willing to provide to their CBDC, including how much individuals would be allowed to hold or even whether tourists should be able to use them to make payments, according to Skingsley. It would be a more efficient and open system if, say, foreign payment service providers had access to CBDCs around the world, she said. But some countries could find that to be too risky. I think there will also be different choices and different levels of [barriers] that countries would like to choose, Skingsley said. So there won't be one access model [that would] work for everybody. Skingsleys own country, Sweden, is looking into creating a CBDC, the e-krona in a bid to safeguard the central banks authority over private banks at a time when the country is going cashless at a dramatic pace. Sweden has one of the lowest rates of cash usage in the world, with only 10% of the population paying with cash in 2020, down from 40% in 2010. In April, Riksbank started enquiring about possible suppliers and technical options that can form the basis for an e-krona. Around the same time, Riksbank found that tests to integrate state-backed digital money into conventional banking systems were a success and it would continue examining the benefits the new technology could bring. At the ECB forum, Skingsley said the Sveriges Riksbank have estimated that demand for e-krona could be worth around 10% of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). For comparison, in 2019, cash in circulation in Sweden was at 1% of GDP. Providing as open infrastructures as possible could possibly help promote competition in the payment markets, not only domestically, but also across borders and put a bit of pressure on private solutions, Skingsley said. Jack Schickler contributed reporting. Lai Yee Chan, a home attendant who worked 24-hour shifts in New York City providing health-related personal care, said she received a $200 check in late 2014 for roughly 6,000 overtime hours. Chan said she viewed the issue as a case of wage theft and rallied other home attendants and filed a class-action lawsuit in 2015 against her employer. Now, years later, workers and advocates are speaking out and protesting in Chinatown in response to what they say is an insulting settlement deal. Chan, who works for the Chinese-American Planning Council, saw her organizing set off years of legal battles and grassroots organizing. It culminated in a $30 million settlement in March between 1199 Service Employees International Union, the health care union representing more than 100,000 home attendants in the city, and 42 home care agencies. Divided evenly among all the workers, the settlement would give $250 only $50 more than Chan originally received to each person, or less than two days of back pay for a 24-hour shift worker, according to the Aint I a Woman Campaign, a women-led national outreach effort to end sweatshop conditions. The union said only 5% to 7% of the home health aides it represents work 24-hour shifts, so workers like Chan will receive significantly more than $250. But even if the $30 million compensation fund were split among those who worked 24 hours, according to estimations from Aint I a Woman," each person would still receive less than $4,000 a sliver of the total overtime Chan is owed. It sounds like theyre looking down on us Chinese women, like were so cheap and were just begging for money, Chan, 67, told NBC Asian American through an interpreter. This is violence against us, and weve had enough. Overtime pay for Chan alone, she said, amounts to more than $250,000. Wayne Ho, chief executive of Chinese-American Planning Council, said the agency has for years advocated to abolish the 24-hour shift but has no power to do so itself. Because the organization is Medicaid-funded, he said, it has to comply with state rates and rules, and the state only reimburses the agency 13 hours for 24-hour shift work. Any change to the current system, he said, is possible only through new legislation. Story continues We recognize the 24-hour rule is not fair for workers or patients, but this is a systemic issue, Ho said. The solution starts at a state level, not with one home care agency at a time. Studies and lawsuits show that wage theft and labor law violations run rampant in the home care industry, which is built on the backs of older immigrant Asian and Latina women. New York state law allows employers to pay workers for 13 hours of a 24-hour shift, provided they receive at least eight hours of sleep five of which must be uninterrupted and three hours of meal breaks. For women like Chan, who has been a home attendant for more than two decades, these rules for mandated breaks are often violated. For eight years, she said she worked around the clock for a patient who was left half-paralyzed by a stroke. During the day, she cooked, fed and bathed him; at night, she woke up every two hours to flip his body sideways, so he wouldnt choke in his sleep. Sarah Anh, an organizer with the Aint I a Woman Campaign, said the settlement sets a dangerous and demoralizing precedent for vulnerable workers in other industries fighting against deplorable conditions. Many women, meanwhile, continue to work around the clock for half the pay. The most insidious thing about this settlement is that it lets off employers with a slap on the wrist, Anh said. What does it mean when women Asian women, immigrant women, Latino women sound the alarm about what happens in their workplaces and do everything youre supposed to do in American legal society, and their employers are still behaving the same way as they were seven years ago? After suing the agency, Chan said she now works split shifts from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., for 13 hours of pay. But she experiences chronic elbow pain and insomnia, for which she cannot afford treatment. Decades of around-the-clock work also took a toll on her family life: Her husband had to quit his job to look after their children, whom she barely saw as they were growing up. Theres progress on the legislative level. New York City Council Member Christopher Marte, D-Manhattan, who represents Chinatown and the Lower East Side, introduced a bill earlier this month to outlaw around-the-clock workdays for home attendants, banning shifts longer than 12 hours except in emergencies. Prior to negotiating the settlement, Chan said union representatives told members that said the health care industry would collapse if the agencies were forced to pay the estimated $6 billion needed to cover back pay for every single worker. Ho said the agencys home attendant program has a $200 million budget, more than 95% of which is spent on employee compensation and benefits. Should the organization be forced to compensate every home attendant, he said, it would go bankrupt. Community organizers like Anh find the reasoning unacceptable. You cant say, The law will continue to be broken until we find some magic pot of money, she said. You cant build an industry based on free labor of women. Since the settlement was announced, dozens of other immigrant women who work in the home care industry have held numerous protests on Chinatown's streets. Chan, for her part, said she wont cash out the settlement money and that she plans to delay her retirement so she could keep fighting to end the 24-hour shift. I keep my job because I want to keep people informed, she said. Reuters/Kaylee Greenlee Beal The death toll from the suffocating tractor-trailer abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio with a pile of bodies inside rose to 51 on Tuesday, officials said. The victims, found Monday after temperatures in the area hit 103 degrees, include Mexican nationals, Guatemalans, and Hondurans, according to Mexicos foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, who cited information provided to him by American authorities. The Honduran government on Tuesday released the names of several victims: Margie Tamara Paz Grajera, Fernando Jose Redondo Caballero, Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero, and Adela Betulia Ramirez Quezada. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Daily Beast on Tuesday evening that Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the alleged human smuggling event, along with local police. The agency said officials also currently consider the disaster a protected area from deportation and other immigration enforcement activity in the wake of the tragedy. To the fullest extent possible, ICE and CBP will not conduct immigration enforcement activities so individuals, regardless of immigration status, can seek assistance, and otherwise address the tragedy with law enforcement, the agency said. Bexar County officials said that 39 males and 12 females had died and some of the victims could be under 18 years old. Officials said late Monday that an additional 16 peopleincluding four childrenwere taken to four hospitals with apparent heat exhaustion and dehydration after authorities opened the trailer doors on Monday. Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Alex Salgado was only minutes from the scene that evening when he caught wind of the tragedy in his hotel room and realized that it was blocks awayhe even heard the sirens. The migrant advocate felt compelled to race over and began filming live on Facebook to document what was happening before many of the countrys authorities arrived. It is something to see the pile of bodies, its... shocking, he told The Daily Beast in Spanish. Ive never in my life seen anything like that. And Im also a migrant. Story continues Some people who were there said that they heard when [the migrants] were yelling for help, added Salgado, who works for a Honduran migrant organization called Fuerza Catracha. But what stuck out to him were the faces of the police on the scene, many of them Latino, and at least one of whom expressed that she shared his own feeling of helplessness, he said. I know what you feel, he recalled the cop telling him Monday evening. I also feel it. My parents are migrants, and I was born in this country, but Im of Mexican blood and Latino descent. She had only seen anything like this, he said, when a group of migrants were found dead in a Walmart parking lot, a notorious 2017 incident in the same city. But that was only 10, he remembered her saying, referring to the number of people who died in that case. For now, Salgado said he was working with other migrant groups to prepare to help the families of victims, and support the survivors themselves with legal assistance and trauma support. Imagine that theyre dehydrated, desperate, and within a week theyre released and going to face deportation. Its horrible, he said. Local fire chief Charles Hood said that while the vehicle was designed to be refrigerated, the trailer had no working A/C unit or water inside, and that people brought out of the death trap were hot to the touch. It has crossed the border through the Laredo checkpoint, Rep. Henry Cuellar said. Law enforcement was alerted to the tragedy when a city worker heard cries for help from the truck on Monday morning. Initial reports suggested that 46 bodies were discovered at the site on a remote back road, but the toll now appears to have risen. The case is already one of the worst tragedies related to people smuggling across the Mexico-U.S. border in recent years. This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, adding that the dead had families who were likely trying to find a better life. Migrant Horror: 46 Dead After Stacks of Bodies Found in Truck in Texas William McManus, the chief of the San Antonio Police Department, said three people had been arrested in connection with the horrific discovery. He did not say if the driver who appeared to have abandoned the truck was among those taken into custody. The tragedy is the deadliest case of migrant deaths in the citys history, McManus said. According to a report from the San Antonio Express-News, Felipe Betancourt Sr. and his son, Felipe Jr., claim that a third party falsely used U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Texas DOT credentials associated with one of their trucking-company vehicles on the truck in which the migrants were discovered. They referred to the practice as cloning. Separately, Isaac Limon, who identified himself as a son-in-law, told The Daily Beast that the credentials were misleadingly repurposed by whoever was behind the now-notorious vehicle in what amounted to a setup. Limon said the company had not been contacted by authorities but would be happy to work with investigators. The first thing that we realized was, you know, thats our people out thereso many people that tragically lost their lives, said Limon, noting they were a Mexican-American family themselves. I mean, a lot of people that we know have been through the same thing, and its just something very sad. But the second thing on our minds was that like, hey, whats gonna happen to us? Limon insisted that the vehicle identification number (VIN) inside the grisly crime scene would not match what was registered with state and national authorities for his familys vehicles, indicating the truck found in San Antonio had an additional window that their companys truck did not. ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Limons statements. The tragedy is the latest nightmare associated with attempts at mass crossings of the southern border. Last December, over 50 people died when another trailer filled with migrants flipped on a road in southern Mexico. And in April 2021, 10 people died when a van carrying 29 migrants crashed in Texas. That tragedy came just weeks after 13 people lost their lives when an SUV carrying 25 people crashed outside of San Diego. The latest case is already being cashed in on for political point-scoring. These deaths are on Biden, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted late Monday. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Investors withdrew US$423 million in funds from digital assets last week, the largest such weekly outflow on record, according to exchange data tracked by CoinShares. See related article: Crypto winter ushers in account freezes as platforms feel the chill Fast facts The outflows were almost entirely from Bitcoin (BTC), which experienced a net withdrawal of US$453 million in investments, a report by digital asset management firm CoinShares said. Bitcoin assets under management were at US$24.5 billion last week, the lowest since the beginning of 2021, CoinShares said. CoinShares stated that the outflows were almost solely from Canadian exchanges, and one specific provider, on June 17 but reflected in last weeks figures due to lags in reporting trading data. The BTC outflows erased most of the inflows into the digital asset this year, and the report noted that the outflows were likely responsible for a fall in BTC prices over the weekend to below US$18,000, its lowest level in 18 months. Meanwhile, funds shorting BTC increased their positions by about US$15 million last week after the U.S. fund issuer ProShares launched the first short Bitcoin-linked ETF. ETH had inflows of about US$11 million last week, snapping a 11-week streak of outflows, CoinShares said. At US$46 billion, total digital assets under management tracked by CoinShares are at their lowest point since February 2021, down about 59% from their peak in November 2021. See related article: Warnings on crypto, Bitcoin have materialized, says central bank body BIS The Iowa Funeral Directors Association is encouraging the community to attend the funeral of former World War II pilot and Iowa funeral director Hugh Bell, who died June 2. He was 98. Bell was born in McCook, Nebraska, in 1924 and moved to Shenandoah with his family later that year, according to his obituary. He graduated from Shenandoah High School with the class of 1942. He took flying lessons and was preparing to take the test for a private pilot's license when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1943, according to his obituary. Bell earned his United States Army Air Force Pilots Wings and Officers Commission in 1944 and trained pilots for overseas duties, his obituary said. He was assigned to the 47th Bomb Group, 84th Bomb Squadron and he and his crewmen flew 21 night bombing missions over the North Apennine Mountains and Po Valley in Italy. After the war ended, Bell became a troop carrier pilot, visiting 33 countries and flying over 25 more countries. More: World War II soldier from Iowa to be buried in hometown of Lake City nearly 80 years after death Former WWII pilot and Iowa funeral director Hugh Bell will be buried with military honors in Shenandoah, Iowa July 8. He was released from the military in 1953, but his service did not end there, according to his obituary. From 1967 to 1968, Bell volunteered to be a civilian mortician for the Department of the Army, Mortuary Service. He was assigned to Saigon, Vietnam where he took care of 836 casualties so they could be returned home for burial. Bell received many awards for his service, including the 47th Bomber Group Unit Citation, Air Medal, Air Force Combat Ribbon, WWII Victory Ribbon and the German Occupation Ribbon among others. Bell became a licensed funeral director and served communities in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona for over 55 years, according to his obituary. With only one surviving family member, a nephew in Rhode Island, the Iowa Funeral Directors Association is asking the public to attend Bell's funeral service July 8. Story continues "The community, and anyone who would like to pay tribute to this hero, is welcome and encouraged to attend the graveside service," said Taylor Teays of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association in a June 23 news release. The graveside service for Bell will be held at the Rose Hill Cemetery at 11 a.m. on July 8, and will include military honors conducted by the Shenandoah American Legion Color Guard. Memorial donations are welcome at People for Paws, an Iowa nonprofit that helps people and pets without homes, or the Shenandoah American Legion Color Guard. Grace Altenhofen is a news reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former WWII pilot, Iowa funeral director to be buried in Shenandoah DOHA (Reuters) - Indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington started on Tuesday in Doha, Iranian state media reported, as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator met with European Union envoy Enrique Mora, who will shuttle between the American and Iranian sides. Based in separate rooms in a hotel in Qatar's capital, Iran's Ali Bagheri Kani and U.S. Iran special envoy Rob Malley are trying to break a months-long impasse that has stalled efforts to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers. Iran refuses to hold direct talks with its arch-foe, the United States, resulting in the "proximity" talks arrangement involving Mora. The nuclear pact seemed near revival in March but talks were thrown into disarray, chiefly over Tehran's insistence that Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), its elite security force, from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. Last week, one Iranian and one European official told Reuters that Iran had dropped its demand for the removal of the IRGC's FTO sanctions, but still two issues, including one on sanctions, remained to be resolved. In 2018 then-U.S. President Donald Trump reneged on the deal, under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, prompting Iran to begin violating its core nuclear limits about a year later. (Additional reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha,; Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean) LAS VEGAS Israel Adesanya is ready to level up. The UFC middleweight champion, who defends his belt on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena against Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276, has made a career out of proving others wrong. But now, as he transitions into the next stage of his career, hes ready to make that star turn. For a long while, Adesanya had to prove he could defend the takedown, because he was a kickboxer and not many were foolish enough to willingly stand toe-to-toe with him and try to get him to the ground. But after brilliant performances defending takedowns in wins over Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker, that is now in the rear view mirror. And given the level of his striking, hes a threat to deliver an explosive finish at any point should he not have to spend so much of his time fending off takedown attempts. Hes not sure exactly how the fight will go, but he does firmly believe one thing: Its not going to end well for Cannonier. Honestly, I just I really think Im going to f*** him up, Adesanya said. Ive said this already multiple times, but I really feel I'm going to f*** him up. If he wants to try and take me down, go ahead. You wont be the first one. If you want to stand up with me and test the stand-up skills, I welcome that too, because thats what I specialize in. But yeah, just stay tuned, and expect the unexpected. Israel Adesanya is ready for his star turn. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) Adesanya hasnt been getting a lot of knockouts recently four of his last five have gone to decision, including a challenge for the light heavyweight title against Jan Blachowicz that he lost though a lot of that is the quality of opposition. The higher up a rung a fighter gets, the more difficult it is to score KOs. But UFC president Dana White pointed out that Adesanya has scored 15 knockouts among his 22 MMA wins. Given Cannoniers style, White sees the bout as a brawl. That might lead Adesanya to the kind of emphatic ending that he seeks. Hes a master counter striker and if he can lure Cannonier into his range and land something, it could be lights out. But what has White so excited about the fight is that Cannonier has serious power, as well. Story continues Cannonier has 10 victories by KO among his 15 wins, and has been KOd twice in his five losses. This should be an absolute gunfight, White told Yahoo Sports. I dont see either guy coming in and trying to wrestle or get this thing to the ground. I see a gunfight coming. Since he won the title in 2019 by knocking out Whittaker, Adesanya has been as active as any top-level UFC fighter. Thats getting him a lot of face time with the UFC audience and thats important in developing into a superstar. Conor McGregor did it faster than most because he was one of the best trash talkers ever and was delivering spectacular performances at the same time. Ireland was significantly, and passionately, behind him and that support helped make his story more compelling. It was similar to how the support boxer Manny Pacquiao drew from the Philippines helped push him into mainstream status in the U.S. Israel Adesanya won't look past Jared Cannonier, plans to "f*** him up" at UFC 276. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images for UFC) Adesanya was born in Nigeria, fought extensively in China and now lives in New Zealand, so that passionate home-country support that McGregor and Pacquiao got isnt as obvious with him. But beating elite opponents, fighting regularly and taking time to do media all contribute to the development of a superstar. And Adesanya seems poised to burst into superstardom. Hes already one of the biggest names in MMA, but there are indications he may expand beyond the MMA fan base. Hes got an endorsement deal with Puma, a prominent shoe brand, and hes outspoken on social issues. Thats the recipe for success. Hes built the foundation fight by fight and is now ready to take it to the next level. And one of his secrets is that while he sets goals and has a game plan for moving forward, he values fluidity. Hes able to adapt as necessary and that makes a huge difference. Ive got good balance physically and mentally, so I know how to walk the fine line of not underestimating them, but not overestimating them, he said of his opponents. You know, being in the present and not looking in the future, or just peeking. I know the main thing for me is, if I dont beat Jared, then all my plans that I have just push back. So thats why I don't fret. I dont hold on to the plans I have too dearly. I focus on the now, because if I don't get it done now, those plans become null and void. So thats what helps me. Like I said, I have a good balance. A Canton man was gunned down outside a motel room at the Rodeway Inn, located on Sunset Strip Avenue NW in Jackson Township, on Sunday. JACKSON TWP. A man shot to death outside the Rodeway Inn on Sunday night has been identified as 35-year-old Tyrone Barboza of Canton. He was killed in the motel parking lot along Sunset Strip Avenue NW. Cortez W. Watson, 37, of Canton has been charged with murder, felonious assault and having weapons under disability. He made his initial appearance Tuesday in Massillon Municipal Court and remains held on a $500,000 bond. The victim's name appeared in court paperwork. Jackson Township police are working with state investigators on the case. A man shot to death Sunday night outside a Jackson Township motel has been identified as 35-year-old Tyrone Barboza. No motive or additional information was available as of Tuesday afternoon. A 911 caller described the scene to a police dispatcher saying: "Ive got a male laying in my parking lot that looks severely injured. Hes not responsive." Barboza was transported to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. More: Canton man charged with murder following fatal shooting in Jackson Township Jackson Township police, Stark County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Marshals Service and the Canton FBI Safe Streets Task Force assisted in Watsons arrest on Monday. Watson is set to appear in Massillon Municipal Court in front of Judge Edward Elum next week for a preliminary hearing. Reach Cassandra cnist@gannett.com; Follow on Twitter @Cassienist This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson Township motel shooting victim identified A look at some of today's top stories, the weather forecast and a peek back in history. The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol has kept the topic and witnesses for its next meeting under wraps. Millions of dollars in Arizona are allocated based on the census. Some cities and towns are worried that their populations weren't counted right. Three Arizona restaurants Pizzeria Bianco, Pomo Pizzeria and Craft 64 earned spots on an Italian organization's list of best in the country. Today, you can expect it to be sunny with a high near 107 degrees. A slight chance of thunderstorms at night, with a low near 89 degrees. Get the full forecast here. For more stories that matter, subscribe to azcentral.com. Today in history On this day in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY) was signed in France, ending the First World War. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted. In 1994, President Bill Clinton became the first chief executive in U.S. history to set up a personal legal defense fund and ask Americans to contribute to it. In 2013, the four plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Californias same-sex marriage ban tied the knot, just hours after a federal appeals court freed gay couples to obtain marriage licenses in the state for the first time in 4 1/2 years. In 2012, The Affordable Care Act narrowly survived, 5-4, an election-year battle at the U.S. Supreme Court with the improbable help of conservative Chief Justice John Roberts. Attorney General Eric Holder became the first sitting Cabinet member held in contempt of Congress, a rebuke pushed by Republicans seeking to unearth the facts behind a bungled gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious. (The vote was 255-67, with more than 100 Democrats boycotting.) Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise after five years of marriage. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Jan. 6 committee to hold surprise hearing TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in Germany to attend the Group of Seven leaders summit, said on Tuesday that Japan will extend an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. He added that Japan would also provide support to expand Ukraine's grain storage capacity as the harvest season nears. Kishida travels to Madrid later on Tuesday, where he will become the first Japanese prime minister to take part in a NATO summit. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel) Dear Amy: I have one son and two grandsons. The older grandson, age 17, appeared at his prom wearing a full-length purple gown with nail polish to match. Advertisement I privately told my son (his father) that I was concerned for my grandsons safety, as he would be a target if he is so flamboyant. My son became very defensive and said that people can love who they want, and that society needs to get used to it. I agree. But there are people out there who dont like this in your face behavior. Advertisement I have not mentioned this again. I dont want to alienate my son or grandson, but the prospect of having a LGBTQ grandson makes me sick. He spends most of his time alone in his room and is very sullen. His maternal grandfather committed suicide last year, so I am concerned about the mental health of the entire family. They are receiving counseling individually and as a family. Can I do anything other than cry myself to sleep? Could this be a phase, or will he always be like this? Devastated Grandma Dear Devastated: I have a blunt question for you: Are you going through a phase, or will you always be like this? I hope its a phase. Advertisement Yes, you worry. Yes, you fret. But the role of a grandparent is actually so simple: All you have to do is to love your grandchildren exactly as they are, exactly as they present to you; through phases, representations, or revelations and through whatever joys or challenges they encounter. Can you imagine the impact on this family if you just simply loved and accepted all of them, no matter what? You might not understand why your grandson would make the choice to go to the prom wearing what sounds like an amazing outfit. But that sullen teenager left his bedroom, got dolled-up, and took himself to the prom! (I wish Id had an ounce of that kind of courage at his age.) Furthermore, his father is his ally! Give yourself credit for raising a man who is a good parent. This family is receiving professional support (another very wise choice). Advertisement Your only job here is to find a way around your own fears, and to relieve yourself of the burden to judge this family and instead to love all of them, just as they are. Dear Amy: I moved to a different state in 2019 and have made one friend. I met Stacy before the pandemic so up until now, shes been the only person in my new home that I have close ties to. Im a loner, and it takes a lot for me to let people in. One of the main reasons for this is because I believe I suffer from an eating disorder. Most of the time, I have to force myself to eat. Some months are better than others, but its a daily battle for me. Advertisement I overheard Stacy talking to her significant other about my weight the other day. She said I lost too much weight and that something must be wrong with me. I feel like if were friends, why not ask me about this directly? My weight has been a struggle for me and Ive actually gained a little bit, so this hurt my feelings. Only my children know how much I struggle with this. (Ive never been diagnosed by a doctor, either.) This isnt the first time Stacy has said something that has cut me deep, but I also dont want to lose the only new friend Ive made. How should I handle this? Advertisement A Confused Loner Dear Loner: First, do this (today): Go to the National Eating Disorders Association webpage, national eating disorders.org. They offer many invaluable and supportive resources, including a chat function and a helpline: (800) 931-2237. You should see a physician and get a thorough checkup. Second: Please be brave enough to be honest with Stacy. Sharing this might deepen your friendship, and you deserve to have a good friend in your corner. You can get better, and I hope youll move toward a healthy recovery today. 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. > Dear Amy: I did NOT agree with your advice to Accidental Witness, who saw her stepdaughters husband kissing the familys nanny. I would be horrified if someone knew about this in my family and did not tell me. Upset Advertisement Dear Upset: The problem was that this witness couldnt seem to bring herself to deliver this news. She wanted others to do it. Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and well send it to her. Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time get the book "Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist" for $5. 2021 Amy Dickinson. Many are dealing with broken hearts on Joint Base Lewis-McChord after a soldier drowned on Saturday. Spc. Xavier Chambers was swimming at Shoreline Park on the base when he apparently drowned. Chambers, assigned to the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, was pronounced dead after he was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center. Chambers battalion commander, Lt. Col. Melinda Acuna, said in part, He was a promising solider, filled with raw potential and a will to serve his country honorably. As a member of our team, Xavier was motivated and charismatic. His loss comes too soon; we will forever be grateful for the time and the impact he had on our formation. Chambers drowning is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division. More news from KIRO 7 DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO (Reuters) - JetBlue Airways Corp on Monday ratcheted up its bidding war with Frontier Group Holdings for Spirit Airlines Inc as the race for the ultra-low-cost carrier enters the final stretch. Both bidders see Spirit as an opportunity to expand their domestic footprints at a time when the U.S. airline industry is dogged by labor and aircraft shortages. Either of the deals would create the fifth-largest U.S. airline. Under the new offer, JetBlue offered a "ticking fee," which would give Spirit shareholders a monthly prepayment of 10 cents per share between January 2023 and the closing of the deal, raising the overall value of the deal to $34.15 per share. The New York-based carrier also increased the breakup fee to Spirit by $50 million for a total of $400 million if the deal fails to get regulatory approval. It will also prepay $2.50 per share as a cash dividend to Spirit stockholders following approval of the transaction. The latest offer came after Frontier last Friday raised its bid for Spirit. Frontier's revised offer persuaded shareholder advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) to reverse its position and recommend Spirit shareholders back a merger with the Denver-based budget carrier. Glass Lewis, another proxy firm, has also recommended the Frontier deal. Spirit shareholders are due to vote on the merger deal with Frontier on June 30. Frontier Chief Executive Barry Biffle told Reuters on Monday the company's revised offer for Spirit will be enough to secure a merger deal with the ultra-low-cost carrier. "We're really excited about it and getting good feedback," Biffle said. JetBlue, however, is not ready to give up. On Monday, it again urged Spirit shareholders to vote against the Frontier deal, saying its proposal offers them "more value and certainty." (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese) U.S. marshals escort John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot then-President Reagan in 1981. (Barry Thumma / Associated Press) The man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981 apologized for his actions Tuesday and said he doesn't remember what he was feeling when he fired the shots that wounded the then-president and three other people. John Hinckley Jr. told "CBS Mornings" in his first televised interview since he was freed from all court oversight this month that he feels sorry for all the lives his actions affected. I feel badly for all of them. I have true remorse for what I did, Hinckley said. I know that they probably cant forgive me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did. Asked about what feelings led him to commit the act, Hinckley said he couldn't remember those emotions and didn't want to. Its such another lifetime ago. I cant tell you now the emotion I had right as [Reagan] came walking out. I cant tell you that, he said, later adding: Its something I dont want to remember. Hinckley was 25 and suffering from acute psychosis when his gunshots hit Reagan and men around the president outside a Washington hotel. The assassination attempt paralyzed Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, who died in 2014. It also wounded a police officer and a Secret Service agent. Jurors found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity, and he spent decades at a mental hospital in Washington. He began making visits to his parents' home in Williamsburg, Va., in the early 2000s. A 2016 court order granted him permission to live with his mother full time, albeit under various restrictions, after experts said his mental illness had been in remission for decades. He signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in the area last year and has been living alone there with his cat, according to court documents. His mother died in July. He's also been releasing songs and looking for a venue willing to let him sing and play guitar before a live audience. and posting videos of himself performing on YouTube. Hinckley had previously been under restrictions that barred him from owning a gun, using drugs or alcohol and contacting members of the victims' families. But a federal judge in Washington had said months ago that he would free Hinckley from those restrictions if he remained mentally stable. Those restrictions were lifted June 15. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. AQABA, Jordan (AP) Jordan on Tuesday promised an investigation into the deadly explosion of a chlorine tank the previous day at the Red Sea port of Aqaba, which killed at least 13 people. A crane loading chlorine tanks onto a ship on Monday dropped one of them, releasing a large plume of toxic yellow smoke. Along with those killed, some 250 were sickened, authorities said. King Abdullah II stressed the need to provide transparent explanations to the public after investigations conclude, as well as identifying shortcomings and holding those responsible to account by law, the palace said in a statement. He also offered condolences to victims' families. Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh visited the site Tuesday and, citing civil defense and environmental authorities, said the gas concentration in the area had returned to normal. He said that most movement at the port has resumed, except for the exact site of the incident which was being cleaned and inspected. Al-Khasawneh said many of those in hospitals were being discharged. A government spokesman, Faisal Al-Shboul, told state media that eight of the dead were Jordanian and five were foreigners. Among the injured were Chinese and Vietnamese nationals, hospital officials said. Video carried on state TV showed the moment the tank exploded, sending dockworkers scrambling to escape the toxic cloud. Some 200 people were hospitalized. The Public Security Directorate, which initially described it as a gas leak, said authorities sealed off the area after evacuating the injured and sent specialists in to address the situation. State-run Jordan TV said 13 people were killed. Al-Mamlaka TV, another official outlet, said 199 were still being treated in hospitals. The Public Security Directorate said a total of 251 people were injured. Aqaba is on the northern tip of the Red Sea, next to the Israeli city of Eilat, which is just across the border. Both are popular beach and diving destinations. Eilats emergency services said in a statement that there was no impact on the city but that they were following the situation closely. TALLAHASSEE A federal judge Monday rejected arguments by attorneys for teachers, a student and a diversity consultant that he should block a controversial new state law that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in classrooms and workplace training. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a 23-page order that largely denied a request for a preliminary injunction against the law, which is slated to take effect Friday. Walker, however, did not rule on an injunction request by a University of Central Florida professor, after ordering attorneys to file additional briefs. Lawmakers passed the measure (HB 7) dubbed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Stop WOKE Act during this years legislative session after fierce debate. A group of plaintiffs filed the lawsuit April 22 after DeSantis signed the bill, arguing, in part, that it violated First Amendment rights. They also challenged rules approved last year by the State Board of Education that included banning the use of critical race theory, which is based on the premise that racism is embedded in American society and institutions. Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for new Stop Woke restrictions on how issues concerning race are discussed in schools, universities and workplaces. Walker, who held a hearing last week, said in the order Monday that four of the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to obtain a preliminary injunction. Those plaintiffs were Donald Falls, who teaches high-school government and economics in Manatee County; Jill Harper, a Leon County substitute teacher; a child identified as RMJ who is an incoming kindergarten student in Nassau County; and Tammy Hodo, president of All Things Diverse, a consulting firm that provides training on issues such as diversity and inclusion. Stop WOKE: DeSantis signs legislation to restrict instruction of Critical Race Theory in Florida Free speech: DeSantis Stop WOKE Act faces court test as universities become targets. At issue: free speech Lawsuit filed: Minutes after bill is signed, lawsuit filed against DeSantis for 'Stop WOKE Act' While writing that he was not determining whether the challenged regulations are constitutional, morally correct or good policy, Walker said the teachers, student and consultant had not shown injury-related proof needed to establish standing. Story continues For example, he wrote that the State Board of Education, which is a defendant in the case, can withhold funding from school districts that do not comply with the regulations. But Walker said the teachers did not show how that would directly injure them. Plaintiffs logic goes like this: pursuant to its statutory authority, the Board of Education will withhold funding from the teachers school districts if they violate the challenged provisions, he wrote. In turn, members of the school board will withhold money from the teachers individual schools or, perhaps, put pressure on officials at those schools to discipline the teachers. In other words, the teachers theory of traceability and redressability flows from the Board (of Education) to the school district, from the school district to the teachers school, and only then to the teachers. Thus, plaintiffs argument requires the court to stack multiple layers of inferences. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly signs HB7, individual freedom, also dubbed the stop woke bill, during a news conference at Mater Academy Charter Middle/High School in Hialeah Gardenson April 22, 2022. As another example, he said Hodo did not establish that she has been injured by the law. Dr. Hodo does not claim that she has lost clients, that clients have told her they will no longer hire her, or that clients have even expressed trepidation about hiring her, Walker wrote. Walker, however, left unresolved the preliminary injunction request by Robert Cassanello, an associate history professor at the University of Central Florida. That came after the plaintiffs attorneys last week filed a document pointing to a proposed rule that is scheduled to go before the state university systems Board of Governors on Thursday. The proposed rule would direct how the law should be carried out by universities. The plaintiffs attorneys cited part of the proposal that, for example, raises the possibility faculty members could be disciplined for not complying with university regulations on the issue. Walker ordered attorneys for both sides to file briefs by noon Tuesday on whether the proposed rule could affect Cassanellos legal standing in the case. The law lists a series of race-related concepts that would constitute discrimination if taught in classrooms or in required workplace-training programs. As an example, part of the law labels instruction discriminatory if it leads people to believe that they bear responsibility for, or should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of, actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, national origin or sex. As another example, the law seeks to prohibit instruction that would cause students to feel guilt, anguish or other forms of psychological distress because of actions, in which the person played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, national origin or sex. Two businesses and a consultant who conducts workplace training filed a separate challenge to the law last week in federal court in Tallahassee. That case is pending. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida judge denies requests to block so-called 'Stop Woke Act' Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as a top aide to former Donald Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, on Tuesday delivered bombshell testimony to the Jan. 6 committee about the inner workings of Trump's White House as his election subversion push mounted. Over the course of a couple hours, she laid out her knowledge of Trumps post-election campaign to hold onto power from his desire to go to the Capitol as unrest by his supporters became a riot, to his efforts to allow armed rallygoers to join him on the Ellipse hours before the attack. Here are the top moments from her testimony: Trump lunging for the Beasts wheel Hutchinson told the committee that she heard from a top presidential security official, Tony Ornato, about an altercation on Jan. 6, as Trump continued pressing to go to the Capitol following his speech to supporters at the "Stop the Steal" rally on the Ellipse. When Trump was told he would return to the White House instead of going to the Capitol that day, while being driven in the presidential vehicle known as "the Beast," Hutchinson recalled hearing that he became irate. She said she heard from Ornato that Trump lunged for the steering wheel of the car and was physically restrained by the head of his Secret Service detail, Robert Engel. Ornato "described [Trump] as being irate. The president said something to the effect of, I am the fucking president. Take me up to the Capitol now,'" Hutchinson said. She added that while Ornato relayed this story to her, Engel sat silent. Trump throwing food at the wall After then-Attorney General William Barr gave an interview to The Associated Press in December 2020 saying there was no widespread voter fraud, Trump was so enraged that he threw his plate of food at the wall, smearing it with ketchup, Hutchinson said. There was ketchup dripping down the wall and a shattered porcelain plate on the floor, Hutchinson testified, noting that aides nearby conveyed the president was "extremely angry" at the Barr interview. She told the committee that she then grabbed a towel and started wiping the ketchup off the wall alongside a presidential valet. Story continues A call from angry McCarthy House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Hutchinson on Jan. 6 to relay his concern that Trump would try to come to the Capitol after the then-president mentioned it on stage at the Ellipse rally, she testified. He sounded rushed and frustrated and angry, Hutchinson said, adding that the California Republican told her Trump had offered assurances for a week that he would not be coming to the Capitol on Jan. 6. McCarthy then asked Hutchinson, as she remembered it: Why would you lie to me?" Figure it out," she said McCarthy told her on Jan. 6, as Congress prepared to certify the 2020 election results. "Do not come up here." A spokesperson for McCarthy did not immediately return a request for comment about Hutchinson's recounting of the call. Meadows warning then non-reaction Meadows, Hutchinson's boss at the time of the Capitol attack, told her on Jan. 2 that "things might get real, real bad" four days later, she recalled. But four days later on Jan. 6, when he was told the Capitol Police were being overrun, she recalled that he almost had a lack of reaction." I remember him saying something to the effect of, How much longer does the president have left in his speech? Hutchinson said. She had to wait about 20 to 25 minutes to talk to Meadows that afternoon while he was on a call in a secure vehicle, she said. It wasnt something he regularly did. Trump OKing weapons at Stop the Steal Minutes before the then-president took the stage at the Ellipse rally of his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021 a gathering to amplify his baseless election fraud claims that he vowed would be "wild" and later metastasized into the Capitol riot Hutchinson said she heard Trump urging the Secret Service to remove security magnetometers and let in people with weapons. His rationale, as she recalled it, was allowing in armed rallygoers because theyre not here to hurt me. Trump wanted the rally space to be full and for people to not feel excluded, Hutchinson said, and was fucking furious people were turned away. Officials announced Tuesday that Russian forces had abducted Kherson Mayor Igor Kolikhaev after he refused to abandon his city despite months of Russian occupation. The Kherson mayor said he was doing his duty by remaining in the besieged city, which has been occupied by Russian troops since late March. Ukrainian officials have been sounding the alarm that Russia is looking to annex Kherson, which sits roughly 80 miles north of the occupied Crimean Peninsula, since April. A Ukrainian soldier stands outside a school hit by Russian rockets in the southern Ukraine village of Zelenyi Hai between Kherson and Mykolaiv, less than 5km from the front line on April 1, 2022, as NATO says it is not seeing a pull-back of Russian forces in Ukraine and expects "additional offensive actions", alliance chief warns. BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images RUSSIA WARNS UKRAINE ATTEMPTS TO RETAKE CRIMEA WILL BE SEEN AS 'DECLARATION OF WAR' Tuesday, adviser to the mayor, Halyna Lyashevska, told Ukrainian news outlet Pravda that "they took Igor Kolykhaev." Details surrounding his disappearance remain unclear, but Kolykhaev is just the latest in a long line of Ukrainian civilians and officials who have been abducted by Russian forces. Russia has concentrated its efforts in southern and eastern Ukraine, and regions like Kherson have felt the brunt of the Russian invasion for months. Regional officials reported earlier this week that civilian abductions have increased, and fighting-age men have reportedly found themselves the target of Russian conscription. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been forcibly deported into Russia while thousands more have been placed in "filtration camps" spread throughout eastern Ukraine. Sergyi Badylevych (L), 41, hugs his wife Natalia Badylevych (R), 42, and baby in an underground metro station used as bomb shelter in Kyiv on March 2, 2022. Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/STF/AFP via Getty Images ZELENSKYY: RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKE ON UKRAINE MALL 'ONE OF THE MOST DARING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY' City and regional officials have not only been abducted, but a number of officials and their families have been killed by Russian forces including Mayor Olga Sukhenko, from the town of Motyzhyn, whose body was found with her hands bound in a shallow grave alongside her husband and son. The United Nations has reported more than 4,700 civilian deaths since Russias invasion began in February. However, the official death count is expected to be substantially higher. Ukrainian soldiers carry supplies into the trenches on the front lines between Mykolaiv and Kherson in Ukraine, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images Casualties and the true impact of Russias invasion remain largely unknown in parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Only after Russian forces retreated from northern regions in Ukraine in late March, including from the town of Motyzhyn just west of Kyiv, were officials able to start to uncover the depth of atrocities committed there. Jun. 28LAWRENCE Two Lawrence firefighters who rescued an elderly woman from a second-floor balcony during a fire Monday night received official praise from the fire chief. Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said he wrote up commendations for both Capt. Michael Blanchard and Firefighter Ignacio Rodriguez-Guzman after the 7:16 p.m. fire in an apartment complex at 40 White St. A fire broke out on the first floor, pushing smoke into the 90-year-old woman's apartment upstairs. The woman went out on her balcony where Blanchard and Rodriguez-Guzman were able to raise a ladder. A stair chair was lifted onto the balcony for the woman, who was safely brought to the ground, Moriarty said. Both she and the tenant in the first floor apartment were treated by paramedics at the scene and then taken to Lawrence General Hospital for possible smoke inhalation and as a precaution, Moriarty said. The two-alarm fire was caused accidentally by unattended cooking. Damage from the blaze gutted the first floor apartment, which will need to be rebuilt, the chief said. Kelly Frazier, the city's homeless coordinator, was working with the tenants Tuesday to find housing. Hotel stays are available for two nights. However, the elderly woman on the second floor hopes to stay with her niece, she said. The chief's commendations were sent to Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena as well as the state fire marshal's office for inclusion in an annual awards ceremony. Moriarty praised the firefighters for saving the woman's life and preventing further injury. Blanchard and Rodriguez-Guzman serve on LFD's group four, which Moriarty also lauded. "Teamwork prevailed," he said. Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill. At least 42 migrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer on a roadway in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, according to reports. Sixteen others found in the truck on Quintana Road were taken to area hospitals in varying conditions, police told KSAT.com. Sources told Fox News the truck was believed to have been part of a human-smuggling operation involving migrants. Multiple SAPD sources tell me its at least 40 people dead. Sixteen others were taken to area hospitals in varying conditions. Death toll could rise. https://t.co/zdb5KC6Q4M Dillon Collier (@dilloncollier) June 28, 2022 The 18-wheeler was abandoned in a remote area near railroad tracks, the New York Times reported. Police and first responders were using thermal imaging cameras along the tracks to find any potential survivors and the driver, who remains at large, according to KSAT. Today in San Antonio it was 102 degrees. Imagine being abandoned inside an 18-wheeler left to die 42 people died today will @AliMayorkas even mention their names? Tony Gonzales (@TonyGonzales4TX) June 28, 2022 While it was not immediately clear how the migrants died, temperatures in San Antonio hit 102 degrees on Monday. A vehicles temperature can reach over 115 degrees when the outside temperature is 70 degrees, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited by the New York Post. More from National Review Lewis Hamilton has been a champion for diversity and inclusion in F1. Clive Mason/Getty Images Three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet used the Portuguese equivalent of the N-word to describe Lewis Hamilton. The comments were made on a podcast in November, but just now surfaced. Piquet's daughter, Kelly Piquet, is dating Hamilton's chief rival, Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton has again been subjected to racial abuse, this time from a former Formula One champion. Three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet described Lewis Hamilton as a "little [N-word]" in Portuguese, according to Lucas Schroeder of CNN Brazil. According to the report, Piquet made the statement on a podcast in November but was only discovered recently. The former F1 driver was discussing an incident between Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the 2021 Great Britain Grand Prix at Silverstone. CNN Brazil transcribed the key passage from the podcast, Motorsports Talk. "The little [N-word] put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner. He made a joke. Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got fucked up," Piquet said, according to CNN Brazil via Google Translate. According to Sky Sports, Piquet used the term a second time during the podcast: "He wanted to take [Verstappen] out no matter the cost. The [N-word] left the car there to hit him." Piquet's daughter, Kelly Piquet, is dating Verstappen, Hamilton's chief rival. Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet. MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images On Tuesday, Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1, released a statement calling for action and noting that these comments are nothing new. "It's more than language," Hamilton wrote on Twitter. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I've been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action." Nelson Piquet (left) with former F1 champion Niki Lauda in 2015. Lars Baron/Getty Images Hamilton has been an outspoken proponent of more diversity and inclusion across all walks of life, especially in motorsports. Hamilton and his Mercedes team started a diversity initiative after he was jarred at how little diversity there was in a team photo following his 2019 championship. Story continues After Hamilton's initial tweet, he also wrote one in Portuguese that translates to: "Let's focus on changing the mentality." Earlier this month, Hamilton was given honorary Brazilian citizenship by the country's congress. F1's governing body and the Mercedes F1 team released statements condemning the comments from Piquet. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 28, 2022 Read the original article on Insider NEW ORLEANS Abortion bans were temporarily blocked in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law sharply restricting the procedure would take effect there immediately as the battle over whether women may end pregnancies shifted from the nations highest court to courthouses around the country. The U.S. Supreme Courts decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for a wave of litigation. One side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect, and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures. Advertisement Much of the initial court activity focused on trigger laws, adopted in 13 states that were designed to take effect swiftly upon last weeks ruling. Additional lawsuits could also target old anti-abortion laws that were left on the books in some states and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling are also coming back into play. Well be back in court tomorrow and the next day and the next day, Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case that resulted in the high court ruling, said Friday. Advertisement Rulings to put trigger laws on hold came swiftly in Utah and Louisiana on Monday, and a hearing was scheduled for Tuesday as Texas clinics seek assurances they can resume services for at least a few more weeks without risking prosecution. A Utah judge Monday blocked that states near-total abortion ban from going into effect for 14 days, to allow time for the court to hear challenges to the states trigger law. Planned Parenthood had challenged the law, which contains narrow exceptions for rape, incest or the mothers health, saying the law violates the equal protection and privacy provisions in the state constitution. I think the immediate effects that will occur outweigh any policy interest of the state in stopping abortions, Utah Judge Andrew Stone said. People attend an abortion-rights protest at the Utah State Capitol, June 24, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer/AP) In Louisiana, a judge in New Orleans, a liberal city in a conservative state, temporarily blocked enforcement of that states trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. At least one of the states three abortion clinics said it would resume performing procedures on Tuesday. Were going to do what we can, said Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women, in Shreveport. It could all come to a screeching halt. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch abortion opponent, vowed to fight the judges ruling and enforce the law. We would remind everyone that the laws that are now in place were enacted by the people through State Constitutional Amendments and the LA Legislature, Landry tweeted Monday. Advertisement In South Carolina, a federal court lifted its prior hold on an abortion restriction there, allowing the state to ban abortions after an ultrasound detects a heartbeat, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. There are exceptions if the womans life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Planned Parenthood said after the ruling that it will continue to perform abortions at its South Carolina clinics within the parameters of the new law. Also Monday, abortion rights advocates asked a Florida judge to block a new law there that bans the procedure after 15 weeks with some exceptions to save a mothers life or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, but no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. The ACLU of Florida argued that the law violates the Florida Constitution. A ruling on that is expected Thursday a day before the law is scheduled to take effect. Abortion rights activists also went to court Monday to try to fend off restrictions in Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Mississippi, the state at the center of the Supreme Court ruling, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed an emergency motion there on Saturday seeking to block a 2021 law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. In Fridays ruling, the Supreme Court left it to the states to decide whether to allow abortion. The expectation is that this will result in years of legislative and judicial challenges, said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University law school. Advertisement As of Saturday, abortion services had stopped in at least 11 states either because of state laws or confusion over them. In some cases, the lawsuits may only buy time. Even if courts block some restrictions from taking hold, lawmakers in many conservative states could move quickly to address any flaws cited. Thats likely to be the case in Louisiana. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in state court dont deny that the state can now ban abortion. Instead, they contend Louisiana now has multiple, conflicting trigger mechanisms in the law. They also argue that state law is unclear on whether it bans an abortion prior to a fertilized egg implanting in the uterus. And while the law provides an exception for medically futile pregnancies in cases of fetuses with lethal abnormalities, the plaintiffs noted the law gives no definition of the term. Now that the high court has ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion, abortion rights groups are seeking protection under state constitutions. Challenges to trigger laws could be made on the grounds that the conditions to impose the bans have not been met, or that it was improper for a past legislature to bind the current one. James Bopp Jr., general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, said the wave of suits from abortion rights advocates is not surprising. We know that the abortion industry has basically unlimited funds, and its allies have basically unlimited funds, and of course theyre fanatical about abortion on demand throughout pregnancy, Bopp said in an interview. Advertisement But he said that that the Supreme Court ruling should preclude abortion rights supporters from prevailing in any federal challenges. And he called efforts based on state constitutions fanciful. Still other cases could be filed as states try to sort out whether abortion bans in place before Roe was decided sometimes referred to as zombie laws apply now that there is no federal protection for abortion. For instance, Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 banning abortions except to save the life of the mother. Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he does not believe it is enforceable. Abortion opponents have called on lawmakers to impose a new ban. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it immediately suspended all abortions. In Michigan, Planned Parenthood challenged a 1931 abortion ban ahead of last weeks Supreme Court ruling. In May, a judge said the ban could not be enforced because it violates the states constitution. Abortion rights supporters are now trying to get a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to protect abortion and birth control. Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas have adopted laws that allow people to seek bounties against those who help others get abortions. It is an open question as to whether that means people can be pursued across state lines, and legal challenges over the issue are likely to come up in cases of both surgical abortions and those involving medicine mailed to patients. Advertisement The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed a bill Thursday to shield abortion providers and volunteers in the state from civil judgments imposed by other states. In liberal Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed an executive order Friday that prohibits state agencies from assisting other states investigations into anyone who receives a legal abortion in Massachusetts. Rhode Islands Democratic governor said he would sign a similar order. Forliti reported from Minneapolis and Mulvihill from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Samuel Metz in Salt Lake City; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; and other AP reporters throughout the U.S. contributed to this report. (Getty Images) Rapper Ludacriss manager Chaka Zulu has been shot and wounded in Atlanta. The veteran music executive was shot near Peachtree Road in Buckhead at around 11.35pm on Monday (27 June), along with two other men. According to 11Alive, police revealed that all three men were transported to the hospital, where one died. Homicide investigators responded to the scene to begin investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, Atlanta Police said. Information about Zulus condition or that of the other surviving victim has not been revealed yet. However, a source close to the situation told Variety that Zulus condition is critical but stable. (Getty) Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also reportedly told WSB-TVs Michael Seiden: We are fortunate to report that Chaka Zulu is in stable condition and recovering. The family thanks everyone for their well wishes and prayers, and asks for their privacy at this time. No suspect has been arrested so far, but XXL reports that policehave surveillance video of the scene and are hoping to be able to identify the shooter. Zulu, along with his brother Jeff Dixon and rapper Ludacris, founded Disturbing Tha Peace Records in 1998. Over the years the labels roster has included artists such as Chingy, Shawnna, Bobby V, Playaz Circle, Lil Scrappy and others. The label signed a long-term deal with Def Jam Recordings in 2008. Lufthansa Group has cancelled as many as 3,100 flights this summer, per Bloomberg Getty Images Lufthansa Group said the war in Ukraine is restricting European airspace and causing flight delays. "Massive bottlenecks" are adding to staff shortages and resourcing challenges, execs said. Many airlines suspended or rerouted flights to Russia and Ukraine in the wake of the invasion. The war in Ukraine is exacerbating summer flight chaos, leading to "massive bottlenecks" as airlines had to divert routes to avoid the war zone, according to the German carrier Lufthansa. In an open letter to customers, Lufthansa Group's executive team apologized for the spate of flight cancellations. It said like other airlines, it was affected by staff shortages and a lack of resources as global travel demand bounces back after the pandemic. In addition, "the ongoing war in Ukraine is severely restricting available airspace in Europe," the executives said. "This is leading to massive bottlenecks in the skies, and thus, unfortunately, to further flight delays," the executives said. Airlines began to reassess their travel plans before the invasion, rerouting flights or suspending them indefinitely over potential safety concerns and insurance issues, if war broke out. Lufthansa Group suspended all flights into Kyiv and Odessa, on February 20. In the aftermath of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries. All Lufthansa and Lufthansa Group flights into Ukraine and Russia are currently suspended until July 31, according to the company website. It continues to monitor the situation. This has added hours to some flights as carriers need to get creative to avoid the countries. According to the live flight tracking website FlightAware there were no commercial flights crossing Ukrainian airspace on Tuesday morning. FlightAware showed no flights over Ukrainian airspace on Tuesday morning. FlightAware Screenshot The rerouting has added to what is already a turbulent period for the airline industry as it seeks to bounce back from the disruption of the pandemic. In June the group, which owns airlines including Lufthansa and Eurowings, announced plans to cancel 900 Lufthansa and GermanWings flights in July around 5% of its weekend schedule due to staff shortages. Story continues The group has cancelled 3,100 flights in total according to Bloomberg. The executives said the problem is unlikely to improve in the short term. "Too many employees and resources are unavailable, not only at our infrastructure partners but in some of our own areas, too," the letter said. Lufthansa declined to provide further comment on the letter when approached by Insider. In a presentation made alongside its 2021 results, Lufthansa Group said it lost almost a quarter of its workforce between 2020 and 2021. This included a 31% reduction in ground staff. The group expects to have a "much more reliable air transport system worldwide, by 2023, per the letter. Read the original article on Business Insider Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Nestled between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, Panama has miles of pristine beaches as well as lush mountains (where the world's most expensive coffee is grown). The Central American country, known for the famous Panama Canal, is emerging as a leading luxury destination. And this fall, its capital will welcome another luxe property that will mark a legendary brand's North and Central American debut. We are talking about Sofitel Legend, which has chosen the historic district of Casco Viejo in Panama City for the setting of its next global address. The forthcoming Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama, opening in fall 2022, will be the brand's sixth property, and the first in North and Central America. Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Occupying the historic building of the former Club Union of Panama once the most exclusive social club in Panama City frequented by Albert Einstein, Queen Elizabeth II, and Helen Keller in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama will be a luxe waterfront oasis, blending French art de vivre with the destination's eclectic architecture and storied past. Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama The waterfront property will offer jaw-dropping ocean and city views and a mix of high-end facilities. The hotel will have 159 rooms and suites with sea views, five restaurants and bars, a Skybar and a lounge, an oceanfront pool, and nearly 10,000 square feet of event spaces. The project is helmed by one of the country's leading architects, Manuel Choy, who has kept many of the building's original French colonial features. The interior decor reflects the city's past and present by juxtaposing the work of modern Panamanian designers with French colonial accents such as marble checkerboard floors and wrought-iron balcony detailing with colorful contemporary furnishings inspired by the diverse flora and fauna found throughout Panama. Story continues Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama The property's food and beverage program will include the waterfront Ammi SkyBar that will offer 180-degree views of the city; Caleta, a Mediterranean brasserie that will serve the freshest seafood and locally sourced seasonal ingredients; and Mayda Lobby Bar & Plaza with classic cocktails and small bites inspired by Panama's history and culture. A gym, spa, and butler service round out the five-star amenities. Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama "We are privileged to introduce the exceptional Sofitel Legend brand to North and Central America in the vibrant and thriving destination of Panama City, within the historic and culturally significant district of Casco Viejo. A remarkable addition to our portfolio, Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo will be the brand's flagship in the region and will debut a distinctive luxury hotel offering in Panama," said Heather McCrory, Accor's CEO of North and Central America. "Inspired by the essence of the city, and where local culture is celebrated and infused with an authentic passion for French art de vivre, the hotel is poised to set a new standard of luxury hospitality in Panama." Renderings of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama Sofitel Legend comprises properties in landmark, culturally important buildings dating back centuries. This Panama hotel will join the exclusive roster of properties in Vietnam, the Netherlands, Egypt, Colombia, and China. Impeccable service, opulent decor, and unique culinary experiences immerse Sofitel Legend guests into the legacy of these hotels and the cities in which they are located. BERLIN (AP) A 101-year-old man was convicted in Germany of more than 3,500 counts of accessory to murder on Tuesday for serving at the Nazis Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Neuruppin Regional Court sentenced him to five years in prison. The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S., had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. In the trial, which opened in October, the centenarian said that he had worked as a farm laborer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question. However, the court considered it proven that he worked at the camp on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Partys paramilitary wing, the German news agency dpa reported. The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years, presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann said, according to dpa. He added that, in doing so, the defendant had assisted in the Nazis' terror and murder mechanism. You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," Lechtermann said. You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years. Prosecutors had based their case on documents relating to an SS guard with the mans name, date and place of birth, as well as other documents. The five-year prison sentence was in line with the prosecution's demand. The defendant's lawyer had sought an acquittal. Defense attorney Stefan Waterkamp said after the pronouncement of the sentence that he would appeal the verdict, dpa reported. Germany's leading Jewish group welcomed the ruling. Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison sentence due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed, said Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, so they should take responsibility for it, Schuster added. It is bitter that the defendant has denied his activities at that time until the end and has shown no remorse. Story continues For practical reasons, the trial was held in a gymnasium in Brandenburg/Havel, the 101-year-olds place of residence. The man was only fit to stand trial to a limited extent and was only able to participate in the trial for about two and a half hours each day. The process was interrupted several times for health reasons and hospital stays. Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Centers office in Jerusalem, told The Associated Press that the sentence sends a message that if you commit such crimes, even decades later, you might be brought to justice." "And its a very important thing because it gives closure to the relatives of the victims," Zuroff added. The fact that these people all of a sudden feel that their loss is being addressed and the suffering of their family who they lost in the camps is being addressed ... is a very important thing. However, Zuroff expressed concern that S. might serve only part of the sentence or none at all because of his planned appeal and his advanced age. Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new site after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories. More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing. Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate. In its early years, most inmates were either political prisoners or criminal convicts, but they also included some Jehovahs Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the so-called Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom. During the war, Sachsenhausen was expanded to include Soviet prisoners of war who were shot by the thousands as well as others. As in other camps, Jewish prisoners were singled out at Sachsenhausen for particularly harsh treatment, and most who remained alive by 1942 were sent to the Auschwitz death camp. Sachsenhausen was liberated in April 1945 by the Soviets, who then turned it into a brutal camp of their own. Tuesday's verdict relies on recent legal precedent in Germany establishing that anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for being an accessory to the murders committed there. In a different case, a 96-year-old woman went on trial in late September in the northern German town of Itzehoe. The woman, who allegedly worked during the war as the secretary for the SS commandant of the Stutthof concentration camp, has been charged with more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder. Jun. 28METHUEN Mayor Neil Perry and Police Chief Scott McNamara announced that seven officers have joined the ranks of the city's finest. "I want to congratulate these men and women on completing the Police Academy," McNamara said. "The academy is rigorous and challenging, but it prepares officers for the work that they will now do on our streets," he added. "I welcome these officers to our department and know they will continue to learn and grow throughout their field training." The new officers are Jason Young, Cameron Fountain, James Smith, Kayleigh Forgetta, Dannery Serrano, Robert Fitzgerald and Angel Mejia Jr. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the Mexican consul was en route to the site where 42 people were found dead in a truck carrying migrants near San Antonio, Texas, Monday. Ebrard said in a tweet that the victims' nationalities were still unknown. The Mexican General Consulate in San Antonio said on Twitter that it would provide aid to any Mexicans involved in the incident, if there were any. It also said Consul General Ruben Minutti was on the way to the scene. (Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Kim Coghill) Joseph Fucheck, a white Miami man who pointed a gun at a Black homeowner and hurled a racial slur, has pleaded guilty, accepted probation and will have to complete the usual array of conditions, such as mental-health counseling, substance abuse treatment and staying away from the victim. But theres one unusual requirement: Hes banned from pretending to be a military or police man. The reason: Fucheck, 60, had for years been posing as a former police SWAT leader and Navy SEAL, donning a bogus military uniform, bragging about his supposed medals for valor, even getting free drinks. Damn right, I carry a gun because Im a 35-year former Navy SEAL! Go look at my Purple Heart! he yelled during the June 2020 incident. Miamis Joseph Fucheck, seen posing in a Navy uniform, never served in the U.S. military. The plea deal, struck on Monday, concludes the case against Fucheck, whose racist tirade was captured on camera and led to his arrest for aggravated assault with a firearm with prejudice. The criminal charge was enhanced under Floridas hate-crime law, which stiffens the penalties and makes the crime punishable by 15 years in prison. Under the plea deal, hell spend three years on probation. On Monday, Fucheck apologized to the victim, Dwayne Wynn, for the unprovoked, unwarranted, and senseless attack. You did not deserve that and it will not happen again, Fucheck said. Wynn approved of the plea deal. A civil lawsuit is expected to settle soon. Fuchecks arrest happened at a time when race relations in the United States had become increasingly tense after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on Floyds neck for more than eight minutes Wynn was chatting at his neighbors house when he saw Fucheck pull up, put a small advertising card in his mailbox and drive away. Wynn walked over and took the card out Fucheck returned seconds later and began a profanity laced rant, accusing Wynn of not living at the house and stealing his advertisement, according to an arrest warrant. Story continues The warrant said that Fucheck lunged at Wynn, demanding the return of the card and pointing his pistol. After the man lowered the weapon, Wynn began recording the tirade with his phone. The video shows that Fucheck called Wynn a derogatory name for gay people and then the n-word before driving off. Investigator soon learned Fucheck had a penchant for posing as a veteran. Detectives found that supposed Purple Heart when they raided Fuchecks Miami apartment, along with Navy certificates, dress uniforms and even portrait photos of Fucheck decked out like an admiral in front of an American flag. A real retired Navy SEAL, who tried confronting Fucheck a few years ago about his long-running scam told the Miami Herald that the mans bogus dress uniform was a total and complete mess. His own daughter also told the Herald that Fucheck never served in the military and created a shrine to his fake military service in his home, complete with folded-up American flag. Hes a narcissist, she said. He just has to be the center of attention. The plea deal was accepted by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Laura Cruz. Fucheck was defended by lawyer Scott Kottler, and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Khalil Quinan. Even Minnesota Uniteds Dark Ages werent as dour as their current form. With Saturdays 2-1 loss to Inter Miami, the Loons are 1-6-1 in their past eight games. Those four total points constitute the worst regular-season skid over any eight-game stretch since the club joined MLS in 2017. This lull is worse than what MNUFC wrung out in any eight-game string in their dreadful expansion season in 2017 or sophomore hangover in 2018. The Loons tallied five points once apiece in each of those seasons. Loons manager Adrian Heath sought a broader perspective Tuesday during his video conference call with reporters before Minnesota (5-8-3) plays Los Angeles Galaxy (7-5-3) at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. If we were playing poorly and not creating opportunities and giving goals up, then Id start to, not worry because obviously Im concerned but there is not an awful lot wrong, Heath said. This is not a bad team. This is a team that can compete with anybody. Heath said he went through some lists Tuesday morning and rattled off some of the headlining competition MNUFC has faced: first-place Philadelphia and Los Angeles FC. Of the 16 total games this season, 12th-place MNUFC has played 12 teams currently in the MLS Cup Playoffs picture. Added sting to Minnesotas skid comes in how they led 1-0 against Miami and New England on June 19 before losing both road games. MNUFC has dropped 10 points after scoring the first goal of the game this season. Thats something that weve been looking for for a least a month or two: where we need to have complete performances, center back Michael Boxall said. Heath said the message to the players has been: Keep believing in what we are doing. Keep believing in the performances. The conclusion of Wednesdays game will mark the halfway point of the 2022 season. After a home game against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, the Loons will have six consecutive games against teams outside the playoff picture. Three of them will be in St. Paul. Story continues HUNOU DEAL ALMOST DONE MNUFC expects to have everything signed Wednesday to complete the permanent move of forward Adrien Hunou to Angers in Frances Ligue 1, a source told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. Hunou, who was not with the Loons in Miami on Saturday, has not scored a goal in 128 minutes in MLS play in 2022. He had seven goals in 1,707 minutes in 2021. Hunou, 28, joined Minnesota as a Designated Player in May 2021 on a transfer fee in excess of $3 million, and the Frenchman was the Loons highest-paid player at $2.68 million, according to MLS Players Association figures. He was the 17th highest-paid player in the league when MLSPA shared its data on April 15. BRIEFLY Loons midfielder Joseph Rosales sprained his ankle against Miami, cleared the MRI test and planned to train in L.A. on Tuesday, Heath said. Captain defensive midfielder Wil Trapp is coming off a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulations on Saturday; he is available to play Wednesday. Reynoso is one caution away from a one-game suspension. When MNUFC made three straight playoff appearances, they avoided prolonged droughts. From 2019-21, they had only one eight-game stretch below eight points. That included quickly bouncing back from an 0-4-0 start in 2021. L.A. Galaxy has had recent success with Javier Chicharito Hernandez and Devan Joveljic as two strikers on the field at the same time, but Heath expects coach Greg Vanney to have Chicharito start alone up top Wednesday. On May 18, Robin Lod scored the equalizing goal in the 87th minute for Minnesota to net a 1-1 draw with Galaxy in St. Paul. After being traded from Minnesota in early May, Chase Gasper has played 174 of Galaxys 540 total MLS minutes. Related Articles There is no clear blueprint for corporate engagement on abortion. After numerous companies came forward to announce that they would cover travel expenses for their employees to get abortions, executives have had to move swiftly to both sort out the mechanics of those policies and explain them to a workforce concerned about confidentiality and safety. Few companies have commented directly on the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which ended nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights. Far more have responded by expanding their health care policies to cover travel and other expenses for employees who cant get abortions close to home, now that the procedure is banned in at least eight states with other bans set to soon take effect. About half the country gets its health care coverage from employers, and the wave of new employer commitments has raised concerns from some workers about privacy. Advertisement Its a doomsday scenario if individuals have to bring their health care choices to their employers, said Dina Fierro, a global vice president at cosmetics company Nars, echoing a concern that many workers have expressed on social media in recent days. Employers are scrambling to prepare for possible legal challenges to their health care policies, as well as responding to scrutiny of their past political donations to politicians who supported abortion bans. Match Group, for example, whose former CEO Shar Dubey announced a fund in September supporting abortion access in partnership with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, donated more than $100,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association last year, as was reported in Popular Information. Match Group declined to comment. Advertisement Among the companies that said they would assist employees who have to travel for abortions are Disney, Macys, H&M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dicks Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Snap, which join a larger group including Starbucks and Yelp that had previously committed to doing so. Salesforce and Google both said they would move employees who want to leave states where abortion is banned. These employers cover health care for only a fraction of the millions of people living in states where abortion is or will soon be banned. And other major employers have not made public statements regarding employee assistance. The countrys largest private employer, Walmart, declined to comment on the Supreme Courts ruling. Other large employers such as Target, Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines did not respond to requests for comment. Some marketing experts note that companies that do weigh in will probably face some backlash. Consumers and employees dont want companies to take a stand unless companies take up their position and cause, Kimberly Whitler, who teaches marketing at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, said in an email. In an attempt to ease fears over potential confidentiality issues, many employers rolling out new benefits related to abortion are aiming to allow workers, and others on their health care plans, to get travel reimbursement without disclosing anything to their managers. In some cases, that means having people submit claims to their insurance companies as they would for other medical procedures. Yelp, for example, explained to its employees in April that its travel benefit is administered through its insurance provider. No one at Yelp will ever receive any information on who incurred a claim or received reimbursement, a Yelp spokesperson said. The Bank of America Tower, which houses the bank's New York headquarters, in midtown Manhattan on March 30, 2022. Bank of America has joined a larger group of companies that have committed to assisting employees who can't get reproductive health care close to home. (Jeenah Moon/The New York Times) Aetna, one of the largest insurance companies, said it would ensure our data practices comply with all applicable laws protecting the privacy of our members. UnitedHealth declined to comment specifically on privacy issues. Anthem, Cigna and Humana did not respond to requests for comment. Expedia said travel costs would be reimbursed through medical plan providers, and employees could use their time off without noting the reason. BuzzFeed said that instead of reimbursements for abortion-related expenses, it would offer stipends that would be approved by the head of its human resources department someone, the company said, who was trained to handle confidential issues. PayPal said it had an employee advocacy team that provided confidential information to employees on sensitive issues, including on using their health care benefits. Starbucks workers have third-party point people, called advocates, whom employees can anonymously approach with questions about health care benefits, ensuring they dont have to disclose details about their medical needs to managers. Advertisement That can be anything from Ive got knee surgery planned and want to make the right decision on a plan, to getting advice on what they should do if they intend to use the fertility benefit and everything in between, said Reggie Borges, a spokesperson for the company. Some employers have laid out the details of their new health care policies in memos to staff. Impossible Foods, for example, said that in addition to travel for abortions, it would also cover lodging, meals and child care. Wells Fargo said that as of July 1, its health care plans would include reimbursement for travel and lodging for legal abortion-related services. (Patagonia said it would also cover bail for employees who are arrested while peacefully protesting the Supreme Courts decision.) Many other companies were still ironing out their plans. Culture Amp, for example, an employee survey firm, said in announcing up to $2,000 in reimbursements for abortion-related travel that it was figuring out how to minimize the disclosure of information in the reimbursement process. The company said Monday that it was still getting final confirmation that flight or gas expenses could be routed for approval to the human resources team instead of through managers. You shouldnt have to tell your manager youre getting an abortion, said Aubrey Blanche, a senior director at the company. Currently, no states with bans try to prosecute women who travel out of state for an abortion, but some legal experts think that those laws could be possible in the future, as could attempts to use existing laws to prosecute abortion travel. Republican legislators in Texas have already said they plan to introduce legislation penalizing companies that pay for out-of-state abortion travel. Advertisement Were going to see creative attempts by people who are deeply committed to stopping abortion to use existing laws and pass new laws to stop as many abortions as possible, including those funded by companies, said David Cohen, a constitutional law professor at Drexel University. Companies are gearing up for a fight. And some executives seemed prepared for it. On Friday, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff wrote in a tweet: I believe CEOs have a responsibility to take care of their employees no matter what. c.2022 The New York Times Company At least 46 migrants were found dead in a refrigerated tractor-trailer near San Antonio, Texas, on Monday night, according to local officials. Another 16 migrants were taken to the hospital for critical care, including four children, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at a Monday night press conference. A majority of the migrants transported to local hospitals were too weak to get out of the truck, Hood added. It is our hope and prayer that the conditions of those who were transported will improve as we speak, the fire chief said. Three individuals were arrested in connection to the incident, San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) Chief William McManus said at the press conference. The case was turned over to the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations team for a federal investigation. Dozens of police and emergency personnel teams responded around 6 p.m. to a major road near San Antonio to find a parked tractor-trailer truck next to a set of railroad tracks. Hood said the tractor-trailer was a refrigerated unit, but the air conditioning system was not working. The migrants inside the truck were hot to the touch and suffering from heat exhaustion without any available water. Several outlets reported Monday the incident appeared to be one of the worst cases of migrant deaths at the southern border. The area San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the press conference the incident was tragic. There are forty-six individuals that we know of who are no longer with us, Nirenberg said. Who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life. This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy. Updated 11:15 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Human remains found in the North Carolina woods have been identified as a man who vanished in 2011, officials said. Michael Dwayne Wilkerson was 34 years old when he was last seen in the Asheboro area. The same day that he disappeared, a totaled pickup truck was discovered with no one inside, according to the Randolph County Sheriffs Office. Wilkersons location was a mystery for more than a decade until someone stumbled upon human remains in March. While DNA helped to confirm the remains belonged to the missing man, his cause of death was still unknown as of Tuesday, June 28, deputies said in a news release. Officials said Wilkersons family last saw him on Sept. 15, 2011. He was spotted in the area of New Hope Church Road, near Asheboro and roughly 85 miles southwest of Raleigh. That same morning, the wrecked pickup was found along the same road. Officials in their news release didnt say whether the truck belonged to Wilkerson but said his cellphone was inside. The last call made on Michaels phone had been made about 2:30 a.m., the sheriffs office wrote. A highway patrol trooper arrived on the scene at approximately 5:15 a.m. in response to a passerbys report of the wreck. Wilkerson was reported missing days later on Sept. 24, 2011. In the decade that followed, officials treated the case as a possible death investigation, and Crimestoppers offered a $1,000 reward for tips, The Courier-Tribune reported in 2021. A year later, officials said his remains were found in woods along New Hope Church Road. The cold case investigation was ongoing as of June 28. Body left near road identified as person reported missing a year ago, NC cops say Body buried in North Carolina yard identified as man who vanished in 2016, cops say LOS ANGELES In the wake of the Supreme Courts momentous decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade and end nearly 50 years of nationwide abortion protections, Democrats in Washington, D.C., have struggled to show how they would or could fight back. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recited a poem. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) turned "inward" with yoga. And the national Democratic Party flooded inboxes with opportunistic fundraising emails. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders outside the Beltway took actual, concrete action, demanding special legislative sessions to expand abortion access (Illinois) and filing suit to stop a nearly century-old abortion ban from taking effect (Michigan). But so far, no one is countering the fall of Roe as aggressively as California, Americas most populous and in many ways, progressive state. California Gov. Gavin Newsom displays a bill he just signed that shields abortion providers and volunteers in California from civil judgments from out-of-state courts during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, June 24. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) "California can play an outsized role at this moment," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. "I want folks to know, all around the rest of the country, and in many parts of the globe, that I hope we're your antidote to fear or anxiety. Perhaps to the cynicism that many of you are feeling about fate and the future." Newsom has long touted California as a liberal bulwark, picking frequent fights with Republican peers such as Floridas Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texass Gov. Greg Abbott over crime, COVID-19, LGBTQ rights and critical race theory. In recent weeks, the Golden State governor, 54, has gone even further, joining former President Donald Trumps right-wing Twitter alternative, Truth Social, to personally "cal[l] out Republican lies" a move that led Washington, D.C., types to speculate that he might be positioning himself for a White House run in 2024 if an aging and politically vulnerable President Biden declines to seek reelection. "Newsom is young and politically muscular," David Axelrod, a longtime Democratic strategist and political adviser to former President Barack Obama, told the New York Times. "Which may be just what the market will be seeking post-Biden." (Newsom, for his part, has repeatedly denied having his eyes on the presidency, telling Yahoo News earlier this year that Vice President Kamala Harris "is the next in line" should Biden decide not to run.) Story continues Yet the nature and scope of the courts ruling on Roe represents a rubber-meets-road moment for Newsom and other governors with possible national ambitions. Suddenly, its their responsibility to either preserve or prohibit a medical procedure that had been enshrined as a constitutional right for almost half a century a responsibility that will put them in direct conflict with other governors veering in the opposite direction. Abortion rights protesters gather at the U.S. Supreme Court to denounce the court's decision to end federal abortion rights protections in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) Experts say the brewing clash between blue states and red states over abortion echoes the era of slavery. "We havent seen this kind of battle about the reach of the jurisdiction of one state over another in a very long time," Wendy Parmet, director of Northeastern Universitys Center for Health Policy and Law, told the Washington Post. "Nothing of this magnitude have we seen since the Civil War." So with conflict coming and with leaders in Washington largely powerless to act Newsom seems determined to position California, and himself, on the frontlines. Already, more than half the states in the United States all of them Republican-controlled have moved to ban abortion within their own borders, and many are introducing measures that would also seek to limit access across state lines by prohibiting shipment of abortion-inducing pills, prosecuting residents who leave the state to terminate their pregnancy and penalizing out-state-medical professionals for performing the procedure. Together, these efforts could leave an estimated 40 million people without abortion access in their own state. In response, Newsom and other California Democrats have been laying the groundwork to transform the Golden State into Americas leading abortion "sanctuary" not just for Californians but for red-state residents as well, with an entire infrastructure to facilitate travel and termination of pregnancy across state lines. Abortion rights demonstrators hold signs as they gather near the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, June 25. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images) The process started last fall. After Texas passed its own restrictive 15-week ban, Newsom quickly convened the Future of Abortion Council to generate new sanctuary policies; its recommendations, released in December, now form the basis of a sweeping package of more than a dozen bills working their way through the California Legislature. These efforts include a new amendment to the state Constitution introduced by Newsom and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, who once ran a womens health clinic that would explicitly protect the right to abortion and contraception. The measure passed the state legislature by a wide margin and will appear on the November ballot for voters approval. They also include a new law signed Friday by Newsom that will nullify civil liability judgments against providers or patients if theyre based on laws in other states. "We will not aid, we will not abet, in their efforts to be punitive, to fine and create fear for those that seek that support," Newsom said. And that's only the start. A raft of additional measures could pass before the Legislature leaves Sacramento in August, according to CalMatters. One would prohibit medical providers and health insurers from sharing information in cases that seek to penalize abortion. Another would prevent the state medical board from suspending or revoking the license of a physician who is punished in another state for performing an abortion in accordance with California law. A third would stop police from arresting someone for providing or obtaining an abortion and ban law enforcement agencies from sharing information with colleagues in other states. Police holding rubber-bullet guns and batons move to disperse a crowd of abortion rights activists protesting in downtown Los Angeles after the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) At the same time, Newsom has asked for an extra $125 million to help California abortion clinics prepare for a surge in out-of-state patients. Already, 16.5% of all U.S. abortions are administered in California, and a recent UCLA report estimates that an additional 10,600 people mostly from Arizona and Texas will travel to California each year for abortion care now that Roe is gone. To that end, a state budget deal announced Sunday night includes $20 million for clinicians who commit to providing reproductive health care services, along with $21 million for existing workforce programs and $20 million for recruitment and retention at clinics. Other bills would create state-administered funds to help patients who cant afford an abortion possibly including travel and lodging and clinics that provide uncompensated care to patients who lack reproductive coverage. "To people across the country living in a state hostile to abortion: California is here for you," Jodi Hicks, president of Planned Parenthood affiliates of California, told Politico. "We will not turn people away, and we will find a way to support you so that you can get the care you need." California is hardly alone in pushing back against the Supreme Courts decision. In total, about 20 states largely Democratic-controlled have promised to preserve or expand abortion access in post-Roe America. But instead of just protecting its own residents abortion rights, California is moving the fastest to create a haven for potential patients from nearby anti-abortion states as well a number that is expected to increase from 46,000 to 1.4 million in the weeks and months ahead. Protesters hold placards during a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on June 26, 2022, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, striking down the constitutional right to abortion. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) "California, Oregon and Washington are building the West Coast offense to protect patients' access to reproductive care," Newsom said Friday in a video announcing a joint "commitment to reproductive freedom" with his fellow West Coast governors. And they will do so, added Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, for "patients from any state who come to our states for abortion care." Meanwhile, the White House is mostly hamstrung on the issue as is the U.S. Senate, where the filibuster will prevent a simple majority from codifying abortion rights for the foreseeable future. In contrast, Newsom who has made waves in recent weeks by accusing his own party of inaction on major issues now has a chance to lead. "Where the hell is my party?" he said at a Los Angeles Planned Parenthood office in May. "[Republicans] are winning. They are. They have been. Let's acknowledge that. We need to stand up. Where's the counteroffensive?" The answer, Newsom hopes, is California. Acres of slums line the creeks of Nigeria's oil hub Port Harcourt, home to tight-knit communities with a population density more than twice that of Manhattan. The tangle of 50 self-built waterfront settlements made of concrete, wood and corrugated sheets hosts half a million people, many reliant on the polluted creeks for their livelihoods. Port Harcourt's communities are now caught in a battle over their informal homes after Rivers State Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike ordered all the settlements to be demolished. Wike and Rivers officials have described them as "dens of criminals" that needed cleaning up, offering no compensation for the homes destroyed and no development plan for the land. Many residents lived there for decades. Their parents and grandparents built the land, filling the creeks with fibrous black mud cut from the mangroves. Since the demolitions began in January, half of the Diobu settlement in the southwest of the city has been destroyed. Up to 22,000 residents were made homeless in six days. Where there was a thriving community now sits 11 hectares of rubble. "We were peacefully living here," said Tamunoemi Cottrail, a local landlord and fish seller, recalling the start of the demolitions when officials arrived accompanied by armed men. "As they came, they did not talk to anybody. They just came down the steps and begin to mark X on some buildings." Local government officials say the project will benefit the entire city and that demolitions of informal communities are necessary and legal. The Port Harcourt land struggle illustrates the complex development of cities in Africa's most populous country, which is estimated by the UN to become the third most populous in the world by 2050. Most of that will be urban growth, and much of it in slums as Nigeria's development plans largely ignore rapid informal urbanisation and adequate infrastructure. Port Harcourt is Nigeria's oil capital. But despite the petroleum revenues, its infrastructure is overwhelmed and many live in slum conditions. Story continues "People don't deliberately put themselves in informal settlements," said Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International Nigeria. "There shouldn't be informal settlements in those kinds of places because the states are rich and they have the capacity to provide." Public backlash - The demolitions began nearly three weeks after the governor announced his decision during a New Year's speech. Rivers State's chief security officer arrived in Diobu waterfront on January 19, marking homes for demolition and telling residents they had seven days to pack up and leave. As Diobu's representative in the local governing body, Cottrail approached the officers, attempting to initiate a dialogue. But they refused to engage with him. They came back at the end of January. "There was no way to talk to them because they came with fully armed police officers and some civil defence officers," Cottrail said. "When they came, they started flogging people," said Omobotare Abona, a local fisherman. "When people were like 'You guys should wait -- let us pack our things because it's sudden', they were like 'Go out.'" After some public backlash against the governor's plan, his commissioner for information and communication, Paulinus Nsirim, took a harsher tone, emphasising the government's push to "sanitise the waterfronts". He said that the communities had become "a den of thieves, flies in the face of rational analysis". "That is a lie," said Abona, who has lived in the community most of his life. "There is nowhere they don't have bad persons." For the state development authorities, the programme is about the legitimate use of land. "The law allows (demolitions) so long as it is for public interest," said one official from the Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority. "What he wants to do is for the... benefit of the state or for everybody." Living with relatives - Many former Diobu residents have moved in with relatives elsewhere, now cut off from their water-related livelihoods. Others have their furniture and clothes piled on the pavements near the waterfront. In one disused government compound close to the waterfront, women have squatted with their salvaged belongings and children. Peace West, a school cook who now squats there with her four children, said she had paid a year's rent upfront in October but now does not have the money to pay another. Some residents are still sleeping in the rubble of their former homes, even though the rainy season has swung into full force. The city's waterfront communities help fuel the informal economy, which accounts for up to 65 percent of real economic activity. But they live in extreme poverty, with little to no municipal services and a lack of political representation. For residents like Abona it is hard to imagine living elsewhere than in his community, where he lives off the properties he built and fishing. Although he relocated his wife and infant son to a relative's house, he often returns to the demolition site, watching over his family's land. He is waiting for the right time to rebuild. "As a riverine man, I feel safe and I grew up here," he said. "So I know everything here, at least. It's my comfort zone." str/pma/imm TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nissan Motor Co Ltd on Tuesday rejected a shareholder proposal at its annual general meeting (AGM) that would have led to the disclosure of a decades-old agreement with 43% stakeholder Renault SA. Ahead of the AGM, one investor proposed deeming Renault as Nissan's parent company for disclosure purposes which by law would force the publication of the agreement which stipulates the automakers' capital and business alliance. Lack of publication prevents shareholders discussing the alliance which consequently remains "unequal", the investor said. Nissan owns only a 15% non-voting stake in Renault. Observers expected opposition from the French automaker to scupper the proposal. Still, Nissan last month said it would disclose the agreement's content in its annual securities report to the extent it does not violate a confidentiality obligation. Full disclosure of the Restated Alliance Master Agreement would reveal the scope of the 23-year-old tie-up, formed when Renault rescued Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy. The deal has long been the source of tension as it allows Renault to increase its involvement in Nissan's management. The alliance, which in 2016 added Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp, was rocked by the 2018 ouster of alliance founder Carlos Ghosn amid a financial scandal. The automakers have since pledged to pool more resources and work closer to make electric vehicles (EVs). Still, Renault in April said all options were on the table - including a possible public listing of its EV unit - when it comes to overhauling its business in response to the swift electrification of the auto industry. For Nissan - an EV pioneer with its 2010 Leaf - it is too early to consider spinning off its EV division, its chief operating officer said last month. (This story corrects headline and second paragraph to clarify the proposal was for disclosure purposes only) (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Christopher Cushing) Ed Gonzalez, sheriff of Harris County, Texas, has withdrawn from consideration to be director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle) More than a year after President Biden nominated him, a Houston-area sheriff has withdrawn from consideration to be director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Biden tapped Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for the ICE director's post in April 2021. However, more than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, Gonzalez said Monday in social media postings. Gonzalez, who is a Democrat, said he informed Biden administration officials of his decision Sunday. I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering whats best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as sheriff, he wrote. The Senate has not confirmed any nominee for the ICE directorship since 2017. Gonzalez expressed gratitude to Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nations border. Frankly, the dysfunction threatens Americas heart and soul. Gonzalez rose to sergeant during an 18-year run at the Houston Police Department before his 2016 election as sheriff. He pointedly criticized then-President Trumps immigration enforcement raids and policies when Trump vowed to deport millions of people. Gonzalez had expressed concern then about driving undocumented families further into the shadows, discouraging them from reporting crimes to authorities. Backers of Trump's immigration policies criticized Gonzalez as a backer of the Biden administrations rapidly expanding practice of releasing migrants on parole, particularly those who were not subject to a pandemic rule that prevents migrants from seeking asylum. The Border Patrol paroled more than 207,000 migrants who crossed from Mexico from August through May, including 51,132 in May, a 28% increase from April, according to court records. In the previous seven months, it had paroled only 11 migrants. Parole shields migrants from deportation for a set period but provides little else. By law, the Homeland Security Department may parole migrants only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parolees can apply for asylum within a year. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. North Carolina sheriffs deputies have issued two murder warrants after a man and a woman were found dead and two children were found safe at a North Carolina home Sunday. Deputies with the Davie County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a disturbance Sunday morning on the 1100 block of Junction Road, WGHP reported. A 911 caller told dispatchers that someone was shooting at her, the sheriff's office said, adding that a dispatcher heard "a loud disturbance" over the phone. After that, the phone line was open but no one was responding to the dispatcher, the sheriff's office said. NYC CHINESE FOOD DELIVERYMANS ACCUSED KILLER MIGHT POST BAIL AFTER DUCK SAUCE DISPUTE TURNED DEADLY: REPORT When deputies reached the home, they found 29-year-old Justin Dewayne dead in the front yard and 23-year-old Savannah Lyn Anglin dead inside the home. Two children were found in the home unharmed, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies said 31-year-old Anthony Laquane Brooks is wanted, WGHP reported. His whereabouts are unknown, and he should be considered "armed and dangerous." Anyone with information is asked to contact the Davie County Sheriffs Office at 336-751-6238. The Associated Press contributed to this report. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during an unrelated press conference Tuesday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani should be reminded that falsely reporting a crime is a crime after video was released that called into question Giulianis claim that he was hit very, very hard by an employee at a Staten Island, N.Y., supermarket. I think the district attorney, he has the wrong person that hes investigating. To falsely report a crime is a crime. If that video wasnt there, then this person wouldve been charged with punching the former mayor, said Adams, referencing a surveillance video from the New York ShopRite where Giuliani had said he felt as though a boulder hit him. Well, when you look at the video, the guy basically walked by and patted him on the back, Adams added. I dont know if he said congratulations. I dont know what he said to him, but it was clear that he was not punched in the head. It was clear that it didnt feel like a bullet. It was clear that he wasnt about to fall to the ground. So it was clear that he had a lot of creativity and sensationalism that caused this person to be arrested, Adams stated during the press conference, while also calling Giuliani irresponsible for a former mayor. The video shows Giuliani barely moving after a ShopRite employees hand makes contact with his back. The employee is then seen saying something to the former mayor. Giuliani commented Monday that the ShopRite video of the incident is probably is a little deceptive, after describing the alleged attack a day earlier. All of a sudden, I feel this, Bam! on my back, Giuliani said Sunday, adding that he nearly fell down from the blow. All of a sudden, I hear this guy say, Youre a f scumbag, then he moves away so nobody can grab him, he added. Story continues The ShopRite employee, identified as 39-year-old Daniel Gill, was detained after the Sunday incident, according to the New York Police Department, and has been released ahead of his scheduled hearing on August 17. Giuliani said he believed Gill hit him because of his pro-life stance on abortion, with the incident coming just two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which established the constitutional right to an abortion. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A suspect was arrested Monday afternoon in Tacoma for the June 18 homicide of a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier in Parkland. The Pierce County SWAT team surrounded a Tacoma home at 1:41 p.m. and asked the suspect to surrender, according to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department. The 37-year-old man left the residence without resistance and surrendered, the Sheriffs Department said. Detectives had previously identified, located and obtained a warrant for the suspects arrest. Sgt. Emmett Leviticus Moore, a native of East Point, Georgia, died June 18. Moore was shot at a residence in the 1600 block of 112th Street during a gathering he and the suspect were attending. Officers searched unsuccessfully for the suspect that evening. The suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of murder and firearms charges. DENYS KARLOVSKYI MONDAY, 27 JUNE 2022, 17:04 Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, has responded to the ultimatums from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that the war could be ended in one day by Ukraine's capitulation. Source: Podoliak on Twitter Quote from Podoliak: "Z-ultimatums again? It wasnt Ukraine that started the war, so we cant end it by order. They could end the war in Moscow at any time, simply by returning to appropriate behaviour: stop firing missiles on cities, withdraw their troops, and abandon nuclear propaganda." Previously: On the morning of 28 June, the Kremlin issued an ultimatum that the war could be ended by the end of the day if the Ukrainian military laid down its arms and the government capitulated and complied with Russia's demands. Lake County Associate Judge Elizabeth Liz Rochford won the Democratic primary for an open Supreme Court seat following Tuesdays election, but whether she will face off in the fall against another Lake County judge or the former Lake County sheriff remains too close to call. In the Republican primary, with 95% of precincts reporting, Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes and former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran were leading two other candidates and separated by less than two percentage points. Advertisement Shanes and Rochford were both rated highly recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association, while Curran was found not recommended. Shanes, a former Lake County prosecutor and sitting judge since 2007, was the Republican primary candidate favored by an independent expenditure committee funded primarily by billionaire Citadel CEO Ken Griffin. The group, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, spent more than $170,000 in support of Shanes. He is a deputy chief judge in Lake County and oversees felony and law division cases. Advertisement Citizens for Judicial Fairness spent roughly $50,000 to oppose Currans bid. Curran was elected sheriff in Lake County in 2006 and remained in office until 2018. Before that, he worked as a local and federal prosecutor, and he now works on criminal defense and civil cases. He unsuccessfully ran against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in 2020 as the Republican Party candidate, scoring almost 40% of the vote statewide. Rochford, whose campaign committee far out-fundraised her two competitors, has worked as a Cook County prosecutor and spent several years in private practice working on wills, trusts and real estate matters. She has been on the bench since 2012 and hears guardianship cases in probate court. Her father, James M. Rochford, was the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in the 1970s. Rochford will face off in November against the GOP nominee for the 2nd Judicial District seat previously held by former Chicago Bears kicker Bob Thomas, a Republican justice who was on the states highest court for nearly two decades. The 2nd Judicial District has consistently elected Republican candidates since the 1960s, but the Democratic-controlled Illinois legislature recently redrew the electoral map. Voters from the northwest part of the state were shifted from the 2nd to the sprawling 4th District, which now stretches from Jo Daviess County to Jersey County, just north of St. Louis. [ [Live results] 2022 primary election in Illinois ] Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties remain in the 2nd District, while DuPage County was moved to the 3rd. The Republican primary was a four-way race between an appellate judge, two circuit judges and the former Lake County sheriff. Like Shanes, 2nd District Appellate Judge Susan Hutchinson was awarded a highly recommended rating from the Illinois State Bar Association. Like Curran, John Noverini, a circuit court judge in Kane County, was rated not recommended. Noverini received the rating automatically after declining to participate in the bar groups evaluation. Among the Democrats, the bar group rated Kane County Circuit Judge Rene Cruz recommended and sitting Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering not recommended. Advertisement Rochford and Rotering both have ties to powerful Democrats in the state. Allies of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan helped Rotering gather petitions in her unsuccessful 2018 bid for Illinois attorney general, and Rochford has donated money over the years to Chicago Ald. Edward Burke, now under federal indictment. [ Latest returns in Supreme Court primaries updated here ] Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > The race almost had three fewer candidates. Rotering, Hutchinson and Curran were temporarily booted from the ballot over a snafu involving the number of signatures required to run in the newly redrawn district. A Cook County Circuit Court judge reinstated all three candidates last month. Illinois Supreme Court justices often, though not always, have prior experience on the bench before ascending to the states highest court. Each of the courts current seven members served at the circuit or appellate court level. In the states 3rd Judicial District, Michael J. Burke and Mary Kay OBrien each faced uncontested primaries. The Democratic candidate, OBrien, is an appellate court judge in the 3rd District and served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003, when she was appointed to the appellate court. Burke, the Republican candidate, is sitting on the Illinois Supreme Court after the court appointed him to fill the vacant 2nd District seat left by Thomas. But the legislative redistricting shifted his home seat, so he is now running to fill the 3rd District vacancy created by the 2020 failed retention bid of former Justice Thomas Kilbride. In 2020, Citizens for Judicial Fairness spent millions in an effort to unseat Kilbride as he sought the 60% yes votes needed to maintain his seat on the bench. The group linked him unfavorably to Madigan. The court appointed Robert L. Carter, from Ottawa, to fill Kilbrides seat in 2020, but Carter said at the time that he would not run in this election. Advertisement If Republicans win both Supreme Court races in November, the court would have a Republican majority for the first time in decades. ehoerner@chicagotribune.com Cincinnati police said early Tuesday that the man found shot to death in Evanston Monday evening was 37-year-old John Wilson. Cincinnati police said early Tuesday that the man found shot to death in Evanston Monday evening was 37-year-old John Wilson. The shooting happened near the intersection of Woodburn and Blair avenues, a few blocks from Walnut Hill High School. Police received a ShotSpotter activation around 6:25 p.m. for multiple shots at the 1600 block of Blair Avenue, according to Cincinnati police Lt. Tim Lanter. Officers arrived to find Wilson dead at the scene, Lanter said. Lanter declined to say if a suspect is in custody. Police are searching for a silver sedan with shot-out rear windows, Lanter said. Traffic on Woodburn Avenue going north was blocked from Blair Avenue due to the criminal investigation. If you have information about this shooting, call the homicide unit at 513-352-3542. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police investigating fatal shooting in Evanston identify victim West Virginia State Police are investigating a suspicious fire at the historic Saint Colman Catholic Church in Raleigh County as an arson. The church, which was built in 1878, burned to the ground on Sunday. By the time firefighters arrived after receiving a call for a structure fire, the church was already destroyed but still smoldering, the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department said. The fire department said the fire is considered suspicious in nature. West Virginia State Police are investigating the fire as an arson. The fire department and the state police could not immediately be reached for comment. Saint Colman had not held services since it was declared an official historic site in 1984. It is the latest in a string of churches to face attack in recent years. Though authorities have not released information about potential suspects or motives, the fire came days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. As the fight over abortion in the U.S. has grown more contentious, churches and pregnancy centers have increasingly been on the receiving end of violent attacks. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has tracked at least 142 incidents of vandalism at Catholic sites in the U.S. since May 2020. The incidents, which have occurred across 36 states and Washington, D.C., include arson; statues beheaded; statue limbs cut, smashed, and painted; gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned; and other destruction and vandalism. The USCCB began tracking vandalism at Catholic sites after a pair of Catholic churches San Gabriel Mission in California and Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Florida were set on fire on July 11, 2020. More from National Review Reuters Three people were killed and several more were wounded in a shooting at a shopping centre in Copenhagen on Sunday, Danish police said, adding they had arrested a 22-year-old Danish man and charged him with manslaughter. The attack rocked Denmark at the end of an otherwise joyful week, just after it hosted the first three stages of the Tour de France cycle race. Copenhagen police said armed officers were sent to Field's mall in the capital late on Sunday afternoon after reports of a shooting, and had told people inside to stay put and await assistance. Around 100 protesters gathered outside City Hall in Hartford on Monday to rally against the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Signs in hand, activists chanted in solidarity as they gathered to protest the ruling that effectively ended the Constitutional right to have an abortion. One sign read, Bans Off Our Bodies and another read Ruth Sent Us in reference to former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020. The rally was organized by the Nonprofit Accountability Group, which includes a host of non-profits throughout the state, including Workers Voice, BLM860, PowerUp CT, Kamoras Cultural Corner, 350 CT, Sunrise Connecticut, Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter, Quiet Corner Shouts and Resource Generation Connecticut. The Supreme Court turned the abortion issue over to the states in its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson overturning the landmark 1973 case on Friday. Since then, hundreds of protests have been held in the country, including in Connecticut. Abortion is health care, shouted Tenaya Taylor, executive director and founder of the Nonprofit Accountability Group, to the crowd that echoed it back. Health care is a fundamental right. Were here because were not going to be silent. Other activists from the group also spoke and touched on many different issues surrounding race, police brutality and economic inequality. If we took care of the trans lives, the queer lives, the elderly lives, the homeless lives and those with mental health issues and the disabled we wouldnt be here today, said Keren Prescott, founder and CEO of PowerUp CT. But when you dont take care of the least, you will not take care of the most. Prescott shared her own personal story of having an abortion after she was raped in 1999. Thank God I was able to have an abortion back then, Prescott said. I came back to Hartford where that was seen as health care. That right has now been taken. Prescott said that since the abortion ruling just a few days ago many people have come up to her asking how to fight back. She noted that many of them are new to protesting and organizing but feel empowered to take action. Story continues What I want to say to our Black, brown and non-white folks is that this is a new fight for white people because for many years their skin color, class, status and privilege has afforded them a protection they never understood, said Prescott. Being white meant having every single protection until now. We welcome them into our fight. We are in this for the long haul. Others in attendance spoke on the intersectionality between abortion and other issues, including the environment. Its not hard to see the intersectionality between reproductive rights and the climate movement: For one thing, people in the climate movement get pregnant. They must be able to choose whether they want to have children or not, said Melinda Tuhus, an activist with the environmental non-profit 350 CT. Mothers are the most impacted demographic in climate catastrophes they have to protect and figure out how to feed and house their children when they lose their homes and mothers especially single mothers often have the fewest resources. Tuhus sporting a climate justice Walk for Our Grandchildren shirt, spoke about her memories before Roe in the early 1970s to many of the younger protesters. I was almost 25 when Roe was decided, so there were plenty of years when my friends and classmates were getting illegal, sometimes dangerous and deadly abortions, Tuhus said. We wont go back! Protesters came from all over the state with some even driving more than an hour to show their support. It was important that I came to this, said Claudia Allen, of Thompson. Im here to stand for all women so they can make their own decision about their own bodies. Many black and brown women and those who are underprivileged will die because of this. We need to make our voices heard. Of the 26 states that have signaled a ban on abortion, 13 have laws in place that are designed to be triggered and take effect automatically or by quick state action after the Roe ruling Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. In May, Gov. Ned Lamont signed Public Act 22-19, a first-in-the-nation law that protects medical providers and patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut who may be traveling from other states that have outlawed abortion. Additionally, the law expands abortion access in Connecticut by expanding the type of practitioners eligible to perform certain abortion-related care. Reproductive rights will be protected here in Connecticut, Lamont said. Roe may not be the law of the land but it will be the law in the state as long as Im here. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com TheStreet.com In Las Vegas, everything has an end date. Casinos and resorts seemingly need updates nearly as soon as they open and what seems cutting edge today may be dated in a just a few years. The Las Vegas Strip undergoes nearly endless change. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings on Tuesday called three shootings over the past week that involved his officers a disturbing trend. Early Tuesday, a CMPD officer was shot in the leg after responding to a 911 call at a bar in NoDa. Jennings said the wounded officer will recover. Police have located a person of interest, CMPD said. Johnny Jennings, chief of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, discusses recent shootings involving his officers at a crime scene in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte, NC, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Last Thursday, a man fired gunshots at police from inside a home after officers responded to a call to assist a Medic team. A SWAT team de-escalated the situation with a negotiator, and officers didnt fire back, CMPD said. No officers were injured, CMPD said. On Sunday, Kevin Boston, a 45-year-old, single father of three fired at officers, police said. The officers returned fire, striking Boston, who died at a hospital. Police said Boston was a suspect in an armed robbery of a Food Lion on Tuckaseegee Road in west Charlotte. However we have a serious issue within society as a whole, not just here in Charlotte but across our nation that gunfire seems to be the most common theme when it comes to violence in our cities, Jennings said in a video recorded at the shooting scene in NoDa. It's a disturbing trend that our men and women in uniform are being fired at while doing their jobs, and its not just in Charlotte where this is happening. My message from the scene in Noda this morning: https://t.co/ix5TwPYMLg (2/2) Chief Jennings (@cmpdchief) June 28, 2022 We need to turn the narrative that we see so often about the vilification of law enforcement, police officers, and realize what they really and truly do and thats to try and keep our community safe, he said. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9, which advocates for law enforcement officers in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, posted on Facebook to say Charlotte must do better. The FOP statement emphasized the number of shootings in recent weeks, asking where the violence interrupters are. Story continues When will this violence stop? the FOP asked. In a statement to The Charlotte Observer, FOP Lodge 9 President Daniel Redford said there is a crime problem in Charlotte. We are grateful the officers injuries arent life threatening and (the officer) is expected to recover, Redford said. The events (Tuesday) morning are unsettling, especially after CMPD officers just faced two separate incidents where shots were fired at them. Redford said reform is needed within the bond system. Babies are being murdered and shot, and those committing these heinous acts are getting younger and younger, he said. Our court system seemingly rewards criminality by letting violent offenders out on low/no bonds. AAA predicts that nearly 48 million Americans will be travelling outside of their local area for this years Fourth of July weekend, and a record-setting 2.2 million are Ohioans. >> Monkeypox: CDC activates emergency ops center Lori Comer, AAA Dayton North Retail sales manager, attributes the high numbers to growing comfort around travel. Theyre ready to get out and do something, Comer said. Many travelers are planning to visit the East Coast as the areas popularity has declined amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people like to go out west from the Midwest area, said Comer. But were seeing a lot of travel into Maine, into Massachusetts, doing the beaches of Virginia Beach. AAA recommends that travelers ensure that their vehicle is road-worthy, as well as verify flight details and vacation reservations. GENEVA (Reuters) - The heads of Libya's two rival legislative chambers met in Geneva on Tuesday for negotiations aimed at restoring a U.N.-led election process that fell apart last December. Agreement on national elections would represent a big step towards stopping another bout of warfare and helping to end a decade of chaos and conflict since the NATO-backed ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Both bodies are recognised under the U.N.-approved 2015 Libyan Political Agreement as the two legislative bodies, but they have been in direct confrontation with each other for most of the period since Libya split between eastern and western factions in 2014 Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh and High State Council head Khaled al-Meshri arrived at the U.N. Geneva office on Tuesday morning and sat stiffly, separated by the United Nations Libya adviser Stephanie Williams. "It is now the time to make a final and courageous effort to ensure that this historic compromise takes place," she said at the start of the talks which began at 11:00 CET (09:00 BST). She added that the timeline and process to "guarantee a clear path to the holding of national elections as soon possible" would be discussed. U.N. political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo expressed hope at the U.N. Security Council on the eve of the talks that the meeting would lead to a "final and implementable agreement that would lead to the elections at the earliest possible date." However, analysts were more downbeat, seeing little prospect that could help avert renewed conflict or de facto partition. Agreement on how to hold an election would help resolve a standoff over control of government that has renewed splits between rival factions involved in the last major bout of conflict that paused two years ago. There is currently no agreement on how to move the political process forward and who should rule the country in the lead up to elections, with one government in the capital Tripoli and a rival one backed by the parliament in the coastal town of Sirte. (Reporting by Emma Farge and Denis Balibouse in Geneva and Angus McDowall in Tunis; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) Photo credit: Jon Cherry/Getty Images On Friday, Americans learned we no longer have a constitutional right to an abortion. In a 6-3 vote, the U.S Supreme Court upheld Mississippis ban on abortion after 15 weeks and overruled Roe. v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two landmark cases that for nearly 50 years ensured the right to end a pregnancy safely. The May leak of Justice Samuel Alitos draft opinion promising to erase Roe put abortion rights organizers on high alert, but theyd been preparing for this day long before the specifics were made public. Conservative lawmakers and activists had in recent years used state legislatures to chip away at access to the procedure, inching up the weeks of gestation after which abortion was banned and requiring that providers jump through medically unnecessary hoops to stay in business. While federal courts sometimes stood in the way of these anti-abortion laws taking effect, residents of many states particularly in the South and Midwest already had to travel hundreds of miles to get the healthcare they needed. On Friday, the highest court in the land put decision-making fully in the hands of state legislatures and our consistently deadlocked Congress. Reproductive justice organizer Monica Simpson was certain how her work will advance. Our next step is taking care of our people, Simpson, executive director of SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, told Oprah Daily just after news of the ruling broke. Immediately, trigger bans dependent on the fall of Roe moved to outlaw abortion in 13 states, and the legality of abortion is now in question in dozens more. Were going to have to move people around this country to get access to abortions in the places where it is secure. Part of the challenge is knowing where access remains and for how long. The landscape is shifting rapidly as anti-abortion politicians move to seize the opportunity created by the Supreme Court. Abortion is still legal in Ohio, Iris Harvey, CEO and President of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, said Friday afternoon during a media briefing. Our number one strategy is to make sure our patients know that our doors are still open. Trigger bans there are moving through legislative committee and have not yet become law. But within minutes of the Supreme Courts ruling, the states Republican attorney general asked the courts to lift an injunction on a ban on abortion after six weeks that was signed into law in 2019. On Friday evening, a federal judge approved the request and lifted the courts hold on the law. Story continues This is not over today in Ohio, Jessie Hill, an attorney who litigates abortion rights cases in the state, said during the briefing. There are still legal moves to be made and legal avenues to be pursued. The fight for abortion rights will take place in the courts and, as Monica Simpson of SisterSong stressed, through more intimate and practical acts of mutual aid. Over Juneteenth weekend, Simpsons organization and Black Feminist Future, another reproductive justice group, hosted an event that brought more than 1,000 abortion rights activists to D.C. to rally and march from Stanton Park to the Supreme Court. The event, called Black Bodies for Black Power, featured speakers who repeated a key message: in the absence of a constitutional right to abortion, civil disobedience will be key. These times require that we dont just do what is legal. We have to do what is moral and what is just, Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, said at the June 18th rally. We cant depend on courts or the government to protect us. This will mean supporting abortion funds, organizations nationwide that raise the money people need to get the procedure and that offer wraparound services to meet the pregnant persons needs. Abortion funds connect people with a range of resources, helping them pay rent, buy diapers for the babies they already have, and explain to their employer why theyll be absent from work. Resisting the overturn of Roe will also mean looking to Black, Indigenous and low-income women and communities of color for leadership, Simpson said. These groups have been hardest hit by existing abortion restrictions and so have a head start in knowing how to survive the ongoing assault on human rights, she said. For example, the Hyde Amendment, a federal prohibition on Medicaid coverage of abortion, was enacted in 1976. Systemic racism and high costs have long denied many in these communities access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services. The stakes are particularly high for those who are denied an abortion, as Diana Greene Foster and her landmark Turnaway Study have shown. Women who want the procedure and cant get one are much more likely to live in poverty, be unemployed, stay with abusive partners and suffer poor health impacts for years after their pregnancies, the study found. Black women have used workarounds for generations and will have to lean into this ancestral know-how as abortion gets further out of reach. Midwives were providing abortions as well as catching the babies, Simpson said. They were our first abortion clinics and our first abortion funds the sister circles in our communities. Were not doing anything new here. I know were prepared for this moment, even though its hard. Even though its scary. While some Americans will deepen their commitment to community self-reliance, others will stay focused on the federal governments responsibility to ensure womens rights. Last year, the House passed the Womens Health Protection Act. The law, which would have protected abortion rights nationwide, failed in the Senate. Voting in the midterms and beyond to change the makeup of Congress and state legislatures is important, but Simpson urges a multi-pronged approach, given that conservatives assault on human rights is itself multi-pronged. Voting rights are also under attack in this country, she said. Electoral change also takes time, and for many Americans the need for relief will be immediate. With Roe overturned, people may risk arrest and prosecution for engaging in activities such as crossing state lines, purchasing certain medications online, or visiting a hospital after having a miscarriage. Americans can expect to face greater levels of surveillance and policing, advocates said. Weve seen in recent years how pregnant people can be made to suffer when bodily autonomy is criminalized and a fetus is given more rights than the person carrying it: Healthcare providers, law enforcement officials and child welfare workers are given incredible power to act on their suspicions and biases and, sometimes unwittingly, ruin lives. Brittney Poolaw, a 21-year-old Oklahoma woman, was sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter last year after she suffered a miscarriage and sought medical attention. Prosecutors built their case using reports from healthcare providers, with whom Poolaw shared that she had used illegal substances. Christine Taylor in Iowa was also treated as a perpetrator against her own womb. The 22-year-old pregnant mother was arrested after she tripped and fell down a flight of stairs and then sought medical treatment. Neither she nor her fetus were harmed, but hospital staff contacted law enforcement because she shared with them that at one point in her pregnancy, she had considered an abortion. This month, the organization National Advocates for Pregnant Women released a toolkit geared toward helping law enforcement, defense attorneys, medical examiners, hospital staff and legislators better understand their roles and responsibilities when interacting with pregnant people. According to the groups research, many in these professions believe they are required to make reports that can go on to result in a woman being investigated, having her children taken away, or even being incarcerated. But this is often a misinterpretation of their duties, the group argues. The health and just treatment of pregnant women and their families depends on individuals in the community choosing to disrupt these cruel cycles of surveillance and criminalization, the report reads. Clarifying the appropriate role of healthcare providers in a post-Roe America is especially important, as many people of reproductive age will turn to procuring the pills mifepristone and misoprostol by mail and managing their abortions at home. Three states explicitly ban self-managed abortion. But in more than a dozen states, existing laws could be used to criminalize people whose miscarriages or stillbirths are deemed suspicious and reported to police. During a livestream hosted by the news organization The Intercept Friday, Hayley McMahon, an abortion access researcher who focuses on self-managed abortion, recommended resources to help navigate these legal gray areas: the experts at If/When/How, PlanCPills.org, and the abortion privacy guide created by Digital Defense Fund. The road ahead will require that supporters of abortion rights engage in self-advocacy, community care through mutual aid, and political organizing. In overturning Roe, the Supreme Court has cleared the path for states to force women to carry their pregnancies to term and give birth. Its also motivated reproductive rights and reproductive justice activists to expand the networks and alliances theyve been building for years. We have the highest court in the land saying you dont have control over your body, Simpson of SisterSong said. This gives us an opportunity across our movements to build collective power. Dani McClain reports on race, parenting and reproductive health. McClain's writing has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, TIME, The Atlantic, Harper's Bazaar and EBONY.com. Her work has been recognized by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and she received a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism. McClain is a Puffin Fellow at Type Media Center and a contributing writer at The Nation. She was a staff reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and has worked as a strategist with organizations including Color of Change and Drug Policy Alliance. Her book, We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood, was published in 2019 by Bold Type Books and was shortlisted in 2020 for a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award You Might Also Like KREMENCHUK, Ukraine Exhausted rescue workers picked through the smoldering rubble of what had been a busy shopping mall in central Ukraine on Tuesday, still searching for survivors after a deadly Russian missile strike once again left the country reeling and pleading with its international allies for tougher action. In this industrial city and across Ukraine, the attack relatively far from the artillery battles at the front lines was a jarring reminder that Russia's assault could arrive at their doorsteps at any time. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of carrying out one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history on the site in Kremenchuk, which he said was packed with hundreds of civilians. The death toll rose to at least 18 Tuesday, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi told reporters, with nearly 60 others injured, including a child. More than 20 people were reported missing, Monastyrskyi said, adding that most of the bodies had not been identified because they were so severely burned. More than 1,000 people were reportedly shopping or working at the mall when air raid sirens sounded, leading many to evacuate and helping to hold down the number of potential deaths. Still, hope faded that anyone else might be found alive, and global outrage mounted. Leaders of the Group of Seven nations, which include the U.S., condemned what they called an abominable attack. They wrapped up a summit focused on the war with a pledge to impose economic pain on the Kremlin and support Ukraine for as long as it takes. The shopping center strike and the accompanying images of fiery wreckage brought renewed focus to the severe civilian toll of the Kremlins war after weeks of updates on the grinding battle for control of eastern Ukraine. Cherry pickers and cranes picked up large beams as workers toiled through mangled metal and debris inside the charred ruins of the shopping center. A strong smell of fire permeated the space. Story continues Speaking to NBC News at the site, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said the attack will be investigated as a possible war crime. Yurii Ruseniuk, the head of the surgical department at a local hospital, said the facility had handled 26 of the injured from the shopping center. Ruseniuk said he treated three patients, two of whom were working at the mall. The other had simply stopped by to use the malls ATM when the attack took place. Oleg Kovalenko, 56, who works as a mechanic at the local train station, said he was walking to his daughter's birthday party through a park next to the mall when he heard a clap and a second sound that left his ears buzzing for hours. The shock wave made his head spin, and it took a moment for him to realize he had been flung from his feet by the blast. Kovalenko, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said he had heard similar sounds before. "Everyone was on the ground: One grandma fell over the bench, another one fell as she was chasing her grandchild," he said as he swept up glass shards close to the attack. "All of them were alive but still lying on the floor or awkwardly crouching towards each other. I stood up and saw a column of black smoke rising." The regions governor, Dmytro Lunin, said it was the most tragic day for the Poltava area in more than four months of the war as he declared a regionwide day of mourning for the victims. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy denounced what he called a calculated Russian strike. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strike but said it hit a legitimate military target in Kremenchuk on Monday, describing it as a depot that harbored weapons and ammunition supplied by the U.S. and its European partners. The detonation of the ammunition, the ministry said Tuesday, caused a fire in what it said was an empty and disused shopping mall nearby despite accounts from survivors and the presence of worried families fearing their loved ones may be among the dead. Russia has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians in Ukraine, but local residents highlighted that the mall could not be confused for anything else. Kremenchuk is an industrial city with oil refineries, heavy machinery and chemical plants. The Amstor mall was a popular gathering place for residents, a site where younger people bought the latest gadgets at tech stores and older folks walked laps in its interior. Its supermarket was considered the mall's crown jewel, offering products that were otherwise difficult to find during the war meats, foreign spices, oils and rare liquors which allowed residents to celebrate special occasions or break from tradition. Natalia Katysheva, 47, a chemist at a municipal water treatment facility in the city, was a frequent shopper at the mall. She said that the attack happened on her way home from work and that her bus dropped her off 200 meters from the site of the blaze. She and other riders watched as the smoke unfurled across the blue sky, smelling burning plastic and feeling the scorching heat emanating from the mall even from that distance. "You know when you visit the store often the shopkeepers start noticing you. Maybe you dont know their names and they dont know your name, but there emerges some kind of a bond between you when you frequent the store," Katysheva said. "I was thinking about the people who were in Amstor at the time of attack. Maybe I did not know them like other people did, but I felt for them." Volunteers and firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the flames in Kremenchuk. (Efrem Lukatsky / AP) The attack in Kremenchuk capped several days of increasing Russian missile strikes on cities around Ukraine. The main thrust of Russias assault, now into its fifth month, has been focused for weeks on the eastern region of the Donbas, but the strikes in Kremenchuk and beyond served as brutal reminders that Ukrainians throughout the country remain vulnerable to Russian forces far-reaching artillery and airstrikes. Kyiv has been urging the West for weeks to provide it with long-range weapons and defensive systems to combat the firepower. A senior U.S. defense official said Monday it wasnt clear why Russia had launched the strikes across Ukraine in recent days. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said it could be in protest against the G-7 gathering or the delivery of U.S. high-mobility artillery rocket systems, known as HIMARS, to Ukraine. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. also plans to send Ukraine a medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile defense system. Zelenskyy warned of greater hostile activity from Russia this month, saying Russia could strike purposefully and demonstratively as Ukraines Western allies gathered for the series of summits in Europe. Alex Guzenko, Ellison Barber and Susan Archer reported from Kremenchuk, Ukraine, and Yuliya Talmazan reported from London. News Vietnam COVID-19 yet to be considered an endemic disease: Ministry of Health Beth Redbird took to sociology wanting to make societies better. While working in the areas of affordable housing development and anti-poverty programs, Redbird learned the power of data. Now Redbird, an Oglala Lakota and Oklahoma Choctaw, is all about showing the world the data contained in tribal constitutions. As co-director of the Tribal Constitution Project, Northwestern University assistant professor Redbird is focused on gathering, analyzing and cataloging hundreds of constitutions of North American Indigenous tribes passed from 1934-2020. By looking at the structures of self-governance between nations, Redbird is focusing a lens on the development of tribal sovereignty and the influences that shaped constitutions within the history of the United States. Advertisement Redbird is on this National Science Foundation-funded journey with co-director Erin Delaney, a Northwestern law professor. The project partnered with the New York University-Yale American Indian Sovereignty Project, where law student volunteers trained in Indigenous law notate the contents of each tribal document. Beth Redbird, a Northwestern University assistant professor of sociology and Native studies, is seen June 17, 2022. As co-director of the Tribal Constitution Project, Redbird is focused on gathering and analyzing hundreds of constitutions of North American Indigenous tribes. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Constitutions are one of the most significant components of tribal sovereignty, she said. For better or worse, they determine the structure of a tribal government. They allow access to self-determination. But theyre also one of the primary ways that a tribe asserts its sovereignty. These constitutions are a direct indication of how nations seek to control their own affairs, and they articulate how a tribe sees itself as a people and as a nation. Advertisement According to Redbird, the collection of tribal constitutions got its start in 2018 at NUs Institute for Policy Research when the summer research fellows program helped launch an archival mission to unearth every constitution enacted by a federally recognized tribe in the continental U.S. Over the next four years, more than 10 undergraduates helped collect, clean and catalog more than 1,200 constitutional documents by searching dozens of law libraries and legal repositories, contacting tribal nations and with assistance from librarians and archivists. The project shows the constitutions origins, citizenship, and rights in the United States. Redbird said the initiatives goals are about creating a tool for use by tribal courts and lawyers who want to assert sovereignty, claim treaty rights, reclaim land and engage in sovereignty affirming action; for use by researchers for policy analysis; and for pedagogical use for teachers and students. Native studies is vastly undertaught in public schools, and most schools omit discussions of tribes as nation and modern tribal issues altogether, Redbird said. That omits not only the entire history of the United States with Native peoples, but it omits the contributions of Native peoples to modern American society and to the world. One of the goals of the Constitution Project is to help people understand that tribal governments still exist. And theyre vibrant and theyre diverse and theyre interesting, and theyre innovative. And theyre important, and they contribute. Dorene Wiese, chief executive officer of the American Indian Association of Illinois, an urban-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming American Indian education into an experience founded in Native culture, language and history, says the project is important because the American Indian population is still in a civil rights struggle. Legal documents keep us alive, she said. We have treaties and constitutions that have been approved by the federal government. We look at them all, theyre going to say that the tribe is a corporation, and members really are not given that much power in terms of the governance of the tribe itself. Tribes always have had things that they needed to do for their people and their land for survival. The government has always interfered with that and tried to control everything about Indian people religion, music, dance. These constitutions were written to appease the federal government, not in the best interest of our own people. Plans are being made to create a public web portal that contains history and facts about tribal governments, and information about the contents of the constitutions. The portal will also serve as a mechanism for tribes to contextualize their own constitutions as the narrators of their own stories.According to Redbird, allowing tribes to narrate their own history and describe their governments in their own voice is not only vital to the concept of sovereignty, but important to accurate knowledge about whats actually contained in the documents. These documents do something really important, Redbird said. They express how a tribe asserts its sovereignty. They represent the structure of a tribe on the ground, as seen in federal policy. This is not the be all and end all of how tribes govern but what it is, is an expression that is read by courts and the federal government in deciding tribal rights, tribal sovereignty, tribal cases. Its also a statement by the tribe on the things they wish to officially claim sovereignty over. Sovereignty is not one size fits all. Tribes make strategic decisions, to use their autonomy in very specific ways to benefit their members. What these constitutions do is provide a snapshot for how tribes see themselves, how they perceive their future as nations and how they are asserting their sovereignty today. One of the questions (we) are seeking to answer is how much influence the federal government has had in the passage of these constitutions. Advertisement Advertisement drockett@chicagotribune.com ALONA MAZURENKO TUESDAY, 28 JUNE 2022, 18:43 The Russian occupiers have fired 6 Calibre missiles on Dnipro from the Black Sea, and Ukrainian defenders managed to shoot down four of them. Source: Air Force Command Quote: "Today (28 June ed.), at about 5.30 pm, the Russian occupiers struck with Calibre naval-based cruise missiles from the Black Sea. Six Ruscists missiles were aimed at the city of Dnipro." Details: Ukrainian defenders report that anti-aircraft missile units of the Skhid [East] Air Command managed to shoot down 4 Russian missiles. Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, said that the railway infrastructure and an industrial enterprise in Dnipro had been destroyed due to "arrivals": "A car repair service company is on fire". In Synelnykove district, the scale of the destruction is being clarified. Reznichenko also notes that the military shot down 3 missiles: "over the Dnipro and over Synelnykove district". Previously: On 28 June, the Russian invaders fired on Dnipro. The mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov reported that rockets had hit a car repair service company, people were under the rubble and rescuers were putting out a fire. In this article: (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers' meeting in Bali next week, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Jakarta told Reuters on Tuesday. The meeting, hosted by current G20 chair Indonesia takes place from July 7-8. (Reporting by Kate Lamb in Sydney; Editing by Martin Petty) By Alistair Smout and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) -Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans on Tuesday for a second referendum to be held on Scottish independence in October next year, vowing to take legal action to ensure a vote if the British government tried to block it. Sturgeon spoke as the Scottish government, which is led by her pro-independence Scottish National Party, published a referendum bill outlining plans for the secession vote to take place on Oct. 19, 2023. She also said she would be writing to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for permission to hold a consultative referendum, but had already set in motion plans to get the legal authority should he try to block her. "The issue of independence cannot be suppressed. It must be resolved democratically. And that must be through a process that is above reproach and commands confidence," Sturgeon told lawmakers in the devolved Scottish Parliament. "What I am not willing to do, what I will never do, is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister." Voters in Scotland, which has a population of around 5.5 million, rejected independence in 2014. But Scotland's semi-autonomous government says Britain's departure from the European Union, which was opposed by a majority of Scots, means the question must be put to a second vote. Pro-independence parties won a majority in the elections last year and Sturgeon, under pressure from some in her own party, had promised to hold a vote by the end of 2023. Polls suggest a vote would be too close to call. Johnson and his ruling Conservative Party, which is in opposition in Scotland, strongly oppose a referendum, saying the issue was settled in 2014 when Scots voted against independence by 55% to 45%. Polls in 2022 vary, with some showing a similar split, and others showing the gap narrowing. Johnson has previously refused to issue a "Section 30" order, which gives authority to the Scottish parliament to hold a referendum, and said earlier on Tuesday the main priority for Britain was the economic pressures the country faced. Story continues His spokesman later reiterated that the government believed it was not the time to be discussing a new referendum. Sturgeon said that the legality of a referendum without permission from the British government was contested, and so she had already asked the Lord Advocate, the senior Scottish Law Officer, to refer the question to the UK's Supreme Court. The top court said once the referral has been made to its president, he would decide whether there were any preliminary matters to be addressed and when the case would be heard. "At this stage, we cannot confirm when the case will be heard," it said in a statement. If the court found the Scottish parliament could not hold an independence referendum without the prime minister's consent, Sturgeon said the SNP would instead fight the next UK election on a platform of whether Scotland should be independent. (Reporting by Alistair Smout and Michael Holden, additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by William James, Raissa Kasolowsky, Catherine Evans, Alexandra Hudson) Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies Tuesday during the sixth hearing held by the Jan. 6 committee. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images) In testimony before a House panel Tuesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson outlined a stunning series of events surrounding the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, including an account that then-President Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent in a desperate bid to travel to the Capitol after his speech that day. Hutchinson revealed that White House officials knew about the risk of violence on Jan. 6 in the days prior to the attack, and testified that Trump knew supporters at his rally were armed, wanted them to bypass security and was still determined to go to the Capitol with them after his speech, despite concerns raised by his advisors. "Please make sure we don't go up to the Capitol," White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told Hutchinson on the morning of Jan. 6. "We're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen." Here are some of the bombshell revelations from the hearing and Hutchinson's testimony: Several Trump aides knew the risk of violence before Jan. 6 The Department of Justice and the Secret Service were aware of security concerns about Trump's supporters targeting the Capitol. The Secret Service's intelligence division sent messages to Robert Engel, the head of Trump's security detail, and Tony Ornato, the former deputy chief of staff for operations, who handled security. Ornato told Meadows on the morning of Jan. 6 that police had confiscated weapons, including guns and flagpoles, from people attending the president's rally. Hutchinson said that Meadows appeared uninterested and didn't look up from his phone when he received the news, saying: "All right, anything else?" Trump knew Jan. 6 rally attendees had weapons Ahead of his Jan. 6 speech near the White House, Trump expressed anger that the secure area surrounding the stage was not full of people, Hutchinson said. Ornato said that several of the president's supporters did not want to go through the "mags," or magnetometers, to be screened because they did not want to have their weapons confiscated. Story continues "I don't f care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me," Trump said, according to Hutchinson. "Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in; take the mags away." Trump went on to urge his supporters to march to the Capitol and said he would join them. White House counsel raised concerns about Trump speech Eric Herschmann, a former senior advisor to Trump, said that it would be "foolish" for the former president to include certain lines in his speech, Hutchinson said. Those sections included language about fighting for Trump, going to the Capitol and references to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Herschmann and the White House counsel's office urged speechwriters not to include those lines "for legal concerns and also for the optics of what it could portray the president wanting to do that day," she said. Trump wanted to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6 In his 2021 book, "The Chief's Chief," Meadows wrote that Trump was speaking metaphorically when he said he wanted to go to the Capitol with his supporters on Jan. 6. But Hutchinson testified the president was serious and that it was discussed in the days prior to the insurrection. On the evening of Jan. 2, after Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani met with Meadows at the White House, he told Hutchinson: "We're going to the Capitol. It's going to be great. The president's going to be there, he's going to be powerful ... talk to the chief about it, he knows about it." Hutchinson said she followed up with Meadows, who told her "things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6." Prior to that meeting, Hutchinson said she felt "apprehensive" about Jan. 6. That evening was the first moment that I remember feeling scared and nervous for what could happen, she said. Hutchinson said there were discussions about Trump giving another speech outside the Capitol or going into the House chamber. Cipollone urged Hutchinson to make sure the president did not go to the Capitol, stating that he was worried it would lead to charges of obstructing justice, inciting a riot and defrauding the electoral count. Other aides, including former Trump assistant Nick Luna, also testified in video depositions that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol. Trump lunged for limousine steering wheel to go to Capitol After the president and his staff returned to the White House, Ornato pulled Hutchinson aside into a room with Engel. Ornato told her that Trump had a "very strong, very angry response" when Engel told him they would not be going to the Capitol. "The president said something to the effect of 'I'm the f president, take me up to the Capitol now,'" she said. Things escalated from there. "The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm," she said. "Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward Bobby Engel." Hutchinson said Engel was in the room while Ornato relayed the story, and did not dispute it. Trump didn't want to take action to stop the riot on Jan. 6 Hutchinson said there were three ideological camps within the White House when it came to responding to the insurrection: One group wanted immediate action, one group knew they needed to act but also wanted to placate Trump, and one group wanted to "deflect and blame" and point the finger at antifa activists. She said Meadows was in the deflect-and-blame group but eventually took on a more moderate stance. About 2 p.m on that day, as rioters swarmed the Capitol, Hutchinson said she went into Meadows' office, where he was on his cellphone. She asked him whether he'd talked to the president about what was happening. "He said, 'No, [Trump] wants to be alone right now,'" she testified. A few minutes later, Cipollone went to Meadows' office and said they needed to see the president immediately. Meadows told him, "He doesn't want to do anything." Cipollone said: "Something needs to be done or people are going to die and the blood's going to be on your f hands." After Meadows and Cipollone met with the president, Cipollone said they needed to do more to stop the attack on the Capitol, especially with rioters chanting they wanted to hang Pence. "You heard him, Pat, he thinks Mike [Pence] deserves it," Meadows said, according to Hutchinson. Trump later tweeted that Pence didn't have the "courage to do what needed to be done." "I remember feeling frustrated, disappointed.... I was really sad," Hutchinson said. "As an American, I was disgusted. It was unpatriotic, it was unpatriotic." Trump threw his lunch at wall after reading William Barr story After former Atty. Gen. William Barr told the Associated Press that the Department of Justice had found no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud, Trump threw his lunch against the wall. Hutchinson said that after the article was published online, a White House valet said that Trump wanted to see Meadows in the dining room. After Meadows returned, Hutchinson said she went to the dining room and saw ketchup dripping on the wall and a shattered plate on the floor. "The valet had articulated the president was extremely angry at the attorney general's AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall," she said. Trump and Meadows wanted to include pardon language in Jan. 7 speech On Jan. 7, President Trump delivered a brief, on-camera address condemning the previous days Capitol attack. According to Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chair of the committee, Deputy White House Counsel Pat Philbin wrote a draft of the speech the morning of Jan. 7, which he shared with Cipollone, who approved it. Trump initially resisted giving a speech, but was convinced by a group of people that included his daughter Ivanka, her husband, Jared Kushner, Herschmann, Cipollone, Philbin and Meadows. Part of the argument in favor of the speech was concern over the possibility Trump's Cabinet would attempt to use the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Trump rejected lines about prosecuting rioters and wanted to include language about offering pardons. Hutchinson said Meadows was also supportive of pardon language. She said that both he and Giuliani sought pardons. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Steve Bray may no longer be able to boom his message across Westminster after his loudspeaker was confiscated - Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images Steve Bray, the top hat-wearing anti-Brexit protester, has had his loudspeaker confiscated by police and been warned he could face large fines, after new laws on protesting kicked in. Social media videos showed officers walking away with Mr Brays speaker as he shouted: This is not the law. It comes as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 took effect, including a provision that allows police to intervene against noisy protest. Previously, Mr Brays noisy actions had been protected as an act of legitimate political protest. The former numismatist became well-known during the height of Parliaments Brexit crises by wandering around Parliament Square ringing a bell and shouting Stop Brexit! at the top of his lungs. A video uploaded to the protester's Twitter page showed two officers calmly explaining to Mr Bray that he was no longer allowed to protest noisily within the vicinity of Parliament. He responded by saying it was his human right and challenged the police to arrest or fine him. You slap all the fines on me you like, you know what Ill say? Uh! he said, while giving the middle finger to the police with both hands. They have started already. This is Parliamentary police just now. pic.twitter.com/ZSEEm1Pj13 Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) June 28, 2022 In another video, an officer told Mr Bray that he was being recorded on bodycam. Mr Bray responded by saying: Ive got a message for someone. Up yours Priti Patel, while holding up a middle finger to the officers body cam. So it starts they are threatening to seize the amps and give me fixed penalty fine. So be it! pic.twitter.com/grjFqWOQ4L Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) June 28, 2022 The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 faced significant protest and opposition during its passage through Parliament. Story continues The House of Lords initially voted to remove anti-protester provisions but was overridden by the House of Commons. A number of Tory MPs criticised the Bill, but failed to block its passage. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, criticised the Bill at the time, calling it deeply authoritarian. However Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, defended it - claiming that it would protect Britain from mob rule. The Act, a reaction to disruptive protests by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, also includes provisions that criminalise interfering with national infrastructure and obstructing transport networks. The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment. Lee en espanol Arizona businesses have partnered with an abortion rights organization to help collect petition signatures that would put a constitutional amendment making abortion legal in the state on the November ballot. The effort was coordinated by Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom, a coalition of health care professionals and advocates whose goal is to collect 356,467 voter signatures before the July 7 deadline. If the endorsement goal is met, Arizonans will have a chance to vote in November if they want to make abortion a constitutional right in the state or not. The organization submitted the petition application to the Arizona Secretary of States Office on May 16, two weeks after the draft leak of the Supreme Courts opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. Within hours following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade eliminating abortion as a protected constitutional right thousands took to the streets across the state to speak against the ruling. Others held demonstrations to celebrate it throughout the weekend. Following the decision, abortion rights organizations in Arizona issued an emergency motion on Saturday asking the federal court to block the law from prevailing to protect health care workers who perform abortions from being charged with assault or child abuse felonies. The majority of abortion clinics in Arizona have already stopped providing services on Friday out of fear of facing criminal charges related to two state laws on the books banning abortion. The newest out of the two was passed in April 2021 and prohibits abortion at 15 weeks, except in cases to save the mother's life. The law could take effect 90 days after the state Legislature adjourned, which would be Sept. 24. Physicians who violate the law could face felony charges and the removal of their professional licenses. Story continues Another ban, which dates back to pre-statehood, criminalizes helping someone access abortion, except to save the mother's life, and calls for a mandatory prison sentence of two to five years for violators. It is unclear which of the two state laws could prevail following the Supreme Court ruling. Latest on Arizona abortion law: 1864 law to send abortion providers to prison may apply, prosecutor says What the abortion rights measure would do The proposed constitutional amendment would create a new right for Arizonans to make decisions about abortion, contraception, prenatal care, childbirth, infertility care and related services. The amendment would take power away from the government to "restrict, penalize, frustrate or otherwise interfere" with any of those rights, including "pre-viability" abortions, or interfere with nonmedical reproductive services. Abortions would still be limited by the viability of the fetus, as they are now, but with no set time frame as a firm rule. Viability would be defined by a "good faith medical judgment" of a licensed health care professional that a fetus would survive, with or without artificial support, the initiative states. Abortion-rights activists protest outside the Arizona state Capitol following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, in Phoenix on June 25, 2022. What Arizona businesses are doing to support measure As of Monday afternoon, more than 25 businesses across the state with a majority of them concentrated in Pima County had partnered up with Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom in an effort to collect the over 300,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot. The owner of Phoenix-based Tres Leches Cafe, Magali Martinez Saenz, is one of the businesses that will be taking part in the signature-collection efforts on Monday evening. Martinez said she, her husband and her kids went out on Friday night to the Arizona Capitol to protest for reproductive rights. She said she initially felt safe participating in the demonstration until she heard tear gas warnings from other protesters. Abortion reaction: 4 arrested, several detained after protesters push down fencing "Not even a couple minutes later we started seeing them shoot canisters from the windows. We were so scared, the kids were terrified," she said. "We had a right to be there, they have absolutely no reason to shoot out into crowds of families. So, what else can we do? I can't demonstrate, I can't be out there with my 2-month-old baby." She said she then came across the petition initiative from Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom on social media. "We know that we have to do something," she said. "We're hosting this event (on Monday) because we know that it impacts our demographic, our community directly." Gabe Hagen, one of the owners of Brick Road Coffee in Tempe, said he believes it's important for Arizonans to have a chance to decide on the ballot if they want to keep abortion legal in the state. "If they want to leave it to the states, let the states decide. If that's what they want, then the people need their voices heard," he said. For Hagen, the signature collection process should not be a necessary step to let the people cast their vote on the matter, he said. "This is what we have to do, so this is what we will do," he said. "What I'm seeing here, what I have been experiencing is just so much support. I do believe we'll be able to meet the deadline." Petition events will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Tres Leches Cafe and from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Brick Road Coffee. Arizona abortion law: What you need to know now that Roe v. Wade is overturned Tucson shops also gathering signatures Tucson businesses also have partnered with Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom to help gather signatures for the petition. The Gloo Factory, at 238 E. 26th St., is a full-service print shop in south Tucson and one such partner. Weve been printing all the petitions, said Samantha Thomas, who works at the Gloo Factory. She said the Gloo Factory has people picking up the petitions to then going to collect signatures while they are also mailing out between 25,000 and 45,000 petitions beyond Tucsons bounds. The Gloo Factory decided to partner with the organization because they were already very involved with south Tucson and political campaigns in the Democratic party, so it was a no-brainer, Thomas said. While there has not been too much traffic yet, Thomas said the partnership is very new and they expect more people to come in as the week goes on. There are several other businesses in Tucson that have petitions available for pickup, most of which are located downtown or on Historic Fourth Avenue, with a few scattered elsewhere. The easternmost locations are Revolutionary Grounds Books & Coffee and the Pima Democratic Party, both located near Speedway Boulevard and Swan Road. Although Pima County and Maricopa County have the most available locations to sign, Pinal, Graham, Santa Cruz, Coconino and Yavapai counties also each have one location. Additional locations accepting signatures can be found on the Arizonans for Reproductive Freedoms website. Where do they stand? These candidates for governor could decide the future of Arizona abortion law Republic reporter Ray Stern contributed to this article. Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Abortion rights petition: Arizona businesses collect signatures The annual Spaceport America Cup rocketry competition concluded Saturday night, but most of its winners have yet to be announced owing to delays in assembling flight data. The international event draws college teams from all over the world for a week-long event that includes exhibitions at the Las Cruces Convention Center and rocket launches at Spaceport America's vertical launch facilities in Sierra County. This year's event was the first in-person competition since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While 152 teams registered for the event, not all of them made it to New Mexico. On Thursday, the first day of launches, approximately 100 teams were reportedly on site. Launches had been scheduled to commence Wednesday, but rains throughout the day soaked the grounds and mired several vehicles in deep mud on unpaved area roads. Spaceport America's fire department helped free approximately 15 vehicles from that predicament, spokesperson Alice Carruth said. University of Akron's Akronauts Rocket Design Team assemble their rocket on the launch pad during Spaceport America Cup competition at Spaceport America on Thursday, June 23, 2022. The team won a technical award for their project at the event's closing ceremony on June 25. An hour into Saturday night's awards ceremony in Las Cruces, Spaceport America director Scott McLaughlin gave a speech to the young rocketeers about tenacity and learning from errors or mishaps. Some of you had a really good week, some of you had a bad week," he said, "but the only mistake you made is if you dont learn from those mistakes. Later in the evening, the tough news came from Cliff Olmsted, president of the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association, the nonprofit that has managed the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) since 2006: Most of the event's 17 awards would not be distributed that night, as ESRA judges were still compiling and analyzing flight data needed to judge each mission. Listen:This week's Reporter's Notebook Podcast delves into Spaceport America Cup Theres a real possibility we may not get that data tonight," he announced. "Thats really hard news very hard for you to hear, very hard for me to give. Were going to make sure that data is accurate, were going to make sure were giving the right awards to the right teams. Story continues That includes the event's Chile Cup, an award exclusively for university teams from New Mexico and Texas. Many of the awards differentiate between rockets based on their fuels and target altitudes of 10,000 or 30,000 feet, in addition to the competition's overall winning team. "The system tracking the launch data crashed on Saturday," Carruth explained Monday. As a result, she said the data needed to be "manually input into their system," a process slowed further because judges have returned to their homes and regular jobs. "It will likely take until the end of the week to analyze," Carruth wrote in an email. Space Dynamics Laboratory presented the three winners for its payload challenge, which awards cash prizes for the design and performance of research payloads that fly on the rockets. Those honors went to teams from the University of Queensland in third place, West Virginia University in second and University of Sydney in first. The teams won $500, $750 and $1,000 respectively. Olmsted also presented a team sportsmanship award to Worcester Polytechnic Institute's team, and three technical awards which went to students from the University of Melbourne, University of Michigan-Dearborn and University of Akron. On Tuesday, ESRA had yet to post winners on its website. A post on the event's official Facebook page stated, "Experimental Sounding Rocket Association continues to work on collecting data and will hopefully have an update on results by the end of this week." A rocket is launched during Spaceport America Cup competition at Spaceport America on Thursday, June 23, 2022. "The rest of these awards behind me are still on the table," Olmsted announced, indicating the trophies on display behind him. "Were still working to make sure we get you the right information and get the right trophies to the right people. He also honored longtime volunteer and range safety officer Tony Alcocer, who is retiring, and first-time volunteer Holly Gummelt. The competition has been held at Spaceport America since 2017, when the IREC was rebranded as the Spaceport America Cup. The leading sponsor of this year's competition, Sierra Space, signed an agreement earlier this month adding the spaceport as a potential landing site for the company's Dream Chaser commercial spacecraft. Others are reading: Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Spaceport America Cup 2022 awards delayed by technical problems Carolyn Drove, 25, votes in the Illinois primary election on June 28, 2022, at Kelvyn Park High School in Chicago's Hermosa neighborhood. Two of the neighborhood's four precincts had to turn voters away. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) Late-arriving poll workers and no-shows caused delayed starts in a primary election Tuesday that forced some polls to stay open later despite relatively low voter turnout. The delays were considered serious enough for the Cook County clerks office to seek a court order Tuesday afternoon that kept certain precincts open an hour later at Kennedy School in Chicago Heights, Golf Middle School in Morton Grove, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Melrose Park, Roosevelt School in Broadview and Douglas MacArthur School in Hoffman Estates. Advertisement Advertisement Six precincts that opened late this morning remained open until 8 p.m., which was expected to delay the clerks reporting of results, the clerks office said. The remaining 1,424 precincts in suburban Cook County closed at 7 p.m. [ [Live results] 2022 primary election in Illinois ] Chicagos Board of Elections found 56 delayed openings at precinct polling locations, said agency spokesperson Max Bever. But he said election investigators hadnt found enough evidence of problems needed to ask a court to keep any of them open beyond 7 p.m. The courts intervention for the suburban precincts came after a morning in which some locations across the city and suburbs struggled to open on time amid a shortage of workers. At Kelvyn Park High School in Hermosa, two of the four precincts had to turn voters away into the afternoon. One was Jenny Morales, a 46-year-old shift manager, who was told by an elections official that shed need to go to an early voting site to cast her vote because the election judges for her precinct did not show up. I feel angry and I feel frustrated, she said, adding she didnt plan to go to the early voting site that was nearly two miles away. Youre not gonna shuffle me back and forth. This is ridiculous. Election coordinator Alison Chambliss said when she arrived before the polls opened at 6 a.m., they only had enough staff to accept voters for two precincts. She said in nearly 20 years of working at polling places, the staffing issues Tuesday stood out. This is one of the worst in terms of judges, she said. Theres always been a body. Polling places in Humboldt Park also had problems. As of 8:30 a.m., state Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Democrat running in the 3rd Congressional District race, was one of two voters who had shown up at her polling place at Harriet Beecher Stowe School, which opened with two of four poll workers still yet to arrive. Advertisement Ramirez said while she was en route to vote, she saw volunteers in front of the voting site at Yates Elementary School did not have voting booths open as of 6:45 a.m. Unfortunately, Lillian and I talked to a number of voters who said, Im sorry, Ive been waiting, I have to get to work, said Ramirez, who addressed reporters alongside Lillian Jimenez, who is running to replace Ramirezs seat in the Illinois House. We have people who absolutely understand the importance of voting, especially when we see whats happening in the country, and they wont be able to vote, Ramirez said. A poll worker at the school later told the Tribune that while they had opened on time, they were short staffed with half the number of judges as usual. Between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., there were 137 voters split among three precincts at the location, the worker said. Michele Ryba of Archer Heights said she showed up to her polling place at Edwards Elementary School at 8:45 a.m. only to discover she could not vote because no election judges had shown up. Several people trying to vote were turned away, she said. Ryba, who works as a marketing director in the hospitality industry, ended up voting instead at the Archer Heights Library, an early voting location. Advertisement At least I got to vote, she wrote in an email to the Tribune. I wonder how many people were turned away due to election judges not showing up and voters not being directed to an alternate polling place. [ Election 2022: Read all of our coverage here ] Some sites opened later because of judges who resigned in recent days, including some who resigned as late as 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., Bever said. Another challenge, Bever said, may have been that 48 precinct polling places were left vacant, under court order, after struggles lining up polling places for Tuesday, ranging from summer availability to accessibility issues. That affected nearly 60,000 Chicago voters, who received letters and emails letting them know how to vote Tuesday. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, the total number of ballots cast in Chicago was 299,460, counting those cast early, by mail and at the polls, but not counting any mail-in ballots yet to be received by elections officials. The vote tally represented 20% of registered voters. That is lower than four of the last five primary elections, which ranged from 16.5% turnout in March 2014 to 53.5% in March 2016. The last gubernatorial primary, in March 2018, saw a 32.7% turnout of Chicago voters. Turnout increased steadily throughout the day, with most people voting around 5 p.m. A total of 163,360 ballots were cast on Election Day in the city as of 7 p.m., with the highest number of votes cast among people ages 65 to 74, Bever said. Election officials wary of lower voter turnout had urged voters to cast their votes early by mail, before leaving town for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Along with falling on a nonpresidential election year, the primary date is unusually late. The election was moved from its usual March date because 2020 U.S. Census Bureau numbers needed for redistricting were late, making it the latest Illinois has held a primary since at least the Great Depression. Advertisement While in-person early voting lagged behind the last midterm, more people voted by mail than in the 2018 midterms. Statewide, 460,114 votes had been cast early or by mail as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, compared with 449,749 in 2018, according to Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections. That includes 171,556 mail ballots returned so far, compared with 96,875 mail ballots in 2018. Another 166,859 mail ballots remained unreturned as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dietrich said. In Chicago, 115,545 ballots had been cast through early voting or voting by mail by the close of early voting Monday evening, Bever said. By comparison, a total of 129,509 ballots had been cast the day before the 2018 midterm primary, Bever said. While early voting tallies were lower overall in Chicago, more than twice as many ballots were returned by mail before the election compared with 2018, mirroring the trend seen statewide. As of Monday, 51,078 ballots had been returned by mail, compared with 20,228 one day before the 2018 election, Bever said. Another 73,801 mail-in ballots had yet to be returned in Chicago as of Monday. Tuesday was the last day a mail-in ballot could be postmarked to be counted. Any ballot postmarked after June 28 will not be counted, and ballots must be received by local election authorities by July 12. Advertisement More than 160 teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from the Illinois attorney generals office were monitoring the election throughout Illinois for potential problems, according to a news release. Voters who suspect improper or illegal activity can call 866-536-3496 in Chicago and northern Illinois, or 866-559-6812 in central and southern Illinois. Spanish public prosecutors said Tuesday they have opened an investigation into the deaths of at least 23 migrants during a mass attempt to cross into Spain's Melilla enclave. The announcement came a few hours before the United Nations denounced what it called "excessive force" by authorities on the border between Morocco and Spain and demanded an investigation into the migrants' deaths. The tragedy occurred at dawn on Friday when around 2,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, tried to break through the fence from Morocco into the tiny Spanish enclave. Moroccan authorities said some had fallen while trying to scramble over the fence, giving an initial toll of 18 dead, but later raising it to 23 after another five migrants died of their injuries. They said 140 Moroccan police were wounded. There were very few details about the incident, but Spanish media showed images of many people lying on the ground, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes. The death toll is by far the worst recorded in years of attempts by migrants to cross into Melilla, one of Spain's two North African enclaves which have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants desperate to escape grinding poverty and hunger. In a statement, the Spanish prosecutors' office said the decision was made by Attorney General Dolores Delgado in order "to clarify what happened at the Melilla border", citing the "seriousness and gravity" of the incident and its impact on the individuals' fundamental and human rights. "We saw the use of excessive force by the authorities, which needs to be investigated because it is unacceptable," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters in New York. Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations' rights office called for an independent investigation "as a first step towards establishing the circumstances of the deaths and injuries", spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said. Story continues While it remained unclear how the deaths had occurred, Shamdasani said the office had received reports of "migrants beaten with batons, kicked, shoved, and attacked with stones by Moroccan officials as they tried to scale the barbed-wire fence" which is between six and 10 metres high. The African Union has also called for an "immediate investigation," with AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat expressing "deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from Morocco into Spain". In Morocco, prosecutors are moving to press charges against 65 migrants, mostly Sudanese, who took part in the storming of the border, a defence lawyer in Rabat said on Monday. tpe/hmw/chz/spm MADRID (AP) Spain's prime minister is defending the way Moroccan and Spanish police repelled migrants last week as they tried to cross the shared border into the north African enclave of Melilla, depicting the attempt in which at least 23 people died as an attack on Spain's borders. We must remember that many of these migrants attacked Spains borders with axes and hooks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during an interview Monday with The Associated Press. We are talking about an attempt to assault the fence that was evidently carried out in an aggressive way, and therefore what Spains state security forces and Moroccan guards did was defend Spains borders. Authorities in Morocco have blamed the deaths on a stampede of people that formed early Friday as hundreds attempted to scale or break through the 12-meter (29-feet) iron double fence. The barrier surrounds Melilla, a town of 85,000 separated from the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar. Nonprofits working in northern Africa and human rights organizations have deplored the treatment the migrants received from police on both sides. But they have also directed their blame at Spanish and European Union officials who they say have essentially outsourced border controls to Morocco and other states. Sanchez, whose left-to-center government is trying to improve ties with Morocco following an acrimonious diplomatic dispute over Western Sahara, has refused to criticize the crackdown. Speaking at the palace on the outskirts of Madrid that hosts his office and residence, Sanchez told AP that his thoughts were with the families of those who died. But he blamed the tragedy on international human trafficking rings who are profiting from the suffering of human beings who only want to seek a better life. I insist, these are international mafia groups that are not only damaging the territorial integrity of Spain but also that of Morocco, which is a country suffering that irregular migration. Story continues Sanchez spoke to AP on the eve of hosting NATO leaders in a summit that aims to redraw the defense alliances strategy for the next decade. While Russias invasion of Ukraine will take center stage at the Wednesday and Thursday meeting, the group will also debate its posture on Africa, where Russian mercenaries are adding to concerns about migration, extremism and the impacts of poverty and climate change. Footage uploaded to social media shows how a large number of migrants approached a section of the fence and began scaling it. Some of the migrants hurled rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending many of the migrants to the ground from a height of several meters. In at least one video released by Spanish online news website eldiario.es, Spanish guards can also be seen escorting migrants back to the Moroccan side, a practice that human rights activists say denies the right of refugees to apply for asylum on European soil. More gruesome videos and photos posted online appear to show the aftermath of the crossing attempt, with scores of young men, some of them motionless and others barely moving and bleeding as Moroccan security forces stood over them. At least 76 civilians and 140 security officers on the Moroccan side, and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured, according to their respective governments. A small group of African men who did make it across the fence were taken to a migrant holding center in Melilla. Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the continents largest grouping of countries, the African Union, has called for an investigation into the deaths. In a tweet, Mahamat said he wanted to express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants, adding that all countries have obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritize their safety and human rights while refraining from the use of excessive force. While Moroccan authorities say 23 people died in addition to scores of injuries both among the migrants and border guards, activists claim that the death toll is higher and denounce the EU's policy of striking deals with Morocco and other states like Turkey to control migration flows. A group of 51 human rights groups said Monday in a joint statement distributed by Spanish NGO Walking Borders that the deaths are the tragic example of the European Union's policies of externalizing its borders, with the complicity of a southern country, Morocco. The death of these young Africans at the borders of Fortress Europe is a warning of the deadly nature of the security cooperation on immigration between Morocco and Spain, the statement added. Spanish authorities in Melilla, meanwhile, are using the most recent attempt by migrants to cross over in mass numbers to make an appeal for even greater guarantees on their territorial security. Last year, when relations between Spain and Morocco were frayed, Moroccan border guard let thousands of people cross in a few hours in Ceuta, Spains other enclave city in Africa. Since then, the Spanish media has been rife with debate about whether NATO would help Spain out if its hold of Melilla and Ceuta was ever in jeopardy. Melilla is Europes southern frontier, and that is why Europe must look to the south, Melilla chief Eduardo de Castro said Monday. ___ Follow more AP migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration Forensic personnel carry a body out of a bar in the city of East London, South Africa. STR/AFP via Getty Images At least 21 people were mysteriously found dead in a bar in South Africa on Sunday. Survivors said they had choked on a substance, with one saying it smelled like tear gas or pepper spray. The cause of the deaths remains unclear. Officials suspect an accidental poisoning. Survivors at a South African bar where at least 21 people were mysteriously found dead said they were choking on a substance that smelled like tear gas or pepper spray, multiple reports say. At least 21 people, most of whom were underage, were found strewn across floors and tables in the Enyobeni Tavern in the city of East London, South Africa, on Sunday morning, DispatchLive reported. The youngest victim was 13 years old, police said, the BBC reported. Kamvelihle Matafeni, a 18-year-old student, told The Washington Post that she went to the bar with her friends for a widely-advertised party that was being hosted by two popular local DJs. Matafeni told The Post the bar started to fill up, and she saw something hurled through the door and into the crowd. People around her began to scream, "I can't breathe" and "I'm choking," she said. Matafeni said she also struggled to breathe and was pushed toward the door. "People were falling around me," she told The Post. "They were dying right in front of my eyes." She ultimately managed to get out of the bar, The Post reported. Another 17-year-old student, identified only as Sinethemba, told Al Jazeera that the bar was overcrowded and some people had been asked to leave when a substance was sprayed into the crowd. "We suffocated for a long time and [were] pushing each other but there was no use because some people were dying," she told Al Jazeera. "It smelled like gas. I'm not sure if it was tear gas or pepper spray. Then some people died and I also fell asleep for three hours," she said, adding that she eventually woke up and was picked up by a family member. It is unclear who could have sprayed the substance in the bar. The South African Police Service did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, and told The Post it had made no arrests so far. Story continues Authorities previously said they ruled out a stampede as the cause of death because were "no visible wounds" on any of the victims, Agence France-Presse reported. Unathi Binqose, spokesperson for Eastern Cape's provincial community safety department told Reuters on Monday: "It is either something they ingested which will point to poisoning, whether its food or drinks, or it is something they inhaled." A toxicology report remains underway. Read the original article on Insider Kevin Bostons family says the Charlotte father was at a Food Lion to get food for his children Sunday afternoon. Police say he robbed the store and later shot a gun at officers, who returned fire and struck him. Boston, 45, died at a hospital around 4:38 p.m. Sunday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a news release Monday. At a news conference at Marshall Park on Monday, members of Bostons family said they werent notified of his death, and police had not reached out to them. A CMPD spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer that the department notified the family on Sunday. In this undated photo, Kevin Boston stands with his three children. Boston, a 45-year-old single father, was shot and killed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers Sunday, June 26, 2022. Police say Boston, a suspect in an armed robbery, fired a gun at officers. Officers arrived at the grocery store on Tuckaseegee Road in west Charlotte just before 1 p.m. Sunday to investigate a report of an armed robbery. Using a description of a suspect and items noted on the call, officers found Boston nearby, according to a CMPD news release. The suspect discharged a firearm multiple times at officers, striking at least one patrol vehicle, the release said. At that point, officers returned fire and struck the suspect. Boston was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died Sunday afternoon, police said Monday. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is examining the shooting, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, CMPD said. The names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been released. Kevin Bostons family reacts Affectionately known as KK by his family, Boston was a single father of three children, ages 13, 14 and 18. Mario Black, his cousin, and Billie Black, Bostons sister-in-law, say he was a family man. Boston was loving, and a jokester who loved to cook for everybody, Billie Black said at Marshall Park. He was always taking his kids, nieces and nephews to the park, she said. She called Bostons death heartbreaking and crushing, not just for his children, but for the rest of his family. He has family, he has cousins, he was born and raised here, she said. Story continues Billie Black said police had not reached out to Bostons family. CMPD posted tweets about the shooting on Sunday but did not name a suspect until Monday. Amanda Aycock, a police spokesperson, told the Observer that next of kin were notified Sunday, but she declined to say who was notified and how. Typically, a representative from CMPDs Victims Services Unit handles such notifications, Aycock said. An investigating detective and the SBI also could notify families. Boston struggled with mental health issues and has had interactions with CMPD, his family said. Bostons family said they want to know what led to the shooting and have doubts about CMPDs account. Honestly, they shot him down like he was a dog, Billie Black told reporters. Billie and Mario Black called for communication from CMPD and that video from police body-worn and dash cameras be released. In North Carolina, only a judge can approve the release of police body-cam footage. Mario Black says his mission is to obtain footage from police of what happened to his cousin. I want the footage out of Food Lion, I want it all because then we can piece together and figure out those moments of what happened, what could we have done differently? What could CMPD have done differently to ensure that it wasnt death, Billie Black said. Bostons body remains with the coroners office and plans for services are pending, Billie Black said. Police shootings in Charlotte Sundays shooting is at least the third involving CMPD officers this year. Boston is the first to die in a CMPD shooting this year: On March 9, shots were fired a driver tried to run over a CMPD officer with a car at a hotel on Nations Ford Road. The car had been reported stolen. Police arrested Carneal Robinson, 34, of Charlotte and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and possession of a stolen vehicle. However, because no one was hit, the SBI is not investigating the shooting. On April 6, a CMPD officer shot and injured an unidentified person at an apartment complex on Ollie Drive. Little information has been released about the shooting or what led to it. The identity of the wounded person was not released. A gun was recovered, police said in a tweet. Last year, CMPD officers shot and killed two people in five officer-involved shootings. On Thursday, a man fired at officers from inside a home on on the 5800 block of Hunting Ridge Lane in east Charlotte. The shots prompted police to bring in a SWAT team and mental health crisis experts. Police say the man was in a crisis and later was hospitalized. Officers successfully deescalated the situation without shooting back, CMPD said. Police Chief Johnny Jennings, in a series of tweets Monday, said he was proud of the professionalism his officers showed in the two most recent shootings. In these situations, officers must make split-second decisions to preserve their lives as well as citizens, Jennings said. For the second time in a week, the men and women of CMPD have faced gunfire in the line of duty. Thankfully none of our officers were injured in either instance. (1/6) Chief Jennings (@cmpdchief) June 27, 2022 In November 2019, CMPD revised its use of force policy, which governs when and how officers are allowed to use their weapons. The department banned drawing and pointing a gun at someone unless the officer reasonably believes that deadly force may become necessary. Tulare County Court Commissioner Mikki Verissimo of California signed an order to release two suspected drug traffickers recently arrested with 150,000 fentanyl pills in their possession, Fox News confirmed Tuesday. Officials arrested Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, during a traffic stop on Friday and transported them to the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility on charges of possession, transportation and selling of illegal drugs , but they were released over the weekend. The Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it was "not involved with or agree with the decision to release these individuals." DRUG TRAFFICKERS ARRESTED IN CALIFORNIA WITH 150,000 FENTANYL PILLS RELEASED AFTER JUST DAYS IN Jil "The time in which they were released was after their arrest and prior to police reports being submitted to our office. Through a risk assessment by the county probation department, they were released by a judicial officer," Ward's office said. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux also expressed concern with the suspects' release, telling Fox News' "The Story" on Tuesday that he only learned of an order to release Zendejas and Madrigal "until it was far too late." "This assessment was done behind the scenes, basically without ever contacting me as the sheriff or even asking me what I believe the risk to our public safety would be," he said. "I could not believe that we had 150,000 fentanyl pills one of the most dangerous epidemics that is facing our nation today with people in custody, that we may potentially be able to impact the future of this type of drug trafficking organization and or cartels in California in my county and we let them go." WASHINGTON MEN BUSTED IN CALIFORNIA WITH 150,000 FENTANYL PILLS DURING TRAFFIC STOP He continued: "California's system of justice is failing us all. Law enforcement up and down the state of California is frustrated. We want to hold people to their justice and hold them accountable for the crimes that they commit. But Proposition 47 and 57 through Governor Newsom and the legislators in California who are really soft on crime allowing people like this to be released from our facilities, we have no control over that. And for law enforcement leaders in California, it's incredibly frustrating when we are responsible for public safety." Story continues Bordeaux went on to say that the record-breaking flow of migrants coming into the United States through the southern boarder is part of the reason fentanyl is coming into the country and creating danger "to the quality of life." "This drug is brought in from China. It's produced in Mexico and brought across our border. This has nothing to do with an immigration issue. This has to do with the security and protection of our country. And because this fentanyl is clearly coming across our open border, we need to secure those borders," he continued. The Tulare County Probation Department said one of its "roles as law enforcement professionals of the Tulare County Probation Department is to provide services to the Court." "In this capacity, our Pretrial Assessment Unit completes a validated risk assessment, the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) on individuals arrested," the department said. "The PSA does not provide a recommendation for pretrial release, it provides an assessment outcome. The Probation Department does not have the authority to order the release of inmates and we did not make a recommendation for release of these individuals. The assessment process is not done behind the scenes, the development and implementation of Pretrial functions in Tulare County was a collaborative and transparent process involving representatives from our law enforcement partners." The department continued: "Consistent with best practices and the law, the release decision rests with the Judicial Officer. The PSA provides judicial officers with research-based information that they weigh, along with other information, to make more informed pretrial decisions. The Tulare County Superior Court ultimately decides the release of individuals pertaining to all inmates booked with the Tulare County Sheriffs Office." Investigators seized 150 packages with 1,000 fentanyl pills in each enough to potentially kill several million people. Officials aid each pill sells for about $5 meaning the bust netted about $750,000 worth of deadly drugs. Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report. The Daily Beast YouTube/Akron PDPolice in Akron, Ohio, have released disturbing body-camera footage showing the moment cops shot an unarmed 25-year-old Black man dozens of times as he fled.I wont mince words, the video you are about to watch is heartbreaking, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan warned at a press conference Sunday. I am urging all of our residents to please reserve your full judgment until our investigation is complete.The body-cam videos begin with officers pursuing Jayland Walker in their squad cars Tarrant County commissioners voted to approve a settlement agreement Tuesday stemming from a lawsuit filed by a Fort Worth woman who claimed she was fired after she informed her supervisor that she was pregnant. Samantha Chandler claimed the county violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act portion of the Civil Rights Act. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act says pregnant people cannot be discriminated against in relation to their employment, including but not limited to hiring and firing, according to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Chandler worked as a crime scene investigator from August 2020 to April 2021, according to the suit. She sought more than $200,000 but less than $1 million in damages. She agreed to settle for $48,000, which was close to a years salary, said her lawyer, Ali Crocker Russell of Crocker Russell & Associates in Mansfield. Crocker Russell said pregnant people in these situations may not know their rights and that theyre protected both federally and by Texas labor laws. Chandler initially filed her suit without a lawyer, Crocker Russell said. I think she deserves, you know, like a lot of credit for standing up to the Tarrant County Sheriffs Department and Tarrant County in general saying, You know, what you did to me was not OK, Crocker Russell said. According to the lawsuit, Chandler told a coworker she had previously been a surrogate and would like to do it again. The co-worker expressed worry about the possibility of Chandlers potential pregnancy affecting schedules. She said she felt it would be unfair that Chandler would eventually ask for light duty, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges the co-worker told Chandler she needed to talk about her pregnancy plans with her supervisor if that was her intention, and that Chandlers supervisor would be the one to decide if they would retain Chandlers employment in light of her intent to become pregnant. Chandler found out she was pregnant in January 2021, according to the suit. She told her supervisor, Sgt. Robert Brown, in April. Chandler gave him a note from her doctor that said she couldnt lift more than 30 pounds. Story continues The lawsuit alleges she was sent home for the day and was told she would need to be put on light duty. Brown told her she could not work until she had a note from her doctor. Chandler missed four days of work. She then received a note from her doctor saying she could return without restrictions, according to her lawyer. When she came back to work, Chandler claimed she was mistreated by coworkers who were upset they had to cover for her. The coworker told Chandler she shouldve been fired for missing days because of her pregnancy. On April 23, 2021, Chandler was fired and she later received a letter from the county that told her she was on probation and that the county didnt have to give a reason for her firing. A spokesperson for Tarrant County Sheriffs Office directed a request for comment to an email that didnt immediately receive a response. A county spokesperson and Stephen Lund, the countys assistant DA and attorney in the case, directed requests for comment to the DAs office, who had no comment. Investigators are determining how a party Sunday at an apartment complex in Oklahoma City escalated into a shooting involving an adult and a 15-year-old boy. Police arrested a 15-year-old boy after a man was killed in a shooting Sunday morning. Shortly before 3 a.m., officers were called to Pickwick Place Apartments near S May Avenue and W Interstate 240 Service Road. Police learned an argument broke out between two individuals at a party and the argument escalated into a shooting. The wounded man, Tyree Donte Lowman, 24, was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead. Authorities said they suspect a 15-year-old boy in the shooting.. More: As Oklahoma's gun access expanded, deaths from firearms increased Oklahoma City police Sgt. Dillon Quirk said he did not know if the teenager would be charged as an adult. Thats up to the district attorney, Quirk said. Its a felony crime, obviously, but the exact charges that 15-year-old will face will be up to the DA. The teen was booked into the Oklahoma County Juvenile Justice Center on a murder complaint. Police urge residents with information on the shooting to contact the Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City police arrest 15-year-old after deadly shooting Sunday Tidal energy is now flowing onto Nova Scotia's grid A decade in development, power production in Grand Passage has begun with tidal energy officially flowing onto Nova Scotia's grid. The Weather Network (TWN) was invited out to tour the Sustainable Marines floating platform to get a first-hand look at what Jason Hayman, the company's CEO, describes as next gen technology just off Westport, Nova Scotia. This in-stream system is well advanced from previous iterations that attempted to harness the power of the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy with large structures lowered to the sea bed. Commercial operation of the platform began June 9, 2022. (Sustainable Marine) Commercial operation of the platform began June 9, 2022. (Sustainable Marine) "The difference is that we can get to everything. We're on it here now. We're here, we can maintain it just like a ship, we can get to things, we can fix things and we don't need to go and do a really expensive operation to pull it off the seabed to do that," Hayman told TWN. Nova Scotia Minister Of Environment and Climate Change Timothy Halman toured the platform now selling its energy at 50 cents a kilowatt hour, an incentive for others to invest. The next phase of this project will see platforms deployed to the Minas Passage at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy. (Sustainable Marine) The next phase of this project will see platforms deployed to the Minas Passage at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy. (Sustainable Marine) "As we navigate our way through climate change, this type of innovation is fundamental to be supported by the provincial government. For the next generation of Nova Scotians and Canadians, we're standing literally on the future of clean energy production," said Halman. Each of the six turbines on this platform is rated for 70 kilowatts but Hayman says they will get scaled with time. You can take a tour of the platform and learn more in the video above. Thumbnail image: The PLAT-I 6.4 floating tidal platform in operation off Westport, Nova Scotia. (Sustainable Marine) Composer Tan Dun has made a unique mark on the world's music scene with creative works bridging Eastern and Western traditions, as well as pushing the boundaries of classical music, traditional Chinese operas, and multimedia. The composer released an album on June 10, titled Eight Memories in Watercolor, by leading classical music label Naxos. Featuring six piano works composed by Tan, the album is performed by Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat. "I am very proud of these piano works, which are like my diaries from the days that I started to learn to compose to the most recent one or two years," says Tan. "The album comes about the right time when we live amid the pandemic. These music pieces provide people with comfort." The opening piece, which is also the titled piece, Eight Memories in Watercolor, was written by Tan in 1978, about the time when he left his hometown in Hunan province to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He was among the first group of students admitted to the music school when it reopened in 1978. He was homesick, and wrote this piece as a diary to express his longing for his hometown while being immersed in studying Western classical and contemporary music. "Now, when I listen to this music piece, I can still sense the freshness and feel touched. There are many portrayals of the actual scenery of my hometown, which are the best memories of my younger days," says Tan, 64, adding that he uses the word "watercolor" to imply visual inspiration of his hometown. Traces, written by Tan in 1989 after he returned from his trip to Dayao Mountains, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is also featured in this new album. "I prefer to call the piece 'traces of the wind'. I can still recall the day I took a bus and the wind was blowing outside. The bus window was not fully shut so I could hear the sound of the wind, like la, do, re, re, do and la. Sometimes the sound would disappear, but it always returned. It was so interesting that I wrote them down right after I returned home," says Tan. The composer moved to New York in 1986 to study on a scholarship at Columbia University, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1993. He wrote a music piece, C-A-G-E, in memory of his teacher, avant-garde composer, John Cage, who died on August 12, 1992. Cage, from the United States, was influenced by Buddhism and I Ching (Book of Changes, a Chinese classic). As a young student, Tan listened to Cage's famous piece, 4'33" in Beijing in 1978 and in 1988, he watched pianist Margaret Leng Tan perform the piece at the Whitney Museum in New York. The piece is actually a silent span of 273 seconds. Cage himself was among the audience then. Before the concert, he told the audience that he tried to let people hear the sound of silence. "I was very excited because there's no such thing as silence, which is full of accidental sounds," says Tan. When Tan learned about Cage's death in 1992, he was shocked, sad and couldn't believe it until he read the obituary on the New York Times the next morning. Then he composed a music piece by combining recurrent melodic and harmonic motifs of the notes C, A, G, and E.The technique of pizzicato made the piano sound like a different musical instrument. Tan is also known for composing soundtracks for movies and one of his most famous works is his original score for director Ang Lee's film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which won both a Grammy and an Oscar. In the new album, the composer adapted his score for the Chinese film The Banquet, which was directed by Feng Xiaogang in 2006, into a piano piece. It was the first time that the piano version was released to the public. The vibrant music piece, Blue Orchid, commissioned by Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020, incorporates the opening motif of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. Asked about his friendship with Dutch pianist Van Raat, Tan says that they've toured together many times throughout the whole world and had great times together. The Fire, written by Tan for Van Raat, contains some of the composer's most virtuosic and dramatic piano writing. It was featured in the new album as the music piece's world premiere. "Since my teenage years, I have been a fan of Tan Dun's music, and I had performed his Eight Memories in Watercolor several times already in concerts," says Van Raat, who first met Tan about nine years ago when he performed Tan's Banquet Concerto with a Dutch orchestra under the baton of Tan. The pianist performed in China for the first time in 2010 during Expo Shanghai, where he played a recital featuring works by both Dutch composers and Tan. Since then, he has been invited to perform in China frequently. In 2014, the pianist decided to perform the complete piano solo music of Tan. The idea grew to record a full CD with his piano solo works. The album, Eight Memories in Watercolor, was recorded during the pandemic in August 2020 in the beautiful concert hall in Amsterdam. The pianist and the composer spent 15 months preparing for the album with online discussions and sending sound files now and then. "I love all the pieces for very different reasons, also because the pieces are so diverse," the pianist says. He adds that perhaps the most striking one is C-A-G-E, since it really seems to transform the sound of the piano completely into the sound of a Chinese instrument. "It is incredibly inventive, how Tan Dun has thought of special playing techniques directly inside the strings of the piano, as if you are playing for example a Chinese pipa. The result is a perfect blend between East and West-the modern Western grand piano which produces music which immediately evokes the sounds and silences of the East," he says. Breakout Tiger King baddie Bhagavan "Doc" Antle will once again be free to roam the wild planes of Myrtle Beach. On Monday a federal judge in Florence, S.C., set a $250,000 secured bond for the animal park owner, who has been charged with laundering more than half a million dollars. According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors said Antle's release would take a day to process, after which he'd be confined to his 50-acre wildlife preserve in Socastee, outside Myrtle Beach (which actually doesn't sound that confining.) Prosecutors had argued that Antle, 62, is a flight risk, given that he has "significant financial resources" and "contacts that know how to make false identification documents," while Antle's attorneys noted that he has no prior convictions and said he has medical conditions that could "exacerbate the symptoms of COVID-19 should Antle contract the disease while he is incarcerated." Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle Horry County Police Department Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle Antle was was arrested by the FBI on June 4, and charges against him and an employee at his Myrtle Beach Safari, Andrew Jon Sawyer, were disclosed at a subsequent hearing in federal court. According to federal prosecutors, Antle and Sawyer laundered $505,000 over a four-month period using checks from businesses they ran, claiming they were paying for construction at the safari. Antle allegedly planned to conceal the excess cash by inflating the number of tourists to his wildlife preserve and had previously used the laundered money to buy animals under the table. Antle and Sawyer each face 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Sawyer was released on $100,000 bond earlier this month. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle on 'Tiger King' Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle on 'Tiger King' Antle came to national attention as one of the less sympathetic figures in Netflix's hit docuseries Tiger King, which is saying something. In promotional materials for the three-episode 2021 spin-off Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, Netflix described him as "a predator far more dangerous than his beloved big cats and a man shadier than any of his Tiger King counterparts." Story continues The Doc Antle Story delved into accusations that Antle ran his operation like a cult, using his power to prey on women. And going back to at least 1989, Antle has been accused of mistreating animals, collecting some 35 violations from the USDA. He also faces multiple charges in Virginia, including animal cruelty, wildlife trafficking, and 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act. With Antle on his way out from behind bars, we have to imagine that his rival Carole Baskin is fuming somewhere in Florida. Perhaps the big question now is whether all this will lead to further episodes of the seemingly never-ending Tiger King saga. Related content: A three-year-old boy in Columbus, Georgia died after he was left inside a hot car for nearly three hours, marking the seventh heat-related death inside a car in the US this year, as temperatures across the country begin to soar. The Muscogee County coroner reports that Kendrick Engram Jr was found dead inside an SUV in the parking lot of a Wendys restaurant on 26 June. The childs grandmother had returned home around around 5.30pm that evening after spending the day together with the boy and other children, according to corononer Buddy Bryan. The grandmother realised the boy was missing around 8pm and called the boys uncle, who borrowing the car to pick up ice cream, to report that he was missing. The uncle found Kendrick in the third row of the SUV, according to Mr Bryan. He was pronounced dead around 9pm from asphyxiation from the hot vehicle. Just be aware. Just be aware. If youre an adult, be responsible, Mr Bryan told reporters. The children are innocent. They cant help themselves and when you have a child that puts the responsibility on you. Kendricks death is at least the seventh hot car-related death in the US this year, according to child safety advocacy group SafeKids. Roughly 38 children die from being left in a hot car each year, according to Kids and Cars Safety, a national organisation that tracks heat-related car deaths. More than 1,000 children have died from heatstroke in hot cars since 1990 and at least another 7,300 survived, with varying injuries, according to the group. The organisation and other car safety groups have urged the US Department of Transportation to advance a provision within the sweeping Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that mandates heat-detection equipment and warnings that a child is left alone inside cars. By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Toshiba Corp shareholders voted in on Tuesday two board directors from activist hedge fund investors - a step expected to add momentum to the industrial group's exploration of potential buyout deals. Toshiba's annual general meeting elected Nabeel Bhanji, a senior portfolio manager at Elliott Management, and Eijiro Imai, managing director at Farallon Capital Management as new board members. Shareholders also chose Akihiro Watanabe, an executive from boutique U.S. investment bank Houlihan Lokey, who becomes board chairman. The appointment of Bhanji and Imai was not without controversy. External director Mariko Watahiki, who opposed their candidacy, tendered her resignation after the vote, concluding that, in order to move forward as a united board, it would be better she step down, Toshiba said in a statement. Watahiki, a former high court judge, had argued the appointments of the two could skew the board too much towards the input of activist investors. So far only a few large Japanese companies have brought activist shareholders onto their boards. Toshiba is particularly significant given its history of accounting and governance crises since 2015 and tensions with its large activist investor base. "One of the major issues that we've had as a company is a lack of trust between our large shareholders and management, and this was an attempt to address that," Raymond Zage, who chairs Toshiba's nomination committee, told the meeting before the vote. Farallon and Elliott together hold about 10% of Toshiba and all activist shareholders are estimated to own roughly a quarter of the company. According to a provisional breakdown of the voting, Watahiki had the lowest support rate, of 65.87%, followed by 75.81% for Imai and 76.16% for Bhanji. BUYOUT TALKS IN FOCUS Tensions with activist investors culminated last year when a shareholder-commissioned investigation concluded Toshiba had colluded with Japan's trade ministry - which sees the company's nuclear and defence technology as a strategic asset - to block overseas investors from gaining influence at its 2020 shareholder meeting. Story continues This year, shareholders rejected management-backed plans to split the company in two, prompting Toshiba to restart a strategic review. "Since the shareholders voted down the board's strategy to split, the board has had no choice but to try to produce the outcome preferred by the large shareholders - privatisation," said Travis Lundy, an analyst at Quiddity Advisors who publishes on the Smartkarma platform. "It may not be successful but they don't have the choice to do nothing." Seven new board directors were appointed and six including Watahiki were reappointed on Tuesday. Toshiba said this month it had received eight initial buyout proposals to go private as well as two proposals for capital alliances that would keep it listed. It plans to shortlist bidders soon so they can start due diligence from July. Jerry Black, who chairs the board's committee in charge of the strategic review, told the shareholder meeting that going private "could possibly help" with a radical and speedy transformation of Toshiba, while stressing that the committee has no predetermined points of view. Sources have told Reuters at least one bidder is considering offering up to 7,000 yen per share to take the company private, valuing a potential deal at up to $22 billion. KKR & Co Inc, Baring Private Equity Asia, Blackstone Inc, Bain Capital, Brookfield Asset Management, MBK Partners, Apollo Global Management and CVC Capital Partners have submitted initial bids, according to people familiar with the matter. Some of them may form consortia for a bid, they added. Japanese funds are also looking to see how they can participate. State-backed Japan Investment Corp has hired SMBC Nikko Securities as its financial adviser for a potential equity investment, two people familiar with the matter said. The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that KKR was stepping back from bidding for the whole company. A representative for KKR declined to comment. Toshiba shares turned positive on the news of the board appointments and finished 0.7% higher at 5,745 yen, bringing it up 21% for the year so far and valuing at $18 billion. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Dave Dolan in Tokyo and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Tomasz Janowski) CONKLIN, N.Y. (AP) A missing golden retriever named Lilah, discovered deep inside a culvert pipe in upstate New York, could not be lured out by her owner with peanut butter dog treats or cheese. In the end, State Trooper Jimmy Rasaphone decided to crawl about 15 feet (5 meters) into the pipe under a rural road to rescue Lilah, despite the extremely tight fit. He crouched down and literally disappeared into the hole with a lead that had a choker on it," said Lilah's owner, Rudy Fuehrer, who called 911 for help on Sunday morning. He was able somehow to manipulate his arms and get the choker around the dogs head." The trooper and retriever both emerged soaking wet, but safe. The 13-year-old dog had been missing since Friday afternoon. Fuehrer was walking his two other dogs both Lilah's offspring a few hundred feet down the road from his house Sunday when he heard a plaintive yelp. I said, Oh my God, thats Lilah! he recalled Tuesday. Fuehrer, who lives near Binghamton, tried the get the weary and confused dog out but eventually called 911. Rasaphone and his partner showed up within minutes. Rasaphone said he'd go into the pipe since he was the smallest of the three of them. Fuehrer estimates the pipe's diameter was under 2 feet (60 centimeters). He was able to pull Lilah out after Rasaphone emerged. Fuehrer said he was grateful Rasaphone had the compassion and initiative to go nose-to-nose with his dog in a drainage pipe. And he said Lilah is recovering nicely and out walking. Needless to say, I took her out on a leash," he said, "because I didnt want any more escapades. Kari Lake, an Arizona gubernatorial candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, was outraged Monday when she was asked on Fox News about a controversy related to her campaign. Earlier this month, one of Arizonas best-known drag queens accused Lake of hypocrisy, claiming that the right-wing Trump acolyte had attended countless drag shows over the past two decades. Richard Stevens, who performs as Barbra Seville, said Lake had even hired him once to perform at her home in front of her child. He provided photos of himself in drag with Lake as evidence. Lake has, during her campaign, attacked drag queens as dangerous to children. Shes picked a side in the culture war, but her actions in the past dont support it, Stevens told The Arizona Republic. Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Lake about the story on Monday after she spoke for several minutes about 2020 election fraud conspiracy theories. I actually do care to address that, Lake replied. And Im really shocked. Im actually appalled that Fox News would take a defamatory story like that and we are pursuing legal action against this drag queen Im appalled that you would bring that up when you have not talked about our stolen election. We just spent three questions, Ms. Lake, talking about this, Baier replied. Im really disappointed in Fox, Lake added. I thought you were a little better than CNN. She claimed Stevens had never been in her home. Asked to explain the photos, Lake diverted back to election conspiracy theories, then said we dont want our tax money going into drag shows at school. She berated Baier again for bringing the hypocrisy accusation up. She never answered the question about the images. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... NATO officials in Madrid. Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Turkey will support Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications now that the military alliance has reached a deal addressing the lone holdout's concerns, NATO Secertary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Tuesday. Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not support either countries' accession due to their support for "Kurdish organizations that Turkey considers security threats," CNBC writes. All 30 members of NATO must approve a country's application before it can officially join the alliance. Further details will be discussed at the NATO summit in Madrid that's currently underway, per Bloomberg. "I am delighted to conclude this stage on Finland's road to NATO membership," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said. "I now look forward to fruitful conversations on Finland's role in NATO with our future allies here in Madrid." Still, despite Turkey's newfound support, there's a long road ahead for both Finland and Sweden. The membership process will likely take a number of months, Bloomberg notes. The two countries, both of which have a history of military neutrality, decided to join the alliance in the wake of neighboring Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin, who has decried NATO's eastward expansion, has not responded positively to the news. You may also like Why isn't Lightyear taking off at the box office? What we pay for when we pay for a gallon of gas Pfizer says Omicron vaccines produce stronger immune response By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday said a former Uber Technologies Inc security chief must face wire fraud charges over his alleged role in trying to cover up a 2016 hacking that exposed personal information of 57 million passengers and drivers. The U.S. Department of Justice had in December added the three charges against Joseph Sullivan to an earlier indictment, saying he arranged to pay money to two hackers in exchange for their silence, while trying to conceal the hacking from passengers, drivers and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco rejected Sullivan's claim that prosecutors did not adequately allege he concealed the hacking to ensure that Uber drivers would not flee and would continue paying service fees. Orrick also rejected Sullivan's claim that the people allegedly deceived were Uber's then-chief executive, Travis Kalanick, and its general counsel, not drivers. "Those purported misrepresentations, though not made directly to Uber drivers, were part of a larger scheme to defraud them" according to the indictment, Orrick wrote. Lawyers for Sullivan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sullivan also faces two obstruction charges. The defendant was originally indicted in September 2020, and is believed to be the first corporate information security officer criminally charged with concealing a hacking. Prosecutors said Sullivan arranged to pay the hackers $100,000 in bitcoin, and have them sign nondisclosure agreements that falsely stated they had not stolen data. Uber had a bounty program designed to reward security researchers who report flaws, not to cover up data thefts. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's current chief executive, fired Sullivan after learning the extent of the breach. In September 2018, the San Francisco-based company paid $148 million to settle claims by all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. that it was too slow to reveal the hacking. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis) By Nick Carey LONDON (Reuters) - UK startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies pursuing greener, more sustainable production, said on Tuesday it had raised $25 million to fund expansion, primarily in the United States. The Series B funding round brings Circulor's fundraising over the last two years to $45 million. The funding round was led by early Tesla investor Westly Group and included investments from the venture capital arms of Volvo Cars, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BHP Group, the world's largest listed miner. Westly Group founder Steve Westly told Reuters that Circulor is "very much like Tesla," a pioneer in electric vehicles (EVs)that is the world's largest carmaker by market capitalisation. "The market is going that direction in an extraordinarily rapid way... and Circulor is by far the leader in this sector," he said. Circulor is working with carmakers including Volvo, Tata Motors unit JLR, plus miners and energy companies BHP and TotalEnergies, to trace their supply chains as they pursue environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals. BHP has used Circulor's blockchain platform to track the carbon emissions of nickel from the point when it was mined to Tesla's "gigafactory" in Shanghai. Circulor CEO Douglas Johnson-Poensgen said demand for supply chain visibility has grown in response to regulatory pressure from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Global supply chain disruptions have given manufacturers further reason to seek scrutiny over every stage of a component's journey. "U.S. industry is increasingly interested in not just origin, but also demonstrating ESG performance because the SEC has made clear that the greenwashing and war of glossy brochures isn't good enough," Johnson-Poensgen told Reuters. The U.S. government has also pushed for domestic EV battery production, which Johnson-Poensgen said will intensify the need for better supply chain mapping. Story continues "Clearly the global arms race for battery materials is going to spread to the U.S. pretty quick," he said. "The one thing I think most folks can agree on is whatever the reason for supply chain visibility, it is now mission critical." Johnson-Poensgen added that Circulor plans an initial public offering "in due course". (Reporting By Nick Carey; editing by Barbara Lewis) WASHINGTON The U.S. Army on Tuesday selected General Dynamics Land Systems to build a light tank meant to improve mobility, protection and direct-fire capabilities for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams. The production deal is a key step forward for Army Futures Command, which has promised faster and more successful modernization programs through a competitive prototyping approach. GDLS will deliver 26 vehicles initially, but the contract allows the Army to buy 70 more over the course of low-rate initial production for a total of $1.14 billion, according to the Army. At least eight of the 12 prototypes used during competitive evaluation will be retrofitted to be fielded to the force, service officials in charge of the competition said. The first production vehicles are expected to be delivered in just under 19 months. The first unit will receive a battalions worth of MPF systems 42 vehicles by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The Army plans to enter full-rate production in calendar year 2025, according to GDLS. MPF shows the Army is committed to doing acquisition rapidly and using all the new approaches and new authorities we have to do modernization in a new way, Army acquisition chief Doug Bush said in a June 28 media roundtable. He noted its the first major platform going from prototyping to production under Army Futures Command, which relies on new rapid prototyping authorities. This program is leading the way in that effort, and prototyping into production is not easy. Theres a lot more work to do as we go into low-rate production and then we have operational testing, he said. But Im very encouraged by the work so far. The Army expects to spend roughly $6 billion on the MPF program through the procurement phase, including whats already been spent in research and development and prototyping, according to Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, the services program executive officer for ground combat systems. The total life cycle cost of the program including sustainment, military construction and personnel is estimated at around $17 billion. Story continues The Army plans to buy 504 vehicles, and they are projected to be in the inventory for at least 30 years. The bulk of procurement should be complete by 2035, Dean said, adding that the MPF program has remained on schedule and budget. Once fielded, the MPF capability will be organized by battalion, but will be employed as companies generally at the brigade level, Maj. Gen. Ross Coffman, who oversees combat vehicle modernization, said during the same roundtable. GDLS and BAE Systems selected in 2018 to build prototypes were competing to produce MPF. Reports earlier this year indicated the service had already made its choice, taking BAE out of the competition several months ahead of announcing the winner. At the time, Bush said the Army had conducted a fair and thorough evaluation of both vehicles, but did not address the reports the Army had already decided on a winner. Dean, during Tuesdays roundtable, declined to discuss the selection process, citing the sensitivity of the competition. The two prototypes differed significantly. GDLS offered a new, lightweight chassis with a high-performance power pack and an advanced suspension, combined with a turret featuring the latest version of the fire control system found in the Abrams main battle tank. BAE Systems design is an updated M8 Buford armored gun system with new capabilities and components. BAE System will build an M8 Buford Armored Gun System with new capabilities for its prototype for the Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle. (BAE Systems) Army officials said the service opted to move forward with GDLS because it offered the best value. The cost of the system, the maturity and the readiness for production were all factors, Dean said. In 2021, the companies were tasked with delivering prototypes to a soldier vehicle assessment with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina There, soldiers worked to validate the MPF concept and provide feedback on how the service should develop tactics, techniques and procedures for fighting with this capability. GDLS delivered vehicles to the soldier evaluation in January, months ahead of BAE Systems, which struggled with production delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. Soldiers wrapped up evaluations in early August. In fall 2021, the competing light tank prototypes moved into the Armys limited-user test, including live-firing of the systems, which marked the final step before the service selected a winner. The soldiers the Army selected for [the soldier evaluation] were tankers, so they were familiar with the Abrams tank when they started last years evaluation and they immediately saw how common the look and feel and operations inside the turret were [compared] to the Abrams tank today, Tim Reese, GDLS director of U.S. business development, told Defense News on June 28. It didnt take a lot of training to get them up to speed. The company also included a commanders independent thermal viewer, which was not originally an Army requirement, Reese said. Reese said the commonality to Abrams will mean the vehicles can be upgraded together where appropriate. He said the company designed its vehicle with growth capacity for what we would imagine over the lifetime of the program will be the desire to upgrade things or add capabilities and said GDLS made some tweaks to the vehicle after soldier feedback. One of the things that the soldiers really wanted was the skirts on the track to be more easily removable and turn-able, so they could get in and clean and adjust the track, Reese said. We made some changes to the seals around hatches based on their feedback. We learned a few things about the cooling system, he said. Theres a number of things that are better today or will be better when we get into low-rate production than those first 12 that we built for the competition. BAE Systems told Defense News in a statement that while the company was not chosen to move forward in the MPF competition, we will take the innovation and lessons learned from our solution with us and apply it to future modernization efforts. Tencent Video has revealed release details of more than 70 potential online series and 25 online movies, including the hotly anticipated sci-fi series "Three-Body." The video streaming giant held an online press event on June 21 to publicize its vast content bank of upcoming projects. A total of 72 diverse online series were revealed, with fans watching with excitement as the announcements were made one by one. The most hotly anticipated release is the Chinese TV adaptation of Liu Cixin's Hugo Award-winning sci-fi novel "The Three-Body Problem." The upcoming series, titled "Three-Body" and directed by Yang Lei, is set for a summer release, but the exact date still has yet to be confirmed. However, Tencent Video has released a brand new trailer and new posters to further entice fans. Other high-profile series include "Bright Future," a drama focusing on the struggles of a county official and colleagues; the long-awaited drama series "Blossoms Shanghai" by famous Hong Kong-based director Wong Kar-wai; "Where Dreams Begin," starring young idol Xiao Zhan, which depicts how a group of young people lived and grew in the 1970s; and "Ode to Joy 3" about a group of sisters and their lives in the city. The video site also revealed 25 online movies that are currently in production or preparation, including a remake of Hong Kong classic "Infernal Affairs" as well as new adaptations of the late wuxia novelist Louis Cha's "The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber" and "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer." Tencent Video has already produced numerous phenomenal online projects, including "Sword Snow Stride," "Reset," "The Oath of Love," and most recently, "A Dream of Splendor" and "Lion Rock Spirit." "Though the movie and TV industries were seriously impacted by the COVID-19 resurgence this year, there are still plenty of popular content reaching audiences," said Han Zhijie, vice president of Tencent's Online Video Business Unit. Han added that the film and television industries are entering a new cycle of "reducing quantity but improving quality." "In the future, Tencent Video will also establish a coordinate system for high-quality content in the three dimensions of breadth,' 'target precision,' and 'emotionality,' and use this opportunity to break the boundaries of drama subjects, forms, and cooperation," Han said. "This will cover the entire creative chain with a creative attitude of excellence and refined operations, as well as heartwarming works with the industry collaborators to further meet the needs of the public in terms of content." Lifetime Network has sparked fan outrage after its forthcoming movie The Gabby Petito Story was spotted filming near Salt Lake City, Utah. The film which is based on 22-year-old Gabby Petito whose death in 2021 became widely publicised was given the green light by the network in May. Petitos family reportedly do not approve the making of this film. Photos from the shoot were released on Monday (27 June), days after a confession note from Petitos fiance Brian Laundries notebook was made public. In it, Laundrie wrote that he ended her life because he wanted to take away Petitos pain. Twitter users have widely condemned the forthcoming film. I won't be watching. I already know this isn't the Petito/Schmidt family saying this is ok. The poor family can't even get a break, one user said. Another wrote: And it will have the Hollywood' spin that will make the already horrific story even worse. Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito (EPA) I will not be watching! I wish we could start a petition to stop it! It's Sickening! someone else said. A number of people suggested that Lifetime are trying to make money off a tragedy. Making a movie out of this tragic story is f***ing gross. Everyone involved is gross, wrote another. The Gabby Petito Story is directed by child star Thora Birchs (best known for Purple People Eater). She will also star as Nicole Schmidt, Petitos mother. The film follows the release of Peacocks 2021 documentary The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media. Petito, an aspiring social media star who went missing in late August 2021 during a cross-country road trip from New York to Oregon with her fiance Laundrie, was strangled to death. Her body found in a Wyoming national park. More than a month later, skeletal human remains found inside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida were confirmed to be those of her fiance Brian Laundrie. Autopsy results showed Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a notebook found alongside the remains contained a note claiming responsibility for the murder. Story continues Laundrie claimed in the confession note that Petito had been injured after falling into a creek prior to her death. I found her breathing heavily gasping my name, she was freezing cold, he wrote. He claimed she was gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain. The Gabby Petito Story is expected to premiere later this year as part of Lifetimes Stop Violence Against Women campaign. This is the woman I am; this is the case for four of my closest six mates (AFP/Getty) A woman in a lovely sparkly pink jumper with a beautiful Northern Irish brogue sat giving evidence in Belfast to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into abortion. Before proceedings had started, she and I had chatted I asked her where she got her jumper as I really liked it. This same woman said, while giving her evidence: Ive never met a woman who had an abortion and doesnt regret it. Now, this was a factual evidence session, so obviously we probed her on the details but even with that, her statement couldnt possibly be true: because she had met me. I dont regret my abortion. I dont regret it one bit. I told her she would have to update her patter next time she made that statement and offered to introduce her to many of my mates and family who, like me, had no regrets. She seemed less than interested to meet these rhetorically unhelpful women. A shame they wear cool sparkly jumpers too, Im sure shed like them. Abortion is once again in the news. The overturning of Roe v Wade in the US means that millions of women in conservative regressive states such as Texas or Alabama will no longer have a right to demand access to healthcare. When I found out that six unelected justices on the supreme court (two of whom have been accused of sexual harassment, which they deny) had made this decision, I felt as if I was being punched in the stomach. To hear of such a backwards and regressive step in a nation which lords itself as the home of the free made me feel scared scared for the women who will now die, suffer and be forced into a life they dont want. I also became immediately annoyed at the way those who need abortion are being represented. People always feel the need to lean on the hard cases. I understand why the rape victim forced to carry her baby, or the woman whose baby has a condition that means it will die as soon as it breathes are the bold primary colours of this debate. These cases exist, I see them daily. I have helped young women procure terminations of pregnancies that occurred because they were prostituted, exploited women, with no idea which one of the punters was the father. I have known women who have been murdered by their abusive partners after they found out that theyd had an abortion. I have met the women of Northern Ireland who were forced to travel so they didnt die in labour from a pregnancy that they very much wanted. Story continues I know these cases exist, and they are a rhetorical tool in the fight for womens rights, they are important but they are also rare, compared to the women who just want to make a choice about their lives. This is the woman I am; this is the case for four of my closest six mates. I am sorry if it is not primary colour enough to think a woman should be able to decide about her own body and her own life. My son was just a few months old when I found out I was pregnant again. I was still breastfeeding; still a zombie, living each day counting the hours and hoping it would get easier sometime soon. I was 24 years old and the mother of a little boy who I worshipped. When I was pregnant with him, it had been suggested to me for health reasons (to do with cancerous cells on my cervix) that I should consider a termination. My late mother had told me that if I was going to be ill because of the pregnancy she felt I should really consider it, but I wouldnt countenance it. From the second my pregnancy test flashed positive with my first child, I knew I wanted to have that baby. It wasnt necessarily a wise choice at the time I was crashing in my new boyfriends (somewhat insalubrious) shared house. I was temping and working in pubs. We had nothing in the way of security back then, but I knew I wanted it, wanted him so badly. I dont even need to tell you my story as to why I had an abortion the next time I became pregnant it is simply enough that I knew which times I wanted to be a mother and which times I didnt. I knew and it was my life. And it was my body that would go on to be so battered by my final pregnancy that I nearly died and ended up in intensive care. To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking here I know what is right for me and my family because I am a grown woman. I dont feel sad about a child that never was. I wouldnt have my youngest son if I had seen that pregnancy out and I really like my youngest son, he is a hoot. The crux of the abortion debate for me is not the hard cases of the women who will now certainly die in the US, it is the attack on the idea that women and girls dont have minds enough to know best for themselves. The overturning of Roe v Wade belittles and patronises the women of America it tells them that some bureaucrat knows whats better for their bodies and lives than they do. It is in no way liberal, it is in no way even libertarian. It is aggressive and regressive and it treats women as if they are children who need the consent of a proper adult to live. If the Supreme Court justices dont like abortion, I suggest they simply shouldnt have one it is not compulsory. I am not a child, I am a good mother of two children and I know that what is best for them is what is best for me. I refuse to make any apology for that. The women of the world must do whatever we can to ensure that women everywhere have a right not just over their own bodies, but also over their own minds. Trust women. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, left, and Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess. Brendan Smialowski and Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess said Tesla's new factories could "take strength out of" Elon Musk. In a prior interview, Musk said factories in Texas and Berlin have become "gigantic money furnaces." Tesla and Volkswagen are both vying for the title of largest EV company in the world. Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess said Tesla's new factories could cause growing pains for Elon Musk and his electric-car company. "Elon has to ramp up two highly complex factories in Austin and Gruenheide at the same time as well as expand production in Shanghai," Diess said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. "That's going to take strength out of him." The German CEO made the comment at a meeting that addressed the impact of supply-chain snags on Volkswagen production goals, according to Reuters. Diess said that Tesla's supply-chain struggles could pave the way for Volkswagen to overtake the car company in the EV market, per Reuters. A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. Diess' concerns for Tesla echo Musk's. Last week, the Tesla CEO warned in an interview with Tesla Owners Silicon Valley that the carmaker's new factories in Texas and Berlin had become "gigantic money furnaces" that were losing billions of dollars. At the time, Musk said electric-car battery shortages and supply-chain snags caused by the Shanghai lockdown were making it difficult to ramp up production at the factories and that they had only managed to manufacture a "tiny" number of vehicles. Tesla opened both factories in Austin, Texas and Berlin, Germany in 2022. But, the company's largest manufacturing facility is in Fremont, California. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Diess said in the meeting on Tuesday that Volkswagen is ramping up production in Germany and China because shortages of semiconductor chips have begun to ease. Volkswagen has pushed further into the electric-car industry in recent years. In April, Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen's US branch, told Insider's Tim Levin that he sees electric cars as a way for the carmaker to capture more of the US market. Story continues "It's sort of like an F1 race to me," Diess said. "This is your chance to be in the first two rows at the start of the race, as opposed to, if we do anything internal combustion engine, we're in the 12th row." While Tesla still owns 75% of the market share for electric cars in the US and 14% of the global share, Volkswagen is close on its tail. Last year, Volkswagen claimed about 11% of the global EV market and doubled its sales from 2020. Experts have warned that Tesla will likely lose its crown. In June, Bloomberg Intelligence predicted that the carmaker could lose the title of largest in the world by 2024. The report said that Volkswagen was likely to claim the title. Even Musk has acknowledged Volkswagen's success in the industry. In May, the billionaire said during an interview with Financial Times that Volkswagen has made the most progress in the electric-car market outside of Tesla. Read the original article on Business Insider Jun. 28WABASHA Pragmatic, selfless and committed is how Wabasha city representatives described coworker and first female mayor of the city, Emily Durand. Durand has been mayor of the city since 2019 and was recently named the first recipient of the League of Minnesota Cities' Emerging Leader Award. "One of the first impressions I had (of Durand) was just how committed she is to the community," Caroline Gregerson, Wabasha's city administrator, said. According to Gregerson, she decided to nominate Durand for the award based on qualities like Durand's data-driven and research-oriented approach to problem solving, the energy she brings to the workplace and her ability to balance all factors in decision making. "Under her tenure, Wabasha has made a lot of progress on big goals," Gregerson said. According to Durand, Gregerson tried to nominate her for the award in secret and she only found out about Gregerson's attempted nomination after Gregerson had to request a copy of her resume. "She finally told me that she was going to nominate me for the award so that I could give her a decent resume, and so I actually discouraged her (from making the nomination)," Durand said. "She wisely realized that it's not just an award for me, it's an award for our community." The LMC, the organization that offers the award, is an association that represents about 835 of the 854 Minnesota cities, according to Luke Fischer, the LMC's deputy director. "As an association, we really pride ourselves on promoting excellence in local government and one of the ways that we do that is through our awards that we give out at our annual conference," Fischer said. According to Fischer, the LMC launched the Emerging Leader Award this year because it wanted to create a way to recognize people who are new to public service, with eight years or less working in municipal government, but still make a significant impact where they live. Story continues The city officials nominated should have demonstrated meaningful contributions to their city and show promise for continued community service and leadership, according to the application brochure. "Emily Durand was nominated by her city for the work that she's done," Fischer said. "She is one of those infinitely impressive people. She cares deeply about Wabasha, thinks about her role as mayor and how she can really do the best for her community, and that's why she was selected for this award." In her time serving as Wabasha's mayor, Durand has worked on projects to renovate the National Eagle Center, reroute Minnesota Highway 60 and make a local food shelf more accessible by moving it downtown. According to Durand, the work she is most proud of centers around child care. "I am very proud of a small, but important, child care grant that we have developed for existing and new child care providers," Durand said. "We've been working on that for a couple of years with Wabasha Port Authority, which is our economic development authority." After receiving funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the city of Wabasha led by Durand was able to create a program that makes $2,500 grants available for new or existing child care businesses within 5 miles of the city. This program has the goal of both attracting and retaining young families in the city. "Emily gets extra credit for the big conversation she's having specifically around child care," Fischer said. "That's a big statewide conversation." Award recipients were recognized at the LMC's annual conference, which was held in Duluth from June 22 to June 24, 2022. According to Durand, she could not attend the conference, but Gregerson, Council member Jeff Sulla and Director of Wabasha Main Street Mary Flicek went to the convention to accept the award on her behalf. "It was really great to see Mayor Durand and Wabasha highlighted at a state conference," Gregerson said. "It kind of felt like being at the Academy Awards or something." When Durand was recognized as one of the recipients of the award at the conference, a video compiled by coworkers and acquaintances describing Durand's qualities and accomplishments played through the conference hall. "Emily came to town as a leader, so I believe she's beyond emerging," Flicek said in the commemoration video. "She's a visionary, she's ethical, she's enduring. She does everything for the good of the whole and expects nothing in return." According to Gregerson, Durand noted in her virtual acceptance speech the value of volunteers and leadership in small communities like Wabasha, all the while Durand's coworkers describe her as as the person who always volunteers to help out and works tirelessly to help the city. "It's the Emerging Leader Award but Emily came to town as a leader," Flicek said. "We knew that Emily was one in a million." Whoopi Goldberg has warned US Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas about his interracial marriage and the cause and effect the court has set off with the decision to overturn Roe v Wade. On Friday (24 June), the court ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe. Whats next? Clarence Thomas is signaling they would like to get rid of contraception. Do you understand, sir? No, because you dont have to use it, Goldberg said on The View on Monday (27 June). We were not in the Constitution either. We were not even people. You better hope that they dont come for you, Clarence, and say you should not be married to your wife, who happens to be white. Because they will move back. And you better hope that nobody says, You know, well, youre not in the Constitution. Youre back to being a quarter of a person. Because thats not going to work either. Justice Thomas was among the six justices who voted to overturn Roe. He is married to Ginni Thomas, an American attorney and conservative activist from Omaha, Nebraska. Clarence Thomas with his wife Ginni Thomas (centre) (Getty Images) In May, Thomas hit out at protesters enraged by a leaked decision that would overturn Roe, saying that the Supreme Court cant be bullied. Justice Thomas, a hardline conservative, had in May made a passing reference to the outcry and protests over the leaked draft during an appearance at the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference in Atlanta. The 73-year-old said that as a society, we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we dont like, according to Reuters. We cant be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week [in May, after protests sparked by the leaked draft] are a symptom of that, he said. In a question-and-answer session with a former law clerk, he referred to the unfortunate events, referring to the protests, and claimed he worried about the declining respect for institutions. It bodes ill for a free society, he had said. The alligator was lined with a portable missile system The video was published by the Ukrainian Ground Forces on their Facebook page on June 28. The date of the incident is not given. Read also: Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down by Mykolaiv paratroopers The video shows one of the paratroopers hitting a K-52 by using a portable missile system, causing the helicopter, seen only in the far distance, to lose altitude and fall. Yes! Got it! soldiers can be heard shouting happily as the missile hits the helicopter. Read also: Near Izyum, Ukrainian forces shot down Russian Ka-52 helicopter Smoke from the site of the crash of the helicopter is circled in the video. The fate of the Russian helicopter's crew is not mentioned in the report. A barricade around Monument Terrace divided two groups seeming to share little but passion Monday evening. On one side of Church Street, a group of some 200 pro-abortion activists sung, chanted and spoke to protest the Supreme Courts recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Across the fences, a smaller group of anti-abortion activists and Campbell County Militia members voiced their opposition to the abortion-rights gathering. The abortion-rights crowd cheered after speaker Donna StClair told them, Every woman here is now a second-class citizen. And I did not join the United States Army to be a second-class citizen. Rise Hayes shared a former evangelical perspective that was echoed by many other abortion-rights speakers. I know the Scriptures. Ive been taught the taglines that were supposed to tell people. Ive been raised pro-life, she said in an interview, explaining she noticed inconsistencies in the text. So they want to preach that God loves all life, but God has never, not the God of the Old Testament or the new, has represented loving all life. Its a contradictory text. Hayes told the crowd she is autistic and part of a group anti-abortion activists have no problem getting rid of. They want to say theyre pro-life. Theyre pro-white, Hayes said. Hayes said she would never want to be in a position where she could not have an abortion if she needed it and, I would never want to be in the position where I cant support those who do. Because I dont know anyones position, I dont know how they got there. Mariah Milena spoke at the rally on behalf of Lynchburg Food Not Bombs, which she described as an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and abolitionist mutual aid group. Twice per week, her group meets at Miller Park to distribute a hot meal, clothes, hygiene products and birth control to those in need. Were really just trying to build solidarity in the community because people are not going to care about issues like poverty, abortion theyre not going to vote if their material needs are not met. Youre not worried about voting if you dont have a place to sleep, Milena said. This is something that affects all of us. With Roe being overturned, everything could be next. She told the crowd to not only vote but organize in their community to make change happen. Lynchburg police maintained the barrier between groups for the two-hour protest, and the opposing sides only interacted verbally. A speaker on the anti-abortion sides mention of the abortion-rights slogan, my body, my choice, made abortion-rights protesters across the barrier take up the chant. Campbell County Militia founder Wes Gardner handled the microphone for a majority of the groups counter-protest. I dont see how you can sit here and talk to me about sins when your hands are dripping in red, he said toward the crowd on the other side. I want you to be able to live as long as its not affecting anyone elses life. But this flies in the face of that. These women are wanting to live the way they want to live, but the problem is ... you dont get to absolve yourself of the consequences by killing the child that youre carrying, Gardner said in an interview. Militia member Eric Routon called himself an oddball in the bunch because he wasnt protesting for religious reasons. Im a libertarian, I believe in the Constitution. All this Roe v. Wade rollback does is put the authority back where it was originally supposed to be, with the states. He said he was at Monument Terrace to support the Constitution and the right to life, referencing the Constitutions preamble: If you read the preamble of it, theres life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The right to life is the very first thing. Corey Thomas spoke into the anti-abortion microphone holding her child: You can do all the research you want to. You should look for information. You should question the narratives youre seeing on social media. You should ask people who have experience with these issues instead of assuming what they think and what they want. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Emma_Martin Follow Emma_Martin 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 Lynchburg Police Department is in contact with state and federal law enforcement and has begun receiving tips after vandalism and property damage occurred over the weekend at the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center on Old Forest Road. At 10:40 a.m. Saturday, LPD officers responded to 3701 Old Forest Road for a property damage call for service, according to a news release from the police department. When officers arrived, the release said, they found the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center building and the walkway leading up to it had been spray-painted with graffiti. Several windows had been broken. Susan Campbell, executive director for the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center, said in a statement Monday, Our Center is cooperating with state and local police who are actively investigating the attack on our facility, and weve also been in contact with the Virginia Governors Office and the Office of the Attorney General who have offered their support and assistance. We exist to comfort and support those involved in unplanned pregnancies, and we plan to continue to provide free pregnancy supplies, counseling, and unconditional support and love to anyone who walks through our doors, no matter what decision they make. The pregnancy center, according to its website, is a Christian-based anti-abortion organization that helps men and women with unplanned pregnancies. All of their services are free of charge and the center never advises, provides, or refers for abortion. Planned Parenthood has criticized such pregnancy centers, calling them fake clinics and saying they push an agenda to scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion, and to tell lies about abortion, birth control, and sexual health. According to a picture of the security footage shared by LPD, four masked people appeared to be walking on the premises at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Among the graffiti was one message reading Janes Revenge, which appears to be a reference to a nationwide abortion-rights group named Janes Revenge. The group, according to its website, following the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court in May regarding Roe v. Wade, said that there would be a night of rage if the case were overturned. The Supreme Court ruling Friday in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization overturned Roe and ended constitutional protections for abortion. In recent weeks, the group on its website has taken credit for vandalisms and property damage incidents in several states around the country. LPD Lt. Gregory Coleman said the police department has been in contact with state and federal law enforcement and said they have agreed to assist LPD in any way needed. Gov. Glenn Youngkin condemned the acts of vandalism and property damage, tweeting on Saturday, There is no room for this in Virginia, breaking the law is unacceptable. This is not how we find common ground. Virginia State Police stands ready to support local law enforcement as they investigate. In response to the Supreme Court decision, Youngkin seeks a new law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy in Virginia. He has named Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, and Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, as well as Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, and Del. Margaret Ransone, R-Westmoreland, to take the lead in crafting legislation to introduce during next years General Assembly session. LPD is asks anyone with information about the incident to call Detective David Dubie at (434) 941-9937 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900. Anonymous tips can be entered online at p3tips.com or use the P3 app on a mobile device. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. You are here: Business Air China will resume direct flights between Beijing and Budapest on July 7, the company's Budapest office said on Monday. In early 2020, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Air China and other airlines flying the China-Hungary route all suspended their passenger services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called the decision "a real milestone." "The announcement is also of great importance for Hungary's economy as tourism and trade will both receive a huge boost from the fact that Budapest will once again be directly accessible from the Chinese capital," Szijjarto said. Air China launched its first direct flight between the two capitals on May 1, 2015. Two former Council Bluffs mayors and difference-makers have been lost during the past 30 days. Maynard Telpner, who served as mayor in the early 1960s, and Walt Pyper, who was mayor in the early 1980s, have died. Telpner, 94, of Ashland, Oregon died Thursday of congestive heart failure, according to his obituary on the Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home website. Graveside services were held Sunday at Scenic Hills Memorial Park in Ashland. He was a people person, said his daughter, Sari Telpner. Fifty people showed up on a 104-degree day at the funeral. Telpner practiced law in Council Bluffs for 50 years and founded what is now Telpner Peterson Law Firm. He was born on March 23, 1928 in Omaha. He grew up in Council Bluffs and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II and attended Creighton University on the G.I. Bill. He started his legal career practicing solo. He married Sally Priesman on June 5, 1951, and the couple raised their three daughters in Council Bluffs. He served as mayor in the early 1960s when the mayor was a City Council member chosen to serve in that position. Telpner later expanded his law firm by adding partners. Chuck Smith was a partner with him from 1976 until Telpner retired in 2002, he said. He was both a friend and a mentor, and he always did things the right way, Smith said. He was just a wonderful man, and he was a respected attorney and a fierce advocate for his clients but also a gentleman. He had the ability to disagree with people without being disagreeable. Said Smith, He was just a delightful man and had a tremendous sense of humor. My dad was known to everyone as very unique and incredibly funny, Sari said. His wit and his one-liners were epic. Telpner served on the Boards of Trustees at the Jennie Edmundson Hospital and the Christian Home Association, as well as on The Eagle Scouts Board of Review. He was active in the Council Bluffs Bnai Brith chapter and the Rotary Club. He served two terms on the Iowa State Bar Association Board of Governors. He was nominated for the Iowa Supreme Court but was not chosen to serve, Sari said. He was so highly respected, she said. My dad had such a reputation for integrity and honesty. Telpner was honored with the Heritage Award for Business in 1999. He retired from practicing law in 2002, and he and Sally moved to the Ashland/Medford, Oregon area, then to Bozeman, Montana and then back to Ashland. He and Sally became part of the Ashland/Medford community and made many new friendships. He volunteered at the Ashland Chamber of Commerce. He also kept in touch with associates back in Council Bluffs. Smith said he had just visited with him a couple weeks ago. Maynard was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Sylvia Telpner; his brother, Gene Kewpie Telpner; his sister, Audrey Shapiro; and his brother, Zeph Boonjug Telpner. He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughters Heidi Barr (Irwin), Sari Telpner and Marci Rosenthal (David); six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He leaves behind many friends in Oregon and the Council Bluffs-Omaha area. Pyper, age 85, passed away May 31 in Council Bluffs. He was born July 26, 1936, in Omaha but will be remembered for his love of Council Bluffs. Pyper ran for City Council in 1977 and was elected from a slate of 18 candidates. He served two terms on the Council and two years as mayor. He joined the Iowa League of Cities and was later elected president, according to former Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan. In the 1990s, he convinced the group to have its annual convention in Council Bluffs. It was the first time it had been held here for 100 years. He was very well respected across the state, Hanafan said. Pyper served as manager of Bluffs Run when it was owned by Iowa West and casino gambling hadnt been approved yet, he said. One of Pypers big accomplishments was bringing together the City, library foundation and Iowa West Foundation to raise money for construction of the new Council Bluffs Public Library, Hanafan said. He was president of the library foundation during a key period. When the new library got built, Walt was on the library foundation board and helped the foundation put that together, he said. The City had tried two or three times to pass a bond on the library (and it had failed). Walt was heavily invested in that. Pyper was involved in promoting history and the arts in the community and served on the Historic General Dodge House Board of Trustees, including as chairman. The National Historic Landmark was a longtime interest of his: He had written his thesis on the Dodge House at Princeton University. He once called the Dodge House the Symbol of Council Bluffs. Pyper was involved in the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce and served as president of the Rotary Club of Council Bluffs. He was also involved in the Nebraska AIDS Project, Humanities Iowa and the State Historical Society of Iowa. He was honored with the Heritage Award for Arts and Humanities in 2011. He was preceded in death by parents Walter W. and Frances (Brown) Pyper; and nephew Dan Smith. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; sister Grace (John) Smith; and brothers Jerry and Tom (Sue) Pyper. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh accepted a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for cleanup of the former Reliance Battery Manufacturing Company site at 813 22nd Ave. on Monday. We are honored to be a recipient of this EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant, Walsh said. This grant will have a transformative impact on the former Reliance Battery Factory site and the surrounding community. It will improve the quality of life and attractiveness of the City of Council Bluffs. The grant was presented in the form of a large novelty check by EPA Region 7s Land, Chemical and Redevelopment Division Director DeAndre Singletary. This Brownfields grant is a significant boost to the citys cleanup efforts at the Former Reliance Battery Site, Singletary said. We are proud to partner with Council Bluffs, and we share their commitment to enhancing the lives of those who live near this site by cleaning up contamination and engaging with the community. Council Bluffs is one of 265 communities awarded funds from the $254.5 million in Brownfields grants. The grants are supported by President Bidens Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted or hazardous brownfield properties. A brownfield is real property for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the environmental contamination that is either real or perceived. Warehouses and factories are often abandoned and left uninhabited because the property is a brownfield. We are grateful to Director Singletary and to the Region 7 staff for all their support, said Council Bluffs Community Development Directory Courtney Harter. Brownfields are certainly a team effort. Id like to give special thanks to Mel Pins of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Brownfields Program for his assistance in funding the removal of asbestos and hazardous materials, and to all of the City staff involved in getting us here. For more information about the Brownfields Program, including activities, public meetings and community events, visit councilbluffs-ia.gov/brownfields. Any residents with a property that might be a good fit for the Brownfields Program are encouraged to contact Housing and Economic Development Planner Dessie Redmond at dredmond@councilbluffs-ia.gov or by phone at 712-890-5352. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 7 PM CDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values up to 108 expected. * WHERE...Portions of east central, northeast and southeast Nebraska and southwest and west central Iowa. * WHEN...From noon Monday to 7 PM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. && Morocco has denied reports that it has engaged in official or unofficial contact with the self-proclaimed republic of Donesk, an entity not recognized by the Kingdom nor by the United Nations. Morocco denies such information, said the Moroccan embassy in Kiev in a statement, following media reports alleging there were contacts between Morocco and the self-proclaimed republic of Donesk. This entity is recognized neither by our country nor by the United Nations, the embassy reiterated. Therefore, there can be no official or unofficial contact of the Moroccan state with an entity of this nature, the statement said. Reports about the alleged contacts came after Moroccan Brahim Saadoun was captured by Russian forces in April while fighting with the Ukrainian forces. Brahim Saadoun, aged 21, was indicted, together with two Britons, by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic to the death penalty on mercenary charges. When he was captured he was wearing Ukrainian fatigue because he was a marines member, a choice he made by his own free will. Saadoun has Ukrainian nationality and this was confirmed by his father, who pleads for his son to be treated as a prisoner of war and not as a mercenary because he has Ukrainian nationality. The OCP Foundation signed, Monday in Dakar, a $2.2 Mln agreement with the Senegalese Agency for Reforestation of the Great Green Wall (ASRGM) aimed at preserving biodiversity. The agreement aims to support community agricultural development and to build the capacity of the agency in terms of supporting and supervising local biodiversity projects. This is a great day. A consecration of common work with the Agency and a very committed team. We have just signed the first milestone, the OCP Foundation Secretary-General, Abdelhadi Sohib, told reporters on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of the agreement, inked by the agencys Director-General, Oumar Abdoulaye Ba. The Great Green Wall project raises the issue of the fight against climate change and the safeguard of biodiversity, especially in Africa, Sobhi stated. It is an African Union flagship initiative aimed at growing an 8,000 km-long green wall meant to combat desertification of the Sahel. Once complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of the Great Barrier Reef. A Tunisian investigating judge ordered Monday the liberation of former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali but requested his appearance on July 20 for hearing in connection with an investigation into an alleged money laundering and terrorism financing case. His son-in law and the son of Rached Gannouchi, the Speaker of the dissolved Parliament and leader of Ennahdha party, are also involved in the case. Jebali was arrested in the city of Sousse and transferred to capital Tunis. The Interior ministry accused him of involvement in a money laundering scheme in connection with a charity called Namaa. Jebali denied any wrongdoing. His family and his defense team held President Kais Saied responsible for his arrest arguing that detention was politically motivated. Samir Dilou, member of the defense team told local media that the investigating judge ordered Jebalis release because of his health condition. Hamadi Jebali appeared before the investigating judge in a very critical state. The judge asked him if he could speak, he replied that he could not. Consulting his medical file and the case file, the investigating judge ordered his immediate release, Dilou said. Club de Madrid, the largest non-profit organization made of former Presidents and Heads of States, on Sunday issued a statement urging Tunisias President Kais Saied to liberate the ex-Prime Minister and respect the rule of law in the North African country. Political tensions and human rights concerns have been rising in Tunisia since July 2021, but also the implementation of exceptional measures imposed by President Kais Saied, including the dissolution of the Parliament, the Higher Council of the Judiciary and the Higher Independent Electoral Body. This process is considered a creeping dictatorship in Tunisia, the statement added. Jebali was detained last Thursday by security police for the second time in less than two months without an immediate official comment. He began a hunger strike, claiming that his arrest was politically motivated and not related to money laundering. His health condition deteriorated and he was urgently transferred to an intensive care unit in a Tunis hospital. Sudan held the launching ceremony of Sudan-China Express, the first direct maritime shipping route between the two countries, in capital Khartoum on Sunday evening. Sudanese Minister of Transport Hisham Ali Ahmed Abuzaid and Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin are among the officials and business representatives of both countries attending the ceremony. Noting that Sudan locates in northeastern Africa and on the west coast of the Red Sea, Ma said the country boasts unique geographical advantages and has served as a key passage for Chinese goods to Africa since ancient times. The Chinese ambassador added that Sudan and China have great potential and broad prospects of cooperation in shipping. A 32,000-ton maximum capacity cargo ship disembarked on her maiden voyage along the new route from the Sudan Port on June 11, and is expected to arrive at her destination, the Chinese eastern seaport of Qingdao, on July 1, said Xu Qun, executive president of Shanghai Greenroad International Logistics, the ship's operator. Despite being the only country in Africa with a migration policy permeated by a humanitarian approach, Morocco was recently attacked by those intent on looking at half-truths in the wake of the tragic crossing of Melilla which left at least 23 migrants dead. Head of migration and borders at the Interior ministry, Khalid Zerouali, spoke to Moroccos news agency insisting that Moroccos approach to migration is humanist and puts human rights before all else and that organized crime and gangs will not alter that. Since 2013, Morocco has offered residency cards to over 50,000 people and campaigned for a paradigm shift that breaks away with the security-approach in favor of a win-win co-development model that puts human rights and development at the heart of an orderly migration management. Moroccos migration approach will not be sapped by criminal acts led by trafficking networks that take advantage of vulnerabilities of the victims, he said. These networks are now resorting to violent attacks that are almost militarily organized by people with militia experience coming from countries beset by war and conflict, Zerouali said. Morocco had shown videos to African ambassadors revealing the horrific violence suffered by Moroccan security forces during the attack by Sub-Saharan migrants instigated by criminal networks. The videos, published by Moroccan media, showed migrants attacking security forces with stones, sticks and knives as they crammed to a narrow border post causing a stampede that cost the lives of many. At least 65 migrants are facing charges of kidnaping security forces, arson and migrant trafficking. Zerouali deplored the dead among the migrants during this real tragedy, adding that Morocco had dismantled 1300 criminal networks involved in illegal migration since 2021. So far this year, 12 crossing attempts have been made on Ceuta and Melilla during which security forces acted professionally in line with human rights and safety standards, he said. Since 2018, 8100 migrants took part in voluntary repatriation, co-organized with IOM. Since 2017, Morocco has foiled 360,000 migration attempts, including 26,000 so far this year. Zerouali noted that the regional environment, the Covid context, The Russia-Ukraine war and the food crisis will further exacerbate migration challenges which require, more than ever, greater multilateral solidarity. Spirit AeroSystems, one of the worlds largest manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial airplanes, defense platforms, and business/regional jets has recently started producing at its Morocco plant the fuselage components, the front and rear section of the Airbus A220 aircraft. The site has developed expertise in the manufacturing of components for Bombardier business jets and has now joined the Spirit sites which already supply Airbus commercial programs. The fuselage components are shipped from Morocco for assembly at Spirits site in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Both sites were acquired by Spirit in 2020 as part of a major diversification strategy, adding significant Airbus content, and further developing Spirits global footprint and aftermarket services business. The official launch of the production of Airbus A220 aircraft fuselage components at Spirit AeroSystems 25,000 sqm site in Midparc, in Casabalanca, which was recently expanded, took place on Monday. Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour who attended the ceremony expressed pride to present the largest aircraft part built in Africa. Today, we proudly celebrate the booming growth of this site, whose construction works had been launched by King Mohammed VI, in September 2013 at Midparc. Since that time, this cutting-edge plant has established itself as one of the flagships of the aerospace industry in Morocco, he stated. Spirits new program to produce the largest fuselage sections in Africa further strengthens the positioning of the Kingdom on complex processes with high added value, as well as the international influence of the national aerospace ecosystem, the minister added. For his part, Vice President and General Manager of Spirit AeroSystems in Morocco, Stephen Orr, noted that the group has developed an ambitious roadmap to accelerate the sites growth with the support of the Ministry of Industry, saying the group is delighted to expand its manufacturing capacity to include this latest Airbus program. We look forward to working with the Spirit team in Belfast, which also supplies the integrated wing for the A220 aircraft, and building a strong and rewarding relationship with Airbus, he noted. In the same vein, Mikail Houari, President of Airbus Africa and the Middle East, noted that the Kingdom already manufactures parts for all Airbus commercial aircraft, including the A220, This aircraft is the latest addition to our product range and therefore to our industrial footprint in Morocco, he added. Most of the migrants who took part in Melillas deadly crossing last Friday were from eastern Africa, notably Sudan, who could only access Morocco after crossing the Algerian border. The role of Algeria is evident in creating this migration crisis in Northern Morocco. According to Spanish paper El Mundo, quoting security officials in Madrid, Algeria is putting pressure both on Spain and on Morocco by using poor migrants as a weapon. While it boasts that its borders with Morocco- the enemy- are one of the most secure and heavily patrolled in Africa, Algeria turns a blind eye to Sub-Saharan migrants as the military regime seeks to redraw illegal migration routes to put the burden on Morocco. Spanish security sources said Algiers loosened control on migration flow on its 1700 km border with Morocco by facilitating access to its territory of the migration flows that cross Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, which usually opt for Italy or Greece, the paper said. We noted great porosity on the border between Algeria and Morocco, El Mundo said. The paper notes that out of the 325 foreigners that were listed in Melilla migrants centers by 21 June, 139 were from Sudan, indicating that a new route is emerging from Darfour to Morocco via Algeria. Algeria is taking revenge on Spain because of the latters support for Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara, the paper said. Relatedly, Le 360 news outlet reports that among Sudanese migrants, many are former militiamen who fought the civil war in Darfour. Videos shown by Moroccan authorities to African ambassadors accredited to Rabat demonstrated the scale of violence as Sub-Saharan migrants attacked security forces using sticks, stones, knives and acid. Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, stated, Tuesday, that without the collaboration of Morocco, it would be impossible to control illegal migration flows. Without the collaboration of the Moroccan security forces and the excellent work of the Spanish security forces, it would be impossible to control the illegal migration phenomenon, Albares said in an interview with Antena 3 TV channel. According to the head of Spanish diplomacy, no country in the world, no matter how powerful it is, can face this phenomenon alone. He highlighted the complexity of managing this scourge and facing the onslaught of people who seek a better life, putting their lives at risk. What we must do is to improve and strengthen our cooperation with Morocco and with the countries of origin and transit. Europe and the European Commission must be involved, said Albares. Cooperation between Europe and the countries of origin and transit must be strengthened, and technological means must be provided to prevent this kind of attack from happening again, he insisted, alluding to the storming by some 2000 migrants of the fence of Melilla, a Spanish occupied enclave in Northern Morocco, last Friday. The illegal migrants coming from sub-Saharan countries attempted to storm the metal fence, resorting to very violent methods and causing a huge stampede and fatal falls from the top of the fence. This attempted forced entry, which left 23 migrants dead and 140 law enforcement agents injured, was marked by the use of unprecedented violence by would-be illegal migrants. Armed with stones, clubs and sharp objects, these would-be illegal migrants resisted violently the law enforcement officers, who were mobilized to prevent them from crossing the fence, as shown by the photos and videos circulating on the web and social networks since last Friday. Meanwhile, as Morocco faces a defamation campaign and criticism for the way it handled Fridays mass migration attempt, Spains Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, stepped up to the plate to express strong support for the North African countrys approach to tackle irregular migration. In an interview with the Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia, Sanchez described Morocco as a strategic partner for Spain not only in terms of controlling illegal immigration, but also in being an important ally for Spain in the fight against terrorism. Backing Moroccos intervention in the Melilla events, the Spanish PM said Morocco has been suffering in addition to fighting violent actions of migrants. He notably blamed the Melilla incidents on human trafficking networks and other transnational mafias who, he said, have turned migrants desperation and suffering into a money-making business. Sanchez who regretted the loss of lives during this latest mass migration attempt, expressed satisfaction with and gratitude to Moroccos security response to migrants muscular attempt to cross into Melilla. In this context, the European Union has said it is maintaining contact with authorities in Morocco and Spain to understand the circumstances of the incident. EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Marssali stressed on Tuesday at a press conference in Brussels the EUs determination to work more closely with partners on a comprehensive management of the migration crisis, including the urgency of boosting coordination to fight human trafficking networks. While some critics have been quick to hold Morocco accountable for the tragic incidents, the North African country has received support from a number of African diplomats who have hailed Morocco as being the only country in Africa with a migration policy permeated by a humanitarian approach. Morocco is seeking to attract Japanese investors and strengthen the confidence of Japanese economic decision-makers in the Kingdoms investment and economic potential. It is in this context that Junior Minister in charge of Investment, Mohcine Jazouli, is paying a working visit to Japan June 27 to July 1. The visit, organized by the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investments and Exports (AMDIE), seeks to highlight investment opportunities in the Kingdom, investment being one of the major axes of socio-economic revival and development of the country, to attract Japanese investors and consequently create stable jobs with added value. Jazouli is expected to meet leaders of Japanese companies in the transport and logistics, automotive, aeronautics, agri-food, energy and pharmaceutical sectors as well as representatives of institutions and senior officials to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. Morocco and Japan have a long-standing economic partnership. With the recent entry into force of the Agreement for the Protection and Promotion of Investments and the Non-Double Taxation Agreement between the two countries, Rabat and Tokyo seek to take their trade to a higher level. Currently, 75 Japanese companies operate in Morocco, mainly in the areas of wiring, automotive and electronics, employing around 50,000 people. Japan is thus the first foreign private employer in Morocco, which stands as the 2nd destination of Japanese investments in Africa. This visit will be marked by the projection of the promotional film Morocco Now on the 5 screens of Shibuya Street, one of the most prestigious places in the Japanese capital. This new investment and export promotion brand, Morocco Now, aims to promote Morocco as a leading industrial platform in order to accelerate foreign investment. It also intends to strengthen Moroccos position in terms of international trade and investment. This platform also highlights sustainability, competitiveness and flexibility, which reflect Moroccos economic dynamism. With state construction support in hand for an industrial rail park outside Hershey, Lincoln County commissioners Monday put two more pieces of the projects puzzle in place. A unanimous County Board voted 5-0 to create an inland port authority to operate the 339-acre park and to negotiate to buy the former Greenbrier Rail Services factory and its critical Union Pacific rail spur as the authoritys headquarters. Chairman Chris Bruns said both steps move the county closer toward securing nearly 2,900 jobs and an eventual annual impact of $2 billion as estimated in the projects economic impact study from the rail parks eventual agribusiness, warehousing and manufacturing clients. The entire package is exciting for the county and west central Nebraska, Bruns said after the meeting. Its transformative for us in a positive way. The commissioners first rail-park vote clears the county to apply for one of five statewide port authority designations under Legislative Bill 156, passed in 2021. If the Nebraska Department of Economic Development agrees, commissioners would appoint a nine-member board to oversee day-to-day operation of the rail parks inland port district, Bruns said. Nonetheless, the county has a lot of supervision and authority in this process, which I think is key, he told his fellow commissioners. DED leaders are expected to formally open the port authority application process in about a week, he said later. We meet all the criteria that LB 156 laid out for getting one, Bruns said. Really, theres no one else in Nebraska who can pull this off as well as we can. Mondays second vote authorized Bruns and Deputy County Attorney Tyler Volkmer to work toward the $4.5 million purchase of the Greenbrier plant. It opened in 2011 but shut down in spring 2020 as COVID-19 prompted the railcar servicing firm to consolidate its operations in Kansas City. Funds for the purchase would come from the countys as-yet-unallocated $6.8 million share of federal pandemic aid under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. Greenbriers 34 acres sit in the middle of the rail parks intended location stretching east from Hersheys village limits and mostly between U.S. 30 and the railroad. It would serve the best interests of the rail park if it could be the catalyst for moving things in and out, said Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp. The chamber holds five-year purchase options for the entire rail park with Greenbrier and landowners Dennis Steffes and R.B. Miller, Person said. Thats important for county residents to know, Commissioner Joe Hewgley said. This is not a condemnation process. These are willing sellers and willing buyers. Office space accounts for 5,000 square feet of the Greenbrier building, Bruns said. The rest would be used for U.S. Customs Service inspections of incoming and outgoing shipments, assuming the rail park also is designated a foreign trade zone. Inland port authorities serve as logistics and distribution hubs handling goods involved in international trade, like their counterparts on the U.S. coasts. By handling customs inspections as well, they also enable local agribusiness and manufacturing producers to better avoid shipping congestion at coastal harbors, Person said. Commissioner Michaela Wuehler, a longtime employee at North Plattes UPS center, said the worldwide shipping concern regularly moves packages through an inland port authority in Chicago. It helps us moving packages in and out immensely, she said. Using the same mechanism would be a wonderful complement to the rail park. Mondays County Board votes and last weeks securing of $30 million in state rail park matching funds should go far toward landing the major employers local leaders have been hoping for, Person said. They know your interest is more than speculative. Its firm, he told commissioners. And that makes all the difference in the world. Person said chamber leaders are engaged in talks with an anchor manufacturer that would inject $300 million to $400 million into Lincoln Countys economy by building at the rail park. That concern would process soybean oil, according to the County Boards port authority resolution. The planned Sustainable Beef LLC meatpacking plant along Newberry Access also is expected to build a refrigerated warehouse to ship out its meat via Union Pacific. Commissioner Jerry Woodruff asked Person if the county would be asked to own the entire rail park or just the intended headquarters at Greenbrier. Its the latter, Person replied. Its so critical to the rail park, and theyre motivated to sell, he said of Greenbrier. We didnt want something to happen to that facility that wouldnt complement what were trying to do. The purchase will be immensely valuable to the county, Commissioner Kent Weems said, because it includes an already existing U.P. spur and switch to the mainline just west of Bailey Yard. Weems said the railroad usually charges $1 million apiece to install switches for rail customers. One more switch may be needed at the parks east end, Person said. With Greenbriers spur in hand, additional spurs can be built off it to other rail-park businesses. Bruns said. The county also can charge user fees for the switch, Weems said, helping to offset property tax income lost when the countys purchase takes the site off the tax rolls. Greenbriers listed $4.5 million purchase price, Person said, roughly equals the propertys current taxable value. Its also likely far less than what that facility is worth, Bruns said, stressing Greenbriers history of cooperating with local leaders during and after the factorys decade of operation. And its an ideal use of Lincoln Countys ARPA funds to benefit the most people in the county and region, Wuehler said. After the meeting, Bruns said the county will set aside a total of $5.2 million of its ARPA share for the Greenbrier purchase and associated costs. Much of the remaining $1.6 million, he said, will go to the county roads department to restock materials and replace aging road equipment. Local nonprofits and food pantries also will have the chance for grants from the countys ARPA pool, Bruns said. Commissioners supported the pantries with some of its funds from earlier rounds of federal COVID-19 aid. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Lake Maloney resident made a 911 call and said two injured and intoxicated teenagers came to his door and told him they had driven their vehicle into the canal. UPDATED, June 29, 2022, 12:05 pm: The original version of this story included a weblink from the Nebraska Public Service Commission press release that incorrectly depicted eligible reserve auction areas in western Nebraska. The locations below have been corrected accordingly. *** LINCOLN The Nebraska Public Service Commission will launch a reverse auction Aug. 8 designed to direct state funds toward filling gaps in rural broadband coverage statewide. Successful bidders will receive shares of more than $13 million in available money from the states Universal Service Fund, the PSC said in a Tuesday press release. Dan Watermeier, chairman of the five-member elected commission, said the reverse auction offers another tool to get broadband into our rural areas. A reverse auction generally begins with each bidding unit receiving a starting price. During successive rounds, the price for the bidding unit is lowered until a winning bidder emerges, the PSC said. Eligible areas in western Nebraska include scattered locations in southeast Custer, northeast Dawson, eastern Gosper, eastern Red Willow and southern and eastern Furnas counties. No Panhandle areas are included. A pre-auction application form is available on the PSC website for eligible entities wanting to take part in the reverse auction. Pre-applications must be submitted electronically to psc.nusf@nebraska.gov no later than 5 p.m. July 15. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. For those who love country music, in my mind, there is no better country concert Id rather see than Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives who graced the stage June 23, 2022, at the beautiful Brown Country Music Center in Nashville, Indiana. As one of the band members said we finally made it to Nashville, which got big applause from the audience. The music, one of the tightest bands out there, and the audience all wrapped together for an amazing show that would make Country proud and those that love surf music happy as well. On this night Stuart was celebrating the release of his 18th album Way Out West a tribute to California and the American West. And as with any great band, the Fabulous Superlatives were by his side, with guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson and the newest member, bassist Chris Scruggs. Martys set included La Tingo Tango, Sitting Alone, Matches, Country Got a Hold on Me (sung by Cousin Kenny Vaughn), Hot Like That and the Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd (sung by Handsome Harry Stinson), Brain Cloudy Blues (sung by Chris Scruggs) and many more. Marty Stuart has played with so many of the greats over the years which is likely why he feels compelled to carry on that legacy and why that makes his concerts the best of the best. Lester Flatt saw something in me and gave me his wisdom, wit, and music. Johnny Cash was my best friend. But all of that doesnt come for free. The job is to pass it along, says Stuart. Thats the way its supposed to be in country music." If you ever get a chance to see these guys, you will not be disappointed. Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5458.jpg Cousin Kenny Vaughn 2022 Mark Sheldon-5483.jpg Chris Scruggs 2022 Mark Sheldon-5968.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5535.jpg Kenny Vaughn 2022 Mark Sheldon-5647.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5923.jpg Harry Stinson 2022 Mark Sheldon-5786.jpg Harry Stinson, Marty Stuart and Chris Scruggs 2022 Mark Sheldon-6020.jpg Kenny Vaughn 2022 Mark Sheldon-5811.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5354.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5381.jpg Kenny Vaughn and Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-1000801.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5300.jpg Kenny Vaughn, Harry Stinson, Marty Stuart and Chris Scruggs 2022 Mark Sheldon-6042.jpg Marty Stuart 2022 Mark Sheldon-5716.jpg Marty Stuart and Chris Scruggs 2022 Mark Sheldon-5845.jpg Marty Stuart, Kenny Vaughn, Harry Stinson and Chris Scruggs 2022 Mark Sheldon-5975.jpg 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. Under China's newly-updated COVID-19 control protocol, close contacts and inbound travelers will be under medical observation in isolation at designated sites for seven days plus three days of in-home health monitoring. This is an obvious length cut compared with 14 days of medical observation in isolation at designated sites plus seven days of health monitoring at home stipulated by the previous edition of the protocol. Also according to the ninth edition of the protocol released Tuesday, individuals deemed to have had close contact with COVID-19 close contacts will face seven days of medical observation under home quarantine, instead of seven days of medical observation in isolation at designated sites. Under the new protocol, China will increase the frequency of nucleic acid tests for individuals with direct contact with inbound travelers, goods and environments to one time a day. The January 6 hearings have two basic functions. The first is to reveal, to the degree it is possible, as much as can be uncovered about Donald Trumps efforts to negate the 2020 election result and remain in office. The second is to expose the allies who are, in one way or another, complicit in his crime. On both counts, the committee is delivering. Tuesdays hearings produced numerous revelations. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows and a first- or secondhand witness to the coup attempt, deepened Trumps complicity in the insurrection. She testified that Trump instructed Meadows to call Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, two aides who were connected to the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, the main paramilitary organizations that directed the violence; that Trump, after being told his supporters were bringing weapons to his rally, told the Secret Service to remove the metal detectors because theyre not here to hurt me; and that Trump was so desperate to join the march on the Capitol that he actually assaulted a Secret Service agent when he was denied on security grounds. At this point, even with the hearings in progress, it seems safe to rate this as the greatest political scandal in American history. This is true when measured by its depth (the lengths the perpetrators were willing to go extended to the violent overthrow of the U.S. government) as well as its breadth (the guilty parties included elected officials, lawyers, foot soldiers, and, of course, the president of the United States). It is all the more striking, then, that the Republican Party stance was, and is, that none of this should be investigated. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell opposed the formation of the commission. (After careful consideration, Ive made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January 6th, he announced on the Senate floor last year.) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appointed a collection of Trump lackeys. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to seat two of them Jims Jordan and Banks on the grounds that they were personally implicated in the investigation, McCarthy ordered his entire caucus to boycott the hearings. Republicans have responded to the stream of revelations by dismissing them as boring and partisan. Their party-controlled media have either ignored the hearings, engaged in frantic whataboutism, or supplied talking points to distract from the damning news. They have turned against the only members of their party willing to participate in the hearings, branding them as traitors. This in turn has sent a message to every staffer privy to the coup who is contemplating the choice to share what they know or stick to the omerta. The future in Republican politics belongs to those who do not betray Trump. They may not be required to pledge open obedience to him, but silence is far safer for their careers as Republicans than testifying against Trump is. Republicans could have made cooperating with the committee the safe choice. Instead, they have made it dangerous. Republicans probably justify all this as simple partisan logic. If you are able to conceive of events only in terms of political benefit, then the function of the hearings is to hurt Republicans; therefore, the Republican task is to engage in damage control. But this is precisely the kind of rank partisanship that carried most of the party along with Trump through, and past, his reelection campaign. It brought him within a fraction of a percent of the vote of winning a second term and let his postelection coup attempt come harrowingly close, at minimum, to provoking a violent crisis. After Trump refused to accept the election outcome, a Republican aide infamously said, What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? It was an astonishing quote even then. January 6 revealed how dangerous that mentality is. The partys response to the hearings reveals that this mentality has not changed. Photo: Caroline Tompkins/The New York Times On a recent evening, journalist Patrick Radden Keefe was in his home office in Westchester County, toying with a story idea that involved the Russian mafia. Before calling it a day, he printed a trove of related documents and left them in a stack on his printer tray. When he returned the next morning, he found that someone had taken one of the pages a picture of a dead body inscribed with a threatening message in Cyrillic letters and placed it on his desk. The culprit had added a single word to the page: No. As a staff writer at The New Yorker, Keefe has written about all kinds of disreputable figures an international arms broker, hackers, a dubious diamond dealer, a mass shooter, and the Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, to name just a few and this wasnt the first time someone had tried to get him to beg off a story. While working on Empire of Pain, his 2021 book about the Sackler familys role in the opioid epidemic, Keefe came to believe the family had hired an investigator to intimidate him by loitering outside his home. This time, however, the intimidation campaign was coming from inside the house. Every time he tells me a new story idea, I feel like I have a miniheart attack. Oh jeez, another litigious asshole or murderous criminal? Cant you do a celebrity profile or something? says Keefes wife, Justyna Gudzowska, an attorney who specializes in international financial-crime policy. Patrick is intrigued by all of the bad guys. Keefe insists that his predisposition toward bad guys is not a point of tension in his marriage, but his new book, Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks (Doubleday), is proof of his nearly undivided focus on scoundrels. After the enormous success of Empire of Pain and 2018s Say Nothing, a murder procedural set against the backdrop of the Troubles in Ireland, Keefes latest is a collection of 12 stories drawn from his work at The New Yorker and a reminder of his command of the magazine thriller. I need a story about people. I always start from the ground up. There may be some kind of particular 30,000-foot phenomenon thats interesting, but I have to find an anecdotal way into it, Keefe says, sitting on a bench in Tompkins Square Park on a recent sunny afternoon. Im often thinking about these kinds of questions of the specific and the universal and to what degree can we empathize with people even if theyve done awful things. The appetite for stories about people who do awful things has never been higher. Magazines have embraced the era of true crime with cash-starved glossies selling the rights to 8,000-word, already fact-checked features to streaming services. There is peril in that bargain: Narratives sometimes read as if theyve been engineered for Netflix; vulnerable sources, who are often victims, can feel exploited; and lurid storytelling can romanticize, or absolve, criminals. But Keefes work is mindful of the havoc his subjects unleash on their victims, their families, and the institutions around them. In his hands, an abyss becomes a mirror. You end up learning what is the vulnerability or the vanity of the culture that got taken in by this person or that allowed this criminal to triumph or prosper. Thats why I feel like his work, admittedly emerging during a time when there is a grifting-journalism economy, stands out as singular, says Daniel Zalewski, Keefes longtime editor at The New Yorker. Keefe has a natural tendency to key in on his subjects family lives as a means of interrogating their motives. In Rogues, nowhere does that tendency serve a story better than in the case of Amy Bishop, a disgruntled former science professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, who killed three colleagues and injured three others in a 2010 mass shooting. Years before her rampage, when Bishop was 21, shed shot and killed her 18-year-old brother. Keefe tirelessly reported on that time period, making trips to Bishops hometown of Braintree, Massachusetts. His reporting pointed to a theory that Bishops parents had called their sons murder an accident instead of facing the horror of fratricide. Keefe landed a series of interviews with Bishops parents, Judy and Sam, and laid out his theory for them. I was able to home in on some of the inconsistencies in Judys story. But, of course, I didnt feel any sense of triumph. Cruel is the wrong word. I felt great empathy, because I felt these were two people who, in order to survive, had constructed a universe of denial. And there I was poking holes in that edifice, Keefe says. They called me the night before the piece came out. It had been through fact-checking already. Sam said, We want you to know that whatever happens with the piece, were really glad that we told our story to you. Which meant the world to me. The next day, the piece came out, and they havent spoken to me since. While Rogues represents 15 years of magazine writing, its Keefes relatively recent work that launched him to a level of success few journalists ever reach. Say Nothing was a New York Times best-seller and optioned as a limited series on FX. In the spring of 2020, as the U.S. went into lockdown, Keefe released Wind of Change, an eight-episode podcast in which he investigated the mysterious origins of the Cold Warera anthem of the same name by glam-metal band the Scorpions. It was picked up by Hulu. A year later, Keefe published Empire of Pain, which also quickly became a New York Times best-seller. At 46, Keefe is tall and lean with a sharp nose and a trimmed thicket of salt-and-pepper hair. Hes painstakingly affable a manner that surely serves him well as a reporter. Were eating chicken sandwiches from a trendy Indian restaurant Keefe was eager to try. A self-described dedicated eater, he doesnt have much time to explore the citys culinary delights these days thanks to two young sons, work, and the promotional obligations that come with literary fame. He has just come from a podcast interview about Empire of Pain and, in 48 hours, hell be on a plane to the Maldives for the Jaipur Literature Festival, which is being held at a five-star resort there. His books have earned Keefe awards, a spot on late-night TV couches, shout-outs from A-list celebrities, and the chance to testify before Congress. Ive heard that he no longer fields blurb requests from fellow authors, because there are simply too many. Its ridiculous, he says of the Maldives trip. Next month, Im going to Ireland and doing a bunch of speaking. I could never have imagined, until a few years ago, saying no to that kind of opportunity. But Ive had to start saying no to stuff, because the last thing I want to do is keep running a victory lap for work that came out over a year ago. Keefe grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the son of an urban planner and a professor of philosophy. After undergrad at Columbia, Keefe went to Cambridge and the London School of Economics. Even as he was collecting masters degrees unrelated to journalism, Keefe always knew where he wanted to end up. Working at The New Yorker was always his dream job, says Gudzowska, who also studied at Cambridge and LSE. I found this incredibly pretentious when I met him, but we were living in the U.K. together and hed find the newsstands that got The New Yorker earlier than the other newsstands and insist on going there as soon as the issue came out. After England, Keefe and Gudzowska enrolled at Yale Law School, where Keefe took a year off to write his first book, Chatter, about the U.S.-eavesdropping-surveillance network. In 2006, the same year Chatter was published, Keefe sold his first story to The New Yorker, about Sister Ping, a prolific human smuggler in Chinatown, which Keefe would expand into his second book, The Snakehead. He sent in a pitch, and it was so strong that I immediately agreed to work with him, said Zalewski. What was clear was that he could see that it was a crime operation, but that he was most interested in the complex motivations that had led her to embark on this endeavor to both help and exploit her community. It was that awareness of the double edge that caught my eye. If there is a cinematic quality to Keefes work, thats because he plainly admits to drawing inspiration from the structure, pacing, and reveals in movies. When Keefe flew to Paris to interview an HSBC computer technician hed pitched to his editors as the Edward Snowden of Swiss banking, he quickly realized he was sitting across from a compulsive liar. At first, Keefe thought he needed to scuttle the story, because he couldnt build a feature around such an unreliable subject. Then he remembered The Informant!, a 2009 Matt Damon film about a disastrous FBI source, and it inspired him to lean into the unreliability of his subject. While trying to make it as a magazine writer, Keefe briefly worked as a Hollywood screenwriter, adapting a Jo Nesb novel for Channing Tatum and writing a script about Somali pirates for Jerry Bruckheimer. (It is a mercy to the world that that didnt get made and Captain Phillips did, he says.) Back at Tompkins Square Park, Keefe is finishing the last few bites of his sandwich before getting back to work on a story about a CIA hacker on trial for allegedly leaking a massive cache of files to WikiLeaks. Before leaving, I ask whether he regrets any part of his interviews with Bishops parents. I wouldnt change a thing, he says. Its a thing that I wrestle with not so much ethically but emotionally. Its the Janet Malcolm thing, right? When you sit down to write, if you are pulling punches on behalf of the people youre writing about, youre not doing your job. There may be a necessary and inescapable cruelty in that. Which emotionally is hard for me but, professionally, I feel fine with. LONDON, June 29, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Akanda Corp. ("Akanda" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: AKAN), an international medical cannabis platform company, today announced that its UK import and distribution wholly-owned subsidiary CanMart Ltd. ("CanMart") has partnered with Phlo Connect and Cellen Life Sciences ("Cellen") to create a first-of-its-kind fully digital dispensing collaboration for medical cannabis. The strategic partnership strengthens CanMarts existing partnership with Cellens digital Leva Clinic and expands its route to market in the UK with a dispensing model that is also fully digital while at the same time improving the experience for UK medical cannabis patients. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005777/en/ Phlo Connect integrates digitally with CanMart, Akandas UK-based, fully licensed pharmaceutical importer and distributor, to quickly and conveniently deliver prescriptions to patients throughout the United Kingdom (Photo: Business Wire) Phlo Connect integrates digitally with CanMart, Akandas UK-based, fully licensed pharmaceutical importer and distributor, to quickly and conveniently deliver prescriptions to patients throughout the United Kingdom. Initially, patients will secure prescriptions through the Leva Clinic, with product transferred through CanMart to Phlo Connect. Patients can then schedule delivery to their home or office. Phlo Connect is the UKs leading API driven digital pharmacy infrastructure provider that seamlessly connects prescribers, pharmacies and patients for an end-to-end digital experience. Phlo Connect offers a 120-minute delivery service in London and Birmingham and next-day delivery across the UK. This process will be increasingly seamless for patients in the near future as Phlo Connect, Leva Clinic, and CanMart build additional digital interconnections. "Akanda is committed to expanding access to high quality products for anyone in need, and that is qualified in the United Kingdom, a growing market for medical cannabis," commented Tej Virk, CEO of Akanda. "Phlo Connect and Cellen are the ideal partners to make this happen, combining the UKs first fully digital pharmacy with a digital dispensing model that is easy to use, secure, and real-time. Patients can arrange a specialist consultation at www.levaclinic.com and seamlessly connect to Phlo Connects smartphone app to arrange medical cannabis delivery. In the nascent UK medical cannabis market, patients currently suffer from excess friction as the prescription process, and last mile delivery is disjointed. We firmly believe that our solution is the best way to satisfy patients and get our 1P and 3P-supplied medical cannabis in their hands quickly and conveniently, which will greatly improve the patient experience." Story continues "We believe partnering with CanMart and Cellen will be a game-changer for medicinal cannabis patients here in the UK. By integrating with both CanMart and Cellen via our API driven pharmacy platform, we believe that this partnership is the first truly end to end digital experience for medicinal cannabis patients in the UK," commented Adam Hunter, CCO of Phlo Connect. Added Eric Bystrom, CEO of Cellen, "Our patients require access to new high-quality products without the friction and hassle of traditional dispensing services. This partnership is another example of our continuing efforts to build on our national, established relationships with the wider pharmaceutical community in innovative ways. We believe that CanMarts access to high quality products as well as Phlo Connect's extensive capabilities in dispensing will go a long way to helping our service to our patients." The digital dispensing solution is now live. Patients interested in exploring the program should visit www.levaclinic.com to book a free call with one of our specialists. The partnership with Phlo Connect builds on CanMarts existing partnership with Cellen, a health tech company that provides treatment to chronic pain patients through its digital pain clinic, Leva Clinic, as well as through partners including the NHS, Boots and others. The Leva Clinic, regulated by the Care Quality Commission ("CQC"), is one of the first fully digital pain clinics in the UK. Through a multi-disciplinary clinical team of expert clinicians, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists and nurse consultants, the Leva Clinic supports patients through personalized online care plans. Cellen is also a medical cannabis supplier to Project Twenty21, the large-scale medical cannabis observational study monitored by Drug Science that aims to improve access to medical cannabis for those in need. Corporate Update As previously announced, Harvinder Singh, Mohsen Rahimi, Jatinder Dhaliwal and Katharyn Field joined Akandas board of directors (the "Board"), effective June 23, 2022. Each of these new directors brings with them a unique perspective within high growth industries pertaining to supply chain, pharmaceuticals and regulatory measures. Tej Virk continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Company and as part of the five-member Board. Concluded Virk, "Along with the rest of the Akanda management team, we wanted to extend our gratitude to the former directors for their contributions to our business. The many contributions of our prior Board members were critical in enabling us to reach this inflection point. As we increase our focus on the European market, and near-term opportunities, our new directors bring relevant backgrounds and relationships. Management is excited to collaborate with the new Board to achieve profitable growth. We have never been more confident in Akandas future." About Akanda Corp. Akanda is an international medical cannabis and wellness platform company seeking to help people lead better lives through improved access to high quality and affordable products. Akandas portfolio includes Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness, a GACP qualified cultivation campus in the Kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa; Holigen, a Portugal-based cultivator, manufacturer and distributor with a prized EU GMP certified indoor grow facility; and CanMart, a UK-based fully licensed pharmaceutical importer and distributor which supplies pharmacies and clinics within the UK. The Companys seed-to-patient supply chain also includes partnerships with Cellen Life Sciences Leva Clinic, one of the first fully digital pain clinics in the UK, and Cantourage, which operates a platform for bringing medical cannabis to Europe. Connect with Akanda: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram About Phlo Phlo Connect is an API driven pharmacy infrastructure platform that partners with other healthcare providers to offer a seamless end to end digital pharmacy experience. Leveraging a network of pharmacies, Phlo offers on-demand delivery of prescriptions at a time and place which suits the patient. You can find out more about Phlos infrastructure platform at www.phloconnect.com and its on-demand pharmacy service at www.wearephlo.com. Connect with Phlo: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram About Cellen Cellen is a UK based healthcare innovation company, improving the health and wellbeing of people living with chronic pain with a focus on Medical Cannabis access. Founded in 2019 by Eric Bystrom and Dr. Benjamin Viaris de Lesegno, Cellen is building integrated solutions to manage chronic pain by combining clinical care, innovation and real-world evidence generation. In November 2020, Cellen launched Leva Clinic, the UK's first Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered online pain clinic. Leva Clinic provides pain management services to the NHS and Boots UK customers. Cellen was selected as UK Department of International Trade's 25 'One's to Watch' for Digital Health, was named a finalist for Tech Nations Diversity and Inclusion Award 2021, and was awarded Outstanding for Well-Led by the CQC in 2022. Connect with Cellen: Email | Website | Twitter | Instagram Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press 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 Akanda's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Akanda'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", 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 may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to business strategy, product development, market changes and sales and growth plans. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Akanda 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005777/en/ Contacts Investor: Matt Chesler, CFA FNK IR ir@akandacorp.com Media: United States: Annie Grant Allison + Partners akanda@allisonpr.com Europe: Imogen Saunders Irvine Partners imogen@irvinepartners.co.uk Basilea Pharmaceutica AG Ceftobiprole met primary and secondary efficacy endpoints Basilea plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) in the U.S. around year end 2022 Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Basel, Switzerland, June 28, 2022 Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today positive topline results for the phase 3 ERADICATE study, evaluating ceftobiprole in the treatment of adult patients with bacterial bloodstream infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (SAB).1 Basilea is planning to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for ceftobiprole to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) around year end 2022. In accordance with the agreed Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), Basilea will seek approval for SAB and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection (ABSSSI) indications based on the successfully completed ERADICATE study and the TARGET phase 3 study2, which was successfully completed in patients with ABSSSI in 2019. In addition, the company will explore the possibility for gaining approval for a third indication based on a previously performed phase 3 study in community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP).3 Dr. Marc Engelhardt, Chief Medical Officer, stated: The successful completion of the ERADICATE study is an exceptional achievement. ERADICATE is the largest double-blinded randomized study conducted of a new antibiotic treatment in SAB. The positive results underline the potent activity of ceftobiprole for treating serious bacterial infections. Achieving this important milestone enables us to proceed with a regulatory filing. Ceftobiprole would be the first beta-lactam antibiotic approved in the U.S. for the treatment of SAB caused by methicillin-susceptible or methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, addressing important medical needs. Thomas Holland, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and chair of the ERADICATE Data Review Committee said: This is a landmark study in an area with a high need to provide new treatments to patients. Complicated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections are common and associated with high morbidity and significant mortality and available antibiotic treatment options are limited, especially when methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is involved. The ERADICATE study provides strong support for the efficacy and safety of ceftobiprole in complicated SAB. This large phase 3 study included patients with a wide spectrum of underlying complications, underscoring its broad applicability to routine clinical practice. Story continues The ERADICATE study enrolled 390 patients with complicated SAB, including right-sided endocarditis. Ceftobiprole met the pre-specified efficacy objective of overall success in the modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population at 70 days after randomization, assessed by an independent Data Review Committee, within the pre-specified non-inferiority margin of 15% compared to daptomycin, with or without aztreonam. The overall success rate was 69.8% with ceftobiprole compared to 68.7% with daptomycin, with or without aztreonam. The statistically adjusted difference between ceftobiprole and the comparator group was 2.0% (95% confidence interval: -7.1% to 11.1%). Initial subgroup analyses showed no significant differences between the two treatment groups. Ceftobiprole was well tolerated and the observed safety profile was consistent with previous phase 3 studies and the post-marketing experience with ceftobiprole. In the ERADICATE study the overall rate of adverse events was similar between the two treatment groups. As expected, gastrointestinal side effects were more frequent with ceftobiprole. Basilea plans to submit the full data from this study for presentation at an upcoming scientific conference. Ceftobiprole was designated a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) by the FDA for SAB, ABSSSI and CABP. Therefore, if approved, ceftobiprole would be eligible to receive ten years of market exclusivity in the U.S. from the date of approval. The U.S. represents the most important commercial market for ceftobiprole, with Basileas estimate ranging from 80 to 90 percent of the global potential. Basileas ceftobiprole phase 3 program is funded in part (up to USD 134.2 million, which is approximately 70% of the total potential program costs) with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under contract number HHSO100201600002C. Conference call and webcast Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. will host a conference call and webcast today, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at 4 p.m. (CEST), to discuss the ERADICATE topline results. Via audio webcast with presentation The live audio webcast of the presentation of the results can be followed here: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=28DAz4AN. Please note that there is no function to ask questions via webcast. For questions, please additionally dial in via phone (see below). Via phone To listen by phone and ask questions, please use the dial-in details below. To ensure prompt access, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. +41 (0) 58 310 5000 (Europe and RoW) +1 (1) 866 291 4166 (USA) +44 (0) 207 107 0613 (U.K.) Replay The webcast, along with the presentation will be available online shortly after the event and accessible for three months. About ceftobiprole Ceftobiprole medocaril, the prodrug of the active moiety ceftobiprole, is a cephalosporin antibiotic for intravenous administration, with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This includes methicillin-susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA) and susceptible Pseudomonas spp.4 The brand is currently approved and marketed as Zevtera and Mabelio in a number of countries in Europe and beyond. Basilea has entered into license and distribution agreements in Europe, Eurasian countries, Latin America, China, Canada, Israel, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. About the ceftobiprole phase 3 program The ERADICATE study1 was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter phase 3 study, which enrolled 390 patients with SAB and compared the safety and efficacy of intravenous ceftobiprole medocaril with intravenous daptomycin plus optional intravenous aztreonam for coverage of Gram-negative pathogens. Patients were enrolled at more than 50 study centers in Eastern and Central Europe, Israel, Latin America, the Republic of South Africa, and the U.S. The TARGET study2 was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter phase 3 study, which enrolled 679 patients with ABSSSI and compared the safety and efficacy of intravenous ceftobiprole medocaril with intravenous vancomycin plus intravenous aztreonam. The study was conducted at more than 30 clinical centers in the U.S. and Europe. The two phase 3 studies were conducted under Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreements with the U.S. FDA. About Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is a leading cause of bloodstream infections, responsible for a broad variety of complications and has been associated with significant morbidity and a mortality of 20 to 40%.5, 6 Several studies have demonstrated that MRSA bacteremia is associated with a significantly higher mortality rate compared with MSSA bacteremia.7, 8 Infections of the inner lining of the heart or heart valves (infective endocarditis) and bone infections (osteomyelitis) are common complications of SAB. About Basilea Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the needs of patients with bacterial and fungal infections. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of severe bacterial infections. In addition, we have several preclinical anti-infective assets in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com. Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information, please contact: Peer Nils Schroder, PhD Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd, Allschwil Hegenheimermattweg 167b 4123 Allschwil Switzerland Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com investor_relations@basilea.com This ad hoc announcement can be downloaded from www.basilea.com. References ERADICATE: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03138733 K. Hamed, M. Engelhardt, M. E. Jones et al. Ceftobiprole versus daptomycin in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a novel protocol for a double-blind, Phase III trial. Future Microbiology. 2020 (1), 35-48 TARGET: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03137173 J. S. Overcash, C. Kim, R. Keech R et al. Ceftobiprole Compared With Vancomycin Plus Aztreonam in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections: Results of a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind Trial (TARGET). Clinical Infectious Diseases 2021 (73), e1507-e1517 S. C. Nicholson, T. Welte, T. M. File Jr. et al. A randomised, double-blind trial comparing ceftobiprole medocaril with ceftriaxone with or without linezolid for the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 2021 (39), 240-246 Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) Zevtera: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/9164/smpc [Accessed: June 27, 2022] A. G. Jensen, C. H. Wachmann, F. Espersen et al. Treatment and outcome of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a prospective study of 278 cases. Archives of Internal Medicine 2002 (162), 25-32 J.-L. Wang, S.-Y. Chen, J.-T. Wang et al. Comparison of both clinical features and mortality risk associated with bacteremia due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2008 (46), 799-806 S. I. Blot, K. H. Vandewoude, E. A. Hoste et al. Outcome and attributable mortality in critically ill patients with bacteremia involving methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Archives of Internal Medicine 2002 (162), 2229-2235 S. E. Cosgrove, G. Sakoulas, E. N. Perencevich et al. Comparison of mortality associated with methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a meta-analysis. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2003 (36), 53-59 Attachment Rapid Medical and MicroPort NeuroTech Join Forces to Pair Premium Numen Coil with the de Novo Comaneci Coil-Assist Device YOKNEAM, Israel & MIAMI, June 28, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rapid Medical, a leading developer of advanced neurovascular devices, announces the expansion of its portfolio in the United States and the first Numen coil embolization procedure. Rapid Medical now has an exclusive distribution agreement with MicroPort NeuroTech, a subsidiary of MicroPort Scientific Corporation. MircoPorts global presence offers nearly 300 medical solutions to patients in more than 80 countries and generates over $780 M in annual revenue. "The Numen coils are extremely soft and take the shape of the anatomy very well," describes Dr. Ajit Puri, who completed the procedure at UMASS Memorial Hospital in Worcester, MA. "The reliability from shape to detachment is exactly what we are looking for when choosing a coil." The Numen Coil Embolization System showed excellent results in a 350-patient, prospective head-to-head study against one of the market-leading coils1. In the trial, the Numen coil demonstrated 91.2% successful long-term occlusion at 6 months and comparable mortality and serious adverse events. These results are particularly noteworthy since the Numen coils are generally longer and may need fewer coils to achieve the same packing density. "We are excited to expand our portfolio for treating brain aneurysms with the addition of the Numen Coil Embolization System," comments James Romero, President, Americas of Rapid Medical. "The combination of our de Novo Comaneci device and the Numen coil expands physicians capabilities to treat complex aneurysms with one of the safest and most effective modalities availableComaneci-assisted coil embolization." "This strategic partnership leverages the strengths of both companies and our respective products," says Bruce Wang, Executive Director and Executive Vice President of MicroPort NeuroTech and Rapid Medical board member. "By working together, we can offer physicians superior options for successful outcomes." Story continues About Rapid Medical Rapid Medical develops the premier, responsive interventional devices for neurovascular diseases such as ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Utilizing novel manufacturing techniques, Rapid Medicals products are remotely adjustable and fully visible. This enables physicians to respond in real-time to the intravascular environment and have greater control over procedural outcomes. TIGERTRIEVER17 and 21, COMANECI, and COLUMBUS/DRIVEWIRE are CE marked and FDA cleared. TIGERTRIEVER13 and XL are also CE marked. More information is available at www.rapid-medical.com. 1 Zhao R, Duan G, Yang P, et al. Endovascular Aneurysm Treatment with the Numen Coil Embolization System: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Open-Label Multicenter Noninferiority Trial in China. World Neurosurg. 2022;160:e23-e32. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2021.11.067 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005724/en/ Contacts Ronen Eckhouse +972-72-2503331 ronen@rapid-medical.com Figure 1: Troia Target Plan Map, highlighting trench locations and assays. Figure 1: Troia Target Plan Map, highlighting trench locations and assays. Figure 2: Photographs from trenching at the Troia Target, highlighting chromitite reef horizons and chromite-rich ultramafics. Figure 2: Photographs from trenching at the Troia Target, highlighting chromitite reef horizons and chromite-rich ultramafics. Figure 3a: Trench TR22TR02 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. Figure 3a: Trench TR22TR02 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. Figure 3b: Trench TR22CC01 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. Figure 3b: Trench TR22CC01 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ValOre Metals Corp. (ValOre; TSXV: VO; OTC: KVLQF; Frankfurt: KEQ0, the Company) today announced trench channel sample assay results from the Troia target (Troia) at ValOres 100%-owned Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (PGE, 2PGE+Au) Project (Pedra Branca) in northeastern Brazil. Our geological team continues to deliver at the Pedra Branca palladium-platinum project. Troia joins Ipueiras and Galante East in our pipeline of drill-ready targets, stated ValOres V.P. of Exploration, Colin Smith. The trench results at the Troia target confirm the presence of in-situ PGE mineralization intercepted in previously reported Trado auger drilling and rock sampling and demonstrate potential continuity of the target chromite-bearing ultramafic rocks over 600 m along trend. Mineralization and the target ultramafic intrusion remain fully open at depth and warrant follow-up core or RC drilling. Troia Trenching Highlights: Six of seven trenches returned significant intervals of PGE mineralization at surface, including: 42 metres (m) grading 0.87 grams per tonne palladium + platinum + gold (g/t 2PGE+Au), including 10 m grading 1.72 g/t 2PGE+Au in trench TR22TR04; 28 m grading 0.91 g/t 2PGE+Au , including 12 m grading 1.73 g/t 2PGE+Au in trench TR22TR01; 26 m grading 0.82 g/t 2PGE+Au in trench TR22TR02; 16 m grading 1.30 g/t 2PGE+Au in trench TR22CC01. Troia Target Exploration Program ValOre conducted detailed geological mapping and prospecting along the 1-km-long anomalous trend at Troia, a target located 4.5 km north-northeast of Massape (129,000 oz 2PGE+Au grading 1.21 g/t in 3.31 Mt) and 8 km north of Trapia (885,000 oz 2PGE+Au grading 0.96 g/t in 27.8 Mt). The trend was subsequently followed up with 72 Trado auger holes totaling 206 m, with ultramafics (UM) encountered in 19 Trado holes. Story continues PGE assays previously reported from Trado auger drilling and rock sampling, which included 23.01 g/t 2PGE+Au and 12.00 g/t 2PGE+Au (CLICK HERE for news release dated April 25, 2022), warranted follow-up trenching along 600 m of geological trend to confirm the presence of in-situ PGE mineralization. Seven trenches were excavated (400 m total length), with all exposing UM and UM-derived rock continuity along strike, including chromite-rich UMs of significant thickness in the central trenches, TR22TR01 to TR22TR04, and in the northern trench, TR22CC01. See Figure 1 below for a detailed plan map of the Troia target, Figure 2 for photographs of the Troia trenching program, and Figures 3a-3b for cross sections (trenches TR22TR02 and TR22CC01). Trench mapping and assays indicate a strong potential for continuity between the northern trench (TR22CC01) and the main zone (trenches TR22TR01 to TR22TR006), despite the lack of surface exposure in between. Detailed follow-up mapping and prospecting has commenced to further investigate this gap zone. Table 1: Trenching Highlights for Troia Target Trench ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) 2PGE+Au (g/t) Interval Summary* TR22TR01 15 43 28 0.91 28 m grading 0.91 g/t 2PGE+Au incl. 12 m grading 1.73 g/t 2PGE+Au 16 28 12 1.73 TR22TR02 19 45 26 0.82 26 m grading 0.82 g/t 2PGE+Au TR22TR03 10 27 17 0.61 17 m grading 0.61 g/t 2PGE+Au incl. 4 m grading 1.06 g/t 2PGE+Au 16 20 4 1.06 TR22TR04 0 42 42 0.87 42 m grading 0.87 g/t 2PGE+Au incl. 10 m grading 1.72 g/t 2PGE+Au 8 18 10 1.72 TR22TR05 5 16 11 0.20 11 m grading 0.20 g/t 2PGE+Au incl. 4 m grading 0.32 g/t 2PGE+Au 10 14 4 0.32 TR22CC01 27 43 16 1.30 16 m grading 1.30 g/t 2PGE+Au *Reported trench assay interval lengths are channel samples and estimated to represent 75-85% true width. Figure 1: Troia Target Plan Map, highlighting trench locations and assays. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14eb0b15-a56c-4231-9ee1-2c94578bf26a Figure 2: Photographs from trenching at the Troia Target, highlighting chromitite reef horizons and chromite-rich ultramafics. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7bafb4b9-0d71-491d-a47e-2e37c76965c4 Figure 3a: Trench TR22TR02 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a9115fb-6939-48f1-8888-a6dfcf96c5ac Figure 3b: Trench TR22CC01 cross section, Troia Target, highlighting geology, assays, and proximal Trado auger drilling. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9d1e6d2-01db-4aad-b6e1-56318e0a7073 About the Trado Auger and Trenching methodology CLICK HERE for more information regarding Trado Auger and Trenching methodology Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) and Grade Interval Reporting CLICK HERE for a summary of ValOres policies and procedures related to QA/QC and grade interval reporting. Qualified Person (QP) The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Colin Smith, P.Geo., ValOres QP and Vice President of Exploration. About ValOre Metals Corp. ValOre Metals Corp. (TSXV: VO) is a Canadian company with a portfolio of highquality exploration projects. ValOres team aims to deploy capital and knowledge on projects which benefit from substantial prior investment by previous owners, existence of high-value mineralization on a large scale, and the possibility of adding tangible value through exploration, process improvement, and innovation. In May 2019, ValOre announced the acquisition of the Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (PGE) property, in Brazil, to bolster its existing Angilak uranium, Genesis/Hatchet uranium and Baffin gold projects in Canada. The Pedra Branca PGE Project comprises 52 exploration licenses covering a total area of 56,852 hectares (140,484 acres) in northeastern Brazil. At Pedra Branca, 7 distinct PGE+Au deposit areas host, in aggregate, a 2022 NI 43-101 inferred resource of 2.198 Moz 2PGE+Au contained in 63.6 Mt grading 1.08 g/t 2PGE+Au (CLICK HERE for news release dated March 24, 2022). All the currently known Pedra Branca inferred PGE resources are potentially open pittable. Comprehensive exploration programs have demonstrated the "District Scale" potential of ValOres Angilak Property in Nunavut Territory, Canada that hosts the Lac 50 Trend having a current Inferred Resource of 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U3O8, totaling 43.3 million pounds U3O8. For disclosure related to the inferred resource for the Lac 50 Trend uranium deposits, please CLICK HERE for ValOre's news release dated March 1, 2013. ValOres team has forged strong relationships with sophisticated resource sector investors and partner Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) on both the Angilak and Baffin Gold Properties. ValOre was the first company to sign a comprehensive agreement to explore for uranium on Inuit Owned Lands in Nunavut Territory and is committed to building shareholder value while adhering to high levels of environmental and safety standards and proactive local community engagement. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Jim Paterson James R. Paterson, Chairman and CEO ValOre Metals Corp. For further information about ValOre Metals Corp., or this news release, please visit our website at www.valoremetals.com or contact Investor Relations at 604.653.9464, or by email at contact@valoremetals.com. ValOre Metals Corp. is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: http://www.discoverygroup.ca/ Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although ValOre believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to ValOre. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the future operations of ValOre and economic factors. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, ValOre does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ValOre undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of ValOre, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities. Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body As hospitals and clinics across the country attempted to navigate the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many things were happening in such a short amount of time. Pharmacists, including Erin McCreary, a 2015 graduate of the Harrison College of Pharmacy, and other health care workers worked tirelessly to identify treatments for struggling patients. Never one to be afraid of work, hard work, McCreary did not stand idly by. Asking questions at a crucial time, she assumed a vital leadership role within the hospital system and became a key resource in pharmacy circles across the country for COVID-19 treatment and protocols. An infectious diseases pharmacist and director of Stewardship Innovation, Infectious Disease Connect with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or UPMC, as well as a clinical assistant professor of medicine with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, McCreary noticed some trends in orders coming through the pharmacy. With so much information coming through her system, she spoke up and volunteered to coordinate the summarization and cataloging of information coming through the pharmacy. Just by asking the question, she became a pivotal leader in the health systems approach to COVID-19. That led to the first draft of our first COVID-19 treatment guideline. We started truly putting out systems and protocols and information technology support across the entire health care system: rural, critical access hospitals, community and the academic and urban areas. They were all operating under the same oversight, which was our committee, said McCreary. I went from being kind of one pharmacist at one hospital, to being the system lead pharmacist for all COVID-19 therapeutics basically by asking if anyone was writing a basic guideline. As pharmacists and physicians learned more about COVID-19 and ways to combat the disease, monoclonal antibodies became an important tool in treating those infected with COVID-19. Made for use in people already infected with it, monoclonal antibodies look for and attach to the spike protein that sticks out of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. When monoclonal antibodies attach to the spike protein, they can block the virus ability to enter cells and slow down the infection. With this treatment coming to the forefront, McCreary once again stepped to the front to lead the charge and is the lead pharmacist for the UPMC Monoclonal Antibody Network. When the antibody treatments received emergency use authorization in November 2020, McCreary and her team shifted their inpatient work to outpatient, utilizing their network to treat as many patients as possible. Monoclonal antibodies are highly effective, but they are logistically challenging to get to patients, and it takes a whole village of people to coordinate this, she said. Their success did not go unnoticed. Soon The White House was calling to find out what exactly they were doing at UPMC. They said, We have invested in all of these drugs, and people arent using them and you guys seem to have figured out how to use them, we want to help you do more of this, recalled McCreary. So, with these efforts from an incredible team of people, we were able to go from treating about 3% of all eligible patients to 35% of all eligible patients in just shy of a couple months, which is a really, really tremendous increase in access and something we are very proud of. Receiving recognition The leadership and determination shown by McCreary during such a critical time exemplifies why she was selected as the Young Alumni Achievement Award winner by the Auburn Alumni Association. I am so honored and humbled to receive this award, it still doesnt feel real, said McCreary. Im so proud to represent pharmacists and to represent women. It admittedly feels a bit odd to celebrate work related to COVID-19 since the pandemic has been such a horrible experience in so many ways; however, when I step back and think more about the systems we built, the ways we collaborated, the patients we helped and the path forged for future young female scientists, I am so proud and this award recognizes a path forward for so many more future leaders to continue this work and improve it even more. McCreary is the first graduate of the Harrison College of Pharmacy to receive the Young Alumni Achievement Award and just the second graduate in as many years to be recognized by the Auburn Alumni Association. With the valuable contributions of pharmacists, particularly during the COVID-19 era, McCreary is happy to see the spotlight shown on the meaningful work as part of patients health care teams. Pharmacists are an essential member of every patient care teamno matter the location of the patient or the specialty or medical condition requiring care, said McCreary. When we collaborate with our physician, nursing and other health care partners, we truly can design trials and build systems that optimize care while using resources judiciously. Its never too early to work hard and make a difference. Giving credit For McCreary, her interest in infectious diseases started during her second year of pharmacy school in Jack DeRuiters class. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics fascinate me, and I think one of the best parts of being a pharmacist is diving into these data for different compounds, combining that knowledge with available clinical data and optimizing dosing to a desired effect, she said. During our bugs and drugs course P2 year, I realized antimicrobials were the coolest drug class ever. I think its fascinating how the chemical structures directly relate to their spectrum of activity against various pathogens and adverse events we see in patients. Along with DeRuiter, she credits several others from the Auburn Pharmacy Family for helping her along the way. Salisa Westrick taught the research elective where she learned about writing research studies and applying for grants, and the late Anne Marie Liles was an important faculty mentor who helped McCreary and others start and grow the Equal Access Birmingham interprofessional free clinic in Birmingham. She also credits Courtney Watts Alexander and Kent Owusu, members of the HCOP Class of 2014, who taught her about residencies and getting involved with professional organizations. She also credits Brent Fox for helping her create her first Twitter account. That account now has a blue checkmark beside it, boasting nearly 15,000 followers as she has become one of the leading voices around the country regarding COVID-19 treatment. Next chapters Upon leaving Auburn, McCreary completed two years of residency work with University of Wisconsin Health, specializing in infectious diseases in her second year. Additionally, she has served as a member of the American Society for Microbiology Planning Committee and is chair of the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists, or SIDP, publications committee. She was recently elected to the executive board of SIDP and will complete a two-year term from 2021-23. Her practice interests include infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship in immunocompromised hosts, antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic optimization. Within UPMC, she chairs the COVID-19 Therapeutics Committee, which oversees writing guidelines and developing order sets for all inpatient and outpatient COVID-19 treatments across 35 hospitals and eight electronic health records. She is the pharmacy lead for two large randomized, adaptive trials: REMAP-CAP COVID-19 and OPTIMISE-C19 and leads UPMCs outpatient monoclonal antibody treatment network and 22 Evusheld administration clinics. With all the data, studies and trials, McCreary is still shocked at how complex and unique COVID-19 is, making it all the more difficult to treat. COVID-19 is phenotypically complex, meaning it presents very differently for different patients. We see patients with absolutely no symptoms and patients that die tragically, she said. It also has very heterogeneous sequela, meaning outside of respiratory symptoms, patients can present with maladies of almost every other organ system which range in severity. Finally, were just now beginning to understand the terrible consequences of Long COVID and so we will not only be trying to optimize care for acute illness for the foreseeable future, but now we are learning how to manage patients with long-term comorbidities associated with their infection. Still in her first 10 years as a professional, McCreary has seen her whole world change in a small amount of time. COVID-19 changed everything. For the past two-plus years, the majority of my work and the work of many on my teams has shifted to exclusively COVID-19, she said. We also had to learn to navigate providing clinical care and collaborating with teams almost exclusively virtually for a while, appreciate the social and mental challenges we all faced throughout the pandemic and work faster and more ready to pivot plans completely with changing information more so than ever before. The silver lining has been meeting people all throughout the health system, in various roles, as we all collaborated to improve outcomes. Nick Zano was born to play a guy called Chad Reply Thread Link Absolutely thrilled about this since I love both of them and this sounds fun. And can't wait to see Nick in a comedy again! The first thing I ever saw him in was What I Like About You, which I still adore, and he was also fantastic in LoT. And always here for more Shelley too - thrilled to see her in the Teen Wolf movie. Reply Thread Link He looks like the giga Chad Reply Thread Link His face seems very Square. Reply Thread Link This actually sounds fun to me and I will be totally high watching this, and I won't remember a damn thing about it! Reply Thread Link The only type of comedy I will accept from him is the What I like about you kind. Anything like legends and its a no. Reply Thread Link Her neck seems weird in that pic Reply Thread Link It's so weird that they chose the worst possible pictures for both of them. Reply Parent Thread Link LOL they had her pose weird!!!! She is leaning forward but tilting her head back?!?! Reply Parent Thread Link Whoever chose that pic knew exactly what they were doing lmao it's a horrible picture Reply Parent Thread Link So uppity girl has to loosen up, ugh, hate this weak and overused description. Reply Thread Link i would have let nick zano gape all of my holes back during his 'what i like about you' days. now... not so much. Reply Thread Link She is sooooo insanely gorgeous. I loved her in When We First Met. Reply Thread Link I only know Nick Zano from The Leftovers and from being engagaed to Paris Hilton. That's all I got. Eta. Ooops! I mean Chris Zylka - so I have less than nothing sorry! Edited at 2022-06-28 01:20 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I actually had such a crush on him when he was on What I Like About You. That's all I know him from though. Reply Parent Thread Link I read the description for this show and my body cringed so hard I may have formed a wormhole into another dimension - a dimension where this show does not exist. Reply Thread Link Im here for it. Didnt he date Hilary Duffs sister for a while? Reply Thread Link so that's where pete from happy endings ended up Reply Thread Link Alexander got inside her house and up to the locked door of her bedroom while Spears was inside. What in the actual fuck. Her former security team should also go on trial for incompetence and endangerment of their client. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened had she not locked that door. Edited at 2022-06-28 11:34 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Pleading not guilty to the crimes I livestreamed Reply Thread Link January 6th taught him! Reply Parent Thread Link wasn't this creepy at January 6 too? ugh Reply Thread Link Were they ever legitimately dating or were they just friends who got married in Vegas? I get this marriage confused with Nikki Hilton's Vegas one. Reply Thread Link just old childhood friends iirc Reply Parent Thread Link Not unless they were dating in secret. I generally got the impression he was a childhood friend who came on the trip, they hooked up and then it escalated Reply Parent Thread Link Basically. He was on some Britney podcast last year (I still side-eye them for doing an episode on him) and tried to make it sound like ~two people deeply in love~ were split apart by her family and management but it's such bull shit. She was young, lonely, and infatuated with the idea of being a normal early 20-something, he was from her hometown and probably triggered some feelings and "what could have been" thoughts. Dude needs to let it gooooooooooo Reply Parent Thread Expand Link they were friends who, iirc, married for fun in Vegas because Britney wanted to do something silly/funny that wasn't controlled by her father/family. this was pre-conservatorship but it definitely unfortunately prob contributed to her heinous pig of a father doubling down on his abuse of her :( Reply Parent Thread Link Wait, how can they plead not guilty to this when he was literally live streaming while he was breaking into her house? Is this some legal magic I don't understand? Reply Thread Link I mean you can plead whatever you want, lol, doesn't make it a good idea Reply Parent Thread Link I mean fair enough yes lol but it just seems to goddamn stupid as we literally KNOW its true :) Reply Parent Thread Link You can shoot someone in broad daylight in front of 100s of people and still plead not guilty. Just because there is evidence he obviously did it doesn't mean he can't plead not guilty. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This is the same freak that was married to Britney for a day in Vegas?? Get OVER her!! Reply Thread Link Kinda OT, but she looks soooooo good in that pic. Reply Thread Link I wonder why her front door was unlocked. He walked right up and opened the door. I am a door locker no matter what. Reply Thread Link probably because she had a security team and a bunch of people on the property finalizing wedding stuff that wasn't her front door fwiw Reply Parent Thread Link That's true! I was not thinking that maybe for that day, they had to leave it that way because people going in and out. Reply Parent Thread Link Same, I lock my front door even when I'm just going to and from my car to bring in my groceries. All it takes is a few seconds for a creep man to get inside. Reply Parent Thread Link So it's even worst than we thought. Fuck Jason and every delusional racist asshole that hyped him up Reply Thread Link Pleading not guilty? Didnt he live stream the whole thing? What an idiot Reply Thread Link I had no idea she was there or in the room! bless her heart. fuck this dude forever and i'm so glad her security team all got axed. they should have tazed that fucker instantly. Reply Thread Link I bet Britney's dad told him to crash the wedding Reply Thread Link What a fucking lunatic. Im so glad she still had an amazing time at her wedding and that this lowlife didnt completely dampen her day Reply Thread Link Trash. I hope he does time for this. Reply Thread Link yee haw, baby Reply Thread Link GIVE IT TO ME!! Goody and Billy were two of the best things about The Magnificent Seven! Reply Thread Link Pedro Pascal in a gay cowboy movie? Tumblr is going to be absolutely insufferable Reply Thread Link Seriously I look forward to this https://youtu.be/rvrZJ5C_Nwg (forgot how to embed in mobile)Seriously I look forward to this Reply Thread Link Lol, that's immediately what I thought of too Reply Parent Thread Link Appropriate icon! I love Gyro Reply Parent Thread Link was hoping we'd get a happy gay cowboy movie this time but doesn't look like this is it lmao Reply Thread Link Seems that's the only way Hollywood will allow gay cowboys. Tragedy only Reply Parent Thread Link sigh!! gonna go rewatch god's own country for my gay ranching needs I guess Reply Parent Thread Link Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck ahhh Reply Thread Link Bronco Henry shades a tear Yeehaw Agenda Reply Thread Link bronco henry deserved an oscar. no character has given us more despite actually giving us nothing Reply Parent Thread Link im fuckign here for this Reply Thread Link Manu Rios will co-star alongside Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodovars 30-minute western Strange Way of Life, which he describes as his answer to Brokeback Mountain. (https://t.co/fOu1Ok3NLm) pic.twitter.com/ms6SbjEeri Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 28, 2022 and apparently this dude from elite is also gonna be there Reply Thread Link lmao the pictures selection A+ Reply Parent Thread Link Oh shit which one is getting spit-roasted? Reply Parent Thread Link i h8 ethan hawke for no reason i watched the black phone and he was the worst part of it (not that i was a fan of the movie, anyway) Reply Thread Link There are reasons to hate Ethan. Just ask Uma. Or google him on Howard Stern. Reply Parent Thread Link i can't find anything beyond the regular white douchebag shit but i am ready to believe the worst, i've hated him forever Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm with you - can't stand this foo and hate how he's become a horror staple lately T_T Reply Parent Thread Link i hate him too but i never remember why Reply Parent Thread Link He was really shitty to staff when he visited the art museum in Houston a few years ago and acted like he was above talking about Reality Bites- one of the most beloved and important films to be shot here. Reply Parent Thread Link One time I heard from a co-worker who had to chauffeur Ethan Hawke around for an event that Hawke was snotty about the old beat-up nature of said dudes car. Have held a grudge since 2004. On the other hand during Me Too I remember reading a piece where someone was like, you know, one time Ethan Hawke invited me over to his place to drink whiskey and talk about art with some friends, and I went, and thats what we did. Now, I know not being a rapist one time isnt really a ringing character endorsement. And being a classist donk-nozzle one other time cant exactly define someones whole personhood either. And yetfor me they do, sorry Ethan Hawke, for me thats it for you Reply Parent Thread Link nate jacobs euphoria that shit was so homophobic season 2 episode 7 pic.twitter.com/bw0k4JESQB erin cinematic universe (@obvryns) February 21, 2022 God forbid to cast actual queer folks. And during Pride Month? Reply Thread Link it always feels like when the project about queer characters is supposed to be high profile and award baity suddenly the main roles are all given straight people. god forgot a gay dude gets an oscar (or insert any award here) for playing a gay dude. Reply Parent Thread Link I did not realize how absolutely gargantuan this man is Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah this kinda stunt castings can stay in the 10s - they're enough prolific gay actors this could have gone to Reply Parent Thread Link I hate that you have a point. I want to believe Pedro is bi. Also Manu is gay confirmed no? Reply Parent Thread Link i am 100% sure Pedro is bi tbh Reply Parent Thread Link I mean...Pedro Pascal. Edited at 2022-06-28 08:08 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Pedro is, at the very least not straight lol Edited at 2022-06-28 08:41 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link it's odd for Almodovar Reply Parent Thread Link The relation between them is animalistic, and for me it was impossible to have that in the movie because it was a Hollywood movie. You could not have these two guys fucking all the time. So one of the things I don't like about how masculine gays are portrayed in movies is that the physicality of the relationship is very rough - push and pull kind of stuff. I'm just like if you have feelings for one another and are intimate, wouldn't you be gentle with each other? It would be fine if its specified that it's a kink, but it usually isn't, which is the problem & my issue w/brokeback mtn. It seems like these kind of choices in film perpetuate toxic masculinity stereotypes; men can't be gentle with each other, etc. I hope that isn't where Almodavar is gonna go with this and it'll have more nuance when he says "animalistic" Edited at 2022-06-28 06:57 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Pedro looked so hot in that Kingsman movie so I'm excited for this. Reply Thread Link Your icon always brings great joy to me Reply Parent Thread Link Thank you! I love yours too, Javi was so damn fine <3 Reply Parent Thread Link lawd, i would've done ANYTHING to be choked by that whip. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link They should replace Ethan Hawke with Oscar Isaac and have them both speak just Spanish, then it'd be perfect Reply Thread Link We wouldnt survive Reply Parent Thread Link We as a community would collectively explode and the surge would destroy LJ Reply Parent Thread Link They should replace the both of them with actual queer actors Reply Parent Thread Link Facebook Twitter Google RAMBLER&Co ID By logging in to LiveJournal using a third-party service you accept LiveJournal's User agreement Safety 2022 is Just Getting Started in Chicago The American Society of Safety Professionals Safety 2022 Professional Development Conference & Exposition started with a bang Monday, June 27 in Chicago. Nearly 4,000 safety professionals packed the halls of McCormick Place listening in on educational sessions, seeing innovations on the expo floor and networking and connecting with one anothersome for the first time in a long time. For those unable to join ASSP in Chicago, the Society offers a virtual version of the PDC online where General and Plenary Sessions are livestreamed. According to ASSP, over 1,000 safety professionals have chosen to engage with the show virtually this year. While the first day of the show may be over, there is still plenty to look forward to. On Tuesday, June 28, the Society will be showcasing PPE for women at the end of the 200 aisle on the expo floor. The event will happen at 9:15 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. in case you cannot make the first viewing. On Wednesday, June 29, there will be a special session featuring a Q&A with Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Doug Parker. Parker will discuss important safety and health topics such as impending regulation for extreme heat, commentary around the Covid-19 ETS that was blocked by the Supreme Court and more. It will be an informative conversation, thats for sure! Finally, make sure you attend the Closing Session with Devin Harris, an Olympian known for being a founding member of the Jamaican Bobsled team. Harris knows the power and pain of overcoming inertia and pushing beyond. Devon's incredible story brings a whole new perspective on the quality of persistence and will close out the time together at Safety 2022. To learn more about ASSPs Safety 2022, visit safety.assp.org or follow OH&S coverage at the event at ohsonline.com/live. The number of completed wells at OPEC producers dipped by 280 compared to 2020 and stood at 1,588 wells completed in 2021. This was the lowest number of well completions since at least 2017. All major producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait, saw the number of completed wells drop last year. Well completions rose in Venezuela and Libya, two producers exempted from the OPEC+ production cuts. While well completions at OPEC producers fell in 2021, the number of total world well completions rose last year by 5,619 to 51,924, according to OPECs bulletin. The number of active drilling rigs at OPEC members, however, rose by 47 in 2020 to 489 last year, with OPECs share in world active rigs numbers at 27.7 percent. Globally, the number of active rigs averaged 1,766 last year, up by 460 compared to the slump of 2020, OPECs statistical bulletin showed. In 2021, OPECs crude oil production still rose by 700,000 bpd, or by 2.7 percent, compared to 2020. OPECs output averaged 26.363 million bpd in 2021. The volume of OPECs average crude oil exports, though, dropped last year, by 40,000 bpd to 19.66 million bpd, remaining below pre-pandemic levels. Most OPEC exports, or 72.4 percent, headed to Asia, followed by Europe, which imported 3.27 million bpd of OPEC crude last year. The value of OPECs petroleum exports was nearly as high as in the pre-pandemic year 2019, when the cartels members saw their combined oil exports hit $561.85 billion, according to data in the bulletin. The value of petroleum exports of the 13 members of OPEC surged by 77 percent annually to $560.6 billion in 2021 as oil prices increased, OPECs Annual Statistical Bulletin 2022 showed on Tuesday. The value of exports from Saudi Arabia, the worlds top crude oil exporter, jumped from $119 billion in 2020 to $202 billion in 2021. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The UAE and Saudi Arabia's oil production is nearing their limit, French President Emmanuel Macron told his U.S. counterpart during the G7 meeting this week. The French president was referring to a conversation he had with the rule of the Emirates, as caught by Reuters. According to the cited conversation, the UAE was already "at maximum," Macron told Biden. Whether that was referring to the maximum as allowed by OPEC quotas or maximum capacity remains unclear. "And then he [Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan] said (the) Saudis can increase by 150 [thousand barrels per day]. Maybe a little bit more, but they don't have huge huge capacities before six months' time," Macron also said, as quoted by Reuters. Saudi Arabia's production quota was raised 114,000 bpd in June and will be raised another 170,000 bpd in July, but the OPEC quota expires well before six months, at the end of Augustafter which time Saudi Arabia would be free to ramp up production as it sees fit. Bloomberg later quoted the UAE's oil minister, Suhail al Mazrouei, as saying that the UAE was in fact pumping close to the baseline set for it by the OPEC+ agreement. This baseline for the Emirates was 3.168 million bpd. "In light of recent media reports, I would like to clarify that the UAE is producing near to our maximum production capacity based on its current OPEC+ production baseline," Al Mazrouei said, as quoted by Reuters. The news about Saudi Arabia is potentially more worrying as the Kingdom is believed to have more than 1 million bpd in spare capacity that can be tapped within three months. If it can indeed only add 150,000 bpd to current levels of production as dictated by capacity, this means the world's spare oil production capacity is much smaller than previously believed by every big energy agency, including the EIA and the IEA. The Kingdom is currently producing around 10.5 million bpd. According to OPEC's latest monthly production report, its average for May was 1.424 million bpd, and this month's should be higher in keeping with the production recovery deal in OPEC+. OPEC's number-one has a nameplate production capacity of 12 million barrels daily and plans to boost this by about a million barrels daily. The UAE's nameplate capacity, according to Reuters, is 3.4 million bpd, and the Emirates are planning to expand this to 4 million bpd. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Leftist candidate Senator Gustavo Petro emerged victorious from Colombias June presidential run-off as the strife-torn countrys president elect. On 7 August 2022 Petro will be sworn into office becoming the 34th president of the Republic of Colombia. This has roiled Colombian financial markets and the Andean countrys currency the peso. Since Petro beat multimillionaire businessman Rodolfo Hernandez the Colombian peso has tumbled by almost 6% while the domestic stock market has shed 6.1%. The president-elects proposed policies of reforming the economy, boosting taxation, and ending extractivist industries, including ending contracting for petroleum exploration have unnerved financial markets and investors. Petro has also made it clear (Spanish) that hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, and the exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits will not be permitted in Colombia. Colombias highest administrative tribunal, the State Council, has already placed a moratorium on fracking, although pilot projects are allowed. That, along with Petros intention to end the development of offshore hydrocarbon deposits spells the end of Colombias oil industry, which even before his victory was facing an extremely uncertain future. Petros policies have sparked a frenzied debate in Colombia about the future of the Andean countrys oil industry which is a key driver of the economy. For the first four months of 2022 petroleum exports (Spanish) generated $6.6 billion, making crude oil responsible for 36% of all export earnings for that period. Total petroleum and derivative products exported represent around 70% of Colombias petroleum production. During 2019 Colombias oil industry was responsible for (Spanish) 3.4% of the Andean countrys gross domestic product, while for the last four quarters from the second quarter of 2021 that fell to 2.7% despite the latest oil price rally. According to Colombias peak hydrocarbon industry body, the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP -Spanish initials) crude oil is responsible for nearly a fifth of the central governments fiscal income. Those numbers emphasize how critical the oil industry is to Colombias economy and for ensuring the crisis-driven countrys energy security. For these reasons, Petros plans to end contracting for oil exploration have triggered considerable conjecture that it will significantly impact government revenues, preventing the president-elect from implementing his economic reforms. It is estimated that the president-elects plans will be impacted by a massive budget black hole which will worsen if Petro ends extractivist industries in Colombia. Petros plans essentially mean Colombias petroleum industry will gradually wind down as proven reserves are depleted. At the end of 2021, it was calculated that Latin Americas third largest oil producer only had meager proven reserves of 2 billion barrels, which at the current rate of production will only last for a further seven years. That production life falls to less than six years if Colombias oil output returns to one million barrels per day, which was last witnessed in 2015. While Colombias 23 basins are under-explored for the presence of hydrocarbons there has been a notable absence of significant oil discoveries over the last two decades. That points to the Andean country not possessing the substantial oil potential required to sustain production of 700,000 barrels per day or more, nor the long-term operation of its petroleum industry. For these reasons, the future of Colombias oil industry, even without Petros policy to end contracting for hydrocarbon exploration, is questionable. That uncertainty is only magnified by the looming arrival of peak oil demand, which analysts expect to trigger a sustained decline in oil prices, and the intensifying push to decarbonize the global economy. The main crude oil grades extracted in Colombia are heavy and sour. There is Castilla which has an API gravity of 18.8 and 1.97% sulfur content, Magdalena with an API of 20 and 1.6% sulfur, and Vasconia with an API of 24 and sulfur of 0.83%. Those characteristics coupled with elevated levels of metals and other contaminants make them more difficult, carbon intensive, and costly to refine compared to lighter sweeter crude oil such as that produced in offshore Guyana and Brazil. Such attributes, along with high breakeven prices averaging $40 to $45 per barrel, which are some of the highest in South America, act as a deterrent to foreign energy companies investing in Colombias oil industry. A key aspect of Petros plan for Colombias oil industry that is often overlooked is his plan to allow existing contracts to continue operating for as long as Colombias proven reserves are sufficient to justify commercial operations. That means, over the short to medium term, there will likely be little to no material impact on Colombias oil production. Data from Colombias Ministry of Mines and Energy shows for April 2022 (Spanish) that the Andean country pumped an average of 751,322 barrels of crude oil and 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, giving Colombia total hydrocarbon output of 940,956 barrels of oil equivalent daily. While that represents the most oil pumped by Colombia since December 2020 production is still well below pre-pandemic volumes. In 2019 the Andean country produced 885,863 barrels per day which were 2.4% greater than a year earlier and significantly higher than the 745,530 barrels per day produced on average for the first four months of 2022. Indeed, there are signs that with the oil rally driving greater investment in Colombias industry that production will expand even after Petro takes office on 7 August 2022. The ACP stated at the start of 2022 that forecast investment in oil and natural gas production will reach $4.4 billion during the year, which is 42% greater than a year earlier. According to the industry body spending on hydrocarbon exploration during 2022 will reach $1.1 billion, which is 2.2 times greater than in 2021 and the highest since 2014. This is reflected by the forecast 2022 budgets of drillers operating in Colombia. National oil company Ecopetrol, which is 88.5% owned by the state, announced plans to invest up to $5.8 billion in 2022, which represents a 45% increase over 2021. Colombias largest privately owned oil producer Parex Resources boosted 2022 capital spending by 98.6% year over year to $550 million with most of that amount directed to exploration and development drilling. That marked increase in exploration and development drilling is reflected by the latest Baker Hughes rig count, which shows that at the end of May 2022 there were 29 operational drill rigs in Colombia. While that is one less than a month earlier it is significantly higher than the 16 operational rigs for the same period a year earlier and the 25 rigs operating at the end of May 2019. Those numbers indicate Colombias oil production will grow over the immediate future, even once Petro takes office and is able to successfully implement his plan to end contracts for oil exploration. It is likely that Colombias crude oil output will return to over 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day at some time in the immediate future. While Petros electoral victory has, rightfully so, unnerved financial markets, investors, and Colombias petroleum industry, his plans to end oil exploration the immediate fallout is likely to be minor because of his intentions to allow existing contracts to continue operating. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Australia is experiencing an energy crisis despite its reputation as a top gas exporter, as regulators struggle to deliver electricity. A combination of challenges has led to severe energy shortages and high consumer prices in Australia, leaving the new government to face greater energy uncertainty than the country has previously seen. Federal energy minister Chris Bowen is blaming the previous government for the current energy challenges being faced in Australia. He stated that the coalition government left a bin fire, making the country ill-prepared for the challenges we are facing today. Meanwhile, the previous government is blaming the inexperienced incumbent labor party for the crisis. But rising energy prices and Australias ongoing reliance on coal have not helped the situation. Energy prices have been gradually rising on a global level since 2021. The increase in demand following the pandemic has been difficult to meet, as oil-producing states work to ramp up their crude output after two years of curbs, driving up energy prices. More recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and subsequent sanctions imposed on Russian oil, have caused even greater shortages and sent prices soaring. And despite high hopes for Australias continued coal output under the coalition government, coal prospects are starting to look less favorable as the country responds to international pressure to switch to green. Australia still relies heavily on coal for its electricity production. It also continues to export the fossil fuel to several countries across Asia, such as China and India, as they show no sign of decreasing their dependence on coal. But many of Australias major coal plants are aging due to a lack of investment linked with the uncertainty over the future of the energy source. In addition, the country has announced plans to shift many of its coal operations to renewable. The worlds largest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, is now expected to make up half its revenue from non-coal business by 2030, as it becomes powered by green energy. Meanwhile, in Queensland, there are plans to convert one port export terminal into a renewable hydrogen facility within the next few years. The combination of challenges the global increase in energy costs, the Russian invasion, coal outages, and the colder winter weather coming earlier have all hit Australia at the same time, causing a major energy crisis. But perhaps this seems somewhat surprising for a country that has the reputation of being a top oil and gas exporter. Australias coal reserves are thought to be one of the worlds largest, with around 89,707 million tonnes (mt) of black coal and 85,634 Mt of brown coal recorded in 2019. In 2019-20, Australia exported around 90 percent of its black coal production, 74 percent of its natural gas, and 78 percent of its crude oil. However, in the last month, Australia has faced domestic shortages, forcing the country to look elsewhere for its energy supply. These shortages followed months of increased gas exports to countries that were looking to replace their Russian gas supplies. But as the cold weather came around earlier than anticipated, many states started to face energy shortages. Further limitations were experienced in the coal sector, as flooding earlier in the year in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, as well as technical problems, led to a reduction in coal output. This caused the energy minister to ask the state of NSW to restrict its energy use during evening peak hours to prevent power outages, last week. The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) also faced a difficult decision last week when it was forced to suspend the wholesale market for the first time in a decade and a half when it was unable to force generators back on. Aemos CEO Daniel Westerman explained, The market wasnt working. We had generators withdrawing from the market in preference to being directed by Aemo [to return]. It was impossible to operate it, he added. The energy minister of NSL, Matt Kean, even obtained special powers from the NSW governor to treat coal supplies as an essential service should it be required. The precautionary and proactive plans would have allowed Kean to transport coal between plants if there were shortages, as well as to manage the use of the resource. One expert communicated the sentiment of many in Australia, stating Its funny. Weve had people saying, were exporting all the gas. And now its were exporting all the coal, they added. This opinion is not surprising given the large percentage of gas and coal output that is exported each year, although Australia is not typically prone to such severe energy crises. But this has led some to suggest the introduction of a gas export tax to help boost investment in the renewable energy sector to ensure the future of the countrys energy security. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Canada could expand its energy infrastructure in order to help Europe cut off Russian gas dependence in the medium term, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the G7 summit in Germany. We will be there in the short term with any support we can, Trudeau said, referring to possible Canadian support in energy supply to Europe. Asked about discussions between Germany and Canada for possible liquefied natural gas (LNG) deals, the Canadian prime minister said that LNG infrastructure is the same type of infrastructure that will be needed as we transition to hydrogen. Canada is looking in the medium term at expanding some infrastructure, but in a way that hits that medium term and long term goal of accelerating the transition not just off Russian oil and gas, but off of our global dependence on fossil fuels because of the impacts of climate change, said Trudeau. The Russian invasion of Ukraine highlighted the emergency of not only weaning Europe off Russian oil and gas, but reducing overall dependence on fossil fuels, the Canadian PM added. In the short term, Canada cannot really help Europe with LNG supply as it doesnt have any operational LNG export facility yet. Several projects have been proposed, discussed, and advanced in recent years, but none has progressed to an operational stage yet. Europe, for its part, is desperate for LNG, or any gas thats not coming from Russia, in order to replace as much Russian pipeline supply as soon as possible. The need for additional deliveries has become even more urgent in recent days after Russia slashed supply to major consumers in Europe, including Germany and Italy. Last week, Germany even triggered the second phase of its three-phase gas emergency plan as it braces up for the possibility of a complete halt of gas supplies from Russia via the Nord Stream pipeline. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has set out plans for two LNG import facilities, at Brunsbuettel and Wilhelmshaven, in a bid to diversify supply from Russia, which accounted for around 40% of German gas consumption before the war. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil from Iran and Venezuela needs to return to the global market to make up for the loss of supply from Russia, an official at the French presidency said on Monday while G7 leaders are meeting in Germany to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a price cap on Russian oil. France also seeks the G7 group of the worlds leading industrial nations to adopt a price cap on oil that would be broad and not limited to Russian oil only, according to Reuters. The leaders of the G7 group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the United States, are meeting in Germany for a three-day summit between June 26 and 28 and are discussing capping the price of Russian oil. According to a senior official at the French presidency, cited by Bloomberg, a discussion with all oil producers regarding a price cap should be held. Diversification of supply and an increase in oil production in the short to medium term will also help lower prices, according to France. While Iran and Venezuela can, in theory, offer additional supply, there is a knot to be untied for Iran to return to the oil market, the French official was quoted by Bloomberg as saying. The U.S. has reportedly eased some sanctions on Venezuela to allow Europe to buy some volumes of Venezuelan crude as European refiners scramble for alternatives in the wake of the EU embargo on Russian seaborne imports, expected to officially kick in at the end of this year. Getting Iran on the market would be easier said than done, considering the stalemate in the so-called Iran nuclear talks. Last week, Iran blamed the U.S. for the stalled talks on the revival of the nuclear deal. If the world powers and Iran somehow manage to save the deal, the flow of Iranian oil abroad could increase by between 500,000 bpd and 1 million bpd, according to analysts. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The G7 leaders have agreed to study ways to put a cap on the price of Russian oil sold internationally and are seeking support among "like-minded" nations. "We invite all like-minded countries to consider joining us in our actions," G7 said in a communique cited by Reuters today. The Russian oil price cap was one of the main items on the G7 agenda during this week's meeting, and initial reports from the event suggested the leaders of the world's biggest economies would produce an actual plan for capping prices. Instead, they are delaying these actions until they get more importers on board. The G7 leaders also agreed to keep "working to make sure Russia does not exploit its position as an energy producer to profit from its aggression at the expense of vulnerable countries," per a Financial Times report. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is putting pressure on European countries to join the oil price cap to reduce Russia's income from energy exports without substantially affecting the availability of oil, Bloomberg reported. Yellen met with the finance minister of Cyprusa major maritime transport hubearlier this week, during which they "spoke about the goal of placing a price limit on Russian oil to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to finance their war in Ukraine while mitigating spillover effects for the global economy," according to a Treasury statement. According to energy analysts, however, effecting a price cap that will have the desired effect would be tricky. Citing Tamas Varga from PVM, Reuters noted in a report from earlier today that the fact that such a cap is being discussed shows that banning Russian oil outright has had the opposite effect of what it sought to do. More than that, however, Russia's reaction should a cap be agreed upon is far from certain. Russia could decide to reduce oil and gas exports instead of playing along, Varga told Reuters, adding, "It is a nightmare scenario - both for Europe and Russia." By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran has applied to join the BRICS group of major emerging economies, which includes China, Russia, and India, Reuters reported on Tuesday, a move that would help to secure an alternative alliance to the West. Iran is a major oil and gas resource holder, as is Russia, while China is the world's top oil importer and one of the biggest gas importers. BRICS, an acronym of its members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is what China and Russia pitch as the emerging markets alternative to the West. The term for the informal group of emerging economies was originally coined in 2001 as "BRIC" by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in his report, Building Better Global Economic BRICs. The group in its current form represents 41 percent of the global population, accounts for one-fourth of global GDP, and 16 percent of world trade. Iran has held close ties with China and Russia in recent years, and China is the main market for Iranian oil exports. Iran, under sanctions from the United States since 2018, has continued to export part of its oil to China, which generally rejects U.S. sanctions. Russia, for its part, is also looking to strengthen relations with countries it considers "friendly" such as China and Iran as the "unfriendly" countries, including the U.S., the EU, the UK, Australia, and other U.S. allies, impose sanctions on Russia's economy, banking industry, and oil exports over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If Iran joins BRICS, this "would result in added values for both sides," a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry told Reuters. Apart from Iran, Argentina has also applied to join the BRICS group, Russia says. According to Russia, the enlargement of BRICS is evidence that the West cannot isolate Moscow. "While the White House was thinking about what else to turn off in the world, ban or spoil, Argentina and Iran applied to join the BRICS," Reuters quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying on Tuesday. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Senior U.S. officials have visited Venezuela without the trip being widely publicized as Washington again tries to improve relations with the Maduro government amid the continuing energy squeeze. The AP quoted a State Department official as saying the visit was focused on releasing several U.S. citizens who have been detained in Caracas, including oil executives. The report also noted that the Venezuelan president had confirmed the visit, saying the delegation met with the President of the National Assembly, a close ally of Maduro. The purpose of the visit, according to Maduro, was to "give continuity to the bilateral agenda between the government of the United States and the government of Venezuela." Below the official narrative, however, there is the urgency of securing enough crude oil for a market where demand has yet to show any marked signs of slowing down. Venezuela has been a natural focus of attention for Washington, which earlier this year signaled that it was willing to lift some sanctions against Caracas in exchange for oil. In May, Washington said it would lift restrictions on Chevron in order for the company to return to its business in the South American country, letting the supermajor negotiate terms directly with PDVSA. Then, in June, Washington also eased restrictions for two European companies, Eni and Repsol, so they could restart their business relations with PDVSA and export some Venezuelan crude to energy-starved Europe. Most recently, France called on Western leaders to consider the return of Venezuela and Iran to world oil markets as a squeeze on Russian oil exports by Europe, the UK, and the U.S. limits global supply. "There are resources elsewhere that need to be explored," a French government official said on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, as quoted by Reuters. "So there is a knot that needs to be untied if applicable... to get Iranian oil back on the market. "We have Venezuelan oil that also needs to come back to the market." By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: ELMAU, Germany (AP) Leaders of the worlds biggest developed economies said Tuesday they would explore far-reaching steps to cap Russia's income from oil sales that are financing its invasion of Ukraine and struck a united stance to support Kyiv for as long as it takes" as the war grinds on. The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany underlined their intent to impose severe and immediate economic costs on Russia. It left out key details on how fossil fuel price caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to explore ... the feasibility" of measures to bar imports of Russian oil above a certain level. That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, help relieve the energy price spikes and inflation afflicting the global economy as a result of the war. We remain steadfast in our commitment to our unprecedented coordination on sanctions for as long as necessary, acting in unison at every stage," the leaders said. The G-7 leaders representing the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and Japan on Monday pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes after conferring by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. The G-7 has sought to assuage those concerns. Leaders also agreed on a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hit with food shortages by the blockade on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. We agree that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin must not win this war, and we will continue to keep up and drive higher the economic and political costs for President Putin and his regime, said the summit host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. For that, it is important to stand together -- including in the long haul that we certainly still face. French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia cannot and should not win the war in Ukraine as its terrible toll was on full view the day after a Russian missile strike hit a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk, killing 18 people. The price cap pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden would in theory work by barring service provides such as shippers or insurers from dealing with oil priced above a fixed level. That could work because the service providers are mostly located in the European Union or the U.K. and thus within reach of sanctions. To be effective, however, it would have to involve as many consuming countries as possible, in particular India, where refiners have been snapping up cheap Russian oil shunned by Western traders. Details on how the proposal would be implemented were left for continuing talks in coming weeks. The U.S. has already blocked Russian oil imports, which were small in any case. The European Union has decided to impose a ban on the 90% of Russian oil that comes by sea, but the ban does not take effect until the end of the year, meaning Europe continues to send money to Russia for energy even while condemning the war. Meanwhile, higher global oil prices have softened the blow to Russia's income, even as Western traders shun Russian oil. Energy themes were front and center at the summit throughout. Europe is scrambling to find new sources of oil and fresh supplies of gas as Russia dials back gas supplies in what leaders say is a political move. Meanwhile high energy prices are a headache for G-7 countries' consumers. Scholz defended the G-7s decision to soften commitments to end public support for fossil fuel investments, saying the war in Ukraine means time-limited support for new natural gas extraction projects may be necessary. The group showed wide-ranging concern about China. The leaders stressed that it is necessary to cooperate with China on shared global challenges but underlined their stance that China should urge Russia to halt the war, respect human rights in Hong Kong, refrain from military action against Taiwan, and improve its non-transparent trade and economic practices. From the secluded Schloss Elmau hotel in the Bavarian Alps, the G-7 leaders will move to Madrid for a summit of NATO leaders, where fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine will again dominate the agenda. All G-7 members other than Japan are NATO members, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to Madrid. While the group's annual gathering has been dominated by the war, Scholz has been keen to show that the G-7 also can move ahead on pre-war priorities. Members pledged Tuesday to create a new climate club for nations that want to take more ambitious action to tackle global warming. The move, championed by Scholz, will see countries that join the club agree on tougher measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century compared with pre-industrial times. Countries that are part of the club will try to harmonize their measures in such a way that they are comparable and avoid members imposing climate-related tariffs on each others imports. Scholz said the aim was to ensure that protecting the climate is a competitive advantage, not a disadvantage. He said details of the planned climate club would be finalized this year. Follow APs coverage of the G-7 summit at https://apnews.com/hub/g-7-summit and of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. NEW ORLEANS Judges temporarily blocked abortion bans Monday in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law restricting the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy would take effect there immediately as the battle over the fall of Roe v. Wade shifted from the nations highest court to courthouses around the country. The U.S. Supreme Courts decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for a wave of litigation, as one side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures. Much of Mondays court activity focused on trigger laws, adopted in 13 states that were designed to take effect swiftly upon last weeks Supreme Court ruling. Additional lawsuits could also target old anti-abortion laws that were left on the books in some states and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling are also coming back into play. Rulings to put trigger laws on hold came swiftly in Utah and Louisiana. A Utah judge blocked that states near-total abortion ban from going into effect for 14 days, to allow time for the court to hear challenges to the states trigger law. Planned Parenthood had challenged the law, which contains narrow exceptions for rape, incest or the mothers health, saying the law violates the equal protection and privacy provisions in the state constitution. I think the immediate effects that will occur outweigh any policy interest of the state in stopping abortions, Utah Judge Andrew Stone said. In Louisiana, a judge in New Orleans, a liberal city in a conservative state, temporarily blocked enforcement of that states trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. At least one of the states three abortion clinics said it would resume performing procedures Tuesday. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch abortion opponent, vowed to fight the judges ruling and enforce the law. In South Carolina, a federal court lifted its prior hold on an abortion restriction there, allowing the state to ban abortions after an ultrasound detects a heartbeat, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. There are exceptions if the womans life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Planned Parenthood said after the ruling that it will continue to perform abortions at its South Carolina clinics within the parameters of the new law. Also Monday, abortion rights advocates asked a Florida judge to block a new law there that bans the procedure after 15 weeks with some exceptions to save a mothers life or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, but no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. The ACLU of Florida argued that the law violates the Florida Constitution. A ruling on that is expected Thursday a day before the law is scheduled to take effect. Abortion rights activists also went to court Monday to try to fend off restrictions in Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Mississippi, the state at the center of the Supreme Court ruling, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed an emergency motion there Saturday seeking to block a 2021 law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Gaza's Hamas rulers on Monday said the condition of one of the Israelis it is holding captive has deteriorated. The announcement marked a rare piece of information about the Israelis in Hamas captivity. The Islamic militant group has given no details on the conditions or whereabouts of its prisoners, and it has never allowed the Red Cross to visit them. Hamas is believed to be holding the remains of two soldiers killed during a 2014 war. Israel has pronounced the soldiers dead, though Hamas has never confirmed this. Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli civilians who wandered across the frontier into Gaza, and who rights groups say suffer from mental illness. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said the latest announcement proved that Hamas is a cynical and criminal terrorist organization that holds mentally ill civilians in violation of all international conventions and laws." Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including people convicted in deadly attacks, in exchange for the captive Israelis. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, announced a deterioration in the health of one of the enemy prisoners. He said more details were expected to be released later Monday. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have fought four wars and dozens of smaller skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza 15 years ago. Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory throughout that time. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities, while critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's 2 million Palestinian residents. Israel says there can be no major moves toward lifting the blockade until the soldiers' remains and captive civilians are released. The prime minister's office said Israel would continue working through Egyptian mediation to bring about the release of the captives. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Gaza's Hamas rulers on Tuesday released a video of a captive Israeli citizen it has held incommunicado since 2015, showing the man lying in a hospital bed while wearing an oxygen mask. It was the first image of Hisham al-Sayid to be released since he wandered across the frontier from southern Israel into Gaza. Its release came a day after Hamas said the condition of one of the Israelis it is holding captive had deteriorated. In the video, al-Sayid, 34, is seen lying in bed with a mask over his mouth and nose and what appears to be an oxygen canister next to him. He appears tired and dazed, but does not speak and there is no audio. Other parts of the video show an intravenous drip next to the bed as well as an image of al-Sayid's Israeli identification card. Al-Sayid is a member of Israel's Bedouin Arab minority. The video is titled, Footage of the soldier in the army of occupation, Hisham al-Sayid, detained by the Qassam Brigades. There is no date on the video. But a TV screen in the video showed images of the Qatar Economic Forum, which was held in Doha last week. Hamas is believed to be holding the remains of two soldiers killed during a 2014 war. Israel has pronounced the soldiers dead, though Hamas has never confirmed this. Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli civilians who wandered across the frontier, including al-Sayid. Rights groups say that both civilians suffer from mental illness. The Islamic militant group has given no details on the conditions or whereabouts of its prisoners, and it has never allowed the Red Cross to visit them. Israel's prime minister, Naftali Bennett, condemned the video's release, saying that Hamas was holding two mentally ill people in complete contravention of international law. Distributing a video of an ill person is abhorrent and deplorable," his office said in a statement. It described al-Sayid as a civilian with mental illness who had crossed the border into Gaza a number of times previously. The actions of Hamas prove it is a cynical and reprehensible terrorist organization," it added, saying Hamas was delaying any chance of a deal. Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including people convicted in deadly attacks, in exchange for the captive Israelis. Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have fought four wars and dozens of smaller skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza 15 years ago. Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory throughout that time. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities, while critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's 2 million Palestinian residents. Israel says there can be no major moves toward lifting the blockade until the soldiers' remains and captive civilians are released. Israel and Hamas have held numerous rounds of Egyptian-mediated talks on a possible swap, but those talks have failed to yield a breakthrough. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. ISTANBUL (AP) Turkish security forces have detained a Greek citizen accused of spying for Athens intelligence service, the state-run Anadolu news agency said Saturday. The man, identified as Muhammed Amar Ampara, was allegedly involved in gathering information about the deployment of Turkish military border units, as well as information on Turkeys Syrian population and Turks who fled to Greece after a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Anadolu, which cited unnamed security sources, published a photograph of a bearded, balding man in handcuffs. He appeared to be in his 50s or 60s. He was captured as a result of an investigation by Turkeys National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the news agency reported, without giving any information about where or when he was detained. An official from the Greek Embassy in Ankara declined to comment on the allegations. The arrest comes amid renewed tensions between Turkey and Greece. The neighbors and NATO allies have a history of disputes over a range of issues, such as mineral exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and rival claims in the Aegean Sea. Recent quarrels have focused on the Greek islands off Turkeys Aegean coast, with Ankara accusing Athens of building a military presence in breach of treaties. Greece maintains it is acting according to international law and is defending the islands in the face of Turkish hostility. Turkey hosts the worlds largest refugee population, including some 3.7 million Syrians. Their presence has become a major political issue in the lead-up to national elections due over the next 12 months. Following a failed coup in July 2016, some members of a group tied to a U.S.-based cleric whom Ankara accuses of organizing the attempt to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fled abroad, including to Greece. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Voters in Nebraskas revamped 1st Congressional District head to the polls Tuesday for a rare special election to decide who will represent them for the rest of the year in the U.S. House. Only one race is on the ballot, between State Sen. Mike Flood, a Republican from Norfolk, and State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat from Lincoln. The winner will replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned in March after being convicted of three felonies. Heres a primer to help 1st District voters prepare for the states first House special election since 1951, after 3rd District Rep. Karl Stefan died: Who gets to vote? Registered voters in all of Butler, Cass, Colfax, Cuming, Dodge, Lancaster, Madison, Platte, Seward and Stanton Counties, along with voters in parts of Polk and Sarpy Counties, make up Nebraskas 1st Congressional District. Whats changed? Most of Papillion and La Vista have been moved into the Lincoln-centric 1st District. Saunders County has been moved out of the 1st District, into the Omaha-based 2nd District. Where to vote? Check your polling place on the Nebraska Secretary of States website. Just enter your name and address: https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/voterview/ When to vote? Polling places in Nebraskas 1st District are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Tuesday. What if I got an early ballot? Early voting ballots must be returned before the polls close Tuesday. They must be taken directly to your county election office or dropped in an approved early-ballot drop box in your home county by 8 p.m. CDT. An employee or volunteer will ensure that every ballot returned on time is counted. People casting early ballots can check the status of their ballots on the Nebraska Secretary of States website: https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/voterview/ What if I have a problem while voting? Call your local county election office. The Nebraska Secretary of States Office says every polling place should have information posted with the phone number of the local election office. How to check results? The first results will start rolling in at 8 p.m. CDT Tuesday. The best place to look for results in the special election is likely the Nebraska Secretary of States website: https://sos.nebraska.gov When will final results be available? Officials expect certification of the special election vote to take two to three weeks, instead of the typical five weeks, because the election is limited to one race in a dozen counties. Provisional ballots must be counted by July 8. That means Nebraska could send a certified result to Washington, D.C., in July. The new home of the Anthonys Steakhouse steer statue probably couldnt have a more appropriate name. The behemoth black bovine which lost its perch above the popular Omaha restaurant earlier this year now will reside at the T-Bone Truck Stop in Columbus, Nebraska. Bill Lehr, a cattle feeder whose family owns the T-Bone, paid $45,000 for the steer in an online auction that ended Monday. Backes Commercial Auctioneers of Raymond, Iowa, conducted the sale, which included more than 1,200 other items from Anthonys, which closed in January after more than 50 years of business. An 81-year-old cattle feeder won the auction, Lehr said Monday. It will put Columbus on the map. He bought the 8-foot-high, 14-foot-long black steer statue partly because he wanted it to remain in the state. He said he had heard rumors that it was getting interest beyond Nebraskas borders. Between 30 and 40 bidders participated in the steer auction, said Rod Backes, who owns the auction house with brother Randy. Of the final three serious bidders, he said, two were from Nebraska and one was from Boone, Iowa. He hadnt determined if any other states were represented. The steers new landlord was also motivated to help the fight against cancer. Restaurant owner Anthony Fucinaro is donating proceeds from the steers sale to Scare Away Cancer, a nonprofit that helps parents with cancer and those who have kids with cancer to pay bills, buy groceries and handle other expenses. Fucinaros son, also named Tony, founded the charity. Lehr said he knows a number of people who are fighting the disease. There was a viewing for the steer on Sunday before the end of the auction Monday, Fucinaro said. Lehr was there. We had gone to Omaha and looked at it to make sure everything was up to snuff, he said. He met Fucinaro at the event, and the restaurateur said the two men talked for about an hour. It was enough time for the steers longtime owner to figure out the icon would be in good hands. Hes an amazing guy. He raised cattle all his life, Fucinaro said. Im glad he got it. The T-Bone Truck Stop is at the corner of U.S. Highways 81 and 30 on the south side of Columbus. We have got the best truck stop in Nebraska, Lehr said. The volume of business tells you that. Because of the junction and the close proximity of the Behlen Manufacturing Co. plant the steer will have lots of company. Fucinaro plans to visit his former tenant and, of course, its new landlord with a bottled housewarming gift. I told him, Im going to come up and were going to have a beer, Fucinaro said. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In the U.S., mass shootings have continued to take lives, young and old, but elected officials have only just begun to act. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which is considered as the most significant gun control bill in three decades. However, it is a very modest bill. It had to be an extremely limited bill to win the backing of 15 Republican senators, who usually oppose all gun bills. After the wave of bloodshed, they were feeling the pressure to make it look like they cared, so they were willing to compromise as long as the bill didn't do much. The most important thing the bill does is make it slightly harder for violent ex-boyfriends and dating partners to purchase guns, which they might use to threaten the woman they were dating. Before, the law did not do much at all to limit unmarried abusers from purchasing guns, even if they had been convicted of a misdemeanor. Anyone convicted of any kind of felony was banned from owning guns (although the background check system is not strong enough). Still, this bill extends that ban to domestic violence convictions of a lesser degree than a felony. Senators who support the bill say it "closes the boyfriend loophole," but the reality is that more than half of all domestic violence cases are not reported to the police. Even worse, when cases are reported, many do not result in convictions. Judges and juries sometimes ignore the evidence. In fact, in the city of Cleveland in 2018, 66% of cases were dismissed without even a trial, according to an analysis of local records by ABC News-Cleveland. The "boyfriend loophole" in domestic violence cases was narrowed, but it was hardly closed. Many violent boys will never face justice for their crimes and will still be able to purchase lethal firearms. Next, the bill encourages states to enact "red flag laws" to prevent people who are dangerous to society from purchasing guns. The theory is that if someone with a violent nature makes threats online, a court can deem them unfit to possess a gun. The reality is that some states already have red flag laws on the books, and in many cases, the inconsistent courts are more concerned about the "rights" of the psychopath to own an assault rifle than they are about the rights of the public to live. In Indiana, authorities never even bothered bringing a civil confiscation case against a gun-hoarding man who was reportedly suicidal by his mother; later, that man used the guns he was hoarding to kill eight staff at his workplace. In 2021, Pew Trusts published an article claiming that red flag laws "are saving lives," but "they could save more." The focus should be on the second half of that sentence. The article only cited a few hundred cases in the country of red flag orders stopping people from owning guns. That is a drop in the bucket compared to all the murders in the U.S. that happen yearly. The new gun bill will not cause red flag laws to expand across the nation. Instead, it just gives states funding to enact such laws if they choose to. But politicians in many radically right-wing states will reflexively oppose those laws. Finally, the bill also includes enhancements in the background check system for people age 21 and younger who try to buy assault rifles. So as long as a potential killer is over 21, they can buy the assault rifle with less scrutiny. This modest bill was passed by the Senate on the same day when the Supreme Court struck down a New York state law requiring people to get a permit for concealed handguns. This ruling presumably applies to all 50 states that might have considered such a permit system, which is now deemed invalid. In other words, the court dynamites gun laws while the Senate fills the hole with gravel. Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- It's an icky truth: Everyone has millions of tiny mites living and mating on their skin. Not to worry, though -- Demodex folliculorum skin mites actually help keep your pores clean and your skin healthy, stressed Alejandra Perotti, an associate professor of invertebrate biology with the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. However, her team's recent research suggests the helpful mites might be on the verge of extinction. The first-ever genome sequencing study of Demodex mites has revealed that their isolated existence has caused them to shed so many unnecessary genes and cells that they're now wholly dependent on humans for their existence, Perotti said. "It will likely happen that we will lose them within several human generations," Perotti noted. Researchers say that if they do survive, it will be because they transition from external parasites to internal symbionts organisms that survive wholly off their hosts, essentially becoming one with them. The bacteria in your gut are one example of a human symbiont. These mites are about 1/64 of an inch long, and are found in hair follicles on the face and eyelashes, the researchers said in background notes. It would take several of them to cover the head of a pin. Most of these mites have a life cycle of around two weeks, leading a nocturnal existence during which they hatch, migrate, feed and mate before dying off, experts say. "During the day, they [are] inside the pores," Perotti said. "So when we are awake, they are sleeping. When we are sleeping, they are awake." More than 90% of humans carry these mites on their faces, and the mites generally maintain a peaceful co-existence with humans, she noted. You inherited your skin mites from your mother, and new moms pass them on to their children, Perotti explained. The density of mites on your skin peaks in your 20s and 30s, when your skin is typically at its oiliest. Keeping pores clean "They are present in all people with healthy skin. They are helpful because they maintain the health of the pores of our skin," Perotti said. Demodex mites only cause skin problems in rare instances for people who are immune-suppressed or have other skin conditions. The weakened immune system allows the mites to multiply out of control, and the heavy mite populations produce skin irritation. To learn more about these tiny passengers on your body, Perotti and her colleagues examined hundreds of Demodex mites collected from the forehead and nose of a single person with the help of a blackhead remover. The mites were put under a microscope to make sure they were Demodex, and then cleaned and prepared for DNA analysis. The researchers found that because the mites lead an isolated existence, they have evolved to become incredibly simple organisms. For example, their eight tiny legs are powered by just three single-cell muscles. Evolutionary gene reduction also explains why they're nocturnal, the researchers noted. They lack protection against the UV rays in sunlight and have lost the gene that causes animals to be awakened by daylight. They also are unable to produce melatonin, a biochemical that promotes nighttime activity in small invertebrates but causes mammals like humans to nod off. Luckily for them, they have your melatonin to fuel their nocturnal pursuits. "They depend more on us than we on them," Perotti said. "For example, they take the melatonin they need from their host. We secrete melatonin massively at dusk, which puts us to sleep, and the mites use ours because they are no longer able to produce it." The new study also found that Demodex mites have gotten a bum rap when it comes to skin problems. Earlier research had thought that the mites lack an anus and, given that, accumulate feces throughout their two-week life cycle. The assumption was that the mites release a lifetime's worth of feces upon death, causing skin inflammation. However, this new study discovered that Demodex mites do indeed have anuses, and so have been unfairly blamed for many skin problems. Programmed for extinction? The findings were published June 21 in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. Whether you see Demodex as creepy or clever, you might not have these little mites to kick around for much longer, the researchers concluded. Because they have evolved to depend so heavily on humans and have a lack of exposure to potential mates from other hosts, the mites appear to be on course for potential extinction. Perotti doesn't think losing the mites would necessarily impact human health, but she's still unhappy about the prospect. "We probably can survive without them," Perotti said. "But I'm not sure. I would like to keep them. They keep your skin healthy, and that's why I would like to keep them with us." Skin expert Dr. Christopher Bunick doesn't necessarily agree that Demodex are wholly benign. "One of the most common dermatologic diseases is rosacea, and rosacea has long been linked to humans having a robust immune response to the Demodex," said Bunick, an associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn. Bunick estimated that between 3% and 10% of people have rosacea potentially linked to the skin mites. "The idea that it never causes a problem is just not true. It can cause lots and lots of issues for people in terms of their skin," Bunick said. So, the idea of Demodex mites either going extinct or becoming more symbiotic with humans isn't a bad thing to Bunick. "Over time, the human body may learn to accept the Demodex more, so this subset of people that tend to develop inflammation in reaction to the Demodex, maybe that reaction continues to diminish as Demodex continues to have whatever selective pressure to become more symbiotic," Bunick said. "This data suggests the Demodex will become less problematic in triggering rosacea and other diseases." More information The Cleveland Clinic has more about Demodex mites. SOURCES: Alejandra Perotti, PhD, associate professor, invertebrate biology, University of Reading, United Kingdom; Christopher Bunick, MD, associate professor, dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Molecular Biology and Evolution, June 21, 2022 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. He did not know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint. Investigators traced the trucks registration to a residence in San Antonio and detained two men from Mexico for possession of weapons, according to criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorneys office. The complaints did not make any specific allegations related to the deaths. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely back road and found the gruesome scene inside, police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground. More than a dozen people their bodies hot to the touch were taken to hospitals, including four children. Most of the dead were males, he said. The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling attempt in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. This is a horror that surpasses anything weve experienced before, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. And its sadly a preventable tragedy. President Joe Biden called the deaths horrifying and heartbreaking. Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said in a statement. Authorities did not know the home countries of all of the migrants, nor how long they were abandoned on the side of the road. By Tuesday afternoon, medical examiners had potentially identified 34 of the victims, but they were taking additional steps, such as fingerprints, to confirm the identities, said Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Among the dead, 27 are believed to be of Mexican origin based on documents they were carrying, according to said Ruben Minutti, Mexico consul general in San Antonio. Several survivors were in critical condition with injuries such as brain damage and internal bleeding, he said. At least seven of the dead were from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, head of the North America department in Mexicos Foreign Relations Department, said on Twitter. About 30 people had reached out to the Mexican Consulate looking for loved ones, the officials said. Authorities confirmed that one of the surviving Mexicans from the trailer was Jose Luis Guzman Vasquez, 32, from San Miguel Huautla in the southern state of Oaxaca, according to Aida Ruiz Garcia, director of the Oaxacan Institute for Migrant Attention. He was dehydrated and receiving car at a San Antonio hospital, Mexico's foreign affairs said. A cousin, Alejandro Lopez, told Milenio television that the family worked in farming and construction and migrated because we dont have anything but weaving hats, palms and handicrafts. Attempts to cross the U.S. border from Mexico have claimed thousands of lives in both countries in recent decades. U.S. border authorities are stopping migrants more often on the southern border than at any time in at least two decades. Migrants were stopped nearly 240,000 times in May, up by one-third from a year ago. Comparisons to pre-pandemic levels are complicated because migrants expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42 face no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Authorities say 25% of encounters in May were with people who had been stopped at least once in the previous year. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. U.S. authorities discover trucks with migrants inside pretty close to daily, Larrabee said. Migrants typically pay $8,000 to $10,000 to be taken across the border and loaded into a tractor-trailer and driven to San Antonio, where they transfer to smaller vehicles for their final destinations across the United States, he said. Conditions vary widely, including how much water passengers get and whether they are allowed to carry cellphones, Larrabee said. Authorities think the truck discovered Monday had mechanical problems when it was left next to a railroad track in an area of San Antonio surrounded by auto scrapyards that brush up against a busy freeway, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the top elected official in the county that includes San Antonio. San Antonio has been a recurring scene of tragedy and desperation in recent years involving migrants in semitrailers. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a San Antonio Walmart. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. More than 50 migrants were found alive in a trailer in 2018, driven by a man who said he was to be paid $3,000 and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Other tragedies have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. In December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers stopped at a military checkpoint near the border. Some of the 16 people taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition. Those taken to the hospital were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Temperatures in San Antonio on Monday approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before that, people paid small fees to get across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became much more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and had to pay thousands of dollars. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administrations border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes, he wrote on Twitter. During a vigil held Tuesday evening in the rain at a San Antonio park, many of the more than 50 people who attended expressed sadness, frustration and anger at the deaths and what they described as a broken immigration system. I see this happen, and it didnt have to happen. If we had a better way for brown and Black people to enter safely, they wouldnt go through these desperate measures, said San Antonio resident Debbie Ponce. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under the pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies a chance to seek asylum. The Biden administration planned to end the policy, but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move in May. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the Southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most were related to heat exposure. Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporters Eric Gay in San Antonio, Acacia Coronado in Austin, Terry Wallace in Dallas and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. THURSDAY, June 23, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When breast cancer patients sleep, tumor cells may "awaken" and spread through the bloodstream, a surprising study out of Switzerland reveals. Circulating cancer cells that later form new growths (metastases) do not arise continuously as previously assumed, according to researchers at ETH Zurich, the University Hospital Basel and the University of Basel. "When the affected person is asleep, the tumor awakens," said study leader Nicola Aceto, a professor of molecular oncology at ETH Zurich. Lead study author Zoi Diamantopoulou, a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, added, "Our research shows that the escape of circulating cancer cells from the original tumor is controlled by hormones such as melatonin, which determine our rhythms of day and night." About 2.3 million people worldwide develop breast cancer each year. When their cancers are detected early, patients usually respond well to treatment, the authors noted. But treatment is more difficult if a cancer spreads, which occurs when cells break away from the original tumor and travel through the blood vessels to other spots in the body. The new study included 30 breast cancer patients and mouse models. The researchers discovered that tumors generate more circulating cells when the host is asleep. Cells that leave the tumor at night also divide more quickly and thus have a higher potential to form new tumors than circulating cells that leave the original tumor during the day. As such, the time of day when tumor or blood samples are collected for diagnosis may also influence findings. This was discovered by accident when colleagues worked unusual hours, Aceto said in an ETH Zurich news release. Another clue about the impact of sleep was the surprisingly high number of cancer cells found per unit of blood in mice compared to humans, the researchers noted. As nocturnal animals, mice sleep during the day, which is when scientists collect most of their samples. "In our view, these findings may indicate the need for health care professionals to systematically record the time at which they perform biopsies," Aceto said. "It may help to make the data truly comparable." The researchers next need to figure out how these findings can be used to get the most from existing cancer treatments. Aceto also wants to investigate whether different cancers behave like breast cancer and whether existing therapies can be made more successful if patients are treated at different times. The findings were published June 22 in Nature. More information The American Cancer Society has more on breast cancer. SOURCE: ETH Zurich, news release, June 22, 2022 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. MONDAY, June 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn a woman's right to have an abortion marks a "very dark day in health care" that will leave patients at risk and doctors afraid to act, leaders of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said Friday. "It is a dark day indeed for the tens of millions of patients who have suddenly and unfairly lost access to safe, legal and evidence-based abortion care," said ACOG President Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins. "It is dark for the thousands of clinicians who now -- instead of focusing on providing health care to their patients -- have to live with the threat of legal, civil and even professional penalties while providing health care for the patients when they need it most," Hoskins said. ACOG leaders spoke during a media briefing just hours after the high court voted 6-to-3 to uphold a Mississippi law to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court voted 5-to-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had protected a woman's right to undergo an abortion in the United States for five decades. "The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion ... and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the high court said in its opinion on the Mississippi case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Center. In that case, Mississippi's sole abortion provider, Jackson Women's Health Organization, sued the state in 2020 after lawmakers banned abortions past 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape and incest. Dr. Thomas Dobbs has been the state's chief health officer since 2018. "All patients should have autonomy in their own lives to determine whether pregnancy is right for them at that specific moment in their lives," Hoskins said. "Any abortion is an essential abortion to the person who needs it, and every person should be able to access the medical care needed when they need it, including abortion care." ACOG CEO Dr. Maureen Phipps said that the decision also will affect a doctor's ability to care for patients. "It will leave physicians looking over our shoulders, wondering if a patient is in enough of a crisis to permit an exception to the law," Phipps said. "It leaves them fearing that the evidence-based care they are providing leaves them susceptible to discipline, punishment, lawsuits, loss of license and criminal penalty." Doctors might hesitate to provide lifesaving care For example, doctors practicing in states with strict abortion laws may choose to hesitate rather than dive in and take heroic measures to save a woman's life during an incomplete miscarriage that's causing her to bleed out, Hoskins said. Clinicians may be thinking that they have to wait, Hoskins said. They may be needing to get additional opinions, whether it's a legal opinion or another medical opinion. It's going to have a devastating effect on every aspect of a womans health care, including if she is spontaneously miscarrying." Doctors will also struggle to manage serious and life-threatening complications during pregnancy, including preeclampsia, which in some cases requires abortion to save the mother's life. "Maternal mortality is going to be more common because of this law," Hoskins said. "We have got to think of the mothers and the hit that the mothers will take to their own health and their own well-being and own outcome in these various aspects of pregnancy." Phipps also predicted that the decision will have a "dire" impact on ob-gyn training. "Medical education should be comprehensive, and our trainees must be prepared to meet all patient needs with confidence," Phipps said. "When 44% of our obstetrics and gynecology residents are trained in states that are now empowered to ban abortion, patients will have to question whether their ob-gyn doctor has had access to the quality of training that we have all come to expect." The decision also means that the quality of a person's health care will depend on where they live in the United States, said Dr. Jen Villavicencio, ACOG's lead for equity transformation. "Depending on what your zip code is, depending on what state you live in and where you live, your access to essential health care is going to be different," Villavicencio said. This specifically calls into question a woman's access to medication abortion using the FDA-approved abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, Villavicencio said. President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland both said Friday that the Supreme Court's ruling will not allow states to ban access to medications approved by the FDA. Medication abortion may be next target "In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication mifepristone," Garland said in a statement. "States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy." But Villavicencio said it "remains to be seen" whether state bans on medication abortion will wind up trumping the FDA's authority. "It is absolutely a concern" that medication abortion "could be and will be banned in some of these states," Villavicencio said. ACOG is committed to protecting the rights of patients in abortion-restricted states to travel for essential health care, said ACOG Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Molly Meegan. "We are going to be advocating very strongly that states do not have extraterritorial jurisdiction to reach beyond the edges of their state, the territory of their state, and try to enforce laws against physicians that are in haven states or in states where abortion is less restricted," Meegan said. "We will do the same with respect to fighting to protect people that travel." However, research has indicated that many women -- particularly those of limited financial means -- will not be able to travel to another state to get a needed abortion, said ACOG fellow Dr. Nisha Verma, who practices in Georgia. "We're already seeing people traveling for care from surrounding states that already have more restrictive laws, and we have seen that these deserts are going to get worse," Verma said. "People have predicted that some will have to travel over 500 miles to access abortion care, and that's just not going to be doable for many people." Georgia has a 2019 six-week abortion ban on the books that had been held up in the courts awaiting the Supreme Court ruling, which now is expected to take effect soon. "I will say despite this decision from the Supreme Court, I am very committed to returning to Georgia and returning to the South, which is my home, and I know many of my colleagues are," Verma said. "We are going to stay in these restrictive areas and will continue to support people in whatever way we can." More information Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health has more about abortion access in the United States. SOURCES: Media briefing, June 24, 2022, with: ACOG President Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG; ACOG Chief Executive Officer Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG; ACOG Lead for Equity Transformation Jen Villavicencio, MD, MPP, FACOG; ACOG Darney-Landy Fellow Nisha Verma, MD, MPH, FACOG; ACOG Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Molly Meegan, JD Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. Israels parliament has voted to dissolve itself, triggering the countrys fifth election in just over three years. The vote Thursday thrusts veteran politician Yair Lapid into the role of interim prime minister. He will try to persuade a deeply polarized nation to embrace his centrist vision. Polls indicate it will be a difficult road for Lapid to defeat his main rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is a divisive figure who is at the heart of Israels protracted political crisis. Lapid is a former author, newspaper columnist and TV host, and was the architect of the outgoing coalition government. As with the previous four elections, the upcoming vote promises to be another referendum on Netanyahu. The election is set for Nov. 1. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Before he became a leading voice for conservative causes on Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator James Lankford spent more than a decade as the director of youth programming at the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center, a sprawling campground about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City that attracts more than 50,000 campers in grades six through 12 each year. The Republican lawmaker's tenure at the camp is a prominent feature of his political profile, noted in the first paragraph of his official Senate biography. That experience is also coming under renewed scrutiny as the Southern Baptist Convention, which is affiliated with the group that owns the camp, faces a reckoning over its handling of sexual abuse cases. In 2009, while Lankford worked at the camp, the family of a 13-year-old girl sued a 15-year-old boy who was alleged to have had sex with her at the camp. Lankford, who was not in Congress at the time, is not alleged to have had any direct knowledge of the alleged assault, has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was not a defendant in the lawsuit, which was settled for an undisclosed amount before it was scheduled to go to trial. But in a 2010 deposition in the case, given a week after he was elected to his first term in the U.S. House, Lankford testified that he believed a 13-year-old could consent to sex. Yes, I think they can, Lankford told Kenyatta Bethea, a lawyer for the girl's family, according a 155-page transcript of the deposition obtained by The Associated Press. The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16, and although there is an exception in the law for minors between the ages of 14 and 17 who have sexual contact, there is no provision under which a 13-year-old could consent to sex. When Bethea pressed if his answer was still the same if I ask you that question in terms of your position as a father, Lankford maintained his stance. Yes, they can, he said. Under additional questioning about whether he would allow his two daughters to consent to sex at the age of 13, Lankford gave a more expansive answer. No, I would not encourage that at all," he said. "Could she make that choice? I hope she would not, but I would not encourage that in any way with my own daughter. Its unclear whether Lankford, who has no formal legal training, was aware of the legal age of consent at the time of his deposition. It's also uncertain whether any criminal charges were filed against the 15-year-old boy. Telephone messages left with Murray County District Attorney Craig Ladd were not returned. The testimony is surfacing before Tuesday's primary for the GOP Senate nomination that would allow Lankford to seek another term. After early concerns that he could be vulnerable to a challenge from the right, he enters the election in a strong position. The primary winner will head into the fall general election as the overwhelming favorite in this deeply Republican state. Aly Beley, a spokeswoman for Lankfords reelection campaign, declined to comment for this story. The revelation of Lankfords testimony comes at a difficult moment for the Southern Baptist Convention. A scathing investigative report, conducted by an independent firm, found that top SBC leaders stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse while seeking to protect their own reputations. In response, the SBC voted overwhelmingly earlier this month to create a way to track pastors and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse and launch a task force to oversee further reforms in the nations largest Protestant denomination. This is not the first case of alleged sexual assault at Falls Creek, a 400-acre campground nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains. The camp is owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, which is now called Oklahoma Baptists and is part of the SBC. Benjamin Lawrence Petty pleaded guilty in 2018 to raping a 13-year-old Texas girl at the camp. Petty, who was a cook at the camp, tied a rope around the girl's wrists, raped her and threatened to hurt her if she told anyone, according to investigators. Petty was ultimately sentenced to probation in the case, and a civil case filed by the girl's family against the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma was settled. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Lankford no longer worked at the camp when the attack occurred. Court records show that Rev. Lori Walke, an attorney and senior minister at Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, served as a guardian ad litem for the Texas girl during the civil case. Walke declined to talk about details of the case, but said she attended Falls Creek as a young girl and has serious concerns about how the camp operates. Even as a kid, you recognize some things that feel off," Walke said. This real obsession with the purity culture is overwhelming. The rules around clothing, particularly for girls, were just obsessed over." And then, the real lack of oversight, generally speaking, in all other matters," she added. "It was absolutely due to the fact that theres just not enough adults around." Oklahoma Baptists did not respond to questions about how many cases involving sexual misconduct at Falls Creek have been settled. In a statement, Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher said the recent vote to approve recommendations from the SBCs task force will bring about needed national reforms. I am thankful Oklahoma Baptists already made significant steps toward preventing abuse in Oklahoma, implementing a number of best practices in all areas of our ministries, including at our encampments, Fisher said. Oklahoma Baptists spokesman Brian Hobbs said some of those best practices for Falls Creek include mandatory background checks for anyone 18 and older, increased security, professionally developed safety training for all camp staff and church leaders bringing groups to the camp and protocols for reporting abuse or suspected abuse. During his deposition, Lankford said he had no problem sending his daughters to the camp, including in instances when he was not present, though he acknowledged that supervision wasn't perfect. I know that our adults are watching out for our kids, but the process of that, obviously I can't guess for every adult how they're going to handle it, Lankford said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The union that represents Omaha Public Schools security guards is filing a motion to stop the districts implementation of their employee contract, which union officials say was not accepted before it was approved by the school board Thursday. State Sen. Justin Wayne, the unions attorney, announced the Eastern Nebraska School Security Union Local No. 28 was at an impasse with OPS in a press release that was distributed Thursday, about 15 minutes before the board meeting began. Wayne said in the release that the union and district have failed to come to an agreement during contract negotiations and a petition was filed with the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations to seek mandatory mediation. During Thursdays board meeting, members passed a resolution to implement the districts last, best and final offer for a new security guard employee contract. The district says in the resolution that OPS and the union entered contract negotiations for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years on Sept. 23, 2021. After multiple bargaining sessions, the union told the district on Feb. 23 it believed an impasse had been reached. OPS attempted to continue to engage in bargaining and presented the union with its final offer on April 29, according to the resolution. On or about June 2, Local 28 responded to the district with its proposed final offer, which the district has taken as a rejection of the districts last, best and final offer which puts the parties at impasse, the resolution said. In the resolution, the district said there was no pending matter before the Commission of Industrial Relations and it recommended the school board implement the districts last offer, which the union had previously rejected. We dont know what that means because we are still not accepting that (contract), LeKeith Richardson, the unions president, said about the contract that was approved Thursday. They shouldnt have passed it because a motion was filed with CIR. It should have been taken off the agenda. Richardson said the district was notified before the school board meeting that a petition had been filed with the commission. District officials said in an official statement that the petition was filed at 4 p.m. the day of the meeting, after the agenda was finalized. When asked if the employee contract the board approved Thursday would still go into effect even though the parties are at an impasse, officials said the board has authorized the implementation of the offer. Wayne said on Monday that the union is working on a motion to be filed with the commission this week to stop any implementation of the approved employee contract except for pay. In the contract the board passed Thursday, the district raised the base pay for an OPS security guard from $15.80 per hour to $17.94 per hour for the 2022-23 school year. Richardson said in Thursdays press release that what the union is asking for is just plain common sense. We cannot accept this compensation package with the current threats to our safety, the increased non-security duties and the potential for unpaid work days whenever OPS is remote, he said. We put ourselves at risk every day to protect our schools, staff and students. We deserve to be treated with respect for the dedication and professionalism we provide to our students and teachers. In the districts final contract offer, security guards get two days of paid leave if school is canceled or a remote learning day is declared. But if more than two days of school are called off by the district in one calendar year, security guards will have to use their sick days or personal leave to get paid when their building is closed. If you do a month of remote days because of a pandemic, or teacher shortage, you cant maintain security? Wayne said. With the overall environment that we are seeing nationally, such as school shootings, its amazing to me that this district doesnt want to invest in security at OPS. There are about 45 open security guard positions across the district, according to OPS website. Richardson said the district had 35-40 open security guard positions throughout the past school year. Richardson said the continuing staff shortage has caused security guards to have increased workloads, additional job duties and more dangerous working conditions due to escalating student misbehavior. Imagine sending your child to school, day after day, and not having adequate security in the building, or a high school without any security, he said in the release. Every time there is an issue at school, whether it be in the classroom, hall or on the bus, the security officer shows up. We are OPS first responders within the building. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Nearly 48 million Americans are expected to travel during the Fourth of July holiday, making it the second-busiest Independence Day travel period since 2000. The volume of travelers expected over Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is kicking into high gear, said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA. Earlier this year, we started seeing the demand for travel increase, and its not tapering off. People are ready for a break and despite things costing more, they are finding ways to still take that much-needed vacation. AAA projects that despite high gas prices, car travel will set a record during the holiday. Over the five-day holiday period, 47.9 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home. Of those, 89%, or 42 million people, will travel by automobile. The travel group expects 3.55 million will travel by airplane while 2.42 million will take a train, bus or boat. In 2021, 46.2 million people traveled for the July Fourth holiday, with 41.8 million going by car. The record was set in 2019, when 49 million Americans traveled for the Fourth of July. The top destinations for the holiday weekend in Nebraska are expected to be Lake McConaughy/Lake Ogallala, Ponca State Park, Mahoney State Park and Fort Robinson State Park, a Nebraska Game and Parks spokeswoman said. But all state parks are well attended during holidays and on summer weekends, Shawna Richter-Ryerson said. AAA said gas prices for the holiday will be the highest in history. Pump prices are 64% higher than a year ago. Monday, the national average was $4.89 for regular unleaded. The Nebraska average was $4.70. During recent years, the Nebraska average on July 4 was $2.95 (2021), $2.10 (2020) and $2.59 (2019). The previous high was $4.02 in 2008. Traveling by car does provide a level of comfort and flexibility that people may be looking for given the recent challenges with flying, Haas said. But not all destinations are within driving distance, which doesnt mean you have to abandon your vacation plans. Although air travel volume is forecast to be close to 1.5% higher than last year, domestic traveler volumes are expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels, Haas said. Recent issues with air travel and ongoing concerns about cancellations and delays are likely the catalyst. AAA said travelers should be prepared to alter their plans during the busy holiday. AAA offers the following advice: Be prepared to alter your plans. Flights, car rentals, accommodations, tours, cruises and other activities are in high demand and availability may be limited, which will impact pricing. AAA expects to respond to over 446,000 calls for roadside assistance over the holiday. Get a full vehicle inspection ahead of any long trip but especially for the vehicles battery, engine and tires. Travel on off-peak times. Based on AAA booking data, July 1 is shaping up to be the busiest day for air travel during the holiday (June 30 to July 4), with Monday, July 4, being the lightest. June 30 and July 1 are expected to be the peak traffic days for road warriors. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SAN ANTONIO (AP) Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio in the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. Sixteen people were hospitalized, including four children. A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground near the trailer and bodies remained inside as authorities responded to the calamity. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the 46 who died had families who were likely trying to find a better life. This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy, Nirenberg said. Its among the deadliest of the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. The home countries of the immigrants and how long they were abandoned on the side of the road were not immediately known. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. Migrants ride in vehicles through Border Patrol checkpoints to San Antonio, the closest major city, from which point they disperse across the United States. Officers arrived to find a body on the ground outside the trailer and a partially opened gate to the trailer. Three people were taken into custody, but it was unclear if they were definitively connected with human trafficking, McManus said. Of the 16 taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses, 12 were adults and four were children, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. The patients were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, he said. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Those in the trailer were part of a presumed migrant smuggling attempt into the United States, and the investigation was being led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, McManus said. Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings. Before that, people paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more. Heat poses a serious danger, particularly when temperatures can rise severely inside vehicles. Weather in the San Antonio area was mostly cloudy Monday, but temperatures approached 100 degrees. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administrations border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes. Truck smuggling is a way up, he wrote on Twitter. Stephen Miller, a chief architect of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies, said, Human smugglers and traffickers are wicked and evil and that the administrations approach to border security rewards their actions. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican running for reelection, was blunt in a tweet about the Democratic president: These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under a pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies them a chance to seek asylum but encourages repeat attempts because there are no legal consequences for getting caught. People from other countries, notably Cuba, Nicaragua and Colombia, are subject to Title 42 authority less frequently due to higher costs of sending them home, strained diplomatic relations and other considerations. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the southwest border in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most are related to heat exposure. CBP has not published a death tally for this year but said that the Border Patrol performed 14,278 search-and-rescue missions in a seven-month period through May, exceeding the 12,833 missions performed during the previous 12-month period and up from 5,071 the year before. Spagat reported from San Diego. Reporter Terry Wallace contributed from Dallas. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Delayed flights add to airport congestion Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City and Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi are increasingly congested these days. On Monday evening, VietJet Flight VJ149, scheduled to depart at 7 pm at Noi Bai for HCM City, was delayed until 10:30 pm. Flash A Chinese envoy on Monday voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, and called on the international community to take urgent and decisive actions to prevent the Palestinian-Israeli issue from being totally derailed. It is concerning that the continued expansion of Israeli settlements "has encroached upon Palestinian land and natural resources, undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. "Every brutal inch of expansion of settlement is making the prospect of a two-state solution much harder to achieve. We urge Israel to stop its contempt for Resolution 2334, stop all settlement activities, and stop further undermining the foundation for the two-state solution," Zhang said. Noting that recently the security situation in the occupied territory has continued to be volatile, Zhang said China strongly condemns the continued violence by Israeli security forces and the settlers, which has resulted in heavy Palestinian casualties, including children. The envoy urged Israel to launch as soon as possible a criminal investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and release its findings in order to ensure accountability. "The question of Palestine is a litmus test of the international justice and fairness," Zhang said, stressing that piecemeal crisis management cannot substitute for a comprehensive and just settlement. He added that limited economic and humanitarian measures cannot erase political and security deficit, and individual national policies cannot replace long established international consensus and multilateral process, including resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly one after another. "What is needed for the time being is urgent and decisive actions, so as to prevent the train of Palestinian-Israeli situation from totally falling off the track," he said. Zhang said that China calls upon the international community, especially those having key influence on the parties concerned, to make genuine efforts for the peace process in the Middle East. This would mean promoting the two-state solution with the utmost urgency, he said, rather than waiting for so-called conditions for dialogue to mature. "This would mean adhering to the concept of indivisibility of security, giving equal importance to the security concerns of both Palestine and Israel, rather than allowing tacitly that the security of one side be built on the insecurity of the other," he said. "This also means persevering in a responsible attitude, rather than allowing policy flip-flop to further complicate the peace process," he said, emphasizing that it also means to ditch the double standard and uphold an objective and impartial position, rather than being engaged in long-term practice of setting roadblocks for the Security Council's handling of the Palestinian-Israeli question. As a responsible member of the international community, China will be always on the side of peace and justice, on the side of human conscience and fairness, and on the right side of history, he said. "We will firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and will continue to make unremitting efforts for achieving comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East," said Zhang. Aide: Trump dismissed Jan. 6 threats, wanted to join crowd WASHINGTON (AP) The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House. A former White House aide also tells the House committee investigating the attack that Trump desperately attempted to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol. In her testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson described an angry, defiant president who grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to allow him go to the Capitol. Trump has dismissed her as a total phony. Trump painted in testimony as volatile, angry president WASHINGTON (AP) A former Trump White House aide has painted a portrait of a volatile commander-in-chief who lashed out at advisers as his grasp on power was extinguished. Though accounts of the former presidents temper are legion, Cassidy Hutchinson offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trumps rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that supporters had weapons with them and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol. The testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee deepened questions about whether Trump himself could face criminal charges for his conduct and came as Trump weighs running for reelection in 2024. 1/6 Takeaways: Angry Trump, dire legal warnings and ketchup The House Jan. 6 committee held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trumps actions that day. Witness Cassidy Hutchinson is a lesser-known former White House aide who had proximity to power as an adviser to the then-president and his chief of staff Mark Meadows. She rebuffed Trumps team warnings against testifying and provided firsthand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the insurrection. She described an angry and defiant Trump who ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then refused to intervene to stop the violence as rioters laid siege. Colorado GOP deals blow to election denial movement DENVER (AP) Colorado Republicans have rejected two prominent election deniers in primaries Tuesday night. It's a setback for the movement to install backers of former President Donald Trump's election lies in positions with power over voting. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters lost the Republican primary for secretary of state to Pam Anderson, a former clerk in suburban Denver. Peters was indicted for her role in a break-in of her county's election system. An ally, State Rep. Ron Hanks, lost his bid for the GOP Senate nomination. Hanks attended the Jan. 6 protests. He was beaten by businessman Joe O'Dea, a rare GOP backer of some abortion rights. Takeaways from first primaries since Roe v. Wade overturned NEW YORK (AP) A rare Republican who supports abortion rights found success in Colorado in the first primary elections held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, New Yorks first female governor positioned herself to become a major voice in the post-Roe landscape. In Illinois, Democrats helped boost a Republican gubernatorial candidate loyal to former President Donald Trump in the hopes that he would be the easier candidate to beat in November. And in at least two states, election deniers were defeated, even as pro-Trump lightning rods elsewhere won. 51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones as authorities begin identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press that the driver of the truck and two other people were arrested. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from a truck parked on a lonely back road. Ukrainian survivor: Only a 'monster' would attack a mall KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) The shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of war it offered an escape for some residents. In a few moments on Monday, it suddenly became a hellish inferno after it was hit by a Russian airstrike. Authorities say at least 18 people are dead, more than 20 are missing and scores are wounded. The Kremenchuk mall is now the latest addition to the allegations of war crimes levied against Russia in the Ukraine war. One mall employee who said he had stepped outside for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off estimated 1,000 people had been in the mall, contradicting Russias claim it was empty. Turkey lifts its objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO MADRID (AP) Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told the AP that the membership should be completed the sooner the better. Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte's legacy MANILA, Philippines (AP) The thousands of killings under Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes campaign against illegal drugs have left families in agony and a savage side to his legacy. Duterte ends his turbulent six-year presidency Thursday after building a reputation for expletives-laced outbursts and a disdain for human rights and the West. He's seen as a human rights calamity not only for the deaths in his drug crackdown, but also for his brazen attacks on critical media, the Catholic church and his political opponents. He's still an endearing, popular character to many Filipinos, however, and state-run TV has been highlighting infrastructure and poverty-alleviating projects of his administration. But in the homes of those lost in the drug war, an air of indignation and mourning permeates. EXPLAINER: Abortion, tech and surveillance With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use data troves from Facebook, Google and other social platforms against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever peoples personal data is tracked and stored, theres always a risk that it could be misused or abused. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Abortion foes, supporters map next moves after Roe reversal CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) A day after the Supreme Courts bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils are turning to resolve as several states enact bans and both supporters and foes of abortion rights map out their next moves. A Texas group that helps women pay for abortions has halted its efforts while evaluating its legal risk under a ban it says will disproportionately hurt poor and minority women. Mississippis only abortion clinic is continuing to see patients while awaiting a 10-day notice that will trigger a ban. Some elected officials are vowing to protect womens access to abortion, while opponents of the procedure say their fight is far from over. Supreme Court conservatives flex muscle in sweeping rulings WASHINGTON (AP) Sweeping Supreme Court rulings on guns and abortion this past week have sent an unmistakable message. And that message is that conservative justices hold the power and aren't afraid to use it to make transformative changes in the law. It was never clearer than when the court took away a womans right to abortion that had stood for nearly 50 years. The conservative majority said no more half measures when they overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to outlaw abortion. And the day before, they ruled for the first time that Americans the right to carry handguns in public for self-defense. The decisions are the latest and perhaps clearest manifestation of the court's control by an aggressive conservative majority. Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved' WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden has signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades. The bipartisan compromise seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two world leader summits in Europe. The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous. Most of its $13 billion cost will help bolster mental health programs and aid schools Russia fires missiles across Ukraine, cements gains in east KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian forces are seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region while pressing their momentum following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk. The military said Moscow-backed separatists were now in full control of the chemical plant that was the last Ukrainian holdout in the city. Russia also launched dozens of missiles Saturday on several areas across the country far from the heart of the eastern battles. Ukraine's air command says some of the missiles were fired from Russian long-range Tu-22 bombers deployed to Belarus for the first time. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow plans to supply Belarus with the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system. 'Mitt Romney Republican' is now a potent GOP primary attack SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Mitt Romney isnt up for reelection this year, but his name is surfacing in Republican primaries throughout the nation. Candidates are using the label Mitt Romney Republican to frame opponents as insufficiently conservative and enemies of the Trump-era GOP. Candidates have employed the concept in attack ads and talking points in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Romney's home state Utah, Republican challengers taking on incumbent congressmen are using the attack, even though Romney won overwhelmingly only four years ago. The fact that Romney remains potent attack fodder reflects his singular position in politics and ongoing divisions within the Republican Party. Pope hails families, blasts 'culture of waste' after Roe ROME (AP) Pope Francis is urging families to shun selfish decisions that are indifferent to life as he closed out a big Vatican family rally a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion.Francis didnt refer to the ruling or explicitly mention abortion in his homily Saturday. But he used the buzzwords he has throughout his papacy about the need to defend families and condemn the culture of waste that he believes is behind the societal acceptance of abortion.Francis has strongly upheld church teaching opposing abortion, equating it to hiring a hitman to solve a problem. At the same time, he has expressed sympathy for women who have had abortions and has made it easier for them to be absolved of the sin of abortion. Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent? They are the most fiercely polarizing issues in American life: abortion and guns. And two momentous decisions by the Supreme Court in two days have done anything but resolve them. Instead, they've fired up debate about whether the courts conservative justices are being consistent to history and the Constitution or citing them to justify political preferences, To some critics, the rulings represent an obvious and deeply damaging contradiction: How can the court justify restricting the ability of states to regulate guns while expanding the right of states to regulate abortion? To supporters, the courts conservatives are staying true to the countrys founding principles and undoing errors of the past. Guns in paradise: Ruling could undo strict Hawaii carry law HONOLULU (AP) A U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a New York gun law could mean big changes thousands of miles away in Hawaii, which has strict restrictions on carrying firearms. In 2020, Hawaii had the nations lowest rate for gun deaths. Chris Marvin is a Hawaii resident with the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. He's concerned minor scuffles over things like surf spots could escalate if more people are carrying guns in public because of the high court decision. As Marvin says, Guns and aloha don't mix." Hawaii and California are among states with strict laws limiting carrying guns in public. Those laws will now need to be loosened. WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage' LONDON (AP) The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were unusual and acknowledged that monkeypox, which is endemic in some African countries, has been neglected. WHO nevertheless pointed to the emergency nature of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an intense response. The committee said the outbreak should be closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks. Norway shaken by attack that kills 2 during Pride festival OSLO, Norway (AP) A gunman who opened fire in Oslos nightlife district has killed two men and left more than 20 other people injured during the LGBTQ Pride festival in Norway's capital. The Norwegian security service called the attack early Saturday an Islamist terror act and raised the country's terror alert level from moderate to extraordinary, the highest level. A suspect was arrested. Investigators identified him as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran. The security service's acting chief says the gunman had a long history of violence and threats, as well as mental health issues. A defense lawyer cautioned against speculating on on a motive but says the suspect hasnt denied carrying out the attack. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ATLANTA (AP) A British filmmaker who shot interviews with Donald Trump and his inner circle in the final months of the former president's administration has been subpoenaed to testify in a Georgia investigation into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in the state. Footage shot by Alex Holder includes interviews from the campaign trail, as well as footage shot before and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His lawyer, Russell Smith, confirmed Holder will appear before a special grand jury in Atlanta. Alex is cooperating, and he is to appear to testify on July 12, Smith said in an email. The special grand jury is part of an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. In a letter sent to top state elected officials in February 2021, Willis said she was looking into potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local government bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the elections administration. The subpoena, which is dated Tuesday, also demands: All video footage and other materials related to the docuseries Unprecedented. The U.S. House committee investigating the Capitol attack also subpoenaed Holder's footage, and he said last week that he had complied with the congressional subpoena. Smith said last week that Holder sat for a two-hour deposition with the committee. Holder has said his series had been bought by a streaming service and was to be released in three parts this summer. The hours of video footage includes exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and then-Vice President Mike Pence while on the campaign trail, Holder has said. Willis, the prosecutor, began investigating possible illegal attempts to interfere in the state's general election shortly after she took office in January of last year. She asked earlier this year for a special grand jury to help the investigation. The panel was seated in May and this month began hearing from witnesses, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Willis has confirmed that her team is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Raffensperger to find the votes needed for him to win the state. She has also said they are looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election. Trump has repeatedly called his conversation with Raffensperger perfect and has denied any wrongdoing. Graham has also said he did nothing wrong. Amiri reported from Washington. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. ELMAU, Germany (AP) The Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Tuesday. The Nov. 15-16 summit had risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come, or the specter of Western leaders not even showing up given Russia's war in Ukraine. The issue was a topic at the smaller Group of Seven summit in Germany that wrapped up Tuesday and included leaders from five major emerging democratic economies India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Argentina which don't all share the G-7's views on the war in Ukraine or on sanctions against Russia. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. He was asked about comments from Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin had accepted Widodo's invitation to attend the Bali summit. President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: Hes not coming," Draghi told reporters in Elmau, Germany. "What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. We'll see. Ushakov shot back Tuesday that its not Draghi who decides that. We have received an invitation and responded positively, he said. Widodo is scheduled to travel to Russia and Ukraine after the G-7 meetings. Putin, along with several other leaders, participated via video at the G-20 summit in Rome last October, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking around the same time as Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz didnt address whether or not Putin would attend. But he said that he and his fellow G-7 leaders agreed that we dont want to drive the G-20 apart. Scholz added: Viewed from today, the decision of the states that were gathered here would be that they go there. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Nebraska state Sen. Mike Flood won a special election Tuesday to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a fellow Republican who was sentenced to two years of probation earlier in the day for a conviction on charges that he lied to federal agents. Flood beat Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in the states Republican-leaning 1st District, which includes Lincoln and dozens of smaller, mostly conservative towns in eastern Nebraska. Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, will serve the rest of what would have been Fortenberrys ninth term. Hell be a strong favorite to win a new term in November, when he faces Pansing Brooks again. In a brief interview after his win, Flood promised to be a conservative advocate for the district and a champion for local infrastructure projects and agriculture. Throughout the campaign, he sought to blame President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for rising inflation, and pledged to fight Biden administration policies. Flood acknowledged that he needs to do more to boost his support in the Lincoln area, one of the only pockets of Democratic strength in the district. Flood's victory was narrower than in previous elections, when Fortenberry would easily beat Democratic challengers with more than 60% of the vote. I recognize that I have work to do, Flood said. In a statement, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said the narrower-than-expected margin shows the need for more national party support in rural areas that are often viewed as unwinnable. Sen. Pansing Brooks connected with voters and started to change the political landscape of Nebraska, Kleeb said. Both candidates were nominated by their parties leaders in April to run in the special election. The next month, Nebraska primary voters picked them to run in the general election. In court Tuesday, Fortenberry sat quietly as U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld ordered him to serve probation, pay a $25,000 fine and perform community service. Blumenfeld rejected prosecutors request for a six-month prison sentence, saying the ex-congressman's behavior in the case was out of character. Fortenberry later said he planned to appeal, arguing that prosecutors never should have brought the case and accusing them of taking advantage of his trust. This has been very traumatic and weve got a way to go, he said outside the courthouse. But I am grateful that ... the judge recognized that the pattern of what I wanted to do with my life was simply to serve in public office and to try to help people. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins said prosecutors disagreed with the decision not to impose prison time, but noted the judges comments endorsing the jurys decision. Fortenberry resigned in March shortly after a California jury found him guilty in the corruption case. He has maintained his innocence and said he plans to appeal. Before he was indicted in October, Fortenberry was expected to sail to an easy win. Prosecutors alleged Fortenberry lied to federal agents multiple times about $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions he received from a foreign national at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. Federal law bars donations from foreign nationals. At trial, prosecutors played phone recordings between Fortenberry and a donor-turned-informant, who warned the congressman that the donations had likely been funneled to him from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. Fortenberrys attorneys argued that he didnt hear the warning due to bad cellphone reception. Fortenberry maintained his innocence, going so far as to release a preemptive denial of the charges before they were announced in a video that he filmed inside a 1963 Ford F-150 pickup, with his wife and dog at his side. He also continued to campaign, decrying his prosecution as politically motivated and airing attack ads against Flood. But as more details of the case became public, Fortenberry quickly lost support among top Nebraska Republicans. Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman dealt him a major blow when they endorsed Flood. Flood stayed mostly positive, airing several lighthearted ads, including one where he described himself as a conservative nerd who would get things done in Washington. Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte Melley reported from Los Angeles. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean prosecutors granted ex-President Lee Myung-bak a three-month release from prison over health concerns Tuesday after he served less than three years of a 17-year sentence for corruption. Lee, 80, could be sent back to prison at the end of that period, barring further health setbacks, but there is also the possibility that he might be pardoned before then by President Yoon Suk Yeol, a fellow conservative who recently expressed a reluctance to keep him behind bars. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office said in a statement to The Associated Press it decided to suspend the execution of Lees sentence for three months after a committee acknowledged the risk of a significant deterioration in his health. The office didn't elaborate on the health of Lee, who submitted a request for a stay of sentence earlier this month. Lee was sent to prison after the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in October 2020, but he has regularly received outside hospital treatment for various health problems including diabetes. Lee did not immediately issue any statement regarding his temporary release. He is reportedly receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, which did not comment on his health problems, citing privacy rules. Yoon told reporters earlier this month that it would be inappropriate to keep Lee imprisoned for 20-something years, inaccurately describing his prison term while citing the precedent of former presidents who were released early from their sentences following criminal convictions. Theres speculation that Lee could be considered for a presidential pardon ahead of an Aug. 15 holiday celebrating Koreas liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II. If the Yoon government is considering a pardon for Lee, a temporary stay of sentence would be the most convenient political setup, much less burdensome than granting a parole, said Han Sang-hie, a law professor at Seoul's Konkuk University. Lee, a CEO-turned-conservative hero before his fall from grace, was convicted of taking bribes from big businesses including Samsung, embezzling funds from a company that he owned, and other corruption-related crimes before and during his presidency from 2008 to 2013. A Seoul district court initially sentenced Lee in 2018 to 15 years in prison. He was released on bail several months later but was taken back into custody in February 2020 after an appellate court handed down a 17-year term and canceled his bail. Lee was released days later after he appealed his bail cancelation, but he was sent back to prison in October 2020 after the Supreme Court upheld the lower courts ruling. Lee, a former Hyundai CEO, won the 2007 presidential election on a promise to reinvigorate the countrys economy. But his five years in office were marred by the global financial crisis, massive public protests over a resumption of imports of U.S. beef amid fears of mad cow disease, and animosities with rival North Korea, including two attacks blamed on the North that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. Lees corruption case erupted after his conservative successor, Park Geun-hye, was removed from the presidency and jailed in 2017 over a separate corruption scandal that sparked massive protests. Park served less than a quarter of her 22-year sentence before former President Moon Jae-in, a liberal, pardoned her last December, citing her health problems and a need to promote unity in the politically divided nation. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. LONDON (AP) Scotland's leader told lawmakers in Edinburgh Tuesday that she plans to hold a fresh referendum on Scotland's independence on Oct. 19, 2023 even though U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintains it wasn't the right time for such a vote. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the question to be asked will be the same as that in Scotlands first independence vote in 2014: Should Scotland be an independent country? The U.K.-wide government of Johnson opposes a new referendum and has repeatedly said the issue was settled in 2014, when 55% saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotlands government requires a special order from Johnson to legally hold a referendum. Sturgeon said she will ask the U.K. Supreme Court to rule on the Scottish governments right to hold the vote if Johnson does not give the go-ahead. Scotlands most senior law official has referred the matter to the top court on Tuesday, she said. She added that she would be writing to Johnson to inform him of her plans. Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party and the devolved government in Scotland, insists its time to revisit the matter of independence, not least because of Britains exit from the European Union a move opposed by a majority of Scots. My determination is to secure a process that allows the people of Scotland, whether yes, no or yet to be decided, to express their views in a legal, constitutional referendum so the majority view can be established fairly and democratically, she said Tuesday. Johnson said he would study Sturgeons plans for a second referendum, but stressed that the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy." We will study it very carefully and we will respond properly ... I certainly think that well be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together," he told reporters. A spokesman for Johnsons office said his position is unchanged and he continues to think its not the time to be talking about a referendum. The spokesman said the government will not be drawn into hypotheticals about whether it would open negotiations for Scottish independence if Scots vote for it in a referendum next year. Even if the referendum does go ahead as proposed, a majority vote will not by itself make Scotland independent from the rest of the U.K. For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the U.K. and Scottish Parliaments, Sturgeon stressed. Sturgeon maintains that her party's success in local elections last year gives her a mandate for a fresh referendum. While the Scottish National Party did not win overall control in the Scottish Parliament, the election of a record number of Scottish Green lawmakers means there is a majority for a new independence vote. Sturgeon said that if there was no lawful way for the Scottish government to hold a referendum, and if Johnsons government refused to grant permission for such a vote, she would fight the next U.K. general election on the single issue of independence. Opposition parties have criticized Sturgeon for her obsession with holding a new independence vote and say she should instead be focused on more practical matters such as tackling the soaring cost of living. A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said. We wont play Nicola Sturgeons games. We wont take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done." Like Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has its own parliament and devolved government and makes its own policies on public health, education and other matters. But the U.K.-wide government in London controls matters such as defense and fiscal policy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Flash The Chinese government on Monday handed over an additional 10 million Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia. The latest batch of the 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses is expected to further boost Ethiopia's anti-COVID-19 vaccination efforts while playing a crucial role in combating the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. The handover ceremony was attended by senior Ethiopian government officials and members of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse said during the handover ceremony that the latest donation, which is the seventh batch of vaccine donations from China to Ethiopia, would propel Ethiopia's anti-pandemic efforts. "Including today's donation the government of China has donated a total of 14 million doses of vaccines to Ethiopia to fight the virus, restore the economy and protect people's health," Tadesse said. "Where there is unity and cooperation there is always victory. I hope Ethiopia, China and the rest of the world will fight the pandemic in a solidarity mindset to beat the virus." According to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, China has to date been committed to donating 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia, while facilitating Ethiopia's procurement of vaccines from China. Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said since the start of the pandemic, Ethiopia and China have continued to provide mutual support, adding a new chapter to the China-Ethiopia friendship. "China and Ethiopia are good friends and good partners with a shared future," the Chinese ambassador said. He said China stands ready to promote the China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to an even higher level. "The Chinese side stands ready to work with Ethiopia to make good use of vaccines as a powerful weapon, and jointly defeat the pandemic through closer health cooperation, so as to truly make contributions for the health and wellbeing of our peoples and for the friendship between our two countries," Zhao said. According to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, the latest arrival of 10 million vaccine doses demonstrates that China is turning its commitments into visible and tangible outcomes. Throughout the fight against COVID-19, China, Ethiopia and many African countries have consistently put life first and worked in solidarity. LOS ANGELES Flanked by his wife, trailed by a priest, a former staffer and five of his attorneys, Jeff Fortenberry descended a hill outside the federal courthouse downtown. It was a much different place, and a much different vibe, than just three months ago, when Fortenberry defiantly strode into that courthouse to challenge charges that he lied to federal agents investigating the injection of foreign money into his campaign. For one, the courthouse with its L.A. courtyard nouveau design, complete with gleaming glass and babbling brook water features had transformed into a fortress. An imposing green fence akin to those surrounding a construction zone or a jails exercise area lined its perimeter, erected to keep abortion-rights protesters out and courtgoers in. For another, Fortenberry entered through the makeshift gate a convicted felon. Three times over. He faced up to five years of prison or five years of probation on each count. Andy Braner, Fortenberrys former chief of staff, kept his chin lowered as he followed his one-time boss through metal detectors. Asked how he was doing, Braner said: Its the worst. It doesnt get any worse. As it turns out, it could have. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld declined to give Fortenberry prison time. Instead, Blumenfeld gave the 61-year-old former congressman two years of probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. And a bit of a tongue lashing. What is clear is that Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the information he was clearly provided, Blumenfeld said. The evidence clearly supports the finding by the jury that Mr. Fortenberry was not blind and he was not deaf He chose the wrong path. He decided to respond with dishonesty rather than honesty. And lying, especially in this context, is certainly a serious matter. Prosecutor Mack Jenkins, an assistant U.S. attorney, said its so serious that it deserved six months in prison. Jenkins urged the judge to reconsider the probation sentence, noting that Fortenberry lied to federal agents about his relationship with Dr. Eli Ayoub, a former Creighton doctor who held a dirty fundraiser for him in an LA suburb in February 2016. Then, he lied again when Jenkins himself met with Fortenberry and an attorney. During that interview, Fortenberry asserted that he knew Federal Election Commission regulations backward and forward and denied that Ayoub had ever told him that the money he received was cash funneled through a Nigerian billionaire. Without prison, Jenkins told the judge, other elected officials wont be deterred. Fortenberry had choice after choice after choice to live up to his oath, Jenkins said. Each time, he chose the wrong way. Blumenfeld said he appreciated the need for deterrence. However, an analysis of the past three years showed that more than 80% of federal defendants of the same age and with the same education as Fortenberry have received probation for the same class of crimes, the defense said. And the judge argued: I find it difficult to believe that anyone fully familiar with the facts of this case will think that its worth taking the risk that Mr. Fortenberry took here. Blumenfeld said he also had to consider Fortenberrys conduct against his overall character. Fortenberrys defense team submitted 64 letters on his behalf. Of them, Blumenfeld said he found the letters from Fortenberrys wife, Celeste, and his five daughters particularly compelling. By all accounts, one thing that every witness impressed upon is that he is a person of good, honest, moral character, Blumenfeld said. Even (a Democratic congresswoman) testified that Fortenberry is a man whose word can be counted upon and is generally trusted in the halls of a place where trust is not always something that can be relied upon. This does not mean that the path he took was appropriate or that the court is in any way condoning it. It simply is measuring the conduct in the context of his history and his characteristics. Even without prison, it was an incredible fall from grace for Fortenberry, a 17-year Republican representative from Lincoln whom a staffer once described as Americas last great statesman. Now, Fortenberry will go down in history as Nebraskas first felonious congressman. He had faced up to 15 years in prison after a jury swiftly convicted him in March of two counts of lying and one count of concealing the source of illegal campaign donations. A Nigerian billionaire had steered $30,000 in cash to Fortenberrys campaign at a fundraiser in suburban Los Angeles. It is illegal for foreigners to donate to U.S. politicians. Despite several warnings that the money was dirty, Fortenberry didnt disgorge it from his campaign until 40 months later. Fortenberry declined to address the judge in court but asked to address him afterward. Observers couldnt hear what Fortenberry said, but Blumenfeld told the courtroom that Fortenberry thanked him for reading the 64 letters submitted in support. All I wanted to do was serve my country, Fortenberry said, according to the judge. Post sentencing, Fortenberry walked outside holding his wifes hand. He called the whole ordeal, including his resignation from Congress, traumatic. Asked if he had slept the night before, Fortenberry chuckled and searched for his words. We slept like a baby, Celeste Fortenberry chimed in. When you have a clean conscience, you sleep well. Randall Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor, said Tuesday was historic. In Nebraskas 155-year history, Fortenberry is the only federally elected official to be convicted of a felony, let alone three of them. The only similar case in the states 155-year history was the 1985 perjury conviction of a Nebraska attorney general who tried to cover up his dealings with an insolvent bank. His legacy is one of scandal, Adkins said of Fortenberry. The thing I think thats dangerous about that is this: Were in a time where trust in elected officials is at an all-time low. If thats how we remember a member of Congress, it doesnt bode well for our future. The future is clear for Fortenberry. He vowed to appeal, though overturning a jury verdict is the longest of long shots, especially in federal court. Both the sentencing hearing and eve-of-trial briefs revealed some new nuggets about U.S. vs. Fortenberry: Countering the defenses image that Fortenberry is circling the drain financially, the U.S. Probation Office indicated that Fortenberry has a net worth in the neighborhood of $1.1 million. And prosecutors noted that, even post-conviction, Fortenberry is now in a job making $144,000 a year ($12,000 a month). The report didnt specify the job, though Fortenberry worked for Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln before his congressional career. It is not clear whether Fortenberrys felony conviction has cost him his federal pension. The defense wrote that he might end up losing it, but prosecutors say the government has given no indication that it has stripped him of it. Fortenberry ignored even more warning signs than originally reported. Followers of the case already knew that Fortenberry didnt act on several suggestions, even his own instincts, that something was amiss with the $30,000 in donations he received at that Los Angeles fundraiser in February 2016. Add this to the picture: In 2017, a year after the fundraiser, Fortenberry texted Toufic Baaklini, the man who helped set up the fundraiser. Baaklini responded curtly that he had hired a criminal defense attorney and Fortenberry ought to hire one, too. And then the four of them could get together and talk about options. Despite that dire text, Fortenberry didnt seek out an attorney or a meeting with Baaklini to find out what was up. Instead, the congressman sought to set up another fundraiser. Fortenberry could have avoided charges if he had purged the dirty money. An FBI agent testified that they kept checking to see if Fortenberry had cleansed his campaign war chest. Prosecutors noted in their sentencing brief that Fortenberry could have avoided charges had he sent the money away. In the end, 40 months passed before he finally got rid of the dirty money. By then, he had told too many lies and given the feds too many misdirections. Adkins, the political scientist and associate dean at UNO, said disgraced politicians seem to fall into three categories: those who are corrupt to begin with, those who make a mistake and admit it, and those who simply cant admit they do anything wrong. Adkins said Fortenberry falls into that last camp, along with former President Donald Trump. How else to explain why Fortenberry wouldnt just get rid of the $30,000, especially when he had a campaign war chest around $2 million? He couldnt admit he was wrong, Adkins said. He still hasnt. Adkins said there are a few reasons why denial works for Trump but not Fortenberry: Fortenberry is not as skilled an orator as Trump. Nebraska doesnt have a history of embracing or forgiving personal, moral wrongdoing in local leaders. Adkins said Nebraska is not unique in this. Beyond Chicago and Illinois politicians, upper Midwestern states have largely been occupied with moralistic, populist leaders. No matter what some may think about their politics, Adkins said, todays Nebraska Republicans typically quickly dispatch with wrongdoers. As proof, Adkins pointed to Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts railing against a man Trump supported, Charles Herbster, in the governors race this year. Eight women have accused Herbster of groping. He lost the Republican primary. Similarly, Ricketts dispatched with Fortenberry after this case first emerged. The governor threw his support behind State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who on Tuesday took on State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in a special election to replace Fortenberry. Lies, even misdirections, dont fly with federal agents, and they dont fly in court. That last reason is perhaps the most important factor in Fortenberrys fall. Fortenberry dug himself deeper and deeper with his denials and the bumbled way he handled his interviews with federal agents. Fortenberry became incensed that FBI agents had shown up to his Lincoln house unannounced in March 2019. He pulled rank, called then-Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister to make sure the federal agents were who they said they were. Once he found out who they were, he compounded the mistake. Any lawyer will tell you to not talk to police without an attorney present, except in cases where youre a victim. Instead of calling an attorney, Fortenberry insisted that the Lincoln police officers stay at his home during the interview. And then he proceeded to deny knowing the man in the photo that FBI agent Todd Carter held up for him: Ayoub, the former Creighton doctor now practicing in Los Angeles. Ayoub had held a fundraiser for Fortenberry at a suburban L.A. home in February 2016. People at the dinner had raised $36,000 and Fortenberry called it a rousing success. While Fortenberry initially was oblivious to it, the fundraiser followed the A, B and C of a scandal: Ayoub had taken a bag of cash provided by Baaklini, the founder of In Defense of Christians, a group set up to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. That bag of cash arrived in L.A. via the son of Gilbert Chagoury a billionaire linked to one of the most corrupt regimes in Nigerian history. Fortenberry sensed something was wrong, noting to his fundraising consultant that the bulk of the checks came from people with the same last name. He didnt act on that instinct. His Republican colleagues did. Chagoury also had attempted to funnel money to the campaigns of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska and current California congressman Darrell Issa. Upon learning the donations were from a foreigner, those three disgorged the money from their campaign coffers by donating it to charity. Fortenberry took more than three years and two FBI interviews to do so. That led prosecutors and FBI to wonder: Was Fortenberry just oblivious? Or was there something more sinister? Did he want the donations as validation for his help in a cause that he had long been concerned with? And: Did he plan to do it again? In 2018, Fortenberry called Ayoub about a second fundraiser. During that phone call, Ayoub told him they could do it, but it wouldnt be as lucrative because the cash from the first fundraiser probably came from Chagoury. From there, FBI agents kept checking Fortenberrys campaign forms to see if he had disgorged the money. He hadnt. On the eve of sentencing, prosecutors essentially acknowledged in a 30-page indictment that Fortenberry could have avoided all of this, including maybe even charges, if he had simply come clean. They came to think that Fortenberry not only knew the money was questionable, but also that he embraced it as validation for his work with In Defense of Christians. Fortenberry had helped to secure passage of a resolution of condemnation of ISIS for genocide in the Middle East which Baaklini described as an important milestone for the movement to protect religious minorities. Photos showed him beaming beside Baaklini and Anna Eshoo, a California Democratic congresswoman, after being presented with plaques from IDC. He was a featured speaker at IDC fundraising dinners, once asking for a show of hands for anyone who had been able to say no to Baaklini. Seeing none, he joked that the only person who could say no to Baaklini was Baaklinis wife. Staffers have said that Fortenberrys work with IDC was part of efforts to protect human dignity. Fortenberry was one of the few congressional members who had constituents directly affected by persecution in the Middle East. Lincoln is home to one of the largest resettlements of Yazidis, a religious sect from Iraq. Over the past decade, ISIS members have abused the Yazidis, raping, torturing and killing them. Many of them settled in Lincoln and other U.S. cities. Fortenberry attended one of their first rallies in Lincoln, where he met a bright teenager who spoke little English. Despite her language limitations, Fortenberry hired the young woman as an intern in his Lincoln office. She said she was forever grateful for Fortenberrys involvement in what advocates referred to as the cause. The cause had perks, causing prosecutors to look sideways at Fortenberrys advocacy. He twice had dinner with the billionaire Chagoury once in Washington, D.C., and once in Paris. He constantly asked Baaklini to pass along fond greetings to Gilbert. The weekend of the dirty fundraiser, the Lebanese Catholic community in L.A. bestowed an award on Fortenberry that gave him lifetime permission to, of all things, ride a horse into any Lebanese Catholic church. Again, Fortenberry could be seen beaming in pictures. Prosecutors pointed to Fortenberrys lack of remorse and accountability. Jenkins, Jamari Buxton and Susan Har said Fortenberrys refusal to come clean caused them to have to track down and interview at least three Fortenberry associates they wouldnt have interviewed. They also suggested that Fortenberry tried to throw them off the scent by suggesting he already had told staff to call off plans for a second fundraiser. He even showed them an email he said proved it, but predated a phone call in which he asked for the second fundraiser. With his public comments and public relations strategy to make himself the purported martyr of a political hit job by California prosecutors and a biased FBI agent, it remains to be seen what lessons defendant has taken from his prosecution and convictions, Jenkins wrote. Fortenberrys defense primarily focused on character testimony including Eshoos assertion that Fortenberry is a man of integrity and a person devoid of arrogance. Supporters said Fortenberrys forte was in his efforts to protect human dignity. Hence his bill to provide funding for support for those afflicted with ALS, Lou Gehrigs disease. Hence his desire to help religious minorities who have been oppressed in the Middle East, including the Yazidis. Several refugees from that small religious sect have relocated to Lincoln. One of those refugees testified at trial that Fortenberry listened to them and fought for them. The conviction in this case devastatingly impacted Mr. Fortenberrys life, attorney John Littrell said. Once a public servant, Mr. Fortenberry resigned from Congress. Stripped of the rights to vote and possess a firearm, Mr. Fortenberry cannot even participate in our democracy. Outside court after sentencing, Fortenberry maintained his innocence and said his appeals will ensue. Asked if he had been worried that he was going to prison, Fortenberry paused. Well, you dont know the outcomes here, Fortenberry said. Were in a very strange place here, arent we? He put his palms up and motioned toward the bustling city. Its not Nebraska. When he reaches Nebraska, the former congressman will check in with the probation office to begin serving his two years. With that, Fortenberry, his wife and his lead attorney walked the marble steps away from the courthouse. They exited the same green gate he had entered Tuesday morning. In a sense, free. Except for the felonies. Except for the legacy. 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. LOS ANGELES Flanked by his wife, trailed by a priest, a former staffer and five of his attorneys, Jeff Fortenberry descended a hill outside the federal courthouse downtown. It was a much different place, and a much different vibe, than just three months ago, when Fortenberry defiantly strode into that courthouse to challenge charges that he lied to federal agents investigating the injection of foreign money into his campaign. For one, the courthouse with its L.A. courtyard nouveau design, complete with gleaming glass and babbling brook water features had transformed into a fortress. An imposing green fence akin to those surrounding a construction zone or a jails exercise area lined its perimeter, erected to keep abortion-rights protesters out and courtgoers in. For another, Fortenberry entered through the makeshift gate a convicted felon. Three times over. He faced up to five years of prison or five years of probation on each count. Andy Braner, Fortenberrys former chief of staff, kept his chin lowered as he followed his one-time boss through metal detectors. Asked how he was doing, Braner said: Its the worst. It doesnt get any worse. As it turns out, it could have. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld declined to give Fortenberry prison time. Instead, Blumenfeld gave the 61-year-old former congressman two years of probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. And a bit of a tongue lashing. What is clear is that Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the information he was clearly provided, Blumenfeld said. The evidence clearly supports the finding by the jury that Mr. Fortenberry was not blind and he was not deaf He chose the wrong path. He decided to respond with dishonesty rather than honesty. And lying, especially in this context, is certainly a serious matter. Prosecutor Mack Jenkins, an assistant U.S. attorney, said its so serious that it deserved six months in prison. Jenkins urged the judge to reconsider the probation sentence, noting that Fortenberry lied to federal agents about his relationship with Dr. Eli Ayoub, a former Creighton doctor who held a dirty fundraiser for him in an LA suburb in February 2016. Then, he lied again when Jenkins himself met with Fortenberry and an attorney. During that interview, Fortenberry asserted that he knew Federal Election Commission regulations backward and forward and denied that Ayoub had ever told him that the money he received was cash funneled through a Nigerian billionaire. Without prison, Jenkins told the judge, other elected officials wont be deterred. Fortenberry had choice after choice after choice to live up to his oath, Jenkins said. Each time, he chose the wrong way. Blumenfeld said he appreciated the need for deterrence. However, an analysis of the past three years showed that more than 80% of federal defendants of the same age and with the same education as Fortenberry have received probation for the same class of crimes, the defense said. And the judge argued: I find it difficult to believe that anyone fully familiar with the facts of this case will think that its worth taking the risk that Mr. Fortenberry took here. Blumenfeld said he also had to consider Fortenberrys conduct against his overall character. Fortenberrys defense team submitted 64 letters on his behalf. Of them, Blumenfeld said he found the letters from Fortenberrys wife, Celeste, and his five daughters particularly compelling. By all accounts, one thing that every witness impressed upon is that he is a person of good, honest, moral character, Blumenfeld said. Even (a Democratic congresswoman) testified that Fortenberry is a man whose word can be counted upon and is generally trusted in the halls of a place where trust is not always something that can be relied upon. This does not mean that the path he took was appropriate or that the court is in any way condoning it. It simply is measuring the conduct in the context of his history and his characteristics. Even without prison, it was an incredible fall from grace for Fortenberry, a 17-year Republican representative from Lincoln whom a staffer once described as Americas last great statesman. Now, Fortenberry will go down in history as Nebraskas first felonious congressman. He had faced up to 15 years in prison after a jury swiftly convicted him in March of two counts of lying and one count of concealing the source of illegal campaign donations. A Nigerian billionaire had steered $30,000 in cash to Fortenberrys campaign at a fundraiser in suburban Los Angeles. It is illegal for foreigners to donate to U.S. politicians. Despite several warnings that the money was dirty, Fortenberry didnt disgorge it from his campaign until 40 months later. Fortenberry declined to address the judge in court but asked to address him afterward. Observers couldnt hear what Fortenberry said, but Blumenfeld told the courtroom that Fortenberry thanked him for reading the 64 letters submitted in support. All I wanted to do was serve my country, Fortenberry said, according to the judge. Post sentencing, Fortenberry walked outside holding his wifes hand. He called the whole ordeal, including his resignation from Congress, traumatic. Asked if he had slept the night before, Fortenberry chuckled and searched for his words. We slept like a baby, Celeste Fortenberry chimed in. When you have a clean conscience, you sleep well. Randall Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor, said Tuesday was historic. In Nebraskas 155-year history, Fortenberry is the only federally elected official to be convicted of a felony, let alone three of them. The only similar case in the states 155-year history was the 1985 perjury conviction of a Nebraska attorney general who tried to cover up his dealings with an insolvent bank. His legacy is one of scandal, Adkins said of Fortenberry. The thing I think thats dangerous about that is this: Were in a time where trust in elected officials is at an all-time low. If thats how we remember a member of Congress, it doesnt bode well for our future. The future is clear for Fortenberry. He vowed to appeal, though overturning a jury verdict is the longest of long shots, especially in federal court. Both the sentencing hearing and eve-of-trial briefs revealed some new nuggets about U.S. vs. Fortenberry: Countering the defenses image that Fortenberry is circling the drain financially, the U.S. Probation Office indicated that Fortenberry has a net worth in the neighborhood of $1.1 million. And prosecutors noted that, even post-conviction, Fortenberry is now in a job making $144,000 a year ($12,000 a month). The report didnt specify the job, though Fortenberry worked for Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln before his congressional career. It is not clear whether Fortenberrys felony conviction has cost him his federal pension. The defense wrote that he might end up losing it, but prosecutors say the government has given no indication that it has stripped him of it. Fortenberry ignored even more warning signs than originally reported. Followers of the case already knew that Fortenberry didnt act on several suggestions, even his own instincts, that something was amiss with the $30,000 in donations he received at that Los Angeles fundraiser in February 2016. Add this to the picture: In 2017, a year after the fundraiser, Fortenberry texted Toufic Baaklini, the man who helped set up the fundraiser. Baaklini responded curtly that he had hired a criminal defense attorney and Fortenberry ought to hire one, too. And then the four of them could get together and talk about options. Despite that dire text, Fortenberry didnt seek out an attorney or a meeting with Baaklini to find out what was up. Instead, the congressman sought to set up another fundraiser. Fortenberry could have avoided charges if he had purged the dirty money. An FBI agent testified that they kept checking to see if Fortenberry had cleansed his campaign war chest. Prosecutors noted in their sentencing brief that Fortenberry could have avoided charges had he sent the money away. In the end, 40 months passed before he finally got rid of the dirty money. By then, he had told too many lies and given the feds too many misdirections. Adkins, the political scientist and associate dean at UNO, said disgraced politicians seem to fall into three categories: those who are corrupt to begin with, those who make a mistake and admit it, and those who simply cant admit they do anything wrong. Adkins said Fortenberry falls into that last camp, along with former President Donald Trump. How else to explain why Fortenberry wouldnt just get rid of the $30,000, especially when he had a campaign war chest around $2 million? He couldnt admit he was wrong, Adkins said. He still hasnt. Adkins said there are a few reasons why denial works for Trump but not Fortenberry: Fortenberry is not as skilled an orator as Trump. Nebraska doesnt have a history of embracing or forgiving personal, moral wrongdoing in local leaders. Adkins said Nebraska is not unique in this. Beyond Chicago and Illinois politicians, upper Midwestern states have largely been occupied with moralistic, populist leaders. No matter what some may think about their politics, Adkins said, todays Nebraska Republicans typically quickly dispatch with wrongdoers. As proof, Adkins pointed to Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts railing against a man Trump supported, Charles Herbster, in the governors race this year. Eight women have accused Herbster of groping. He lost the Republican primary. Similarly, Ricketts dispatched with Fortenberry after this case first emerged. The governor threw his support behind State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who on Tuesday took on State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in a special election to replace Fortenberry. Lies, even misdirections, dont fly with federal agents, and they dont fly in court. That last reason is perhaps the most important factor in Fortenberrys fall. Fortenberry dug himself deeper and deeper with his denials and the bumbled way he handled his interviews with federal agents. Fortenberry became incensed that FBI agents had shown up to his Lincoln house unannounced in March 2019. He pulled rank, called then-Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister to make sure the federal agents were who they said they were. Once he found out who they were, he compounded the mistake. Any lawyer will tell you to not talk to police without an attorney present, except in cases where youre a victim. Instead of calling an attorney, Fortenberry insisted that the Lincoln police officers stay at his home during the interview. And then he proceeded to deny knowing the man in the photo that FBI agent Todd Carter held up for him: Ayoub, the former Creighton doctor now practicing in Los Angeles. Ayoub had held a fundraiser for Fortenberry at a suburban L.A. home in February 2016. People at the dinner had raised $36,000 and Fortenberry called it a rousing success. While Fortenberry initially was oblivious to it, the fundraiser followed the A, B and C of a scandal: Ayoub had taken a bag of cash provided by Baaklini, the founder of In Defense of Christians, a group set up to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. That bag of cash arrived in L.A. via the son of Gilbert Chagoury a billionaire linked to one of the most corrupt regimes in Nigerian history. Fortenberry sensed something was wrong, noting to his fundraising consultant that the bulk of the checks came from people with the same last name. He didnt act on that instinct. His Republican colleagues did. Chagoury also had attempted to funnel money to the campaigns of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska and current California congressman Darrell Issa. Upon learning the donations were from a foreigner, those three disgorged the money from their campaign coffers by donating it to charity. Fortenberry took more than three years and two FBI interviews to do so. That led prosecutors and FBI to wonder: Was Fortenberry just oblivious? Or was there something more sinister? Did he want the donations as validation for his help in a cause that he had long been concerned with? And: Did he plan to do it again? In 2018, Fortenberry called Ayoub about a second fundraiser. During that phone call, Ayoub told him they could do it, but it wouldnt be as lucrative because the cash from the first fundraiser probably came from Chagoury. From there, FBI agents kept checking Fortenberrys campaign forms to see if he had disgorged the money. He hadnt. On the eve of sentencing, prosecutors essentially acknowledged in a 30-page indictment that Fortenberry could have avoided all of this, including maybe even charges, if he had simply come clean. They came to think that Fortenberry not only knew the money was questionable, but also that he embraced it as validation for his work with In Defense of Christians. Fortenberry had helped to secure passage of a resolution of condemnation of ISIS for genocide in the Middle East which Baaklini described as an important milestone for the movement to protect religious minorities. Photos showed him beaming beside Baaklini and Anna Eshoo, a California Democratic congresswoman, after being presented with plaques from IDC. He was a featured speaker at IDC fundraising dinners, once asking for a show of hands for anyone who had been able to say no to Baaklini. Seeing none, he joked that the only person who could say no to Baaklini was Baaklinis wife. Staffers have said that Fortenberrys work with IDC was part of efforts to protect human dignity. Fortenberry was one of the few congressional members who had constituents directly affected by persecution in the Middle East. Lincoln is home to one of the largest resettlements of Yazidis, a religious sect from Iraq. Over the past decade, ISIS members have abused the Yazidis, raping, torturing and killing them. Many of them settled in Lincoln and other U.S. cities. Fortenberry attended one of their first rallies in Lincoln, where he met a bright teenager who spoke little English. Despite her language limitations, Fortenberry hired the young woman as an intern in his Lincoln office. She said she was forever grateful for Fortenberrys involvement in what advocates referred to as the cause. The cause had perks, causing prosecutors to look sideways at Fortenberrys advocacy. He twice had dinner with the billionaire Chagoury once in Washington, D.C., and once in Paris. He constantly asked Baaklini to pass along fond greetings to Gilbert. The weekend of the dirty fundraiser, the Lebanese Catholic community in L.A. bestowed an award on Fortenberry that gave him lifetime permission to, of all things, ride a horse into any Lebanese Catholic church. Again, Fortenberry could be seen beaming in pictures. Prosecutors pointed to Fortenberrys lack of remorse and accountability. Jenkins, Jamari Buxton and Susan Har said Fortenberrys refusal to come clean caused them to have to track down and interview at least three Fortenberry associates they wouldnt have interviewed. They also suggested that Fortenberry tried to throw them off the scent by suggesting he already had told staff to call off plans for a second fundraiser. He even showed them an email he said proved it, but predated a phone call in which he asked for the second fundraiser. With his public comments and public relations strategy to make himself the purported martyr of a political hit job by California prosecutors and a biased FBI agent, it remains to be seen what lessons defendant has taken from his prosecution and convictions, Jenkins wrote. Fortenberrys defense primarily focused on character testimony including Eshoos assertion that Fortenberry is a man of integrity and a person devoid of arrogance. Supporters said Fortenberrys forte was in his efforts to protect human dignity. Hence his bill to provide funding for support for those afflicted with ALS, Lou Gehrigs disease. Hence his desire to help religious minorities who have been oppressed in the Middle East, including the Yazidis. Several refugees from that small religious sect have relocated to Lincoln. One of those refugees testified at trial that Fortenberry listened to them and fought for them. The conviction in this case devastatingly impacted Mr. Fortenberrys life, attorney John Littrell said. Once a public servant, Mr. Fortenberry resigned from Congress. Stripped of the rights to vote and possess a firearm, Mr. Fortenberry cannot even participate in our democracy. Outside court after sentencing, Fortenberry maintained his innocence and said his appeals will ensue. Asked if he had been worried that he was going to prison, Fortenberry paused. Well, you dont know the outcomes here, Fortenberry said. Were in a very strange place here, arent we? He put his palms up and motioned toward the bustling city. Its not Nebraska. When he reaches Nebraska, the former congressman will check in with the probation office to begin serving his two years. With that, Fortenberry, his wife and his lead attorney walked the marble steps away from the courthouse. They exited the same green gate he had entered Tuesday morning. In a sense, free. Except for the felonies. Except for the legacy. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON Harriet Wilson voted as a Democrat in past primary elections, but this year's slate of options caused her to choose a different route. Wilson, of Bloomington, said she chose a Republican ballot during Tuesday's election because there were more races in contention. She planned to vote for secretary of state candidate John Milhiser and McLean County Board candidate Lyndsay Bloomfield, a decision she said was motivated in part by a desire to see their opponents were not elected. "I was more voting against people than I am voting for them," Wilson said. "I think with any election, people should participate." Illinois primary elections require voters to choose whether to vote for Republican or Democratic candidates, and the selection is public information. Several Central Illinois election judges who spoke to The Pantagraph on Tuesday attributed that issue as one of the drivers of historically low turnout in such elections. A lot of people dont like voting in the primary due to having to choose a party affiliation, said Kari Harris, chief deputy to the DeWitt County Clerk. They wait for the general, until it gets narrowed down, then cast their votes that way. She added: But whether its the primary or general, I wish people would get out more in the primaries and vote. Voters choosing a Republican ballot on Tuesday had the opportunity to choose from among six candidates for governor, including frontrunners Darren Bailey, a state senator from Xenia, and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. Several congressional races, including the 15th and 16th districts, were only contested by Republican candidates. Another heated race was the Republican contest for the 11th Judicial Circuit judge seat, which saw Associate Judge Amy McFarland face McLean County State's Attorney Don Knapp. Bailey won the vote of Jim Browning, who was voting in Hudson on Tuesday. Browning said Bailey was the most conservative candidate and he felt their values aligned. "My general attitude about politics is smaller the government the better," Browning said. "We've got way too much government in the state and way too much government at the federal level right now." Election results were not available by press time. Visit pantagraph.com for full coverage, and look for election analysis in Thursday's print edition. In Clinton, a steady stream of voters had arrived by midday at the First Christian Church. Carole Wylander, an election judge for the third precinct, was there waiting for them. Its a primary, so a lot of people dont want to declare (a party), she said. Its never as busy as the general election. Wylander has been an election judge for nearly 10 years. The judges have learned to occupy their time during slower elections. We eat, she said. And Ive got my Bridge books. DeWitt County and the city of Clinton have limited categories on the ballot. Many candidates were unopposed, she said. But its still important for everyone to get out and vote, she said. In Bloomington and across McLean County, voter turnout started out low and slow but was expected to grow in the mid-afternoon and early evening. "It's a primary and usually during a primary, we don't have a high turnout," said Suzanne Fahnestock, executive director of the Bloomington Election Commission. "People usually come out and vote after they get off work, and we hope to see a lot of them stop by." As of noon Tuesday, there were 5,697 votes submitted throughout the city, including early voting and mail-in ballots, Fahnestock said. That's out of a total 53,365 registered voters. Glen Wetzel, an election judge for Bloomington's second precinct, said a lot of people had either voted early or mailed in their ballots, but the turnout was still more than he expected. "We didn't expect it to be super slow or super busy," Wetzel said. "I've just enjoyed the people that I've worked with here the past four years." Approximately 62,000 people are registered to vote across McLean County, with 1,334 voting early in person, County Clerk Kathy Michael said. A total of 720 mail ballots were received, she said. Michael said that all polling places opened on time Tuesday morning. No serious problems had been reported by midday, she said. "We really haven't had any issues this morning," said Wayne Dillow, an election judge for Normal Precincts 12, 13 and 23. "We've had a couple of rushes where people had to stand and wait a minute but were able to get everybody in within about two minutes at the most." An election judge for over 35 years, Dillow has witnessed a dramatic evolution in voting technology. Before electronic voting systems, he had to record voter registration cards in a ledger book. The process later required a small laptop, and now tablet-styled terminals have greatly cut down on the work for election judges. Linda Conder, election judge for the first and second precincts in Hudson, said turnout had been steady. Around 1,000 voters were expected there by the end of the day. Conder, who has been election judge for 20 years, said she lives outside of Hudson but knows a lot of the residents and has worked in the community. "I just keep coming back to see the same people every election and renewing friendships," she said. Sophie Lampert was acting as an election judge years before she could vote herself. The Normal West High School junior said her government teacher had offered the opportunity to her class, and she decided to take the election judge training back in March. On Tuesday, she was able to see how everything works behind the scenes with helping people register to vote and making sure that they received the correct ballot. "From a younger perspective, I think it's important to vote but at the same time I'm not completely sure because I can't really vote yet," Lampert said. "I feel like as I get older I'll learn the importance more and more." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Donnette Beckett Central Illinois Food and Drink Reporter Food and drink reporter for Lee Enterprises Central Illinois. Follow Donnette Beckett 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 Medication abortions were the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. As more states seek abortion limits, demand is expected to grow. They involve using two prescription medicines days apart _ pills that can be taken at home or in a clinic. The drug mifepristone is taken first. It blocks the effects of the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later. It cause the womb to contract, expelling the pregnancy. Use of the pills has been increasing in recent years. BLOOMINGTON Another cannabis dispensary will be making its way to Bloomington after city council members approved a special use permit for a location off West Market Street after a lengthy discussion. Five council members approved the proposed adult-use dispensary to be opened by Project Equity Illinois, Inc., at 1006 JC Parkway, near Walmart. Several council members, however, said they felt they had been discouraged by city staff from giving the issue full consideration. "The impression that I was getting from staff, and it might be an incorrect impression, but the impression I was getting from staff is that we shouldn't be really discussing and talking about this this evening, we should just go along and vote, and vote for it, and not bring up any new concerns or anything like that," Ward 1 Alderman Grant Walch said. He was among three council members who voted against the measure, along with Sheila Montney (Ward 3) and Nick Becker (Ward 5). It had previously been recommended for approval by the city's zoning board, which held a public hearing in May. Alderwoman Mollie Ward (Ward 7) was not present at the meeting. What Im saying there is that I think this process needs to be evaluated as to whether or not this is what this council wants, Montney said. To have underlying appointed boards and commissions make decisions that we are then in effect disallowed to discuss in detail in the presence of the public. Corporation counsel Jeff Jurgens told council members that their role was to look at the zoning board's recommendation and see if the factors by which proposals are evaluated had been met. The council could vote yes or no, or decide to remand the measure back to the zoning board. City Manager Tim Gleason said it is not uncommon for staff to get last-minute questions as they prep for a council meeting, and the back-and-forth was meant to put the council on firm ground as they make a tough decision on any given topic. The biggest reason that staff provided the very strict rules is because we do not want to expose the city to any liability or litigation, where we overstep or we do not do something properly, Gleason said. The item thats before council tonight is to simply vote yes or to vote no. Ultimately, Montney motioned to suspend the rules, which Jurgens said could allow for further questioning before the vote. This will be the citys second adult-use dispensary location following the Beyond/Hello dispensary, 118 Keaton Place, which is owned by global cannabis and hemp operator Jushi Holdings Inc. Jushi also owns the former Green Solutions at 501 W. Northtown Road in Normal. It has since changed its name to Beyond/Hello and expanded from solely selling medical cannabis to offering recreational sales. Project Equity Illinois will purchase the existing 13,760-square-foot retail space and build a 3,840-square-foot retail facility within the vacant property. The remaining space would then be leased out. We joke that this is Boomington, this city is really taking off, said Conor Johnston, a partner with Project Equity Illinois. Rivian is exciting with the economic growth here and were excited to find a vacant multi-unit retail building on the west side of the city that we can help reinvigorate, bring new foot traffic, to bring new eyes on the ground, cameras, security, economic activity and we will now be (incentivized) to make that the other retail spaces in that building are filled. The dispensary will sell a variety of cannabis flower, pre-rolled joints, concentrates, vape cartridges and disposables, edibles and beverages, tinctures and topicals, according to city council documents. According to council documents, Project Equity Illinois also plans to add 20 jobs with benefits for full-time employees and anticipates bringing in $300,000 in additional tax revenue each year. The company currently has seven existing retail locations in other regulated markets. Montney asked Johnston about the six business partners involved with Project Equity Illinois, including him, and whether or not any of those partners reside in Illinois. Currently, Johnston said, only the majority owner, John Rushing, lives in Illinois, but four of the six partners are originally from the state, with one from the Bloomington-Normal area. Referencing the volatility of the cannabis industry and the businesses surrounding it, Walch asked whether the company could sell in a year or so, leaving the city to deal with another company. It is hard to make predictions, Johnston said, but he noted that such transactions would be challenging because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, making traditional bank loans hard to come by. He sought to offer reassurance on a few key points. One is the primary point of contact and the leader for our stores is the general manager whos local and is a responsible, salaried employee, Johnston said. Two is our stores always have a full-time person who is the community liaison, so that persons email address and phone number is available to you, to every neighborhood group, every merchant, and every member of the council. Those things, we would hope would not change at any point. Any new owners would have to show that they can live up to the standards set by the state or local municipality, he said. We dont have plans at this point to sell ownership; that generally is not our model, he said. Our model is more like a hotel developer that gets the entitlements, the approvals, raises the money, builds the hotel, and maybe makes a branding agreement. Ward 2 Alderwoman Donna Boelen said the city council previously had "robust conversations" about cannabis before allowing the city's first dispensary. She noted that the state government has a process for evaluating and licensing dispensary operators, leaving city officials left to decide whether they would allow cannabis sales, zoning requirements for such businesses and local taxes on the products. At this point in time, everything is in order, Boelen said. In other words, the decision and recommendation from the zoning board is within the parameters that we have in place. The dispensary will be located further than 500 feet from any protected use areas, such as churches, daycares, schools and parks, including the Constitution Trail. It will be located at least 250 feet from any residential zoning district, with the nearest one being over 1,000 feet away. The proposed location is also almost five miles from the Beyond/Hello dispensary operating in Bloomington, which is well over the 1,500-foot separation required for cannabis dispensaries. Currently, the city has a limit of two adult-use cannabis dispensaries. For another to open, city officials would need to change that limit, or one of the two dispensaries would need to close. Bus stops, sidewalk renewal The council approved a redevelopment project in the Empire Street Corridor that will include Connect Transit Bus Stops on IAA Drive. If youre all familiar with that site, its not a great place to wait on public transit, said Economic and Community Development Director Melissa Hon. This will be a huge improvement for the community and for the riders. Connect Transit will construct two new bus shelters, associated ADA-accessible concrete landing pads and ramps, and a public sidewalk along a portion of the 500 block of IAA Drive near the McDonalds, Bandanas Bar-B-Q, and Verizon retail properties. Currently the existing bus stops in this area are positioned in grass areas, and there is no marked crosswalk for riders of northbound buses to cross to the other side of IAA Drive. The public sidewalk to be constructed by Connect Transit will also tie into the recently constructed public sidewalk adjacent to the Sleep Number retail center, which the developer was required to build as part of the recent development of the retail strip. Hon said once the redevelopment project is completed, Connect Transit will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the bus stops and the pads, while the city will assume responsibility for the long-term maintenance of the sidewalks and ramps. The proposed project also qualifies for public works investment as part of the Empire Street Corridor TIF District, which was established by the city council in 2016. The TIF district was created with the intent to induce development within this area and to fund improvements to public infrastructure like this redevelopment project. The redevelopment project will enable the use of TIF funds up to $135,000. This project will also further the goals outlined in the redevelopment plan for the area including the plans goal to provide for safe and efficient traffic circulation, Hon said. Dispatch contract The council approved a new labor contract for public safety dispatchers which includes raises of 3.5% each year for the next three years, retroactively beginning on May 1, 2022. Additional salary steps are included each year of the contract with a 1.5% differential between steps and a $750 signing bonus for each employee in the bargaining unit. Other changes included modifying the tuition reimbursement language for eligibility to be six months of service, adding a quality assurance officer role and changing the probation period for dispatchers to 18 months, as well as modifying shift and vacation bids to reflect the change. The financial impact of the wage increase and new steps added in 2022 will be $55,516. The additional cost of the 3.5% increase over the prior year's increase will be $35,731 in 2023 and $36,981 in 2024. In other news, the council: Approved a resolution repealing resolution and rescinding approval of the Energy Efficiency Program Agreement; Authorized the renewal of a joint agreement with the Town of Normal and the Ecology Action Center for an Energy Efficiency Program; Observed a presentation of the 2021 Annual Fire Department Report Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLOOMINGTON Primary Election Day has finally arrived in Illinois, and as early voting wrapped up, election officials were deep in preparations for a busy Tuesday. Its set-up day, kind of like D-Day, McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said on Monday. But so far so good. The polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. The Republican primary for governor is among the key races to watch across Illinois as the follow candidates vie for the chance to take on incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November: Darren Bailey of Xenia Richard C. Irvin of Aurora Gary Rabine of Bull Valley Paul Schimpf of Waterloo Max Solomon of Hazel Crest Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg Additionally, the statewide races for Secretary of State pit state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington against John C. Milhiser on the Republican ballot. Four Democrats are vying to succeed longtime incumbent Jesse White: Alexi Giannoulias of Chicago; David H. Moore of Chicago; Sidney Moore of Homewood; Anna M. Valencia of Chicago. In McLean County, a judgeship vacancy in the 11th Judicial Circuit is on the table following the retirement of Judge Paul Lawrence in November 2021. McLean County States Attorney Don Knapp and Associate Judge Amy McFarland face off on the Republican ballot with no Democratic candidates filed for the primary. Newly-drawn state and congressional districts have brought out a slew of candidates in Central Illinois. Four Republican candidates are up for the 16th Congressional District of Illinois: Darin LaHood of Dunlap, who currently represents the 18th Congressional District; Walt Peters of Rockford; Michael Rebresh of Minooka; JoAnne Guillemette of Rockford. Farther south, two incumbents U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Mary Miller of Oakland will go head-to-head on the Republican ballot for the new 15th Congressional District. Two Republicans and two Democrats will appear on primary ballots for the 91st District of the Illinois House: Karla Bailey-Smith, D-Bloomington Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington James S. Fisher, R-Hudson Scott Preston, R-Normal Three Republicans hope to win a seat for the 87th District of the Illinois House: Mary J. Burress of Pekin William E. Hauter of Morton Joe Alexander of Clinton The 105th District of the Illinois House also has a slate of Republicans in the running: Kyle Ham of Bloomington Mike Kirkton of Gridley Dennis Tipsword, Jr. of Metamora Donald Ray Rients of Benson Early voting By early Monday afternoon, the McLean County County Clerks Office had collected approximately 1,334 early vote ballots and 720 vote-by-mail ballots, and the Bloomington Election Commission had collected approximately 1,845 early vote ballots and 776 vote-by-mail ballots, according to their respective websites. Early voting, which has been open since May 19, has been really slow, except for the last two or three days, Michael said. Voter turnout for primary and gubernatorial elections is typically lower than in presidential elections, and the same is true for this one, the County Clerk said. It certainly doesnt indicate there will be a big turnout could be wrong, Michael said. Everybody could show up tomorrow, but it seems like it will be 26% (like in 2018) or a little bit less. But thats a pure guess. She also noted vote-by-mail has accounted for more ballots than previous primaries, with the expectation that those will increase with each election cycle as voters become more comfortable with voting that way. When the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the early votes and vote-by-mail ballots will be counted first for the McLean County Clerks Office, followed by the day-of ballots. The Bloomington Election Commission could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 100 years ago June 28, 1922: The city of Bloomington's legal counsel said it has no authority under existing state law to purchase a plot of land in Park Hill cemetery for the graves of soldiers, despite a request by the Louis E. Davis post of the American Legion. Legion officials were told the city would grant the request if they found a legal means by which it could be done. 75 years ago June 28, 1947: Leslie Burton of Normal saved his 9-year-old son, Duane, from drowning in water that was in a deep ditch dug for the new sewer in the 700 block of Sudduth Road. Burton was summoned from a nearby field where he had been working after the boy, in the company of his brother, had slipped into the water-filled ditch, it was reported. 50 years ago June 28, 1972: McLean County's monstrous Photostat machine was dismantled in the office of County Recorder Mae Deane and its remains taken to the Bloomington city dump. The machine's demise was wrought by advancements in photocopying technology which permit copying to be done by a machine approximately one-tenth the size of the Photostat. 25 years ago June 28, 1997: Bloomington police say "Operation Broken Crown" probably crippled a Latin King drug distribution ring responsible for moving large quantities of cocaine and an estimated 300 pounds of marijuana each week through the Twin Cities. The five-month investigation resulted in the arrests of about 20 alleged drug dealers, police said. Compiled by Pantagraph staff An Aviation Expert based in the United States, Mr Sean Mendis, has said that Ghanas presidential jet, the Falcon, is not the ideal jet for long journeys. He said it may embark on such journeys however, that will require a higher technical support and also with less luggage and passengers onboard. He said these when asked whether the Falcon is suitable for long hour trips, while speaking in interview with TV3s Komla Adom on the mid day news on Monday 27. No, he answered. He added that the Falcon is not the ideal jet for long haul travel. It is optimally suited for trips from Ghana to anywhere in Africa , maybe some parts of Europe. If you are going to Asia, if you are going to North American, the Falcon will be able to do it but will require higher technical stuffs. Optimally, it can probably do around 3000 miles which is about 6 hours. It is capable of flying further with less luggage, with less people on board. The interview was based on the criticisms against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for what he believes is the Presidents seeming extravagance with regard to the flights chartered for his trips abroad. The Director of Communications at the Presidency Mr Eugene Arhin said he was hoping that Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa would back up his claim that President Akufo-Addo travelled to Brussels aboard a chartered plane but he has failed to do so. Mr Arhin dismissed the claims and further said that unashamedly, Mr Ablakwa has refused to make mention of it, let alone apologise for it. Again, after being caught out on the Accra-Brussels-Kigali lie, the Honourable Member of Parliament tries to justify the so-called 21-hour cost of the flight with some voodoo charges. What is shocking, in his Friday statement, is the admission of the fact that he does not know for a fact the cost of the charter. The so-called 480,000 cost he is bandying about is the result of guess work, and on the reliance of a generous 21-hour cost analysis. He provides no evidence or documentary proof whatsoever to back up his 480,000 cost claim, because he has none. Once again, it is obvious that the Honourable Ablakwa finds these attacks on the President to be his pathway to political prominence through negative propaganda, and is determined to pursue this course, no matter how ridiculous and insulting his statements are. He further states that, if Brussels Airport was closed due to the strike, President Akufo-Addo could have arrived in Kigali through the many (other) busy transit routes, for example Paris. For Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the President, sitting in a cafe at the train station in Paris, with practically no official security around him, and waiting to board a train, is of no moment. The State owes it a duty to be fussy about these things, even though the President may not be fussy about them. Is it acceptable to Ablakwa that the President cannot attend engagements that he is spending his valuable time to make because connecting flights get cancelled? Or that he has to wait around airports because flights have been delayed? Or, as happened in his last trip, he arrives at his destination from an overnight flight without any luggage of his arriving with him, such that he cannot even have a change of clothes to make the appointment he travelled for in the first place? It is a shame that an honourable Member of Parliament has no regard, whatsoever, for the security and safety of his President. Mr Arhin, earlier indicated that President Akufo-Addo travelled to Brussels on a commercial means of transport. First of all, Mr Arhin explained, President Akufo-Addo travelled from Accra to Paris on Sunday, June 19 on a commercial flight. He said even the Air France flight made a stopover in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso before proceeding to the French capital. In fact, all of President Akufo-Addos 12-member delegation travelled commercial, Mr Arhin said in the statement on Friday, June 24. Upon arrival in Paris, President Akufo-Addo and his delegation travelled via train to Brussels to attend the European Development Days event, where, on Tuesday, 21st June 2022, he was a keynote speaker, and later held meetings with the President of European Investment Bank on two key subject areas. The statement admitted that the presidents next trip on Sunday, June 26 will be by the use of the Presidential Jet. 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. Featured Video Ghanas ability to take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been dealt a major blow after a baseline study found that only 5 percent of the countrys Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) export their products. This was after surveying 84,592 MSMEs in 245 out 261 districts in Ghanas 16 administrative regions with most of the surveyed firms from the Ashanti (23,123, equivalent to 27.3 percent and Greater Accra (18,856, representing 22.3 percent) respectively. The survey found that only 4,177 MSMEs from the 84,592 representing a paltry 5 percent of the enterprises export their products and/or services. According to the survey- which was sanctioned by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) under the GEA-Mastercard Foundations Young Africa Works Project and conducted by Palladium Group Ghana Limited of the significant proportion of the MSMEs in all the 16 regions, 86 percent are operating in the informal sector; with the Western North Region recording the least. The study further found that a significant majority (87 percent) of the enterprises are micro-sized. Again, the majority of micro- (33 percent), small (35 percent) and medium-sized (24 percent) enterprises operate within the handicraft sector; while majority of large firms are in the agro-processing, textiles and garments sectors. The baseline study of the Ghanaian MSME landscape indicates that Ghanas MSME sector shows very minimal growth spurts as firms start at a particular size and remain so throughout their lifetime, indicating that not much changes over time, Professor Ebo Turkson, an economist at the University of Ghana, explained this when he presented the findings. These findings generally suggest that although Ghana has a very vibrant MSME sector, a large majority are micro-sized not innovative, highly informal, constrained by access to credit and do not grow in higher size thresholds. If policy can enhance the productivity of MSMEs through innovative activities, it will encourage their participation in the export markets and partly address the issue of access to credit, he stated. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GEA, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, welcomed the surveys findings, saying in an interview with the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) that the baseline study has given the agency a better picture of the countrys MSME sector; and that will lead to the creation of bespoke interventions which ensure rapid scale-up with a focus on heightening exportation into other markets. It shows potential, it shows opportunity; and this is a great time for us to enhance more people to exportbuild their capacity to export and take advantage of the continental free trade area, she stated. Source: B&FT Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flash Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday said that, to call China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) a debt trap is a false narrative, and it is the United States that should be held responsible for creating the "debt trap." Zhao made the remarks at a daily news briefing when responding to U.S. accusations against BRI. "To call the BRI a debt trap is a false narrative," said Zhao. He stressed that, for nine years since its inception, the BRI has followed the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and delivered tangible benefits to partner countries and their peoples. According to World Bank forecast, if all BRI transport infrastructure projects are carried out, by 2030, the BRI will generate 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars of revenues for the world, or 1.3 percent of global GDP. Up to 90 percent of the revenues will go to partner countries, said Zhao. The BRI could contribute to lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million from moderate poverty from 2015 to 2030, he said. "In fact, no BRI partner has agreed to the so-called 'debt trap' accusation. Rather, it is the United States that should be held responsible for creating the 'debt trap'," said the spokesperson. Zhao said that the U.S.'s expansionary monetary policies, financial innovation with lax supervision and ill-intended short-selling are weighing down developing countries with debt burden and the very reason some countries have fallen into the debt trap. With regard to the new initiative put forward by G7, China always welcomes initiatives that promote global infrastructure. Such initiatives do not have to cancel each other out, Zhao said. "What we oppose is moves to advance geopolitical calculation and smear the BRI in the name of promoting infrastructure development," he added. "I also noticed that a year ago, it was also at a G7 Summit that the United States put forward the B3W Initiative. The United States committed then to developing global infrastructure in a different way from the BRI. Whether it is B3W or any other initiative, the world wants to see real investment and projects that will truly deliver for the people," Zhao said. Fidelity Bank, the largest privately-owned Ghanaian bank, has recorded a 32% increase in profit before tax (PBT) for 2021. This came to light at the Banks recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held virtually for its shareholders to review the performance of the bank for the year ended December 31st, 2021. Within the period under review, the Bank posted a strong growth in key financial metrics across its various business segments. In addition to the record increase in PBT, the bank also recorded a revenue of GH 1.1 billion, 14% above the 2021 figure. Addressing shareholders at the AGM, Board Chairman of Fidelity Bank Ghana, Edward Effah, stated that despite significant external and domestic challenges, the bank remained resilient, turning in a strong performance in 2021. He further indicated that this buoyant performance was largely underpinned by the Banks all-encompassing transformation journey which has seen Fidelity leverage cutting edge technology to enhance convenience and deliver superior customer experience across the Banks various touchpoints. Mr. Effah stated that, the Groups balance sheet remained robust with a significant year-on-year increase of 44% to close the year at GH 13.36 billion, an increase from GH 9.28 billion in 2020. The growth was funded mainly from an increase in customer deposits and short-term borrowings that financed corresponding short-dated investments. Mr. Effah further asserted that Looking ahead, I have great confidence in the future of our Bank. Regardless of market conditions, our focus will always remain on what has sustained Fidelity Bank over the last 15 years: our people, our culture, and above all, our response to the evolving needs of our clients. In doing so, we are well-positioned to compete even better in the years ahead and to deliver higher, more sustainable returns for our shareholders and other stakeholders. At the AGM, the Bank reiterated the significant impact of its investments in digital innovations during the year under review in line with its transformation agenda. Consequently, by the end of 2021, 89% of all transactions were carried out via the banks digital channels. This impressive feat bears testament to Fidelitys leadership in digital banking and its remarkable success in migrating customers unto digital platforms. In his report at the AGM, the Managing Director of the Bank, Julian Opuni, stated that, 2021 marked the Banks fifteen years of existence as a commercial bank. Fifteen (15) years down the line, we are pleased with the successes we have chalked over the years with support from all our stakeholders and we believe that we are well positioned to continuously serve our customers better. He added that, the banks ambition of becoming a top 3 bank in Ghana by 2024 is on course with a focus on some key areas to achieve this mandate: digital innovation, data insights, value chain optimization, fit for future technology and talent optimization. He also stated that the banks transformation journey has already yielded some significant gains for the bank. Through the efforts of the Transformation Office, Fidelity achieved 113% of its revenue target for the year and mobilized low-cost deposits in excess of GH 240 million. The Bank also gave shareholders an overview of their notable accomplishments and honors received during the fiscal period under consideration. Consequent to the Banks remarkable business performance in 2021, the Bank and its leadership were duly recognized and accorded several laurels by reputable local and international organizations within the period. These include: The Bank of the Year Award at the Ghana Business Awards, Best Bank in Ghana by EMEA Finance, Best Treasury & Cash Management Bank in Ghana Award by the Global Finance Magazine, Agency Banking Bank of the Year Award by Instinct Business Finance Innovation, Outstanding response to COVID-19 and SME Loans Award by the Middle East and Africa Retail Innovation Banking Awards among others. The remarkable growth of Fidelity Bank over the last 15 years is testament to the vision and resilience of the leadership and staff of the bank, both past and present. Fidelitys story shows that the indomitable Ghanaian entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and demonstrates that it can be done in Ghana by Ghanaians. Fidelity Bank Ghana is optimistic that in 2022 and beyond, buoyed by the impact of its ongoing Transformation Agenda, it will continue to leverage on technology and the Banks strategy, people, and systems to give customers a satisfying banking experience and enhance shareholder value. 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. Featured Video Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited has been named the Most Safety and Security Conscious Company of the Year, Best Company in Data Security Management and Best Company in Fire Safety and Security Management at the 2022 Health, Environment, Safety & Security (HESS) Awards held recently at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra. The Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, Julian Opuni emerged winner of the HESS Exemplary Leadership Award (Banking & Finance), while the Environment, Health & Safety Manager of the Bank, Ebenezer Gbolonyo, was adjudged the HESS Male Personality of the Year. The HESS award seeks to identify and celebrate health, safety and security-conscious companies who exhibit exceptional leadership and innovation in occupational Health, the Environment and Employee Stakeholder Safety and Security. Speaking on the awards garnered, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Julian Opuni stated that these awards are a testament to the Banks commitment to safety in all spheres of their business. Winning five awards in an award scheme that recognizes the efforts of organizations in prioritizing health, safety, security and the environment is something Fidelity Bank is most proud of. This is a validation of all the work we do to ensure the safety of all stakeholders. We wish to express our appreciation to the organizers for this enormous recognition. I have no doubt that these awards will spur us on to do better than we already have. I also wish to dedicate these awards to all hardworking staff of Fidelity Bank and our loyal customers whose support and loyalty continues to urge us on to greater heights the Fidelity MD added. Fidelity Bank was adjudged winner in these categories taking into consideration its periodic security awareness training for all staff and partner agents, the recent upgrade of its electronic systems as well as steps the bank has taken to put in place a remote backup for CCTV footage with AI functionality. Additionally, the Banks initiative to train staff on general Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) issues including emergency preparedness and procedures with respect to first aid and use of appropriate HSE signs as well as fire, flood and other occupational disasters were factored into the awards. The banks capacity to monitor their full branch network, office ATMs and other collection points in real time through an internet protocol from a central monitoring station, among other things were also major factors leading to the recognition. Fidelity Bank's attainment of globally standardized ISO and PCI-DSS certifications were also acknowledged and contributed to the accolade of Best Company in Data Security Management. The Bank continues to validate its positioning as an indigenous business with global standards and a pacesetter in innovation. 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. Featured Video Former Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu, has sided with the Paramount Chief of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, for returning a sum of GHc365,392 paid him as ex-gratia for serving as a member of the Council of State. The former mayor argued that it is time to review payments of ex-gratia to Council of State members and Article 71 Office holders as a measure to protect the public purse. He suggested a possible reduction of the colossal amounts which is giving to people as end of service benefits because Ghanaians are angry about situation especially when the said beneficiaries received wages for their services rendered. I agree with him [Togbe Afede], he is right. If he feels it [the ex-gratia] is huge, he should return it. Thats his mindset. Nobody forced him to do so and so if he has returned it, he is right [and] I support it, opined on Angel FMs Anopa Bofo Morning Show. When asked if the Constitution needs to be reviewed, especially the portion on ex-gratia, Mr. Kojo Bonsu replied that what Im saying is that its a constitutional mandate and so lets review it and slash it down. "Lets all discuss it and come to the realization that when we reduce it, it would benefit Ghana because people get upset when they hear these huge figures [as ex-gratia]. Togbe Afede recently returned GHC365,000 paid him as ex-gratia describing the payment as inappropriate. I did not think the payment was made to trap me, as is being speculated. I believe it was paid to everybody who served on the Council of State. However, I thought that extra payment was inappropriate for a short, effectively part-time work, for which I received a monthly salary and was entitled to other privileges. So, I was very uncomfortable with it, Togbe Afede clarified. He added that I want to add that my rejection of the payment was consistent with my general abhorrence of the payment of huge Ex Gratia and other outrageous benefits to people who have by their own volition offered to serve our poor country, 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. Featured Video Peacefmonline.com can confirm that there is simmering tension at the ongoing demonstration by ARISE Ghana group after Police personnel fired tear gas on the agitated protestors. The pressure group is currently protesting the harsh economic conditions in the country and some unfavourable policies of government. PeaceFM's Odenhufuor Jackson who witnessed the scene reports that the incident was triggered when some of the protesters decided to veer off approved routes outlined by the police and use an alternative one. In the course of the standoff, some of the protestors attempted to breach the human barricade of policemen and force their way through, but were fiercely resisted. Their intention, according to PeaceFm's Jackson was to head towards the direction of the seat of government; the Jubilee House. Seeing their action had been repelled, the frustrated protestors started pelting the police with stones, forcing the police resort to the firing of tear gas and the use of water cannons against the demonstrators. Approve Route & Protest Duration Arise Ghana had earlier announced its intention to demonstrate in front of the Jubilee House on the night of June 28 and 29. But the police sought a court ruling on the time and location of an intended protest. An Accra High Court on Monday ruled that the demonstration could only be staged between the hours of 8 am to 4 pm. The court additionally directed that the protest should commence at the Obra Spot in Accra and end at the Independence Square. The group claimed they had filed a stay of execution against that particular ruling so there was no way the police should alter their planned route, but the security agency would have none of it. Tuesday's incident could perhaps be seen as an enforcement of the court's orders by the police. Why The Protest? Dubbed #KromAyeShe, the purpose of the 2day demonstration, is to protest against persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians. It is also to protest against the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Demand a full scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures; Protest against the grabbing of State lands by officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest reserve. Protest against the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored killing of innocent Ghanaians, as well as the growing culture of human rights abuses under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia. Meanwhile, the Police administration has described the pelting of stones incident as shameful and unacceptable, so their presence was only to ensure the safety of the demonstartors.In a tweet on its officialhandle, it said; Attack on Police in the Ongoing Arise Ghana Demonstration What a shame, we were there to protect you and ensure your safety, but you throw stones at us, injure and hurt us. This behaviour is unacceptable and must be condemned. pic.twitter.com/8FGeycExJD Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) June 28, 2022 More soon.... 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. Featured Video Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt has reprimanded the Ghana Police Service for using the court to frustrate demonstrators in the country. Organizers of the FixtheCountry Movement who were to hold a protest against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration on June 4, 2022 were stopped by the Police after perusing their conditions to embark on the demonstration. Although the Police was praised by many people because the June 4th demo was thought to be a ploy to stage a coup, the security service was however advised to renegotiate with the organizers and allow them to demonstrate but not with the guns and private security among other ridiculous demands they made. Another group called "Arise Ghana" who are to start a demonstration today, June 28 to highlight economic and governance challenges under the Akufo-Addo regime have also been opposed by the Police. The pressure group, in a statement, indicated that they "shall move through the Nima Police Station street to the Arko-Agyei inter-change and end at the Frontage of the Jubilee House where we will picket until 10PM but the Police has filed a case in court against them due to a disagreement on the time frame and the location. According to a Police statement, "in the interest of Public Order and safety, we entreated the organizers to reconsider the time frame and start the demonstration early in the day and end before night falls" but "on June 22, 2022, the Police received a verbal response from the organizers to the effect that they are unable to change the time of the demonstration". Due to the lack of agreement between the Police and the organizers on the time for demonstration and location for their planned picketing, the Police have had no option but to submit the process to the court for a determination. This was duly communicated to Arise Ghana in a letter on June 20, 2022," the statement further read. Touching on the issue on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Kwesi Pratt advised the Police to stop deliberately preventing people from embarking on demonstrations in the country. He noted that it is every person's right to go on demonstration provided it doesn't threaten the country's security. Mr. Pratt appealed to the Police "not to do those things that they sometimes deliberately do. This time they shouldn't do it. They must stop their deliberate way of impeding demonstrators". He also asked them to review their stance on the Arise Ghana demonstration. "I think that it's important that this demonstration is allowed to be held, you know, with all the changes which can be through dialogue between the organizers and the security officials, especially the Police", he stressed. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to do everything possible to avoid payment of about $50 million judgment debt to Beijing Everyway Company for wrongful termination of contract. Government in 2020 terminated the $100 million Accra Intelligence Traffic Management Project with the company and awarded it to Huawei. Currently, Management of the Beijing Everyway is in arbitration with the government in London demanding $50 million payment in damages. Addressing the media, the Minority Spokesperson on Roads and Transport , Governs Kwame Agbodza, urged the government to immediately settle with the company to avoid such payment. Mr Agbodza, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu, however, warned officials involved that any future NDC government would make them to answer for the decision to abrogate the valid contract without basis. Background He said somewhere in 2012 the government entered into a China Development Bank agreement with the Chinese Government to improve traffic management in Accra. Mr Agbodza said subsequently, Parliament approved a commercial agreement for Beijing Everyway Company to be the contractors of that component of the project, which cost about $100million, and when there was a change in government the project was still ongoing. "We are told that the developers have been working together with the Ministry of Roads and Highways and a control centre was built and duly inaugurated", he said. He stated that from 2019, it appeared that there were some challenges which led the government to take the unilateral decision in 2020 to change the contractor from Beijing Everyway to Huawei. "The interesting thing was that when they came to Parliament, it was the Ministry of National Security that brought a new bill. We were surprised because initially it was the Ministry of Roads and Highways that introduced the bill and we passed it for the implementation to start. The results was that despite all the arguments that were made by civil society, the media and MPs, the Majority in Parliament insisted that it was the right thing to do", he said. Mr Agbodza said the Minority insisted in finding out what the Attorney-General's opinion was and were told that the Attorney-General okayed the abrogation . "It turned out that as we speak, Huawei has taken over the project but nothing is happening. Secondly, Beijing Everyway Company has sued the Government of Ghana and as we speak, they are in arbitration in London and from what I know, they are demanding something close to $50million in damages, loss of revenue and legal cost, among other things", he stated. The MP for Adaklu questioned the reasons why the government unilaterally terminated the contract knowing very well that the consequences would lead to the government losing revenue, which it badly needed currently. Judgment debt "I am just taking the opportunity to just caution the government to tread cautiously with what it has done with this. My information is that you are heading towards a judgement debt of almost $50 million and a further $25million wiaver that we have granted Huawei so government needs to be cautions with this," he reiterated. The project He said the project was basically to synchronise 257 traffic lights in Accra to be able to coordinate where there are traffic bottlenecks and from a central location that could be directed to give better flow of traffic at anytime. "It would have been a very wonderful thing, if we did and I am told they have installed one at Kanda and around Castle as a way of showing what they are capable of doing. 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. Featured Video Humanity dumps some eight millions tons of plastic into the ocean every year. A major UN conference on how to restore the faltering health of global oceans kicked off in Lisbon this week with a flurry of promises to expand marine protected areas, ban deep-sea mining, and combat illegal fishing. UN chief Antonio Guterres set the tone Monday for the five-day meet by warning that the world's oceans are in deep crisis. "Today we face what I would call an ocean emergency," he told thousands of policymakers, experts and advocates, detailing how seas have been hammered by climate change and pollution. "The ocean is not a rubbish dump. It is not a source on infinite plunder. It is a fragile system on which we all depend." Surangel Whipps, Jr., president of the Pacific island state of Palau, asked world leaders to join a moratorium on extracting rare Earth metals from the ocean floor. "Deep sea mining compromises the integrity of our ocean habitat and should be discouraged to the greatest extent possible," he said, flanked by Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. Indigenous leader Debbie Ngawera-Packer, a member of New Zealand's parliament, told conference participants she had submitted a bill calling for such a moratorium in her country's waters. Companies seeking to mine so-called polymetallic nodules containing manganese, cobalt and nickel say they are a greener source of minerals needed to build electric vehicle batteries. At least one-third of wild fish stocks are overfished, said Kathryn Matthews, chief scientist for US-based NGO Oceana. Scientists counter that seabed ecosystems at depth are fragile, and could take decades or longer to heal once disrupted. "Mining, wherever it occurs, is well known to have environmental costs," said former US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chief scientist Sylvia Earle. 'No-take' zones "On the land at least we can monitor, see and fix problems, and minimise the damage. Six thousand metres (20,000 feet) beneath the surface, who's watching?" A so-called high ambition coalition, meanwhilebacking a proposal to set aside 30 percent of the planet's land and ocean surface by 2030 as protected areasgrew to 100 nations, UK minister of state Zac Goldsmith announced in a side event. Currently, less than 10 percent of global oceans are protected. The "30 X 30" plan could be the cornerstone of a treaty slated for completion at a UN biodiversity summit to be held in December in Montreal. Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in government, development bank and philanthropic funding to lock-in protection of marine and land ecosystems in Colombia, announced last week, could be the template for other countries. Currently, less than 10 percent of global oceans are protected. "Working with scientists, we decided to get 30 percent of our maritime area as protected, and we did it," outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duque told AFP. More than half of newly protected marine areas will be "no-take" zones off-limits to fishing, mining, drilling or other extractive activities, he said. The United Sates, European Union nations, Mexico, Canada, Japan and India have joined the 30 x 30 drive, while China, Russia, Indonesia and Brazil have yet to do so. Steps were also taken Monday to fight illegal fishing, another topic on the table at the long-delayed UN Ocean Conference, originally set for April 2020. In Washington, US President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related labour abuses. Wreaking havoc The aim is to "make sure that the seafood products that are coming into the US market are caught in accordance with international rules and national rules," a senior administration official told journalists. A report by the International Trade Commission found that the United States imported $2.4 billion worth of seafood derived from IUU fishing in 2019. Microplastics are estimated to kill more than a million seabirds and over 100,000 marine mammals each year. "The ocean is the most underappreciated resource on our planet," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told the conference, flanked by co-host Portuguese President Antonio Costa. Oceans harbour 80 percent of life on Earth and generate 50 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere. They also absorb a quarter of CO 2 pollution and 90 percent of excess heat from global warming, keeping the planet livable for life on land. But these services rendered come at a cost. Sea water has turned acidic, threatening aquatic food chains and the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon. Global warming has spawned massive marine heatwaves that are killing off precious coral reefs and expanding dead zones bereft of oxygen. "We have only begun to understand the extent to which climate change is going to wreak havoc on ocean health," said Charlotte de Fontaubert, the World Bank's global lead for the blue economy. Making things worse is an unending torrent of pollution, including a garbage truck's worth of plastic every minute, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Explore further Ailing oceans in state of 'emergency', says UN chief 2022 AFP Bear Valley Creek is a tributary of Idahos aptly named Salmon River. With its lazy meanders, rushing water, and limited human impact, this is as good as it gets for salmon, Crozier said. Its salmon population has been robust, but even here, climate change is beginning to affect chinook habitat. Credit: James A. McKean Salmon famously travel hundreds of miles upstream to reach their home waters to spawn, but climate change is shrinking their destination. A new study offers high-resolution details on how Chinook salmon habitats are being lost on Bear Valley Creek, a headwater stream of the Salmon River in central Idaho. The study, published today in the AGU journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests lower water volumes and warming temperatures are dramatically shrinking spawning beds and nurseries for the culturally and economically important fish. Researchers predict salmon here could lose nearly half their total habitat in this river as soon as 2040 due to an estimated 50% decrease in river discharge. Daniele Tonina, lead author of the new study and a professor of ecohydraulics at the University of Idaho, and colleagues examined a 14-kilometer stretch of Bear Valley Creek, which is known for hosting a robust population of Chinook salmon. With a wide valley, meandering main river and cozy side-streams, the site is representative of ideal salmon habitats in the Pacific Northwest. The team mapped the river's channels and floodplain using a kind of remote, 3D laser scanning, or LiDAR, that uses green-wavelength lasers to see into shallow aquatic environments. They then used 60 years of historical stream-flow data, from 1957 to 2016, from stream gauges at eight nearby streams to calculate trends in the annual summer discharge, a critical time for fish survival. Using three different hydrologic models to combine the river features and predicted discharge until 2090, they estimated changes to salmon habitat both in the past and over the coming decades. Over the historical study period, summer stream flow volume dropped by 19%, and it slowed by 17%. That means less overall area suitable for salmon nests and a loss of off-channel havens for fingerlings as side-streams get cut off from the main channel. About 20% of this critical off-channel habitat was already lost over the 60-year period, the study estimated. The salmon lost 23% of their spawning habitat as well. "This really allowed us to understand how the environment will change at different discharges, which hasn't really been done before. Now we can say the impact will be that the habitat gets smaller and more fragmented, meaning even the parts that are still good [quality] might be too small to be useful," Tonina said. "Still, this is a glass half-full, half-empty result. At least it's not a total loss of habitat yet." "A huge limitation has been our ability to study the landscape at a scale that's biologically relevant for salmon," said Lisa Crozier, a research ecologist at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center who was not involved in the study. "We know the overall pattern is that low flows are bad for fish, but we don't know exactly why or what life stages are most impacted. But here, we can see very specifically they're losing off-channel and spawning habitat. It really helps to know those details." Saving salmon streams Salmon have exacting requirements for their nests. Each female can use up to six square meters of riverbed real estate to lay her eggs; the gravel must be just right, the water must be cold and rushing, there must be calm side streams for fingerlings to grow. And of course, there must be enough water flowing in the streams to let the salmon arrive in the first place. Each requirement is threatened. Smaller salmon habitats of poorer quality could reduce the success of spawning and increase struggles for young salmon, which already face a host of human-caused barriers. More female salmon may be competing for shrinking nest sites, and young salmon will compete for dwindling space and resources as well. Breeding salmon whose home waters are cut off or disappear altogether may expend too much energy searching for a new spot and die of exhaustion before laying their eggs. Studies like this one help ecologists and conservationists figure out what areas are most likely to remain suitable habitats for salmon and other species, and can therefore be targeted for protection, Tonina said. Other cold-water fish, such as trout and steelheads, would be impacted in similar ways. Chinook salmon serve as a useful "indicators of enormous ecosystem change," Crozier added, but "every single species will be affected by these changes. It's uncharted territory." "This will inform restoration efforts, helping us select streams that are likely to remain accessible for the salmon," Tonina said. "We want to find the areas that will serve as refugia in the future." Explore further Up to 85 per cent of historical salmon habitat lost in Lower Fraser region More information: Daniele Tonina et al, Climate Change Shrinks and Fragments Salmon Habitats in a SnowDependent Region, Geophysical Research Letters (2022). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Daniele Tonina et al, Climate Change Shrinks and Fragments Salmon Habitats in a SnowDependent Region,(2022). DOI: 10.1029/2022GL098552 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Increased flooding in the U.S. is exposing more people to industrial pollution, especially in racially marginalized urban communities, according to new research from Rice University, New York University and Brown University. Thomas Marlow, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi, said industrial activity has not only contributed to climate change, but also left behind enormous amounts of land-based contamination that will continue to put people at risk when floodwaters rise. Marlow is the lead author of "Future Flooding Increases Unequal Exposure Risks to Relic Industrial Pollution," published today in Environmental Research Letters. "We wanted to investigate where those dynamics will affect different communities in the years ahead," he said. The scholars focused on six different U.S. cities (Houston; Philadelphia; Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; New Orleans; and Providence, Rhode Island), combining historical data on former hazardous manufacturing facilities with future flood risks projected down to the address level. They found that more than 6,000 former industrial sites likely still to be sources of significant ground pollution are at elevated flood risk over the next 30 years. These sites are disproportionately located in lower-income communities of color. "We found that the sites of highest concern cluster and create zones of increasing risk in areas where more than 560,000 residents currently live," said Jim Elliott, professor and chair of sociology at Rice. "Analyses further indicate that racial minorities, those with lower incomes and those residing in multiunit housing disproportionately live in these areas, regardless of the city in question." Scott Frickel, professor of sociology at Brown, said the findings show an urgent need for new cleanup strategies. "Specifically, we need to rethink site-based strategies for cleaning up urban lands polluted by past industrial activities," he said. "This work must engage and include residents of historically marginalized communities in planning efforts as government agencies at all levels work to make their cities more resilient and environmentally just in the age of climate change." "The good news is that if we act now, we can not only tackle the problem but also help build more just and resilient cities," Elliott concluded. The researchers plan to build on this work by assisting local for-profit and nonprofit organizations to address the challenges of urban flooding. Explore further Flood buyouts disproportionately benefit whitest at-risk neighborhoods in cities More information: Thomas Marlow et al, Future flooding increases unequal exposure risks to relic industrial pollution, Environmental Research Letters (2022). Journal information: Environmental Research Letters Thomas Marlow et al, Future flooding increases unequal exposure risks to relic industrial pollution,(2022). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac78f7 Images of carbon microcrystals taken with (a) optical and (b)(d) scanning electron microscopes. Credit: The European Physical Journal Plus (2022). DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02768-7 Unusually shaped microcrystals formed of pure, graphite-like carbon were discovered in the dust of the 21st-century's largest meteorite. They are likely to have grown in layers from complex carbon nuclei such as fullerene. The largest meteorite observed so far this century entered the Earth's atmosphere above Chelyabinsk in the Southern Urals, Russia on February 15, 2013. Unusually, dust from the surface of this meteorite survived its fall and is being extensively studied. This dust includes some unusually shaped microcrystals of carbon. A study of the morphology and simulations of the formation of these crystals by a consortium led by Sergey Taskaev and Vladimir Khovaylo from Chelyabinsk State University, Russia is now published in the journal The European Physical Journal Plus. Meteorite dust is formed on the surface of a meteor when it is exposed to high temperatures and intense pressures on entering the atmosphere. The Chelyabinsk meteor was unique in its size, the intensity of the air burst in which it exploded, the size of the largest fragments that fell to earth and the damage that it caused. More relevantly, it fell onto snowy ground and the snow helped to preserve its dust intact. Taskaev, Khovaylo and their team first observed micrometer-sized carbon microcrystals in this dust under a light microscope. They therefore examined the same crystals using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and found that they took up a variety of unusual shapes: closed, quasi-spherical shells and hexagonal rods. Further analysis using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography showed that the carbon crystals were, actually, exotically-shaped forms of graphite. Most likely, these structures will have been formed by repeatedly adding graphene layers to closed carbon nuclei. The researchers explored this process through molecular dynamics simulations of the growth of a number of such structures. They found two "likely suspects" as nuclei for microcrystal growth: the spherical fullerene (or buckminsterfullerene), C 60 ,and the more complex hexacyclooctadecane (C 18 H 12 ). In conclusion, Taskaev and Khovaylo suggest that classifying these crystals could help identify past meteorites. Explore further Microscopic view on asteroid collisions could help us understand planet formation More information: Sergey Taskaev et al, Exotic carbon microcrystals in meteoritic dust of the Chelyabinsk superbolide: experimental investigations and theoretical scenarios of their formation, The European Physical Journal Plus (2022). Sergey Taskaev et al, Exotic carbon microcrystals in meteoritic dust of the Chelyabinsk superbolide: experimental investigations and theoretical scenarios of their formation,(2022). DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02768-7 Flash Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit which will be held in Indonesia November 15-16, according to the Kremlin. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov Monday told the media that the format of Putin's participation is still being specified. "I do not know. For now, they have invited to participate personally, but there is much time left. I hope that the pandemic situation will permit to hold this important forum face to face. I'd like to avoid guessing," he said. Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year and has been pressured by Western countries, led by the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting. Indonesian President and G20 Chairman Joko Widodo, however, did not rescind the invitation to Russia. While earlier in April, he announced he had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and invited him to join world leaders at G20 summit as a guest. Widodo also planned to visit Russia and Ukraine and meet with the countries' leaders to urge peace talks this week. The Indonesian president has refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to a request from Zelenskyy, instead offering humanitarian aid. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that he would take a decision nearer to the time whether to attend the G20 if Putin also attends. While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Monday said Putin's presence at the summit shouldn't be a reason for Western leaders to block the meeting. "We have to consider very carefully whether we paralyze the entire G20; I don't advocate that. In my opinion, G20 is too important, also for the developing countries, the emerging countries, that we should let this body be broken by Putin," said von der Leyen. "I think it's better if he does come to tell him to his face what we think. And then he should also take a stand," she added. Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University found ways to make the hot electrons last longer so that photocatalysis can be used to produce hydrogen peroxide in a safer, cleaner production process. Credit: Nano Technology, Tsinghua University Press Hydrogen peroxide is used in many industries for a variety of purposes, including bleaching, sewage treatment, sterilization, and even as rocket fuel. Because hydrogen peroxide's byproduct is water, it has been lauded as a "green," environmentally friendly chemical, but a closer look at hydrogen peroxide's production process reveals a more complicated story. Problems like the amount of energy used for the production process and mining for the required chemicals have dramatic environmental impacts. As demand increases for hydrogen peroxide globally, researchers are trying to find new ways to produce hydrogen peroxide that are safer and better for the environment. Previous research has identified techniques using photocatalysis, the use of light to start a chemical reaction, and hot electrons, which are high-energy electrons that have been charged through visible and infrared light, as alternative solutions to hydrogen peroxide production. Both photocatalysis and hot electrons have been used in green energy alternatives, such as solar power, in the past, but limitations on both processes have prevented them from being implemented for hydrogen peroxide production. To address some of these limitations, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University found ways to make the hot electrons last longer so that photocatalysis can be used to produce hydrogen peroxide in a safer, cleaner production process. The findings were published on June 25 in Nano Research. Paper author Xinhao Li, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, explained some of the limitations of using hot electrons in the production of hydrogen peroxide. "The lifetime of hot electrons, typically on a time scale of 0.4 to 0.3 picoseconds, could not be matched well with the time scale of typical chemical reactions, including the oxygen reduction reaction to hydrogen peroxide. Because of this, it is appealing to develop powerful methods to prolong the lifetime of thermalized hot carriers over cheap photocatalysts for hydrogen peroxide production using only water, air, and solar light," Li said. The method to maintain the energy of the hot electrons proposed by researchers is straightforward. A heterojunctiona combination of two different layers of semiconductorsof rutile titanium dioxide and graphene is made to harvest the hot electrons. First researchers explored ways to synthetically produce rutile titanium dioxide quickly and efficiently. It takes 24 hours for the phase transfer process by milling method to convert anatase titanium dioxide to rutile titanium dioxide, but researchers were able to reduce this to 5 minutes. The combination of rutile titanium dioxide and graphene forms an elevated Schottky barrier, which is essential for prolonging the lifetime of hot electrons. A Schottky barrier forms between a metal and semiconductor and acts as a barrier for electrons. Because the Schottky barrier between rutile titanium dioxide and graphene is high, it facilitates the hot electron injection and prevents the electrons from flowing backwards through the barrier. The elevated barrier is achieved because of the quick phase transfer between anatase titanium dioxide and rutile titanium dioxide. The quick phase transfer and elevated barrier allows for a long fluorescence lifetime and better efficiency, boosting hydrogen peroxide production using visible and near infrared light. Researchers suspect that the graphene/rutile titanium dioxide can be reused for at least six cycles of standard reactions, making it even more efficient for producing hydrogen peroxide. As for what's next, researchers are looking ahead to how to simplify the process. "In the follow-up work, we hope to develop simpler strategies to optimize the heterostructure of photocatalysis to further improve the utilization of photogenerated hot electrons. This photocatalytic system driven by photogenerated hot electrons on cheap noble-metal-free heterojunctions shows significant potential as a new artificial photosynthesis system," said Li. Explore further How gold nanoparticles could improve solar energy storage More information: Weiyao Hu et al, Rapidly and mildly transferring anatase phase of graphene-activated TiO2 to rutile with elevated Schottky barrier: Facilitating interfacial hot electron injection for Vis-NIR driven photocatalysis, Nano Research (2022). Journal information: Nano Research Weiyao Hu et al, Rapidly and mildly transferring anatase phase of graphene-activated TiO2 to rutile with elevated Schottky barrier: Facilitating interfacial hot electron injection for Vis-NIR driven photocatalysis,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4624-8 Provided by Tsinghua University Press Four children in Mexico were buried in the years after the Spanish Conquest with rituals and grave offerings that suggest that pre-Hispanic customs lived on for some time after the Aztec empire fell. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said Monday the burials of children ranging from a newborn, to a girl aged between 6 and 8, were found in a working-class district just north of Mexico City's historic center. When the Spanish conquered the Aztec capital in 1521, they quickly expelled the Indigenous Mexica population to the city's edges, reserving the center for the homes of only Spaniards. Archaeologists estimate the children were buried in a layer of earth that dated to between 1521 and 1620. Even though the Spaniards quickly outlawed most pre-Hispanic ceremonies and religious practices, researchers found evidence the children were buried with Aztec style grave goods. The youngest, the newborn, was buried inside a pot, with other pots around it. The bulbous shape of the pot was thought to imitate the form of a uterus, and it was not clear if the child died before or after birth. Another offering found at the site included the bones of a bird in ceramic pot with blue coloring, associated with water. The older girl was buried with a large clay Aztec-style figurine depicting a female figure holding a child. Her skull showed signs of possible anemia, malnutrition or infection, signs that suggest life was hard for the Indigenous population in the years following the conquest. In December, archaeologists announced they had discovered another house site on the outskirts of the city's center where 13 large clay ceremonial Aztec incense burners had been carefully buried, again after the Conquest, suggesting that pre-Hispanic beliefs and customs lasted on for some time. The incense burners had been carefully buried in a pattern that may refer to the Aztec calendar, and were covered with adobe bricks, as if to hide them. Explore further Aztec allies ritually disfigured captured Spaniards' remains 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign performed MRI scans on bearded dragons, like the one shown here, to generate a first-of-its-kind brain atlas: a high-resolution map of regions in the creatures' brains. Credit: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. They're not too cuddly, but bearded dragons are working their way into the hearts and homes of American families. And now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are ensuring that these scaly companion animals receive the same medical care as Fluffy, Stripes, and Snowball. Interdisciplinary researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the College of Veterinary Medicine performed MRI scans on bearded dragons to generate a first-of-its-kind brain atlas: a high-resolution map of regions in the creatures' brains. Currently, there no standardized protocol for performing MRIs on America's No. 1 companion reptile. "It is challenging to get spatial resolution sufficient to see disease in the brain of a bearded dragon using a clinical MRI machine designed for humans," said Brad Sutton, a professor of bioengineering and the technical director of the Biomedical Imaging Center at the Beckman Institute. "It is important to understand what a healthy bearded dragon's brain looks like, and to understand the variation across different animals." Bearded dragons are America's No. 1 companion lizard. Dr. Krista Keller and "B" the bearded dragon discuss why they are creating an MRI brain atlas for these amazing reptiles. Keller is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "B" is a bearded dragon with swag. Credit: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Anesthesia is routinely used for animals during MRI scans. Because the scanner contains a strong magnet, specialized metal-free anesthetic monitoring equipment is also required. "There are several instances when a bearded dragon would benefit from an MRI exam. However, a strong consideration prior to ordering this diagnostic would be the risks associated with anesthesia," said Krista Keller, an assistant professor of veterinary and clinical medicine and the service head of zoological medicine at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign performed MRI scans on bearded dragons, like the one shown above, to generate a first-of-its-kind brain atlas: a high-resolution map of regions in the creatures' brains.This image depicts a bearded dragon mid-sagittal slice and was generated using a 3 Tesla MRI scanner located in the Biomedical Imaging Center at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The bearded dragon is facing left, with the top of its head corresponding to the top of the image. Credit: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The researchers' work appeared in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. It identified a predictable and safe anesthetic protocol that can be used in future clinical cases. Data from this study also expands the clinical information available to researchers performing high-resolution MRI scans of bearded dragons in the future. To compile their data, the team used a 3 Tesla MRI scanner located in Beckman's Biomedical Imaging Center to image seven bearded dragons safely and non-invasively. The bearded dragons came from a research and study colony and represent the most common lizard species encountered in veterinary medical practice. The researchers used an image averaging strategy to compile the scans into a single idealized model of a bearded dragon brain; the resulting atlas will be used as a standard reference material in the event that a bearded dragon may be diagnosed with or treated for a neurological disease. Anatomical atlases of reptiles including the tawny dragon, the tokay gecko, and the garter snake were also used for reference. While bearded dragons could certainly benefit from MRI exams, the risks associated with anesthesia are significant, according to assistant professor of veterinary clinical medicine Krista Keller (pictured with a bearded dragon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine). Photo courtesy of L. Brian Stauffer. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer. "Our goal for this study was to not only provide clinicians with an anatomic reference of the bearded dragon brain, but to also establish a safe and efficient MRI and sedation protocol that can be utilized in practices with access to either a 1.5 or 3 Tesla MRI," said Kari Foss, an assistant professor of veterinary and clinical medicine. The researchers identified nine anatomic structures in the bearded dragon brain including the thalamus, optic nerve, optic tectum, lateral ventricles, medulla, telencephalon, tectal ventricle, cerebellum, and the olfactory lobe and stalk. Explore further Climate change may be making bearded dragons less intelligent More information: Kari D. Foss et al, Establishing an MRI-Based Protocol and Atlas of the Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) Brain, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2022). Kari D. Foss et al, Establishing an MRI-Based Protocol and Atlas of the Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) Brain,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.886333 In this photo released by Rocket Lab, Rocket Lab's Electron rocket sits on the launch pad on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand on May 17, 2022. NASA plans to send up a satellite to track a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. Credit: Rocket Lab via AP NASA wants to experiment with a new orbit around the moon that it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. So it is sending up a test satellite from New Zealand. The initial stages of the launch went according to plan late Tuesday, with the rocket carrying the satellite reaching space. If the rest of the mission is successful, the Capstone CubeSat satelliteonly about the size of a microwave ovenwill be the first to take the new path around the moon and will send back vital information for at least six months. Technically, the new orbit is called a near-rectilinear halo orbit. It's a stretched-out egg shape with one end passing close to the moon and the other far from it. Imagine stretching a rubber band back from your thumb. Your thumb would represent the moon and the rubber band the flight path. "It will have equilibrium. Poise. Balance," NASA wrote on its website. "This pathfinding CubeSat will practically be able to kick back and rest in a gravitational sweet spot in spacewhere the pull of gravity from Earth and the Moon interact to allow for a nearly-stable orbit." Eventually, NASA plans to put a space station called Gateway into the orbital path, from which astronauts can descend to the moon's surface as part of its Artemis program. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket waits on the launch pad on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. NASA wants to experiment with a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. Credit: Rocket Lab via AP For the satellite mission, NASA teamed up with two commercial companies. California-based Rocket Lab launched the rocket carrying the satellite, which in turn is owned and operated by Colorado-based Advanced Space. The mission came together relatively quickly and cheaply for NASA, with the total mission cost put at $32.7 million. Getting the 25-kilogram (55-pound) satellite into orbit will take more than four months and be done in three stages. First, Rocket Lab's small Electron rocket launched from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula. Just nine minutes later, the second stage called Photon separated and went into orbit around Earth. Over the next five days, Photon's engines are scheduled to fire periodically to raise its orbit further and further from Earth. Six days after the launch, Photon's engines will fire a final time, allowing it to escape Earth's orbit and head for the moon. In this photo released by Rocket Lab, a technician works on a component of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket ahead of the launch on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand on March 10, 2022. NASA plans to send up a satellite to track a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. Credit: Rocket Lab via AP In this photo released by Rocket Lab, Rocket Lab's Electron rocket sits on the launch pad on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand on May 10, 2022. NASA plans to send up a satellite to track a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. Credit: Rocket Lab via AP Photon will then release the satellite, which has its own small propulsion system but which won't use much energy as it cruises toward the moon over four months, with a few planned trajectory course corrections along the way. "Perfect Electron launch!" Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck tweeted Tuesday. "Lunar photon is in Low Earth Orbit." Rocket Lab spokesperson Morgan Bailey said it was the most ambitious and complex mission it has undertaken so far and comes after more than two years of work with NASA and Advanced Space. She said it will be the first time Rocket Lab has tested its HyperCurie engine that will be used to power Photon. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is successfully launched on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. NASA wants to experiment with a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. Credit: Rocket Lab via AP "Certainly lots of hard problems to solve along the way, but we've ticked them off one by one, and made it to launch day," Bailey said. Bailey said one of the advantages of the orbit is that, theoretically, a space station should be able to maintain continuous communication with Earth because it will avoid being eclipsed by the moon. Explore further NASA wraps up moon rocket test; to set launch date after fix 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Every day, millions of Americans rely on natural gas to power appliances such as kitchen stoves, furnaces, and water heaters, but until now very little data existed on the chemical makeup of the gas once it reaches consumers. A new study finds that natural gas used in homes throughout the Greater Boston area contains varying levels of volatile organic chemicals that when leaked are known to be toxic, linked to cancer, and can form secondary health-damaging pollutants such as particulate matter and ozone. The research by the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PSE Healthy Energy, Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), Gas Safety Inc., Boston University, and Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) was published in Environmental Science & Technology. "It is well-established that natural gas is a major source of methane that's driving climate change," said Drew Michanowicz, Visiting Scientist at Harvard Chan C-CHANGE and Senior Scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. "But most people haven't really considered that our homes are where the pipeline ends and that when natural gas leaks it can contain health-damaging air pollutants in addition to climate pollutants." Researchers conducted a hazard identification study, which evaluated whether air pollutants are present in unburned natural gas, but did not evaluate human exposure to those pollutants. Between December 2019 and May 2021, researchers collected over 200 unburned natural gas samples from 69 unique kitchen stoves and building pipelines across Greater Boston. From these samples, researchers detected 296 unique chemical compounds, 21 of which are federally designated as hazardous air pollutants. They also measured the concentration of odorants in consumer-grade natural gasthe chemicals that give gas its characteristic smelland found that leaks containing about 20 parts per million methane may not have enough odorant for people to detect them. The samples were taken from the territories of Eversource Gas, National Grid, and the former Columbia Gas, who together provide service to 93% of Massachusetts gas customers. Key findings: Consumer-grade natural gas supplied to Massachusetts contains varying levels of at least 21 different hazardous air pollutants, as defined by the U.S. EPA, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and hexane. Concentrations of hazardous air pollutants in natural gas varied depending on location and time of year, with the highest concentrations found in the winter. Based on odorant concentrations, small leaks can be undetectable by smellleaks up to 10 times naturally occurring levels may be undetectable, equating to a methane concentration of about 20 parts per million. When gas leaks occur, even small amounts of hazardous air pollutants could impact indoor air quality because natural gas is used by appliances in close proximity to people. Persistent outdoor gas leaks located throughout the distribution system may also degrade outdoor air quality as precursors to particulate matter and ozone. "This study shows that gas appliances like stoves and ovens can be a source of hazardous chemicals in our homes even when we're not using them. These same chemicals are also likely to be present in leaking gas distribution systems in cities and up the supply chain," said Jonathan Buonocore, co-author and Research Scientist at Harvard Chan C-CHANGE. "Policymakers and utilities can better educate consumers about how natural gas is distributed to homes and the potential health risks of leaking gas appliances and leaking gas pipes under streets, and make alternatives more accessible." The researchers share actions that policymakers and individuals can take to mitigate health risks posed by natural gas used in homes. Policy Actions: Gas pipeline companies could be required to measure and report more detailed information on the composition of natural gas, specifically differentiating non-methane volatile organic compounds such as benzene and toluene. Gas utility providers could be required to routinely measure and report natural gas odorant content to customers similar to informational postings often produced by interstate gas pipeline companies. State regulations could require direct measurement of leaked, unburned natural gas in ambient air to be included in emissions inventories and to better determine public health risks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to set performance standards for gas stoves and ventilation hoods to limit air pollutant emissions. Home inspectors and contractors could be required to perform natural gas-appliance leak detection surveys or to measure for ppm-range methane, similar to radon tests done prior to the completion of a real estate transaction. Given the importance of odorants in detecting gas leaks, federal natural gas odorization regulations could be updated so that natural gas is odorized to meet much lower detection levels than the current 1/5th the lower explosion limit (detectable at ~1% methane). Individual Actions: Because small leaks may evade our sense of smell, getting an in-home natural gas leak detection survey performed by a licensed plumber or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor can verify that no small leaks are present. Increasing ventilation is one of the most accessible and important actions to reduce sources of indoor pollution. Opening windows and turning on a vent that exhausts to the outside when cooking are simple steps that can lower the risk of indoor exposure. If you smell gas, exit the building and then immediately call your gas company to assess whether there is a leak in or nearby your home. Explore further Scientists find the climate and health impacts of natural gas stoves are greater than previously thought More information: Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User, Environmental Science & Technology (2022). Journal information: Environmental Science & Technology Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User,(2022). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08298 COVID-19 has highlighted gaps in funding for critical air navigation service providers, according to a new report. Credit: Moto Club4AG/Wikimedia Commons The global pandemic has exposed some structural flaws in the funding models for air navigation service providers (ANSP), a critical component in the safety of the civil aviation industry, according to a new international study involving Western professor Geraint Harvey. COVID-19 has had huge, negative financial impact on airlines but also on ANSPs, said Harvey, who co-authored the report, "Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis: Air Traffic Charging Models and Financing of Air Navigation Service Providers." Harvey was part of an international research that included professor Peter Turnbull of the University of Bristol, and Huw Thomas at University College Dublin. The team spent the past two years researching the impact of COVID-19 on ANSPs, organizations that provide air traffic control for the global civil aviation industry. "We began by looking at the business model, in particular the funding models of air navigation service providers. This study spanned 17 countries around the world, including the U.K., the U.S. and Canada," said Harvey, Dancap Private Equity Chair in Human Organization. "We've considered how the crisis has impacted the funding of this public good." For ANSPs that are now funded from "user chargers" levied on airlines, revenues dried up while costs accumulated and key investments in new technology were put on hold, the study found. Due to the drastic decline in passenger traffic caused by the global pandemic, airlines were forced to park aircraft and lay off staff. Despite the reduction in commercial aviation, however, many other planes continued to fly for military, emergency and repatriation flights, domestic travel, general cargo and medical supplies. And ANSPs continued to operate and kept the skies open for these aircraft. "It's incredibly important to commercial navigation, it's important to safety. Irrespective of how many aircraft fly, you still need to coordinate the skies to ensure safe travel," Harvey said. "The impact of the crisis on civil aviation has been catastrophic. It has led to a reduction in passenger numbers around 70%. It has had a huge, negative financial impact on airlines and a huge financial impact on air navigation services providers, especially those that rely on the airline user-pays model. The cost worldwide is in the region of $13 billion U.S. dollars for 2020." There have long been concerns about the commercialization of ANSPs and the user-pays system that funds ongoing operations, future investment in equipment, and the training of staff. The report demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural flaws in the commercialized provision of air navigation services. "I think what the pandemic has done is shown us just how problematic some of the business models have been, particularly the commercialized business models for air navigation services provision, which are, under usual circumstances, effective." Harvey said. "These organizations have managed to achieve cost savings and efficiencies, but of course when we have a downturn in demand and airlines aren't flying, there's a problem in terms of where that financing comes from." The report's authors argued ANSPs that provide a public good should receive funding from the government to provide essential levels of services and staffing. Beyond this minimum level of service and staffing, the report suggested, users can be charged directly for air navigation services. "What is important about what we've done is to highlight the importance of a threshold funding modela government funding modelwhich can then be supported by commercial payments made by customersthat would be airlineson top of the baseline threshold funding from government," said Harvey. Policy-makers must then determine who the "users" are and how they pay for "what is ultimately an invaluable but invisible service," the report said. Explore further Slash airline emissions to meet Paris targets: report More information: Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis: Air Traffic Charging Models and Financing of Air Navigation Service Providers. Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis: Air Traffic Charging Models and Financing of Air Navigation Service Providers. www.bristol.ac.uk/media-librar ement/documents/2022 %20NAVIGATING%20THE%20COVID19%20CRISIS%20Turnbull%20Thomas%20Harvey%202022.pdf Positron scattering from a carbon 60 molecule. Positrons can be an important probe of the quantum properties of larger molecules. Credit: Robert Lea New research looks at positron scattering from rare gas atoms encapsulated in carbon 60 to investigate quantum properties that can't be tested with electrons. Particle scattering is an important test of the quantum properties of atoms and larger molecules. While electrons have historically dominated these experiments, their positively charged antimatter counterparts positrons can be used in promising applications when the negatively charged particles aren't suitable. A new paper published in The European Physical Journal D examines the scattering of positrons from rare gas atoms stuffed inside the fullerenes so-called "rare gas endohedrals." The paper is authored by Km Akanksha Dubey from the Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Patna, Bihta, India, and Marcelo Ciappina, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, China. "Our focus was to investigate positron scattering processes with rare gas endohedrals. As a reference to the endohedral system, we also considered positron scattering from bare C 60 targets," Ciappina says. "In our study, we chose rare gas atoms for encapsulation inside carbon 60 (C 60 ), as they are probably the most popular and studied endohedrals. Rare gas endohedrals are very stable formations; the encapsulated atoms find their equilibrium position at almost the geometrical center of the C 60 ." The study builds upon the findings of previous studies involving the collision of positrons with giant targets like C 60 and rare gas endohedrals. The major difference being that the resonance scattering with different sizes of the encaged atoms is elucidated in comparison to the bare C 60 scattering; resonances are also tested under the different scattering fields of the projectile-target complex. "To our surprise, resonance formations in the rare gas endohedrals are altered as compared to the case of positron-C 60 collision, despite the dominant scattering field in positron scattering being repulsive in nature," Ciappina says. The resonances at the lower energy are significantly affected by various scattering fields considered alternatively. "Thus, scattering resonances in the positron scattering find their natural abode in the C 60 and rare gas endohedrals, and the resonance states can be favorably manipulated by keeping the rare gas atoms inside it." With insights into many aspects of such collision processes, potential applications for the findings of the paper could range from positron beam spectroscopy to the investigation of nanomaterials. Explore further Researchers develop complete theory to describe high-energy vortex scattering More information: Km Akanksha Dubey et al, Positron scattering from C 60 and rare gas endohedrals, The European Physical Journal D (2022). Journal information: European Physical Journal D Km Akanksha Dubey et al, Positron scattering from Cand rare gas endohedrals,(2022). DOI: 10.1140/epjd/s10053-022-00390-x Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The latest census results are out and the number of Australians who selected "no religion" has risen again to 38.9%, up from 30.1% in 2016. This makes them the second-largest "religious group" after Christians, who make up 43.9% of the population, down from 52.1% in 2016. Australia is often described as a secular country and this ongoing movement from religion to "no religion" is one way this manifests. The numbers are interesting but, as a legal academic, I am more interested in what they mean in practice and how this ongoing shift in Australia's religious demographics plays out in our laws. Marriage equality, euthanasia and abortion Perhaps the most obvious example is marriage equality. I began teaching law and religion at the University of Western Australia just over a decade ago. At the time, we were teaching students about the arguments for and against same-sex marriage. However, this was a purely theoretical concept. True, the campaign for same-sex marriage was advanced even then. But repeated refusals at the time by political leaders such as John Howard, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd to even consider legalising same sex marriage made it seem like marriage equality was still decades away. At the time of the 2016 census, marriage equality was still theoretical. How quickly things change. In the five years between the 2016 census and 2021 census, Australia saw a monumental shift in what might broadly be considered moral laws. In December 2017 the definition of marriage was officially changed to being the union of two persons voluntarily entered into for life, regardless of gender. But marriage equality is just the tip of the iceberg. Euthanasia and abortion laws have also been reformed in the five years between the censuses. Victoria, WA and Tasmania all passed laws to legalise euthanasia. Queensland and New South Wales have also passed similar laws since the 2021 census. Abortion has been decriminalised in all states, with South Australia, NSW, the Northern Territory and Queensland all making reforms to their laws. An ongoing debate about freedom of religion Given this legal shift away from what are sometimes referred to as "traditional moral laws", it may seem strange that, concurrently, there has also been an ongoing debate about freedom of religion. The debate has been the fiercest, and most painful, in relation to discrimination by religious schools. On one hand, some religious schools claim they need to be able to maintain their unique faith identity, especially where this is out of step with mainstream beliefs. On the other, LGBTQ+ groups in particular argue discrimination is harmful and no longer acceptable in modern Australia. It is tempting to argue that, given the number of Australians who don't have a religion, religious belief should give way to the secular. However, it is important to remember that a large portion of the population still identify with a religion. It is also important to note that Australia's religious diversity is increasing. As I noted back in 2017: "In the battle for supremacy between the "nones" and Christianity, we must also be conscious of minority faiths which in 2016 made up 8.2% of the Australian population. For small and emerging faith groups, whose beliefs and practices may not be well understood in Australia, there is always a real risk of policy decisions affecting their religious beliefs and practices unintentionally or as the result of misunderstanding." It is therefore more important than ever to have a robust and respectful debate about freedom of religion and the place of religion in secular Australia. Part of the answer may lie in a balanced Religious Discrimination Act. It will also lie in respectful conversations about law reform. This must include those of minority faiths, those of the majority Christian faith, and those of no faith. Explore further Domestic violence goes unrecognized in faith communities This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The position of star-forming molecular cloud Sgr B2 close to the central source of the Milky Way, Sgr A* (Background Image: GLOSTAR). The isomers propanol and iso-propanol were both detected in Sgr B2 using the ALMA telescope. Credit: GLOSTAR collaboration (background image). Wikipedia/public domain (molecule models). An international group of researchers led by Arnaud Belloche (MPIfR, Bonn, Germany) reports the first identification of iso-propanol in interstellar space, a substance which is used as a sanitizer on Earth. Iso-propanol is the largest alcohol detected so far, demonstrating the increasing complexity of members of one of the most abundant classes of molecule that can be found in space. The identification was made possible thanks to observations of the star forming region Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) close to the center of our galaxy where many molecules have already been detected. It is the target of an extended investigation of its chemical composition with the ALMA telescope in Chile. The search for molecules in space has been going on for more than 50 years. To date, astronomers have identified 276 molecules in the interstellar medium. The Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy (CDMS) provides spectroscopic data to detect these molecules, contributed by many research groups, and has been instrumental in their detection in many cases. The goal of the present work is to understand how organic molecules form in the interstellar medium, in particular in regions where new stars are born, and how complex these molecules can be. The underlying motivation is to establish connections to the chemical composition of bodies in the Solar system such as comets, as delivered for instance by the Rosetta mission to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko a few years ago. An outstanding star-forming region in our galaxy where many molecules were detected in the past is Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2), which is located close to the famous source Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy. "Our group began to investigate the chemical composition of Sgr B2 more than 15 years ago with the IRAM 30-m telescope," says Arnaud Belloche from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn/Germany, the leading author of the detection paper. "These observations were successful and led in particular to the first interstellar detection of several organic molecules, among many other results." With the advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ten years ago, it became possible to go beyond what could be achieved toward Sgr B2 with a single-dish telescope and a long-term study of the chemical composition of Sgr B2 was started that took advantage of the high angular resolution and sensitivity provided by ALMA. So far, the ALMA observations have led to the identification of three new organic molecules (iso-propyl cyanide, N-methylformamide, urea) since 2014. The latest result within this ALMA project is now the detection of propanol (C 3 H 7 OH). Propanol is an alcohol, and is now the largest in this class of molecules that has been detected in interstellar space. This molecule exists in two forms ("isomers"), depending on which carbon atom the hydroxyl (OH) functional group is attached to: 1) normal-propanol, with OH bound to a terminal carbon atom of the chain, and 2) iso-propanol, with OH bound to the central carbon atom in the chain. Iso-propanol is also well known as the key ingredient in hand sanitizers on Earth. Both isomers of propanol in Sgr B2 were identified in the ALMA data set. It is the first time that iso-propanol is detected in the interstellar medium, and the first time that normal-propanol is detected in a star forming region. The first interstellar detection of normal-propanol was obtained shortly before the ALMA detection by a Spanish research team with single-dish radio telescopes in a molecular cloud not far from Sgr B2. The detection of iso-propanol toward Sgr B2, however, was only possible with ALMA. "The detection of both isomers of propanol is uniquely powerful in determining the formation mechanism of each. Because they resemble each other so much, they behave physically in very similar ways, meaning that the two molecules should be present in the same places at the same times," says Rob Garrod from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville/U.S.). "The only open question is the exact amounts that are presentthis makes their interstellar ratio far more precise than would be the case for other pairs of molecules. It also means that the chemical network can be tuned much more carefully to determine the mechanisms by which they form." The ALMA telescope network was essential for the detection of both isomers of propanol toward Sgr B2, thanks to its high sensitivity, its high angular resolution, and its broad frequency coverage. One difficulty in the identification of organic molecules in the spectra of star forming regions is the spectral confusion. Each molecule emits radiation at specific frequencies, its spectral "fingerprint," which is known from laboratory measurements. "The bigger the molecule, the more spectral lines at different frequencies it produces. In a source like Sgr B2, there are so many molecules contributing to the observed radiation that their spectra overlap and it is difficult to disentangle their fingerprints and identify them individually," says Holger Muller from Cologne University where laboratory work especially on normal-propanol was performed. Thanks to ALMA's high angular resolution, it was possible to isolate parts of Sgr B2 that emit very narrow spectral lines, five times narrower than the lines detected on larger scales with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope. The narrowness of these lines reduces the spectral confusion, and this was key for the identification of both isomers of propanol in Sgr B2. The sensitivity of ALMA also played a key role: it would not have been possible to identify propanol in the collected data if the sensitivity had been just twice worse. This research is a long-standing effort to probe the chemical composition of sites in Sgr B2 where new stars are being formed, and thereby understand the chemical processes at work in the course of star formation. The goal is to determine the chemical composition of the star forming sites, and possibly identify new interstellar molecules. "Propanol has long been on our list of molecules to search for, but it is only thanks to the recent work done in our laboratory to characterize its rotational spectrum that we could identify its two isomers in a robust way," says Oliver Zingsheim, also from Cologne University. Detecting closely related molecules that slightly differ in their structure (such as normal- and iso-propanol or, as was done in the past: normal- and iso-propyl cyanide) and measuring their abundance ratio allows the researchers to probe specific parts of the chemical reaction network that leads to their production in the interstellar medium. "There are still many unidentified spectral lines in the ALMA spectrum of Sgr B2 which means that still a lot of work is left to decipher its chemical composition. In the near future, the expansion of the ALMA instrumentation down to lower frequencies will likely help us to reduce the spectral confusion even further and possibly allow the identification of additional organic molecules in this spectacular source," concludes Karl Menten, Director at the MPIfR and Head of its Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy research department. The imaging spectral line survey ReMoCA performed with ALMA at high angular resolution and the results of a recent spectroscopic study of propanol were used to search for the iso and normal isomers of the propanol molecule in the hot molecular core Sgr B2(N2) in the neighborhood of the galactic center. The interferometric spectra were analyzed under the assumption of local thermodynamical equilibrium. The reaction network of the astrochemical model MAGICKAL was expanded in order to explore the formation routes of propanol and to put the observational results in a broader astrochemical context. The associated studies were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Explore further FDA warns of hand sanitizers tainted with 1-propanol More information: A. Belloche et al, Interstellar detection and chemical modeling of iso-propanol and its normal isomer, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). A. Belloche et al, Interstellar detection and chemical modeling of iso-propanol and its normal isomer,(2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243575 O. Zingsheim et al, Rotational spectroscopy of n-propanol: Aa and Ag conformers, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243571 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics A new study is the first to show that classroom seat assignments have important implications for children's friendships and the enormous influence that teachers wield over the interpersonal lives of children. Credit: Florida Atlantic University Most teachers focus on academic considerations when assigning seats. A new study by Florida Atlantic University psychology researchers is the first to show that these classroom seat assignments also have important implications for children's friendships. Results of the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, revealed that friendships reflect classroom seat assignments. Students sitting next to or nearby one another were more likely to be friends with one another than students seated elsewhere in the classroom. Moreover, longitudinal analyses showed that classroom seating proximity was associated with the formation of new friendships. After seat assignments changed, students were more likely to become friends with newly near-seated classmates than with those who remained or became seated farther away. "The students in our study spent most of every day with the same 15 or so classmates. By the middle of the school year, there were no unfamiliar peers," said Brett Laursen, Ph.D., senior author and a professor of psychology in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. "Yet when seat assignments changed, new seatmates were apt to become new friends, consistent with claims that exposure alone is not a sufficient condition for friendship. Apparently, proximity transcends familiarity by providing new opportunities for the kind of exchanges that form the basis of a friendship." Participants in the study included 235 students (129 boys, 106 girls) in grades 35 (ages 811) who nominated friends at two time points (13 -14 weeks apart). Children attended a public primary school in South Florida that reflected public school students in the state in terms of ethnicity and family income. For the study, teacher seating charts were used to calculate three forms of proximity for each pair of students in a classroom. Neighbor proximity described classmates seated directly beside one another in a row or at a table, and those seated directly across from one another at a table. Group proximity included classmates identified as neighbors as well as those who were near neighbors; the latter were either one seat away in the same row or diagonal to one another at the same table. Findings for group proximity were the most robust, suggesting that children are willing (and able) to overlook their nearest neighbors in favor of those seated close enough for sustained communication. "Of course, students were not glued to their seats; interactions with far-seated peers undoubtedly occurred during lunch, recess and (in some classes) free time activities," said Laursen. "The fact that new friends tended to emerge among the newly near-seateddespite opportunities for engagement with other classmatesunderscores the power of proximity in friendship formation." Classroom proximity assumes outsized importance during the elementary school years because children this age have few other sustained opportunities to meet (and engage with) friends and because companionship is central to the definition of friendship. It has long been known that most children report that most of their friends are in the same classroom. We now know that they are probably seated nearby. Elementary school children spend most of their days in assigned seats, in the company of classmates. In most elementary school classrooms, teachers decide who sits next to whom and, by extension, who interacts with whom. "Taken together, our findings highlight the enormous influence that teachers wield over the interpersonal lives of children. With great power comes great responsibility," said Laursen. "We urge teachers to exercise their power judiciously. Unintended social consequences have been known to arise when adults meddle in the social lives of children." Explore further Assigned classroom seats can promote friendships between dissimilar students More information: Sharon Faur et al, Classroom Seat Proximity Predicts Friendship Formation, Frontiers in Psychology (2022). Journal information: Frontiers in Psychology Sharon Faur et al, Classroom Seat Proximity Predicts Friendship Formation,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.796002 You are here: World Flash More than 40 people were found dead on Monday inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, U.S. state of Texas, local media reported. The truck was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city's southern outskirts, according to the reports. Forty-six suspected undocumented migrants died from heat in the 18-wheeler, said the reports, citing local fire department authorities. About 15 others were rescued and transported to area hospitals. At least five of them were in critical conditions, said the reports. "There are about 46 migrants dead in San Antonio ... They hoped for a better life. Lord after Uvalde and now this, help us!" Archbishop Gustavo tweeted. "More than 40 hopeful lives were lost. I urge you to think compassionately, pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families at this moment," Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio, which is ranked as the 7th largest city in the United States, tweeted on Monday night. "Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we're facing a horrific human tragedy," the mayor lamented. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking reelection in November, put the death toll to at least 42, slamming U.S. President Joe Biden for the tragedy. "At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies," the governor tweeted. The bodies were discovered at an intersection near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas Tribune reported, citing local officials on condition of anonymity. KSAT-TV reported that ambulances and law enforcement officials, including agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, had swarmed the scene. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain White supremacists are using the debate around women's reproductive rights to promote racist and extremist agendas, finds a new study released today, following news on Friday that millions of women in the US will lose the constitutional right to abortion. US white nationalists are heading on to a neo-Nazi website, "Stormfront," in order to recruit more people to their way of thinking. Online they describe abortions by white women as "murder" and look to "weaponize" the procedure. However, the extremists reason abortion by non-white women is "acceptable" or even "desirable," because, they argue, the procedure could solve threats to white dominanceincluding the "urgent need to limit third world populations." The findings, published in the journal Information, Communication & Society, come following a detailed computer-aided analysis of more than 30,000 posts, spanning over two decades on the site. The study authors warn that their evidence highlights how white extremists "weaponize" abortion arguments to attract recruits, using the political debate as a gateway argument that invites them to dive deeper into white male supremacy ideology. "Our study shows that science, medicine, and conspiracy theories meet on the dark corners of the internet," says lead researcher Dr. Yotam Ophir at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, U.S.. "The result is the creation and spread of dangerous racist and misogynistic ideas. These are often born in extremists' platforms, but have spilled over into mainstream politics and discourse." Abortion rights are a fiercely contested issue in the US. On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision, in a judgment that therefore entitles individual states to ban the procedure. Specifically, in this research, Dr. Ophir and his team wanted to better understand how white nationalists not only use abortion debates online to further their cause, but also apply different moral standards to whites and non-whites. By analyzing posts made between 2001 and 2017 on Stormfronta discussion board founded by former Ku Klax Klansman Don Blackthe authors found a marked difference in the way far-right extremists conceptualized abortions for whites versus non-whites. Abortions among white women were described as "murder." Using an entire topic labeled "avoid abortions," Stormfront users accused white women considering terminations as being "deeply unethical" and even "treasonous" to the white race and their gender role. For example, talking about abortions among white women, a user stated that "abortion is the worst thing of all, it is killing a child. Killing a child is worse than bringing him/her up without a father. Adoption is always an option." Whereas with non-white women, posts often excused abortion in order to limit non-white populations. The authors say that such discourse could be used to recruit members and to "normalize extreme, racist ideologies." To protect the public, Dr. Ophir says people, including children, need better tools to navigate the "misleading information environment that is the 21st century." Additional themes identified on Stormfront included "The Great Replacement conspiracy theory"a supposed plot to replace white people with non-white immigrants that is said to have inspired the Buffalo grocery store killings suspect. This is something Dr. Ophir and colleagues argue needs more attention from the mainstream press, as they are concerned there is a spread of the "great replacement conspiracy." "Potential solutions should not end with social media and the internet. We also need to pay more attention to the rise of such conspiratorial thinking among television channels like Fox News and prominent political figures," he says. Stormfront posts analyzed by the team were supplied to the researchers by the Southern Poverty Law Center and by other academics. The site is focused on propagating white nationalism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as well as anti-Hinduism, anti-feminism, homophobia, transphobia, Holocaust denial, anti-Catholicism, and white supremacy. As of 2015, the website was estimated to have than 300,000 registered members. Explore further US abortion trends have changed since landmark 1973 ruling More information: Weaponizing Reproductive Rights: A Mixed-Method Analysis of White Nationalists' Discussion of Abortions Online, Information Communication & Society (2022). Weaponizing Reproductive Rights: A Mixed-Method Analysis of White Nationalists' Discussion of Abortions Online,(2022). DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2022.2077654 An example of partial unfolding of tRNA under heat stress. The image on the left shows the natural three-dimensional conformation of a portion of the tRNA with the D-loop (blue) and T-loop (yellow) connected in what is referred to as kissing loops. The two images on the right show the transition in structure that occurs upon heat stress. D- and T-loops retain their blue and yellow coloring. There is partial unfolding of the acceptor stem and the kissing loops no longer kiss. Credit: Bevilacqua Lab, Penn State A new method allows researchers to determine the structure and abundance of "transfer RNAs" (tRNA)small, highly structured and chemically modified RNAs involved in protein productionin living cells. Misfolding of tRNAs has been linked to human diseases ranging from cancer to type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders. The new method, which also shows how tRNA structure can change when the cells are stressed by high temperatures, a common stressor faced by plants, bacteria, and even humans, could potentially inform the development of therapeutics for RNA-linked diseases and is applicable to other small, highly modified types of RNA. A paper describing the method, developed by researchers at Penn State, appears this week in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "About eight years ago, our team developed a method called 'Structure-seq' that uses chemical modifications and high-throughput sequencing to determine the structure of messenger RNAs in vivo," said Philip Bevilacqua, distinguished professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State and a leader of the research team. "We've expanded that method here to overcome the challenge of working with smaller RNAs that have very stable structures and are naturally highly modified with chemical tags, like tRNA." RNA is similar in many ways to DNA. Both are long molecules composed of small units called "bases" or "nucleotides," represented by A, T, C, and G in DNA (the T is replaced by U in RNA). But where DNA is double-strandedtwo long molecules that run alongside each other connected by hydrogen bonds between complementary unitsRNA is just a single strand. This difference is essential as RNA molecules get their structure by folding back on themselves forming short sections where the units bond like double-stranded DNA but interspersed with single-stranded segments that form loops and bulges. The general structure of tRNA was determined in the 1960s and 70s and is classically described as a cloverleaf with three loops connected by double-stranded segments around a central hub. There are dozens of types of tRNA that vary only slightly in their sequence. Each type of tRNA corresponds to a specific amino acidthe building block units of proteinsand their structures are vital to their function in delivering the amino acids to the site of protein production in the cell. "We can predict the structure of RNA molecules based on their sequence and by modifying the molecules with the chemical dimethyl sulfate (DMS), which adds a different chemical tag to certain nucleotides that are exposed in the structure," said Ryota Yamagami, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State at the time of the research and now an assistant professor at Ehime University in Japan. "Because tRNAs are small and already highly modified, which can cause problems for sequencing, we had to develop methods to ensure that we captured the full-length molecules." Change in tRNA structure abundance due to heat stress. The image shows two potential configurations of a specific tRNA molecule. The image on the left shows the natural, functional cloverleaf structure, the image on the right shows a misfolded rod-like configuration. When grown under natural conditions at 37 degrees Celsius, only 10% of the molecules misfold, but when grown at high temperatures (47C) this increases approximately 4-fold to 41% misfolded. Credit: Bevilacqua Lab, Penn State Yamagami explained that in their method, live cells are treated with DMS, then RNA is extracted from the cells and selected by size to isolate the tRNA. For sequencing, DNA copies of the RNA molecules must be made. To do this, small segments of DNA, called primers, are first attached to one end of the RNA molecules, which prevents the loss of any information from the short RNA sequence. DNA copies are then made using a special version of the enzyme, "reverse transcriptase," which is not stopped by chemical modifications to the nucleotides when used under certain conditions, but instead often introduces errors when it comes to a modified nucleotide. The researchers then use these errors to identify which nucleotides are modifieda process called "mutational profiling"to help with their structure predictions. "With this method we get highly accurate structure predictions at the level of individual molecules," said Bevilacqua. "This also allows us to determine the abundance of each type of tRNA in the cell and the presence of some natural modifications, which can be important for the efficient production of proteins and the overall health of the cell." Identification and abundance of natural modifications was worked out by Jacob Sieg, a chemistry graduate student in the Bevilacqua lab, through experiments in the Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Metabolomics Core Facility. The researchers performed these experiments in bacterial cells that were cultured in normal temperatures, in cells that were cultured at high temperature (heat stress) and in cells that were given a short burst of high temperature (heat shock). In both heat stress and shock conditions several types of tRNA molecules misfolded and the relative abundance and shape of different tRNAs changed. "The concept that even a highly structured RNA such as tRNA is conformationally responsive to environmental conditions is an exciting finding from this study," said Sarah M. Assmann, Waller Professor of Biology and an author of the study. "It expands our basic understanding of how cells respond to their environment and stress and this knowledge could help inform the development of novel interventions." The new method, called "tRNA structure-seq," could be used to study the structure of small RNAs related to human diseases and is not limited to tRNA. "Seeing how tRNA molecules respond to these stresses and beyond will help us better understand how cells respond to stress and could also help us understand diseases linked to tRNA misfolding," said Bevilacqua. "This new method overcomes the difficulties of working with small, highly modified RNA molecules and can be applied to any organism and to other small RNAs." Explore further Mim-tRNAseq: A method that accurately measures the abundance and modification status of different tRNAs More information: Ryota Yamagami et al, Genome-wide analysis of the in vivo tRNA structurome reveals RNA structural and modification dynamics under heat stress, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ryota Yamagami et al, Genome-wide analysis of the in vivo tRNA structurome reveals RNA structural and modification dynamics under heat stress,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201237119 The intense radiation stemming from the TDE debris disk around the black hole (centre) heats surrounding dust until it begins to radiate brightly in the infrared. This process is called a dust echo. Credit: Science Communication Lab and DESY. High-energy neutrinos are highly fascinating subatomic particles produced when very fast charged particles collide with other particles or photons. IceCube, a renowned neutrino detector located at the South Pole, has been detecting extragalactic high-energy neutrinos for almost a decade. While many physicists have examined the observations gathered by the IceCube detector, the origin of most of the high-energy neutrinos it detected has not yet been determined. These neutrinos were detected beyond our galaxy and could result from various cosmological events. Researchers at Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin and other academic institutes in Europe and the U.S. have recently carried out a study focusing on a specific violent cosmological event, which is referred to as AT2019fdr. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, shows that this event could be the origin of a high-energy neutrino. "Our team has been conducting a systematic study for 3 years, where we used the optical survey telescope of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) to scan the sky region of each new high-energy neutrino that we can observe," Simeon Reusch, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "Our recent paper examines a possible source for one of these neutrinos, a huge optical outburst in a very distant galaxy, which has been called AT2019fdr." AT2019fdr, the optical outburst examined by Reusch and his colleagues, is a transient event, which means that it changes over time. The researchers studied this event in great depth, trying to determine its possible source. Based on their analyses, they concluded that AT2019fdr was most likely a tidal disruption event (TDE). TDEs occur when a star approaches the supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy and is close enough to be affected by it. "As the star approaches the black hole, the gravitational pull in front of the star is much stronger than at its back, ripping the star apart," Reusch explained. "Around half of the mass of the star is then accreted around the black hole, causing the debris to shine brightly for months." Reusch and his colleagues also tried to determine whether AT2019fdr could be the possible origin of the high-energy neutrino they observed. To do this, they teamed up with theoretical physicists who could model the source and make theoretical predictions based on their models. "We tried to gather as much electromagnetic data on AT2019fdr as possible, spanning a wide range of wavelengths," Reusch said. "We observed the location and gathered preexisting data for it in radio, infrared, optical, UV, X-ray and gamma-ray wavelengths." In their analysis, the researchers assessed both the AT2019fdr event and other possible sources for the high-energy neutrino they observed, all of which were situated within a reasonable proximity. Interestingly, they ruled out all sources except for AT2019fdr, due to their light curve (i.e., brightness profile over time) or due to the optical spectra they took. "The strong dust echo we detected is in the infrared range, tying AT2019fdr to a subclass of dust echo sources in the center of galaxies," Reusch said. "The actual 'echo' is produced when the intense radiation from the TDE heats surrounding dust, which then starts to glow in the infrared range. The huge size of the system causes time delays due to light travel times, which is the reason why the peak of the dust echo is delayed with respect to the flare." Reusch and his colleagues also observed a late-time X-ray signal with the eROSITA aboard the SRG satellite, with an extremely soft spectrum. Overall, both their measurements and theoretical analyses point to AT2019fdr as the source of the high-energy neutrino they observed. In addition, the team's findings suggest that AT2019fdr is a TDE and not a superluminous supernova, a "regular" flare stemming from the center of the galaxy, or another type of cosmological event. "Our findings are noteworthy, as a previous paper by our group had already identified a TDE (AT2019fdr) as the likely source of another high-energy neutrino," Reusch added. "If indeed these TDEs were both neutrino sources, they must be quite efficient in producing high-energy neutrinos. Multi-messenger studies like the one presented in our paper provide insights into cosmic particle accelerators like TDEs or AGN that are not possible based on photons alone." In their next studies, the researchers will conduct more analyses to further validate their findings. In addition, they plan to seek for other TDEs within the large cosmological event dataset compiled by ZTF so far. More information: Simeon Reusch et al, Candidate Tidal Disruption Event AT2019fdr Coincident with a High-Energy Neutrino, Physical Review Letters (2022). Simeon Reusch et al, Candidate Tidal Disruption Event AT2019fdr Coincident with a High-Energy Neutrino,(2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.221101 Robert Stein et al, A tidal disruption event coincident with a high-energy neutrino, Nature Astronomy (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-01295-8 Journal information: Physical Review Letters , Nature Astronomy 2022 Science X Network Employees and their organisations can gain from union membership, research shows. Credit: SFIO CRACHO/Shutterstock Over the past century, unions have successfully campaigned for a minimum wage, holiday and sickness pay, equal opportunity rights, maternity and paternity rights and a two-day weekend for British workers, among other benefits. With more than 40,000 U.K. rail workers participating in the recent very visible strike action, discussions about why people might want to join a trade union have tended to focus on improving pay and working conditions. But unions can do much more for employees and even for employers. In fact, research shows their benefits can extend beyond individual organizations, boosting sectors and even the economy by reducing staff turnover, providing or promoting training and encouraging innovation. Research from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 35 countries shows that individuals working in organizations where unions engaged in firm-level collective bargaining enjoy higher wages. And, when pay and conditions are protected, employees are less likely to change jobs, certainly in the U.K. Data published in 2021 by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows 47% of unionized workers worked for the same employer for ten years or more, compared to 29% of all employees. A 2017 analysis of the national Work Employment Relations Survey (WERS) data, commissioned by the Trades Union Congress, similarly found that staff were less likely to voluntarily leave unionized organizations. While more recent survey evidence would be helpfuland the WERS analysis points out that data in this area can be sparseit makes a number of other noteworthy conclusions. These relate to a positive correlation between innovation, attitude to work-life balance and off-the-job training at unionized organizations. Other research shows the benefits of training in relation to worker retention and productivity. All for one So how have unions been able to have this kind of impact on working life? Collective bargaining is a major factor. The interests of employers and workers conflict and/or converge to varying extents at different points in time. And while unions attend disciplinary and grievance meetings with individual members, they also engage in collective bargaining on behalf of their members by negotiating with employers on pay and conditions. If negotiations break down and unions meet the Trade Union Act balloting thresholds, members can organize strike action. It is at such times that union densitythe percentage of employees who are union membersis key, particularly when it comes to collective bargaining. High union density within an organization can be a powerful bargaining tool when strikes are threatened. The impact of collective bargaining varies depending on the type of system adopted, according to OECD research . It shows that the best outcomes for employment levels, productivity and employee wages are achieved via collective bargaining that aligns wage and working conditions agreements across sectors, but also allows agreements to be adapted at the organization level. This is known as "organized decentralization" and is used in countries such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. On the other hand, the U.K. uses a fully decentralized system that limits the benefits of collective bargaining for workers, organizations and the wider economy. There is no pay coordination across sectors and bargaining units, very little if any government influence, and collective bargaining happens at the organization level only rather than across sectors. The transport and storage sector is one of four U.K. industries with the highest union density. Credit: Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock Further strikes by rail workers could happen in coming weeks and there is growing discontent among other workers, including British Airways staff, teachers and NHS workers. Unions will be at the forefront of any negotiations between these workers, their employers and the government. Industries with higher union density will bring more power to the negotiating table. The percentage of unionized workers varies across sectors, industries and age groups in the U.K., however. About half (50.1)% of U.K. public sector employees and 12.8% of private sector employees were unionized in 2021. The four industries with the highest union density are education (49.4%), human health and social work activities (39.2%), public administration and defense (38.6%) and transport and storage (36.6%). Employees over 35 years of age made up 63% of the UK's overall employees and 76% of unionized employees in 2021. Only 4.3% of union members were aged between 16 and 24 years old and 19.8% were aged between 25 and 34 years old. One reason for lower membership levels among younger workers is that they are more likely to be in precarious employment with less access to unions. For example, one-third of those aged between 18 and 34 years old returned to the workforce after the pandemic via the "gig economy." ONS data also shows that 15.1% of workers in temporary positions are unionized compared to 23.7% of workers in permanent positions. Yet, a June 2022 YouGov poll shows 49% of respondents aged between 18 and 24 years old support the rail strikes, with older age groups showing less support. The potential for strike action across several industries in coming months relates to societal issues such as decreasing real income. Dialogue between unions, employers and government could help address these concerns without the need for strike action. In fact, research shows that collective bargaining by unions can benefit both sidescompanies and employeesas well as society. But, as we have seen in recent weeks, its failure can create significant disruption in workplaces with strong union membership. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Democratic congressional candidate Matt Castellis campaign is circulating nominating petitions to establish an independent Moderate Party line in the 21st Congressional District race, an action that would guarantee him a spot on the November general election ballot, regardless of the outcome of the Democratic primary. Thats been an effort going on for the last several weeks, said Washington County Democratic Chairman Alan Stern. Stern said the Washington County Democratic Committee collected well over 500 signatures on Castellis behalf on the independent nominating petitions. Castelli, a former CIA counterterrorism official from the town of Saratoga, is running against Matt Putorti, a lawyer from Whitehall, in the Aug. 23 primary for the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, in the November general election. Putorti, responding to Castelli establishing an independent ballot line, criticized Castellis depiction as a moderate. Im a proud Democrat. Ive always been a proud Democrat starting when I registered at 18 in Whitehall, Putorti said in a statement. I am running for the nomination of the party that represents the values I will fight for in Congress: an economy that works for everyone, equality for all Americans, voter enfranchisement, a womans right to abortion, and commonsense gun safety. I wont moderate any of those beliefs to try to win an election. Thats not how were going to defeat Elise Stefanik. Putortis campaign said Putorti will not run on an independent ballot line. The Castelli campaign had not returned email and voicemail messages seeking comment for this report, as of 8:15 p.m. Monday. Stern said Castellis independent line is primarily intended to place Castelli on par on the ballot with Stefanik, who is running on two party lines Republican and Conservative. He was looking for a second ballot line, Stern said. Alex Degrasse, senior adviser to Stefanik, said the congresswoman will present her record to Republicans, Democrats and independents in the district alike. Far Left New York City Democrat Matt Castelli launched his campaign shamefully comparing 9/11 to January 6th, Degrasse said, in a written statement. Castelli supports gun control, the largest tax increase and largest spending bill in our nations history, and supports Joe Biden. There is nothing moderate about his positions; he is running as a Far-Left Democrat in the Far-Left Democrat Party. Stern said he expects that Castelli will continue to actively campaign, even if he loses the Democratic primary. I expect that he will, but thats something you should probably ask the campaign, Stern said. The filing period for independent nominating petitions began June 27 and ends July 5, according to the state Board of Elections. Maury Thompson covered local government and politics for The Post-Star for 21 years before he retired in 2017. He continues to follow regional politics as a freelance writer. Love 5 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 The former Aluminum Shapes in South Jersey, a manufacturing complex caught in an international tax scandal and liquidated through bankruptcy in 2021, is back from the dead. Instead of being turned into just another warehouse, two companies bought the equipment and melting furnace in what amounted to an industrial yard sale and will restart the factory, officials with the companies and the real estate firm that owns the complex said this month. Almag Aluminum Inc., in Canada, and Western Extrusions Corp., in Texas, will lease the plant. The location off I-95 enables easy access to East Coast markets, and the companies can quickly reutilize the industrial equipment as the U.S. economy deals with pandemic-related supply-chain nightmares, executives said. At one time, Aluminum Shapes, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1954, employed 3,000 in Pennsauken. By late last year, the complexs workforce had dwindled to 110 workers who lost their jobs in the bankruptcy. The new aluminum companies could hire a combined 300 workers over the next few years, the executives at the family-owned firms said in separate interviews. They dont compete directly with each other and will operate in separate areas of the subdivided complex. Available and skilled former Aluminum Shapes employees also were a benefit in a tight labor market, the executives said. The Aluminum Shapes plant appeared destined to become an Amazon-style distribution center. We are ready to start right away, said Bennett McEvoy, president of Western Extrusions. We already have 20 employees, and once we get the permits we will have greater hiring. Western bought a 16-inch aluminum extrusion press, one of the largest in the United States, and the complexs scrap-melting furnace. Officials said the former owner let the permits to operate an aluminum-manufacturing plant expire. They expect new permits to be issued within a couple months. A new plan Velocity Venture Partners in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a real estate investment firm that specializes in acquiring older industrial buildings and that owns about 6.5 million square feet of space, is leasing to the aluminum companies. Velocity bought the Aluminum Shapes property and equipment for $32 million in a bankruptcy auction last November. Velocity then sold off the office and manufacturing equipment. Other firms bidding in the auction saw it as a scrape-and-redevelop site for warehousing or nonmanufacturing uses, said Velocity founding partner Tony Grelli. He also spoke about the site as a potential warehouse earlier this year. But there was so much irreplaceable infrastructure there such as a high-amp electric supply into the complex powered partly by methane gas and solar, and an on-site wastewater treatment plant that Velocity believed it could remain a viable manufacturing site with the proper tenants, Grelli said. We thought we would capitalize on the buildings history rather than run away from it, Grelli said. These guys are leaders in their industry, and we did a ton of research on them before we leased to them. Grelli said the terms of the leases are five years with significant extension options. The aluminum manufacturing operations will occupy about two-thirds of the complex, Grelli said. Velocity is still seeking tenants for the remaining space. That tenant could be a manufacturer, warehouse operator or distributor. Site had role in trade fraudThe last owner of Aluminum Shapes was Chinese aluminum kingpin Zhongtian Big Boss Liu, who headed the largest aluminum extrusion company in Asia, China Zhongwang. Lius companies were accused of devising an elaborate scheme to avoid paying punitive U.S. tariffs from 2011 to 2014. Aluminum pallets were imported as finished products, a distinction that would enable Lius firms to dodge a whopping 374% tariff. The pallets were stored in warehouses in California and Mexico and in Pennsauken, and ultimately remelted into other products. At Lius direction, defendants would stockpile and cause to be stockpiled aluminum extrusions in the form of pallets ... at the Irvine, Ontario, Fontana and Riverside warehouses [in California] and at Aluminum Shapes in New Jersey, the indictment said. Last August, a California jury found six companies tied to Liu guilty of defrauding the U.S. of $1.8 billion in duties on the aluminum pallets. The companies were based in California. Neither Aluminum Shapes nor its South Jersey executives were charged in the 2019 indictment. A fresh start McEvoy, 39, is the second generation to run Western Extrusions, which began operations in Carrollton, Texas, in 1980 under a circus tent because construction of its plant wasnt finished. Early on, the firm manufactured residential and commercial window frames. It now has 1 million square feet of space in Carrollton, employs 850 workers, and has diversified into truck-trailer, solar and other markets. Pennsauken will be its first location outside of Carrollton. The company had been looking to expand. When the Texas ice storm in February 2021 shut the Carrollton plant for about three weeks, the need became more urgent, McEvoy said. He did not disclose what the company paid for the Aluminum Shapes equipment. But he said that Western Extrusions would put millions of dollars into upgrades. Almag opened in 1953 and has three plants in the Toronto area and two in Alabama, with combined employment of 550 workers. The company sells extrusions for the architectural lighting, office furniture, store fixture and signage markets, said Joe Jackman, the company president. At Aluminum Shapes, Almag bought two smaller presses, the anodizing line for coating and fabrication equipment. Almag considered trucking the Pennsauken equipment to Canada or Alabama but decided to keep it in South Jersey after conversations with Velocity, Jackman said. Almag signed the lease for the manufacturing space about two weeks ago. Almag also could melt waste aluminum, a manufacturing by-product, at Western Extrusions foundry without shipping it outside Pennsauken. Jackman called the cost savings a huge benefit. Commenting on the Aluminum Shapes saga, Jackman said this could be a good movie. The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House. A former White House aide also tells the House committee investigating the attack that Trump desperately attempted to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol. In her testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson described an angry, defiant president who grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to allow him go to the Capitol. Trump has dismissed her as a total phony. CAPE MAY City Council unanimously said yes to an increase in starting pay for rookie lifeguards, who will see a wage bump to $15 per hour from $12 per hour. The city cited a lifeguard shortage this year. Most businesses report that its been a tough summer to find workers, and the citys resolution also says the issue has been exacerbated by conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cape May Beach Patrol has 36 to 40 guards on the beach every day, but heading into the Independence Day holiday, the city is still short about 10 full-time guards, city manager Michael Voll told council on June 21. He asked council to approve the increase. That will be a help, Voll said. So far this summer, there had been 12 water rescues, he told council as of Tuesday, and 14 first aid calls that required a response form the Cape May Fire Department. This has already been a difficult summer, with multiple ocean drownings reported at the Jersey shore already, including three in a brief period in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. The raise is not retroactive, according to the new agreement reached with the Cape May Lifeguard Association, dated June 21. Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Three Ventnor police officers wont face charges for fatally shooting a 30-year-old Black man in August 2020, a state grand jury ruled Monday. The officers, Michael Arena, Pierluigi Mancuso and Robert Scarborough, shot 30-year-old Amir Johnson, of Wilks-Barre, Pennsylvania, during a confrontation at Wellington and West End avenues Aug. 6. Police Chief Joseph Fussner could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Johnson can be seen on body camera footage released by the state Attorney Generals Office a month after the shooting holding a broken glass bottle, demanding the officers shoot him. The officers tried calming Johnson down, offering him assistance. Johnson, who had noticeable self-lacerations on his neck, quickly advanced toward the officers with the bottle. After disobeying commands to drop the bottle, the officers fired several rounds at Johnson. Six shots can be heard on video before Johnson falls to the ground groaning in pain and cursing at officers while they work to handcuff him. He was pronounced dead at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, about 6 p.m., about two hours after police responded to calls about Johnson acting erratically in the roadway. Sarah Johnson, Amir Johnsons cousin, said in a 2021 interview that the 30-year-old was in Atlantic City with friends, trying to enjoy himself following the death of his fiancee. The Attorney Generals Office, as it does with all police-involved shootings, directed its Office of Public Integrity and Accountability to investigate the encounter to determine whether officers actions were justified. After testimony from witnesses, presentations of forensic evidence, examinations of body camera footage and reviewing autopsy results, a grand jury completed deliberations Monday and voted no bill, finding the officers actions did not meet the criteria needed for charges to be handed down, the Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday. State law enables police officers to use deadly force when they reasonably believe it is immediately needed to protect the lives of themselves or others, or if theres an imminent risk of severe injury, according to the Attorney Generals Office. A conflicts check was conducted under the Independent Prosecutor Directive, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher, the Attorney Generals Office said. Once these investigations finish, OPIA determines whether any principal should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review under the attorney generals Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures. OPIA monitors any resulting review and takes such necessary actions to ensure the review is completed quickly, and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results of the review, the Attorney Generals Office said. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin 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. The stories of Holocaust survivors from South Jersey will be told next month in original short play performances sponsored by the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University. The series of three plays in The Manya Project will be presented in three free performances at Stocktons John F. Scarpa Academic Center, 3711 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City. Performances are scheduled as follows: Rella, Rose, and I: Elizabeth Ehrlich Roths Story of Survival will be performed at 7 p.m. July 7. Try to Survive: Rose Ickowicz Rechnics Memory of the Holocaust will be performed at 7 p.m. July 14. Girl in a Striped Dress: The Holocaust Story of Rosalie Lebovic Simon will be performed at 7 p.m. July 28. Stockton student teacher among New Jersey's distinguished clinical interns GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP A student teacher recognized by the state Department of Education credit The plays were created from the memoirs of Holocaust survivors Ehrlich Roth, of Vineland; Lebovic Simon, of Margate; and Ickowicz Rechnic, of Atlantic City, who died in 2006. The project is a collaboration with Anthony Hostetter, an assistant professor in the theater department at Rowan University in Glassboro. Hostetter worked with the Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton to highlight life stories of Holocaust survivors who had written memoirs through the Stockton Centers Writing as Witness Project. It is essential that we take advantage of every opportunity to tell the stories of our Holocaust survivors, said Gail Rosenthal, executive director of the Stockton Holocaust Center. It is especially poignant that these are stories of local survivors. Each play will be performed by recent graduates of Rowan, who performed the plays as their capstone projects. I hope these plays do justice to these heroic women who experienced so much tragedy but went onto show the world that humanity, compassion and love is ultimately stronger that violence and hate, Hostetter said. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 609-652-4699. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Three Ventnor police officers wont face charges for fatally shooting a 30-year-old Black man in August 2020, a state grand jury ruled Monday. The officers, Michael Arena, Pierluigi Mancuso and Robert Scarborough, shot 30-year-old Amir Johnson, of Wilks-Barre, Pennsylvania, during a confrontation at Wellington and West End avenues Aug. 6. Police Chief Joseph Fussner could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Johnson can be seen on body camera footage released by the state Attorney Generals Office a month after the shooting holding a broken glass bottle, demanding the officers shoot him. The officers tried calming Johnson down, offering him assistance. Johnson, who had noticeable self-lacerations on his neck, quickly advanced toward the officers with the bottle. After disobeying commands to drop the bottle, the officers fired several rounds at Johnson. Six shots can be heard on video before Johnson falls to the ground groaning in pain and cursing at officers while they work to handcuff him. He was pronounced dead at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, about 6 p.m., about two hours after police responded to calls about Johnson acting erratically in the roadway. Sarah Johnson, Amir Johnsons cousin, said in a 2021 interview that the 30-year-old was in Atlantic City with friends, trying to enjoy himself following the death of his fiancee. The Attorney Generals Office, as it does with all police-involved shootings, directed its Office of Public Integrity and Accountability to investigate the encounter to determine whether officers actions were justified. After testimony from witnesses, presentations of forensic evidence, examinations of body camera footage and reviewing autopsy results, a grand jury completed deliberations Monday and voted no bill, finding the officers actions did not meet the criteria needed for charges to be handed down, the Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday. State law enables police officers to use deadly force when they reasonably believe it is immediately needed to protect the lives of themselves or others, or if theres an imminent risk of severe injury, according to the Attorney Generals Office. A conflicts check was conducted under the Independent Prosecutor Directive, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher, the Attorney Generals Office said. Once these investigations finish, OPIA determines whether any principal should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review under the attorney generals Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures. OPIA monitors any resulting review and takes such necessary actions to ensure the review is completed quickly, and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results of the review, the Attorney Generals Office said. Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. People turned in more than 300 guns during the Moline Police Department/Crime Stoppers gun buyback event. The event Saturday was at the department's headquarters, 1640 4th Ave., Moline. The exchanges were to be no questions asked, and organizers offered $100 cash for a qualifying handgun or shotgun and $200 cash for a qualifying semi-automatic rifle that used a magazine, according to the police. The money was raised by donation. A total of 305 guns were turned in, police said. The money, $22,500, was gone in about 50 minutes. The firearms were still being inventoried as of Monday. Unwanted guns left unsecured and unwatched often are used in crimes, police said in the weeks before the event. The goal of the event is to reduce gun crimes by taking such firearms out of circulation. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 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. A judge on Monday sentenced a Moline man in relation to a fatal 2021 hit-and-run crash. The Rock Island County States Attorneys Office charged Jayden M. Jackson, 19, with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The charge resulted from the death of Dawn White, who was killed on Nov. 6 at 60th Street and John Deere Road. Authorities stated White, 43, of Moline, was a pedestrian struck by a dark-colored Ford passenger car. The car did not stop after the collision. Prosecutors accused Jackson, driving the Ford Fusion, of leaving the scene and not contacting the authorities about the collision within a half hour. During a morning hearing, Rock Island County Chief Circuit Judge Frank Fuhr sentenced Jackson to four years in an Illinois Department of Corrections prison, according to court records. Once his term is complete, he must also serve two years of mandatory supervised release. Jackson will get credit for the time he served and is eligible for day-for-day credit depending on his behavior in prison, according to court records. These credits could mean he serves about half of the four years. He pleaded guilty to the charge in May after negotiations with prosecutors, according to court records. Before deciding the sentence, Fuhr also heard arguments from the prosecution and defense about what they thought the sentence should be and victim impact statements from Whites loved ones, court records state. Officials also developed a presentence investigation report ahead of Mondays hearing, court records state. Such reports provide background about a defendant that a judge can use to help determine the appropriate sentence. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Another couple hundred people protested for abortion rights midday Monday in the Quad-Cities, four days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and continued a weekend of protests in the Quad-Cities and across the country. Starting in Schwiebert Park in Rock Island, demonstrators marched across the Centennial Bridge to downtown Davenport, stopping at the police station. The route was symbolic of connecting the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities in a well-traveled location, said organizer Savanna Means. She grew up in Davenport and now lives in Moline. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned several federal protections for abortion, reversing the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, and allowing states to put restrictions on abortion before the point of "fetal viability." Nothing changes immediately to abortion access in Iowa and Illinois after the high court's ruling, but lawmakers in charge of the two states are trending in opposite directions on the abortion debate. Iowa Republicans praised the ruling, and have pressed for additional bans and restrictions on the procedure. Illinois has gone the other direction, repealing a decades-old trigger law that would've reverted the state to a pre-Roe abortion ban. Means told a couple of hundred attendees Monday that she had an abortion at age 18, when both she and her partner at the time used meth. Now, she said, she's five years sober, owns a home, has a child, and is actively trying to become pregnant with her fiance. "We all need the right to choose because I can almost guarantee you if I had not had an abortion, I don't even think I'd be alive today," Means said. " That's the truth, and that angers some people, but I am sure glad I'm f---ing here today." Davenport Alderwoman Marion Meginnis told the crowd at nearly 72 years old, she "can't believe we're still dealing with this matter." She encouraged attendees to register and vote in elections for candidates that support abortion access the Illinois primary, for example, is Tuesday. "It isn't about choice, it's about control of our bodies, and some people who feel we shouldn't have this control," Meginnis said. Another woman, who did not identify herself, said she'd attended and worked in Catholic schools in the Quad-Cities and decided from an early age she didn't want to have kids after being pushed to door knock to oppose abortion. She said she fostered seven children and adopted two. The protest follows one in Davenport at Vander Veer Park, in which several Democratic candidates for county and legislative offices told attendees to get involved and vote for candidates that supported access to abortion. Pregnancy Resources, an anti-abortion social services agency reacts to ruling Executive Director of Pregnancy Resources of the Quad-Cities Trisha Wilson, said Friday was "pretty much a normal business day" for the agency, which provides ultrasounds and other pregnancy care. "We didn't have a lot of people from the general public calling," Wilson said. The agency already had appointments with women who'd decided to continue their pregnancy, she added. The agency does not perform abortions or make any kind of referrals to clinics that provide abortions, she said. Since last fall, Wilson said, the agency has seen roughly a 25% increase in the volume of clients and added staff to accommodate. Right now, she said the agency employs four nurses and 45 volunteers, and is open six days a week. "We're seeing a trend of more people coming to figure out: 'How far along am I? What is my next step?' in probably the last six months." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The pedestrian and bike path on the I-74 bridge was built without restrictions against motor-vehicle access because it was deemed safer to go without, state transportation officials said Monday. A woman is accused of drunken driving and entering the pedestrian path of the Interstate 74 bridge in Bettendorf in a Cadillac Escalade around 2 a.m. on May 22. She continued into Moline, police said, striking three young men who were walking near the Illinois-side entrance.Ethan Gonzalez, 21, and Anthony Castaneda, 18, both of Moline, died as a result. Charles Bowen, 22, was seriously injured. Chhabria Harris, 46, of East Moline, is charged with two counts of reckless homicide, three counts of aggravated DUI and three counts of failing to stop after the crash, among other charges. Neither of the path entrances had concrete barriers, also called bollards, or any type of barrier to prevent vehicles from driving onto it. It is connected to the Illinois-bound span of I-74. Officials from the Iowa Department of Transportation, IDOT, which was the lead agency for the new bridge and related construction, said Moline and Bettendorf didn't want any barriers to block the paths. "The communities expressed their desire for a path that allows easy access for maintenance and emergency vehicles so they may respond swiftly to weather conditions and emergency situations on the mile-long path," IDOT officials said Monday. After the fatal crash, barriers were placed on both ends of the path, despite warnings by a national transportation group that urged IDOT against them. "Bollards are not standard practice on bike and pedestrian paths in the U.S. and are discouraged by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)," according to IDOT's explanation for failing to add barriers at I-74. However, ASSHTO acknowledged in guidance supplied by the Iowa DOT that bollards are "routine." In many locations along Quad-City bike paths, bollards are used to prevent vehicles from entering. "The routine use of bollards and other similar barriers to restrict motor vehicle traffic is not recommended," according to ASSHTO guidelines. "Bollards should not be used unless there is a documented history of unauthorized intrusion by motor vehicles." Officials from IDOT were asked whether bollards will be added, given the now-documented history of "unauthorized intrusion," but they did not immediately respond. Both sides of the I-74 path now are blocked by large planters and/or cones. A fence was added to a neighboring city-owned property in Moline. "Barriers such as bollards, fences, or other similar devices create permanent obstacles to path users," ASSHTO warns. "Bollards on pathways may be struck by bicyclists and other path users and can cause serious injury. Approaching riders may shield even a conspicuous bollard from a following riders view until a point where the rider lacks sufficient time to react. "Furthermore, physical barriers are often ineffective at the job they were intended for keeping out motorized traffic. People who are determined to use the path illegally will often find a way around the physical barrier, damaging path structures and adjacent vegetation. Barrier features can also slow access for emergency responders." The family of Anthony Castaneda has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Bettendorf, saying his death was the result of the citys negligence. They are seeking damages in excess of $75,000, according to court records. Lawyer for man struck, killed on I-74 pedestrian path says case is 'in the early days' The attorney who has filed a lawsuit against the City of Bettendorf in connection with the SUV-pedestrian crash on the I-74 pedestrian and bike path said the trio of young men who were walking on the path on May 22 had every right to be there. He declined to say whether more defendants will be named. The city spent municipal funds to design, build and open the walkway, the suit states. Bettendorf participated in the design and construction and controlled the entrance and opening date of the walkway. On Monday, the Iowa DOT reiterated their position that the path, "meets all federal and state requirements for safety and separation from traffic, including at the entrances where the path is separated from traffic with a curb and gutter." In other legal action, Harris, the accused driver, has filed a motion seeking to keep news cameras out of the courtroom during proceedings related to her case. No ruling has yet been entered. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Republican candidate for a Davenport House seat attended a rally on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, which Scott County Democrats called a sign the candidate, Luana Stoltenberg, has an "alliance with the radical right extremist movement." Stoltenberg is running against Craig Cooper, a Democrat from Davenport, for the Iowa House seat, which covers northwest Davenport. It's a sign the Nov. 8 general election race is already heating up soon after the June 7 primary election. Stoltenberg posted on social media on Jan. 5, 2021, that she was "on assignment" in Washington, D.C., and posted pictures on the grounds in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and Capitol buildings the following day. When reached by phone, Stoltenberg said she was there as part of a prayer group with Women for a Great America, a political nonprofit formed by Andrea Lafferty. Lafferty is the daughter of the founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, a now-defunct group that was labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim. Stoltenberg said they'd set up a small stage with a piano keyboard, sang songs and prayed. She said she did not enter the Capitol building and did not attend former President Donald Trump's speech on Jan. 6. "I was there to pray for my nation because I love my nation," Stoltenberg said. "And pray that there would be peace and there would be truth." Stoltenberg does not face any federal charges connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection, when hundreds of protesters overtook capitol police officers to storm the Capitol building. A U.S. House committee investigating the day's events has held a series of hearings this month with testimony from top White House aids and law enforcement officers. Stoltenberg posted photos in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and Capitol buildings on Facebook on Jan. 6, 2021 writing: "WE THE PEOPLE are simpl(y) exercising our constitutional right to assemble and tell the government officials they are not representing us and there is fraud. Why do they refuse to investigate or look at the evidence. That is our right as the people. Stand up before we become a communist country." All credible evidence has found the 2020 election to be fair and secure. Judges, elected officials and investigators have repeatedly said there is no evidence of widespread fraud, and audits and recounts, including a Republican-led audit in Arizona, have confirmed the result and debunked claims of fraud. Dozens of lawsuits brought by former President Trumps campaign were dismissed by state and federal judges, several of whom were appointed by Trump, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite that, a Washington Post/University of Massachusetts at Amherst poll conducted in December found just 21% of Republicans nationwide thought Joe Biden was legitimately elected. Some Iowa Republicans have campaigned on that falsehood, including Jim Carlin, a Republican challenger for U.S. Senate who lost to longtime incumbent Chuck Grassley in Iowa's primary elections. Matt Trimble, chair of the Scott County Democrats, said, according to a press release: "Her claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent is contributing to a dangerous moment in our country's history." Trimble continued: "It is terrifying that the intent of Jan. 6, 2021, by Luana Stoltenerg and thousands of others was to overturn the results of a free, fair election and overturn our government. These were not patriots, as Stoltenberg has suggested. They were anarchists. We must identify her and all who support this un-American activity as dangerous to democracy." For her part, Stoltenberg said: "I dont believe anybody thought they would overturn the government. We were there to represent the people. We were there praying for our nation that people would be represented and heard. Period." Stoltenberg said she could see and hear what was going on but did not participate. From her vantage point, she said she saw police officers being friendly with protesters, high-fiving them and backing away. She hung up mid-interview and didn't say whether she still believed the 2020 election was fraudulent. "The primary is barely over, and were attacking?" Stoltenberg said of Democrats. "Good grief." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. When Davenport resident Karen Orozco Gutierrez began researching the life of her great-grandfather Milton Howard, she quickly learned how a singular event can impact a persons life and the lives of their descendants forever. Gutierrez marked Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of African-American slaves, earlier this month by sharing the remarkable story of her great-grandfather who went from being a kidnapped slave to a celebrated community member. Born in Muscatine County, Iowa, in 1851, Howard was a free child but was kidnapped and sold into slavery at just 2 years old, along with his family. To this day, his family knows him only by his enslavers surname. After working for Albert James Pickett on his plantation in Alabama for just shy of a decade, Milton Howard was separated from his family and sold to a planter in Arkansas by the name of Howard. During the onset of the Civil War, Howard escaped his enslavement and went back to Iowa with an unknown Union soldier. At age 13, Howard enlisted in the First Iowa Colored Regiment, Company F, beginning as a drummer boy and eventually joining battle. At the end of 1865, Howard left the army and returned to Iowa. He began an impressive 50-year career at the Rock Island Arsenal. Howard was a ward alderman, and civic leader and was, according to Gutierrezs research, an ordained minister. He also learned to speak French, German and Italian. Howard was known as a positive, selfless man in the community. As Gutierrez put it, Milton Howard, not born with advantages, took whatever God gave him and made a life for himself and his family, and was thankful and grateful for this. So one hundred years later, what can be taken away from Milton Howards legacy? For one, his story serves as a critical example of why the preservation of Black lineage is so important. Black American history, although we may have been told otherwise, is not impossible to document. Perhaps challenging, but not impossible, Gutierrez said. I can almost guarantee you can find anything about any Black person back to 1870 without any difficulty at all for the most part. Before 1870, it becomes more challenging because we were not considered human. The 1870 U.S. census was the first census to include African-Americans, so tracing lineage that dates back before 1870 requires more digging. That didnt stop Gutierrez. Taking a trip to Montgomery, Ala., Gutierrez obtained slaveholder records, allowing her to gain more insight into Howards life as a slave. Despite Gutierrezs extensive knowledge on Howard, there are still many unknown details of his life. If Milton had not been kidnapped, he would have been allowed to learn to read and write, he would have attended school, perhaps even graduated from college, Gutierrez said. We would know Miltons real surname, and not the surnames of enslavers. We would know the names of Miltons parents and siblings, and perhaps his grandparents and great grandparents, and so on. We may have been able to know where in Africa Miltons ancestors came from. We may have been able to know the history and legacy of Milton Howard. Gutierrez pointed out that while the African-American experience is often viewed as a collective one, every individuals experience as a Black person in America is unique, composed of distinct challenges. Gutierrez maintained, If you dont know where you came from, you dont know where youre going. And it is up to each individual person [to do their own research] because every family is different. David Brodnax is a professor of history at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill. He is also an expert on Iowas Black Civil War regiment, the 60th U.S. Colored Infantry. He emphasized the importance of connecting with ones ancestry. No living person has direct memory of slavery or the Civil War or Reconstruction, and it will not be long before there are no remaining World War II veterans. There are, though, many people left who remember the Second World War, the Civil Rights Movement, etc. We have to talk to those elders so that we can hear, record and pass down their stories, Brodnax said. But Brodnax believes there is work to be done on a governmental level as well. He pointed to the 1930s-era Federal Writers Project where scholars were sent by the government to interview former slaves, Civil War veterans and others who remembered the U.S. prior to the war in order to collect accurate accounts of the countrys history. Brodnax believes a similar initiative could be effective today. Although some of those scholars engaged with elderly Blacks in a patronizing or even dismissive way, we still have those transcripts and recordings, he said. We are now at or near a similar stretch of time when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement and WWII. The government could again send federally funded scholars to speak with the elderly about their experiences. Whether on an individual or governmental level, there are resources that can be exhausted to ensure Black lineage is safeguarded. The full story of the Quad Cities, Iowa and America, both good and bad, must be preserved, remembered, discussed, contested by people of goodwill and sincere motives and used to make the future better than the past, Brodnax said. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Kennesaw State University Associate English Professor Regina Bradley, Ph.D., Wins Georgia Writers Associations Author of the Year Award KENNESAW, Ga. (Jun 28, 2022) Regina Bradley, Ph.D., won the Georgia Author of the Year award in the essay category for her work titled, Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South. The Georgia Writers Associations (GWA) Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) is the longest-running literary award in the Southeastern United States said KSUs associate chair of the Department of English, Dr. Ralph Wilson. The Department of English is very proud and happy to hear of Dr. Regina N. Bradley's latest accomplishment as a winner of the 58th Georgia Author of the Year Awards in the Essay Category, said Wilson. She is an extremely talented writer, and the recognition is well deserved. John Havard, chair of the English Department said, Dr. Bradley is among the most notable scholars in the new southern studies, doing work that deftly defies boundaries between literary and popular culture. First presented in 1964, the awards celebrate the best literature by Georgia writers. The Georgia Writers Association has managed the GAYA event since 1994. Held virtually in 2022, the event honored winners and finalists from 113 nominees in 14 categories. The awards presentation is available on YouTube and the GWA website in its entirety. As an author with deep insight into Georgia culture, she is an ideal recipient for a Georgia Author of the Year Award. Dr. Bradley and her work represent some of the best the English Department has to offer: creativity, solid scholarship, and social and community engagement, Dr. Havard added. Literary judge Megan Volpert said of Bradleys essay, Bradley is a defining voice of the new southan engrossing one that blends academic analytical chops with the personal narrative of lived experience as a Black woman who grew up after the civil rights movement. Her argument, that hip-hop culture since the Eighties represents concerns and methodologies of the next wave of contemporary southern Black identities, is clear and persuasive and without alternatives. She went on to say, Chronicling Stankonia begins with a close philosophical reading of Outkast and ends with an exhortation to invigorate cultural studies through attention to the popular arts and letters made by Black southerners. Regina N. Bradley is Associate Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. Her research interests include southern hip hop, the contemporary Black American South, race and sound studies, and southern studies. Bradleys award-winning essay is based on her book of the same title published by the UNC Press. Dr. Bradley recently completed a semester as a Harvard Research Fellow in Spring 2022 and will be teaching at KSU in the fall. A proposed South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks shooting range in Meade County hit another roadblock Tuesday after the county's Board of Commissioners unanimously denied relocating a section line near the property. The denial ended up being based on a legal interpretation from Meade County Deputy State's Attorney Kenneth Chleborad after GF&P submitted a modified design for the section line relocation after the legal notice for the public hearing was published featuring a different map. "The petition is for this particular plat (as originally presented). We can certainly discuss the other but you cannot take action on it," Chleborad said. Officials with GF&P attended Tuesday's meeting and presented an alternative section line plat after there were concerns voiced over the original design. The GF&P representatives said the maps for the alternative plan were devised over the previous 24-48 hours prior to the meeting. "I do not like to be surprised at commission meetings with a whole new plan and not a lot of answers in response," Commissioner Doreen Creed said. "Something that is this controversial on its own, I would recommend that the GF&P go back and get some of these questions answered because I do not believe we have all the information in which to make an educated decision." The GF&P originally came to the Meade County Commission with the proposed section line relocation in May. Commissioners and members of the public questioned why GF&P took so long to come up with the section line plat, advertise it for the legal notice, and then change the design again so close to Tuesday's meeting. Additional questions arose about the last-minute design change related to encroachment on surrounding property owners, a lack of water engineering and that an environmental study has not yet been published. Based on the state's attorney's position that GF&P could not change the design without another legal notice, the commissioner's voted 5-0 to deny the petition. The proposed shooting range in Meade County, just north of the Pennington County line, has been embroiled in controversy. GF&P agreed March 3 to purchase 400 acres of ranch land in rural Meade County, approximately 10 miles north of Rapid City, to build a 175-bay shooting range. They were seeking $2.5 million from the state's general fund and a $2.5 million authorization to use "other funds" to build the range. The total cost of the range is projected to be $12 million to $14 million. Secretary Kevin Robling testified March 2 before the State Legislature that GF&P will build the range with or without funding from the state, but development would be scaled down and potentially delayed if the state funding is not approved. The Meade County land for the GF&P shooting range was first sought by Rapid City businessman Jim Scull, who told the Journal that the realization of building a new range near Rapid City was years in the making. Scull initiated a purchase agreement for the property and then transferred the agreement to the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation held the deed to the land with the expectation that GF&P would purchase the property by April of this year. Supporters of the range said it is a needed amenity for West River residents. However, the shooting range met opposition from area ranchers and landowners. Members of the House of Representatives also opposed using the state's general fund for the range, after Robling's testimony that GF&P would build the facility anyway. Several attempts to use the state's general fund to pay for a portion of the gun range were denied throughout the 2022 legislative session. The funding request was first denied on Jan. 25. The funding bill was resurrected on Feb. 1 and initially passed the State Senate. When the resurrected bill was heard by the House Appropriations Committee on March 3, it was defeated again. An attempt to "smoke out" the bill on March 7 before the full House of Representatives did not receive enough votes to proceed. A last-ditch attempt to secure general funding from the state failed in conference committee on March 11. Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Russian court upholds nationwide ban on Meta MOSCOW, June 20 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court upheld on Monday the prohibition of Meta Platforms Inc in Russia for extremist activity, RAPSI learnt from the courts press service. The court declared a lower instances ruling legal and reasonable, and dismissed the U.S. corporations appeal. The ban thus came into effect. In March, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow barred Metas Instagram and Facebook social network as extremist platforms upon a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor Generals Office of Russia. The prosecutors move was triggered by the U.S. media holdings policy permitting its users from certain countries to publish information containing calls for force and violence against Russian nationals, including military servicemen. According to the Prosecutor Generals Office, doing so, the company backs terrorism and incitement to hatred and hostility against Russian people. The Investigative Committee earlier opened a criminal case over calls for violence and murder of Russians over the Meta employees actions. The U.S. media company in turn denied extremism on its social networks and called the prosecutors demands disproportionate. A U.S. official says at least 40 people have been found dead inside a tractor-trailer in a presumed migrant smuggling attempt in South Texas. The official says 15 others in the truck were taken to hospitals in the San Antonio, where the bodies were found Monday. It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in recent decades. All of the victims were believed to have crossed into the United States illegally, the New York Times reported. Officers from the San Antonio Police Department were searching for the driver of the vehicle. Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings. High temperatures in the San Antonio area ranged from the high 90s to low 100s, according to the National Weather Service. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Updates: Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A total of 738 vehicles were reported stolen in Richmond last year, Richmond police Maj. Rick Edwards said. In the first three months of 2022, auto thefts in the city increased by 54%, and thefts from vehicles increased by 50%. To date, there have been 442 reported thefts, a 36% increase from the same time last year, Edwards said. Multiple law enforcement officials spoke Tuesday about rising trends in vehicle thefts and the best methods to prevent them from occurring. The multiagency collaboration dubbed the Love My Ride campaign is meant to encourage and educate Virginians to protect themselves from auto thefts. Edwards said often, these vehicles are stolen while the car is still running. Gone are the days where people are hot-wiring cars and were finding our cars with bogus steering wheels and screwdrivers, Edwards said. These cars are almost exclusively stolen with the keys that belong to the car. Edwards recalled an April incident in Richmond in which a car was stolen near Richmond Highway. He said an SUV was unlocked and left running while the owner entered a nearby convenience store. Days later, that same car was used in connection with a shooting at an apartment complex in South Richmond. Video evidence captured four gunmen exiting the vehicle and unloading their weapons at a group of people, Edwards said. That car was later recovered by police. Their investigation is still ongoing. Thankfully and miraculously, no one was hit in that exchange, but you can imagine how you would feel if your car were to be used in a crime like that, Edwards said. Protecting your vehicle is a step toward the safety of our entire community. Jeffrey Katz, Chesterfield Countys chief of police, recalled a similar incident where a Mercedes SUV was stolen and used in a burglary. Police said a male driver drove the white SUV through the front of a store. That same person entered the building, broke a number of display cases and stole an undetermined number of firearms. As you can see, a car can be used in a very destructive way and for destructive purposes, Katz said. And heres a fun fact in this particular story, and that is that was actually stolen from someone else who had stolen this car. Henrico County Police Chief Eric English told another story in which a stolen truck with a towing attachment was used to pull an ATM from the exterior of a Chase bank. English said there have been 266 vehicles stolen in Henrico in 2022, compared with 194 vehicles last year. This is the most auto thefts weve seen even over the last five years, English said. As people have mentioned, its not just the thefts of motor vehicles that have created problems, but these stolen vehicles are used to commit other crimes. A total of 11,470 vehicles were stolen across Virginia in 2021, said Virginia State Police Superintendent Gary Settle. Settle said that as auto thefts continue to increase, state police have expanded their vehicle theft prevention through VSPs Help Eliminate Auto Theft program. HEAT was founded in 1992 and will celebrate its 30th anniversary in July, which is also Vehicle Theft Prevention Month. Earlier this month, HEAT notified local chiefs and sheriffs that additional funding is now available to assist them with their local efforts aimed at deterring vehicle and catalytic converters thefts, Settle said. Local law enforcement agencies are now eligible to receive up to $10,000 from HEAT to help cover the cost of investigative equipment related to vehicle and catalytic converter thefts. But Settle said the best way to prevent theft is to follow the simple steps shared through the Love My Ride campaign. Lock your vehicles, he said. Keep valuables especially cellphones, laptops, purses, wallets out of sight. Park in protected well-lit locations when possible, and probably the most simple recommendation we can give you is dont leave the keys in your car. The Love My Ride campaign kicks off in July, when residents can learn more about vehicle theft prevention through outreach events such as having vehicle identification numbers etched on vehicle glass windows. Participating agencies include the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and New Kent; the cities of Richmond, Hopewell and Petersburg; and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles as well as the nonprofit Drive Smart Virginia and the State Corporation Commissions Bureau of Insurance. Richmond city employees who have been calling for the right to unionize over the past year may have to wait until September to see whether the City Council will adopt legislation to let them do so. While some city officials and union advocates had expected the introduction of an amended bill Monday, the council instead delayed action again in front of about 100 city workers and labor organizers eager to collectively negotiate for better wages and working conditions. Its time to do it, said Maurice Black, a 23-year veteran of the citys Public Works department who spoke in favor of union legislation during the council meeting. We cant keep working on these slave-mentality wages. It has to change. City Council President Cynthia Newbille said that she expects an amended bill based on feedback from the public and council members will be formally introduced next month. While an updated ordinance could be introduced as soon as next Tuesday at the councils Organizational Development Standing Committee meeting, further delay could prevent the council from voting before the end of summer as the governing body typically takes a recess in August. We are committed to moving this down the road. And when I say moving, I dont mean kicking [the can down the road,] she said. What were talking about is doing this in a way thats in the best interest of city employees and the organization as well. City officials have delayed voting on two competing bills multiple times as Mayor Levar Stoneys administration has argued for limiting the right to employees in the departments of Public Works and Public Utilities. Six of the councils nine members have signed on as co-patrons for another bill that would allow social workers, library workers, police, firefighters and other employees to unionize. Still, the majority on council who say they support it have failed to bring it to a vote. Standing with fellow members of an organizing committee with the labor union SEIU 512 during the council meeting, Department of Social Services employee Felicia Boney told the City Council that the debate is about expanding the rights of workers. Were seeing a reversal of rights in our country right now. So it matters a lot that city of Richmond workers are fighting to expand our rights to a union and collective bargaining, she said. Our working conditions are your living conditions. We want a strong collective bargaining ordinance passed immediately. While Mayor Levar Stoney says he is supportive of allowing local government workers to unionize, he and other top city officials have pushed to limit an initial ordinance to a smaller band of workers because of the administrations lack of experience negotiating union contracts and the costs that it could incur. The Administration continues to work with City Council to reach a resolution on collective bargaining, Jim Nolan, the mayors spokesperson, said in an email just before the start of the council meeting. Dwayne Johnson, an organizer with Teamsters Local 322, another labor union working with city employees, said the city should not narrow the ordinance to only a few workers. I think the biggest hurdle is for the council members to understand the sky is not going to fall if they pass a broader ordinance, Johnson said in an interview. Nolan added that the administration has tried to focus on employee satisfaction recently by raising the minimum wage for city employees to $17 per hour, boosting police and firefighter salaries with raises of at least 10% and granting a 5% wage increase for all other city employees. While few city employees have said they are pleased with the raises, Black said he feels that it still isnt enough for some older employees whose wages are still low. A person who is making $125,000, a 5% raise for him looks excellent, he said. A person like me who is making $32,000 the only thing it does is put me in a higher tax bracket, and I take home less money. Other workers and labor organizers said that a strong collective bargaining ordinance would also enable them to address other work issues, such as shift durations, caseloads, safety precautions and health regulations. Local government employees are eligible to unionize and negotiate labor contracts under legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2020. The state bill, however, requires local governing boards to pass local legislation to grant the right in each locality. Richmond Public Schools teachers, for example, gained the ability to collectively negotiate work contracts after a School Board vote in December. In March, four months after the introduction of two collective bargaining bills for city employees, the Richmond City Council voted to form a working group to review the legislation. Administration and council officials at the time gave little detail about the composition of the panel and whether it would meet publicly. Union advocates who said they were invited to participate said the group never met, giving the impression that it was a stall tactic. The council and one of its standing committees have reviewed the legislation three times in open meetings since then, each time declining to vote on whether to approve either bill. Speaking to city workers and organizers with SEIU 512 after the council discussion about the legislation, city library worker Ben Himmelfarb said the introduction of an updated collective bargaining ordinance was pulled after a few organizers who saw the draft felt it was inadequate. The city attorney seems to be working with the mayor and [chief administrative officer] to subvert the kind of strong ordinance that we want to see done, Himmelfarb said. There was a moment where we thought tonight we would see a strong ordinance and we would all go, vote yes. We then saw the ordinance and it was crap. In an interview after the meeting, Councilwoman Reva Trammell, the chief sponsor of the councils favored union bill, said officials need more time to review the proposed amendments. Trammell also noted that one of the chief co-sponsors, Councilwoman Kristen Nye, was absent, which made her and others feel uncertain about how to proceed Monday. We want to get it right, she said. I think all of us have not been on the same page. Theres been so much miscommunication out there. In a room on the second floor of the Sheltering Arms Institute in Goochland, two women were talking near a window. One was recounting the day she had a stroke and was left on the floor of her home alone for 16 hours. Kim McCue, who had been at the hospital for about a week, was telling her story to Eleanor Angle, a woman who had had a stroke two years ago and became one of the first patients at Sheltering Arms Institute. Angle, 53, listened thoughtfully while McCue talked about her stroke and recounted how the last few days of recovery had gone. I'm here to be a voice of encouragement and support and to tell you that life after stroke is richer and more meaningful at least to me, Angle told McCue. You've got a wonderful journey that will unfold one day at a time. The pair was part of the Stroke Peer Program at Sheltering Arms Institute, a joint venture between Sheltering Arms and Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Health System. In addition to serving stroke patients at the physical rehabilitation hospital, they have programs for spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and more. The in-house mentoring program was modeled after successful programs the Institute had implemented with people who had experienced spinal cord injuries and amputations. The opportunity for me to be a mentor allows me to pay back to the community at-large and other survivors, Angle said. Peer mentors are volunteers that are required to complete a six-hour training course taught by clinicians in psychology and speech-language pathology, according to a release from the hospital. About once or twice a week, the mentors meet one-on-one with patients at the Institute. Its just an incredible organization, said Sandra Romeo, another patient who met with Angle that day. Im glad to be here because I feel like Im recovering a lot faster. Romeo, 59, had just finished therapy at the Institutes core gym, a larger physical therapy space on the first floor. Among loads of equipment and natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, patients practiced walking. Romeo herself had been walking through the gym with bright pink one pound dumbbells and an ankle weight on her right leg. She also practiced stepping over neon green hurdles that were lifted six inches off the floor. Lets try stepping over them sideways now, Kate Hogue, her therapist, said. With a sigh and an eye roll, Romeo turned to the side to complete the exercise successfully. Today, four mentors, including Angle, are mentoring stroke patients within Sheltering Arms Institute. The mentoring program itself is seen as part of the recovery process there, said Melissa Banta, the therapy program manager for strokes. Sometimes mentors can help explain to patients what theyre going through better than clinicians. Having them stay motivated and engaged is just so important, Banta said. And they can really work with that patient. Not only is stroke one of the leading causes of death in the United States but its also one of the leading causes of serious disability in adults. Aside from having had a previous stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and sickle cell disease are all health conditions increasing ones risk of stroke. In 2021, stroke was the fifth leading cause of death in Virginia. They feel like they have hope [at Sheltering Arms], Alison Clark, the community engagement manager, said. And the other thing I've heard a lot of is that it's motivating them to see that there is life after they leave here, and that they might not be where they want to be when they leave, but that doesn't mean that they don't continue to make progress. In her second floor room, McCue said she was proud of her recovery so far. On Friday, she was walking backwards for the therapists and throwing a ball at the same time something she couldnt do before she had her stroke. I just met Eleanor today, but for me, its really refreshing to talk to somebody whos back out there, and been there, done that, Romeo said. Its just encouraging to hear somebody talk about what theyve been through and know that you can recover. ELMAU, Germany (AP) The Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Tuesday. The Nov. 15-16 summit had risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come, or the specter of Western leaders not even showing up given Russia's war in Ukraine. The issue was a topic at the smaller Group of Seven summit in Germany that wrapped up Tuesday and included leaders from five major emerging democratic economies India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Argentina which don't all share the G-7's views on the war in Ukraine or on sanctions against Russia. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. He was asked about comments from Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin had accepted Widodo's invitation to attend the Bali summit. President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: Hes not coming," Draghi told reporters in Elmau, Germany. "What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. We'll see. Ushakov shot back Tuesday that its not Draghi who decides that. We have received an invitation and responded positively, he said. Widodo is scheduled to travel to Russia and Ukraine after the G-7 meetings. Putin, along with several other leaders, participated via video at the G-20 summit in Rome last October, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking around the same time as Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz didnt address whether or not Putin would attend. But he said that he and his fellow G-7 leaders agreed that we dont want to drive the G-20 apart. Scholz added: Viewed from today, the decision of the states that were gathered here would be that they go there. SAN ANTONIO (AP) Fifty people have died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. More than a dozen people had been taken to hospitals, including four children. A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck on a lonely San Antonio back road shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground near the trailer and bodies remained inside as authorities responded to the calamity. Forty-six people were found dead near the scene, authorities said. Four more later died after being taken to hospitals, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the county's top elected official, Among the dead were 39 males and 11 females, he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said those who died had "families who were likely trying to find a better life." "This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," Nirenberg said. It's among the deadliest of the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring the absolutely horrific and heartbreaking reports" from San Antonio. Jean-Pierre pushed back against some Republican lawmakers who blamed the administration for the deaths and said it was focused on the victims and holding human smugglers accountable. "The fact of the matter is, the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks," she said. "Our prayers are with those who tragically lost their lives, their loved ones as well as those still fighting for their lives. We're also grateful for the swift work of federal, state and local first responders." Full story here: *** A state senator who is working on Gov. Glenn Youngkins legislative effort to bar most abortions after 15 weeks says enforcement could target the licenses of doctors who violate such a ban. There could be physicians whose licenses could be at stake, Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, said in an interview with Washingtons WTOP radio. The state licensing process is most likely the best way to go about enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed abortion rights for nearly 50 years. Richmond Gospel group, the Legendary Ingramettes, awarded a National Heritage Fellowship Over the years, at least 14 artists with Virginia connections have received the honor. The Legendary Ingramettes are the first from the Richmond area. Youngkin said Friday that he will seek to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. Youngkin said during his campaign for governor that he backs exceptions in cases of rape, incest or when a womans life is in jeopardy. Youngkin said he has asked Sens. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, and Newman and Dels. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, and Margaret Ransone, R-Westmoreland, to join us in an effort to bring together legislators and advocates from across the commonwealth on this issue to find areas where we can agree and chart the most successful path forward. The 13 states with abortion bans triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade have enforcement mechanisms that include felony charges for people who perform or try to perform abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Republicans hold a 52-48 edge in the House of Delegates and Democrats hold a 21-19 edge in the state Senate. Senate Democratic leaders pledge to oppose further abortion regulations. For example, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, tweeted this week that in 2012, some Senate Republicans backed a bill that would have required women getting abortions to submit to a transvaginal ultrasound. The sponsor withdrew the bill. So no I will NOT be listening to them on abortion regulation, Lucas tweeted. Newman told WTOP that it will not be easy to get a 15-week bill through the legislature next winter, but he thinks proponents have a good chance of passing the bill. We will need to get the conservatives and also some moderates and some of the more conservative Democrats, he said. Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, said in a statement Friday that he supports legal abortion only up to the moment a fetus can feel pain. If he sides with the Senates 19 Republicans next year, GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears would be a tie-breaking vote to pass abortion restrictions. As many know, I am personally opposed to abortion, just like Senator Tim Kaine, Morrissey said in a statement Friday. Still, I defend the position that women should have safe access to the procedure, at the very least, up to the moment a fetus can feel pain which many agree is 20 plus weeks of a pregnancy; in cases when a mothers health or life is at risk; in cases of rape that result in a pregnancy; and in cases of incest that result in a pregnancy. Just to be very clear: I do not believe the government, whether Federal or State, should be telling women what to do with their bodies. Newman said proponents favor a 15-week bill, but a 20-week standard could be a fallback position. Ten states bar abortion at 20 weeks post fertilization, according to the Guttmacher Institute. With the summer fishing season in full swing, Virginias coastal fishing economies have reason to cheer or do they? With recent announcements of new or expanded businesses coming to Virginia, it is clear Gov. Glenn Youngkin is serious about his pledge to support small businesses. Now, it is time to help hundreds of small businesses that rely on recreational fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Over the past 15 years, fishermen have witnessed the decline and near-collapse of our iconic striped bass fishery. These fish are the largest marine recreational fishery in the United States, contributing $382 million to the commonwealths economy in 2009. In recent years, this value has declined by well more than 50%, with a corresponding loss of jobs impacting charter boats, bait shops and the like. Gone are the big tournaments that drew thousands of people from all across the commonwealth, filling coastal marinas, hotels and restaurants during the fall season. The striped bass population has struggled to recover partly due to high fishing mortality (which is why anglers and fishing groups supported harvest reductions); and partly due to localized depletion from decades of industrial fishing of menhaden (a vital food source for striped bass and other species). In fact, the latest science shows striped bass populations are directly tied to industrial menhaden fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Menhaden reduction fishing contributed to a nearly 30% decline in striped bass numbers coastwide. More than 110 million pounds of menhaden are removed every year from the most important striped bass nursery on the East Coast the Chesapeake Bay by a single foreign-owned company: Omega Protein. These inedible menhaden are reduced to fish meal and other byproducts, and they often are exported for animal feed. This industrial reduction fishery has been controversial for decades and is outlawed by every other East Coast state. This one company gets to harvest 75% of the entire East Coast menhaden quota in Virginia waters, leaving fewer and fewer fish for predators that rely on them most notably striped bass but also other fish, mammals and sea birds. Standard No. 4 of Section 28.2-203 of the Code of Virginia requires that conservation and management measures shall not discriminate among user groups. Yet that is exactly what is happening, as industrial menhaden fishing has been given priority over recreational fishing groups and conservation interests. Industrial menhaden fishing is undermining the recreational fishing economy and small businesses throughout the commonwealth, along with conservation efforts that anglers and boaters have been supporting in good faith for years. By allowing one company to catch one-third of its total quota from the bay versus the ocean (where operating costs are higher), Virginia in effect is subsidizing this fishery. What about the costs to the bay and its associated small businesses? Youngkin clearly is a sporting advocate who sees the benefits of expanded access to public resources for users and for our states economy. Now, the governor should look to give anglers those same opportunities. Move industrial menhaden fishing out of the bay so the striped bass population can recover, and anglers and businesses alike can enjoy a rejuvenated ecosystem. A coalition of organizations including the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association, the American Sportfishing Association, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Marine Retailers Association of America and the Coastal Conservation Association has started a petition. It calls on the governor to move industrial reduction fishing out of the bay until science can show it is not causing harm. Lets give Virginias 320,000 saltwater anglers and our coastal economy something to cheer about. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Someone is sending Genevieve Gwynne $1,800 mystery checks in the U.S. mail. The Blacksburg woman has received three in the past two weeks, purportedly from two different companies. Two appeared to be from a consumer lender in Maryland, HFS Financial. Its a legitimate outfit that specializes in home-improvement loans and has a A rating by the Better Bureau. Those checks were drawn on M&T Bank in New York, and the memo line notes Approved. They arrived at Gwynnes home in a priority mail envelope, with a purported tracking number, supposedly from the Southern Co., an electric utility based in Atlanta. The third check purports to be from a real personal injury law firm, Herman & Wells PA, in Pinellas Park, Florida. It arrived in a separate priority mail envelope, ostensibly sent by a company called Veco Shopper Inc in Dallas, Texas. That check was drawn on OZKBank, a real financial institution in Arkansas. The memo line noted, Full final payment for Genevieve M. Gwynne. Gwynnes husband, retired Virginia Tech professor Stefan Jaronski, told me the couple was not expecting $5,600 worth of checks from anyone. Moreover, neither he nor Gwynne has ever heard of the two banks or the four companies listed as writing the checks or mailing them. The tracking on one package indicated it originated in Puerto Rico, Jaronski said. He called the law firm in Florida, and ended up talking to Clifford Wells, one of its partners. He was astonished. They did not issue the check, nor do they bank with the BankOZK that presumably issued the check, Jaronski told me. Wells later contacted Jaronski and said hed been notified of four other fake checks issued to people besides Gwynne, supposedly from the law firm. Monday, I called HFS Financial in Reisterstown, Maryland, and spoke with Vice President Adam Heath. While we were on the phone I emailed him a copy of Gwynnes check, purportedly from his company. We dont bank with M&T Bank, Heath told me. That definitely is not one of our checks, I can tell you that. Heath noted that the street address listed on two checks purportedly from his company is incorrect. That says 1000 Owings Ct., but the actual actress is 100 Owings Ct. Moreover, the third zero in 1000 appears to be a typed O rather than a zero, which would normally appear narrower. I havent seen anything like this before, Heath added. But nothing in this world would surprise me. Whos sending the checks, and why? Thats what Gwynne and Jaronski would like to know. He contacted me about the apparent scam last week, after the couple reported it to Blacksburg police. They havent deposited the checks and they dont intend to, Jaronski told me. But Jaronski knows, based on his conversation with the lawyer in Florida, that his wife isnt the only phony check recipient. Weve got to publicize this, Jaronski told me, to warn others not to fall for it. I contacted the Better Business Bureau of Western Virginia. Its president, Julie Wheeler, told me those checks are almost certainly a scam. Con artists have been using different iterations of fake check scams for years. Often they begin with an unexpected check, sometimes from a sweepstakes the victim doesnt remember entering. There are different ways scammers use those to take unsuspecting victims money, such as the refund scam. One attempted victim of that ploy was John Long, a Roanoke Times columnist, when he sold a used car back in 2016. A buyer who said he was in New Jersey agreed to pay $200 over the asking price for Longs then 20-year-old used car, and sent him a check for nearly double that price. The scammer told Long part of the excess funds would cover shipping the car from Virginia to New Jersey. The shipper would inform Long of the transportation costs; Long would then wire the excess back to the buyer. The scammer informed Long he could keep $100 of the money for his trouble. Although the purported buyer was in New Jersey, the check was drawn on a Roswell, New Mexico, bank. The account was purportedly owned by a Roswell insurance agency. Long didnt fall for the scheme otherwise, he could have been out both his money, and potentially, the car. Long instead sold the car to someone local. Wheeler said fake tenants also use the refund scam on legitimate landlords, by overpaying a rental deposit and then requesting excess funds be wired back. Overpayment by check, followed by a refund request, is a classic hallmark of check scams, Wheeler said. Under normal circumstances, federal banking regulations require banks to credit customer accounts with funds from deposited checks within a day or two of a deposit. Thus, it appears a phony check may be legitimate before it actually clears the banking system. If the check shows up later as phony, the recipients bank will take the funds back out of their account. And the account owner might be on the hook if theyve spent any of that money in the meantime. Jaronski said the scam on his wife might be related to items she sells on a website called Poshmark. Before any of the checks arrived at their home, a recent Poshmark customer told Gwynne she would pay for items she was purchasing by sending Gwynne her weekly paycheck, drawn on her employers account. Gwynne warily declined to accept that type of compensation and canceled the transaction before any of the three checks turned up in the mail. But after they did, the customer contacted Gwynne and asked if shed gotten a check, Jaronski said. Wheeler said it sounded like a not uncommon version of the fake check/refund scam. Another type of scheme is known as the secret shopper scam. In that one, victims receive a real-looking check from a known retailer. The victim is supposed to deposit the check and buy items with the money, at the retailer, supposedly so the retailer can measure customer-service at its stores. Wheeler said its unclear to her how the scammers expected to profit off Gwynne. But its possible that merely depositing the check in the Gwynnes account could create access for later electronic withdrawals from that account. Fake check schemes are huge. Theyre done in a variety of ways, from different angles, Wheeler said. The victim may not know theyve been victimized until the checks clear. Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com . Follow him on Twitter: @dancaseysblog . Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Companies in Maryland and Florida are purportedly trying to pay Genevieve Gwynne with three $1,800 checks drawn on banks in New York and Arkansas. Those banks are real, but the companies say the checks are phony. Gwynn doesn't understand why they would be sending her money at all. She suspects it's a scam. A wave of retirements is rearranging Virginia's public finance agencies, taking decades of institutional knowledge from one of the most stable, least conspicuous operating arms of state government. Last week, Treasurer Manju Ganeriwala retired after more than 13 years in the job under five governors overseeing investment of public funds and managing debt and more than than 30 years in state government. John Layman, chief economist and director of revenue forecasting at the Department of Taxation, will retire on Aug. 1 after 33 years in state government. The department already has lost Bill White, its assistant commissioner for tax policy, to retirement this year, and the leaders of the Department of Planning and Budget and the Department of Accounts also retired earlier this year after long careers in state government. Those four agencies - Treasury, Tax, Planning and Budget, and Accounts - have been the cornerstones of Virginia's government finances, guiding elected and appointed officials through the ups and downs of the economy, public revenues, tax policy and budget choices. "The continuity within state government itself has been key over the years," said Emily Walker, vice president of advocacy at the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, which advocates on tax policy in the General Assembly. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has moved quickly to replace leaders at the finance agencies, which are central to his political agenda of reducing taxes and controlling government spending. He replaced Ganeriwala as state treasurer this month with David L. Richardson, who had retired after nearly 44 years at McGuireWoods law firm in Richmond, specializing in tax-exempt bond financing for public entities and nonprofit organizations. "Manju was a dedicated public servant and the governor thanks her for her service," spokesperson Macaulay Porter said last week. "Virginia's state treasurer plays a critical role in providing statewide finance services." When Comptroller David Von Moll retired in April after 21 years leading the Department of Accounts, Youngkin appointed Deputy Comptroller Randy McCabe to the top job. Longtime budget analyst Michael Maul replaced Dan Timberlake as director of the Department of Planning and Budget. Kirstin Collins, who had been director of policy development at the tax department and its public face in dealing with General Assembly money committees, is replacing White as assistant commissioner for tax policy. Youngkin reappointed Craig Burns as tax commissioner, a job he has held for 12 years. Only Layman, whose economic analyses were critical to charting state budget revenues, has not yet been replaced. Burns will appoint replacements for Layman and White. "We tend to lose some institutional knowledge from time to time, but we've got some very fast learners," said House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach. Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings has reshaped his own office with the recent retirement of Deputy Secretary June Jennings, an accountant who had served in state government for more than 30 years. Youngkin recently appointed John Markowitz as deputy finance secretary. Markowitz previously had worked for Transurban North America, a private transportation company that partners with Virginia and other states on public-private transportation partnerships. The governor also appointed Dan Kowalski, a former official in the U.S. Treasury Department under then-President Donald Trump, as a special adviser to Cummings. The wave of retirements comes in the first six months of a new administration under Youngkin, the first Republican to serve as Virginia's governor since Bob McDonnell left office at the beginning of 2014, but Knight said, "I think a lot of it is generational." Former Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne, a retired CPA who oversaw all of the finance agencies under then-Gov. Ralph Northam, said he probably would have had to cope with the retirements if he were still secretary. "I think it's just going to be a time for a reset," Layne said. I got on the waitlist for my dream day care service at the end of 2020 when I was eight weeks pregnant. Today, as I celebrate my daughters first birthday, I still am waiting for that day care service, or any of the dozens of other providers I contacted before she was born, to call back with an opening. I since have learned that my family is suffering through a nationwide crisis, along with countless others who cant find the child care they need to be able to work. In July 2021, my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Virginia, at St. Marys Hospital in Richmond. Her birth came after a long labor, an unplanned cesarean section and Hurricane Elsa creating a surge of babies born ahead of their due dates. We prepared for diaper changes and sleepless nights, and planned for a peaceful parental leave together, afforded by a combination of maternity leave, short-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave Act time off between our jobs. Adjusting to parenthood was hard, but going back to work was harder. Forget the emotional, hormonal and sentimental aspects of being a brand-new working mom. Consider tactically how a family can manage with two parents employed full time. I got on several day care lists before most of my family even knew I was pregnant, thinking I would have no issues returning to work. Our first choice fell through; then our second; and then my mom, my mother-in-law and a neighbor had to play nanny so I could maintain my career. We finally found an opening this March, as Virginia turned 8 months old. Housed in the basement of an old church, it wasnt perfect, but it was something. That solution worked for one month before three teachers resigned, and we were given 10 days to find alternative child care. Many centers we called then told us there was no availability until 2023, if they answered the phone at all. Through this process, we were shocked to learn that early-childhood educators currently are paid only $12 an hour on average not even enough to provide for their own families needs. Its unacceptable and unsurprising that they would seek other, better-paying jobs that probably dont involve changing diapers all day. The system is failing. My mother arrived in the United States when she was 7 years old. Her family emigrated from Poland in search of the American dream. What is that dream in 2022? This crisis is just one of many that parents are faced with in todays America. Lucky mothers are given three months to recover before being forced back to work. They then learn how tenuous and expensive quality child care is. Our children get older and our worries quadruple as they enter elementary school. Its a rude awakening from that so-called dream. Its exasperating for me, but Im fortunate to have a flexible job and supportive family to help. Think about what its like for a single parent, an underemployed family, or someone already living on the margins and getting assistance just to eat or pay rent. I cant imagine the sacrifices they have to make to provide for their children or someone elses. Questions with no answers haunt us. Why are we losing time and money trying to secure what families in other countries are guaranteed? I was raised believing our country was the best one. Why, then, do families continue to suffer here? Without action, each generation of parents will learn about these issues, and feel as lost as I did seeking solutions that dont yet exist. Raising children is exhausting enough without the burden of taking a stand. Educators and parents are doing everything they can to hold up this fragile infrastructure, but small fixes dont help. Its time for Congress to pass substantial, long-term investments in child care. The U.S. Senate is considering a proposal, led by Tim Kaine of Virginia and Patty Murray of Washington State, that would: Triple the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant; Provide grants to all states to expand supply, improve facilities and raise compensation for educators; and Invest in establishing and expanding High-Quality Preschool Grants. The only alternative is to stand by and see more program closures, more educators abandoning the field, more women leaving the workforce and more children suffering for all of it. In Virginia, weve spent many years reckoning with our history. Now, its time to focus on our future babies like mine who should be proud to bear the name of our state. Brittany Klug Jobes is a marketing professional and new mom living in Richmond. Contact her at: bkjobes@gmail.com Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A lawyer who aided former President Donald Trumps efforts to undo the 2020 election results says in a federal court filing that FBI agents have seized his cell phone IMDEA Networks researchers have taken a new step in their studies on, after the work published in January , together with the University Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) and Orange Innovation, on the so-called "usage gap", which refers to how individuals belonging to different social classes, due to diverse digital skills, have contrasting capability to benefit from novel technologies and, therefore, from the services that those technologies enable. This is an emerging cause of social inequality, in the face of which research is striving to provide better understanding and to provide directions for solutions. The publication 'Second-level Digital Divide: A Longitudinal Study of Mobile Traffic Consumption Imbalance in France', by Sachit Mishra, Marco Fiore and Zbigniew Smoreda (Orange Labs Paris), presented in April 2022 at the prestigious 'ACM Web Conference', shows the results of the study of the interaction between the consumption of digital services through mobile devices and levels of urbanization across France. The data demonstrates, as the study highlights, that there is "an emerging behavior whereby people living in increasingly large and populated urban areas tend to generate higher individual consumption of mobile traffic than those in smaller towns". While such a pattern is not unexpected, the research allowed to quantify for the first time the phenomenon in a precise way: as Marco Fiore, Research Associate Professor at IMDEA Networks, highlights, "we have shown, for example, that an inhabitant of a city of one million inhabitants generates, on average, about twice as much mobile data traffic as a person in a town of 10,000 inhabitants". A critical finding of the study is that the imbalance in per capita mobile data traffic usage between cities of different sizes has grown steadily and substantially over the 2014-2019 period in a developed country like France. "One might expect that the spread of 4G mobile broadband connectivity to less urbanized regions would have helped close the gap, but our data shows the opposite." The fact that the digital usage gap increases over time despite similar accessibility conditions for users is a phenomenon that call for further investigations. The results are the fruit of years of data collection and of the analysis on a massive amount of mobile traffic, including per-service information on the consumption of the likes of Twitter, Instagram or Tik Tok that showed how also individual apps are affected by the same disparity in usage. "We explored multiple potential confounding factors, such as income, education or age of people residing in larger and smaller cities in France, but none is sufficient to explain the difference we observed," Dr. Fiore notes. Dr. Fiore also highlights the great effort involved in this research: "The big challenge we faced and had to solve was the scale of the study. We used terabytes of data on thousands of cities and tens of thousands of radio sites, and we had to merge these data while dealing with measurement errors, inconsistencies and outliers. The research group's competencies in the big data processing platform and data analytics were key to addressing these issues." This research paves the way for further study and provides valuable clues for intervention by public administrations, shedding light on an interesting area for reflection on the so-called 'second digital divide'. Provided by IMDEA Networks Institute BATON ROUGEFaculty from LSU, The Ohio State University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have each been awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to solve the widening gap between computational processing and storage, thereby increasing high-speed data processing and enabling computational storage to address critical challenges in increasingly more data-centric applications. The project"A New Direction of Research and Development to Fulfill the Promise of Computational Storage"is led by Ohio State Computer Science Professor Xiaodong Zhang, who is joined by LSU Computer Science Associate Professor Feng Chen and RPI Electrical, Computer & Systems Engineering Professor Tong Zhang. "The main research issues we will study focus on how to effectively exploit the computing capabilities and efficiently utilize the limited resources on device hardware," Chen said. "We will adopt a system-oriented methodology to investigate these issues. The key is to consider the system as a whole, rather than trying to optimize each component individually." Indeed, their project takes a cohesive approach to turn computational storage into a cooperative component in the system as a whole. Specifically, it will examine multiple aspects in order to systematically integrate computational storage into existing computing ecosystems (i.e., users, applications, operating systems, and device hardware), such as designing an interface that makes on-device features available to applications, optimizing system-level resource utilization, leveraging proximity and mitigating memory resource contention in device hardware, and adapting core data structures and algorithms of applications to fully exploit various computing resources. The project will also provide LSU students with opportunities to be involved in the related research. "We'd like to provide students some early experience in academic research and attract them to this domain," Chen said. "We plan to introduce advanced topics related to this project in classroom teaching, invite interested students to visit our lab, and encourage them to participate in research via activities such as independent studies, undergraduate projects, etc." For more information on the LSU College of Engineering, visit https://www.lsu.edu/eng/. Provided by Louisiana State University A customer who reportedly was upset because his sandwich contained too much mayonnaise opened fire and killed a Subway employee on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. Fox5 Atlanta reported that police said the shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. at a Subway located at a gas station on Northside Drive Southwest. The owner of the Subway says the reason for the shooting was something small: a customer was mad about mayo. Believe it or not, it was about too much mayonnaise on his sandwich, owner Willie Glenn said. Police reported another employee also was shot and being treated at a hospital. The store manager reportedly fired back at the customer but did not hit the person. Glenn told Fox5 that the dead womans son was in the store at the time of the shooting. The owner told 13NewsNow that he and his partners are evaluating whether the Subway there will remain open. Because of what happened tonight, my partners and I are reevaluating whether or not were going to continue to do this, in this neighborhood anyways, the store owner said. The victims have not been identified. 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The South Carolina General Assembly is returning to Columbia on Tuesday to consider nearly $53 million in local projects that Gov. Henry McMaster wants out of the $13.8 billion state budget. All the money went toward items put in by lawmakers for local concerns, like $25 million to help pay for a quantum computer facility in Columbia, $7 million for a cultural welcome center in Orangeburg and $500,000 to improve the stadium at Summerville High School. McMaster allowed projects where lawmakers detailed exactly who got the money and where it was going. Without sufficient context, description, justification or information regarding the project and how the recipient intends to spend the funds, the public cannot evaluate the earmarks merit, McMaster wrote in his vetoes on Wednesday. Some other items McMaster also struck from the budget, which goes into effect July 1, were $5 million for a park in Myrtle Beach, $2 million for a community center in west Orangeburg and $750,000 for a library in Turbeville, In all, McMaster issued 73 vetoes. Ten were policies that did not involve money and 29 were budget lines that spent $1 procedural moves so the House and Senate can negotiate a final spending plan. The General Assembly meets Tuesday. To override any of the governors vetoes, a two-thirds vote is needed in the House and Senate. There were only a few votes against the budget when the Legislature approved it earlier this month. McMaster again said instead of giving lawmakers the power to control money for local projects, it should be put into one pot for a public grant process and awarded by merit, with the entire system open for transparency. The states $13.8 billion budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 sets aside $1 billion to send hundreds of dollars of rebates to many South Carolina taxpayers. It also spends $600 million to cut the states top income tax rate from 7% to 6.5% and combine other rates to 3%. Lawmakers eventually plan to cut the top rate to 6%. The spending plan also raises the minimum salary for teachers from $36,000 to $40,000, puts $1 billion extra into road repair and expansion and gives state employees a 3% raise and $1,500 bonus. The budget also raises a number of state law enforcement salaries and sets aside about $1 billion in case this is the year the economy craters. McMaster praised lawmakers for most of the budget and thanked them for putting more than 250 of his proposals into the final spending plan. Firefighters work quickly to put out the flames that damaged 20 recreational vehicles at San Antonio RV on Monday, June 27, 2022 in Seguin. Officials say it appears the fire was sparked by a lightning strike in the storm that blew through the area on Monday. Le Calendrier du gouvernement Mali La visite du mediateur de la CEDEAO, Goodluck Jonathan, semble porter ses fruits. Dapres le journaliste Serge Daniel, le gouvernement malien a propose un chronogramme en vue dorganiser des elections. Il sagit concretement dorganiser un referendum en mars 2023. Ce referendum sera suivi delections pour les collectivites territoriales en juin de la meme annee, enfin des elections legislatives entre octobre et novembre 2023. Natalie Portman revealed that her Thor franchise costar Chris Hemsworth had to hide behind a tree while picking up his kids from school to avoid attracting too much attention. The actor, who next appears in Thor: Love and Thunder (out 7 July), was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Saturday (25 June) and spoke about filming the fourth movie in the series in Hemsworths native Australia. Portmans two children, son Aleph, 11, and daughter Amalia, 5, accompanied her on the film shoot and were able to attend a local school along with Hemsworths children. Hemsworth has three children with wife Elsa Pataky, daughter India Rose, 10, and twin boys Sasha and Tristan, both 8. "One day, we ended up at school pick up at the same time and I just felt so bad for him," Portman told guest host Sean Hayes. "Because I'm small and can kind of camouflage with the moms. And then he comes in, he's like a Greek god walking through." She continued: "He's really famous everywhere but especially in Australia, he's so, so well-known. "So to see him kind of by the tree, hiding it felt like some weird sitcom of the superheroes at school pickup." Thor: Love and Thunder is out 7 July. 1.6%2% SPAC 0.59% 5% 27.73 1.87 (9961) ETF 1% 15%7% 2022 0.77% 30%8% 8% 6.64 74 69.5 10 319 8888% 18838 Geifman family donates to local food bank The Geifman family, owners of local property management and development company, Geifman First Equity) pledged in April to provide $25,000 in a matching gift to inspire the community to support River Bend Food Banks capital campaign EXPANDING to End Hunger. The community responded in a big way, raising a total of over $96,000 as of June 1. Now, the Geifmans have committed a bonus $18,000 in matching funds. Any donations made to support the campaign between now and June 30 will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $18,000. We hope this will inspire additional support toward expanding the Food Bank to ensure that anyone facing crisis can rely on us now and in the future. As of June 1, 2022, the campaign has exceeded the goal and raised a total of $96,653! We are humbled by the incredible outpouring of support weve received from the Geifman family match, said Jenny Brinkmeyer-Colvin, chief development officer for River Bend Food Bank. We have a very giving community, and its inspiring to see everyone coming together to make this crucial project a reality. Anyone wishing to make a gift of any size to the campaign can visit riverbendfoodbank.org/endhunger or can send a donation to: River Bend Food Bank Geifman Match Campaign, 4010 Kimmel Dr., Davenport, IA 52802 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Iowa American Water employees reach 12-year safety milestone Employees at Iowa American Waters East River Station Treatment Facility in Davenport celebrated a safety milestone Friday. Production and water quality employees at the companys East River Station Treatment Facility have worked 12 consecutive years, or 4,380 days, without experiencing any OSHA recordable incidents. This is a true testament to the professional and safety-conscious team we have, Brad Nielsen, vice president, said. Our East River Station team is committed not only to providing reliable, high-quality water service to our customers in the Iowa Quad-Cities but also to following all safety regulations and procedures to keep themselves, their co-workers and our neighbors and service communities safe. DETROIT (AP) The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal, saying a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power to issue indictments under rarely used state laws. Its an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, who took office in 2019, got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate whether crimes were committed when lead contaminated Flints water system in 2014-15. State laws authorize a judge to investigate, subpoena witnesses, and issue arrest warrants as a grand juror, the Supreme Court said. But they do not authorize the judge to issue indictments, the court said in a 6-0 opinion written by Chief Justice Bridget McCormack. She called it a Star Chamber comeback, a pejorative reference to an oppressive, closed-door style of justice in England in the 17th century. The challenge was filed by lawyers for former health director Nick Lyon, but the decision also applies to Snyder and others who were indicted. The cases now will return to Genesee County court with requests for dismissal. This wasn't even a close case it was six-zip. ... They couldnt do what they tried to do," said Lyon attorney Chip Chamberlain. Snyder's legal team described the court's opinion as unequivocal and scathing. These prosecutions of Governor Snyder and the other defendants were never about seeking justice for the citizens of Flint, Snyder's lawyers said. Rather, Attorney General Nessel and her political appointee Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud staged a self-interested, vindictive, wasteful and politically motivated prosecution. Hammoud, however, released a statement, insisting the cases weren't over, based on her interpretation of the opinion. There was no immediate response to a request for additional comment. The saga began in 2014 when Flint managers appointed by Snyder dropped out of a regional water system and began using the Flint River to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was under construction. State regulators insisted the river water didnt need to be treated to reduce its corrosive qualities. But that was a ruinous decision: Lead released from old pipes flowed for 18 months in the majority-Black city. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said it was the result of systemic racism, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints would have occurred in a white, prosperous community. Snyder, a Republican, has long acknowledged that his administration failed in Flint, calling it a crisis born from a breakdown in state government. He was out of office in 2021 when he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. Lyon and Michigans former chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter for nine deaths related to Legionnaires disease when Flints water might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria. Six others were also indicted on various charges: Snyders longtime fixer, Rich Baird; former senior aide Jarrod Agen; former Flint managers Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley; former Flint public works chief Howard Croft; and Nancy Peeler, a state health department manager. Nessel assigned Hammoud to lead the criminal investigation, along with Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, while the attorney general focused on settling lawsuits against the state. Hammoud and Worthy turned to a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County to hear evidence in secret and get indictments against Snyder and others. Prosecutors in Michigan typically file charges after a police investigation. A one-judge grand jury is extremely rare and is mostly used to protect witnesses, especially in violent crimes, who can testify in private. It seems that the power of a judge conducting an inquiry to issue an indictment was simply an unchallenged assumption, until now, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Lyon, the former state health director, was accused of contributing to Legionnaires deaths by failing to timely warn the public about an outbreak. His lawyers, however, said he had ordered experts to investigate the illnesses and notify Flint-area health officials. He had no role in Flint's water switch. State employees should not be prosecuted or demonized for just doing their job, Lyon said after the court's decision. Residents were disappointed. So everyone who was involved in this manmade disaster by the government is walking away scot-free? said Leon El-Alamin, a community activist. "We lock people up every day for petty crimes. Something like this has killed people. People died from the Flint water crisis. Former Mayor Karen Weaver said the result was unfair. One of the things we had been told over and over was justice delayed has not been justice denied. But thats not true for the people of Flint," said Weaver, referring to the years that have passed. The water switch and its consequences have been investigated since 2016 when then-Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, appointed Todd Flood as special prosecutor. Schuette pledged to put people in prison, but the results were different: Seven people pleaded no contest to misdemeanors that were eventually scrubbed from their records. Flood insisted he was winning cooperation from key witnesses and moving higher toward bigger names. Nonetheless, Nessel, a Democrat, fired him and pledged to start over following her election as attorney general. Separately, the state agreed to pay $600 million as part of a $626 million settlement with Flint residents and property owners who were harmed by lead-tainted water. Most of the money is going to children. There is no dispute that lead affects the brain and nervous system, especially in children. Experts have not identified a safe lead level in kids. Flint in 2015 returned to a water system based in southeastern Michigan. Meanwhile, roughly 10,100 lead or steel water lines had been replaced at homes by last December. Associated Press writer Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this story. Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SIOUX CITY Sioux City School Board President Dan Greenwell said Monday the search for an interim superintendent and associate superintendent did not lack transparency, in spite of recent comments from fellow board members suggesting the opposite. Greenwell presented a timeline, spanning from February to June, of the superintendent and associate superintendent search process, specifically highlighting when information was presented to the entire board. Greenwell said there hasn't been enough information communicated on the timeline, but it has been a transparent process. "It has been complete and transparent this whole time both in the closed sessions and in public," he said. Board members Perla Alarcon-Flory and Monique Scarlett previously claimed that Rod Earleywine's selection for the interim superintendent position lacked transparency. Scarlett and Alarcon-Flory accused a committee of board members of not following an agreed-upon plan. The pair said the board never agreed on a single candidate before it was presented to the board for approval. When a contract to hire Earleywine was presented to the board, the two dissented. Alarcon-Flory and Scarlett said they could not approve Earleywine's contract because district staff and the public weren't given an opportunity to offer input into the potential candidates and the agreed process was not followed. Alarcon-Flory also said the selection of an associate superintendent lacked transparency. Angela Bemus was approved on June 13 to serve as the districts new associate superintendent. The board approved Bemus as a senior director, beginning July 1, with the condition that she obtain her superintendent license by Aug. 13. After Bemus obtains her state license, the board will be asked to change her job title to associate superintendent. The senior director position was listed with hundreds of other job changes in a human resources report as part of the board's consent agenda. Alarcon-Flory asked for more discussion about the associate superintendent job, admitting she did not realize earlier that the position had been included in the human resources packet. This is a chief academic officer and I think we need to be very transparent with the community about it, Alarcon-Flory said. On May 9, Greenwell read a letter in which Earleywine recommended Bemus as the associate superintendent. Greenwell has disagreed with Alarcon-Flory and Scarlet's assertions that the processes lacked transparency. He said the comments and discussions have told him that overcommunication is key in the future. In March, the board approved a $15,000 contract with the Omaha firm of GR Recruiting, which specializes in recruiting for educational leadership roles, to help with the search for a new superintendent. At the same time the board also decided to appoint an interim superintendent to give time to community and district input on the selection of a permanent superintendent. In the future, GR associates presented a projected timeline to board members that laid out the dates and times for the superintendent search, Greenwell said. Greenwell said the process will start in early or mid-September and the board will decide how to proceed with community input. He said the future process has not been changed due to the transparency comments. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- The city of Estherville came together Monday to rescue a bulldog from a sinkhole. Estherville police officers responded to a report of a missing elderly bulldog named Tupelo at 3:10 a.m. According to a statement from the police department, the caller said she could hear her dog barking in a ravine behind a house in the 20th block of Orchard Lane. The officers and the dog owner searched the area and eventually found Tupelo in a cement drainage tile. The area around the tile had created a sinkhole approximately 3 feet in diameter and about 3 feet deep. The statement said the dog was wedged into the cement tile. Estherville Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Travis Sheridan, Estherville firemen, the City of Estherville's electricians and street department, Emmet County's secondary roads department, Dr. Arlen Omtevdt from the Estherville Veterinary Clinic, and neighbors assisted in the efforts to dig around the tile to free Tupelo. At 6:24 a.m., Tupelo was successfully removed from the tile and found to be in "great condition." He was returned to his very happy owners, according to the statement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Council unanimously voted Monday to adopt an ordinance that will require after-hours clubs within city limits to be licensed. Over the past several years, these types of clubs, which operate between 2 and 6 a.m., have been the site of multiple shootings and other criminal activity. Under the ordinance, after-hours club owners will be required to pay $175 to apply for or renew a license, which will be valid for one year. As a condition of the application, owners will consent to allowing the city's inspection services and fire departments to inspect the premises to confirm compliance with city code standards. Police officers will be allowed to enter the clubs during operating hours to confirm that alcoholic beverage laws are being complied with. "This shows that you prioritize our citizens' safety. That's something that's truly important," Councilman Matthew O'Kane told Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller and Assistant City Attorney Steven Postolka before the vote. O'Kane asked Postolka how many clubs are currently operating in the city and if they will be notified about the ordinance. "To my knowledge, there's one after-hours club currently operating. I suppose we could send them a notification sometime," said Postolka, who noted that clubs have 180 days after the ordinance goes into effect before needing to be in compliance with it. No one under 21 will be permitted in an after-hours club during hours of operation. The clubs can not be located in areas of the city that are zoned residential or operate within any premises that has a liquor license. Under the city code, consumption of alcoholic beverages on premises accessible to the public is prohibited from 2 to 6 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 2 to 8 a.m. on Sundays. An after-hours club in violation of the ordinance will be declared a "nuisance," and the owner of the premises at which it operates at will be guilty of a municipal infraction, according to the proposed ordinance. Its license will be suspended if the licensee or the licensee's employee, agent or contractor committed a "specific criminal incident" at the club or "recklessly allowed" one to occur there, or was ordered to abate a nuisance at the club. An after-hours club's license will be revoked if the licensee or the licensee's employee, agent or contractor committed or knowingly allowed another to commit murder or voluntary manslaughter. The license will also be terminated if the club's license had been suspended within the previous 12 months and the licensee or the licensee's employee, agent or contractor once again committed a criminal incident or knowingly allowed one to occur there. The city manager will issue a letter of intent to deny, suspend or revoke an after-hours club's license. Licensees will be allowed to request a hearing to contest any denial, suspension or revocation within 20 days of the date of the letter. In the early morning hours of Oct. 10, officers were dispatched to a shots fired call at an after-hours club at 427 Pierce St., where they found a male victim with a life-threatening gunshot wound to his upper body. A short time later, three other victims arrived at hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting was the result of a dispute between two groups of people at the club, which has since closed, according to police. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DES MOINES Abortions would be illegal in Iowa once a fetal heartbeat can be detected at six weeks, often before a woman knows shes pregnant under a pair of requests Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she plans to submit to Iowa courts. The Republican governor announced that, in the wake of last weeks U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and repealed a womans right to have an abortion under the federal constitution, she will ask the Iowa Supreme Court to rehear a recent case on abortion regulations so the state court can establish what legal standards can be applied to abortion restrictions in Iowa. And Reynolds said she will ask the state courts to lift an injunction on the so-called fetal heartbeat law that was passed in 2018 but immediately stopped by the courts. The legal landscape for abortion regulations has been rewritten over the past two weeks in Iowa and across the country. On June 17, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned its own 2018 decision that had declared the right to an abortion was protected by the Iowa Constitution. Exactly one week later, on June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 decision that had made abortion access a federal right. Those rulings cleared the way for Iowa Republicans to enact stronger abortion restrictions in the state. Now is the time for us to stand up and continue the fight to protect the unborn, Reynolds said in a statement. The (U.S.) Supreme Courts historic decision reaffirms that states have the right to protect the innocent and defenseless unborn and now its time for our state to do just that. As governor, I will do whatever it takes to defend the most important freedom there is: the right to life. For now, abortion remains legal in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, announced he will not be involved with the states request to the courts, citing his support for the legal rationale that the U.S. Supreme Court applied to Roe v. Wade in 1973 and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992, which reaffirmed Roe. Miller also recused himself from arguing the states defense of the 2018 fetal heartbeat law that Reynolds is now asking the courts to allow to be enforced. In that case, I stated that I could not zealously assert the states position because of my core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and protections for women, Miller said in a statement. In my nearly 40 years in office, I have declined to represent the state in only one other similar situation. I do not take lightly my responsibility to represent the state. Reynolds said the state will instead be represented by Alan Ostergren, a conservative lawyer and president and chief counsel of the Kirkwood Institute, a think tank. Reynolds office said Ostergren will be retained at no cost to Iowa taxpayers. The top Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver from Ankeny and House Speaker Pat Grassley from New Hartford, added statements of support for Reynolds requests to the court. In 2018 the heartbeat bill created significant momentum across the country for conservative states to initiate legislation to protect the unborn. One of those state laws led to the historic Dobbs (v. Jackson Womens Health Organization) decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last week, opening the path for the 2018 law to be implemented in Iowa, Whitver said in a statement. I support the decision to put these laws back in front of the Court to protect life in Iowa. Zach Wahls, leader of the Iowa Senate Democrats from Coralville, in a statement warned that Republicans actions will be dangerous to the health of Iowa women. Iowa Republicans will not stop until they have completely banned abortion without exception. This is an incredibly dangerous action that threatens the health, safety, and future of Iowa women, Wahls said. Reynolds request to rehear Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds is designed to get the Iowa Supreme Court to rule what standard, if any, should be applied to abortion regulations under the Iowa Constitution. In its momentous June 17 ruling, the state court failed to establish such standards, citing a desire to first wait for the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling on Dobbs. The Iowa Supreme Court in its June 17 ruling said the undue burden standard that was the previous standard would remain in effect until the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling, which came a week later. Reynolds noted the undue burden standard was used by the Iowa Supreme Court in 2015 when it struck down a law banning telemedicine abortion services. Thus, while the Iowa Supreme Courts decision was a step in the right direction, it left more work to be done in Iowas courts to fully protect the life of the unborn, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs that states have an important interest in doing, Reynolds said in a news release. Gov. Reynolds fully intends to do that work. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MENDON, Mo. (AP) An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. It was all over the tracks, said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. It's too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains won't be able to run on the track for a matter of days while they gather evidence, she added. At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car," Couture told WDAF-TV. Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands." Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Cheryl Benjamin was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan, after an Alasksan cruise and a trip to Disneyland. She said she felt a bump, then heard a squeal, then looked out the window and saw the cars in front of her falling to the right. Then her car fell, the last to derail. It all took about 45 seconds. Benjamin told The Associated Press that the passengers organized themselves to escape the cars. Some of the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Republican state Rep. Peggy McGaugh was at the high school. She said locals heard about the crash and started frying chicken, making sandwiches and delivering pallets of water. Being the small community this is, nobody wants to be the hero but everyone wants to help," McGaugh said. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on the land surrounding the intersection where the crash occurred, said everyone in Mendon understands that the intersection is dangerous, especially for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. The approach to the tracks is on an inclining gravel road and its difficult to see trains coming in either direction, he said. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF Railway, which owns the track, about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple days. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Mo., Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb., and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show that the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. He did not know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint. Investigators traced the trucks registration to a residence in San Antonio and detained two men from Mexico for possession of weapons, according to criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorneys office. The complaints did not make any specific allegations related to the deaths. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely back road and found the gruesome scene inside, police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground. More than a dozen people their bodies hot to the touch were taken to hospitals, including four children. Most of the dead were males, he said. The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling attempt in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. This is a horror that surpasses anything weve experienced before, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. And its sadly a preventable tragedy. President Joe Biden called the deaths horrifying and heartbreaking. Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said in a statement. Authorities did not know the home countries of all of the migrants, nor how long they were abandoned on the side of the road. By Tuesday afternoon, medical examiners had potentially identified 34 of the victims, but they were taking additional steps, such as fingerprints, to confirm the identities, said Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Among the dead, 27 are believed to be of Mexican origin based on documents they were carrying, according to said Ruben Minutti, Mexico consul general in San Antonio. Several survivors were in critical condition with injuries such as brain damage and internal bleeding, he said. At least seven of the dead were from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, head of the North America department in Mexicos Foreign Relations Department, said on Twitter. About 30 people had reached out to the Mexican Consulate looking for loved ones, the officials said. Authorities confirmed that one of the surviving Mexicans from the trailer was Jose Luis Guzman Vasquez, 32, from San Miguel Huautla in the southern state of Oaxaca, according to Aida Ruiz Garcia, director of the Oaxacan Institute for Migrant Attention. He was dehydrated and receiving car at a San Antonio hospital, Mexico's foreign affairs said. A cousin, Alejandro Lopez, told Milenio television that the family worked in farming and construction and migrated because we dont have anything but weaving hats, palms and handicrafts. Attempts to cross the U.S. border from Mexico have claimed thousands of lives in both countries in recent decades. U.S. border authorities are stopping migrants more often on the southern border than at any time in at least two decades. Migrants were stopped nearly 240,000 times in May, up by one-third from a year ago. Comparisons to pre-pandemic levels are complicated because migrants expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42 face no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Authorities say 25% of encounters in May were with people who had been stopped at least once in the previous year. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. U.S. authorities discover trucks with migrants inside pretty close to daily, Larrabee said. Migrants typically pay $8,000 to $10,000 to be taken across the border and loaded into a tractor-trailer and driven to San Antonio, where they transfer to smaller vehicles for their final destinations across the United States, he said. Conditions vary widely, including how much water passengers get and whether they are allowed to carry cellphones, Larrabee said. Authorities think the truck discovered Monday had mechanical problems when it was left next to a railroad track in an area of San Antonio surrounded by auto scrapyards that brush up against a busy freeway, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the top elected official in the county that includes San Antonio. San Antonio has been a recurring scene of tragedy and desperation in recent years involving migrants in semitrailers. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a San Antonio Walmart. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. More than 50 migrants were found alive in a trailer in 2018, driven by a man who said he was to be paid $3,000 and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Other tragedies have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. In December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers stopped at a military checkpoint near the border. Some of the 16 people taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition. Those taken to the hospital were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Temperatures in San Antonio on Monday approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before that, people paid small fees to get across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became much more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and had to pay thousands of dollars. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administrations border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes, he wrote on Twitter. During a vigil held Tuesday evening in the rain at a San Antonio park, many of the more than 50 people who attended expressed sadness, frustration and anger at the deaths and what they described as a broken immigration system. I see this happen, and it didnt have to happen. If we had a better way for brown and Black people to enter safely, they wouldnt go through these desperate measures, said San Antonio resident Debbie Ponce. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under the pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies a chance to seek asylum. The Biden administration planned to end the policy, but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move in May. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the Southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most were related to heat exposure. Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporters Eric Gay in San Antonio, Acacia Coronado in Austin, Terry Wallace in Dallas and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Strengthen sharing of Chinas experience in poverty reduction to boost the Global Development Initiative 17:24, June 27, 2022 By Li Xiaoyun, Xu Xiuli ( People's Daily Online During the past 100 years, the international community has provided a wealth of global public goods in the course of poverty reduction and development, including relatively systematic global poverty reduction governance frameworks, standard systems for measuring poverty, data systems for monitoring poverty, and policy toolkits with targeting measures for eliminating poverty, bringing down global incidence of extreme poverty from nearly 40 percent in the 1990s to less than 10 percent in 2020. In recent years, however, global poverty reduction has faced severe challenges due to the impact of climate change, the global epidemic, regional conflicts and financial crisis. Data from UNDP show that by 2030, the total number of people living in extreme poverty is expected to rise by more than 200 million, totaling more than 1 billion. In this context, supply and governance of global public goods face an urgent need to be transformed. In 2020, China achieved Goal 1 of eradicating extreme poverty set in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule, contributing to over 70 percent of the global poverty reduction, which offers useful inspiration for the global poverty reduction course. China, a learner, beneficiary and innovator of the worlds experience in poverty reduction, is increasingly becoming a proponent, practitioner and promoter of poverty reduction in the world. China, as its experience in poverty reduction and development becomes an important asset for the international community in poverty eradication, provides a diverse, applicable and accessible portfolio of public goods for global poverty reduction to improve the global governance system for poverty reduction and contribute to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. To better promote the international exchanges and cooperation based on Chinas poverty reduction experience, it is necessary to build on Chinas poverty reduction practices since reform and opening up, especially the successful experience of targeted poverty alleviation, and summarize the modes of international exchanges and implementation of Chinas poverty reduction experience in the past decade, so as to better share Chinas experience with other countries and contribute to the implementation of Global Development Initiative. I. Ideas on international sharing of China's poverty reduction experience: parallel experience sharing Chinas vivid practices in poverty reduction have fostered rich poverty reduction studies in China, at the core of which are the goal of common prosperity, precise means, a market benefiting the poor where the government, the market and society make concerted efforts, measures to unleash the productivity of the poor, and a guideline of making them not only beneficiaries of distribution, but also contributors to growth, so as to promote the social development in a more balanced and equitable manner. However, how to effectively share experience in poverty reduction with other countries has remained a concern of all countries and the international community. When sharing poverty reduction experience, China adopts a parallel experience sharing theory which is different from Western countries, which has three core elements. First, experience shared should be practical and accessible in line with the development stages of the time and place, rather than highly abstract, values-oriented, or ahead of the local development stage. Second, modes shared are the products of mutual learning and inspiration, rather than unilaterally prescribing medicine and providing fixed patterns and templates. Third, the relationship between the sharing parties is a partnership featuring equality and mutual benefit, rather than a one-way give and take relationship. Autonomy and sense of ownership of partners are respected, with focus on innovation and win-win result. II. International sharing model of Chinas poverty reduction experience: uniting global partners to focus on development China has established extensive cooperation and exchange platforms with countries in different regions of the world, including China-Africa, China-ASEAN, China-Latin America, China-Arab states, China-Europe and other platforms established by the 1+N mechanism, as well as global or regional exchange and sharing mechanisms established in cooperation with the UN, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other international organizations. Through these frameworks and platforms, China has carried out fruitful exchanges and cooperation on poverty reduction for more than a decade, issuing a wealth of knowledge products on the progress and experience of poverty reduction in China and specific regions, such as the Global Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development, FOCAC Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, CELAC-China Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development, ASEAN-China Forum on Social Development and Poverty Reduction, ASEAN+3 village official exchange program, and China-East Asia Poverty Reduction Demonstration Cooperation Technical Assistance Project. In different regions, China has promoted practical cooperation in economic development, such as trade, investment and aid that meet the needs of both sides through long-term collective dialogue and discussion. In this process, China has tried to demonstrate its experience in poverty reduction and development in other developing countries, integrating its successful practice with the local realities of poverty reduction and development to accelerate the local poverty reduction. While uniting countries and partners from different regions of the world to focus on development, and guided by a global multilateral system based on the United Nations, China has shared experience of development based on the realities of different regions, contributing to the progress of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. III. New mechanism for international sharing of Chinas poverty reduction experience: Global Alliance for Poverty Reduction and Development China has put forward the Global Development Initiative, giving to priority to poverty reduction. China, despite the pandemic, successfully eliminated absolute poverty. This achievement, combined with Chinas actions and results of consolidating the achievements of the fight against poverty and advancing rural revitalization after 2020, has drawn wide attention from the international community. To better study, exchange and share Chinas experience in poverty reduction and development in the new context, promote mutual learning, and provide the international community with public goods for poverty reduction and development, China announced the establishment of the Global Alliance for Poverty Reduction and Development at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development. It is hoped that relevant international organizations, government agencies, think tanks, social organizations and enterprises committed to global poverty reduction will join China in the cause to build consensus, put forward proposals, exchange experience, and promote cooperation. The Alliance will continue with parallel experience sharing, unite global partners, promote localization of international experience and international demands through extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and push international sharing of Chinas poverty reduction and development experience. In this way, the Alliance will pool forces to jointly promote the building of a global community of shared future for poverty reduction and development, contributing to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative. The authors are professors from College of Humanities and Development/College of International Development and Global Agriculture, China Agricultural University (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) A global look at some of the deadliest incidents involving trafficked migrants in trucks or shipping containers: June 27, 2022: 53 migrants died after being abandoned in a sweltering tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio. October 23, 2019: 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a truck trailer in Essex, England. Four men were jailed for manslaughter. July 23, 2017: Eight immigrants were found dead in a sweltering trailer at a San Antonio Walmart parking lot. Two others died later in hospitals. The driver was sentenced to life in prison. Feb. 20, 2017: 13 African migrants suffocated inside a shipping container while being transported between two towns in Libya. A total of 69 migrants, most from Mali, were packed into the container, according to the local Red Crescent branch. Aug. 27, 2015: Austrian police discovered an abandoned truck containing the bodies of 71 migrants, including eight children, from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The truck, found along a highway, had crossed into Austria from Hungary. April 4, 2009: 35 Afghan migrants suffocated inside a shipping container in southwestern Pakistan. Authorities said that more than 100 people were packed inside the container. April 9, 2008: 54 Burmese migrants suffocated in the back of an airtight refrigerated truck in Ranong, Thailand. May 14, 2003: 19 migrants died inside a sweltering tractor-trailer while they traveled from South Texas to Houston. June 18, 2000: 58 Chinese immigrants were found dead inside a truck in the English port town of Dover. The Dutch truck had transported the immigrants across the English Channel from Belgium. Two people survived. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday he will lead the legal fight on behalf of Randy Cox, a Black man who was seriously injured in the back of a police van in Connecticut when the driver braked suddenly. Crump also called for a federal civil rights investigation into the treatment of Cox, 36, who was being taken June 19 to a police station in New Haven, Connecticut, for processing on a weapons charge when his head struck the back wall of the van. Crump said police mocked Cox's cries for help and later dragged him by his feet from the van and placed him in a holding cell before he was taken to a hospital. Cox, whose legal first name is Richard, is in intensive care, paralyzed from the chest down, Crump said. At a news conference Tuesday in front of New Haven Superior Court, Crump, who has been called Black Americas attorney general for his work on civil rights cases, led a crowd in chants of Justice for Randy Cox. His co-counsel, Jack O'Donnell, said the legal team expects to file a federal lawsuit within 60 days, once it has reviewed all the evidence, including more than two hours of video. Some of that, including footage from a camera that recorded the moments when Cox was injured, has been released publicly. I am here because when I looked at that video, it shocked my conscience, Crump said. And I believe when you all see that video, it's going to shock your conscience. The only question is, why, when the police look at Randy Cox saying, I cant move,' why doesn't it shock their conscience? Five members of the New Haven police department have been put on leave while the episode is investigated. Cox was handcuffed when he was in the back of the New Haven police van, which was not equipped with seat belts. He flew headfirst into a wall when Officer Oscar Diaz braked hard; he said it was to avoid a collision, police said. Diaz resumed driving to the police department, despite Cox calling for help and saying he was injured and couldnt move, according to the video and officials. A few minutes later, Diaz stopped the van to check on Cox, who was lying motionless on the floor. Diaz then called paramedics but told them to meet him at the station instead of waiting for them where he was, police said. At the station, officers dragged Cox out of the van by his feet and put him in a wheelchair, video shows. Police then booked Cox, took him out of the wheelchair and dragged him into a cell, where he was left on the floor, video shows. Paramedics arrived minutes later and took Cox to a hospital, officials said. Crump said Cox was accused of lying and told to get up several times by police. Wheres the first aid training? Wheres the on the job training? Wheres the accountability? said Latoya Boomer, Crumps sister, who attended the news conference with several other family members. I want to know, wheres the person who sees whats going on and says, Maybe hes not joking. Maybe hes not drunk. Maybe he is in distress. Scot Esdaile, the president of the Connecticut branch of the NAACP, said he is not convinced the hard braking of the van was an accident. People from the community have been coming to us for years talking about how they torture people in the back of paddy wagons, he said. They put people in the back of the paddy wagon; they go real fast and then they slam the brakes. New Haven Mayor Justin said last week that prisoner transport vans not equipped with seatbelts have been taken out of service and that the police department is working to install seatbelts in them. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) A former Air Force sergeant linked to an extremist movement and convicted last month in the 2020 killing of a federal security officer in the San Francisco Bay Area pleaded guilty to killing a sheriff's sergeant a week after he attacked a federal building. Steven Carrillo, 33, pleaded guilty Monday to all nine counts, including murder and special circumstances, for the killing of Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller on June 6, 2020, the Santa Cruz District Attorneys Office confirmed Tuesday. Carrillo is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said Carrillo ambushed sheriffs deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded. Carrillo was arrested after he ambushed the officials in the community of Ben Lomond. Earlier this month, Carrillo was sentenced to 41 years in prison for killing David Patrick Underwood while he and a colleague guarded a federal building in Oakland amid large protests against police brutality following the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. In February, Carrillo admitted to posting messages on Facebook a day before the Oakland shooting asking anyone if they were down to boog and saying he was ready to act and not just talk. He also admitted firing 19 rounds from a homemade AR-15 rifle from the back of a white van being driven by a man he connected with online. I aligned myself with the anti-government movement and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement officers in particular, Carrillo said then. Prosecutors said Carrillo, of Santa Cruz, had ties to the boogaloo movement a concept embraced by a loose network of gun enthusiasts and militia-style extremists. Experts say the group started in alt-right culture on the internet with the belief that there is an impending U.S. civil war. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 NEW YORK (AP) Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was a victory for a group of women who spent years fighting for justice after an earlier generation of prosecutors failed to pursue the predatory power couple. Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Prosecutors said he couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, looked to one side as the sentence was announced, but otherwise did not react. She wore leg shackles that could be heard rattling when she walked into the courtroom. The sentence was shorter than the term sought by prosecutors, but Epstein's accusers still expressed relief. Its been an incredibly long road to justice for myself and for many other survivors," said Sarah Ransome, one of Epstein's accusers. "This is for the girls that didnt have their say, the ones that werent here. A jury in December convicted Maxwell, 60, of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. Judge Alison J. Nathan noted as she imposed the prison term and a $750,000 fine that Maxwell never expressed remorse for her crimes. The judge said she wanted the sentence to send an unmistakable message" that nobody was above the law. Addressing the court earlier, Maxwell stood at a lectern and said she empathized with the survivors and hoped her punishment would bring them peace. But she did not admit culpability and laid blame for the abuse on Epstein, saying meeting him was the greatest regret of my life. She called him a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life." The judge said Maxwell was being punished for her heinous and predatory crimes, not Epstein's. She criticized Maxwell's pattern of deflection and blame." Four survivors at the sentencing described their sexual abuse, including Annie Farmer, who was briefly overcome with emotion as she addressed the judge. She said she and her sister tried to go public with their stories about being abused by Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. We will continue to live with the harm she caused us, Farmer said. Inside a courtroom crowded with reporters, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Outside the courthouse, Kevin Maxwell said that his sister wont give up on her legal battle, and we as a family will be solidly behind her. Defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim promised to appeal. She said Epstein left Maxwell holding the whole bag. We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain and receiving the punishment he truly deserved, she said. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced in 2005. The FBI and local police had, at the time, amassed evidence of sexual misconduct with many underage girls. But under a deal with federal and state prosecutors in Florida, later criticized as lenient, Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges involving just one girl and served 13 months in prison, much of it in a work-release program. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Britain's Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations, and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. Since then, she has been jailed in a federal facility in New York City. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of her trial, but mentions of friends such as Bill Clinton and Donald Trump showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. The trial revolved around allegations from only a handful of Epstein's accusers. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. Maxwell's lawyers fought to have her conviction tossed out on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. During Maxwell's sentencing hearing Tuesday, the juror sat quietly among other spectators. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote to the court to ask for leniency and said that their sister's relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. Robert Maxwell, they wrote, subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections, which "led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature. Ransome an accuser whose allegations werent included in the trial testified about the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times. You broke me in unfathomable ways," said Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide. "But you did not break my spirit. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Nebraska state Sen. Mike Flood won a special election Tuesday to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a fellow Republican who was sentenced to two years of probation earlier in the day for a conviction on charges that he lied to federal agents. Flood beat Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in the states Republican-leaning 1st District, which includes Lincoln and dozens of smaller, mostly conservative towns in eastern Nebraska. Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, will serve the rest of what would have been Fortenberrys ninth term. Hell be a strong favorite to win a new term in November, when he faces Pansing Brooks again. In a brief interview after his win, Flood promised to be a conservative advocate for the district and a champion for local infrastructure projects and agriculture. Throughout the campaign, he sought to blame President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for rising inflation, and pledged to fight Biden administration policies. Flood acknowledged that he needs to do more to boost his support in the Lincoln area, one of the only pockets of Democratic strength in the district. Flood's victory was narrower than in previous elections, when Fortenberry would easily beat Democratic challengers with more than 60% of the vote. I recognize that I have work to do, Flood said. In a statement, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said the narrower-than-expected margin shows the need for more national party support in rural areas that are often viewed as unwinnable. Sen. Pansing Brooks connected with voters and started to change the political landscape of Nebraska, Kleeb said. Both candidates were nominated by their parties leaders in April to run in the special election. The next month, Nebraska primary voters picked them to run in the general election. In court Tuesday, Fortenberry sat quietly as U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld ordered him to serve probation, pay a $25,000 fine and perform community service. Blumenfeld rejected prosecutors request for a six-month prison sentence, saying the ex-congressman's behavior in the case was out of character. Fortenberry later said he planned to appeal, arguing that prosecutors never should have brought the case and accusing them of taking advantage of his trust. This has been very traumatic and weve got a way to go, he said outside the courthouse. But I am grateful that ... the judge recognized that the pattern of what I wanted to do with my life was simply to serve in public office and to try to help people. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins said prosecutors disagreed with the decision not to impose prison time, but noted the judges comments endorsing the jurys decision. Fortenberry resigned in March shortly after a California jury found him guilty in the corruption case. He has maintained his innocence and said he plans to appeal. Before he was indicted in October, Fortenberry was expected to sail to an easy win. Prosecutors alleged Fortenberry lied to federal agents multiple times about $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions he received from a foreign national at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. Federal law bars donations from foreign nationals. At trial, prosecutors played phone recordings between Fortenberry and a donor-turned-informant, who warned the congressman that the donations had likely been funneled to him from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. Fortenberrys attorneys argued that he didnt hear the warning due to bad cellphone reception. Fortenberry maintained his innocence, going so far as to release a preemptive denial of the charges before they were announced in a video that he filmed inside a 1963 Ford F-150 pickup, with his wife and dog at his side. He also continued to campaign, decrying his prosecution as politically motivated and airing attack ads against Flood. But as more details of the case became public, Fortenberry quickly lost support among top Nebraska Republicans. Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman dealt him a major blow when they endorsed Flood. Flood stayed mostly positive, airing several lighthearted ads, including one where he described himself as a conservative nerd who would get things done in Washington. Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte Melley reported from Los Angeles. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Forty-six people have been found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in Texas. It's the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. Sixteen people were hospitalized, including four children. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said a city worker was alerted to the situation by a cry for help shortly before 6 p.m. Monday. Fire Chief Charles Hood said 12 of those taken to hospitals were adults and four were children. He said they were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer. NEW YORK (AP) Nine months after she stepped into the job of New York governor as a relative unknown, Democrat Kathy Hochul easily locked up her party's nomination Tuesday, setting her on an expected glide path to win the office in November. Hochul was serving as an under-the-radar lieutenant governor under the shadow of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo until last year, when he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, catapulting her into office. Hochul beat back primary challenges Tuesday from New York Citys elected public advocate, Jumaane Williams, and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate from Long Island. She now turns her eyes to becoming the first woman to win election to the New York governors office this fall. In a nod to the barrier-breaking campaign, Hochul gave an election night speech Tuesday on a stage underneath a glass ceiling at an event space in Manhattan. Im also here because I stand on the shoulders of generations of women, generations of women who constantly had to bang up against that glass ceiling. To the women of New York, this ones for you," Hochul said. Hochul enters the general election campaign with a big advantage, running as the incumbent with a heavy fundraising advantage in a state that has more than twice as many registered Democrats than Republicans and has not had a GOP governor in 16 years. She faces U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, who won the Republican Partys nomination Tuesday. Zeldin is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Are we ready to fire Kathy Hochul? Zeldin said to cheers as he spoke at a victory party on Long Island. The Long Island congressman will try to become the first Republican elected governor in New York since Gov. George Pataki was reelected in 2002. This November, in the state of New York, one-party rule will end," he said. "Kathy Hochul will get fired. We will restore balance and common sense to Albany again. Hochul's prospects are expected to be even stronger this fall after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the Roe v. Wade decision establishing abortion rights. She has made bolstering abortion rights a key plank of her campaign. Hochul repeated that in her Tuesday night speech, proclaiming that the state had gone on offense to protect abortion rights" and "making the world know that New York State is a safe harbor for Americas women. Since taking office in August, Hochul has sought to step out from Cuomo's shadow, promising a clean break from his administration. She has said she was not close to the former governor, who has denied wrongdoing, and was not around to witness any alleged misbehavior. Still, Cuomos presence loomed over her campaign early on when he began making public appearances this past spring, criticizing Hochul and Democrats in Albany over their approach to crime and suggesting he might run for his old job. Despite suggesting he might run as an independent, the former governor ultimately did not file to run. Zeldin is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in Congress since 2015. He defeated primary challenges from former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, businessman Harry Wilson and Andrew Giuliani, the son of New York Citys former mayor Rudy Giuliani, who frequently campaigned for his son. He has focused his campaign on rising crime and criticized Hochul for not toughening the states bail laws, for imposing COVID-19 mitigation mandates and for rising costs. And despite Hochul seeking to project a fresh start from Cuomo, Zeldin has referred repeatedly to the Cuomo-Hochul Administration. New Yorkers are hitting their breaking point. Theyre deciding whether or not to stay here or head to other places," he said. He will have to persuade the states independent voters, which outnumber Republicans, along with Democrats in order to win the general election. Democrats are expected to focus on Zeldins vocal defense of Trump during both of his impeachments and objection to the election results. Hochul is also likely to focus on Zeldins statements praising the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and his comment that, as governor, he would appoint an anti-abortion state health commissioner. We must answer one question, she said Tuesday night. Are we going to move New York forward, or let the far-right extremist drag our state backwards? Hochul focused her campaign on steps she took to bolster abortion rights and moves to toughen the states gun laws after a racist mass shooting in Buffalo. Suozzi and Williams criticized her for her endorsement a decade ago from the National Rifle Association and over her plan to spend more than $1.1 billion in state and county funds on building and maintaining a new stadium for her hometown Buffalo Bills. She also faced questions about her choice for lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, who was arrested on federal corruption charges in April related to his campaign funds. Benjamin pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. Hochul pointed to the short time frame she had to pick a No. 2 and said she had been assured that any questions previously raised about Benjamins campaign fundraising had been resolved. Hochul replaced Benjamin with Antonio Delgado, who stepped down from his seat in Congress to accept the role. Delgado, also Hochul's choice for a running mate, won his primary Tuesday. Zeldin's running mate Alison Esposito is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. Tuesdays election in New York covered statewide offices and state Assembly races, but primary elections for U.S. House seats and the state Senate will be held Aug. 23. Those elections were delayed because of a redistricting lawsuit that led a court to throw out new political maps. Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Kearney Police Department is the first in Nebraska to test out some of the latest technology for investigating crime: automated license plate reading cameras. Kearney is working with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that offers the technology known as ALPR aimed at helping law enforcement agencies with crime prevention and investigation. Kearney Police Chief Bryan Waugh said he came across the company while at an FBI National Academy conference in Omaha, and had heard from other law enforcement officers that the technology had aided their investigation capabilities. Through a pilot program, Kearney is testing out 25 of Flocks ALPR cameras for 60 days at no cost, said Holly Beilin, public relations specialist for Flock. Were OK with doing these pilots, because we know that citizens and the Police Department are going to see it works pretty quickly, and are going to see the value of the technology, she said. Waugh said the pilot program was approved by the Kearney City Council and the city will be installing the cameras in the next eight to 10 weeks. Specific camera locations havent been selected yet, he said. After the 60-day trial, police and city officials will decide whether to pay to continue to use the cameras. Flock offers plans for both law enforcement agencies and neighborhood organizations like homeowners associations, according to the companys website. Flocks solar-powered, motion-sensor cameras capture still images of passing vehicles and record vehicle make, type, color, license plate and state, according to the companys website. The captured data is uploaded to the cloud, where law enforcement agencies can use the data for identifying vehicles involved in a hit-and-run and identifying when a stolen or wanted vehicle has entered a community, Beilin said. The technology can also be used in tracking down vehicles associated with alerts for missing and endangered children and seniors. Because most instances of crime involve a vehicle, Waugh said he thinks the cameras will help the Kearney Police Department with investigations. Its kind of like a police multiplier, he said. We cant be everywhere at once, so it adds this extra set of eyes, so if were not in the area we can follow up on it using that technology. The use of ALPR technology has spurred controversy in some communities outside Nebraska due to concerns about surveillance and the potential for misuse. The City Council in Austin, Texas, canceled the police departments ALPR contracts over such concerns in 2020, according to reporting by the nonprofit news outlet the Austin Monitor. In California, the Marin County Sheriffs Office recently settled a lawsuit that will limit the sharing of data gathered by ALPR, according to reporting by the Marin Independent Journal. The suit alleged the Sheriffs Office was sharing data with with outside agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Beilin said Flock doesnt consider its ALPR cameras to be surveillance technology. The cameras only take still photos, never any video, Beilin said, and do not capture speed or information that can be used for traffic violations. The technology also doesnt capture information about the vehicles driver and can only be searched using vehicle information characteristics like car type and color, Beilin said. The data is also owned by the law enforcement agencies who capture it, not by Flock, Beilin said. Any data for a vehicle that isnt connected with a criminal investigation is automatically deleted after 30 days and the data retrieval system requires officers to enter a reason for retrieving data. We always think about data, because we are capturing a lot of data, Beilin said. We want to make sure were being really good stewards of that data. Nebraskas Automatic License Plate Reader Privacy Act, which was established in 2018, also sets parameters for how Nebraska law enforcement agencies can use this data. The American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns about the potential applications of Flocks data, such as the ability for HOAs to create their own hot lists of vehicles and the ability for immigration agencies to use the data to conduct deportations. Flock Safety is building a form of mass surveillance unlike any seen before in American life, a March 2022 report from the ACLU stated. Over 1,500 communities have installed Flocks cameras so far, and Flock reports that communities have seen crime reduction rates of up to 70% after installing the cameras, Beilin said. Law enforcement are constantly telling us about cases they solve using Flock, she said. Beilin said Flock hopes to expand to other agencies in Nebraska, such as the Lincoln and Omaha Police Departments. Were starting with a mid-sized agency, but we certainly hope to grow in the state, she said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An inmate died on Saturday in Lincoln at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Clyde Hicks, 91, had been serving a 15- to 20-year sentence for first-degree sexual assault of a child out of Hall County. Officials from the Nebraska Correctional Services said Hicks began his sentence on Sept. 15, 2016. The cause of death has not been determined. As is the case whenever someone in law enforcement custody dies, a grand jury will conduct an investigation. As is the case whenever an inmate dies in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, a grand jury will conduct an investigation. Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or emejia@journalstar.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 GRUNDY CENTER A Grundy Center man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing an Iowa State Patrol trooper during a 2021 standoff. Under Iowa law, Michael Thomas Lang, 42, will not be eligible for parole on a charge of first-degree murder. He was also sentenced to a consecutive 30 years for attempted murder and assault on an officer. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estate of Sgt. Jim Smith. Judge Joel Dalrymple handed down the sentence Monday morning in Grundy County District Court. It came after the judge dismissed a defense motion for a new trial. In May, a jury found Lang guilty of first-degree murder in Smiths death as well as attempted murder for shooting at another trooper who was driving an armored vehicle at the end of the standoff and assault on an officer for fighting with a Grundy Center police officer during a traffic stop that sparked the incident. Eluding charges were dismissed. Authorities said Lang refused to pull over for an April 9, 2021, speeding stop and instead lured the police officer into a rural area where he knocked away his Taser and began struggling with him. A passerby and a sheriffs deputy intervened, and Lang drove home and refused to come out for police. Smith was shot in the chest and leg with slugs from a shotgun when he and others attempted to enter the kitchen to apprehend Lang. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SIOUX FALLS Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, in his first public comments since being removed from office last week, appeared before a state ethics board Monday to press for an investigation of fellow Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, the person he blames for his impeachment over his conduct surrounding a 2020 fatal car crash. As attorney general, Ravnsborg last year filed a pair of complaints against Noem to the state's Government Accountability Board alleging she abused the powers of her office by interfering in a state agency as it evaluated her daughters application for a real estate appraiser license and by misusing state airplanes. The board, which is comprised of retired judges, has not decided whether to investigate Noem and is working with an attorney to evaluate the merits of the complaints. Ravnsborg appeared at the Government Accountability Boards meeting for the first time since he initiated the complaints last year and said he was ready to provide additional information. He made it clear he thinks an investigation could have far-reaching consequences for Noem, who is running for reelection after a first term that vaulted her to national prominence. She's widely considered to be a White House aspirant in 2024. Im not going to let this just drop. I think that they should pursue it and I do believe that, ultimately, the House will pursue it, Ravnsborg told The Associated Press, suggesting that Noem could also face impeachment for her actions. The former attorney general denied that he was out for revenge against Noem, although he blames her for his removal. Noem and Ravnsborg became political enemies after he struck and killed a pedestrian in 2020. Noem publicly called for Ravnsborg to resign and later pressed the Legislature to impeach him. The House eventually did, and the Senate last week convicted him of two charges: committing a crime that caused someones death and malfeasance for misleading investigators and misusing his office. Ravnsborg blamed emotion and political pressure for tilting the Republican-controlled Senate against him and said Noem sought his removal because he had filed the complaints to the Government Accountability Board. I think that among these two complaints and theres other scandals that shes involved in that she did not want the information to come to light," he said. Noem's spokesman Tony Mangan declined to comment on the board's proceedings or Ravnsborg's remarks. The board has tapped Sioux Falls attorney Mark Haigh, who primarily specializes in business and health care law, to help evaluate Ravnsborg's complaints. Haigh also has experience arguing before juries, administrative boards and licensing agencies. The Associated Press reported last year that the governor held a meeting in July 2020 that included her daughter and key decision-makers in her application for an appraiser license just days after the agency moved to deny the license. A Republican-controlled legislative committee concluded that Noem's daughter, Kassidy Peters, got preferential treatment. Noem has rejected that finding, saying her daughter followed the same process as other applicants. But the agencys former director, Sherry Bren, told the legislative committee last year that she felt intimidated at the July 2020 meeting, where she said Peters unsuccessful application was discussed in detail and a plan was formed to give her an unprecedented, additional chance to show she could meet federal standards. Noems office has said the plan was in the works before the meeting. Peters got her license four months later. Shortly after that, Bren retired under pressure from Noem's cabinet secretary. She eventually received a $200,000 settlement to withdraw an age discrimination complaint. Ravnsborg's other complaint was sparked by a report from Raw Story, a news website. Noem in 2019 used state airplanes to travel to events held by political organizations including the National Rifle Association and the Republican Jewish Coalition, even though South Dakota law bars their use for anything other than state business. Noem defended the trips as part of her work as an ambassador for the state. The boards consideration of the complaints began last year and has happened entirely in private meetings. It could either investigate the complaints and potentially hold hearings or dismiss them entirely. The judges will meet next on Aug. 3. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Few issues within Americas dysfunctional healthcare system are more pressing than the astronomical price of insulin access to which is, for millions of Americans, literally a matter of life or death. Congress is finally moving toward approving legislation that would partially address the problem. But passage will rely on the willingness of some hesitant Republicans to set aside their free-market absolutism and acknowledge that the apparent price-gouging going isnt what markets are supposed to do. Almost two million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, which typically requires daily insulin shots. More than 30 million more have Type 2 diabetes, which often requires insulin therapy. In the past decade alone, the cost of that lifesaving insulin has tripled. Today, even insured patients, depending on the terms of their policies, can end up paying $300 or more monthly for their insulin, while uninsured patients can face monthly costs of well over $1,000. The situation has spawned horror stories of diabetics self-rationing with less insulin than theyre supposed to take, with sometimes tragic outcomes. The reasons for the price explosion are complicated and contentious, with the pharmaceuticals, insurance companies and wholesalers essentially blaming each other. An investigation by the Senate Finance Committee in 2020, headed by then-Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, blamed them all. This industry is anything but a free market because of anti-competitive practices between those various players, Grassley said in a statement accompanying the committees report in early 2021. He called for bipartisan legislation and oversight to address this problem. The reins of the Senate have changed, but the bipartisan legislation Grassley called for has finally arrived. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., this week unveiled a measure that would cap the monthly insulin costs for insured diabetics at $35. It doesnt cap costs for those who are uninsured a more complicated issue that would have to be addressed in broader legislation but its a start. The bill is similar to one the House passed earlier this year, but in addition to capping out-of-pocket patient expenses, it also targets distribution issues that are partly blamed for the price hikes. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, told The Washington Post this month that he wont rule out the bill until he sees it, but that generally Im not supportive of price controls Im supportive of competition and things that encourage competition. That may sound a solid free-market stance, but this particular market has clearly colluded to the detriment of its consumers some of whom have died because of it. We encourage Blunt and others with reservations to consider that when a given market becomes detrimental to its customers health, a hands-off approach by political leaders isnt conservatism, but abdication of responsibility. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Soon after the constitutional right to an abortion was ended with the overruling of Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, elected officials in states that are set to ban the procedure were discussing the possibility of trying to prevent women who reside in those states from traveling to another state where abortion is legal to undergo the procedure. Therell be a debate about that, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said when asked about the possibility of her state trying to implement a travel ban. Any such effort is almost certainly doomed to failure, though. Advertisement One big reason is that the key vote in Dobbs was Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who ruled out travel bans in a concurring opinion. Kavanaugh wrote that such a ban would fail based on the constitutional right to interstate travel and described the question as not especially difficult as a constitutional matter. That view was echoed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in a post-Dobbs statement: under bedrock constitutional principles, women who reside in states that have banned access to comprehensive reproductive care must remain free to seek that care in states where it is legal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign Up for the Surge The most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. 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. Indeed, the Supreme Court has actually ruled on the issue before in a 72 decision in the 1975 post-Roe case Bigelow v. Virginia. The defendant in Bigelow ran a newspaper in Virginia and published an ad for abortions in New York, where they were legal, when they were still illegal in Virginia. The court ruled that Virginia could not prevent its residents from receiving information about services that were lawful where they were to be performed. If Texas or any other state attempts to make it a crime for a woman to travel to another state to obtain an abortion that is still lawful there, Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in Bigelow that states cannot apply their laws to conduct undertaken outside their borders. Advertisement Advertisement The Virginia Legislature could not have regulated the advertisers activity in New York, and obviously could not have proscribed the [abortion] activity in that State. Neither could Virginia prevent its residents from traveling to New York to obtain those services or, as the State conceded, [at oral argument], prosecute them for going there. As the court continued, A State does not acquire power or supervision over the internal affairs of another State merely because the welfare and health of its own citizens may be affected when they travel to that State. In other words, what a South Dakota resident does in another state, regarding an abortion or anything else, is none of South Dakotas business. That is true if the person traveled to another state to be married at an age when their home would not issue that person a marriage license or to obtain a divorce on a ground not recognized in their prior state. Similarly, if South Dakota banned all gambling, it could not make it a crime for its citizens to fly to Las Vegas and toss away their life savings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The courts other right-to-travel cases more typically involve situations in which the state to which the individual has gone imposes a barrier to receiving a service or obtaining a benefit, such as welfare payments, for those who have recently arrived. In general, the court has allowed states to ensure that the traveler is in fact a bona fide resident of their new state, but not much more. The right to travel to obtain an abortion is the opposite side of these earlier cases, which were cited in Bigelow, but the principlethat states generally cannot prevent or penalize interstate travelis the same. Still, after Dobbs, it is unclear that any prior precedent in this area of law should be considered a settled issue, whatever Kavanaugh says. Ideally, Congress would enact a law codifying the right to travel generally, and for abortions specifically, but it would be very difficult to avoid an almost certain Senate filibuster on that subject. But if a state like South Dakota decides to charge a woman who travels elsewhere to obtain an abortion where it is legal, or charges someone who takes her there as an aider or abettor, the Justice Department should intervene and make it clear that those extraterritorial reaches are unconstitutional. Last Friday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion and overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey. Justice Samuel Alito, who penned the majority opinion, wrote that [t]he Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. In overruling Roe and Casey, the court returned the regulation of abortion back to the people and their elected representatives. Advertisement In the wake of Dobbs, the battle over the future of abortion access has migrated from the Supreme Court to state courts across the country. Judges in Utah and Louisiana, where the states trigger laws were set to take effect after Roe fell, temporarily blocked those laws. And in Florida, health care providers filed a lawsuit to block a 15-week abortion ban that was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the spring from going into effect on July 1. The plaintiffs argue the ban on abortion violates individual privacy rights that are enshrined in the state constitution. A state judge is likely to rule this week on the plaintiffs request for a temporary pause of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their case hinges on an understanding of Floridas privacy rights. At the federal level, Roe was based on an implicit right to privacy that the court found in the federal constitution. By contrast, Floridas state constitution contains an explicit, freestanding, and broadly worded right to privacy. Article I, Section 23, of the Florida Constitution states: Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the persons private life except as otherwise provided herein. In previous rulings, the Florida Supreme Court found the right to abortion within that right to privacy even though the provision does not explicitly mention abortion. Advertisement Advertisement But the courts makeup has changed. Since 2019, the court has become more conservative. It formally weakened the doctrine of stare decisis and has overruled many prior precedents. Can the court revisit its abortion precedents? It will soon have the opportunity as the lawsuit over the states abortion ban, which has no exceptions for incest, rape, or human trafficking, moves forward. The key question the Florida courts will have to answer is: Does the presence of an explicit privacy right in the state constitution mandate a different holding in Florida than that in Dobbs? In this regard, the Dobbs decision holds a clue for interpreting Florida law. Advertisement The Constitution makes no express reference to a right to obtain an abortion, and therefore those who claim that it protects such a right must show that the right is somehow implicit in the constitutional text. Advertisement The right to an abortion is implicit in Floridas privacy right. But the analysis isnt that straightforward. To understand why abortion is protected under Floridas privacy provisions, we have to take a closer look at legal history of abortion and privacy within the state. Advertisement Advertisement In 1978, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years to propose changes to the constitution, placed a proposed amendment on the ballot to add a privacy right. The amendment was presented as a pack of changes; voters rejected them all. But in 1980, the Legislature placed the privacy-right amendment back on the ballot, this time as a stand-alone amendment, which voters approved. In the Legislature, the understanding was that the amendment would protect decisional and informational privacy rights. Advertisement Advertisement As the lead sponsor of the amendment later wrote about the debate in the state House: The existence of Roe v. Wade muted debate on issues like abortion and gay rights. Proponents suggested that the resolution had no effect on current law since the federal right was assured under the United States Supreme Courts decision. As far as I can tell, the public debate in 1980 on the proposed amendment did not mention abortion, but further research may turn something up. Advertisement Advertisement It is also true, however, that Roe was part of the general background. Not only that, but as Republican state Rep. Mike Beltran observes in an otherwise completely wrong column, the 1980 Amendment to the Florida Constitution was enacted less than a decade after Roe, while pro-lifers were actively attempting to reinstate protections for the unborn, and less than a decade before they succeeded in Casey, and yet it contains no mention of abortion whatsoever. It cannot be seriously disputed that the public knew of Roe and the attempts to undermine it at the time it approved Floridas privacy right. Advertisement Sign Up for the Surge The most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. 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. So how might todays conservative court interpret the privacy protections in light of the absence of abortion from the text of the privacy right and the presence of abortion as background when the right was ratified? It is not a given that the current Florida Supreme Court would conclude that the right to an abortion is implicit in the privacy right. Thats partly because conservatives preferred mode of constitutional interpretation is original public meaning. In their eyes, the meaning of the text is the objective meaning the words would have had to a reasonable listener at the time of adoption. Advertisement Advertisement Yet the debate does not end there. In 1989, not long after Florida adopted the privacy right, the Florida Supreme Court decided In re T.W. There, the court applied the privacy right to strike down a parental consent statute that required parents of minors seeking an abortion to consent to the procedure unless the minor was granted a waiver by a judge. The court determined that the amendment embraces more privacy interests, and extends more protection to the individual in those interests, than does the federal Constitution. Later in the opinion, the court held: Floridas privacy provision is clearly implicated in a womans decision of whether or not to continue her pregnancy. This right also extended to minors. Two justices wrote separate opinions where each concluded that, in light of Roe, the people necessarily included the right to an abortion within the privacy right. Advertisement Since In re T.W., the court has reaffirmed that the right to privacy protects the right to an abortion. In one significant 2003 case, North Florida Womens Health Services v. State, the court struck down a parental notice statute requiring physicians to notify the parents when a minor seeks an abortion. This is where history subsequent to the privacy rights adoption becomes important. Responding to the North Florida Womens decision, the Legislature placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2004 ballot that would overrule the decision. The electorate approved the amendment, reinstating the parental notification law. The next year, the Legislature reenacted the parental notice statute. Advertisement Advertisement In 2012, the Legislature placed another proposed amendment, Amendment 6, on the ballot that would have added a section to Article I of the state constitution that spells out Floridas privacy rights. The relevant part of Amendment 6 stated: This constitution may not be interpreted to create broader rights to an abortion than those contained in the United States Constitution. The amendment would have overruled the Florida Supreme Courts decisions protecting abortion, as the ballot summary given to voters in the voting booth explained: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This proposed amendment provides that the State Constitution may not be interpreted to create broader rights to an abortion than those contained in the United States Constitution. With respect to abortion, this proposed amendment overrules court decisions which conclude that the right of privacy under Article I, Section 23 of the State Constitution is broader in scope than that of the United States Constitution. The proposal was the subject of robust public debate. Although proponents argued that Amendment 6 was limited to overruling In re T.W.an embarrassingly false claimthey conceded that, under their reading of the amendment, it would still protect an adults right to abortion. The language of the proposal was also forward-looking. It clearly anticipated that, one day, the U.S. Supreme Court could overrule Roe, which would mean no more state constitutional right to an abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, the electorate rejected Amendment 6, with 55 percent of the voters voting against it. This rejection is critical to understanding the post-Dobbs landscape in Florida. When voters rejected Amendment 6 in 2012, the people of Florida adopted or incorporated the Florida Supreme Courts prior judicial constructions of the privacy right under the established rule of construction. Put another way: the 1989 and 2003 decisions upholding the right to abortion as embedded in the right to privacy are reaffirmed. Voters could not have been clearer: Our state constitutions explicit, freestanding, and broadly worded privacy right protects the right to an abortion. And the protection of the right is in no way affected by the federal constitution or how it is interpreted. Advertisement Whats more, the people fixed the dimensions of the state right to an abortion to those that existed in 2012. Under the fixed meaning canon, Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan A. Garner wrote in their book Reading Law, Words must be given the meaning they had when the text was adopted. Approval of Amendment 6 would have rewritten the privacy right as it relates to abortion. In a very real sense, the rejection of the amendment was a readoption of the privacy righta readoption that incorporated the Florida Supreme Courts abortion precedents up until that point in time. The issue, then, is not whether the Florida Supreme Court can recede from its prior abortion precedents under the now-weakened doctrine of stare decisis. By rejecting Amendment 6 in 2012, Floridians codified that precedent into the constitutions privacy right. To return to Dobbs, the people decided that the right [to abortion] is somehow implicit in the constitutional text. Should the Florida Supreme Court purport to overrule its precedent to hold that the privacy right doesnt include the right to an abortion, it would be doing nothing less than nullifying the will of the people of the state of Florida. If anti-abortion activists want to take away Floridas constitutional right to an abortion, theyll have to put that question to the people. On June 22, federal agents raided former DOJ assistant attorney general Jeff Clarks house in Northern Virginia in the early hours of the morning and reportedly forced Clark to wait outside in his pajamas while federal agents seized his electronic devices. On Monday, we learned that on the same day, federal agents also seized the devices of Trump attorney John Eastman as he was leaving a restaurant in New Mexico. Coming on the heels of weeks of damning testimony before the Jan. 6 committee that these two men were integral to Donald Trumps scheme to try to overturn the 2020 election, what can we discern? Advertisement Its important to consider how both of these searches were conducted. First, why didnt the federal agents simply ask Clark and Eastman to turn over their devices? Or simply provide either of them with a subpoena compelling them to turn the devices over? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agents who were the affiants on the affidavits for both searches would have had to explain in detail to a federal magistrate or judge just why neither of the above options could be pursued before a raid on Clarks premises and search of Eastmans person could be approved. The judiciary would have needed to hear a good reason for the use of what is considered an extreme investigative technique in pursuit of evidence in a criminal investigation. Advertisement Thats right, criminal investigation. The feds cannot execute a search warrant in a civil investigation. Raiding a residence in early morning hours can only be done via a criminal investigation. Investigating Clarkwho Trump attempted to elevate to attorney general in the waning days of his presidency because Clark, according to testimony, promised to meddle in the election on his behalf in particular would likely require the convening of a grand jury which would in this case also likely require the approval of Attorney General Merrick Garland. We dont yet know what is in the affidavit for the search warrant for Clarks residence. But we can surmise that there was enough factual information to persuade a federal magistrate that there was probable cause to believe that evidence of a crime or crimes would be found in Clarks residence. And that no other investigative technique would likely yield that same evidence. The agent in the Eastman search had to know that he carried on his person at all times the electronic device that was the subject of the search and would have so testified before the New Mexico Magistrate who approved the search. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the federal agents/affiants submitted the affidavits to a magistrate it is extremely likely that Garland, or other top DOJ officials, were convinced that appropriate probable cause was included in the affidavits. Advertisement Advertisement What might have led to all of the above? Would the fact that Clark pled the Fifth more than 100 times when testifying before the House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in February enter into it? Probably not. Everyone has the right to assert their constitutional protection against self-incrimination and taking the Fifth is not evidence of a crime. (Ironically, Trump has made his position on this issue crystal clear in the past. The mob takes the Fifth, Trump told a campaign crowd during the 2016 campaign. If youre innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?) Advertisement Advertisement Then what explains the search? Probable cause usually emanates from a third party that is closely associated with the subject of the search warrant. Someone has to possess specific knowledge with regard to the likelihood that there would be evidence contained on devices subject to the search. Not only would someone need some knowledge that there was likely damning evidence contained on the electronic devices, but that there existed reasonable certainty that those devices were in fact located inside the Clark residence or on Eastmans person. (No other searches were known to have occurred with regard to Clark or Eastman.) Advertisement Advertisement We can only surmise that the digital evidence of interest would be communications of interest: email, text messages, encrypted communications, voicemail, photos, video, and/or documents pertaining to the events surrounding the allegations of Clarks and Eastmans involvement in Trumps scheme to overturn the election. Advertisement Since Clark would claim to be just doing his job as an attorney employed by the DOJ and at the direction of the commander-in-chief, though, would he not be afforded attorney-client privilege? And couldnt the same privilege be expected by Eastman? Attorney-client privilege contains a crime/fraud exception, so if Clark and Eastman were violating the law while representing their clients, they could not claim privilege. (Trump wasnt Clarks client, the U.S. government was.) The Jan. 6 committee has presented extensive testimony that Clark was warned what he was doing was illegal and potentially criminal by his superiors at the Department of Justice and White House lawyers. Meanwhile, a federal judge as part of his rulings in a separate civil suit has already accused Eastman of likely engaging in a crime related to his work on the election.) Advertisement Advertisement What possible crimes could have justified such a search, though? Advertisement We can only speculate here, but the Jan. 6 committee has clearly honed in on two types of potential criminal conspiracies that Trump and his allies may have committed as part of the plot to obstruct the electoral count on Jan. 6: 1. Klein Conspiracywherein multiple people would have conspired to corruptly obstruct, impair, and impede lawful functions of government, in this case, certification by Congress of the presidential election results. 2. Seditious Conspiracysame as above but including the use of force to attain the desired results. Conspiracy requires evidence of an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime. Evidence of conspiratorial agreements can be demonstrated by emails, text messages, encrypted messages, Signal communications, voicemails, and a multitude of other digital evidence of communications between conspirators. Advertisement Its possible federal agents already had one side of a communications chain (which would have provided probable cause for the search) between Clark or Eastman and other potential co-conspirators. They now may very well be in possession of another side. As already noted, on Monday we learned that Eastman also had his phone seized by federal agents later in the same day as the morning raid at Clarks house in Virginia. Could that have just been a coincidence? Maybe not. The Jan. 6 committee in its hearing last week made significant effort to suggest that Clarks proposed letter that would have instructed the Georgia state legislature to reconsider its electoral college vote due to fraud and award its electors to Trump was similar to the legal work product Eastman was producing for Trump. This possibility raises other potent questionsare there other potential search warrant targets that we havent learned about yet? Is there a source of information cooperating with federal agents and DOJ with regard to any of the above potential conspiracies? And what would such a source, or sources, possibly gain in return for hypothetical cooperation? Its possible we may learn more at Tuesdays surprise hearing of the Jan. 6 committee. Even if not, its only a matter of time until we learn the results of this DOJ probe. The state of Mississippi has just one abortion clinic: Jackson Womens Health Organization, better known as the Pink House. And this very clinic was at the center of the recent Supreme Court decision that overruled Roe v. Wade: After Mississippi had passed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the clinic sued a state health official, with the case going to the high courts docketand the conservative majority ruling in favor of the state, and against abortion. How did Mississippi in particular become the state that would scuttle the constitutional right to an abortion? To find out, I spoke with Ashton Pittman, senior reporter for the Mississippi Free Press, on Tuesdays episode of What Next. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: Gov. Tate Reeves said Fridaythe day the ruling came downwas a joyous day and that he welcomed the beginning of a new pro-life agenda. I wonder what you thought when you heard that. Ashton Pittman: Well, Mississippi has the nations highest infant mortality rate. We also have the highest fetal mortality rate. It sounds like youre calling bullshit. Its hard to call this a pro-life state when we rank so low in so many things. We have these extremely high uninsurance rates: people who dont have health care or access, and live in counties where they dont even have a hospital because those hospitals have shut down. There was actually a state Supreme Court case last November in which a woman sued her employer because, she said, they fired her after they found out she was pregnant. The court basically said the employer can fire you for getting pregnant and you cant do anything about it. So, we have not built any kind of infrastructure in this state for a pro-life agenda. We have not built infrastructure to deal with kids being born to mothers who dont have the resources to care for them. Weve done none of that work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back in 2015, when you were still in college, you wrote this short opinion piece for the New York Times saying the most important issue for you was the makeup of the Supreme court. I look back at it now and think it was really prescient. It seems like you got that idea because from a very young age, in your church youth group, you were being told that this is the most important thing. You realized there was this incredible momentum to swing the court. Did it feel like people outside of the evangelical space didnt quite understand that? Advertisement Advertisement Yes, it did. In the evangelical church, I was given a strong appreciation for what the Supreme Court can do, because I knew abortion wasnt going to be outlawed by Congress. Later on, once I left evangelicalism, I still saw the Supreme Court as so pivotal when it comes to voting rights and civil rights. And Im a gay man: I knew Congress wasnt going to legalize gay marriage, but I knew that my future rights, my right to marry, depended on who sat on the court. I had assumed that liberals and Democrats were talking just as much about how important it was to have their people on the court, and then I found out, once I got into college and talked to people who werent evangelicals or Republicans, I learned this isnt as big of an issue on the other side of the aisle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On election night 2016, I was like, OK, Roe v. Wade will be overturned, and theres a chance marriage equality is also gonna be overturned. Because I knew that the next president, as I wrote in that 2015 article, was going to have the power to appoint at least two justices, possibly three. People in 2016 actually responded to that article, I was fearmongering in favor of one candidate or the other. I hadnt mentioned a candidate in that article, I just said this is the most important Issue, because it affects every right, every piece of legislation Congress passes. Politicians in Mississippi have been trying to poke holes in the constitutional right to abortion for a long time, and not just through the courts. Back in 2011, when you were a student journalist, you covered an attempt to pass a personhood amendment to Mississippis constitution and interviewed anti-abortion activists who actually moved to the state thinking that if giving fetuses rights was going to happen anywhere, it would happen here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They saw Mississippi as a ripe opportunity because were a conservative state with only one abortion clinic. They saw Mississippi as really ripe for pushing anti-abortion legislation and testing anti-abortion laws, and setting the groundwork to challenge Roe v. Wade. Advertisement The idea at the time with a personhood amendment was basically that if you define a fetus or a fertilized egg as a person, they should have 14th Amendment rights to equal protection under the law. What the process actually showed was that Mississippi voters did not want this extreme kind of abortion ban: There were a lot of people who considered themselves anti-abortion who, once they understood what was in the personhood amendmentthat it wouldnt allow exceptions for rape or incest or for the life of the motherjoined a ground well of opposition to it. Voters rejected the amendment by almost 60 percent. But a bill is in Congress, called the Life at Conception Act, that would do something very similar. It has 168 Republican sponsors between the House and Senate, with a majority of house Republicans, I believe so. So, theres a continuity with this stuff, and I think youre gonna see a bigger push for that nationwide now. Advertisement Youve reported deeply about the origins of the Dobbs case, specifically its origins in a law that was not born necessarily in the Mississippi Legislature, but first drafted by a group known as the Alliance Defending Freedom. Im wondering if you can lay out how a group like the ADF joined forces with Mississippi politicians there, and what that meant. Advertisement Advertisement In 2018, we had three Mississippi lawmakers introduce identical 15-week abortion bans. The exact same wording: banning abortion at 15 weeks. no exceptions for rape. A few weeks before the lawmakers introduced these bans, ADF leaders were at this anti-abortion rally and announced that they had this plan to either make Roe irrelevant or completely reverse it: They explained that they had drafted laws that would ban abortions at 15 weeks. They had also drafted some other options that they were shopping to lawmakers and states, and they explained that, with Trump changing the Supreme Court, they believed they could get one of these abortion bans to the court and either overturn or seriously weaken Roe v. Wade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So just a few weeks after they explained this plan, the bills they wrote are introduced in Mississippi by these lawmakers. Within two months, Gov. Phil Bryant was signing the 15-week abortion ban into law, and I believe that same day, Jackson Womens Health Organization filed a lawsuit. The ADF has this idea that it wants a Christian worldview in every area of the law. Its not exaggerating: It wants Christian ideas and evangelical views to be a part of the law, to make them part of the way the national government is run. Its motivated by this idea that its religion and views should dominate. Advertisement It sounds like this group that wants to establish a theocracy is steering policy in this country through the Supreme Court. Advertisement Thats exactly whats happening. If you look at the Trump administration, he had a lot of people surrounding him who were what you would call Christian Dominionists. They were a big part of Jan. 6. The next few days are going to be critical in Mississippi. The Mississippi attorney general certified the states trigger law earlier this week, meaning abortions are supposed to be banned within 10 days. But Jackson Womens Health has sued to stop the law from taking effect. So in Mississippi, abortion is still being argued about in court. I think youre going to see the people at Jackson continuing to do what they do. Theyre going to continue trying to get patients in and help as many as they can, while protesters are out there trying to run people off. My impression is that the clinic is not going to remain open for any services after this trigger law goes into effect, but there already reproductive rights activists who have worked to teach people how to self-manage their own abortions. Looking at the language of the trigger law, something I couldnt quite figure out is whether abortion pills will still be legal in Mississippi,. It seems clear to me that they shouldnt be illegal, but then Im also seeing quotes from activists like this woman, Michelle cologne, who youve spent a lot of time with over the years, shes a clinic defender. And she basically said, Were gonna be giving out the abortion pill, right under peoples noses. Like we are not going away. And that seems to be where this battle is headed. Weve talked to, to lawmakers who have said that they would like to come back and pass legislation to try to prevent people from being able to get the pills. Im not sure what thats gonna look like though. I think youre gonna see some of these activists move on to things like fighting plan B, but I would be surprised LGBTQ rights didnt become one of their next targets. And I dont think were gonna have lawmakers in Mississippi eager to protect us. They certainly havent tried to protect LGBTQ rights in the past. Its a scary time to be in. Read more of Slates coverage on abortion rights here. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. On Slates Amicus podcast this week, Dahlia Lithwick and Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law and author of Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment, discussed what the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case overturning Roe v. Wade, will mean in the short, medium and long term for reproductive and other freedoms. Their conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: Walk me through what it means in states that have trigger laws, states that have laws that need to be ratified by elected officials, and states in which laws go into effect today. Is it true that right now there are clinics closing; patients who were on the table at 10:10 on Friday when the decision came down, not being able to procure an abortion. To the extent that you can project what this meansin the very near term, in the medium term and in the longer term. Can you just walk us through how this dominoes out across the country? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Zeigler: Well, we know that in the states with trigger laws, many of these laws will go into effect very quickly. There are some states that have sort of delay mechanisms. There has to be certification by the attorney general, for example, and then 30 days have to go by. Many states, even Friday have already been banning abortion. I think South Dakota was the latest, but Im sure there are more that have been happening in the immediate aftermath of the decision. That number will grow. In other states theres more complexity. For example, Michigan has abortion on the ballot before voters directly. Theres also state constitutional litigation unfolding in Michigan. So therell be some states that are in a holding pattern in the near term. Then of course this issue will be politically contested in a variety of places. Those include states that once had state constitutional protections for abortion, but now no longer do. Well, Im jumping the gun a little bit, but in Iowa and likely Florida. There will be states that have complicated politics on abortion where well see money pouring in nationally. Thatll especially be true of states that have been regional outliers, where people have been traveling to get abortions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We may see conflicts. I think President Joe Biden flagged these potential conflicts in remarks in the aftermath of the decision, essentially saying that the right to travel is at stake. So itll be interesting to see, once trigger laws go into effect, how far are states willing to go to enforce abortion laws? How far are they willing to go in terms of surveillance? How far are they willing to go in terms of regulating the conduct of people out of state? How far are they willing to go in regulating the line between speech and conduct? For example, people posting websites about how to perform an abortion at home or advertising abortion medication. Advertisement Advertisement We dont know the answers to these questions. I think its fair to assume that contrary to what Justice Brett Kavanaugh is telling us this is Pandoras box, right? So we have no idea where this is going to take us other than to imagine that its going to be polarizing and its going to be difficult for people who had not lived through the pre-Roe era to imagine. Advertisement One of the things we can say for certain about the pre-Roe era is that more likely than not the person who was targeted in jurisdictions where abortion was prohibited was the physician. Were in a different world now, right? Where it can be somebody who puts medication abortion pills in the mail. It can be somebody who The famous hypothetical from the S.B. 8 context is the Uber driver who takes somebody to a clinic, or somebody who drives someone across state lines. So I think one of the things that I see as materially different in Dobbs that maybe we havent fully wrapped our heads around is that the pregnant people themselves are going to be the targets, as you say, of surveillance and of some of these vigilante schemes that are being put into effect in ways that really dont map onto the reality pre-Roe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Absolutely. The availability of medication even puts in play punishment for pregnant people. Thats not happening now and I think decent amount should be said about the fact that the mainstream anti-abortion movement does not at this moment want to punish pregnant people. Theyve actually been fighting state legislators who want to do that, saying no, no, dont do that. The people who do want to punish pregnant people though, have more influence in the anti-abortion movement than they have historically. I chalk much of that up to self-managed abortion because those people are saying essentially, okay, you dont want to punish pregnant people. You dont think you should, granted, but what are you going to do when someone in Oklahoma gets abortion medication from a doctor in Europe and a pharmacist in India? Are you going to just let that go? Advertisement Advertisement I think thats going to be a difficult answer for many people, for Republican lawmakers and people in the anti-abortion movement. So I think its not only the case that were seeing surveillance of a kind that was impossible in the pre-Roe era, although its worth emphasizing that pregnant people were surveilled then too and forced to testify. But were also, I think, going to see at least more of a push to punish pregnant people themselves. I dont know if thats going to work yet. I think thats a conflict that is very unpredictable, but its going to happen. The conversations about punishing pregnant people directly are not over. Advertisement Advertisement Its also worth emphasizing that the folks who are being defined as aiders and betters by many in the anti-abortion movement is a much larger group of people than we wouldve seen in the pre-Roe era. The National Right to Life Committee, for example, recently put out a model bill that would define lots of things as criminal aiding and abetting. Abortion doulas, websites encouraging people to use abortion medications. Lots of things that come close to free speech or advocacy being defined as aiding or abetting. So the stakes of this are going to be high for a broader group of people. The absolutely banging serialized narrative that is the Jan. 6 hearings took a turn Sopranos-ward with the sensational testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday. In her closing statement, co-chair Liz Cheney read the statements of anonymous witnesses called by the panel reporting ominous messages theyd received from Trump World emissaries, telling those witnesses that an unnamed man knows how loyal they are and urging them to keep in mind all the fine opportunities potentially awaiting them after they spoke to the committee. In other words: Nice career youve got there. Would be a shame if something bad were to happen to it. Advertisement An unnamed witness describes how there is a culture of fear around testifying against Donald Trump because he might punish them: pic.twitter.com/nUeUZ3nmzo The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) June 28, 2022 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a good reminder that Donald Trump thinks of himself, and tries to behave, as a Mafia don, but he cant quite pull it off. For starters, unlike the real deal, Trump doesnt actually provide for his loyalists in exchange for their obediencenone of the people who asked for pardons for their complicity in the events of Jan. 6 actually got them. Advertisement Advertisement Framed and lit like a Medieval painting of a martyred saint, Hutchinson testified to one damning outburst after another. The president petulantly flinging his dinner at the wall upon learning that Attorney General William Barr had finally found enough integrity to disagree with him on whether the 2020 election had been stolen is the most cinematic image. But Trump trying to physically wrest the steering wheel of the Beast from a Secret Service agent so that he could join his followers at the Capitol was pretty vivid, too. Possibly the most legally weighty dime that Hutchinson dropped, however, was her eye-witness testimony that Trump ordered armed rioters who had been barred from his rally to be admitted so that the crowd would look bigger, then said, They can march to the Capitol from here. Advertisement Advertisement [Read: The Genuinely Shocking Bombshells From Cassidy Hutchisons Jan. 6 Testimony] The son of successful New York real estate developer, an incompetent New York real estate developer himself, and the owner of an eventually bankrupt casino in Atlantic City, Trump has surely rubbed shoulders with more than his fair share of mobsters. And, like the rest of us, hes seen plenty of them on screen. But is it really fair to compare Trump to a mob boss? Sure, hes unprincipled, immoral, and completely indifferent to the rule of law. Sure, he demands complete loyalty from his underlings no matter how badly he treats them. But while actual mob bosses have to be good at their jobs to keep themits a fierce, competitive environment!this has never been the case with Trump. First, he had his fathers money to squander, and then he used his bizarre appeal to the most witless segment of the Republican Party to hold the rest of the GOP hostage to his mad-king whims. As dangerous as Trump is, especially when backed by his Republican enablers, hes also ignorant, capricious, unfocused, recklessin the words of his own former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a moron. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, Trump is no Vito Corleone. Hes not even Tony Soprano, really. And while he does sometimes carry on like a mafia capo, and almost certainly enjoys styling himself as one, calling him a mob boss is an insult to mob bosses. That Trump was fully comfortable with seeing his riled-up troglodyte followers lynch his second-in-command for not showing a sufficient amount of that loyalty became crystal clear with Hutchinsons testimony. She said that she heard her boss, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, explain that Trump initially refused to talk the rioters down, remarking, He doesnt want to do anything, and He thinks Mike deserves it. Of course Mike deserved it, for as every mob boss knows, anything less than total obedience must be punished with extreme prejudice if you want to keep your perch at the top. Or, as Trumps father drummed into his sons from an early age, Youre a Trump. Youre a killer. Its just that most mob bosses either do the killing themselves or hire a professional to get it done, instead of relying on a mob of unpredictable Nazis, easily duped Fox News zombies, and a face-painted shaman. Thats the chilling yet undeniable proof that though Trump may fancy himself a mob boss, he isnt one: If he were, Mike Pence would not still be around to refuse to testify about how it feels to hear the president wants you hanged. As millions of their constituents mourned and raged at the loss of womens right to reproductive autonomy on Friday, most Democratic leaders didnt seem to have much to say. It wasnt because they were surprised: The overturning of Roe was in the cards the moment Donald Trump became president more than five years ago; Roe had been functionally dead since the Supreme Court allowed the Texas vigilante ban to stand last September; and a draft of Samuel Alitos decision had leaked to the public nearly two months ago. Advertisement But even with a yearslong runway to create a response to imminent forced breeding, the best House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could do is read aloud a poem about Israel that shed also read after the Capitol assault on Jan. 6, 2021. When asked whether Joe Biden planned to do any kind of listening tour for young people and women who are now grappling with the knowledge that they could be forced to sacrifice their own lives for a fetus that will not survive outside their bodies for the first time in almost half a century in this country, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration did not yet have a strategic strategy around the decision that it was ready to share. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a pre-planned event meant to commemorate the historic gun control legislation that passed final congressional approval on the same day the Supreme Court overturned Roe, dozens of congressional Democrats sang along to God Bless America on the Capitol steps. One block away, demonstrators protested a decision by six unelected justices that will impose a religious fundamentalist vision of patriarchal control on half the country. Invoking God in such a moment was the wrong choice, especially as most of the Democrats constituents would be more inclined to agree with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright than with a sappy unity song. Perhaps the most infuriating response from elected Democrats was the idea that all people had to do now was continue to elect Democrats. Kamala Harris, for example, lamented the demise of the right for each person to make intimate decisions about heart and home (what?) and then offered: You have the power to elect leaders who will defend and protect your rights, Harris said in her speech. And as the president said earlier today, with your vote, you can act, and you have the final word. Advertisement Advertisement The problem is that right now, so many Americans do not feel like they have the final word, or any word, when it comes to the Supreme Court. The U.S. government is not structured by majority rule, and that is part of what has gotten us to this place, where justices who were seated by presidents who won elections from minorities are stripping away rights. And very few Democrats seem equipped, prepared, or willing to say directly what is going on, nevermind offer solutions to the problem. If you were looking for some catharsis, it was celebrities who had the most to offer. Olivia Rodrigos deliberate naming of each justice who voted to overturn Roe, a reminder that there is blame to be dealt, felt more direct than what most elected officials had to say: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So did Danny DeVitos elegant rejoinder, Supreme Court my assa nod to the illegitimacy of a partisan court, populated by one ideologue in a stolen seat and two accused sex criminals. Advertisement Megan Rapinoe identified the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization as a turning point in our democracy, worthy of wielding power in defense of those whose lives hang in the balance by whatever means necessary. And Kendrick Lamar, performing at the same festival as Rodrigo, made his statement about the ruling in the blood-soaked ending of his show. Why are celebrities doing a better job of understanding the stark horror of this moment than the people elected to do just that? The answer to that might have less to do with celebrities competence in this momentpeople are full of emotion, and artists know how to express thatand more with the incompetence of a party that sat back and waited until we got here. Hannah Docter-Loeb contributed reporting. New trans law allows teens in Spain to change their gender on ID documents The draft bill on transgender rights in Spain aims to depathologise identity recognition. The draft decree was approved by cabinet ministers on Monday June 27 but still has to go through Congress for final approval. Under the new law, teenagers aged 16 and over will be allowed to change their name and gender on Spanish Ids without restrictions, once they reaffirm their decision after three months before the Civil Registry. Children aged between 14 and 16 must have parental consent or can apply to a judge while the courts must be involved in all decisions regarding minors between the ages of 12 and 14. Children under the age of 12 will be permitted to change their name but not their gender. The so-called trans law was brought to the table a year ago and the document hasnt seen too many changes since, but once novelty gives non-nationals living in Spain the option of changing their name and gender, if in their country of origin their rights are not guaranteed. Up until now, transgender teenagers had to undergo two years of hormone therapy or provide several medical reports confirming they were suffering from gender dysphoria if they wanted to change their sex. Announcing the approval of the decree, Spains Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, celebrated the fact that the country is once again at the forefront of LGTBI rights as it joins a handful of European countries that have depathologised identity recognition. The trans law also bans conversion therapy and removes the marriage requirement for female couples to co-parent their child. Also of interest: Spain approves abortion law which included paid menstrual leave Image: Pixaby Two contracts were concluded during Smer governments. News: Receive notifications about new articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled During the the second and third Smer governments, the nuclear and decommissioning company JAVYS made dubious deals with nuclear waste imported from Italy. Tenders between JAVYS and Italian company Nucleco were to be concluded without a public competition. Nucleco processes nuclear waste from Italy. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The Italian daily Il Giornale broke the story. According to JAVYS, the company was approached by Nucleco and subsequently submitted a standard price offer. Related article Related article Enviro Ministry greenlights extension of radioactive waste treatment facility in Jaslovske Bohunice Read more Payment for empty containers The first of two contracts for the import of the Italian nuclear waste to Slovakia was concluded in 2014 during the second government of Robert Fico (Smer). JAVYS belongs to the Economy Ministry. Until July 2014, Tomas Malatinsky was the minister, followed by Pavol Pavlis. Both were Smer nominees. JAVYS spokeswoman Miriam Ziakova explained the first contract was a 600,000 pilot project, allegedly intended to verify the ability of both companies to carry out a larger project. Palestinian agricultural engineers Amna Afifi (L) and Mohsen Ahmed work on extracting the wood vinegar product in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on June 16, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) by Sanaa Kamal GAZA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- About a year ago, Amna Afifi and Mohsen Ahmed, two agricultural engineers in the Gaza Strip, embarked on a research into the potential soil problems with the besieged Palestinian enclave when they learned that some of their farming relatives had suffered harvest failures. "There are many reasons for such problems, mainly water salinity and the excessive use of unnatural pesticides to eliminate agricultural pests, which negatively affect soil quality and health in the long run," Afifi, 29, told Xinhua. In face of the soil pollution that has changed the taste of vegetables and fruits and may cause cancer, the two engineers found by trial and error that vinegar "extracted from the residues of tree pruning" is a possible solution. "So my colleague and I decided to produce wood vinegar to help eliminate such problems," Afifi said. The production, however, was initially hampered by the lack of a special device banned by Israel from entering Gaza. Israel has been blockading Gaza since Hamas violently seized control of the the Palestinian coastal enclave in the summer of 2007. Despite the odds, the two engineers found a way to make the device with simple tools available, which consists of two iron barrels, one used for decomposition and the other for distillation. They have also simplified the production procedures by burning the wood to make it decompose into smoke and steam which pass through an iron tube into the other barrel linked to a small tube for distillation, according to Afifi. "During the production process, we should check the salinity, temperature, and acidity of the produced vinegar through a measuring device, to ensure the validity and feasibility of its use," Ahmed told Xinhua. "After that, we can filter the distilled vinegar to extract the exhaust and impurities for pure vinegar suitable for fertilizing agricultural land," the engineer added. Adham al-Basiouny, spokesman of the Gaza agricultural ministry, praised the engineers' wood vinegar research as a useful initiative to help local farmers address their harvest problems, because "the high level of salinity along with soil pollution is one of the major hazards to agricultural crops in the Gaza Strip." "The product has proven effective, which may lead the ministry to allow the farmers to use it for high-quality agricultural crops free from the problems that harm human health," Basiouny said. Palestinian agricultural engineers Amna Afifi (front) and Mohsen Ahmed work on extracting wood vinegar product in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on June 16, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinian agricultural engineer Amna Afifi works on extracting wood vinegar product in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on June 16, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinian agricultural engineer Mohsen Ahmed works on extracting wood vinegar product in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on June 16, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinian agricultural engineers Amna Afifi (R) and Mohsen Ahmed work on extracting wood vinegar product in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on June 16, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Hey Livvy set all of the speed in Monday evenings $38,500 Open Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park , but it was Forbidden Trade who enjoyed all of the glory in the featured affair. With Bob McClure at the controls, the odds-on favourite got away fourth while Hey Livvy shot to the top and carved out panels of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24.1. Patriarch Hanover made a sharp move from first-over around the final turn, and he generated enough speed to grab the lead as the field entered the stretch. Forbidden Trade, who sat fourth for the first three-quarters of the contest, angled off the rail in the lane and used a :27.2 closing quarter of his own to nail Patriarch Hanover by a head in 1:52.2. Pikachu Hanover rallied late to finish third. Luc Blais trains the six-year-old son of Kadabra-Pure Ivory for Determination of Montreal, Que. It was the third straight tally for the 24-time winner who pushed his lifetime earnings to $2,187,082 with the victory. Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse (2nd L) and Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan (2nd R) sign documents during a handover ceremony of the Chinsese COVID-19 vaccine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 27, 2022. The Chinese government on Monday handed over an additional 10 million Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Monday handed over an additional 10 million Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia. The latest batch of the 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses is expected to further boost Ethiopia's anti-COVID-19 vaccination efforts while playing a crucial role in combating the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. The handover ceremony was attended by senior Ethiopian government officials and members of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse said during the handover ceremony that the latest donation, which is the seventh batch of vaccine donations from China to Ethiopia, would propel Ethiopia's anti-pandemic efforts. "Including today's donation the government of China has donated a total of 14 million doses of vaccines to Ethiopia to fight the virus, restore the economy and protect people's health," Tadesse said. "Where there is unity and cooperation there is always victory. I hope Ethiopia, China and the rest of the world will fight the pandemic in a solidarity mindset to beat the virus." According to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, China has to date been committed to donating 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia, while facilitating Ethiopia's procurement of vaccines from China. Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said since the start of the pandemic, Ethiopia and China have continued to provide mutual support, adding a new chapter to the China-Ethiopia friendship. "China and Ethiopia are good friends and good partners with a shared future," the Chinese ambassador said. He said China stands ready to promote the China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to an even higher level. "The Chinese side stands ready to work with Ethiopia to make good use of vaccines as a powerful weapon, and jointly defeat the pandemic through closer health cooperation, so as to truly make contributions for the health and wellbeing of our peoples and for the friendship between our two countries," Zhao said. According to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, the latest arrival of 10 million vaccine doses demonstrates that China is turning its commitments into visible and tangible outcomes. Throughout the fight against COVID-19, China, Ethiopia and many African countries have consistently put life first and worked in solidarity. Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse (L) and Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan exchange documents during a handover ceremony of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 27, 2022. The Chinese government on Monday handed over an additional 10 million Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses to Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old are now available in the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children and adolescents should be vaccinated to protect them against COVID-19 as soon as possible, according to a health department release on Tuesday. Children who have contraindications, or health conditions that make a vaccine treatment potentially harmful, should first consult their doctor before being vaccinated. The CDC on June 24 approved Modernas COVID-19 vaccine for children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years. With this additional vaccine available, there are now two options to protect children from COVID-19, according to the release. This includes the already-approved Pfizer vaccine, given in two shots 21 days apart. Children younger than 5 will require a third shot of Pfizer eight weeks after the second shot, according to RRHD. The Moderna vaccine for children is administered in two shots 28 days apart. Common side effects are mild and may include fever, headache, irritability, drowsiness, and redness or soreness at the injection site, and usually last only a few days. Vaccines for 6 months to 5 years have begun in the RRHD area, and shots are available at doctors offices or the health department for this age group. The vaccine prevents severe disease and death. Since 2020, 442 children aged 0-4 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S., and COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 leading causes of death for kids, according to RRHD. Among children, the highest rates of hospitalizations were in those under age 5, and one in four ended up in the ICU. More than half of hospitalized children in this age group had no underlying conditions, according to the health department. To find a nearby vaccination site see Vaccinate Virginia. To schedule an appointment at the local health department, see rrhd.org or call 540/308-6072. Residents may walk-in without an appointment to receive COVID-19 vaccines at: Culpeper Health Department8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays at 650 Laurel St. Fauquier Health Department8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays at 330 Hospital Drive in Warrenton. Madison Health Department8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at 1480 N. Madison St. Suite A Orange Health Department1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at 450 N. Madison Rd. Rappahannock Health Department1 to 4 p.m. first and third Friday of each month at 338A Gay St. in Washington, Virginia. According to Tuesdays health department update, COVID-19 Community Level was at Medium in Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock and at Low in Fauquier County, as of June 28. Culpeper County Sheriffs Office and state police personnel have been staying busy cracking down on drug crimes, recently seizing hundreds of suspected deadly fentanyl pills as well as guns and cash. CCSO Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team and the Virginia State Police Blue Ridge Drug Task Force collaborated on the most recent investigation, resulting in an arrest Monday. Dirale Woodson, 24, of Culpeper was pulled over June 27 by sheriffs deputies after leaving his home as a passenger in a 2006 Toyota. The traffic stop followed police surveillance of his basement apartment on Magnolia Circle in the Town of Culpeper. Woodson was taken into custody without incident after a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of two guns and around 200 suspected Fentanyl pills disguised to look like Percocet pills, according to a CCSO release. Woodson was arrested for possession with intent to distribute a Schedule I or II controlled substance, possession of a firearm while in possession of a schedule I or II substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition, he was was wanted by Manassas Police for assault and battery of a family member, CCSO said. Two others in the vehicle were also arrested, including the driver, 19-year-old Mariah Renee Haley, of Bealeton. She was charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, driving without a license and using marijuana while in a vehicle on a public highway. Tyrese Barber, 22, of Manassas was a rear seat passenger charged with carrying a concealed firearm. Woodson was ordered held without bail at Culpeper County Jail while Haley and Barber were released on bail, according to the release. A subsequent search warrant on Woodsons apartment yielded a black powder rifle, handgun ammunition and approximately half an ounce of suspected crack cocaine, leading to more gun and drug charges. The work of detectives and help from citizens makes a big impact on stopping the flow of this poison, said Sheriff Scott Jenkins in a statement. I wish we could share many more of these stories without jeopardizing the ongoing investigations, but I hope this will encourage citizens to continue working with us to protect our community, he said. In another recent drug arrest and joint investigation with the CCSO, a State Police SWAT Team executed a search warrant on June 17 at a home on Spring Meadow Lane in The Meadows. Seized in the search were 200 suspected fentanyl pills (pressed to look like Percocet pills), nearly $6,000 in cash, an AK-47 pistol, AR-15 Style pistol, another pistol, and ammunition, according to a CCSO release. The warrant was authorized after agencies received information that 29-year-old Kimberly Jacobs, of Culpeper, was selling illicit substances at Virginia Commons Apartments. She was arrested for possession with intent to distribute a schedule I or II controlled substance and possession of a firearm while in possession of this controlled substance. Jacobs was held without bond at the Culpeper County Jail. This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information into this matter is asked to contact the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office at 540/727-7900, or anonymously to Culpeper Crime Solvers at 540/727-0300. Children at least 6 months old can now receive COVID-19 shots after the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions endorsement of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine has been approved for children ages 6 months to 5 years as of June 18. Following the announcement, Panhandle Public Health District released details about how families can get their children vaccinated. Medical and public health experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that children and adolescents age 6 months and older get a COVID vaccine to help protect them from contracting and spreading the virus, the press release reads. Scotts Bluff County Health Director Paulette Schnell told the Star-Herald that Scotts Bluff County will have a walk-in clinic that offers all COVID-19 vaccines for all ages at the Scotts Bluff County Immunization Clinic, located at 313 W 38th St. in Scottsbluff. The clinic is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For children ages 6 months to 5 years, those vaccines will likely be available starting Tuesday, July 5, Schnell said. Scientists have done a lot of research and theyve outweighed the vaccine safety concerns versus if someone gets COVID and how it could affect them, Schnell said. There has been a lot of review and scientific research done with this, so the safety is there. However, speaking to a health care provider or nurse at the clinic is advised for parents who have questions. As with earlier news about the COVID-19 vaccination, misinformation is a concern, so health officials encourage families to get information from reliable sources and to visit with their health care provider or pediatrician about options. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey in May, the majority of parents with children under 5 feel they dont have enough information about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for children. Of those surveyed, nearly 40% also said they felt information released on the younger age group by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration to be confusing. However, the CDC website offers families useful resources to help navigate the available vaccines and risks. Throughout the trial process, experts determined what dosage and series would be safe and effective for children, making the review process longer than for adults. According to a CDC preliminary document on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine products, vials will continue to be labeled and color-coded by age. Current distribution of the vaccine for ages 12 years and older comes in a gray container and for ages 5 through 11 in an orange container. The proposed color for 6 months through 4 years is maroon. Scientists and medical experts have worked to ensure the vaccine is safe for children and adolescents ages 6 months to 17 years old, the release states. Before being authorized for children, these experts completed their review of safety and effectiveness data from clinical trials involving thousands of children. Whats more, 22 million children and adolescents ages 5-17 have already received the COVID vaccine. A similar document for the Moderna vaccine is being developed. When asked about the protocols for storing and administering the vaccine to this new age group, referred to as Tender Care, Schnell said they will have the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available soon. The public can call 308-630-1126 for more information about the vaccines ahead of next week. Health care providers encourage children and youth people to get the vaccine after a recent study posted to the medRxiv pre-print server found that COVID-19 was the ninth leading cause of death among children and youth, from birth to 19 years old, in the United States between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2022. COVID also ranked as the top infectious respiratory-disease-causing death. While children and adolescents are typically at lower risk than adults of becoming severely ill or hospitalized from COVID, it is still possible, PPHD said in its release. The vaccine is the best way to protect children from becoming severely ill or having long-lasting health impacts due to COVID. Research has found the risk of a child having serious adverse reaction to the COVID vaccine to be very low. However, one rare complication linked to the COVID vaccine is myocarditis inflammation of the heart. Data found this complication to be a higher risk among young males. I would recommend for families with children who have health issues to discuss it with their provider, Schnell said. Ahead of the fall, Schnell said the news that the Tender Care group can become vaccinated will hopefully reduce COVID-19 numbers and transmission. She also hopes families sees this as an opportunity to prepare their children for the fall. Day care kids and school-aged kids are out and about around other children and in the community, so that day care setting and school setting makes them more exposed, she said. Sometimes they dont have severe symptoms, so they might be passing it to groups that are more immune compromised. Research has also shown that about half of kids hospitalized with COVID-19 in Nebraska did not have previous medical problems. I think a lot of people want to stop and think, 'Well, my kid's healthy, so they wont end up in the hospital with COVID. Thats not what weve seen. Its been about half and half, she said. We really need to consider that this is a vaccine like your other childhood vaccines that decrease the amount of disease in the community, Schnell said. Protect not only your children, but those around them because there are still those who arent able to get vaccinated children who are 6 months and younger. To find a local vaccine provider, visit https://tinyurl.com/37y7shhw. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SkyWest Charter, a new subsidiary of SkyWest Airlines, has filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin servicing more than two dozen airports, including Scottsbluffs Western Nebraska Regional Airport. Any time between now and Im thinking April of next year, they will come to us, offer this service and then offer us a contract to fly under that. Thats my understanding, Airport Director Raul Aguallo said. SkyWest had previously announced its intent to end service to Scottsbluff due to a lack of pilots. The new charter service would alleviate that problem. Earlier this month, the airline had asked the DOT to allow the subsidiary to apply for Part 135 regulations. Currently, Western Nebraska Regional Airport operates flights under Part 139 regulations. The new Part 135 regulations allow co-pilots to have fewer training hours. With the current pilot shortage, newer first officers will be able to get into a cockpit earlier in their careers. It makes what they do smaller. The intent of that, of course, is it allows them to fly with pilots that have less hours, Aguallo said. I think the captain still has to have 1,500 hours, but I think it allows the first officer to have 500. The charter company would use the same Bombardier CRJ200 jets the airport currently uses, just with 20 of the seats physically removed for a total of 30 seats per flight. It allows us to fly more like a charter service as opposed to a commercial airline service, Aguallo said. Its just the DOTs way of allowing them to continue to serve us and continue to make a living at it until the pilot shortage eases. Fewer passengers per flight would make the airline less money than before, he added, but it would make more money than keeping the planes grounded entirely. Its only a means to an end, Aguallo said. The hope is in 18 to 24 months when they get the pilot shortages eliminated and theyre back to full numbers, theyre going to want to fill that jet again. He added the airport would absolutely accept any contract SkyWest offered. It allows us not to have to worry too much about a replacement airline because the intent is for them to stay at this point, he said. Even with two 50-seat flights available per day, Western Nebraska Regional Airport was usually only boarding 50 to 60 passengers between them beforehand. The morning flights were usually significantly fuller than those in the afternoon. Two 30-seat flights would allow for around the same number of passengers. Aguallo said the hope is people will take advantage of the smaller flights to board more evenly between the morning and afternoon flights. He advised the flying public to stay confident and continue to book flights. Aguallo said SkyWest will institute its new charter service in chunks. Theyll start in a few cities, get the jets operational, offer contracts and then move on to another batch of cities. SkyWest had advised 29 communities of its intent to cancel service in March, but a DOT hold-in order required the airline to continue to provide flights until a replacement service could be found. This new charter service will continue to serve 25 of those locations. The Nebraska airports impacted by the decision were those in Scottsbluff, North Platte and Kearney. Flights between North Platte and Denver will be among those resuming, but Kearney was not selected as a location for the charter service. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SIOUX FALLS Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, in his first public comments since being removed from office last week, appeared before a state ethics board Monday to press for an investigation of fellow Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, the person he blames for his impeachment over his conduct surrounding a 2020 fatal car crash. As attorney general, Ravnsborg last year filed a pair of complaints against Noem to the state's Government Accountability Board alleging she abused the powers of her office by interfering in a state agency as it evaluated her daughters application for a real estate appraiser license and by misusing state airplanes. The board, which is comprised of retired judges, has not decided whether to investigate Noem and is working with an attorney to evaluate the merits of the complaints. Ravnsborg appeared at the Government Accountability Boards meeting for the first time since he initiated the complaints last year and said he was ready to provide additional information. He made it clear he thinks an investigation could have far-reaching consequences for Noem, who is running for reelection after a first term that vaulted her to national prominence. She's widely considered to be a White House aspirant in 2024. Im not going to let this just drop. I think that they should pursue it and I do believe that, ultimately, the House will pursue it, Ravnsborg told The Associated Press, suggesting that Noem could also face impeachment for her actions. The former attorney general denied that he was out for revenge against Noem, although he blames her for his removal. Noem and Ravnsborg became political enemies after he struck and killed a pedestrian in 2020. Noem publicly called for Ravnsborg to resign and later pressed the Legislature to impeach him. The House eventually did, and the Senate last week convicted him of two charges: committing a crime that caused someones death and malfeasance for misleading investigators and misusing his office. Ravnsborg blamed emotion and political pressure for tilting the Republican-controlled Senate against him and said Noem sought his removal because he had filed the complaints to the Government Accountability Board. I think that among these two complaints and theres other scandals that shes involved in that she did not want the information to come to light," he said. Noem's spokesman Tony Mangan declined to comment on the board's proceedings or Ravnsborg's remarks. The board has tapped Sioux Falls attorney Mark Haigh, who primarily specializes in business and health care law, to help evaluate Ravnsborg's complaints. Haigh also has experience arguing before juries, administrative boards and licensing agencies. The Associated Press reported last year that the governor held a meeting in July 2020 that included her daughter and key decision-makers in her application for an appraiser license just days after the agency moved to deny the license. A Republican-controlled legislative committee concluded that Noem's daughter, Kassidy Peters, got preferential treatment. Noem has rejected that finding, saying her daughter followed the same process as other applicants. But the agencys former director, Sherry Bren, told the legislative committee last year that she felt intimidated at the July 2020 meeting, where she said Peters unsuccessful application was discussed in detail and a plan was formed to give her an unprecedented, additional chance to show she could meet federal standards. Noems office has said the plan was in the works before the meeting. Peters got her license four months later. Shortly after that, Bren retired under pressure from Noem's cabinet secretary. She eventually received a $200,000 settlement to withdraw an age discrimination complaint. Ravnsborg's other complaint was sparked by a report from Raw Story, a news website. Noem in 2019 used state airplanes to travel to events held by political organizations including the National Rifle Association and the Republican Jewish Coalition, even though South Dakota law bars their use for anything other than state business. Noem defended the trips as part of her work as an ambassador for the state. The boards consideration of the complaints began last year and has happened entirely in private meetings. It could either investigate the complaints and potentially hold hearings or dismiss them entirely. The judges will meet next on Aug. 3. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form There are more tears shed over answered prayers than unanswered prayers, St. Teresa of Avila said. Republicans may soon learn just how that works. It used to be that Republican politicians with no fixed views on abortion could pray loudly for an end to Roe v. Wade. They knew that their stances would please abortion foes while not alarming the pro-choice majority. As long as Roe remained a law protecting the right to end a pregnancy, pro-choice voters open to other aspects of the Republican platform could shrug at such candidates. Abortion goes back to the people, says a Wall Street Journal editorial, as it puts on a brave face in the wake of the Supreme Courts striking down of a popular right. Theyve got that right. And President Joe Biden concurs. Roe is on the ballot, he announced right after the ruling. And Democrats whove been engaging in anticipatory grief over expected losses in the midterms have new hope for holding onto their legislative majorities. The GOP ought not take solace from a poll taken right after the ruling in which 78% of Republicans said they favored the decision. It really should worry about that 22% that, despite all, still identify as Republicans but want a constitutional right to an abortion. For not only has this ruling rattled the all-important suburban swing vote, but it has also unleashed right-wing radicals who are already launching threats at women who go to states where abortion remains legal. The nastiness is just beginning. No lesser an authority on curtailing of rights than Justice Clarence Thomas has come right out and said the Roe ruling puts same-sex marriage and even contraception back in play. It helps not that his wife is a prominent insurrectionist who has made common cause with the savages who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Chief Justice John Roberts has clearly lost control. The outcome of overturning Roe is not a simple matter of sending the issue back to the individual states. The civic culture is already dealing with the Texas law that waves bags of money at creeps willing to hound women they suspect of having abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. A six-week limit is a virtual ban; many, if not most, women dont know they are pregnant that early on. Interestingly, the Mississippi law that the Supreme Court upheld in the Roe case a 15-week limit on abortion would not have outlawed the procedure. The vast majority of abortions are done within 15 weeks. Mississippi, however, is one of many states that has passed another law triggering a real ban should Roe be thrown out. Nowadays, 54% of abortions are pill-based procedures. States that are prohibiting abortion, Louisiana, for example, are trying to outlaw the mailing of abortion medications from elsewhere. Good luck with that. And are they going to stop cars at the state line to inspect handbags? Some abortion foes want women ending their pregnancies charged with a capital crime, like murder. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says hes into that. The willingness to trample on Americans privacy has developers of apps that track menstrual cycles concerned that their users might get hacked and harassed over whether they give birth. These services, such as Apple Health, Flo and Clue, are used both by women who want to get pregnant and those who dont. Some pro-life activists want Congress to ban abortion nationwide. That, The Wall Street Journal opines, will strike many Americans as hypocritical after decades of Republican claims that repealing Roe would return the issue to the states. But that is something they will undoubtedly try. Answered prayers have their consequences. Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. Three Girl Scouts (Cadette level) from Troop 13036 in Mooresville earned their Silver Awards after completing community service projects in the area. The Silver Award, which requires a minimum of 50 hours of community service, is earned after a Scout identifies a need in the community, plans a project and leads the project (including any fundraising). While each Cadette worked on their own project independently, they joined together in the fundraising. Lucy ONeill and Zoey Mazzara, both 14, and Catherine McAdams, 13, began their projects by first reflecting on their community and what they might be able to do to contribute in a meaningful way. Lucy noticed the easy access to feminine hygiene products at school were problematic and wanted to address these issues. Zoey was passionate about creating a project involving law enforcement, and Catherine wanted to increase opportunities for book exchange in the community. The three held a fundraiser last fall in front of Lowes Home Improvement in Mooresville, where each prepared their own products to sell and raise money for their projects. Lucy made jewelry, Zoey sold paintings and Catherine sold baked goods. With these funds and donations, their projects to earn their Silver Award could be completed. Period Project Lucys project, Period Project, was dedicated to making girls feel more comfortable about their periods, while also aimed at helping those who might be in period poverty. Period poverty is when a girl does not have access to pads or tampons and has not had proper education about periods. Her family may not be financially able to purchase pads so she may have to free bleed until she can get another supply of pads. When planning her project, Lucy also considered that a girl may have been taught that her period is shameful, no one wants to be around her when she is on it, or she may feel embarrassed because she has to ask someone for tampons in front of others. Lucys passion was to make supplies easily available in the student bathrooms so that they do not have to go to the office to get supplies. Lucy was thoughtful in the needs of the students and provided a variety of sizes of pads and tampons so to have options and choose the one that works better for them. Lucy reached out to the principal, nurse and president of the PTO at The Brawley School to present the idea for her project. Once she had their approval, she purchased supplies, obtained containers for the supplies and placed them in the student bathrooms. A staff member attached the containers to the wall in the bathrooms to make space for the supplies. For Period Project to be sustainable, Lucy spoke with the nurse to assist. The nurse will choose three students one from each grade (sixth, seventh, and eighth) to monitor supplies and let her know when they are low. A flyer has also been created for the school to share requesting donations of supplies from other families or for them to share for future reference. Books in the Park Catherine noticed there was not a Little Free Library at Cornelius Road Park and with many people utilizing the park, thought it would be a good addition. She loves reading and wanted to create something for the community so that others can share and enjoy books with one another. After contacting the Mooresville Parks and Recreation Department to obtain approval for the project, she began planning. Catherine decided to build two libraries at the park, one for adults and one at a lower height for children. Catherine received a generous donation of materials from Lowes Home Improvement to build the libraries. She supplemented with the funds raised from the bake sale. Catherine identified that there were learning opportunities in leadership including coordinating the project as a whole, learning how to use tools not used before, and balancing school with project needs. She asked her father for help and guidance in building the libraries as this was a more complicated building project than she initially anticipated. Catherine happily explained that she is now able to use a drill, saw, chisel and work with concrete. Catherine has returned to the park a couple of times to fill the libraries. She purchased some books at Goodwill and received donations from others. Catherine will continue to monitor the needs of the Little Free Libraries at the park. She hopes the community will enjoy the leave-a-book/take-a-book exchange the Little Free Libraries provide for years to come. Paws on Patrol Zoey wanted to recognize the hard work and dedication of local law enforcement. Zoey is the daughter of a 20-year veteran New York City police officer, who is also a Trade Center Ground Zero first responder. It was important to Zoey to show her appreciation for officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. She raised money, gathered materials including blankets and fleece that she fashioned into rope toys for the Mooresville Police Department K-9 Unit. Zoey worked with Sgt. Dan Walther to present the gifts to the K-9s and their officer partners. Zoey raised funds for her project, made certain to choose cloth that was not toxic to dogs, and carefully prepared the items for the Mooresville Police Department K-9 Unit. Zoey enjoyed delivering the items to the K-9 Unit and interacting with the dogs as well. She shared, I am proud of the work I put into completing Paws on Patrol. One of the greatest successes was seeing the dogs enjoy the toys from the moment I gave the toys to them. I loved how they went crazy with the toys and how they loved them. I think it is nice to see them have some fun after working so hard all day. Zoey also reflected on the time it took to complete the project. She recognized the value of how we spend our time and balancing all aspects of life. She shared that she learned that making time for community service in addition to work/ school and luxuries is important. These three projects added something to the community that was not there previously. The leadership skills utilized also provided opportunities for personal challenge and growth for each Cadette. While their projects are different, Catherine, Lucy, and Zoey hope that what they have designed will be enjoyed by others. The Smyth County native died in 1904 in Kentucky. However, her image as a young girl continues to live on and is getting extra care now thanks to conservators in Richmond. Anna Chastain was born in the Saltville area and lived in the county until she was about eight years old when her family moved to Kentucky. While the details are limited, Betsy White, William King Museum of Art director, knows that she returned to Abingdon for her education, likely at one of the communitys private schools. During that time, the prolific portrait artist Samuel Shaver painted Chastain. Experts who have evaluated the painting believe the girl was 10 to 12 years old when the painting was done, likely between 1845 and 1850. Samuel Shaver was the nephew of Michael Shaver, who served on Abingdons town council and worked as a silversmith, jeweler, blacksmith, and even a dentist. White researched the Shavers for her book Backcountry Makers: An Artisan History of Southwest Virginia & Northeast Tennessee. In an article for A! Magazine for the Arts, White wrote, Samuel was only 22 when he utilized this Abingdon connection to place an ad alongside one of his uncles in Abingdons Virginia Statesman newspaper announcing himself available as a portrait and miniature painter. Samuel Shaver became well known as portrait painter of children, business tycoons, military leaders and politicians, White said. She believes Chastains family must have had some measure of wealth to afford having her painting done and sending her away for school. The museum has had Chastains portrait in its collection since 2002, but didnt know it was a Shaver painting, White said. She noted that he rarely signed his work. However, the museum was looking for a painting of a child to hang in the childrens bedroom of the Fields-Penn House, an 1860 Greek Revival style home on Abingdons Main Street that operated as a museum. There, White said, the painting hung over the mantelpiece and everyone loved Anna. When the painting was moved to the main museum, White said, it was recognized as Samuel Shaver work. The museum had it evaluated by experts with the Tennessee Historical Society, who confirmed it was one of his paintings. Samuel Shaver did most of his work in Tennessee. Now, the William King Museum of Art has received the 2021 Richmond Conservation Studio Grant for the conservation of the portrait. White explained that the grant isnt for a certain amount of money but whatever work is needed to preserve the painting. Samuel Shavers later paintings, like this one, featured a background landscape. After years of soot and dust are removed, White said, Who knows what theyre going to find. At the museum, she said, they joke that Anna has been sent to the spa. When she comes back, White said, it will be in all her glory. However, it could be up to a year before she returns. White said the Richmond Conservation Studio is much in demand and the work to restore a painting is painstaking. When they do bring Anna home, White said, shell go into William Kings permanent collection gallery and the museum will likely hold a reception for her homecoming. For the grant and this very special piece of art, White said, Were just delighted. The Conservation Grant is a joint project of the Richmond Conservation Studio and the Virginia Association of Museums. Rebecca Guest, Membership & Development Manager of the association, said in a press release, VAM is thrilled to once again work with the Richmond Conservation Studio on this exciting project. Congrats to the William King Museum of Art for being selected as the 2021 Conservation Grant recipient. While not a great deal is known about Chastain, White noted that she did marry and became the mother to five children. Anna Chastain Haynes died in 1904. William King Museum of Art is open seven days a week with free admission. For information on exhibitions or events, visit williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005 William King Museum of Art is at 415 Academy Drive, off West Main Street or Russell Road, in Abingdon. BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged the United States to strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and cease any form of official exchanges with Taiwan. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to a query on the so-called U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade. "China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction with the Taiwan region by countries having diplomatic ties with China, including negotiating or concluding agreements with implications of sovereignty and of an official nature. This position is consistent and clear," Zhao noted. There is but one China in the world, Zhao said, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, he added. The spokesman said that the United States must abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, halt all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop negotiating agreements with implications of sovereignty and of an official nature, and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. "We would also like to make it clear to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities that they need to give up at once on the idea that they could seek independence with U.S. support, because the more ambitious they are, the more bitter their failure will be," Zhao added. KALAMA Last week, Kalama city employees were recognized for their service to the community at the Kalama Chamber of Commerces annual awards presentation. At the Tuesday ceremony, Public Works employee Kim Sibley was awarded Citizen of the Year. Sibley has worked for the city as grounds and parks caretaker since 2017. Kim works hard throughout the city with a focus on our parks, rights of way and other maintenance and beautification efforts in the downtown area, according to a city press release. The Kalama Public Library and staff received the Totem Award, which recognizes an outstanding business or organization that benefits and contributes to the community. It is truly a privilege to be the Mayor of a city with so many talented and dedicated pubic servants, said Mayor Mike Reuter in a statement. Kalama residents can rest easy knowing that the hard-working city staff, police, public works, and library personnel are always putting the needs of the community first. The chamber also recognized Kalama Elementary School physical education teacher Charlie Newton as School Employee of the Year. The event was held at the Port of Kalamas Interpretive Center. Along with the ceremony, the event included a silent auction of items donated by local businesses, catering by Sherrie Mickelson, beverages served by the Kalama Lions Club, flowers from Jansens Floral Effects and music by 8 String Punch. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly led law enforcement on a high-speed chase from Kelso to Knappa, Oregon, with two children, unrelated to him, inside the vehicle. The 5-year-old and a 22-month-old were unharmed. Dakota Carras, 29, fled in his girlfriends car with her children after he was recognized by a Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office sergeant at 1:45 p.m. Sunday in Kelso for having outstanding warrants, according to the sheriffs office. Carras is not the childrens father and he didnt have permission to take them, the sheriffs office reports. The girlfriend told Carras to exit her car before he fled, driving recklessly through Lexington and Columbia Heights around 90 mph and crossing the bridge into Rainier, according to the department. While relaying information about the pursuit over the radio, the sergeant learned the Clark County Sheriffs Office also had probable cause to arrest Carras for robbery and kidnapping unrelated to the Sunday incident. Carras, who has lived in Longview and Battle Ground, was arrested about 45 minutes west of Cowlitz County in Knappa, Oregon, and booked into the Columbia County Jail. The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office reports staff are requesting he be charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of reckless endangerment and attempting to elude law enforcement. The Daily News, Longview, Wash. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 3 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. The Longview Police Departments annual report paints a mixed picture for how the city was impacted by crime in 2021. Longview did not see an increase in crime last year. The rates for major offenses went down and police received fewer calls than they did in 2019. On the other hand, police answered an increase in calls involving people with behavioral health issues and the department will likely be short-handed through the rest of this year. Chief Robert Huhta presented the annual report to the Longview City Council during its meeting Thursday. The arrest rate for major offenses in 2021 was 77.7 arrests per 1,000 residents. The rate marks a 6% drop from the previous years arrest rate and is the third year in a row that the rate has decreased in Longview. I think that shows our staff is doing a great job with the staffing level we currently have, especially for the more serious offenders, Huhta said. One of the unique drivers of the decline this year is the Washington State Supreme Courts Blake decision in February 2021, which led to the state eliminating felony simple drug possession. Simple drug possession involves people possessing drugs for their own use, as opposed to selling narcotics. Since July the Longview police have issued referral cards for people caught with small amounts of hard drugs for the first two offenses. On the third offense the person is charged with a misdemeanor. Huhta called the change a huge pendulum swing during his presentation to the City Council. It sounds like theres going to be some changes. I think our community has felt the impacts of the drug stuff, Huhta said. Arrests for what the annual report called society crimes, which include felony drug arrests and issues like prostitution and weapons offenses, went down 43% between 2020 and 2021. The rates for people crimes and property crimes the other two categories of major offenses only changed slightly between the two years. Longview police received 34,913 total calls for service, including online reports. The number of calls increased from 2020 but remained below the roughly 42,000 calls the department received in 2019. Staffing challenges Of the 61 commissioned officers that the Longview police is budgeted for, 52 positions are currently filled. The department is also seeing a staffing shortage for noncommissioned roles, such as community service officers. Huhta said he had to pull officers away from traffic enforcement, the major crimes unit and police station desks to make sure there were enough officers on the street. Many days the police had the bare minimum number of officers out on patrol at one time: four officers and a command sergeant. It puts pressure on the rest of the department to reprioritize our calls. Theres not as much traffic enforcement, theres not as much patrol visible out there, Huhta said. There are changes in the works to address staffing. Seven incoming officers are at various stages of preparation through the police academy and field training and should be working in Longview by the end of the year. Huhta said he is hopeful the state Legislature would consider a bill in 2023 that would fund more local police officers. Right now it remains unclear how the crime rates have changed in 2022. Huhta expected Longview would mirror the increase in stolen vehicles and other property crimes that has occurred across Washington this year. Its always challenging with this report. People want to focus on what happened this year and its hard to shift back to how crime impacted them in 2021, Huhta said. During the City Council meeting Thursday, some Longview residents pushed the city to be more active in addressing current issues around crime. Many of the complaints came from residents of the Highlands neighborhood. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Starbucks and Samsung have released new cases for Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds. Check them out. Starbucks has certainly made a name for itself around the world for its coffee but this time, it wants to appeal to smartphone fans. In collaboration with Samsung, Starbucks has just released a bunch of cases for its Galaxy S22 series smartphones and the Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds. The idea is simple these Starbucks cases will let you dress up your Samsung S22 and the Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds ins cutesy cases that are bathed in the Starbucks green, and also help promoting the Starbucks brand. More than flaunting the Starbucks colours, we are excited to check out the cases for the Galaxy Buds 2, which are also compatible with the Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds Pro - after all, Samsung hasnt changed the case design between these models. The Galaxy Buds 2 cases appeal to two different kinds of customers one of them a rather simple green case with the Starbucks logo stamped on. The other one that looks unlike any other case we have seen a coffee cup. Starbucks cases for Samsung S22, Galaxy Buds 2 The coffee cup case makes the charging case look just like a Starbucks coffee cup, except that it is much smaller. Theres even a handle protruding out of the case, just in case you want to hold it like aerm cup. Whatever it is you want to do with it, the coffee cup is simply the most interesting accessory we have seen in a long time (This and the Macintosh-shaped charger for Apple devices!) Sadly, there is a caveat. Starbucks is releasing these cases only in South Korea and will be sold as a limited edition product. We dont know whether Samsung and Starbucks will bring the accessories to other markets, including India. The cases could work well with our market considering the vast number of Starbucks fans. Even the cases for the Galaxy S22 series look unique. The cases for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus have a simple design with either a Starbucks logo or a Count the Stars in your Galaxy quote. The case for the Galaxy S22 Ultra has strap for holding, which either resembles the Starbucks receipt, or a simple belt. Neat. Xiaomi has today confirmed that it will be holding a launch event for its 12S Series smartphones on 4 July 2022 at 7pm local time in China. Three new models are set to be unveiled during the event, including the Xiaomi 12S, 12S Pro and 12S Ultra. Blasting out teasers of the smartphone lineup on its various social media pages, Xiaomi is touting the 12S Series as the new ear of mobile photography. The wording and teaser poster thus allude to the Chinese tech giants continued strategic partnership with Leica for its latest device lineup. Furthermore, on its official Weibo page, Xiaomi confirmed that there are three variants in the 12S lineup, with the addition of the 12S Ultra definitely something fans have been waiting for. The teaser poster on the post also revealed that all three variants will have exponentially bigger sizes, with the Ultra being the largest of them all (hence the name). Besides the name of the three 12S models as well as the collaboration with Leica, Xiaomi didnt reveal any other details on the smartphones. Hence, we just have to wait until this 4th of July to find out the specs and features. So, are you excited for the Xiaomi 12S Series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest trending tech news! Facebook and Instagram have started taking down posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to get them after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. These posts told women how to get abortion pills through the mail even in states that had banned them. Facebook and Instagram began deleting posts that mentioned abortion pills and specific versions of such pills as mifepristone and misoprostol, the Associated Press reported. These posts also spiked Friday morning on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and TV broadcasts, according to the media intelligence firm Zignal Labs. By Sunday, Zignal had counted more than 250,000 mentions, the AP reported. Posts for abortion pills on Facebook and Instagram were deleted moments after they appeared, the AP noted. A Facebook account was tagged with a "warning," when Facebook said it violated its standards on "guns, animals and other regulated goods." However, when an AP reporter made the exact same post but changed the words "abortion pills" to "a gun," the post remained untouched. The same thing happened to a post to mail "weed," the AP said. Abortion pills can be gotten through the mail after an online consultation from prescribers who have had certification and training. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told the AP that company policies ban the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals. He did not explain the discrepancies in enforcing that policy, the AP said. "We've discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these," Stone acknowledged. On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said states should not ban mifepristone. "States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy," he said in a statement. Some Republicans have tried to stop their constituents from buying abortion pills through the mail, with West Virginia and Tennessee banning doctors from prescribing the pills via telemedicine, the AP reported. Explore further Abortion pills to become next battleground in US reproductive fight More information: Visit the Cleveland Clinic for more on Visit the Cleveland Clinic for more on medication abortion Copyright 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Sudden big changes in river water levels threaten fish. Credit: Shutterstock, NTB "Why do we allow hydropower plants with outlets into rivers to operate with rapid water level changes when Norway has plenty of power plant outlets that flow into the sea?" asks NTNU researcher Jo Hallvard Halleraker. The month is May and the spring sun shines over the Otra River where it flows serenely for the last 15 kilometers before flowing into Kristiansand's eastern harbor. The riverbed gravel contains this year's production of salmon eggs, about to hatch. Hundreds of thousands of small salmon fry will soon see the light of day. But their survival is not a given. "When the water level drops in the spring and early summer, we can see the spawning redds teeming with fry. There's lots of feeding activity ensues as seagulls help themselves to the fry," says Jostein Mosby, head of the Otra laxefiskelag, the local salmon association. He has been following the river from the time when it was heavily polluted by industrial discharges until the present day. As the river's water quality improved, a viable salmon stock has returned. But now the power industry poses a danger to Norway's wild salmon, which were recently classified as near threatened. "Fish can't live on land. And they can't withstand rapid water level fluctuations. Salmon fry aren't mobile," says Mosby. Eggs and fry trapped in puddles When power plants farther up the watercourse cut back on production to save water, the downstream water level drops where the salmon spawned in November. The roe (eggs) or fry are left high and dry in their gravel spawning redds, and the fry become trapped in the gravel as the surrounding riverbed dries up. "The roe stay in the gravel depressions after spawning in November and until they hatch in April and May. The fry with their yolk sacs remain in the gravel beds. If their beds go dry due to reduced winter water discharge, they freeze. We're talking about fry with gills, so once the eggs have hatched, they need water to breathe. If you change the water level too fast, the fry don't have time to relocate. They can quickly get trapped in puddles that eventually dry up," says Mosby. Varying water levels have major consequences A study of Norwegian hydropower production conducted at NTNU now shows that far more rivers are exposed to the environmental consequences of so-called hydropeaking than previously thought. Hydropeaking is used to describe when a hydropower plant produces power to meet short-term variations in the market demand for power or to stabilize the power grid. Hydropower plants adjust their production to the varying market demand and power prices, so the amount of water discharged into the rivers below the power plants also fluctuates, with big peak flows (hence the name) but also periods when flows are suddenly stopped. "Several analyses show that the vast majority of power producers use price optimization. They ramp production up or down depending on price and the available water volume," says Halleraker. He is currently a guest researcher at NTNU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Hydropeaking changes a hydropower plant's operating pattern. Instead of steady flows, the power plant causes abrupt changes in water flow conditions. Hydropeaking intensity can vary greatly. More than 3,000 kilometers of river affected Halleraker and his fellow researchers have reviewed environmental risks associated with sudden water flow changes from all of Norway's hydropower plants. They have analyzed all of the production and water flow data that is publicly available. The study, which was recently published in the academic journal Science of the Total Environment, shows that more than 3,000 kilometers of river courses today are impacted by hydropeaking of different intensities from 802 hydropower plants. At the same time, half of the power plants in Norway (larger than 10 MW) have outlets into fjords or reservoirs, which normally dampen detrimental ecological effects. These power plants are located primarily along the coast of western and northern Norway. "Why do we allow hydropeaking by power plants with outlets into rivers, which can lead to major damage to freshwater ecology, when Norway has plenty of power plants with outlets other than rivers? Norway is sitting on a gold mine with more than 50% of Europe's regulated hydropower resources. More than 80 TWh of these power plants, or 57%, have direct outlets into fjords and lake reservoirs without the known downstream ecological impacts," says Halleraker. Eggs and fry are left high and dry in the gravel bed, and fry are caught in puddles when the riverbed around them dries out. Credit: Steven Philip Fluctuations also widespread in small power plants The study shows that the problem of sudden changes in river water levels due to hydropeaking is also widespread in many small power plants. "Hydropeaking is most often associated with the variable operating practices of large impoundment facilities. But a lot of small power plants engage in price optimization, which can be as serious for biological diversity as in larger watercourses," says Halleraker. He believes that the hydropower industry needs to adapt its power production to ensure ecological sustainability and incorporate more modern measures. "We need a better national strategy to optimize hydropeaking so that we can reduce the harmful ecological effects of watercourse operations by hydropower plants with outlets into rivers. Operating these power plants more for base load would be one way to achieve this. If we run into a socially critical need for hydropeaking to secure the energy supply in a given area, we can make it more ecosystem-based by establishing a damping reservoir between the power plant outlet and the river," says Halleraker. However, this is an expensive and space-consuming solution and has so far hardly been studied for Norwegian watercourses. Greater scope than scientists thought NTNU professor Tor Haakon Bakken concurs with Halleraker. "Halleraker's work shows that the extent of hydropeaking is greater than we thought," Bakken says. From 2009 to 2016, Bakken led the EnviPEAKEnvironmental impacts of hydropeakingproject. Researchers investigated how rapid and frequent changes in water level and water flow spread downstream into rivers when hydropower plants ramped production, and what ecological consequences these practices have. The project resulted in advisory guidelines to managers on how negative environmental effects can be reduced by implementing more ecosystem-based hydropeaking, such as by ensuring adequate minimum flow. "One of the rivers we studied was the Nidelva in Trondheim, where we have outlets from the Bratsberg and Leirfossene hydropower plants. They're located a few kilometers from the city center. The Nidelva uses a hydropeaking regime, but in a way that limits the environmental impacts. The main reason things are going relatively well there is that the minimum water flow is high, at 30 cubic meters per second. This establishes a relatively high minimum water level, so only limited areas dry up when the power plants stop production," Bakken says. "Some other places don't have any requirements for minimum flow. When a power plant abruptly stops power production, it's like a crane that is stopped quickly. Large areas of the riverbed can go dry, and fishall living organisms, actuallyget stranded. This is a major problem with hydropeaking," says Bakken. Energy reserve for Europe "I used to say that we could tell by looking at the river if it was windy in Denmark," says Mosby. Norwegian hydropower is expected to become increasingly important for the European power market. It could become key as a source of reserve power as the EU transitions energy production to more renewable energies like solar and wind. These sources produce power that varies with the weather conditions and have no way to "fill the reservoirs" like hydropower does. For the Otra river, the water level itself kills roe and fry as much as the rapidly changing flow reductions do. The river association has taken action to monitor whether the hydropower plants are complying with the regulations. "We've seen fewer of the rapid fluctuations in water flow in recent years, perhaps because we've been 'on it' and told regulators when we observe that the water level is starting to get alarmingly low. The Otra salmon association has its own water level logger. Along with a lot of our own investigations, this tool has given us important data," says Mosby. But he is still worried about this year's salmon fry in the river. High power production through the winter combined with little snowpack and precipitation means that the risk is high that the power plants will now need to save water. "Yes, we're worried about the salmon," says Mosby. The periodic draining and drying up of rivers is a problem. Credit: Jostein Mosby New conditions for rivers and water flow In the next few years, the authorities will be dealing with hundreds of cases as hydropower conditions are revised in the older watercourse regulations. One power plant that has already had its terms changed is the Trollheim power plant on the Surna river. The Surna holds national salmon river status. This river has been subjected to sudden draining several times due to halts in power production. In 2008, between 500,000 and one million fry died as a result of an accidental shutdown in the Trollheim Hydropower turbine that caused an abrupt drop in the Surna's downstream water level. Statkraft power company, owned by the Norwegian state, subsequently installed a bypass valve to counteract such abrupt reductions during minimum flow periods. On 5 March last year, the government adopted new licensing terms for the watercourse. However, the government has elected not to follow all of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate's (NVE) proposals for ensuring environmentally safe hydropeaking operation in the river. "Hydropower plants with reservoirs and regulating capacity give the Norwegian power system great flexibility. Measures that limit this flexibility lead to challenging trade-offs between environmental benefits and the public interest in considering security for the electric power supply," said Tina Bru, then-Minister of Petroleum and Energy, when the new licensing conditions for Surna were announced. Potential power loss for 1,800 households The Trollheim hydropower plant is owned by Statkraft and is one of the key reservoir power plants in Central Norway. Statkraft says they are satisfied that flexibility and regulatory ability were adequately addressed when the government made its decision, even though the revisions have resulted in a power loss of around 36 GWh a year, amounting to electricity consumption equivalent to 1,800 households. "The new conditions include a discharge restriction that varies throughout the year. This is in line with how Statkraft already operates. We've developed this practice with researchers from NINA and SINTEF. We've made an impact using knowledge-based operating practices that we have followed for over 10 years. They ensure a secure supply of electricity in Mre og Romsdal county," says Knut Fjerdingstad, press spokesperson for Statkraft. He says Statkraft generally supports the aim of the term revisions and is positive about environmental improvements where the benefits outweigh the costs to society. "Statkraft believes it is important to take a holistic approach to trade-offs between environmental considerations and consequences for the social benefits that hydropower delivers through regulated, climate-friendly power and flood mitigation capacity. We have to look at the consequences of the condition revisions to the power system and power grid operations as a whole," says Fjerdingstad. He does not want to comment on Halleraker's research. But he states that Statkraft has been actively involved in research projects under the auspices of the Research Council of Norway. These projectswhich include the EnviPEAK projectare studying possible measures to mitigate the consequences of how power plants with outlets into rivers regulate their power. "Statkraft and the managing authorities have used the results from these research projects in their operational practices and in revising licensing conditions for a long time," says Fjerdingstad. Variation possible in some rivers Carsten Stig Jensen, NVE's section manager, tells Gemini that in some places power plants with outlets into rivers are acceptable to use in conjunction with variable flow patterns. "Environmental consequences of variable operating water flow are a topic in several ongoing revision cases where specific mitigating measures are being considered for each individual case. In new development cases, conditions are set to ensure that the power plant is operated in a way that doesn't cause significant negative environmental impacts. Where necessary, we require that all water level reductions take place with smooth transitions, preferably specified as a certain lowering rate. The limits for water flow that may be set are considered specifically for each individual case, both for new development and in the revised conditions for older concessions," Jensen says. Could lose reputation as sustainable Halleraker believes solving the dilemma between the need for enough power at the right time and the need for environmental adjustments to ensure a sustainable renewable energy industry is critical. These issues must be weighed in the upcoming revision cases in line with similar processes in Europe. He worries that Norwegian hydropower risks being branded as less sustainable in the EU context if we do not think in new ways. "Even renewable and clean hydropower needs environmental mitigation strategies so that we can refer to them as sustainable. This is spelled out in the EU taxonomy and referred to in the relevant Norwegian legislation that was passed just before Christmas last year," says Halleraker. More information: Jo Halvard Halleraker et al, Assessment of flow ramping in water bodies impacted by hydropower operation in NorwayIs hydropower with environmental restrictions more sustainable?, Science of The Total Environment (2022). Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Jo Halvard Halleraker et al, Assessment of flow ramping in water bodies impacted by hydropower operation in NorwayIs hydropower with environmental restrictions more sustainable?,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154776 Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Lawmakers and investor advocates are ringing alarms over the idea of allowing cryptocurrency into 401(k) and other retirement plans, especially after a turbulent month that saw some projects implode and other cryptocurrencies go into free fall. The debate kicked off in March when the Labor Department posted a compliance release that said those in charge of 401(k) retirement plans should "exercise extreme care" when contemplating adding cryptocurrencies to investment options. A month later, one of the largest financial service providers, Fidelity Investments, said it would offer the option to invest part of 401(k) plans in bitcoin. ForUsAll, a 401(k) provider, sued the Labor Department this month, saying the warning violated the law that governs how federal agencies develop and issue rules. The California-based company said the department has no legal authority or existing precedent and said its guidance was issued suddenly and without public comment. ForUsAll argued in its suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, that the department's cautionary release sets a precedent and could embolden it to ban other investment types or strategies. "The DOL plays several important roles that serve American workersbut 'armchair financial adviser' shouldn't be one of them," Jeff Schulte, CEO at ForUsAll, said in a statement. "Congress never gave government officials the power to pick winners and losers, let alone the legal authority to arbitrarily restrict entire asset classes." Critics say cryptocurrency volatility can be particularly devastating for those saving for retirement. Supporters say it's another way to build wealth. Most 401(k) plans have a menu of pre-selected traditional investments such as mutual funds, or allow a self-directed brokerage window, which lets employees pick specific investments. The Labor Department said those responsible for overseeing cryptocurrency investments or allowing investments in cryptocurrencies through brokerage windows "should expect to be questioned." Labor Secretary Marty Walsh indicated that the department was looking at a possible rulemaking when he was grilled June 14 at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing about the department's decision to issue a warning on cryptocurrency. The department is trying to restrict the types of investments that Americans can choose to make when they don't have the legal authority to do so, said David Ramirez, chief investment officer at ForUsAll, said in an interview. The company manages 401(k) plans for small and many rapidly growing tech companies and is focused on providing access to alternative investments, including cryptocurrencies. "We feel that this is really a form of informal rulemaking that happened overnight," Ramirez said. "That creates a very dangerous slippery slope." This is bigger than cryptocurrency, Ramirez said, and is about whether Americans benefit from the Labor Department deciding which investments are best. "If downside volatility is the issue, what's next? Is the Department of Labor going to ban Netflix or Meta from self-directed brokerage windows?" Ramirez said. The company's suit seeks to require the department to retract its statement and prohibit it from enforcing it. Bills would block guidance Following the Labor Department's caution, lawmakers introduced bills to keep the pathway open for cryptocurrencies in retirement funds. Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduced legislation that would block the department from issuing a regulation or guidance that limits the type of investments that self-directed 401(k) account investors can choose through a brokerage window. Tuberville says his bill is not just about cryptocurrency. "This is about anything, whether it's about oil stocks or anything that might be seen by this administration as controversial," Tuberville said in an interview. "They should not have the opportunity to block the American citizens from investing in these open windows." Tuberville said he is not telling people to invest in cryptocurrency but that he just wants people to have the opportunity if they choose. "Nobody should have the ability to say, listen, we're going to try to protect you and keep you out of these certain avenues that you might want to get into, and that's not the federal government's business," Tuberville said. "It's none of their business at all, and the Department of Labor, I think, is really overstepping their boundaries here." Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced a companion to Tuberville's bill in the House in late May. Donalds said cryptocurrency is a way for people to build wealth even as they need to be aware that cryptocurrency markets can be very volatile. "Some of your best rewards and your best gains in the financial industry also come in places where it's a volatile industry," he said in an interview. 'Stay away' On the other side of the issue are Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who criticized Fidelity for its decision to offer bitcoin in retirement plans in a letter to the company in May. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and speculative investments, Smith said in an email. "Cryptocurrencies are not subject to the same reporting and data integrity requirements as other investment products and it can be a challenge for even the most informed investors to evaluate these assets," Smith said. "As I wrote to Fidelity in May, I have deep concerns about financial institutions offering these products as part of retirement savings plans, which could put the savings of millions of Americans at risk." Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate at consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, likened investing in crypto in 401(k) plans to "throwing pennies against a wall to see what heads or tails comes up." "We are dismayed that firms such as Fidelity are allowing this," Naylor said in an interview. His advice to investors thinking about it: "Stay away." Charles Sizemore, principal of Sizemore Capital Management LLC, a registered investment adviser based in Dallas, said the general trend in retirement plans has been toward more choice. "In the abstract, I would say that is absolutely good," Sizemore said in an interview. He advocates for people to be able to invest their money as they want, though they should not be encouraged to take more risk than they understand. He said it's likely that some employers will offer crypto as an investment option in 401(k) plans. "If you're competing for workers with everybody else, and a prospective employee is between you and the next guy, and you say, well, our 401(k) allows you to buy crypto, that very well might make the difference," Sizemore said. The Labor Department and Fidelity did not respond to requests for comment. Explore further Amid crypto turmoil, senators propose sweeping oversight 2022 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Sky has announced new original drama The Lovers starring Johnny Flynn and Roisin Gallagher. The darkly comic romantic drama begins filming in Belfast at the end of the month, written by David Ireland and produced by Drama Republic in association with Sky Studios Advertisements A teaser shares: The series follows Janet (Gallagher), a foul-mouthed, hilarious, Belfast supermarket worker who couldnt give a shit about anything much at all, including her life, and Seamus (Flynn) a handsome, self-centred, political broadcaster with what looks to be a perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend. So when Seamus unexpectedly drops into Janets world (literally over the wall and into her backyard) they instantly clash and yet also find themselves inextricably drawn to each other Set in Belfast, this is a sexy, funny, fight-y love story about two people who appear to be utterly wrong for each other yet may just be utterly right. The series also stars Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones, Holding) as Janets supermarket boss, Philip. Liz Lewin & Manpreet Dosanjh, Executive Producers, Sky Studios: We cant wait to start filming The Lovers and see our two brilliant leads, Johnny and Roisin, bring our love-struck odd couple to life. David has written the most unique, funny and heart-warming scripts and we look forward to shooting against the iconic backdrops of Belfast and London. Advertisements Roanna Benn and Rebecca de Souza, Executive Producers, Drama Republic, added: We are so excited that Davids beautifully crafted, romantic and subversive story is being brought to life by such a brilliant team and cast with the hugely talented Justin Martin at the helm. The series will run for six episodes with an air date to be announced. More on: Sky TV CHICAGO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- It is the interest of the whole world to see China growing, a U.S. scholar has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Khairy Tourk, professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, named eradication of absolute poverty the greatest achievement China has made in the past decade. As an economist studying development for many years, Tourk said he has learned to accept that extreme poverty will always exist. Thanks to the vision on eradicating extreme poverty of the Communist Party of China (CPC), "I've changed my mind." Tourk said the leadership of the CPC is one of the major reasons behind China's success. Tourk has been a visiting scholar at Renmin University of China since 2013. During his summer teaching and research over the years, Tourk wrote a book titled "The Belt and Road Initiative -- Chinese solution to a deficient global order," published in January 2022. The initiative is essentially a connectivity project, connecting China with nations in Asia, Europe and Africa through building roads, rails, ports and bridges. "It's also connectivity between people. It was connectivity through dialogue of civilizations," Tourk said. Noting many developing nations lack infrastructure, the scholar said: "Here comes China. It has both the funds and experience to build infrastructure in a record time." Tourk said the initiative is "leading the foundation" for Africa's industrialization. Regarding his visits to China, Tourk said, "I really enjoy my stay at Renmin. The students were hard-working. I formed close friendships with my academic friends." "And these visits have allowed me to see firsthand how fast China is changing," he said. However, he said two things have not changed: "the kindhearted nature of the Chinese people and the delicious Chinese cuisine." WASHINGTON This is a legacy-making moment for Sen. John Cornyn. The Texas Republican leveraged his A+ rating from the NRA and his credibility within the Senate to shepherd the biggest gun violence prevention measure in a generation through an evenly divided Senate. Its also a moment of unusual political peril for the four-term senator. His collaboration with President Joe Biden and other Democrats has infuriated the most strident gun rights advocates and alienated grassroots activists. Texas Republicans drowned him out with boos at their state convention, though polling shows he retains broad support and has lost ground only among a segment of the partys base. Theres a lot of misinformation, Cornyn said during the final Senate debate. Insisting the bill will protect school kids and constitutional rights alike, he said, Unless a person is adjudicated mentally ill or is a violent criminal, no ones Second Amendment rights will be impacted by this legislation, period. On May 24, an 18-year-old with a newly purchased AR-15-style rifle killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde. The clamor for Congress to do something has rarely been as insistent as in the month since the attack. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tapped Cornyn, a trusted lieutenant, as the GOP point man on post-Uvalde talks. The deal he crafted with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and a handful of others from both sides would keep legally purchased guns away from anyone convicted of domestic violence, leverage federal funds to encourage states to adopt and enforce red flag laws that let courts take guns from people deemed a danger to themselves and others, and add juvenile records to background checks to ensure that dangerous young buyers dont have a clean slate when they turn 18. From the White House down, Democrats wanted far more: bans on high-capacity ammunition magazines and semi-automatic weapons or, at the least, raising the age to buy such guns from 18 to 21. Theres also no mandatory waiting period or potentially unconstitutional requirement that gun owners store their weapons in a particular way, Cornyn said during the Senate debate, defending the proposal. Law-abiding gun owners are not the problem and that was a red line for me. ... This bill does not infringe on law-abiding citizens rights under the Second Amendment. Gun rights advocates acknowledge the deal Biden signed into law Saturday could have been worse. But for them, that doesnt absolve Cornyn. A compromise is when both sides give a little bit, and this is just gun control, said Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs at Gun Owners of America, which positions itself as a more unbending defender of the Second Amendment than the NRA. Mental health reform and school security funding are uncontroversial, he said. The rest of the measure is absolutely outrageous, so to give Cornyn credit for rejecting a ban on AK-47s would be like forgiving the robber who steals a wallet but lets the victim keep $20. Senator Cornyn is engaged in the act of selling out his constituents constitutional rights. He has no authority to negotiate away the constitutional rights of Americans, Johnston said. There is no excuse for funding gun confiscation laws. Tucker Carlson called Cornyn far left on his Fox News show. Trump called him a RINO short for Republican in name only and asserted that the deal he spearheaded will go down in history as the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY. Others were more generous. The leadership youve shown is admirable. You come from a gun culture. I come from a gun culture. We know the challenges, Sen. Joe Manchin, a pro-gun Democrat from West Virginia who also worked on the bill, said on the Senate floor. To one group of people its not enough. To other people, anything is too much. ... This is a great piece of legislation for us to start protecting the children in America. The Senate approved Murphy-Cornyn (or Cornyn-Murphy the nickname hasnt fully taken root) on a 65-33 vote Thursday. Fifteen Republicans joined with Democrats. Texas junior senator, Ted Cruz, was not among them. He denounced the bill as a misguided attempt to disarm law-abiding citizens rather than take serious measures to protect our children. The House approved the measure 234-193 on Friday. The only Texas Republican who supported was Rep. Tony Gonzalez of San Antonio, who represents Uvalde. Lingering mistrust Among conservatives, the antennae were up, for several reasons. Early in his Senate years, Cornyn did support comprehensive immigration reform a package approach to allow eventual citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally, in exchange for beefing up border security and enforcement. Grassroots anger quashed several attempts, only some of which involved Cornyn. For the bulk of his tenure, he has shunned comprehensive reform in favor of a security-first approach more palatable to the GOP base. His change of heart has been a source of anger and mistrust among immigrant advocates ever since. Theres also mistrust on the right, some of it dating to Cornyns two terms running the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in the 2010 and 2012 elections. After he was elected by fellow Senate Republicans, his assignment was to protect incumbents and expand the caucus, just as the anti-Barack Obama tea party movement was bubbling up. Grassroots activists valued ideological purity more than majority-building. They didnt take kindly to meddling from establishment poohbahs. Things got ugly. In Florida, Cornyn promoted then-Gov. Charlie Crist over tea party darling and eventual winner Marco Rubio. After failing to win backing from the state GOP, Crist ran as an independent. He now serves in the U.S. House as a Democrat. In Delaware, Cornyn resisted tea party activist Christine ODonnell, best known for ads assuring voters she wasnt a witch. Cornyn tried to steer the nomination toward a former governor who could have cruised to victory, if hed gotten past ODonnell in the primary. She got trounced in the fall. The story was similar in Nevada, where Republicans squandered their best shot to topple then-Majority Leader Harry Reid by nominating a weak tea party candidate, Sharron Angle. Cornyn shrugged it off as stormy weather in primaries that presaged a fall tsunami. Eventually, he settled into a truce with tea party forces led by then-Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, whod been gunning for GOP incumbents deemed insufficiently conservative. Cornyn did well enough for promotion to party whip, the No. 2 leadership post. McConnell has kept him in his innermost circle long since the partys term limit rules forced him out of that role. Cornyn is a good soldier, a good lieutenant, said GOP strategist Brendan Steinhauser, who ran Cornyns 2014 reelection campaign after a stint at FreedomWorks, a group that helped to incubate the tea party. McConnell can trust that Cornyn is not going to get the caucus in trouble. ... Hes got good, broad political instincts and credibility within the Senate. Recruited by Rove A former trial court judge in Bexar County, Cornyn joined the Texas Supreme Court in 1990. Karl Rove, George W. Bushs political guru, saw potential. At Roves urging he ran for Texas attorney general in 1998, defeating Jim Mattox, a Democrat whod lost the job and was seeking a comeback. When Phil Gramm retired from the Senate four years later, Cornyn jumped in. Rove had been grooming him for just such an opportunity. With the even demeanor of a judge and hair already silver, Cornyn looked and sounded like a senator from central casting, as out-of-state news media loved to say. And he has a gift for framing conservative talking points in ways that convey affable grandpa more than hothead ideologue a sharp contrast with Cruzs incendiary style. Cornyn scored a 12-point win over Ron Kirk, Dallas first Black mayor and a future trade ambassador under Obama. He won his second term by the same margin, and coasted to a 27-point win in 2014. His 10-point margin in 2020 over MJ Hegar was significantly wider than Trumps in Texas. Support holding steady Despite carping over the gun bill, theres no provision that could lead to widespread confiscation of any sort of weapon. Cornyn ruled out such a step from the outset. That didnt protect him from a hostile reception when Texas Republicans gathered last weekend in Houston, as the deal was still coming together. Many flashed thumbs down. Cornyns speech was barely audible through the jeers and chants of No red flags! No red flags! Ive never given in to mobs and Im not starting today, he was overheard saying after he left the stage. The National Association for Gun Rights, another tougher-than-NRA group that says the better response to Uvalde is to arm educators and eliminate gun-free school zones, demanded an apology. The razzing didnt occur in a vacuum. Disapproval of Cornyns job performance has spiked since Uvalde among Texas Republicans, from 11% to 17% in Morning Consult Political Intelligence surveys. But positive sentiment about Cornyn has held steady: 68% among Texas Republicans before and since the massacre, and 43% among all Texas voters. In other words, Murphy-Cornyn hasnt dragged him down overall. But it did inflame parts of the GOP base whose support was tepid already. Bona fides Cornyns conservative rankings are strong: an 87 lifetime rating out of 100 from the American Conservative Union, well above average for Senate Republicans. Cruzs is 97. For Cornyns first decade in the Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison held Texas other seat. She left office with roughly the same lifetime score he has now, but shed won her seat defending the right to terminate pregnancy into the third trimester. At the 1996 state convention, anti-abortion activists not only booed Hutchison, they tried to block her from serving as a delegate to the national convention, an extraordinary slap at a U.S. senator. When Hutchison retired and Cruz took the seat, Cornyn no longer looked like the more conservative Texas senator. The Trump era only sharpened the contrast. Cruz, after a nasty rivalry with Trump in the 2016 primaries, ended up a stalwart defender through two impeachments. Cornyn took a more nuanced approach. He distanced himself from Trumps most inflammatory comments. He opposed tariffs on Mexican goods theyre not great policy, he said and called Trumps border wall a flawed and naive idea. But he later defended Trump for sapping Pentagon funds to help pay for construction. Gun record Cornyns solid record on gun rights earned him an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, and its endorsement in 2020. That gave him the credibility McConnell needed after Uvalde. Cornyn has been a master of threading the needle on gun violence, helping his party project seriousness of purpose without running afoul of the Second Amendment. After the church massacre that left 26 people dead in Sutherland Springs near San Antonio in November 2017, Cornyn partnered with Murphy to address the failure of the Air Force to enter the shooters criminal record into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Their Fix NICS law added many millions of records to the database used to flag ineligible gun buyers. That point of pride for Cornyn is a source of mistrust, too. Weve been monitoring Murphy-Cornyn discussions for quite some time, said Johnston of Gun Owners of America, which boasts that it quashed a deal last year much like the one approved last week. Weve been aware that the senator was looking to compromise with our rights for some time now and have been actively working to prevent that from happening. After a racist shooter at an El Paso Walmart killed 23 people in August 2019, Cornyn filed a bill to prod internet companies to share concerns about threats of mass violence, add funding for mental health and make it easier to prosecute unlicensed gun sales. At each juncture, demand was intense to ban or restrict certain weapons. And at each juncture, the push for alternatives from Cornyn, and others, relieved some of that pressure. Few have done more in Congress to defend the Second Amendment than Senator Cornyn, and this latest legislation is another example of that, said Rob Jesmer, his longtime strategist. Jesmer cited surveys showing overwhelming support for key elements of Murphy-Cornyn among the general public and, importantly, gun owners. A small minority of absolutists believe that gun ownership is unassailable regardless of mental health or criminal background issues, Jesmer said. But that is not the prevailing view in the courts or among Republicans. They are loud, but as evidenced by Senator Cornyns election history, (theyre) a small group of people, he said. Cornyns next primary is nearly four years away. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe HOUSTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A wave of protests and lawsuits has swept the United States after the Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. A judge on Monday blocked southern state Louisiana from enforcing the abortion ban, while a governor signed an executive order to protect women seeking abortions in New Mexico and an attorney general was accused of illegally threatening abortion providers with criminal prosecution in Texas. Robin Giarrusso, an Orleans Parish civil district court judge, on Monday issued a temporary restraining order blocking Louisiana, one of 13 states which passed "trigger laws" to ban or severely restrict abortions once the supreme court overturned the 1973 ruling. The plaintiffs in the suit there do not deny that the state can ban abortion. Instead, they contend Louisiana has multiple and conflicting trigger mechanisms in law, according to local media reports. A hearing to decide whether to further block enforcement of the ban has been scheduled on July 8. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in Houston on behalf of several health care providers, the American Civil Liberties Union accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of illegally threatening abortion providers before relative state laws take effect. Local media outlet KXAN reported that the lawsuit asked a state court to temporarily block Texas' pre-Roe laws on the books, which Paxton said are now enforceable after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. "Mr. Paxton's and the Texas Legislature's attempts to greenlight the immediate prosecution of abortion providers based on violations of the Pre-Roe Ban must not stand," the lawsuit said. Texas law banning most abortions will not take effect for approximately two months or longer since the trigger ban is scheduled to take effect 30 days after issuance of the judgment from the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, according to local media reports. The Supreme Court has only so far issued its opinion. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed an executive order aimed to protect women seeking abortions and providers of the service in the southwestern U.S. state. "We will not further imperil the rights and access points of anyone in New Mexico," the Democratic governor said at a news conference, "Residents seeking access will be protected, providers will be protected, and abortion is and will continue to be legal safe and accessible, period." Also on Monday, attorneys generals in 21 states and Washington, D.C. issued a joint statement promising to "leverage our collective resources" to help women in states where abortions are banned. "Abortion care is healthcare. Period," announced the statement, which was signed by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. "While the U.S. supreme court's decision reverses nearly half a century of legal precedent and undermines the rights of people across the United States, we're joining together to reaffirm our commitment to supporting and expanding access to abortion care nationwide," they said in the statement. Over the weekend, a branch of Planned Parenthood sued in Utah over a trigger ban while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and an abortion-rights group filed an emergency motion in Arizona in a bid to block a state law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. Abortion rights advocates in Ohio also plan to challenge a ban on abortions after six weeks, which took effect on Friday, said local media, noting that a Florida ban on abortions after 15 weeks is also the subject of a request for a temporary block. As of Saturday, abortion providers had reportedly stopped services in at least 11 states. The United States was in a "national battle," New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told a news conference on Monday. Though the latest 6-3 ruling does not outlaw abortion but leaves the decision to states, 26 states are "certain or likely to ban abortion," while 16 states, including New York State, provide protection for abortion rights in law or in their constitutions, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. The overturning of Roe v. Wade also drew criticism from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who described the decision as "a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality," and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said "the news coming out of the United States is horrific." The U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade spurred both excited reactions and angry protests in the Roanoke and New River valleys Friday. As politicians declared their distaste or support on social media, about 200 demonstrators took to the streets in front of the Poff Federal Building in downtown Roanoke. The Friday afternoon protest was led by Womens March on Roanoke, a women-led movement organized by Roanoke Indivisible and the Blue Ridge Resistance Alliance of Virginia. A crowd gathered on short notice in downtown Roanoke to protest a decision many knew was coming. Abort the Supreme Court, read one of the many signs brandished by protesters, who drew honks of support from traffic passing by. The gathering could be heard from blocks away chanting My body; My choice, and Keep your rosaries off my ovaries. Today, we join with the majority of Americans who have repeatedly affirmed their support for safe and legal abortion in decrying the Supreme Courts reckless decision to throw away fifty years of legal precedent, the organization said in a press release.We warn us all that this post-Roe world will be very different from a pre-Roe world. Virginias GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement that his administration is committed to protecting individuals constitutional rights and ensuring Virginians are safe. The truth is, Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions, Youngkin said. We can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life. Several other Virginian Republican representatives agreed with the governor, including State Sen. David Sutterlein, R-Roanoke County. Elected state governments will now have the ability to pass reasonable protections for innocent human life like those found in Europe, Sutterlein said in a tweet. The Dobbs decision is a critical victory for constitutional separation of powers, but most importantly a victory for innocent human lives. U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt, also voiced his support on Twitter, calling Friday a historic day for America and the long fight to protect the unborn! The Courts decision leaves the debate over this important issue to the people of the fifty states and their elected representatives. Cline said in a second tweeted statement. With its ruling today, the Supreme Court is to be commended for its decision to finally heed the Constitution on this issue and return the abortion debate to the peoples elected representatives. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, agreed with Cline, calling Roe v. Wade a constitutional error that has produced decades of tragedy. The Supreme Court got the law right today in Dobbs. The Court has returned to the individual states the ability to make their own decisions on this issue, Griffith said in a statement. Our task going forward from this decision is to carry on the hard but rewarding work of building a culture that protects, respects, and cherishes life. Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, said hes excited by the Supreme Courts decision. I didnt think that this would happen in my lifetime, Williams said in a telephone interview. Its such a contentious issue, but I think the Supreme Court got it right. I think this is a real blessing for the Commonwealth and the unborn across the nation. There will not be a guaranteed constitutional right to murder an unborn child. It blows my mind that that was ever stretched into law into the first place. Del. Marie March, R-Floyd, said she is similarly excited about pro-life legislation. She called the Supreme Court ruling a victory. Today the unborn have been recognized for their value, their potential, and their right to a chance at life, March said in a statement. Now, each state has the responsibility to protect the unborn at home. This is why I am proud to sponsor a bill in January that will protect life at conception in the Virginia House of Delegates. This is much more than a political issue. It is a moral obligation that we have to protect the most innocent among us. Del. Chris Head, R-Botetourt, said he was absolutely thrilled to hear about the decision to overturn Roe. I am a proud pro-life delegate and have been an ardent defender of the unborn since entering the House of Delegates in 2012, Head said in a statement. I remain committed to protecting the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all Virginians, born and unborn. But other Virginian politicians werent at all happy with the end of Roe. State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, said the decision to overturn it was devastating. The decision creates classes of citizenship, dependent on location, Deeds said in a tweet. It cannot stand! A statement from the office of Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, said he is deeply troubled by the Supreme Courts ruling. Roe has offered consistent precedent in privacy cases for 50 years, Rasoul said. The right to an abortion has been protected by the Court for five decades. Entire generations have had access to safe abortions as a right and are now experiencing this right to privacy being ripped away from them. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a tweet that the ruling flies in the face of decades of precedent protecting womens rights to make fundamental personal decisions without needless government interference. Congress must act now to protect those rights, Kaine continued. Were not going to give up on this. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said the ruling reflects a Court that has increasingly issued politicized rulings that undermine the fundamental rights of Americans. This decision will take control over personal health care decisions away from individuals and give it to politicians in state legislatures across the country, Warner said in a statement. I am heartbroken for the generations of women who now have fewer rights than when they were born, many of whom will be forced into life-threatening or prohibitively expensive circumstances to access health care as a result of this radical decision. Roanoke College political science professor Todd Peppers agreed with Warner, saying Supreme Court decisions are increasingly less focused on law. As I teach my students, when you get to the Supreme Court, you just dont look at the law. The judges personalities and preferences impact decision making, Peppers said in a telephone interview. With President Trumps appointments of Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, I dont know if the handwriting was on the wall, but certainly there was a strong suspicion that the court would pick a case and continue to whittle away at Roe, or it would be overturned. Peppers said the justices decision to overturn Roe was not a surprise to him. I think many court observers realized that there was a likelihood that Roe would be overturned. The the justices are supposed to value the norm of precedent. And certainly, Roes now been precedent for 50 years, Peppers said. You want consistency in the law, but there have been instances where the court has overturned precedent, and we agreed with it. Brown v. Board of Education overturned a precedent. So, its not a shock. Several states have trigger laws that will place restrictions on or ban abortion immediately. But Peppers said hes not sure what is in store for Virginia. I wish I had a crystal ball, the professor said. If the Virginia General Assembly moves to pass restrictive laws, are these going to be the type of laws where its a complete ban, where theres exceptions for the life of the mother for rape for incest? What happens next? I dont know. I really dont. Del. Williams said he hopes Virginia will start drafting abortion legislation in January. I would be very surprised if a special session is called. But I do believe that legislation will come in the next session in January, Williams said. We as state legislators, representing the people in our communities, we will get to have a say in this issue now. I know that the majority of people support a ban on abortion, no matter what the liberal left has to say about it. But Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said that as long as Democrats remain in the majority of the state senate, they will continue to protect womens rights. The American people need to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November and return a Democratic majority to the United States Senate and the House of Representatives to correct this historic mistake, Edwards said in a statement. Peppers said the country might anticipate an investigation into the leak of the Supreme Courts decision that occurred in May. Leaking an entire Supreme Court decision, the whole text of it, is fairly unprecedented. And it represents a real rupture of the court in terms of institutional security and confidentiality, Peppers said. The justices themselves clearly are divided ideologically. But I think there is some mistrust in the court amongst the different offices. The long term impact on overturning Roe v. Wade is interesting, but also the impact of this decision being leaked so early from the court itself. Staff writer Laurence Hammack contributed to this story. Entities located in Afghanistan, Malaysia, and Pakistan are in the crosshairs of an attack campaign that targets unpatched Microsoft Exchange Servers as an initial access vector to deploy the ShadowPad malware. Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, which first detected the activity in mid-October 2021, attributed it to a previously unknown Chinese-speaking threat actor. Targets include organizations in the telecommunications, manufacturing, and transport sectors. "During the initial attacks, the group exploited an MS Exchange vulnerability to deploy ShadowPad malware and infiltrated building automation systems of one of the victims," the company said. "By taking control over those systems, the attacker can reach other, even more sensitive systems of the attacked organization." ShadowPad, which emerged in 2015 as the successor to PlugX, is a privately sold modular malware platform that has been put to use by many Chinese espionage actors over the years. While its design allows users to remotely deploy additional plugins that can extend its functionality beyond covert data collection, what makes ShadowPad dangerous is the anti-forensic and anti-analysis techniques incorporated into the malware. "During the attacks of the observed actor, the ShadowPad backdoor was downloaded onto the attacked computers under the guise of legitimate software," Kaspersky said. "In many cases, the attacking group exploited a known vulnerability in MS Exchange, and entered the commands manually, indicating the highly targeted nature of their campaigns." Evidence suggests that intrusions mounted by the adversary began in March 2021, right around the time the ProxyLogon vulnerabilities in Exchange Servers became public knowledge. Some of the targets are said to have been breached by exploiting CVE-2021-26855, a server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the mail server. Besides deploying ShadowPad as "mscoree.dll," an authentic Microsoft .NET Framework component, the attacks also involved the use of Cobalt Strike, a PlugX variant called THOR, and web shells for remote access. Although the final goals of the campaign remain unknown, the attackers are believed to be interested in long-term intelligence gathering. "Building automation systems are rare targets for advanced threat actors," Kaspersky ICS CERT researcher Kirill Kruglov said. "However, those systems can be a valuable source of highly confidential information and may provide the attackers with a backdoor to other, more secured, areas of infrastructures." The Douglas County Health Department on Monday confirmed a case of orthopox in the county, which after further testing is expected to be the county and states first case of monkeypox. Monkeypox is a virus in the orthopox family, which also includes smallpox. Monkeypox is milder than smallpox. The person who is infected is a man in his 30s with a history of international travel, health department officials said. He is isolating at home. The health department is tracing his contacts to identify any people who may have been exposed. Just over 200 cases of monkeypox had been confirmed in the U.S. as of late last week, but more than 3,000 have been reported in more than 50 countries during the current outbreak. World Health Organization officials over the weekend called the cases unusual but did not declare a global health emergency. The illness usually begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue, according to department officials. Its often accompanied by a rash that looks like pimples or blisters. The incubation period for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days but can range from five days to three weeks. Nebraska health officials recently urged residents and health care providers to be on the lookout for rashes associated with monkeypox. Monkeypox is being spread through close, intimate personal contact with people who have it, particularly through contact with one of the monkeypox lesions. Reports indicate that a disproportionately large number of cases so far have been among gay and bisexual men who have sex with other men. There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, but some antiviral drugs have been used effectively. Some people who have had close personal contact with an infected person may be candidates for a preventative dose of smallpox vaccine. Anyone who suspects he has monkeypox or that he has been exposed to the virus should contact a health care provider for guidance. Staff at the health departments information line at 402-444-3400 also can answer questions. The unique sounds and melodies of South Americas Andean peoples filled Grand Island Public Library Monday. Lincoln musician Oscar Rios Pohirieth hosted a special program titled Andean Folk Music and Cultures of South America. The program was made possible through Humanities Nebraska. Pohirieth brought more than 20 instruments to show and demonstrate from Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile. This includes wind instruments, flutes, percussion and clay instruments, and others he was not able to show during the one-hour program. Pretty much every instrument in the family of instruments (is) played in the Andes, he said. There is a special quality and joy of the music of the indigenous peoples of the Andes. The diverse sounds of the instruments resemble life, nature and just every day life of the people there, he said. They share a message to everyone saying, We are alive and we need to celebrate life. There are times when the music is slow and a little sad, but within that same tune, they switch into something more upbeat to remind us, yes, life has a balance. He added, We cant always be happy, but we cant always be sad. A large group of children watched, rapt and engaged, and even gently silencing each other as Pohirieth introduced one instrument after another. One small whistle flute, with water inside, perfectly replicates the tweeting sounds of a small bird, which he explained was a favorite of his childhood. What I would do, is just run around the neighborhood, pretending I was a bird, people thought I was crazy, but I didnt care, he told the children. Pohirieth invited children to join him in creating music. The children, on a flat drum of the indigenous Omaha, recreated the percussive rhythms he created on a tall Incan goatskin drum, called a bombo, which was introduced by African slaves brought there by the Spanish. Not only were they creating music, he said, but recreating a form of communication. Engaging youths is always a pleasure, said Pohirieth. When Im playing the instruments, I usually close my eyes so I can travel with them, so they can connect with me and the music, so I dont get distracted within the environment, he said. But sometimes I open my eyes, and I see a child with bright eyes, absorbing every sound these instruments are making, and traveling with me somewhere, it is a nice feeling, because I know they are learning, they are seeing, they are hearing something completely different. Unique for Pohirieth is the Grand Island audience. At the opening, he asked how many children were Spanish-speaking, and roughly one third of the children raised their hands, representative of the Grand Island community. I was hoping that we would bring our immigrant and refugee students and families to this type of event, because they need to be integrated, he said. I was glad to see them, because what Im telling them is, I look like you, I play these instruments, you should not be ashamed of your cultural perspectives. Laura Fentress with GIPL youth and family services said it was an honor hosting Pohirieth at the library. Weve had Oscar Rios Pohirieth at the library in years previous, so we were excited we could host him once again, said Fentress. The music was incredible. Its amazing how much you can evoke from the sound of a single flute. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Even though Stem: Camp Creation was held indoors Monday, participants still had a chance to get outside. The Parks and Recreation staff gives the kids 10 or 15 minutes before and after the camp to go outside and burn off some energy. Inside the building at Stolley Park, the kids spent the bulk of the two-hour time period putting their creative juices to work. Kelsie Scheel, a Parks and Recreation summer employee, oversaw 16 kids at the specialty camp Monday. It was the second of three sessions of Stem: Camp Creation. The first took place last Friday; the last one will be Wednesday. The camp is for kids 6 to 13. Its too late to sign up for Wednesdays session, though. All three filled up during preregistration. Its a good problem to have this summer. People are getting back to normal, said Tara Coon, one of the citys two recreation coordinators. In planning the specialty camps, Park and Recreation likes to use materials that are owned by other city agencies. All of the items used at Stem: Camp Creation are borrowed from Grand Island Public Library. Even though those items come from the librarys maker space area, the ones used Monday were low-tech. An electronic snap circuit kit was the only one not manually operated. That activity drew the attention of Braxton Rudolf, 6, and Alex Schneider, 9. Some of the kids were using plastic straws to build a giant tower. Other youngsters, including 8-year-old Zaden Lothrop, worked with Legos. Julian Saenz and Oakley Baker, both 7, were playing a Minecraft card game. Easton Hall, 7, Adam Bishop, 7, and Warren Rosacker, 6, were tinkering with a Space Explorers building set. Marlee Ulmer, 8, and her 7-year-old brother, Hendrix, were working with a stack of small red cups. Angelica Stienike, 10, was shuttling between the tower project and the electronics set. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. YORK A local registered sex offender has been charged with non-compliance for not registering his address as required by law. Nathan Kelley, 29, has been charged with a Class 3A felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison with 18 months of post-release supervision and/or a $10,000 fine. Kelley was ordered to be a lifetime registrant when he was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, in February 2013, in Henry County, Illinois. This non-compliance case began when a deputy with the York County Sheriffs Department received an order from the York County Court to retrieve items from Kelley at an address in York. The deputy went to the address numerous times, but was unable to contact Kelley. He noted that it appeared no one had been at the residence. During a search to see if he had other residences, the deputy learned Kelley is on the sex offender registry and the address in the 500 Block of North Beaver Avenue was listed as his primary residence with no other changes since April of 2021. It was also discovered that he listed two vehicles as being in his use, on the registry but a further looked showed neither vehicle belonged to Kelley any longer and were registered now to someone else. He also reported a local business as being his employer, however that employer said he was no longer there and had said something about moving to Lincoln. The deputy was able to speak with a Lincoln business where he is currently employed. And the deputy spoke with the owner of the residence who confirmed Kelley no longer lives there. Because his registry information was false, the charge was filed. Arraignment proceedings were held in the matter, in York County District Court, during which Kelley pleaded not guilty. A jury trial has been set for late fall. YORK Richard Sandage, 53, of York (who is also classified as a transient in court documents), has been charged with seven felonies in a case where he is accused of possessing and dealing a large amount of meth in the vicinity of a daycare in York, while also possessing a deadly weapon. His arraignment has been set for July. According to court documents, local law enforcement was dispatched on the report of a reckless driver on Interstate 80 and that the driver had entered Yorks city limits. An officer with the York Police Department saw the vehicle in question in the area of East Second Street and Lincoln Ave. The officer saw the vehicle cross the center lane and a traffic stop was initiated in the area of Third and Grant Avenue. Sandage was a passenger in the vehicle. The driver, James Anthes, gave consent to search after admitting he had a marijuana pipe in his pocket. Court documents indicate Sandage consented to a search of his person, during which the officer found a bag and a knife. Dispatch told the officer Sandage is a felon and is considered dangerous, so the officer placed him in handcuffs. In the bag, the officer says there were seven individually packed bags containing methamphetamine. All totaled, the officer said there were 24 grams of methamphetamine. Sandage was charged with possession of 10-27 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 1D felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 50 years in prison; delivery of a controlled substance near a school (daycare), a Class 2 felony which carries a possible maximum sentence of 50 years in prison; possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, a Class 3 felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison; possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony, a Class 3 felony; possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison; having no drug tax stamp, a Class 4 felony; and being a habitual criminal. Court documents indicate Sandage was earlier convicted of a Class 2C felony in Carter County, Missouri. Beijing's primary, middle schools reopen as COVID-19 wanes Xinhua) 08:11, June 28, 2022 Students enter the campus of Pinggu No.5 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. Campuses reopened with epidemic prevention and control measures in place. Students and teachers have to take nucleic acid testing twice a week, at least 48 hours apart for each test, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. Meanwhile, key groups, such as security guards, canteen staff and cleaners, shall be tested in accordance with industry health regulations of the city. The campus environment will also be sampled regularly. "We should strike a balance between epidemic prevention and control and the quality of education, and try our best to timely restore schooling," said Li Yi, a spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. A handful of students still in closed-management areas and under home quarantine will continue to study at home, while kindergartens are scheduled to reopen on July 4, according to the commission. The Chinese capital reported three local confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic case on Sunday, according to the municipal health commission. A student answers a question during a maths class at the Pinggu campus of Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Students are having a maths class at the Pinggu campus of Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) A teacher gives a class at Pinggu No.5 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) A boy raises his hand to answer a question at Yuquan School Attached to Capital Normal University in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Li Xin) Students have a physical education class at the Pinggu campus of Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Students welcome their classmates at Pinggu No.5 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Students are having a Chinese class at the Pinggu campus of Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Faculty members hand masks to students at Yuquan School Attached to Capital Normal University in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A girl walks into the teaching building at Yuquan School Attached to Capital Normal University in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Li Xin) A teacher gives a class at Pinggu No.5 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) Students are having a class at Pinggu No.5 Middle School in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) A girl waves to a faculty member at Yuquan School Attached to Capital Normal University in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2022. Beijing's primary and middle school students returned to campus on Monday after over 50 days of remote education due to a local COVID-19 resurgence. Students in the first two years of junior high and senior high schools, or grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, as well as those in primary schools, resumed in-person classes. Education for students in grades 9 and 12 concluded earlier. (Xinhua/Li Xin) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) NANNING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of China's first sea-rail intermodal automated container terminal went into operation Tuesday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A ship loaded with goods from Indonesia became the first vessel to moor at the wharf in Qinzhou port. It left for Southeast Asia with China-made goods including auto parts, glass and chemicals on Tuesday. The first phase, including two 100,000-tonne container berths, was designed to handle 1.02 million standard containers per year. The second phase, including two 200,000-tonne container berths, is under construction. With a handling capacity of 1.6 million standard containers a year, it is expected to become operational in 2023. The Beibu Gulf Port, including the ports of Qinzhou, Fangcheng and Beihai, serves as an important transit point in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provincial regions and Singapore. The corridor connects 14 provincial-level regions in China with 316 ports in 107 countries and regions around the world. The new container terminal was built to meet the transportation demand from the rapidly growing sea-rail intermodal service. The number of trains operating within the sea-rail intermodal service of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor had surged from 178 in 2017 to 6,117 in 2021. In the first five months of this year, imports and exports with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries via Qinzhou port grew 28.6 percent year on year to 26.25 billion yuan (about 3.9 billion U.S. dollars). The automated wharf and improved customs-clearance service will help facilitate trade with the RCEP members, said Zhu Kuirui, a customs official with Qinzhou port. President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war? You voted: TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Deep-rooted bias may affect the way white patients physically respond to medical care provided by physicians of differing race or gender. Researchers assessed treatment reactions of nearly 200 white patients after they were randomly assigned to receive care from a male or female doctor who was either Black, white or Asian. White patients appeared to improve faster when treated by a white male -- the stereotypical doctor in the United States. But the experiment featured a twist: Each patient was unknowingly treated with a placebo medication, meaning it was drug-free. Their reactions suggest ingrained gender and race bias. The patients on average experienced demonstrably better physical results after being treated by a white male doctor, as compared with those who had been treated by a female or Black physician. "In the study, we had white patients come into a mock doctor's office, where the provider induced a mild allergic reaction by pricking the patients' skin with histamine," explained study lead author Lauren Howe. "All of the providers gave these patients the exact same treatment for their allergic reaction," noted Howe, an assistant professor of management at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. In this case, it was a placebo cream -- an "unscented hand lotion that the providers said was an antihistamine and would reduce their allergic reaction size." The result: Patients "who happened to receive this treatment from a woman or Black provider showed less of a decrease in the size of their allergic reaction over time," Howe said. The study team pointed out that the issue of race and gender bias is of great import. Historically, most doctors in the United States have been male and white, but the composition of the medical profession is changing. As of 2017, more than half of all accepted applicants to medical schools were people of color, and the majority of accepted applicants were women, according to background notes in the study. The participants in the study lived in the San Francisco Bay area. All were white. The 13 male or female physicians were Black, white or Asian. The patients underwent an allergy skin prick test, which induced a mild allergic skin reaction -- such as a raised bump. In turn, each doctor applied a cream, which had no medicinal properties, for their patient's allergic reaction. The skin of each patient was assessed 30 seconds after the placebo cream was applied, and then again three, six and nine minutes later. Patients treated by either a female or a Black doctor had a notably weaker response to the drug-free cream than patients who were treated by a male and/or white or Asian doctor. The finding, said Howe, suggests that "when a patient walks into a doctor's office, if their doctor doesn't look like the kind of person who has been in that role for most of history -- that is, if the doctor is not a white man -- then the patients may be less responsive to treatment from that doctor in terms of their immediate, physical response to the treatment." The white patients, said Howe, did not express any "implicit bias," meaning they didn't rate female or Black doctors as less warm or competent. Nor did they express "explicit bias," meaning they didn't express any more anxiety or nonverbal negative reactions to Black or female caregivers. "In fact, the white patients in this research were highly motivated to not be prejudiced," Howe noted. "They all reported caring about being non-biased, and tended to engage the most with woman providers and providers of color." All of which, she said, points to a deep-rooted bias issue, because "even when people report and show positive attitudes towards providers, they showed less strong of a response to the treatment administered by these providers." Andrea Roberts is a senior research scientist with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She said typical investigations into race dynamics in health care focus on how Black patient care is undermined. On that score, she said, "race and gender bias in medicine has been well-documented" over time. But Roberts, who was not involved in the study, cautioned that the current effort doesn't provide definitive insight into how white bias might affect how white patients fare. She characterized the study findings as "mostly conjecture on the part of the researchers," given that the research team's "own data did not indicate negative bias to women or Black providers." The findings are in the June 27 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More information There's more on racism and health care at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SOURCES: Lauren C. Howe, PhD., assistant professor, management, department of business administration, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Andrea L. Roberts, PHD, MPH, senior research scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 27, 2022 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange. According to a media release from the state police, Mount Vernon Police officers responded to a potential home invasion on Wescott Avenue at approximately 11:54 p.m. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle which they saw leaving the scene. Following a crash near the intersection of 42nd Street and Veterans Memorial Drive, the suspect, identified as Terrell Burnham, 20, of Harvey, Illinois, ran from the vehicle with a firearm. An officer shot the suspect, who was transported to a regional hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Paint splatters the sidewalks in Marion after two generations partnered together to honor those who risk their lives to public safety. A retired Marine veteran who lost people in the Vietnam war has partnered with descendants of a long line of military folks to produce a mural memorializing the military and first responders. Whenever I got out of the Marine Corps in 1972 there was an entirely different attitude toward warriors then, toward the military, attorney Ronald Osman said. In fact, we were spit on, on occasion, and it's always bothered me. They deserve to be remembered. All of the first responders and the people that keep us safe day in and day out deserve to be remembered and deserve to be honored. Ronald Osman and his son, Blane Osman, were approached by Tim Barnett, the Marion Fire Department chief, earlier in the year about putting something on the building across from the fire station that honored the fireman. Especially those that died on 9/11. It hit home, because a lot of the guys were working that day, and we sent some guys there, Barnett said. Four-hundred and fifteen emergency responders died that day, and 343 of those 415 were firefighters. Ronald Osman, a former lieutenant in the Marine Corps, also wanted to do a project honoring those he lost in the Vietnam war. I did not go to Vietnam, but I had a lot of friends (who) did and people that I served with did, Ronald Osman said. Two in particular, one that was killed in Vietnam and the other is still (missing in action) in Vietnam. Theyre fine young men and they deserve to be remembered. Ronald Osman said he and Sgt. David Haake had studied together at the University of Illinois from 1965 to 1968. Captain Larry Fletcher Potts was shot down in the second OV-10 in the Easter Offensive of 1972, Ronald Osman said. It was his 25th birthday the day he was shot down and went MIA, said Ronald Osman. They served two years together. Ronald Osman was Potts' commanding officer throughout numerous positions, and this caused them grow very close, Ronald Osman said. The two ideas, born out of loss together, ultimately inspired the multipanel mural that spreads three building walls on North Court Street in Marion. The panels display Marines, firemen, police officers and EMS. However, in the next year, Ronald Osman hopes more branches of the military can be added to the remaining space, he said. As time and perceptions of the military and first responders have changed, Ronald Osman hopes people will keep a positive view of the people in those roles. First responders, whether you're a fireman, a paramedic, police officer, Army, Marine Corps, or the Navy, every day that they go to work on that job, there's a real potential for harm. They all do it willingly. Ronald Osman partnered with Maddie Deiters to make this mural possible. Deiters, 14 of Marion, comes from a line of military members. Her father was in the National Guard and his father was a veteran, Deiters said. Having grown up in a military family, Deiters had a special appreciation for the project. It's really important to support those who risked their lives for us, Maddie Deiters said. Even the first responders have to face danger every day. They go by this building all the time, saving other people. I would gladly spend eight weeks of my life painting this for them because they risked their life for ours. Nowadays I feel like some people have forgotten the other side of America, how we found this nation through the strength and courage of those who wanted this to happen, Maddie Deiters said. It was the first one of its kind and I think, memorializing those people who stood up for our rights, and why America is so different from any other country, was a great honor. This is only the second mural Deiters has ever done. It took her and her family roughly seven weeks to complete the mural, Deiters said. She was the sole design artist on the project. While most of the piece came from Deiters mind, she used real images in the mural. She colorized different photos from the Vietnam war for the Marines panel, Deiters said. While signing the mural, a retired Army veteran, Tony Kindrick, stopped by to tell Deiters what he thought of the mural. Not only does this beautify the city of Marion ... it also gives it hope, Kindrick said. It gives them the transparency that people care about the community, and they want to brighten their community up. As the holidays approach and many families get time off, Barnett said he would like to remind people that first responders and the military dont get that luxury. Thank them for their service, Barnett said. These people don't stop working on Christmas. They don't stop working on Thanksgiving. We have fires on Thanksgiving, the police have so many calls on Thanksgiving and Christmas. These people never stop. When we get to take off for the weekend there's always someone here, there's always somebody riding that rig of that ambulance, in that police squad car, or in that fire truck. You can check out Deiters art here. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Flying a drone was nothing new to JROTC Cadet Joseph Soto, but practicing his skills on the South Carolina State University campus got him thinking about how the technology works. "I was the kid who always took things apart, especially electronics, said Soto, a rising senior at Andrew Jackson High School in Kershaw. I used to buy typewriters and stuff at yard sales until my parents said no, because I always had so much junk built up in my room. So I want to go into college for computer hardware engineering, he said. Sotos curiosity about the mechanics behind drone technology is precisely what the inaugural Bulldog JROTC STEM Camp at SC State is all about. The weeklong event teaches cadets about the links between science, technology, engineering and mathematics and practical applications. Cadets from 46 high schools in North Carolina and South Carolina immersed themselves in the STEM areas of mechanical engineering, chemistry, nuclear engineering/physics, cyber security, electrical engineering and computer science. Cadets focused on one area of their choosing under the tutelage of an SC State professor. Alongside STEM instruction, the cadets develop group projects using related technology in the universitys labs, taking field trips to such STEM-related locations as the North Charleston Sewer Districts water treatment plant and learning archery, water safety and drone navigation. Retired Lt. Col. David Roberts, senior Army instructor for the Junior ROTC Battalion at Aynor High School in Horry County, said the drone exercises are intended to show students what a commercial-level drone can do in a variety of vocations. These drones have the capability of communicating with a satellite, so it knows exactly where it is within about 3 feet anywhere on the planet, so it makes it easier to control it, Roberts said. This is something they could use to make money if they choose to do so. This being a STEM camp, we want them to see not only the theory side of the science, but also the practical application of it. Thats really what these drones are. Its taking that theory and moving to the practical sphere of science, he said. And the U.S. military uses more advanced drones for numerous purposes in national defense applications that are likely to grow as the technology progresses. We use them in everything from surveillance intelligence collection to actually doing drone strikes, Roberts said, noting that he told cadets about the Ukrainian militarys use of drones as diversions to sidetrack the enemy in the war with Russia. As for Soto, he may get a chance to put his goals in computer engineering to use in the military. He plans to continue military training at the collegiate level perhaps at The Citadel in Charleston after having visited the school as part of Bulldog STEM Camp. I intend to make it a career for a good while, but I intend on going back to civilian life at some point, Soto said. If I enjoy it, though, Im just going to stay in it the whole time. His experience at SC State has been positive, as well. He said the universitys instructors have communicated the STEM theories and applications at a level the cadets can comprehend. Anybody can understand it -- even like a 5-year-old, Soto said. They are putting it in a way that its understood easily. I took a lot from it, especially how to set up for college. Ive been trying to take it to heart and use it in my real life. Bulldog STEM Camp is a joint project of SC States Division of Academic Affairs, the 4th JROTC Brigade, the U.S. Army, the SC State Bulldog ROTC Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration will host a virtual job fair for the Nuclear Security Enterprise on Wednesday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The NSE is looking for the next generation of nuclear security professionals and working to hire over 3,500 new employees in 2022 to join its workforce of over 50,000 strong. The virtual job fair will include hiring officials from NNSA and its national laboratories, plants and sites, including: Kansas City National Security Campus (Missouri) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (California) Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico) Nevada National Security Site Pantex Plant (Texas) Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico and California) Savannah River Site (South Carolina) Y-12 National Security Complex (Tennessee) NNSA federal managers and NNSA Management and Operating (M&O) contracting partners will interview and hire professionals across a broad range of skills and in many locations to support the nations national security mission. Its a new year and we are eager to bolster our strong workforce across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, said Lewis (Lew) Monroe III, NNSAs director of human resources. Recruitment opportunities like these virtual job fairs help us connect with talented and mission-oriented individuals who are ready to utilize their skills and serve this great country. The positions available at the NSE include: General engineer Physical scientist Quality assurance engineer Fire protection engineer There are also contractor positions available at the NSE labs, plants and sites in several areas, including: Business Science Computer science Cybersecurity (IT/R&D) Skilled trades Electrical, mechanical and fire protection engineering Environment, safety and health Manufacturing Mathematics Nuclear facility and operations Technologists and technicians NNSA and its contractors are hiring in: Aiken, South Carolina Albuquerque, New Mexico Amarillo, Texas Kansas City, Missouri Las Vegas, Nevada Livermore, California Los Alamos, New Mexico Oak Ridge, Tennessee Washington, D.C. Germantown, Maryland During the online event, candidates will be able to have one-on-one message chats with hiring managers and human resources professionals regarding the NSEs open positions. Candidates can also visit virtual hiring booths, view information and videos about NSE locations, and apply directly for jobs of interest. Jobseekers can register and submit resumes up until the day of the event, but pre-registration is highly recommended. After the event, follow-up interviews may continue to take place for several days depending on the number of registrants and resumes received. For more information, visit: www.energy.gov/nnsa/nuclear-security-enterprise-hiring. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Orangeburg City Council is preparing to select a development partner for the Railroad Corner project as early as this fall. The city plans to revitalize Railroad Corner, which is situated at the intersections of Russell, Magnolia and Boulevard streets. Council learned last week that two development groups submitted full proposals and a third entity submitted a letter of interest during the application process that ended on June 10. JDH Development and Orangeburg District Partners were the two groups that submitted full proposals, according to Sonyia Turner, real estate development specialist with the Development Finance Initiative. Both firms are minority-owned According to Turner, JDH Development has local ties as the lead developer is from Orangeburg. Orangeburg District Partners is based in Virginia, Turner said. A letter of interest was also received from Odeidra Williams. During the application process, DFI had direct communication with 38 firms, Turner said. Twenty of the firms were based in South Carolina. Just over one-fourth of the firms were considered minority/women-owned business enterprises. This is a complicated project and we want to make sure that all of the details and interests that were outlined, that the city wants to see in the project, are clearly defined in that development agreement and all of the partnerships that are required to make this project work are also clearly defined, Turner said. Turner said over the next couple of months, DFI will be taking closer looks at the firms that submitted proposals and then present more information to city council in August. Then well come back before council with a side-by-side comparison and evaluation of these proposals, Turner said. But ultimately, council, you are going to decide, she added. We do not bring a recommendation, that is not our role. Our role is to do the due diligence to support your decision-making. DFI is currently evaluating the proposals and making sure the developers are who they say they are, Turner said. The group is reviewing articles and prior projects, to name a few. Turner hopes by the third quarter of 2023, that shovels will be in the ground for the Railroad Corner revitalization project. City leaders will address project costs as the process develops. DFI is a program of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hills School of Government that advises communities across the Southeast to attract private investment for projects. It provides real estate development and finance expertise. City leaders engaged DFI in December 2020 to evaluate the redevelopment feasibility of the Railroad Corner. Also during last weeks meeting: Orangeburg Assistant City Administrator John Singh provided an update on the facade grant process and application. R. Marc Wood, of Sheheen, Hancock & Godwin accounting firm, provided a financial update for the citys operations through April 2022. Wood noted that the city collected about 45 percent of its projected revenue, which is short of its 58 percent target. He noted thats about the same as last April. The city has made about 60 percent of its projected expenditures. Expenditures-wise, youre right on target, Wood told council. He expects the citys finances to be more in line once May and Junes figures become available. Council approved third reading of ordinances amending the Department of Public Utilities operating budget for the AMI water and Hampton Street sewer projects. Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds video talks with Erlan Koshanov, the speaker of the Mazhilis, or lower house, of Kazakhstan's parliament, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Tuesday held video talks with Erlan Koshanov, the speaker of the Mazhilis, or lower house, of Kazakhstan's parliament. Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the strategic guidance and direct push of the two heads of state, China-Kazakhstan relations have continuously achieved leap-forward development and a new height in the two countries' permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has been reached. Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan, Li said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue their friendship from generation to generation, and firmly promote bilateral cooperation. Li said it is crucial that the two countries continuously enhance political mutual trust. China supports Kazakhstan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and the two sides should continue to strengthen international cooperation. Facing the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has shown strong resilience, Li said, and China hopes that the two sides will continue to focus on high-quality belt and Road cooperation and tap into the potential of their cooperation. The legislative bodies of the two sides should strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, and provide a fair, just, transparent and equal legal environment for pragmatic cooperation, Li said. Koshanov said Kazakhstan thinks highly of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and is ready to work with China to advance the Belt and Road Initiative and jointly implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Mazhilis is willing to strengthen exchanges with the NPC and contribute to promoting bilateral cooperation and enhancing the friendship between the two peoples, he said. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds video talks with Erlan Koshanov, the speaker of the Mazhilis, or lower house, of Kazakhstan's parliament, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) A demonstration was held on Tuesday to protest against the US Supreme Court's decision last Friday to revoke the federal right to abortion. The Supreme Court's decision means that it is now up to each of the 50 US states to decide on abortion rights. Domingos Oliveira Doctors who perform abortions in states where the procedure has been banned will face long prison sentences. Without delay, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana have banned abortion even in cases of rape or incest. The decision marks a major setback for abortion rights, not only in the United States but worldwide. For this reason, Planned Parenthood, the Women's and Gender Information Centre, the National Council of Women, and the JIF platform organised a sit-in in front of the US embassy in Luxembourg at 12.30pm on Tuesday. About 150 people gathered in front of the building before sitting down to protest the decision taken by the US Supreme Court. A large majority of MPs reaffirmed the principle that abortion is legal in Luxembourg. MPs agreed that the legal framework authorising abortion is to be protected. A resolution in that regard was proposed by MP Carole Hartmann from the Democratic Party (DP) and passed with 56 votes in favour and four votes against. Nearly all parties welcomed the resolution, which is primarily symbolic in nature, following the decision of the US Supreme Court to repeal the right to abortion in the United States last Friday. On Tuesday, some 150 protesters staged a sit-in in front of the US Embassy in Luxembourg City. Only the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) voted against the resolution. MP Fernand Kartheiser argued that the law from 2014 is "merely a decriminalisation" and does not represent a right to abortion. Kartheiser also stressed that the Grand Duchy's constitution does not mention a right to abortion. For this reason, the Left Party (Dei Lenk) demanded exactly that: MP Myriam Cecchetti called on the Chamber of Deputies to enshrine the right to bodily autonomy in the constitution. The Green Party (Dei Greng) spoke out in favour of a nomenclature in this context, i.e., a clear tariff for abortion. Five, six, seven, eight different kids walked through the door of the theater. The first Casper Childrens Theatre workshop of the summer drew in a wide range of dancers, all aged from seven to 14. Their footwear is just as broad: sneakers, ballet flats, black heeled shoes and of course, patterned socks. None of them seem quite sure what to expect, other than the fact that a full week of dance waits ahead for them. The first request was pretty simple though. Show me your jazz hands, Rising Star Tumbling and Dance Studios Amandie Campbell, better known as Miss AJ, told the kids. The workshop is based on late choreographer Bob Fosses style of dance. Audrey Egan, the program coordinator at Casper Childrens Theatre, said it was heavily requested by the kids after they watched Natrona County High Schools production of Chicago. A production that Campbell choreographed earlier in the year. I was like, lets do this. Ive loved Fosse since 2004 when I was in Chicago at Casper College, Campbell said. All ages can learn the Fosse style of movement Its not as rigid as far as you dont have to find this really strong, strict placement. Its more of making the movement work within your body. Back on the stage for warm-ups, the group practiced everything from their jazz squares to holding an imaginary fedora while making their way across the floor. A couple of the moves felt just awkward enough for the kids to laugh at the embarrassment between them. It was something Campbell told them to use in their dancing. Thats why were dancers and theater people, she said. Let that quirkiness embrace everything you do. That sort of positive outlook was what drew the company to Campbell in the first place, Egan said. But while it was Campbells first time hosting a workshop, this marks the fourth year of Egans time with the company. And shes watched the theatre go through a lot of changes. The Casper Childrens Theatre moved buildings in 2020 and when the pandemic hit, their curtains were temporarily closed. Two years later, the company remains selective for which programs they host, but the 2021-2022 was their first full season back on stage. The theatre plans to host four more workshops over the summer. Egan said that it felt great. Not only for the company, but for the kids too. So many of these kids think of this place as their home There are some of these kids who literally do every single show, they do every single camp, she said. For some kids, this is their thing. And really, its the only place in Casper where you can get this full time year round opportunity for kids to be kids on the stage. After the warmups, the kids moved onto the actual choreography that had been planned. Fittingly, their jazz hands were used a lot during the number Paint the Town Red from the musical Chicago. Each dancer moved differently, but as they were taught, that was the whole point of Bob Fosses style. Theatre is a unique outlet for human beings to experience human stories. Egan said. Telling a story like you do in theatre, you get to be someone else. You get to watch someone else and you get to live their life for an hour or two. At their two hour mark, the kids stood in a circle to share what they had learned that day. A few mentioned specific moves, others mentioned the dance style itself. Each of them had something different to add. Though, Campbell had one main goal for what she wanted them to walk away from the workshop with. I want them to find confidence in themselves and their ability to be a performer, Campbell said. I think thats one thing that I love to teach in dance is how to be a confident, positive person through movement. I think everybody can learn anything through movement, and some people have to have movement in order to learn something. If they gained a level of confidence that they didnt have before they came here, then my job is done. Even by day one, the kids were already showing more confidence in themselves as dancers, she said. And sure enough, a couple of them could be heard humming the tune as they left. Ready to come back tomorrow for three more days of dancing, singing and all that jazz. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Womens Health Center & Family Care Clinic of Jackson the only clinic in Wyoming that provides abortion services is feeling the regional impacts of abortion bans following the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade on Friday. Giovannina Anthony, the doctor who set up the clinics abortion services and has been providing medication abortions there for 17 years, said in a Monday text to the Star-Tribune that the clinic was being flooded with abortion requests from Utah. This has never ever happened before, she said. Utah enacted its trigger abortion ban late Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision on Roe v. Wade that overturned the constitutional right to abortion access. Roe v. Wade has been overturned. What does that mean for abortion in Wyoming? Wyoming is one of 13 states with a "trigger" bill in place, which is expected to ban nearly all abortions in the state within 35 days. The states ban is similar to Wyomings trigger law, but it includes additional exemptions for aborting fetuses with certain defects. (Wyomings trigger ban only has exemptions for rape, incest or when the mothers life is in danger). Katie Noyes, the other doctor at the clinic who provides abortion services, said the clinic first referred people from Utah to justthepill.com. On Monday, four Utahns still booked appointments to get abortions at the Jackson clinic, a clinic representative told the Star-Tribune. She said they typically see very few patients from the neighboring state. Thats somewhat of a reversal of roles; the Jackson clinic rarely refers abortion patients to other clinics, but when it does, it sometimes sends patients to Utah. Katrina Barker, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah Communications and Marketing Director, said about 1% of abortion patients served at Planned Parenthood clinics in Utah are from Wyoming. Planned Parenthood of Utah filed a lawsuit against the states trigger abortion ban on Saturday, arguing that the law violates Utahns rights under the states constitution. On Monday, a Utah judge granted Planned Parenthoods request for a temporary restraining order to block enforcement of the trigger law. The order will last two weeks. Abortion services in Utah resumed on Monday following the order, according to Barker. The block on Utahs trigger bill could extend longer than two weeks if the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is granted a preliminary injunction, which would block the abortion ban from going into effect for the duration of the lawsuit. Barker said the association will ask for a preliminary injunction during its hearing on July 11. The Womens Health Center & Family Care Clinic in Jackson hasnt gotten any more abortion appointment requests from Utahns since Monday, according to the clinic representative. The four people from Utah who had scheduled appointments at the clinic actually ended up cancelling following the block on Utah's abortion ban. Providers say Roe decision is 'heartbreaking' The founder of a planned Casper abortion clinic says she is looking into the possibility of a lawsuit over Wyoming's trigger law ban. Western Wyomings other neighboring state, Idaho, is also poised to ban abortion. But its trigger law isnt in effect yet, so abortions there are still legal. A Planned Parenthood affiliate is also contesting that states trigger ban in a lawsuit. But there arent many abortion services in Idaho anyway. The clinic in Jackson actually serves quite a few patients from eastern Idaho, Anthony and Noyes said. Several other states, including Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky, are facing lawsuits over abortion access following Fridays Supreme Court decision. There isnt a lawsuit in Wyoming over abortion access right now. But there could be one in the future. Julie Burkhart, the Wellspring Health Access founder who planned to open an abortion clinic in Casper, said in a press conference on Friday that shes looking into a potential lawsuit over the states trigger abortion ban. People in western Wyoming those that the Jackson clinic primarily serves will be the farthest away from abortion services once the states trigger ban goes into effect, and if abortions in Utah and Idaho also become illegal. The closest clinics would be in Montana and Colorado. Wyomings trigger abortion law hasnt taken effect yet. Anthony and Noyes said they will continue to provide abortions at the clinic as long as its legal. This story has been updated. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Multiple agencies on Tuesday morning responded to a crash on Highway 220 west of Casper. A Star-Tribune employee near the area reported the Natrona County Sheriff's Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol and an air ambulance on scene around 11 a.m. The helicopter landed on the highway near Red Butte. The Star-Tribune employee also saw a bicycle laying in the road. Sgt. Jeremy Beck with the Wyoming Highway Patrol said agencies were responding to a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash. He said information is limited as the investigation is ongoing. All lanes in both directions were closed for a time to land the air ambulance on the road. The number of vehicles involved or if there were injuries sustained is unknown. This story will be updated. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 5 Sad 8 Angry 0 Rep. Liz Cheney released a new ad that features former Republican U.S. senator and Wyoming political linchpin Al Simpson endorsing her in Wyomings heated House race. Cheney is being challenged by Donald Trump-endorsed natural resources lawyer Harriet Hageman among others. This race is by far Cheneys toughest reelection challenge since she first ran for U.S. House in 2016. Join me in voting for Liz Cheney on August 16th, Simpson said at the end of the ad. Cheney recently made national headlines for instructing Wyomings registered Democratic voters how to change their voter registration to Republican to be able to vote for her in the August primary, a practice known as crossover voting. Despite the fact that hard-line conservatives detest crossover voting, it has not been shown to hand victory to more moderate candidates in Wyoming. Still, the 2022 House race is unlike any race the state has seen. There has been a concerted effort from the hard-liner state lawmakers to outlaw crossover voting, but they have not been successful to date. This past legislative session, a bill to outlaw crossover voting died despite endorsements from Trump and the state GOP. Simpson shot down criticism of Cheneys encouragement to Democrats on how to vote for her. That doesnt bother me a whip, thats been on the books in [Wyoming] through the decades, Simpson told NBC. Simpson represented Wyoming in the U.S. Senate for nearly two decades. Before that, he served in Wyomings House from 1965-1977 in the Cody area. He has a legacy of bi-partisan work, including serving as co-chair on a national commission that examined ways to address the national debt. The ad also features former Wyoming Republican Representative and former Corporations Committee co-chairman Pete Illoway. She has supported the military, he said. Shes a great supporter of Warren Air Force Base. After Cheney voted to impeach Trump and continually criticized him, the former president sought a challenger and ended up selecting Hageman who entered the race in September 2021 with Trumps endorsement in tow. Since then, national interest groups and big names have flocked to Wyoming in all sides of the race. Simpson has not been shy about his opposition to Trump, making Cheney a clear choice in this race for him. The former senator called him a spoiled brat who is at the root of a Machiavellian distortion of whatever this country stands for. I voted for him once, Simpson told NBC. Ill never vote for him again thats for goddamn sure. There are signs that Trump will run for president again 2024, making the Cheney-Hageman battle even more important. Many are labeling the race for Wyomings lone House seat a referendum on the former president and an indicator of how strong his grip is on the Republican party. Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis Love 7 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SUBLETTE COUNTY Natalie Strong took a moment outside of the All American Fuel convenience store in Big Piney to think back on Jan. 6, 2021, the day a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Strong was a little embarrassed to say it, but she was drawing a blank. The working mother didnt have much of an opinion about U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, nor did she have much say about her congresswomans role as vice-chair of the congressional committee probing the insurrection that played out 1,700 miles away some 18 months prior. I couldnt even tell you what happened on Jan. 6, Strong said. I have so much going on in my life, I really just dont follow the news. Its not my thing. Strongs lacking interest in the events of Jan. 6, and the U.S. House committees examination of the attack, was widely shared among the 19 Wyoming voters that WyoFile spoke with this week in rural Sublette County high-desert gas-field country thats home to small communities like Bondurant, Hoback Ranches, Daniel, Marbleton and Pinedale. The majority of randomly selected interviewees nearly 80% have paid no attention to the hearings that some theorize could lead to the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The handful of residents who had tuned into or read about the committee were skeptical of its motives and legitimacy. They had to hire Hollywood, Valerie Wheeler, a bartender at the Den, said between serving customers at the Daniel Junction restaurant. Im serious, I dont believe a word that comes out of their mouths. A dim view of Cheney, a belief that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and a perception that the insurrection is being overblown to shine Cheneys star on the national stage were commonplace in Sublette County, where the population has slipped since a natural gas boom in the early 2000s. If such sentiments are as widespread as many observers believe, they jeopardize the electability of Cheney, who sailed to victories in previous House races, but now faces a formidable opponent hand-picked by Trump: Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman. Early polling from Hageman-aligned groups suggests the challenger is well in the lead. But Cheneys campaign and proponents have bet big on winning hearts and minds through the incumbents leadership role in the high-profile select committee hearings and the bodys revelations about the Capitol Building attack. That strategy, however, depends on Wyoming voters paying attention and not having made up their minds. The approach carries significant political risk. While the second-term congresswoman has occupied the national stage, interviewing witnesses and laying out a case against the popular-in-Wyoming former president, Hagemans been riding the states conventional campaign circuit for months. As you will see in great detail in our hearings, president Trump ignored the rulings of our nations courts, he ignored his own campaign leadership, his White House staff, many Republican state officials, he ignored the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, Cheney said in her opening remarks of the first hearing. President Trump invested millions of dollars of campaign funds purposely spreading false information, running ads he knew were false and convincing millions of Americans that the election was corrupt and that he was the true president. As you will see, his misinformation campaign provoked the violence on Jan. 6. The Jan. 6 committee has held five hearings since with more anticipated in July reportedly pushed back because of the emergence of new evidence. Theyve captured attention nationally. But not Natalie Strongs or most of her neighbors in Sublette County. While its unclear how many Wyoming residents are watching the Jan. 6 hearings, those who are tuning in arent catching it on the Public Broadcasting Service. WyomingPBS has opted to keep its normally scheduled programming, which includes shows like Curious George and Daniel Tigers Neighborhood. Station manager Terry Dugas told the Washington Post his outfit is airing the hearings instead on Create, a digital Wyoming PBS subchannel, because of cursing that sometimes occurs during testimony. We have a commitment to the parents in Wyoming to provide a safe harbor on our main channel for their children during the day, Dugas told the Post. Nevertheless, the Jan. 6 hearings are accessible to anyone with a broadband internet connection: Theyre broadcast live over YouTube and elsewhere. State Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander), whos been named to Cheneys leadership team, has tuned into at least parts of the first four hearings, and said hes talked to a number of Wyoming voters who are glued to the hearings. Its a small group of people and maybe an odd group, Case said. Case said there are facets of the Wyoming GOP, albeit not its leadership, who are pushing back on Trumps disproven claims, and the widely held belief, that large-scale, systematic fraud swung the election in favor of Joe Biden. I cant change it, Case said of Wyoming residents believing Trumps lie. I just know that if we let them say it over and over again, it does become true for a lot of people. The long-serving lawmaker, whos been censured by the Fremont County Republican Party for stances that depart from Wyoming Republican Party leadership, said that hes proud of Cheney for combating the misinformation and co-chairing the committee. There is right and wrong here, Case said. Im going to see it through to the end. Im staking my own reputation on it. So is Cheney, along with her job. Former five-term U.S. Sen. and Cody resident Al Simpson, another member of Cheneys leadership team, said he doesnt give a damn, even if she were polling 80 percentage points behind. The important thing, he said, is that Cheney is in the right. This is the worst thing thats ever happened to America. This destroys democracy, Simpson said of Trumps attempts to overturn the election. At some point in time, her words will go down in the books. At some point in time, [Trump] will be gone, and my Republican colleagues who are for him will be dishonored. In the meantime, Simpson isnt counting Cheney out. Theres still nearly two months to go until the Aug. 16 primary, and until then voters will learn more about Trumps role inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection. That information could change the equation for Cheney and her Trump-aligned challenger, he said. People in Wyoming are open-minded and closed-mouthed, Simpson said. Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler declined an interview request for this story. So did the Hageman campaign. In an emailed statement, Adler said the committee expects to reveal many more facts that will provide a more complete picture of what happened leading up to Jan. 6 and on the day itself. Some Wyoming voters and politicos have already written the Jan. 6 committee off. There is clearly an agenda, and I say that because theyre not showing both sides, Lincoln County Republican Party Chairwoman Marti Halverson said. Its so choreographed I dont believe what Im seeing. Halverson, a former state representative, caught up with WyoFile last week at the Alpine Civic Center during a Donald Trump, Jr. visit to promote Hageman. A couple hundred Star Valley residents showed up on a Wednesday morning to attend, offering hearty applause in response to jabs directed at Cheney. Harriet will carry Lincoln County for sure, Halverson said, but Im not going to make any prediction as to by how much, because there are pockets of supporters of Representative Cheney. Just north in Teton County, where Cheney owns a home, Republican Party Chairwoman Mary Martin is keeping a neutral stance in the primary battle: Unlike Halverson, she didnt attend a Trump, Jr. event in Jackson the day prior. Among the Teton County GOP, there are two very distinct camps, she said. Some have been totally insulted with what she has said about the Republicans in the state of Wyoming, Martin said, and others will tell you shes the bravest person on the planet. Teton County conservatives reception of the Jan. 6 committee hearings is also evenly split, she said: Some are intently watching, while others think its a big propaganda advertisement for Cheneys political campaign. The dichotomy is tilted more toward skepticism in Sublette County, where nearly 80% of voters cast ballots to reelect Trump-Pence in the 2020 election. From the parking lot outside the Den at Daniel Junction, Cora rancher Pat Noble took a moment to share his views. Noble isnt one to watch TV he finds it too one-sided but has listened in on the committee hearings when he can over the radio. I try to get a well-rounded [presentation] of an issue before I base an opinion, Noble said, but its kind of hard to find it. As for the Jan. 6 events at the Capitol, Noble thought it was a shame it went that far, but he believes the insurrectionists cause was righteous and that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He doesnt believe, from what hes heard listening to the committee hearings, that theyre giving the former president a fair shake. Theyre so head-bent on trying to get Donald Trump pinned on it, Noble said. Why are you focusing on that when theres so many things you can focus on? Of the 19 Sublette County residents WyoFile spoke with, only one openly stated that Joe Biden is the rightful president of the United States. Im a professional myself, so I trust the professionals on what they have to say, Pinedale resident Antolin Barraza said of the election results. Whether the outcome was what I wanted or not, Ill leave it up to them. Barraza, an engineer, voted for Trump. Like most of his fellow residents who agreed to talk, he was tuned out of the Jan. 6 committee hearings. In fact, he didnt even know they were happening. Almost irresponsibly, sometimes you dont pay attention to some of these things, Barraza said. Were too busy playing around in the mountains and living the life and enjoying whats around us. We have that privilege. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 A nonprofit government watchdog organization filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission last week against a brand new Wyoming-based limited liability company that made a $50,000 donation to a super PAC working to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney. The complaint alleges that Snow Goose LLCs donation to a pro-Harriet Hageman super PAC, Wyoming Values, is in violation of the straw donor rule, which prohibits companies and individuals from giving someone else money to make a political donation on their behalf. LLCs are legally allowed to donate to super PACs even if the true recipient of the cash is unknown, but Campaign Legal Center argues that because Snow Goose is so new and has little financial activity outside of this donation, it is in violation of the straw donor ban. In other words, they argue that the LLC was created for the sole purpose of a political donation to Wyoming Values. Basically [Snow Goose] has no activity, no commercial enterprise that would generate any income and no assets, said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center. Within 10 weeks of being organized its making a $50,000 contribution. This says to us that they didnt have the means to make a $50,0000 contribution until someone donated to it. And thats pretty much a textbook straw donor scheme. This complaint is another inflection point in the ongoing conversation about political donations from unknown but legal sources referred to as dark money in Wyoming and national politics. While Campaign Legal Center argues that it expressly violates the straw donor ban, others arent as convinced. Im not certain [the expenditure] was illegal. I think what happened might be legal, said Ken Chestek, a law professor at the University of Wyoming and the chair of Wyoming Promise, a cross-partisan group working to reduce the political influence of big money. If it was legal it should not be. Michael Beckel, the research director for Issue One, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that aims to increase public awareness of the campaign finance system, called it a violation of the spirit of the law. But the FEC has an inconsistent history of going after shadowy LLCs. We try to file complaints in any situation where we see straw donor schemes, Ghosh said. Whether the FEC moves forward or not isnt really the measure if we file or not. Super PACs are prohibited from donating money or communicating directly with political candidates and the complaint is not against Wyoming Values, but Snow Goose itself. Snow Goose was formed in December of 2021 and made a donation only a few weeks later, in February of this year. The party listed on the LLCs filing is a Jackson-based corporate lawyer, Matthew Kim-Miller, who often helps clients set up entities. Kim-Miller did not respond to the Star-Tribunes request for comment. Snow Goose also lists a virtual office address in Casper, meaning it does not have a physical location. Super PACs are defined in the fact that they can receive huge donations unlike campaign committees where donations have caps in the low thousands. Along with raising major sums of money, super PACs stand out in another way through them, its easy to conceal who and where the money is coming from. The single Snow Goose donation isnt a monumental donation when looking at the full picture. As of March 31, the end of the first fundraising quarter of 2022, Wyoming Values had raised just over $700,000 and had roughly $590,000 left in the bank. That said, $50,000 is in a three-way tie for the third largest donation to the super PAC so far. In the grand scheme of super PAC spending hundreds of thousands, $50,000 in and of itself might not sound like a lot, but I think this is a practice that is unfortunately very common, Ghosh said.Even if the donation isnt the biggest of the bunch, Ghosh and others say that dark money donations undermine voters ability to meaningfully participate in our election system. It dilutes the voice of ordinary people. It makes individual donors essentially powerless, Chestek said. These big donors can shout down the rest of us and we dont even know whos talking and thats very dangerous for democracy. Super PACS are an important, but new part of the dark money and big donor conversations in Wyoming politics t This complaint from Liz Cheneys liberal friends at CLC doesnt even allege any wrongdoing by our PAC. Wyoming Values has always fully complied with the law and will continue to do so, said James Blair, Strategist for Wyoming Values. When PACs and committees receive donations there are a few boxes donors need to check, like age and citizenship. But when it comes to LLCs and Super PACs, things get murkier. Theres nothing to verify, said Paul Kilgore, treasurer for Wyoming Values. Super PACs can accept LLC money. After Cheney voted to impeach Trump and continually criticized him, the former president sought a challenger and ended up selecting Hageman who entered the race on Sept. 9, 2021 with Trumps endorsement in tow. Since then, national interest groups have flocked to Wyoming in all sides of the race. In many respects, Wyomings 2022 House race is one of the most important in the nation as its being viewed as the ultimate referendum on Trump and his grip on the Republican Party. Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "vase with dragons among clouds" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was inaugurated on June 22 and is scheduled to open to the public on July 2. More than 40,000 tickets were sold or reserved within eight hours on the first day of public sale, and all free visits on Wednesdays in July were fully booked. The HKPM, a new cultural landmark of Hong Kong, not only adds to cultural atmosphere in the city, but also provides a new site for local residents and visitors to learn about the development of Chinese civilization and culture. "This is a great gift from the motherland to Hong Kong," said Louis Ng, director of the HKPM. More than 900 pieces of treasures from the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing will be put on display at the opening exhibitions. From paintings and bronze wares to embroideries and ancient architectures, the exhibits span the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, covering all categories of the collection of the Palace Museum, including 166 pieces of first-class cultural relics of the country. This will be the largest and highest-level cultural heritage exhibitions of the Palace Museum outside of the mainland since its establishment in 1925. Preparatory work for the exhibitions began in 2018, with the Palace Museum fielding a team of leading experts and scholars, in collaboration with the curatorial team of the HKPM. "It is a great thing to display the pieces of cultural relics in Hong Kong, which reflects the central government's support to the development of Hong Kong's cultural undertakings," said Ng, adding that the exhibits from the Palace Museum will present a cultural feast to Hong Kong residents by telling them about the motherland's long history and splendid culture. The HKPM embodies the excellence of traditional Chinese culture, as can be seen from the design and construction of the building. The museum building is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The exterior walls are inlaid with 3,999 pieces of curved glazed tiles. The museum adopts the distinctive "Central Axis" concept, and traditional Chinese cultural elements such as red doors decorated with golden doornails are also presented. "Promoting traditional Chinese culture is one of our important tasks," said Betty Fung, chief executive officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, adding that it is also the original aspiration and mission of the establishment of the HKPM. She said the HKPM will actively push ahead with the publicity of the motherland's culture and history after its opening, enhancing Hong Kong residents' cultural confidence in the country, especially among youths. "When I was a child, I really wished that I could visit the magnificent palaces in Beijing," said Muk Ka-chun, a teacher at Pui Kiu Middle School in Hong Kong, adding that he looks forward to appreciating the cultural relics from Beijing's Palace Museum. He believes that a visit to the HKPM will enable Hong Kong youths to learn more about the time-honored history and rich civilization of the motherland, cultivate their cultural identity and confidence, and lay the foundation for them to become disseminators, inheritors and promoters of traditional Chinese culture. "I hope that I can bring my students to the museum once it opens," Muk said. Thirteen pieces of artifacts from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, will also be exhibited in the HKPM after it opens. Ng believes that this reflects the rationale behind the establishment of the HKPM, which is not only to inherit and promote traditional Chinese culture, but also to promote cultural exchanges between the East and the West. Fung said that the HKPM will actively enhance cooperation with international museums, telling the world the stories of China, including the stories of Hong Kong. Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "vase with flowers and poetic inscription" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "garlic-mouth bottle with dragon" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "Bodhidharma crossing the river" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "vase with dragons among floral scrolls" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "double-gourd-shaped vase with bats and ribbons" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the chrysanthemum-shaped dishes to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the exhibit "headrest in the shape of a reclining boy" to be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2, with opening exhibitions jointly curated with the Palace Museum in Beijing. More than 900 treasures from the collection of the mainland's Palace Museum, including 166 first-class cultural relics of China, will be put on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) The office of the Attorney General gave advice to the police during the criminal investigation into the Christian Chandler matter without any involvement, input or consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This was confirmed by DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, in an affidavit dated June 28, 2022, which was submitted to the High Court in a case arising out of an application for information from the DPP on this matter filed by social activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj, who was represented by former AG Anand Ramlogan, SC. The Prime Ministers shutdown of journalist Darren Bahaw at Saturdays news conference was misguided, based on factual errors, intemperate and unbefitting the leader of a democratic country. In a scene straight out of the Trump playbook for handling challenging media questions, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley shouted down the journalist as he attempted to question him about his due diligence prior to appointing Reginald Armour as Attorney General, saying I advise you, dont go any further. TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian ambassador to Qatar said on Tuesday the country's negotiating team, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, has arrived in Doha for the resumption of the talks on the revival of the Iranian nuclear deal after a three-month pause. Hamidreza Dehghani made the remarks in a post on his Twitter account to welcome Bagheri Kani and his accompanying team to the Qatari capital, adding that "without any prejudgment and expressing unreal pessimism or optimism, I wish them success in accomplishing their important mission of safeguarding the interests of the great Iranian nation." Earlier on Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the nuclear negotiations will be held indirectly with the United States, and facilitated by the European Union (EU). The resumption of the talks was announced on Saturday at a joint televised press conference in Tehran by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and visiting EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. Later in the day, in a post on his Instagram page, the Iranian top diplomat said the Islamic republic has never left the negotiating table and will continue the talks without giving up on the rights of the Iranian people. Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the United States would, this time, take "responsible and committed" measures "realistically and justly" in the path of the negotiations and reaching a final agreement, stressing that if the other sides demonstrate that they have the required will, Iran is determined to reach a "good, strong and lasting" agreement. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015 accepting to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on Tehran. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed Washington's unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement in retaliation. The nuclear talks began in April 2021 in Vienna, but have been suspended since March over political differences between Tehran and Washington. SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. He did not know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint. Investigators traced the trucks registration to a residence in San Antonio and detained two men from Mexico for possession of weapons, according to criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorneys office. The complaints did not make any specific allegations related to the deaths. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely back road and found the gruesome scene inside, police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground. More than a dozen people their bodies hot to the touch were taken to hospitals, including four children. Most of the dead were males, he said. The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling attempt in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. This is a horror that surpasses anything weve experienced before, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. And its sadly a preventable tragedy. President Joe Biden called the deaths horrifying and heartbreaking. Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said in a statement. Authorities did not know the home countries of all of the migrants, nor how long they were abandoned on the side of the road. By Tuesday afternoon, medical examiners had potentially identified 34 of the victims, but they were taking additional steps, such as fingerprints, to confirm the identities, said Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Among the dead, 27 are believed to be of Mexican origin based on documents they were carrying, according to said Ruben Minutti, Mexico consul general in San Antonio. Several survivors were in critical condition with injuries such as brain damage and internal bleeding, he said. At least seven of the dead were from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, head of the North America department in Mexicos Foreign Relations Department, said on Twitter. About 30 people had reached out to the Mexican Consulate looking for loved ones, the officials said. Authorities confirmed that one of the surviving Mexicans from the trailer was Jose Luis Guzman Vasquez, 32, from San Miguel Huautla in the southern state of Oaxaca, according to Aida Ruiz Garcia, director of the Oaxacan Institute for Migrant Attention. He was dehydrated and receiving car at a San Antonio hospital, Mexico's foreign affairs said. A cousin, Alejandro Lopez, told Milenio television that the family worked in farming and construction and migrated because we dont have anything but weaving hats, palms and handicrafts. Attempts to cross the U.S. border from Mexico have claimed thousands of lives in both countries in recent decades. U.S. border authorities are stopping migrants more often on the southern border than at any time in at least two decades. Migrants were stopped nearly 240,000 times in May, up by one-third from a year ago. Comparisons to pre-pandemic levels are complicated because migrants expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42 face no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Authorities say 25% of encounters in May were with people who had been stopped at least once in the previous year. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. U.S. authorities discover trucks with migrants inside pretty close to daily, Larrabee said. Migrants typically pay $8,000 to $10,000 to be taken across the border and loaded into a tractor-trailer and driven to San Antonio, where they transfer to smaller vehicles for their final destinations across the United States, he said. Conditions vary widely, including how much water passengers get and whether they are allowed to carry cellphones, Larrabee said. Authorities think the truck discovered Monday had mechanical problems when it was left next to a railroad track in an area of San Antonio surrounded by auto scrapyards that brush up against a busy freeway, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the top elected official in the county that includes San Antonio. San Antonio has been a recurring scene of tragedy and desperation in recent years involving migrants in semitrailers. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a San Antonio Walmart. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. More than 50 migrants were found alive in a trailer in 2018, driven by a man who said he was to be paid $3,000 and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Other tragedies have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. In December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers stopped at a military checkpoint near the border. Some of the 16 people taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition. Those taken to the hospital were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Temperatures in San Antonio on Monday approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before that, people paid small fees to get across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became much more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and had to pay thousands of dollars. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administrations border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes, he wrote on Twitter. During a vigil held Tuesday evening in the rain at a San Antonio park, many of the more than 50 people who attended expressed sadness, frustration and anger at the deaths and what they described as a broken immigration system. I see this happen, and it didnt have to happen. If we had a better way for brown and Black people to enter safely, they wouldnt go through these desperate measures, said San Antonio resident Debbie Ponce. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under the pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies a chance to seek asylum. The Biden administration planned to end the policy, but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move in May. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the Southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most were related to heat exposure. Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporters Eric Gay in San Antonio, Acacia Coronado in Austin, Terry Wallace in Dallas and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed during a fight on Tucsons west side early Sunday, Tucson police say. David Reyes was shot during a fight with a group of males shortly after 2 a.m. at a gathering in the 2400 block of North Jordan Drive, near West Grant and North Silverbell roads. Police said on Monday that first-responders tried to save Reyes but that the teen died soon after arriving at the hospital. Suspects in the shooting fled before police arrived. The investigation continues and there have been no arrests. Anyone with information is asked to call 88-CRIME, the anonymous tipster line. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Aide: Trump dismissed Jan. 6 threats, wanted to join crowd WASHINGTON (AP) The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House. A former White House aide also tells the House committee investigating the attack that Trump desperately attempted to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol. In her testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson described an angry, defiant president who grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to allow him go to the Capitol. Trump has dismissed her as a total phony. Trump painted in testimony as volatile, angry president WASHINGTON (AP) A former Trump White House aide has painted a portrait of a volatile commander-in-chief who lashed out at advisers as his grasp on power was extinguished. Though accounts of the former presidents temper are legion, Cassidy Hutchinson offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trumps rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that supporters had weapons with them and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol. The testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee deepened questions about whether Trump himself could face criminal charges for his conduct and came as Trump weighs running for reelection in 2024. 1/6 Takeaways: Angry Trump, dire legal warnings and ketchup The House Jan. 6 committee held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trumps actions that day. Witness Cassidy Hutchinson is a lesser-known former White House aide who had proximity to power as an adviser to the then-president and his chief of staff Mark Meadows. She rebuffed Trumps team warnings against testifying and provided firsthand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the insurrection. She described an angry and defiant Trump who ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then refused to intervene to stop the violence as rioters laid siege. Colorado GOP deals blow to election denial movement DENVER (AP) Colorado Republicans have rejected two prominent election deniers in primaries Tuesday night. It's a setback for the movement to install backers of former President Donald Trump's election lies in positions with power over voting. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters lost the Republican primary for secretary of state to Pam Anderson, a former clerk in suburban Denver. Peters was indicted for her role in a break-in of her county's election system. An ally, State Rep. Ron Hanks, lost his bid for the GOP Senate nomination. Hanks attended the Jan. 6 protests. He was beaten by businessman Joe O'Dea, a rare GOP backer of some abortion rights. Takeaways from first primaries since Roe v. Wade overturned NEW YORK (AP) A rare Republican who supports abortion rights found success in Colorado in the first primary elections held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, New Yorks first female governor positioned herself to become a major voice in the post-Roe landscape. In Illinois, Democrats helped boost a Republican gubernatorial candidate loyal to former President Donald Trump in the hopes that he would be the easier candidate to beat in November. And in at least two states, election deniers were defeated, even as pro-Trump lightning rods elsewhere won. 51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones as authorities begin identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press that the driver of the truck and two other people were arrested. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from a truck parked on a lonely back road. Ukrainian survivor: Only a 'monster' would attack a mall KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) The shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of war it offered an escape for some residents. In a few moments on Monday, it suddenly became a hellish inferno after it was hit by a Russian airstrike. Authorities say at least 18 people are dead, more than 20 are missing and scores are wounded. The Kremenchuk mall is now the latest addition to the allegations of war crimes levied against Russia in the Ukraine war. One mall employee who said he had stepped outside for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off estimated 1,000 people had been in the mall, contradicting Russias claim it was empty. Turkey lifts its objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO MADRID (AP) Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told the AP that the membership should be completed the sooner the better. Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte's legacy MANILA, Philippines (AP) The thousands of killings under Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes campaign against illegal drugs have left families in agony and a savage side to his legacy. Duterte ends his turbulent six-year presidency Thursday after building a reputation for expletives-laced outbursts and a disdain for human rights and the West. He's seen as a human rights calamity not only for the deaths in his drug crackdown, but also for his brazen attacks on critical media, the Catholic church and his political opponents. He's still an endearing, popular character to many Filipinos, however, and state-run TV has been highlighting infrastructure and poverty-alleviating projects of his administration. But in the homes of those lost in the drug war, an air of indignation and mourning permeates. EXPLAINER: Abortion, tech and surveillance With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use data troves from Facebook, Google and other social platforms against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever peoples personal data is tracked and stored, theres always a risk that it could be misused or abused. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. MADRID, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkey changed its position and agreed to support Sweden and Finland's NATO membership applications on Tuesday during the ongoing NATO Summit in Madrid, while conflicts within the military bloc still remain. After an extended meeting among leaders from the three countries together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday afternoon, a trilateral memorandum addressing Turkey's security concerns was agreed and signed, paving the way for the two Nordic states' NATO membership applications. "I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that enables Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO," said Stoltenberg at a press conference on Tuesday night, explaining that the deal includes agreements on arms exports and a joint fight against terrorism. "This will strengthen NATO, and it will also strengthen Sweden and Finland", said Stoltenberg, adding that now is the time for the 30 different parliaments to make a decision. According to NATO, all 30 members must approve a country's bid for it to be accepted into the alliance. Although several NATO countries have already approved the two Nordic states' bid in mid-May to join the military alliance, the process has proven not to be as straightforward, as Turkey soon raised objections, citing Swedish and Finnish ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) Turkey labels as terrorist groups. Ankara has also voiced dissatisfaction with the Swedish arms embargo on Turkey. Rounds of talks have been held in the past weeks at both Ankara and NATO headquarters in Brussels which aimed to resolve differences among the two Nordic states and Turkey. Despite Turkey's green light on Tuesday, the NATO head admitted that conflicts within the military bloc still remain. "There will still be conflicts within the defense alliance, but we have shown the strength of our alliance ..." Stoltenberg concluded. NEW YORK (AP) Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend who they said sometimes also participated in the abuse. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said "a very significant sentence is necessary" and that she wanted to send an "unmistakable message" that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while the 60-year-old Maxwell's defense sought a lenient sentence of just five years. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, looked to one side as the sentence was announced, but otherwise did not react. "We will continue to live with the harm she caused us," said Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers who testified against Maxwell at trial, inside the courtroom before the sentencing. When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her "greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein." Maxwell called him "a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life," echoing her defense attorneys' assertions that Epstein was the true mastermind. Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her "unusual incarceration" bring some "measure of peace and finality." Nathan refused to let Maxwell escape culpability, making clear that Maxwell was being punished for her own actions, not Epstein's. She called the crimes "heinous and predatory" and said Maxwell as a sophisticated adult woman provided the veneer of safety as she "normalized" sexual abuse through her involvement, encouragement and instruction. Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Farmer, who said her sister and herself tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to "horrifying nightmares" by taking them to Epstein. "They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together," she said, calling Maxwell "a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings." Epstein and Maxwell's associations with some of the world's most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abuse them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as "a pyramid of abuse." Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticize her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwell's seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. Maxwell's fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. WASHINGTON (AP) Drowned in the Rio Grande. Murdered in Mexico. Perished in the Arizona desert. For migrants traveling to the United States, the journey has always been full of peril. A tragic reminder came this week when at least 51 people died after being abandoned in the back of a tractor-trailer in sweltering San Antonio. Authorities believe the vehicle was part of a human-smuggling operation. While the scale of the calamity was shocking, it's only the most recent example to illustrate how U.S. officials have struggled to find the right strategy for patrolling the border and preventing deaths. Lax enforcement can encourage more people to travel north in hopes of a better life. But clamping down is not always a deterrent. Instead, migrants may rely on riskier routes to avoid detection, or put themselves in the hands of smugglers who promise that they can evade authorities for a price. The San Antonio tragedy triggered familiar reactions across the U.S. political spectrum, indicating that a solemn record as the deadliest smuggling attempt in the nations history will do little or nothing to reshape a debate that has hamstrung Washington for decades. Finger-pointing began almost immediately. President Joe Biden, in Europe this week for international summits, said the deaths were "horrifying and heartbreaking." Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said. The migrants were discovered on Monday when a city worker heard a cry for help from the abandoned truck that was parked on the side of a back road. Dozens were already dead; more died at nearby hospitals. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who is investing billions of dollars of state money on border security, tweeted within hours of the grisly discovery that the deaths were on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," Abbott said. Immigration advocates disagreed with Abbott's criticism and said Biden was too focused on enforcement. A federal judge has kept in place a Trump-era policy that denies many migrants a chance to seek asylum on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19. If the Biden administration continues to illegally turn away migrants and deny their chance to rightfully seek asylum, individuals and families escaping persecution, war, and climate disasters will continue to face violence and death, advocacy group RAICES Texas said in a statement. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden was flying between summits in Germany and Spain that the administration was focused on the victims and holding human smugglers accountable. The fact of the matter is, the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks, she said. The U.N. migration agency has reported that nearly 3,000 people went missing or died trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States since 2014. The San Antonio tragedy pushed the total to nearly 300 for the first half of this year. The International Organization for Migration, along with the U.N. refugee agency, called for a swift investigation. Without sufficient pathways to safety, vulnerable and desperate people will continue to be preyed upon by smugglers or forced to resort to desperate measures to cross borders," said Matthew Reynolds, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' representative to the United States and Caribbean. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which counts deaths differently, reported 557 people perished on the southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Deaths became commonplace on the border after Operation Gatekeeper, launched in 1994, pushed migrant traffic to the Arizona deserts from San Diego. Despite billions of dollars spent every year on border security since then, neither Republican or Democratic administrations have been able to stem the loss of life. Migrants routinely take risks to cross into the United States. Jose Castillo, 43, left Nicaragua with his wife and 14-year-old son in January but didnt cross the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, until May, paralyzed with fear that they would drown. He and his wife finally decided that one of them could die, as long as their child made it safely. They took a chance and it worked. We can never return to Nicaragua, he said. Under Trump and Biden, Border Patrol agents have been stretched extremely thin because they spend long stretches of time processing cases for immigration court. Such responsibilities take them out of the field, making it easier for people to cross undetected. The Border Patrol recently began releasing tens of thousands of migrants on parole in hopes of freeing up more agents to be in the field to try to stop migrants. The number of people found crossing the border illegally is at or near the highest in about two decades. Decisions to migrate are complex, but it could be that many people are getting through undetected and encouraging others to come. Migrants who succeed sometimes tell their stories to family and friends back home, encouraging them to follow. At the same time, Title 42 has encouraged repeat attempts to cross the border because there are no legal consequences, such as criminal charges or records of deportation, for getting caught. Many people cross several times until they succeed. Its unclear whether any of the migrants who died in San Antonio had previously been expelled. Isis Pena, 45, fled Honduras with a friend, who urged her to cross the border illegally. Pena refused but began to regret her decision after the friend soon called from San Antonio to say she made it easily and U.S. authorities didnt even ask her any questions before getting released. The next day, Pena tried to cross. Although she made it across the river, she was expelled to Mexico under Title 42 authority. Spagat reported from San Diego. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A man acquitted by reason of insanity of murder in the 2013 stabbing death of his father in Austin has escaped from a state hospital to which he was committed, authorities said Monday. Staff at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, near the Oklahoma border and 190 miles (306 kilometers) northwest of Dallas, advised police that Alexander Scott Ervin, 29, was found missing from the hospital shortly after 7:30 a.m. Monday, the Vernon Police Department reported. A review of the hospitals security video revealed that Ervin left his dormitory room about 9 p.m. Sunday and scaled the hospitals 8-foot security fence before heading north on foot about 9:15 p.m. Ervin was to be considered armed and dangerous, police said. A Travis County jury in 2014 found Ervin, who is autistic, not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in Ray Scott Ervins death. Police and emergency medical personnel dispatched to the Ervins' home in west Austin found the suspect calm and quiet by scratched, beaten and covered in blood, the Austin American-Statesman reported. His brother, Maxwell Ervin, testified that his brother attacked their father with a pipe wrench and a folding knife, alleging that Ray Ervin was an imposter. Alexander Ervin claimed to be a trained member of the CIA on a mission to kill his father, Maxwell Ervin testified. Jurors deliberated for about 10 hours before acquitting the defendant. As recently as this April, a magistrate ordered Alexander Ervin's commitment to continue at a state mental hospital. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Bond has been set for Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle on charges he laundered more than half a million dollars, money federal prosecutors have said that he believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle people across the Mexican border into the United States. A federal judge in Florence, South Carolina, on Monday set a $250,000 secured bond for Antle, who was still listed as being held in jail as of Monday evening. Federal prosecutors said it would take a day to process his release, after which Antle will be confined to his 50-acre (20-hectare) wildlife tropical preserve in Socastee, outside Myrtle Beach. Prosecutors had argued in court filings that Antle should remain in custody prior to his trial because he is a flight risk, noting his significant financial resources and contacts that know how to make false identification documents." Arguing for his release, Antle's attorneys said the 62-year-old has no prior convictions and suffers from an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, which can exacerbate the symptoms of COVID-19 should Antle contract the disease while he is incarcerated. Charges against Antle and Andrew Jon Sawyer, one of Antles employees at Myrtle Beach Safari, were revealed during a federal court hearing earlier this month. According to federal prosecutors, Antle and Sawyer laundered $505,000 over a four-month period by doling out checks from businesses they controlled, receiving a 15% fee of the money that passed through their hands. The checks, prosecutors allege, falsely purported to be payment for construction work at Myrtle Beach Safari but were in reality intended to serve as evidence that the recipients had legitimate income. According to a federal complaint, Antle discussed his plan to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at his wildlife preserve. Prosecutors also said he had previously used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks. According to authorities, Antle and Sawyer each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Sawyer was released earlier this month on $100,000 bond, according to court records. Antle is featured prominently in Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders and private zoo operators in the U.S. The series focused heavily on Oklahoma zoo operator Joe Exotic, who also was targeted for animal mistreatment and was convicted in a plot to kill a rival, Carole Baskin. Animal rights advocates have accused Antle of mistreating lions and other wildlife. He faces multiple charges in Virginia, including animal cruelty, wildlife trafficking and 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act. Federal prosecutors said Antle was on bond for those state charges when he committed his alleged crimes in South Carolina. In May, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the IRS to probe Antles Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit raising money for wildlife conservation. PETA alleges he uses some of the funds money to subsidize his safari site. In a statement Monday, Michelle Sinnott, associate director of PETA's Captive Animal Law Enforcement Division, said that a federal agent who testified at Antle's detention hearing made it clear that additional federal charges are expected within the month. Antle has a history of recorded violations, going as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. Over the years, he has had more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals. Meg Kinnard can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. PHOENIX A planned mine at Oak Flat does not interfere with the ability of Native Americans to practice their religion, a federal appeals court has ruled. In an extensive opinion, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that the plans by Resolution Copper to build the mine on property that is being conveyed by the federal government would affect the ability of members of the Apache Tribe to perform religious services on the site. And they said it might even keep tribal members off the land. But Judge Carlos Bea, writing for the 2-1 majority, said none of that violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it does not interfere with their right to practice their religion. And that means Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit formed to preserve and protect American Indian sacred sites, has no legal basis for its lawsuit, he said. The decision by the court to not immediately enjoin mine construction drew a dissent from Judge Marsha Berzon. She said her colleagues were imposing an overly restrictive test for determining the key issue in the case: whether the project imposes a substantial burden on religious exercise. In 2014 Congress directed the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 2,422 acres of federal land, including Oak Flat, to Resolution Copper in exchange for 5,344 acres of Arizona land owned by the company. While Resolution would not need to dig a mine on the surface, court records show the land over the mine eventually would subside, profoundly and permanently altering the landscape. There were some provisions put into the deal, including that there could be no mining on Apache Leap, with the goal of preserving the areas natural character and cultural and archeological resources and protecting the traditional uses of the area by Native American people. Apache Stronghold sued, arguing it would interfere with religious services, like a Sunrise Dance held on Oak Flat which the tribe calls Chichil Bildagoteel in 2014. And that, its attorneys argued, violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That law says the federal government may not substantially burden a persons sincere exercise of religion unless than burden is both in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and that it is the least restrictive means of furthering that interest. And in this case, Apache Stronghold argued that the mine would make it impossible to have religious exercise on Oak Flat, substantially burdening its members. Bea, however, said even if that is true, it does not violate the federal law. Under RFRA, the government imposes a substantial burden on religion in two and only two circumstances: when the government forces individuals to choose between following the tenets of their religion and receiving a government benefit, and when the government coerces individuals to act contrary to their religious beliefs by threat of civil or criminal sanctions, he wrote. The first prong does not apply, Bea said, because the transfer of the property does not deny anyone any government benefits. The land exchanges incidental effects on the religious exercise of Apache Strongholds members, as significant as they may be to the Apache, may make it more difficult for them to practice their religion, he said. But Bea said it will have no tendency to coerce the Apache into acting contrary to their religious beliefs. In fact, the judge said, that would be true even if the land exchange makes worship on Oak Flat impossible. The government makes exercises of religion more difficult all the time, Bea said. Doing so is not inherently coercive, he said The land exchange does not coerce the Apache to abandon their religion by threatening them with a negative outcome. The majority was no more sympathetic to arguments that the land exchange does in fact deprive its members of a benefit and subjects them to a penalty: They can no longer access government land for religious exercise and would subject to penalties for trespassing on private land. But here, too, Bea said the government does not substantially burden religion every time it ends a government benefit that at one time went to religious beneficiaries. There must be an element of coercion: the government must condition the benefit upon conduct that would violate sincerely held religious beliefs, he said. And that, said Bea, is not occurring here. The land exchange just incidentally keeps everybody Apache Strongholds members included from using Oak Flat, he said. And Bea also said that Apache Stronghold has not shown a sufficiently realistic fear of future criminal liability or even that Resolution Copper might bring civil trespassing charges. The ruling ignores the role of the site, said Wendeler Nosie Sr., founder of Apache Stronghold. Oak Flat is like Mount Sinai to us, our most sacred site where we connect with our Creator, our faith and our families, he said in a prepared statement. It is a place of healing that has been sacred to us since long before Europeans arrived on this continent. The ruling, unless overturned threatens people of all faiths, said Luke Goodrich, senior counsel at Becket, which represents plaintiffs in religious law cases. An appeal will go to the Supreme Court. Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com . Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. CONCORD, N.C. (AP) Body-camera footage shows a North Carolina police officer shoot an unarmed man five times after a chase, pause to call dispatch, and then shoot him again, attorneys for the dead man's mother said Tuesday. Attorneys for Brandon Combs' mother, Virginia Tayara, said they were in utter disbelief after being shown the video of the February shooting last week, news outlets reported. The attorneys called on officials to release the footage to the public and charge the officer involved. Concord police had initially described the shooting as resulting from a physical confrontation at a car dealership where Combs, a 29-year-old white man, was trying to steal a truck. But Tayara's attorneys say the footage shows that no struggle ever occurred between Combs and Officer Timothy Larson before the officer opened fire. Instead, they said it shows a short foot chase that ended when Combs got into the drivers seat of Larsons police SUV. They said the officers shot Combs five times, called dispatch and then shot him again. They did not specify how much time elapsed between the fifth and sixth shots. A spokesperson for the Concord Police Department didn't immediately return a phone call or respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. He murdered him. He shot him in cold blood. I just want the officer held accountable and I want the city of Concord to make some changes to the way they do business, Tayara said. Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels told The Charlotte Observer that it was one of the worst police-shooting videos he has ever seen and that Combs death hasnt gotten the attention it deserves because police presented the shooting as an open-and-shut case. We didnt know anything until we saw (the video). We watched it in utter disbelief, Daniels said. The most disturbing thing is not the unjustified use of deadly force, but that (Larson) paused and then used deadly force again. The first five shots were bad enough. The last shot was overkill, man. It was overkill. I cant make sense of it. Daniels and the other attorneys representing Combs family called on Cabarrus County District Attorney Roxann Vaneekhoven to charge Larson with a crime or take the case before a grand jury for a possible indictment. The State Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the shooting, sent findings to Vaneekhoven earlier this month, according to SBI spokesperson Anjanette Grube. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Charlotte Observer. Charles Page High School graduate Jazmin Lopez Gonzalez doesnt know exactly what she wants to major in at Oklahoma State University in the fall, but thanks to a scholarship from the Hispanic American Foundation of Tulsa and the Lou and Connie Miller Foundation, paying for her college degree will be a little less of a burden. Lopez received a $3,000 onetime gift that can be used throughout her college years for any expenses she faces. She is one of 17 local-area high school and college students awarded scholarships totaling $60,000, according to the Hispanic American Foundation of Tulsa. I was so excited when I found out that I was one of the recipients, Lopez said last week. As for that college major, I have two things in mind right now, she said. The first is management for business sustainability, which Lopez said is about working with companies and corporations to make sure theyre being environmentally friendly and helping them figure out ways to do that. And those companies increasingly are seeing their environmental report cards influence their bottom lines. If theyre not as conscious about our world, then they (their customers) are not going to want to buy from them, Lopez said. She said she would like to work for a corporation because theyre the ones who least care about the environment. Another possibility for her major landscape architecture has some similarities. Its trying to combine human interactions with nature, and I think thats a big thing in the future, Lopez, 19, said. We cant fight against nature. We have to work with nature. Lopezs love of the natural world comes both through her family and through school. Her parents were born in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and her grandmother still lives in Jaliscos capital city, Guadalajara, a generally tropical area with a burgeoning environmental focus. Through Charles Page High School, I did cross-country in track, and cross-country just really helped me to appreciate nature, said Lopez, who moved with her family to Sand Springs when she was in the second grade. Even when it was, like, 100 degrees outside, it was just so beautiful. I got very tired of being indoors at seventh hour, she said. Lopez said she sometimes struggled with the fact that there are not a lot of Hispanic students at Charles Page because there wasnt really a community. But shes hopeful that things are changing. She said the scholarship from the Hispanic American Foundation is a great opportunity for immigrants, and it really brings hope to the Hispanic community, particularly girls. I know our minority population in Sand Springs is growing, Lopez said, but I want them to know there are opportunities, and you just have to take advantage of them and reach out for them, because you never know if you never try. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DOVER, Del. (AP) The chief investigator in the criminal corruption case against Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness tried repeatedly under cross-examination Monday to deflect responsibility for false statements he made in a search warrant affidavit and which were later reiterated in an indictment. The testimony by Frank Robinson involved allegations that McGuiness orchestrated a no-bid communications services contract for My Campaign Group, a firm she had used as a campaign consultant when running for lieutenant governor in 2016, then deliberately kept the contract payments under $5,000 to avoid having to get them approved by the Division of Accounting. Robinson told a judge in a sworn affidavit in the fall of 2021 that payments to My Campaign Group were split in August 2020, and again in September 2020, to keep them under $5,000, the threshold at which payments by state agencies require approval from the Division of Accounting. In fact, before swearing to the truth of those statements, Robinson and lawyers in the attorney generals office had seen a Division of Accounting spreadsheet about two months earlier indicating that the contractor received only one payment each month, both above $5,000 and both approved by the Division of Accounting. Robinson also stated in the affidavit that the contract with My Campaign Group was the only no-bid contract of at least $45,000 entered into by McGuiness office in which all payments were made below the $5,000 reporting threshold. Under cross-examination by defense attorney Steve Wood, Robinson admitted, as he had done at an earlier evidence suppression hearing, that those prior statements were false. I have to admit that our understanding at the time was not accurate, Robinson said, adding that it would have been good to call the director of the Division of Accounting and seek clarification before making the assertions contained in the search warrant affidavit. Wood suggested that the reason Robinson didnt make that call was because he already had a theory that McGuiness was splitting payments in order to avoid scrutiny of the contract payments, and that the spreadsheet was ignored because it didnt fit that theory. While admitting that the statements were false, Robinson said they were not intentionally false. He also tried to deflect responsibility by noting repeatedly that he was part of an investigative team. That team consisted of Robinson who has more than two decades of experience as a police officer and as chief special investigator for Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust and attorneys associated with the division. I cant speak to the thought process, Robinson said when asked why statements were made in the search warrant affidavit that were contrary to what was contained in the accounting spreadsheet. Under earlier questioning by prosecutor Mark Denney, Robinson denied that he intentionally misled the court in obtaining a search warrant. He said he had misread the spreadsheet, confusing line splits with payments, and that other members of the investigate team were operating under that same misunderstanding. Robinson also testified that, after several employees in her office began talking to the attorney generals office about concerns they had with her conduct, McGuiness in December 2020 asked state information technology officials whether anyone other than her had requested access to email accounts of anyone in the auditors office since January 2019. Officials determined that, as an agency head, McGuiness would already be aware of email monitoring requests that were not otherwise confidential, and she would not be entitled to any information about confidential requests. McGuiness, a Democrat elected in 2018, is responsible as state auditor for rooting out government fraud, waste and abuse. She is being tried on felony counts of theft and witness intimidation, and misdemeanor charges of official misconduct, conflict of interest and noncompliance with procurement laws. McGuiness is the first statewide elected official in Delaware to face criminal prosecution while in office. Prosecutors allege, among other things, that the way McGuiness' office handled payments for My Campaign Group was a deliberate attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny and amounts to illegal financial structuring of a contract. Prosecutors also allege that McGuiness hired her daughter and her daughters best friend as temporary employees in 2020, even though other temporary employees had left because of the lack of available work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities allege that in hiring her daughter and exercising control over taxpayer money with which she was paid, McGuiness engaged in theft of state money and conflict of interest. Authorities also allege that when employees in her office became aware of McGuiness misconduct, she responded by trying to intimidate the whistleblowers, including monitoring their email accounts. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Voting precinct boundaries and polling stations may have changed. Many Tulsa County residents might find different information on newly distributed voter registration cards whether it be a precinct number, a polling location or a legislative district even if they havent moved in the past decade. To view the specific sample ballot for your election precinct, go to the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp. Voters' actual ballots will differ depending on their party affiliation and where they live (which dictates which candidates will appear on the ballot). To find your precinct and view a sample ballot, go to the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp. Previews of state and local races Meet the three Republicans challenging Gov. Kevin Stitt in the primary race for governor: Joel Kintsel, Mark Sherwood and Moira McCabe. In the Democratic primary for governor, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister (who recently swapped parties) and will challenge former state Sen. Connie Johnson. Tulsa attorney Gentner Drummond is making his second attempt for the office, running against Tulsa attorney John OConnor, who is seeking his first full term in the office. The winner will face a Libertarian in the general election. The primary races for the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. James Lankford have several candidates of both parties vying for the seat in Congress. Republicans John Cox, William Crozier, April Grace and Ryan Walters are on the state superintendent primary ballot, with the winner to face off with Democrat Jena Nelson. Republican voters in southeast Tulsas House District 79 will choose among two former local politicians and a retired engineer to challenge incumbent Democrat Melissa Provenzano. House District 76 incumbent Ross Ford will face off against Flippo Insurance agency partner Timothy Brooks on June 28 in the Republican race to represent parts of Broken Arrow and Tulsa. A former mayor, a business owner, a nurse and a former medical sales worker are competing for the House District 66 Republican nomination to represent the district in Osage County and northwestern Tulsa County. With Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, term-limited and now running for Congress, the race for Senate District 2 will come down to one of four Republicans from Claremore up against Democrat Jennifer A. Esau in November. House District 24 incumbent Logan Phillips faces Air Force veteran Chris Banning and Metropolitan Environmental Trusts Executive Director Bobby Schultz in the Republican primary to represent parts of Beggs, Bixby, Glenpool, Jenks, Liberty, Mounds, Sapulpa and Winchester. State Sen. John Haste, a vice president for a home furnishings company, is seeking a second term in Senate District 36. His opponent David Dambroso, 34, is a consultant, also from Broken Arrow. Previewing down-ballot state offices Other statewide offices besides the governor's race may be contested just as fiercely, usually with less money and more difficult explanations of what it is they do. Besides governor, Oklahoma elects 10 statewide officials: lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and inspector, superintendent of public instruction, treasurer, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner, and three corporation commissioners. Another election cycle shows 'party switching' in Oklahoma holds little sway Every recent election cycle brings speculation that frustrated Democrats (or independents) in large numbers are migrating to the Republican Party in order to influence the GOP primary. With every election cycle comes scant evidence that that has happened. Far more Democrats switch to GOP than vice versa, and though it's hard to say why, "if you want a vote that matters, that's probably in the (Republican) primary," an OU political science professor says. Featured news video: Epic Charter School co-founders face criminal charges ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Urgent international funding is needed to assist communities in the Horn of Africa (HOA) experiencing the worst drought in 40 years and avert a major humanitarian crisis in the coming months, Concern Worldwide, an international campaigner, has warned. More than 23 million people are currently in need of humanitarian support in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan, after four failed rainy seasons over the last two years, Concern Worldwide said in a statement issued late Monday. "Worryingly, early forecasts indicate that the main rainy season this October-December will also fail," it said, adding that an estimated number of 5 million children in the region are malnourished, with 1.6 million experiencing severe malnutrition, putting their lives at risk. During the drought of 2011 in the region, 13 million people needed humanitarian support, in a famine which resulted in 260,000 deaths in Somalia. Currently, there are 17 million people in need of humanitarian support in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia -- and this figure is expected to rise to 20 million by September, according to the organization. On Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations appealed for 172 million U.S. dollars in assistance to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa region. FAO, in a press release statement, said it needs 219 million U.S. dollars to prevent a deterioration of food security conditions in the region, but only 47 million U.S. dollars of the needed funds have been mobilized so far. It highlighted the funds appeal is, in particular, focused on four drought epicenters in the region that are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Drought conditions, particularly across many parts of the Horn of Africa region, are crippling food production, depleting pastures, disrupting markets, and even causing widespread human and animal deaths, according to the United Nations. SAND SPRINGS Barbara Jackson was a little perplexed when she got a text message from someone wanting to buy her property. The white, single-story house that sits on the south side of Oklahoma 51 just half a mile west of Oklahoma 97 has been uninhabitable since May 2019, when it was inundated with floodwaters that rose nearly to the ceiling. The house had 7 feet of water in it, Jackson said. It was already sitting 3 feet off the ground, and the water was 7 feet high inside. Jackson ignored the text message. She didnt know at the time that the communication was only the first attempt to cheat her out of her rightful buyout offer from Tulsa County Although Jackson, 78, had lived her entire life before the 2019 flood on the acre-plus property land that has been her familys for about 95 years it was only partly sentimentality that made her so dismissive of the possible offer. She just couldnt imagine it would be worth anything to anyone else. About a half-mile west of Jacksons place is the Meadow Valley subdivision, and a little farther west of there, across the highway to the north, is the Town and Country Addition. Flooding woes along that section of Oklahoma 51 are no secret. Even so, two floods stand out above all the others. In my lifetime, there was only two the one in 86 and 2019, Jackson said. And 2019 was worse because it contaminated the land, she said, referring to the waste from septic tanks and other debris that washed eastward toward her place from other area homes. After that, the city said the only way to live there was to elevate the house 8 feet off the ground. I was angry very angry. Because it made no sense to me to elevate it that high at my age, she said, imagining out loud the elevator shed need just to get in her house. Although an elevator was never in the plan, Jackson had recently done some work on the house before that May 2019 flood. I had retired and remodeled the inside of the house, she said. I had paid off my car and truck and was getting ready to enjoy retirement. But in the flood, I lost my house and lost my truck. It was just devastating, she said. Jackson lived with a couple from her church for three months before moving into a house in Sapulpa. Its the same house where, one day recently, she looked out to see a man peering over her gate and looking around her yard. She asked him how she could help him, and he said he had been told that she owned the property along Oklahoma 51. He also claimed to know that the house was worth only about $9,000. He said the county was going to offer her only about $7,000 through a buyout but that if shed sell it to him, hed give her $40,000. Jackson wasnt born yesterday. Im going to wait to see what I find out from the buyout, she told the man. The encounter left her feeling vulnerable, and thats what has Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith and others working on the buyout program so upset that folks who already have lost so much are now in danger of losing even more to unscrupulous people trying to make a quick buck. Tulsa County officials announced in April that $14.7 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding would be made available in the form of buyouts for residents whose homes were damaged by the May 2019 catastrophic flooding. The floodwaters along the Arkansas River submerged hundreds of homes and businesses from west of Sand Springs east toward downtown Tulsa, as well as elsewhere across the metropolitan area and state. All told, the flooding wreaked havoc across a dozen counties in four states, with more than a thousand homes inundated, including more than 300 in and around Sand Springs. Losses totaled $3 billion, officials have reported. Lacie Jones, a project manager for Meshek & Associates, which is overseeing the flood buyout process for Tulsa County, said Jackson isnt the only flood victim to have been approached by someone not affiliated with the buyout, though the issue isnt widespread. Yet. I do think that theyre going to start coming out of the woodwork as we get further into the program, she said last week. Unfortunately, theres just bad people out there that want to take advantage of the system. And the system, unfortunately, is giving them plenty of time to scheme and scam. Officials held four public meetings in April to gauge interest in the voluntary buyout. For much of the rest of the year, the process will involve determining the projects scope, identifying applicants, acquiring cost estimates, prioritizing recipients and conducting any needed environmental reviews of property. Its uncertain exactly when homeowners could expect to receive offers on their properties, but project officials said in April that they were optimistic it would be within a year. Jones said last week the response to the buyout program was greater than what we expected. We were concerned that people would be leery and not interested. But at present, we have 158 voluntary participation applications, she said, adding that right now, the need appears to be over $33 million. She said the county is looking at all funding options and trying to supplement the $14.7 million currently in the kitty, adding that perhaps some FEMA money might become available. But in the meantime, Jones wants to keep rightful recipients from being scammed. If theyre not contacted by someone from Meshek & Associates really, that is the only entity that is going to initiate the program, she said. If they have not heard from us, then they should call and check with us. Jones said any agents from the firm attempting to communicate with homeowners will have badges and business cards identifying them. Were also going to try to keep the countys social media up to date so people can know what phase the process is in, she said. Jackson, meanwhile, said she felt like it was important to tell others what happened to her as a cautionary tale. I just would like other people not to be scammed, she said. I would certainly hope that other people dont take in some of this nonsense. I have been so stressed, and my (blood) pressures running so high, she added. I feel like I have a black cloud over my head, and its raining all the time. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Visiting Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has affirmed that her nation will continue promoting its strategic partnership with Vietnam and always attaches importance to the Southeast Asian country's role in the region. She was speaking at her talks with her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on Monday as part of her three-day official visit to Vietnam from June 26 to 28 at Sons invitation. Wong told her host that Australia highly values Vietnams role and position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the region and the world, and that the new Australian government in which she is a member will continue strengthening the strategic partnership with Vietnam to boost the bilateral ties to a new height. The diplomat also stated that her country highly values cooperation with ASEAN, appreciates its central role, and will continue to promote cooperation with the bloc for the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region. Commending Vietnams commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, Wong said she will work closely with Vietnam in this area. Foreign minister Son welcomed Penny Wong for choosing Vietnam as the first Southeast Asian country to visit after being appointed as foreign minister in the new Australian cabinet about a month ago. Son highly appreciated Wongs visit as a fresh impulse to the strategic partnership between the two countries towards the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2023. This image shows Australias foreign minister Penny Wong received by Vietnams State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a reception in Hanoi on June 27, 2002, during which Phuc asked Australia to continue providing ODA to Vietnam. Photo: Minh Khang / Tuoi Tre He congratulated Australia on successfully holding the federal parliamentary elections, establishing a new government, effectively carrying out the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and fully opening for economic recovery and development. The Vietnamese diplomat also thanked the Australian government for its promptly providing COVID-19 vaccine and medical equipment for Vietnam during the fight against the pandemic, particularly 14.4 million doses for local children, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) cited Son as saying. Given that both Vietnam and Australia have opened up their economies, the host and guest agreed that the two nations should speed up cooperation in the fields strongly affected by the pandemic such as tourism, education and labor, besides strengthening traditional ties in trade, investment, security, defense and others. In addition, Vietnam and Australia should also bolster cooperation in new and potential fields of cooperation such as climate change, green and sustainable growth to deal with non-traditional security challenges. The two officials also discussed regional and international issues of shared concern, in which Son suggested that Australia continue to make positive contributions to regional cooperation based on respect for the central role of ASEAN and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is seen receiving Australias foreign minister Penny Wong in Hanoi on June 27, 2022 in this image. Photo: Minh Khang / Tuoi Tre Regarding the East Vietnam Sea issue, the Australian FM underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, and respecting international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). As part of her visit schedule, Wong had separate meetings with State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on Monday, centering on measures to further deepen the strategic partnership between her country and Vietnam. On the occasion, President Phuc and PM Chinh asked the minister to convey their respective invitations to the Governor-General of Australia David Hurley and Australian PM Anthony Albanese to visit Vietnam at convenient time. In an interview with the VNA before her Vietnam visit, she commented that the strength of the relationship between the two countries is based on family and community links. Presently, more than 300,000 Vietnamese people living in Australia and Vietnamese is the fifth most spoken language in Australian homes, the diplomat said. Vietnam and Australia set up diplomatic relations in 1973 and promoted their relationship to strategic partnership in 2018. The two countries posted a two-way trade of US$12.4 billion in 2021, nearly 50 percent more than in 2020. Both sides have targeted to be among each others top 10 trade partners and to double their investment capital in each other by 2025. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam's National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visited Albertirsa City on Sunday, where he had talks with Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian parliament Istvan Jakab, concentrating on agricultural cooperation, as part of his ongoing visit to Hungary. Hue arrived in Budapest late on Saturday afternoon (local time) for an official visit from June 26 to 28, at the invitation of Hungarian National Assembly Speaker Laszlo Kover, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported. In his meeting with Deputy Speaker Jakab, Hue thanked him for spending time accompanying the Vietnamese delegations visit to Albertirsa and a processing factory of Mirelite Mirsa Co. Ltd., an outstanding local enterprise in clean and green agriculture. The host and guest affirmed that the two sides should focus on promoting cooperation in agriculture, especially when Hungary has strengths in such fields as cultivation, processing, marketing, and distribution. They agreed that there remains ample room for the two countries cooperation, and shared the belief that Hues visit will certainly contribute to promoting the Vietnam-Hungary bilateral comprehensive partnership, in which the ties between the two parliaments are a significant pillar. Given the long-standing cooperation and friendship between the two countries, Hungary is ready to continue sharing its development experience with Vietnam, despite fluctuations in the world and regional situations, Jakab said. While visiting the factory of Mirelite Mirsa, which processes deep frozen fruits, vegetables, and pastry products, Chairman Hue stressed that agriculture and rural development are among the strategic issues for Vietnam. Despite accounting for just 12 percent of Vietnams economy, agriculture is a pillar of the national economy, Hue told his host. The country exported more than US$48.5 billion worth of agricultural products last year, but the value added of Vietnamese farm produce remained low because of the low rate of processing, he said. Later the same day, Chairman Hue visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Budapest and met the Vietnamese community there. The official said the Party and state always consider overseas Vietnamese communities as an integral part of the nation and an important factor to foster Vietnams cooperation and friendship with other countries. He also met with representatives from the Vietnamese entrepreneur community in Budapest and affirmed that Europe-based Vietnamese enterprises play an important role in marketing and distributing Vietnamese goods to foreign markets. Vietnam and Hungary enhanced bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership in 2018, when Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the eastern European country, national radio station Voice of Vietnam reported. Hungary was the first EU member to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and has actively pushed for the approval of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Last year saw two-way trade between Vietnam and Hungary hit $1.1 billion despite COVID-19. Hungary donated more than 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 100,000 test kits to Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic that struck Vietnam in early 2020. It is committed to providing soft loans of 440 million euros ($464 million) for Vietnam to implement projects that are given priority by both countries. In addition, the European country has granted 200 scholarships to Vietnamese students every year since 2018. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh City Greenery Parks Company Limited has cut down nine large trees on the streets around Ho Con Rua (Turtle Lake) in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 3, as they are at risk of being uprooted and pose danger to road users. Some of the trees are at the site for a subproject to upgrade sidewalks in the area, part of a broader project to upgrade Turtle Lake, but the company claimed that their removal was not related to the sidewalk renovation. The nine trees were chopped down as per permits issued by the municipal Department of Construction and the Infrastructure Management Center. Of the nine trees, two hopea odorata trees had rotten roots and seriously damaged trunks. An ancient Dipterocarpus alatus tree on Vo Van Tan Street was severed due to the impact of the sidewalk upgrade subproject in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre The felling of the trees is aimed at ensuring safety for local residents during the rainy season as the streets where these trees had been planted have a high traffic density. According to the company, apart from these nine trees, a dipterocarpus alatus tree was also cut down as the sidewalk revamp was expected to affect the solidity of the tree. At the site of the project, there are systems of electric wires, water pipes, and cables buried about 30 centimeters underground. Some residents voiced their concern over the impact of the area facelift on the trees there, saying that the excavation of sidewalks may directly affect the trees roots. Earlier, the Peoples Committee of District 3 submitted the Turtle Lake upgrade project proposal, funded by private sources, and received approval from the municipal government. Turtle Lake, after being revamped, is expected to become a favorite destination of local residents and tourists, following the newly renovated Bach Dang Wharf in downtown District 1. The Turtle Lake revamp project includes two subprojects: upgrading the central part of the lake which will be conducted by the city government, specifically the Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Management Center, and improving the sidewalks of the streets surrounding the lake, including Pham Ngoc Thach, Tran Cao Van, and Vo Van Tan Streets, which will be executed by the District 3 administration. As designed, each street will feature a particular function, such as culture, cuisine, art performances, and outdoor exhibitions. The Turtle Lake area has a tangled underground technical infrastructure system. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre At first, District 3 will renovate and upgrade 3,500 square meters of sidewalks and 2,900 square meters of green spaces, while tripling the current area and bettering drainage systems. The subproject is expected to finish on September 2 after four months of construction. Work on the subproject to upgrade sidewalks around Turtle Lake started on April 29. The subproject was projected to cost some VND15 billion (US$646,500), funded by Sunny World Design and Management Corporation. There are many restaurants, bars, and coffee shops around the lake, but sidewalks in the area have deteriorated, posing dangers to pedestrians and affecting the cityscape. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on Monday as part of her visit to Vietnam from June 26 to 28. COVID-19 Updates -- The Ministry of Health documented 637 COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the national tally to 10,744,085, with 9,656,467 recoveries and 43,084 deaths. -- Vietnam has recorded the appearance of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant, the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the health ministry confirmed on Monday. Society -- The Peoples Court in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on Monday sentenced a defendant to death and another to life in prison for transporting 77 kilograms of narcotics in early 2021. -- The Hanoi People's Committee has decided to establish a specialist team to support the repair and renovation of Long Bien Bridge as the over 100-year-old structure has been seriously damaged. -- The number of dengue fever cases in Ho Chi Minh City continues to rise, but hand, foot, and mouth disease cases have started to decline, the citys Center for Disease Control said on Monday. -- A worker was killed and another severely injured after being hit by a collapsing wall at a house construction site in Nha Trang City, located in south-central Khanh Hoa Province, on Monday morning. -- A low-pressure zone currently situated in the Philippines is expected to enter the East Vietnam Sea on Tuesday night and later developed into a tropical depression or storm. -- Authorities found the bodies of three eighth graders along a river in north-central Quang Binh Province early on Tuesday morning after they had gone missing since Monday afternoon. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A pregnant woman intended to end her life by jumping into water at the Ho Bridge in Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam due to a conflict with her boyfriend, but she was saved by police last weekend. The woman was identified as Vang Thi D., aged 28, who lives in Ha Giang Province. A team of waterway police officers from the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security said Monday that they had successfully rescued a woman who intended to commit suicide at the Ho Bridge spanning the Duong River in Tien Du District in the province on Sunday. At around 3:20 pm on that day, the team dispatched four waterway guards, ships, and vehicles to the scene for rescue efforts after being notified of the case. The rescuers managed to talk the woman into giving up her suicidal thoughts. D. said that she got pregnant with her boyfriend, who resides in Gia Binh District, Bac Ninh. However, a conflict with him made her intend to commit suicide. After taking her to a safe place, the officers persuaded D. to call her family to take her home. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Hanoi Peoples Committee decided to establish a specialist team to support the repair and renovation of Long Bien Bridge because the structure has been seriously damaged over time. The team, comprising both Vietnamese and French experts, will be led by Do Viet Hai, deputy director of the municipal Department of Transport, to implement the Long Bien Bridge rehabilitation project financed by the French government. The team is in charge of collaborating with the French Embassy in Vietnam in studying the renovation of the bridge, detailing the project, and executing it in line with regulations. Completed in 1902, Hanois historic and iconic Long Bien Bridge bears the wear and tear not only of time but also of thousands of vehicles that use it every day. The 120-year-old bridge crossing the Red River currently serves three national rail routes -- Hanoi-Hai Phong, Hanoi-Dong Dang, and Hanoi-Lao Cai. Its road section is reserved for bicycles and motorbikes. Every day, tens of thousands of vehicles, trains, motorcycles, and bicycles cross the bridge, leading to its deterioration despite several rounds of repairs and reinforcement. The rails that separate the rail tracks from the road have been damaged in several sections. The wooden cross beams on the railway track are rotting but have not been replaced. As a safety measure, trains cannot travel at more than 15 kilometers per hour when crossing the bridge. During rush hours in the morning and afternoon, two-wheeler traffic slows down to a crawl and the bridge bears the weight of thousands of vehicles. In several places, iron plates have been used to cover cracks in the road. Most recently, a large hole, about one square meter, appeared on the surface of the bridge on Tuesday morning, letting pedestrians clearly see the Red River through it. As a quick fix, relevant agencies erected barriers on the two sides of a road leading to the bridge to prevent vehicles transporting voluminous items and overweight trucks from crossing it. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! When Mark Coles Smith was close to signing on for the prequel series Mystery Road: Origin, he was fielding calls from Shaun Micallefs Mad as Hell to please return for more sketches of Curiosity Cul de Sac. After all he had been so convincing in the cheeky parodies of ABC drama Mystery Road. But if life was coming full circle, then not everybody at ABC knew what was to come. I had to stop doing one so I could do the other. Theres only so much suspension of disbelief and emotional distance that audiences can be expected to make! he tells TV Tonight. Personally, I think Shaun is a genius. If I hadnt been snapped up for Origin Id probably still be doing those comedy skits, because theyre just so much fun. I heard a rumour Id made one half of Bunya Productions grumpy about it long before I was involved, and the other half thought it was extremely amusing. Its been one of the more unusual flight paths in the series. Ive got no explanation for how I managed to pull it off. Its just a vehicle. Get in it and drive In adopting the role of young police detective Jay Swan, Coles Smith did get the blessing of the man who had created the role -Aaron Pedersen. Aaron called me when the announcement was made last year to pass the torch and tell me that he was proud of me and hoped I would really enjoy the experience. Its just a vehicle. Get in it and drive, he recalls. I went back to the films to look at the body language and looked at everything he was doing. When it came time to shoot, I think there was there was enough understanding about what all those character traits were, so that I was able to just let everything go. A little bit cockier, a little bit more uncertain, a bit more vulnerable I just wanted to not be thinking about any of that. To just have enough understanding about the timeline of Jay, which we built with Dylan (River, director), about where he ends up and who he is as and being clear about the freedoms of what he could do as a younger person. He can be a little bit cockier, a little bit more uncertain, a bit more vulnerable, he can smile a bit. Thats kind of woven through, while at the same time retaining the core that continues to grow The six-part series will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form, Detective Jay Swan. The series is set in 1999 in his first posting in a mining town, Jardine.[/caption] Coles Smith, whose body of work includes The Circuit, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Halifax: Retribution, Hard Rock Medical, The Gods of Wheat Street, Sweet As and Last Cab to Darwin, now takes centrestage in his biggest series so far. This is definitely the first of this scale mainstream television, an established series with with a lead role performance by one of Australias best male actors. Aaron Pedersen has done such an incredible job forming and shaping Jay Swan into an iconic status. I was super nervous with the whole proposal to step in. It took a bit of discussion with our director Dylan River, who has done such an amazing job, about why it was warranted to go back, what we were going to do, what was going to be distinct about it, and how it was going to be its own thing, so that I wasnt stepping on toes while trying on boots. Bunya Productions, and two thirds of the crew, had done the previous seasons I was really lucky in the sense that regardless of the fact that it was not just a very significant lead role for me, but a lead role for a franchise already well established. But I was really lucky in the sense that predominantly, the production team that I was working with, had done all of this before. Bunya Productions, and two thirds of the crew, had done the previous seasons. It was a well-oiled machine. For me it was just a matter of trusting the process and caring about the character. The series also features Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Henshall, Lisa Flanagan, Clarence Ryan, Steve Bisley, Caroline Brazier, Hayley McElhinney, Serene Yunupingu and Kelton Pell. With Dylan River and cinematographer Tyson Perkins the show is also in the hands of young First Nations creatives, fitting given the origin themes of the piece. Yet it still aims to retain the hallmarks of the two previous and critically acclaimed seasons (S2 was co-directed by Rivers father Warwock Thornton). Theres definitely a slow burn quality to it. Theres a lot of breathing space and I really enjoyed a quirky daginess which bubbles to the surface and then sort of disappears back into this kind of heavier Gothic Outback atmosphere, Coles Smith explains. I really enjoyed having the space for reflection. The space of curiosity and wondering. I said that I only wanted to do one season of this But if it is anything like the success of its predecessors, is there room for another origin tale? I said that I only wanted to do one season of this and I wanted to be able to achieve an origin story for Jay that took place in a single season, he insists. But theres a lot more here that we can do. We were having some big discussions as we came to the finish line in Kalgoorlie last year about what could be next and how far we could take everything thats potentially about to happen. Mystery Road: Origin screens 8:30 Sundays on ABC. ACCRA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank Group seeks to double its funding for education in the Western and Central African region by 2025 to accelerate the work of educational reforms, a senior official of the bank said here late Monday. Ousmane Diagana, the World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa, said this at a press briefing after a one-day strategy meeting of education and finance ministers from the region. "Currently, our educational portfolio for the region is 3.1 billion dollars, but we intend to double this amount by 2025, making it a minimum of 6.2 billion dollars," said Diagana. The vice president said there was the need to accelerate the bank's support for educational reforms in the region, given the challenges ahead and the challenges imposed by the demography of the continent, and the need to reduce poverty in the region. As the bank will meet with African leaders in Senegal in July to discuss the new program of financing for the region, Diagana said education would be at the center of these discussions. Strategically, he said the discussions would focus on energy, food, agriculture, education, health, and digitalization. The one-day meeting attracted more than 40 finance and education ministers from Western and Central Africa. The meeting concluded with an urgent call to advance reforms in education and deliver better access to quality education for young people across the region. During the meeting, the World Bank unveiled its new regional education strategy titled "From School to Jobs: A Journey for the Young People of Western and Central Africa" for the region. The strategy provides a roadmap for investments to improve learning and equip young people with the right skills to access productive jobs. Here we go again A media report suggests Network 10 could be sold by its owners but not for another 2 years. The Australian speculates Paramount could divest its interest after then-CBS paid about $250m for the business five years ago. It suggests the purchase was tied to launching Paramount Plus streaming service in Australia. As to future buyers, a merger with Southern Cross Media (coincidentally headed by former 10 CEO, Grant Blackley) is one idea floated, to make it more attractive to a potential buyer. Before CBS puchased 10 in 2017, administrators recommended an offer from Bruce Gordon & Lachlan Murdoch be rejected. Creditors comprising the network employees did just that, in favour of a CBS acquisition. Updated: 10 has denied the story. Design & Architecture streaming platform Shelter will feature an exclusive live-stream event on the making of Follies in July. Also this month, peek inside a Gothic tower that doubled as a nuclear fallout bunker, and ascend the inspiration for Sarumans Orthanc and marvel at the extraordinary art & buildings of the religions of the East. Live Stream Event: In Conversation with Rory Fraser & Andrew Spicer 8pm AEST July 15 Join the creative team behind the new Shelter Originals series Follies for the first-ever Shelter live streaming event on July 15 at 8pm AEST. Director Andrew Spicer and Writer / Presenter Rory Fraser join Shelter, live from the UK, for an exclusive insight into the history, creation and production of the Shelter Original Series FOLLIES. This event is available exclusively to Shelter subscribers. Shelter Originals: Follies Ep 3: Broadway Tower (15 mins) United Kingdom 2022 4 July Floating high above the Cotswolds, Broadway Tower is the breathtaking embodiment of a new style of 18th Century architecture that revolutionised Western design: the Gothic. Inspired by the search for a more authentic English style, the Gothic is a homage to the bygone mythology of castles, battles and chivalry of medieval England. In this episode, Rory guides us through the towers many owners, from William Morris to the Ministry of Defence, celebrating Broadway as an unyielding bastion of patriotism, ideas and romance. Ep 4: Faringdon Tower (15 mins) United Kingdom 2022 11 July The final stop on Rorys journey, Faringdon Tower introduces us to one of the 20th Centurys greatest eccentrics: Lord Berners. Although it was only built to save a small patch of woodland that Berners liked, Faringdon has become a much cherished local landmark. In this episode, Rory dives into the roaring twenties and investigates not only how the tower has made its way in the hearts of the local population, but also the mind of one of Englands greatest authors: J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings. Art Of Faith Season 2 (3 x 55 mins) United Kingdom 2010 18 July Art Of Faith II explores the architecture and art of Buddhism, Hinduism and Religions of the Tao presented and narrated by the broadcaster John McCarthy. These three 55-minute films travel the Eastern world, visiting the greatest and most significant religious buildings, exploring how the passions and complexities of religious beliefs have been expressed in architecture. Filmed for Sky Arts and looking back over the last 3000 years, the series provides an insight into how we have celebrated art through faith. With contributions from architects, scholars and worshippers, each episode explains the buildings genesis, laying down the brush strokes of the sites design, whilst looking at the shared elements and contrasts between religions and the aesthetics of the places of worship. Openings 52 mins) Italy 2021 25 July Openings explores the world of the architectural elements that embody the concept of threshold, of openness, and of the relationship between inside and outside, through the voices of Italian and international architects, but also by listening to the voices who speak the language of music, sports, art, and territory. Addressing the theme of the threshold, the film investigates the close relationship between art and life, between necessity and creative effort, between philosophy and civil thought. Along the Via Emilia, the geographical threshold par excellence, this journey is made of stops, crossings and wanderings. The guides include Davide Cassani (Italian national cycling team coach), Guido Guidi (photographer), Fiorenzo Valbonesi and Simone Sfriso (architects), as well as Raoul Casadei, the king of ballroom dancing, and Alvaro Siza, one of the great masters of contemporary architecture. University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina announced today that Vice President of Advancement Jennifer Howe has accepted a position with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, effective July 31. Spina named Christopher Morrison, associate vice president and director of campaign operations, to succeed Howe as vice president. "Jen Howe has been a tremendous asset to the University," Spina said. "Our advancement division has grown and developed into a first-rate team that has been extremely successful deepening our engagement with all facets of the Flyer family -- alumni, parents, students and friends of the University. I will miss Jen personally as well as professionally, and I wish her all the best 'back home' in Georgia. I know, however, that what Jen and her advancement team have built will continue to thrive and make a difference for UD." Through her leadership, the University is on track for near-record fundraising this year and well-positioned to move from the leadership phase into the public phase of a major fundraising campaign next year, Spina said. Spina also pointed to the success of One Day, One Dayton, the University's annual giving day first held in 2019, which grew this year to involve 6,634 donors from all 50 states and more than 800 volunteers, raising $2.2 million. Howe, a Georgia native who has led UDs division for six years, said she looks forward to returning to her home state to lead development efforts for a large, public research university, but leaves with great gratitude to the advancement team and the University's close-knit community. "From the very beginning, I have been welcomed so openly and warmly," she said. "Despite the pandemic and a host of other challenges, it's been an amazing experience and I'm extremely proud the division is positioned strongly, not only for the campaign, but for many years to come. We have such an experienced team, wonderful volunteers, and passionate students, alumni and donors." Morrison, a 1985 UD graduate who joined the University's advancement division nearly 10 years ago after 27 years of experience in sales leadership, said he's confident the division will build on the success and momentum of the past few years. "We have been developing and strengthening the entire advancement infrastructure for six years and I know that will lead to the success of UDs first comprehensive campaign in the past 20 years," Morrison said. "We have a dedicated team that I am looking forward to working with as we advance this great University and its students into the future." Spina said Morrison is known and respected across the University and is well-positioned to lead the division through a seamless transition. "A UD alum and parent with great passion for UD, Chris has an innate understanding of our identity and mission, and deep knowledge of advancement operations and staff," Spina said. "I am excited about his leadership and know that the commitment of the entire advancement division will be key to making the transition and having a successful campaign." Read the Georgia Tech announcement here. ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday disclosed the deployment of an election experts' mission to observe the integrity of Kenya's forthcoming general elections. The AU in a statement issued Tuesday said the pan African bloc is deploying an international election expert mission to Kenya comprising eight core team experts. "The deployment of an election expert mission is part of the African Union's comprehensive and long-term engagement in the 2022 general elections in Kenya," an AU statement read. The move followed an invitation from the government of Kenya to the continental bloc to observe the forthcoming general elections slated in August this year. The core team experts will follow up on the electoral preparations, assess the political dynamics and genuine competitiveness and fairness of the electoral campaign, as well as maintain regular contact with national and international stakeholders before, during and after the elections, the AU said. The work of the core experts team will be complemented by long term observers, who will be deployed a few weeks before the polls, and short term observers, who will be deployed a week before election day, it said. The AU, in partnership with regional blocs COMESA and EAC, had deployed a joint high level pre-election assessment mission to Kenya from May 14 to 21 so as to promote free, fair, peaceful and credible elections in the country. According to the AU, the joint AU-COMESA-EAC mission recommended continued engagement in the electoral process to ensure violence free, fair and credible elections. The East African nation will go to the polls on August 9 to elect a new president and national lawmakers, as well as the governors and assemblies of its 47 counties. In March, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta reiterated his call to Kenyans to embrace peace and live together in harmony as the country gears toward the August 9 general elections. Kenyatta who is due to retire after completing his two-term in office emphasized that the forthcoming elections should not divide Kenyans. (Bloomberg) -- Ever since Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, China has blamed NATO for antagonizing Russia and accused the US of seeking to set up a similar alliance in the Asia-Pacific. The presence of four leaders from the region in Spain this week will only make Beijing more paranoid. Most Read from Bloomberg For the first time, the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will all attend a summit of the 30-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization. At the meeting starting Tuesday in Madrid, the alliance is set to label China a systemic challenge in new policy guidelines for the coming decade, reflecting shifts in the geopolitical landscape as President Xi Jinping increasingly joins hands with Putin in opposition to the worlds democracies. While the US has dismissed the idea that an Asia-Pacific NATO is in the works, the Biden administration has strengthened ties with partners in the region to both push back against Chinas assertiveness over disputed territory and sanction key officials over alleged human-rights abuses in places like Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Fears are also growing that Xi will look to invade Taiwan in the coming years, potentially triggering a wider war in Asia. At a virtual BRICS summit last week attended by Putin, Xi accused the US of seeking to expand military alliances and split the world economy into mutually exclusive zones. He warned that those who obsess with a position of strength would only fall into a security conundrum. The new development certainly will make China feel uneasy, encircled and threatened, Vivian Zhan, an associate professor specializing in Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said of NATOs focus on China. Story continues On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said NATO had become a tool for certain countries to uphold their hegemony. He said China follows an independent foreign policy of peace, and called the growth of the worlds second-biggest economy an opportunity for the world. After disrupting Europe, NATO should not try to destabilize Asia and the whole world, Zhao said. US allies and security partners in Asia arent convinced Chinas rise is peaceful. In recent years, Beijing has increased military activity around Taiwan and become more assertive over disputed territory off its coastline from Japan to the Philippines. It has boosted security cooperation with Pacific Island states near Australia and sparked the deadliest border fight with India in decades. Still, the Asian leaders attending the NATO summit must walk a fine line with Beijing. China remains the biggest trading partner of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand, and has used that leverage to inflict pain in geopolitical disputes. About a decade ago, a dispute over East China Sea islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing led to a boycott by Chinese consumers of goods that prolonged a recession in Japan. Its impossible for Japan to stand up to China by itself, either economically or militarily, said Kyoko Hatakeyama, a professor specializing in security at the University of Niigata Prefecture. America is backing us, but even so, its a bit difficult, so we must have Europe take an interest. For more stories: China Warns U.S. Over Forming Pacific NATO, Backing Taiwan Chinas Fears of an Indo-Pacific NATO Are More Myth Than Reality How Putins Spooking Japan Further Away From Pacifism: QuickTake US Makes Asia Inroads by Playing Down Need to Oppose China Chinas actions have prompted a vow from Japan under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to upgrade its military, in a departure from the pacifism it embraced under a US-drafted constitution after its defeat in World War II. That includes boosting defense spending beyond a longtime cap set at 1% of gross domestic product. South Korea is in a similar position. President Yoon Suk Yeol, a newly elected conservative, has sought to align his country more closely with the US and its allies in Europe. Linking up with NATO may protect South Koreas interest against that of Beijing in case of the decline of US influence in the Pacific region in the long term, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Koreas presidential office. The heavily controlled state media in North Korea, which has a longstanding partnership with China and Russia, published an opinion piece Wednesday from a local academic who accused NATO of turning ``its sinister eyes toward Asia. ``NATO is nothing but a perpetrator of the U.S. hegemonic strategy, its Korean Central News Agency, which often acts as a proxy for the state, quoted political researcher Kim Hyo Myong as saying . ``It is simply a tool for local invasion. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who took office last month, warned China this week to learn lessons from Russias strategic failure in Ukraine when weighing what to do with Taiwan. The Ukraine invasion brought democratic nations together, whether they be members of NATO, or non-members such as Australia, Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review. Yet while Asian countries are more interested in linking up with NATO, theres little prospect of them joining in a similar collective defense arrangement. The US and other colonial powers once sought to form the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization as a regional NATO to fight communism, but it suffered from organizational problems and eventually disbanded in 1977. All of the US mutual defense treaties in Asia with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia are bilateral and have been around for decades. Southeast Asian nations in particular have no interest in picking sides, and Japan and South Korea remain at odds over disputes stemming from Japans past colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Only a regional crisis like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might prompt Asian nations to overcome their differences and form a security bloc, according to Japanese lawmaker and former vice defense minister Akihisa Nagashima. If China tried to unify with Taiwan by force, I dont think other Asian countries could accept it, and they might consider creating an Asian NATO, he said. But at this point, no one would join. And even if it was somehow created it wouldnt function. (Updates with comment from North Korea.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. A firefighters union leader is warning of strikes after reacting angrily to a 2% pay offer. The executive of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is recommending rejection of the offer, which it said is well below the soaring rate of inflation. Between 2009 and 2021, firefighters real pay has been cut by 12%, or nearly 4,000, the FBU said. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said: This is utterly inadequate and would deliver a further cut in real wages to firefighters in all roles in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis. This latest insulting proposal follows 12 years of government-imposed reductions in real wages. This proposal will anger firefighters, those working in emergency fire controls, and those in all uniformed roles in fire services across the UK. It is galling to be insulted in this way, especially after our contribution to public safety during the pandemic. Firefighters will now inevitably begin to discuss reactions, including industrial action. The Fire Brigades Union and our members do not consider or take industrial action lightly or without ensuring that all efforts to resolve the issue have been exhausted. To that end, we will be writing to the national fire employers to inform them of the anger and frustration their proposal will create. We will also seek confirmation that they have written to and met with the Westminster fire minister to request additional funding in order to make a realistic offer which meets the urgent needs of firefighters, respects their workforce and has some prospect of being accepted by firefighters. Similarly, we will be writing shortly to the ministers and/or government departments responsible for fire and rescue services in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to seek urgent additional funding to enable fire and rescue employers to make a reasonable offer. Our members will now begin to discuss this offer and the executive council will reconvene shortly to discuss our next steps. We will now consider all options, including strike action. A woman buys fruit at the Marche Barbes, an outdoor market located in a neighbourhood in Paris with a large amount of Muslim residents. (Photo by Frederic T Stevens/Getty Images). Discretion Faiza Guene Trans Sarah Ardizzone Saqi, 12.99 Review: Rosemary Goring NEXT month marks the 60th anniversary of Algerias independence. It was a hard-fought liberty, and to this day tensions remain with France, its former coloniser. After the Algerian war (1954-62), a referendum returned an overwhelming 99.72% in favour of independence. Despite this victory, there was a wave of emigration to France, because after the long-running conflict, the country lay in ruins. As one of the central characters in Discretion reflects, when her family tries to pick up their old life, The land is parched. The countrymen have lost everything The return to their country has come as a shock. Freedom has cost them dear. Hence the mass exodus to the place of which they had been so eager to be shot. As a result, a high proportion of French citizens today were either born in Algeria or are of Algerian descent. As one of this community, Faiza Guenes work illustrates that theirs is not an easy lot. Often, their adopted country can feel less like home than a hostile state. Guene is one of Frances literary superstars. She was 19 when she published her debut novel, Kiffe Kiffe Demain (Just Like Tomorrow) in 2004, which became an international best-seller. Since then she has written several more novels, along with directing films and creating a Disney series. The liveliness of her writing is perhaps a reflection of the energy and passion that propels her. One of Guenes great strengths is to write from her own background, having been raised in Seine-Saint-Denis, one of the citys most infamous banlieues. Another priceless asset is her humour. However unhappy or difficult the situations she depicts, they are leavened with a bubbling wit. She mines all but the bleakest scenes for a spark of comedy. The result is fiction that glitters and beguiles even when dealing with disturbing truths. In the years since the War of Independence, Algerians in France have been the butt of derision and dread. Jean Le Pen campaigned for election with the slogan Two million immigrants. Two million unemployed. Even before the National Front made life for all the countrys ethnic minorities dangerous as well as tough, there were humiliating proscriptions on African Muslims. Considered a source of disease, they were stereotyped as violent and thieving, becoming a scapegoat for societys fears. For every Zinedine Zidane there are a thousand viewed with fear and dislike. So much for liberte, egalite, fraternitie. Story continues It is against this painful background that Discretion unfolds. At its heart is Yamina Taleb, who as a child witnessed the trauma done to her homeland by war. Now living in Seine-Saint-Denis with her aged husband and three grown-up children the fourth has made a bid for freedom and is living at exorbitant cost in Paris proper where she works in a shop she is a natural peace-maker. Yamina never complains. It is as if that option was excised at birth. In any case, she feels forever grateful to France for the life it has allowed her and her family, after the deprivation they faced in Algeria. As she approaches 70, she worries more for her children than herself. The thread on which this understated but haunting novel hangs is the idea that, even if one generation smothers its rage, it will re-emerge in the next. It is prefaced by a quote from James Baldwins The Fire Next Time: It demands great spiritual resilience not to hate the hater whose foot is on your neck, and an ever greater miracle of perception and charity not to teach your child to hate. With what follows, Guene demonstrates that despite their best intentions, and all the sacrifices theyve made, Yamina and her husband Brahim have ended up raising overburdened children. Guene tells her story in bite-sized scenes, giving the location of each with sat-nav precision, as if her characters are butterflies, pinned in a bureaucratic album: Commune of Aubervilliers, Department of Seine-Saint-Denis (93300), France, 2018. Yamina and Brahims only son Omar is an Uber driver, waiting for real life to begin; his story takes place mainly in a Renault Talisman Business, DCI 1.5 Eco2 Energy (Leather Interior). He particularly dislikes young American passengers, who ooh and aah at everything Paris has on offer, but yearn for a hamburger dripping with cheese and ketchup. Also still living at home though less pampered than her brother is Hannah. It is she who sees most clearly how her family is treated, and she frequently rails against the intolerance and ignorance they endure: Them and us, Im telling you, its like an organ transplant that wont take. An older sister, Malika, whose divorce brought shame on the family, remains a more shadowy figure. Its as if her failed marriage has rendered her less visible, or she prefers to keep herself out of sight. Invisibility, Guene suggests, is a female survival tactic. Weaving fragments about each of her characters, Guene anchors Discretion in Yaminas childhood in Algeria, where French soldiers misbehaved like an occupying army. In vivid flashbacks those years of terror and hardship unfold. Despite its lightness of tone, Discretion is suffused in sorrow and confusion as well as enduring love. Clear-eyed but tender, every page is filled with insight. A searching portrait of the desire for identity and acceptance, its recognition of bone-deep discrimination and injustice is biting. When Hannah hears a doctor patronising her mother, she squirms: Come on, lets take off our little burka, shall we, to show our little ears? Yamina, in contrast, is not offended. Yet perhaps her response is not as passive as it appears. Since her father was a resistance fighter, Guene writes, what if refusing to give in to resentment were, in itself a form of resistance? Thus the legacy of colonisation corkscrews down the generations. It might take different shapes, but it will never be erased or forgiven. Only with difficulty can it be overcome, but in an age when to be Arab in Europe is automatically to rouse suspicion, Guene offers little hope. As Yamina reflects: today we can no longer really say who we are. Who we are has become too risky. FILE - Riot police officers cordon off the area after migrants arrive on Spanish soil and crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in Melilla, Spain, on June 24, 2022. Spain's prime minister on Monday, June 27, 2022, Spain's prime minister has defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police repelled migrants last week as they tried to cross the shared border into the North African enclave of Melilla. He depicted the attempt in which at least 23 people died as "an attack on Spain's borders". "We must remember that many of these migrants attacked Spain's borders with axes and hooks," said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during an interview with The Associated Press. "We are talking about an attempt to assault the fence that was evidently carried out in an aggressive way, and therefore what Spain's state security forces and Moroccan guards did was defend Spain's borders." Authorities in Morocco have blamed the deaths on a "stampede" of people that formed on Friday as hundreds attempted to scale or break through the 12-metre iron double fence. The barrier surrounds Melilla, a town of 85,000 separated from the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar. Non-profit groups working in northern Africa and human rights organisations have deplored the treatment the migrants received from police on both sides. But they have also directed their blame at Spanish and European Union officials who they say have essentially outsourced border controls to Morocco and other states. Mr Sanchez, whose left-to-centre government is trying to improve ties with Morocco following an acrimonious diplomatic dispute over Western Sahara, has refused to criticise the crackdown. Speaking at the palace on the outskirts of Madrid that hosts his office and residence, Mr Sanchez told AP that his thoughts were with the families of those who died. But he blamed the tragedy on "international human trafficking rings who are profiting from the suffering of human beings who only want to seek a better life". "I insist, these are international mafia groups that are not only damaging the territorial integrity of Spain but also that of Morocco, which is a country suffering that irregular migration," he added. Story continues Mr Sanchez spoke to AP on the eve of hosting Nato leaders in a summit that aims to redraw the defence alliance's strategy for the next decade. While Russia's invasion of Ukraine will take centre-stage at the two-day meeting, the group will also debate its posture on Africa, where Russian mercenaries are adding to concerns about migration, extremism and the impacts of poverty and climate change. Footage uploaded to social media shows how a large number of migrants approached a section of the fence and began scaling it. Some of the migrants hurled rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending many of the migrants to the ground from a height of several metres. In at least one video released by a Spanish online news website, Spanish guards can also be seen escorting migrants back to the Moroccan side, a practice that human rights activists say denies the right of refugees to apply for asylum on European soil. At least 76 civilians and 140 security officers on the Moroccan side, and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured, according to their respective governments. A small group of African men who did make it across the fence were taken to a migrant holding centre in Melilla. While Moroccan authorities say 23 people died in addition to scores of injuries both among the migrants and border guards, activists claim that the death toll is higher and denounce the EU's policy of striking deals with Morocco and other states such as Turkey to control migration flows. A group of 51 human rights groups said on Monday in a joint statement distributed by Spanish NGO Walking Borders that the deaths "are the tragic example of the European Union's policies of externalising its borders, with the complicity of a southern country, Morocco". "The death of these young Africans at the borders of 'Fortress Europe' is a warning of the deadly nature of the security co-operation on immigration between Morocco and Spain," the statement added. Taiwan has condemned mainland Chinese authorities for blocking its experts from taking part in a United Nations sustainability event in yet another diplomatic snub from Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island. Three Taiwanese experts were originally set to attend the five-day United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, from Monday as part of Tuvalu's delegation. But Beijing, which sits on the UN credentials committee, opposed the inclusion of the Taiwanese on the grounds that the island was not a UN member. It threatened to revoke the entire delegation's accreditations if Tuvalu did not comply. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Taiwan has been excluded from the United Nations since 1971, when the global body admitted Beijing as the sole representative of China. As a result, the island and its citizens are unable to attend UN events. Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe bowed out of a UN conference that opened Monday after mainland Chinese authorities blocked Taiwanese attendees from joining the South Pacific island country's delegation. Photo: Reuters alt=Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe bowed out of a UN conference that opened Monday after mainland Chinese authorities blocked Taiwanese attendees from joining the South Pacific island country's delegation. Photo: Reuters> The move prompted Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe to cancel his trip to show "solidarity with Taiwan", Radio New Zealand reported on Monday. The Pacific island country, which established formal ties with Taiwan in 1979, is one of 14 states to officially recognise Taipei. Taiwan's foreign ministry thanked Tuvalu for its strong support and for helping the island take part in international events. It also condemned Beijing for "randomly exerting pressure on UN members", an act that "once again revealed its malicious nature". Story continues "It has long been a practice for each UN member state to decide who may join its delegation for a UN event, and members of the UN credentials committee have no right to decide who should be in the delegation," ministry deputy spokesman Tsuei Ching-lin said in Taipei on Tuesday. "The government will continue to work with allies and like-minded countries to jointly counter the growing malign influence of China in the United Nations." On Monday, mainland foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian underlined Beijing's position that Taiwan was a part of China and that the one-China principle was a basic norm governing international relations and the consensus of the international community. "Taiwan authorities are accustomed to resorting to such gambits in the context of international affairs. Stooping to join the entourage of a foreign country in order to tag along and wedge into the United Nations Ocean Conference can only bring disgrace," Zhao said. Beijing has for decades engaged in a campaign to bar Taiwan from taking part in global events, especially those involving the UN. It has also stepped up efforts to poach Taiwan's diplomatic allies since Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle. The UN Ocean Conference, last held in 2017, is convened to discuss oceanic conservation and sustainability efforts. The rest of the delegation from Tuvalu, which is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century, attended the event without Kofe. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Supreme Court Abortion Public Opinion (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) President Joe Biden encapsulated what he hoped Democratic voters would understand after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade: This fall, Roe is on the ballot. There is some evidence that this message is sticking. A new CBS News/YouGov poll found that 50 per cent of Democratic voters said that the decision makes them more likely to vote compared to 77 per cent of Republicans who say it will have no effect on their likeliness to vote, though that might be due to the fact Republicans are already motivated to vote this midterm election to win back the House and Senate. The bad news for Democrats and good news for Republicans is that 61 per cent of independents say that it will have no effect on how likely they are to vote. But a majority of voters 64 per cent altogether say they want to keep abortion legal in either all or most cases and 51 per cent say the courts decision will make life worse. FiveThirtyEight shows that the generic ballot, which measures whether voters would support a generic Democrat or Republican to represent them in Congress, shows Republicans have a slight advantage. But even if Democrats manage to hold onto their House majority, which is increasingly unlikely, Democrats real challenge to protect abortion rights comes in the Senate. Last month, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia who opposes abortion rights voted against the Womens Health Protection Act, which would have codified Roe v Wade. His and Senator Kyrsten Sinemas opposition to changing the filibuster also means Democrats need to gain two more seats to even have a shot at passing legislation to protect abortion rights. Republicans only need to gain one seat to win the majority. Here are the states most likely to flip, the least likely to flip and the reach states. Republican opportunities: Georgia, Nevada and Arizona are the states most likely to flip from Democratic to Republican. Senator Mark Kelly faces a full slate of candidates running against him and former president Donald Trump endorsed venture capitalist Blake Masters in the primary. Meanwhile, former University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker is running against Senator Raphael Warnock in a nail-biter and polls show they are in a dead heat. Upon the decision, Adam Laxalt, who is running against Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, said that the people Nevada have voted to make abortion rights legal in our state and the Courts decision on Roe doesnt change settled law. As Democratic election modeler Lakshya Jain said, if the race turns into a referendum on it, he loses in a landslide. Story continues The potential Democratic pickups: Democrats best chance to flip a seat is in Pennsylvania where Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman leads Dr Mehmet Oz by six points. In North Carolina, Civitas, a conservative group, showed Republican Representative Ted Budd in the lead by five points but a WRAL poll showed former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley with a four-point lead. Wisconsin poses the toughest challenge for Democrats because unlike the other two states where they are running for open seats, Senator Ron Johnson is seeking a third term. A Marquette University Law School pollone of the more accurate polls in the Badger stateshows Mr Johnson in tight races against all of his potential Democratic challengers. Reach states: In every election, at least one candidate pulls off a stunner. The Dobbs decision makes Republican chances to beat Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire all the harder, since the state overwhelmingly supports abortion rights and the fact that Republican Governor Chris Sununu passed on running. In Ohio, Republican JD Vance and Representative Tim Ryan are running neck and neck, but its still likely favored to the GOP given the states rightward tilt. Lastly, in Missouri, former Governor Eric Greitens, who resigned in disgrace after allegedly sexually blackmailing a woman and whose ex-wife accuses him of abusing her and their children, is running in a crowded primary for Senate. If he wins the primary, it could make the seat at least possible for Democrats. Out of the question: Despite the fact Representative Val Demings, a Democrat running against Senator Marco Rubio in Florida, told your dispatcher Im mad as hell and every woman and man who supports women should be mad as hell and hit Mr Rubio on his record on abortion, the state is still largely Republican. Conversely, the decision likely means Republicans will be unable to beat Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado or Patty Murray of Washington given the support for abortion rights in the state. Slaven Popov Crowned 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event Champion June 28 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor Slaven Popov is on cloud nine today after becoming a live poker champion for the first time. Popov triumphed in the 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event and walked away with 35,000 plus a package to a future 888poker LIVE event. According to his Hendon Mob profile, Popov has eight runner-up finishes to his name, in addition to a brace of six-figure hauls. The Bulgarian finished eighth in the 2014 EPT Barcelona Main Event for 121,300 and fifth in the 2015 EPT Prague Main Event for 226,330. While the 35,000 he won in Bucharest is a fraction of those scores, the fact he has finally won a live poker tournament more than makes up for it. 2022 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event Final Table Results Place Player Prize 1 Slaven Popov 35,000* 2 Alexandru Arnautu 33,000* 3 Patrick Bueno 19,330 4 Jamie Thomson 15,680 5 Valentin Piraiala 12,400 6 Alexandru Stoian 9,320 7 Bogdan Berinde 6,880 8 Levente Pal 5,030 *reflects a heads-up deal 888poker LIVE Looks to the Future After Successful Return of Live Events The 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event saw 272 players buy in and create a 192,670 prize pool, of which 137,000 was dished out to the eight finalists. Levente Pal was the first of the finalists to receive some prize money, namely a 5,030 score, the second-largest haul of the Romanian's live poker career. Pal opened to 85,000 with pocket kings, with the big blind costing 40,000, and Valentin Piraila called in the big blind with nine-trey of clubs. The flop fell four-seven-ten all clubs. Pirailia checked, Pal bet 210,000 and called when Pirailia check-raised all-in for 670,000 in total. Pal held the king of clubs, but the turn and river bricked to leave Pal nursing a ten big blind stack. Pal committed the last of his chips with queen-seven after Alexandru Stoian opened from the hijack with king-ten. Stoian called and turned a Broadway straight to send Pal to the showers. Berinde Busts With a Bluff Bogdan Berinde was the next to bust, his seventh-place finish coming with 6,880. Berinde opened to 135,000 from the hijack with pocket jacks and Patrick Bueno called in the small blind with ace-ten. Both players checked the nine-ace-queen flop, before checking another nine on the turn. The river was an offsuit ten, and Bueno led for 160,000 into the 390,000 pot. Berinde paused for a few moments before jamming for 1,200,000, which Bueno snapped off. Sixth-place and 9,320 went to Stoian. Jamie Thomson opened to 175,000 on the button with pocket nines, Stoian three-bet all-in for 600,000 from the small blind, and Bueno asked for a count before folding ace-eight of hearts in the big blind. Thomson instantly called and discovered he was flipping against king-queen. A ten-high board reduced the player count by one. The final five became four with the elimination of Piraiala, who moments prior to busting lost all but four big blinds to Popov when the latter's nine-seven of hearts rivered a flush to beat his ace-jack. Piraiala moved all-in from under the gun with seven-five of clubs, and Thomson looked him up with queen-ten. Bueno also called with ace-six in the small blind. Both active players checked the board down, and Thomson won the pot courtesy of a turned Broadway straight. TEANfilas Takes Down 888poker Sunday Sale Main Event It Just Wasn't Thomson's Day Thomson was the next player heading for the cashier's desk despite winning that pot. The Canadian, who has been travelling through Europe for the past year, came unstuck in a couple of key hands. First, his ace-king lost to the ace-seven of Popov. He then lost another sizable pot to Popov before a huge hand occurred. Bueno opened to 285,000 from under the gun with pocket tens, Alexandru Arnautu called in the small blind with king-queen of diamonds, only for Thomson to squeeze all-in for 3,800,000 with ace-eight of diamonds from the big blind. Only Bueno called, and the tens flopped a set before turning a full house. That hand left Thomson nursing a 1,700,000 stack with blinds at 50,000/100,000/100,000a. Those chips went into the middle from under the gun with king-jack, only for Popov to wake up with pocket kings in the small blind. Thomson was drawing dead by the turn, and the Main Event was down to only a trio of hopefuls. Heads-up was set when Bueno busted in third at the hands of Popov. Bueno three-bet all-in for 24 big blinds with pocket fours after Popov had opened with ace-jack. Popov called, flopped a jack, turned another, and sent Bueno home with a brick on the river. The heads-up duo were evenly stacked so it was no surprise when they eventually struck a deal. They each agreed to take home 33,000, leaving the trophy, 2,000 and an added 888poker LIVE package to play for. Popov got his hands on the extras when Arnautu check-jammed with six-four on a seven-six-queen-deuce board and Popov snap-called with queen-eight. A nine on the river sent Arnautu home in second place, and ensured a delighted Popov finally got to enjoy his maiden victory. Action was picked up in a pot of roughly 30,000,000 on the turn of a board showing . Jordan Pelon in the small blind checked to Sam Laskowitz in the big blind who bet 16,500,000 which was called. The river came the and Pelon checked again. This time Laskowitz put the maximum pressure on by moving all in for 130,000,000, covering Pelon's stack. Pelon went deep in the tank, thinking for several minutes. Eventually Pelon released his hand and the massive pot was shipped to Laskowitz, increasing his lead even more. The African Union Commission chief has voiced his shock at the "violent and degrading" treatment of African migrants trying to cross from Morocco into Spanish territory after 23 people died, and has called for an investigation into the incident. On Friday, approximately 2,000 migrants stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and the Spanish enclave of Melilla. At least 23 migrants died and 140 police officers were wounded in the ensuing violence, according to Moroccan authorities. It was the heaviest death toll in years of such attempts to cross the frontier into Melilla. In a statement via Twitter on Sunday, AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said: "I express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from Morocco into Spain." "I call for an immediate investigation into the matter and remind all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritise their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force," he added. Spain blames human traffickers Moroccan authorities say the individuals died as a result of a stampede of people who attempted to climb the iron fence that separates the city of Melilla and Morocco. Moroccos Interior Ministry said 76 civilians were also injured. Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned what he described as a violent assault and an attack on the territorial integrity of Spain. Spanish officials said 49 Civil Guards sustained minor injuries. If there is anyone responsible for everything that appears to have taken place at that border, it is the mafias that traffic in human beings, Sanchez said. Rights groups condemn alleged brutality His remarks came as the Moroccan Association for Human Rights shared videos on social media that appeared to show dozens of migrants lying on the ground, many of them motionless and a few bleeding, as Moroccan security forces stood over them. Story continues They were left there without help for hours, which increased the number of deaths, the human rights group said on Twitter. It has called for a comprehensive investigation. In a statement released late Friday, Amnesty International expressed its deep concern over the events at the border. The International Organization for Migration and UN refugee agency UNHCR also weighed in with a statement that expressed profound sadness and concern over what happened at the Morocco-Melilla border. The mass crossing attempt was the first since Spain and Morocco mended relations after a year long dispute related to Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1976. The thaw in relations came after Spain backed Moroccos plan to grant more autonomy to the territory, a reversal of its previous support for a UN-backed referendum on the status of Western Sahara. Ghislaine Maxwell with paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein (PA Media) Virgina Giuffre has told how Ghislaine Maxwell opened the door to hell by grooming victims for abuse by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In an emotional victim impact statement to be read in court for Maxwells sentencing, Ms Giuffre described her pain and anguish of being procured for abuse by Epstein by the 60-year-old. The British socialite, who was labelled dangerous by the prosecution during her three-week trial last year, helped entice vulnerable teenagers to the disgraced financiers various properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. She is being sentenced on Tuesday afternoon and faces up to 55 years behind bars for her crimes. In the statement, released ahead of the court hearing, Ms Giuffre opened up about the long-lasting impact the abuse has had on her, saying the unthinkable things still have a corrosive impact on me to this day. Addressing Maxwell directly, she said: I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. When you did that, Ghislaine, you changed the course of our lives forever. You joked that you were like a new mother to us. As a woman, I think you understood the damage you were causing - the price you were making us victims pay. The statement adds that despite the almost indescribable pain, I will never give up. Maxwell was found guilty by a federal jury in New York on December 29 on five charges, including sex trafficking for the recruitment and grooming of four girls between 1994 and 2004 for Epstein. Read Virginia Giuffres victim impact statement in full: Virginia Roberts Giuffre (NBC) Your honour, my name is Virginia Roberts Giuffre. For more than two years, from age 16 to 19, I was abused by Ghislaine Maxwell. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge and profusely thank the police, FBI investigators, prosecutors and judges who have invested their time and integrity in this case to hopefully set a precedent for victims and the hunters who prey upon them. Story continues Now, if it pleases the court, I would like to address my victim impact statement directly to Ghislaine Maxwell. Ghislaine, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice. You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually, and emotionally. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day. I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. When you did that, Ghislaine, you changed the course of our lives forever. You joked that you were like a new mother to us. As a woman, I think you understood the damage you were causing - the price you were making us victims pay. You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. You could've called the authorities and reported that you were a part of something awful. I was young and naive when we met, Ghislaine, but you knew that. In fact, you were counting on it. My life as a young person was just beginning. You robbed me of that by exploiting my hopes and ambitions. Ghislaine, the pain you have caused me is almost indescribable. Because of your choices and the world you brought me into, I don't sleep. Nightmares wake me at all hours. In those dreams, I relive the awful things you and others did to me and the things you forced me to do. Those memories will never go away. I have trouble meeting new people without questioning if somehow they are going to hurt me, too. I don't allow my children to stay over at friends' houses, or to walk down the street alone. I don't trust anyone to be near them without me or my husband close by. I am hyper-vigilant, because I know that evil exists. You taught me that. There is not a day that goes by that I don't ask "Why?" Why, Ghislaine, did you enjoy hurting us so much? I worry every single day and night that you will get away with it and evade being punished. I will worry about that until you are brought to justice. And what should that justice look like? Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims. But, Ghislaine, I want you to know that, while you tried to break me, you didn't succeed. Despite you, I have grown into a woman who tries to do good in the world - a woman who, on her best days, feels like she is making a difference. My promise to you is as follows: As long as you and perpetrators like you continue to prey upon the vulnerable, I will not stop standing up and speaking out. Together, with so many others you abused, we will do all we can to keep predators from stealing the innocence of children. I will never give up. I will never go away. If you ever get out of prison, I will be here, watching you, making sure you never hurt anyone else again. CAIRO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ten members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group were sentenced to death on Tuesday for murdering security men and sabotaging public properties in Egypt, official news agency MENA reported. Egypt's Emergency Supreme State Security Criminal Court gave a life sentence, which is 25 years in Egypt, to 56 militants and a 15-year-jail term to 52 others convicted of the same crimes. The court acquitted 43 defendants as innocents. The convicted militants were members of "Helwan Brigades," which is a group formed after the ouster of the late President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 for targeting security men and premises. The perpetrators killed, on different occasions from 2013 to 2015, six policemen and wounded 25 officers, security men, and civilians, as well as exploded 11 police vehicles and destroyed three police stations, the court verdict read. Most brotherhood leaders, members and supporters are serving time in jail. Many of them have received appealable death sentences and life imprisonment on charges varying from inciting violence and murder to espionage and jailbreak. Remember Dunkaroos? Sure you do. They were once the most coveted snack of school cafeterias everywhere. The single-serve cookies-and-icing combo appeared in the early 90s, but by 2012, they had vanished. So, what ever happened to Dunkaroos? We did some deep investigation in PureWow's nostalgic pop culture podcast, 'What Ever Happened To...?'where we come together to relive pop culture history and uncover what became of the snacks, celebrities and trends that defined our adolescence. Lets dive into all the sweet nostalgia, shall we? RELATED: What Ever Happened to Dream Street, the Boy Band Only Millennials Remember? What are Dunkaroos? Dunkaroos came in a turquoise rectangular package with cookies on one side and a little tub of icing for dunking on the other. Back in the early 90s, the cookies came in a bunch of different shapes: kangaroos with hats on, hot air balloons, motorcycles, capital Ds (for Dunkaroos, of course)the list goes on. The icings came in multiple flavors, too. In the States, we could dip our cookies into Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter and the fan-favorite, Rainbow Sprinkles. Australia even had Strawberry and Hazelnut icings. Why were Dunkaroos discontinued? While Canada still sold Dunkaroos until 2017, the product was discontinued in the United States in 2012but why? General Mills Chief Brand Officer for North America, Brad Hiranaga, explained to The New York Times, We run our businesses kind of by geography. In the U.S., our focus back in 2012, in snacking, was really trying to build out more of our healthy, nutritious snacking portfolio. And so there was a lot of work to put investment behind that. Things like Larabar, different iterations of Nature Valley there was a big push. But, once the product had been MIA from the U.S. for a few years, it became clear that devoted snackers wanted them back. So, General Mills launched a campaign called "Smugglaroos, which encouraged Canadians traveling to the U.S. to bring the snack across the border to Americans. According to Teen Vogue, the company even set up a website (sadly, it no longer exists) where wannabe snack traffickers could sign up and wax nostalgic about big hair, VHS tapes, and hammer pants. Story continues RELATED: 21 of the Best 90s Cartoons, Ranked Do they still make Dunkaroos? Were happy to report that, yes, Dunkaroos are back. In 2020, Dunkaroos finally made a comeback, with the triumphant return of the most requested flavor: Vanilla Cookies and Vanilla Frosting with Rainbow Sprinkles. Then, in 2021, chocoholics prayers were answered with the return of the Chocolate Frosting and Vanilla Cookie pairing. General Mills even came out with Dunkaroos cereal and partnered with Yoplait to release Dunkaroos Go-Gurtessentially, Dunkaroos with yogurt instead of icing. The brand also sells Dunkaroos sugar cookie mix and cans of icing. Looks like a '90s-themed baking night is in your future. According to the official Dunkaroos website, there have been no updates to the ingredients or taste, so they should taste just as we remember. Where can I buy Dunkaroos? Dunkaroos are once again available at places like Walmart and Amazon. So thats what ever happened to Dunkaroos. Happy snacking! Want more nostalgia? Tune in to 'What Ever Happened To...?' every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Dont forget to send your "What Ever Happened To's" to info@gallerypodcasts.comor just comment on one of our TikToks @WhatEverHappenedToPod. RELATED: Your Complete Menu for a Totally Bodacious '90s-Themed Dinner Party (Adult Capri Suns Included) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is providing technology to ensure that any wheat stolen from Ukraine by Russia does not make it to the global market, Britain's environment minister George Eustice said on Monday. Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports has prevented the country, traditionally one of the world's top food producers, from exporting much of the more than 20 million tonnes of grain stored in its silos. Last week Turkey said it was investigating claims that Ukrainian grain had been stolen by Russia and shipped to countries including Turkey, but added the probes had not found any stolen shipments so far. Russia has previously denied allegations that it has stolen Ukrainian grain. "Russia, it appears, are stealing some wheat from those stores," Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told Sky News. "What the UK government is doing is making available the technology that we've got to be able to test the provenance of wheat. We're working with other countries including Australia on this so that we can ensure that stolen Ukrainian wheat does not find a route to market." Eustice said Britain was also looking at what it could do to help Ukraine repair its railways to get the wheat out of Ukraine via land. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate Holton) FILE PHOTO: A power-generating windmill turbine and the church of the village are pictured during sunset at a wind park in Ecoust-Saint-Mein By Nora Buli OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian state-owned energy firm Statkraft on Tuesday presented its expanded renewables growth strategy out to 2030 seeking to capitalise on stronger European green energy ambitions and lift power generation by up to 50%. "We have an ambition to lead the green shift in Norway and play a significant role in Europe," chief executive Christian Rynning-Toennesen told Reuters. More renewable energy is needed to meet net zero targets, cover new power consumption in Norway and strengthen European energy security, with the CEO highlighting the European Union's 210 billion euro REPowerEU plan to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Current high power prices have also increased Statkraft's investment capacity, although Rynning-Toennesen was reluctant to name a specific annual investment target. Statkraft now plans for 4 gigawatt (GW) of annual onshore wind, solar and battery storage growth, up from a 2.5-3 GW target in 2025, the end of its previous strategic planning horizon. "We have a good project backing until 2025 and after that we are dependent on getting access to more projects," Rynning-Toennesen said. Combined with plans for major Norwegian hydropower upgrades and ambitions to build offshore wind farms in Norway and Ireland at industrial scale, this could see Statkraft's annual power generation rise by up to 50% from today to around 100 terawatt hours (TWh) by the end of the decade, it said. As part of its plans, Statkraft will also change its corporate structure into geographical business areas for Nordic, Europe and International markets and add a New Energy Solutions unit covering new technologies including hydrogen. By 2030, Statkraft eyes production capacity for 2 GW of renewables-derived hydrogen, predominantly in Norway and Sweden. (Reporting by Nora Buli; Editing by Sandra Maler) Scottish shopping centre unveils clutch of new brand openings BRAEHEAD Shopping Centre has announced a string of new openings including a US sports retail giant, a jeweller and a menswear store. The Renfrewshire centre, owned by property company SGS and asset managed by Global Mutual Properties, said fashion and home furnishings retailer Laura Ashley has opened a new section in the NEXT Home store, selling a range of furniture and homeware products. The brand has taken over 2,500 sq ft of space and the offer is the first for any NEXT in Scotland. READ MORE: Braehead Shopping Centre hails new fashion giant store Worldwide jewellery retailer Lovisa is set to open in the summer in a 780 sq ft unit, selling its range of accessories Lids, described as the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, which sells fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, has signed on a 1,000 sq ft space, as the brand pushes ahead on plans to increase its international presence. The store is set to open later this summer. Suit Direct, the menswear retailer, has also signed on a 3,500 sq ft store and will open its doors in July. ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian federal government has disclosed the appointment of a seven-member negotiating team to "peacefully resolve" the conflict in the northern part of the country. The newly appointed negotiating team will be led by the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported late Monday. Other members of the negotiating team included Gedion Timothewos, the Ethiopian minister of Justice and Redwan Hussien, the national security advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minister with a rank of a minister, according to the FBC report. Meanwhile, Gedion Timothewos, who is also a member of the Central Committee of Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP), said that the executive and central committees of the ruling party in their meetings during the past days had deliberated upon the options of peaceful resolution of the conflict. A committee, established by the Executive Committee of the ruling party, presented a study report of peaceful options to the Central Committee of the party, which then had extensive deliberation, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) quoted Timothewos as saying. "Accordingly, a decision has been made to give peaceful options a chance," ENA quoted Timothewos as saying. Timothewos said the decision has taken several issues into consideration, including the importance of peace to the country's development and ensuring the successful implementation of the inclusive national dialogue. Noting that "enormous efforts" have been made by the federal government after the conflict erupted, the Ethiopian minister of justice said halting further human and material losses and prevention of additional "bloody conflict" as well as rehabilitating the victims were also issues considered by the ruling party. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict as forces loyal to the rebel TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force, backed by allied forces, engaged in a 19-month conflict since November 2020. The conflict has left millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian aid is recently heading to the Tigray region after the Ethiopian government and the rebel forces agreed to a conditional cessation of hostilities and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid into the region. The Ethiopian parliament designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization in May 2021. BUDAPEST As part of his official visit to Hungary, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue met with entrepreneurs with business operations in Viet Nam on Tuesday. During talks with the heads of multinational companies Gedeon Richter and Egis, the NA Chairman said that pharmaceuticals had great potential for cooperation in Viet Nam with multiple preferential policies. Specialising in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, Gedeon Richters products entered the Vietnamese market in 1954 and officially established a representative office in 1995. Egis set up an office in Viet Nam in 2000 and is planning to expand its local operation by upscaling this establishment to be the representative office for ASEAN. Taking into consideration the suggestions from the entrepreneurs, NA Chair Hue said that the health sector and other industries in Viet Nam were focusing on administrative reform in order to streamline procedures, reduce costs and create favourable conditions for businesses. The countrys NA also had plans to adjust and amend the Law on Pharmacy in accordance with international laws and commitments. In regard to the procedures of granting, extending, and adjusting licences for drug registration, Chairman Hue emphasised that there was no difference in pharmaceutical quality management in the local and international businesses, which is stated in the laws. Speaking to the leaders of the two companies, the NA Chairman said that the significant potential of the Vietnamese market not only lay in its 100-million population but also in the access to the 600 million people in the ASEAN region. At the meeting with Robert Forintos, co-chairman of Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP), Hue said he gave high regard to the companys role in water supply and treatment in Viet Nam. In 1992, the company opened its representative office in the Asian country, and in 1996, it was the largest business in Hungary with investment projects in Viet Nam. The company has completed a project in Quang Binh Province, which provides clean water to 120,000 people in the Quang Trach District. HWP is now working on phase two of the clean water project in Quang Binh and another one in Vinh Long Province. According to NA Chairman Hue, Viet Nam has a strong commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the past, and now the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, especially on the goals of ensuring clean water supply and controlling pollution sources of wastewater. At present there is a high demand for water treatment devices in the country, especially in the suburbs and the Mekong Delta region. Therefore, advanced technology transfer in the water industry is very welcomed. VNS TSA PreCheck The Transportation Security Administration will host TSA PreCheck enrollment through Friday at Waco Regional Airport. TSA PreCheck is an expedited screening program that allows travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case, and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids and gels bag in a carry-on. To register and schedule an appointment, go to tsa.gov/precheck. Applicants must bring proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. The application fee is $85. Climate movie Waco Friends of the Climate will screen the BBC documentary Life at 50 C at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St. As the world gets hotter, survival gets harder. The film details the extreme hardships of people suffering heat waves at multiple sites around the globe. Refreshments will be provided, all are welcome and the event is free. For more information, email anorthc@aol.com. WFD collecting fans The Waco Fire Department is kicking off its Cool the Heat program, benefiting Wacos most vulnerable residents during extreme heat emergencies. New fans may be donated at any fire station. Fans will be distributed by Mission Waco to individuals and families who need them most. Call 254-750-1740 for more information. Field of Flags Williams Creek Baptist Church presents the ninth annual Fourth of July Field of Flags event Monday, July 4, at 12525 Elk Road, at the intersection of Highway 84 and F.M. 939 between Axtell and Mart. There will be a flag ceremony at 11:30 a.m., followed by a hot dog meal with homemade ice cream at 12:15 p.m. The event ends at 1:30 p.m. For more information, call 254-863-5755 or 254-715-2309. Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com. MADRID (AP) President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russias Vladimir Putin for trying to wipe out Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe. Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make during the summit to help bolster the alliance in the region. Biden arrived in Spain for the summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy. Sometimes I think Putins objective is just to literally change the entire culture -- wipe out the culture of Ukraine (with) the kinds of actions hes taking, Biden said after meeting with Sanchez. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the destroyers' move will help increase the United States' and NATOs maritime presence." He said Biden would announce additional moves on Wednesday. The president said before the war started that if Putin invaded Ukraine, the United States and NATO would enhance the force posture on the eastern flank, not just for the duration of the crisis, but to address the long-term change in the strategic reality that that would present, Sullivan added. Biden is looking to use this week's NATO summit to shore up allies amid signs of fractures in the western alliance. After heaping an avalanche of sanctions on the Russian economy and funneling billions of dollars of weaponry into Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, NATO partners are showing signs of strain as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed. As the U.S. president departed for the NATO meeting from the German Alps, where he met this week with leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the G-7 on Monday, has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of the war. The U.S. has been building up its presence since shortly before the Russian invasion in late February, adding about 20,000 troops to the 80,000 who were previously in Europe. And the U.S. has signaled that the Russian invasion will have reverberations on its and NATO allies' defense posture for years to come. The U.S. and Spain, in a joint statement following the Biden-Sanchez meeting, said the invasion fundamentally altered the global strategic environment and that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transAtlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. Sullivan suggested that other moves Biden is set to announce will involve positioning additional forces on NATO's eastern flank in a steady state." He declined to say if some U.S. forces that serve there on a rotational basis would become permanent. The U.S. president praised Spain for taking in tens of thousands of Ukrainian migrants who have fled the war. Our people have stood together," Biden said during a meeting with Spain's King Felipe VI. Theyve stood up and theyve stood strong. Biden attended a dinner on Tuesday with other NATO leaders at the 18th Century Royal Palace of Madrid, hosted by Spain's king and queen, Letizia. Biden is set to meet with Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday, a day after Turkey lifted its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The two countries made the historic step of applying for NATO membership in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. Sullivan said the U.S. did not have a role to play in negotiations between Turkey and the Nordic nations, which were being brokered by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. A senior administration official said Tuesday that the U.S. offered no concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal and drop its opposition to membership for Finland and Sweden. The official said Biden told Erdogan when they spoke earlier Tuesday that closing the deal with the Nordic countries that night would set up a good opportunity for their own talks on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration strategy. Biden will also look to highlight progress made by NATO members at meeting the alliances goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on their defense budgets. Sullivan said a majority of members would report that they have met the benchmark or are on track to by 2024. He described it as a substantial shift in the intensity and commitment of NATO allies in terms of putting their money where their mouth is. Biden's predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, fiercely criticized NATO partners who failed to hit the target. The president will also hold a rare joint meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss North Korea's nuclear program. U.S. and South Korean officials say that North Korea has all but finished preparations for its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear warhead designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea may use its next nuclear test to claim that it has acquired the ability to build small nuclear warheads that can be placed on short-range missiles or other new weapons systems it has demonstrated in recent months, analysts say. Madhani reported from Washington. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. At the G7 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron informed his American counterpart, Joe Biden, that OPEC's two largest oil exporters are already producing close to their maximum capacity. Crude oil prices increased once more on Tuesday as G7 leaders investigated the possibility of a price ceiling for Russian crude oil. Supply concerns intensified, and optimism for increased demand was buoyed by an easing of COVID curbs in China. The price of crude gained ground after it was reported that French President Emmanuel Macron was overheard telling U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Germany that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had little room to boost crude output in the near term. These comments were said to have occurred in Germany. Macron informed Biden that he had been told by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates, that the country was at maximum production capacity and that the Saudis could increase production by 150,000 barrels a day or slightly more, but "don't have huge capacities before six months." Macron also told Biden that he had been informed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates. It has been speculated that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the only two countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that have spare capacity to increase worldwide deliveries, which might decrease prices. On the margins of the G7 summit, Emmanuel Macron was overheard telling Vice President Joe Biden of the United States of America, "I had a call with MbZ," where "MbZ" is an abbreviation for Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates. "He shared two things with me. I'm at a maximum (production capacity). This is what he asserts, anyway." "After that, he stated that Saudi Arabia's population may expand by 150 percent (thousands of barrels per day). Perhaps a little bit more, but they won't have a large capacity for at least the next six months, "Macron added. The top energy official in the United Arab Emirates released a statement at the end of Monday saying that his country is producing the 3.168 million barrels per day allotted to it by OPEC+ (bpd). Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei made this statement in response to recent reports in the media: "In light of recent media reports, I would like to clarify that the UAE is generating near to its maximum production capability based on its current OPEC+ production baseline." Because there is a shortfall of supply and a comeback in demand after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, the price of oil on a global scale has been slowly climbing over the past few months. Since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine in late February, prices have increased even further. After Reuters reported Macron's comments, the benchmark crude oil price climbed on Monday. The West is looking for methods to minimize its reliance on Russian oil imports as a form of economic punishment for Moscow, contributing to a 1.7 percent increase in Brent oil prices to above $115 per barrel. Saudi Arabia now produces 10.5 million barrels per day and has a nameplate capacity of 12.0 million-12.5 million barrels per day. This means that it should be able to expand output by 2 million barrels per day. The United Arab Emirates now produces around 3 million barrels per day, can produce 3.4 million and has been making progress toward increasing production to 4 million barrels per day. Before the Ukraine conflict, Europe imported approximately 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and approximately 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of refined products from Russia. Currently, Europe is looking at alternative ways to replace these imports. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their allies, including Russia, are known as OPEC+. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the only members of this group that are believed to be capable of considerably increasing output. Later this week, officials from OPEC and other countries will meet, and Vice President Biden will visit Saudi Arabia the following month. Because spare capacity is minimal, "we think Saudi Arabia will seek to be judicious about how it deploys its remaining barrels and will likely incrementally increase output rather than simply dumping all the barrels at once and risk losing control of the market," Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, stated in a note. "We think Saudi Arabia will seek to be judicious about how it deploys its remaining barrels and will likely incrementally increase According to Reuters, the heads of state for the seven developed nations that make up the Group of Seven have reached an agreement to investigate the possibility of placing price caps on imports of Russian oil and gas to reduce the amount of money that Moscow has available to spend on its conflict with Ukraine. This year, Russia is on course to reach $285 billion in energy revenue, a 20 percent increase from 2021. Macron Warns Biden on UAE, Saudi Arabian Oil Capacity Editor's note: This story has been updated to include videos from the Eight Over 80 luncheon. CEDAR FALLS Family and friends gathered Tuesday for a luncheon and awards ceremony honoring The Couriers 2022 Eight Over 80 winners. This is our 13th class of honorees. These are individuals who have spent a lifetime making a difference in their communities as business and community leaders and volunteers. Their efforts, commitment and dedication have inspired and motivated others. About 185 people gathered to see the latest group of recipients accept their honors. Janet Johnson, president of the North Iowa Media Group, which includes The Courier, welcomed the honorees and their guests to the event, which took place at the Diamond Event Center in Cedar Falls. This is now one of my favorite events. To hear what awesome things these seniors have accomplished with such humility is absolutely inspiring, Johnson said afterwards. Western Home Communities Chief Operating Officer Jerry Harris delivered opening remarks at the gathering. Enrique Ochoa, director of spiritual care at Western Home Communities, delivered the opening prayer. Sponsors of the event included Western Home Communities, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and Cedar Valley Hospice. Here are this years Eight Over 80 recipients: Marlene Behn, 80, served for years on the Cedar Falls school board, Family and Childrens Council and numerous philanthropic organizations. She and her husband, Parke, were named Cedar Falls Representative Citizen of the Year in 1996 for extraordinary community involvement. Diana Blake, 80, began teaching music in 1965 at Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools. She is a member of both the Cedar Falls and Waterloo municipal bands, director and member of the UNI New Horizons Band and founded an area bassoon band. Eileen Kruse, 92, a retired registered nurse, created the first school nurse position at Ackley-Geneva schools, was a nurse supervisor for Hardin County Homemaker Health-Aide program and began missionary work with the Partners of the Americas organization, traveling across the world on medical missions. Louise McGinnis, 84, worked as a nurse at Cedar Falls Lutheran Home, now NewAldaya Lifescapes, earned a speech pathology degree from the University of Northern Iowa and worked as a speech pathologist consultant for Head Start, AEA 7 and the Franklin, Butler, Bremer Counties Association. She served five years on the Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission. Nyle McMartin, who soon turns 81, is a retired John Deere skilled tradesman and U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran who has grown into one of Buchanan Countys leading conservationists. He served on the Buchanan County Conservation Board for 10 years and previously worked with Iowa State University Extension after retiring from Deere 27 years ago. Paul Rider, 81, taught chemistry for more than 41 years at the University of Northern Iowa and served as assistant provost. A self-taught musician who plays 20 instruments, Rider was a driving force behind the Cedar Basin Jazz Festival and leads the Saints Dixieland Jazz Band. Joan Stigler, 83, graduated at age 52 from Upper Iowa University with a bachelors degree in social work. She mentored teen parents and children in the juvenile probation system and volunteered in schools with low-income and at-risk students. She also chaired the Black Hawk County Board of Health. Lois Wishmeyer, 92, has volunteered at Sartori Memorial Hospital (now MercyOne) and at the Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitors Bureau for the past 15 years. In 2020, she received the Mayors Volunteer Award for commitment to her community. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO The United States Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade has locals in the pro-life camp celebrating and feeling like they're prepared to support pregnant mothers and future families. Its a step in the right direction for all the future mothers, fathers and babies, said Megan Yturriaga, executive director of Alternatives Pregnancy Center. But there is still much to do, and its why our organization is here to support those who have an unplanned pregnancy. City Council first removes funding, then fails to adopt Cedar Falls Resilience Plan I think approving and adopting today could put the city on the hook for things that we are not ready to tackle just yet. The organization doesnt support abortion. Instead, she noted, it offers resources like the newly rolled-out "All Pro Dads" support group that prepares male clients to be good parents as they struggle with the daunting reality of the role. The Rev. Scott Bullock, pastor at St. Edward Catholic Church, views the ruling as a call to continue supporting new mothers and fathers. Thats our biggest concern, he said. When were not protecting our weakest, thats bad for society. Before the ruling, his parish had organized a committee in hopes of launching a Walking with Moms in Need program. Churches learn how to help moms in difficult circumstances and, in turn, support local pregnancy centers, develop their own programs and share other community resources. Bullock emphasized he never tried to force his opinion on anyone, but if someone came to him contemplating an abortion, hed counsel that person to preserve the life of the child. If someone came to him for a confession after getting an abortion, hed remind them they are beloved children of God, and that God still loves them, and wants them to heal." Having a child, he said, brings joy and the opportunity for love and devotion. Thats why we were created, after all, Bullock said. John Wood, one of Bullocks parishioners and a family law attorney, was born after his mother decided to give birth to him despite facing health complications. Im very glad she didnt follow through with the medical advice she was given and instead followed her heart, he said. Whats missed a lot, he said about the news of the court's ruling, is this returns the decision of abortion to the states. Wood feels those who reference this as the decision of an extremely radical court" are misguided. The justices could have gone further than this," he said. They could have guaranteed the unborn the constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Local residents react to Supreme Court abortion ruling Cedar Valley residents demonstrated in downtown Cedar Falls in reaction to a United States Supreme Court ruling Friday that overturned Roe v. Wade. But Wood says Democrats' calls in recent years for safe, legal and rare abortions has gone a step too far, and disingenuous organizations like Planned Parenthood don't present all available solutions to a crisis pregnancy and have become profit centers." I think the Vatican's response got it just right, said Dave Cushing, associate adult faith formation/team leader with Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation, in a statement. The challenge now is to see if anti-abortion advocates will be just as passionate about other pro-life issues, including the rights of women, the welfare of families, and the safety of children outside the womb. The ideological constraints of partisan politics have narrowed the focus to just one issue; the time has come to broaden the perspective to all of human life. This story was updated Wednesday to clarify Bullock's opinion. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ONAWA, Iowa -- An Onawa teen could face up to 30 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of sexually assaulting two girls. District Judge Zachary Hindman ruled Jay Lee Neubaum guilty of three counts of third-degree sexual abuse for raping and assaulting one of the girls and raping the other. However, Hindman found Neubaum, 19, not guilty of seven other counts of third-degree sexual abuse that alleged he had sexually assaulted five other girls. "Evidence presented at trial by the state leaves the court with a reasonable doubt on each of those counts," Hindman said Friday as he read portions of his verdict in front of some of the girls, their families and supporters in Monona County District Court. Some of the families and the girls left the courthouse in tears, appearing shocked by the ruling. None of those present, or their families or supporters, wished to comment, a victims advocate said. Monona County Attorney Ian McConaughey also declined to comment until Neubaum's sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date. Each of the three charges of which Neubaum was found guilty carries a 10-year prison sentence. Neubaum was charged with sexually assaulting six of the girls and forcing sexual contact with the seventh from August 2019 through March 2020 in and around Mapleton, Iowa, where Neubaum attended school. At trial, the girls, who ranged in age from 13-16 at the time the alleged incidents occurred, described how Neubaum forced himself on them. Neubaum denied the allegations. Neubaum waived his right to have a jury hear his case, and Hindman presided over his three-day trial in December. Hindman said that in the cases of the three guilty verdicts, the victims provided credible trial testimony and details of their accounts of the assaults "make intuitive sense," Hindman said. Neubaum's semen was found on the blanket of one of the victims, consistent with her testimony. At trial, McConaughey had argued the alleged assaults all followed a similar pattern, and each of the girls described how Neubaum got them alone, started kissing them against their will, pushed them down, forcibly removed their pants and underwear and sexually assaulted them. During her closing arguments at trial, Neubaum's attorney, Theresa Rachel, said the girls and other witnesses gave conflicting or inconsistent testimony, suggesting that one of the girls may have persuaded the others to make up their stories. Hindman said he did not find the girls colluded against Neubaum. But the judge agreed there were numerous inconsistencies in the testimony and statements given by the girls and other witnesses. "The question here is not whether the court suspects, or even strongly suspects, that Neubaum committed the offenses alleged in these counts," Hindman said in his 74-page ruling. "Rather, the issue that the court must resolve is whether the state has proven that he committed those offenses, and has so proven beyond a reasonable doubt. "... aspects of Neubaum's defenses to these charges ... are sufficient to leave the court with a reasonable doubt about each of those counts," Hindman said. Neubaum was not personally present at Friday's hearing but participated via video from the Anamosa State Penitentiary, where he is serving a 50-year prison sentence for second-degree murder for the Jan. 31, 2020, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Hopkins in Mapleton. A Monona County jury convicted him of the crime in May 2021. Hopkins, of Mapleton, was shot once in the forehead with a 12-gauge shotgun while he, Neubaum and two other teenage boys were working on a demolition derby car in a garage at the home of Neubaum's grandmother, with whom he was living at the time. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 New channel of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line launched between Italy, Slovenia Xinhua) 08:39, June 28, 2022 TRIESTE, Italy, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A block train service for facilitating transportation of products from Chinese home appliances manufacturer Hisense was launched here on Monday. Operated by China's COSCO SHIPPING, the first train on the new line set off from the port of Trieste, northeast Italy. The train, loaded with 32 containers, is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday in Velenje, Slovenia, the seat of the European headquarters of Hisense. The freight train service is part of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, which combines sea and land transportation, and stretches from the Greek port city of Piraeus to the hinterland of Europe. At the launch ceremony of the Hisense train in Trieste, Executive Vice President of COSCO SHIPPING Lin Ji said that in the future, "the electrical products produced by Hisense in Velenje will also be transported to Trieste by the block train, loaded on container vessels of COSCO SHIPPING," and shipped to other destinations in Europe and beyond. Noting that Trieste Maritime Terminal "represents the gateway to Central and Eastern Europe," Stefano Selvatici, managing director of the terminal, said he is "confident that this new rail connection will represent a crucial milestone able to innovate a traditional logistic system into a more performing and suitable one." Massimiliano Fedriga, president of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia autonomous region where Trieste is situated, thanked COSCO SHIPPING and Hisense for recognizing the potential of the port of Trieste, adding that he hopes opportunities for commercial collaborations will continue to grow. Trieste is the fourth channel to be opened on the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line in Europe, after the main channel of Piraeus Port, the channel of Rijeka in Croatia, and the Valencia-Madrid-Bilbao channel in Spain, according to COSCO SHIPPING. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) ALGIERS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- An Algerian official praised a Chinese-built highway project on Tuesday for its high quality and contribution to local social and economic development. Mohamed Khaldi, director general of Algeria's National Highway Agency, said the 53-kilometer project undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), has effectively facilitated social and economic development, saved transportation costs, and improved travel convenience for locals. Khaldi made the remarks when he joined members of the Trans-Saharan Highway Liaison Committee to tour a portion of the 53-kilometer entrance section of the Trans-Saharan Highway, a continental-scale project that links six African countries, namely Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia. With a total length of more than 9,000 km, the main line of the highway is the Algiers-Lagos section, which has a length of about 4,500 km. The ambitious project seeks to provide Sub-Saharan African nations with access to the Mediterranean Sea. It also intends to boost pan-African economic cooperation and trade exchanges, as well as accelerate regional and global integration. Due to steep terrain and projects including the construction of a 9.6-km-long tunnel and 2.7-km-long bridge, the 53-km-long portion of the highway connecting the northern Algerian towns of Chiffa and Berrouaghia is regarded as one of the most challenging and complicated parts of the entire highway. To build the section, CSCEC has created more than 10,000 jobs in Algeria and trained more than 2,000 professionals in the construction sector, according to figures released by the company. About 100 people some of whom carried signs while others stood silently to show their support gathered Friday evening at the corner of 15th Street and 3rd Avenue in Rock Island to protest the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to strike down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion. Among them were Jennifer Ziegler, of Rockford, Ill., and Destany Metcalf, of Rock Island. Asked why she had come to the rally, Ziegler said, An intense anger, and outrage. Furious outrage. Thats what brought me down here. Metcalf said she was experiencing a wide mix of emotions regarding the ruling. Anger, obviously, Metcalf said, adding that she was scared for her future. Am I going to be able to marry my future partner who is the same sex as me, she said. Are we going to have access to contraceptives, which is a basic right, a basic need? I just want to show the world this isnt right, Metcalf said. The high court's ruling does not outlaw abortion, but it does leave the decision to the states, some of which have moved to allow legal abortion services, while others have moved to outlaw abortions. Gregg Johnson, one of three Democratic candidates vying to be the state representative for Illinois 72nd District, said Illinois had done a phenomenal job of protecting the reproductive rights for women. But while states scramble to determine their own abortion laws, Johnson said Congress should take action to protect abortion rights at the federal level. While states that maintain abortion services likely would be willing to let anyone come for such services, the reality is it likely wont work well. The reality is not everybody is going to be able to afford to come to Illinois, Johnson said. You have rural areas where they might have to drive eight to 10 hours, so its just not realistic, he said. Im certain that some states are going to try and stop people from crossing state lines for an abortion. And lets face it, this disproportionately affects people of color, Johnson said. Anytime they take these sorts of actions it disproportionately affects people of color. Not everybody is going to have the means to go to other states. Teresa Carlton of Davenport said she showed up at the rally to support the cause for women. I sure hope that we maintain pro-choice because I think everyones body is a choice, Carlton said. I truly believe that. Do I believe in abortion? I dont. But I do believe in a womans choice, she said. I would never have an abortion because thats me, Carlton said. But thats my choice and my free will, and I dont think anyone should mess with that. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By the time Julian Voss-Andreae 04 arrived in Portland, he was 29 years old, spoke some English but not fluently and would soon become a father. Hed just immigrated from Germany. His background was steeped in physics, but as he sought to pursue his longtime interest in art, he didnt fully fall in either discipline. He had no idea what he wanted to do. But his first year design class at Pacific Northwest College of Art nudged him in the direction of the quantum sculptures that have since become his signature: large-scale, stainless steel human figures that can weigh thousands of pounds yet simultaneously disappear into thin air, works that have become public landmarks in 30 locations and enchant viewers everywhere from Taiwan to Azores and Minnesota to Miami. Bridging the worlds of art, technology and science has broadened his reach. A scholar and writer as well, Voss-Andreae has captured the interest of dozens of art magazines, academic papers, and science and technology books throughout his career. Even so, he said he only became truly sought after about three years ago. A Reddit post on his sculpture, A Disappearing Act, went viral and led to a 2018 Insider feature that drew millions of views. I was a complete outsider, he said. But I made my own niche and I was able to make a name for myself in unusual ways. Early and critical acclaim Voss-Andreae didnt fully appreciate the value of uniting his interests in science and art until his first 3D design assignment, when he saw another student chop up a 10-foot piece of lumber and form it into a small, tight ball. It was an epiphany: Voss-Andreae was struck by its similarity to the behavior of protein chains as they twist into three-dimensional configurations, so he wrote a software program that could turn protein structural data into cutting instructions that would allow him to build sculptures of proteins. I like to work with my hands, and I was really intrigued, he said. With the technology available now, like 3D printing and scanning, I realized it was a new day for sculpture. Among his early works is a red alpha helix sculpture dedicated to Linus Pauling, the famed Portland chemist and two-time Nobel Prize winner. Realizing Paulings connection to Portland and his discovery of the spiral protein structure was so exciting to Voss-Andreae, he reached out to the owners of Paulings childhood home on Hawthorne Boulevard and proposed the sculpture. All I wanted to do is make this piece, he said. They paid for the materials, mostly the steel and the powder coating. I donated my labor. It was 10 feet tall and that became part of my thesis project. By the time Voss-Andreae graduated, his work had appeared in several locations in the Portland area, Washington state and even Art Basel in Miami. He began working full time in his garage-turned-studio, grinding out new sculptures for a growing number of exhibitions with a welder his wife bought for his birthday. Eventually, his projects outgrew the space. One work, a three-stranded steel rope structure based on the collagen protein, was so tall he had to hook it on the top of a street pole to work on. Eight hours of welding and grinding every day drove his neighbors nuts, so he rented a cheap studio nearby, he said. Achieving success and a thick skin Demand for Voss-Andreaes work began to grow, but he had to push himself hard to keep reaching out. Shy and terrible at networking, he struggled with the marketing side of art competition is so high, and its so hard to get your foot in the door, he said. You have to be so thick-skinned, he said. What I learned after a few years of heartbreak is that the only trick is to keep applying to new things. Be in the future where do you want to go with art? You cant look back on the opportunities you didnt get. It will devastate you. His first major breakthrough happened in 2006. A sculpture of sliced stainless steel he created for a gallery in Sun Valley, Idaho, led to Quantum Man, an 8-foot-tall walking man composed of more than 100 vertical steel sheets, and similar works he continues to create today. Now he has some help a team of seven employees grind, sand and shape the steel sheets for him in his 6,000-square-foot Sellwood studio while he manages the designs and paperwork. Serious stress has dogged him throughout his career, from not feeling confident about his math skills to wondering if his sculpting abilities were strong enough, but he kept pushing and pushing, and he never compromised on his determination to work full time as an artist. At 51, hes not sure what his next steps are. Hes developed interests beyond sculpture and art, in what can be called spirituality, he said. Until then, the projects keep coming: a commission for a Moscow museum, two gallery sculptures and back orders that can finally move forward along with interest in public works. Last year, when the world was locked down, he recorded his best financial year ever. It can be such a mixed bag, he said. Im incredibly grateful. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine. Successful joint action of Russian troops, units of peoples militia of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics cause critical losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Attacks launched by Russian Aerospace Forces at a base of Azov Nazi group located in Kharkov and of one of the battalions of 92nd Mechanised Infantry Brigade deployed near Pokotilovka (Kharkov region) have resulted in the elimination of over 100 Ukrainian servicemen, foreign mercenaries and up to 15 armoured and motor vehicles. The low training level of the Ukrainian citizens mobilised for being involved in operations and foreign mercenaries increasingly causes friendly fire. Recruits who had come for replenishing the personnel of 97th Battalion from 60th Infantry Brigade suffered a mortar attack from their units. A similar situation occured in 28th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU where foreign mercenaries launched a fire attack at a reconnaissance group of the abovementioned unit. This attack has resulted in losing 4 servicemen dead and 3 wounded. Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine. On June 27, in Kremenchug (Poltava region), Russian Aerospace Forces launched a high-precision air attack at hangars with armament and munitions delivered by USA and European countries at Kremenchug road machinery plant. High-precision attack has resulted in the neutralisation of west-manufactured armament and munitions concentrated at the storage area for being delivered to Ukrainian group of troops in Donbass. Detonation of the storaged munitions caused a fire in a non-functioning shopping centre next to the facilities of the plant. In addition, Russian Aerospace forces have destroyed 2 command posts near Spornoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), AFU manpower and military equipment in 28 areas towards Lugansk and Donetsk. Within the counter-battery warfare, high-precision attacks launched by Russian Aerospace Forces have resulted in neutralising 4 Ukrainian plattoons armed with Grad multiple rocket-launching systems (MRLS) near Leninskoye, Selidovo and Dzerzhinsk that had been shelling the settlements of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, as well as 2 artillery plattoons near Kirovo (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and Zaychevskoye (Nikolayev region). Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery have neutralised: 24 command posts, artillery and mortar units in 58 areas, as well as manpower and military equipment in 304 areas. Russian air defence means have shot down 3 Su-25 airplanes and 1 Mi-8 helicopter of Ukrainian Air Force near Pervomayskoye (Nikolayev region). 9 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed near Dibrovnoye, Shevchenkovo, Dementiyevka, Dmitrovka (Kharkov region), Yelenovka, Luganskoye, Troitskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Loskutovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic). 7 Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles have been intercepted near Stakhanov, Alchevsk, Lozovsky (Lugansk Peoples Republic) and 10 MRLS near Sukhaya Kamenka, Ternovaya (Kharkov region), Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Troitskoye and western suburbs of Avdeyevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). In total, 218 airplanes and 133 helicopters, 1,382 unmanned aerial vehicles, 350 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,837 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 690 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 3,037 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,889 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. #MoD #Russia #Ukraine @mod_russia_Enjoy WtR There, some regular idiot, a former minister from Latvia, sent a signal that NATO and the European Union were taking Kaliningrad from us. Looks like he drank or ate something bad. Proposes to start a third world war. He will come to himself he will be afraid of every rustle at the door. And rightly so. We have a good memory Medvedev Nuff Said, except Kaliningrad is Russia and attacking it, is the same as attacking Moscow As Dirty Harry said Youve Gotta Ask Yourself A Question. Do I Feel Lucky? Well, Do YaPUNK? WtR We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form CAPE TOWN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's power utility Eskom on Tuesday announced that it will enhance the level of load shedding from the current Stage 4 to the more severe Stage 6 in certain periods on Tuesday and Wednesday, citing unlawful and unprotected wage-related labor action that caused disruption to the utility's power plants. This is the worst power outage since 2019. Eskom has only implemented Stage 6 load shedding once, in December 2019. Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Tuesday and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, while Stage 4 or Stage 2 will be implemented during other hours, it said in a statement. Eskom said the labor action has caused widespread disruption to its power plants, which compels it to continue taking precautionary measures to conserve generation capacity and safeguard plants from damage. Before the latest announcement, Eskom last Friday said it would raise the load shedding from Stage 2 to Stage 4 most of the time from Friday to Sunday due to "unprotected labor action", following a deadlock in wage negotiations. On Sunday, it extended Stage 4 until this Wednesday after labor action at power stations impacted planned maintenance and repairs. Eskom currently has 3,218 megawatts (MW) on planned maintenance, while another 17,621MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns. Trade unions have been demanding a 10 percent wage increase while Eskom only offered a 5.3 percent increase. A major South African trade union representing workers at Eskom, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), told Xinhua on Monday that it doesn't know when the negotiations will resume. Another union, Solidarity, also said it doesn't know the date for the resumption of the talks, and denied involvement in the labor action. Proposed acquisition - Market Update Sydney, June 28, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - JGY Holdings Limited ( NSX:JGY ) refers to its announcement dated 10 December 2021, and wishes to provide a market update on the proposed acquisition. In particular, the Company advises that it had:(1) completed its due diligence on International Wines & Spirits Trading Sdn. Bhd. (Target Company) and its two operating subsidiaries, namely:(a) Guizhou Bainian Lai's Liquor Co., Limited; and(b) Guizhou Lai's Liquor Co., Limited; and(2) submitted a suitability for listing submission (Suitability Submission) pursuant to Practice Note 20 in relation to Target Company and its operating subsidiaries, and responded to all the Exchange's comments on the Suitability Submission.Therefore, the Company will lodge with ASIC a full form prospectus in accordance with section 710 of the Corporations Act in relation to, amongst others, shares which it will issue as consideration for the acquisition of Target Company.The Company further advises that the notice of extraordinary general meeting (together with explanatory notes) to convene a general meeting to seek shareholders' approvals for and relating to the proposed acquisition of Target Company and for the change of its name to "Laishi Liquor Limited" will be dispatched to Shareholders in accordance with its Constitution shortly.About JGY Holdings LimitedListed on the National Stock Exchange of Australia.Issue Code: JGYIssue Name: JGY Holdings Limited - FPOIssue Type: 01 - OrdinaryISIN: KYG650141057Industry: Consumer StaplesNominated Adviser: Biztrack Consultants Private Limited Room 703 Kowloon Building 555 Nathan Road Hong KongListed Date: Thursday, 21 December 2017 LONDON Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution more than a century ago, further alienating the country from the global financial system following sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. Moscow owed $100 million in interest on one bond priced in dollars and one priced in euros, which was originally due May 27. A 30-day grace period expired Sunday. On Monday, the rating agency company Moodys declared the country in default. Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department ended Russias ability to pay its billions in debt back to international investors through American banks. In response, the Russian Finance Ministry said it would pay dollar-denominated debts in rubles and offer the opportunity for subsequent conversion into the original currency. Before Moodys declaration, it was largely believed that Russia was in default. For all practical purposes, Russia is in default, said Jay S. Auslander, a sovereign debt lawyer at the firm of Wilk Auslander in New York. The 30-day grace period has expired. Bondholders do not have their money. Russia says it has the money to pay its debts but Western sanctions created artificial obstacles by freezing its foreign currency reserves held abroad. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that there are no grounds to call this situation a default, saying Russia has paid but it could not be processed because of sanctions. The other side argues that this happened because of sanctions, but sanctions were fully in your control, Auslander said. All of this was under your control, because all you had to do was not invade Ukraine. Here are key things to know about a Russian default: ___ HOW MUCH DOES RUSSIA OWE? About $40 billion in foreign-currency bonds, about half of that sold to foreigner buyers. Before the start of the war, Russia had around $640 billion in foreign currency and gold reserves, much of which was held overseas and is now frozen. Russia has not defaulted on its international debts since the Bolshevik Revolution, when the Russian Empire collapsed and the Soviet Union was created. Russia defaulted on its domestic debts in the late 1990s but was able to recover from that default with the help of international aid. Russia has effectively been in default for months in the eyes of bond investors, said Liam Peach, an economist specializing in emerging European markets at Capital Economics. Insurance contracts that cover Russian debt have priced a 80% likelihood of default for weeks, and rating agencies like Standard & Poors and Moodys have placed the countrys debt deep into junk territory. ___ HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A COUNTRY IS IN DEFAULT? Rating agencies are typically the entities that will declare default in Western financial markets, which happened on Monday. A court also can decide the issue. Bondholders who have credit default swaps contracts that act like insurance policies against default can ask a committee of financial firm representatives to decide whether a failure to pay debt should trigger a payout, which still isnt a formal declaration of default. The Credit Derivatives Determinations Committees an industry group of banks and investment funds would likely flag a credit event, Peach said. Auslander agreed that the panel will declare Russia in default in due time. It ruled June 7 that Russia had failed to pay required additional interest after making a payment on a bond after the April 4 due date. But the committee put off taking further action due to uncertainty over how sanctions might affect any settlement. ___ WHAT CAN INVESTORS DO? The formal way to declare default is if 25% or more of bondholders say they didnt get their money. Once that happens, provisions say all Russias other foreign bonds are also in default, and bondholders could then seek a court judgment to enforce payment. In normal circumstances, investors and the defaulting government typically negotiate a settlement in which bondholders are given new bonds that are worth less but that at least give them some partial compensation. But sanctions bar dealings with Russias finance ministry. And no one knows when the war will end or how much defaulted bonds could wind up being worth. In this case, declaring default and suing might not be the wisest choice, Auslander said. Its not possible to negotiate with Russia and there are so many unknowns, so creditors may decide to hang tight for now. Investors who wanted out of Russian debt have probably already headed for the exits, leaving those who may have bought bonds at knocked-down prices in hopes of profiting from a settlement in the long run. And they might want to keep a low profile for a while to avoid being associated with the war. Once a country defaults, it can be cut off from bond-market borrowing until the default is sorted out and investors regain confidence in the governments ability and willingness to pay. But Russia has already been cut off from Western capital markets, so any return to borrowing is a long way off anyway. The Kremlin can still borrow rubles at home, where it mostly relies on Russian banks to buy its bonds. ___ WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT OF RUSSIAS DEFAULT? Western sanctions over the war have sent foreign companies fleeing from Russia and interrupted the countrys trade and financial ties with the rest of the world. Default would be one more symptom of that isolation and disruption. A default would not affect the Russian economy right now because the country has not borrowed internationally in years amid sanctions and is making lots of money from exporting commodities like oil and natural gas, said Chris Weafer, a veteran Russian economy analyst at consulting firm Macro-Advisory. But longer term, when the war has resolved and Russia tries to rebuild its economy, this is where the legacy of default will be a problem. Its a bit like if an individual or if a company gets a bad credit score, it takes years to get over that, he said. Investment analysts are cautiously reckoning that a Russia default would not have the kind of impact on global financial markets and institutions that came from an earlier default in 1998. Back then, Russias default on domestic ruble bonds led the U.S. government to step in and get banks to bail out Long-Term Capital Management, a large U.S. hedge fund whose collapse, it was feared, could have shaken the wider financial and banking system. Holders of the bonds for instance, funds that invest in emerging market bonds could take serious losses. Russia, however, played only a small role in emerging market bond indexes, limiting the losses to fund investors. The spillovers to the rest of the world should be limited, Peach said. But a Russian default could have a ripple effect by adding pressure on global debt markets and making investors more risk averse and less willing to advance money, which very well could lead to further defaults in other emerging markets, Weafer said. ___ Sweet and Choe reported from New York. AP reporter Aya Batrawy contributed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Albuquerque police arrested a man they said killed his father after, they said, his father shot at him and killed his mother Sunday morning. But the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office has prepared a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice meaning it can be refiled. Lauren Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the office, said the motion states that based on newly discovered video evidence and medical evidence, the State finds that further investigation is required. An Albuquerque Police Department spokesman said detectives have to do more investigating into both deaths, citing the discovery of new evidence and the results of an autopsy. Raymond David Barreras III, 23, was booked into the county jail and charged with murder Sunday afternoon. An APD spokesman said he will be released. Around 9:20 a.m. Sunday, officers were called to the Circle K on 98th, just north of Central, for reports of a shooting. When they arrived they found a man dead from a gunshot wound to the head. According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, video camera security footage showed a man later identified as 50-year-old Barreras Jr. get out of a black SUV and approach a maroon Honda. As the Honda entered the gas station parking lot, Barreras Jr. who is referred to as Raymond Jr. in the complaint could be seen sprinting toward it. Raymond (Jr.) is observed taking a shooting stance while advancing towards the Honda which then exits the parking lot on the east side, the detective wrote in the complaint. It appears from this video that Raymond Jr. is firing a handgun at the Honda. Casings were located in the parking lot consistent with Raymond Jr. shooting at the Honda. Video footage from a nearby car wash showed Barreras Jr. walking back to his SUV after shooting at the Honda. The Honda leaves the parking lot. After the Honda drives past Raymond Jr., Raymond Jr. is observed dropping to the ground as if he had instantly been incapacitated, the detective wrote in the complaint. I believe this to be the moment that Raymond Jr. was shot in the head. Barreras III, meanwhile, called 911 to say his father had shot at him and his girlfriend after finding them sleeping in the Honda. He expressed hatred for his father and said he was worried about his mother, 48-year-old Melissa Barreras, since his father had been using drugs and alcohol. When officers went to the Barreras home a couple of miles away they found Melissa Barreras dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The homes security camera footage did not show anyone but Barreras Jr. entering the front door that morning. As he summed up the case, the detective wrote that the gunshot wound to Barreras Jr.s head does not appear to be self-inflicted. He said Barreras III had a reasonable opportunity to leave the area but instead drove back to where his father was. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Taking care of two children alone and during the COVID-19 pandemic, no less is no small task. Thats why Melissa Martinez, a single mother of a 3-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, says more support for early childhood education is important. Its very hard to raise children alone. It takes a village, it takes dedicated early childhood educators to support me, she told a crowd of early childhood education advocates Monday morning. Committed school funding means the opportunity that all children will get this education that they need. Parents like Martinez are part of why U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said hes asking voters for approval and seeking congressional authorization of the New Mexico Education Enhancement Act. The act would open the door for more Land Grant Permanent Fund dollars to be invested in early childhood education. Opponents have argued the proposal would hurt the funds health in the long term, and that pulling too much out now would lead to a future generation of children being shortchanged. A crowd of children and adults packed into the headquarters of OLE, which is short for Organizers in the Land of Enchantment. Many listened in through audio devices that provided live interpretation, and some waved posters written in Spanish that demanded more for early childhood educators. This is obviously about every single child that benefits from early childhood education, but its also about the future of our state, Heinrich said. Every child who shows up to kindergarten knowing their letters, knowing their numbers knowing how to behave as part of a group that child thats on that (track) makes an enormous amount more money over the course of their lives. Heinrich said that other states that have invested in early childhood education have seen their economies grow, making it the biggest economic development opportunity of our lifetimes for New Mexico. The bill comes as a follow-up to House Joint Resolution 1, which the state Legislature passed over a year ago. That came after similar legislation was approved by the House but died in the Senate five years in a row. That resolution will propose to voters and Congress a state constitutional amendment to allocate an additional 1.25% from the land grant fund, 60% of which estimated around $126.9 million per year would go to early childhood education, according to a fiscal impact report. Jessa Cowdrey, director of public policy and marketing for CHI St. Josephs Children, said itll be up to the Legislature to decide how exactly to spend the money through legislation. She added that there will be opportunities for community input in that process. Heinrich said investing in early childhood education will also impact student achievement, adding that thats been the case in every other state thats made similar investments. I think well see a marked difference in achievement in everything measurable from test scores to also social outcomes in our schools, he said. ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday appealed for 42.6 million U.S. dollars life-saving aid to help millions affected by the catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa (HOA). The UN Refugee Agency, in a statement issued Tuesday, said the funding will deliver life-saving assistance and protection to some 1.5 million refugees, internally displaced people (IDP) and local host communities affected by the drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. "The drought, a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the global climate crisis, is the worst in the region in four decades and is the culmination of four consecutive failed rainy seasons," the statement attributed to UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo read. The UNHCR said food shortages have been further exacerbated by rising food and commodity prices due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict, as the cost of food staples, including grain and cereal prices, has risen significantly. "Food ration cuts for refugees are also imminent as humanitarian needs multiply around the world, while funding struggles to keep pace. An estimated 18.4 million people in the Horn of Africa, now face severe hunger," the statement read. As the crisis worsens, hundreds of thousands of people have also been forced to flee their homes in search of life-saving aid. To date, more than 800,000 people in Somalia have been internally displaced and nearly 16,000 have crossed the border into Ethiopia, UNHCR figures indicated. As of May 2022, over 286,000 people in Ethiopia's Somali and Oromia regions, the hardest hit by the drought, have also been similarly displaced and hosted within existing settlements for the internally displaced, it said. The UNHCR said the urgent appeal will cover critical humanitarian needs in refugee and IDP settlements until the end of the year, including water, sanitation facilities, nutrition, healthcare and protection. Out of the 42.6 million U.S. dollars appeal, 22 million U.S. dollars is intended to support the needs of IDPs in Ethiopia. Another 11.1 million U.S. dollars would help UNHCR support refugees and their hosts in Kenya's Kakuma and Dadaab camps. An estimated 9.5 million U.S. dollars would also meet the needs of both IDPs and refugees in Somalia, where the multi-agency humanitarian response has already shifted to famine prevention and mitigation due to the intensity of the drought as well as constraints in humanitarian access to affected populations. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal The New Mexico lawyer who played a key role in trying to keep Donald Trump in office after he lost the presidential election in 2020 was confronted by federal agents last week as he was leaving a restaurant with his wife. FBI agents, apparently acting at the behest of the U.S. Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General, seized John Eastmans iPhone, according to a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque by attorneys for Eastman. Eastman, who lives in Santa Fe, is now demanding that his phone be returned. Eastman and his attorneys did not immediately respond Monday to phone and email requests for comment. The Jan. 6 committee has focused on Eastman as a central figure in Trumps campaign to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to block certification of Joe Bidens election victory. The committee used Eastmans own emails to show that he had been the architect of a scheme to push Pence to reject electors from contested states in an effort to overturn the election. Witnesses told the Jan. 6 committee that besides designing it, Eastman pushed the plan to Trump despite insistence from top lawyers in the administration that it was not sound legal advice. In the court motion, Eastman claims that he was not provided with a copy of the search warrant until after agents frisked him, seized his iPhone Pro 12, and demanded that he unlock the phone. He argues that he was never provided a copy of the affidavit establishing probable cause for the seizure and that, because he never worked for the Justice Department, the Office of Inspector General has no jurisdiction over him. He also contends that information on his phone is privileged. The same day that Eastmans phone was seized, federal agents executed a search warrant on the home of former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, whom Trump tried to install as attorney general in the days before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In addition, Thomas Lane, who worked on behalf of the Trump campaign in Arizona and New Mexico, was one of several people served with grand jury subpoenas last week as part of a Justice Department probe into the Trump teams plan to overturn the 2020 election results, the Washington Post and New York Times have previously reported. Eastmans motion asks a federal judge to order the Department of Justices Office of the Inspector General to return the phone and all data it contained and to destroy any information removed from the device. It also claims that agents forced Eastman to provide biometric data required to unlock the phone. A federal warrant filed with the motion said the phone would be taken to a Department of Justice forensic laboratory in Virginia. The motion contends the data on Eastmans phone has been the subject of litigation and found to be protected by the First Amendments freedom of association, by attorney-client privilege and attorney work-product protections. The cell phone that was seized contains access to (Eastmans) email accounts, including emails that have been the subject of an intense, five-month privilege dispute between movant and the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, the motion states. That litigation has received extensive media attention, so it is hard to imagine that the Department of Justice, which apparently submitted the application for the warrant at issue here, was not aware of it, the motion states. Eastman is a registered Republican in New Mexico who has cast ballots in every local and statewide election here since November 2018, including the June 7 primary election this year. The motion states that Eastman was walking to his car on Wednesday after dining with his wife and a friend when he was confronted by about six FBI agents who stopped him from entering his car and demanded his cellphone. The court documents dont specify where he dined. I asked to see the warrant, but the agent refused, Eastman wrote in a declaration filed with the motion. He demanded that I hand him my cell phone several times, and each time I requested first to see the warrant. The agents conducted a pat down search and seized the phone, he contends. Only after the seizure did the FBI executing officer provide me with a copy of the warrant, he wrote. Eastman was forced to provide biometric data to open the phone, the motion claims. It did not specify what kind of biometric data Eastman was required to provide. A search warrant filed with the motion authorized federal agents on June 17 to search Eastman and seize any electronic and digital devices including computers, cellphones, tablets and USB devices. The affidavit said agents were to transport the devices to Washington, D.C., or a Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General forensic laboratory in Northern Virginia. In two years, the 100th anniversary of Zozobra will take place. On Monday, Hutton Broadcasting announced its collaboration with the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe to produce a documentary for the centennial celebration. Ray Sandoval, the Zozobra event chairman, said, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe is proud to again partner with Hutton Broadcasting. This time to commemorate Zozobras 100th anniversary with a film that will be as grand as Zozobra is tall, Sandoval said. According to Sandoval, the documentary will be produced over the next two years and will include interviews with many New Mexico influencers, historians, and dedicated Zozobra fans. The film will be produced and directed by Elisa Bourget Hutton and McCall Sides will serve as director of photography. We are incredibly honored to work with the Kiwanis Club to produce the 100th-anniversary documentary, Hutton said. Will Shusters Zozobra connects deeply with New Mexico heritage, and we are excited to share those stories. Santa Fe artist Will Shuster and a group of his friends burned the first incarnation of Zozobra in 1924 in Shusters backyard. The tradition continued and grew, as did Zozobra himself, with Shuster building the marionette larger and larger. In 1963, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe officially became involved and the following year, Shuster signed over all rights to the nonprofit organization. In 2019, 64,000 spectators gathered at Fort Marcy Park to watch the spectacle. In 2020, the burning took place as usual, but without the crowds, and was streamed online with people worldwide watching his destruction having sent in their woes and worries to be burned along with him. For years Hutton has generously provided sponsorships for the Burning of Zozobra to help us in our mission to make the lives of kids in Santa Fe better, Sandoval said of the longtime collaboration. The proceeds from the event are granted to local nonprofits that aid underserved kids. We could think of no one other than Hutton Broadcasting to work with to document this monumental anniversary. Zozobra is burned on the Friday before Labor Day each year and is scheduled to again meet his fate Friday, Sept. 2. ELMAU, Germany Leaders of the worlds biggest developed economies said Tuesday they would explore far-reaching steps to cap Russias income from oil sales that are financing its invasion of Ukraine and struck a united stance to support Kyiv for as long as it takes as the war grinds on. The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany underlined their intent to impose severe and immediate economic costs on Russia. It left out key details on how fossil fuel price caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to explore the feasibility of measures to bar imports of Russian oil above a certain level. That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, help relieve the energy price spikes and inflation afflicting the global economy as a result of the war. We remain steadfast in our commitment to our unprecedented coordination on sanctions for as long as necessary, acting in unison at every stage, the leaders said. The G-7 leaders representing the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and Japan on Monday pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes after conferring by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. The G-7 has sought to assuage those concerns. Leaders also agreed on a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hit with food shortages by the blockade on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. We agree that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin must not win this war, and we will continue to keep up and drive higher the economic and political costs for President Putin and his regime, said the summit host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. For that, it is important to stand together including in the long haul that we certainly still face. French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia cannot and should not win the war in Ukraine as its terrible toll was on full view the day after a Russian missile strike hit a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk, killing 18 people. The price cap pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden would in theory work by barring service provides such as shippers or insurers from dealing with oil priced above a fixed level. That could work because the service providers are mostly located in the European Union or the U.K. and thus within reach of sanctions. To be effective, however, it would have to involve as many consuming countries as possible, in particular India, where refiners have been snapping up cheap Russian oil shunned by Western traders. Details on how the proposal would be implemented were left for continuing talks in coming weeks. The U.S. has already blocked Russian oil imports, which were small in any case. The European Union has decided to impose a ban on the 90% of Russian oil that comes by sea, but the ban does not take effect until the end of the year, meaning Europe continues to send money to Russia for energy even while condemning the war. Meanwhile, higher global oil prices have softened the blow to Russias income, even as Western traders shun Russian oil. Energy themes were front and center at the summit throughout. Europe is scrambling to find new sources of oil and fresh supplies of gas as Russia dials back gas supplies in what leaders say is a political move. Meanwhile high energy prices are a headache for G-7 countries consumers. Scholz defended the G-7s decision to soften commitments to end public support for fossil fuel investments, saying the war in Ukraine means time-limited support for new natural gas extraction projects may be necessary. The group showed wide-ranging concern about China. The leaders stressed that it is necessary to cooperate with China on shared global challenges but underlined their stance that China should urge Russia to halt the war, respect human rights in Hong Kong, refrain from military action against Taiwan, and improve its non-transparent trade and economic practices. From the secluded Schloss Elmau hotel in the Bavarian Alps, the G-7 leaders will move to Madrid for a summit of NATO leaders, where fallout from Russias invasion of Ukraine will again dominate the agenda. All G-7 members other than Japan are NATO members, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to Madrid. While the groups annual gathering has been dominated by the war, Scholz has been keen to show that the G-7 also can move ahead on pre-war priorities. Members pledged Tuesday to create a new climate club for nations that want to take more ambitious action to tackle global warming. The move, championed by Scholz, will see countries that join the club agree on tougher measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century compared with pre-industrial times. Countries that are part of the club will try to harmonize their measures in such a way that they are comparable and avoid members imposing climate-related tariffs on each others imports. Scholz said the aim was to ensure that protecting the climate is a competitive advantage, not a disadvantage. He said details of the planned climate club would be finalized this year. ___ Follow APs coverage of the G-7 summit at https://apnews.com/hub/g-7-summit and of Russias war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine WASHINGTON A conservative lawyer who aided former President Donald Trumps efforts to undo the 2020 election results and who has been repeatedly referenced in House hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol said in a court filing Monday that federal agents seized his cell phone last week. John Eastman said the agents took his phone as he left a restaurant last Wednesday evening, the same day law enforcement officials conducted similar activity around the country as part of broadening probes into efforts by Trump allies to overturn the election. The move underscores federal investigators interest in the unsuccessful schemes advanced by Trump advisers to help keep the Republican president in power in the period between the November 2020 election and the riot at the Capitol two months later, when Trump loyalists stormed the building to halt the certification of the election results. Eastman said the agents who approached him identified themselves as from the FBI but appeared to be serving a warrant on behalf of the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General, which he contends has no jurisdiction to investigate him since he has never worked for the department. He said the cell phone that was seized contains emails that have been the subject of a months-long dispute between him and the House panel. That litigation has received extensive media attention, so it is hard to imagine that the Department of Justice, which apparently submitted the application for the warrant at issue here, was not aware of it, wrote his lawyers, Charles Burnham and Joseph Gribble. The action was disclosed in a filing in federal court in New Mexico in which Eastman challenges the legitimacy of the warrant, calling it overly broad, and asks that a court force the federal government to return his phone. He says the warrant does not specify any particular crime for which evidence from the phone might be relevant. The filing does not specify where exactly agents seized his phone, though the warrant was signed by a federal magistrate judge in New Mexico and footage of the seizure aired by Fox News on Monday night describes it as having occurred in the city of Santa Fe. Lawyers for Eastman did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Federal agents investigating the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot last week served a raft of subpoenas related to a scheme by Trump allies to put forward alternate, or fake, slates of electors in hopes of invalidating the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. Also that day, agents searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official who encouraged Trumps challenges of the election results. A spokeswoman for the inspector generals office declined to comment. Eastman, who last year resigned his position as a law professor at Chapman University, has been a central figure in the ongoing hearings by the House committee investigating the riot at the Capitol, though he has not been among the witnesses to testify. The committee has heard testimony about how Eastman put forward a last-ditch, unorthodox proposal challenging the workings of the 130-year-old Electoral Count Act, which governs the process for tallying the election results in Congress. Eastman pushed for Vice President Mike Pence to deviate from his ceremonial role and halt the certification of the electoral votes, a step Pence had no legal power to take and refused to attempt. His plan was to have the states send alternative slates of electors from states Trump was disputing, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With competing slates for Trump or Biden, Pence would be forced to reject them, returning them to the states to sort it out, under the plan. A lawyer for Pence, Greg Jacob, detailed for the committee at a hearing earlier this month how he had fended off Eastmans pressure, and another witness, retired federal judge Michael Luttig, has called the plan from Eastman incorrect at every turn. The panel played video showing Eastman repeatedly invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while being interviewed by the committee. Eastman later sought to be on the pardon list, according to an email he sent to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, shared by the committee. ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP MENDON, Mo. The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries. A day after the deadly crash on Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said people were taken to 10 hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. By Tuesday afternoon, at least 15 people remained hospitalized. The dead three passengers and the truck driver have not been identified. Amtraks Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck the rear of the truck. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer L. Homendy said at a news conference that the truck was owned by MS Contracting of Brookfield, Missouri, and was transporting material to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project nearby. Homendy said investigators will download recorder information to determine the speed of the train, when the horn was blown and if the emergency brake was deployed. She said some of that information could be released as early as Wednesday. The speed limit at the crossing is 90 mph (145 kph). The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train. Chariton County Presiding Commissioner Evan Emmerich said in an email to The Associated Press that resident Mike Spencer first brought his concerns about the crossing to a Dec. 2, 2019, commission meeting. He was told to contact the Missouri Department of Transportations Railroad Safety division. A week later, commissioners spoke with officials from the state agency and were told it is on their plans to repair, Emmerich said. After that, Emmerich cited other efforts by the commission. They included a March 2021 meeting with a state Railroad Safety division engineer at the crossing site; an email sent to the Railroad Safety division on May 23 to address concerns about visibility at the crossing; and a May 31 call to BNSF Railway, which owns the track, to express our concerns with the visibility issue at the crossing. In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its State Freight & Rail Plan plan. It included a proposal to install lights and gates, along with roadway improvements. The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said that with limited funds available, it takes a while to get these prioritized. She said the project has received approval in a four-year plan that runs through fiscal year 2026. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent declined comment on specific conversations about upgrades to the crossing, citing the NTSB investigation, however, I can tell you that BNSF has a proactive vegetation management program across our network, she said. Spencer told The Associated Press that he is among several people who have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. Spencer is on the board of a local levee district. He said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levee on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days. Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it. We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer wrote with the posting. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. Homendy said passive crossings like the one near Mendon make up about half of all crossings in the U.S. She said there are 130,000 passive crossings nationwide and 3,500 in Missouri. The NTSB has for years recommended actions such as closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other upgrades at passive crossings, Homendy said. She said the agency also has recommended technology to alert drivers to the presence of an oncoming train at crossings such as the one at Mendon that are on an incline. Lives could be saved, she said. Kyle Bullard, a 21-year-old student at Lindenwood University in suburban St. Louis, was traveling from a friends home in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for a wedding. He fell 10 feet onto his back when his cab tipped over. Bullard and his friend escaped and returned to help others out of the train, but he said hes still bothered by the image of a woman buried in rubble. He said someone was holding her hand, and he realized he couldnt do anything to help her. We were grateful because we made it out alive, but were also sad because some people didnt. Were sorry for those families, Bullard said. Yeah, I survived the train crash and I helped people, but its like, I did also see someone die. So its just like, it is what it is. And Im gonna have to move on from it. But its just gonna be always in the back of my head. The incident in Missouri was among three fatal Amtrak accidents since Sunday. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. Also, on Monday in Detroit, two people died when their vehicle collided with an Amtrak train. Police Chief James White said officers were dispersing drag racers and one vehicle sped away and tried to beat the train. People have been injured or killed in at least six other accidents involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. ___ Ballentine reported from Columbia, Missouri. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jim Salter in OFallon, Missouri, contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Enticing retired teachers to come back may be an answer to New Mexicos teacher shortages or at least thats what lawmakers hope with a bill they passed earlier this year. Some 48,000 retired educators will be able to return to work without losing their retirement benefits via the new law known as the Educational Retirees Returning to Work Act, or House Bill 73, the Governors Office said in a Tuesday news release. The law went into effect May 18, spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett wrote in an email. This is a win-win for New Mexico teachers and New Mexico students, as retired educators can now go back into classrooms without losing their hard-earned retirement benefits, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who signed the bill into law in March, said. I thank the dedicated professionals who go back to the classroom. The act garnered bipartisan support in the Roundhouse, passing the state House with 62 votes in favor and only one against, according to the Legislatures website. The act unanimously passed the state Senate. A big motivation for the bill was the huge teacher shortage in the state, said Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque. That fire was fueled during the pandemic, she said, when many teachers retired early or switched jobs partly because of a lack of good support. There were 1,048 teacher vacancies across school districts as of September 2021, according to a report by New Mexico State Universitys Southwest Outreach Academic Research Evaluation & Policy Center. There were 1,727 educator vacancies total when including staff like educational assistants and counselors. Were kind of in trouble with our educational system, Stewart, who herself is a retired educator, said. Legislators wanted to help. Legislators care about their schools and so both parties came together. Stewart said the significant increase in teacher pay, which lawmakers also passed this year, will sweeten the pot. Union leaders, like American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Whitney Holland, have also supported the act, noting that it will ease restrictions for retired educators to return to work while maintaining the financial security of our educational pension fund. House Bill 73 is a great example of proactive legislation addressing New Mexicos urgent need to staff our schools with quality educators, she said. We already know this legislation is working, with many of our retired members actively pursuing a return to the classroom, which is a win for our students, our communities, and our profession. About 4,000 members have used the return to work programs in the last four years, Sackett said. Previously, retired educators who wanted to return to the classroom were forced to suspend their retirement or work quarter time and earn less than $15,000, according to the release. The updated program lets retired teachers go back to work while still being able to draw their full salaries and pensions, Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, who sponsored the bill, said. They can go back to work without work hour limits as well, he said. Its a way to try to tackle some of the teacher shortages by taking advantage of our experienced teachers, Lane said. Applicants for the program will need to observe a 90-day layout period before they can be eligible. The bill is a temporary provision, Stewart said, designed to encourage retired educators to return to work for a maximum of a combined three years to try to stretch past these times. To participate, retirees need to apply with the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board. The ERB opened applications for the updated program in June, Sackett said. MADRID Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, ending an impasse that had clouded a leaders summit opening in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades, triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks with leaders of the three countries, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. He called it a historic decision. Among its many shattering consequences, President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO as protection against an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable Russia which shares a long border with Finland. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any member would be considered an attack against all and trigger a military response by the entire alliance. NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to block the Nordic pair, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. After weeks of diplomacy and hours of talks on Tuesday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three leaders had signed a joint agreement to break the logjam. Turkey said it had got what it wanted including full cooperation in the fight against the rebel groups. Stoltenberg said leaders of the 30-nation alliance will issue a formal invitation to the two countries to join on Wednesday. The decision has to be ratified by all individual nations, but he said he was absolutely confident Finland and Sweden would become members, something that could happen within months. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said the agreement was good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better. But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson told the Associated Press. Turkey hailed Tuesdays agreement as a triumph, saying the Nordic nations had agreed to crack down on groups that Ankara deems national security threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension. It said they also agreed not to impose embargo restrictions in the field of defense industry on Turkey and to take concrete steps on the extradition of terrorist criminals. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Turkey, in turn, agreed to support at the 2022 Madrid Summit the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. Details of exactly what was agreed were unclear. Amineh Kakabaveh, an independent Swedish lawmaker of Kurdish origin whose support the government depends on for a majority in Parliament, said it was worrisome that Sweden isnt revealing what promises it has given Erdogan. Andersson dismissed suggestions Sweden and Finland had conceded too much. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said they will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated the three nations on taking a crucial step. Amid speculation about a U.S. role in ending the deadlock, a senior administration official said Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together, and Biden spoke with Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The agreement came at the opening of a crucial summit, dominated by Russias invasion of Ukraine, that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. The summit was kicking off with a leaders dinner hosted by Spains King Felipe VI at the 18th-century Royal Palace of Madrid. Top of the agenda in meetings Wednesday and Thursday is strengthening defenses against Russia, and supporting Ukraine. Moscows invasion on Feb. 24 shook European security and brought shelling of cities and bloody ground battles back to the continent. NATO, which had begun to turn its focus to terrorism and other non-state threats, has had to confront an adversarial Russia once again. Biden said NATO was as united and galvanized as I think we have ever been. A Russian missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a grim reminder of the wars horrors. Some saw the timing, as Group of Seven leaders met in Germany and just ahead of the NATO gathering, as a message from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to address NATO leaders by video on Wednesday, called the strike on the mall a terrorist act. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traveled to Madrid to urge the alliance to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko told reporters at the summit venue. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world and that meant we have to invest more in our defense, Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATOs 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Spain, which is hosting the summit, spends just half that. Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies will agree at the summit to increase the strength of the alliances rapid reaction force nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries on NATOs eastern flank, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition. Beneath the surface, there are tensions within NATO over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are also differences on how hard a line to take on China in NATOs new Strategic Concept its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last document, published in 2010, didnt mention China at all. The new concept is expected to set out NATOs approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change and the growing economic and military reach of China, and the rising importance and power of the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the summit as guests. Some European members are wary of the tough U.S. line on Beijing and dont want China cast as an opponent. In the Strategic Concept, NATO is set to declare Russia its number one threat. Russias state space agency, Roscosmos marked the summits opening by releasing satellite images and coordinates of the Madrid conference hall where it is being held, along with those of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. The agency said NATO was set to declare Russia an enemy at the summit, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Associated Press Writers Aritz Parra, Ciaran Giles, Sylvie Corbet and Zeke Miller in Madrid, Karl Ritter in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Are you a business owner looking for additional sources of funding? The states Economic Development Department has something for you. This month the department launched the Business Finance Finder tool, designed to help businesses connect with financial institutions that can help fund their projects. Owners of businesses can upload basic information about a project that they are looking to get funded and, through that, can be matched with a local lender. Financial institutions, meanwhile, can use the tool to filter through projects to find one they are looking to potentially fund. The department said it created the tool in hopes of helping small businesses gain easier access to potential funding. Funding isnt guaranteed, as it is up to financial institutions to decide on what they want to fund. In order to have a healthy ecosystem for our businesses to thrive, we need a level playing field to access capital, Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia Keyes said in a news release. This tool can help make important connections so New Mexican business owners can focus on running and growing their businesses. The department said the Business Finance Finder has security audits and infiltration testing, among other data protection tools, to help keep information from businesses and financial institutions secure. The department funded the creation of the Business Finance Finder through a grant from the Economic Development Administration CARES Act. The funds are meant to help create programs that mitigate barriers and increase access to capital for business, according to the release. SANTA FE New Mexico closed the books for the most part on a primary election cycle marked by conspiracy theories and legal warnings, as top state officials on Tuesday certified election results that showed 25.2% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the June 7 primary. Unlike during recent county commission meetings, the meeting did not feature any vocal protesters and members of the state Canvassing Board moved quickly to approve the election results and automatic recounts in six local-level races around the state. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, one of three members of the state Canvassing Board, told reporters after Tuesdays meeting at the state Capitol that possible changes in state law could be considered to make sure county commissions can not effectively block voting results from being certified. Otero County commissioners initially balked at approving the primary election results, but two of the countys three commissioners voted to certify on June 17 after the state Supreme Court ordered them to do so. Meanwhile, commissioners in several other New Mexico counties also faced political pressure, including jeers and insults in some cases, not to certify election results due to distrust over Dominion vote-tabulating machines and other misgivings before eventually doing so. County commissions do not have the ability to make state election law the state Legislature does and its my job to carry out the law and the Supreme Courts job to make sure its being carried out, Toulouse Oliver said. She also said the Secretary of States Office would continue trying to educate voters and encouraged state residents to volunteer as poll workers. If you have concerns about the integrity of the election, put your money where your mouth is and go work at the polls and be part of making sure the election is run legally, Toulouse Oliver said. Since 2006, New Mexico has used a paper ballot system that requires most voters to manually mark ballots and feed them into electronic vote tabulating machines. The system allows elections officials to recount paper ballots if necessary but not by hand count, Toulouse Oliver said. Of the 263,337 registered voters who cast ballots in this years primary election, slightly more than half voted on Election Day, while 40% took advantage of early voting and 9% cast absentee ballots, according to the Democratic secretary of state. The overall turnout marked the highest figure by number but not by percentage for a primary election in recent New Mexico history. Toulouse Oliver and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who are both seeking reelection this year, voted to certify the statewide canvass. The boards third member, Supreme Court Chief Justice Shannon Bacon, did not attend due to a scheduling conflict, according to a spokesman for the state Administrative Office of the Courts. The present members of the state Canvassing Board also voted Tuesday to order state-paid vote recounts in six races in which the candidates are separated by narrow vote margins. Those recounts will begin July 11 and are expected to be finished in just one or two days. The races include a Mora County commission contest in which the top two vote-getters Democrats George Trujillo and Trinnie Cordova were separated by just five votes in a race with more than 1,250 votes cast. The other races set for recounts include judicial races in Valencia and Catron counties, county commission races in Otero and Rio Arriba counties, and a Democratic primary race for Colfax County assessor. Meanwhile, this years primary election cycle also played out with large wildfires burning in several parts of New Mexico. The fires prompted early voting in Mora County to be temporarily shifted to Wagon Mound instead of Mora, but did not ultimately lead to election disruptions or delays. WASHINGTON A year and a half after the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection, the most memorable recounting of former President Donald Trumps behavior that day came from a young woman who had graduated from college just a few years earlier. Cassidy Hutchinson gave two hours of testimony on national television that cast Trump as enraged by efforts to keep his armed supporters from attending his speech before many marched to the Capitol and her boss at the time, chief of staff Mark Meadows, as unwilling to confront Trump and staring unresponsively at his cellphone during key moments. Having once shed tears of joy after getting a White House internship, Hutchinson, now in her mid-20s, described how she grew disgusted by Trumps refusal to stop the rioters. And in a single afternoon, she went from being a former junior White House staffer, to high-profile star witness, with the scrutiny that comes with it. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie, she said. The testimony helped fill in several key gaps about Trumps level of direct involvement that day, and placed Meadows and other key Trump officials at the center of events critical to investigations by the House committee and the Justice Department. It amplified calls for Meadows to drop his fight against the committees subpoena and raised new questions about whether officials around Trump could face criminal charges. I knew her testimony would be damning, tweeted Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications official who said she was friends with Hutchinson. I had no idea itd be THIS damning. I am so grateful for her courage & integrity. Hutchinson showed her familiarity with better-known officials in the White House, referring at times to Meadows, security official Tony Ornato, and national security adviser Robert OBrien by their first names. Meadows, in turn, called her Cass, in her retelling of one story. Her voice never broke as she recounted quotes from Trump and Meadows in her video depositions and under questioning from the committees Republican vice chairman, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Both women embraced after the hearing. Cheney, a 55-year-old former State Department official and daughter of a vice president, spent decades in public life before her criticism of Trump led many in the GOP to turn against her. Hutchinson, meanwhile, became Trumps focus for the first time. He pumped out harsh attacks on Truth Social, the website he created after Twitter banned him following the insurrection. I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and leaker), he wrote. He continued to post throughout the afternoon, accusing Hutchinson of lying, saying her body language is that of a total bull. artist, and describing her handwriting as that of a Whacko? Allies of Trump and Meadows questioned some details of her testimony, which included stories she said she heard second-hand. One story that drew pushback was her allegation that Trump lunged for the steering wheel and assaulted a Secret Service agent when his detail wouldnt take him to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meadows attorney, George Terwilliger, told The Associated Press that Hutchinsons testimony could not withstand even five minutes of fundamental cross-examination. Most of it is based on hearsay, lack of first-hand knowledge and even just pure speculation as to what others were thinking, said or did, he said. Several high-profile Republicans said Tuesday that Hutchinson was known to be close to Meadows and often accompanied him in meetings. The committee early in her testimony showed photos of her with Trump and other top officials. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted during the hearing that things just got a lot more interesting. He added that if the President knew the protesters had weapons, and still encouraged them to go to the Capitol, that is a serious problem. Although the White House is perhaps the worlds most prestigious office building, much of the staff is young, sometimes even fresh out of college like Hutchinson. They often previously worked on the presidents campaign or the national party, and theyre distinguished by their ambition and willingness to work long hours for little pay. Theyre also critical to any administrations machinery. They help with the logistics of media coverage, prepare for public events and answer the phones. Because theyre often within earshot as the countrys most powerful people gossip and plan, discretion is expected. Young aides often go on to bigger government roles or prestigious positions in business or the media. Some run for office themselves. Hutchinson had the same ambitions when she graduated, telling a college publication in 2018 that she wanted to be an effective leader in the fight to secure the American dream for future generations. She described having been brought to tears when she received an email telling her shed been accepted to a White House internship program. As a first-generation college student, being selected to serve as an intern alongside some of the most intelligent and driven students from across the nation many of whom attend top universities was an honor and a tremendous growing experience, she is quoted in a profile published by her alma mater, Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. She says in the article that she attended numerous events hosted by Trump and often watched out her window as Marine One would depart the White Houses South Lawn. My small contribution to the quest to maintain American prosperity and excellence is a memory I will hold as one of the honors of my life, she said in the piece. She joined the White House shortly after graduation and became Meadows aide in March 2020. Several months later, she would be in rooms where top Trump aides discussed how they could overturn his election loss. She saw the aftermath of Trumps rage at Attorney General Bill Barr for telling The Associated Press that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud. Entering a private dining room, she saw a valet cleaning up a mess after Trump smashed a plate and the remains of his lunch on a wall. There was ketchup dripping down the wall, and there was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor, she said Tuesday. The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney generals AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall. She grabbed a towel to help the valet clean up, she said. There was no widespread election fraud. Trump lost more than 60 court cases attempting to prove wrongdoing. On the morning of Jan. 6, she said Ornato, a Secret Service agent detailed to the White House, came to warn Meadows that many rallygoers waiting to hear from Trump had guns and other weapons, including spears attached to the end of flagpoles. Meadows didnt immediately look up from his cellphone, then later asked to confirm that Ornato had briefed Trump, she said. He had. Terwilliger defended Meadows as able to multitask and to maintain calm during crises. And another former Meadows aide, Ben Williamson, tweeted criticism of what he called the nonsense suggestion that Meadows somehow didnt care about initial violence at the Capitol. Hutchinson said she was close enough to Trump at one point to hear him demand that attendees not be screened so that they could fill the crowd, saying, I dont effing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me. And she alleged Trump became so irate at being driven back to the White House after his speech when he exhorted his supporters to fight like hell rather than the Capitol that he tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle away from a Secret Service agent who was driving. Im the effing president, Hutchinson said she was told Trump had said. Hutchinson recently switched lawyers, going from a former Trump White House official to Jody Hunt, a veteran former Justice Department official who served as chief of staff to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and who emerged as a key witness for special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. While she did not seek out the attention accompanying her testimony today, she believes that it was her duty and responsibility to provide the Committee with her truthful and candid observations of the events surrounding January 6, said Hunt and co-counsel William Jordan in a statement. Ms. Hutchinson believes that January 6 was a horrific day for the country, and it is vital to the future of our democracy that it not be repeated. ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report. CANBERRA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in Australia's capital Canberra have warned of a new wave of coronavirus infections. Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith revealed that modeling has indicated the territory is currently experiencing another wave of COVID-19 infections. "We are seeing those case numbers starting to increase and we expect that is potentially the start of another wave of COVID-19 through this winter period into July and potentially into early August," she was quoted as saying by the Canberra Times on Tuesday. "We are conscious of that and we are keeping a close eye on the case numbers to see if that trajectory is going to be maintained." It comes after the ACT set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. There were 121 people infected with the COVID-19 virus being treated in ACT hospitals, marking the highest number since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest update on Tuesday. The government said an outbreak in a cancer ward at Canberra Hospital had contributed to the increase. Paul Craft, clinical director of the ward, said that authorities were still investigating how COVID-19 had spread in the ward. "It's been a little difficult to track where the virus has spread through the population since then, we're still working on that," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio. "It will probably be a long time before it's exactly clear how the outbreak occurred." As of Monday afternoon, a total of 8,023,259 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 9,704 deaths, and approximately 226,653 active cases, according to the federal Department of Health. There were 3,133 cases being treated in hospitals nationwide on Monday including 111 in intensive care. On Tuesday, Australia reported more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 70 deaths. MADRID President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russias Vladimir Putin for trying to wipe out Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe. Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make during the summit to help bolster the alliance in the region. Biden arrived in Spain for the summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy. Sometimes I think Putins objective is just to literally change the entire culture wipe out the culture of Ukraine (with) the kinds of actions hes taking, Biden said after meeting with Sanchez. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the destroyers move will help increase the United States and NATOs maritime presence. He said Biden would announce additional moves on Wednesday. The president said before the war started that if Putin invaded Ukraine, the United States and NATO would enhance the force posture on the eastern flank, not just for the duration of the crisis, but to address the long-term change in the strategic reality that that would present, Sullivan added. Biden is looking to use this weeks NATO summit to shore up allies amid signs of fractures in the western alliance. After heaping an avalanche of sanctions on the Russian economy and funneling billions of dollars of weaponry into Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, NATO partners are showing signs of strain as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed. As the U.S. president departed for the NATO meeting from the German Alps, where he met this week with leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the G-7 on Monday, has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of the war. The U.S. has been building up its presence since shortly before the Russian invasion in late February, adding about 20,000 troops to the 80,000 who were previously in Europe. And the U.S. has signaled that the Russian invasion will have reverberations on its and NATO allies defense posture for years to come. The U.S. and Spain, in a joint statement following the Biden-Sanchez meeting, said the invasion fundamentally altered the global strategic environment and that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transAtlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. Sullivan suggested that other moves Biden is set to announce will involve positioning additional forces on NATOs eastern flank in a steady state. He declined to say if some U.S. forces that serve there on a rotational basis would become permanent. The U.S. president praised Spain for taking in tens of thousands of Ukrainian migrants who have fled the war. Our people have stood together, Biden said during a meeting with Spains King Felipe VI. Theyve stood up and theyve stood strong. Biden attended a dinner on Tuesday with other NATO leaders at the 18th Century Royal Palace of Madrid, hosted by Spains king and queen, Letizia. Biden is set to meet with Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday, a day after Turkey lifted its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The two countries made the historic step of applying for NATO membership in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. Sullivan said the U.S. did not have a role to play in negotiations between Turkey and the Nordic nations, which were being brokered by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. A senior administration official said Tuesday that the U.S. offered no concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal and drop its opposition to membership for Finland and Sweden. The official said Biden told Erdogan when they spoke earlier Tuesday that closing the deal with the Nordic countries that night would set up a good opportunity for their own talks on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration strategy. Biden will also look to highlight progress made by NATO members at meeting the alliances goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on their defense budgets. Sullivan said a majority of members would report that they have met the benchmark or are on track to by 2024. He described it as a substantial shift in the intensity and commitment of NATO allies in terms of putting their money where their mouth is. Bidens predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, fiercely criticized NATO partners who failed to hit the target. The president will also hold a rare joint meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss North Koreas nuclear program. U.S. and South Korean officials say that North Korea has all but finished preparations for its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear warhead designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea may use its next nuclear test to claim that it has acquired the ability to build small nuclear warheads that can be placed on short-range missiles or other new weapons systems it has demonstrated in recent months, analysts say. ___ Madhani reported from Washington. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Police have formed a unit to tackle aggressive driving with a way for the public to submit evidence as detectives search for the shooters in two recent road-rage incidents on Interstate 40. Rebecca Atkins, an Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman, said APD created the Aggressive Driving Unit as they target street racing, aggressive driving and road rage. She said the unit will have two detectives investigating those incidents along with hit-and-run crashes. Atkins said the public can now upload video or photo evidence to the Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Video Portal. If detectives with the Aggressive Driving Unit are able to locate an offender, they will assume responsibility of the case to include arrests/citations or the issuance of a summons, she said. APD Chief Harold Medina said the department has investigated seven road-rage homicides since the beginning of 2021, calling the number unacceptable. There has been no arrest made in four of those cases, according to Journal records. We are doing everything in our power to address careless and violent driving on our streets and the creation of this unit and evidence portal is another way to hold dangerous drivers accountable, Medina said in a statement. Crime Stoppers also sent out releases looking for the shooters in two road rage incidents that happened within days of each other. On June 6, a man was driving on I-40 toward Coors when a man in a Dodge Challenger opened fire on him, striking him in the leg, according to one release. Three days later, a woman was driving the same direction on I-40 near Rio Grande when a person in a pickup shot at her car, striking her in both legs, APD said in another release. Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 505-843-STOP (7867) or p3tips.com/531. A 17-year-old allegedly threatened to shoot up a school earlier this month in Edgewood. State Police spokeswoman Candace Hopkins said Emma Haviland, of Edgewood, is charged with attempt to commit a felony and multiple misdemeanors, including bomb scares and shooting threats unlawful and disorderly conduct. Haviland was booked into the San Juan County Juvenile Services Center. Investigating violent threats like the one involved in this incident is of the utmost importance, State Police Chief Tim Johnson said in a statement. Hopkins said on June 9 State Police began to investigate a threat over social media. She said the threat was posted anonymously to the app Yik Yak, asking Hello Edgewood anyone want to shoot up the school? I need a partner. Hopkins said State Police tracked the threat to the home where Haviland lives. She said Haviland told investigators the whole threat was a joke. ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen and a polio worker were killed in an attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, police sources said. A polio team escorted by police was administering polio vaccines to kids in North Waziristan district when they came under attack, the sources told Xinhua. "Unknown gunmen opened fire at the polio team and fled the scene. A kid who was receiving drops also got injured in the attack," the sources said. The kid was shifted to a nearby hospital. The sources added that the security had been put on high alert in the area after the attack, and a search operation was underway to arrest the fleeing militants. No group has claimed the attack yet. Reckitt, worlds leading consumer health and hygiene company, under its flagship campaign Dettol Banega Swasth India launched Diarrhoea Net Zero with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow today. In the next 3 years, the program will directly impact 10 million people across Uttar Pradesh addressing 26% of the burden of diarrhoea. Diarrhoea Net Zero was launched by Sh. Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Sh. Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia and other dignitaries with an aim to achieve net zero Diarrhoeal deaths among under-5 children in Uttar Pradesh. The program will follow the WHO-7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh namely- Bahraich, Bulandshahar, Firozabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mathura, Mirzapur, Muzaffarnagar, Shravasti and Sitapur. The vision is to take this initiative to 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Sh. Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, Reckitt - South Asia said, Uttar Pradesh is doing phenomenal work for the upliftment of its economy and for its people. We are truly proud to have worked closely with the State Government towards creating a Swachh and Swasth India with our programs. In the last 7 years we have touched the lives of over 10 million children in Uttar Pradesh. To further strengthen this relationship, we have launched Indias first Diarrhoea Net Zero program with the support of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Our vision with this program is to ensure that there are Net Zero Diarrheal deaths among Under 5 children in Uttar Pradesh. Sh. Ravi Bhatnagar, Director- External Affairs and Partnerships, Reckitt- South Asia said, Uttar Pradesh has shown tremendous improvement in several health indicators and has been recognized as the top-ranking state in incremental growth on health by NITI Aayog. Dettol Banega Swasth India, Reckitt Indias flagship purpose programme has been a partner to the states development journey for the past 7 years in the fields of hygiene, health and sanitation. Recognizing the role of health as a foundation for development, the programme further aims to increase its depth and breadth of engagement in the state in the next 3 years by rolling out initiatives like Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero, which will focus on preventing under 5 mortalities due to diarrhoea by following the WHO 7-point plan. Dettol Banega Swasth India has been consistently working to improve child health standards in India with specialized programs that address health, hygiene, and sanitation. To support Uttar Pradesh in its fight against diarrhoea, Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero supports the WHO 7-point plan for preventing and treating diarrhoea, which comprises of a prevention package and a treatment package. As a part of the programme, Reckitt will create a scalable and replicable model to: Build capacity amongst frontline workers (Asha workers, anganwadi workers etc), Indian Medical Associations (IMA) and Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) aligned with WHO 7-point plan Advocacy, communication and social mobilization around Diarrhoea prevention, health promotion and treatment through on-ground engagement Assessing supply chain to ensure availability of Zinc and ORS across government health facilities Monetary support for outpatient and inpatient treatment through Diarrhoea Net Zero voucher scheme to complement AYUSHMAN BHARAT The initiative will help improve the quality of care by addressing emergency cases faster, increase focus on complete immunization coverage and improve overall public healthcare systems responsiveness to diarrhoea care. Dettol Banega Swasth India has been working with the Government of Uttar Pradesh since 2015 to improve the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of children and community and ensure better hygiene and health outcomes. Dettol and its partners have reached over 10.8 million children with its School Hygiene Education Programme leading to a reduction in diarrhoea cases in school children and a reduction of nearly 39% in school absenteeism due to health issues. Reckitts various interventions across the state, include supporting villages to become Open Defecation Free, promoting hygiene and sanitation at Indias biggest religious gathering Kumbh Mela, receiving multiple accolades and appreciation from the Government of India for its initiatives. With the launch of Diarrhoea Net Zero programme in partnership with Uttar Pradesh government, Dettol Banega Swasth India will continue to bring positive change in the lives of children and reduce the prevalence of Diarrhoea in the state through a scalable and replicable model. The data protection authority in Italy has decreed Google Analytics illegal to be used in the country. A website using Google Analytics (GA) without the safeguards set out in the EU GDPR violates data protection law because it transfers users data to the USA, which is a country without an adequate level of data protection, said the Italian Data Protection Authority in its website. The Italian SA came to this conclusion after a complex fact-finding exercise it had started in close coordination with other EU data protection authorities following complaints it had received. The Italian SA found that the website operators using GA collected, via cookies, information on user interactions with the respective websites, visited pages and services on offer. The multifarious set of data collected in this connection included the user device IP address along with information on browser, operating system, screen resolution, selected language, date and time of page viewing. This information was found to be transferred to the USA. In determining that the processing was unlawful, the Italian SA reiterated that an IP address is a personal data and would not be anonymised even if it were truncated given Googles capabilities to enrich such data through additional information it holds. Based on the above findings, said the authority, the Italian SA adopted a decision, to be followed by additional ones, reprimanding Caffeina Media S.r.l. a website operator and ordering it to bring the processing into compliance with the GDPR by ninety days. This deadline was considered to be appropriate in order to allow the operator to implement adequate measures in connection with the data transfer; if this is found not to be the case, suspension of the GA-related data flows to the USA will be ordered. The Italian SA highlighted, in particular, that US-based governmental and intelligence agencies may access the personal data being transferred without the required safeguards; it pointed out in this regard that the measures adopted by Google to supplement the data transfer instruments did not ensure an adequate level of protection for users personal data in the light of the guidance provided by the EDPB through its Recommendations No 1/2020 of 18 June 2021. The Italian SA wishes to draw the attention of all the Italian website operators, both public and private, to the unlawfulness of the data transfers to the USA as resulting from the use of GA partly on account of the many alerts and queries received so far. The Italian SA calls upon all controllers to verify that the use of cookies and other tracking tools on their websites is compliant with data protection law; this applies in particular to Google Analytics and similar services. Upon expiry of the 90-day deadline set out in its decision, the Italian SA will check that the data transfers at issue are compliant with the EU GDPR, including by way of ad-hoc inspections, said the authority. As part of PRIDE celebrations, Monster.com, Indias leading online career and recruitment resource, has launched a campaign called #ComeOutAsAlly to encourage safe and inclusive workspaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. The burden of coming out has always been on the LGBTQ community, and Monster.com is aiming to change the narrative with the launch of this campaign encouraging more people to come out as allies. 13% of the corporate workforce identify themselves as LGBTQIA+, which leaves room for 87% of the workforce to become allies. The awareness campaign is currently being carried out within Monster.com, and also being extended to its recruiter base to encourage people to demonstrate true allyship with a cause to make workplaces friendlier and more equitable for all. The campaign has seen phenomenal feedback with 1000+ netizens openly coming out as allies on social media to encourage safe and inclusive workplaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. The 50 day campaign will consist of workshops, LGBTQIA+ influencer curated content, interview features with community members and allies, and will finally culminate with a 5 day mega D&I recruitment fair TRIUMPH. Speaking on the campaign, Saurabh Srivastava, Chief Marketing Officer, Monster.com said, Creating a diverse and inclusive work environment is every organisations priority today, but most of us dont know where to start. Understanding and unlearning biases through self-evaluation is a key step for employees, HR, and top management. Our ambition through this campaign was to create awareness and challenge peoples thoughts on overcoming workplace biases starting from our own workplace at Monster as well as others, encouraging more people to come out as allies. Moreover, our annual D&I job fair TRIUMPH is back again this year, championing the cause of diversity in the Indian job space and paving the way for equitable working opportunities for all. Giving community members the platform to share their stories, Monster has tied up with a number of influencers such as Suresh Ramdas (Mr.Gay India 2019) and Trinetra Haldar Gummaraj (transgender activist and surgeon), Pritam and Manish of vagabondboiz, Tristan Tube, Atulan and Divesh of honey.imm.home to share their personal stories of coming out and being their authentic selves. Monster has developed a new website to support the cause, where anyone can login and register their pledge in a unique manner to support the community. Spreading awareness on inclusivity, a content series was executed challenging individuals to change their perspectives, be more accepting, and upgrade their world views. The campaign further maps out timelines for LGBTQIA+ friendly laws passed in India, highlighting how LQBTQIA+ employees must be judged basis their professional skills in the workplace and not their sexuality! The #ComeOutAsAlly campaign has seen overwhelming feedback, with 400+ netizens openly coming out as allies on social media. Monster is not only standing on the fence with the #ComeOutAsAlly campaign on social media, but starting right at home with EMBRACE, an employee sensitization workshop on Diversity & Inclusion held at their Bangalore office on 21st June. While the end of June may conclude PRIDE festivities for some, Monster continues to cheer and uplift the community with Indias largest annual diversity and inclusion event TRIUMPH 2.0. TRIUMPH is a 5-day mega event by Monster India that aims to build diverse and inclusive workplaces by curating a D&I talent pool for Indias largest corporates. Apart from enabling upskilling and recruitment of LGBTQ, women, and PwD communities, the first of its kind career fair offers candidates the opportunity to connect with top companies in India. In 2021, TRIUMPH 1.0 saw registrations from over 70,000 candidates and generated over 55M impressions. Furthermore, Monster strongly believes that at the workplace, skills matter the most and that a lot of difference can be brought about by connecting, collaborating, and empowering diverse communities. To ensure that candidates are industry ready before applying for their dream jobs at inclusive companies, Monster.com is also offering a flat 50% discount with the code PRIDE50 on its Career Services which offers resume guidance, mock interviews, LinkedIn makeovers, and professional advice. Starting from July 1, 2022, social media influencers, doctors and other people of a similar calibre, who receive free goods from businesses, would be required to pay 10% tax deducted at source (TDS) for obtaining them. This is as per the 194R clause included in the Finance Act of 2022. According to the new regulation, social media influencers who receive and keep products like cars, mobile phones, clothes, cosmetics, etc., would have to pay 10% TDS. However, Section 194R will not apply if the item is returned to the business after enjoying the services. Click here to attend DATAMATIXX 2022 The CBDT further stated that the Section 194R shall apply to free samples sent by a firm to a doctor who is an employee of a hospital. As the advantage or perk is given to the doctor as a result of his employment with the hospital, the corporation will deduct the tax from the hospitals account. The recommendations also state that Section 194R will apply to seller incentives, such as gifts in cash or kind that are given in lieu of rebates or discounts. Cars, televisions, laptops, gold coins, cell phones, sponsored family vacations, free travel, and free medical samples are some of these. Adgully reached out to a cross-section of leaders from the industry to know about the implications of this new regulation. Rajni Daswani, Director - Digital Marketing, SoCheers: In the realm of influencer marketing, free goodies sent to the influencers indeed generate substantial PR for the brand. But theyre also a little one-sided, with the influencers having less to no say in whether they would be interested in receiving the freebies. So, by making the process selective rather than generic, it is also an opportunity to curb the cost to the environment and reduce waste. The new rule, I believe, will allow for a more respectful and understanding relationship to be fostered between the brands and the influencers. It will now require a two-way conversation when it comes to sending free packages, where both the parties can agree from the very beginning. This will also lead to setting more clear expectations between the two. Moreover, this rule is an indication of how big influencer marketing has gotten lately as an industry that newer systems are needed to better streamline it. This is quite an incentive for aspiring influencers. There are, however, still a lot of intricacies to be figured out in terms of the legalities involved and how exactly itll function. Varun Duggirala - Content Creator, Podcaster, Entrepreneur, and an author: "The idea comes from the right place but the system needs to be thought through. The regulation of any industry as it grows is expected and this move is largely in line with that. However, for any regulation to work the system or process needs to be in line with how these transactions happen in reality, and therein lies the concern with this announcement. The creator space is still largely chaotic and this can very easily add to the chaos rather than help in systematizing it." Ankita Chauhan, Director Strategy, Tonic Worldwide: I believe that the implication of taxes on the freebies received by the influencers should not have a major on-ground impact on the influencer activities. As social media and related businesses continue to grow, the changes in the regulations and policies are going to be inevitable. But of course, all the parties brands, agencies and the influencers will have to be mindful of this amendment. Steps like these are only going to help make the business more accountable and structured. Since this is only applicable to certain business sizes and values, it should not disincentivise anyone. Just like the past regulations of declaration of sponsored content, this too will become a part of the working process between the parties. Aashutosh Katre, Director, Yellow Seed: The new TDS rule is a game changer in the influencer marketing industry. It is likely to bring more accountability and transparency into the space, which is dominated by barters, collaborations and inconsistent commercial engagements. It will be interesting to see how marketers, agencies and influencers adapt to this change and continue to have meaningful and creative partnerships. Abhishek Singh, Senior Vice President - Marketing, Hirect India: As per the new guideline, the social media influencers who get free merchandise or freebies on sales promotions will have to pay a 10% tax deducted at source (TDS) on such benefits. This kind of provision is certainly going to affect the earnings of the influencers as many of the collaborations are barter and sampling-based. While an exact proportion of the impact wont be known until further research is carried out after the policys implementation, one can say that the impact might severely disrupt influencers participation in such collaboration with brands in the coming days. The new TDS rules are still under the wrap so let's wait to see how things unfold. Chetna Katyall Sundaram, General Manager - Brand & Marketing, Elista: The new set of rules will undoubtedly impact the brand. Recently, influencer marketing emerged as an essential medium for brands to showcase their products. It has been a win-win solution for brands and digital creators, as brands are able to garner visibility and digital creators get to monetise their content. However, with new rulings, many influencers might not engage with brands on barter collaborations. Brands will be forced to engage with digital creators only for paid campaigns. This, in turn, will put monetary pressure on brands and result in higher marketing expenses and product costs. The majority of Digital creators are micro-influencers. Their earnings will also be impacted as they will have to shell out taxes from their pockets or turn down brand offers. Most digital creators and micro-influencers are young people, and I hope the cumbersome taxation rules do not mar their creativity. Animesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO at 8bit Creatives: First of all, I want to state that this is an understandable move from CBDT. Given that influencers receive the products in exchange for providing the promotional service, it is income for them and liable to be taxed as per the fundamental principles of income tax. This move is also one of the first few official recognitions of the creator economy by the tax department, which is important for any industry to grow. Even though it would lead to increased taxation for creators, I believe that the guideline is grounded in logic. Creators are entrepreneurs in their own right and we would be proud to be some of Indias bigger taxpayers, and contribute to the economy. From an income tax point of view also, accounting for the income is not a shocking decision and wont prevent influencers from really endorsing things they believe in. Additionally, businesses that offer these freebies already deduct them as a business expense, which is another justification for taxing the recipient. The 20K threshold is a welcome exception because it spares smaller creators and numerous modest home brands the hassle. Additionally, this TDS is not applicable in the case of returnable products, which is also logical. All in all, I feel the move is an indication of how bullish the government is on the creator economy, and how far we have come. Rohit Agarwal, Founder & Director, Alpha Zegus: I get why this move is being taken. However, its going to be extremely difficult to implement it. The guideline requires people who are benefiting from sales promotions to report the same in their tax returns and pay 10% TDS. Problem 1 - How do you ensure that everyone reports every freebie that they have received? There's no transaction number, there is no physical or electronic evidence of the transaction. How do you ensure that everyone reports every freebie that they have received? There's no transaction number, there is no physical or electronic evidence of the transaction. Problem 2 - Many social media influencers are young, and receive products from various brands quite regularly. Some of them dont even fall under the taxable age, while some dont have the funds to pay TDS out of their pockets (since the product does not have a liquid monetary value). For example, if the product costs Rs 10,000, then the influencer is expected to pay Rs 1,000 out of their own pockets, which might be very inconvenient for rising creators. Many social media influencers are young, and receive products from various brands quite regularly. Some of them dont even fall under the taxable age, while some dont have the funds to pay TDS out of their pockets (since the product does not have a liquid monetary value). For example, if the product costs Rs 10,000, then the influencer is expected to pay Rs 1,000 out of their own pockets, which might be very inconvenient for rising creators. Problem 3 - A lot of electronic gadgets (and similar products) have a certain MRP, but are actually sold at a much lower value than the MRP. Is the influencer expected to pay 10% TDS on the MRP, or on the in-store value? All in all, the move is understandable but comes with a lot of challenges in terms of opportunities and execution. MANILA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Davao City wants Chinese investors to take advantage of the bright business climate and the myriad business opportunities offered by the city, especially in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. To attract more Chinese investors, April Marie Dayap, director of the Davao City Investment Promotion Center, told Xinhua that the southern Philippine city has offered preferential policies for investors to do business in sectors such as agriculture and food processing, manufacturing, and tourism. Dayap said China is the largest investment partner of Davao City. "We export a lot of agricultural products to China, and many Chinese businesses are being established in Davao City," she added. Under the incoming administration, Dayap said Davao City would like to focus more on investment promotion targeting the Chinese market. "We would like to invite more Chinese people to come here to discover what we can offer and what they can do," she told Xinhua. Dayap said the area's abundant supply of agricultural products, availability of raw materials, and low labor cost make investments in agribusiness, food production, and other agri-industrial processing viable. In recent years, Davao City and the Chinese side have achieved fruitful cooperation in the fields of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, agricultural cooperation, infrastructure investment, fighting COVID-19, and aboriginal poverty alleviation, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both sides. According to Li Lin, the Chinese Consul General in Davao City, the young coconuts, avocados, and tuna products from Davao City have already been on the table of the Chinese people, and durian is also expected to be exported to China this year. "We are also helping locals grow bananas locally, providing them with start-up capital, banana seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and technical guidance. Moreover, we are supporting aboriginal women to learn and improve the production skills of ethnic costumes and characteristic handicrafts to increase their income and pass on their culture," said Li. On June 13, the Philippines and China exchanged the agreements to finance the cross-sea bridge connecting Davao City and Samal Island in the southern Philippines. Once completed, the bridge will provide a resilient and reliable transportation link between Davao City and Samal Island, improving transportation efficiency, promoting internal mobility, and stimulating tourism potential. In addition, the project will create thousands of jobs, contributing to local economic recovery and people's livelihood. Sebastian Duterte, who took oath to become Davao City's new mayor on Monday, earlier thanked China for its "generous support" to Davao during the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed his optimism about the future of Davao's deepening cooperation with China. Noting that Davao City has abundant and highly skilled workers, he said, "The two sides can increase cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, and other fields in the future." TIAA GBS India has appointed Rishi Tanna as the Director of Corporate Communications, CSR and ID&E. He will be responsible for spearheading, driving and executing TIAA India's integrated communications strategy that is aligned to the India entity, Corporate Social Responsibility and ID&E agenda. In addition to the existing initiatives, he will also focus on content & digital PR, external and internal communications, employer branding as the key levers. Rishi brings over 19 years of experience in the field of PR, Brand Building and Communications. His earlier stints were with Holcim India (ACC & Ambuja Cements), BNP Paribas India Group and Hindustan Unilever. At BNP Paribas India Group, Rishi was part of the core team instrumental in setting up the corporate brand, marketing and communications department for all its entities. He also worked extensively on HR Communications with a strong focus on D&I, L&D and Mobility to build the employer brand of choice. An avid follower of new trends and technologies, Rishi believes that CommsTech, Neuromarketing and 3 Vs (Voice, Video and Vernacular) will drive the next phase of growth in the field of Communications and Brand Building. Rishi also has a keen interest in macroeconomics, financial markets, geopolitics and travel. Outside of his professional commitments, you will find Rishi speaking at colleges, participating in podcasts and webinars. He also has his own talk series titled "When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade." Rishi also works with military veterans, enabling them to have a smooth transition to corporate. It was in February 2022 that the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) launched Indias first Accreditation Programme in Indian Public Relations (AIPR) for public relations professionals including young professionals and emerging leaders. In line with global practices, wherein PR accreditation is conferred to professionals who demonstrate the highest calibre in public relations, AIPR will not only establish a credible benchmark for individual competence, but also help the industry to advance the profession, as it raises the standards of the practitioners. Click here to attend DATAMATIXX 2022 Today, more than ever before, the Public Relations industry is steering through to manage and grow organisations reputations in the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) world and Communications practices are increasingly looking for proficient consultants who bring highest levels of competence, and new age skills For PR Consultancies, AIPR will help create a world-class and skilled community, who partner with their clients as they get a seat on the table, whilst taking a lead in managing their reputation. In May 2022, PRCAI announced the list of 18 public relations professionals who qualified for the first-ever batch of AIPR. PRCAI conferred each one of them with the prestigious AIPR pin. These young professionals will be the torchbearers of the industry as they strive to maintain strong professional and ethical standards, leading the industry. In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Atul Sharma, President, PRCAI, and Deeptie Sethi, CEO, PRCAI, speak about the idea behind the AIPR Programme, its benefits, how it will upskill the PR professionals, and more. Deeptie Sethi said, Even before I came on board, this was a very strong idea that Atul and the team have been championing to do something for the PR industry that provides a common lens of measurement. We do know that there are very low entry barriers to PR as a profession, people come in from different places or other professions as well, unlike medicine and engineering. The second thing thats happening with our profession is it is becoming very broad based and inclusive. With everything digital today, you need to really be very evolved with the talent, you need to upskill constantly, you need to be relevant. AIPR is a first-of-its-kind programme, it was set up from a perspective that we can see PR professionals from a common lens. Adding further on the programme she said, For a PR profession it is a good opportunity, whether you are 2 years or 10 years or 15 years into the profession, you can stop and see where your competency gap is. This kind of programme gives an opportunity, even for the practitioner, to take this aptitude test, realise where the gaps are. We feel that this kind of growth and upskilling should happen at scale. We launched this programme for Level 1, which was zero to five years, and then six to 10 years for Level 2 in our first batch. We saw about 70 people taking part and half of them getting qualified after the written aptitude test. Then they came forward in front of a very powerful jury to share their thoughts and ideas and thats where they were exited. 18 of them made it and we are so very proud of it. Atul Sharma elaborated, The idea of accreditation came in from the fact that we are a consultation-based profession and if you look at professions around us whether it is legal, accounting, or even medicine for that matter, which is technically there is a way that every industry makes sure that its professionals are kept abreast of developments in the industry. So, every time you meeting a professional from the industry, you will see they are up-to-date in their skills, competence and knowledge in the way they hold themselves to the profession. Sharma further said, Somewhere down the line, we felt that as public relations, we were not doing that. We felt that this bringing in a degree of accreditation and certification will bring that rigour and handwork back to the industry. It essentially means that every level at which you see people will be really competent and these are the people who will actually be able to show the rest of the industry the way how the public relations profession should evolve. So, that was the thought behind the AIPR initiative. We partnered with School of communications & Reputation (SCoRe) for AIPR, who looked at global and credible benchmarking accreditations built by PRSA, CIPR, IABC in their respective regions. SCoRe as our technical partner had helped us build a strong foundation to elevate our profession and talent to the next level. We are hoping that the 18 professionals that have been recommended for award of the accreditation will be role models for others. These are edited excerpts. For the complete interaction and for further details on the programme, please watch below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHAY8ct0LJ0&feature=youtu.be CBCs director of children services Sarah-Jane Smedmor said: Weve seen that demand for EHCPs double in the last few years. So its inevitable we need to ensure we meet the needs of our children individually. Thats more than 6,000 children in our mainstream schools on stage two of the SEND code of practice and around 3,000 with EHCPs. What do these stories tell us? Simple, there are more and more disabled children in these countries. Its not a secret. They keep telling us about it. The phrase increasing demand is a regular feature in news coverage on special education in both Ireland and Britain. Official evaluations show schools are failing miserably when it comes to addressing the needs of those in special education. Story after story features special needs kids without a school place for this fall. Children wait years just for an evaluation to be classified as needing special help in school. By Anne Dachel As anyone looking at LossOfBrainTrust can see, the majority of my stories are from Britain and Ireland currently. Things are in crisis all over the British Isles. Everywhere theres more funding for special education. Counties are building their own special schools, specifically ones for kids with autism. They lined up 52 pairs of shoes outside the building in September, one for each child without a place for the start of the academic year. The Central Bedfordshire SEND action group is planning the protest and inviting families and their friends to attend. Suffolk: Council chiefs say there has been an "unprecedented rise" in demand for specialist education - and there will be a need for hundreds more school places in the years ahead. Suffolk County Council has carried out an analysis of the first part of its multi-million-pound plan to improve SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) education across the county but admits there are still not enough places to keep up with the current needs with demand up more than 32%. the need is increasing every week. They said: "Suffolk has seen an unprecedented rise in requests for placements within Specialist Settings with the Special Education Panel seeing between 60-120 new referrals on a weekly basis. When comparing autumn and spring terms over the past two academic years, the number of requests has gone up by over 32%.... If the current trend continues, another 230 places will be needed by 2023-24 over what is currently being created. The council has already agreed - and is implementing - a 45million [$55M] project to expand SEND education and create 874 new specialist education placements. Gloucester: A new 60-place primary special school could be given the financial sign-off when civic chiefs meet today. Funding for the new school is one of several initiatives that could benefit from an extra 1.5m [$1.8M] in funding. Stroud: The new special school in Stroud will support 60 children aged four to 11 with moderate and additional learning difficulties in the school building formerly occupied by Severn View Primary Academy. Council leaders say there is an increasing demand in Gloucestershire for special school places, Kirklees: Families are waiting more than three years to get help for children with special education needs and disabilities in Kirklees, an inspection has found. A joint Ofsted/CQC inspection over five days in February this year found lengthy waiting times for key health services ranging from 90 weeks for autistic spectrum disorder to 194 weeks - more than three years - for a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Oxfordshire: Charlie, 19, from Launton, has been out of school for eight years. He was diagnosed with autism, aged eight, and found mainstream school overwhelming. His mother Sharon said: 'We were left in limbo. It was like we just dropped off the face of the Earth. "Ours isn't an isolated case, unfortunately. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of families being failed." "There aren't enough places in special schools, but also the provision in mainstream is not really supporting the children adequately. Bury: A new school for 80 secondary age children is to be built in Bury in the next year. Planning approval has been granted in the past week for the two-storey SEND school The proposal will provide much needed SEND facilities catering more specifically to children with autism and mild behavioural needs aged 11-16 years. Earlier this month, Bury Council said it was seeking proposals from education trusts to open another new special school in Bury. Northern Ireland: MLA Pat Sheehan made the call after a report revealed that 300 children with special educational needs are without a school place for September. He described the report as "deeply concerning". He said: "Given the yearly increase in the number of children with special educational needs, the education minister should have prepared and planned for this eventuality. Over 300 children with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) are without a school place for this September, including 91 who are waiting for a place in a special school and 202 that are seeking places in a mainstream school. More than 22,000 pupils in Northern Ireland currently have a statement of SEN, according to statistics from the Department of Education. The Education Authority (EA) has said there has been a "significant rise" in demand for special school places Ireland: Every day 15,500 children have to travel outside their local school-catchment area; Nearly 1,500 students who cannot get a school place are receiving home tuition, which should only be used as it was intended as a last-resort measure and temporarily; Around 4,000 children are waiting for a diagnostic assessment in order to qualify for a school place. With around 25pc of pupils estimated to have SEN including 1.6pc, or one in every 65 students, who have autism the OCO predicts the situation will worsen unless proactive steps are taken. Responding, the Tanaiste said there are more children with special needs in school than ever before. ... He said 1,800 extra places in 312 special education classes are needed this year and that has exceeded the Department of Education's projections. "25% of the entire budget of the Department of Education, 2.5 billion is now expended on special education and rightly so," she said. "The special education teachers now number more than 14,000, 19,000 Special Needs Assistants and 315 special classes will open this year, the 2022-23 school year, providing for 1,800 students. She told the Dail that it is estimated there are "nearly 270 children in Ireland without a school place for this coming September", with "many more" waiting for a diagnostic assessment to allow them qualify for a school place. Despite these dismal stories about the pathetic state of special education currently, many are oblivious to what it all means. Two stories from Ireland stood out to me. One was about a school where the principal is determined to create a neurodiversity friendly school. (Of course with 25 percent of students in Ireland having special needs, according to official statistics, every school will have to be neurodiversity friendly.) Another story announced the opening of an autism unit in a school in Galway. What got my attention was the photo of four ladies celebrating by opening a bottle of champagne. Im sure their intentions are laudable and this is a much needed addition to the school, but the fact is that Ireland is drowning in autism. A story from June 8th revealed that kids in Ireland wait 4 to 5 years just for an autism diagnosis. Stories from Ireland/Britain are only going to get more depressing. Eventually the money will run out, but the statistics will only increase. Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The government and people of Pakistan extended heartfelt condolences over the loss of lives and injuries to many people in a tragic incident at Jordan's Aqaba port, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. "We express deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the ministry said in a statement. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. Jordan opened a large field hospital in Aqaba to treat those injured in the toxic gas leakage as the Red Sea port city's hospitals have reached full capacity, according to the state-run Al Mamlaka TV. "Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people and government of Jordan in this moment of grief," said the foreign ministry. Today in history, June 28, 1098, witnessed a Crusader victory over the forces of Islam that, for those present, could only be interpreted as a miracle. As discussed here, on June 3, 1098, the Crusaders managed to liberate the ancient Christian city of Antioch -- where the very word Christian was first coined (Acts 11:26) -- from Islamic abuse. Before they could celebrate, however, or even recuperate, Kerbogha, the Turkish lord (or atabeg) of Mosul, arrived with a countless and innumerable throng of forty thousand fighters, consisting of Turks, Arabs, Egyptians, Africans, and Persians. It is quite obvious that these people are completely mad, the atabeg observed of the hopelessly outnumbered Crusaders: They are a presumptuous race Doubtless they have every confidence in their courage. But by Muhammad, it was a bad day for them when they entered Syrian territory. He quickly blockaded Antioch; and they who only yesterday were the besiegers became the besieged. Worse, by the time the Crusaders took Antioch, most of its stores had been depleted by the Turks during their lengthy besiegement, forcing the feral Franks to eat leather shoes and drink horse blood. Now desperate, the Crusaders met for deliberation, and it was decided by common consent to send a deputation to Kerbogha, proposing that he agree to do one of two things: either let him depart and leave the city to the Christians as a possession forever -- the city which had been theirs in the first place and which now by the will of God had been restored to them -- or let him prepare for battle and submit to the decision of the sword. This -- Just War logic -- was at the heart of the message delivered to the Turkish leader by the Christian delegation: Kerbogha, the Frankish lords send the following message to you. What staggering audacity has possessed you that you should have marched against them with armed forces when in their view you and your king and your people [in a word, Muslims] are guilty of invading Christian lands with unbridled covetousness and insulting and killing them all If you had any kind of rule of law and wanted to act fairly towards us, we would negotiate, reserving the rights of honor, and demonstrate to you with incontrovertible arguments what ought to belong to the Christians. Further underscoring the religious nature of the quarrel, the delegation continued by telling Kerbogha that if he were to embrace Christianity, they would surrender Antioch to him and take him for their lord. But if he still refused, then fly immediately or prepare your necks for our swords As might be expected, Kerbogha was so transported with anger that he could barely speak, and finally responded by saying that we took Christian lands by means of our remarkable strength, from a nation [Byzantines] scarcely better than women. He continued: Moreover, we think that you are mad to come from the ends of the earth, threatening with all your might to drive us from our homes, when you have insufficient supplies, too few arms, and too few men. Not only do we refuse to accept the name of Christians, but we spit upon it in disgust. To respond briefly to the message you have brought: return, you who form this delegation, to your leaders swiftly and tell them that if they are willing to become [Muslims] like us and renounce the Christ upon whom you seem to rely, we shall give them not only this land, but land of greater wealth and size. Should the Crusaders refuse this offer, however, they will undoubtedly die horribly, continued the atabeg, or endure the exile of eternal imprisonment, as slaves to us and our descendants [and] I shall save all those who are in the flower of youth of either sex, for the service of my master. The Christian delegation returned to Antioch. After hearing Kerboghas retort, the famished, exhausted, and vastly outnumbered men concluded that there was nothing left but to sally forth and meet the hordes besieging them head on. A three-day fast was ordered; the little food available was given to the horses. Then everyone in Antioch, lord and commoner, marched through the city squares, stopping at churches and calling on Gods aid, barefoot and crying, beating their breasts, so grief stricken that father would not greet son, brother would not look at brother, to quote Raymond of Aguilers, who was present. Finally, on the morning of June 28, 1098, everyone received the Eucharist and offered themselves to die for God, if he should wish. Then some twenty thousand Crusaders -- the entire army minus two hundred left to defend the city -- issued out of the Gates of Antioch to the sound of blaring horns. Never expecting the vastly outnumbered and weakened Franks to sally forth and meet their much larger and well-rested army, the Muslims were shocked -- doubly so, as the desperate Christians fought with a feral fury. Contemporary accounts speak of half-starved knights bristling like porcupines with arrows, darts, and javelins, but still moving forward and fighting ferociously. Although a company of mujahidin [Muslim jihadists] stood firm and fought zealously, seeking martyrdom, writes chronicler Ali ibn al-Athir, the Franks slew thousands of them. The Crusaders tight formations eventually caused the Muslim horsemen -- used as they were to overwhelming their enemies with arrows -- to panic and retreat. To pursue them more effectively, the relentless Christians mounted the horses of those [Muslims] who were dying and left their horses -- gaunt and suffering from hunger -- on the battlefield. The Franks berserker-like determination eventually won the day; the battle of Antioch became one of the First Crusades most astounding victories against the forces of Islam. All medieval chroniclers portrayed it as a miracle, citing angelic hosts, whom many Crusaders insisted on seeing, fighting alongside the knights. However one wishes to interpret such claims, the fact remains: Modern military historians have attempted to come up with a more rational explanation for the Franks success, but the task is difficult, observes Crusades historian Jay Rubenstein. How did a force as spent and starved as the crusaders manage to overcome a superior, well-fed, and well-rested adversary? Even Islamic chroniclers marveled: The Muslims were completely routed without striking a single blow or firing a single arrow, disgustedly wrote Ibn al-Athir. The only Muslims to stand firm were a detachment of warriors from the Holy Land, who fought to acquire merit in Allahs eyes and to seek martyrdom. The Franks killed them by the thousand and stripped their camp of food and possessions, equipment, horses and arms, with which they re-equipped themselves. In this manner, the Battle of Antioch came to take pride of place in Crusading lore. This article was excerpted from Raymond Ibrahims new book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam (all quoted material is sourced there). Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. Image: Public Domain BANGKOK, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's two deputy prime ministers, Anutin Charnvirakul and Jurin Laksanavisit, have tested positive for COVID-19, local media reported Tuesday. Anutin, who is also the country's public health minister, and Jurin, who is also the commerce minister, were both confirmed as being infected days after they returned from abroad. Anutin returned to Thailand on Sunday after attending the 50th meeting of the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 21 to June 24, while Jurin returned from a trip to Britain during June 18 and June 23, according to local media reports. Both were recommended for a one-week isolation, according to local media. On Tuesday, Thailand reported 1,761 new confirmed cases and 13 additional fatalities, said the country's Ministry of Public Health. Its only insurrection when the other side does it! For one and a half years, the Left and its media allies have peddled the narrative of a Republican insurrection. Meanwhile, Democrats and their supporters burn federal courthouses, attack property rights and the rule of law, and now call the Supreme Court illegitimate after its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson. This isnt just a few fringe voices. Prominent legal analysts and authors are calling the Court illegitimate. The chair of the Democrat National Committee has pulled out the bullhorn to condemn the Court. Writers at Teen Vogue, whatever one thinks of Teen Vogue, have also used their cultural clout and reach to spew their propaganda. The mainstream of the Democrat Party and their allies are calling the Court illegitimate; they have joined the very far-left that have been saying this for decades. Insurrection is a violent uprising against legal authority with the intent to overthrow it. Of course, liberals wont openly admit that what they advocate is insurrection. But that is, in essence, what the left is advocating. By demonizing and attempting to delegitimize the Supreme Court, whose function is to uphold the Constitution and its rule of law, the Left intends to weaken the last bastion of American civil society and legal order to overthrow it. By eliminating the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, this will give the Left a blank check to open power to remake America and its laws in their image. Its an insurrection and revolution in all but name. If the Left cant achieve policy victories because their policies lead to depression and societal ruination, then they will do so by force and ignore the people and the rule of law. That has been the playbook of left-wing revolutionaries since the Jacobins. When you cant win by legislation, win by force. When you cant change the system from within, overthrow the system from the outside. That is insurrection. Of course, irony is not lost on left-wing zealots. They have no principles. Their only concern is political power by any means necessary. This is something that patriotic Americans must always understand. And they must be willing to support the institutions and organizations that stand athwart utopian insanity ad its inevitable cascading crash into violence. So when the Left accuses law-abiding Americans of insurrection and violence, then shields themselves from the same change when they actually break laws, vandalize property, and seek political overthrow, they must be challenged at every level. In the eyes and minds of the Left, they can do no wrong because they have stated the entire country, the republic itself, is illegitimate. If the entire country is illegitimate and its laws and institutions are illegitimate, then anything goes. They do not believe in the rule of law or the validity of the Constitution. This gives them the justification for violence to achieve their political aims. (Those defending illegitimacy, then, are evil for defending illegitimacy.) The left-wing insurrection is intensifying because they were thwarted in 2016 and the Supreme Court, because of Trumps victory -- no thanks to #NeverTrumpers -- is upholding the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States from further destruction. The Left thought it had the verdict of history behind them. After eight years of the Obama administration and then eight years of a prospective Clinton administration, then a forever majority, the Left would be able to do whatever it wanted without repercussion. The goal of the Left hasnt changed. Its tactics have. Leftists have intensified their violence and their apoplectic rhetoric. These are the signs of desperation, and in desperate times, anything goes. Patriotic Americans, those who love the freedom that this great republic confers and protects, must now defend and support the institutions that the Left will target for desecration. The Left complains that the Court will now attack rights of various peoples. They do not acknowledge what they say openly in places and behind the scenes in other places. The Left already attacks churches and will seek to destroy Christian schools. They already assail police officers and will seek to crush the men and women who uphold the rule of law. They are attacking the Supreme Court and will continue to do so until it is overthrown, overhauled, or made irrelevant by a totalitarian presidency. How ironic, again, that the party and the media complaining about a supposed autocrat in the presidency are openly calling for Biden to take unilateral action in all matters. The media does play an important role in the struggle ahead. This is why the mainstream media has come out full force in support of the Left and are allowing insurrectionist rhetoric to be promoted to viewers and readers. As stated, by demonizing and delegitimizing the Supreme Court over and over again, this will soften the resolve of Americans to defend the institutions and organizations that are on the chopping block and lead others to accept violence as legitimate. To stop an insurrection requires the defense of the institutions that are under attack. We will see if the Republicans have the strength and nerve to do the right thing. We are the real defenders of democracy and the noble republic that is the United States of America. And we shouldnt allow our foes to use the noble language that inspired Thomas Jefferson, Alexis De Tocqueville, and Ronald Reagan from being wielded by revolutionaries and insurrectionists to shield their totalitarian lusts from the public. Paul Krause is the editor of VoegelinView. He is the author of The Odyssey of Love: A Christian Guide to the Great Books, The Politics of Plato, and contributed to The College Lecture Today and Making Sense of Diseases and Disasters. Image: Montecruz foto Hey ruling class! How yer doin', pal? Do you feel, after a black man dared to reaffirm the Second Amendment and Roe v. Wade got overturned, that the world is spinning out of control? I think you may want to consult a mental-health expert and ask xir about Rapid Onset Ruling-Class Disorder (RORD). Experts agree that RORD is commonly found among the high-status supporters of a ruling class confronted by unexpected lack of respect from uppity black men. It is also associated with a ruling class headed for the exits, as in Louis XVI and Mikhail Gorbachev. Seriously though. Are you rulers willing to listen to a bit of feedback, for once in your conceited lives? In his Ruling Class Gaetano Mosca stated a century ago that a wise ruling class is always promoting likely young men from a lower class, because wise rulers always want to know what they are thinking down on the farm before they get to see gay Paree. Here's the problem, made real simple. It is the idea of top-down governance, where everything in society gets decided politically by an educated progressive class. La Wik: [Progressive Era] Reformers felt that old-fashioned ways meant waste and inefficiency, and eagerly sought out the "one best system". Hello Roe v. Wade, where the Supreme Court gussied up a one best system, because seven educated white male experts knew what was best for America. The last century or two is littered with "one best systems" directed from above: Marx and his communism, the Fabians and their socialism, the Progressives and their experts, LBJ and his Great Society, Fauci and his COVID. Why don't the "one best systems" work? Because the one best leader cannot come up with a plan that anticipates every eventuality, every inevitable mistake, every annoying detail. Human society is not a system; it is an organism. How do organisms work? Good question: they just do. What do you think happens when you cut your finger? Does the brain put together a comprehensive and mandatory healing plan approved by experts? Give me a break. Let's rehearse where our liberal friends went wrong. Politics with everything. The problem with politics is that it's all about fighting the enemy. Thus in politics people that disagree with you become the enemy. That's why our liberal friends experience the J6 rioters as "armed insurrectionists." That's why Nancy Pelosi calls for abortion supporters to "rise up." That's why Maxine Waters cries "to hell with the Supreme Court." That's why AOC is calling for people to "get into the streets." That's why Antifa chanted "burn it down" in front of the Supreme Court. Because in politics every reverse is due to the enemy's malevolence. It is worth noting that back in the days of the common law, abortion was illegal after "quickening." It looks as if now we will be going back to the banning of post-quickening abortions. That would take us back to common law after two centuries of elite top-down-iness, first anti-abortion and then pro-abortion. Way to go, elitists. Whenever you politicize an issue, dear liberal friends, it becomes Us vs. Them; people who disagree with you become your enemies. I don't think this is a good idea for 97.2 percent of the issues that divide us here in the good old United States of America. Top-down planning. Every cultural elite believes it is smarter and wiser than the average bear. And maybe it is right. But nothing, except a war, lends itself to top-down planning and supervision by the elite. This was proved in a double-blind experiment diligently performed by social scientists Lenin, Stalin, and Mao in the 20th century, and in various less rigorous democratic socialist experiments elsewhere. However, many fact-checkers agree that this view is "disinformation" and that socialism has never been really tried. The way to understand the mania for top-down planning and supervision is that, without a crisis, there is nothing for the elitists to do; they are reduced to being overeducated pen-pushers, and that is intolerable. There must be an enemy to destroy! The Real Science. The most advanced thinkers in the aftermath of the 20th century revolution in physics now talk in terms of "emergence." Innovations in this universe "emerge" from the chaos of possibilities and uncertainty principles and fly bottles, and we don't really know why or how. So we just describe it. If you elites enforce your Great Reset and their Green New Deal and it turns out that the climate isn't changing that much, and that renewable energy and the termination of the fossil fuel economy are disasters on the scale of nuclear war, then we won't adapt until it is too late for billions of humans. That's why we all need to take our liberal neighbors aside and refer them to the neighborhood Rapid Onset Ruling-Class Disorder therapist. It's the just thing to do. Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. Image: Charles-Philippe Lariviere For the record, I believe Fox News host Tucker Carlson is by far the best high-profile TV commentator of our time. I frequently cite him in my news-oriented articles, and his monologues are tours de force. Thus is it notable that Ive never seen him stumble so badly as on his last Wednesday evening show. Aside from taking at face value a rather portly Google engineers claim that a computer hed been working with, which he calls a person, has become sentient (highly improbable at this time), Carlson launched an attack on the Republican Party that, while containing some truth, failed to see the forest for the trees. The pundits point was that while Democrats are alienating even their traditional minority base with woke baseness, the GOP is not only failing to capitalize but is aiding the Biden administration in effectuating political correctness. He provided a number of examples, and lets jump right in with one to illustrate where he went wrong. Carlson cited Arkansas Republican governor Asa Hutchinsons shameful veto of a 2021 bill that would ban the child abuse euphemistically known as gender reassignment treatments (e.g., puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones). With the veto, Hutchinson signaled that he adheres to a self-destructive fantasy about and fear of government overreach (his claim), is profoundly ignorant on the subject or is actually in bed with the sexual devolutionaries. Regardless, he should be primaried. Carlson, however, didnt tell the rest of the story. To wit: That bill is now law because the Republican-controlled legislature overrode Hutchinsons veto by wide margins the very day after it was announced. As Ballotpedia reported last year, The House and Senate voted 71-24 and 25-8 in favor of the override, respectively. All Democrats, one independent, and three Republicans voted against the override. The remaining Republicans voted in favor of the override. Seven assembly membersone Democrat and six Republicansdid not vote. Again, All Democrats voted for child abuses perpetuation, whereas virtually all the Arkansas Republicans voted to end it and did so. This is a real change, a real blow in the culture war, that makes a real difference in real peoples lives. Its also something that wouldnt have even been proposed had Democrats controlled Arkansass legislature. This is reminiscent of how, in 2007 and 2013, after immigrationist GOPers (e.g., the late Senator John McCain) forged disastrous amnesty bills, they were deep-sixed by other congressional Republicans. Carlson also mentioned the 15 leftism-enabling Senate Republicans, such as Texass John Cornyn and Utahs Mitt Romney, who conspired with the Democrats to pass the unconstitutional red flag gun bill. Yet while this is lamentable, the reality is that almost 89 percent of Republicans opposed the bill in the Senate and House combined versus zero percent of Democrats who did so. Perhaps most notable, however, is that all five Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the unconstitutional, nation-rending Roe v. Wade opinion were appointed by Republicans; three out of the four voting unconstitutionally were Democrat choices. Realize, too, that as bad as the GOP establishment is, we have one of its members to thank for Roes demise: The often enraging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He did, after all, hold up the thoroughly unjust Merrick Garlands SCOTUS nomination while also later helping elevate Amy Coney Barrett to the Court. (Additionally, McConnell helped Trump elevate 220 Article III federal judges, the second most of any president in a four-year period.) Whatever one thinks of abortion, the difference between overturning Roe and not doing so is like night and day and that historic day, Fridays Dobbs ruling, was delivered by the GOP. All this makes two conclusions plain: First, the Republican Party is far from perfect. Second, its still head and shoulders above the Democrats. The Real Distinctions and The Uniparty Mentality Those who, despite the above, paint both parties with the same brush should consider something: Before complaining of a uniparty, remember that the GOP itself is not a uniparty. It includes MAGA figures ranging from Ron DeSantis, Chip Roy and Marjorie Taylor Greene to liberals such as Susan Collins and Romney to establishment operators such as McConnell to possible sociopaths such as Adam Kinzinger. Theres a lot of ideological real estate among these groups and, consequently, a bit of an intra-party civil war. And apropos to this, understand that the most instructive distinction here is not Republican and Democrat. Its people who more or less care about the country and its Constitution and traditions (though they have varying understanding of such) and everyone else. But heres the significant point: There is one and only one viable home for the anti-establishment MAGA set, and thats the Republican Party. As for its bad elements, why would we define any group based on its most anomalous 10 or 15 percent? How Political Power is Won So we mustnt let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And if I can grit my teeth and say this, you can, too. After all, the best way to understand me is that Im Mayberry Meets the Middle Ages. What this means is that 99.5 percent of the people who might think theyre more outside-the-box than I am are not more outside-the-box than I am. But I also understand something: Politics is the art of the possible, as famed German leader Otto von Bismarck put it. Its not the art of You get what you want, right now, no questions asked, but of the possible. Also realize that its a mistake treating a politician who has dashed certain hopes of yours as you would a formerly dear friend who has betrayed you. The latter may be dead to you (though forgiveness is always, and reconciliation sometimes, in order), but parties and politicians should be viewed differently: as tools with a certain utility. You dont throw away a tool just because it doesnt perform up to the standard you hoped unless you have a better tool with which to replace it. This means, mind you, that the superior tool must be one you can actually get your hands on and put to use, not something that will never actually make it into your shed. (This is a metaphor for supporting vanity-project, third-party candidates.) In other words, dont get so emotionally involved with a politician that when disappointed, you feel like a jilted love interest. The next step is understanding the goal. Anyone who remembers the 2008 film Gran Torino may recall that when the Clint Eastwood character was asked how he had a tool shed equipped like Home Depot, his answer was that such an arsenal is acquired over a lifetime. We likewise must aim to incrementally improve our set of tools. For example, electing America-first candidates (e.g., Taylor Greene) in recent years has improved Congress. And if its now, for arguments sake, 15 percent better than before, the goal is to make it another 8, 15 or 20 percent better next time. This is done, obviously, through electing the best possible candidates in the primaries and then the general election. Keep repeating this process, and improved government results. But as soon as we get emotional due to disappointment and take our ball and go home (demoralization-born suppressed turnout), the process not only is halted but can reverse. One step forwards, two steps back. Perseverance is a prerequisite for winning power. In conclusion, remember that embracing the uniparty mentality is to play into evils hands. The Devil wants you to become cynical, say Theyre all the same! and not see distinctions. For then you wont distinguish between good and evil and can become, as Edmund Burke put it, one of those good men who do nothing. Battles can only be won by those who show up for them. Contact Selwyn Duke , follow him on MeWe , Gettr or Parler , or log on to SelwynDuke.com . Image Screen shot from Fox News video, via YouTube How many lives do European coal plants have? Nobody knows. But by now, most of the world understands that Europe's reliance on coal is no longer deniable. In a time of global energy instability featuring an embargo on Russian energy, the E.U.'s wealthiest nations have embraced coal as a savior like the Peanuts character Linus grasping his blanket. Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands are planning to utilize their coal plants to make up for a shortage in power from gas plants. Although many gas drilling projects have been resurrected around Europe, electricity from gas plants is set to decrease due to the Russian ban. This return to coal prompts us to revisit promises made by these very same nations to end coal dependency. Is the reign of King Coal inevitable? Is European pressure on less developed countries to abandon coal carbon colonialism? E.U. countries have been notorious for backtracking on climate pledges. Germany, for example, has pushed back emission-reduction targets several times, despite being touted as the leader in green energy. "We will probably miss our targets also for 2022, even for 2023 it will be hard enough," said German economy minister Robert Habeck. As the use of coal increases, renewable energies remain almost stagnant. Germany and others have come to the realization that their domestic energy sector needs large amounts of reliable power to meet baseload demands of cities and industries. Only fossil fuels, nuclear, and large hydro projects are capable of providing such reliability. The vagaries of wind and sunlight make it so. E.U. nations had resorted to natural gas as a substitute for coal, calling it a transitionary fuel to carry them to the impossible nirvana of carbon net zero. However, the disruption in Russian gas supplies has them restarting idled coal plants to avoid blackouts. "The Netherlands on Monday joined Britain and Germany in warning that it will have to use more of the dirtiest fossil fuel this winter to stave off a looming energy shortage," reported the Daily Telegraph. I support their decision to use coal but reject their badgering of developing countries for burning the fossil fuel. If the European nations, with superior economies and living standards, have the right to utilize fossil fuel to meet their energy needs, there is no reason why the same should be disallowed for poorer nations, where the availability of such energy is even more critical. Each year, the United Nations castigates "dirty, polluting countries" like India and China for their use of fossil fuels. For the United Nations and the West, there is a lack of perspective on this matter. Europe and the U.S. enjoy their current economic success due to the unrestricted use of fossil fuels during the last two centuries, and they continue to use them as technological and geopolitical realities come home to roost. Yet poorer countries are pressed to forgo the benefit of abundant and affordable energy from coal, oil, and gas. For someone living in a third-world country, this attitude of the West is hypocritical and lacks compassion, reminiscent of an era when colonizers sought control over the lives of subjects. I believe the would-be colonialists in the comfortable offices of such cities as Brussels, Copenhagen, and New York have another realization coming: for the people of developing nations wanting to better their lives, the use of hydrocarbons is not negotiable. Vijay Jayaraj is a research associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Va., and holds a master's degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, U.K. He resides in Bengaluru, India. Image: PublicDomainPictures.net. Carol T. Christ is currently the chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. When the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs came out, returning abortion decisions to the states, she sat down and, using her official U.C. Berkeley email account, sent an admittedly personal email blast to every student, faculty member, and administrative person at U.C. Berkeley, numbering over 50,000 people. Moreover, if she included alumni on her distribution list, hundreds of thousands of additional people may have received her email. It's possible (this is speculation, not assertion) that Chancellor Christ violated California law when she sent that email. I learned about Christ's conduct from a source who asked to remain anonymous for safety's sake. My contact passed on the following information about the email: In Christ's email: - She supports anti-life political views - Implies anti-life political views should be universal. - Marginalizes religious people. - Implies only reason for objecting to abortion is religious people trying to control others. Her message was sent using her official email account. It has the university letterhead. It was sent to everyone affiliated with UC. Because it is an official communication, even staff with no email (cleaning, cooks, etcs.) will get a printed copy. How much would it cost another organization to send a targeted political message to every one of the Berkeley community? I did an online search of California law about an employee's ability to use government property for personal use. If I understand the law correctly, it's not legal to do so. Here's what California's Government Code has to say at 8314: (a) It is unlawful for any elected state or local officer, including any state or local appointee, employee, or consultant, to use or permit others to use public resources for a campaign activity, or personal or other purposes which are not authorized by law. [snip] (3) "Public resources" means any property or asset owned by the state or any local agency, including, but not limited to, land, buildings, facilities, funds, equipment, supplies, telephones, computers, vehicles, travel, and state-compensated time. Image: U.C. Berkeley by Gku. CC BY-SA 3.0. The language in subdivision (a) is a bit ambiguous because it speaks of "elected state or local officer," which would exclude a chancellor, which is an appointed position, but then says that clause includes "any state or local appointee, employee, or consultant," which would include a chancellor. Therefore, I am not accusing Chancellor Christ of wrongdoing. I'm just wondering if she crossed a line. The state takes 8314 seriously. A person who violates it "is liable for a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each day on which a violation occurs, plus three times the value of the unlawful use of public resources." Although emails don't incur a monetary cost, any papers printed would establish damages. Also, as my informant noted, one way to value Christ's conduct is to look at what it would have cost her to do the same email and print blast without using government property. By the way, there's no question about whether the message was personal, rather than official. In the email, which I've reprinted below, Christ freely admits that "I write today to share my personal opinion and reaction" (emphasis mine), even as she acknowledges that her job as chancellor requires neutrality. It seems to me that this situation may require some investigation. Modern-day historians look back at the Soviet criminal system with a mixture of sorrow and disbelief. For example, Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin's secret police, often boasted, "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime." Beria was bragging that he possessed a fearsome array of tools that could banish any political opponent to the gulag. An accusation became the legal equivalent of a conviction. Decades later, a similar philosophy began to take hold on college campuses across the United States. For example, a lawsuit against Oberlin College in Ohio revealed that every male accused of a sexual peccadillo at that school was found responsible of the alleged offense. These "kangaroo courts" were shut down in 2020, when a new due process regulation took effect, thanks to the intrepid efforts of former Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The regulation featured a variety of commonsense due process procedures such as impartial investigations, cross-examination, and the presumption of innocence. But no surprise, presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed to put a "quick end" to the DeVos rule. That "quick end" happened yesterday, when the Department of Education released its draft Title IX regulation. Since the Title IX law is designed to curb sex discrimination, heated debates had arisen about reworking the foundational word, "sex." In the draft regulation, the Biden administration settled on "sex" being expanded to include "sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity." The "gender identity" part of the new definition is especially worrisome, because school policies typically mandate that teachers and students use a person's preferred gender pronoun. So when a 13-year-old boy in Wisconsin recently refused to refer to a female classmate as "they" and "them," he was hit with a Title IX sexual harassment complaint. Such forced-speech pronoun mandates call to mind the repressive policies seen in totalitarian societies. In repressive countries, free speech is verboten. That way, unruly segments of the population can be monitored and controlled. The 2020 DeVos regulation struck the proper balance, so overly broad definitions of sexual harassment would not be allowed to squeeze out First Amendment free speech. But the draft Biden regulation plans to define harassment as "conduct that is sufficiently severe or pervasive, that, based on the totality of the circumstances and evaluated subjectively and objectively, denies or limits a person's ability to participate" in their education. This means that any comment, joke, or gesture that is seen as "subjectively" offensive could trigger a Title IX complaint. So say "dasvidaniya" to free speech on campus! The foulest features of the Soviet system were the infamous Show Trials, in which judicial authorities pre-determined the guilt or innocence of the accused. This foreshadowed a similar approach on American college campuses, resulting in a pronounced bias against the male respondent in Title IX cases, which judges called out in 45 judicial decisions. When the same person serves as both investigator and adjudicator, bias becomes baked into the process. On college campuses, nearly 50 judicial decisions found biased, "victim-centered" investigations to be widespread. And under Biden's proposed single-investigator approach, the same person could serve as both the investigator and decision-maker what critics often deride as "judge, jury, and executioner." Even the right to review evidence is now at risk. Under the DeVos rule, both parties were entitled to "inspect and review any evidence obtained as part of the investigation." But under the proposed rule, persons will be allowed access to only a "description of the relevant evidence." This information can be provided either "orally or in writing" which means that a 100-page investigative report could be boiled down to a brief verbal summary by a college administrator. With the Soviet Show Trials, at least there was an actual trial. But the Biden rule would make hearings optional, allowing adjudicators to ask their questions "during individual meetings with the parties." The Biden approach would also dispense with cross-examination, again echoing the antidue process mindset that plagued the Soviet Show Trials. So if a college wants to subscribe to Beria's "accusation equals conviction" philosophy, all it needs to do is designate the same person to be the investigator and decision-maker, provide the accused only verbal summaries of the evidence, eliminate hearings, and dispense with pesky cross-examination. It's really that simple! But the most troubling part is how the proposed regulation turns male students into "non-persons." The subtitle of the Department of Education's June 23 press release says, "Department Commemorates 50 Years of Protecting and Advancing the Rights of All Students" (emphasis added). The release then refers to "women" and "girls" three times. But no mention of "men" or "boys." This with open disregard for the fact that numerous judicial decisions found institutional sex bias against the male student. In other words, the Department of Education cares about "all" students, as long as they identify as female or some other gender. So what about male students? Edward E. Bartlett is a former university professor and worked for 17 years for the Department of Health and Human Services. Image via Pxhere. Am I the only one who finds it curious that, while baying about how "safe and effective" COVID-19 vaccines are for children, FDA employees are still working from home? Recently, the Vaccine and Related Biologics Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting voted (nearly) unanimously to give emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old. America is now the only country on the planet that allows mRNA injections for kids under 5 years old. After watching hours and hours of the discussion that was uploaded online, I noticed a curious thing. Seemingly all FDA employees had called into the meeting from what looked like their homes. While I could understand the need to allow advisory committee meeting members, who are volunteers from anywhere in the country, to call in from their homes, there is no excuse for FDA employees to continue working from home. With a 96.5% vaccination rate across the federal government, including 96.4% within HHS, it is safe to assume that the majority of FDA employees are vaccinated and boosted. After all, it's the same vaccine that their own FDA approved. At the same time that the White House continues to parrot that the vaccines are "safe and effective" for kids and infants, it would be strange for vaccinated and boosted FDA employees to work from home based on concerns about COVID. If there is hesitancy regarding the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy among FDA employees, then why on Earth, and to this very day, is the FDA's homepage actively picturing and pushing for everyone else to get the vaccine? Image: Working from home by bublikhaus. Let me say again: on June 14 and again on June 15, the advisory committees just voted (nearly) unanimously on all approvals for children as young as six months old. But they're working from home... First, let's address the "safe" part on "safe and effective." More than 12 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide with more than 830,000 COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events reported. This number, according to a recent Harvard University study, is estimated to represent only approximately 1% of the actual number of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events. At this point, most Americans know someone who died or had a serious adverse event due to COVID vaccination. Surely the FDA would have updated the vaccine label by now to reflect these risks, right? Wrong! As a drug safety expert, it boggles my mind why the FDA remains as silent as the grave on COVID-19 vaccine mortality and morbidity. But maybe Pfizer's, Moderna's, and the FDA's logic is more pedestrian. For those confused about the FDA's silence, the following image will explain the FDA's logic in assessing Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccine safety: Image courtesy of David Gortler. Addressing "efficacy" next, it is a problem that is even more obvious to Americans. For example, in June 2022, Anthony "The Science" Fauci, who had received four doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and was the national poster boy for mask-wearing, still tested positive for COVID. Despite claims of "mild disease if vaccinated," the data show that it's not just "boostered" people who have mild, non-life threatening COVID-19 symptoms it's almost everyone, regardless of their booster/vaccination status, according to Johns Hopkins University. The lack of efficacy can easily be explained by the fact that all COVID vaccines, including the newest Novavax vaccine granted an EUC in early June 2022, are for the original (i.e., 2019) version of COVID and that there is no "2022" vaccine to accommodate all the new mutations. Even though the "flu" vaccine is reformulated every year, the FDA is still pushing the same tired 2022 version of the COVID vaccine. If the COVID-19 vaccines really were safe and effective, you would think the FDA employees would have already returned to work, setting an example for employees all over the country. The American public deserve transparency. They deserve the facts before they vaccinate their children. And they deserve to know why, if the vaccine is so safe and effective, FDA employees are still working from home. Dr. David Gortler is a pharmacologist, pharmacist, and FDA and health care policy oversight fellow and FDA reform advocate at the Ethics and Public Policy Center think-tank in Washington, D.C. He was a professor of pharmacology and biotechnology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he also served as a faculty appointee to the Yale University Bioethics Center. While at Yale, he was recruited by the FDA where he became a medical officer who was later appointed as senior adviser to the FDA commissioner for drug safety, FDA science policy, and FDA regulatory affairs. He is a columnist at Forbes, where he writes on drug safety, health care politics, and FDA policy. So how's Joe Biden's and Kamala Harris's open border going, where Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas has said he has "operational control"? According to Fox News: At least 46 undocumented migrants [sic] were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas and more than a dozen were hospitalized, authorities said. Crews were at the 9600 block of Quintana Road where an 18-wheeler containing up to 100 migrants inside was found abandoned, Fox San Antonio reported. The discovery is part of what is believed to be a human smuggling operation. "This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Monday night near the location where the tractor-trailer was found. The temperature outside was reportedly 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine what it was like inside the truck. The space had to have been constrained. There was no water. There was no air-conditioner or cooling, and it was a supposedly refrigerated truck. Some of the survivors were reportedly kids. Some beast left the truck on a San Antonio street and didn't even unlock the back doors so that at least the migrants being smuggled could get out. The only reason the box of horror was discovered at all was because a passerby heard cries from the inside for help. All one can think is how terrible it was for these migrants, who had been promised heaven by their cartel human-smuggling syndicates. Their cries for help had to have started well before they began dying. Imagine how it was when the first person started dying. Imagine being there when the 30th died in the heat, not even knowing where one was...it's just unthinkable, like the despair of the men on the slowly capsizing Edmund Fitzgerald asking "where the love of God goes..." Unthinkable. It doesn't matter if they were illegal border-crossers at this point; they were human beings and nobody deserves to die a cruel, suffocating death like that as some kind of misplaced or forgotten cargo, with some human-smuggler stepping away to save himself for unknown reasons perhaps fear of arrest or not being paid or something else. The death count is comparable to that of a cartel massacre of migrants who didn't pay the crossing fees that happened in the north of Mexico years ago, after a mass grave was discovered. Well, now the mass graves are happening here in the States big ones, consistent with huge human-smuggling syndicates and the cartel cash it takes to organize them. Freelance border coyotes taking a family at a time across the Rio Grande can't pull off these kinds of operations, such as what was found in the truck, which had to have been an experienced operation. That means that someone out there enabled these illegal migrant organizations to get very, very big, both from extended "business" and from the cartel expectation that the truck would never be intercepted or break down, or whatever it was that happened that led to the truck becoming an abandoned death chamber on a street in San Antonio. Cartels have reportedly been heard in TikTok videos bragging about all the money they were making from human-smuggling. Texas governor Greg Abbott and other Texas Republicans put the blame squarely where it belonged. According to Fox News: In a tweet, Abbott said Monday evening's discovery rests squarely on Biden. "At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden," Abbott said, before officials raised the death count to at least 46. The Republican governor also criticized Biden for not doing enough to secure the southern border. "They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," Abbott added. Several other officials blamed the incident on Bidens immigration policies, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who called the discovery "horrific" and "wrong." "How many more people have to die before Dems give a d---?" he asked, before making a reference to Bidens border crisis. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents Texas, also tweeted about the incident. "Today in San Antonio it was 102 degrees. Imagine being abandoned inside an 18-wheeler left to die 42 people died today will @AliMayorkas even mention their names?" the lawmaker said, referencing Alejandro Mayorkas, who was nominated by Biden to lead the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. "Death count rises to 46 with another 16 in the hospital, to include 4 kids. Lord when will the nightmare end," the Republican added in another tweet. To date, neither Biden nor Mayorkas nor border czar Kamala Harris has said a thing about this mass death of migrants at the hands of human-smuggling syndicates. Guilty consciences? Hopes the news cycle will move on to something more palatable? They claim operational control and it's pretty obvious they don't have anything like operational control. There will undoubtedly be talk of getting to the bottom of it, but what's needed is action to ensure that it can't happen. The border wall needs to go up. Cartel members and their allies should not be allowed to operate in this country. Human-smuggling networks should be cracked down on. Illegal migrants, most of whom will take dangerous risks in the hands of cartels, must know that if they are caught in the States, they will be sent back, making the proposition of working with a cartel to get into America a far less attractive prospect. Most of all, the border needs checks and controls from the U.S. and Mexican authorities, because abandoning it, as Mayorkas has done, has left it in the hands of cartels. This enhanced security will have to include, unfortunately, stricter inspections of international and cross-border transport trucks, which apparently have been pretty active on the human-smuggling front, given this recent mass death incident. A few weeks ago, Gov. Abbott signed a deal with Mexico's border governors to enhance their border security in exchange for relaxed inspections of trucks. I saw a tweet yesterday by Bill Melugin, which does not seem to be up there now, that the governor of Mexico's Tamaulipas state has not been keeping his end of the bargain and has actually helped actively escort migrants into the south Texas corridors. If the tweet was deleted, it may have been incorrect information, or inadvertently classified information, or perhaps I am wrong about the source, but if it's true, then the deal should be off, and the gloves should be off about what gets inspected at the border. It's an issue that requires further investigation as a potential reason for this surge in dangerous cartel human-smuggling traffic into the States. This, by the way, isn't the only industrial-scale operation that is being detected Fox News's Melugin also found a case where a huge stash of fentanyl from a border operation was found in California around the same time and a leftist D.A. actually let the smugglers of that cartel operation out on their own recognizance. The border is indeed open. In the meantime, where's Joe? Where's Mayorkas? Where's Kamala? This kind of mass-death incident has happened once, and you can bet it will happen again. Somebody out there is making a lot of money smuggling illegal migrants into the States, and now that they are trafficking in industrial-scale volume, human life is getting very, very cheap. Image: Screen shot from video posted by Fox4 via YouTube. "Rocket fired from Gaza prompts airstrike" (6/19/22) describes how Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel this past weekend, "shattering a two month lull in violence at the Gaza-Israel border[.]" The Washington Post concludes the article with a paragraph stating that "[a]n Israeli military raid in the West Bank early Friday, in which three Palestinian militants were killed and eight wounded, could have triggered the rocket attack." This conclusion is an example of one of the oldest fallacies that of post hoc ergo propter hoc that since something happened after an event, then therefore it is the cause. What the Post could more easily point to is with the philosophy called Occam's Razor, which states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Hamas is the political/military junta that runs Gaza. Hamas's founding document its charter explicitly directs Palestinians to destroy Israel. Its directive is not even for a Hamas state of its own, but the destruction of another. Hamas rocket fire has been ongoing for over a decade. Doesn't the Hamas modus operandi seem to be the most likely reason for the intermittent Palestinian rocket fire that Israel has seen over the past couple of decades rather than the one last exchange of fire in the West Bank? Lastly, the Post conveniently left out that "[a] string of four [Palestinian terrorist] attacks that preceded the Israeli crackdown killed 14 people in Israel the deadliest outbreak of terrorism in years" according to the Times of Israel. This is pertinent to the understanding of the timing of events. The Israeli military raid was in retaliation and an effort to halt future terrorist attacks emanating from the West Bank. The Post inverted the cause of what happened, clouded the timing of events through omitting pertinent details, reversed culpability based on what "could" have been the cause in their opinion. Certainly, from the pattern of past Post coverage, what the Post could or would conclude, is always for the Palestinian side and against the Israelis. Why is that? Dr. Michael Berenhaus is a freelance watchdog activist who works tirelessly to combat anti-Israel bias in the media. He has been widely published in news sources such as the Economist, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Image: Washington Post. ULAN BATOR, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's National Traumatology and Orthopedics Research Center on Tuesday warned the public to beware of venomous snakes. The warning came after many cases of snake bites had been reported in the capital Ulan Bator and other areas of the country. Currently, four children bitten by venomous snakes are hospitalized, according to the center. In addition, reports of shield-nose snake sightings in residential areas across the country are on the rise, especially in the capital city, the center said. Last year, at least two deaths were registered in the country because of snake bites. (ANSA) - ROME, JUN 28 - Two teenage students of Moroccan origin were allegedly barred from work experience schemes at Sacile near Pordenone in northern Italy on the grounds of their colour, a migrant association said Tuesday. They were excluded from several local internship schemes, while all the other children were allowed in," said Adolph Hackah, president of the local Ivorian association, which took up their case. (ANSA). Slovenia: high rating for new Golob's government Almost a third of respondents oppose it (ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUN 27 - The new Slovenian government led by Robert Golob has the approval of 53.1% of Slovenians, about eight points more than the rating of the previous Jansa's government when it took office, the Slovenian news agency STA reported, quoting a POP TV poll. Almost a third of respondents oppose the current government. (ANSA). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved Migrants: asylum requests up by a third in 2021, EU Return to pre-pandemic figures. Increase in first months 2022 (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, 28 GIU - Last year was marked by "significant international developments" that led to "an increase by a third of the number of asylum applications lodged in the EU" with 648,000 requests for international protection, marking a return to pre-pandemic figures, the executive director of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), Nina Gregori said, presenting the 2022 asylum report. In the first few months of this year, "we registered the highest number of monthly applications since the 2015-2016 refugee crisis", explained Gregori, stressing that "the three main factors for this increase" were "the exploitation of migrants by the Belarusian regime, the ascent to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan last summer and the war in Ukraine". In the first few months of 2021, the number of applications remained more or less stable, but towards the middle of the year, requests started to increase, with peaks in the months of September and November 2021, the report said. It explained that the two peaks were mainly due to an increase of applications lodged by Afghans and Syrians, including many repeated requests by Afghans. Syrians represented the largest group of applicants in 2021, with some 117,000 requests in EU countries, followed by Afghans who presented 102,000 requests. These two nationalities were followed at a distance by citizens of Iraq (30,000 requests), Pakistan and Turkey (25,000 each) and Bangladesh (20,000). As far as host countries are concerned, Germany received the highest number of asylum requests (191,000), followed by France (121,000), Spain (65,000) and Italy (53,000). (ANSAmed). 'Pazar//Shuk', a voyage through Istanbul, Tel Aviv markets Photography book by Kornelia Binicewitz, Italo Rondinella (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 28 GIU - Two apparently faraway places, Istanbul and Tel Aviv, meet every day in the authentic culture of food markets that liven up the streets of the two cities. The photography book "Pazar//Shuk", by Kornelia Binicewicz and Italo Rondinella - which has just been published by Turkish publishers Paper Street & Co. - looks into the points in common and differences between Turkey and Israel in the culture of markets enshrined in both countries. The photographs shot by Italian photo reporter Rondinella bring to light the nearly intimate atmosphere that is palpable during the meetings between sellers and buyers in markets which give rhythm to the daily life of Turkey and Israel. "In Istanbul, the market represents the identity of the district in which it is located, it is connected to people who live in the area and outlines the demographic photography of that specific place, whether it is an area mainly inhabited by well-off secular Kurds or Turks live or by conservatives", explained to ANSA Binicewicz, a Polish anthropologist who lives in Istanbul where she is in charge of musical projects. "In Turkey, the market satisfies daily shopping needs, in the majority of cases regarding women who then cook at home. In Israel, things used to be like that but now markets are different places, the neighborhoods where they are located have been gentrified and there are increasingly less stalls simply selling food products while an increasing number of stands prepare typical dishes. It is a phenomenon of the past 10 years that has also changed the public, now young hipsters and food lovers mainly go to the markets in Tel Aviv". The texts curated by Binicewicz talk about vendors, clients and restaurant owners who buy ingredients for their dishes. Through their stories, people put readers in contact with a culinary tradition embedded in the Ottoman empire, in districts of Istanbul where it is still possible to get in contact with the culture of the Armenian and Greek-Orthodox minorities, or a fish market in Tel Aviv managed by an Israeli together with a Palestinian fisherman. The book thus becomes a sort of unconventional guide of the two cities where it is possible to find recipes of typical dishes served by the interviewed restaurant owners. The book's title is named after the way markets are known in Istanbul and Tel Aviv: "pazar" for Turkey, from the Persian "bazaar", and "shuk" in Israel, a close relative of the Arabic "souk". The project was commissioned by the Israeli consulate in Istanbul and is published - in English, Turkish and Hebrew - as part of the normalization process of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel recently inaugurated at an official level. (ANSAmed) Gaza: man sentenced to death for 'spying for Israel' Marshal court issues harsh sentences for 3 'collaborationists' (ANSAmed) - GAZA, 28 GIU - A marshal court in Gaza on Tuesday sentenced to death by hanging a Palestinian who was convicted for allegedly passing information to Israeli intelligence services since 2007 regarding activities carried out by armed groups in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Maan said. According to the charges, the man - identified as Nidal S. - revealed, among other things, the location of military tunnels and rocket launchers that were attacked, "causing deaths and injuries" among the militants. Three others were sentenced to lengthy jail terms with forced labor for "collaborationism" with Israeli secret services. All the defendants can appeal the sentence, Maan said. (ANSAmed). Syria: over 306,000 civilians killed since 2011, UN 'Figure doesn't include deaths for hunger, lack of treatment' (ANSAmed) - GENEVA, 28 GIU - Over 306,000 civilians have been killed in Syria over 10 years of war, from 2011 to 2021, according to the latest estimates made by the UN Human Rights Office. It is the highest estimate of civilian deaths caused by the war in Syria, the UN stressed in a statement published Tuesday in Geneva. Following a rigorous evaluation and statistical analysis of data available on civilian victims, a UN report estimates that 306,887 civilians were killed in Syria between March 1, 2011 and March 31, 2021. The figure only concerns people who were directly killed in operations of war and "doesn't include the many other civilians who died due to lack of access to healthcare, food, drinking water and other essential human rights", stressed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The estimate of 306.887 deaths means that on average, every single day over the past decade, 83 civilians suffered a violent death caused by the conflict, the report said. Moreover, the entity of "civilian victims over the last 10 years represents 1.5% of the total population since the start of the conflict and raises serious concern for the failure of the sides at war to respect international humanitarian law on the protection of civilians". "The figures of the victims connected to the conflict in this report are not simply an abstract group of numbers, but represent single human beings", commented Michelle Bachelet. (ANSAmed). Syria: U.S. drone attack kills jihadist leader Abu Hamzah al Yemeni was leader of Hurras al-Deen group (ANSAmed) - WASHINGTON, 28 GIU - A US drone attack in northwestern Syria has killed a Yemeni leader of a local jihadist group affiliated to Al-Qaeda, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and to a group monitoring the Syrian war. The attack, carried out on Monday shortly before midnight on the eastern outskirts of the city of Idlib, killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, identified as the leader of the group Hurras al-Deen by military officials. Yemeni was travelling alone on a motorcycle at the time of the attack, CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that initial reports indicated there were no civilian victims in the strike. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a widespread network of sources inside Syria, confirmed that Yemeni was killed in the strike, stating that it was the second attempt on his life after a similar strike last year. (ANSAmed) MANILA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has eased the restrictions on foreign ownership in key sectors such as telecommunications and transport, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said on Tuesday. On Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order promulgating the 12th Regular Foreign Investment Negative List, which greenlights foreign ownership in some key sectors. The revised list is aligned with the several acts recently passed for promoting foreign investment and "is also consistent with the policy to ease restrictions on foreign participation," Chua said. He said the negative list reflects the full foreign ownership liberalization for telecommunications, domestic shipping, railways and subways, and air transport. Chua added the Southeast Asian country also intends to liberalize more sectors like renewable and inexhaustible energy sources to help address "the looming power crisis and climate change concerns." Every heatwave being experienced today has been made more intense and more likely to happen because of climate change, scientists have warned. A review of extreme weather hazards shows that for some, such as heatwaves, it is unequivocal they are worsening because of global warming, and the impact in terms of lives lost and financial costs are being underestimated. For others, such as tropical cyclones, there are variations between regions and the role that climate change plays in each event. But severe droughts in many parts of the world are not due to climate change, the review by scientists from University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, said. Extreme weather events linked to climate change have caused a large number of deaths and cost billions of pounds in damage in recent decades, the study published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate said. The review looked at information from the latest reports from the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and results from the growing body of attribution studies which use weather observations and climate models to identify the role of global warming in specific events. It focused on changes to five hazards heatwaves, rainfall-based flooding, tropical cyclones, wildfires and droughts and the impacts of recent specific events, in what the researchers said was the starting point for an inventory on the effects and costs of climate change. Study co-author Dr Friederike Otto from Imperial College London said it was absolutely the case that climate change was already making heatwaves more likely and intense. We can very confidently say that every heatwave that is occurring today is made more intense and more likely because of climate change. There are local factors like land use changes that might change how much more likely, but theres no doubt climate change is really an absolute gamechanger when it comes to heatwaves, around the world, she said. It was no longer necessary to wait for the attribution studies which she helped pioneer on individual heatwaves to know that they were being driven by climate change, she said. In the UK people thought of building flood defences to adapt to global warming, but the big change for Britain when it came to climate change was in heatwaves and extreme heat was deadly, she said. But in other extremes, such as drought, the role of climate change was being overestimated. Dr Otto pointed to East Africa, which has a naturally highly variable climate that contributes to drought, and warned that disaster there was linked to poverty and lack of health care systems and infrastructure. The study authors say there is a need to record the impact of extreme weather far more systematically around the world, as a lack of data on previous events makes it harder to cope with future extremes. Work to attribute weather extremes to climate change needs to be improved in lower and middle income countries, where there are big gaps and where the impact of rising global temperatures will be greatest, the paper says. Lead author Ben Clarke, from the University of Oxford, said: The rise of more extreme and intense weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall have dramatically increased in recent years, affecting people all over the globe. Understanding the role that climate change plays in these events can help us better prepare for them. It also allows us to determine the real cost that carbon emissions have in our lives. On the different types of extremes, the review found that: Heatwaves are now occurring far more frequently and are hotter, and some events are happening that would be all but impossible without climate change, with tens of thousands of heat-related deaths a year due to global warming. Heavy rain events have become more frequent and intense across most parts of the world, mainly due to climate change, with a growing number of floods made more intense by the effects of rising temperatures on rainfall. Tropical cyclones have seen no significant changes in frequency globally, but a greater fraction of those that do happen are the most intense category four and five superstorms, and events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy have been amplified by climate change. Wildfire risk has already substantially increased in many regions and recent blazes in Canada, the US, Australia and other parts of the world have been made much more likely by climate change, causing deaths, the health impact of air pollution, billions of pounds of damage and harm to wildlife. Drought is worsening due to climate change in some already at-risk places such as the Mediterranean and western US, but severe droughts in many parts of the world are not attributable to climate change, due to high natural variability. A murder victims mother who campaigned to bring in Helens Law has described the death of her daughters killer as a great relief. Marie McCourt, the mother of Helen McCourt, has said she now hopes that someone connected to murderer Ian Simms will come forward and reveal where he hid her body following his death. Reports have said Simms died last week. The PA news agency understands no cause of death has yet been given. The 22-year-old insurance clerk disappeared on her way home from work in 1988 (Family handout/PA) Mrs McCourt, from St Helens in Merseyside, told the Mirror: Its a great relief knowing that this man is at last wiped off this earth. Hes got what he deserved. Im hoping now maybe he spoke to somebody in prison or maybe one of his friends or family who were perhaps too scared to come forward when he was alive, will do so now. I just pray now that somebody may have some details of where he said he had done it. It breaks my heart but not just mine but all families whove had loved ones taken. Its hard to lose a child through illness, its worse when someone deliberately takes her life. She added that she lived in fear when he was released from prison with a tag on in 2020. Insurance clerk Ms McCourt was 22 when she vanished on her way home from work in 1988. Mrs McCourts campaigning following her daughters death led to the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act, dubbed Helens Law, being enacted in 2021. The law makes it harder for killers and paedophiles who hold back information on their victims to receive parole. Marie McCourt (left) with her daughter Helen prior to her death (Family handout/PA) Under the legislation, killers could still be released if no longer deemed a risk to the public even if they refuse to disclose information. But the Parole Board will be legally required to consider whether they have co-operated with inquiries as part of their assessment. Pub landlord Simms was handed a life sentence in 1989 after being convicted by a jury on overwhelming DNA evidence of Ms McCourts abduction and murder. He always maintained his innocence, despite never saying where he hid her body. Boris Johnson and fellow G7 leaders condemned Russias actions in Ukraine as the summit in Germany drew to a close. The Prime Minister said he did not think the war would lead to a wider conflict in Europe but warned that was what Vladimir Putin wanted. The gathering of world leaders in Bavaria has been overshadowed by atrocities in Ukraine, including the missile strike on a packed shopping centre in Kremenchuk on Monday. Mr Johnson said it was an act of utter barbarism People are just shocked by what Putin is capable of doing, he said. If anything it helped those of us who are making the case for helping to protect Ukrainians to get that message across to some of those people who are the more swing votes in the argument. The head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has warned that Nato members have to be prepared to fight if their territory was attacked by Russia. #G7 Leaders Statement: We solemnly condemn the abominable attack on a shopping mall in #Kremenchuk. We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war on Ukraine. #G7GER pic.twitter.com/t4x9EJqzCv G7 GER (@G7) June 27, 2022 But speaking in Germany on the final day of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson said: I dont think it will come to that. Clearly we are working very hard to confine this to Ukraine. Putin and the Kremlin are going to try to widen the conflict and say that this is something to do between Nato and Russia that is not it at all. This is about an invasion of an independent sovereign country. It is about the West and the friends of Ukraine giving them the support they need to protect themselves. The joint statement issued by the G7 at the conclusion of the summit in the Bavarian Alps promised continued tough sanctions, but drew back from imposing a price cap on exports of Russian oil something Joe Bidens White House had pushed for. Instead the leaders agreed only to explore the measure. Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The G7 leaders condemned Russias illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine. The statement said: We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, providing the needed financial, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support in its courageous defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are ready to reach arrangements together with interested countries and institutions and Ukraine on sustained security commitments to help Ukraine defend itself and to secure its free and democratic future. The leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy promised to continue to impose severe and enduring costs on Russia to help bring an end to this war. Beyond its direct implications, Russias aggression is impeding the global recovery and dramatically worsening energy security and access to food globally. To this end, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our unprecedented co-ordination on sanctions for as long as necessary, acting in unison at every stage, and will reduce Russias revenues, including from gold. A quad meeting between Mr Johnson, Mr Biden German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of France Emmanuel Macron (Stefan Rousseau/PA) They added: We will take immediate action to secure energy supply and reduce price surges driven by extraordinary market conditions, including by exploring additional measures such as price caps. We reaffirm our commitment to phase out our dependency on Russian energy, without compromising on our climate and environmental goals. UK Government spokesman said: Our own prohibitions on importing Russian oil are unchanged this is about constraining the profits Russia can make from selling its oil to other countries while minimising negative economic impacts, especially on low and middle-income countries A cap would work by taking advantage of the power of the G7s dominant maritime services that enable the transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally. Any company or country trying to export Russian oil above the cap would be unable to access these critical services and be severely restricted. The design of a cap will be carefully considered by the G7 over the coming weeks, consulting with other countries and key stakeholders in the private sector. The courage and determination of a young man who died after jumping into the River Thames to save a woman has been commended by a coroner. Folajimi Jimi Olubunmi-Adewole, 20, was on his way home from work at a central London restaurant when he and another man, Joaquin Garcia, entered the water near London Bridge at around midnight on April 24 last year. The Coastguard and the Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit rescued the woman and Mr Garcia, but could not locate Mr Olubunmi-Adewole. On Tuesday, assistant coroner Dr Julian Morris concluded at Inner London Coroners Court: This was a sad loss of a young man who wanted to help, in an emergency, a member of the public who had fallen into the Thames. He said his death was accidental, adding: The courage to jump to help a complete stranger in the Thames at night is quite astonishing. Many of us would like to think we would do the same in that situation, but few of us would have the courage and determination. He said his death at a young age was truly tragic. Mr Olubunmi-Adewole died as a result of drowning, with no other significant conditions found to have impaired him, the inquest heard. He had been walking over the bridge with his friend Bernard Kosia after their shift ended. In a witness statement read out by assistant coroner Dr Morris, Mr Kosia said the pair were alerted by two other men to the woman in the water. After hearing the woman screaming out I cant swim, Im going to die, the pair decided to help her, and called the police. Mr Kosias statement said: Jimi was saying, Weve got to save her, shes not dying, he was very adamant about this. Mr Garcia joined the pair at the waters edge after seeing the woman in difficulty. He said in a witness statement she was in the water, splashing around and calling for help around 100 metres from the river bank. Mr Olubunmi-Adewole and Mr Garcia counted to three and entered the water, the latter jumping first, the inquest heard. Mr Garcia reached the woman and helped her stay above the river, but did not see Mr Olubunmi-Adewole again. After being in the water for around 15 minutes, Mr Garcia and the woman were rescued, the inquest was told. Mr Kosia, who did not enter the river because he cannot swim, said in his statement Mr Olubunmi-Adewole began calling for help shortly after jumping in. He struggled for a minute and was not seen after that, he said. Two statements read out from members of the public said people nearby were urging Mr Olubunmi-Adewole and Mr Garcia not to jump. They spoke of seeing Mr Olubunmi-Adewole disappearing under the water. Detective Sergeant Stefan Yiannaki, from City of London Police, giving evidence, said Mr Olubunmi-Adewoles 999 call prior to jumping in was emotionally charged. DS Yiannaki went on: The conclusion I reached was he died, sadly, that night while trying to save the female. It was apparent he had difficulty the moment he hit the water. He added: It was a sheer act of bravery trying to help the woman and losing his life in the process. A search for him was abandoned after an hour and his body was found at 6am that day, close to where he had jumped in. Listening to the inquest remotely was Mr Olubunmi-Adewoles brother Ayo, who asked DS Yiannaki why the police response had been slow. He said: If the police had done their job right I dont think Jimi would have jumped in. Assistant coroner Dr Morris concluded the search by officers was adequate. He went on: The search was carried out effectively and sufficiently and sadly Jimi fell outside the 99% possibility of detection. Mr Olubunmi-Adewole, from Bermondsey, south-east London, was posthumously put forward for a Royal Humane Society award by City of London Police to honour his memory and heroism for his bravery and selfless actions. Ghislaine Maxwell: What did the trial reveal and what sentence can we expect? British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is set to be sentenced after being convicted of sex trafficking following a month-long trial at a US federal court in Manhattan. Maxwell, 60, lured young girls to massage rooms to be molested by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Here, the PA news agency looks at what we have learned from the trial, and what to expect at Tuesdays hearing. How many accusers gave evidence in the trial? There were four female accusers who gave evidence in the trial. Annie Farmer, who was 16 when she met Maxwell, was the only one of the four to testify using her full name. The other three women gave evidence under the pseudonyms Jane, Kate and Carolyn. What did Jane say in her testimony? Jane said Maxwell and Epstein summoned her for an orgy at the age of just 14 in 1994. She told jurors Epstein would use sex toys on her even though it hurt and said he and Maxwell would fondle each other while casually giggling in front of her. Jane said she was left frozen with fear after her encounters with the couple, and under cross-examination, she told the jury she did not believe I have come up with a memory of being sexually abused. Jane alleges she was summoned to sexualised massages with Jeffrey Epstein from the age of 14 (US Department of Justice) What did Kate tell the court? Kate told jurors she was presented with massage oils at Maxwells London townhouse when she was 17 and told to have a good time before giving Epstein a sexualised massage. The British accuser also said she was invited to Epsteins house in Palm Beach, Florida, when she was 18 and that Maxwell had laid a schoolgirl outfit out for her to wear because she thought it would be fun. After sexualised massages with Epstein, Kate said Maxwell had called her such a good girl, describing her as one of the disgraced financiers favourites. What did Carolyn tell the jury? Carolyn told the jury Maxwell groped her at the age of 14 after she told the defendant about being molested and raped at the age of four. Maxwell told Carolyn she had a great body for Epstein and his friends after touching her breasts in his massage room. The witness told jurors she stopped seeing Epstein for massages at the age of 18 because she had become too old for him. Maxwell is alleged to have called Kate such a good girl after sexualised massages (US Department of Justice) What did Annie Farmer say in her evidence? Annie Farmer said Maxwell told her to undress at Epsteins New Mexico ranch and rubbed her breasts during a massage. She told jurors Epstein had caressed her hand at the cinema and got into bed with her at his ranch because he wanted a cuddle. Which famous names were dragged into Maxwells trial? A number of famous names were mentioned throughout the trial, including the Duke of York, former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and Pope John Paul II. Jane told the court she flew on Epsteins private plane with Andrew and met Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. Other notable passengers on Epsteins planes included Mr Trump, Mr Clinton and actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. The trial also heard Epstein had photos of himself with famous people hanging up in his houses, including former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Pope John Paul II. A photograph, shown to the jury, appeared to show Maxwell and Epstein at a log cabin on the Queens Balmoral estate. The Duke of York has been named as a passenger on one of Epsteins private planes (Joe Giddens/PA) Who else gave evidence as part of the US governments case? Juan Patricio Alessi, the former housekeeper for Epstein at his Palm Beach house, told jurors he drove Jane and Andrews accuser Virginia Roberts to the house under orders from Maxwell when they were 14 to 15 years old. He also said staff were given a household manual which told them to see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing and to never disclose Maxwell and Epsteins activities or whereabouts to anyone. FBI analyst Kimberly Meder took jurors through various photos which were found on CDs that were seized from Epsteins New York house, including ones of Maxwell rubbing his feet. Palm Beach law enforcement officer Gregory Parkinson was asked to identify a massage table which had been brought into court after being seized from Epsteins house. What was said in Maxwells defence case? During her opening statement to the jury, defence counsel Bobbi Sternheim said the charges against Maxwell were for things Jeffrey Epstein did. The defendant declined to give evidence in her trial, telling the judge: Your honour, the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason for me to testify. Maxwells lawyers attempted to demonstrate that victims had exaggerated the defendants involvement in any of Epsteins crimes. Maxwell lured girls to a variety of properties owned by Epstein, as well as her home in London (PA Graphics) What sentence can Maxwell expect now she has been convicted? Maxwell was convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, which carries a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison. Her conviction for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, while conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity carries a maximum of five years in prison. The final charge of sex trafficking minors carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison, bringing the statutory maximum sentence for all charges to 65 years. Prosecutors have urged the judge to pass a sentence of 30-55 years. Will any victims speak at the sentencing hearing? Annie Farmer, Kate and Virginia Giuffre have been given permission to read victim impact statements orally to the court. Maria Farmer, Sarah Ransome, Teresa Helm, Elizabeth Stein and Juliette Bryant were told their statements would only be accepted as written submissions. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been told she regularly engaged in a pattern of prohibited sexual activity as she awaits a potential 65-year prison sentence. The 60-year-old was convicted in December last year of luring young girls to massage rooms to be molested by Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Ahead of her sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Maxwell arrived with shackles around her ankles which rattled as she made her way to her seat in the courtroom in the Southern District of New York. Wearing a prison-issued uniform, she spoke only to confirm she had read the pre-sentence report and discussed it with her legal team, saying: I did have the opportunity to read it. Maxwell was labelled dangerous by the prosecution during her three-week trial last year, and helped entice vulnerable teenagers to the disgraced financiers various properties for him to sexually abuse. Victims of Maxwell are set to tell the court of her relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein and their retraumatisation over having to give evidence during the trial. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in December last year (US Department of Justice/PA) Victims Sarah Ransome, Elizabeth Stein, Annie Farmer and the accuser known as Kate were all present in the courtroom, as well as controversial juror Scotty David who prompted calls from Maxwells counsel for a retrial after he failed to disclose he was a victim of sexual abuse. Maxwell was convicted in December last year of sex trafficking minors, conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She was also found guilty of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Maxwells defence attorneys sought a delay to sentencing proceedings through a motion filed on Saturday, in which they said she had been placed on suicide watch and was not permitted to possess and review legal documents. Maxwell lured vulnerable teenagers to massage rooms at a variety of Epsteins properties (PA Graphics) Despite not being part of the indictment, the victim impact statement of the Duke of Yorks accuser, Virginia Giuffre, is due to be read to the court where she says Maxwell opened the door to hell. Andrew has always strenuously denied Ms Giuffres allegations. During the morning of Tuesdays hearing, Judge Alison Nathan said Ms Giuffre qualified as a minor victim in the case, despite not being named on the trial indictment. Ms Giuffres attorney read a letter from his client to the judge. He said: I am in receipt of the Courts Order. As explained in our submission, due to a medical issue, Ms Giuffre is not able to be present physically in the courtroom, but has asked that I be able to read her statement at the hearing. I seek clarification of Your Honours Order that I will be allowed to read a portion of Ms Guiffres statement at the hearing. Other accusers, Annie Farmer and Kate, have been told their statements can be orally read to the court, and three others were told they could read their statements in a shortened format. In their sentencing submissions, prosecutors urged Judge Nathan to impose a sentence of between 30 and 55 years for Maxwells crimes. The statutory maximum term Maxwell can serve in total is 65 years. After legal argument about aggravating factors in the case, the judge ruled the case fell in the guidelines of 188-235 months imprisonment. Before the hearing broke for lunch, Judge Alison Nathan said she still intended to impose a fine on the defendant after the court heard that Jeffrey Epstein left her a 10 million bequest. Throughout the trial, the court heard how she imposed a culture of silence by design at Epsteins properties, where staff were told to see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing. Judge Nathan said she agreed Maxwell had told staff at Epsteins Palm Beach residence in Florida to be blind, deaf and dumb. The judge also said Maxwells prison sentence would be enhanced due to her supervisory role in extensive criminal activity. Throughout the morning session of her sentencing hearing, the defendant frequently played with her hair and adjusted her mask. Maxwell took sips from her Fiji water, which was delivered to her by her sister Isabel before the hearing began. One of Maxwells accusers, who testified under the pseudonym Jane, told jurors that as well as luring her to an orgy at the age of 14, the defendant and Epstein would fondle each other and giggle in front of her. She also told jurors how Epstein would use sex toys on her even though it hurt, and she did not tell anyone about the abuse because she was terrified and felt gross and ashamed. Maxwells trial also heard how she told another accuser, who testified under the pseudonym Carolyn, that she had a great body for Epstein and his friends. Carolyn said the defendant had touched her breasts in Epsteins massage room before telling her she had a great body type. Jurors also heard how Carolyn had been introduced to the predatory pair through Ms Giuffre, and that she had been in the same room while Epstein and Ms Giuffre had sex. The third accuser, who testified under the pseudonym Kate, said she had a schoolgirl outfit laid out for her by Maxwell before a sexualised massage with Epstein. Virginia Giuffres victim impact statement is due to be read to the court, where she says Maxwell opened the door to hell (Crime+Investigation/PA) Kate said the defendant then told her to take Epstein his tea in the outfit, and when asked by the accuser why the outfit was on her bed, Maxwell said she thought it would be fun. The jury was told Maxwell asked Kate if she knew of anyone who could come to her house and give Epstein oral sex because it was a lot for her to do. The only accuser to testify under her full name, Annie Farmer, told jurors she was left frozen when the socialite asked her to undress for a massage and rubbed her breasts. Ms Farmer said the defendant encouraged her to have a massage after teaching her how to rub Epsteins feet at the age of 16. Maxwells defence counsel had attempted to distance her from Epstein, but a series of photographs showed the close relationship the pair had. Girls were flown to Epsteins properties on the disgraced financiers private planes (US Department of Justice/PA) Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell, who has been held in a US jail since her arrest in July 2020, will be sentenced on Tuesday morning. Ghislaine Maxwell was once a sophisticated and very impressive British socialite until her affiliation with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein led to her detention for sex trafficking. The daughter of disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell, the 60-year-old attempted to start a new life in Manhattan after his death in 1991 and met Epstein the following year. Mr Maxwell was found drowned after apparently falling from his yacht called Lady Ghislaine off the Tenerife coast. His sons, Ian and Kevin Maxwell, who were on the board of the Maxwell Communication Corporation, were investigated after their fathers death over an alleged conspiracy to defraud the companys pension fund. Both were cleared of fraud in 1996. Maxwell lived a life of luxury before her detention in the US (US Department of Justice) Despite attempts from Maxwells defence counsel to distance her from Epstein, a vast array of photographs of the pair in a variety of exotic locations surfaced during her trial with images of her massaging the convicted sex offenders feet suggesting a close relationship. Her trial in a federal court in the Southern District of New York heard the pair bragged about being friends with high-profile figures, including former US president Donald Trump. With the fortune he made from his financial dealings, Epstein and Maxwell lived a life of luxury jetting around the world and living at the millionaires many properties: including a Manhattan town house, his Palm Beach mansion, a ranch in New Mexico and his private island in the US Virgin Islands. Photos appeared to show Maxwell and Epstein had a close relationship (US Department of Justice) Maxwells friends also included royalty. She had known the Duke of York since her days at university and introduced Andrew to her former partner, Epstein. In a Newsnight interview, Andrew admitted he organised a shooting weekend for the defendant at the Queens Sandringham Estate. In 2000, he was pictured in Thailand attending a hooker and pimps party with Maxwell. But an allegation that he had sex with Virginia Roberts on three separate occasions once allegedly at Maxwells Belgravia home ultimately damaged his reputation. Maxwells trial heard she bragged of having high-profile friends such as the Duke of York (Chris Ison/PA) Maxwell was featured in the background of a picture which apparently showed Andrew with his arm around the waist of Ms Roberts, also known as Virginia Giuffre. The duke categorically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Roberts. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, and Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire on July 3 last year. Her trial heard how she summoned a 14-year-old girl to an orgy, groped another teenager and laid a schoolgirl outfit out for another accuser before a sexualised massage with Epstein because she thought it would be fun. The Duke of York denies any form of sexual contact with Virginia Roberts, also known as Virginia Giuffre (US Department of Justice) Epstein killed himself in a federal detention centre in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In her opening statement to the jury, Lara Pomerantz, United States Assistant Attorney, said of Maxwell: She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abused. The defendant was trafficking kids for sex. That is what this trial is all about. Defending the socialite, her counsel, Bobbi Sternheim, told the jury: The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things Jeffrey Epstein did. But she is not Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell denied all charges but was ultimately convicted on five of six counts by a jury just after Christmas and her 60th birthday. She will be sentenced on Tuesday. The Government must hold off on ratifying a trade deal with Australia to allow greater scrutiny by MPs, a parliamentary committee has said. The International Trade Committee has urged a delay in ratifying the deal, which was heralded by the Government as the first negotiated from scratch since leaving the EU amid a promise that it would leave the country 2.3 billion better off. But the Government attitude to parliamentary scrutiny of that deal, a new report from the committee claims, has undermined that statutory process and shown great discourtesy to Parliament. Committee chair and SNP MP Angus Brendan MacNeil said that they had been consistently hindered in attempts to fully examine the deal. This is not the first time the committee has intervened to accuse the Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan of dodging questions on the free trade deal, signed in December last year. International agreements must be brought before parliament, with 21 sitting days allocated to MPs to consider any deal. That process was triggered earlier this month by the Government, and the trade committee has accused the Government of repeatedly frustrating efforts at effective scrutiny of the new and complex trade deal. In the report, MPs bemoan a persistent lack of clarity in the timetable for parliamentary scrutiny, calling their demands for a guaranteed period of time to complete their report not unreasonable. We have been greatly disappointed that the Government has repeatedly failed to accede to our request that we be guaranteed a period of at least 15 sitting days between the publication of the section 42 report and the laying of the Agreement under the Act, to allow us to finalise and publish our report, MPs wrote in the report. Overhasty ratification, without the chance to complete full scrutiny, runs the risk that any significant disbenefits of the Agreement may be overlooked or disregarded, they warn. A Department for International Trade spokesperson said: We have made enhanced commitments to scrutiny and transparency at every stage of negotiation. This includes already giving Parliament over six months to scrutinise the legal text, in addition to the 21-day period provided by us triggering the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act process. We spent 18 months negotiating and signing an ambitious UK-Australia deal that will unlock 10.4 billion of additional trade and look forward to seeing it come into force so consumers and businesses across the UK can start enjoying the benefits. Ms Trevelyan is to appear before MPs to give evidence on the deal, and the committee is asking for enough time for a report to be published before the process of statutory scrutiny begins. It also wants the Government to extend the scrutiny period, to provide more time for the House to examine and debate the deal. Mr MacNeil said it was vital that MPs were able to properly scrutinise the deal and questioned the apparent need for urgency. Overhasty ratification means that any potential disadvantages of the deal are not fully uncovered or understood. This could have damaging effects for businesses and communities across the UK. Given that Ministers are keen to extol the virtues of this deal, it is beyond belief that the Government is so eager to rush it through without appropriate scrutiny, especially considering that the Australian Government is not rushing to ratify on their side. The Government rushed the scrutiny of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and we can all see the consequences of that now. Interview: NATO expansion won't make Europe or world safer: Croatian analyst Xinhua) 08:59, June 28, 2022 ZAGREB, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will not make Europe or the world safer, Croatian political analyst Zarko Puhovski told Xinhua in a recent interview. NATO's expansion and Russia's strong reaction are bound to result in "long and unfriendly borders," which could eventually spark conflicts, Puhovski said. NATO's expansion, he explained, will only serve to strengthen the so-called "block policy" in the world, in which one block is pushing against another and which thus elicits strong reactions. The Cold War era was marked by ideological conflicts, but today's conflicts are geopolitical, he said. In Puhovski's opinion, the continuous expansion of NATO and its continuous provocation have prompted Russia to take military action against Ukraine. The fundamental purpose of NATO's expansion is to encircle Russia, he said, and the current confrontation between NATO and Russia is just a continuation of the Cold War mentality, although Russia has already adopted the same political system as the western countries, Puhovski noted. Finland and Sweden, which have both applied to join NATO, are not subject to any real threats from Russia either militarily or socially, noted the analyst. Finland and Sweden's application is only of "symbolic importance" for NATO, just as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pointed out. Finland and Sweden are already taking part in NATO activities and their accession to NATO does not change anything, Puhovski said. NATO, as a military alliance, has lost its security raison d'etre after the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact, Puhovski noted. Nonetheless, "NATO has been continuing to expand on the grounds of defending western values, democracy, human rights and the rule of law." However, certain NATO members have a ruling system very similar to that of Russia. How can NATO justify itself as well as some of its members for allegedly standing with the so-called western values, human rights and democracy? he asked. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Armenia will hold the fourth round of talks on normalizing bilateral relations in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. Turkey sends former diplomat Serdar Kilic to the talks, while Armenia designates Vice President of its National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan as a special envoy. Turkey and Armenia held their first round of normalization talks in Moscow in January, followed by two rounds in Vienna in February and May. In February, the two neighbors resumed charter flights between Istanbul and the Armenian capital city of Yerevan. Foreign ministers of the two countries met on March 12 in the Turkish southwestern resort city of Antalya to reaffirm their willingness to continue the normalization process. Apart from fully restoring the diplomatic ties, the process also aims to open borders between the two neighbors and launch joint economic, trade, and transportation projects. Relations between the two countries were severed in 1993 during the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh when Turkey closed the border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan. NEW YORK (AP) Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend who they said sometimes also participated in the abuse. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said a very significant sentence is necessary and that she wanted to send an unmistakable message that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while the 60-year-old Maxwell's defense sought a lenient sentence of just five years. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, looked to one side as the sentence was announced, but otherwise did not react. We will continue to live with the harm she caused us, said Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers who testified against Maxwell at trial, inside the courtroom before the sentencing. When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell called him a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life, echoing her defense attorneys' assertions that Epstein was the true mastermind. Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her unusual incarceration bring some measure of peace and finality. Nathan refused to let Maxwell escape culpability, making clear that Maxwell was being punished for her own actions, not Epstein's. She called the crimes heinous and predatory and said Maxwell as a sophisticated adult woman provided the veneer of safety as she normalized sexual abuse through her involvement, encouragement and instruction. Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Farmer, who said her sister and herself tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to horrifying nightmares by taking them to Epstein. They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together, she said, calling Maxwell a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abuse them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticize her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwells seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. Maxwell's fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections. This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature, they wrote. Before her fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and scribbled on a notepad as Sarah Ransome an accuser whose allegations werent included in this trial spoke of the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times . Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide, finally drew a look from Maxwell when she said: You broke me in unfathomable ways but you did not break my spirit. FILE - Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on May 5, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Manchin said Monday, June 27, 2022, that a group of U.S. senators has agreed to effectively dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out closures, downsizing and other significant medical facility changes nationwide. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A group of U.S. senators has agreed to effectively dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out closures, downsizing and other significant medical facility changes nationwide, Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday. The West Virginia Democrat, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said there is bipartisan support to avoid filling vacancies on the VAs Assets and Infrastructure Review Commission and to end the commission in the next National Defense Authorization Act. The commission had recommended the closures or downsizing of several older facilities, a proposal that Manchin worried would significantly alter services provided to rural veterans across the country. But other groups had welcomed the commission's work, saying it was necessary to modernize and improve the VA's health offerings. Manchin said in a statement that without the Senates approval of the AIR Commission and its nominees, no commission will be established and the process as outlined by the 2018 VA Mission Act will not move forward. The act required Veterans Affairs to make recommendations for its medical facilities and health care delivery, either through facility expansions, relocations, closures or changes in services. For instance, the recommendations would have downsized three of four VA medical centers in West Virginia and would have closed four community-based outpatient clinics in New Mexico. The group of senators said in the statement that the VA's recommendations given to the commission are not reflective of upholding the nations obligations to its veterans. The recommendations would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage, which is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward," the statement said. "The Commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure, and together we remain dedicated to providing the Department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to Veterans in 21st century facilitiesnow and into the future. Joining Manchin in the letter were Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Martin Henrich and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Patty Murray of Washington, and Republicans Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Rounds and John Thune of South Dakota, Rob Portman of Ohio and Steve Daines of Montana. The group Concerned Veterans for America said the senators' decision will only harm veterans. "To say this is disappointing is an understatement," group senior adviser Darin Selnick said in a statement. Simply put, this decision is short-sighted and will hurt veterans by keeping them trapped in a broken and outdated system not built to address their needs. The AIR commission was the best chance to modernize the VA health care system to meet the needs of the veterans it serves. The VA released preliminary recommendations in March, prompting a bipartisan group of senators led by Manchin to initially ask President Joe Biden to be sure that rural perspectives were considered by the AIR Commission. Becca Waite raises a flare over a crowd as hundreds of marchers organized by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights rally in downtown Los Angeles on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, removing federal protections for abortion access across the country, protesters continued to gather in downtown Los Angeles voicing their outrage and vowing to continue fighting for abortion rights. Protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse on West 1st Street along green fencing separating them from the building. They passed out posters stating "Abortion Demand Without Apology" and displayed the names of women who have died or been imprisoned for self-induced abortion. Becca Waite, an emergency-room nurse and organizer with RiseUp4AbortionRights, said her group started preparing in January. The move on Friday by the Supreme Courts conservative majority to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision closely followed a leaked draft of the ruling published this spring by Politico. Hundreds rallied throughout downtown. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Though expected, the final ruling was devastating to many across Southern California. "Our big message is 'Post Roe, hell no,'" Waite said. "We will not capitulate to defeat. We won't compromise when it comes to human rights when it comes to women's rights." She and other activists called on people to walk out of their place of work "to show the ones that [made] this decision that if we are not granted our basic human rights, we will not continue to let this society function." There was no visible police presence early on in the rally, which began around 3 p.m. a stark change from protests on Friday. In the hours after the ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization was released Friday morning, thousands of protesters in Southern California took to the streets in Hollywood, Westwood, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Fullerton, Irvine and across the Inland Empire. A protester in downtown L.A. on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) In downtown L.A. on Friday night, some marched on the 110 Freeway and later the 101 Freeway, temporarily blocking traffic. The Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly by 9 p.m., with officers in riot gear forming skirmish lines and warning protesters to leave or face arrest. According to Times reporters, witnesses videos and interviews with other media members on the ground, journalists on Friday were pushed, struck with batons, forced out of areas where they had a right to observe police activity and blocked from entering other areas where police and protesters were clashing and arrests were being made. Fewer police showed up to rallies on Saturday and Sunday. Annie Day, another organizer with RiseUp4AbortionRights, addressed the crowd on Monday afternoon. She shared a post she'd read about a woman who suffered an ectopic pregnancy a life-threatening complication in which a fertilized egg implants and grows outside of the main cavity of the uterus and nearly bled to death because doctors had to consult with lawyers before treating her. "Suddenly we are in a world where a clump of cells, a fetus, which is dependent on a woman, comes first," Day said. "We are not accepting this defeat, we are going to come back stronger." Protesters rally downtown on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Casey Vasquez and Unna Santiago-Caycedo, both 17, attend Woodrow Wilson High School in northeast L.A. They told The Times young women their age are under significant pressure. "I've had a pregnancy scare before, and I've been on birth control for a couple of years," Santiago-Caycedo said. "So people will say, like, 'Just use birth control.' I just feel like women that get pregnant are always, like, blamed for being pregnant. It's like, we can do like all the right things and still get pregnant. Vasquez said older generations have "completely messed up so much" of the environment and the country, leaving younger generations to try to fix the issues. She later spoke to the crowd, her voice cracking and tears welling up as she shared the story of her mother's struggles coming to the U.S. from Colombia. Waite said the current fight to protect abortion rights is part of a long lineage of international activism. The green bandana, she said, signifies solidarity with women in Latin America who "rose up in their millions and took up the green bandana as a symbol against femicide and against illegal abortion. And they won those fights." Organizers showed a photo of "the Green Wave" from Argentinas abortion rights movement. The image depicted multitudes of protestors wearing green. They read a statement from abortion rights activists from Peru, Argentina and Brazil calling on President Biden and others in government. "This is your fight too," the statement said. Waite hopes to increase the number of people protesting for abortion rights "from thousands to hundreds of thousands." "The problem is that people don't continue that energy, especially in an age of social media," she said. "It's a week, it's a month, it's an afternoon, but it takes more than that." She and other activists are calling on people to challenge their friends and family to not be silent supporters. "It's not enough to sit back and say 'I'm pro choice.' We need you in the streets," Waite said. "We need you here, shoulder to shoulder because we need millions of people to bring the gears of society to a grinding halt." Further demonstrations are planned, with Wednesday being billed as a "day of mass disruption," Day said. Protesters continued arriving during the rally's first hour, swelling the crowd to around 400. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Mitzi Rivas, left, hugs her daughter Maya Iribarren during an abortion-rights protest Friday at City Hall in San Francisco following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. (Josie Lepe / Associated Press) The fall of Roe vs. Wade shifted the battleground over abortion to courthouses around the country Monday, as one side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for litigation from all sides. Temporary delays were successful in Louisiana and Utah after state judges issued orders Monday that blocked abortion bans in those states from going into effect. Meanwhile, a federal judge in South Carolina said a law restricting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy would take effect immediately there. Much of Monday's court activity focused on trigger laws, adopted in 13 states that were designed to take effect swiftly upon last week's Supreme Court ruling. Additional lawsuits could also target old antiabortion laws that were left on the books and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling are also coming back into play. Well be back in court tomorrow and the next day and the next day, Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case that resulted in the high court ruling, said Friday. Rulings came swiftly in Utah and Louisiana. A Utah judge on Monday temporarily blocked that state's near-total abortion ban, after Planned Parenthood challenged a trigger law there that contains narrow exceptions. A judge in New Orleans, a liberal city in a conservative state, temporarily blocked enforcement of the state's trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. At least one of the state's three abortion clinics said it would resume performing procedures Tuesday. Were going to do what we can, said Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women, in Shreveport, La. It could all come to a screeching halt. Louisiana Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch abortion opponent, said he will fight the judge's ruling and enforce the law. We would remind everyone that the laws that are now in place were enacted by the people through State Constitutional Amendments and the LA Legislature, Landry tweeted Monday. Also Monday, abortion rights advocates asked a Florida judge to block a new law there that bans the procedure after 15 weeks with some exceptions and is set to take effect this week. A ruling on that is expected Thursday. Abortion rights activists also went to court Monday to try to fend off restrictions in Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Mississippi, the state at the center of the Supreme Court ruling. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed an emergency motion there on Saturday seeking to block a 2021 law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. In Friday's ruling, the Supreme Court left it to the states to decide whether to allow abortion. The expectation is that this will result in years of legislative and judicial challenges," said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University law school. As of Saturday, abortion services had stopped in at least 11 states either because of state laws or confusion over them. In some cases, the lawsuits may only buy time. Even if courts block some restrictions from taking hold, lawmakers in many conservative states could move quickly to address any flaws cited. That's likely to be the case in Louisiana. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in state court dont deny that the state can now ban abortion. Instead, they contend Louisiana now has multiple, conflicting trigger mechanisms in the law. They also argue that state law is unclear on whether it bans an abortion prior to a fertilized egg implanting in the uterus. And while the law provides an exception for medically futile pregnancies in cases of fetuses with lethal abnormalities, the plaintiffs noted the law gives no definition of the term. Around the country, challenges to other trigger laws could be made on the grounds that the conditions to impose the bans have not been met, or that it was improper for a past legislature to bind the current one. Laura Hermer, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn., said other challenges might call into question whether state laws sufficiently and clearly allow for exceptions to protect the life or health of a pregnant woman. Now that the high court has ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion, abortion rights supporters will make the case that their state constitutions protect such a right. A judge heard arguments on that issue Monday in Florida, where attorneys tried to block a new law from going into effect Friday. The ban beyond 15 weeks has exceptions to save the pregnant womans life or prevent physical harm or in cases where the fetus has a fatal abnormality. The ACLU of Florida argued that the law violates the Florida Constitution. James Bopp Jr., general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, said the wave of suits from abortion rights advocates is not surprising. We know that the abortion industry has basically unlimited funds, and its allies have basically unlimited funds, and of course theyre fanatical about abortion on demand throughout pregnancy, Bopp said in an interview. But he said that that the Supreme Court ruling should preclude abortion rights supporters from prevailing in any federal challenges. And he called efforts based on state constitutions fanciful. Still other cases could be filed as states try to sort out whether abortion bans in place before Roe was decided sometimes referred to as zombie laws apply now that there is no federal protection for abortion. For instance, Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 banning abortions except to save the life of the mother. Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he does not believe it is enforceable. Abortion opponents have called on lawmakers to impose a new ban. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it immediately suspended abortions. In Michigan, Planned Parenthood challenged a 1931 abortion ban before last week's Supreme Court ruling. In May, a judge said the ban could not be enforced because it violates the states constitution. Abortion rights supporters are now trying to get a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to protect abortion and birth control. Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas have adopted laws that allow people to seek bounties against those who help others get abortions. It is an open question as to whether that means people can be pursued across state lines, and legal challenges over the issue are likely to come up in cases of both surgical abortions and those involving medicine mailed to patients. The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed a bill Thursday to shield abortion providers and volunteers in the state from civil judgments imposed by other states. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it Friday. In liberal Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed an executive order Friday that prohibits state agencies from assisting other states investigations into anyone who receives a legal abortion in Massachusetts. The challenge filed in Arizona, where most providers stopped offering abortions, said the legal questions are urgent. Even if abortions resume in weeks or months, the plaintiffs said, patients may be at greater risk of medical complications or may lose access to abortion altogether as a result of the delay. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. John Eastman, left, appears June 16 during a video deposition to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Associated Press) A lawyer who aided former President Trumps efforts to undo the 2020 election results said in a federal court filing Monday that federal agents seized his cellphone last week. John Eastman said the agents took his phone as he left a restaurant last Wednesday evening, the same day federal law enforcement officials conducted similar activity around the country as part of broadening investigations into efforts by Trump allies to overturn the election results. Eastman said the agents who approached him appeared to be serving a warrant from the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General. The action was disclosed in a filing in federal court in New Mexico in which Eastman challenges the legitimacy of the warrant, calling it overly broad, and asks that a court force the federal government to return his phone. The filing does not specify where exactly agents seized his phone, and a lawyer for Eastman did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Federal agents last week served a raft of subpoenas related to a scheme by Trump allies to put forward alternate, or fake, slates of electors in hopes of invalidating the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. Also Wednesday, agents searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official who encouraged Trumps challenges of the election results. A spokeswoman for the inspector general declined to comment. Eastman has been a central figure in the ongoing hearings by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Paul Haggis, seen in 2008, will head to court in October after he was arrested on charges of sexual assault. (Chris Weeks / Associated Press) "Crash" director Paul Haggis, who's under house arrest in Italy after he was accused of assault this month, will head to New York City in the fall to begin a sexual assault trial stemming from separate allegations in a different case. The Oscar-winning screenwriter will stand trial before Manhattan Judge Sabrina Kraus beginning Oct. 11, according to Variety. In December 2017, film publicist Haleigh Breest alleged that Haggis raped her at his New York apartment in 2013. Haggis denied the claim and sued Breest, accusing her and her attorney of trying to extort $9 million in "hush money." In January 2018, three additional women accused Haggis of sexual misconduct in Breest's updated lawsuit. He denied those allegations. Last year, he requested a New York judge set a trial "at the earliest practical date," due to a lack of financial resources to pay for a prolonged legal battle. Representatives for Haggis did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' request for comment. Haggis was recently accused of additional sexual misconduct by a different woman. On June 19, he was arrested and detained in southern Italy on charges of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury after a young woman accused the filmmaker of sexual assault in a local bed-and-breakfast. Haggis was staying in the city of Otsuni for Allora Fest, where he was scheduled to give master classes. After charges were filed, an Italian court ordered Haggis to remain in a hotel room under house arrest pending prosecutors' investigation. Haggis made his name in Hollywood as a screenwriter and director whose work has included both films ("Million Dollar Baby, "Quantum of Solace") and TV ("Walker, Texas Ranger," "The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show"). This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. FILE PHOTO: New York City Council to vote to allow non-citizen NYC residents to vote in local elections By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A New York state judge struck down a recent law on Monday that gave hundreds of thousands of noncitizen residents of New York City the right to vote in municipal elections for mayor and other local offices. Judge Ralph Porzio, of New York State Supreme Court for Staten Island, ruled the law violated the state constitution, which says that "Every citizen" is entitled to vote. The City Council, controlled by Democrats, passed the law last December, and it went into effect in January after both Mayor Bill de Blasio and his successor, Eric Adams, declined to either sign or veto it. The measure would not have been a factor until next year's elections for city council. The law allowed an estimated 800,000 to 1 million noncitizens living in the city as lawful permanent residents of the United States or with U.S. authorization to work here to vote in elections for city office, including those for the mayor's office and local council members, but not in state-wide or federal elections. There are about 6.7 million people of voting age in New York City. The law required that a person must have been a resident of the city for at least 30 days prior to the election they wished to vote in, which critics of the law said was too short. Republicans opposed the law in part on the belief that a majority of immigrants are more likely to vote for Democrats. Proponents of the law said it enfranchised the city's huge population of noncitizens who pay taxes and contribute to the life and culture of a city that has long been a beacon for immigrants, as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Opponents, including the Republican Party and New York lawmakers who sued the city, said the law unfairly and unconstitutionally diluted the power of citizens' votes and would harm politicians by forcing them to restructure their election strategies. Both the City Council and the city's law department, which could challenge the ruling in a higher state court, said the city was evaluating its options. "By providing city residents with a voice in their local government representation, we provide them with an equal stake in the long-term success of our city," Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Shahana Hanif, chair of the council's immigration committee, said in a joint statement. "Now more than ever, when our rights are being threatened, we need more civic and community engagement, not less." Michael Tannousis, a Republican who represents parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly, was one of the plaintiffs who accused the council of trying to manipulate the electoral system. "As the son of immigrants that came to this country legally and worked tirelessly to become citizens, I consider voting to be a sacred right bestowed on American citizens," he said in a statement. "The idea that a person can move to New York City and register to vote after 30 days is preposterous and ripe for fraud." (Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New YorkEditing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis) Renowned newspaper owner Jim Fitzpatrick had a life that was long, well lived and filled with many blessings, his funeral has heard. The proprietor of the Irish News died on Saturday at the age of 92. Mr Fitzpatrick, a former solicitor who also had significant property interests, played an active role in the Belfast-based paper for more than 50 years, assuming control of the title in the early 1980s. Family and friends gathered at St Brigids Church in south Belfast on Tuesday for Requiem Mass. Politicians and colleagues from Northern Irelands media industry were also among the mourners. Taoiseach Micheal Martin was represented by an aide de camp from the Irish Defence Forces. In his homily, parish priest Fr Edward ODonnell paid tribute to Mr Fitzpatrick. Jims life was long and well lived and filled with many blessings, he said. Blessings which were never taken for granted. As a result, they were shared generously with many others. Commandant Claire Mortimer (left) Aide De Camp representing the Taoiseach talking to Jim Fitzpatricks son Dominic at his funeral (Liam McBurney/PA) The cleric highlighted how as a young man Mr Fitzpatrick had considered joining the priesthood only to have second thoughts and embark on his professional career as a lawyer. Some might say that this was the churchs loss, said Fr ODonnell. But they would be mistaken because it was in fact the churchs gain. The church gained an exemplary lay person who with conviction and consistency witnessed to his Christian faith as a husband and father, as a professional man and as somebody who involved himself deeply in the cultural and civic life of our society, acutely aware of the importance of ecumenical outreach. Mr Fitzpatricks tenure at the helm of Northern Irelands only nationalist daily coincided with some of the worst years of the Troubles. The coffin of Jim Fitzpatrick is carried from St Brigids Church (Liam McBurney/PA) A man of deep Catholic faith and passionate supporter of the peace process, his staunch repudiation of the regions violent conflict often put him at odds with the republican movement, most notably in 1982 when he banned IRA references in death notices in the paper. The father of eight, whose wife Alice died in 2013, was a fixture in the Irish News offices into his 90s, retaining a keen interest in the family-run institution. Born in 1929, Mr Fitzpatricks early childhood was spent in Belfast before his family moved to rural Co Down during the Second World War. He was educated in a boarding school in Limerick and studied law at university in Galway. Mr Fitzpatrick began his working life as a solicitor, practising in his father Jamess firm in Belfast. James snr was a director at the Irish News, which was then owned by the McSparran family from Co Antrim. He inherited his fathers passion for journalism and started becoming more involved in the newspaper trade himself during the turbulent years of the late 1960s. Mourners leaving the funeral of Jim Fitzpatrick (Liam McBurney/PA) In 1969, he was also appointed an Irish News director, the same year as the Troubles began. Soon after he took a journalism course and began to write for the paper. The 1980s would see him become managing editor and then chairman of the title. While the ownership arrangements of other local dailies changed several times in the decades since, the Fitzpatrick familys stewardship of the Irish News remained a constant, as it solidified its reputation as one of the leading outlets on the island of Ireland. At the weekend, Taoiseach Mr Martin described Mr Fitzpatrick as a true gentleman. In his decades-long stewardship of the Irish News, he was a profoundly important advocate for an end to violence in the North, he said. His role in the earliest days of the embryonic peace process is not widely known, but it was crucial. Boris Johnson has announced the launch of the coronavirus public inquiry and set out its terms of reference, days after bereaved families warned they could take legal action against the Government over delays. The UK inquiry into Covid-19 is now formally established and able to begin its important work, the Prime Minister said in a written statement on Tuesday. The Inquiry will examine, consider and report on preparations and the response to the pandemic in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, up to and including the Inquirys formal setting-up date, 28 June 2022. However it is pitiful that after six months of inexplicable delays, the Government has finally decided to act just two days after we announced that we were considering a judicial review over their time wasting. 2/5 Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK (@CovidJusticeUK) June 28, 2022 It comes more than six months after Mr Johnson appointed Baroness Hallett to chair the probe in December 2021, and after he previously said the inquiry would start in spring this year. On Sunday, the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group threatened to bring a judicial review over the failure to provide a setting up date for the inquiry into the Governments handling of the pandemic. Following Tuesdays launch, the campaigns spokesperson Hannah Brady said: Finally we can begin the process of learning lessons from the awful suffering weve endured However it is pitiful that after six months of inexplicable delays, the Government has finally decided to act just two days after we announced that we were considering a judicial review over their time wasting. Im relieved that the COVID enquiry will finally begin and the PM has accepted the Chairs ToR in full, including reporting in a timely manner. Labour have been calling for this for months with @CovidJusticeUK 1/2https://t.co/hKq8Xou6P1 Fleur Anderson MP (@PutneyFleur) June 28, 2022 It goes to show that they were simply delaying the process for as long as they could get away with, and there are going to have to be serious consequences if valuable evidence has been lost as a result. Baroness Hallett is now going to have to get the process moving as quickly as possible so that lessons can be learned ahead of future waves. Mr Johnson said he accepted Baroness Halletts changes to the Governments draft terms of reference for the inquiry in full, and proposed to appoint two additional panel members in the coming months so that the probe has access to the full range of expertise needed. The inquirys aims include to consider any disparities in the impact of Covid on different categories of people, consider the experiences of bereaved families, highlight where lessons from the pandemic may be applicable to other civil emergencies, and to produce any recommendations in a timely manner. Baroness Hallett said: I am pleased to see all of my recommendations accepted by the Prime Minister and included in the final Terms of Reference. The Terms of Reference set the broad outline of the Inquiry. My team and I are ready to begin the Inquirys work at speed and in earnest. The Inquiry will be run independently, fairly and openly, and those who have suffered significantly during the pandemic will be at the heart of the Inquirys work. Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, chair of the all party parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: While we welcome that the Inquiry and now the Prime Minister have accepted important recommendations made by our APPG including the use international comparisons and the inclusion of Long Covid, the omission of one vital element risks damaging public trust in the entire process. With one of the highest death tolls and deepest recessions, with repeated mistakes and millions in contracts unlawfully awarded, the Inquiry must publish interim findings before the next general election to ensure lessons are learned and those responsible are held to account. The Royal College of Nursing said the probe must ensure nursing staff are never again left so unprotected after many died during the pandemic. RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said: The guidance was confusing. The testing was inadequate. The PPE was missing or poor. The consequences were fatal. Nursing staff were let down by ministers throughout the pandemic. The RCN will seek to represent justice to everybodys experience these last two years. Labour MP Fleur Anderson tweeted: It has taken far too long to get to this stage and the delay has been a clear attempt to avoid scrutiny of the Prime Ministers failings before the next General Election. Oral hearings must start soon, and interim reports published in this Parliament. Boris Johnsons bid to effectively tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first Commons hurdle, with no Tory MPs voting against it despite warnings the plans are illegal. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. Voting lists showed that dozens of Conservative MPs abstained, joining former prime minister Theresa May, who made clear she would not support the legislation as she warned it would diminish the UKs global standing and delivered a withering assessment of its legality and impact. Following the result, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted the Bill, which gives ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, provides practical solutions to problems caused by the Protocol and protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. While a negotiated outcome remains our preference the EU must accept changes to the Protocol itself, she added. The Prime Minister earlier claimed the proposed legislation could be carried out fairly rapidly, with the proposals in law by the end of the year. The Government is aiming to fast-track the Bill through the Commons before Parliaments summer recess. However, some MPs who opted not to block it at second reading appear likely to seek amendments, and the House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the Bill has a strong legal justification (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The European Union has also launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the Governments move. Mr Johnsons Government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany. You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really arent working in a way that they like or understand, youve got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Former prime minister Theresa May (Andy Buchanan/PA) All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market. Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Mr Johnson said: Yes, I think we could do it very fast, Parliament willing. He said it would be even better if we could get some of that flexibility we need in our conversations with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president. The Prime Minister added: We remain optimistic. Ms Truss attempted to downplay concerns of MPs by saying the Bill has a strong legal justification and the UK remains committed to seeking a negotiated solution. But leading the criticism from the Tory benches, Mrs May told the Commons: The UKs standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions. As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. The UK has said its unilateral approach is the only option left to resolve the issues baked in to the Northern Ireland Protocol (Jonathan Brady/PA) I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it. Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith also said: I fear that this Bill is a kind of displacement activity from the core task of doing whatever we can to negotiate a better protocol deal for Northern Ireland. I also fear that it risks creating an impression to unionism that a black-and-white solution is available, when the reality is once this Bill has been dragged through the Lords, and courts, and EU responses and reprisals, compromise will ultimately be needed. But Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said there is necessity for the Government to act because there is a growing and real threat. On Tuesday Chris Philp, the minister for technology and the digital economy, rejected the concerns raised by Mrs May and others. He told Times Radio: If entering into a treaty yourself at the beginning automatically meant you contributed to the problem, then you would never be able to invoke this clause to change a treaty, a set of treaty obligations. I think it quite clearly is necessary. Weve the powersharing agreement which is broken down, trade across the Irish Sea is being adversely impacted by this. The protocol was supposed to respect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which it is not doing. Unionist opposition to the imposition of checks has seen the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuse to return to the powersharing Executive at Stormont, leaving the region without a functioning government. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson acknowledged the Bill is not perfect but said: It empowers ministers to make change where change is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the UK internal market. Sir Jeffrey, ahead of the debate, also warned the Lords that blocking the legislation would be akin to wrecking the Good Friday Agreement. A Number 10 spokesman said on Monday that the Government had never put a hard target date on when it would hope to see the Bill enacted. SOFIA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has announced Tuesday that his country has decided to expel 70 Russian diplomats as special services have identified the diplomats as people who work against Bulgaria's interests. The prime minister submitted the resignation of his coalition government to the National Assembly on Monday, after it was ousted in a no-confidence motion. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on its website that the 70 Russians should leave the country by midnight on July 3. The Russians had carried out activities "incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the ministry said. At a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, on Tuesday, the ministry said that the number of staff at the Russian missions in Bulgaria should not exceed the number of staff at the Bulgarian missions in Russia. This should be no more than 23 diplomats and 25 administrative and technical staff, it said. Korneliya Ninova, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), said that "the decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats is an unprecedented act in Bulgarian diplomacy that will have long-term consequences." It was not taken by the Council of Ministers, nor by the council of the ruling coalition, Ninova said. "The BSP strongly disagrees with this decision," she underlined. Bulgaria expelled 12 Russian diplomats in March and one in April. China's industrial firms saw profits decline at a slower pace in May, as logistics and supply chains gradually improved amid recovery. The country's industrial profits fell 6.5 percent year on year last month, retreating 2 percentage points from April, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday. In the first five months of 2022, the industrial firms saw their profits increase by 1 percent year on year to 3.44 trillion yuan ($514 billion), according to NBS. As COVID-19 restrictions were gradually lifted and companies resumed work and production, the decline of profits among industrial companies in the Yangtze River Delta and northeast regions were significantly narrower than the previous month.The decline of industrial firms' profits across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Jilin and Liaoning narrowed by more than 20 percentage points from the previous month, said Zhu Hong, an NBS senior statistician. China's northeastern Jilin Province and eastern Yangtze River Delta, where Shanghai is located, have implemented different degrees of closed-off management to contain a new wave of COVID-19 since March. Jilin Province started to phase out closed-off management in late April. Shanghai has gradually restored the normal order of production and life across the city with routine COVID-19 prevention and control measures since June 1. Profits improved in the consumer goods industry with the gradual recovery of market demand and the launch of favorable policies to boost consumption. Profits in the wine and beverage sector jumped 21.1 percent year on year in May, while food manufacturing industries grew by 7.7 percent. Zhu cautioned that cost pressures continue to weigh on enterprises and they are still facing production and operation difficulties. Amid the complex international situation and uncertainties in the recovery of industrial enterprises' efficiency, it's necessary for China to implement the package of policies and measures introduced to stabilize the industrial economy, Zhu added. China has unveiled a detailed policy package that aims to stabilize the economy in May. The package covers six areas, including fiscal, consumption and supply chain, with a total of 33 measures. (CGTN) Marysville, CA (95901) Today Clear to partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. An employee is seen at the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania, on June 28, 2022. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) BUCHAREST, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania. "It is a historic moment for the Romanian energy industry...It is the first new natural gas exploitation project in the Romanian Black Sea area in the last 30 years, and the first quantities of gas have already been introduced into the domestic market this month," the prime minister told the opening ceremony for the natural gas production under the Midia natural gas development project. "Romania is thus taking a decisive step in guaranteeing energy security," he said, adding that this project will generate 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year and will help the country to cover 90 percent of its consumption needs. The Midia project consists of five producing wells some 120 km offshore Romania, where the water depths are of 70 meters. When fully put into production, the project can provide 10 percent of the national gas demand. Romania passed the Offshore Bill in mid-May to boost years shelved gas and oil exploration and production in the Black Sea. Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows gas pipelines at the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) An employee is seen at the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania, on June 28, 2022. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca (2nd L) attends the opening ceremony for the natural gas production under the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania, on June 28, 2022. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) An employee is seen at the site of the Midia natural gas development project in Vadu village on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania, on June 28, 2022. The start of gas production in the Romanian Black Sea is a historic moment, contributing to the country's efforts to achieve 90 percent self-sufficiency in natural gas supply, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in Vadu village. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The next meeting of the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process will take place on July 1st in Vienna, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The last meeting of the special envoys took place on May 3. They reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization between their respective countries through this process. They reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions. YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Tunisia to Armenia Tarek Ben Salem (residence in Moscow, Russia) presented his credentials today to President Vahagn Khachaturyan, the Presidential Office said. The Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador, wishing success in his diplomatic mission. The President and the Ambassador exchanged ideas about the cooperation agenda between the two countries. They highlighted expanding the mutual partnership particularly in tourism and culture sectors. Evangelist Will Graham Shares 'the God of Second Chances' in Fredericksburg Rappahannock Area Celebration featured music by award-winning artists, special event for children NEWS PROVIDED BY Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) June 27, 2022 FREDERICKSBURG, Va., June 27, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- A total of 5,195 people attended the one-day Rappahannock Area Celebration with Will Graham in Fredericksburg on Saturday, June 25. Volunteers representing more than 170 churches and 41 denominations across the region participated in the evangelistic outreach, which was held at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. "Are you looking for a second chance in life? You can get a second chance tonight. Our God is the God of second chances," said Will Graham during his evening message, sharing the Old Testament story of King Manasseh of Judah--a wicked ruler who repented and was returned to the throne by God. "Jesus can change your life. He can forgive your sin and restore you." More than 250 responded to the invitation to make a decision for Jesus during the event, and will be followed up with by local churches. Along with the message from Graham, the Rappahannock Area Celebration featured a free concert with music by award-winning Christian artists Newsboys, Rend Collective and Aaron Shust. On Saturday morning, a special event for children, KidzFest, was held. The program included music by Go Fish, an interactive cartoon called The Quest, and a short message from Graham, followed by bounce houses, face painting and games. "We believe that the hand of God has been on this whole preparation - from the timing of the pandemic, even to the delay of the event until this year - which led us to a place of much more desperate status in the body of Christ. The pastors and the churches were more willing to really engage," said Dr. Steve Mandell, who gave leadership to the local committee organizing the event. "We believe that this is a catalyst going forward to move through the churches and bring the churches together for God's purposes, in unity and commonality. The unity will really dictate the evangelism going forward for our community." The Rappahannock Area Celebration in Fredericksburg came on the heels of a multi-city outreach that Graham held on the island state of Tasmania, Australia, in May. More than 5,400 attended the Tasmania Celebration, with 616 registering a decision for Christ. In July, Graham will travel to South Dakota to preach the Gospel on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Rosebud Indian Reservation. About Will Graham Will is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). He is the grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham. He also serves as vice president of the BGEA, and as executive director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. Follow Will on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. SOURCE Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) CONTACT: Erik Ogren, 704-577-2109, eogren@bgea.org Related Links bgea.org Share Tweet India 'can provide for every new technology can make that technology affordable for the whole world', said the PM New Delhi: Exhorting the G-7 countries to invest in research, innovation, and manufacturing in the huge market for clean energy technologies that is emerging in India, Prime Minster Narendra Modi said India can provide for every new technology can make that technology affordable for the whole world. He was speaking Monday as a special invitee at the session Investing in a Better Future: Climate, Energy, Health during the G-7 summit that took place at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, near Munich in Germany. All of you will also agree with this that energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only -- a poor family also has the same rights on energy. And today when energy costs are sky-high due to geopolitical tensions, it is more important to remember this thing, Mr Modi told the G-7 leaders, in an obvious reference to the Ukraine crisis. When a large country like India shows such ambition, other developing countries also get inspiration. We hope the rich countries of G-7 will support Indias efforts G-7 countries can help India to take these innovations to other developing countries, he further said. Germany now holds the presidency of the G-7 grouping that comprises seven nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States. The G-7 comprises seven of the worlds largest advanced economies, and the European Union, but the G-7 host nation can invite leaders of other nations as guests. India is not a member of the group. Pointing to Indias performance on the clean energy front, Mr Modi said: We have achieved the target of 40 per cent energy-capacity from non-fossil sources nine years before time. The target of 10 per cent ethanol-blending in petrol has been achieved five months before time. India has the worlds first fully solar power operated airport. Indias huge railway system will become net zero (emission) in this decade. He added: Unfortunately, it is believed there is a fundamental collision between the worlds development goals and environmental protection. There is also another misconception that poor countries and poor people cause more damage to the environment By taking inspiration from this principle, we delivered LED bulbs and clean cooking gas door-to-door in India and showed that millions of tons of carbon emissions can be saved while ensuring energy for the poor. Ancient India has seen a time of immense prosperity; then we have also tolerated the centuries of slavery, and now independent India is the fastest-growing big economy in the whole world. But during this whole period, India did not let its commitment to the environment get diluted even a single bit. 17 per cent of the worlds population resides in India. But our contribution of global carbon emissions is only five per cent. The main reason behind this is our lifestyle, which is based on the theory of co-existence with nature, Mr Modi told the G-7 leaders. He added: I called for a movement called LiFE -- Lifestyle for Environment -- in Glasgow last year. This year, on World Environment Day, we launched the Global Initiative for LiFE campaign. The goal of this campaign is to encourage an eco-friendly lifestyle. Today's headlines: Tensions between China and Tuvalu over the South Pacific nation's relationship with Taiwan; Covid-19: Chinese companies will have to pay ,500 for each North Korean worker quarantined; Philippines: final appeals against President-elect Marcos Jr. dismissed; In Sri Lanka banned sale of fuel to "non-essential" vehicles; In Russian-controlled Mariupol, the population is forced to hunt pigeons for food; Azerbaijan begins demining in recaptured Karabakh. IRAN Tehran yesterday applied to join the emerging Brics group of countries -Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. However, Delhi has been skeptical of enlargement in a forum largely dominated by Beijing. TUVALU-TAIWAN-CHINA Tuvalu's foreign minister yesterday withdrew his country from the UN Conference on Oceans in Lisbon. Simon Kofe made the decision in protest after China blocked three Taiwanese representatives accredited in the small island state's South Pacific delegation from attending the event. CHINA-NORTH KOREA Chinese companies on the border with North Korea are protesting that they will have to pay $ 1,500 for each North Korean worker quarantined because of Covid-19. The measure was decided by the Chinese government after several cases were discovered among the North Korean community in the border city of Dandong. PHILIPPINES The Philippine Supreme Court today dismissed petitions seeking the disqualification of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Winner last month of elections, the new head of state will take office on June 30. SRI LANKA The Colombo government has suspended the sale of fuel for "non-essential" vehicles. The measure will be in effect for two weeks while the country is in the grip of a harsh economic crisis. Only buses, trains, health service cars and food transport vehicles will be allowed to be refueled during the period. UKRAINE-RUSSIA The situation in Mariupol is becoming increasingly critical, where a real humanitarian catastrophe is taking place, as reported by journalist Denis Kazansky on his Telegram channel, where he shows pigeon hunting done by local citizens with special traps. They feed only on such prey due to the almost total absence of food. AZERBAIJIAN Azerbaijani President Aliev described the ongoing work in Karabakh as "one of the most difficult and ambitious restoration and reconstruction projects." Authorities are currently engaged in clearing land from mines, which Baku says Armenians have allegedly laid "more than one million, causing the deaths of more than 200 Azerbaijani citizens after the end of the conflict. by Mathias Hariyadi The attorney general accuses Garuda Indonesias former CEO of buying jets at inflated prices. Meanwhile, a commercial court approves the company's restructuring plans. The government says the airliner has halved debts and has plans to ensure profitability. Jakarta (AsiaNews) The former CEO of Garuda Indonesia, the countrys international airline, and one of his business partners have been accused of bribery over alleged irregularities in the purchase of Bombardier and ATR aircrafts, Indonesias Attorney General announced. Meanwhile, In Jakarta, a Commercial Court accepted the companys restructuring plan, which will cause creditors to lose billions of dollars. Emirsyah Satar, chief executive officer of Garuda Indonesia from 2005 to 2014, had already been convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 in for bribery and money laundering in connection with the purchase of aircrafts from Airbus and engines from Rolls-Royce. Together with his partner Soetikno Soedarjo, CEO of the Mugi holding Rekso Abadi, Satar bought 23 Bombardier CRJ-100 and ATR 72-600 between 2011 and 2021 at inflated prices, causing losses of 8.8 trillion Indonesian rupiahs (US$ 595 million). This huge money loss was caused by rampant corruption in our national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia," said Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin at a news conference. The US Justice Department and the UK's Serious Fraud Office are also investigating suspected bribery related to the sale of jets by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier to Garuda between 2011 and 2012. The government also announced that the state-owned company would undergo a third restructuring, halving its debt and making major cuts to ensure its profitability. The company turned to financial investors and foreign airlines to increase its capital, Kartika Wirjoatmojo, deputy minister of state-owned enterprises, told reporters. Under court supervision, Garuda also renegotiated the terms of the aircraft orders and leasing contracts. Garuda was rarely profitable, because of its low fleet utilisation and high lease costs," the deputy minister said. However, With an efficient fleet, optimised domestic routes and reduced lease rates, Garuda can make a profit". Still, the company expects major challenges ahead related to soaring fuel prices. At the end of 2021, a Commercial Court accepted a creditor's bankruptcy petition allowing Garuda Indonesia to go into a formal court-supervised restructuring process. However, as recently as last week, two creditors continued to object to the restructuring plan put forward by Garuda's administrators. by Vladimir Rozanskij They come from the poorest provinces of the country. They have no source of livelihood other than conscription and war. The families of the fallen avoid talking about the conflict. They send thugs and stragglers to fight. Moscow (AsiaNews) - As now documented by various sources, despite the lack of official statistics and information, the vast majority of soldiers serving in Russia's occupation armies in Ukraine are of non-Russian ethnic background, but mainly Caucasian or Asian. A report by Sibir.Realii documents the conditions of the families of these "obliged" soldiers, who have no other source of livelihood besides conscription and war. In the small town of Borzja, in the Siberian Zabajkal region, the "Avenue of Heroes" was set up a few days ago in the center of the local cemetery, with plastic wreaths to honor the many fallen soldiers of the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Borzja's nearly 30,000 residents depend almost entirely on the local military district (No. 06795). The soldiers and officers in this sector have all been sent to Ukraine, and many return in the infamous "Cargo 200," the transport of casualties in the old Soviet code. Meanwhile, their wives and mothers are engaged in another war, the one called "kommunalnaja," for obtaining social and housing services, especially when the death of their spouse in military actions is not officially recognized. Almost all local families depend on the Armed Forces because it is difficult to find another job here. As early as January, Borzja's soldiers were used in "exercises in Belarus," only to be poured into the Ukrainian invasion as the first cannon fodder. Now there are also plans to erect a memorial "for the end of the special operation" in the foundations of Heroes' Avenue, as the editor-in-chief of local newspaper Daurskaja Nov, Nadezda Afanaseva, explains. Meanwhile, dozens of other pits are being preemptively dug. The "official" heroes are marked with their names, and so far there are only six: Denis Frolov, Anatolij Kustov, Roman Ermilov, Vasilij Lopatin, Sergei Bronnikov, and Sergei Tsarkov, those most obviously "Russian." However, the locals count many dozens of dead sent with Cargo 200. The fact is that when the truck-catafalque arrives with the bodies of the fallen soldiers, one often cannot even get close to the coffins; at the funeral the whole town gathers, because "someone had to go and fight the Nazis," as one local resident puts it. Some are buried without names, others in marginal areas, often without the comfort of relatives. The citizens of Borzja do not like to talk about the war, especially with outsiders and journalists from afar. According to local deputy Aleksandr Alekseenko, "better not to talk about it even in the family," he himself has been fined for "discrediting the Armed Forces" for a few careless words escaped in private conversations. "With us now it can happen that someone wants to take out his boss or a competitor for some post, so you talk over a cup of coffee and then report it to those in charge. You're still okay if they just fine you or take you out of office, and they don't send you to hard labor." Aleksandr had said while talking to colleagues that he had heard that Ukrainians consider Russian soldiers to be occupiers, incidentally not because he had read it on the Internet, but from a missive sent by a Ukrainian relative. His friend and colleague Sergej, who has a son at the front, started accusing him of calling Russian soldiers as occupiers, and that seemed to be the end of it, until he was called to the prosecutor's office and brought to trial. The verdict was fortunately mild, only 45,000 rubles fine (about 800 euros), still over a month's salary. Life in Borzja has become nervous and dangerous, other residents recount. There is constant vandalism, lamps and benches are broken in the streets, and there are no longer soldiers to appease the rowdier youths, because they are almost all in Ukraine. After all, Kirill recounts, "it's not like it was much better with the soldiers: they collect thugs and stragglers for the army here, and they themselves carry out street violence and abuse of various kinds." Kirill is a musician in a local rock band, but nowadays he struggles to find bandmates to play music and young people to go to concerts, except for a few drunks who start smashing everything at the first few notes. War is destroying Ukraine, but it does not fail to ruin life in Siberia as well. by Nirmala Carvalho The archbishop of Bangalore and other Christian groups filed a plea, accepted by the Supreme Court, noting that in May alone, 57 attacks were reported on places of worship and other Church-related facilities. The government machinery [. . .] can control the fringe elements, Archbishop Peter Machado told AsiaNews. New Delhi (AsiaNews) The Supreme Court of India on 11 July will examine a plea to stop hate speech against the Christian community and attacks on their places of worship. The request, presented by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore together with the National Solidarity Forum and the Evangelical Fellowship of India, will be examined by Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala. In May, 57 cases of violence happened and more attacks are anticipated," said Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, on behalf of the petitioners, as he called for an urgent hearing. It is unfortunate if what he (lawyer Colin Gonsalves) is saying is right but we can't say more on the merit of the plea. List for hearing on July 11, the Supreme Court said. The plea mentions sinister phenomena of violence" and targeted hate speech against the countrys Christian community by vigilante groups and members of right-wing nationalist organisations. It further alleges that the central and state governments have not taken immediate and necessary action against groups engaged in widespread violence, including attacks on Christian places of worship and other facilities run by Christians. The appeal was filed by our legal team, said Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore speaking to AsiaNews. We still have hope in the government machinery. They can control the fringe elements, he added. And more than anything we have immense hope in the judiciary, which has stood by the rights of minorities and the harassed. Best Men's Linen Shirts (and How to Wear Them) Let's Talk Linen: Where to Buy It & How to Wear It The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Product photos from retailer site. Linen fabric has long been a durable, dependable summer-friendly fabric made from the flax plant. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: Flax is one of the oldest textile fibers used by humans; evidence of its use has been found in Switzerlands prehistoric lake dwellings. Fine linen fabrics have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. RELATED: Best Short Shorts for Men Thanks to its ability to conduct heat well by absorbing and releasing moisture quickly, garments and fabrics made from linen feel cooler in warmer months, making them the ideal option for men looking to elevate their style above the ofttimes chosen cotton t-shirt. This is why come summertime, you'll see linen pants, a blazer, a jacket, and even a full on linen suit - the breathability of pure linen natural fiber makes linen shirts a classic menswear staple for the warm weather wardrobe. Whether it be for a special occasion, that extra hot summer day, or even everyday wear, there seems to only be one real drawback of natural fabric texture Wrinkles. It's time you forget what youve been told about the fiber from flax you know as linen. Times have changed, and it's time to appreciate the very look and nature of the loosely woven classic fabric. The wrinkles of linen are actually what make it great. When someone wears the flowy fabric, its showing an ease a comfort in wearing a fabric that couldnt be too formal if it tried. Sure, suits and dress shirts can be found frequently made from linen, but its inherent qualities keep it apart from a tightly woven super 150s wool-silk or a 100% Egyptian cotton broadcloth. Simply put: embrace the wrinkle. How to Wear Linen Men's Shirts Introducing a linen shirt into your wardrobe warm weather wardrobe, everyday wear, or somewhere in between might seem intimidating. If you are used to swapping out your button front shirts for a simple polo style, then you can easily grab one of these and wear it just about the same way. Do: Wear it untucked, with casual jeans, chinos, or shorts whenever you feel the need to be cool - both literally and figuratively. Wear it untucked, with casual jeans, chinos, or shorts whenever you feel the need to be cool - both literally and figuratively. Dont: Take it too seriously. Relax. There is a common misconception that linen is an unforgiving luxury fabric that needs to be reserved for a special occasion. That is simply not true. Linen can be washed and dried just like all of your other clothes (although always read washing instructions) so it should be worn like all your other clothes. Take it too seriously. Relax. There is a common misconception that linen is an unforgiving luxury fabric that needs to be reserved for a special occasion. That is simply not true. Linen can be washed and dried just like all of your other clothes (although always read washing instructions) so it should be worn like all your other clothes. Do: Consider wearing it into the fall. Much like linen sheets (we are a big fan), linen clothing is actually great to incorporate into your cold weather wardrobe as well. Its a sturdy fabric that can actually help regulate temperature all year long, not just during the hot summer days. Consider wearing it into the fall. Much like linen sheets (we are a big fan), linen clothing is actually great to incorporate into your cold weather wardrobe as well. Its a sturdy fabric that can actually help regulate temperature all year long, not just during the hot summer days. Dont: Overthink it. Pick a style that you think you would wear and then go for it. The nature of this style is to be lightweight and airy, so dont go for anything too slim fit. Fabric does stretch out a bit over time, but you should still aim to buy the size that fits you naturally. If you want to feel safe, grab a solid option and ease into the stye. If youre looking to dive into the deep end of this trend, go for a bold floral print that will surely get you noticed. If you are feeling somewhere in between, dont worry, there are plenty of options for you guys too. Weve picked out 11 men's linen shirts that we think that you should take a serious look at for the warm temperatures that remain. Best Overall Linen Shirt UNTUCKit Wrinkle-Resistant Linen Vin Santo Shirt UNTUCKit This is the linen shirt for the modern man. Featuring UNTUCKit's signature untucked design and wrinkle-resistant linen fabric, this is how linen is done these days. This shirt works with just about anything, for less than $100, hence why its our pick for one of the best linen shirts for men. $99 at UNTUCKit.com Best Relaxed Linen Shirt Tommy Bahama Sea Glass Breezer Linen Shirt Youd swear this Tommy Bahama shirt was a washed Oxford with a cutaway collar at first glance, but look again. It's linen all the way. Keep this tucked or leave it untucked with dark jeans, light chinos - even throw it on with a pair of white linen pants and get into full on vacay mode. $110 at TommyBahama.com Best Short Sleeve Linen Shirt Amazon Essentials Short Sleeve Linen Shirt Swap this short sleeve linen shirt from Amazon for your go-to polo or T-shirt when you want to up the sophistication factor while remaining cool and comfortable. This style works well with light denim, chinos of just about any color and of course, your best summer shorts. From $24.10 at Amazon.com Best Linen Shirt on a Budget 28 Palms Relaxed-Fit Long-Sleeve Linen Shirt Starting at under $10, available in over 10 colors, and ranging in sizes from XS to XXL, this shirt from 28 Palms should satisfy just about anyone looking for a linen button down shirt on a budget. We suggest wearing it open on the beach, but you can wear it closed with jeans or board shorts away from the water as well. $55 at Amazon.com Best Loose-Fitting Linen Shirt Everlane Linen Standard Fit Shirt The woven stripe may be subtle on this Everlane shirt, but less can certainly be more when it comes to linen. We suggest you wear this untucked with just about anything. Not sure if you like this incredibly neutral and natural color well enough to drop the way below retail price? Youre in luck, over half the colors available are on sale, for even less. $80 at Everlane.com Best Linen Dress Shirt Polo Ralph Lauren Custom Fit Linen Shirt If you absolutely have to dress up the perennially casual fabric, why not do so with a brand that knows how to dress up better than just about anyone? This bold button-down shirt from Polo Ralph Lauren looks great under a suit jacket, with a pair of seersucker trousers, tucked into crisp chino shorts basically anything you will end up wearing to a semi-formal event in the warm weather, this shirt is a must. $125 at RalphLauren.com Best Patterned Linen Shirt J.Crew Baird McNutt Irish Linen Shirt Just relax with a bold tie dye design from J.Crew. It may stand out from those other button down numbers you have hanging in your closet, but don't let that intimidate you. Throw this on over a t-shirt and wear it with shorts or casual pants for an easy, lightweight summer layer. $59.99 at JCrew.com Best Casual Linen Shirt Abercrombie Linen Button-Up Shirt Abercrombie Comfortable button-up shirts have become a wardrobe must, so why not add one like this from Abercrombie to your rotation? It's designed to be the most casual iteration of the summer style staple. The flat hem along the bottom of this blue-hued linen-blend makes it an untucked-only and the relaxed fit means you cant get too stuffy and buttoned up. $70 at Abercombie.com Best Linen Camp Collar Shirt Dandy Del Mar The Tonga Linen Shirt If you really want to nail the camp collar trend, go with one with a seriously summer print. Not your everyday white linen shirt, this is the summer shirt you'll want to make your signature casual look for every spontaneous backyard BBQ, while at the same time, thrown in your bag for all day trips to the beach. If youre looking to add extra flare, grab a straw boater hat and your best huarache sandals and go enjoy the hot, humid summer nights. $119 at DandyDelMar.com Best Linen Henley Bonobos Short Sleeve Linen Henley Not your basic boring white tee which has its time and place and not that stuffy long sleeve business you might not be too keen on wearing with any regularity, this henley from Bonobos is both stylish and sophisticated. Wear it with the usual jeans or shorts, or go bold with white denim, contrasting trousers or even a seven inch corduroy short to really amp up the retro feel. This is so stylish, it even works under a jacket. $98 at Bonobos.com Linen seems to be everywhere lately, so these mens linen shirts are just the tip of the iceberg on the subject. If these dont strike your flax-fiber fancy, use them as a jumping off point to let you know whats trending and stylish and make a note as to where to start when adding one to your warm weather wardrobe or add them to your everyday wear rotation. Youll be ready for the yacht in no time. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Share This: Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) together celebrated the $51.6 million expansion project for a new Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) at a recent groundbreaking ceremony in Superior Township, MI. The ceremony highlighted the benefits of the new safety laboratory and included remarks from Jose Munoz, president and COO, Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO, Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America. Brian Latouf, chief safety officer, Hyundai Motor North America; and John Robb, president, HATCI; as well as local and government officials including U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-MI, and Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II also participated in the event. The STIL is planned to be operational in the fall of 2023 and will be supported by 160 employees. "Safety is the top priority at Hyundai and is embedded throughout the entire organization," said Munoz. "We excel in third-party crash testing and ratings, and we strive to be a leader in equipping our vehicles with the latest safety features. The new laboratory will enable us to even more effectively protect our customers and enhance our world-class safety organization." The new facility will further augment Hyundai's existing safety testing and analysis. It will feature a field crash investigation lab, high voltage battery lab, forensics lab, 500m track and a Vehicle Dynamics Area pad. IBI Group and BCCG have been selected for the architectural design and construction of the building expansion. The investment is focused on enhancing Hyundai's safety commitment in identifying vehicle field issues, preventing crashes and keeping passengers safe. "This investment by Hyundai is critically important not only to Southeast Michigan, but to... EV kWh The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 was set to be revealed this month, and it is the company's second Ioniq-branded. You can see it as the Ioniq 5's brother, and it is set to be on sale in the U.S. in the first half of next year. We do not have pricing information yet, but hold your horses, the Ioniq 6 has not been officially revealed yet.It is close to a Tesla Model 3 when size, shape, and specs are concerned, so expect something similar from a pricing perspective. Do not quote us on that just yet, though.The Ioniq 6 builds on the E-GMP platform of the South Korean industrial conglomerate, while its design reminds us of the Prophecy concept that Hyundai showed back in 2020.In many ways, this is Hyundai 's version of the Kia EV6, but, as you can see, it looks like they do not share body components, which is an interesting choice on behalf of the company.Instead of rebadging models to save money, Hyundai and Kia have gone wild from a design perspective with their EVs, which share a platform, along with key specifications, but have different styling directions.In a way, it is brilliant, because each brand gets to express its personality, while customers have a broader range of choices from a styling perspective, all without missing out on the latest 800-volt technology Hyundai has not announced anything regarding powertrains, but it would be fair to expect them to be carried over from the Ioniq 5.In other words, the base model might come with a rear-wheel-drive configuration, 225 horsepower, 258 lb.-ft., and a 58-or a 77.4-kWh battery. The all-wheel-drive model will come with the 77.4-kWh battery as standard, while its two-motor setup should bring a total output of 320 horsepower and 446 lb.-ft. of torque.The latest EV from Hyundai comes with a drag coefficient of 0.21, which is the same as Tesla's Model 3. The interior resembles the one found on the Ioniq 5 but is scaled to a four-door coupe body. It might not be the prettiest new car out there, but it is not exactly ugly, either. It is just a bit awkward, though.The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is placed between the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 regarding wheelbase, as it has 116.1 inches (ca. 295 cm) between its axles. That is two inches more than the EV6, but two inches less than the Ioniq 5 On the inside, the driver will have a 12-inch display for the gauge cluster, and a 12-inch touchscreen for the multimedia unit. While other markets will be able to have rearview cameras instead of side-view mirrors, U.S. models will not get those.The sleek-looking Hyundai was inspired by some of the first aerodynamic vehicles of the late 1930s, as well as the 1947 Saab 92, as SangYup Lee, Hyundai's head of global design, explained to the folks over at MotorTrend (the story was taken down), who were unfortunate enough to drop the ball on the story before the embargo for the Ioniq 6 was over. In February this year, word got out that Oceanco, a Netherlands-based shipbuilder commissioned with building Jeff Bezos $500 million sail-assisted megayacht , had been granted the permit to temporarily dismantle the historic bridge Koningshaven in Rotterdam. The shipyard is located in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam so, for Y721 or Project 721, as Bezos vessel is codenamed, to make its way for sea trials, it would have to go through the canals.The problem is that Y721 has 70-meter (230-foot) masts, but the bridge only offers 40 meters (131 feet) of clearance. Koningshaven Bridge, affectionately called by locals De Hef, has been dismantled before and, more importantly, bombed by the Nazis in WWII. After it was rebuilt, it became a historic landmark and a symbol for the city, so whatever attempt at its integrity is bound to meet with animosity. Even if its only a temporary thing.Its exactly what happened when word got out that Oceanco wanted to dismantle it for Bezos. As controversy picked up speed, the city authorities said that a request hadnt even been filed with them, let alone approved, suggesting that this was a classic case of a tempest in a teapot: people were overreacting for nothing.Except that its not so.The Financial Times spoke to several people within the city administration and Rotterdam residents and surprise, surprise the application is ongoing. Oceanco did ask the city for permission to tear down the bridge to let the ship pass and then put it back together, mentioning that the backup plan, in case permission is not granted, is to take the hull under the bridge and then assemble the masts once it clears it. Oceanco doesnt say why this option is not Plan A instead of the backup, the publication notes, but it could have to do with prior objections that the operation would add to the costs by requiring another yard where to do it. By comparison, dismantling and putting the bridge back together comes with an additional cost of just 100,000, which is roughly $105,000 at the current exchange rate.Whatever the reason, the city must make a decision on the request this month, because Y721 is to begin sea trials in August. The situation has caused tension among residents and the political class, with the FT highlighting the debate on issues of global inequality and the power of tech billionaires. Put it simply, the mere fact that this giant vessel was commissioned by the worlds second-richest man is getting tempers flaring and discussions going on whether money can or should trump over history and national pride.The issue, though, is not so much Bezos vs. The Bridge as its Oceanco vs. The Bridge. Two sources close to the situation tell the publication that its the shipbuilder that should shoulder most of the blame for the snafu. They mustve relied on a tacit agreement with the city and, because of it, failed to follow due proceedings.It doesnt make sense to start building a $500mn ship with no prior approval, otherwise you have a $500 million problem in your hands, one such insider tells the publication.Y721 is proving to be Oceancos most publicized build to date. The 127-meter (417-foot) long vessel is believed to have been inspired by another Oceanco superyacht, the gorgeous, sail-assisted Black Pearl , which boasts of being the largest in the world of its kind, as well as the greenest. Y721 doesnt have a fancy name yet (this will be up to Bezos, once he takes delivery), but it comes with a reported cost of $500 million, which doesnt include the cost of a matching shadow vessel which is big enough to function as a standalone superyacht. The Nasser Rashid Lootah Building located on Sheikh Zayed Road, in Dubai , is deeply tied to the development of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Built just three years after the foundation of the UAE, it was one of the pioneering residential towers in Dubai. Throughout the decades, it stood tall as one of the main symbols of the city, even when skyscrapers started taking over.In 1981, a new element would make this building even more famous. A huge billboard showcasing the red-and-white Toyota logo started to draw the attention of anyone circulating in the area. So much so, that the tower became informally known as the Toyota Building. According to Khaleej Times , theres no actual Toyota showroom or service center in that particular area, but the logo itself became a landmark for generations.It lasted on top of the old building until 2018, when the advertising contract reportedly expired. But people werent happy about that the Toyota Building had lost its distinctive character. Luckily, this year, things are going back to the way they were. Al Futtaim Automotive, part of the massive Al Futtaim Group with roots going back to the 1940s, is officially bringing back the beloved Toyota logo.The same publication reports that a Toyota Building Photowalk was organized to celebrate the event. Participants were offered free disposable cameras to use throughout an immersive tour of the neighbor, culminating with a stop at the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, proudly flaunting the treasured logo. Even better, the participants with driving license were also able to test drive various Toyotas, including the Land Cruiser and the Corolla.The welcomed reinstallation of the sign marks the launch of the Toyota UAE full-service showroom at Sheikh Zayed Road, claiming to offer an entirely revamped experience. It looks like the Toyota Building will continue its legacy for decades to come. The maneuver , which you can check in the video attached below as seen in Top Gun, calls for pilots to fly really close to the control tower. Its being done with the intent to both scare those in the tower and show off the pilots skills, and even if it probably isnt as dramatic as making people spill their coffee, it probably is pretty uncomfortable for the ones at the receiving end.Buzzing can be done to a variety of targets, though, not only towers, and we sometimes get to experience that at air shows. Pilots probably like to do it on a constant basis during their training too, as clearly demonstrated by the main image of this piece.On the deck of the Air Dominance Center at the Savannah Air National Guard Base in Georgia, several F-22s and some maintenance crews were minding their own business when not that high up an F-15 Eagle , deployed with the 125th Fighter Wing, Florida Air National Guard, comes around, banking hard to the right to make sure everyone feels it passing by.Now, in all honesty, such instances are probably pretty common on an air base, especially during a training exercise (the pic was snapped during exercise Sentry Savannah 22-1 held back in May), but that doesnt make them any less cool to watch (and of course a lot more so to experience first hand). Sentry Savannah saw no less than ten units of fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft go against each other in a simulated near-peer environment to train next generation of fighter pilots for tomorrows fight. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Not knowing the tires are underinflated may lead to poor handling, especially in the event of an evasive maneuver such as the moose test. The possible loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash, and thats a pretty terrible prospect in a vehicle as heavy as the Ford F-150 Lightning Tipping the scales at 6,171 pounds (2,799 kilograms) with the standard-range battery or 6,590 pounds (2,989 kilograms) with the extended-range battery, the zero-emission truck needs an update for the body control module, correcting the alert points of the tire pressure monitoring system.The software update will be available at your local dealership and over the air through Fords Power-Up system. The Ford Motor Company recommends customers to check the tire pressure to ensure that it matches the figures provided on the label affixed to the driver-side front door jamb.This recall doesnt have a campaign number on thewebsite just yet. Approximately 2,900 examples are called back according to the Dearborn-based automaker. Specifically, pickup trucks fitted with 20- or 22-inch all-season tires are called back.To whom it may concern, the work-oriented Pro trim level and retail customer-oriented XLT come with 18-inch rubber boots as standard. The Lariat grade comes with 20s as standard, and the Platinum is rocking 22s.2,666 of the recalled trucks were sold in the United States of America, while the remaining 220 were delivered to Canadian customers. Ford highlights that its not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. According to German authorities, 210,000 diesel vehicles from these two Korean brands would have the issue. The engine software allegedly came from Bosch and Delphi, which now belongs to BorgWarner. If that is confirmed, it would be a different role than that Bosch played at Dieselgate.The German supplier was fined 90 million ($94.7 million at the current exchange rate) for negligence. The software design would have come from automakers, who are also responsible for proving that their vehicles meet emission limits . Bosch would have just failed by allowing it to be installed in its components.Eight Kia and Hyundai properties in Germany and Luxembourg were subject to searches. The goal was to find elements to prove that the Korean brands followed the same strategy Volkswagen adopted to sell diesel vehicles that did not respect emission limits in the U.S. Reuters said the operation was coordinated by the European Union agency Eurojust.If you do not remember Dieselgate , the engine software identified emission testing procedures and immediately adopted a profile that made it respect the legal limits during these tests.When the car was just driving around, the software allowed the diesel engine to follow a different mapping, making the vehicle more engaging to drive but also more polluting. When Volkswagen fixed the cars, multiple owners said they were weaker and burned more diesel than before. Hyundai confirmed the raids and said that it is collaborating with the German and European authorities. Reuters did not mention if the Korean carmaker denied the accusations or not. If it really did not, that is a bad sign for the owners of these 210,000 diesel vehicles. As a navigation software expert, Sygic builds some of the most advanced solutions in this market, even offering capabilities that arent available in the likes of Google Maps and Waze.Earlier this month, the company updated its mobile applications with quite a big change: three of its most advanced features are being moved under the same roof, becoming a part of a newly-created module.More specifically, DashCam, Real View Navigation, and Traffic Sign recognition are now included in the new feature called SmartCam. The UI has therefore been updated to allow users to enable any of them directly from SmartCam, with the experience overall thus becoming a bit simpler and more straightforward.The three features come in extremely handy to drivers out there.Dashcam, for instance, allows the application to record videos whenever it detects a sudden change in speed. It gets its data from the accelerometer sensor in smartphones, so it knows precisely when sudden braking occurs often a sign of a possible collision.Traffic sign recognition does exactly what its name suggests, so when driving with Sygic navigation on the screen, you know precisely what the speed limit is for every section of the road, no matter if the mapping data is fully up-to-date or not.And last but not least, the Real View Navigation uses augmented reality powered by the smartphone camera to display navigation guidance based on real images.Worth knowing, however, is that all three features and the SmartCam module itself can only be accessed with a subscription. In other words, they arent part of the free offering in Sygics mobile navigation solutions, so you must pay for a subscription to use them when getting behind the wheel. If you decide instead to drive as the crow flies, you'll be on your way to Toledo, Ohio. A once-bustling Detroit satellite city where thousands of workers in the American automotive industry once lived. Ladies and gentlemen, the world over, this is Interstate 90. A road that spans 3,021.22 miles (4,862.18 km) across 13 states on a coast-to-coast trajectory. One would think such a creation should be lauded as a masterpiece of transportation logistics. Instead, it's marked by a slew of post-industrial wasteland cities that bring America's poverty crisis into focus.With construction beginning in 1956 and continuing to this day, I-90 was once a titan of a road used to transport goods, materials, and personnel to any one of the countless industrial cities peppered across the Northern U.S. at the arguable peak of its manufacturing might. Be it the potato fields of Idaho, the meatpacking districts of Chicago, the aircraft manufacturers of Buffalo, New York, or the iron mines of Pennsylvania.By the end of the 1950s, all these industrial cities relied heavily on I-90 to bring their goods wherever they might be needed, in a country awash with money and pride. But in 2022, nearly all of these cities along Interstate 90's winding roads have had their industrial sectors gutted and their jobs shipped off to countries elsewhere. The result is that today, I-90 represents something more akin to a trail of tears than a highway to fortune.Suppose one were to set off from the I-90's current eastern terminus near Logan International Airport in Boston and head due west along the Interstate. In that case, they'd be witness to a series of sights so depressing that one could only wonder how so many cities along its route managed to decay to such a state.The first in a line of these burnt-out cities you'd see on this road is laid across the spine of New York State via the western portion of the NY Thruway. With the post-industrial cities of Albany, Utica, Syracuse, and, of course, Buffalo.These cities were once home to some of America's most vital manufacturing sectors in the mid-50s. Now, these four cities represent the first in a line of rusted-out, impoverished, and crime-riddled ex-industrial cities in an area stretching from New York to Iowa called the Rust Belt.In these areas, crime rates, drug use, unemployment, and life-improvement opportunities rank some of the most dismal in the United States. While more affluent coastal cities bask in luxury, rust belt communities can mimic third-world countries in their worst cases.Moving along on the route into Ohio, you'll soon cross paths with Cleveland. A once-proud city that's nowadays most known for its polluted rivers that occasionally catch fire. Although admittedl, it is a perfect city for pepole who love craft beer because of their numerous breweries. The good with the bad, we can only suppose.Alternatively, you could at this point make sharp turn south down Interstate 79 to Pittsburgh, another city blighted by post industrial decay. Yet still, it hangs on by a threat thanks to a burgening tech field supported by giants like Astrobotic Technology and Argo AI. It's one of the few glimmers of hope you'd see on this journey.Safe to say, those days are long gone.As you pass through the burnt-out shell of the old Steelmaking town of Gary, Indiana, you might expect things to improve as you approach the John F. Kennedy Expressway, which passes along I-90 into Chicago. Only to find that the promotional material for said city surely edits out the more unsavory, crime-ridden bits.From Chicago, I-90 makes an abrupt turn upwards, heading north into Wisconsin and through to Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, before finally meeting its terminus at the State Route 519 in Seattle, Washington. Along this grand journey, you'll undoubtedly uncover harsh realities about the people and places outside of wealthy coastal cities and how low they've fallen since I-90 was first planned.It's a profoundly humbling experience if you've never seen it before.At they very least, you might cherish what little you have a little bit more when you see how people living with next to nothing get along. All because some outrageously long snake of tarmac allowed people to make it there.Today, it still serves its primary purpose as a link between the east and west coast U.S. But nowadays, I-90s unofficial secondary goal seems to be showcasing the decay of industrial America that citizens unanimously believe should have never taken place. Hashem Al-Ghaili is a very talented video producer and science communicator from Yemen, who became popular due to his stunning visuals centered around spectacular subjects. One of his most recent videos has gathered millions of views on the artists Facebook page, and its not surprising the Sky Cruise concept is definitely one that makes the imagination run wild. Hashem did not come up with the original concept, but he redesigned it and illustrated it.Futuristic is a word too simple to describe this outrageous aircraft/luxury resort. Its supposed to be a giant hotel, large enough for 5,000 people, which would always stay in the sky, powered by nuclear reactors. Starting from the aircrafts tail, Sky Cruise features an unusual circular-shaped element that is supposed to be a hall, similar to an observation lounge, where guests can take in the uninterrupted views. The hall is connected to the main deck through elevators.Stepping onto this deck, guests would find all the familiar features of a luxury resort, from swimming pools and gyms to shopping centers, cinemas, restaurants and bars. This massive flying hotel would also be emissions-free, equipped with 20 motors powered by nuclear energy only.One of the benefits of nuclear power, used by some of the latest military submarines for example, is that it never runs out. This way, the flying hotel could allegedly stay above the clouds for years, without having to refuel in any way. All the supplies that are needed would be delivered via electric jets that could travel anywhere in the world and then return to the giant hotel.To top it all off, this massive aircraft with thousands of people on board would have no pilot to control it, just Artificial Intelligence. Thanks to the most advanced AI-controlled avionics, this thing could be entirely autonomous.Whether or not the Sky Cruise concept is even remotely feasible is up to anyone watching Hashems video illustration. Even if its too far away from reality, people will never stop dreaming about bolder and bigger vehicles of any kind. SUV kW The latest get-together saw around 50 customers and guests from Europe and the Middle East, who visited Iceland for the Esperienza Avventura, an event organized for them to enjoy the superin all sorts of environments, and surreal landscapes, which included 11 units of the Urus Over the course of a month, split into daily stages of around 300 kilometers (186 miles), attendees went from the new volcano in Geldingadalir Valley, which appeared last year, and the Kvernufoss waterfall, to the Katla Glacier, and the Jokursarlon Glacier Lagoon. CEO Stephan Winkelmann, and the head of Sales and Marketing, Federico Foschini, joined them in one of the stages.It was extraordinary to see so many Urus all together in a setting like Iceland, with so many different routes and road surfaces in which to put them to the test," said Winkelmann. Unlock Any Road, the positioning concept that customers recognize in the Urus , was expressed here more than ever: not only because of the different landscapes the cars drove across, and the decidedly adventurous feel of the event, but also because of the multiple Ad Personam configurations offered on board the car.In production since the first quarter of 2018, the Urus is Lamborghinis second high-rider, after the LM 002, and it has helped double the brands sales ever since. It shares many nuts and bolts with the Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Q8, Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne Coupe, and Bentley Bentayga, and uses a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, with 650 ps (641 hp / 478) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque. The Urus is about to be facelifted , with the mid-cycle refresh set to premiere sometime this year. Michelin announced on Tuesday that Russia is no longer a country in which the company can do business. Over three months ago, on the 15th of March, the French tire manufacturer suspended production and exports in the country that has been put in a tough spot by Western sanctions. The factory remained mostly close while employees still received their salaries.But things have now changed. Michelin says it is technically impossible to resume production. The company lists as reasons for this unfortunate situation many things that are very well known in the industry. The tire manufacturer also says theres a context of general uncertainty in Russia.The press release available at the end of this article states that Michelin plans to transfer all of its Russian operations until the end of the current year. Industrial operations, sales, and the administrative department would all remain in the hands of the current local management. The parties remaining in Russia will form a new entity that will operate independently of Michelin.As any major company would do in their situation, Michelin cant simply pack up and leave everything behind. The tire maker still has almost 1,000 employees on its payroll who, until March, helped with the manufacturing of over 1.5 million tires every year for passenger vehicles.But the announcement made today doesnt mean the company will sell everything and never return to Russia. A transfer of business may be simply a way to avoid dealing with temporary issues and leaves the door open to future cooperation or even a comeback. The tire manufacturer argues this is the best outcome possible for its employees at the Davydovo plant, which is situated approximately 100 km (62 mi) away from Moscow. Michelin says Russia constitutes 2% of its total sales and just 1% of the global car tire production. This exposure amounts to almost 250 ($263) million.Michelins planned pull out of Russia comes mere hours after Moodys rating agency said Russia defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in 100 years. Bondholders didnt receive their interest payments. Liftoff! #CAPSTONE launched aboard a @RocketLab Electron rocket to pave the way for future @NASAArtemis missions to the Moon and beyond. Whats next for the microwave oven-sized satellite? Check out https://t.co/dMVnvEQcfC for updates. pic.twitter.com/VVoAOjSYbD NASA (@NASA) June 28, 2022 With the Artemis missions, NASA plans to return humans to the lunar surface and explore the satellite more than ever before. The Gateway is essential for establishing a long-term presence around and on the Moon. It will be the first space station to orbit the satellite. The outpost will help the agency extend the mission duration, providing unique benefits to astronauts. CAPSTONE (the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) supports the Artemis program. On Tuesday, an Electron rocket carrying the small CubeSat blasted into space from New Zealand.The spacecraft is now mounted on top of Rocket Lab 's Lunar Photon third stage. Photon will gradually move beyond low-Earth orbit over the following several days and then release CAPSTONE. To travel the remaining distance to the Moon, the CubeSat will use its own propulsion.It will take around four months to reach its destination. When the spacecraft arrives at the Moon's orbit, it will fly within 1,000 miles (1,609 km) above the satellite's North Pole on its closest pass and 43,500 miles (70,000 km) from the South Pole on its furthest pass.The spacecraft will then continue to circle the Moon for about half a year, helping scientists better understand the characteristics of the orbit. During this time, it will also validate technologies that will help pave the way for NASA's Gateway."CAPSTONE is a pathfinder in many ways, and it will demonstrate several technology capabilities during its mission timeframe while navigating a never-before-flown orbit around the Moon," said Elwood Agasid, project manager for CAPSTONE at NASA's Ames Research Center.CAPSTONE will use a dedicated payload flight computer and communications system to determine the distance between itself and NASA's Reconnaissance Orbiter. The data gathered will be used to assess CubeSat's autonomous navigation software. If successful, future spacecraft will be able to establish their location without relying solely on tracking from Earth. Kompressor Car Wizard is well-known for his repairing skills. The man has become quite famous after working with Hoovies Garage on his fleet of hoopties. He started publishing his own videos on YouTube and many Americans are now trusting him to fix their vehicles. Thats happening because hes constantly trying to charge as little as possible and doesnt add unnecessary costs to the final bill. Hes a fair business owner according to multiple reports made by some of the mechanics customers.Last year, Car Wizard started an interesting series. Based on his experience as an auto mechanic, the man is telling his followers what cars to buy and what should be avoided. He named it BTNT. It stands for Buy This, Not That. In the latest episode, hes looking at cars that are marketed or perceived as being economical, but theyre gas guzzlers in reality.For starters, the mechanic-turned-YouTuber says you shouldnt buy a 2004-2012 Mazda RX-8. The man is not happy with the 1.3-liter engine in this vehicle because it achieves 16 mpg (14.7 l/100 km) in the city and 23 mpg (10.2 l/100 km) on the highway.The 2004-2005 Mercedes-Benz C230is also on the no-buy list. This cars supercharged 1.8-liter engine is not known for its ability to not empty the gas tank after a short, spirited drive. Itll average around 15 mpg (15.7 l/100 km). Moreover, Car Wizard says the interior is cheap-looking and undeserving of the German brands badge.The mechanic also thought about people that need to haul things around. He says the 1999-2012 Ford Ranger with the 2.3-liter engine must be avoided because it averages around 21 mpg (11.2 l/100 km) about the same as the 5.3-liter V8 found in the full-size Chevrolet Silverado from the same era.The last three vehicles not recommended by the mechanic are the 2007-2011 Jeep Wrangler with the 3.8-liter engine, the 1998-2011 Volkswagen New Beetle with any of the gas engines, and the 2008-2013 Chevrolet Tahoe that comes with the hybrid 6-liter V8.These cars and trucks are real gas guzzlers! Now you know what to avoid!Car Wizard also shared a list of six cars and trucks that you can buy to save on gas. You can see them in the video down below. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb celebrated its 100th anniversary this past weekend. The weather was less than ideal for such a difficult challenge as the Race to the Clouds. But 70 drivers still lined up at the bottom of the mountain for the event. Not all of them would manage to go all the way to the top, but thankfully everyone made it back to the base in one piece. With manufacturers refusing to provide spare parts, leasing companies trying to take back their jets, and a big part of the world denying Russias access to its airspace, the countrys commercial aviation was practically frozen. Russias reaction is the decision to increase the percentage of domestically-produced aircraft operated by local airlines to over 80%.According to Reuters , Russian officials announced that a huge investment will support this plan. It seems that the government intends to pump 770 billion rubles (approximately $14.5 billion) in the countrys aviation industry.The intention to focus on domestically-produced airliners, from start to finish, isnt new. For years, the countrys aviation industry has been slowly making progress towards mass-produced domestic airliners, with the explicit purpose of loosening the dependency on foreign-made parts. Before the current war broke out, a milestone was hit with the first flight of the MC-21-300. This medium-haul airliner developed by the Irkut Corporation boasts a unique feature wings made of innovative composite materials, developed entirely in Russia, in collaboration with the prestigious Moscow State University. Thanks to the use of these domestically-developed composite materials instead of metal, and to the vacuum infusion technology that the Irkut Corporation claims to have patented in the country, the next-gen airplane has lightweight wings, which allow a wider fuselage.As a result, the MC-21 would boast an extended cabin, and an airframe with a high percentage of composite materials.At the moment, only the Sukhoi Superjet regional aircraft is mass-produced in Russia, Reuters reports, but most of its parts were imported. The government wants to have 80% of the airlines fleets comprised of domestically-produced aircraft, by 2030. But whether it will have the funds and the ability to achieve that is still up for debate. Superyacht-watching is quite an entertaining way to pass the time, especially after international sanctions went into effect, targeting Russian oligarchs. On that note, megayacht Solaris is here to deliver. 21 photos kW Well, it was obvious right off the bat. Not for American viewers of The Fast Lane, though, but for Aussie viewers who are accustomed to the Everest.Introduced at the 2003 Bangkok International Motor Show on the Rangers body-on-frame platform, the first-generation Everest was replaced in 2015 with T6 underpinnings from the Ranger that Ford sells in America today.The Ranger thats currently heading to Australian dealerships is dubbed T6.2 after its slightly modified platform, which is shared with the Everest Revealed on March 1st, the 2023 model isnt meant for the U.S. or European Union although the Ford Motor Company has been spied testing camouflaged prototypes in North America and the Old Continent. Given these circumstances, there is hearsay that Ford may expand availability.Manufactured in Thailand and South Africa, the third-generation Everest can be had with three diesels and a gas-fed mill. The latter comes in the guise of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, a four-cylinder lump that we know and love from the U.S.-spec Ranger and the Ranger-based Bronco utility vehicle.Australia doesnt get this engine, but a selection of two diesels. The 2.0-liter EcoBlue with a bi-turbo setup opens the list, packing 154and 500 Nm or 207 horsepower and 369 pound-feet if you prefer imperial units. Backed up by a ten-speed automatic transmission, this powerplant is joined by the 3.0-liter Power Boost V6 that replaces the 3.2-liter Puma five-pot diesel. A less potent, single-turbo EcoBlue is offered in other markets.The six-cylinder option certainly ticks all the right boxes, cranking out 184 kW (247 horsepower) and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) of torque from 1,750 revolutions per minute. Regardless of specification, the diesel-powered Aussie Everest boasts a braked towing capacity of 3,500 kgs (7,716 lbs). Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. An attorney says a man who shot and killed a passenger on a San Francisco subway commuter train will be charged with gun crimes but not homicide in what the attorney calls a clear case of self-defense You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. Agreement was reached this week on a plan to file a single Kern County application instead of two competing bids for tens of millions of dolla Paul Sakuma/Associated Press 2010 Plenty of tech companies have moved their headquarters out of the Bay Area in recent years, from startups like Coinbase to industry pioneers like Hewlett Packard and Oracle. Elon Musk has been one particularly outspoken voice decrying Californias business conditions. Now, one of the East Bays legacy companies is joining the trend. Chevron announced it is shuttering its San Ramon global headquarters and even encouraging some employees to move to Houston, the Wall Street Journal reported. The oil company will cover relocation costs for those voluntarily leaving for the Texas office, which has been growing and employs nearly 6,000 people. Meanwhile, the San Ramon office buildings have experienced dwindling numbers in recent years. As she finished mowing the lawn of her home in Girard, Ohio, Amy Kren had a somewhat familiar feeling. The shortness of breath and tightness in her chest seemed like another asthma attack. She went into the garage and put a hand on a lawn chair to steady herself and placed her other hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. The symptoms didn't subside so she went into the house and took a couple puffs of her inhaler, hoping the medicine would help. Her husband, Brian, suggested calling 911. She refused, insisting the symptoms would pass. They didn't. Worse, she started to feel like a blood pressure cuff was squeezing her left arm. Now Amy was ready to call 911. The paramedics did an electrocardiogram and gave her nitroglycerin and baby aspirin. As tears streamed down her face, she thought, "Why would a 38-year-old be having a heart attack?" At the hospital, a team of health care workers rushed to her side. That prompted Amy to think about her children. She wondered, "What if I don't ever get to see them again?" Brian couldn't comfort her. This was 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from joining her inside the hospital. "You never think this is going to happen to you (and) you naturally think the worst," Brian said. "Not being able to be there with her contributed to the surrealness of the whole situation." Heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries. Usually, the blockages are caused by plaque. In Amy's case, the blockages came from blood clots. Doctors removed them via a catheterization procedure. Tests revealed the blood clots were linked to a genetic risk associated with her birth control pills. (Estrogen-based contraceptives do increase the risk of blood clots, and women with an inherited clotting disorder, family history of blood clots, surgery, obesity and extended travel are at higher risk.) Amy didn't know any of that. It's a risk that won't impact her son but one that she'll eventually have to explain it to her daughters, now 13 and 9. They will need to have bloodwork done to look for the gene before going on birth control. She'll also teach them about the warning signs of a heart attack, something else she wishes she'd known sooner. For instance, weeks before her heart attack, she'd experienced extreme fatigue, back pain, swollen ankles and profuse sweating without realizing her body was sending her a message. "Those were signs that I ignored," she said. "Had I not experienced that great pain (in my left arm), I probably would've just taken some Tylenol or ibuprofen and gone about my day." After leaving the hospital, Amy felt leg pain and swelling. She called her cardiologist several times to make sure those were a normal part of recovery. She also feared having another heart attack. "I was happy to come home to see my kids, but the fear of it happening again and not having the medical team right there if anything were to happen scared me to death," she said. "I was a nervous wreck to leave the hospital." Since then, Amy has been eating healthier meals, cutting back on salt and caffeine. She lost 30 pounds. Her improved fitness also lowered her chances of another heart attack. Then, this past March, she felt heart palpitations and tightness in her chest. She went to the hospital and the symptoms turned out to be stress-related. Brian was grateful that she sought immediate medical care, just to be sure. "One of the things we learned through Amy's experience is that when you see the signs, don't hesitate to call," he said. Amy chose to share her story because she wants to encourage others to understand the importance of seeking immediate medical care. At first, she was reluctant to do so because it meant reliving the experience. The more often she tells her story, the stronger she feels. Her perseverance is fueled by responses from women who've heard her speak. Recently, a neighbor's mom experienced heartburn and heart palpitations and went straight to the hospital. "She told me afterwards that I inspired her to go," Amy said. "If I can help just one person, then what I went through is worth it." Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates. If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email editor@heart.org. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News. Other uses, including educational products or services sold for profit, must comply with the American Heart Associations Copyright Permission Guidelines. See full terms of use. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service. HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately. At least 50 people were found dead in an abandoned 18-wheeler in San Antonio near Lackland Air Force Base on Monday evening, according to reporting from the Texas Tribune. Law enforcement officials believe the victims were migrants and that this was part of a migrant-smuggling operation. In addition to the 50 deceased victims, 16 others have been taken to the hospital, the Texas Tribune reported. Of the deceased, 22 people were identified as Mexican, seven were from Guatemala and two were Honduran, according to the New York Times. According to the Texas Tribune, three people are in custody, but it is unclear if they are connected to the incident. Local authorities said they first received a call around 6 p.m. from a worker in the area of the 18-wheeler saying they heard cries for help coming from the vehicle. The trucks doors were partly open when authorities arrived, the Texas Tribune reported, with one body outside the vehicle and the rest inside. Local authorities said they were very hopeful the 16 taken to the hospital, four of which were children, would survive, according to the Texas Tribune. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said this case could be the deadliest human smuggling incident he could recall in the city, the Texas Tribune reported. Rep. Weber and Texas leaders react Republican Rep. Randy Weber, who represents part of the Beaumont area, said in a statement provided to the Beaumont Enterprise the incident is a direct result of President Joe Bidens border policies. Weber said the event is an example of human smugglers overrunning the crisis at our border. There is nothing compassionate about Bidens administrations open border policy, and President Biden must stop encouraging migrants to flood across the border, Weber said in the statement. It is simply unsafe, and the danger does not end once they cross the border. Republican Rep. Brian Babin, who also represents part of the Beaumont area, did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott also responded to the news on Twitter. He blamed the incident on Democratic President Joe Biden, saying it was caused by the administrations deadly open border policies. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies, Abbott wrote in the tweet. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also said on Twitter the horrific and heartbreaking incident was a result of an open border and claimed that the President and Democrats will ignore it. Human traffickers are exploiting the open border and the most vulnerable are paying for it with their lives, Cruz wrote in a tweet. Tragically, President Biden and the Democrats will continue to ignore the [Biden border crisis]. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the administration rejects the blame for the death of the migrants, according to reporting from the Dallas Morning News. She said those who place the blame on Biden are exploiting the horrific and heartbreaking event. "The border is closed, which is...why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks, Jean-Pierre told reporters. "46 people died in Texas. Were focused on them and on holding the human smugglers who endangered vulnerable individuals for profit accountable. Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke also commented on the event, calling it devastating on Twitter. ORourke said urgent action is needed to address the border issue. Our thoughts go out to the families of those who lost their lives in San Antonio today, ORourke wrote in the tweet. We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs. This week marks 15 years since the iPhone first went on sale and ushered in a new era: the age of the smartphone. Its hard to imagine today how different mobile access was before that evening of June 29, 2007. The internet in your pocket didnt look like, well, the internet. Social media and the ability for everyone to respond globally to everything was in its infancy. And while older phones certainly had cameras, the quality and the potential for instant editing and filtering and sharing that exists today wasnt there yet. The modern smartphone has changed photography. To capture a snapshot of that change, we asked more than a dozen Associated Press photographers across the world who use iPhones some of the most talented journalists in the business to capture an image on their phone and submit it. Here is what they came up with. But first: Some words from Enric Marti, the AP deputy director of photography who oversaw the project and who had his doubts about it at the outset. ENRIC MARTI, New York: You might call me a traditionalist. Ive been a photographer for three decades and a photo editor for half that. I like negatives and the details they contain. I like physical things. I like full-on cameras. I liked the thought that went behind taking a 36-exposure roll of film and making tough choices about how to use each frame. Sometimes I feel photography has almost lost the magic it had before the means to take a photo and share it with the world was in our pocket. Now, you can go for an assignment and easily take 3,000 frames. And phones everywhere, every day, millions of images. There is so much photography, and so much fake photography. You can buy a 99-cent app that removes people from photos. That's not photography to me; to me, photography is documenting what's really in the world. But I'm changing my mind about phone photography sort of. I've been trying for a while now to see and feel the positive side of this technological evolution, so I am not perceived as a dinosaur. This project has helped me in that regard. The photographers whose work is shown here are pros. Colleagues. People I admire. People whose images from our work cameras I see and edit all the time. But they are also people with phones, and with cameras in their phones, and that vision the one they use so well in covering the news comes out in very interesting ways. I asked them to observe things, and they did each in a unique way. In the end, I decided to add a photo of my own to this as well. Why not? I take them anyway, every day, on the street. I stopped carrying my real camera a long time ago, but I always have my phone. Which is kind of the point. You go through life having to change. The world is moving quickly. You have to adapt. What else are you going to do? YIRMIYAN ARTHUR, Kohima, India: The phone is a tiny, constant companion that I rely on for moments that take me by surprise. You have to be quick to catch these fleeting moments. They may not return. My phone can sing you the life story of my children in pictures. Yet a camera gives control that I dont find possible on a phone. A lot of thought goes into building a narrative and expressing the idea embedded in the minds eye even if, eventually, it is the eye behind the viewfinder. Catching the image of rain on a fast shutter would evoke a different feeling than seeing the image shot on a slow shutter speed. With a phone, I find it much harder to convert these ideas into images. I use my phone on early morning runs, a time when the moon flirts with daybreak in my mountain town and the sky displays its glory. Even cloudy days arent dull here, and Im thankful that I can capture such moments on my phone. But this comes with a price. Instead of enjoying my front-row views, Im looking into a screen. I feel increasingly dependent on this external memory keeper. It can feel intrusive. So Im trying to convince myself to keep my phone in my pocket more, and just live the moment. BRYNN ANDERSON, Atlanta: Sometimes being a photographer with a larger camera can be intimidating to the person being photographed. Using a phone makes it easier for me to get intimate moments that might not happen. Being able to adjust the exposure to create dark shadows makes the iPhone my main camera in a pinch. If spot news occurs when Im on vacation or out to dinner, I always have a quality camera to capture news. ODED BALILTY, Tel Aviv, Israel: Smartphones have come a long way in the last 15 years, but I dont see them as a substitute for professional cameras. Some great work has been shot on smartphones. But its a lot easier to cut corners and manipulate images on smartphones something we should all keep in mind in a time of rampant disinformation. Im more likely to trust an image if I know it was taken by a photojournalist using professional gear (nothing to do with the gear but with the photographers responsibility to the truth). I dont think theres right or wrong. It just depends on which hat we wear on which day. It is a different tool that definitely has changed what we do. But its the photographer, not the device, that determines the quality of a photo. In a world with so many cameras, there are also more photography consumers. And the good thing is that photography is more popular than ever. WONG MAYE-E, New York: The only time I dont have my phone on me is when I am asleep, swimming or reading a book. It has become completely integrated in my life. Once, someone asked me how I separate life and my work (photography); when I thought hard about it, I realized that there was no separation because I photographed life. I am a sentimental person. I love keeping memories. I photograph occasions in life that I want to remember; at work, I photograph life that happens for people. Sometimes it looks joyous and sometimes there is pain. The camera is just a tool that allows me to make snapshots of these moments. I have always done this with whatever camera that I have on me, and lately, while not at work, it has been my iPhone. I spend too much time staring at the screen, but because its right there in my hands at that moment, I find myself recording life in photos or video obsessively. I own many cameras. I love all of them. But admittedly having the phone with me all the time, in its small unintrusive form, has allowed me to capture moments that dont make anyones head turn. Right now, my phone album has 13,793 images on it. That is a lot of moments. It is, I guess, my visual diary. NARIMAN EL-MOFTY, Cairo: The iPhones camera has become more of a sketch pad and personal space of thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. Its a place I can think of process for an upcoming story and keep this ongoing stream of thoughts visually with no judgement. It has this ease on the street because of its size and familiarity. I felt like I was cheating when I used it for candid photos, and it never sat well with me. I like to manually control the whole camera to tell a story whilst physically being seen with the tool in my hand. People will then always have the right to react to me negatively or positively, and Im driven by that honesty. Years ago, I had a heated conversation with an Egyptian policeman. He took my camera and said I was not allowed to take photographs of the streets of Cairo. The body of my SLR is a threat, seen as a weapon. I told him: That is the main reason I love having an SLR in my hand. There is a real interaction with the environment youre photographing, a true reaction to you as a photojournalist on the ground. It is part of the skill set and the beauty of photojournalism. Rather than the idea of stealing a picture with my iPhone. I told the policeman I couldve taken photos of him, and he would have never known. Governments have since caught up. Hence, if you're detained and questioned, the first thing that is taken is the phone. AARON FAVILA, Manila, Philippines: The quality of the phone has become truly great in recent years. Now, I seldom bring a real camera during family trips. I have used the phone to shoot breaking news images so I can email them straight to the desk to be used as early photos for a story. I wont replace it for professional work, but I'm confident that if something pops up in front of me, I can dig out the phone in my pocket and shoot pictures with good enough quality. VADIM GHIRDA, Bucharest, Romania This is a good example of an image that I couldnt have taken on my camera. Most vendors and, frankly, most people in Romania get nervous if they realize a photojournalist is taking their picture even in the most mundane situations. It often leads to unpleasant interactions. The smartphone, though, seems to be a magical stress-relief device. Even if people realize that you are a journalist, they no longer, in most situations, see you as a menace. They relate to you. In adverse situations, it can save the day. DITA ALANGKARA, Jakarta, Indonesia: Shooting with smartphones opens up more opportunities on the streets of Jakarta. People are so used to see others taking photos with their gadgets that they just ignore me. This gives me a whole new perspective to explore and easily get me to the nooks and crannies of a city of 10 million people a place where a real camera would feel awkward to operate. DAR YASIN, New Delhi The photos now shot on the latest phones feel like digital art more than photographs. What you see with the naked eye is not what you get on your screen. And that for me is very unsettling. For example, the colors are oversaturated and look touched up when I have done nothing but pressed the shutter. The portrait mode produces blur but its not the same effect my regular camera gives me. These pictures definitely dont evoke a similar thrill of a taking a good picture. Ill admit that there are instances when I love the pictures taken on my iPhone. There is no denying the phone captures those moments very well indeed. But its important to realize: The pro label on a phone doesnt necessarily make every owner a pro photographer. On the contrary. The photographs on a smartphone are a product of machine learning, with the machine thinking and manipulating for you. It is also true that the iPhone is kind of setting a new standard of what a photograph should look like and Im not sure thats a good thing. KHALIL HAMRA, Istanbul, Turkey I used my iPhone to take this picture, which is what I do when I see a beautiful view and I am not carrying professional cameras. But I mostly use the iPhone camera to capture family memories. In all cases, the use of the phone does not eliminate the need for professional cameras, neither in the beauty of the picture nor in the pleasure of capturing it. Truth be told, every time I take a nice picture with my phone, I feel that something is missing and could have been better if I took it with my professional camera. ARIANA CUBILLOS, Caracas, Venezuela I do love taking pictures of my daughter and my pets with the phone and filters. Also, I take pictures with it when something grabs my attention and my cameras are packed in my bag. It helps me to remember the spot. It is an easy, light and fast tool. Does the smartphone give you a different perspective? For me, totally. At the moment I take a picture, it feels flat on the screen. It is not the same as taking a picture looking through the viewfinder of a full camera, controlling light exposition and speed at the same time you take the photo. EMILIO MORENATTI, Barcelona, Spain For me, the use of the phone camera is just an alternative to my conventional camera, so I only use it on rare occasions and basically to photograph or capture on video family scenes or scenes with friends, with the simple idea of documenting banal moments. Shooting with a camera is much more serious, and the result differs dramatically from shooting with a phone. Composing and capturing a scene through a viewfinder while pressing a shutter release is part of the essence of photography, and you cant do that with a phone yet. The flat image that a phone gives you cant compete with the photography you get from an SLR camera and a good lens, no matter how much phone photography lovers say otherwise. NATACHA PISARENKO, Buenos Aires, Argentina I use an iPhone instead of a camera on diverse occasions. Sometimes its as a reflex, when I see something I want to keep at that moment during my daily life. Sometimes its just that I dont have a camera at hand, even though Id want to. Sometimes I use the phone camera when I want to send an image immediately by message or WhatsApp a way to communicate something to someone through an image and no words. Sometimes its just something I want to keep. The irony: My phone is so full that at the end, I scroll down the pictures erasing everything that does not mean that much to me. That way, I can keep using it as a camera or video recorder and then erase it again. RODRIGO ABD, Buenos Aires, Argentina: The phone allows me to practice street photography, a branch of photography that I like because it allows me to always be attentive to the everyday without a precise news event to cover, and with only the intention of documenting the most banal moments of life. But at the end of the road will be a record of a vital moment in the life of society. FELIPE DANA, Barcelona, Spain Being a photojournalist, I try to always carry my professional camera with me in case I come across a nice scene or any breaking news. For a long time I considered the camera on my phone only usable in cases of emergency, when you really have no other option. But ever since the first iPhone appeared 15 years ago, phone cameras have come such a long way that I admit feeling a bit less anxious knowing that I always have a very capable camera in my pocket. I will still always pick my professional camera when going on any assignment. But nowadays the photos taken with smartphones are becoming harder and harder to distinguish from those captured on pro devices. J. DAVID AKE, director of photography, New York: The iPhone makes it really easy, when I spot something I want to share with my family, to just reach into my pocket, grab the phone and make a frame. I still carry a professional high-resolution camera most places, but the ease of the iPhone to snap and share via text message means my family and friends get see what I see at almost the moment I see it. When you travel a lot and are away more than you like, that instant connection matters. ___ For more Associated Press photography (not shot on a smartphone), visit https://apnews.com/hub/photography This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate New information has come to light regarding man wanted in connection with the death of a Port Arthur child. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office on Monday announced that its Felony Fugitive Warrant Division is assisting the Port Arthur Police Department in the search for 24-year-old Port Arthur resident Jaylin Jevon Lewis. PAPD previously named Lewis as a suspect in the death of 3-year-old King Dewey. Police said Lewis has two outstanding felony warrants for injury to a child. The Sheriff's Office has provided a description of Lewis to aid in the search for him. Related: Photos: Community mourns Port Arthur child found dead in closet "He is described as 64 and 300 lbs," the Sheriff's Office said in the announcement. "The casual photo is the most recent. The mugshot was taken 4 years ago. He has gained a bit of weight and changed his hair style since then." Police found "Baby King" on May 31 dead at his home in the 300 Block of Richmond Avenue. "Investigators found the childs body to be in an extremely emaciated condition," police previously said. The child was found dead inside a dirty and insect-filled locked closet. Detective Mike Hebert said the child appeared skeletal, weighing only 19 pounds. Related: Police seek 'wanted fugitive' in Port Arthur child death investigation Officers previously arrested the child's mother, 43-year-old Tina Louise Louis, and sister, 21-year-old Kristen Alexia Nicole Louis. As of Monday, Jefferson County jail records showed each woman was still being held on two counts of injury to a child with a $750,000 bond on each charge. Tina Louis has an additional charge for failure to identify, and Kristen Louis had a charge listed for failure to appear. The Sheriff's Office asks anyone who knows of Jaylin Lewis whereabouts to contact Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers by calling 409-833-8477, online at www.833TIPS.com or download the P3 TIPS App. "You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward," the release said. meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/megzmagpie Authorities have named a man who found dead Saturday morning inside of a truck on Interstate 10 in Orange. Chase James Miller, 28, was found around 10:30 a.m. with a gunshot wound just east of Texas 62. Related: Man found dead in car on I-10 in Orange "The City of Orange Police Department is actively investigating this incident," the Orange PD release said. "If you have information about this crime, call the Orange Police Department at 409-883-1026 or Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS (8477), online at 833TIPS.com or download the P3 TIPS app. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward." meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/megzmagpie Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer Dade Phelan. Jacorian Randle. Robert Nichols. Joe Evans. Brandon Creighton. Those are some of the Republican officials and candidates from Southeast, and to a person they are conservative. All are pro-life and welcomed the Supreme Courts reversal of Roe on Friday. All support the Second Amendment. Every one of them wants less government and less taxes. But none of them are the kind of hardline Republicans who gathered at the state convention in Houston last weekend and passed a party platform that was so far in right field it crossed the foul line. Were talking resolutions that said Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president, reject any kind of gun control, call homosexuality an "abnormal lifestyle choice" and even want the 1965 voting rights law repealed. Oh, this group also seeks a referendum next year on whether Texas should secede from the union. Thats quite a list, and needless to say, its far outside the political mainstream. But to the point, as evidenced by the local Republicans listed above, its also outside the views of most Republicans. Thats not just a theory either. Voters in Southeast Texas have not elected an edgy Republican or edgy Democrat to any local or state office. There certainly are people like that in the region, including some delegates to that state convention. But so far at least, most Texas Republicans are not as zealous as that party platform, even if the party is solidly conservative and probably getting more so all the time. Take the GOP primary for governor in March. Texas Republicans could have chosen one of two hardline, well-funded candidates for governor former state chairman Allen West or former state Sen. Don Huffines. Each one of them got 12% of the vote. The guy they mocked and scorned as a hopelessly insufficient conservative incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott got 66% of the vote, easily winning the primary and avoiding a runoff. Yet there was Huffines at the state convention last week, strutting around in his element and acting as if he had actually won the primary for governor, still refusing to say whether he will support Abbott in the fall in his race against Democrat Beto ORourke. Were tired of having to hold our nose to vote for people who dont do what we want, Huffines said cluelessly. He didnt explain why Texas Republicans could have kept their fingers off their noses in the primary and selected him or West, or didn't give them much support at all. But therein lies the problem in state conventions and party platforms. They invariably attract the bluest Democrats and reddest Republicans instead of the moderates in both parties. Last year, more than a few Democratic state conventions saw loose talk about defunding the police or abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Virtually none of that made it into legislation proposed in state legislatures or Congress. It was convention bluster from people who never had to win a race in large district or state with more than one narrow political viewpoint like theirs. Thats something for voters to keep in mind when they see these stories or hear some outlandish comment from a fringe politician. Most voters lie somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum, even though both major parties are gradually moving toward the edges. That disconnect makes our politics seem worse than they are, even though we are pretty divided. The system usually corrects itself, however, and as long as it does, no state is going to approve something radical like a secession resolution. In fact, the best rebuke for these hardliners might be to put that up for a vote in Texas and see how badly it is crushed. Courtesy photo My name's Tommy McDonald and I'm the general manager for Jefferson County Water District 10. It's a 2.2-square mile area that's carved out between the city of Beaumont on the north and the city of Nederland to the south. During Hurricane Harvey, we were told by the forecasters that the system would dump a lot of rain. We've seen 20-inch rains and we've seen 10-inch rains, but we haven't seen this amount of rain in this short period of time. It was just devastating. My fire department called me and said it was out doing rescues, and told me it was horrible. I needed to get to work. Almost everything was under water, roughly two feet. And first thing we did was shut off the main breaker, to kill everything so it's safe. It came up fast, and it stayed up for about 12 hours, and then it started to recede. It was bad. I mean, I've grown up here and I've never seen water like this. It was roughly 72 inches of rain in three or four days. There's only nine of us here. And we started getting to work trying to remove carpet and get stuff out of the building and get things dried out. This sheet rock has been put back twice in the last three years, first with Hurricane Harvey and then, of course, followed up a year and a half later with Imelda. Our operators and crew worked in anywhere from two feet of water or less. So, it was really difficult to provide water to customers and treat wastewater. One of the things that has really helped us is to get this control building elevated up off the ground. It's also a 130 mph hurricane-proof wind building, which will help us since we've had numerous storms over the last 10 years. It's also a full-blown water laboratory where we run analysis on the water every four hours or more if needed. It will provide a place for our operators to stay during hurricane events or emergencies. Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images On June 15, the Enterprise published Dade Phelans (Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives) recommendation to Gov. Greg Abbot and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick that $170 million be transferred from the Foundation School Program to mental health services and for school security. Mental health services would receive $120 million and school security $50 million. I applaud this action. However, I am puzzled because in April of 2022, Abbot, Patrick and Phelan agreed to transfer $211 million from mental health services to fund border security. Under the latest proposal, mental health services would be receiving $91 million less than was originally appropriated. According to Abbott and Patrick, mental health issues are the biggest factors in mass shootings. After shootings in El Paso, Santa Fe, and now Uvalde, they have said that the cause of these shootings is mental health issues. If mental health issues are the primary cause and they are committed to remedying the problem, why is Texas ranked 50th in mental health care? Also, why is money appropriated for mental health services being used to fund to other programs? Even when confronted with a new mass shooting, the original funding for mental health is not being restored. If our governor, lieutenant governor and other leaders are serious, they would restore the cuts made to mental health and find additional monies for more mental health services and school security. According to Abbott, Patrick and Phelan, one of the best ways to prevent future mass shootings is to identify persons with mental health problems and get them the proper treatments. I agree. I submit that they should restore the cuts previously made to mental health services and find additional funds for more mental health services and to protect schools and the citizens of this state. It was a dim, rainy day as I headed into the woods to check my game camera. After rounding a corner of the trail, I stopped for a second to adjust the hood of my jacket when I saw it. Lying in the broad open was what appeared to be a wolf. Its coat was deep red and the head showed a prominent sagittal crest, broad snout, highlighted by large ears. Its tail was long but not too bushy and it had a white tip that matched the lining on the front of its legs. Fewer than 40 yards separate us yet I wanted to move in closer. Slowly walking toward the animal without looking directly in its eyes, I closed the distance another 10 yards before it showed any signs of distress. Then it suddenly jumped to its feet and retreated. What was it that I saw? It was definitely not a classic coyote. Canis rufus, the red wolf, was common in the southeastern United States from the Carolinas to central Texas. However, popular theory has it that predator control programs combined with habitat loss in certain areas reduced the population and by the 1970s, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) officials declared the only remaining red wolves were in eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. The common thinking was the population threatened itself by interbreeding with the coyotes and domestic dogs. In response to this, Service officials made the red wolf the first-ever mammal put on the endangered species list and started a capture program starting in 1973 to find the last remaining "genetically pure" red wolves and found a captive breeding program. In 1980, Service officials considered the red wolf extinct in the wild and labeled only 14 of the hundreds of animals they caught as pure red wolves. These 14 specimens are the basis for all of the red wolves in the federal recovery program. Without question there are animals in Texas that look virtually the same as red wolves in the federal captive breeding program. A 2018 study shows that animals on Galveston Island contain red wolf DNA. This was a major discovery and shows that red wolf relatives still live in the region. A landowner called late one Friday evening and said he had been feeding coyotes on his property in hopes of killing them before he built a facility there. He feared the coyotes would cause problems around the tenant's dogs and cats so he planned to eliminate them. The evening before he called me, he sat out with his rifle and watched as three wolves came up to the dog food he had put out to lure coyotes. "I looked through my scope and immediately noticed them as red wolves because of the articles I had seen in the paper and the fact I have seen lots of coyotes and knew this was no coyote," he said. I rushed over to the spot, set out my (now primitive) trail camera and that evening captured nearly 30 minutes of video of a beautiful canid with some definite red wolf attributes eating dog food. The video is so long because the wolf can hear the camera running but cannot quite place the sound so it takes a bite, runs off, looks around and takes another bite. After the beautiful animal at the beginning of this story ran off, I walked toward one of my motion-sensing cameras and heard footsteps in the dry leaves behind me. When I turned around, I noticed the wolf I had just seen was following me. At a distance of only 10 yards, it showed no aggressive posturing but a general curiosity as to what I was doing in its habitat and perhaps more importantly how long I was going to stay. As I locked eyes with it, I saw an untamed, majestic wildness that reminded me why I got into the wildlife study to begin with. Then almost instantly, its eyes changed and a look of deep fear overcame it. It stared at me for a second, put down its ears and ran off into the brush. I have pondered many times what that animal was thinking as we stared at one another. At the end of the day, I say if it looks like a wolf and howls like a wolf it is probably at least part wolf. Or maybe a coywolf in this case. Our Most Anticipated New Animes Of The Summer 4 Minute Read Advertisement From returning classics to Yakuza Babysitters, theres a lot were looking forward to in this summers anime line up. Its that time again. Spring animes are coming wrapping up and we watched multiple season finales this weekend. Well all miss last seasons shows, but dont worry. Summer is looking like a good season for anime. Bastard! Weve known that remake of the 80s classic Bastard! was coming back for a little while now. But it will officially be the first new (ish) anime of the summer with a June 30th arrival on Netflix. This famously brutal show draws inspiration from metal music and D&D, making it one of the most 80s things imaginable. A kingdom is under attack and their only hope is unleashing a mighty and possibly evil wizard to join in the fight. What could go wrong? Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Just like Bastard! almost missed the Summer time frame by coming out a bit early, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners almost didnt make the list with its September release date. But Im seeing it listed with all of the other summer anime, so I can only assume its looking at a late summer / early September Netflix release. Taking place in the same universe as the infamous Cyberpunk 2077 video game, Edgerunners is Studio Triggers hyper colorful take on people who do odd-jobs for cash in the dystopian future. The Yakuzas Guide to Babysitting Advertisement Every season I look for at least one silly show that I watch to spend twenty minutes just having a nice time. And Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari (The Yakuzas Guide to Babysitting) looks like its going to combine some of my favorite aspects of Spy x Family and Way of the Househusband do give us just that. Tooru Kirishima is a member of the Sakuragi crime family who is vicious and deadly enough to earn him the nickname The Demon of Sakuragi. And his latest assignment for the family is.. babysitting his bosss daughter. Premiering on July 7th on Crunchyroll this looks like its going to be an absolute delight. Subscribe to our newsletter! Get Tabletop, RPG & Pop Culture news delivered directly to your inbox. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Lycoris Recoil A secret organization utilizes a team of all-girl agents known as Lycoris across Japan to prevent attacks. And in Tokyo these agents just so happen to also be serving up delicious coffee and sweets. Whether youre looking for a slice of cake or something to deal with that zombie problem, Lycoris Recoil will have you covered starting July 2nd on Crunchyroll. Yurei Deco Advertisement The official synopsis on this one is wild. It involves a Ghost Detective club with members who are described as socially dead and therefore practically invisible. Theyll learn about Phantom ZERO, a mysterious figure who lives below the city they call home who may be attached to the citys true history. This looks ridiculous and Im not sure if I love the art style or hate it. But Im going to figure that out as well as whats up with Phantom ZERO when Yueri Deco stars airing on July 3rd on Crunchyroll. Yoru wa Neko to Issho When Fuuta comes home all he wants to do is hang out with his cat. So thats what hes going to do. This relaxed, cute, comedy about the weird habits of cats will be the feline equivalent of a slice of life show. Theres enough serious going on in the world, and starting on August 4th we can spend a small portion of our week watching an animated cat do cat things. What summer anime are you most looking forward to? Is there a new anime that you think should have made my list? What was your favorite show of the spring line up? Let us know in the comments! Ja Ne, Adventurers! Author: Meaghan Colleran She/Her/They/Them | Writer, Cosplayer, Podcaster, Tapletop RPGer, Opossum Enthusiast, Mediocre Ukulele Player, & Coffee Addict. To find Meaghan elsewhere on the internet, check out her LinkTree at https://linktr.ee/habie_cosplays Any emails regarding articles or potential game or accessory spotlights can be sent to [email protected] Advertisement Read the Comments (0) G7 excludes global south by imposing sanctions: German parliament member Xinhua) 09:02, June 28, 2022 GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) have excluded the entire global south with economic sanctions and economic power and they want to dictate their policies to the world, Sevim Dagdelen, a member of Germany's lower house of Parliament has said. The G7 framework should be abolished, said the Bundestag member, although Germany is holding the G7 presidency. Dagdelen is also chairwoman of the parliamentary group of Germany's Left party, Die Linke, in the Foreign Affairs Committee of Bundestag. She made the remarks as the G7 summit was held in Schloss Elmau, a castle in Bavaria, southern Germany. However, to solve the global challenges of hunger, the climate crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cooperation is needed, she stressed. Calling the G7 an "elite club," Dagdelen said the sanctions against Russia were not supported by most countries and thus the G7 members were isolated from the rest of the world. Instead of recognizing their own failure in terms of the sanction policy, the G7 countries remained on the wrong track by attempting to impose new sanctions, she said, referring to the latest comments from western leaders that G7 countries would adopt an embargo on imports of gold from Russia. In addition, the sanctions against Russia are worsening the global food crisis, considering that Russia is a major exporter of grain, she said. "The G7 is not everything, and the world is beyond the G7," she said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Motorists throng the Padma Bridge as it opens for travel the day after the inauguration, in Dhaka, June 26, 2022. Screw loose? A TikToker is in custody in Bangladesh for posting a video of himself unscrewing nuts and bolts from the railing of the Padma Bridge, and criticizing authorities for lax construction, a day after it was inaugurated with nationwide fanfare. Bayezid Talha, 31, was one of tens of thousands of people who flocked to the bridge after it opened on Sunday, creating a two-hour wait at toll booths as Bangladeshis travelled en masse to marvel at the U.S. $3.6-billion structure widely touted as a symbol of national perseverance and progress. Thousands violated rules against standing or taking photos on the bridge, and visitor reactions ranged from kneeling in prayer to seeking relief from the call of nature, all of it captured by passersby and documented on social media. At a press conference in Dhaka Monday, a senior police official accused Talha of using tools to unscrew nuts and bolts of the Padma Bridge railing before filming the 34-second clip and posting it to TikTok, where it went viral. The young man was arrested in Dhaka at around 4:00 p.m. Sunday under the Special Powers Act, which criminalizes sabotaging or damaging government undertakings and carries punishments ranging from 14 years to the death sentence. It is impossible to unscrew the Padma Bridge's nut-bolt by hand alone without any tools. This is a provocative act, Rejaul Masud of the Criminal Investigation Department told reporters. Alleging that others helped him, he said they, too, would be brought to book. The young mans political affinity was not immediately known, Masud said. Both the ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rushed to reject affiliation with him, and highest-level party officials issued denials. Social media photographs of the arrestee with a former leader of the Awami Leagues student wing prove that he is close with ruling party people, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told BenarNews, after similar claims were put forth by Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, an Awami League official, while speaking in parliament. Visitors who came to see the Padma Bridge the day after its opening take selfies, in Dhaka, June 26, 2022. [BenarNews] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the 6.15-km (3.8-mile) bridge, which provides road connectivity for the first time to some 30 million people living south and west of the Padma River, and is expected to boost the South Asian countrys economy. Addressing a rally at one end of the Padma Bridge, Hasina called it a symbol of the pride, dignity, honor and ability of Bangladesh, built despite what she described as many conspiracies aimed at preventing it. Ignoring many obstacles and breaking the web of conspiracy, today the much-desired bridge stands on the chest of the turbulent Padma River, Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, told the gathering. Members of her family and some colleagues suffered extreme mental agonies because of the conspiracies orchestrated by certain quarters at the planning stage of the construction of this bridge, Hasina said. But none could keep Bangalees suppressed, she said, quoting a famous line of her fathers, Bangladeshs founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangladesh had been planning to build a bridge across the Padma for two decades, but hit a bump when the World Bank in 2012 canceled a $1.2 billion credit intended to finance it, alleging that it had credible evidence of a high-level corruption conspiracy connected to the project. Furious, Bangladesh pledged to build the bridge itself. In December 2012, Bangladeshs Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case against seven people for alleged corruption in hiring consultants for the project, but two years later it dismissed the case, saying it had not found any evidence of corruption. Transparency International, a global corruption watchdog, currently ranks Bangladesh 26 out of 100, on a scale in which 100 is very clean and 0 is highly corrupt. The Padma Multipurpose Bridge has been entirely funded by the Government of Bangladesh and no foreign funds from any other bilateral or multilateral funding agency has financially contributed to its construction, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier this month. The ministry clarified that the bridge was not part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, although the bridge was built by China Major Bridge Engineering Co. Ltd. Padma Bridge construction cost to recover by 2057 On Monday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told the parliament that the cost of building the Bridge would be recovered from tolls by 2057. A total of 51,316 vehicles crossed the Padma Bridge on Sunday, its first full day of operation, and about $215,110 was collected in tolls, authorities said. Bangladesh Bridge Authority will repay all the loans given by the government in 140 quarterly installments in 35 years with the toll collected from vehicles plying the Padma Bridge, Quader told parliament. Motorcycles were banned Sunday until further notice, after two bikers were killed in the first accident on the Padma Bridge on the day it opened to vehicular traffic. People get on a boat as they look for shelter during widespread flooding in Sylhet, northeastern Bangladesh, June 19, 2022. A new, nearly U.S. $100 million highway through a floodplain or haor in northeastern Bangladesh may have worsened the effect of floods in that area that have affected millions and killed dozens, officials acknowledged Tuesday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina halted all road-building projects in the greater Sylhet and Mymensingh districts in the area, Planning Minister M. A. Mannan told BenarNews. The PMs instruction on Tuesday came after criticism on social media about the 30-km (18.6- mile) Itna-Mithamoin-Austagram highway which residents have blamed for severe floods in the adjacent Sylhet region. The highway was opened in October 2020 and connects three sub-districts in the floodplain, or haor, of Kishoreganj district sub-districts that normally remain submerged for several months a year. Md. Shamsul Hoque, a civil engineering professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said the highway was a bad idea from the beginning. By constructing the Itna-Mithmoin-Austagram road, we have caused huge damage to the fragile and special ecosystem of the haor region. We learned by paying a heavy price, he told BenarNews. Haor means floodplain. These are connected with rivers. All haor remain underwater for seven to eight months a year. Boats and other water vessels are the main modes of transportation in this region. Why should we need to build roads in this region? Hoque said planners and engineers should have alerted the authorities to these potential problems before starting to build the highway. This is a basic environmental consideration that the haor ecosystem must not be hindered through construction of roads, he told BenarNews. Floods not over Debojit Singha, an official at the Sylhet administrative division, told BenarNews that the ongoing flood in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts affected 4.5 million people, noting 53 people had died. The floods are not over. So, we cannot assess the total cost of damage of infrastructures and loss of resources for now, he told BenarNews. Hoque said Hasinas directive to stop road construction was wise. Planning Minister Mannan said the PM instructed that no roads would be constructed in any of the floodplains of Bangladesh. She said this to maintain natural flow of water in the haor and save the environment of the floodplain regions, Mannan told BenarNews. I am not an expert on the water dynamics of the haor region. I cannot say for sure that the Itna-Mithamoin-Austagram road was responsible for the latest spell of floods in Sylhet and Sunamganj. But there are discussions among people that this road caused the flooding, he said. The government defines haor, with unique hydro-ecological characteristics, as large bowl-shaped floodplain depressions. Located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh, they cover close to 2 million hectares. About 19.37 million people who depend on fishing for their livelihood live in haor regions. There are 373 haor in the districts of Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Maulvibazar, Netrakona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria. People who live in those regions remain confined to their homes during the rainy season starting in May. Water starts receding in November which allows farmers to cultivate only one crop a year to meet their annual grain requirement. This year, flooding started mid-April, submerging many standing paddy fields. Thus far, we have seen three spells of flooding in the greater Sylhet region, Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, the head of the flood forecasting and warning center, told BenarNews. We may experience another flooding in July, he said. Starting Monday, a Malaysian single mother of three is spending a week behind bars for rescheduling her ex-husbands visitation dates with their children, a move considered contempt of court under Islamic law which governs Muslim families in the country. Emilia Hanafi, the former wife of a businessman from a wealthy Malaysian family, surrendered to the Kuala Lumpur Sharia Court on Monday morning and was sent to a womens prison in Selangor state. I am disappointed because I have to go to prison because of this injustice. I tried to sort this out via judicial review, but my stay application was rejected. The court wanted to hear from both parties instead and the date was set for July 20, she said in a Sunday Instagram post. To simplify [matters] I am surrendering but I am doing it in protest. My focus is always on my children and I am doing this for all my three sons. Hope someone will look into these sharia cases and do right. Emilia had filed for a stay on the sentence in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, challenging the jurisdiction of the citys sharia court. The 43-year-old was sentenced in 2019 on her former husbands application for contempt of court after she rescheduled the dates he could visit their three children. In April, opposition lawmaker Maria Chin Abdullah was sentenced to seven days in jail for criticizing the courts sentence, although she obtained a stay pending an appeal filed at the Sharia Court of Appeal. Maria previously said the sentence against Emilia proved that women were treated unfairly under the sharia legal system. Sisters in Islam Womens rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) said Monday was a dark day for all Muslim women because they had to see what Emilia went through. The sharia legal system, which is supposed to uphold justice and safeguard the welfare of oppressed family members, issued an arrest warrant against the mother simply because she had changed a parental visiting date as the children requested, SIS said in a statement. The group added that many Muslim women who had sought free legal advice had shared their difficulties in filing alimony, child support and custody cases in sharia court. Islamic scholar Wan Salim Wan Mohd. Noor said punishment handed to an individual should be decided by taking into account the situation that may have influenced the actions. Whoever studies and practices sharia law will understand that the law is based on the characteristics of justice, mercy and wisdom, he told BenarNews. Anything that goes against these values is not Islamic law even if it is sometimes wrongly branded as Islamic law. Thus, anyone who feels that the sentence imposed on him or her by the court is unfair is entitled to apply for his case to be retried at a higher court. Lawyer Siti Kassim, who has been working pro bono for Emilia, told BenarNews the sentencing was unnecessary as there were other methods of punishment including a fine. She said Emilias punishment is a clear indication of the courts unfairness against women. I feel there are injustices being done against her and it is important for us to highlight that women are being oppressed, Siti said. Meanwhile, Akberdin Abdul Kader, the lawyer for Emilias ex-husband, S. M. Faisal, said she kept changing the visiting schedule. Emilia cannot unilaterally change the visiting schedule or unilaterally decide when the father can visit the children and take the children out of the country without the agreement of the father, he told BenarNews. Too many chances were given. The mother, however, has not been cooperative in making the visits possible as ordered by the court. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is to be inaugurated as the Philippines' 17th president this week, the culmination of a decades-long struggle to rehabilitate the family name that was once synonymous with corruption. The Supreme Court removed the final potential stumbling block for Marcos return to power when it voted 13-0 on Tuesday to dismiss consolidated cases including a disqualification case and a petition to cancel his candidacy document. The court held that respondent Marcos Jr. is qualified to run for and be elected to public office, it said in a statement. Marcos will be sworn in on Thursday during an inauguration ceremony described as solemn and simple, by Franz Imperial, who is heading the inauguration efforts. It would be very traditional, because like what BBM said in his vlog, we will not stray from tradition, Imperial said, using the initials for Bongbong Marcos, the incoming leaders nickname. Marcos will take the oath of office before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo at noon at the historic National Museum complex in Manila, as written in the constitution. The building had housed the Senate when his late father, Ferdinand E. Marcos, led the legislative body in the 1960s before ruling the country for two decades. Imperial said an ecumenical invocation is to follow the swearing-in and Marcos will deliver his inaugural address to the nation. A half-hour military parade will follow before the new president returns to Malacanang Palace where he spent most of his childhood, to formally take possession of the residence. The palace will host officials and foreign dignitaries at an inaugural reception Thursday night. The ceremony will bring the Marcos family back to power in the Philippines. The last time a Marcos led the country, his father was driven from power by a peoples revolution in 1986 and the family fled to Hawaii. The elder Marcos reign was marked with human rights abuses and massive corruption, leaving the family with an estimated $10 billion in unexplained wealth, according to the Philippine government. Family members have denied any wrongdoing and have refused to apologize. In 2016, President Duterte ordered a heros burial for the late dictator, who died in Hawaii in 1989 after three years in exile, despite public outcry. Income tax issue The Supreme Court dismissed the consolidated case stemming from Marcos 1997 conviction over his failure to file his income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 while he was vice governor and governor of his hometown, Ilocos Norte in northern Philippines. Petitioners alleged that his criminal conviction disqualified him from holding any public office. Despite the conviction, Marcos has been able to run for local and national posts, including senator in 2010 and vice president in 2016 before seeking the top office this year. The president-elects camp had dismissed the case as politically motivated. Marcos received more than 31 million votes for president, while his running mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, received 32 million votes for vice president. The Vietnamese government has launched a national campaign to promote its maritime policies as the ruling party pledges to explore all available legal tools to defend its interests amid Chinas growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. A government order stipulates that by 2025, all domestic media outlets are required to have a dedicated section on Vietnams sea and ocean strategy, and their entire editorial staffs must have the necessary knowledge and understanding of international and domestic laws on the sea. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese authorities have banned all tourist activities on two islets adjacent to the strategic Cam Ranh Bay that is undergoing intensive development into an advanced naval base, home to its submarines. Vietnam has the largest submersible fleet in Southeast Asia with six Kilo-class subs, bought from Russia at a cost of U.S. $1.8 billion. Tour guides and witnesses told Radio Free Asia, an online affiliate of Benar News, that since April, the two islands of Binh Ba and Binh Hung in Cam Ranh Bay, Khanh Hoa province, have become off limits to foreign visitors. Vietnamese nationals still have limited access to the scenic islets, a stones throw from the docked frigates. Eventually, even Vietnamese tourists will not be allowed on Ba Binh, said Binh, a tour operator who wanted to be known only by his first name. So, my advice is to visit it while you can, he said. Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov is docked at Cam Ranh port on June 25, 2022. [Sputnik] Modern naval base Cam Ranh Bay is a well-known deep-water port in central Vietnam, only 300 km from Ho Chi Minh City. It was used by the French, and subsequently, the U.S. Navy until the end of the Vietnam War. In 1979 the Soviet Union signed a 25-year lease of Cam Ranh with the Vietnamese and spent a large sum of money to develop it into a major base for the Soviet Pacific Fleet. But Russia withdrew from the base in 2002, citing increased rent and changing priorities. Hanoi had since announced a so-called three nos policy no alliances, no foreign bases on its territory and no alignment with a second country against a third that means foreign navies will not be allowed to set up bases in Cam Ranh. However, a logistic facility has been established to offer repair and maintenance services to foreign ships, including Russian and U.S. warships. Moscow is maintaining a listening station in Cam Ranh Bay and has indicated that it is considering a comeback, according to Russian media. Three warships of the Russian Navys Pacific Fleet led by the Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov visited Cam Ranh between June 25 and 28. With 50 ships and 23 submarines, the Pacific Fleet is Russias second largest naval fleet after the Black Sea Fleet which is involved in the war in Ukraine. U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea A Russian presence may be seen as a counterweight for China-U.S. competition in the South China Sea, analysts said. Beijing claims historical rights over almost 80 percent of the contested waterway. With China apparently gaining a foothold in the region, at the Ream naval base in Cambodia, Cam Ranh may become even more important strategically to other regional players. On June 19 Vietnam protested against Chinas drills near the Paracel islands, claimed by both countries but occupied entirely by China. Hanoi and five other claimants in the South China Sea are struggling to agree on a Code of Conduct in the contested sea, where the U.S. and allies have been challenging Chinas territorial claims with their freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs). Vietnamese experts are calling for a more active application of legal documents to assert the countrys sovereignty in the South China Sea, especially as 2022 is the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 10th anniversary of Vietnams own Law of the Sea. Tran Cong Truc, former head of Vietnams Border Committee, said UNCLOS paved a clear legal corridor for countries to defend their lawful rights, and needed to be properly utilized. A series of special events are being held to commemorate the anniversaries, as well as to highlight the importance of this legal corridor. UNCLOS and Vietnams Law of the Sea are the two main legal tools for the fight for our rights, Senior Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, former vice minister of defense, was quoted by the Peoples Army newspaper as saying. Vietnam should only consider military actions as the last resort after exhausting all other options, he said. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High near 80F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. FILE - A customer puts gold bars in basket for to sell at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, April 16, 2020. Russia appears to have defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and the U.S. and its allies are taking aim at the former Soviet Union's second-largest export industry after energy gold. The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House Macron says Russia can't win in Ukraine after strike on mall Frances president has denounced Russias fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a new war crime and vowed the Wests support for Kyiv would not waver Its summertime. Well, I think its summertime. Hard to tell with the thermometer dropping to 45 F at night a few times last week and then up to 90-plus this weekend, with most days in the 70s. Mother Nature must be disgruntled and taking it out on us. Since the middle of May, Ive spent most of my free time reading on my deck. Designed as almost another room the house roof extends over it it becomes my living room and sometimes bedroom in the summer. (Those afternoon naps on the couch are wonderful ) I get up earlier than normal just to sit on the deck and listen to the birds, and then my neighbors starting their days. If there's a breeze, the wind chimes add a musical note. And, of course, I cant start my day without at least three cups of hot coffee or two iced coffees. My coffee of choice these days are hot or iced cappuccinos, made with hazelnut coffee and the foam dusted with cinnamon sugar. In the afternoon, its tea time. Tall, frosty glasses of sun tea, brewed courtesy of Mother Nature on the deck steps. I have a gallon jug and use 12 tea bags for each batch. And make sure to have fresh lemon wedges available! I usually use regular black tea bags, but I have also tried Bigelows Constant Comment, which is a blend of orange and sweet spices, Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas, and Lemon Lift, which has lemon and spices. And, of course, its always 5 oclock somewhere A few weeks ago, the Button family gathered in Amish Country in Ohio for a family wedding. My niece, Jenny, made me a cocktail one night as we were all playing Farkle around the table of our rented home away from home. Jenny used Castle and Keys summer gin but any brand will do and homemade limoncello, store bought works well, too. JENNYS GIN SQUEEZE Makes 1 drink INGREDIENTS 2 shots of a citrus gin 1 shot limoncello juice of 1/2 lemon Sprite DIRECTIONS Mix gin, limoncello and lemon juice is a tall glass with ice. Top with Sprite and garish with a slice of lemon. Cool down this summer with these great cocktails Summer is nearly here, and with it the long-awaited return of get togethers with family and friends. To celebrate, we gathered all of our favo Im also revisiting two classic cocktails this summer gin fizzes and Tom Collinses the drinks that I cut my drinking teeth on way back when. Gin fizzes are uncomplicated and light. Im not a fan of club soda because of the sodium, so I use an unflavored seltzer. Tom Collins is primarily a spiked lemonade, perfect for a hot summer afternoon. Looks like Im having a gin summer! CLASSIC GIN FIZZ COCKTAIL Makes 1 drink INGREDIENTS 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) gin 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon powdered sugar 3 to 4 ounces club soda Lemon slice DIRECTIONS Shake gin, lemon juice and powdered sugar in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Add club soda and garnish with a lemon slice. TOM COLLINS Makes 1 drink INGREDIENTS 2 ounces gin 1 ounce simple syrup 3/4 ounce lemon juice Soda water Lemon wedge, for garnish Cocktail cherry, for garnish DIRECTIONS Shake gin, syrup and juice with ice until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with lemon wheel or wedge and a cherry. More: Cool down this summer with these great cocktails 19 summer recipes to cool down with GREAT BARRINGTON Citing a need to focus on family health, Amelia "Lia" Spiliotes will step down Thursday as CEO of Community Health Programs. Spiliotes, who has led CHP since 2015, the last six years as CEO, will be replaced on an interim basis by Richard H. "Rick" Gregg of Lenox, who has been a CHP board member for six years, most recently serving as vice president. CHP will conduct a nationwide search for Spiliotes' replacement, but did not announce a timetable for hiring a permanent CEO. Gregg, a former director and CEO of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, is also a professor of healthcare administration at Sawyer Business School of Suffolk University in Boston, where he has been a faculty member since 2001. Archives Community Health Programs names Spiliotes as permanent CEO CHP doubled the number of patients it serves and expanded its health and family services in the Berkshires during Spiliotes' tenure. Spiliotes said in a statement to staff and colleagues she intends to refocus on family health priorities in Boston and New York, and concentrate more on public and economic policy issues related to community health. "We have accomplished so much by advancing and accelerating CHPs mission and vision, Spiliotes said in her statement. CHP reaches so many in our community in need, regardless of their ability to pay, but CHP is also a choice for many people who have plenty of health care resources and options. They choose CHPs excellent team for their care, and I am proud to have been among the CHP stewards of our communitys health and wellness. Spiliotes originally came to CHP to oversee the nonprofit organization's day-to-day management and assess its needs and structures after former CEO Brian Ayers resigned in November 2015, when questions were raised about the nonprofit's leadership. CHP conducted a nationwide search for Ayers' replacement, but gave the position to Spiliotes on a permanent basis in 2016 after she had served one year as interim CEO. Spiliotes previously served as interim CEO of Community Health Connections in Fitchburg and had been a partner and senior adviser at Cambridge Management Group in Boston. PITTSFIELD A judge has narrowed the scope of what J.C. Chadwell may tell jurors when he takes the stand Tuesday while on trial for the 2017 killing of Paul Henry. Monday, on the second day of testimony, the prosecution played recordings of a pair of interviews Chadwell gave the police on Feb. 9 and Feb. 11 in 2018. The presentation showed the defendant denying that hed shot Henry. Then, two days later, it showed him admitting that he had pulled the trigger. Chadwell, 43, participated in three interviews with Pittsfield police officials. The first was in July 2017, after which Chadwell was released while police continued their investigation. Chadwell was arrested on a warrant charging him with murder on Feb. 9, 2018. In the video recorded Feb. 9, 2018, Chadwell denied shooting Henry, repeatedly telling investigators over the 57-minute recording that he had left the block party before the fatal incident, and gone to New York for work. Detective Michael Murphy testified that he left the station after the questioning ended and didnt think hed be conducting another interview with Chadwell. But a few days later, Murphy said he received a phone call from Officer Kipp Steinman, who told him Chadwell wanted to talk. Murphy participated in the third interview with Chadwell on Feb. 11, 2018. A roughly one-hour recording was generated of that interview. The jury heard two-thirds of it before the days proceedings wrapped up at lunch hour Monday. What jurors heard During the interview, Chadwell appeared to seek an assurance from investigators that his sister would be released from custody on bail before offering his statement. A defense motion to suppress statements in this third interview based on how officers offered to reduce bail for his sister, after a judge in 2019 ruled that Chadwell gave the statement voluntarily. His sister had been arrested for allegedly misleading investigators about his whereabouts the evening of the shooting. Later on in the Feb. 11, 2018 interview, Chadwell said his sister hadnt lied to the police, and instead had been operating with the information Chadwell had given to her. Then, Chadwell said that he was intoxicated at the July 4 party. At some point, a man he identified by name approached him and told him that that dude was there, and was going to kill him. That was an apparent reference to Henry. Chadwell told police he asked the man what he was talking about. The man told him to turn around, and when Chadwell did, he saw Henry about five feet away from him, holding a large bottle of E&J brandy over his head. Chadwell said he feared for his life. I thought he was going to kill me, said Chadwell. According to the recording, Chadwell said he shot Henry in self-defense, then ran away from the scene. Tuesdays proceeding Chadwell is set to testify in his defense Tuesday, after the prosecution rests its case. In a theory previewed by defense lawyer Sean Smith during his opening statement Friday, Chadwell is expected to testify that it was not he who pulled the trigger it was the named third party whom Chadwell, in the Feb. 11, 2018 interview, told police had warned him Henry was coming up behind him with the intent to kill. The defense has put forward a theory that the man shot Henry in defense of himself and Chadwell. During his opening statement, Smith said Chadwell falsely confessed to the shooting to secure the release of his sister from custody, and because he was not going to turn on the man. In a court filing, the defense claimed the man was an associate of the Latin Kings and supplied guns to that gang. In an order entered Monday morning, Judge Jane Mulqueen ruled that Chadwell is permitted to testify that he was familiar with the man, and said that Chadwell is expected to testify that he saw that man shoot Henry. The judge ruled that Chadwell cannot, however, testify about the mans history with allegedly procuring and using guns, his criminal past, present charges and previous run-ins with the police, or that Chadwell feared reprisal by the man. Chadwell wanted to testify that the man was being sought by federal authorities because he is a gun runner supplying the Latin Kings with firearms used to murder their enemies and in furtherance of their criminal enterprise, the judge wrote. Mulqueen ruled the information was inadmissible because it did not tend to show the man had motive, intent, and opportunity to shoot Henry. Also on Monday, a neighbor who lived near where the shooting occurred testified he was home with his girlfriend in his second-floor apartment when he heard two men arguing outside for about five minutes. Keith Martin said he heard a loud bang, prompting him to look out of a window. He said one man who was arguing dropped to the ground, and the other got into the back of a vehicle, which Martin said started running over Henry. During direct questioning by Special Assistant District Attorney Brett Vottero, Martin said he heard someone say, Stop, stop, thats enough, before the car pulled away. Another witness for the prosecution who was 19 at the time of the shooting said she had asked Henry to procure for her either cocaine or acid. She testified that she drove Henry to the block party. She said when they arrived there were several hundred people present. Henry walked into the crowd. Then, she said she agreed to give a drunk man a ride home. When she returned about 15 minutes later, Henry had been shot. She said she remained at the scene and spoke with the police. Both the prosecution and the defense are expected to wrap up their cases Tuesday, when the jury is set to receive instructions on the law and then break for deliberations. PITTSFIELD The Corazonidos Community School will hold sessions at local parks in the coming weeks to engage youth for the summer. The community school is an effort to encourage kids to learn outside the classroom and develop a passion for discovery. This will be the third year its classes are held in parks around Pittsfield. It is a collaborative effort between Manos Unidas, the RE-FORMation Academy and Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds. Anaelisa Jacobsen, founder of Manos Unidas, a nonprofit community organization in Pittsfield, said the school was developed to help kids rediscover their passion for education after a physical disconnection from school and increased mental stress. This was seen as especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel like this generation of youth is sometimes quite disconnected from a sense of place, a sense of their roots and thats affecting so many different levels of crisis in our society, Jacobsen said. We try to reach kids before they reach a giving up or nihilistic phase. Participants are able to gravitate toward what they like. Tables will be set up with activities for young people interested in art, music, math, science, physical education, building, and languages such as Spanish and American Sign Language. Corazonidos Community School schedule Each session will run from 3 to 5 p.m. at parks and locations around Pittsfield. The classes will be at: Mondays: Dower Square, 253 Wahconah St. July 11, Aug. 8, Aug. 15, Aug. 22 Tuesdays: Durant Park, 30 John St. July 5, Aug. 16; Westside Riverway Park, 181 Dewey Ave. July 12, Aug. 23; Dorothy Amos Park, 310 West St. Aug. 9 Wednesdays: Clapp Park, 215 W. Housatonic St. July 6, July 13, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24 Thursdays: The Common, 100 First St. July 7, Aug. 11, Aug. 25 There will also be onsite learning activities for kids and parents at other locations throughout the summer, including: Pittsfield State Forest, 1041 Cascade St. July 18 Berkshire Museum, 39 South St. July 19, Aug. 29 Phoenix Theatres Beacon Cinema, 57 North St. July 20 Springside Park, 874 North St. Aug. 30 Onota Lake Aug. 31 Free transportation can be arranged to the park sessions. Contact the organizers at eformatioacad@gmail.com or manosunidasorg@gmail.com. Those who come will have a chance to paint, play with blocks, try new instruments, fill out workbooks and more at the sites. The organizers have compared the approach to Montessori schools, which are known for helping students take ownership of their education. The activities are also open to parents and guardians of children who attend, and there will be parent-child learning activities available. Jacobsen said the environment fosters connection between generations, and helps to bring parents and children closer together. Its not about school, because learning is everything and everywhere, said Kristina Cardot, founder of the Re-FORMation Academy. Its about that passion to continue learning, to find learning, to seek learning and see that education is in everything and that it looks different for everybody. Cardot said the efforts are also about helping children and their parents rediscover a sense of identity that may have been lost during the pandemic. Ultimately, the school hopes to strengthen the connection between young people and the community around them, whether thats with students, their parents or the educators running the program. Planting the seed for love of community is a very important piece that is just very organically part of what we do, Jacobsen said. Troy Sargent of Pittsfield took to social media after the Jan. 6 uprising to say hed twice struck a rookie cop. On Monday, after failing to get a judge to dismiss charges brought against him two months after the insurrection, Sargent pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers at the U.S. Capitol. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, Sargent was warned that afternoon at the Capitol, at precisely 2:31 p.m., not to assault anyone. The minute before, hed come forward out of a crowd on the buildings grounds and hit an officer, authorities say. Do not start attacking people, a different officer warned Sargent and others in the crowd. He did not comply, the government says. Sargent again advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand towards the same officer, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Monday. This time, he made contact with someone else in the crowd. Nonetheless, in a social media message, Sargent would later say, I got two hits in on the same rookie cop, the government said. That message enabled prosecutors to claim Sargent intended to make contact with the same officer. As The Eagle has reported, Sargent was a regular presence at weekly pro-Trump rallies in Pittsfield before the 2020 election. Before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, he posted that he planned to attend events in Washington, D.C. Sargent was the only one of three Berkshire County residents implicated in the insurrection who was charged with physically assaulting police. The case against him was assembled in part through video evidence. Images captured on body cameras depicted Sargent swinging at an officer with his right fist, at one point striking a person in the crowd, according to special FBI agent Tony LaCasse. Last year, Sargent unsuccessfully petitioned a federal judge to dismiss the matter. He claimed the case against him was not specific enough. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to six counts, including felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder, the U.S. Attorneys Office said, as well as four misdemeanor offenses. Sargent will be sentenced Oct. 3. The statutory maximum sentence is eight years in prison for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, the U.S. Attorneys Office said, and up to five years in prison on the civil disorder charge. The office said the four misdemeanors expose Sargent to the possibility of 3 years in prison. How much of that penalty he will actually receive is up to a U.S. District Court judge. As of Monday, more than 840 people have been arrested in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol 17 months ago. Of those, more than 250 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close GREAT BARRINGTON The first time Jack Curletti drew a bath for one of his children at his Housatonic duplex, the water ran brown. Quote Its really just kind of a symbolism thing. If the court orders that I pay, of course Ill pay. I dont see how something is going to get done if people just continue to pay their bills. Jack Curletti, Housatonic resident His daughter, Sophia, refused to get in. Since he bought the place in 2017, tap water has varied from clear to yellow to: It looks like you filled the bathtub with coffee. Its sporadic. Its hit or miss, Curletti said. We have four kids that live here. They dont want to check the water status every time. The family drinks bottled water. Curletti worries about health risks for his tenants and the rest of the community. In protest, he stopped paying his bill around November 2020. On Monday, Housatonic Water Works Co. took him to small claims court for an unpaid $1,869.14 and $50 in court costs. The magistrate at Southern Berkshire District Court did not yet order him to pay. First, he said, he would do some research about the safety of the water, based on some of the reports Curletti had provided showing elevated levels of haloacetic acids, or HAA5, a compound linked to cancer. The magistrate said because regulators say the water is safe to drink, Curletti might have to pay. Curletti isnt alone. At least one other resident had a hearing for the same reason, while another had a hearing that was partly because of non-payment. Several other residents who are customers of the waterworks have told The Eagle theyve also stopped paying. They havent been taken to court yet. James Mercer, co-owner and treasurer of the waterworks, would not comment on the specifics. People who dont set up a payment plan or dont contact us, we dont have any alternative [but court], he said. He also said the company continues to work to resolve problems. Pressure on the private water company and on the town to do something about it has mounted in recent years over the discoloration problem. It is attributed mostly to naturally occurring manganese in the Long Pond water source. But alarms went off after the companys announcement in January that haloacetic acid, a disinfection byproduct linked to cancer, had spiked. The company says record rains last July possibly raised levels above the 60 parts-per-billion set by regulators for safety. Elevated levels of HAA5 have been detected sporadically since 2017, and more regularly since last August. Those levels have decreased ever since. Sign-up for The Berkshire Eagle's free newsletters Sign up Last month the water tested at 50 ppb. By comparison, the Great Barrington Fire District water had a 1.49 ppb in August 2020 the last time testing for HAA5 was required for the publicly funded utility. Housatonics water in 2020 ranged from 28 to 44 ppb. The fire district has different testing requirements than the waterworks. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection required the company to come up with a plan to fix the haloacetic acid problem, and that appears to be working, Mercer says. The DEP continues to say the water is safe to drink, yet residents are not convinced. The waterworks required notices to its customers say that the immune compromised, pregnant, elderly and infants could be at increased risk. A symbolism thing Meanwhile, people like Curletti and his family are living with the fallout of decades of underinvestment. A pilot study is underway to test a new filtration system that will take care of discoloration. That new system, if approved by DEP, will result in a rate increase, Mercer said. But Mercer reiterated again that the towns objection to rate increases had convinced the state Department of Public Utilities to object, derailing upgrades. A sharp increase in 2016 prefaced an overhaul of some mains. Historically the water company has been proactive in putting projects out there to be done since the 1980s, Mercer said. He said the company looks forward to working with the town to deal with manganese and pressure issues. One longtime Select Board member disagrees with Mercers analysis. As an intervenor, we can have our concerns [about the rates], but its the Department of Public Utilities that makes that decision, said board Chairman Stephen Bannon. I dont think its fair to blame the town for not having the improvements done. The town has asked Gov. Charlie Baker for help, and residents have sent Baker petitions. Its really just kind of a symbolism thing, Curletti said. If the court orders that I pay, of course Ill pay. I dont see how something is going to get done if people just continue to pay their bills. The others who have stopped paying did not want to speak publicly about this. Curletti said his not paying has caused other problems. Its prevented him from getting solar panels on the roof, since the solar company checked his utility credit. It troubles Curletti that this product is not only flawed its the only choice in town. And hes perturbed to be buying so much plastic. He buys water in big jugs at the hardware store. When they run out, the kids wont drink water and instead will go for soda. Not paying, Curletti said, is a fairly painless way to protest all this. Im not going to jail, he said. They dont have debtors prison anymore, luckily. Linda Greenhouse, the winner of a 1998 Pulitzer Prize, reported on the Supreme Court for The New York Times from 1978 to 2008. She is a member of The Berkshire Eagles Advisory Board and the author of Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court. One of the most powerful tools a Christian has is prayer. It is the most direct way to speak to God, to thank Him, to ask Him for things, or just to connect with the Creator about what is going on in life and in the world. When studying the Bible, the importance of prayer is clear. Individuals in both the Old and New Testaments - before and after the life, death, and resurrection of Christ - prayed passionately, intensely, and sincerely. In the King James Version of the Bible, the book of James has a word to describe this kind of prayer: fervent. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). Fervent prayer is that model of passionate and sincere calling out to God, whether out of thankfulness, repentance, or need. Understanding the way that word was used, how it is translated in other versions, and seeing examples of that kind of prayer in the Bible can teach a believer today about how to pray fervently. What Does Fervent Mean? Fervent is a word that has fallen out of fashion over time, but it is still used in some contexts and can appropriately describe a kind of interaction. Fervent means having or displaying a passionate intensity; archaic use: hot, burning, or glowing. Essentially, to do something fervently is to do something with passion, and an older use of the word was to do something like a burning fire. To pray fervently is to pray with intensity, fueled by the Holy Spirit. It can be any kind of prayer. Someone can be intensely thankful, deeply in need, or embroiled in spiritual warfare. The prayer can be outward, and often fervent prayer does manifest itself physically in movement, words, and sometimes tears. Some people pray inwardly, but with a burning in their spirit that is just as powerful as the prayer of someone saying their words out loud. Someone can be seen to be praying fervently, but can be insincere, doing it for attention or because they feel peer pressure to pray with passion. Some pastors, healers, and charismatic leaders are caught being insincere in their false prayers. That is not a fervent prayer, just because it looks like one. God knows the intentions of their hearts. It is also important to look at the idea of fervent prayer in context: Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit (James 5:13-18, KJV). In context, fervent prayer can be for oneself or others. This passage in James is about how Christians should behave and can support one another, particularly during difficult times. They should pray when they are sick, they should rejoice when good things happen, and fervent prayer sincere prayer fueled by the Holy Spirit can bend the ear of God. James, the writer of this epistles and historically believed to be the half-brother of Jesus Christ, then gives the example of Elijah - Elias in the King James Version - whose fervent prayer had God hold back rain for 3.5 years. That prayer availed much, because it was sincere and in accordance with Gods will. Why Does Fervent Prayer "Availeth Much"? During the early 17th century during which the King James Version was first published, the verb avail was used with regularity. It is not an entirely extinct word in the English language, often working its way into academic, scientific, and legal papers. But it is no longer used in the common vernacular, particularly in the United States. The definition of avail is, help or benefit, use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource), use or benefit. When the translators of the Bible said that fervent prayer availeth much, they meant that it can lead to God intervening in many ways. It could be one big miracle, like when Elijah prayed for the rain to stop, or simply God intervening in a situation in the favor of a Christian, or even God answering a series of prayers. Fervent prayer also helps strengthen the relationship between the individual with the Lord, as it is a long and deep conversation with the Creator. What fervent prayer does not guarantee is that if a Christian prays really, really hard, that they will get whatever they want. The Psalmist wrote, If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18). Earlier in his letter, James wrote, You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:3). The Apostle John said, And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us (1 John 5:14). Prayer that is driven by a sinful desire, that leads to worldly gain that does not glorify God, or that is not according to Gods will may not be answered in the affirmative. What Else Does the Bible Say about the Power of Prayer? When looking for a model for fervent, powerful prayer, 1 Samuel contains one of the best examples in the Bible. A man named Elkanah had two wives, one of whom bore him children, while the other, Hannah, could not. Because of her infertility, Hannah felt great sorrow, so when they went to the Temple, she went and prayed. The Bible records, She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head. As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman (1 Samuel 1:10-13). She was paying with such passion, so fervently, that she was visibly distraught so much so the High Priest thought she had come to the Temple drunk. Her prayer was sincere and came from a place of great sorrow, and God heeded her prayer. Another person in the Bible who was known for his powerful prayers was the prophet Daniel. He got in trouble with the authorities in Babylon because of his prayer. During the chapters of prophecy, written in the first person by Daniel, he records a prayer asking for forgiveness for the sins of the people. The Bible records the prayer, given here in part: And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee (Daniel 9:3-6, 8, KVJ). Daniels prayers helped protect him in the lions den, where God shut the mouth of the large cats to preserve the life of his faithful servant. This prayer reflects the anguish of someone sincerely reflecting on their own wickedness, and of the people they represent, and coming humbly before God for forgiveness, which He granted. Eventually, the exile to Babylon was ended. How Can We Pray Fervently for Each Other? Part of the Christian life is praying for brothers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle Paul encouraged believers, Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one anotherRejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; ... Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep (Romans 12:10, 12, 15). Taking this to heart, Christians should be as passionate about the blessings, trials, and temptations of their brothers and sisters as they are for their own. Fervent prayer is not just praying loudly or with great emotion, though that can be a part of it. It is a prayer that is sincere, striving to be conformed to the will of God, and that glorifies Him. Reaching out to the Lord, fueled by the Spirit of God, is a cornerstone of a strong walk that can help a Christian finish the race well. It can also be a part of Gods plan for action, and lead to an answer to that prayer. Sources Johnson, Owen. The Passioante Praying of the Effectual Fervent Prayer. Xulon Press, 2012. Oxenden, Ashton. Fervent Prayer. London: Hatchard & Co., 1861. Sayler, Mary Harwell. The Book of Bible Prayers. Amazon Digital Services, 2019. Photo credit: Unsplash/Luis Alberto Sanchez Terrones Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry. RIGGINS - On Sunday at around 10:42 a.m., the Idaho County Sheriffs Office received a call about a side-by-side accident off of Race Creek Road, west of Riggins on private property. The location was only accessible by off-road vehicles. Idaho County Sheriffs deputies and the Riggins Ambulance responded and were met by Justin Mignerey, who took them to the scene. 79-year-old William Bill Bader, of Riggins, succumbed to his injuries on scene. His family has been notified. The Idaho County Sheriff's Office expressed sympathy in a press release. "At times like these, we are humbled and grateful for the community we live in and wish to thank Justin and Frank Mignerey and the Riggins Ambulance for their outstanding and caring assistance," said the Idaho County Sheriff's Office release. The incident is still under investigation. No further details were available. Madhya Pradesh transport commissioner waived off tax of Jai Ambe company which has been awarded ambulance operation with 800 vehicles evading tax worth crores of rupees as vehicles are registered in Chhattisgarh. District Vice President AAP Bhopal Pradeep Khandelwal has alleged collusion and said that he would take matters with the Special Police Establishment (SPE) of Lokayukta. Nothing is impossible, if state agrees to any task as in the case of evasion of tax in vehicle registration of ambulance by Jai Ambe company, he added. Today a letter was issued from office of Transport Commissioner Madhya Pradesh in which exemption of tax was provided to the company. In the big fraud in ambulance operation in the form of evasion of tax in vehicles registration was found as according to the Transport Act, 10 percent of the cost of the vehicle is deposited in the form of tax in the registration of ambulance. In this present case, all the vehicles are registered by the company in Chhattisgarh and Central Tax was evaded of the state government, as per the rules of the transport department, no vehicle coming from other states can be driven in the state border for more than 6 months. A total of 1292 ambulances are being operated in Madhya Pradesh in which around 800 are new and the rest are old. The state has incurred losses on two fronts one is RTO tax and along with the sale of vehicles to the state, there has also been a lot of loss of GST. The fleet operator should bring NOC from Chhattisgarh and state share tax be made. There was a loss to the state of around Rs 2 lakh on every vehicle. A pre-trial conference to discuss a potential plea deal for murder defendant Lori Vallow-Daybell is scheduled for the fall. According to court documents filed on Friday, the conference will be held at 9:30 a.m., Nov. 9, at the Fremont County Courthouse. Judge Steven Boyce will preside. The hearing will be held in an effort to discuss a possible plea deal agreeable to the parties involved. Currently, Vallow-Daybell is facing either life in prison or the death penalty for her alleged role in the murder of her two children J.J. Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. Police believe that the children were murdered in September 2019 following a trip to Yellowstone National Park. The childrens remains were found buried in Chad Daybells Salem property. He is also charged in their murders as well as that of his first wife Tammy Daybell who died Oct. 19, 2019. Two weeks after Tammy Daybells death, Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow were married in Hawaii. A pretrial conference has not yet been scheduled for Chad Daybell. The courts routinely seek some type of a sentencing compromise prior to a jury trial, said Vallow-Daybells attorney Jim Archibald. We always try to settle cases, Archibald told the Standard Journal. Archibald has brokered plea deals in sparing his clients the death penalty. Most recently, he plea bargained for Idaho Falls murder defendant Brian Dripps who was sentenced to 20 years to life for the rape and murder of Angie Dodge in 1996. Christopher Tapp had been wrongfully convicted in the case and spent 20 years in prison before he was exonerated in 2019. Archibald said its too early to know whether that will be possible in Vallow-Daybells case. Right now the answer is no theres no settlement, he said. Court documents filed on June 21 also noted that the May 2021 grand jury transcript had been printed and presented to Archibald after Boyce requested he receive a hard copy of it. Archibald had received an electronic version of the transcript last year. The printed version resulted in 1,000 pages for Archibald to review. During the grand jury hearing 51 witnesses were questioned. The grand jury called for the Daybells to be charged with the murders of the children and for Chad to also be charged in Tammy Daybells murder. Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow-Daybell were indicted in May 2021. It was five days of testimony, Archibald said of the grand jury hearing. It was just a lot more than other cases. This is way more involved. The voluminous grand jury testimony is not public record, he said. Court documents also revealed that the trial will be held for both Lori Vallow-Daybell and Chad Daybell from Jan. 9, 2023 through March 17, 2023 in Ada County. The two cases have been joined allowing for the couple to go before the same jury. Boyce opted to hold the trial elsewhere in hopes of finding an unbiased jury. Prosecutors complained that doing so would cost Upper Valley taxpayers $700,000, and said it would be less expensive to bring an Ada County jury to Fremont County. As more information is made available, the Standard Journal will update this story. OLYMPIA - Washington state's primary election is coming up, and election officials are calling on voters to be vigilant about misinformation. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said misinformation at election time has become more prevalent. He said local election officials are being more proactive and encourages people who have questions about the voting process to reach out to their local county auditor. "We can't sit idly by anymore," said Hobbs. "We actually have to not only remind them to vote and sign their ballot, but also let them know what the ballot process is so it gives them the security and confidence to know their votes are going to count." Washington state's primary is on August 2. Ballots will go out in mid-July. Online and mail voter registrations must be received by July 25. People can register in person through election day, any time before 8 p.m. Hobbs is participating in an online town hall meeting hosted by AARP Washington this Thursday to speak about voting and misinformation. Doug Shadel is state director of AARP Washington. He said older Americans can be more likely to pass on misinformation in certain online contexts. Shadel encouraged people to be more cognizant of the stories they're sharing. "Before you do that, really do what we call lateral reading," said Shadel. "If you hear a story, question the validity of it. Find another source for that same information before you pass it on to someone else." Shadel said voters age 50 and over are a vital segment of the electorate who show up to the polls consistently. That's why he believes it's important to get information on this subject out to them. "Democracy depends on making decisions based on facts," said Shadel. "And we're committed to helping our members and others around the state get the facts both about the candidates and about where we stand with the elections." (The Center Square) Washington is ramping up efforts to eradicate the predatory European green crab, which preys on native marine species and threatens both the environment and the states $270-million-a-year shellfish industry. More than 100,000 non-native European green crabs were captured in Puget Sound last year, an increase of over 5,000% from 2019, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey. The invading species eats on clams, mussels, and oysters and is capable of consuming between up to 22 clams a day according to published reports. The population explosion prompted Gov. Jay Inslee in January to order the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to take emergency measures to eradicate the European green crab. If allowed to become permanently established, Inslee stated, the predator crabs could destroy critical habitat such as eelgrass beds and estuarine marshes, disrupt natural food webs, harm overall crab populations, hinder salmon and Southern Resident killer whale recovery efforts, reduce shorebird food supplies, and ultimately affect the overall health and resiliency of the Salish Sea. The governor also expressed concern about the economic impact of the crab infestation on small businesses. In March, the state Legislature funded the emergency eradication effort with $8.5 million in this years Supplemental Operating Budget. Lawmakers had provided $783,000 for the purpose in 2020 and $2.3 million in 2021, but the infestation continued to spread, the WDFW reported. More than 64,000 of the invasive crabs have been removed from the states waterways already this year. Washington Sea Grants Crab Team, tasked with early detection of the invasive species, reported that a European green crab had been found in Hood Canal for the first time in May. WDFW is coordinating the current eradication effort with a coalition of state and federal agencies, tribal leaders, shellfish growers, and private landowners. Funding will be used to hire additional personnel and provide equipment in areas with existing green crab infestations, according to a WDFW statement. Three boats have been deployed and several new employees hired so far, and some 700 traps deployed. The WDFW has promised that more resources will be forthcoming. More than 3,200 Washingtonians work in the states shellfish industry, which contributes about $270 million a year to the states economy according to USGS estimates. The WDFW urges anyone who believes they have identified a European green crab or its shell to take a picture and report it to the WDFW as soon as possible. The crabs should not be killed or removed, the agency warns, due to the danger of misidentifying a native crab as European Green crab. (The Center Square) - Washington State Democrats will call for four Lower Snake River dams to be removed as part of their campaign platform in 2022 elections and beyond. The 534-75 vote at the bi-annual convention last weekend in Tacoma favored breaching the dams as one way to boost the salmon population. Supporters cited a recent draft report commissioned by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Bothell, and Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee outlining how the dams, completed in 1975, have altered the flow of the river making it more difficult for salmon to spawn. As a result, the report contends the salmon population has declined by 90% from pre-dam levels. Removing the dams would bring a number of benefits, according to the report, including draining the reservoirs on the river making it easier for salmon and other fish to migrate. The move would also benefit several of the state's tribes people by improving their salmon harvest and restoring about 34,000 acres of tribal land obliterated by the dams. Restoring salmon fisheries in the Columbia Basin would also generate up to 25,000 new jobs and add $1 billion a year to the economy, the report said. However, dissenters at the convention said the estimated $10.3 to $27 billion price tag to replace the electricity generated by the dams needed further study before a decision was made. In addition, they argued that low-emission transportation of goods and irrigation for farmers also needed to be given more consideration. First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain. Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that. And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details. If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Ever wonder why we're constantly poring over statistics as business leaders? It's not because we're monitoring metrics or tracking progress toward goals. It's because numbers tell a story. They take us on a journey, showing us where we have been and where we must go. They also help us understand how we measure up against others, revealing what we can do better to gain a competitive edge as employers and solution providers. But the beauty of numbers is that they give us an objective, actionable perspective on highly subjective observations and trends. Source: Supplied | Neil Gouveia, Director, Africa, Zebra Technologies Learn to separate fear from fact Proof there is nothing to fear For example, we have all seen e-commerce emerge fast and furiously in our daily lives, and in my view it has changed the local economy. However, multiple reports have helped us quantify how fast e-commerce is growing in South Africa, making it easier to wrap our heads around the opportunities and pressures we have to adapt operations. Though challenging, we now know this e-commerce trend can also be advantageous. Likewise, the numbers show South Africa faces a supply chain and logistics labour shortage. No surprise here. But now, we can start to see the value of automation as we recognise that, whether acute or chronic, the threat of staffing shortages is real and preventable.In fact, of all the lessons we have learned through regional comparisons and industry benchmarks lately, the one echoing the strongest right now is that warehouse automation and digitalisation are necessary to meet customer demand. Laggards will lose out on the opportunity to survive this supply chain shakeup.Just dont take a cookie-cutter approach to automation and digitalisation or simply throw products at problems. There is nothing cutting-edge about band-aids, even the fancy ones.In Zebras latest global Warehouse Vision Study , nine in 10 warehouse operators said they expect their use of sensor-based technologies such as RFID, computer vision, fixed industrial scanning, and machine vision systems to become more prevalent over the next five years. Ninety-nine percent also expect to deploy some form of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) in that same time frame, even though only 27% say they are using AMRs in their warehouses today.Do you share these plans? Its okay if you dont. But if youre afraid to lean on automation as a solution, thats not okay.I know the word automation can elicit panic in South Africa, as its usually associated with potential job losses. But that is a false causal relationship. Automation doesnt automatically take the place of people. In fact, in the recent Zebra study, warehouse associates shocked the world when they said automation may help keep more people in their jobs and fill empty ones. Many believe AMRs could make warehouse jobs less stressful, with nearly eight in 10 reminding operators that walking fewer miles per day would make their jobs more enjoyable, even if they had to pick or handle more items. Physical and mental well-being are key elements in a human resources equation that is no longer as straightforward as 'salary, holidays and health coverage'.If you feel theres something missing from this story, there is.Eighty-three percent of warehouse associates who work alongside AMRs today indeed confirm that this type of robotics automation has helped increase their productivity and reduce their walking/travel time. Nearly three-quarters said AMRs helped them make fewer mistakes on the clock. Almost two-thirds credited AMRs with their ability to advance to new roles or opportunities.Thats the full story, and it doesnt make automation sound like something to be afraid of. What I took away is that automation should be something every warehouse operator leans into.No matter what you ultimately do, know you cant ignore technologys immense value as a problem solver any longer. Over eight in 10 warehouse associates have asserted that they are more likely to work for an employer that gives them modern devices to use for tasks versus an employer that provides older or no devices. And with the right technologies in hand, time to productivity may be days or hours, not weeks or months.My Zebra colleague Melonee Wise, vice president of Robotics Automation, tells me one warehouse operator saw productivity rise up to 70% higher within days of augmenting its workforce with AMRs. For another customer, AMRs translated to a 25% increase in throughput. One major logistics company came forth to proclaim that its team cut out nearly 20,000 miles in manual travel each day by employing AMRs and that was in a single distribution centre.Wait, it gets better.One nonprofit that offers skill-based training and warehousing services has empowered hundreds of visually impaired workers to work independently simply by deploying AMRs to move empty carts and assist with case picking. Think how many more workers could be employed if every operator augmented their workforce with AMRs. One change one technology implementation can solve at least three-to-four problems by my count, including labour utilisation, productivity, throughput, and fulfilment capacity.And there are many other technologies just as powerful as AMRs, including machine vision, and RFID. Even 'basic' technology tools such as mobile computers, wearables, and printers things we may take for granted because theyre so prevalent can tell us powerful stories about our business. They can also help front-line workers create a story we will be proud to tell.So, embrace challenges as opportunities to design a smarter, more agile warehouse operation. Look to your front-line workers for guidance. Let them tell you what they need, then go out and find it. Sync those edge mobility solutions with your operations system of record, the warehouse management system (WMS), then start to add automation to the flow of data and physical assets. Just dont try to DIY or piecemeal solutions. Warehouse performance is too influential over supply chain, retail, healthcare and general economic performance.To see where you stand in the Warehouse Maturity Model click here . You can also learn more about warehouse automation solutions here When devastating floods hit KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) earlier this year in April, there were many organisations that sprang into action - along with thousands of community-minded citizens they worked around the clock - to provide relief and sanctuary to all those who had been hardest hit. Jackie Psannis from the Robin Hood Foundation received the cheque from Pramy Moodley, chief financial officer for Sappi Southern Africa: Thank you Sappi for choosing us to help those who aren't able to help themselves, she said Phase two of our flood relief efforts will be helping families who have lost everything to rebuild from scratch and this is where your Sappi funding will be used, said Tanya Altshuler and Rachel Kinloch from The Angel Network on receiving their cheque Lending a helping hand to load all the donations into the vehicles for the two beneficiary organisations are the Men of muscle Chief Sambo, Richman Ndlovu and Lungisani Buthelezi from Sappi Sappi employees collected and donated goods and cash these, bolstered by two generous cash donations from the company, were handed over to the two organisations by the WoW (Women of Worth) team at the Sappi offices in Umhlanga. Chief financial officer for Sappi SA, Pramy Moodley (seated centre) handed over the cheques Two such organisations: The Angel Network and The Robin Hood Foundation, were front and centre in rallying the support needed to give people a hand up after the floods. But this was not a once-off call-to-action for either of them both work tirelessly throughout the year providing relief and support to those in need. Their focus on finding solutions where others see problems was just one of the reasons that led Sappi to choose them as beneficiaries for their recent global employee donation drive in support of those affected by the KZN flood. After making an initial monetary donation to The Gift of the Givers organisation, Sappi launched an employee donation drive, which ran for a month and encouraged Sappi employees to make in-kind and monetary donations towards the cause. Representatives from the two organisations recently paid a visit to Sappi offices in Umhlanga, where ladies from the Sappi Women of Worth committee met them to hand over what had been collected from employees from all over the country. The overall donation included some generous monetary donations from Sappi employees abroad in Europe and America, which contributed to the Sappi-matched and supplemented donation of R125,000 for each organisation.The Angel Network Durban has been working tirelessly on the ground to offer relief to affected communities after the recent devastating floods and we have assisted thousands of community members with food parcels, blankets, fresh drinking water, towels, toiletries, sanitary pads, buckets, water purifying sachets, clothes and mattresses in various hard-hit areas around KwaZulu-Natal. As you can imagine, the biggest hurdle was trying to access communities where roads and bridges had been washed away. Phase two of our flood relief efforts will be helping families who have lost everything to rebuild from scratch and this is where your Sappi funding will be used. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity, said Tanya Altshuler when she accepted the cheque and the donations of collected goods.Jackie Psannis had the following to say: The Robin Hood Foundation are beyond grateful for having been chosen by Sappi for your generous donations from your amazing staff and for Sappi as a company, matching your teams donations! Our mandate has always been from our hands directly into the hands of those in need and with Sappi's life-changing donations we can continue to help the vulnerable, who are still a long way from getting anywhere close to where they were prior to the floods. We can also start getting back to our core projects, which we have been running all year round for the past 17 years . Meeting the Sappi team to receive our cheque was as special a feeling as being able to help our beneficiaries. A team filled with giving hearts, upbeat action-taking humans and a true show of South Africans making genuine impact in areas where our country really needs it. Thank you Sappi for choosing us and for the opportunity to unite forces to continue making genuine change in our beautiful country and helping those who aren't able to help themselves and building those who can.Our employees and their spirit of selfless giving make us truly proud and we are delighted that members from all over the world have rallied to the call and made such generous contributions towards these organisations that work so hard to make South Africa a better place, commented Pramy Moodley, chief financial officer for Sappi Southern Africa as she handed over the cheques to the organisations representatives.For more information about the two organisations and to find out how you can help, please visit their Facebook pages The Angel Network Durban and The Robin Hood Foundation South Africa or their websites www.theangelnetwork.co.za and https://robinhoodfoundation.co.za/ Continuing to do the same action and expecting different results is the Einsteinian definition of insanity... but that hasn't stopped the Biden administration in the case of its attack of his oil/gas prices. This morning, despite DOE's servers being reportedly fried, they managed to report that the US released 6.9 million barrels of crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) last week (~985,000 b/d). As Bloomberg's Javier Blas notes, the latest weekly release has pushed the SPR below the 500 million barrels mark for the first time since 1986... And as the chart above shows, the plummeting SPR is not having the impact on prices that President Biden hoped (which explains why he is blaming everyone and everything else for the rise in gas prices - as it becomes clear it's a refining capacity issue as much as anything else). As is obvious in the spread between barrel-equivalents for products vs crude... After last week's discussions between The White House and energy executives, a number have spoken out to defend against the vitriolic attacks from Biden. However, Scott D. Sheffield, Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Natural Resources, perhaps said it all best, concluding on the problems that the administration is going to face in dealing with a rapidly emptying SPR very soon... Yeah, first of all, I think weve all seen the true behavior of the Biden administration when they came out when he first came in office, they basically wanted to ban fracking, no federal leases and theyve already shutdown gas infrastructure, moving gas across the Northeast down to the Gulf Coast. New York wont take a pipeline, they've rejected several pipelines, they rather use fuel oil instead of natural gas in the state of New York. So thats been amazing to me and the rhetoric coming out of Secretary of Energy was go find another job in another industry versus the fossil fuel industry. So all of a sudden, things are getting tight, gasoline is going up, we have a war in Ukraine and then the entire administration changes. But the rhetoric really hasn't, you saw the argument between Mike Wirth and Biden. So when I said were not going to add growth, he quoted me and used my name that some CEO basically said that they wouldn't change your growth rate if oil was $200. So in my opinion, relying on SPR and federal tax removing $0.18... those are band-aids. In my opinion, our inventory after six months SPR will be at the lowest in 40 years. So he is going to have to buy at a higher price and refill it in my opinion. And were going to be even shorter, and SPR will be half of what it was three years ago." Separately, as Biden heads to the Middle East to ask for help with his ratings, Reuters is reporting that of a conversation caught between French President Macron US President Biden. "I had a call with MbZ," Macron was heard telling U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit "He told me two things. I'm at a maximum, maximum (production capacity). This is what he claims. And then he said Saudis can increase by 150 (thousands barrels per day). Maybe a little bit more but they don't have huge capacities," Macron said. In other words, no matter how much Biden begs, the two top OPEC oil producers - Saudi Arabia and UAE - can barely increase oil production. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday has demanded a time-bound schedule for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections from the BJP-ruled Central Government. The AAP Delhi Convenor and Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai said that the delimitation should be conducted and election date should be announced with the same urgency and desperation with which the MCD election was canceled half an hour before Election Commission's press conference. "The Central Government went into sleep mode after arbitrarily imposing decision unification of erstwhile three divisions of municipal corporations due to which sanitation system in Delhi has completely collapsed," said Rai. "BJP has left the people of Delhi on their own. They don't even know who to approach with complaints about the cleanliness of their area. The people of Delhi are eagerly waiting for MCD elections. They have made it clear by electing an AAP MLA in Rajinder Nagar by-election that they do not want BJP in MCD at all," said Rai. "We demand from BJP and especially Union Home Minister to conduct a time-bound delimitation and announce election schedule in MCD at earliest," said Rai adding that MHA should act immediately. Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking along ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, is on suicide watch in Brooklyn, her lawyer said Saturday. A letter written by Maxwells attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, which was sent to the judge who is scheduled to hand down the socialites sentence on June 28th, stated that the socialite had been removed from the general population of inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and placed in solitary confinement. According to Bloomberg, Sternheim said that Maxwell is not permitted to have any pens or paper and that she was put on the watch without justification. Additionally, her lawyer warned that she may request a delay of the day on which she is scheduled to be sentenced. If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment, Sternheim said in a letter that was sent late Saturday to the United States Circuit Judge who is presiding over the case. Sternheim stated that a psychologist visited with the socialite on Saturday and came to the conclusion that she is not suicidal, despite the fact that Maxwell, who is 60 years old, was given a suicide smock. In December, a federal jury in Manhattan found Maxwell guilty on five of six charges against her, the most serious of which was the trafficking of a child for sexual purposes. The decision was greeted as long-delayed justice for victims of Epstein, who was discovered dead in his prison cell a month after his arrest in what officials claimed was a suicide. Twitter erupted in all sorts of theories about the news: Ghislaine Maxwell is on suicide watch a a Brooklyn jail tonight. This sounds very similar to what happened to Epstein. I smell another mysterious death in the works. Got some really big names to keep quiet about. Ghislaine is expendable to these people. Citizen John (@JohnGor19801107) June 26, 2022 Ghislaine Maxwell was put on suicide watch. They are going to kill her like they did Epstein, right in front of our faces. Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 26, 2022 Ghislaine Maxwell (sex trafficker with former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein) has been put on suicide watch. Well, this feels like dejavu. Gabe Sanchez (@iamgabesanchez) June 26, 2022 The prosecution believes that Maxwell should serve a prison sentence of at least 55 years for her role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that included seven different victims. She has argued that she has been forced to suffer unnecessarily severe circumstances in jail and has requested a prison term that is less than six years long. Nicholas Biase, who works as a spokesperson for Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the office that is in charge of the prosecution of Maxwell, declined to comment on Sternheims letter. Read more on our Ghislaine Maxwell coverage here. From the announcement that Britain had voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, up until London finally departed the bloc in January 2020, the main criticism put forward by the mainstream media over Brexit was that it would result in violence erupting in the occupied north of Ireland, with border infrastructure being placed between the southern EU-member Irish state and the British-ruled north-east inevitably becoming a target for a resurgent Irish Republican movement. Despite the 1998 Belfast Agreement being lauded worldwide as a peace deal that ended 30 years of conflict, the Good Friday Agreement was effectively a surrender agreement between the British government and Provisional IRA, the culmination of years of infiltration at the highest level of the once revolutionary movement by British agents. In the 24 years since the signing of the GFA however, many Republicans have sought to continue the IRAs original goal of establishing a 32-County Independent Republic, with more than 40 Irish Republican prisoners currently languishing in British and Free State prisons, and sporadic attacks still taking place against British occupation forces, though not at the level of intensity that had occurred in the 70s and 80s. This is where the prospect of a hard border came into play in the mainstream medias coverage of Brexit, with customs posts between both jurisdictions in Ireland manned by the 5,000 British troops that still remain in the occupied six counties, inevitably becoming a target for physical force Irish Republicans. Therefore there is a sense of irony in the fact that two years on from Britains departure from the European Union, the most potent threat of violence from Brexit so far, has in fact emanated from pro-British Loyalists, the descendants of English and Scottish colonisers planted in the north Irish province of Ulster in the 17th century. Downing Streets Irish Protocol, which effectively keeps the occupied six counties in the EU Customs Union via checks being carried out on goods coming into the region from Britain by sea, has been viewed by Loyalists as undermining the British occupation that they wish to remain under, and also as being a stepping stone towards Irish reunification. Following the end of the withdrawal agreement last year, and Britains official departure from the EU single market, Loyalists would react to this newly-implemented Protocol by rioting across the region, attacking the pro-British colonial police force that they have traditionally supported, and bringing global attention to the occupied north of Ireland not seen in decades. Indeed, tensions would rear their head again in March of this year when Foreign Minister of the southern 26-County Irish State, Simon Coveney, seen as an instrumental figure in the implementation of the Protocol by Loyalists, had to be evacuated from an official event in Belfast following a bomb warning from Loyalist terrorist group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Though low intensity at present, the current Loyalist campaign bears a grim similarity to the one that began in the mid-60s in response to the call for equal rights for Irish Nationalists living in the occupied six counties, a campaign of petrol bombing Nationalist-owned properties that would eventually escalate into 30 years of ethnic cleansing and atrocities carried out in collusion with British Military Intelligence. With peaceful civil rights campaigners being batoned and teargassed by a pro-British police force every time they took to the streets of occupied Ireland, support for militant Republicanism was quickly growing. In order to counter the threat from the emerging Provisional IRA, the Military Reaction Force (MRF) a clandestine British Special Forces unit, was deployed to occupied Ireland with the intention of triggering a civil war between Irish Republicans and Loyalists, thus taking the IRAs focus away from the British troops that had been deployed to the region in 1969 in order to enforce Downing Streets rule. To this end, the MRF would employ the modus operandi of drive-by shootings of unarmed Nationalist civilians in the hope that the IRA would place the blame on Loyalists. The unit would work directly with Loyalists in December 1971 however, when they allowed a UVF team clear passage to bomb McGurks Bar in the staunchly Republican New Lodge area of Belfast leaving 15 civilians dead and marking the beginning of formal relations between British military intelligence and Loyalist death squads Indeed, this relationship would rear its ugly head less than three years later when the UVF - under the direction of the MRFs successor, the Special Reconnaissance Unit (SRU) - would detonate three no-warning car bombs in Dublin and one in the border county of Monaghan, resulting in 34 deaths in what was the largest loss of life in a single day in the 30-year period of conflict. The bombing of the 26-County States capital was seen as a warning to Dublin to not dissent from its traditionally pro-British stance, weakened at the time by atrocities carried out by British troops in the occupied north. Though no further attacks on the same scale as Dublin and Monaghan would ultimately be carried out in the 26 Counties as a result, Britains policy of operating with death squads in the north of Ireland would continue unabated, which, as the 1980s dawned, would also grow to accommodate the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). Although not yet responsible for the same high-profile attacks as its counterpart, the UDA dwarfed the UVF in terms of membership, which reached 40,000 at its peak. Taking this into account, as well as the fact the UDA was engaged in the same bloody ethnic cleansing campaign as the UVF, it was not long before London seen the groups potential as a proxy, thus the Force Research Unit (FRU) was born. A covert unit in the same vein as the MRF and SRU, the FRUs purpose was to turn the UDA into a more professional force, one that would target IRA members rather than engage solely in the traditional Loyalist tactic of killing unarmed Nationalist civilians. To implement this strategy they would recruit Brian Nelson, a senior UDA member, to travel to South Africa in 1985 in order to source arms from the then-Apartheid states official defence contractor Armscor, a deal that would lead to a deadly escalation of the groups genocidal campaign against the Nationalist population, and would ultimately result in the execution of human rights Lawyer, Pat Finucane. Finucane, from Belfast, would become a thorn in the side of the British establishment throughout the 80s by defending several high-profile Republicans, including hunger striker Bobby Sands. Placed firmly in Londons crosshairs, the final straw would come in November 1988 when he successfully had charges dropped against an IRA Volunteer in relation to the deaths of two British soldiers. Three months later, a UDA unit smashed down Finucanes front door as he had Sunday dinner with his family and shot him 14 times, his execution effectively sanctioned by Downing Street three weeks prior, when Thatcher Cabinet member Douglas Hogg stated in the House of Commons that there were solicitors unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA. Both the UDA and UVF would continue this campaign of violence against the Nationalist community for a further five years, the official end coming in October 1994 when both organisations declared they would cease all operational hostilities in response to the earlier Provisional IRA ceasefire in August of that year. Though both groups continue to exist, in the years following the ceasefire they mainly turned their guns on each other in bouts of internecine feuding. If recent mainstream media reports are to be believed that the UVF are preparing to re-arm in the event of the Protocol remaining unchanged however, the current Loyalist campaign may soon escalate to a level not seen in decades with British military intelligence undoubtedly playing a part once again. On Monday, Credit Suisse Group was convicted of failing to prevent money laundering by a Bulgarian cocaine trafficker, in the first ever criminal conviction of a major Swiss bank in the countrys history. The verdict, in which a former relationship manager at the bank was also convicted on money laundering charges, was handed down by Switzerlands top criminal court on Monday afternoon. The former employee, who prosecutors said regularly accepted suitcases of cash from one of the ring members that went beyond allowed limits, was given a 20-month suspended sentence. A person from another bank and two members of the crime ring were also found guilty of money-laundering charges. There was a silver lining, as the penalty was purely token: Credit Suisse will be fined two million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) over certain historical organizational inadequacies, or about how much the cocaine trafficker spent on hookers in one trip to Switzerland to deposit his drug money with Credit Suisse. Money aside, the decision is another blow to the tarnished reputation of Credit Suisse, which had argued the crimes date to an era when compliance standards were less stringent. It has been struggling with a series of scandals that have sent its shares to near-record lows, and may face a second criminal indictment in an unrelated case later this year. As Bloomberg notes, the case was criticized by Credit Suisse for having been brought so many years after the events in question. The bank expressed its astonishment in late 2020 when Swiss prosecutors publicly charged it with money laundering offenses, given the alleged crimes took place between 2004 and 2008. The court said Credit Suisse made it possible for the crime ring to launder money through the bank between July 2007 and December 2008 by failing to adequately monitor its accounts and make sure the business complied with anti-money-laundering rules. The crime ring allegedly recruited a Bulgarian wrestler and others in his orbit for operations transporting drugs and laundering money. Credit Suisse said in a pre-trial statement that it unreservedly rejects as meritless all allegations in this legacy matter raised against it and is convinced that its former employee is innocent. It also said previously that outside lawyers and consultants had reviewed its systems against money laundering and found its organizational setup was correct and appropriate in the period being probed. Prosecutors initially charged the bank with deficiencies between 2004 and 2008 but had to narrow the time frame because too much time had passed. Under Swiss law, local prosecutors can press criminal charges against banks if they believe those institutions didnt do enough to screen clients and their cash for obvious ties to illicit activity. The former Credit Suisse manager, a woman who can only be named as E. under Swiss reporting restrictions, accepted deposits of used bank notes that regularly exceeded 500,000 euros ($528,650) at a time, according to the 515-page indictment. Cash deposits were very common given the parlous state of Bulgarias banks at the time, she said in testimony. Her lawyer also said she wasnt sufficiently trained by the bank, and will appeal. The conviction hits Credit Suisse as it tries to turn a corner on financial losses and other scandals, including more than $5 billion in losses related to the collapse of family office Archegos Capital Management. Credit Suisse said it would appeal the decision. It noted that the alleged offenses date to more than 14 years ago. It had said it was astonished to be charged when prosecutors brought the case in December 2020. The bank on Monday said it is continually testing its anti-money-laundering framework and has been strengthening it over time. On Tuesday, Credit Suisse will update investors on plans to cut costs this year to help offset falling revenue in some divisions. It previously said it expects to post its third consecutive quarterly loss for the three months ending June 30. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. With an aim to bring Uttar Pradeshs aviation sector on the global map, the state government has approved the policy regarding development of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities of aircraft in the state. The decision was taken in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting held here on Tuesday. There is a need to establish maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hubs in the state to create a conducive environment in view of the development and expansion in the civil aviation sector, PWD Minister Jitin Prasada said while briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting. He said that due to non-establishment of MRO hubs in India, aircraft are sent outside the country for repairs to places like Singapore and Dubai in which foreign exchange is spent on repairing aircraft while crucial time is also lost. There are huge possibilities of setting up MRO hubs in Uttar Pradesh. By the year 2026, about 1000 new aircraft are likely to be purchased in the country. Presently, minor repair works are done in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. With the promulgation of policy, MRO hubs will be established in the state and the government will earn revenue. A large number of jobs will also be created, he said. In another decision, the cabinet also approved the draft to sign an MoU with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, and UP government for the construction of railway over bridges (ROBs) from the Central Road Infrastructure Fund. As per the draft, about 10 per cent (land acquisition and utility shifting) will be charged from the state government for the construction of bridges while the remaining expenditure will be borne by the Central government, Prasada said. The cabinet was informed that there are 3,165 level crossings in the state, of which ROBs are required at more than 300 crossings. Plantation: The cabinet also approved a proposal to plant 35 crore saplings in 2022-23 in all the government departments of the state. The proposal to provide free saplings from nurseries was also approved. Against the target of 35 crore saplings, 12.60 crore saplings will be planted by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change department while 22.40 crore by the state government and other departments. The aim of the plantation is to increase the forest cover, conservation and development of biodiversity and to make forestry a peoples movement, Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said. Sprinkler Irrigation: The cabinet also proposed promotion of drip and sprinkler irrigation in the Per Drop More Crop (Micro Irrigation) programme for five years starting from the financial year 2022-23. In order to make the drip and sprinkler irrigation system more acceptable, the government decided to provide 90 per cent subsidy for small farmers and 80 per cent subsidy for other farmers. This will motivate farmers to adopt this scheme, Singh said. The cabinet also approved expenditure of Rs 3,196.81 crore for free distribution of food grains, iodised salt, whole gram and refined soybean oil to the Antyodaya and eligible household card-holders of the state. In its cabinet meeting of March 26, 2022, the government had decided to extend the free ration distribution facility from April to June. The cabinet approved the proposal to allow allowance for home guards for training period equivalent to the allowance admissible on duty. Singh said the duty allowance of home guards is Rs 786 per day, whereas only Rs 260 per day training allowance is admissible to them when they are sent for training. For this reason, it is difficult for the home guards to participate in the training with due diligence, the minister said. The state cabinet also approved the proposal for the construction of Shringverpur Dham Nishadraj Park (Phase-1) in Prayagraj for which Rs 368.19 lakh have been approved. The Uttar Pradesh Project Corporation Limited has been designated as the executing agency for this project. The fourth day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabhas budget session turned out to be stormy with allegations and counter-allegations blowing between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the principal opposition Congress over the issue of illegal mining. Apart from this, many irregularities were also committed while awarding the mining contract, he said, while participating in the discussion in budget proposals presented a day before by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. Citing figures from past 20 years, Bains alleged that the previous governments looted the state in mining business. In the past 20 years, the state earned Rs 1,083 crore only. If we calculate, and add compound interest, there was a loot of Rs 40,000 crore in these years, with Rs 7000 crore in the past five years of the Congress government, he said. Questioning the mining policy of previous governments, Bains said that maximum daily mining was 40,000 metric tonnes. Now, this much is done in Pathankot alone...Each truck is being tracked in Punjab Govts portal, he said. Bains said that in May 2017, 102 mines were allotted, and in 2018, the then Congress Government brought the mining policy in which Punjab was divided into seven blocks. The contractor shall deposit 25 percent in advance, and keep 25 per cent as bank guarantee. He will make payment 15 days before the next quarter. I want to ask why Rs 425 crores were earned instead of Rs 625 crores in three years? Why was the bank guarantee not seized? After our government was formed, we seized bank guarantee of Rs 25 crores, he said. Alleging that the Government sold of more sites to pocket more money, AAP Minister added that total 202 mines were auctioned, out of which only 43 are running. He added that repeatedly amendments were made in the agreement, dated December 16, 2020, and mining was allowed in the restricted areas. No discussion was held with the Forest Department. After this, 18 officers were suspended. Now, Vigilance has been asked to carry out a time-bound inquiry, he said. Pointing that 444 crushers operate in Punjab, Bains said that no policy has been formulated for this. The contractors continued to engage in illegal mining in Mohali, Patiala, and Fatehgarh Sahib blocks. Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring asked the government to prove its claims of generating Rs 20,000 revenue, while declaring that he would not enter the House if it is so. Refuting the allegations, former Mining Minister and Congress MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria asked Bains why the income has not increased. If you are saying that everything has increased, why the income from mining has not increased...first show this then question others, he said. BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent COVID-19 policy compared to most other countries. A man and girl wearing face masks ride a pedal cart at a public park in Beijing, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent COVID-19 policy compared to most other countries. Anyone coming from outside the country will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for seven days, followed by three days of home quarantine, the National Health Commission said in its latest pandemic response plan. The previous plan called for 14 days in a hotel plus seven days of home quarantine. Some cities, including Beijing, have already reduced the hotel requirement to seven or 10 days in recent weeks, according to Chinese media reports. A woman wearing a mask walks past a beauty salon, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China has kept tight restrictions on international travel under a zero-COVID strategy that seeks to keep the virus out and stop any infections from spreading through lockdowns and mass testing. Other countries including the United States and Japan have opened their borders at least somewhat as vaccination has reduced the risk of serious cases and death. In Europe, passengers are facing long lines and delays as a surge in summer travel has overwhelmed airlines and airports. Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China's National Health Commission, described the new plan as not a relaxation of the country's approach but an optimization to make it more scientific and precise. Wang Liping, an infectious disease researcher for China's Center for Disease Control, said the change reflects the relatively short 2- to 4-day incubation period for the omicron variant, which means most cases can be detected within a week. Recent outbreaks in mainland China have largely eased. Just under 100 new cases were recorded on Monday, most among people who had arrived recently from overseas. None of the new cases were in Shanghai or Beijing. The Shanghai Disney Resort announced that its Disneyland theme park will reopen on Thursday after a closure of more than three months because of the virus. The number of visitors will be limited and a few attractions will remain closed, but most of the park will be open, Shanghai Disney said in a social media post. All guests will be required to show proof of a negative virus test taken within the previous 72 hours. Shanghai Disneyland closed on March 21 ahead of a citywide lockdown that would paralyze what is China's largest city and a major manufacturing, shipping and financial hub for two months. Beijing's Universal Studios theme park reopened last weekend after being closed for nearly two months because of an outbreak in the Chinese capital. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) A helicopter contracted to support firefighting efforts on an Interior Alaska blaze crashed after takeoff, killing the pilot, officials said Monday. The fatality was the first related to Alaska wildfires in 22 years. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) A helicopter contracted to support firefighting efforts on an Interior Alaska blaze crashed after takeoff, killing the pilot, officials said Monday. The fatality was the first related to Alaska wildfires in 22 years. The pilot was identified as Douglas Ritchie, 56, of Wasilla, Alaska State Troopers said. He was the lone occupant in a 1960 Bell 204B Huey helicopter that crashed Sunday night after taking off from an airstrip near the community of Anderson, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Fairbanks, officials said. Initial reports incorrectly said the crash occurred when the helicopter was landing, said Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Boards Alaska division. He was in the process of hauling, sling-loading some material out to a fire, Johnson said. We understand that he brought the helicopter up to a hover, and thats when the accident took place." He said they didnt have additional details, but three NTSB investigators were en route Monday to the crash site. The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection said it contracted the helicopter, which was operated by Northern Pioneer Helicopters, to help with the Clear Fire. Ritchie had worked for Northern Pioneer Helicopters for 12 years and held the title of lead pilot, according to a short biography on the company's webpage. Helicopters used to support firefighting operations have a cargo hook on the bottom of the aircraft, and a 100-foot (30-meter) longline is attached to carry or sling load materials to the fire. It wasnt immediately clear if Ritchie was carrying supplies to support firefighting operations that would have been in a net or if he was carrying a water bucket to help douse the fire, said Alaska Division of Forestry spokesperson Sam Harrel. Wildland firefighters and aviators are a close community and are in support of the family, friends and co-workers during this tragic time, the division said in a statement. The last firefighter to die was a smokejumper who was killed in a training accident in April 2000, Harrel said. Troopers said they didnt suspect foul play in Sundays crash, and Ritchies remains were sent to Anchorage for an autopsy. The Clear Fire was at 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) with minimal containment Monday, burning near the community of Anderson. Residents living in about 45 homes in three nearby subdivisions were ordered to evacuate Saturday, though the city itself was not under evacuation orders. The fire was 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) north of the subdivisions as of Sunday. Lightning started the fire last Tuesday, and it is burning in a mix of tundra, brush, hardwood trees and black spruce. There are 172 personnel working the fire. Canada should be prepared for a potential rise in medical tourism as abortion becomes banned in some U.S. states, say advocates and providers. Advertisement Advertise With Us Martha Paynter, a Halifax-area nurse and advocate for women's health, is seen at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan Canada should be prepared for a potential rise in medical tourism as abortion becomes banned in some U.S. states, say advocates and providers. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, including some along the U.S.-Canada border. The decision has raised concerns among some abortion providers and advocates about how a possible influx of Americans could impact Canada's system. But the option to come north for an abortion is limited to those who can afford it, said Jill Doctoroff, executive director of the National Abortion Federation Canada. The effort and expense involved in procuring a passport and travelling to Canada will likely be prohibitive for the marginalized Americans most affected by abortion bans, including those experiencing poverty and systemic racism, Doctoroff said. Many people may decide it's more practical to head to a U.S. state where abortion is still allowed, she said. "People who tend to be involved in (medical) tourism are often people who are really privileged," Doctoroff said by phone from Victoria. "Those are the kinds of people I think who might be coming to Canada for abortion care." But even a small number of Americans with the means to seek abortion care in Canada could pose a problem for clinics that are already strained for capacity, and potentially extend wait times, said Doctoroff. Dr. Dustin Costescu, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, said provinces should increase funding for abortion clinics to ensure they can meet this potential surge in demand. "If a significant minority of Americans choose to come here ... very quickly the system could become overwhelmed by an influx of U.S. citizens," said Costescu. "Now really is the time to be preparing for this." The Women's Health Clinic in Winnipeg has already started planning for this possibility, said executive director Kemlin Nembhard. A handful of American patients already visit the clinic every year, and Canada borders several U.S. states with so-called trigger laws that ban or severely restrict access to abortion, said Nembhard. The clinic currently performs more abortions than it receives funding for, Nembhard said, and is considering extending its hours of operation if demand increases. "We have contingency plans in place," said Nembhard. "But we can't really put them into action until we actually see what's going to happen." Martha Paynter, a Halifax nurse working in abortion and reproductive health care, said she doubts Canadian clinics will see a dramatic surge in Americans seeking abortions. But Canada should still take action to make abortions more accessible for its residents and potential visitors, including training more health workers on how to provide these services, said Paynter. "We should be doing the work to improve access here, so that should U.S. patients arrive at our doors, we are very well equipped to handle it," Paynter said. "Should they not, then we've made inroads that we can be proud of to continue to expand access in the first country to decriminalize abortion in the world." with files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2022. The provincial and federal governments made another addition to the Canada-Manitoba Child Care Agreement on Monday, promising funds to improve wages and create thousands of new daycare spaces. Advertisement Advertise With Us The provincial and federal governments made another addition to the Canada-Manitoba Child Care Agreement on Monday, promising funds to improve wages and create thousands of new daycare spaces. At a press conference held at a YMCA daycare in Winnipeg, it was announced that both levels of government are committing $34.7 million to child-care centres existing operating grants to improve wage equity for staff who look after kids aged seven and younger and $2.3 million to promote the same thing for workers who deal with school-aged kids. WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould speaks during an announcement in Winnipeg on Monday. Additionally, the governments are spending $8.1 million to created 3,100 new spaces for early learning and child care at 177 different facilities in Manitoba. Of that funding, $4.8 million is for kids aged seven to 12 and $3.3 million is for children aged younger that seven. "Access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care isnt a luxury, it is a necessity," federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould said during the announcement. "For the many advocates who have been advocating for affordable child care for decades it is truly the realization of this dream." As a working mother, Gould said it was important for her to know her son is in caring hands. She also said that she has experienced the struggle of waiting to find a vacancy at a child-care facility. "Investing in child care also helps workers in the sector," said provincial Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko. "We ensure a stable system for children and families, help address labour market shortage and help workers live a better quality of life." In Westman, executive directors at two child-care centres told the Sun that the funding is welcome, but wont be enough to stem the loss of workers from the sector. At Childrens Den Inc. in Brandon, Lorraine McConnell said that despite previous announcements boosting the number of subsidized child-care spaces, she hasnt been able to increase capacity at her daycare. "I cant hire more early childhood educators," she said. "Youre opening more spaces when I cant fill my spaces because I dont have trained staff. I know some centres have been thinking of reducing the number of children theyre caring for because theyre losing staff far sooner than theyre being recruited." Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould speaks during an announcement in Winnipeg on Monday. (Winnipeg Free Press) Earlier this month, McConnell said she had to close her centre for a day because with staff departures and others getting sick with COVID, there werent enough workers to take care of their charges. She has also had to consider asking parents to volunteer to consider alternative arrangements on days with low staffing. She said she doesnt want to appear ungrateful, but shed like higher levels of government to develop and communicate their intentions so she can develop a plan. McConnell was grateful on Monday that information on the new programs were sent out to centres like hers shortly after the announcement was made. "Its great news and with the vague numbers they gave us, Im hoping those will really be a significant jump for our staff," said Jen Cullen of Wawanesa Wee Care in Wawanesa. "Unfortunately, for myself, the timing isnt great. I just had a really great staff give her notice to go work somewhere for more money. Its a little late for that." Like McConnell, Cullen is glad the government is trying to fill a need by creating child-care spaces, but believes its hard to implement when the whole sector is "starving" for staff. With one staff member gone and another potentially leaving, Cullen said she may have to reduce the number of spaces shes able to provide. Both Cullen and McConnell said that when staff leave their positions at their child-care centres, theyre leaving the sector entirely to find other careers. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark WINNIPEG Paramedics received an urgent call for help from Manitobas largest hospital, as staffing levels in its emergency department dropped to desperately low levels over the weekend. Advertisement Advertise With Us WINNIPEG Paramedics received an urgent call for help from Manitobas largest hospital, as staffing levels in its emergency department dropped to desperately low levels over the weekend. On Sunday, advanced care paramedics from the Winnipeg region were asked to pick up shifts at the Health Sciences Centre adult emergency department for the first time, due to short staffing. Theyre an excellent resource to be able to help staff and support the emergency work, HSC chief operating officer Dr. Shawn Young said during an unrelated news conference on the Manitoba Legislative Building grounds Monday morning. Working in triage, working in [resuscitation], they have the skill sets and the tools to be able to provide that service exceptionally well. Asked if paramedics had staffed the emergency department over the weekend, Young said HSC has been partnering with paramedics for quite some time, and paramedics have previously assisted in rural emergency departments and at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg. A Shared Health spokesman later clarified while paramedics were indeed asked to work in the emergency department Sunday, none picked up a shift. Plans to partner with paramedics to deliver services at the HSC emergency department had been in development prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to expand capacity and reduce demand on nurses, Young said. While he was unable to say how frequently paramedics may be called on to support the emergency department, it could present a longer-term solution to chronic staffing shortages, particularly on weekends when trauma is at its worst and some of our needs are at its greatest. Its a routine practice in Manitoba, Young said. We just started making it more operational [at HSC] as of this weekend. Manitoba Government and General Employees Union Local 911 president Ryan Woiden said paramedics are pleased to see their scope of practice recognized by the health-care system but relying on them to fill holes in the emergency department is troubling. Were hoping that theres a comprehensive plan coming somewhere, because this just cant be sustained, Woiden said. On Sunday afternoon, Shared Health officials issued the appeal to paramedics to pick up a 12-hour overnight shift at the HSC emergency department, an email obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press showed. They are very desperate for staffing tonight, the Shared Health official wrote in the request to more than 30 emergency response professionals. Woiden said the request to plug and play at HSC likely came as a surprise to paramedics, who are already stretched thin under their regular workload. Its certainly concerning that theres no other plan except for to send out the occasional message, Woiden said. We certainly can assist anywhere we can, and we will, but replacing the nurses and the experience they have at Health Sciences Centre is not something were planning on doing. Earlier this month, the Free Press reported the typical per-shift complement of 24 emergency room nurses at HSC had dropped to as low as 12, according to three nurses who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of discipline for speaking publicly. The nurses described an emergency department where staff are so overrun, they do not have the time or resources to properly care for all of the patients who come in. According to Shared Health, the job vacancy rate in the emergency department was 25.8 per cent. Over the weekend, nurse staffing challenges were significant in the emergency department, and prompted calls to regular, part-time and casual staff, in addition to advance care paramedics in the casual pool, a Shared Health spokesman said. On Sunday, eight critical care nurses were reassigned at points throughout a 24-hour period to cover shortages in the emergency department, the spokesman said. A manager was also on shift to support staffing needs in the unit. We are at a point right now where we are desperate for nursing staff, Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said Monday. It seems like every week, we hear of another nurse leaving. Jackson said assistance from paramedics within emergency departments is welcomed but also questioned the sustainability of the Band-Aid solution. She said the call out for paramedics to staff the HSC is a symptom of desperation within the health-care system. We would prefer to have experienced nurses in that department. However, were in a position right now in this province where were in such a critical nursing shortage that nurses are exhausted, Jackson said. There doesnt seem to be anywhere to turn to correct the situation at this point. Health Minister Audrey Gordon said the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the health system to do things differently and its leaders to consider different staffing models. She said other specialty health-care professionals have asked to assist in the emergency departments or to see their scope of practice expanded in response to staffing shortages. Its about all of us being in this together, and so I dont think itll just be the paramedics that youll see in the ER. I think youll see other specialties, too, Gordon said. I dont think Im going to say no to any offers that come forward from the various associations or specialties or how long that might be for. Meanwhile, NDP Leader Wab Kinew described the addition of paramedics to the HSC emergency department as an escalation of a crisis. It really does seem that our health-care system is being held together by their heroic efforts and the ongoing impact of the PC cuts to health-care continues to play out in ways that weve never seen before in Manitoba, Kinew said. Using paramedics to staff the emergency room at the most important hospital in our province is certainly an unprecedented situation and a new low. Winnipeg Free Press The Congress on Tuesday described the BJP and the BJD as two sides of a coin, saying while the BJP-led Central Government has burdened people with hike in prices of essential commodities, the States BJD Government is imposing an escalating loan burden. At public meeting in Baripada on the second day of his Jan Sampark Yatra, PCC president Sarat Pattanayak said both the parties have played with emotion of people rather than responding to their day-to-day problems. He said that while unemployment, farmer suicide and atrocities against women are rising in Odisha, the Modi Government is busy selling public sector undertaking one after another to industrialist friends. While the BJD and the BJP are fighting with each other in Bhubaneswar, they are hugging each other in Delhi, Pattanayak said. He said the Congress is the only alternative which has the strength to fight both BJP and BJP. He appealed to all leaders and workers who have left the party to come back and strengthen the party. Oscar winner, former Armani ambassador and SK-II skincare spruiker Cate Blanchett has a knack for moving from one winning role to the next, having signed a deal with luxury label Louis Vuitton. As the latest house ambassador for the French brand joining Emma Stone, Chinese actor Zhou Dongyu and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone Blanchett will promote Louis Vuittons rapidly growing jewellery division in a series of glossy advertisements released next month. Cate Blanchett, wearing Louis Vuitton at the Cesar Awards in February, has been named the French luxury labels latest house ambassador. Credit:AP I am extremely excited to have this opportunity to collaborate with Louis Vuitton a truly iconic house with an enormous cultural reach, Blanchett said in a press release. To wear the magnificent pieces created by Francesca Amfitheatrof is a bedazzling pleasure. Blanchett is, as usual, on-trend. Statement jewels are replacing handbags when it comes to items coveted by those who know their Birkin bags from their Mimco wallets. LVMH, owners of Louis Vuitton and stablemate jewellery brands Tiffany & Co, Bulgari and Chaumet, reported 19 per cent organic revenue growth in its watches and jewellery division for the first quarter of 2022. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has warned superannuation and managed funds not to make misleading statements about their claims to be investing in an environmentally responsible manner. As ethical investing moves to the mainstream, funds that do not market themselves as investing ethically risk being snubbed, particularly by the young, for whom investing with a social conscience is important. As the number of ethical and sustainable investment products grows, many are not as green or sustainable as they claim. Credit:Gabriele Charotte The greenwashing phenomenon, where fund managers attempt to lure investors with their environmentally friendly or sustainable credentials but where those credentials often cannot be substantiated is something financial regulators are grappling with around the world. Last month, German financial authorities raided the offices of Deutsche Bank and its asset management subsidiary DWS as part of a greenwashing probe. The searches related to allegations of the bank marketing investment products as more environmentally friendly than they were. I last went to Sunday school some time back in the mid-90s. I could probably have done with some divine forgiveness for the acid-washed jeans I was likely to have been wearing. Coming from a mixed Catholic and Protestant background, with a mother who truly believed Jesus return was imminent, its fair to say that religion was important to me back then. Every step Ive subsequently taken in my life, career and hopefully fashion sense has taken me ever further from the Church and from seeing myself as a religious person. The 2021 Australian census results have shown a significant decline in religiosity with the proportion of people choosing No religion increasing from 29.6 per cent in 2016 to 38.4 per cent in 2021, in figures released by the ABS yesterday. The rise of nine percentage points since 2016 is the largest ever single increase between censuses for people choosing no religion. This census result is also the first time that the number of Australians indicating a belief in Christianity is less than 50 per cent. Its incredibly apt that these figures come just after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, an extreme example of how disproportionate the reach of the church can be. A local example is the $1 billion spent on the school chaplaincy program since it was introduced by the Howard government in 2006. The program gave vastly disproportionate preference to religious workers. The man behind the wheel of a car seen ploughing into climate change protesters as they demonstrated in the centre of Sydney on Monday has been fined, while more protesters now face potential jail time after a second day of unauthorised action in the city on Tuesday. Members of the Blockade Australia group met in Hyde Park about 8am before marching onto nearby streets, disrupting traffic in a bid to spread their message about the cost of climate inaction. Police on duty at Hyde Park on Tuesday. Credit:Brook Mitchell The disruption this time was short-lived. The group was met by a heavy police presence, forcing marchers off the road and onto the footpath, where 11 people were arrested. A shout of spaghetti was the cue for those who escaped the law to scarper back into the park. Those arrested were taken to Surry Hills police station, where they were charged under tough new anti-protest laws aimed at deterring action that disrupts roads, ports and other infrastructure which include penalties of up to $22,000 or two years jail. A man has been charged over his alleged role in the murder of Mahmoud Brownie Ahmad, who was shot dead in Sydneys south-west two months ago. Police believe the 49-year-old man was involved in the planning of Ahmads murder and have charged him with accessory before and after the fact to murder. Mahmoud Brownie Ahmad was shot dead in April. The man was first arrested on drug and criminal charges in Campsie on May 2 when police seized more than 25 kilograms of methylamphetamine, worth more than $22 million, from his Wetherill Park home. Police also seized $200,000 in cash and cloned number plates. South Africa: SALGA to launch civic responsibility campaign The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will on Wednesday intensify its profiling mandate through a nation-wide civic responsibility campaign. SALGA in a statement said the campaign aims to educate members of local communities about their duties and obligations towards the social and economic upliftment of their local areas by paying for municipal services rendered. The SALGA National Executive Committee (NEC) will provide further details on the campaign and encourage active participation from citizens and members of local communities across the length and breadth of the country. The NEC will be at the Tshwane Regional Mall in Mamelodi West, Gauteng and at Sasol Filling station in Madiba Park, in Limpopo. SALGA spokesperson Sivuyile Mbambato said: The campaign launch gives impetus to the organisations intent for the fifth Term of Democratic Local Government, to focus on advancing a people-centred democratic local government. The campaign flows from the organisations 2022 National Conference and 2022-2027 strategic plan to strengthen the role of local government in championing the social, economic, and material needs of their communities. The launch will also take place at selected venues across the nine provinces. The event will be attended by delegates from municipalities, national and provincial government, partners, and stakeholders within the local government sector. SALGA said it aims to inspire service delivery by enabling local government to fulfil its developmental mandate, whilst being an agile force of influence. Themed Asisho! Lets Say It... SALGA aims to open-up conversations: For citizens, encourage active citizenry in their role in paying for services to enable effective delivery by local government. For local government, promote a capable and agile local government with citizens at the center of service delivery. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway starts full operation 09:11, June 28, 2022 By Wang Binlai, Wang Xinyue ( People's Daily Earlier this month, the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway started full operation as a new section linking Hubeis Xiangyang and Chongqings Wanzhou was put into use. The railway shortened the trip from Beijing to southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality to 6 hours and 46 minutes, and that from Zhengzhou, central Chinas Henan province to Chongqing to 4 hours and 23 minutes, bringing closer the city cluster in central China and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. A staff member receives passengers in ancient costume at the Chongqing North railway station, southwest China's Chongqing municipality, June 20, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Wang Weiguo) The Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway crosses a region with the worlds most complicated geographical conditions. 98 percent of the overall mileage consists of bridges and tunnels. With complex and variable landscapes, geologic hazards always take place in the region. In addition, the high requirement on environmental protection during the construction also made the project extremely challenging. For instance, the Xiaosanxia tunnel along the Chongqing section of the railway is the longest single-hole double-track railway tunnel with a designed speed of 350km per hour in Asia. It has the highest level of risk as a railway tunnel in China. There are 152 outfalls of crack water, interstitial water, and underground rivers, as well as 30 karst caves in the tunnel. The maximum daily water inflow in the tunnel could hit 168,000 cubic meters, which is equivalent to the water storage in over 60 standard swimming pools. To steer clear of all potential risks, the project team set up multiple professional work groups and adopted a series of technical solutions such as geological radar, horizontal percussion drilling for advanced geological prediction, and geological surveying during the construction. The total mileage in the plans prepared by the project team added up to more than 8,000 kilometers. The Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway was built according to stringent environmental protection standards. There is no bridge pier built in the water in protection zones for water resources that the railway crosses, and the railway adopted single-hole double-track tunnels to reduce excavations. Besides, the railway has chosen gabions over concrete structure, built bionic ecological water systems and restored original wetlands. During the construction, the project team tried its best to fit the railway into the surrounding natural landscape and to minimize the projects environmental impact.. The operation of the high-speed railway will significantly enhance the flow of passengers, logistics, information, and capital. A high-speed train makes a test run on a super large bridge along the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway in Maqiao township, Baokang county, Xiangyang, central China's Hubei province, June 18, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Yang Dong) Now we finally enjoy the convenience of direct trains, said Gao Jianxin, business manager of Lucky Huaguang Graphics Co., Ltd., a company based in Henan province. According to him, he and his colleagues had to make detours via Xian in northwest Chinas Shaanxi province to go to southwestern provinces such as Yunnan and Guizhou. The southwestern region is an important market of the company, and the newly-opened high-speed railway will largely reduce the travel time for the companys employees, Gao said. The business team of our company is currently working to expand our sales. We must grasp the opportunity brought by the high-speed railway, he told People's Daily. Before the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway was put into operation, some high-quality projects of high-end equipment manufacturing and modern services had already been started along the route. In Yunyang, Chongqing municipality, Sichuan-based Sino-Agricultural Modern Investment Co., Ltd. has invested 1.5 billion yuan ($224.3 million) to build an intelligent cold-chain logistics center. In Wanzhou, Chongqing, more than 20 key projects have commenced, including a cable project for high-end new energy equipment. The opening of the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway will do us a great favor in the industrial relocation from central and eastern China to the Chengdu-Chongqing region, said Wang Haiyun, an official with the economy and information technology committee of Wanzhou. The new technologies and products from enterprises in central and eastern China are expected to accelerate local industrial restructuring and upgrading, he added. The Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway is also bringing the natural scenery, resources and culture along the route closer to the market. In the past, tourists usually went to the attractions in the Three Gorges, the three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River by ship. Today, they can go faster thanks to the newly-opened high-speed railway. A high-speed train runs on a super large bridge along the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway in Xiangyang, central China's Hubei province, June 20, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Yang Dong) Tourists were always on ships when they visited the Three Gorges, so they barely made any consumption, said Li Xuefeng, head of a tourism company, adding that the company will work to attract tourists to stay overnight given the Zhengzhou-Chongqing High-speed Railway. According to him, a series of leisure and tourism projects have been built in Wushan county, which sits at the western entrance to the Wu Gorge in the Three Gorges region. Thirty-nine hotels and 685 agritainment facilities were built or renovated, he introduced. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) The State Cabinet here on Tuesday approved to increase the annual limit fixed for the Chief Ministers Discretionary grant from Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore for the financial year 2022-23 and the coming financial years. The Cabinet has decided to increase the MLA Area Development Fund Scheme (Capital) of Rs 1 crore 85 lakh by Rs 65 lakh in under MLA fund making it Rs 2 crore 50 lakh and Rs 35 lakh in MLA Discretionary grant of Rs 15 lakh making it Rs 50 lakhs. The Cabinet has decided to sanction a special ex-gratia amount of Rs. one crore to the heirs of Sub-Inspector Late Rajkumar Jatav, Acting Head Constable Late Neeraj Bhargava and Constable Late Santram Meena Aron police station, Guna district. The Cabinet has granted in-principle approval to establish medical college with 100 MBBS seats admission capacity and 500-bed affiliated hospital, besides setting up of a nursing college of 60 seat admission capacity for nursing courses and a paramedical college of 60 seat admission capacity for paramedical courses in Budni Tehsil located in Sehore district. Similarly, the Cabinet gave in-principle consent with the purpose of increasing the 100 seats of undergraduate courses for setting up a new medical college in Ujjain. With the establishment of a medical college, medical facilities are available to the people of the area, along with 100 more MBBS seats in the medical field for students of the state. Approval was given for the establishment of 23 new ITIs in development blocks of the state without ITIs, creation of 437 instructor posts and 253 administrative posts proposed for the year 2022-23 and ratified the financial provision of expected non-recurring expenditure of about Rs.32 thousand 499 lakh and recurring expenditure for five years is about Rs.9,890 lakh. At present, 238 government ITIs are operating in 213 development blocks in 52 districts in the state, with an admission capacity of 44 thousand 552. The Cabinet has approved to allocate land Khasra number 44, total area 5.115 hectares and Khasra number 45 allot 6.073 hectares (15 acres) out of total area of ??6.082 hectares government land located at Berkheda Bondar village, Huzur tehsil, Bhopal district, to the university at free premium and one rupee as annual land rent under the conditions of the government for the establishment of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) Gandhi Nagar campus. The entire responsibility of developing the campus of NFSU will be with the University. The Cabinet gave its approval for setting up of Rural Technology Park at Morena. Approval was given to create posts for the operation of Rural Technology Park. Decision was also taken to approve Rs 50 lakh 88 thousand for the payment of salary and allowances for the operation of the park and expenditure of Rs. 1 crore 10 lakh 46 thousand for recurring / training expenses, making provision in the head available for allied organizations / training institutes of the department. The Cabinet gave revised administrative approval to Chheetakhudri Medium Irrigation Project of Jabalpur district, cost amount Rs 434 crore 21 lakh, irrigation area 16 thousand 875 hectare and Kundalia Multipurpose Major Irrigation Project, Rajgarh district cost amount Rs 4614 crore 73 lakh, irrigated area 1 lakh 39 thousand 600 hectare. The Cabinet has given revised approval of 25 group water supply schemes worth Rs 11 thousand 100 crore 72 lakh in different districts of the state under Jal Jeevan Mission. Through these water supply schemes of the mission, arrangements will be made to provide tap water to the rural population of 6223 villages at their homes. A cow sanctuary is being operated in Cow Sanctuary Research and Production Center, Salaria district Agar Malwa in Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department. The purpose of the operation of the sanctuary is to produce cow products and conduct research on cows along with rearing of stray cows. Developing the sanctuary as a tourist center and making it a self-supporting model is in the priority of the government. Manufacture of cow products, marketing, development of cow tourism, green fodder development, breed improvement, and many employment oriented activities will be conducted in the sanctuary after contract between Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry and Livestock Promotion Board and Shri Gau-Seva Teerth-Dham Pathmeda, District Jalore Rajasthan for running the sanctuary. The Cabinet decided that a contract should be signed between Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry and Livestock Promotion Board and Shri Gau-Seva Teerth-Dham Pathmeda, District Jalore, Rajasthan for the operation of the cow sanctuary research and production center, Salaria in the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department. Duration of Investment Promotion Assistance Scheme extended The cabinet has extended the effectiveness period of the scheme from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2022 for the units starting commercial production from 1st April 2018 to 3rd June 2022 in the provisions issued by the departmental order for the benefit of Investment Promotion Assistance Scheme. The units, which will invest 75 percent of their proposed investment by the last date i.e. June 30, 2022, were given time till March 31, 2023 to start commercial production and avail the benefits of the proposed assistance. Increase in rate of tendu patta The cabinet approved the decision to increase the collection rate of tendu leaves to Rs 3 thousand per standard sack for the year 2022 and till further orders. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan had announced to increase the collection rate of tendu leaves from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 per standard bag in the conference of forest committees on April 22, 2022. A target of collecting 16 lakh 29 thousand standard bags of tendu leaves has been set for the year 2022, due to which the collectors will get an additional remuneration of Rs.89 crore. Decision to set up State Statistical Commission On the recommendation of the Kundu Task Force Committee, it was decided by the Council of Ministers to constitute the State Statistical Commission. The Kundu Task Force was constituted to submit recommendations for the strengthening of the statistical system in the state. Its recommendations include a proposal to constitute a State Statistical Commission on the lines of the National Statistical Commission. The Commission will be headed by an eminent statistical expert having 20 years of experience in this field. In the Commission, 1 member will be nominated by the State Government and maximum 6 members will be special invitees as subject experts. Disposal of assets The cabinet decided that after the highest tender amount of one crore 89 lakh one thousand 955, which is more than the reserve price amount of 1 crore 32 lakh for the disposal of 1730 square meter land assets at Survey No. 375, 376 and 394 of Revenue Department's Village Sirol District Gwalior, the action of contract/registry would be done by the District Collector to sell it and after depositing 100% of the tender amount by the H-One tenderer. The Council of Ministers has decided that proceedings of the contract / registry would be done by the District Collector for parcel number 01 and 02 located in Vinod Mill Asset Sheet No. 1738, the total area is 19 thousand 69 square meter and 17 thousand 529 square meter respectively. Among the tenders invited by the Revenue Department for the disposal of parcels the financial bid amount of the tenderers and their bid in the e-auction was found to be highest. Therefore the H-One tenderers highest bid amount of Rs.25 crore 41 lakh 20 thousand for Parcel-1, which is more than the reserve price amount of Rs.16 crore 76 lakh and the highest tender amount of 24 crore 61 lakh 68 thousand rupees for Parcel-2, which is more than the reserve price amount of 15 crore 43 lakh rupees, were sanctioned and it was decided that the district collector would take action for their contract/registry for their sale after 100 percent bid amount is deposited by H-One tenderer. As noted earlier today, the head of government agency Investment NSW delivered an opening statement to the parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances in which former deputy premier John Barilaro was given a $500,000-a-year post as the states senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas. The New York-based role is expected to run for three years. Barilaros appointment, announced in June, is now the subject of two inquiries, including a separate independent inquiry headed by former NSW public service commissioner Graeme Head. Brown said she was confident she had fulfilled her duties. Credit:Janie Barrett Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown led the recruitment process for the role and had this to say to the upper house inquiry today: Thank you for having me here today as a witness. I welcome the opportunity to outline the facts involved in the appointment of Mr John Barilaro [as Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to the Americas] and address the questions the committee may have. I first became a NSW public servant in 2013. I am committed to the public sector core values of integrity, trust, service and accountability. That includes the Westminster principle of an apolitical and impartial public service. The appointment of Mr John Barilaro is a public service appointment. Before you raise the many questions you have on process, I would like to say the appointment process for the ... senior trade and investment commissioners has evolved imperfectly. Early advice contemplated by NSW Treasury when the program was first launched in 2019 recommended that ... STICs, as theyve become known, be appointed as public servants ... rather than statutory offices appointed by a minister. However, the approval process NSW Treasury developed and Investment NSW later inherited did not reflect how those appointments should be made under those laws and regulations. This has since been rectified and was corrected well before Mr Barilaro applied for the role. Since August 2021, no formal approval of any minister or the premier has been sought prior to the appointment of STICs including STIC Americas [the role Barilaro was given]. Informal opinions of the responsible minister are often sought ... however, final determination rests with me as the employer. In preparing for today Ive taken the time to reflect on the appointment of Mr Barilaro and I am confident that as the employer of the role of STIC Americas I have fulfilled my duties under the GSE Act [The NSW Government Sector Employment Act] with respect to this appointment. More details emerged during Browns evidence about the timeline of events relating to the appointment, including a direction by the government to halt a recruitment process that was under way last year, before it resumed this year. You can read about that evidence in the posts below. The parliamentary inquiry has now moved into a closed session. The journalist behind The Teachers Pet podcast about former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson has denied flattering his interview subjects and inducing them with promises of walking the red carpet, a court has heard. Hedley Thomas faced a second day of cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, when he said he understood News Corp had signed an agreement with Jason Blums American production company Blumhouse for a TV miniseries, following his podcast released in May 2018. Hedley Thomas and Chris Dawson Credit:Oscar Colman, Nick Moir Detective Senior Constable Daniel Poole, who was assigned the case within the unsolved homicide squad in 2015, testified that a brief of evidence was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions in April 2018, and Dawson was charged in December that year. Dawson, 73, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his first wife, Lynette Dawson, who vanished from the northern beaches in January 1982. St Catherines, the school at the centre of a controversial push by the Sydney Anglican Diocese to force new leaders to avow their opposition to same-sex marriage, has brought a former principal out of retirement to be its interim head for two years. The schools council told parents that former Abbotsleigh head Judith Poole will lead the school in 2023 and 2024, and, as a temporary principal, will not be required to sign the statement of faith saying that marriage is just between a man and a woman. It is a victory for parents who have been lobbying the Sydney Anglican Diocese to drop the requirement that their new principal sign the statement. St Catherines is in Waverley, which voted overwhelmingly for same-sex marriage in the 2017 postal vote. St Catherines has announced a new interim principal. Credit:Janie Barrett In a letter to the school community on Tuesday, the council chair Danusia Cameron said Poole was a remarkable educator and visionary leader. The letter said Poole was an active Christian. Abbotsleigh is also an Anglican diocese-run school. A man linked to a defunct Queensland tech-support business has been found guilty of defrauding insurance companies of more than $40,000 and trying to dishonestly get more than $30,000. Anthony Onyeka Okeke tricked Allianz Insurance and QBE Insurance into paying insurance claims for four vehicles after he staged or fabricated a series of crashes. Anthony Onyeka Okeke. Credit:LinkedIn He claimed $41,595 from those two insurers for four vehicles. He tried to claim a further $33,813 on three vehicles from QBE Insurance and Suncorp Insurance. Okeke was charged over seven insurance claims. However, crown prosecutors put forward 18 claims that they alleged were fraudulent and made by Okeke, during a judge-only trial in Ipswich District Court. A Geelong man has been jailed for more than two years after building six pipe bombs while he was bored and setting two devices off near a neighbours home. Aaron Church, 33, was drug-affected when he set up two homemade improvised explosive devices on a fence near a neighbours home in the Geelong suburb of Waurn Ponds in the early hours of September 27, 2020. Residents nearby were asked to evacuate and others were advised to stay indoors. The first device, made from a paint can containing about half a kilogram of shrapnel, including nails, screws, bolts and fishing sinkers, caused a loud explosion. Police and firefighters attended and extinguished both devices, with Church approaching police and telling them there were two more devices in a tree. Madrid: Anthony Albanese has said Russias atrocities in Ukraine are uniting the democratic world against Vladimir Putins regime, as he joined a chorus of international condemnation over the Kremlins missile strikes on a busy shopping centre. The prime minister echoed the dismay of world leaders, who branded the attack abominable on Tuesday and vowed to hold Putin accountable for the war crime as NATO forces increased the number of troops on high alert to more than 300,000. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is still weighing up whether to risk a trip to Kyiv. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The head of Britains armed forces, General Sir Patrick Sanders, warned that the West must be prepared to act rapidly to contain Russian expansionism, comparing it to the rise of Nazi Germany. In a major speech on Tuesday he said the world was facing its 1937 moment and must be ready to fight and win to ward off Putin. Defence Minister Richard Marles says hes aiming to decide which nuclear submarine Australia will acquire by early next year while blasting the former government for letting major defence purchases drift for years. As well as choosing between British Astute-class and American Virginia-class nuclear submarines, the government expects to know by March 2023 when they can be acquired and whether Australia will need an interim, conventionally powered submarine to replace its ageing Collins-class boats. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, with Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell, at a press conference announcing senior ADF appointments. Credit:James Brickwood Over the next two years, Marles also plans to have a force posture review, which will examine whether Australias military bases are adequate and its forces are positioned to deal with the strategic circumstances facing Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Marles on Tuesday took the unusual step of extending by two years the terms of three of the countrys top military leaders, while appointing new heads of the army, navy and air force as planned, to ensure continuity of advice to the government on its submarine and frigate purchases. Exiting Ubers, taxis and the occasional Comcar for those who managed to jump the administrative hurdles, the new crossbenchers met as a group for the first time on Tuesday with smiles and congratulations. They are among Australias 35 newest MPs who arrived at Parliament House for a two-day crash course on the practicalities of being a politician. Incoming crossbenchers Monique Ryan, Zoe Daniel, Kate Chaney, Kylea Tink, Dai Le, Libby Watson-Brown, Sophie Scamps and Allegra Spender arrive at Parliament House for the first time as MPs. Credit:James Brickwood Braced for Canberras frosty morning, the seven independents and new Greens MP Libby Watson-Brown gathered for their first joint photo, exclusively for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, before the official program started. Kylea Tink, the member for North Sydney, said it was exciting but also strange to be dropped off by a taxi and then have to call on the intercom and hope security knew who she was. He said he would ensure contact with his sister relating to her portfolio would be done in the presence of an independent person appointed by the department; seek to meet the ministers staff rather than the minister herself, where possible; and keep a log of meetings with the ministers office that could be reviewed by the commissioner on request. Lobbyist John-Paul Blandthorn is the brother of Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn. He said: Whilst the above-mentioned protocols go above and beyond what is required under the lobbyist code of conduct, we believe it is in the best interest of Hawker Britton clients and seeks to uphold a higher standard of integrity between our firm and the Victorian government. The appointment of Blandthorn is one of several changes to the Andrews government frontbench after a string of ministers announced retirement plans last week. New Multicultural Affairs Minister Ros Spence is the wife of high-profile lobbyist, political researcher and commentator and former Labor deputy campaign director Kosmos Samaras, who is a director of the RedBridge Group. Samaras told The Age he had ensured none of his RedBridge clients had interests in his wifes portfolio. There is strict adherence that we cant take on any clients that have any interests in the ministers portfolio areas or who are in receipt of any money, he said. Centre for Public Integrity research director Dr Catherine Williams said the Blandthorn situation was a case study in the weakness of Victorian regulation of lobbying and government-business relationships. While all the dealings between these parties [the Blandthorns] may well be above board and rules followed, with such inadequate rules and with so little transparency, it is hard for the community to have confidence that all is OK, she said. She said Blandthorns letter to the public sector commissioner was an important recognition of the potential for a conflict of interest, but it was only a personal undertaking that came with no official oversight and/or public transparency. This really highlights the flaws in the system. The Brumby government introduced a lobbyist code and register in 2009, but it has long been regarded as ineffectual. The only penalty for contravention of the code is the loss of a lobbyists registration. Even then, there is no public record of such deregistrations. Unlike more strongly regulated jurisdictions such as NSW and Queensland, Victorias lobbying rules are not enshrined in legislation and are similar to the federal rules, which, in 2020, the Australian National Audit Office labelled a light-touch approach. Loading And, unlike NSW, Queensland and the ACT, Victorian ministers are not required to keep public diaries of meetings and contacts with lobbyists. In those jurisdictions, a meeting between siblings one a lobbyist and a minister would be documented on the public record. Victoria also lags other jurisdictions on the length of the cooling-off period for outgoing MPs and other government figures before they take up positions lobbying to government. In Victoria, the period is 12 to 18 months, compared with five years in Canada. Monash University associate professor Yee-Fui Ng is a leading researcher on lobbying regulation. She said the Blandthorn appointment appeared to be a massive conflict of interest. She said Victorias regulation of lobbying was weak compared with NSW, Queensland and overseas jurisdictions such as Canada and the US, and that more robust regulation would require reforms including vigilant enforcement by an independent statutory authority. Loading Blandthorn worked as a senior stakeholder relations adviser to Andrews for 2 years to July 2017. He became director at Hawker Britton in August 2018. Before working for Andrews, Blandthorn worked in the office of then-federal opposition leader Bill Shorten. The Blandthorn family is a powerful force in Victorian Labor Right politics, long associated with the socially conservative shoppies union. When questioned, Fennessy, the public sector commissioner, referred The Age to the Department of Premier and Cabinet, which has responsibility for the lobbyist code of conduct. On Tuesday, a state government spokeswoman said: All ministers are expected to act with integrity as they manage their portfolios to deliver the best outcomes for Victorians. Madrid: Anthony Albanese will tell a critical NATO summit that under his leadership a mature Australia will stand up against threats to democracy in the Indo-Pacific and further afield, as western nations prepare to further isolate Russia on the world stage. The Australian prime minister, invited to the critical two-day meeting of the northern Atlantic alliance as part of the Asia Pacific Four, will tell world leaders that his government is resolute in supporting peace and security throughout the world, but would have a different style than the previous administration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses the media in Madrid where he is attending the NATO summit. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Leaders of the wealthiest democracies have struck a united stance to support Ukraine for as long as it takes as Russias invasion grinds on, vowing to support Kyiv with military hardware and aid, while taking far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from the oil sales that are financing the war. The members of the Group of Seven flew from Germany to Spain on Tuesday to join counterparts at an alliance summit in Madrid, vowing to impose severe and immediate economic costs on Russia, while sounding a warning that there is concern about Beijings ever-closer ties with Moscow. Bhopal Branch of CIRC of ICAI hosted a Seminar on MSME at ICAI Bhawan. The Programme was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by the Chief guest Shri. P Narahari, (IAS), Principal Secretary, MSME and Chairman, Bhopal Branch. Afterwards CA Ankur Jain Chairman of Bhopal Branch has given the inaugural speech. The programme has been conducted by branch secretary CA Parul Shrivastava. The Speaker of the Session was Anup Kumar Shrivastava and Shri Akhilesh Kumar, Assistant Director (KVIC) shared his thoughts on Policies on MSME. He talked about Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs, Intergovernmental Role and Responsibility, Legislation/Regulatory Framework for MSMEs in India, Access to Finance/ Financial assistance for MSME, Technology Upgradation, Knowledge Management, Ease of Doing Business and Skill Development. The event was also attended by Bhopal Branch Management Committee along with other members: CA Samank Mohabe Vice Chairman, CA Aditya Srivastava, Treasurer and MCM CA Pradeep Mutreja and CA Suchita Goel. About 75 eminent CA Members of City and Non Member participated in the Training program. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has transformed and streamlined its loan processing systems to support its growing broker channel. The bank partnered with digital banking solution provider Sandstone Technology to find a solution which would support the growth of its lending business, better serve its mortgage origination partners and improve its customer experience. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank said indicative approvals had doubled since it implemented indicative decisions. Manual review of automated declined applications was at 10% compared to 100% pre-implementation and variation applications were up 27% compared with the same period in 2021. The bank said with the help of Sandstone Technology, it had achieved quicker loan processing through Sandstones loan origination platform LendFast which is integrated with the banks lending ecosystem. Read more: Investors warm to long-touted sale of Suncorp's banking arm The partnership sought a way to further simplify the broker experience to allow a more automated capability to submit loan increases and product conversions in addition to new business. Simultaneously, brokers will also receive more value-adding information from the bank via enhanced back-channel messages in real-time at the point of submission. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank said brokers would enjoy fewer touch points, a significant reduction in rework and an improved experience which aligned to some of the critical success factors within the current transformation program. Darren Kasehagen (pictured above left), general manager of third-party banking at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, said the collaboration with Sandstone Technology had been successful. We strive every day to be a better bank, not just for our valued customers but also for our brokers, Kasehagen said. With legacy lending systems and a growing broker channel, we identified the need to transform our loan processing systems to better support the growth of the banks lending business, better serve our broker channel and improve the overall customer experience. Read more: NSW suffering worst labour shortage in 50 years Kasehagen said the bank was trying to make it as easy as possible for its brokers and customers to work with the organisation. This digital transformation is making that job a lot easier, he said. Our collaboration has helped us streamline our loan applications, improve turn-around times and increase our loan approvals. Sandstone Technology executive general manager, origination AI & ML Poli Konstantinidis (pictured above right) agreed with Kasehagen. Lending today is not just the end-to-end journey from origination to settlement, Konstantinidis said. It now requires the appropriate balance of an engaging user experience across all channels, with speed to value and responsible lending for the bank. This subsequently enables the bank to differentiate itself from its competitors. A South Coast mortgage broker has won the Regional Broker of the Year title at the MFAA NSW and ACT State Excellence awards for the third consecutive year. Mortgage Choice Nowra franchisee and broker Paddy OSullivan (pictured) was recognised for his hard work throughout the past 12 months at the in-person awards night held at The Fullerton Hotel in Sydney on June 23. Winning for the third year in a row is an incredible achievement and one that makes me extremely proud as a regional broker, OSullivan said. I enjoy running a small business in my hometown of Nowra and the award makes that opportunity even more worthwhile. Its a lovely community and its great to be able to help people with their financing needs, whatever they may be. Read more: MFAA celebrates NSW, ACT Excellence Award winners OSullivan increased his loan writing volume by 32% in 2021 which was recognised by the MFAA award judging panel. In his acceptance speech, OSullivan (pictured receiving his award) credited his award win to his growing team and the support of the mortgage industry. I cant compliment my wonderful team enough on the work they do every day to make our business successful, he said. We expanded our loan and office administration team this year to realise the potential growth in our business and it has been one of the best decisions we have made. I also appreciate all the support from the people within our industry. The MFAA has been hosting the state excellence awards across Australia over the past five weeks, celebrating high achievers within the mortgage industry across Australia. Read more: Top lenders, brokers honoured MFAA CEO Mike Felton said the awards recognised its members who had excelled in areas including customer service, professionalism, ethics, growth and innovation. We received a phenomenal number of nominations for the MFAA Excellence Awards this year, which made a difficult task for our judges but is also indicative of a successful, vibrant and rapidly growing industry, Felton said. OSullivan will automatically become a finalist in the MFAA National Excellence Awards which will be held on July 27 at The Star Event Centre in Sydney. German premium car brand on Tuesday said it has delivered more than 2,000 units of its mid-size Virtus sedan under its mega delivery programme for the vehicle over a period of two weeks. The five-seater, all-new Virtus, was launched in the country on June 9, at an introductory price of Rs 11.21 lakh (ex-showroom) to reignite the premium mid-size sedan segment, as per the company. has delivered over 2,000 Virtus to customers over a period of two weeks from its launch in the domestic market, Passenger Cars India said in a statement. Since its introduction, the car has received an incredible response and customer demand owing to which the company has commenced its 'Big by delivery', mega delivery program pan-India, it said. Last week, Volkswagen Passenger Car India had announced the car's entry in the "India Book Records," after a single dealership in Kochi (Kerala) delivered 150 units of the premium sedan to customers in a single day. Virtus is developed on the company's MQB A0 IN platform and manufactured at its Chakan facility in Pune. "At Volkswagen India, we are extremely delighted to witness the new Virtus win our customers' hearts through its striking design, exhilarating performance and German-engineering. "The love, admiration and phenomenal response for the Volkswagen Virtus by our customers can be seen through the mega delivery program organized across India. We welcome our new customers with great humility and look forward to offering them the best of products and services by Volkswagen," said Ashish Gupta, Brand Director at Volkswagen Passenger Cars India. The car comes equipped with the 4EVER Care package that offers 4-years/1,00,000 km warranty extendable up to seven years, four years road-side assistance extendable up to 10 years besides three labor free services. (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.) and Special Economic Zone Limited approached the against the Bombay High Courts order dismissing its plea challenging the disqualification of its bid by the Board of Trustees of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). The contract was for upgrading a container terminal in Navi Mumbai. The counsel for approached the apex court bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala on Tuesday seeking an urgent listing of the matter. The counsel sought to restrain JNPA from proceeding with other bids until the matter is heard by the apex court. This is an extraordinary urgency. India's leading port manager was cleared as a bidder, but was disqualified later. Then, the gave a judgment yesterday dismissing our plea challenging the disqualification and now they are offering the bid again. Kindly list the matter tomorrow and ask them to not proceed with other bids, the counsel for Adani Ports, said in a virtual appearance. The bench told the counsel to approach the Vacation Officer. Please go before the Registry, the court said. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik of Bombay had earlier rejected the plea by and asked them to pay Rs 5 lakh to JNPA. It had already submitted Rs 4.25 lakh to JNPA with the tender so Rs 75,000 was outstanding. It had also refused to restrict JNPA to proceed with other bids. The plea said the bidding process had two stages, namely, the first stage being a global invitation of Request for Qualification (RFQ) from interested parties, and the second stage was where the applicants had to send their Request for Proposal. Adani Ports said the Board of Trustees JNPA had sought a clarification from them after they submitted their RFQ. Though the JNPA Board acknowledged that Adani Ports had clarified the query the Board had sought, the Board later disqualified Adani from the bidding process. The power of disqualification has been exercised according to the terms and conditions of the RFQ, the Board said in its submission to the . Meanwhile, Adani had said the Boards disqualification was illegal and in violation of fundamental rights'. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel made a slew of announcements on Tuesday during his interaction at different public events in the Bharatpur-Sonhat constituency in Korea district. In village Bahrasi, he pledged to develop Ramdaha Falls as a tourist destination, sanction of Rs 5 lakh for a Devgudi in all the villages of the constituency and Rs 3 crore as compensation for those affected by the Janakpur-Kotadol road, an official communication said. He approved construction of a new building for the Bahrasi Higher Secondary School, a power substation at Madisarai, electricity supply for 26 villages and opening a District Co-Operative Bank and a Swami Atmanand English Medium School in Kelhari. Kunwarpur and Nagpur will be given the status of sub-tehsil while the Janakpur Gram Panchayat will be upgraded as Nagar Panchayat. The announcements in village Ramgarh were to create a sub-tehsil there, lay a road from Ramgarh to Kotdol, a mini stadium besides solar power in villages of Ramgarh, Natwahi, Singhor, Itwar, Ugyav, Amritpur, Khairwaripara, Chuladar, Garnai and Jhapar. The other promises were upgrading a Primary Health Centre into a Community Health Centre and installation of a mobile tower in Ramgarh. On demand of local MLA Gulab Kamro in village Rajauli, Baghel said an anicut will come up at Katgodi, the Rajauli High School will be upgraded as a Higher Secondary School and the Sonhat Community Health Centre will become a 50-bed hospital. Baghel also announced electrification of villages Chandaha, Banshipur, Nava Tola and Kachohar of Sonhat block. In a move that signals the succession of the third generation of the Ambani family, has stepped down as the director of Infocomm (RJIL), handing over the reins to son Akash, who will take over as the chairman of the firm. In a stock exchange filing, Infocomm on Tuesday said its board approved the appointment of Akash Ambani, non-executive director, as chairman, at a meeting held on Monday. The transition, which comes ahead of an anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of Jio Platforms, could also see Akashs twin sister Isha take on a greater role in RILs retail business, housed under Reliance Retail. While this is the first instance of billionaire taking the backseat, he will remain involved in overseeing the digital businesses. He is the chairman of Jio Platforms, the flagship company that owns all of Jios digital service brands, including RJIL. Marquee investors such as Facebook and Google, private equity firms, and sovereign wealth funds who pumped in over Rs 1.5 trillion in the company in 2020 are also shareholders in Jio Platforms, in which (RIL) has a majority stake. Thirty-year-old Akash is an economics graduate from Brown University in the US, and has been involved with Jio since its inception. He is also a board member of Jio Platforms. According to company officials, Akash was closely involved with the launch of the JioPhone in 2017. The handset helped the company grow its customer base, especially in tier-II and III markets. With over 410 million subscribers, Jio is the largest mobile service provider in India. Jio Infocomm accounts for over 90 per cent of revenue and Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of Jio Platforms and includes its mobile and fibre (broadband) segments. 14 acquisitions Akash has also been instrumental in the companys acquisitions in the digital space and the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. Over the past few years, Jio Platforms has made 14 acquisitions in areas such as music streaming (Saavn), edtech, digital health care, conversational AI, drone-based solutions, mixed reality, simulation software, and augmented reality, among others. Analysts said the transition was expected and the next step would be unlocking the value of the digital and retail businesses through IPOs. Akash has been involved in the business for a long time. It (his appointment as Jio Infocomm chairman) combines value creation, IPO preparation, and succession planning. There are talks about demergers, and I think those processes are going on, said Vikas Khemani, founder, Carnelian Asset Management. Geetanjali Kedia, senior research analyst of SP Tulsian Investment Advisory Services, said it was clear that the company was giving shape to the succession since Jio and the retail verticals have scaled up. Since RIL is the mother company with a complex cross-holding structure, streamlining the business is called for and a well-charted succession plan, unlike the previous time, is the right way forward. The next generation is anyways already being groomed for larger roles, making ownership and control change only a matter of time, she said. Share price Though the announcement was made after market hours, RILs shares closed at Rs 2,529 apiece on the BSE, up 1.5 per cent over the previous close. Market experts said, though, that there may not be an immediate impact of Tuesdays move on RILs share price. The stock might not rerate significantly because the valuation of Jio Platforms has been established by many investors, said Khemani. The IPOs of Jio and Reliance Retail will be the next logical steps. Value unlocking will happen after the IPOs of the digital and retail businesses, Kedia added. A smooth succession is important for all stakeholders, considering the feud of the mid-2000s when Mukesh and younger brother Anil Ambani parted ways after the death of their father Dhirubhai Ambani. Other appointments Meanwhile, the RJIL board also approved the appointment of Pankaj Mohan Pawar as managing director, and Raminder Singh Gujral and KV Chowdary as independent directors for a period of five years starting June 27, subject to shareholders approval. The approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday challenging a lower court order denying it the custody of those arrested in the CDSCO bribery scandal allegedly involving a senior executive of Biologics, officials said. The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the parties concerned and will hear the case on July 2, they said. The could not question the accused arrested by it even after six days, officials said and expressed apprehension that the delay might impede the investigation. A special court here had sent all the five accused, including a joint drug controller at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), to judicial custody after they were arrested for alleged bribery of Rs four lakh to waive phase-3 clinical trial of 'Insulin Aspart' injection of Biologics to manage Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The request seeking their police remand for custodial interrogation was denied twice by the special court which sent them to judicial custody. Sources said CBI officials were disappointed that the court rejected their application for custody twice as immediate questioning after arrest in a trap case is of extreme importance for the agency so the accused do not get a chance to develop an alibi in their defence. (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.) major BYJU's on Tuesday named Krishna Vedati as President of Global Growth and Strategic Initiatives, along with rejigging top leadership at K-12 creative coding platform Tynker (which it acquired for $200 million) as part of its US expansion. Vedati, Co-Founder and CEO of Tynker, will report to BYJU's Co-Founder and CEO Byju Raveendran. Srinivas Mandyam, Co-Founder and CTO of Tynker, will replace Vedati as Tynker's CEO, and Kelvin Chong, Tynker Co-Founder and Chief Architect, now takes on the expanded role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the company said in a statement. "With more than 150 million users on our personalised learning platform, it is important for us to put in place the leadership necessary to continue scaling our businesses globally," said Raveendran. "With exceptional experience in business and consumer user growth, and strategic brand partnerships, Krishna is ideally suited for this new role," he added. Vedati will serve as a senior executive for the Americas helping drive topline revenue and user growth, partnerships with major brands, and identifying strategic acquisitions. Vedati will also expand the company's international offering by overseeing new integrated products and services from the BYJU'S learning portfolio to students and teachers in Canada, the US, and Latin America, said the company. Raveendran is currently focusing his energies on global operations, especially in the US, as the Indian online market shrinks considerably with schools, colleges and tuition centres reopening. The unicorn made at least 10 acquisitions for a cumulative transaction value of about $2.5 billion last year. So far, BYJU's has raised over $6 billion in funding, with Raveendran infusing $400 million from his own pocket, during the latest $800 million funding round at a valuation of $22 billion in March. BYJUs is also aiming to file an IPO in the US through the SPAC route. Raveendran is out of India, meeting investors in the US and the UAE. Sources close to the development earlier told IANS that Raveendran is all set to hand over India operations to Chief Operating Officer Mrinal Mohit. "I am proud of the deep bench we have in our leadership ranks, enabling a seamless transition at our newest portfolio company Tynker as Srinivas and Kelvin move into their new roles," said Raveendran. --IANS na/svn/ (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.) Global firm will invest an undisclosed amount in Varmora Granito Pvt. Ltd. to pick up a strategic minority stake in the Gujarat-based tile and bath ware . Equity for the transaction will come from funds managed and advised by entities affiliated with Asia Partners Growth. bank Steer Advisors is assisting Varmora in the transaction expected to close in the second quarter of FY23, subject to customary closing conditions. Varmora, a founder-led established in 1994, sells premium tiles, faucets, sanitary ware and other products through a national distribution network that includes more than 200 brand outlets in and globally. Varmora said it will use the partnership with for investments in brand building, digital marketing, expanding distribution, and product innovation. The has invested around Rs 300 crore for a new tile manufacturing facility with a capacity of 35,000 sq. m. per day. With 11 plants and after expansion, the company's installed production capacity stand at nearly 150,000 sq. m. per day. Carlyle has a positive outlook for Indias residential sector, which is gaining from rising per capita and premium products, and it expects significant growth for a branded building materials consumer player such as Varmora. According to Amit Jain, managing director and co-head at Carlyle Advisors, Varmora has a differentiated product portfolio, pan- distribution network and an experienced management team. "We are pleased to announce our partnership with Carlyle. Their business-building approach, trusted partnership mindset and deep global expertise in this space made them our preferred partner in this exclusive transaction," said Bhavesh Varmora, chairman of Varmora Granito. Carlyles global private equity funds have experience in the consumer and retail sectors, with investments in Grand Foods China (McDonalds China franchisee), Delhivery Ltd and Golden Goose, among others. Globally, Carlyle has invested approximately $25 billion of equity in over 135 deals in the consumer, media and retail sector, as of March 31, 2022. Having doubled its turnover in three years to Rs 2,100 crore in FY22, Gujarat's emerging medium brand Gulab Oils is now eyeing a turnover Rs 5,000 crore over the next 3-4 years on the back of its pan-India presence and capacity expansion. "We more than doubled our turnover on the back of healthy growth in the business during the past three years. Now that we are expanding our presence from four states to 10 on the back of capacity and product portfolio expansion, we hope to touch Rs 5,000 crore in next 3-4 years," Dishit Nathwani, director of Gulab and Foods Pvt. Ltd. Started in 1966 with a single mill in Mangrol, the Gujarat-based company is now looking to become an oil-cum- company, similar to . As a part of the expansion plan, Gulab Oils recently introduced a fresh new look for its entire range of . The new look is expected to cater wider consumer groups across the nation. "The company is already present in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and aims to expand in 10 states in near future. To support this growing demand, we have a state-of-the-art production unit which is under construction and will be operational by mid-2023. This would lead to a huge increase in daily overall production capacity of from 100 tonnes to 1,000 tonnes," said Mukesh Nathwani, CMD, Gulab Oil and Foods Pvt Ltd. From operating in just groundnut oil, the company has gone on to add cottonseed, sesame, mustard and coconut oil. Apart from giving its flagship brand Gulab a new look, the company has also revamped its snacks brand Rewynd apart from launching a premium vertical called Gulab Goodness that offers organic products like cold-pressed oils, raw honey and pink salt, among other things. According to Dishit, the company has also launched an organic staples brand called 'True Story' that will offer rice, sugar, flour, cereals and pulses, among other things which the company will gradually expand to metros like Mumbai and Delhi. While the company is funding its capacity expansion of Rs 100 crore through internal accruals, going forward, the company is open to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO), said Dishit. Meanwhile, in order to cater online buyers, the company has also launched its own e-commerce platform 'shopgulab.com' that will deliver all products pan-India. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor has complained to Indias regulator about the use of its livery on aircraft, saying the practice could "mislead the public" and is a safety hazard. Jet collapsed in 2019 and lessors repossessed its Boeing 737s. Some of these were leased to SpiceJet, which operates them without changing the livery. Jet, which is now being revived by the Kalrock Jalan consortium and aims to restart operations in September, has asked the Directorate General of Civil (DGCA) to ask to stop using its livery. sported blue and ochre colours and had a flying sun logo on its tail. tails are painted red. It has come to our notice that many of the continue to fly in full Jet Airways colours on the fuselage and tail with our name blanked off and overwritten by decalsSome of these aircraft have been involved in accidents/incidents, photographs of which have been widely circulated in the media, said Captain Priyapal Singh, Jet Airwayss accountable manager, in a letter to the regulator. Airline liveries are fundamental statements of branding and corporate identity and all operators endeavour to make theirs as distinctive and readily recognizable as possible. Therefore, it is evident that an operator flying its aircraft in another airlines livery has a serious potential to mislead the public about the identity of the operator, something which cannot be taken lightly. There is also a safety hazard as it can confuse ground staff and crew operating other aircraft about the identity of the aircraft in question, he said. A SpiceJet spokesperson said that the airline has not received any communication from the DGCA, adding older planes (flown earlier by Jet Airways) are being phased out. These planes are being replaced by the 737Max aircraft, he said. On May 20, received DGCA's nod to restart operations. The airlines air operator certificate was revalidated after reviewed its operational preparedness. According to a Bloomberg report, Airbus is favourite to win a $ 5.5 billion order from Jet Airways for A320 and A220 aircraft. The airline is in talks with plane manufacturers, and a spokesperson said final negotiations were on with lessors and plane manufacturers for its fleet. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has dismissed Future Groups plea to terminate the arbitration proceedings between the Kishore Biyani-led firm and . The order said that there is no ground for the termination of the proceedings under Section 32 of the Arbitration Act. The order comes after Future Retail filed a petition in SIAC asking for the termination of the proceeding on the basis of Competition Commission of Indias (CCI) order that suspended the deal between and Future Coupons. SIAC also made observations in its order that has been seen by Business Standard, The Tribunal finds that the Section 7 IBC Application has not rendered the continuation of these proceedings impossible or unnecessary. The order by Michael Hwang, the presiding arbitrator for the tribunal also said, It is unnecessary for the Tribunal to make any findings with respect to Amazons contention that the termination applications ought to be rejected on account of Respondents contumacious conduct. On April 23, Reliance Retail said it will not move on its plan to buy Future Groups businesses after secured lenders to the Kishore Biyani-led company voted against the deal. A majority of secured creditors had voted against the resolution needed to approve Future Groups Rs 24,713 crore scheme to sell most of its retail and logistical businesses to Reliance Retail. As part of the Rs 24,713-crore deal announced in August 2020, Future Retail is to sell 19 operating in the retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing segments to Reliance Retail Ventures. Post the deal, then approached SIAC in 2020 on the back of its 2019 deal with Future Coupons to oppose Future Groups deal with Reliance Retail. (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.) and Private Limited (SPCPL), the flagship of the 150-year-old SP Group, has successfully exited from the one-time debt restructuring scheme by selling a part of its assets and pledging a part of its stake in the investment firms. As the effected a turnaround in fiscal 2022 after the Covid-19 pandemic hit its core real estate in FY 2021, experts say the group is back in with Pallonji Mistrys sons now leading the businesses. In early 2012, had handed over the day-to-day operations of the group to his elder son, Shapoor, while his younger son, Cyrus, took over as the executive chairman of the biggest conglomerate in India later in the year in October. had divided his stakes in various investment equally between his two sons quite early. Most of the groups construction and real estate businesses are held by SPCPL as subsidiaries and joint ventures, but they fell into a financial crisis after the pandemic struck in March 2020. As the cash flows from its real estate projects dried up, the flagship company opted for debt restructuring under the Reserve Bank of India guidelines issued in August-September 2020. ALSO READ: Towering legacy: Pallonji Mistry's business achievements span continents In April this year, the group said that it settled the companys debt by making a one-time payment of Rs 12,450 crore to its 22 lenders, leaving its balance sheet with a Rs 3,600-crore loan. Of this, the promoters raised around Rs 11,000 crore by pledging stake in the investment that are holding shares in . The family owns 18.4 per cent stake in . The net worth of the Pallonji family is pegged at $29 billion by Bloomberg, taking into account their stake in Tata Sons and their construction . At Rs 12,450 crore, & Companys one-time settlement was the largest in the system. The group had sought two years for settling its dues but managed to come out of it within one year, experts said. According to company filings, it made a profit of Rs 337 crore on revenues of Rs 7,583 crore in the fiscal year ending March this year as compared to a loss of Rs 1,396 crore on revenues of Rs 6,457 crore in the pandemic-hit fiscal year ending March 2021. The SP Groups 60-year-old relationship with the Tata group was roiled by the Tata Sons boards removal of Cyrus as chairman of the Tata group in October 2016, much ahead of his five-year tenure, leading to a messy legal battle for years. In March last year, the Supreme Court sided with the Tatas saying that Mistrys ouster was in accordance with the law. The repayment was enabled by the Mistry family by infusing over Rs 5,100 crore into the company in FY22. The group also received Rs 3,750 crore from monetising two of its assets Eureka Forbes and Sterling Wilson Renewable Energy in September and October last year. The group had also reportedly raised Rs 4,000 crore from lender HDFC after pledging shares of Sterling Investment Corporation, which owns 9.19 per cent in Tata Sons, the core holding company of the Tata group. Experts say the group is regaining ground. The SP Group is built on a firm foundation. I have no doubt that they will find their way back from their over-leveraged situation. Right now, it is work in progress. The big thrust for them remains real estate, infrastructure and construction. Their attention will be there, though they have cut their involvement in renewable energy, Shailesh Haribhakti, chairman, Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates, who has worked with the group, said. The groups contribution is immense in real estate and construction. I remember going to Oman in the 1970s and seeing the palace of the Sultan of Oman, which was built by the SP Group. It was quite a feat. Pallonji Mistry built wonderful structures and he will be remembered for that as well as for his charitable works, Nadir Godrej, chairman, Godrej Industries, said. Among the landmarks built by the SP Group include the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, Taj Mahal Palace, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Grindlays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank in Mumbai. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the company was involved in the repairs and renovation of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. Other notable projects built by the SP group include the Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai and Ebene Cyber City in Mauritius. resigns from board of Reliance Jio, son Akash made chairman Reliance Industries chairman has resigned from the board of his group's telecom arm, Reliance Jio and handed over the reins of the company to elder son Akash, a step seen as succession planning by the 65-year old billionaire. In a stock exchange filing, Reliance Jio Infocomm said the company's board at a meeting on June 27, "approved the appointment of Akash M Ambani, non-executive director, as chairman of the board of directors of the company." READ MORE. to increase prices of commercial vehicles by 1.5%-2.5% on Tuesday said it will increase the prices of its commercial vehicles, in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 per cent, from July 1 to partially offset rising input costs. The hike will be across the range of commercial vehicles and the quantum will depend on individual model and variant, said in a regulatory filing. READ MORE. 'Return and talk to me': Uddhav to rebel Sena MLAs camping in Guwahati Striking a reconciliatory note a day after divesting the portfolios of all nine rebel Shiv Sena ministers and against the backdrop of the Supreme Court granting relief to breakaway MLAs, party chief on Tuesday appealed to the dissidents camping in Guwahati to return to Mumbai and talk to him, saying it's not "too late". Thackeray's offer to mend fences comes against the backdrop of controversial statements made by some Shiv Sena leaders, especially Sanjay Raut whose "40 bodies without soul" statement had caused a flutter. READ MORE. Walgreens to retain ownership of UK-based Boots business Walgreens Boots Alliance on Tuesday scrapped its plan to sell its UK high street pharmacy chain, Boots, saying no third party was able to make an adequate offer due to the turmoil in the global financial markets. The company put its Boots business up for sale after announcing a strategic review in January as the second-largest U.S. pharmacy chain renewed its focus on the domestic healthcare. READ MORE. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel admitted on Tuesday to a group of school students that he would get scolded by his parents when he was young because of his habit of returning home late. Talking to girls at a tribal hostel in a village in Ramgarh region in Korea district, Baghel was pressed by the students to share his childhood memories with them. The Chief Minister promptly went down the memory lane. I used to play all the regional games in my village including the spinning top and gilli-danda, he said. I also had to face the wrath of my parents when I returned late in the evening. Some time I went on long walks with the village shepherd. He would take me grazing land, a long way from my village. It was adventurous but my parents used to scold at me after that, he added. During the interaction, a girl, Shalini, asked the Chief Minister how their village looked like from a flying helicopter. It is very beautiful, he responded, triggering clapping from the tribal girls. A Class 5 student, Anuradha, sang a song in praise of the Chief Minister, who planted a sapling of a sandal tree in the hostel premises before leaving. LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia should halt the search for a new investor in Konkola Mines (KCM) until litigation with Resources is settled, the Indian mining company said on Tuesday. Zambia's previous government put KCM in the hands of a liquidator in May 2019, triggering the ongoing legal dispute with Resources, KCM's parent company. The government accused of failing to honour licence conditions, including promised investment. Vedanta has repeatedly denied it broke the terms of its licence. KCM provisional liquidator Celine Nair said on June 7 that the company would appoint an adviser to help it to find an equity investor willing to fund the mine's expansion. But Vedanta Resources spokesperson Masuzyo Ndhlovu told Reuters on Tuesday that no investor could buy the mine and smelter complex without the consent of Vedanta. "Significant efforts to sell KCM to other were made previously, but these efforts failed," Ndhlovu said in a written response to Reuters questions. Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe declined to comment on the matter. Vedanta would not participate in KCM's eventual open tender to select a new investor, Ndhlovu said, calling it "illegal". An arbitration hearing in London is due to take place in January 2023. Vedanta had hoped discussions with the government and its mining investment arm, ZCCM-IH, could culminate in an amicable settlement, Ndhlovu said. "Continuation of further legal proceedings will cost a lot to Zambia and also KCM assets continue to deteriorate with no funding available," Ndhlovu said. Vedanta has offered to step up investment in KCM if it resumes control of the business. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Helen Reid and David Goodman) (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.) American retail major Walgreens Alliance on Tuesday said it would retain its pharma retail business thus abandoning the entire sale process. The did not make any comment specifically on the offer made by Mukesh Ambani-owned (RIL), which had made a bid for the last month. As a result of market instability severely impacting financing availability, no third party has been able to make an offer that adequately reflects the high potential value of and No7 Beauty . Consequently, WBA has decided that it is in the best interests of shareholders to keep focusing on the further growth and profitability of the two businesses, Walgreens said in a statement. will continue to look for growth opportunities overseas if good opportunities arise, said company insiders. Walgreens has been encouraged by productive discussions held with a range of parties, receiving significant interest from prospective buyers. However, since launching the process, the global have suffered unexpected and dramatic change, Walgreens said in a statement. As a result of market instability severely impacting financing availability, no third party has been able to make an offer that adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots and No7 Beauty Company. Consequently, WBA has decided that it is in the best interests of shareholders to keep focusing on the further growth and profitability of the two businesses, Walgreens said. The US-based company said the decision to retain the businesses had been supported by the strong performance and growth of Boots and No7 Beauty Company, which have exceeded expectations despite challenging conditions. had made a conservative bid for Boots keeping in mind the fears of a recession in the western markets, bankers said. Walgreens was seeking a valuation of about 7 billion ($8.54 billion) for Boots but RILs bid was around 5 billion ($6.10 billion). Apart from RIL, billionaire Issa brothers of the and TDR Capital had evinced interest in the company, but later backed out. Boots is the UKs leading health and beauty retailer and since the formation of WBA at the end of 2014, the US company has significantly invested in Boots and No7 beauty company. Given their unmatched assets and unparalleled potential, Walgreens Boots Alliance will continue investing in the future of these two businesses, the company said. We have now completed a thorough review of Boots and No7 Beauty Company, with the outcome reflecting rapidly evolving and challenging financial market conditions beyond our control. It is an exciting time for these businesses, which are uniquely positioned to continue to capture future opportunities presented by the growing healthcare and beauty markets," Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer said. The board and I remain confident that Boots and No7 Beauty Company hold strong fundamental value, and longer term, we will stay open to all opportunities to maximise shareholder value for these businesses and across our company, Brewer said. While leader Sanjay Jaiswal was attacking the government over the massive violence during the Agnipath protests, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav asked him about the 1,111 arrests made during the agitation. Sanjay Jaiswal during the Agnipath protest had criticised the government for not acting against the mob, which led to massive scale in violence in several districts. "The Bihar Police has arrested 1,111 persons involved in the arson during the Agnipath protest. The opposition leaders are demanding to release the youths arrested during Agnipath agitation. If Bihar Police had not acted against the agitators then how could 1,111 persons be lodged behind the bars. Jaiswal should answer on it," said Yadav, who is a minister from the Janata Dal (United) quota in the NDA coalition government led by in Bihar. "The opposition leaders are not allowing the monsoon session to run smoothly. They are protesting in and outside of the house and demanding immediate release of the agitators. Then who is on the right side, opposition leaders or Sanjay Jaiswal and other leaders," Yadav said. "We are running the government under a coalition and should respect the sentiments of the alliance before reacting or blaming us," Yadav said. --IANS ajk/dpb (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 brand new Pawan Hans' Sikorsky chopper with 9 people on board crashed into the Arabian Sea, about 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast on Tuesday, killing four people -- including three employees. The helicopter, which was part of the six Sikorsky S-76D helicopters that had recently leased from Milestone Aviation Group, was about 4-5 minutes away from its destination - ONGC's Sagar Kiran rig - when the incident took place, company officials with direct knowledge of the matter said. The chopper went down around 1145 hrs, just 1 nautical mile away from Sagar Kiran, but managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters, helping rescuers pull out all the nine, including two pilots, after and Navy/Coast Guard scrambled in one of the fastest rescue missions in the western offshore. Four of the nine pulled out were unconscious and airlifted in a Navy chopper to a hospital in Mumbai, where they were declared dead, an official said. Three of the dead are employees of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the state-owned firm which had hired helicopter service from to support its oil and gas exploration and production operations in the western offshore. The fourth person belongs to a contractor working for . The circumstances that led to the incident were not immediately known but western offshore had inclement weather and there was a swell in the sea. Officials said ONGC has already instituted an inquiry into the incident. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is also likely to order a separate inquiry. Detailing sequence, officials said the chopper took off from Juhu helibase this morning just like any other day but 1 or 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig, it went down into the sea. It, however, managed to stay afloat with floaters fitted on such helicopters going offshore. "What we don't know is if the helicopter toppled during the float," an official said. On first information, ONGC and Navy scrambled vessels for the rescue. A high-speed boat from Sagar Kiran rig was first to reach the spot. In a matter of 90-100 minutes, all personnel were pulled out. While vessel Malviya-16 rescued four persons, one person was pulled out by rescue boat from Sagar Kiran rig. Navy choppers airlifted four unconscious persons to hospitals in Mumbai, the official said. The helicopter sank soon after. A multi-support vessel (MSV) is already at the spot, trying to salvage the helicopter wreckage, he said, adding divers too are at the spot. ONGC has key oil and gas fields off the Mumbai coast and helicopters routinely ferry company employees and officers to the oil installations that are situated as far as 160 kilometres from the coastline. The fields in the offshore include Mumbai High, the nation's largest oil field, and Bassein fields, the largest gas field. The is not the first accident in ONGC's history. In August 2003, a Mi-172 helicopter crashed off the Mumbai coast, killing 27 people and the pilot on board. On January 13, 2018, a Pawan Hans helicopter with seven people on board, including five ONGC officers and two pilots, crashed off the Mumbai coast minutes after it took off for the state-owned company's oil installation in the Arabian Sea. All seven died. In 2002, a Dauphin helicopter hired by ONGC crashed into the sea but the 10 passengers were rescued. In April 2003, a Bell 412 helicopter ferrying ONGC personnel crashed while landing at the Juhu aerodrome. Later ONGC in a statement said the helicopter carrying nine persons on board "made an emergency landing around 11.45 am today on the Arabian Sea". The regional contingency plan was immediately activated. "With prompt action, one person was rescued by lifeboat launched from ONGC rig Sagar Kiran and four persons were rescued by ONGC stand-by vessel Malviya-16," it said. "Despite inclement weather conditions, the rescue operations were carried out very swiftly," it added. Four persons rescued by a Navy chopper were brought to the base unconscious. "Unfortunately, they could not survive," the statement said. "ONGC deeply mourns this tragic loss of lives. ONGC is reaching out to the affected families and extending all possible support." "#SAR #RescueAtSea All nine survivors rescued. Four survivors picked by OSV Malviya 16, one by boat of Sagar Kiran oil rig & two each by #IndianNavy ALH & Seaking helicopters. Four critical survivors being evacuated to Juhu by Navy helicopters for management at @ONGC_ hospital, PRO Defence, Mumbai, tweeted. The Navy had deployed the Seaking and ALH helicopters and Indian Naval Ship Teg for the rescue of passengers and crew of the ONGC helicopter 60 nautical miles from Mumbai. The Coast Guard also diverted a ship to reach the spot, while another ship sailed out from Mumbai with dispatch to join the rescue operations. The Coast Guard aircraft also dropped life rafts for survivors and the international safety net was activated by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (Mumbai), the defence official 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.) The registration for the first batch of soldiers under the Agnipath scheme -- a new short-term recruitment plan that recruits Agniveers in the armed forces -- for the will start on July 1, Friday. Agniveers who wish to apply for the posts of Agniveer SSR and Agniveer MR will be able to register for the same from Friday on the official website of the Indian Navy, at joinindiannavy.gov.in. The will release a detailed notification for the recruitment process of Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme on July 9, 2022. The application window will remain open from July 15 to July 30, 2022. The Navy is expected to conduct the online exams for recruitment of Agniveers in October this year. The medicals and joining will commence on November 21, 2022. The Navy is hiring under the Agnipath scheme for two posts: Agniveer SSR and Agniveer MR. Also Read: IAF receives 56,960 applications under Agnipath scheme in three days To apply for Agniveer SSR vacancies, candidates should be Class 12th pass out from a board recognised by the Ministry of Education with Mathematics, Physics, and either Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science as their subject. SSR candidates would be deployed on aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers and frigates, replenishment ships, and other technical submarines and aircraft of the . For Agniveer MR, candidates must be class 10 pass out from a Ministry of Education recognised board. Under Agniveer MR, candidates would be recruited as chefs, stewards and hygienists. In addition, all Agniveers would be given firearms training and allotted other duties for the "efficient running of the organisation". While the age limit under the Agnipath recruitment scheme is between 17.5 years and 21 years, for the 2022 batch, the central government has raised the upper limit of age to 23 owing to the nationwide protests against the scheme. The registration process for recruitment of Agniveers comes amid the protests against the scheme as protesters' demands range from a call for the scrapping of the scheme to the consideration of examinations physical and written which aspirants had already taken, based on the original tour-of-duty terms. The rickshaw men in Tokyo are adding English-speaking staff, a sure sign Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad. Japan's border controls to curb the spread of infections began gradually loosening earlier this month. That's great news for Yusuke Otomo, owner of Daikichi, a kimono rental shop in Asakusa, an old district of Tokyo famous for its temples, quaint restaurants and rickshaw rides. He can barely contain his excitement. Those were a hard three years. But we managed to endure until today. And after such an experience, to think people from abroad can finally come back is simply thrilling, Otomo told The Associated Press. I'm thinking that maybe, just as before COVID, my shop, the city of Asakusa and everyone's hearts can flourish again. I can't wait. Before the pandemic, Asakusa was so brimming with foreigners they sometimes outnumbered the Japanese. After the struck, the streets were deserted. Not a soul in sight, he said sadly. Some kimono rental stores folded. Restaurants were shuttered. The crowds are finally back with a gradual relaxing of the city's COVID-19 restrictions, which called for restaurants to close early and people to social distance and limit attendance at events. But most of the visitors are Japanese. Shuso Imada, general manager at JSS Information Centre, a sake and shochu showroom in downtown Tokyo, said he has been feeling pretty lonely and is itching to tell foreign visitors about how to match the traditional Japanese rice wine with all kinds of non-Japanese food, even cheese and beef. In a way, we didn't have much to do and we just had to wait. The gates have now reopened, he said. But like others waiting for tourists, he acknowledged that the limited entry for tour groups now in effect may not allow time for a relaxing visit to his centre. Visitors have to abide by guidelines requiring travellers to have a special coordinator, stay on specific routes and abide by rules like wearing masks and regularly using disinfectant. Before COVID, tourism was booming as a mainstay of Japan's economy, the world's third largest. Foreign visitors numbered a record 32 million in 2019 and the target for 2020 was 40 million. After COVID struck, the government gradually imposed very restrictive limits on foreign arrivals, for a time excluding many foreign residents. As of June 10, it is allowing foreign tourists to visit, but in limited numbers and only on group tours, not as individual travellers. Visas are required for nearly everyone, even those from countries that normally would have visa-free entry. And they're available only to travellers from 98 so-called blue countries, including the US, who are deemed to pose a minimal health risk and can enter without a quarantine if they show proof they tested negative for COVID within 72 hours of their departures. People entering Japan from countries considered to be a greater risk must quarantine for three days at home or in government-designated facilities. There is a daily cap on arrivals of 20,000 people, including all travellers. And the number of airports open to foreign tourists also is gradually expanding. Worries about COVID-19 remain. If infections shoot up again in another wave, pandemic precautions could be brought back. Japan, a crowded island nation, is wary about outside risks and infectious diseases. After about two years of seeing very few tourists, Japanese have some adjusting to do, Otomo and others said. So the authorities are taking it slow. I would love to have tourists from abroad come, as long as everyone, including myself, abides by the rules, like wearing masks and keeping sanitary standards, said Minaho Iwase, who was visiting Tokyo from Aichi, central Japan, recently. Many tourists might be deterred by the restrictions on independent travel. But some seem not to mind. When my friends asked me to join this trip to Japan, I immediately said, Yes.' I visited Japan before. I love their food, their tradition, and their highly organised culture. Japan is great, said Sorrasek Thuantawee, an office worker who joined a group of eight Thais excitedly preparing to board a flight from Bangkok last week. Japan is a favorite destination, despite its not "opening up 100 per cent," said Nuttavut Mitsumoto, the guide for the group, Thai travel agency Compax World's first to Japan since it relaxed its entry rules. The Japanese yen has weakened this year against the US dollar and other currencies, making visits something of a bargain. A study last month by Money.co.uk, a free online service that compares financial products, found Osaka ranked fourth and Tokyo eighth for most affordable luxury travel, including Michelin star meals and five-star hotels. Back in Asakusa, rickshaw man Shunpei Katayama has yet to drive around his first post-COVID foreign tourist, but English-speaking drivers are back on the job. And for now, Japanese visitors from outside Tokyo are keeping him busy. Japanese who can't go to Guam and other spots abroad come visit Shibuya. And Asakusa, he said. On a recent day, Otomo was shooting photos of a Japanese mother and daughter dressed up in colourful kimono to attend a friend's wedding in Tokyo. The foreign clientele that used to frequent his shop were so enthusiastic about dressing up as samurai, ninja and geisha, complete with swords and hair ornaments. Some quickly became friends, regardless of their nationalities, Otomo recalled a bit sentimentally. When they're happy, I'm happy. They get my adrenaline going, he 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.) Single-use plastics' ban, which will come into force on July 1, is unlikely to see an extension in the deadline, Union Bhupinder Yadav said. The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change had notified the Management Amendment Rules, 2021, in August last year. The rules mandated a ban on manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high-littering potential, in the country from July 1. This would cover rigid plastic items such as plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, wrapping or packaging films, PVC banners less than 100 micron, straws and stirrers. The industry size of single-use is estimated to be Rs 10,000 crore. The ban also covers high single-use plastic products such as ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks on balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks and thermocol for decoration. Several fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have clamoured against the ban, citing the high cost of alternatives. This, in turn, will increase the cost of final products, they said. Plastic straws are used with tetra juice boxes by leading companies such as Pepsico, Dabur and Parle Agro, among others. These are also the companies, which have reportedly asked the government to defer the ban to a later date. Yadav, however, said the industry was given one year to prepare and there would be no relaxation in the ban. We are expecting cooperation from the FMCG industry. The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are currently manufacturing single-use plastics, would be urged to shift to making alternatives. We would run awareness programmes. The government is committed to the initiative and will not take a step back, Yadav said. This paper recently reported that leading companies with a collective turnover of ~6,000 crore alone consume about six billion straws every year. These would need to be replaced with paper straws, which are costlier. India currently does not have domestic manufacturing capacity for this. Parle Agro, makers of Frooti and Appy, had said the industry may have to close factory operations if the deadline is not extended, this paper reported recently. Additionally, the MSMEs have also expressed their concern, saying that a blanket ban could lead to job losses. Ministry officials said capacity-building workshops would be organised for MSMEs. These would provide them technical assistance for manufacturing alternatives. The workshops would be held by central/state pollution control boards along with the ministry of small, micro and medium enterprises and the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering. For effective enforcement of the ban, and state control rooms would be set up. Also, special enforcement teams will be formed for checking illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic items, said officials. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the 2023 is set to be held in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding it is proof of his success in showcasing India's strength as a global power to the world. The Chief Minister in his address after releasing the book 'Modi@20, Dreams Meet Delivery', said India is set to host the 2023. The heads of 20 leading countries of the world would participate in it. " would host 9 meets related to G20. India is gaining in strength in defence, economy, education and other sectors. The summit would be held in India under Modi's leadership," he stated. "Only a mass leader could find a permanent place in people's hearts. It is not easy to evoke the confidence and fulfil the aspirations of 130 crore people of diverse languages, cultures, castes and religions," the Chief Minister said. "The book 'Modi@20, Dreams Meet Delivery' reflects Modi's thinking. Many achievers including Sudha Murthy, Dr Devi Shetty, PV Sindhu have written for the book," Bommai said, adding: "Modi has special interest towards and is proud of its achievements in technology and other sectors. The book would be translated into Kannada and would be reached to people all over the state." Modi has fulfilled most of his promises for the people. The country needs his able leadership, humane administration and value based politics. He is striving to make India the global leader, he said. "Coming up through humble beginnings as a tea seller at a railway station, Modi imbibed high ideals in life. Inspired by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda during his stay at the Ramakrishna Ashram he was immersed in meditation for two years in the Himalayas. He has dedicated his life to serve the people," Bommai said. --IANS mka/pgh (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.) Kicking off preparations for next year's polls, a BJP National Executive Committee (NEC) member including union ministers will spend two days in each assembly constituency of the state from June 30. The leaders will spend two days in the assembly constituencies before the start of the national executive meeting in Hyderabad on June 2. A senior BJP functionary said that one senior leader who is an NEC member including union ministers will spend two days or 48 hours in each assembly constituency before the National Executive meeting. "119 NEC members are assigned one assembly constituency each to spend around two days with people and party cadres to understand ground issues of that particular assembly constituency. The feedback collected through the exercise will be used to redraw party strategy," he said. The election of 119-member assembly will be held at the end of 2023. It is learnt that all the senior leaders including union ministers have been asked to reach their respective assembly constituencies by June 30 morning. is in focus for BJP's 'mission south' and the party has rolled out several programmes to make its presence felt in the state. The two-day BJP NEC meeting scheduled at Hyderabad in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J.P. Nadda, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and others will be present. Senior leaders including Prime Minister Modi, party Nadda and Shah are actively involved in the preparation and also giving special attention to the state. After the end of two days' NEC meeting, Modi will address a public meeting at Hydrabad's Parade Ground. "Whole programme has been planned to ensure strengthened party presence in the state. Visit by senior leaders and union ministers in an assembly constituency will help in mobilising the cadre for next year state polls and it will also create a buzz among people," a party insider said. An NEC member said that he has been asked to spend around 48 hours in an assembly constituency before the start of the meeting on July 2. --IANS ssb/pgh (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.) co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been allowed by a court here to meet his counsel once a day for half an hour in custody for providing legal assistance, a senior official said. Zubair, 33, was arrested for allegedly hurting sentiments of a particular religious community. His counsel had moved an application for bail, however, the same was heard at length, and after not finding the merits, the bail was ultimately declined. "However, the court allowed the plea of counsel of accused Mohammad Zubair to meet him once in a day for half an hour in custody for providing the legal assistance," said the official. The police had charged Zubair with Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) for one of his objectionable tweets. His followers on social media entities had amplified and created a series of debates and hate mongering in the thread of his tweet, the official added. --IANS uj/shs (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 purported statement of a Congress legislator in Chhattisgarh advocating Bihar-like protests against the Agnipath scheme went viral on social media on Tuesday but the MLA denied making the remark. Congress MLA Vikarm Mandavi reportedly made the comment on Monday at a protest held in Bijapur district, around 400 km from Raipur. Mandavi told a gathering that everyone should oppose the Agnipath military recruitment scheme -- the way it was done in Bihar, where most train burnings took place during street protests. Mandavi said his statement was edited and that he did not call for violence. BJP state President Vishnudeo Sai has urged the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to conduct a probe into the issue. on Tuesday produced Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair before a court here in a case related to an objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity. The police produced Zubair before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria on the expiry of his one-day custodial interrogation. The court is likely to begin hearing a police plea for Zubair's custody for five more days. #WATCH | Delhi: Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair brought to Patiala House Court. He was earlier sent to 1-day police remand after being arrested last night over allegations of hurting the religious sentiments of a community. pic.twitter.com/i7wlqxQKVr ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 (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 Tuesday, the of India termed the arrest of fact-check site co-founder Mohammed Zubair "extremely disturbing" and called for his immediate release. In a statement, the EGI condemned Zubair's arrest as "brazen" while it pointed to the commitments made by PM in the meeting to protect free speech. "It is apparent that AltNews' alert vigilance was resented by those who use disinformation as a tool to polarise society and rake nationalist sentiments," the Editor's Guild said. The arrested fact-checker Zubair on Monday over a 2018 tweet. He was charged with promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings. The police, in its FIR, said that Zubair's tweet was "highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite feelings of hatred" among people, media reports quoted. In the tweet, Zubair shared a clip from Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 1983 classic Kissi Se Na Kehna. Demanding his release, EGI said, "This is necessary to buttress the commitments made by Prime Minister in the Meet in Germany to ensure a resilient democracy by protecting online and offline content." The of India condemns the arrest of Muhammad Zubair, co-founder of the fact checking site AltNews, by the on June 27, for a tweet from 2018. EGI demands that the should immediately release Muhammad Zubair. pic.twitter.com/q9uYqFxaPA of India (@IndEditorsGuild) June 28, 2022 The arrest has received widespread criticism from Opposition leaders and parties, including Mahua Moitra and Rahul Gandhi. Earlier in the day, DIGIPUB, a body of digital news media organisations, condemned Zubair's arrest, asking the police to withdraw the case against the co-founder immediately. "In a democracy, where every individual possesses the right to exercise the and expression, it is unjustifiable that such stringent laws are being used as tools against journalists, who have been accorded the role of playing watchdog against the misuse of institutions of the state," the organisation said in a statement. Just three years ago not many people could have even thought that would host the G-20 summit. However, the time has changed and has changed for the good. J&K known as "terror capital" of India till August 5, 2019 -- when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate the so-called special status of the Himalayan region and bifurcated it into two Union Territories -- has emerged as the tourism capital of India. Tourists from across the world have visited J&K during the past two and a half years and their number is swelling with each passing day. Peace returning to the erstwhile princely state has done wonders. The Centre's decision to "bite the bullet" and merge J&K completely with the Union of India broke the ice. Encouraged by the tourist footfall and international business houses showing keen interest to invest in J&K, the Government of India has decided to hold the G-20 summit in the Union Territory. The G-20 is a politico-economic alliance comprising 19 countries, including the S, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Russia, China, India, Japan and the European Union. Other member nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. Its summits are also attended by representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). Earlier, in November 2020, G-20 leaders had announced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that India would host the summit of the high-profile grouping in 2023 with the delay of one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The J&K government has constituted a 5-member committee of bureaucrats under Principal Secretary Housing & Urban Development Dheeraj Gupta for overall coordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory. The process to host the high profile summit has commenced. The G-20 will be the first major international summit to be held in J&K in the past three and a half decades. Message is loud and clear By choosing J&K as the venue for G-20 summit the Government of India has sent a clear message to the international community that normalcy has returned to the Himalayan region and Pakistan sponsored terrorism is on its last legs. The peace has opened up J&K to the world. The Union Territory is fast turning into one of the most developed regions in the world. After the abrogation of Article 370 -- temporary provision in the Constitution of India -- Kashmir has not witnessed any shutdowns, street protests and stone-pelting incidents. A common man in J&K has heaved a sigh of relief as there have been no disruptions in his life. The elements inimical to peace have been taken care of as their entire ecosystem has been shattered. They have been left with no resources to orchestrate street protests and force people to shut their shops. The strikes and violence have become history. New Delhi once again shows its sincerity People have realized that the ones who used to sponsor shutdowns, protests and processions and violence on streets were the biggest enemies of Kashmiris. They don't want the painful era of violence to return. But there are still a few miscreants left who are creating hurdles in the way of peace at the behest of Pakistan. A common man in J&K needs to understand that peace is a prerequisite for development. He has to realize that the terrorists and their supporters have to be isolated for J&K to reach the new heights. New Delhi has once again proven its sincerity towards the people of the Himalayan region by announcing that the G-20 summit would be held in J&K. It's an honour for the J&K natives as their land would host such an important international meet which will be attended by the representatives of the most powerful countries in the world. Pak reacts sharply, G-20 members ignore gearing up to host the G-20 meet has led to Pakistan reacting sharply. At first place, Pakistan is not a part of the G-20 group as it's a poor country and secondly its claim that the Himalayan region is a disputed territory stands punctured yet again. After India's August 5, 2019, decision Pakistani leaders had knocked the door of every country in the world to pressurize New Delhi to reverse its call to abrogate J&K's special status. No nation, including Islamic countries, entertained the leaders of the neighbouring country. They made it amply clear that they cannot interfere in the internal matters of India. Reacting to India's move to host the G-20 summit in J&K, a spokesman of Pakistan's foreign office stated that was an internationally recognised "disputed" territory between Pakistan and India and the G-20 summit cannot be held there. Pakistan's reaction should serve as an eye-opener for such Kashmiris who still believe that Pakistan is their well wisher. Had Pakistan been the friend of Kashmiris it would not have turned them into cannon-fodder, nor would it have opposed the development and prosperity of J&K. The foreign office spokesman stated: "Contemplating the holding of any G-20-related meeting or event in J&K, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged disputed status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances." He urged the G-20 members to reject the idea of holding the summit in J&K. However, none of the member countries reacted to the statement issued by Pakistan's foreign office thus driving home a point that no one takes Pakistan seriously and considers it as a failed state that has no credibility. In 2-years, J&K received business proposals worth crores During the past two years, J&K has received business proposals worth thousands of crores from the foreign investors. It had never happened in the past 70-years. In May this year the Jammu and Kashmir Government signed six agreements with the business houses based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business groups that signed MoUs included Al Maya Group, MATU Investments LLC, GL Employment Brokerage LLC, Century Financial, and Noon E-commerce. Letters of Intent were signed with Magna Waves Private Limited, Emaar Group and Lulu International. These business houses would be investing in real estate, infrastructure, tourism, healthcare and manpower employment sectors in J&K. UAE turns its back towards Pak The foreign investments have already started pouring into J&K and the UAE has emerged as a major partner in the development of Union Territory. Dubai making an entry into J&K for the first time in the past seven decades is an indication that the world has recognized the pace with which J&K is traversing on the development bandwagon. Pakistan always used to count on UAE but it has turned its back towards Pakistan and are ignoring it as no developed country in the world would like to support a nation that has turned into a breeding ground for terrorists. The Muslim countries by endorsing India's stand have sent a strong message to Pakistan that they have no second thoughts about J&K being an integral part of India. The J&K hosting G-20 summit would be a big victory for India and a major setback for Pakistan as G-20 comprises the world's largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world's population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product, 80 per cent of global investment and over 75 per cent of global trade. --IANS dpb/ (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.) Leaders of the powerful grouping and its five partner countries, including India, have said that they are committed to open public debate and the free flow of information online and offline while guarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors. In a joint statement titled '2022 Resilient Democracies Statement' issued here on Monday during the Summit, the leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said they are prepared to defend these principles and are resolved to protect the freedom of expression. The joint statement came amidst allegations that the Indian government was stifling the freedom of speech and the civil society actors. The leaders said democracies enable open public debate, independent and pluralistic media and the free flow of information online and offline, fostering legitimacy, transparency, responsibility and accountability for citizens and elected representatives alike. The leaders said they resolved to "protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline and ensuring a free and independent media landscape through our work with relevant international initiatives." They promised to guard the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors, speak out against threats to civic space, and respect freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The leaders pledged to ensure an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure internet; increase the cyber resilience of digital infrastructure, including by improving and sharing awareness of cyber threats and expanding cyber response cooperation and counter hybrid threats, in particular, information manipulation and interference, including disinformation. They also resolved to cooperate to counter information manipulation, promote accurate information and advocate for shared democratic values worldwide. They vowed to promote affordable access to diverse sources of reliable and trustworthy information and data, online and offline, including through a multi-stakeholder approach, and by strengthening digital skills and digital literacy. They also pledged to enhance transparency about the actions of online platforms to combat violent, extremist and inciting content online in line with the Christchurch Call to Action. The Christchurch Call is a commitment by governments and tech companies to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. They said democracies "lay and protect the foundations for free and vibrant civic spaces, enabling and encouraging civic engagement and political participation, which in turn stimulate meaningful legitimacy, creativity, innovation, social accountability, and responsibility." The leaders said they are committed to building resilience against malign foreign interference and acts of transnational repression that seek to undermine trust in government, society and media, reduce civic space and silence critical voices. The leaders pledged to advance programmes for the protection of human rights defenders and all those exposing corruption; promote academic freedom and strengthen the role of scientific evidence and research in democratic debate; protect civic space, and uphold transparent, accountable, inclusive and participatory governance, including by advancing women's full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in civic and political life. The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political grouping consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Besides India, Germany, the host of the Summit, had also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests for the summit to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners. (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.) and highways Minister on Tuesday asked the to approve wider roads in hills to avoid accidents. Gadkari, who was speaking at the National Highway Excellence Awards, said he intends to bring road accidents down by 50 per cent in the next two years as he cited the disproportionate number of crashes on national highways. Uttarakhand highways are only 3.7 metres wide, beyond that we dont get permission. Every year, 350-400 people die due to insufficient-sized highways and buses falling off. We must have at least two-lane paved shoulder national highways, and if the can give us approval, we can save lives in places like Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Gadkari told Environment Secretary Leena Nandan, who was present at the event. Gadkari said engineers must have another look at detailed project reports (DPRs) for highway projects. These lives are lost because of small things, there needs to be a more cautious approach in designing roads to completely eliminate black spots. There is absolutely no reason for black spots to be there in new roads. The cost of constructing roads must to be reduced through innovative methods. I personally feel the cost of construction is too high. We need to think of how we can bring this cost down by 50 per cent without compromising on the quality, he said. Underlining that rising prices of energy and food grains are affecting all countries amid global tension, Prime Minister on Monday suggested that for ensuring food security the focus should be on fertilisers' availability, structured system for use of Indian agricultural talent, nutritious alternatives like millets and natural farming. In an apparent reference to the Ukraine crisis, Modi noted that the and those invited at its summit were meeting amid an atmosphere of global tension and asserted that India has always been in favour of peace. "Even in the present situation, we have constantly urged for the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The impact of this geopolitical tension is not just limited to Europe. The rising prices of energy and food grains are affecting all the countries," he said in his remarks at the session on Stronger Together: Addressing Food Security and Advancing Gender Equality' at the Summit here. The energy and security of developing countries is particularly at risk, he asserted. In this challenging time, India has supplied food grains to many countries in need, Modi said. "We have dispatched about 35,000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in the last few months. And even after the heavy earthquake there, India was the first country to deliver relief materials. We are also helping our neighbour Sri Lanka to ensure food security," the prime minister pointed out. Putting forward his suggestions on the subject of global food security, Modi said the focus should be on the availability of fertilizers, and keeping the value chains of fertilizers smooth at a global scale. "We are trying to increase the production of fertilizers in India and seek cooperation from G7-countries in this regard," he said. Noting that India has immense agricultural manpower compared to the countries of the G7, he said Indian agricultural skills have helped give new life to traditional agricultural products like cheese and olive in some of the countries of the . "Can the G7 create a structured system for the widespread use of Indian agricultural talent in its member countries? With the help of traditional talent of India's farmers, food security will be ensured to G7 countries," Modi said. Pointing out that next year, the world is celebrating the International Year of Millets, the prime minister said that on this occasion, we should run a campaign to promote a nutritious alternative like millets. Millets can make a valuable contribution to ensuring food security in the world, he asserted. "Finally, I would like to draw the attention of all of you to the 'natural farming' revolution taking place in India. Your experts can study this experiment. We have shared a non-paper on this subject with all of you," he said. Speaking on gender equality, Modi said India's approach is moving from 'women's development' to 'women-led development'. More than 6 million Indian women frontline workers kept our citizens safe during the Covid pandemic, he said. "Our women scientists made a big contribution in developing vaccines and test kits in India," Modi said. More than one million female volunteers in India are active in providing rural health, whom we call 'ASHA workers', he said, noting that just last month, the World Health Organisation honoured these Indian ASHA workers with its '2022 Global Leaders Award'. "If all the elected leaders in India from local government to national government are counted, more than half of them are women, and the total number will be in millions. This shows that Indian women are fully involved in real decision-making today," he said. "Next year, India is going to chair the G20. We will maintain close dialogue with G7-countries on other issues, including post-COVID recovery, under the G20 platform," Modi said. Earlier, in his remarks at the session on 'Investing in a better Future: Climate, Energy, Health' at the here, Modi asserted that India's dedication to climate commitments is evident from its performance. He also expressed hope that rich countries of G-7 will support India's efforts in combating climate change and invited them to tap the huge market for clean energy technologies emerging in the country. Before the start of the summit, Prime Minister Modi shook hands with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the leaders assembled for a group photo. The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political grouping consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The European Union is a 'non-enumerated member'. The German Presidency has invited Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the in Elmau, Bavaria. Modi is attending the G7 summit at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (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.) has expressed deep concern over developments in the West Bank, and Gaza, underscoring the importance of the international community and the UN Security Council sending a "strong signal" against any step that would prevent the possibility of durable peace between Israel and Palestine. Speaking at the Security Council meeting on Question of Palestine', India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said is also following the developments in Masafer Yatta with concern, noting that tensions have risen over the potential legal eviction of the Palestinian families. We remain deeply concerned by developments in the West Bank, and . Violent attacks and the killing of civilians have taken many Palestinian and Israeli lives," he said on Monday. "Acts of destruction and provocation are also continuing. We have consistently advocated against all acts of violence, and reiterate our call for the complete cessation of violence, he said. All unilateral measures that unduly alter the status-quo on the ground and undercut the viability of the two-state solution must be eschewed, he said. "It is extremely important for the international community and this Council to send a strong signal against any step that would prevent the possibility of durable peace between Israel and Palestine, he said. Ravindra said has consistently called for direct peace negotiations between the parties, which New Delhi believes is the best path towards achieving the goal of a two-state solution. These negotiations must be based on the internationally agreed framework, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood and Israel's legitimate security concerns. The absence of these direct talks on key political issues has asymmetrical costs for Israelis and Palestinians and does not augur well for long-term peace in the region," he said. He added that India has always supported a negotiated two-state solution leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel. He stressed that India will continue to support all efforts toward achieving a comprehensive and lasting two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stands ready to contribute constructively to such efforts. New Delhi also voiced appreciation for the Israeli initiative of increasing the number of work permits for Palestinians in the Strip to work in Israel. More needs to be considered to alleviate the humanitarian situation. The need of the hour is dialogue among the relevant stakeholders, he said. India also voiced concern over the continued precarious financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), saying lack of funding to the Agency can adversely affect the delivery of humanitarian services to the Palestinian refugee community in Palestine and elsewhere. At the meeting of the Ad hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the announcement of the voluntary contribution to UNRWA, India reiterated its commitment to support the Agency through its annual financial contributions. India has already contributed 20 million dollars over the last four years and has also pledged five million dollars for UNRWA's programme budget for the year 2022. (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.) Prime Minister on Monday addressed a session on food security and gender equality during which he emphasised that India's approach had transitioned from women's development to women-led development. Modi also suggested that for ensuring food security the focus should be on fertilisers' availability, structured system for use of Indian agricultural talent, nutritious alternatives like millets and natural farming. "PM @narendramodi addressed the @G7 Session on food security and gender equality, sharing India's experiences in these domains. Emphasised that India's approach had transitioned from women's development' to women-led development'," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. "(The Prime Minister) suggested the following focus areas for ensuring food security: 1. Fertilisers' availability 2. Structured system for use of Indian agricultural talent 3. Nutritious alternatives like millets 4. Natural Farming," he said in another tweet. Earlier, in his remarks at the session on 'Investing in a better Future: Climate, Energy, Health' at the here, Modi asserted that India's dedication to climate commitments is evident from its performance. He also expressed hope that rich countries of G-7 will support India's efforts in combating climate change and invited them to tap the huge market for clean energy technologies emerging in the country. Before the start of the summit, Prime Minister Modi shook hands with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the leaders assembled for a group photo. The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political grouping consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The European Union is a 'non-enumerated member'. The German Presidency has invited Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the in Elmau, Bavaria. Modi is attending the G7 summit at the invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (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.) Automotive dealers' body FADA on Tuesday said the government's move to bring a new car safety assessment programme on the basis of crash tests performance will not only make the Indian roads safe but it will also bring the country's manufacturing at par with global standards. Lauding the government's plans to introduce Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) from April 1, 2023, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) President Vinkesh Gulati said the programme must be made mandatory for all the manufacturers so that the choice should be on the customer. "This will not only make Indian roads safe but it will also bring Indian manufacturing at par with global standards in terms of product innovation, safety and technology," he said in a statement. There were Indian OEMs which were giving a lot of importance to passenger safety and getting their vehicle tested under Global NCAP, but a lot of multinational OEMs were not interested in this, Gulati lamented. "Having Bharat NCAP criteria will mark a turning point in the development of the Indian automotive sector in terms of product, technology and safety, by providing a platform for testing the safety levels of vehicles in Indian conditions," he added. Stating that the Bharat NCAP will provide the customers a comparison between vehicle models and help them to make a decision considering the crash safety too, he said, "The government should make Bharat NCAP mandatory for all the OEMs, so that the choice should be on the customer." There may be customers who choose a lower Bharat NCAP rating as their use is purely in the city, Gulati argued. Last week, the government had announced that a new car safety assessment programme, Bharat NCAP. The programme proposes a mechanism of awarding 'Star Ratings' to automobiles based upon their performance in crash tests. (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.) Kerala Chief Minister has said he had visited Dubai five times so far since 2016 after he assumed the top office and never forgot to take any of his baggage on the trip as alleged by case prime accused Swapna Suresh. Vijayan's reply assumed significance in the wake of startling charges raised by Suresh, also a former employee at the UAE Consulate here, that the Chief Minister had forgotten to take a baggage and it was asked to be delivered to Dubai immediately during his 2016 trip. Suresh, in a series of recent press conferences, also alleged that the package was found to contain currency notes and it was later sent to Dubai through a diplomat as per the instructions of the then Consulate General. However, in a single-line reply, Vijayan rejected the charges and made it clear that he did not forget to take his baggage during the Dubai trip. Vijayan gave the written reply in the state Assembly on Monday to a question raised by opposition Congress MLA Anwar Sadath. To another question whether the allegations were factual, he replied that there was no relevance for such a question. Stating that all his trips to Dubai were purely for official purposes, Vijayan also gave detailed replies to the related queries about his programmes and meetings there. However, Chief Minister's former principal secretary M Sivasankar, who was suspended and jailed in connection with the case, reportedly said in an earlier statement to the Customs officials that a baggage was sent to Dubai through a diplomat when Vijayan was there and it comprised some mementos to be delivered during the CM's function there. He reportedly said in the statement that it was decided to entrust a person to physically carry the baggage to Dubai to avoid any delay in the delivery and the help was offered by the Consulate General. The IAS officer had also reportedly said, in his statement, that the packages had reached the state delegation in Dubai ahead of time before the first meeting of the Chief Minister took place there. (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.) After inaugurating 7,500 micro irrigation schemes in Panchkula, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that the results of Mera Pani Meri Virasat Yojana, which was launched two years ago during COVID-19, has started showing results at the ground level. Khattar flagged off mobile vans of micro irrigation in the programme organized in Panchkula by the Micro Irrigation and Command Area Development Authority (MICADA). Along with this, two vehicles were dispatched from all the districts so that the message of water conservation can reach the general public. He said about 200 water treatment plants are operating in the state and more than 50 percent of the treated water is being reused for irrigation and other works. Natural water sources also have to be saved, for this we have to make plantations, dams etc. but we cannot produce water. We have to use the available water carefully. In another programme, Khattar said that a new roadmap has been prepared for the development of Panchkula and Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority has also been constituted to take it forward. In this episode, the foundation stone of 11 projects has been laid today, which will prove to be a milestone for the development of the district. He laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 5,540.23 lakh for Panchkula district. Working to make Chandigarh one of the best cities in the country, says Municipal Commissioner AMITABH SHUKLA Workaholic, dynamic and a go-getter. That describes 2007 Batch Punjab cadre IAS officer Anindita Mitra, Commissioner of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. Ever since she took over as the chief of the civic body of the City Beautiful, she has been conceptualizing new schemes, strengthening the existing ones and implementing them with a missionary zeal so that Chandigarh counts amongst not only the best cities of the country but the world. It's no wonder that one finds her making rounds of the city early in the morning when most people are still in their beds to get a ringside view of what lacks where and how to overcome the problems and issues identified in the morning visitations to different sectors and urban villages. Sixteen hours work schedule apart, at a personal level, Anindita Mitra is a fitness freak and over a period of time has discovered the benefits of intermittent fasting. What exactly is this? "It's simple. Having no meals from 8 pm in the evening to 2 pm in the afternoon for 6 days in a week, except Saturdays. No breakfast or anything," she says. That's' well 16 hours without a morsel of food. This entitles her to become the brand ambassador of intermittent fasting if there indeed is a commercial concept on it. Of course, she is happy with it only as a mantra of fitness. Many in the city, in any case, describe her as a brand ambassador of hygiene, civic standards and Smart City. The Resident Welfare Associations will vouch for the fact that she is the most accessible officer they have ever come across and is on the dialing list of the office-bearers of these associations. She used to be an avid reader earlier but of late finds little time to indulge in her passion due to the nature of her work which is more or less 24x7. The last book she read was the Shiva Trilogy series by Amish Tripathi even as the philosophical books by Ayn Rand have been her favorites ever since she got into the world of books. A pet lover, the Labrador whom Mitra considers a part of the family, has been named Google. The inquisitive Google, who is now almost 14 years of age, considered old for a Dog, sits and stretches near the Commissioner with eyes watching her which reflects tranquility. Amid this, The Pioneer got in touch with her to get all the updates about her plans and vision for the City Beautiful. It has not even been a year since you took over as the chief of the civic body. How do you see these weeks and months heading the MCC? I joined in August 2021 but got hold of the things better in October. The Swacchta Sarvekshan ranking in which Chandigarh was placed at the Number 66 rank was a wakeup call for me. Service delivery to the citizens and managing and processing the waste was crucial to get going and improve on the rankings. We made it a point to involve citizens and make them realise that they have the most important role in the improvements. Campaign was run on segregation of dry, wet and hazardous waste. The plant for processing dry waste was closed for some reasons and it is only now that we have managed to float tenders and things would get going and the waste dump of Dadu Majra would soon be a thing of the past. Similarly, the processing capacity of wet waste too has been increased and then, we are coming up with another plant for horticulture waste like leaves and remnants of tree pruning. Then, the processing of sanitary waste would be done in incinerators along with bio-medical waste. For hazardous waste, we have signed an agreement with a company and this way all kinds of waste will be processed and taken care of. As service delivery too is extremely important, GPS devices were placed on the vehicles collecting garbage and monitoring units set up. Consequently, the services improved by leaps and bounds. What is this concept of Cafe Loo in the city which you are implementing? Well, this is not a new concept as such as a few states and cities like Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai are already implementing it. As a pilot project, in 4-5 markets of the city, we will hand over the maintenance of the public toilets to private players and allow them some commercial activity like setting up bottled cold drink and water dispensers like airports. They will have the incentive to take care of these toilets and it will remain clean all the time. What are the projects on which you are currently working? We are also working on stray dog and pet dog management. Sterilization of stray dogs sector wise is being worked out with an NGO. Target would be sterilization of two third bitches and one third dogs to keep the stray population under control. There would be geo-tagging of the dogs when taken for sterilization and then when released. They are highly territorial and have to be released in the same locality. Then, we have also planned a pet dog park as a pilot project. This would be a reserved space for the pet owners and they can come to this park. As pets are not allowed in other parks, this will be a boon for the pet lovers. For stray cattle, intensive catching and renovating the gaushalas are being planned. MCC has just launched "Har Gadi Bin, Har Gadi Bag'' plan. Could you elaborate on this. This is to sensitize citizens towards littering and ban on single use plastic. If every citizen keeps a shopping bag in his/her car, plastic bags can be completely eliminated from market areas. If every car has a dustbin, and citizens put their thrash in the same, littering can be greatly reduced. MCC and RLA have tied up with all the car dealers that both at the time of sale of a new car, and at the time of servicing, the car dealer shall provide the customer with a dustbin and a shopping bag to try and inculcate these habits in citizens. RLA will make it compulsory for citizens who come to renew their registrations, to install dustbins and keep cloth/jute shopping bags in the vehicles. This is an important step as Chandigarh has the highest vehicular density anywhere in the country at 878 registered vehicles per 1000 persons. What are the other initiatives to get rid of plastic bags? MCC has been taking several steps to curb plastic menace. We have started a selfie with a shopping bag/selfie with a bottle(to reduce the use of plastic disposable water bottles) in which citizens have been asked to tag the MCC social media handles. Recently, a series of events were held with MWAs in which a cash prize of 1 lac has been announced for the first MWA which becomes totally plastic free. Progressive MWAs like sector 46 have started giving discounts to citizens who come with their own shopping bags. MCC has also set up a cloth bag outlet, manned by a SHG in the Sabzi Mandi of Sector 26, to promote use of Cloth/Jute bags and discourage use of single use plastic. A dedicated joint task force of MCC and CPCC will continue to check all places where hoarding of plastic is being done. In the past 6 months, 935 challans of littering and 721 challans of use of banned plastic have been issued. Latest LIVE news updates: The two-day GST council meeting kicked off in Chandigarh with a packed agenda. The Council is unlikely to consider states demand for status quo on a two-year extension of compensation as official data suggests that revenue shortfall for states has narrowed in FY22. India on Tuesday reported 11,793 new Covid cases, taking its tally to 43,418,839. With 27 more Covid-related deaths, India's toll reached 525,047. A total of 9,486 people recovered from Covid-19 infection in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of cured cases to 42,797,092. India's recovery rate now stands at 98.57 per cent while death rate is unchanged at 1.21 per cent. India on Monday administered 1,921,811 vaccine shots, taking the total count of Covid vaccination to 1,973,143,196. Thackeray handed over portfolios of nine rebel Maharashtra ministers, who are currently camping in Guwahati, to other ministers. Nine Maharashtra ministers have so far joined the rebel camp led by Eknath Shinde. The Sena now has four cabinet ministers, including CM Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab, and Subhash Desai. Senior leaders of Congress and NCP met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday after the Supreme Court directed the CM not to disqualify the rebel MLAstill July 11. "We are alliance partners. We will sit together and discuss things," state Congress chief Nana Patole said after meeting CM Thackeray at his residence. Atleast 16 people died and 56 were wounded after a Russian missile struck a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk, Ukraine, reported AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier had said there were 'over a thousand civilians' in the mall where the missile hit as the city had a pre-war population of 220,000. The Union has written to states asking them to take appropriate steps to manage large crowds during upcoming festivals and yatras across the country to keep the transmission of infectious diseases like Covid19 in check. The Health secretary also held a review meeting with 14 states on Tuesday which are reporting a week-to-week spike in Covid-19 cases. Major religious yatras like Amarnath Yatra, Kanwar Yatra, Chardham are expected to start in the next few days. In his letter, the Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has highlighted that in the upcoming months huge gatherings of people are expected at various parts of the country undertaking yatras covering several hundred kilometers. Such gatherings, primarily organized by social and religious organisations, are likely to aid the spread of infectious diseases like Covid19, the statement said. The Ministry has thus asked states to take appropriate actions like publicizing that those participating in these events should be asymptomatic, and preferably fully vaccinated, senior citizens or those with co-morbidities should consult doctors before they become part of such events. The states have also been asked to identify the routes along which such religious processions will pass, and make provisions for health desks along the route. Provision for referral and transport of serious cases to nearby health facilities should also be taken, the Centre has recommended. Halting points should be well ventilated with provisions of thermal screening and hand washing, regular and frequent disinfections of these spots should be carried out by district authorities, the Centre has said in its communication to states. Further, the states have been asked to strengthen their Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for epidemic diseases with special focus on Covid19. The states have been asked to review and strengthen the hospital bed infrastructure wherever necessary, and make arrangements for essential medicines, medical oxygen. VK Paul, member, health, NITI Aayog who was also present in the review meeting said, "The major action point is to focus on strengthening proactive surveillance as per the Revised Surveillance Strategy issued by Union on 9th June 2022." States were also strongly advised to strictly monitor epidemiological profile of admitted COVID patients and report the clinical manifestation to the Health Ministry, rather than a random or anecdotal reporting. "This will help to identify at an early stage any out-of-the-ordinary or different clinical presentation of the patients," the ministry said in a statement. Paul and Union Health Secretary both highlighted the low level of COVID testing across the states, and drop in RTPCR share. Delhi is likely to receive the first showers on June 30 or July 1, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said on Tuesday. The southwest usually arrives in the capital on June 27. Senior Scientist R K Jenamani said there is a prediction of good rainfall in the city on June 30 and the arrival of the can be declared on Thursday or Friday. Conditions are favorable for the advance of the monsoon into Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh in the next 24 hours. Easterly winds, moisture incursion and convective activity have increased in this region, he said. "We expect the conditions to remain favorable for the further advance of the monsoon in the remaining parts of UP, HP, J-K, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in the subsequent 48 hours," the senior meteorologist said. Jenamani said high humidity increased discomfort in the last few days though the temperatures hovered around 41-42 degrees Celsius. Pre-monsoon convection may lead to light rainfall in the capital on Wednesday evening and provide relief from the heat. The has issued an orange alert, warning of moderate rainfall in the city on June 30. The maximum temperature will come down to 33-34 degrees Celsius by July 1, he said. Last year, the had forecast that the monsoon would arrive in Delhi nearly two weeks before its usual date, June 27. However, it reached the capital only on July 13, making it the most delayed in 19 years. The monsoon had entered a "break" phase and there was virtually no progress from June 20 to July 8. Asked about the delay in the arrival of the monsoon in Delhi, the senior scientist said a gap of around five days is considered normal. "However, we did not see any major weather system developing in the Bay of Bengal (which could have pushed the monsoon forward). This year, it has mainly been a wind-driven monsoon," he said. According to IMD data, the monsoon covered Delhi 29 times in June and 33 times in July in the last 62 years. The IMD had in 2020 revised the date of monsoon arrival in Delhi from June 29 to June 27. Weather experts have said the monsoon is expected to yield good rainfall in Delhi in the first 10 days. Delhi has received just 72.5 mm of rainfall since March 1 this year against the normal of 111.9 mm owing to the lack of strong western disturbances. The city did not record any rainfall in March and saw a minuscule 0.3 mm of precipitation in April against the monthly average of 12.2 mm. The scanty rainfall aggravated the heat, with the capital recording its second hottest April this year since 1951 with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius. Prolonged heatwaves saw maximum temperatures soaring to 49 degrees Celsius in parts of Delhi in May. The capital has recorded a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and above on 27 days so far this summer season, the highest number of such days since 2012, according to IMDdata. In 2012, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius or above on 30 days. Since June 1, when the monsoon season starts, Delhi has received just 24.5 mm of rainfall against the normal of 64.1 mm. All of it came between June 16 and June 20. However, a bountiful monsoon is expected to cover the rain deficit in the first week of July and provide respite from the heat, according to Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather. A significant increase in humidity levels, easterly winds and good rainfall for at least two consecutive days denote the arrival of the monsoon, Palawat said. "Last year, the monsoon did not get off to a good start in Delhi. However, we expect good rainfall for the first two to three days this time," Palawat said, adding the first 10 days "seem to be good and on and off rain will continue". "There could be a dip in rainfall on July 2-3, but a prolonged dry spell is ruled out," he added. The IMD had declared the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala on May 29. After its onset over Kerala, the progress of monsoon has been sluggish. The northern limit of the southwest monsoon, which is the northernmost limit up to which it has advanced on a given day, passed through Ratlam, Shivpuri, Rewa, and Churk on Tuesday. Conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon into the remaining parts of Bihar, some more parts of Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmiri during the next 24 hours, the IMD 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.) The newly-elected MP from Sangrur in Punjab, Simranjit Singh Mann, who heads the (Amritsar), has tested positive for COVID-19. After the 77-year-old leader tested positive for the viral disease, Chief Minister spoke to his family members and promised the best possible medical care. "Just got the news of MP Simranjeet Singh Mann Ji being down with Covid-19. Spoke to his family and assured best possible medical care. May good health envelope him spurring a quick recovery (sic)," the chief minister said in a tweet. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost the Sangrur parliamentary seat, which was vacated by after he became the chief minister, to SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann on Sunday. Simranjit Mann, who returned to Parliament after almost two decades, defeated the AAP's Gurmail Singh by a margin of 5,822 votes. Mann polled 2,53,154 votes, while Singh bagged 2,47,332 votes, according to the Election Commission. The (Amritsar) president had last won the Sangrur seat in 1999. His earlier poll victory came in 1989 from Tarn Taran. (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.) Prime Minister arrived in the on Tuesday on a brief visit to convey his personal condolences on the demise of former president of the Gulf nation and Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Modi was received by current President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his arrival at the airport here. The Prime Minister arrived here after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany where he interacted with several world leaders on the margins of the summit and discussed issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. In the UAE, Modi will convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa, who died on May 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness. Modi had expressed grief over his death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India- relations prospered. India had announced one day of state mourning following the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of UAE's founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He served as the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi from November 3, 2004 till his death. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu last month visited the UAE and offered condolences to the UAE leadership on the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. The last visit by Modi to the UAE was in August 2019 during which he received the UAE's highest award, 'Order of Zayed' conferred upon him by the UAE President. During a special briefing ahead of Modi's visit on June 24, Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said the Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and it will be their first interaction after the UAE leader's election as the new president of the Gulf nation. #WATCH | In a special gesture, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warmly receives PM in Abu Dhabi, UAE PM Modi will pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former UAE President & Abu Dhabi Ruler (Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/6Lj2TB9pZn ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 The UAE was India's third-largest trading partner for the year 2019-20 after China and US, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The UAE is the third-largest export destination of India (after the US and China) with an amount of nearly USD 16 billion for the year 2020-21. For the UAE, India is the third-largest trading partner for the year 2020 with an amount of around USD 27.93 billion (non-oil trade). Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.4 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35 per cent of the country's population. (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.) Prime Minister on Tuesday left for a short visit to the after attending the in Germany on the sidelines of which he met several world leaders. "PM @narendramodi concludes his visit to Germany for the G7 Summit, wrapping up two days of productive discussions on sustainable solutions to global challenges, PM Modi now emplanes for Abu Dhabi for a brief stopover before reaching New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted. In the UAE, he will convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former President and Abu Dhabi ruler. Zayed Al Nahyan, who had been in office since 2004, died at the age of 73 after a long illness on May 13. Modi had expressed grief over his death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India- relations prospered. "Leaving Germany after a productive visit in which I attended the @G7 Summit, interacted with several world leaders and participated in a memorable community programme in Munich. We were able to discuss many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity," Modi tweeted. "I thank the people of Germany, @Bundeskanzler Scholz and the German Government for their hospitality during the entire visit. I am confident India-Germany friendship will scale newer heights in the times to come," the prime minister wrote. On Monday, Modi highlighted India's efforts for green growth, clean energy, sustainable lifestyles and global wellbeing, at a session. During his two-day visit to Germany, Modi met his counterparts from the UK, Japan and Italy and exchanged views on a range of issues with them. Modi also met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and held productive discussions as the two leaders reviewed the India-EU cooperation in trade, investment, technology and climate action. He also met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Germany. During his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the two leaders agreed to take forward the momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership besides further diversifying the bilateral cooperation on climate-related issues for the benefit of their people and the entire planet. Modi also met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties and reaffirmed the need for further deepening cooperation in areas like trade and investment, food security, defence, pharmaceuticals and digital financial inclusion. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed a range of bilateral and global issues over a cup of tea. Modi also met US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On Sunday, Modi addressed the Indian diaspora during a massive community event at the Audi Dome indoor arena in Munich. (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.) Prime Minister has made India's position clear on the Ukraine conflict at the where he reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Replying to a question on India's stand on Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kwatra during a press conference said, "On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India's position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue & diplomacy to resolve the situation." Foreign Secretary Kwatra also highlighted that PM Modi has spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially on the vulnerable countries. "PM also put forward knockdown effect of the conflict on food security crisis, especially on vulnerable countries," Kwatra said. Ever since the war started on February 24, Prime Minister has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace and an end to hostilities. Earlier, PM Modi intervened and had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that a direct conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts to deal with the ongoing conflict. PM Modi had also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict. India is looked upon as a solution provider by all which was quite evident by the body language and camaraderie of leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra over PM's visit to in Germany. PM Modi on June 26-27 attended the in Germany, held meetings with world leaders as well as interacted with the Indian diaspora. During a press conference, Kwatra said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at the G7 summit showed that India's presence is valued by all and that India is looked upon as a solution provider by all. You would have seen the body language and camaraderie of leaders with our PM." In an instance of bonhomie between the leaders of the two largest democracies of the world that caught the eye of viewers, US President Joe Biden walked up to Prime Minister to greet him at the venue of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday. India is among the five partner countries invited to attend the G7 Summit. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today welcomed the Prime Minister at Schloss Elmau, ahead of the G7 Summit. (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.) Prime Minister met his counterparts from the UK, and Italy and exchanged views on a range of issues with them on the sidelines of the here on Monday. Prime Minister Modi also met President of Senegal Macky Sall, Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and held fruitful discussions with Director-General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Modi tweeted about his meetings with the world leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Glad to interact with PM @BorisJohnson, he said. Wonderful interaction with PM @kishida230 at the @G7 Summit, Modi said. Happy to have met Italian PM Mario Draghi on the sidelines of the @G7 Summit, he said in a series of tweets. Modi is in Germany on a two-day visit beginning on Sunday for the G-7 Summit held at Schloss Elmau, the scenic venue of the summit in southern Germany. Modi is attending the following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Besides India, Germany, the host of the G7 Summit, has also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests for the summit to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners. From Germany, Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation. Sheikh Khalifa passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years. (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 Tuesday said his government will soon bring a resolution in the state assembly against the Agnipath scheme, asserting that the Centre's military recruitment initiative will destroy the basic fabric of the Indian Army. Earlier, he endorsed the suggestion of Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of bringing a resolution against the scheme. During the Zero Hour in the ongoing budget session in the Vidhan Sabha, leader Bajwa raised the issue of Agnipath, arguing the scheme will negatively affect the youth of Punjab. Mann, later in a tweet, said, The BJP government's Agnipath scheme is an irrational move which will destroy the basic fabric of the Indian Army. To secure the future of our youth, we will soon bring a resolution against this scheme in Vidhan Sabha. We seek support from all the parties. In the House, Bajwa expressed apprehension that with the scheme, Punjab's representation in the Army will plunge from 7.8 per cent currently to 2.3 percent in future. "This scheme is against the interests of Punjab," Bajwa said in the assembly. He demanded the CM to bring a joint resolution in the current assembly session against the Agnipath scheme. Mann dubbed the matter an emotive issue and endorsed Bajwa's suggestion, saying that all state assemblies in the country should bring a resolution against the scheme. "I am against this and I agree with you," Mann said responding to Bajwa's suggestion. Mann also took on the Centre over demonetisation, three farm laws, now repealed, and the goods and services tax. On the Agnipath scheme, Mann said, "When we think about the idea that a 17-year-old youth will join the defence forces, and most of them will return after mere four years of service, they will become ex' within four years without even any benefits that ex-servicemen are entitled to. "I strictly oppose this scheme," he said. Hitting out at the BJP, Mann said, "Their leader Kailash Vijayvargiya is saying if he has to appoint security personnel at his party office, he would give priority to those who have served as Agniveers. This is shameful. Mann said that he fails to understand why the BJP government brings such laws which face "opposition" from several quarters. "They brought farm laws, the CAA, now Agnipath, and every time they bring these laws they keep saying once people understand, they will realise their benefits. Are they the only ones wise enough to understand everything? The laws which people cannot understand should not be made," he said. Notably, 10 days ago some youths had held a protest against Agnipath in Jalandhar, and spoke to Mann over phone. Chief Minister Mann, besides advising them to hold their protests peacefully, had assured them that the Aam Aadmi Party government supports their demands and was in favour of rollback of the scheme. In the assembly, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma defended the Agnipath scheme and alleged that the House was being misled over this issue. Countering Bajwa on his suggestion, Sharma said it is their compulsion to oppose it (Agnipath) for the sake of opposition. "They know if this scheme is implemented, they will not come to power in 2029 as well," said the BJP leader. MLA Sukhpal Khaira sought condemnation of the banning of Sidhu Moosewala's 'SYL' song by YouTube on the Centre's complaint. He demanded that it should be made part of the resolution. (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.) Reacting to the arrest of co-founder Mohammed Zubair, Congress leader on Monday said "the arrest of one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more". "Every person exposing BJP's hate, bigotry and lies is a threat to them. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more. Truth ALWAYS triumphs over tyranny", said Gandhi in a tweet using the hashtag #DaroMat. Journalist and co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on Monday evening on charges of hurting religious sentiments under sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police had registered a case after getting a complaint from a twitter handle, where it was alleged that Zubair had tweeted a questionable image with a purpose to deliberately hurt religious sentiments. Terming the arrest as an assault on truth, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor demanded his immediate release. "India's few fact-checking services, especially @AltNews, perform a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation. They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them. To arrest @zoo_bear is an assault on truth. He should be released immediately," said Tharoor in a tweet. Former Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also tweeted and said: "Altnews & @zoo_bear have been in the forefront of exposing the bogus claims of the Vishguru, who has struck back with a vengeance characteristic of him. Delhi Police, reporting to the Union Home Minister, has long lost any pretensions of professionalism and independence". --IANS avr/pgh (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 controversial Islamophobic remark by some political leaders from BJP ruling at the centre has become a bone of contention in Indias diplomatic relations across the globe. As many as 15 Islamic countries and recently, China, have made brooding diplomatic remarks on Indias stand on Prophet Mohammed. In due course of action, the BJP has taken coercive measures to manage the dent by curtailing the violent protests, controlling the social media and invoking the spirit of religious tolerance. Further, the Government of India has also cleared its stand as a nation. It is to understand that, as many as 89 lakhs Indians are living, working and studying in gulf countries. The remittances from these countries are high in number. Needless to say that in the year 2020-21, Indias trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, was $87 billion. But the controversial remark on Prophet has instigated the social media users in Arab countries. The users were already taking offence to the remarks and calling for a boycott of Indian goods. The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) despised the remarks made by the suspended spokespersons of the BJP and linked the row to the hijab ban controversy and demolition of Muslim properties in India. The Government of India has proved its stand, but as far as statements by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) are concerned, India preferred to maintain silence. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the relations between India and UAE along with some other Islamic countries have significantly improved in the past few years, but there is an apprehension made by experts that the controversy could minimise some of India's recent diplomatic successes with these countries. The root of this controversy had started in a TV panel discussion, where a BJP spokesperson made a controversial remark on Prophet which could be labelled as islamophobic. The hate speech of the spokesperson was encouraged and her remarks were endorsed by the TV anchor. It was not the end of this drama. The hate speeches are now a very normal phenomenon and also becoming perpetual. It is not only about Islam or Hinduism but now these hate speeches have increased its canvas to gender, caste and race. The United Nation is having a strong concern on hate speech. As per the UN, hate speech has been increasing since 1950s. Further to this, it has become one of the strong reasons for violence across the globe .A report by Equality Lab on Quantum of Hate Speech on Facebook in India says that Islamophobia tops the list. Anti-Muslim sentiments hate speech is at top with 37% of total hate speeches. False news has 17% of space in hate speech. Gender related or misogynist hate speech content and Dalit or caste related hate speeches have 13% of share each. Violence hate speech has 11% and anti-religious content has 9% of total hate speech in Facebook. Now in social media or in TV discussion, we have seen a different ball game. This ball game is polarisation. Some even started hash-tag campaigns to boycott Islamic countries airlines. Countries like Netherland, which is reputed for its islamophobic stand, fuelled up the issue in international platform. So here, one thing must be remembered is criticising religious practices is different and growing intolerance for any religion is different. Due to this mass scale and media induced polarisation, intolerance is growing. We need to understand that in India islamophobia is also a creation of historical interactions with Muslims. Muslim invaders destroyed the country and ruled for hundreds of years. Suppressed Hindu kings looted India, established mosques; damaged temples etc are the interactions which are public narratives about Muslims. After Indias Independence and Pakistans formation, islamophobic and dislike for Muslims as well as anti-Muslims discourses have been more visible. Riots, genocides, cultural dominance and terrorism fuelled it more. This has made a categorisation of communities that is Them and Us. Hindus are them for Muslims and Muslims are them for Hindus. In local level, islamophobic behaviour is legitimatised by local leaders or officials. It should be stopped. In many States in India, this polarisation has taken islamophobia to a different stage, i.e xenophobia, which is a catastrophic weapon against social solidarity. There is a process called as Racialization of Muslims. It defines Muslim community as a race but not as religious or cultural identifiers. This new identification catalogues Muslims as a different community which is identified by their biological or physical aspects. Islamphobia is dangerous when the State induces the process of racialisation. When the process is State-sponsored, then it aims at psycho-social control. Psychosocial control is equal as verbal assault, tirade of speech or dominant actions. The result of the action leads to organise Muslims into two categories such as Acceptable Muslims and Unacceptable Muslims. These two types of Muslims are defined by the State actors. Such classification is made by a point of view that Muslims whom the State can trust and Muslims the State cant. The fabric of Indian society is secularism. There are many countries and many vested interest groups which may take mileage on the prophet row. India is known for its tolerance, cultural mannerism and social cohesion. The doctrine of we -feeling will augment the mutual tolerance between different religions. The mutual respect between two major religions in India is depleting. The trust on Government mechanism to seek justice is questionable. What is more disturbing is that the introduction of new justice system, called as Bulldozer Justice. The arrogance of being majoritarian and brutal suppression of protest is also the add-on which may increase the fissure between citizens of the country. (Dr Parida is an Assistant Professor in Sociology. Email id- abash.parida@gmail.com) MP on Tuesday sought more time to appear before the (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe, an official said. His lawyer submitted a letter at the ED's office here, requesting time for Raut to appear before the probe agency, he said. Talking to reporters, Raut said he was busy with party programmes and would visit the central agency's office after that. "Some people want to put us behind bars and run the state, the way it happened during the Emergency, the Sena's chief spokesperson claimed. Referring to the use of central agencies in some states, Raut sought to draw a parallel with the excesses committed against political opponents during the Emergency, and said he was ready to go behind bars for second Independence. The ED had summoned Rajya Sabha member Raut on Tuesday for questioning in the money laundering probe linked to the re-development of a Mumbai 'chawl' and other related financial transactions involving his wife and friends. The development comes as the battles rebellion from a group of its MLAs, putting a question mark on the future of Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. On Tuesday, Raut's lawyer reached the ED's office here around 11.15 am and submitted a letter to the agency officials, requesting time for the parliamentarian to appear before it, the official said. Talking to reporters, Raut said, "The moment I am free, I will go to the ED. I am a lawmaker. I know the law. Even if the law implementing agencies are working in a wrong way, I am a law-abiding person." On Monday, Raut had termed the ED's summons as a "conspiracy" to stop him from fighting against their political opponents, and said he will not be able to appear before the agency on Tuesday as he had to attend a meeting in Alibaug (Raigad district). Last week, when the rebellion began in the Shiv Sena, another minister Anil Parab had appeared before the ED for questioning in a money laundering case registered against him. (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 many as 582 new cases of have been detected in Maharashtra's district, taking the tally of infections to 7,26,053, a health official said on Tuesday. With the addition of these cases on Monday, the district currently has 5,629 active COVID-19 cases, he said. One death was also reported on Monday, raising the COVID-19 toll in the district to 11,903, he said. The recovery count has reached 7,07,480, the official 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.) in India banned official accounts of Embassies in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt. Earlier, also withheld the account of the national public broadcaster in - Radio . blocks the account of Pakistani Embassy in UN. Account of Pakistani Embassy in Turkey is also withheld by Twitter in India. Moreover, Twitter in India also blocked account of Pakistani Embassy in Iran and Egypt. Twitter in India, earlier also blocked the account of Pakistani national radio broadcaster - Radio Pakistan. After Twitter in India withheld these official accounts the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Twitter to restore these accounts with immediate access. This development comes at a time when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting earlier blocked 16 YouTube news channels including 6 Pakistan-based channels for spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign relations, and public order. According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India. The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and 10 India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said. YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu, and Kashmir, and India's foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine among others, it said. The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty, and integrity of India, and India's friendly relations with foreign States. Moreover, India has earlier called out Pakistan for propagating fake news through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Pakistan is frequently lambasted by the global community due to its violation of human rights. The country also has unstable politics which is gripped by constant protests and demonstrations. And yet, as per the reports by digital forensics, Pakistan carries on with its propaganda to diminish India at world stage. Apart from the government accounts in Pakistan, in a report by Digital Forensics, Research, and Analytics Center (DFRAC), it was revealed that many fake accounts created by Pakistanis are hiding behind the screens and running hashtags with an agenda to target India's prestigious institutions. These Pakistani accounts blatantly spread disinformation. The crucial thing to note here is that some of these accounts were created for the sole purpose of defaming India. After pushing the agenda they changed their username. All behind the screen who were fuelling this agenda campaign seemed to be copying each others' content to escalate the fake narrative. (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 has blocked over 80 links, including tweets and some accounts, after receiving legal notices from the central government sent through 2021. These include accounts belonging to the Pakistani government. Others also have content related to farmers' protests and a report from an American non-profit that said India's was declining. These accounts, notified by the Centre, were geo-blocked by over the weekend, an action the giant classifies as "Country Withheld". Geo-block means restricting access to accounts or posts in a particular geography. The accounts or posts are not entirely removed from the site and can be accessed by those outside India. restricted accounts include Kisan Ekta Morcha and Tractor2Twitter, which were active during the nationwide farmers' protests and had more than 500,000 followers. Last year, Kisan Ekta Morcha posted a hashtag on Twitter that accused the Centre of plotting to kill protesting farmers. Also Read: India single largest source of govt requests for account info: Twitter The giant also took down five tweets by American non-profit Freedom House, which posted its 2020 report on Freedom on The Net and said India had the most internet shutdowns. Twitter India also banned official accounts of Embassies in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt and the nation's public broadcaster, Radio . The move came after the central government had sent 24 legal notices to Twitter through 2021. Twitter disclosed this to the Lumen database, which is an internet transparency archive. Reacting to the move, the Kisan Ekta Morcha on Instagram said, "Another attack by the Government of India on the rights of farmers and workers." A farmer union leader, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Ravi Azad, said, "The government has banned Kisan Ekta Morcha's Twitter handle that takes the voice of farmers to the global level. Anti-farmer activities are revealed through this account with facts and evidence. We condemn this action." In a statement on Twitter, the Foundation said, "Citizens have the right to challenge blocking of online content, but they are unable to do so without access to these orders. Thus, we have consistently advocated for such disclosures as they are crucial for holding the government accountable." A youth was roughed up by workers for enumerating benefits of Agnipath scheme when the party was staging a against it in Jhunjhunu on Monday. According to onlookers, the had staged a 'dharna' as a part of a call given by leaders for all India against the Agnipath scheme launched by the central government for Indian youths. Amid the dharna, a young man came and sought permission to speak about the scheme. On being given a mike, he started counting the benefits of the scheme which irked the agitators. Khalil Budana, General Secretary of the District Committee, snatched the mike from the youth and thrashed him up. The deputed police personnel rushed to the dias. Jagdeep Singh, who was assualted, is a resident of Lohsana in Churu district. "When the saw the demonstration the against the Agnipath scheme, I wanted to tell them about its benefits and took the mic with the consent of the organisers. When I started counting the benefits of the scheme, people got furious, snatched mike and started beating me," he said. Reacting to it, the BJP leaders said that the incident shows the anger of Congress when young man tried to say the truth. BJP District President Pawan Mawandia said that Jhunjhunu is a district which has given maximum number of soldiers and martyrs in the country. So, nationalism runs in the blood of the youth here. He said that the youth is well aware of how Agnipath will empower the nation. However, Congress official Khaleel Budana, who allegedly assaulted the youth, denied assaulting the youth. "Since he had no understanding of the scheme, he spoke in favour of it. We explained the matter and sent him away," he said. --IANS arc/shb/ (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 on Tuesday wrote to Union Finance Minister asking her to take decisions at the ongoing meeting by consensus, shunning "majoritarianism". In a two-page letter to Sitharaman, the Principal Chief Adviser to Chief Minister and the Finance Department, Dr Amit Mitra, cited a recent judgment of the in this regard. "Post decision of the SC, it has become imperative for the to take every decision by consensus and to leave aside any shade of majoritarianism, not only for the future credibility of but also to uphold the rich tradition of this august body," the former finance minister of the state said. The on May 19 ruled that the Goods and Service Tax (GST) council's recommendations are not binding on Union and State but have a persuasive value as the country has a cooperative federal structure. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath also held that the Centre and State governments have simultaneous powers to legislate on GST but the council must work in a harmonious manner to achieve a workable solution. Mitra said in the letter, "On the backdrop of this extremely significant observation of the honourable apex court, it has become extremely important for the GST council to invariably arrive at a consensus for taking any decision." The two-day GST Council's 47th meeting is underway in Chandigarh to take a call on several key recommendations by ministerial committees aimed at making the tax system more efficient. (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.) Indias Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has extended until September 25 the deadline to comply with its cyber security norms for Virtual Private Network (VPN) and cloud services, responding after foreign providers said they will remove their servers in the country. September 25 is the new compliance date for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Other businesses, which dont provide VPN or cloud services, will have to comply with the earlier deadline of June 27. The September 25 extension will enable the industry to build the capacity required for the implementation of the cyber security directions, said the Ministry of Electronics and in a press release. CERT-In directions, released on April 28, mandate service providers to keep records of every information and communication technology (ICT) transaction for a minimum of 180 days. They require service providers to maintain the personal information of subscribers for five years or longer, as can be demanded by CERT-In in case of a incident. The new deadline comes after VPN providers, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and SurfShark, earlier this month decided to remove their servers in India. SurfShark said it operates a no logs policy, So such new requirements go against the core ethos of the company. A VPN is an online privacy tool, and Surfshark was founded to make it as easy to use for the common users as possible, said the company a blog post. It could not be immediately ascertained if the new deadline will prompt VPN players to reconsider their strategy for India, but the government is unlikely to ease the guidelines. Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information and Technology, last month told VPN companies they are free to leave India. If youre a VPN that wants to hide and be anonymous about those who use VPNs and you dont want to go by these rules, then if you want to pull out (from the country), frankly, that is the only opportunity you will have. You will have to pull out, he said. Pankit Desai, co-founder and CEO of Sequretek, a Mumbai-based cyber security company, said the deadline extension would help firms enter a dialogue with the CERT-IN authority. However, there remains ambiguity on what has been asked and how companies will comply with it, for example, Incident reporting. There is a lack of clarity around how an incident is being defined, Desai said. He added that it was also not clear whether the companies need to report an unsuccessful attempt to breach companies cyber defences and if there would be a framework from the government side to help companies that have suffered a cyberattack. Sandip Kumar Panda, the co-founder at InstaSafe Technologies, said an extension was expected as CERT-Ins guidelines cannot be implemented quickly. The timelines and the excessive data retention mandates will have negative implications in delivery and practice of it, Panda added. He said the industry is gaining ground in the country and it will have to follow guidelines, but it may need another extension after September 25. In the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Centre will likely introduce a bill to make amendments in order to facilitate the privatisation of public sector banks, a report said. The government is mulling an amendment that will allow the Centre a total exit from banks, fully privatising PSBs, The Economic Times reported, quoting an official aware of the developments. As per the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970, the central government is required to hold at least a 51 per cent stake in the public sector banks. Earlier, the Centre was to retain at least a 26 per cent stake in during privatisation, and this would be brought down gradually. While the dates of the Monsoon Session have not been announced yet, the Centre had listed the Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2021, in the winter session of last year. However, the bill was not introduced in the session. The bill had proposed "amendments in Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Acts, 1970 and 1980 and incidental amendments to Banking Regulation Act, 1949", The Economic Times report said. The Centre's bill will provide 'an enabling mechanism," another official told ET, adding, "We might bring it in this session and then iron out the other issues." The official told the newspaper that the changes are based on potential discussions during recent roadshows held for the stake sale of the IDBI Bank. The finance ministry is in talks with the (RBI) on ownership and controlling stakes pertaining to PSBs' privatisation. As of now, private banks' promoters can hold only a 26 per cent stake in . Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget for FY22, had said the government would privatise two public sector banks and one general insurer. She had added that required amendments would be introduced in the Budget Session. The privatisation process of IDBI Bank is already underway. The bank is incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956; thus, legal amendments are not needed for its privatisation. The will strengthen capacity and technology at state-owned to make them competitive against their private peers. A presentation on steps to be taken to compete with private/non-major talked about increasing competitiveness in the port sector and the positioning of major versus the non-major ports in India, said a statement by the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways on Tuesday. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the authorities to make a plan for mega ports by 2047. Along with capacity building, he also suggested major ports draft land policy guidelines and explore the potential of building presence out of their limits. The plans were discussed at a three-day annual 'Chintan Baithak', where the ministry sets the agenda for the fiscal year. The will also focus on the development of new technologies at major ports, "Application of various cutting-edge technologies such as drone surveillance, internet of things, artificial intelligence, etc, can significantly improve operations at Indian ports," said the statement. Private ports such as Mundra are growing fast, with a cargo volume of 150 million metric tonne (mmt) in 2021-22. and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ) ports had a combined volume 300 mmt in the fiscal year. Indias 13 major ports had a combined cargo traffic of over 700 mmt in the year. Sector experts have said that delayed evacuation of cargo and ports and their capacity to handle containers is a challenge. The three-day session also saw various discussions on public-private-partnership (PPP), a route the ministry is pursuing to attract investments at its ports. Business Standard previously reported that the delayed nature of security clearances from stakeholder ministries such as Home Affairs, Defence, and External Affairs has been a major sore point. The ministry undertook the monetisation of 13 port assets worth Rs 7000 crore, out of which it had achieved Rs 1000 crore at the end of 2021-22. The ministry hopes to speed up that target as it encourages public-private partnership efforts, said officials. across India could be sometimes unsure of crops they should grow for maximum yield, or they need to test soil quality. To assist them, the government has the ' Card'. The SHC scheme, with the tagline "Swasth Dhara Khet Hara", is under the Ministry of and promoted by the Department of and Co-operation. What is a card? A card provides information on the nutrient status of soil, along with recommendations on the dosage of nutrients to be utilised for improving its fertility and health. It is printed document issued to once in three years for their land holdings. can take a printout of the card from the SHC portal, which has a database of all harvesting seasons and is available in 21 languages. Who is eligible for a soil health card? All farmers in India are eligible for the SHC scheme. They must contact the department in their region for more information. Importance of soil health card The government launched the SHC scheme as an initiative to curb the overuse of urea or nitrogenous fertilisers causing a deficiency of nutrients in soil like potassium, nitrogen, sulphur, zinc, boron, copper and phosphorus. Farmers can assess and raise the soil and crop productivity using key inputs from the card that carries crop-wise recommendations and other physical parameters of fertilisers and nutrients required for farm lands. With the help of the SHC, farmers can improve integrated nutrient management by judiciously using the soil nutrients. The card serves as a step-by-step process to address nutritional deficiencies in soil management practices. The soil health card helps in reducing the cost of production and determining changes in soil health affected by land management. The SHC carries corrective measures that farmers are required to adopt for the sustenance of a better crop yield. It is a field-specific report that helps the farmers to receive crop-wise recommendations of required and nutrients in each type of soil. SHC offers two sets of fertiliser recommendations for six crops, including recommendations for organic manures. How to apply for soil health card? Visit the official website of soil health card scheme -- soilhealth.dac.gov.in Click on 'Log In' and select your state and click on continue or click on 'Register New User' Enter required credentials like; user log in account details, language, user organisation details etc. and then, click on 'Submit' Log in with your username and password Delhi Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal refuting his Deputy Manish Sisodia's charge of favouring the BJP and urged him to restrain his Ministers from making "misleading" assertions. Saxena was reacting to a letter by Sisodia wherein he accused the L-G of "bulldozing the law" to favour the BJP as the complaint was lodged by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, and allowing the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) to probe the alleged irregularities in the construction of seven temporary hospitals during the Covid pandemic. Sisodia had asked in his letter under whose "pressure" Saxena had approved investigation by the ACB over a year old complaint when it was rejected by his predecessor Anil Baijal as "frivolous and baseless". Saxena wrote in the letter to Kejriwal, "It is both sad and surprising to note that vide the above letter, the Deputy Chief Minister has made factually and legally incorrect statements on the subject matter while unnecessarily politicising a desirable administrative action." He reminded the Chief Minister of their agreement over "zero tolerance" towards corruption and sough his cooperation in doing so. "In the interest of good governance, I would further urge you to advise your Ministers to refrain from such unproductive and poorly-evidenced assertions, which are both misleading and obstructive in nature," he wrote. Saxena also explained the legal position of his authority vis-a-vis the charges made against him by Sisodia. The Delhi High Court in its order on August 4, 2016 has held that according to the constitutional scheme of governance of Delhi, the "Services" fall outside the purview of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, he said. "This judgement still holds the field as the civil appeal filed by the elected Government on this issue is yet to be heard by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court," Saxena pointed. The permission for conducting an enquiry into the complaint of corruption against officials of the PWD has been granted after careful examination and strictly in accordance with the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the provisions of law as settled by the courts, he stated. However, according to sources in the Delhi Government, granting permission for enquiry under Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act does not fall under the purview of Services and is within the jurisdiction of elected Government. PC Act gives a maximum of four months to any Government to give permission for enquiry. The fact that the previous L-G neither gave any permission nor sought advice of the elected Government in those four months indicates that he did not find any merit in the complaint, said sources. For the present L-G to accuse his predecessor of sitting on such an important file and not taking a decision within the prescribed time limit is unfortunate and uncalled for. Baijal was aware of his statutory duties. His silence on the file indicates that he prima facie did not find any merit in the complaint, sources said. The L-Gs office receives thousands of such frivolous complaints every day. The L-G does not write on each such complaint. He acts on serious complaints. The fact that the previous L-G did not act on it within the prescribed time limit of four months shows that he did not find it serious enough to act, sources added. Activists sharply criticised a pledge by the Group of Seven rich countries on Tuesday to commit $4.5 billion to fight global hunger, saying the sum fell short of what was needed with millions of people on the brink of starvation. The worst drought in decades in parts of Africa and soaring food prices, driven higher by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have sparked repeated warnings about threats to food security of the world's poorest and possible famines. At the end of a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps, the leaders committed the $4.5 billion to protect the most vulnerable from and malnutrition, saying that amounted to $14 billion of assistance committed this year. They called on those with stockpiles to make food available and said they were working on ways to get grain out of Ukraine, after a Russian blockade of Black Sea ports pushed trade to slower land routes. They also agreed to step up their efforts to help farmers to keep working in Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain producers, and address fertiliser shortages. But activists said the pledges fell short. "Faced with the worst crisis in a generation, the have simply failed to take the action that is needed. Many millions will face terrible and starvation as a result," Max Lawson, head of inequality policy at Oxfam. "Instead of doing what is needed, the are leaving millions to starve and cooking the planet." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who hosted the summit, defended the money committed when questioned on Tuesday, adding "we won't stop doing what is necessary" to fight hunger. The ONE Campaign said the G7 had failed to show global leadership. "The G7 are talking about a total of $14 billion to fight the food crisis. But this is nowhere near the $21.5 billion that the World Food Programme needs this year alone," said Stephan Exo-Kreischer, director of ONE Germany. It added that only $4.5 billion of the money was new and that the G7 had not yet answered how it intended to help break the blockade on the Black Sea hindering Ukrainian exports. Germany and Britain had pushed fellow G7 members to push temporary waivers on biofuels to combat soaring food prices by increasing supplies of grain and vegetable oil. But there was no waiver in the final communique, as Berlin had anticipated. The G7 has stressed the blame for rising food prices lay at Russia's door, which Moscow rejects. "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, including its blocking of export routes for UkraineAs grain, is dramatically aggravating the hunger crisis," the G7 statement said, adding the group was still committed to lifting 500 million people out of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leaders of the grouping and its five partner countries, including India, on Monday said that they seek to promote a rules-based order, respect other states' territorial integrity and sovereignty, respect and defend the principles enshrined in the UN Charter as they vowed to remain steadfast in their commitment to defending peace, human rights and the rule of law. In a joint statement, the Group of Seven (G7), an inter-governmental political grouping, acknowledged the importance of national laws and regulations that are in place in each country to advance the principles and values of democracy. We, the Leaders of Germany, Argentina, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Senegal, South Africa, the UK, the US and the EU affirm our commitment to strengthening the resilience of our democracies and to working towards equitable, inclusive and sustainable solutions to global challenges, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and reaffirm our commitment to the rules-based order, it said. It took note of the 2021 Carbis Bay Open Societies Statement and recognised the dramatic changes in the geopolitical situation since then and the significant threats to democratic systems around the world. We remain steadfast in our commitment to defending peace, human rights, the rule of law, human security and gender equality, as recognised by law, including the United Nations Charter, and call on our international partners to join us in these efforts, the statement said. We hail all courageous defenders of democratic systems that stand against oppression and violence, and will step up international cooperation to improve the resilience of democratic societies globally. We commit to engage with partners internationally for peace and prosperity, and will work for progress towards an equitable world, because we are stronger together, it said. It said that seeks to promote a rules-based international order, respect other states' territorial integrity and sovereignty, respect and defend the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, support the peaceful resolution of conflicts, oppose the threat or use of force of any kind that is not in compliance with international law, protect human rights, strengthen multilateral institutions to address global challenges, and develop and use technologies in accordance with democratic principles for the benefit of humanity. The statement assumes significance amidst aggressive moves by China in the strategic Indo-Pacific region as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's aggressive military manoeuvring in the region. China also claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests. In sharing these values, we are stronger together and commit to supporting democracy worldwide and free and fair elections, including through electoral assistance; in the spirit of partnership fighting climate change, preventing environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, mobilising climate finance and supporting a just, equitable and socially inclusive transformation agenda, ensuring an orderly fair and equitable energy transition, taking into account energy security, national development priorities, viable and affordable technologies, the said. It also committed to supporting cooperating closely in the run-up to the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27); improving food security to prevent famine and striving for energy security by ensuring resilient energy supply chains, noting in this context the UN Global Crisis Response Group initiative; pursuing concerted efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and improve vaccine distribution and production, as well as our global health architecture for future health crises, with the World Health Organization (WHO) in a central role. It also resolved to fighting corruption, illicit financial flows, organised crime, cybercrimes and other illicit activities, including through enhanced beneficial ownership transparency; advocating free, fair, non-discriminatory, rules-based and sustainable trade, alleviating global inequalities, raising standards of living, maintaining open and resilient economies and strengthening the multilateral trading system, including by reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO). The G7 grouping said it is committed to supporting efforts to push for sustainable solutions to mounting global sovereign debt, in particular within the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for debtors in need, while continuing to explore further solutions for vulnerable countries, including Middle Income Countries. It said that it is committed to open public debate, independent and pluralistic media and the free flow of information online and offline, fostering legitimacy, transparency, responsibility and accountability for citizens and elected representatives alike. We are prepared to defend these principles and are resolved to protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline and ensuring a free and independent media landscape through our work with relevant international initiatives; ensuring an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure internet and increasing the cyber resilience of digital infrastructure, including by improving and sharing awareness of cyber threats and expanding cyber response cooperation, it 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.) A Swiss court on Monday said it has fined more than USD 2 million for failing to prevent money laundering linked to a Bulgarian criminal organization a decade-and-a-half ago. The court also ordered the confiscation of the equivalent of more than USD 12 million worth of deposits linked to the criminal group and opened with . The bank is also on the hook for a compensatory claim of more than USD 19 million. That's the amount that the court said could not be confiscated due to the bank's internal failures, which the court said had encouraged the money laundering. Zurich-based bank, Switzerland's second-largest bank after rival UBS, said it will appeal the decision. A former Credit Suisse employee who prosecutors said contributed to the organization's ability to protect that USD 19 million from control of the courts was also found guilty, though the former employee's fine and 20-month sentence were suspended. Prosecutors said the unnamed former bank employee had helped to execute transactions for the organization between July 2007 and December 2008, despite the presence of concrete indications as to the criminal origin of the funds. Two Bulgarian nationals were also found guilty of participation in a criminal organization and aggravated money laundering for acts committed between May 2005 and January 2009. The courts said it suspended the sentences and fines for some of the individuals in part due to the passage of time since the alleged crimes took place. In the original indictment, the Swiss attorney general's office noted how top-level athletes in Bulgaria, after the fall of communism, "turned towards other sources of income, and numerous wrestlers received approaches from mafia clans." One unidentified wrestler aimed to cash in by trafficking tons of cocaine through "mules" from South America to Europe by air and sea and then laundering the profits. The proceeds from the drug sales, often in small denomination notes, entered Swiss bank accounts from 2004 to at least 2007 and were used to buy real estate in Bulgaria and Switzerland. In February, Credit Suisse reported a fourth-quarter loss of 2 billion Swiss francs (USD 2.2 billion) as it wrapped up "a year of challenges" marked by bad bets on a hedge fund, set asides for legal costs and accounting changes due to its acquisition of a US investment bank over 20 years ago. The bank launched a new strategy late last year after a string of setbacks dented its reputation. (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.) Exhausted firefighters searched on Tuesday for survivors in the rubble of a Ukrainian shopping mall, where authorities said 36 people were missing after a Russian missile strike that killed at least 18. The attack, in the central city of Kremenchuk far from any frontline, drew a wave of global condemnation, with France's Emmanuel Macron among leaders who called it a "war crime". Ukraine said Moscow had killed civilians deliberately. Russia said it had struck a nearby arms depot and falsely claimed that the mall was empty. At a summit in Germany, leaders of the G7 industrialised democracies announced plans for a price cap on Russian oil, designed to starve Russia of the resources for war without exacerbating a global economic crisis. Next up will be a NATO summit in Spain, at which the Western military alliance is expected to announce hundreds of thousands of troops shifting to a higher state of alert and an overhaul of its strategic framework to describe Moscow as an adversary. Relatives of the missing in Kremenchuk were lined up at a hotel across the street from the wreckage of the shopping centre, where rescue workers had set up a base. Weary firefighters sat on a kerb after a night battling the blaze and searching for survivors, mostly in vain. Oleksandr, dousing his face from a water bottle, said his team had worked all night. "We pulled out five bodies. We didn't find anybody alive," he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in "one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history". Russia's defence ministry said its missiles had struck an arms depot storing Western weapons, which exploded, causing the blaze that spread to the nearby mall. Kyiv said there was no military target in the area. "Russia's goal is for as many Ukrainians as possible to close their eyes forever, for the rest to stop resisting and submit to slavery," Andriy Yermak, chief of Ukraine's presidential staff, said on Twitter. "That's the way the terrorist state acts." Russia described the shopping centre as disused and empty. But that was contradicted by the relatives of the dead and missing, and the dozens of wounded survivors such as Ludmyla Mykhailets, 43, who had been shopping there with her husband when the blast threw her into the air. "I flew head first and splinters hit my body. The whole place was collapsing," she said at a hospital where she was being treated. G7 leaders said the attack was "abominable". Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible would be held to account, they said in a statement. OIL PRICE CAP Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, but so far have failed to curtail Moscow's main source of income: oil and gas export revenue, which has actually increased as the threat of supply disruption has driven up global prices. At the end of its summit, the G7 announced a new approach - leaving Russian oil on the market while imposing a cap on the price countries could pay for it. "We invite all like-minded countries to consider joining us in our actions," they said in a communique. The United States also issued a new round of sanctions that prohibit imported Russian gold as well as target Russia's state-owned defence conglomerate, Rostec, and multiple banks. With summit action now shifting to NATO, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said a new strategic concept would "describe in stark terms the threat that Russia poses and the way in which it has shattered peace in Europe". That marks a departure from post-Soviet NATO policy which cast Moscow as a potential partner. Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian ambassador to NATO and now head of Russia's space agency, responded by releasing satellite pictures and coordinates of the summit venue, the Pentagon, White House and other Western state buildings. "Today, the NATO summit opens in Madrid, at which Western countries will declare Russia their worst enemy," Rogozin wrote on social media. "Roscosmos publishes satellite photographs of the summit venue and the very 'decision centres' that support Ukrainian nationalists." Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians in its "special military operation" that has destroyed Ukrainian cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes. The attack on Kremenchuk came after days of increasing Russian missile strikes a long distance from the frontline, including the first attacks on the capital Kyiv for weeks. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city where Russian troops were pushed back in a counter-offensive in May, authorities said nine people were killed by shelling that hit targets including apartment buildings and a school. The U.N. Security Council, where Moscow wields a veto, will meet later on Tuesday at Ukraine's request following the Kremenchuk attack. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the missile strike was deplorable. Ukraine endured another tough day on the battlefields of the eastern Donbas region following last week's loss of the now-ruined city of Sievierodonetsk. Russian forces are trying to storm Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets River from Sievierodonetsk, to complete their capture of Luhansk, one of two eastern provinces Moscow aims to conquer on behalf of separatist proxies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Italian Premier says the Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President at the November meeting of the group in . The Nov 15-16 summit risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come, as announced by the . But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organise a successful summit. Asked about the Kremlin's announcement that Putin would participate, Draghi said: President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: He's not coming. What might happen I don't know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. (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.) and have begun promptly removing posts that offer pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. Such social media posts ostensibly aimed to help women living in states where preexisting laws banning suddenly snapped into effect on Friday. That's when the high court overruled Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision that declared access to a constitutional right. Memes and status updates explaining how women could legally obtain abortion pills in the mail exploded across social platforms. Some even offered to mail the prescriptions to women living in states that now ban the procedure. Almost immediately, and began removing some of these posts, just as millions across the US were searching for clarity around abortion access. General mentions of abortion pills, as well as posts mentioning specific versions such as mifepristone and misoprostol, suddenly spiked Friday morning across Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and TV broadcasts, according to an analysis by the media intelligence firm Zignal Labs. By Sunday, Zignal had counted more than 250,000 such mentions. The AP obtained a screenshot on Friday of one post from a woman who offered to purchase or forward abortion pills through the mail, minutes after the court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. "DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours," the post on Instagram read. Instagram took it down within moments. Vice Media first reported on Monday that Meta, the parent of both and Instagram, was taking down posts about abortion pills. On Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: "If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills." The post was removed within one minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on a "warning" status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on "guns, animals and other regulated goods." Yet, when the AP reporter made the same exact post but swapped out the words "abortion pills" for "a gun," the post remained untouched. A post with the same exact offer to mail weed was also left up and not considered a violation. Marijuana is illegal under federal law and it is illegal to send it through the mail. Abortion pills, however, can legally be obtained through the mail after an online consultation from prescribers who have undergone certification and training. In an email, a Meta spokesperson pointed to company policies that prohibit the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals. The company did not explain the apparent discrepancies in its enforcement of that policy. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed in a tweet Monday that the company will not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information on how to access pills. Stone acknowledged some problems with enforcing that policy across its platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram. "We've discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these," Stone said in the tweet. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that states should not ban mifepristone, the medication used to induce an abortion. "States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy," Garland said in a Friday statement. But some Republicans have already tried to stop their residents from obtaining abortion pills through the mail, with some states like West Virginia and Tennessee prohibiting providers from prescribing the medication through telemedicine consultation. (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.) and have applied to join the mechanism, the Russian state media reported, days after a summit of the five-nation bloc during which the leaders agreed to continue to discuss the possibility of admitting new countries to the grouping on the basis of "full consultation and consensus." and have applied for joining (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by the state-run Tass news agency. It reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that Tehran has applied for membership. Tehran filed the application for accession to the BRICS, he said. The diplomat expressed hope that " will be able to contribute to the BRICS' operation and benefit the organisation." Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez said at a BRICS+ meeting last week that his country wants to become a full member of the association, the Tass report said. Ahead of the summit, Saudi Arabia too expressed interest to join the grouping, according to reports. The issue of expansion of the BRICS bloc was figured in the June 23 virtual summit hosted by China, which is this year's chair. The declaration issued at the end of the summit said the leaders will continue to discuss the possibility of admitting new countries to the five-nation grouping on the basis of "full consultation and consensus." Asked for his reaction at a media briefing here on Tuesday about Iran and applying to join BRICS, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said many countries have expressed their interest to join the five-member bloc of emerging markets. "BRICS countries agreed that it is important to step up cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries to improve the representativeness of the BRICS mechanism and make it loudly heard on major issues so that we can better rise up to challenges and uphold the interests of emerging markets and developing counties," Zhao said. "We have noted that many countries including Iran and Argentina have expressed their willingness to join the BRICS family. As the chair of the BRICS this year China actively supports BRICS countries to start the membership expansion process to expand BRICS Plus cooperation," he said. Zhao said that at the 14th summit held on June 23 the BRICS leader made a unanimous voice on the expansion of the BRICS mechanism and they supported discussion, standards and procedure for the expansion. "China will work with BRICS partners to move ahead with the expansion process steadily so that like-minded partners can join the BRICS family," he said. "We shall continue to set clear priorities in our wide-ranging cooperation, on the basis of consensus, and make our strategic partnership more efficient, practical and results-oriented," the declaration said. "We support promoting discussions among BRICS members on BRICS expansion process. We stress the need to clarify the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for this expansion process through Sherpas' channel on the basis of full consultation and consensus," it 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.) on Monday eased its regulations on access in what the country's health minister said was a response to last week's sad U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The new rules, approved by a parliamentary committee, grant women access to pills through the country's universal health system and remove a longstanding requirement that women appear physically before a special committee before they are permitted to terminate a pregnancy. The decision came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday stripped away women's constitutional protections for abortion, a fundamental and deeply personal change for Americans' lives after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. The decision has triggered protests across the U.S. and set the stage for a wave of litigation. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, who heads the small liberal Meretz party, said the U.S. decision had turned back the clock for women's rights. A woman has a complete right over her body, he said. The SCOTUS decision to negate a woman's right to make a choice over her own body is a sad process of women's repression, setting the leader of the free and liberal world a hundred years back. is widely available in and far less controversial than in the U.S., but women still don't automatically have the right to the procedure. Under the new rules, Israeli women will now have access to abortion pills at their local health clinics. They also will no longer need to physically appear before an abortion approval committee, and the application form will be shortened and simplified. Abortion approval committees have been heavily criticized in over the years. While most requests are approved, women have objected to being subject to bureaucracy and a humiliating and intrusive process. Women also can face long wait times before they can be seen by a committee. Instead, the process will be digitised, and a requirement to meet with a social worker will become optional. The new regulations are set to take effect in three months. The reform we approved today will create a simpler process, that is more respectful, advanced, and maintains a woman's right to make decisions over her own body a basic human right, Horowitz 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.) French President on Tuesday spoke in support of the introduction of a price ceiling for Russian gas, which states will continue to discuss "in the coming weeks." "The second issue we need to move forward on is doing the same [introducing a price ceiling] with Russian gas, and it's easier because it is going through pipelines... I'm very supportive of this. We must interact on this issue as well," Macron said during a press conference after the summit. Italian Prime Minister has also supported the idea of a price ceiling for Russian gas, according to the French leader. "We will continue to interact on this topic in the coming weeks," Macron added. Earlier, EU Commission Deputy Chief Spokeswoman Dana Spinant said the European Commission is developing the framework for placing a price cap on gas supplies and will present it in due time. "[The G7] leaders are preoccupied by the situation ... regarding gas, we have been invited to look at the introduction of a possible price cap, we are doing this, we are exploring this, and we will come forward with our thoughts or our proposals on this as our work on this matures and we get to a conclusion, which we are going to share with the leaders. But we are not going to speculate at this any further," Spinant told reporters. (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 Zelenksy called the on a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk that killed 16 people, as one of the "most brazen terrorist acts in European history". According to the President, there were some 1,000 civilians inside the busy Amstor mall which was hit by two missiles at about 3.50 p.m. on Monday, the BBC reported. The strikes completely destroyed the shopping mall. Blaming Russia for te strike, Zelensky said the mall had no strategic value to Moscow, and posed no danger to its forces, "only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers". "Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object... Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens," he added. In a statement, the Office of the Prosecutor General said that 59 people were also injured in the attack, while 40 remain missing. The Office noted that almost half of the injured were in critical condition, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. According to Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Security and Defence Council, a city stadium was also hit on Monday but did not prove any further details. Dmytro Lunin, the acting Governor of Poltava Oblast where Kremenchuk is located, said the attack was a crime against humanity, adding that "an obvious and cynical act of terror against the civilian population". The took place as the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK gathered in Germany for the G7 Summit to discuss, among other things, toughening sanctions against Russia, the BBC reported. In a joint statement, the G7 leaders called the strikes "abominable" and said that "indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime". They vowed to "continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes". This is not the first time Kremenchuk, one of Ukraine's largest an industrial cities with a population of nearly 220,000 people, has been hit by missiles, says the BBC. There was one strike recorded in April and another at a nearby oil refinery earlier this month. --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.) After winning the bypoll in Azamgarh, BJP leader Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday and promised to take the district on the path of progress under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was accompanied by Bhojpuri artiste Pravesh Lal Yadav and actor Amrapali Dubey. They presented a statue of Lord Ram to Yogi. Later, talking to reporters, Nirahua said the CM asked him to do whatever required to take Azamgarh forward on the path of development. Time is less and responsibilities are more. I will do whatever is required, he said. Hitting out at Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav, Nirahua said: When the SP wins, EVMs are alright but when it loses, they blame it on EVMs. After meeting the CM, Nirahua also met BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh at the latter's residence. He then reached the BJP office in Lucknow and also met BJP secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shocked back to first principles. Seven decades after it was founded, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is meeting in Madrid this week with an urgent need to reassert its original mission: preventing Russian aggression against Western allies. Leaders of the world's most powerful military alliance are aiming to increase support for Ukraine's fight against Russian invasion, boost forces on NATO's eastern flank and set priorities for the coming decade - with a new emphasis on checking China's growing ambitions. But the gathering will also showcase the difficulties in keeping 30 nations - from tiny Iceland and Luxembourg to huge Turkey and the United States - aligned in an organisation that must make decisions by consensus. FOCUS ON UKRAINE was formed after World War II to counter the threat from the Soviet Union and foster cooperation in a shattered Europe. In the years after the collapse of the USSR, the alliance recast Russia not as an adversary but as a strategic partner. No longer. Russia is NATO's dominant issue and main adversary, and the Madrid summit will be dominated by how to support Ukraine and bolster defences along the bloc's eastern borders, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry they may be next in Russian President Vladimir Putin's sights. Until late last year, only around 5,000 troops were deployed in the Baltic states and Poland on a rotational basis. Now hundreds of thousands of troops are on heightened alert, with 100,000 US troops in Europe, and 40,000 under direct NATO command, supported by air and naval power. The summit is set to agree to stockpile weapons and equipment in eastern Europe and to dramatically increase the number of troops based in the region or on standby in their own countries as a rapid-reaction force. There will also be more support for Ukraine to upgrade its military, still reliant on Soviet-era equipment, to modern NATO-standard gear. The alliance is trying to strike a delicate balance, letting its member nations arm Ukraine without sparking a direct confrontation between NATO and nuclear-armed Russia. That's one reason Ukraine will not be joining NATO in the foreseeable future, despite being put on the pathway to membership, along with Georgia, in 2008. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the summit by video, but he has acknowledged joining NATO is a distant prospect and is instead focusing on seeking European Union membership. Expansion of the alliance is on the cards, however. Finland and Sweden have both abandoned their nonaligned status and asked to join NATO as protection from Russia. TURKEY AS SPOILER? But Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army after the US, is set to play spoiler to the aspirations of Sweden and Finland - at least for now. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he will only allow the Nordic pair to enter NATO if they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hosted talks with Turkey, Sweden and Finland last week to work toward a breakthrough, and will meet with the three countries' leaders on Tuesday, but there's no guarantee the breakthrough will come in Madrid. Turkey has legitimate security concerns over terrorism that we need to address, Stoltenberg said. So we will continue our talks on Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership, and I look forward to finding a way forward as soon as possible. A UNITED FRONT? Russia's invasion upended European security, but NATO's members take comfort in the fact that the US is back as the pillar of Western defence after four years in which President Donald Trump derided and undermined the alliance. But there are differences within NATO on military spending. Currently only nine of the 30 members meet the organisation's target of spending 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defence. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently urged to commit more, saying the 2% target is a floor, not a ceiling. Cracks also could emerge over strategy on Russia and Ukraine as the war drags on and debate intensifies over what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are still unresolved questions around how NATO as an alliance should deal with Russia in the long term, said Alice Billon-Galland, research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank. Do we consider that it's unredeemable as a neighbour? And what does that mean? Or do we think that at some point we will have to sit down and negotiate a new security architecture with Russia? Allies have been on different pages when it comes to that. CHECKING CHINA With the world in turmoil, the alliance will try to craft a long-term strategy that can stand the test of time. NATO will set out its goals for the coming decade in a new Strategic Concept, the document that identifies its most pressing security concerns and how it will tackle them. While Russia will remain the top issue, the document will see NATO grapple for the first time with the growing military reach of China, which has set out on an ambitious plan to expand naval bases in the Pacific and in Africa. The leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have been invited as guests to the summit for the first time. All four have been supportive of Ukraine, and Japan has its own territorial disputes with Moscow. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will discuss efforts toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, because security in Europe and Asia is inseparable, according to Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno. Insecurity in Africa's Sahel region and its threats to southern Europe could also earn a mention, as could the threats caused by climate change and the growing waves of migration driven by global warming. (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.) is looking to Asia after its shock first-quarter slowdown, seeking to both maintain growth in the one region where its still adding subscribers and replicate its success there in other parts of the world. Despite plans to curb overall spending, investment in Asia will keep growing, including financing for the production of local films and series, Tony Zameczkowski, vice president of business development for Asia Pacific, said in an interview. While will continue to offer low-price, mobile-only membership across Asia, its also seeking more partnerships with wireless operators and digital payment to reach more potential customers in a region where credit card use is less common, he said. The companys Asia strategy is informing moves in other emerging markets, where the platform must also grow to balance out saturation in North America and Europe. Asia is a great proxy for other markets in the world, said Zameczkowski. There are similarities between emerging Asia and other emerging markets like Africa and Latin America. Learnings here can be easily replicated or leveraged by those regions. The worlds biggest streaming platform is at a critical juncture. Shares surged in recent years as subscriber counts boomed, but the company reported its first loss of customers in more than a decade in April and forecasts another contraction this quarter amid fierce competition from rivals. With more than 70 per cent of its market value wiped out since mid-November, is under pressure to renew a content pipeline thats lost shine, while cutting costs. The Asia Pacific region accounts for 15 per cent of Netflixs 221.6 million global subscribers and is forecast to be the biggest driver of further expansion. After a disappointing start to the year, analysts expect a rebound in the second half will see the company add about 6.8 million members for the whole year, with 79 per cent coming from the Asia Pacific. Challenges Ahead Still, the regions widely differing audiences, preferences and operating environments pose risks. New users in the Asia Pacific totaled 1.1 million in the first quarter, down 20 per cent from a year earlier, and the firm has faced cultural and political challenges in penetrating some markets. The series A Suitable Boy triggered controversy in India in 2020 over a scene showing its Hindu female protagonist kissing a Muslim man, while the company removed a show for Vietnamese audiences after the government said a map in it violated sovereignty laws. Netflixs customers in Asia are also some of its lowest-value ones, which means many more subscriptions are required to juice revenue. The pace of revenue growth is already the slowest since records began in 2017 after low-priced mobile-only plans were introduced across Asia and prices slashed in India. Average revenue per membership fell 5 per cent to $9.21 per month in the Asia Pacific, compared with a 5 per cent increase to $14.91 in the US and Canada. could get a bailout of USD 2 billion from the Monetary Fund (IMF), Prime Minister said on Tuesday. Quoting the finance minister, Sharif confirmed that had also received the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) from the for the seventh and eighth reviews. "Miftah Ismail relayed a message in the morning saying that we will hopefully be receiving not USD 1 billion from the IMF, but USD 2 billion. I replied by saying that our real goal is [achieving] self-reliance. Easier said than done," Dawn newspaper quoted the premier as saying while addressing the 'Turnaround Pakistan' conference organised by the Ministry of Planning and Development. This is a critical development signalling that the two sides have reached an agreement. The draft MEFP is a prerequisite to paving the way towards striking a staff-level agreement. Now that Islamabad has received the MEFP, which is considered as the crux of decisions negotiated between and the because it includes policy actions and structural benchmarks the two sides agreed on, the document will be analysed and scrutinised for three days by the country's economic team. The premier stressed the need for all quarters to work together for the country's progress as well as the need for self-reliance. Self-reliance guarantees political and economic independence, he added. Ismail also confirmed on Twitter that Pakistan had received the MEFP from the for the seventh and eighth reviews. After scrutiny by the country's economic team, the document will then be signed by the finance minister and State Bank of Pakistan governor if no major problem is found. The staff-level agreement will then be presented before the IMF's Executive Board next month for approval, after which the tranche will be released. Earlier, sources had said Pakistan reached the accord with IMF with the "help" of the US as Islamabad made major progress on the discussions held with the lender regarding the federal budget for fiscal year 2022-23. According to Geo News Pakistan, Islamabad did benefit from reaching out to the US because the IMF's attitude earlier was very rigid and the Fund was putting harsh conditions and probably would have refused to close a deal with the country. Pakistani authorities last Tuesday said the IMF evolved a broader agreement on budget 2022-23 to revise upward the Federal Board of Revenue's target and slash expenditures to achieve a revenue surplus in the next fiscal year. The next day, IMF Resident Representative to Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz said that discussions between the Fund and Pakistan were underway and major progress had been made regarding the budget. (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.) has less than two years to live as he suffers from multiple "grave" illnesses, according to the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service, multiple media outlets reported. Major General Kyrylo Budanov said Kiev spies who infiltrated the Kremlin made the claims based on "human intelligence", Daily Mail reported. "Putin doesn't have a long life ahead of him," Budanov was quoted as saying by USA Today reported. Putin's health has been subject to fierce rumour for months, escalating after he was pictured gripping a table during a meeting with defence minister Sergei Shoigu. Earlier this month, the 69-year-old President's legs appeared to buckle during a speech in Moscow, adding to the growing rumours of the Russian leader's health woes. Putin was attending an awards ceremony at the Kremlin when he looked unsteady on his feet, Daily Mail reported. He swayed back and forth before his speech as Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accepted a prize. It came just days after a Kremlin insider claimed Putin had been advised by doctors not to make any "lengthy" public appearances, having fallen ill amid recent discussions with his military chiefs. The Russian President felt "a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness", while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders, Telegram channel General SVR reported. Putin's poor posture and seemingly bloated face and neck sparked speculation about the leader's health, which is said to have ailed since the invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin leader was said in April to be in need of an "urgent" cancer operation. Putin also reportedly suffers from Parkinson's and "schizophrenic symptoms", according to a self-styled Kremlin "insider". --IANS san/shs (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 state-owned oil and gas company Energy said Monday it is joining a new industry-led initiative to reduce nearly all methane from operations by 2030. It comes as part of a broader global push to tackle from methane, or natural gas, which is the second most polluting climate-changing gas after carbon dioxide, and much more potent than CO2. Unlike carbon dioxide, though, methane's leakage into the atmosphere is not the result of combustion or fuel-burning, instead it represents the loss of a marketable fuel. Methane is responsible for about a quarter of all the already being experienced worldwide. Technology has allowed energy companies, independent groups and citizen sleuths to monitor methane leakage with cameras, drones and satellites. This monitoring along with greater awareness is pushing companies to reduce their methane and fix leakages from faulty pipes and other equipment. With its pledge, Energy joins an initiative launched in March of this year by 12 other major oil and gas companies, including Aramco, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell and . is among the world's top liquefied natural gas exporters and Qatar Energy operates all of the country's oil and gas exploration and production, making the peninsula-nation among the world's richest per capita. The tiny country, which borders Saudi Arabia to the east, shares control with Iran of the world's largest underwater natural gas field in the Persian Gulf. Natural gas, which primarily consists of methane, forms the backbone of Qatar's economy and Qatar Energy's activities. Leaks of methane by oil and gas companies not only harm the environment, but are also seen as a waste of natural gas. Making repairs to prevent leaks can often be paid for by the value of the additional gas that is brought to market, according to a report by the Energy Agency last year on methane leaks. Private satellite companies that monitor methane emissions say they saw a dramatic acceleration of emissions from oil, methane and coal in 2021, compared to 2020 when the pandemic slowed down demand. The Energy Agency's methane tracking separately found that oil and gas operations worldwide emitted more than 70 million tons of methane into the atmosphere in 2021, describing it as broadly equivalent to the total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from the entire European Union. The IEA also noted that companies that do not do more to curb methane emissions could face reputational damage and commercial risks as consumers increasingly look at the emissions profile of different sources of gas. Qatar Energy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said that by joining the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative the company is reaffirming Qatar's commitments to global efforts to reducing emissions. Qatar, unlike Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last year, has not joined other countries in announcing an overall net zero pledge. (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.) President is making his first public foreign trip since sent troops into Ukraine, heading for two former Soviet republics and meetings likely to be friendly. Ahead of the trip beginning Tuesday to and Turkmenistan, there were no expectations of significant developments. But the visit gives Putin the opportunity to show that he is not isolated despite widespread sanctions and denunciations from the West because of the Ukraine operation. At the first stop in Tajikistan, Putin is to meet with authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon, who has been in office since 1994 and kept his country close to . hosts some 7,000 Russian troops, Moscow's largest base abroad. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Monday that a key part of the talks with Rahmon will be discussing measures to improve security along Tajikistan's porous, 1,357-kilometer (843-mile) border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan, where a 1990s civil war that included Islamist insurgents killed as many as 100,000 people, is wary of Islamic radicalism spilling over from Afghanistan. It also is a main route for heroin and opium smuggling from Afghanistan. is following a narrow path with Afghanistan although it officially designates the ruling Taliban as a terrorist group, the Taliban also have a representation in Moscow and one of the movement's officials was invited to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in June. The Kremlin encourages the new Afghan authorities to form an ethnically and politically balanced government and intensify actions for combatting terrorist and drug threats, Ushakov said. Putin on Wednesday is to be in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, which largely seals itself off from the world. The purpose is to attend a summit of Caspian Sea littoral states, which also include Azerbaijan, Iran and Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev raised eyebrows at the St. Petersburg forum when, while appearing on stage with Putin, he firmly stated that Kazakhstan would not recognise the two separatist Ukrainian regions that Russia has declared to be sovereign states. (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 USD 325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. The 348-foot-long (106-meter-long) Amadea flew an American flag as it sailed past the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway and under the Coronado Bridge. After a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers), the Amadea has safely docked in a port within the United States, and will remain in the custody of the U.S. government, pending its anticipated forfeiture and sale, the Department of Justice said in a statement. The FBI linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, and the vessel became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies. The U.S. won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland. The successful seizure and transport of Amadea would not have been possible without extraordinary cooperation from our foreign partners in the global effort to enforce U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine, the Justice Department 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.) Spirit Inc on Tuesday rejected JetBlue Airways Corp's sweetened takeover offer and recommended that shareholders vote in favour of a merger with Frontier Group Holdings Inc at a meeting on Thursday. JetBlue had on Monday included a ticking fee of 10 cents per Spirit share in its offer, raising the deal value to $34.15 per share, representing a 51% premium to Spirit's Monday closing price. "The latest offer from JetBlue does nothing to address our Board's serious concerns that a combination with them would not receive regulatory approval," Spirit Chief Executive Ted Christie said in a statement. Frontier's cash-and-stock offer was valued at $22.03 per share as of Monday's close. Both JetBlue and Bill Franke-backed Frontier are locked in an intense bidding war for Spirit as they seek to create the fifth-largest airline that can take on the legacy players in the United States. Shares of JetBlue and Frontier rose more than 3%, while Spirit was up about 2% in early trading amid a broader surge in travel stocks after China eased its quarantine rules. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A conservative lawyer who aided former President Donald Trump's efforts to undo the 2020 election results and who has been repeatedly referenced in House hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol said Monday that federal agents seized his cell phone last week. John Eastman said the agents took his phone as he left a restaurant last Wednesday evening, the same day law enforcement officials conducted similar activity around the country as part of broadening investigations into efforts by Trump allies to overturn the election results in an unsuccessful bid to keep the Republican president in power. Eastman said the agents who approached him identified themselves as from the FBI but appeared to be serving a warrant on behalf of the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General, which he contends has no jurisdiction to investigate him since he has never worked for the department. The action was disclosed in a filing in federal court in New Mexico in which Eastman challenges the legitimacy of the warrant, calling it overly broad, and asks that a court force the federal government to return his phone. The filing does not specify where exactly agents seized his phone, and a lawyer for Eastman did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Federal agents last week served a raft of subpoenas related to a scheme by Trump allies to put forward alternate, or fake, slates of electors in hopes of invalidating the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. Also that day, agents searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official who encouraged Trump's challenges of the election results. A spokeswoman for the inspector general's office declined to comment. Eastman, who last year resigned his position as a law professor at Chapman University, has been a central figure in the ongoing hearings by the House committee investigating the riot at the Capitol, though he has not been among the witnesses to testify. The committee has heard testimony about how Eastman put forward a last-ditch, unorthodox proposal challenging the workings of the 130-year-old Electoral Count Act, which governs the process for tallying the election results in Congress. The committee has heard testimony about how Eastman pushed for Vice President Mike Pence to deviate from his ceremonial role and halt the certification of the electoral votes, a step Pence had no legal power to take and refused to attempt. Eastman's plan was to have the states send alternative slates of electors from states Trump was disputing, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With competing slates for Trump or Biden, Pence would be forced to reject them, returning them to the states to sort it out, under the plan. A lawyer for Pence, Greg Jacob, detailed for the committee at a hearing earlier this month how he had fended off Eastman's pressure. The panel played video showing Eastman repeatedly invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while being interviewed by the committee. Eastman later sought to be "on the pardon list," according to an email he sent to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, shared by the committee. (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.) Gold prices went up on Tuesday, with 10 gram of the precious metal (24-carat) trading at Rs 51,980, and 10 gram of 22-carat gold trading at Rs 47,650. Silver prices too inched higher on Tuesday, with the metal trading at Rs 60,300 per kg. Meanwhile, in the US, Gold prices were steady on Tuesday, as traders refused to commit in either direction in the absence of market-moving catalysts. Spot gold held its ground at $1,824.51 per ounce while Spot silver fell 0.4% to $21.06 per ounce, as of 0246 GMT. U.S. gold futures were flat at $1,824.50. In Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore, 10 gram of 24-carat gold is trading at Rs 51,980 according to the goodreturns website. Meanwhile, 10 gram of 22-carat gold is selling at Rs 47,650 in Delhi, Kolkota, and Bangalore. Prices of 10 gram of both 24-carat and 22-carat gold in Chennai is trading slightly higher at Rs 52,030 and Rs 47,700, respectively on Tuesday. A kg of silver is trading at Rs 60,300 in cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkota, whereas, 1kg of silver is selling at Rs 66,000 in Chennai. (With inputs from Reuters) There is no respite from high humid easterly winds blowing from the Bay of Bengal as the national Capital recorded 34.1 degrees Celsius wet-bulb temperature on Tuesday. Delhi recorded 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, four notches above than the normal but gave the feeling of 48 degrees Celsius and severe humidity has made the outdoors feel particularly unbearable. The increase in temperature combined with humidity is causing great discomfort to the public. The minimum temperature of Delhi settled at 30.8 degrees Celsius, three notches warmer than the normal for this time of the year. Meanwhile, some parts of the national capital witnessed light rain on Tuesday afternoon. These include ITO, Mandi House, Tilak Marg, Ring Road, DDU Marg, Vikas Marg and Laxmi Nagar. In simpler terms, wet bulb temperature combines heat and humidity to indicate how much evaporation can be absorbed into the air. It measures the lowest temperatures that our bodies can reach when we are in hotter environments, by sweating. IMD scientist RK Jenamani said high humidity increased discomfort in the last few days though the temperatures hovered around 41-42 degrees Celsius. Pre-monsoon convection may lead to light rainfall in the national capital on Wednesday evening and provide relief from the heat. Mahesh Palawat, a senior official of the Skymet weather department told the Pioneer that the reason behind the increasing humidity in the weather of the capital is because of the easterly winds. Another reason behind the rising humidity is due to the increased wet bulb temperature, which is the temperature of evaporation. If the temperature of the wet bulb soars then the humidity also increases in the weather, which leads to discomfort, he said. If the humidity increases, then the body sweat is not able to dry due to which the body fails to cool down. This is the main reason behind the continuous sweating and the problems faced by the Delhiites, he said. While informing about the reason behind the increasing minimum temperature in the Capital, Palawat said that this is because the easterly winds which are flowing all the way from Bay of Bengal, are humid in nature which does not let the temperature cool down. The western winds are dry in nature which leads the temperature to dip to normal. When I came out of my office to have lunch, the heat was unbearable. Within minutes, I was sweating a lot due to humidity. It was not possible to stand and have lunch at a shop, said Shweta Singh, who works in a private company at Connaught Place. Due to humid weather, most of the food joints in Connaught Place also witnessed a deserted look. We had delivery orders today as, due to humidity, no one was willing to come here at the food shop, said Amrik, a food joint owner near Barakhamba. Shivam Sadana, employee of a private organisation said, I travel to office with my bike and it was very difficult for me today, due to high humidity in the weather, my body was continuously sweating even while riding the bike, I had to remove my helmet and swipe of sweats on my face and head, said Sadana. Even coolers were not functioning properly due to humidity. I hope the monsoon comes quickly and we get respite from such sweaty and sticky weather, Sadana added. Oil prices rallied for a third day on Tuesday as major producers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates looked unlikely to be able to boost output significantly while Western governments agreed to explore ways to cap the price of Russian oil. Brent crude futures climbed $2.90, or 2.5%, to $116.28 a barrel by 12:33 p.m. EDT (1633 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $2.35, or 2.1%, to $111.92 a barrel. Both contracts extended the previous session's gains of nearly 2% after the Group of Seven economic powers vowed to ratchet up existing Western pressure on Russia from sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. G7 leaders have agreed to explore imposing a ban on transporting Russian oil that has been sold above a certain price, aiming to deplete Moscow's war chest. Russian oil export revenue climbed in May even as volumes fell, the International Agency said in its June report. Western bans on Russia and its oil and gas output have led to a sharp rise in global prices, and other major producers have yet to implement a significant boost to supplies. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been seen as the only two members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with spare capacity to make up for lost Russian supply and weak output from other member nations. "A seam of tight supply news bolstered the market. Two major producers, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are said to be at, or very close to, near-term capacity limits," Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Tobin Gorey said in a note. French President Emmanuel Macron told U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 meeting that the UAE was producing at maximum capacity and Saudi Arabia could increase output by only 150,000 barrels per day, well below its nameplate spare capacity of about 2 million bpd. Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Monday that the UAE was producing near maximum capacity based on its quota of 3.168 million barrels per day (bpd) under the agreement with OPEC and its allies, a group known as OPEC+. Analysts also said that political unrest in Ecuador and Libya could tighten supply further. Meanwhile, U.S. crude inventories was forecast to have fallen for the last two weeks, according to Reuters polls. The government's weekly petroleum status report that should have been published last week was delayed due to a hardware issue. The data for both weeks will published together on Wednesday. Those factors underscore market shortages that have led to a rebound this week, countering recession jitters that weighed on prices over the previous two weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rebel leader Eknath Shinde, who is currently camping in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati, on Tuesday claimed that he has the support of 50 MLAs and will soon return to Mumbai. Speaking to reporters here, Shinde said, "We are in and we are taking forward. There should not be any doubt about it. We will give let you know about our further course of action. I would be in Mumbai soon." On the claim of Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray that 15 to 20 MLAs had claimed that they had been abducted and had reached out to party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati, Shinde said that "no MLA has been suppressed" and all are with him of their own will. "No MLA is suppressed here, everyone here is happy. MLAs are with us. If Shiv Sena says that the MLAs present here are in contact with them, they should reveal the names," he added. He further said that the rebel MLAs were in favour of Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva and enthused about carrying it forward. "Our spokesperson is Deepak Kesarkar, he will give you all the information. He is letting you know about our stand and role. We are speaking about Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva and we are carrying it forward," Shinde told reporters in Guwahati. Earlier, attacking dissident MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday arrived in Delhi amid the ongoing political situation in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. He reached the national capital after a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation. The political tussle in between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde reached the Supreme Court with pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenging the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. (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 key equity barometers sharply pared losses in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 15,750 level. Oil & gas stocks witnessed significant buying demand. At 12:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 187.94 points or 0.35% to 52,973.34. The Nifty 50 index fell 43.95 points or 0.28% to 15,788.10. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.13% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index lost 0.14%. The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,543 shares rose and 1,566 shares fell. A total of 159 shares were unchanged. Economy The 47th meeting of the GST Council will take place in Chandigarh on Tuesday (28 June) and Wednesday (29 June). The meeting will be chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The two-day meeting of the GST Council will be attended by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories and Senior officers from Union Government and States. Last GST Council's meeting which was held in New Delhi had recommended to defer the decision to change the rates on textiles. The GST council had decided to retain the status quo on GST rate on textile to 5%. The Council will also likely take up the issue of imposing 28% GST on online gaming, casinos and horse racing. Buzzing Index: Oil & Gas stocks were trading in the positive zone, with the Nifty Oil & Gas index advancing 1.03% to 7,452.55. Among the index components, Oil India (up 3.6%), Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (up 3.22%), Petronet LNG (up 1.85%), Reliance Industries (up 1.03%) and GAIL (India) (up 0.71%) were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Bharat Petroleum Corporation (up 0.67%), Castrol India (up 0.49%) and Adani Total Gas (up 0.4%). On the other hand, Mahanagar Gas (down 1.19%), Aegis Logistics (down 0.89%) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (down 0.73%) moved lower. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 1.28% to 21.28. The Nifty 30 June 2022 futures were trading at 15,779.35, at a discount of 8.75 points as compared with the spot at 15,788.10. The Nifty option chain for the 30 June 2022 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 108.1 lakh contracts at the 16,000 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 79.5 lakh contracts was seen at 15,700 strike price. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The drug major on Monday said that it has entered into definitive agreements for further investment of Rs 25.90 crore in digital tech company GoApptiv. Post completion of the deal, Cipla's total stake in GoApptiv will increase to 22.02% on a fully diluted basis. GoApptiv is a digital tech company engaged in the business of offering digital solutions to pharmaceutical companies for increasing patient reach. It offers end to end business solutions including distribution, digital solutions, integrated brand sales management, digital marketing, patient support and healthcare data analytics, channel engagement etc., for healthcare companies. The drug major said that the investment will be made in equity shares and compulsorily convertible preference shares and is likely to be completed within 30 days or such other date mutually agreed between the parties and shall be subject to fulfillment of necessary closing conditions. The company's earlier investment in GoApptiv in June 2020 has yielded growth and expanded Cipla's channel reach across lower tier towns in India, the company stated. In an exchange filing, Cipla said that the follow-on investment shall strengthen firm's partnership with GoApptiv, enabling wider reach of its key brands in the tier 3+ towns through GoApptiv's solutions for end-to-end brand marketing and channel engagement. The new capital shall support GoApptiv's future growth plans and enable it to provide comprehensive solutions to its customers thereby benefitting the patients. Commenting on the development, Umang Vohra , MD and Global CEO of Cipla said, "This investment will further strengthen our partnership with GoApptiv enabling wider patient reach with affordable and quality drugs and end-to-end brand marketing and channel engagement across tier 2-6 towns in India. 'Caring for Life' is at the heart of what we do and will guide us towards making such strategic investments to help make a difference in the lives of our patients." Cipla is a global pharmaceutical company focused on agile and sustainable growth, complex generics, and deepening portfolio in our home markets of India, South Africa, North America, and key regulated and emerging markets. The pharma company's consolidated net profit fell 12.4% to Rs 362 crore on 14.2% increase in total revenue from operations to Rs 5,260 crore in Q4 March 2022 over Q4 March 2021. Shares of Cipla were down 0.30% to Rs 929.45 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Infosys said that it has been selected by Australian express logistics business, Global Express, to separate the technology landscape following divestment from Toll Holdings. Building on its strategic collaboration with Global Express to drive hybrid cloud-powered innovation, Infosys will leverage the established blueprints and tools from Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey. As part of this collaboration, Infosys will also help set up a greenfield technology environment, and migrate Global Express' applications and services to a world-leading sustainable and energy-efficient data centre and public cloud on AWS. Infosys will manage the end-to-end program, enabling Global Express' transformation strategy for its transport and logistics business to deliver exceptional customer service. Karmesh Vaswani, executive vice president & global head consumer, Retail & Logistics, Infosys, said, We are thrilled to be working with Global Express on this business-critical project as they enter an exciting new era. Our aim will be to bring an innovative hybrid agile approach to not just holistically separate the technology platforms, but to focus on enabling a modern, secure, and agile platform to support Global express through their digital transformation. This engagement reflects our commitment to doubling down on our strengths in Cloud with Infosys Cobalt and Digital to drive tangible business value through a risk free and seamless separation. Infosys is a global leader in digital services and consulting. The company's consolidated net profit fell 2.1% to Rs 5,686 crore on a 1.3% increase in revenues to Rs 32,276 crore in Q4 FY22 over Q3 FY22. Shares of Infosys were down 1.09% to Rs 1458.50 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M): M&M launched its SUV - the All-New 'Scorpio-N' - starting at Rs 11.99 lakh. The All-New Scorpio-N is designed, engineered and built to disrupt the SUV segment with its class-leading attributes, features and capabilities. Star Health and Allied Insurance: The company has signed a corporate agency agreement with IDFC FIRST Bank, for distribution of its health insurance solutions. Under this strategic agreement, Star Health and Allied Insurance will offer its health insurance products to the bank's customers using IDFC FIRST Bank's digital platform and its wide distribution network. GMR Infrastructure: Delhi International Airport (DIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports and a step-down subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure (GIL), announced that it had successfully completed the issuance of 5 years Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) amounting Rs.10 billion and the same listed on the BSE on 23 June 2022. Brigade Enterprises: Brigade Group has signed a joint development agreement to develop around 2.1 million sguare feet in Chennai. The project will have a revenue realisation of over Rs. 1500 crores in about 5 years. Indian Card Clothing Company: The board of directors of the company has declared special interim dividend of Rs. 25 per equity share to be paid as special interim dividend for the financial year 2022-23. GRP: The company has disposed its holding of 50% of equity shares in its Joint Venture company Marangoni GRP for Euros 710,000. Sterling Tools: Sterling Gtake E-mobility (SGEM), a 100% subsidiary of Sterling Tools announced its foray into E-LCV segment. With this development, SGEM continues to grow its presence across various E-mobility segments. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The key equity indices traded near the day's low in the morning trade amid negative global cues. The Nifty hovered below the 15,750 level. Auto, oil & gas and PSU banks stocks advanced while consumer durables, realty and IT stocks corrected. At 10:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 339.47 points or 0.64% to 52,821.81. The Nifty 50 index declined 99.05 points or 0.63% to 15,733. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.63% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index lost 0.66%. The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,208 shares rose and 1,669 shares fell. A total of 137shares were unchanged. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,278.42 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,184.47 crore in the Indian equity market on 27 June, provisional data showed. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Consumer Durable index fell 1.94% to 22,803.95, snapping its three day gaining streak. The index advanced 2.51% in three trading sessions. Among the components of the Nifty Consumer Durables index, Titan Company (down 3.51%), Kajaria Ceramics (down 2.24%), Orient Electric (down 1.95%), Voltas (down 1.88%) and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals (down 1.6%) were the top losers. Stocks in Spotlight: Star Health rose 0.65% to Rs 518.15. The insurer has signed a corporate agency agreement with IDFC FIRST Bank for distribution of its health insurance solutions. Under this strategic agreement, Star Health and Allied Insurance Company will offer its best in class health insurance products to the Bank's customers using IDFC FIRST Bank's state of the art digital platform and its wide distribution network. IDFC FIRST Bank has a digital first approach and serves customers through its net banking platform and mobile app, which complement its nationwide branches, ATMs and loan centres. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals fell 1.44% to Rs 380.90 after the pharma company said that it's fully owned subsidiary Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA, has acquired the approved ANDAs of four over-the-counter (OTC) drugs from Wockhardt. The acquired abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) are Famotidine Tablets USP, 10 mg and 20 mg (OTC), Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets USP, 5 mg and 10 mg (OTC), Lansoprazole Delayed-Release Capsules USP, 15 mg (OTC) and Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.1% (OTC). Brigade Enterprises rose 2.95% to Rs 453.60 after the company announced that the Brigade group has signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop around 2.1 million square feet of residential apartments in Chennai. The land, located at Perumbakkam, just off OMR Sholinganallur junction, is spread over 15 acres and will be developed as a large residential township. Perumbakkam is one of the fast-emerging residential hubs in Chennai, witnessing increasing infrastructure development recently. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 230.8, up 1.32% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 13.4% in last one year as compared to a 0.43% gain in NIFTY and a 9.79% gain in the Nifty Media index. Vedanta Ltd is up for a third straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 230.8, up 1.32% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.1% on the day, quoting at 15816.6. The Sensex is at 53070.7, down 0.17%. Vedanta Ltd has slipped around 26.31% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Media index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 10.44% in last one month and is currently quoting at 4666.3, up 1.03% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 140.96 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 172.68 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark June futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 231.35, up 1.47% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is down 13.4% in last one year as compared to a 0.43% gain in NIFTY and a 9.79% gain in the Nifty Media index. The PE of the stock is 4.84 based on TTM earnings ending March 22. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Voltas fell 1.68% to Rs 965.30, extending decline for second day. The stock has fallen 2.71% in two days, from its recent closing high of Rs 992.15 recorded on 24 June 2022. In the past three months, the stock has declined 21.04% while the benchmark Sensex has lost 8.20% during the same period. On the technical front, the stock's daily RSI (relative strength index) stood at 42.576. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally, the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30. On the daily chart, the stock is trading below its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day simple moving average (SMA) placed at 1049.98, 1144.89 and 1186.94, respectively. These levels will act as crucial support zones in near term. As per media reports, a foreign brokerage has cut its target price for Voltas to Rs 930 from Rs 1,000 earlier. This implies a further decline of 3.66% from its current market price. The brokerage has reportedly said that the company's FY22 return on capital employed (RoCE)/return on equity (RoE) had fallen to 11%/9.6%, its lowest in a decade. Free cash flow (FCF) generation was at Rs 15 per share with conversion (FCF/profit) at 1x. The research firm reported believes that it will be a tall task for the company to reach its previous peak and maintain its margin. It reportedly sees further downside, given the competitive intensity in high input price environment. Voltas is the global air conditioning and engineering services provider of the Tata Group. The company's consolidated net profit declined 23.15% to Rs 182.70 crore on 0.22% rise in net sales to Rs 2633.72 crore in Q4 March 2022 over Q4 March 2021. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central governments reported plan to create 75 Tiruppur-like hubs in the country reflects over-ambition as it has come at a time when the survival of even the existing cotton-based industry is at stake due to high prices and shortage of the basic raw material. prices are ruling at an 11-year high, rising by nearly 30 per cent in the past year alone, due to virtual stagnation in production and bourgeoning domestic and export demand. Nearly 10 per cent of the spinning units in the South, including many in Tiruppur, have shut down and most factories elsewhere are operating at less than half their capacity. The competitiveness of the Indian products, including garments, has been hit hard, resulting in some export orders getting diverted to rivals such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Worse still, the situation is predicted to endure even in the next year (2022-23) as the remedial measures taken by the government have failed to produce the desired results. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor China's road construction maintains sound momentum: official Xinhua) 09:18, June 28, 2022 BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China started the construction of 120 projects of expressways and national and provincial highways in the first five months of the year, with a total length of over 3,600 km, an official said Monday. The total investment in those projects reached 182 billion yuan (about 27 billion U.S. dollars), said Zhao Chongjiu, vice minister of transport, adding that the construction of highways nationwide maintained good momentum. At the end of May, there were more than 2,000 ongoing construction and reconstruction projects of expressways and highways, creating over 4 million jobs for rural workers, said Zhao. With the implementation of policies to stabilize the economy, China will step up the construction of major highways in the latter half as part of efforts to promote investment and stabilize economic growth and employment, he said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) A signature campaign against the Agnipath scheme was today launched by the activists of the NSUI in Daltonganj based GLA college. A senior youth leader of the Congress party here Abhishek Tiwary said the signature campaign against the Agnipath scheme was an instant success. On the very first day more than 100 students signed in protest against the Agnipath scheme, said Abhishek. There will be a similar signature campaign against the Agnipath scheme in the Y S N Mahila college in Daltonganj. Abhishek said the NSUI college head of this Mahila college, Nisha Kumari has been asked to arrange the signature campaign. On Monday former minister K N Tripathy and others of the Congress had sat on dharna protesting against the Agnipath scheme. Sources said there is a mute anger against the 4 years service in the Army but it is equally true hundreds of jobless eligible youths are making online applications for the Agnipath scheme also. Amid the political turmoil in Maharashtra following a rebellion by MLAs of the ruling Shiv Sena, senior leader on Tuesday left for Delhi along with a legal counsel, a party functionary said. The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra is facing a crisis as many of its MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, have rebelled and are currently camping in Guwahati. "Fadnavis has left for New Delhi with a legal counsel. He will be meeting some senior leaders there," the party functionary said. Senior leader and former Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar earlier said he had attended a meeting at the official residence of Fadnavis in Mumbai, where a number of senior party leaders were also present. Mungantiwar had also said his party was maintaining a "wait and watch" stand on the present political situation in the state. (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.) Rebel MLA Eknath Shinde on Monday said the Supreme Court's move to stay disqualifications of him and other dissident Sena lawmakers was the victory of Bal Thackeray's and the ideals of his mentor Anand Dighe. The top court has kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the till July 11 and sought responses to pleas by rebel questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification. Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, while issuing a disqualification notice, had asked the 16 rebels, including Shinde, to respond by 5.30 pm June 27 on why they should not be disqualified under the . Now, a vacation bench of SC comprising Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala has allowed them to reply by July 12. Also Read: Sanjay Raut 'blue-eyed boy' of NCP, set to finish off Shiv Sena: Rebel MLA The SC also refused to pass any interim order on Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly. The SC told the that they could always approach it in case of illegality. The faction war in triggered the political turbulence in Maharashtra after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some and then to Guwahati, where Shinde claimed to have the support of 38 of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, which is more than two-thirds of the party's strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Almost 40 are camping with Shinde in a Guwahati hotel; however, as per media reports, nearly 20 of them are in touch with CM Thackeray as some are against a merger with the . Thackeray handed over portfolios of nine rebel Maharashtra ministers to other ministers on Monday. Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling MVA alliance in Maharashtra, now has four cabinet ministers, including CM Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab and Subhash Desai. Barring Aaditya Thackeray, the rest three are MLCs. After the SC's order, it is more likely that the rebel MLAs will now push for a floor test in the to prove the minority of the ruling MVA alliance. A core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation amid the crisis faced by the MVA government due to the revolt in . The has decided that the party will follow the "wait and watch" approach. The meeting was held at the residence of former chief minister in the presence of Maharashtra chief Chandrakant Patil and other leaders. "BJP core committee meeting was held. After the Supreme Court's order, the state's political situation was assessed and discussed. Eknath Shinde said that his faction is the original Shiv Sena, this too was discussed. We discussed what role should we assume in future in the current scenario," Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters after the meeting. "After discussion, it was decided that we will wait and watch and a core team will come for a meeting once again, depending on the situation in the coming days. BJP will then take a decision in the interest of the people, in the interest of Maharashtra," he added. In a jolt to camp, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant joined the party rebels led by Eknath Shinde at Guwahati on Sunday The camp led by Chief Minister and the rebel group have been seeking to outmanoeuvre each other. While the Thackeray group removed Shinde as leader of the legislative party and appointed a new chief whip, supporters of Shinde wrote to the state Governor that he continues to be the leader of the legislature group. They also appointed a chief whip. The battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, the Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by Monday, 5.30 pm. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, in its order, said, "As an interim measure, the time granted by the Deputy Speaker, to the petitioners or other similarly placed MLAs to submit their submissions today by 5.30 pm, stands extended till July 12. The petitioners or other MLAs are at liberty to submit their reply without prejudice to their rights in the writ petition." The apex court was hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The bench also issued notices to the Deputy Speaker, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the Centre, Ajay Chaudhary, and Sunil Prabhu and asked them to file a reply within five days.On the request of providing security to 39 MLAs alleging threats to them, the Supreme Court recorded the statement of the standing counsel of the Maharashtra government, Rahul Chitnis, that adequate steps have already been taken and the state government will further ensure that no harm is caused to the life, liberty, property of the MLAs. During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for Eknath Shinde and others told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending. (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 rebel MLAs of the Eknath Shinde camp, who are currently in Assam, will hold a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the further plan of action, amid the ongoing political crisis in . According to the sources, they are expected to take an important decision today. Independent MLAs might approach Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari very soon. Sources have earlier learned that they are likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati and are unlikely to return before July 5. "Rebel MLAs likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The hotel was booked till July 5 and the booking can now be extended as per requirement," sources said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shivsainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde's rebel camp were in touch with the and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". Additionally, a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation amid the crisis faced by the MVA government. Notably, the political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. (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.) have formed an 11-member campaign committee to steer the nationwide campaign of their presidential poll candidate . The 11 members include Jairam Ramesh from Congress, Tiruchi Siva from the DMK, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy from the TMC, Sitaram Yechury from CPI(M), Ramgopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party, Praful Patel from NCP, Ranjit Reddy from TRS, Manoj Jha from RJD, D Raja CPI and Sudheendra Kulkarni from Civil Society. The committee will also have a nominee from Shiv Sena, which is battling a political crisis in Maharashtra. filed his nomination papers on Monday. He said later that the numbers could change between now and July 18 when voting will be held in the presidential elections. The BJP-led NDA has fielded former Jharkhand Governor Droupdai Murmu as its candidate. "You don't go to a fight thinking that you will always emerge victorious. You go into the fight because you believe in the fight itself. So for me, the fight is more important. I would like to tell you that as far as the number is concerned, it is a developing situation. There will be many changes between today and the 18th of July. Let us not go by the number today. What appears today may not be the situation on July 18," Sinha told ANI. Sinha also highlighted that he cannot imagine Aam Aadmi Party voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party. "I cannot imagine AAP voting for the BJP. The choice in the selection is stark. I don't belong to any political party. I resigned before the Trinamool Congress (TMC) before the Opposition made me its candidate. On the other hand, you have a candidate strongly supporting the BJP. Whosoever is the voter in the situation will have to choose between the BJP on one hand and a person who does not belong to any party," he 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.) After waiting in the wings in the over week-long political drama sparked off by Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde's rebellion, BJP leader on Tuesday night met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, and requested him to ask the government in the state to prove its majority in the Assembly. Fadnavis claimed that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government seemed to be in minority as 39 Sena MLAs who belong to the Shinde faction have said they do not support it. Citing various Supreme Court judgements, Fadnavis said in the letter submitted to the governor that as majority in the House is "supreme" in parliamentary democracy and essential for a government's existence, he was requesting the governor to ask the chief minister to prove majority at the earliest. "We handed over a letter to the Governor, requesting him to ask the government to prove its majority through a floor test," the former chief minister told reporters later. Before meeting the governor around 10 pm, Fadnavis met top BJP leaders in Delhi earlier in the day. According to sources, before Fadnavis landed at the Raj Bhavan here, eight Independent MLAs, who were earlier associated with the Shiv Sena, sent emails from Guwahati -- where the rebel group headed by Shinde is camping -- seeking floor test at the earliest claiming that Thackeray government has lost its majority. At the Raj Bhavan, Fadnavis was accompanied by state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and party leaders Sudhir Mungantiwar, Pravin Darekar, Girish Mahajan and Ashish Shelar. The letter submitted to the governor noted that the Sena and BJP had contested the 2019 Assembly elections in alliance, but after the poll results, the Sena formed government with Congress and NCP. As 39 Shiv Sena MLAs are in favour of ending the party's alliance with the Congress and NCP, chief minister Thackeray has lost majority in the Assembly, it claimed. The rebel Sena MLAs are being threatened, the letter alleged, referring to statements made by Sena MP Sanjay Raut and others. Proof of these threats has been attached, it 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.) Reaching out to dissident MLAs once again, Chief Minister on Tuesday urged them to return to Mumbai and hold talks with him, saying it's not "too late", but rebel leader Eknath Shinde remained unmoved and asserted the legislators backing him are firm on taking forward Hindutva. As the political crisis gripping the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, triggered by cabinet minister Shinde's revolt, entered the eighth day, MP Sanjay Raut ratcheted up the rhetoric against the rebels, warning those who have betrayed the party leadership should not be able to move around freely. In the midst of turmoil in Mumbai, which has threatened the three-party MVA government's existence, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda in New Delhi to discuss the party's next course of action. Striking a reconciliatory note a day after taking away the portfolios of all nine rebel ministers and against the backdrop of the Supreme Court granting relief to breakaway MLAs, Thackeray, who is also his party's president, appealed to the dissidents camping in Guwahati to return to Mumbai and talk to him. Thackeray's offer to mend fences comes against the backdrop of controversial statements made by some Shiv Sena leaders, especially Raut whose "40 bodies without soul" statement had caused a flutter. "It is not too late. I appeal to you to return and sit with me and remove the confusion (created by your actions) among Shiv Sainiks and the public," a statement by Thackeray's aide quoted him as saying. "If you return and face me, some way could be found. As the party president and family head, I still care for you," he said. Thackeray said family members of some rebel MLAs camping in Guwahati are in touch with him. "You have been stuck in Guwahati for the last few days. New information is coming out about you every day, and many of you are also in touch. In your heart, you are still with the Shiv Sena," he said. As the rebellion saga unfolded, Thackeray had last week made an emotional appeal, saying he was ready to step down if Shinde and MLAs who are supporting him declared that they don't want him to continue as CM. The dissident camp has demanded that the Shiv Sena walk out of the MVA, which also consists of the Congress and the NCP, patch up with its estranged ally, BJP. Rebel leader Shinde said he will soon return to Mumbai, and rubbished the Sena's claim that as many as 20 MLAs of his group are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Talking to reporters outside the luxury hotel in Guwahati where he and his group of MLAs are lodged since last week, Shinde claimed he has the support of 50 MLAs. All these MLAs have come here on their own and to take forward Hindutva," Shinde said. Senior Sena leaders have been claiming that around 20 MLAs of the party, now with Shinde in Guwahati, are in touch with them and want to return to . Shinde said, "Some people from that side are claiming that some MLAs here are in touch with them. If it is the case, then they should reveal their names." "Our stand is clear...to take forward the Shiv Sena, dreamt of by late Balasaheb Thackeray. We will continue to toe the line of his Hindutva," he said. Adopting an aggressive note against the rebel faction led by Shinde, Shiv Sena leader Raut said those who have betrayed the party leadership should not be able to move around. "Traitors should not be able to roam on the streets," he said, addressing a rally at Alibag in Raigad district. Raut, at the rally, also slammed the rebel MLAs' claim that their fight was for protecting the party's Hindutva moorings, pointing out that more than half of them were earlier with the NCP, the second largest constituent of the MVA. "The rebel MLAs supporting Eknath Shinde are saying their cause is to protect the Hindutva envisaged by party founder Balasaheb Thackeray. Twenty-two of them have come from the Nationalist Congress Party. What Hindutva they are talking about? Those who opposed Balasaheb Thackeray ended up ruining their own career," Raut said. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar indicated the opposition party is waiting for the MVA government to declare they don't have enough numbers on their side. He reiterated that the BJP is in a wait-and-watch mode and that it does not need to prove majority on the floor of the House as of now. Mungantiwar, a former minister, said, "We have decided to wait and watch. Considering the present situation, a core team will be formed in the coming days, which will deliberate on the subject and then a decision will be taken." In New Delhi, Fadnavis, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, was joined by BJP MP and senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani in the meeting with the Home Minister, sources said. They are believed to have explored various options available for the party and deliberated on their legal feasibility as the BJP works to recapture power in Maharashtra with the help of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and several independent lawmakers. After meeting Shah, Fadnavis drove to Nadda's residence in the national capital and briefed him about the unfolding political developments in the state. Around 40 rebel Sena MLAs and at least 10 independent legislators from the state have lodged themselves at a five-star hotel in Assam in their bid to bring down the two-and-a-half-year-old MVA government. (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 newly-elected MLAs of Tripura took oath on Tuesday, but Chief Minister Manik Saha who also won the June 23 by-election to become a legislator was not sworn in by the speaker. Congress's Sudip Roy Barman, who won the Agartala seat, and BJP's Mailna Das (Jubarajnagar) and Swapna Das (Surma) were swron in as MLAs by Speaker Ratan Chakraborty at the assembly's lobby. Though the chief minister, who won the bypoll from Town Bardowali, was present at the programme, he did not take the oath. "Since Chief Minister Manik Saha is also a Rajya Sabha member, he has to leave one post. Once he decides, he will take the oath. I don't think Saha will quit as an MLA because he has been made the chief minister," the speaker told reporters. He said the presidential election is slated to be held on July 18. "It appears that the chief minister is likely to take oath after the . The decision will be taken by the high command," the speaker said. Saha, a Rajya Sabha member, was sworn as the chief minister of Tripura after Biplab Kumar Deb abruptly resigned on May 14. After being appointed chief minister, Saha has six months' time to become a member of the assembly, as per the rules. Meanwhile, the CPI(M)-led Left Front boycotted the programme, alleging widespread post-poll violence. "We were invited to join the swearing-in ceremony but the party decided to boycott it in protest against the massive post-poll violence spearheaded by BJP-backed goons," CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury alleged. "Democracy was murdered in the name of by-elections. It will send a wrong message to the people if we joined the programme. That's why the Left Front boycotted the oath-taking ceremony," he 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.) AltNews co-founder Mohammad Zubair being taken to the Patiala House Court, following his arrest by special cell of Delhi Police on charges of hurting religious sentiments, in New Delhi (Photo: PTI) A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by four days the custodial interrogation of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in a case related to an objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria passed the order after hearing arguments from as well as the accused. Zubair was produced before the court on the expiry of his one-day custodial interrogation. The police told the court that the accused did not cooperate with the investigating agency and that custodial interrogation was required to gather information regarding the device from which the tweet was made by the accused. During the hearing, the Zubair's counsel said that the photo which the accused used in the tweets is of an old Hindi film from 1983 by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Kissi Se Na Kehna, and that the film was not banned. The court, however, rejected the submission saying it was of no assistance to the accused at this stage. Considering that mobile phone/laptop of accused used by him for posting the tweet in question is to be recovered at the instance of accused Mohammed Zubair from his Bangalore residence and that accused has remained non-cooperative and the disclosure statement on record, four days PC (police custody) remand of accused is granted since accused is to be taken to Bangalore, the judge said in a 3-page order. The judge directed that Zubair be produced before the court on July 2, and further asked the investigating officer to get medical of the accused conducted as per rules. Let COVID-19 guidelines be followed as per rules, the judge said. Police had sought an extension of Zubair's custody by five days. It told the court during the arguments that the accused was following a trend where he used religious tweets in an effort to get famous. This was a deliberate effort on his part to create social disharmony and hurt religious feelings, the police said, adding that it followed the procedure during his arrest. He joined the probe but did not cooperate and various material from his phone was deleted, police said. Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the accused, opposed the police plea alleging that agency had called Zubair for questioning in some other case but he was arrested in the present case in haste. Even though this court was available within a 24-hour period post-arrest, he was produced before a duty magistrate where the police sought his seven-day custody, the counsel said. She said that tweet in question was published by Zubair in 2018. Someone recently tweeted Zubair's tweet of 2018, and the present case was filed. The anonymous handle had its very first tweet, which cited Zubair's tweet, which has been picked up by police. The agency is playing mischief, the counsel said. In any case, the handle using Zubair's tweet is not the spokesperson of all the Hanuman devotees, she said. They're claiming that I edited the photo in question. The tweet is present there since 2018. Since 2018 that tweet has not created a flutter. Multiple users had shared the picture. Prima facie there is no case, the counsel said. She said that the counsel from her team downloaded the copies of the remand application, filed yesterday, from an online TV channel and that police have yet not supplied it to them. Police is trying to create media hype, media frenzy. Police are abusing their power. They wanted my (Zubair's) laptop because I am a journalist and there is various sensitive information in it. They want a fishing enquiry, the counsel said. Zubair was arrested by the on Monday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets. He was produced before a duty magistrate last night, who sent the accused to one-day police custody. Earlier this month, a case against Zubair was registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Zubair was arrested in connection with one of his recent tweets that had a questionable image with the purpose of deliberately insulting the god of a particular religion, the DCP said. Police said the case was registered on the complaint of a Twitter user who accused Zubair of hurting religious sentiments. (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.) Donaldson India Filtration Systems Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Donaldson Company, Inc (NYSE-DCI), a leading worldwide manufacturer of innovative filtration products and solutions, today celebrates the grand opening of its new industrial air filtration facility in Pune, India. The new Donaldson facility is 50,000 square feet, located at Chakan Industrial Area in Pune, and is being inaugurated by Andrew Dahlgren, Vice President of Donaldson Asia Pacific. The industrial dust, fume and mist collectors and filters produced at the plant for the South Asian Market include: - Downflo series of cartridge collectors (Downflo Oval, Downflo Evolution and Packaged Downflo Evolution), - PowerCore CP series of cartridge dust collectors (CPV and CPC), and - Dalamatic line of baghouse collectors (Dalamatic Cased and Dalamatic Insertable). These industry-leading collectors and filters, part of Donaldson's Industrial Filtration Solutions reporting unit, help manufacturers increase efficiency, reduce operating costs and provide a cleaner workspace for employees. Commenting during the grand opening ceremonies, Dahlgren said, "India is a very important market for Donaldson, and we are deeply committed to this South Asia Region. Our fiscal 2021 sales in the Asia Pacific were USD 649 million, representing 23 per cent of the company's total sales. In fiscal 2021, total company Industrial Filtration Solutions sales were about USD 622 million and grew 16.3 per cent year over year. India is a significant contributor to current sales and a source of significant growth in the region. This investment enables us to localize more of our production and serve our customers more effectively in the region, particularly with today's supply chain challenges." Viraj Kadam, Managing Director of Donaldson South Asia added, "Donaldson is a leading player in the industrial air filtration market in South Asia. This new facility in Pune will allow us to provide more of our products, with an emphasis on manufacturing them locally. This is in line with our government's 'Make in India' focus." Globally, Donaldson operates 50 manufacturing plants and 22 distribution centers in more than 20 countries. The company plans to continue to expand its strong global footprint to ensure customers in every market have access to its diversified portfolio of value-added products and solutions. Founded in 1915, Donaldson (NYSE: DCI) is a global leader in technology-led filtration products and solutions, serving a broad range of industries and advanced markets. Our diverse, skilled employees at over 140 locations on six continents partner with customers - from small business owners to the world's biggest OEM brands - to solve complex filtration challenges. Discover how Donaldson is Advancing Filtration for a Cleaner World at (https://www.donaldson.com/en-in). Donaldson first entered the Indian market in 1994 through a joint venture focused on the gas turbine power generation market. In 1999, the Gurgaon location became a wholly-owned subsidiary and the product offering extended to diesel engine-related filtration solutions. The 2007 expansion of the Gurgaon location tripled the size of the manufacturing operations for the company's engine and industrial filtration businesses in India. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's fifth-largest cement group and the leading cement company in the east, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd has expanded its presence in the North region with the introduction of its premium cement portfolio. Revenue in the north region specifically Haryana, Western UP, Punjab, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh focus on trade channel and brand building through a strong dealer network. To address to growing needs of infrastructure sector, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd plans to set up a grinding unit with a 1.2 million tonnes per annum capacity at its existing Plant at Bhiwani, Haryana. This is the first step towards the company's expansion in the North region. This grinding unit willaid fullutilization of the clinker production in the region. Currently Nuvoco's product portfolio addresses to the complete spectrum of customerswith Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Slag Cement (PSC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) and Portland Composite Cement (PCC), which are among the best in the industry based on BIS standards and premium raw material quality. Its flagship brands Concreto, Duraguard and Double Bull offers a right-mix across the price points. Double Bull is the fastest growing cement brand in the countrythat has been indigenously developed and has achieved a sale of over 5 million tons in a short span of five years. Concreto, a premium product offering remains a frontrunner in Eastern India and has a specialized variant for Northern India. Duraguard offers a vast range of productsthat are technologically advanced and meet the modern construction requirements. Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 28 (ANI/BusinessWire India): G2, the biggest player in the software business review industry, recently ranked (https://www.happay.com) Happay a "Leader" in two categories - 'Travel and Expense Software' and 'Expense Management Software'. Founded in 2012, Happay is a travel & expense (T & E) management company based out of Bengaluru, India. Happay is the only Indian company titled a "Leader" in two different categories in G2's recent report. Products in the Leader quadrant are rated highly by G2 users and have substantial market presence scores. Happay is a next-gen solution for T & E management along with being a one-stop solution for all corporate payments. Over 6500+ clients across 40+ verticals trust Happay as a specialist solution to efficiently run their expense management system. According to G2, 95 per cent of the users rated Happay 4 or 5 stars, with 94 per cent believing it is headed in the right direction. In the satisfaction ratings, Happay had a really high rating of 91 per cent in the 'Meets requirement' criteria in both T & E and Expense Management. In the 'Ease of use' category, users rated it a high 92 per cent in T & E and 93 per cent in Expense Management. The highest-rated features of Happay were Digital Receipt Management, Mileage Tracking and Employee Reimbursement. Happay helps organizations digitize their spending management processes, improve visibility into spending, and place appropriate controls and checks from anywhere. The software manages and tracks 100 per cent of spending across processes. With better real-time visibility & control, the all-integrated cloud-based expense management software enhances policy compliance, controls fraud and saves businesses cost and time with end-to-end automation. With the only company in the world to offer travel, expense, and payment stack together, Happay has one of the most flexible T & E platforms in the market. It has been named a leader based on receiving a high customer satisfaction score and having a large market presence. It is a preferred choice for many big companies like the Tata Group, PWC, Maruti Suzuki and many others. Often in news, Happay has been consistently ranked as one of the leading software companies by multiple prestigious institutions. Happay won the CIO Choice Awards twice in a row in the years 2018 and 2019. In 2020, it was named the 'Best Corporate Expense Management Solution' by Banking Frontiers. In 2021, it won the prestigious Deloitte Tech Top 50 award. The recent announcement by G2 is another feather in the cap for Happay. G2 provides a high-level overview and is the largest and most trusted software marketplace, helping 60 million people every year make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The uncertainty in the secondary and rising are likely to cast a shadow on the primary market activity, as India Inc is likely to either delay listing or alter its plans, believe analysts. Financial year 2020-21 (FY21) was one of the best years for the primary . According to Prime Database, 52 Indian corporates raised Rs 1.11 trillion via the initial public offer, or IPO route alone. For FY23, it had pegged this fund raise at a massive Rs 1.4 trillion, including the LIC IPO. A total of 54 companies, Prime Database said at the start of this fiscal, held Sebi approval for the fund raise. Another 43 companies, it said, were looking to raise about Rs 81,000 crore where Sebi approval was still awaited. Unless absolutely necessary, Rahul Arora, chief executive officer for institutional equities at Nirmal Bang, said, promoters will defer their requirements as debt is getting more expensive and their equity will not fetch companies the price it would have six months ago. Investors, too, have suffered. The stock of Life Insurance Corporation of India the biggest IPO in Indian history that garnered over Rs 20,000 crore from the primary market is also languishing down around 28 per cent till date since its listing in April 2022. In the past six months, the S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty50 have lost around 7% each on weak global cues. G Chokkalingam of Equinomics Research, too, expects the primary market to remain under pressure. Speaking to Business Standard, G Chokkalingam, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Equinomics Research, pimary dependent on the secondary market performance. A sharp fall in the secondary market has seen the primary market suffer a lot, he said adding that two more quarters of pain in store for the primary market. On Tuesday, the markets are likely to remain range-bound with stock specific action likely to continue. After Vietnam, Cambodia has become the next popular destination for Chinas processing trade business. As China battled a wave of Covid-19 flare-ups over the past few months with strict control measures, the widespread disruption of business operations fueled concerns over an accelerating exodus of manufacturing. From October 2021 to March 2022, China lost around 5% of its textile export orders, 7% of its furniture and 2% of its mechanical and electrical export orders from the United States to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially Vietnam, according to U.S. customs data. Finance and Commercial Tax Minister Jagdish Deora has said that in view of the high production of cotton in Malwa and Nimar South-West region of Madhya Pradesh, the clarification regarding non-liability of GST on storage and warehousing of cotton will give relief to the cotton industry. In his address on various issues in the 47th meeting of the GST Council in Chandigarh today, Minister Deora supported the proposal of the Fitment Committee that there would be no liability of GST on the sale of all types of plots. He said that this proposal would be useful in clearing the confusion between the real estate sector and the persons buying the plots. It will also help in the development of the real estate sector. The meeting was presided over by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. On behalf of the state, Principal Secretary Commercial Tax Deepali Rastogi and Commissioner Commercial Tax Lokesh Jatav were also present. Finance Minister Deora said that animal husbandry activities are conducted on a large scale in Madhya Pradesh. According to the 20th Animal Census 2019, Madhya Pradesh is ranked third in the countrys animal husbandry activities. Animal husbandry is an important part of the rural economy in the state. Finance Minister Deora informed that the task force constituted to increase GST revenue on the instructions of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has recommended how the registration process should be made favorable from the point of view of Ease of Doing Business, so that it could further strengthen business. Minister Deora said that it would be appropriate in this regard that the information given at the time of registration of the digitized database of land records, electricity bill, lease agreement, lease deed, property ID and property details in the urban local body is verified through API. This will prevent getting bogus registrations. The use of artificial intelligence for this has also been suggested by the task force. Discussions have been held with the Ministry of Revenue, Government of India to start its pilot project in Madhya Pradesh. Minister Deora supported the reduction in GST rate on Ostomy devices from 12 percent to 5 percent on account of it being a health utility item and being used repeatedly by critical patients for a long period of time. Minister Deora said that IVF is a ray of hope for childless couples in the present times. He supported the clarification regarding IVF treatment being tax free services as recommended by the Fitment Committee. In order to remove the confusion arising out of having different tax rates on different articles of similar nature under the same head, the Finance Minister has supported the hike in the tax rate on all orthopedic implants to 5 percent. As the nationwide protests are being held across the country against the Centres defence recruitment scheme Agnipath, Punjab Vidhan Sabha will bring a resolution against the same on the last day of the ongoing budget session, June 30. Other than a resolution in Agnipath, two more resolutions condemning the ban on Sidhu Moosewalas controversial new song, SYL, on YouTube; and condemning the Centres proposed move regarding the centralisation of Panjab University. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that all the three resolutions would be tabled in the House on the last day of the session, along with other non-official resolutions. The issue of Agnipath scheme was raised by the senior Congress MLA and the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, demanding a resolution on the same. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seconded Bajwas demand, while BJP member and Punjab unit president Ashwani Sharma opposed it while claiming that the House is being misled. Speaking during the zero hour, Bajwa said that 20 percent of Punjabs youths were recruited by the defence forces in the past, then it was made population-based and 7.8 percent of recruitment was being done from the State. With the Agnipath scheme, it would come down to 2.3 per cent, he pointed out, while adding, We should bring a joint resolution to oppose it. Supporting the demand for bringing a resolution, Mann said that it was an emotional issue. When I think that a 17-year-old would get recruited and come back at 21, he would not even be married, he would not be able to write an ex-soldier against his name, and would not get CSD benefits...I am against this law. He said that not only should the Punjab Vidhan Sabha bring this resolution but also all state assemblies across the country should follow suit, he said. This is not only about Agnipath. Whenever in other countries, a law is formed, sweets are distributed. But here fires are shot, riots break out, and protests take place, he added. Agnipath is a whimsical and irrational move of the NDA government which will destroy the basic fabric of the Indian Army, he said adding that this is another illogical move by the NDA Government to ruin the future of the countrys youth. He said that no one, except BJP leaders, has ever understood the merits of schemes like demonetisation, GST, draconian farm laws and others; and Agnipath is an addition to such baseless moves, which no one is able to understand. It is unfortunate and unbelievable that youth will join the Army after attaining the age of 17 years and superannuate merely after four years at age of 21. He said that Agnipath reflects the sorry state of affairs in the country as the party in power at the Centre is recklessly running its affairs without applying mind. BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma opposed the demand. When a 17-year-old will be recruited, he will get an educational qualification and skill development training," he said. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira raised the issue of a ban against Sidhu Moosewalas latest song, SYL, from YouTube after the BJP-led Centres complaint; along with banning several Twitter handles including that of Kisan Ekta Morcha and Tractor to Twitter. This must also be condemned and made a part of the resolution against the Agnipath scheme, he added. Agreeing to the same, Mann said: Whenever a voice is suppressed, we will oppose it. We will bring a resolution...Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the country. AAP MLA and Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer also suggested that the House should also bring a resolution condemning the centralisation of Panjab University. UPROAR IN VIDHAN SABHA OVER VVIP TREATMENT TO MUKHTAR ANSARI IN ROPAR JAIL Heated exchange of words was witnessed on the fourth day of Punjab Vidhan Sabhas budget session on Tuesday with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the main opposition Congress party sparring over spending lakhs to give VVIP treatment to a gangster-turned-politician in Punjabs jail. Maintaining that he has ordered an inquiry into Mukhtar Ansaris stay in Punjabs jail, AAP MLA and Punjab Jails Minister Harjot Singh Bains alleged that the erstwhile Congress government had given five-star facilities to the Uttar Pradesh-based gangster-politician during his stay in Ropar jail after a fake FIR was registered against him. Bains, speaking during the discussion on the budget proposals, claimed that Ansari was locked in the Ropar jail under a fake FIR for two years and three months, pointing out that a challan was also not presented in Ansari's case. It is important to mention here that, after Ropar jail, Mukhtar Ansari was shifted to Uttar Pradesh's Bandha jail in 2021. Refuting the claims, the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa asked Bains to substantiate his claims with proof. The Yogi Adityanath cabinet on Tuesday gave approval to four investment proposals regarding incentives for establishment of data parks under the Uttar Pradesh Data Centre Policy-2021 in line with the Centres push to localise data storage. This will not only give a major boost to the state towards becoming self-reliant in data storage but will also foster the development of data centre parks in Uttar Pradesh. The move will provide direct and indirect employment to scores of people in the state, a government spokesman said here on Tuesday. The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In view of the importance of data centres, Yogi had prepared the Data Centre Policy-2021 during his last tenure. Various financial and other incentives have been given under the policy. In the recent groundbreaking ceremony held in the state, out of the investment proposals to the tune of more than Rs 80,000 crore, those worth about Rs 20,000 crore were for the establishment of data centres. The work for the setting up of four data centre parks with an investment of over Rs 15,950 crore is under process. Of these are NIDP Developers Pvt Ltd of Hiranandani Group with an investment of Rs 9134.90 crore, NTT Global Centres and Cloud Infrastructure India Pvt Ltd of Japan with an investment of Rs 1,687 crore, two projects worth Rs 2,414 crore and Rs 2713 crore each of Adani Enterprises Ltd. These will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 4,000 people. Hiranandani Groups first institute is expected to be ready by July and commercial work is likely to start from September. The cabinet also decided to give necessary impetus to these projects under the policy, with the conditions that the investment made within the policy period will be considered for permissibility of financial incentives and will be started during the policy period (5 years). The financial incentives from all sources to any entity, unless otherwise specified in the policy, should not exceed the limit of 100 per cent of its fixed capital investment. Due to the concessions given under the data centre policy, about 30 investors have shown interest in investing Rs 20,000 crore in the IT sector. In view of the increasing interest of the investors in the IT sector, the chief minister has declared Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas Electronics Manufacturing Zones. As a result, many reputed companies from China, Taiwan and Korea have come forward to set up their units. A few weeks after spotting them on local roads and the subsequent opening of order books that followed, we have our first indications as t... Re: Ukrainian pastor lands in Kelowna to thank community for donations ( Castanet, June 22) The June 23 Ukrainian-Polish Discussion Panel with Dmitry Bodyu, Krzysztof Zareba, and Jonasz Topilolo can be viewed on the Lake Country Alliance Church website. During the discussion, it was mentioned that a 24-hour Ukrainian language TV channel was specially created for the millions of Ukrainians who have crossed the border into Poland. The channel, UA24TV, includes videos such as: "What is refugee status?", "What do students say about school?" and "Rules for using intercity transport". John Van Sloten is the lead pastor at Marda Loop Church in Calgary. His April 3 sermon, "The Stories Of Esther, Zelensky, And A God Who Risked It All For Others" is also online. "Could it be that this millennia-old Bible story about the ironic reversal of an evil leader's plan to destroy a people could offer hope to us today? says Van Sloten in his sermon. "Then I answer and go: Well, surely this is not the end for the Ukrainian people, because God works through former beauty pageant winners. Gods the kind of God who would work through a former Ukrainian comedian and entertainer if thats what it took to play out a plan that would save a people. "God took a caustic tongue and transformed it into a powerful global communication tool. The whole world is listening to that man's voice... strong enough to stand up to the biggest propaganda machine that human history has ever known. Which makes me ask, and not a morally perfect character, not a morally perfect country, but makes me ask: Could Volodymyr Zelensky be here precisely for such a time as this?" David Buckna, Kelowna Photo: HKTO . A prior annual celebration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office. A small group of protesters gathered in downtown Vancouver June 23 to denounce a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Inside the Fairmont Hotel, the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, which represented the region in Canada, hosted the event with a VIP table. The table consisted of Chinas consul general Tong Xiaoling, former Conservative MP Alice Wong, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Jeff Nankivell, president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation, a government-sanction independent think-tank that wields influence on lawmakers. Outside, a small group of protesters held signs denouncing the Chinese Communist Party for its erosion of the citys democratic institutions and autonomy that should otherwise be upheld under a one country, two systems arrangement until 2047. Fenella Sung of Vancouverites Concerned about Hong Kong said Brodie, in particular, was offside for celebrating with representatives of an authoritarian regime that is facing multiple international outcries for human rights abuses. Given the huge influence of Hong Kong immigrants, or those who came by way of the Hong Kong pathway, seeking refuge here in Canada to start a new life in the past two or three years, I think we cannot allow ourselves to just be so naive, or just be so wilfully blind to just look at the invitation as no harm and it's just standard practice, said Sung. Brodie did not respond to Glacier Media for comment, although following similar past events such as his attendance at a celebration of Mao Zedong he has expressed he is representing the Chinese community of Richmond. Sung said the Chinese government does not represent Chinese people and culture. We have to distinguish whether the invitation is from the foreign government level or from a community group, said Sung. I would say the celebration of the handover, at this particular point in time, in Canada, it cannot be called or seen as an equivalent of a multicultural event representing the Hong Kong or Chinese community in Richmond, said Sung. Sung said it may be polite to accept an invitation but it sends the wrong message. When people attend those events, you are not just being polite, you are encouraging and fostering the relationship with that foreign power. You're like not cultivating a relationship with your electorate or community. You are fostering and building relationship with that foreign power with their representatives there, said Sung. The issue of foreign influence and interference is active in Richmond after the September 2021 federal election saw accusations of pro-Beijing messaging and misinformation against then-Steveston-Richmond East Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, who lost. Canadian Security and Intelligence Services director David Vigneault said May 4 at a speech at the University of B.C. he has been briefing local government officials on foreign interference. Elected and public officials across all levels of government, representing all political parties, staff, and public servants are also potential targets of foreign interference. Virtually anyone with input into or influence over the public policy decision-making process is an attractive target for those looking to advance their interests covertly, said Vigneault. [email protected] Photo: . Charles Michael Kavanagh was found guilty of four offences, including sexual interference. A Vancouver man convicted of sexual interference and two counts of trafficking drugs in 2018 has lost his appeal. Charles Michael Kavanagh was found guilty of four offences: sexual interference; two counts of trafficking cannabis and methamphetamine; and breach of a recognizance, B.C.'s Court of Appeal said in a June 17 decision released June 23. The sexual offence occurred in July 2016. The trial judge found that Kavanagh performed oral sex on the complainant, who was 15 at the time and did not have the legal capacity to consent. The court heard Kavanagh had smoked methamphetamine with the youth and then initiated sexual contact. By age 14, Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten said in the unanimous decision the complainant was addicted to methamphetamine and was having school, family and legal problems. Kavanagh, who was then 57 years old, befriended the complainant through Facebook despite being subject to a recognizance prohibiting him from being with children under the age of 16. The judge said Kavanagh was aware of the complainants personal circumstances, including a court order that he not use drugs or alcohol. The complainant referred to him as uncle. Teen supplied with drugs Kavanagh supplied the complainant with cannabis and methamphetamine; allowed the complainant to traffic drugs for him; had the complainant in his room in a downtown Vancouver boarding house, even though doing so was prohibited because of the complainants age. Kavanagh told the complainants father and a foster parent that he was an outreach worker. He told others he was the complainants uncle. Both characterizations were patently false, the judge said. After the oral sex incident, the complainant passed out. He awoke to find a rubber band around his elbow and a hypodermic syringe in his arm. Kavanagh was sleeping fully clothed next to him on the bed. Within a week of the sexual incident, the complainant was arrested and held in custody until a date in August 2016. It was while in custody that he disclosed the sexual activity. The defence accepted Kavanagh was exploiting a teen with addiction problems but claimed the youths evidence was unreliable. The trial judge, however, accepted the teens evidence, noting it had been corroborated in multiple ways. DeWitt-Van Oosten said Kavanaghs appeal focused on the complainants credibility and reliability. He claimed the trial judge relied too much on corroborative evidence. I disagree, DeWitt-Van Oosten said, noting the teen had begun a downhill slide after the event. I am also satisfied that applying logic, common sense and human experience, it was open to the judge to conclude that the observations made of the complainant were consistent with and corroborative of having recently experienced a traumatic event, the judge said. She noted Kavanagh did not seriously contest the trafficking charges or the breach of a recognizance. [email protected] twitter.com/jhainswo Photo: Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld A lawyer for "Freedom Convoy" organizer Tamara Lich says the Alberta woman has been arrested. Eric Granger confirmed in an email Monday evening that they were awaiting further details, but the arrest appeared to be related to Lich's bail conditions. He could not confirm the location of the arrest, but another lawyer who has also represented Lich, Keith Wilson, said on Twitter that the arrest happened Monday in Medicine Hat, Alta., where Lich lives. A judge initially denied Lich bail after her arrest during the massive protest that overtook downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks in February, but she was released in March after a review of the court decision. Lich and fellow protest organizer Chris Barber are jointly accused of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation. She was released with a long list of conditions, including a ban from all social media and an order not to "support anything related to the Freedom Convoy." "We are not aware of anything that could have prompted this and are surprised by this development given the recent bail review hearing in Ontario where Ms. Lich's positive record for complying with her conditions was one reason why some of her conditions were relaxed at that time," Granger wrote in an email to The Canadian Press. Medicine Hat police did not immediately respond to a request to confirm if Lich had been arrested there. In May, an Ontario judge ruled Lich could remain on bail until her trial after a Crown prosecutor argued she'd violated one of her bail conditions by agreeing to accept an award for her leadership during the Ottawa protest, and should be sent back behind bars to wait for her court appearance. Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips said he made his decision because Lich had followed her bail conditions, her surety supervised her well and she'd already had a "taste of jail," which he said lowered her risk to reoffend. Phillips amended her release conditions to allow her to visit Ottawa, but not the downtown core. He maintained the ban on Lich's access to social media, saying that prohibiting such access remained warranted. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2022. Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision Friday the ruling that had, for decades, guaranteed a woman's right to get an abortion across the United States Liberal politicians north of the border were were quick to suggest that Canadians shouldn't take their freedoms for granted. "No country in the world, including Canada, is immune to whats going on in the United States," said Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, as other ministers and MPs chimed in with similar warnings. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeated time and again that every woman has the right to an abortion in Canada, promising Friday to defend those rights. But in a country that has no legal framework governing abortion, what does that actually mean and why are abortion-rights advocates urging Trudeau to avoid enshrining that right into law, once and for all? Here's what you need to know. What is the legal status of abortion in Canada? Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1988, when the Supreme Court decided in R. v. Morgentaler that a law that criminalized abortion was unconstitutional. Since a 1969 reform under Pierre Trudeau's Liberal government, Section 251 of the Criminal Code had narrowly allowed for abortions in cases where a committee decided a womans health or life was in danger, but it still penalized health service providers and women themselves for participating in other abortions. In a 5-2 decision, the court upheld an acquittal of abortion advocate Henry Morgentaler and struck down the existing law. "Forcing a woman, by threat of criminal sanction, to carry a fetus to term unless she meets certain criteria unrelated to her own priorities and aspirations, is a profound interference with a woman's body and thus a violation of security of the person," read the majority opinion by chief justice Brian Dickson. Today, abortion falls under provincial health-care systems as a medical procedure, meaning that access to the procedure varies considerably from place to place. Why didnt Parliament pass legislation? The Supreme Court's decision left a legal vacuum, so it threw the ball back in Parliament's court to figure out whether any "reasonable limits" should be applied. Under the majority Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, the House of Commons passed a law in 1990 that would have made it a criminal offence to induce an abortion unless a physician deemed that the woman's life or health was likely to be threatened otherwise. But the bill died in the Senate, where the vote came to a rare tie. No government has since attempted to legislate on the issue. Is anybody talking about introducing an abortion bill today? In the Morgentaler decision, the Supreme Court did not explicitly state that access to abortion is a fundamental right and no other Canadian court has said so since. When a leaked copy of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade was released in May, reporters asked Trudeau whether he would consider putting legislation on the table to enshrine such a right. He left open the possibility, but said his government wants to prevent a situation where rights are rolled back by future governments or court decisions. "Maybe it's legislation, maybe it's not legislation, maybe it's leaving it in the hands of the Canadian Medical Association that has ensured governance over these procedures for a long time," Trudeau said at the time. The only federal abortion-related legislation introduced in recent years have been private member's bills by Conservatives that would outlaw certain types of abortions or criminalize the killing of a fetus during an attack on a pregnant woman. Such bills have not passed. Whats the case against formally enshrining a right to abortion? Experts and advocacy groups have roundly criticized the idea of creating any sort of stand-alone law on abortion, saying that this could lead to a plethora of unintended consequences. "We have no specific legislation for a hip replacement or other medical procedures, so why would we need one for abortion?" said Julia Tetrault-Provencher, chair of the national steering committee of the reproductive rights working group of the National Association of Women and the Law. Even if the law simply enshrined abortion as a right, putting it on the books could open the door to subsequent governments' more-restrictive amendments, advocates fear. "We've seen that the power of very small but vocal anti-choice and conservative groups can make a huge impact, and we just don't know what the country's going to look like in the future," said Jill Doctoroff, executive director of National Abortion Federation Canada. As soon as a new law passed, court cases would be brought to test its constitutionality, said University of Ottawa law professor Daphne Gilbert creating "legitimacy and a platform" for anti-abortion activists to bring their cases to the courtroom. Federal legislation could also raise a division of powers debate and give provinces the bandwidth to talk about regulating or restricting abortion in a bigger way, Gilbert said, which could jeopardize advocates' hard-fought gains. "There's absolutely no upside and a whole bunch of downside." Are there alternatives to legislation? While advocates are pleading for Trudeau to keep his powder dry on the legislative front, they still want his government to be active in improving access to abortion in Canada. In 2021, the Liberals promised $45 million over three years to improve sexual and reproductive health support, information and services, which Tetrault-Provencher said should be made a permanent fund. Under the Canada Health Act, Ottawa has the authority to claw back provincial health transfers when provinces provide inadequate access to services. Trudeau's government has already done that on a minor scale, withholding $140,000 from New Brunswick for failing to provide funding for abortions at a Fredericton clinic but Gilbert said that's not enough. "That's peanuts in an overall health budget. I think they could strengthen the carrot and stick of the regulatory power." At least 46 undocumented migrants were found inside an abandoned lorry on the outskirts of San Antonio, a city in Texas close to the US-Mexico border, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The lorry was found on Monday next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city's southern outskirts, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying. About 16 others, including four children, were rescued and transported to area hospitals, of which at least five of them were in critical conditions, local media reports said. San Antonio is located 250 km from the US-Mexico border. Addressing reporters, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said that emergency responders initially arrived at the scene at about 6 p.m. after responding to reports of a dead body, the BBC reported. "We're not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there. None of us come to work imagining that," he was quoted as saying. The fire chief added that the vehicle had no working air conditioning and there was no drinking water inside. Also addressing the media, the city's Police Chief William McManus said federal agents were going to investigate the incident, adding that three people were currently being held in custody. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the development was "nothing short of a horrific, human tragedy", adding: "They had families... and were likely trying to find a better life." Photo: The Canadian Press Montreal police announced Monday they made an arrest in the drive-by shooting of a 15-year-old girl whose death last year sparked an outpouring of grief and calls for action to counter gun violence in the city. Police identified the suspect as Salim Touaibi, 26. He is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Meriem Boundaoui, who was fatally shot in the city's St-Leonard neighbourhood in February 2021. Touaibi is also facing four attempted murder charges. The suspect appeared before a judge on Monday, and the case is due back in court July 22. Boundaoui was with another person inside a stopped car when a second car drove up and someone opened fire. She and a 21-year-old man who was on the sidewalk were hit by bullets, and she was later declared dead. Cmdr. Salvatore Serrao of the Montreal police said Monday that the 15-year-old had "nothing to do with the conflict" that erupted and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police said the suspect has been detained since March on other charges related to violence and gun possession. The investigation remains open, and other suspects remain at large, Serrao said. "We know the suspect who was arrested was not alone on the day of the tragedy," he said. Serrao did not confirm whether the arrested suspect was the one who pulled the trigger, saying only that he participated "actively." Boundaoui was the first of several young people to die violently in the past year and a half in Montreal, prompting widespread concern and calls to do more to reduce gun violence in the city. Other victims include Hani Ouahdi, 20, who was gunned down in a car in the city's east-end Anjou district; Thomas Trudel, 16, who was shot in the city's St-Michel borough as he walked home from a park; and 16-year-old Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, who died after being stabbed outside his school in October. Police declined to release more details on the investigation into Boundaoui's death or explain why it took almost a year and a half to make an arrest. Serrao said the Montreal police's homicide resolution rate is 92 per cent for crimes committed in 2020, 62 per cent for 2021 and 54 per cent so far this year proof, he said, that solving crimes takes time. "Our investigators are determined, they're focused and will never stop," he said. "They will continue until we find the missing pieces, until we can arrest the people and bring them to justice." Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante congratulated the police on Twitter for making the arrest and promised the city would continue to work to tackle violent crime. Photo: The Canadian Press UPDATE 11:40 a.m. Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The sentencing Tuesday was the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how Epstein and Maxwell flaunted their riches and associations with prominent people to groom vulnerable girls and then exploit them. Those crimes occurred even as the couple hobnobbed with some of the worlds most famous and wealthy people, including former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and Englands Prince Andrew. Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. Maxwell denied being Epsteins accomplice. ORIGINAL 10:25 a.m. Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was brought into a New York courtroom Tuesday in a prison uniform and with her ankles shackled to await her sentence for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan ruled that the federal sentencing guideline she will rely upon in sentencing the 60-year-old Maxwell is a range between 15 1/2 and 19 1/2 years in prison, roughly half of the 30- to 55-year term sought by federal prosecutors. Defense attorneys want a five-year term. The sentencing in New York is the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how the power couple flaunted their riches and prominent connections to lure vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploit them. The hearing was so long that Nathan called for a half-hour lunch break, unusual for such proceedings. At some point, Maxwell will have a chance to speak, as will five women who say they were sexually abused by Epstein with Maxwell's help. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, sat quietly through the first hour of the sentencing hearing as lawyers debated the law. At least three of her siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in the crowded courtroom were members of the media. Several women who testified against Maxwell or released statements prior to sentencing also were in court. Two of them Elizabeth Stein and Sarah Ransome spoke to reporters outside. Today is a day I didnt think would ever happen, so for me its a blessing. It really is. And Ive prayed for this moment so hard and for so long, Ransome said. It will be very vindicating to speak my statements and have her in the room to hear it, Stein said. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. Maxwells conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse, prosecutors wrote in a court filing. Maxwell denies abusing anyone. The witnesses at trial testified about Ms. Maxwells facilitation of Epsteins abuse, but Epstein was always the central figure: Epstein was the mastermind, Epstein was the principal abuser, and Epstein orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification, defense attorneys wrote in a court filing. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them. Many described Maxwell as acting as a madam who recruited them to give massages to Epstein. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Annie Farmer, who identified herself in court by her real name after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticize her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. In letters to the judge, six of Maxwells seven living siblings pleaded for leniency. Maxwell's fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections. This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature, they wrote. Prosecutors called Maxwell's shifting of blame to Epstein absurd and offensive. Maxwell was an adult who made her own choices, they wrote to the court. She made the choice to sexually exploit numerous underage girls. She made the choice to conspire with Epstein for years, working as partners in crime and causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims. She should be held accountable for her disturbing role in an extensive child exploitation scheme. Photo: Google Streetview A trial for four Richmond residents accused of submitting false immigration documents that misrepresented 67 people and of bribing a Yukon government official launched this week and is scheduled to continue until July 15. Following a five-year investigation called Project Husky, charges were laid in December 2020 against Tzu Chun Joyce Chang, 49; Qiong Joan Gu, 66; Aillison Shaunt Liu (also known as Allison Shaunt Liu), 31; and Shouzhi Stanley Guo, 38. Chang and Gu are charged with misrepresenting 67 people as nominees of the Yukon Business Immigration Nominee program, a program that allows potential immigrants to set up a business in the territory and, after two years, apply for permanent residency status in Canada. Liu and Guo are charged with misrepresenting applicants for permanent residency. Liu is also charged with knowingly using forged documents. Chang, Gu and Liu are all charged with offering a reward, advantage or benefit to a Yukon government official, Ian David Young, or to his family, to help influence the business immigrant process. The allegations against the four Richmond residents date from July 2013 to September 2016 and are alleged to have taken place in Richmond, Whitehorse, Yuk., and Sydney, N.S. The investigation into the scheme began in 2015, after suspicious documents submitted as part of permanent residency applications, were identified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials. The documents appeared to be nomination certificates, issued by the Government of Yukon under the Yukon Business Nominee Program, CBSA explained at the time the charges were laid. However, the Yukon government confirmed the documents were false and had not been issued by their office. CBSA then executed several search warrants in B.C. and Yukon to find evidence of the alleged scheme. Photo: Fairmont Vancouver Airport. Vancouver Airport may have dropped to second place in Skytraxs ranking of North American airports, but in the airport hotels category, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport took top spot. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) recently lost its status as the best airport in North America a title it held for more than a decade. However, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel was ranked the best on the continent. According to the latest World Airport Awards presented by Skytrax, a consultancy firm that runs airline and airport reviews, Fairmont Vancouver Airport has officially been named the top hotel in North America and the fifth best airport hotel on the globe. The World Airport Awards are based on more than 13 million questionnaires completed across 100 nationalities of airline travellers at 550 airports over a six-month period. The awards rate a range of topics, such as overall hotel experience, accessibility from the airport to the hotel, friendliness of hotel staff, cleanliness and fitness and spa facilities. The award is a true honour and we dedicate it to our entire team who continue to deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests and colleagues every day, said Randall Williams, general manager of Fairmont Vancouver Airport. Guests can see the U.S. Departures Level of the Vancouver International Airport from the hotel. Although the hotel is located in the airport, the triple-paned glass provides soundproofing for travellers while they view the runway and the North Shore mountains. The hotels latest innovations include its Fit on the Fly Suite, a self-guided Nordic hydrotherapy experience complete with hot shower and ice bath. I was never one to believe gas stations were hosing customers in Kelowna, but driving from Vancouver Island this weekend pastspecifically the Victoria/Sidney areaI couldn't help but be impressed by the same pricing for regular gas from Victoria to Vancouver to Hope to Kelowna. Amazing. My previous visits to the Island had Kelowna relatively low to the 15% to 20% premium paid on the Island and in the Vancouver area. Not so anymore. Here in Kelowna, we're pretty close to Vancouver and Victoria pricing, $2.15 to $2.16 per litre on last Sunday. How can that be with added green taxes in Vancouver and Victoria (13 cents and seven cents a litre respectively) and the need to barge gasoline to Vancouver Island at added expense relative to mainland B.C. gasoline ? It seems like our Victoria and Vancouver politicians and their constituents are getting a gas price break from the $2.32 per litre cost of a couple of weeks ago. Where's our gasoline price break? Vernon is getting a break, why not Kelowna? Neil Stephenson, Kelowna Photo: DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST Police and paramedics respond to a bank robbery at the Bank of Montreal at Shelbourne and Pear streets Tuesday where multiple people were injured in a shootout. Two suspects are dead and six police officers suffered gunshot wounds in a shootout at the Bank of Montreal on Shelbourne Street Tuesday morning. Late Tuesday afternoon, police continued to advise anyone in the area of North Dairy Road to Cedar Hill Cross Road and Richmond Road to Cedar Hill Road to stay indoors as officers looked for a potential third suspect. Homes and businesses near the bank were evacuated due to the presence of a potential explosive device in a vehicle associated with the suspects, police said. It began at 11 a.m. Tuesday when officers with Saanich police, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and VicPD responded to a report that two armed men had entered the bank in the 3600-block of Shelbourne Street in Saanich. Multiple officers responded to the scene and encountered the armed suspects, who fired at police. Two suspects were shot by police and died at the scene. Six emergency response team officers suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to hospital, some with serious injuries requiring surgery, a Victoria Police Department statement said. It said updates will be provided when available. Three of the officers are members of Saanich police, while the other three are VicPD members. Police said they dont believe any bank employees, customers or members of the public were injured in the exchange of gunfire. A man with dark hair in a camouflage jacket and black boots was seen lying motionless in the parking lot outside the bank Tuesday afternoon. Residents and workers in the area were hunkered down in their homes and offices with blinds down and doors locked while the hunt for a potential third suspect continued. Just after 12:30 p.m., about 25 people who had been in the bank during the robbery were escorted by armed Saanich officers to a waiting bus. Some were crying. Dozens of officers from the Saanich and Victoria police departments and the RCMP remained outside the bank early Tuesday afternoon, along with at least four ambulances. Shelbourne Street was blocked from Cedar Hill Road past Pear Street, with several marked and unmarked police vehicles filling the street. Officers with weapons and dog teams were outside the bank. The public was asked to avoid the area. A helicopter was flying over the area about 1:40 p.m. Charlotte Priest, an assistant at Lifeline Animal Clinic across Shelbourne Street from the bank, said a few of the clinics clients heard the shooting and took shelter in the building. Thats when we realized theres something going on. So we just closed our blinds and just took cover and are staying away from the windows. A passerby also took shelter in the waiting area, said Priest, noting a police van was parked at the clinics driveway. Theres a lot of businesses in the area. It is kind of shocking for it to happen here. Everybody is a little bit shaken up. Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes posted on Twitter: Our hearts go out to our officers, bank staff and residents No words can describe how horrendous this is. At nearby St. Michaels University School, a woman said the school was in hold and secure mode, with all external doors locked and everyone inside. The Megson FitzPatrick Insurance Services office on Shelbourne Street had about 20 staff indoors behind locked exterior doors. Jacqueline Niemann, who was managing the office on Tuesday, said she heard noises but did not immediately recognize the sound as gunfire. Police cars arriving at the scene alerted their office to the situation. Everyone is safe, she said. It is pretty scary. Hannah Young, a pharmacy assistant at Heart Pharmacy in Shelbourne Plaza, across the street from the bank, said she heard what was definitely gunfire. And it kept going. I looked out and I could see people ducking by their cars in the parking lot. Young said she wasnt afraid but was concerned for the safety of people in the area. Do we need to close the door? Pull the customers inside? Shut down? It was more of a fight or flight response, said Young. We saw they were elderly people sitting outside and we told them they needed to come inside. They brought everyone inside away from the windows into the back half of the pharmacy. Saanich police are asking people who took photos and shot video to submit them as evidence through their online evidence submission portal. Jeff Roman, BMO spokesman in Canada, said in a statement that the company was deeply saddened by the incident. The safety and security of our customers and employees is our priority and our thoughts are with every person impacted by todays events. Roman thanked emergency responders for their fast assistance and for helping to keep the public safe. Saanich police are leading the investigation, with assistance from the RCMP and an emergency response team from the Lower Mainland, among others. Sgt. Chris Garneau did not immediately have numbers of RMCP officers from the capital region who were called in. A police helicopter was also sent to help. An Island Health official said health-care teams at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals stepped up to respond to the incident. No details were released about specific patients. The Jubilees emergency department was briefly under restricted access to ensure safety, but neither hospital was under a code orange, which refers to mass casualties, the official said. In situations like this, we quickly redeploy staff as necessary and implement contingency plans to ensure our hospitals and staff are best positioned to respond, Island Health said. As with all officer-involved shootings in British Columbia, the Independent Investigations Office is investigating the incident. Photo: The Canadian Press President Joe Biden and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrive to speak at the Palace of Moncloa in Madrid, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Biden will also be attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Madrid. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three countries leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday. Turkey said it had got what it wanted including full cooperation ... in the fight against the rebel groups. The agreement comes at the opening of a crucial summit dominated by Russias invasion of Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders arrived in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. The summit was kicking off with a leaders' dinner hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI at the 18th-century Royal Palace of Madrid. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world. To be able to defend in a more dangerous world we have to invest more in our defense, Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATO's 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Spain, which is hosting the summit, spends just half that. Top of the agenda for leaders in meetings Wednesday and Thursday is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine. Biden, who arrived with the aim of stiffening the resolve of any wavering allies, said NATO was as united and galvanized as I think we have ever been. Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24 shattered European security and brought shelling of cities and bloody ground battles back to the continent. NATO, which had begun to turn its focus to terrorism and other non-state threats, has had to confront an adversarial Russia once again. Ukraine now faces a brutality which we havent seen in Europe since the Second World War, Stoltenberg said. Diplomats and leaders from Turkey, Sweden and Finland earlier held a flurry of talks in an attempt to break the impasse over Turkey's opposition to expansion. The three countries leaders met for more than two hours alongside Stoltenberg on Tuesday before the agreement was announced. Erdogan is critical of what he considers the lax approach of Sweden and Finland toward groups that Ankara deems national security threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension. American support for Syrian Kurdish fighters in combatting the Islamic State group has also enraged Turkey for years. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Ending the deadlock will allow NATO leaders to focus on their key issue: an increasingly unpredictable and aggressive Russia. A Russian missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a grim reminder of the wars horrors. Some saw the timing, as Group of Seven leaders met in Germany and just ahead of NATO, as a message from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to address NATO leaders by video on Wednesday, called the strike on the mall a terrorist act. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traveled to Madrid to urge the alliance to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko told reporters at the summit venue. Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies will agree at the summit to increase the strength of the alliances rapid reaction force nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries on NATOs eastern flank, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition. Beneath the surface, there are tensions within NATO over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are also differences on how hard a line to take on China in NATOs new Strategic Concept its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last document, published in 2010, didn't mention China at all. The new concept is expected to set out NATOs approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change and the growing economic and military reach of China, and the rising importance and power of the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the summit as guests. Some European members are wary of the tough U.S. line on Beijing and dont want China cast as an opponent. In the Strategic Concept, NATO is set to declare Russia its number one threat. Russias state space agency, Roscosmos marked the summits opening by releasing satellite images and coordinates of the Madrid conference hall where it is being held, along with those of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. The agency said NATO was set to declare Russia an enemy at the summit, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. Cement production in Tajikistan drops 9% in Jan-May ICR Newsroom By 28 June 2022 In the January-May 2022 period cement production in Tajikistan has declined 8.6 per cent YoY to 1.6Mt from 1.8Mt. In 2021 the country produced more than 4.2Mt with approximately 1.5Mt exported to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. At the start of June 2022 construction started of the 0.1Mta Fon-Cement cement plant in the Sughd region. Published under I grew up in the 60s and started a family in the early 70s. I was a Democrat back then because I was raised by a Democrat father who told me we would have to live in a tent and only have beans to eat if Republicans were elected. That was in the mid 50s and I was six years old. In 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered and some of my Democrat friends cheered. I thought then that it was because Lyndon Baines Johnson didnt like black-skinned people so he devised plans to take the manhood away from the family and destroy the race. Planned Parenthood was right there in his corner and by 1973 they opened their first center. Since then, more than 63,000,000 babies in America have been denied their Constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thats when I changed parties. Today I see elected Democrat leaders call one of the three branches of government illegitimate. This kind of nonsense started when Barack Hussein Obama disrespected our Supreme Court (Judicial Branch) in a State of the Union message in front of America. Then Nancy Patricia Pelosi disrespected the office of the President (Executive Branch) by ripping up her copy of President Trumps State of the Union address. Roe vs. Wade was never a Constitutional issue, regardless of how hard the Democrats have worked to make it so. NewsBreak reported this weekend that the Southern Christian Coalition if outraged because womens lives are now at risk. It has happened because we have allowed it to happen. We have allowed the woke to come up with, or twist, words to mean what they want them to mean. For instance, abortion, the act of killing the baby before birth, is now womens health reproductive rights. Giving a prepubescent boy a chemical castration because he may want to see what its like to wear a dress, is now okay. There are many more examples. The great American Earl Pitts would sign off his radio broadcast with Wake up America. Never has it been so important to wake up, before you are declared dead and buried. After all, the Democrat leadership has proven that it is what they want. J. Pat Williams * * * So, J. Pat admits yesterday's radical extremist Democrats have become today's radical extremist Republicans, who carried out a political party switch? Most of us have already come to that conclusion. Whomever your targeted audiences are, hopefully they're much smarter than you give them credit for. I'm a person of that era too when Dr. King was assassinated. I can remember a lot from that period too. Not all Democrats were against Dr. King nor the issues plaguing America of the time and not all Republicans were for him. J. It was only a short while ago, a year give or take, your side was openly and on some forums, even local ones, accusing Dr. King of being a "terrorist" who "divided America." Brenda Washington * * * J. Pat Williams and I are two ol' Brainerd boys from way back. He's a good man of integrity. But apparently, we're on opposite sides of abortion and the Roe V Wade issue. I read Pat's letter to the Chattanoogan and it begs a question I'm having trouble with. Theres a lot I dont understand. Especially with Tennessee's abortion "trigger laws" soon to go into effect. I can see where abortion isnt considered by many to be a constitutional issue but one thing I cant understand is if you look at the process for adopting a baby its very arduous and its very expensive. It gets even more so if the applicant is a single female who wants to adopt a baby. You have to be at least 18 years old and you have to prove on many levels how capable you are of being a responsible parent in all ways. You are highly scrutinized. Heres the information provided online for adopting a baby in Tennessee. This is taken from the internet. You have to undergo an in-home visit that consists of and considers these things you must provide: Reference letters for adoption Health examinations Verification of marital status Interviews with all members of the family residing in the household During the adoption home study interviews, you will likely discuss: Your motivation to adopt Your ability to provide for a child Your character, values and ethical standards Your physical and mental health The health and fire safety conditions of your home You will be asked to provide: Drivers licenses or identification Birth certificates Marriage licenses Proof of insurance Tax returns and recent paystubs Physician statements Adoption reference letters Previous adoption decrees (if applicable) Criminal background checks Child abuse and neglect registry clearances The state will check and make sure these things are in place: Functioning locks on all doors and windows Working smoke detectors and CO2 detectors Covered outlets Baby gates for stairways Dangerous substances and tools placed out of reach of children Emergency phone numbers and evacuation plans Fire extinguisher First-aid kit But then, if a woman gets pregnant with a child she doesnt want all qualifications for parenting that child are foregone and shes forced to have it whatever her age and situation. Under Tennessee law she could be prosecuted if she sought to abort, or terminate the pregnancy (or if it satiates your visceral impulse kill the baby), because shes feels shes unprepared or unqualified to parent a child for whatever reason. Can someone please explain this insane paradox? If you want to adopt a baby you have to undergo and satisfy the rigorous requirements above. If you dont want or shouldn't have a baby and youre pregnant all of the above doesnt matter. Youre either having that baby and, if you try to abort it, youre going to jail along with any doctor or person who tried to help you. So, if I understand this correctly, life is so precious you want to force innocent, helpless babies into the hands of people who dont want them. The baby has a right to life, regardless of how dismal that life may be, right? Further, you see nothing wrong with this picture. Okay, okay. Just one question and I truly dont mean to antagonize you. Its an honest question: Are all of you crazy? If youre answer to that question is no, please explain and reconcile this. I cant understand it. David Saluk * * * I too am an ol Brainerd High grad and know both J. Pat Williams and David Saluk. I know both to be good men and David was correct in stating that J. Pat is a man of integrity. He was even so even back in his days at Brainerd High. Ive read J. Pats letter several times and I fail to see where he said yesterdays radical extremist Democrats have become todays radical extremist Republicans or that all Democrats were against Dr. King, Jr., as stated by Brenda Washington. I think its a big leap because they are not his words, but maybe her thoughts. As for David Saluks reply, he brought up some really good points about adoption. It is hard to adopt a child and its because the state has an obligation to protect the child being adopted. We all read about child trafficking and both restrictions and due diligence are important. Regardless, the difficulty of adopting is not a reason to take the life of the unborn. Its like throwing the baby out with the bath water, right? My girls are now 36, and I have met their birth mother. I have thanked her long before I met her for having the courage to give her girls' life...even when her own life was wrought with so much pain. I feel qualified to say that as long as adoption and other forms of child caring are available, even the worse choice is better than abortion. I like what J. Pat said about the unborns right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I feel qualified to speak out because my husband and I have adopted two children ourselves. Its not easy and raising the children is not easy, even the ones I birthed myself. I know that J. Pats sister adopted two children. Thats four children who were given a chance at life. Thats compelling to me. David Saluk, if I havent thanked you for the work you have done in keeping our class together, thank you. J. Pat Williams, the fight to save children is difficult, and Im sure it wears on you--- but thank you for not giving up and taking the risk of having some go against you for doing so. Charlotte Riley, A former Tennessean but always a Volunteer Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met BJP president J P Nadda here on Tuesday amid the spiralling political crisis in the state threatening the three-party Maha Vikas Adhadi government's existence. Fadnavis is believed to have briefed Nadda about the unfolding political developments in the western state. He arrived in the national capital earlier to discuss the issue with the party's top brass, with 39 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and at least 10 independent legislators from the state lodged in a five star hotel in Assam and working on overdrive to bring down the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The BJP has denied any role in the rebellion but Fadnavis is being seen to be playing a key role in working out a post-MVA dispensation which he may head with support from the Sena rebels. General Sessions Court Judge Gerald Webb told members of the Pachyderm Club on Monday that, like others, he has no real answers to solving the local crime problem in light of two recent mass shootings. We have a great city and it can be greater, said the judge, who is opposed by prosecutor Larry Ables in his race for a new term. But we cant be greater until we get a real hold and a real grasp of whats going on in this city. The reality is a lot of people dont want to talk about what we are dealing with in this city. Judge Webb said the reality is that the majority of people he sees in court and that are involved in harsh crimes in Hamilton County are young black males. Sometimes these kids can be saved and sometimes they cant. A lot of them dont have options in life, said Judge Webb. We have 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds getting in cars for drive-by shootings. Thats whats happening today. In regards to Silverdale, Judge Webb said he believes it should be reserved only for the worst of the worst. He said its about prioritizing who goes into Silverdale because theres limited space but unlimited people coming in. Some of these people could win the lottery today and be breaking into your homes tomorrow, that's just who they are, said Judge Webb. You could pump a billion dollars into programs and you might put a dent into what we have going on now. We are talking about erosion of family, of morals, a slow steady erosion. Judge Webb said he often gets asked how to fix Chattanoogas crime problem but he says he honestly does not know - simply because these are societal issues that cannot be solved by government, money, or programs. There needs to be an awakening that happens across this country with our kids and young people, said Judge Webb. A woman told police she was pumping gas at 7022 Shallowford Road and left her wallet on the back of her vehicle. She said she left the scene and came back once she realized her wallet was gone. She said the wallet had her TN ID, $500 cash and a ring worth $9,000. She does not know if the wallet fell off at the gas station or somewhere else. * * * An anonymous caller told police there was a man standing around on Water Street carrying a brown paper sack. The caller said they observed a handgun inside the paper sack. The description was given of a black male with dreads and black pants. Police located a man matching the exact description. He was identified and said he was not carrying a brown paper sack. Police checked the area for weapons, however nothing was located. * * * The manager for the Westin Hotel, 801 Pine St., told police a woman had stayed for one night in room 821. He said the cleaning staff went into the room the next day and found multiple driver's licenses left behind. The manager wished to turn these over to police. Officers will be transporting theses ID's to CPD's Property Division. * * * Police were called to a residence on Whitney Street, where a tree had fallen onto three vehicles. No injuries were reported. Damage to all vehicles appeared to be superficial, but due to the size of the tree, an accurate estimate of the damage could not be assessed. * * * A woman told police her vehicle had been damaged while she was in the Hamilton Place Mall. She said she does not know how or who did the damage. * * * A woman on McBrien Road called police to report that her neighbor had a dead tree that was a danger to the building. The woman was given information on how to request the city to examine the danger. She said she would go online and register the issue. * * * A man on E. 11th Street told police he wanted his female friend to leave for the night. Police spoke with the woman, who said she was going to leave. * * * A woman on Courage Way told police they have had an ongoing problem with an apartment where their kids are up and playing all day and night. The woman wanted a report and for police to speak to the occupants in that apartment. Police tried to make contact with the occupants, but were unable to get anyone to come to the door. * * * A woman on Georgia Avenue told police that at an unknown time, damage was done to the driver's side mirror on her Chevrolet CZL. She said she did not observe the incident when it occurred, nor did she have any suspect information. Police observed her vehicle parked legally out of the roadway, as well as the damage she mentioned. The woman requested a report be made for her insurance. * * * A man on N. Hickory Street told police he did not want his niece on his property anymore. Police spoke with the niece and she left without issue. * * * A man on Wilcox Boulevard told police his gray 2015 Chevy Malibu (TN tag) had been taken from his home between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 2:25 a.m. He said he has the only set of keys to the vehicle and he does not know how it could have been stolen. There is no suspect information. The vehicle was entered into NCIC. The vehicle was recovered by United Wrecker later, who contacted the man. Police met with the man as he retrieved his vehicle. The vehicle was taken out of NCIC. * * * While on routine parole, an officer observed a vehicle parked on the side of the road on 14th Street. Upon conducting a registration check on the vehicle, the officer was alerted that the vehicle in question may possibly be stolen. The officer contacted Dispatch where the information was confirmed. This vehicle was taken out of NCIC and the owner was notified via Dispatch. A-1 towing came and recovered the vehicle. * * * Police discovered a gray Chevy Malibu abandoned in the intersection of Jarren Drive and Forest Highland Drive. The vehicle was left with the doors unlocked and no keys visible in the vehicle. Police did see a wallet sitting in the center console with ID cards for a woman and a man. The vehicle's VIN pulls up registration listing a woman on Timber Hills Drive in Cleveland as the current registered owner of the vehicle. No phone or further contact information was listed. Since the vehicle was left abandoned in the lane of travel, Cain's Wrecker was called to the scene for a tow. Police stayed on scene until the vehicle was towed and the roadway cleared. * * * A man at the Lookout Mountain Tomato Company, 1212 Peeples St., told police that a black male in a wheelchair had been setting fires there recently. He told police that just prior to their arrival, the man set a fire and then left it unattended. The man said he had to extinguished the fire. Police observed the location of the fire to be no closer than 10 feet from the closest tents. Police were unable to locate the man or to identify him. * * * While patrolling the area around the Circle K, 3729 Tennessee Ave., police observed a white male in the parking lot of Circle K, attempting to flag down police. Once in the parking lot, the man charged at police, yelling about a knife. The man asked to be transported to the "next town" to get away from all the "gang activity pulling knives on him." Police gave the man a ride to the Georgia line, per his request. Maybelle Apartments just before they were demolished - photo by From the Pat St. Charles, Jr., Collection scanned by Sam Hall, Chattanoogahistory.com Apartments at 907 Cedar St. shortly before they were torn down - photo by From the Pat St. Charles, Jr., Collection scanned by Sam Hall, Chattanoogahistory.com The Higgins and Dorsey families were longtime residents of Cedar Street on the Westside, living side by side at 917 and 919 Cedar. The connection was that Lenora Higgins was the wife of William Oscar Park Dorsey Sr. Her father, John Goldsmith "Capt. Jack" Higgins, was the inventor of the Eureka Straightening Comb, and it was produced in a building at the rear of the Higgins home. Her mother, Jennie Higgins, was quite accomplished herself. She operated a popular beauty shop in Chattanooga and later got into real estate. She wound up owning much of the property surrounding her, including erecting two apartment buildings and acquiring others. Josephine Dorsey Wheeler, granddaughter of John G. Higgins, produced a book on the amazing comb that became popular with women across the country and overseas. She also provided interesting details about the two families. John G. and Jennie Higgins were at 19 Early St. by 1910. Early Street was a continuation of Cedar Street past Ninth Street and later the entire street took the Cedar Street name. Jarrett Elston and Willie Finch were early residents at 17 Early, but the Dorseys soon moved in and lived there for several decades. The attractive two-story frame house featured a large front porch with an A-shaped roof and a small room over it. John G. Higgins was described as a precocious youth who announced to his teachers in Athens, Ala., that he was going to do great things one day. He was born at Athens in 1856 and raised there. He spent much of his time as a youth tinkering with watches and other gadgets. He also enjoyed "talking with people with active minds" instead of wasting time on "trifles." After he migrated to the much-larger town of Joliet, Ill., he met "a charming and beautiful girl." She was Domicilia Jean Bonjourant, who was from Chillicotite, Ohio. She was part French and she learned the French method of beauty culture. She had worked in shops in Chicago and elsewhere. The marriage of John Higgins and Ms. Bonjourant occurred in 1881. He quickly decided that her name needed to be shortened to Jennie. They lived at Braceville, Ill., where he started a successful barber shop. Then they tried Rosedale, Kan. where their daughter was born. Dissatisfied there, they set out for Chattanooga, Tn., remembering its beautiful scenery from a prior visit there as a child. He then acquired the home on Early Street and opened a watch repair shop. He later switched to the barber business with a proven formula of getting one shop up and running, selling it, then starting another. Jennie Higgins opened the Star Hair Dressing Bazaar. The name was later shortened to Higgins Beauty Shop. A publication in 1903 said, "Mrs. Jennie Higgins is the only manufacturer of human hair goods located in Chattanooga. She is the proprietor of the only hair dressing establishment for ladies." She soon moved to larger quarters on East Eighth Street between Market and Cherry streets. John Higgins was known around town as a natty dresser and a confident and sophisticated man. He earned the sobriquet of "Capt. Jack." Despite his business success, he still wanted to produce the "great thing" that he had promised his early teachers. After hearing a chance remark on a downtown street, he decided to invent a comb that could straighten kinky hair into straight fluffy hair. He experimented with many different metals and finally concluded that brass and copper worked best. He got a trademark for the comb on May 21, 1907, four months after producing the first model. Orders quickly began coming in and production was ramped up at the building to the rear of their home. He still was full of ideas and also patented a combination rat and roach trap. Due to the outbreak of the first world war, John Higgins could no longer get the brass and copper he needed for his comb. He also fretted about the new federal income tax, believing it would further take away from the family finances. Due to these concerns, he took his own life at his home in March 1919. He was 71. With her beauty shop still doing well, Jennie Higgins began to delve into real estate. She first purchased a two-story frame house with a large magnolia tree in the front yard that was next door. She then bought two vacant lots next to that and erected two brick apartment buildings with four apartments each. One at 909 Cedar she called the Maybelle. Mrs. Wheeler related in her book that the apartments rented immediately. She next bought three brick attached buildings on the same side of the block on the other end. She then owned all the property on her side of that block of the street. Jennie Higgins died in 1929 at age 63. Lenora Higgins majored in music at Fisk Normal School at Nashville. Then she enrolled in the Burnham Beauty School of Chicago. Afterward, she began helping her mother in the Chattanooga salon. Lenora in 1915 married W.O.P. Dorsey, who was born at Jackson, Ga., and raised at Gadsden, Ala. His father was a full blood Cherokee Indian. W.O.P. Dorsey had a successful barber shop at Gadsden prior to moving to Chattanooga. Soon after arriving, he set up a shop at the Terminal Station. and they moved into the house next to the Higgins couple. Mrs. Wheeler said after a short time Lenora's new husband showed her a newly built frame house in a field outside of town. But she immediately let him know she was "not a country girl." They remained on the Westside. After the death of his father-in-law, W.O.P. Dorsey took over operation of the comb factory. It remained in operation at the same location until 1950 when it was closed. By then it was facing competition from electric models. The Higgins and Dorsey families were active members of the First Congregational Church that was at Ninth and Lindsay streets. The church was said to be the first in the South to invite whites and blacks to worship together. Josephine Dorsey Wheeler was the eldest of four children born to W.O.P. Dorsey Sr. and Lenora. She remained in Chattanooga for a number of years teaching English at Howard High School and the Second District School. She stayed in Chattanooga until her marriage to George Wheeler when they moved to New York City. Josephine was the valedictorian of her high school class. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Fisk University and Master of Arts Degrees in Education and Guidance from Columbia University Teachers College. She taught in the New York City Public School System until retiring in 1982. She continued to teach at St. Johns University and at St. Josephs Private Day School. Her sister, Evelyn, was a graduate of Howard. She furthered her education with bachelors from Fisk University and the University of Illinois, and Masters in Library Science from the University of Michigan in 1946. She was described as "a person of unwavering strength, not afraid to stand up as an active advocate during the Mississippi civil rights movement, working on voter registration, women's rights, literacy and equality issues. She was an active member of the NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National Democratic Party, and the League of Women Voters; she also assisted the Freedom Riders in Meridian." She married Dr. Octavius Douglas Polk and they lived at Meridian, Miss. She worked on the Eureka Comb book with her sister. The book may still be ordered through Amazon. Another sister was Doris Dorsey. Their brother, W.O.P. "Bill" Dorsey Jr., was director of information at the Chattanooga Public Schools, then was in the same position at UTC. He married the former Tardiefay Arvant Davis, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. W.B. Davis. Dr. Davis was a Chattanooga dentist. W.O.P. Dorsey died in 1956 at the residence on Cedar Street. When Lenora died 10 years later, she was living on Fortwood Street. By then, the Higgins and Dorsey homes along with Jennie Higgins' brick apartment buildings had disappeared along with Cedar Street. Dr. Anita Polk-Conley, a great-granddaughter of the inventor of the Eureka comb, is a leader in the MLK District of Chattanooga and a professor at Chattanooga State Community College. She was born and raised at Meridian, Miss., but returned to the family roots in Chattanooga. A supporter of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank points to the amount of funds that still need to be raised as matching funds for the expansion project in Dalton - photo by Mitch Talley When Braden was in the fourth grade, he learned how to turn wood at school. He instantly fell in love with the craft and, after getting his own equipment for Christmas, now-fifth grader Braden has decided to use his newfound hobby to serve the community. Ever since I volunteered with my Boy Scout troop at the Food Bank, and I learned about how others dont have all the food that they need, I have always wanted to find a way to help, Braden explained. Thats when he decided to start selling his handcrafted bowls, pens, salt and pepper shakers, and other items, then donating the proceeds back to the Food Bank. Bradens generosity along with that of many other like-minded residents - is greatly appreciated by officials with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, especially as the organization seeks to raise the remaining portion of the matching funds required by a $2.35 million grant that will allow expansion of services in nine Northwest Georgia counties. Food bank leaders gathered at the facility on South Hamilton Street in Dalton on Thursday afternoon, sharing the good news about the upcoming expansion with partner agencies, volunteers, and state and local government officials. Construction will begin in September and is expected to be finished by May 2023. Were dreaming of the day when we can say no neighbor in our community will go hungry, President and CEO Melissa Blevins told the crowd. To do that, we have to have the support of many [who will agree that] it is not OK for Northwest Georgians to go hungry, it is not OK for seniors to choose between food and their medicine, and its not OK for mamas to decide not to eat so they have enough to feed their children. The expansion couldnt come at a better time, she said, especially now that food and gas prices are on the rise, leading to an increased demand for Food Bank services. In fact, Angela Nicholette, director of operations, says distribution has nearly doubled over the past few months and the number of people being helped is even higher than during COVID. We are preparing to meet a possible 10 percent increase in the next three to five years of people served, Ms. Blevins said, and a 25 percent increase in the next eight to 10 years of people served in this region. The expansion will also position the Food Bank to increase distribution in the Northwest Georgia area by 19 percent, from 6.3 million pounds of food to more than 7.5 million pounds of food annually. The $3.5 million project is being partially funded with the $2.35 million Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Two Whitfield County government staff members, Debbie Godfrey and Carol Roberts, helped the Food Bank successfully apply for the grant, which requires a match of $784,600. Melanie Hammontree, director of development, says about $200,000 remains to be raised in the coming weeks. The impact of the project will be tremendous, she said, for the nearly 65,000 residents in Whitfield, Murray, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, and Walker counties who are being served through the Food Bank with the help of its 83 partner agencies and churches, including 38 in Whitfield County alone. Last year, 6.4 million pounds of groceries were distributed through 118 programs that serve families struggling with hunger. One such program is City of Refuge in Dalton, represented at Thursdays event by office manager Merrilyl Calfee. I guess the biggest thing I did not realize is just how much poverty we have in our community, she said, and I know there are lots of people across our community that dont realize weve got many, many families in need. In fact, Ms. Calfee says statistically parts of Dalton and Whitfield County are considered food deserts because access to food is so low for many. Its through the partnership with the Chattanooga Food Bank that were able to help people, she said, noting that City of Refuge also appreciates its partnership with Walmart Market and other businesses. City of Refuge also recently became the first agency to participate in the Food Banks new partnership with Door Dash that provides for free mobile delivery of food boxes to those in need. Part of the grant has already been used in April to purchase the warehouse the Food Bank has leased in Dalton for the past 11 years, and the rest of the funds will eventually allow them to more than double the amount of office space, add three new dock doors for easier distribution, and greatly increase storage capacity for refrigerated and frozen items with the installation of two new 30-foot x30-foot containers. Well be able to accept a whole truckload of food then, Ms. Hammontree said, noting that in the past some items have had to be redirected because they just didnt have enough room for storage at the facility. Ms. Blevins says research shows that one in six residents in North Georgia may not know where their next meal is coming from, adding that number is just not acceptable. We could just keep doing what weve been doing which is the best we can, she said, but those 65,000 of our North Georgia neighbors deserve better. They deserve a better quality of food, they deserve a better quantity of food, so our board of directors and staff have worked furiously on this project over the past 12 months. Were not just about food were about the right food so we can provide healthy and nutritious food. This project will help us meet that goal. If you would like to help, you may support the NWGA Food Bank Project by contacting Ms. Hammontree, director of development, at mhammontree@chattfoodbank.org or 423-622-1800 (ext. 218). Online donations are also being accepted at the following link: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form?svcid=renxt&formId=a9ad39bb-e4aa-419f-98be-b25519b0d8ae&envid=p-wTtExAxteEq94ZgcPLa4YA&zone=usa. Checks can also be mailed to the following address: Chattanooga Area Food Bank/NWGA Branch P.O. Box 1564 Dalton, Ga 30722 (Please designate NWGA/DCA Project) The city of Chattanooga will join five other communities across the country in the inaugural Putting Assets to Work Incubator, that is described as "a selective new initiative that will revitalize and recirculate underutilized property and other assets to drive prosperity across the city." Officials said, "Instead of sitting on old properties, using them for storage, or allowing them to become overgrown and blighted, the initiative will help the city propel these community assets back into circulation where they can both grow the economy and increase funding for key initiatives. "As part of Mayor Tim Kellys 100-day plan in 2021, the city inventoried more than 650 underutilized parcels totaling more than 2,500 acres that could be leveraged toward a higher and better use. Each property is unique, ranging from surplus tax sale properties to difficult-to-develop brownfields, and must be further studied to determine an appropriate use. "Through Putting Assets to Work, the city will embark on a 10-month fact-finding mission to map and plan uses for these underutilized properties and other assets - such as dormant parking lots or former industrial sites - that could be suitable for private investment. A similar project in Utah revealed a collection of underutilized assets that were worth billions of dollars in economic opportunity. "The city will then leverage these assets to create jobs and homes while still retaining public ownership of the underlying properties. The proceeds will return to the community in the form of new revenue for key initiatives that support the One Chattanooga strategic plan, such as affordable housing and transportation infrastructure investments, creating a virtuous cycle." Mayor Kelly said, By participating in the Putting Assets to Work Incubator, our city is getting an incredible opportunity to leverage its public assets in an innovative way. With increased returns on previously underutilized assets, well be able to better fund critical initiatives like affordable housing and infrastructure improvements, improving the quality of life in our communities. The Putting Assets to Work Incubator is a new initiative spearheaded by former Mayor and Congressman Ben McAdams, in partnership with the Sorenson Impact Center, Government Finance Officers Association, and Urban3. The city was selected to participate through a competitive application process, joining five other local governments: the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Resilience Authority, in Annapolis, Maryland, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland; the City of Atlanta, Georgia; the City of Cleveland, Ohio; Harris County, Texas; and the City of Lancaster, California. We are absolutely delighted to start working with the city of Chattanooga, said Mr. McAdams, who served as Mayor of Salt Lake County from 2013 to 2019 before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. When I was mayor, we identified all government-owned assets within the county and were shocked to discover they were valued at roughly $10 billion. That's huge for a jurisdiction our size. If we are able to improve the public return on our assets even slightly, we can start to address some of the major challenges facing our region. Now through our Putting Assets to Work incubator, we hope to be able to provide a blueprint for others to do the same. The PAW Incubator is made possible by a partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based think tank dedicated to improving quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land; and thanks to support from Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that brings talented people together in networks to prove out their ideas and solve hard problems in science and society. Several new laws will take effect to protect victims of crime and crack down on violent criminals on Friday. The changes to Tennessees criminal justice system include establishing truth and transparency in criminal sentencing. In addition, other new laws will strengthen penalties for violent offenses to maintain public safety. Major Truth in Sentencing legislation will go into effect on July 1 that requires a person convicted of certain violent offenses to serve 100 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for release. It ensures criminals convicted of attempted first degree murder, second degree murder, vehicular homicide, especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated robbery, carjacking, and especially aggravated burglary will serve 100 percent of their sentence undiminished by any sentence reduction credits earned. Under the new law, sponsored by Lt. Governor Randy McNally and Senator Jon Lundberg, a person convicted of one of these eight offenses could still earn credits that can be used for increased privileges, reduced security classification or for any purpose other than the reduction of their sentence. Truth in Sentencing is vital legislation that protects victims and provides true accountability for those who commit crimes, said Lt. Gov. McNally. The clarity Truth in Sentencing provides will serve as a critical deterrent against violent offenders. The costs associated with the law are well worth the peace of mind offered to victims and the overall boost to public safety. Tennesseans across the political spectrum want law and order in Tennessee. This legislation will go a long way toward providing it. To continue lawmakers efforts to protect victims of crime, on July 1 victims and their families will be better informed about how much time an offender will serve at the time of sentencing. A new law, also sponsored by Lt. Gov. McNally and Senator John Stevens, requires all Tennessee courts to place on the record the estimated number of years and months to be served before a criminal is eligible for parole, as well as the reason for the sentence and enhancements. Currently, when a criminal defendant is being sentenced, it is unknown when that criminal defendant is going to be released unless they are required to serve a 100 percent sentence without credits. Transparency in Sentencing is necessary to create true accountability for the criminal justice system, said Senator Stevens. Victims and the general public need to have all information possible. This transparency will help mitigate any false sense of security victims might previously have felt after hearing a full sentence imposed. Protection of children is the impetus of another new law that will go into effect July 1. This measure, sponsored by Senator Dawn White, enhances the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony for a person operating an unlicensed child care facility and found guilty of abuse, neglect or endangerment. The law is in response to an incident in Morristown, Tn. where an unlicensed childcare facility was neglecting children, but criminal charges could not be pursued because no physical harm was done to the children. Other new laws that will take effect on July 1 to maintain law and order and punish criminals who commit heinous acts include: Legislation sponsored by Senator Paul Rose to require criminals convicted of first-degree murder, the perpetration or attempted perpetration of rape, rape of a child and aggravated rape of a child to be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. A statute also sponsored by Senator Rose to crack down on drive-by shootings. The new law will impose stricter penalties one classification higher on criminals convicted of aggravated assault that involved the use of a deadly weapon if the violation was committed by a firearm discharged from within a motor vehicle. A bill sponsored by Senator Lundberg to prohibit a sexual offender from renting or offering to rent a swimming pool, hot tub or other body of water used for swimming. Violation of this new law is a Class A misdemeanor. The Joe Clyde Daniels Act, sponsored by Senator Kerry Roberts, which makes it harder for convicted murderers to be granted parole if they do not disclose the location of their victims remains. It helps ensure victims can receive a proper burial. The bill was prompted by the disappearance of 5-year-old Joe Clyde Daniels from his home in Dickson on April 4, 2018. His father, Joseph Daniels, was convicted of the murder in June. However, the childs remains have never been found. More information on other key laws that will take effect July 1, 2022 can be found here. Deputy Paul Allen has recently been assigned as its new public information officer. Mr. Allen brings a wealth of experience and continued education in his new role. Deputy Allen is a 13-year veteran of the Bradley County Sheriffs Office and holds a masters degree in Business Administration from Bryan College in Dayton. Deputy Allen began his law enforcement career in 2000 with the Charleston Police Department and then the 10th Judicial Drug Task Force prior to enlisting with the United States Coast Guard, where he served active duty for five years. During his time with the Coast Guard, Mr. Allens role consisted of being a Law Enforcement Boarding Team member during drug and migrant patrols in the Caribbean Sea. He later became a flight mechanic on the Coast Guards HU-25 Falcon jet airframe, while stationed in Mobile, Al. Deputy Paul Allen has served the Bradley County Sheriffs Office as a patrol deputy, boating safety officer, and more recently, the long-time school resource officer at North Lee Elementary School. Mr. Allen is a good communicator who possesses a positive, enthusiastic spirit with a desire to inspire those who work with him at the Sheriffs Office. Mr. Allen plans to reinforce the strong relationship the Bradley County Sheriffs Office has with the community. The Signal Mountain Council passed the fiscal year 2023 budget on the first reading at a Monday night special called meeting prior to the regularly scheduled work session. The property tax rate will remain the same as last year, at $1.7012 per $100 of assessed value. Included in it are retention bonuses for each employee that will be based on a percentage of their salaries. Federal money that the town received from ARPA funds for COVID relief will be used to improve infrastructure including needs for the water company, road repair and improvements for stormwater drainage. Money is also included in the budget to be able to livestream the towns meetings and record them for YouTube. Until the public hearing and second and final reading on July 11, the town will continue to operate on the 2022 budget including paving Brooks Edge Lane. The only bid received for the work to pave the 245-foot-long street came from Phaltless, Inc. for $40,215. At the work session portion of the meeting, the council heard requests for the many significant needs of the town from department heads. Council members agreed with Public Works Director Loretta Hopper, that there is an immediate need to purchase a new tractor mower with a boom arm that the city uses daily to mow and trim right-of-ways and vacant properties. The tractor is functioning but the boom arm broke, she told the council. The equipment had been scheduled for replacement and $80,000 is in the vehicle replacement fund for it, but the cost is now estimated to be $150,000. In the meantime the city has use of one that is on loan from Hamilton County. The next step will be to get bids on a replacement, which should be available by next spring. A request to buy a bucket truck for the public works department was also considered. It would be used for tree work, and could also be used by the parks and recreation department to replace bulbs and do maintenance and repairs to lighting that belong to the town. When a bucket truck has been needed in the past, the equipment has been rented or the work has been given to tree or electric contractors. The council decided that the cost of a truck would not justify buying the equipment that is not used daily, compared to what was spent last year for tree maintenance and upkeep of lighting. It will have to pay for itself, said Council Member Andrew Gardner. A suggestion was to continue renting and collect data this year and track costs in order to make a better judgement about a purchase next year. Fire Chief Eric Mitchell detailed options for the acquisition of a new pumper truck for the fire department. Options he has researched include purchasing it, which would depend on the purchase amount, down payment amount and interest. Costs would also vary depending if payment was up front that could earn discounts or paid for when delivered. This truck is needed for the department to maintain its Number 2 ISO rating which helps to keep insurance premiums down for residents. A huge part of the rating, said Chief Mitchell, is fire flow, or gallons per minute and a city the size of Signal Mountain needs three pumpers to maintain the rating. The chief will get specifics from the seller and different payment schedules to present to the council. Matt Justice, the water utilities director, told the council that soon, a new water pump installed in 1949 will need to be replaced. That one is a 250-gallon-per-minute pump. He said it should be replaced with one that will pump 670 gallons per minute to accommodate the growth of Signal Mountain. He said that around $300,000 had been budgeted last year for a new pump but it did not get done. Mr. Justice said he plans to seek a grant from the state of Tennessee that would pay 65 percent of the cost. Also needed as a companion to the new pump will be a generator. Presently, the town does not have one which would serve as a back up if power is lost. He said he would also like to install a switch that could connect and switch the towns pump to a generator owned by Tennessee American Water, if needed. Connections of the new pump, generator and switch will require electrical upgrades. There are future plans to build a totally new station for the pump system. Signal Mountains water is supplied by Tennessee American Water. The town traditionally has a minimum purchase agreement with the utility. Because water usage has become more efficient, mostly due to leak detection and repairs, the minimum gallons in the contract was not met in 2022 and the town had to pay $16,000-$19,000 in penalties. The contract can be amended, said Mr. Justice, to reduce the minimum amount of usage, although the rate per gallon would stay the same. This would not be a new contract, he said, but an amendment to the old one. With 12 months notice, either the town or the utility can get out of the contract. The Signal Mountain water utility is also considering offering a water leak adjustment program to customers. For a small monthly payment, the program would cover the adjustment back to the locations average use. On Monday night, the council gave Elaine Brunelle, interim city manager, approval to update the citys policies regarding COVID. As the virus has evolved and changed, signs in the lobby of city hall and the requirement of masks will be removed. In her report, Ms. Brunelle said that all of the towns fire hydrants have been tested and that all of them have sufficient pressure. The results of the testing will be published to let citizens know that they are safe, she said. A year ago the town entered into a five-year contract with the Signal Mountain Education Preservation Fund (SMEPF) to lease the building which houses the Mountain Arts Community Center. It recently was discovered that the contract had not been signed resulting in the need for a new contract. SMEPF board member Dick Graham clarified the relationship between the town and the organization. The town owns the building and leases it to SMEPF. The town provides maintenance for the exterior of the building and utilities and insurance, but gives no funding for programs that take place there. He also said a board, not any individual, makes decisions such as when masks are required. Mayor Charles Poss said there has been discussion about the town having some type of oversight for the SMEPF and it may come in the form of reactivation of the MACC board which is currently vacant. This could give some town presence at the facility. Mayor Poss also would like residents to know they are welcome to the pubic meetings held by the town. He said they are posted on Facebook and advertised through an email blast and on the towns website. He said no residence is more than seven minutes from town hall where the meetings take place. Council member Gardner added that also anyone can reach out to any council member individually since their email addresses are on the towns website. The next Signal Mountain Council meeting will be held July 11 at 6 p.m. Datelines well-known and well-loved Keith Morrison is no stranger to strange people. Hes interviewed many of them during his time hosting NBCs true-crime series. Recently, though, he was the one being interviewed, and he shared some of the wackier experiences that came out of regularly sitting down with convicted murderers. Keith Morrison has had an illustrious career in journalism Keith Morrison of Dateline NBC | Rob Kim/Getty Images Before his work on Dateline, Keith Morrison appropriately proved himself in the field of journalism. Starting out as a local reporter and anchor for Canadian news stations in the 1960s, he went on to work for Canada AM in 1973. This put him in the position to give some fantastic reports on the Yom Kippur War. He jumped from station to station for the next few years, his next major reporting achievements coming when he joined NBC in 1988. A year after his hiring, he reported on the Tiananmen Square protests, contributing to various documentaries and articles about it after the fact. While he briefly returned to Canada, he eventually rejoined NBC as a Dateline correspondent in 1995, the position he still holds today. Many of the criminals Morrison has interviewed have given extraordinary excuses for their actions For many, Keith Morrison is best known for his work on Dateline. As he approaches nearly 30 years in the role, the correspondent sat down with Vanity Fair to discuss his career. In particular, he talked about some of the unusual characters he met in his work. One person of interest was Jaime Ramos, a convicted murderer who Morrison had interviewed behind bars back in 2010. In a story every bit as wild as an episode of Murder, She Wrote, Ramos and his lover Patty Presba worked together to murder Presbas husband, staging the death like an accident with all sorts of unhinged complications and betrayals. Tragic as the events were, they made for good TV. Morrison is set to revisit the case again on the upcoming Dateline podcast series, The Seduction. In the interview, Morrison recounted how he and a producer went to interview Ramos, with their talk lasting over four hours. Of everything, what stuck out to him most was how honest and detailed Ramos story was. People lie to you all the time in these interviews, Morrison said. You go in expecting that people are going to lie to you, and they generally do. Not Ramos, though. Here was a guy who simply remembered every single solitary detail of this story, chapter and verse, over the whole period of time. And he didnt hold back. He didnt try to avoid blaming himself. He didnt try to push blame onto anybody else. It was extraordinary. However, Ramos was certainly not the norm. Morrison went on to talk about some of the other characters hes chatted with for the show. While he makes a point of not automatically assuming the guilt of the person hes with, he also says that many lies can be quite obvious. One criminal of note was a particularly awful murderer and sexual predator who claimed his crimes were the states fault for not monitoring his GPS ankle bracelet better. Another who was an ex-priest fully believed that the murder of his partner was no big deal, as hed simply see her again in Heaven with all forgiven. The interview also dug into Keith Morrisons iconic speaking style Whether its his work as an anchor for Dateline or in projects like The Thing About Pam, everyone loves to listen to Keith Morrison talk. Its such a big part of his appeal that it even got its own section in the interview. From his fantastic voice to his colorful descriptions, fans cant get enough of him. He says that part of his talent for talking comes from the people he works with. He credits the other writers working at NBC for providing him with exceptional outlines, which he then dresses up in his own style. I take whats already pretty good and try to turn it into something that sounds like me. Most shocking, though, is that Morrison claims to hate the sound of his voice. It depends on what time of day you ask me, though, he added. RELATED: Dateline: Lori Vallows Former Friend Says She Called Chad Daybell an Antichrist Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Union minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda here on Tuesday to discuss the party's next course of action amid the spiralling political crisis in the state threatening the three-party Maha Vikas Adhadi government's existence. Fadnavis was joined by BJP MP and senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani in the meeting with the home minister, sources said. They are believed to have explored various options available for the party and deliberated on their legal feasibility as the BJP works to recapture power in Maharashtra with the help of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and several independent lawmakers. After meeting Shah, Fadnavis drove to Nadda's residence and briefed him about the unfolding political developments in the western state. Earlier in the day, he arrived in the national capital from Mumbai to discuss the issue with the party's top brass. Around 39 rebel Sena MLAs and at least 10 independent legislators from the state have lodged themselves at a five star hotel in Assam in their bid to bring down the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The BJP has denied any role in the rebellion but Fadnavis is being seen to be playing a key role in working out a post-MVA dispensation which he may head with support from the Sena rebels. BJP sources have maintained that any concrete outline of the next government has not been worked out but added that Eknath Shinde, the senior Sena leader who has led the rebellion against his party's alliance with traditional adversaries the Congress and the NCP, and other key members of the group will be suitably accommodated in case their party comes to power. Shinde may be made deputy chief minister in such an eventuality. The priority right now is to bring down the MVA government as it has clearly lost majority in the assembly, BJP leaders said. The rebels may approach the state governor, conveying the decision to withdraw their support from the Thackeray government. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari then may ask the ruling alliance to undergo a floor test in the assembly. The next couple of days may see a fresh movement from the rebels against the government, sources said. Though the BJP sources expressed confidence that the Uddhav Thackeray government is on its last leg, the party is treading cautiously to avoid any wrong move like the one in 2019 which had caused it embarrassment when Fadnavis formed a short lived government in alliance with the NCP faction headed by Ajit Pawar without ensuring adequate support of MLAs. Fadnavis had to resign in three days as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar rallied his party MLAs to thwart his nephew's bid to join hands with the BJP to form the government. The Sena then joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to come to power. The BJP has long nursed a grudge against the Sena as both parties had fought the 2019 assembly polls together and had secured a comfortable majority. However, its ally insistence that the post of chief ministership should be rotated between the two parties and not be held by the BJP alone led to a split. For decades, field-effect transistors enabled by silicon-based semiconductors have powered the electronics revolution. But in recent years, manufacturers have come up against hard physical limits to further size reductions and efficiency gains of silicon chips. That has scientists and engineers looking for alternatives to conventional metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors. Organic semiconductors offer several distinct advantages over conventional silicon-based semiconducting devices: they are made from abundantly available elements, such as carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen; they offer mechanical flexibility and low cost of manufacture; and they can be fabricated easily at scale, notes UC Santa Barbara engineering professor Yon Visell, part of a group of researchers working with the new materials. Perhaps more importantly, the polymers themselves can be crafted using a wide variety of chemistry methods to endow the resulting semiconducting devices with interesting optical and electrical properties. These properties can be designed, tuned or selected in many more ways than can inorganic (e.g., silicon-based) transistors. The design flexibility that Visell describes is exemplified in the reconfigurability of the devices reported by UCSB researchers and others in the journal Advanced Materials. Reconfigurable logic circuits are of particular interest as candidates for post-CMOS electronics, because they make it possible to simplify circuit design while increasing energy efficiency. One recently developed class of carbon-based (as opposed to, say, silicon- or gallium-nitride-based) transistors), called organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), have been shown to be well-suited for reconfigurable electronics. In the recent paper, chemistry professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, who leads the UCSB Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, and co-authors including Visell describe a breakthrough material a soft, semiconducting carbon-based polymer that can provide unique advantages over the inorganic semiconductors currently found in conventional silicon transistors. Reconfigurable organic logic devices are promising candidates for the next generations of efficient computing systems and adaptive electronics, the researchers write. Ideally, such devices would be of simple structure and design, [as well as] power-efficient and compatible with high-throughput microfabrication techniques. Conjugating for Conductivity A conjugated polyelectrolyte, or CPE-K, consists of a central conjugated backbone, with alternating single and double bonds, and multiple charged side chains with ions attached. Having conjugated bonds throughout the polymer makes it conductive, because the delocalized electrons have high mobility across the length of the polymer, explains lead author Tung Nguyen-Dang, a postdoctoral researcher in Nguyens lab who is co-advised by Visell. You are marrying two classic materials, the polymer and the semiconductor, in this molecular design. Artificial intelligence (AI) played a role in developing the material. You can proceed by trial and error to make a material, Nguyen says. You can make a whole bunch of them and hope for the best, and maybe one out of twenty works or has interesting properties; however, we worked with a professor at California State Northridge, Gang Lu, who used AI to select building blocks and do calculations to get a rough idea of how to proceed, given the energy level and properties we were aiming for. Figuring out Reconfigurability One key benefit of CPE-K is that it enables reconfigurable (dual-mode) logic gates, meaning they can be switched on the fly to operate in either depletion mode or accumulation mode, simply by adjusting the voltage at the gate. In depletion mode, current flowing through the active material between the drain and the source is initially high, before application of any gate voltage (a.k.a. the ON state). When the gate voltage is applied, the current drops and the transistor is turned to an OFF state. Accumulation mode is the opposite without gate voltage, the transistor is in an OFF position, and applying a gate voltage yields higher current, switching the device to an ON state. Conventional electronic logic gates, which are the building blocks for all digital circuits found in computers or smart phones, are hardware that do only the one job they are designed for, says Nguyen. For instance, an AND gate has two inputs and one output, and if the inputs applied to it are all 1, then the output will be 1. Similarly, a NOR gate also has two inputs and one output, but if all of the inputs applied to it are 1, then the output will be 0. Electronic gates are implemented using transistors, and reconfiguring them (such as changing from an AND gate to a NOR gate) requires invasive modification, such as dismantling, which is usually too complicated to be practical. Reconfigurable gates, like the one we show, can behave as both types of logic gates, switching from AND to NOR and vice versa by changing only the gate voltage, she continues. Currently in electronics, functionality is defined by structure, but in our device you can change the behavior and make it something else just by changing the voltage applied to it. If we scale up this invention from a single gate to much more complex circuits consisting of many such reconfigurable gates, we can envision a powerful piece of hardware that can be programmed with many more functionalities than conventional ones having the same number of transistors. Another advantage to CPE-K-based OECTs: they can be operated at very low voltages, making them suitable for use in personal electronics. That, combined with its flexibility and bio-compatibility, make the material a likely candidate for implanted biosensors, wearable devices and neuromorphic computing systems in which OECTs might serve as artificial synapses or non-volatile memories. Our colleague is making devices that can monitor the drop of glucose level in the brain that occurs just before a seizure, Nguyen explains of a collaborator at the University of Cambridge in England. And after detection, another device a microfluidic device will deliver a drug locally to stop the process before it happens. Devices made from CPE-K feature concurrent doping and de-doping depending on the type of ions, according to Nguyen. You make the device and put it in a liquid electrolyte sodium chloride [i.e., table salt] dissolved in water, she says. You can then drive the sodium to migrate into the CPE-K active layer by applying a positive voltage at the gate. Alternatively, you can change the polarity of the gate voltage and drive chloride to migrate to the active layer. Each scenario produces a different type of ion injection, and those different ions are what allow us to change the modes of device operation. Self-doping also simplifies the manufacturing process by removing the extra step of adding dopants. A lot of times when you add a dopant, it is not evenly distributed throughout the volume of the material, Nguyen says. The organic doping materials tend to cluster together instead of dispersing. But because our material doesnt need that step, you dont run into the issue of uneven dopant distribution. You also avoid the whole process of optimizing the dopant and determining the right mix and proportions, all of which add steps and complicate processing. The team also developed a physics model for the device that explains its working mechanism and correctly predicts its behavior in both operation modes, thus demonstrating that the device is doing what it seems to be doing. Visell concludes, This remarkable new transistor technology ideally exemplifies the surprising electronic and computing functionalities that are being enabled through convergent research in chemistry, physics, materials and electrical engineering. At 13, Cherokee Nation citizen Kenslea Barnwell is on her way to becoming an accomplished violinist. As uncertainty haunts the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is following the political developments closely and continues in a 'wait and watch' mode. Senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the issue figured in the BJP State Core Committee meeting Monday night when all aspects were discussed in detail by the party's top leadership here. "So far we have not got any proposal from anybody in this matter... Whenever it is received, we shall consider it and call another core committee meeting if needed," said Mungantiwar, reiterating the party's known stance. He added that the MVA government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress should brainstorm and decide whether it commands the majority or has been reduced to a minority regime now. Dismissing the contentions of the rebels and the BJP, Sena leader Anil Desai said that "at least 20 MLAs" are in touch with the parent party (Shiv Sena) and have assured full support to the MVA during the legislature proceedings. A similar statement had been made earlier by Minister Aaditya Thackeray and Sena Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut, MP in the past couple of days, as it remains optimistic of weathering the current upheaval. Rebels group spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar rubbished the Sena claims and termed them as lies and deceptive, intended to defame the supporters of Minister Eknath Shinde currently camping in Guwahati with his flock. "If they are so confident that these 20 MLAs are on their side, then why don't they call them back to Mumbai... What's stopping them? They (Shiv Sena) are simply making false and misleading statements," Kesarkar said sharply. The Shinde faction has claimed the support of 39 Shiv Sena MLAs, and 11 independents or smaller parties and have given hints they are ready to support a BJP-led new government soon. In the 1930s and 1940s, two of the most widely heard preachers in America were also two of the most unlikely candidates for such fame. Fulton Sheen and Walter Maier were both sons of immigrants, both seminary professors specializing in ancient languages, and both from historically oppressed religious traditions. But through the power of radiowhich was then a novel mass mediumthey reached millions of listeners and ultimately reshaped the trajectory of conservative religion in America. Their story is told in Kirk Farneys compulsively readable dual biography, Ministers of a New Medium: Broadcasting Theology in the Radio Ministries of Fulton J. Sheen and Walter A. Maier. Maier, born to German immigrants, showed early academic promise and attended Concordia Seminary (the flagship seminary of the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod) before completing a PhD at Harvard Divinity School. Being part of a still largely German-speaking Lutheran church was an obstacle given public suspicion towards German-American immigrants during and after World War I. Maier, seeking to establish his patriotic bona fides and to register his disapproval of the Prussian military clique, joined the US Army as a chaplain. Yet he promptly pushed the limits of official toleration by ministering to German prisoners of war. After the war, Maier joined the faculty at Concordia Seminary, where in 1924 he convinced the school to apply for a radio license, financing station KFUO with money fundraised from faculty, students, and alumni. Maiers early adoption of radio as a means of outreach quickly paid off. Within a few years, his show, The Lutheran Hour, aired on stations nationwide, first on the CBS network and then on MBS, reaching an estimated audience of 20 million by the time of Maiers death in 1950, making him the most-heard religious broadcaster in America at the time. Similarly, Fulton Sheen, born to an Irish-Catholic immigrant father, had to navigate public hostility towards religious outsiders. While Maier faced exclusion as a second-generation German immigrant, Sheen was a target for enduring American anti-Catholic prejudice. He studied ancient languages at St. Viator College and the Catholic University of America before earning a PhD while studying Thomistic philosophy at the University of Louvain in Belgium. After a brief spell as a small-town curate, he began a professorship at Catholic University and quickly became an in-demand speaker at church conferences, school commencements, and Knights of Columbus ceremonies. Thus, when the NBC network asked the National Council of Catholic Men in 1930 to select speakers for a dedicated Catholic spot on the networks lineup, Sheen was a natural choice. His winsome and yet firm approach to explaining the Catholic faith was needed after the eruption of anti-Catholic prejudice following the failed 1928 presidential bid of Al Smith, the first Catholic nominee of a major American political party. Almost overnight, Sheens sermons reached over seventeen million Americans, making him a household name and leading Pope Pius XI to bestow the honor of papal chamberlain. Ending the religious civil war Contemporary observers compared Maiers and Sheens preaching acumen to the famously golden-mouthed early church father John Chrysostom, high praise indeed for these two scholars of ancient languages. Today, we might instead say that they were the Billy Grahams of their era, anticipating Grahams combination of anti-communist rhetoric, celebrity endorsements, and a commitment to traditional doctrines in implicit opposition to modernist theology. During World War II, Maier condemned atheistic Communism to the same hell to which it leads, while Sheen warned his audience to be wary that their wartime Russian allies might be a Trojan Horse for public acceptance of communism. Both preachers also focused on offering a positive appeal while providing accessible explanations of traditional Christian doctrines like atonement and biblical inspiration. Privately, both Sheen and Maier were quite critical of liberal preachers like Harry Emerson Fosdick, but while on the air they avoided making explicit attacks on other religious groups except in the broadest of terms. Farney quotes historian Robert Handy calling Maier the missing link between the evangelistic bookends of the 20th century, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham. Article continues below But Sheen and Maier shared a deeper similarity. After a lifetime of navigating exclusionwhether anti-Catholic or anti-ethnicthey had each developed a deep-seated commitment to pluralism and religious liberty. It was not hard for them to remember that they were strangers in a still-strange land even as they used a new mass-communication medium to carve out a more tolerant home. This is one of the powers of a novel mass media; it allows previously marginalized groupswho are often more willing to experiment given that the older pathways to influence are barred to themto win greater public acceptance. Image: Courtesy of Lutheran Hour Ministries It is telling that the Lutheran Laymens Leaguea core backer of Maiers The Lutheran Hourworried that the radio ministry of the Jehovahs Witnesses reached more people each week than there were Lutherans in America. Thus, Maier seized on radio as an opportunity for Lutherans to abandon their inferiority complex and their German complex to work for the upbuilding and strengthening of the two greatest institutions in the world, the American Government and the Lutheran Church. Radio was a vital mechanism by which peripheral religious groups could assert social belonging and lay claim to the oft-unfulfilled American promise of religious liberty. Religious radio also played a fundamental role in the forging of new religious identities, creating formations that would have seemed alien to prior generations. Farney highlights the way that Maier and Sheen contributed to the gradual decrease of the longstanding interfaith prejudice between Catholics and Protestants. A third of Sheens audience was non-Catholic, and both men routinely received complimentary listener letters from the opposite tradition. This was by design. As Sheen said, A few decades ago Christianitys struggles were more in the nature of a civil warbetween Methodists and Presbyterians, Lutherans and Anglicans, and in a broader way between Jews, Protestants, and Catholics. But now, face to face with an invasion, an incursion of totally alien forces who are opposed to all religion and all moralitya not-so-veiled reference to Communismthe religious civil war must end. Maier and Sheen were participants in the creation of what historian Kevin Schultz has called Tri-Faith America, which welcomed both Jews and Catholics into the previously Protestant religious consensus via the Cold War logic of national resistance to atheistic totalitarian encroachment. Although a fuller rapprochement between Catholics and Protestants would not come for another generation, Maier and Sheen prepared the way for a time when Judeo-Christian would become a political and religious identity framed in opposition to secular humanism. The Lutheran Hour and The Catholic Hour also played vital roles in establishing what it meant to be Lutheran and Catholic in America. Sheens broadcasts helped break down the old ethnic divisions between Catholicsas Poles, Italians, Irish, and other immigrant communities felt joined via a broader communion of the airwaves. Likewise, Maier encouraged distinctively German Lutherans to think of themselves as part of a larger, evangelical whole. His sermons routinely quoted non-Lutherans from a wide range of denominations, including Fanny Crosby, Charles Wesley, and Dwight Moody. Furthermore, Maier played a significant role in the creation of the National Association of Evangelicals; as I have written elsewhere, the very idea of a new evangelicalism was rooted in a pragmatic defense of the right of religious broadcasters to purchase radio airtime. Thus, over the course of just a few decades, religious radio fundamentally reshaped what it meant to be Lutheran, Catholic, evangelical, and Christian in America. Article continues below Maiers and Sheens role in the development of new, imagined religious communities hinged on the unique power of radio to create the impression of intimacy. Farney calls it perceived intimacy to describe the way listeners felt a personal relationship with broadcasters, people who they had never met before but whose voices still suffused their homes and lives. They responded by mailing in letters and donations, sharing their fears and hopes with their favorite radio preachers. Sheen had a full-time staff of 22 people dedicated to opening and answering the three-to-six thousand letters he received from listeners a day, while Maier got 30,000 letters a week. Both Sheen and Maier routinely read excerpts from listener letters on the air, even using them as the basis for sermon topics. Image: WikiMedia Commons This anticipated the talk radio format that would flourish later in the 20th century, along with its capacity for creating a sense of shared community and perceived intimacy between broadcaster and listener. While that intimacy might seem artificial at best and dangerous at worst, given the pernicious influence of interwar radio demagogues like the antisemitic Father Charles Coughlin, Maier and Sheen serve as a reminder that the same technology could be used for better ends. And today, in an age when politicians and church leaders can use social media to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and speak directly to a new mass audience, both sides of that coin are worth remembering. Optimism and wonderment If there is one weakness in Farneys analysis, it is that he attributes the success of religious radio to the unique genius of the individual broadcasters rather than to broader structural factors. Thus, he implies that it was something about Maiers and Sheens biblical, theological, and topical content that won them a mass audience. Yet while it is true that their learned irenicism aided their success, it was necessary because of the requirements of institutional gatekeepers at the major radio networks and the Federal Radio Commission. Farney does parse the distinction between free sustaining airtime given away to favored broadcasters (including Sheen) by the major networks and those broadcasters (like Maier) who merely sought the right to purchase airtime. But in either case, Maiers and Sheens decision to avoid direct attacks on other religious groups complied with the mandates of government regulators and network executives who believed that radio should serve the national interest by decreasing sectarian tensions, promoting Americanism among immigrant communities, and avoiding radical political opinions. In other words, Maier and Sheen conformed to the structural incentives erected by the radio industry and its regulators, who were interested in creating model, moderate citizens. By contrast, other religious broadcasters, like the muckraking Reverend Robert Fighting Bob Shuler on Station KGEF in Los Angeles, lost access to the airwaves for intervening in local politics and criticizing the Catholic Church. The growing post-World War II religious consensus exemplified by Sheen and Maier was itself a product of restriction, exclusion, and regulation, and not merely the product of their powerful personalities. Article continues below While the idea of technological disruption in American religion is hardly novel, the sense of optimism and wonderment that accompanied the rise of religious radio feels alien today. Farney opens with a compelling description of Maiers inaugural broadcast on KFUO radio at a ceremony at Concordia Seminary, where a biplane zoomed overhead in what one observer described as a conjunction of a living past with the vibrant present. Or as a German-language Lutheran magazine wrote, Times change, and we change with them. But Gods Word remains forever. Some were wary of deploying the new technology for kingdom purposes, like Maiers fellow Concordia professor Theodore Graebner, who warned of introducing the temptation of radio, widely employed in the secular, commercial world, into Christian homes. But Maier and Sheen were techno-optimists who saw that radio could be a tool for effective evangelism and pastoral edification, a veritable Church of the Air (to borrow the CBS networks name for its regular religious programming in the 1930s). As Sheen put it, Radio has made it possible to address more souls in the space of thirty minutes than St. Paul did in all his missionary journeys. It is hard to imagine conservative Christians in the 21st century sharing that same sense of optimism about digital and social media. Rather, digital substitutes or complements for church lifestreaming services, Zoom small-group meetings, augmented-reality gatheringsare often regarded as merely temporary measures for dealing with pandemic restrictions or as dangerous alternatives to a religious life centered around in-person gatherings and a traditional worship calendar. Yet Maier and Sheen serve as a reminder that it is possible to embrace a new technological medium with tempered eagernessand to immense and salutary effect. Paul Matzko is a research fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of The Radio Right: How a Band of Broadcasters Took on the Federal Government and Built the Modern Conservative Movement. This spring, a Canadian ministry organized a bu dao hui or evangelism meeting, for Chinese diaspora. Their topic: science and faith. For an hour, the audience learned via livestream how the Big Bang theory proved the beginning of time and space and the extreme complexity of the biological systems and genetic coding pointed to the existence of a creator and designer of the universe and human life. They heard an explanation of general revelation and special revelation. And they received an invitation to the Gospel. At the end of the Zoom conference, many of the more than 200 viewers offered feedback in the form of entering a letter. Numerous Cs appeared on screen, indicating I am already a Christian. However, there were also several As, meaning I accepted Christ as my savior and Lord tonight. Using science as a hook to share the gospel has long been a way for Chinese Christians in North America to share their faith to their non-believing friends. A significant number of the better- known Chinese evangelists have a scientific background and often speak at churches on the relationship between science and Christianity. Many churches believe science-related lectures and discussions draw seekers attention, a conviction that stems from a long history of Chinese intellectuals changing feelings about the relationship between science and Christian faith in the country. The missionaries arrive Long before the Roman Catholic Church started sending missionaries to China in the 16th century, Chinese philosophy and worldview was dominated by Confucianism, Buddhism (with Chinese characteristics) and Taoism. Chinese intellectuals and officials did not value science and technology, and science was especially under-developed. Although there had been significant advances in some areas of technology in her earlier history, e.g., in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), China had fallen far behind in science and technology before the Ming Dynasty (by the 14th century). When Matteo Ricci and his fellow Jesuit missionaries to China first arrived in 1583, they quickly became known for their zeal in introducing scientific knowledge to China. The Catholic missionaries (the most well-known beside Ricci include Adam Schall and Ferdinand Verbiest) used this strategy to gain a foothold within the Chinese elite (who desired to strengthen China by learning from the West) and achieve their ultimate goal of spreading their faith. They made friends with the high-ranking officers in the emperors court and dialogued with highly-educated Chinese Confucianist scholar-officers (the most famous of whom was Xu Guangqi, who later converted to Catholicism). They gained respect for their impressive knowledge of astronomy, calendar-making, mathematics, hydraulics, and geography and came on as experts on special imperial commissions in scientific and technological fields. Their contribution to the development of China made many sympathetic to Christianity, and their positive influence on Chinese society and culture are still remembered by Chinese intellectuals today. Image: WikiMedia Commons Protestant missionaries started coming to China in the early 19th century and quickly began building hospitals and universities. Out of their belief of a holistic mission strategy, they helped the development of science and technology in Ming and Qing Dynasties China, especially in medical science and science education. Many of the best universities and hospitals in China today have their roots in the historical universities and hospitals established by Protestant missionaries. Opposition and persecution Despite these contributions, during the Ming (1388-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, Christianity was mostly regarded by Chinese intellectuals as a foreign religion harmful to traditional Chinese culture and beliefs, and missionaries as tools of Western imperialist cultural invasion with a hidden agenda. During times of political turmoil, rulers might stoke nationalist movements and encourage hostility to Western missionaries. In the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, dozens of western Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox missionaries and thousands of Chinese Christians were massacred throughout northern China. Article continues below In the 1920s the Anti-Christian Movement broke out in China sparked by the 1919 May 4th Movements embrace of Western ideas of democracy and science. Influenced by Marxism and other non-Christian western thought, many progressive intellectuals viewed Christianity as both anti-democracy and anti-science. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong took power in 1949, the Communist government set up the so-called Three-Self (self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation) churches that were willing to separate from the imperialist forces and cooperate with the CCP. The Three-Self churches became the government-sanctioned churches and the government persecuted and jailed pastors and church leaders who refused to join the system. The non-conformist church eventually became the underground house churches. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), both the house churches and the Three-Self churches were banned and destroyed as old imperialist garbage. Christianity was criticized as imperialist and anti-scientific and ironically even Western capitalist science was regarded as reactionary. For the persecuted Chinese church in this era, science was understandably not an issue of priority. After Maos death, China opened its doors to the West. House churches began to grow at a shockingly rapid rate in the 1980s and 1990s and expanded from the countryside to the fast-developing cities. Urban house churches had a significantly higher proportion of intellectuals and professionals in their congregations. The Christians in these churches inherited the pietism and fundamentalism from the traditional countryside house church Christians, but at the same time they had much more contact with the outside world (especially after the Internet became popular) and were more influenced by Western theology and philosophy. The arrival of the internet After the CCPs suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement, many disillusioned and heart-broken young Chinese intellectuals immigrated to the US and Canada countries, with a significant number converting to Christianity. Most of these immigrants were graduate students and scholars in natural science, so they had specific interest in the relationship between science and Christianity. As internet access became mainstream in the 1990s (and prior to the creation of the Great Firewall), BBSs and online forums became a popular destination for Chinese Christians all over the world to have dialogue with unbelievers and practice internet evangelism and apologetics. The most heated debates were about science vs. Christianity, especially evolution vs. creation, and the question of whether science has disproved God. The controversy is not surprising considering that the official ideology of China has been Marxism-Maoism (which was labeled as scientific socialism) and official education in China had indoctrinated students with anti-religious dogmas. For the past two decades, the most influential apologetics book in the Chinese church has been Song of a Wanderer (You Zi Yin), written by Li Cheng, an evangelist with a PhD degree in biology. The book remarkably contains a lot of discussions about science and faith, especially criticism of the evolution theory, and it has served as the number one choice of an apologetical book for Chinese churches and Christians to give to their seeker friends, many of whom have a scientific background, as a gift. Article continues below Apologetics and evangelism today Today, the urban house churches in China (who face even greater persecution) and diaspora Chinese churches outside China continue to face challenges from secularism and materialism. In their evangelism and apologetics, Chinese Christians still often meet opposition from scientism and other modernist thoughts, as well as from postmodernism. In general society, the majority of scientists in China continue to regard Christian creationism (especially Young Earth Creationism) as an anti-scientific, evolution-truth-denying, religious nonsense. However, the attitude towards science-related Christian apologetics among todays Chinese intellectuals is not entirely hostile. In July 2021, the transcript of a video by the famous physicist Chen-Ning Yang, one of the very few Chinese Nobel Prize laureates and one of the most respected scientists among Chinese, was posted on the internet. In the video Yang answered the audiences question of Does God exist? If you are talking about an anthropomorphous god, I dont think such a being exists. But if you ask me whether there is a Creator of the Universe, I think there is, he said. Because it is not coincidental that the world has such a delicate structure The laws of nature are so ordered, but the combinations are random, therefore any product with a purpose must be a product from intelligent design. While there is no other evidence that indicates that Yang has converted to Christianity, he seems to have become a theist or deist because of new scientific discoveries. Within the Chinese churches, domestic or diaspora, there is diversity in Chinese Christians views on creation vs. evolution. Young Earth creationism is still the most accepted by Chinese Christians in China and overseas. Last year, ReFrame Ministries translated two books into Chinese discussing the creation vs. evolution debate. One book introduces the diversified Christian perspectives on the issue, another focuses more on Intelligent Design. In July 2022, the organization will publish another book, Above All Things: The Romance and War of Christianity and Science, written in Chinese and coauthored by Jidian (myself) and Xiao Zao, both Chinese evangelists with a scientific (chemistry and physics) background. There is still work to be done for Chinese Christians to overcome an anti-science mentality (mostly rooted in fundamentalism) and for the apologetics field to learn how to harness modern science evangelism purposes. Christian apologetics and evangelism should be person-specific and be especially sensitive to the cultural and historical background of the seeker. Within this, strategic scientific apologetics arguments may have particular weight, specifically when engaging Chinese intellectuals. It is my hope that reflecting on the history in this article may benefit Christians in contextualizing for their apologetical and evangelism efforts. Sean Cheng is CT Asia Editor [ This article is also available in and . ] The late D. James Kennedys television and radio ministry cannot sue for defamation over being called an anti-LGBT hate group. Five years after Coral Ridge Ministries Media first protested the hate group designation, the US Supreme Court has declined to reconsider the legal definition of defamation. The ministrys suit against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) cannot go forward. The Supreme Courts summary disposition was handed down Monday without explanation. The only dissent came from Justice Clarence Thomas. He argued the court should overturn the guiding 1964 precedent, New York Times Company v. Sullivan, which says media companies are only liable for libel against public figures when they publish false information with reckless disregard for the truth and actual malice. Coral Ridge now asks us to reconsider the actual malice standard, Thomas wrote. As I have said previously, we should. Donald Trump also pushed for a reevaluation of New York Times v. Sullivan when he was president, calling the legal standards for libel a sham and a disgrace to America. We are going to take a strong look at our countrys libel laws, so that when somebody says something that is false and defamatory about someone, that person will have meaningful recourse in our courts, Trump said in 2018. According to Coral Ridge Ministries lawyer David C. Gibbs III, the actual malice standard is a more-often-than-not insurmountable bar for a public figure to plead and prove a defamation claim. He argued it should only apply to elected officials, not private public figures, or be disregarded entirely. Instead of the shield it was designed to be, Gibbs wrote, it is now a sword used to bludgeon public figures with impunity. Coral Ridge Ministries, also known as D. James Kennedy Ministries, first sued SPLC for defamation in 2017. The television ministry grew out of the megachurch Kennedy founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has continued broadcasting since Kennedys death in 2007. The ministry currently spends about $1.4 million on airtime, tax records show. SPLC, a civil rights group that specializes in tracking and reporting on extremist organizations, included the Christian television ministry on an interactive map of hate groups. Local and national media turned to SPLC and used its map after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, brought attention to the wide range of active extremist organizations in America. Florida media reported that Coral Ridge Ministries was the No. 1 active hate group in the state, and CNN broadcast a map of all the active hate groups where you live, which included the television ministry. Several other conservative Christian groups also protested SPLCs broad definition of hate group. The Family Research Council said SPLC was inciting hatred against Christians, which has already led to violence. In 2012, a gay rights activist went to the lobbying groups headquarters with a 9 mm pistol, a box of ammunition, and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches, intending to kill people. He was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Secular organizations continued to rely on the SPLC list, though. Amazon decided to use it in 2017 to determine which nonprofits would be eligible to receive donations through its AmazonSmile program. Enough is enough, said Frank Wright, president of Coral Ridge Ministries at the time. In court, Coral Ridge Ministries said it wasnt wrong to say it was anti-LGBT, since the ministry condemned homosexual sex as sin. Kennedy and others in the ministry taught that same-sex intimacy was an abomination, vile, and shameful. The ministrys attorneys said it was not a hate group, though, because it did not promote violence against LGBT people. SPLC countered that Kennedy and his ministry promoted Christian Reconstructionists R. J. Rushdoony, who said that sexually active gay people should be stoned to death, and Gary DeMar, who said that a biblical government would only have to execute a few gay people to drive the perversion of homosexuality underground, back into the closet. Judge Myron H. Thompson found, however, that there wasnt a single, established definition of hate group. Some only use the term when a group promotes violence. Others, including the FBI, say a hate group is any organization that promotes animosity, hostility, and malice against persons of or with a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity which differs from that of the members. Thompson decided it was at least plausible to call Coral Ridge Ministries a hate group, and it would be anathema to the First Amendment to let the defamation suit go forward. If Coral Ridge disagrees with the hate group designation, its hope for a remedy lies in the marketplace of ideas, not a defamation action, the judge wrote in 2019. Besides that, Thompson said, Coral Ridge Ministries could not plausibly allege actual malice. The television ministrys lawyers didnt have any evidence to show that SPLC knew the hate group designation was false and used it anyway to hurt Coral Ridge Ministries. There was no evidence submitted to show the civil rights nonprofit wasnt acting in good faith. Thompson dismissed the case in its entirety. Coral Ridge Ministries appealed, specifically challenging the difficulty of the standard of proving actual malice. The three-judge appeals court unanimously ruled against Coral Ridge Ministries in 2021. According to Judge Charles R. Wilson, the ministry was simply asserting malice, but not putting any meat on the bare-bones allegations. Coral Ridge did not sufficiently plead facts that give rise to a reasonable inference that SPLC actually entertained serious doubts as to the veracity of its hate group definition and that definitions application to Coral Ridge, or that SPLC was highly aware that the definition and its application was probably false, Wilson wrote. Coral Ridge Ministries appealed again, asking the Supreme Court to review the lower court rulings. Several Christian organizations filed friend-of-the-court briefs urging reconsideration of New York Times v. Sullivan. An attorney for National Religious Broadcasters, an association of evangelical media companies, argued that the 1964 decision has lowered the standards of journalism and encouraged too much reckless reporting. The number of falsehoods has exploded since New York Times v. Sullivan, Matthew J. Conigliaro wrote, and it is partly the Supreme Courts fault. The actual malice standard actually discourages well informed speech, including the research that one would expect responsible publishers to insist upon before obviously derogatory speech is disseminated, he argued. The actual malice standard permits publishers to take refuge in ignorance. The conservative Christian groups could only get support from one justice, however. None of the other eight signed on to Thomass dissent, and five years after the legal battles began, Coral Ridge Ministries was left without a legal way to fight the claims that it is a hate group. Abortion is now illegal in several states after Dobbs ruling Updated at 11:54 a.m. ET on July 1. Abortion has now become illegal in several states following the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization stating that the Constitution doesnt contain a right to abortion. The Dobbs decision, released on June 24, reverses the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The legality of abortion will now be decided on a state-by-state basis. As The Christian Post previously reported, 21 states will either completely ban or more severely restrict abortion than they did pre-Roe following the reversal of the decision. The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute has identified 13 states that have trigger laws that would ban abortion in the event of Roes reversal: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. In the days immediately following the Dobbs decision, abortion bans have already gone into effect in 12 states, although a lower court judge has already struck down three of them as unconstitutional. Missouri became the first state to ban abortion following the Dobbs decision on June 24, with Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt issuing an opinion declaring that the United States Supreme Court has overruled, in whole in part, Roe v. Wade, thereby granting the state of Missouri the authority to regulate abortion to the extent set forth in section 188.017 of the Right to Life of the Unborn Child Act. This portion of the law proclaims that notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no abortion shall be performed or induced upon a woman, except in cases of medical emergency. Section B of the Right to Life of the Unborn Child Act stated that the enactment of this section shall only become effective upon notification to the revisor of statutes by an opinion by the attorney general of Missouri, a proclamation by the governor of Missouri, or the adoption of a concurrent resolution by the Missouri general assembly that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, announced on June 24 that we have a law on the books that makes abortion illegal immediately, except to preserve the life of the mother. Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor, a Republican, sent a letter to the states governor and the leaders of the state legislature on June 24 informing them that As a result of Dobbs, the authority of the state of Oklahoma to prohibit abortion has been confirmed, and the state of Oklahoma may enforce Section 861 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma statutes or enact a similar statute prohibiting abortion throughout pregnancy. The law OConnor was referring to makes performing an abortion a felony unless its necessary to preserve the life of the mother. On June 24, the office of Ohios Republican Gov. Mike DeWine published a statement indicating that U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett lifted the preliminary injunction which had prevented the state of Ohio from enforcing or complying with Senate Bill 23, which bans abortions after a babys heartbeat can be detected. Barretts decision enables the state to ban all abortions after six weeks of gestation. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, announced on June 24 that the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, which bans elective abortions in the state, will now take effect following the Dobbs decision. The state of Alabamas emergency motion to lift the injunction and reinstate Alabamas 2019 law, which prohibits abortions in most instances, has been granted, he said. Both the federal district court and the plaintiffs recognized that there is no basis for a continued stay of the duly-enacted law in light of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Thus, Alabamas law making elective abortions a felony is now enforceable, Marshall added. Anyone who takes an unborn life in violation of the law will be prosecuted, with penalties ranging from 10 to 99 years for abortion providers. The office of Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a Republican, published an announcement on June 24 certifying that Dobbs overrules the central holding of Roe v. Wade and reaffirms the states authority to protect unborn life. Rutledges office stressed that Arkansas has enacted and defended laws that prohibit elective abortion, which can now go into effect following the Dobbs decision. Additionally, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron published an advisory opinion on June 24 noting that the prohibitions on performing abortions in the states Human Life Protection Act became effective on June 24, 2022, the date on which the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs. Less than a week later, a Louisville Circuit Court judge halted the Human Life Protection Act, allowing abortions to continue in the state. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, took to Twitter on June 24 to announce that Because of #SCOTUS ruling in #Dobbs, Louisianas trigger law banning #abortion is now in effect. However, on Monday, the pro-abortion group Center for Reproductive Rights reported on Twitter that #Louisianas trigger bans have been BLOCKED by a state court in response to our lawsuit filed earlier today and therefore, abortion care is resuming in Louisiana. UPDATE: #Louisiana's trigger bans have been BLOCKED by a state court in response to our lawsuit filed earlier today. Abortion care is resuming in Louisiana. #AbortionIsEssentialhttps://t.co/XdrYenASBz Center for Reproductive Rights (@ReproRights) June 27, 2022 John Fellows, the general counsel of the Utah Legislature, wrote a letter to lawmakers on June 24 explaining that Abortion Prohibition Amendments enacted in 2020 will take effect now that a court of binding authority has held that a state may prohibit the abortion of an unborn child at any time during the gestational period, subject to the exceptions enumerated in this bill. The pro-abortion group Utah Abortion Fund announced on Twitter Monday that the Utah Courts have granted a 14 day restraining order on the trigger ban, allowing elective abortions to continue taking place there for the next two weeks. As of Monday, June 27, elective abortions remain legal in Utah for 14 days. A Utah court just blocked the states abortion ban. Effective immediately, UTAF is reopening our health line to support as many folks as we can! pic.twitter.com/883BD0IlKd Utah Abortion Fund (@UTabortionfund) June 28, 2022 On Monday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, the state whose 15-week abortion ban was at the center of the Dobbs case, reported on Twitter that: Today I certified Mississippis trigger law and I am excited for our State to move forward in this new post-Roe era to empower women and promote life! Today, I certified Mississippis trigger law and I am excited for our State to move forward in this new post-Roe era to empower women and promote life! pic.twitter.com/Bd1EJTvRD4 Lynn Fitch (@LynnFitchAG) June 27, 2022 On Monday, the office of South Carolinas Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson published a statement noting that the states Heartbeat Bill banning abortions after six weeks gestation had gone into effect because a judge serving on the U.S. District Court of South Carolina stayed the injunction blocking state officials from enforcing it following the Dobbs decision. On Tuesday, Tennessees Republican Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced that a unanimous panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit had vacated a lower court ruling preventing the states Heartbeat Bill from going into effect following the Dobbs decision, thereby enabling it to become law. A 13th state, Texas, will ban abortions within the next month. An advisory opinion from the states Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton reveals that the Human Life Protection Act of 2021, which prohibits abortions in most circumstances and takes effect on the 30th day after issuance of a United States Supreme Court judgment in a decision overruling, wholly or partly, Roe v. Wade. North Dakota will also ban abortions beginning July 28, as the states Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley explained in a letter to the North Dakota Legislative Council Tuesday. Wrigley credited the Dobbs decision for removing the legal barriers to enforcement of a state law banning abortions with exceptions in cases of rape or incest and to save the life of the mother. The abortion ban will go into effect 30 days after Wrigleys letter certifying that the preconditions for enforcement of the law have been satisfied. The additional states projected to ban or severely restrict abortion in the near future are Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming. Slain American missionary John Chau to be honored on 'Day of the Christian Martyr' A prominent Christian persecution advocacy organization will honor the legacy and sacrifice of American missionary John Chau, who lost his life while taking the Gospel to a remote island in the Indian Ocean in 2018. On Wednesday, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a nonprofit, interdenominational missions organization serving persecuted Christians around the world, will add Chau's name to the 60-foot-long granite Martyr's Memorial at the ministry headquarters in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Chau was 26 years old when he was killed on Nov. 17, 2018, while on a mission to North Sentinel Island in the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal about 600 miles from mainland India. Chau, a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, was killed by an indigenous tribe that lives in isolation from the rest of the world. June 29 marks the Day of the Christian Martyr and the anniversary of the Apostle Paul's beheading in Rome. Throughout Church history, Christians worldwide have commemorated the lives of countless believers who've given their lives for Christ. With the help of a fishing boat, Chau first made contact with the Sentinelese people considered by many to be the "most isolated tribe on the planet" on Nov. 15, 2018, according to VOM. Later that day, a Sentinelese boy shot an arrow at Chau that lodged in the Bible he was holding. In his journal that evening, Chau wrote: "God, I don't want to die WHO WILL TAKE MY PLACE IF I DO? Forgive [the boy who shot me] and any of the people on this island who try to kill me, and especially forgive them if they succeed." On the morning of Nov. 17, the fishermen who dropped Chau off on the island saw tribesmen burying his body on the beach. Indian authorities called Chau's efforts to evangelize the unreached Sentinelese tribe a "misplaced adventure" in a highly restricted area. His death, which received international media attention, inspired much scrutiny of mission organizations trying to reach unreached and uncontacted tribes. But Todd Nettleton, host of VOM Radio, told The Christian Post that a closer look at Chau's life and death reveal his Christ-like compassion, extensive training and preparation, and clear-headed conviction of his calling to the Sentinelese people. "We as the Church should recognize those who follow Christ's call to go into all the world regardless of the cost. And John Chau is certainly an outstanding example of that," Nettleton said. Far from being an impulsive adventurer, Nettleton says Chau first felt God's calling on his life after returning from his first mission trip as a teenager. Nettleton said Chau spent time praying and preparing to go wherever God would call him, researching different people groups until he came across info online about the Sentinelese people. "Every single decision he made was with an eye toward going to North Sentinel Island, meeting those people, learning their language, being able to share Christ with them," Nettleton said. Nine years before his trip, Nettleton says Chau began preparing physically and spiritually for his journey. Throughout college at Oral Roberts University, Chau took cold showers to prepare for life on the island, knowing he would be without hot water. He underwent laser eye surgery so he wouldn't have to worry about contact lenses. Nettleton said that Chau also went through a training process with the Kansas City-based missionary organization All Nations under its Church Planting Experience program for future missionaries. Chau took a linguistics training course sponsored by Wycliffe to pick up the Sentinelese language quickly. He earned a certification as a wilderness EMT with the idea of bringing medical assistance to the isolated island people. Dr. Mary Ho, the international executive leader of All Nations International, called Chau one of the "most prepared missionaries she has ever met," according to Nettleton. After Chau's death in 2018, Nettleton claimed there was a "lot of misinformation" floating around about the circumstances surrounding his death. While some of that may have been Chau's own design to protect anyone who might go after him, Nettleton added: "So much of the misinformation about John was that lack of preparation, like he woke up one morning and just decided to go to North Sentinel Island." "That is so far from the truth," Nettleton assured. While Chau believed in God's calling on his life, he wasn't shy about expressing doubt about sharing the Gospel with hostile and unpredictable people groups. In a video Chau made for a church supporting his mission, Nettleton said Chau was wondering whether he was truly called to the island after his first scouting trip to the area. As he took off from Port Blair, leaving to come back to the U.S., Nettleton says Chau glanced out the airplane window and saw the sight of an island he instantly recognized from photos he had up on the wall of his college dorm. Chau knew the island by name and knew where he was headed. "He said in that moment, it was like God just completely confirmed, 'You're the one I want, you're the one I'm calling, that's the place I'm calling you to, I want you to go there,'" Nettleton said. In his journal, the night before he went ashore for what would be the final time, Chau also expressed doubt. "I believe that the measure of success in the kingdom of God is obedience," Chau wrote. "I want my life to reflect obedience to Christ and to live in obedience to Him. I think that Jesus is worth it. He's worth everything." "He understood the value of the Gospel, he understood the eternal significance of sharing Christ with the Sentinelese people, and he considered [losing his life] a fair trade," said Nettleton. Chau's father, Patrick Chau, said he did not support his son's missionary zeal. While both graduated from charismatic evangelical Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, Patrick Chau said he no longer considers himself a Christian but rather a follower of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. "John is gone because the Western ideology overpowered my [Confucian] influence," Chau was quoted as writing, adding that evangelical "extreme Christianity" was to blame for his son's life coming to a "not unexpected end." Christian critic JD Hall was abusing Xanax, church reveals after pastors removal Leaders of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana, revealed that their pastor, Jordan Daniel "J.D." Hall, has been abusing the prescription drug Xanax after news broke that the church had removed him from ministry. In a statement released Monday, church officials said that several days following a June 5 incident, "it came to the attention of church leadership ... that our lead pastor, Jordan Hall, had fallen into a dependency upon prescription alprazolam (Xanax), characterized by use that exceeded his prescribed dosage." Details of the June 5 incident were not shared. Xanax, the most prescribed psychiatric medication in the United States, is generally used to treat anxiety disorders and anxiety caused by depression. The drug is also "extremely addictive when used long-term," according to the Addiction Center. Church officials said once the discovery was made, "Pastor Hall tendered his resignation from the pastorate shortly thereafter on June 8th, under the assumption that he had become disqualified from eldership as detailed in 1 Timothy 3." Fellowship Baptist Church subsequently voted to accept his resignation. Hall, known for his scathing criticisms of Christian leaders on his now-defunct polemics website Pulpit & Pen and, more recently, Protestia, has also been axed from those ministries, Protestia announced in a statement on Sunday. Fellowship Baptist Church leaders made it clear in their statement Monday that they were unaware the pastor was struggling with a drug dependency when they rejected his offer to resign on May 14. Hall initially offered to resign after his arrest on DUI and weapons charges. In its statement at the time, the church suggested Hall was "potentially addicted to working." A report from the Sidney Police Department cited by The Sidney Herald said Hall, 40, was arrested on May 11 at approximately 11 p.m. on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon and multiple traffic violations while driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs. An incident report shows that when police approached Hall, he spoke slowly, his eyes were watery, closed slowly and deliberately and his speech was slurred and mumbled. He also stumbled, displayed poor balance and performed poorly on a field sobriety test. No alcohol, however, was found in his system when a blood alcohol test was administered. The report added that he also had a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Shield handgun, which was found under his coat in an inside-the-waistband holster during his arrest. "Due to the testimony of Pastor Hall regarding a known vitamin deficiency that he insisted was to blame for his lack of coordination, the church had voted unanimously to reject his resignation, believing that the situation did not disqualify him from the pastorate," Fellowship Baptist leaders said in their Monday statement. "The church decided, instead, to insist that Pastor Hall submit to a minimum 3-month sabbatical to address his physical health issues. The results of a toxicology screening requested by law enforcement were pending (the results of the screening are still outstanding at the time of this writing), and the church agreed to revisit his qualification if the report found problematic substances in his system, but no member vocalized any suspicion of drug abuse." "If the church had been aware at that point of Mr. Hall's prescription drug abuse, the decision regarding his tendered resignation would likely have been different," the statement continued. "However, we believe that we acted appropriately given the information we had at the time." Fellowship Baptist Church leaders are now ministering to Hall's family and have encouraged him to "seek professional treatment and work toward the restoration of his mind and body, and the reconciliation of his relationships with God and family." According to data from Barna, about 20% of pastors struggle with some form of addiction, including alcohol and prescription drug addiction. Joshua Hall, lead pastor of Selmore Baptist Church in Ozark, Missouri, who identified himself as "J.D. Hall's big brother," said his brother still has his support. "I will not defend all that he's said and done. I just want to publicly say I love him and stand by him," Joshua Hall tweeted Monday night. "To my fellow Christians, please consider Matthew 5:43-48 before you post. Thank you for your prayers. Blessings." Tzedakah Ministries, which describes itself as "a ministry that seeks to equip Christians and churches to reach the Jewish people with the truth of Messiah Jesus," also urged prayers for J.D. Hall. "All of us could be where he is now. This should be the message we take with us as we hurt for you all," the ministry replied to Joshua Hall's Twitter post. "Caution must be the word of the day. Prayer for all of us and concern for your brother's spiritual and mental well-being should be our priority. I wish him well. Truly." Lauren Boebert tells church God anointed Trump for victory following Supreme Court abortion ruling Born-again Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert told congregants at a Colorado church on Sunday that former President Donald Trump was anointed for office and celebrated his appointment of three of the six Supreme Court justices who overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that usurped states' abortion laws and legalized the practice nationwide. Think about that: 49 years of Roe v. Wade. Forty-nine years, 63 million children lost. And because God called a man who is not a politician to run for office, Boebert said during her personal testimony at Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt. I believe that he (Trump) was anointed for that position. He answered that call despite what other people were saying, despite all the negatives. They were listening and saying how unqualified he was. He said, I think I can do something good for this nation. And three Supreme Court Justices were installed. Boebert told congregants that Christians need to position ourselves to begin to turn this nation in light of the Supreme Court victory. We may think that God has just taken His hands off our nation and said let them have it. The chaos that we see, the crises that we see. Most seem intentional and by design to cause more confusion, more chaos, more strife, more division. But this time is a set apart time for us, she said. Look at what happened this week in the Supreme Court? Glory to God! In their decision on Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy with its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The court's constitutionalist majority agreed that the Roe decision was wrong. The court's three progressive justices accused the conservative majority of discarding the "balance" presented in Roe and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision in protecting a woman's interest and that of the state in protecting "potential life." When asked if he believes he played a role in the reversal of the landmark 1973 decision because he appointed three justices to the Supreme Court, Trump said, "God made the decision. Asked what he would like to say to his supporters, Trump said, I think, in the end, this is something that will work out for everybody. He added, This brings everything back to the states where it has always belonged. In her message Sunday, Boebert warned the approving church members that their work should not stop with the recent victory at the Supreme Court, stressing that theres still work to do here in Colorado. Five years from today, we can look back and see children running and laughing with smiles on their face going to school. Children who would have not had the opportunity to live. Theres still work to do here in Colorado, but this is the fruit of your labor, of your votes and your prayers. This is your harvest to end this at a federal level and give it back to the states, Boebert said. She encouraged congregants to "work overtime to make sure that we can continue to save lives." "Today, lives are being saved because of that decision. This is the second day that we woke up in a post-Roe nation. Glory to God! Boebert told the church. Theres still work to do. But in states surrounding Colorado, they have trigger laws. There is already legislation on the books to limit full-term abortion to bring that down to the heartbeat being the time limit. States like Georgia even, heartbeat bills that have been passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor but have been held up in litigation and they were unable to enforce those laws, she added. Because of that decision, because of your prayers, Glory to God, lives are being saved today. Evangelical Covenant Church denomination elects first female president Leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church, which has about 900 congregations in the U.S. and Canada, elected the Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim to be the denominations first female president, according to an announcement by the Chicago-based group. Swanson-Draheim was voted in by a 20-1 margin at the ECCs 136th Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, the denomination said in a statement. I love the Covenant Church, and I love the people of the Covenant Church, Swanson-Draheim, who has been with ECC for 23 years, said after her election. In Gods economy, challenges are opportunities, and I declare that we have some opportunities. The president-elect said she upholds five values: to be rooted in Christ, fully grounded in the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Spirit, unapologetically focused on the churchs mission and loving people well. For the glory of God and the love of neighbor, may we do it together, the mother of two who has served as superintendent of the denominations Midwest Conference told the delegates. The Rev. Catherine Gilliard, who is the superintendent of the ECCs Southeast Conference, addressed Swanson-Draheim, saying: If you are a leader, you influence those who follow you, and if youre a trailblazer, you open a door to those who come after you. You are a leader, a trailblazer, and a pastor to pastors who is called and gifted by God to serve as president. The stained-glass ceiling is broken! You will inspire young girls who will see your leadership and assume it is normative. A 27-member nominating committee selected Swanson-Draheim after a five-month deliberation process that started with 40 candidates before narrowing to six and culminating in one, the denomination said. Steve Dawson, who headed the nominating committee, was quoted as saying that Swanson-Draheims outstanding leadership skills, and her appreciation for the diversity of the Covenant, combined with her heart for relationships and relational health, and belief in our mission are essential qualities that are needed now. The denomination says on its website it was founded in 1885 by Scandinavian immigrants and has become one of the most ethnically diverse denominations in North America. ECC says it pursues its mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world through five strategic priorities: start and strengthen churches, make and deepen disciples, develop leaders, love mercy do justice, and serve globally. Postcard from Wichita After visiting Wichita it is easy to see why this is one of the most underrated cities in the country. With a population of 392,059 at the last census, the seat of surrounding Sedgwick County is the largest city in Kansas. Wichita, as with other one-time frontier towns, owes its existence to a combination of cows and railroads in the years following the Civil War. The Chisholm Trail, once used to drive cattle from the ranches of Texas to the railroads in Kansas, passed through here. By 1873 a year after the first trains reached Wichita some 66,000 heads of cattle were being shipped out. To learn more about this chapter in history I made the short walk from the Hyatt Regency along the Arkansas River and past Blackbear Bosins iconic Keeper of the Plains statue to the Old Cowtown Museum. The open-air museum features 54 original and recreated buildings and more than 12,000 artifacts from the Old West era on 25 acres of land just a few minutes from the heart of downtown. Think Colonial Williamsburg, but set during the 1870s, when none other than Wyatt Earp patrolled the streets as an assistant city marshal. One of the more interesting original buildings is the simple white church from 1870 that once housed First Presbyterian Church. (The congregations present church is a fortress-like edifice built between 1910 and 1912.) Built at a cost of $1,500 as Wichitas first permanent church, the Presbyterians used it for just two years. Subsequently acquired by the Roman Catholics and later turned into a boarding house, it was saved from ruin in the postwar years. Inside are several displays with religious artifacts from various churches across denominations. The big draw, as one might expect, is a shootout. Staged twice a day at high noon and 3 oclock, costumed interpreters perform a gunfight drama from a dime novel a genre popular at the end of the 19th century. Occasional special events, including the Wild West Days reenactment in late September, add additional programming. Perhaps most remarkable is how quickly Wichita transformed itself from an Old West boom town. Within just 50 years of Earp and others, the city was calling itself the Air Capital of the World. The story of how that happened can be discovered at the Kansas Aviation Museum inside the art deco-style former municipal airport terminal. Besides big names like Cessna and Boeing, there were as many as 16 airplane manufacturers at one point. It was also a busy hub during the early days of commercial aviation, as Wichitas location in the Great Plains and near the geographic center of the contiguous United States made for a convenient refueling point. In its heyday, the likes of Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes made use of the National Register of Historic Places-listed terminal. Though today surpassed by airline hubs in Atlanta, Denver and Chicago, the aerospace industry remains vital to Wichitas economy. Be sure to also visit the Mid-America All-Indian Museum with its collection of Bosin artwork, Wichita Art Museum and Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, which is housed within the stately Richardsonian Romanesque former city hall opposite a rather hideous brutalist former library. If you go The Kansas Aviation and Old Cowtown museums are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Perched above the Arkansas River and within walking distance of almost everything to see and do the Hyatt Regency has the best location, despite an overall feeling of tiredness. A couple blocks away is the Ambassador Hotel, a boutique hotel flagged under Marriotts Autograph Collection brand. Eat dinner at Georges French Bistro, Newport Grill and FioRito Ristorante. I flew into Wichitas airport, which is served by the major airlines. By car, Wichita is six hours from St. Louis, seven hours from Denver and five hours from Dallas. Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post. Abortion activists launch summer of rage, attack churches, pro-life pregnancy centers: list Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET on June 28: The summer of rage has commenced as abortion activists target churches and pregnancy centers after the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Constitution doesnt contain a right to abortion, thus returning the power to individual states to regulate. Protests broke out in several major cities following the courts decision. In some cases, the protests have turned violent. The Christian Post has compiled an updated list of attacks on churches and pregnancy centers nationwide as a continuation of our earlier list of vandalisms following the leak of a draft majority opinion published in Politico on May 2. Click on the next page to read about the most recent attacks. 1 2 Next A Pawan Hans helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea water near the Sagar Kiran oil-rig off Mumbai High Fields, around 175 km off the country's commercial capital, official sources said here on Tuesday. The chopper was carrying at least 7 passengers and 2 pilots and at least 5 have been saved from the sea-water so far. The rescue was carried out by ONGC vessel Malviya-16 and a boat from the oil rig Sagar Kiran, while the Indian Coast Guard has also deployed its aerial and marine assets in the efforts. The cause of the emergency landing on water is not immediately clear and rescue operations are underway, said an ONGC official. God could use 'Satan's arrows' that killed John Chau to light worldwide missionary fire: pastor The death of American missionary John Chau on a remote Indian island could be used by God to light a missionary fire around the world, a Christian pastor and author has said. We cannot know for sure what God is doing. But might He be stoking the hearts of His church with a fresh fire to reach the unreached peoples of the world? Could God be using the death of John Chau to stir the souls of more missionaries to take the Good News of Jesus to the Sentinelese people? wondered Garrett Kell, an author and pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Writing for desiringGod.org on Friday, Kell positioned some further questions: Is it possible that God might be working to bring them the message of forgiveness for killing the missionary as well as healing from the injustice done to them generations ago? Could God be plotting a reunion of forgiveness in months, years, even centuries from now that will magnify His mercies before the world? Can you picture that moving ceremony on the shores of North Sentinel Island? Chau was reportedly killed by arrows on Nov. 17 after approaching the beaches of North Sentinel Island on a mission to share the Gospel with the isolated tribespeople, a mission that he had been preparing for. Pam Arlund, a member of the International Leadership Team at All Nations, the missionary group that Chau belonged to, told The Christian Post in a phone interview on Wednesday that the 26-year-old listened to the voice of God and had been following the calling of God since the age of 17." Arlund said that the Oral Roberts University graduate was one of the greatest learners I have ever had the pleasure of working with." To prepare for it, he took many short-term mission trips. I know he went to short-term mission trips in South Africa, and more difficult places, like Kurdistan and Iraq, she told CP. Still, some secular news coverage of Chaus efforts have sought to portray the missionary as foolish and over-zealous. Some Christian sources have also criticized his methods. As an American, as a person who was funded by Americans, he represented that in many ways to the people he was trying to missionize, wrote Southern Methodist University history professor Kate Carte. It looked to me like a violent act. They did not want him there, and he came anyway. We should think carefully about how our actions are perceived in the world. Lets just say his actions didnt sit well with me, she added. In his desiringGod.org article titled "What God Might Do with Satans Arrows," Kell pointed to several other dangerous missionary efforts in the past that have resulted in tragedy, but have since seen previously unreached locals embrace the Gospel. As an example, he named missionaries John Williams and James Harris, who were killed and cannibalized in 1839 by natives on the island Erromango in the New Hebrides, or modern day Vanuatu. Roughly 20 years later, another missionary named John G. Paton set sail with his family to take the Gospel to the people of Erromango. Moved with compassion for their souls, Paton was convinced that God was at work, even through the martyrdom of Williams and Harris, Kell wrote. This conviction proved true, as the Lord used Patons ministry to help many of the people of Vanuatu embrace the grace, healing, and forgiveness of Jesus. Rioters damage pregnancy center, businesses in Portland after Supreme Court abortion ruling Police say they 'did not have resources' to make arrests Police say a mob of about 60 people clad in all black vandalized a pregnancy resource facility and other businesses in Portland, Oregon, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. No arrests were made due to a lack of resources. A report from the Portland Police Bureau in the Hollywood district said the "destructive group" marched out of Grant Park on Saturday around 10 p.m., when the mob, "most dressed in all black, began breaking windows and scrawling graffiti." Several locations in the area were vandalized, including the Mother and Child Education Center, a nonprofit support organization for motherhood, where a sign was vandalized with the words "F-SCOTUS" an abbreviation for the Supreme Court and an anarchy symbol. A window with a sign reading "We Welcome All" was also shattered, sending broken glass onto an area with children's toys, police said. Nearby banks and coffee shops were also vandalized. A van owned by Portland Public Schools parked at a local high school was spray-painted with the words "Abolish Schools" and had broken windows, according to police. The rioters also shattered windows and windshields on a parked black Tesla and spray-painted all over the car. Most of the damage occurred between 10:05 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., according to police. No arrests were made at the scene. According to Portland police, officers "were monitoring the crowd, but did not have resources to intervene at the moment," citing other calls for a shooting and an assault to which they needed to respond. A statement from the department pledged to conduct follow-up investigations, saying, "Just because arrests are not made at the scene, when tensions are high, does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later." An aide to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was at the location as officers responded to the scene, told reporters, "It's despicable we need more police." Since the Supreme Court decision, several pregnancy centers in the Portland area have been vandalized or damaged, including what authorities call a "suspicious fire" at the First Image pregnancy center in Gresham, just east of Portland. Randy Alcorn, a pastor and author who founded the Oregon-based Eternal Perspective Ministries, told The Chrisitan Post that "the battle for the hearts and minds of people is not over at all." "It is going to be all the more necessary and important now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned," Alcorn wrote in an email. "Just as pro-lifers became more motivated when the law of the land was against the rights of the unborn, so now pro-abortion forces will be mobilized and motivated and will aggressively raise funds and recruit volunteers to fight to make abortion universally legal once again. Please pray for the cause of unborn children and be grateful for the change in law while being alert to the fact that hearts and minds, not just laws, really do need to be changed." Portland, in general, has seen several violent mobs vandalize and attack churches and other buildings, including in November 2020, when a group of more than 100 Antifa rioters dressed in all black vandalized a Catholic church. Weeks earlier, in September 2020, a pro-life activist known for his "Baby Lives Matter' campaign was assaulted by Antifa members on a Portland street corner. The attack occurred just over a week after a supporter of former President Donald Trump was shot to death in Portland by a left-wing protester sympathetic to the "anti-fascist" movement. The suspect of that attack was shot and killed by Portland police when they tried to take him into custody. Portland is one of several U.S. cities which slashed police budgets following public outcry to "defund the police" in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests and riots in the summer of 2020. Just 18 months after doing so, the Portland City Council in November passed a budget increase of $5.2 million for police after the city saw its homicides soar to record highs amid a severe police staffing shortage. Slain missionary John Chau to be honored at All Nations fundraising event Slain American missionary John Chau will be honored at an annual fundraising event in April hosted by the mission agency from which he received training. All Nations North America will host a fundraising event called Further Together at Shoal Creek Community Church on April 5 in the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri, in which attendees will sing a song in Chaus honor and pray for the people on North Sentinel Island. While 250 people normally attend the All Nations annual fundraiser, the executive director, Joshua Johnson, told The Christian Post that they are expecting as many as 400 people to attend this years event. This is an annual event we have done for many years but this year we are calling it Further Together, Johnson explained. We are working to be able to know that the entire body of Christ needs to be activated with the gifts that God has given them to be able to make disciples of all nations and to make this Great Commission completed within our lifetime. Chau, a 26-year-old missionary from Washington state and a graduate of Oral Roberts University, was killed in November 2018 while trying to evangelize to the highly isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal. Chaus death garnered media attention worldwide with many questioning the methods in which Chau went about his mission to the island. Some questioned whether it's appropriate for a missionary like Chau to engage one of the last remaining people groups that are almost entirely isolated from the outside world, while others praised Chaus desire to risk death to bring the Gospel to the unreached people group. During the upcoming All Nations fundraising event, about five minutes will be reserved for those in attendance to sing a song written by an All Nations staff member honoring Chau. Following the song, there will be a devoted time of prayer for the salvation of the North Sentinelese people. The staff member wrote a beautiful song about John and the North Sentinelese people worshiping around the throne of God in Heaven, which we know will happen one day, Johnson explained. Revelation does say that every tribe, tongue, and nation are all worshiping around the throne. That is the hope. We will have a prayer time for the North Sentinelese that God will show up in the midst of them. The keynote speaker at the fundraiser will be Jaime Saint, the grandson of Nate Saint, a missionary killed alongside Jim Elliott and three others while trying to evangelize to an unreached tribe in Ecuador in 1956. Johnson explained that Saint has a powerful story of redemption to tell that centers around the man who killed his father. After Nate Saint and the others were killed, Saints sister and Jim Elliotts wife went back to Ecuador and led that very same tribe to Christ. In fact, the man who killed Nate Saint a man named Mintaye became the very man who baptized Nate Saints son years later. Saints legacy as a missionary family is very inspiring and hopeful to us as a group that lost John Chau recently, Johnson explained. [I]t is a beautiful story of redemption and something that we hope we see with the North Sentinelese. That is our prayer to see redemption and hope in the midst of this tragedy that we have faced. Jaime Saint runs an organization called ITEC, an indigenous training and equipment center that helps to train indigenous followers of Christ to share the love of Christ with their own people groups worldwide. As for All Nations, its mission is to see Jesus worshiped by all the people of the Earth. All Nations North America is based in Kansas City and has about 90 missionaries in 23 countries. Through international affiliates, All Nations has as many as 300 missionaries in 30 countries. Although it's based in Kansas, the organization has three international training centers spread throughout the world. According to the Joshua Project, there are over 7,000 unreached people groups. Unreached groups are defined as communities where there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance. All Nations seeks to bring the Gospel to neglected people groups. According to Johnson, neglected people groups are communities where there isnt a church actively seeking out unreached people. Some of those neglected groups, he said, might be considered a reached place but one that has no Gospel work happening in those areas. We have seen that the percentage of Jesus followers has actually decreased with population growth, Johnson detailed. But the only places where disciple-making efforts increase greater than population growth are where church-planting movements or disciple-making movements have been united and catalyzed in that region. Although All Nations will honor Chau at its fundraising event, the organization maintains that it is not using Johns death as a means to raise money. The [event] isnt a memorial for John but it is a point to say that John did love and obey Jesus. We are all called to do the same, Johnson explained. He is an example for all of us that we can follow. As there was much contention within Chaus family over his choice to become a missionary, All Nations could not disclose if Chaus family will or wont be in attendance for the fundraiser. Chau reached out to All Nations about two years ago to share his desire to bring the Gospel to the North Sentinelese people. According to Pam Arlund, a member of All Nations international leadership team, Chau received training from All Nations while he prepared for the mission on the Island. While many criticized Chaus mission on grounds that the Indian government barred people from going to North Sentinel and other inhabited Andaman islands, Arlund defended Chaus mission by stating that the Indian government had lifted its Restricted Area Permit on North Sentinel and a number of other inhabited islands. However, the Indian governments Andaman Island tourism webpage states that visiting to tribal reserved areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is prohibited. Christian bakers fined $135K for not baking gay wedding cake fundraise to relaunch business Aaron and Melissa Klein, a Christian couple whose bakery has been held up in the courts for years and were ordered to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, are now working on opening a new shop to show Gods goodness to everyone. The Kleins, who owned Sweet Cakes by Melissa until an Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries order sought to punish them for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2013, moved to Montana two years ago and are hoping to start a new bakery, says Melissa Klein in an online appeal for funds. I had said I was never going to open a bakery again, but God has seemed to change my heart with this, she adds. Its been 10 years since having my shop in Oregon and I greatly miss it along with all my sweet customers. Klein further explains that her family needs to raise $50,000 for a down payment on a restaurant that is for sale in Montana which could be the home of Sweet Cakes. She adds that she is also selling cookies to raise the money. As of early Sunday, 132 people had given nearly $14,000 to the couple. Im hoping to see, with my new bakery, it being a place where friends and family can come, sit, and have a coffee, enjoy breakfast or lunch, or just even a sweet treat, Klein told CBN News in an interview last week. I want it to be a place where everyone feels welcome and is greeted with a joyful smile, she added. I want it to be a place that is used to show Gods goodness to everyone. In January, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of the state of Oregon maintained that the Kleins unlawfully discriminated by refusing to make a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer in 2013. However, the panel reversed the order requiring the couple to pay $135,000 in damages. We adhere to our prior decision upholding BOLIs determinations that Aaron unlawfully discriminated against the Bowman-Cryers based on sexual orientation, wrote Circuit Judge Erin Lagesen, the author of the panel opinion. We reach a different conclusion with respect to our prior affirmance of BOLIs noneconomic damages award, ruled Lagesen. However, Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit representing the Kleins, didnt agree with the decision of the appeals court. The Court admits the state agency that acted as both prosecutor and judge in this case was biased against the Kleins faith. Yet, despite this anti-Christian bias that infected the whole case, the court is sending the case back to the very same agency for a do-over, she said at the time. The Bowman-Cryers filed a complaint with BOLI, which ruled that the Kleins had violated Oregons accommodations statute barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. As a result of the BOLI ruling against them, the Kleins were fined $135,000 in damages and closed the bakery. The Kleins appealed the BOLI order to the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2016. After the Oregon court upheld the order, they appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. In June 2019, the Supreme Court issued an order vacating the ruling against the Kleins and sent the case back to the state court of appeals. The nations high court cited its 2018 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission that the latter showed an unconstitutional anti-religious animus toward Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop when it punished him for refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding. Speaking about the devastation of losing her business, Klein told CBNs Faithwire, "All I can remember with the feelings of losing my bakery was the feeling of just devastation. ... My heart literally felt ripped in two when I closed my doors for the last time." Together '22: Hundreds gathered for evangelistic event urged to 'go out there and love' in polarized society DALLAS Evangelist Nick Hall urged hundreds gathered at the Cotton Bowl in downtown Dallas for the Together 22 evangelistic event to truly "see" those around them and "go out there and listen, go out there and love" in an increasingly polarized society. Together 22 saw hundreds of people come out to Fair Park for the revival event aimed at marking 50 years since Billy Graham hosted Explo 72 in the very same venue. That event drew upwards of 150,000 people to the stadium in what later became known as one of the largest religious gatherings ever. While Together '22 fell far short of drawing those types of numbers, Hall greeted those in attendance with an acknowledgment of the unpleasant weather. You think its hot in Texas? Were about to bring the fire back home, are you with me? said the evangelist. We out here in 98-degree heat because we love Jesus! Hall also reminded the crowd to reassess their priorities, especially with so many distractions in today's culture. The most important thing to tell people about Jesus is to make a priority to listen, to slow down and see people around you," he said. The greatest thing we can do as evangelists is go out there and listen, go out there and love." Along with a series of evangelistic training sessions, the multi-day event culminated this weekend with musical performances from Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Lecrae and other Christian music artists. Several guest speakers shared words of encouragement and evangelism with the crowd, including prerecorded messages from David Platt and Francis Chan, and a live appearance from apologist Josh McDowell, who shared a message on doubt. McDowell urged the crowd to not only know what you believe, know why you believe it. "I don't think I ever had doubts about the deity of Christ, the resurrection and the scriptures, he said. Now doubt is not saying I don't understand it, and a lot of times, I don't get it. But deep down in, I know it was true but I couldn't understand why it was true. But eventually I did." Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the hit streamer The Chosen, called on attendees to stop worrying about figuring it all out and just start with what they have in front of them. Its not your job to figure out how to feed the 5,000, said Jenkins. Your job is to just provide the loaves and fishes. Fridays slate of events started within minutes of the Supreme Court overruling its landmark 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, concluding that there is no constitutional right to an abortion. In the decision released June 24 in the case of Thomas Dobbs, et. al. v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the high court ruled 6-3 to uphold Mississippis Gestational Age Act, which bans most abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy. While there was no official response to the ruling from onstage, Hall issued a statement through a spokesperson challenging the church to step up in the social issues that will come as a result of the landmark decision. We may be pro-life, but are we pro-living? Hall said. Still, many who showed up to the Cotton Bowl were unfazed by the heat or the ruling. The non-stop worship and Gospel was amazing, said 16-year-old Brooke Watkins. I got to meet so many new people and hear my favorite artists. God opened my eyes to a whole different perspective of life these past two days through praying with strangers, listening to such powerful sermons, listening to worship music and many more things, student Chloey Carroll said. Hall is best known for organizing the Together 16 event, which drew nearly half a million people to Washington, D.C., and featured various artists and ministers who addressed the vast crowd, commissioning the next generation to unite under the banner of Jesus. Virginia pregnancy center first location to be vandalized by 'Jane's Revenge' after Dobbs decision A pro-life pregnancy center in Virginia has become the first anti-abortion organization to face vandalism since the United States Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Early Saturday morning, hours after the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organizationthat the Constitution does not contain a right to abortion, pro-abortion activists vandalized Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in Lynchburg, Virginia. While several pro-life pregnancy centers and churches have found themselves subject to varying degrees of vandalism since Politico first published a leaked draft opinion in the Dobbs case eight weeks ago, the attack on Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center is the first to take place since the publication of the Dobbs decision. One image of the vandalism shared on Facebook by the Lynchburg Police Department shows the words Janes Revenge spray-painted on the ground in front of the facility, with the A in the phrase written like the symbol for the anarchist movement. The symbol for the anarchist movement was also spray-painted onto the side of the building. A group of pro-abortion activists calling themselves Janes Revenge has taken credit for many acts of vandalism against churches and pro-life pregnancy centers in recent weeks. They have also called on pro-life organizations to disband and declared open season on such groups in a communique released two weeks ago. Republican federal lawmakers have called on the Department of Justice to take action against the group in response to the aforementioned threat. The FBI has already announced an investigation into attacks against pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security included both pro-life and pro-abortion groups on a list of domestic violent extremists that pose an elevated threat to the homeland in 2021. Another image of the property damage at Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center reveals graffiti declaring, If abortion aint safe you aint safe. Additional images of the vandalism illustrated a broken window at the facility, along with the words Vote blue LOL spray-painted on the side of the building. The Lynchburg Police Department also provided a still image of security camera footage documenting four masked individuals who committed the acts of vandalism. The timestamp showed the perpetrators gathered outside the facility at around 1:20 a.m. Susan Campbell, executive director of Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center, reacted to the targeting of her business in a statement posted on Facebook Saturday: BRPC has been vandalized greatly and we need the support of our community now more than ever. If you are available to give financial support for additional security, and lots of prayers, we would greatly appreciate you. We know God has [His] Hand over our center and the work at BRPC is not finished. Campbell also posted additional pictures of the vandalism, including the defacement of a streetside sign advertising the facility with a symbol for the anarchist movement. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, condemned the vandalism of Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in a tweet Saturday. There is no room for this in Virginia, breaking the law is unacceptable, he said. This is not how we find common ground. Virginia State Police stands ready to support local law enforcement as they investigate. There is no room for this in Virginia, breaking the law is unacceptable. This is not how we find common ground. Virginia State Police stands ready to support local law enforcement as they investigate.https://t.co/BONC83jKgj Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) June 26, 2022 In a statement issued following the Dobbs decision, Youngkin said he plans to take every action I can to protect life now that the Supreme Court of the United States has rightfully returned power to the people and their elected representatives in the states. Maintaining that Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions, he insisted that we can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life. Ive asked Senator Siobhan Dunnavant, Senator Steve Newman, Delegate Kathy Byron and Delegate Margaret Ransone to join us in an effort to bring together legislators and advocates from across the Commonwealth on this issue to find areas where we can agree and chart the most successful path forward, Youngkin added. Ive asked them to do the important work needed and be prepared to introduce legislation when the General Assembly returns in January. Youngkins comments reflect the fact that with Roe overturned, the legality of abortion will be decided on a state-by-state basis. Virginia is one of 10 states that will continue enforcing existing abortion laws and/or restrictions until new legislation is passed. Currently, Virginia bans abortions after the second trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-one states will either completely ban or more severely restrict abortion than they do now and 16 states will continue allowing abortions throughout most or all of pregnancy as the right to abortion has been codified into law. Three additional states could soon enact changes to their abortion laws depending on the results of possible ballot referendums on the matter. America can and must be more American For the majority of my life, I held fairly traditional views on illegal immigration. It was based in my trust that Americas democratic political systems are rooted in liberty, justice, and fairness. However, meeting Jose changed me. Like me, Jose is a Baptist minister and fellow believer in Jesus Christ. We both were raised in America, graduated from an American education system, and have a family and community we love. Where we are different is that as a teenager, Jose became aware that he wasnt an American citizen but instead an undocumented immigrant, limiting his opportunities and delivering uncertainty around his future in the only country he knew as home. Jose exposed me to the fact that there are millions of people like him who are deemed illegal immigrants and did not choose this status when they first arrived in America at the age of 2 or even 11. In fact, many did not learn until later that they were not born in the U.S. Our society has labeled this population as Dreamers, and despite our American value of fairness, there is no path for them to make the right choice someone else made on their behalf. Imagine celebrating your high school graduation only to be blindsided with new information that you dont have legal government documents and there is no solution to fix it. You cant pursue the careers you were taught to aspire to while in high school. You cant leave the country for a mission trip overseas. You cant get caught with a broken car light while driving to the grocery store. In 2012, after years of Congress debating and failing to create an earned path to legal status for Dreamers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was introduced as a presidential executive order. This policy created a special opportunity for Jose and roughly 600,000 other individuals to work legally, pursue college, buy a house and not fear deportation. But as we approach the 10-year anniversary of DACA, the limited administrative policy stopped receiving new applicants, leaving millions more in limbo, including the 100,000 Dreamers who graduated from high schools across America this past May. DACA also continues to face legal challenges and could be struck down by the courts at any moment this year. Jose would be faced with renewed risks of deportation and removal from his church, his family, and his community. Americans are faced with a moral gravity to make things right for our neighbors like Jose. But fairness and justice for this unique population can only be permanently secured by Congress. Voters are calling out for it and dont want to wait until after the midterm elections. The National Immigration Forum published a poll in February that shows 8 in 10 voters support a pathway for legal status for Dreamers coupled with border security policies and smart visa reform to deliver a reliable workforce for farmers and ranchers. In my home state, I find hope in U.S. Senator Alex Padillas (D-CA) promotion of the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act'' and in Congressman David Valadeos (R-CA-21) political courage to vote for the 2021 American Dream and Promise Act. Both sides can come together and show us how to live up to our own ideals as a nation. This is the year to get the right decisions across the finish line for Dreamers and for our country. Forgiveness: Very simple or highly complex Many have heard of The Nazi Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal. Hes famous for tracking down Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust and bringing them to justice. Fewer know of Wiesenthals wrestling with the conundrum of justice versus Forgiveness. The beginnings of his inner struggle are documented in his 1969 book The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. The author tells of when he was a Polish-Jewish concentration camp prisoner, assigned as an orderly, disposing of medical and human waste at a German field hospital. Unexpectedly, a young SS soldier, near death from his wounds, summons Wiesenthal to his bedside. He proceeds to confess all his trespasses, including aiding in the murder of 300 Jewish women and children who had been herded into a house, set ablaze, and gunned down when they tried to escape the hellish flames. This German soldier seeks forgiveness from a Jew. His final words to the prisoner are, I know that what I am asking is almost too much for you, but without your answer I cannot die in peace. Mentally dazed from malnutrition, cruel treatment, and the surreal nature of this confession, Wiesenthal is dumbfounded as to what to say or do. In the end, he says nothing, leaves the room, and spends the rest of his life wondering what he should have done. First asking his prison mates, then professional colleagues, and finally thinkers around the globe from every walk of life, Simon Wiesenthal spent decades in a relentless quest to understand forgiveness. The result is The Sunflower. There he documents the many responses to the questions that tormented him Should he have forgiven the dying soldier? What could he have even said that would absolve the mans guilt? Does a Nazi murderer, though sorrowful, even deserve forgiveness? Can you forgive a crime that was not against yourself, but against others? What about justice wouldnt forgiveness undermine justice? But couldnt he at least have tried to help a desperate man die in peace? Contemplating Wiesenthals moral dilemma, I was struck that the matter of forgiveness is either very simple or it quickly becomes highly complex. The simple side of forgiveness comes from the root meaning of the word Forgive: to cancel a debt. At its root, forgiveness really is that simple. When I release another from their debt to me, whether material or emotional, I walk free and full of life every time. But, if I pause to consider the injustice of the matter, I grow troubled and unsure if forgiveness is the way to go. Thanks to God and his great grace, the answer to my conflict is settled in Christ Justice is his to execute. Forgiveness is mine to extend. A friend used to put it this way: I take them off my hook and put them on Gods. If forgiveness is not that simple, then it quickly becomes astoundingly complex. The complex side of forgiveness comes from trying to figure out the how, the why, the when, the where, the how far, the how much, the how often Exhausted yet? Meanwhile, there is no question as to how important the act of forgiveness is to Jesus of Nazareth. Central to his simple, yet profound, teaching on how to pray, he declares Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12 NKJV) These words are more than just a line in The Lords Prayer. They express the doctrines core value, for in concluding the model prayer Jesus circles right back to the matter of forgiveness For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15) Did that last part grab your attention? It should. Seriously. First comes the fortifying promise of Gods forgiveness for us when we forgive others. Thats Gods exercising of justice based on the shed blood of Christ. But then comes the sobering warning of Gods necessary judgment on us when we do not forgive others, even as the atoning work of Christs sacrifice stands. If this is how seriously Jesus deals with forgiveness, how dare we presume to claim the justice of what we think is owed to us? Throughout my day Im prone to pray by the pattern of The Lords Prayer. Recently, while somewhat mindlessly repeating the phrase, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, a sudden conviction prompted me to ponder that plea to God LORD, please forgive my trespassessure, but against who exactly? You see, at that moment I couldnt think of anyone I was trespassing against. Yet considering the verse further, I realized that just like Im to forgive the one in debt to me, I need God to forgive my debt to him. All suddenly became clear that the one I have trespassed against, first and foremost, is the one I am asking to forgive me. That is My Father in heaven, hallowed be his name. As the psalmist cried Have mercy on me O Godagainst you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight that you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge. (Psalm 51:1, 4) The potential complexities of forgiveness are settled when we understand that we are in continual debt to God for his goodness and our inherent rebelliousness against him. Its called sin, and for it his justice demands his judgment upon us. Yet in Christ, by His blood sacrifice and resurrection life working on our behalf, we can ask the Father, over and over again, to Forgive us our trespasses (against you, LORD), as we forgive those who trespass against us. Its really that simple: Know the freedom of release from your debt to God as you release the debt others have to you. All this is accomplished in Christ, and it is ours for the repenting. As you might pray this today, embrace the core value, according to Jesus Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Archaeologists find Christian relics inside Islamic State-ravaged church Archeological workers restoring the historic Syriac Orthodox Mar Thomas Church in Iraqs capital Mosul, which was heavily damaged by Islamic State fighters about four years ago, have discovered about a dozen ancient relics and parchments connected to several saints, according to reports. The relics include manuscripts in Syriac and Aramaic as well as six stone containers wrought with Aramaic inscriptions, and some of them relate to Saint Theodore, Saint Simon, Mor Gabriel, Saint Simeon, and other well-known figures, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said. One of the stone containers carried an inscription relating to Saint Theodore, a Roman soldier born in the province of Corum, Turkey, in the third century CE and beheaded for having converted, The Jerusalem Post said, citing a report by AsiaNews. Some containers are related to Saint Simon the Zealot, a first century apostle of Jesus; Mor Gabriel, bishop of the Tur Abdin hilly region situated in southeast Turkey from 593 to 668 CE, the Post continued. The discovery also include relics of Saint Simeon the Wise from the first century CE, who, according to Christian tradition, welcomed the infant Jesus in the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem; relics of Saint John, one of the first apostles of Jesus, also known by his Hebrew name Yohanan ben Zavdi, and relics of celebrated writer and Syrian Orthodox Regional Primate Saint Gregory Bar Hebraeus, who served in the position from 1264-1286 CE, it added. The discovery of the hidden relics at this church is another encouraging development in the broad effort to restore and protect Christian cultural heritage in Iraq after the damage done by the Islamic State, ICC added. The watchdog noted that the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, collaborating with the Iraqi government, put $328,000 toward the project, which began last year to repair the damage done by IS in the battle of Mosul. Reviving the Spirit of Mosul, a restoration plan by UNESCO, is also underway, ICC said, adding that it involves more than $100 million. Perhaps workers will uncover more undiscovered pieces of history as they sort through the archeological remains of Christianitys long history in Iraq, ICC commented. In 2017, Iraqi militiamen, who took control of the ancient city of Hatra from Islamic State fighters, found that the terror group had destroyed relics dating back more than 2,000 years. Hatra is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site and considered an archeological jewel of Iraq and capital of the first Arab kingdom. The sculptures and engraved images are destroyed, but the walls and towers of the kingdom of Hatra remain standing, Voice of America quoted Marwa Rashid, a spokeswoman for Iraqs Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces militia, as saying at the time. There are many holes and scratches on the walls of the kingdom due to IS bullets. In a video released by IS after Hatras occupation, its fighters were seen damaging sculptures with sledgehammers and destroying images and artifacts on ancient walls with assault rifles. As per Iraqs 1987 census, there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq, but their numbers dramatically decreased to 141,000, according to a recent report. Church of England will oppose assisted dying bill ahead of synod, senior official says The Church of England will adamantly oppose a proposed bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom because it "undermines the intrinsic value of every human life," according to the denomination's senior-most lay leader. William Nye, the secretary-general of the Church of England General Synod, spoke out against the Assisted Dying Bill introduced in the House of Lords ahead of a scheduled meeting of the denomination's leaders next month. "The Church of England has been adamant in its rejection of a change in the current law in Parliament, in the media and among medical professions," Nye told The Times. The Assisted Dying Bill, which would enable terminally ill adults to end their own lives, was introduced by Baroness Molly Meacher last year. Meacher serves as the chairwoman of the group Dignity in Dying. She said in late April there is enough support in Parliament to pass the legislation. The bill was still in the committee stage as of April, the end of the parliamentary year as the bill is opposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "This option would enable terminally ill, mentally competent people whose suffering is beyond the reach of palliative care to die well and on their own terms, should they choose it," Meacher said in introducing the bill. "And it would also provide comfort and control to countless more who may never avail themselves of this option but would be comforted by the simple fact of its existence." The Church of England synod is scheduled for next month. Lay member Dr. Simon Eyre has proposed a motion to confirm the leaders' opposition to the proposed law. Nye said such a law could put pressure on people to end their lives. He believes "a change in the law would undermine the intrinsic value of every human life." Meacher said the church is "out of touch" with its members because polling has shown that a majority of Christians favor assisted suicide, according to The Times. Nye contends that opinion polls "are not a valid means to test ethical arguments." "Opinion polls not only rely upon questions which lack nuance or context, they also invite people to imagine themselves into a situation in which most people have no relevant experience," he said, adding that "no new or better arguments to the contrary have been advanced by any of the lobbyists for assisted suicide." Last October, Boris Johnson said he would not back the proposed change in the law. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the U.K.'s former Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that the bill would "undermine the sanctity of life" and could pressure the frail and vulnerable to end their lives. Welby and Brown signed a joint letter with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales; and Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of Ireland. "By the faiths we profess, we hold every human life to be a precious gift of the Creator, to be upheld and protected," they wrote. "All people of faith, and those of none, can share our concern that the common good is not served by policies or actions that would place very many vulnerable people in more vulnerable positions." Gordon also wrote in an op-ed for The Times. "If death were to become not just an option but something close to an entitlement through the bureaucratic processes that an act of parliament's provisions impose, we would, in my view, be altering fundamentally the way we think about mortality," Brown wrote. "The risk of pressures, however subtle and indirect, on the frail and the vulnerable, who may feel their existence burdensome to others, cannot ever be entirely excluded. And the inevitable erosion of trust in the caring professions if they were in a position to end life would be to lose something very precious." One country, two systems principle boosts Hong Kongs prosperity, stability 09:22, June 28, 2022 By Feng Xuezhi, Jin Chen ( People's Daily By fully leveraging its institutional strength under the one country, two systems principle, Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has steadily strengthened its competitive advantages and witnessed economic and social prosperity and stability over the past 25 years since its return to the motherland. Photo taken on July 27, 2019 shows a ferryboat sailing from the Victoria Bay in south Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. (Peoples Daily Online/ Duan Changzheng) After six years of construction, the third runway at the Hong Kong International Airport is anticipated to open this year. Preparatory work for the operation of the runway, including test flights and drills, has been completed recently. The third runway of the Hong Kong International Airport is right across from where we are, and the new terminal is next to it. There will be a hotel and commercial complex on the side of the runway, said Fred Lam Tin-fuk, Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, showing Peoples Daily the locations of the projects to be built at the Hong Kong International Airport on a planning map. Besides a new runway, the three-runway system project also includes a new baggage handling system and relevant supporting transportation facilities, according to Lam, who noted that the scale of the project is almost equivalent to building a new airport next to the existing one. Hong Kong is endowed with a good geographical location. More than half of the worlds population can be reached from the region within five hours of flight. A flag-raising ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square in south Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. (Peoples Daily Online/He Zhigang) The airport plays an important supporting role in the development of Hong Kongs economy. Data showed that the Hong Kong International Airport handled about 75 million passenger traffic in 2018, ranking among the highest in the world. The annual cargo throughput of the airport exceeded five million tonnes, topping the list of the busiest airports in the world. Such remarkable achievements of the airport reflect the booming economy of Hong Kong since its return to the motherland. During the past 25 years, Hong Kong has seen rapid economic development in various fields, enhancing its international status as a financial, shipping and trade center has been and consolidating its industrial advantages. The successes Hong Kong has achieved over the past 25 years and the sound development momentum it enjoys now are both inseparable from the development of its motherland. Chinas rapid development represents the greatest opportunity for Hong Kongs economic development and the greatest strength to maintain its prosperity. Adhering to the one country, two systems principle, Hong Kong has proven the advantages of its development by staying committed to the principle of one country and well leveraging the benefits of two systems. Hong Kongs financial system has always been robust since the regions return to the motherland, which is attributed to the prudent policies and sound supervision of the region, and more importantly, to the regions distinctive advantage of having the support of its motherland and being open to the world, said Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. With the support of the central government, Hong Kong has become the largest offshore renminbi (RMB) business center, and its capital market has continued to grow bigger and stronger. As of January 2022, the total outstanding amount of RMB customer deposits and certificates of deposit rose to 1.1135 trillion yuan (about $166.47 billion). A total of 1,370 mainland enterprises had been listed in Hong Kong by April this year, accounting for 53.3 percent of the total listed companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and 77.7 percent of the total value of Hong Kong stocks. The combined market value of these enterprises has reached 37.6 trillion Hong Kong dollars (about $4.79 trillion). Photo shows the third runway of the Hong Kong International Airport under construction. The paving of the runway was completed in June 2021. (Photo/Official website of Hong Kong International Airport) The principle of one country, two systems has created unique advantages for Hong Kongs business environment, said Jimmy Chiang, associate director-general of Investment Promotion at InvestHK. The Basic Law of the HKSAR has helped Hong Kong grow into one of the worlds freest economies while maintaining a simple tax system with low tax rates, which is particularly attractive to enterprises, he noted. By the end of 2021, the number of both mainland and foreign enterprises that had set up offices in Hong Kong reached a record high of 9,049, among which 1,457 located their regional headquarters in Hong Kong. Last year we helped a total of 333 companies establish or expand businesses in Hong Kong, and 186 of them chose to invest in the region because of the thriving Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said Chiang. Photo shows the exterior of Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon Cultural District, south Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The museum will open to the public on July 2, 2022. (Photo/Official website of Hong Kong Palace Museum) Hong Kong can help companies from the Chinese mainland explore the global market by providing them with legal and financing services, Chiang explained, while Hong Kong can attract international investment institutions and firms and enable them to fully leverage the resources in the Greater Bay Area to achieve better development in Asian and even the global market. In recent years, Hong Kong has made continuous efforts to promote the growth of offshore RMB market, develop itself into a regional intellectual property trading center and enhance its capability to provide international legal and dispute resolution services for investors. The outline of Chinas 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national socio-economic development has charted the route to a bright future for Hong Kong. As the construction of the Greater Bay Area makes steady progress and breakthroughs, Hong Kong is embracing brand new opportunities. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for the UAE after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany and interacting with several world leaders during which they discussed many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. "PM @narendramodi concludes his visit to Germany for the G7 Summit, wrapping up two days of productive discussions on sustainable solutions to global challenges, PM Modi now emplanes for Abu Dhabi for a brief stopover before reaching New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted. In the UAE, he will convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi ruler. Zayed Al Nahyan, who had been in office since 2004, died at the age of 73 after a long illness on May 13. Modi had expressed grief over his death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India-UAE relations prospered. "Leaving Germany after a productive visit in which I attended the @G7 Summit, interacted with several world leaders and participated in a memorable community programme in Munich. We were able to discuss many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity," Modi tweeted. "I thank the people of Germany, @Bundeskanzler Scholz and the German Government for their hospitality during the entire visit. I am confident India-Germany friendship will scale newer heights in the times to come," the prime minister wrote. On Monday, Modi highlighted India's efforts for green growth, clean energy, sustainable lifestyles and global wellbeing, at a G7 summit session. During his two-day visit to Germany, Modi met his counterparts from the UK, Japan and Italy and exchanged views on a range of issues with them. Modi also met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and held productive discussions as the two leaders reviewed the India-EU cooperation in trade, investment, technology and climate action. He also met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Germany. During his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the two leaders agreed to take forward the momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership besides further diversifying the bilateral cooperation on climate-related issues for the benefit of their people and the entire planet. Modi also met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties and reaffirmed the need for further deepening cooperation in areas like trade and investment, food security, defence, pharmaceuticals and digital financial inclusion. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed a range of bilateral and global issues over a cup of tea. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the summit venue. On Sunday, Modi addressed the Indian diaspora during a massive community event at the Audi Dome indoor arena in Munich. Killer who stabbed Coptic priest in Egypt sentenced to death Convict said to have shouted jihadist slogan as he stabbed clergyman The convicted killer of Archbishop Arsanious Wadid in Alexandria, Egypt, was sentenced to death earlier this month, according to Copts-United. Nehru Abdel Moneim Tawfiq was sentenced to death on June 11 after a long session in which the 22nd District Alexandria Criminal Court headed by Waheed Sabry watched surveillance camera video of the murder that took place on the boardwalk near Ishak Helmy beach, Copts-United reported. The verdict came after the court reportedly referred his case to the Mufti of the Republic for an Islamic legal opinion. Wadid, priest of the Virgin and St. Paul Church in Alexandria, was distributing Ramadan gifts on the promenade to passers-by with a group of youths from his church on April 7 when the assailant stabbed him at least three times in the neck with a knife, according to local press reports. He was 56. Leaders of both the historical church in Egypt and Islam had played down a religious motive in an attempt to prevent escalation, though Tawfiq shouted the jihadist slogan Allah Akbar [Allah is greater] as he stabbed Wadid, an eyewitness testified at the trial, according to Copts-United. She said Tawfiq hovered around the area for 10 minutes before targeting Wadid because of his priestly garments. Islamist assailants in Egypt frequently resort to mental instability as a legal defense for murder, and Tawfiq asserted that his unstable mental state rendered him unable to control his actions, according to news outlet Ahram Online. Initially Tawfiq made no effort to hide, witnesses testified, and police said he confessed to intentionally killing the priest, but he later claimed that he was not aware of what he was doing and had obtained the knife only for self-defense. Prosecutors asserted during the trial that evaluations showed he was psychologically sound at the time of the attack, according to Copts-United. The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Alexandria declared Wadid a martyr. Such attacks are relatively rare in Egypt, but violence was one reason the country was ranked 20th on Open Doors 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The opening of a new church or rumors of blaspheming Islam have led to mob violence in rural areas. In upper Egypt, the local authorities use so-called reconciliation sessions to resolve a conflict, which, de facto, often means that Muslim attackers go free, according to the WWL report. This has resulted in a culture of impunity for violence against Christians in that area. Egypts Al-Azhar, the worlds most influential Sunni Islam institution, had condemned the murder of Wadid in a statement on Facebook. Al-Azhars Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb said such attacks might instigate religious wars. The Grand Imam affirms that homicide is a major sin that arouses Gods wrath and is punishable in the afterlife, read Al-Azhars statement. Egypt, considered a worldwide Islamic leader, is strategically important due to its location in the region and size, along with its historical and diplomatic sway. Christians make up more than 10% of Egypts population in the Muslim-majority country, and attacks on Christians are common. While general security in Egypt has improved since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was elected in 2014, Christians remain vulnerable to violence and discrimination. Sexual harassment of Coptic Christian women is widespread, and although Al-Sisi uses inclusive language and has begun allowing churches to legally open, in everyday life Christians face opposition. Egypt headed by Al-Sisi has cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood but also on religious rights defenders like Coptic activist Ramy Kamel. Some fear that Al-Sisis repression of the Islamic extremist Muslim Brotherhood, essentially driving members underground, has compelled it to become more radicalized and militant and increased the number of those joining Islamic extremist groups. Such developments could lead to a further polarization of society in Egypt and could pose a serious risk to the nations stability and the security of Christian Egyptians in the long run, the WWL report noted. The current high level of support for President al-Sisis regime by a large number of the churches and Christians might also be used against them. Followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups are likely to view church buildings and Christians as easy targets to show that the Egyptian government is not able to protect its supporters. Nun murdered in Haiti hailed by Pope Francis as martyr: 'Made her life a gift to others' Pope Francis has hailed as a martyr an Italian nun who was brutally attacked and killed while caring for the poor and needy in Haiti during a suspected armed robbery. Sister Luisa DellOrto, 64, was killed Sunday during an armed aggression, probably with the aim of robbery, in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, according to the diocese of Milan, The Associated Press reported. The nun, from the Little Sisters of the Gospel, died soon after being taken to hospital, two days before her 65th birthday. DellOrto made her life a gift to others, even to the point of martyrdom, the pope said in remarks to the public in St. Peters Square on Sunday, according to Vatican News. For more than two decades, she dedicated above all to the service of street children, Pope Francis recalled. I entrust her soul to God, and I pray for the Haitian people, especially the little ones, so they can have a more serene future, without misery and without violence, he prayed. Responding to the popes mention of DellOrto as a martyr, the nuns biological sister, Maria Adele DellOrto, said: Here, yes, she really gave her life for the work, that is certainly a fact. She was aware that something might happen ... because its obvious, even in her last letter she said so, that the situation was very difficult. But she was keen to stay and bear witness. Last year, the nun wrote a letter to a missionary group, explaining her decision to continue her work in Haiti. You will tell me I am a bit crazy. Why stay here? Why expose yourself to risk? What is the point of living in such discomfort? Wouldnt it be better for people to solve their own problems? To be able to count on someone is important in order to live! And witnessing that you can count on the solidarity that comes from faith and love of God is the greatest gift we can offer, she wrote. The impoverished Caribbean nation is struggling in the social and political aftermath of the assassination of President Jouvenal Moise last July. Haiti also has yet to recover from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people last August. Last year, the U.S. State Department urged Americans to depart Haiti now. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to make plans to depart Haiti now via commercial means. U.S. citizens should carefully consider the risks of traveling to or remaining in Haiti in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges, a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said. In a 2021 interview, Dr. David Vanderpool, the founder of LiveBeyond, a Christian nonprofit organization that's been operating in Haiti for over a decade, told The Christian Post that many Haitians of faith "have turned to God more now than ever" amid natural disasters and increased crime. Typically, persecution increases faith for those who have faith," he said. Introducing people to the Christian faith is a real challenging situation because many people respond differently. But many Haitians with faith have turned to God more now than ever." Monet and Klein lead the 20th/21st Century London to Paris evening sales The series of three sales achieves 203,881,403 / 236,094,664, showcasing the historical affinities and cultural dialogue between the two cities Following the remarkable success of the Shanghai to London edition in March, Christies global auction series returned with 20/21 London to Paris, livestreamed from both salerooms. The programme featured three evening sales, which focused on the influential artistic synergies that exist between London and Paris. Together the auctions realised 203,881,403 / 236,094,664. They were led by works from pioneering 20th- and 21st-century artists representing the cultural exchange between these two art capitals, notably Claude Monet, Yves Klein and Marc Chagall. Also offered were emerging and under-represented artistic voices, as well as major contemporary artists including Rachel Jones, Caroline Walker and Joel Mesler. The series began strongly in London with Marc Chagall, Colour of Life: Works Formerly from the Artists Estate, which achieved 9,736,500 / 11,274,867. Immediately following was the 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale, which totalled 180,973,400 / 209,567,197, selling 90 per cent by lot and 96 per cent by value. Later, the series concluded with the 20th/21st Century: Paris Evening Sale, which realised 15,252,600 / 13,171,503. In London, auctioneers Veronica Scarpati and Jussi Pylkkanen took bids from clients in the saleroom, through phone banks and via Christies LIVE online bidding channel. The Paris sale was conducted by Cecile Verdier. Marc Chagall, Colour of Life: Works Formerly from the Artists Estate Offering 20 fresh-to-market works originating from the estate of Marc Chagall, this was the first in a series of global sales at Christies dedicated to the artists work. The works sold 100 per cent by lot and 100 per cent by value. The sale explored five key themes that dominated Chagalls practice: the rhythms and rituals of his home town; the circus; the heroic figures of myth, legend and religion; the universal questions of identity and legacy; and, above all else, the enduring power of love. The top price of the sale was 1,602,000 for Le peintre et les maries aux trois couleurs (above). Executed in 1984, the final full year of Chagalls artistic career, it depicts a painter before his canvas, palette and paintbrush in hand, and an embracing couple who float weightless above the townscape of Chagalls native Vitebsk. The pure passages of blue, red and green that divide the canvas exemplify the artists extraordinary use of colour. Depicting the Thames through an effervescent, sunlit haze, Waterloo Bridge, effet de brume is one of 41 paintings of the London landmark that the artist painted between 1899 and 1904. The sale follows the exceptional result achieved by Christies for Monets Le Parlement, soleil couchant, from the Collection of Anne H. Bass, which sold for $75.9 million, a record for a painting from Monets London series. Monet painted Nympheas, temps gris, below, during a period of intense creativity in 1907, employing a vertical format to capture the spectacular effects of late-afternoon light and colour on his water-lily pond. Of the 15 vertical Nympheas dating from 1907, eight are now held in museum collections. An outstanding price was also achieved by Yves Kleins 1960 Anthropometrie de lepoque bleue (ANT 124), one of only a handful of large-scale Anthropometries to remain in private hands. Offered at auction for the first time, it sold for 27,197,000. Presented from the collection of Victor and Olena Pinchuk, Jeff Koonss Balloon Monkey (Magenta), below, realised 10,136,500. The winning bidder was Jens Faurschou, and the proceeds of the sale will support humanitarian aid in Ukraine, assisting wounded soldiers and civilians who urgently require medical treatment, prosthetics and rehabilitation. Open a larger version of this image Jeff Koons (b. 1955), Balloon Monkey (Magenta), 2006-2013. Sold for 10,136,500 on 28 June 2022 at Christies in London The sale opened with Untitled V (Anatomy of Architecture series), below, by Simone Leigh, the first African American female artist to represent the US at the Venice Biennale, where she won the Golden Lion for best contribution. Steeped in questions of racial and cultural identity, this powerful sculpture from 2016 sold for 724,500. The following lot, Beatriz Milhazess Cebola Roxa, realised 856,800. Painted in Rio de Janeiro during lockdown in 2020, the canvas reflects Milhazess love of the natural world. It was offered at Christies in aid of Artists for ClientEarth, a collaborative initiative designed to unite the art world in the fight against climate change, which has now raised more than 5.6 million to date. Surrealist works also performed well, with Rene Magrittes Souvenir de voyage (circa 1962-63) fetching 16,090,500, more than double the high estimate. Leonora Carringtons 1952 Ferret Race (Stoat Race), last seen at auction more than 20 years ago, achieved 1,362,000. The sale also saw strong results for a group of works from the collection of David and Laura Finn. Leading the collection was Alexander Calders Red, White, and Blacks (1957), which sold for 3,162,000. Also offered was Henry Moores Interior Form (1952), which made 2,102,000. The second-highest seller was Yves Kleins Sculpture eponge rose sans titre (SE 207), one of only seven examples of Kleins celebrated Sculptures eponges rendered in the madder rose shade that made up a third of his unique colour triad. After a flurry of international bids, it sold for 2,022,000. There was also great interest in Jean Helions 1944 Lescalier (above), which soared past its high estimate before selling for 1,086,000 to a bidder on the phone in Paris; and Wifredo Lams Horizons Chauds (1968), which sold to a phone bidder in London for 705,600. Sign up today Christies Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe NEW YORK (AP) Chris Pratt portrays a Navy SEAL in his new Amazon series The Terminal List, and is surrounded on camera and behind-the-scenes by former members of the U.S. military. In the 2013 movie Zero Dark Thirty," Pratt played one of the Navy SEALs who helped kill Osama Bin Laden. For that role, he shadowed Jared Shaw, a real Navy SEAL, whom he now counts as one of his very best friends. He was in my wedding, said Pratt. The two also lived together before he moved in with now-wife Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt. Shaw introduced Pratt to the book The Terminal List by Jack Carr, a story about a Navy SEAL named Jack Reece, whose platoon is ambushed in a covert operation. When Reece returns home, he begins to question both his memories of what happened and the world around him. Pratt loved the book so much that he optioned it with Antoine Fuqua directing the first episode and serving as a co-executive producer alongside Pratt and others. Shaw was added as an associate producer and also has a role in the show. The team hired real special ops members to appear in a major combat scene in the first episode that sets the series in motion. It also employed former members of the military behind-the-scenes in a variety of roles. Pratt said he wanted The Terminal List, debuting July 1, to have a layer of authenticity" that many Hollywood productions featuring special ops don't have. Action films over time have turned Navy SEALs into superheroes. I think when actual SEALs watch that stuff, theyre like, Nah, thats Hollywood (expletive.) By enlisting former special ops as technical advisors, Pratt said they could say, Hey, guys, thats not what that should look like. You have to do it again. The goal was to try to honor that community and make this for that community, So theyd watch us and go, Wow. Thats actually very accurate. Beyond realism, Pratt says it makes sense to enlist former military to work on Hollywood productions. They wake up and look for work to get done, he said. I love that transition for people getting out of the service and joining the film and television industry. Its a really great place for them. It's very similar in a chain of command. You have departments, and you have initiatives that come down from the top. We had props department people, we had wardrobe people, we had hair and makeup people, we had extras, location people, we had actors, writers, producers who were former military. Carr has written four other books about the Reese character, and Pratt says he's game to continue the story on screen. If that happens, he will make sure to continue to hire former armed service members. They fit great, he said. It's also a point of pride for Pratt to help Shaw realize a personal dream of going into showbiz. He had questioned whether attempting a career in Hollywood was realistic. "It was very serendipitous that we met. (Shaw) had been an actor in high school... I was like, Hey, dude. You know, I love this sort of bubble that I live in. And I know that in part, its created by men and women who pick up a gun and grab their boots and their uniform, and they go to work ... You bought our freedom and I appreciate that.' I said, Its time to maybe enjoy some of the spoils of his service ... Jump into the film and television industry. Its thriving. Its booming. And we need you.' This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Rev. Wallace Shook, of Conroe, had been told by his mother that their family was related to early American folk hero Daniel Boone. All his 95 years, hed wondered if it was indeed true. When Marie Underdown gave a patriotic presentation last Fourth of July as a part of Bible study at their church, Shook mentioned it to Dave Underdown and Underdown knew he had to track down this mystery. Underdown, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution Freedom Chapter, traced Shooks lineage and determined he was in fact a descendant of the famed adventurer. On June 21, Shook was inducted into the Freedom Chapter as the newest member at the age of 96 based on his connection to Boone who served as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War. On YourConroeNews.com: Where to celebrate Fourth of July in Montgomery County Since the discovery, Shook has been reading up on Boone and his life. What an interesting character, Shook said of his ancestor. His is just one story of the more than 120 members of the Freedom Chapter group who have all traced their family line back to a participant of the American Revolution. Now today the 120 members celebrate their heritage by participating in events across the county and state sharing patriotic, historical and educational experiences while honoring their ancestors service. This holiday weekend, members of the group will don their colonial gear and participate in the Conroe Stars and Stripes Celebration Saturday night. Theyll also participate in the Oak Ridge North Fourth of July Parade Monday. Throughout the year, they can be found in their colonial uniforms at Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances, participating in local and statewide parades, joinin in re-enactments, attending memorial services, doing educational outreach in schools, working with ROTC groups and Boy Scouts and giving presentations to organizations and more. Freedom Chapter president, Art Byram, said their uniforms come from a company based in California that also provides costumes for the movies. When they go into schools, he said the question they get from children the most is Are you a pirate? based on their triangular hats. Three generations of Byrams family are involved in American Revolution lineage groups. His great uncle who lived in California had a local school trace the family lineage. That research became a book that is now in the Sons of the American Revolution library and it helped Byram, his daughter and his granddaughters trace their heritage back to Revolutionary times. His daughter participates in the Daughters of the American Revolution and his granddaughters are a part of the Children of the American Revolution. On YourConroeNews.com: SAR member discusses Paul Reveres ride Its especially touching to Byram that his granddaughters Annabelle and Abigail are named after two of his ancestors that came to the US on the Mayflower. The Freedom Chapter launched 40 years ago in March 1982. Dave Mortons father, John Davis Jack Morton, was one of the charter members of the chapter. Both his mother, Katherine, and his father were engaged in the study of genealogy. But he said it was a lot more difficult to obtain information in their day. They probably spent 20 years visiting courthouse basements, abandoned cemeteries, libraries with newspaper archives and more, Morton said. The advent of the internet has made family research much easier these days. Morton said his most interesting ancestor is a man named Jacob Gremmer. Probably the most interesting thing about him is he probably walked about 2,000 miles just to miss out on every battle that happened, Morton said. Morton has nearly 20 years of Sons of the American Revolution membership which was inspired by both his parents. With other chapters in Huntsville, Katy, Galveston and downtown Houston, the Freedom Chapter is most convenient for those who live in Montgomery County. Dave Hamaker is the groups First Vice President. He started researching his genealogy almost as a joke 40 years ago. He attended his ex-wifes family reunion in Arkansas. Her grandfather ask about his last name and said he went to school with a Jack Hamaker. Dave Hamaker said Thats my grandfather. Jokingly, just to make sure he and his ex-wife were only related by marriage, he came back to Conroe and the ladies in the Montgomery County Genealogy Department helped him trace his lineage. Now hes in several lineage groups. Possibly his most famous ancestor is Peter Sides. He served as an ensign from North Carolina with the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment in the Revolutionary War. He continued to be a military man his whole life. At the age of 62 or 63, he joined the Gutierrez-Magee expedition to free Texas from Spain in 1812, and was killed in the Battle of Medina on Aug. 18, 1813. Hamaker now commemorates Sides role in the battle each year at the re-enactment in August. Most people dont know a lot about the Battle of Medina, but it was the bloodiest battle on Texas soil, Hamaker said. And he said placing dates for their ancestors is great, but its the stories you find out that are really fascinating. It doesnt even have to be anyone famous. Sometimes its just finding out how the family progressed and where they moved and why, he said. It marvels Chapter secretary Ed Sellards that their ancestors were there at such momentous times in American history. We wouldnt be a country if there werent men like our ancestors who were there and willing to give it all, Sellards said. The Freedom Chapter meets at the Spring Creek BBQ in Shenandoah. Meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Theyre always seeking new members and can help those interesting in researching their family history. Visit https://www.freedomchaptersar.org for more information about the group. shernandez@hcnonline.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A former Houston-area doctor was sentenced to prison earlier this month for trying to meet a minor for a sexual purpose in 2019 in Montgomery County. Jay Lin, 43, of Bellaire, pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony offense of online solicitation of a minor on Nov. 29 in the 435th District Court. On June 9, presiding Judge Patty Magginis convicted and sentenced Lin to three years in prison. Lin, a former Baylor College of Medicine assistant professor for radiology, was arrested July 31, 2019 during a Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables undercover sting targeting sexual predators online, according to an Aug. 19, 2019 Houston Chronicle article. Lin was put on administrative leave, the article mentioned a college spokeswoman said at the time. The same day the story ran online, the Texas Medical Board suspended Lins medical license. It was determined Lins continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare, read a statement from the board at the time. As of Monday, the current status on Lins license was suspended, active with it set to expire Aug. 31, 2023, according to information on the boards website. The last action taken on Lins license was its August 2019 suspension, the boards website showed. Upon Lins release from prison, he will have to register as a sex offender, according to court documents on his conviction. On Monday, Lin remained at the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe. Lins defense attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) From the moment he first faced criminal charges, in 2006, Jeffrey Epstein has been the object of public fascination, conspiracy theories and outrage especially after his lawyers got prosecutors to agree to a lenient plea deal that spared him from serious prison time. Epstein was eventually arrested again, but died by suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. Here is a timeline of the case against him and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping him abuse teenage girls. ___ March 2005: Police in Palm Beach, Florida, begin investigating Epstein after the family of a 14-year-old girl reports she was molested at his mansion. Multiple underage girls, many of them high school students, would later tell police that Epstein hired them to give sexual massages. May 2006: Palm Beach police officials sign paperwork to charge Epstein with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor, but the county's top prosecutor, State Attorney Barry Krischer, takes the unusual step of sending the case to a grand jury. July 2006: Epstein is arrested after a grand jury indicts him on a single count of soliciting prostitution. The relatively minor charge draws almost immediate attention from critics, including Palm Beach police leaders, who assail Krischer publicly and accuse him of giving Epstein special treatment. The FBI begins an investigation. 2007: Federal prosecutors prepare an indictment against Epstein. But for a year, the money manager's lawyers engage in talks with the U.S. attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, about a plea bargain that would allow Epstein to avoid a federal prosecution. Epstein's lawyers decry his accusers as unreliable witnesses. June 2008: Epstein pleads guilty to state charges: one count of solicitating prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He is sentenced to 18 months in jail. Under a secret arrangement, the U.S. attorney's office agrees not to prosecute Epstein for federal crimes. Epstein serves most of his sentence in a work-release program that allows him to leave jail during the day to go to his office, then return at night. July 2009: Epstein is released from jail. For the next decade, multiple women who say they are Epsteins victims wage a legal fight to get his federal non-prosecution agreement voided, and hold him and others liable for the abuse. One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, says in her lawsuits that, starting when she was 17, Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, set up sexual encounters with royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and other rich and powerful men, including Britain's Prince Andrew. All of those men deny the allegations. November 2018: The Miami Herald revisits the handling of Epstein's case in a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta who by this point is President Donald Trump's labor secretary in arranging his unusual plea deal. The coverage renews public interest in the case. July 6, 2019: Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges after federal prosecutors in New York conclude that they weren't bound by the terms of the earlier non-prosecution deal. Days later, Acosta resigns as labor secretary amid public outrage over his role in the initial investigation. Aug. 10, 2019: Guards find Epstein dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City. Investigators conclude he killed himself. July 2, 2020: Federal prosecutors in New York charge Ghislaine Maxwell with sex crimes, saying she helped recruit the underage girls that Epstein sexually abused and sometimes participated in the abuse herself. Dec. 30, 2021: After a monthlong trial, a jury convicts Maxwell of multiple charges, including sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity. June 28, 2022: Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison. Federal agents last week seized the cellphone of John Eastman, a lawyer who pushed false claims that mass voter fraud tainted the 2020 election and who urged President Donald Trump and other Republicans to block Joe Biden from becoming president. Eastman's lawyer, Charles Burnham, filed papers in federal court in New Mexico on Monday asking a judge to order the cellphone be returned to Eastman. It was seized pursuant to a search order when he left a restaurant on Wednesday - a day in which federal agents around the country delivered subpoenas, executed search warrants and interviewed witnesses in a significant expansion of the criminal probes surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. That same day, federal agents conducted a search at the Northern Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who Trump considered appointing to run the department because he was willing to further a scheme to declare the election results invalid in some key states. Both Clark and Eastman played crucial roles in Trump's efforts in late 2020 and early 2021 to persuade state legislators in about a half-dozen states to replace the electors that Biden had won with electors for Trump. In theory, such a replacement would have kept Trump in the White House. Monday's court filings also suggest the Justice Department's inspector general has become a player in the criminal probes surrounding Jan. 6, because Eastman says his phone was taken by FBI agents acting on behalf of the inspector general. A spokeswoman for the inspector general declined to comment. Burham did not immediately respond to an email seeking further information about the seizure. The inspector general is an independent entity tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse within the Justice Department. IG investigations examine the conduct of current or former department officials, and the office's role in this case suggests it may be reviewing the contents of Eastman's phone as part of a criminal investigation into Clark or others who once worked at the department. In court papers seeking the return of his phone, Eastman argues that because he was never a Justice Department employee, he is "outside of the OIG's jurisdiction." The court papers say that when Eastman asked to see the warrant, the request was refused. He was frisked, his iPhone taken from him, and he was "forced to provide biometric data to open" the phone, the filing says. That claim may become a matter of dispute, since the warrant for his phone explicitly states that he may be asked to willingly provide a password or biometric data but cannot be forced to provide that information. The warrant also suggests federal prosecutors are prepared for a legal fight over the contents of the phone, because it contains a provision that its contents will not be viewed right away by the investigative team. In his own filing, Eastman notes that his phone contains "emails that have been the subject of an intense, five-month privilege dispute between [himself] and the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol." The court filing also notes that a federal judge in California previously ruled that some of Eastman's emails are "protected by the First Amendment's freedom of association, by attorney-client privilege, and/or by the work product doctrine." Eastman's role in the run-up to Jan. 6 and its aftermath has been a key focus of that committee, which has scheduled a hearing Tuesday afternoon with an as-yet unannounced witness or witnesses. Even as an angry violent mob ransacked the U.S. Capitol, trying to stop lawmakers from tallying the electoral votes that made Biden president, Eastman continued to argue his case for overturning the election results, according to an email exchange from that day. After Pence was escorted out of the Senate for his own safety, a Pence aide, Greg Jacob, sent Eastman a furious email. "Thanks to your bull----, we are now under siege," Jacob wrote, according to Eastman. What was happening at the Capitol "is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way so that the American people can see for themselves what happened," Eastman wrote back to Jacob, referring to Trump's claims of voter fraud. Eastman sent the email as Pence, who had been presiding in the Senate, was under guard with Jacob and other advisers in a secure area. Rioters were tearing through the Capitol complex, some of them calling for Pence to be executed. The Jan. 6 committee has also revealed that in an email after Jan. 6, Eastman wrote to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, saying: "I've decided I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works." The committee has aired testimony from other witnesses indicating at least five Republican members of Congress sought pardons from the president in the waning days of his presidency. None of them were issued pardons, nor have they been charged with a crime. WASHINGTON (AP) About 1,000 Air National Guard troops who are assigned to space missions are mired in an identity crisis. Torn between the Air Force, where they have historically been assigned, and the military's shiny new Space Force where they now work, their units have become orphans, according to commanders, as state and federal leaders wrangle over whether to create a Space National Guard. For federal authorities, the issue is mainly about the money. A Space Guard, they say, will create unneeded bureaucracy and cost up to $500 million a year. They argue it's too high a price to slap a new name on a patch for an airman doing the same job at the same desk as a year ago. But state Guard leaders say what's at stake is more than than just uniform patches. They say the split has caused budgeting gaps, training delays and recruiting problems, and if unresolved will lead to bigger divisions, eroding units' readiness in some of the nations critical space warfighting and nuclear command and control jobs. The state leaders don't buy the money argument. They say a Space Guard will be needed in only seven states and Guam, where the Air Guard members who support space missions already reside. The cost, they say, will only be about $250,000, for new signs, tags and other administrative changes. When they removed all the space operators out of the Air Force, the Air Force no longer really does space, said Air Guard Lt. Col. Jeremiah Hitchner, commander of the 109th Space Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron in Guam. Hitchner was referring to the decision to shift active-duty Air Force troops doing space missions into the new Space Force. They left us in the Air Force. So we were for lack of a better term orphaned. We were left on our own to survive. Across the country, there are 1,008 Air National Guard citizen-airmen performing space jobs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York, Ohio and Guam. Many of those Guard members work with America's highly sensitive and technical military satellite communications and missile warning systems. They are responsible for ensuring that those systems can survive and operate under all peace and wartime conditions. President Donald Trump ordered the creation of a Space Force in June 2018. But even before then, it had already been under discussion within the Air Force as a way to better defend U.S. interests in space, especially navigation and communication satellites. Unlike the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Space Force is not its own military department. Instead, it's administered by the Air Force secretary, is led by a four-star general and provides forces for U.S. Space Command, which oversees the militarys space operations. To limit costs and avoid establishing a vast space bureaucracy, only a few military career fields were created for the Space Force: mainly space operations, cyber and intelligence jobs. Active-duty airmen who were doing those missions became Space Force Guardians. There are about 7,000 active-duty Guardians, and a similar number of civilians, with a budget of about $18 billion for this fiscal year. Other duties including legal, medical, public affairs and some administrative posts continue to be carried out by Air Force staff. The opposition to creating a small Space Guard appears to be centered at the White House and Office of Management and Budget. Last September, the budget office said it strongly opposed a Space National Guard, citing Congressional Budget Office estimates that it could cost about $500 million a year. Establishing a Space National Guard would not deliver new capabilities it would instead create new government bureaucracy, OMB said. The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions have effectively performed their roles with no adverse effect on DODs space mission since the establishment of the Space Force. DOD refers to the Department of Defense. While having a Space Guard was part of the initial Air Force plan, the funding limits have become the overriding issue. There are worries that creating a Guard structure would mean more overhead costs, including the need for a Space Guard commander and other senior staff. Also, there is a distant fear that once that structure was in place, other states could lobby for their own units, again expanding the costs. In the states, Guard members say they are struggling with increased bureaucracy and that it's becoming harder to get training slots for new recruits. Sitting alongside the active-duty Space Guardians, the Air Guard members say they're doing their same jobs, but without a formal link to the Space Force. As the Space Force develops its own job descriptions and requirements, Air Guard troops complain it's more difficult to be promoted in space mission jobs. We need to be aligned with people that understand the space mission, have responsibility for the space mission, and have all the authorities and alignment in the space mission, said Senior Master Sgt. Harry Smith, flight chief for the 137th Space Warning Squadron in Colorado. The Air Force should be focused on air power." Commanders said that over time, the disconnect will worsen. Already, they said, funding is becoming a problem because they are requesting money from the Air Force for a Space Force mission or equipment. The Space Force and Air Force now have their own fund lines. They're appropriated completely different, said Hitchner. That makes an issue for me because Im in the air side trying to spend Space Force money. Its sometimes legally not possible. Some members of Congress are pushing for a Space Guard, citing many of the same efficiency and bureaucracy reasons. Legislation has been proposed but has not passed. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the National Guard Association of the U.S. argued that OMB incorrectly inflated the price tag and ignored Air Force studies that concluded creating a Guard would be more efficient. The personnel are already on the payroll and the equipment and facilities are in place. said retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the association's president. A Space National Guard could grow in the future, but only to meet requirements specified by the Space Force. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday appealed rebel MLAs of his party camping in Guwahati to return to Mumbai and talk to him. It is not too late. I appeal to you to return and sit with me and remove the confusion (created by your actions) among Shiv Sainiks and the public, a statement by Thackeray's aide quoted him as saying. If you return and face me, some way could be found. As party president and family head, I still care for you, he said. Thackeray's statement comes in the backdrop of rebel goup leader Eknath Shinde daring the party to disclose the names of some of the MLAs camping in Guwahati who were reportedly in touch with the party leadership. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) The first American to be convicted in a U.S. jury trial of joining the Islamic State had his prison term reduced Tuesday from 20 years to 14 years after an appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing. Mohamad Khweis was convicted back in 2017 of providing material support to terrorists, as well as a weapons charge. He traveled to Islamic State-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria in December 2015, even obtaining an official IS membership card. But he left after a few months and surrendered in northern Iraq to Kurdish forces. In 2020, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out the weapons charge many defendants had similar charges tossed out in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling and ordered a new sentencing hearing. Prosecutors urged Judge Liam O'Grady at Tuesday's hearing to again sentence Khweis to 20 years. They cited the need for deterrence in a high-profile terrorism case and reminded O'Grady of the significance of Khweis' conduct. While there is no evidence that he fought for the Islamic State, there was evidence at his trial that he volunteered to be a suicide bomber and that he cared for injured fighters at safe houses. He also admitted at trial that he burned his laptop and multiple phones, and deleted contact info from another, before he fled the Islamic State. He testified at trial that he was worried the laptop contained financial data like his credit score, which the judge said was implausible. Khweis, 32, has been in custody in one form or another since March 2016, and on Tuesday again renounced his allegiance to the Islamic State and apologized for his conduct. It's still mid-boggling to me that I made this terrible decision, said Khweis, who grew up in northern Virginia and had worked as a Metro Access bus driver for disabled passengers before departing to the Islamic State. Khweis' attorney, Jessica Carmichael, highlighted his exemplary behavior in the Bureau of Prisons after his conviction and said he's done all he can to show he's matured. We do want to send a message with this sentence, she told the judge. And she said the audience paying the most attention is the people he left behind in prison. We want to encourage others to engage in this type of rehabilitation, to not wallow in self-pity. In a statement after Tuesday's hearing, Carmichael said, Mohamad worked exceptionally hard for years while incarcerated to show that he was taking this seriously ... and was more than the poor decisions he made six-and-a-half years ago. I am proud of him for that, and hope that others in custody can receive an opportunity to show the same. Still, while the reduction to 14 years is significant, it is far less than Khweis' request that he be released with time served. O'Grady said Tuesday that Khweis deserved credit for his good conduct in custody, but that he struggled with how to evaluate Khweis, given how quickly he became radicalized and how easily he lied about his actions on the witness stand at his 2017 trial. I don't know what your inner thoughts are, O'Grady said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW DELHI (AP) Police in New Delhi have arrested a Muslim journalist for allegedly hurting religious sentiment in what many slammed as the latest example of shrinking media freedom under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. Mohammed Zubair, a co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, was arrested Monday evening over a tweet that police said deliberately insulted the god of a particular religion. Senior police officer K.P.S. Malhotra said the case was brought following a complaint from a Twitter user and Zubair was remanded in custody for one day. Journalists across India have been targeted increasingly for their work in recent years. Some have been arrested on criminal charges over posts on social media, where they routinely face threats and trolling. The Twitter accounts of some journalists and news websites have also been suspended on government orders. The incident set off a wave of outrage, with activists, journalists and opposition politicians decrying it as harassment of the media and calling for Zubairs immediate release. In a democracy, where every individual possesses the right to exercise the freedom of speech and expression, it is unjustifiable that such stringent laws are being used as tools against journalists, DIGIPUB, a network of Indian digital news organizations, said in a statement. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more, opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter. Pratik Sinha, the other co-founder of Alt News, said Zubair was arrested without any notice from police, which is mandatory in the sections of law under which he was detained. Founded in 2017 as a nonprofit organization, Alt News is Indias most prominent fact-checking news website and has gained a reputation for its reporting on hate speech and debunking misinformation, particularly by Hindu nationalists. Its founders often face online trolling and threats by right-wing groups, some of them linked to Modis Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Several similar cases have been filed against Zubair in the past. Earlier this month, police charged him with calling some Hindu monks hatemongers, news website The Wire reported. The Hindu monks had made inflammatory statements about Muslims and at least one had called for genocide of the minority community. The monks were arrested and later released on bail. Zubair was also among the first journalists to highlight controversial comments made by the now-suspended spokesperson of the BJP on the Prophet Muhammad that created a diplomatic row for the Modi administration. The Indian government distanced itself from the spokespersons comments after they sparked a massive backlash from many Muslim-majority nations. India's rank fell eight places to 150 among 180 countries in this year's Press Freedom Index published by the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders. Indian journalists who are too critical of the government are subjected to all-out harassment and attack campaigns, it said in its 2022 edition, adding that reporters were regularly exposed to police violence and increasing reprisals from officials. Zubairs arrest came two days after lawyer and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad was arrested by Gujarat state polices anti-terrorism wing. Setalvad was arrested Saturday for allegedly committing forgery and fabricating evidence in a case about anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat state in 2002. Modi, who was then chief minister of Gujarat, has denied charges against him, and has been cleared of complicity after government investigators and courts ruled there was no evidence against Modi. Setalvad has long campaigned for justice for victims of the riots, in which nearly 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed. Her arrest was condemned by global rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. ___ Associated Press writer Krutika Pathi contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stressed Tuesday that her country's security pact with the U.K. and the U.S. will not create nuclear weapons, and said she hoped concerns that it may spark a regional arms race would dissipate over time. We are not a nuclear power. There are nuclear powers in this region, but Australia is not one of them, Wong told a news conference after meeting with her Malaysian counterpart, Saifuddin Abdullah. Under the agreement, called AUKUS, Australia is to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Some countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Malaysia, fear the pact could escalate tensions in hot spots such as the disputed South China Sea, much of which is claimed by China, and have warned the pact will threaten regional stability. We remain very clear that we do not seek, nor would we ever seek to arm, (to) have any nuclear capability on our submarines," she said. I think sometimes people hear the word nuclear, and I understand theres a response to that, (but) we are talking about nuclear propulsion, not nuclear weapons." Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri has said his government rejects any alliances that share nuclear weapons or related technology. We are worried that some other major economies will take advantage of AUKUS, he said in an interview with Japan's Nikkei newspaper in May. For example, if China wants to help North Korea purchase nuclear-powered submarines, we cant say no because AUKUS has set a precedent. Wong said Australia's new government, sworn in on June 1, is committed to ensuring the region is peaceful, stable and prosperous. And importantly, a region where rules enable some predictability to state behavior and to the way in which disputes would be dealt with," she said. Wong said she explained Australia's stance to Saifuddin and to her counterparts in Vietnam and Indonesia during visits there. We hope that over time, you know, peoples concerns will be able to be allayed," she said. But Saifuddin said Malaysia's position remains the same. Malaysia highly values the regional peace and security of the ASEAN region, and we want to maintain the South China Sea in particular and the region itself as a region of peace, of commerce, of prosperity," he said at the same news conference. Wong is traveling next to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of eastern Sabah state on Borneo island. Wong, who has a Malaysian father, has said she is looking forward to visiting her birth city where she spent her early years. With a medley of Michael Jackson's greatest hits playing in the background, the American Red Cross took over the training room Monday at the Edwardsville Public Safety Building for the Battle of the Badges Blood Drive. As of 2 p.m. Monday, the Edwardsville Police Department and Edwardsville Fire Department were tied for the number of officers who donated and citizens who chose to support one department or the other. American Red Cross Volunteer Patti Daniel greeted donors as they entered the room and checked them in via her laptop. An average of 45 donors signed up. "It's been steady today," she said. "I only had one no-show but that's because he thought his appointment was later." After she checks donors in, Daniel directed them to wait in one of the empty chairs near the blood screeners, employees who ask questions such as general health and where they have traveled recently; any medications they're taking; any risk for infections that can be transmitted by blood; then they take the donor's body temperature, blood pressure and pulse before obtaining a blood sample to ensure the blood count is acceptable. One man walked out shortly after he had been screened because his iron count was too low. Daniel said other factors that can send prospective donors out the door early are certain and specific medications taken, exposure to COVID-19, if one has a fever, enlarged lymph glands, a sore throat or a rash. LaShona Gray, the American Red Cross employee in charge of the event, said they are in need of every blood type: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+ and O-. AB negative is the rarest blood type. "It's been a mixture," she said. "Some people are nervous. Some people are excited." Lt. Barry Jones of the police department fell into the cavalier category. He and Det. Mark Lask were among two of the first people to donate after the clock struck two. While he hasn't given blood every year, Jones said this was not his first time donating. He's been on the force for 16 years. More Information Did you know? Type O negative blood is the only blood type that can be given safely to any patient Type O positive blood can go to anyone with a RH-positive blood type, including A+, B+ and O+ blood types Type A negative blood can be transfused to patients with Type A-, A+, AB+ and AB- blood Type B negative blood can be transfused to patients with Type B+, B-, AB+ and AB- blood See More Collapse Across the room, Edwardsville resident Roger Stahlhut returned Monday for the 97th time since the mid-1990s to donate plasma. Stahlhut said he donates much more often than once a year. "As often as I can," he said. He said the only recent time when he did not donate was when he contracted COVID-19 and another time, he said forgot to come in even though he posted a reminder sticky note on his front door. He didn't remember the total number of donations. "I'm happy that I can donate," he said. Donating blood became habitual after a friend's son needed blood following a car accident. Gretchen Smith, of Hartford, came in to donate using the Power Red option. However, she later found out her hemoglobin was too low so she donated without using Power Red. Bill Woods of Edwardsville is a repeat Power Red donor. "You don't have to donate as often and I get to help more people," Woods said. Donors who have O, B- or A- blood can choose the Power Red option, which allows them to give a concentrated dose of red blood cells. Red blood cells are the most commonly transfused blood component, making it the most needed. Red cells carry oxygen throughout the body and help trauma and surgery patients, those undergoing organ transplants, women experiencing childbirth complications, and those who are anemic. Power Red uses an automated process to separate a donor's red blood cells from the rest of the plasma, then safely returns the platelets and plasma to the donor. The benefits are: smaller needles, the donor is more hydrated and they only have to donate once every 112 days, or four months. Besides meeting other, whole blood donor qualifications, prospective female donors must be at least 5'5" tall and weigh at least 150 pounds; would-be male donors must be at least 5'1" tall and weigh at least 130 pounds. All blood donors this month will receive a chance to win a VIP Trip to Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, including a three-night stay at the Gust House, a custom guitar and more. "Overall, we are happy to help out the Red Cross in their time of need for blood," said Police Chief Michael Fillback. "This is a great way to help out your fellow citizens and both the fire department and police department encourage able donors to donate." There will be another opportunity for area residents to donate on July 11 at Glen Carbon's Centennial Library, 198 S. Main St., between noon and 6 p.m. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org/givemore to schedule an appointment or for more information. WASHINGTON (AP) A year and a half after the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection, the most memorable recounting of former President Donald Trump's behavior that day came from a young woman who had graduated from college just a few years earlier. Cassidy Hutchinson gave two hours of testimony on national television that cast Trump as enraged by efforts to keep his armed supporters from attending his speech before many marched to the Capitol and her boss at the time, chief of staff Mark Meadows, as unwilling to confront Trump and staring unresponsively at his cellphone during key moments. Having once shed tears of joy after getting a White House internship, Hutchinson, now in her mid-20s, described how she grew disgusted by Trump's refusal to stop the rioters. And in a single afternoon, she went from being a former junior White House staffer, to high-profile star witness, with the scrutiny that comes with it. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie, she said. The testimony helped fill in several key gaps about Trump's level of direct involvement that day, and placed Meadows and other key Trump officials at the center of events critical to investigations by the House committee and the Justice Department. It amplified calls for Meadows to drop his fight against the committee's subpoena and raised new questions about whether officials around Trump could face criminal charges. I knew her testimony would be damning, tweeted Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications official who said she was friends with Hutchinson. I had no idea itd be THIS damning. I am so grateful for her courage & integrity. Hutchinson showed her familiarity with better-known officials in the White House, referring at times to Meadows, security official Tony Ornato, and national security adviser Robert OBrien by their first names. Meadows, in turn, called her Cass, in her retelling of one story. Her voice never broke as she recounted quotes from Trump and Meadows in her video depositions and under questioning from the committees Republican vice chairman, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Both women embraced after the hearing. Cheney, a 55-year-old former State Department official and daughter of a vice president, spent decades in public life before her criticism of Trump led many in the GOP to turn against her. Hutchinson, meanwhile, became Trump's focus for the first time. He pumped out harsh attacks on Truth Social, the website he created after Twitter banned him following the insurrection. I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and leaker), he wrote. He continued to post throughout the afternoon, accusing Hutchinson of lying, saying her body language is that of a total bull.... artist, and describing her handwriting as that of a Whacko? Allies of Trump and Meadows questioned some details of her testimony, which included stories she said she heard second-hand. One story that drew pushback was her allegation that Trump lunged for the steering wheel and assaulted a Secret Service agent when his detail wouldn't take him to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meadows' attorney, George Terwilliger, told The Associated Press that Hutchinson's testimony "could not withstand even five minutes of fundamental cross-examination. Most of it is based on hearsay, lack of first-hand knowledge and even just pure speculation as to what others were thinking, said or did," he said. Several high-profile Republicans said Tuesday that Hutchinson was known to be close to Meadows and often accompanied him in meetings. The committee early in her testimony showed photos of her with Trump and other top officials. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted during the hearing that things just got a lot more interesting. He added that if the President knew the protesters had weapons, and still encouraged them to go to the Capitol, that is a serious problem. Although the White House is perhaps the worlds most prestigious office building, much of the staff is young, sometimes even fresh out of college like Hutchinson. They often previously worked on the presidents campaign or the national party, and theyre distinguished by their ambition and willingness to work long hours for little pay. Theyre also critical to any administrations machinery. They help with the logistics of media coverage, prepare for public events and answer the phones. Because theyre often within earshot as the countrys most powerful people gossip and plan, discretion is expected. Young aides often go on to bigger government roles or prestigious positions in business or the media. Some run for office themselves. Hutchinson had the same ambitions when she graduated, telling a college publication in 2018 that she wanted to be an effective leader in the fight to secure the American dream for future generations. She described having been brought to tears when she received an email telling her shed been accepted to a White House internship program. As a first-generation college student, being selected to serve as an intern alongside some of the most intelligent and driven students from across the nation many of whom attend top universities was an honor and a tremendous growing experience, she is quoted in a profile published by her alma mater, Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. She says in the article that she attended numerous events hosted by Trump and often watched out her window as Marine One would depart the White Houses South Lawn. My small contribution to the quest to maintain American prosperity and excellence is a memory I will hold as one of the honors of my life, she said in the piece. She joined the White House shortly after graduation and became Meadows' aide in March 2020. Several months later, she would be in rooms where top Trump aides discussed how they could overturn his election loss. She saw the aftermath of Trump's rage at Attorney General Bill Barr for telling The Associated Press that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud. Entering a private dining room, she saw a valet cleaning up a mess after Trump smashed a plate and the remains of his lunch on a wall. There was ketchup dripping down the wall, and there was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor," she said Tuesday. "The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney generals AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall. She grabbed a towel to help the valet clean up, she said. There was no widespread election fraud. Trump lost more than 60 court cases attempting to prove wrongdoing. On the morning of Jan. 6, she said Ornato, a Secret Service agent detailed to the White House, came to warn Meadows that many rallygoers waiting to hear from Trump had guns and other weapons, including spears attached to the end of flagpoles. Meadows didn't immediately look up from his cellphone, then later asked to confirm that Ornato had briefed Trump, she said. He had. Terwilliger defended Meadows as able to multitask and to maintain calm during crises. And another former Meadows aide, Ben Williamson, tweeted criticism of what he called the nonsense suggestion that Meadows somehow didnt care about initial violence at the Capitol. Hutchinson said she was close enough to Trump at one point to hear him demand that attendees not be screened so that they could fill the crowd, saying, I dont effing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me. And she alleged Trump became so irate at being driven back to the White House after his speech when he exhorted his supporters to fight like hell rather than the Capitol that he tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle away from a Secret Service agent who was driving. Im the effing president, Hutchinson said she was told Trump had said. Hutchinson recently switched lawyers, going from a former Trump White House official to Jody Hunt, a veteran former Justice Department official who served as chief of staff to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and who emerged as a key witness for special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. While she did not seek out the attention accompanying her testimony today, she believes that it was her duty and responsibility to provide the Committee with her truthful and candid observations of the events surrounding January 6, said Hunt and co-counsel William Jordan in a statement. Ms. Hutchinson believes that January 6 was a horrific day for the country, and it is vital to the future of our democracy that it not be repeated. ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DETROIT (AP) The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal, saying a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power to issue indictments under rarely used state laws. Its an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, who took office in 2019, got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate whether crimes were committed when lead contaminated Flints water system in 2014-15. State laws authorize a judge to investigate, subpoena witnesses, and issue arrest warrants as a grand juror, the Supreme Court said. But they do not authorize the judge to issue indictments, the court said in a 6-0 opinion written by Chief Justice Bridget McCormack. She called it a Star Chamber comeback, a pejorative reference to an oppressive, closed-door style of justice in England in the 17th century. The challenge was filed by lawyers for former health director Nick Lyon, but the decision also applies to Snyder and others who were indicted. The cases now will return to Genesee County court with requests for dismissal. This wasn't even a close case it was six-zip. ... They couldnt do what they tried to do," said Lyon attorney Chip Chamberlain. Snyder's legal team described the court's opinion as unequivocal and scathing. These prosecutions of Governor Snyder and the other defendants were never about seeking justice for the citizens of Flint, Snyder's lawyers said. Rather, Attorney General Nessel and her political appointee Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud staged a self-interested, vindictive, wasteful and politically motivated prosecution. Hammoud, however, released a statement, insisting the cases weren't over. There was no immediate response to a request for additional comment. The Flint water crisis stands as one of this countrys greatest betrayals of citizens by their government, she said. The saga began in 2014 when Flint managers appointed by Snyder dropped out of a regional water system and began using the Flint River to save money while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was under construction. State regulators insisted the river water didnt need to be treated to reduce its corrosive qualities. But that was a ruinous decision: Lead released from old pipes flowed for 18 months in the majority-Black city. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission said it was the result of systemic racism, doubting that the water switch and the brush-off of complaints would have occurred in a white, prosperous community. Snyder, a Republican, has long acknowledged that his administration failed in Flint, calling it a crisis born from a breakdown in state government. He was out of office in 2021 when he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. Lyon and Michigans former chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter for nine deaths related to Legionnaires disease when Flints water might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria. Six others were also indicted on various charges: Snyders longtime fixer, Rich Baird; former senior aide Jarrod Agen; former Flint managers Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley; former Flint public works chief Howard Croft; and Nancy Peeler, a state health department manager. Nessel assigned Hammoud to lead the criminal investigation, along with Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, while the attorney general focused on settling lawsuits against the state. Hammoud and Worthy turned to a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County to hear evidence in secret and get indictments against Snyder and others. Prosecutors in Michigan typically file charges after a police investigation. A one-judge grand jury is extremely rare and is mostly used to protect witnesses, especially in violent crimes, who can testify in private. It seems that the power of a judge conducting an inquiry to issue an indictment was simply an unchallenged assumption, until now, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Lyon, the former state health director, was accused of contributing to Legionnaires deaths by failing to timely warn the public about an outbreak. His lawyers, however, said he had ordered experts to investigate the illnesses and notify Flint-area health officials. He had no role in Flint's water switch. State employees should not be prosecuted or demonized for just doing their job, Lyon said after the court's decision. Residents were disappointed. So everyone who was involved in this manmade disaster by the government is walking away scot-free? said Leon El-Alamin, a community activist. "We lock people up every day for petty crimes. Something like this has killed people. People died from the Flint water crisis. Former Mayor Karen Weaver said the result was unfair. One of the things we had been told over and over was justice delayed has not been justice denied. But thats not true for the people of Flint," said Weaver, referring to the years that have passed. The water switch and its consequences have been investigated since 2016 when then-Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, appointed Todd Flood as special prosecutor. Schuette pledged to put people in prison, but the results were different: Seven people pleaded no contest to misdemeanors that were eventually scrubbed from their records. Flood insisted he was winning cooperation from key witnesses and moving higher toward bigger names. Nonetheless, Nessel, a Democrat, fired him and pledged to start over following her election as attorney general. Separately, the state agreed to pay $600 million as part of a $626 million settlement with Flint residents and property owners who were harmed by lead-tainted water. Most of the money is going to children. There is no dispute that lead affects the brain and nervous system, especially in children. Experts have not identified a safe lead level in kids. Flint in 2015 returned to a water system based in southeastern Michigan. Meanwhile, roughly 10,100 lead or steel water lines had been replaced at homes by last December. ___ Associated Press writer Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this story. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana's attorney general is asking federal judges to lift orders blocking several state anti-abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision last week to end constitutional protection for abortion. An appeal of one of those blocked Indiana laws aimed at prohibiting abortions based on gender, race or disability was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019. But that was before former President Donald Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett strengthened the court's conservative majority. Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita's office asked in court filings Monday that federal judges lift injunctions against that law, along with others banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure that the legislation calls a dismemberment abortion and requiring parents be notified if a court allows a girl younger than 18 to get abortion without parental consent. The office argued that after last week's Supreme Court ruling those challenging the laws can claim no constitutional right to an abortion. The Indianapolis-based federal courts didnt immediately take action on the state attorney generals office filings, which sought prompt consideration from the judges. Mike Fichter, Indiana Right to Life president and chief executive officer, signaled support for the attorney general's requests. "Todays action demonstrates that our Indiana leaders realize every life has value, and everyone deserves to be born," Fichter said in a statement Monday. Daniel Conkle, professor emeritus at Indiana University's Maurer School of Law, said it would be difficult for groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which initially challenged these laws, to halt the injunctions from being lifted. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization court opinion explicitly says states have a legitimate interest in eliminating particularly gruesome or barbaric medical procedures," for which dismemberment abortions under Indiana law qualify, as well as in preventing abortions based on "discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or disability. These provisions make Rokita's requests more likely to be approved, Conkle said. The ACLU of Indiana said Tuesday it was reviewing the filings and declined additional comment. Indiana's Republican-dominated Legislature is expected to consider tightening the state's abortion restrictions during a special legislative session scheduled to begin July 6 and last up to 40 days. Legislative leaders have not yet said what abortion restrictions might advance in the special session. Conkle said he was not sure if the Legislature would ban abortion without exceptions, including abortions on the basis of gender, race or disability; for rape and incest; or for medical emergencies. I think the two key things are, you know, number one, what will be the point in pregnancy at which any new abortion prohibition would kick in? And number two, what exceptions will be recognized? Conkle told the Associated Press. If the abortion is necessary to prevent a substantial, permanent impairment of the life or physical health of the woman, one could imagine an exception like that being built into any new abortion prohibition. ___ Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Arleigh Rodgers on Twitter. HAVANA (AP) Cuban authorities say they have intercepted more than a dozen speedboats arriving from the United States this year including two shooting incidents and at least one death. They say U.S. authorities have handed over a suspect in the shooting of a Cuban coast guard officer. The Interior Ministry statement read over state television Monday night comes amid a sharp increase in migration from Cuba to the United States, both by sea and via Mexico, at a time of economic hardships aggravated by the pandemic and by tightened U.S. sanctions. The ministry said its coast guard units had intercepted 13 speedboats from the U.S. entering Cuban waters this year, with 23 crew members. It was not clear how many of the boats might have reached shore or how many of those aboard were arrested. It mentioned at least some arrests, but also at least one case in which a boat escaped. Recently situations of greater violence and aggressiveness have occurred, with the use of firearms against Cuban coast guard units, the ministry said. It said in one incident, agents intercepted a Dakota speedboat with a Florida registration number 3 nautical miles north of Bahia Honda, on the coast west of Havana, and were fired upon. The ministry said troops returned fire, killing one of those aboard the speedboat. That boat was detained, and the ministry said it found drugs and evidence of firearms use aboard. It said U.S. authorities were informed about the identities of those arrested and the man who died. In another case on June 18, it said people aboard a speedboat near Cayo Fragoso off the central Cuban province of Villa Clara opened fire with an automatic weapon at close range, wounding one Cuban officer, and then raced of northward as Cubans evacuated the wounded man for treatment. It said Cuban officials notified the U.S. Coast Guard, asking for help to detain the attackers. On Monday, one Cuban citizen implicated in the aggression had been returned to the island, it said, under an agreement by which the U.S. returns Cubans attempting to immigrate illegally. In parallel, it said, 30 people who were trying to leave the island were found by Interior Ministry agents and were being investigated. In a separate statement Monday, the Interior Ministry said its coast guard troops found six of 15 people who had set out in makeshift board that sank last week. It said there was no word on what happened to the other nine. The 15 apparently had set out from the area of Playa Jibacoa along the coast east of Havana on June 20. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported finding about 140,000 Cuban migrants between October last year and the end of May a number that surpassed the so-called Mariel exodus of 1980, when 125,000 Cubans reached the U.S. The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday week that so far this fiscal year it has intercepted 2,900 Cuban migrants at sea, up from just 838 in the previous fiscal year and 49 in 2020. ___ Andrea Rodriguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Former Alaska state Sen. Dennis Egan, the son of the state's first governor, has died. He was 75. Alaska Senate Democrats in a statement announced that Egan died Tuesday morning. Egan was the son of the late former Gov. Bill Egan. Dennis Egan was a former Juneau mayor and assembly member who was appointed to the state Senate in 2009. The Democrat held the seat until early 2019. He announced in 2018 that he would not seek reelection, citing health concerns. Egan was a longtime broadcaster who had hosted the Problem Corner program on Juneau radio station KINY, which first reported his death Tuesday. A bio from his time in the Senate said Egan may be the only Alaska politician who has as many voters recognize his voice as his name. Sen. Jesse Kiehl, who was an aide to Egan and elected to the seat Egan had held, described Egan as charming and larger than life. I once watched him tell a lobbyist there was no way hed ever vote for a bill, and the guy still left with a smile on his face, Kiehl said in a statement. Dennis always listened to his community, was a straight shooter and truly respected the people around him. Alaska was his home, he put Alaskans first, and his heart belonged to Juneau. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan here and conveyed his personal condolences on the demise of former president of the Gulf nation Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "In a special gesture, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, was at Abu Dhabi airport for the interaction with PM," Ministry of External Affairs Sokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Modi arrived here on a brief visit after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany where he interacted with several world leaders on the margins of the summit and discussed issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. During his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, Modi conveyed his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa, who died on May 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness. This is their first interaction after the UAE leader's election as the new president of the Gulf nation last month. Modi had expressed grief over Sheikh Khalifa's death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India-UAE relations prospered. India had announced one day of state mourning following the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of UAE's founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He served as the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi from November 3, 2004 till his death. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu last month visited the UAE and offered condolences to the UAE leadership on the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. The last visit by Modi to the UAE was in August 2019 during which he received the UAE's highest award, 'Order of Zayed' conferred upon him by the UAE President. The UAE was India's third-largest trading partner for the year 2019-20 after China and US, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The UAE is the third-largest export destination of India (after the US and China) with an amount of nearly USD 16 billion for the year 2020-21. For the UAE, India is the third-largest trading partner for the year 2020 with an amount of around USD 27.93 billion (non-oil trade). Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.4 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35 per cent of the country's population. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A former Oregon personal injury lawyer who stole more than $3.4 million from her clients has pleaded guilty to seven federal charges in what the state bar has called the worst fraud by a lawyer in the states history. Lori E. Deveny, who relinquished her law license in Oregon in May 2018, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, money laundering and filing a false income tax return from 2012, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Deveny stole money she held in trust for her clients and used it to pay off credit card debt and loans and to support a lavish lifestyle, federal prosecutors said. The expenses included big game hunting trips to Africa, taxidermy costs for big game hunting trophies, other vacations, her husbands photography business, home remodeling and expensive cigars, according to investigators from the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. Prosecutors will seek a sentence of about 10 years for Deveny, Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire M. Fay told the court. The money came from insurance proceeds that were supposed to be paid to her clients. The fraud occurred from April 2011 through May 2018, according to the plea agreement. The Oregon State Bar has approved $1.3 million in payouts from its Client Security Fund resulting from claims submitted by clients who said they lost money as a result of Devenys dishonesty as their lawyer. She will remain out of custody until her sentencing in November. Shell pay at least $3.4 million in restitution and forfeit $52,620, according to Fay. Deveny told the court she is being treated for a mental illness but said she wasnt taking any medication that interfered with her ability to understand the court proceeding. Deveny had faced a 24-count indictment in federal court. She also is being prosecuted in Multnomah County Circuit Court on 92 counts of theft, forgery and other charges. ATLANTA (AP) A British filmmaker who shot interviews with Donald Trump and his inner circle in the final months of the former president's administration has been subpoenaed to testify in a Georgia investigation into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in the state. Footage shot by Alex Holder includes interviews from the campaign trail, as well as footage shot before and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His lawyer, Russell Smith, confirmed Holder will appear before a special grand jury in Atlanta. Alex is cooperating, and he is to appear to testify on July 12, Smith said in an email. The special grand jury is part of an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. In a letter sent to top state elected officials in February 2021, Willis said she was looking into potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local government bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the elections administration. The subpoena, which is dated Tuesday, also demands: All video footage and other materials related to the docuseries Unprecedented. The U.S. House committee investigating the Capitol attack also subpoenaed Holder's footage, and he said last week that he had complied with the congressional subpoena. Smith said last week that Holder sat for a two-hour deposition with the committee. Holder has said his series had been bought by a streaming service and was to be released in three parts this summer. The hours of video footage includes exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and then-Vice President Mike Pence while on the campaign trail, Holder has said. Willis, the prosecutor, began investigating possible illegal attempts to interfere in the state's general election shortly after she took office in January of last year. She asked earlier this year for a special grand jury to help the investigation. The panel was seated in May and this month began hearing from witnesses, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Willis has confirmed that her team is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Raffensperger to find the votes needed for him to win the state. She has also said they are looking at a November 2020 phone call between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Raffensperger, the abrupt resignation of the U.S. attorney in Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and comments made during December 2020 Georgia legislative committee hearings on the election. Trump has repeatedly called his conversation with Raffensperger perfect and has denied any wrongdoing. Graham has also said he did nothing wrong. ___ Amiri reported from Washington. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DENVER (AP) Voters in Colorado's Republican primaries opted Tuesday for candidates widely considered stronger challengers to Democrats' stranglehold on the state's top offices, decisively rejecting right-wing candidates for U.S. Senate, governor and secretary of state. Voters also selected their November nominees in the states eight congressional districts, with a new, northern Colorado swing district in play after the state gained a seat with redistricting. Democrats spent millions of dollars boosting the campaigns of Republican state Rep. Ron Hanks and the GOP's Greg Lopez for U.S. Senate and governor, respectively, believing that Hanks and Lopez would be easier to defeat come November. Both lost, to first-time candidate Joe O'Dea and University of Colorado regent Heidi Ganahl. So, too, did embattled Mesa County clerk and recorder Tina Peters, beaten by former clerk Pam Anderson in the GOP primary for secretary of state. Peters refused to concede, claiming elections officials had flipped the vote totals. In a state thats trended purple over the past decade, Colorados congressional delegation includes two Democratic senators, with three-term Sen. Michael Bennet seeking reelection this year. Democrats hold a 4-3 advantage among U.S. representatives. A look at Tuesdays races: U.S. SENATE Businessman ODea, who ran as a rare Republican supporter of most abortion rights, soundly defeated Hanks, who backs a ban on the procedure in all cases. Colorados voters have strongly backed abortion rights, and Democrats, viewing ODea as a more formidable adversary to Bennet, had spent more than $2 million boosting Hanks candidacy in the primary. SECRETARY OF STATE Peters, Mesa Countys conspiracy-theorist elections clerk whos been indicted for tampering with voting equipment, was easily defeated by Anderson, a former head of Colorados county clerks association, in the GOP primary. Anderson, a former clerk in Jefferson County, defends Colorados elections as secure. Both want to unseat Democrat Jena Griswold, a national advocate of secure elections who was uncontested in Tuesdays primary. GOVERNOR Colorados last Republican governor was Bill Owens, who served from 1999 to 2007. Ganahl, who as regent is the GOPs only statewide elected official, soundly beat former Parker mayor and businessman Lopez in the primary. Like Hanks, Democrats aired ads for Lopez, suggesting they view Ganahl as the stronger challenger to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. Both candidates oppose a new state law guaranteeing access to abortion, and both welcomed the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. Ganahl supports exceptions, including for rape, incest or threats to the health of the mother or fetus; Lopez opposes abortion without exceptions. CONGRESS REPUBLICANS First-term GOP firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert trounced state Sen. Don Coram in the largely rural 3rd District. Boebert insisted Coram, a moderate, rancher and hemp farmer, wasnt conservative enough for the district or for Washington; Coram said Boebert is too extreme for the traditionally conservatively centrist district. In El Paso County, eight-term Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn fought off a spirited primary challenge from state Rep. Dave Williams, who failed to get the phrase Lets Go Brandon, code for an obscenity against President Joe Biden, added to his official name on the ballot. Also running were Navy veteran Rebecca Keltie and Colorado Springs businessman Andrew Heaton. In the new 8th District, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer defeated Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann, former state Rep. Lori Saine and Tyler Allcorn, a small businessman and U.S. Army veteran. Kirkmeyer now faces Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who was unopposed. Oil and gas industry veteran Erik Aadland defeated economist and businessman Tim Reichert and Donald Trump-aligned political activist Laurel Imer in the race to challenge Democratic state Sen. Brittany Pettersen for the 7th District seat being vacated by eight-term Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter. Four-term U.S. Rep. Ken Buck defeated first-time candidate Robert Lewis of Elbert County in the sweeping 4th District. Steven Monahan, a Navy veteran, was unopposed in suburban Denvers 6th District. So, too, was Jennifer Qualtieri, a state party activist, in Denvers 1st District. Engineer Marshall Dawson was alone on the GOP ballot in the 2nd District. CONGRESS DEMOCRATS Denver Rep. Diana Degette easily beat first-time challenger Neal Walia in DeGette's bid for a 14th term. Incumbents Joe Neguse and Jason Crow were unopposed in the 2nd and 6th districts, respectively. The 3rd District primary featured tech engineer Alex Walker, Aspen businessman and former city councilmember Adam Frisch and Pueblo health advocate and social worker Sol Sandoval. David Torres defeated Michael Colombe for the party nomination in the 5th District. ATTORNEY GENERAL/TREASURER Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser and Republican challenger John Kellner, the district attorney for Colorados 18th Judicial District, were unopposed, as were Democratic Treasurer Dave Young and former Republican state Rep. Lang Sias. ___ This story has been updated to correct that Tina Peters is clerk of Mesa County, not El Paso County. Carsten Koall/AP BERLIN (AP) A group tracking antisemitism in Germany said Tuesday it documented more than 2,700 incidents in the country last year, including 63 attacks and six cases of extreme violence. In a report, the Department for Research and Information on Anti-Semitism, or RIAS, said the coronavirus pandemic with its anti-Jewish conspiracy narratives and the Middle East conflict with antisemitic criticism of Israel were the main drivers of the 2,738 incidents it documented. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONG KONG (AP) Every few generations, Hong Kong transforms itself, evolving from a swampy fishing village to 19th century colonial port, to capitalist outpost and factory after Chinas 1949 revolution, to 21st century financial center. As the former British colony marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China, reeling from pandemic curbs that devastated business and a crackdown on its pro-democracy movement, Hong Kong leaders say it is time to transform again. They say the city should become a leader in technology that relies more on its ties with nearby Chinese factory cities than on global trade. Chief Executive-elect John Lees government is under pressure to generate new sources of economic growth, looking beyond COVID outbreaks and anti-virus controls that have devastated tourism and business and uncertainty about the legal climate after a crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement. In April, during his election campaign, Lee promised to start a new chapter for the city better known as one of Asia's busiest ports and biggest stock markets and strengthen its competitiveness in technology and innovation as well as trade and finance. Lee gave no details but pointed to the Greater Bay Area, a Chinese government initiative to link Hong Kong with neighboring mainland cities including the technology and finance hub of Shenzhen and the manufacturing powerhouses of Dongguan and Foshan. There are great opportunities in the Greater Bay Area that havent been realized yet, said David Graham, executive director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. It is a big opportunity for Hong Kong, and it will be very hard to replicate in other cities like Singapore or Dubai. Adding to the urgency for Lee to roll out a long-term strategy, executives frustrated with Hong Kongs travel controls are leaving the city, business groups say. Some companies are moving for good to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai or other business centers. Hong Kongs strength as a global connector has been greatly reduced, said Joseph Armas, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Executives have left for cities where travel is feasible. Armas appealed to Lee for a concrete roadmap to revive Hong Kong, which remains, together with mainland China and Taiwan, one of the few places that still requires inbound travelers to serve mandatory quarantines. For Michael Chan, who manages a fashion goods manufacturing business, the restrictions have extended what used to be one-week trips to factories in Bangladesh or China to a month or two, since it makes no sense to spend weeks in quarantine for a short work trip. Chan has considered temporarily relocating to Singapore, whose controls are much less strict. When I meet government officials, I often have to meet them face to face and talk about things," said Chan, a veteran of multiple quarantines. It's not like in the U.S. where I can just use Zoom for a video call. Hong Kong lost nearly 90,000 of its 7.5 million population in 2021, according to government figures. More than 100,000 people left in February and March of this year, during the citys worst COVID wave. The angst over Hong Kongs travel controls presents an opportunity for others to dip into our talent pool, said Sally Wong, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association. Activists and foreign governments complain the ruling Communist Party is chipping away at the 50 years of autonomy Beijing promised after 1997. The freedoms afforded to Hong Kong and its leeway for self-governance had helped it keep its status as a center for Asian headquarters of global companies even as rent and other costs soared to record levels and levels of inequality grew ever wider. Hong Kong still has a skilled workforce, an efficient port and a Western-style legal system considered to be impartial and reliable. But its status as a global hub for trade and business center is waning. One in 20 companies surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong plan to move their global or regional headquarters out of Hong Kong, the chamber reported in January. It said half were uncertain about whether to go. Some businesses are watching to see how law enforcement and the free flow of information and people that are crucial to commerce and finance might change. Two out of five companies surveyed said they worry they will lose free internet access, vital for a trading center that relies on the flow of information. There is a perception that foreign businesses are less welcome, the report said. More than half our respondents feel the government is unconcerned or dismissive about business concerns. Until now, Hong Kong has been largely free of the censorship on the mainland, where internet barriers known as the Great Firewall are used by the ruling party to block Chinas public from seeing foreign websites run by news outfits, governments and human rights activists. But the territorys leading pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was shut down during the crackdown and its publisher, Jimmy Lai, sentenced to prison. Kurt Tong, a former U.S. consul general in Hong Kong who is managing partner of The Asia Group, a consulting firm, said that so far the city's national security law, though used to stifle dissent, has not had much impact on business and finance. But the effect of the law and Beijing's overhaul of the territory's political system bear watching, he said. People who care about the Hong Kong financial system need to think about that, Tong said. Hong Kong thrived as the trade gateway to China for decades, but it was eclipsed as the world's busiest container port in 2000 by facilities in the Chinese mainland. Two decades later, with cargo volume barely 10% above its 2000 level, Hong Kong's port ranks 8th in the world. Shanghai, Shenzhen and three other Chinese ports are bigger. Hong Kongs stock market, once Asias biggest outside Japan, also has grown steadily but has slipped behind regional rivals. Companies traded in Hong Kong have a total market value of $5.4 trillion, compared with $8.2 trillion for the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Companies on Chinas second exchange in Shenzhen are worth $6.2 trillion, according to the World Federation of Exchanges. Tong is among those who believe Hong Kong's recent setbacks are only temporary. The current status is that Hong Kong is a very significant global center, one of the most important in the world, and it plays a unique and critical role in linking the Chinese economy with the rest of the global economy and channeling finance in both directions, said Tong. The city is meanwhile nurturing its role as a center for innovation, setting up research centers that have helped incubate dozens of start-up companies. A vice chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Rocky S. Tuan, pointed to medical and biotechnology research as one of the citys less well-known strengths. Writing in the newspaper South China Morning Post, he said Hong Kong offers access to capital, expertise, global regulatory recognition of its clinical trial data and a network of world-class universities. That could lend the city an edge over regional rivals. Other cities in the region, notably Singapore, perhaps will be more of an Asia hub or Southeast Asia hub, said Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics. Hong Kongs business will be mainly focused on Greater China. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong police confirmed Tuesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the city this week for the 25th anniversary of the former British colonys return to Chinese rule. Xi will attend a number of official events including the inauguration of Hong Kongs next leader on Friday, Assistant Police Commissioner Lui Kam-ho said at a news conference. Xis visit will be his first trip outside of mainland China since the coronavirus pandemic took hold about 2 1/2 years ago. It comes as Hong Kong is facing a new spike in infections following what was by far its worst and deadliest COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. The United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997. The anniversary is highly symbolic for Xi, who wants to be seen as propelling a national rejuvenation as he prepares to start an expected third 5-year term as head of China's ruling Communist Party this fall. Part of that rejuvenation is erasing the legacy of colonialism and what the party regards as unequal treaties that granted territorial concessions to Britain and other foreign nations during the waning years of the Qing Dynasty, which ended in 1911. A series of security measures will be put in place to protect Xi, including security zones and road closures around the venue for the ceremony, police said. Barriers have already been erected in the area. We will not tolerate anything that may interfere and undermine the security operation," Lui said. In the event that any person behaves in a manner that threatens life or property and undermines public order or endangers public safety, we will take resolute action. WASHINGTON - Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, delivered explosive testimony Tuesday to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, offering startling details on the activities of President Donald Trump and those around him before the attack on the U.S. Capitol and on the deadly day itself. Trump's temper was a big part of this hearing. Trump was so "irate" that he wasn't being driven to the Capitol following his speech on the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, that he attempted to grab the steering wheel of his limousine and lunged at a member of his Secret Service detail, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified in a House hearing Tuesday, citing the account of a senior-ranking colleague. "I'm the f---ing president! Take me up to the Capitol now!" Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, quoted Trump as saying in testimony to the House select committee. She also described an outburst by Trump at his former attorney general in which he threw dishes, leaving ketchup streaming down the wall. Hutchinson recalled that her boss, Meadows, told her days before the Jan. 6 insurrection that "things might get real, real bad" at the Capitol on that day. Her testimony is part of previously unscheduled hearing by the House select committee focused on her first-hand experiences in the presence of Meadows and Trump. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee chairman, opened the hearing by saying it would focus on "details of what transpired in the office of the White House chief of staff just steps from the Oval Office as the threats of violence became clear and indeed violence ultimately descended on the Capitol in the attack on American democracy." Hutchinson's comment came after a White House meeting involving Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, Hutchinson said. Giuliani, as he was leaving the White House on Jan. 2, asked her if she was "excited" for Jan. 6, she said. When she asked what was happening on that day, Hutchinson testified that Giuliani told her, "We're going to the Capitol." When Hutchinson conveyed Giuliani's comments to Meadows, she testified, he told her, "There's a lot going on," before delivering the ominous warning about things potentially getting "real, real bad." "That evening was the first moment I remember feeling scared and nervous for what could happen on Jan. 6," Hutchinson testified. "And I had a deeper concern for what was happening with the planning aspects of it." Hutchinson's descriptions of her former boss, Mark Meadows, paint an unflattering picture of someone who lacked leadership and often took the path of least resistance in response to the former president's actions. Hutchinson described Meadows as scrolling through his phone, unresponsive, and negligent during pivotal moments on Jan. 6 in particular. The hearing added evidence that some people in the crowd on Jan. 6 were armed, including with assault rifles. The committee played police radio transmissions describing people carrying weapons, as well as testimony from Hutchinson describing Trump's urging the Secret Service to remove metal detectors rather than turn away people with weapons. The new evidence comes on top of multiple people charged in the riot who were found with loaded guns. The Justice Department has also accused the Oath Keepers of stashing weapons just outside D.C. At a hearing last July, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn testified to seeing the outline of a gun on one rioter's hip. Hutchinson opened her testimony to the Jan. 6 committee with a reminder that she has been a committed Republican before this moment. Before working for Trump, she testified she was an aide on Capitol Hill, working for Republican Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. She then sought out a job in the White House and worked there, rising in responsibilities, from 2019 through January 2021. The committee displayed photos to demonstrate how close Hutchinson was to Republicans. One showed her smiling with Scalise. Another showed her walking at the White House with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as well as Meadows. Committee Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., made the point in introducing Hutchinson, noting that a "significant number of Republicans" have testified, and she is the latest. Thompson said he and Cheney called this hearing because they had obtained new information about what Trump and his top aides were doing in the critical hours leading up to and during the Capitol attack. "It hasn't always been easy to get that information because the same people who drove the former president's pressure campaign to overturn the election are now trying to cover up the truth about Jan. 6," Thompson said. "But thanks to the courage of certain individuals, the truth won't be buried. The American people won't be left in the dark. Our witness today, Cassidy Hutchinson, has embodied that courage." Cheney noted that Hutchinson had already sat for four taped interviews with the committee and that she was a familiar face on Capitol Hill because she had played a prominent role in the White House's legislative affairs office. "We will begin to examine evidence bearing on what President Trump and members of the White House staff knew about the prospect for violence on January 6th even before that violence began," Cheney said. The point Cheney keeps making at these hearings: The people providing some of the most damning testimony are all Republicans, and most were handpicked or appointed by Trump. Trump and his orbit have tried to undercut the committee's work by saying it is a partisan witch hunt, led by Democrats and Republicans who despise Trump. But it's more challenging to attack the taped, or live, testimony from Trump's own aides and family members, and that has grown to annoy Trump. Alyssa Farah, a former White House communications director, sought to push back against anticipated arguments from Republicans that Cassidy Hutchinson was merely a "low-level staffer." "She was anything but," Farah said during an appearance on CNN ahead of the expected testimony from the Meadows aide. "She was so plugged in that I would often go to her as the White House communications director to get intel on the president's schedule, his movements, things we were considering as far as events," Farah said. "She also was on a first-name basis with most members of congressional leadership. She would text with them. So she's seen everything. She's been in so many rooms. She was always on Air Force One." Tuesday's hearing was unexpected because the Jan. 6 panel had previously signaled it would not hold any more hearings until July, after it evaluated additional evidence. The panel's last hearing, on Thursday, featured testimony from former Justice Department officials describing Trump's efforts to undo the 2020 election results. The committee also identified five Republican lawmakers who allegedly sought pardons. In a break with its past five hearings this month, the panel provided no advance confirmation about the witness list Tuesday and members did not appear on television beforehand. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (AP) Sen. Mike Lee won Utahs Republican primary Tuesday, brushing off attacks from two challengers who criticized him for his unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump and uncompromising lawmaking style. Lees decisive victory marked a win for Trump-aligned Republicans and illustrated the risk GOP candidates take in primary elections when they criticize the former president, even in religiously conservative states like Utah where many voters disapprove of his foul language and rough-and-tumble politics. The second-term senator handily defeated two well-funded opponents who didnt vote for Trump and attempted to appeal to voters disillusioned with the direction he's taken the Republican Party. But their efforts to frame Lee as a divisive politician who cares less about governing than he does television appearances and his allegiance to Trump ultimately fell short. Lee deflected any GOP critiques in his victory speech, instead looking ahead to the November election where he'll face off against independent conservative Evan McMullin. Now that this primary is over my hope and my expectation is that Republicans will do what we do best Lets come together, Lee said at a election night party at a suburban Utah events center. Days after the decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion, he also framed his victory as a choice to embrace the inalienable right to life and Utahs values." He now faces McMullin, who ran for president as a conservative alternative to Trump in 2016. He received more than one-fifth of the vote in Utah, where voters tend to be uncomfortable with Trump-style politics. McMullin left the GOP after Trumps ascendance and won backing from the state Democratic Party this year. He has kept pace in campaign contributions with Lee in this years Senate race. Lee supporters gathered Tuesday at an event with about 100 people, many wearing navy-blue shirts saying I Like Mike while country music played and conservative commentator Glenn Beck spoke. A montage played on a projector splicing together images of families, assault-style rifles, sunsets, clouds and single-family homes. On the campaign trail, former state lawmaker Becky Edwards and political operative Ally Isom called Lee an obstructionist and drew attention to the leak of post-election text messages he sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The messages, they said, showed his early involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Lee encouraged Trump advisers to embrace discredited attorney Sidney Powell and later referenced his discussions with lawmakers in battleground states about appointing competing slates of electors to act contrary to the results, the messages showed. Lee responded to criticisms saying that he merely encouraged Trumps team explore available legal avenues, noting that he ultimately voted to certify the results on January 6, 2021. Hes mostly remained above the fray and not responded to other intraparty attacks, instead focusing on tried-and-true rhetoric about the U.S. constitution and criticisms of federal overreach. Isom positioned herself as a conservative alternative to Lee, agreeing with his positions on most issues but disapproving of his uncompromising approach. Edwards staked out more moderate positions, rebuking Trump for continuing to spread disproven claims of 2020 election fraud and saying she disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Neither said they planned to back Lee in their concession remarks, as many primary candidates do after results come in. Edwards, who was second in voting, said in a statement she was proud of her campaign even though she lost and grateful for the tens of thousands of Utahns who supported our campaign with the hope for a better Utah. Isom said in her statement she was proud she had given people hope. Theres a better way to engage in meaningful dialogue and address issues facing our state and nation. And we owe it to our posterity to reach real solutions, get the right things done and bring about a new dawn for the Republican Party, Isom said. This contested primary was a drastic departure from Lees first reelection campaign in 2016. That year, no primary challengers came forward to challenge him in arch-conservative Utah, after the one-time Tea Party insurgent successfully consolidated support from both grassroots conservatives and establishment Republicans. Lee remains overwhelmingly popular among party activists, but there are some rumblings of dissatisfaction among both Republican insiders and the partys overall electorate. Many have publicly taken issue with his willingness to shut down the federal government and be the Senates lone no vote on proposed policies. Utah GOP Chair Carson Jorgensen said primary voter enthusiasm suggested conservatives were energized heading into the midterm election. The partys strong right now. We got good headwinds with everything happening and the effects of politics on peoples daily lives, he said, noting the effect of inflation, fuel prices and food prices, particularly on young families. Post-primary, he said he planned to sit down with Lee to discuss how to consolidate support from the large contingent of Republicans who voted for Edwards and Isom, to convince them to back him over McMullin. Lee could be in danger if McMullin can peel off Republican primary voters. Earlier this year, he convinced the states outnumbered Democrats to eschew a nominee from their party and get behind him instead, hoping that consolidating support from Democrats, independents and disillusioned Republicans could help unseat Lee. Im extending an invitation to all voters who are discouraged, frustrated, and exhausted by Lees divisive and ineffective politics, McMullin said in a statement after Lees win, noting that about one-third of primary voters had cast ballots for other candidates, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night. The Lee-McMullin race should test the extent to which criticisms of divisiveness and the increasingly polarized state of politics resonate in the state where the predominant faith is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the political culture is rigorously polite. WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump rebuffed his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-known former White House aide, described an angry, defiant president who was trying that day to let armed protesters avoid security screenings at a rally that morning to protest his 2020 election defeat and who later grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol. And when the events at the Capitol spiraled toward violence, with the crowd chanting to Hang Mike Pence, she testified Tuesday that Trump declined to intervene. Trump doesnt think theyre doing anything wrong, Hutchinson recalled hearing from her boss, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinsons explosive, moment-by-moment account of what was happening inside and outside the White House offered a vivid description of a Republican president so unwilling to concede his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden that he acted out in rage and refused to stop the siege at the Capitol. It painted a damning portrait of the chaos at the White House as those around the defeated president splintered into one faction supporting his false claims of voter fraud and another trying unsuccessfully to put an end to the violent attack. Her testimony, at a surprise hearing announced just 24 hours earlier, was the sole focus at the hearing, the sixth by the committee this month. The account was particularly powerful because of her proximity to power, with Hutchinson describing what she witnessed first-hand and was told by others in the White House. Hutchinson said that she was told Trump fought a security official for control of the presidential SUV on Jan. 6 and demanded to be taken the Capitol as the insurrection began, despite being warned earlier that day that some of his supporters were armed. The former aide said that she was told of the altercation in the SUV immediately afterward by a White House security official, and that Bobby Engel, the head of the detail, was in the room and didnt dispute the account at the time. Engel had grabbed Trumps arm to prevent him from gaining control of the armored vehicle, she was told, and Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Engel. That account was quickly disputed on Tuesday, however. Engel, the agent who was driving the presidential SUV, and Trump security official Tony Ornato are willing to testify under oath that no agent was assaulted and Trump never lunged for the steering wheel, a person familiar with the matter said. The person would not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. As the events of Jan. 6 unfurled, Hutchinson, then a special assistant to Meadows, described chaos in White House offices and hallways. Trump's staff several of whom had been warned of violence beforehand became increasingly alarmed as rioters at the Capitol overran police and interrupted the certification of Bidens victory. Trump was less concerned, she said, even as he heard there were cries in the crowd to Hang Mike Pence! Hutchinson recalled that Meadows told aides that Trump thinks Mike deserves it." The president tweeted during the attack that Pence didnt have the courage to object to Bidens win as he presided over the joint session of Congress. The young ex-aide was matter-of-fact in most of her answers. But she did say that she was disgusted at Trump's tweet about Pence during the siege. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American, and you were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie," Hutchinson said, adding that, I still struggle to work through the emotions of that. Trump denied much of what Hutchinson said on his social media platform, Truth Social. He called her a total phony and bad news. Members of the panel praised Hutchinsons bravery for testifying and said that other witnesses had been intimidated and did not cooperate. I want all Americans to know that what Ms. Hutchinson has done today is not easy, said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who led questioning. Some of Hutchinsons former colleagues, too, dcfended her account. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted that he knows Hutchinson and I dont think she is lying. Sarah Matthews, a former Trump press aide who has also cooperated with the committee, called the testimony damning. As she described the scene in the White House after the election, Hutchinson depicted a president flailing in anger and prone to violent outbursts. Some aides sought to rein in his impulses. Some did not. At one point on Jan. 6, Hutchinson said, White House counsel Pat Cipollone barreled down the hallway and confronted Meadows about rioters breaching the Capitol. Meadows, staring at his phone, told the White House lawyer that Trump didnt want to do anything, she said. Earlier, Cipollone had worried out loud that we're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if Trump went to the Capitol after his speech at the rally, Hutchinson recalled. Before the crowd left for the Capitol, Hutchinson said she also received an angry call from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who had just heard the president say he was coming. Dont come up here, McCarthy told her, before hanging up. Hutchinson told the panel that Trump had been informed early in the day that some of the protesters outside the White House had weapons. But he responded that the protesters were not here to hurt me, Hutchinson said. She quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who were gathering for his speech on the Ellipse, in back of the White House. In a clip of an earlier interview with the committee, she recalled the president saying words to the effect of: I dont f-in' care that they have weapons. As a White House insider, Hutchinson told stories of a raging president who was unable to acknowledge his defeat. At the beginning of December, she said, she heard noise inside the White House around the time an Associated Press article was published in which Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had not found evidence of voter fraud that could have changed the election's outcome. She said she entered a room to find ketchup dripping down a wall and broken porcelain. The president, it turned out, had thrown his lunch at the wall in disgust over the article. Trump denied it in his social media posts. In the days before the attack, Hutchinson said she was scared, and nervous for what could happen on Jan. 6 after having conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that things might get real, real bad, she said. Giuliani told her it was going to be a great day and were going to the Capitol. Eventually, both men would seek pardons related to what happened that day, Hutchinson said. A person familiar with the matter denied that Meadows had ever sought a pardon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity. Hutchinson had already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators, sitting for four interviews with the panel behind closed doors. She detailed meetings in the runup to the insurrection where challenges to the election were debated and discussed at the White House, including with several Republican lawmakers. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Nomaan Merchant, Kevin Freking, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. ___ For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) The European Union's delay in allowing visa-free travel for the people of Kosovo has spread dismay and resentment in the continent's newest state, and one Pristina businessman has retaliated by hitting EU officials where it hurts the stomach. Mama's restaurant owner Shpetim Pevqeli, 50, who has catered for more than a decade to employees at the EU's rule of law mission headquarters across the road, put up a sign Tuesday reading: Protest, no entry, for EU citizens without visa. While that may seem no more than a stunt, frustration among Kosovars over the delay in getting into the 27-nation bloc's so-called Schengen visa-free travel area is real. As things are, they have to wait for hours to apply for a visa to the EU, where many have family members living. I have an official invitation from Austria. But I have been waiting and waiting and waiting. What can I do next? said an angry Faik Ibriqi, 60, queueing at the Swiss diplomatic representation office where many Kosovars apply for the Schengen visa. Last week Kosovars had hoped that EU leaders meeting to discuss, among other things, their country's accession prospects would rule on the matter. But it was not discussed. In July 2018 Kosovo fulfilled all required visa liberalization benchmarks. Both the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, and the European Parliament have called for it to join the visa-free regime. It doesn't help that five EU member countries have not even recognized Kosovo as a country. Pristina declared independence in 2008, following its de facto secession from Serbia after a war in 1998-1999. When they still lived in a province in the former Yugoslavia Kosovars, who are mostly ethnic Albanians, were free to move everywhere. Now some of them turn to neighboring Albania which has Schengen access to get a passport. "Someone wants to go to his aunt, or his brother (in the EU) and when we learnt (there was no EU decision) again we were desperate, humiliated and thats where the idea came from for the ban on EU employees, said Pevqeli, the restaurant owner. We need to do something, a protest because (the visa situation) is not right and the protest will show our rancor, our despair, he added. Last week a disillusioned Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said peace and stability in Europe were inconceivable without integrating Western Balkan nations. Kosovo people want more possibilities and progress. They want a no-visa regime to see, feel and live in Europe, she said, adding that Kosovo citizens remain isolated at the heart of the continent where they live. Kosovo lost more than 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, during the 1998-1999 fight to break away from Serbia. It ended after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign forced Serbia to pull its troops out and cede control to the United Nations and NATO. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. The United States and most of the West recognize Kosovos independence, but Serbia supported by allies Russia and China does not. Pevqeli said he was confident no EU officials would be coming to eat. They will understand the sign is for them and they do respect that, he said. - Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BERLIN (AP) A 101-year-old man was convicted in Germany of more than 3,500 counts of accessory to murder on Tuesday for serving at the Nazis Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Neuruppin Regional Court sentenced him to five years in prison. The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S., had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. In the trial, which opened in October, the centenarian said that he had worked as a farm laborer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question. However, the court considered it proven that he worked at the camp on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Partys paramilitary wing, the German news agency dpa reported. The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years, presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann said, according to dpa. He added that, in doing so, the defendant had assisted in the Nazis' terror and murder mechanism. You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," Lechtermann said. You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years. Prosecutors had based their case on documents relating to an SS guard with the mans name, date and place of birth, as well as other documents. The five-year prison sentence was in line with the prosecution's demand. The defendant's lawyer had sought an acquittal. Defense attorney Stefan Waterkamp said after the pronouncement of the sentence that he would appeal the verdict, dpa reported. Germany's leading Jewish group welcomed the ruling. Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison sentence due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed, said Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, so they should take responsibility for it, Schuster added. It is bitter that the defendant has denied his activities at that time until the end and has shown no remorse. For practical reasons, the trial was held in a gymnasium in Brandenburg/Havel, the 101-year-olds place of residence. The man was only fit to stand trial to a limited extent and was only able to participate in the trial for about two and a half hours each day. The process was interrupted several times for health reasons and hospital stays. Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Centers office in Jerusalem, told The Associated Press that the sentence sends a message that if you commit such crimes, even decades later, you might be brought to justice." "And its a very important thing because it gives closure to the relatives of the victims," Zuroff added. The fact that these people all of a sudden feel that their loss is being addressed and the suffering of their family who they lost in the camps is being addressed ... is a very important thing. However, Zuroff expressed concern that S. might serve only part of the sentence or none at all because of his planned appeal and his advanced age. Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new site after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories. More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing. Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate. In its early years, most inmates were either political prisoners or criminal convicts, but they also included some Jehovahs Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the so-called Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom. During the war, Sachsenhausen was expanded to include Soviet prisoners of war who were shot by the thousands as well as others. As in other camps, Jewish prisoners were singled out at Sachsenhausen for particularly harsh treatment, and most who remained alive by 1942 were sent to the Auschwitz death camp. Sachsenhausen was liberated in April 1945 by the Soviets, who then turned it into a brutal camp of their own. Tuesday's verdict relies on recent legal precedent in Germany establishing that anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for being an accessory to the murders committed there. In a different case, a 96-year-old woman went on trial in late September in the northern German town of Itzehoe. The woman, who allegedly worked during the war as the secretary for the SS commandant of the Stutthof concentration camp, has been charged with more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A man acquitted by reason of insanity of murder in the 2013 stabbing death of his father in Austin has escaped from a state hospital to which he was committed, authorities said Monday. Staff at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, near the Oklahoma border and 190 miles (306 kilometers) northwest of Dallas, advised police that Alexander Scott Ervin, 29, was found missing from the hospital shortly after 7:30 a.m. Monday, the Vernon Police Department reported. A review of the hospitals security video revealed that Ervin left his dormitory room about 9 p.m. Sunday and scaled the hospitals 8-foot security fence before heading north on foot about 9:15 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MOSCOW (AP) A Russian court has rejected an appeal by imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who contended that prison authorities illegally prevented his lawyers from bringing necessary equipment including voice recorders and laptop computers to a court session held in a prison. Navalny testified at the Tuesday session by video, the first time he has been seen since being moved to a maximum-security prison. A lower court had previously rejected his complaint about the recording devices ban. Close associates of Navalny have faced criminal charges and many have left Russia. Authorities shut down his groups political infrastructure an anti-corruption foundation and a nationwide network of offices by labeling it extremist. On Tuesday, prominent opposition politician Ilya Yashin was sentenced to 15 days in jail on charges of failing to obey police. He was detained late Monday while walking in a park, and police said he had grabbed one officer by the uniform and vulgarly insulted them. However, Yashin claimed that police approached him while he was sitting on a bench with a friend and demanded he go with them without explanation. I am not crazy, to get in a fight with three policemen, he said on the Telegram messaging app. Yashin has criticized Russia's military actions in Ukraine and in May was ordered to pay 90,000 rubles ($1700) on charges of discrediting the Russian military. He faces 15 days in jail if convicted of disobeying police. Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He received a 2-year sentence for allegedly violating the conditions of his parole while outside Russia. In March, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud and contempt of court, allegations he rejected as a politically motivated attempt by Russian authorities to keep him behind bars for as long as possible. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Nebraska state Sen. Mike Flood won a special election Tuesday to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a fellow Republican who was sentenced to two years of probation earlier in the day for a conviction on charges that he lied to federal agents. Flood beat Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in the states Republican-leaning 1st District, which includes Lincoln and dozens of smaller, mostly conservative towns in eastern Nebraska. Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, will serve the rest of what would have been Fortenberrys ninth term. Hell be a strong favorite to win a new term in November, when he faces Pansing Brooks again. In a brief interview after his win, Flood promised to be a conservative advocate for the district and a champion for local infrastructure projects and agriculture. Throughout the campaign, he sought to blame President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for rising inflation, and pledged to fight Biden administration policies. Flood acknowledged that he needs to do more to boost his support in the Lincoln area, one of the only pockets of Democratic strength in the district. Flood's victory was narrower than in previous elections, when Fortenberry would easily beat Democratic challengers with more than 60% of the vote. I recognize that I have work to do, Flood said. In a statement, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said the narrower-than-expected margin shows the need for more national party support in rural areas that are often viewed as unwinnable. Sen. Pansing Brooks connected with voters and started to change the political landscape of Nebraska, Kleeb said. Both candidates were nominated by their parties leaders in April to run in the special election. The next month, Nebraska primary voters picked them to run in the general election. In court Tuesday, Fortenberry sat quietly as U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld ordered him to serve probation, pay a $25,000 fine and perform community service. Blumenfeld rejected prosecutors request for a six-month prison sentence, saying the ex-congressman's behavior in the case was out of character. Fortenberry later said he planned to appeal, arguing that prosecutors never should have brought the case and accusing them of taking advantage of his trust. This has been very traumatic and weve got a way to go, he said outside the courthouse. But I am grateful that ... the judge recognized that the pattern of what I wanted to do with my life was simply to serve in public office and to try to help people. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins said prosecutors disagreed with the decision not to impose prison time, but noted the judges comments endorsing the jurys decision. Fortenberry resigned in March shortly after a California jury found him guilty in the corruption case. He has maintained his innocence and said he plans to appeal. Before he was indicted in October, Fortenberry was expected to sail to an easy win. Prosecutors alleged Fortenberry lied to federal agents multiple times about $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions he received from a foreign national at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. Federal law bars donations from foreign nationals. At trial, prosecutors played phone recordings between Fortenberry and a donor-turned-informant, who warned the congressman that the donations had likely been funneled to him from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent. Fortenberrys attorneys argued that he didnt hear the warning due to bad cellphone reception. Fortenberry maintained his innocence, going so far as to release a preemptive denial of the charges before they were announced in a video that he filmed inside a 1963 Ford F-150 pickup, with his wife and dog at his side. He also continued to campaign, decrying his prosecution as politically motivated and airing attack ads against Flood. But as more details of the case became public, Fortenberry quickly lost support among top Nebraska Republicans. Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman dealt him a major blow when they endorsed Flood. Flood stayed mostly positive, airing several lighthearted ads, including one where he described himself as a conservative nerd who would get things done in Washington. ___ Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte ___ Melley reported from Los Angeles. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MENDON, Mo. (AP) The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries. A day after the deadly crash on Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said people were taken to 10 hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. By Tuesday afternoon, at least 15 people remained hospitalized. The dead three passengers and the truck driver have not been identified. Amtraks Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck the rear of the truck. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer L. Homendy said at a news conference that the truck was owned by MS Contracting of Brookfield, Missouri, and was transporting material to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project nearby. Homendy said investigators will download recorder information to determine the speed of the train, when the horn was blown and if the emergency brake was deployed. She said some of that information could be released as early as Wednesday. The speed limit at the crossing is 90 mph (145 kph). The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train. Chariton County Presiding Commissioner Evan Emmerich said in an email to The Associated Press that resident Mike Spencer first brought his concerns about the crossing to a Dec. 2, 2019, commission meeting. He was told to contact the Missouri Department of Transportations Railroad Safety division. A week later, commissioners spoke with officials from the state agency and were told it is on their plans to repair, Emmerich said. After that, Emmerich cited other efforts by the commission. They included a March 2021 meeting with a state Railroad Safety division engineer at the crossing site; an email sent to the Railroad Safety division on May 23 to address concerns about visibility at the crossing; and a May 31 call to BNSF Railway, which owns the track, to express our concerns with the visibility issue at the crossing. In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its State Freight & Rail Plan plan. It included a proposal to install lights and gates, along with roadway improvements. The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said that with limited funds available, it takes a while to get these prioritized. She said the project has received approval in a four-year plan that runs through fiscal year 2026. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent declined comment on specific conversations about upgrades to the crossing, citing the NTSB investigation, however, I can tell you that BNSF has a proactive vegetation management program across our network, she said. Spencer told The Associated Press that he is among several people who have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. Spencer is on the board of a local levee district. He said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levee on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days. Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it. We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer wrote with the posting. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. Homendy said passive crossings like the one near Mendon make up about half of all crossings in the U.S. She said there are 130,000 passive crossings nationwide and 3,500 in Missouri. The NTSB has for years recommended actions such as closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other upgrades at passive crossings, Homendy said. She said the agency also has recommended technology to alert drivers to the presence of an oncoming train at crossings such as the one at Mendon that are on an incline. Lives could be saved, she said. Kyle Bullard, a 21-year-old student at Lindenwood University in suburban St. Louis, was traveling from a friends home in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for a wedding. He fell 10 feet onto his back when his cab tipped over. Bullard and his friend escaped and returned to help others out of the train, but he said hes still bothered by the image of a woman buried in rubble. He said someone was holding her hand, and he realized he couldnt do anything to help her. We were grateful because we made it out alive, but were also sad because some people didnt. Were sorry for those families," Bullard said. "Yeah, I survived the train crash and I helped people, but its like, I did also see someone die. So its just like, it is what it is. And Im gonna have to move on from it. But its just gonna be always in the back of my head. The incident in Missouri was among three fatal Amtrak accidents since Sunday. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. Also, on Monday in Detroit, two people died when their vehicle collided with an Amtrak train. Police Chief James White said officers were dispersing drag racers and one vehicle sped away and tried to beat the train. People have been injured or killed in at least six other accidents involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. ___ Ballentine reported from Columbia, Missouri. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, contributed to this report. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) U.S. Sen. James Lankford won Tuesdays GOP primary outright in his race for reelection to another six-year term in the U.S. Senate, while U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin and former House Speaker T.W. Shannon advanced to a runoff in Oklahoma's other U.S. Senate race. Oklahoma had the unique situation of races for both U.S. Senate seats on the ballot following Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe's announcement in February that he wouldn't finish his term. Inhofe's announcement set off a flurry of activity among Republican politicians, and Mullin's entry into the race left open his 2nd Congressional District seat in eastern Oklahoma. Oklahoma's Senate races aren't expected to have much of an impact nationally, since both GOP nominees in the U.S. Senate races will be heavy favorites to keep the seats in Republican hands in November. Oklahoma hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than 30 years. Lankford, 54, defeated Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, 30, and Joan Farr, 67, of Broken Arrow. Ive had the pleasure of having a few interactions with Sen. Lankford, and I think hes pretty professional," said Evan Sellars, 22, who cast his ballot for Lankford in Oklahoma City. I think for the most part hes doing a pretty good job." Lahmeyer, a political newcomer endorsed by ex-President Trumps former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, had accused Lankford of not being conservative enough and criticized him for not endorsing Trumps false claims about the 2020 election outcome. On the Democratic side, Oklahoma City attorney Jason Bollinger, 30, and cybersecurity expert Madison Horn, 33, are the only candidates in a six-person field who had raised much money, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Neither Horn nor Bollinger captured more than 50% of the vote, setting up a head-to-head showdown between the two candidates in an August runoff. In Oklahoma's other U.S. Senate race, to replace Inhofe, a stalwart in Oklahoma GOP politics since the 1960s, Mullin and Shannon, both 44, emerged from a 13-candidate Republican field seeking to become Oklahoma's newest U.S. senator. Among the other challengers were state Sen. Nathan Dahm, 39; Inhofes longtime chief of staff Luke Holland, 35; and ex-Attorney General and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. There seems to be little difference among the Republican candidates in both races on key issues, as all have expressed frustration with President Joe Biden's administration, opposition to restrictions on firearms and support of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. The winner in the race for Inhofe's seat will face Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, 46, who is not related to Madison Horn, along with a Libertarian and an independent, in November's general election. ___ Follow Sean Murphy at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Carbon monoxide poisoning killed three U.S. tourists found dead at a resort in the Bahamas in May, police announced Tuesday. Authorities did not provide further details, saying the deaths were still under investigation. The victims had been identified as Michael Phillips, 68, and Robbie Phillips, 65, from Tennessee; and Vincent Chiarella, 64, from Florida. Chiarellas wife, Donnis Chiarella, 65, was found alive and airlifted to New Providence for medical treatment, then transferred to a hospital in Florida. Her condition was not immediately known. The couples were staying in separate villas next to each other in the same building at the Sandals Emerald Bay resort on the island of Exuma. It was not clear if the villas had carbon monoxide detectors and if they did, whether they were working. Police have said that all four tourists went to a doctor the night before their bodies were discovered and had complained of feeling ill. In a statement issued a month ago, Sandals said the deaths were in no way linked to the resorts air conditioning system, food and beverage service, landscaping services or foul play. It was not clear what was the source of carbon monoxide that killed the tourists. A Sandals spokeswoman referred all questions to police, while Bahamian police spokesman Audley Peters said he was not able to provide the information at this time and did not respond to further questions. Sandals said that carbon monoxide detectors have since been installed in all guest rooms at Sandals Emerald Bay, and will be installed in all guest rooms elsewhere. We have taken additional measures such as engaging environmental safety experts for a comprehensive review of all systems across the resort, the company said. The deaths come seven years after a Delaware family became seriously ill at a resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. authorities determined that methyl bromide, a highly toxic pesticide banned for indoor residential use in 1984, was to blame and had been used at that resort several times. AMSTERDAM (AP) Dutch prosecutors demanded life sentences Tuesday for five alleged gangsters accused of six murders, four attempted murders and plotting four more hits, in a long-running trial that exposed the grim reality of the Netherlands' violent criminal underworld. Prosecutors sought sentences ranging from nearly six years to almost 27 years for 11 more defendants as the marathon trial of lead suspect Ridouan Taghi and several of his alleged accomplices drew toward its close in a closely guarded Amsterdam courtroom. The sentence demand for another suspect will be made later. The Public Prosecution Service said in a statement that the defendants were part of a completely unscrupulous murder organization, which has carelessly and indifferently killed people. They said the fallout of the multiple slayings had "not only been felt for the next of kin, but have also had after effects more broadly in society. Taghi was one of the Netherlands' most-wanted men until he was arrested in Dubai in 2019 and flown home to face trial. His lawyers and attorneys for the other suspects will address the court before judges retire to consider their verdicts. Prosecutors said the gang reveled in slayings carried out to consolidate its power and prevent people from betraying its members to police. It is shocking to read how the suspects shared their joy at a successful murder with each other" in encrypted phone messages, the prosecution statement said, "with shouts of Whoopwhoop and other expressions of joy. A human life was treated as a disposable item. Part of the evidence against the gang came from a witness who testified in return for a reduced sentence. The witness, identified only as Nabil B., was previously represented by a lawyer who was murdered in Amsterdam in 2019. Two men were sentenced last year to 30 years for that murder, but judges in the case said they could not link the contract killing directly to Taghi's gang. Crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who was gunned down in Amsterdam last year, acted as a confidant to Nabil B. Two men stood trial in his slaying. Prosecutors demanded life sentences for both, but have not said who they believe ordered De Vries' killing. Judges are due to deliver verdicts on July 14. WASHINGTON - School shootings in 2020-2021 soared to the highest number in two decades, according to a new federal report that examines crime and safety in schools across the United States. The 31-page report, released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, also pointed to a rise in cyberbullying and in verbal abuse or disrespect of teachers over the decade that ended with the onset of the pandemic in spring 2020. The surge in school shootings was stark: There were 93 incidents with casualties at public and private schools in 2020-2021, compared with 23 in the 2000-2001 school year. The record year included 43 incidents with deaths and 50 with injuries only. The report uses a broad definition of shootings, including instances when guns were fired or brandished on school property, or when a bullet struck school grounds for any reason and regardless of whether students were present. NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr noted that while nonfatal violent victimization at school was down, shootings with casualties hit their highest number in 2021 since data collection began in the early 2000s. "While the lasting impact of these crime and safety issues cannot be measured in statistics alone, these data are valuable to the efforts of our policymakers, school officials, and community members to identify and implement preventive and responsive measures," she said in a statement. Ron Avi Astor, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, welcomed the broader definition, saying the report reflected a fuller picture, at a time when the 19 children and two teachers killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, remains close in mind. "If someone brings a gun to school and shoots it, that's really traumatic," Astor said. "It's obviously more traumatic if somebody dies or is injured but the fear that that causes to all of the kids in school and all of the teachers goes far beyond the people who were hit." A Washington Post analysis showed more than 311,000 children at 331 schools experienced gun violence since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. At the same time, some pointed out that schools are by far one of the safest places around for young people, who are more likely to be shot outside of school than inside. "The increase in shootings in schools is likely a consequence of an overall increase in gun violence and not specific to schools," said Dewey Cornell, a professor of education at the University of Virginia. "However, most schools will never have a shooting, and their main problems will be fighting and bullying." Students ages 12 to 18 did not express great fear about their own schools according to the NCES report. Less than 5% were afraid of harm or an attack during the school year, according to 2019 data the report highlighted. And the rate of nonfatal crime - including theft, robbery, rape and various types of assault - declined from 51 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2009 to 30 per 1,000 in 2019. It was hard to square the positive trends with the rise in shootings, said Annette Anderson, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. "It's a good start but I certainly would have liked to have a deeper dive on some of this," she said. Teacher difficulties with students increased in the last decade. Schools reporting verbal abuse of teachers at least once a week jumped to about 10 percent in the 2019-2020 school year, from about 5% a decade earlier. Similarly, schools reporting acts of disrespect for teachers rose to 15% in 2019-2020, from 9% in 2009-2010. Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, attributed the increase to more reporting and more problems, adding that schools still do not have enough staffing, training and student supports. "Our students need more counselors," she said, along with smaller class sizes that allow "more time to build a relationship with an educator." "Most of the time acting out, even in what is called disrespect, is students saying in their own age-appropriate way, 'I need help,' or 'I'm struggling with something,'" she said. The increase in disrespect and verbal abuse will probably be even larger when pandemic-years data is released, said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. With the country's culture wars and angry politics amplified by social media - and intensified by pandemic anxiety - it becomes a "toxic brew" that extends to the classroom, she said. "All social issues end up in classrooms," she said. "We've seen that before. That's part of the reason why we are saying we need to have the guidance counselors, the social workers, the wrap-around services, making schools into hubs of community where people see each other for who each other is." The percentage of public schools reporting cyberbullying at least once a week doubled in 2019-2020 to 16%, from 8% in the 2009-2010 school year, the report said. Social media became vastly more prevalent during that decade. Amanda Nickerson, a professor of school psychology at the University at Buffalo's Graduate School of Education, did not attribute the rise in cyberbullying to the pandemic. "Part of that has to do with technology," she said. "Kids are spending so much more time on computers, on cellphones." Twenty-seven percent of gay, lesbian or bisexual students in grades 9 to 12 reported being targeted by electronic bullying during the previous 12 months, compared to 19% of students unsure about their sexual identity and 14% of heterosexual students, according to 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Students were not asked if they identified as transgender. Especially notable as the pandemic continues: Just 55% of public schools offered mental health assessments in 2019-2020 and only 42% offer treatment. "This is not due to concerns about community and/or parent support, but primarily due to inadequate funding or access to licensed professionals," said Stephanie Fredrick, an assistant professor who also teaches at the University at Buffalo's Graduate School of Education. "Schools in rural areas are even less likely to provide diagnostic services." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LONDON (AP) Scotland's leader told lawmakers in Edinburgh Tuesday that she plans to hold a fresh referendum on Scotland's independence on Oct. 19, 2023 even though U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintains it wasn't the right time for such a vote. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the question to be asked will be the same as that in Scotlands first independence vote in 2014: Should Scotland be an independent country? The U.K.-wide government of Johnson opposes a new referendum and has repeatedly said the issue was settled in 2014, when 55% saying they wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotlands government requires a special order from Johnson to legally hold a referendum. Sturgeon said she will ask the U.K. Supreme Court to rule on the Scottish governments right to hold the vote if Johnson does not give the go-ahead. Scotlands most senior law official has referred the matter to the top court on Tuesday, she said. She added that she would be writing to Johnson to inform him of her plans. Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party and the devolved government in Scotland, insists its time to revisit the matter of independence, not least because of Britains exit from the European Union a move opposed by a majority of Scots. My determination is to secure a process that allows the people of Scotland, whether yes, no or yet to be decided, to express their views in a legal, constitutional referendum so the majority view can be established fairly and democratically, she said Tuesday. Johnson said he would study Sturgeons plans for a second referendum, but stressed that the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy." We will study it very carefully and we will respond properly ... I certainly think that well be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together," he told reporters. A spokesman for Johnsons office said his position is unchanged and he continues to think its not the time to be talking about a referendum. The spokesman said the government will not be drawn into hypotheticals about whether it would open negotiations for Scottish independence if Scots vote for it in a referendum next year. Even if the referendum does go ahead as proposed, a majority vote will not by itself make Scotland independent from the rest of the U.K. For Scotland to become independent following a yes vote, legislation would have to be passed by the U.K. and Scottish Parliaments, Sturgeon stressed. Sturgeon maintains that her party's success in local elections last year gives her a mandate for a fresh referendum. While the Scottish National Party did not win overall control in the Scottish Parliament, the election of a record number of Scottish Green lawmakers means there is a majority for a new independence vote. Sturgeon said that if there was no lawful way for the Scottish government to hold a referendum, and if Johnsons government refused to grant permission for such a vote, she would fight the next U.K. general election on the single issue of independence. Opposition parties have criticized Sturgeon for her obsession with holding a new independence vote and say she should instead be focused on more practical matters such as tackling the soaring cost of living. A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said. We wont play Nicola Sturgeons games. We wont take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done." Like Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has its own parliament and devolved government and makes its own policies on public health, education and other matters. But the U.K.-wide government in London controls matters such as defense and fiscal policy. BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. - Here's how ready I was to disapprove of Taco Bell Defy. I had just eaten a lunch of nettle-ramp soup, foraged from my own yard in Shoreview, Minn. I was also - and you're going to think I'm making this up, but I'm not - scheduled to leave the next day on a flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco, in order to, among other things, make an anchovy-vinaigrette salad for Alice Waters. That really happened. You can ask my wife, Mary Jo. Anyway, that gives you some idea. It was Mary Jo who plucked me from this peaceful slow food bubble and placed me in the path of Taco Bell Defy, the next-generation, mobile-app-friendly, drive-through restaurant concept from the fast-food giant. The first prototype in the nation had recently landed, somewhat resoundingly, in a second-ring Minneapolis suburb named Brooklyn Park. Mary Jo believes tacos are the most consistently satisfying form of food, and, though appreciative of the entire taxonomy of the taco ecosystem, she has recently been on a very specific quest, scouring Twin Cities trucks, stands and restaurants, to find not the best taco in town, not the perfect taco, but the just-right taco - defined as a sort of self-aware palmful of 200 calories or so that understands what it is, and what it isn't. Its primary job, when found, would be to bridge, reliably and unfussily, that peckish hour or so in the car at lunchtime, or between an afternoon latte and a late dinner. How would we know when Mary Jo had found the just-right taco? Because, after taking a bite, she would declare it to be "just right." Mary Jo is a decisive and unafraid liker of what she likes, and disliker of what she does not. I was rinsing out the last green flecks of my irreproachably, almost impossibly, local, seasonal and sustainable soup, when Mary Jo looked up from her computer and said, "Oh my God. Tacos from the sky." She had happened upon an article about Taco Bell Defy's promise to make fast food just that little bit faster by allowing you to order remotely from an app, scan a QR code when you arrive, and receive your meal from a prep kitchen above your head, via an elevator tube - a futuristic sort of dumbwaiter, as envisioned by George Jetson. Brooklyn Park, as it happens, lies a scant half-hour drive from our front door. "We are not going to Taco Bell," I said. "Tacos," she said. "From the sky." It took one minute, forty-six seconds from the time we pulled up to the QR scanner in the drive-through lane that evening, to the time we drove off with a bag containing two hard-shell tacos, a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and something called a Black Bean Quesarito. The frankly handsome modernist building was neon-lit in what might be called either Vikings Purple or Prince Purple. The drive-through screens were oversized, bright and crisp (quite a bit more Tesla than Buick Riviera), and we were guided from step to step with a comforting techie efficiency. We did not interact with a single human being, and gained no insight into whether our little Quesarito had had a happy childhood, or been humanely slaughtered. If the general compass heading of mainstream American food is in the direction of more, cheaper and faster, this is the next logical step away from merely very fast food, served by people, toward whatever apotheosis awaits us. Perhaps implantable electrodes in our hypothalami, or brain wave sniffing personal delivery drones that sense when, and for exactly what, we are hungry. "This is it," said Mary Jo. "You can't be serious." "This is the taco." "You mean you've spent two years driving past Taco Bells in search of a Taco Bell taco?" "You know what it is?" she asked. "It's my mom's taco. Hard shell. Ground beef. Grated cheddar. Iceberg lettuce. This is the taco I grew up on." I remembered it too, of course. Family dinner in the '70s. The package of nested Ortega hard shells, smelling like dusty popcorn. The foil-lined packet of Ortega spice mix stirred into a skillet of ground hamburger. The taco exploding into shards at the first bite. Its innards plopping onto the plate. That was already not so much a taco as the degradation of somebody's borrowed notion of a taco. But it was a formative age, and those sensations had lodged somewhere ineradicable, waiting to be awakened. And here we were, Mary Jo and I, synapses firing, involuntarily calling up - the way some people remembered roast chickens, or cherry pies, or ribs on the grill all afternoon - the corporate food of our childhoods. And half a century from now, I asked myself, knowing the likely answer, would Taco Bell Defy represent, in the mind of some 50-something parent of two, a simpler time, before the world got so complicated? Was there a 6-year-old in Brooklyn Park right now, whose mouth, decades from now, would water at some sensory trigger, involuntarily resurrecting the exact texture and smell of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch? "This," said Mary Jo. "This bite right here." She held up her half-eaten first taco, and I could see a coarse thread or two of grated cheese amid pale lettuce and triangles of broken shell. I could tell that the beef mix had begun to soften the little gutter at the base of the U-shaped shell, and in spite of myself, I wanted that bite, too. Does Taco Bell Defy do well what it has set out to do - deliver a bag of food in less than two minutes? It does. Did I miss the burst of static and garbled human voice asking me to repeat my order while I leaned out my driver's side window? I did not. The app worked seamlessly, and no one, at any time, asked me whether I was having a good day. When I next feel the urge to, in the language of 1980s marketing, "Run for the Border," would I rather visit this slick new incarnation than the single-lane, bumper-to-bumper drive-throughs of its older siblings? I absolutely would. And there is some comfort to be found in almost anything these days that claims it is new and improved and turns out to be both. Taco Bell Defy is the MP3 that out-convenienced the CD, which had out-convenienced the cassette, and so on back to the romantic, analog and cumbersomely non-portable experience of watching live hands make the strings of instruments vibrate. But is it a good thing that this has been accomplished? Unquestionably, I had just experienced an advancement of some kind. Was it an improvement? As strings of cheese dangled from my Black Bean Quesarito, tasting like what would happen if you could melt Doritos into a bright orange magma, my question felt irrelevant. Any complaints I might lodge about Taco Bell Defy as a proposed next step in America's relationship to food would reduce the traffic through its lanes by exactly zero vehicles and result in the appearance of exactly no new organic polyculture farms. It felt like criticizing a Jimi Hendrix solo for all the ways in which it did not resemble a Bach Partita. There is a rhetorical technique called a Gish gallop in which a debater simply tosses out as many arguments - true, half true, untrue - as can be enunciated within the allotted time. The opponent cannot possibly refute all of them, because it takes less time to detonate a bomb than to clean up after one, and so the first debater ends up looking convincing and hyper-informed, while the second looks defensive and ill-prepared. Taco Bell Defy is a culinary Gish gallop, and I understood, as I pulled past a Chipotle and a Starbucks on my way out of the parking lot, that I was the second debater, shuffling papers around, correcting abstruse misstatements, caviling at the shading of words, looking bad, and, most certainly, losing. In the parking lot across the street - and you're going to think I'm making this up too, but ask Mary Jo if this didn't happen - there stood a small panel truck, a mobile taqueria called La Manguita, with two people in line, which we passed on our way to the highway, balling up the wrappers of our Taco Bell dinner. A week or so later, I texted Mary Jo, asking if I should pick up a sandwich for lunch from Lowry Hill Meats, Minneapolis's rightly revered whole-animal butcher shop. "Getting tacos today," she said. "Sounds good," I said. "Where?" A short pause before she answered. "The sky." - - - Steve Hoffman is a Minnesota writer and tax preparer. UNITED NATIONS (AP) Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday of becoming a terrorist state carrying out daily terrorist acts and urged Russias expulsion from the United Nations. In a virtual address to the U.N. Security Council, Zelenskyy urged the U.N. to establish an international tribunal to investigate the actions of Russian occupiers on Ukrainian soil and to hold the country accountable. We need to act urgently to do everything to make Russia stop the killing spree, Zelenskyy said, warning that otherwise Russias terrorist activity will spread to other European countries and Asia, singling out the Baltic states, Poland, Moldova and Kazakhstan. What is punished at the level of specific criminals and criminal organizations must not go unpunished at the level of a state that has become a terrorist, he said. Daily terrorist acts. No days off. They work as terrorists every day. In urging Russias ouster from the 193-member United Nations, Zelenskyy cited Article 6 of the U.N. Charter which states that a member which has persistently violated the principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Russias expulsion, however, is virtually impossible. Thats because as a permanent council member Russia would be able to use its veto to block any attempt to oust it. Ukraine called the council meeting after Russias recent upsurge in attacks including Mondays fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk that Zelenskyy said killed at least 18 people and wounded 30 others. Dozens are missing and body fragments have been found including hands and feet, he said, adding that unfortunately there may be more victims. The Ukrainian leader began his speech listing Russias attacks in recent days and giving the first names and ages of many of the victims. He ended his address asking the 15 Security Council members and others in the chamber to stand in silent tribute to commemorate the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children and adults killed in the war. All members rose including Russias deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky. When he took the floor later, Polyansky protested against giving Zelenskyy a second opportunity to address the Security Council, a decision by Albanian which holds the council presidency this month. The Russian envoy said the Ukrainian presidents video address violated the councils traditions and existing practices which state that leaders who wish to speak to the council must be present in the chamber. The U.N. Security Council should not be turned into a platform for a remote PR campaign from president Zelenskyy in order to get more weapons from participants at the NATO summit starting Wednesday in Madrid, Polyansky said. He claimed that there was no Russian strike on the shopping center in Kremenchuk, saying Russian precision weapons struck hangars in the Kremenchuk road machinery plant with weapons and ammunition from the United States and Europe destined for Ukrainian troops in eastern Donbass. The shopping center was some distance away but the detonation of ammunition created a fire which then spread to the shopping center, Polyansky said. The Russian envoy told Western nations that by supplying weapons to Ukraine they were prolonging the time when Ukraines leaders will sit down at the negotiating table with a realistic position rather than with slogans. We began a special military operation in order to stop the shelling of Donbass by Ukraine and so that the territory of this country, which has been turned into anti-Russia at the behest of a number of Western countries, as well as its nationalist leadership, ceases to pose a threat to Russia or the inhabitants of the south and southeast of Ukraine, he said. And until those goals are achieved, our operation will continue. Britains U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward retorted that Russia can try to claim that nothing is true and make outrageous claims of Ukrainian provocations but the undeniable fact is that Russia invaded Ukraine. There is one aggressor here, she said. The evidence will catch up with them and there will be accountability for these crimes." Ambassador Zhang Jun of China, a close ally of Russia, called the conflict a geopolitical crisis with multi-faceted spillover effects and urged the international community to work together to create conditions for Russian-Ukrainian peace talks to end hostilities at an early date. Attempts to weaponize the world economy and to coerce other countries into taking sides will artificially divide the international community, and make the world even less secure, Zhang warned. Delaying and obstructing diplomatic negotiations for geopolitical purposes will only add fuel to the fire to intensify confrontation and magnify conflicts. Inevitably, it will end up hurting themselves. U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills, like many other Western ambassadors, accused Russia of destroying the shopping center, saying the attack fits into a cruel pattern, one where the Russian military kills civilians and destroys civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. He stressed that there is ample publicly available evidence that Russia, and Russia alone is responsible for this and other attacks. BRUSSELS (AP) Ukraine will start trading electricity with neighboring European countries later this week as it continues to move away from Russia's sphere of influence, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) said on Tuesday. The Belgian-based association, which represents dozens of transmission system operators in Europe, said the first phase of commercial exchanges is set to begin on June 30 following the synchronization of power systems in March. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) The man considered to be the wealthiest oligarch in Russia, who has been photographed playing ice hockey with President Vladimir Putin, joins a growing list of those transferring or, sailing their prized assets to Dubai as the West tightens its massive sanctions program on Russias economy. Vladimir Potanin, head of the worlds largest refined nickel and palladium producer, may not be sanctioned by the United States or Europe yet; such sanctions could roil metal markets and potentially disrupt supply chains, experts say. As the biggest shareholder in mining company Nornickel, Potanin had a personal fortune of $30.6 billion before the war on Ukraine, according to Forbes. But like an increasing number of blacklisted Russian oligarchs, he has apparently taken the precaution of moving his $300 million superyacht to the safe haven of Dubai, in the U.S.-allied United Arab Emirates. It is called the Nirvana, and the sleek 88-meter-long (289-foot-long) superyacht, equipped with a glass elevator, gym, hot tub, 3D cinema and two terrariums of exotic reptiles, stands out even in a port full of flashy, floating mansions. The giant Dutch-built vessel with a navy blue hull was docked on Tuesday flying the flag of the Cayman Islands when Associated Press journalists observed the ship at Dubais Port Rashid in the eyeshot of sanctioned Russian parliamentarian Andrei Skochs $156 million Madame Gu. Representatives for Potanin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The arrival of Russian-owned luxury vessels in Dubai has become an outsized symbol of the UAEs reluctance to oppose Moscows war on Ukraine and enforce Western sanctions. One of a shrinking number of countries where Russians can still fly directly, the financial center has become a thriving hub for Russia's rich, in part because of its reputation for welcoming money from anywhere both legitimate and shady. They haven't tried to hide the fact they're accepting oligarchs themselves and their yachts, said Julia Friedlander, a former senior policy adviser for Europe in the U.S. Treasurys Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. When it comes to taking sides in the conflict, it's not in their political interest to do so. They want to keep their access to money from around the world. The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Emirati stance has stoked tensions with the United States, which has sought to pressure its Gulf Arab ally to help combat Russian sanctions evasion. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, one of the main U.S. coordinators on the Russian sanctions strategy, visited the UAE last week to voice American concerns about Russian financial flows and demand increased vigilance. Still, there's no indication that President Joe Biden will impose secondary sanctions, leaving Washington with few pressure points. As Moscows war on Ukraine grinds on, Western economic sanctions have proliferated in an effort to pressure Putin to change course. The European Union has captured billions of dollars in art, yachts and property. Britain, Fiji, Italy, Spain and other countries have impounded oligarchs yachts. The U.S. has seized vessels and aircraft. Some prominent oligarchs, however, have escaped the blacklist because of their strategic holdings. Although Potanin has been hit with Canadian and Australian sanctions for his close ties to the Kremlin, his reputation as the King of Nickel has so far spared him. We're reaching a critical metal shortage and we don't know where those supply chains are headed, so you have to ask, would sanctioning him make things worse?" Friedlander said. Those are serious considerations. People seeking abortions before six weeks of pregnancy cant be prosecuted in certain Texas counties based on pre-Roe Texas state laws from the 1920s, a Harris County judge ruled Tuesday. The judge issued a temporary restraining order barring prosecutors from charging abortion providers and recipients under multiple 1925 laws still on the Texas books that criminalize abortion. The order will allow only abortion providers named in the suit to continue providing care until July 12 when the next hearing in the case is scheduled. Clinics resuming care include Whole Woman's Health, the Alamo Womens Reproductive Services in San Antonio, Brookside Womens Medical Center and Austin Womens Health Center in Austin, as well as the Houston Womens Clinic and Houston Womens Reproductive Services in Houston. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton announced Friday he would support local prosecutors immediately pursuing charges based on these antiquated laws minutes after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade Friday, in defiance of the 30-day limitation on enforcement of Texas abortion bans included in a trigger law passed last year. The language of the temporary restraining order levied Tuesday does not wholly clarify where in Texas the block on prosecutions before 30 days from Friday's decision applies, according to Harris County Civil Attorney Christian Menefee. Its not entirely clear that it applies to all Texas prosecutors, Menefee said. The courts jurisdiction is limited to the defendants in the case, Menefee explained, meaning the restraining order technically applies only in counties where defendants have prosecutorial authority. The local prosecutors named as defendants in the suit are the district attorneys for Texas seven most populous counties: Jose Garza, Travis County district attorney; Joe Gonzales, Bexar County DA; Kim Ogg, Harris County DA; John Creuzot, Dallas County DA; Sharon Wilson, Tarrant County DA; Ricardo Rodriguez Jr., Hidalgo County DA; and Greg Wilson, Collin County DA. [The restraining order] isnt necessarily binding on Texas other counties, said David Levine, professor at UC Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. It would depend on how a Texas court would interpret the relationship between the state attorney general and all of those other county DAs, Levine continued. There are 247 Texas counties whose district attorneys are not named as defendants in the case. Still, the judges temporary restraining order is an indication of how Texas courts in general may be looking at the validity of prosecutions based on Texas never-repealed abortion bans from 1925: It certainly sends a signal as to how judges are thinking about this throughout the state, said Menefee. Menefee cautioned that regardless of any temporary reprieve from prosecutions within the 30-day trigger-law window, the legal forefathers of Texas six-week "Heartbeat Bill" abortion ban have been fighting for years to lay the groundwork to prosecute people under old Texas state laws. The idea is to say that prosecutors can enforce these old laws because Roe v. Wade is no longer good law'," Menefee explained. What the judge said today is that these defendants in this case are restrained from prosecuting folks under these 1920s laws." I think its a shameful day, when the Republican party and the attorney general are looking back to laws on the books in the 1920s," Menefee said. "We all know what kind of laws were on the books in Texas in the 1920sthey wouldve stopped me from becoming an elected official, wouldve stopped a lot of people from doing a lot of things." Paxton did not respond to multiple requests for comment. On a sweltering afternoon in Dallas, Kelly Neidert stood alone on a busy corner near the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She waved a handwritten sign reading "Dr. Lopez is transitioning little kids" as drivers passed, her eyes shielded from the summer sun by colorful 80s-style shades. Neidert's sign took aim at Dr. Ximena Lopezs work as the leader of UT Southwesterns Genecis Clinic, which focuses on gender-affirming medical care, offering mental health services and hormone treatments for transgender youth. The clinic won praise from UT Southwestern when it opened in 2015 and Lopez participated in a host of interviews to discuss her teams work with trans youth. However, in recent years, UT Southwestern began to shift away from publicly lauding the clinic and eventually moved to shut it down last November, suggesting Media attention and political and scientific controversy, as well as UT Southwesterns status as a state agency, were considered in the months leading up to these joint decisions, in a statement to the Dallas Morning News. In response, Dr. Lopez filed a lawsuit to keep Genecis open, scoring two major wins in court during the past several weeks: one that granted her a temporary window for taking on new patients, another that suspended Texas attorney general Ken Paxtons office from getting involved in her case. Neidert explained that Geneciss resumption of gender affirmation therapiestreatments a vast body of research shows yield marked improvements in transgender peoples long-term mental and emotional healthpushed her to organize last week's protest of Dr. Lopez. "Thats why were out here: We dont think kids should be getting on hormones, on puberty blockers and all that," said Neidert, the only protester who showed last Wednesday afternoon. Neidert was weathering the heat as a representative of Protect Texas Kids (PTK), an organization she founded in April that grew out of her far-right and anti-trans activism as a student at the University of North Texas Denton campus. As the leader of UNT's Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) chapter, Neidert engaged in activism that earned her national visibility: notoriety among the left and support from prominent political figures on the far-right. The group's site paints transgender identity as a myth pushed by "the toxic, indoctrinating agenda of the left," and gender-affirming therapies as "part of the ongoing assault that has been ruthlessly waged against our children's identities, core development, and traditional values." Neidert plans to expand her ideas and her group from a North Texas base into the Greater Houston area beginning in the next few weeks, she said. PTK will first protest outside of a downtown Houston drag brunch joint on July 10, according to Neidert. She also said she's slated to be a featured speaker at upcoming event with True Texas Project events, another North Texas far-right group that's working to build inroads into Harris County, but its leadership didn't immediately respond to an email confirming her involvement. Expansion of Neidert's anti-trans activism into Houston comes amid a push by Texas lawmakers to eliminate gender-affirming therapies and cast transgender and LGBTQ people as pedophiles and "groomers," defined by the NSPCC as "when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them." Prominent far-right conservatives such as Marjorie Taylor Greene have echoed Texas leaders with proposed legislation aimed at banning drag performance in front of kids and shutting down gender affirming therapies. The strength of a Texas Republican politicians stance against gender-affirming care and drag performance "has definitely become a litmus test" for true conservatism, said Andrea Segovia, senior policy and field advisor with the Transgender Education Network of Texas, following the ratification of the Texas GOPs new platform last week. "It's either you're with us or against us," Segovia said. "That position that they're taking is leading to people's deaths. Them being uncomfortable with who somebody is and playing political games is literally causing people to die." Neidert, who once described herself as a "Christian Fascist" on Twitter, decried Republicans who don't come out strongly enough against gender affirming therapies and drag performance, dubbing them "capitulationist conservatives." However, in the past week, Neidert's personal Twitter account was suspended after she tweeted, "Let's start rounding up people who participate in pride events." PTK's organizational account was also banned. Her TikTok account at one time had more than 64,000 followers, but was suspended months ago. However PTK's Facebook account remains active, but boasts fewer than 500 followers. "Obviously that [tweet] was intended to be provocative," Neidert said. Im not calling for law enforcement to just go like round people up because theyre gay or whatever." She later clarified, however, that she and PTK do advocate for criminal charges against drag performers if kids are exposed to their performances. "When its in front of kids... like at these drag shows where they see the kids and interact with them, then yes I do think there should be criminal charges on those people." Neidert has previously used social media to bolster her reputation as an ultra-conservative firebrand on campus. During her time leading YCT, Neidert became infamous for public displays espousing her far-right beliefs: She shouted through a megaphone advocating for in-person classes during a COVID surge; organized a campus event featuring anti-trans Republican state House candidate Jeff Younger as a speaker; and tweeted that "trans 'women' are men, actually," among other provocations. The backlash from other students catapulted Neidert and the university into the national media spotlight, including appearances by Neidert on Fox News and Newsmax, and profiles of the then-22-year-old marketing major by Daily Beast and Texas Tribune, by which point she'd branded herself "the most hated conservative college student in [Texas]" in a tweet. Former Proud Boys lawyer Jason Lee Van Dyke voiced his public support and offered to work with Neidert if legal battles arose from her activities on campus. An online petition calling for her expulsion on the grounds that she "perpetuated a hostile environment by encouraging and disseminating transphobic rhetoric" on campus received more than 21,000 signatures. Neidert said she is now riding the momentum and visibility she gained at UNT to build up PTK's membership numbers. "A lot of DFW people are familiar with my story at UNT, and know who I am, so I had people watching to see what I was going to do when I graduated," Neidert said. "That led to getting support from these people." This support included financial donations to support the group's activities, Neidert said. However, she declined to name any specific financial supporters. In the lead-up to their planned protest in Houston next month, PTK will target other North Texas clinics that provide trans healthcare, Neidert said. "Well be out here all summer." Evgen_Prozhyrko/Getty Images/iStockphoto A Texas mayor resigned after he was arrested and charged last week with soliciting a minor online. Pilot Point Mayor Matthew Mcllravy, 42, was elected in May and then arrested on June 21 following a five-month police investigation. During a city council meeting, acting interim mayor Chad Major told the public how Mcllravy submitted his resignation on Thursday, June 23. Mcllravy, who is a married father of two boys, is accused of trying to meet up and engage in sex with a girl he thought was 13, according to an arrest warrant pulled from the Dallas Morning News. As many as 50 people are dead after an abandoned tractor-trailer was found in southwest San Antonio Monday evening, and more than a dozen were rushed to nearby hospitals. They are all believed to be undocumented migrants. "This is nothing short of a horrific tragedy," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told reporters. "Our job is not to ask why. Our job is to ask how we can help. That's why you're seeing medical assistance. As far as the federal investigation goes, that's in the hands of the feds. I'm sure there will be more questions and hopefully some answers as we move forward." On Twitter, Nirenberg posted: "Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we're facing a horrific human tragedy." He also urged Texans to "think compassionately, pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families at this moment." The San Antonio Police Department shared details of the "horrific tragedy" during a news conference near the scene on Monday. Chief William P. McManus said police received a call at approximately 5:50 p.m. Monday from an employee working nearby the scene who said they heard a cry for help. The employee went to investigate and found "a number of deceased people inside" a partially open tractor-trailer, McManus said. Gov. Greg Abbott took to Twitter shortly after the news surfaced to point a finger at the Biden administration's border policies. "These deaths are on Biden," Abbott wrote. "They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law." Abbott's Democratic gubernatorial opponent Beto O'Rourke stopped short of placing blame but called the incident "devastating" and offered his thoughts to the families of those lost. "We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs," O'Rourke tweeted. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez directed his ire toward the governor, tweeting, "Another example of @GregAbbott_TX failed policies. Hes now overseen the deadliest school shooting in Texas history & the largest Migrant death in Texas history, but tells us he's got it all under control. Another avoidable tragedy. More avoidable deaths. Tragic and frustrating." Sen. Ted Cruz seized the moment to blame Democrats, tweeting: "Horrific. This..is..WRONG. How many more people have to die before Dems give a damn?" U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district encompasses the site, tweeted a similar sentiment, writing: "Deadliest border crisis in our nations history. You wont hear one peep from Democrats." U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar tweeted: "This is an absolute tragedy. 47 are now dead after driving through the Laredo checkpoint. We must bring an end to these senseless deaths and hold those responsible accountable. Let us pray for the families of the deceased. May they Rest In Peace." Judy Rouse, the longtime executive director of The Life Center, said Monday theres plenty of work to be done in light of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. She told the Reporter-Telegram providing education and support for those in need will be the path going forward for the center -- a non-profit, faith-based alternative to abortion organization advocating sexual wellness through three areas of outreach, according to the centers website. The Life Center, with offices in Midland, Odessa, Andrews and Big Spring, lists teaching about sexual risks, helping through pregnancy and healing through restoration as those three areas of outreach. We offer practical educational tools, spiritual support and mentoring to women and men helping equip them to choose, enjoy and nurture healthy relationships, the organizations website says. Center officials and its backers are pro-life. Their annual banquet has featured top voices of the pro-life movement, include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Dr. Ben Carson. We will continue serving our communities, serving young women and men in terms of next steps, Rouse said. A center to support Supporting those who find themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy includes providing consultation with a nurse, checking on the availability of pre-natal classes, providing parenting education and being there with material assistance Diapers, wipes, formula, gently-used maternity and baby clothes and other baby care items up to 36 months. We help young women navigate -- both on an emotional level and a physical level, Rouse said. They are not without basic needs. We alleviate some of those issues. She said resources will be needed, especially if there are more clients because of the courts action. She welcomes those who want to give to go to tlcdonor.org. That includes nurses who can donate their time. The abortion fight continues Rouse also mentioned needing volunteers to help deliver the message of prevention in schools. Rouse said. Your body, your choice requires teens or young men and women to choose the right person and knowing the consequences of actions. She believes sex isnt a casual decision and not the way the media has sold it. She also believes the pro-life battles do not stop with the courts 6-3 decision. Rouse said Planned Parenthoods departure in from Midland-Odessa in 2012 and 2013 didnt stop abortions in the Permian Basin. She said people are not going to interrupt their lifestyle and they will be searching for some place. She worried that potential clients will seek chemical abortions that they believe are safe. Rouse did tell the Reporter-Telegram that while The Life Center has taken necessary safety precautious in light of the violence happening with pregnancy centers across the nation, she doesnt worry about that happening here. Theres too much of a heart for life in the community, she said. Im grateful for support we have received and that our community wants to help people, Rouse said. We are building relationships in an attempt to heal the heart. Brokenness leads us to make rash decisions. Fair warning: This article is about the blood on Mrs. Kennedys pink dress after President Kennedy was assassinated in his Dallas motorcade in 1963. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy declined to change her blood-stained pink dress even at the hurriedly arranged swearing in on Air Force One of Vice President Lyndon Johnson as the new president hours later. Let them see what they have done, she said using biblically vague pronouns for others to fill in. Fifty-nine years later, after an 18-year-old boy gunned down 19 junior high school students in Uvalde, Texas, in May, the former head of homeland security Jeh Johnson wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post calling for an Emmett Till moment, in effect saying, Let them see what they have done. Emmett Till was a Chicago 14-year-old Black boy in 1955 who was sassy to a white woman in Money, Miss., and was shot, killed and dumped in the river by the womans husband and brother-in-law. Emmetts mother, Mamie Till, insisted that his mutilated body be displayed in an open casket. Jeh Johnson in his op-ed asks parents of the dead to consider releasing photos of the bullet-ridden bodies of their children at Robb School in Uvalde to shock peoples moral conscience. But an 11-year-old fourth-grade girl who survived the shootings, Miah Cerrillo, has done something more powerful than the Emmett Till moment Jeh Johnson proposes. She has described for a reporter how she survived the teenage murderers bullets by smearing blood of a deceased classmate on her own body then playing dead. A decade before Emmett Tills murder, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower viewed the corpses of thousands of Jewish prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945 and he ordered residents of the nearby German towns to line up and file by the bodies of the dead. Eisenhowers instinct was the same as Mrs. Kennedys: Let them see what they have done. Unfortunately, we became a nation of the numb after the Kennedy assassination. Martin Luther King and Sen. Robert Kennedy would be assassinated seven years later. Then four college students would be killed by Ohio National Guardsmen at a Kent State University demonstration in 1970, beginning decades of American school shootings of helpless children: Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland and now, in 2022, Uvalde. Consider the words of William Faulkner in his novel Light in August. Man performs, engenders, so much more than he can or should have to bear. Thats how he finds that he can bear anything. Thats it. Thats what is so terrible. That he can bear anything, anything. Days after President Kennedy was murdered, his widow, no longer in pink but now in black mourning dress and veil, bravely held the hands of her two children 5-year-old Caroline and 3-year-old John Jr. as they walked in the presidents funeral procession. Mrs. Kennedys dignity and courage erase her image immediately after the shooting when, still in white gloves and pink pillbox hat and pink dress, she crawled on hands and knees out onto the trunk of the open convertible limousine speeding to Parkland Hospital. She was trying frantically to retrieve part of president Kennedys skull which the assassins bullets had shattered and spewed onto the trunk of the topless limousine. Mrs. Kennedy was 33 at the time, and hailed for her glamorous charm and elegant style. Murder had reduced her to a frantic creature on all fours reaching in desperation to retrieve the shattered head of her loved one to try to hold him together. Let them see what they have done deals only with the visible damage of violence. Mrs. Kennedy knew that. And so did Faulkner. The other part the pain part no one ever sees. Paul Keane is a retired Vermont English teacher who grew up in New Haven and Hamden. UPDATE: June 29, 11:40 A.M. CT Law enforcement officers have arrested three individuals suspected of involvement in a human trafficking conspiracy that left 51 immigrants dead inside a parked trailer-tractor in southwest San Antonio on Monday night. A CNN report published Wednesday morning stated investigators traced the Texas registration of the semitruck back to a San Antonio residence, where officers located arrested the suspects after they emerged from the property. Two men, Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao, have been charged with federal offenses for "possession of a weapon by an alien in the United States." Criminal complaints filed Monday in US District Court for the Western District of Texas state "numerous" weapons were discovered at the suspects' residence. --- End of Update --- UPDATE: 4:05 P.M. CT At a Tuesday press conference Precinct 1 Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores raised the death toll of Monday's immigrant trailer-tractor tragedy to 51, according to a CNN report. As many as 34 of the 51 victims have potentially been identified, Clay-Flores told reporters. Due to the number of casualties the county medical examiner's office has requested help from offices in neighboring counties to aid in processing the deceased. In a Tuesday phone interview with CNN, Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio agent Craig Larrabee described Monday's deaths as "the worst human-smuggling event in the United States." "This sheds light on how dangerous human smuggling is," Larrabee told CNN. --- END OF UPDATE --- As many as 50 migrants were found dead or dying Monday evening near Lackland Air Force Base in southwest San Antonio after law enforcement received calls about a trailer-tractor parked on a stretch of road in the area. Sitting near railroad tracks in the vicinity of Quintana Road and Cassin Drive, the vehicle was reported to authorities around 6 p.m. by a city worker who claimed to have heard cries for help coming from the trailer, according to the Dallas Morning News' Nataly Keomoungkhoun. One official told the San Antonio Express-News that as many as 100 migrants were discovered at the scene by first responders. Sixteen individuals were transported to San Antonio-area hospitals on Monday night for treatment, per the Express News. Officers arriving at the trailer reported finding one body outside the truck and the doors to the trailer open. Victims inside the compartment were "hot to the touch," according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood, who said many exhibited signs of heat-related illness. "They were suffering from heatstroke, exhaustion," Hood said. No water was found inside the trailer, which was outfitted for refrigeration but lacked an air conditioning unit when discovered by police, according to an Express News report. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Monday's death toll was the highest he could recall for a human smuggling incident in San Antonio. "There are, that we know of, 46 individuals who are no longer with us, who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life," Nirenberg said, citing an earlier estimated death toll. "And we have 16 folks who are fighting for their lives in the hospital. Our focus right now is to try to bring aid to them as best we can. This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy." Three individuals have been taken into custody, according to police, who have yet to provide further details on the arrests. The incident is likely one of the deadliest mass-casualty events involving migrants in U.S. history, and another tragic loss of life involving immigrants traveling in the back of large vehicles. In December 2021, 55 migrants of mostly Central American descent were killed in southern Mexico when the truck transporting them flipped while attempting to turn, breaking apart and spilling occupants across the road. Lone Star State politicians began weighing in on the loss of life in San Antonio hours after the first reports emerged about the incident. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed President Joe Biden for the bodies discovered in the trailer, calling it a product of his administration's border policies. "These deaths are on Biden," Abbott tweeted. "They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law." Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar called the deaths "an absolute tragedy" and wrote that as many as 47 are now counted among the dead. On Tuesday morning CNN reported a federal official had raised the official death toll of the event to 50. The majority of victims hail from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, according to the report. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week seemingly expressed support for the Supreme Court potentially overturning past rulings on cases involving the LGBTQ community following the downfall of Roe v. Wade on Friday. In a separate concurring opinion Friday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas questioned a number of the high court's past rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, which established the right of same-sex couples to marry, and Lawrence vs. Texasa 2003 decision in which the court ruled against the state of Texas regarding a 1973 law criminalizing the act of sodomy. Thomas also mentioned Griswold v. Connecticut, which established the right of married couples to use contraception without government interference. "In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. Because any substantive due process decision is 'demonstrably erroneous,'" Thomas wrote. "We have a duty to 'correct the error' regarding these established in those precedents." During a Friday appearance on News Nation's "On Balance with Leland Vittert," Paxton said he would support the Supreme Court revisiting the cases mentioned by Thomas and defend Texas' long-unenforced law against sodomy. "I'm sure you read Justice Thomas's concurrence where he said there were a number of other of these issues, Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell he felt needs to be looked at again," Vittert told Paxton. "Obviously the Lawrence case came from Texas... would you as attorney general be comfortable defending a law that once again outlawed sodomy? That questioned Lawrence again or Griswold or gay marriage? That came from the state legislature to put to the test what Justice Thomas said?" "Yeah, I mean there's all kinds of issues here, but certainly the Supreme Court has stepped into issues that I don't think there's any constitutional provision dealing with," Paxton responded. "They were legislative issues and this is one of those issues and there may be more. So it would depend on the issue and dependent on what state law had said at the time." Vittert pressed on, asking, "For the sake of time here, you wouldn't rule out that if the state legislature passed the same law that Lawrence overturned on sodomy, you wouldn't have any problem then defending that and taking that case back to the Supreme Court?" Paxton responded: "Yeah, look my job is to defend state law and I'll continue to do that. That is my job under the Constitution and I'm certainly willing and able to do that." Asked if he would support the Texas Legislature testing the law, Paxton demurred. "I'd have to take a look at it," the attorney general said. "This is all new territory for us so I'd have to how the Legislature was laid out and whether we thought we could defend it. Ultimately, if it's constitutional, we're going to go defend it." Paxton's statements drew a swift rebuke from his Democratic opponent Rochelle Garza, who took to Twitter to call out the attorney general for his remarks during the interview. "Roe was just the first they wont stop till they roll back all of our civil rights," Garza wrote. "We MUST kick Ken Paxton out of office this Nov. When Im Attorney General, Texans will have a Civil Rights Division to protect ALL of our rights. Yall means all. Period." Conservative leaders from other states have since expressed support for Justice Thomas's opinion, including Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, who said he would support the Supreme Court reconsidering same-sex marriage. Utahs constitutional ban on same-sex unions still exists and could be reinstated if the high court were to overturn its earlier decision. Paxton's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the time of this writing. WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, June 27, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... East Central Upton County in western Texas... * Until 930 PM CDT. * At 631 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen with locally higher amounts possible. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... mainly rural areas of East Central Upton County Flooding may be occurring near the intersection of State Highway 349 and Ranch Road 1555. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, June 27, 2022 _____ SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 712 PM CDT Mon Jun 27 2022 ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central Pecos, east central Reeves and central Ward Counties through 800 PM CDT... At 712 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10 miles southwest of Grandfalls, or 23 miles north of Fort Stockton, moving northwest at 10 mph. HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and half inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Coyanosa and B F Goodrich Testing Track. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. LAT...LON 3125 10286 3115 10291 3121 10330 3145 10316 TIME...MOT...LOC 0012Z 114DEG 10KT 3122 10296 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southeastern Bee County in south central Texas... * Until 745 PM CDT. * At 714 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles west of Blanconia, or 11 miles northeast of Skidmore, and is nearly stationary. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Skidmore. This includes US Highway 181 near mile marker 602. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Country singer Dallas Smith returned to the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, Thursday night, for a night of high energy entertainment. The Canadian performer had a banner year in 2021 winning the Country Music Awards entertainer of the year, as well as the single of the year. The band is cu Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained to CIC News the process for fulfilling his mandate letter commitment to waive Canadian citizenship fees. This article is Part 4 of a special CIC News interview series with the minister. No date set for IRCC to waive Canadian citizenship application fees Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained to CIC News the process for fulfilling his mandate letter commitment to waive Canadian citizenship fees. This article is Part 4 of a special CIC News interview series with the minister. No date set for IRCC to waive Canadian citizenship application fees Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained to CIC News the process for fulfilling his mandate letter commitment to waive Canadian citizenship fees. This article is Part 4 of a special CIC News interview series with the minister. No date set for IRCC to waive Canadian citizenship application fees Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained to CIC News the process for fulfilling his mandate letter commitment to waive Canadian citizenship fees. This article is Part 4 of a special CIC News interview series with the minister. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The Canadian government needs more time to fulfil its promise to waive citizenship fees for applicants. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser made this revelation in a recent sit-down interview with CIC News in Toronto. The Canadian government announced shortly before the pandemic in late 2019 it would waive fees for new Canadian citizenship applicants. The pandemic delayed these plans and then Canada held a federal election last September. After the Liberal Party of Canada won their third straight election, Justin Trudeau asked his new immigration minister, Fraser, to follow through with the promise to waive citizenship fees. This is outlined in Frasers mandate letter, which contains his top immigration policy priorities. Find out if youre eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship Immigration minister says no date for waiving Canadian citizenship fees Transcript BelowIn late 2019, the Canadian government announced it would waive fees for new Canadian citizenship applicants. After the Liberal Party of C When asked by CIC News on when this promise may be implemented, the minister responded We dont have a date for you, and I feel its best to be open. The reason why is the decision to waive citizenship fees is not something that just exists within our [Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC] authorities. He explained that the authority to do so also exists within the federal budgetary process and no decisions have been made yet for the next federal fiscal year. Canada has one of the highest citizenship uptake rates in the world with some 85% of permanent residents becoming citizens. Prior to the pandemic some 250,000 people became citizens each year. However, some advocates argued that Canadian citizenship fees created barriers for low-income individuals to go ahead and become citizens. This explains why the federal government went ahead and said it wanted to waive fees altogether. It appears the government believes this policy will prove popular. A 2019 policy document by the Liberals suggested the government expected Canadian citizenship applications to increase 40% by 2024. The Canadian citizenship application backlog increased significantly during the pandemic, which Fraser explained is a function of factors such as IRCC employees needing to work remotely and the lack of in-person citizenship ceremonies at the start of the pandemic. In April 2020, the citizenship inventory stood at 240,000 persons but it grew to 468,000 persons by October 2021. Recent data suggests IRCC has been making progress, with the backlog now at 395,000 persons. Permanent residents who which to become Canadian citizens must meet certain criteria, such as physically residing in Canada for at least 1,095 days during the five years before they sign their citizenship application. Canadian citizenship by descent is also available to the first generation born abroad to a Canadian parent. Fraser provided assurances that he is committed to fulfilling the policy priorities in his mandate letter. Once we have news on that [waiving citizenship fees], we will be broadcasting it as widely as possible so that people know what to expect and timing for it to actually come into effect. Find out if youre eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship Special interview series with Minister Fraser CIC News sat down with the minister on June 21, 2022 to discuss the future of Canadian immigration. Over the coming weeks, CIC News is releasing a special series of articles elaborating on the interview with Minister Fraser on topics including: Minister Fraser was in Toronto to speak at Collision, one of the worlds largest technology conferences. Find out if youre eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. CIOs often make mistakes when working with consultants. I pointed out three of them in my last installment. Theres a fourth thats potentially more serious than these three combined: failing to take advantage of the consultants edge, either by engaging them or by making their edge your edge. True story: My consulting team, engaged to assess an IT organizations overall effectiveness, found that some of its practices violated fundamental financial compliance requirements in ways that could potentially lead to civil and criminal liability. We presented our concerns to the clients top executives as part of our preliminary findings review. They, quite testily, disagreed. Their books, they insisted, were squeaky clean, not to be challenged in our final analysis and recommendations. As consultants our integrity was, of course, negotiable. But not that negotiable. We wrapped up the engagement and left the clients halls and conference rooms, never to be invited back. Three years later they restated (unfavorably) their balance sheet by a few billion dollars. How was it that in just six weeks our four-person team, none with specialized expertise in forensic finance and accounting, spotted a major problem with the companys finance practices that the CFO, immersed in the subject every day, missed entirely? A fundamental rule of organizational dynamics is what made the difference, namely, that hidden in every company are people who collectively know about everything thats broken, and how to fix it. The consultants edge: Breaking the culture of silence As outside consultants, all we have to do is listen to lots of people, promising all of them anonymity as part of our process. In return they unburden, relieved to finally be talking with someone who cares. Its the consultants secret edge, and its harder to re-create this inside the organization than you might think. Imagine youre an individual contributor and you spot what you think is a serious problem, such as a steadily accumulating balance-sheet misstatement. What do you do? You tell your supervisor, of course. Your supervisor, though, lacks the authority, not to mention the budget and staff resources, to fix the problem. That leaves your supervisor with two choices. They can: (1) bury the problem and hope it isnt excavated until after theyve departed for less-vulnerable pastures; or (2) escalate the problem to their manager, who then has the same two choices. Rinse and repeat until the problem reaches a manager who does have the budget and authority, and can reallocate staff priorities to fix it. That should do it, but it doesnt, because this manager is, by definition, also the manager who will be blamed for the problem if it becomes visible at blamestorming levels. Thats when things get ugly, because while fixing the root cause might not be all that difficult and could be handled quietly, fixing the accumulated damage in this case restating a balance sheet whose inaccuracies have gradually accumulated over a period of years cant be kept under the management radar. Blamestorming: Bureaucracys big fix The most common solution, such as it is, is the practice known as bayonetting the wounded firing or disciplining everyone in the reporting chain directly below the manager who sits at the top of the problem tree and therefore logically owns it. By establishing that they hold people accountable, the bayonetter creates a political buffer that makes them part of the solution rather than the cause of the problem. This layer of protection lets them fix what needs to be fixed without endangering themselves. A less popular solution is whistleblowing. Its unpopular among individual contributors because it isnt a career-enhancing move for those who whistle and frequently leads to bayonetting the aforementioned wounded among their peers. Its also unpopular because its impact is, more often than not, negligible. Employees are, as a result, hesitant to take that path, and management is even less likely to encourage it. The solution? Culture change What actually works, should the organization be led by a braver sort of leadership team, is a change in the culture of management at all levels. The change is that when something bad happens, everyone in the organization, from the board of directors on down, assumes the root cause is systemic, not a person who has screwed up. In the case of my clients balance sheet fiasco, the root cause turned out to be everyone doing exactly what the situation they faced Right Now required. What had happened was that a badly delayed system implementation, coupled with the strategic decision to freeze the legacy system being replaced, led to a cascade of PTFs (Permanent Temporary Fixes to the uninitiated) to get through month-end closes. The PTFs, being temporary, werent tested as thoroughly as production code. But being permanent, they accumulated and sometimes conflicted with one another, requiring more PTFs each month to get everything to process. The result: Month ends did close, nobody had to tell the new system implementations executive sponsor about the PTFs and the risks they entailed, and nobody had to acknowledge that freezing the legacy system had turned out to be a bad call. Everyone involved in the affected financial areas and IT areas that supported them knew about: (1) this house of cards; and (2) that trying to alert management to it would be a career-limiting move. What CIOs should do about this Bad news does not improve with age. Assuming problems are caused by bad systems lets employees call attention to and organizations to acknowledge and fix problems when theyre small and only mildly embarrassing. Assuming problems are caused by bad employees, on the other hand, leads to the problems becoming humiliating money pits. Or else you can bring in consultants every few years to figure this stuff out. Just dont ask them to reveal their sources. Even though the sources are on your payroll, theyre still the consultants edge. Termeni de Referinta pentru selectarea unui/unei expert/e in vederea facilitarii unui training despre ecologizarea organizatiei si elaborarea Politicii organizationale cu privire la protectia mediului a CIDDC Catholic Relief Services, acting as prime recipient on behalf of the Changing the Way We CareSM consortium, is soliciting expressions of interest (applications) from organizations which- with limited financial and technical support- have the capacity and commitment to implement projects and activities focused on participation of people with lived experiences. The applications will be respectfully reviewed in a process described in the Call for Expression of Interest - see the full package of documents HERE. However, submission of an application does not guarantee funding/technical assistance from CRS. Program Description Changing the Way We Care Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), a global initiative, was launched in October 2018 by a consortium of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Lumos Foundation, and Maestral International. CTWWC is led by a Global Director and overseen by a Governing Board consisting of senior representatives of consortium member organizations, which now include CRS and Maestral. CTWWC is designed to promote safe, nurturing family care for children reintegrating from residential institutions and children at risk of child-family separation. CTWWC has three main components: (1) Governments promote family care through improvement and uptake of policies, investment in social workers, and other social service staff and the national and community systems that serve vulnerable children and families; (2) Children stay in or return to families through family strengthening that includes the voice of children, community engagement, and transitioning institutions to family support initiatives; and (3) Family care promoted globally, through global, regional and national advocacy to advance policies, best practices and redirection of resources by donors and policy makers. CTWWC is currently demonstrating care reform in Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kenya, and Moldova, with influence and advocacy activities at the regional and global levels. The global effort uses learning and evidence from CTWWC demonstration and other countries to influence policies and practice that support family over institutional care. CTWWC/Moldova Recognizing the considerable achievements in Moldovas long process of care reform, and fully committed to enabling local solutions to reforms challenging last steps, CTWWC supports a collective approach to program planning, implementation, and monitoring. That approach consists of sharing a common agenda (the recently approved National Child Protection Plan), coordinating mutually reinforcing activities, using a unified measurement system for the work of the Collective, and manifesting a continuous communication approach. CTWWC/Moldova supports the activities of the collective as a backbone organization, providing coordination and secretariat functions. Infrequently, when expertise is required but not available locally, CTWWC may also act as technical contributor by accessing international experts through its global team. Lastly, CTWWC/MD occasionally acts as a conduit for funding. It is in its capacity as funder that this Call is issued. CTWWCs lead organization in Moldova, Catholic Relief Services, is a US non-governmental organization registered in Moldova on December 4, 2020, under No. 457335. Key definitions and concepts to be considered for this Call for Expressions of Interest: Person with Lived Experience (PWLE): someone with personal experience of the care system. This term includes children in different forms of alternative care, care leavers and parents or care givers of a child who has experienced alternative care. This can include biological parents, foster families and kinship carers. For the purpose of this Call, PWLE does not include residential care staff. someone with personal experience of the care system. This term includes children in different forms of alternative care, care leavers and parents or care givers of a child who has experienced alternative care. This can include biological parents, foster families and kinship carers. For the purpose of this Call, PWLE does not include residential care staff. Alternative Care : A formal or informal arrangement whereby a child is looked after at least overnight outside the parental home, either by decision of a judicial or administrative authority or duly accredited body, or at the initiative of the child, his/her parent(s) or primary caregivers, or spontaneously by a care provider in the absence of parents. : A formal or informal arrangement whereby a child is looked after at least overnight outside the parental home, either by decision of a judicial or administrative authority or duly accredited body, or at the initiative of the child, his/her parent(s) or primary caregivers, or spontaneously by a care provider in the absence of parents. Capacity Building : the process through which individuals, organisations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time. : the process through which individuals, organisations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time. Care Givers: A person with whom the child lives who provides daily care to the child, and who acts as the child's 'parent' whether they are biological parents or not. A caregiver can be the mother or father, or another family member such as a grandparent or older sibling. It includes informal arrangements in which the caregiver does not have legal responsibility. A person with whom the child lives who provides daily care to the child, and who acts as the child's 'parent' whether they are biological parents or not. A caregiver can be the mother or father, or another family member such as a grandparent or older sibling. It includes informal arrangements in which the caregiver does not have legal responsibility. Care Leavers: A person who has left care usually at the legal age, 18 years in most countries. They are young adults who are no longer in the care system but have been affected by it in their past. As they navigate their life in mainstream society, their vulnerability arises because of the lack of guidance and safety nets that children growing in families naturally have. A person who has left care usually at the legal age, 18 years in most countries. They are young adults who are no longer in the care system but have been affected by it in their past. As they navigate their life in mainstream society, their vulnerability arises because of the lack of guidance and safety nets that children growing in families naturally have. Children: a person under 18 years old a person under 18 years old Children and youth in care: With reference to care, it means a child or young person who has experienced family separation, institutionalisation or some form of alternative care. With reference to care, it means a child or young person who has experienced family separation, institutionalisation or some form of alternative care. Meaningful Participation: when participation is not tokenistic or simply a tick box exercise. For participation to be meaningful PWLE must understand the purpose of their participation and the level of influence they can expect to achieve. PWLE are listened to and their ideas properly acted upon. Finally, that they receive adequate feedback and follow up from their participation. when participation is not tokenistic or simply a tick box exercise. For participation to be meaningful PWLE must understand the purpose of their participation and the level of influence they can expect to achieve. PWLE are listened to and their ideas properly acted upon. Finally, that they receive adequate feedback and follow up from their participation. Participation: Being involved in decision making. This incorporates being involved in your own care planning, right up to co-producing services or influencing policies. Being involved in decision making. This incorporates being involved in your own care planning, right up to co-producing services or influencing policies. Peer to Peer Support: When people use their own experiences to help each other. There are different types of peer support, but they all aim to: bring together people with shared experiences to support each other; provide a space where you feel accepted and understood; treat everyone's experiences as being equally important; involve both giving and receiving support. When people use their own experiences to help each other. There are different types of peer support, but they all aim to: bring together people with shared experiences to support each other; provide a space where you feel accepted and understood; treat everyone's experiences as being equally important; involve both giving and receiving support. Self-advocate: A person who draws on their lived experience to advocate for their own rights and the rights of their peers. A person who draws on their lived experience to advocate for their own rights and the rights of their peers. Self-advocacy: The ability for PWLE to speak up for themself and the things that are important to them; to ask for what they need and share their wishes and feelings. Self-advocacy requires an understanding of rights, in particular the right to be involved in making decisions about ones own life. The ability for PWLE to speak up for themself and the things that are important to them; to ask for what they need and share their wishes and feelings. Self-advocacy requires an understanding of rights, in particular the right to be involved in making decisions about ones own life. Tokenistic: When participation is superficial rather than meaningful. This includes when participation is a tick box exercise and PWLE do not have substantial influence. It can also include when PWLE are involved only to share their personal stories. When participation is superficial rather than meaningful. This includes when participation is a tick box exercise and PWLE do not have substantial influence. It can also include when PWLE are involved only to share their personal stories. Youth/Young People: A person aged between 18 and 25. Award Information Purpose. Scope of Work for this Call is presented in Attachment A, which describes CTWWC objectives and proposed implementation approaches for supporting participation of PWLE in Moldova. Note that the successful applicant, and the project that the sub-recipient will implement, are subject to approval and potential amendment by USAID. Period. Projects are expected to begin in September 2022 and continue for one year until September 2023, although any project duration within this period is possible and acceptable. Eligibility. This Call is issued to organizations with legal registration in Moldova. Note: Although collaboration among organizations is encouraged, to promote accountability, no joint expressions of interest will be reviewed. See Attachment Cs Certification of Intention to Comply for critical aspects of potential legal relationships. As above, CRS is not obligated to fund or provide a response to all or any respondents. Amount. The total funding for the work described in Attachment A is 30,000 US Dollars. Applicants are invited to submit budgets of any amount between a minimum of 5,000 USD to a maximum of 20,000 USD. Expression of Interest Response Information All applications should consist of: 1) The following table: Information required To be completed by the applicant Name of Organization Expressing Interest Registration Number and Address Name and Email of the Person Authorized to Make Decisions about Participation Title of the Program to which the Expression of Interest applies Participation of PWLE List SOW strategic objectives that the application will focus on 2) Narrative response describing: why the applicant organization is best placed to implement the SOW objectives 1-page maximum how the activities will be undertaken for successful and timely delivery of the objectives 1 page maximum 3) Response Workbook Attachment B including: DIP detailed implementation plan Budget Past Performance Record - specifically as applicable to the SOW for which Interest is being expressed 4) Certification of Willingness to Comply with 2 CFR 200 and substantial involvement requirements as interpreted and applied by CRS. See Attachment C Expression of Interest Submission Procedures Responses must be written in English or Romanian and submitted in Microsoft Word and PDF formats, with the budget submitted, DIP and Past Performance Record in Excel. The email subject line should follow the following format: CTWWC/MD - Organization Name Participation of PWLE. Responses should be submitted to ctwwcmoldova@crs.org, which is a limited-access address. Any questions on this Call should be documented and sent to ctwwcmoldova@crs.org by July 10, 2022. Applications/Expressions of Interest to this Call must be received no later than July 24, 2022. CTWWC will acknowledge receipt as applications are received and will contact respondents on next steps/outcomes before August 8, 2022. Expression of Interest Review Information The application will be reviewed by a CRS review committee based on the criteria set out below, information the applicant provides, and other publicly available information. Evaluation criteria used by reviewers will include: Criterion Indicators % Technical Capacity to Implement Record of past performance Experience in care reform in Moldova Alignment between the SoW and applicants ongoing programs Documented existing relationships Credentials of staff presented as leads for implementation Evidence of commitment to documenting and sharing learning 40 Proposed Approach Relevance of proposed activities to program objectives (Attachment A) Consideration of principles of participation (Attachment A) Level of detail in the detailed implementation plan 20 Disposition towards participation of PWLE Past performance in activities involving PWLE, participation of children, and other related activities 20 Cost Effectiveness Reasonableness of proposed costs 20 Where required, the review team will reach out to applicants for clarifications; this may include bringing multiple applicants together to discuss coordination among organizations. CRS will also conduct a due diligence assessment of the selected applicants. Once a successful applicant has been identified (expected by August 15, 2022), information about the organization and the project it will implement will be shared with the donor for approval, as required under provisions of the USAID cooperative agreement with CRS. Attachment A: Scope of Work CTWWC vision is that PWLE will have a meaningful voice and influence across all reform initiatives that directly impact them and that these initiatives will reflect the needs and priorities of PWLE. This Call is designed to advance this vision and to support organizations and initiatives that equip and mobilize PWLE to drive change in care reform at the local and national level. Principles of Participation The CTWWC PWLE participation strategy is underpinned by a set of principles. They have been adopted from The Committee on the Rights of the Childs General Comment No. 12 (2009) and broadened to include young people and adults with lived experience. 1. Transparent and informative PWLE are provided with full, accessible, diversity sensitive and ageappropriate information about their right to express their views freely, how the participation will take place, its scope, purpose and potential impact. 2. Voluntary PWLE are not coerced into expressing views against their wishes and they should be informed that they can cease involvement at any stage. 3. Respectful PWLEs views are treated with respect and they are provided with opportunities to initiate ideas and activities. PWLE are treated with dignity and not stereotyped based on their age, gender, care status, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, religion (including having no religion) or any other background. 4. Relevant Opportunities are available for PWLE to express their views on issues of real relevance to their lives and enable them to draw on their knowledge, skills and abilities. 5. PWLE-friendly environments and working methods Adequate time and resources are available to ensure environments are safe and welcoming for PWLE to participate, promoting non intimidating and collaborative spaces. PWLE are adequately prepared and have the confidence and opportunity to contribute their views. The approaches to working with PWLE reflect their differing levels of support and forms of involvement according to their age and evolving capacities. 6. Inclusive Participation is inclusive, avoiding existing patterns of discrimination, culturally sensitive to PWLE from all communities, and encourages opportunities for marginalized PWLE. 7. Supported by training Adults are provided with skills and support to facilitate PWLESs participation effectively, provided with, for example, skills in listening, working jointly with PWLE and engaging PWLE effectively in accordance with their evolving capacities. PWLE also need training in order participate in a meaningful way. 8. Safe and sensitive to risk Participation and expression of views involves risks. CTWWC takes its responsibility towards the PWLE with whom we work seriously. Precautions are taken to minimize the risk to PWLE of violence, exploitation or any other negative consequence of their participation. CTWWC prioritizes the psychosocial wellbeing of PWLE engaged in our participation work, providing training and additional support where necessary and appropriate. 9. Accountable CTWWC is committed to followup and evaluation. PWLE are provided with clear feedback on how their participation has influenced any outcomes. Wherever appropriate, PWLE are given the opportunity to participate in followup processes or activities. Monitoring and evaluation of PWLEs participation is undertaken, where possible, with PWLE themselves. Program objectives Under this Call for Expressions of Interest, CTWWC is looking to support projects that will follow the participation principles outlined above and that will achieve one or more of the following five objectives: Create an enabling environment for meaningful participation of PWLE in Moldova, including in Moldovas National Child Protection Program (NCPP) Activities under this objective will focus on creating favorable conditions for participation of PWLE and may include promoting new practices for participation, creating opportunities for PWLE to meet decision-makers, and other similar initiatives. Build capacity for safe and meaningful participation Participation of PWLE is often misunderstood. This can result in care leavers and vulnerable families lacking the skills, motivation and confidence to meaningfully engage PWLE in decision making. Similarly, PWLE - particularly those who have experienced residential care or family separation - can lack the confidence and skills to meaningfully participate in decision making processes. Under this objective, CTWWC will support activities that strengthen the capacity of PWLE and that contribute to a culture of participation which is safe, meaningful and inclusive. These may include training and/or mentoring PWLE in areas relevant and close to their needs. Empower PWLE to raise awareness and advocate for care reform Under this objective, CTWWC will support activities that strengthen the skills and opportunities for PWLE to engage in advocacy and influencing. These may include training and/or mentoring PWLE to become 'champions' advocating for family-based care, supporting PWLE to attend events and/or peer-to-peer exchanges. Strengthen and elevate networks of PWLE CTWWC strives to mobilize networks of PWLE to take a leading role in care reform at the local, national, regional and global level. Applicants are strongly encouraged to involve PWLE in planning and developing applications for this Call. People with Lived Experience For the purposes of this call, CTWWC defines PWLE as: children in different forms of alternative care (including tutela/curatela, custody, different types of placement centres and family based care, community centres, auxiliary schools) care leavers biological parents of a child who has experienced any form of alternative care foster parents (specifically APP asistenti parentali profesionisti) adoptive parents care givers of a child who has experienced any form of alternative care (including tutela/curatela, custody) Community of practice In addition, and in parallel to this Call for Expressions of Interest, CTWWC will launch a Community of Practice for operationalizing the international Principles on participation of PWLE in Moldova. All organizations responding to this Call will be invited to join the PWLE Community of Practice, on a voluntary basis, and are welcome to exchange ideas, proposals, challenges and opportunities for advancing meaningful participation of PWLE in Moldova. Police are investigating a cybersecurity attack that has disrupted communications at the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Disruption started on Friday 18 March when the charity announced staff were struggling to access email and that some phone lines were affected. In an update this week, SAMH said it had been the victim of a criminal cyberattack. Billy Watson, chief executive at SAMH said: We are devastated by this attack. It is difficult to understand why anyone would deliberately try to disrupt the work of an organisation that is relied on by people at their most vulnerable. Our priority is to continue to do everything we can to deliver our vital services. My thanks to our staff team who, under difficult circumstances, are finding ways to keep our support services running to ensure those they support experience as little disruption as possible. We are working closely with various agencies including Police Scotland - this is an active investigation. We will continue to take the best expert advice to assist us in effectively dealing with this situation. SAMH is a large mental health charity in Scotland and works with adults and young people providing mental health social care support, services in primary care, schools and further education, as well as providing a general information service. For the financial year to March 2021, SAMH had an income of 18m. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In March 2019, HuffPost sent me to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of the Oglala Lakota Nation in South Dakota, to cover the work of an affordable-housing program. My editors had a particular story in mind, and so I was dispatched to source the material to write it. The article would be a piece of solutions journalism, positive in outlook and neatly framed, part of a philanthropically funded series called This New World. My assignment letter included potential headlines: How The Poorest County In The U.S. Is Solving The Housing Crisis; How The Poorest County In The U.S. Is Breaking The Poverty Cycle. But a week before I arrived in Pine Ridge, a different story began to unfold. The reservation was pummeled by a blizzard. Gusts reached seventy miles per hour. The snowbank along the highways towered over the cars driving past. Then the storm became a bomb cyclone, the snow melted, and the reservations creeks overflowed. Pine Ridge sits on plains that are typically arid, so these extreme weather events were unusuala result of shifting jet streams and increasing ocean evaporation driven by climate change. They were also catastrophic. Roads became impassable, cutting families off from medicine, food, and outside assistance. Water lines across the reservation broke, depriving eight thousand people of drinking water. At least four deaths were reported. Amid the flooding, I drove all over the reservation to survey the damage, eventually arriving at Wounded Knee, site of the infamous 1890 massacre and 1973 American Indian Movement occupation. I parked and trudged up a small hill, the mud pulling at the heels of my boots. At the top was a mass grave of one hundred forty-six Lakota. Feeling the weight of this solemn place, I was compelled to offer a prayer. Lingering awhile at the peak, I watched residents of a nearby housing development walk along the highway to the closest post office to collect rations from the National Guard. I checked Twitter and learned that Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, had driven onto the reservation with a convoy of military vehicles carrying potable water. She was not welcome. Just two weeks earlier, Noem had passed a bill that held protesters opposing projects like the Keystone XL oil pipeline liable for what the state called riot boosting. (The Oglala were among the tribes opposed to the pipeline and the bill.) Here before me, in one scene, were the interlocking forces of genocide, ecological apocalypse, resistance, and repressionthe imperial roots of the climate crisis and their colonial fallout. After my visit to Wounded Knee, I could not in good conscience write the story that my HuffPost editors had assigned. A fifteen-hundred-word article treating the housing program as a worthy but isolated effort felt like a betrayal of the material I had gathered on the ground. As an Indigenous journalist, I decided the only appropriate way to tell a story like this was to simultaneously hold in frame poverty, climate change, and resilience, and to layer all this on the history of colonization, settlement, and genocideone apocalypse on top of another. To be Indigenous to North America is to be part of a postapocalyptic community and experience. Indigenous journalists have always grappled with earth-shattering stories: either as historical background to current events or in the deep despair of the still-unfolding legacy of Indigenous dispossession, displacement, and death that brought nations like the United States and Canada into being. This perspective tests the limits of journalism, asking reporters to cover marginalized subjects unfamiliar to most readers with an eye on the people, histories, and systems buried and erased by colonizationall without losing the thread of the narrative. The forms and styles that are dominant in journalism practice dont always allow us to get at the historical context that is vital. I got my start in journalism through a fellowship covering Indian Country for HuffPost. The challenge of the beat was to turn stories about an invisible people into news. I generally employed two strategies. The first was to work from a timely headline. Fight For Marriage Equality Not Over On Navajo Nation, I wrote, the week after the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges. The second was to jujitsu ignorance into curiosity. One of my most-read articles was 13 Issues Facing Native People Beyond Mascots And Casinos, with the clickbait subhead These are the problems youre not hearing enough about. These two approaches succeeded in attracting readers, but neither felt adequate. The former forced Indigenous stories into existing media narratives. The latter hinged on disproving misconceptions or explaining unknowns, implicitly re-centering a colonial perspective. I knew there were complicated and emotional stories afoot in Indian Country, and those were the stories I desperately wanted to tell. Yet they felt much bigger than my beat and my skill set at the time. In the years since, as a freelance writer, Ive tried to hone my craft so my journalism can rise to the challenge of my subjects. This is the premise from which journalism begins: the assumption that well-trained reporters can go out into the world, gather up the facts, and shape that material into narrative and argument. Indigenous stories test the limits of this enterprise. They require journalists to draw upon centuries of history, elucidate structures of annihilation, and build trust with people who have learned to be wary of misrepresentation. The task feels almost ludicrous, like balancing a skyscraper atop a tiny plinth. When you consider a news market in which few consumers are seeking Indigenous media and would rather spend their leisure hours with the New York Times or HBO, it feels nearly impossible. Kyle Whyte, a Citizen Potawatomi philosopher and professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan, described the challenge facing Indigenous journalists succinctly: In the space of a short piece thats widely accessible, how do you write in a way that includes a structural analysis and a sense of history that many readers dont initially understand? For insight, I called Candis Callison, an associate professor at the University of British Columbias School of Journalism and a member of the Tahltan people. She described her preferred approach as systems journalisma methodology that treats news items not as isolated events but as windows into whats happening in underlying systems and structures. The narratives we tell about our past and present delineate possible avenues for future action, Callison said. She urges journalists to consider how white and colonial perspectives frame our current society as normative and permanent, erasing the history of genocidal colonialism that brought us here. Systems journalism often brushes up against established methods, however. The forms and styles that are dominant in journalism practice, Callison told me, dont always allow us to get at the historical context that is vital. As a model, Callison pointed to the work of Tanya Talaga, an Anishinaabe journalist. Talaga, a former investigative reporter at the Toronto Star, is the author of Seven Fallen Feathers, which examines the deaths of seven First Nations youths in the town of Thunder Bay, Ontario. To tell stories about immense pain and loss, Talaga developed close relationships with her sources, many of whom she keeps in touch with today. Be careful, be kind, be respectful, and listen, she said. Theres nothing worse than being one of those journalists who crashes in and out of a community, takes a story and leaves. That last point is vital. When I called up Waubgeshig Rice, a member of the Wasauksing First Nation who produced broadcast and radio pieces for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for fourteen years, he said something similar. White journalists assigned to Indigenous or marginalized communities think about the story until the end of the workday, he told me. While they might be empathetic, their relationship to the story is different. You get to go home where youre comfortable and white and its not there anymore. Its not there until the next time youre assigned to one of those stories. CBC segments often adhered to a formula, Rice added: In the morning hed get an assignment. Then hed do research, schedule interviews, and head out to record. Hed do two or three interviews, shoot relevant visuals, write, edit, and go live at six oclock. That experience, he explained, sometimes pushed him into uncomfortable situations; hed be asked to go into Indigenous homes and communities, extract a story, and be ready to air by evening. The nature of broadcasting conflicts directly with our old ways of telling stories, Rice told me. Knowledge of the apocalypse caused by colonialism helps make Indigenous peoples aware of ongoing tragedies. Recently, I picked up Moon of the Crusted Snow, Rices dystopian novel. In the book, a mysterious apocalyptic downturn has led to a mass blackout, bringing the formal economy to a halt. Evan Whitesky, a traditional hunter, and his Anishinaabe community find themselves uniquely prepared for these events. This is a new spin on an old idea in Indigenous literaturethe notion that Indigenous peoples are survivors. Gerald Vizenor, an Ojibwe literary critic, calls this survivance. Its an intriguing ideaone that could bring Natives from the forgotten margins to the center of the humanities in an era of apocalyptic circumstances. Understanding who we are as Indigenous peoples is about understanding how our lives were impacted by colonialism, which was the ending of a world, Rice told me. The knowledge of the apocalypse also helps us make people aware of what the consequences of apocalypse areunderstanding those ongoing tragedies. Since writing the book, Rice has left the CBC, though he maintains his practice as a journalist. His years in the field, he said, have informed his literature, but hes not yet sure how his fiction might shape his nonfiction. As I write, another apocalypse feels close at hand. The coronavirus has killed more than a million people worldwide. Vast swaths of California and many other parts of the western United States have been devastated by wildfire. At times the air quality in Oakland, my hometown, was the worst on earth. The sky looked like a scene out of the Blade Runner sequel. Much of the news coverage has rightly connected the wildfires to climate change, but a reporter keen on telling a more complicated storyone that illuminates the structures underlying the crisismight visit the gentrifying flatlands of West Oakland, to understand how the tech boom pushed families out of the Bay Area and into the smoldering urban-wildland interface. Another might consider how the near extermination of Indigenous peoples, and their land and fire management practices, transformed the Golden State into a tinderbox. A third might consider how past epidemics opened the land to settlement in the first place. All of these stories would, of course, require deep and trusting relationships with sources. Our stories, field notes, and communities ask a great deal of us as journalistsand, particularly, as Indigenous journalists and journalists of colorespecially in moments of grave consequence, like the present. Its hard, and in some cases impossible, to give yourself, your audience, your community, your sourcesand perhaps also your land, your water, your relationseverything they want and deserve in your work. Indigenous experiences and perspectives challenge the notion that a press corps equipped with notepads and recorders can capture the whole truth. More often than not, Im convinced that reality defies the disciplined space of stories, waging an epistemic resistance against the tyranny of language, text, and formsomething we Indians can relate to. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Julian Brave NoiseCat is vice president of policy and strategy with Data for Progress; narrative change director of the Natural History Museum; and a fellow of the Type Media Center, NDN Collective, and the Center for Humans and Nature. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and many other publications. Over the weekend, as world leaders arrived in Germany for the latest G7 summit, Boris Johnson, Britains prime minister, warned reporters about the durability of the so-far-united front of Western support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Realistically, there is going to be fatigue in populations and politicians, Johnson said. I think the pressure is there and the anxiety is there. We have got to be honest about that. Johnson was talking, primarily, about the wars impact on the rising cost of living across the world and the impact of that on international popular support for the war. Fatigue often implies another effect, too: diminished attention. Maintaining international attention has clearly been a significant concern of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, who proved a master at commanding it in the early days of the war. He has spoken about its importance on numerous recent occasions, calling on the international community to continue to supply it and Ukrainians to continue to demand it. Zelensky has continued to do his personal part, (virtually) touring various foreign Parliaments and other global events while also receiving high-profile guests; in the past two weeks, various top European leaders, Johnson, and the actor Ben Stiller have been among those to travel to Kyiv, with the latter also meeting Ukrainian refugees in Poland in a visit that was explicitly designed to steer attention toward the humanitarian fallout of the war. Ukrainian officials have also reportedly drawn up plans to have an exhibition of destroyed Russian tanks tour various European capitals. The end of this war and its circumstances depend on the worlds attention, Zelensky told the Cannes Lions festival last week. Dont let the world switch to something else. ICYMI: The movement of the Roe story While Zelensky was addressing creative professionals at Cannes (I believe that the power of human creativity is greater than the power of a nuclear state that is stuck in the past, he said), he has also made similar requests of the news media. Every modern person knows well how the media works. It is very difficult to keep attention on one topic for a long time, Zelensky told his countrymen in a video message earlier this month. Please spread the information. Support our needs. Naturally, first of all, this concerns journalists. Media coverage is indeed a key funnel for public attentionand, in various Western countries, its true that the war is getting less coverage now than it did in its early days. Editorial boards, from that of the Wall Street Journal to that of Maines Bangor Daily News, have noticed and lamented the decrease. According to a Stanford University tool that tracks cable-news coverage, discussions of Ukraine peaked when the war began in late February and have since declined steadily to around the same level as early January, with discussions of Russia following a strikingly similar trajectory. In the first week of March, the war consistently dominated the front page of the New York Times, culminating in a huge, five-column photo of corpses in a street near Kyiv. In the first week of June, a jumble of stories competed on the front page every day. Still, on all of these days bar one, the war (or something adjacent to it) was one of those competing storiesand that latter week culminated with a prominent, four-column photo of people taking shelter from Russian shells inside a Ukrainian monastery. Beyond counting column inches on A1, its clear that the Times and many other major Western news organizations are continuing to cover the war extensivelyand clear, too, that it remains greatly more visible than other ongoing conflicts around the world. (Tapping Yemen into the Stanford cable-news tool is a depressing exercise indeed.) Total Western media attention to the Ukraine war hasnt proportionately tracked the changing severity of the situation over time, declining recently even as Ukraine has taken some sharp lossesbut the frantic pace of the early coverage was never realistically going to prove sustainable. And, while the press is certainly important in marshaling ongoing public attention, it cannot do so alone. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Compassion fatigue, as some observers have dubbed dwindling international attention to the war, is, ultimately, a widespread human impulsenews organizations can put reporting in front of their audiences, but they cant force them to care about it. Neal Rothschild, of Axios, reported recently, based on data curated by NewsWhip, that online media outlets have been putting out less Ukraine content of late, with the seventy thousand articles they collectively published in a week at the end of May representing a seven-fold decrease on the first week of the war. The data also showed, however, that social-media interactions with that content (defined as likes, comments, and shares) was subject to a greater decreasetwenty-two-foldin the same period. On a per-article basis, NewsWhip data collected in April and May and reported by Rothschild and Sara Fischer found that content linked to the libel trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard scored more than five times as many interactions as war content, while content about Elon Musk scored more than four times as many interactions. It was inevitable that the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial garnered more views and likes than the war, Oleksiy Arestovych, a Ukrainian military adviser, told The Observers Dan Sabbagh. People are getting weary and tired. Interestingly, Arestovych went on to draw a different conclusion to Zelensky, telling Sabbagh that he couldnt care less about this state of affairs. You dont have to talk about us at all, he said. Just give us the weapons. Many observers would argue that the Western media talking about Ukraine makes Western governments more likely to supply weapons, by driving public pressure. This makes sense. But the relationship here is complicated. While their response has been pretty united, the lengths to which different Western leaders have been prepared to go to help Ukraine have not cleanly or universally risen or fallen with media attentionand public attitudes are shaped by a multiplicity of inputs beyond the medias control, not least the rising cost of living. Ultimately, of course, its not our jobon the news pages, at any rateto lobby our governments to take particular decisions to support Ukraine. We should carefully scrutinize those decisions potential benefits and risks, and explain their factual background. But the buck ultimately stops with leaders themselves. Media attention isnt a reliable proxy for wise policy. The government of Ukraine also has a role to play in shaping media attention to the war, one that goes beyond Zelenskys many public exhortations and bears on how it constructs its war narrative. As Julian E. Barnes, a national-security reporter at the Times, noted on a recent episode of The Daily, while a huge amount of information has helped international observers to track the war in real time, blindspots have persisted and have not always been filled by official updates; Ukraine, Barnes said, touts its victories but is silent on its losses. Its understandable that Zelensky wants to project strength. But being open about losses can generate attention, too, and perhaps more so, by projecting the apparent truth that the war is now hanging in the balancesomething that Ukrainian officials have, perhaps, recently realized as they have, for example, started to publicize the scale of troop casualties after months of caginess on that front. Again, journalists job is to cover facts, and we should always want as much transparency as possible to that end; were trying to cut through the information war, not unconditionally help Ukraine to fight it. Logically, though, the more information we have, the better we can cover the war. Again, we cant force people to care about that coverage with the flick of an attention switch. But audience fatigue is not a good reason for us to stop putting difficult truths in front of them. We should ensure, at minimum, that we are continuing to pay attention and giving news consumers the chance to. Our collective coverage need not match the volume of the wars early days to be effective. Our most useful metrics now, perhaps, are the quality of our work, its prominence, and, to the extent possible, proportionality to the severity of developments on the ground. Im still seeing coverage of the war on a daily basis that is impressive on such grounds. But thats not to say that we always succeed. Yesterday, Russian missiles struck a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, relatively far from the wars recent frontlines, killing at least sixteen people and wounding dozens more. Zelensky called the strikes one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history; at the G7, leaders denounced it as a war crime. The strikes got a lot of coverage in the US; this morning, a four-column photo of the destruction topped the Timess front page. On cable, however, the story struggled to cut through in prime time. CNN covered it in its 7pm and 8pm Eastern hours, but not after that, while MSNBC, as far as I can tell, didnt mention it in detail until it was nearly midnight. Its hard not to conclude that, earlier in the war, it would deservedly have been an earlier story. Below, more on the war and the G7: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Boris Johnson, Barbra Streisand, Thunderbirds, and the British media machine Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. The American journalism community fancies itself a completely neutral estate, the poster child for objectivity. But this conceit is, at best, ahistorical. Like all things, the modern press corps was born into an inequitable society, and its strictures show up in the industry everywhere from hiring practices to how certain communities are covered, if they get coverage at all. Debate about whether complete objectivity is possible while reporting inspires heated debate. A new podcast, The View From Somewhere, aims to push this important ethical conversation again to the forefront, this time with a deep look into the archives. Hosted by reporter Lewis Raven Wallace, 34, whose book of the same name is slated for release late this year, the podcast will dig into the history of objectivity in a journalistic context, featuring stories about reporters whose work has poked holes in the myth of its infallibility. Part of [the goal of] this book and this podcast is to tell a whole different story about what journalism has been and what it could be, says Wallace. Related: There are times journalists should become the story In early 2017, Wallace, then a reporter at American Public Medias Marketplace, published a piece on his personal blog in which he considered the role of an objective press as the country transitioned into a new presidential administration, one that had brought with it transphobia, racism, and regular attacks on the press. Some argue that if we abandon our stance of journalistic neutrality, we let the post-fact camp win, he wrote. I argue that our minds and our listeners and readers minds are stronger than that, strong enough to hold that we can both come from a particular perspective, and still tell the truth. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Wallace was fired when he refused to take down the post, and has spent the months since immersed in research about truth-telling journalists whose strength was their refusal to cling to supposed neutrality, the old defender of the status quo. A lot of great journalism in the United States and all over the world has been journalism that stood for something, says Wallace. Standing up to power requires standing for something. Standing for nothing at all in the Jim Crow era is like, well, we accept segregation. For reporters from underrepresented communitiesreporters of color, queer and transgender reporters, disabled reporters, poor reporterstaking a neutral stance on their own humanity isnt an option. Wallace notes the long history of the black presscoined a fighting pressfor its track record of pursuing stories that challenge white racism, reporting on issues and people that have been traditionally ignored by other news outlets, and for openly advocating for the acquirement of human and civil rights for black people in America. Newspapers by and for other marginalized communities have done similar work. You had LGBT papers doing the preeminent investigative coverage and human interest coverage of AIDS for years and years before mainstream papers covered it, adds Wallace. And those are papers that have been written out of official journalistic history as niche, or as advocacy journalism. The podcast, which will be produced by Ramona Martinez alongside Wallace, will feature a range of episodes about how seminal eras of American history, such as lynching and the spread of AIDS, were reported. It will also tackle contemporary issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement, coverage of transgender people, the #MeToo movement, and coverage of both overt and what Wallace calls status quo white supremacy. Growing distrust in journalistic institutions has led news organizations to take steps to reassert their worth. Outlets have tried everything from community town halls featuring reporters to $10 million Super Bowl ads. But this doubling down might reveal the industrys blind spots. I was really stricken while working in public media by the extent to which the conversation was about how to appear objective rather than about how to be as fair or as impartial as you could in your reporting, says Wallace. And those are obviously really different things, right? Appearing objective kind of inherently has to do with how do people react to the story that you tell. Wallace adds: Some people might not see it as fair or objective if in the morning you said Trump lied and at noon you said Trump lied and at 6:00pm you reported again that Trump lied. But if Trump lied in the morning and at noon and at 6PM, and you were reporting the facts, then it doesnt really matter if somebody perceives that as unobjective. Wallace says it will cost about $40,000 to produce a single season of the podcast. As of Sunday evening, the pair had raised $9,864 from 237 supporters. As concerns about the media industrys shameful, perpetual lack of diversity continue to percolate, it stands to help contextualize why, for reporters from underrepresented communitiesreporters of color, queer and transgender reporters, disabled reporters, poor reporterstaking a neutral stance on their own humanity isnt an option. Undoing the myth of journalistic objectivity, thats one goal, says Wallace. The other goal is helping to create a new canon of diverse journalists who did or are doing work that changed the world, and making space for those voices to be seen as a part of the story of journalism. ICYMI: I was plagiarized by Jill Abramson Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Alexandria Neason was CJRs staff writer and Senior Delacorte Fellow. Recently, she became an editor and producer at WNYCs Radiolab. GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) The death toll of children in last weeks devastating earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan has risen to at least 155, the United Nations said as the scope of the deadliest quake to hit the impoverished country in two decades comes into focus. The U.N.s humanitarian coordination organization, OCHA, said on Sunday that another 250 children were injured in the magnitude 6 temblor that struck the mountainous villages in the Paktika and Khost provinces near the countrys border with Pakistan, flattening homes and triggering landslides. Most of the children died in Paktikas hard-hit Gayan district, which remains a scene of life in ruins, days after the disaster. The quake has also left an estimated 65 children orphaned or unaccompanied, the U.N. humanitarian office added. Even as badly needed food, medicine and other international aid has trickled into the provinces on precarious dirt roads, despair is growing among newly homeless survivors. Many villagers who were scraping by have lost everything. In ravaged Gayan, villagers are grappling with the extent of the tragedy. When the earthquake last week demolished his house and those around it, Abdullah tried to claw through the rubble and rescue his children. For hours, he called for help, shouting from under a deep pile of mud. When he and his neighbors finally cleared the wreckage, he discovered a nightmarish scene the bodies of 12 family members, including his son and daughter, laying dead in the debris. Four other relatives were injured. What happened that night is very difficult to explain in words, the 65-year-old farmer and teacher, who like many Afghans goes by one name, told The Associated Press. Everything is under the ground now. We have just buried the bodies. He pulled away more rubble from his collapsed mud-and-brick home with a pickaxe, uncovering books that serve as mementos of lives violently upended. Like other villagers, Abdullah now lives with his surviving family members in a donated tent. He fears the freezing winter. Afghanistans Taliban rulers have put the total death toll from the quake at 1,150, with hundreds more injured, while the U.N. has offered a lower estimate of 770, although it has warned the figure could still rise. Abdul Rahman, Abdullahs son, lost two wives, a son and three daughters in the quake. His only surviving child is just a few months old. This little child has been left alone, he said, cradling his swaddled body. The babys hammock, strung in the corner of their destroyed home, swayed with the weight of fallen bricks. Who should take care of him? The disaster _ the latest to convulse Afghanistan after decades of war, hunger, poverty and an economic crash _ has become a test of the Talibans capacity to govern and the international communitys willingness to help. When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan as the United States and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces last August, foreign aid stopped practically overnight. World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and froze billions more in Afghanistans currency reserves, refusing to recognize the Taliban government and demanding they allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights. The former insurgents have resisted the pressure, imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls that recall their first time in power in the late 1990s, triggering Western backlash. Aware of their limitations, the Taliban have appealed for foreign aid. The U.N. and an array of overstretched aid agencies in the country that have tried to keep Afghanistan from the brink of starvation have swung into action. The U.N. childrens agency said on Monday it was working to reunite children who had been separated from their families in the chaos of the quake. It also has set up clinics to offer mental health and psychological support to children in Gayan traumatized by the disaster. But U.N. agencies face a funding shortfall of $3 billion this year. Authorities and charities are struggling to access the far-flung region and appear overwhelmed by the scale of the damage and the daunting task of debris removal, let alone reconstruction. That has forced many in the quake-ravaged region to fend for themselves, even as the ground rumbles with more aftershocks and the fear of further disaster looms. Still, there are earthquakes. We cant come near our houses, Abdullah said. Everyone has fear. Women and children are shouting inside the tent. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. About the photo: Afghans receive aid at a camp after an earthquake in Gayan district in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 26, 2022. A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, flattening stone and mud-brick homes in the countrys deadliest quake in two decades, the state-run news agency reported. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Nooroozi) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco granted Teslas motion for a new trial a week after the former elevator operator, Owen Diaz, said he would not accept the judges award. A jury last October had awarded Diaz $137 million, one of the largest verdicts ever in a discrimination case involving a single worker. Orrick in April said Tesla was liable to Diaz for discrimination, but he said the award was excessive and lowered it to $15 million. Diazs lawyers said last week that the lower award was unjust because it undermined his constitutional rights to a trial by jury. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawrence Organ, a lawyer for Diaz, said we are hopeful that a new jury will see the evidence in a similar light to the first jury and that Mr. Diaz will get the justice that the jury system is supposed to provide to him. Orrick did not set a date for the new trial, but scheduled a conference for July 12. In his 2017 lawsuit, Diaz alleged that his colleagues and a supervisor at Teslas Fremont, California, assembly plant subjected him to a hostile work environment that included racist slurs, caricatures and swastikas. Tesla is facing a series of lawsuits involving alleged widespread race discrimination and sexual harassment at the Fremont factory, including one by a California civil rights agency. This month, a Tesla shareholder filed a lawsuit accusing the companys chief executive, Elon Musk, and board of directors of neglecting worker complaints and fostering a toxic workplace culture. Tesla has denied wrongdoing and says it has policies in place to prevent and address workplace misconduct. Dr. Christopher Brigham website is not making an overstatement when it describes him as one of the nations leading authorities on impairment and disability evaluation and management. Brigham is the senior contributing editor for the sixth edition of the American Medical Associations Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. He also played important roles in the drafting of the third, fourth and fifth editions. As a consultant, he lectures to audiences around the world on the appropriate use of the the AMA Guides. He also frequently serves as an expert witness for insurers. But Brighams expertise no longer carries any weight in Kentucky. The state Supreme Court on June 16 ruled that his opinions were irrelevant to Kentucky workers compensation claims because a state statute requires medical experts to be licensed in Kentucky. Brigham says he respectfully disagrees with the ruling. It was more of a ploy to exclude evidence that someone did not find beneficial, he said. The Kentucky Supreme Court declared Brigham and other out-of-state medical experts persona non grata for the state workers compensation system in a case brought by Oldham County police officer Tracy Scott Toler, who injured his knee when he ran into another officer during SWAT training. An independent medical examiner assessed a 4% impairment rating but added 2% because Toler continued to experience pain in his knee. Oldham County hired Bingham to offer his own opinion. Bingham said Tolers subjective complaints about pain did not merit a bump in Tolers disability rating because the rating already accounts for the discomfort. The 5th edition of the Guides allows an increase of up to 3% in a disability rating for pain, but only if it causes a documented interference with daily activities or a change of gait, he testified. Tolers attorney, Bruce Garrett Anderson of Louisville, said the 2% difference had a minimal impact on the size of Tolers permanent disability award, but he wanted to make a point. Anderson said he has been arguing for a long time that physicians who testify if Kentucky workers compensation proceedings must be licensed in the state, but the administrative law officers who hear cases have always disagreed. Anderson said insurers often hire Bingham to argue for lower permanent disability awards. They trot him out all the time, he said. Ive seen him enough and his opinions are arrogant. After an administrative law judge, the Workers Compensation Board and a panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals decided that Brighams report could be admitted into evidence, Anderson took Tolers case to the state Supreme Court. He pointed out that Kentucky Revised Statutes 342.0011(32) defines physicians as one of the specified practitioners acting within the scope of his or her license issued by the Commonwealth unless the context otherwise requires. The Workers Compensation Board noted that the Department of Worker Claims had assigned a physician index number to Brigham, providing significant context that his opinion should be admitted. The Court of Appeals panel agreed. The Supreme Court, however, said it must assume that the state legislature meant what it said when it drafted the statute. The unanimous opinion says Kentucky statutes allow injured workers to choose a treating physician licensed by another state in some circumstances, which is one instance where context allows the statutory definition of physician to be overlooked. But the high court said no statute provides any reason to believe that the statutory definition of physician can be ignored when considering medical reports. The legislature may decide in the future to widen the pool of potential medical experts, the court said. However, the statutory language is limited so only physicians licensed in Kentucky may provide such evidence. Brigham said he is licensed in California, Hawaii and Maine, but not in Kentucky. But he said he based his opinion on his knowledge of the AMA Guides; the states that issued his medical licenses have no bearing on the case. Nonetheless, Anderson said the Supreme Courts opinion will eliminate the admission of all medical reports written by physicians who are not licensed in Kentucky. He said that will be especially helpful for utilization review: Anderson said almost all of the UR decisions in the states system are now done by doctors outside of Kentucky. Attorney Thomas A. Robinson, co-author of Larsons Workers Compensation Law, said in a blog post that the Kentucky Supreme Court decision may have attorneys in other states scurrying back to their respective statutes to check their states definitions of physician.' Robinson said in an email that he cannot yet identify any states that have similar statutes. Determining which, if any, other states might have language similar to that in Kentucky is a research issue that I have not yet undertaken, he said. From my experience, there is likely to be similar language in at least a few other state acts, but that list of jurisdictions is not yet at hand. Many state workers compensation laws have a section near the beginning that lays out general provisions, including definitions of terms. In Kentucky, the workers compensation laws are organized under Chapter 34. Section 11 of that chapter contains a list of definitions of terms. Paragraph 32 of that section states: Physician means physicians and surgeons, psychologists, optometrists, dentists, podiatrists, and osteopathic and chiropractic practitioners acting within the scope of their license issued by the Commonwealth. But the statutes for states adjacent to Kentucky are surprisingly imprecise. Workers compensation statutes for Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana contain no definition of physician in the general provisions section. North Carolinas workers compensation law lists physician as an example of several types of health care providers, but makes no mention of where they must be located or even that they must be licensed. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) An abortion rights protest in Portland, Oregon turned destructive over the weekend, with some people marching down the street breaking windows on businesses and vehicles and scrawling graffiti, police said. Officers were monitoring the crowed but no one was arrested because they did not have the resources to intervene at the moment, police said in a statement Sunday. City police officers were also responding to a shooting, a felony assault, a community festival and drivers doing stunts in various parts of the city at the time, police said. The protest against Fridays U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave abortion decisions up to the states began with a gathering of about 200 people at a park on Saturday. A group of about 60 of them most dressed in black marched down a street and smashed windows on banks, coffee shops, a Portland school van, a Tesla and a nonprofit that provides assistance to pregnant people. Most of the damage occurred between 10:05 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. police said. The Mother and Child Education Center does not steer people away from abortion, said Executive Director Maura White. It provides services to people who have decided to have children, she said. Police had warned her that the building might be damaged, she said. The building was left with about $10,000 in damage, including smashed windows and graffiti, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The Portland Police Bureau is asking businesses and community members with surveillance cameras between the areas of Grant Park and the Hollywood District to view footage and see if they captured any evidence that might assist police. The damage in Portland came a night after 10 people were arrested for disorderly conduct during a similar protest in Eugene. Portland saw months of destructive protests against police brutality after police officers in Minneapolis killed George Floyd in May 2020. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Building bridge of friendship between Chinese, Moroccans: president of Morocco-China Friendship Exchange Association 09:27, June 28, 2022 By Zhou Zhou ( People's Daily Mohamed Khalil is a renowned traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor in Morocco who runs a clinic in downtown Casablanca, Morocco. His clinic is ornamented with a number of Chinese cultural elements, such as Chinese hand fans, Beijing Opera masks, as well as bamboo and rattan chairs. Mohamed Khalil (Photo provided by Mohamed Khalil) Khalil has another title which is more known to the locals, the president of Morocco-China Friendship Exchange Association. Everybody calls me a Moroccan doctor from China, he told Peoples Daily. Khalil was among the 10 friendly personages receiving the Award for Outstanding Contribution to China-Arab Friendship, which was presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Egypt in January. Khalil said being received by President Xi in Cairo was an honor of his life. This experience was from six years ago, but Khalil still recalls it vividly. President Xi was very amiable and easygoing. I told him it was my greatest honor and thanked him for giving me this unforgettable award in Chinese. He was glad and encouraged me to keep serving as an envoy for Morocco-China friendship, Khalil remembered. Mohamed Khalil in his clinic. (Photo provided by Mohamed Khalil) Khalils bond with China was established at the end of 1970s, after China started sending medical teams to Morocco in 1975. Back then, TCM and acupuncture brought relief to many Moroccans suffering from chronicle diseases, which made me very interested in TCM, Khalil told Peoples Daily. In 1978, he went to China for study. He learned Chinese at Beijing Language Institute, or what's known today as Beijing Language and Culture University, and learned TCM at Beijing Medical College, which is currently known as Peking University Health Science Center. In Beijing, he graduated with a degree of doctor of medicine. When I first arrived in China, the country has just started its reform and opening up drive, and there was vitality everywhere. In the following 10 years, drastic changes happened throughout the country. I saw the energy of an ancient civilization in its transition, Khalil noted. After returning to his motherland, Khalil became a TCM doctor. He always introduced China to his fellow countrymen to promote Moroccans understanding of China and the Chinese people. Photo shows Chinese-style bamboo and rattan chairs in Mohamed Khalil's clinic. (Photo provided by Mohamed Khalil) He told Peoples Daily that he has been receiving more patients after getting the Award for Outstanding Contribution to China-Arab Friendship, which makes him busier, but happier, too. I always remember what President Xi told me. Im acting as an envoy for Morocco-China friendship and building a bridge between the two peoples by spreading traditional Chinese culture, including TCM, he said. The Moroccans are interested in the outstanding traditional Chinese culture, and also impressed by the modern development miracle of China, Khalil said. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Moroccan would make a couple of annual visits to China. Since China started reform and opening up, I have witnessed the largest and fastest urbanization in the world.. Skyscrapers are soaring and peoples standard of living continuously rising. The achievements are remarkable. Chinas path to national rejuvenation is extraordinary, he noted. These years, Khalil has been spending a lot of time reading the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, through which he has gained a more profound understanding of why China could make such huge changes and become more confident about Chinas development prospects. Ning Jizhe, Deputy Chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita sign the Implementation Plan of Jointly Building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, Jan. 5, 2022. Morocco is the the first country in North Africa to sign a BRI cooperation plan with China. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco) Its unquestionable that President Xi has brilliant political wisdom. Under his leadership, the Chinese peoples aspiration for a better life is gradually turning into reality, he said. Khalil believes that by drawing wisdom from its long history, China has achieved peaceful development, which not only makes China a strong and prospering country, but also contributes to the stability and development of the world. The major initiatives and concepts proposed by President Xi, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and building a community with a shared future for mankind, have played an important role in encouraging countries to tide over difficulties, share opportunities, and strive for common prosperity. President Xi is really forethoughtful, Khalil noted. On behalf of Professor Peng Liyuan, Charge d'Affaires Mao Jun of the Chinese Embassy in Morocco hands over epidemic prevention materials donated by the Chinese government to the Moroccan side, July 21, 2020. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco) He added that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has chosen a development path that suits Chinas conditions, and has led the Chinese people to live a better life. The CPC has also brought development opportunities to many other countries and is constantly making contributions to the peaceful development of mankind, Khalil said. He noted that facing the COVID-19 pandemic, China has actively promoted international cooperation to fight against it, sharing experiences, offering material aid and conducting vaccine cooperation with developing countries including Morocco. China has made important contributions to safeguarding the lives and health of people around the world, Khalil said. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Sand contractors in the district are said to be in cahoots with officials and are allegedly mining sand irregularly at several places. (DC) KARIMNAGAR: Instead of keeping check on illegal sand quarrying and transportation, the officials of revenue and police departments are allegedly joining hands with contractors, causing huge loss to the government exchequer in erstwhile Karimnagar district. There is a great demand for sand available in the Godavari delta region as it is good in quality and highly used for construction purpose. Several second-rung contractors and political leaders in Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Sircilla and Jagtial districts became rich in a short time after taking to sand business. Several big contractors from Hyderabad purchase sand from old Karimnagar district and dump it at their secret places for completing their projects, it is alleged. Sand contractors in the district are said to be in cahoots with officials and are allegedly mining sand irregularly at several places in view of the ongoing monsoon season. It also causes severe threats to the environment. The persons who want sand must pay tax to the government online between 9 am to 5 pm on working days and must make use of it for the construction purposes. Apart from that, the officials who discharge duties at sand reaches also impose special tax for extra load of sand by giving permission for one or two trips per day after allocating numbers to the tractors. The contractors, fearing that if heavy rainfall occurred, it would become difficult for them to excavate sand from the canals, rivers and streams, are exerting pressure on the officials concerned using their political influence, it is said. The officials are allegedly giving permission to contractors to carry out mining even during night hours and on Sundays also, violating rules. The contractors are first mining sand from the reaches and then dumping it at secret places. Meanwhile, the locals alleged that by excavating more sand from rivers and canals, several pits are created all along leading to accidents and loss of lives. They even pointed out that recently in Rajanna Sircilla district some school going children lost their lives while trying to swim in the water and urged the higher authorities to take immediate steps to prevent illegal sand mining and protect the environment. ARVADA, CO - OCTOBER 26: The Colorado Supreme Court, including left to right, justices Carlos A. Samour Jr., Richard L. Gabriel, and Monica M. Marquez, hear two cases at Pomona High School before an audience of students on October 26, 2021 in Arvada, Colorado. The visit to the high school is part of the Colorado judicial branchs Courts in the Community outreach program. (Photo By Kathryn Scott) John Mulaney will bring his From Scratch tour to The Broadmoor World Arena on Oct. 23. Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today! Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published. Error! There was an error processing your request. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. News and Info from our Community Partners Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?) Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Paris along with his family on Tuesday night from Gannavaram airport by a special flight. (DC) VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Paris along with his family on Tuesday night from Gannavaram airport by a special flight. The CM will arrive in Paris on Wednesday. He would attend the graduation day celebrations of his eldest daughter Harsha Reddy who completed her Post Graduation (MBA) at the Insead Business School. The chief minister has kept his Paris visit a low-profile affair, it being a personal tour. He and the family will be in Paris till July 2 and return to Tadepalli after attending the daughters Graduation Day celebrations on July 3. In view of the pending legal cases, Jagan had recently filed a petition in a court seeking permission to travel to the French capital, Paris, and this was granted. YS Rajareddy, son of Jagans sister YS Sharmila, recently completed his graduation from a US university. Sharmila took a break and went to America to participate in the event. YS Vijayamma, Sharmilas husband Anil Kumar, and others also attended the graduation ceremony. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday inaugurated the new facility known as "T-Hub 2.0", at Raidurg, which is five times bigger than the first phase of T-Hub. (Photo: By Arrangement) HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday inaugurated the new facility known as "T-Hub 2.0", at Raidurg, which is five times bigger than the first phase of T-Hub. Built with an investment of Rs 400 crore, the 10-storied building can accommodate 4,000 start-ups and has dedicated spaces for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, accelerators, corporates and other innovation ecosystem partners. T-Hub started with a 70,000 sq. ft. building inside IIIT-Hyderabad campus in 2015 and the new T-Hub at Raidurg has a carpet area of 3.70 lakh sq. ft. The Chief Minister felicitated 20 unicorn and 14 soonicorn startup founders on the occasion in the presence of IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, IT secretary Jayesh Ranjan, T-Hub CEO M. Srinivas Rao and T-Hub board chairman B.V.R. Mohan Reddy. The Chief Minister asked Rama Rao, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Jayesh Ranjan to focus on creating more infrastructure and quality education to meet future requirements in IT and other sectors. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said, "Today, I can proudly say we have created a world-class entity at T-Hub to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Our states startup policy is progressive and it helped forge fruitful partnerships with both corporates and academia." The Chief Minister stated that the state government wanted Telangana to be known as the start-up state of India and Hyderabad as the startup capital of India. The Chief Minister hoped that day was not far away when the next big breakthrough in startup innovation would come from Hyderabad. "Our states start-up ecosystem is valued as among the top 10 global ecosystems in affordable talent. It is among the top 15 startup ecosystems across Asia in attracting funds. In 2021, the startup ecosystem of Telangana was valued at USD 4.8 billion. Among cities in India, Hyderabad offers the best standard of living, and we want Hyderabad to be known as the startup capital of India. Our startups are providing valuable collaboration to the main sectors of our economy, namely IT, life sciences, aerospace and defence, and automotive including electric vehicles," Chandrashekar Rao said. Reminding that T-Hub was founded in 2015 to bring in the best talent from across the country to nurture a startup ecosystem, the Chief Minister said, The journey of T-Hub started as an idea eight years ago, when Telangana became the youngest state in India. At that time, we made a conscious decision that our state would consistently encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in a big way. We launched T-Hub in 2015, as a commitment to that decision. Today, seven years later, we are here to start our second phase of expansion, to build a resilient startup ecosystem in India. T-Hub has now become a national role model. It has impacted over 2,000 entrepreneurs and seen 1.19 billion US dollars raised in funding by T-Hub startups. It has facilitated connections with venture capitalists and angel investors, establishing a brand name synonymous with innovation." The Chief Minister expressed happiness that many of the startups had also created products and solutions relevant for social sectors like education, health, agriculture, sanitation, and environment. "All this has been made possible due to the very progressive policies in our state like TS-iPass, TS-Bpass, and Telanganas startup and innovation policy. We have made doing business easier for the startups, ensured that they receive mentorship support, get connected with knowledge institutions and corporates as per their requirements, receive funding support, and most importantly receive automatic job orders from government departments if their product or solution is of relevance to us," the Chief Minister added. He appreciated Rama Rao and the team of officials who strived earnestly to create this unique model of innovation and entrepreneurship in Telangana. T-Hub hosted multiple panel discussions on Tuesday by founders and senior officials of well known firms as well as upcoming startups. The keynote address was delivered by actor Rana Daggubati while panellists in other sessions included Swiggy co-founder and CEO Sriharsha Majety, Dream 11 co-founder Harsh Jain, Zomato chief technology officer (CTO) Gunjan Patidar, Delhivery co-founder Suraj Saharan and Redbus founder Phanindra Sama. The topics of the panel discussions were diverse, and ranged from metaverse, building global GTM, emerging tech, building a unicorn and medtech. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form By Rick Palsgrove Groveport Editor As of now, the use of personal fireworks remains banned in Groveport. At its June 27 meeting, Groveport City Council heard the second reading of an ordinance regarding the personal use of fireworks. The proposed ordinance originally restricted the personal use of consumer grade fireworks to only on the Fourth of July within the Groveport city limits. However, by a 4-2 vote, council amended the proposed ordinance to instead allow the use of personal fireworks on 15 days, which would make it consistent with the new state law regarding the personal use of fireworks. (Council members Jean Ann Hilbert and Jack Rupp opposed the amendment.) The new Ohio law, which goes into effect July 1, allows individuals to possess consumer grade fireworks, eliminating a requirement that purchasers transport consumer grade fireworks out of the state within 48 hours of purchase. The new state law allows any person authorized to possess consumer grade fireworks to discharge them on their own property or on another persons property with permission on the following days: New Years Day; Chinese New Year; Cinco de Mayo; Memorial Day weekend; Juneteenth; July 3, 4, and 5 and the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays preceding and following; Labor Day weekend; Diwali; and New Years Eve. However, the law permits local governments to restrict the dates and times when individuals may discharge consumer grade fireworks or to impose a complete ban on the use of consumer grade fireworks. A motion to pass, as an emergency measure, Groveports amended ordinance that would adhere to the new state law failed by a 3-3 vote. (Five votes are needed to pass legislation as an emergency. Council members Ed Dildine, Scott Lockett, and Becky Hutson voted to approve while Jean Ann Hilbert, Jack Rupp, and Shawn Cleary opposed.) This means the amended ordinance goes on to its third reading and a final vote on July 11. If it is passed at that time it would go into effect Aug. 10 and then allow the use of personal fireworks on the days listed in the state law. According to Groveport City Administrator B.J. King, currently under existing Groveport law there is a complete ban on the use of personal fireworks in the city. Because the attempt to pass the ordinance as an emergency measure failed, King said, This Fourth of July our current code (banning the personal use of fireworks) remains in place. Council viewpoints Lockett said he preferred Groveport follow the new state law noting that the city could make changes if problems arise. Dildine also wants Groveport to adhere to the new state law rather than restrict the use of personal fireworks. People do it (shoot off fireworks), said Dildine. It happens anyway. Its already banned yet not typically enforced unless there is property damage or injuries. Dildine said following the state law would result in less confusion about what is legal and when. He added the new state law could give officials an opportunity to provide information to citizens on the safe use of personal fireworks. Hilbert and Rupp favor restricting the use of personal fireworks. Both said they are concerned about the potential injuries brought on by the use of personal fireworks. I want to prevent someone from getting hurt, said Hilbert. Police reaction Groveport Police Chief Casey Adams said 90 percent of calls the police get about the use of personal fireworks occur around July 4 and New Years Eve/Day. Adams said individuals must be responsible when using personal consumer grade fireworks. He said people must ensure everyone in and around a launch is safe and the fireworks are launched away from others and structures that could sustain injury or damage when the fireworks explode and fall to the ground. He said the negligent use of fireworks without proper precautions could lead to criminal charges being filed against those responsible for the fireworks. More about the state fireworks law The new state law also: requires licensed retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers selling consumer grade fireworks to offer safety glasses for free or for a nominal fee and to provide purchasers with a safety pamphlet; prohibits discharging fireworks while in possession of or under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance or on someones property without permission; allows the State Fire Marshal to suspend a fireworks manufacturer or wholesaler if they have violated the fireworks law or State Fire Marshal rules; prohibits the State Fire Marshal from unreasonably withholding a variance to allow hobbyists to manufacture, possess, and use individual display grade and consumer grade fireworks and requires cause for revocation of a hobbyist variance; and requires hobbyists seeking variances to demonstrate they can engage in the hobby safely and legally and limits hobbyists to possession of five pounds of raw materials and finished fireworks produced through the hobby. 33 of Ramakrishna supporters in the banned Maoist party, apart from 27 militia members, including eight women, surrendered before DIG S. Harikrishna at Paderu. (Video grab/Facebook) VISAKHAPATNAM: Peda Bayulu police on Tuesday arrested area committee secretary of outlawed Maoist party, Vanathala Ramakrishna, a top leader, from the agency area in Alluri Seetharamaraju district. Following his arrest, 33 of his staunch supporters in the banned Maoist party, apart from 27 militia members, including eight women, surrendered before DIG S. Harikrishna at Paderu. Briefing media, Harikrishna said an amount of 39 lakh in cash, a five-kg mine packed in a steel carriage, five detonators, one nine mm pistol and nine rounds of ammunition had been seized from Ramakrishna. The DIG said the top Maoist is an accused in 124 cases registered in various police stations spread over East Godavari and Alluri districts, apart from Odisha state. The cases include 14 murders, six kidnap, 13 encounters, 13 mine blasts, four public property destruction and 83 other cases. Ramakrishna is one of the main accused in the murder of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, former MLA Siveri Soma and seven civilian leaders of the agency area. Harikrishna said the 60 surrendered party and militia members belong to Kundrum, Tagurupadu, Navabari and Jadiguda villages of Peda Bayulu mandal. The most active among them are Anand, Sirisha, Gangajivani, Srikant and Srinu who, on many occasions, have opened fire on police personnel combing the area. Honda needs a big, mainstream hit to put it firmly back on Irish buyers' shopping lists. Is the new, hybrid-only, Civic the car to do it? And can it take on the mighty Toyota Corolla? In the metal Honda has spent years producing ever-more outrageous designs for the Civic (remember the mid-2000s 'spaceship' look?), which means that the new model's sober, restrained look is almost shocking in itself. It takes some of the pared-back styling of the HR-V crossover, but if anything it's even more restrained than that car. The Civic is handsome, unquestionably, but it might also be a bit forgettable. All will be forgiven once you sit inside. The previous Civic had something of a disappointing cabin, which looked messy and felt a bit cheap in places. The new Civic utterly reverses that - the cabin is super-clean and simple in its styling, and the quality levels have definitely taken a big step up. In the instrument panel, there's a 10.2-inch digital display (a seven-inch screen appears in basic models) that has two neat, circular dials. They look quite classy, and you can easily enough customise the information that appears within them, using the buttons on the three-spoke, multi-function steering wheel. In the centre of the dash, there's a nine-inch touchscreen, which gets a menu layout and graphic design that represents a massive improvement compared to that of the old Civic. Helpfully, it keeps a physical volume control and a couple of shortcut buttons, and it features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Below that there are physical controls for the air conditioning system, which feel like high-quality items. We also need to take a moment to note the air vents - not something we'd normally do, but Honda uses a neat stylistic trick to make it appear as if the dash vents are one big vent that stretches the full width of the cabin. They're also bigger vents than normal, and have a wider range of adjustment. Best of all, to change the direction of the airflow, you use sweet little joystick-like controls, which give off a pleasing, and expensive-sounding, click when they return to centre. Down low on the centre console, in our Advance-spec test car, there was a wireless phone charger along with two USB ports and a 12-volt socket. Drive selection is taken care of by a neat push-button control (there's no manual gearbox option now that the Civic has gone fully hybrid) and there are two cupholders next to that. The front seats are excellent - almost armchair-squishy, but supportive on a longer run - and the driving position, at least in this left-hand-drive model, spot on. In the back, space has actually improved slightly compared to the previous Civic, thanks to a longer wheelbase. Although the roof height is a little lower than before, there's no lack of headroom, and plenty of legroom. Really, as before, the Civic has rear seat space closer to that of a bigger saloon model, such as a VW Passat or Mazda6. The boot is good too, although at 416 litres, it's not as far ahead of the competition as it once was. The new Civic retains the older model's sideways-retracting luggage blind, which makes folding the back seats so much easier, but there is a noticeable step as the boot approaches the back seat, which will make loading longer, larger items a touch tricky. Driving it Honda says that the new Civic is 'the Drivers' Hybrid' and wants it to be seen as the sporting choice in the family hatch segment. At first, when you drive it, that seems a bit puzzling... On the good side, the e:HEV hybrid system is much improved over the version Honda launched in the HR-V. Extra care has been taken with refinement, and the e-CVT gearbox (which actually has no gears at all, but a pair of electric motors instead) has been reprogrammed for a more natural-feeling 'change-up' sensation as you accelerate. Thankfully, it all works rather well. The Civic's hybrid setup deploys 183hp and 315Nm of torque, matching the power of the previous 1.5-litre turbo VTEC petrol engine and the torque of the old 1.6 diesel. But it actually has slightly better fuel economy than the old 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo VTEC petrol model. It's quite the combo, and it's very refined. There is a bit of the usual hybrid droning when you accelerate, but the overall refinement means that it won't trouble your ears for very long, and what noises there are, are well-subdued. Fuel economy is excellent - over a lengthy test route that took in mountain roads, motorways, city streets and country roads we averaged 4.5 litres per 100km. That's impressive, especially given that we drove most of the route with the system in Sport mode. Drive in Normal or Eco settings, and it's noticeable how much more frequently the system slips into EV mode. Even driving one brisk country-road section, average consumption never slipped above 5.3 litres per 100km. So the Civic is frugal and refined, but it's not especially sporty. In spite of a decent 7.8-second 0-100km/h time, performance feels closer to languid than rapid, and the Civic bobs gently on relatively soft springs, soaking up road imperfections with ease. There is some fun to be had, though - when pushed, the steering has better weight and faster responses than you'd expect, and the Civic can feel quite enthusiastic in the right setting, but it's always limited in that respect by the softness of the suspension. Ah well, there is a more rapid and aggressive Type R coming next year, although that might not actually be sold in Ireland... What you get for your money The new Civic won't go on sale in Ireland until at least the end of this year, and more realistically will be a 2023 model for us. We'd expect it to come with a price tag in the region of 30-35,000, to keep it competitive with the 2.0-litre versions of the Toyota Corolla, which will be its closest rival. While Irish specs haven't yet been set, European models come as standard with an upgraded safety suite (called Honda Sensing) that includes autonomous emergency braking, a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians in an impact, a traffic-jam crawling setting for the adaptive cruise control, improved lane-keeping steering and a blind-spot monitor. Other standard kit includes dual-zone air conditioning, heated front seats, the nine-inch touchscreen, privacy glass, automatic headlights and 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels. Summary This 11th generation of Honda's Civic hatch is very sober and grown-up, albeit with just enough fun in its bones that it's not boring to drive. It is impressively well-built, roomy and exceptionally frugal though. All we need to know now is the price. Technology bootcamps are relatively short-term full- or part-time intensive training programs offering skill sets that in many cases can quickly catapult a previously non-technical person into a high-paying tech career. The schools teach students in-demand skills in areas such as coding, cybersecurity and fintech, and in recent years, the one-and-a-half to six-month long bootcamps have become talent pools for organizations looking for skills-based job seekers. And with the Great Resignation in full swing, more workers are choosing to move into tech for flexible working conditions and high pay. Bootcamp graduates, including coding bootcamps, report quickly finding full-time jobs, a fast ROI, higher salaries, and STEM career opportunities, according to a recent survey of 3,800 US graduates of university coding bootcamps by US tech education platform company 2U and Gallup. Along with new careers, the programs can help existing tech workers gain new skills to grow in their current roles. Globally, there are more than 500 tech bootcamps, according to Source Report, a coding school tracker. While the average bootcamp costs about $14,000, a Source Report survey found the average salary increase for coding bootcamp graduates was 56%, or $25,000. And, in 2021, the average starting salary of a bootcamp grad was $69,000. Some of the more popular tech bootcamps include CareerFoundry, Fullstack Academy, Flatiron School, Wild Code School, Coding Dojo, WBS Coding School, General Assembly online bootcamp, Springboard, and Udacity. 2U works with more than 50 universities to offer more than 200 boot camps across eight disciplines, including coding, data analytics, cybersecurity, and fintech. Since 2U launched its platform in 2016, 48,000 students have graduated from its programs, and more than 6,000 companies have hired them, including Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Autodesk, Capital One, Cognizant, Deloitte, Google, Liberty Mutual, SkillStorm, and State Farm. Two graduates from 2U's six-month tech bootcamp are Stephen Powell and Danielle Bowman, neither of whom had any previous experience with technology or coding as part of their careers. Powell, 35, grew up in Washington DC and dropped out of high school before getting a job in retail sales at Verizon at 20. A year later, he got his GED and advanced into a corporate role. To further boost his career, Powell decided he needed more technical training but didnt want to spend four years getting a degree. At age 32 recently married, working full time, and raising a 10-year-old child he enrolled in George Washington University Data Analytics Boot Camp and landed a new role in data engineering at Koverse, an SAIC subsidiary. Based in Atlanta, Bowman spent more than 13 years as a Walgreens store manager before deciding to change careers. After graduating from a University of Central Florida coding bootcamp with a certificate in full stack web development, she now works as software engineering manager at CodeMettle. The following are excerpts from interviews with both bootcamp graduates: Stephen Powell Stephen Powell Stephen Powell What were you doing after getting your GED? "I started working for Verizon in the retail channel at 19. I did that for about four years and then went on to do government telesales. Then I was a federal account manager for a couple of years. Then I became a B2B trainer of B2B reps and managers and then a national client partner of enterprise accounts at Verizon. I was there for 11 years. I was able to move up, mainly through sales and training. "At the end of 2018, I decided to leave Verizon on my own volition and go work at a start-up as a sales engineer [at KryptoWire]. So, from a company of 66,000 to a company of 16, it was quite a culture shock. And, thats kind of where I knew I needed to get a lot smarter around technology. "It was actually my job at KryptoWire that prompted me to think, 'Im going to peak here at some point.' It was a mobile appliction security testing firm. Thats why I decided to go to boot camp in 2019." What was it about your job at KryotoWire that gave you the idea to go to a coding bootcamp? "The first couple of meetings I had at KryptoWire the internal meetings with the engineering team they were saying things I had no clue about. To be candid, I felt kind of stupid. So, I went home and I started researching programs on tech, and coding specifically. I knew at 32 years old, I didnt have four years to give; not only that, I didnt have debt to accrue. "So, I literally Googled programs around Python and data analytics, and thats how I found the bootcamp, and then I took the pretest and applied for it. It was literally researching programs on a Saturday." What was it about the program that you liked, or didnt like? "What I liked was the instruction. "Now, one thing I had over cohorts is that I spent such a long time in corporate America. I knew what it was like to generate and maintain relationships. Thats one thing Im good at. I knew that developing relationships with instructors and teaching assistants was going to make me most successful in my career path. And so thats what I really enjoyed about it. "I cant say I had any dislikes only because I went into program knowing whatever happened would be based upon my effort. I was in sales, so Im used to eating what I kill. So, I applied that same principle to the bootcamp. "It was hard at first, from a work standpoint but thats because I hadnt done Python before. ...But after the first few weeks of me getting repetitious about it and doing some self-study, I was able to catch on." What was it like seeing code for the first time? "I remember the first night we did Python, I went home and told my wife Im probably going to drop out. The first night we did Python, they were very simple tasks, but I simply couldnt catch on. "My wife has been a backbone for me. She told me to stick with it. It was scary. It was foreign. It looked like a foreign language. I know some Spanish, and this looked a lot worse." Along with your wifes support, what kept you from quitting? "I have an acute fear of failure. And also, I knew at KryptoWire, because I worked with such a smart group of people, my skillsets even my ability to build relationships wouldnt carry me into tech. So, if I didnt get any formal training, whether it be boot camp or a four-year degree, I was going to be left out of that pool of people smart enough to maintain a career in technology. "So, that fear of missing out that FOMO and the fear of failing really drove me. I actually developed a personal interest in learning more about code and data science." Was it very expensive? "So, the whole program was $10K. Again, I think I was lucky in the sense that I had a good paying job, so it wasnt a massive financial undertaking for me. I know some of my other cohorts emptied their savings; they got personal loans. But for me, it wasnt a heavy lift financially. I always say, Ive spent more on less." What was the course like? "It was six months long. It was all in person. We did Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. And Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m." Was the workload manageable, considering you were working a full-time job? "There were adjustments that had to be made, for sure. Because you have a full life, including your personal life, you do have to carve out time outside of regular coursework in order to maintain and upskill in the program. "So, for the first couple of weeks there was a time I really had to adjust myself not only my work schedule, but also my sleep schedule; some of these nights went a little longer than they would have if I werent in the program. It was a tough couple of weeks... just trying to get ramped up and really understand what being in a program like this takes...." What was the most difficult part of the course? "The speed of the course work. They really try to squeeze in about four years of materials into six months. So, keeping up initially was really tough for me. Thats why I had to put in the extra time, not just in the classroom, but also at home. So, there were some personal sacrifices, albeit mostly social, I had to make in order to be successful. "But the speed was it; one week were talking about one thing and the next week were onto another topic, and the next topic might incorporate that thing you learned four weeks ago. So, it was a lot to keep up with...." What did you like best about it? "The teachers. I loved the instruction. It was careful and thoughtful. When you asked a question, you didnt feel stupid. I really appreciated that. In fact, I still keep in touch with my instructors today. Thats how I know I valued them so much. They were always encouraging me, always." What was your first job out of bootcamp? "I was a data analyst. The boot camp was a data science program. Normally, the path is to start off as a data analyst and then you end up a data scientist. So, I went in thinking that would be my path. But in the program you start to understand the skillset youre investing in can fit a wide range of roles. So, once I was in the program, I stopped narrowing my view of what I could do. "Number one, I could keep the job I had and be better at it. I could be a data analyst or data scientist. That was a very buzz-worthy title three or four years ago. But after a while, I realized I could do anything with those skills. I actually got the data analyst job a month before completing the bootcamp program. "Because I had a lot of federal experience, dealing with federal integrators and customers, I got a job as a data analyst with the Department of Justice and I got that right before COVID started. I wasnt comfortable with my coding prowess at that point to be a full-fledged engineer. Thats why I went that route. "Now, Im on my third job since the program. I was a data analyst for a year, and actually got the opportunity to become a data engineer at Koverse, an SCIC company." How has your career change affected your life? "I had a pretty good job before. Job security is a term I stay away from, but now I have skill security. What the program did was give me a sense of always wanting to learn more. Im a heavy reader. I read at least two books a month around what I do. And I wouldnt have gotten that fervor to learn that fire had I not attended that bootcamp. "Engineering to me is a trade that if youre able to learn and upscale it, youll be able to maintain [a career] for a very long time." In terms of income, has this allowed you to earn more? "Yes. Specifically, when I was at Verizon, I earned well, but it was commission-based. So, now Im earning that kind of money at a salary level. And, now I work at a company I started a new job last week that afforded me the ability to actually have equity in the company.... "To be honest, you dont know these companies like Facebook give you equity in the company until you get into that realm. Its made a difference in how I view money, certainly in how I spend it and also how I invest it. Its made a hell of a difference." What advice would you give others considering careers in technology and attending a bootcamp? "Consistency over fear. If youre consistent with it, no matter what youre afraid of, youll get it eventually. I still have imposter syndrome to this day. But, if Im consistent with my work ethic and my ability to program and build things, I can put that fear on the back burner. Because all I have to do is get in front of my computer and say. 'Im just going to do it regardless of what the outcome is.' Consistency will trump everything. "I now work for Gretel. Its an AI and machine learning company. Im super excited." What do you like about your current job? "I like the fact that Im part of a company thats defining a new space in technology. We specialize around synthetic data. We are at the forefront of defining this space, to the point where were going to have to be educating folks in the next few years about what it is, which I absolutely love.... I can look back and say Gretel was the one who introduced me to this amazing new topic of AI and machine learning." Danielle Bowman Danielle Bowman Danielle Bowman What was your career prior to attending the coding bootcamp? "I got my business management degree and started at Walgreens literally the week after as assistant manager. I had my own store within three or four years. Then I managed a bunch of stores. I started in Cleveland, Ohio before Orlando. Then I was managing stores in Orlando. "It was fine. It was a good career. It was well paying. But, I knew it wasnt my long-term career. I just happened to be good at it. But I also knew I didnt want to work holidays; I was tired of working on weekends and dealing with stuff non-stop." How did you learn about the coding bootcamp? "A friend of mine we used to be assistant managers together in Ohio asked me if Id ever thought about coding, and I told him no. Hed become a [software] engineer. No one had ever suggested it as a career path to me. I was naive to all of it. He told me theres a demand for it, and your salary could transition and you wouldnt have to take a huge [loss]. Among a slew of announcements at WWDC this year were some important changes to Apples support for single sign-on (SSO). Heres whats coming when new updates ship this fall. SSO + BYOD = iOS 16, iPadOS 16 Apple first introduced SSO support at WWDC 2019 with Sign in with Apple, which also saw the introduction of extensions to enable this kind of authentication. It allowed a user to access a service or website using their Apple ID, and meant support for identity providers, the use of highly secure token-based signatures and the tools service providers required to implement these systems. That was v.1, and Apple has continued to improve its offerings since then. All the same, the reality is that because apps and services must be equipped to accept SSO, its sometimes necessary to use third-party authentication services such as Okta and others, or simply manual sign in to access some sites. Apple at WWDC 2022 updated SSO with two critical enhancements: SSO support for user enrollment for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. Platform SSO support to macOS Ventura. Whats new in SSO support for user enrollment Whats changed is that when enrolling an iOS device, users can now download a mobile app from their identity provider (IdP) to enable use of SSO on that device. The system also requires a Managed Apple ID set up using Apple Business or School Manager and use of an MDM (Mobile Device Management) system of some kind, such as Apple Business Essentials, Jamf, or Kandji, to name but three. Apple also made it possible to use Apple Configurator for iPhone to add Macs, iPads, and iPhones to Apple Business or School Manager starting this fall. The company has also made it much easier to enroll personal devices to MDM. The lightest explanation of how Apple's system works is that once enrollment is complete, the IdP app remains active on the device to mediate app and service authentications. For an end user, the experience is that once they sign into their iPhone/iPad, they should not need to authenticate use of other supported apps and services. What is Platform SSO support for Macs? For Macs, the addition of Platform SSO support means users will be signed into all the apps and websites that make use of their company's IdP once they authenticate their Mac at login. As they use their computer, authentication will take place on strength of the first login, which was itself mediated by the IdP and stored in the keychain, which means everything takes place behind the scenes, subject to whatever authentication policy you adopt. (Employees will still need their own logins to access personal sites, apps, and services, of course.) Apple calls Platform SSO a replacement for Active Directory, but it does require that IdPs implement the protocol and also that device management vendors update their profiles to support it. Apple also now supports OAuth 2.0 authentication. Thats an important step for both of the above features, as it makes it possible to support additional identity provision systems from third-party services. Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager now support the federation of Managed Apple IDs with Google Workspace and Microsoft Azure AD. The password is dead, so use strong ones While all the above SSO improvements aim at easing friction for enterprise deployments, Apples focus is also on reducing the need for authorization on a more pluralistic basis. Its work to replace CAPTCHA technology with seamless authorization that also uses that first device login as the standard of trust means passwords will become less important. Ironically, that work and SSO generally also mean the primary passcode you and your employees use to access devices has become far, far more important. You really need these to be strong.... After all, with SSO if your master password is 1,2,3,4 it really isnt going to take much effort to crack into your confidential systems. This rather suggests you should explain the need for strong device passwords (and biometric authorization) to your employees before Apple ships its new systems in later this year. Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. 06/28/2022 Photo source: CPSC The TJX Companies of Framingham, Mass., is recalling about 30,600 Nest Swing Egg Chairs The chair can tip over or collapse when someone is seated in it, posing a fall hazard. The firm has received 27 reports of the chairs collapsing or tipping over, including 19 reports of injuries, including cuts, scrapes, soreness and one report of broken ribs and a collapsed lung. This recall involves nest swing egg chairs sold under the Tommy Bahama and Martha Stewart brands. The chairs have a metal circle base that attaches to a metal pole, from which the oval-shaped wicker chairs hang by hook and chain. The chairs were sold with a round cushion for seating and a hangtag with the brand name Martha Stewart or Tommy Bahama. Eight of the nine styles were also sold with an additional decorative pillow. One of the following style numbers is printed on a second hangtag attached to the product: PMK-6501, PMK-6503, PMK-6503-N, PMK-6505, PMK-6506, PMK-6507, PMK-6508, PMK-6509, or PMK-6510. The chairs, manufactured in Vietnam, were sold at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Homesense stores nationwide from December 2018, through April 2022, for between $300 and $350. What to do Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled egg chairs and return them to any Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, or Homesense stores for their choice of either a full refund or a refund in the form of a store gift card. Consumers can also contact TJX for instructions on how to disassemble and dispose of the chair to receive either a full refund or refund in the form of a store gift card. Consumers may contact Marshalls toll-free at (888) 627-7425 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or online at https://www.marshalls.com/us/store/jump/topic/Product-Recall/2400019; T.J. Maxx at 800-926-6299 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, online at https://tjmaxx.tjx.com/store/jump/topic/product-recalls/2400019; HomeGoods at 800-888-0776 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at https://www.homegoods.com/us/store/jump/topic/find-help/our-product-/2400009#product recalls; Homesense toll-free at (855) 660-4663 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at https://us.homesense.com/recalls, or by email at customerservice@tjx.com. News Details Panasonic to test its electronics engineering materials in space Date: 28-06-22 Due to significant growth in aerospace electronics market, there is a demand for aerospace grade electronic components to fulfil high reliability requirements of radiation prone aero-space. Aiming this growing market, the leading electronic industry material manufacturer Panasonic announces it will conduct space exposure experiments of its electronic circuit board materials and Underfill for board level reinforcement . Experiments include exposure to microgravity, cosmic radiation, high vacuum, and other conditions unique to space environments. It is difficult to reproduce all of these environments simultaneously on Earth. The materials will be launched into outer space within FY2022 (by the end of March 2023) on the Exposed Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and remain there for about six months. Panasonics said these experiments to expose it's products to space to assess the impact on them and utilize the data obtained for future product development. Example of such products quoted by Panasonic include MEGTRON series multi-layer circuit board materials and LEXCM series semiconductor device materials, which are widely used in the field of communication infrastructure. This project allows experiments in space (an environment where microgravity, high vacuum, cosmic radiation, and wide-ranging temperature changes occur simultaneously), which are difficult to duplicate on Earth. Panasonic said it will provide electronic materials to contribute to businesses relating to the moon and Mars, which are expected to expand in the future, and technological innovations for high-altitude platform stations, etc., thereby aiming to realize a sustainable society. Panasonic said it will participate in the Space Delivery Project -RETURN to EARTH-, which is promoted by Space BD Inc., to launch research products collected from domestic and overseas research institutions, educational facilities, and private companies into space in order to conduct space exposure experiments. Further details shared by Panasonic in its release includes: The company's experimental samples will be installed on the Exposed Experiment Bracket Attached on i-SEEP (ExBAS) mounted on the IVA-replaceable Small Exposed Experiment Platform (i-SEEP) of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on board the International Space Station (ISS). The samples will be launched into space to allow for approximately six months of exposure experiments. Subsequently, the samples will be retrieved by the ISS and returned to Earth via a cargo spacecraft. The company is planning to evaluate changes in their material properties before and after exposure to space. In a riff on the Field of Dreams theme, Russian cybercriminals continue to court their Chinese counterparts in hopes of forming mutually beneficial avenues of collaboration and are finding the Chinese to be a tough date. The latest peek into this engagement of Russia-China frenemies comes to us from Cybersixgill and its The Bear and The Dragon analysis of the two communities. Russian cybercriminals motivated by money, Chinese by knowledge The Cybersixgill findings have the two cybercriminal communities colliding and attempting to form what appears to be a fledgling alliance. This is a step above where the situation stood in November 2021, when Flashpoint Intelligence connected the dots between Chinese and Russian threat actors. Both analyses have arrived at the same conclusion: Russian cybercriminals are driving the engagement and courting of Chinese cybercriminals in hopes of engaging in criminal collaboration. The landscapes of Russia and China are different: The Cybersixgill analysis characterizes the Russian criminal entities to be motivated by money, with their Chinese counterparts focused on establishing powerful and sophisticated Chinese hacking collective. Delilah Schwartz, cyber geopolitics and extremism expert for Cybersixgill, said, Given Russian-speaking cybercriminals sophistication and their constantly evolving modus operandi, the transfer of this knowledge to Chinese threat actors is especially concerning. Should this Russian and Chinese alliance continue, a devastating new non-state cyber superpower may emerge, unchecked by diplomatic concerns or fears of destabilizing the international order. Signs of collaboration tempered by geopolitical realities Russia and China on the nation-state level have an ongoing agreement to not target each others entities for intellectual property (which has been ignored by both countries). That said, the two countries remain engaged diplomatically and have declared their relationship to be a friendship without limits. As noted above, Chinas cybercriminal interest evolves more toward establishing capability, as the results of their actions are often supporting nation-state intelligence requirements. This is evidenced by the never-ending klaxon calls of federal U.S. law enforcement and national security agencies on how China continues to target networks holding sensitive intellectual property, economic, political and military information. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the creation of the Ukrainian cyber army coupled with the actions of a great many nations across the globe to isolate Russia have changed the current digital landscape slightly. As noted in the Cybersixgill report, the technologically savvy citizens in Russia who found their access to western social networks (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) curtailed have morphed to the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to access information in the west. The prior collaboration between the United States and Russia, which resulted in Russia disrupting and detaining individuals involved in ransomware attacks against western entities, has dried up. Indeed, there have been instances where Russian criminal entities have found their own members taking action to disrupt the capabilities of their criminal cohort. In a nutshell, the RAMP (Ransom Anon Market Place) forum in October 2021 evolved into a multilingual environment having successfully added Mandarin, though Russian remains the dominant language, with English as the other linguistic offering. Cybersixgill characterizes it best: This unique forum has emerged as a dedicated platform for unrestricted, cross-country cybercriminal collaboration and community-building, potentially indicating toward a nascent Russian-Chinese cybercriminal alliance in the face of increasing international efforts to tackle the scourge of ransomware. This potential collaboration by criminal entities via the RAMP forum or another avenue of communication does not bode well for enterprise and SMB entities should it ever come to fruition. While every criminal entity has its own skill set and technical capabilities, combining forces could create a bevy of criminal adversaries targeting our networks. The current geopolitical realities appear to be the governor on the accelerator to collaboration, and as long as the Russian invasion and conflict with Ukraine continue, one may expect Chinese criminal entities to be hesitant to join forces with Russian criminals. The Chinese might yet accept the transference of knowledge from Russian criminals to enhance their own capabilities, but it will be measured and only when in the Chinese interests, according to Cybersixgill. Last week Microsoft published an in-depth examination of the early cyber lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, offering fresh insight into the scope of Russia's malicious digital activities and new details about the sophisticated and widespread Russian foreign influence operations surrounding the war. Microsoft has been uniquely positioned to observe the digital landscape in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24 and even before then. Company President Brad Smith noted in March that in addition to funding humanitarian technical relief efforts, Microsoft deployed its RiskIQ platform to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian government system. The company "provided a list of exposed and vulnerable systems to the Ukrainian government that had unpatched high-impact common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) that could provide a foothold for attackers." Microsoft security specialists were among the first to discover pre-invasion malware attacks in January that took down around 70 Ukrainian government websites. The company also deployed protections for newly discovered and destructive malware into Microsoft 365 Defender Endpoint Detection (EDR) and Anti-virus (AV) protection on-premises and in the cloud. In his foreword to the new report, Smith discusses the importance of the first shot of any war, drawing parallels between the current conflict in Ukraine and the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which launched World War I. In the present context, Russia's first shot against Ukraine was a damaging cyber tool deployed against Ukrainian computers called Foxblade as early as February 23, right before the war began. Smith said that Russia's invasion strategy in Ukraine includes "three distinct and sometimes coordinated effortsdestructive cyberattacks within Ukraine, network penetration and espionage outside Ukraine, and cyber influence operations targeting people around the world." 5 key cyber defense points from Russia's attack Based on Microsoft's analysis, the company draws five conclusions from the war's first four months: Military invasion defense requires distributing digital assets and operations across borders. For example, not only did Russia target Ukraine's defense system in an early missile attack, but it also aimed wiper attacks at on-premises networks. Ukraine made an intelligent defensive move by disbursing digital assets into the public cloud, thwarting these attacks. Ukraine withstood a high percentage of Russian cyberattacks. Microsoft said the Russian military launched multiple waves of destructive cyberattacks against 48 distinct Ukrainian agencies and enterprises. Those attacks sought to penetrate "network domains by initially compromising hundreds of computers and then spreading malware designed to destroy the software and data on thousands of others." Threat intelligence advances, including artificial intelligence and internet-connected endpoint protection, made it possible for Ukraine to identify and disable the malware. Microsoft discovered Russian network intrusion efforts on 128 organizations in 42 countries outside Ukraine. The U.S. was Russia's number one target, but Poland, the Baltic nations, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Turkey were also in Moscow's digital crosshairs. A quarter of the successful intrusions led to data exfiltration. Microsoft remains concerned about government computers running on-premises rather than in the cloud. Russian agencies are conducting global cyber influence operations with broader geographic reach, higher volume, more precise targeting, and greater speed and agility. In addition, they are pre-positioning false narratives in ways similar to pre-positioning malware and other software code. The widely disseminated false narrative around supposed biolabs in Ukraine is a prime example of one successful, false narrative operation. It's time for "a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to strengthen defenses against the full range of cyber destructive, espionage, and influence operations." The Russian government does not pursue its operations in a fragmented manner, and the West should likewise not put them in separate analytical silos. Russia's cyber maliciousness is robust Glenn Gerstell, former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) general counsel and now a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), gives Microsoft's latest report high marks and praises it for laying out Ukraine-related cyber operations in such rich detail. "It illustrates just how robust and comprehensive, sophisticated and integrated Russian cyber maliciousness is," he tells CSO. "We are facing a very, very sophisticated adversary in terms of Russia with the known capabilities of the GRU and SVR, a sophisticated adversary that uses destructive cyber, as well as disinformation as a tool of their statecraft to achieve their political goals." So far, Russia has not mounted cyberattacks that result in "widespread systemic collapses of operational technology, whether it's in the energy sector or telecommunication sector, or even the banking sector," Gerstell says. Ukraine defends itself well Nevertheless, Ukraine has been subject to some attacks against IT infrastructure that have been successful. Ukraine's cyber defense savvy has been central to this effort. "The sophisticated levels of defense will continue to present an obstacle to Russian cyber maliciousness," Gerstell says. Microsoft's push to the cloud has also proved beneficial to Ukraine. "Microsoft really undertook a Herculean effort right before the invasion to move a substantial portion of the Ukrainian government's online activities from servers based in Ukraine to the cloud," he says. Russia relies on Ukraine's digital infrastructure On top of these defenses, the nature of Ukraine's digital infrastructure and Russia's continued reliance on that infrastructure for its operations have served to defend the country well, according to Gerstell. "In addition to the strong defense, a reason we haven't seen a lot of systemic failures in infrastructure in Ukraine is because it's so dispersed. There are something like 2,000 internet service providers in Ukraine." Attacking Ukraine's internet infrastructure would be self-destructive for Russia, Gerstell says. "Russia has been reluctant to dismantle the cellular network in Ukraine completely, even if they could because they're relying on it themselves. Their troops and commanders are using Ukrainian cellular technology to communicate with themselves." The biggest concern from Gerstell's vantage point is Russia's well-honed disinformation skills. "It's just hard to attack operational technology targets in a successful way with enduring persistent damage, but that's not true in disinformation. So, they are going to continue to step up their disinformation campaigns. I think that's what we need to worry about most." Russia will use battlefield knowledge to sharpen their capabilities. There is no going back to normal. Russia could be sharpening its skills Lauren Zabierek, executive director of the Cyber Project at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, emphasizes Russia's ability to leverage its Ukraine experience to advance its destructive cyber capabilities even further. "War always provides opportunity for belligerents to derive operational lessons. Russia will use battlefield knowledge to sharpen their capabilities. There is no going back to normal," she tells CSO. When it comes to defensive operations by Ukraine, Zabierek says that she thinks "advances in cyber threat intelligence and endpoint protection, as well as other enabling technologies described in the report, will continue to help with defensive measures, especially as the war progresses and its toll on the Ukrainians behind the keyboards continues." Like Gerstell, Zabierek finds Microsoft's report helpful but not unexpected. "I'm not sure if I find anything particularly surprising, except that the term 'advanced persistent manipulator' is new to me, but I am glad to see it. It distinguishes the importance of the threat of influence operations and hopefully enhances discussion and efforts to combat it," she tells CSO. Cyberattacks on the Lithuanian government and private institutions conducted by the Russian cybercollective Killnet, and the group's possible collaboration with the Conti hacking gang, were shared on the Telegram messaging service ahead of a major DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack Monday, according to cybersecurity company Flashpoint. Multiple attacks on Lithuanian entities have been claimed by Killnet on its Telegram channel "WE ARE KILLNET," in response to Lithuania's June 18 restrictions of trade routes with Russia. A Flashpoint blog post confirms that Killnet warned about the attacks on the Telegram channel, highlighting the cloud-based instant messaging platform's use as a popular communication channel for threat actors. In keeping with the UN's sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Lithuanian government put restrictions on trade routes between the Baltic country and the Russian exclave Kaliningrada Russian territory situated between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coastfor the transport of steel and other metals. The train routes used for trade, according to the Russian government, are essential for at least half of the exclave's imports, prompting Russian officials to label the move a "blockade." The restricted train transit entails bans over goods including coal, steel, metal, construction materials, and advanced technology. DDoS attacks hit Lithuania infrastructure targets Killnet had declared their allegiance to the Russian government during the invasion of Ukraine. To that end, it launched a retribution campaign against Lithuania for its sanctions, featuring several DDoS attacks on infrastructure targets, such as airports, various prominent businesses, and government websites, including those belonging to Lithuania's police departments, and its defense ministry, according to Flashpoint. DDoS attacks are malicious attempts to temporarily or indefinitely disrupt the traffic of a targeted server, service, or network, making the resources unavailable to the intended users. Killnet sent Reuters a statement saying that, "The attack will continue until Lithuania lifts the blockade," adding that it has "demolished 1652 web resources. And that's just so far." The Lithuanian National Cyber Security Center told Reuters that it expects "attacks of a similar or greater intensity in the coming days, especially in the transportation, energy and financial sectors." Flashpoint revealed that it had identified chatter on various pro-Russian Telegram channels claiming that the "current standoff between Russia and Lithuania could escalate to a full-fledged military confrontation." Flashpoint added that it has not seen any evidence yet pointing to actual physical violence as a result of planning on Telegram. Killnet Telegram communications include a chat on June 25 regarding a plan for a mass coordinated attack on June 27, which Killnet referred to as "Judgment Day." Additional smaller attacks were also observed by Flashpoint analysts, including one that took place on June 22. Additionally, Flashpoint's analysts have identified a post from June 26, wherein Killnet labeled Lithuania a "testing ground for our new skills" and added that their "friends from Conti" are eager to fight, hinting at a collaborative effort between Killnet and another Russia-based ransomware gang Conti. Conti, too, had expressed their allegiance to Russia at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Connecticut lobster roll lovers' preferences may be summed up in two words emblazoned on a T-shirt: "NO MAYO." Employees at Liv's Shack in Old Saybrook and Liv's Dockside in Clinton wear black T-shirts with the sentiment, designed with a graphic of a lobster and a stick of butter. The apparel reflects the restaurants' position that butter is best when it comes to lobster rolls, but the idea initially came about as Robert Marcarelli and other Liv's employees were serving the seafood sandwiches at farmers' markets. Marcarelli, the operations director for the Liv's group of restaurants, found himself repeating "no mayo" frequently as customers asked about the rolls' preparation. When Liv's then signed on to vend at the Durham Fair, he had the idea to make the a T-shirt, so he didn't need to answer the same question "for four days, 12 hours a day," he said, laughing. The cold-with-mayonnaise lobster roll style is more common in Maine and other New England states, but in Connecticut, butter is king in fact, the Nutmeg State said to be the birthplace of the hot lobster roll. According to local lore, the buttery delicacy was apparently first served in the 1920s at the former Perry's restaurant in Milford. In 2010, Robert Gregory, the town's former economic development director, told the Connecticut Post that in all those years, no one contested the claim. Like Liv's, other shoreline lobster roll destinations like Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale in Madison and Westbrook, Lobster Shack in East Haven and Lobster Landing in Clinton stick to butter-only recipes. Lisa Nichols / Hearst CT Media "We serve the hot buttered Connecticut-style roll for no other reason than it just being simply delicious," Lobster Landing's Rachel Steponkus and Angela Morander recently told Delish. "With the cold ones, you can add more fillers, but with the hot ones, its simply lobster, lemon, and butter on a rollthats it." However, a quick survey of about 20 popular Connecticut lobster roll spots' menus found the butter/mayo factor evenly split. Some Connecticut lobster heavyweights make room for a cold version on the menu, including Flanders Fish Market in East Lyme and Captain Scott's Lobster Dock in New London. Ford's Lobster in Noank is famous for its "bisque bomb" (half a pound of buttered lobster in a bread bowl, topped with creamy lobster bisque), but the restaurant also offers a cold lobster roll with mayonnaise and celery. Lisa Nichols There's even a lobster salad roll on the menu at nationally-renowned Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, Ford's Noank neighbor, though its acclaimed hot lobster rolls come in three different sizes. Its sibling restaurant Abbott's Outpost in Mystic also offers both versions, along with other unique lobster dishes like crepes, tacos and dip with bacon and beer cheese. When Matt Storch opened Match Restaurant in South Norwalk, he put a hot buttered lobster roll on the menu as an ode to Abbott's just warm buttered lobster on a round, hollowed-out brioche roll, a nod to Abbott's bread choice of hamburger bun. "I am a Connecticut purist, which is for me just lobster and butter. That's my personal preference," he said. "I think canned tuna fish deserves mayonnaise. I don't think $10.50 a pound or whatever it is these days fresh lobsters, that you have to work so hard to get the meat out, deserve that sort of treatment." Thomas McGovern / Courtesy of Match Burger Lobster But when he opened Match Burger Lobster in Westport in 2017, he added a chilled lobster roll to the menu, figuring he'd have some travelers coming to the restaurant who might want that version. He wouldn't settle for commercial mayo brands, though, making his own condiment with a touch of citrusy yuzu. "To me, that was the purest and cleanest way I could deliver a mayonnaise-filled lobster roll," he said. Still, he says the hot buttered version makes up about 93 percent of his lobster roll sales in Westport. Oyster Club in Mystic has typically served a hot buttered lobster roll since its debut in 2011, but this summer, its seasonal Treehouse menu, served on its rooftop deck, offers a bao bun with chilled lobster salad, aji amarillo, tarragon, chive and shallot furikake. The menu offerings are "inspired by staying cool in the summer heat, featuring chilled, raw or gently cooked dishes," according to the Treehouse website, with raw bar items, crudos, cold salads, gazpacho and other cold seafood buns and maki rolls. Catherine Dzilenski / Idlewild Photo Co. Oyster Club owner Dan Meiser is "a butter guy, all the way, for sure," he said by text. "I love our chilled roll, but our hot buttered is my fave." Then there's LobsterCraft, which got its start as a Fairfield County food truck a decade ago and has expanded to brick-and-mortar locations in Fairfield, Greenwich, West Hartford, Block Island and Sarasota, Fla. "Captain Mike" Harden, a former Coast Guard captain and licensed lobster fisherman, offers a menu fairly daring for the state that popularized the no-frills version: a "Heat Wave" roll with spicy serrano and habanero pepper-infused butter, a lobster BLT roll, a surf-and-turf roll with lobster and flank steak, a "California" version with wasabi soy sauce, cucumber and avocado. The Dirty Maynard is LobsterCrafts take on cold Maine-style lobster salad, with mayonnaise, onions, celery and carrots. Despite the creative flavor profiles, the Coastal Roll, LobsterCraft's flagship hot buttered roll, is still the best-seller by "six to one," Harden told Hearst Connecticut in October. Leeanne Griffin Though Liv's stands by its "no mayo" stance, Marcarelli said the Shack and Dockside will receive occasional requests for it. The question is more common at the Shack in Old Saybrook, which is within walking distance of Saybrook Point Resort & Marina and attracts a lot of travelers from outside Connecticut, he said. "We'll do it for you," he said. "We just do a very minimal mayonnaise. We don't add celery, or any sort of fillers. We don't even stock that sort of thing. We believe in keeping it as pure as possible." LONDON (AP) The European Medicines Agency says it will begin reviewing data to decide if a smallpox vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic might also be authorized for monkeypox, amid a growing outbreak of the disease across the continent. In a statement on Tuesday, the EU drug regulator noted that the vaccine, known as Imvanex in Europe but sold as Jynneos in the U.S., is already cleared for use against monkeypox by American regulators. In Europe, the vaccine is only authorized in adults for the prevention of smallpox, which is related to monkeypox. The decision to start this review is based on results from laboratory studies suggesting that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies that target the monkeypox virus, the EMA said. The regulator said that supplies of the vaccine are currently very limited in Europe. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently more than 4,300 cases of monkeypox globally, of which the majority are in Europe. The vast majority of cases are in gay and bisexual men, and in other men who have sex with men, although scientists warn anyone who is in close, physical context with someone who has monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of infection. Several countries including Britain, Germany and the U.S. have already begun vaccinating those at highest risk of catching monkeypox using smallpox vaccines. Although the disease has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, vaccines have not been used to stamp out previous outbreaks there. Britain, which has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa, recently widened its vaccination policy to those at highest risk of monkeypox, which it defined as gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure, meaning those who have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attends sex on premises venues. On Tuesday, Britain's Health Security Agency said there were now 1,076 cases of monkeypox across the country, adding that they expected to see infections rise further in the coming days and weeks. Last week, the agency said the outbreak was spreading only in defined sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men. Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. Most people infected with monkeypox recover within weeks without needing medical care but the disease can be more severe in vulnerable populations, like pregnant women and children. The World Health Organization declined last week to declare monkeypox a global emergency, but has said it is working on a vaccine-sharing mechanism that some fear could see vaccines go to rich countries like the U.K. that already have their own stockpiles. According to the health analytics firm Airfinity, Britain has 4.500 doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine and has ordered another 20,000 shots. The U.S. has received more than 1 million doses already and has ordered another 13 million. On Tuesday, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the first deliveries of vaccines were arriving to the continent's most affected countries, with more than 5,000 doses arriving in Spain, out of more than 109,000 procured. The EU said in a statement that member countries with the most cases were being prioritized for deliveries; Portugal, Germany and Belgium will be the next countries to receive doses. To date, there have been more than 1,500 monkeypox cases in Africa, with at least 66 deaths. No deaths beyond Africa have been detected. ___ Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this report. COLCHESTER An 8-year-old boy was seriously injured in a two-car crash Monday, state police said. The crash happened about 5:45 p.m. at Middletown and Scofield roads. It was raining when the crash occurred, police said. According to state police, the crash happened when a 2001 GMC Sierra K3500 headed east on Middletown and a southbound 2001 Toyota Echo on Scoville collided. The GMC struck the Toyotas right side, a police report said, causing disabling damage to both vehicles. A child in the back seat of the Toyota suffered what appeared to be serious injuries and was taken to Connecticut Childrens Hospital, police said. The driver also appeared to be injured and was taken to Hartford Hospital, police said. The crash remains under investigation, state police said. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the child is a boy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) The news story that reportedly caused former President Donald Trump to throw his lunch against a White House wall came from an exclusive interview that former Attorney General William Barr had arranged with The Associated Press. The scoop, which was published on Dec. 1, 2020, quoted Barr as saying that the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. It was a bombshell that contradicted the concerted effort by Trump, his boss, to subvert the results of the election. In testimony before the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson recalled hearing noise coming from down the hallway around the time the AP interview was published. She noticed a door propped open in a West Wing dining room room where Trump had eaten, and a valet who was changing a tablecloth. He motioned for me to come in and then pointed towards the front of the room near the fireplace mantle and the TV when I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall and there was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor, Hutchinson said. The valet told her that Trump was angry about Barr's interview with AP and had thrown his lunch against the wall, she said. I grabbed a towel to clean up ketchup from the wall, she said. The story had been written by AP Justice Department reporter Michael Balsamo, who had been told a day earlier that Barr wanted him to come in for lunch. In videotaped testimony to the committee, Barr said that he felt it was time to say something about the voter fraud claims. Recognizing the importance of the statement when Barr said the department had uncovered no evidence of voter fraud, Balsamo asked him to repeat it, and he did. He quickly filed his story from an office in the Justice Department when lunch was over. Neither Balsamo nor AP editors had any comment Tuesday about Hutchinson's testimony. Shortly after the interview that day, Barr went to the White House for a previously scheduled meeting with Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, for whom Hutchinson was a special assistant. I told my secretary that I thought I would probably be fired and told ... not to come back to my office, so you might have to pack up, Barr said in his videotaped testimony, released in an earlier hearing. He was asked to see Trump, who was as mad as I've ever seen him, and suggested that the attorney general hated him. Barr resigned as attorney general a few weeks later. During his testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, Barr said My opinion then and my opinion now is the election was not stolen by fraud, and I havent seen anything since that election that changes my mind on that. STAMFORD A jury in Texas has found that Spectrum services provider Charter Communications acted negligently in connection with a field technicians fatal stabbing of an 83-year-old Dallas-area customer in 2019 and ordered the company to pay several hundred million dollars in damages. In its verdict Thursday, the jury directed Charter to pay 90 percent of $375 million in compensatory damages to the family of Betty Thomas. The total could increase, with the jury set to consider punitive damages on Monday. Over 11 days of trial ... testimony revealed systemic failures of the companys pre-employee screening, hiring and supervision practices, as well as failures to address known warning signs and control the off-duty use of company vehicles all of which led to the preventable murder of Betty Thomas of Irving, attorneys for Thomas family said in a news release after the verdict was announced. Charter said it would appeal the decision. It has not questioned the guilt of the technician, 45-year-old Roy Holden who pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced last year to life in prison but it disputed Thomas familys attorneys assertion that her death was preventable. Our hearts go out to Mrs. Thomas family in the wake of this senseless and tragic crime, the statement said. The responsibility for this horrible act rests solely with Mr. Holden, and we are grateful he is in prison for life. While we respect the jury and the justice system, we strongly disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal. Robert Bird, a University of Connecticut professor of business law, said in an email that the compensatory damages verdict is quite high, and punitive damages can make the cost to (Charter) Spectrum even greater. An appellate court may reduce the size of a large verdict if it determines those damages to be excessive. Holden performed a service call in Thomas home the day before the December 2019 murder, according to Thomas familys attorneys. They said in the news release that Holden was off-duty the following day, but he still learned that Thomas had reported that she was continuing to have problems with her service. They said he used his company key card to enter a Charter-secured vehicle lot and drove his Spectrum van to her house. After he entered, he stabbed her with a Spectrum-supplied knife and went on a spending spree with her credit cards, they also said. When Charter acquired Time Warner in 2016, it inexplicably ended its pre-employment screening program and Holden was hired even though a cursory review of his previous employers would have revealed firings for forgery, falsifying documents and harassment of fellow employees, Thomas familys attorneys said in the news release. The companys conduct was unusually lax, and allegations that the company was not cooperative with police likely only made matters worse for Spectrum in the eyes of the jury, Bird said. Charter denied that it had not screened Holden and said that Texas law and the trial evidence had shown that the murder was not foreseeable. At Charter, we are committed to the safety of all our customers and took the necessary steps, including a thorough pre-employment criminal background check which showed no arrests, convictions or other criminal behavior, the company added in its statement. Nor did anything in Mr. Holdens performance after he was hired suggest he was capable of the crime he committed, including more than 1,000 completed service calls with zero customer complaints about his behavior. In the days before Thomas murder, Holden made outcries to supervisors about personal and financial issues related to a divorce that left him without money or a place to stay, and he cried in a meeting with his supervisor during which he said he was not OK, according to Thomas familys attorneys. They said that immediately after being denied money, he began scamming elderly female Spectrum cable customers by stealing their credit cards and checks. They also asserted in the news release that he had completely unauthorized access to his Spectrum van and that in the weeks before the murder had likely been sleeping in the van. Thomas family later received a bill that included a $58 charge for Holdens service call, and the bills continued to come and eventually were sent to a collection agency, the familys attorneys added in the news release. Through its Spectrum-branded internet, cable and phone services, Charter serves about 32 million customers across 41 states. It employs more than 93,000 people, with most of them in customer-facing positions that include field technicians and call-center workers. Ranking No. 69 on this years Fortune 500 list, Charters main offices are housed in a new, purpose-built complex at 400 Washington Blvd., next to the downtown Stamford Metro-North Railroad station. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott After refusing for months to release an Internal Affairs investigation report about alleged trooper misconduct, state police sent a copy of the record to Hearst Connecticut Media Group, revealing details about a trooper who attended a party where cocaine was allegedly used by others. The records say the department sustained internal charges against Canaan-based state trooper Roger Lapointe because, while off duty, he stayed at a post-wedding party at a Newington apartment in 2019 for 30 to 45 minutes after he learned other guests were allegedly in possession of cocaine. The report said Lapointe was offered drugs while at the party, but internal investigators concluded he did not consume any drugs. After the party, a photo circulated via text message among friends of the wedding party showing a man holding Lapointes tri-fold wallet and displaying his state police badge, the report said. The man and Lapointe had met just a few hours earlier and, at the party, the man allegedly offered Lapointe cocaine while holding a rolled-up dollar bill, according to the report. An accusation emerged that one or more people at the residence had sniffed cocaine off the back side of Lapointes badge, the report said. But, the report said the allegation that cocaine was sniffed off Lapointes badge could not be proven. Two key witnesses chose not to cooperate & did not provide any testimony in this investigation, the report noted. State police internal investigators said in their report Lapointe denied engaging in any illegal activities, and investigators concluded in the report Lapointe did not consume drugs while at the party. The department sustained internal charges against Lapointe for staying at a party where drugs were present and for not safeguarding his badge. The agency issued a two-day suspension, records show. Hearst Connecticut Media first requested the report in November 2021. State police, in a February 2022 response, refused to provide a copy, citing a state law that protects an officers privacy by allowing the officer to object to release of personnel records. In March, the news outlet filed a complaint with the state Freedom of Information Commission seeking to force the agency to provide the report. Hearst Connecticut Media published an article earlier this month about the departments refusal to provide the report. Meanwhile, a hearing before the FOI commission was scheduled for June 27. Last week, state police agreed to provide the report with minor redactions that omitted the identity of some who attended the Newington gathering and a minimal amount of additional detail. Cynthia Isales, the state police legal director, said the agency decided to release the report after conferring with Lapointe. Trooper Lapointe and I agreed that the record with the applied redactions no longer raised any privacy concerns, Isales said. Lapointe did not respond to an email seeking comment about the report sent to his state police email account. Hearst Connecticut Media subsequently withdrew its complaint before the FOI Commission. The after party According to the report, Lapointe, after attending a wedding reception in Simsbury, traveled to a Newington apartment for an after party. At one point, a man allegedly offered Lapointe cocaine and this person, whose name is being withheld by Hearst because he was not charged with a crime, was observed by Lapointe to be holding a "rolled up dollar bill," the report said. The report added that no illegal substances were taken out in front of [Lapointe] at that time. Lapointe told the man that he was a state trooper, according to the report. The man said he did not believe Lapointe and that Lapointe seemed to be too young to be a trooper. Lapointe said he was 30 years old and displayed his tri-fold wallet containing his badge and ID. He returned the wallet to his jacket and then placed the jacket on a living room couch, the report said. The report said a photo of the same man holding Lapointes badge later circulated via text message. Internal investigators in their report said they did not know who took the photo. The report said internal investigators learned that the man in the photo uses cocaine on a recreational basis per testimony. Investigators recommended sustaining two internal charges against Lapointe conduct unbecoming an officer and failure to protect department property from misuse and he was given a two-day suspension, records show. Tpr. Lapointe failed to remove himself from the apartment in Newington when he was aware he was in the presence of people using & in possession of narcotics, investigators wrote in the report. Instead of leaving the apartment, he stayed for approximately 30-45 minutes within the apartment with identified people known to possess illegal narcotics (cocaine), as it was offered to him & he declined. Investigators added Lapointe did not safeguard his department issued badge & keep it in his possession, [which] provided an opportunity to take possession of Lapointe's wallet & take photographs. The photo was used to create a narrative about Tpr. Lapointe & drug use associated with the CSP badge. This had a negative image on DESPP by the civilians involved in this matter. The fact that this incident was sent via text to several friends of the bridal patty portrayed [state police] in a negative light. The withheld report Through a request under the state Freedom of Information Law, Hearst Connecticut Media last year obtained a copy of a log maintained by state police that listed basic details about hundreds of internal investigations into alleged trooper misconduct. The data was a critical component of a recently published three-part series on alleged state police misconduct and punishment meted out by superiors. For that coverage, Hearst Connecticut Media sought to better understand a select number of cases listed in the log by requesting additional documentation. One such involved an allegation that Lapointe in 2019 allowed illegal narcotics to be sniffed from his CSP badge. The log showed department investigators recommended sustaining internal charges against Lapointe in connection with the case. The log noted that a photograph of an unknown person seen holding his tri-fold wallet displaying his badge was taken and circulated via text. But state police for months refused to release the report. Cynthia Isales, legal director for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said the denial was based on state law that protects an officers privacy by allowing him to object to release of personnel records. With respect to Lapointe, it is the agencys belief that release of that record would constitute an invasion of privacy, Isales wrote in an email. The trooper was therefore afforded the ability to object pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. 1-214. He did object. We will therefore not release that record. The Lapointe report was the only one state police refused to release when Hearst Connecticut Media requested several internal affairs reports. In its complaint to the FOI Commission, the news outlet said the agencys refusal to provide the report constituted a violation of the state FOI law. The legal exemption the agency cited Conn. Gen. Stat. 1-214 was overturned/nullified by the Connecticut General Assembly's passage of Public Act 20-1 in 2020, said the complaint from Hearst Connecticut Media, referring to the Police Accountability Act. Since then, the collective bargaining organization/union that represents State Police troopers has unsuccessfully challenged this law change in court, the complaint added. The union's challenges in court have thus far been denied, including an injunction it sought to bar the release of information pending the resolution in court. Therefore, the agency currently has no legal grounds to withhold these records and must produce them immediately, the news outlets complaint said. At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there's no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall especially since people who get today's recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19's worst outcomes. Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign. We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer, said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego. The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine. None of us has a crystal ball" to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what's circulating now rather than far older virus strains. It's not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy. Current COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call bivalent vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today's vaccine. Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much. Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines' proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic. The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said theyd have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicrons newest relatives might delay its version another month. Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that's recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one. Marks said that by tweaking the shots, we're hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave. The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven't had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligible and it's not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA's advisers said it's important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too. And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change. Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people's cross-protection against multiple variants. We dont want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available, said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on Pakistani police escorting a team of polio workers Tuesday during a door-to-door inoculation campaign in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold, killing two policemen and a polio worker, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack came a day after the government launched another nationwide anti-polio campaign amid a spike in attacks. A passerby was also wounded, said Aziz Ullah, a local police official. The attackers fled the scene. Since April, Pakistan has registered 11 new polio cases all in North Waziristan, where parents often refuse to inoculate children. The outbreak has been a blow to the Islamic nations efforts to eradicate the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children. Pakistans anti-polio campaigns are regularly marked by violence. Islamic militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one case, raising hopes it was close to eradicating polio. North Waziristan was a base for myriad militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, until a massive military offensive in recent years claimed to have cleared the region, forcing many militants to flee to Afghanistan. But attacks have been increasing lately, adding to concerns the assaults could further jeopardize anti-polio campaigns. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered an investigation. The U.N. children's agency took to Twitter to condemn the attack, saying @UNICEF joins @GovtofPakistan in condemning the attack which reportedly killed a polio worker & security personnel & injured a child in North Waziristan. Those killed were among hundreds of thousands of heroes who work selflessly to #EndPolio. We express our sympathy to families". Earlier, UNICEF posted an appeal on Twitter, urging parents to inoculate their children. The goal of the latest campaign was to vaccinate 12.6 million children under the age of 5 across Pakistan. Together, we can #EndPolio! Please make sure that every child is immunized against this deadly virus," UNICEF said. Shahzad Baig, a coordinator for Pakistan's polio program, also urged all parents and caregivers to get their children vaccinated instead of hiding them or refusing to (let them) take the necessary drops." It is important to realize that the polio virus still exists in our surroundings and no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated," Baig added. Shuja Khan, a Pakistani father whose son was stricken by polio in North Waziristan, posted a video message on Twitter. Holding his boy in his lap, he appealed on parents to inoculate their children and avoid his family's ordeal. Until this week, Pakistan's health authorities had carried out three nationwide anti-polio drives this year in January, March and in May. During the March campaign, gunmen in northwestern Pakistan shot and killed a female polio worker as she was returning home after a day of vaccinations. And in January, gunmen shot and killed a police officer providing security for polio vaccination workers, also in the countrys northwest. ___ Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this story. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) During Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, then-California Sen. Kamala Harris asked the judge if he thought women's privacy rights extended to choosing to have an abortion. Kavanaugh declined to answer. With Justice Kavanaugh now part of the court majority that voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and the senator now the vice president, Harris is warning that the court's decision could trigger some of the same far-reaching privacy limitations she warned of during those hearings. Taking to the issue with a passion linked both to her personal and professional background, Harris has spent recent weeks sounding the alarm that upending Roe could create precedent for new restrictions on everything from contraception and in vitro fertilization to gay marriage and that states restricting such things are also leading the way in new limits on the right to vote. Justice Clarence Thomas seemed to validate such concerns, writing in a concurring opinion to the larger ruling on Roe that the high court should reconsider past decisions on access to contraception and same-sex marriage. Harris has been a leading Biden administration voice on abortion rights since early May, when a leaked draft opinion previewed Roe v. Wades nullification. She was flying to Illinois for a maternal health event when the final decision was announced last week, and read it while still in the air quickly shifting the focus of her planned remarks to the ruling. The decision calls into question other rights that we thought were settled, such as the right to use birth control, the right to same sex marriage, the right to interracial marriage, Harris told her audience Friday at a suburban YMCA, adding that it would spark a health care crisis. During an interview Monday with CNN, Harris said, I definitely think this not over," adding that, of what Thomas wrote, "I think he just said the quiet part out loud. Becoming a leading voice on abortion access could be a better fit for Harris after President Joe Biden tasked her with overseeing other thorny issues that haven't gone well: immigration and expanding voting rights. Sweeping legislation on both issues has stalled in Congress, prompting some advocates to say the vice president and the White House should've done more. Harris symbolically presiding over the Senate didnt stop Republicans from blocking efforts to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law before the court's ruling overturning it. But Democrats are hoping anger around the issue will energize their base for the November midterm elections, when the party faces steep headwinds. Getting straight to the politics of the matter after the ruling was announced, Harris said, You have the power to elect leaders who will defend and protect your rights. With your vote, you can act. And you have the final word. After a Texas law effectively banned abortion in the state in the fall, Harris met providers and patients, which her office believes is the first time abortion providers have visited the White House. She stressed then that gender discrimination persists, saying that womens full participation in our nation was still only a goal, not a reality. After the draft Supreme Court opinion leaked, the vice president convened a virtual discussion with doctors and nurses providing abortion care in states with strict restrictions and met with Democratic attorneys general from states supportive of reproductive rights. Biden has also forcefully defended abortion rights and warned that other rights are now at risk. But as a observant Catholic, he hasn't always had a strong record on the issue. Harris, the first female vice president and Californias former top prosecutor, brings unique personal perspective and legal expertise to the issue. Seeing women fight on behalf of other women is just very true to the core of who she is, said Jacqueline Ayers, senior vice president of policy, organizing, and campaigns at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She added that Harris has framed the issue to underscore the disparity that it creates on Black and brown communities, and for people who are living with low income. Ayers said the high court's action has allowed the vice president to highlight how she's used her office to listen to women and advocate for improving their health care perhaps even in ways Biden can't. Its not necessarily a wedge, its just a continuation of someone who has really staked their career around the issues that are key and drivers for them, Ayers said of differences between Harris and Biden. Rev. John Dorhauer, the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, attended a recent virtual meeting on abortion rights that Harris hosted, and suggested she's been less afraid than some top Democrats to advocate forcefully on the issue. To hear that from one of the highest offices in the land is incredibly encouraging," Dorhauer said. But some abortion opponents argue that Harris has hurt her cause by equating abortion access with other, more routine medical care. She has become emblematic of the abortion absolutism on the other side, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which advocates for women who oppose abortion in politics. As a senator, Harris introduced legislation to improve maternal health. During a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate, then-candidate Harris said it was outrageous that abortion had been overshadowed by other issues, despite a woman's right to the procedure being under full-on attack even then. The vice president most forcefully signaled the outspoken role when she declared a day after the draft opinion leaked in May: Those Republican leaders who are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women, well, we say, how dare they?" She then used subsequent weeks to argue that undermining Roe v. Wade could soon wipe out other key privacy rights the same theme she raised during Kavanaugh's hearing. Harris says many states moving to fully ban abortion could restrict in vitro fertilization if legislatures argue that human life begins at fertilization. They could prohibit contraception methods, including intrauterine devices and the morning after pill, she argued. Law enforcement might scrutinize data collected from millions of women who use menstrual cycle tracking apps, or those doing internet searches on getting abortions in other states, the vice president said. Also ultimately at stake, Harris maintains, is the legalization of gay marriage, noting that states with the strictest abortion laws often also have past LGBTQ prohibitions that the Supreme Court could revive. Once those rights have fallen, the argument goes, voting rights could be next. She convened a recent meeting with privacy experts to discuss the matter. That slippery slope is really slippery, said one of the meeting's participants, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, the women and democracy fellow at the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice in New York. "Were barreling right down it right now. Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told attendees to be prepared for the coming of a new Jane Crow, as efforts to limit abortion begin to emulate antiquated laws that once sanctioned open discrimination against Black people. Dannenfelser countered that Harris and others are exaggerating, saying the current Supreme Court is "the least likely to do what shes saying. They believe in the rule of law. It's intended to scare people and to build a coalition on the other side outside of the abortion issue," Dannenfelser said. Harris' office says she is indeed building a coalition, but it will be one of people who believe that Roe v. Wade's effects far exceeded abortion, and not just for women. To help drive home that point, Harris met recently in Los Angeles with religious leaders, noting that to support Roe v. Wade, and all it stands for, does not mean giving up your beliefs. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion STRATFORD The U.S. Army awarded Sikorsky Aircraft a $2.3 billion contract Sunday for dozens of combat helicopters, the company announced. For the five-year contract, the Stratford-based company will deliver 120 H-60M Black Hawk helicopters. It will have the option to make 255 total aircraft potentially worth up to $4.4 billion, Sikorskys parent company Lockheed Martin said in a news release. The Multi-Year X contract is the 10th multi-year contract between Sikorsky and the U.S. government for H-60 helicopters. With more than 2,100 H-60 variants in the U.S. Armys inventory, the Black Hawk continues to be the workhorse and backbone of U.S. Army Aviation, the company stated. The Army awarded the contract Sunday and said the work will be performed in Stratford. Lockheed Martin said deliveries will begin in July and continue through 2027. Decades of Black Hawk production and enhancements, strong program execution and close partnership with the Army has kept the program thriving, and this contract is a testament to that success, said Nathalie Previte, the vice president of Sikorskys Army and Air Force programs. Additionally, we continue to see strong international interest in the Black Hawk due to its versatility and proven record of providing unwavering support to the U.S. and nations around the globe. Sikorsky, with Boeing, is a finalist in the Armys Future Long Range Assault Aircraft project. The Sikorsky-Boeing team is going up against Bell Textron Inc. to replace the Armys fleet of Black Hawks. The aircraft will develop and field the next generation of affordable vertical lift tactical assault/utility aircraft for the Army, the Army said in a statement. The Army will likely award the FLRAA contract in September, according to BreakingDefense.com. Lockheed Martin, Sikorskys parent company, reached an agreement with the state in late May to keep production work in Connecticut if it secures federal contracts for new helicopter programs. The agreement stipulates that Lockheed Martin will keep Sikorskys headquarters in Stratford until 2024. The company also agreed to maintain more than 7,000 direct jobs at its Connecticut facilities in Stratford, Bridgeport, Shelton, North Haven and Trumbull. Lamont said the agreement would also indirectly support thousands more jobs in the state through the small businesses from which Sikorsky purchases supplies. In May, the company had about 240 suppliers in the state. Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP VENTURA, Calif. (AP) A California judge found Monday that there is enough evidence against a man once briefly married to Britney Spears who showed up uninvited at the pop star's wedding to go to trial on a felony stalking charge. After a two-hour preliminary hearing, Ventura County Judge David Worley ruled that 40-year-old Jason Allen Alexander should be held to answer on the charge, along with misdemeanor counts of trespassing, vandalism and battery, court records showed. BRIDGEPORT Two men were each sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for their roles in a plan to murder the owner of a Bridgeport auto shop and then burn down the business, according to federal prosecutors. Luis Mercado, also known as Pops, 55, of Bridgeport; Luis Mejias, also known as Kermit, 35, of Waterbury, as well as three others, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the plan. Law enforcement discovered the plan after trying to stop a car with its taillights off April 2, 2018. Around 1:30 a.m., Bridgeport police patrolling the West Side of the city tried to stop a Toyota Carolla on Elmwood Avenue that was driving without its taillights on. The car, which was being driven by Mercado, fled from police. As officers chased the car, they saw the driver and passenger throw a clear plastic bag and shiny, metal-like objects out of the window, according to U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery and an incident report from police. The car then stopped several blocks away. There, officers arrested Mercado and Dominick Gonzalez, also known as Dom, 31, of Bridgeport. Inside the car, officers found a black ski mask, a pair of binoculars and a container of gasoline, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Later, officers found two loaded handguns and a plastic bag with 10.5 grams of marijuana inside that had been thrown out of the car, according to an incident report from police. Police discovered that Mercado; Gonzalez; Mejias; George Rivera, also known as Pito, 33, of Danbury; and Jason Scott, also known as Hood, 39, of Bridgeport, had a plan to murder the owner of a Bridgeport body shop and later set the business on fire, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. Mejias, Rivera and Scott were arrested later that morning at a hotel in Milford. In the hotel, police found two loaded rifles, a loaded revolver, a loaded shotgun, additional ammunition, brass knuckles, binoculars, gloves and a knit mask. Investigators also seized packaged heroin, Ecstasy pills, marijuana, a digital scales and other items in the room, as well as ammunition and shotgun shells in the trunk of their car, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The U.S. Attorneys office said each mans criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, making it illegal for them to possess a firearm. In March, Mercado, Rivera, Mejias and Scott each pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the same offense, as well as conspiracy to commit arson, on May 4, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport sentenced Mercado and Mejias to 10 years in prison the maximum prison term for the offenses followed by three years of supervised release on Monday. Gonzalez, Rivera and Scott await sentencing. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the state's 173-year-old abortion ban, arguing that statutes passed in the 1980s supersede the ban and it's so old that modern generations never consented to it. Wisconsin passed a law in 1849, the year after the territory became a state, banning abortions in every instance except to save the mother's life. The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling, which essentially legalized abortion nationwide, nullified the ban. The court's decision on Friday to reverse Roe vs. Wade has created questions about whether the ban is back in effect. Anti-abortion advocates insist it is. Abortion providers in the state stopped offering procedures on Friday out of fear of prosecution. Attorney General Josh Kaul had hinted before the Supreme Court's decision reversing Roe vs. Wade that he would challenge the ban's validity. He followed through on Tuesday, filing an action in Dane County Circuit Court. He blasted the ban during a news conference with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to announce the filing. We're talking about returning Wisconsin to the 19th century, Kaul said. Evers said Democrats are taking very, very, very important steps to return rights to the women of Wisconsin. According to the lawsuit, Wisconsin adopted a post-Roe vs. Wade law in 1985 that prohibits abortions after a fetus has grown enough that it could survive outside the womb. That point in time is the subject of debate. Some physicians say it's around 20 weeks, others around 28 weeks. Kaul argues that the 1985 law superseded the ban and therefore abortions before the point of viability remain legal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin abortion providers cannot be held to two sets of diametrically opposed laws, and the Wisconsin people deserve clarity, the lawsuit said. Kaul goes on to contend that the ban should be declared unenforceable because it has become obsolete, saying a law that was enacted so long ago cannot be said to have the consent of the governed." This Court therefore should declare that (the ban) cannot be enforced as applied to abortions until and unless new legislation is enacted into law," the lawsuit says. Republican lawmakers have said they may update the ban when they return to Madison for the next two-year legislative session in January. Evers would veto any of their attempts if he wins reelection in November, however. The lawsuit names Senate President Chris Kapenga, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as defendants. Vos said in a statement that Evers and Kaul's decision to sue is just as misguided as the original Roe vs. Wade ruling. Once again we will do Attorney General Kaul's job and vigorously defend the law, Vos said. Kapenga and LeMahieu spokesman Adam Gibbs didn't return messages. Julaine Appling, president of anti-abortion lobbying group Wisconsin Family Action, said the 1849 ban is a duly enacted law and Kaul is simply playing to Democratic supporters. What you have here is political grandstanding, Appling said. He's playing to his political base and doing their bidding, unfortunately, rather than doing what he was elected to do. Kaul faces an uphill fight in the courts. The lawsuit is so important it will likely work its way to the state Supreme Court. Conservatives hold a 4-3 advantage on the court. Justice Patience Roggensack isn't running for reelection next April, which gives liberals a chance to regain the majority, but Kaul said during the news conference he wants a quick resolution of the case. We're right on the law, he said. Dr. Kathy King, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's medical director, thanked Kaul and Evers for taking action. She said her organization has been forced to turn patients away, causing suffering because of a vague law from 1849. Meanwhile, three Republican gubernatorial hopefuls warned they would fire prosecutors who refuse to enforce the ban. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, management consultant Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun all said during a debate on Monday that they would remove district attorneys who won't enforce the ban. Former President Donald Trump's endorsed candidate, Tim Michels, didn't attend the debate. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has said he won't enforce the ban. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has hinted he won't enforce it, either. Ozanne and Chisholm are Democrats. District attorneys are elected officials but state law allows the governor to remove them from office for cause. Also Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced it would hear three new cases, including that of an anti-abortion protestor who lower courts determined was harassing a Planned Parenthood employee in 2020 when he followed her to her car and told her bad things could happen if she didn't repent. The court is expected to determine whether the protestor's statements were indeed harassment and whether the lower court's decision to block him from protesting outside Planned Parenthood for four years violated his First Amendment rights. ___ Associated Press writer Harm Venhuizen contributed to this report. Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DENVER (AP) Colorado Republicans on Tuesday chose a former local official who pledged to keep politics out of running elections as their nominee for secretary of state over an indicted county clerk who gained national prominence by promoting conspiracy theories about voting machines. In spurning Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, Republican primary voters appeared to reject the conspiracy theories and false claims that have spread among conservatives since the last presidential election. Peters has appeared regularly with prominent allies of former President Donald Trump who claim without evidence that the 2020 election was stolen from him and on Tuesday night made similar claims of cheating in the primary that were quickly rebutted by the primary winner and the secretary of state. The win by Pam Anderson, the former Jefferson County clerk and past head of the state clerks association, sets up a November match-up with current Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat seeking a second term who ran unopposed in Tuesdays primary. Despite Peters' loss, Griswold's campaign framed the November election as a referendum on voting security and false claims peddled by Republicans across the country that widespread fraud is the reason Trump lost reelection. Griswold campaign manager Kyla Sabado said in a statement that Anderson cannot be trusted to stand up to the far-right extremists that dominate the Republican Party. Anderson doesn't bring the political baggage of Peters and is likely to be a much tougher opponent for Griswold, especially during a year that is widely believed to be a difficult one for Democrats. After her win Tuesday night, Anderson said Republican voters had sent a message that they wanted someone they could trust to be a fair leader in the state's top elections office and vowed to avoid using the post for partisan gain. I will continue my fight for restoring the confidence of Colorado voters against lies and the politicians or interest groups that seek to weaponize elections administration for political advantage," Anderson said. Peters was among several candidates across the country this year running to be their states chief election official while denying the outcome of the 2020 election or questioning the integrity of U.S. elections. She became the latest of those candidates to fail to win their Republican primary. Last month, Georgias Jody Hice lost his bid to oust Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in that states GOP primary despite having Trumps endorsement. Raffensperger drew Trumps ire after he refused the former presidents request to find enough votes to overturn President Joe Bidens win in Georgia. There is no evidence of widespread fraud or conspiracy to steal the 2020 presidential election. On Tuesday, Peters gathered with nearly 100 supporters at a rooftop bar in the historic railroad town of Sedalia. She refused to accept defeat and claimed without evidence that the outcome had been manipulated. Peters was running third, behind Anderson and businessman Mike O'Donnell with nearly all the votes counted. Peters accused Colorado election officials of cheating, adding that looking at the results, it's just so obvious that it should be flipped. "Its not over. Keep the faith, she said. Griswold issued a statement Tuesday night noting that Colorados elections have bipartisan oversight throughout the election process. Peters continued spread of election lies is no surprise, Griswold said. Colorado voters made their voices heard and candidates should respect and accept the results of the free and fair election. Anderson, in response to Peters' claims, praised the work of county election officials overseeing the primary and vowed to continue to push back against lies about elections. "I will do exactly what I have done stand up for the truth, stand up for voters and stand up for our constitutional rights," Anderson said, in a phone interview from a campaign party in Jefferson County. Peters, elected as county clerk in 2018, had been barred by a judge from overseeing this years election in Mesa County and was indicted on seven felony counts by a grand jury in her heavily Republican county. The indictment alleged Peters was part of a deceptive scheme to breach voting system technology. She has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, even though the Mesa County district attorney who convened the grand jury is a Republican. After the indictment was announced, state GOP leaders had called on her to suspend her campaign. In recent months, Peters has been issuing various reports discredited by officials and experts that claim voting system manipulation. The reports are based on an unauthorized copy of her countys voting system, the security breach that is the center of the indictment. Peters has denied wrongdoing, arguing she has the authority to ensure county's elections are secure. At Peters' campaign party, those in the crowd listened to country music and drank beer and cocktails as they watched the results on TV. As it became apparent Peters was losing, the mood dampened as the sun set over the foothills. Supporter Rick Wyatt said he did not see much support for her opponents and that voters loved Peters. How does the top of the ticket become the bottom of the ticket?" Wyatt said. "Elections are rigged. Nationally, nearly two dozen Republican candidates who deny the result of the 2020 presidential election have been on the ballot to be their states top election official, according to States United Action, a nonpartisan advocacy organization tracking the candidates. Among those who have advanced to the November election are Wes Allen in Alabama, Diego Morales in Indiana, Jim Marchant in Nevada and Audrey Trujillo in New Mexico. Kristina Karamo in Michigan and Kim Crockett in Minnesota are favorites to win their primaries in August. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) A new judge must be assigned to oversee the murder case against a former Texas police officer after defense attorneys successfully argued that the initial judge must recuse himself. Retired Second Court of Appeals Justice Lee Gabriel issued the decision Tuesday after hearing arguments last week. Attorneys for the former Fort Worth officer, Aaron Dean, argued that Judge David Hagerman's pre-trial decisions raised questions about his objectivity. Dean is accused of shooting Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, through a window of her home while responding to a call reporting the front door was open. The 2019 killing heightened mistrust between the city's Black community and the police department. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Deans attorneys argued that Hagerman improperly rushed them to move toward trial. Gabriel did not specify a reason for ordering Hagerman's recusal in a written order, according to the Dallas Morning News. Hagerman did not immediately reply to the newspaper's request for comment on Tuesday. Dean's trial has been delayed several times. It was scheduled to begin this month before Dean's attorneys sought the judge's recusal. Dean resigned from the police department after he was charged with Jefferson's murder. Bodycam video showed Dean approaching the door of the home where Jefferson was watching her nephew. He walked around the side of the house, pushed through a gate into the fenced-off backyard and fired through the glass window after shouting for Jefferson to show her hands, according to the video. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADRID (AP) The Latest on the G-7 summit, the annual meeting of the leading democratic economies, which this year is being held in the Bavarian Alps in Germany; and on the NATO summit in Madrid, where leaders begin gathering later Tuesday: ___ Russias war on Ukraine has dominated a gala dinner hosted by Spains King Felipe VI to welcome some 40 heads of state and government on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid. War has returned to Europe, he told guests Tuesday. Russias unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign State. No country is unaffected by this war. U.S. President Joe Biden sat to the kings right in the elaborately decorated dining room of the 18th century Royal Palace of Madrid. Felipe said the palace had never had such a large number of world leaders together. In all, some 60 people were at the table. ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Turkey lifts objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO ahead of alliance summit How a G-7 ban on Russian gold would work Zelenskyy tells G-7 summit Ukraine forces face urgent moment The AP Interview: Spanish PM says NATO summit to show unity Tale of 2 summits: Americas back to Americas backsliding ___ OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says Tuesdays deal with Turkey on her countrys and Finlands membership of NATO will bring more security to the alliance. Its good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO, because we would be security providers to NATO, Andersson told The Associated Press. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better, not only for Sweden and Finland but for other NATO countries, she said. But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson added. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said Swedes will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. Andersson said that her countrys contribution to the alliance will potentially be a strong military and navy. She said that Sweden is in the midst of the largest military buildup since the 1950s. Andersson said she wasnt too worried about Moscows reaction to Tuesdays announcement: Russia has reacted rather mildly so far, Andersson said. Maybe they see the fact that we have been a partner to NATO for quite some time ... that maybe they dont see this as quite such a big step. ___ A senior U.S. administration official says Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept the deal to drop its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The official said Tuesday that President Joe Biden made a deliberate choice to keep the U.S. from being a party to the negotiations or being in a position where Turkey could ask for inducements from the U.S. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, said Turkey never asked the U.S. for anything as part of the talks. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together. Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The leaders of Sweden and Finland reached out to Biden late Tuesday just before accepting the agreement. By Zeke Miller in Madrid ___ Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three countries leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday. ___ Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has made a powerful plea for Western allies meeting in Madrid to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war in Ukraine. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko said Tuesday, addressing reporters at the venue in Madrid where NATO leaders are meeting. Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, were in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a defense think tank forum ahead of the 2-day summit. Klitschko, who said he had no plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO meeting, rejected the idea that Ukraine should make any territorial sacrifices to end the war. Bully the bully, its the only way how to stop it, he said. And in this case, Russia is the bully. ___ U.S. first Lady Jill Biden, accompanied by Spains Queen Letizia, has visited a welcome center for Ukrainian refugees in Madrid and talked with several young people staying there. Speaking to CBS News, Biden said she had told Ukraines first lady, Olena Zelenska when she met her recently that I would carry forth her message, that we supported her. And so, Im continuing to meet with refugees no matter where I go. At the center, Biden and the queen looked at drawings by the refugees and talked with several of them. Jill Biden flew to the Spanish capital late on Sunday while US President Joe Biden arrived on Tuesday to attend a NATO summit that starts Wednesday. Biden said the first ladies of many countries were committed to helping Ukraine. ___ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging other NATO allies to increase their military spending -- but is being accused by his own defense minister of underfunding the U.K.s armed forces. Britain is among nine of the 30 NATO countries that meets the alliances target of spending at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense. Johnson said Tuesday that the current figure is 2.3%, adding that he would be having a conversation about spending at this weeks NATO summit in Madrid. But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the military had been underfunded for years by successive governments and had been fed a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed-out formations and fantasy savings, when in the last few years threats from states have started to increase. Despite the increased spending, the size of Britains military is shrinking. The British Army is set to be cut from 82,000 troops to 72,500. Wallace told a think tank conference in London that there is a risk Russia will lash out against wider Europe and it is time to mobilize, be ready and be relevant. ___ The United States and Spain have issued a joint declaration condemning Russia for invading Ukraine, emphasizing their defense partnership through NATO and pledging to promote safe and orderly migration. U.S. President Joe Biden is in Spain for the NATO summit. He met Tuesday with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The four-page declaration says Russias February invasion of Ukraine fundamentally altered the global strategic environment. It adds that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transatlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. It says both countries will work to strengthen legal migration pathways, especially for people from the Caribbean and Latin America. The U.S. and Spain also recognize the importance of cooperating to address what the declaration calls irregular migration from North Africa -- a pressing problem for Spain. ___ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance will commit to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its forces at this weeks summit in Madrid. NATO is determined to set the gold standard on discussing the security challenges of climate change, Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Spains capital as world leaders arrived for two days of talks. Stoltenberg says that NATOs immediate goal will be reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of its military forces by 45% by 2030. He said climate change is a crisis multiplier, so it matters for security. ___ WASHINGTON The United States has announced new sanctions on 29 people and 70 Russian firms related to the Kremlins defense industry, as punishment for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The targeted companies include state-owned Rostec, a state-owned defense conglomerate, and its affiliated companies. The move came in combination Tuesday with the Group of Seven announcement to ban imports of Russian gold, and price caps on Russian oil. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions will degrade Putins capabilities and further impede his war against Ukraine, which has already been plagued by poor morale, broken supply chains, and logistical failures. ___ The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, are in Madrid and have met Spains King Felipe VI at a NATO Public Forum debate on the eve of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital. The two brothers were in the audience when the king made his address to the forum Tuesday and met the monarch as he left. The king said their presence was a very pleasant surprise and that he had conveyed to them Spains support and our deep thoughts and friendship with your nation, with your people. The brothers, both former heavyweight boxing champions, work together to keep Kyiv running during the ongoing war with Russia. NATO has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit, but it is expected that he will appear only by video conference. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says a U.N. plan to bring grain out of Ukraine via safe sea corridors could save as much as a month in emptying silos in time for the autumn harvest, since it doesnt require demining ports. Draghi said a briefing that G-7 leaders received from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the plan was one of the most important of the summit and was, all in all, good news. But he said it requires Russias swift approval. Draghi said Tuesday the key elements of the plan involve using existing safe corridors in and out of ports, ensuring cargo ships are protected by the U.N. from possible Russian attacks, and that the ships are then inspected to prevent weapons from arriving. Draghi said Putin had insisted on this. He said Russia had in principle accepted the three-part involvement in the project of Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N.. ___ Russias state space corporation Roscosmos marked the gathering of leaders for the NATO summit by publishing satellite images and the precise coordinates of a conference hall in Madrid where its being held. It also published on its messaging app channel Tuesday the coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and of government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. It described them as the decision-making centers supporting the Ukrainian nationalists - a reference to Western nations support for Kyiv in the face of Russias invasion. The corporation noted that NATO allies were set to declare Russia an enemy at their summit in Madrid, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says G-7 leaders were concerned about Russian advances in eastern Ukraine but that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was optimistic about Ukraines ability to mount a successful counterattack. Zelenskyy addressed the Group of Seven meeting via video link. One of the things that President Zelenskyy told us was that a counter-offensive would be starting, which he was confident would succeed, Draghi said. Asked about reported doubts from the White House, Draghi said: Its not so much doubts expressed by President (Joe) Biden as concern for the Russian progress that has taken place. I cant say anything more on this. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says the Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali. The Nov. 15-16 summit risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come. The Kremlin had said earlier that Putin intended to go. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. Asked about the Kremlins announcement that Putin would participate, Draghi said: President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: (Putin) is not coming. What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on oil-producing countries to boost output and thereby lower world prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine. He said Tuesday the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Speaking at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron welcomed the groups discussions on a price cap for oil as a very good idea, but added: The difficulty is technical. He said its crucial to include all major oil-buying countries in any cap agreement for it to be effective. Macron said he discussed boosting oil production with the president of the United Arab Emirates, and expressed hope that U.S. President Joe Biden gets a positive response in talks about oil in an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. Macron said oil producers have an immense responsibility given our collective dependence on them. He called for expanding Europes liquefied natural gas processing capacity and lashed out at speculation by energy traders he called war profiteers. ___ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called NATO plans to boost its rapid reaction force measured and proportional and not meant to provoke Russia. Speaking Tuesday at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany and before traveling to Spain for a NATO summit, Trudeau said Canada, is committed to making sure we continue to stand up against Russian threats and Russian posturing. According to the government, about 1,400 Canadian troops are currently deployed in central and eastern Europe as part of NATO assurance and deterrence measures. The response that we are taking to Russias illegal actions is measured and proportional, he said, adding it should not be considered a provocative move. We are looking at ensuring that Russia knows we will be there to defend democracies, Trudeau said. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron says Russia cannot and should not win the war in Ukraine, a day after a Russian missile strike killed 18 people at a Ukrainian shopping mall. Speaking at the end of the Group of Seven summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron said the seven developed economies have devised a plan to support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity. As fighting in Ukraine rages into the fifth month, Macron said its not clear when the war will end but the goal of Western democracies is, Russia must not win. His comments came as rescuers searched through the charred rubble of the shopping mall. Macron called the attack a war crime. ___ MADRID NATOs chief says Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in the alliances defense policy, and NATO members will have to invest more in military spending in what is now a more unstable world. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke as the alliances leaders began gathering Tuesday in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable word. Top of the agenda is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Moscows invasion. Stoltenberg said we hope to make progress at the gathering in breaking a logjam over applications by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. Turkey is blocking the move and says the Nordic pair must change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. The three countries leaders are due to meet in Madrid, alongside Stoltenberg, later Tuesday. ___ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is defending the decision by Group of Seven leaders to soften their commitments on ending public support for fossil fuel investments. The leaders say the war in Ukraine means time-limited support for new natural gas extraction projects may be necessary. The G-7 nations said in a statement Tuesday at the end of their three-day summit that in these exceptional circumstances, publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response. That contrasts in part with a previous pledge made last month by G-7 climate ministers, who said that the seven major economies would align official international financing with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Environmental campaigners, scientists and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have spoken out against any additional fossil fuel investments by rich, developed nations. But Scholz told reporters that gas will be needed temporarily and that is why there may be investments that make sense, in this transitional phase, and that therefore may need to be supported. One of the arguments made by German officials in favor of supporting new natural gas development projects is that it could spare them having to burn more polluting coal to meet their energy needs. Environmental groups argue that building additional pipelines and other infrastructure for surging U.S. LNG exports to Europe and for other fossil fuels will lock in increased carbon use for years to come. ___ Members of the Group of Seven major democratic economies have vowed to create a new climate club for nations wanting to take more ambitious steps on global warming. The move, championed by G-7 summit host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, will see countries that join the club agree on tougher measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century compared to pre-industrial times. Countries that are part of the club will seek to harmonize their measures so that they are comparable and avoid members imposing climate-related tariffs on each others imports. Speaking at the end of a three-day G-7 summit, Scholz said the aim was to ensure that protecting the climate is a competitive advantage, not a disadvantage. He said details of the planned climate club would be finalized this year. ___ Leaders of the worlds wealthiest democracies have taken a united stance to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, as Russias invasion of its neighbor grinds on for a fifth month. The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany said Tuesday the countries would explore far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from oil sales that are financing the war in Ukraine. The statement left out key details on how the fossil fuel prices caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to assess measures on barring the import of Russian oil above a certain amount. That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, ease the energy price spikes afflicting the global economy as a result of the war. Leaders also agreed to a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hard hit with food shortages by the blockage on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. Unity in the seven democracies confrontation with Putin was a key theme of the summit at a luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps. The G-7 countries have set aside $29.5 in Ukraine assistance this year, on top of $60 billion since Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea region in 2014. China-donated earthquake relief supplies arrive in Afghanistan Xinhua) 09:28, June 28, 2022 KABUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport on Monday night and was handed over to the Afghan side. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Ghulam Ghaws Naseri, acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghanistan's Taliban-led caretaker government, attended the handover ceremony at the airport. At the ceremony Wang said the Chinese government has decided to provide 50 million yuan (about 7.5 million U.S. dollars) in emergency humanitarian assistance supplies to Afghanistan, and that the first batch of supplies include tents, folding beds and blankets. Wang said six more Chinese airplanes will deliver relief supplies in the next three days. He added that all food supplies that China has promised in assistance to Afghanistan have arrived earlier. Naseri thanked China for expressing its condolences and offering emergency assistance supplies immediately after the earthquake, and said the moves show the longtime friendship between the people of the two countries. On June 22, a strong earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people and injured nearly 2,000 others while destroying tens of thousands of houses. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (AP) The boat of a North Carolina man missing for seven months has washed ashore in the Azores Islands, thousands of miles from the marina where it was last seen, officials announced Monday. Joseph Matthew Johnson has not been found, but Carolina Beach police said that authorities in the Azores said a boat registered to his name washed up last week on the small island of Sao Jorge, some 2,700 miles (4,345 kilometers) across the ocean. Johnson was last seen leaving Federal Point Yacht Club marina on Nov. 22 on his boat, police said. The 44-year-old Carolina Beach resident was reported missing five days later by a friend who arrived in town for a previously arranged fishing trip, police said. Video surveillance from Nov. 22 shows the boat leaving the marina where he lived and the last ping from Johnson's cellphone was from off the coast of Bald Head Island at 5:17 p.m. that same day, Sgt. Colby Edens said by telephone Monday. The U.S. Coast Guards search for Johnson in November covered nearly 7,500 square miles (19,425 square kilometers), but it was suspended when no new information was found, news outlets reported. When the boat was found June 21, it had a heavy buildup of barnacles and algae, indicating that it had been capsized at sea for quite some time, Edens said. Portuguese authorities are helping the Carolina Beach police department as they gather evidence and continue their search for Johnson. Johnsons mother, Mary Kay Anderson, said his family is confident he will be found alive, The StarNews reported. The retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier served for 24 years with tours in Afghanistan and South America, so Anderson believes he has skills to survive in dangerous conditions and elements. Its not just hope, Anderson said. We know hes alive and are praying for his miraculous rescue. STRATFORD In a narrow vote, the Board of Education on Tuesday approved a contract extension for Superintendent Uyi Osunde. But the seven-member body stopped short of revealing any of the agreements new details, making it unclear how long the districts top administrator will serve the school system or how much he will be paid. After meeting in executive session for more than 90 minutes, the board voted 4-3 to approve an extension for Osunde, a former Windsor High School principal who was named superintendent last year. The new contract was supported by Chair Andrea Corcoran, Vice Chair Lisa Carroll-Fabian, Secretary Amy Wiltsie and Janice Cupee. Kristen Bedell, Sean Kennedy and Michael Henrick voted in opposition. Henrick said he voted against the proposal because he wanted to see a little more accomplished by the first-year superintendent before offering him an extension. In my opinion it's a little premature, he said. Im not saying I want him to leave, but I am just saying I would like to see a little more done moving in a positive direction. Bedell and Kennedy both expressed concern about the process involved in granting the extension, but did not elaborate. None of the board members who voted to approve the contract spoke during the public discussion period prior to the decision. Osunde, a former UConn student-athlete who holds a doctorate in educational leadership, was appointed to replace retiring Superintendent Janet Robinson, beating out a field of 21 other applicants. Under the original three-year contract approved unanimously by the board, Osunde was paid a base salary of $210,000 in his first year. He was also provided a $3,000 annual stipend in recognition of his doctorate degree and a $350 monthly transportation allowance. Osundes initial contract, which ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, states that the salary in his second and third years shall be in an amount agreed upon by the Parties, but in no event shall be less than the amount then in effect. The agreement also says the school board, at Osundes request, could vote on whether to offer him a new contract prior to the end of the first year. Requests for a copy of the newly-approved contract extension were not immediately returned. Despite being paid more than $20,000 less than his predecessor, Osundes pay package is still in the top half of superintendents in the state but significantly less than his peers in the region, according to an investigation by Hearst Connecticut Media. The investigation found that the average annual salary for a full-time superintendent in Fairfield County during the 2020-21 school year was $253,312. richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com If you've ever delved into the world of self-tanning, then you'll be familiar with the name Bondi Sands as the No.1 tanning brand in the UK and Ireland*. Now after conquering the tanning market, the Aussie fan favourite has branched out into skincare with Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare, a 12-piece, budget-friendly range (everything is under 12.99) that's set to sort out any of your skincare woes. It's tested by real people and approved by experts, with the added bonus of being available at just a fraction of the price of other brands! Now available at Boots, you can try out the range that is loved by influencers and beauty experts from around the world! Whether you're looking for a moisturiser that will leave your skin hydrated but not sticky, or an under-eye cream that will banish eye bags for good, there's a purse-friendly product for everyone. Plus, if you want to know exactly which items are best for you there's no need to worry, as Bondi Sands have created a handy skincare quiz that will create a bespoke routine for you, based on your skin concerns. With summer officially on the horizon why not start with checking out our must-have summer skincare heroes, the Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream (costing just 9.99) and Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser (a steal at 12.99). Combine the two for the perfect no make-up look, with this ultimate ingredient powered duo working together to achieve glowing, dewy skin. Fashion blogger Emily Shak is a big fan of Bondi Sands Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream Illuminating summer skin must haves! As we move into the summer months, its natural to want to switch to illuminating, lightweight, skin-glowing products that will nourish your skin. Here are our top picks from the range... Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream (9.99) With our busy lifestyles and long summer nights ahead, you can be forgiven for not getting your full eight hours of beauty sleep. Luckily, the Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream is the ultimate beauty secret, combining Vitamin C and illuminating particles that will brighten and reduce dark circles instantly and over time. This hero product, which has been seen all over Tiktok, achieves similar results and has been compared to a supremely popular eye dark circle corrector - but comes at a fraction of the price, at just 9.99 for the same handy 15ml size. But don't just take our word for it, a whopping 96% of lucky Bondi Babes that got to try out the products first credited Eye Spy with making their under-eye area appear more luminous and awakened after 30 days**, with 100% of participants saying they would buy it after their 30-day trial**. Enriched with Vitamin C, Green Coffee Bean and Carrot Oil, this handbag-sized product helps soothe and hydrate tired eyes, while also moisturising and nourishing dark patches. Even if you've only had 3 hours of sleep, barely anyone will notice! How to use: Step one: Squeeze a small amount of Bondi Sands Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream on your ring finger. Step two: Apply gently to the under-eye area whilst dabbing to allow product to absorb. Step three: For best results, apply in the morning to clean skin as the first step in your skincare routine. Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser is the perfect daily essential to protect your face against UVA and UVB sun exposure Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser (12.99) One of the brand's best-selling products, and for good reason! This Mineral Moisturiser combines hydrating and soothing ingredients with SPF 50 sun protection, ensuring your skin is prepped, hydrated and protected from the elements. Our top 3 tips for glowing skin this summer Know your skin! Its important to understand your skin concerns and how to target them. Create a bespoke routine and find out what products are right for you with the Bondi Sands Everyday Skin Quiz. SPF is your BFF! Come rain or shine, we should always protect our skin from harmful UVA & UVB rays. Make sure to apply SPF daily by incorporating either hybrid two-in-one products such as Sunny Daze Mineral Moisturiser SPF 50 or stand alone SPF into your routine. We recommend Bondi Sands Fragrance Free SPF50+, which can be used as the perfect base to your makeup. Consistency is key! Skin results take time, so make sure to embrace your routine every morning and evening you'll thank us later! And remember, all 12 products are suitable for sensitive skin, won't clog your pores, have been dermatologically tested and are fragrance free. Ready to become a Bondi Babe? Check out the full Everyday Skincare range available at Boots. L-R: Bondi Sands Gold'n Hour Vitamin C Serum 30ml (9.99), Sunny Daze SPF 50 Moisturiser 50g (12.99) and Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream 15ml (9.99) Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser is the must-have daily essential to protect your face against UVA and UVB sun exposure, with Vitamin E, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Fruit Extract and Zinc Oxide working together to provide up to 72 hours of hydration. Plus, 100% of the everyday people who tried out the Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser for 30 days said the texture of the product was easy to apply***, while also noting that after just 24 hours of use the product felt gentle on their skin***. There's no need to break the bank on a moisturiser that also offers SPF protection. As the must-have SPF BFF this summer and the ultimate fan-favourite by editors and influencers alike, Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser comes at the purse-friendly price point of 12.99. Suitable for all skin tones, including those with sensitive skin, this mineral moisturiser contains a universal tint and there's no need to worry about ghosting, as it counteracts the white cast left behind by some other moisturisers, resulting in a dewy, invisible finish. How to use: Step one: Shake well before use. Step two: Apply cream liberally and evenly to the face 15 to 20 minutes before exposure to the sun. Step three: Remember to re-apply every two hours or more often when sweating and after swimming, exercise or towel drying. Now you've heard about two of our summer skincare heroes, why not check out the other 10 products in the Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare range. Each product has been formulated with everyday skin in mind, and you can mix and match to tailor your regime to your specific needs. Check out the full Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare range at Boots now. *2021 IRI & Nielsen Data Jan-Dec 2021. For more information, please contact info@bondisands.co.uk **Based on an independent user trial of participants, after 30 days of using Bondi Sands Eye Spy Vitamin C Eye Cream 15ml. ***Based on an independent user trial of participants, after 30 days of using Bondi Sands Sunny Daze SPF 50 Mineral Moisturiser 50ml. A 27-year-old woman who married her ex-boyfriend's father has revealed how the pair formed a close connection when she was in sixth grade - despite a 24-year age gap - before going on to start a romantic relationship when she was just 16 years old, much to the horror of her friends and family. Sydney Dean, from Ohio, first met her now-husband Paul, 51, when she was a sixth grader and dating his son. After she and her then-boyfriend ended their romantic relationship, the pair remained friends - and Sydney continued to spend time with him and his family, including Paul, at their home. It was then that she started to form a connection with Paul, despite their vast age difference and her tender age - although it wasn't until Sydney turned 16 - the legal consenting age in her home state - that the pair's romance began to blossom. Despite the pair facing furious backlash from their loved ones over the controversial age-gap relationship, their romance went from strength to strength, and in 2016, they tied the knot. More than a decade later, the couple are still going strong - although Sydney admits that people around them have struggled to come to terms with the romance and the two-and-a-half decades between them but she doesn't care as she's having the best sex of her life. A 27-year-old woman in 24-year age gap relationship has revealed she married her ex's dad Sydney Dean, 27, from Ohio, met her now husband, Paul, 51, when she was just a sixth-grader Since tying the knot, the pair have received support from their family and friends, and Sydney says her parents love Paul 'He is the only person I have had sex with and he is the best,' Sydney said. 'I can't really compare the sex to other relationships, as he is the first real relationship I have been in.' Sydney concedes that their relationship is far from traditional, however she insists that she wouldn't have it any other way, saying: 'I never expected to fall in love with Paul and we met in a non-traditional way, but I'm so happy I did.' Although she says that the pair are blissfully happy together, Sydney admits that there have been several ups and downs on their road to true love - particularly when it came to convincing their loved ones, who were initially very resistant to the match. 'My mom already knew who Paul was and from the few times they have talked, they got along just fine,' Sydney confessed. 'But when I first told my mom that we were together, she was not happy.' However, the couple persevered, and eventually, Sydney says her mother came around to the idea of them being together. She said: 'The age gap really got to her and it stayed that way for about a year - eventually she came around. [After this] we would go to her house almost every weekend just to hang out or have a BBQ.' While Sydney never expected to meet her now husband when she was just a kid, she says she is so happy she did After Sydney and Paul's son broke up they remained friends which prompted a connection between Paul and Sydney The pair began dating when Sydney was just 16, the legal age of consent in Ohio, and tied the knot in 2016 Sydney's mother's relationship with Paul has also been strengthened by the fact that the couple now lives near her - meaning that they have been able to form their own bond. 'Now that we live pretty close to each other, she comes over all the time,' she explained. 'She is 100 per cent supportive of us and absolutely loves Paul. In fact, they probably chat more than me and her do.' But Sydney's mom wasn't the only family member she had to convince - with her father also taking issue with his daughter's new romance. 'In the beginning my father didn't like the age gap either and as he lives out of state, he didn't see him as much, but now, he really likes him,' she explained. As for Paul's two children, the couple believe that his youngest took their romance the 'hardest' as Sydney already knew him. Sydney said: 'He didn't agree with the relationship for a couple years, but now that we have been together and are married, he supports us being together. 'He comes over with his girlfriend and their three children every other weekend just to hang out with us and BBQ.' Family feuds aside, the couple has also had to deal with personal struggles, particularly when Paul got into a terrifying car accident that landed him in the hospital for three weeks. 'Paul got into a horrible truck accident last July and was in the SICU for nearly three weeks,' she recalled. However, in the end, this actually helped Sydney to get closer to Paul's children, including her ex-boyfriend, because they all came together in order to help him through his injuries. 'While [Paul] was in [the hospital], I would talk to his son everyday and we would come see him together,' Sydney said. 'Now all the family is OK with us being together.' When the pair first began dating, they struggled to convince their friends and family of the authenticity of the relationship Sydney has said that she is having the best sex of her life and although the two met in a 'non-traditional' way, she is happier than ever Although the two are madly in love, Sydney says she has lost friends because of the relationship However, not everyone has come around, she said that she 'did have one friend that wasn't OK with [her] and Paul's relationship.' 'This friend would never want to come hang out or even talk to me much at all if he was around.' She added: 'She eventually didn't want to be my friend anymore because of the age difference in the relationship.' Sydney hopes sharing her story will help to remove the stigma towards age gap relationships. She added: 'I wish people would understand that couples with an age gap can truly love and care for one another. 'There are a lot of negative assumptions about age gap relationships, but that doesn't mean couples can't be in it for the right reasons. 'He is the best husband I could have asked for, and he treats me so great.' While there are plenty of means of communication available, sometimes a poster in your neighbourhood is the most effective way of getting the message out there in an emergency situation such as a lost pet. And if you really want to grab people's attention, then injecting some humour into your efforts will definitely make them take notice. Hightally has rounded up a selection of the funniest missing posters from around the world, including a woman who put up a sign to say that someone's cat has been trying to move into her house. Elsewhere, a woman in London made a play for a boyfriend who looks like Ryan Gosling by asking if anyone knows his doppelganger. Hello! This person has clearly gone to a lot of effort to recreate Lionel Richie's classic song. This poster allows fans to choose their favourite lyric. Although the purpose isn't entirely clear, it's certainly fun Could this be the best lost cat poster ever? In Missouri Bronwen is desperate to get rid of this cat, who is trying to move in Anyone similar will do! In London a woman called Isabella put up signs looking for Hollywood star Ryan Gosling Now we have! Not too sure what the point of this one is... But at least the cat will laugh when he's a viral meme Crazy Klaus! This poster proves that not everyone loves their pet, especially if they are hostile. Hopefully the public will see this before making eye contact Optical illusion! This is some nifty photoshop skills but we don't really understand the point of this poster, but at least the computer genius who created it did Tweet tweet! Which poster came first? Parrots need to be careful in California with BBQ delicacies popping up on every street corner Lost pet! Aaron is trying to wreak havoc but luckily someone is on the case. However, let's hope that all passers by see the funny side Thank you for the information! Burglars in New York are rejoicing at this person's error is handfeeding them the perfect crime Let's be friends! Maybe this person in the US hasn't heard of Facebook. We do wonder if they did provide their correct information The opposite of lost! Pierre has the blood of French revolutionaries running through his veins and sought his freedom Advertisement She plays Isabel Belly Conklin in Amazon Primes smash-hit series, The Summer I Turned Pretty a role which has seen newcomer Lola Tung jump start her acting career in a way thats worthy of its own Hollywood script. The Asian-American actress, who hails from New York, landed the coveted part in the television adaptation of To All The Boys Ive Loved Before author Jenny Hans popular book series while at the esteemed Carnegie Mellon University in The School of Drama Acting and Music Theater. The teen romance series was the first project Lola, 19, ever auditioned for with the young talent having only teamed up with her manager a few weeks into her first year in college. It girl: Lola Tung has become Hollywood's hottest new star thanks to the success of her Amazon Prime series, The Summer I Turned Pretty - pictured in June 2022 Leading lady: The actress stars as the protagonist, Isabel Belly Conklin, in the romance series - pictured with co-star Christopher Briney However, a career in acting has long been the aim for Lola, whose mother, Pia, briefly worked as an actress while her father spent time as a musician. Now, as fans across the globe praise the stars debut performance in the multigenerational drama, Lola seems set to join TATBILB star Lana Condor as another actress whose star has risen to the top thanks to their portrayal of a character created by Jenny Han. With the actress is preparing to delight viewers again in the second season of the binge-worthy show, the sky truly is the limit for Hollywood newest superstar. Though Lola could easily be seen as an overnight success, the actress has always shown promise after falling in love with acting in sixth grade. The perfect choice: Lola was chosen for the role by the book trilogy's author Jenny Han - pictured in June 2022 Love triangle: Lola had to do chemistry reads with her co-stars Christophey Briney (left) and Gavin Casalegno (right) via zoom Recalling the moment when she played the Tin Man in her middle school production of The Wizard of Oz, Lola told Collider: From there I fell in love with the process and loved being on stage and telling the stories, all of it. That was the moment that started that love for me. She continued: It was just the thrill of being on stage and making people laugh I remember my parents being so excited afterwards. My dad was a musician for a little while and my mum sort of dabbled in acting for a little bit so they are both artists and were so happy that I found something. Growing up in New York City, with the likes of disc jockey Ken Dashow as her neighbor, allowed the star to enjoy plenty of live theater and musicals which further invigorated her love of the arts. Soon Lola secured a spot at the prestigious LaGuardia High School, which boasts the likes of Timothee Chalamet, Sarah Paulson and Jennifer Aniston amongst its alumni. Inspiration: Lola says she was raised by 'creative' parents - pictured as a baby with her mother Pia Tung Starting early: The actress fell in love with acting during middle school and often took part in school plays - pictured in 2016 Her time at LaGuardia ended with a virtual senior showcase in 2020, before Lola then went on to begin her college experience at Carnegie Mellon Universitys School of Drama. Just weeks into her second semester as a freshman, Lola was approached by a manager who quickly put the actress forward for the role as Belly. Looking back at how she locked in the role after her first professional audition experience, Lola told Seventeen magazine: I auditioned completely over Zoom and I was in my first year at Carnegie Mellon. So I was living in Pittsburgh and I sent in tapes for the role that I recorded with my roommates at home. Then I did the entire callback process on Zoom for Jenny and some of the producers. It was really wonderful to work with or to get to read with so many different actors and to read for Jenny. Focused: Lola chose to study drama during her school years in order to pursue her dream - pictured while studying drama at high school Ready for fame: Lola graduated from the world famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in June 2020 Beginner's luck: Lola's audition for the Amazon Prime series was her first time going for a professional acting role - pictured at a The Summer I Turned Pretty discussion in June 2022 Luckily for the actress, rushing home to do zoom auditions after her college classes paid off. She eventually found out she got the part during a zoom chat, leaving the star with the unique challenge of trying to finish her first year of college while already having booked a huge role. I was in shock and first and then I called my mom crying on the phone and we freaked out together a little bit, but it was super exciting, she told Teen Vogue. With the help and support from her teachers, Lola was able to complete her freshman year before put her college education on pause in order to focus on filming the series. Speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the her CMU experience, the star explained: I dont think Id be where I am right now without my one year at CMU. I learned a lot about acting ... and also about myself as a person being away in a different city and learning what its like to be in that environment. Main character: Lola plays Belly as she suddenly becomes the object of fascination and desire during a summer getaway with her mom, brother and close family friends I learned a lot about professionalism and working with people who are as passionate as I am about acting and theater. I take all the tools I got at CMU with me, and Im very, very grateful for them. Han's trilogy of 'Summer' novels follows 16-year-old Belly as she suddenly becomes the object of fascination and desire during a summer getaway with her mom, brother and close family friends. Belly has had a long-time crush on the older brother, Conrad (Christopher Briney), who might finally be seeing her as more than a little sister but then suddenly his younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), reveals his feelings for Belly. Lola has likened the experience of filming the series to summer camp, with her social media updates showcasing plenty of bonding moments with her castmates. Instant hit: Reaction to the series has been overwhelmingly positive from both longtime lovers of the book series and new fans The actress also expressed her appreciation when it came to not only working directly with Han who worked as both a writer and showrunner for the series but for the chance to create something that further represented the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she explained: I think it's really special to have stories about love and about family [and see] different families. It's not just the same thing over and over again. To be working with other Asian-American actors Sean Kaufman, who plays my brother, Jackie Chung, who plays my mom, and Minnie Mills who's also in the show and to have an Asian-American creator, writer, and showrunner who has that voice and that understanding is so incredible. Lola continued: We had an Asian-American director, too, Jeff Chan, who was amazing. [I was] constantly being surrounded by incredible Asian-American artists. Did I just binge watch the entire season of The Summer I Turned Pretty the first night it came out, in one night? Yes. Did I also bawl my eyes out, fall in love and have a gigantic need for more? Yes. fel (@fallintheflames) June 17, 2022 Star girl: Fans have been flocking online to share their praise for Lola's performance To have that also be my first experience on a set was really, really cool. It's a story about love and family, and the family happens to be Asian-American, which is so cool, because it's just family, it's just love. So far, reaction to the series has been overwhelmingly positive with new fans and longtime lovers of the book series all heaping praise onto the cast and all involved in the making of the show. One fan tweeted: 'Can we talk about how The Summer I Turned Pretty has the best cast, best music, and is possibly one of the best shows to come out in a LONG time.' Another added: 'Did I just binge watch the entire season of The Summer I Turned Pretty the first night it came out, in one night? Yes. Did I also bawl my eyes out, fall in love and have a gigantic need for more? Yes.' 'I need season 2 of the summer i turned pretty more than I need air,' a third wrote. Dream summer: The actress and the cast filmed the series in Wilmington, North Carolina between July and October 2021 When asked about the positive reactions rolling in online by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Lola gushed: Everyone has been very lovely. Social media has been a little overwhelming. But I feel very lucky there was already such a wonderful fan base of the books, and theyve been so kind after the show came out. I think people have been so accepting of the changes and updates, which is really lovely. Indeed, fans have been flocking to share praise for Lola's performance specifically as one wrote: 'lola tung is still so unbelievably stunning to me... and she's perfect as Belly Conklin.' Another tweeted: 'ok but Lola Tung as Belly is the definition of perfect casting.' 'Ik almost everyone's drooling over the boys but a BIG Shout out to Ms Lola Tung for her amazing performance as Belly in #TheSummerITurnedPretty,' a third gushed. 'It is her 1st ever acting job and she did so good! Such a graceful and strong screen presence, hope she gets lots of good roles in future.' Another fan stated: 'Lola Tung is the perfect Belly I cant stop watching The Summer I Turned Pretty.' Exciting times: Lola eagerly looks forward to what's to come in her career, with the actress hoping to make a return to musical theater - pictured in May 2022 Apart from her work, Lola has been vocal about representation and societal issues close to her heart such as climate change and womens rights. During the 2018 March For Our Lives protest in NY, she posted on Instagram: 'Heres to an extremely empowering day. We will never stop fighting. @nycmarchforourlives #enoughisenough #neveragain #guncontrolnow #vote2018 #marchforourlives'. Elsewhere, she saw Environmental activist Greta Thunberg speak in 2018, before joining the school strike for climate change in 2019. With her influence growing thanks to the success of the first seasons of her series, the star is sure to use her newfound platform to raise further awareness for causes she believes in. Campaigner: Lola has been vocal about representation and societal issues close to her heart such as climate change - pictured in March 2018 Using her platform for good: The actress is sure to use her newfound platform to raise further awareness for causes she's passionate about - pictured in September 2019 For now, Lola eagerly looks ahead to what might come next in her career, with the actress expressing a desire return to her first love musical theater. I think it's just been cool to continue auditioning and seeing different projects that are out there. I started as a theater kid, and it'd be really cool to do theater at some point again, live theatre, she told InStyle. If the singing videos Lola has shared on social media are anything to go by, the rising star is already taking the steps needed to make that dream come true. The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Amazon Prime. This is the emotional moment a woman was finally reunited with her daughter on Long Lost Family, 50 years after her partner secretly took their child to Morocco to be raised by his strict sister, who couldn't have children. Birmingham-based Hazel Chick, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was left 'crying every night' for months when her 18-month-old daughter Sanae was taken away from her by her partner. Her ex-husband claimed he was taking their child to Morocco to meet his relatives, however four weeks later her returned without Sanae, explaining to Hazel that he had given their daughter to his sister to care for, because she couldn't have children of her own. Sanae, who only discovered her 'father and mother' weren't her biological parents after 30 years, had an unhappy childhood; she was forced to leave school at eleven-years-old and worked at home until she had an arranged marriage aged nineteen with a 'controlling' husband. She was eventually told the truth about her parents by a distant family member and moved to England with her four children in search of her mother. Sanae, who is now happily married to someone else and has a fifth child, contacted Long Lost Family for help, and in emotional scenes which aired last night, she was finally reunited with her mother Hazel. This is the emotional moment a woman was finally reunited with her daughter on Long Lost Family, 50 years after her partner secretly took their child to Morocco to be raised by his strict sister, who couldn't have children Birmingham-based Hazel Chick, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was left 'crying every night' for months when her 18-month-old daughter Sanae (pictured as a baby) was taken away from her by her partner Sanae recalled of her childhood: 'I had a hard life in Morocco. My parents were very strict, especially my father. 'If you do something wrong, he's going to beat you. I had to stay at home, doing the cleaning, the washing or sewing clothes.' The situation only grew worse when she was married to a man over 20 years her senior at the age of just 19. 'It was an arranged marriage. He's very, very in control. He liked to think I was his slave,' admitted Sanae. Sanae had four children and was almost thirty when a distant family member, from England, revealed a devastating secret - that she was not who she thought she was. Her ex-husband claimed he was taking their child to Morocco to meet his relatives, however four weeks later her returned without Sanae (pictured as an adult, recently), explaining to Hazel that he had given their daughter to his sister to care for, because she couldn't have children of her own Sanae (pictured, aged nine), who only discovered her 'father and mother' weren't her biological parents after 30 years, had an unhappy childhood; she was forced to leave school at eleven-years-old and worked at home until she had an arranged marriage aged nineteen with a 'controlling' husband 'I found out the truth: my father and my mum, its not my real family All my life is fake,' she recalled. 'I feel like my heart is broken. You feel all your life is a lie. I want to know my real mother. I hope she loved me. Like I love her.' The people whod brought her up were in fact her paternal aunt and uncle. Her birth mother is a British woman called Hazel Chick. Sanae had been born in Birmingham and taken to Morocco by her father when she was 18-months-old. She was eventually told the truth about her parents by a distant family member and moved to England with her four children in search of her mother (pictured) Hearing this shocking news, Sanaes thoughts immediately turned to her mother in England and she went to the British Embassy in Rabat and traced her British birth certificate. Then, as a British citizen, Sanae move to the UK with her children. She is now happily remarried and surrounded by family. But without knowing her birth mother, she felt she could not feel truly complete. She's spent 20 years living in Britain and searching for her mother. 'From my heart I wish to meet her one time in my life. See her, hug her because its so hard you know because its my mum,' said Sanae. Sanae, who is now happily married to someone else and has a fifth child, contacted Long Lost Family for help, and in emotional scenes which aired last night, she was finally reunited with her mother Hazel The Long Lost Family team found Hazel still living in Birmingham, and when told about her discovered daughter, she said: 'I am over the moon. Im overjoyed. [] to actually see my daughter before I pass on.' 'Since her dad took her away, I've never, never stopped thinking about her,' the mother added. After fifty years apart, mother and daughter were finally reunited in emotional scenes on yesterday's programme. 'Today has meant everything to me. She is my life not in my life, she is my life. I love her, I always have, I always will... I'm glad she's back in my life,' said Hazel. 'Today is the best day, an amazing day,' added Sanae. It is well known that the sun is responsible for the vast majority of visible ageing, with UV rays accounting for 80 per cent of skin ageing, including wrinkles. Now research by the Clarins Beauty Daily team has found the top 10 UK cities and towns where residents are most at risk of skin ageing due to UV exposure. The findings are based on the number of sunshine hours per UK cities, with Chichester named the sunniest of all, with a total of 1,919 hours (80 days) on average a year, according to Met Office data. Long-term UV exposure can also lead to pigmentation, reduced skin elasticity and a degradation of skin texture, including yellowing. Clarins Beauty Daily team have revealed the top 10 UK cities and towns where residents are most at risk of skin ageing due to UV exposure Residents in Derry, Northern Ireland, were the least at risk of sun damage, experiencing the lowest hours of sunlight per year among all UK cities at 1,222 hours (51 days). Glasgow residents have little cause for concern, with a total of 1,234 hours of sunlight on average a year. But Chichester, other coastal cities in the UK also had high annual average hours of sunshine. Top 10 UK cities and towns where residents are most at risk of UV damage Chichester - 1,919 hours Brighton and Hove - 1,892 hours Southend-on-Sea - 1,884 hours Portsmouth - 1,772 hours Canterbury - 1,737 hours Plymouth - 1,732 hours Southampton - 1,706 hours Salisbury - 1,699 hours Cardiff - 1,692 hours Bristol - 1,658 hours Advertisement Brighton and Hove came in second place with a total of 1,892 hours, Southend-on-Sea came in third place with 1,884 hours, and Portsmouth followed at 1,772 hours. Residents in these places are even more at risk of skin damage than other cities in the UK, without proper skincare. When looking at the 20 most-populated cities in the UK, Southampton was first among them, with a total of 1,706 hours of sunshine a year. London ranked sixth for UV among the most-populated cities, with a total of 1,559 hours of sunshine, or 65 days a year. With a total of 1,670 hours (70 days), the South East had the highest average hours of sunshine per year out of all regions in the UK, meaning that residents living here are at the highest risk of UV exposure day-to-day. This is in comparison to northern Scotland was the lowest with 1,104 hours per year or 46 days. UV risk is usually at its highest between 10am and 4pm, as well as during the spring and summer months. Although the sun is not as intense on overcast days, UV rays can penetrate through the clouds, so it's essential to use SPF throughout the year. There are two types of UV light that cause skin damage from the sun: These are ultraviolet A (UVA) rays have a longer wavelength known to cause ageing, whilst ultraviolet B (UVB) rays have a shorter wavelength which can burn the skin without SPF use. The findings are based on the number of sunshine hours per UK cities, with Chichester (pictured) named the sunniest of all, with a total of 1,919 hours (80 days) on average a year, according to Met Office data. Dr Paul Banwell, founder and previous head of The Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit (MASCU) in East Grinstead, one of the largest skin cancer units in the UK says: Everyone should incorporate a high factor SPF into their daily skincare routine. 'This will not only protect against the suns UVA rays which can cause premature aging and skin cancer, but also protect against UVB rays which can cause melasma and premature skin ageing. The first signs of ageing that are noticeable on the skin's surface start around the age of 25. This is accelerated if you've been exposed to sunlight, and it begins with fine lines and a loss of moisture and progresses over time. Skin ageing is sped up by exposure to the sun in the summer. Dr Paul Banwell says: 'The most important reason for protection and prevention of sun damage is to reduce the risk of skin cancer including pre-cancers called actinic keratosis, basal cell cancers and the potentially deadly melanoma.' He says that wearing SPF is the only safe way to get a tan. NHS guidelines recommend that when buying a sunscreen you should always look for a SPF of at least 30 to protect against UVB, and at least 4-star UVA protection. Aesthetic doctor, Dr Galyna Selezneva : 'Not wearing sunscreen will leave the skin exposed to the sun's UVA and UVB rays. 'Ultraviolet radiation causes DNA changes to the skin that can lead to premature ageing. 'Sun damage can destroy collagen and elastin in your skin too. 'Collagen and elastin degradation in the deeper skin layers can result in premature signs of skin ageing, such as wrinkles and fine lines, because your skin loses its elasticity and firmness. 'We need to be wearing an SPF of at least 50 on the face and once youve applied your broad-spectrum SPF you should reapply it every two hours. Overexposure to UV rays can lead to the development of wrinkles, texture, hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, red blotches, brown spots and even lack of firmness in the skin. In a 2017 Statista survey, 31% of men in the UK said they dont wear sunscreen during the summer, even if theyre on a sunny holiday, compared to only 15% of women. In addition, a 2021 survey revealed that 37% of the male respondents reported that they never apply sunscreen when outside of their home. 31% said they use it some of the time and only 11% said that they always use it. Products featured in this article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, DailyMail.com will earn an affiliate commission. Malia Obama exuded California cool-girl style as she was spotted stopping by a beauty salon before heading to Starbucks to pick up some coffee in Los Angeles this week. The TV writer opted for a tie-dye shirt dress she teamed with barely there shorts and she completed her look with a pair of white cotton socks and a pair of box fresh New Balance sneakers. The 23-year-old, who is currently working on Donald Glover's upcoming Amazon project, Hive, opted for minimal accessories, seen just carrying her mobile phone and car keys in hand. Summer kicks! Malia Obama was spotted out on a coffee run in L.A. wearing a tie-dye shirt with short shorts and a pair of New Balance sneakers New Balance counts a long roster of celebrity clients like Kaia Gerber, Alessandra Ambrosio, Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and even the Duchess of Cambridge all rocking various sneaker styles over the years. The brands fresh and cushioned designs always keep your feet in the utmost of comfort while providing just the right support for your soles. Make like Malia this summer and step out in these stylish kicks for $89.99 or pick up one of our favorite styles that are just as stylish and won't break the bank. Australian author Sally Hepworth has described herself as a 'mad wig lady' after falling down the faux-hair rabbit hole when she found a bald spot on top of her head Australian author Sally Hepworth has opened up about her hair loss after falling down the faux-hair rabbit hole when she found a bald spot on her head. The 42-year-old mother of two revealed she has been living with a compulsive hair pulling disorder for thirty years - leaving her locks much thinner than she would like. 'I have trichotillomania, which is fancy for 'I pull my hair out at the crown', it is a nervous condition,' she told her followers on Instagram recently. The popular author told Mamamia it is something she has been struggling with since she was in primary school. 'The first time I recall pulling out my hair was around age 12, during a long drive from Melbourne to Queensland. Thirty years later, I've never quite shaken the habit, despite hypnotherapy, psychology, and a rapidly growing bald spot.' Over the last few weeks the mother-of-two has been experimenting with ways to make her hair look fuller, she explained. But the extensions and weaves on offer didn't cover the top of her head - which is where she needed the most coverage. Scroll down for video The 42-year-old mother of two revealed she has been living with a compulsive hair pulling disorder for thirty years - leaving her locks much thinner than she would like This new obsession continued to build until she found herself sitting for a wig maker, and trawling Youtube for advice on how to wear them. 'Some of you may know I am a woman who doesn't do things by halves,' she said in a video to her 40,000 followers. She then revealed she was in fact wearing a wig and took it off to show the camera. 'Christian didn't even notice I was wearing a wig, he had no idea,' she said of her husband. 'Look at the hairline, isn't it amazing? I just think it looks so real,' she mused. After taking the synthetic hair off she went on to explain exactly how to put it on again, starting with clipping her onw, much thinner hair up at the back. She then put her wig grip band on, like a head band before holding her wig upside down in front of her chest. Sally revealed her husband didn't even notice her new hair and she thinks it looks real 'You dive into it, head first like diving into a pool,' she said. Before deciding to buy her first wig Sally weighed up the reaction of her loyal fans. 'I thought it will either look amazing or I will be the mad author who is the mad wig lady. Both are good,' she laughed. Adding she doesn't mind being a mad wig lady at all. The blond 'tussled' bob is the first of what could shape up to be a major collection. 'I have told Christian if we move I will need a wig room,' she said. Sally revealed her hair has been left thin and with a bald spot following 30 years of hair pulling and the onset of peri menopause What is Trichotillomania? Trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh), also called hair-pulling disorder, is a mental disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, despite trying to stop. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves patchy bald spots, which causes significant distress and can interfere with social or work functioning. People with trichotillomania may go to great lengths to disguise the loss of hair. For some people, trichotillomania may be mild and generally manageable. For others, the compulsive urge to pull hair is overwhelming. Some treatment options have helped many people reduce their hair pulling or stop entirely. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement 'I have ordered a lot of wigs,' she added. 'Not going to lie, having a good hair day at my fingertips is a game changer. And the upside is that I cant pull out my hair while the wig is on,' she said. Before warning her Instagram is going to feature wigs heavily until she puts out her next book. Sally says she has periods where she doesn't pull her hair as much, but the habit always returns when she gets stressed. This combined with peri-menopausal hair thinning has left her 'follically challenged'. In the video, which has been seen by 40,000 people she says she hopes her bald spot recovers and her hair begins to grow back while she uses the wig. She also said she is excited not to have to dye her hair - because she plans to cover it up anyway. And while a human hair wig can cost up to $3000 Sally says they are worth it and thinks they will become the new normal. Products featured in this Mail Best article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, DailyMail.com will earn an affiliate commission. You may have noticed that self-tans can vary greatly in terms of color, ease of application and how long they last on the skin. But if you want the very best at an affordable price, you may be interested to hear that the first self-tan in the whole world to use squalane is here in the form of the Malibu Bronze 100% organic tan. Squalane is an exceptional hydrator and helps the skin retain moisture, meaning that the Malibu Bronze tan won't just give you color but it will work hard to nourish your skin and make it feel softer and silkier. Now reduced by 15 percent if you use the code GLOW15 at checkout, the tan offers multiple benefits for your skin for less than $30. Malibu Bronze Self-Tan This luxurious formula contains five super hero ingredients - Squalane, Vitamin B3, Vegan Collagen, Orange Blossom, Certified Organic Aloe Vera. These combine to nourish and moisturize the skin, giving you a premium skincare product and a tan for less than $30 There are no chemicals, no fake smell and it can be washed off in as little as one hour. Use the code GLOW15 to save. Shop Founded by Irish influencer Tiffany Stanley, who lives in Los Angeles, the Malibu Bronze tan delivers natural, even coverage and a golden sun-kissed glow And as squalene is rich in antioxidants, it can fight the damage caused by free radicals to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, scars, sun damage, and hyperpigmentation - with no need for you to do anything except apply the tan as normal. To make life even easier Malibu Bronze offer a Glow Bundle with a tanning mitt and an exfoliating glove for perfect application. Use the code GLOW15 at checkout and it will be reduced to $42.50, which is the same price as just a bottle of other better-known tanning brands. The perfect tan: Malibu Bronze offer an exfoliating mitt and tanning glove bundle to make applying the self-tan fast and fuss-free Using Malibu Bronze is like using professional grade anti-aging and moisturizing skincare and tan in one product thanks to the natural skin-hydrating and anti-ageing ingredients. The tan is buildable so you can rinse it off in one hour for a lighter glow or leave on for four hours to make it look like you've just returned from a vacation. Excellent on naturally pale skin, the Malibu Bronze self-tan offers a safe way to tan as you're not at risk of burning or aging under the sun's UV rays Just one application of this tan will give you a naturally sun-kissed glow so it will save you time on lying out in the sun and protect your skin from the potentially life-threatening dangers of exposure to UVA and UVB rays. Malibu Bronze was founded by Irish influencer Tiffany Stanley and her siblings after losing their mother to skin cancer in 2019. Influencer Tiffany Stanley is a great ambassador for her own product, showing just how natural the color looks to her 872,000 Instagram followers Tiffany says: 'Malibu Bronze is not like any other product out there. This is a personal mission of our family to highlight the dangers of the sun, and offer a healthier alternative. 'We use super clean formulas and spare no expense on creating the best products on the market.' Remember to use the code GLOW15 when you visit the Malibu Bronze website to save on your summer skin appearance and health. A pet behaviourist who was arguing against using animals for likes was branded 'hypocritical' by Good Morning Britain viewers after it was revealed she'd dressed her own dog in Union Jack flags. Anna Webb, an East London-based expert, was left red-faced after Susanna Reid called her out for the snaps on today's show, which showed her English Bull Terrier wrapped in the flags for the Queen's Jubilee earlier this month. The pet lover, who owns two dogs and a cat, had just been arguing against using animal pictures for likes on social media, and stressed the importance of respecting the pet's dignity. She claimed some owners are 'crossing a line' and could cause their pets distress. But when the presenters jokingly asked whether her English Bull Terrier Prudence was 'comfortable' with this picture, the expert brushed it off, saying Prudence 'loves the lens'. A pet behaviourist who was arguing against using animals for likes was branded 'hypocritical' by Good Morning Britain viewers after it was revealed she'd dressed her own dog in Union Jack flags Anna Webb, an East London-based expert, was left red-cheeked after Susanna Reid called her out for the snaps on today's show, which showed her English Bull Terrier wrapped in the flags for the Queen's Jubilee earlier this month Viewers took to Twitter as they called Anna out for the double standard, saying she contradicted her previous statements about animal dignity. This comes as the Cats Protection voiced concerns against funny social video centered around pets, saying they could be distressing for the animals. Anna was discussing the Cats Protection's warning on the show. She said: 'I do think they triviliase pet ownership at times, there is a line that is being crossed.' The pet lover, who owns two dogs and a cat, had just been arguing against using animal pictures for likes, and stressed the importance of respecting the pet's dignity, as she said some owners were 'crossing a line' and could cause their pets distressed Anna's cat Gremlin, pictured, has an agent and has appeared in campaigns for animal charities, it was revealed on the show While she admitted she took pictures of her dog Prudence, she added these were 'artistic pictures' and 'educational' snaps that were 'giving the best life to my pets.' She later said: 'What the pandemic has done is create a lot of pet ownership that's been promoted and encouraged through social media now, for good and for bad.' She said people need to understand that 'pets are revered creatures'. 'I really believe they need to be treated as such and not a cheap circus act,' she added. She added that while taking a picture of your dog whilst training is 'a great opportunity, we mustn't think dog are little people. Anna said her dog Prudence 'joins in' on the pictures, 'takes it in her stride' and 'love the lens' after arguing against using pets for social media likes Anna said her pictures of Prudence are 'artistic' and 'educational.' She said pets should not be used as 'cheap circus acts' The charity Cats Protection has warned against video of pets on social media, saying some pets might be distressed if they're being made to perform 'Dogs are dogs are thanks heaven for that.' As she made her point, several pictures of her dog Prudence were shown on the screen, including one were the dog was dressed in an Union Jack, with two small flags poking out from behind her ears. Susanna, immediately called Anna out for the photo, asking the expert how she could know whether her dog was comfortable with her pictures or not. 'Prudence joins in, she loves posing for the camera,' Anna explained. 'We're blessed with a cameraman here in my tiny living room and, she's taking all this in her stride, she loves the lens,' she added. Susanna also pointed out that Anna's cat, Gremlin, has his own agent, however, the expert said he had only participated in campaigns for cat charities in order to educate people on how to properly care for and play with a cat. Viewers branded Anna a 'hypocrite' and that she contradicted her whole previous statement on the show Susanna poked Anna further, pointed out the cat could get paid for such campaigns and asked whether the expert was 'exploiting' her pets 'for pounds' instead of likes.' But the expert replies she is treating her pets with the dignity they deserve. Pet agent Loni Edwards, who is based in Chicago, was defending the counter argument in the debate, saying that 'as a pet owner you know your pet'. She said: 'You know what they're okay with, happy or stressed, it is your responsibility to make sure your pet is not doing uncomfortable things,' she said. She added performing tricks with your pet can also be great 'mental stimulation' when 'done properly.' She also added: 'The pets don't know what social media is. They're not worried about videos being on the internet, they like getting treats, getting the reward and the praise. 'As long as it's done right, there truly is no harm,' she concluded. Viewers called Anna a hypocrite and said she had contradicted everything she said earlier. 'This Anna woman has just contradicted everything she says she's standing for. Absolute mess. She should be embarrassed,' one said. 'Bit hypocritical,' another said. However, one person said there was a difference between dressing a pet up and filming them incessantly. 'Big difference between dressing a dog up and doing tricks for likes. Pet might be in distress. Wonder how many takes they do to get the perfect video. Pets aren't there to perform for likes.' A besotted man who got his new girlfriend's name tattooed on his neck and moved countries to be with her two weeks after they met has revealed that they have already split up - after living together for 13 days. Terrance Green, 23, from Detroit, and Alisa Thomas, 27, from Toronto, first matched on Hinge on April 17 and she flew 230 miles to spend the weekend with him. The 23-year-old had boasted that he and Alisa were trying for a baby one month after they matched on the dating app and two weeks after they met. He also admitted that he had been planning to propose to her on June 18. The smitten 23-year-old got Alisa's name inked on his neck and moved up to be with her in early June, telling his followers on Twitter that he wanted to have a baby with her. However, when he moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Toronto, Canada, to be with her, his relationship with the admin assistant soured and he claimed that her 'toxic' friends 'caused too much drama' and the relationship ended. Terrance Green, 23, from America, and Alisa Thomas, 27, from Canada, first matched on Hinge on April 17 and she flew 230 miles from Toronto to Detroit to spend the weekend with him The smitten 23-year-old got Alisa's name inked on his neck, pictured, and moved up to be with her in early June, telling his followers on Twitter that he wanted to have a baby with her However, when he moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Toronto, Canada, to be with her, his relationship with the admin assistant soured and he claimed that her 'toxic' friends 'caused too much drama' and the relationship ended Terrance, an entrepreneur, who is now living in Atlanta, tweeted: 'We broke up but Ima [sic] leave this posted to show n***as what not to do'. But now he is back on the dating scene, he does not seem too upset about their ill-fated romance, and boasted that 'everybody' had been waiting for him to be single again. He added that he has gained more followers online due to the 'viral' relationship. Terrance said: 'Her friends would start arguments and make her cry. For me to be there and to have her crying almost every other day, saying "My friends said this and now I'm sad", it was just so much stress. 'I told her she'd have to cut them off if she wanted our relationship to work. Her friends were a big problem. Terrance, an entrepreneur, who is now living in Atlanta, tweeted that their relationship had ended and quipped that he will leave the post up to show people 'what not to do' Terrance revealed that Alisa's friends made her cry and that they started toxic drama. Once one created a fake Instagram page and pretended that Terrance had created it. The paged slammed the food at a friend's birthday party 'We had a sit-down with one of her friends that I really didn't like because she was the main one making her cry. 'This friend had thrown a birthday party for her daughter. Alisa went without me, and then somebody made a fake Instagram page to say the party food looked nasty and the chicken was uncooked. 'This friend thought I'd made the page. She was texting Alisa saying: "I can't believe your boyfriend made that Instagram page". This was all over food at a kid's birthday party. That's why we had this friend come over, to have a sit-down conversation and clear things up. 'We thought everything was cool after that, then her friend went off and told all the other friends what we talked about, made up a whole load of stuff.' He said he chose to leave because he wanted to remove himself from the situation before things got worse He said that he grew tired of the 'toxic' drama and this incident was the last straw for him. Terrance said: 'I woke up the next morning and Alisa was bawling. It was just too much. I said If you're not going to cut out the toxic people in your life, I'm just going to remove myself before the whole situation gets toxic'. 'So I just left, I chose to leave. The situation was getting too toxic. I hadn't even been there for a month. If she didn't want to cut them off, I didn't want to be there. We were going to get married and have kids. I didn't want these people around my kids or at my wedding. 'I can't be fake. I didn't want to have fake-like these people for my relationship to work. 'It's too early in the relationship for me to have to be fake and deal with so much crying. We hadn't even gotten past the honeymoon stage. The 23-year-old told Alisa he was packing his things and leaving. He said that she was sad but thought she wanted him to go as it was too much for her 'They were all older than me, nearly 30-years-old, and acting like high schoolers. I couldn't deal with it. I told Alisa I was packing my stuff and leaving. She was sad about it but I think she wanted me to leave. It was all too much for her. 'Her friends didn't like me. A lot of her friends didn't like the fact that I was planning a proposal and didn't want to invite certain people. 'I was going to propose to her on June 18th, I had a restaurant booked. We had a YouTube channel flying out to film it for us.' Terrance had tweeted about their whirlwind romance before the break-up happened. He has no regrets about their relationship as he said it helped him gain followers online and attention Even though their relationship was short-lived, Terrance has no regrets about it because the 'viral' status of their romance has helped him gain followers online and he says he will get the tattoo covered up one day. He said: 'Looking back, I'm not mad about it. I gained a lot more attention, my YouTube is popping now. I got a lot of girls I used to talk to back in my life. My life is kind of lit again. Life is lit. I'm back in the dating game again. Everybody's been waiting on me to be single. 'I don't regret moving too quickly with the relationship. I gained more fans on my platforms, I don't regret anything I do in life.' 'I live life with no regrets - that's why I got the tattoo and moved to Canada. 'I'm going to get the tattoo of her name covered up one day, I'm not rushing though. I wasn't too upset about the break up. I've been having girlfriends my whole life, it doesn't really hurt my feelings.' After Terrance posted that the couple had broken up, he racked up more than 39,000 likes and 13,000 retweets on Twitter but he was slammed for rushing his relationship. One person wrote: 'I saw this happening from a mile away' After Terrance posted that the couple had broken up, he racked up more than 39,000 likes and 13,000 retweets on Twitter but he was slammed for rushing his relationship. One user wrote: 'You f**ked up when y'all moved in together.' Another said: 'I saw this happening from a mile away.' One tweeted: 'Tattoo of someone you've known for under two weeks is just wild I'm sorry but glad the lesson was learnt.' Another commented: 'Besides trusting Hinge with your life, you got a tattoo of her name, you moved to Canada, she was possibly pregnant, and all this happened when you had known her for 24 days?' Alisa declined to comment on their break-up - however speaking about the relationship before it ended, she had said: 'My family and friends had been nervous and had a lot of opinions about it moving too fast. 'I'd like to say that they support me and will come with me in time, but it's my walk to walk. I think if we didn't live countries apart, people wouldn't have thought it was a fast process. But because we live in different places, everybody was like 'oh gosh, they did that?' Queen Maxima of The Netherlands has once again ensured all eyes on her, donning a lavish grey lace outfit during an appearance in Vienna today. The 51-year-old Dutch royal is currently on a three-day state visit of Austria with her husband King Willem-Alexander, 55. Today they met Ukrainian refugees while visiting a community cooking project at Brotfabrik, a former bread factory which has been turned into a social enterprise featuring art displays as well offering other cultural and education initiatives. Afterwards, they walked through Vienna, before going to the Spanish riding school, where they posed for pictures with one of the horses. During the trip, Maxima donned a very glamorous grey ensemble, matching a one-shouldered lack gown with an elegant hat in matching fabric. Queen Maxima chose a very glamorous look today as she attended a community cooking project in Vienna Despite her elegant look, the Dutch royal showed she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, as she got stuck into cooking Good spirits: the mother-of-three was snapped beaming as she took part in the cookery demonstration at Brotfabrik in Vienna While she seemed happy to give cooking a go, at times, the Queen looked less than confident about how the dish was going Pinned onto her dress was a large brooch featuring a pale blue gemstone, which matched her dangling earrings. Her other pieces included sparkling diamond bracelets and silver rings. The mother-of-three finished the glamorous look with a polished make-up look, pairing her dewy base with a smoky grey eye, and lashings of black mascara. To keep attention on her eye makeup, she chose a natural pink lip, and soft peach blusher. Meanwhile, her blonde locks were styled into a side parting, then pulled into a low chignon, which sat neatly underneath her grey lace hat. In a sensible move, the royal pulled on a black apron, protecting her elegant gown while showing off some cooking skills. The couple were snapped looking stylish as they walked through Vienna today, following an earlier appearance at a community cooking project After their morning visit to a community cooking project, the royal couple visited Vienna's Spanish Riding School, where they were snapped petting one of the horses The couple appeared to be enjoying themselves, as they horsed around with the magnificent animals Maxima added a pair of stylish sunglasses to her glamorous grey ensemble, making it more appropriate for the bright Austrian sunshine King Willem-Alexander opted for a slightly lower key, though still smart, look, donning a grey two-piece suit, crisp white shirt, and red and white tie. The couple was snapped enjoying themselves as they took part in the cookery demonstration, with Maxima showing she isn't afraid to get stuck in and get her hands dirty. She was photographed beaming as she wielded a rolling pin, and shaping dough for the dish she was making. The royals, who arrived in Vienna yesterday, will spend time in the country until Wednesday after they were invited by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. Glamorous: 51-year-old Maxima matched her lavish outfit to a polished make-up look, pairing smoky eyes with a natural pink lip Maxima appeared deep in concentration as she seasoned the dough (pictured, left), but looked less than confident about how her creation was coming along (right) Royal couple: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima seemed to approach the cookery task with enthusiasm during their visit today All eyes on her: onlookers watched the glamorous royal as she prepared the dish, rolling out the dough After cooking the dish, Queen Maxima was pictured speaking with refugees from Ukraine at the community project King Willem-Alexander (pictured, right) appeared to look pensive as he listened to a refugee from Ukraine during the visit Today's appearance follows the pair stepping out for a state banquet in Vienna last night. Once again, Queen Maxima stole the show with her glamorous look, wearing a floor-length, one-shoulder white dress, paired with a stunning pearled tiara and drop earrings. Her beautiful gown, clinched at the waist to show off her envious figure, was paired with gold metallic sandals with a chunky high heel and a metallic clutch bag. Queen Maxima of The Netherlands wowed on a state visit to Vienna to meet the President of Austria yesterday The Queen linked arms with her husband King Willem-Alexander as they posed for photos with President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wide Doris Schmidauer Queen Maxima wore a stunning diamond and pearl tiara with matching earrings, which complemented the brooch on her dress Meanwhile, she wore her hair pulled into a classic chignon, and finished off her elegant look with a striking red lip. Posing for photos, the King and Queen smiled next to the President and his wife, Doris Schmidauer. The Austrian First Lady wore a chic blue satin gown with long sleeves, paired with gold jewellery and a low black heel. The King and President also dressed up for the occasion, each looking dapper in tuxedos and bow ties. Viewers of Channel 4's Murder in the Alps were left stunned after learning the secret American ex-husband of the British mother slaughtered in the 2012 massacre died on the same day. The documentary explores the September 2012 case, which saw Saad al-Hilli, a 50-year-old Iraqi-born British tourist and his wife Iqbal shot dead in front of their two young daughters in a forest car park close to Lake Annecy, near France's border with Switzerland. Iqbal's mother was also killed in the execution-style attack, as was a French cyclist who apparently stumbled upon the scene on a remote mountain road. French investigators have struggled for more than nine years to identify a motive for the killings. During the show, family and friends of Iqbal's first husband James Thompson explained how he had suffered a heart attack and died while driving his car- on the exact same day as the massacre. Many of those watching were left stunned, with one writing: 'Literally jaw dropping episode! #MurderInTheAlps.' Viewers of Channel 4's Murder in the Alps were left stunned after learning the secret American ex-husband of the British mother slaughtered in the 2012 massacre died on the same day Saad al-Hilli, a 50-year-old Iraqi-born British tourist and his wife Iqbal were shot dead in front of their two young daughters in a forest car park close to Lake Annecy, near France's border with Switzerland Another commented: 'Was not expecting that! Husband number 1 dies on the same day too #murderinthealps.' A third added: 'Strange how the wife's ex husband died on the same day #MurderInTheAlps.' In the documentary, which aired last night, American relatives of James explained how they first came to know Iqbal when she married him in 1999. Years before she married Saad, she had moved to Louisiana to live with Jim Thompson where she used the name 'Kelly'. Many of those watching were left stunned to learn that Iqbal's ex-husband died the same day as the massacre His son Joshua explained: 'My dad back then was the best, very charismatic, very sociable. 'When he told me about Kelly, I was probably 12 or 13. He said she'd be staying with us for a while.' Joshua said Kelly 'fit into the family very easily', adding: 'They were very happy and it was all just very loving. They cared for each other. 'I never saw a frown on her face. I loved her man, she was a good lady. I wish she could have stuck around a bit longer.' The couple got married in July 1999, with James' sister Judy Weatherley confessing she had been stunned by the decision by her brother. Iqbal lived as Kelly in the US for 18 months, with Judy saying: 'We fell in love with her from day one, but we could feel the pressure on her.' However she recalled how Iqbal left the US suddenly, adding: 'I just remember she came and told me she had to leave, and it just broke my heart. Previous suspects and 'witnesses' arrested over the case During the course of the investigation, several individuals have been questioned but none has been charged. Saad al-Hilli's brother Zaid: Arrested on suspicion of murder in 2013 but released after police found there was insufficient evidence to charge him with a crime. French former soldier Patrice Menegaldo: Questioned in April 2013 - though police later maintained this was as a witness, not a suspect. Menegaldo took his own life in June 2014 and left a suicide note that referred to 'feeling like a suspect'. Iraqi prisoner known as Mr S: Questioned after he claimed to have been offered 'a large sum of money' to kill Iraqis living in the UK. Former local policeman Eric Devouassoux: Arrested in February 2014 in connection with the tragedy but later cleared. Convicted killer Nordahl Lelandais: Questioned in connection with the case while being suspected of two murders that happened nearby. After a review, authorities said they no longer believe Lelandais was connected to the al-Hilli family case. He was later convicted for the murder of Corporal Arthur Noyer, 23, and faces another trial this year after he admitted killing Maelys de Araujo, eight, in August 2017 - though he maintains both deaths were accidental. Advertisement 'I told her I didn't understand, and she just hugged me and cried.' Joshua confessed he had known very little about why Kelly was leaving, adding: 'I just thought she went to be a dentist in Iraq.' After she left the US, Judy never saw her again, adding: 'It was just so all of a sudden but I didn't want to question her.' It is believed she never told her second husband about the marriage and instead kept it secret. She certainly lied about it when she married Saad in Surrey on August 28, 2003, two years after abandoning her first husband. Signing herself by her maiden name Iqbal Al-Saffar she failed to declare her first marriage to officials at the register office in Weybridge. Under UK law, those who have been married previously must produce documentary evidence of their divorce. Instead, Iqbal declared that she was a spinster the legal term for an unmarried woman raising the possibility that she did not even tell her new husband about her previous marriage. The attack on the Al-Hillis happened on 3.45pm on September 5 2012. Iqbal, her husband Saad, and her mother were each shot in the head several times while in their BMW car at a layby close to Lake Annecy, eastern France. More than two dozen spent bullet casings were found near their British-registered BMW estate car. The Al-Hillis' daughter, Zeena, four, hid in the footwell of the vehicle and was unscathed, while her sister, Zainab, seven, was shot and pistol-whipped but recovered. Sylvain Mollier, a 45-year-old French cyclist thought to be an innocent bystander, was found dead nearby after being shot seven times at point blank range. It is not clear if Jim was aware of the development when around 3pm local time in Natchez, some seven hours later, he came out of an antique shop and told a friend he was not feeling well. According to local newspaper reports, 60-year-old James Dudley Thompson stopped at a red light and sat dead in the drivers seat for 45 minutes until onlookers realised he hadnt simply broken down. However his family and friends questioned the death in the documentary, with one of James' friends, Cecil Martin saying: 'It was strange to me he did not have a post mortem test, it was just declared he had a heart attack. 'That's unusual to happen here in the US. If it's a questionable death, it's automatically required. I don't know, I find that strange.' Surrey businessman Saad al-Hilli, 50, (left) his wife Iqbal, 47, and his mother-in-law Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were gunned down in their BMW car on September 5, 2012, alongside French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, (right) who also died in the bloodbath In the Channel 4 documentary, the family of Jim Thompson described their shock at his death on the same day as his ex-wife Iqbal Jim's sister Judy said she believed 'someone was after' Iqbal, whom she knew as Kelly, and pointed to the 'FBI, CIA or secret service' How did events on the day of the 2012 gun massacre of a British family and French cyclist in the Alps unfold? During the morning of September 5, 2012, Iqbal, her mother Suhaila and her daughters, Zainab and Zeena, were seen picking apples together. Around 1pm the family left the campsite and drove towards the village of Chevaline. After 3:45pm an RAF veteran overtook another cyclist on a heavily forested road south of Chevaline in the French Alps. Moments later he pulled into a car park and found Mr Mollier lying dead beside the family's bullet-ridden BMW, which still has its engine running and was in reverse. He spotted injured Zainab walking towards him before collapsing. He put her in the recovery position and called for help. The cyclist saw the dead bodies of Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal and his mother in law Suhaila, inside the car, which was locked. Each of them had been shot twice in the head while Mr Mollier was shot seven times. Around 4:20pm police arrived but did not disturb the crime scene because forensic experts from Paris were on their way. More than two dozen spent bullet casings were later found near the vehicle. Zainab was taken to hospital in Grenoble while her sister Zeena remained hidden, cowering under her mother's legs in the rear footwell for eight hours before she was discovered. Around 11pm a family who had been camping next to the al-Hilli's told police the couple had two children leading to a rescue mission involving helicopters and search dogs to find Zeena. A helicopter fitted with thermal imaging flew over the BMW but failed to detect Zeena. Around midnight on September 6, the police eventually opened the vehicle's doors and discovered the four-year-old cowering under her death mother's legs. Advertisement Judy added: 'I just felt like there was something more to it - maybe someone was after her. The FBI, CIA, secret service. Whatever.' Questioning Iqbal's sudden decision to leave the US, and the deaths of both Iqbal and her ex-husband Jim on the same day, Cecil added: 'I think she came over here to escape, something ordered her back over there. 'Or that they threatened the family to make her go back. They had a hold of her, I don't know who it was.' Judy said: 'She probably told him what was going on in her previous life. 'I know Jim knew something because he told me I'd understand later. I knew that things weren't right.' Cecil added: 'She had told him something the family didn't want to get out and they took care of it.' Judy added: 'I knew this sounds really crazy but I think somehow he was poisoned.' Joshua said: 'Everyone has skeletons in the closet. Everyone has secrets.' The FBI requested to exhume Jim's body later, however the family refused the request. Joshua said: 'I disagreed [with his body being brought up]. I was told he was killed of a heart attack ad I didn't think anything of it.' Many of those watching the documentary were shocked by the programme, with one writing: 'This has got more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel.' 'What a fascinating documentary!' another added. The film comes months after the lead prosecutor said investigators are close to solving the brutal 2012 murder. 'I think we're nearly there', Annecy public prosecutor Line Bonnet said in an interview with Swiss daily la Tribune de Geneve. 'We'll succeed thanks to scientific evidence', she said. 'This is not a cold case at all', said Bonnet, who took up her post in September 2021. She said three people were working on the murder full-time. 'They decided to start from the beginning again and check all the sealed files', she added. 'We're regularly detaining people so we can close the doors, one after the other.' The man held for questioning in January had taken part in a recent reconstruction of the crime scene as a witness. Local newspaper Le Dauphine Libere identified him as the mystery motorcyclist who had been seen near the murder site in 2012. Prosecutors declined to confirm if it was the same man. The motorcyclist was tracked down in 2015 after police trawled through all the 4,000 mobile phone numbers logged in the area on the day of the murders and rang each one. Meanwhile Jim's son Joshua described how his father had been in a 'very loving' relationship with the woman he knew as 'Kelly' Meanwhile Jim's friend Cecil Martin said he felt it was 'strange' he hadn't had a post mortem after his death Prosecutor Lise Bonnet originally said there had been 'inconsistencies' with the man's alibi, but these were resolved before he was released. An e-fit photo of a 'prime suspect motorcyclist' with a goatee beard was released in November 2013 and showed him in a distinctive black helmet, of which only about 8000 were made. The image, mainly produced by two forest rangers who briefly spoke to the man, finally led to a first arrest of the biker a businessman from the French city of Lyon in 2015. He told police he had been on his way home from a paragliding trip in the Alps and was released without charge for the first time. Jean-Christophe Basson-Larbi, the arrested man's lawyer, said his client had been wrongfully arrested and been 'put through hell'. A woman who was conned out of 500,000 by her partner has revealed how he used their son as a 'pawn' in his scam. Mother-of-four Chrissy Handy, from Cheltenham, was conned by Marc Hatton in the noughties after they met in a coffee shop and he introduced himself as a financial consultant under the fake name Alexander Marc d'Ariken de Rothschild-Hatton. The couple got engaged and had a son Marcus, who is now 17, but Chrissy admitted she admitted she soon began to question why her partner kept asking her for money and going on business to Geneva. She found out he'd defrauded other people and had taken half a million pounds from her, eventually leaving her without a trace. After she issued a plea on Lorraine in 2008, Marc was found in the US and jailed for 18 years in 2010. He served 12 years of his sentence and was released under license for five years, and is currently living in the UK. Returning to Lorraine today, 14 years on, Chrissy, who recounted her ordeal in her book Seduced by a Sociopath, said her son Marcus told her he 'knew [his father] never cared about him' and that he felt he was 'used as a pawn.' She said Marc intensifiedhis demands for money for 'investments' after Marcus was born, taking advantage of the fact she was tired from looking after the baby and increasing his trips abroad. Mother-of-four Chrissy Handy, from Cheltenham, was conned by scammer Marc Hatton in the noughties after they met in a coffee shop and he introduced himself as a financial consultant under the fake name Alexander Marc d'Ariken de Rothschild-Hatton After their relationship developed into a serious attachment, with Chrissy thinking they would be getting married, the couple had a son Marcus, who is now 17 Speaking of Marcus, Chrissy said: 'It's tough. I sat down and watched an old documentary the other night which was made in 2011, and he came in and said, "Can I see that?",' she recounted. After the mother and son watched the documentary, Chrissy revealed Marcus told her: 'I knew he never cared about me but I didn't think he used me as a pawn.' 'And that's heartbreaking,' she told Lorraine Kelly. The host of the show sympathised with the mother-of-four and said: 'You've had to be mum and dad, especially to your youngest.' After she issued a plea on Lorraine in 2008, Marc, right, was found in the US and jailed for 18 years in 2010. He served 12 years of his sentenced and was released, now being under license for five years and living in the UK. Chrissy and Marc had Marcus in 2005, at the height of the conman's illegal activities. She revealed how he wheeled her into giving him more money, asking for loans to finance his business school. The mother, who was left on Universal Credit after Marc defrauded her of 500,000, said she did question her partner's motive for money. She explained he abused her trust after the pair began a romantic relationship and would get money from her, pretexting he was investing the money on her behalf through his account in Geneva. 'Everything seemed plausible,' she told Lorraine. Chrissy appeared on Lorraine in 2008 when she was trying to locate Marc, who had runaway after defrauding her of $500,000. He was found two years later in the US It was a tip the mother-of-four received after appearing on the show that led to Marcus's arrest. He was jailed for 18 years She said Marc intensified this scam after the birth of Marcus, taking advantage of the fact she was tired from looking after the baby and multiplying his trips abroad. She said she would 'question him all the time' and would ask to see the contract notes of the investments he claimed to have made for her, but that he would find an excuse not to show them to her. She added that if she questioned him too much, he would turn the tables on her and make her feel guilty. 'He would accuse me of not trusting him,' she said, adding Marc would tell her things such as 'we're getting married and you don't trust me.' Marc was released 12 years into his sentence and is now on licence for another five years. He currently lives in the UK Over the years, the relationship began to deteriorate, with Chrissy saying Marc was 'not holding up his end of the bargain' and that he 'never fulfilled the promises he made.' She said she was eventually tipped off to the fact something was not right by her sister-in-law, who told her 'I hope you're not financially involved with him. That is when Chrissy found out Marc had defrauded another woman in Italy and his own brother. Following her appeared on Lorraine in 2008, Marc was arrested and jailed in 2010, but he was released 12 years into his sentence and is now on license for another five years. Lorraine said Chrissy's book is 'a warning to everybody out there, not just about him, but that it can happen to everybody. 'These people are clever. they know, they're manipulative and devious,' the presenter added. And the mother-of-four said she now things Marc could strike again, because 'a leopard doesn't change his spots' 'He must be 62, now, with not much prospects, what is he going to do? Who's he is gonna tap on next?;' she said. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hired an Oscar-nominated, left-leaning director to work on their Netflix docuseries as part of their $100 million streaming deal. According to PageSix, Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan Markle, 40, who are currently living in their $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara having stepped back from royal duty last year, have hired Liz Garbus for the reality show, which they have been working on for a year. Garbus, who was also due to work on the Duchess' series Pearl before it was scrapped by Netflix, is a documentarian and filmmaker and also helmed the last season of 'The Handmaid's Tale,' which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2021. Cameras from her crew were spotted during the couple's trip to New York last September, where they appeared to 'hide their equipment' to 'keep the project under wraps.' Reports of the couple's alleged docuseries has undoubtedly sparked major concerns behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace over what allegations they could drop about the royal family in front of the cameras. The Duke, 37, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, have hired an Oscar-nominated, left-leaning director to work on their Netflix docuseries as part of their $100 million streaming deal She runs a Brooklyn-based production company, Story Syndicate, with her husband Dan Cogan. The fimmaker was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar in 2016 for 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' and again in 1999 for 'The Farm: Angola, USA.' The organisation made Amazon's political documentary 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' and HBO's true crime documentary 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark,' both released in 2020. The fimmaker was also nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar in 2016 for 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' and again in 1999 for 'The Farm: Angola, USA.' Meanwhile her Instagram page is openly political, with recent posts urging for women's abortion rights and comments about 'brilliant' Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. According to PageSix, Garbus, who was also due to work on the Duchess' series Pearl before it was scrapped by Netflix, is a documentarian and filmmaker News of the series first emerged in May, when reports emerged the couple had even welcomed cameras into their $14 million Montecito mansion to capture content for the candid show. According to Page Six, the Sussexes have been working with production crews on an 'at-home with the Duke and Duchess-style' show for several months now, which the streaming giant allegedly hopes to release at the end of the year in order to coincide with the publication of Prince Harry's upcoming memoir. However, sources suggest that the Sussexes are angling for the docuseries to be held over until next year. 'The timing is still being discussed, things are up in the air,' a 'producer in the know' said. Cameras from her crew were spotted during the Duke and Duchess' trip to New York last September It is unclear whether the Netflix cameras have been allowed to film the couple's two children, three-year-old Archie and 11-month-old Lilibet. Exclusive DailyMail.com images taken during Meghan and Harry's trip to New York and New Jersey in September showed a team of two women and one man bundling camera equipment hidden under coats and bags out of the couple's high-end residence at 860 United Nations Plaza - and even joining them in an Airstream van on their way to a veterans' gala. Another Page Six insider described the plans for the docuseries as Netflix 'getting its pound of flesh' from the Sussexes, who have yet to create any real content for the streaming giant - despite signing their lucrative deal with the company in September 2020. DailyMail.com has reached out to a Netflix spokesperson and Archewell Productions for comment. Earlier this month, a royal expert claimed Prince Harry and Meghan's failure to land pictures alongside senior royals dismayed Netflix executive. The filmmaker runs a Brooklyn-based production company, Story Syndicate, with her husband Dan Cogan (pictured, at work) Prince Harry's biographer Angela Levin told GB News she'd heard the streaming-giant was desperate for the pair to secure images of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with royals like the Queen and Prince William as part of the series they are filming. Ms Levin's comments came a day after it emerged Harry and Meghan had also failed to persuade the Queen to pose alongside daughter and name-sake Lilibet. The 96-year-old is said to have met Harry and Meghan's daughter during the celebrations. However, they were allegedly told 'no chance' of an official photo because it was a 'private family meeting'. Palace insiders may have worried any photos taken by Harry and Meghan would be shared with TV networks in the US or in Harry's upcoming memoirs. Speaking to GB News, Ms Levin, said this image would have been 'very, very valuable', adding: 'They would have used it for Netflix. It would give them a kudos that they had her with her great grandmother, you know.' News of the series first emerged in May, when PageSix reported Prince Harry and Meghan were filming an 'at-home docuseries' - and had even welcomed cameras into their $14 million Montecito mansion to capture content for the candid show The news of the hiring comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted on their way to pay a visit to Oprah's $100million Montecito mansion over the weekend, DailyMail.com can reveal. Exclusive photos show the erstwhile royals, 37 and 40, turning into the 70-acre property late Saturday afternoon accompanied by a woman believed to be the pair's friend, actress Janina Gavankar. What looked like a baby car seat was strapped in next to Meghan, but it is unknown if either Lilibet or Archie were in the car to visit Auntie Oprah. Sources told DailyMail.com the trio spent an hour at the palatial estate and made the five-minute journey from their own Montecito home in a convoy of cars that included a Range Rover carrying security personnel. Harry was driving the lead car, while Meghan could be seen chatting to both occupants from the backseat. News of the couple's visit to Oprah could come as a surprise to Queen if another tell-all interview is in the works less than 18 months after their sensational chat with the talk show host, 68, made global headlines and sparked a royal racism scandal. Queen Maxima of The Netherlands looked as elegant as ever this evening as she stepped out with her husband King Willem-Alexander in Vienna, Austria. Maxima, 50, who is on a state visit to the country, wore a flowing three-tone gown with a splash of red on top when meeting the Dutch chamber choir at Konzerthaus concert hall. The Argentine-born royal paired the floor-length, long-sleeve gown with black heeled sandals and a black clutch to match the black block stripe on the dress. Queen Maxima looked the picture of elegance as she stepped out in Vienna this evening in a stunning flowing gown The Queen was all smiles as she posed for photos with her husband King Willem-Alexander The Dutch King and Queen are on a state visit to Vienna after being invited by Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and First Lady of Austria Doris Schmidauer (pictured right) She accessorised the look with a stunning statement diamond necklace complete with diamond earrings. Her blonde locks were worn down, with waves, and tucked behind one ear. The Queen's return to a statement splash of colour came after she stepped out yesterday evening in a beautiful white gown at a state banquet. The off-shoulder, floor-length dress complimented her envious figure, while her tresses were styled in a laid-back up-do. Queen Maxima, 50, wore a classy nude-coloured gown with a flowing cape and a statement flash of red The Queen appeared to point to something on the floor that captured the attention of Austria's President and First Lady The Argentine-born Royal stunned as she stood next to Austrian First Lady Doris Schmidauer, who also looked glamorous in sequinned black trousers The Queen beamed as she shook hands with Doris Schmidauer on arrival at the Konzerthaus in Vienna The mother-of-three stole the show once again this evening as she stepped out of the car and onto the red carpet before posing for photos with her husband. She also smiled with the President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, who has invited the royals to visit his country, and his wife Doris Schmidauer. The First Lady of Austria was also looking glamorous as she posed alongside her husband and the King and Queen, sporting a satin cream top and sequinned black trousers. The King and Queen were joining the President and his wife at Konzerthaus concert hall where they were due to meet with the Dutch Chamber Choir. The couple, who share three daughters, arrived in Vienna yesterday and are due to leave tomorrow. Queen Letizia of Spain appeared effortlessly elegant when hosting a lavish dinner for world leaders attending the NATO summit in Madrid this evening. The mother-of-two, 49, joined her husband King Felipe VI to greet guests, including Joe and Jill Biden, who was dressed equally sophisticated in a white suit. Letizia ensured she stood out from the crowd in a stunning black gown from the Spanish brand The 2nd Skin, which she debuted last October for the Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo. Left-right: Queen Letizia posed with US President Joe Biden, King Felipe VI and US First Lady Jill Biden Jill Biden (pictured right) wore a stunning white suit not dissimilar to an outfit Letizia wore when the pair visited a Ukrainian refugee centre The Queen stood with her husband as they chatted to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte The King and Queen also welcomed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the Royal Palace in Madrid during the NATO summit King Felipe appeared deep in conversation with Mr Johnsons as Letizia looked on fondly The Queen appeared to share a joke with US President Jo Biden as the pair chatted President Biden appeared to have said something that tickled Letizia while other world leaders chatted amongs themselves Letizia welcomed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez with a warm handshake as he arrived at the Royal Palace The King and Queen beamed as they posed for a photo with Mr Sanchez (left) and his wife Maria Begona Gomez Fernandez Letizia looked the picture of grace and stood out from the crowd as she posed with male world leaders The Queen paired the dress with black stiletto heels and accessorised with a black patent belt. She wore her brunette tresses in a bun and opted for stunning diamong teardrop earrings. Letizia, who often wears understated make-up, kept a nude lip but opted for smokey eyeshadow to mark the evening occasion. The Queen was all smiles as she greeted world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She also posed for photos with President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and French President Emmannuel Macron. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also appeared with the royal couple. Enchante! French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to charm Letizia by kissing her hand as she greeted him at the Royal Palace The King and Queen smiled for the camera as they welcomed Macron and his wide Brigitte, who looked stunning in an aqua gown with balloon sleeves and black stilettos The King and Queen also posed for a photo with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right) flashed a huge grin as he posed next to the King and Queen of Spain Earlier today Letizia met with US First Lady Jill Biden at a Ukrainian refugee centre in the Spanish capital city. Meeting the Bidens' granddaughters Finnegan and Maisy, The Queen gave each of the girls a warm hug to welcome them to the country. Wearing a stunning white suit and her hair in a mid-ponytail, she posed for selfies with the First Lady and met with families who have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. A yellow clay mask has been dubbed a 'secret weapon' for tackling hormonal acne and enlarged pores - and it's only been on the market since April. The $59.99 Australian yellow clay mask by Lono Skin promises to detoxify and brighten the skin, protect against toxins and pollutants and fight acne. It also hydrates and moisturises the complexion and is 100 per cent vegan and cruelty free. The $59.99 Australian yellow clay mask by Lono Skin promises to detoxify and brighten the skin, protect against toxins and pollutants and fight acne 'I came off the pill eight months ago and my skin has gone down hill. I tried Lono skin because I wanted an all natural product that works! I've tried Alya skin/Sand and Sky and this is honestly so much better,' one woman wrote (pictured) The secret lies in the formula's ingredients, which include the allantoin, an effective anti-irritant for the skin, almond oil, which reduces puffiness and under-eye circles and aloe vera, which is a known and very powerful anti-inflammatory. It also contains camellia seed oil, coconut flesh extract, curcumin powder, Kakadu plum, macadamia oil and koalin clay. The latter is a highly desired skincare ingredient thanks to its ability to rehydrate and repair through its enriching kaolinite mineral. The secret lies in the formula's ingredients, which include the allantoin, an effective anti-irritant for the skin, almond oil, which reduces puffiness and under-eye circles and aloe vera, which is a known and very powerful anti-inflammatory It also contains camellia seed oil, coconut flesh extract, curcumin powder, Kakadu plum, macadamia oil and koalin clay It is a drying agent and gently purifies and detoxifies the pores without stripping your face of its natural oils. To use the mask you simply apply a thick even layer to clean and dry skin and leave it on 10 minutes or until completely dry. Then simply wash off the mask and any residue. Reviews have flooded in from thrilled customers about the mask - each who have raved about their glowing, blemish-free complexions after just weeks of use. 'I came off the pill eight months ago and my skin has gone down hill. I tried Lono skin because I wanted an all natural product that works! I've tried Alya skin/Sand and Sky and this is honestly so much better,' one woman wrote. To use the mask you simply apply a thick even layer to clean and dry skin and leave it on 10 minutes or until completely dry. Then simply wash off the mask and any residue 'This organic clay mask has absolutely chanced the way my skin feels and looks,' another added. 'It's smoother, brighter and so clear - I highly recommend - it's been a dream for my oily skin. 'Not only is the best part of this product its affordability but it has gotten my amazing results. It's been a game changer for my skin. Do yourself a favour and pamper yourself.' Foodies are queuing for up to an hour to get into a little-known authentic Chinese restaurant they say serves 'the best' yum cha. Sydney's Canterbury Leagues Club in Belmore is home to a range of eateries but it's The Dynasty Restaurant that is causing a stir. Popular food blogger Adrian Widjy documented his visit to The 'super busy' Dynasty in a viral video saying the decor will 'surely transport you to ancient China' and the food was worth his one-hour wait to be seated. Scroll down for video Foodies have discovered a hidden gem restaurant they say serves 'the best yum cha in Sydney' People are queuing for hours to eat at Canterbury League Club's The Dynasty Restaurant in Belmore for an authentic Chinese dining experience Food blogger Adrian Widjy documented his visit to eatery in a viral video saying the decor will 'surely transport you to ancient China' and the food was worth his one-hour wait to be seated Going through the 'hidden gem's stunning entrance is like a portal to China with 'Pagoda style timbers, bamboo curtain roof, dramatic artworks and its watercourse giving diners the impression that the restaurant is floating on a lake' according to the website. The extensive menu is filled with authentic Chinese and Cantonese dishes with the yum cha being the most popular among diners. 'Their yum cha selection is all listed in the paper for you mark so that way you are not missing out on any! And they also all come out in one hit!' Adrian wrote on Instagram. The extensive menu is filled with authentic Chinese and Cantonese dishes with the yum cha being the most popular among diners Going through the 'hidden gem's stunning entrance is like a portal to China with 'Pagoda style timbers, bamboo curtain roof, and dramatic artworks' according to the website 'I did not book, so learn from my mistake, this place is SUPER BUSY! The vibe is so LEGIT! Amazing yum cha place!' Many of the Sydney foodie's 165,200 followers in the comments were keen to try out his secret find while others agreed The Dynasty served 'the best yum cha in Sydney'. 'Yesss I love this place!! How amazing is the interior,' one viewer wrote. 'Been there and it is definitely yummy, said another while a third commented: 'Excellent food, great service.' 'I dined at this restaurant years ago, and its definitely giving that authentic Yum Cha experience! Definitely recommend for any locals in the area, a fourth replied. The NHS has ditched the terms 'women' and 'woman' from its menopause guidance, despite ministers promising to crackdown on woke gender-free language in medical advice. Last month, MailOnline revealed how NHS Digital had quietly scrubbed all mention of women from its landing pages for ovarian, womb and cervical cancer. The move was condemned by Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who said 'common sense and the right language' should be used to 'give people the best possible care'. Now MailOnline has found 'women' and 'woman' have also been omitted from official advice about the menopause, which is unique to biological females. In its online overview about the menopause, NHS advice used to contain six gender-specific mentions. But it was updated on May 17 to remove the terms. Experts have warned de-gendering medical advice could be dangerous for women by over-complicating vital health messaging. NHS Digital, which manages health information webpages, told MailOnline it wanted to ensure language was 'inclusive'. A spokesperson added: 'The NHS website provides information for everyone. We keep the pages under continual review to ensure they use language that is inclusive, respectful and relevant to the people reading it.' The NHS has quietly omitted the terms 'women' and 'woman' from its webpage on menopause. Pictured here is the older version of the menopause overview page (May 16) which mentioned women six times But the new version omits women from the overview entirely. Experts have warned women could be disadvantaged by de-gendered medical advice confusing health messaging The menopause describes changes that occur when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally. Hormonal changes that happen during the menopause can cause a wide range of debilitating symptoms, including depression, brain fog and hot flushes. Rising awareness about the condition means an increasing number of women are coming forward for advice or medication. The NHS webpage on menopause used to describe the condition as 'when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally'. But the new, gender-neutral description says: 'Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels'. The old advice also highlighted that menopause usually occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, but about one in 100 women experience it before 40. Say women not people with ovaries, Sajid Javid orders NHS Sajid Javid said he is prepared to wage war against gender-free language after he demanded the NHS stop dropping the word 'women' from its online health advice. The minister has repeatedly said he does not agree with the health service removing the word from its ovarian cancer guidance webpage. 'Women' does not appear in the overview of the disease on the NHS.uk website, instead being replaced with the ambiguous and gender-neutral term 'anyone'. The word first appears on the third page of the ovarian cancer section of the website. 'Anyone with ovaries can get ovarian cancer. This includes women, trans men, non-binary people and intersex people with ovaries,' it states. NHS Digital bosses have been warned future changes to gendered language must be rubber-stamped by officials at Mr Javid's Department of Health, reports The Sun. The Health Secretary previously told Sky News 'common sense and the right language' should be used to 'give people the best possible patient care'. Advertisement But none of this information is included in the overview section of the updated webpage. The first mention of 'women' in the new version is on the third page, in a section about drugs to treat the condition. Dr Karleen Gribble, an expert in nursing and midwifery from Western Sydney University in Australia who has previously spoken about the dangers of gender-free medical language, slammed the changes. 'The risk of de-sexing this information remains that women who have low English or health literacy may not know that the information applies to them,' she said. 'That first sentence of the older version "The menopause is when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally" is really important in signposting to women that they should read further.' She added the new version of the page violates a 'basic principle' of health communication that identifies who the information is for. 'The fact that some women might have low literacy and not know basic terms is shown by the fact that they included a link to a definition of what periods are in the earlier version,' she said. 'In desexing the page they have removed the links to further information.' Dr Gribble called for greater transparency from the NHS on who was approving these changes and when. MailOnline approached Mr Javid's Department for Health for comment. It comes amid ongoing concerns about trans-inclusive language in NHS guidance, with services currently in a 'woke' storm about de-gendering language surrounding women and pregnancy by erasing terms like breastfeeding. Some student midwives have even been taught how to help biological men give birth, even though it's scientifically impossible. Mr Javid last month publicly condemned the NHS for removing women from its advice about ovarian, womb and cervix cancers, saying he doesn't 'think it's right'. The term was missing from the landing pages of three sections explaining cancers only found in biological women. In a message to patients at the time, he said: 'You won't be surprised to know that, as the Health Secretary, I think that your sex matters, your biological sex is incredibly important to make sure you get the right treatment, the very best treatment.' Pressed on whether he will get the wording changed back, Mr Javid said: 'I am looking into this and you'll know, look, the NHS, there (are) many different trusts and I want to listen to why someone might have taken a different approach - I don't just want to assume - but I think I've made my views clear on this.' He added: 'I know there's some sensitivity around this language, but we have to use common sense and use the right language so that we can give people the best possible patient care.' Wraps made from human placenta could reduce the risk of men being left impotent after prostate cancer surgery. The wraps, which come from placental tissue normally discarded when a woman has given birth, are folded around the delicate nerves that control a mans erections. This is done during cancer surgery to remove the prostate a procedure which can damage the sensitive nerves, leaving men impotent afterwards. The tissue, called amnion, is a tough, flexible membrane that forms the innermost layer of the placenta the source of nutrients and oxygen for a baby in the womb. Wrapping it around the nerves not only protects them physically but amnion tissue also contains a cocktail of different compounds including growth factors and stem cells that can help to repair any nerve damage done during the operation. Around 5,000 men a year in the UK undergo a radical prostatectomy (where the whole prostate and a small amount of surrounding tissue is removed) to try to get rid of cancer Animal studies also suggest these compounds dampen down any harmful inflammation as they leak out of the placental tissue. Now research shows the technique speeds up the rate at which men recover their sexual function after the operation, called a radical prostatectomy. Around 5,000 men a year in the UK undergo a radical prostatectomy (where the whole prostate and a small amount of surrounding tissue is removed) to try to get rid of cancer. Although modern operating techniques known as nerve-sparing surgery can reduce the risks, the charity Prostate Cancer UK estimates that up to 80 per cent of men undergoing prostate removal later experience erectile dysfunction severe enough to jeopardise their sex lives and put their relationships under strain. The challenge for surgeons is that the area around the prostate is a dense forest of nerves that control erections, as well as urinary continence. Any accidental damage or bruising to them can result in incontinence or impotence. Research suggests many men struggle with what they see as a loss of their masculinity, due to the impact of the surgery on their sex lives with more than two-thirds claiming they would rather live shorter lives if it meant they could be sexually active again. Wraps made from human placenta could reduce the risk of men being left impotent after prostate cancer surgery But the placenta wraps could be an unlikely solution. After birth, the placental tissue is sterilised and dried out, instead of being thrown away. When a surgeon then uses it during prostate surgery, the dehydrated wraps become moist on contact with blood and other bodily fluids instantly sticking to the bundles of nerves without the need for stitches. After use during the surgery the wrap is removed. A recent study in the Journal of Robotic Surgery, by U.S. researchers from Harvard University, the University of Central Florida and the State University of New York, involving 600 men treated with the placenta wrap, found they regained full erectile function in an average of just four months. In some cases, their sex lives were back to normal in just a few weeks. Even with nerve-sparing surgery, it can often take up to a year to recover fully when the nerves are not protected in this way. Commenting on the research, Professor Raj Persad, a consultant urologist at the private clinic Bristol Urology Associates, said: This is interesting but we need a randomised controlled trial to investigate its effectiveness and safety. Just how it could work is unclear. Its possible that stem cells in the tissue repair the damaged erectile nerve cells. Sometimes nerves have to be sacrificed deliberately during surgery to get rid of all the cancer cells. Eating more fruit and veg can lower the risk of prostate cancer in men under 65. Doctors from Harvard University tracked nearly 50,000 men over several decades, and found those eating the most fruit and veg were 16 per cent less likely to develop a tumour and almost 20 per cent less likely to die from one, according to results in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Try this Howdah Tandoor Chilli Ancient Grain Crisps are spiced snacks made from grain flours, including the ancient wholegrain sorghum, chickpea and split gram, making them higher in fibre than their contemporary counterparts, according to the maker 130g, 2.60, sainsburys.co.uk Snail slime helps wounds to heal Could mucus from a type of snail help wounds to heal more quickly? Thats the theory behind a study in the journal Membranes. The mucus is produced as a defence mechanism by the chocolate-band snail, found in eastern Mediterranean countries, and contains two compounds, allantoin and glycolic acid, which have anti-microbial properties and can heal skin damage, researchers found. The study, from Alexandria University in Egypt, based on lab rats, showed that after just one day, wound size was around 25 per cent smaller in those treated with a dressing containing the snail mucus compared to a control group. It is hoped that the research may pave the way for dressings containing snail mucus. Air quality linked to hyperactivity Children living in polluted towns and cities are at a significantly higher risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), suggest researchers. They compared ADHD rates in 37,000 children with the percentage of green spaces in their neighbourhood and pollution levels. The team at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that cases of ADHD were 62 per cent higher in youngsters who lived in built-up areas, reports the journal Environment International. But exposure to green spaces was found to halve this risk. Toxic particles may trigger inflammation in nerve cells in the brain, the researchers said. Children living in polluted towns and cities are at a significantly higher risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), suggest researchers Vitamin D lowers risk of psoriasis Vitamin D and omega-3 supplements cut the risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, reports the BMJ. Scientists from Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, U.S., asked 25,000 older adults to take different combinations of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid pills, or placebo tablets, and record their health for five years. All the supplement regimens, apart from placebo, led to lower rates of autoimmune diseases over the study period. The U.S. researchers believe that this is because of the supplements anti-inflammatory effects. Jeremy Vine has encouraged vulnerable people to start shielding again amid a fresh wave of Covid infections. The Channel 5 presenter, who is ill with the virus himself, criticised the Government for playing down concerns about rising numbers. An outbreak on the set of his show has seen several crew forced off work with Covid in recent days, including his pregnant co-host Storm Huntley. In a video posted on Twitter, Vine, 57, said: '100 per cent of our presenters have got it. That means there must be a lot of it about. 'Why isn't the Government mentioning it? Why isn't it saying anyone vulnerable, you know, stay indoors?' Nearly 4million extremely vulnerable people were told they were no longer advised to shield from April 1, as part of No10's 'living with Covid' plan. Showing his positive lateral flow test to the camera, Vine added: 'That's a big red line there, there is a lot of it around. 'Shouldn't they [the Government] be saying... just stay in if you are vulnerable, but we've not heard a peep. I guess they are just too busy.' Nationally, Covid infections have nearly doubled in a fortnight in England and more than 1,000 patients are now being admitted with the virus each day. The Government has said it will monitor the situation 'very quickly' but insists it does not plan to reintroduce restrictions. Ministers and their advisers have taken confidence from the fact only a fraction of Covid patients are primarily admitted because they are unwell due to the virus. Separate figures show just 20 Britons are dying from the virus each day now. Covid infections have nearly doubled in a fortnight in England, rising to about 1.4million in the latest week Admissions have breached 1,000 for the first time in two months but the majority of patients are not primarily ill with Covid Vine described his Covid symptoms in a video posted to the official Jeremy Vine on 5 Twitter account. The bed-ridden presenter said: 'Sore throat, headache [coughs]. Aches and pains. He added: 'I am in bed with it. It being Covid. Years ago I would have come to work with this. If you can walk you can work. But obviously that's not possible now.' His co-host Storm Huntley, who is less than a month away from giving birth, is also off work with the virus, along with several members of their TV crew. The presenting duo are being covered by stand-ins Trisha Goddard, Anne Diamond and Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije. The show airs on weekdays from 9.15am to 12.15pm. Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests 1.36million people in England were infected during the week to June 18. That is 70 per cent more than the 797,000 who were estimated to have had the virus at the very start of June. Bed-ridden Jeremy Vine presenter revealed he had Covid and was suffering from a 'sore throat, headache, aches and pains' After a coughing fit, he criticised the Government for not ramping up its public health messaging for vulnerable people He held up a positive lateral flow and said it was proof 'there is a lot of it about' at the moment No10 closely watching two Covid sub-variants responsible for virus' recent comeback Downing Street confirmed it is keeping tabs on the two Omicron variant spin-offs responsible for a recent spike in Covid infections. Boris Johnson's official spokesman claimed on Monday the situation was being monitored 'very closely' amid early signs that hospitalisations are also starting to rise. He insisted the Government was not considering imposing further curbs at this point and would stick to its 'living with Covid' plan. 'We are obviously seeing the emergence of two Omicron sub-variants, which is likely the driving cause for the rise in cases,' the No10 spokesman said. 'The latest data suggests these are now the dominant strains in the UK. But, so far, vaccination means those rising cases haven't translated into a rise of severe illness or death with no increase in ICU admissions.' They added: 'The key thing for us is vaccination has meant the rise in cases is not translating into ICU admissions and deaths. But we've always been clear Covid hasn't gone away, which is why we have always continue to urge people to come forward and receive vaccinations when they were due them. 'As you would expect, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continue to monitor the situation very closely.' Advertisement The outbreak has been fuelled by the spread of BA.4 and BA.5, which are thought to be more infectious but just as mild as the original Omicron strain. There has been some concern about daily hospital admissions breaching 1,000 for the first time in two months. But only a third of patients are primarily admitted because they are unwell due to the virus, NHS data shows. And the latest ONS Covid fatality report showed the virus was directly responsible for just 161 deaths in England and Wales in the most recent week, or 23 per day, on average. Sir Jonathan Van-Tam last week dismissed hysteria that a recent uptick in Covid cases marks a new wave of the pandemic, saying Britain has to learn to live the virus. Referring to hospital admission and death data, the country's former deputy chief medical officer claimed there is 'nothing alarmist in these figures'. Sir Jonathan revealed even he had abandoned wearing his face mask. The spread of the new variants is thought to have been accelerated during large gatherings for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and half-term holidays. Some have also pointed to Britons mistaking Covid symptoms for hay fever. The UKHSA estimated that BA.4 and BA.5 account for approximately 22 per cent and 39 per cent of cases, respectively. Latest analysis suggests BA.5 is growing 35 per cent faster than the formerly dominant Omicron BA.2, while BA.4 is growing approximately 19 per cent faster. This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant variant in the UK. Meanwhile, the latest ONS data show roughly one in 40 people in England had Covid in the week ending June 18, equating to 2.5 per cent of the population. The weekly infection survey is now considered the best barometre of the outbreak after free-testing was axed in spring. The prevalence of the Omicron subvariants has nearly doubled every week, according to data from the Sanger Institute one of the UK's largest Covid surveillance centres. The strains' combined 57.4 per cent share of infections in the week to June 11 is up from 41.7 per cent in the week to June 4, 21.2 per cent in the week to May 28 and 11 per cent in the week to May 21. Dominant strain BA.2, which was behind nearly all cases when infections hit a record high in March, now accounts for just 41.7 per cent of cases It found infections were highest in Scotland, where one in 20 people (250,700) were infected, followed by Northern Ireland, where one in 40 (59,900) were carrying the virus. One in 45 people in Wales (68,500) were thought to be infected. The figures, based on swabs taken from a sample of thousands of Britons, show that cases were on the rise across England apart from the North East and South East, where the trend was uncertain. Infections were highest in London, where 2.9 per cent of people were infected, followed by the North West (2.6 per cent), the South West (2.5 per cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber (2.4 per cent). Meanwhile, the number of people testing positive shot up across all age groups. Those aged 25 to 34 were the most likely to be infected (3.3 per cent), followed by 50 to 69-year-olds (3.1 per cent) and 16 to 24-year-olds (2.9 per cent). Infections were slightly lower among 35 to 49-year-olds (2.7 per cent), the over-70s (2.3 per cent), 11 to 15-year-olds (1.5 per cent) and two to 10-year-olds (0.9 per cent). Advertisement Monkeypox cases in the UK have risen above 1,000 as the rare disease continues to spread, officials confirmed today. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses said there had been 1,076 infections as of Sunday, almost double the number a fortnight ago. Authorities said they expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and are advising anyone going to large events or having sex with new partners to 'be alert' for symptoms. Cases continue to be predominantly among gay and bisexual men and the UK's outbreak has been linked to raves, saunas and dating apps, with the virus mostly spreading through sex. It came as modelling by a Strathclyde University professor warned the outbreak could continue for another year and infect tens of thousands of Britons daily in a worst-case scenario. The simulation assumes all under-50s the last age group to get a smallpox vaccine, which provides cross-protection are susceptible to monkeypox. Other scientists do not expect the virus to ever reach the heights of Covid waves because monkeypox requires prolonged close contact or contaminated surfaces to spread. Announcing Britain's new cases today, Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at the UKHSA, said: 'The monkeypox outbreak in the UK continues to grow, with over a thousand cases now confirmed nationwide. 'We expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and weeks. If you are attending large events over the summer or having sex with new partners, be alert to any monkeypox symptoms so you can get tested rapidly and help avoid passing the infection on. Monkeypox cases in the UK have risen above 1,000 as the rare tropical disease continues to spread. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there had been 1,076 infections as of Sunday, almost double the number a fortnight ago, in a sign the outbreak is not slowing down Dozens of countries have logged cases of monkeypox, which is usually only spotted in Africa and has until now fizzled out after a handful of cases in other parts of the world LARGE POPULATION RISK: Professor Kleczkowski calculated the monkeypox outbreak based on the virus R rate, herd immunity threshold and incubation period. Under one 'very pessimistic scenario', infections peak at 60,000, the total number of people infected nears 20million and the epidemic lasts for more than one year. 'The virus will continue spreading, effectively searching for pockets of high-risk and non-immune communities,' Professor Kleczkowski said. ENDEMIC: Under separate modelling, Professor Kleczkowski said that due to monkeypox's low transmissibility and long incubation period which allows it to survive at low levels in the population it is possible that the virus has already been spreading in the UK 'for a long time'. Following the current spike in infections, the disease may 'settle on a long-term, relatively constant level' similar to how smallpox and chickenpox spread before vaccines were rolled out. Under this model, 'mass vaccination programmes might be needed to eradicate the disease', he said RECURRENT LARGE EPIDEMICS: In a separate model from Professor Kleczkowski, the current outbreak could be 'the first instance of a serious of outbreaks' fuelled by zoonotic transmission when the disease jumps from an animal to a human and cause sporadic surges of infection in the future. 'As the cross-immunity from smallpox vaccines wanes, the epidemics can become even more substantial,' he said. While little is known about monkeypox's potential to mutate, there is room for it to 'evolve into a more rapidly spreading variant', Professor Kleczkowski said SELF-LIMITING OUTBREAK: However, in his least severe set of calculations, he suggested that the outbreak took off due to a super-spreader event involving a network of men who have sex with men. In this scenario, the outbreak 'ends quickly' once the population at risk becomes immune and heard immunity is reached locally Timeline of monkeypox 1958: Monkeypox was first discovered when an outbreak of a pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. 1970: The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the infection has been reported in a number of central and western African countries since then. 2003: A Monkeypox outbreak occurred in the US after rodents were imported from Africa. Cases were reported in both humans and pet prairie dogs. All the human infections followed contact with an infected pet and all patients recovered. SEPTEMBER 8, 2018: Monkeypox appeared in the UK for the first time in a Nigerian naval officer who was visiting Cornwall for training. They were treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London. SEPTEMBER 11, 2018: A second UK monkeypox case is confirmed in Blackpool. There is no link with the first case in Cornwall. Instead, the patient is though to have picked up the infection when travelling in Nigeria. They were treated at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital. SEPTEMBER 26, 2018: A third person is diagnosed with monkeypox. The individual worked at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and treated the second Monkeypox case. They received treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. DECEMBER 3, 2019: A patient was diagnosed with monkeypox in England, marking the fourth ever case. MAY 25, 2021: Two cases of monkeypox were identified in north Wales. Both patients had travel links to Nigeria. A third person living with one of the cases was diagnosed and admitted to hospital, bringing the total number ever to seven. MAY 7, 2022: A person was diagnosed with Monkeypox in England after recently travelling to Nigeria. The person received care at the expert infectious disease unit at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London. Experts have suggested the virus was spreading in the UK for months before this case was spotted. MAY 14, 2022: Two more cases were confirmed in London. The infected pair lived in the same household but had not been in contact with the case announced one week earlier. One of these individuals received care at the expert infectious disease unit at St Mary's Hospital in London. The other isolated at home and did not need hospital treatment. MAY 16, 2022: Four more cases were announced, bringing the UK total to seven. Three of these cases are in London, while one of their contacts is infected in the north east of England. The UKHSA first confirms that the spate of cases, described as 'unusual' and 'surprising', are mainly among gay and bisexual men and advises them to look out for new rashes. MAY 19, 2022: Two more cases were revealed, with no travel links or connections to other cases. The cases were based in the South East and London. Fears began to grow that infections are going undetected. MAY 20, 2022: Eleven more cases are announced, meaning Britain's monkeypox outbreak have doubled to 20. Minsters discuss the possibility of a public health campaign to warn gay men the disease may be more prevalent for them MAY 23-26, 2022: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland log their first ever monkeypox cases. MAY 29, 2022: World Health Organization (WHO) says risk of monkeypox is 'moderate', citing concerns about virus infecting children and immunosuppressed people if it becomes more widespread. JUNE 7, 2022: The UKHSA declares monkeypox a notifiable disease. It means all medics must alert local health authorities to suspected cases. The tropical virus now carries the same legal status as the plague, rabies and measles. Advertisement 'Currently the majority of cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men. However, anyone who has had close contact with an individual with symptoms is also at increased risk. 'If you are concerned that you may have monkeypox, dont go to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact. Instead, stay at home and contact 111 or your local sexual health service for advice.' Dozens of countries have logged cases of monkeypox, which is usually only spotted in Africa and has until now fizzled out after a handful of cases in other parts of the world. Almost all infections so far have been spotted in men who have sex with men abroad, as well. Professor Adam Kleczkowski, a mathematician at the University of Strathclyde, warned Britain's infections could keep rising until the end of year when a peak of 60,000 people could be catching the virus every day. 'Unless a combination of contact tracing and ring vaccination stops the spread, the monkeypox will continue spreading,' Professor Kleczkowski said. To calculate how the monkeypox outbreak could continue to spread in the UK, Professor Kleczkowski estimated that each infected person would go on to infect two more people known as the R rate. He said 53 per cent of a population would need to be infected for enough people to have immunity to stop the virus spreading known as herd immunity. And the incubation period the length of time from catching the virus to when symptoms start was five to 21 days. Based on these parameters, he modelled how the outbreak would unfold if all males aged 50 and under are susceptible to the virus. This equates to 40 per cent of the UK's population around 26.8million people and is classified as a 'large population at risk'. He said the parameters are based on the over-50s likely having some immunity from smallpox vaccinations, which the UK stopped rolling out in 1971, and the spread so far mainly occurring among men. Anyone can catch the virus, which is spread by close contact with an infected person. But most cases in the ongoing surge are among the 'sexual networks' of men who have sex with men. Monkeypox is not normally a sexually-transmitted infection. But sex is thought to be the main mode of transmission in the ongoing outbreak. The virus, first discovered in lab monkeys in the 1950s, can also be spread through touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone who is infected. Under the 'very pessimistic scenario', infections peak at 60,000, the total number of people infected nears 20million and the epidemic lasts for more than one year. 'The virus will continue spreading, effectively searching for pockets of high-risk and non-immune communities,' Professor Kleczkowski said. However, he noted that he does not have a 'working model' of the outbreak but aimed to produce 'believable scenarios of what could happen in the near future'. The calculations are based on modelling up to June 17 and are 'likely to change' as new data emerges, he said. And since his modelling on June 17, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed some gay and bisexual men will be offered the smallpox Imvanex vaccine which is 85 per cent effective against monkeypox to control the outbreak. Under the plans, which come from the same experts who advised on the Covid vaccine rollout, medics will offer the jab to men who have multiple partners, participates in group sex or attends 'sex on premises' venues. Until the move was announced last week, the jab was only offered to confirmed cases and their close contacts under a strategy called ring vaccination, which has been proven to work in other outbreaks. Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at UKHSA, said: 'By expanding the vaccine offer to those at higher risk, we hope to break chains of transmission and help contain the outbreak.' Under separate modelling, Professor Kleczkowski said that due to monkeypox's low transmissibility and long incubation period which allows it to survive at low levels in the population it is possible that the virus has already been spreading in the UK 'for a long time'. Following the current spike in infections, the disease may 'settle on a long-term, relatively constant level' similar to how smallpox spread before vaccines were rolled out. Under this model, 'mass vaccination programmes might be needed to eradicate the disease', he said. A third model from Professor Kleczkowski sets out that the current outbreak could be 'the first instance of a series of outbreaks' fuelled by zoonotic transmission when the disease jumps from an animal to a human and cause sporadic surges of infection in the future. 'As the cross-immunity from smallpox vaccines wanes, the epidemics can become even more substantial,' he said. While little is known about monkeypox's potential to mutate, there is room for it to 'evolve into a more rapidly spreading variant', Professor Kleczkowski said. However, in a fouth model his least severe set of calculations the outbreak 'ends quickly' once the population at risk becomes immune and herd immunity is reached locally. Officials are urging gay and bisexual men to be aware of new lesions, rashes or scabs and get in contact with a sexual health clinic The infection often starts with small bumps that scab over and are contagious It comes as US health chiefs yesterday announced that monkeypox has mutated between six to 12 times the generally believed rate for the virus. A team from the NIH studied 15 samples of the virus from the current outbreak. They restructured the viruses genetic information to find the number of changes the virus had undergone since this strain began its circulation. The researchers could not determine why the virus is changing faster than expected. But they believe that the finding could be playing a role in how the virus has managed to storm the world this year, which has seen 201 cases in the US. Meanwhile, the UKHSA last week set out a strategy for some gay and bisexual men at 'higher risk' of exposure to monkeypox to be offered a vaccine to control the outbreak. Officials have not put a number on how many men will be included in the rollout. Under the plans, endorsed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), those eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) a pill that protects against HIV will also be eligible for the vaccine. This includes people who do not always use condoms during sex and are likely to continue not using them, as well as sex workers or their clients who report having unprotected sex. NHS England is due to set out details on how eligible people can get vaccinated. People are advised not to come forward for the vaccine until contacted. As well as gay and bisexual men, the list of NHS staff eligible for the jab is also being expanded. Healthcare workers caring for monkeypox patients in specialist high consequence infectious disease (HICD) wards are already offered the jab. But now staff in other hospitals designed to care for monkeypox patients will also be offered the jab, as well as workers in laboratories that test for the virus. The UKHSA is urging all Britons to be alert to any new spots, ulcers or blisters on any part of their body, particularly if they have had close contact with a new partner. Those with symptoms are told to avoid close contact with others and call NHS 111 or your local sexual health centre. A Tiktok sensation is seeking the help of her millions of followers to bring to justice at least one of the suspects that shot her son dead over the weekend. Ophelia Nichols, popularly known on the online platform as Mama Tot (@shoelover99) uploaded a video pleading to her 7.3 million TikTok followers to help find the culprit for the killing of her son Randon Lee. Lee was shot a day before his 19th birthday at Prichard, Alabama on Friday, per Fox News. Nichols told her followers in the video: "I ain't never ask y'all for anything, but I need your help with this. There are almost 7 million people that follow me. Somebody's gotta know something." "I know they're out there, in my town, They're out there. They're out there, living and breathing when my son's dead," she added. The TikTok star warned the suspects that they "will be found" eventually and "reap what you sow in this world." "You may not be caught now but it is coming. I hope you see my son's face every day of your life." Investigation Still Ongoing In a subsequent post, Nichols disclosed that she had a "lead" on two persons. However, she did not mention the specific source of that information. In an interview with local WKRG, Nichols provided additional details, stating that her son was shot at a gas station before he went to another gas station down the street where he was later found dead. @shoelover99 You will be found! You will reap what you sow in this world. You may not be caught now but its coming. I hope you see my sons face eveyday of your life original sound - ophelia Prichard Police are investigating a Friday night shooting around 7:45 p.m. a few miles northwest of Mobile. Authorities said the crime remains under investigation, as per a WGNTV report. Police have not yet released additional details as of present writing. Read Also: Chicago Crime: 5-Month-Old Baby Fatally Shot While Sitting in Car After Unidentified Woman Opened Fire New Gun Safety Law Will 'Save Lives' The fatal shooting incident occured hours after President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan federal gun safety bill into law, which marked the first significant gun safety measure in the United States in three decades. Biden remarked that though the bill "doesn't do everything" that he and his party had advocated for, it is still "going to save lives." The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act intensifies background checks for firearms buyers between the ages of 18 and 21. Furthermore, it aims to close the "boyfriend loophole" and outlaw gun ownership for domestic abusers who are not married to their spouses. The new gun control law would also give funds to states to support red-flag regulations, which allow law enforcement or close family and friends to ask the court to order the confiscation of a gun if the owner is determined a threat. Under the law, mental health and school safety programs will also receive funds. Critics, however, say the scope of the measure is too small for a country with the highest gun ownership numbers worldwide and the highest yearly frequency of mass shootings among developed nations, as per an Al Jazeera report. Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a report that the gun deaths in the US have increased by 35% in 2020 to the highest level since 1994, with dangerous rates for young Black men. Related Article: Donald Trump Used $1 Million Donor Funds To Pay Private Businesses After Election Loss, Review Finds @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Advertisement The Food and Drug Administration's leading vaccine regulator is hoping the next COVID-19 booster shots will be available as early as October - just over a year after the original booster shots became available. Dr Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the agency's top regulatory body for vaccines, said during an advisory panel meeting on Tuesday morning the aim was to make Omicron-specific jabs available by later this year. His remarks came during a meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), a group of outside advisors who advise the FDA in matters related to vaccines, which convened to discuss the merits of the next Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters. Both of America's leading Covid vaccine manufacturers have developed new formulations of their jabs specific to the Omicron variant - as all previously available shots were tailored to the original Wuhan strain that emerged over two years ago. Whether Americans will want the additional shots is still up in the air, though, especially as the nation's Covid situation stabilizes. Daily cases have increased 20 percent over the past week, to 113,629 per day. It is the highest daily case figure since late May. Covid deaths remain steady at 388 per day. The VRBPAC meeting Tuesday is the first step towards approving the additional shots. If the advisors recommend the jabs, they will then be sent to the agency itself, where Marks and other leaders are likely to give the green light. Approval would mean a fourth short for the general population, and a fifth for Americans over the age of 50 and for those who are immunocompromised. Dr Peter Marks (pictured), the FDA's lead vaccine regulator, said he hopes the Omicron-tailored COVID-19 shots will be available as early as this October In preparation for Tuesday's meeting, Pfizer unveiled data on Saturday showing its updated vaccine's effectiveness against the highly infectious strain of the virus. Data included over 1,200 people who has already received both the original two-dose vaccine series and a booster shot. The trial found a significant increased in Omicron-effective antibodies in participants. Moderna, Pfizer's largest competitor in the rollout of the shots revealed similar data for its Omicron-specific shots earlier this month as well. 'The data show the ability of our monovalent and bivalent Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates to significantly improve variant-specific antibody neutralization responses,' Dr Ugur Sahin, CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech - a German firm which partnered with Pfizer in the development and manufacturing of the shots. 'Omicron has newly evolving sublineages that have outcompeted BA.1 and exhibit a trend of increasing potential for immune escape.' These shots were long sought after in January, when the then-new strain was causing up to 800,000 new cases per day as mutations on its spike protein allowed it to bypass vaccine immunity. In the time since, though, experts have realized that while the variant may be more transmissible it is also more mild than its predecessors. This has led to plummeting demand for the additional shots, though, and declining worry about the pandemic from the general population. A May Gallup poll found that only 31 percent of Americans report being either 'somewhat worried' or 'very worried' about catching COVID-19. The poll signals the shifting state of the virus as America approaches the summer months. In previous years, the warm weather months have come with large, devastating virus surges. The survey was conducted in mid-April, when the trend of declining cases that had existed for nearly three months to that point coming off of the mid-January peak of the winter Omicron surge began to reverse. Participants were asked of their feelings about the pandemic, the virus and what sort of personal mitigations strategies they were using - or ignoring - in their day-to-day life. The study also found that 64 percent of Americans believed that the pandemic was 'getting better'. At the time of the survey, cases had just dropped below 30,000 per day, making it one of the lowest points since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Around 21 percent of Americans said they believed the situation was about the same, and only 12 percent believed it was getting worse. The last time this little amount of Americans believed the situation was getting worse was summer 2021, when cases were at a low point just before the explosion of the Delta variant. These good feelings have led to some changes in behavior as well. Only 17 percent of Americans reported that they were still social distancing, the lowest point of the pandemic so far. Just under a third of Americans said they have avoided large crowds, a fifth reported avoiding public places and just 15 percent avoided small gatherings. Those figures are also all pandemic-lows, Gallup reports. Despite shifts in social distancing, Americans seem to be clinging on to masks. The poll found that half of Americans still wear a face mask in public places. While the 50 percent figure is also a pandemic low, it is significantly higher than the number of people reporting they are still worried about the virus. Pharmacy giants CVS and Rite Aid have restricted sales of 'morning after' pills to three per woman as demand spirals after the Roe v Wade decision and Walgreens has sold out of the drugs that it can put up for delivery. CVS America's biggest pharmacy chain said it still had enough of the pills that can prevent a pregnancy in stock, but wanted to ensure 'equitable access'. The new guidelines affect Plan B pills, which are sold for $49.99 each, and the Aftera brand, retailed at $39.99. Rite Aid which has more than 2,500 pharmacies across northern states said 'increased demand' forced it to cap sales of Plan B and Option 2, sold at $32.99. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade which protected abortion in the constitution has sparked panic nationwide, with many women now rushing to stock up on pills. A justice has suggested they could also re-examine rulings on contraception, although at present there is no suggestion that any state will block the sale of 'morning after' pills. The above screen capture from the CVS website shows they are now limiting orders of 'morning after' pill Aftera to three per person. They are also limited for Plan B sales Rite Aid has followed suit, also limiting sales of Plan B medication to three per person It has done this with both the Plan B and Option 2 (Pictured) brands Walgreens has sold out of 'morning after' pills for delivery. It says there are still enough in store and that it is working to re-fill its warehouses as soon as possible Morning after pills are a type of emergency contraception reserved for after unprotected sex or as a last resort when other devices like condoms have failed. They are available over the counter, with one pill needing to be taken within 72 hours of intercourse in order to stop a pregnancy. It works by preventing ovulation or altering the lining of the womb to stop an egg becoming implanted. The pills are about 87 percent effective, manufacturer data shows. Biden faces calls to set up abortion clinics on federal lands Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are both calling for Democrats to take extreme measures to protect abortion rights after the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, but Vice President Kamala Harris signaled the Biden administration is not considering such action at the moment. Both Warren and Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats from Massachusetts and New York respectively, lobbied for the administration to set up what they called 'emergency abortion clinics' on federal lands. Warren, speaking on ABC's This Week, said Biden should 'make abortion as available as possible with the tools he has, including medication abortion, including using federal lands as a place where abortions can occur.' Ocasio-Cortez echoed these requests at a rally in New York City's Union Square, calling federal abortion clinics 'the babiest of baby steps.' However, when asked about the possibility of doing so, Vice President Harris told CNN's Dana Bash that it was unlikely. Advertisement They differ from abortion pills such as Mifeprex which require a prescription and involve taking two different pills ten weeks apart. Many women may only buy one packet of 'morning after' pills at a time, with those who purchase more looking to stock up. CVS put the limit in place on Saturday, and Rite Aid followed suit on Monday. A spokeswoman for CVS said they saw a 'sharp increase' in sales immediately after the ruling, triggering the limit. But now as sales have 'returned to normal' they are in the process of removing the restriction. They added: 'We continue to have ample supply of emergency contraceptives to meet customer needs.' Rite Aid also has Plan B pills available for $47.49 each and Option 2 pills for $32.99 for one. Walgreens said it was still able to meet 'in store demand' and was 'working' to re-stock its online inventory. The pharmacy did not say when it sold out of the pills for home delivery. Other pharmacies including Walmart are yet to put limits on the sale of 'morning after' pills in place. It comes as women hurriedly stockpile abortion pills and contraception over fears that access could be banned. Last week the court's longest serving justice Clarence Thomas warned that they could 'reconsider' rulings on access to contraception suggesting the right to the 'morning after' pill could also be at risk. This has sparked panic in many circles, with women now hurrying to restock. In the days since Roe v Wade was overturned some clinics say their appointments have spiked four-fold since the Roe v Wade ruling. Abortion organization Planned Parenthood Southeast, in Atlanta, Georgia, also says they have faced a surge in women wanting to know how many pills are available. But amid the rush many are being urged not to completely 'clear the shelves' of abortion pills to ensure they remain available for women who need them right now. It is expected that abortion pills will become the focus of many legal battles in the states to outlaw abortion. So far, 13 states have already imposed new laws, with Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Missouri completely banning them with no exceptions for rape or incest. In a statement on its website, Just The Pill said it is 'undaunted by the Supreme Court decision and will continue to bring care to the people who most need it. We are here for you. 'You can still get care from us in Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Let us know if you need help with travel arrangements and costs.' Medication abortion is still authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It requires a woman takes two drugs 24 to 48 hours apart to cause contractions similar to a miscarriage which expels the fetus, causing heavy bleeding. Medication is less expensive and invasive and the pills can be mailed to your home, meaning it is a common choice for women choosing to carry out an abortion. People who use marijuana recreationally are more likely to require emergency room care or be hospitalized that their peers are, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of Toronto, in Canada, found that those who use the drug recreationally are 22 percent more likely to need emergency services for any reason than the general population. The most common reasons were physical injury or respiratory issues - though it is unclear whether these problems were tied to smoking itself. Marijuana use has become common place in America as it slowly earns legalization and decriminalization across the country. While it is generally seen as a 'safe' drug compared to others, it may carry significant downsides as well. A person that uses marijuana is 22% more like to need hospital care than their peer that does not use the drug, a new study finds (file photo) 'After adjusting for a broad range of covariates ... all-cause ER visits or hospitalizations was significantly greater among cannabis users than among control individuals,' researchers wrote. Is marijuana safe? Studies show long-term negative impacts of the popular drug Use of marijuana in America is growing, with over half of millennials reporting using it at some point A study published by researchers at the University of Toronto found that users are more than 20 percent more likely to require emergency room care or hospitalization for any reason An NIH study found that frequent adolescent users are twice as likely to suffer occupational injury than their peers Ohio State University researchers found that those that use the drug are also more likely to self-harm and die of any cause There are also established links between cannabis use and cognitive issues Advertisement 'Respiratory-related reasons were the second most common cause for ER visits and hospitalizations in the all-cause outcome.' Researchers, who published their findings Monday in BMJ, gathered health record data from over 35,000 residents of Ontario for the study. Participants were between the ages of 12 to 65, and data from 2009 to 2015 was included in the research. Each person who self-reported cannabis use was matched to another person with a similar medical profile that did not use the drug recreationally. The participant who did use the drug was found to have a 22 percent increased risk of needing either emergency care or hospitalization than their non-using peer over the six year study period. Marijuana users were not more likely to die as a result of any illness or injury, the researchers found. Researchers warn that their findings do not establish causation, and they were unable to tie any of the hospital visits directly to use of the drug in any way. This is not the first study to tie marijuana use with increased risk of suffering injury, though. A 2012 study found that students who used cannabis more than 40 times in a 30 day period - indicating they were frequent users - were at an increased risk of suffering occupational injury than their peers. A study published last year also found that adolescent frequent users were more likely to self harm, and also die of an overdose of another drug or be a victim of homicide than their peers. Recreational marijuana use is reaching all-time highs in the United States, as it becomes more socially and legally acceptable to use the drug. Marijuana is now legal to use recreationally in 17 U.S. states, and allowed medicinally in another 17 states as well A Gallup poll from last summer found that half of U.S. adults had used the drug at least once in their life, with more than one-in-ten being active users. Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, were the group most like to have experimented with it at some point. Use of the drug is only expected to rise as well as it slowly gains acceptance around the country. Many employers that previously banned workers from using the drugs and performed pre-employment drug screenings have since dropped those requirements. The long-banned drug is starting to become legal as well, with 17 U.S. states allowing for recreational use, and the list only expected to grow in the coming years. A panel of independent advisors has recommended new formulations for the COVID-19 vaccines to specifically target the Omicron variant. By a 19-2 vote, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) approved plans to rollout newly formulated vaccines this fall - citing the vaccine resistant traits of the Omicron variant. Dr Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) top regulatory body for vaccines, said Tuesday morning he hoped to make the new shots available as early as this October. The move opens the door for fourth vaccine shots for the general American population and fifth shots for the immunocompromised and for people over 50. An FDA advisory panel voted in favor of newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines targeting the Omicron variants. Previous vaccine versions were built to combat the original Wuhan virus strain from two years ago. Pictured: A soldier in Fort Knox, Kentucky, receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in September, 2021 All currently available versions of the COVID-19 vaccines are formulated to the original Wuhan strain that emerged two years ago. While they are still effective at preventing severe infection or death in a majority of cases, the Omicron variant has mutated in a way to avoid front end protection from infection. This change allows for both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to begin distribution of newly formulated shots that should be able to prevent infection from the Omicron variant - along with previous versions of the virus. The FDA is expected to follow the lead of its advisors and issue emergency use authorization to the new jabs at some point this week. After the FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will also likely authorize the shots. In preparation for Tuesday's meeting, Pfizer unveiled data on Saturday showing its updated vaccine's effectiveness against the highly infectious strain of the virus. Data included over 1,200 people who has already received both the original two-dose vaccine series and a booster shot. The trial found a significant increased in Omicron-effective antibodies in participants. Moderna, Pfizer's largest competitor in the rollout of the shots revealed similar data for its Omicron-specific shots earlier this month as well. 'The data show the ability of our monovalent and bivalent Omicron-adapted vaccine candidates to significantly improve variant-specific antibody neutralization responses,' Dr Ugur Sahin, CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech - a German firm which partnered with Pfizer in the development and manufacturing of the shots. 'Omicron has newly evolving sublineages that have outcompeted BA.1 and exhibit a trend of increasing potential for immune escape.' These shots were long sought after in January, when the then-new strain was causing up to 800,000 new cases per day as mutations on its spike protein allowed it to bypass vaccine immunity. In the time since, though, experts have realized that while the variant may be more transmissible it is also more mild than its predecessors. This has led to plummeting demand for the additional shots, though, and declining worry about the pandemic from the general population. Whether Americans will want the additional shots is still up in the air, though, especially as the nation's Covid situation stabilizes. A May Gallup poll found that only 31 percent of Americans report being either 'somewhat worried' or 'very worried' about catching COVID-19. The poll signals the shifting state of the virus as America approaches the summer months. In previous years, the warm weather months have come with large, devastating virus surges. The survey was conducted in mid-April, when the trend of declining cases that had existed for nearly three months to that point coming off of the mid-January peak of the winter Omicron surge began to reverse. Participants were asked of their feelings about the pandemic, the virus and what sort of personal mitigations strategies they were using - or ignoring - in their day-to-day life. The study also found that 64 percent of Americans believed that the pandemic was 'getting better'. At the time of the survey, cases had just dropped below 30,000 per day, making it one of the lowest points since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Around 21 percent of Americans said they believed the situation was about the same, and only 12 percent believed it was getting worse. The last time this little amount of Americans believed the situation was getting worse was summer 2021, when cases were at a low point just before the explosion of the Delta variant. These good feelings have led to some changes in behavior as well. Only 17 percent of Americans reported that they were still social distancing, the lowest point of the pandemic so far. Just under a third of Americans said they have avoided large crowds, a fifth reported avoiding public places and just 15 percent avoided small gatherings. Those figures are also all pandemic-lows, Gallup reports. More motorists need to hold their nerve and appeal unfair parking charges. Money Mail analysis shows that few people contest their parking tickets. Yet they have more than a 50 per cent chance of success if they do. Keeping up the fight is more important than ever since the Government temporarily withdrew vital new rules to protect the nations 36 million drivers from cowboy parking practices. Its a devastating blow for the tens of thousands of drivers slapped with obscene charges every year for innocent mistakes. We explain how to tell a council PCN from a private parking charge, and why those aren't technically fines, but can be legally pursued, and how to challenge both types of parking ticket. Contested: An official council PCN is different to a private parking charge but the latter can seem to mimic the former What's going on with private parking charges The Government introduced the Private Parking Code of Practice in February designed to take full effect at the end of 2023, giving operators time to comply. But parking firms have taken legal action against a proposed cap on fees. This essentially presses pause on the new code while the Government conducts a further review. Minister Neil OBrien, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Levelling Up, summarised the need for tighter rules, citing a labyrinthine system of misleading and confusing signage, opaque appeals services, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists. New rules include clear signage and compulsory grace periods so no one is unfairly charged for running a few minutes late. They would also pave the way for a single independent appeals service. Operators which fail to follow the rules could then be banned from issuing parking charges altogether. But while new consumer protections are on hold, parking perils rumble on. And firms profit mercilessly from simple human errors. So anyone who feels they have been unfairly targeted should strike back. Consumer expert Martyn James says: Dont delay make your complaint straight away. Its free to argue your case and the charge wont increase while matters are being investigated. My bill went from 25 to 394 Shock: Ann Marie White was hit with a 394 demand from Warrington Borough Council NHS nurse Ann Marie White was hit with a 25 fine after failing to display a ticket at a station car park in 2020. The 64-year-old (pictured) made the payment by credit card within a fortnight, before it doubled to 50. But last month Warrington Borough Council sent an enforcement officer to her home who told her the charge had increased to 394. Ann, who lives in Warrington, says: I did explain that I paid the fine and could show him a screenshot of my payment, but he was adamant that I had to pay. When Money Mail contacted the council, it said it had issued a second parking ticket in 2020, which she hadnt paid. But Ann claims she never received any correspondence about another penalty. A council spokesman says it will be refunding her the additional fees added to the second fine, so that she will only pay 25. He adds: We acknowledge that given both fines were issued within a short space of time, it is likely this may have caused confusion. The rogue charges - including too long inflating tyres Money Mail has heard from dozens of readers affected by rogue practices. Many are tired of the nitpicking after being fined for tickets slipping from the dashboard. They are then pursued for money even after showing evidence of having paid to park. Parking firms have also come under fire in recent years for trying to force more people to use smartphone apps which isnt always easy for older people. One blue-badge holder, a driver in his 80s, was charged 100 for spending too long inflating his tyres at a petrol station. He stayed beyond the permitted 20 minutes because he had taken a bad fall and needed time to recover. Another reader paid her initial fine for parking at a station but was still then chased by debt collectors. And one unhappy motorist was told his ticket had been cancelled, only to then be chased for payment. Worried because the charge had gone up, he paid. At which point the operator agreed that in fact his ticket was cancelled. But after 111 days he was still waiting for the company to refund his money. Some drivers have been caught out because they didnt pay within ten minutes of arriving at a car park even when there was a long queue and only one ticket machine working. Others have been caught out by fat finger errors. Having typed their vehicle registration number into the ticket machine, one letter or digit was wrong. This paves the way for penalties, no matter how honest the driver. Everyday annoyance: If you are caught out fair and square a parking ticket can be infuriating but chalked up to experience, but those treated unfairly are rightly aggrieved Ticket types: know your parking charge from a PCN Deciding how to tackle an unfair parking charge depends on the type of ticket. Expert Barrie Segal runs consumer champion website appealnow.com. He says: In law there is a vast difference between council parking tickets and private parking tickets. Many local authorities in their pursuit of parking ticket income act unfairly in dealing with motorists. The behaviour of many private parking companies is even worse. Check what is written on the ticket itself. Its only official if it features the word penalty. This means that it has been issued by a local authority and is an official penalty charge notice, or PCN for short. If you think your PCN is wrong, appeal first to the local authority that issued it. You have 14 days to do this, or 21 days if it was sent in the post. Include any evidence such as photos and witness statements, as well as details including your car registration number, PCN number and your contact information. If youre unsuccessful at the end of the first stage, theres usually still an option to pay a fine at a discounted rate of 50 per cent. But if youre adamant about taking it further, you have another 28 days to make a free formal appeal. Should this be rejected too, there is another step. You can refer to an independent tribunal. In London this is the London Tribunals service, in England and Wales it is the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. In Scotland, motorists have 28 days to appeal to the General Regulatory Chamber. For penalty fines relating specifically to parking, the success rate for appeals to London Tribunals is 51 per cent. There were 7,496 parking appeals won out of 14,702 decisions made. But nearly three million parking PCNs were issued in the financial year to 2021. The success rate for drivers appealing to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal is higher at 64 per cent. There were 4,249 successful appeals out of 6,633 in the financial year to 2021. But a whopping 3.18 million parking PCNs were issued in that time. Tech required: Parking firms have also come under fire in recent years for trying to force more people to use smartphone apps How to challenge private parking charges If you have received a ticket for parking on private land, the rules are different. In these cases, rogue operators flourish and can exploit drivers ignorance of different parking ticket features. Martyn James says: Private parking fees are tickets or invoices not fines. They can be pursued legally though. Private parking fees are tickets or invoices not fines He adds: Some tickets mirror the look, style and even typeface of council tickets quite deliberately so people are confused about their rights. Though a parking charge notice has the same initials as a PCN, they arent the same. In the absence of the word penalty, its a private operator ticket, not a council fine. If you identify one of these, its important to find out whether the company is part of an accredited trade association. If it isnt then do not write to the company unless they write to you. The company cant access your address from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, so writing to them gives information they didnt have and a way to hassle you. If the operator is a trade association member, appeal to the company about your ticket first. You can check if a firm is a member of the British Parking Association at britishparking.co.uk or email membership@britishparking.co.uk. Its members issued four million tickets in 2020 but less than a quarter made the leap to appeal. For those who did, 51.7 per cent were successful. A tiny 1 per cent took their cases to the Parking on Private Land Appeals service, also known as POPLA. Its most recent figures show that out of 61,214 appeals handled in a year, 37 per cent were successful at this end stage. Another trade body is the International Parking Community, which refers complaints to the Independent Appeals Service. The IAS handled 16,769 appeals between October 2020 and September 2021. The success rate for motorists was 24 per cent. To give yourself the best chance of victory with an appeal, Mr James suggests turning detective. He says: Collect evidence about where you were if the fine is applied to you incorrectly. Mistakes can and do happen, so dont lose your temper if you get ticketed. Grit your teeth and make detailed notes. Dont get into fights with parking attendants, just take down their details and use them in the complaint. For step-by-step information about how to deal with unfair parking charges, visit citizens advice.org.uk/law-and-courts. You can also get help from the online complaints service Resolver.co.uk. In November 2019 I was involved in a car accident and injured my back. The driver who hit my vehicle admitted full liability to both his and my insurance companies. Minster Law Solicitors took on my compensation claim but as yet I have had nothing. I run my own dog-walking business out of my van, so once the vehicle was written off, I had to purchase a new one out of my own pocket or, should I say, with the help of my parents. Claim: A reader has been left waiting almost three years to be fully compensated after they were involved in a car accident that left them in pain and without a vehicle for work Due to the injuries I sustained, and while looking for a new van, I was off work for several weeks. I was referred to a physiotherapist appointed by Minster Law, which did not help, and my lower back pain remained. Eventually I referred myself to a chiropractor at my own expense and have spent the past two-and-a-half years going weekly to try and resolve the back pain. I went back to work as soon as I obtained my new van in December 2019. It is a physical job and so being in pain constantly is unpleasant, but I had to pay the bills and couldnt afford to take any more time off. I have been chasing Minster Law about my compensation for nearly three years. The firm sent me to a doctor who assessed my symptoms and agreed that the injuries are a result of the accident. I was referred to a specialist for a spinal nerve injection in October 2021. I am always the one chasing for an answer and every time it is the same: either the firm hasnt heard back yet from someone, or the wrong document has been sent by that person. Every step seems to take weeks. I am in a tricky financial spot right now, what with this all happening just before Covid struck and being self-employed and single. I am now facing possibly losing my home and having to move in with my parents, which is something I dont wish to have to do. If I could just get the compensation I deserve for an accident that wasnt my fault, I think this would help. J. M., Wakefield. Sally Hamilton replies: Living with pain while trying to make a living must be unbearable. When we spoke, you explained how the other drivers insurer paid out for your van with no quibble. But the trouble is you had leased your vehicle and the payout simply paid off the finance companys loan. You had to turn to your parents for a loan; you really do not want to lose your home and your independence. I contacted Minster Law on your behalf and asked them why it was taking so long to arrange compensation with the third partys insurer after your debilitating accident. Stuart Hanley, head of legal practice at Minster Law, went away to investigate your case. A couple of days later he admitted you had faced poor service. A member of the team then apologised to you directly. Mr Hanley says some aspects of your case that contributed to the delays have been out of the firms control. He says issues surrounding the accuracy of your medical assessment and the fact you are still receiving treatment means the case is complex. He says: However, we accept that more could have been done to counter at least a proportion of these delays. Unfortunately, the firm cannot say yet how much you are in line to receive. But in the meantime, after my intervention, they agreed to send you 500 as an apology for the poor service, unrelated to your compensation claim, plus it has appointed a more senior claims handler to the case. It has also arranged a 1,000 interim compensation payment. I hope this will keep the wolves from the door. Straight to the point My wife and I were travelling by train from Leighton Buzzard to Doncaster. At the station my wife was knocked down an escalator, causing severe injuries which resulted in a trip to the hospital before we headed home. I asked for a refund from the Trainline but we were refused. T. S., via email. Rail industry rules mean the type of ticket you purchased is non-refundable but, after Money Mail intervened, a spokesman agreed to provide you with a full refund. *** After buying Kinder egg products for my grandchildren at Easter they all had to be thrown away because salmonella was found at one of its factories. I asked for a refund and received no response. S. C., Bromley. Ferrero, which owns Kinder, says the situation was completely unprecedented and apologises for not responding. You have now been offered a voucher worth the price of the affected products. *** I bought two travel insurance policies from Staysure by mistake. That was four months ago and I have been fighting for a 228.46 refund since. C.M., The Wirral. A Staysure spokesman says it processed your refund the day before I got in contact and will call you to make sure it has cleared. The insurer also paid an extra 50 to apologise for the inconvenience. Energy services group Petrofac has revealed that trading and forecasts remain in line with projections following a strong rebound in the price and production of oil. The London-listed company expects to generate more than 500,000 barrels per day of petroleum in the first half of 2022, thanks partly to output from two developments situated off the Malaysian coast. This compares to just 210,000 daily barrels in the equivalent period last year when Covid-related lockdown rules discouraged travel and caused factory activity to dwindle, sending oil demand plummeting. Forecast: Petrofac expects to generate over 500,000 barrels per day of oil in the first half of 2022, thanks partly to output from two developments situated off the Malaysian coast Petrofac predicts production will continue rising in the latter half of 2022, helping full-year underlying earnings in its integrated energy services division to rise to $80million-$90million, assuming average oil prices remain at around $100 per barrel. The business also anticipates revenues in its asset solutions arm will further increase over the next six months, having already made an estimated $500million so far this year on the back of new or extended contracts. Among deals recently won by the firm regarding operations in the North Sea include one from i3 Energy to manage wells and a two-year extension from Spirit Energy to provide maintenance support for its York platform. Outside the UK, Petrofac has gained contracts to decommission three offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Timor Sea from the Australian Government. Yet even though the division has attracted a robust order intake, it forecasts a slight decrease in second-half profit margins because of the mix of contracts. By contrast, the company expects its engineering and construction segment to rebound to a 'marginal profit' in the coming six months from a loss of about $35million-$45million in the opening half of the year. Deals: Outside the UK, Petrofac has gained contracts to decommission three offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Timor Sea from the Australian Government Petrofac admitted that such an outcome will be dependent on certain commercial settlements, some of which it has described as 'relatively unfavourable.' But it is optimistic that the division will continue to prosper due to steep energy prices, an enhanced focus on energy security and a gigantic pipeline of potential new contracts. Chief executive Sami Iskander said: 'We have made good progress in the first half of the year to position the business strategically to capitalise on the expected multi-year upcycle ahead, supported by a strong energy price environment and ambitious growth plans from clients in our core markets.' The firm additionally anticipates cutting net debts after seeing them double to $345million between January and late June due to paying a $104million fine to the Serious Fraud Office and receiving slower payments from clients. Last year, Petrofac pleaded guilty to seven charges of failing to prevent bribery that helped it secure projects across Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia from 2012 to 2015. Chairman Rene Medori called the episode a 'deeply regrettable period of Petrofac's history.' Laura Hoy, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'With the Serious Fraud Office investigation finally in the rearview, this year was meant to be one of rebuilding for Petrofac. 'But lingering supply chain issues from the pandemic and inflationary headwinds have put somewhat of a damper on the group's engineering & construction business. 'The good news is that other parts of the business are picking up some of the slack - with higher oil prices and strong demand for onshore and offshore asset management keeping a floor under profits.' Petrofac shares closed trading 2.7 per cent up at 122.2p on Tuesday, although their value has declined by over a fifth in the past month. Protective: Raymond McKeeve with his wife, the ex-Brexit Party Euro MP Belinda De Lucy A High-flying lawyer advising one of Ocados co-founders panicked before seeking to destroy evidence rather than hand it over to the online supermarket, a court heard yesterday. Raymond McKeeve ordered an IT manager at a firm set up by Jonathan Faiman to burn messages to stop them falling into Ocados hands during a corporate espionage probe. At the time, Faiman was embroiled in a legal dispute with Ocado, which accused him of using confidential company information to launch his rival venture Today Development Partners. That case was settled in June last year, ending a bitter legal battle between Faiman and fellow Ocado co-founder Tim Steiner, who were childhood friends. Steiner remains chief executive of the online supermarket, which is now pursuing McKeeve for contempt of court over the destruction of the files, which could see the lawyer jailed or hit with an unlimited fine. In court yesterday, McKeeve apologised for his serious error of judgment but said he should not be found guilty of a criminal offence. He said he panicked when making the burn instruction and insisted the deleted material did not contain highly sensitive or confidential information about Ocado. He previously said in a statement his gut reaction was to protect the identity of his wife, ex-Brexit Party Euro MP Belinda de Lucy, whose name was referenced in the messaging app that was deleted. But the FTSE 100 firm said the case of contempt against McKeeve was clearly made out. Ocado has rejected McKeeves claim he wanted to protect the identity of his wife and claimed that he wanted to destroy material Lawyers for the company told the court: McKeeves actions, as a solicitor and officer of the court, are unprecedented. We have been unable to find any case where a solicitor has acted this way. They also claimed he does not appear to appreciate the gravity of his conduct. David Cavender QC, who is representing Ocado in the High Court, said the case was one of utmost seriousness. He encouraged the judge to deal with the severity of McKeeves actions, adding that he knew what he did was wrong and was looking to hide it. Food fight: Ocado founder Tim Steiner When responding to Ocados remarks, McKeeves barrister said his clients liberty is at stake in the case. He said the defendant admits he made a serious error of judgment which he greatly regrets. Robert Weekes QC told the court that McKeeve made a mistake on the morning of July 4, 2019 but said he wanted to apologise sincerely for that. He added: What he did, while it was a serious lapse in judgment, did not constitute that criminal offence. McKeeve has argued that he was not aware of the search orders terms. The deletion of innocuous text messages cannot, and did not, interfere with the administration of justice, his lawyers told the court. Ocado, which claims to be the victim in the case, has said it is pursuing McKeeves alleged contempt as a matter of justice. It has rejected McKeeves claim he wanted to protect the identity of his wife and claimed that he wanted to destroy material. Cavender told the court: Whatever his motive was, he acted intentionally. The case continues, with Ocado applying for some parts of the hearing to be held in private. Ocado and McKeeve were both contacted for comment. IPO: Chip maker Arm Arm employs 6,400 people globally, 3,500 of them in the UK Arm's chief executive said its upcoming 40billion stock market listing would spark a hiring boom and accelerate its expansion. Rene Haas said the Cambridge-based chip designer would use the cash generated from the IPO to pursue takeovers and speed up hiring. It will boost Arms push beyond mobile phones into cars, data centres and hardware underpinning the metaverse. Arm which employs 6,400 people globally, 3,500 of them in the UK designs the processors that run virtually every smartphone and its customers include tech giants Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics. Haas told the Financial Times that the timing is good for Arms listing. But he said the location of the float was a decision for its owner, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, refusing to be drawn on questions about whether it will be in London or New York. Thousands of shoppers are discovering items ordered from reputable retailers are not what they expected. Complaints about goods that were poor quality, faulty or not as described rose by 138 per cent last year, according to the dispute service Resolver. In many cases, items were described as being made of quality natural materials, like wood or leather, but turned out to be constructed from cheap synthetic imitations. Misleading: One jumper (left) sold on the M&S website as a 'wool actually contained only 36% wool - while a 28 'satin' green dress (right) from PrettyLittleThing is in fact 100% polyester Not only are these cheaper materials worth less, they tend to be flimsier and less durable. Here, Money Mail investigates misleading online descriptions and how you can avoid being caught out... Dodgy descriptions Caroline Blight, 43, spent 30 on three wooden shelves from Homebase. The website described them as timber shelves with a hard-wearing timber finish. But when the baking blogger, from Hertfordshire, collected the shelving, the packaging stated the products were actually made from the synthetic material melamine. I said to the assistant I thought I had been given the incorrect order and she told me that things on the website arent always labelled the same as they are in real life, says Caroline. I was really annoyed. Ratula Chakraborty, professor of business management at the University of East Anglia, describes misleading product descriptions on websites as a modern twist on a classic bait-and-switch ploy. Traditionally, consumers were hooked by a marketing claim and then steered to buy something else, but here the ploy is to sell inferior items that do not match the intended quality, she says. She recommends shoppers examine the small print carefully for any clues that the product is not what it seems and look out for phrases such as effect or pattern next to words like wood. Customer complaints about furniture, kitchens, bathrooms and other home improvements including misleading descriptions rose by 25 per cent between 2017 and 2019, compared with the previous two years, according to the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman. Other unhappy customers include those who bought 64 knotty pine doors from B&Q and complained on its website that the surface bubbled when they attempted to paint or varnish it. They said it was not made from solid pine, as the description suggested, but a thin wood veneer glued on to cheaper materials. After Money Mail contacted Homebase and B&Q, the retailers edited their websites to make it clear the products were not made from real wood. Homebase says: We always aim to make sure product descriptions are accurate. Were sorry we didnt make it clear this time. B&Q adds: Delivering high quality products that our customers love is so important to us. Misleading ads When shopping online, your first step might be to do a Google search for the item you want. But watch out for the shopping results shown at the top as these are adverts paid for by retailers and may not give an accurate description. Descriptions: In many cases, items described as being made of quality natural materials, like wood or leather, turned out to be constructed from cheap synthetic imitations Prof Chakraborty says some retailers exploit the weaker regulations governing search engine adverts to use misleading language to entice customers to visit their websites, which are subject to stricter rules on accurate descriptions. One 369.99 Wayfair chair, which appeared in a Google Shopping result for wool chairs, was described as a Scandi Wool Tub Chair. But when Money Mail clicked through to the Wayfair website, we found the word Wool had been replaced with the word Wide in the product title. And although the description said it was made from original fabric pattern wool, another link to the small print revealed the chair was actually upholstered in a cheap polyester blend fabric printed with a picture of wool. Wayfair did not respond to our requests for comment but the description of the chair was later updated. Misleading adverts waste consumers time and result in wrong purchases and money wasted, which also causes environmental waste, says Prof Chakraborty. [The practice] can only be stopped by search engines being more responsible or tighter advertising rules and stronger regulation. Gold tricks Shoppers are also being misled by online descriptions of clothes and jewellery. Last year, a Money Mail investigation revealed how some jewellery advertised as gold online contains as little as 0.6 per cent of the precious metal. Complaints about goods that were poor quality, faulty or not as described soared by 138% last year, according to dispute service Resolver A solid 18ct gold ring is worth around 400, but one that looks similar made of plated cheap base metal could be worth less than 1, says Harriet Kelsall, deputy chairman of the National Association of Jewellers and owner of Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery. She advises consumers to look for a hallmark and buy directly from the jewellery makers website, rather than through a third party such as eBay. Some retailers imply clothes are made from quality natural materials when, in reality, they are predominantly made from cheaper fabrics. One jumper by White Stuff, which was sold on the M&S website as a wool jumper for 59, actually contained only 36 per cent wool the rest was nylon and acrylic. M&S said the wording was an error and had been updated. The product is no longer on sale. Retailers may describe polyester items as silky or satin. One 28 satin green dress from Pretty LittleThing turned out to be 100 per cent polyester. The company did not respond to requests for comment. What you can do The law says consumers are entitled to products that match the description, are of satisfactory quality, are free from defects and last a reasonable length of time. So if you are caught out by a misleading website description, you can request a refund and should not have to pay for return postage. The same protection may not apply with retailers based overseas. If you are concerned about an online description, contact the Advertising Standards Authority. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk At least 11 people were killed and 50 wounded as two Russian missiles hit a crowded mall in the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine on Monday. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there were more than 1,000 people in the mall when the missile attack happened that resulting in a massive fire in the area. Firefighters and soldiers conducted a search operation for survivors as they remove debris in the area of the incident, as per a report from Reuters. Zelensky noted on Telegram that it is "impossible even to imagine the number of victims." He also blasted Russia, saying it is "useless to hope for decency and humanity" from Moscow, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a video of a fire in a shopping center in Kremenchug "The occupiers launched a missile strike at shopping center. There were more than a thousand civilians. The mall is on fire, rescuers are extinguishing fire, number of victims is unimaginable." pic.twitter.com/Src2qh3Tdf NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 27, 2022 Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, condemned the missile strike and dubbed Russia a "disgrace to humanity" and stressed that they "must face consequences," per Business Insider. Kuleba posted on Twitter: "The response should be more heavy arms for Ukraine, more sanctions on Russia, and more businesses leaving Russia." The attack has already been verified to have killed 11 people, according to Dmytro Lunin, the governor of the central Poltava area, who also stated on Telegram that more fatalities are likely to be discovered as rescue personnel continues to search through the burning ruins. Lunin also posted on Telegram that 29 additional persons received first assistance without being admitted to the hospital, while 21 other people were hospitalized. Russian Forces Continue To Pound Ukrainian Cities The incident "hit a very crowded area, which is 100% certain to have no connections to the armed forces," Mayor Vitaliy Maletskiy posted on Facebook. At the time of the attack, Russia was "pouring fire" on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and the air, according to the local governor, as it was waging a full-scale assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Read Also: USA Secret Meeting With Israel, Arab Nations Revealed; Iran Threat Discussed Kremenchuk is a city in central Ukraine on the Dneiper River, approximately five hours drive southeast of Kyiv and removed from the frontlines of battle in the country's south and east. After driving Ukrainian troops from the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk in recent days, Russian forces looked to increase their longer-range assaults on the country. US, NATO Vow Support For Ukraine Meanwhile, as per Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of NATO, leaders of the West vowed to continue their support to Kyiv. During the alliance's summit in Spain, they will decide to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, including secure communication and anti-drone equipment, as reported by NPR. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed that the US support for Ukraine will continue and will hold Russia accountable for its "string of atrocities." Zelenskyy delivered a remote message to the G7 conference this week, pleading with the leaders of the participating nations to dispatch more air defense systems and strive to finish the war this year. According to a senior US defense official, Russia launched up to 60 airstrikes on Ukraine over the weekend. Per Reuters, it was unclear whether most of the strikes were a reaction to the G7 summit or the deployment of HIMARS in Ukraine. Related Article: Vladimir Putin Conducts Late-Night Secret Meeting To Talk with Fellow Dictator About Nuclear Weapons [RUMOR] @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A falling out between two once close friends on a fishing trip might seem as trivial a motive for murder as could be found in Sydney's volatile underworld. But that was one suggested reason behind the execution of former Comanchero boss Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi by ex-Lone Wolf member Yusuf Nazlioglu. The case against Nazlioglu for murdering Hawi four years ago was ultimately rejected by a jury in 2020 but fate appears to have caught up with the 40-year-old. Nazlioglu was shot up to ten times at Rhodes in Sydney's inner-west on Monday night in the city's latest gangland hit and died on Tuesday morning. Onetime Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu (left) was acquitted in September 2020 of murdering his former friend and Comanchero president Mick Hawi (right) in February 2018. Nazlioglu was repeatedly shot in an underground carpark on Monday night and died on Tuesday morning Nazlioglu was shot up to ten times below the apartment he shared with his wife at Rhodes in Sydney's inner west near his black Mercedes. He is pictured with his wife The brazen attack occurred in front of Nazlioglu's wife in the underground carpark of their apartment block about 6.30pm near the dead man's black Mercedes. He was hit in the head and torso. A silver hatchback believed to have taken the assassin to the carpark was set on fire a few streets away from the apartment block. While police have described the shooting as targeted they have not publicly speculated whether it was linked to any of the 13 other gangster murders across Sydney in the past two years. But considering Nazlioglu's links to the cold-blooded daylight assassination of Hawi, detectives might have a head start in their investigations. A balaclava-clad gunman repeatedly shot Hawi in the head and body after the 37-year-old got into his black Mercedes-Benz SUV outside Fitness First Rockdale in the city's south on February 15, 2018. CCTV from a camera across the road from the gym captured the gunman firing at Hawi then running to a waiting vehicle. Police have described Nazlioglu's shooting (above) as targeted but have not publicly speculated whether it was linked to any of the 13 other gangland hits across Sydney in the past two years Nazlioglu's Mercedes is pictured with a bullet hole in the driver's window. The gangster died after being repeatedly shot in the head and torso Six months later Nazlioglu, then 37, was charged with Hawi's murder, along with his friend and fellow Lone Wolf member Ahmad 'Adam' Doudar, 38. Nazlioglu was accused of being the triggerman and Doudar of disposing of a getaway car. At the time, Assistant Commissioner Mal Lanyon, head of the State Crime Command, said Hawi's death was linked to the Sydney construction industry and not a rift between outlaw motorcycle gangs. 'We will allege that there was a financial motive to Mr Hawi's murder and his death was to prevent further money being paid to Mr Hawi rather than any outlaw motorcycle gang conflict,' Assistant Commission Lanyon told reporters. A third man, 31-year-old Jamal Eljaidi, was charged with murder in March 2019 and accused of being the getaway driver. Doudar would plead guilty to being an accessory after the fact to Hawi's murder and was sentenced to a non-parole period of three years and four months in jail. Beirut-born Hawi, who joined the Comanchero when he was 18, became national president of the gang in 2003 when he was just 22, having deposed 'supreme commander' Jock Ross A balaclava-clad gunman repeatedly shot Hawi in the head and body after the 37-year-old got into his black Mercedes-Benz SUV (above) outside Fitness First Rockdale on February 15, 2018 Beirut-born Hawi, who joined the Comanchero when he was 18, became national president of the gang in 2003 when he was just 22, having deposed 'supreme commander' Jock Ross. Ross had led the Comanchero into the Father's Day 1984 Milperra Massacre in which four of his men, two Bandidos and a 14-year-old girl were slain. Under Hawi, the Comanchero further expanded their recruitment to include young men with Middle Eastern, Greek and Serbian backgrounds. Hawi's leadership also coincided with growing tensions between the Comanchero and the Hells Angels. On March 22, 2009, Hawi was on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney with other Comanchero. Hells Angels president Derek Wainohu was also on the plane. Nazlioglu was accused of being the triggerman who killed Hawi while Jamal Eljaidi (above) was alleged to be the getaway driver. Both were acquitted by a jury of murder Wainohu, feeling intimidated by the Comanchero's presence, contacted gang members in Sydney who headed for the airport. Comanchero members followed. When the two groups met in the domestic terminal, 12 Comanchero confronted five Hells Angels, punching and kicking each other in front of horrified travellers. Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas, brother of patched member Peter Zervas, was bludgeoned with a bollard and stabbed in the abdomen and chest. He died in the brawl. Hawi was eventually charged with the murder of Zervas, found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in jail. After his conviction was overturned on appeal in 2014, Hawi pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was released in 2015, which is when he and Nazlioglu became close. Nazlioglu and Eljaidi stood trial for murder before a Supreme Court jury in a case the Crown admitted was circumstantial and featured no direct evidence either man was responsible for Hawi's murder. 'There are eyewitnesses... but no witness will say they saw the accused Mr Nazlioglu shoot the deceased,' prosecutor Lou Longo said in his opening address. One of the Crown's first witnesses was Hawi's widow Carolina Gonzalez, who said Nazlioglu had once been very close to her late husband. That friendship had soured during a fishing trip to the NSW Central Coast in the summer of 2016/17, when Hawi called his wife and said the pair had fallen out. One of the Crown's first witnesses at Nazlioglu's trial was Hawi's widow Carolina Gonzalez, who said Nazlioglu had once been very close to her late husband. Ms Gonzalez is pictured 'Mike said he had had a disagreement with Yusuf and that he'd asked him to go back to Sydney,' Ms Gonzalez said. 'He said, "He did something that embarrassed me with someone"... I said, "OK, I'm sure you'll get over it".' Ms Gonzalez saw Nazlioglu after the fishing trip and tried to speak to him about the dispute with her husband. 'He was angry just clenching his fists,' she said. 'He didn't want to talk to me. His eyes were just bulging a little bit.' Hawi did not get over whatever had happened and months later told his wife the friendship with Nazlioglu was finished and 'he couldn't handle his behaviour anymore'. It was not in dispute at the trial that Hawi and Nazlioglu were no longer friends but the latter's barrister Avni Djemal said that was not a motive for murder. The Crown alleged after Nazlioglu shot Hawi through the driver's side window he had jumped into a grey Mercedes driven by Eljaidi. CCTV from a camera across the road from Fitness First Rockdale captured a gunman firing at Hawi as he sat in his Mercedes (above) then running to a waiting vehicle Both men allegedly left the scene then torched the Mercedes and escaped in a silver Toyota Aurion, which was found a month later at Roseberry. The court heard Nazlioglu and Eljaidi's genetic profiles were linked to DNA evidence found in the Toyota, where police also found gunshot residue on a balaclava. Both defendants denied during the month-long trial they were the men seen in CCTV running away from the scene of Hawi's murder. Alternative theories were offered for why Hawi was killed, including tensions between him and one of his successors as Comanchero president, Mark Buddle. Buddle has been living overseas since 2016 - two years before Hawi was murdered - and Hawi's widow told the court any disagreements the pair had were not 'bikie related'. Nazlioglu's barrister suggested Hawi had been extorting $500,000 from a property developer, which Ms Gonzalez also denied. Instead, the property developer had 'offered' the money. The man who shot Hawi and his getaway driver both left the scene in a Mercedes they soon torched (above) and escaped in a Toyota Aurion, which was found a month later at Roseberry After a week of deliberations the jury found Nazlioglu and Eljaidi not guilty of murder. The dead bikie's sister Zeinab Hawi shouted out that the acquitted men were 'motherf***ers'. 'F*** you both,' she screamed. 'F*** the Crown too, motherf***ing s*** prosecution.' Following Nazlioglu and Eljaidi's acquittals Ahmad Doudar's earlier guilty plea could be reported, along with what Hawi's widow said in a victim impact statement. 'A bunch of cowards... decided to play God, and what did you achieve? What satisfaction did you get from doing this?' Ms Gonzales had asked. 'There will come a day, Ahmad, when you will stand before the ultimate judge, and you will not be able to make a deal nor plead with anyone to save yourself. 'You will be held to account for your actions... your punishment will be eternal and divine.' Justice Robert Hulme relied on an agreed set of facts signed by Doudar - who was not called to give evidence against Nazlioglu or Eljaidi at their trial - when sentencing him for disposing of the getaway car. After a week of deliberations the jury found Nazlioglu and Eljaidi not guilty. The dead bikie's sister Zeinab Hawi shouted out that the acquitted men were 'motherf***ers'. A mourner is pictured holding a picture of Hawi on the day of his funeral 'Mr Doudar knew that the vehicle was used by Nazlioglu as a getaway car,' Judge Hulme said, and 'assisted in the disposal of the car to help Nazlioglu evade justice'. 'The murder itself was horrifying, it was a dangerous and public execution and Mr Doudar knew this. 'Mr Doudar was well aware the murder was well planned by his associates his morality was no better than the principal offenders and others involved.' Justice Hulme said Doudar shared Nazlioglu 'arrogant and immoral belief' that he was entitled to take the life of another man. 'He knew that his friend Yusuf Nazlioglu was the brazen and brutal executioner,' he said. Nazlioglu subsequently pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of possessing a firearm and was jailed for three years. He was released in September last year. Nazlioglu (above) pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of possessing a firearm and was jailed for three years. He was released in September last year While in custody at Silverwater's Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in 2020, Nazlioglu was secretly recorded talking to another prisoner about his likely fate. 'I used to hear people outside were going to knock me, yeah?' he said. 'I used to still leave my house, brother, knowing that one day someone's going to sneak up on me and put one in my head. 'But I still f***ing went to the same hairdresser, went to the same f***ing restaurants, yeah. 'I still showed my face in front yard and hung out with boys at their porches at their houses, yeah knowing I'm gonna get knocked one day.' Two years later that day has come in a hail of bullets near another black Mercedes. The mother of Helen McCourt has described the death of her daughter's killer two years after he was released from prison as a 'great relief'. Marie McCourt has said she now hopes that someone connected to murderer Ian Simms will come forward and reveal where he hid her daughter's body after she vanished in Merseyside in 1988. The insurance clerk was walking home from work in Billinge, Merseyside, when Simms, a pub landlord, murdered the 22-year-old. Simms, 65, a former pub landlord, died last week in 'supervised' accommodation and it's understood no cause of death has yet been given. Mrs McCourt from St Helens in Merseyside, told the Mirror: 'It's a great relief knowing that this man is at last wiped off this earth. 'He's got what he deserved. I'm hoping now maybe he spoke to somebody in prison or maybe one of his friends or family who were perhaps too scared to come forward when he was alive, will do so now.' It comes after years of campaigning by Mrs McCourt for legislation dubbed Helen's Law - supported by the Mail - to force the Parole Board to consider a killer's failure to reveal where their victim's body is before release. She was not able to take advantage of the law and lived in fear when he was released from prison with a tag on in 2020. Marie McCourt, the mother of Helen McCourt (pictured, victim), has said she now hopes that someone connected to murderer Ian Simms will come forward and reveal where he hid her body following his death Reports have said Ian Simms (pictured in August 2014) died last week and it's understood no cause of death has yet been given Mrs McCourt (pictured), from St Helens in Merseyside, said: 'It's a great relief knowing that this man is at last wiped off this earth' WHAT IS HELEN'S LAW? Marie McCourt wants Britain to adopt 'Helen's Law' legislation which would prevent the release of killers who have hidden the locations of their victims' bodies. She writes on change.org: If parole is granted, my hopes of finding my daughter may never be realised. No other family should live this ordeal. I, hereby, petition the Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to acknowledge the pain and distress caused to the families of missing murder victims by: Denying parole to murderers for as long as they refuse to disclose the whereabouts of their victim's remains Passing a full life tariff (denying parole or release) until the murderer discloses the location (and enables the recovery) of their victim's remains Automatically applying the following rarely-used common law offences in murder trials without a body*; preventing the burial of a corpse and conspiracy to prevent the burial of a corpse, disposing of a corpse, obstructing a coroner (*as in the case of R v Hunter, 1974 (from Archbold, Criminal Pleading Evidence and Practice 2015) Advertisement Simms was married, 31, and a father of two when he ran the George and Dragon pub before Helen from Bootle vanished on her way home from work in 1988 and whose body has never been found. He was handed a life sentence in 1989 after being convicted by a jury on overwhelming DNA evidence of Ms McCourt's abduction and murder. Since his conviction in 1989, Simms has shown no remorse and steadfastly refused to reveal what he had done with the insurance clerk's remains. Marie McCourt said Simms died on Friday and she was told yesterday during the day and it was later confirmed by the Ministry of Justice. She said last night: 'I just pray now that somebody may have some details of where he said he had done it. 'It breaks my heart but not just mine but all families who've had loved ones taken. 'It's hard to lose a child through illness, it's worse when someone deliberately takes her life.' After his release Simms could not come in a 50 mile radius of where she lives but Mrs McCourt would have 'sleepless nights' worrying about him 'sneaking' up to where she lives. The 78-year-old also spoke about how she searches an area of the North West which also has a similar clay to what was found in Simms' car and on his jeans and boots. And Mrs McCourt added she will continue to search for her daughter's body. Simms was told he would serve at least 16 years and one day behind bars. He was eligible to be considered for release in February 2004. Mrs McCourt previously said she was 'in shock' at the decision to consider Simms' release. The summary of the Parole Board's original ruling said Simms was deemed suitable for release due to factors including the 'considerable change in his behaviour'. The decision to release him was subject to a number of conditions including residing at a designated address, having to wear a tagging device to monitor his whereabouts, observe a curfew and avoid any contact with the family of his victim. In the meantime, Simms was given a parole hearing and judges agreed he could go free. They claimed that Simms was low risk, despite agreeing he would probably never reveal what he had done with Miss McCourt's remains because during his three decades inside he has convinced himself he is innocent. Marie McCourt holding a photo portrait of her murdered 22-year-old daughter, Helen Ian Simms leaves The George and Dragon pub in Billinge under police guard after Helen's disappearance in 1988 Ian Simms at St Helen's Magistrates Court. The murderer who has refused for more than 30 years to disclose what he did with his victim's body was allowed out of jail on temporary release Mrs McCourt said the Parole Board's logic was flawed and its argument proved Simms was a 'psychopath'. She also cited a menacing letter he wrote to her from jail in 1991, in which he threatened her family and vowed 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' and to get 'justice' for himself once released. In September 2020 two judges ruled against her after considering Mrs McCourt's judicial review application at a virtual High Court in July, saying that the Parole Board's decision 'involved no arguable public law error'. The case is a rare example where a murder conviction has been obtained without the presence of a body, and was one of the first in the UK to use DNA fingerprinting. In a written ruling, the judges said: 'The panel were acutely aware of the sensitivities in this case and adopted a careful and balanced approach both to the procedure to be adopted and to the assessment of Simms' current risk.' Tom Little QC, representing Mrs McCourt, told the court that this decision was 'unreasonable' and had asked the judges to quash it. 'He must have known, and still knows, the location of Helen's body. Despite this, he has refused to disclose this for over three decades,' he said at the time. Mrs McCourt's campaigning following her daughter's death led to the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act, dubbed Helen's Law, being enacted in 2021. The law makes it harder for killers and paedophiles who hold back information on their victims to receive parole. Under the legislation, killers could still be released if no longer deemed a risk to the public even if they refuse to disclose information. Advertisement Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, will be sentenced today after being convicted of sex trafficking in December Ghislaine Maxwell finally turned on Jeffrey Epstein and apologized to her victims as she spoke out minutes before being sentenced to 20 years in prison. 'Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed today,' Maxwell said in a blue prison uniform with her ankles shackled. 'The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb in its scale and extent. I want to acknowledge their suffering. I empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. 'I acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes.' 'I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My association with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.' She added that Epstein 'fooled all of those in his orbit.' 'His victims considered him a mentor, friend, lover. Jeffrey Epstein should have stood before you. In 2005. In 2009. And again in 2019. But today it is for me to be sentenced. Turning to her victims, she said, 'I'm sorry for the pain that you have experienced. I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of peace and faintly to help you put those experiences of so many years ago in a place that allows you to look forward and not back.' Maxwell spoke after the judge determined the guidelines dictate she serve just 15.6 years to 19.5 years - not the expected 55-year maximum. In a big win for Maxwell's defense, Judge Alison Nathan ruled to use sentencing guidelines from 2003 - the year Maxwell's last offense took place. In 2004, sentencing guidelines were raised, which could have seen Maxwell facing a maximum of 55 years. Prosecutors had asked Judge Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell's 'utter lack of remorse.' Maxwell claimed she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public. Assistant US attorney Alison More told the judge, 'The 2003 guidelines were inadequate. Consider the sophistication of her predatory conduct. We ask the court to send a message no one is above the law.' 'This is one of the rare cases for an above Guidelines sentence.' The judge who will hand down Ghislaine Maxwell's sentence has determined the guidelines dictate she serve just 15.6 years to 19.5 years - not the expected 55-year maximum Ghislaine Maxwell will be sentenced today after being convicted of sex trafficking in December. The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein In a big win for Maxwell's defense, Judge Alison Nathan ruled to use sentencing guidelines from 2003 - the year Maxwell's last offense took place. In 2004, sentencing guidelines were raised, which could have seen Maxwell facing a maximum of 55 years. But the judge ruled to now lower the maximum to 235 months - or 19.5 years The shocking ruling came as one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims detailed her two suicide attempts when the trauma from the sexual abuse, enabled by Maxwell, became so unbearable. Sarah Ransome was in court Tuesday for Maxwell's sentencing where she claimed in her victim impact statement, 'I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others.' She then shared photos of herself in a hospital bed after she tried to kill herself - one from 2008 and another in 2018 when Epstein was under investigation. Ransome also spoke outside of the courthouse, and said, 'Ghislaine must die in prison. I've been in hell and back for the past 17 years.' The sentencing will mark the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein. Ransome said in her victim statement, 'On one visit to the island, the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation ensued me to try to escape by jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters. I was caught by Maxwell and company moments before jumping. At the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time,' she said. 'Maxwell is today the same woman I met almost 20 years ago - incapable of compassion or common human decency,' she added. 'Sentencing her to the rest of her life in prison will not change her, but it will give survivors a slight sense of justice.' Victims Annie Farmer, Elizabeth Stein and the woman known only as 'Kate' also read their testimony in person and faced down Maxwell. Farmer asked the judge to take into account the ongoing suffering of the victims when decided on a sentence for Maxwell. 'Judge Nathan, I hope when you consider the appropriate prison sentence for the role Maxwell played in this sex-trafficking operation, you take into account the ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us,' Farmer said. 'I hope you weigh the systemic effects of the crimes she perpetrated -- the ways that our family members, romantic partners and friends have been hurt through our suffering. 'I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell's unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and well-being for much too long now. 'These things cannot be replaced.' Sarah Ransome was in court Tuesday for Ghislaine Maxwell's sentencing where she claimed in her victim impact statement, 'I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others.' Victim Elizabeth Stein (left) read her victim statement to the court Ransome shared photos of herself in a hospital bed after she tried to kill herself - one from 2008 and another in 2018 when Epstein was under investigation 'On one visit to the island, the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation ensued me to try to escape by jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters. I was caught by Maxwell and company moments before jumping,' Ransome said. 'At the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time' Victims Sarah Ransome (right) and Elizabeth Stein (left) showed up to court Tuesday morning for Maxwell's sentencing Annie Farmer (left) was seen arriving to the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning flanked by her lawyer Kate said that women 'must take a stand of zero tolerance to those who use their power to groom and traffic the vulnerable.' 'Every single child must have their innocence defended,' Kate says. 'No person should be shielded from the consequences of their actions.' 'Maxwell's lack of remorse and her blatant refusal to take responsibility is her final insult. She is not sorry and she will do it again. 'Today is not a happy day. I take no pleasure in being part of a world where this is necessary. I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these brave women and to do what is necessary to stop Ghislaine.' Elizabeth 'Liz' Stein told the court that the things that happened to her at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were 'so traumatizing that to this day I am unable to speak about them.' 'I don't even have the vocabulary to describe them. In the most literal sense of the word Epstein and Maxwell terrified me.' But she did reveal she had to have an abortion after getting raped 'countless times.' Virginia Roberts was not in court, but her lawyer Sigrid McCawley read her statement. 'Ghislaine, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice,' McCawley reads from Giuffre's statement. 'You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually and emotionally. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day.' 'When you did that, Ghislaine, you changed the course of our lives forever,' she wrote. Ghislaine's sister and brother, Isabel and Kevin Maxwell, showed up to court to support their sister at her sentencing Tuesday 'Rogue' juror Scotty David is seen waiting on line to go into Manhattan Federal court for Maxwell's sentencing. David was a juror in her trial and lied about his history of sexual abuse Judge Nathan overruled several objections Maxwell's lawyers made over the pre-sentence report in court on Tuesday. The lawyers objected to multiple claims in the report that involve details of payments, sex acts and recruitment tactics. Judge Nathan said the testimony given during the trial validates the claims in the report. After Epstein hanged himself while awaiting trial in 2019, their attention turned to Maxwell who was arrested a year later and found guilty in December following her sensational trial. She has said she will appeal her conviction and claims that she is being made a 'scapegoat' for Epstein. It is unclear if Maxwell will speak herself but during the trial and earlier hearings she has only uttered a few words when given the chance. Four women gave evidence against Maxwell during her trial: a victim known as 'Jane', Annie Farmer, Kate and another woman called Carolyn. Over three weeks, the jury heard how Maxwell 'served up' underage girls for Epstein and relished her role as the 'Lady of the House' at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Between 1994 and 2004 Maxwell was Epstein's 'right hand' and paid $200 for sexualized massages or even took part in the abuse. The victims, some as young as 14, were given a similar amount of money if they brought friends to Epstein, the jury was told. During the trial, prosecutors called 24 witnesses to give jurors a picture of life inside Epstein's homes - a subject of public fascination and speculation ever since his 2006 arrest in Florida in a child sex case. A housekeeper testified he was expected to be 'blind, deaf and dumb' about the private lives of Epstein, a financier who cultivated friendships with influential politicians and business tycoons. Pilots took the witness stand and dropped the names of luminaries - Britain's Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump - who flew on Epstein's private jets. Jurors saw physical evidence like a folding massage table once used by Epstein and a 'black book' that listed contact information for some of the victims under the heading 'massages'. There were bank records showing he had transferred $30.7 million to Maxwell. The woman known only as 'Kate' read her testimony in person and faced down Maxwell Four women gave evidence against Maxwell during her trial: a victim known as 'Jane' (left) , Annie Farmer, Kate and another woman called Carolyn (right) Jurors saw physical evidence like a folding massage table once used by Epstein and a 'black book' that listed contact information for some of the victims under the heading 'massages' Prosecutors produced a 58-page household manual covering every single aspect of running the house in Palm Beach that they indicated Maxwell had written. There were dozens of checklists for each area of the house, instructions on when to replace the toothpaste and what brands of creams to buy. One instruction to all household staff that was seized on by the prosecution read: 'You see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing'. But the core of the prosecution was the testimony of four women who said they were victimized by Maxwell and Epstein at tender ages. Three testified using first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, a former model from Great Britain; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, who chose to use her real name after being vocal about her allegations in recent years. The most gut wrenching was Carolyn who testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to give massages in exchange for $100 bills. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The couple appeared to vacation to a cold destination. Seen together with warm coats and large fur hats in an undated photo submitted into evidence during the trial The couple appear in one photo in what appears to be a European city. Ghislaine is seen kissing Jeffrey on the cheek. Many have testified that they believed Epstein and Ghislaine were boyfriend and girlfriend The pair are seen sitting in the grass with a dog in this undated photo submitted into evidence by the government Jane said in 1994, when she was only 14, she was instructed to follow Epstein into a pool house at the Palm Beach estate, where he masturbated on her. Jane told the jury: 'I was frozen in fear', adding that the assault was the first time she had ever seen a penis. She also directly accused Maxwell of participating in her abuse. Maxwell's lawyer asked Jane why it had taken so long to come forward. She responded: 'I was scared. I was embarrassed, ashamed. I didn't want anybody to know any of this about me'. Kate said she was recruited by Maxwell in London in 1994 when she was 17 and described in vivid detail how she invited her round for tea and then asked her back to give Epstein a massage. In chilling testimony Kate described how Maxwell closed the door behind her as a naked Epstein lay on a massage table in front of her. After one such encounter Maxwell told her: 'Did you have fun? Was it good?' Farmer described how she was lured to Epstein's ranch in New Mexico at the age of 16 with the promise there would be dozens of other bright students that he wanted to help. Instead it was just her and Maxwell proceeded to massage her breasts before Epstein got into bed with her. Summing up her experience, Farmer said: 'I think this was all a pattern of them working on confusing my boundaries and malign me question myself about what was right and what was not right with the ultimate goal of sexually abusing me'. Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of five of six counts. In court Maxwell often hugged her lawyers appeared in good health despite claims from her lawyers she had been losing weight and losing hair due to the grim conditions in prison pre-trial. She declined to testify, telling the court: 'You honor, the government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason to testify'. Maxwell's fall from grace is all the more astonishing given her background as a wealthy socialite and the daughter of Robert Maxwell, the late newspaper tycoon who fell off his yacht in the Canary Islands in 1991 in mysterious circumstances. Four of Maxwell's siblings - Kevin, Christine, Isabel and Ian and - are seen arriving to court to support their sister during her trial in December Ghislaine was Robert Maxwell's youngest child, born on Christmas Day 1961 She's pictured with her father in 1984 Her lawyers tried to argue that Robert Maxwell's abusive behavior around his children made Maxwell 'vulnerable' when she met Epstein around the time of her father's death. Prosecutors asked Judge Alison Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell's 'utter lack of remorse,' while Maxwell claimed she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public She appears to have replaced one controlling, manipulative father with a nearly identical man - Epstein - who she dated before becoming the boss of his sex trafficking organization. The true number of Epstein's victims may never be known but the fund set up to pay compensation to them paid out $121million to 150 women around the world. Most of the victim impact statements were released ahead of sentencing and they were blistering in their condemnation of Maxwell. They included Virginia Roberts, who earlier this year settled a lawsuit with Prince Andrew for a reported $12m over claims that she was forced to have sex with him three times when she was 17. According to Roberts, Maxwell recruited her when she was 16 at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. In her victim impact statement reads that Maxwell and Epstein did 'unthinkable things' to her. The statement says: 'Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible pedophile. 'But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. 'Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.' Among Maxwell's former high-powered ties include Prince Andrew. The infamous photograph of Prince Andrew (left) with Virginia Roberts (center) in front of Ghislaine Maxwell (right), early 2001 Maxwell, Naomi Campbell, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in November 2002 at a Dolce and Gabbana show in New York In 2010 Maxwell attended the wedding of Clinton's daughter Chelsea in Rhinebeck, upstate New York And image shows Jeffrey Epstein and his 'madam' Ghislaine Maxwell holding a private audience with John Paul II at the Vatican during his blessing almost 20 years ago Ghislaine studied history at the University of Oxford in the early 1980s where she began building connections of her own, including Prince Andrew, who would later invite her and Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth's country estate Farmer's victim impact statement reads: 'I remember sitting at my desk in a Houston hospital physically shaking after seeing the photo of Maxwell with Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew because it became clear to me how their scheme had continued'. Sarah Ransome, a former model from South Africa who grew up in Scotland, said that Maxwell and Epstein turned her into 'nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat'. While trying to escape from Epstein's private island in the Caribbean she tried to jump off a cliff but was found by Maxwell before she could. Ransome wrote: 'Maxwell was his right hand woman. She was the Five Star General of several recruiters and many others who provided the means and cover for Epstein's predation. 'Epstein and Maxwell were masters at finding young, vulnerable girls and young women to exploit. Like Hotel California, you could blindly check into the Epstein-Maxwell dungeon of sexual hell but you could never leave. Jeffrey and Ghislaine made sure of that'. The sentencing was delayed after Maxwell's lawyers raised questions over comments by one of her jurors, Scotty David. He said that he did not disclose his past history of sexual abuse when filing out his jury questionnaire. David was recalled to the court by judge Nathan for a hearing where she interrogated him and later ruled his nondisclosure had been an unintentional error. Maxwell's family have been unequivocal in their support of her and have refused to believe she is guilty. In a recent newspaper column her brother Ian said that Maxwell, who is a French citizen, should have fled to France when Epstein was arrested in 2019 rather than stay in the US. Maxwell only did so because she 'had a clear conscience' but her decision meant that she fell victim to a 'lynch mob'. GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN'S BRAVE VICTIMS WHO SPOKE OUT ABOUT ABUSE With enormous courage, two British victims of Ghislaine Maxwell attended court to speak in harrowing detail about their horrific ordeals at the hands of the child sex predator and the mental torment they still suffer. A British woman who testified under the name 'Kate', and Sarah Ransome who was not included in the indictment at Maxwell's trial late last year penned victim impact statements which spelt out in graphic detail how their lives had been destroyed by the fallen socialite. They made a point of turning up at the courthouse in New York and reading out extracts of their impact statements in person before the judge jailed Maxwell for 20 years for recruiting girls for herself and her former boyfriend, the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, to molest. The British victims were among four Maxwell survivors who wanted to come face-to-face with the Oxford-educated sex trafficker and tell the world how her crimes had affected them. Ransome even provided the court with shocking images of her in hospital following a failed suicide attempt, after she struggled to come to terms with the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Maxwell. An impact statement from Prince Andrew's teen accuser Virginia Roberts, now known by her married name Giuffre and who was unable to attend court due to a 'medical issue', was read out by her lawyer. Sarah Ransome Miss Ransome, 37, whose father is Scottish Lord Macpherson, said she was raped up to three times a day during months imprisoned on Epstein's private Caribbean island, having been tricked by Maxwell into his sordid web of abuse. She said in her impact statement: 'I became nothing more than a human sex toy with a heartbeat and soul for the entertainment of Epstein, Maxwell and others. On one visit to [Epstein's private island], the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation became so horrific that I tried to escape by attempting to jump off a cliff into shark-infested waters. 'They pounced, ensnaring us in their upside-down, twisted world of rape, rape and more rape. Like Hotel California, you could check into the Epstein-Maxwell dungeon of sexual hell, but you could never leave. Ghislaine by her own hand, forced me into Epstein's room to be raped.' 'I have never married and do not have children, something I always wished for, even as a little girl. 'I have attempted suicide twice since the abuse both near fatal.' Elizabeth Stein Preyed on by Maxwell after moving to New York aged 18 in 1991, with the ambition of working in the fashion industry, Miss Stein said she was first abused by the British socialite and Epstein at a hotel on the very first day she met Ghislaine. 'That night in the hotel was the first of many times they sexually assaulted me,' she said. 'Afterwards, I tried to pretend everything was normal...' Miss Stein said she was 'assaulted, raped and trafficked countless times' during a three-year period after Epstein who died in prison in 2019 and Maxwell lured her into their sex trafficking ring by 'seizing upon her vulnerability'. She had to have an abortion after getting pregnant by one of the 'countless' men who raped her while she was being trafficked to their friends. 'Things happened that were so traumatizing that to this day I'm unable to speak about them; I don't even have the vocabulary to describe them. 'In the most literal sense of the word, Epstein and Maxwell terrified me. They told me that if I told anyone, nobody would believe me and if they did, they would kill me and the people closest to me. After meeting Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, it felt like someone shut off the lights to my soul.' Annie Farmer The fourth and final accuser in Maxwell's trial told jurors how the privately-educated predator gave her a nude massage and groped her as a teen at Epstein's New Mexico ranch. 'One of the most painful and ongoing impacts of Maxwell and Epstein's abuse was a loss of trust in myself, my perceptions, and my instincts,' she said. 'When predators groom and then abuse or exploit children and other vulnerable people, they are, in a sense, training them to distrust themselves. When a boundary is crossed or an expectation violated, you tell yourself, 'Someone who cares enough about me to do all these nice things surely wouldn't also be trying to harm me. 'This pattern of thinking is insidious, so these seeds of self-doubt took root even as I learned my sister [Maria] had also been harmed by them, and came to find out years later that many others had been exploited. 'For years these memories triggered significant self-recrimination, minimization and guilt. 'I blamed myself for believing these predators actually wanted to help me. I felt tremendous survivor guilt when I heard what other girls and young women had experienced at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein. 'I remember sitting at my desk physically shaking after seeing the photo of Maxwell with Virginia [Roberts] and Prince Andrew, because it became clear to me how their scheme had continued. 'Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm. When my sister and I first spoke out to the media about what happened to us, Maxwell lied about us and threatened Maria, thus helping shut down investigations into Epstein's behaviour so they could together continue to harm children and young women.' Virginia Roberts Prince Andrew's teen sex accuser, Miss Roberts now based in Australia is the most famous Epstein victim of them all. Although she did not give evidence at Maxwell's trial, the jury found Miss Roberts was one of her sex trafficking victims. In her impact statement, the American vowed to Maxwell: 'If you ever get out of prison, I will be here, watching you, making sure you never hurt anyone else again.' She also told her: 'Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. 'For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. 'And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. 'Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.' 'Kate' When British victim 'Kate' was a lonely teenager in 1994, Maxwell dressed her as a schoolgirl for sex with Epstein and branded her a 'good girl'. She said: 'The many acts that were perpetrated on me by Epstein including rape, strangulation and sexual assault would have never occurred had it not been for the cunning and premeditated role Ghislaine Maxwell played. What happened to me at that young age changed the course of my life drastically, forever. 'I witnessed on numerous occasions, over many years, Ghislaine Maxwell trying to recruit other girls and making consistent and insistent demands on me and others to do the same. 'There was never any ambiguity or doubt about her having full knowledge of what was to take place once she recruited girls.' In the years following the abuse, she struggled with drug addiction, panic attacks and night terrors, and she told of feeling 'unable to trust my own instincts in choosing romantic relationships'. Kate said testifying in the trial had been 'both terrifying and re-traumatizing' but added: 'I do not, however, regret it for one moment.' Advertisement Ian Maxwell wrote: 'I know that Ghislaine is innocent and that she would never have been found guilty in any civilized country'. A concerning number of 'pandemic babies' with no immunity to respiratory viruses are ending up seriously ill in ICU. Doctors have revealed children born during the Covid-19 pandemic are requiring intensive care 'from encountering viruses they haven't come across before', such as influenza, RSV and Covid. The children had been born and raised when there were virtually no other viruses circulating in Australia, other than Covid-19. The Children's Hospital at Westmead infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time. 'Over the last month or so, we have seen four times the admissions to hospital for flu in children as for Covid,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph. Infectious diseases paediatrician Dr Philip Britton said an analysis of ICU admissions across shows babies are testing positive for influenza and Covid at the same time Dr Britton said five per cent of the children presenting with co-infections were being admitted to ICU, a statistic he described as 'very concerning'. About half of the children had no pre-existing health conditions, with the elevated number of admissions putting pressure on the hospital system. Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV. RSV - respiratory syncytial virus - is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants. Severe cases can kill babies and toddlers, whose tiny airways have not yet fully formed and who struggle to cope with the infection. 'Among that group who are previously well It's not just a chest infection, some of these children can be impacted with the flu affecting the heart and the brain,' Dr Britton told The Daily Telegraph. Some of the 'pandemic babies' are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV. A warning was sounded about RSV three weeks ago when there were just 355 cases a week in NSW, but three weeks later that has rocketed up to 3,775 in a week. Around a fifth of those developed the potentially lethal bronchiolitis, with 40 per cent of them ending up in hospital. Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital. 'There is a widespread three-way outbreak occurring,' he told Daily Mail Australia. International borders opening up has seen flu come back and new strains of RSV. 'With Covid layered up on top, these are three main viruses which will lead to hospitalisation.' Potentially lethal respiratory syncytial virus which attacks kids and has no vaccine has exploded in NSW with cases increasing tenfold in just three weeks During Covid, RSV continued to spread and split into two separate strains in the east and west of the country in the wake of Western Australia's prolonged isolation. Infectious disease researcher Dr John-Sebastian Eden said the triple whammy of RSV, flu and Covid was packing out the emergency department of Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital Researchers were shocked by the sudden rise of the disease in the first year of lockdowns, fuelled by keeping childcare centres open despite Covid restrictions. 'It was something we had never seen before,' said Dr Eden. 'Even in lockdown there was a lot of effort to keep childcare open. 'You only need a small amount of virus to build up a chain of transmission.' The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak. Dr Eden believes cases in NSW have yet to reach their peak, but is now braced for the outbreak to spread nationwide. He expects the disease to spread across the southern half of the country at similar levels in the coming weeks. 'What happens is where you have an outbreak in NSW and we've got all those people travelling to other states from there, it then feeds outbreaks in other parts,' he said. The disease subsided in 2021, but has now bounced back with the current outbreak. Voters in seven states are taking to the polls Tuesday in races that will test Trump-backed candidates, a pro-abortion Republican and the popularity of New York's new Gov. Kathy Hochul. The Supreme Court's overturning Roe v. Wade will add a new element to Tuesday's races, playing out across New York, Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. Here's what to watch: New York New York's primaries were supposed to be even more contentious, but its U.S. House primaries were postponed until Aug. 23 after a court struck down the state's first draft of a redistricting map. Hochul, who was launched into the executive seat upon the resignation of disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is trying to hold onto her job amid challenges from Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democratic congressman from Long Island, and Jumaane Williams, a progressive public advocate from New York City. Suozzi, running to Hochul's right, has suggested that the governor is not tough enough on crime, suggesting she should have gone further to restrict the state's bail law. Gov. Hochul, who was launched into the executive seat upon the resignation of disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is trying to hold onto her job amid challenges On the Republican side, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew is facing off against GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin Williams, running to Hochul's left, has said that she is not taking enough progressive action, accusing her of being 'consistently shamefully out of the loop.' On the Republican side, Rep. Lee Zeldin is the frontrunner in a race with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew Giuliani, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and businessman Harry Wilson. Former Vice President Mike Pence has endorsed Zeldin, but former President Trump has stayed out of the race. Utah GOP incumbent Sen. Mike Lee, one of former President Trump's close allies, will be forced to fend off attacks from two challengers about his ties to the former president in the moderate right-leaning state. Former state lawmaker Becky Edwards and political operative Ally Isom, both Republicans who did not vote for Trump in 2020, have accused Lee of being more concerned with TV appearances and Trump's favor than running the state. Both have highlighted Lee's post-election text messages sent to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, highlighting his involvement in the election fraud conspiracy that led to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Edwards, meanwhile, has said that she does not agree with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The primaries will test both the popularity of Edwards' pro-Roe stance in the largely Mormon state and Trump's political sway there. Oklahoma In the Sooner State Republican voters are picking nominees in both Senate races. A crowd of Republicans are running to replace GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe, including Trump's former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt, who resigned from the agency after a slew of ethics scandals. GOP Rep. Markwayne Mullin is favored to garner the most votes but the race will likely go into a runoff since no candidate is expected to garner more than 50 percent of the votes in the crowded field, which also includes Luke Holland, Inhofe's longtime chief of staff, and T.W. Shannon, the state legislature's first black House speaker. Illinois The Illinois GOP gubernatorial primary will test Trump's political sway in Darren Bailey, a Bible-toting, conservative farmer who scored Trump's endorsement last weekend. Facing off in the six-candidate field are also Richard Irvin, the first Black mayor of Illinois' second-largest suburb. Irvin scored $50 million from billionaire Ken Griffin but Democrats heavily targeted Irvin as they viewed Bailey as easier to defeat for Democratic incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. The Illinois GOP gubernatorial primary will test Trump's political sway in Darren Bailey, a Bible-toting, conservative farmer who scored Trump's endorsement last weekend Democrats viewed Bailey as easier to defeat for Democratic incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, above, in November There are two incumbent-on-incumbent races in Illinois - Trump-backed, first term Rep. Mary Miller will face off against Rep. Rodney Davis, a more moderate, five-term Republican. Miller made headlines over the weekend when she said that the Supreme Court's overturning Roe was a 'historic victory for white life.' A spokesperson said she misspoke and meant to say a 'historic victory for the right to life.' Two Democratic incuments - Rep. Marie Newman and Sean Casten, are vying for the same seat after a redistricting plan redrew Chicago's suburbs. While both candidates have very liberal records, Newman is positioning herself as the candidate further to the left in the race. She supports the Green New Deal and attacked Casten for voting for 'anti-choice' President George H.W. Bush by detailing her own experience getting an abortion in the 1980s. Rep. Mary Miller, above, will face off against Rep. Rodney Davis, a more moderate, five-term Republican. Colorado In Colorado two Republicans at opposite ends of the party are facing off in the Senate primary to take on Sen. Michael Bennet. GOP businessman Joe O'Dea has said he backs a federal ban on late-term abortions and federal funding of the procedure, but would leave the decision to terminate a pregnancy in the initial months 'between a person and their God.' O'Dea's top rival is state Rep. Ron Hanks, who opposes abortion in all cases and attended the Jan. 6 'Save America' rally before the Capitol riot. Bennet is uncontested on the Democratic side. Colorado's primaries will also test the star power of Rep. Lauren Boebert whose sprawling western Colorado district is even more heavily Republican after redistricting. GOP businessman Joe O'Dea has said he backs a federal ban on late-term abortions and federal funding of the procedure, but would leave the decision to terminate a pregnancy in the initial months 'between a person and their God' Mississippi Mississippi already had its primaries on June 7, but two Republicans were forced into a runoff after they failed to breach the 50 percent threshold. Rep. Steven Palazzo is seeking a seventh term and fighting off criticism after a 2021 congressional ethics report accused his office of misusing campaign funds, doing favors for his brother and using staff for political and personal errands. Palazzo is facing off against former sheriff Mike Ezell. Rep. Michael Guest is looking to win a third term, forced into primary after he voted to create an independent commission to investigate Jan. 6 and was criticized as disloyal to Trump. He'll face off against Michael Cassidy, a former Navy fighter pilot. South Carolina In the Palmetto State Democrats will pick who they would like to take on Republican Sen. Tim Scott come fall. Scott has said it will be his last term if he is reelected and has raised over $44 million in his endeavor. South Carolina state Rep. Krystle Matthews, Catherine Fleming Bruce, an author and preservationist, and Angela Geter, an Air Force veteran and former Spartanburg County Democrats chair will face off against each other. Scott is being touted as a 2024 contender for president and won both of his previous races with over 60 percent of the vote. He is running uncontested on the Republican side. A Vermont man was caught on camera wildly swinging an excavator near two state troopers who were arresting his son for burglary. Troopers Gabe Schrauf and Skylar Velasquez were seen on the dashcam grappling with Brandon Tallman, 24, before throwing him to the ground during the arrest outside a home in Hardwick, Vermont on June 14. Brandon's mother Amy, 48, then joined the melee before she too was arrested. All the while, a big, red excavator could be seen approaching the officers down the driveway, as they struggled to cuff the mother and son. The excavator, which police say was being driven by Brandon's father Wayne Tallman, 52, looms closer to the rabble and the machine's heavy metal shovel begins swinging. The officers then notice the machinery and one drew his gun and dodged the machine's shovel while the other restrained Amy and Brandon on the ground. Nobody was hurt in the incident and all the Tallmans were arrested. Wayne was charged with aggravated assault on a protected official, resisting arrest, impeding, and reckless endangerment. Amy was cited for impeding an officer, and Brandon Tallman, 24, was arrested on his original charge of aggravated assault and burglary. A Vermont man was caught on camera wildly swinging an excavator near two state troopers who were arresting his son for burglary Wayne Tallman, 52, and Amy Tallman, 48. Wayne was charged with aggravated assault on a protected official, resisting arrest, impeding, and reckless endangerment. Amy was cited for impeding an officer Brandon Tallman, 24. He was being arrested for aggravated assault and battery when his parents stepped in to try to stop it Officers had arrived at a house in Hardwick, Vermont, on June 14 to arrest Brandon in connection to an incident that had occurred a few days prior. 'It could have been, 'Sir, turn around, put your hands around your back, you're under arrest for an assault,' and they would have driven away,' Vermont State Police Captain Matt Daley said. Instead, Brandon's parents both desperately attempted to stop the officers from arresting him. Footage taken from the dashboard of a state trooper squad car showed a police SUV parked in the driveway of the house, with the red arm of an excavator looming in the background. Officers Schrauf and Velasquez are then seen grappling with Brandon down the driveway, as his mother chases after and grabs onto them. The officers wrestle Amy and Brandon to the ground, while in the background the excavator arm is seen lurching to life and moving towards the brawl. Wayne approaches in the excavator, and as he lifts its massive arm and shovel in the air Schrauf leaps back and draws a weapon from his belt. Wayne first approached the police in the excavator and held its shovel over their squad car. Amy and Brandon can be seen being held down by the officers on the right On the right, state trooper Gabe Schrauf can be seen seen pointing a weapon at Wayne inside the excavator's cab As Velasquez holds Brandon and Amy to the ground, Schrauf can be seen speaking to Wayne, and appears to be ordering him to lower the shovel or get down out of the excavator. Wayne continues to approach the officers, and can be seen arguing back at them from the machine's cab. Wayne pitches the shovel towards the roof over the squad car, then lifts it up and lowers it quickly at the officers. Velasquez ducks to avoid the blow, while Schrauf dodges aside and points his gun at Wayne. The video cuts off as Wayne swings the shovel back over the squad car. Daley commended Schrauf and Valesquez for their performance during the arrest. 'It was a dangerous situation that you were put in, and in the end, you came out on top, you affected the arrest, you guys both went home that night. That's the goal of why we went there,' he said. 'They don't have a scenario at the academy where we practice this one.' Hefty fines and substantial jail terms ushered in to deter protests are unlikely to stop climate activists grinding Sydney peak hour to a halt, a lawyer says. Environmentalists from Blockade Australia sparked commuter chaos across the city on Monday and Tuesday, with dozens of demonstrators marching through the CBD and blocked the entrance to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The high-profile group's antics - which have included blocking coal ports, bridges, and fossil fuel terminals - prompted the NSW government to introduce tough anti-protest laws in April. Under the new penalties, protesters face a maximum penalty of two years' jail and $22,000 fines for disrupting traffic or preventing access on roads. Blockade Australia caused commuter chaos on Monday after a protester in a white hatchback blocked the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and locked herself to her steering wheel with a bike lock (pictured) But as the group forge ahead week-long 'mass disruptions' to traffic, Australian Lawyers Alliance national criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC has warned the sanctions will not curb protest activity. 'People who are engaging in protest generally are happy to take the risk of being jailed or fined large sums of money because they're motivated by the cause,' he told ABC News. 'You've got to ask the question: 'Why do you pass this legislation? Is it going to have a deterrent effect?' And the evidence seems to be that it won't have a deterrent effect.' Ten people were arrested during the 'unauthorised protests' on Monday, including one woman who chained herself to a car steering wheel with a bicycle lock in North Sydney. Another 12 arrests were made on Tuesday as Blockade Australia launched a second march through the CBD to Hyde Park. Police have said they will use the new laws to prosecute those charged and have vowed to be out in force through to July 2 to stamp out planned protest activity. The extreme environmentalists have planned a week-long 'mass disruption' of Sydney traffic (pictured, protesters blocking a car in Sydney on Monday) despite tough new anti-protest laws, which include a maximum of two years' jail and $22,000 fines Police knock a Blockade Australia protester to the ground in Sydney. The march was for tougher action to tackle the #ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/2ouo32ySNj Michael Dahlstrom (@mb_dahlstrom) June 27, 2022 One female protester was knocked to the ground by a police officer during Tuesday's demonstration New South Wales Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the delays caused by rallies, such as the one on Monday, potentially cost millions in lost productivity. He said the old laws that featured $400 fines were no deterrent and authorities need to give the new ones a go, as they will likely scare off a large portion of protesters. Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said that police would continue to maintain a highly visible presence. 'It is unacceptable that a small number of people - who have little to no regard for everyday individuals going about their lives, are causing unnecessary disruptions to their morning commute,' A/Assistant Commissioner Dunstan said. 'What these individuals are doing is both illegal and unsafe, putting the lives of themselves, the general public and our officers in danger by running on roadway and blocking roads by other means to disrupt traffic.' The arrested activists, seven of whom were refused bail, face multiple obstruction and disruption charges and will appear in court on Tuesday. Police Minister Paul Toole said it was infuriating. 'I'm furious. The public are furious,' he told the Nine Network on Tuesday. 'These are professional pests. 'These people say that they are out there trying to actually protect the climate but yesterday what they were doing was littering all over Sydney.' Blockade Australia spokesman Jonah Shabtay told AAP the protests were designed to demonstrate the effects of the collapse of the climate. '(The protests are) really for making it quite known and unavoidable that disruption is going to come from climate collapse, in which Sydney's economy is largely responsible,' he said. 'In order to respond to that we're choosing to disrupt the city.' Ten people were arrested on Monday after dozens of protesters stormed Sydney's centre demanding action for climate change (pictured) Mr Shabtay said the group had moved away from its previous tactic of targeting ports and was focusing on roads in Sydney's CBD. 'It's essentially going to be traffic disruptions that we'll see throughout the week.' Labor leader Chris Minns said it was not sustainable for the protesters to routinely bring Sydney to a standstill. 'We may have had women waiting to get to emergency departments, birthing centres to give birth to children, or (other) emergencies,' Mr Minns said on Monday. The opposition leader also noted the new federal Labor government had committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and had ambitious interim targets for 2030. A New York man dubbed the 'duck sauce killer' after allegedly killing his Chinese food delivery man has been released from jail Monday after he posted $500,000 bail. Glenn Hirsch, 51, from Queens, was arrested earlier this month and charged with murder and the criminal possession of a firearm in the deadly shooting of Zhiwen Yan, 45, on April 30. Hirsch's brother posted the $500,000 in a certified check earlier today, though attorney Michael Horn says that the money came from his client. Bail was set at $500,000 cash or $10million in secured bond or $15million in partially secured bond, according to the Queens Chronicle. He must stay in his Jamaica, Queens home 24 hours day, excluding an hour of exercise a day and allowing for visits to his lawyer, doctor and court. He must wear an ankle bracelet monitor at all times. His release conditions also stated he must stay away from The Great Wall - the Chinese restaurant he feuded with in the buildup to the shooting. On Monday, Queens Criminal Court Judge Kenneth Holder reminded him that the people would be watching. 'Apparently there are enough people around who just hate you that I'm sure they're going to take a picture of you if they see you in an area where you should not be and send it to the court,' Holder said. Glenn Hirsch, 51, from Queens, was arrested earlier this month and charged with murder and the criminal possession of a firearm in the deadly shooting of Zhiwen Yan, 45, on April 30. He is being forced to wear an ankle bracelet monitoring him and he's not allowed to leave his neighborhood in Jamaica, Queens and is, of course, not allowed to go anywhere near The Great Wall, the restaurant he feuded with in the buildup to the shooting 'Apparently there are enough people around who just hate you that I'm sure they're going to take a picture of you if they see you in an area where you should not be and send it to the court,' Queens Criminal Court Judge Kenneth Holder said Zhiwen Yan, 45, (right) in this undated image on the day of his wedding, was making a delivery on his scooter in the Forest Hills neighborhood Queens at around 9:30 pm on April 30, cops say, when he was fatally shot in the chest Hirsch is also banned from Grand Central Station, Penn Station, any PATH train station (all outlets that would allow him to leave New York City) and cannot go within a mile of any airport. Horn claimed to be happy with the result and maintained Hirsch's innocence. 'I'm happy with the way things worked, I thought the judge made a nice compromise about public safety versus the rights of an individual not convicted of a crime,' Horn said. 'Our position is that he's not the guy who did this, that that person is still out there,' he added. 'And we're going to try and find that person as much as anybody else.' Hirsch has nine prior arrests and while he has been in custody, a police search was conducted at the home of his wife, who he doesn't live with, during which eight guns were recovered. Over at Hirsch's Briarwood home, cops discovered his refrigerator packed with sweet and sour duck sauce. 'His whole refrigerator was filled with duck sauce,' a police source told the New York Daily News. 'And other condiments.' 'He's a hoarder. And when you open the refrigerator, it's like, condiments - there's duck sauce, soy sauce, ketchup.' The source suggested the piles of condiments at his apartment on 141st Street were all a part of what was going on in Hirsch's brain that may have lead him to kill. 'I guess in some pathology people like that take that stuff very seriously - you didn't give him enough duck sauce,' they said. Hirsch, who had nine prior arrests on his record, has pleaded not guilty. Hirsch has not yet been charged with a hate crime in the case, a source of contention for some of the protesters outside Queens Supreme Court Tuesday, June 7th Both Hirsch's mother and brother are pictured at Queens Supreme Court earlier this month Supporters of Zhiwen Yan, who was allegedly killed by Glenn Hirsch, 51, hold a demonstration outside Queens Supreme Court The marchers held signs suggesting police did a poor job at protecting Yan, as well as photos of the victim The marchers held signs suggesting police did a poor job at protecting Yan, as well as photos of the victim, as well as a sign that said: 'This was a HATE CRIME. Don't ignore that.' There were also protests against gun violence and anti-Asian discrimination. Yan, a father-of-three who moved to New York from more than two decades ago, was doing delivery-rounds on his scooter in Forest Hills, Queens, cops say, when he was blasted in the chest. The shooting saw Yan and Hirsch, who was believed to be driving an older model of a Lexus RX3 SV at the time, briefly exchange words at a traffic light before Yan was hit near 108th Street and 67th Drive, in what is usually a quiet and close-knit area. The altercation, police say, saw Yan and the suspect briefly exchange words before he was shot once in the chest near 108th Street and 67th Drive, in what is usually a quiet, close-knit community. Cops are pictured at the crime scene, looking over Yan's scooter A witness nearby later told investigators that Hirsch fled the scene. Police revealed they captured Hirsch on surveillance footage pacing around the restaurant for roughly an hour on the night of the shooting before following Yan. Hirsch's lawyer, Michael Horn, told DailyMail.com that a warrant was issued for his arrest after the grand jury's proceeding. However, he added that the Queens District Attorney's office 'decided not to honor my professional courtesy to bring [Hirsch] in whenever as possible, where's necessary and they basically broke down his door last night and forced their way to a scared man who doesn't know what's going on.' Yan, who worked seven days a week and held three jobs to support his family, had been working at the Great Wall restaurant for more than a decade prior to his death, 53-year-old employee Kai Yang told the New York Daily News. Hirsch was arrested 9 times between 1995 and 2012, but none of them are disclosed as they are sealed. One of the arrests is related to Hirsch committing a robbery with a gun, police sources told the Daily News. Horn said: 'They're not relevant. We know that accusations are meaningless without any judication... The District Attorney is taking what I consider to be a thin case and trying to put as much garnish as possible to make the sandwich look bigger.' Michael Horn, attorney for Glenn Hirsch, spoke to DailyMail.com outside court earlier in June A restaurant employee, Soi Chung, 70, told DailyMail.com that Hirsch had 'multiple' disputes with staff at the eatery and pulled a gun on staffers during one incident in January. Another incident last year saw the angry customer become peeved over the amount of duck sauce given to him in one of his orders, Chung told The New York Post, spurring a campaign of harassment, vandalism, and threats from the customer. The most brazen threat from the customer, Chung said, came earlier this year, when Hirsch menacingly waved a gun at the restaurant workers, spurring them to call 911. Restaurant owner Kai Yang told the Post that the angry customer was put to the ground by employees, which included Yan, shortly after he came inside with the firearm. Horn said on Thursday: 'If my client had an argument with the manager, then why is he having a fight or assaulted a delivery guy who everybody seems to like. There was no delivery.' Police say the incident transpired immediately after Yan - a father-of-three and Forest Hills resident who moved to New York from China more than two decades ago - had dropped off a delivery at a nearby address in the usually quiet residential neighborhood According to a colleague of Yan's at Great Wall restaurant, pictured, Hirsch had 'multiple' disputes with the Forest Hills eatery, and pulled a gun on staffers last January Meanwhile, Yan leaves behind a wife and three children, aged two, 12, and 14. 'This was a father of three children working three jobs - all food delivery,' Yan's nephew, who identified himself as Michael, said during a presser in April held outside the family's home in neighboring Middle Village. 'He came here in 2001,' the relative went on. 'He has been in this country over 20 years.' He added: 'It's unacceptable that this happened. This is a very peaceful community. This never happened, this kind of issue.' Despite Yan's colleagues' claims concerning Hirsch's threatening behavior, it is currently unclear if the delivery man was a specific target. A GoFundMe page was created by Kunying Zhao - Yan's wife. 'I'm starting a fundraiser for my husband because he passed away last night,' Zhao wrote on May 1. 'He was a hardworking delivery man and always provided for his family.' The page surpassed its initial goal of $100,000, raising $216,194 as of Thursday night. Liberal National Party senator Matt Canavan wants late-term abortions to be banned in Australia after the US rolled back abortion rights. All Australian jurisdictions apart from the ACT, Tasmania and WA allow elective abortions after 20 weeks. Senator Canavan, a Catholic who has four sons and a daughter, believes abortions beyond this time are 'barbaric' and should be banned except in rare circumstances. Liberal National Party senator Matt Canavan (pictured with his family) wants late-term abortions to be banned in Australia after the US rolled back abortion rights Although the science is contested, he subscribes to the view that beyond 20 weeks foetuses can feel pain and even try to avoid surgical equipment in the womb. 'The science has evolved massively where we now have these 3D ultra sounds and much more evidence about what happens to a baby,' he told Sky News on Tuesday morning. 'Past about 20 weeks the scientific consensus is that babies can feel pain. 'We can see and observe in late-term abortions that babies seek to avoid the instruments of the procedure. 'I think that has changed a lot of views.' Senator Canavan said Australia is 'isolated' in the world because only six other nations allow elective abortions after 20 weeks: Canada, China, the Netherlands, North Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. His list appears to be based on a 2014 report by the Charlotte Lozier Institute which was fact-checked as correct by the Washington Post in 2017. Lisa Turner,47, holds her daughter Lucy Kramer,14, during a candlelight vigil outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington to protest the overturning of Roe v Wade Abortion rights supporters protest after the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision on Friday Senator Canavan, who represents Queensland, also cited data provided to the Queensland Parliament by then health minister Cameron Dick in 2016 which revealed 200 babies had been born alive after abortions in the state since 2005. 'They are not the more common form of abortion but they do happen,' he said of late-term abortions. 'Our laws should surely reflect what we think is right or wrong not what we think is more common.' He said it was wrong for late-term abortions to occur 'except in the rarest and exceptional cases,' adding: That's not what our laws now maintain.' 'I don't think this issue of late-term abortions had enough conversation when those laws were changed.' In a tweet, he called late-term abortions 'barbaric' and said they would be outlawed. In a discussion about NSW abortion law in 2019, Opposition leader Peter Dutton said he backs abortion but believes 22 weeks 'is too late'. Senator Canavan said Australia is 'isolated' in the world because only six other nations allow elective abortions after 20 weeks 'It's a matter ultimately for the mother but 22 weeks is too late,' he said. 'I mean if you Google an image of a 22-week-old foetus I think it's a very difficult circumstance for women obviously in any of those situations but that's the most contentious element of the NSW debate and I wouldn't vote for it on that basis.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he supported NSW's law to allow abortions up to 22 weeks and with two doctors' approval after that. 'I think women do have a right to choose,' he said. On Friday the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which gave women the constitutional right to an abortion. The move allowed conservative states to immediately ban or limit abortions and sparked mass protests across the nation. Australians heading to Europe from next year will need to fill out an application online under a new visa waiver scheme that's being rolled out in the EU. The visa waiver scheme will be launched from May 2023 and requires visitors from 60 countries to fill out a form to get approval. Visitors will need to apply through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) - a 'largely automated IT system created to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by visa-exempt visitors'. Aussies heading to Europe from May next year will need to fill out an application on the European Travel Information and Authorisation System under the EU's new visa scheme (pictured, a tourist in Santorini, Greece) The form is completed online and requires no biometric system. Travellers between the ages of 18 and 70 will be charged a fee of 7 - or $11 Australian - per application. It's unknown if those outside that age bracket wanting to travel to Europe will be charged a reduced fee or be exempt from paying. The ETIAS will process and authorise a new application 'within minutes' for a 'vast majority of cases' - or about 95 per cent of applicants. While most travellers will have their form approved in minutes, the EU website states that the approval process in certain 'exceptional cases' could take up to a month maximum. Anyone whose application is denied can easily appeal the decision online. The ETIAS will be enacted mainly for security purposes in the EU. The forms provide authorities in Europe with 'vital information necessary to assess potential risks with individuals travelling to the EU'. A successful ETIAS application provides international travellers with an unlimited number of visits to Europe over a three year span. Aussies can spend up to 90 days in the bloc for every 180-day period. Those wanting to stay longer will need to apply for a visa (pictured, Catalonia, Spain) Aussies and visitors from other countries will only be allowed to spend up to 90 days in the bloc for every 180-day period. Those staying for a longer period of time will need to apply for a visa. The visa waiver scheme applies to 60 countries across the globe including Australia, the US, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Israel, Ukraine, Japan and Hong Kong. The UK is also included in the list of countries after the nation left the EU in January 2020. Travellers already residing in the EU are exempt from the scheme. The announcement from the European Union comes as Qantas launched its very first direct flight from Perth to Italy on Saturday. The news from the EU comes as Qantas launched its first direct flight from Perth to Italy on Saturday (pictured, Qantas planes at Sydney Airport) Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told News.com.au that long-haul flights from Australia to Europe will be more commonplace in the near future. 'We're seeing an increasing preference for a non-stop flight to and from Australia to make the travel experience as efficient and easy as possible and we expect that will be a permanent shift in the way people want to travel.' Travellers can already fly direct from Perth to London on Qantas flights. Qantas will be launching direct flights from Sydney to London and New York from 2025. Amid rising gas prices in the United States due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, some stations in Virginia and throughout the Mid-Atlantic are lowering the price of gas to as low as $3.49 per gallon. The convenience store chain has lowered the price of its Unleaded 88 gas to $3.99 a gallon and the price of its E85 gas to $3.49 a gallon. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement that Unleaded 88 is approved by the EPA for use in vehicles for model years 2001 or newer as well as light-duty trucks, SUVs, and Flex Fuel vehicles, as per WTVR. Low Gas Prices They added that E85 contains more ethanol, roughly 51% to 83%, and is incompatible with all vehicles. The type of fuel was specifically designed for "flexible fuel vehicles" or FFVs. The severely lower price will only last until the Jul. 4 holiday weekend, an announcement by the gas station said. The lowered price comes as the average gas price around Richmond is $4.71 a gallon and comes amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine. Some drivers might be able to take advantage of the prices as there are more than 650 Sheetz locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and North Carolina. According to CBS News, on Monday, the average price of gas in Pittsburgh dropped below $5, but prices still sit 30 cents higher than they did last month. The reduced prices in some regions were made to "help reduce pain at the pump for customers." Read Also: Germany Raises Alert Level in Emergency Gas Plan Amid Dwindling Supplies from Russia Despite this and the relief in gas prices seen in the latter half of June, a return to previous prices could be difficult to achieve. CIBC Senior Energy Trader Rebecca Babin said during an interview that price decline potentially continues if there is a drop-off in demand. They noted that prices at the pump have come off roughly 2% to 3%, whereas the prices of commodities have come off 10% to 15%. This shows an unequal relationship and comes as demand continues to remain high and comes as China is starting to reopen. Rise of Oil Prices Consumers are now starting to see some pressure taken off their wallets when making their stop at the local gas pump. The average price of regular unleaded gas dropped for the second straight week last week. Currently, the average price of regular gasoline nationwide is $4.91 a gallon, which is down from an all-time high of $5.03 a gallon in Jun. 3. However, motorists continue to pay through the roof to fill up the tank compared to previous periods. In the past month, the national average price for regular unleaded gas increased by $0.28 and is $1.79 per gallon higher compared to a year ago. Furthermore, diesel prices are still hovering around $6 a gallon on average across the country. Forecasts estimated that gas prices could drop by $0.20 a gallon ahead of the Jul. 4 holiday and then increase again as people go take summer vacations. Babin said similar trends could also occur, with prices going back on the rise amid tight refining capacity in the oil industry, Yahoo Finance reported. Related Article: Russia Becomes China's Largest Oil Supplier; Xi Jinping Says Ukraine War Is "Alarm for Humanity" Despite Not Giving Indication To Resolve It @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Four of Australia's tech billionaires will bankroll their American staff, plus a companion, to reach a safe and legal abortion as the fiery aftermath of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision continues. Graphic design platform Canva has joined software juggernaut Atlassian, both Sydney-based companies that have become spectacularly successful globally, offering to pay for travel and accommodation for US employees. The Supreme Court controversially elected to strike down Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year-old decision that granted women the constitutional right to abortion, sparking widespread protests. In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, Canva said it would cover travel and accommodation for its US staff to reach safe abortions and that it is 'concerned for [US] society' In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, Canva said it was 'concerned for [US] society' Atlassian will immediately pay 'travel and accommodation' costs for US-based employees - and 'a companion' - so they can get a safe abortion (Pictured co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes who tweeted the policy on Saturday morning, with wife Anne Cannon-Brookes) But while it was a federal ruling, women can travel to a state that allows abortion if they have the means. The move and accompanying statements by the four ultra-rich Aussies behind two of Australia's most successful tech companies in recent memory are a notable flex against the American conservative right. Joint Atlassian CEOs Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar are respectively worth $27.83billion and $26.41billion, while Canva bosses Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht are jointly valued at $13.82billion. All four are in the top 10 richest Australians released last week by the AFR. In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, Canva said it was 'concerned for [US] society.' 'We are deeply concerned by the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v Wade concerned for the millions of people who have lost access to safe healthcare, concerned for our team in the United States who are directly impacted by changes to the law, and concerned for society as a result of the precedent this decision sets, a Canva spokesperson said. The Australian companies are among several to have quickly offered such benefits - despite being threatened not to do so by Republican senators. Atlassian is believed to have around 3,000 US-based employees, while Canva is thought to have around 100. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Starbucks, Tesla, Meta (Facebook), Uber, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have all pledged material support for staff wanting abortions. The Supreme Court controversially elected to strike down Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50 year-old decision that granted women the constitutional right to abortion, sparking widespread protests The Australian company is among several to have quickly offered such benefits - despite being threatened not to do so by Republican senators (Pictured Atlassian's co-founders and joint CEOs Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar) With millions of women expected to cross U.S. state lines to access legal abortions, many employers have added 'critical healthcare' packages to employees benefit programs. Its statement added that 'While we appreciate the spectrum of personal views on this topic, we believe that safe healthcare is a human right'. 'In addition to our current wellbeing offerings ... as a first step, from today, were covering the cost of travel and accommodation for U.S. based Canvanauts and their chosen support person to access abortion care in a state where it is not restricted or banned.' Mike Brookes-Cannon was quick to alert social media on Saturday to his company's official position on the US Supreme Court decision on abortion Atlassian made it clear on Saturday morning it would immediately pay 'travel and accommodation' costs for US-based employees - and 'a companion' - so they can get a safe abortion. Atlassian's billionaire co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes tweeted his company's 'dismayed' reaction on Saturday morning and a defiant statement. Half of US states are expected to ban abortion after the Supreme Court decision including Texas, Utah, Mississippi and Georgia. Florida may extend an existing ban on abortions after 15 weeks. Abortion remains legal in California, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Atlassian's billionaire co-founder and joint-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes tweeted his company's 'dismayed' reaction on Saturday morning with a defiant statement. 'Starting today US employees living in states that have restricted or banned abortions will be offered reimbursement for travel and accommodations for themselves and a companion should they seek care outside their state,' the statement said. 'Today's decision by the Supreme Court not only strips away rights from women and pregnant people but puts their health and safety at risk. 'At Atlassian we are dismayed at this decision and stand firmly against the restriction and removal of rights.' It also said the health and safety of employees was a 'priority', including their 'right to access safe and legal reproductive healthcare'. Australian social media users praised Cannon-Brookes for Atlassian's stand. NEW YORK CITY: A crowd gathered on Friday evening in Washington Square Park to protest the Supreme Court's reversal on Roe v. Wade He and Scott Farquhar, who is the co-CEO, founded Atlassian in 2002 and are believed to live next to each other in Point Piper mansions. Cannon-Brookes is married to fashion designer Anne Brookes-Cannon and in 2018 they bought Australia's most expensive house for $100million at Point Piper. Atlassian has over 3,000 US employees and the company has previously said about a quarter of its employees are women, but that it's trying to 'do better' on diversity. US polls show Americans favor legislation that would legalise abortion nationwide by over 20 per cent. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill to the US senate designed to prohibit employers from deducting expenses related to their employees abortion travel costs. The No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act would also ban them from claiming expenses for 'gender affirming care' for young children of employees. 'Our tax code should be pro-family and promote a culture of life.' Mark Drakeford's Labour-run Welsh Government has been accused of handing out 'free money' today as it presses ahead with its 'radical' 20million basic income scheme pilot that will offer hundreds of teenagers 1,600 monthly handouts without needing to work. Welsh Labour will hand out payments to 18-year-olds leaving the care system amounting to a salary of nearly 20,000 before tax for two years in a pilot scheme from this Friday. More than 500 people will be able to apply to the three-year programme, where the money is put in their bank accounts with no demands on what they do to earn it or how it is spent. The cash is equivalent to 70% of the average salary in Wales, which was 582.60 a week - or 2,251 a month - last year. But critics have today blasted Mr Drakeford's scheme, calling the project 'free money' which offers no long-term solutions, and pointed out that similar schemes in other countries have either failed to get more people into jobs or have met with only limited success. Others accused Welsh Labour of 'being good with other people's money' and said that the Labour administration will now have to impose more taxes to fund the 20million programme. Joel James, shadow minister for social partnership, said: 'It's been proven time and again that so-called Universal Basic Income doesn't work. Look at Finland, who ditched their scheme after two years in favour of a new scheme that encouraged people to actually take up employment or training. 'We recognise that this is a vulnerable group and they need extra support, but this is completely the wrong way to go about it and could well create more problems than it solves. It's typical Labour, but it's obvious that giving out free money won't be a quick fix.' Welsh Government handout photo of Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford meeting with care leavers at Tramshed in Cardiff In what is one of the most generous schemes of its type in the world, young adults leaving the care system will be eligible for the payments for two years. Twitter users blasted Mark Drakeford's pilot as they questioned: 'How is this being paid for?' 'Free money' makes people happy but does little for employment Basic income schemes have tried around the world for decades, but success usually depends on what is being measured. Many schemes, including those in Finland and Spain, he recorded a boost in happiness and a fall in stress when people are handed free money. But critics point to the schemes often having little or no impact on improving employment despite millions of pounds spent. Here are some of the schemes and how they panned out. FINLAND A 2017-2018 experiment saw 2,000 unemployed people given a 560 (490) basic income every month in a two-year trial. At the end they were 'more satisfied with their lives and experienced less mental strain, depression, sadness and loneliness'. But they also worked for only six more days over a one-year period. SPAIN The B-Mincome programme handed 1,000 households in Barcelona 1,675 euros (1,405) a month in 2017, with some having to do nothing to earn it and others having to take part in social programmes to earn it. It similarly had little effect on employment, but did make people happier and less stressed. IRAN The hardline regime introduced a nationwide programme in 2011 as it phased out subsidies on bread, water, utilities and fuel. A study found it 'did not affect labor (sic) supply in any appreciable way' and was later reduced. KENYA The charity GiveDirectly has given more than 10,000 families $1,000 dollars in three payments spread across three months. It provided a short-term stimulus to the local economy and improved the lives of those who got it, but the effects compared to areas where no money was handed out was negligible. INDIA A Unicef-funded programme gave $2.80 a month to 6,000 people in the state of Madhya Pradesh in 2011 and 2012. It improved sanitation, nutrition and school attendance. UNITED STATES The state of Alaska has given citizens an annual payout as a dividend from oil industry revenues since 1982. It can vary between $1,000 and $2,000 based on the oil price at the time. A study found 'the dividend had no effect on employment' but has created a surge in the birth rate. Advertisement The Welsh First Minister said: 'We want all our young people to have the best possible chance in life and fulfil their full potential. 'The state is the guardian of people leaving care and so has a real obligation to support them as they start their adult life. Our focus will be on opening up their world to all its possibilities and create an independence from services as their lives develop. 'Many of those involved in this pilot don't have the support lots of people myself included have been lucky enough to enjoy as we started out on our path to adulthood. 'Our radical initiative will not only improve the lives of those taking part in the pilot but will reap rewards for the rest of Welsh society. If we succeed in what we are attempting today this will be just the first step in what could be a journey that benefits generations to come.' Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt added: 'We're in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis like no other and we therefore need new ways of supporting people who are most in need. Our Basic Income pilot is an incredibly exciting project giving financial stability to a generation of young people. 'Too many people leaving care face huge barriers to achieving their hopes and ambitions - such as problems with getting a safe and stable home, to securing a job and building a fulfilling career. This scheme will help people live a life free of such barriers and limitations. 'We will carefully evaluate the lessons learnt from the pilot. Listening to everyone who takes part will be crucial in determining the success of this globally ambitious project. 'We will examine whether Basic Income is an efficient way to support society's most vulnerable and not only benefit the individual, but wider society too.' The pilot will be limited to care leavers who reach their 18th birthday between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. It will run for three years with each person taking part receiving the basic income payment for 24 months from the month after their 18th birthday. And participants can choose whether to receive the money monthly or fortnightly. Advocates of a so-called universal basic income argue that it cuts bureaucracy and say that people will be more willing to take on temporary or part-time work if their benefits will not be cut as a result. However, previous schemes have questioned their value. An experiment with 'free money' in Finland made people happier but did not improve employment levels and would be 'unsustainable'. A 2017-2018 experiment saw 2,000 unemployed people given a 560 (490) basic income every month in a two-year trial to see whether the system would work better than traditional benefits. Participants in the Finnish study 'were more satisfied with their lives and experienced less mental strain, depression, sadness and loneliness,' researchers said. But the Finnish study found that the handout led to people being employed for only six more days over a one-year period. A similar scheme in Spain yielded similar results. The B-Mincome programme handed 1,000 households in Barcelona 1,675 euros (1,405) a month in 2017, with some having to do nothing to earn it and others having to take part in social programmes to earn it. It similarly had little effect on employment, but did make people happier and less stressed. In 2020, German researchers launched a programme that sees a group of people 1,080 per month. The study sees 120 people handed the cash with no means testing or limits on how it is spent, then monitored to see how their attitudes and behaviours change. Left, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt. Right, Welsh Tory shadow minister Joel James Other Twitter users said: 'Welsh Labour, very good with other people's money' Undated Welsh Government handout photo of Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford meeting with care leavers at Tramshed in Cardiff Another group of 1,380 people will not be given any money but will still have their attitudes and behaviours monitored, to see how they compare. The experiment, which is being funded by an economic institute called My Basic Income using donations, runs until 2023. UBI was among the ideas considered by Boris Johnson when working out how to deal with the economic impact of the Covid pandemic. But it was eventually rejected in favour of the furlough scheme and other work programmes. A DWP spokesman said: 'We recognise how important it is to support care leavers and already provide a specific, comprehensive package of support and protections for those of them in need, including changing regulations last year to provide additional support with housing costs for those under 26. 'As we have advised the Welsh Government, Universal Credit is a means tested benefit and income such as money from this pilot is factored into any benefit payments. The UK Government will continue to support care leavers and other vulnerable people through targeted measures that prioritise those most in need of support.' A French fashion boss accused of hiring a bungling hitman who murdered Jill Dando instead of a BBC journalist who exposed him as a sex abuser has described the allegations as fanciful nonsense. Gerald Marie, 72, is said to have used the Russian Mafia to try and kill Lisa Brinkworth, who is now 55. But their gunman may have assassinated TV presenter Ms Dando by mistake, according to extraordinary allegations contained in legal papers filed in Paris. They are part of an enquiry into multiple rape complaints against Marie, ex-husband of supermodel Linda Evangelista. Ms Dando was 37 when she was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, south west London, in a notorious cold case dating back 23 years. Miss Dando was gunned down on the doorstep of her home in Fulham, west London, in 1999 Miss Brinkworth (pictured recently, left; and in the 1990s, right) claimed she was sexually assaulted in 1998 while working undercover alongside Donal MacIntyre to expose sex crimes in the fashion industry. France's statute of limitations, however, means sexual abuse claims must be reported within 20 years. Lawyers for Miss Brinkworth have filed papers to the Paris prosecutor arguing that the statute does not apply in her case due to years fearing for her safety Now Ms Brinkworth claims Marie, former boss of the Elite agency, wanted her dead because she claimed he sexually assaulted her in 1998 while she was working undercover to expose crimes in the fashion industry. In the court papers, Ms Brinkworths lawyers reference an alleged conversation witnessed by a former Elite executive in which Marie considered hiring the Russian mafia to deal with a problem. The papers read: Shortly afterwards, in April 1999, Jill Dando, another BBC journalist, was shot dead. Frances statute of legal limitations for prosecutions at the time stated that sexual assault had to be reported within three years, and rapes within 10 years. Marie therefore claims that the links with the Dando case have been made up so as to try and get the statute of limitations removed. Documents submitted to a Paris court suggested that Marie hired a Russian hitman to murder Ms Brinkworth Gerald Marie, pictured with ex-wife Linda Evangelista, is being investigated over alleged sexual assaults and rapes One of his legal team said on Monday: Its fanciful nonsense aimed at suggesting that Lisa Brinkworth was in fear of her life, and so was too scared to report the alleged attack within a reasonable time limit. In fact, Lisa Brinkworth made no effort to report any kind of sexual abuse at the time, and only started to take action decades later. Ms Brinkworth claims she was kept in a safe house following the broadcasting of her expose on the BBCs MacIntyre Investigates programme, presented by veteran journalist Donal MacIntyre. Ms Brinkworth also claims that the BBC did not want her taking legal action, according to the legal papers. They say that Omar Harfouch, who is now 53 and a Lebanese businessman and politician, was with senior Elite management at a Paris restaurant in 1999, when they discussed the MacIntytre programme. Jill Dando is pictured with her fiance Alan Farthing in 1999, months before she was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in Fulham. A French court has heard sensational claims that a Russian hitman hired to assassinate journalist Lisa Brinkworth may have mistaken her for Ms Dando. Lawyers pointed out that Ms Dando's fiance Mr Farthing was also Ms Brinkworth's doctor Britain's biggest police probe since the Yorkshire Ripper: Timeline of the Jill Dando case April 26, 1999: Jill Dando, the 37-year-old television presenter, is shot dead with a single bullet to the head on the steps of her home in Fulham, south-west London. May 25, 2000: Police arrest Barry George, also known as Barry Bulsara, following surveillance of his home. May 29, 2000: Police charge George with murdering Dando. July 2, 2001: A jury finds George guilty of murder. He is later sentenced to life imprisonment. July 29, 2002: George loses an appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal in London. Three judges rejected his claim that his conviction was "unsafe". December 16, 2002: The House of Lords refuses permission for George to mount a further challenge to his conviction. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) continues to look at the case. March 25, 2006: It emerges that lawyers for George have submitted new evidence to the CCRC which they believe undermines the safety of his conviction. They say they have new medical evidence which suggests George's mental problems would have made him incapable of carrying out the crime, and that new witnesses who were not heard at the original trial may provide an explanation for why a particle of gunshot residue was found on his coat. August 1, 2008: He receives a unanimous acquittal by a jury after being granted a retrial. January 2010: His claim for compensation for lost earnings and wrongful imprisonment is rejected. 2012: Serbian 'warlord' Arkan is named as a suspect in the case, although he had died in 2000. June 2022: Court documents claim that BBC journalist Lisa Brinkworth was the target of a hit ordered by modelling agency boss Gerald Marie but was confused for Miss Dando. He denies the claims. Advertisement Were in the shit, Marie is said to have told the others, after learning that a BBC report about Donal MacIntyre and Lisa Brinkworth going undercover for six months at Elite will soon broadcast. Ms Brinkworth, then 31, had pretended to be a fashion model, and Gerald Marie said: I got tricked. He then described Ms Brinkworth as a huge problem, to which Vitali Leiba, an Elite agent based in Moscow and allegedly with strong links to the Russian Mafia replied: Consider it done. Mr Harfouch claims this was an oblique reference to making [Brinkworth] disappear, according to the legal papers. The Harfouch testimony is now being used by lawyers for 15 plaintiffs - including Ms Brinkworth - to try and get the statute of limitations thrown out. In a file sent to Paris prosecutors, William Bourdon, Amelie Lefebvre and Anne-Claire Lejeune refer to the fear of physical reprisals, going as far as a contract killing, preventing a filing of a complaint within the required time frame by Lisa Brinkworth, who accuses Gerald Marie of sexual assault in the context of her report. The lawyers report adds: They are therefore requesting, in an unprecedented approach, an extension of the limitation period, paving the way for a future trial. Paris prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into Marie in September 2020, after he was accused of rape and sexual assault by the 15 women. However, all of the alleged facts took place in the 1980s and 1990s, making them time barred as far as prosecutions are concerned. No charges have been brought, and Marie remains a free man. The BBC aired the MacIntrye programme in November 1999, and it alleged that Ms Brinkworth was attacked in a nightclub in Milan, Italy, in October 1998. In her complaint finally filed to the French legal authorities on September 20, 2020, Ms Brinkworth describes an obscene atmosphere created by Marie, who allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on Elite executive and to let me fuck you for money. (500 euros is mentioned in the legal papers, although France did not start using euros until 2002) Ms Brinkworth was told: No one refuses the president of Elite and its an honour to sleep with this man, according to the legal papers. Ms Brinkworth claimed Marie rode her while she was sitting on a chair, and she was terrified of being raped when he started pushing his penis into her lower abdomen. Other Elite executives were said to be laughing and applauding at the time. Film footage shows Ms Brinkworth straight after the incident, telling Mr MacIntyre about what happened. Elite sued the BBC over the allegations, and in 2001 the Corporation agreed never to broadcast the programme again, as part of a confidentiality agreement. Ms Brinkworth was not part of that agreement and so, according to the latest legal documents, pressure was put on her by Elite to stay silent. She says she was given protection by the BBC for three years, between 1999 and 2001, and put in three safe houses, at least one of which was surrounded by electric fences. During a meeting organised in the Paris Senate in September 2021 with the other plaintiffs, Ms Brinkworth met Omar Harfouch, who made a multi-million pounds fortune in Ukraine following the fall of the Soviet Union. Mr Harfoch said he himself became a target for death threats following his support for former Elite models who claimed they were sexually abused. In the legal documents, Ms Brinkworth is described as being blonde, and of the same height and similar build; as Jill Dando, They say Ms Brinkworth and Ms Dando were neighbours in Fulham, and that Ms Dandos partner, Alan Farthing, was Ms Brinkworths doctor. Lawyers for Ms Brinkworth now say that the parallels contributed to a climate of fear for their clients, and that she was convinced that her silence ensured her life. All of this prevented Ms Brinkworth from filing a sexual assault complaint agaisnt Maire within the three year time limit. Celine Bekerman, a lawyer for Gerald Marie, said the attempt to repeal the statute of limitations had no chance of success, because it was based on fanciful arguments. Ms Bekerman said Ms Brinkworth was never a party to the agreement concluded between Elite and the BBC, and there was thus never anything stopping her from complaining about sexual assault in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ms Bekerman said Mr Harfouchs testatment about the Paris restaurant conversation was not considered a reliable one. She said Marie denies any wrongdoing and refuses to be the scapegoat for a system and an era. Ms Bekerman said a diary kept by Donal MacIntyre during the undercover operation did not even mention any allegation of a sexual assault. A spokesman for the Paris prosecutors office confirmed that the enquiry into Gerald Marie was ongoing, and that nobody had been arrested or charged. Convicted cocaine smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has bit back at a troll after she was hit with a wave of sarcastic suggestions when she asked her followers what advice she should give social media fans. Sainsbury was quickly dubbed 'Cocaine Cassie' after she was busted trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine out of Colombia in April 2017 in sets of headphones when she was just 22 years old. She was released in April 2020 to serve the remainder of her six-year sentence under house arrest in the Colombian capital Bogota as officials sought to reduce overcrowding in jails during Covid. Sainsbury often uses her freedom from prison to capitalise on her new-found fame and on Monday asked her 15,000 followers for advice on starting up a YouTube channel. While she was met with some good options, plenty of followers used the question as an opportunity to troll the drug smuggler with one suggesting: 'How to smuggle drugs and not get caught.' But Sainsbury didn't take the comment lying down, hitting back at the follower. 'You think you're funny? That joke is kinda getting old', she said. Sainsbury (pictured) told her social media followers about her stint behind bars, saying she was exposed to 'the worst ways people treated each other' and was forced to mature a lot The social media post (pictured) shows the terse exchange between Sainsbury and the troll Sainsbury walked free from a Colombian jail in 2020 after she was caught out trying to leave Colombia with almost 6kg of cocaine (pictured) stashed in headphone boxes in 2017 Sainsbury's comments come a year after the ex-prisoner announced she would be offering Spanish lessons to people. The 27-year-old perfected her Spanish during her three-year stint in Colombia's notorious Buen Pastor prison. Sainsbury maintained her innocence throughout her 2017 trial and said she had proof on her mobile phone, but couldn't remember the pin code to access the information. She said during her time as a sex worker at Club 220, in western Sydney, she met a man who offered her a role as a 'courier'; a 'shady' job that led to her foiled drug smuggling effort. She has always maintained she believed she would only be transporting documents, and not drugs, and only agreed to the job because she 'needed the money'. 'I know how it sounds, because obviously I accepted to come into it for money, I needed money, but I wasn't exactly like, I came there thinking, yes I'm going to go and smuggle drugs, it wasn't like that,' Sainsbury said. In April 2017, Sainsbury flew from Adelaide to Bogota, via Guangzhou and Los Angeles. Sainsbury was just 22 years old when she was arrested with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden in her luggage at Bogota airport (pictured, arriving for a court hearing in Bogota in 2017) It was at a hotel in the Colombian capital that she claimed to have met up with the 'mastermind' behind the plot, a Brazilian drug lord named 'Angelo'. Angelo reportedly threatened to kill all of Sainsbury's loved ones if she did not agree to carry the drugs, though she has never been able to verify her claims. In a social media live chat with her followers, she opened up about her jail experience and what she had learnt. During her stint behind bars, Sainsbury said she was exposed to 'the worst ways people treated each other.' 'I've seen people stabbed hundreds of times,' she said. 'They had knives stuck into them. It's absolutely horrible.' The experience was eye opening for the 27-year-old, who said she was forced to 'mature a lot in prison'. 'There were a lot of people worse off than me... I learnt to value a lot of things,' she said. 'I learnt a lot about myself, I learnt a lot about people I've learnt how to analyse people better.' After her release she went on 60 Minutes and said she had become a stronger person after her ordeal. 'Everything that I have been through in prison, everything that I learnt, I wouldn't change it, because it has made me a stronger person, who I am today', Sainsbury said. Sainsbury married her girlfriend Tatiana last March, where she was reunited with her mum for the first time in four years who flew over for the wedding. Cassie Sainsbury (pictured) became headline news in Australia when she was caught with almost 6kg of cocaine in April of 2017 in Colombia Sainsbury was reunited with her mum (pictured) last March in Colombia before her wedding. The Texas sheriff who President Joe Biden nominated to lead Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April of last year announced on Monday that he was withdrawing himself from consideration for the role. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he informed the White House over the weekend in a series of Twitter posts where he also condemned the 'political gridlock' in Washington. It's the latest in a string of defeats for Biden in the Senate, which has approved his senior-level Cabinet picks without much issue but tanked nominations for key mid-level administration positions. That includes the director of ICE, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that's been a political lightening rod since it was first created under George W. Bush to police illegal immigration and related crimes. Gonzalez' stalled nomination means the agency was led by someone on an acting basis through a year that saw hundreds of thousands of migrants strain the US immigration system at the southern border as well as state and local infrastructure. May saw a record 239,416 encounters between law enforcement and migrants at the southern border. That's despite a judge blocking the Biden administration from lifting a COVID-19 pandemic-era expulsion policy known as Title 42, which had been expected to usher in a new surge of asylum-seekers. In his withdrawal announcement, Gonzalez pointed out that ICE has not had a Senate-approved director since Barack Obama's presidency. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was a vocal critic of Donald Trump's immigration policies and clashed with ICE, the agency he was tapped to lead, in the past He announced on Twitter Monday evening that he told President Biden he'd withdraw his nomination after it was first put forward in April 2021 He noted that the politically controversial agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since President Barack Obama's administration 'I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering what's best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as Sheriff,' his statement continued. 'I am grateful to President Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nation's border.' He warned, 'Frankly, the dysfunction threatens America's heart and soul.' Gonzalez pledged he'd continue to focus on his law enforcement role in the Lone Star state's most populous county - the third-heaviest populated in the country overall. 'My love for America and my desire to serve during these contentious times is stronger than ever,' he concluded. 'Ensuring the safety and security of the people of Harris County is a great honor, and I am fully devoted to continuing to fulfill this responsibility.' Before being elected sheriff in 2016, Gonzalez served on the Houston City Council and rose to the rank of sergeant in the Houston Police Department. Migrants from Honduras give a Border Patrol agent their details after being apprehended near Mission, Texas on June 17 A US Border Patrol officer interacts with a son of a Russian migrant Yevgeny as they wait to have their identities checked by US Border Patrol agents and to be taken to a processing center as hundreds cross the border between Mexico and the US in Yuma, Arizona on June 21 But his confirmation to lead ICE has seemed uncertain for months. Biden was forced to re-submit his nomination in January after it expired in the Senate's last term. He advanced out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee along party lines in February but never received a full floor vote, and it's not certain he would have gotten the votes. Gonzalez's withdrawal is the latest in a series of setbacks for Biden nominees to lower-profile but key positions As sheriff, he's clashed multiple times with the agency he was tapped to lead. Gonzalez in 2017 severed Harris County's cooperation agreement with ICE, and the Houston Chronicle reported that he refused to take part in an ICE raid himself in 2019. In a 2017 letter to the then-Republican led Senate State Affairs Committee, Gonzalez criticized what he called 'anti-sanctuary city legislation' that he said was 'creating a climate of fear and suspicion that could damage our efforts to reinforce trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve.' And his nomination was hampered when Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma raised concerns over a domestic complaint. An affidavit filed in 2019 - unrelated to Gonzalez - includes mention of 'an alleged domestic dispute' investigated by an officer involving Gonzalez's wife Melissa Gonzalez. Both she and her husband have denied the claim. The White House shared Melissa Gonzalez's denial with news outlets and stood by the sheriff at the time. DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House for comment on Gonzalez's withdrawal. Also over the last 12 months, Biden's nominee for the Federal Reserve Sarah Bloom Raskin, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency pick Saule Omarova and David Chipman, the president's nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were all forced out before facing a confirmation vote on the Senate floor. The Queen greeted fans in Scotland with a wave and a smile as she arrived in Edinburgh as part of her first outing since the Platinum Jubilee yesterday- and new video shows he alighted the Royal train without any assistance. A Royal assistant stood ready to help Her Majesty down the steps on to the platform, but she descended the steps without any help dressed in a powder blue coat with a pearl and diamante trim hat. Her Majesty is shown stepping off the Royal train and smiling before waving to her fans. Policemen stand in front of the entourage in the video which soon fills up the platform as the Queen departs using her walking stick. The footage comes as the Queen begins her traditional trip to Scotland on Monday for a week of royal events. An assistant helps Her Majesty down the steps on to the platform in Edinburgh Her Majesty is shown stepping off the train before waving for the camera and departing The 96-year-old, who has cut back on public engagements due to mobility issues, showed no sign of discomfort when handling the journey. Royal sources prior to the Jubilee that the Queen would miss the Epsom Derby for the third time of her reign in order to 'pace herself' for the festivities, which took place over a four day weekend marking her 70 years on the throne. But she was all smiles as she took part in the historic Ceremony of the Keys on Monday - the traditional opener to Holyrood week for the Royal Family. The Queen, who has a deep love for Scotland, has been joined by her youngest son, Edward, and his wife, Sophie, known as the Earl and Countess of Forfar while they are in Scotland, for the event, which is taking place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The ceremony sees the monarch handed the keys of the city and welcomed to her 'ancient and hereditary kingdom of Scotland'. A Guard of Honour was provided by the Balaklava Company, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Her Majesty hopes to carry a out several engagements this week - and will meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during her stay. The Queen seemed delighted to be taking part in the ceremony at the Palace of Holyrood House The Queen smiled as she arrived in Edinburgh today as she continues public duties - her first since the Jubilee However, Her Majesty will not take part in the annual garden party in at Holyroodhouse on Wednesday, the BBC reported. More than 30,000 people are usually invited each year to Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The events are normally used to recognise and reward public servants but require many hours of standing, with the Royal Family taking the view that such events will be too taking for Her Majesty who has only recently recovered from Covid-19. The Queen last hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party in 2019, before the virus. Her children, including Prince Charles, will be supporting her all week - but Prince Andrew will stay away because of controversy about his settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre - an abuse victim of his friend Jeffrey Epstein. Dressed in a powder blue silk wool coat and dress by Stewart Parvin, paired with a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, the Queen was symbolically offered the keys to the city by Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge. The tradition dictates that the monarch returns them, entrusting their safekeeping to the city's elected officials. The Queen was joined by her youngest son, Edward, and his wife, Sophie, known as the Earl and Countess of Forfar while they are in Scotland. The Guard of Honour was provided by the Balaklava Company, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, which was inspected by Edward on the forecourt of the palace during the ceremony. Music was provided by the pipes and drums of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II meets Lord Provost Robert Aldridge at the Ceremony of the Keys on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh The Lord Provost speaks to Her Majesty as officials salute the 96-year-old monarch Royal Regiment of Scotland during the Ceremony of the Keys on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The trip comes after the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the Queen, in which she pledged to continue to do her job 'to the best of my ability supported by my family'. Charles, known as the Earl of Rothesay in Scotland and the Princess Royal will all take part in a series of public engagements north of Hadrian's wall over the coming days. However, Andrew, known as the Earl of Inverness in Scotland, no longer carries out public duties and will not be involved. It emerged over the weekend that The Queen has defied doctors by getting back in the saddle on her beloved horses just days after she was seen without the walking stick she has relied on recently. Nine months after she was advised to stop riding, the 96-year-old monarch has reportedly been on horseback in Windsor. She is also due to attend an Armed Forces Act of Loyalty Parade at the palace on Tuesday, although some engagements during the week will be covered by other members of the royal family. Struggling families could be paid to use less energy this winter as the National Grid tries to cut the risk of blackouts. Consumers with smart meters will be paid to cut their usage during peak times under plans being considered by the company. National Grid sees the plans as a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to keep the lights on than paying fossil fuel power plants to increase production. The firm responsible for transmitting and distributing electricity and gas is scrambling to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It has led to Russia restricting energy supplies to Europe. Customers with smart meters could be paid to not use as much energy during times of peak demand, according to new proposals The proposals could see households paid up to 6 for each kilowatt-hour they avoid using at peak times, The Times said. That compares with the 28.34p homes pay per kilowatt-hour, enough to power a 100 watt lightbulb for ten hours. National Grid, which is looking to offer the scheme to millions of families, said: 'Demand shifting has the potential to save consumers money and reduce carbon emissions.' Families are struggling with energy bills that have jumped by 54 per cent (an average of 693) this year. They are set to jump a further 800, to an average of 2,800 a year, when energy regulator Ofgem raises the price cap in October. National Grid ESO trialled the proposals with customers this year and is now looking to offer the scheme to millions of households. It is believed to have written to suppliers last week asking them to assess how much less energy their customers could be persuaded to use at peak times. The cost of the scheme would be added onto energy bills but the National Grid is said to believe the additional charge would be less than the cost of paying power plants to increase supply. Ministers were warned last month six million households could experience blackouts this winter because of the war in Ukraine. The Government's 'reasonable' worst case scenario, drawn up by Whitehall, shows there may be significant gas shortages if Russia cuts off Europe's supplies. Whitehall's worst-case scenario modelling says Britain would have to implement its gas emergency plans, which would see gas-fired power stations closed. This would lead to a shortage of electricity that could force the Government to ration it in a manner similar to Edward Heath's three-day week in the 1970s. Postmen are to start checking on vulnerable residents during their rounds as part of a Royal Mail scheme. Checks on the elderly and frail will be introduced as part of a new health division with a trial planned in Northumberland. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out nationally. Postmen and women already provide a similar role informally as they regularly visit millions of homes and get to know customers. Checks on the elderly and frail will be introduced as part of a new health division with a trial planned in Northumberland. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out nationally Chief executive Simon Thompson said Royal Mail was still exploring how the scheme would work. 'If we know that there are vulnerable people in a certain property, there's an opportunity for us to check,' he said. 'And if we check that they're okay, then how can we alert services to help them out? At the moment we do this quite informally. But actually we could do this formally to provide a unique service to society and our customers.' No details have been given on funding or if postmen, who are threatening to strike over pay, would be paid more. Age UK's charity director Caroline Abrahams welcomed any help for older people. But she added: 'Knowing someone is going to pop in from time to time to check everything is okay may provide some valuable reassurance but is no substitute for the health and care support older people need' Yesterday Age UK's charity director Caroline Abrahams welcomed any help for older people. But she added: 'Knowing someone is going to pop in from time to time to check everything is okay may provide some valuable reassurance but is no substitute for the health and care support older people need.' Liberal Democrats deputy leader and health spokesman Daisy Cooper praised the initiative, reported in The Times, but added: 'I can't help but feel it is also a damning indictment of the state of social care.' Royal Mail Health is also working on expanding a link with online retailer Pharmacy2U, with an app for NHS patients to order supplies. The market is currently worth 5 per cent of prescriptions. The man who claims he created Qantas' iconic 'Spirit of Australia' slogan has angrily demanded they remove the title saying it is a 'tragically inappropriate' to describe the under fire airline. Phillip Adams, a columnist for The Weekend Australian magazine and ABC Radio National host, says he convinced former chairman Jim Leslie to adopt the tagline in the 1980s and Peter Allen to allow his iconic tune I Still Call Australia Home to become Qantas' anthem. However, last week the former advertising guru directed an angry message towards the airline's boss Alan Joyce demanding they drop his catchphrase due to ongoing scandals involving laid-off staff, cancelled flights, lost luggage and extensive delays. 'Alan Joyce. You force to repeat myself. I'm the author of 'the Spirit of Australia'. Then deserved, now tragically inappropriate,' he wrote to Twitter. 'My slogan is hereby vetoed. Please remove it from all fuselages, tickets and advertising.' In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Qantas said: 'The Spirit of Australia tagline is an iconic part of the Qantas brand and isn't going anywhere.' Phillip Adams claims he pitched the 'Spirit of Australia' tagline to former Qantas boss Peter Leslie in the 1980s - and he now wants the airline to drop its iconic slogan 'Alan Joyce. You force to repeat myself. I'm the author of 'the Spirit of Australia'. Then deserved, now tragically inappropriate,' Mr Adams wrote to Twitter It's the latest run-in between Mr Adams and Qantas after the airline stripped the columnist of his membership to its Chairman's Lounge - described as the 'most exclusive club in Australia'. Decked out in designer furniture, the lounges serve top-shelf liquor, five-star food and provide private meeting rooms, large shower suites and fluffy bathrobes. Those lucky enough to step inside can expect to rub shoulders with the Prime Minister, A-list celebrities and influential businessmen. The Chairman's Lounge is deemed such a privilege that Mr Adams was furious that Qantas refused to renew his membership in 2019. 'I was hardly cluttering up the facility and I was really quite surprised because I do have a large media footprint,' a disappointed Mr Adams told The Australian. Members invited to be a part of the exclusive club are given a matte black card after being personally signed off by Qantas bosses. Each membership lasts for two years and invitations have nothing to do with frequent flyer points or status. Mr Adams said members of the lounge would likely see high profile figures or media identities (pictured, lounge in Brisbane) Broadcaster Phillip Adams (pictured) was furious that Qantas refused to renew his membership for the Chairman's Lounge 'Membership is very sought after and it's a great asset for Qantas to utilise for our commercial endeavours' Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said of the club in the past. Mr Adams said he has 'no idea' why he was kicked out of the exclusive club, admitting he had any number of secrets to tell about the goings on behind the secretive doors. 'So many CL stories I could kiss and tell but won't (on being admitted you have to sign the Official Secrets Act). And now I'm out on my arse. No idea why,' he wrote in The Australian. 'I was given the bad news a few days after they expelled Fraser Anning, so it may have been a left-wing right-wing thing, to keep the books and Boeings balanced. 'There are other potential reasons, though. Too old? Then no need to expel me let nature take its course. Too infrequent a flyer? Well, I haven't flown much lately, thanks to ill-health and bad weather. 'A long lifetime of loyalty rewarded with disloyalty. Is this the spirit of Australia? With a breaking, pacemaker'd heart I can no longer call Qantas home.' Members of the federal government are known to also be gifted membership to the exclusive lounge (pictured, lounge in Brisbane) The airline has revealed last week it will reduce the number of domestic flights by five per cent for July, August and September - adding to the 10 per cent announced in May. Qantas Domestic reportedly made 4,500 flights per week in the lead-up to the Covid pandemic, meaning a 15 per cent cutback would lead to 675 fewer flights. It was also forced to apologise to more than 300 passengers recently who were left stranded at Dallas/Forth Worth Airport for 24 hours - with many forced to sleep on the floor. Customers said there was no Qantas presence at the airport, and the airline were unreachable despite numerous attempts from Aussies waiting to fly home and American staff. Disgruntled workers recently revealed to Daily Mail Australia last month what it's really like to work for the Flying Kangaroo, levelling extraordinary allegations against the airline amid a bitter court battle that could result in a multi-million dollar payout. The Transport Workers Union took Qantas to court in late 2020, when it was ruled the airline illegally sacked nearly 2,000 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff before outsourcing their jobs to foreign-owned providers, including Swissport. The trickle-down effect has seen jaded customers, including Frequent Flyer members, saying they are looking to other airlines when flying. Customers say there is a complete lack of support staff at airports which is leading to massive delays, missed flights and lost luggage The Trade Workers' Union says Qantas's issues start at the top, and point to Alan Joyce's mismanagement of the airline over the pandemic and its thousands of laid-off staff. 'The fish rots from the head. The short-term focus of senior management on boosting profits to see share price blips has devastated Qantas' once trusted service and left Australians outraged,' TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told Daily Mail Australia. 'Blaming passengers for delays over the Easter long weekend while refusing to reinstate the highly trained workers it illegally sacked despite there being obvious demand for experienced workers in the industry shows how out-of-touch the Joyce-led management team has become.' The airline, which argued the outsourcing was a necessary financial measure during the Covid pandemic, appealed the ruling and lost - but has since taken the case to the High Court in a last-ditch bid to avoid paying a mammoth compensation bill. Cost-cutting was magnified by the pandemic, with 15,000 workers laid off without pay or forced to take leave in mid-2020, while another 2,500 were stood down in August, 2021 - despite Qantas receiving $2billion in government assistance. Qantas maintain the moves were necessary due to losing $22billion in revenue and losses in excess of $5billion over the pandemic. It also said the government handouts in part went towards continuing repatriation and freight flights during the pandemic. With enormous courage, two British victims of Ghislaine Maxwell attended court to speak in harrowing detail about their horrific ordeals at the hands of the child sex predator and the mental torment they still suffer. A British woman who testified under the name 'Kate', and Sarah Ransome who was not included in the indictment at Maxwell's trial late last year penned victim impact statements which spelt out in graphic detail how their lives had been destroyed by the fallen socialite. They made a point of turning up at the courthouse in New York and reading out extracts of their impact statements in person before the judge jailed Maxwell for 20 years for recruiting girls for herself and her former boyfriend, the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, to molest. The British victims were among four Maxwell survivors who wanted to come face-to-face with the Oxford-educated sex trafficker and tell the world how her crimes had affected them. Ransome even provided the court with shocking images of her in hospital following a failed suicide attempt, after she struggled to come to terms with the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Maxwell. An impact statement from Prince Andrew's teen accuser Virginia Roberts, now known by her married name Giuffre and who was unable to attend court due to a 'medical issue', was read out by her lawyer. Sarah Ransome Miss Ransome, 37, whose father is Scottish Lord Macpherson, said she was raped up to three times a day during months imprisoned on Epstein's private Caribbean island, having been tricked by Maxwell into his sordid web of abuse. She said in her impact statement: 'I became nothing more than a human sex toy with a heartbeat and soul for the entertainment of Epstein, Maxwell and others. On one visit to [Epstein's private island], the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation became so horrific that I tried to escape by attempting to jump off a cliff into shark-infested waters. 'They pounced, ensnaring us in their upside-down, twisted world of rape, rape and more rape. Like Hotel California, you could check into the Epstein-Maxwell dungeon of sexual hell, but you could never leave. Ghislaine by her own hand, forced me into Epstein's room to be raped.' 'I have never married and do not have children, something I always wished for, even as a little girl. 'I have attempted suicide twice since the abuse both near fatal.' Elizabeth Stein Preyed on by Maxwell after moving to New York aged 18 in 1991, with the ambition of working in the fashion industry, Miss Stein said she was first abused by the British socialite and Epstein at a hotel on the very first day she met Ghislaine. 'That night in the hotel was the first of many times they sexually assaulted me,' she said. 'Afterwards, I tried to pretend everything was normal...' Miss Stein said she was 'assaulted, raped and trafficked countless times' during a three-year period after Epstein who died in prison in 2019 and Maxwell lured her into their sex trafficking ring by 'seizing upon her vulnerability'. She had to have an abortion after getting pregnant by one of the 'countless' men who raped her while she was being trafficked to their friends. 'Things happened that were so traumatizing that to this day I'm unable to speak about them; I don't even have the vocabulary to describe them. 'In the most literal sense of the word, Epstein and Maxwell terrified me. They told me that if I told anyone, nobody would believe me and if they did, they would kill me and the people closest to me. After meeting Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, it felt like someone shut off the lights to my soul.' Annie Farmer The fourth and final accuser in Maxwell's trial told jurors how the privately-educated predator gave her a nude massage and groped her as a teen at Epstein's New Mexico ranch. 'One of the most painful and ongoing impacts of Maxwell and Epstein's abuse was a loss of trust in myself, my perceptions, and my instincts,' she said. 'When predators groom and then abuse or exploit children and other vulnerable people, they are, in a sense, training them to distrust themselves. When a boundary is crossed or an expectation violated, you tell yourself, 'Someone who cares enough about me to do all these nice things surely wouldn't also be trying to harm me. 'This pattern of thinking is insidious, so these seeds of self-doubt took root even as I learned my sister [Maria] had also been harmed by them, and came to find out years later that many others had been exploited. 'For years these memories triggered significant self-recrimination, minimization and guilt. 'I blamed myself for believing these predators actually wanted to help me. I felt tremendous survivor guilt when I heard what other girls and young women had experienced at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein. 'I remember sitting at my desk physically shaking after seeing the photo of Maxwell with Virginia [Roberts] and Prince Andrew, because it became clear to me how their scheme had continued. 'Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm. When my sister and I first spoke out to the media about what happened to us, Maxwell lied about us and threatened Maria, thus helping shut down investigations into Epstein's behaviour so they could together continue to harm children and young women.' Virginia Roberts Prince Andrew's teen sex accuser, Miss Roberts now based in Australia is the most famous Epstein victim of them all. Although she did not give evidence at Maxwell's trial, the jury found Miss Roberts was one of her sex trafficking victims. In her impact statement, the American vowed to Maxwell: 'If you ever get out of prison, I will be here, watching you, making sure you never hurt anyone else again.' She also told her: 'Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. 'For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. 'And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. 'Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.' 'Kate' When British victim 'Kate' was a lonely teenager in 1994, Maxwell dressed her as a schoolgirl for sex with Epstein and branded her a 'good girl'. She said: 'The many acts that were perpetrated on me by Epstein including rape, strangulation and sexual assault would have never occurred had it not been for the cunning and premeditated role Ghislaine Maxwell played. What happened to me at that young age changed the course of my life drastically, forever. 'I witnessed on numerous occasions, over many years, Ghislaine Maxwell trying to recruit other girls and making consistent and insistent demands on me and others to do the same. 'There was never any ambiguity or doubt about her having full knowledge of what was to take place once she recruited girls.' In the years following the abuse, she struggled with drug addiction, panic attacks and night terrors, and she told of feeling 'unable to trust my own instincts in choosing romantic relationships'. Kate said testifying in the trial had been 'both terrifying and re-traumatizing' but added: 'I do not, however, regret it for one moment.' President Joe Biden blasted Russia's attack on Kyiv on Sunday as "barbarism," as he attempted to rally Western leaders against Vladimir Putin. "It's more of their barbarism," he declared at Schloss Elmau's ceremonial welcoming ceremony for G7 leaders. On Sunday, as G7 leaders convened for a meeting overshadowed by the crisis in Ukraine and its impact on food and energy supplies, as well as the global economy, Biden urged allies that "we have to stick united" against Russia. At the start of the summit in the Bavarian Alps, four of the Group of Seven wealthy nations voted to restrict Russian gold imports, tightening the sanctions grip on Moscow and cutting off its sources of funding for the invasion of Ukraine. Biden, Other G7 Leaders Condemn Latest Russian Attack in Ukraine It was unclear whether the plan received G7 backing, with European Council President Charles Michel suggesting that the matter would need to be handled cautiously and further investigated. Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the U.S. along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraines defense. President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2022 According to the British government, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Canada have agreed to a freeze on new Russian gold imports. According to Britain, the ban is aimed at wealthy Russians who have been buying safe-haven bullion to offset the financial impact of Western sanctions. Russian gold exports totaled $15.5 billion last year. As per a German government source, the G7 leaders of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada were also conducting "extremely excellent" negotiations on a possible Russian oil price cap. Paris would press for an oil and gas price ceiling and is willing to discuss a US proposal. The G7 leaders did agree on a vow to generate $600 billion in private and public financing for poor nations to counter China's expanding influence and mitigate the effects of rising food and energy costs, NDTV reported. Read Also: Joe Biden, Democrats Launch Fundraising in the Wake of Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade Reversal as Protests Spark, Clinics Close Across US Biden Will Increase US Troops in Poland Biden intends to announce the continuation of part of the expanded US troop presence in Poland, as well as modifications to US deployments in other Baltic states that he approved before Russia invaded Ukraine. Changes to the US troop presence may have an impact on nations such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Officials indicated the number of fresh troops deployed to the region permanently would be limited, but several hundred might remain in Poland permanently, according to Reuters via MSN. On Sunday, Biden opened his first day at the G7 conference by complimenting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and assuring coalition solidarity against the invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine will dominate the conference as G7 leaders assess the effectiveness of sanctions. They will also debate the world's deteriorating economic situation. Scholz was waiting for Biden on the decking at a pavilion with breathtaking Alpine views. Before sitting down to discuss the day's agenda, the two leaders took the time to take in the surroundings. The president will spend the day meeting with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the European Union in both official and informal settings. Russia and its conflict in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda, according to a senior administration official. Biden will also use his time later this week at the G7 and the NATO meeting to keep Western allies united on Russian sanctions. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan have imposed additional sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin to financially isolate him. The nations have banned importing Russian gold, the country's second-largest source of revenue after oil. The West has already slapped restrictions on Russian energy, luxury goods, and other products. However, doubts remain about the efficacy of such financial penalties, as per Daily Mail. Related Article: Zelensky: Russian Troops Fire Missiles At Shopping Mall in Ukraine With 1,000 People @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Cafes and restaurants are facing potential ruin as the cost of raw ingredients like green beans soar from $1 a kilo at market to a budget-blowing $240 for a 10kg tray. That amounts to a 2,300 per cent increase, with the price of beans soaring from $1 a kilo wholesale to $24 a kilo. And insiders warn it's about to get even worse, with the cost of grain now rocketing because of the Ukraine war - which could send the price of meat and dairy sky high. The price of eggs is already starting to go up as chicken farmers pass on the cost of the increased feed prices, while rising fuel costs will affect a whole range of foods. Now chefs and cafe owners are struggling to rewrite their recipes in a bid to survive as everyday essentials vanish from the shelves or cost too much to be viable. Cafes and restaurants are facing potential ruin as the cost of raw ingredients like green beans soar from $1 a kilo at market to a budget-blowing $240 for a 10kg tray. 'With everything going up, we can't find things to put on the menu,' Vessel diner owner Vicky Vardis from Sydney's glitzy Barangaroo business strip admitted. 'I'm annoying the chefs so they do meals at as low a cost as possible.' Market prices for vegetables have hit record highs in the wake of the floods which ravaged NSW and Queensland farmland, swamping crops and washing away topsoil. Official government data reveals how green bean prices spiralled exponentially in the space of three months, going up 400 per cent week-on-week at one stage. 'We would pay less than $10 for 10 kilograms of green beans normally,' said Ms Vardis. 'But we were charged $240 at market today. 'And it's even worse in the shops - I went to Harris Farm Markets the other day and they were charging $40 a kilogram. 'I'm seriously worried - not just for the business but for the global economy. There's a lot going on at the moment. 'I don't know what the solution is. We don't know what will happen from one moment to the next.' chefs and cafe owners are struggling to rewrite their recipes in a bid to survive as everyday essentials vanish from the shelves or cost too much to be viable Melbourne's Brick Lane cafe in the city's famous laneways has had to raise its prices three times in as many months to keep up with the soaring costs. 'It's right across the supply chain - meat, veg, fruit...and with fuel prices going up, that's just adding to the bill as well,' said manager Lindsay, who declined to give his surname. 'It affects the customers most of all as we just keep putting the prices up - but eventually you can only pay so much for something until it becomes ridiculous. 'You can ruin your recipes by swapping ingredients, you can cull some of the foods, you can make them smaller meals - you can do all those types of things. 'But the customer is the one that hurts whichever way you go, whether it's putting the price up or lowering the quality or going for cheaper ingredients or changing the recipes. 'It all comes back down to the customer. They're the ones who hurt.' The price hikes for green beans are even outstripping the cost of iceberg lettuces which also hit all-time highs, with the going rate tripling week-on-week in late May to $12 a head. The price hikes for green beans and broccoli are even outstripping the cost of iceberg lettuces which hit all-time highs when the going rate tripled week-on-week in late May to $12 a head. Broccoli prices also exploded, going up 350 per cent according to the most recent government figures. And there's even more pain on the way. 'Egg suppliers have raised the price of their eggs, mainly due to a large increase in the cost of grain used to feed the birds,' market specialist Sydney Fresh warned. 'It is possible there may be further increases. The international supply of grain is a worldwide issue, largely due to the Russia/Ukraine situation.' Grain is also used to feed cattle and pigs which is now set to impact meat and milk prices in coming weeks, pushing up the cost of even the humble bacon and egg roll. Snow peas, cabbage, leeks, zucchini, cucumber and cauliflower are spiralling to new heights - if you can even get them - and onions have been on their way up too Snow peas, cabbage, leeks, zucchini, cucumber and cauliflower are also spiralling to new heights - if you can even get them - and onions have been on their way up too. Herbs and salad greens like rocket are also desperately scarce and expensive. 'The flooding in NSW a month or so ago is still affecting the supply of herbs and leafy greens,' added Sydney Fresh. 'The more recent heavy falls in QLD have made many vegetables very scarce, such as broccoli and iceberg lettuce.' But Sydney Fresh offer some hope for the future: 'The supply issues are temporary and should hopefully ease in the coming weeks.' Advertisement Former Full House star Jodie Sweetin was seen Monday for the first time since was shoved to the ground by police officers during an abortion rights protest march in Los Angeles over the weekend. Sweetin, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House,' also describes herself on her social media profiles as an activist. She was with a large group of protesters marching on a freeway this weekend, one of the many demonstrations that took place in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Video posted to Instagram shows Sweetin, dressed all in black toting a megaphone, close LAPD officers who had formed a line across the freeway. The officers suddenly push Sweetin back toward the crowd, causing her to stumble over the curb and into the freeway where a group of protesters caught her. She was seen Monday arriving at her Southern California home with visible bruising around her arms stemming from the incident. She was wearing a green tank top, jeans and sunglasses, with blue slippers, a drink in her hand and a bag around her arm. Scroll down for video Former Full House star Jodie Sweetin was seen Monday for the first time since was shoved to the ground by police officers during an abortion rights protest march in Los Angeles over the weekend. She was seen Monday arriving home with visible bruising around her arms stemming from the incident Sweetin appeared to be in decent spirits Monday morning as cameras caught her arriving home Actress Jodie Sweetin was shoved to the ground by police officers during an abortion rights protest march in Los Angeles over the weekend Sweetin is shoved back causing her to stumble over the curb and into the freeway where a group of protesters caught her At one point, perhaps in a nod to her activism, Sweetin was seen carrying a rainbow-colored bag with various liberal slogans on it, including 'Black Lives Matter' and "Silence is Violence.' The original poster of the Instagram video, photographer Michael Ade, claimed in his post that Sweetin was thrown to the ground while trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freeway. 'It pained me to see @JodieSweetin thrown to the ground by members of the LAPD as she was trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freewaySMH @LAPDHQ what are y'all doing? 'Jodi is the definition of a real one and fortunately she's okay! But for others who choose to protest today move with caution and keep your head on swivel. It's going to be a very long summer.' Sweetin, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on 'Full House,' also describes herself on her social media profiles as an activist She was with a large group of protesters marching on a freeway this weekend, one of the many demonstrations that took place in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade Sweetin goes to and from her car in Los Angeles as she arrives home Monday morning The original poster of the Instagram video, photographer Michael Ade, claimed in his post that Sweetin was thrown to the ground while trying to lead a group of peaceful protestors away from the freeway 'Jodi is the definition of a real one and fortunately she's okay! But for others who choose to protest today move with caution and keep your head on swivel. It's going to be a very long summer' At one point, perhaps in a nod to her activism, Sweetin was seen carrying a rainbow-colored bag with various liberal slogans on it, including 'Black Lives Matter' and "Silence is Violence.' Sweetin told TMZ that she's OK following the incident and said she was proud of the hundreds who showed up for the protests. 'I'm extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court,' Sweetin told TMZ. 'Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken. This will not deter us, we will continue fighting for our rights. We are not free until ALL of us are free.' On January 17, Jodie - who's 13 years sober - announced her fifth engagement, this time, to 51-year-old drug and alcohol therapist Mescal Wasilewski, who's 25 years sober. A Sydney chiropractor has been jailed for at least five years and six months for repeatedly sexually assaulting a Japanese patient who sought treatment for her lower back and groin pain. Riaz Behi, 47, was convicted by a jury at his second trial of 13 charges including aggravated sexual touching and aggravated sexual assault of a person under his authority. Judge Sarah Huggett in the NSW District Court on Monday sentenced Behi to a full term of nine years in prison. Chiropractor Riaz Behi was sentenced to nine years in jail and will serve at least five years, six months for the crimes Over the course of 17 appointments in early 2019, the practitioner assaulted the then-31-year-old woman in the treatment rooms of The Back Guys practice in Sydney's CBD. During the tourist's first consultation, Behi pulled the woman's underpants down exposing her buttocks completely, she said in evidence through an interpreter. She came to believe removing underpants before a massage was normal practice in Australia, saying it absolutely never happened before an appointment in Japan. He progressed from massaging her buttocks to brushing his hands near her genitals until the eighth appointment when she had fallen asleep and was startled awake by his finger inside her, she told the court. The woman tearfully told the court she booked another appointment after the assault because she thought she would be in trouble if she left without an appointment. She had earlier been advised by a friend that Behi was a medical doctor with good reviews, and did not want to be rude to him. The victim tearfully told the court she thought it was 'normal' to remove her underpants at each session At another appointment, she was again directed to undress and felt Behi's hands close to her anus and vagina when she felt pain inside and 'froze' unable to speak. Behi asked her 'how do you feel?', prompting the woman to shake her head and say 'no'. At some point, he asked 'do you want me to stop' and she said 'yes, yes, yes'.' Behi used Google Translate to communicate with the woman, who told him that she wanted a regular massage and for him to never do that again. The woman said she continued going back as the massages in other areas had reduced the lower back pain she was suffering. Behi gave evidence at his first trial in March 2021 that on the woman's 10th appointment she nervously laughed after directing his hand 'south'. He claimed she motioned his hand up and down on top of her genital area for about 20 or 30 seconds, before opening her eyes and moving the towel above her nose, giggling. 'I awkwardly laughed as well ... and then repeated, "we shouldn't have done that",' he told the court. He denied ever inappropriately touching the woman who he said wore underpants at every session, but the jury rejected his version of events. Behi will first be eligible for parole in September 2027. A heated debate on The Project left Chrissie Swan 'terrified' after she clashed with Steve Price over radical environmental activists. The panel was discussing the recent chaos caused by Blockade Australia as protesters marched through the streets of Sydney, intentionally forcing traffic to come to a standstill. Price said he couldn't understand why the group thought they'd gain more support when they spent the week 'throwing rubbish into the street and disrupting an entire city'. 'I just think it's pathetic that they fill barrels with concrete and throw rubbish through the streets, I mean none of us would do that,' he said on Monday night. Swan then responded saying she acknowledged it was 'deeply inconvenient', before Price cut her off. 'It's pathetic!' he cried out, as a visibly uncomfortable Swan awkwardly laughed and then muttered 'I'm terrified'. A heated debate on The Project left Chrissie Swan 'terrified' after she clashed with Steve Price over climate change activists The Project co-host looked visibly uncomfortable after Price cut her off to tell her the climate change activists were 'pathetic' and should be jailed Price continued on his rant, saying the protesters needed to be locked up - before co-host Peter Helliar jumped in to lighten the mood. 'Chrissie's trying to chat and you're saying (the protesters) are disruptive,' he said as the crowd laughed. Swan was eventually able to make her point saying the 'price for apathy is extreme caring like that'. Price butted in again and said 'what, breaking the law?'. 'Well, yeah. I'm OK with it. I would never do that, but I think that's the price of democracy,' Swan replied before Price again insisted the activists go to jail. The tense debate comes after Sydney's CBD was overrun with Blockade Australia protesters once again on Tuesday morning with 12 arrested. One woman was aggressively shoved to the ground by police as the group marched to Hyde Park. A live-stream of the group's action was shared to Facebook showing dozens running through the city's CBD while loud chants of 'what do we want? Climate justice!' rang out through the streets. One man was dragged away by three officers while shouting 'this is not a violent protest!'. In a tweet, the group said pepper spray was used on some of their members. Police knock a Blockade Australia protester to the ground in Sydney. The march was for tougher action to tackle the #ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/2ouo32ySNj Michael Dahlstrom (@mb_dahlstrom) June 27, 2022 One female protester was knocked to the ground by a police officer during Tuesday's demonstration The woman had a Blockade Australia banner ripped out of her hands before she was pushed over One man was dragged away by two officers with the group claiming pepper spray was used One protester holds up a cross as things took an unusual turn during climate change demonstrations on Tuesday in Sydney The woman was holding a banner for Blockade Australia before it was ripped out of her hands and she was knocked to the ground The crowd of Blockade Australia activists were seen storming the streets of Sydney on Tuesday One female protester is seen being dragged away by police. The group caused havoc for a second day on Tuesday Blockade Australia has vowed to keep up the protests everyday this week after ten were already arrested and charged on Monday 'Come to Sydney to resist climate inaction by taking strategic direct action in the heart of Australia,' the group said. 'Coordinated action is more important than ever.' About 50 members were seen in Tuesday's action - many wearing face masks - while a long line of police officers walked nearby. 'This is about all the things that are necessary for life to survive on earth,' one activist filming the demonstration said. Police were seen questioning one woman while two men were dragged away in handcuffs. Blockade Australia protesters have filmed themselves charging down the streets of Sydney for another day of wild climate change demonstrations Tuesday marked another day of protests from climate change group Blockade Australia Multiple police officers were on watch as the activists stormed the streets Another member, James Woods said the human species was 'teetering on the edge of total collapse'. 'We are facing a catastrophic climate collapse, the biggest existential threat our species has ever known, and the system that we call Australia is driving us straight past the point of no return,' he said. 'There is no possibility of meaningful change within this system. Australia has been designed to operate as a project of extraction and exploitation, and without a total upheaval of this project, we have absolutely no chance of survival.' The group have urged more Aussies to join them for another day of chaos on Wednesday. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the activists would face consequences. 'It can't go on for much longer, these people are dumb, divisive, disrespectful and they're bloody idiots who will face the full force of the law,' he told 2GB. 'These are not isolated incidents, it's a coordinated campaign.' LNP Senator Matt Canavan blasted the protesters as 'eco terrorists' and called for law-breakers to be shown the 'full force of the law'. A live-stream of the group shared to Facebook showed dozens running through the city's CBD towards Hyde Park on Tuesday morning, while loud chants of 'what do we want? Climate justice!' rang out through the streets 'This just shows the folly of negotiating with eco-terrorists. These people will never be happy,' he told Sky News on Tuesday morning. 'Give them an inch they'll take a mile. We signed up to net zero and now they want to end coal next year. 'They have no idea how world works they want to threaten and bully people into submission. 'We have to stand up to it and say no more. 'People who break the law should be arrested face the full force of the law and there should be no sympathy for them.' He described the protesters as 'unreasonable and violent'. Earlier Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek backed the right to protest but said demonstrators must obey the law. Ten Blockade Australia members were charged after similar demonstrations in Sydney on Monday. Police allege 60 people were involved the unauthorised demonstration, which saw a hoard of activists storm the streets blocking off traffic at various locations. Six women and four men aged between 21 and 49 from three states were arrested and charged with a string of offences related to willfully preventing the free passage of a person or vehicle. Blockade Australia caused more havoc on Monday, blocking the road leading into the Harbour tunnel All but one were refused bail to appear in either Central or Downing Centre Court on Tuesday and could be facing heavy fines and up to two years in jail. Police established Strike Force Guard vowing to maintain a highly visible presence in the CBD for the rest of the week after Blockade Australia warned of further disruptions. 'It is unacceptable that a small number of people - who have little to no regard for everyday individuals going about their lives, are causing unnecessary disruptions to their morning commute,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said. 'What these individuals are doing is both illegal and unsafe, putting the lives of themselves, the general public and our officers in danger by running on roadway and blocking roads by other means to disrupt traffic.' Dozens of specialist officers were deployed to assist in the operation, including the Public Order and Riot Squad, Mounted Police, Rescue Squad, Dog Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol and Transit Police. Protesters hold a sign outside the Sydney Harbour Tunnel as a car blocks off traffic on Monday Both sides of the NSW government condemned the protestors' actions. 'I would say this to the protesters: Go and get a real job,' Deputy Premier Paul Toole said. 'Go and talk to somebody who's actually been delayed in getting to work today.' Protesters can be fined up to $22,000 and put behind bars for two years. Desperate and despairing teachers have spoken out about why they are quitting the profession in droves, painting a picture of struggling to meet impossible workloads and expectations while being undermined and undervalued. A federal inquiry back in 2019 heard that more than a third of teachers had quit within the first five years. And testimonies gathered from former teachers this week showed why. 'Teachers do not feel valued,' former primary school teacher Gabbie Shroud wrote in The Guardian on Tuesday. Although teachers were devoted to the job, describing it as a 'calling', many said they often decided to leave the job due to impossible demands. 'Heartbreakingly, I know the victims of this will be the students, but I can't stay. It's not enough,' one said. Teachers are speaking out about the workload that is forcing many to leave the occupation Burn out was a common complaint. 'The expectations, directives, mandates and overloaded curriculum are destroying me. The joy has faded,' one teacher said. 'We are expected to work miracles,' said a former primary school teacher of 20 years. 'In every lesson, every day we have to make sure we're meeting every need of every child, from the one who's experienced trauma through to the [parent diagnosed] child-genius.' There was plenty of frustration expressed about the expectations being lumped on teachers by distant politicians and bureaucrats, with no real concept of how they were affecting the quality of education being delivered. 'My days are filled with behaviour management, the bombardment of emails, writing programs, marking work, giving feedback, reporting to parents, setting student goals, writing individual programs, attending meetings and professional development to remain registered,' one teacher said. 'And, dare I forget, the uploading of data into the system before deadline. If only I could just teach!' The shortages of teachers are forcing many schools to use non-specialists to teach areas such as maths and science The pandemic also added to the levels of stress. 'Our skills are not respected or valued,' a high school teacher, who is planning to leave the job, said. 'I am a university-educated professional, but this year I have spent hours of planning time handing out RATs to students, a task that anyone could do. Why am I doing this? 'Our deadlines are not extended when planning time is taken away because we're expected to use our weekend to catch up on work.' Teachers say that constantly increasing levels of admin, piled on by politicians and bureaucrats far removed from the classroom, is eating away their time and energy to educate the young Insecure working conditions were also highlighted, with many teachers now on one-year contracts. One teacher said when she expressed concern about the mental health effects the casualisation of the workforce had on them she was told: 'That is the lot of the temporary teacher.' 'Heartbreakingly, I know the victims of this will be the students, but I can't stay. It's not enough,' one teacher said Mr Shround, who described herself as 'a recovering teacher', resigned from an eight-year career as a primary school teacher to become an author. She has argued that the standardised testing, such as NAPLAN, destroy the ability of teachers to cater to the individual needs and talents of children. The teacher shortage is being felt across Australia, particularly in NSW and Queensland. In NSW, the opposition Labor party called for a parliamentary inquiry into how to address the 2300 teacher vacancies registered in the state's public schools. NSW Shadow Education Minister Prue Car said it wasn't just pay that motivated the unprecedented joint strike by the state's public and Catholic school teachers, set for Thursday, but also the severe staff shortages. Every day I am hearing there are children at every school across the state being in minimal supervision, merged classes, were talking about 80 to 100 kids being supervised by one teacher, she told Sky News Australia. In Queensland, three quarters of schools were using non-specialist teachers, such as principals, or teachers operating outside their areas to fill gaps, the ABC reported. Anthony Albanese, here seen posing for a selfie with students during a visit to his old school at St Mary's Cathedral, has promised to address Australia's teaching shortage The problem is set to get worse with a Monash University survey released in January finding 59 per cent of high and primary school teachers want to do something else. Federal parliament has been told that on current trends Australia will be about 4000 teachers short by 2025. Anthony Albanese promised to tackle the problem with new programs offering cash incentives to encourage 'high achievers' both at school level and already working in industry to be trained as teachers. The emphasis will be on finding teachers in the maths and science areas, where the shortage is most pronounced. Southern Cross University Professor of Education Pasi Sahlberg argued that those strategies would not address the teaching exodus. 'This is because the root cause of this current crisis is not a shortage of teachers: its the lack of adequate compensation and support for existing teachers,' he wrote in The Conversation earlier this month. 'If we dont understand why teaching is not an attractive career, current strategies and promises funded by the governments will not be enough to solve the crisis.' A Sydney teacher has revealed how they've been forced to work as a bartender after refusing to comply with the vaccine mandate set in the education sector. The teacher, who remained anonymous, emailed 2GB radio host Ben Fordham, who read out their message live on air on Tuesday morning. 'Ben - I am a highly sought after teacher specialising in a subject with critical shortages,' the teacher wrote. A Sydney teacher revealed to Ben Fordham that they've been unable to work as as educator and have been unemployed for 'most of the last six months' due to their unvaccinated status 'A dozen schools have offered me jobs, but I've had to turn them down because of my vaccine status.' They revealed that they've been unemployed for 'most of the last 6 months' and were making ends meet as a bartender. NSW teachers must have three Covid vaccine doses under the current mandate. But that mandate could be thrown out in NSW from July 18, as the education department reveals plans to scrap vaccine mandates for most staff. It would mean unvaccinated teachers could work in schools again from the beginning of Term 3. Victoria and Queensland have ended vaccine mandates in schools. The teacher who emailed the 2GB radio host said they were working as a bartender to make ends meet The NSW Department of Education is set to scrap mandates for teachers from July 18 Radio presenter Ben Fordham (pictured) also recounted stories from an unvaccinated Bondi lifeguard who was about to lose their job and an RFS member who can't work due to the vaccine mandate While the education sector is set to wind back the mandate, unvaccinated workers in other industries won't be as fortunate. A lifeguard working in Bondi revealed to Fordham that unvaccinated lifeguards, like himself, were about to be sacked. 'I have over ten years' experience on the beach. I am about to be fired due to the council's vaccine policy'. 'I'm now advised that I cannot patrol beaches from July 1. I have never been so depressed and worried about my future.' The lifeguard said the council is already understaffed and is desperately searching for more staff, despite the policy banning unvaccinated workers. Meanwhile, a NSW Rural Fire Service member also shared their experience of being unable to volunteer due to their unvaccinated status. 'I want to volunteer at my local command centre, but my vaccination status bans me from entry,' they said. 'Why are we continuing down this path of discrimination? Didn't the Premier recently state the mandates must end?' they added. NSW RFS staff and volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated to work. Chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, Professor Catherine Bennett, made the argument that mandates have become 'outdated' and 'don't really make sense' NSW premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) said earlier this month that vaccine mandates in the state would be coming to an end Professor Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, believes now is the time to start reconsidering mandates. 'There is no doubt that mandates served a role,' she began. 'But I don't think there is an argument for keeping them in place. 'The difference between being unvaccinated and vaccinated is disappearing.' Professor Bennett had told 3AW earlier this month that having two dose mandates is 'outdated' and 'doesn't really make sense' due to the changing nature of the virus. It comes as premier Dominic Perrottet told Fordham earlier this month that Covid vaccine mandates would be coming to an end. Mr Perrottet said he had 'made it very clear that we are ending vaccine mandates' and had met with top bureaucrats to ask them to do so'. 'They are working through those risk-based assessments and I expect them to come back to me shortly,' he said. 'I expect them to implement my direction.' Bill Gates is purchasing a palazzo in Rome to convert into a lavish six-star hotel through Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts - which he co-owns with a Saudi prince. Four Seasons has put down a $21 million down payment toward the $170 million purchase price of the Palazzo Marini, a sprawling 17th-century complex just steps away from the Trevi Fountain, the Daily Beast reported, citing documents viewed at Rome's City Hall. Gates, through his Cascade Investment LLC, controls Four Seasons alongside a minority investment from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Saudi Arabia's self-styled answer to Warren Buffett. Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding Company has made millions investing in companies such as Uber, Citigroup and Lyft, and the firm is one of the outside financial backers of Elon Musk's pending Twitter buyout. Bill Gates' Four Seasons has put down a $21 million down payment toward the $170 million purchase price of the Palazzo Marini in Rome (above) Gates, through his Cascade Investment LLC, controls Four Seasons alongside a minority investment from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (right) Cascade and KHC first partnered up to take Four Seasons private in 2007. In January, Cascade upped its stake in the joint venture to 71.25 percent, buying half of KHC's prior 47.5 percent stake for $2.21 billion. It left KHC with a 23.75 percent stake in Four Seasons. Four Seasons founder Isadore Sharp, the company's chairman, also retains a 5 percent stake in the luxury hotel chain. Alwaleed, 67, had long kept a tight grip on Kingdom's shares, owning all but the 5 percent traded on the Saudi stock market, until Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund purchased a 16.87 percent stake for $1.5 billion last month. A spokesperson for Four Seasons did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the company's plans for the Palazzo Marini on Monday evening. By all accounts, Four Seasons will face a major project in converting the sprawling Palazzo Marini into Rome's first six-star hotel. The complex consists of four separate blocks and takes up one side of the Piazza San Silvestro in central Rome. Several years ago, much of the ground floor was converted into a pop-up Ikea store selling affordable home goods to Rome's urban dwellers. Several years ago, much of the building's ground floor was converted into a pop-up Ikea store selling affordable home goods to Rome's urban dwellers Much of the ground floor of the historic palazzo is currently an Ikea store, seen above The upper floors host a cafeteria for lawmaker's in the lower house of Italy's parliament, which is a few streets over. However, the building boasts an envious location for attracting tourists, located not far from the famed Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Via Condotti, the center of fashion shopping in Rome. Construction on the palazzo was started, but not finished, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1650, and over the years it was home to a string of nobles. At one point Pope Innocent XII took possession and converted the building into the headquarters of the Pontifical Tribunal. But in recent years the property has languished after real estate developer Sergio Scarpellini unloaded in a fire sale following his 2016 arrest on bribery charges. A fund snapped up the palazzo from Scarpellini as part of an $800 million bundle of properties, and several developers had shown interest until the COVID-19 pandemic decimated Rome's tourist trade. Construction on the Palazzo Marini (above) was started, but not finished, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1650, and over the years it was home to a string of nobles Now, Four Seasons plans to spend $120 million renovating the building, according to the purchase papers reported by the Daily Beast, which are only visible in person at Rome's city hall. The luxury hotel is expected to have about 100 rooms, and could include space for a conference center, gym and spa. Four Seasons has an existing portfolio of 122 hotels and resorts and 48 residential properties in 47 countries around the world. The company announced in January that it has more than 50 new projects under planning or development, including in Italy, Spain, China, Japan, Colombia, Belize and across key markets in the US. A jury found Yusuf Nazlioglu (pictured) not guilty of Comanchero boss Mick Hawi's execution in 2018 A killer waited in the basement of a carpark for a bikie to park his black Mercedes before spraying the man with bullets - in front of his horrified new wife. Yusuf Nazlioglu was raced to Sydney's Westmead Hospital about 6.30pm on Monday with about ten bullet wounds after the unidentified killer opened fire in the parking complex under his apartment in Rhodes, in the city's west. Daily Mail Australia understands the gunman was waiting in a silver hatchback for Nazlioglu to get out of the car before he unleashed on the underworld figure. Nazlioglu's wife frantically rang police. The pair married just months ago. Police confirmed the 40-year-old died in hospital about 7.15am on Tuesday. A black Mercedes with a large bullet hole in a window on the driver's side was towed from the carpark on Tuesday morning. Scroll down for video Nazlioglu's wife (pictured together) frantically rang police. The pair married just months ago Police towed a black Mercedes from the carpark on Tuesday morning. The car had a large bullet hole All eight levels of the parking lot were closed to residents until about 11.30am, when detectives left the scene holding a brown bag filled with evidence. The silver hatchback was set on fire a few streets away from the shooting. Detective Superintendent Martin Hayston said detectives believe the attack was 'targeted'. 'The person who approached the 40-year-old male and shot him clearly was there to do that, there is various lines of inquiry underway in relation to motive,' he said. Footage showed police sprinting down the ramp of the carpark after Nazlioglu's wife raised the alarm. Multiple paramedics could be seen walking through the complex, before a heavily bandaged man was stretchered out of the building. Yusuf Nazlioglu is pictured with his wife in April. The couple got married in January Yusuf Nazlioglu proposed to his new wife with an enormous diamond ring - just months before he was gunned down Pictured: The former bikie's black Mercedes, being towed from the residential carpark on Tuesday Paramedics treat the former Lone Wolf bikie shot in Sydney's inner west on Monday as police watch on (pictured) The building includes a shopping centre, apartments and basement carpark. Plain-clothed detectives arrived at the scene throughout Tuesday morning, as the investigation into the senseless killing continues. Nazlioglu was charged with murder after Hawi, the ex-kingpin of the Comanchero bikie gang who was he gunned down as he climbed into his luxury four-wheel-drive outside a Fitness First gym in Rockdale in Sydney's south in 2018. He was found not guilty but had another brush with the law when he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm. The underworld figure was sentenced to three years in prison and walked free in September 2021. Emergency crews responded to reports of a shooting in Rhodes (pictured) about 7pm with Nazlioglu rushed to hospital The carpark in Rhodes was blocked off by police on Tuesday morning. All eight levels of the complex were closed Pictured: The basement carpark where Nazlioglu was gunned down on Monday Bullet holes could be seen dotted into one of the walls inside the basement car park Fragments of the wall chipped off by the bullets were scattered across the ground Haunting covert recordings played in court during his sentencing revealed that Nazlioglu knew he was a marked man. 'I used to hear people outside were going to knock me, yeah?' he said while inside Sydney's Silverwater Prison in 2020, the Daily Telegraph reported. 'I used to still leave my house, brother, knowing that one day someone's going to sneak up on me and put one in my head. 'But I still f*****g went to the same hairdresser, went to the same f*****g restaurants yeah. I still showed my face in front yard and hung out with boys at their porches at their houses, yeah knowing I'm gunna get knocked one day.' Bodies have been piling up in the Harbour City in the past 18 months with at least a dozen contract killings linked to the bitter feud between the Hamzy and Alameddine crime clans Detectives and officers on the scene at Walker Street in Rhodes (pictured) The Australian that was raised by Turkish parents even bragged that he still visits the same mosque 'where all our enemies know we pray'. 'They could wait for us to walk out brother, did we s**t ourselves? Were we scared? No.' While Nazlioglu was found not guilty by a jury of the hit on Hawi, his friend, furniture removalist Ahmad Doudar, 40, was jailed for four-and-a-half years. Father-of-one Doudar was sentenced after admitting to being an accessory after the fact to Hawi's murder. Doudar's role in the crime involved him picking up a hidden silver Aurion with a tow truck and intending to dispose of it, alongside others, the court heard. Justice Robert Allan Hulme said on sentencing that '(Mr Doudar) intended to assist in disposing of the vehicle in order to assist' in the murder. Nazlioglu, then 39, and alleged getaway driver Jamal El-Jaidi, then 32, were both found not guilty by a jury, following a week of deliberations. Police responded after being called to Walker Street Rhodes after shots were fired (pictured) A basement carpark on Walker Street is searched by officers (pictured) Doudar, who accepted their involvement in the crime when making his plea, was not called to give evidence at their trial. In sentencing Doudar for being an accessory, the judge said murders like this 'do not happen by chance... they require the involvement of multiple people.' Doudar's motive remains unknown. 'For all I know, Mr Doudar may have been motivated by one or more other purposes,' the judge said. Hawi's wife, Carolina Gonzalez, sister Zeinab and parents Ahmad and Nahdi read statements at his sentencing hearing. They gave 'very moving accounts of the loss and grief that has resulted from the taking of their loved one in the most horrendous of circumstances.' Doudar was jailed with a non parole period of three years and four months while Nazlioglu and El-Jaidi walked free. Former Comanchero boss Mick Hawi (pictured) was gunned down outside a Rockdale gym A fashion model dubbed South Sudan's third most handsome man alive has broken his silence after admitting to stealing credit card information to go on spending sprees at Chemist Warehouse stores across Sydney. Anei Dut, 27, who has strutted the catwalk for some of the globe's hottest designers including Camilla and Marc, Jack London, Tommy Hilfiger and Calibre, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud in Newtown Local Court earlier this month. He was due to face a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, but the case was adjourned for six weeks after his lawyer asked the judge for more time to approve Dut's mother's address before the ruling. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia outside court, the fashionista said he was remorseful and claimed he had already reimbursed the retail giant the stolen funds. 'I paid them back already,' he said, jumping into an Uber. Anei Dut, 27 (pictured), has strutted the catwalk for some of the globe's hottest designers including Camilla and Marc, Jack London, Tommy Hilfiger and Calibre Dut (pictured in 2017 at Australian Fashion Week) pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud in Newtown Local Court 'I have apologised.' Dut, who moved to Australia in 2003 after fleeing war in South Sudan, stole credit card numbers from 19 people after perusing illegal websites selling their personal information. Dressed in a black tracksuit and sneakers, Dut appeared pensive and sat with his arms crossed throughout the brief mention. Before dismissing his case, the judge told the court she supported his legal team's decision to get the alternative address approved, a move that allows for more sentencing options, such as home detention. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Chemist Warehouse for comment. Dut is pictured leaving Newtown Local Court on Tuesday, where his sentencing hearing was adjourned for two weeks How the fashionista's scam worked Anei Dut bought stolen credit card information from illegal websites acting as a marketplace for fraudsters. The model would then visit Chemist Warehouse stores in Sydney and buy up a haul of expensive items. Shortly after he would go back to the store and return the goods, requesting staff refund the purchases price to his own personal Westpac account. The con came undone when financial institutions and their customers alerted police, along with Chemist Warehouse. Advertisement In March 2021, Dut scammed the pharmacy chain by visiting several stores and buying bulk items by manually entering the details of the stolen credit cards, the Daily Telegraph reported. He would later return the goods and request a refund be sent to his personal Westpac account. Once Chemist Warehouse and customers from financial institutions Caixa, JP Morgan, Capital One and OCBC Bank became aware of the con, an investigation was launched by NSW Police. Investigators quickly identified Dut on CCTV, and the Sydneysider was arrested. Earlier this month, police told the court that when they seized his mobile phone, he had a tab open for a website called 'CCVstore.net' and items in an online shopping basket. The marketplace for scammers sells credit card numbers along with their expiry dates and CVV numbers. Dut was named South Sudan's third most handsome man alive by an African publication The court heard that Dut also shared six of the 19 credit card numbers with a third party via text. Although Dut is a sought-after model, he also has a number of criminal offences to his name. He was convicted of assault in 2013 and had his license suspended in 2016 and 2020 for drink driving and getting behind the wheel with a suspended license. Dut is currently serving an intensive corrections order for contravening a domestic restraining order. Dut, who was modelling for David Jones at major fashion shows before signing with the prestigious Chadwick Models agency when he was a teenager, told the Herald Sun in 2016 that he wanted to inspire other Sudanese-born Australians to believe that 'anything is possible'. He will return to Newtown Local Court on August 9 for sentencing over the charges of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence. A horrified car lover was forced to watch his beloved ute speed away after a knife-wielding man allegedly robbed him at a petrol station. Daniel Buss, 25, was walking out of the petrol station on NSW's Central Coast when he was confronted by the man and allegedly robbed of his keys. Mr Buss told Daily Mail Australia he was 'shocked' at his brush with danger. 'I felt like it couldn't be real that something like that was happening and once I realised it was real, I thought I was about to die,' he said. He said he thought of his family as he watched his brand new, bright orange Ford ute driving away. 'All I wanted to do was let my family know what happened and that I was OK because family means everything to me,' Mr Buss said. 'All I wanted to do was let my family know what happened,' Mr Buss told Daily Mail Australia about the alleged assault caught on camera (pictured) Mr Buss had pulled up at the service station on the way to his father's place in Newcastle on Sunday. After paying for his fuel, the petrol station's CCTV captured the moment he was approached by a knife-wielding man, who allegedly demanded the keys to his car. Mr Buss had only had the ute for a week, after buying the brand new car in June. But the bright colour of the car helped cops in their search, who discovered the ute abandoned hours later. After the car enthusiast fuelled up, a man allegedly menaced him with a knife demanding the keys to his car (pictured) A day after allegedly stealing the ute, the man was accused of assaulting an attendant at another service station 30km away, before trying to open a cash register. Police allege the man's spree didn't stop there. Hours later, a tradie's van with a trailer attached was stolen from the same area, where police allege the thief tried to use a sledge hammer to remove the trailer. The 29-year-old man was arrested not long after and charged with a range of offences including aggravated robbery inflict actual bodily harm, and take and drive conveyance without consent of owner. It was revealed after the arrest that Nepean Police had an outstanding warrant for alleged shoplifting and aggravated assault charges against the same man. He will appear at Gosford Local Court on Tuesday after being refused bail. Meanwhile, Mr Buss' ute was returned to him. 'Cars mean everything to me, that's my way of expressing myself,' Mr Buss told 9News. 'I felt like it couldn't be real that something like that was happening,' Mr Buss told Daily Mail Australia about the alleged confrontation NATO has put roughly 300,000 of its troops on high alert as part of its move to increase the strength of its rapid reaction force in order to respond to Russia's threat to allied nations. Currently, the Western alliance's reaction force consists of about 40,000 soldiers which can quickly deploy where they are needed if necessary. In combination with other measures including the deployment of forces to defend specific allies, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the decision was part of the "biggest overhaul of collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War." NATO's Increased Forces The official said that the troops will conduct exercises together with home defense forces and will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and new prepositioned stocks. This would allow them to respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency. Stoltenberg's remarks were made during a press conference ahead of a NATO summit that will be held later this week in Madrid. During the discussions, the 30 allies are expected to also agree on further support to Ukraine in its war against Russia, as per Fox News. The NATO chief said that he was expecting allies to make clear that they consider Russia "as the most significant and direct threat to our security." In the alliance's new strategic concept, it also expected to address for the first time the security challenges posed by China, said Stoltenberg. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Conducts Late-Night Secret Meeting To Talk with Fellow Dictator About Nuclear Weapons [RUMOR] He added that allies will agree to deliver further military support to Ukraine when they convene in Spain as NATO members are set to adopt a "strengthened comprehensive assistance package." This would include deliveries of secure communication and anti-drone systems to support Kyiv. According to CNBC, Stoltenberg said that the NATO Summit in Madrid this week will be "transformative" and will include many important decisions. The decision to bolster the response force follows a coordinated appeal from Russia's neighbors to shore up defenses on Europe's eastern flank. Russia-Ukraine War The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have said that Russia's war against Ukraine requires a fundamental change to the Western alliance's existing military construct. The three countries have repeatedly called on NATO to provide a substantial increase in the number of foreign troops stationed in the region. Estonia's foreign ministry has also pushed for a "deterrence by denial" strategy which could ensure that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania can credibly fight to protect their territories in the event that Russia decides to invade as they wait for reinforcement from the broader alliance. Stoltenberg, in comments on newly released defense spending figures, said that 2022 will be the eighth consecutive year of increased spending across European allies and Canada. By the end of the year, the NATO chief said that they will have invested "well over" $350 billion extra since the group's Defense Investment Pledge in 2014. The situation comes as Stoltenberg said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has agreed to meet with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday in Madrid to try and resolve an ongoing issue with the latter two's NATO membership applications, The Guardian reported. Related Article: Zelensky: Russian Troops Fire Missiles At Shopping Mall in Ukraine With 1,000 People @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Advertisement Anthony Albanese has already travelled over 43,000km overseas less than six weeks since winning the May 21 election. The Prime Minister set the tone for his jet-setting premiership on his first day in office when he flew to Tokyo just hours after being sworn in on May 23. He later visited Indonesia to meet president Joko Widodo and is now in Madrid as a guest of a NATO meeting before a trip to Paris to meet President Macron. Mr Albanese's travels so far have taken him to two continents - Asia and Europe - and would have earned him more than 50,000 Qantas points if he had flown commercially in business class. Labor's last Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was also known for his jet setting ways and copped the nickname Kevin 747 for his string of VIP flights around the world after his election in 2007. Anthony Albanese has already travelled over 43,000km overseas less than six weeks since winning the May 21 election. He has been to Tokyo, Indonesia, Dubai and Spain During his Tokyo trip Mr Albanese held a Quad leaders meeting with President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 79-year-old US President, who famously fell asleep during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, was impressed that Mr Albanese seemed so alert just after the election campaign, saying: 'If you fall asleep while you're here, it's OK'. Mr Albanese assured the leaders that Australia's commitment to the Quad remained steadfast despite the change in government. 'We have had a change of government in Australia, but Australia's commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change,' he said. Joe Biden praised Anthony Albanese's energy after the new Prime Minister flew to Tokyo on his first day in the job Albo's overseas trips Japan: 23-25 May Indonesia: 5-7 June UAE: 27 June Spain: 27 June Advertisement On June 5 Mr Albanese made his first bilateral overseas visit to Australia's neighbour Indonesia, best know to Aussies for the holiday island of Bali. The nation of 273million people is developing rapidly and Australia wants to improve market access for its exports as a way of diversifying from China. Mr Albanese met President Widodo and the pair took a bike ride around his palace grounds. Despite wobbling and later complaining the pace was too slow, he said he greatly appreciated the ride and even took the bike he used back to Australia. The Prime Minister then had three weeks in Australia - which included tackling an energy crisis - before his next overseas trip to Madrid for a NATO summit on June 26. On the way to Spain, Mr Albanese stopped in the United Arab Emirates where Australia has a military operating hub at the Al Minhad airbase just outside Dubai. Accompanied by his girlfriend of two years, Jodie, he met defence force personnel and Australian embassy staff at the hub known as Camp Baird. Some 2,750 Afghan evacuees were processed there after the US withdrawal of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August last year. Speaking to about 30 troops, Albanese thanked them for their service in keeping the nation safe, and said Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a 'reminder of the unsafe world we live in'. 'Our values of maintaining international rule of law, maintaining a sense of order in the global environment is one that can't be taken for granted,' he said. 'It does have to be defended, and those of us in political life are humbled by the knowledge that it's defended each and every day by our men and women in uniform.' The PM arrived in Spain on Monday night where he will join the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand alongside the 30 NATO members. NATO was founded in 1949 as a security alliance to counter the Soviet Union, now Russia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon disembark the plane after arriving in Madrid Anthony Albanese poses for photographs with members of the Australian Defence Force during a visit to Camp Baird at Australia's main operating base in the Middle East In Madrid, Mr Albanese will meet his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He will also meet the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and give an address to the OECD council. High on the agenda at the NATO meeting is Russia's invasion of Ukraine as well as the increasing assertiveness of China. 'Australia has been unequivocal in its support for Ukraine and its condemnation of President Putin,' Mr Albanese said. 'We will continue to stand up for freedom and democracy.' Mr Albanese has been invited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to visit the war-torn country, but his security team are still deciding whether to accept given logistics and security concerns. The Prime Minister said he was 'honoured' to accept an invitation to Paris to President Emmanuel Macron. 'France is an important partner and friend to Australia, particularly in our shared vision for peace and stability in the Pacific,' he said. The relationship with France soured after former prime minister Scott Morrison scrapped a $90 billion submarine deal with French company Naval Group. The home invasion of a single mum has rocked neighbours of celebrity WAG Bec Judd in the wealthy Melbourne suburb she says is being hit by a terror crime wave. Judd has been vocal in demanding increased police protection for glitzy Brighton, 13km from the CBD, after a series of break-ins, burglaries and expensive car thefts. Now neighbour and former My Kitchen Rules reality show contestant Zana Pali has chimed in, backing Judd and alleging two more incidents have locals on edge. Former My Kitchen Rules contestant Zana Pali (seen here with partner Gianni Romano) has backed neighbour Bec Judd over the crime wave hitting Melbourne's wealthy Brighton suburb Another two incidents have rocked the neighbours of celebrity WAG Bec Judd which she says is being hit by a terrifying crime wave 'Another home invasion in Brighton last night,' she wrote on Instagram on Monday. 'This time it was a friend of ours who woke up crying and screaming. 'My friend's house was broken into. She is a single mother - thankfully her and her children are safe.' Ms Pali claims the latest incident happened just two days after a group of youths were spotted in the area allegedly scouting out homes to target. She reposted a warning from another neighbour late last week which said the gang matched the description of other youths seen in previously in the area. 'Please keep alert!' warned the post. 'There has been a group of four or more men wandering around the streets and driveways in Asling street. 'They are probably going around the neighborhood. No photos but clear description from my neighbour appears to be similar groups of people from past events.' The incident comes after footy WAG Bec Judd spoke out about the rising crime wave affecting Brighton and her war of words with Victorian premier Dan Andrews The latest fears come after Ms Judd got into a war of words with Victoria Premier Dan Andrews about rising crime in the city's well-heeled Bayside area. Victoria Premier Dan Andrews Andrews dismissed Bec Judd's comments as a 'sweeping assessment She took to social media to rage: 'So sick of the rapes, bashings and home invasions at the hands of gangs in Bayside. 'The state government dont seem to care. We feel unsafe.' Mr Andrews dismissed her comments as a 'sweeping assessment' but said he wasn't '...interested in having an argument with Ms Judd.' He added: 'Im also obliged to point out, though, I think there are more than 70 additional police in the Bayside area. 'And the most recent crime statistics released by an independent agency would not support those sweeping assessments about patterns of crime.' Zana Pali claims the latest incident happened just two days after a group of youths were spotted in the area allegedly scouting out homes to target However it later emerged the 70 additional police have since been stood down, and the latest crime data paints a more complex picture. Burglaries and break-in stats for Brighton in 2022 reveal a sharp spike over last year, soaring from 115 incidents to 145. But that figure is actually the lowest in 10 years if you exclude lockdown-affected data from of 2021. And overall crime for the suburbs is also at its lowest level for 10 years. Ms Pali insisted though: 'Take care. 'Crime data [for] 2022 has finally been released and there is an increase in aggravated burglaries in Brighton despite it initially being denied due to the low rates of crime from 2020-2021 data of lockdowns. 'Action needs to happen this is NOT OK.' Earlier this month a Melbourne mother-of-two told Daily Mali Australia of her terror after a gang of teenage home invaders wandered around her house while she and family were asleep upstairs. The teen thieves made off on a crime spree in the Brighton family's luxury cars before the gang was shot at by police in St Kilda. Two boys aged 13 and 14 were later arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, car theft and other offences. Mum Emily Meredith-Smith demanded: 'What are they going to do about it? 'We need more protection around here. It's awful. 'For the first couple of days afterwards, I was just in shock. Now I'm just angry. 'I'm told one of the boys had 13 charges out against him before he stole my car and was on his way to commit more crimes. 'I know they're just young kids - but why are they not being detained longer by the authorities...and where are their parents?' CCTV footage showed the gang trying to steal another car in the street before one was caught on Ms Meredith-Smith's doorbell cam sneaking into their home. The gang wandered around inside the home in Brighton's Cochrane Street before they grabbed the keys to the family's Audi SQ5 and Subaru Outback and sped off into the night around 1.30am. One of the cars was almost out of fuel when they stole it and 50 minutes later they had to stop to refill at a St Kilda service station when a patrol car spotted them, before one officer opened fire on the vehicle when it hit a cop and tried to flee the scene Melbourne mother-of-two Emily Meredith-Smith has told of her terror over a gang of teenage home invaders wandering around her house while she and family were asleep upstairs The four youths wandered around inside while Ms Meredith-Smith and her husband and two daughters, aged 13 and 15, slept upstairs at their home in Brighton's Cochrane Street. The teen thugs grabbed a handbag and the keys to the family's Audi SQ5 and Subaru Outback before speeding off into the night around 1.30am. One of the cars was almost out of fuel when they stole it and 50 minutes later they had to stop to refill at a St Kilda service station when a patrol car spotted them. As police tried to make a routine check on the vehicle, the gang drove at one of the officers and knocked him down before they raced off. The gang knocked down one officer and another cop opened fire on the vehicles as it fled the scene, shattering the rear window and puncturing the bodywork Another officer opened fire on the car, with the shots smashing the rear window and hitting the bodywork, but the car didn't stop and fled the scene. The family fears the home invasion followed a car break-in two weeks earlier - and are now terrified the gang will come back to hit them again. 'That's the scariest thing - just knowing that they broke into my car and then they came back two weeks later and broke into the house,' said Ms Meredith-Smith. 'That feeling of not feeling safe. Thinking, "Okay, they're probably going to come back in a month time and try again." Who knows? 'You just don't feel very reassured that they're not going to do it again.' Victoria Police said they could no find record of the latest alleged offences. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Pali for comment. A home carer in Ohio has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and theft after she allegedly stole $50,000 from a 93-year-old man she was looking after, and then when police began investigating tried to poison him. Police bodycam recorded Mallory Giles, 34, of Huron, Ohio, telling arresting officers on Thursday that: 'I don't know why I did it'. She is currently being held in the Erie County Jail on a bond of $560,000. The elderly patient's daughter had contacted the police in April after noticing strange transactions on his credit card. Mallory Giles, 34, is seen in her booking photo released by Erie County Sheriff's Office. She is currently being held in jail in Ohio, on charges of attempted murder and theft A handcuffed Giles is seen on Thursday in body camera footage from detectives who questioned her at her home in Huron, Ohio The patient, who has not been named, had given the card to Giles, as his carer, so she could purchase his essentials. But police on the body camera footage tell Giles: 'You basically outfitted your entire house with all of these credit cards.' Lt. Scott Dahlgren told Fox 8: 'We believe there were shoes that were included in that, clothing, furniture for her residence, wall decor, outside lawn care items.' During the police investigation, the victim was suddenly rushed to hospital with a suspected drug overdose. He was given Narcan and successfully revived but doctors discovered he had several powerful narcotics in his system. Asked on Thursday, during her interview under arrest, Giles is asked whether he had a drug problem. 'No,' she says. Giles's home in Huron, Ohio, was furnished with items bought on the 93-year-old's credit card, police said Lt. Scott Dahlgren said the police believe Giles stole the money to buy clothes and shoes, and furnish her own home Dahlgren said that they believe Giles had been mixing opioids into the victim's food in a bid to keep him sedated and unaware of what she was doing. 'She was trying to keep him medicated to a point where he wasn't looking at bank statements and credit card statements and things like that, where she could just handle those kinds of things without him noticing,' he said. 'It's sad. It's very upsetting that somebody would take advantage of someone who's just so vulnerable, you know. 'Unfortunately, our elderly are vulnerable in society and people continue to prey on them. 'We're just glad that a family member noticed it when they did, instead of it actually going any further.' A British backpacker has revealed the top three jobs for tourists hoping to rake it in while on holidays in Australia. Lisa Bailey came to Australia in 2019 from the UK and shared the best experiences she's had working Down Under in a video on Monday. In the TikTok video, she revealed the top jobs she'd had in the past few years, including earning $26.50 an hour and a $70 rental allowance while working as a campsite housekeeper and raking in $27 an hour as an 'all-rounder' at the iconic NT Daly Waters pub. But no money came close to the wage she earned while working as a fly-in, fly-out utility worker, where she took in $34 an hour. '(FIFO utility worker) is definitely the best for saving money as a backpacker in Australia,' she said, noting in the comments that her favourite job experience was working on the campsite because of the people she'd been with. Scroll down for the video. Lisa Bailey (above) shared her favourite casual jobs after backpacking in Australia for nearly three years Ms Bailey said she worked as a casual employee in all the listed jobs. Housekeepers in Australia typically earn about $30 per hour, pub workers about $29.50 per hour and FIFO utility workers about $32 per hour, according to job site Indeed. Commenters on the video joined in with their working holiday experiences. 'I worked on Fraser (Island) and everyone was on $21 to $24 an hour and had to pay $240 for rent and food. Ten days on, 10 days off,' one person wrote. In the video, Ms Bailey revealed she was paid $26.50 an hour and $70 rental allowance while working as a campsite housekeeper, $27 per hour as a Daly Waters (NT) pub 'all-rounder' and $34 as a FIFO utility worker (above) Ms Bailey (above) said working as a FIFO utility hand was the best job for saving while working as a campsite house cleaner was the best experience because of 'the people' 'Working away from the cities is the best way to see the country and save the coin,' another said. However, Ms Bailey said in a separate video that she was often dismissed by employers in favour of Aussies. In another TikTok titled 'Things employers have said to me as a backpackers in Australia' she said she was abused by local bosses. 'It's more important that Australian residents and international students get paid first,' one said to her, Ms Bailey claimed. 'You're just using me for money,' another said, according to the backpacker. She also said employers would also ask her why she thought she should be hired over an Australian. Australia is facing a massive labor shortage at the moment thanks to the Covid pandemic, with closed borders forcing backpackers to move elsewhere. On ABC's Q&A last week, former agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie said vegetable prices had surged because farmers were reluctant to plant crops - only weeks after growers in Queensland and NSW cleaned up the second set of floods this year. 'You want to know why your lettuces are $12? 'Farmers are not planting because they do not have the people to get the crop in. 'That means the price of food goes up it's that simple.' Senator McKenzie, a Nationals Opposition frontbencher, linked high food prices to a lack of backpackers even though foreigners with working visas have been allowed back into Australia again since December 2021. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are both calling for Democrats to take extreme measures to protect abortion rights after the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, but Vice President Kamala Harris signaled the Biden administration is not considering such action at the moment. Both Warren and Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats from Massachusetts and New York respectively, lobbied for the administration to set up what they called 'emergency abortion clinics' on federal lands. Warren, speaking on ABC's This Week, said Biden should 'make abortion as available as possible with the tools he has, including medication abortion, including using federal lands as a place where abortions can occur.' Ocasio-Cortez echoed these requests at a rally in New York City's Union Square, calling federal abortion clinics 'the babiest of baby steps.' However, when asked about the possibility of doing so, Vice President Harris told CNN's Dana Bash that it was unlikely. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are both calling for Democrats to take extreme measures to expand abortion rights after the reversal of Roe vs. Wade Ocasio-Cortez echoed these requests at a rally in New York City's Union Square, calling federal abortion clinics 'the babiest of baby steps' When asked about the possibility of doing so, Vice President Harris told CNN's Dana Bash that it was unlikely 'I think that what is most important right now is that we ensure that the restrictions the states are trying to put up that would prohibit a woman from exercising what we still maintain is her right, that we do everything that we can to empower women to not only seek but receive the care where it is available. When pushed further by Bash, Harris left the possibility open but seemed quick to pivot to suggest that it might not be in Democrats best electoral interests ahead of the midterms. 'It's not right now what we are discussing but I will say that when I think about what is happening in terms of the states, we have to also recognize that we are 130-odd days away from an election, which is gonna include Senate races. The court has acted, now Congress needs to act.' She specifically cited races in Georgia, North Carolina and Colorado as places where Dems could either hold or make gains to their tiny Senate majority (a 50-50 tie in which Harris is entitled to the tie-breaking vote) that would allow them to codify Roe into law. When asked what the Biden administration can do, Harris suggested they will expand access to abortion medication. 'Forcing women to carry pregnancies against their will, will kill them,' Ocasio-Cortez said on NBC's Meet the Press program Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said her state, one of 13 conservative states with 'trigger' abortion bans now in effect or soon to activate, will stick to its prohibition on mailed abortion pills On the various Sunday shows, both Warren and Ocasio-Cortez were unequivocal in stating that the administration had to do more. 'Forcing women to carry pregnancies against their will, will kill them,' Ocasio-Cortez said on NBC's Meet the Press program. Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams urged Democrats in Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law by casting aside the U.S. Senate filibuster rule that enabled Republicans to block such an effort last month. 'We know that the rights to choose should not be divvied up amongst states, and that the sinister practice of taking constitutional rights and allowing each state to decide the quality of your citizenship is wrong,' Abrams told CNN's State of the Union. 'I would reject the notion that this is the will of the people,' she said in a separate interview on Fox News Sunday. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has filed a lawsuit to stop a severe 1931 state abortion ban from being enforced after the fall of Roe v. Wade, called on the Biden administration to take every possible step to preserve reproductive rights 'I am urging every pro-choice leader to use every tool in their toolbox. So I'm hopeful and I believe that the Biden administration is going to do that,' Whitmer told CBS Democrats also urged Biden to defend women's access to a pill used for medical abortion, against state efforts to ban its availability, a major new legal fight that his administration indicated it would take on. Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said her state, one of 13 conservative states with 'trigger' abortion bans now in effect or soon to activate, will stick to its prohibition on mailed abortion pills. 'What the Supreme Court said was that the Constitution does not give a woman the right to have an abortion. That means that at each state they will make the decision how they handle these situations,' Noem told CBS' Face the Nation. 'I love that about this country, that we have a very limited federal government,' she said. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who has filed a lawsuit to stop a severe 1931 state abortion ban from being enforced after the fall of Roe v. Wade, called on the Biden administration to take every possible step to preserve reproductive rights. 'I am urging every pro-choice leader to use every tool in their toolbox. So I'm hopeful and I believe that the Biden administration is going to do that,' Whitmer told CBS. The man in charge of protecting the Senate during the Capitol riot has died just a day before the Committee investigating the attack was set to reveal new evidence in a surprise session. Michael Stenger, 71, was the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate on the day of the attempted insurrection. He resigned amid criticism he had failed to react effectively to the building being overrun. His sudden death on Monday came the same day an unexpected additional hearing of the committee investigating the riot was announced. The surprise meeting will 'present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony.' The committee is set to hear from Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, on Tuesday. Punchbowl News reported that the hearing was set because of 'sincere concerns' for Hutchinson's physical safety over her revelations to the panel, including her claims that Trump approved of 'hang Mike Pence' She will be the first White House employee to testify publicly before the committee. Michael Stenger, 71, (pictured) who was Sergeant at Arms of the Senate during the Capitol riot, died on Monday He resigned after the riot amid criticism he had failed to react effectively to the building being overrun. His sudden death on Monday came the same day an unexpected additional hearing of the committee investigating the riot was announced Stenger, right, is seen with Mike Pence heading to the House chamber on January 7, 2021, for the final certification of the election. Stenger would resign hours after this photo was taken In a private meeting Hutchinson previously said Meadows was warned in advance that there could be trouble on January 6. Her video deposition was used to support the committee's argument that several of the Republicans later sought presidential pardons. 'We had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th,' Hutchinson told the panel, in a portion of a transcript shared in court documents in April. 'And Mr Meadows said: 'All right. Let's talk about it.' Cassidy Hutchinson is seen speaking to the January 6 Committee. On Tuesday she will testify in public in a surprise hearing Hutchinson's testimony is seen being broadcast to the committee hearing on June 23 Hutchinson was present during meetings between Meadows and multiple House Republicans who backed Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election. She also said that she saw Meadows burn documents. Meadows has been subpoenaed by the committee, but refused to cooperate. 'I know that he was on several calls during the rally,' Hutchinson testified. 'And I went over to meet with him at one point, and he had just waved me away, which is out of the ordinary.' The shock additional hearing was reportedly kept a secret in part owing to security threats to a witness, the Washington Post reported. Stenger (left) and Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont (right) are seen speaking on January 6 after the riot, as Congress resumed its session. The pair are watched over by police The Capitol was placed under lockdown and Vice President Mike Pence left the floor of Congress as hundreds of demonstrators swarmed past barricades surrounding the building where lawmakers were debating Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral College Stenger previously served in the United States Marine Corps, and spent 35 years in the Secret Service. He was the chief law enforcement officer and head of protocol for the chamber since April 2018. In February 2021, Stenger told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the role of 'professional agitators' needed to be investigated. He said: 'There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6. 'Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators. 'First Amendment rights should always be considered in conjunction with professional investigations.' Stenger was born in New Jersey, and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in the state, graduating with a BA in arts. He lived in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife Janet. The pair are believed to have two adult children. Stenger rose to be a captain in the Marines, before joining the Secret Service. Karen Gibson is the current Sergeant at Arms for the Senate He worked on protective details before taking leadership roles - first as an assistant director for the Office of Investigations, and then in the Office of Protective Research. By the time he left the Secret Service, he had risen to be the third in command, Roll Call reported. In 2011, he first took a job at the Senate, serving as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for protective services and continuity. In 2014, when Drew Willison, a longtime aide to former Democratic leader Harry Reid, became Sergeant at Arms, he made Stenger his deputy. 'Mike and I are definitely planning to work as a team,' Willison said in 2014, in an interview with Roll Call. He said at the time that he expected Stenger will 'naturally gravitate' toward security. 'Security is going to be critically important, but I want to continue to focus on the back half of it, which is going to be everybody's day-to-day interaction on the customer service end.' Stenger also served as deputy to Frank Larkin, who served as Sergeant at Arms from 2015-18. When Larkin stepped down, Mitch McConnell appointed Stenger to succeed him. 'I appreciate Mike stepping up to this critical role,' said McConnell at the time. 'He is extremely well-qualified and will continue to serve the Senate and our nation well.' Stenger's full-time replacement, who currently serves as Sergeant at Arms, is Karen Gibson, who took over on March 22, 2021, after a 33-year military career. An Australian teacher says her life has 'essentially been ruined' after developing a blood disorder a month after getting a Covid vaccine, something she blames on the jab. Bek Bickerton, from Queensland, claims she experienced side effects after receiving her first Pfizer shot in October last year and was then barred from work after refusing to get her second dose. A month after her first shot, the 27-year-old teacher was hospitalised for a week with blurred vision, tingling down the arm, low blood pressure, extreme fatigue and dizziness. Bickerton was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and sent home where she spent the next two months in bed, news.com.au reported. There is no evidence that the vaccine caused her syndrome to develop and doctors insisted it wasn't, but the teacher is convinced the two are linked. Queensland teacher Bek Bickerton (pictured) claims she suffered a severe reaction after receiving the first Pfizer vaccine The mother-of-two struggled to look after her young children and was unable to return to work as the state's vaccination mandate, which ends this week, required all 'high-risk' workers to have two Covid doses by January 23. Ms Bickerton was one of more than 1,200 teachers and staff members affected by the mandate. 'My heart would accelerate to extreme levels when I stood up,' she explained of her condition. 'A brain MRI showed multiple lesions and inflammation. I also had trouble regulating blood pressure and heat. I had a wide range of symptoms but the worst ones were severe brain fog and fatigue.' Ms Bickerton decided not to get the second dose and has not been able to return to work as a number of doctors refused to write her an exemption, having found no evidence her condition was caused by the vaccine. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) announced the state will scrap Covid-19 vaccine mandates for workers in schools, prisons and airports and visitors to aged care and disability care facilities from 1am on June 30 The school teacher said she spoke with multiple GPs and two neurologists - all who refused to link her side effects with the vaccine - and encouraged her to get the second dose. Ms Bickerton felt doctors and friends categorised her as an 'anti-vaxxer' anytime she mentioned developing symptoms after receiving the jab. The mother-of-two eventually found a GP who specialises in POTS in the Gold Coast who agreed the vaccine was the likely cause of her illness and wrote her a three-month exemption. Ms Bickerton said it's a 'lose-lose situation' as schools would only hire her for relief work which left the family on a single income unable to afford a mortgage to upgrade their home. 'My life has essentially been ruined as we're now on a single income,' she was quoted saying. Decisions around mandatory vaccinations will now be made by employers in schools, daycares, prisons and airports instead of the state (pictured, a patient receiving a Covid vaccination at a pop-up clinic at a Bunnings store in Brisbane) As of June 19, the Therapeutic Goods Administration recorded 132,155 adverse reactions from Covid vaccines from more than 59.9 million doses. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Friday said Queenslanders will no longer need to be double vaccinated to work in schools, childcare, prisons and airports or to visit jails, aged care and disability facilities. The changes will come into effect from 1am on June 30. 'Restrictions that have protected us have eased in sensible stages, and today I announce with the advice of the Chief Health Officer, we are removing some of the last remaining Covid restrictions,' she told parliament. Ms Palaszczuk said individual employers will still be allowed to continue mandates in schools, daycare, prisons and airports. She said mandates will remain in force for workers in healthcare, hospital, aged care and disability care facilities. Ms Bickerton told news.com.au she fears many schools will opt to keep double dose requirements despite the state lifting Covid vaccination mandates. A total of 549 teachers and 660 non-teaching staff were suspended due to the state's vaccine mandate. They will now be allowed to return to their school workplace once the state mandate is lifted (pictured, empty primary school classroom in Brisbane) The Queensland Department of Education said 549 teachers and 660 non-teaching staff were suspended due to the state's vaccine mandate. 'Vaccination requirements will remain in place until this time (June 30),' Queensland Department of Education said. 'This means that they (unvaccinated teachers and non-teaching staff) will be able to return to their school workplace where they are normally based.' Nationally, more than 95 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have received two doses of a Covid Vaccine. 'Vaccination against Covid-19 is the most effective way to reduce deaths and severe illness from infection,' the Therapeutic Goods Administration website says. 'The protective benefits of vaccination continue to far outweigh the potential risks.' The young woman who locked herself onto the steering wheel of a car blocking Sydney's harbour tunnel in peak-hour traffic has been granted conditional bail along with fellow climate protesters. Mali Poppy Cooper, 22, appeared in Central Local Court via video link on Tuesday when she was given liberty under strict conditions that she return home near Lismore and abide by a curfew between 10pm and 6am. She is one of 10 Blockade Australia activists who were charged with multiple obstruction and disruption offences following the mass interference campaign in Sydney's central business district on Monday. Mali Poppy Cooper, 22, was given liberty under strict conditions that she return home near Lismore and abide by a curfew between 10pm and 6am The group of up to 60 activists converged on Hyde Park about 8am before marching towards the harbour, chanting, playing drums, pulling down signs, dragging wheelie bins onto the road and blocking intersections. Some of the charges laid include entering Sydney Harbour Bridge disrupting vehicles, obstructing drivers and other pedestrians, and wilfully preventing the free passage of a person, vehicle or vessel. Cooper's lawyer Mark Davis on Tuesday acknowledged her alleged offending was more serious than others in the group but that she had strong family support with her grandmother and aunt present in court, and no prior criminal history. He said the onerous conditions including reporting to police three times a week, restrictions from entering Sydney's CBD, and prevention from contacting co-accused would be enough to cause her to 're-think activities of protest'. She began to livestream the protest when an angry driver walked up to her window and began to verbally abuse her before storming off A white hatchback was parked sideways over two lanes of traffic - causing chaos for the thousands of people who use the tunnel every hour Brad Homewood, 49 and Harley McDonald-Eckersall, 24, were also granted bail on Tuesday to return to their home addresses in Victoria's Williamstown and Preston respectively. The court was told Jemika Lancaster, 22, was arrested after throwing objects, while Isabel Sleiman, 21, stood in front of police officers and a vehicle with her arms extended, and both were also granted conditional bail. Lancaster must return to Queensland while Sleiman who resides in Petersham has been prohibited from the northern end of Sydney and the CBD. Police officers surrounded the white hatchback as blocked traffic backed up for several kilometres Cooper is one of 10 Blockade Australia activists who were charged with multiple obstruction and disruption offences following the mass interference campaign in Sydney Monro Monroe, 25, Su-Min Lim, 34, and Jack Matthew Oswald, 25, await their bail applications from custody. Mr Davis outside court said his clients were brave in the face of the newly implemented penalties that target protests on major roads, ports and railways. Some face two years in prison and a fine of $22,000. The group will next return to court on July 19 where they are expected to enter pleas. The wife of a bikie who witnessed her husband gunned down in a hail of bullets in the carpark of a luxury apartment complex has broken her silence. Yusef Nazlioglu, 40, was hit with up to ten bullets as he parked his black Mercedes in the building under his Rhodes unit in Sydney's west on Monday night. His wife Jade Nazlioglu watched the horrific shooting unfold and frantically rang paramedics but her husband was confirmed to have died in hospital about 7.15am on Tuesday. Ms Nazlioglu, who only married the former Lone Wolf Bikie earlier this year, was spotted in tears talking to friends outside the apartment block on Tuesday morning. It is now the 14th fatal shooting linked to the Harbour City's spiralling gang war in less than two years. Jade Nazlioglu married Yusef earlier this year with photos on her Facebook page showing the couple beaming with happiness (pictured) Jade Nazlioglu watched the horrific shooting unfold and frantically rang paramedics 'Of course I'm not all right, what do you think?' she told The Daily Telegraph. Recent pictures on her Facebook profile - where she refers to Yusef as her 'king' - show Ms Nazlioglu beaming with happiness as she poses with her husband and shows off her impressive diamond ring. But that all came crashing down on Monday night. Bullet holes in the wall, a pool of blood near a fire escape and five orange cones blocking access to a parking space are all that's been left behind in a carpark where her the underworld figure was killed. Yusuf Nazlioglu, 40, was shot up to ten times after parking his black Mercedes in the complex under his apartment in Rhodes, in Sydney's west on Monday night. Nazlioglu's wife (pictured together) frantically rang paramedics Daily Mail Australia understands the unidentified gunman was waiting in a silver hatchback for Nazlioglu to get out of the car before opening fire. The carpark spanned eight floors, with the 40-year-old peppered with bullets in his head and torso in the corner of the fifth level. Gunshots and screams echoed throughout the cold and cavernous complex as Nazlioglu staggered to the fire exit, where he left spatters of blood. Despite forensic investigators pressure-hosing the scene, a few bullet holes and blood stains could be seen in the gyprock walls once the police tape was removed. A black Mercedes with a large bullet hole in a window on the driver's side was also towed from the carpark on Tuesday morning. Bullet holes could be seen dotted into one of the walls inside the basement car park after the shooting Fragments of the wall chipped off by the bullets were scattered across the ground Pictured: The basement carpark where Nazlioglu was gunned down on Monday Police towed a black Mercedes from the carpark on Tuesday morning. The car had a large bullet hole All eight levels of the parking lot were closed to residents until about 11.30am, when detectives left the scene holding a brown bag filled with evidence. The silver hatchback was set on fire a few streets away from the shooting. Detective Superintendent Martin Hayston said detectives believe the attack was 'targeted'. 'The person who approached the 40-year-old male and shot him clearly was there to do that, there is various lines of inquiry underway in relation to motive,' he said. Footage showed police sprinting down the ramp of the carpark after Nazlioglu's wife raised the alarm. Multiple paramedics could be seen walking through the complex, before a heavily bandaged man was stretchered out of the building. The building includes a shopping centre, apartments and basement carpark. Plain-clothed detectives arrived at the scene throughout Tuesday morning, as the investigation into the senseless killing continues. Yusuf Nazlioglu proposed to his new wife with an enormous diamond ring - just months before he was gunned down Pictured: The former bikie's black Mercedes, being towed from the residential carpark on Tuesday Paramedics treat the former Lone Wolf bikie shot in Sydney's inner west on Monday as police watch on (pictured) Emergency crews responded to reports of a shooting in Rhodes (pictured) about 7pm with Nazlioglu rushed to hospital The carpark in Rhodes was blocked off by police on Tuesday morning. All eight levels of the complex were closed Nazlioglu was charged with murder after Mick Hawi, the ex-kingpin of the Comanchero bikie gang who was he gunned down as he climbed into his luxury four-wheel-drive outside a Fitness First gym in Rockdale in Sydney's south in 2018. He was found not guilty but had another brush with the law when he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm. The underworld figure was sentenced to three years in prison and walked free in September 2021. Haunting covert recordings played in court during his sentencing revealed that Nazlioglu knew he was a marked man. 'I used to hear people outside were going to knock me, yeah?' he said while inside Sydney's Silverwater Prison in 2020, the Daily Telegraph reported. 'I used to still leave my house, brother, knowing that one day someone's going to sneak up on me and put one in my head. 'But I still f*****g went to the same hairdresser, went to the same f*****g restaurants yeah. I still showed my face in front yard and hung out with boys at their porches at their houses, yeah knowing I'm gunna get knocked one day.' Bodies have been piling up in the Harbour City in the past 18 months with at least a dozen contract killings linked to the bitter feud between the Hamzy and Alameddine crime clans Detectives and officers on the scene at Walker Street in Rhodes (pictured) The Australian that was raised by Turkish parents even bragged that he still visits the same mosque 'where all our enemies know we pray'. 'They could wait for us to walk out brother, did we s**t ourselves? Were we scared? No.' While Nazlioglu was found not guilty by a jury of the hit on Hawi, his friend, furniture removalist Ahmad Doudar, 40, was jailed for four-and-a-half years. Father-of-one Doudar was sentenced after admitting to being an accessory after the fact to Hawi's murder. Doudar's role in the crime involved him picking up a hidden silver Aurion with a tow truck and intending to dispose of it, alongside others, the court heard. Justice Robert Allan Hulme said on sentencing that '(Mr Doudar) intended to assist in disposing of the vehicle in order to assist' in the murder. Nazlioglu, then 39, and alleged getaway driver Jamal El-Jaidi, then 32, were both found not guilty by a jury, following a week of deliberations. Police responded after being called to Walker Street Rhodes after shots were fired (pictured) A basement carpark on Walker Street is searched by officers (pictured) Doudar, who accepted their involvement in the crime when making his plea, was not called to give evidence at their trial. In sentencing Doudar for being an accessory, the judge said murders like this 'do not happen by chance... they require the involvement of multiple people.' Doudar's motive remains unknown. 'For all I know, Mr Doudar may have been motivated by one or more other purposes,' the judge said. Hawi's wife, Carolina Gonzalez, sister Zeinab and parents Ahmad and Nahdi read statements at his sentencing hearing. They gave 'very moving accounts of the loss and grief that has resulted from the taking of their loved one in the most horrendous of circumstances.' Doudar was jailed with a non parole period of three years and four months while Nazlioglu and El-Jaidi walked free. Former Comanchero boss Mick Hawi (pictured) was gunned down outside a Rockdale gym The newly elected Republican congresswoman who accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of shoving her daughter during a swearing-in ceremony has admitted that the girl didn't notice anything amiss at the time. Rep. Mayra Flores from Texas was sworn-in by Pelosi last Tuesday, and took to Twitter on Sunday to accuse the powerful Democrat of elbowing her daughter after video of the incident surfaced online. On Monday, Flores that she discussed the incident with her daughter afterwards, but that during the ceremony the girl 'was so focused on the event that she honestly didn't see what had just happened'. 'She kept on smiling and didn't allow that to ruin such a special moment so I'm very proud of her, she is a queen,' she added in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. Flores said that the alleged shove only came to her attention when she later watched video of the event, which purported to depict Pelosi jabbing an elbow into the young girl. Rep. Mayra Flores from Texas accused Nancy Pelosi of shoving her daughter during her swearing-in ceremony last week, but says the girl did not even notice at the time A newly elected Republican congresswoman has accused Nancy Pelosi of 'pushing' her young daughter to the side during a photo op 'I saw it afterwards and yes I was very disappointed and very disgusted by it. No child should be pushed aside for a photo,' the newly elected representative said. Flores made history to become the first Mexican-born congresswoman elected to the House, after flipping a longstanding Democratic seat in an open special election earlier this month. She is mom to four children, and hasn't released their names or ages - but the girl Pelosi is accused of pushing appears to be her second-youngest. In the video of the incident, Pelosi is seen extending her right elbow as the girl standing next to her tilts to the side as if being jabbed. Pelosi's defenders argue that the video does not show the San Francisco Democrat elbowing the girl, but rather moving her arm in front of her as the child sways on her feet. Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hamill denied Flores' allegation, and said the Speaker was actually trying to ensure the youngster remained in the frame. The shoving controversy erupted as this official swearing-in picture was being taken Flores (pictured here with her children) became the first Mexican-born congress member after winning a special election. She has four children with her husband who is a Border Patrol agent Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hamill denied the House Speaker had been trying to shove the youngster out of the way He also accused 'news outlets' of twisting the story, despite Flores herself making the claim on Twitter. He said: 'Its sad to see news outlets that know better misrepresent the Speakers effort to ensure Rep. Flores daughters wouldnt be hidden behind her in all of the photos of such an important moment for their family.' Flores, 36, who is married to a Border Patrol agent, and has four children, had accused Pelosi on Twitter, saying: 'No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!! 'I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her. 'She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen.' Video on social media shows Pelosi gesturing and beckoning over the family pastor. She then looks down at the young girl and appears to move her elbow towards her as the daughter moves away. Rep. Mayra Flores from Texas was getting sworn-in by the House Speaker last week when she posed for a photograph at the White House The congresswoman's two daughters were standing beside Pelosi who appeared to 'elbow' one of them during the ceremony Flores did not appear to notice it at the time but she since commented after the footage was widely shared. Actor turned Republican commentator James Woods shared the clip and said: 'I love this princess stood her ground, while Nancy showed her true colors.' Flores won a special election this month to replace Texas Democrat, Rep. Filemon Vela, who retired before the end of his term. During the ceremony, Pelosi said: 'It's a great honor to welcome Congresswoman Flores to the Capitol and to the Congress of the United States with great congratulations. And again, grateful for her leadership and her beautiful family who is here today. 'Thank you Congresswoman Flores for your courage to run for office and best wishes for your success. It's an honor to work with you.' Flores, a GOP organizer who is the daughter of migrant workers and a respiratory care practitioner, will hold the seat for several months Who is Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born congresswoman to serve in the House Republican Mayra Flores made history this month by becoming the first Mexican-born congresswoman to serve in the House after beating a Democrat in a primary election in Texas. She is the first Republican Latina from the state of Texas to serve. Flores, who has echoed Trump's fraudulent election claims, immigrated to the United States when she was six-years-old from Burgos Tamaulipas in Mexico and her parents were farmworkers in Texas. During her childhood, Flores worked alongside her parents in the cotton fields in Memphis to earn extra money for school clothes and supplies. She graduated in 2014 as a Respiratory Care Practitioner and currently works caring for the elderly and disabled with chronic respiratory issues - and has helped those suffering Covid-19. Flores, who later graduated with a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership, now serves as the Hidalgo County GOP Hispanic Outreach Chair. She has four children with her Border Patrol agent husband and promotes strict immigration policies. Advertisement Flores, a GOP organizer who is the daughter of migrant workers and a respiratory care practitioner, will hold the seat for several months before the district is redrawn to be more favorable to Democrats. But her victory in the heavily Hispanic Rio Grand Valley is an ominous sign for Democrats - and demonstrates that Republicans are making inroads with Hispanic voters. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he had voted for Republican for the first time in order to vote for Flores. He tweeted: 'I voted for Mayra Flores first time I ever voted Republican. Massive red wave in 2022. Flores lauded former President Donald Trump in her victory speech. 'We have to state the facts: That under President Trump, we did not have this mess in this country,' she said. 'And I want to see the Hispanic community rise up. And I want equal representation on both parties - I am the first Mexican-American ever elected to Congress,' she said to cheers. Flores' win makes her the first Mexican-born American to serve in the US House, but also the first Republican Latina from the state of Texas to serve. Flores had 51 per cent of the vote compared to Sanchez's 43 per cent when the Democrat conceded the race in a district where 85 per cent of residents are Latino. Her victory also has implications for Democrats' ambitions in Congress, denying Pelosi an opportunity to add to her slim two-vote margin to pass legislation. Flores, who has echoed Trump's fraudulent election claims, immigrated to the United States when she was six-years-old from Burgos Tamaulipas in Mexico and her parents were farmworkers in Texas. During her childhood, Flores worked alongside her parents in the cotton fields in Memphis to earn extra money for school clothes and supplies. She graduated in 2014 as a Respiratory Care Practitioner and currently works caring for the elderly and disabled with chronic respiratory issues - and has helped those suffering COVID-19. Flores later graduated with a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership, and now serves as the Hidalgo County GOP Hispanic Outreach Chair. Flores, who is describes herself as 'Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment, and Pro-Law Enforcement,' has four children with her Border Patrol agent husband, and promotes strict immigration policies. According to her website, Flores believes in fortifying the legal immigration system, securing the borders, lowering the costs of healthcare, lowering taxes, promoting small businesses, and less government. Flores faces another election in November against Democrat nominee Vicente Gonzalez. A voicemail to his son discloses that President Joe Biden spoke with Hunter about his business contacts with a Chinese criminal his son nicknamed the espionage head of China. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, the president has consistently denied, both personally and via his press secretary, that he ever discussed Hunter's international business with his Hunter. Voicemail Unveils Joe Biden's Awareness to Son's Business Deals The evidence now comes from POTUS' mouth, via a voicemail left on Hunter's iPhone. Joe phoned Hunter on December 12, 2018, stating he wanted to speak with him after reading a New York Times article concerning Hunter's contacts with the Chinese oil firm CEFC. Files on Hunter's abandoned laptop, which DailyMail.com previously revealed, suggest that he signed a deal with the Chinese corporation for millions of dollars after bragging about his family ties. According to The New York Times, CEFC's chairman, Ye Jianming, was detained in China, and his senior deputy, Patrick Ho, was convicted in the United States for bribing African authorities to assist Iran to avoid oil sanctions. It was discovered that Ye met with Hunter at a Miami hotel in 2017 to explore a partnership to engage in American infrastructure and energy agreements.' When Ho was detained, he contacted Joe's brother Jim Biden, who told the newspaper that he thought the call was intended for Hunter. The White House stated that it was "unclear if Hunter Biden established any commercial transactions with CEFC," not understanding the extent of his contacts with his Chinese business associates at the time. Joe contacted Hunter and left a voicemail after viewing the tale online. The communication contradicts the president's repeated claims that he and his son ever discussed Hunter's offshore business operations. Hunter's iPhone XS backup, which was kept on his abandoned laptop, included the newly discovered voicemail, Daily Mail reported. As stated in emails published by The Washington Post in October 2020, one of Hunter Biden's business partners, James Gilliar, explained the planned percentage split of shares in the company. According to another former Hunter Biden partner, US Navy veteran Tony Bobulinksi, the proposal contained a suggested 10% stake for Hunter for "the big person," an apparent allusion to Joe Biden, who was then the Democratic contender for president. Read Also: Ghislaine Maxwell Suicide Watch: Jeffrey Epstein's Pal Not Suicidal, But Sudden Decision Could Cause Delay Joe Biden Pays For Hunter's Frolics Meanwhile, Hunter's buddies teased him about James Biden's Times article tying him to Ho. Devon Archer, a former business partner condemned to a year and a day in jail for scamming a Native American tribe in February, texted him the next day. Text messages on Hunter's laptop clearly show that he panicked when the New York Times began inquiring why Ho contacted James Biden seeking for him. Other texts revealed Hunter's attorney, George Mesires, bragging about diverting Times writer David Barboza's attention away from Hunter and James' connection with CEFC, as per New York Post. Furthermore, according to a story released Monday, President Biden unwittingly paid for his son Hunter's trysts with an escort ring located in Russia before becoming president. During his presidential campaign, the older Biden transferred his son $100,000 to assist him to pay bills from December 2018 to January 2019. The documents came from a laptop Hunter Biden left at a computer repair shop in Delaware, according to the publication. Between November 2018 and March 2019, Hunter Biden spent more than $30,000 on sex workers, many of whom were linked to Russian email accounts and an exclusive model agency called UberGFE. Joe Biden transferred $5,000 to his son while Hunter was "actively involved" with one escort, and another $20,000 to pay for Hunter's stay at a New York drug recovery facility that never happened. There's no evidence that the future president was aware that any of the money he transferred to his son was being used to buy prostitutes, according to Washington Times. Related Article: Donald Trump Used $1 Million Donor Funds To Pay Private Businesses After Election Loss, Review Finds @YouTube @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An ex-bikie boss has made a vile suggestion to a female television reporter after she asked him how his mate was recovering in hospital from four gunshot wounds. Former Mongols boss Toby Mitchell was caught on camera outside Royal Melbourne Hospital before visiting another ex-Mongol, Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim, who was shot four times in the chest during his cousin's funeral procession on Saturday. Mitchell was seen putting some rubbish into a bin on the street before being approached by Channel Nine reporter Gillian Lantouris. 'Toby, how's Sam going?' she asked Mitchell, who was wearing a very expensive red and black designer shirt. Mitchell turned around to look at her, leant in to the microphone Lantouris was holding and said 'Suck my d***.' Ex-bikie boss Toby Mitchell verbally lashed a television reporter as he arrived at a hospital to visit fellow former Mongol 'The Punisher' EXCLUSIVE: Former Mongols bikie boss Toby Mitchell and his associates arrive at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to visit Sam Abdulrahim after he was shot leaving his cousins funeral on Saturday. Im told Sam is doing well. More on @9NewsMelb at 6. #9News pic.twitter.com/NAg6AB9H2f Gillian Lantouris (@gillianlant) June 28, 2022 The ex-bikie then continued on his way to the hospital as if nothing had happened. Lantouris tweeted that she was told Abdulrahim is 'doing well'. On Monday, Abdulrahim issued a warning from his hospital bed with a photo of his bullet-riddled chest. The 32-year-old wrote alongside the picture: 'Allah is bigger than all these flops, they'll get there (sic) day.' Four bullet holes were evident in the picture, running diagonally across his chest. Abdulrahim was dumped from the Mongels Melbourne chapter last year alongside Mitchell and their allies, Mark Balsillie and Jason Addison. Police are investigating whether low level members of the gang are behind the latest attack acting on commands from senior hierarchy within the club. Just a week before Abdulrahim was set upon, Addison was brutally bashed at a motorbike show at the Knowsley-Barnadown Road raceway. Gillian Lantouris (pictured) was verbally attacked by an ex-bikie boss in Melbourne on Tuesday The 57-year-old later presented to hospital with serious facial injuries. A photo of the aftermath show Addison bloodied and bruised, with his eyes so swollen he could hardly open them. 'At this stage it appears a targeted attack and parties are believed to be known to one another,' a police spokeswoman said. There are now concerns Melbourne's underworld is on track to explode like it has in Sydney in the past 18 months. Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim (pictured) wrote: 'Allah is bigger than all these flops, they'll get there (sic) day' Abdulrahim was shot while driving his $300,000 Mercedes G-Class during his cousin's funeral procession near Fawkner Cemetery, in Melbourne's north, on Saturday. While the assailants did manage to shoot him several times in the chest, Abdulrahim has no life-threatening injuries. He has damage to his lungs, liver and kidney. Police are also investigating whether Abdulrahim fired any shots back. Jason Addison is pictured bloodied and bruised, with his eyes so swollen he can hardly open them The Mazda SUV used during the hit was captured on fire a short distance from the scene. Police also reportedly found the gun and clothing dumped nearby. Early investigations suggest this hit was the work of amateurs and, while police are exploring multiple lines of inquiry, it appears as though it could have been the work of new or soon-to-be Mongols members. Abdulrahim and his associates were booted from the club for supposed 'treachery', with one underworld source describing the four men as 'targets'. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews warned any person found to have links to these crimes will face 'the full force of the law'. 'I'm very confident that the people involved in this completely unacceptable behaviour will feel the full force of the law,' he said. 'This is just not on. I send my best wishes to those members of the public who've been caught up in this. 'Victoria Police Command takes issues of gangs and gun crime very, very seriously, just as I do. 'I'm confident that Victoria Police have the laws, they've got the powers and they've got the people to keep us safe.' Families struggling with homelessness have resorted to breaking into holiday houses to take baths and catch up on sleep as spiralling rent and lack of housing forces them to take extreme measures. Recent CCTV video showed a young family breaking into an Airbnb property near Perth on June 20 with the mum caught on camera leading a boy and a toddler into the home. Holiday Homes Made Easy property manager Davinia Gillard told Daily Mail Australia that she thought the main motivation for the break-in had just been to have 'somewhere to stay'. 'I think it's just really sad to see that there was a small child, a baby or toddler, out at midnight walking into a house to get five hours sleep and then leaving,' Ms Gillard said. 'Especially with the weather we've been having lately. It's been really wet.' CCTV footage emerged of a group who are suspected of being serial holiday house hoppers entering a vacant property near midnight with two small children for a five-hour stay Ms Gillard said she found the property had been left with a sink tub half full, after reportedly being used as a children's bath and the washing machine beeping with a child's shirt left inside. Ms Gillard had been told by police the group was serially targeting holiday homes as there had been three similar break-ins over the past week. The group were later joined by other men, who came in through the night to take tea, coffee and sugar, pillows, doonas, bathroom flannels, four mugs and two lamps. 'Theyre not your everyday thieves looking for a quick smash-and-grab,' she told 7News. Ms Gillard said there had been a spike in people invading holiday houses, which is something she had not experienced before in her 10 years in the short-stay industry. One incident two weeks ago had involved someone breaking into a house through a window to apparently only have a night's sleep and use the shower. 'We also had another instance when just between two bookings, someone rocked up to the house and in the back al-fresco area there was all clothing bits and pieces and it looked like someone was going to be setting up for the night,' she said. Once inside the house, the group used its facilities to bathe the children and wash their clothes She thought people might be using websites, such as Airbnb, to target vacant properties. 'I reckon they have because there's no other way for them to know. I don't have signs up on the houses,' she said. 'For them to know it's vacant they must be finding out online and checking if it has people in it or not.' Ms Gillard said that the increase in homelessness was very visible in WA and was particularly apparent in Perth. 'I was recently walking about the streets and the amount of people in sleeping bags and in alleys - it's pretty disturbing,' she said. 'It's to the point where it is getting uncomfortable walking around the city.' Australia is suffering a severe crisis of affordable accommodation with six out of eight Australian capital cities showing vacancy rates at less than one per cent. A report by CoreLogic showed rental listings across the nation's capital cities were down by around one-third from pre-pandemic levels and six out of eight capitals had vacancy rates around only one per cent. A driver has been hit with a fine and lost a handful of demerit points after he ploughed through a pack of climate change demonstrators on Monday. The 31-year-old man from Bondi almost ran the protesters over as they blocked a key Sydney road as part of their week-long scheduled campaign to disrupt the harbour city. The driver was slapped with a $469 fine for negligent driving and lost three demerit points. No-one was injured by the driver however a number of protesters were almost caught under the wheels of his car. Two men carrying a white banner and wearing high-vis vests banged the front of the driver's bonnet before chasing him through the intersection. Protesters marched down the street before a car drove through the intersection and almost hit two activists carrying a banner. Protesters then chased the car as it drove past Extraordinary footage captured the chaotic moment the group of protesters were almost hit by the grey SUV while standing in the middle of an intersection. Traffic had come to a standstill in the middle of the city as members of the Blockade Australia activist group marched - one activist blocking the Sydney Harbour Tunnel with her hatchback, while chained to a steering wheel with a bike lock. The city was thrown into chaos on Monday and Tuesday as dozens of demonstrators hit the streets after long warning of a week of action to raise awareness about global warming. Police frantically tried to stop the protest with barricades. The protest dispersed within an hour with 10 activists charged by police. A driver has rammed through a climate change demonstration taking place in the middle of Sydney On Monday, a woman from the group's Lismore contingent proudly posted footage online of herself chained to her steering wheel by the neck while her white hatchback blocked traffic from entering the Harbour Tunnel. The tunnel is one of the major thoroughfares taking commuters across the city's harbour, and is used by up to 2,000 cars every hour. 'I'm Mali, I'm 22. I'm [here] in protest of the climate destruction that is happening in this continent right now,' she said. 'There are some really angry people who are screaming and threatening me - banging on windows and doors.' The protester, Mail, 22, (pictured) blocked the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and locked herself to her steering wheel with a bike lock before proudly posting the footage online The woman's white hatchback was parked sideways over two lanes of traffic - causing chaos for the thousands of people who use the tunnel every hour In marketing material for the June 27- July 2 rally, the group said they intend to converge' on Sydney to 'blockade the streets of Australia's most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored'. The protest comes just days after police raided their Blue Mountains compound on June 19 amid an investigation into 'unauthorised protest activity'. Blockade Australia has made headlines in recent months over a series of high-profile climate protests which have included blocking coal ports, bridges, and fossil fuel terminals. A police officer picks up milk crates left on the street as demonstrators were seen throwing bins and objects into the path of police to slow them down In April, NSW Parliament ushered in a raft of new laws and penalties aimed at discouraging protesters who disrupt traffic on bridges and tunnels in response to the group's stunts. Protesters face a maximum penalty of two years' jail and $22,000 fines for disrupting traffic or preventing access on roads. The legislation also created new offences targeting people blocking access to major facilities such as ports and railways. Australia is looking for new ways to support Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion, according to the acting prime minister. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia had so far promised almost $300 million worth of assistance to Ukraine, although not all had yet been handed over. As Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko called for more Bushmaster vehicles to be delivered to the eastern European nation, Mr Marles agreed assistance was necessary. Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko called for more Bushmaster (pictured) vehicles to be delivered to the eastern European nation despite Australia commiting 40 Bushmasters - 20 of which have already arrived The call for more support comes after a fresh round of attacks on Ukraine by Russia on June 27 (pictured, Rescuers work at a site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike in Kremenchuck, in Poltava region, Ukraine) 'We're also looking at additional ways in which we can support Ukraine,' the Defence Minister told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday. 'While Ukraine is a long way from Australia, we really do see that the principles which are at stake in the conflict - which is essentially that the global rules-based order that Australia stands for and helped build and protect - needs to be protected everywhere.' As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighs an invitation to visit the war-torn country, Mr Myroshnychenko said Australia had been one of Ukraine's key allies against Russian aggression. 'Australia is punching above its weight,' he told Sky News on Tuesday. 'There is a tradition of Australia standing up to the bullying behaviour, and Prime Minister Albanese understands it really well. '(The new government) haven't yet been able to announce any new assistance package but I'm sure it's in the making.' Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko (pictured) said the cost of rebuilding the war-torn country would be at least $1 trillion and would take generations before it fully recovers Australia has committed to providing 40 Bushmasters to Ukraine, with 20 of those having already arrived. Mr Myroshnychenko said the cost of rebuilding Ukraine after the war would be at least $1 trillion and it would take 'a generation or two' to fully recover. While the prime minister is yet to indicate whether he will visit Kyiv, Mr Myroshnychenko said other world leaders have made the trip, despite the danger. 'When I say nobody's safe in Ukraine, it's just the reality of the war - because it's war,' he said. '(UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson visited Ukraine last week. We had the visit of the Italian, German and French leaders ... visitors come on a regular basis.' Should Mr Albanese go to Ukraine, it would be the first time an Australian prime minister has done so. 'Australia is very well regarded in Ukraine ... everybody is very positively surprised by how Australia has been able to stand out in this war because previously, in the past, we are so far away,' Mr Myroshnychenko said. 'My president has assured me Prime Minister Albanese is very welcome, he'd be delighted to see him.' Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he wanted to see further action from Australia. 'There's more that we can do and I'm sure that will be considered by the government,' he said. 'We would strongly support fresh decisions ... to provide that support to the Ukrainians because they need it, and the Russians will continue this onslaught. 'This war is not going to come to an end quickly.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) has been invited to the Ukraine but has yet to indicate whether he will make the journey. If Mr Albanese visits the war-torn country, he will become the first Australian prime minister to have travelled to the Ukraine Mr Myroshnychenko also expressed hope Australia's ambassador to Ukraine, Bruce Edwards, would be able to return to the country. Australian embassy staff have been working out of Poland since the crisis began. In the latest fighting, Russian missiles struck a centre in the city of Kremenchuk, with at least 16 people killed. The invasion is set to be the main topic of discussion at the upcoming NATO summit in Spain, where Australia is in attendance. 'This brutal invasion is having real consequences for the people of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine are inspiring the world with struggling to defend their national sovereignty, struggling against this brutal invasion,' Mr Albanese said. Advertisement 'Spaghetti' has become a secret code word adopted by the climate protesters from Blockade Australia who have caused havoc on Sydney's streets' for the past two days. The activists, who headed towards Hyde Park on Tuesday, were heard shouting the word at one point during the demonstration as police closed in. 'Spaghetti' is code for members to disperse and flee in different directions. Climate protesters from Blockade Australia have been using 'spaghetti' as a secret code word during demonstrations in Sydney The word is code for the climate activists to disperse and flee the area in different directions. It was used during Tuesday's protests as police closed in The word ultimately brought an end to the protests when officers started arresting demonstrators. A female Blockade Australia protester was shoved to the ground by officers as the group charged down through the CBC for another wild day of climate change demonstrations. The activist had a large banner for the group ripped out of her hands by one officer, before another aggressively pushed her over, sending her crashing onto the pavement. Other protesters were also knocked around by police as they sprinted through towards Hyde Park with 12 people placed under arrest. A live-stream of the group was shared to Facebook showing dozens running through the city chanting 'what do we want? Climate justice!' One man was dragged away by three officers while shouting 'this is not a violent protest!'. In a tweet, the group said pepper spray was used on some of their members. Police knock a Blockade Australia protester to the ground in Sydney. The march was for tougher action to tackle the #ClimateCrisis pic.twitter.com/2ouo32ySNj Michael Dahlstrom (@mb_dahlstrom) June 27, 2022 One female protester was knocked to the ground by a police officer during Tuesday's demonstration The woman had a Blockade Australia banner ripped out of her hands before she was pushed over One man was dragged away by two officers with the group claiming pepper spray was used One protester holds up a cross as things took an unusual turn during climate change demonstrations on Tuesday in Sydney Chaos erupted as police tried to hold back the protesters in Sydney on Tuesday morning Police disperse climate activists as they attempt to stage a Blockade Australia protest in Sydney, Australia, on June 28 Police are seen trying to control the crowd of protesters that gathered at Hyde Park The woman pictured was holding a banner for Blockade Australia before it was ripped out of her hands and she was knocked to the ground The crowd of Blockade Australia activists were seen storming the streets of Sydney on Tuesday One female protester is seen being dragged away by police. The group caused havoc for a second day on Tuesday Blockade Australia has vowed to keep up the protests everyday this week after 10 were already arrested and charged on Monday 'Come to Sydney to resist climate inaction by taking strategic direct action in the heart of Australia,' the group said. 'Coordinated action is more important than ever.' About 50 members were seen in Tuesday's action - many wearing face masks - while a long line of police officers walked nearby. 'This is about all the things that are necessary for life to survive on earth,' one activist filming the demonstration said. Police were seen questioning one woman while two men were dragged away in handcuffs. Blockade Australia protesters have filmed themselves charging down the streets of Sydney for another day of wild climate change demonstrations Activists' held up a giant banner that they carried throughout Tuesday's demonstration before police ripped it out of their hands Multiple police officers were on watch as the activists stormed the streets Another member, James Woods said the human species was 'teetering on the edge of total collapse'. 'We are facing a catastrophic climate collapse, the biggest existential threat our species has ever known, and the system that we call Australia is driving us straight past the point of no return,' he said. 'There is no possibility of meaningful change within this system. Australia has been designed to operate as a project of extraction and exploitation, and without a total upheaval of this project, we have absolutely no chance of survival.' The group have urged more Aussies to join them for another day of chaos on Wednesday. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the activists would face consequences. 'It can't go on for much longer, these people are dumb, divisive, disrespectful and they're bloody idiots who will face the full force of the law,' he told 2GB. 'These are not isolated incidents, it's a coordinated campaign.' LNP Senator Matt Canavan blasted the protesters as 'eco terrorists' and called for law-breakers to be shown the 'full force of the law'. A live-stream of the group shared to Facebook showed dozens running through the city's CBD towards Hyde Park on Tuesday morning, while loud chants of 'what do we want? Climate justice!' rang out through the streets 'This just shows the folly of negotiating with eco-terrorists. These people will never be happy,' he told Sky News on Tuesday morning. 'Give them an inch they'll take a mile. We signed up to net zero and now they want to end coal next year. 'They have no idea how world works they want to threaten and bully people into submission. 'We have to stand up to it and say no more. 'People who break the law should be arrested face the full force of the law and there should be no sympathy for them.' He described the protesters as 'unreasonable and violent'. Earlier Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek backed the right to protest but said demonstrators must obey the law. Six women and four men aged between 21 and 49 from three states were arrested and charged on Monday during similar demonstrations where hoards of activists blocked off traffic at various locations. The group were hit with a string of offences related to willfully preventing the free passage of a person or vehicle. Blockade Australia caused more havoc on Monday, blocking the road leading into the Harbour tunnel All but one were refused bail to appear in either Central or Downing Centre Court on Tuesday and could be facing heavy fines and up to two years in jail. Police established Strike Force Guard vowing to maintain a highly visible presence in the CBD for the rest of the week after Blockade Australia warned of further disruptions. 'It is unacceptable that a small number of people - who have little to no regard for everyday individuals going about their lives, are causing unnecessary disruptions to their morning commute,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said. 'What these individuals are doing is both illegal and unsafe, putting the lives of themselves, the general public and our officers in danger by running on roadway and blocking roads by other means to disrupt traffic.' Dozens of specialist officers were deployed to assist in the operation, including the Public Order and Riot Squad, Mounted Police, Rescue Squad, Dog Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol and Transit Police. Protesters hold a sign outside the Sydney Harbour Tunnel as a car blocks off traffic on Monday Both sides of the NSW government condemned the protestors' actions. 'I would say this to the protesters: Go and get a real job,' Deputy Premier Paul Toole said. 'Go and talk to somebody who's actually been delayed in getting to work today.' Protesters can be fined up to $22,000 and put behind bars for two years Read the extreme writings of climate pest leader who caused mayhem across Sydney as she plots to do it again TODAY - and how she was almost hacked to death in a massacre By Nic White for Daily Mail Australia The woman leading climate protests that paralysed Sydney during Monday peak hour is a career activist with a colourful history. Zelda Grimshaw, 56, has waged war against the Adani coal mine, written bizarre protest music and once condemned the whole idea of ironing clothes. She was also nearly hacked to death by militia during a massacre in East Timor and campaigned against weapons sales by calling war 'peak toxic masculinity'. Now the Queenslander, occasional firefighter and cabaret dancer is the figurehead of Blockade Australia, a radical group that causes mayhem around Australia to draw attention to climate change. Protesters on Monday parked a car sideways over the entrance to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and marched through the CBD hurling debris at police, with 11 arrested. Blockade Australia has promised a week of disruption to 'blockade the streets of Australia's most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored' and is armed with a $75,000 legal war chest. Ms Grimshaw last week invoked American civil rights hero Martin Luther King to call for 10,000 people to join the protest in Sydney. 'To paraphrase Martin Luther King, when climate destruction becomes laws, resistance becomes duty,' she said. The group shut down the main freight route in and out of the Port of Botany in March and blocked freight trains carrying coal in Marrickville and Tempe in May. Ms Grimshaw has been active in various protest causes for decades, mostly in Queensland where she lives in Cairns. Her activism has involved opposing: the Adani coal mine in Queensland, cuts to arts funding, military spending and weapons production, forest logging, an wealth inequality. Profiles by other activist groups credit her with being a driving force behind the Stop Adani group that waged a war of attrition against the mine by blockading trains and freight routes and harassing its financial backers. G7 leaders condemned Russia's 'war crime' while Zelensky branded it a 'brazen terrorist attack' after two Russian AS-4 guided missiles struck the mall A prominent Russian state TV propagandist has shamelessly accused Ukraine of staging the shopping mall bomb atrocity to secure more military help from the West. Vladimir Solovyov, known as 'Putin's voice', unashamedly said Ukrainians 'do the same trick' when they need additional military help - 'they start screaming'. He claimed Kyiv had staged the attack, alleging that a lack of cars at the shopping mall indicated it was almost empty at the time of the bombing. But in reality, it was a Russian missile strike on the crowded mall in central Ukraine that killed at least 18 people in what G7 leaders branded 'a war crime' at a meeting in Germany. The Amstor shopping mall was blown up on Monday afternoon - during the mall's busiest hours - while an estimated 1,000 people were inside by what Kyiv says was two Russian AS-4 guided missiles, Soviet-era weapons originally designed to take out US aircraft carriers. But Solovyov shamelessly claimed that it was all a lie and Ukraine had staged the bombing and killed their own citizens. Solovyov also mocked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for having 'no hint of macho' and taunted him to declare war on Russia. Vladimir Solovyov, known as 'Putin's voice', unashamedly said Ukrainians 'do the same trick' when they need additional military help - 'they start screaming' He claimed Kyiv had staged the attack on the shopping mall, alleging that a lack of cars at the shopping mall indicated it was almost empty at the time of the bombing Smoke rises from the ruins of the Amstor shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, after it was struck by long-range guided missiles that Ukraine says were fired by Russian bombers Emergency crews worked through the night to extinguish flames that ripped through the complex, warning that the chances of anyone who was trapped survived the blaze are slim Onlookers gather as the shopping centre is engulfed by flames shortly after it was struck by two Russian guided missiles on Monday, while an estimated 1,000 people were inside Speaking of the shopping mall bomb atrocity, Solovyov said on the state-owned Russian television channel Russia 1: 'Ukrainians do the same trick as always when they need additional [military] help. 'They start screaming - they had Bucha earlier, today they have Kremenchuk. 'Supposedly a shopping mall. There are supposedly many deaths, though for some reason there were few cars [in the car park]. He added: 'And there were almost 1,000 [dead]. Then they talked about 100 [dead]. There are no photos. Everything is as usual.' Images and video from the scene of the mall attack show those injured in the attack laying in hospital beds with bandages around their faces whilst emergency workers were pictured scouring the burnt remains of the shopping centre for survivors. People wounded during the missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping centre in Kremenchuk are pictured recovering from their wounds in hospital, with many of them suffering from burns A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital, amid expectation that the number of people killed will continue to rise Weeping survivors of the attack embrace each-other outside the devastated building as emergency crews search the ruins, but warn the chances of finding any more survivors is low Kremenchuk is an industrial city in the centre of Ukraine spanning the Dnipro River, and is more than 100 miles from the closest frontline with Kyiv insisting it contains no military targets Earlier, Russia claimed that Ukrainian and Western allegations of rape and massacres in Bucha were a stunt to make Putin's troops appear barbaric. But satellite images show the dead bodies of 410 civilians lining the streets of Bucha whilst Russian troops were in the Ukrainian town, debunking Russian claims they were placed there after their troops left the area. Horrific images show many civilians with bound hands, close-range gunshot wounds and signs of torture. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the accusations that Russian troops committed the atrocities as a 'staged provocation' but has yet to provide the 'empirical evidence' he says proves they are not responsible. Meanwhile, Russia's Ambassador to the UN claimed the bombing of a theatre in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol where women and children were sheltering is 'fake news'. Vasily Nebenzya denied that Russia had carried out an attack on the theatre where up to 1,000 men, women and children were sheltering. Images show civilians with bound hands in Bucha on April 4. Pictured: Ira Gavriluk walks next to the corpses of her husband and her brother Pictured: Bodies of civilians lay in a mass grave in Bucha which was recaptured by the Ukrainian army on April 4 In March, Russia was slammed for peddling 'fake news' after claiming a pregnant survivor of the Mariupol hospital bombing was a beauty blogger in makeup. 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 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. 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. Meanwhile, Solovyov led a media offensive against Boris Johnson, threatening again to use the Kremlin's Satan-2 hypersonic nuclear missile against the UK. In his latest TV diatribe, Solovyov declared: 'So, Johnson says he'll deliver tanks [to Ukraine] in August. 'I've got a question: Why are you so timid, Boris? Go on, declare war on Russia 'Go on, throw all your giant British army, your planes, your rusty submarines, all your nuclear ammunition - go on, throw them at Russia. The fact is that you are actually scared.' 'You are sending your [mercenaries], then abandon them in the Donetsk People's Republic courts,' Solovyov added, referring to Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner who have been sentenced to death after being caught fighting along side Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol. Solovyov continued: 'What are you scared of Brits? Do you want to declare a war on us? Do! Go on, finally do it! 'Do it! Pluck up your courage, don't you want to show how cool you are? Lead your troops, land somewhere 'This might give [space chief Dmitry] Rogozin a chance to test his Sarmat [hypersonic missile]. Meanwhile, Solovyov led a media offensive against Boris Johnson, threatening again to use the Kremlin's Satan-2 hypersonic nuclear missile against the UK. Pictured: Boris Johnson with world leaders at the G7 Summit Delving back into history, he claimed the British royals had betrayed their Russian cousin Nicholas II in his hour of need after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. 'We remember you Brits, when you betrayed Nicholas II and his family,' he said. 'Remember that Boris? You seem to like history, don't you? 'Ask Liz Truss what you did to the Tsar's family, how you promised to save them - and betrayed them! But this is your British tradition, to betray, and to be scared.' Solovyov also mocked Johnson for urging other G7 leaders to show Putin 'our chest muscles'. 'Well, that is important for Johnson,' said the propagandist known as Putin's Voice. 'And it is important that when showing his chest muscles he doesn't step on them accidentally. 'Because, well this is what Boris Johnson looks like.' The camera showed Johnson on a morning run, provoking hilarity among pro-Putin TV pundits. Solovyov said: 'This is how he was going for a walk. Well, to be blunt, there is no hint of macho here.' Another pundit body shames Johnson: 'This is a special type of macho.' Solovyov goes on: 'A new type of macho, gender appropriate. At the same time, he doesn't change his underwear. These underwear-shorts, he always runs only in them. 'Apparently, this is his lucky underwear . Today, he went for a run. 'He was offloaded [from a car] and he immediately started running. As far as I understand, he ran straight into a hotel, so it's not too far [for him to run]. Perfect run. 'If you run out of the car and run to the hotel, then it's perfect. I hope he simply didn't sell his underwear to get booze.' A single father desperately searching for a house has revealed how he's been rejected from 360 rentals - and insisted his face tattoo is not to blame. Ash Brown, 32, and his two kids have been homeless for five months, forcing them to sleep on a single mattress together at his mother's house in Adelaide. The father has blamed the huge demand for rentals for his situation, revealing he is regularly forced to compete against more than 50 people at property inspections. As a single parent, he says he struggles to compete with multiple income families - and is adamant his housing troubles have nothing to do with the ink on his face after a social media backlash following a TV interview. 'They don't give me any reasons, ' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'They just never contact me back. It's because of the rental crisis. Every inspection I go to, there are at least 50 to 60 other people there applying for the same houses - and I dare say a lot of these are multiple income families and households. 'People on social media have been saying 'oh its because of your face tattoo' but this isn't the case. Not once have I ever been visually judged by any real estate agent because of my tattoos. In all honesty, the only judgement I have ever received for my tattoos has been since the interview on Channel 7. Ash Brown, 32, has revealed his struggles to find a home for him and his two kids to live in They have been homeless for five months, forcing them to sleep on a single mattress together at his mother's house in Adelaide 'And the thing about that is, it's there for a reason, the tattoo that is. It says 'Blessed'. I got it when i became a single father, and had to start raising my kids on my own. 'The whole concept of being a solo parent was very new to me and difficult. I was personally struggling with depression with the whole situation and wanted something to remind me every time I looked in the mirror exactly what it is I'm fighting for. Which is my two kids.' In the Channel 7 interview, he also added: 'We really wanted to be in a home by my son's fifth birthday. 'I feel like I'm failing my kids by not being able to provide them with a home even though I'm doing everything I possibly can.' Mr Brown's son Benjamin celebrated his fifth birthday Tuesday, with the father taking his children to a hotel so they could enjoy a change of scenery. 'I went to three property inspections today and the same story at each one, between 40 and 60 people there, and obviously some of these people are in a better position financially than me. I know I will be overlooked yet again. I have always paid my rent weeks in advance. I have good references. My previous rental was 5 years at the same place. The only reason we had to leave was the owner wanted to renovate and then sell the property. 'I am desperate to find myself and my kids a place to call home. I have even written multiple letters to the state premier which have gone unanswered, and 13 other members of parliament.' Michelle Gegenhuber, Believe Housing Australia's Executive General Manager, told 7News that more people were currently on the verge of homelessness than pre-pandemic levels. Anglicare Australia's 2022 Rental Affordability Snapshot also revealed that only eight out of 6,000 rental listing across the country were affordable for a person on JobSeeker, and just one listing was affordable for a person on Youth Allowance. Mr Brown's son Benjamin celebrated his fifth birthday Tuesday, with the father taking his children to a hotel so they could enjoy a change of scenery (pictured at a friends' house) As a single parent, he says he struggles to compete with multiple income families - and insists his housing troubles have nothing to do with his face tattoo after social media backlash following a TV interview For full time workers on a minimum wage, 778 rents were affordable, and for those on the Age Pension, just 336 were affordable. Earlier this month, research by analysts Compare the Market found 49 per cent of renters in Australia had their rent increased in the past 12 months, leading many to fear how high the next rent rise will be. The average house rent in Australia's state and territory capitals jumped by 16.3 per cent to $657 a week in the past year, according to SQM Research. About 41 per cent of all renters said it affected their ability to save, including for a deposit to buy a property of their own. Rental increases deemed 'excessive' are different in each location, but generally, rental bodies deem increases to be excessive if they are too different from similar market rents, if there's a sizeable difference compared to the current rent, or if the property has outstanding repairs needed. The national vacancy rate for rental properties is just 1.1 per cent of all properties. In regional areas, the vacancy rate is below 1 per cent. Compare the Market's Chris Ford said it is a very tough market for struggling renters. The G7 summit in Germany wrapped up on Tuesday with leaders pledging to fight back against Vladimir Putin's war on food with $5 billion to help protect supplies. President Joe Biden left the summit to fly from Germany to Madrid for a NATO summit after three days in the Bavarian Alps, where the Russian invasion of Ukraine has dominated proceedings. A senior administration official said more than half the funding - some $2.76 billion - will come from the Unite States to fight Putin's impact on food security. 'His actions have strangled food and agricultural production, have used food as a weapon of war, including through the destruction of agricultural storage, processing and testing facilities, the theft of grain and farm equipment, and the effect of blockaded back Black Sea ports. 'Estimates suggest that up to 40 million people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of Putin's war in Ukraine and its secondary effects, most especially around food security around the globe.' At the first meeting of the day, Biden ignored a question about what the leaders were doing about getting grain out of blockaded Ukraine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson answered instead, saying: 'We're working on it.' The G7 summit in Germany wraps up on Tuesday with leaders pledging to fight back against Vladimir Putin 's war on food with $5 billion to help protect supplies, according to a senior U.S. official. From left to right British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi meet on the sidelines of the summit this morning President Joe Biden is due to fly from Munich to Madrid on Tuesday as G7 leaders head to a NATO summit. Both summits will be dominated by the war in Ukraine and its fallout The leaders met at Schloss Emlau, a German resort, where the Bavarian Alps provided a spectacular backdrop for open-air speeches As well as Ukraine, the rise of China and its impact on global markets has exercised the delegations during their three days of discussions. The leaders of the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and Japan agreed to develop a joint approach to remedying Beijing's 'non-market' international trade practices, according to the official. 'You'll see leaders release a collective statement, which is unprecedented in the context of the G7, acknowledging the harms caused by China's non-transparent, market-distorting industrial directives,' the official said. On Monday, they heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined by video link. He asked for urgent help to end the war before the bitter winter months undermined his troops' ability to fight back. Hours later they condemned an 'abominable' Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. 'Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime,' they said. 'Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account.' Some 1,000 shoppers were believed to be in the Kremenchuk center when it was hit. The death toll stood at 18 on Tuesday morning, but that number was expected to increase as rescue teams searched the debris. People watch as smoke bellows after a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping mall, in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Monday, June 27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to G7 leaders on Monday by video link, and used the occasion to urge the US to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism Tuesday's announcement on food security highlights another front in Putin's war. Russian warships are blockading Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which account for almost all of the country's grain and wheat exports. The result has been a surge in food prices around the world and warnings that as many as 47 million people face acute hunger this year. International Rescue Committee President David Miliband said recently: 'Ukraine has long been the bread basket not just for its neighbors in the region or for Europe, but for the world. 'Blockades on ports in the Black Sea are holding thousands of tons of wheat, grain and fertilizer hostage - with devastating consequences for millions already caught in growing hunger crises worldwide. These blockades must be lifted immediately.' A Malawi court on Monday sentenced a Catholic priest to 30 years in prison over the gruesome 2018 murder of a man with albinism, whose body parts he had planned to sell. Judge Dorothy NyaKaunda Kamanga said Thomas Muhosha had planned to traffic 22-year-old MacDonald Masambuka's tissue. Mr Masambuka was violently killed in a graveyard after being told by people close to him that they had found him a potential wife and he should meet her. He was reported missing in February 2018 and his body was discovered a month later, with the legs and arms had been removed. Malawi is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for people with albinism, a lack of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, because their body parts are used in magical potions and other ritual practices. In total, five people were jailed for life for murdering the man including his own brother. Along with the priest, four others received a lesser sentence of 30 years in prison. Malawi Catholic priest Thomas Muhosha and several other men have been jailed for killing MacDonald Masambuka, 22, who had albinism. Many in Malawi believe that albino body parts bring wealth and luck (Pictured: Malawi support group for people with albinism) 'The offence was motivated by the disability of the deceased, that of albinism,' she said in a ruling handed down in the city of Blantyre. She said the priest, who led a parish in Machinga, 100 kilometres northeast of the country's second city Blantyre, had breached the trust many had placed in him. The killing occurred at the height of a spree that saw over 40 people with albinism murdered and scores of others assaulted. 'The convicts took advantage of the deceased's psychological need for love,' the judge said. 'They lured him into believing that they had found a prospective wife for him and that they should go and meet her - that ended up being his death trap.' A total of 12 people were handed various sentences over the killing. People with albinism in Malawi have been given personal alarms by police to help protect them From 2014 Malawi suffered a wave of assaults against albinos, whose body parts were used in witchcraft rituals in the superstitious belief that they brought wealth and luck. The number of reported crimes against people with albinism in Malawi is estimated to be over 170 cases, including more than 25 murders since November 2014. In 2016 it was estimated there are around 10,000 albinos in Malawi. The United Nations' top expert on albinism has said people with the condition risk 'extinction' in Malawi due to relentless attacks fuelled by superstitions. In nearby Tanzania, a full set of albino body parts could sell for more than 50,000. Last year, following another murder of a man with albinism in the country, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said: 'This brutal murder is the latest reminder that Malawi remains a dangerous place for persons with albinism. 'The Malawian government must protect this vulnerable group from murder, abduction and persecution, in a context where perpetrators are rarely held to account.' To help address the concerns, the Malawi Police Service began distributing personal security alarms to help people with albinism fend off attackers. Advertisement They were men with facial injuries so severe they were slapped with labels that simply read 'GOK' God Only Knows. For these soldiers, who had been wounded in the horrendous fighting of the First World War, hope of any sort of normal life was scant. But pioneering surgeon Sir Harold Gillies offered an olive branch that transformed the prospects of dozens of disfigured young men who fell under his care. Now, a new book by historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris explores the work of Gillies, who is widely regarded as being the 'grandfather' of plastic surgery. Stunning images reveal how the appearances of men who had horrendous wounds many to their noses and mouths were transformed with Gillies's unprecedented techniques. One soldier, Sergeant Sidney Beldam, had a large portion of his nose torn off by a piece of shrapnel so that his upper lip was permanently lifted in a snarl. After having nearly 40 operations under Gillies, during which a flap of healthy tissue was sutured in place to fill out the missing parts of his cheek and nose, Beldam went on to marry the love of his life a pianist who had visited the wounded in hospital. They were men with facial injuries so severe they were slapped with labels that simply read 'GOK' God Only Knows. Above: How Sergeant Sidney Beldam's face was transformed by pioneering surgeon Sir Harold Gillies Stunning images reveal how men who had horrendous wounds many to their noses and mouths were transformed with Gillies's unprecedented techniques The combatants in the First World War utilised unprecedented advances in weaponry, with machine guns, shells and mortar bombs doing extreme damage to their victims. Whilst in previous conflicts disfiguring injuries had been rare, in the trenches of France and Belgium they were extremely common. Men had their noses blown off, their jaws shattered, their skulls broken and sometimes their entire faces destroyed. One doctor, Ward Muir, who worked at a hospital in Wandsworth in London, described men with wounds to their faces as 'broken gargoyles'. He feared that his own facial expression when treating the disfigured may gave away his own feelings that they were 'hideous'. Dr Fitzharris's new book, The Facemaker, explores the work of Gillies and the lives of the men he treated. A new book by historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris explores the work of Gillies, who is widely regarded as being the 'grandfather' of plastic surgery. Above: Gillies during his time serving in the First World War, and right, in 1951 This series of six images, taken between the end of May 1918 and March the following year, shows the transformation in a soldier who suffered severe injuries to his left cheek and mouth A soldier is seen above left midway through his treatment under Gillies after suffering a severe injury to his nose. Right: The young man after his nose has been reconstructed A soldier is seen with horrendous injuries to his neck and chin in April 1918, before Gillies's surgery transformed his injuries. In December 1918, only much smaller scars remain One patient Gillies treated, Private 'Big Bob' Seymour, went on to become his private secretary after being delighted with the new nose he had built for him using one of his pioneering techniques. Above: Seymour is seen in various stages of his treatment This soldier is seen initially with a severely disfigured mouth. By October 1918, his mouth and cheek had largely been restored The surgeon, from New Zealand, was an ear, nose and throat specialist who had volunteered for service in the Red Cross on the Western Front when the war broke out. There, he was taught how to do bone grafts which were crucial to successful facial reconstructions by Franco-American dentist Charles Valadier. Gillies initially worked on dealing with the cascade of wounded soldiers who were carried from the front to operating tables. Then, in 1916, he was sent back to Britain to work in plastic surgery and eventually settled at Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, south-east London. Gillies would take bits of bone from patients' ribs to form cartilage of the nose, or skin from other parts of the body that would be grafted on to mens' faces to replace what they had lost. There, once connected to the patient's blood supply, it would grow and replace much of the horrendous scarring. One patient he treated, Private 'Big Bob' Seymour, went on to become his private secretary after being delighted with the new nose he had built for him using one of his pioneering techniques. A soldier named Sergeant Butcher is seen after his treatment under Gillies. Dr Fitzharris's new book, The Facemaker, also underlines how doctors realized that photography was a useful tool for patient documentation This soldier is seen from June 1918 until October that same year, with the progress in the correction of his facial wounds remarkable This soldier is seen first in November 1917 and finally in September 1918, after the lower part of his face had been largely restored This soldier is seen during his treatment, with his mouth at one point virtually non-existent. By the end of the photo documentation, in May 1917, the lower part of his face had largely been restored Gillies also performed one of the first ever skin grafts in 1917 on a British sailor named Walter Yeo who had been horribly burned in combat. Using skin from Yeo's neck and upper chest, Gillies made a mask of skin that he transplanted across Yeo's face. This helped repair the damage that had been done, hiding his disfiguration and allowing him to close his eyes at night once more. Yeo even returned to active duty and lived a long life after he was discharged back to his hometown of Plymouth. Sir Harold was also an early adopter of photography in his work, precisely documenting a patient's journey from when they first began receiving treatment from Gillies to when they left. Sergeant Beldam was serving with the 9th Scottish Division when the front of his face was ripped off by shell and he fell forward. Lying in the mud on a field in Belgium, during the Battle of Passchendaele, Beldam fell in and out of consciousness before help arrived. The Facemaker, by Dr Lindsay Fitzharris, is published by Allen Lane He likely survived initially because of the fact he had fallen on his front, meaning he did not suffocate on his own blood. Beldam was not expected to survive his injuries but because of Gillies's work he went on to live for another 60 years. While recuperating at Queen's Hospital, Beldam met his wife, Winifred, a local girl who visited the hospital and played piano to the patients. He later became a chauffeur to Gillies. The surgeon continued his work for more than four decades after the war. He died aged 78 in 1960 after suffering a minor stroke while operating on an 18-year-old girl whose leg had been shattered in a car accident. Dr Fitzharris's new book, The Facemaker, also underlines how doctors realized that photography was a useful tool for patient documentation. 'The photographer directed the patient into a chair with a headrest and took photos from as many as five different angles,' she writes. 'The precision of the posing allowed for exact comparisons at various stages of the reconstructive process. In time, these photographs provided another historical record of the birth of modern plastic surgery,' reads an extract from the book. 'By the late nineteenth century, many doctors believed that the lens of a camera was a powerful tool for achieving objectivity. 'As a result, the medical community embraced photography as a technology with great potential, especially as photos could be taken with relative ease and at a low cost. Only later would the ethics of such images be challenged.' Iran says "indirect" sanctions talks with U.S. to resume in days Xinhua) 09:30, June 28, 2022 TEHRAN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- "Indirect" talks between Iran and the United States aimed at removing U.S. sanctions will resume this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said here Monday. "The time and place of the talks are not certain, but the talks will take place this week and in one of the regional countries," Khatibzadeh said during his weekly press conference. "I confirm that there has been an agreement in content, form and subject matter" of the next round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, which are the extension of previous talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, he said. The nuclear deal is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Concerning the recent visit by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to the Iranian capital of Tehran, Khatibzadeh said, "we hope that Borrell's messages (from the United States) will be implemented in practice as well," while expressing Iran's "distrust" of the United States. He said that Iran is waiting to see whether the Americans will drop the "legacy" of former U.S. President Donald Trump. "What we will do in the next round of talks is not about the nuclear dimensions, but about a few issues concerning the lifting of sanctions," he said. Khatibzadeh said nothing would be added to the already-agreed-upon points in the Vienna talks. Negotiations will be held "indirectly" with the United States over differences. Now the "ball is in Washington's court, and if they come with a reply, an agreement is available," he noted. Trump pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA to revive the deal, but the talks have been suspended since March over "political" differences between Tehran and Washington. At a joint televised press conference on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Borrell announced that the talks would resume in the coming days to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal. On Sunday, Iran's Nour News, affiliated with the country's Supreme National Security Council, reported that the new round of nuclear talks would likely be held in Qatar's capital Doha. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Russian President Vladimir Putin has only two years left to live amid deteriorating eyesight and a battle against other "grave" illnesses, Ukrainian spy chief Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov claims. Budanov said that spies in Kyiv were able to infiltrate the Kremlin and gathered sufficient evidence and information based on "human intelligence" regarding the claims. In an interview, the general said that Putin does not have a long life left ahead of him. Vladimir Putin's Health The Ukrainian spy chief's remarks are the latest in a series of rumors surrounding the despot's ailing health that have circulated since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine. Earlier this month, Putin was filmed tightly gripping a table while meeting with his Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu. Later, the Russian president was seen swaying and seemed unsteady on his feet as he presented a prize to Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkob in Moscow. Telegram channel General SVR reported in May that the Kremlin leader looked weak while rising from his chair during a video conference with officials due to feeling a "sharp sickness, weakness, and dizziness," as per Mirror. Much of the speculation surrounding Putin's health has been related to the Russian president's puffy face and shaking limbs during public appearances. The rumors also come after Western officials suggested that the speculation is mounting in Russia over who will succeed the tyrannical leader when he passes away. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Conducts Late-Night Secret Meeting To Talk with Fellow Dictator About Nuclear Weapons [RUMOR] However, authorities did not give a timescale and said that there was no "immediate threat" to Putin's grip on power but instead on "more chatter" about his future. While the loss of support for the Russian president is likely to come too late to bring the war to a swift end, an official said that there were growing talks about who will replace him in the near future. According to Insider, Budanov's recent remarks come after his comments last month that claimed Putin was suffering from cancer. The Russian president's health has been a hot topic for several years but much more so in recent months amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. Not Long to Live The last time that the Kremlin confirmed Putin was sick was in 2012 after he disappeared from public view and canceled several meetings. However, Russian authorities have continuously denied the recent allegations that the Kremlin leader is battling serious health issues. The reports come as an unidentified Russian spy to FSB defector Boris Karpichkov said that Putin was losing his eyesight and was suffering from frequent headaches. The unnamed officer said that they were told that the Kremlin leader was having headaches and needs pieces of paper with everything written in huge letters to read what he was going to say when he appears on TV. The Russian spy added that the president's limbs were now also "shaking uncontrollably" in support of previous claims. General SVR also claimed that Putin's doctors warned him that surgery might incapacitate him for a "short time" during which he could briefly hand over power over the country to an aide until he recovers enough, the Independent reported. Related Article: Lavrov Comments on Putin's Health Rumors Amid Claims That Russian President Has 3 Years Left To Live @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An ex-soldier has been accused of faking trench foot as he makes a record 2.9 million damages claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Brian Muyepa claims he has been left waddling 'like a penguin' after being left in wet boots for more than five hours following a training exercise in a water-filled Welsh tunnel in winter 2016. The 33-year-old says he suffered severe 'non-freezing cold injuries' and has been left so disabled he has been reduced to shuffling around and relying on a walking stick or his wife to help him get around. He is claiming 2.9 million in compensation from the MoD, but it claims he is 'lying' in order to 'ramp up' his claim for money. The MoD says there is evidence that the entire claim is a 'fraud' and that Mr Muyepa had planned to make it after discussing the idea of packing his boots with ice to 'fool' medics. Footage posted on Facebook also shows him dancing to loud music at a barbecue and seemingly walking 'normally' at a friend's wedding party in Nottingham in June 2019, MoD lawyers say. Brian Muyepa, pictured, claims he suffered severe 'non-freezing cold injuries' during a training exercise in Wales in winter 2016 But Mr Muyepa, who was based at Salisbury, denies lying and told judge Mr Justice Cotter: 'That's not the way I used to walk before my injury. I used to walk with a big stride. 'Now I don't - I walk like a penguin.' The London court heard the former Royal Artillery gunner's case revolves around a promotion exercise he attended in Sennybridge, Wales, in March 2016. During the exercise, he spent time in a cold water-filled tunnel, but then had to continue for another five-and-a-half hours afterwards in wet boots. He was later diagnosed with non-freezing cold injury, a disabling condition which is characterised by pain in the extremities and an oversensitivity to cold. Mr Muyepa, pictured here with his wife, said he is left needing her help or the aid of a walking stick to get around Most commonly experienced by servicemen, it was first noted in the trenches of Europe during the First World War, resulting in its more commonly used description as 'trench foot.' Following his diagnosis, it was recommended that Mr Muyepa be protected from cold in future, his lawyers claim. But after a stay on Ascension Island, he was exposed again at Salisbury Plain in early 2017, when he spent much of his time working outdoors on vehicles. His condition subsequently worsened and he was diagnosed as having 'very severe' cold sensitivity in his feet. The serious condition that killed 75,000 Brits during WWI: What is trench foot? When did it become known? Trench foot is a serious foot condition that first became known during the First World War. Troops fighting in wet and cold trenches without spare socks or boots would often go down with it. It was so serious it killed about 75,000 British soldiers and 2,000 Americans during the conflict. What causes it? The condition comes when feet get wet and are not dried properly. It usually happens at around 30F to 40F but can still happen in the desert. It is more likely to be caused by wet feet rather than cold ones, with wet socks and shoes staying on the foot for a while usually making it worse. But with cold and wet socks and boots the feet start to lose nerve function and are deprived of oxygen and blood. When the nerves are damaged like this, it can make it harder to realise one has trench foot. What are the symptoms? Sufferers get blisters, blotchy skin, redness and skin can peel off. It can also make a one's feet feel cold, heavy, numb, painful when around heat, itchy and tingly. What happens to the foot? Depending on the severity of trench foot, a person could have to be amputated, will have severe blisters, struggle to walk, suffer gangrene and ulcers and also have permanent nerve damage. How can you prevent it? To prevent getting trench foot in the first place, a person should take off their socks, not wear dirty socks to bed, clean the affected area quickly, dry their feet and apply heat packs to the affected area. Source: Healthline Advertisement Claiming 2.9m damages, Mr Muyepa told the judge that the injury had severely impacted on most aspects of his everyday life. He almost always requires a walking stick, sometimes cannot get out of bed, suffers sleeplessness and often feels 'like a prisoner' in his home, he said. But cross-examining him, MoD barrister Andrew Ward suggested that Mr Muyepa had told a pack of 'lies' to inflate the value of his compensation claim. 'Whenever you go to see somebody to claim money like benefits or to see an expert in relation to your claim, you put on an act to...ramp up your entitlement to damages or benefits,' he put to him. The barrister produced a stream of videos, taken from Facebook or from covertly-recorded surveillance, which he said showed Mr Muyepa has 'ramped up and exaggerated' an 'extravagant claim.' In one video, Mr Muyepa can be seen in an apron, marinating chicken at a barbecue, while dancing around to loud music. Mr Ward suggested it showed that Mr Muyepa had misled care experts about his disability. But Mr Muyepa - who was medically discharged from the Army in January 2018 - said, like his walking had changed, he now cannot dance enthusiastically as he once would have done. 'I am dancing like I'm at a wedding,' he said. 'I'm not jumping around in the air. I am dancing like a penguin, from side to side.' He said the various videos may have been recorded on 'good' days when his symptoms are not so bad, such as when it is warm outside or he has drunk alcohol, numbing the pain. 'My injury fluctuates. I can be feeling a bit okay, but in the next hour or 30 minutes, things can turn around,' he told the judge. 'I need a walking stick every day of my life. That stick helps me move around better and give me confidence. 'In a true sense, I hate my stick, but I have to have the stick to move around.' And he claimed it was 'unfair' that the videos did not show him on the bad days when he is more affected by his 'invisible' injury. 'Nobody knows my struggle,' he told the judge. 'You can only see 30 minutes or an hour on the video. I suffer in silence.' Mr Ward suggested that Mr Muyepa had repeatedly shown himself to be 'making things up as you go along to cover your tracks.' The trial continues. An Army Sergeant has been jailed for stripping off and 'gyrating' at a female colleague after drinking a huge 'boot' of alcohol. Staff Sergeant Samuel Haseltine, 32, was 'completely and utterly drunk' after necking a two-litre stein filled with beer and spirits during a leaving party thrown for him. The 'lewd' soldier took his clothes off and approached the woman, who was sober and the only female solider at the party, a court martial heard. He walked up behind her as she was sat on a sofa and began to 'gyrate' his genitals, just 'inches from her face'. Married SSgt Haseltine, of 4 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, apologised to the woman the following day after colleagues told him he had 'overstepped the line'. SSgt Haseltine served in the army for nearly 15 years, boasts several medals of honour and has served one tour in Afghanistan. He was allowed to complete an 18-month course that earned him the rank of Staff Sergeant before the hearing, and narrowly avoided a reduction in rank despite being jailed. The soldier admitted one charge of disgraceful conduct and was said to be 'full of guilt' towards his 'humiliated' colleague at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester, Essex. Staff Sergeant Samuel Haseltine, pictured at Bulford Military Court, has been jailed for six months over his 'lewd' actions towards a female solider at his own leaving do. He was described by his victim as being 'completely and utterly' drunk The married father had downed a huge boot of alcohol, as part of a leaving bash tradition, just before stripping off and 'gyrating' at his colleague who was sitting on a sofa at the base in Suffolk But Judge Advocate Edward Legard told the disgraced officer his actions would 'not be tolerated' in the Army and jailed him for six months for his 'appalling' actions. Judge Legard said: 'The behaviour that forms the basis of this charge represents an appalling example of gross misconduct. 'Let me make this absolutely clear: such behaviour should not and will not be tolerated in Her Majesty's Army. 'Moreover, incidents of this nature can cause serious reputational damage to the Armed Forces.' Bulford Military Court, in Wilts, heard that the incident happened when SSgt Haseltine's unit threw him a 'leaving do' before he enrolled on the course which took him from the rank of Corporal to that of Staff Sergeant. He completed the course ahead of the court martial hearing, and risked a reduction in rank as a result. The group of soldiers attended the leaving party at the unit bar of Rock Barracks at MoD Woodbridge in Suffolk - including senior officers and his commanding officer. The hearing was told his unit employ a tradition that those departing have to stand on a chair and drink a giant, two-litre 'glass boot' of alcohol in one. David Richards, defending SSgt Haseltine, explained: 'It was the tradition within that unit that those leaving would have a particular drink. 'A glass boot, two litres or thereabouts. A large stein filled with beer, spirits - whatever. 'The person leaving was required to stand up on a chair and down it in one. Corporal Haseltine, as he was then, went along with the tradition.' Bulford Military Court heard that SSgt Haseltine's actions caused others to laugh, with the female officer leaving the room after the incident. Prosecuting, Captain Rebecca Slee said: 'He took his clothes off so his genitals were exposed. SSgt Haseltine was told by a judge that his behaviour was 'appalling' and that it could cause 'serious reputational damage' to the British Army 'He approached the victim from behind whilst she was sat on a sofa and proceeded to gyrate close to her right shoulder whilst others laughed. 'She left the room. This was a specific targeting of the only female in the room.' Mr Richards added that though SSgt Haseltine's 'crass' behaviour was inexcusable it had been a result of the 'social pressure of the event'. He added that SSgt Haseltine is not a 'heavy drinker' and that was why he was 'completely and utterly drunk' after the boot-drinking tradition. Mr Richards told the court: 'The next day he had no recollection of the incident but was told by others what he had done. 'SSgt Haseltine approached the victim to apologise, but she didn't want to speak to him and sent him away. 'Later, his wife approached her and apologised on his behalf, and she accepted that apology. 'It was an act of crass stupidity which was wholly out of character. One witness put it best, saying SSgt Haseltine 'overstepped the line'.' In a statement to the court, the victim said that she was 'disgusted' to have been 'singled out' as the only woman. He was jailed for six months at Bulford Military Court, in Wilts, after admitting one charge of disgraceful conduct and was said to be 'full of guilt' towards his 'humiliated' colleague She also said the incident justified this kind of behaviour to junior soldiers in the unit and taught them it was 'acceptable and normal'. Passing the sentence, Judge Advocate Legard said: 'The victim was the only female present in the bar and she was sober. She was sitting on a sofa and was engaged in chatting. 'You, in a state of extreme inebriation, approached her from behind, exposed your genitals and gyrated inches away from her face. 'There was laughter and no doubt encouragement from others. It was a deeply humiliating and embarrassing incident for the victim. 'This was an episode which had the potential to cause reputational damage to the Armed Forces and one that runs contrary to the modern Army.' SSgt Haseltine's Regiment forms part of the 12 Armoured Brigade Combat Team which, on operations, is part of the Army's 3rd UK Warfighting Division. The 3rd Division, based on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, is also known as The Iron Division and is the only division which retains continual operational readiness in the UK. During wartime, 4 Regt RLC provides ammunition, fuel and rations to front line units. Boris Johnson is the most popular foreign leader in Ukraine, new polling has revealed. Data published by Lord Ashcroft polls show the British Prime Minister with a 90% approval rating among Ukrainians - just three points behind war leader President Volodymyr Zelensky. Boris Johnsons popularity in Ukraine will come as a welcome respite from a turbulent few weeks in the UK, including a vote on no confidence in which 41% of Conservative MPs voted against him and the loss of two by-elections on June 23. Mr Johnsons popularity in Ukraine is almost four times better than his approval rating in his own country, which stood at just 24% in early June - according to a poll by YouGov. However, Mr Johnsons decision to throw his support behind President Zelensky and Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February has made him hugely popular among Ukrainians. Boris Johnson meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his second visit to Kyiv in June Mr Johnson and President Joe Biden were well ahead of their German and French counterparts owing to their support of Ukraine since Russia invaded Mr Johnson has proved hugely popular in Ukraine after lending strong support to the country since Russia invaded. President Zelensky (right) described the PM as a 'great ally' said he was 'very happy' to see him survive his confidence vote in June The two leaders lighting candles in St. Mikhailovsky Cathedral in Kyiv during the Prime Minister's surprise June visit Ukrainian confidence in defeating Russia has grown far more since the start of the war than Russian belief in victory. However, support for the invasion remains strong in Russia The Prime Minister has visited Ukraine twice since the start of the war - in April and June - to meet with the Ukrainian President to pledge support, supplies and weapons as the country continues to fend off Vladimir Putins forces in the east of the country. The two leaders have built a strong relationship since the war began, with President Zelensky saying he was very happy that Mr Johnson had survived his confidence vote, adding that he was an important ally. Mr Johnsons pro-active support of Ukraine has gone down well with the Ukrainian people - especially when compared with the less enthusiastic support of German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. President Macron has been criticised for insisting that the West should avoid 'humiliating' President Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, while Germany has come under fire for not lending support quickly enough to Ukraine and relying on Russian gas. Lord Ashcroft Polls published approval ratings in Ukraine with President Zelensky, unsurprisingly, the most popular with 93% approval. Boris Johnson was a close second on 90%, while US President Joe Biden was just behind on 89%. Chancellor Scholz and President Macron trailed far behind with just 42% approval among Ukrainians. Russian support for the invasion remains strong, although it has fallen slightly since the war began Polling shows support for Putin's regime and the invasion has not waned among the Russian people, but most were surprised at Ukraine's strength in fighting back Most Russians blamed Ukraine, the US, NATO and EU for the war, though a substantial minority admitted Russia also had responsibility The vast majority of Ukrainians want to join NATO, and most say they would feel safer with nuclear weapons, following Putin's suggestions that he could use nuclear missiles in Europe The polling data also showed that Ukrainian resolve in fighting the Russian invasion was solid, with 60% of Ukrainians saying they were more confident of victory than at the start of the war. This compares to just 38% of Russians who say they are more confident than when Putin launched his invasion. However, the polling also showed the Russian people firmly behind Putins autocratic regime - the Russian President enjoys an approval rating of 85%, behind only the Russian military which has 86%. A clear majority of 57% also said they were surprised at how strong Ukrainian resistance had been - a reflection of the Russian leadership's assumption the country would be easy to invade. Over three quarters of Russians also blamed Ukraine for the war, despite the fact that Russia invaded the country. Most also blamed US, NATO and EU, but a substantial minority (41%) also said Russia had 'a great deal' or 'some' responsibility. Over 80% expressed trust in Russian leadership and said they thought the country would come out of the war stronger. Support for the invasion of Ukraine also remains strong. Polls show that 51% of Russians strongly support the so-called special military operation - a small drop from 57% in March. The vast majority of Ukrainians (81%) said they wanted their country to join NATO, and 68% said they would feel safer if they had nuclear weapons. Seven Jeffrey Epstein victims, including Virginia Giuffre and Annie Farmer, are set to face Ghislaine Maxwell in court today as she is finally sentenced for up to 55 years for sex-trafficking crimes. Former socialite Maxwell faces more than half a century in jail after being convicted of procuring young girls for Jeffrey Epstein. She will be sentenced in New York at 11 a.m. today, with prosecutors saying she deserves 30 to 55 years behind bars. Victims Annie Farmer, Virginia Giuffre and 'Kate,' a former model, have been given permission to read victim impact statements to the court, although it's unclear whether Giuffre will definitely attend. Although Giuffre was not part of the indictment she was mentioned in Maxwell's trial. Annie Farmer's older sister, Maria, as well as victims Sarah Ransome, Teresa Helm, Elizabeth Stein and Juliette Bryant are also set to look Maxwell in the eye in court and have submitted written statements. Sarah Ransome told the Daily Telegraph she was happy her statement would be read in court because she had 'a lot to say.' Farmer blasted Maxwell today for her lack of remorse ahead of her sentencing for sex-trafficking crimes. Annie Farmer, 43, who was the only victim to testify using her real name, said it was upsetting that Maxwell, 60, was focusing on how her own life was ruined. Maxwell's attorneys asked US District Judge Alison J. Nathan to impose a sentence of no more than five years because they said her 'life has been ruined' and she was 'vulnerable to Epstein' because of 'a difficult, traumatic childhood.' Farmer hit out at the 60-year-old for not 'taking ownership' of her crimes. 'I felt again that there had been an opportunity for her to take ownership of what she had done, for her to in some ways express remorse to the victims of her crimes,' she told BBC Radio 4. 'It was all about her and about how she was victimized.' She added: 'These crimes had not only impacted the victims that experienced them but also there's a systemic impact for those people's partners, families and loved ones. If you think about all the people involved in this the harm she caused is almost immeasurable.' Seven Jeffrey Epstein victims, including Virginia Giuffre (left) and Annie Farmer (right), are set to face Ghislaine Maxwell in court today as she is finally sentenced for up to 55 years for sex trafficking crimes A photo of a young Annie Farmer - shown as evidence in Ghislaine Maxwell trial Farmer told the court she first met Maxwell in 1996 when she was taken to Epstein's New Mexico ranch and got the impression that the two were 'romantic partners' Maxwell, a US, British and French citizen, was convicted in December of five counts of grooming and procuring underage girls for Epstein, who was found hanged in his prison cell in 2019. The maximum term Maxwell can serve is 55 years. Maxwell has denied abusing anyone. For nearly two years since her July 2020 arrest, Maxwell had been kept in solitary confinement at the maximum-security Metropolitan Detention Center in New York because officials feared she would kill herself before her trial; last month she was moved into an area with 40 other inmates. Maxwell's attorneys claim the British socialite 'is not a dangerous criminal or a habitual offender.' 'Ms Maxwell cannot and should not bear all the punishment for which Epstein should have been held responsible,' her attorneys said. 'Her life has been ruined. 'She had a difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic and demanding father. It made her vulnerable to Epstein, whom she met right after her father's death. Witness Annie Farmer is questioned by prosecutor Lara Pomerantz during the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the Jeffrey Epstein associate accused of sex trafficking, in a courtroom sketch in New York City, Dec. 10, 2021 Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell at the socialite's home in Britain 'It is the biggest mistake she made in her life and one that she has not and never will repeat.' Her attorneys added: 'She is someone who wants nothing more than to live a normal family life something she was denied because of her association with Epstein and will now almost certainly never have. 'Ms. Maxwell has already experienced a hard time during detention under conditions far more onerous and punitive than any experienced by a typical pre-trial detainee, and she is preparing to spend significantly more time behind bars. 'The public does not need to be protected from Ms. Maxwell and such considerations should have no weight in determining her sentence.' Many of Epstein's victims say they intend to appear at the sentencing, including Virginia Giuffre, who earlier this year reached an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew after he consistently and vehemently denied her claims that he sexually abused her. During Maxwell's trial Farmer testified how Maxwell had rubbed her breasts and Epstein had abused her. Farmer today said she'd been advised to look at Maxwell as soon as she walked into the court to testify against Epstein's ex. Sarah Ransome told the Daily Telegraph she was happy her statement would be read in court because she had 'a lot to say' She told the BBC: 'Walking into the courtroom was very intimidating. There was a lot of anticipation and anxiety but I had received some really helpful advice from a friend to look at her as soon as I walked into the courtroom and remind myself that I had the opportunity to confront her. 'That the 16-year-old that she harmed had grown into a woman and was able to use her voice to tell her story and tell the truth about what happened.' Farmer took the witness stand on Day 10 of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial. Her older sister, Maria, was the first person to report Epstein and Maxwell's alleged sexual abuse of underage girls in 1996. Farmer met Epstein in New York in 1995 when she was 16. She was introduced to Maxwell at Epstein's Santa Fe ranch in New Mexico. She described to the court how the two lavished her with gifts and offered to help her academic endeavors before subjecting her to unwanted fondling and cuddling. Farmer testified she was living in Phoenix, Ariz. with her mother and younger sister. Maria, who is nine years older than Annie, was living in New York and working for Epstein. Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial took the stand on Friday. Farmer, who is the only accuser in the case to testify under her real name, described meeting the late pedophile in New York in 1996 when she was 16. She told how Epstein brought her to his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she met Maxwell Farmer testified that she was introduced to Epstein by her older sister, Maria Farmer, and he took them to see the 'Phantom of the Opera' and then a movie in New York, where she sat next to the pedophile. At some point during the movie she said Epstein 'caressed' her hand and then her leg. 'I felt sick to my stomach,' she told the court. The abuse she suffered started the second time Annie Farmer met Epstein, when she and her sister went to see a film with the billionaire. Farmer said: 'Initially when the lights went down we watched the movie and at some point he reached over and puts his hand on the arm rest between our seats and started to reach for my hand and caressed my hand, interlocking his hand with mine and holding my hand'. Farmer said her legs were crossed and Epstein 'was rubbing the bottom of my shoe and rubbing my foot and my leg.' 'I was very surprised. I was very surprised and anxious. I felt sick to my stomach. It was not something I was expecting. I noticed that when he integrated with my sister he'd stop doing that. When he was looking forward again he would return to touching me,' she said. Annie Farmer (pictured as a young girl) says she was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell when she was 16 Farmer said that she didn't tell her sister because she was 'very protective' and she would've gotten 'upset.' Worse, Epstein was her employer and she worried Maria 'could lose her job.' The jury was shown an entry from Farmer's diary from Jan. 7, 1996 in which she said that 'the best night' of her trip was when she 'went to Jeff Epstein's house and had champagne' followed by 'The Phantom of the Opera.' She wrote that Epstein seemed 'down to Earth'. The jury was shown another diary entry from Jan. 25, 1996 in which Farmer caught up on recent events, including more about her trip to New York. She recounted the incident while watching the film and said it was 'a little weird, one of those things that's hard to explain.' She wrote that Epstein reached for her hand and they were 'holding hands' and that he 'rubbed my arm.' Farmer wrote: 'It gave me a weird feeling but it wasn't that weird,' adding that it was 'probably normal' and that it made her feel 'mad' because Epstein stopped doing it whenever he was talking to Maria. In her testimony, Farmer recalled the unwanted physical contact making her feel like she 'just wanted to be done with it' Looking back at her diary now, Farmer said she appeared to be 'conflicted' at the time because she knew what had happened was 'not normal.' Farmer stayed in touch with Epstein by phone and in the spring of 1996 she was invited to his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the weekend. She said that she was 'not eager' to go after what happened in New York. 'I had been told that Maxwell would be in New Mexico with Epstein so that made me feel more comfortable,' she said. Farmer said she understood that Maxwell and Epstein were in a 'romantic relationship' so Epstein 'couldn't do anything while they were together.' When Farmer arrived at the ranch having flown commercial and been picked up by Epstein's driver, she recalled Maxwell as being 'trim, attractive' with short dark hair and a British accent. Farmer observed Maxwell and Epstein being 'very intimate with each other, touching each other.' Farmer thought they were in a relationship because of the 'way they spoke and interacted.' Farmer said it seemed 'unusual' that a 16-year-old would be on the ranch alone with them, apart from staff, but she felt 'special' that they wanted to spend time with her. She was also conscious of the possibility of a foreign trip that Epstein said he could pay for and she couldn't otherwise afford. Farmer stayed in touch with Epstein by phone and in the spring of 1996 she was invited to his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the weekend It was at Epstein's Zorro Ranch that Farmer first met Maxwell Maxwell began to talk to Farmer about her life, school and her plans for the future, she told the jury. The three of them went shopping and Maxwell and Epstein bought Farmer a pair of cowboy boots costing over $100. Farmer said they seemed 'very expensive' and even though they were not the kind of thing she normally wore, she accepted the gift. On a trip to the movies to see 'Primal Fear' things took a more disturbing turn; before the movie Farmer said she saw Epstein and Maxwell 'being very playful with each other and grabbing each other.' She said Maxwell 'wanted to pull Epstein's pants down' which seemed 'odd' to her, saying that kind of behavior was 'something you expect from younger people.' Maxwell, pictured, is facing 55 years in prison for her role in arranging young girls for Epstein Maxwell sits as the guilty verdict in her sex-abuse trial is read in a courtroom sketch in New York City, Dec. 29, 2021 During the film, Epstein reportedly did the same thing as before, only this time it was more 'blatant.' 'He right away began to hold my hand and caress it and rubbed my foot and my arm. It was for the majority of the movie,' she said. The only difference being that Epstein didn't stop when he was talking to Maxwell. Later, Maxwell 'wanted to show me how to rub his (Epstein's) feet' so they sat together in an area she called a 'den' inside the house and she 'instructed' Farmer on how to hold Epstein's foot and where to press it. Maxwell told her to 'pull back his big toe' and to press on a certain part of Epstein's foot. When asked by a prosecutor at the start of her testimony if she saw anyone in the courtroom who had ever given her a massage, Farmer identified Maxwell, who was sitting at the defense table looking at Farmer Epstein made 'groaning noises' and appeared to enjoy it, Farmer said. Maxwell asked Farmer if she had ever received a massage and, when she said no, Maxwell insisted on giving her one. They went to the room Farmer was staying in and Maxwell pulled out a fold-up massage table. Maxwell put a sheet on top and told Farmer to get on it. 'I was wearing nothing,' she said. 'She told me to get undressed and lay under the sheet and I did. She started rubbing my body, rubbing my back and she's making small talk and then at some point she had me roll over so I was laying on my back. 'She pulled the sheet down and exposed my breasts and started rubbing on my chest and upper breasts.' Prosecutor Lara Pomerantz asked what Farmer's reaction was. She said: 'When she pulled down the sheet I felt frozen because it didn't make sense to me. I was surprised and I wanted so badly to get off of the table and have that massage be done.' Asked who was in the room, Farmer said it was just Maxwell. 'The door to the room was open and I was fearful, especially at that moment. I had this sense that Epstein could see me.' The next incident happened one morning when Epstein 'suddenly opened my (bedroom) door and bounded into the room in a playful way saying he wanted a cuddle.' Farmer said. 'He climbed into bed and lay behind me and reached his arms around and pressed his body against me' Asked if Farmer wanted this, she said: 'No.' She said that she felt 'isolated' and if I could 'get through this it would be fine. I didn't say anything' while it was happening. 'He had his arms around me and I felt frozen.' Farmer said she went to the bathroom as an 'excuse' to get out of the situation. She said: 'I can't remember how long I was in there. I wanted to be in there long enough that this situation would be over.' By that point Farmer said she 'just wanted the weekend to be over.' Farmer thought Maxwell and Epstein were interested in her academic pursuits, but now realizes they had a 'very different interest in me.' Maxwell's sentencing in New York at 11 a.m. today is the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how the power couple flaunted their riches and prominent connections to lure vulnerable girls as young as 14 and exploit them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and one-time girlfriend. In a court filing prosecutors wrote: 'Maxwell's conduct was shockingly predatory. She was a calculating, sophisticated, and dangerous criminal who preyed on vulnerable young girls and groomed them for sexual abuse.' Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured here alongside Jeffrey Epstein aboard a private jet, has been convicted of trafficking girls for sex and 'serving up' schoolgirls for the pedophile and herself Victims of Jeffrey Epstein, from left, Sarah Ransome, Virginia Giuffre and Marijke Chartouni find support in each other Some of Maxwell's victims will be in court this week to watch when she faces a 55-year sentence for child sex trafficking According to Maxwell's lawyers, 'The witnesses at trial testified about Ms. Maxwell's facilitation of Epstein's abuse, but Epstein was always the central figure: Epstein was the mastermind, Epstein was the principal abuser, and Epstein orchestrated the crimes for his personal gratification.' Epstein and Maxwell's associations with some of the world's most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them. Many described Maxwell as acting as a madam who recruited them to give massages to Epstein. The trial revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. What will Epstein victims' impact statements say at Maxwell's sentencing? Victims Annie Farmer, Virginia Giuffre and 'Kate,' a former model, have been given permission to read victim impact statements to the court, although it's unclear whether Giuffre will definitely attend. Although Giuffre was not part of the indictment she was mentioned in Maxwell's trial. Annie Farmer's older sister, Maria, as well as victims Sarah Ransome, Teresa Helm, Elizabeth Stein and Juliette Bryant are also set to look Maxwell in the eye in court and have submitted written statements. Virginia Giuffre 'Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. 'But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. 'For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell.' Annie Farmer 'This toxic combination of being sexually exposed and exploited, feeling confused and naive, blaming myself all resulted in significant shame. 'That sickening feeling that makes you want to disappear. 'Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm.' Kate 'It was the very skilled grooming, perpetrated on me, intentionally and consistently, that instilled in me the belief that I could not say no to Ghislaine Maxwell, or Epstein. 'I witnessed her relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein, at any cost to the vulnerable girls and women, upon whom she preyed and fed to Epstein and other powerful men, to whom she wished to ingratiate herself.' Teresa Helm 'You crafted your impact on me. 'You groomed me. Then, you sent me off to another monster.' Juliette Bryant 'Thinking about them still gives me frequent panic attacks and night terrors.' Sarah Ransome 'To Ghislaine I say, you broke me in unfathomable ways. But what you didn't break is my spirit, nor did you dampen my internal flame that now burns brighter than ever before.' Advertisement Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the UK; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Annie Farmer, who identified herself in court by her real name after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Carolyn testified she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as 'a pyramid of abuse.' Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations; Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew out of court. Eleven months later after Epstein's 2019 death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. Seven victim impact statements will be made at Maxwell's sentencing today. The Duke of York's accuser, Virginia Giuffre, is set to have her statement heard, in which she will say Maxwell used her 'femininity to betray us' like she was 'a wolf in sheep's clothing'. Ms Giuffre's statement will say: 'I want to be clear about one thing: Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. 'But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. 'For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell.' Two accusers who were part of the trial indictment have also submitted statements for the court's consideration. Annie Farmer, who was the only victim to testify under her full name, asked Judge Alison Nathan to consider the 'significant shame' she felt as a result of Maxwell's crimes. Her statement reads: 'This toxic combination of being sexually exposed and exploited, feeling confused and naive, blaming myself all resulted in significant shame. 'That sickening feeling that makes you want to disappear. 'Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm. 'Judge Nathan, I hope when you consider the appropriate prison sentence for the role Maxwell played in this sex trafficking operation, you take into account the ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us. 'I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell's unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy and wellbeing for much too long now. These things cannot be replaced.' The second accuser from the trial indictment to submit a statement, who testified under the pseudonym 'Kate', also urged the judge to consider Maxwell's 'heinous manipulation and abuse'. Her statement reads: 'It was the very skilled grooming, perpetrated on me, intentionally and consistently, that instilled in me the belief that I could not say no to Ghislaine Maxwell, or Epstein. 'I witnessed her relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein, at any cost to the vulnerable girls and women, upon whom she preyed and fed to Epstein and other powerful men, to whom she wished to ingratiate herself. 'Being around her was like being spun really fast in a circle and then trying to maintain balance. 'It was like a roller coaster ride, designed to disorient and disempower me as a vulnerable, young girl, for the sole purpose of providing me to Epstein for sexual abuse.' Farmer's sister, Maria, said of Maxwell: 'She wasn't happy just destroying my career, she also assured me my future was destroyed and she did everything in her vast power to accomplish this goal.' Another accuser, Teresa Helm, addressed Maxwell directly with her statement submitted to the court, in which she said: 'You crafted your impact on me. 'You groomed me. Then, you sent me off to another monster.' Juliette Bryant also described Maxwell as a monster, adding: 'Thinking about them still gives me frequent panic attacks and night terrors.' Elizabeth Stein said she 'felt like I was in prison' for 'two-and-a-half decades', adding: 'She needs to be in prison so her victims can all finally be free.' The final accuser, Sarah Ransome, told the court how Maxwell saw her as 'nothing more than a human sex toy.' She ended her statement by saying: 'To Ghislaine I say, you broke me in unfathomable ways. But what you didn't break is my spirit, nor did you dampen my internal flame that now burns brighter than ever before.' Theresa May gave successor Boris Johnson a political pummelling last night as she tore into his plans to override parts of the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland. Mrs May, who was defenestrated by Tories loyal to Mr Johnson in 2019 over her attempts to do a deal with Brussels, served her revenge ice cold as she tore into his proposals in the Commons. In a withering intervention, the ex-prime minister told MPs the Government's bid to take unilateral action over the Northern Ireland Protocol was illegal, would not work and would 'diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world'. And in a stinging rebuke to the PM she suggested he was in a similarly weak position to that she found herself in after she faced a no confidence vote in her leadership. He faced down his own no confidence vote earlier this month, with 141 of his MPs demanding he quit. The former premier spoke in the House of Commons as MPs debated the Government's proposed legislation to sweep away key parts of the Protocol. As well as attacking Mr Johnson she appeared to mock Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for saying that she backed the bill because she was a 'patriot'. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. But more than 70 Tories abstained, and while as many as 30 were allowed to miss the vote, a hardcore of around 40, including Mrs May, were giving notice that the PM faces a rebellion if he pushes ahead. in a stinging rebuke to the PM she suggested he was in a similarly weak position to that she found herself in after she faced a no confidence vote in her leadership. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. Mrs May told the Commons the Bill would give ministers 'extraordinarily sweeping powers' as she lashed out the Government's plan to rip up the Protocol that Mr Johnson struck with the EU in October 2019. 'The UKs standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions,' she said. 'As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. 'I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it.' Mrs May, who also faced a no confidence vote in her leadership while she was PM, spoke of her own travails in dealing with the EU over Brexit when in Downing Street. She suggested that, after Mr Johnson witnessed a recent attempt by Tory MPs to oust him from Numer 10, his negotiating power had been weakened. 'My experience was, the EU looked very carefully at the political situation in any country,' she added. 'As I discovered when I faced a no confidence vote, despite having won that no confidence vote, they then start to ask themselves, "well, is it really worth negotiating with these people in Government, because will they actually be there in any period of time?". 'Also, I suspect they are saying to themselves, why should they negotiate in detail with a Government that shows itself willing to sign an agreement, claim it as a victory, and then try to tear part of it up in less than three years time?' The Government is aiming to fast-track the Bill through the Commons before Parliament's summer recess. However, some MPs who opted not to block it at second reading appear likely to seek amendments, and the House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses. The European Union has also launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the Government's move. Mr Johnson's Government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. "What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement," he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany. "You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really aren't working in a way that they like or understand, you've got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. "All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market." Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Mr Johnson said: "Yes, I think we could do it very fast, Parliament willing." A German court on Tuesday handed a five-year jail sentence to a 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard, the oldest person so far to go on trial for complicity in war crimes during the Holocaust. Josef Schuetz was found guilty of being an accessory to murder while working as a prison guard at the Sachsenhausen camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, between 1942 and 1945, presiding judge Udo Lechtermann said. But despite his conviction, he is highly unlikely to be put behind bars to serve the five-year prison sentence, given his age. The Lithuanian-born pensioner, who now lives in Brandenburg state, had pleaded innocent, saying he did 'absolutely nothing' and was not aware of the gruesome crimes being carried out at the camp. 'I don't know why I am here,' Schuetz, who is the oldest person so far to face trial over Nazi war crimes committed during the Holocaust, said at the close of his trial on Monday. But prosecutors told the Neuruppin Regional Court, which is being held in a prison sports hall in Brandenburg an der Havel, that Schueltz 'knowingly and willingly' participated in the murders of 3,518 prisoners at the camp and called for him to be punished with five years behind bars. It is understood that Schuetz will undergo a medical check to determine he is fit to go to prison. He is also understood to be appealing the conviction - and due to the time it will take the Supreme Court to process the appeal, it could take up to 12 months before he goes to prison. More than 200,000 people, including Jews, Roma, regime opponents and gay people, were detained at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1936 and 1945. Josef Schuetz was found guilty of being an accessory to murder while working as a prison guard at the Sachsenhausen camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, between 1942 and 1945, presiding judge Udo Lechtermann said Prosecutors say Schuetz 'knowingly and willingly' participated in the crimes as a guard at the camp and are seeking to punish him with five years behind bars. Pictured: Holocaust survivor Leon Schwarzbaum holds a picture in the courtroom during the trial at the Landgericht Neuruppin court in in October last year Schuetz said he did 'absolutely nothing' and was not aware of the gruesome crimes being carried out at the camp. Pictured: Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen in December 1938 What is the history of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and how many people were killed there? The front gate of Sachsenhausen Built in the summer of 1936 by internees from other camps First concentration camp built after Himmler was made chief of police More than 200,000 people were interned between 1936 and 1945 Prisoners included political opponents and those deemed 'racially inferior' such as such as Jews, Sinti and Roma, and people persecuted as homosexuals Prisoners forced to work in factories 13,000 Soviet prisoners, including many Jews murdered in autumn 1941 A gas-chamber was built in Spring Source: www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de Advertisement Tens of thousands of inmates died from forced labour, murder, medical experiments, hunger or disease before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops, according to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. Prosecutors said Schuetz had aided and abetted the 'execution by firing squad of Soviet prisoners of war in 1942' and the murder of prisoners 'using the poisonous gas Zyklon B'. He was 21 years old at the time. The Soviet prisoners of war were killed in a gruesome 'neck shot' facility. Here SS guards donned white medical overalls and pretended to prisoners they were doctors concerned with their well-being. They then lined up prisoners against a wall and measured them. Meanwhile in a neighbouring room, other armed SS guards used the measurements as a setting for their guns. They would open a slit in the wall and fire into the prisoner's neck. Josef Schuetz managed to escape justice for 80 years. During the trial, Schuetz made several inconsistent statements about his past, complaining that his head was getting 'mixed up'. At one point, the centenarian said he had worked as an agricultural labourer in Germany for most of World War II, a claim contradicted by several historical documents bearing his name, date and place of birth. After the war, Schuetz was transferred to a prison camp in Russia before returning to Germany, where he worked as a farmer and a locksmith. Schuetz remained at liberty during the trial, which began in 2021 but has been delayed several times because of his health. His lawyer Stefan Waterkamp told AFP ahead of the verdict that if found guilty, he would appeal. Schuetz evaded justice for decades, but his luck ran out in 2018 when Investigators from the Central Office for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes in Ludwigsburg came across the name of Josef Schuetz in the old files in the State Military Archive in Moscow. These so-called 'booty files' were taken by Russian soldiers to Moscow at the end of the war. The 101-year-old former security guard of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp appears in the courtroom before his trial verdict at the Landgericht Neuruppin court, in Brandenburg, on Tuesday Meanwhile Holocaust survivor and contemporary witness Leon Schwarzbaum, 100, told press this was 'the last trial for my friends, acquaintances and loved ones who were murdered, in which the last guilty party will hopefully be convicted.' A month later, Josef Schuetz celebrated his 101st birthday. By March 2022, Leon Schwarzbaum had passed away. Thomas Walther, a lawyer representing several camp survivors and victims relatives, told the court in May: 'What can possibly be a fitting punishment, when the leading SS officers in the Reich Security Main Office were indicted for the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, but were able to get off scot-free, because of the lapse in time and their "incapacity to stand trial"?' 'What can possibly be a fitting punishment for a 101 year old man who is having to face up to his own responsibility after 80 years after committing the crime, and who could have been taken to court 70, or 50, or 30, or most definitely 10 years ago?' 'Over the past years it has been general practice that, in their closing remarks, the representatives of joint plaintiffs refrain from stating any figures when calling for a particular sentence. 'Nevertheless, I must state here that a sentence of less than five years imprisonment would be extremely difficult for my clients to comprehend, even if the defendant were to change his mind and express some kind of remorse in his "final statement". Some of the most damning evidence against Schuetz included the material presented by concentration camp expert, historian Dr. Stefan Hoerdler. 'All the cruellest methods were invented there and then exported,' said Antoine Grumbach, 80, whose father died in Sachsenhausen. Pictured: The entrance tower of the former concentration camp This included a document dated 1941 from the Central Immigration Office (EWZ), showing the entire Schuetz family from Lithuania. The document showed his father, Wilhelm, who was born in 1862, his mother, Maria who was born in 1886, alongside Josef Schuetz himself and six of his seven siblings born between 1911 and 1927. Here a date of birth and other personal details are listed, and passport photos. Under this was a picture of Josef Schuetz, the exact same photo which appears on an SS document. Through his lawyer, Schuetz has continued to claim that he was never at Sachsenhausen camp, although his name, his date of birth, and military rank at the time are all listed on a wide range of official documents. These include documents from the Koblenz Federal Archives, the Stasi (East German secret service) archives, and the archives at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial site. The material shows that Schuetz served in six different companies of SS guards from October 23, 1941 to February 18, 1945 and that during this period, he was promoted from the rank of Private to SS-Rottenfuhrer (Corporal) at Sachsenhausen. 'I don't know why I am here,' Schuetz insisted to the court. Pictured: A roll call in front of the camp gate of Sachsenhausen. In the foreground on the tower a machine gun pointed at the prisoners More than seven decades after World War II, German prosecutors are racing to bring the last surviving Nazi perpetrators to justice. The 2011 conviction of former guard John Demjanjuk, on the basis that he served as part of Hitler's killing machine, set a legal precedent and paved the way for several of these twilight justice cases. Since then, courts have handed down several guilty verdicts on those grounds rather than for murders or atrocities directly linked to the individual accused. Among those brought to late justice were Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at Auschwitz. Both were convicted at the age of 94 of complicity in mass murder but died before they could be imprisoned. A former SS guard, Bruno Dey, was found guilty at the age of 93 in 2020 and was given a two-year suspended sentence. Separately, in the northern German town of Itzehoe, a 96-year-old former secretary in a Nazi death camp is on trial for complicity in murder. Irmgard F, a former secretary for the SS commander of the Stutthof concentration camp, is accompanied by a member of the forensic medical service as she arrives in a wheelchair for the continuation of her trial in a courtroom in Itzehoe, northern Germany, on Tuesday Irmgard Furchner, a typist who has been dubbed the 'Secretary of Evil', is accused of being an accessory to the murder of 11,412 at the camp through her work as the secretary to the SS commander at Stutthof. Furchner denies the charges. She dramatically fled before the start of her trial but was caught several hours later. On Tuesday, she arrived at the courtroom in Itzehoue, northern Germany, in a wheelchair for the continuation of her trial. While some have questioned the wisdom of chasing convictions related to Nazi crimes so long after the events, Guillaume Mouralis, a research professor at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), said such trials send an important signal. 'It is a question of reaffirming the political and moral responsibility of individuals in an authoritarian context (and in a criminal regime) at a time when the neo-fascist far right is strengthening everywhere in Europe,' he told AFP. Karen Pollock CBE, the Chief Executive of the British charity Holocaust Educational Trust, told MailOnline: 'The passage of time is no barrier to justice when it comes to the heinous crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators. 'Every time someone is found guilty of these crimes, regardless of their age, the truth of the Holocaust is reaffirmed for all to see. 'As the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes fade from living memory, bringing perpetrators to justice, regardless of age, has never been more important. Advertisement An enormous 50-year-old elephant was pictured enjoying its twilight years as he peacefully roamed around the African wilderness, while a Maasai Warrior was also seen keeping the gentle giant under continuous supervision to deter poachers from his 100lbs tusks. The ageing elephant was photographed dusting himself off to cool down while trudging through the undergrowth in his native Amboseli National Park, Kenya. The awe-inspiring shots were captured by professional photographer Clint Ralph, 59, who said the half-a-century-old bull goes by the name Craig. 'He is fifty years old this year with each tusk weighing around 100lb (50kg),' said Clint. 'He has Masai Warriors that guard him from a distance 24 hours a day to prevent him from being hunted or poached.' Craig the 50-year-old elephant was pictured dusting himself off as he roamed around Amboseli National Park in Kenya The elephant is constantly guarded by Maasai Warriors to prevent poachers hunting him for his enormous tusks Craig's tusks are thought to weigh around 100lb (50kg), making them some of the largest in the world Craig's tusks weigh more than 100lb each, making him one of only 20 estimated 'super tuskers' left alive today. The African Savanna Elephant, also known as an African Bush Elelphant, was born in 1972. Savanna elephants can live up to 70 years old, longer than any mammal, except humans. 'I always strive to get something different to the masses of images worldwide. I love the uniqueness of both the image and the subject,' said Clint. 'My friends and I spent some time with him, watching his movements. At a point we figured his path out and positioned the vehicle some way in front of him, hoping he would walk past us. He did.' Clint followed Craig through the national park, taking these images on a Canon R5 mirrorless camera. 'I travelled to Kenya specifically to photography Craig in his twilight years,' said Clint. 'It was emotional to be so close to such a legend in our time. 'I feel very blessed and privileged to have met Craig and to spend such quality time with him.' African Savannah Elephants grow to be up to 13-feet-tall and weigh up to seven tonnes The price of ivory fluctuates, but tusks weighing 100lbs (50kg) could sell for $5,000 each or far more on foreign black markets The elephant population in Amboseli National Park is one of the few that has been able to live a relatively undisturbed existence in natural conditions A man who grew up in public housing and regularly attends church for Catholic mass has become Australia's most powerful outlaw bikie boss. The notorious Comancheros Sydney and Canberra chapter commander Allan Meehan was appointed as the new national president in Melbourne this week following months of turmoil. He takes over from former Melbourne-based boss Mick Murray, who recently stepped aside over a murder charge. Meehan, 35, grew up in public housing in Sydney's south-west and has spent his half his life rising through the bikie gang ranks. He joined the Rebels when he turned 18 and later became a Cronulla chapter president before he defected to the Comancheros. Allan Meehan (right) is the new national president of the Comancheros. He's pictured with former national president Mick Murray (centre) and national sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed (left) Sources claim he was lured to switch allegiances by a mentor, Comanchero 'commander of the world' Mark Buddle, who is one of Australia's most wanted men over the 2010 shooting of Armaguard security guard Gary Allibon in Sydney. Buddle remains on the run from authorities overseas and was last known to be in Cyprus. Meehan is well 'respected' among both the gang's old guard and its new recruits, the Herald Sun reported. 'He's spent his entire adult life in bikie gangs,' one source told the publication. 'He doesn't know any other life.' He was promoted to commander of the Canberra chapter early last year after the murder of former president Pitasoni Ulavalu and became the Sydney commander six months later. It's understood Meehan has told members he'll oversee the Comancheros from Sydney but is expected to regularly travel to Melbourne. Allan Meehan (pictured) has spent his half of his life progressing through the bikie gang ranks He was regarded as next in line to take over from Murray, 44, was arrested in April over the 2019 gangland killing of Mitat Rasimi, an associate of high-profile drug lord Tony Mokbel He was charged with one count of murder and remains behind bars. It's been a chaotic few months for Australia's most powerful bikie club still reeling from the recent underworld shooting which left national sergeant-at-arms Tarek Zahed with serious injuries and claimed the life of his brother Omar. Dozens of other members have been also arrested in AFP raids as part of Operation Ironside, one of the biggest and most significant crackdowns of organised crime in Australia's history. One source recently said Meehan was regarded as 'pretty full on' but has a level head to control some of the gang's more volatile elements. Advertisement A British mother returning from a life-saving brain operation in Spain has endured a 'traumatic' search by UK Border Force officials after she and her husband were accused of international drug smuggling. Shocking pictures show Rachel Pighills, 36, sobbing while lying on a stretcher and connected to an oxygen tank inside a warehouse at the docks in Plymouth, where she was forced to wait for four hours while border agents meticulously searched their vehicle. The couple, from Pershore, Worcestershire, had travelled by ferry on June 17 in a small second-hand ambulance driven by husband Guy, 41, which he claims agents 'stripped to pieces' in their failed bid to find narcotics. Photos show their suitcases and belongings laid out on the ground of the docks during the search, which Guy said saw them 'treated like criminals.' The officials even brought out sniffer dogs, who in an ironic twist, failed to detect the powerful opiates Rachel had been given to control her post-op pain. The mother-of-one was still recovering from a pioneering surgery she had received four weeks earlier after a ceiling fan struck the back of her head in August 2018, leaving her with atlanto axial instability and basilar invagination. The conditions meant she was at risk of being 'internally decapitated', as her brain was literally sinking into her spine. After a 20-hour overnight ferry from Santander to Plymouth, Rachel Pighills and her husband Guy were stopped by Border Force officials who accused them of drug smuggling. (Pictured: Rachel lying on a stretcher while connected to an oxygen tank inside a warehouse at the docks) Disturbing images show a sobbing Rachel lying on a stretcher while connected to an oxygen tank inside a warehouse at the docks Rachel and husband Guy, 41, (pictured together) spent almost four years trying to raise 215,000 for pioneering surgery which is not available on the NHS. What are atlanto axial instability and basilar invagination? Often described starkly as internal decapitation, atlanto-axial instability can leave sufferers prone to excessive movement in their neck. It occurs when the joints connecting the spine and base of the skull become too floppy, causing the spinal cord to become distorted and injured. In rare cases, the illness can be deadly. Sufferers may need to undergo traction when pressure in the neck is eased and joints move back into place and then wear a brace to stabilise the neck until the joint has firmed up. The condition occurs is up to one in five patients with Downs syndrome and is a known complication of other joint disorders. But outside of these groups, doctors arent sure on how common it is. The condition can often present itself with basilar invagination. Basilar invagination causes the bone at the top of the spine to move towards the base of the skull. Due to the abnormal position, the brain stem and top of the spinal cord have less space and they may become compressed - which can be fatal. Some are born with basilar invagination, while others have the condition due to an injury, such as a bike accident, driving accident or fall. Basilar invagination can cause no severe symptoms in some, while it can kill those whose brainstem is squashed. Signs of the condition can include headaches, dizziness, confusion, difficulty swallowing, weakness and numbness when the neck is bent. The condition can be treated with physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medicines or a neck brace. Some people may require surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and stabilise the joint so bones cannot move out of place again. Advertisement It meant she could no longer turn her head because each time she did her spine would partially dislocate, increasing the risk of paralysis or death. MailOnline has contacted the Home Office for comment. Rachel and Guy, who share a 14-year-old daughter, spent almost four years trying to raise 215,000 for pioneering surgery which is not available on the NHS. They finally reached the milestone earlier this year thanks to a woman in her 60s from Warwickshire who loaned them 130,000. After being told it was too risky for Rachel to travel to Barcelona by plane for the operation, Guy drove her 1,055 miles in the ambulance. The 13-and-a-half-hour surgery on May 20 involved inserting metal rods into her spine and re-setting the position of her skull and brain stem. The operation was a success and after almost four weeks in hospital, Rachel and Guy drove back to the UK on June 17. But after a 20-hour overnight ferry from Santander to Plymouth, they were stopped by Border Force officials who accused them of drug smuggling. Rachel said: 'After all we've been through, after the operation we were so looking forward to coming home. 'When we arrived in Plymouth border force literally leapt on our vehicle and accused us of being drug smugglers. 'I couldn't believe it. We had all the documentation but they wouldn't listen. One of them was really rude and looked quite disappointed when they couldn't find anything. 'Bizarrely, neither the sniffer dog or the officials found the big bag of opiates and painkillers I'd been given by the clinic.' Guy, who had been forced to drive at just 40mph to avoid any sudden movements, comforted his wife while they were 'treated like criminals'. The operations manager said: 'We got spotted by border control and they stripped our ambulance to pieces. 'They were convinced we were smuggling drugs into the country and we were there for three and a half hours. 'They stripped the panels took the air panels off and shoved a camera everywhere and they found nothing. 'It was horrendous, it was painful for Rachel and it has affected her recovery and set her back. Officials took almost four hours to complete their meticulous search of the ambulance before allowing the couple to continue on their journey Border Force agents search the small ambulance Guy was using to transport his wife home after her surgery Rachel Pighills, 36, was left at risk of being 'internally decapitated' following a freak ceiling fan accident. She was moving into a new house in August 2018 when the whizzing blades of the fan smashed her on the back of the head. (Pictured: Rachel's neck after surgery) The mother-of-one was still recovering from a pioneering surgery she had received four weeks earlier after a ceiling fan struck the back of her head in August 2018, leaving her with atlanto axial instability and basilar invagination Rachel and Guy (pictured before the 2018 accident), who share a 14-year-old daughter, spent almost four years trying to raise 215,000 for pioneering surgery which is not available on the NHS 'They asked her to get off the stretcher but we wanted her to stay which made them suspicious that we were trying to hide something. 'They made us wheel Rachel off the ambulance and bless her, she was screaming her head off when she was going down and then they stripped the ambulance and this affected her breathing and her oxygen levels due to the stress that this caused her. 'They made us wheel the luggage off. We took months worth of Rachel's medication but the dog didn't even find that. All they found was a 20 note in Rachel's purse. 'As soon as we propped her up and they could see the dressing all down her back the mood changed. But we didn't get an apology. It was the most traumatic experience I've ever been through. 'We are British citizens, we have paid our way our whole lives. It's a disgrace.' Neurosurgeon Dr Vicenc Gilete performed the painstaking operation at Teknon Hospital in Barcelona. The 13-and-a-half-hour surgery on May 20 involved inserting metal rods into her spine and re-setting the position of her skull and brain stem (Pictured: Sarah at home on June 27, 2022) Guy, who had been forced to drive at just 40mph to avoid any sudden movements, comforted his wife while they were 'treated like criminals' during the Border Force search The couple, who have a 14-year-old daughter, eventually made it back home to their home in Pershore, Worcestershire, where Rachel (pictured) is now recovering Rachel said: 'The recovery time for this operation is 12 months minimum. 'Dr Gilete showed us a picture of the operation and it looked like a shark attack, which shows how severe it is. 'I'll be doing physiotherapy every day to regain my strength. I'll always have to turn from my hips but my one goal is to take the dogs for a walk with my family.' The couple are now raising money to pay back the 130,000 loan on their GoFundMe page. Advertisement A 15 year-old Boy Scout comforted a dying trucker in the wake of Monday's Amtrak derailment in Missouri that killed three and injured 50. Eli Skrypczak was traveling home to Wisconsin from a backpacking excursion to New Mexico when the train he was on struck the truck, with the youngster rushing to care for the mortally-wounded trucker during his final moments. Eli's father Dan Skrypczak, who is master of Appleton Troop 73, told the New York Post : 'He was pretty upset, he wishes he could have done more. 'Just trying to explain to him, you get hit by a high speed train, nobody could have done much for the truck driver. He did everything he could, he did the right thing. He provided comfort and aid.' None of the 16 Scouts or eight adults supervising them were injured on the smash. They were headed home to Appleton from the Philmont South Ranch when the Los Angeles to Chicago Southwest Chief train struck the truck at a public crossing, and came off the track. Survivors of a horror crash between an Amtrak passenger train and a dump truck in Missouri have told of the chaos that unfolded inside the carriages as the train left the tracks. Boy Scout Eli Skrypczak (pictured in red neckerchief both left and right) helped comfort a dying trucker in the wake of Monday's Amtrak derailment in Mendon, Missouri. He was traveling home to Wisconsin with his troop leader father Dan and other Scouts from a backpacking trip to New Mexico when tragedy struck Three people were confirmed dead in the crash - two on the train and one in the dump truck - after the eight cars and its two locomotives derailed when they collided with the vehicle, which was blocking a public crossing. More than 50 people were injured, at least nine of whom were rushed to a University of Missouri Health Care hospital in Columbia with severe injuries, the Chariton County Ambulance Service said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. 'It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust,' Nightingale said. 'Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didn't hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying.' Nightingale was unhurt in the crash, and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision completely destroyed the dump truck, he said. 'It was all over the tracks,' said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed on to its side. 'The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car,' Couture told WDAF-TV. 'Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands.' Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Cheryl Benjamin, a passenger who was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan when the accident occurred, confirmed the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Shocking photos taken in the immediate aftermath of the train wreck show a female passenger being helped out of a window, while others were seen atop overturned cars. Missouri officials have declared a 'large fatality event' after an Amtrak train collided with a dump truck at a public railroad crossing and overturned An Amtrak train which derailed after striking a dump truck is seen beyond a corn field Monday, near Mendon, Missouri The Southwest Chief Train 4, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, collided with the truck that was obstructing the public crossing and came off the tracks at Mendon in Missouri around 12:42 p.m. CT Monday A worker looks over the decimated remnants of a dump truck that that was struck by an Amtrak train, causing it to derail The derailment is seen in an aerial image. The federal National Transportation Safety Board is deploying a 14-member 'go-team' to the site of the derailment to investigate The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said Rob Nightingale, one of the train passengers, went live on Facebook, showing the aftermath of the accident as the passengers awkwardly prop themselves against the side of the toppled over train car, and avoid stepping on glass The wreck occurred at 12.42pm CT yesterday, when the Southwest Chief Train 4 collided with a truck that was obstructing a public crossing and came off the tracks near Mendon, Missouri, about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Amtrak confirmed to DailyMail.com. The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said. Amtrak said in a statement there were 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time of the crash. State troopers said the total number of people on the train may have been lower, but estimated that it was at least 200. The federal National Transportation Safety Board deployed a 14-member 'go-team' to the site of the derailment to investigate, while State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Brown said there was still an 'active and ongoing investigation at the scene' yesterday evening, confirming that all the injured had been transported to area hospitals. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement that he was 'saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries in the Missouri train derailment today,' adding that Federal Railroad Administration staff would support the investigation. 'We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted,' Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Twitter. Journalist Nylah Burton, who was on a separate Amtrak train set to depart Albuquerque, says she was informed of the possible deaths and injuries by a staff member who came into her car to announce a delay caused by the incident. She tweeted: 'An @Amtrak train just derailed in Kansas City (there are likely fatalities but they don't know all the details) so I'm stuck in Albuquerque tonight because the train can't go any further.' A Twitter user called Durand shared the shocking snaps, saying: 'Oh no.. #Amtrak derailment somewhere in #Missouri.' Amtrak confirmed to DailyMail.com that multiple injuries were reported, but no additional details were released. The Amtrak train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it collided with a dump truck at a public crossing in Mendon, Missouri and derailed from the tracks. Mendon is about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri Survivors of an Amtrak crash in Missouri shared a photo of themselves atop the overturned train A broken truck axle was photographed close to the track in the aftermath. It's still unclear why the truck was in the crossing One person in the dump truck, presumed to be the driver, was killed in the collision. The truck's chassis is seen above Amtrak said in a statement that there were 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time of the crash One passenger tweeted that the survivors (above) took refuge at a local high school in Mendon, Missouri, writing: 'So thankful for the people here, safely at the Northwestern high school near Mendon. This town pulled together to help everyone' Amtrak tweeted that the Southwest Chief Train 3, which was scheduled to depart Chicago, was canceled. Amtrak asks passengers whose travel plans are affected to contact 1-800-USA-RAIL for further assistance. Individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard the derailed train should call 1-800-523-9101. The derailment came one day after another Amtrak train collided with a car at a crossing in Brentwood, California, on Sunday afternoon, killing three women, and injuring several others. Three women, all over the age of 50, were pronounced dead at the scene in Sunday's crash, according to The Mercury News. Authorities say the car pulled into a long rural dirt driveway near the intersection of Orwood Road and Bixler Road around 1pm when the Amtrak train rammed into it. The car then careened off the road and hit another vehicle. A child and two men were also hospitalized with serious injuries, and another person suffered from moderate injuries. In total, a spokeswoman for BNSF Railway told the New York Times there were 'approximately' five people injured, though the number remains in dispute. On Sunday (above), three women were killed and four others were injured in a separate crash when an Amtrak train slammed into a car at around 1pm in Brentwood, California. Authorities say the car careened off the road following the impact and hit another vehicle in Sunday's crash (above) Those who were seriously wounded were rushed to the John Muir Medical Center after the crash on Sunday afternoon, according to ABC News. One of the adults was airlifted and the child was transported by the ground, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The victims were all inside the four-door sedan when it was struck, officials say, and Battalion Chief Craig Auzenne, of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, told reporters at the scene that none of the 81 passenger or five crew members on board the train were injured. In fact, he said, the train came to a stop about a quarter-mile from where the sedan slammed into an SUV. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. But East Contra Costa Fire Department officials say they'd already been called out to that train crossing twice last year because it does not have a traffic guard. 'It's a bad crossing,' Steve Aubert, a fire marshal said, noting that trains travel at about 80mph on the tracks. 'It's just a recipe for disaster unfortunately.' An Amtrak passenger train also derailed in north central Montana in September. Three people were killed. Astronomers discovered two craters on the moon after what is considered to be a mysterious rocket crash of a forgotten rocket stage that struck the far side of the moon in March. Scientists still do not know for sure which rocket the wayward debris originated from and they continue to be perplexed about why the impact excavated two craters and not only one. Mark Robinson said that the incident was "cool" because it was an "unexpected outcome." Mysterious Double Crater on the Moon Robinson, a professor of geological sciences at Arizona State University and serves as the principal investigator for the camera aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The craft has been responsible for photographing the moon since 2009. He reported the discovery of the craters on Friday on the website that stores images taken by the lunar orbiter. The controversy surrounding the rocket crash began in January when Bill Gray, who is the developer of Project Pluto, a suite of astronomical software used in calculating the orbits of asteroids and comets, tracked what seemed to be the discarded upper stage of a rocket, as per the New York Times. The crash was found to have occurred at around 7:25 a.m. Eastern time on Mar. 4, but the exact orbit of the object was unknown. This means that there was some uncertainty about the time and place of the impact. Read Also: Researchers Assume a Nearly Oxygen-Free Environment on Mars Where Some Life Forms Thrive Gray noted that the rocket part was the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 that launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in February 2015. According to CNN, the incident came as the moon lacks a protective atmosphere similar to our planet, causing it to be littered with craters created when objects like asteroids regularly slam into its surface. However, the recent discovery is the first time a piece of space junk unintentionally hit the lunar surface that experts know. Craters on the Moon's Surface But there have been previous instances of craters being a result of spacecraft deliberately being crashed into the moon. For instance, four large moon craters are attributed to the Apollo 13, 14, 15, and 17 missions and are all much larger than each of the two new craters discovered. Gray later said that his initial theory of the rocket part being from a SpaceX rocket was wrong, changing his claim to the object coming from a 2014 Chinese lunar mission, which NASA has agreed with. However, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that the booster was from its Chang'e-5 moon mission Chinese authorities said that the rocket in question burned up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The situation comes as no agencies systematically track space debris so far away from our planet and the confusion regarding the origin of the craters has underscored the need for official agencies to monitor deep-space junk more closely. So far, no spacefaring nation has taken credit, or blame, for the mysterious rocket part that struck the moon's surface. In a press release, NASA said, "Since the origin of the rocket body remains uncertain, the double nature of the crater may indicate its identity," Business Insider reported. Related Article: NASA Discovers Half-Exploded Star That Survived Supernova, Became Even Brighter @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A Ukrainian family-of-nine who escaped their war-torn home to Britain are now facing eviction. Has your Ukrainian family been hit by an eviction from your home in Britain like this? Has your Ukrainian family been hit by an eviction from your home in Britain like this? E-mail: dan.sales@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement Maxim, 36, and wife Olga Hyryk fled from Kyiv with their children and elderly parents just last month. They were given sanctuary in a two bedroom bungalow in Fareham, Hants, which was next door to their hosts. Maxim and Olga moved in with their mothers Olena, 60, Hanna, 69, twins Maksym and David, 7, Amiran and Tamerlane, 2, and daughter Nikol, 1 on May 11. But three weeks ago the family were told by Hampshire County Council that Maxim and his family had to move. Then on June 15 they got a legal letter from their landlord's solicitor telling them they would have to get out by July 15. Their internet access was shut off immediately and now the family have been forced to turn to fundraising to find somewhere else to live. Maxim told The Sun: 'We came here with nothing, just the clothes we were wearing and as much stuff as we could cram into a rucksack. Maxim and Olga moved in with their mothers Olena, 60, Hanna, 69, twins Maksym and David, 7, Amiran and Tamerlane, 2, and daughter Nikol, 1 on May 11 Maxim, 36, and wife Olga Hyryk fled from Kyiv with children and elderly parents last month Hanna, 69, was among the family and now also has to find a new home after the eviction notice 'We love this country and want to make it our home. 'We fled as the Russian's started bombing Kyiv, we got in the car and drove with everything we could fit inside it. 'The children didn't know what was happening but it was very scary, it took us nine days to get to Poland as we had to stop driving during the curfew.' 'Everyone has been so incredibly friendly right from the start, we've been made to feel so welcome here. 'England is full of good people and everybody we've met or who has helped us since we've been here has been very kind. 'After the trauma of driving through a warzone with our children and elderly parents, we just want a bit of normality after everything that's happened.' The bungalow where the family of nine from Ukraine are currently living but facing eviction On June 15 they got a legal letter from their landlord's solicitor saying they would have to go The large family traveled by car from Kyiv to Poland on March 11 and had stayed for two months The family's desperation has meant they now have to crowdfund to try and get rent together The large family traveled by car from Kyiv to Poland on March 11. They stayed there for two months before the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme secured them a place to live. The Homes for Ukraine Scheme says hosts will provide residence for at least six months and should give guests two months' notice. Maxim added: 'We don't know why we have to go, no one has given us a reason. 'Being told we have to leave was awful, we've got very young children, one of whom has autism and we also have elderly parents. 'After all of the upheaval we've been through we just wanted a bit of normality and stability. Olena, 60, with one of the children in happier times before the eviction was then activated Four of the youngsters in the family beam despite their ordeal after the Russian invasion 'At first, the landlord was very helpful and helped us get set up with some of the local services while other friends have helped with schools and the doctor. 'Things were going really well and they were so helpful to Olga and I.We were looking at settling in the area properly and making it our home.' A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: 'The national guidance relating to the Homes for Ukraine scheme outlines the desire for sponsors to be able to provide accommodation for six months or more, to give time for individuals and families to find their feet and integrate into life in the UK. 'Most arrangements appear to be working well but occasionally hosts or guests may wish to end the sponsorship arrangement. 'In those situations, they are asked to contact the local authority as quickly as possible so that support can be provided to either rematch or identify independent accommodation. 'The County Council and Fareham Borough Council, the local housing authority, are aware of this case and are working together to ensure support is in place.' The landlord declined to comment when approached. The family has set up a JustGiving page to raise money to pay for some new accommodation. To donate click here. How Homes for Ukraine red tape has left kind-hearted families in Britain frustrated and bewildered British families frustrated by Home Office red tape have revealed their fury at a 'broken' Homes for Ukraine application process that sees children asked if they are security threats and fathers fighting on the front line made to fill out consent forms. Kind-hearted hosts from across the UK have told MailOnline of how their efforts to open their homes have been hit with snags as thousands of desperate refugees remain stuck in limbo. The Government has come under fire for the slow processing of visa applications as Ukrainian evacuees, some as young as seven and travelling just with their siblings, are stuck in neighbouring countries with little money and no food or spare clothes. Of further concern to hosts is the cumbersome 50-page application process, which asks schoolchildren to divulge if they have ever been considered a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom. Some hosts claim their sponsorship forms were 'lost', while other horror stories reveal visa applications for the same family saw one half allowed to come to the UK, while the other half were left waiting for a reply for a week. Meanwhile, another host from Manchester told MailOnline how the pair of Ukrainian girls his family hope to sponsor were asked, as part of the visa application, to attach a letter of consent from their father - who was conscripted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the war. Of further concern to hosts is the cumbersome 50-page application process, which asks schoolchildren to divulge if they have ever been considered a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom Another host from Manchester told MailOnline how the pair of Ukrainian girls his family hope to sponsor were asked, as part of the visa application, to attach a letter of consent from their father - who was conscripted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the war In March the Government announced the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme which will pay families 350-a-month to take in those fleeing Russian brutality for at least six months. Within hours of launching, the website for registering interest had crashed and subsequently more than 200,000 people signed up to the programme. Dr Paul Murray, a consultant scientist based in Bristol, has called on senior ministers and civil servants to quit Dr Paul Murray, a consultant scientist based in Bristol, hoped to house Ukrainian lawyer Yevheniaa Filippova, her son Lev, nine, and daughter Nelly, two, who are fleeing from port city of Odessa. He thinks senior ministers and civil servants should offer their resignations in the face of the 'national embarrassment' that is the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme. 'These are women and children who are vulnerable and need protecting', he told MailOnline. 'The incompetence is astounding. It is time for some senior civil servants and ministers to go. Dont they understand the situation for these refugees? 'The constant messaging of "we are simplifying the process", and "they dont need to go to a visa centre" is all bull****. This family break down in tears every time they call me because theyre stuck. This system is broken, and it's absolutely ridiculous. People must lose their jobs over this.' Ukrainian lawyer Yevheniaa Filippova, 39, and her daughter Nelly, 2, fled the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea, which has come under fire from Russian rockets in recent weeks Lev, nine, and Nelly have fled invading Russian troops in the west of Ukraine Other examples of the bureaucratic web that has delayed countless Homes for Ukraine applications have come to light in recent days. Compliance manager Andy Johnston and his family first submitted their applications to house two Ukrainian girls, Oleksandra, aged 15 and Anastasiia, 19, in their Manchester home four weeks ago. The girls' father was signed up to stay and fight for the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the start of the Russian invasion, meaning the sisters had to travel to Poland alone. Because Oleksandra doesn't own a passport, she was asked to travel to a visa processing centre hundreds of miles away in Warsaw, where she provided her evidence on March 31. Compliance manager Andy Johnston (pictured) and his family first submitted their applications to house two Ukrainian girls in their Manchester home four weeks ago Ukrainian refugees Oleksandra, and Anastasiia, 19, (right) are stuck in Poland with their supply of money, food and clothes rapidly running out Included within Oleksandra's forms was a question asking her to provide a letter of consent for her travel, authorised by a parent or guardian, before she could come to the UK. But as they wait for the results of her application, the girls are now stuck in Poland with no money, food or spare clothes, Andy explains. 'It's a really worrying situation', he tells MailOnline. 'We sent them some money to help them get to Poland, and now we're going to have to send them some more to help support them with the essentials. 'It has been 26 days since our initial priority application was submitted and we've not had any updates on their applications at all. It's shocking really.' Responding to the parental letters of consent, a Government spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The safety and wellbeing of asylum seeking children is paramount. Due to safeguarding requirements, unaccompanied minors are not currently eligible for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.' Home Secretary Priti Patel has been forced to apologise over delays to the visa scheme. Earlier this week, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the Home Secretary was 'looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers'. He told Sky News: 'Well obviously it's different for countries that are bordering the Ukraine, because people fleeing a war like this obviously will cross the nearest land border, and that's why countries like Poland and Hungary obviously are getting more of those refugees coming in. 'But we have now issued visas under the two schemes we've got, in particular the sponsorship scheme, to around 40,000 Ukrainians and around 12,000 of those are already here. 'We've made some changes already, making clear for instance that those with a Ukrainian passport don't need to attend an appointment in person, and I know that Priti Patel's looking very closely at this to look at whatever else can be done to remove any barriers as and when those arise.' Home Secretary Priti Patel last week apologised 'with frustration' over the amount of time it was taking for Ukrainians to arrive in the UK under current visa schemes In only six weeks of war in Ukraine, close to five million children have been forced to flee their homes and immigrate as refugees to neighbouring countries. Pictured: Ukrainian mothers in Krakow, Poland attend a protest against the killing of children in Ukraine People who fled the war in Ukraine rest inside an indoor sports stadium being used as a refugee center, in the village of Medyka, a border crossing between Poland and Ukraine Ruth Girardet, a leadership coach who lives in London, faced multiple hurdles before her refugees' claims were accepted and describes the application system as 'utterly broken'. She filled out sponsorship forms for a Ukrainian mother and her two daughters, aged seven and 11 on March 21. Within one of the pages on the 50-page application, the questionnaire asks the schoolchildren if they have ever been considered a threat to the UK's national security. 'I was astonished. The system is utterly broken', she told MailOnline. Ruth Girardet, a leadership coach who lives in London, faced multiple hurdles before her refugees' claims were accepted and describes the application system as 'utterly broken' To compound her frustration, Ruth was told by the office of her MP, Emily Thornberry, that documentation for the third and final visa had been 'lost'. After enquiring about this, the final visa was eventually processed and accepted five days later, but the group only had one permission to travel form for the children. That delay meant they were stuck in Poland and were told by border officials that their UK visas were ready to go, but they were not authorised to print them. Several of those who offered their homes to Ukrainians within the first few days of the Homes for Ukraine scheme opening say they feel left behind as they claim more recent applications appear to be fast-tracked ahead of theirs. Senior civil servants, including Second Permanent Secretary Simon Ridley, who worked on the Government's Covid Task Force, and policy expert Louise Horton were understood to have been parachuted in to help streamline the process. A Home Office hotline and separate email address were initially set up to deal with the thousands of incoming requests, but have since become less responsive, several hosts have said. In some cases, hosts say that their applicants' visas letters were due to arrive within two days - but are still yet to materialise weeks later. The first four days appear to be the biggest hurdle, people who applied when the scheme first launched are being left behind, while those applying now are getting through quicker', Ruth adds. Thats shocking because those applying first were the ones who are most in need and in danger.' Her frustration is being shared by other prospective hosts hundreds of miles away. Businessman David Steward slammed the government's 'failed' efforts to house Ukrainian refugees - comparing their plight to the 1940s generation of Brits who leapt into action to save more than 330,000 British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk. He says conversations with the Ukrainian family he had been trying to sponsor have become more difficult to face as he hears the deafening blare of air raid sirens in the background. 'The opportunity to help those fleeing a land war in Ukraine is this generation's Dunkirk Little Ships moment. 'The government are either hindering it with an under-resourced, hopeless system, or are actively obstructing it.' A government spokesman told MailOnline: 'We continue to process visas for the Homes for Ukraine scheme as quickly as possible, but accept progress has not been quick enough. 'The Home Office has made changes to visa processing the application form has been streamlined, Ukrainian passport holders can now apply online and do their biometrics checks once in the UK, and greater resource has gone into the system. 'UK Visa and Immigration caseworkers are working as quickly as possible to process applications, but it is absolutely essential to ensure that issues of human trafficking are addressed and that safeguarding processes are in place to ensure children are travelling with their parents.' Pictured: Suspected sex traffickers at the border with Ukraine, who could be looking for women. (Their faces have been pixellated for legal reasons) An ex-army soldier talks to a Ukrainian refugee mother and child at the Polish/Ukraine boarder. (His face has been pixellated to protect his privacy) It comes as the United Nation's refugee agency warned Ukrainian women and children should not be matched with single male hosts over fears they could be exploited. A spokesperson for the UNHCR said: 'Matching done without the appropriate oversight may lead to increasing the risks women may face, in addition to the trauma of displacement, family separation and violence already experienced.' Those concerns were echoed by the UK's Charity Commission who want to 'raise awareness of the risk of sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment of those in need of assistance'. Unbound Now, a network of anti-human trafficking agencies, say they had seen lone men try to lure women into vehicles at the Ukraine-Poland border. 'It's a challenging situation at the moment,' concedes a spokesman for the charity. A climate activist who allegedly blocked peak hour traffic and stranded thousands of commuters on one of Sydney's busiest roads has been accused by The Project hosts of being privileged. Mali Cooper, 22, was among 10 people charged on Monday evening after dozens of Blockade Australia protesters hit the streets in the morning to cause chaos for commuters in Sydney's CBD. She filmed herself behind the wheel of a car blocking the entrance to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel causing kilometres of gridlock, leading to one furious commuter screaming insults at her. Appearing on The Project on Tuesday evening after spending a night behind bars, Ms Cooper said she was glad to have the opportunity to speak about climate issues. Activist Mali Cooper (pictured) defended allegedly gridlocking Sydney traffic because she believes it will get people talking about climate change and not Blockade Australia protesters, but she also acknowledged the protesters were acting in a privileged way Ms Cooper's white hatchback allegedly blocked the entrance to Sydney Harbour Tunnel on Monday morning (pictured) 'I'm glad to be out and to have had a chance to see my family and to be here to have this conversation,' Ms Cooper said. She explained her 'anxiety' about the way the planet is being treated led her to allegedly chain herself to the steering wheel of a car blocking the entrance to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel - leaving Sydneysiders stuck in their cars as they tried to go about their day. Critics of the stunt said there could have been emergencies such as ambulances or women in labour that were trapped in the gridlock. But Ms Cooper defended the Blockade Australia's actions to The Project's audience. 'There are people who are determined to extract vast numbers of resources from this planet,' she said. 'It's typically less privileged people who experience the impact of climate change and climate devastation that is happening now.' Host Kate Langbroek questioned whether the group's tactics were the best way to win widespread support for action on climate change or whether they were damaging the cause. 'What do you think that your disruption has to do with climate change? People find you to be extremely divisive,' Langbroek said. 'You talk about privilege but the ultimate privilege was probably you deciding whether people could get to work or not?' The white hatchback Ms Cooper was allegedly driving was parked sideways over two lanes of traffic - causing chaos for the thousands of people who use the tunnel every hour (pictured) Ms Cooper said she believed her actions were prompting a conversation on climate issues and she 'has no regrets'. 'There's a bigger conversation that needs to happen about climate change and I think that not a lot of people get a chance to speak on national television about this really important situation that impacts all of us.' 'I recognise my privilege in the world and I recognise that I'm privileged talking to you.' 'It is so important that I am here and I am having this conversation and we open up a discussion about how we move forward and how we take steps to support our life systems, support one another and ensure that we take climate action.' Host Waleed Aly then asked if Ms Cooper's intention was to 'cause chaos, perhaps get arrested and then get on television to be able to talk about these issues'. She replied that the disruption itself was the goal because that 'has been proven time and again to have an effect that allows change to happen'. 'We need radical change to save the planet'. 'I don't regret anything. I also don't want to be in this position but I think it's important in this critical time that we don't stay silent and we speak up.' Ms Cooper allegedly chained herself to the steering wheel with a bike lock (left) causing gridlock for kilometres with one furious commuter hurling disgusting insults at her (right) The woman was eventually arrested by several officers and the tunnel reopened around 9am Ms Cooper was released after being held by police on Monday night but is still facing up to $22,000 in fines courtesy of new laws brought in to crack down on disruptive and dangerous protests. Mali is accused of parking a white hatchback across the road leading into the busy tunnel leaving motorists on their way to work banked up for kilometres. She was confronted by a furious driver while filming a livestream of her alleged protest and later had to be cut from the car by officers from the Police Rescue Squad. Six women and four men aged between 21 and 49 from three states were arrested and charged with a string of offences related to willfully preventing the free passage of a person or vehicle. Police established Strike Force Guard vowing to maintain a highly visible presence in the CBD for the rest of the week after Blockade Australia warned of further disruptions. 'It is unacceptable that a small number of people - who have little to no regard for everyday individuals going about their lives, are causing unnecessary disruptions to their morning commute,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said. 'What these individuals are doing is both illegal and unsafe, putting the lives of themselves, the general public and our officers in danger by running on roadways and blocking roads by other means to disrupt traffic.' Dozens of specialist officers were deployed to assist in the operation, including the Public Order and Riot Squad, Mounted Police, Rescue Squad, Dog Squad, Traffic and Highway Patrol and Transit Police. Dozens descended on Sydney's centre, carrying signs and chanting as they demanded action for climate change Both sides of the NSW government condemned the protestors' actions. 'I would say this to the protesters: Go and get a real job,' Deputy Premier Paul Toole said. 'Go and talk to somebody who's actually been delayed in getting to work today.' Labor opposition leader Chris Minns added: 'We may have had women waiting to get to emergency departments, birthing centres to give birth to children or [other] emergencies,' Blockade Australia warned on its Facebook page on Monday night that resistance will continue every day this week. Mali began to stream the protest when an angry driver walked up to her window and began to verbally abuse her with a string of swear words before storming off. 'You're f***ing everyone's day up,' he yells. 'Get the f*** out of the way!' An unfazed Mali continues to look at the camera before she responds: 'To this man I would say I stand with you. It is for you, it is for your family that we do this.' She allegedly staged the protest as dozens of Blockade Australia demonstrators marched through the streets kilometres away in the CBD, disrupting traffic and clashing with police. A police officer picks up milk crates left on the street as demonstrators were seen throwing bins and objects into the path of police to slow them down One fed-up driver was filmed edging their car through the crowd forcing people to jump out of its way with one protestor banging on the hood of the car as they were pushed backwards. Mali, who moaned about climate destruction in her stream, then sipped water from a plastic water bottle as she continued her alleged protest on the other side of the city. 'The police are here,' she said into the camera. 'Not sure if you can see. Thank you everyone who has listened. 'I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to hold this phone and hold this space. It's a big day ahead.' The tunnel is one of the major thoroughfares taking commuters across the city's harbour, and is used by up to 2,000 cars every hour. All traffic had been diverted via the Harbour Bridge and drivers were backed up for several kilometres. A man picked up a barricade fence and ran away as protests choked traffic in the CBD on Monday Extraordinary footage captured in Sydney's CBD shows the moment members of the extremist Blockade Australia group were almost hit by an SUV while standing in an intersection near Wynyard Park. One enraged driver drove straight through the demonstration, as protesters fruitlessly tried to stop the vehicle and chase it across the road - almost getting run over in the process. Acting Assistant Commissioner Dunstan slammed the protester's actions and said Mali 'placed herself at risk, placed members of the public at risk, and placed rescuers at risk.' 'The throwing of bicycles, the throwing of garbage bins, the throwing of other items in the path of police, in the path of media, in the path of innocent members of the public just walking by will not be tolerated and cannot be by the people of NSW.' Advertisement More people have risked choppy seas in the English Channel to reach the UK by small boats today despite new laws threating to jail migrant captains for life coming into force. One group of migrants on a black inflatable dingy was filmed this morning by a passenger on board a cross Channel ferry heading between Calais and Dover. The passenger saw the boat struggling across the Channel at approximately 7.30am. The witness said: 'It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.' Hours later, a Border Force vessel disembarked a group of approximately 50 migrants in Dover, including women and children. The Border Force vessel Defender brought the group ashore at the harbour at the Port of Dover to be processed by immigration officers. A small boy, apparently upset and crying, was carried by his father as they got off the boat and walked up the gangway. The Nationality and Borders Act came into force today introducing the tougher sentencing for those who smuggle migrants into the UK - up from 14 years imprisonment. Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'This is one of the most crucial milestones in delivering on our promise to the British public to take back control of our borders. 'While there is no single solution to the global migration crisis, these reforms which come into effect today play a vital role in overhauling the broken asylum system as we put our New Plan for Immigration into action. 'We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that we offer protection and sanctuary to those in genuine need; but these new measures will enable us to crack down on abuse of the system and the evil people-smugglers, who will now be subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment as a result of this law coming into force.' This small rubber dingy was filmed today from a cross channel ferry as it struggled between northern France and Dover These migrants, including children, arrived in Dover shortly before lunchtime on board Border Force Typhoon Almost 2,800 migrants have been intercepted crossing the Channel this month - more than the entire figure for 2020 Almost 29,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, compared with 5,654 and 2,449 over the same time in 2021 and 2020 respectively Dover MP Natalie Elphicke has said: 'These shocking figures underline yet again why urgent action is needed. 'It's disappointing that the efforts being made by the Government to save lives and stop the people traffickers are being undermined by people who should know better. 'They should think again and support the action being taken to bring these treacherous journeys to an end. 'Let's not forget that these criminal smuggling gangs have a callous disregard for everyone. 'Too many lives have been lost in doomed attempts to cross the English Channel. It needs to end.' According to the MoD, a total of 153 migrants on four boats were intercepted by the UK authorities on Monday June 27 with almost 2,800 people arriving during June. Today's official figure will not be available until tomorrow morning. Today's migrants face being dealt with parts of the new Nationality and Borders Act came into force today, including provisions to jail migrant boat captains for life. The new rules also allow the government to strip foreign born offenders of their British citizenship, including the ability to deport people ahead of their release from prison. Also, migrants arriving on small boats today have fewer rights and less access to public services as part of the Government's clampdown. The recent crossings bring the total of people reaching the UK so far this year to 12,312 compared to 5,654 by this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020. Last week, 12 boats were intercepted with 516 people on board, a further 153 arrived yesterday on four boats Those arriving in the UK today will have fewer rights and less access to public services than previous migrants provisions contained with the Nationality and Border Act came into force overnight No migrants were spotted attempting to cross into the UK on 11 days during, June. Although on June 14, 444 people made it across the channel (pictured, people arriving in Dover this lunchtime) One migrant vessel struggling across the Channel was a small inflatable dingy filmed from a cross channel ferry. A passenger on board the 7am DFDS freight ferry from Calais to Dover filmed the heavily laden black inflatable boat as it barely made headway across the 21 miles separating France from England. The migrant boat was spotted around 7.30am today. One witness said: 'I was sitting in the cafe at the front of the ferry and just out of the corner of my eye I spotted the small raft. 'I rushed to the back of the ferry where you can go outside.' He added: 'It looked to have around 15 to 20 on board and was approximately one mile off the coast of Calais. 'It was a clear day, and the sea was like a millpond, you could see the amount of large freighters tracking the channel. 'It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. 'Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is. 'It must have been 500 metres from the ferry.' Figures for today are not available yet, though a group of approximately 50 migrants were seen disembarking a Border Force vessel in Dover shortly before lunchtime Home Secretary Priti Patel has brought in new rules for dealing with asylum seekers who enter the UK on small boats, giving them fewer rights and less access to public services than earlier arrivals The Home Secretary is determined to continue her plan to send migrants to Rwanda for processing At the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to give a figure by which Channel crossings needed to come down before the Government's Rwanda migrant policy could be declared a success The first flight to Rwanda, planned for June 14, was cancelled at the last minute following an order from the European Court of Human Rights, (Pictured: Migrants arriving in the UK today at Dover) Border Force personnel assisted the migrants ashore in Dover following their interception earlier today in the channel What is the Nationality and Borders Act and how will it impact cross channel migrants Under the Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) which comes into force on Tuesday June 28, anyone caught piloting a boat carrying migrants in the Channel could face life behind bars. The measures, which received Royal Assent in April, include tougher penalties for those who pilot a small boat or smuggle migrants into the UK by other dangerous or illegal means, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Also the maximum penalty for illegally entering the UK or overstaying a visa has increased from six months to four years' imprisonment. Those who did not come to the UK directly, did not claim without delay, or did not show good cause for their illegal entry or presence, may be given a shorter grant of permission to stay with a minimum of 30 months instead of five years. Immigration officers have also been given new powers to search containers for illegal migrants and foreign national offenders held in UK prisons can now be removed 12 months before the end of their custodial sentence. Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured here in Parliament, said the new rules were part of the government's plan to 'take back control' of the nation's borders Also, the Government has powers to limit visas for those from countries which pose a 'risk to international peace and security and those that refuse to take back their own citizens who have no right to be in the UK. Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'This is one of the most crucial milestones in delivering on our promise to the British public to take back control of our borders. 'While there is no single solution to the global migration crisis, these reforms which come into effect today play a vital role in overhauling the broken asylum system as we put our New Plan for Immigration into action. 'We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that we offer protection and sanctuary to those in genuine need; but these new measures will enable us to crack down on abuse of the system and the evil people-smugglers, who will now be subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment as a result of this law coming into force.' The NABA also includes changes to laws that previously denied British nationality to some children of British Overseas Territory citizens. Previously, women with British Overseas Territory citizenship could not pass on British nationality to children born outside the UK and its territories before January 1 1983. Similarly, children born to unmarried British Overseas Territory fathers before July 1 2006 could not acquire British nationality through their father. Rules requiring children born outside an Overseas Territory to British Overseas Territory citizen parents to be registered within 12 months of their birth in order to qualify for citizenship are being scrapped. Advertisement So far this month, the MoD said 2,748 migrants were intercepted on 67 boats with 444 arriving on June 14 alone - they day when Home Secretary Priti Patel's 500,000 flight to Rwanda was abandoned due to court challenges. At the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to give a figure by which Channel crossings needed to come down before the Government's Rwanda migrant policy could be declared a success. The first flight to Rwanda, planned for June 14, was cancelled at the last minute following an order from the European Court of Human Rights. Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously described the court's decision as politically motivated while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted. Ongoing court battles have created uncertainty over when any further attempts to fly asylum seekers to the African country will be made, although Ms Patel has said the Government 'will not be deterred from doing the right thing, we will not be put off by the inevitable last-minute legal challenges'. Amnesty International condemned the new rule changes which came into force today claiming they break the UK's commitments under the 1951 Refugee Convention, with Ms Patel 'unlawfully rewriting' what it means to be a refugee. Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK's Refugee and Migrant Rights Director said: 'It's a truly bleak day for refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. 'Despite widespread opposition, including on its own backbenches, the Government has today ripped up the 1951 Refugee Convention and shamefully abandoned the international responsibility it owes to refugees. 'Priti Patel's talk of targeting criminal gangs is a cynical distraction from her true intent - which is to penalise, punish and deter people from ever seeking asylum in this country. 'Completely contrary to the Home Secretary's claims, the measures in this act will make people even more vulnerable to smugglers and abusers while doing further damage to the UK asylum system and dragging the UK's reputation through the mud.' Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously described the court's decision as politically motivated while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted One group of migrants today was spotted by passengers on a Cross Channel ferry that was on its way to Dover Today's migrants will be dealt with under a new system which gives them fewer rights following a change in the law Migrant boat filmed just 500 yards from a Cross Channel ferry One migrant vessel struggling across the Channel was a small inflatable dingy filmed from a cross channel ferry. A passenger on board the 7am DFDS freight ferry from Calais to Dover filmed the heavily laden black inflatable boat as it barely made headway across the 21 miles separating France from England. The migrant boat was spotted around 7.30am today. One witness said: 'I was sitting in the cafe at the front of the ferry and just out of the corner of my eye I spotted the small raft. 'I rushed to the back of the ferry where you can go outside.' The boat risked crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes to make its way to the UK He added: 'It looked to have around 15 to 20 on board and was approximately one mile off the coast of Calais. 'It was a clear day, and the sea was like a millpond, you could see the amount of large freighters tracking the channel. 'It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. 'Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is. 'It must have been 500 metres from the ferry.' Advertisement Boris Johnson is on the verge of ditching a Tory manifesto pledge on boosting defence spending despite Ben Wallace warning the 'peace dividend is over'. A senior government source has acknowledged that the 2019 promise to increase budgets by 0.5 percentage points above inflation might have to be abandoned. The source pointed out that the public finances had been battered by Covid and inflation is set to hit 11 per cent this year. 'The intention is always to honour manifesto commitments but they were made before 400 billion was spent coping with a global pandemic that none could have possibly foreseen,' the source said. But Mr Wallace has been cranking up demands for higher military spending to counter the threat from Russia. He warned at a RUSI think-tank event defence can no longer exist on a 'diet of smoke and mirrors', pointing out that ministers had behaved like 'corporate raiders' for decades as they diverted money to the NHS and other services. He is believed to be arguing for budgets to rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2028 - well above the Nato minimum of 2 per cent. That would be equivalent to around 10billion a year more. In a letter to Mr Johnson, Mr Wallace highlighted alarming gaps in capabilities such as a lack of drones, not enough pilots to fly multi-billion-pound stealth jets and a shortage of crew aboard Royal Navy nuclear submarines. Speaking as he left the G7 summit in Germany today, the PM played down the prospect - saying the government was already making 'massive commitments'. Paul Johnson, director of respected IFS think-tank, tweeted a chart showing how more money for health budgets had been found by easing back on military spending since the 1950s. 'Reduction in defence spending over past 60 years made way for welfare state without need to raise taxes,' he said. 'No further scope to cut it and taxes are rising to record levels. If spending on defence *rises* again then more tax rises, or curtailing of welfare state, will be needed.' In a speech at a RUSI conference today, Ben Wallace argued that the UK's annual defence budget needs to keep rising Director Paul Johnson pointed out that the tax burden is already due to reach record levels as the government tries to balance the books in the wake of Covid Mr Johnson tweeted a chart showing how more money for health budgets had been found by easing back on military spending since the 1950s Speaking as he left the G7 summit in Germany today, the PM (pictured with Joe Biden) seemed to play down the prospect of a defence spending surge - saying the government was already making 'massive commitments' The speech is the second time in recent months Mr Wallace has called for more cash to prop up the Armed Forces. In March he wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak warning spending is at risk of dropping below the 2 per cent Nato minimum. Mr Wallace would use the additional funding to target specific capability gaps rather than upping the size of the Army which is expected to shrink to just 72,500 by 2025. However, the PM said: 'Clearly we have to respond to the way threats continue to change but don't forget that we now have got a defence budget that is 24billion bigger under the spending review the biggest increase since the end of the Cold War. 'Last year the UK was the third biggest defence spender in the world. We are making massive commitments. 'As a result of what we have already committed we have put the biggest increase since the end of the Cold War, we have more that met our pledge to exceed the 2% floor.' In his speech, Mr Wallace said there was a 'real danger' Vladimir Putin could 'lash out' against Europe. 'If the threat changed so must the funding. If governments historically responded every time the NHS has a winter crisis so must they when the threats to the very security which underpins our way of life increases,' he said. 'For too long defence has lived on a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed out formations and fantasy savings when in the last few years threats from states have started to increase. 'Right now Russia is the most direct and pressing threat to Europe, to our allies and these shores. I am serious when I say there is a very real danger Russia will lash out against wider Europe. In these days of long range missiles and stealth distance is no protection. 'The threat is growing, is global and multidomain. It is now time to signal that the peace dividend is over and investment needs to continue to grow before it becomes too late to address the resurgent threat and the lessons learned in Ukraine. It is time to mobilise, be ready and be relevant.' In another dramatic intervention at the RUSI conference, the new head of the Army General Sir Patrick Sanders said the country faces a '1937 moment' over Vladimir Putin's 'brutal aggression'. In a reference to the notorious policy of giving ground to the German dictator before the Second World War, he said the will to 'act rapidly' was the only way to prevent Russia's expansionism ending in all-out conflict in Europe. 'I will have an answer to my grandchildren should they ever ask what I did in 2022,' General Sanders said, adding that Beijing will be 'watching carefully' to see how the West responds. 'If we fail to deter there are no good choices,' he said. 'We must therefore meet strength with strength and be unequivocally prepared to fight.' Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with world leaders yesterday to give him the firepower to end Russia's war on Ukraine before winter. The Ukrainian President fears freezing temperatures in the country's eastern regions later this year will favour the Russian invaders and limit his troops' ability to defend their lands. In an impassioned address to the G7 summit, he asked for long-range weapons and air defence systems to be supplied before then. Speaking on a live-link to the Bavarian resort where the leaders are gathered, Mr Zelensky also asked for tougher sanctions on Moscow to thwart the Kremlin's war machine. He also requested further Western assistance to breach Russia's blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports which is preventing the export of the country's grain stocks. 'If Ukraine wins, you all win,' he said during his speech by video link. It came as Nato announced a seven-fold increase in numbers of troops on high readiness, from 40,000 to more than 300,000, as the defence alliance gathers for its own summit today. Soldiers would respond to any Russian incursion into Nato territory but would not enter Ukraine. National troops would be put on different alert levels so the alliance has more combat-ready forces ready on short notice. Pressure on the government's finances was laid bare last week when figures for May showed the cost of servicing the near-2.4trillion debt mountain surged to 7.6billion, a record for the month The government has been bringing in more revenue taxes as it struggles to balance the books after the Covid crisis Last night it was claimed that as part of the Nato pledge, Boris Johnson could announce a significant reinforcement for Estonia, potentially more than doubling the number of British troops available to the Baltic State. Urging the Western allies to increase their support for the war effort, Mr Zelensky pleaded yesterday: 'Don't let it drag on over winter' and urged them 'not to lower the pressure' in terms of sanctions. In a joint statement, the G7 leaders promised to support Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'. Ukrainian military chiefs want to mount a counter-offensive against the Russians this summer and autumn but lack the necessary firepower. Mr Zelensky is also desperate to address the vulnerability of his country's major cities to Russian missile attacks and yesterday received a boost from Washington with Joe Biden pledging the same air defence system which protects the White House and the Pentagon. More than 20 UK-purchased M109 howitzers are expected to reach the front line in days while the US pledged to provide the NASAMS system, which can destroy incoming missiles and aircraft at a range of up to 86 nautical miles. Military sources said it could be used to protect Kyiv and other cities. Russia's former president has warned any encroachment on the Crimea peninsula by a NATO member-state could amount to a declaration of war on Russia which could lead to 'World War Three'. Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin ally, also said that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would be ready for 'retaliatory steps' - and that could include installing Iskander hypersonic missiles 'on their threshold'. 'For us, Crimea is a part of Russia. And that means forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country,' Medvedev told the news website Argumenty i Fakty. 'And if this is done by a NATO member-state, this means conflict with the entire North Atlantic alliance; a World War Three. A complete catastrophe.' Crimea, a peninsula along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe, was claimed by Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia annexed it in 2014 after a military intervention by pro-Russian separatists and Russian Armed Forces. That was followed by a controversial Crimea-wide referendum, illegal under the Ukrainian and Crimean constitutions, whose official results showed over 90% support for reunification. Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev has warned any encroachment on the Crimea peninsula by a NATO member-state could amount to a declaration of war on Russia which could lead to 'World War Three' Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after a military intervention by pro-Russian separatists and Russian Armed Forces. That was followed by a controversial Crimea-wide referendum, illegal under the Ukrainian and Crimean constitutions, whose official results showed over 90% support for reunification The vote, however, was boycotted by many loyal to Ukraine and declared illegitimate by Western governments and the United Nations. Russia formally annexed Crimea on 18 March 2014. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also said that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would strengthen its borders and would be 'ready for retaliatory steps,' and that could include the prospect of installing Iskander hypersonic missiles 'on their threshold.' Breaking with decades of a policy of neutrality, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a historic move last month. NATO's existing 30 members are set to discuss the issue this month. Turkey has threatened to hold up the applications over the two countries' perceived support for Kurdish groups. Finland and Sweden have sought security assurances from the U.S. and other NATO countries during the application period. Russia has threatened 'military and political consequences' if the countries join NATO. Breaking with decades of a policy of neutrality, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a historic move last month Medvedev's warning comes as NATO chief Jens Stolenberg said the NATO allies will boost high readiness forces to 'well over 300,000' troops as they strengthen their defences in response to Russia's war on Ukraine Leaders from the US-led military alliance will meet in Madrid this week for what Stoltenberg said would be a 'transformative' summit as it grapples with the fallout of Moscow's invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. Stoltenberg said allies would bolster some of their battle group formations along NATO's eastern flank 'up to brigade level' - tactical units of around 3,000-5,000 troops - and ratchet up high readiness numbers to 'well over 300,000'. In addition, more heavy weaponry including air defence systems would be shifted forwards and forces pre-assigned to defend specific NATO members on the alliance's exposed eastern edge. 'This constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the Cold War,' Stoltenberg said. NATO currently has a high readiness force of around 40,000 troops under its command, but the more than 300,000 troops are expected to form a larger pool that the alliance could tap into in the case of an emergency. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chats with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as they arrive at the NATO summit venue in Madrid on Tuesday French troops inspect military vehicles at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, near the city of Constanta, Romania, on Tuesday A NATO official said the new system would be in place next year and improve the alliance's 'ability to respond at very short notice for any contingency' with land, sea, air and cyber assets. Stoltenberg also said leaders would agree to bolster NATO's essential support to embattled Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to call in via video link. That package would include 'substantial deliveries' of gear like secure communications, anti-drone systems and fuel, and help Ukraine over the longer term to pivot to using more advanced NATO-standard arms. This support is separate from weaponry that NATO members - spearheaded by the United States - are already funnelling to Ukraine, including anti-tank rockets, artillery and air defence to help it hold back Russia's onslaught. NATO has been building up its forces in the east of the alliance since Moscow first moved into Ukraine with the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The alliance has rushed tens of thousands more troops to the region since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24. NATO now has eight battle groups across its eastern members and Stoltenberg said some of these - likely in the Baltics and Poland - would be bolstered to 'brigade level'. Jittery leaders in the Baltics have pushed for major and permanent troop deployments that could stop the Kremlin's forces at NATO's border. Germany has said it would take the lead on a new brigade in Lithuania - where it already has forces - but most of those troops would be permanently stationed back on home soil. Britain's defence minister has said his country will likely propose a similar set-up for Estonia - where it commands the existing battle group. Stoltenberg said he expected other allies to announce forces dedicated to protecting specific eastern members at the summit that starts on Tuesday evening. CCTV footage captures the moment a one-year-old tot plummets headfirst from a balcony but is saved by bouncing off the back of a stunned shopper below. Unwitting hero Ruhi Asci was gazing through the window of a shop when the baby slipped between railings and fell from the first floor, hitting him below his shoulders. The youngster can be seen bouncing off and landing on the pavement behind him in the Haci Ilyas neighbourhood in the northern Turkish city of Amasya. Astonished, Ruhi turns around and finds the baby, named as Khatira Amiri, sitting on the concrete. As he picked up the youngster, the child's Afghan-born mother came running out and the baby was rushed to hospital by paramedics. A one-year-old baby fell from a balcony in Turkey and hit an unsuspecting shopper below, which may have saved her from hitting the pavement headfirst Ruhi Asci initially thought a flower pot had fallen and hit him, he was shocked to see a baby when he turned around The baby bounced off the floor having landed on the ground at a slower speed after hitting the man Local media reported that Khatira had been playing on a first-floor apartment balcony when the tot slipped through the railings. Amazed Ruhi said: 'At first, I thought a flower pot had fallen on me. When I turned around, I realised it was a child. 'They rolled off my back and hit the ground. A little blood came from their mouth and teeth.' Asci added: 'The ambulance arrived on the scene and they were taken to hospital with their mother.' Khatira was rushed to the Amasya University Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Education and Research Hospital for further medical care. Reports said the child was admitted to hospital in a stable condition in the company of their mother. It is unclear if the local authorities are investigating the incident. A young oil broker allegedly smashed a whisky glass into another city professional's head and slashed his ear during a late-night row over whose job was better, a court heard yesterday. Albie Crathern, 22, is said to have attacked 27-year-old headhunter Juan Carlos Roberts as the latter celebrated his birthday at a five-star London Hotel. Crather, of Romford, Greater London, denies wounding and claims Mr Roberts and his work colleague were 'taking the mickey' out of his claim to be a Square Mile broker. The alleged attack took place in the Nickel Bar of The Ned, near the Bank of England on February 18, 2019. Mr Roberts told Inner London Crown Court he had five whiskey cocktails and a beer with his workmate Tom Andrews when the defendant and a friend sat nearby at 9.30pm. Albie Crathern (pictured), 22, allegedly attacked 27-year-old headhunter Juan Carlos Roberts as the latter celebrated his birthday at a five-star London Hotel Initially Crathern seemed interested in what smart suited Mr Roberts was wearing and what he and his friend did for a living in the City, the trial heard. 'They started speaking to us and it got progressively more aggressive. He asked me where I went to university and told Tom if he had gone to university he would have a better job than recruitment. 'He made some sort of derogatory comment about us working in sales and I told him broking is also a sales job. 'It escalated and the defendant said to Tom, "Shut up, or I'll knock you out." I asked for the bill and started leaving and I stood in between both of them. 'He picked up my whisky glass and swung it and I saw it at the last second and turned my face away and the glass smashed my ear and neck.' However, after watching CCTV from the witness box Mr Roberts changed his evidence and admitted Crathern and his friend were face to face. The alleged attack took place in the Nickel Bar (pictured) of The Ned, near the Bank of England on February 18, 2019 He also conceded the whiskey glass was in his own hand. 'He takes it from my hand and hits me in the head, you can see it clearly,' added Mr Roberts. 'I had a laceration. My ear was hanging down and a shard of glass went through the back of my head and I had two surgeries. 'A few seconds after I lost some sort of consciousness and was ushered to the back of the hotel. When I took the shard of glass out of my head blood started gushing everywhere.' An ambulance rushed Mr Roberts to the Royal London Hospital. 'It was a fifty fifty chance they could save my ear and the first surgery was to reconnect the ear and the second surgery to remove broken glass.' He denied a defence suggestion of 'making up' the university jibe from Crathern and 'talking bull****' about the defendant being a legitimate oil trader. Crathern's lawyer Josh Normanton said: 'The suggestion is you are taking the mickey out of this defendant, ribbing and bullying him that he is making up being an oil trader.' Juan Carlos Roberts, 27, told Inner London Crown Court he had five whiskey cocktails and a beer with his workmate Tom Andrews before they encountered Crathern at 9.30pm Mr Roberts denied this, saying: 'I disagree that we antagonised him about his profession,' while also rejecting a suggestion that Crathern accidentally knocked the whiskey glass into his head. Crathern says he was striking at Mr Andrews and accidentally caught Mr Roberts' arm. 'You walk into this and as the defendant strikes across he hits your whiskey glass into your face,' suggested the lawyer. 'Is it true you are standing up to get in the defendant's face? It is an accident. You have gone into the confrontation and that glass has got knocked into your head.' Mr Roberts insisted: 'It was not accidental.' 'You are trying to find a way to ensure this defendant pays the penalty for the injuries you have suffered,' suggested Mr Normanton. 'It is a far from honest account. You have lied.' Mr Roberts quit his City job after the incident and no longer works in the area. 'I have slight paranoia about being outside and in the first year or so it was very challenging. 'I have a large amount of scarring where the shard of glass went through the back of my head.' He told the court he turned down the option of further cosmetic surgery. Earlier prosecutor John Livingston told the jury: 'He suffered tear injuries to his left ear and Mr Crathern inflicted the wound. 'A shard of glass was smashed into his ear, causing a severe wound. He tears part of the outside of the lobe and part of the ear behind.' Security staff detained Crathern and police were called to the hotel. He claimed he was acting in self-defence and told the officers: 'I have been provoked. I was reacting to what was said to me.' Advertisement Harsh critics have slammed the G7 leaders for 'sitting around for photo opportunities' as they posed without ties looking like they've 'woken up after a stag do.' The world's seven most powerful leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have been blasted online for their seemingly blase approach to the summit, as they were accused of trying to look 'hip and trendy.' Images of the politicians posing during a photo-call at Elmau Castle, Bavaria, have gone viral on social media - with many pointing out how 'relaxed' they looked. One critic online wrote: 'Why does the G7 Summit look like the dads and uncles at the end of a wedding who had 35 Heinekens and are accosting the photographer while their wives tell at them that their taxi is outside?' Another added: 'Of course Johnson's trousers are slipping down. Stag night mooning ready' while a third said that the Prime Minister looked as if he had been on a 'night out.' But others questioned the seriousness of the situation - accusing the leaders of the US, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Canada and Japan of just sitting around for 'endless photo opportunities.' The person said: 'G7 just sitting around for endless photo opportunities. Where's the agendas, minutes of these meetings? How long do they last? 'It's all staged nonsense. White shirts? Next they'll be wearing Primark military green t-shirts.' The G7 summit in Germany wrapped up on Tuesday with leaders pledging to fight back against Vladimir Putin 's war on food with $5 billion to help protect supplies, according to a senior U.S. official. From left to right British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi meet on the sidelines of the summit Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) welcomes Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) ahead of a bilateral meeting during the G7 leaders summit President Biden (right) playfully touches Prime Minister Johnson's arm during the G7 meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of France Emmanuel Macron during a 'quad' meeting at the G7 summit at Elmau Castle G7 leaders pose during a photocall at Elmau Castle, Bavaria yesterday. Left to right: Italian PM Mario Draghi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US President Biden, Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British PM Boris Johnson, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, French President Macron, and European Council chief Charles Michel Another critic was quick to spot that none of the seven male leaders were wearing a tie with their shirts and jackets. They added: 'This G7 looks so fake, all trying to look hip and trendy with no one wearing a tie.' Many onlookers mocked that the picture in Bavaria looked as if they were all part of a stag do or wedding party - with each leader playing their particular comical role. One person said that France's President Macron looked like a 'father in law, smiling politely but not overly joyful to be there.' And 'Uncle Boris' looked as if he had drunk a 'whole bottle of brandy' while Canada's Justin Trudeau was painted as the stag having a blast with his friends before the big day. Mr Johnson's personal photographer, Andrew Parsons, was present at the moment the G7 leaders stood and posed for the photo at Elmau Castle. He's employed as a Special Advisor part-time on the equivalent of 100,000 a year. Mr Parsons was previously employed by David Cameron while opposition leader and then on a short-term contract after he became Prime Minister. He however lost his cabinet desk and was moved onto Conservative Party payroll after Mr Cameron bowed to intense criticism about the appointment. Mr Parsons provided photographs for Boris Johnson during the 2019 election, for which his company was paid 45,000. He has since been put back on the public payroll by Mr Johnson. The photographer is also entrusted with taking photographs at Johnson family events - as well as at big political events like the G7. Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida during a 'quad' meeting at the G7 summit at Elmau Castle The men were called out by critics for their 'relaxed' attire during the G7 Summit Critics were quick to spot the dress code - and claimed that the G7 leaders were trying to look 'hip and trendy' in their pictures The G7 summit in Germany wrapped up on Tuesday with leaders pledging to fight back against Vladimir Putin's war on food with $5 billion to help protect supplies. President Joe Biden left the summit to fly from Germany to Madrid for a NATO summit after three days in the Bavarian Alps, where the Russian invasion of Ukraine has dominated proceedings. A senior administration official said more than half the funding - some $2.76 billion - will come from the U.S. to fight Putin's impact on food security. As well as Ukraine, the rise of China and its impact on global markets has exercised the delegations during their three days of discussions. The leaders of the US, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Canada and Japan agreed to develop a joint approach to remedying Beijing's 'non-market' international trade practices, according to the official. 'You'll see leaders release a collective statement, which is unprecedented in the context of the G7, acknowledging the harms caused by China's non-transparent, market-distorting industrial directives,' the official said. On Monday, they heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined by videolink. He asked for urgent help to end the war before the bitter winter months undermined his troops' ability to fight back. Hours later they condemned an 'abominable' Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. 'Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime,' they said. 'Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account.' A pro-EU activist famed as the 'Stop Brexit Man' who blasts loud music and abused MPs outside Parliament was silenced by policer today as new protest laws came into force. Failed Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Steve Bray accused police of harassment today as he had his powerful music system confiscated in Westminster. Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into force today, he was told by the Metropolitan Police this morning he could not conduct a 'noisy protest' within a designated area outside the palace of Westminster. He had been playing loud music and rambling abuse at politicians for years, either side of a failed bid to win a seat for the Lib Dems in his native Wales at the 2019 election. The 52 year old did not take the news badly, telling polite police officers they were 'a bunch of fascists' as they explained the new rules to him. He added that he was 'not a happy chap, getting harassed a lot', before seeing a police officer filming the scene and shouting 'up yours Priti Patel' at the camera. He later filmed himself approaching a car carrying Health Secretary Sajid Javid, tweeting: 'I'm not relenting or stopping. Nothing has changed.' But minutes later he tweeted a video showing police moving in and removing his sound system, leaving him to shout unaided. Failed Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Steve Bray accused police of harassment today as he was prevented from setting up his powerful music system in Westminster. The 52 year old did not take the news badly, telling polite police officers they were 'a bunch of fascists' as they explained the new rules to him. He added that he was 'not a happy chap, getting harassed a lot', before seeing a police officer filming the scene and shouting 'up yours Priti Patel' at the camera (file picture). From Port Talbot to Parliament: EU fanatic's one-man protest Steve Bray has been making noise outside Parliament since September 2017. The coin collector from Port Talbot initially become part of the landscape on Westminster's College Green, with his colourful ensemble of a EU-inspired top hat and a Union Flag cape regularly seen lurking in front of TV cameras. When the grandfather first shot on to the Westminster scene to interrupt news reports by floating behind interviewees with his anti-Brexit signs, the broadcasters forked out for raised towers to keep him out of shot. But he continued to heckle politicians and blast music at Parliament, despite vowing to stop in 2019. But his attempt to enter politics proper failed. Standing for the Lib Dems at the 2019 election in Cynon Valley in Wales, he came sixth with fewer than 1,000 votes and lost his deposit. While the daily protest may seem a thankless task for the numismatist, who uprooted from his Welsh home, Mr Bray has raised thousands of pounds in donations from Remain activists to sustain his comfortable lifestyle. It was revealed in 2019 that he had moved into a plum Westminster townhouse opposite Jacob Rees-Mogg, after receiving a handsome lump sum from Remainer plumbing mogul Charlie Mullins. One of his most memorable spats was with Theresa May's former deputy Damian Green who Mr Bray had asked how he felt about the crunch withdrawal deal vote. Mr Green refused to answer and said: 'No you can't, because you've just tried to shout over an interview I've done like you do everyone else. 'In a competitive field, you are the biggest w***ker.' Advertisement A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The man was using the equipment in a zone where the use of amplified equipment is prohibited. 'He was spoken to by officers on multiple occasions in relation to specific legislation regarding the use of the amplifying equipment and that it would be seized if he persisted.' The statement added: 'He was also reported for the offence. (This means that he will be considered for prosecution for the offence).' The laws came as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which included measures to curtail noisy protests. Officers said the equipment was being seized under section 145 of The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, which on Tuesday was extended to a wider area around the Houses of Parliament. Mr Bray started his one-man demonstration shouting about Brexit but has since focused on targeting Boris Johnson and Conservatives. His set list of songs from artists including the Bay City Rollers, the Sex Pistols, the Fun Boy Three and Sam Cook, on a heavy rotation. He plays regularly outside the palace on Wednesdays when he knows Mr Johnson will attend for Prime Minister's Questions, but also turns up on other days. People working in the side of the Parliamentary estate facing his protest have made noise complains but local authorities were hitherto unable to take action against a legitimate political protest. Today an offence of intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance is now available in an effort to crack down on disruptive 'guerrilla protests'. These are the sort of tactics which have been used by climate change protesters who have taken their campaigns to the streets. Oliver Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty International UK's policing expert, said: 'The measures taken against Steve Bray are likely to be the tip of the iceberg. 'Unfortunately, we fear there is now going to be a cascade of cases where people are being prevented from legitimate protest on grounds that are both petty and punitive. 'The deeply authoritarian new policing laws are a charter for the suppression of legitimate protest a dark day for liberty in our country and something we need to see repealed as soon as possible.' And Grahame Morris, Labour MP for Easington, condemned the action to 'silence' Mr Bray. He told the House of Commons: 'I know many of us have had brushes with Mr Bray but his voice is being silenced today - by tomorrow there could be many others who have never demonstrated previously who are subject to prosecution under this law.' Mr Bray also is known for standing in shot of live-television broadcasts outside the Houses of Parliament while brandishing his anti-Brexit placards. He has been accused of abusing politicians - which he denies - and has also been on the receiving end of abuse. In May a Tory MP threatening to sue him , alleging that he wrongly suggested he was the politician caught watching porn in the Commons. In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Bray appeared to hint at the unnamed MP's identity. As the story broke, Mr Bray posted a picture of a well-known Tory and a link to a previous story about him, adding: 'Has a lot of relevance now, maybe not the story but the person!!! I'm just going to check my mobile phone for some interesting websites.' But it became clear 48 hours later it was another politician when Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish admitted he had used his phone to look at porn in the Commons chamber. Also in May, the anti-Brexit campaigner posted a video of himself interrupting a dinner at the Welsh Tory conference on Friday before being bundled out of the room. Dudley North MP Marco Longhi told the Commons that Mr Bray should be 'locked up in the Tower with a loudspeaker playing Land Of Hope And Glory on repeat at maximum volume' because of the disruption he causes. Gabby Petito's mom has slammed Brian Laundrie's notebook confession where he claimed her death was a mercy killing after she slipped in a stream and hit her head. Laundrie, 23, admitted murdering his 22-year-old fiancee at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on their country-wide road trip in August 2021. Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt said she was 'fed up' after Laundrie's notebook confession was revealed. She shared an image on Twitter that said 'narcissists rewrite history', along with hashtags including 'the truth will be revealed', 'selfish' and 'justice for Gabby'. Laundrie claimed in the notebook she fell into a creek and injured herself but as she was severely hurt, crying in pain and shivering from the cold, he decided to kill her. Petito's death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt said she was 'fed up' after Laundrie's notebook confession was revealed. She shared an image on Twitter that said 'narcissists rewrite history', along with hashtags including 'the truth will be revealed', 'selfish' and 'justice for Gabby' Gabby Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt (pictured) has slammed Brian Laundrie's notebook confession where he claimed her death was a mercy killing after she slipped in a stream and hit her head In newly-unearthed notebook passages, Brian Laundrie, 23, admitted to killing his fiancee Gabby Petito, 22, right, when they were on a cross-country van trip Laundrie was the main suspect in Petito's disappearance and murder after he arrived back home, alone, in North Port, Florida on September 1, from a cross-country road trip he embarked on with Gabby in her white 2012 Ford Transit van. The couple was previously seen on police body camera footage from Moab, Utah after fellow travelers said Laundrie hit her. He also reportedly got into a fight with wait staff at a restaurant in Jackson shortly before Petito's death, which Kelly says shows signs of extremely narcissistic personality disorder and sociopathic disorder. Laundrie's notebook was found in a dry bag beside his body on October 20 last year after he fled to the alligator-infested Carlton Reserve near his home in North Port, Florida. He shot himself in the head. Images of eight waterlogged pages of his notebook were handed to DailyMail.com by the Laundrie family's attorney Steve Bertolino on Friday. In a bid to explain his version of events, Laundrie wrote: 'I am sorry to my family, this is a shock to them as well as a terrible grief. 'Please do not make this harder for them, this occurred as an unexpected tragedy.' Laundrie's notebook contained a letter written to the late Petito before he killed himself following a large manhunt for him. Laundrie said he heard 'a splash and a scream', which he claimed was Petito slipping in a stream Laundrie said: 'I carried her as far as I could down the stream'. He added: 'I wanted her out of the cold back to the car'. Laundrie claimed Petito 'couldn't tell me what hurt' after he allegedly pulled her from the stream In this note (left), the 23-year-old said he 'ended her life' because she was in pain and he 'thought it as merciful'. He then said: 'I rushed home to spend my time I had left with my family' Laundrie apologised to his fiancee's family for killing her. He said he had killed himself and hoped 'animals may tear me apart' The couple were at the national park after visiting Utah on their trip west in Gabby's 2012 white Ford Transit. They were cataloguing the trip on social media. Laundrie wrote in his notebook: 'Rushing back to our car, trying to cross the steam of spread creek before it got too dark to see, too cold. I hear a splash and a scream. I could barely see, I couldn't finder her for a moment, shouted her name. 'I found her breathing barely, gasping, she was freezing cold, we had just come from the blazing hot national parks in Utah. 'The temperature had dropped to freezing and she was soaking wet. I carried her as far as I could down the stream towards the car, stumbling, exhausted in shock, when I knew I couldn't safely carry her.' He continued: 'I started a fire and spooned her as close to the heat, she was so thin, had already been freezing too long. I couldn't at the time realize that I should've started a fire first but I wanted her out of the cold back to the car. From where I started the fire I had no idea where the car might be. Only knew it was across the creek. Petito and Laundrie were on a cross-country van trip when Laundrie said she fell into a shallow creek and got hypothermia An autopsy later revealed that Petito's cause of death was homicide by manual strangulation 'When I pulled Gabby out of the water she couldn't tell me what hurt. She had a small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger. Her feet hurt, her wrist hurt, but she was freezing, shaking violently, while carrying her she continually made sounds of pain.' He wrote: 'Laying next to her she said little, lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain. She would fall asleep and I would shake her awake fearing she shouldn't close her eyes if she had a concussion. 'She would wake in pain, start her whole painful cycle again, furious that I was the one waking her. She wouldn't let me try to cross the creek, thought like me that the fire would go out in her sleep.' 'I don't know the extent of Gabby's injuries, only that she was in extreme pain. 'I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistake that I made. I panicked. I was in shock. But from the moment I decided, took away her pain.' Police and FBI officials retrieved items belonging to Brian Laundrie, including a notebook, near where his body was found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in October Laundrie's remains were found north of the entrance to Myakkahatchee Creek, in the Big Slough Preserve, off an unpaved trail near a bridge where Brian's parents said he liked to visit. It is four miles north of their home in North Port, Florida 'I knew I couldn't go on without her. 'I rushed home to spend any time I had left with my family. 'I'm ending my life not because of fear of punishment, but rather because I can't stand to live another day without her. 'I've lost our whole entire future together, every moment we could have cherished. I'm sorry for everyone's loss. Please don't make life hard for my family, they lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful girl in the world I'm sorry. Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito were engaged to be married prior to their deaths The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11 'I have killed myself by this creek in the hope that animals may tear me apart that it might make some of her family happy.' 'Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter.' Laundrie had begun the notebook with the personal message to Gabby, writing: 'I wish I could be at your side, I wish I could be talking to you right now. I'd be going through every memory getting even more for the future. But we've lost our future. 'I can't be without you. I've lost every day we (indistinct) spent together I'll never get to play with (indistinct) again. Never go hiking with T.I can't bear to look at our photos, to recall great times because it is why I cannot go on. 'When I close my eyes I will think of laughing on the roof of the van, falling asleep to the sight of a (indistinct) at the crystal geyser. I will always love you.' Kwon Young-se, the newly appointed unification minister of South Korea, claims that North Korea is prepared to carry out its first nuclear test in five years. At a conference for international media conducted on Monday in Seoul, he stated, "Everything is ready; the only thing left is a political decision." The regime has apparently finished all the preparations for the nuclear test, which would be its seventh overall, but has not yet conducted it. The dictatorship began speeding its missile program in January, as per The Straits Times. North Korea's Nuclear Test Delayed Due to COVID-19 Outbreak Some experts theorized that the test's postponement was caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea, which has so far been linked to 4.72 million cases, while others blamed the monsoon season for the delay. The first nuclear test by Pyongyang took place in October 2006, and further ones were carried out in May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016, and September 2017. The much-discussed seventh test has yet to take place, according to Kwon, who entered office three days after Yoon Suk-yeol's May 10 inauguration. Kwon said that "it is unclear to us" why this hasn't happened yet. Kwon said the Yoon government is still studying the specifics of its North Korea strategy but that "sudden change is not ideal" and compared ties between South Korea and the North to a "long relay race." The historic first meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former American president Donald Trump, which took place in Singapore in 2018, was facilitated by former liberal president Moon Jae-in, who was pro-engagement. Since the second Trump-Kim summit collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on sanctions relief and denuclearization stages, negotiations have stagnated. Read Also: Russia Becomes China's Largest Oil Supplier; Xi Jinping Says Ukraine War Is "Alarm for Humanity" Despite Not Giving Indication To Resolve It South Korea Asks China, Russia To Convince North Per ABC News, a senior South Korean official claimed on Monday that North Korea is increasingly aiming its nuclear program at the South and pleaded with China and Russia to pressure the North to postpone the widely anticipated nuclear test. After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his nuclear aspirations at a crucial military summit last week and authorized vague new operational responsibilities for front-line army units, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse made his remarks. According to experts, North Korea may have plans to place nuclear weapons near its tense border with South Korea. North Korea has spent a significant portion of the last three years increasing its arsenal of short-range solid-fuel missiles, which could be used to evade missile defenses and strike targets throughout South Korea, including US bases there. This has occurred during a protracted standoff in nuclear diplomacy. According to US and South Korean sources, North Korea has nearly finished preparing for its first nuclear test since it claimed to have exploded an intercontinental ballistic missile warhead in September 2017. North Korea may use its next nuclear test to claim that it has acquired the ability to build small nuclear warheads that can be placed on short-range missiles or other new weapons systems it has demonstrated in recent months, analysts say. If war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea now has a "far higher possibility to utilize its tactical nuclear weapons on a battlefield," according to Kim Yeol Soo, a specialist at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs in South Korea. The arsenal that would presumably be stationed at the border includes some of North Korea's more portable, solid-fueled, short-range missiles that have been tested since the failure of nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2019. North Korea has referred to those missiles as "tactical" weapons, meaning that it intends to equip them with lower-yield nuclear warheads. Foreign analysts claim that these missiles may be able to dodge South Korean and US missile defenses, according to Washington Times. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons by North Korea could occur at any time, according to Kim Taewoo, the former director of the Seoul-based, state-funded Korean Institute for National Unification. Kim Taewoo believes North Korea has likely already acquired the technology to equip its missiles with nuclear warheads. Related Article: Experts Depict How China Could Destroy US Bases as Beijing, Washington Spat Over Suspected Taiwan Invasion @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Advertisement Police believe that 51 migrants died after they were loaded into a semi-truck and driven 150 miles from the southern border in sweltering Texas heat before the vehicle suffered mechanical problems. Officials believe the migrants were loaded into the truck in Laredo on Monday and then abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio, next to a railroad track in an area surrounded by auto scrapyards, around 6pm. Police suspect several migrants may have jumped or started falling out of the back of truck before the traffickers discarded it along the roadway. At least three bodies were found scattered down road, with the furthest one located about 75 yards from the truck, law enforcement sources confirmed to The New York Times. Officials also said it was possible that those found along the road had died inside the truck, but fallen out when its doors opened. Police are now searching nearby fields for bodies and are trying to determine if anyone escaped the trailer alive. Firefighters found 'stacks of bodies' in the truck after temperatures reached a high of 103 degrees Monday and officials claim there were no signs of water in the semi. Some of the victims staggered out of the trailer before dying and were found several blocks away, police told The Texas Tribune. The migrants had been sprinkled with steak seasoning in apparent bid to cover up their smell as they were being transported. Sixteen survivors, including four children were rushed to nearby hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion. They were found by a local worker, who investigated the scene after hearing a faint cry for help emanating from the truck. Police say they are not confident they have accounted for everyone from the truck and do not know what the total number of victims is. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the semi-truck driver, whose identity was not disclosed, is in federal custody. He was detained by officers in a nearby field after having fled the area on foot. Initial reports indicate three individuals have been arrested in connection to the deaths. It is unclear what role the other two suspects played in the incident. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed the deaths on President Joe Biden's 'deadly open border policies' and 'refusal to enforce the law.' Biden, addressing the tragedy Tuesday, called the deaths 'horrifying and heartbreaking' and said it further underscores the 'need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths.' White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to deflect blame on Tuesday, but instead made a confusing statement that appeared to take ownership for the tragedy by saying the border is 'closed.' 'The fact of the matter is the border is closed, which is, in part, why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks,' Jean-Pierre told reporters during a flight from Munich, Germany to Madrid, Spain. The incident marks the deadliest human smuggling on American soil since 2003 when 19 migrants died after riding inside the rear compartment of sweltering 18-wheeler while they traveled from South Texas to Houston. The death doll rose to 51 from 46 on Tuesday. It also comes as the U.S. has reported a record number of migrant crossings, rescues and deaths under the leadership of the Biden Administration. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed President Joe Biden for the deaths of the 51 migrants found dead inside an abandoned tractor-trailer. The truck was found abandoned by railroad tracks and salvage yards by an individual who worked nearby Law enforcement officers carry a body at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck in San Antonio Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese stand near the scene where a tractor-trailer was discovered with migrants inside outside San Antonio Officials believe the migrants were loaded into the truck in Laredo on Monday and then abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio, next to a railroad track in an area surrounded by auto scrapyards, around 6pm What are the deadliest migrant tragedies in the US? June 27, 2022: At least 53 migrants were found dead Monday in and around a large trailer truck that was abandoned on the roadside on the outskirts of of San Antonio, Texas. The tractor-trailer was found on a road near I-35 amid 103-degree heat. August 4, 2021: Ten people were killed and at 20 others injured after a van transporting migrants crashed near the border in Encino, Texas. The driver had attempted to make a right turn at an intersection before veering off the road and hitting both a utility pole and stop sign. March 2, 2021: Thirteen migrants were killed and several including children injured after Ford SUV 'with 25 immigrants crammed inside' crashed into a gravel truck near the Mexican border in California. Witnesses recalled the sounds of crunching metal and glass, and how bodies flung dozens of feet across the pavement. June 5, 2019: A SUV packed with more than a dozen undocumented migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, crashed after a chase with police in rural South Texas. The vehicle had veered into a ditch in rainy weather. July 23, 2017: Eight immigrants were found dead in a sweltering trailer at a San Antonio Walmart parking lot. Two others died later in hospitals. The driver was sentenced to life in prison. July 22, 2012: A Ford pick-up truck carrying 23 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico crashed into two trees in a rural South Texas town. Fifteen people were killed in the incident. May 14, 2003: 19 migrants died inside a sweltering tractor-trailer while they traveled from South Texas to Houston. Advertisement A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely San Antonio back road late Monday afternoon and discovered the gruesome scene inside the trailer. Forty-six people were found dead at the scene, authorities said. Four more later died after being taken to hospitals, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the county's top elected official. Officials said the dead included 39 men and 11 women. No children were among the deceased. Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed Tuesday morning that the deceased includes 22 migrants from Mexico, seven from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The other migrants have yet to be identified. Officials disclosed later Tuesday that they believe the truck came from Laredo, a border city about 150 miles. 'They had just parked it on the side of the road,' Wolff told reporters. 'Apparently had mechanical problems and left it there. The sheriff thinks it came across from Laredo.' Officials were asking neighboring counties to help with the number of bodies. President Biden blamed the tragedy on 'human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit.' 'Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy,' the president said, reiterating he was dedicated to combatting the skyrocketing migration at the southern border. He added: 'My Administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry.' Biden's remarks came after several GOP members took to social media blaming his immigration policies for the deaths. 'These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies,' Abbott tweeted Monday night, hours after the bodies were discovered. 'They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.' 'Horrific. This..is..WRONG' Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted. 'How many more people have to die before Dems give a damn?' Secretary Mayorkas responded to the incident, alleging he was 'heartbroken' and issued his prayers for the injured. 'I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life today and am praying for those still fighting for their lives,' he said. 'Far too many lives have been lost as individuals including families, women, and children take this dangerous journey.' The DHS secretary called the human smugglers 'callous individuals who have no regard for the vulnerable people they exploit and endanger in order to make a profit' and alleged the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was investigating the incident. Democrats hit back, placing blame on the GOP for the tragic loss of life. Congressman Joaquin Castro said: 'We must end Title 42 which has put desperate, oppressed people in grave danger of death. Title 42 has created more business, repeat business, for human smugglers.' Texas gubernatorial candidate for former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke said: 'We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our country's needs.' Democrats claim that Republicans ire toward Biden and his party over the migrants' death is just 'right wing talking points' to further peg the southern border crisis on the left. Sixteen survivors, including four children were rushed to nearby hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion. They were found by a local worker, who investigated the scene after hearing a faint cry for help emanating from the truck. No children were among the dead A K-9 search team arrives at the area near I-35 where dozens of migrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer on Monday. Police are searching for additional bodies. Authorities suspect several migrants may have jumped or started falling out of the back of truck before the traffickers discarded it along the roadway A group of individuals, lead by local priests, are pictured in apparent prayer at the scene of the human smuggling incident Police Chief William McManus said on Monday that three individuals were taken into custody, but that it had not been established whether they were 'absolutely connected to this or not' Lorena Gomez, an immigrant from Guatemala, visited the area of San Antonio on Tuesday where dozens of migrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer the night before Texas Governor blames Biden's border measures for tragedy Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a fresh condemnation of President Biden's border measures - and blamed them for Monday's tragedy. He tweeted: 'At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.' Abbott has repeatedly crossed swords with Biden over immigration in recent months, as the number of illegal crossings over the southern border into states including his soared to record levels. In April, Abbott sought to embarrass Biden over the crisis by busing migrants to Washington DC and leaving them on the steps of the US Capitol. Abbott also announced a $500 million package of measures to try and slash immigration. That included deploying Texas National Guard members to try and stem the flow of migrants into the US. Advertisement The truck had U.S. and Texas registration numbers listed on the cab. State department on transportation records connected the tags to an Alamo resident. However, the resident's son-in-law, Issac Limon, claims those running the smuggling ring fraudulently printed the tags on the truck. 'It was a perfect setup,' Limon told The Washington Post. 'The truck is here. I'm looking at it right now. Sad to say, but he's a bit of a victim, too, because people believe it was him.' Limon claims the truck that actually corresponds with the registration is a Volvo and was being used to haul grain over the past week in another part of Texas. He noted that is father-in-law was 'shaken up' by the incident. The truck was found abandoned by auto salvage yards and railroad tracks around 6pm Monday. McManus said a nearby worker 'heard a cry for help and came out to investigate', before finding the trailer's doors partially opened upon arrival and discovering dozens of bodies. Texas has been experiencing a near-record heat wave, while temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103F on Monday with high humidity. 'The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion,' fire chief Charles Hood said in a Monday press briefing. '[There were] no signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig.' Local workers allege the area where the truck was discarded, along Quintana Road, has been a popular migrant drop-off spot since the early 1990s. 'I know when I first started in the yards a lot of people came from Mexico,' Rose Ann Iniguez, manager of Junk Yard Dogs auto salvage, told The New York Times. 'They were hungry and thirsty. They'd come through the yard and wanted to work, but we didn't have work. We'd let them pick up whatever parts were on the floor to get them going with a little money.' She added: 'They're human. I know why they are coming. They have to survive, too.' Christine and Michael Ybarra embrace at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. June 27, 2022 Body bags lie at the scene where a tractor trailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio San Antonio Police chief McManus said he could not confirm whether all the victims had been found, and that canine units would be deployed in the morning to continue searching Onlookers stand near the scene where the semitrailer was found on Monday in South Texas Texas trucker's license plate was stolen by smugglers who left 51 migrants to die The family of a Texas man said he was wrongfully identified as the owner of the truck used by human smugglers who left 51 migrants to die inside the vehicle in 103 degree weather along the U.S.-Mexico border. The truck's license plate and registration linked the vehicle to an Alamo man, but his son-in-law, Isaac Limon, said the information was stolen and that the real truck belonging to his family was out hauling grain in another part of Texas. 'It was a perfect setup,' Limon told the Washington Post. 'The truck is here. I'm looking at it right now. Sad to say, but he's a bit of a victim, too, because people believe it was him.' Limon told the Post that the plates and registration identified in the tragedy belong to his father-in-law's Volvo, and was outraged over Telemundo's reporting that suggested his truck was used in the crime. '[I] just want to help clear my Father-In-Law's name,' Limon wrote on Facebook after the news broke. 'He is not the owner of the truck in San Antonio that is involved in this tragic event. 'His DOT Number was illegally copied onto the truck... Telemundo did not verify the facts before airing the story.' Limon said that his father-in-law has been left 'shaken' by the misreporting. Advertisement McManus said Monday searches to find any survivors that may have escaped were ongoing. 'We had our canines out there going through the woods and we may have to do that again tomorrow in the light of day,' he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the 51 who died had 'families who were likely trying to find a better life'. 'The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis,' said Nirenberg. 'But tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy.' Locals said that the location where the truck was found was a known drop-off point for migrants, according to The New York Times. 'You can tell they just got here. We see them with backpacks or asking for food or money,' Ruby Chavez, 53, told The New York Times. 'They know this area. They jump off the train and get picked up,' Chavez's husband said. The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE's investigative unit who retired in December. Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident. 'It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again,' he said. Yesterday's deaths highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs. The issue has proven difficult for U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has pledged to reverse some of the hard-line immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Texas Governor Greg Abbott hit out at the President following the deaths, blaming the deadly incident on the Biden administration's lax approach to border control - a key issue for the upcoming November elections. The deaths 'are the result of his deadly open border policies,' Abbott wrote. 'They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.' Monday's tragedy was one of the deadliest incidents of illegal smuggling of people across the southern U.S. border. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck that was parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings. Prior to that, people paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border. As crossings became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more dangerous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more to smugglers. Heat poses a serious danger, and temperatures can rise severely inside vehicles. An ambulance leaves the scene where police said dozens of people were found dead in a semitrailer in a remote area in southwestern San Antonio Police block the scene. It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in recent decades Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies were discovered Other incidents have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. border. Last December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer filled with migrants rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers near the U.S. border. They were stopped at a military checkpoint. Border Patrol reported 557 deaths on the southwest border in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30 2021, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most are related to heat exposure. The International Organization for Migration, which documents migrant deaths, alleges that the number of people who died attempting to cross the border in 2021 was actually more than 650. CBP has not published a death tally for this year but recorded data shows at least 87 migrants have died while trying to come into the U.S. Migrants - largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador - have been expelled more than 2 million times under a pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies them a chance to seek asylum but encourages repeat attempts because there are no legal consequences for getting caught. People from other countries, notably Cuba, Nicaragua and Colombia, are subject to Title 42 authority less frequently due to higher costs of sending them home, strained diplomatic relations and other considerations. Border Patrol performed 14,278 'search-and-rescue missions' in a seven-month period through May, exceeding the 12,833 missions performed during the previous 12-month period and up from 5,071 the year before. Dan Andrews has come under fire after Melbourne's ambulance services were forced to issue a 'code red' on Tuesday morning. A critical shortage of staff meant there were no ambulances available to be deployed to assist the sick and injured. The Victorian Premier on Tuesday palmed off blame for the ongoing health system crisis facing the state, insisting the crippling workforce shortage on the heels of the Covid pandemic is due to a downturn in skilled migrants and the flu. An emergency alert was issued just after midnight for the metropolitan region and was in place until 4am (pictured, ambulance services in Melbourne) An emergency alert was issued just after midnight for the metropolitan region and was in place until 4am. Ambulance Victoria is understood to have enforced the code-red alert due to 'limited fleet availability'. Meanwhile, Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the shock development showed the system was under 'enormous strain' and warned the demand wouldn't stop anytime soon. 'There's nothing scarier than the truth, which is that for Melbourne's entire population at one point last night...no matter how short that time frame was...no ambulances were available to respond to an emergency at that particular point in time,' Mr Hill told The Herald Sun. 'Paramedics are just so burnt out,' he added. Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the code showed the system was under 'enormous strain' and warned the demand wouldn't stop anytime soon (pictured, paramedic outside of St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne) 'We still have major issues with filling shifts and ultimately that leads to less ambulances being able to respond.' Mr Hill believes that the state, 'is not even close to being out of this increased demand'. Premier Andrews responded to the statewide staffing issues at a Rural Press Club lunch at Victoria's State Library on Tuesday shifting blame away from his government. 'With Covid-19 and flu spreading widely this winter, 1547 staff across the state's health system and about 150 Ambulance Victoria paramedics were off work on Monday, Mr Andrews said. Premier Dan Andrews (pictured) responded to the statewide staffing issues at a Rural Press Club lunch at Victoria's State Library on Tuesday Mr Andrews expressed that Australia's sluggish skilled migration has been one of the factors impacting Victoria's health system over the past few years. He believes that clearing the backlog of skilled migrants waiting to enter the country, will be the key to solving the crisis in regional health staffing. Mr Andrews pushed for extra resources to process the 'tens of thousands' of visa applicants, a request agreed to by the Commonwealth, during Anthony Albanese's first national cabinet meeting as prime minister on June 17. 'At my urging, he's (Anthony Albanese) put...extra staff on to move through that backlog,' Mr Andrews said . A Met Police officer posted a meme to his colleagues that likened Meghan Markle to a Golliwog, a gross misconduct tribunal heard this afternoon. PC Sukhdev Jeer - along with PC Paul Hefford and former officer Richard Hammond - is accused of sharing racist and offensive messages in a WhatsApp group. They also failed to challenge or report the other members of the chat after receiving the offensive posts, it is claimed. One was of a young boy in a hoodie which was captioned 'monkey in the jungle'. Another was of a disabled man struggling to walk which was set to the Jurassic Park theme music. A further said 'Everyone is so politically correct these days. You can't even say, 'Black paint,' you have to say, 'Tyrone can you please paint that wall?''. All three officers deny that their behaviour amounts to gross misconduct. If it is proven against them, they will be sacked. Vishal Misra, for the Met Police, this afternoon quizzed PC Jeer about a meme which showed the image of a 'Golliwog' toy that was captioned: 'A sneak preview at Meghan's wedding dress.' Responding to this, PC Jeer said he did not find this funny even at the time. 'The fact that someone is out there can create this, that is not a nice thing to do but I posted this on the group not to laugh at it but [to show] that there are people out there who still do this and find it funny.' PC Sukhdev Jeer outside a Met Disciplinary hearing into a number of WhatsApp messages he sent. The panel heard that PC Jeer posted an image of a young boy in a hoodie captioned as a 'monkey in the jungle'. Serving Met Police officer PC Paul Hefford is accused of sharing inappropriate messages Former Met officer Richard Hammond was in a WhatsApp chat called 'But They Promised'. He is said to have sent a 'discriminatory message' about the London borough of Tower Hamlets. PC Jeer explained that he regarded memes as 'jokes' and tried to 'find humour' in what he posted. During cross-examination, Mr Misra went through more of the content PC Jeer shared on the group. One meme said: 'We asked a hundred normal people, 'What do you associate with Islam?' 1. Terrorism 2. Pedofilia 3. Hate Preaching 4. Unwelcome invaders 5. Excessive breeders 6. Goat/Camel f******.' Mr Misra told this morning's hearing in Fulham that PC Jeer contributed to the group the most, followed by PC Hefford and then former PC Hammond. The trio were all part of a unit at Bethnal Green Police Station and were members of a WhatsApp group called 'But They Promised' that was active between January and December 2018. Giving a 'flavour' of the kind of messages shared, Mr Misra said: 'All of the content in the log is submitted to be explicitly racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist and islamaphobic.' He added: 'All of the respondents failed to challenge one another with regards to the content being posted.' The panel heard that PC Jeer posted an image of a young boy in a hoodie captioned as a 'monkey in the jungle' and superimposed with an image of a penis. This is understood to be one of the clips that forms part of the gross misconduct tribunal The trio were all part of a unit at Bethnal Green Police Station and were members of a WhatsApp group called 'But They Promised' that was active during 2018 The worst WhatsApp messages from the 'But They Promised' group chat at the heart of the misconduct tribunal An image showing a nun on the left and a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf on the right. The image is captioned: 'Why is the first one not judged but the second one offends?' One comment read: 'Nuns don't randomly explode.' Another meme showed two black men lying next to two white women. It was captioned: 'Girls' trip to Jamaica. One came back pregnant, the other came back with syphilis. (Just kidding, they're both still missing.)' Another was of the message: 'Everyone is so politically correct these days. You can't even say, 'Black paint,' you have to say, 'Tyrone can you plea paint that wall?'' A clip was from the movie Jurassic Park and plays the film's theme tune and to footage of a man with disabilities is walking out of a building with the assistance of his carer. Another said 'We asked a hundred normal people, 'What do you associate with Islam?' 1. Terrorism 2. Pedofilia 3. Hate Preaching 4. Unwelcome invaders 5. Excessive breeders 6. Goat/Camel f******.' A picture of a young boy in a hoodie was captioned 'monkey in the jungle'. One meme showed the image of a 'Golliwog' toy that was captioned: 'A sneak preview at Meghan's wedding dress.' A clip showed a white woman stating that if you want to get good exercise in effect they will arrange for a black man to chase her around so that she can get exercise. Message to the effect that people from the Bangladeshi community seem to accept election fraud as part of their democratic processes. One message was a reply to a female colleague who had texted saying three boys had threatened to throw acid on her. She had added, '2xIC1 and 3xIC3', which the tribunal heard meant two white boys and one black boy. Mr Hammond replied: 'Black kid leading those poor white kids astray.' Another video showed somebody who suffers from dwarfism jumping into a body of water with sound effects designed to mock. Advertisement PC Hefford allegedly superimposed the same image with a disabled person. Former PC Hammond is said to have sent a 'discriminatory message' about the London borough of Tower Hamlets. 'In explaining the message, former PC Hammond in effect said that people from the Bangladeshi community seem to accept election fraud as part of their democratic processes,' Mr Misra said. Giving evidence former PC Hammond accepted that a message he sent to the group was 'wrong and racist'. 'This is one that I'm really kind of ashamed of. 'It is not something that I would defend more than giving context. 'It is not something appropriate for a police officer to say.' Mr Hammond denied having a negative perception of Bangladeshi people. 'Absolutely not, it is a community I enjoy protecting. 'That is what we were there for. 'I had very good relationship with Bangladeshi residents.' He was also asked about another message he had sent to the WhatsApp group. This message was a reply to a female colleague who had texted saying three boys had threatened to throw acid on her. She had added, '2xIC1 and 3xIC3', which the tribunal heard meant two white boys and one black boy. Mr Hammond replied: 'Black kid leading those poor white kids astray.' The former officer laughed and shook his head, insisting it was 'absolutely not' a racist message. 'Clearly they are all little sh***, to use the phrase that I used before. 'I have no doubt in my mind that the two white kids there were absolutely as culpable as the black kid. 'It had no bearing what colour they were. 'That comments has been put there as a sarcastic one. One to lighten the mood a bit. What you do as police officers, dark humour. 'But also I'm being sarcastic like 'poor white kids'. 'They're clearly as responsible as anyone else there. 'It is a dig at the prejudice.' The lawyer added that six discriminatory videos were uploaded onto the group. The first five were posted by PC Jeer and the sixth by PC Hefford, the panel heard. Summarising one video, Mr Misra said: 'It takes a scene from the movie Jurassic Park and plays the Jurassic Park theme tune and to that theme tune a man with disabilities is seen walking out of a building with the assistance of his carer.' Describing another: 'It pertains to a website called funnyordie.com which shows a white woman stating that if you want to get good exercise in effect they will arrange for a black man to chase her around so that she can get exercise.' Of a third: 'It shows somebody who suffers from dwarfism jumping into a body of water with sound effects designed to mock.' It is alleged that the behaviour was 'prolonged' as the group was active for a year. 'There has been a persistent and prolonged failure by all of the respondents to adhere to the relevant professional standards,' Mr Misra said. 'The communities that are lampooned by all of the respondents in the WhatsApp group form part of the communities that they police.' All three officers deny that their behaviour amounts to gross misconduct. The tribunal continues. A 'cold war' has erupted between warring ice cream vendors in one of Britain's most famous beauty spots. A new ice cream van at a popular landmark in the New Forest has received an icy reception from shops on the nearby high street who say the newcomer is stealing their business. Independent ice cream parlours and cafes in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, argue the van's location next to a free car park at Bolton's Bench mean some customers will no longer bother to visit them. The van, run by company Warren's Ice Cream, had its license approved by both Forestry England (FE) and the Verderers - an ancient group responsible for the preservation of the New Forest. However, local businesses in Lyndhurst - which is known as the capital of the New Forest - say they are confused as to why they weren't consulted before the 'ridiculous' decision. David Pearson, who runs Sweet Chillies cafe in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, is angered by the appearance of a new mobile ice cream van in a free car park at Bolton's Bench Since its installation at Bolton's Bench, named after the Forest's 18th Century Master Keeper the Duke of Bolton, the area's New Forest District Councillor, Hilary Brand, has been inundated with complaints from locals. The 48-year-old, who runs the Lyndhurst Tea House on the high street just a two minute walk away from the van, said: 'Lots of businesses on the high street came to me complaining of the new ice cream van. 'We thought 2022 was going to be a better year for us, but so far it hasn't been as good as before the pandemic and we are struggling. 'We know our footfall on the high street is down 20 per cent compared to pre-Covid. 'We don't know if that's because people don't have the money, or are going abroad - but the new ice cream van could be a factor as to why people aren't coming to the high street. 'Maybe the new van is stopping customers visiting and spending money in shops. The ice cream van at Bolton's Bench, Lyndhurst, has provoked the ire of nearby cafes who say it is stealing their business. But the van has already had its license approved by both Forestry England (FE) and site wardens the Verderers 'People can just park their cars, go for a walk, get an ice cream and go home without visiting the high street.' Tim Laine, 71, who runs the Forest Glade Ice Cream parlour on the high street, added: 'It's not just the ice cream parlours that will suffer - all the traders on the high street are upset about it because it stops people from going to the high street and spending money. 'We have nothing against the person who runs the van, but we feel the license should not have been granted. 'We are a family business and we only operate during the summer, so we rely on taking sufficient business to last us over the winter. 'We were hoping for a good season after the pandemic and, obviously, there are other things at play like the cost of living crisis and the price of fuel. 'But the new van has to be a deterrent to some people who buy ice cream. It must have an effect.' Tim Laine, owner of Forest Glade Ice Cream in Lyndhurst, says that all of the traders on the high streets are upset about the new van Warren Dickens, director of Warren's Ice Cream, declined to comment on complaints regarding his van at Bolton's Bench. David Pearson, 59, who has run the Sweet Chillies cafe on the high street for nearly a decade, added: 'It's strange for them to put up down the road when there's 17 places that sell coffee and cake on the high street. 'I think it's awful. Absolutely ridiculous. You wouldn't stick an ice cream van on the pier in Bournemouth, would you? 'We're still busy but normally we would have a line all down the street in this weather.' A Forestry England spokesman said: 'For many years now, licences have been issued for ice-cream vendors to sell from mobile units within a limited number of Forestry England car parks across the New Forest. 'The specific location and overall number of vendors we are permitted to licence requires approval from the Verderers of the New Forest and is debated in the publicly open Verderer's Court. 'In relation to the new location at Bolton's Bench it was felt that this would join the existing wide range of competing hospitality and catering options situated both in and around the village. The ice cream vendor joins this already wide range of offers.' Ice cream van locations will be reviewed in the Verderer's Court in March 2024, with members of the public having their say. Women suffering domestic violence are facing huge delays in receiving vital $5000 cash payments to flee their abusers. As of April, there was a backlog of more than 4000 unresolved cases of women seeking the payment after leaving a dangerous partner. The delay is believed to have been caused by a wait of 20 business days for applications to be approved. The move was announced by the Morrison government last year and they pledged $145 million for a two-year trial. There is a backlog of more than 4000 unresolved cases of women seeking payment after leaving a dangerous partner The previous government expected demand for 12,000 packages each year, but there have been 13,000 applications already since the trial began back in October. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has now pledged to reform domestic violence support. 'One of the challenges that I'm already looking at is how we improve the escaping domestic violence payment,' she told the Australian. 'This is something that seems to be very rushed by the previous government. It almost seems like they felt they had to do something, so we actually have problems in that program that need to be addressed, wait times in particular. 'There has been a lot of delays. It was very rushed in its implementation and so what we face is an overwhelming need and delays in that payment.' In last year's budget, the Morrison government committed funding to establish a two-year trial of the program, to be rolled out by Christian social services provider UnitingCare Network. It is the latest attempt by the government to address domestic violence in Australia. Back in May, millions of Australians were given access to 10 days' paid domestic violence leave under a landmark ruling by the Fair Work Commission. The decision allows more than 2.6 million workers employed under modern awards access the leave on a yearly basis at their base rate of pay. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has now pledged to reform domestic violence support The historic move is likely to set a precedent for Australian employers as alarming statistics reveal the prevalence of domestic violence - which has already claimed the lives of 18 women across the country so far this year. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in six women and one in 16 men, have experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15. In handing down its decision, the full bench of the commission noted domestic violence is a 'gendered phenomenon', which has soared in the wake of the Covid pandemic. 'Family and domestic violence is a ubiquitous and persistent social problem. While men can, and do, experience FDV, such violence disproportionately affects women,' the commission wrote. 'We have concluded that the merits strongly favour a paid FDV leave entitlement. 'In comparison to women with no experience of [family and domestic violence], women experiencing or who have experienced FDV have a more disrupted work history; are on lower personal incomes; have had to change jobs frequently; and are more likely to be employed on a casual and part-time basis.' Annastacia Palaszczuk has been slapped with another wake-up call after a scathing report into the culture and accountability of her government's public sector was handed down. The Queensland Premier vowed to implement all recommendations after a four-month review into the integrity of the state's public service uncovered a culture 'too tolerant of bullying and dominated by the occupational hazard of all governments, short-term political thinking'. The latest headache for the embattled state leader comes after insiders claimed she had 'checked out' from her role and was more interested in socialising and being on the red carpet. Public administrator and academic Professor Peter Coaldrake warned the only way to restore public faith in the government was to be 'more accountable and transparent ... and behave with integrity' when he handed down his 131-page report on Tuesday. Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured with her boyfriend Dr Reza Adib at the Logies) has been hit with another crisis following the release of a damning review of the state's public sector He made 14 recommendations including reigning in the access and influence of lobbyists - including an explicit ban on 'dual hatting' of professional lobbyists during election campaigns. 'They can either lobby or provide professional political advice but cannot do both,' Prof Coaldrake said. He also unearthed allegations of bullying and belittling of public sector officials by staff in ministerial offices and more senior bureaucrats. 'Public service officials can feel pressured, sometimes by ministerial staff, sometimes by more senior officers, to moderate advice developed with a 'public interest' goal in mind, to fit with a perceived ministerial preference which may or may not be real or to avoid giving advice on difficult issues in writing,' Professor Coaldrake said. 'Personal interactions with some ministers and ministerial staff, and indeed some senior officers, can be disrespectful, belittling or bullying, and [cause] long-term detriment to careers real or apprehended. 'If unreasonable deadlines, bullying interactions, and intemperate demands for action or for compliant advice become pervasive, a fear-based response becomes entrenched in the culture. 'It puts the organisation itself at risk.' Titled 'Let the sunshine in', the review called for a strengthened framework surrounding ministers, their staff and senior public service officers to be continually reviewed and reinforced. Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured in parliament last week) vowed to implement the integrity recommendations 'lock, stock and barrel' The report urged for Queensland's auditor-general to be granted more independence and given broader scope to monitor the departmental use of consultants and contractors. It also called for a 'single clearing house' to track and streamline the progress and outcome of complaints, as well as pushing for greater protections for whistleblowers and the mandatory reporting of data breaches. The recommendations included that the ombudsman be able to investigate complaints against private organisations carrying out functions on behalf of the government, and for public service bosses to be given five-year contracts, unaligned to the electoral cycle. 'This review aspires to influence a cultural shift which encourages openness from the top, starting with cabinet processes and a resulting shared focus on identifying and dealing with the challenges Queensland faces,' Prof Coaldrake said. 'Any good government, clear in purpose and open and accountable in approach, should have fewer integrity issues. 'It is now up to the government to make this focus a wake-up call to support for a more open system of government.' Premier Palaszczuk welcomed the report, which will go to Cabinet next week and promised Queensland will have the most transparent and accountable government in Australia when the recommendations are adopted. 'We will accept all of his recommendations and we will implement them lock, stock and barrel,' she said. 'I would not have asked Professor Coaldrake to conduct this review if I did not want reform.' The Queensland Premier (pictured with her partner on the red carpet earlier this month) has also been forced to deny claims from insiders she's had 'checked out' from her role But not everyone embraced the report. Opposition leader David Crisafulli described the review as 'laughable' and will continue campaigning for a royal commission into government integrity. 'It doesn't address the integrity inferno at the heart of the corruption risk that is the Palaszczuk government,' he said. 'Nothing short of a royal commission will fix the integrity issues that are burning through the state government.' Sky News editor Peter Gleeson says a dark cloud still remains over integrity in the Sunshine State. 'Peter Coaldrake had a great opportunity to call for a royal commission, to get to the bottom of the dysfunctionality of the public sector in Queensland. Instead, he's just rolled the arm over,' Mr Gleeson told Sky News host Chris Kenny on Tuesday night. 'He actually identified in the report that the culture within the public service is too tolerant to bullying and that is the result of short-term political thinking.' 'That in itself is damning enough, but then the report and the recommendations are just throwing the arm over. 'I think it's incredibly disappointing. There will be a lot of disappointed people today.' Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli will continue campaigning for a royal commission into government integrity. Premier Palaszczuk pre-empted several of the report's key recommendations on Monday by tightening of regulations surrounding lobbyists and their level of access. Anyone working for a lobbying firm would be deemed a lobbyist, and only be allowed to contact a minister's chief of staff. All meeting requests must be made in writing. Lobbyists will no longer be allowed to write 'other' in the official register as the subject of meetings with ministers. 'If you are working for a lobbying firm and you may be called an adviser, a consultant, a communication specialist, you will now be deemed to be a lobbyist,' Ms Palaszcuk said. 'Secondly lobbyists will only be able to make contact through the chief of staff in a minister's office.' Last week, Labor insiders claimed Ms Palaszczuk has 'checked out' of her role and showed more interest in attending social events than running Queensland. The claims prompted former premier Peter Beattie to urged her to start a new agenda and prove she still wants to be premier. 'You've got to keep renewing your vision, because if you don't, you get stale and people see you're stale and they will want someone else to have a go,' he told Courier Mail. Ms Palaszczuk hit back by insisting she was on top of her workload - and visiting high-profile events was 'part of her job'. 'I work seven days a week,' Ms Palaszczuk told 7News while on the red carpet at the Logies. 'I've got a budget coming down, I'm across that, and I'll be back at my desk first thing tomorrow morning. 'And most of these events are on weekends so, we could be at home watching television but we're out here doing the job Queenslanders expect me to be doing.' A British Army medic has been jailed after he asked a 12 year-old girl to be his 'sugar baby' and offered her hundreds of pounds to take her virginity. Private Peter Harries, 28, believed he was messaging a child called Chloe while using the app Kik, but he was actually talking to two undercover police officers, a military court heard. The married father, stationed in Tidworth, Wilts, was told the girl was 12 years old and from the UK before he offered to pay her 5 for naked pictures, 10 for a naked video and up to 100 for sex. But when 'Chloe' asked whether it mattered that she had not had sex before, he said he would pay her 300 because it was her first time, the military court was told. Pte Harries, of 1 Medical Regiment, was arrested and upon investigation, indecent images - including one Category A, the highest category - were found on his computer in his living quarters. JAILED: Private Peter Harries, 28, was sentenced to 30 months after he messaged who he thought was a 12 year-old girl, trying to solicit sex and naked pictures. He was in fact speaking to two undercover police officers The military court also heard Pte Harries had been in possession of indecent images. Sentencing him, the judge said: 'Possession of child pornography is not a victimless crime... it is people like you who feed the market' The medic, who has served in the army for almost four years, pleaded guilty to three charges of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of making indecent images. He has now been handed a 30-month prison sentence and dismissed from the Army. Bulford Military Court, Wilts, heard that in February 2020, Pte Harries began speaking to what he thought was a 12 year-old girl called Chloe from the UK on chat messaging app, Kik. Shortly after a brief introduction, Pte Harries began to ask the fake profile, which did not have an image, for nudes and sex, the court heard. Major Jon Griffiths, prosecuting, said: 'The online persona says she was 12 and from the UK and he asks "would you like to be my sugar baby?" 'She asks what a sugar baby is. 'He says "I pay you, I have sex with you, you send pics and videos'. 'The girl then replied: "Oh wow, you pay me, I don't get pocket money. Does it matter if I've not done sex before?" 'He said "I will f*** you even though you have never done anything before." He said he would pay 5 for three nudes, 10 to 15 for a video and up to 100 for sex. 'But he then said "because it's your first time, I will give you 300." 'During those conversations, he told her that he was a medic at a hospital from Wiltshire. He asked for her phone number, but she did not give it so he gave a phone number instead. 'The police then tracked it back to him and his parents' address.' Following his arrest in March 2020, Pte Harries gave a no comment interview to police before pleading guilty to the four charges. Jonathan Lynch, defending, told the court: 'He is a decent, compassionate ,caring father, husband and soldier. 'He is disgusted by the part of him that finds children attractive, he feels real despair and finds that part of him abhorrent. 'He does not want to be who he is. He did not wake up one day and decide to be this way. 'This is how he was born, this cannot be trained out of him, it's part of who he is and he does not want it to be who he is.' Judge Advocate Edward Legard, sentencing Pte Harries, said: 'You offered money for nudes and money for videos of her masturbating and offered her 300 for the first meet. 'Possession of child pornography is not a victimless crime, far from it. They are often young vulnerable and are often recruited from impoverished backgrounds. 'They are exploited and abused by others purely to feed gratification of people like you. It is people like you who feed the market. 'Like many cases of this type, this is a very sad case because the impact of your offending will fall not only on you but your immediate family. 'But it will impact on your relationship with your daughter.' Pte Harries was jailed for 30 months but will serve half his term in custody with the remainder on licence. He was dismissed from the Army and placed under a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. He must notify police of his address and name indefinitely. The top aide to Donald Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows is testifying before the January 6 select committee Tuesday afternoon. Cassidy Hutchinson will headline the panel's surprise hearing, which was put on the books Monday after they unearthed new evidence and due to concerns for her safety. Hutchinson had constant access to Meadows, former President Donald Trump and others in the White House inner circle before, during and after the January 6 Capitol attack. She also served as a main point of contact for many members of Congress when they needed to reach the White House. The witness told the nine-member panel that Trump suggested to Meadows that he approved of his supporters chanting 'hang Mike Pence' as they stormed the Capitol, according to CNN. Her testimony also revealed to investigators that Trump complained that his vice president was taken to safety during the breach. Punchbowl News reported that Hutchinson's testimony is important for what the panel is planning to present in its July hearings. There is also 'sincere concern' regarding Hutchinson's personal safety and security due to what she has revealed to the committee, sources told the outlet. These factors have contributed to the panel feeling it was important to schedule an extra hearing on Tuesday rather than wait until the House returns from its recess next month. Chairman Bennie Thompson previously said the final hearing of the month would be on June 23, and that there would be no more hearings until July. Cassidy Hutchinson, the former top aide to Donald Trump's ex-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, will testify live before the January 6 select committee in a last-minute hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger suddenly dies just one day before surprise January 6 hearing The man in charge of protecting the Senate during the Capitol riot died Monday just a day before the Committee investigating the attack is set to reveal new evidence in a surprise session. Michael Stenger, 71, was the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate on the day of the deadly attack. He resigned amid criticism he had failed to react effectively to the building being overrun. His sudden death on Monday came the same day an unexpected additional hearing of the committee investigating the riot was announced. Michael Stenger, 71, who was Sergeant at Arms of the Senate during the Capitol riot, died on Monday Stenger previously served in the United States Marine Corps, and spent 35 years in the Secret Service. He was the chief law enforcement officer and head of protocol for the chamber since April 2018. In February 2021, Stenger told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the role of 'professional agitators' needed to be investigated. He said: 'There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6. Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators.' Stenger was born in New Jersey. At the time of his death, he lived in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife Janet. The pair are believed to have two adult children. Stenger rose to be a captain in the Marines, before joining the Secret Service. He worked on protective details before taking leadership roles. In 2011, he first took a job at the Senate, serving as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for protective services and continuity. In 2014, when Drew Willison, a longtime aide to former Democratic leader Harry Reid, became Sergeant at Arms, he made Stenger his deputy. Stenger also served as deputy to Frank Larkin, who served as Sergeant at Arms from 2015-18. When Larkin stepped down, Mitch McConnell appointed Stenger to succeed him. Advertisement Some video clips of Hutchinson's deposition have already been played at the previous five public hearings, including a segment where she named some of the House Republican lawmakers who wanted pardons from Trump following the riot last year. She has testified before the panel four times already the latest being within the last 10 days. Despite Hutchinson's cooperation, her boss has refused to testify before the panel. While the House voted to recommend contempt charges against Meadows, the Justice Department did not pursue a criminal indictment against him. Meadows turned over thousands of text messages from lawmakers, White House staffers and other key players to the select committee last year before suddenly deciding he would no longer play ball with the panel. Multiple sources told Punchbowl News that the impromptu hearing featuring Hutchinson comes after she hired a new lawyer earlier this month and became more cooperative with the investigation. Stefan Passantino, Hutchinson's former attorney, was the ethics lawyer for Trump's White House, while her new lawyer, Jody Hunt, was chief of staff to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Hutchinson was in contact with Georgia officials about efforts to overturn the election in the Peach State. She also testified that she saw Meadows burning papers in his office after meeting with Pennsylvania GOP Representative Scott Petty before January 6, 2021. Perry was one of the lawmakers pushing to get Jeffrey Clark into the acting Attorney General spot to bolster Trump's election fraud claims. The January 6 committee announced Monday that it will hold a surprise hearing Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. to present 'recently obtained evidence,' despite the House being out of session until mid-July. The last-minute announcement came roughly 24 hours before the hearing is scheduled to commence. Unlike previous announcements, the panel did not identify who it would be hearing from but confirmed it would 'receive witness testimony.' In its last hearing on Thursday, the committee outlined how Donald Trump attempted to pressure the Justice Department to pursue his baseless election fraud theories. Former Trump DOJ officials testified about an explosive stand-off between the ex-president and 'hundreds' of administration officials who were ready to resign if 2020 election denier Jeffrey Clark was appointed Attorney General. Ex-White House aides also accused certain Republican lawmakers of seeking a pardon from the former president, which committee members have insisted is a sign of culpability in Trump's scheme. But Thompson told reporters the day before that the panel's remaining planned hearings would be put off until after the House of Representatives returns from recess, which would be the week of July 11. Those two were originally scheduled for this week. 'We've taken in some additional information that's going to require additional work,' the Mississippi Democrat said. 'So rather than present hearings that have not been the quality of the hearings in the past, we made a decision to just move into sometime in July.' Hutchinson already told the nine-member panel that Trump suggested to Meadows that he approved of his supporters chanting 'hang Mike Pence' as they stormed the Capitol Hutchinson has spoken to the panel four times already and her testimony has been played at their public and televised hearings. There is 'sincere concern' regarding Hutchinson's personal safety due to what she has revealed, which led the panel to schedule an extra hearing on Tuesday rather than wait until the House returns from its recess next month One of the things driving the delay was a trove of new footage from British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder, who began filming the Trump White House in September 2020 for a three-part series and has sit-down interviews with the former president himself as well as his family members and former Vice President Mike Pence. Holder testified behind closed doors on Thursday after the committee subpoenaed his material, which reportedly includes three interviews with Trump - two of them taking place after the January 6 attack. Throughout its hearings the committee has attempted to frame the riot as Trump and his allies' 'last stand' in a wider plot to steal the last presidential election. The former president, lawmakers say, pushed claims he knew were false and pressured other government officials to do so. It's presented through a mix of videotaped and in-person testimony, primarily from Republican officials and Trump aides, that the then-commander-in-chief was told time and again by members of his own orbit that there was no widespread fraud. The committee was originally scheduled to have two more hearings this week but they were delayed until July A new poll released on Sunday suggests the gravity of the committee's allegations are sinking in with the American public - even if they are not following the hearings as closely as lawmakers might like. After watching the hearings, 46 percent of American voters who responded to the CBS News survey believe the committee should refer Trump for criminal charges. Thirty-one percent believe the committee should advise against it and less than a quarter - 23 percent - said the panel should not make any recommendation at all. Fifty percent of respondents to the poll, taken between June 22 and 24, said he tried to 'stay in office through illegal means.' But when it comes to watching the proceedings, less than one-fifth of voters said they were paying significant attention. Just 18 percent of Americans said they were spending 'a lot' of time watching the hearings. A 30-percent plurality said they were paying 'some' attention to them, and 53 percent of respondents admitted to paying 'not much' attention or 'none at all.' This is the moment screaming protesters stormed into the offices of an energy company today, before they were tackled to the ground and thrown out of the room. Police were called to a building in Primrose Street, east London, this morning after around 20 activists, armed with placards, interrupted UK Oil & Gas' (UKOG) Annual General Meeting. They demanded an end to fossil fuels, telling bosses: 'You are part of the climate crisis, you are killing people and our planet. We are here to stop you.' UKOG is a small oil and gas corporation that has controversial plans to expand its drilling across the south of England. This month, the government granted the company a licence to drill for oil near the village of Dunsfold in Surrey - despite the protestations of the local council, which described it as 'the worst possible outcome', warning that the drilling could lead to 'irreversible harm' to the environment. Footage shows a man dragging a man out of the shareholder meeting and pushing a woman towards the exit, as onlookers suggested protesters were being 'assaulted'. HAPPENING NOW: Im at @UKOGlistedonAIM where activists have disrupted the fossil fuel companys annual shareholder meeting with singing, chanting and banners #DontDrillHorseHill @KwasiKwarteng youll love this x pic.twitter.com/4pEGnBxU17 Mia Watanabe | (@MiaHWatanabe) June 28, 2022 Police were called to a building in Primrose Street, east London, this morning after around 20 activists, armed with placards, interrupted UK Oil & Gas' (UKOG) Annual General Meeting Footage shows a man dragging a man out of the shareholder meeting and pushing a woman towards the exit, as onlookers suggested protesters were being 'assaulted' They demanded an end to fossil fuels, telling bosses: 'You are part of the climate crisis, you are killing people and our planet. We are here to stop you' Joanna Warrington, a spokeswoman for Fossil Free London, which organised today's protest, said: 'The science is very clear: we have to end coal, oil and gas to have a shot at a safe and liveable future But apparently this government and UKOG didn't get the memo. 'The UK government should be investing in clean, home-grown renewable energy, and home insulation for our draughty homes. This would tackle the climate crisis and reduce people's soaring energy bills. 'But instead, this government gives corporations like UKOG free rein to impose their devastating oil and gas drilling sites. 'These go against the wishes of local communities and disrupt the global life support systems we all depend on, recklessly endangering lives all over the world. 'It's time we held this company, and the whole destructive industry, to account. Their meetings and dirty business model of expansion at any human cost cannot carry on undisrupted.' Chief Inspector Mitch Carr, from the City of London Police, said: 'Officers attended protest activity this morning (Tuesday 28 June 2022) outside the Broadgate Tower, Primrose Street. 'Officers engaged with the group to minimise disruption. The protesters have now dispersed.' UKOG has been approached for comment. President Joe Biden and his allies are frustrated by a 'lack of respect' toward him from Democrats and the media, a New York Times report suggests President Joe Biden and his top aides are 'irritated' by the cold reception his expected 2024 re-election bid has received from fellow Democrats and the media, a new report suggests on Monday. Biden, who would be 81 years old when he ran for office a second time, has faced a mountain of discussions about potential primary challengers compared to other first-term president this early in office. Lawmakers within the president's own party have been hesitant to get behind him at this point. Earlier this month, firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to say she would back a Biden 2024 campaign during an interview on CNN. 'Should he run again, I think that I - you know, I think it's - it's, we'll take a look at it,' the New York Democrat said. 'But, right now, we need to focus on winning a majority, instead of a presidential election.' West Virginia conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also would not tell the New York Times whether he would support Biden, brushing off the question with, 'Were just trying to do our daily thing, brother.' 'Trying to do what we got to do thats good for the country,' said the senator, who reports suggest has fielded requests from wealthy donors to run as a third-party candidate in 2024. But Biden and his team see perceptions that he is a 'lame duck' less than halfway through his first term as a 'lack of respect,' the Times reports based off anonymous conversations with people who speak regularly with the commander-in-chief. The report suggests that Biden's allies believe his ability to beat Donald Trump in 2020 is reason enough to support his candidacy, which comes amid the ex-president's ever-increasing hints that he's looking to run for office a third time. It cites left-wing Democratic voters' frustration with party leaders for failing to mount an adequate response to the Supreme Court overturning federal abortion protections in Roe v. Wade. The president's supporters also appear to be wary of his low popularity, which is less than 40 percent as of Tuesday Many felt that Biden and Congressional Democrats fell short of expectations after having more than a month to prepare since the draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked in Politico early last month. Progressives like 'Squad' members Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar have publicly called out broad messages to 'go vote,' being pushed by the Biden administration, without presenting a more detailed plan on what Democrats can do with that support. Biden adviser Cedric Richmond told the Times that Democrats were also 'putting too much into these polling numbers' that reflect a favorability issue that's plagued the president since about halfway through his first year in office. As of Tuesday, Biden's average popularity rating across multiple polls is just 39.6 percent, according to survey aggregator FiveThirtyEight. His unpopularity sits at 55.6 percent, slightly lower than the all-time high of 56.1 percent Biden hit on June 26. But Richmond brushed off skepticism of his boss by chalking it up to other Democrats simply seeing an opportunity to get their candidate back in the running. He said it was 'a wing in our party who wanted a different candidate and Im sure theyd love to have their candidate back in the mix again.' While establishment leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer have assured they will support a Biden re-election bid, younger Democrat leaders like South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Joe Cunningham have called on him to pass the torch 'to a new generation of leadership,' as the former representative said on CNN. Lawmakers across the left-wing spectrum from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Senator Joe Manchin have dodged questions on whether they'd support Biden in 2-24 However speculation around a Biden primary challenge has grown so rampant that even Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about it during a CNN Interview on Monday. 'Joe Biden is running for reelection and I will be his ticket mate,' Harris said. 'Full stop. That's it.' The Monday report suggests that the timing of Biden's formal re-election announcement would not come before the November midterm elections, a period Trump has teased for his potential bid. White House aides also cast doubt on challenges rumored to be brewing from current state leaders like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and California Governor Gavin Newsom. They told the Times that Pritzker gave Biden advanced notice ahead of a recent speech in New Hampshire, a popular stomping ground for presidential hopefuls, and that the popular moderate is also courting party leaders to hold the 2024 nominating convention in Chicago. Newsom's hype was written off as 'a politician feeling his oats' after a decisive victory against opponents' recall effort. The Ukraine Shopping Mall Death Toll from Russia's missile attack has increased to 18 on Tuesday as hopes of locating survivors are running out. Approximately 1,000 people were inside the Astor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, which is at least 100 miles from the nearest frontline, when it was struck on Monday afternoon by what Kyiv claims were two Russian AS-4 guided missiles. The Russian missile attack also resulted in 60 wounded individuals, including 25 hospitalized victims and an undetermined number who are currently missing, per Mail Online. Ukraine says there are no military targets located anywhere within the city of Kremenchuk. Firefighters battled the blaze all night to put it out after the hit destroyed the building and caused much of the roof to collapse. Desperate families whose loved ones were working at or visiting the mall as it was struck turned to social media to try and find them. Amid warnings, there is little hope that anyone trapped in the blaze could have survived. G7 Leaders Blast Russian Missile Attack on Civilians The G7 leaders swiftly condemned the Russian Missile strike during a meeting in Germany on Monday, calling it a "war crime." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow's 'brazen terrorist attack,' while United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson remarked that the Russian Missile attack depicts 'the depths of cruelty and barbarism to which [Putin] will sink." Zelenskyy addressed the leaders of the G-7 nations, pressing them for more heavy weaponry and help to end the war before winter sets in. Earlier, Russia denied that it deliberately targeted a civilian structure. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Moscow's deputy ambassador to the UN, stated on Twitter that the attack was a "Ukrainian provocation" but provided no supporting evidence, according to The Guardian. "Exactly what Kyiv regime needs to keep the focus of attention on Ukraine before (the) NATO Summit," Polyanskiy said, referring to the alliance's Madrid summit set to start on Tuesday. Read Also: USA Secret Meeting With Israel, Arab Nations Revealed; Iran Threat Discussed However, the Russian defense ministry now asserts that bombers had fired missiles at a nearby military facility, which caused flames to grow to what it identified as "a non-functioning shopping center." The NATO summit is perceived as the most significant assembly of the organization in recent months. It will be attended by member nations and non-NATO allies, like Australia and South Korea, to address the conflict in Ukraine and how to deal with an increasingly aggressive Russia. On Telegram, President Zelensky stated that the Ukraine Shopping Mall Death Toll was hard to imagine. He posted: "The occupiers fired missiles at the shopping center, where there were more than a thousand civilians. The mall is on fire, rescuers are extinguishing the fire, and the number of victims is unimaginable. Russia continues to take out its impotence on ordinary citizens. It is useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia." UK Intelligence: Russian Forces Are 'Hollowed Out' Meanwhile, as per CNBC update, the UK Defense Ministry reported that Russian troops in the Luhansk region are "hollowed out" in the intense ongoing battle in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine. After pulling back from the nearby city of Severodonetsk, which Russian forces completely occupied at the weekend, Ukrainian forces continue to reinforce their positions on higher ground in the city of Lysychansk, according to the ministry's most recent intelligence update on Tuesday. Related Article: Ukraine War: Videos Show Scary Aftermath of Russia's Missile Attack at Shopping Mall With 1000+ People Inside @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 apologized for his actions and said that he doesn't remember the emotions he was feeling when he fired the shots because it was 'another lifetime ago.' John Hinckley Jr., 67, was freed from all court oversight earlier this month and has since said he feels repentant for his could-be deadly actions. 'I feel badly for all of them. I have true remorse for what I did,' Hinckley told CBS Mornings in his first televised interview since his release. 'I know that they probably can't forgive me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did.' When asked about what feelings that led him to commit the act, Hinckley said he can't remember those emotions and doesn't want to. John Hinckley Jr., 67, apologized for trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan and said that he doesn't remember the emotions he was feeling when he fired the shots because it was 'another lifetime ago' 'I have true remorse for what I did,' Hinckley said. 'I know that they probably can't forgive me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did.' Hinckley (pictured earlier this month) said he was speaking out to clear up his image and 'soften' the public's view of him 'It's such another lifetime ago. I can't tell you now the emotion I had right as [Reagan] came walking out. I can't tell you that,' he said, later adding: 'It's something I don't want to remember.' Hinckley was 25 and suffering from acute psychosis when he fired a .22 long rifle bullet that ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the torso, puncturing a lung and causing serious internal bleeding outside a Washington hotel. The assassination attempt also paralyzed then-Press Secretary James Brady, who died in 2014, and wounded a police officer and a Secret Service agent. Hinckley was desperate to impress actress Jodie Foster after seeing her in the 1976 movie Taxi Driver. Reagan happily waved to Americans as he headed toward his car outside the Washington hotel in 1981 before the attack. A bullet struck the president and left him with severe internal bleeding Reagan leaving the hospital he recovered at after being shot The press secretary (pictured) being loaded up into the ambulance in 1981 Jurors found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity and he spent more than 30 years at a mental hospital in Washington. He told CBS Mornings he truly believes he had 'serious mental illness that prevented me from knowing right from wrong then.' 'I was not just a cold, calculating criminal in 1981,' he said on the show and wants the public's view of him to 'soften.' The would-be assassin said he has been the 'most scrutinized person in the entire mental health system for 41 years.' He began making visits to his parent's home in Williamsburg, Virginia, in the early 2000s. A 2016 court order granted him permission to live with his mother full time, albeit under various restrictions, after experts said his mental illness had been in remission for decades. Police officer Thomas Delahanty (foreground) and Press Secretary James Brady (behind). A Secret Service officer was also wounded in the 1981 attack Hinckley (pictured in August 1981) said he had 'serious mental illness that prevented me from knowing right from wrong then,' he said on Tuesday The assassination attempt was a bizarre attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster (pictured in 1981) He signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in the area last year and has been living alone there with his cat Theo, according to court documents. His mother died in July. Hinckley had previously been under restrictions that barred him from owning a gun, using drugs or alcohol or contacting members of the victims' families. But a federal judge in Washington said months ago that he would free Hinckley from those restrictions if he remained mentally stable. Those restrictions were lifted on June 15. He now says he is 'glad (he) did not succeed' in killing the then-President. He also said he was 'sorry' for traumatizing the entire nation as the news spread. 'I'm sure the whole country was traumatized, and I'm very sorry for that,' he told CBS Mornings' Major Garrett. 'I did not have a good heart. I was doing things a good person doesn't do. It's hard for me to relate at all to that person back then.' Hinckley - who plays guitar and sings is now hoping to move on to music in the next portion of his free life. He has been uploading his music to YouTube and has amassed about 27,000 subscribers. He had set up a Redemption Tour, but it was canceled due to safety concerns. Sold-out shows in Brooklyn, New York, on July 8 and another in Chicago on July 23, were set to feature 17 original songs sung by Hinckley. A 1995 civil settlement had banned Hinckley from financially benefiting from his name or story, but in October 2020 he won a ruling to publicly display his artwork and music under his own name after previously being forced to release it anonymously. Most of the music he has written are love songs. Hinckley is an aspiring artist, who plays guitar and sings. He has been uploading his music to YouTube and has amassed about 27,000 subscribers Hinckley's 'Redemption Tour' has since been canceled due to safety concerns Videos of Hinckley covering Elvis Presley's Can't Stop Falling In Love and Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind have racked up nearly 100,000 views. His self-penned ballads include Majesty of Love, with the lyrics, 'the world is in so much pain, we have much to gain', and Everything Is Gonna Be Alright, where he croons 'there ain't nothing wrong with the rain, it is good to wash away the pain.' Hinckley's obsession with women seemed to continue during his time in institutional psychiatric care. Hinckley had multiple loves while at St. Elizabeths, the mental hospital where he was sent, including a woman with severe schizophrenia and Leslie DeVeau, a DC woman who had murdered her own daughter. Hinckley said in 2020: 'I'm a musician. Nobody knows that. They just see me as the guy who tried to kill Reagan.' Former New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said the 'toxicity' of the relationship between ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio directly interfered with public health policy during the pandemic. 'It was a significant problem,' Chokshi said during a June 17 interview with the New York Health Foundation, a private non-profit. 'There were moments where my frustration at not being able to advance public health policy for New Yorkers could be directly tied to the toxicity of that relationship.' New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for a blue-ribbon commission to investigate state Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his alleged nursing home cover-up The soft-speaking Chokshi came into his role leading the city through the worst public health crisis in 100 years after his predecessor, Dr. Orixis Barbot, quit five months into the pandemic. Barbot bristled under de Blasio's leadership and the two squabbled over the mayor's decision to take contact-tracing responsibilities away from her department. Chokshi seemed more compliant and even spoke about the importance of 'humility' in working with politicians to make public-health choices, but even he had problems navigating the power struggle between Cuomo and de Blasio. Former New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi, pictured here, said that feuding between Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio was a 'significant problem' De Blasio said he wonders 'how many lives mightve been saved' had Cuomo handled nursing homes differently 'There was a moment you know again during our vaccination campaign when you know one of the ways in which the governor and the mayor didn't get along was around authority - who had the authority to do what,' the former health commissioner said. In December 2020, de Blasio and Chokshi held a press conference to announce the first vaccine shots would go to the city's frontline workers, like nurses and police officers. 'The governor at a press conference less than an hour later said that the mayor and I didn't have the authority to do that,' the doctor said. Chokshi said Cuomo's office called him afterward to threaten him. 'I got a very irate phone call, um, to let me know in no uncertain terms that I would be held responsible for breaking state law if we were gonna move forward to vaccinate first responders,' he recalled. 'It's ludicrous to think that that's what our public officials are spending time doing instead of sorting things out so that we can actually move forward with what our responsibility is during a pandemic.' Cuomo and de Blasio worked together in the Clinton administration, but became political rivals after being elected New Yorkers became familiar with the animosity between de Blasio and Cuomo early in the mayor's first term. Both men worked in the Clinton administration bureaucrats, but as politicians they both jockeyed for the spotlight. Cuomo usurped de Blasio's signature universal pre-K plan, taking credit for funding it soon after the mayor was elected in 2013. The two also bickered over blizzard responses and tax plans; Cuomo would often hold last-minute press conference at the same time as de Blasio and would present contradicting information. De Blasio slammed Cuomo for 'bullying' a state lawmaker who claimed the governor threatened to 'destroy' him unless he helped cover up the COVID-19 nursing home scandal De Blasio seemed to relish in Cuomo's downfall after a sexual harassment scandal forced the former governor to resign in August 2021. The ex-mayor said Cuomo should 'should do everyone a favor and get the hell out of the way.' De Blasio also called for a special government commission to investigate the Cuomo administration's nursing-home policies in response to the pandemic. The former governor was found to have under-counted nursing-home deaths after enforcing his decision requiring residents remain in nursing homes, even after they were found to have contracted Covid. Cuomo spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, said he didn't recall anyone reaching out to Chokshi regarding the vaccines. 'I'm not sure what he's talking about, but at the time we had extremely limited vaccine supply from the federal government and clear state guidelines that prioritized front line healthcare workers,' Azzopardi told the New York Post. 'City Hall kept failing to fulfill this basic responsibility and rather than focus on the task at hand they threw everything at the wall to change the subject and shift attention away from their ineptitude,' he said. During the height of the pandemic, city morgues and funeral homes became overwhelmed with dead bodies De Blasio, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's newly drawn 10th Congressional District, took the opportunity to have another dig at Cuomo. 'Dr. Dave Chokshi was a civic saint in every way possible and a critically important partner in helping to navigate our city through COVID. The threats he endured were outrageous,' his campaign told the Post. The ex-commissioner said there were times when he went behind the politicians backs and worked with his colleagues in the state to get things done. 'There were moments when I was reaching out to the health commissioner at the state level to both Dr. [Harold] Zucker and then Dr. [Mary] Bassett [former and current New York State Health Commissioners] to say look it's part of our responsibility to try to take whatever the relationship between our bosses may be and do what's right you know on behalf of New Yorkers,' he said. A Georgia boy died in a hot car at a Wendy's drive-thru after his grandmother had forgotten about him in the back seat. Kendrick Engram Jr, three, was discovered by his uncle at the fast-food restaurant on Wynnton Road Sunday in Columbus after he had been left inside of the car for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, according to the Muscogee County Coroner's Office. He died of asphyxiation after being left in the car in the scorching heat; the day's highest temperature was 96F, the lowest 90F, the National Weather Service reported in its three-day history forecast. Kendrick spent most of Sunday out with relatives, including his three sisters and his grandmother, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan told local news outlets. They returned home around 5:30 p.m. 'Everyone went in the house except the little boy,' Bryan said. 'The grandmother went into the bedroom, the other children went into the kitchen area to eat. Then the children were in and out, playing ... just like kids do.' Kendrick Engram Jr, three, was found asphyxiated in the third row of a Nissan SUV on Sunday at around 8:30 p.m Engram Jr's body was discovered when his uncle went to order food at a Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Georgia. Pictured: the crime scene at the Wendy's drive-thru The boy's uncle had borrowed his mother's car to drive 15 minutes to get to the Wendy's on Wynnton Road It wasn't until roughly three hours later, at about 8:15 p.m., when the grandmother noticed Kendrick was missing, when she 'called out to the children and asked about a head count, and nobody knew where Kendrick was.' Kendrick was found around 8:30 p.m., after his uncle - who had the vehicle the boy had been riding in earlier Sunday - was called by his mother to see if the child was with him. When he was at Wendy's, the grandmother called him to see if Kendrick was with him, according to Bryan. The boy's uncle initially denied the child's presence, but soon found him in the third-row seat of a Nissan SUV. The toddler was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. that night. 'Just be aware. Just be aware. If you're an adult, be responsible,' Bryan said. 'The children are innocent. They can't help themselves and when you have a child that puts the responsibility on you.' As of Tuesday, it remains unclear if the family will face charges for the three-year-old's death. A Go Fund Me page in the boy's honor was created on Tuesday, with a goal of $10,000 to pay for his funeral expenses. So far, only $50 have been given in donation. Kendrick was described in the fundraiser as 'energetic, loving, and full of life!' He is survived by two parents, Yolanda Thomas, his mother, and Kendrick Engram, his father, along with six siblings. DailyMail.com has contacted the Columbus Police Department in Georgia for comment. Kendrick is the seventh child in the United States to have died after being left in a hot car this year, and the second in Georgia, according to Safe Kids, which added that more than 100 children have died from being unattended in a hot car over the past two years. Last week, Trace Means, five, perished in sweltering 100F heat in Houston, Texas, after his mother Amanda Means, 36, left him in the back of a Porsche SUV for two to three hours. DailyMail.com can reveal the five-year-old Texas boy who was left to die in his mom's sweltering hot car on Monday has been identified as Trace Means, pictured above with his parents Amanda and Steve, and his older sister, 8 Detectives think she simply forgot Trace was still buckled into his car seat as she headed inside their $1.4 million Houston home to throw a birthday party for his eight-year-old sister. By the time Amanda realized her mistake, the bubbly, blonde-haired youngster -pictured here for the first time in a series of heartbreaking family photos - had succumbed to suspected heat stroke. The shell-shocked mom has not been charged, although the Harris County Sheriff's Office is still investigating. DailyMail.com can reveal that Trace's parents are going through a divorce and he had spent Father's Day with his dad before being dropped home several hours before Monday's tragedy. The family of a Texas man said he was wrongfully identified as the owner of the truck used by human smugglers who left 50 migrants to die inside the vehicle in 103 degree weather along the U.S.-Mexico border. A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found 'stacks of bodies' and no signs of water in the truck, which was discovered on Monday next to railroad tracks in the city's southern outskirts, close to Interstate 35 which runs to the border. The truck's license plate and registration linked the vehicle to an Alamo man, but his son-in-law, Isaac Limon, said the information was stolen and that the real truck belonging to his family was out hauling grain in another part of Texas. 'It was a perfect setup,' Limon told the Washington Post. 'The truck is here. I'm looking at it right now. 'Sad to say, but he's a bit of a victim, too, because people believe it was him.' The truck police found containing 50 dead migrants abandoned on the San Antonio, Texas roadside stole its license plate and registration from a truck hauling grain in Alamo Isaac Limon, the son-in-law of the man whose information was stolen, said he wanted to clear his name after Telemundo identified his company as the owner of the truck in the tragedy Limon said his father-in-law was shaken up by the incident because people now falsely believe his vehicle was involved in the horrible tragedy that left 50 dead San Antonio Police chief McManus said he could not confirm whether all the victims had been found, and that canine units would be deployed in the morning to continue searching Christine and Michael Ybarra (above) embrace at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck in San Antonio, Texas, on June 27, Limon told the Post that the plates and registration identified in the tragedy belong to his father-in-law's Volvo, and was outraged over Telemundo's reporting that suggested his truck was used in the crime. '[I] just want to help clear my Father-In-Laws name,' Limon wrote on Facebook after the news broke. 'He is not the owner of the truck in San Antonio that is involved in this tragic event. 'His DOT Number was illegally copied onto the truck... Telemundo did not verify the facts before airing the story.' In their coverage on Monday night, Telemundo had linked the truck to the father-in-law's Trucking & Harvesting company. Telemundo did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Limon said that his father-in-law has been left 'shaken' by the misreporting. The truck was found abandoned by auto salvage yards and railroad tracks around 6:00pm yesterday by an individual who worked nearby. Sixteen survivors, including four children, were rushed to nearby hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion. They were found by a local worker, who investigated the scene after hearing a faint cry for help emanating from the truck. No children were among the dead, according to officials. Onlookers stand near the scene where the semitrailer was found on Monday in South Texas Law enforcement officers work at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck, with only 16 survivors initially reported An ambulance leaves the scene where police said dozens of people were found dead in a semitrailer in a remote area in southwestern San Antonio Police block the scene. It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in recent decades Texas has been experiencing a near-record heat wave, while temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103F on Monday with high humidity. 'The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion,' fire chief Charles Hood said in a press briefing. '[There were] no signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig.' Police Chief William McManus said three individuals were taken into custody, but that it had not been established whether they were 'absolutely connected to this or not.' The nationalities of the victims have not yet been confirmed, but they are all believed to be immigrants attempting to cross illegally into the U.S. Texas Governor blames Biden's border measures for tragedy Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a fresh condemnation of President Biden's border measures - and blamed them for Monday's tragedy. He tweeted: 'At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.' Abbott has repeatedly crossed swords with Biden over immigration in recent months, as the number of illegal crossings over the southern border into states including his soared to record levels. In April, Abbott sought to embarrass Biden over the crisis by busing migrants to Washington DC and leaving them on the steps of the US Capitol. Abbott also announced a $500 million package of measures to try and slash immigration. That included deploying Texas National Guard members to try and stem the flow of migrants into the US. Advertisement Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard dispatched Consul General Ruben Minutti to the scene yesterday evening, while the Mexican consulate in San Antonio said it would provide 'all the support' to the families of Mexican citizens if they are among the dead. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that its Homeland Security Investigations division was investigating 'an alleged human smuggling event' in coordination with local police. Chief McManus said the individual 'heard a cry for help and came out to investigate', before finding the trailer's doors partially opened upon arrival and discovering dozens of bodies. McManus said he could not confirm whether all the victims had remained in the trailer and said searches to find any survivors that may have escaped were ongoing. 'We had our canines out there going through the woods and we may have to do that again tomorrow in the light of day,' he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the 46 who died had 'families who were likely trying to find a better life'. 'The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis,' said Nirenberg. 'But tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy.' Locals said that the location where the truck was found was a known drop-off point for migrants, according to The New York Times. 'You can tell they just got here. We see them with backpacks or asking for food or money,' Ruby Chavez, 53, told The New York Times. 'They know this area. They jump off the train and get picked up,' Chavez's husband said. The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE's investigative unit who retired in December. Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident. 'It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again,' he said. Yesterday's deaths highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs. The issue has proven difficult for U.S. President Joe Biden, who has pledged to reverse some of the hard-line immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Texas Governor Greg Abbott hit out at the President following the deaths, blaming the deadly incident on the Biden administration's lax approach to border control - a key issue for the upcoming November elections. The deaths 'are the result of his deadly open border policies,' Abbott wrote. 'They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.' Texas Gov. Greg Abbot blamed the deaths on the Biden Administration Body bags lie at the scene where a tractor trailer with multiple dead bodies were discovered The truck was found abandoned on Quintana Road, close to the I-35 which runs from San Antonio to the Mexican border Yesterday's tragic incident may be one of the deadliest when it comes to illegal smuggling of people across the southern US border. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck that was parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings. Prior to that, people paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border. As crossings became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more dangerous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more to smugglers. Heat poses a serious danger, and temperatures can rise severely inside vehicles. This is the moment a cruise ship heading for an Alaskan glacier was forced to turn back after smashing into an iceberg amid heavy fog. Incredible footage shows the Norwegian Sun, a 2,000-passenger Norwegian Cruise Line ship, smack into the 'growler' near the Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay. Terrified passengers recorded the huge block of ice jolt the vessel while many slept before it disappeared under the bow on Saturday. The impact forced the boat to dock at Juneau where expert divers assessed the damage before recommending it return to Seattle for repairs. A timeline of Norwegian Sun's ill-fated journey, culminating in the iceberg crash and return to Seattle for repairs Norwegian Sun, the ship that made contact with the iceberg, is shown here in March in Jacksonville, Florida Jason Newman from Atlanta, Georgia, was on the ship when the crash occurred. He claimed the fog had cleared when they struck the iceberg. 'The ship had a severe judder,' Newman told KTOO. 'You could feel the strike. And then it listed minorly.' Newman said that after hitting the iceberg, the ship limped back to Juneau at a speed of 10 mph. Alicia Amador, another passenger on the ship, told the Juneau Empire that hitting the iceberg was a 'scary experience.' 'The whole boat came to a complete stop from the impact,' she said and described the iceberg as 'the size of a semi-truck.' Incredible footage shows the Norwegian Sun, a 2,000-passenger Norwegian Cruise Line ship, smack into the 'growler' near the Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay Terrified passengers recorded the huge block of ice jolt the vessel while many slept before it disappeared under the bow on Saturday A growler is categorized as an iceberg that is less than two meters across and has less than one meter showing above the water. The captain turned the ship towards Juneau where it docked and expert divers checked on the condition of the boat. They found it had sustained damage from the iceberg, and had to return to Seattle for the necessary repairs. 'On June 25, 2022 while transiting to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, Norwegian Sun was engulfed by dense fog, limiting visibility and resulting in the ship making contact with a growler,' a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told Cruise Hive. Cruise ships are pictured docked across the Gastineau Channel near downtown Juneau in this file photo They added that the ship was still 'fully operational' and was headed back to Juneau, Alaska for 'assessment.' Petty Officer 1st Class Nate Littlejohn, a Coast Guard public affairs specialist, said the ship must return to Seattle to undergo repairs, according to the Juneau Empire. Littlejohn said the ship reported the incident to the National Guard immediately after making contact with the iceberg. The ship did not report any injuries, did not require search and rescue assistance and said the crash caused no pollution. He added that there 'is confidence' the ship will be able to make it back to Seattle safely and without further incident. Passengers were told they would be reimbursed. A 'fantastic father' died from a rare form of cancer after his NHS pathologist did not seek a second opinion over fears her colleague was too 'overworked', an inquest has heard. Former Royal Navy serviceman David Anthony Hulme, 49, died at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, in March 2021 - just four weeks after receiving his diagnosis for lymphona. The potentially fatal cancer, which attacks the lymph system, had been caught too late after being misdiagnosed as sarcoidosis - a rare condition that causes small patches of red and swollen tissue to develop, and which Mr Hulme, a father of two boys, had been diagnosed with in 2014. A pathologist, who examines manifestations of disease at Derriford Hospital, gave evidence at the inquest this week after she failed to identify signs of cancer in Mr Hulme's tissue sample. She admitted that she did not seek a second opinion as the only colleague available to provide one had work 'up to the ceiling' and had recently moved to part time hours. Senior coroner Ian Arrow told the court that a review of staffing levels should be undertaken by the hospital's hierarchy. He vowed to write to the hospital's CEO to insist the staffing issue is addressed. Former Royal Navy serviceman David Anthony Hulme (pictured with his wife), 49, died at Derriford Hospital in March 2021 - just four weeks after receiving his diagnosis for lymphona. The pathologist noted that in the summer of 2020 that she had identified signs of 'granulomatous inflammation' in Mr Hulmes tissue. This was in keeping with the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and can be a sign of cell injury caused by a variety of conditions including infection, autoimmune, toxic, allergic, drug, and neoplastic condition. She also noted that due to the high inflammation it was extremely hard to examine the samples and by using the clinical history of the patient she felt comfortable that she could rule out cancer. She said: 'I did not feel in my experience that this was a malignant condition. At the time I felt it was benign.' Mr Hulme's exact condition was known as 'high grade B cell lymphoma' and was located in his right lung after he had previously complained of breathing difficulties and an ongoing cough. The pathologist giving evidence stated that the placement and exact condition of Mr Hulme was extremely rare. 'The diagnosis is very, very, extremely difficult and unprecedented in my career. I have never come across it or even heard of it,' she said. She told the hearing that in her job she is 'reliant on clinical context' and due to the previous diagnosis of sarcoidosis she felt that was the most likely cause of Mr Hulme's condition. A reassessment and a second opinion of the tissue sample was only gained in early 2021 when the pathologist was informed of a 'change in clinical status' to Mr Hulme. The potentially fatal cancer, which attacks the lymph system, had been caught too late after being misdiagnosed as sarcoidosis - a rare condition that causes small patches of red and swollen tissue to develop, and which Mr Hulme, a father-of-two boys (family pictured together), had been diagnosed with in 2014 A consultant pathologist at Royal Brompton Hospital in London informed staff at Derriford Hospital that he was 'worried that it could be lymphoma'. Although Mr Hulme did receive treatment for lymphoma prior to his death it was unable to prolong his life longer than a month. Ms Carmell, a legal representative of the Hulme family, pressed the pathologist on why she had not sought a second opinion at the time of the first examination. She responded saying: 'I wish that I had sought a second opinion.. I apologise to the family for that.' The pathologist stated the only work colleague at Derriford Hospital who would have been able to look at the sample was 'overworked with work up to his ceiling' and had recently swapped to working part-time hours. The pathologist also acknowledged that in her occupation doctors are not 'always good at showing uncertainty' and instead are taught to 'come down on one side'. A senior colleague at Derriford Hospital explained the hospital had completed a 'root cause analysis' of the events which led to Mr Hulme's death. He stated that the combination of confirmation bias and the complex nature of the case led to individual error in diagnosing Mr Hulme. The analysis conducted also uncovered a series of problems, contributory factors and recommendations going forward to ensure a similar incident would not happen again. Included within the findings was evidence of increased staff workload, a lack of consultants and a lack of formal training. Going forward, the senior colleague stated that a new operating system had been developed which would help pathologists seek a second opinion. A new forum has also been set up which will see pathologists meet quarterly to discuss difficult cases, specifically the problems and lessons they had learnt from working with the patient. At the inquest this week, senior coroner Ian Arrow told the court that a review of staffing levels should be undertaken by the hospital's hierarchy. (Pictured: Derriford Hospital) The pathologist present at the inquest added that her fellow colleagues believed she 'acted with integrity at the time'. Recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Arrow said Mr Hulme had died as a result of 'high grade B cell lymphoma', which was a 'naturally occurring condition'. He informed those giving evidence that he would be writing to the CEO of Derriford Hospital with the advice that staffing levels should be investigated. Before ending the inquest and addressing the Hulme family, Mr Arrow said: 'I would like the opportunity to pass on my condolences to the family. I am very sorry to have heard of your loss.' Mr Hulme was a father to Kieran and Joe, aged 21 and 15 respectively and had previously served in the Royal Navy. Mr Hulme's wife described her partner of 19 years, saying: 'He was such a fantastic husband and dad to our boys, and to this day I still feel myself going to speak to him and then realising he's not here anymore. We all miss him every single day. 'Since he died, I feel like time has stood still for me. He was my soulmate and I really can't imagine the rest of my life without him. 'I know nothing will ever bring him back, and I know reliving it all at the inquest will be tough but I hope that it will at least provide us with the answers we need.' Hillary Clinton said in a Tuesday morning interview that for as long as she has known Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, he has been filled with 'resentment' and 'anger' as she insisted the Roe v. Wade ruling will result in women dying. 'I went to law school with [Justice Thomas],' Clinton told CBS Mornings in a pre-recorded interview. 'He's been a person of grievance for as long as I've known him resentment, grievance, anger.' The failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said that Thomas has 'signaled' to lower courts and state legislatures that they need to 'find cases, pass laws, gets them up' to restrict abortion, contraception rights and same-sex marriage. Clinton said that people who are 'right wing' and 'very conservative' are paying attention to Justice Thomas when it comes to these issues and the potential risk of their overturn. Her response comes after the bombshell Friday Supreme Court ruling that ended 50-years of precedent set by the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. 'The thing that is well there's so many things about it that are deeply distressing but women are going to die, Gayle,' Clinton said. She insisted: 'Women will die. Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been 'a person of grievance for as long as I've known him resentment, grievance, anger' Clinton went to law school with Thomas and said his and other conservative Justices' ruling overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday will lead to 'women dying' The case at hand in the Supreme Court was Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which sought to challenge a Mississippi law that banned abortion at 15 weeks. The law was upheld by the court in a conservative 6-3 majority opinion. Thomas, one of the most conservative members of the Supreme Court, said in interviews published in a new book that he wasn't sure why he was nominated for the Supreme Court - and 'celebrated not being nominated' when he thought President George H.W. Bush had passed him up. 'I have no idea why or how I got nominated,' Thomas said, according to the book Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, which came out earlier this month. Thomas said in interviews published in a new book that he wasn't sure why he was nominated for the Supreme Court and 'celebrated not being nominated' when he thought President George H.W. Bush passed him up. Created Equal was a companion project to a 2020 documentary with the same name Thomas admitted that he 'hadn't thought about' the abortion issue in the run-up to his 1991 confirmation hearings. Thomas went one step further from his conservative cohorts on Friday by filing a concurring opinion suggesting that cases legalizing contraception and same-sex marriage should get another look from the court as well. Created Equal was a companion project to a documentary on Thomas released in 2020 by filmmaker Michael Pack, who led the U.S. Agency for Global Media under former President Donald Trump, and Mark Paoletta, a lawyer who worked alongside Thomas during his confirmation. Pack interviewed Thomas for more than 30 hours between November 2017 and March 2018, which became the basis for the film and then the book. Thomas made clear to Pack that he wasn't enthusiastic about being nominated to the court and also hadn't thought much about the abortion issue going into his confirmation hearings. Since the ruling on Friday, pro- and anti-abortion demonstrators have been posted outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Thirteen states had so-called 'trigger laws' that immediately made abortion illegal with the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Depeche Mode's keyboardist Andy Fletcher died after suffering an 'aortic dissection' at the age of 60, the band announced. Fletcher, nicknamed 'Fletch', founded the group in Basildon in 1980 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years ago. Following his death on May 26, the band said there had been an 'outpouring of love' and it has been 'incredible' to see how much he meant to everyone. In a statement posted on Instagram, Depeche Mode said: 'As you can imagine, it's been a strange, sad, disorienting few weeks for us here, to say the least. But we've seen and felt all of your love and support, and we know that Andy's family has too. 'A couple weeks ago we received the result from the medical examiners, which Andy's family asked us to share with you now. 'Andy suffered an aortic dissection while at home on May 26. So, even though it was far, far too soon, he passed naturally and without prolonged suffering.' The band said they had held a celebration of his life in London last week, describing it as a 'beautiful ceremony and gathering with a few tears, but filled with the great memories of who Andy was, stories of all of our times together, and some good laughs'. An aortic dissection is a condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the aorta. Depeche Mode's keyboardist Andy Fletcher died after suffering an 'aortic dissection' at the age of 60, the band announced Fletcher, nicknamed 'Fletch', founded the group in Basildon in 1980 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years ago. Above: Andy Fletcher during a recording of the 'Later with Jools Holland' TV programme in London on April 28, 2009 'Andy was celebrated in a room full of many of his friends and family, our immediate DM family, and so many people who have touched Andy's and our lives throughout the years,' they said. 'All being together was a very special way to remember Andy and see him off. 'So thank you for all of the love you've shown Andy and his family and friends over the last few weeks. It honestly means the world to all of us. Andy, you'll be missed, but certainly not forgotten.' The statement was signed off by bandmates Martin Gore and Dave Gahan. Pictured left to right: Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode in 1987 during the height of their success In a statement posted on Instagram , Depeche Mode said: 'As you can imagine, it's been a strange, sad, disorienting few weeks for us here, to say the least. But we've seen and felt all of your love and support, and we know that Andy's family has too. 'A couple weeks ago we received the result from the medical examiners, which Andy's family asked us to share with you now. 'Andy suffered an aortic dissection while at home on May 26. So, even though it was far, far too soon, he passed naturally and without prolonged suffering' Aortic dissection: A deadly tear of the heart's main artery Without urgent medical care, aortic dissection can kill. But survival rates are slim, even with rapid treatment. Forty of per cent of affected patients die almost instantly, figures suggest. The life-threatening condition, which kills up to 3,000 Britons and 13,000 Americans every year is caused by a tear in the weakened wall of the aorta, the main artery pumping blood from your heart. This causes blood to leak between the layers that makes up the wall. As well as leading to heart attacks and strokes, it can cut-off the blood supply to limbs which can also be fatal. It can happen suddenly or slowly over time, according the British Heart Foundation. High blood pressure is a major risk factor. Symptoms which can be mistaken for other conditions include severe chest pain, feeling cold and shortness of breath. Ex-Liverpool football manager Gerard Houllier was rushed to hospital for an emergency 11-hour surgery to fix his aortic dissection in 2001. Surgeons describe the procedure as 'one of the most difficult operations to perform' because it is so fiddly. Advertisement Fletcher was born in Nottingham and moved to Basildon as a young boy, where he formed the band that would become known as Depeche Mode with Gore and Vince Clarke. While Clarke left in the early 1980s, Fletcher stayed with the group throughout its four-decade history, from its debut album Speak and Spell to 2017's Spirit. During this period, two of its albums reached Number 1 in the charts: Songs Of Faith and Devotion, and Ultra. Despite their popularity, the band never had a No 1 single, though they reached No 4 across three separate decades with People Are People, Barrel Of A Gun and Precious. Fletcher leaft behind a wife, Grainne, to whom he was married for almost 30 years, and two children, Megan and Joe. Fletcher was often modest about his role in Depeche Mode compared to that of his fellow musicians, Gore, Alan Wilder and Dave Gahan. In an interview for the 1989 documentary 101, he described their roles as: 'Martin's the songwriter, Alan's the good musician, Dave's the vocalist, and I bum around.' Despite their popularity, the band never had a No.1 single, though they reached No.4 across three separate decades with People are People, Barrel of a Gun and Precious. The band chose their name from French fashion magazine Depeche Mode, with frontman Gahan explaining: 'It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that.' Depeche Mode played their first gig at school in 1980 and went on to make demo tapes, personally delivering them to record companies. They eventually recorded their first single 'Dreaming of Me' in December 1980 for independent label Mute Records, whose founder Daniel Miller was interested in their unique electronic sound. It reached number 57 in the UK charts. Buoyed by their early success, the band recorded a follow-up single, 'New Life', which made it to number 11 in the charts and landed their first appearance on Top of the Pops. Memorably, the band travelled to the BBC studio in London by train, taking their synthesizers with them. The band's debut album 'Speak and Spell' opened with 'New Life' and closed with one of the band's enduring hits, 'Just Can't Get Enough.' (Left to right) Fletcher with Depeche Mode bandmates Dave Gahan and Martin Gore in Berlin on March 21, 2013 As one of the co-founders of Depeche Mode in 1980, Fletcher was behind a string of hits including 'Just Can't Get Enough' Fletcher performing with Depeche Mode at the London Astoria on July 23, 1981 Clockwise from top left: Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode in Berlin in July 1984 dy Fletcher of Depeche Mode performs during the band's 'Global Spirit Tour' U.S. opening night at USANA Amphitheatre on August 23, 2017 It was this third single, 'Just Can't Get Enough', that propelled the group to stardom and scored their first top ten hit. Around this time, original synthesist Clarke left the band to form Yazoo with Alison Moyet, but Depeche Mode followed their 80s success with other hits, including 'Enjoy the Silence', 'Strangelove' and 'Personal Jesus'. The group would find international success with 1984's 'Some Great Reward' and the single 'People are People,' and their prominence would only grow throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Fletcher would lend his keyboards to classic albums including 'Music for the Masses,' 'Black Celebration' and 'Violator.' The first of these led to a world tour that brought a live album, a documentary, and a legendary concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, that represented the pinnacle of the band's prominence. Fletcher (pictured in 1984) helped define the synth-pop genre of music as keyboardist of Depeche Mode Musician Andrew Fletcher of Depeche Mode speaks onstage at the Convention Centre in Austin, Texas, in 2013 Andy Fletcher attends a private view of photographer Dave Benett's new exhibition 'Great Shot, Kid' in London on February 16 A fan of Chelsea FC with a penchant for chess, Fletcher assumed a low-profile in the group. He did not sing or write songs, and his face never as familiar as those of his bandmates. Fletcher handled many of the band's business and media interests; and expanded his career in the 1990s by running a restaurant named Gascogne's in St John's Wood, North West London. He admitted to suffering depression and endured a breakdown in 1994 after a series of bad investments, but he recovered to continue performing throughout the subsequent decades. He started his own record label, Toast Hawaii, in 2002, releasing an album by the band CLIENT. Fletcher would perform DJ sets at the band's live shows, which he continued to do at festivals and clubs after he and CLIENT parted ways. The band's last studio album 'Spirit' came out in 2017. In an interview with AFP ahead of its release, its members said they were proud to have attracted listeners of other genres, including rock fans who would have rarely stepped into a dance club. 'One of our legacies is to make electronic music popular to the masses,' Fletcher said. A furious man has vowed to take action against Hyundai after his car burst into flames on a quiet country road. Sumit Chugh, from Victoria, revealed how his brother-in-law was driving his Hyundai Tucson Active X near Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria in October last year when he noticed smoke coming from its engine. The brother-in-law and some friends quickly got out of the car - which burst into flames 'within seconds'. 'My brother-in-law was shivering on the phone he was panicking and I had to calm him down,' Mr Chugh told news.com.au. 'Luckily they managed to escape this but how many lives have (been) put in danger?' Mr Chugh said the car was 'totally destroyed' and added that he couldn't bear to think about what could have happened if his wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time of the incident, had been driving instead. Along with another Hyundai owner, he is now calling for people to come forward for a class action. Mr Chugh said the car was 'totally destroyed' and added that he couldn't bear to think about what could have happened if his wife, who was heavily pregnant at the time of the incident, had been driving instead Last year, law firm Bannister Law announced it would be looking into launching a potential claim against Hyundai after the safety recall of 93,000 of its popular Tucson models. The cars were sold in Australia between November 1, 2014 and November 30, 2020. However, they were recalled due to a risk of an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle was turned off. The risk came because a circuit in the anti-lock brake system control module is constantly powered. This, combined with the unit ageing, led to the possibility of moisture entering the module, creating a short-circuit and a risk of fire. The law firm is also investigating a potential claim against Kia Motors Australia over a safety recall involving the same fire risk. Mr Chugh bought his car in June 2017 with a five-year warranty. In April 2021, he took it in to get 'fixed' after hearing about the recall. Mr Chugh bought his Hyundai Tucson Active X (model pictured) in June 2017 with a five-year warranty However, six months later, the car burst into flames while his brother-in-law was driving. After the incident, he was told by Hyundai to go through his insurance company. It offered to cover the claim, but could not find a cause for the fire. Mr Chugh asked Hyundai to investigate, as he was still under warranty and believed it was a manufacturing fault. However, Hyundai said it couldn't find a fault and would not be replacing the car. Another driver, Yvonne Dyer, from Werribee in Victoria, said she noticed a 'funny smell' coming from her Hyundai and also received a safety recall. 'It's really not good enough having these safety recalls you can't be driving and feel 100 per cent safe,' she said. Mr Chugh's brother-in-law and some friends quickly got out of the car - which burst into flames 'within seconds' Mr Chugh asked Hyundai to investigate, as he was still under warranty and believed it was a manufacturing fault. However, Hyundai said it couldn't find a fault and would not be replacing the car She is joining Mr Chugh in calling on drivers to come forward for the class action. Bannister Law principal Charles Bannister said his firm would file proceedings in the coming weeks for people who were the subject of the recalls and who have suffered consequential losses. 'Bannister Law is now encouraging all affected owners to register on our website and provide any information as to the losses they are or have sustained by having to park the vehicle in open space,' he said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hyundai for comment. President Joe Biden landed in Madrid on Tuesday for a NATO summit where he will increase the number of destroyers based in Spain and meet with Turkey to push for Finland and Sweden's entry into the alliance. Biden was greeted by Spanish King Felipe VI upon arrival. He had been at a meeting of G7 leaders in Germany. The two men chatted for several minutes with Biden reaching out several times to pat the king on the shoulder. While at the NATO summit, Biden will announce he is ramping up the U.S. military presence on the eastern flank, a move he promised to make in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion on Ukraine. The U.S. will send two more destroyers to Rota, Spain, on the Spanish coast. 'We'll be making specific announcements tomorrow on land, sea and air of additional force posture commitments over the long term, beyond the the duration of this crisis, however long it goes on,' National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One on the flight to Madrid. 'One of those announcements which the president will lay out today when he meets with the Spanish President, will be an increase in the number of destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six destroyers.' Biden also addressed the additional American support. 'We're going to work on an agreement to increase the number of US Naval destroyer stationed in Spain's Rota naval base, which will also enhance the bilateral defense relationship between Spain and the United States,' Biden said after a meeting with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. President Joe Biden landed in Madrid on Tuesday for a NATO summit President Joe Biden is welcomed by King Felipe VI of Spain as he arrives at NATO meeting President Biden embraces King Felipe VI Air Force One lands at the airbase of Torrejon de Ardoz in Madrid Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (right) and President Joe Biden (left) make a joint statement in Madrid after their meeting And Sullivan said there could be more to come. 'We think by the end of the summit, what you will see is a more robust, more effective, more combat credible, more capable, and more determined force posture to take account of a more acute and aggravated Russian threat, not just because of what they've done in Ukraine, but also because of the way in which they have changed their posture,' he said. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine will be a main topic of conversation at the three-day summit, which formally kicks off on Tuesday night with a black-tie dinner. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the NATO leaders virtually on Wednesday. He also addressed G7 leaders earlier this week where he asked for more defensive capabilities and said he wants to see the war finish by year's end. The invasion has changed NATO's approach to defense, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, and a number of states in the alliance. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a 'fundamental shift' in NATO's approach to defense, and member states will have to boost their military spending in an increasingly unstable world, the leader of the alliance said Tuesday. Stoltenberg said the meeeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance 'in a more dangerous and unpredictable world.' 'To be able to defend in a more dangerous world we have to invest more in our defense,' Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATO's 30 members meet the organization's target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine also prompted Sweden and Finland to apply to join. President Joe Biden met with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at La Moncloa Palace after his arrival in Spain Security stands guard as they wait for President Joe Biden to deplane from Air Force One at Madrid's Torrejon Airport President Joe Biden will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to push for Finland and Sweden's ability to join alliance The U.S. is increasing its number of destroyers in Rota, Spain, from four to six But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is blocking their application to join because he wants them to change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Biden spoke with Erdogan on Tuesday morning and will sit down with him on Wednesday while they are both in Madrid. Sullivan said the U.S. believes Finland and Sweden have taken significant steps forward in terms of addressing Turkey's concerns. We also believe and are confident that ultimately they will become members of the alliance and that Turkey's concerns will be fully addressed in terms of a bilateral meeting.' Additionally, for the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the NATO summit as guests. President Biden will host a trilateral meeting with the president of Korea and the Prime Minister of Japan to discuss threats from North Korea to the region on Wednesday. Russia placed sanctions on US First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley as part of a new package of restrictions the country imposed on 25 American personalities. According to the Russian foreign ministry, the names on the list, which include the wife and daughter of US President Joe Biden, are banned from entering Russian territory indefinitely. The ministry stated that the measure is "a response to the ever-expanding US sanctions against Russian political and public figures." Prominent US politicians are also included on the list, including senior Republican Mitch McConnell and fellow GOP member Benjamin Sass. Names of sociologists and historians behind "Russophobic" regulations were also listed, per Newsweek. The list includes the names of David Kramer, a former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor under the George W. Bush administration; Morgan Stanley's head of European economics, Jacob Nell, and Stanford professors Francis Fukuyama and Larry Diamond. The most recent announcement from Moscow follows similar travel restrictions imposed on some individuals, per The Independent. Sanctions Vs. Sanctions Moscow's penalties against the First Lady and the presidential daughter come as Pres. Biden is on his way to attend the NATO summit in Madrid, which would deal with the conflict in Ukraine. The United States on Monday imposed increased tariffs on Russian commodities, limitations on gold exports, and penalties against several individuals and organizations backing Russia's aggression on Ukraine. These add to the already extensive package of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries against substantial components of the Russian economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, his family, close circle, and elites in Russia. The West has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February, and these most recent sanctions from Moscow follow those measures. Read Also: Joe Biden Condemns Russia's "Cruel" Missile Attack at Ukraine Shopping Mall Some of the sanctions placed by the West have targeted senior Russian officials, including the family of President Vladimir Putin, his daughters, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his family. Moreover, according to Forbes, the G-7 leaders are attempting to negotiate a ceiling on the price of Russian oil, which would shut off one of Putin's main sources of income while addressing the skyrocketing energy costs brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Macron Says Russia Must Be Defeated Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned on Tuesday that Russia "cannot and should not win" its war against Ukraine. In a news conference at the G7 summit in Bavaria, Macron stated: "Our support for Ukraine and our sanctions against Russia will be maintained as long as needed and with the intensity needed in the upcoming weeks and months." When journalists asked the French leader about his reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call to finish the war before the year ends, Macron answered, "No one is considering an end of the war in the next weeks or months." The French president said he hopes the war will end this year but "only with the certainty that Russia cannot and should not win." Macron also condemned the recent Russian missile attack on a crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine, calling it a "war crime," but he refused to call Russia a "state sponsoring terrorism," a term used by President Zelensky following the horrific incident. Related Article: Zelensky: Russian Troops Fire Missiles At Shopping Mall in Ukraine With 1,000 People @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fox News Political Analyst Gianno Caldwell broke down live on air as he opened up about his 18-year-old 'baby' brother being shot dead as he slammed the Windy City for being 'soft on crime.' Caldwell, 35, slammed Chicago's current crime environment on Fox and Friends on Tuesday after his brother Christian Beamon, 18, was shot dead and two others were injured in the city's Morgan Park neighborhood on Friday. 'He was literally just standing in front of the venue,' he told the New York Post. 'And theres three or four people out there who murdered him. We want them held to account.' Chicago police said 50 bullet casings were found at the scene and they are looking for multiple suspects who began firing out of a black sedan, according to the report. On Tuesday morning, Caldwell joined his colleagues on Fox and Friends, growing emotional and choking down tears as he discussed having to plan his brother's funeral. 'I'd rather not be here talking to you, Steve [Doocy]. Honestly, I would rather be with my family right now,' he told the host this morning on Fox and Friends. 'Yesterday for the first time in my life, I went to the funeral home to plan the burial for my baby brother,' he said as he choked down tears. 'I'm paying for a funeral, Steve, for my baby brother. My baby brother is supposed to be burying me, not the other way around. 'But this is where we are, right now, and I pray for justice for my baby brother, Christian.' The analyst said hearing the news of his brother's death was 'legitimately the worst day of my existence,' on Instagram over the weekend, alongside several photos of his family. 'After all the things my family has been through, [I] never imagined my baby brother's life would be stolen from him.' Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell, 35, broke down on air Tuesday after his younger brother was shot and killed in Chicago on Friday. The tragic news was shared by Caldwell on Twitter, along with a photo with his youngest sibling, 18-year-old Christian Caldwell (left) is the father-figure to his siblings. Christian's murderer is believed to have gotten into a black sedan and driven off following the shooting (pictured: Caldwell and Christian at an unknown time) The Chicago Police Department detailed on Friday how an 18-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to the torso had died at the scene of the shooting He also said on Tuesday that he was 'proud' of his little sister, who 'spoke to the community' the other day to asked people to take her brother's death as a 'lesson for everyone.' 'My little brother was innocent, but for those who may not be doing the right things? It's time to get right with God,' she reportedly said, according to her brother. Christian was the youngest of nine siblings and was known to be the 'comedian, like me,' Caldwell said. 'If you had a down day, Chris was the one who would say something to make you laugh. He was the kid that always had a joke. He was the kid that was the light. He was the energy of the room.' Caldwell said the Chicago he grew up in is no longer recognizable as criminals now run the streets and are 'not afraid of the police' The political analyst also revealed his grandmother is refusing to attend Christian's funeral, because she wanted to 'remember him how he was.' The Fox employee said it is 'heartbreaking.' 'That's so powerful to hear something like that because I never would have anticipated to hear something like hearing my grandmother mention a funeral for my baby brother.' The family is now searching for Christian's killer and are calling on Chicago's administration to 'review these soft of crime policies.' 'Living in Chicago should not come with a death warrant,' he said on Fox and Friends on Tuesday. 'But for so many people there it does. And that's why it's so important for me to keep my brother's name alive in hopes that people will reach out to the police if they know anything, the Chicago police.' Caldwell, who is now based in Miami, told the New York Post that the Chicago is unrecognizable to the one he grew up in, as criminals are now running the streets and are no longer concentrated to the notorious South Side. 'We need to drive legislation to revise or reverse some of these policies that could have prevent my brother's death. Because criminals here - they don't capitulate to the law and they're not afraid of the police, they're not afraid of the prosecutors,' he said on Fox and Friends on Tuesday. 'I never, ever, ever thought that my baby brother, just turned 18, would ever be in this situation. We've never had anybody murdered in our family, and we've been through very, very tragic things. God has always shielded each and every one of us, so I can't understand how this happened. I'm trying to get the details to understand fully what's going on here,' he said (pictured: Christian) Days earlier, Caldwell shared a series of messages between another of his brothers on Father's Day. 'My little brother has never met his father and as devastating as this is, I am thankful to God for choosing me to be his big brother/father figure,' Caldwell wrote. 'I've always looked at you as the closest thing to a father figure. You've taught me so much and for that I'm forever grateful and proud of the things you have done,' his brother Matthew wrote to him in a touching message (pictured) Caldwell described his childhood in Chicago as 'really, really poor.' His mother was addicted to crack cocaine and had to go to rehab. It meant the siblings were all placed in the custody of his grandmother. 'I was like his dad because he never knew his father. So my three youngest little brothers, I considered they were my kids. Those are my sons, so I took care of them. I financially supported them and still do my family,' Caldwell told Fox earlier this week Three of Caldwell's siblings holding shoe boxes (pictured at an unknown time) 'The belief there, from what I was told from some of the young men even yesterday, is that if someone does something they are likely not going to get arrested or if they do, they may not get prosecuted,' Caldwell said of his home city. It's an in-and-out system that must change. We have got to get tough on crime in Chicago, because literally lives are on the line.' Crime in the Windy City is up 34 percent compared to the same time last year. However, murder and shooting incidents are both down 11 and 17 percent, respectively. Caldwell also said earlier this week that the Chicago police 'need to be unhandcuffed.' He recalled earlier this month a time when his brother - he did not specify which one - was inside a car that was shot at '25 times' over Memorial Day weekend 'several years ago.' Just days before the most recent shooting, Caldwell shared a series of messages between another of his brothers on Father's Day. 'I've always looked at you as the closest thing to a father figure. You've taught me so much and for that I'm forever grateful and proud of the things you have done,' his brother Matthew wrote to him in a touching message. 'My little brother has never met his father and as devastating as this is, I am thankful to God for choosing me to be his big brother/father figure,' Caldwell wrote. Overall crime has risen 34 percent in the Windy City, compared to the same time last year Caldwell described his childhood in Chicago as 'really, really poor.' His mother was addicted to crack cocaine and had to go to rehab. It meant the siblings were all placed in the custody of his grandmother. 'I was like his dad because he never knew his father. So my three youngest little brothers, I considered they were my kids. Those are my sons, so I took care of them. I financially supported them and still do my family,' Caldwell told Fox earlier this week. His brother's best friend reportedly died in his arms the night of the Memorial Day Weekend shooting, 'when two men walked up and shot that car 25 times,' he said on Fox's The Big Sunday Show on June 5. 'I'm absolutely disgusted by the violence that continues in my hometown,' he said during a panel discussion earlier this month. Caldwell had previously been critical of Chicago's leadership and the rising crime levels in the Windy City, noting how there were 76 police officers either shot or fired upon in 2021 with more than 800 homicides across the city overall. '[Chicago police] need to get tough and needs to get tough immediately, otherwise we're going to see more and more people dying in the streets daily.' Advertisement Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking in December Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after telling the court that meeting Jeffrey Epstein was the 'biggest regret of my life' and apologizing to her victims 'for the pain that you have experienced.' Judge Alison Nathan handed down the 240-month sentence followed by five years supervised release after calling Maxwell's crimes 'heinous and prefatory.' The judge also imposed a fine of $750,000, noting Maxwell had received a $10million bequest from Epstein after his death. 'Ms. Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse,' Judge Nathan said, making it clear the case called for a 'very significant sentence' that sent an 'unmistakable message' that such crimes would be punished. There is no parole for federal prison, so Maxwell is likely to serve the entire 20-year sentence, but could potentially be released a few years early for good behavior. Maxwell's attorneys argued against the hefty fine, claiming she 'has received nothing' from the bequest in Epstein's will, but the judge remained firm on the decision, adding that 'there are additional assets.' Lawyers also requested she serve her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. The low-security federal prison was the inspiration for the fictional prison in the Netflix show 'Orange Is The New Black.' After the sentencing, Maxwell's attorney Bobbi Sternheim said outside the courthouse: 'Our client Ghislaine Maxwell has been vilified, pilloried and left little room for her to be treated fairly. Because even before she stropped forward into this courthouse, she was being tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. 'Ghislaine will appeal this case and we're confident she will prevail on appeal.' Maxwell's brother, Kevin, briefly spoke following the sentencing and said they would be 'solidly' behind her during her appeal. GHISLAINE ADDRESSES THE COURT Before the sentencing Maxwell, 60, appearing in a blue prison uniform with shackles around her ankles, addressed the court and said she was 'fooled' by Epstein. 'I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes,' she said. 'My association with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.' She added that Epstein 'fooled all of those in his orbit.' Prosecutors had asked Judge Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell's 'utter lack of remorse,' while Maxwell claimed she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public. The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell delivers her first public statement while addressing Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. In court Tuesday Maxwell said that Epstein 'fooled all of those in his orbit' The judge imposed a fine of $750,000 and recommended she be sent to the Danbury, Connecticut, Federal Correctional Institution Ghislaine Maxwell defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim talks to the media outside the US District Court for the Southern District of New York after the sentencing GHISLAINE'S STATEMENT AT SENTENCING HEARING IN FULL Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed today. The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb, both in its scale and extent. I acknowledge their suffering and empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. I also acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes. I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My association with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him. I believe Jeffrey Epstein fooled all of those in his orbit. His victims considered him a mentor, friend, lover. It is absolutely unfathomable today to think that was how he was viewed contemporaneously. His impact on all those close to him has been devastating. And today, those who even knew him briefly or never met him but were associated with someone who did, have lost relationships, jobs, and had their lives derailed. Jeffrey Epstein should have stood before you. In 2005. In 2009. And again in 2019. All the many times he was accused, charged, prosecuted. He should have spared victims the years of chasing justice. But today is ultimately not about Epstein. It is for me to be sentenced and for the victims to address me alone in court. To you I say: I am sorry for the pain you experienced. I hope my conviction along with my harsh incarceration brings you closure. I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of peace and faintly to help you put those experiences of so many years ago in a place that allows you to look forward and not back. I also acknowledge the pain this case has wrought to those I love, the many I held and still hold close, the relationships I have lost and will never be able to regain. It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and all those outside this courtroom that today brings a terrible chapter to an end. And to those of you who spoke here today and those who did not, may this day help you travel through darkness into the light. Advertisement MAXWELL'S VICTIMS SPEAK OUT Before Maxwell spoke in court, she was forced to face her sex trafficking victims as they gave dramatic testimony. Annie Farmer, Sarah Ransome, Elizabeth Stein and one woman known only as Kate read their heartbreaking victim impact statements where they pleaded for the longest possible sentence and demanded Maxwell spend the rest of her life in prison. Prosecutors asked Judge Alison Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell's 'utter lack of remorse,' while Maxwell claimed she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public 'I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others,' Ransome said, sharing photos of herself in a hospital bed after she tried to kill herself when the trauma of the sexual abuse became unbearable. Ransome said in her victim statement, 'On one visit to the island, the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation ensued me to try to escape by jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters. I was caught by Maxwell and company moments before jumping. At the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time,' she said. 'Maxwell is today the same woman I met almost 20 years ago - incapable of compassion or common human decency,' she added. 'Sentencing her to the rest of her life in prison will not change her, but it will give survivors a slight sense of justice.' During the testimony Maxwell remained stoic and avoided her victims' eyes. Farmer fought back tears as she asked the judge to take into account the 'ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited. 'Judge Nathan, I hope when you consider the appropriate prison sentence for the role Maxwell played in this sex-trafficking operation, you take into account the ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us,' Farmer said. 'I hope you weigh the systemic effects of the crimes she perpetrated -- the ways that our family members, romantic partners and friends have been hurt through our suffering. 'I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell's unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and well-being for much too long now. Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein held hands as they walked out of court Tuesday. Ransome claimed in her victim impact statement, 'I was nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others'. Elizabeth Stein revealed she had to have an abortion after getting raped 'countless times' A jubilant Annie Farmer smiles outside the Manhattan courthouse shortly after the sentence was handed down. Farmer fought back tears as she asked the judge to take into account the 'ongoing suffering of them many women she abused and exploited' Fellow victims listen tearfully as Sarah Ransome reads a victim impact statement ahead of Maxwell's sentencing 'These things cannot be replaced.' After the sentencing Annie Farmer slammed Maxwell's 'very hollow' apology. 'It felt very powerful to finally have a chance to speak and have my voice on the record and say how her crimes impacted people and myself,' Farmer said. 'Her statement felt like a very hollow apology to me. she did not take responsibility for her crimes that she committed, and it felt like once more than she was trying to do something that benefitted her and not at all about the harm that she caused.' Stein revealed she had to have an abortion after getting raped 'countless times,' and Kate said Maxwell's 'lack of remorse and her blatant refusal to take responsibility is her final insult. She is not sorry and she will do it again.' Kate said that women 'must take a stand of zero tolerance to those who use their power to groom and traffic the vulnerable.' 'Every single child must have their innocence defended,' Kate says. 'No person should be shielded from the consequences of their actions.' 'Maxwell's lack of remorse and her blatant refusal to take responsibility is her final insult. She is not sorry and she will do it again. 'Today is not a happy day. I take no pleasure in being part of a world where this is necessary. I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these brave women and to do what is necessary to stop Ghislaine.' Virginia Roberts was not in court, but her lawyer Sigrid McCawley read her statement. Reading her statement to the court, victim Sarah Ransome said that locking up Maxwell for life would 'give survivors a slight sense of justice' Ransome shared photos of herself in a hospital bed after she tried to kill herself - one from 2008 and another in 2018 when Epstein was under investigation The woman known only as 'Kate' read her testimony in person and faced down Maxwell Four women gave evidence against Maxwell during her trial: a victim known as 'Jane' (left) , Annie Farmer, Kate and another woman called Carolyn (right) Jurors saw physical evidence like a folding massage table once used by Epstein and a 'black book' that listed contact information for some of the victims under the heading 'massages' 'Ghislaine, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice,' McCawley reads from Giuffre's statement. 'You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually and emotionally. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day.' 'When you did that, Ghislaine, you changed the course of our lives forever,' she wrote. After Epstein hanged himself while awaiting trial in 2019, attention turned to Maxwell who was arrested a year later and found guilty in December following her sensational trial. She has said she will appeal her conviction and claims that she is being made a 'scapegoat' for Epstein. Four women gave evidence against Maxwell during her weeks-long trial: a victim known as 'Jane', Annie Farmer, Kate and another woman called Carolyn. Over three weeks, the jury heard how Maxwell 'served up' underage girls for Epstein and relished her role as the 'Lady of the House' at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Between 1994 and 2004 Maxwell was Epstein's 'right hand' and paid $200 for sexualized massages or even took part in the abuse. The victims, some as young as 14, were given a similar amount of money if they brought friends to Epstein, the jury was told. Ghislaine's siblings, Isabel and Kevin Maxwell, showed up to court to support their sister at her sentencing Tuesday 'Rogue' juror Scotty David is seen waiting on line to go into Manhattan Federal court for Maxwell's sentencing. David was a juror in her trial and lied about his history of sexual abuse In a big win for Maxwell's defense, Judge Alison Nathan ruled to use sentencing guidelines from 2003 - the year Maxwell's last offense took place. In 2004, sentencing guidelines were raised, which could have seen Maxwell facing a maximum of 55 years. But the judge ruled to now lower the maximum to 235 months - or 19.5 years During the trial, prosecutors called 24 witnesses to give jurors a picture of life inside Epstein's homes - a subject of public fascination and speculation ever since his 2006 arrest in Florida in a child sex case. A housekeeper testified he was expected to be 'blind, deaf and dumb' about the private lives of Epstein, a financier who cultivated friendships with influential politicians and business tycoons. Pilots took the witness stand and dropped the names of luminaries - Britain's Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump - who flew on Epstein's private jets. Jurors saw physical evidence like a folding massage table once used by Epstein and a 'black book' that listed contact information for some of the victims under the heading 'massages'. There were bank records showing he had transferred $30.7 million to Maxwell. Prosecutors produced a 58-page household manual covering every single aspect of running the house in Palm Beach that they indicated Maxwell had written. There were dozens of checklists for each area of the house, instructions on when to replace the toothpaste and what brands of creams to buy. One instruction to all household staff that was seized on by the prosecution read: 'You see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing'. But the core of the prosecution was the testimony of four women who said they were victimized by Maxwell and Epstein at tender ages. Three testified using first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, a former model from Great Britain; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, who chose to use her real name after being vocal about her allegations in recent years. The most gut wrenching was Carolyn who testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to give massages in exchange for $100 bills. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein The couple appeared to vacation to a cold destination. Seen together with warm coats and large fur hats in an undated photo submitted into evidence during the trial The pair are seen sitting in the grass with a dog in this undated photo submitted into evidence by the government Jane said in 1994, when she was only 14, she was instructed to follow Epstein into a pool house at the Palm Beach estate, where he masturbated on her. Jane told the jury: 'I was frozen in fear', adding that the assault was the first time she had ever seen a penis. She also directly accused Maxwell of participating in her abuse. Maxwell's lawyer asked Jane why it had taken so long to come forward. She responded: 'I was scared. I was embarrassed, ashamed. I didn't want anybody to know any of this about me'. Kate said she was recruited by Maxwell in London in 1994 when she was 17 and described in vivid detail how she invited her round for tea and then asked her back to give Epstein a massage. In chilling testimony Kate described how Maxwell closed the door behind her as a naked Epstein lay on a massage table in front of her. After one such encounter Maxwell told her: 'Did you have fun? Was it good?' Farmer described how she was lured to Epstein's ranch in New Mexico at the age of 16 with the promise there would be dozens of other bright students that he wanted to help. Instead it was just her and Maxwell proceeded to massage her breasts before Epstein got into bed with her. Summing up her experience, Farmer said: 'I think this was all a pattern of them working on confusing my boundaries and malign me question myself about what was right and what was not right with the ultimate goal of sexually abusing me'. Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of five of six counts. In court Maxwell often hugged her lawyers appeared in good health despite claims from her lawyers she had been losing weight and losing hair due to the grim conditions in prison pre-trial. She declined to testify, telling the court: 'You honor, the government has not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no reason to testify'. Maxwell's fall from grace is all the more astonishing given her background as a wealthy socialite and the daughter of Robert Maxwell, the late newspaper tycoon who fell off his yacht in the Canary Islands in 1991 in mysterious circumstances. Four of Maxwell's siblings - Kevin, Christine, Isabel and Ian and - are seen arriving to court to support their sister during her trial in December Ghislaine was Robert Maxwell's youngest child, born on Christmas Day 1961 She's pictured with her father in 1984 Her lawyers tried to argue that Robert Maxwell's abusive behavior around his children made Maxwell 'vulnerable' when she met Epstein around the time of her father's death. She appears to have replaced one controlling, manipulative father with a nearly identical man - Epstein - who she dated before becoming the boss of his sex trafficking organization. The true number of Epstein's victims may never be known but the fund set up to pay compensation to them paid out $121million to 150 women around the world. Most of the victim impact statements were released ahead of sentencing and they were blistering in their condemnation of Maxwell. They included Virginia Roberts, who earlier this year settled a lawsuit with Prince Andrew for a reported $12m over claims that she was forced to have sex with him three times when she was 17. According to Roberts, Maxwell recruited her when she was 16 at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. In her victim impact statement reads that Maxwell and Epstein did 'unthinkable things' to her. The statement says: 'Without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible pedophile. 'But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. 'Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims.' An infamous photo of Virginia Roberts, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, taken at Maxwell's home in London's Belgravia Maxwell, Naomi Campbell, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in November 2002 at a Dolce and Gabbana show in New York In 2010 Maxwell attended the wedding of Clinton's daughter Chelsea in Rhinebeck, upstate New York And image shows Jeffrey Epstein and his 'madam' Ghislaine Maxwell holding a private audience with John Paul II at the Vatican during his blessing almost 20 years ago Ghislaine studied history at the University of Oxford in the early 1980s where she began building connections of her own, including Prince Andrew, who would later invite her and Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth's country estate Farmer's victim impact statement reads: 'I remember sitting at my desk in a Houston hospital physically shaking after seeing the photo of Maxwell with Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew because it became clear to me how their scheme had continued'. Sarah Ransome, a former model from South Africa who grew up in Scotland, said that Maxwell and Epstein turned her into 'nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat'. Maxwell's attorney said her client had been placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn While trying to escape from Epstein's private island in the Caribbean she tried to jump off a cliff but was found by Maxwell before she could. Ransome wrote: 'Maxwell was his right hand woman. She was the Five Star General of several recruiters and many others who provided the means and cover for Epstein's predation. 'Epstein and Maxwell were masters at finding young, vulnerable girls and young women to exploit. Like Hotel California, you could blindly check into the Epstein-Maxwell dungeon of sexual hell but you could never leave. Jeffrey and Ghislaine made sure of that'. The sentencing was delayed after Maxwell's lawyers raised questions over comments by one of her jurors, Scotty David. He said that he did not disclose his past history of sexual abuse when filing out his jury questionnaire. David was recalled to the court by judge Nathan for a hearing where she interrogated him and later ruled his nondisclosure had been an unintentional error. Maxwell's family have been unequivocal in their support of her and have refused to believe she is guilty. In a recent newspaper column her brother Ian said that Maxwell, who is a French citizen, should have fled to France when Epstein was arrested in 2019 rather than stay in the US. Maxwell only did so because she 'had a clear conscience' but her decision meant that she fell victim to a 'lynch mob.' Ian Maxwell wrote: 'I know that Ghislaine is innocent and that she would never have been found guilty in any civilized country.' Spanish police have arrested a British fugitive wanted over a fatal stabbing in the UK. The 22-year-old is facing extradition after being arrested in the town of Hinojos in the south-west Spanish province of Huelva where he had integrated himself into the local community and 'gone unnoticed', police said. The suspect, identified only by his initials OBP, allegedly fatally stabbed a man to death in the UK on August 21, 2021, before fleeing to Spain. Detectives in Spain said the detainee, who is said to have both Spanish and British nationality, was wanted on an International Arrest Warrant sent to more than 30 countries by Interpol NCB Manchester, which is part of the UK's National Crime Agency. The 22-year-old is facing extradition after being arrested in the town of Hinojos in the south-west Spanish province of Huelva where he had integrated himself into the local community and 'gone unnoticed', police said. Pictured: The Briton was arrested by police in Spain Spanish police released footage of the arrest today and confirmed: 'Spanish National Police have arrested a 22-year-old in Hinojos in Huelva who has both Spanish and British nationality on suspicion of a crime of homicide.' Saying the investigation to track him down had started at the beginning of last year, a spokesman added: 'The arrest warrant was issued in the name of OBP and said he had fled the UK in August last year after allegedly being involved in a homicide on the night of August 21 2021. 'In the company of three other people, he allegedly stabbed his victim in the chest and caused his death.' Spanish police released footage of the arrest of the British fugitive today The spokesman added: 'Work done by investigators managed to pinpoint him to Hinojos where he had taken refuge in a family home and had managed to integrate himself into the local community and go unnoticed. 'He was arrested when officers took advantage of the fact an annual festival was taking place.' The Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid will now determine whether to extradite him to the UK. It was not immediately clear today if he has already appeared before an extradition judge and whether he has consented to being flown to Britain or is opposing extradition. Charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven others in the Flint water scandal were dismissed after the state Supreme Court ruled that a judge had no power to issue indictments under a century-old, rarely used law. The state laws 'authorize a judge to investigate, subpoena witnesses, and issue arrest warrants' as a one-person grand jury, the Supreme Court said said on Tuesday. 'But they do not authorize the judge to issue indictments,' the court said in a 6-0 opinion. The challenge was filed by lawyers for former health director Nick Lyon, but the decision also applies to Snyder and others who were indicted by Genesee County Judge David Newblatt. Lyon and Michigan's former chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter for nine deaths related to Legionnaires' disease when Flint's water system might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria in the river water. It's an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, who took office in 2019 and got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate whether crimes were committed when lead contaminated Flint's water system in 2014 to 2015. The charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (left) over the Flint water crisis were cleared after the defense for former health director Nick Lyon (right) argued that that a judge could not indict them over how the case was handled Nine of Michigan and Flint's top officials who oversaw the disaster were cleared, including (Top row L-R): : Jarrod Agen, Gerald Ambrose, Richard Baird, Howard Croft, Darnell Earley (Bottom row L-R): Nicolas Lyon, Nancy Peeler, Rick Snyder and Eden Wells The state Supreme Court's order came after Attorney General Dana Nessel's (left) team prosecuting the case turned to a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County, an old and rare method. Judge David Newblatt (right) led the indictments through the process What are the health implications of lead poisoning? Lead poisoning occurs when the metal builds up in the body. Children younger than six years old are particularly vulnerable as such poisoning can damage their mental and physical development. In severe cases, lead poisoning can be fatal. Lead poisoning is often caused by exposure to contaminated paint and dust in water, air and soil. Symptoms include learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, constipation, seizures and hearing loss. Aside from removing the source of contamination, treatment includes medication that encourages lead removal via urine. Blood lead levels higher than five micrograms is considered abnormal in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 2018, some 535,000 children in the US were thought to have at least levels this high, the CDC adds. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement Six others were also indicted on various charges: Snyder's longtime fixer, Rich Baird; former senior aide Jarrod Agen; former Flint managers Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley; former Flint public works chief Howard Croft; and Nancy Peeler, a state health department manager. There was no immediate comment from Snyder's legal team. The attorney general's office said it was reviewing the opinion. In a money-saving move, Flint managers appointed by Snyder switched the city's water source to the Flint River. State regulators said the river water didn't need to be treated to reduce its corrosive qualities. That was a ruinous decision: Lead from old pipes flowed through the system for 18 months in the majority-Black city. It is believed that anywhere between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead due to corrosion of the water distribution system's pipes, with some suggesting as many as 20,000 were exposed. In total, some 100,000 Flint water customers fell ill, and 12 died from Legionnaires' disease. prompting several lawsuits and neglect charges to be brought against Snyder. Snyder was charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. Nessel assigned Fadwa Hammoud to lead the criminal investigation, along with Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, while the attorney general focused on settling lawsuits against the state. Hammoud and Worthy turned to a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County - a century-old, rarely used method - to hear evidence in secret and get indictments against Snyder and others. 'There are no velvet ropes in our criminal justice system,' Hammoud proudly declared in 2021 when charges were filed. 'Nobody - no matter how powerful or well-connected - is above accountability when they commit a crime.' But she and her team, acting on Worthy's recommendation, didn't follow a traditional process. Hammoud still hasn't publicly explained why. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud (left) and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy (right) sough the unusual method to indict the state and city officials. The attorney general's office has yet to explain why this was done Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards shows the difference in water quality between Detroit and Flint after testing, giving evidence after more than 270 samples were sent in from Flint that show high levels of lead during a news conference on September 15, 2015 Prosecutors in Michigan typically file charges after a police investigation. A one-judge grand jury is extremely rare and is mostly used to protect witnesses, especially in violent crimes, who can testify in secret. 'It seems that the power of a judge conducting an inquiry to issue an indictment was simply an unchallenged assumption, until now,' the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Lyon's attorney Chip Chamberlain, said: 'This wasn't even a close case - it was six-zip. It was based on a plain reading of the statute. 'They couldn't do what they tried to do.' The Flint water switch and its consequences have been investigated for crimes since 2016 when then-Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, appointed Todd Flood as special prosecutor. Schuette pledged to put people in prison, but the results were different: Seven people pleaded no contest to misdemeanors that were eventually scrubbed from their records. Flood insisted he was winning cooperation from key witnesses and moving higher toward bigger names. Nonetheless, Nessel, a Democrat, fired him and pledged to start over following her election as attorney general. Separately, the state has agreed to pay $600 million as part of a $626 million settlement with Flint residents and property owners who were harmed by lead-tainted water. Most of the money is going to children. Meanwhile, roughly 10,100 lead or steel water lines had been replaced at Flint homes by last December. An Illinois nurse resigned on Monday after posting a controversial tweet pledging to not prescribe Viagra to white conservative men. 'I prescribe meds.. I can also choose not to prescribe them,' the identified nurse, Shawna Harris, tweeted Friday evening. 'So... from now on.. if you are a white male who votes conservative, your penis needs to ask God for the power to rise. No more Viagra.' Harris, worked at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center for nearly nine years before the social media incident on Friday, according to her LinkedIn profile. Illinois nurse, Shawna Harris, resigned on Monday after posting a controversial tweet pledging to not prescribe Viagra to white conservative men The controversial tweet claiming 'no more Viagra' for conservative white men, gained traction and was deemed 'discriminatory' by Harris' place of employment The tweet went viral and eventually was deemed 'discriminatory' by Sarah Lincoln Bush Health Center. Harris apologized for her comment claiming she let her 'personal feelings spill out' and has allowed her actions to tarnish the hospital's reputation. 'Those hateful words are not aligned with how I have provided care to my patients,' Harris wrote in a statement released by the hospital. 'I have resigned and know my patients will be well cared for,' she added. Harris has since removed the tweet and deactivated her Twitter account. The former Illinois nurse was also removed from the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center website. Harris issued an apology on Monday claiming she allowed her 'personal feelings to spill out.' Harris was a nurse at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center for nearly nine years before announcing her resignation on Monday President of the hospital, Jerry Esker, echoed Harris' apology on behalf of the hospital while claiming 'discriminatory practices are not tolerated' SBL President and CEO Jerry Esker apologized for Harris' comment while promising that the hospital provides care 'to everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, income, national origin, cultural personal values, beliefs and preferences.' 'Discriminatory practices are not tolerated. We are sorry this issue caused such turmoil. We continue to stand behind our mission and provide care to all,' Esker added. The controversial tweet was sent hours after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - the 1973 landmark case that granted women the right to receive an abortion. The right to an abortion will now be up to elected state representatives to decide. Abortion was automatically outlawed in 18 US states as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, thanks to specially-devised 'trigger laws' and historic bans that were automatically reenacted after Friday's ruling. Abortion bans in those states will now become law within 30 days unless they are blocked by state judges. A Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily blocked the state from banning abortions despite its trigger law, and a judge in Utah followed closely behind, blocking the state's ban for 14 days. US firms' spending on private jets for their top executives for personal use hit a 10-year high last year as pandemic restrictions were relaxed. Facebook parent company Meta and aerospace engineering firm Lockheed Martin topped the charts, spending a whopping $1.6million and $1.1million respectively on private air travel for their chief executives Mark Zuckerberg and James Taiclet. A total of $33.8million was spent on private flights in 2021 by S&P 500 companies - a 35 per cent rise vs. 2020 and the most since since 2012, according to data from ISS Corporate Solutions. Private jets produce a significantly higher amount of harmful emissions per passenger than commercial flights, leading environmentalists to criticize their continued use by wealthy businesspeople and executives. It comes as Zuckerberg's social media behemoth in 2020 announced it seeks to reach a net zero target for emissions created by the company's activities - including business trips - by 2030. Equity index compiler MSCI meanwhile declared today that the world's listed companies were on a course to cause global warming of 2.9 degrees Celsius, well above a target to limit the worst effects of climate change on the planet. US firms' spending on private jets for their top executives for personal use hit a 10-year high last year as pandemic restrictions were relaxed, according to data from ISS Corporate Solutions Climate scientists and activists argue the burden of decreasing emissions lies with the top executives of large companies, given that the world's wealthiest one per cent accounted for 15 per cent of global emissions in 2015 (Meta chief exec Mark Zuckerberg left, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin James Taiclet right) Many companies eased their restrictions on private air travel in 2020, arguing that there was an increased risk of catching Covid-19 on commercial flights, but have continued to fork out huge sums of money to allow their top executives and chairmen to fly private, even for personal travel as well as business trips. According to Lockheed Martin's latest regulatory filings, $353,303 was spent on President and CEO Taiclet's personal travel, commutes to his home out of state and even deadhead flights, when an aircraft performs a private charter to one destination and does not carry passengers back the other way. Climate scientists and activists argue the burden of decreasing emissions lies with the top executives of large companies, given that the world's wealthiest one per cent accounted for 15 per cent of global emissions in 2015, according to a Stockholm Environmental Institute report. By comparison, the report suggests the world's poorest 50 per cent were responsible for just 7 per cent of global emissions. But fewer than half of all global listed companies align with a 2 degree temperature increase, and only just over a tenth conform to the most ambitious 1.5 degree temperature rise scenario, MSCI said in its quarterly Net-Zero Tracker. MSCI's findings underscore how much the world's established companies must transform their business practices to make good on pledges governments have made to lower emissions. A global deal agreed in Paris in 2015 set the goal of preventing global warming above 1.5 degrees - the limit that scientists say could prevent irreversible climate change. MSCI said listed firms needed immediately to begin reining in their carbon intensity by 8-10 per cent annually until 2050 in order to limit temperature change to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. Meta chief exec Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in the wake of the Paris climate agreement, pledging 99 per cent of their Facebook shares to charitable and advocacy purposes primarily focused on sustainability. But Zuckerberg has faced criticism for failing to lead by example when it comes to combatting climate change as he continues to use private jets for personal use. It comes just months after it was revealed that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - who has been one of the US' biggest mouthpieces on climate change crisis - spent almost $500,000 on private jet travel between October 2020-December 2021. Campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission show Pelosi's campaign paid the Virginia-based Advanced Aviation Team $423,707 between October 2020 and December 2021. Her campaign paid another $65,457 to California-based private jet provider Clay Lacy Aviation in January 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's campaign spent $489,164 on private jets from October 2020-December 2021 despite claiming climate change is an 'existential' threat and jet use being notoriously bad for the environment The Democratic National Committee has voiced commitment to addressing climate change while spending hundreds of thousands to Advanced Aviation Team in recent years (Pelosi pictured at COP26 in Glasgow last year) The House Speaker has described climate change as an 'existential' threat and has even suggested, to the criticism of others, that the issue is more important than China's human rights abuses. 'Climate is an overriding issue, and China is a leading emitter in the world,' Pelosi said in September. The Democratic National Committee has also voiced commitment to addressing climate change while spending hundreds of thousands to Advanced Aviation Team in recent years. Pelosi led a 21-member congressional delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland in November where she said her commitment to addressing climate change comes down to her beliefs as a devout Catholic. 'For me, it's a religious thing,' the California Democrat said just three months after spending $67,604.93 on private air travel. 'I believe this is God's creation, and we have a moral obligation to be good stewards,' she told the crowd at the conference. Aldi has revealed a wish list of new store locations across the UK and has offered a finder's fee for anyone who can help find suitable sites. The UK's fifth largest supermarket has been on a rapid expansion drive in recent years, helping it grow its market share to a record 9 per cent. The German-owned discount supermarket already has more than 960 stores across the UK and is looking for freehold town centre or edge-of-town sites of around 1.5 acres to build new stores. And they want to build new stores in 55 areas - including Brentwood, Liverpool, Sunderland, Wigan. It wants sites that are able to fit a 20,000 square foot store with around 100 parking spaces, ideally near a main road with good visibility and access. LOCATION, LOCATION: Will Aldi be opening a new store in your home town? The supermarket giant is expanding after it almost quadrupled its market share. Punters are being asked to help Aldi locate sites where they can open new locations The supermarket is offering a finder's fee for people who successfully recommend a site - including members of the public - of either 1.5% of the freehold price or 10% of the first year's rent for leasehold sites. Aldi UK national property director George Brown said: 'By opening more Aldi stores, we can provide affordable, high-quality food to even more people. 'But despite our growth in recent years, some people still don't have access to a local store, which is why it is our mission to continue on with our ambitious growth plans and change that. 'Our finder's fee is available to anyone who can find Aldi an appropriate property so we'd encourage people to share any suitable suggestions and get it touch.' In April, it was revealed that Aldi was challenging the dominance of Britains Big Four supermarkets after attracting an extra million customers in the past year. The budget chain looks set to overtake Morrisons as the fourth-biggest grocer as the cost-of-living crisis prompts shoppers to search for cheaper no-frills options. The boost means the German-owned budget supermarket has almost quadrupled its market share in the past decade to 8.8 per cent, as Morrisons has gradually slipped to 9.5 per cent. The sector is dominated by Tesco, with 27 per cent of sales, followed by Sainsburys (15 per cent) and Asda (14.1 per cent) all of which are down on a year ago. Low-cost Lidl was the only other supermarket chain to increase its share compared to 2021, and now claims a 6.6 per cent slice of the market. Aldi has revealed its wish list for where it wants to open 55 new stores across the UK - and have asked the public to help locate suitable sites for the supermarket to expand. Pictured, an Aldi store in Cheshire Between them, Aldi and Lidl now account for almost 1 in every 6 spent at checkouts. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Aldi is the first UK supermarket to debut ice-cream for dogs this summer. According to the budget retailer, the cool snack is now available in stores nationwide. Beechdean Doggy Ice Cream, which comes in packs of four (110ml per portion), costing 2.99, is 100 per cent plant-based. As well as being available in stores, local ice-cream vendors in Brighton, Essex and Scotland have partnered with Aldi, to ensure sweet-toothed mutts can get their paws on the treat. Anthony Albanese has vowed to stand up to Vladimir Putin's aggression and hold him accountable for war crimes as he joined the international condemnation of Russia's latest missile attack on Ukraine. The Australian Prime Minister is in Madrid, where he sat down with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez ahead of the NATO leaders' summit which gets underway on Wednesday. The meeting will bring together 30 member states and 25 partner nations, including Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand from the Asian-Pacific region. Mr Albanese joined world leaders in condemning Russia's missile strike on a crowded Ukrainian shopping centre on Monday, killing at least 18 people. He said Russia's atrocities in Ukraine have united the democratic world against Putin's regime as NATO boosted its defence troops to more than 300,000. 'We have no alternative but to stand up against Vladimir Putin's aggression,' he declared on Tuesday.. Smoke rises from the ruins of the Amstor shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, after it was struck by long-range guided missiles that Ukraine says were fired by Russian bombers 'If we don't do that, the consequences for the international rule of law and the relationship between nation states which are sovereign, particular in Europe are dire indeed and the consequences of that extend to our region as well. 'If Putin is allowed to proceed in a way in which nation states say 'this is too difficult' and not provide and not provide the support that has been provided to the people and democratically elected government of Ukraine, then it's not just a matter of the message that are sent, the economic consequence down the track are for nation states, no matter where they are in the globe.' He described the latest attack as 'a tragic consequence' of Putin's reckless acts of violence and terror. 'This is a civilian target,' he said. 'This reinforced the atrocities being committed in an illegal war of aggression by Russia and why it must be stopped. 'It's one of the reasons why I'm here at NATO, and (there) will be a focus on the democratic nations which make up NATO, and also the 'Asia-Pacific Four' who've been invited to this important forum.' The renewed attacks in Ukraine may jeopardies Mr Albanese's potential visit to its war-torn capital Kyiv later this week at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Albanese (pictured) joined world leaders in condemning Russia's missile strike on a crowded Ukrainian shopping centre on Monday, killing at least 18 people He described the latest attack (shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, pictured) as 'a tragic consequence' of Putin's reckless acts of violence and terror The Prime Minister also revealed Australia is one of several Western nations looking to reopen its embassy in Kyiv. The Australian embassy in the Ukrainian capital was shut down by the former Scott Morrison government shortly before Russia's invasion in February. 'We would like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and to be able to provide that on-ground presence, and I'll have more to say on that in coming days and weeks,' Mr Albanese said. 'We would like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and be able to provide that on-ground presence.' He added the democratic world's response to the Russian's invasion also sent a strong signal to China. 'It requires the world to move towards peace and security, but to do so in a way which says that we are prepared as democratic nations to ensure that when something happens like the invasion of Ukraine, the world is prepared to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and provide practical and real support,' Mr Albanese added. Anthony Albanese has vowed to stand up to Vladimir Putin's (pictured) aggression and hold him accountable for war crimes as he joined the international condemnation of Russia's latest missile attack on Ukraine. The Australian Prime Minister is in Madrid, where he sat down with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez (pictured together) ahead of the NATO leaders' summit which gets underway on Wednesday It comes as NATO revealed its boost its defence forces and move to fortify borders against any Russian attack. 'We will transform the NATO response force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000,' NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. It comes as the head of Britain's armed forces declared the world was facing its '1937 moment' and must be ready to 'fight and win' to ward off Putin. Mr Albanese will also meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol while in Madrid. He's also hopeful free trade negotiations with the European Union may be revived in coming months following the former Morrison government's diplomatic fallout with France. Mystery is surrounding the death of an American jet ski world champion dubbed 'Eric the Eagle', who was found floating in the water near his undamaged Kawasaki after 'disappearing' during a race. Eric Francis, 36, from West Palm Beach, Florida, was found dead off the coast of Guadeloupe during a race in the Caribbean on Saturday, just weeks before the birth of his second daughter. The Floridian nicknamed 'Eric the Eagle' was married to British world champion jet skier Sophie Francis, 26. The couple have a two-year-old daughter and Sophie, from Wiltshire, UK, is due to give birth to their second daughter in the next few weeks. American jet ski world champion Eric 'the Eagle' Francis (left) was found dead near his undamaged Kawasaki after 'disappearing' during a race. He was married to British world champion jet skier Sophie Francis, 26 (right) The couple have a two-year-old daughter and Sophie, from Wiltshire, Britain, is due to give birth to their second daughter in the next few weeks Both she and their daughter were in Guadeloupe supporting Eric and are now being comforted by family and friends. Eric was racing in the Marie-Galante jet ski race near Saint-Louis, Guadeloupe, where conditions were 'moderate'. A search party was launched when he didn't show for the final stage of the race. A GoFundMe appeal for heavily pregnant Sophie has already raised more than $15,000. The multi-race winning world champion was found on Saturday afternoon near his high-powered Kawasaki Ultra 310X jet ski, which has a top speed of 67mph. His jet ski was found undamaged nearby and an investigation is taking place to establish the cause of death. Eric was racing in the Marie-Galante jet ski race near Saint-Louis, Guadeloupe, where conditions were 'moderate' The Floridian's death comes just weeks before the birth of his second daughter His body was found near his high-powered Kawasaki Ultra 310X jet ski off the coast of Guadeloupe (pictured) The Watercraft Journal said: 'All of us are heartsick to learn of the passing of world champion racer, Eric 'The Eagle' Francis while competing in Guadeloupe this weekend. 'Eric was one of the hardest-charging racers today, a loving husband to Sophie and a dedicated father, as well as a good friend to so, so many in our sport. Godspeed, Eric. The Journal added: 'We may have lost Eric, but The Eagle gained his wings.' P1 AquaX said they have launched a GoFundMe to 'help take care of mom and the babies while they deal with the tragedy and loss of Eric'. A GoFundMe appeal for heavily pregnant Sophie has already raised more than $15,000 A P1 AquaX spokesperson said: 'It is unfathomable to think that Eric will not be with us. Our love and thoughts go out to Sophie and her family. 'We want to help her as much as possible and show her we love her and she is not alone. There is a PWC family behind her. 'We have started a GoFundMe account for her. She will be the only person who will have access to any donations. Please do what you can. 'Eric, you are missed dearly.' Advertisement A Missouri farmer said the deadly Amtrak crash that killed three and injured 50 could have been prevented if they'd install signal lights at the crossing where the train hit a dump truck on Monday. Mike Spencer, 64, said he had long been advocating for safety upgraded at crossings in Mendon, Missouri, where the intersection at Porche Prairie Avenue had been slated for improvements for four months before the train's collision with the dump truck. 'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer told the Kansas City Star. 'That was pretty much a no-brainer... I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.' 'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer told the 'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer told the Kansas City Star . 'That was pretty much a no-brainer... I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.' Three people were confirmed dead in the crash - two on the train and one in the dump truck - and 50 injured after the eight cars and its two locomotives derailed when they collided with the vehicle, which was blocking the public crossing. More than 50 people were injured, at least nine of whom were rushed to a University of Missouri Health Care hospital in Columbia with severe injuries, the Chariton County Ambulance Service said. Mike Spencer, 64, had long warned Amtrak and the Missouri Department of Transportation to make improvements to the crossings in Mendon before a passenger train struck a dump truck on Monday, killing three and injuring 50 Survivors of an Amtrak crash in Missouri shared a photo of themselves atop the overturned train According the MODOT's 2022 State Freight and Pail plan, released on February, the Porche Prairie Road intersection in Mendon was set to get installation lights and gates, as well as roadway improvements, but it had yet to be done Officials said eight cars were turned over following the deadly crash. Farmers in the area had said the crossing was 'dangerous' and had constantly called for changes to be made Spencer said he had been pushing Amtrak of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) to do something about that intersection for years as farmers cross it daily to get to their fields, urging them to build the road up, add signal lights, or event to clear out some of the brushes blocking the view. 'In November, nothing was done,' Spencer told the Star about his latest efforts to get improvements to the intersection. 'I contacted them, they said, 'Don't put any pressure on them. They're working on it.' 'They never even offered to cut brush back for us so we could at least see,' he added. 'I would have done something to fixed it myself if it could've been possible.' According the MODOT's 2022 State Freight and Pail plan, released on February, the Porche Prairie Road intersection in Mendon was set to get installation lights and gates, as well as roadway improvements. The work was set to cost $400,000. This is on the railroad's shoulders,' Spencer said. 'They've known this was a problem. It's like they were concerned, but not concerned enough to do anything.' Fellow farmer Daryl Jacobs echoed Spencer's complaints, saying that throughout his whole live in the area, that crossing was always 'very dangerous.' 'It needs arms on it or signals,' Jacobs, 62, told the Star. 'It's so dang steep. I heard that truck just stalled out today going up it. That's what I heard. 'And this dang brush along these railroad tracks all needs to be cleared back.' Survivors of a horror crash between an Amtrak passenger train and a dump truck in Missouri have told of the chaos that unfolded inside the carriages as the train left the tracks. Spencer, pictured with his wife, Sheryl, said he was always constantly hounding officials to do anything about the railroad crossing. He said he always knew an accident was going to happen, but never imagined it would be a passenger train Fellow farmer Daryl Jacobs (above) echoed Spencer's complaints, saying that throughout his whole live in the area, that crossing was always 'very dangerous' Missouri officials have declared a 'large fatality event' after an Amtrak train collided with a dump truck at a public railroad crossing and overturned A 15 year-old Boy Scout comforted a dying trucker in the wake of Monday's Amtrak derailment in Missouri that killed three and injured 50. Eli Skrypczak was traveling home to Wisconsin from a backpacking excursion to New Mexico when the train he was on struck the truck, with the youngster rushing to care for the mortally-wounded trucker during his final moments. Eli's father Dan Skrypczak, who is master of Appleton Troop 73, told the New York Post: 'He was pretty upset, he wishes he could have done more. 'Just trying to explain to him, you get hit by a high speed train, nobody could have done much for the truck driver. He did everything he could, he did the right thing. He provided comfort and aid.' None of the 16 Scouts or eight adults supervising them were injured on the smash. They were headed home to Appleton from the Philmont South Ranch when the Los Angeles to Chicago Southwest Chief train struck the truck at a public crossing, and came off the track. Survivors of a horror crash between an Amtrak passenger train and a dump truck in Missouri have told of the chaos that unfolded inside the carriages as the train left the tracks. Boy Scout Eli Skrypczak (pictured in red neckerchief both left and right) helped comfort a dying trucker in the wake of Monday's Amtrak derailment in Mendon, Missouri. He was traveling home to Wisconsin with his troop leader father Dan and other Scouts from a backpacking trip to New Mexico when tragedy struck Three people were confirmed dead in the crash - two on the train and one in the dump truck - after the eight cars and its two locomotives derailed when they collided with the vehicle, which was blocking a public crossing. More than 50 people were injured, at least nine of whom were rushed to a University of Missouri Health Care hospital in Columbia with severe injuries, the Chariton County Ambulance Service said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. 'It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust,' Nightingale said. 'Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didn't hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying.' Nightingale was unhurt in the crash, and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision completely destroyed the dump truck, he said. 'It was all over the tracks,' said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed on to its side. 'The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car,' Couture told WDAF-TV. 'Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands.' Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Cheryl Benjamin, a passenger who was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan when the accident occurred, confirmed the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Shocking photos taken in the immediate aftermath of the train wreck show a female passenger being helped out of a window, while others were seen atop overturned cars. The Southwest Chief Train 4, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, collided with the truck that was obstructing the public crossing and came off the tracks at Mendon in Missouri around 12:42 p.m. CT Monday A worker looks over the decimated remnants of a dump truck that that was struck by an Amtrak train, causing it to derail The derailment is seen in an aerial image. The federal National Transportation Safety Board is deploying a 14-member 'go-team' to the site of the derailment to investigate The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said Rob Nightingale, one of the train passengers, went live on Facebook, showing the aftermath of the accident as the passengers awkwardly prop themselves against the side of the toppled over train car, and avoid stepping on glass The wreck occurred at 12.42pm CT yesterday, when the Southwest Chief Train 4 collided with a truck that was obstructing a public crossing and came off the tracks near Mendon, Missouri, about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Amtrak confirmed to DailyMail.com. The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said. Amtrak said in a statement there were 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time of the crash. State troopers said the total number of people on the train may have been lower, but estimated that it was at least 200. The federal National Transportation Safety Board deployed a 14-member 'go-team' to the site of the derailment to investigate, while State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Brown said there was still an 'active and ongoing investigation at the scene' yesterday evening, confirming that all the injured had been transported to area hospitals. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement that he was 'saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries in the Missouri train derailment today,' adding that Federal Railroad Administration staff would support the investigation. 'We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted,' Missouri Governor Mike Parson said on Twitter. Journalist Nylah Burton, who was on a separate Amtrak train set to depart Albuquerque, says she was informed of the possible deaths and injuries by a staff member who came into her car to announce a delay caused by the incident. She tweeted: 'An @Amtrak train just derailed in Kansas City (there are likely fatalities but they don't know all the details) so I'm stuck in Albuquerque tonight because the train can't go any further.' A Twitter user called Durand shared the shocking snaps, saying: 'Oh no.. #Amtrak derailment somewhere in #Missouri.' Amtrak confirmed to DailyMail.com that multiple injuries were reported, but no additional details were released. The Amtrak train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it collided with a dump truck at a public crossing in Mendon, Missouri and derailed from the tracks. Mendon is about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri A broken truck axle was photographed close to the track in the aftermath. It's still unclear why the truck was in the crossing One person in the dump truck, presumed to be the driver, was killed in the collision. The truck's chassis is seen above Amtrak said in a statement that there were 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard at the time of the crash One passenger tweeted that the survivors (above) took refuge at a local high school in Mendon, Missouri, writing: 'So thankful for the people here, safely at the Northwestern high school near Mendon. This town pulled together to help everyone' Amtrak tweeted that the Southwest Chief Train 3, which was scheduled to depart Chicago, was canceled. Amtrak asks passengers whose travel plans are affected to contact 1-800-USA-RAIL for further assistance. Individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard the derailed train should call 1-800-523-9101. The derailment came one day after another Amtrak train collided with a car at a crossing in Brentwood, California, on Sunday afternoon, killing three women, and injuring several others. Three women, all over the age of 50, were pronounced dead at the scene in Sunday's crash, according to The Mercury News. Authorities say the car pulled into a long rural dirt driveway near the intersection of Orwood Road and Bixler Road around 1pm when the Amtrak train rammed into it. The car then careened off the road and hit another vehicle. A child and two men were also hospitalized with serious injuries, and another person suffered from moderate injuries. In total, a spokeswoman for BNSF Railway told the New York Times there were 'approximately' five people injured, though the number remains in dispute. On Sunday (above), three women were killed and four others were injured in a separate crash when an Amtrak train slammed into a car at around 1pm in Brentwood, California. Authorities say the car careened off the road following the impact and hit another vehicle in Sunday's crash (above) Those who were seriously wounded were rushed to the John Muir Medical Center after the crash on Sunday afternoon, according to ABC News. One of the adults was airlifted and the child was transported by the ground, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The victims were all inside the four-door sedan when it was struck, officials say, and Battalion Chief Craig Auzenne, of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, told reporters at the scene that none of the 81 passenger or five crew members on board the train were injured. In fact, he said, the train came to a stop about a quarter-mile from where the sedan slammed into an SUV. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. But East Contra Costa Fire Department officials say they'd already been called out to that train crossing twice last year because it does not have a traffic guard. 'It's a bad crossing,' Steve Aubert, a fire marshal said, noting that trains travel at about 80mph on the tracks. 'It's just a recipe for disaster unfortunately.' An Amtrak passenger train also derailed in north central Montana in September. Three people were killed. Amid a global electrification push, LG Electronics is moving into electric vehicle (EV) charging business as it acquired a South Korean EV battery charger developer. This move is the company's step to advance into EV charging solution industry. LG Electronics has recently acquired 60% stake in AppleMango, as per The Star report. The acquisition was made jointly with GS Energy, an EV charging station operator, and GS Neotek, an IT provider, who took over 34% and 6% stakes, respectively. The amount of the acquisition is not disclosed. The company said that the acquisition of AppleMango will allow them to take advantage of future business opportunities. Future Plans of LG Electronics After the Acquisition According to LG Electronics, within this year, they plan to put up an EV charging production line at the LG Digital Park in Pyeongtaek, which is 60km south of Seoul. Furthermore, the company said that with the acquisition, LG aspires to strengthen its business portfolio along with the existing automotive electronics business "in the era of EVs." AppleMango was established in 2019. Since then, the company has advanced technologies in producing slow and fast chargers. These chargers are for both household and commercial use. "The EV charging market is expected to grow rapidly due to the surging demand for more eco-friendly vehicles." Paik Ki-mun, senior vice president of LG Electronics, said in a statement. As automakers rapidly adopt battery-powered vehicles in their lineups due to stricter emissions regulations, the world's EV charging solutions business is expected to grow to $316 billion by 2030. "Leveraging our know-how and experience in the B2B sector, we will offer customized, integrated vehicle charging solutions for diverse customers, enhancing the competitiveness of our existing and ensuring our readiness for future opportunities," Paik Ki-mun added, as cited by LG News. Read Also: LG Releases New Flagship 4K CineBeam Projector: Model HU915QE LG Electronics Focuses on its Growth Areas Such as EV LG Electronics' move to acquire an EV charging company comes nearly a year after it shut down its loss-making mobile business. Since the shutdown, the company had focused on its growth areas such as electric vehicles, the internet of things (IoT) and B2B solutions. With the acquisition, LG Electronics is set to use its expertise creating user-friendly interfaces. This action will make the EV charging experience in South Korea a pleasant and easy one for drivers. In addition, according to the company, by transcending to EV charging business, it will pave way for them to create more synergy between EV battery development, energy storage systems, energy management solutions and chargers, as per TechCrunch report. The EV charger production line that LG plans to establish at LG Digital Park in South Korea will provide customized EV charging solutions for private residences, shopping malls, hotels and public institutions. However, LG did not specify whether it will continue selling AppleMango's chargers. By setting up the LG Vehicle Component Solutions company in 2013, LG Electronics entered the EV industry. To expand its EV business, LG Electronics also acquired Austria-based automotive lighting company ZKW in 2018. Meanwhile, in December 2020, it formed a joint venture with Magna International to manufacture e-motors, inverters, and onboard charges. Related Article: LG Smartphones Set to Phase Out: What Will Happen to Your Phone After Mobile Business Shuts Down? MPs today slammed a 'disgraceful' plan to reopen a former immigration removal centre in Oxfordshire to provide extra capacity for Priti Patel's Rwanda programme. Campsfield House in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, closed in 2018 after years of issues including riots, escapes and claims of poor conditions. But today the Home Office announced it would be redeveloped as a 400-bed removal centre, as it appealed for contractors to bid for the work. The site will not open until late 2023 at the earliest, and will mainly house illegal migrants and criminals awaiting deportation. But local MP Layla Moran, a Lib Dem, has vowed to stop it as the Government said they hope it will be operational by the end of next year and will accommodate men only. Ms Moran said today: 'I've been informed that the Government plans to reopen Campsfield Detention Centre in Kidlington. This is a disgraceful decision by the Home Office and I will fight it every step of the way'. She added: 'We as a community campaigned for more than 20 years to get it closed. We will be doing everything we can to stop the reopening. I can't believe we're in this position again. I'm sure it's because they want to look tough on immigration when in fact it's an admission that they've failed completely'. Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre in Oxfordshire, which shut in 2018 amid claims of poor conditions, will reopen in 2023 under Home Office plans for a new 400-bed facility for men being deported from the UK A demonstrationon the roof in June 1997 at Campsfield House detention centre in Kidlington Members of Border Force escort 40 migrants back to Dover after they were picked up by the English Channel yesterday Channel migrant boat captains could face LIFE sentences under new government crackdown on people smugglers More people have risked choppy seas in the English Channel to reach the UK by small boats today despite new laws threating to jail migrant captains for life coming into force. One group of migrants on a black inflatable dingy was filmed this morning by a passenger on board a cross Channel ferry heading between Calais and Dover. The passenger saw the boat struggling across the Channel at approximately 7.30am. The witness said: 'It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.' Hours later, a Border Force vessel disembarked a group of approximately 50 migrants in Dover, including women and children. The Border Force vessel Defender brought the group ashore at the harbour at the Port of Dover to be processed by immigration officers. A small boy, apparently upset, was carried by his father as they got off the boat and walked up the gangway. The Nationality and Borders Act came into force today introducing the tougher sentencing for those who smuggle migrants into the UK - up from 14 years imprisonment. Advertisement Campsfield House was shut in 2018 after complaints about conditions there. Inmates were held behind high fences, more than 100 men went on hunger strike and there was even a major fire before it shut four years ago. Immigration minister Tom Pursglove said the reopening of the centre would 'support' the government's plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda. He said: 'Those who have abused the immigration system, including foreign national criminals who have devastated the lives of their victims, should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them. This is what the British public rightly expects. 'Opening a new immigration removal centre, as part of the New Plan for Immigration, will help ensure there is sufficient detention capacity to safely accommodate individuals ahead of removal.' Maria Brul, campaigns and advocacy coordinator at Detention Action, told The Independent: 'Over 20 years, Campsfield immigration detention centre was the site of a teenage suicide, hunger strikes and the unjust detention of thousands of people seeking asylum. 'It was closed by Mr Javid in an attempt to avoid the extreme harm that indefinite detention causes. Its reopening is a sign that Priti Patel is long out of ideas, and so is once again opting to inflict trauma and misery on more Black and Brown people.' The Home Secretary's plans in Oxfordshire came as she struggled to open a controversial immigration centre in Yorkshire. There was uproar among locals about a reception centre for 1,500 young single male asylum seekers on a former RAF base that was due to open in Linton-on-Ouse on May 31. But Emma Haddad, the Home Secretary's 135,000-a-year Director General for Asylum and Protection, told residents of Linton-on-Ouse in a letter leaked to MailOnline that 'no final decision has been made' - just hours before it was due to open. Locals have said they are 'terrified' by the plan that will 'destroy' the village where residents would be outnumbered by asylum seekers by two-to-one. Ms Haddad's letter to members of The Linton-on-Ouse Action Group, dated May 27, appears to undermine the Home Office's insistence that it would open by the end of May. The Home Secretary announced the proposals for the processing centre in Yorkshire earlier in May, which is set to house migrants arriving in the UK to end reliance on hotel accommodation, costing the taxpayer almost 5million a day. But Ms Haddad put the brakes on the government's asylum scheme and said 'analysis and consideration of whether or not to accommodate asylum seekers at RAF Linton is ongoing'. She added: 'I can confirm that where obligations relating to consultation with the Council, community and other stakeholders exist they will be fulfilled.' The Home Secretary announced the proposals for the processing centre in Yorkshire, which is set to house migrants arriving in the UK to end reliance on hotel accommodation, costing the taxpayer almost 5million a day Yorkshire locals had accused Ms Patel of 'dropping a bomb' on the village, which is a close-knit community of 700 residents Previously, locals had accused Ms Patel of 'dropping a bomb' on the village, which is a close-knit community of 700 residents. Home Office officials previously tried to allay residents' fears about the centre, which ministers have previously claimed would 'provide safe and self-sufficient accommodation', they were met with constant jeers and shouts of 'rubbish' from unimpressed locals. US State Department officials have finally made contacted with an Army vet captured by Russia while fighting alongside Ukraine - and say he is safe. Alexander Drueke's aunt Dianna Shaw confirmed the conversation with The Guardian Tuesday, saying: 'He is okay. Receiving food and water and has shelter and bedding.' Family members of Drueke, who comes from Alabama, have spent days trying desperately to find out of he is safe, after Russia shared a video of him post capture, and suggested he could face a firing squad. Shaw, whose 39 year-old nephew was captured fighting alongside Andy Huynh on June 11, added: 'We want to believe all these things, and its Russias responsibility to make sure its all true. 'Having Alex call and say these things tells me that Russia knows the world is watching how they treat (Drueke and Huynh)'. Drueke, a US Army veteran and Huynh, a 27 year-old former US Marine, were warned by the Kremlin they faced possible execution for being what Putin's government branded 'soldiers of fortune.' The Kremlin said the men were not eligible for the rights afforded to prisoners of war captured by rivals, because they hadn't enlisted for the foreign army they were fighting with. Drueke, 39, left, and Andy Huynh, 27, appeared terrified in footage released by Russian forces where they identified themselves and denounced war. They men went missing last week after their platoon in Ukraine was ambushed by Russian soldiers But Shaw and Drueke's mother Lois 'Bunny' Drueke say they hope global attention on the two prisoners - including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - will keep them safe. Bunny said: 'I want to thank President Zelenskiy for taking their situation seriously.' Last week, Russia's US Ambassador declared its embassy has received no communications from the White House regarding two Americans being held captive for fighting in Ukraine. Anatoly Antonov, the head of the diplomatic mission, made the assertion Tuesday while speaking to journalists from the state-owned Russian News Agency (TASS). The statement from the ambassador contradicted claims from the US State Department made earlier in the day, that officials had been in talks with the Kremlin about the imprisoned Americans. Meanwhile, Moscow has said it can not guarantee the lives of Alex Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, who were captured by state-backed forces during fighting in Kharkiv on June 11. The men - who are being treated as mercenaries by the state - are believed to still be alive, and recently appeared in videos released to the internet by state-owned media. The Pentagon, meanwhile, continues to insist that it is doing 'everything' possible to bring Drueke and Huynh home safely. Anatoly Antonov, the head of the diplomatic mission, made the assertion Tuesday while speaking to journalists from the state-owned Russian News Agency (TASS) Moscow has said it can not guarantee the lives of Alex Drueke (left) and Andy Huynh (right), who were captured by state-backed forces during fighting on June 11. This undated photo of the two was uploaded Thursday - a day before the state released a video of the pair Antonov, however, says otherwise - according to state media. 'There were no requests to the embassy. I do not confirm receiving a request of this kind from the US side,' the ambassador was quoted as saying by TASS. 'The embassy did not contact us.' Earlier in the day, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the White House had been 'in touch' with Moscow about the captives. 'We have been in touch with Russian authorities regarding U.S. citizens who may have been captured while fighting in Ukraine,' Price told reporters around 2:30 pm ET. He added that the agency had 'also been in touch with our Ukrainian partners, with the ICRC, with other countries, as well as with the families of Americans who have been reported missing in Ukraine. 'We have both publicly as well as privately called on the Russian Government and its proxies to live up to their international obligations in their treatment of all individuals, including those captured fighting in Ukraine,' Price, 39, said. 'We expect and in fact, international law and the law of war expects and requires that all those who have been captured on the battlefield be treated humanely and with respect and consistent with the laws of war.' Later on in the address, however, Price said that the department had 'not received any formal or official response' from the Kremlin regarding the captured pair - who took up arms and flew to Ukraine to join the fight earlier in the year after being outraged over the invasion. 'We have been in contact with Russian authorities regarding the reports of detained Americans,' Price said. 'We have not received any formal or official response. 'The only response weve seen has been the response that Russian officials have made in public interviews.' When contacted by DailyMail.com, a department spokesperson refused to further comment on the matter. 'We have nothing to add beyond Ned's remarks,' the rep said. Meanwhile, Russian officials have said that they can not guarantee the safe return of the men, who are both former members of the US Marines. In an interview with NBC News Monday , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the pair were not protected by the Geneva Convention - which outlaws taking prisoners of war - because they were not part of the official Ukrainian army. He pointed out that the actions of the Americans 'must be investigated and they must be brought to justice.' Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told NBC News when asked if the two US citizens would be given the same death-by-firing-squad sentence that was handed down to British fighters Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28 Peskov did not rule out the possibility that US citizens could be sentenced to capital punishment in the Donetsk People's Republic. 'It depends on the investigation,' Peskov said, when asked if the two US citizens would be given a death sentence for allegedly fighting against Russian forces. The pair were captured on June 11 during a battle in Kharkiv. They were apprehended by Russian fighters after disabling a tank with grenades, Russian state media has said. 'They are soldiers of fortune. They were involved in illegal activities on the territory of Ukraine. They were involved in firing at and shelling of our military personnel. They were endangering their lives,' Peskov said. 'Those guys on the battlefield were firing at our military guys. They were endangering their lives. There will be a court, and there will be a court decision. 'They should be held responsible for those crimes they have committed. Those crimes have to be investigated...The only thing that is clear is that they have committed crimes. Huynh, a former Marine from Hartselle, Alabama, was captured in Kharkiv on June 11. Russian officials have said that they can not guarantee his safe return. He had never seen combat before traveling to Ukraine Unlike Huynh, Drueke, from Tuscaloosa, is an experienced military veteran He went on: 'They are not in the Ukrainian army. They are not subject to the Geneva convention.' 'They should be punished.' Peskov, who has been labeled one of the country's most prominent propagandists, would not reveal where the men were being held. Family members said last week the two Americans - who both hail from Alabama - went to Ukraine as volunteer fighters and had gone missing earlier this month. Drueke, of Hartselle, served in the US Army in Iraq - but Huynh, who traveled to the region to help after watching the war unfold from afar, had never been in active combat before. Later that week, Russian state media broadcast images and video of the pair appearing beaten and tired declaring their opposition to the war. 'My name is Alexander Drueke, I am against war,' Drueke said. He then reiterates in Russian, 'Ya protiv voyny,' meaning ,'I am against war.' 'Ya protiv voyny,' Huynh repeats after a quick cut. Another video shows Drueke addressing his mother, Bunny, as he promises her that he will be back home. 'Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I'm alive, and I hope to be back home as soon as I can,' Drueke said. 'Love you.' Firefighters work at the site of fire after Russian shelling in Mykolaiv in Ukraine this weekend after the latest bombardment On Monday, one of the men's comrades in Ukraine spoke out anonymously to CBS to say he felt guilty for bringing them to the war zone. 'They sort of followed me out here. 'We all agreed there was no leader in the group but I definitely feel a bit guilty, without a doubt. 'We should have taken a closer look at more humanitarian options or training options. 'If we did, then they wouldn't be in the situation they're in,' he said. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby last week said the US would do 'everything' to bring the pair home safely. He however reiterated that Ukraine was 'no place for Americans right now', and he urged anyone considering joining the fight not to go. The two men's families are begging the Biden administration to help them. Bunny Drueke, Alex's mother, said the latest photos and videos give her hope because her son is still alive. 'Unmistakably under duress, but thank God they're alive,' she said in a previous interview with CBS. Drueke, who will turn 40 this month, is a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who served two tours in Iraq and who volunteered with the Ukrainian Army. Huynh, a Marine for four years, had never been in active combat before flying to Ukraine in April to volunteer. Both of the U.S. fighters are from Alabama, but it remains unclear if they knew each other before they ventured to the war zone. The pair were part of a ten-man squad defending Kharkiv last week when they were ambushed by Russian soldiers, according to one of their comrades. Drueke and Huynh disabled a Russian tank with a grenade but were lost in the fog of return fire. By the time it cleared, they had vanished. 'We were out on a mission and the whole thing went absolutely crazy, with bad intel. 'We were told the town was clear when it turned out the Russians were already assaulting it. Both of the U.S. fighters are from Alabama and had disabled a Russian tank with a grenade but were lost in the fog of return fire 'They came down the road with two T72 tanks and multiple BMP3s (armored fighting vehicles) and about 100 infantry. The only thing that was there was our ten man squad,' one of their comrades told The Daily Telegraph in an interview on Tuesday. 'We suspect that they were knocked unconscious by either the anti-tank mine, or by the tank shooting at them, because later search missions found not sign of them, nothing. 'Afterwards we sent drones up and had a Ukrainian search team on the ground but we found nothing: if they had been hit by the tank shell there would have been remains of their bodies or equipment at the scene,' he said. The pair are among a recent flood of onlookers to travel to Ukraine to quell the Russian invasion - some of whom have vanished or been executed by Russian forces. Among the missing is U.S. Marine veteran Ret. Captain Grady Kurpasi, who left for Ukraine in March, according to CNN. Firefighters work at the site of fire after Russian shelling in Mykolaiv in Ukraine this weekend after the latest bombardment by Kremlin forces A couple walk past a building destroyed by attacks in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Monday amid fears of an escalation of the conflict He has not been heard from since April. No trace of him has been found, sparking fears he may have been killed. He had been living in Wilmington, North Carolina, before leaving for the eastern European country. It comes as Stephen Zabielski, 52, was killed in Ukraine in May. He was the second American to die in the conflict Last month, 52-year-old New Yorker Stephen Zabielski was killed in combat in the region. New York grandfather, was killed on May 15 while fighting in the village of Dorozhniank, Ukraine. A friend on Facebook said he had experience in the US Army which appealed to young Ukrainian fighters. 'He feared he wouldn't be accepted given our age - but his experience got him the exception. Despite our age, we both knew we had a duty given our beliefs. 'Steve remained in Ukraine and gave his life for Ukraine's freedom. He was killed by a landmine. He was the child of Polish-Americans so he knew and understood sacrifice.' His death comes after that of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, who was killed in April. The two are the only official American casualties in the ongoing conflict, which entered its 119 day Wednesday. Airbnb said on Tuesday it will its ban on parties in homes listed on the platform permanent after seeing a sharp drop in reports of unauthorized gatherings since the prohibition was put in place in August 2020. The company announced a 44 percent year-after-year drop in the rate of party reports since implementing the policy. This comes after the San Francisco-based company introduced and extended the party ban to halt the spread of COVID-19 infections. Now the company wants to make the ban permanent just as the summer travel season begins. 'This is an issue where I don't know if I'd say there's a finish line,' Ben Breit, a spokesperson for the company, said, adding that Airbnb will keep working to address the issue. The company said it will also remove its 16-person limit, allowing larger homes listed on the platform to be booked to full occupancy. PARTY'S OVER: Airbnb announced in a statement (pictured) on Tuesday its intentions into making permanent its ban on parties at homes listed on the site for short-term rentals The San Francisco-based vacation rental company believes the ban has worked since its implementation in 2019, saying Tuesday that reports of parties at listed properties have dropped 44 percent from a year ago The number of parties at Airbnb locations increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb said, as people craved social interaction due to the closings of bars and clubs leading to a temporary ban in 2020 Airbnb began imposing much stricter limits - starting with a global ban on so-called 'party houses' or listings that create persistent neighborhood nuisances - after a fatal shooting at a Halloween party in a California house that killed five people in October 2019. At that time, the company prohibited advertising parties at Airbnb locations on social media. It also created a direct line for neighbors to communicate any concerns, called the Neighborhood Support Line, in a bid to enforce the prohibition. Airbnb has also updated its policies considering the pandemic, removing both the 'event friendly' search filter and 'parties and events allowed' house rules. More than 6,600 guests and some hosts were suspended in 2021 for attempting to violate the party ban, the company said. In May 2022, the company reported revenue was up 70 percent from the previous year bringing in $1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2022. The company also projected revenue to be above market estimates for the second quarter of the year, expecting to bring in between $2.03 billion and $2.13 billion. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky first suggested the company's plans to shut down house parties after a shooting at a Halloween party at an Airbnb rental in 2019 that killed five people Airbnb updated its policy and removed both the 'event friendly' search filter and 'parties and events allowed' on its website and app (pictured) The implemented party ban comes two months after a mass shooting took place at an unauthorized party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh on Easter Sunday. Police say there were more than 200 people inside the Airbnb at the time, many of whom were underage, when multiple gunmen opened fire, killing two teenage boys and injuring nine others. As many as 50 shots were fired inside the apartment, authorities say, prompting some attendees to jump out the windows in horrifying footage of the shooting. At least two of those partygoers sustained broken bones and lacerations from the jump, according to WTAE. Officials later clarified that an estimated total of 90 shots were fired in what Police Chief Scott Schubert described as a 'very chaotic scene.' Shell casings from rifles and pistols were also found at the scene. It remains unclear who rented the Airbnb, but TribLive reports that Allegheny County real estate records listed the owner of the property as 900 North Group LLC. Video posted online showed underage partygoers in an argument before shots were fired at an Airbnb on Easter Sunday in Pittsburgh in April The hundreds of partygoers seemed to stumble over each other as they tried to flee the scene Authorities have identified the suspect, releasing his photo, but not his name. They are asking for the public's help for clues, and are asking anyone with information to call Major Crimes at (412) 323-7161. In another incident, from last June, a group of rowdy house partygoers trashed an Airbnb rental in North Dallas, smashing furniture and television sets during an all-out brawl that saw fistfights and chaos. Video circulating online showed about a dozen young people destroy a television set, furniture, accessories and a doorway. The footage also shows the partygoers fighting each other by throwing fists and wrestling on the floor. There were claims online at the the time that said the chaos ensued after a party ended early at a home that was rented out on the Airbnb app. The woman who organized the party later clarified on social media that uninvited partygoers had crashed her event after arriving in 12 different cars and refused to leave after being barred entry. The party was also advertised as 'Atlas House' online, according to neighbors, with its listing mentioning that there were multiple entrances for guests and 'plenty of parking.' The listing has been taken down since the incident, according to a North Texas Real Estate website called CandysDirt.com. . At least 49 inmates were killed and dozens more injured early Tuesday after a fire broke out during a prison riot in Colombia. The tragedy occurred when rioting inmates set a fire to try to prevent police entering their enclosure at the prison in the city of Tulua. Though authorities are investigating whether prisoners lit their mattresses as part of an 'escape attempt' or whether the riot was provoked 'to cover some other situation.' Tito Castellanos, director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC), said: 'Unfortunately there was a riot in the pavilion number eight of the Tulua prison, where there are 1,267 prisoners, with the unfortunate result that 49 people died.' He said another 30 people were 'injured and affected by the blaze and the smoke.' A prison fire has killed at least 49 inmates and injured dozens more in Colombia this morning (Pictured: relatives gather outside the jail) The fire broke out at a prison in Tulua, after mattresses were set ablaze try to prevent police entering Police are investigating why the mattresses were set on fire inside the prison There were 180 inmates in the prison section affected by fireCastellanos made no mention of whether any prisoners actually escaped. While a spokesperson for INPEC earlier told AFP that the death toll 'may change' and local radio station Caracol reported that more than 40 people had been injured. Castellanos praised the efforts of prison guards, some of whom were injured, to control the blaze and help prisoners to safety. He said that without their intervention 'the result would have been worse.' Without the efforts of the prison guards (pictured) the death toll could have been much higher Outgoing President Ivan Duque sent a tweet offering his solidarity with relatives of the victims. 'We regret the events that occurred in the prison in Tulua, Valle del Cauca,' Duque said. 'I have given instructions to clarify this terrible situation. My solidarity is with the families of the victims.' Fatal prison riots are not uncommon in Latin America. In Colombia's neighbor Ecuador, nearly 400 prisoners have been killed in six riots since early 2021. Colombia's prison system has a capacity for 97,000 inmates but is overpopulated by some 16,000, according to INPEC. Advertisement The Metropolitan Police was today dramatically placed in special measures for the first time ever due to concerns about 'serious or critical shortcomings' following a wave of scandals that blighted Cressida Dick's tenure. Acting commissioner Sir Stephen House will now be required to work with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to produce a remedial plan which the police inspectorate will assess. Top officers will then be required to meet regularly with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to ensure the required improvements are being made. At a glance: The Met's string of calamities Operation Midland: The disastrous 2014 probe into fake VIP paedophilia claims was sanctioned by Dame Cressida Dick; Sarah Everard: In March last year, 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by serving Met police officer Wayne Couzens; Murder victim photos: In December last year, two Scotland Yard officers who took photos of the bodies of murder victims Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry were jailed; Charing Cross: Earlier this year, details emerged of horrific messages exchanged by officers at Charing Cross police station, by an official watchdog report; XR protests: In 2019, the force was widely condemned for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London; Daniel Morgan: The force was described as 'institutionally corrupt' following an inquiry into the botched investigation into the private investigator's murder; Stephen Port: An inquest jury ruled in December that failures by Met detectives contributed to the deaths of a serial killer's three final victims; Bianca Williams: In April it emerged that five Met officers are to face a gross misconduct hearing over their stop and search of the Team GB athlete; Strip searches: Last month the IOPC confirmed it was investigating a series of cases which involved teenage girls who were on their period being strip-searched by Met officers. Advertisement A letter from HMICFRS cited numerous fiascos at Britain's largest force, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, the 'racially profiled' stop and search of the Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams, and the strip-search of a 15-year-old black schoolgirl known as Child Q. It follows further scandals, including the failure to properly investigate serial killer Stephen Port and the revelation of racist WhatsApp messages exchanged by officers at Charing Cross Police Station. Other calamities included the jailing of two officers for taking photos of the corpses of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, and Operation Midland - the disastrous probe into fake claims of VIP paedophilia. The force was also heavily criticised for failing to stop Extinction Rebellion protests from shutting down London, with videos of officers dancing with protesters sparking claims the force was not taking the issue seriously. A spokeswoman for the HMICFRS said: 'We can confirm that we are now monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service through our Engage process, which provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements.' According to the policing watchdog's website, a force enters the engage process if it is 'not responding to a cause of concern, or if it is not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating the cause of concern'. It adds: 'In the Engage phase, forces will develop an improvement plan to address the specific cause(s) of concern that has caused them to be placed in the advanced phase of the monitoring process. The force may receive support from external organisations such as the College of Policing or the National Police Chiefs' Council, brokered by HMICFRS.' The move has come at a turbulent time for the force after former Met Police chief Dame Cressida Dick stepped down from her role as commissioner in April. Her replacement is expected to be unveiled in the summer, with Sir Stephen House currently running the force as acting commissioner. The two candidates left in the running to replace Dame Cressida are assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave and Sir Mark Rowley, the former head of counterterrorism. It is also the second force to be placed on special measures in recent years. The watchdog placed Greater Manchester Police on the 'engage' process in 2020 after it failed to report 80,000 crimes. Priti Patel welcomed today's move, and said she expected the new commissioner to 'demonstrate sustained improvements' in the force in order to regain public trust. f Sarah Everard who was murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, in a crime which has appalled Britain. The Met's scandal ravaged former commissioner, Cressida Dick, who stepped down in February after Sadiq Khan said he no longer had confidence in her The Home Secretary said: 'I expect the police to get the basics right. It is clear the Metropolitan Police Service is falling short of these expectations which is why I support the action that HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their failings and I expect the Met and the London Mayor to take immediate action to begin addressing them. What does 'going into special measures' mean? The HMICFRS has two stages of its monitoring process for police forces - the 'scanning' phase and the 'engage' phase. The scanning phase 'uses data and information from a range of sources to highlight poor or deteriorating performance and identify potential areas of concern'. If the force is 'not responding to a cause of concern', or if it is 'not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating the cause of concern', then it will be moved to the 'Engage' phase. At this point, forces develop an 'improvement plan' to address concerns and must meet with inspectors regularly to ensure improvements are being made. It may also be given specific targets. The Met has been escalated straight to 'engage', suggesting HMICFRS is particularly concerned about its performance. A spokeswoman for the HMICFRS said: 'We can confirm that we are now monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service through our Engage process, which provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements.' Advertisement 'The process to recruit a new Commissioner is well underway and I have made clear that the successful candidate must demonstrate sustained improvements in the Metropolitan Police Service in order to regain public trust both in London and across the country. 'The new Commissioner will need to deliver on the public's priorities for the police making our streets safer, bearing down on crime and bringing more criminals to justice, while continuing to recruit thousands of new officers to protect local communities.' London mayor Sadiq Khan - who previously withdrew his support for Dame Cressida after urging for improvements to be made - also welcomed the decision. 'A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems but have damaged the confidence of Londoners in the capital's police service,' he said in a statement. 'The decision by the HMIC to now move the Met into special measures has laid bare the substantial performance failings by the force. 'As I have been saying for some time, Londoners deserve better. That's why we now need to see nothing less than a new contract forged between the police and the public in London. 'This means root and branch reforms and systemic change to the Met's performance and culture.' The family of Child Q, who was strip-searched, said Scotland Yard has let the public down repeatedly. They said in a statement: 'We welcome the decision of HMICFRS to place the Metropolitan Police into special measures. 'The Metropolitan Police has shown time and again that it cannot do its job properly and its officers' actions have had life-changing, devastating consequences for innocent people across London, including Child Q. It is no wonder that there is little to no faith left in the Metropolitan Police. 'We hope the additional scrutiny of special measures will result in permanent change in the force's culture and practices.' Mina Smallman, the mother of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, said it was 'better late than never' for the Met to be entered in the process Mina Smallman, the mother of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, said it was 'better late than never' for the Met to be entered in the process. She has been critical of the force after two constables were jailed for sharing images of her daughter's bodies on WhatsApp. Ms Smallman added that she had previously called for the Met to be put on special measures. She told Channel 4 News: 'I do feel terribly sorry that some of the things that I highlighted, with the selfies of our daughters, if they had acted more swiftly, perhaps Couzens would have been stopped in his tracks and Sarah would still be with us.' She added that people have been challenging the Met on its practices since the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. 'It's the kind of papering over the cracks, trying to look as though you're perfect,' she said. 'And the only people who get away with that are the people who are the perpetrators.' A spokesman for the Met said: 'We recognise the cumulative impact of events and problems that the Met is dealing with. 'We understand the impact this has had on communities and we share their disappointment. We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the Inspectorate about next steps.' A damning watchdog report cited numerous fiascos, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office insists she was trying to ensure Rep. Mayra Flore's daughter was in the photograph after the new GOP congresswoman accused the California Democrat of shoving the young girl out of the way. Top Pelosi aide Drew Hammill denied Flores' allegation on Monday and said the speaker was actually trying to ensure the youngster remained in the frame. He also accused 'news outlets' of twisting the story, despite Flores herself making the claim on Twitter. He said: 'It's sad to see "news outlets" that know better misrepresent the Speaker's effort to ensure Rep. Flores' daughters wouldn't be hidden behind her in all of the photos of such an important moment for their family.' With the House on Fouth of July recess, Pelosi is traveling to Rome this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's top aide Drew Hammill denied the California Democrat had been trying to shove the youngster out of the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) alongside Italian President Sergio Mattarella (right) in Rome on Tuesday. Pelosi traveled to Rome amid the controversy as the House in on a two-week Fourth of July recess Rep. Mayra Flores (third from right) accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of pushing her daughter aside for a photo-op Flores, 36, who is married to a Border Patrol agent and has four children made the accusation against Pelosi on Twitter. 'No child should be pushed to the side for a photo op. PERIOD!!' Flores said. 'I am so proud of my strong, beautiful daughter for not allowing this to faze her. 'She continued to smile and pose for the picture like a Queen,' the newly elected congresswoman added. Flores later admitted her daughter didn't notice anything was amiss at the time. 'She kept on smiling and didn't allow that to ruin such a special moment so I'm very proud of her, she is a queen,' she added in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday. Flores said that the alleged shove only came to her attention when she later watched video of the event, which she said showed Pelosi elbowing her daughter during her ceremonial swearing-in last week. Rep. Mayra Flores from Texas accused Nancy Pelosi of shoving her daughter during her swearing-in ceremony last week, but says the girl did not even notice at the time she said in an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity on Monday The shoving controversy erupted as this official swearing-in picture was being taken 'I saw it afterwards and yes I was very disappointed and very disgusted by it. No child should be pushed aside for a photo,' the newly elected representative said. Flores made history to become the first Mexican-born congresswoman elected to the House, after flipping a longstanding Democratic seat in an open special election earlier this month. She is mom to four children, and hasn't released their names or ages - but the girl Pelosi is accused of pushing appears to be her second-youngest. In the video of the incident, Pelosi is seen extending her right elbow as the girl standing next to her tilts to the side as if being jabbed. Pelosi's defenders argue that the video does not show the San Francisco Democrat elbowing the girl, but rather moving her arm in front of her as the child sways on her feet. Video on social media shows Pelosi gesturing and beckoning over the family pastor. She then looks down at the young girl and appears to move her elbow towards her as the daughter moves away. Flores (pictured here with her children) became the first Mexican-born congress member after winning a special election. She has four children with her husband who is a Border Patrol agent Rep. Mayra Flores from Texas was getting sworn-in by the House Speaker last week when she posed for a photograph at the White House The congresswoman's two daughters were standing beside Pelosi who appeared to 'elbow' one of them during the ceremony Actor turned Republican commentator James Woods shared the clip and said: 'I love this princess stood her ground, while Nancy showed her true colors.' Flores won a special election this month to replace Texas Democrat, Rep. Filemon Vela, who retired before the end of his term to take a job at a lobbying and law firm. During the ceremony, Pelosi said: 'It's a great honor to welcome Congresswoman Flores to the Capitol and to the Congress of the United States with great congratulations. 'And again, grateful for her leadership and her beautiful family who is here today.' 'Thank you Congresswoman Flores for your courage to run for office and best wishes for your success. It's an honor to work with you.' Flores, a GOP organizer who is the daughter of migrant workers and a respiratory care practitioner, will hold the seat for several months Who is Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born congresswoman to serve in the House Republican Mayra Flores made history this month by becoming the first Mexican-born congresswoman to serve in the House after beating a Democrat in a primary election in Texas. She is the first Republican Latina from the state of Texas to serve. Flores, who has echoed Trump's fraudulent election claims, immigrated to the United States when she was six-years-old from Burgos Tamaulipas in Mexico and her parents were farmworkers in Texas. During her childhood, Flores worked alongside her parents in the cotton fields in Memphis to earn extra money for school clothes and supplies. She graduated in 2014 as a Respiratory Care Practitioner and currently works caring for the elderly and disabled with chronic respiratory issues - and has helped those suffering Covid-19. Flores, who later graduated with a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership, now serves as the Hidalgo County GOP Hispanic Outreach Chair. She has four children with her Border Patrol agent husband and promotes strict immigration policies. Advertisement Flores, a GOP organizer who is the daughter of migrant workers and a respiratory care practitioner, will hold the seat for several months before the district is redrawn to be more favorable to Democrats. But her victory in the heavily Hispanic Rio Grand Valley is an ominous sign for Democrats - and demonstrates that Republicans are making inroads with Hispanic voters. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he had voted for Republican for the first time in order to vote for Flores. He tweeted: 'I voted for Mayra Flores first time I ever voted Republican. Massive red wave in 2022. Flores lauded former President Donald Trump in her victory speech. 'We have to state the facts: That under President Trump, we did not have this mess in this country,' she said. 'And I want to see the Hispanic community rise up. And I want equal representation on both parties - I am the first Mexican-American ever elected to Congress,' she said to cheers. Flores' win makes her the first Mexican-born American to serve in the US House, but also the first Republican Latina from the state of Texas to serve. Flores had 51 per cent of the vote compared to Sanchez's 43 per cent when the Democrat conceded the race in a district where 85 per cent of residents are Latino. Her victory also has implications for Democrats' ambitions in Congress, denying Pelosi an opportunity to add to her slim two-vote margin to pass legislation. Flores, who has echoed Trump's fraudulent election claims, immigrated to the United States when she was six-years-old from Burgos Tamaulipas in Mexico and her parents were farmworkers in Texas. During her childhood, Flores worked alongside her parents in the cotton fields in Memphis to earn extra money for school clothes and supplies. She graduated in 2014 as a Respiratory Care Practitioner and currently works caring for the elderly and disabled with chronic respiratory issues - and has helped those suffering COVID-19. Flores later graduated with a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership, and now serves as the Hidalgo County GOP Hispanic Outreach Chair. Flores, who is describes herself as 'Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment, and Pro-Law Enforcement,' has four children with her Border Patrol agent husband, and promotes strict immigration policies. According to her website, Flores believes in fortifying the legal immigration system, securing the borders, lowering the costs of healthcare, lowering taxes, promoting small businesses, and less government. Flores faces another election in November against Democrat nominee Vicente Gonzalez. Alec Baldwin has been mocked over his Spanish after he roared at a staffer about barking dogs during a chaotic live chat with Woody Allen. The Hollywood actor, 64, got up of his couch to upbraid an unseen staffer called Leonetta during Tuesday's interview - which saw 86 year-old Allen admit he's considering retiring from movie-making. Around 15 minutes into the chat, 86 year-old Allen's connection froze. Moments later, Baldwin was up off the couch at his East Hampton home shouting: 'Leonetta! Leonetta! Basta! Las perritas! Basta! Las perritas, suficiente!' That translates as: 'Leonetta! Leonetta! Enough! The dogs! Enough. The dogs. That's enough!' The incident amused many internet users - including native Spanish speaking comedian Alexis Pereira, who claimed he couldn't understand what the actor was saying. 'Inexplicably interviewing Woody Allen on Instagram Live, watching as Woody loses Wi-Fi, and then getting up to yell something in Spanish that I a native Spanish speaker cant understand has surpassed Schweddy Balls as the new funniest thing Alec Baldwin has ever done. God tier,' he said. Journalist Matt Jacobs wrote: 'I was morbidly curious about this, so I put it on in time to see Alec Baldwin yelling at his housekeeper in Spanish to fix Woody Allen's wi-fi connection.' He and friend Kate Erbland then joked about the incident, tweeting 'LEONETTA!' at one another, before Erbland said: 'Prayers up for Leonetta!' Baldwin and Allen - both of whom have been plagued by multiple scandals - scheduled the chinwag to discuss Allen's new book of essays, titled Zero Gravity. But the Instagram event - for which Baldwin turned live comments off - quickly turned farcical due to multiple Wi-Fi disruptions at Allen's Upper East Side mansion. Alec Baldwin, left, began yelling at a staffer in Spanish about barking dogs Tuesday after a live chat with Woody Allen about the director's new book of essays crashed Journalist Emily Miller was among those who found the live chat strange, given the two men's troubled pasts Baldwin was spotted making a solo outing to a clam restaurant in the Hamptons after a busy morning talking to Woody Allen and shouting at a staffer The actor is currently expecting his seventh child with wife Hilaria, 38. He is also dad to Ireland Baldwin, 26, whose mom is Alec's first wife Kim Basinger During the second of three outages, the notoriously hot-tempered Baldwin FaceTimed a woman who was with Allen. 'Are they in the room where they have the best Wi-Fi?' He grilled. 'This is the second time they've shut down. 'They need to be in the room with the best Wi-Fi in the house. What have they got going on there?' Baldwin continued. And further unintentional comedy ensued seconds later when Allen appeared back on screen with a female helper who said: 'We just opened a door, it might make a difference.' Baldwin and Allen spent considerable time discussing their illustrious careers - with It's Complicated star Baldwin making his affection for Allen's work clear. He said watching an Allen film served as an 'escape' from the chaos of raising six young children with his second wife Hilaria, 38, who's currently pregnant with their seventh. Allen later returned to the chat - with Baldwin keeping live comments disabled throughout, likely mindful of the high-profile scandals both men have faced Baldwin bragged about working throughout the COVID pandemic - but made no mention of accidentally shooting Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured center) in gray scarf, in October 2021 Meanwhile, Allen joked about how lucky his wife Soon-Yi Previn, 51, is. Allen began an affair with Previn in 1992, while dating Previn's adoptive mother Mia Farrow Allen also revealed he's considering retiring, saying of filmmaking: 'A lot of the thrill is gone. 'It's not as enjoyable as it was... Im going to make another one, and Ill see how it feels,' he said, after discussing plans for an upcoming Paris movie shoot. But it was what Baldwin didn't discuss that set tongues wagging online. Towards the end of the chat, Baldwin bragged that he'd never caught COVID despite working through the pandemic. He said: 'I heard they're going to do research now and do testing on people who didn't get COVID. 'I was out all the time because I had to work. I went and shot a TV series of Peacock, but what I realized was that every time I went into a room with people, I masked, and I believe that's why I didn't get COVID.' Baldwin appeared to be referring to his part in medical horror drama Dr Death. But he failed to mention the infamous October 2021 killing on the set of his doomed western movie Rust. Farrow, pictured with Allen in 1992, later accused Allen of sexually abusing her seven year-old daughter Dylan. He denied that claim and has never faced any criminal action That saw Baldwin accidentally shoot and kill cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, while handling a prop pistol he didn't realize had been loaded with live rounds. Baldwin says he was devastated by the death of Hutchins, a mom-of-two, but denies all allegations of wrongdoing. The star also served as a producer on Rust, whose senior crew are now facing criminal charges and civil lawsuits over what it is alleged were lax safety procedures on set. Meanwhile, Allen's own tangled past came to the fore when he agreed with Baldwin that his wife Soon-Yi Previn, 51, was 'lucky' because she gets to go to Paris with him this fall to watch him shoot a movie. 'My wife is lucky for many reasons, that's just one of them,' Allen concurred. But social media users were quick to note that Allen began an affair with Previn while dating Previn's adoptive mother, actress Mia Farrow. Allen was 56 when he began the relationship, to Previn's 21. Journalist Emily Miller joked: 'Alec Baldwin, who shot and killed his employee 8 month ago, is live on instagram now with Woody Allen who is married to his daughter.' Months after news of Allen's affair with Previn hit the headlines, he was accused of sexually abusing Farrow's daughter Dylan when she was seven. Allen has always denied the claim, and no criminal charges were ever brought against him. Hundreds of off-duty Delta Airlines pilots are planning to picket this week to demand an increase in pay and better schedules - as another 500 flights are axed today. The Air Line Pilots Association claimed last night its nearly 14,000 members are working longer hours even as airlines cancel thousands of trips. Delta Airlines pilots plan to start picketing on Thursday at several major airports including LAX, JFK and Atlanta, which are some of the most affected in terms of cancellations and delays. The announcement comes amidst a rise in flight cancellations and delays. On Tuesday morning, airlines had already cancelled over 500 flights and delayed another 1,200, according to FlightAware. The average Delta Pilot yearly pay in the United States is approximately $157,912, which is 119 percent above the national average, according to Indeed. Passengers line up to check bags before their flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport today A man says goodbye and hugs his daughter before her flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta today Passengers line up to check in before their flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. June 28, 2022 as airports see an increase in cancellations and delays The announcement comes amidst a rise in flight cancellations and delays. On Tuesday morning, airlines had already cancelled over 500 flights and delayed another 1,200, according to FlightAware. Pictured: Atlanta today This graphic shows how many flights have been cancelled in recent days at US airports FlightAware's Misery Map shows cancellations and delays by airport on June 28, 2022 Pilots have complained that thinly staffed airlines are asking them to work too many flights, with more pilots reporting fatigue. The FAA has admitted it is understaffed, especially in an important air control center in Florida, which has meant a decrease in the quality of service and an increase in delays and cancellations. The pilots plan to picket, not strike, on the days they are not scheduled to work in order to bring attention to the issues. Federal law creates a long and difficult process before airline workers can legally go on strike. 'The Delta pilots last signed a new contract in 2016 and are currently flying under work rules and pay rates negotiated over six years ago,' said Jason Ambrosi, a Delta pilot and union official, in the statement. 'It's been two-and-a-half-years since our contract became amendable and three-and-a-half years since the Delta pilots last had a pay raise. Meanwhile, our quality of life has eroded due to management's unwillingness to schedule the airline properly,' he continued. 'In June, the union took an unprecedented step in passing a vote of 'no confidence' in the management teams of Flight Operations, Crew Resources, and Flight Training & Standards for the scheduling issues that continue to plague both customers and pilots.' 'As long-term stakeholders in our airline, seeing our operational reliability suffer is bad business and puts the Delta brand at risk,' Ambrosi said. An airport employee directs passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta today Pilots have complained that thinly staffed airlines are asking them to work too many flights, with more pilots reporting fatigue. Pictured: Atlanta today Passengers cross the street at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta today Passengers enter a security checkpoint before their flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport today Federal law creates a long and difficult process before airline workers can legally go on strike. Pictured: Passengers today The planned protest comes just before July 4 weekend, which is expected to see 3.5 million Americans fly according to AAA. Ambrosi says the union is 'concerned that our customers' plans will be disrupted once again.' 'The perfect storm is occurring. Demand is back and pilots are flying record amounts of overtime but are still seeing our customers being stranded and their holiday plans ruined,' Ambrosi said. 'When delays or cancellations happen, the pilots share in our passengers' frustration,' he continued. 'Our goal is to achieve an industry-leading contract. But if management doesn't get serious, we'll go the distance to get the contract we deserve,' he concluded. Delays and cancellations cost airlines a hefty sum, with delays costing airlines around $74 a minute, or $4,500 an hour. Defying tarmac delay rules means airlines are charged $27,500 per passenger, meaning one plane with 200 passengers could cost a $5.5million fine. For passengers, delays can cost about $47 of their time. In 2018, before the pandemic, delays and cancellations cost passengers almost $28 billion. Airlines are not required by law to compensate passengers for a cancellation or delay. Passengers have taken to social media to complain about how the delays and cancellations affected them, with many claiming they are 'nervous to fly.' After the coronavirus pandemic halted the airline industry, pilots played a major role in getting airlines back up and running, though their pay has not increased since negotiations in 2016. U.S. consumers lodged more than triple the number of complaints against U.S. airlines in April, compared with pre-pandemic levels, as on-time arrivals fell, according to a report by the Department of Transportation. Earlier this month, Secretary of Transport Pete Buttigieg called a virtual meeting with the chief executives of major U.S. airlines to discuss thousands of recent flight cancellations and delays over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. He urged airlines to ensure they can reliably operate planned summer schedules. Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S. carriers, said Friday it wants to know FAA's staffing plans for the July Fourth holiday weekend, 'so we can plan accordingly.' The comments from the industry group could serve as a pre-emptive defense in case airlines again suffer thousands of canceled and delayed flights over the holiday weekend, when travel is expected to set new pandemic-era highs. 'The industry is actively and nimbly doing everything possible to create a positive customer experience since it is in an airline's inherent interest to keep customers happy, so they return for future business,' Nicholas Calio, president of the trade group, said in a letter to Buttigieg. A Tory MP today said today he doesn't agree women have 'an absolute right to bodily autonomy' in a debate over the American abortion ban. Danny Kruger added that British MPs should not 'lecture' the US over the democratic process, which has sparked mass protests across the nation. A number of politicians raised concerns over last week's verdict to end constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years. The decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of US states. Mr Kruger, who represents the constituency of Devizes in Wiltshire, told the Commons this afternoon he would 'probably disagree' with other MPs about the US Supreme Court decision. He said: 'They think that women have an absolute right to bodily autonomy in this matter, whereas I think in the case of abortion that right is qualified by the fact that another body is involved.' As MPs tried to speak over him, Mr Kruger added: 'I would offer to members who are trying to talk me down that this is a proper topic for political debate and my point to the frontbench is I don't understand why we are lecturing the United States on a judgment to return the power of decision over this political question to the states, to democratic decision-makers, rather than leaving it in the hands of the courts.' Tory MP Danny Kruger today said today he doesn't agree women have 'an absolute right to bodily autonomy' in a debate over the American abortion ban Abortion rights supporters march past City Hall in Los Angeles, while protesting against the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to end federal abortion rights protections GBBO Prue Leith's religious son Danny Kruger who was once Boris Johnson's political secretary and a speechwriter for David Cameron: Danny Kruger is the son of Prue and her late husband Rayne Kruger, who died in December 2002, aged 80. He is a former speechwriter to David Cameron - and dreamt up the famous 'hug a hoodie' line and a member of a free-market think-tank, the Legatum Institute. He has been described as 'a passionate Christian' who brought the Gospel to convicted criminals through the prisons charity Only Connect, which he founded, and is also a vocal supporter of legalisation of cannabis. Mr Kruger is an Old Etonian and his 'hug a hoodie' line came back to bite him in 2008 when he and a friend tried to tackle a moped thief and was attacked, 'with all the rage of Cain' by a 'rat faced boy'. Mr Kruger said he still stood by the idea that love 'is a crime fighting device'. The MP received an MBE in 2017 for his charitable work. He has been the Tory MP for Devizes in Wiltshire since 2019 and was a Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - a key aide who acts as the PM's troubleshooter - the same year. Most recently, in August 2020 Kruger was photographed breaching the rules on the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport. He apologised and stated that he 'simply forgot' and later said he disliked 'absurd masks'. Then in June last year, Mr Kruger was fined after his Jack Russell puppy, Pebbles, caused a stampede when he chased a 200-strong herd of deer in London's Richmond Park. He was fined 120 and told him he must pay 575 costs and a 34 surcharge, totalling 719. Advertisement The House was also told that far-right American groups wanting to roll back UK abortion protections will be given 'renewed impetus' by the decision. Labour former minister Dame Diana Johnson asked Foreign Office minister Amanda Milling: 'Can the minister confirm that the Government will continue to support and fund reproductive healthcare programmes, including access to terminations around the world, in light of this decision? 'With far-right American groups already organising on rolling back the 1967 Abortion Act in this country, this decision will give them renewed impetus for their work. 'So will the Government look again at protecting women attending abortion clinics through the introduction of buffer zones, as proposed by (Rupa Huq, Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton)? 'And finally will the Government confirm its commitment on women's rights to access reproductive healthcare - including abortion - and if the Government plans to change human rights legislation in the UK, that it will completely safeguard the rights of women to bodily autonomy.' Ms Milling said in reply: 'As the Prime Minister said at the weekend, he felt - and I share the view - that this is a big step backwards. 'In relation to our position on sexual reproductive health and rights, including safe abortion, the UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, which is a fundamental to unlock the potential agency and freedom of women and girls. 'We will continue to push for strong supportive language in the UN and other international fora.' The urgent question from Dame Diana had sought to press the Foreign Office to make representations to the US government about ensuring that women's rights to access reproductive healthcare are protected. Meanwhile, Conservative former minister Jackie Doyle-Price told the Commons: 'Can I just say to the minister that we are in no stronger position to lecture the United States about this because we have done much the same ourselves. 'Is it not time we led by example and reviewed our abortion laws which are now more than 50 years old and base them around a safe framework for terminating pregnancy in the interests of women, rather than be characterised by these absurd moral extremes?' Abortion-rights activists march toward the White House over the weekend in Washington, DC. Ms Milling replied that a vote on any future abortion law reform would be a 'matter of conscience', but added: 'Our policy is ensuring that women can access health services, (it) is safe and is a secure way and it remains a priority, that is a key priority and we will work closely with abortion providers and other stakeholders on the provision of these services.' Tory MP Lucy Allan Well for Telford also showed her opposition to Mr Kruger's views and tweeted this evening that he has no right to impose his views on others. She wrote: 'We are going to disagree on this - I accept Dannys right to disagree, but he no has no right to impose his views on others. 'Do men have a right to bodily autonomy? Is it just women who do not have that right?' Elsewhere, Dame Maria Miller called on the Government to 'hold the US government to account at the UN', and to confirm that the 'UK Government would view any such change as a breach of its inalienable international obligations'. For Labour, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: 'What is happening in America, and it is happening in our own country, is an organised hard-right and global political movement that is seeking to overturn the rights hard-won in the 20th century.' Two alleged drug traffickers arrested for possessing 150,000 illegal fentanyl pills during a California traffic stop were released from custody just one day later, officials said. Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, both from Washington, were booked at the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility after being busted with $750,000 worth of fentanyl pills. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office issued an update on Monday announcing the two had been released from custody a day after their arrest on Saturday - following a court order. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux 'strongly disagrees' with the order to release the two men, arguing it is a public safety issue. He had no say in the court order and was forced to comply. The two men were booked at the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility and released the next day after a court order was issued 'All inmates booked into Tulare County jails are sent through what is known as the Risk Assessment Process through the Tulare County Probation Department,' police said. That Risk Assessment is then sent to a judge with the court, who then determines whether or not the individual arrested is held on bail or if they are to be released. County commissioner Mikki Verissimo, who reports to the judge of the Tulare County Superior Court, conducted the risk assessment and deemed the two fit for release. Tulare's District Attorney Tim Ward hasn't commented on the release, but his office says they weren't a part of the decision process by the Tulare County Probation Department. The two men will return to court on July 21, where a judge will determine their charges, according to the DA's office. Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, were arrested in California for possession of $750,000 worth of fentanyl pills The potent drug that is stronger than heroin and morphine is a major contributor to fatal overdoses throughout the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. Fentanyl related deaths 'increased at an unpredictable pace in 2020' with 3,946 overdoses - according to the latest data from the CDPH. Fentanyl is currently classified as a Schedule II drug that has a 'high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence,' according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Currently in the state, the possession of fentanyl is a mere misdemeanor offense. Fentanyl deaths have increased substantially in 2020, the California Department of Public Health says What is fentanyl and why is it so dangerous? Fentanyl was originally developed in Belgium in the 1950s to aid cancer patients with their pain management. Given its extreme potency it has become popular amongst recreational drug users. Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl jumped from nearly 10,000 in 2015 to nearly 20,000 in 2016 - surpassing common opioid painkillers and heroin for the first time. And drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 people in the US in 2017 a record driven by fentanyl. It is often added to heroin because it creates the same high as the drug, with the effects biologically identical. But it can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, according to officials in the US. In America, fentanyl is classified as a schedule II drug - indicating it has a strong potential to be abused and can create psychological and physical dependence. Advertisement California lawmakers have been warning against the deadly fentanyl crisis that has been poisoning young people throughout the state and calling for harsher penalties. Earlier this year in April, some state lawmakers attempted to pass legislation to establish possession of two or more grams of fentanyl to be a felony. In the same bill, lawmakers proposed reclassifying fentanyl as a Schedule I drug alongside meth and heroin - but failed. If passed, traffickers would have spent 20 years to life in prison for distributing fentanyl that results in death. Both Republicans and Democrats have attempted to combat the fentanyl crisis - but some of their peers argue that harsher penalties are not the solution. Several California District Attorneys have come under fire for their soft on crime policies. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, who pledged to find a different approach to incarceration when he was voted into office in 2020, is now facing his second recall. Gascon has issued various criminal justice reforms that have led to consequences for some crime victims. When Gascon took office in 2020, he changed prosecution rules, including getting rid of sentence enhancements for guns and gangs. The DA also barred prosecutors from charging juveniles as adults. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva - who has been an ongoing critic of Gascon - blames him for the uproar in violent crime. Villanueva claims his office has presented over 13,000 cases to the DAs office that were rejected because they don't fit Gascon's crime policies, Fox News reported. In Northern California, San Francisco's progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled in early June after crime spiked in the city. This year, statistics show that the crime wave has worsened from last year - one of the worst crime years in decades - with city's murder rate rising 11 percent, and rapes up by nearly 10 percent. The city has also suffered from an increase in homelessness and open-air drug use since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Google announced the Pixel 6a during I/O 2022, a new review said the device's fingerprint scanner was faster than Google's Pixel 6 Pro. Google acknowledged the Pixel 6's fingerprint scanner employs complex security algorithms, which may create a delay or need a more direct touch. This was after several reviews said that the sensor appeared slow. Google Launched its Newest Pixel Gadget at the I/O 2022 Earlier this year, at the I/O 2022 keynote, Google unveiled its most recent Pixel gadget, the Pixel 6a. Even though the product hasn't yet hit the market, several leaks have occurred. In a hands-on video from a few weeks back, Malaysian YouTuber Fazli Halim offered us an in-depth look at the most recent cheap Pixel. The device's fingerprint reader is quicker than the one on Google's flagship Pixel 6 Pro, according to a thorough review just published. The Google Pixel 6a, which went on sale on July 28, has seen a significant upgrade from its predecessor. Due to substantial trade-offs on display and primary camera compared to Google's flagships, this new phone will be the less expensive alternative to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro while still having some of the same capabilities. The Pixel 6a will cost $449, the same as the Pixel 5a before it, the firm said at Google I/O 2022. Given that it has similarities to the $599 Pixel 6 in terms of specifications and functionality, the Pixel 6a is probably a great deal at that price. However, Verizon consumers need to fork out $499 to get mmWave. It will replace the Snapdragon 765G and the very uninteresting design of the Pixel 5a by using the same Google Tensor technology and characteristic camera hump. The Pixel 6a will provide features and performance you seldom see on a mid-range handset, despite some significant downgrades compared to the Pixel 6. People shouldn't have that issue with the Pixel 6a's fingerprint sensor. In the video, the phone is displayed next to a Pixel 6 Pro, and the Pixel 6a can be unlocked more quickly and consistently, while the Pixel 6 Pro requires you to press your finger down for a little bit longer. Both smartphones use in-screen fingerprint sensors, so it's conceivable that Google discovered a firmware patch (which would enable a repair for the flagship versions), or, more likely, the company just learned its lesson and switched to a different, more dependable sensor. Read Also: Google Analytics Has Been Banned in Three European Countries - What's the Reason? Some Reviews: Pixel 6 Series In-Display Fingerprint Sensors are Slow For those unaware, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro's fingerprint scanner have been a topic of discussion since they were introduced to consumers last year. The in-display fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro reportedly seemed slow compared to other high-end flagships, according to multiple reviews after the smartphones went on sale. Google has acknowledged the issue and explained why the fingerprint scanners on some of its most recent flagships might sometimes look slow. Despite these claims, Google changed the software for the Pixel 6 series in November 2017 to improve the fingerprint scanner's performance. However, there was a slight improvement after the change. Google acknowledged that the Pixel 6's fingerprint scanner employs complex security algorithms, which can create a delay or need more direct touch with the sensor in response to a tweet from a user who was dissatisfied with how well it worked. When Google debuted the less costly Pixel 6a at I/O this year, many were curious whether it would include a better in-display fingerprint scanner. It does, in fact, YouTuber Fazli Halim compares the fingerprint scanners on the Pixel 6 Pro and the Pixel 6a side by side in his review of the Pixel 6a. Related Article: Google Pixel 6 Finger Print Sensor Not Working: 3 Steps to Troubleshoot Issue A group tracking antisemitism in Germany said it documented more than 2,700 incidents in the country last year, including 63 attacks and six cases of extreme violence. Throughout 2021 there were more than seven per day recorded, with Right-wing extremists being the most common group to commit the offences Anti-Jewish conspiracy narratives arising from the pandemic and the Middle East conflict with antisemitic criticism of Israel were the main drivers of the 2,738 incidents, according to the Department for Research and Information on Anti-Semitism (RIAS). The incidents include both criminal and non-criminal incidents, the group said. New data has shown there were over 2,700 antisemitic incidents recorded in Germany last year, averaging out at more than seven incidents per day (Pictured: A group of people attend a pro Israel demonstration in Germany this month) The German government's antisemitism representative, Felix Klein (pictured in 2018), said the data was frightening The German government's commissioner to combat antisemitism, Felix Klein, called the number of incidents 'frightening', but also said that 'at the same time, each of the reported incidents is also a step toward reducing the dark figures.' Right-wing extremists were responsible for 17 per cent of the incidents, but more than half of all the antisemitic incidents could not be assigned to a specific political view, the report said. Among cases of 'extreme violence,' RIAS included an attack on a Jewish participant in a vigil for Israel in Hamburg and a shooting at a Jewish community centre in Berlin. Altogether, 964 people - both Jews and non-Jews - were directly affected by antisemitic incidents, Benjamin Steinitz, the head of RIAS, told reporters in Berlin. Marina Chernivsky of the Ofek counseling center for victims of antisemitic violence and discrimination called the high number of cases a 'background noise' in the everyday lives of Jews in Germany. A 'depraved' senior Metropolitan Police detective who used hidden spy cameras in phone chargers to secretly film models naked as he pretended to be a glamour photographer has lost an appeal to have his three-year jail term cut. Detective Inspector Neil Corbel, 41, took covert videos of his victims in hotel rooms, flats and Airbnbs across the London, Manchester and Brighton areas between January 2017 and February 2020. He 'used his anti-terror skills' to secretly film the women with spy cameras hidden in tissue boxes, phone charges, glasses and keys after contacting them under the guise of being an airline pilot named Harrison. Police found a total of 51 recordings, of which only 14 were deemed consensual or recorded outside the jurisdiction, while a further six were never traced. Detectives identified 31 of the women and 19 agreed to make statements. Corbel, a married father-of-two who was part of the team involved with the London Bridge terror attack in June 2017, recorded the women using multiple devices on 21 occasions. Sixteen of his victims were models booked for bogus photoshoots, while three were sex workers. They consented to sexual activity, but not to being recorded. He was jailed for three years after admitting 19 counts of voyeurism at Isleworth Crown Court back in January. He challenged his sentence at the Court of Appeal in London at a hearing on Tuesday, with his lawyers arguing it was 'too long' in all the circumstances. Detective Inspector Neil Corbel, 41, (pictured) took covert videos of his victims in hotel rooms, flats and Airbnbs across the London , Manchester and Brighton areas between January 2017 and February 2020 His barrister, Edward Henry QC, argued the Crown Court judge did not take enough account of Corbel's sex addiction or of a medical report which gave details of it. He also argued the judge did not give enough weight to Corbel's lack of previous convictions, his previous good character, his 'extreme vulnerability' in prison as a police officer or the fact he had 'considerably aided' the investigation into his crimes. Mr Henry told the court: 'His remorse was genuine and profound and the mitigation... was very considerable.' But, dismissing his appeal, Mrs Justice Cutts said the judge had not made any error when setting the length of the sentence. Sitting with Lord Justice William Davis and Judge Deborah Taylor, she said: 'We have reflected on the submissions made but we are unable to accept them. Kirsty Lee, 29, from Brighton, posed for a luxury hotel photoshoot in April 2017 with a 'pilot' called 'Harrison' who claimed to have a side-job in photography. Three years later, she received a shock call from the Metropolitan Police, who told her they had found naked videos of her changing in the Westminster hotel bathroom taken that day 'This was a complex case... they were not compulsive acts, the appellant meticulously planned each offence.' She said his crimes caused his victims 'distress, anxiety and a reduction in confidence' and also said the discovery he was a police officer caused an 'additional sense of betrayal for the victims and was likely to have an impact on public confidence in policing'. The court heard the married father-of-two, a former counter-terrorism officer, was caught after a model, who had agreed to pose naked for a photo shoot, became suspicious of a digital clock. An internet search of the brand name revealed the device was a high-end spyware video-recording device which could be controlled from a smartphone. In April 2017, Kirsty (pictured) was invited to an amateur photoshoot in a five-star Westminster hotel by a man called 'Harrison' who had reached out to her private modelling page When he was arrested, Corbel told police he was addicted to pornography. Sentencing him, Judge Martin Edmunds QC said: 'You used a range of deceptions to induce women to take off their clothes in your presence so you could record videos for your sexual gratification. 'You did so using multiple strategically placed covert cameras, sometimes as many as nine.' The judge said the victims 'were entitled to have the personal autonomy' and each had set 'clear boundaries'. 'It is clear that you derived satisfaction from breaching those boundaries by committing these offences rather than seeking out persons who might have offered the opportunity to video them without deception,' he added. Corbel pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in London back in November 2021 'You did not exploit your police role either to locate or intimidate your victims - rather it was something concealed from them. 'Further, the covert recording devices you used appear to have been readily available to purchase on the internet. 'There is no evidence you used police equipment or specialist police knowledge. 'However, it is clear that the revelation to your victims that you were a serving police officer has for many of them seriously undermined their trust in the police, something for those individuals, given their various lines of work, is a particularly serious matter, just as the revelation of your offending must impact on public trust.' Three of Corbel's victims watched on as he was jailed in January, having faced him in court to read their victim impact statements. One model, who agreed to pose for a 'fashion and artistic nude shoot', was visibly angry as she told Corbel his crimes had 'affected every aspect of my life'. 'I have pulled so much of my hair out with stress I have bald spots and have had to turn down work,' she said, showing her scalp to the court. A doctor who ran an unlicensed online clinic for transgender children 'failed' an 11-year-old patient transitioning from male to female by not fully explaining that drugs could cause fertility risks, a medical tribunal found today. Dr Helen Webberley, founder of GenderGP, was accused of failing to provide good clinical care in 2016 to three patients, aged 11, 12 and 17, who were transitioning from female to male. She failed 11-year-old Patient C by not discussing risks to fertility at a consultation before prescribing puberty blockers (GnHRa), a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel said today, June 28. Her husband Dr Michael Webberley , who spent 34 years working for the NHS, was struck off in May this year for wrongly prescribing sex-change treatments to seven transgender patients. His patients included one who was aged just nine and another a teenager who took their own life few months later. Dr Helen Webberley (pictured), founder of GenderGP, was accused of failing to provide good clinical care in 2016 to three patients, aged 11, 12 and 17, who were transitioning from female to male The tribunal said: 'The tribunal did not consider that Dr Webberley has developed sufficient understanding as to the significance of how she failed Patient C in regard to discussing fertility, and as to how she can be sure that this will not be repeated.' She put her patients at 'unwarranted risk of harm' by failing to provide follow-up care, the panel said. They found her fitness to practise was impaired by reason of her misconduct, which included failing to discuss risks to fertility with a patient, and on wider public interest grounds. The tribunal, chaired by Angus Macpherson, found Dr Webberley's actions amounted to serious misconduct in failing to provide adequate follow-up care to two patients, aged 12 and 17, who were prescribed testosterone. In its findings, the panel said it was satisfied Dr Webberley had since 'obtained insight' and would implement changes if she returned to practise. But it said: 'The tribunal has found that Dr Webberley's misconduct in this regard did put Patients A and B at unwarranted risk of harm. 'In the tribunal's view an informed member of the public would be surprised if a finding of impairment on public interest grounds were not made in those circumstances. 'It therefore finds that Dr Webberley's fitness to practise is impaired on wider public interest grounds.' Dr Webberley (left) put her patients at 'unwarranted risk of harm' by failing to provide follow-up care, the panel said Dr Michael Webberley, who spent 34 years working for the NHS, provided puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones via GenderGP, an online gender clinic which he ran with his GP wife Dr Helen Webberley (couple pictured together) Dr Webberley defended herself Twitter this afternoon, saying that she missed messages in August 2016 from Patient A's mother because 'they were going through to the wrong email address'. She said that she did was not able to provide comprehensive follow-up care or Patient B as she was stopped from working by the General Medical Council in May 2017. Regarding 11-year-old Patient C, she said: 'In February 2017 when reviewing the case I realised that although we had touched on the subject of fertility, we hadn't discussed it fully enough. 'Patient C's Mum and I then went onto have multiple questions and answers by email until she was happy that she had enough information on egg storage should it ever be needed in the future. Patient C then started on blockers in April 2017.' Dr Webberley defended herself Twitter this afternoon, saying that she missed messages in August 2016 from Patient A's mother because 'they were going through to the wrong email address' Dr Webberley, from Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales, was convicted in 2018 of running an independent medical agency without being registered. She was later fined 12,000. The tribunal found her fitness to practise was also impaired by reason of her conviction. In evidence to the tribunal, Dr Webberley said: 'The impact of having the conviction on myself was huge, it affected many things in my life, from my mortgage to my car insurance. 'I also know that the public were concerned about it because it was heavily reported in the press, but I hope that I have been able to show that at all times I acted with the best interests of my patients at the forefront of my actions.' Earlier, this year, the panel found more than 30 allegations brought by the General Medical Council (GMC) against the doctor were proved. However, the panel said the doctor was competent to provide treatment to transgender people and found 83 allegations not proved. The tribunal is still to decide whether to impose a sanction on Dr Webberley. A 79-year-old pensioner has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with murdering a prostitute, who was beaten and strangled to death nearly 50 years ago. The court was told that John Apelgren, 79, is a one in a billion DNA match to evidence found on the body of sex worker Eileen Cotter. The 22-year-old was discovered in front of a block of garages behind Hamilton Park, Highbury, north London, on June 1, 1974. Apelgren, 79, a dual UK and South African national, was arrested on 22 June on suspicion of murder. He is also charged with indecently assaulting an 18 year-old female guest at his wedding to ex-wife Ann Smythe in 1972 and has since re-married and has at least one son The court was told that John Apelgren, 79, is a one in a billion DNA match to evidence found on the body of sex worker Eileen Cotter (pictured) The dual UK and South African national appeared in court via videolink from HMP Thameside. Bespectacled Apelgren, of Bryden Close, Sydenham, southeast London, spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. He was remanded in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on September 12. He was allegedly matched to Eileen's DNA after submitting to a test on an unrelated matter in 2019. The 22-year-old was discovered in front of a block of garages behind Hamilton Park (pictured), Highbury, north London, on June 1, 1974 The sex worker was discovered face-down with her buttocks exposed in an area frequented by prostitutes and their clients, accessible via a single track. A post mortem confirmed the cause of death as manual strangulation, and there was evidence she received a black eye and bruising to her face and neck. A murder investigation was launched at the time, but nobody was ever charged. Apelgren is also accused of pressing his penis into the hand of the complainant on his wedding day when she left the ladies toilet. Advertisement Work has begun to remove a sunken 6million superyacht destroyed in a fire while moored at a harbour in the seaside town in Devon. The 85ft yacht Rendezvous was carrying 8000 litres of fuel when it caught fire and ended up submerged at the bottom of Torquay Harbour. The massive blaze broke out on 28 May with smoke seen billowing across the blue skies above the heads of bemused sunbathers. The 85ft superyacht, called the Rendezvous, set ablaze at 11.57am in the Devonshire marina was completely engulfed in flames within minutes and sunk three hours afterwards. The owner of the Rendezvous is understood to be a local businessman who is currently abroad on holiday. It is not known if he has since returned following the blaze. Since the incident, the Torbay Harbour Authority has been working with a specialist wreck removal company. Divers were in the water on Monday to make the final preparations for the salvage operation. The removal of the remaining fuel and the lifting of the vessel should be completed over the next two days, authorities said. Rendezvous, an 85ft superyacht worth 6million which was carrying 2,000 gallons of fuel has sunk after it went up in flames at Torquay harbourside in Devon A witness described hearing explosions from the boat shortly after it caught fire, adding that it had drifted from its mooring According to a spokesperson from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, five fire engines are on the scene after the motorboat caught fire Firefighters desperately tried to extinguish the blaze as they watched the vessel slowly sink into the water The yacht owner's 'flashing back-lit electric nameplate' could have been the cause behind the huge inferno of a 6million luxurious vessel at Torquay Marina, sources said in May. The plumes of black smoke which could be seen across Devon caused the local council to evacuate nearby beaches as well as ask residents to stay home. The South West Environment Agency set its focus on a pollution response with fears of an oil slick after approximately nine tonnes of diesel poured into the Atlantic Ocean. The boat was a luxury ship that could house eight passengers and had an al-fresco dining room, bar, sunpad, and a 55-inch TV. The luxury superyacht is one of just 31 such models in the world and is in the top 10 per cent of fastest boats with a top speed of 33 knots. It has four guest bedrooms that can house eight passengers and two staff rooms with space for three crew members - though no one was on board at the time of the incident. The sleek ship has a fibreglass hull and was designed by Pininfarina, the same company that designed almost every Ferrari car for 66 years between 1951 and 2017. Crowds gather at Torquay Harbour to see fire crews trying to put out the raging inferno. Police have since closed the harbourfront and nearby beach One witness described the blaze 'like a fire ball'. Police say no one is thought to have been injured in the fire, but crews continue to battle the flames Smoke has been seen all across South Devon and as far as Newton Abbot and Shaldon. Residents are being warned to keep their windows and doors closed The boat was engulfed in flames and drifted off its mooring, with one witness saying they heard explosions The plume of smoke from the fire could be seen rising high into the air above the picturesque harbour in Torquay in Devon The superyacht was completely sunk by the inferno, leaving charred debris floating on the water of Devon harbour Firefighters could be seen using their water hoses to dowse the smoking carcass of the boat, while grey smoke rose to the sky Its twin fuel tanks made from NS8 marine grade alloy allowed the ship to carry 11,000 litres of fuel for the two MAN V12 engines. Overall the ship is 85ft 11, with a beam of 20ft 8 inches and a gross tonnage of 110 tons. It also had automatic and manual override fire extinguishers in the engine room as well as hand-operated fire extinguishers in every cabin, the galley, crew and lower helm. Marina staff told MailOnline they were in contact with the Rendezvous' owners and said they were likely going through a very distressing time. Their lavish 6million superyacht was on fire for around five hours before it sank. The flames and smoke left some people trapped at the far end of the pier, according to one witness, after the boat drifted from its mooring. Witnesses described seeing the flames burn through the rope mooring the boat, cutting it adrift so it floated along the marina before hitting a bridge, which acted as a barricade. The Rendezvous, pictured here at Torquay Harbour on April 12, is a luxury pleasure craft built by UK boat maker Princess Yachts in 2010 It has a bar and sunpad as well as ample space to lounge on the 6million superyacht. The Rendezvous was built in 2010 and is one of just 31 in the world The bathroom has wood panelling and white marbled granite, adding a touch of class to the superyacht Two single beds in the starboard guest cabin make the ship perfect for a family holiday with the kids Torquay Marina has space for almost 1,000 yachts and is one of the best-equipped harbours in the southwest of the UK (File image) Dramatic footage on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing across the harbour and flames enveloping the boat. No injuries were reported but the harbour was temporarily brought to a standstill as authorities feared a large amount of diesel remained on the yacht. A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) spokesperson said the yacht contained 'approximately 8,000 litres of diesel fuel'. People living nearby were warned to keep their doors and windows closed to protect themselves from the hazardous fumes. It later sank and by 6pm firefighters were damping down the pier, DSFRS said. Environmental responders carry oil selective sorbents near the scene where a yacht caught fire in Torquay Marina in Torquay People contain an oil spillage at the scene where a yacht caught fire in Torquay Marina in Torquay, Britain, on May 29 The raging inferno left the harbour wall at Torquay Marina in a state of great damage as Environment Agency workers rushed to stop an oil spill Police closed a number of roads in the area while fire crews dealing with the raging inferno, including the promenade and waterfront areas. The yacht has been in the harbour for at least a month, with photos taken in April showing it dwarfing other boats in the marina. Torquay Marina said in a statement that the area had been saved from a 'major catastrophe' by authorities and emergency services at the scene. Princess Pier remains closed and only essential personnel will be granted access. Once the salvage operation has been safely completed, repairs to Princess Pier will begin and will reopen to the public once it is made safe. Advertisement Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle on January 6 and lunged at a Secret Service agent when he was 'furious' they would not take him to the US Capitol, said Cassidy Hutchinson, the former assistant to Mark Meadows. The White House chief of staff's former top aide, just 25 years old, testified on Tuesday that Donald Trump's White House chief of staff told her that 'things could get real, real bad on January 6' just four days before the Capitol riot. She also claimed her former boss, along with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, sought pardons from the former president linked to their efforts on January 6. Among the more explosive points of the former staffer's testimony include Trump's alleged insistence on joining his supporters at the Capitol - who he was told in advance were armed. 'I'm the effing president, take me to the Capitol now,' she said he ordered. When Secret Service refused, Hutchinson said agents told her that he lunged at the steering wheel of his car - known as The Beast. 'Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing, we're not going to the Capitol,' Hutchinson was told Secret Service agent Robert Engel said. 'Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel,' Hutchinson recalled. Former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato 'motioned toward his clavicle,' she added, as a sign the president went for his security detail's throat. Other evidence of Trump's explosive temper came when Hutchinson testified that the former president was so angry that his then-Attorney General Bill Barr told the Associated Press that there was no widespread election fraud that he threw food at the wall. Hutchinson said she 'first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall, and there was a shattered porcelain plate.' 'The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney generals AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall, which was causing them to have to clean up, so I grabbed a towel and started wiping the ketchup off the wall to help the valet out,' she said. Her testimony - and the hearing as a whole - also paints a picture of Trump having to be dissuaded from marching to the Capitol with his supporters that day - despite Meadows claiming in his book that the former president was not serious when he told his supporters he'd do so. Other damning allegations from Hutchinson during her appearance in front of the January 6 committee on Tuesday included: Hutchinson testified that former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told her 'things could get real, real bad on January 6' Four days before the Capitol riot, the ex-White House staffer said Rudy Giuliani told her January 6 would be a 'great day' Both Giuliani and Meadows sought pardons from Trump over January 6, Hutchinson told lawmakers Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney played a video of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn pleading the Fifth Amendment when asked if he supports the peaceful transfer of power Cheney also implied that the committee has evidence of Trump and his allies' witness tampering in the House's investigation Trump reportedly knew people with weapons tried to get into his Stop The Steal rally before the riot He was 'furious' that his armed supporters were being kept away because it made his crowd look smaller The former president lashed out against 'phony' Hutchinson on his Truth Social app during the hearing Former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson was revealed to be the January 6 committee's surprise Tuesday witness The 25-year-old has firsthand information about the former president and his top aides' movements on the day of and leading up to the Capitol riot 'I was aware of a desire of the president to potentially march to the or accompany rally attendees to the Capitol, former Trump aide Nick Luna testified in a videotaped deposition shown on Tuesday. A National Security Council chat log shown by the committee suggests he was hell-bent on going with supporters and staffers were 'begging him to reconsider.' During her live testimony, Hutchinson recalled a conversation with House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy during which he allegedly begged her to dissuade Trump from going to the Capitol. She said McCarthy was 'frustrated and angry.' Hutchinson told him she was not aware of Trump's plan to go to the Capitol at the time. Who is Cassidy Hutchinson, the 25-year-old aide with the most damning allegations against Trump on January 6? At just 25 years old, Cassidy Hutchinson has a resume under her belt that even seasoned political operatives have taken decades to put together. Hutchinson was an executive assistant to Donald Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks leading up to and after the January 6 insurrection. Her live Tuesday testimony before the Capitol riot committee is the most damning yet in the fact that she was in the room for some of the most private -and intense - conversations had by the former president and his allies as they laid out a strategy to steal the 2020 election. As committee Chairman Bennie Thompson pointed out, Hutchinson's work in Washington began with internships in the office of House GOP Whip Steve Scalise and Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz. 'Then, in 2019, you moved to the White House and served there until the end of the Trump administration,' Thompson said during the hearing. She began with a role in the Office of Legislative Affairs in March 2019 - just before graduating - before being elevated to executive assistant for Meadows in March 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also interned for Trump's White House as a student at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. There, Hutchinson majored in political science and American studies. She told her student newspaper during her senior year in 2018 that getting the coveted internship brought her to 'tears' and her goal was to 'pursue a path of civic significance.' 'As a first-generation college student, being selected to serve as an intern alongside some of the most intelligent and driven students from across the nation many of whom attend top universities was an honor and a tremendous growing experience,' Hutchinson said at the time. Advertisement 'He just said it on stage, Cassidy, figure it out, McCarthy apparently told her. Trump 'didn't care' the rioters were 'armed' and his White House counsel feared staff would be charged if supporters reached the Capitol Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told her 'were going to get charged with every crime imaginable' if Trump is allowed to march to the Capitol. Hutchinson also told the January 6 committee that Trump was 'furious' that some of his supporters, who were armed, could not get into the official grounds of his Stop the Steal rally near the White House that directly preceded the riot. He was apparently angry that the size of the crowd coming to hear him speak did not appear as big as he wanted it to - due to his armed supporters not getting past the security magnetometers. 'Take the effing mags away,' she said Trump ordered, referring to the metal detectors attendees had to go through. 'Who cares if they have weapons, theyre not here to hurt me.' The committee then played a clip of Trump's comments at the rally urging his supporters to march to the Capitol - words that appeared stark in the context of testimony claiming he knew they presented a security risk. Hutchinson admitted to being the White House staffer behind a note written on executive office stationary on January 6 that stated: 'Anyone who entered the Capitol illegally without proper authority should leave immediately.' 'Illegally' had been scribbled out.' The note, she said, was a draft statement dictated by Meadows and former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann. Hutchinson said the statement was never issued. Trump takes to Truth Social and claims he 'hardly knew' Cassidy Hutchinson and rejected her request to come to Mar-a-Lago after he left office Toward the end of the first half of the hearing, Trump took to his app Truth Social to say he 'hardly knows' Hutchinson. 'I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and a "leaker"), and when she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request now,' he said. Hutchinson's exit before a 10-minute recess was met with applause by progressive Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, who attended the hearing as a viewer. The second half began with a short clip of the committee's interview with disgraced former general and Trump adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn pleaded the Fifth Amendment when Cheney asked him whether he believed in a peaceful transfer of power. Trump's Cabinet discussed invoking the 25th Amendment as the riot unfolded, Hutchinson tells committee Hutchinson also confirmed reports from the time of the riot that Trump's Cabinet was considering invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the then-president from office - and that it was former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who brought it to her boss's attention. 'Mr. Pompeo reached out to have the conversation with Mr. Meadows in case he hadn't heard the discussions amongst the Cabinet secretaries. And from what I understand, it was more of this is what I'm hearing, I want you to be aware of it,' she testified. Pompeo is widely seen as a potential contender for the White House himself in 2024. Hutchinson testified that Trump was so angry that his Secret Service agents refused to take him to the Capitol on January 6 that he lunged for one of their throats The president's vehicle is a heavily-armored car known as 'The Beast,' driven by Secret Service agents. This graphic shows another similar model of The Beast to the SUV version Trump was in on January 6 The former senior White House aide testified that Trump was aware that some of his supporters could not get into his Stop the Steal rally because they were armed - and that he was reportedly 'furious' about it. The ex-White House staffer was revealed to be the January 6 committee's surprise witness late on Monday night for the hastily-announced hearing. She told lawmakers in her first public testimony of the investigation that Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani told her January 6 would be a 'great day' as she escorted him out of a White House meeting earlier that month. 'He looked at me and said something to the effect of, "Cass are you excited? The 6th is going to be a great day",' Hutchinson recalled. When she asked Giuliani what he meant, Hutchinson said he replied: 'Were going to the Capitol. Its going to be great. The presidents going to be there, hes going to look powerful.' Referring to her boss, he encouraged her to 'talk to the chief about it' because 'he knows about it.' Hutchinson testified that she went straight to Meadows and told him about her 'interesting' conversation with the disbarred attorney. 'Theres a lot going on, Cass. I don't know, things could get real, real bad on January 6th,' she recalled Meadows saying. She shared her own perspective, adding: 'That evening was the first moment I remembered feeling scared and wondering what could happen on January 6. The 25-year-old has firsthand knowledge of conversations between Trump and his allies in the lead-up to the 2020 election and after it. At the outset of the hearing, Vice Chair Liz Cheney said the panel would be 'departing' from its normal format to accommodate the 'important and cross-cutting topics in Hutchinson's wide-ranging testimony. Chairman Bennie Thompson opened the hearing showing how close Hutchinson's office was to Trump The panel also played clips from some of the 20 hours that Hutchinson spent testifying behind closed doors Photos like this one of Hutchinson with Trump's press secretary Kayleigh McEnany demonstrate how deeply the 25-year-old was embedded in Trump's orbit Thompson opened his line of questioning asking Hutchinson about her relatively short resume compared to other senior White House staffers, before displaying diagrams reflecting the physical proximity her office had to Trump in the Oval Office. Tuesdays hearing was revealed in an announcement roughly 24 hours before it was set to occur. The surprise event came after Thompson told reporters last week that his committees final two presentations would be delayed until July. In an unusual move, the panel gave no additional details in its announcement but said it would 'present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony.' Hutchinson has been deposed by the committee at least three times behind closed doors for a combined nearly 20 hours. She's previously told lawmakers that Trump showed support for rioters in the US Capitol who were chanting 'Hang Mike Pence' and that she saw the president's former chief of staff burn pages in his office after a meeting with GOP Rep. Scott Perry. Hutchinson told lawmakers on Tuesday that she was 'disgusted' by Trump tweeting that Pence 'lacked courage' after the former vice president rejected his boss's plot to overturn President Joe Biden's electoral victory. 'It was unpatriotic, un-American, and we were watching the Capitol being defaced because of a lie, Hutchinson testified. Her boss, however, suggested Trump said he 'deserves' it, according to the aide's testimony. Hutchinson recalled a conversation between Cipollone and Meadows that day as rioters chanted for Pence to be hanged. 'Mark we need to do something more. They're literally calling for the VP to be f***ing hung,' Cipollone said according to Hutchinson. 'Mark had responded something to the effect of, "You heard him, Pat, he thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong".' The January 6 committee is also looking into phone calls reportedly made among Trumps adult children and his top aides discussing election strategy in September 2020, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. The calls were made at a private event and were captured on video by British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder. Holders first-hand footage and interviews of Trump, his family and Vice President Mike Pence in the weeks leading up to the November presidential race have become a focal point for the committee as it hones in on Trumps plan to undermine American democracy. Lawmakers are focused on whether the former president and his children were involved in a plot to send in fake electors to upend Joe Bidens Electoral College victory. The Justice Department has separately subpoenaed at least nine people linked to the scheme. President Joe Biden thanked Spanish King Felipe VI on Tuesday for taking in migrants from the U.S. southern border as he met with the royal before a lavish dinner to kick off this week's NATO summit. He and Biden met at the Royal Palace after the president arrived in the Madrid for the NATO summit. Biden noted many children in the United States these days are native Spanish speakers and that the future of America 'depends considerably' on the assimilation of that population. 'You know, I tell people that the idea we've always had great migration flows into the United States over the years - we're a nation of immigrants. But this is a statistic that - I think it's 24 out of every 100 students in grades one through 12 in America speaks Spanish, speak Spanish as an original language,' Biden said during a meeting with the king at the Royal Palace in Madrid. 'So the future of my country depends considerably, an assimilation of a population that has grown to have the same values that you possess,' he said. The Hispanic population in the United States is the largest growing population. It reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade that outpaced the nations 7% overall population growth, Pew Research Center found. Biden also thanked the King for his help with migrants crossing the United States' southern border. 'Your help in Latin America is also extremely important,' he said. 'The help and support and the input has been extremely valuable,' he noted. Spain has committed to taking a significant number of Central American refugees coming illegally into the U.S. The largest group of migrants coming over the southern border are from centeral American countries, which are Spanish speaking. President Joe Biden thanked Spanish King Felipe VI for taking in migrants from the U.S. southern border President Biden and King Felipe VI met at the Palacio Real in Madrid after Biden arrived for the NATO summit President Biden and King Felipe praised the friendship between the U.S. and Spain Spain has agreed to take some migrants that have crossed U.S. border President Joe Biden walks with Spain's King Felipe VI as they meet at the Royal Palace ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid Felipe praised the friendship between the United States and Spain. 'We share common values and principles that are today the foundation of a rich relationship and a sincere friendship,' he said. Biden received a royal welcome at the palace. The king greeted him upon his arrival. A military band played and soldiers in blue and white uniforms saluted. The two men walked a long, winding marble staircase to an ornate granite room, where they formally met each other's delegations. Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be back at the palace later Tuesday night to attend a formal dinner King Felipe and Queen Letizia are hosting to kick off the NATO summit. Earlier in the day, King Felipe greeted Biden at the airport when he arrived in Madrid after attending the G7 in Germany. The two men chatted for several minutes with Biden reaching out several times to pat the king on the shoulder. Additionally, President Biden and the Spanish goverment announced a new deal on Tuesday that will see the United States increase the number of destroyers it has based in Spain. Biden announced he is ramping up the U.S. military presence on the eastern flank, a move he promised to make in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion on Ukraine. The U.S. will send two more destroyers to Rota, Spain, on the Spanish coast. 'We're going to work on an agreement to increase the number of US Naval destroyer stationed in Spain's Rota naval base, which will also enhance the bilateral defense relationship between Spain and the United States,' Biden said after a meeting with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. President Joe Biden landed in Madrid on Tuesday for a NATO summit President Joe Biden is welcomed by King Felipe VI of Spain as he arrives at NATO meeting President Biden embraces King Felipe VI Air Force One lands at the airbase of Torrejon de Ardoz in Madrid Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (right) and President Joe Biden (left) make a joint statement in Madrid after their meeting And National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said there could be more to come. 'We think by the end of the summit, what you will see is a more robust, more effective, more combat credible, more capable, and more determined force posture to take account of a more acute and aggravated Russian threat, not just because of what they've done in Ukraine, but also because of the way in which they have changed their posture,' he told reporters on Air Force One in route to Spain. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine will be a main topic of conversation at the three-day summit, which formally kicks off on Tuesday night with a black-tie dinner. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the NATO leaders virtually on Wednesday. He also addressed G7 leaders earlier this week where he asked for more defensive capabilities and said he wants to see the war finish by year's end. The invasion has changed NATO's approach to defense, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, and a number of states in the alliance. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a 'fundamental shift' in NATO's approach to defense, and member states will have to boost their military spending in an increasingly unstable world, the leader of the alliance said Tuesday. Stoltenberg said the meeeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance 'in a more dangerous and unpredictable world.' 'To be able to defend in a more dangerous world we have to invest more in our defense,' Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATO's 30 members meet the organization's target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine also prompted Sweden and Finland to apply to join. President Joe Biden met with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at La Moncloa Palace after his arrival in Spain Security stands guard as they wait for President Joe Biden to deplane from Air Force One at Madrid's Torrejon Airport President Joe Biden will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to push for Finland and Sweden's ability to join alliance The U.S. is increasing its number of destroyers in Rota, Spain, from four to six But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is blocking their application to join because he wants them to change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Biden spoke with Erdogan on Tuesday morning and will sit down with him on Wednesday while they are both in Madrid. Sullivan said the U.S. believes Finland and Sweden have taken significant steps forward in terms of addressing Turkey's concerns. We also believe and are confident that ultimately they will become members of the alliance and that Turkey's concerns will be fully addressed in terms of a bilateral meeting.' Additionally, for the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the NATO summit as guests. President Biden will host a trilateral meeting with the president of Korea and the Prime Minister of Japan to discuss threats from North Korea to the region on Wednesday. A 32-year-old non-profit founder was found fatally shot in his Fairfax, Virginia home that he shared with his wife and two young children on Friday. His wife has claimed an intruder shot him. Gret Glyer, founder of fundraising non-profit DonorSee, was found dead inside his Bolton Village Court home around 3am on Friday with mysterious gunshot wounds. Police were not able to confirm where he was shot, but told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that a Saturday autopsy ruled his death a homicide. It is the first homicide in Fairfax in 14 years, police said. The couple had moved to the neighborhood in the last six months. DonorSee founder Gret Glyer, 32, of Fairfax, Virginia, was found dead inside his Bolton Village Court home around 3am on Friday with mysterious gunshot wounds His wife Heather and their two small children Gryphon and Gailiee, 6 and 22 months, were at home at the time of the shooting, but were unharmed. Heather reportedly called 911, and, according to police and radio dispatch recordings, told officers that she heard a loud noise and believed an intruder had fatally injured her husband. 'She heard a loud noise and believes her husband has been shot. She believes someone came into the house,' a dispatcher said, according to Fox 5 DC. Fairfax Police could not confirm to DailyMail.com whether or not Heather is a suspect in the case at this time, as the investigation is 'very active.' Heather could not be reached for comment. His wife Heather reportedly called 911 and told dispatchers she thought there was an intruder in their home who had shot her husband. The couple's two children Gryphon and Gailiee, 6 and 22 months, were also home at the time, but were unharmed The family's next-door neighbor heard three gunshots, according to Fox News. Gerald Searles, 54, who lives next door, said he and others are on edge after the shooting, despite Fairfax police saying there is no further 'threat to the community.' 'We definitely are just being a little bit more vigilant about just keeping our eyes and ears open,' he told Fox 5 DC. 'I dont think many people saw or heard anything at that time in the morning, but we definitely are just taking precautions and doing whats necessary to feel more comfortable.' Fairfax police also told Fox 5 DC that the home's backdoor was open, but did not disclose if the department saw any signs of forced entry. The DonorSee founder established the company in 2016 after 'moving to Malawi in 2013 and living with the world's poorest,' according to the non-profit's website Police were unable to confirm to DailyMail.com if Heather is currently a suspect in the case The couple's neighbor reported hearing three gunshots and the police said the backdoor was open. However, police did not say whether it looked like there was forced entry It is unclear if any weapons were recovered from the scene and police have not announced any suspects. A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral expenses, as well as to help 'provide for his wife and children.' The page quickly surpassed it's original $50,000 goal and is well on it's way to meeting it's new $150,000 goal. As for Tuesday afternoon, it has raised $115,000. A fundraiser was also set up on Glyer's own website DonorSee for $75,000, and has reached $48,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. 'Everyone at DonorSee has heavy hearts today and we grieve the loss of our inspirational Founder Gret,' the website read. 'As many of you will know, Gret lived his life in the pursuit of helping others. He has left a legacy that will live on through DonorSee of changing the world for the better and helping those who need it most. He is a shining light that inspired those he met, and many more he did not meet.' A GoFundMe and DonorSee fundraiser has been set up in Glyer's honor, raising a combined total of more than $163,000 for his widow and two children Glyer set up DonorSee in 2016 - three years after he had moved to Malawi, Africa, and his life was 'transformed,' according the company's website. 'After filming a number of small projects and asking for fundraising support online, Gret saw the power in facilitating that connection and people's desire to help,' it read. The company reached $1million in donations in 2019 and launched globally in 2020. DonorSee is now partnered with more than 100 nonprofits in 38 countries and has surpassed $3million in donations. The family's dog then comes to the window and seizes the chipmunk with its mouth The chipmunk crawls down the window and into the home, causing Caron to panic 'Please don't bite me, don't do anything crazy, don't give me any diseases or my family,' Caron says before slightly opening the upper window At the start, she tells her kids to leave the room so she can handle the chipmunk on her own Ashley Caron posted the video of her attempt on TikTok, where she goes under the handle @getburly A terrified woman in Massachusetts hilariously attempted to remove a chipmunk stuck in the window of her home. Ashley Caron, whose Tiktok is @getburly, posted the footage of her attempt on the video-based social media platform along with the sarcastic caption: 'This went well #traumatized.' At the start of the video, Caron tells her kids to get out of the room with the chipmunk on the window, expresses how scared she is and pleads to the chipmunk: 'Listen lets make a deal, baby. I'm going to safely get you out.' She then blabbers for a bit, before adding: 'I just need to get with it. I'm going to open this and you just skirt out there and back to your happy, whimsical life.' 'Please don't bite me, don't do anything crazy, don't give me any diseases or my family,' Caron says before slightly opening the window, prompting the chipmunk to move and her to panic. Ashley Caron, whose Tiktok is @getburly, shared a video on TikTok of her being terrified at the attempt of removing a chipmunk from her home She then calls for her children and tells them that if they hear her scream then 'everything is fine.' Her kids react by erupting in laughter. The mother, whose Instagram profile mentions that she has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), slides the upper window further down and observes the chipmunk crawling down, too. She freaks out and backs away from the window after realizing the chipmunk crawled inside the window and into the home instead of the other way. 'Nope, you were right the first time,' Caron says while pointing upward. 'That way! Nope, no!!!' WRONG WAY: The chipmunk made its way down the window and into the home after Caron tried to guide it through the upper window The family's dog, which seems to be a Shiba Inu, snatches the chipmunk as soon as it tries to enter the home Ashley Caron (pictured) is the mother featured in the video, which received more than 2.5 million likes The family's dog then comes to the window and snatches the chipmunk with its mouth right as it jumps into the home from the window. Caron, however, can still be heard yelling 'no!' in the background. The video, which was shared on TikTok about a week ago, has more than 2.5 million likes and 26,000 comments. '[I don't know] what I was expecting but it was NOT the dog,' the most liked comment under Caron's video reads. 'That dog said you taking too damn long!!,' a TikTok user shared. ' "If I scream everything is fine" everything proceeds to not be fine,' another TikTok user posted. ' Tributes have poured in for Dame Deborah James after her family confirmed she has died aged 40 following a long battle with bowel cancer. Messages commended the mother-of-two for her inspiring fundraising, her 'tireless' campaigning and her incredible legacy. The podcaster and campaigner revealed in early May that she had stopped active treatment and was receiving end-of-life care at her parents' home in Woking, with her husband Sebastien and their two children on hand. In her final weeks, the presenter of the BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C raised millions of pounds for research and was made a dame for her 'tireless' work improving awareness of the disease. Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the thousands of tributes paid to the dedicated campaigner, hailing her as an 'inspiration' and said that because of her campaigning work 'many, many lives will be saved'. He wrote on Twitter: 'I'm terribly saddened to hear that Dame Deborah James has died. What an inspiration she was to so many. BBC podcast host Deborah James has passed away following her five-year battle with bowel cancer, her family has announced in an Instagram post, which included this above photo The death of podcast host Dame Deborah James at the age of 40 was announced by her family 'The awareness she brought to bowel cancer and the research her campaigning has funded will be her enduring legacy. 'Because of her, many many lives will be saved.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said news of her death was 'deeply sad'. He added: 'Dame Deborah James' charity work was truly inspirational - even in the most challenging moments, she continued to raise awareness about bowel cancer and impacted so many people's lives. 'Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.' Her mother Heather said her heart is 'broken' following the death of her daughter aged 40 from bowel cancer. Heather James, whose handle on the social media site is Bowelgran, shared a series of photos of Dame Deborah and wrote: 'My heart is broken. Love you forever.' In her final weeks, Dame Deborah raised more than 6.7 million for research through her BowelBabe fund and was made a dame for her 'tireless' work improving awareness Dame Deborah shared this image after an operation when she revealed cancer had returned Fans, politicians and celebrities also rushed to pay their respects to the inspirational campaigner. Minister of State Michelle Donelan tweeted: 'RIP Deborah James - a selfless inspiration. Thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.' First Dates personality Fred Sirieix tweeted: 'Deborah James passed away. Poor thing. RIP' Meanwhile, Piers Morgan tweeted: 'RIP Dame Deborah James, aka Bowel Babe. A truly remarkable and inspiring woman. Such sad news.' Good Morning Britain host Charlotte Hawkins described Dame Deborah James as an 'inspiration.' She tweeted: 'Oh no...heartbreaking news that @bowelbabe has left us. What an inspiration, a truly special person who saved lives & did so much to help others. BBC podcast host Deborah James has passed away following her five-year battle with cancer In recent weeks, she was made a dame by the Duke of Cambridge at her family home, with William praising her for 'going above and beyond to make a very special memory' 'Who showed that even a terminal diagnosis wasn't going to stop her living life to the full. So much love to her family & friends.' Carol Vorderman also paid tribute to Dame Deborah James, tweeting: 'Rest in peace @Bowelbabe. Your incredible spirit will live on.' BBC radio presenter Chris Stark tweeted that Dame Deborah had been an inspiration for many. 'Dame Deborah James,' he tweeted. 'You inspired so many and did everything to the fullest. No one can do more than that. I hope we can have a gin wherever this all leads. 'Thinking of your family and friends and everyone that is going through similar. Rest in Peace Debs x' Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner described Dame Deborah as an 'extraordinary campaigner'. She tweeted: 'Rest in peace Deborah James. What an incredible, fierce, bright and brilliant woman. 'An absolutely extraordinary campaigner. Thank you for your rebellious hope and the millions you have inspired @bowelbabe. 'Thinking of your many loved ones'. TV presenter Julia Bradbury said Dame Deborah was 'the most incredible ambassador of life'. She tweeted: 'Heartbroken that Dame Deborah James has died. 'She has been the most incredible ambassador of life & cancer campaigner. 'My thoughts are with her family & children. Such a huge loss. Your bright light will shine on Deborah.' TV presenter Gaby Roslin tweeted: 'Bye bye my beautiful friend Deborah. 'You will forever shine so brightly. Thank you for all you did. For the laughter, the dancing and most importantly for all you did in your short lifetime for others. 'My love to all of the family. Just so heartbreaking'. Tributes also came from the bowel cancer charities that benefited from her work. A tweet from Macmillan Cancer Support said: 'We are so sad to hear that Deborah James has died, and our thoughts are with her family and many friends. 'Deb has been an inspiration to us all. We're so grateful for all of her generous support over the years, and her dedication to stand together with people with cancer.' Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, where Dame Deborah was a patron, said: 'We're deeply saddened that our patron Dame Deborah James has died, and our hearts go out to her family and everyone who knew and loved her. Deborah's star shone bright; she was a true inspiration. 'She turned her bowel cancer diagnosis into an incredible force for good and through her tireless campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, will have saved countless lives. 'Deborah brought warmth, energy, and honesty to everything she did. Even during her most difficult times living with bowel cancer, she never stopped helping others. Deborah (pictured with her children), parent to Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, was constantly labelled 'inspirational' by fans after candidly sharing her struggles 'We are truly grateful to have known Deborah and to call her our friend. She was a powerful patron for Bowel Cancer UK, and leaves a stunning legacy through her BowelBabe Fund, a testament to the love and admiration so many had for her.' NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said in a statement: 'On behalf of the whole NHS I would like to offer my condolences to the family and many friends of Deborah James. 'Deborah's amazing attitude was humbling and a lesson to us all. 'Not only will her fundraising have helped countless other cancer patients but her determination to raise awareness will undoubtedly have saved many lives.' Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner tweeted: 'Rest in peace Deborah James. What an incredible, fierce, bright and brilliant woman. 'An absolutely extraordinary campaigner. Thank you for your rebellious hope and the millions you have inspired @bowelbabe. Thinking of your many loved ones.' Comedian Mark Watson said Dame Deborah was 'a person of unbelievable tenacity who turned the worst possible situation into an opportunity to inspire and educate'. In her final weeks, Dame Deborah raised more than 6.7 million for research through her BowelBabe fund and was made a dame for her 'tireless' work improving awareness of the disease. For her efforts, she was made a dame, and later said she felt 'honoured and shocked' to even be considered for the honour. In another surprise, her damehood was conferred by the the Duke of Cambridge, who joined her family for afternoon tea and champagne at home. Damehoods are usually handed out by members of the royal family, including William, at investiture ceremonies which take place at royal palaces including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. She also revealed that she had completed her second book, titled How To Live When You Could Be Dead, due to be published on August 18. Her first book, F*** You Cancer: How To Face The Big C, Live Your Life And Still Be Yourself, was published in 2018. Tesla Megapacks are on the way to Hawaii to replace the last coal-fired power plant and finish KES by September. KES collects solar energy during the day and discharges it at night to maintain grid frequency, and Tesla's batteries can achieve this. Hawaii Aims To Go Full Green Energy by 2045 Hawaii has the most installed solar capacity per inhabitant and plans to use only green energy by 2045. But since the sun doesn't always shine, the state must balance renewable energy with energy storage capability. Hawaiian Electric reports a 40% increase in solar applications in Hawaii in 2020. This helps since Hawaii was already scheduled to meet the 2020 year-end target of 30% renewable energy. It has the most expensive electricity in the US in 2019, costing roughly $0.29 per kilowatt-hour. In the said state, solar households get a 35 percent state tax credit for up to $5,000 and a 26 percent federal tax credit that will decrease to 22 percent the following year. The last coal-fired power plant in the state has to be replaced, and Tesla Megapacks are headed to Hawaii to construct a massive brand-new energy storage system. To assist in achieving that aim, Tesla has been installing batteries in Hawaii for years. The business collaborates with Hawaiian Electric on massive new battery systems and a Powerwall-based virtual power plant. Read Also: Google's Pixel 6a Reportedly Faster, More Reliable With Fingerprint Scanner Tesla's Megapack Can Store up to 3MWh, Contains 1.5MW Inverter The company's energy storage product, the Megapack, was introduced in 2020, after the Powerpack and the Powerwall, and it is intended as an even larger alternative aimed at electric utility projects. A single Megapack, according to Tesla, can store up to 3MWh and contains a 1.5MW inverter. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, urged utilities to replace polluting and ineffective peaker plants with the new Megapack. Since we began learning about several additional Megapack installations over the past few months, some energy providers have started using Musk's offer. Long-time Tesla Powerwall installation partner Swell Energy has been working on multiple virtual power plant (VPP) projects using Tesla Powerwalls. The corporation said in 2021 that it had signed an agreement with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a brand-new, enormous VPP project. The project complements Swell's other virtual power plants (VPPs), including those in Orange County, Santa Barbara, and Redwood Coast, and all employ Tesla Powerwalls. However, it has been anticipated to grow to be Swell's largest VPP. KES' Completion and Operation Eyed in September Now that the Tesla Megapacks are arriving in Hawaii, the last coal power plant in the territory will be shut down. With a capacity of 185 megawatts/565 megawatt-hours when it is finished, the Kapolei Energy Storage facility (KES) will rank among the most extensive battery systems in the world. It is a joint venture between Plus Power and Hawaiian Electric; the former chose to power the system using Tesla Megapacks. Tesla's biggest energy storage device, the Megapack, is a 3 MWh, container-sized battery system. 158 Megapacks are en route to Oahu, Hawaii, to begin construction on the project. By September 2022, when Hawaii's last coal plant, close to KES, is anticipated to be shut down, the project must be completed and functioning. KES aims to preserve grid frequency while collecting extra solar energy during the day and discharging it during the evening. Tesla's energy storage devices have shown their ability to do this. Related Article: Tesla Debuts Virtual Power Plant That Pays Powerwall Users in California - Here's How it Works Holidaymakers faced chaos at Norwich airport after families were forced to 'sleep in their cars' following a 43-hour flight delay to Majorca. ** Are you being caught up in airport chaos in Britain or elsewhere? Please email: tips@dailymail.com ** Advertisement Passengers were scheduled to fly with TUI at 7:20pm on Friday to Palma, but a 'technical fault with the aircraft' left them waiting in limbo for updates from the travel agency. Following two days and nights in the airport, the jet eventually took off at 1:55pm on Sunday afternoon. Spanish airline Albastar were operating the TUI flight that was delayed. Pensioner, Terry Mack, 75, said the service was 'appalling' after many elderly passengers were forced to sleep in their cars and across the seats of the small airport. He told ITV News: 'I am 75 years of age, I have travelled all over the world since the age of 16. Never in 59 years have I ever known people to be treated so appallingly.' Passengers also claimed they were 'not offered accommodation' as they waited for updates over a '43-hour period'. One furious traveller, Luce, took to Twitter and blasted TUI's 'disgusting customer service' and not being able to 'purchase food or drink' for her children due to the 'pubs being shut' after the company announced the flight was delayed. She wrote: 'Arrived at Norwich Airport at 4.30 for 7.30 flight. No food being served so no dinner for kids. We go to board at 7pm [but there's a] technical fault with the plane. Still waiting. Go to buy the kids a drink, pub closed. Hoping TUI can help us out. 'I've called them twice. Once at 4.30am. No call back. Again at 7am. She said they were waiting for parts for the plane and would call me back within the hour. One hour and 40 mins later still no call. Absolutely disgusting customer service from TUI. 'Not one update since the flight was cancelled at 7pm last night. Been on hold for so long and keep being passed from person to person! We knew there was a fault at 7pm last night. Just spoke to Norwich airport who said they are still waiting on information from TUI.' Pensioner, Terry Mack, 75, (pictured) said the service was 'appalling' after many elderly passengers were forced to sleep in their cars and across the seats of the small airport One furious traveller, Luce, took to Twitter and blasted TUI's 'disgusting customer service' and not being able to 'purchase food or drink' for her children due to 'pubs being shut' after TUI announced the flight was delayed Spanish airline Albastar were operating the TUI flight (pictured) As the hours went by, holidaymakers were 'left in limbo waiting for updates' from the travel agent - Luce claimed delays were experienced up 'to the very second'. Luce added: 'Everyone is angry due to the lack of updates. It's not fair. Now at the airport. Due to leave in 40 mins. Announcement saying more delays. More technical issues. No TUI reps on site. Next information at 1pm!!' While many businesses in the aviation sector are struggling to rehire staff after many were let go during the pandemic due to a collapse in demand thanks to successive lockdowns, high levels of staff sickness for those who are still employed is also having an impact. TUI has also come under fire for reportedly diverting a flight from Larnaca in Cyprus, which was due to land at Bristol, to Gatwick, before telling passengers to 'find their own way home.' One affected customer fumed: 'You left diverted passengers at Gatwick with no bus to take them back to Bristol airport and your staff crying because of the situation - 24 hour delayed from Larnaca and then this. Passengers told to find their own way home.' A TUI spokesperson told MailOnline: Wed like to apologise to customers travelling on LAV5480 from Norwich Airport to Palma on 26 June, which was delayed due to a technical issue. 'We kept customers updated throughout and refunded impacted customers for two nights of their holiday. We also provided overnight accommodation, meals and refreshments as needed. Customers will be entitled to EU 261 compensation and details of how to claim have been provided. 'We understand that last minute delays are incredibly disappointing and would like to reassure customers that we do everything we can to get them away on their holidays as planned. 'Wed like to apologise again for the inconvenience passengers experienced and we thank them for their understanding.' It comes after miserable holidaymakers at Bristol Airport were yesterday forced to sleep on the floor to avoid the queues while those at Heathrow Airport were being made to go on a wild goose chase to find their own luggage. Hundreds of suitcases are seen abandoned at the baggage reclaim area of Terminal 2 in Heathrow Airport, west London Passengers were forced to sleep on the floor as they waited to see if they would be able to travel at Bristol Airport on Monday morning. They queued from 4.30am. Other customers were forced to bed down anywhere they could while waiting for more information on their flights in Bristol on Monday morning. One even thought ahead to pack an air bed so they would be more comfortable One traveller brought an air bed with them to Bristol as they battled to check-in, as queues grew from as early as 4.30am. Customers had shown up hours earlier than their flights in an attempt to battle the already long queues amid more travel bedlam. Heathrow was first plunged into chaos in March as bosses struggled to hire enough staff amid widespread labour shortages in the UK in the wake of the pandemic. British Airway staff are also threatening to strike, after unions rejected a 10 per cent pay offer in favour of walkouts as early as next month, potentially during the school holidays Union barons claim the airline's offer was a one-time 'bonus' and its members want a full-time raise. The earliest date the strikes could happen is early July, but the unions have not announced a timescale, possibly in the hopes of pressuring BA bosses to cave in. Pictures form inside Heathrow appeared to show dozens of pieces of 'unclaimed' luggage just dumped around the carousels, while other desperate travellers have been sent on a wild goose chase to track down their bags which was meant to land with them days ago. Hundreds of passengers packed into Heathrow's Terminal 2, pictured, Monday as they attempted to check in for their flights. Less flights have been cancelled so far at the UK's biggest airport, but travellers still arrived early for flights A business expert says that temporary staff working at Heathrow, pictured today, are warning their own family members not to travel until November at the earliest. British Airway staff are also threatening to strike, after unions rejected a 10 per cent pay offer in favour of walkouts as early as next month, potentially during the school holidays HEATHROW AIRPORT: Arrivals at Terminal 2 and 3 saw a sea of luggage spilling out across the airport as they landed while staff reportedly told anxious customers 'sorry, the whole industry in a mess' Kate Hardcastle MBE was left without her luggage after boarding a flight from Cannes to Heathrow last week, and has been unable to find out where her belongings are for six days. She was told by a British Airways member of staff that her bag had been put on a plane to Dublin, and arrived back in Terminal 2 which has been worst affected by the luggage disruption. The business expert said she had been told by staff on the ground at Heathrow they were advising their own families not to travel until November at the earliest. Speaking to MailOnline Kate said: 'I am genuinely worried for people who don't travel as often as I do, I have been travelling for 20 years and you think nothing is going to phase you. 'But this is chaotic. People coming for holidays that they have worked for for years have no idea what is in store for them. 'I was in Terminal 5 for two hours in the end when I landed last week from Cannes trying to get my bag. Passengers at Bristol, pictured Monday, have been left waiting to see if they will be able to catch their flights. Those at Heathrow have been battling to get back their bags after luggage chaos this weekend Arrivals at Terminal 2 and 3 at Heathrow, pictured Monday, saw a sea of luggage spilling out across the airport as they landed from Amsterdam, Canada and India over the weekend while staff reportedly told anxious customers 'sorry, the whole industry in a mess' 'It was chaos, they were pushing forms at people, really complex forms. BA haven't been answering the phones for months as far as I understand it. 'I had to pack a bag for four weeks as I will be travelling away for work for that period, and I have high value and sentimental items in there which have just gone. 'Normally I would advise everyone to pack light and would do that myself, but I just couldn't in my current situation. It is a complete goose chase, BA have said that they don't know where in the world my bag is. 'Today I arrived at Terminal 2 hoping to get it back, there were 13 people there before me who said that they had been there for hours and no one was answering from any airline. 'I managed to track someone down from operations and we helped to get the people who had flown today's bags back. 'Staff members on the ground have said they are advising their own friends and family not to travel until November because of the chaos. I'm just stunned by the silence of the CEO's who have not said anything at all. 'The fact of the matter is that people in the UK have waited like Rapunzel in a tower for two years and they don't deserve to be delayed or without their baggage. 'Why no one at the top of the companies is not stepping up I don't know. 'I am not one to criticise unduly, but if you aren't even prepared to be on the front line and tough it out it's not good enough. 'People are quite rightly close to tears, I'm close to tears. I have no hope that I'll get it back. 'People who live further away and have lost their baggage can't even get back easily. I'm having to carry my stuff on in carrier bags.' A British Airways spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'We're doing everything we can to reunite our customer with their bag. 'We apologise for the delay and inconvenience caused.' Heathrow are advising any passengers having issues with their baggage to contact the individual airlines. TUI have been contacted for comment by MailOnline. ** Are you being caught up in airport chaos in Britain or elsewhere? Please email: tips@dailymail.com ** Two British men sentenced to death after fighting for Ukraine against Russia must be released and returned the home 'without delay', a UK foreign minister has demanded. The pair's 'so-called trial' had 'no legitimacy', junior foreign minister Lord Ahmad of told the House of Lords, where he was pressed over the plight of the two men. Aiden Aslin, 28, originally from Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, have been treated as foreign 'mercenaries' by pro-Russian authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) - one of two breakaway Russian puppet states in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. They handed down the death sentences to the two Britons and one Moroccan man for fighting for Ukraine. Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner were both living in Ukraine before the invasion and the UK Government has insisted that, as legitimate members of the Ukrainian armed forces, they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. Brits Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, have been treated as foreign 'mercenaries' by pro-Russian authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), who sentenced the en to death. Pictured: British citizens Aiden Aslin, left, and Shaun Pinner, right, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim, center, sit behind bars in a courtroom in Donetsk, in territory under the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic control, eastern Ukraine Mr Aslin (left) and Mr Pinner (right) were both living in Ukraine before the invasion and the UK Government has insisted that, as legitimate members of the Ukrainian armed forces, they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention Saaudun Brahim (left), 21, originally from Casablanca, Morocco, has been sentenced to death alongside the two Britons. Pictured: Mr Brahim with his friend Dmytro Khrabstov (right) Responding to a question at Westminster, Lord Ahmad said: 'The Government condemns the sentencing of two British nationals, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine. 'Both are soldiers in the Ukrainian armed forces and therefore prisoners of war, entitled to protection under international humanitarian law (IHL). 'The so-called trial in the non-government controlled area of Ukraine has no legitimacy and the United Kingdom is fully supportive of the government of Ukraine in its effort to get them released.' The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Alan Smith, who raised the issue in the Lords, said: 'What discussions are taking place with our European and American partners to say to Russia that if these executions go ahead there will be serious repercussions? 'Also what guidance is being given to the estimated 3,000 UK nationals who are now fighting, many of whom haven't joined the official army and therefore don't come under the Geneva Convention, who are putting themselves at huge risk should they be caught?' Lord Ahmad said: 'The advice of the British Government has been very, very clear: 'Do not travel to Ukraine'. He added: 'In terms of our work with other allies and partners, first and foremost we are working very constructively with Ukraine. 'The detainees are very much part and parcel of the engagement Ukrainians are having with the Russians directly. We are very supportive of those efforts.' 'The so-called trial in the non-government controlled area of Ukraine has no legitimacy and the United Kingdom is fully supportive of the government of Ukraine in its effort to get them released,' said Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations He added: 'We have been making representations, including directly with the Russian authorities. 'We do not recognise the de facto authorities in occupied parts of Ukraine and I think that is the right approach.' Labour former defence secretary Lord Browne of Ladyton pressed the Government over whether an investigation had been launched into British former civil servant and 'pro-Russian propagandist' Graham Phillips, who interrogated Mr Aslin while he was handcuffed and injured. Footage of Mr Aslin's questioning posted online was subsequently taken down by Facebook and YouTube. Lord Browne said: 'In respect of Aiden Aslin, on April 18 Graham Phillips a British former civil servant and pro-Russian propagandist published a video interview with him, when he was then a prisoner of war, in handcuffs, physically injured and manifestly under duress, and extracted from him an admission in those conditions that he was not a Ukrainian soldier, but had a different relationship with the war. 'Prisoners of war cannot be prosecuted for taking part in direct hostilities. The whole process is about their early release and they must be released and repatriated without delay at the end of hostilities if not before,' Lord Ahmad said in the House of Lords 'Experts who have studied this video and the circumstances say there's sufficient evidence there to support the view that this was a breach of the Geneva Convention and its treatment of prisoners of war and that Phillips, a British citizen, is at risk of prosecution for war crimes. 'As he is a British citizen, ought not we to be further investigating this to see if he has violated international law and issue a warrant for his arrest.' Referring to the captured Britons, Lord Ahmad said: 'Prisoners of war cannot be prosecuted for taking part in direct hostilities. The whole process is about their early release and they must be released and repatriated without delay at the end of hostilities if not before. 'Certainly that's been the case we have been making very specifically. 'These situations are extremely sensitive but we need to remind Russia the obligations are on Russia to ensure they uphold the principles of IHL.' Pressed on whether there would be an inquiry into Mr Phillips, Lord Ahmad said: 'I am not going to comment on the specifics, particularly under the sensitive situation which is currently applying to the detainees.' The widow of slain police officer Andrew Harper said she believes he is 'smiling down at me with pride and love' after her campaign for tougher sentences for attacks on emergency service workers became law. Lissie Harper, 31, was compelled to lobby the Government after being 'outraged' by the prison sentences handed to the three teenagers responsible for killing her husband while he responded to a burglary, hours after he was due to clock off and begin his honeymoon. Speaking on Tuesday, as Harper's Law came into effect, Mrs Harper said: 'I will never be rid of the hollowness that the burden of grief inflicts, but I know without hesitation that my husband Andrew would be immensely proud of this achievement in his name. 'Andrew believed in fairness and peace - he had the strongest moral compass of anyone I ever met and that is why I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is smiling down at me with pride and love as Harper's Law, his legacy, is now achieved.' Lissie Harper, 30, was left outraged after the trio who caused her husband's death escaped with sentences as low as 13 years Mrs Harper speaking to the media on College Green in Westminster, London Pc Harper, 28, died from his injuries when he was caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a winding country road as the trio fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, on the night of August 15 2019. Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were handed 13 years in custody over the manslaughter of the Thames Valley Police traffic officer. Long, the leader of the group, admitted manslaughter, while passengers Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey. All three were cleared of murder by the jury. Mrs Harper's quest to change the law came 'in the midst of grief and incomprehensible loss', and was backed by the likes of Home Secretary Priti Patel and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab. Lissie said she believes her husband PC Andrew Harper is 'smiling down at me with pride and love' after her campaign for tougher sentences for attacks on emergency service workers The law will not be retrospective, meaning Pc Harper's killers cannot have their sentences extended. The move extends mandatory life sentences to anyone who commits the manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty, including police, prison officers, firefighters and paramedics. Judges determine the minimum term someone handed a life sentence serves before they are deemed eligible for release. However, there is scope for judges to deviate from this if they feel there are 'truly exceptional circumstances'. Mrs Harper said: 'No longer will a family have to endure the pain of injustice in court as I did those many months ago - and that is a significantly powerful outcome' Mrs Harper said: 'Almost three years ago my husband was robbed of his life and we were both robbed of our future together. 'Nothing will ever change that. This law will not change the outcome for his killers. 'But no longer will a family have to endure the pain of injustice in court as I did those many months ago - and that is a significantly powerful outcome.' She added: 'I know that many, many people will feel vindication at actually being able to believe in some legislation written in our history books. 'Throughout this journey I have met so many incredible people, fellow widows and widowers who know this unique pain I feel, as well as too many others who have lost loved ones in unspeakable ways and still have not seen any justice. 'I hope that this will help not only me but all of those who have experienced these cruel atrocities, we may never move on but we can try to move forward.' Mrs Harper told the PA news agency this year that she is ready to 'find happiness again' and will effectively retire from public life once the law change comes into effect. Harper's Law is among the new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which also includes making rare whole-life orders the starting point for premeditated child murder. Former President Donald Trump tried to distance himself from former aide Cassidy Hutchinson who was the House January 6 select committee's special guest during Tuesday's surprise hearing. 'I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and "leaker"), and when she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down,' Trump posted to his social media site Truth Social as 25-year-old Hutchinson's testimony was ongoing. Hutchinson worked in Trump's White House on the legislative affairs team and under Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She provided embarrassing anecdotes about Trump's behavior during her Tuesday testimony - including that he tried to grab the wheel of the presidential limo, the 'Beast,' after he was told he couldn't go to the Capitol Building on January 6 and threw food at the wall after Attorney General Bill Barr said there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Using Truth Social, former President Donald Trump (left) tried to distance himself from ex-aide Cassidy Hutchinson (right) as she testified Tuesday in front of the January 6 House select committee The former president pushed that Cassidy Hutchinson was only playing ball with the Democrat-led committee because he didn't keep her on his payroll after he left office in January 2021 and relocated to Mar-a-Lago He also said her anecdote about him trying to grab the Beast's steering wheel after he was told he couldn't go to the Capitol on January 6 'Fake' and 'fraudulent' and denied testimony about how he would throw food and dishes when angry 'Why did she want to go with us if she felt we were so terrible?' Trump said Tuesday. He suggested that Hutchinson only played ball with the Democrat-led committee because he didn't give her a job at Mar-a-Lago after he departed the White House in January 2021. 'I understand that she was very upset and angry that I didn't want her to go, or be a member of the team,' Trump said. 'She is bad news!' In another post on Truth social, Trump also accused Hutchinson of changing her story. 'She changed lawyers a couple of days ago, and with it, her story totally changed! SHOCKER???' the ex-president alleged. The former president fumed over the testimony Hutchinson delivered about him throwing temper tantrums. 'I NEVER SAID, "MIKE PENCE DESERVES IT (to be hung). Another made up statement by a third rate social climber!' he posted. Trump had made a similar remark about Pence to ABC News' Jonathan Karl that corroborated Hutchinson's testimony Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the administration of former President Donald Trump, returns after a short recess during Tuesday's surprise January 6 hearing HAPPIER TIMES: January 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson (right) dances to YMCA alongside White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnanry (left) during a campaign stop in Ohio in September 2020 'Her Fake story that I tried to grab the steering wheel of the White House Limousine in order to steer it to the Capitol Building is "sick" and fraudulent, very much like the Unselect Committee itself - Wouldnt even have been possible to do such a ridiculous thing,' Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, the January 6 committee tweeted out footage of Trump departing the Ellipse rally in a black SUV that purportedly shows his hands moving toward the driver. 'Her story of me throwing food is also falseand why would SHE have to clean it up, I hardly knew who she was?' the former president added. After Hutchinson's testimony concluded, Trump continued to go after her on Truth social. 'Her body language is that of a total bull. artist. Fantasy Land!' he wrote. After Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony concluded, former President Donald Trump continued to go after her on Truth Social The 25-year-old has firsthand information about the former president and his top aides' movements on the day of and leading up to the Capitol riot 'I NEVER SAID, "MIKE PENCE DESERVES IT (to be hung). Another made up statement by a third rate social climber!' he posted. Trump had made a similar remark about Pence to ABC News' Jonathan Karl that corroborated Hutchinson's testimony. 'A Total Phony!!!' the former president added. 'There is no cross examination of this so-called witness. This is a Kangaroo Court!!' Trump fumed. Trump has a history of turning on former aides and ex-political allies, a roster that now includes former Vice President Mike Pence and current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. During the hearing, Hutchinson recalled an impromptu meeting on January 6 after Trump returned to the White House after speaking at the Ellipse she had with former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato and Bobby Engel, the head of Trump's security detail. 'Did you hear what effing happened in the Beast?' she said Engel asked her. She replied that she hadn't heard. 'Tony proceeded to tell me that when the president got in the Beast he was under the impression from Mr. Meadows that the off-the-record movement to the Capitol was still possible and likely to happen, but that Bobby had more information,' Hutchinson said. Trump, Hutchinson said, thought they were going up to the Capitol - like he had told his crowd of supporters he would do. This was in the hours before the attack. 'When Bobby had relayed to him we're not, we don't have the assets to do it, it's not secure, we're going back to the West Wing, the president had a very strong, very angry response,' Hutchinson continued. She was told that Trump said something like: 'I'm the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now!' Engel, she said, reiterated that they were headed back to the White House. 'The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel, Mr. Engel grabbed his arm and said, "Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, we're going back to the West Wing, we're not going to the Capitol,"' she said. 'Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward Bobby Engel and when Mr. Ornato had recounted this story to me he motioned toward his clavicles,' Hutchinson said, as a sign the president went for Engel's throat. GOP Rep. Liz Cheney then asked Hutchinson if Engel or Ornato ever changed their stories. 'Neither Mr. Ornato or Mr. Engel told me ever that it was untrue,' Hutchinson testified. From there, Hutchinson talked about Trump throwing dishes when being served with bad news. She said she remembered 'hearing noise' on the heels of the Associated Press article being released in which Barr confirmed that Trump's widespread election fraud claims weren't real. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was summoned to Trump's office. When Meadows returned Hutchinson said she walked down toward the White House dining room. 'And I noticed that the door was propped open and the valet was inside the dining room changing the tablecloth off of the dining room table,' she said. 'He motioned for me to come in and then pointed toward the front of the room near the fireplace mantel and the TV.' 'Where I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall,' she continued. 'And there's a shattered porcelain plate on the floor.' 'The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney general's AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall,' she said, explaining that she then helped with the clean-up. Cheney then asked Hutchinson if this was typical Trump behavior. 'There were several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flicking the table cloth to let all of the contents of the table go onto the floor and likely break or go everywhere,' Hutchinson volunteered. Ghislaine Maxwell has broken her silence at her sentencing for sex trafficking where she said she was a 'victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein' and said the pedophile 'fooled all of those in his orbit' before being sentenced to 20 years in prison. Addressing the court for the first time ahead of the judge handing down the sentence, Maxwell told the judge: 'Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed today. 'The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb in its scale and extent. I want to acknowledge their suffering. I empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. The judge who will hand down Ghislaine Maxwell's sentence has determined the guidelines dictate she serve just 15.6 years to 19.5 years - not the expected 55-year maximum In a big win for Maxwell's defense, Judge Alison Nathan ruled to use sentencing guidelines from 2003 - the year Maxwell's last offense took place. In 2004, sentencing guidelines were raised, which could have seen Maxwell facing a maximum of 55 years. But the judge ruled to now lower the maximum to 235 months - or 19.5 years Ghislaine Maxwell will be sentenced today after being convicted of sex trafficking in December. The sentencing will mark the end of a decades-long fight for justice by victims of Maxwell and Epstein 'I acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes.' 'I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My associate with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him.' She added that Epstein 'fooled all of those in his orbit.' 'His victims considered him a mentor, friend, lover. Jeffrey Epstein should have stood before you. In 2005. In 2009. And again in 2019. But today it is for me to be sentenced. 'His impact upon all those who were close to him has been devastating.' 'Victims considered him as a godfather, a mentor, a benefactor, a friend, a lover. It is absolutely unfathomable today to think that was how he was viewed contemporaneously. His impact on all those close to him has been devastating. Sarah Ransome, 38, (right) is pictured with fellow Jeffery Epstein victim Elizabeth Stein (left). Ransome recounted the horrors she experienced at the hands of Epstein that led her to trying to kill herself twice, in 2008 and 2018 'I'm sorry for the pain that you have experienced. 'I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of peace and faintly to help you put those experiences of so many years ago in a place that allows you to look forward and not back. 'It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and all those outside this courtroom that today brings a terrible chapter to an end. 'May this day help you travel through darkness into the light.' Maxwell spoke after the judge who will hand down her sentence determined the guidelines dictate she serve just 15.6 years to 19.5 years - not the expected 55-year maximum. Prosecutors had asked Judge Nathan to impose a sentence of at least 30 years because of Maxwell's 'utter lack of remorse.' Maxwell claims she should serve just four years as she is not a danger to the public. Assistant US attorney Alison More told the judge, 'The 2003 guidelines were inadequate. Consider the sophistication of her predatory conduct. We ask the court to send a message no one is above the law.' 'This is one of the rare cases for an above Guidelines sentence.' Ransome shared photos of her in a hospital bed after her first attempt to kill herself in 2008 Ransome is pictured with casts in both legs following her second suicide attempt in 2018 Earlier, victim Sarah Ransome, 37, revealed in her victim impact statement released on Tuesday that she tried to kill herself twice after being locked up in Maxwell and Epstein's dungeon of hell. She once tried jumping off a cliff while at Epstein's St. Little James private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. '[I was] nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul used to entertain Epstein, Maxwell and others,' she wrote. 'On one visit to the island, the sexual demands, degradation and humiliation ensued me to try to escape by jumping off a cliff into shark-infested waters. 'I was caught by Maxwell and company moments before jumping. At the time, that extremely risky escape seemed more appealing than being raped one more time'. Ransome said she was only 22 years old when she arrived in New York with hopes of attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. Ransome was only 22 when she was taken into Epstein's sex trafficking sing GHISLAINE'S STATEMENT AT SENTENCING HEARING IN FULL Your honor, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain and anguish expressed today. The terrible impact on the lives of so many women is difficult to hear and even more difficult to absorb, both in its scale and extent. I acknowledge their suffering and empathize deeply with all of the victims in this case. I also acknowledge with that I have been a victim of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes. I realize I have been convicted of assisting Jeffrey Epstein to commit these crimes. My association with Epstein will permanently stain me. It is the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him. I believe Jeffrey Epstein fooled all of those in his orbit. His victims considered him a mentor, friend, lover. It is absolutely unfathomable today to think that was how he was viewed contemporaneously. His impact on all those close to him has been devastating. And today, those who even knew him briefly or never met him but were associated with someone who did, have lost relationships, jobs, and had their lives derailed. Jeffrey Epstein should have stood before you. In 2005. In 2009. And again in 2019. All the many times he was accused, charged, prosecuted. He should have spared victims the years of chasing justice. But today is ultimately not about Epstein. It is for me to be sentenced and for the victims to address me alone in court. To you I say: I am sorry for the pain you experienced. I hope my conviction along with my harsh incarceration brings you closure. I hope this brings the women who have suffered some measure of peace and faintly to help you put those experiences of so many years ago in a place that allows you to look forward and not back. I also acknowledge the pain this case has wrought to those I love, the many I held and still hold close, the relationships I have lost and will never be able to regain. It is my sincerest wish to all those in this courtroom and all those outside this courtroom that today brings a terrible chapter to an end. And to those of you who spoke here today and those who did not, may this day help you travel through darkness into the light. Advertisement She said she was targeted by an Epstein-Maxwell recruiter named Natalya Malyshev in a club, who arranged for her to meet the billionaire who allegedly promised to help provide financial support for her to attend her dream school. 'Epstein and Maxwell were masters at finding young, vulnerable girls and young women to exploit' Ransome said. 'However, soon after lulling me and others into a false sense of comfort and security, they pounced, ensnaring us in their upside-down, twisted world of rape, rape and more rape. 'Like Hotel California, you could check into the Epstein-Maxwell dungeon of sexual hell, but you could never leave. Ghislaine by her own hand, forced me into Epstein's room to be raped.' Although Ransome was able to escape for the UK in 2007, she said she began drinking heavily as she was constantly haunted by what happened to her, fearing that 'someday Epstein and Maxwell would harm me, my loved ones and my family, as Epstein repeatedly told me would happen, if I ever dared to leave.' The trauma suffocated Ransome to the point where she attempted to kill herself a year later as Epstein was facing trial, and then making another attempt at her own life in 2018, during her case against Maxwell and other Epstein associates. 'Despite my earnest effort, I have not realized my God-given potential professionally or entered healthy personal relationships,' Ransome said. 'I have never married and do not have children, something I always wished for, even as a little girl. 'I shy away from strangers and have difficulty making new friends because I fear they could be associated with Epstein, Maxwell and the enablers. 'To this day, I attend AA meetings, but I have had numerous relapses and know that only by the grace of God do I continue to live,' she added. 'Maxwell is today the same woman I met almost 20 years ago - incapable of compassion or common human decency.' The leaders of Turkey, Sweden and Finland have signed a trilateral agreement that will clear the way for the two Nordic states to join NATO and clears objections from Istanbul over the application. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the deal on Tuesday evening ahead of President Joe Biden's scheduled meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. 'I am pleased to announce we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO,' Stoltenberg said. 'Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism,' he added. Details will be worked out over then next could of days but the deal comes as Europe faces its worst security crisis in decades in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, meanwhile, said it had 'got what it wanted' including 'full cooperation in the fight against' the rebel groups. 'Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkiye to extend their full support against threats to each other's security,' Finish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, third left, shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, right, next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, second right, after signing a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to Finland and Sweden's membership in NATO; NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) looks on President Biden spoke with Erdogan on Tuesday morning. A senior administration official said that call was for the 'president to be able to talk directly with President Erdogan about the membership application to Finland and Sweden and to encourage him to seize this moment and get this done.' The official said Biden made the call at the request of Sweden and Finland. The official spoke to reporters on Tuesday night to describe President Biden's role in the process and asked for anonymity to speak frankly. The official said President Biden didn't want to get in the 'middle' of talks but wanted to put the weight on the scale at the end to get it done. 'We have been very studious, and rejecting the idea that the United States was wanting to play broker. We did not think that would be productive,' the official said. The Biden administration sees the deal as a win. 'This obviously, is just a powerful shot in the arm from the point of view of allied unity and also, you know, a historic moment for the Alliance to traditionally neutral countries, choosing to sign up to NATO and being welcomed by NATO,' the senior administration official said. President Joe Biden will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday Finland and Sweden will bring with them almost 1million troops, including reserves, along with a huge amount of artillery, jets and submarines Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted Finland and Sweden to launch NATO applications Erdogan objected to Finland and Sweden's application to join because he wants them to change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Biden and Erdogan will have a formal sitdown on the sidelines of NATO on Wednesday. The two will now 'talk about the broader set of issues and U.S.-Turkey relationship,' the senior administration official said. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to apply to join NATO. It's the biggest expansion of the alliance since former Soviet bloc countries joined the group in 1999. New York City Mayor Eric Adams slammed former mayor Rudy Giuliani for 'using police to carry out [his] agenda' after he had a Staten Island supermarket worker arrested for assault, citing video that he says seems to undermine the former city leader's account of the incident. 'I looked at the video,' Adams said Tuesday. 'I would like to remind former mayor Giuliani that falsely reporting a crime is a crime.' Adams said not only should Giuliani be investigated for filing a false police report over the alleged assault, but that he's also asked Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell to look into the arrest of ShopRite worker Daniel Gill, 39. Gill can a be seen on security video patting Giuliani on the back during a campaign stop for Andrew Giuliani, who is running for New York State governor. He then reportedly says to the former mayor: 'What's up, scumbag?' New York Mayor Eric Adams called Rudy Giuliani 'irresponsible' for having a supermarket worker arrested for tapping him on the back Adams called his predecessor 'irresponsible' for 'sensationalizing' the interaction and warned Giuliani that he could be the one investigated next. In recounting the crime on a Facebook Live feed, Giuliani, who also worked on the 2020 Trump re-election campaign, said Gill's touch 'felt like a boulder.' 'His intent was to cause serious harm,' Giuliani said in a Facebook video. 'I could have fallen and cracked my skull and died.' ShopRite worker Daniel Gill, 39, seen here touching Giuliani's back during a campaign stop for his son, Andrew The grainy black and white store security video shows the ex-mayor from behind, a group of people around him. Gill comes in from the bottom of the frame and pats Giuliani on the back. The former mayor turns as Gill continues to address him as he walks passed and then quickly off screen. Giuliani said Gill was berating him about 'killing ladies,' a reference to the ex-mayor's pro-life stance. The ex-city leader said that the blow to the back pitched him forward and nearly knocked him down. Rudy Giuliani, 78, discusses his encounter with a supermarket worker during a campaign stop for his son, Andrew, who is running for governor Giuliani was in Staten Island campaigning for his son, Andrew, when he was struck by a disgruntled supermarket worker, upset over the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade Giuliani said he turned to a retired detective in the group and said, 'Let's get him arrested. Let's make an example out of him.' Adams wasn't having it. He said that when he saw the video he did not see an assault. 'From what he stated about being punched in the head, felt like a bullet, from what he stated there was a lot of creativity,' Adams said. 'I think the district attorney - he's got the wrong person who he is investigating,' he said and repeated: 'To falsely report a crime is a crime.' Adams made no mistake that he felt that Giuliani had crossed a line during a time when many question the fairness of the criminal justice system. 'If this video hadn't been there, this person would have been charged with punching the former mayor, he would have been charged with all these offenses that did not materialize. I saw that video.' Daniel Gill, 39, outside his Staten Island home after his arraignment on misdemeanor charges that he assaulted former Mayor Rudy Giuliani Gill, pictured here with his lawyer Susan Platis, appears in court during his arraignment for third-degree assault on Giuliani Gill, of Staten Island, was released without bail after being arrested Gill was originally charged with second-degree assault, a felony, but the Staten Island prosecutor later downgraded the charges to third-degree misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor menacing. He was released without bail and declined to comment on the charges, but his lawyer's version hews closely with what Adams saw. 'Given Mr. Giuliani's obsession with seeing his name in the press and his demonstrated propensity to distort the truth, we are happy to correct the record on exactly what occurred over the weekend on Staten Island,' Legal Aid spokesman Redmond Haskins said. Gill is suspended from his supermarket job, pending termination, according to ShopRite. One eye-witness, Rita Rogova, said she thought it was a hard slap. 'He's a senior citizen,' she said. 'No matter what your political views are, no one should be hit.' Adams said from the video, it could have been a friendly gesture, not an assault. 'The guy walked by and basically patted him on the back. I don't know if he said 'congratulations.' I don't know what he said to him, but it was clear that he was not punched in the head.' The current mayor said he's taken steps to see that the arrest is reviewed by the NYPD. 'I'm having a conversation with the police commissioner about if that was a falsely reported crime,' he said. Giuliani was blunt about what he thought of Adams' opinion: 'Tell Adams to go f**k himself,' he told the New York Post. 'What a f**king scumbag.' 'Eric Adams doesn't know what he's f**king talking about,' he said. 'He doesn't know what he's talking about. I didn't file the complaint. His police department filed the report. The police department did an investigation. The police interviewed witnesses.' Then the former mayor slighted Adams reputation when he was a captain on the NYPD. 'Let him talk to his police department,' Giuliani told the Post. 'He probably can't do that. The cops probably won't talk to him. They don't trust him. He must've been a bad cop.' The Staten Island District Attorney declined to comment to The New York Times on the charges, saying it was an ongoing case and pending investigation. 'Here's my fear,' Adams said about the interaction. 'If you don't have a video and someone of prominence makes an allegation against you you should not have to wait for a video to determine that you did nothing wrong.' 'He's a former mayor and I think it's irresponsible for a former mayor,' he added. 'You can't use sensationalism to carry out your own agenda and you can't use police to carry out your own agenda.' Former President Trump was furious that a number of his supporters could not get through security at the 'Save America' rally because they were armed with prohibited weapons and demanded metal detectors be removed from the event, according to a former White House staffer. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former assistant to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the Jan. 6 committee in a hearing Tuesday that Trump was 'furious' that his supporters had been stopped from entering the official grounds of his Stop the Steal rally near the White House that preceded the riot. He was apparently angry that the size of the crowd coming to hear him speak did not appear as big as he wanted it to - due to his armed supporters not getting past the security magnetometers. 'Take the effing mags away,' she said Trump ordered, referring to the metal detectors attendees had to go through. 'Who cares if they have weapons, they're not here to hurt me,' the former president allegedly said. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former assistant to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the Jan. 6 committee in a hearing Tuesday that Trump was 'furious' that his supporters had been stopped from entering the official grounds of his Stop the Steal rally Trump was apparently angry that the size of the crowd coming to hear him speak did not appear as big as he wanted it to - due to his armed supporters not getting past the security magnetometers The committee then played a clip of Trump's comments at the rally urging his supporters to march to the Capitol - words that appeared stark in the context of testimony claiming he knew they presented a security risk. Trump aggressively denied the claims on his social media platform Truth Social. 'Never complained about the crowd, it was massive,' he said. 'I didn't want or request that we make room for people with guns to watch my speech. Who would want that?Not me! Besides, there were no guns found or brought into the Capitol Building. So where were all these guns? But sadly, a gun was used to kill Ashli Babbitt, with no price to pay for the person who used it!' Babbitt was fatally shot by police during the Capitol riot as she tried to climb through a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby outside the House chamber. The White House chief of staff's former top aide, just 25 years old, testified on Tuesday that Donald Trump's White House chief of staff told her that 'things could get real, real bad on January 6' just four days before the Capitol riot. Among the more explosive points of the former staffer's testimony include Trump's alleged insistence on joining his supporters at the Capitol - who he was told in advance were armed. 'I'm the effing president, take me to the Capitol now,' she said he ordered. When Secret Service refused, Hutchinson said agents told her that he lunged at the steering wheel of his car - known as The Beast. 'Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing, we're not going to the Capitol,' Hutchinson was told Secret Service agent Richard Engel said. 'Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel,' Hutchinson recalled. Former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato 'motioned toward his clavicle,' she added, as a sign the president went for his security detail's throat. Toward the end of the first half of the hearing, Trump took to his app Truth Social to say he 'hardly knows' Hutchinson. 'I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and a 'leaker'), and when she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request now,' he said. Hutchinson described Trump as a person prone to fiery anger, claiming that he once threw his lunch against a wall, shattering a plate, and flipped tablecloths 'to let all the contents at the table go on the floor' multiple times. Surveillance footage captures the moment a handcuffed suspect was paralyzed after being slammed against the van of a police van before being dragged out of the back by cops in Connecticut last week. Richard Cox, 36, who was arrested on June 19, for possession of an illegal firearm, was being transported in a van without seatbelts to the New Haven Police Department when the vehicle came to a sudden stop - tossing Cox head first into the wall. Cox is now fighting for his life at a local hospital where he is paralyzed from the neck down and has to use a breathing tube. Footage shows Cox laying on the floor and weakly shouting 'help' until the officers pulled over to scope the incident. Cox was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm by New Haven police Richard Cox, 36, hit the wall of the van headfirst before collapsing to the floor He was handcuffed in the back of a van without seatbelts when the vehicle came to a sudden stop Officer Oscar Diaz went to go check on Cox before calling an ambulance and proceeding to the New Haven Police Department Officer Oscar Diaz then pulled the van over to check on Cox. 'What happened,' Diaz asked as Cox attempted to tell him various times that he was unable to move his body. Diaz called an ambulance and proceeded to drive to the police headquarters. Multiple officers responded to the van and insisted Cox get up to leave the van, despite Cox insisting he couldn't move. 'If you got to drag me, do what you got to do,' Cox told the officers as they proceeded to pull him out by the leg. 'Sit up,' an officer told Cox various times as he was placed and slumped over in a wheelchair with his head handing to the far side of his shoulder. Upon arrival, officers pulled Cox out of the van after he proceeded to insist he couldn't move Officers refused to believe that anything was wrong with Cox aside from the fact that they believed he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol 'Sit up,' an officer told Cox multiple times Officers brought Diaz into the station for processing before lifting him out of the wheelchair and dragging him into a cell Cox was dragged into his cell by two police while others observed claiming he was 'perfectly fine' Cox was placed on the floor of the cell while officers hand cuffed him by his feet The officers proceeded to take Cox inside the station for processing without medical attention. Before dragging Cox on the floor of a cell and handcuffing his feet together, officers accused him of consuming drugs and alcohol - claiming that was his issue. 'He's perfectly fine,' an officer said. Cox is currently fighting for his life at a New Haven hospital, his attorney Ben Crump said. 'He's paralyzed from the chest down and has to use a breathing tube - his quality of life is forever diminished,' Crump said. Crump - who has famously represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Trayvon Martin - is calling for justice after Cox was 'brutalized' without a reason. 'They dismissed his pleas as lies, instead of offering immediate medical aid, officers dragged him off the van & threw him into a wheelchair that may have exacerbated his life threatening injuries,' Crump said. Ben Crump, who represented the families of Breanna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tayvon Martin, is apart of Cox's legal team Cox is fighting for his life and is on a breathing tub, Crump said Crump is calling for accountability after officers neglected Cox and dismissed his pleas for help The case is under investigation and the officers on-duty have been placed on administrative leave. The officers include Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavandier, Betsy Segui, Luis Rivera, and Diaz, according to the New Haven Independent. According to a local attorney representing Cox, Jack O'Donnell, a lawsuit is in the works. Cox's family and legal team are scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the New Haven Superior Court. Advertisement President Joe Biden joked with Spanish King Felipe VI at a lavish dinner at the royal palace in Madrid on Tuesday night as Jill Biden admitted she was worried she and Queen Letizia would clash in their outfits. Biden pulled out one of his favorite jokes as the royals welcomed them to the largest royal palace in use in Europe. The ornate granite building has 135,000 meters of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. 'We both married way above our stations,' Biden joked to the King and Queen after he and Jill greeted the royal couple, who stood waiting in the throne room. It is one of the president's favorite jokes and he uses it regularly. Jill Biden, wearing a white pants suit, admitted she had other worries - namely that her outfit would clash with the stylish Spanish royal. 'You changed,' Queen Letizia, in a black cocktail dress, told the first lady. Jill shook hands with her warmly and laughed. She told the president: 'She had on a white suit today. I said "Oh no, are you wearing that tonight?"' The two women spent the earlier part of Tuesday visiting with Ukrainian refugees relocated to Spain. Letizia wore a white pants suit during that visit. Spanish Queen Letizia, President Joe Biden, Spanish King Felipe VI, and first lady Jill Biden pose for a formal photo ahead of dinner at the royal palace to kick off the NATO summit Queen Letizia told President Joe Biden how she had met two of his granddaughters earlier that day President Biden jokes with the King of Spain ahead of the official family photo King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia pose with President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders ahead of a formal dinner at the royal palace Jill Biden had worried her outfit would clash with Queen Letizia's, who wore a white pants suit at an event the two women attended earlier Tuesday Biden leans in to speak to Queen Letizia of Spain before the royal gala in Madrid hosted by King Felipe The Spanish royals hosted NATO leaders at their home for a formal dinner to kick off the NATO alliance. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among the guests. Biden looks on during the team photo at Madrid's royal palace The leaders had to climb a long granite staircase to reach the reception. The Bidens held hands as they walked up the stairs. The dinner took place at one long table in the ornate dining room, which has massive chandeliers hanging from the painted ceiling. Tapestries hang on the walls. Biden sat next to King Felipe. Jill Biden sat next to French President Macron. Biden was jovial during the event, joking with the king and repeatedly patting his arm. The leaders also posed for a large family photo with the king and queen in a grandball room where Biden talked with Queen Letizia afterward. To start the evening, King Felipe and Queen Letizia welcomed each of the leaders to the palace and posed for a photo with them. After they posed with the Bidens, President Biden joked to Letizia: 'You only have to stand for two more hours. God love ya.' She laughed and told him how she had met his granddaughters Maisy and Finnegan earlier that day. Jill Biden had introduced the girls to Letizia during their visit to a Ukrainian refugee center. The Queen gave warms hugs to Maisy and Finnegan Biden and chatted with them ahead of the event. Jill Biden, 71, and Queen Letizia, 49, visited several Ukrainian refugee families on Tuesday afternoon who were taken in by Spain. The two women sat down with the families to hear their stories and hugged many of the children. They posed for a selfie with a little boy. Maisy and Finnegan - who are the daughters of Hunter Biden and his first wife Kathleen - joined them for the day. The first lady and the Queen also met with Chef Jose Andres and volunteers at his World Center Kitchen. Andres team has worked in the Ukraine to help humanitarian efforts and are aiding in feeding refugees around Europe. Andres took a selfie with Jill, Letizia and some of his volunteers. He then showed the two women around his operation. French President Emmanuel Macron kisses the hand of Spain's Queen Letizia while his wife Brigitte Macron speaks with Spain's King Felipe Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia during a reception at the Royal Palace Queen Letizia and King Felipe pose with the Bidens in the throne room at the palace President Biden with a member of the Spanish Royal Guard at the reception President Biden, meanwhile, had a bilateral meeting at the palace with King Felipe, who ascended to the throne in June 2014 after the abdication of his father. Biden, who arrived in Madrid Tuesday afternoon, thanked the king for taking in migrants from the U.S. southern border. The president noted many children in the United States these days are native Spanish speakers and that the future of America 'depends considerably' on the assimilation of that population. 'You know, I tell people that the idea we've always had great migration flows into the United States over the years - we're a nation of immigrants. But this is a statistic that - I think it's 24 out of every 100 students in grades one through 12 in America speaks Spanish, speak Spanish as an original language,' Biden said during a meeting with the king at the Royal Palace in Madrid. 'So the future of my country depends considerably, an assimilation of a population that has grown to have the same values that you possess,' he said. The Hispanic population in the United States is the largest growing population. It reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade that outpaced the nations 7% overall population growth, Pew Research Center found. Biden also thanked the King for his help with migrants crossing the United States' southern border. 'Your help in Latin America is also extremely important,' he said. 'The help and support and the input has been extremely valuable,' he noted. Spain has committed to taking a significant number of Central American refugees coming illegally into the U.S. The largest group of migrants coming over the southern border are from centeral American countries, which are Spanish speaking. Jill Biden leaves Spain on Wednesday and President Biden leaves on Thursday after the NATO summit concludes. A flash drive containing thousands of Japanese residents' sensitive data goes missing while a worker apparently got drunk and fell asleep in the streets of Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture. As per a news story by NHK, the USB flash stick houses the personal data of over 460,000 residents in western Japan. But the worker must have had a wild night out and lost thousands of sensitive information during that drinking session. Flash Drive With Japan Residents' Sensitive Data Goes Missing The contractor worker informed the authorities that he misplaced the USB driver, which contained sensitive information about residents. He admits that he lost the bag that contained the flash drive while he was getting drunk. The worker shared with the authorities that it contains personal information of residents like their exact addresses, full names, and birth dates. Not to mention that the drive also includes how much local taxes the residents have paid, their bank account numbers, and the value of their welfare benefits. On top of that, the flash drive reportedly includes information from all of the residents in the city of Amagasaki, which has a population of roughly over 460,000. Worker Goes Drinking with USB Drive Containing Sensitive Data The worker was supposed to pay the subsidies of the Japanese households gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he needs all of this information to do so. But he went out drinking without deleting the files on the flash drive, making it a memorable night for him. According to a recent report by Business Insider, the worker fell asleep in the street after drinking alcohol. And when he woke up, he was surprised to learn that he no longer had the flash drive and the bag with him. But thankfully, the officials of Amagasaki say that the sensitive data found in the flash drive is inaccessible for folks who have no idea about its password. The municipal officials further took responsibility and assured residents that they will increase the security to prevent such incidents from happening again. In addition, the authorities assured its residents that there was no reported leak of data. Read Also: An iPhone Lost in a River for 10 Months Surprisingly Turns on After Owner Gets it Back Missing USB Drive Has Been Found? Business Insider reports that the man has already been reunited with that bag that contains the flash drive. The worker returned to the location where he misplaced the bag together with the police, and got lucky to find it. He still stumbled upon the flash drive in the area where he thought he might have left it. Related Article: Japan Tests Deep Ocean Current Turbine That Can Generate Electricity - Did It Work? A judge in Harris County, Texas temporarily blocked the state's pre-Roe abortion ban from taking effect on Tuesday. The judge's order was in response to a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) arguing that a ban on abortions written before 1973 was 'repealed and unenforceable.' Under the temporary restraining order, abortions in the Lone Star State can be performed up to six weeks in pregnancy, at least for now - the order lasts until a hearing on July 12, at which point the judge will decide whether to end it. The ruling on the 1925 pre-Roe ban does not affect the state's 'trigger law,' a law the legislature passed stating that abortion would be made illegal upon the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The trigger law, passed in 2021 in anticipating of the high court's decision, will take effect in about two months. The pre-Roe ban states that those who perform abortion procedures can be punished with two to five years in prison. The law had never been taken off the books but Texas ceased enforcement after Roe v. Wade legalized abortions up to about 20 weeks. Attorney General Ken Paxton explained last week that the law stipulated that abortions would be banned 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. And while the court issued its opinion on Friday, its official judgment is not expected for about 25 more days. Attorney General Ken Paxton explained last week that the law stipulated that abortions would be banned 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. And while the court issued its opinion on Friday, its official judgment is not expected for about 25 more days Abortion rights demonstrators gather at a Rally for Reproductive Freedom at Pan American Neighborhood Park on June 26, 2022 in Austin, Texas Law enforcement keep protesters separated at a Rally for Reproductive Freedom at Pan American Neighborhood Park on June 26, 2022 in Austin, Texas Paxton at the time said that providers could still face criminal charges because the state would start enforcing the almost century-old pre-Roe ban blocking virtually all abortions, which the ACLU and two abortion clinics sued to overturn. In 2021 Texas passed a law banning abortions after 6 weeks, attempting to skirt legal challenges by putting the onus on private citizens to sue those who aid and abet women in getting an abortion. The so-called trigger ban on abortions at any stage of pregnancy makes exceptions only to save the life of the mother or prevent 'substantial impairment of major bodily function.' When the trigger ban takes effect, women who get abortions will not be prosecuted but anyone who helps a woman obtain the procedure could, and doctors performing abortions could face up to $100,000 fines or life in prison. Last Friday the court ruled 6-3 to allow a Mississippi ban on abortions at 15 weeks take effect and 5-4 to overturn the landmark case legalizing abortion, Roe. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, a ban on abortions at about six weeks took effect after the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on it in light of the Supreme Court decision. On Friday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced he will seek to pass a ban on abortions at 15 weeks. With the landmark case overturned, 13 states with trigger bans will prohibit abortion within 30 days. Other states have legislation that has been blocked or struck down, but without Roe, those laws will probably take effect. Oscar-winning film director Paul Haggis has been given a trial date for his rape lawsuit in New York City after being accused of attacking a publicist. Haggis is set to stand trial from October 11 before Judge Sabrina Kraus, Variety reports. He was accused of rape by Haleigh Breest, a film publicist, in 2017. She alleges she was raped by Haggis at his apartment in 2013 following a film premiere. But Haggis claims the encounter was consensual and has called the allegations an attempt at extortion. Following Breest's lawsuit in 2017, three more women accused Haggis of sexual misconduct in January 2018, including one who alleges she was raped by him. Haggis attempted to expedite the trial, citing mounting legal bills and an inability to work until his name is cleared, but his request was denied. The director, whose co-wrote the 2006 Oscar-winning film 'Crash', is currently under under detention after being arrested in southern Italy. A British woman has claimed that he raped her in a two-day ordeal earlier this month. Haggis has denied wrongdoing, and an Italian judge has ordered him to remain at the hotel while police investigate the claims. Paul Haggis (left) is set to stand trial from October 11 before Judge Sabrina Kraus, Variety reports. He was accused of rape by Haleigh Breest, a film publicist, in 2017 Breest alleges she was raped by Haggis at his apartment in 2013 following a film premiere. But Haggis claims the encounter was consensual and has called the allegations an attempt at extortion Haggis, who co-wrote, directed and produced Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Awards for best picture and best screenplay, is pictured with his lawyers outside the court in Italy Prosecutors have said he is under investigation for alleged aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries. After conducting a hearing that lasted several hours in the Brindisi courthouse, Judge Vilma Gilli issued the ruling that extends his detention at the farmhouse residence in the countryside of Ostuni, a tourist town where he was supposed to participate in an arts festival this week, Corriere della Sera daily reported. Haggis' lawyer, Michele Laforgia, said after the hearing that his client, before the judge, had reiterated his total innocence and is in 'hopeful expectation' that he will be ultimately vindicated. Prosecutors have described the woman as young and foreign. State TV and other Italian media said she is a 30-year-old Englishwoman who had known Haggis before he came to Ostuni. Asked by a reporter what kind of relationship Haggis and the woman had, Laforgia replied that it had been a 'relationship of acquaintance.' The lawyer said the defense disputes a hospital report indicating that the woman had suffered physical injuries. 'Paul Haggis answered all questions and explained what happened,' Laforgia told reporters outside the courthouse. 'He declared himself, as he had already done right after the detention, completely innocent, in the sense that the relations he had with this woman were totally consensual.' A request for release from house arrest was later turned down by an Italian judge and he will have to remain in Italy while the investigation continues. Ahead of his hearing local media carried details of a seven page memo he is said to have drawn up for his lawyer in which he reportedly claimed that he had met the woman at Monte Carlo in April at a film festival and the two had remained in touch via WhatsApp. Haggis claimed the pair had spoken briefly in Monte Carlo and she had expressed a desire to be in the next James Bond film and later posted a picture with him saying it was 'an honour to meet' him. Haggis, who co-wrote, directed and produced Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Awards for best picture and best screenplay, is pictured with his lawyers outside the court in Italy Haggis is pictured scanning through metal detectors at the Brindisi law court in southern Italy He then described how the two had then met at Ostuni near Brindisi in June and they had driven to his hotel where she then 'kissed' him passionately. Haggis in the memo goes on to claim the two then had sex after she had taken a shower, underlining it had been consensual and the following day they had gone out together ahead of the Allora Film Festival in Ostuni which he was attending as a guest with his daughter. He told his lawyer that the woman had 'insisted' on holding his hand which he said he was not comfortable with and she had been left upset by his reaction. Once back at their room he claimed the pair then had consensual sex again, the following day Haggis said he left her as he had a business appointment and she met with friends before that evening they met again, according to his leaked statement, where they once again had consensual sex. In mid-June he claimed the woman had gone out again with friends but returned drunk and tried to have sex with him but he had refused and had then began describing how she was the next Bond girl. The statement then goes on to allege that the following day early in the morning Haggis took the woman to Brindisi airport for her flight back to Stansted where she asked him for money but he refused and drove away. Staff later found her in a distressed state and police were called and she told them that she had been locked up for the last three days and forced to have sex with Haggis. Haggis co-wrote, directed and produced Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Awards for best picture and best screenplay. He also wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby, another Oscar winner. NSW commuters are set for further delays from industrial action by rail workers as negotiations continue over pay, conditions and safety. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union is set to meet with the NSW government on Wednesday for talks on a new Korean-built intercity train fleet. The strained negotiations come as the NSW government also confronts a strike by teachers on Thursday, and with public sector nurses and midwives voting to pressure it further on pay and staffing ratios. Blockade Australia climate activists who've spent the past two days protesting in Sydney's CBD, resulting in multiple arrests, are taking a break for at least 24 hours. NSW commuters are set for further delays from industrial action by rail workers as negotiations continue over pay, conditions and safety (pictured, Sydney commuters) Radical climate change activists from Blockade Australia descended on the city on Monday, bringing rush-hour traffic to a grinding halt (pictured, protesters in the CBD on Tuesday) Rail workers on Tuesday began four days of industrial action including limiting train speeds to 60km/h, restricting worker movement and banning the use of foreign-made trains. Transport for NSW has warned services could be reduced by 70 per cent during peak periods on Thursday and commuters should expect delays, altered stopping patterns and cancelled services. A union ban on foreign-owned trains on Friday will stop the use of the Waratah, Millennium and OSCAR trains which comprise about 70 per cent of the fleet. Travellers should also expect significant disruptions to Sydney and NSW train routes including a reduction in services to the Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and South Coast on Thursday and Friday. The union is expected to take industrial action on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week with train services to be reduced with limited replacement buses. The ongoing feud between Transport NSW and the union came to a head in February with a snap 24-hour shutdown of the network (pictured, transport workers on a Sydney platform) Travellers have been advised to organise other modes of transport if travelling into the city for work, expect delays, and avoid unnecessary travel. The ongoing feud between Transport NSW and the union came to a head in February with a snap 24-hour shutdown of the train network. The union has claimed in a meeting with the government on Friday, officials tried to 'bribe' them into operating the $2.88b New Intercity Fleet. Drivers have refused over safety concerns despite the South Korean-built fleet being approved by the Office of the National Safety Regulator. To add to peak hour pain, radical climate change activists from Blockade Australia descended on the city on Monday and Tuesday, bringing rush-hour traffic to a grinding halt. The group will take a 24 hour break from disruptions on Wednesday to allow protesters to 'rest and regroup' after 21 people were arrested earlier this week. Sally-Anne Brown, a spokeswoman for the extremist group, said at a press conference on Monday afternoon they will not stop protesting until 'profiteering of the systems that are damaging our environment' are completely disrupted. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union is set to meet with the NSW government on Wednesday for talks on a new Korean-built intercity train fleet (pictured, officers on a Sydney train in 2021) When asked what she has has planned for the rest of the week, Ms Brown said: 'The network has advertised a week of protests, but that's all I know.' Blockade Australia organisers posted a message on Tuesday saying there would be no protests on Wednesday. 'We have made the call for tomorrow to be a day off,' they said on the Telegram messaging platform via the Blockade Australia: Resist Climate Inaction channel. 'We want people to have a chance to rest, regroup and support one another as well as connect with those who share our common purpose of resisting climate destruction.' NSW Police have arrested 21 people in the past two days and warned on Tuesday they are prepared to act against protesters who 'think the law does not apply to them'. Eleven people were arrested on Tuesday during a second day of unauthorised demonstrations when about 40 people marched from Sydney's Hyde Park up William Street towards the inner east. On Monday, police arrested 10 people after about 50 took part in a Blockade Australia march through the CBD. They included Mali Poppy Cooper, 22, who locked herself to the steering wheel of a car blocking driver access to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. She allegedly live-streamed the protest from inside a white rental hatchback when an enraged commuter began to verbally abuse her with a string of swear words before storming off. 'You're f***ing everyone's day up,' he yells. 'Get the f*** out of the way!' Eleven people were arrested on Tuesday during a second day of unauthorised demonstrations when about 40 people marched in Sydney's CBD (pictured, a man with police on Tuesday) Train drivers will begin four days of action on Tuesday over safety concerns, and will refuse to drive more than 60km/h (pictured, commuters at Central Station in Sydney) Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday described the industrial action as disappointing, saying the national rail safety regulator advised the NSW government that the new intercity trains were safe. The most recent dispute was sparked by a government offer to pay workers up to $18,000 to operate the fleet before safety modifications are made. The rail union's NSW secretary Alex Claassens has accused the government of playing political games and calling that offer a bribe. A separate negotiation meeting is also scheduled between the rail union and NSW transport department officials on Thursday. Meanwhile, hundreds of nurses voted on Tuesday to continue with industrial action, rejecting the government's offer of a three per cent pay rise. NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association general secretary Brett Holmes said members will now pursue a pay rise of seven per cent. The premier said he stood by the public sector wage offer to health staff of three per cent and a $3000 bonus, calling continued industrial action politically motivated. The union is expected to take industrial action on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week with train services to be reduced by up to 75 per cent (pictured, cleaners at a Sydney train) Transport NSW has put a dramatically reduced train timetable in place following scheduled industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (pictured, commuters in Sydney in 2021) Two unions representing public and Catholic school teachers are also set to address the media on Wednesday, ahead of a historic joint 24-hour strike on Thursday. The NSW Teachers Federation and Independent Education Union NSW/ACT called the strike after Tuesday's budget papers revealed no offer above 3.5 per cent was on the table. Unions are expected to ask for better pay rates and working conditions with the protests scheduled to take place in 14 towns across the state and in the CBD. Mr Perrottet has said unions organising illegal strikes should cop steep penalties. The government wants to impose maximum fines of up to $55,000 for the first day of illegal industrial action and $27,500 for each subsequent day. Dame Deborah James has urged her fans to 'find a life worth enjoying, take risks, have no regrets and always check your poo' in a final message to her army of supporters. The podcaster tragically passed away following her five-year battle with bowel cancer, her family announced this evening. Sharing the news to Instagram, her loved ones wrote: 'We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Dame Deborah James; the most amazing wife, daughter, sister, mummy. Deborah passed away peacefully today, surrounded by her family.' The presenter, 40, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in December 2016 and received palliative care at her parents' home in Woking, Surrey after being told she may not live beyond five years - a milestone that passed in the autumn of 2021. She spent her time raising awareness about the disease leaving 'no stone unturned' during her search for 'magic medicine miracle' and even designed an InTheStyle clothing collection emblazoned with the words 'rebellious hope' after revealing the slogan 'got her through the last five years'. In an emotional statement announcing the news of her death, her family shared the final words penned by the inspirational podcaster. She told fans: 'Find a life worth enjoying, take risks, love deeply, have no regrets, and always, always have rebellious hope. 'And finally, check your poo it could just save your life.' Dame Deborah James has urged her fans to 'find a life worth enjoying, take risks, have no regrets and always check your poo' in a final message to her army of supporters The podcaster tragically passed away following her five-year battle with bowel cancer, her family announced this evening The presenter, 40, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in December 2016 and received palliative care at her parents' home in Woking, Surrey after being told she may not live beyond five years - a milestone that passed in the autumn of 2021 Deborah - who has two children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien - was constantly labelled 'inspirational' by fans after candidly sharing her struggles on social media, as well as on Radio 5 Live's You, Me and the Big C, of which she was one of three presenters. On May 9, the mother-of-two shared a heartbreaking 'goodbye' message to her 470,000 Instagram followers, revealing she was being moved into hospice-at-home care, while 'surrounded by family', because 'my body simply isn't playing ball.' While she said at the time that no one knew how long she may live, she recently revealed she was given just days when she was released from hospital last month. Deborah also launched her Bowelbabe Fund for cancer research, which has received more than 6.5 million in donations. She was made a dame by the Duke of Cambridge at her family home, with William praising her for 'going above and beyond to make a very special memory'. He later called her 'incredible' telling staff at the Royal Marsden who had treated her: 'She is a brave and inspirational woman.' Deborah - who has two children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien - was constantly labelled 'inspirational' by fans after candidly sharing her struggles on social media On May 9, the mother-of-two shared a heartbreaking 'goodbye' message to her 470,000 Instagram followers, revealing she was being moved into hospice-at-home care, while 'surrounded by family' BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN'T IGNORE Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom Blood in stools A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks Unexplained weight loss Extreme, unexplained tiredness Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50 Have a family history of the condition Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement The star broke her social media silence last week to reveal that toilet paper brand Andrex will start listing bowel cancer symptoms on its packaging. Deborah campaigned for supermarkets to put symptoms of bowel cancer on their toilet rolls so that people were more aware of the signs to watch out for in a bid to catch it early. Andrex announced the news earlier today on social media, writing: 'Thank you for the brilliant work you are doing to raise awareness of bowel cancer.' Dame Deborah shared the post, adding a caption saying: '28 million packs! Coming soon! @andrexuk. Puppy we are embracing the poo.' The company, which has donated 65,000 to the charity, teamed up with Bowel Cancer UK to put the information on packaging and is aiming to have the symptoms on all of their packaging within the next year. Additionally, there will be a QR code on the packs which redirects people to Bowel Cancer UK's website where they can find more information. Deborah also appeared in an episode of Embarrassing Bodies - filmed earlier this year - and revealed she had a 'gut instinct that something wasn't right' before receiving her bowel cancer diagnosis. During her final TV appearance on E4's Embarrassing Bodies on June 16, Deborah explained: 'I started going to the poo - we need to say that - eight times a day. And I used to be a once-a-day kind of girl. 'Then I started getting really tired and I remember drinking loads of cups of coffee just to try and keep myself awake. Then I started losing loads of weight and I started having blood in my poo.' It was the combination of these changes, Deborah said, that led her to having a 'gut instinct that something wasn't right. Deborah was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer in 2016. She had frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease. After sharing her experiences on living with the illness on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe' and in 2018, she joined Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live. Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5 that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show. It had been a difficult year for Deborah, who in previous years had defied the odds by running 5K races and taking part in triathlons. Speaking about her cancer battle, Deborah said she had been 'consumed by anger' Family: Dame Deborah (centre, with husband Sebastien Bowen, left, and children Eloise, 12 and Hugo, 14) was awarded a damehood by Prince William last month The campaigner previously revealed she had started her 'to-do death list' to support son Hugo, 14, and daughter, Eloise, 12. Pictured: Deborah with her husband Sebastien Bowen in 2019 BBC podcast host Deborah James revealed in April after she was discharged after more than a month in hospital. Pictured, leaving the Royal Marsden Hospital Deborah was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer in 2016. She had frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease However, she told Lorraine Kelly earlier this year that she spent '80 per cent' of it in hospital receiving treatment after suffering sepsis and a traumatic varicose vein bleed. In January, she said the 'trauma' of nearly dying from the bleed was still 'very raw and real' as she returned home after three weeks in hospital. Speaking on her You, Me and the Big C podcast with co-host Steve Bland, Deborah said: 'I was in a state, an absolute state. I was flummoxed. I can't describe it. I just survived something I never thought I thought that was it. I thought I was a goner. 'How do you process that I said my goodbyes, I thought that was it, I thought that was the end of my life, how do you stop reliving that trauma? I did not know what to do with myself. 'And it's amazing how you suddenly go back to the things you realise you can do, which is to chat into a microphone or write whatever your normal coping mechanism are even in a crisis. 'I'm always somebody that has to have a bit of a purpose so I was like: 'If I'm going through this I need each and every day to find a purpose'. Obviously the purpose is to live but it also gave me a structure during the day. It gave me something to do (in hospital). 'I thought I feel so awful, not just physically, but mentally. I thought I knew what rock bottom was. I thought I knew what tough was and I didn't. I cracked there's no embarrassment in saying that. I hit a new low that I never knew existed.' A law graduate killed by a stranger as she walked home had reassured her best friend 'that won't happen to us' after Sarah Everard's murder. Zara Aleena, 35, died from severe head injuries after she was attacked on her way back from a night out in the early hours of Sunday. CCTV captured the 5ft 1in University of Westminster graduate walking past a shop to her mother's house in Ilford, north-east London, moments before she was attacked from behind, dragged into a driveway and beaten to death. Last night detectives continued to question a 29-year-old man arrested on Monday. Miss Aleena's devastated best friend drew chilling parallels with the murder of Miss Everard, 33, and Sabina Nessa, 28. Kind and loving: Law graduate Zara Aleena, pictured left, was killed by a stranger as she walked home and had told her best friend Lisa Hodgson, right, 'that won't happen to us' after Sarah Everard's murder Zara Aleena, 35, died from severe head injuries after she was attacked on her way back from a night out in the early hours of Sunday morning Lisa Hodgson, who studied at Westminster Kingsway College with Miss Aleena, said: 'We spoke a lot about Sarah Everard together, and Sabina Nessa too. Of course we didn't know those girls but we were both really affected by it Zara was quite shaken. 'I even said to Zara, 'Can you imagine something like that happening to us?' And she said, 'It's awful, I know. But don't worry, it won't happen to us'. Everyone believes that won't happen to them until it does.' Marketing manager Miss Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered in March last year by Scotland Yard firearms officer Wayne Couzens. Miss Hodgson said: 'After what happened to Sarah you would expect to see big changes to prevent it happening again. 'But what has been done? It has happened again, to my best friend. 'These predators out there don't seem to care they're not scared. We should be able to walk home alone at night without being terrified, looking over our shoulders fearful that something like this will happen. Why shouldn't we feel safe?' Jebina Nessa, whose sister Sabina was murdered in Kidbrooke, south-east London last September, joined calls for more to be done to end male violence against women. This is the last exchange Zara's closest friend had with her on Friday. On Sunday morning she was murdered The crime scene in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, is shown where Aleena was attacked on Sunday The attack was reminiscent of Sarah Everard, killed by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens as she walked home in south London on March 3 last year She said: 'Words cannot describe how I felt reading yet another murder, similar to what happened to my beautiful sister. My heart goes out to her family.' It was typical for Miss Aleena, who worked at the Royal Courts of Justice while seeking a trainee solicitor role, to walk rather than take a taxi. Miss Hodgson said. 'She was fearless. I spoke to her friend about what happened they said they got in a cab and Zara wanted to walk. That's Zara, 100 per cent.' CCTV given to police but not made public shows her attacker approach from behind, put his hand over her mouth and punch her to the ground, according to neighbours who had seen it. 'How cowardly, to attack a lone woman from behind. Zara was small but she was tough and brave, she would have fought to the last,' Miss Hodgson said. As the attacker fled, neighbours rushed out to find Miss Aleena bleeding. Paramedics performed CPR for two hours and took her to hospital at about 4.30am but she was declared dead shortly afterwards. Scotland Yard was placed under special measures yesterday after a devastating inspection revealed a catalogue of new failures. Officers with Britain's biggest police force failed to record tens of thousands of crimes, ignored almost all victims of anti-social behaviour, let down vulnerable victims and neglected a huge backlog of online child abuse referrals. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) announced that 'systemic concerns' about the force's performance raised by a new inspection had been so grave that the force needed to be put under special measures. The unprecedented step means the Metropolitan Police will face external monitoring and must come up with an improvement plan. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) announced that 'systemic concerns' about the force's performance raised by a new inspection had been so grave that the force needed to be put under special measure. Pictured: Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick The damning indictment comes after Commissioner Cressida Dick was forced to quit in February following a torrid year of scandals which saw the murder of Sarah Everard by one of her officers, the force being branded 'institutionally corrupt' by an independent inquiry and two officers jailed for photographing bodies of murder victims. Yesterday a leaked letter from the police inspectorate revealed the force is failing victims across the board. The new annual inspection found: Around 69,000 crimes are going unrecorded each year and almost no crimes are recorded of anti-social behaviour. Handling of 999 calls is below national standards. There is insufficient supervision and oversight of some investigations. Officers fail to record the reason for a stop and search properly in a quarter of cases. The force has insufficient capacity to meet demand in public protection. There is a 'persistently large backlog' of online child abuse referrals. Last night a war of words broke out as Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan clashed over who was responsible for the fiasco. In a leaked letter to Acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Stephen House, Her Majesty's Inspector Matt Parr warned the succession of scandals and 'systemic concerns' about the force's performance is 'likely to have a chilling effect on public trust and confidence in the Met'. Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens In June 2020 sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death and officers Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33, took photos at the scene in Wembley In the new inspection, which has yet to be made public in full, Mr Parr condemned the force's performance in handling 999 and non-emergency calls, saying it is 'falling far short of national standards', with staff failing to assess vulnerability, identify repeat victims and not offering advice about preserving evidence to catch offenders. He blasted the force for ignoring crimes, saying it had 'a barely adequate standard of crime recording accuracy, with an estimated 69,000 crimes going unrecorded each year, less than half of crime recorded within 24 hours, and almost no crimes recorded when victims report antisocial behaviour against them'. Mr Parr said victims were not told when officers were dropping their case, they were not given appropriate support, and officers were not seeking their views before finalising crime reports. He went on to criticise 'the lack of a detailed understanding of capacity and capability across all aspects of policing', saying the Metropolitan Police had 'an insufficiently comprehensive understanding of demand'. The scandals that have rocked the capital's force OPERATION MIDLAND In 2014 the notorious investigation was sanctioned by Dame Cressida Dick, then a high-ranking officer at Scotland Yard. The disastrous inquiry into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations saw innocent men, including the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, pursued by the force. Several men died, with reputations tarnished, before the allegations were disproved. NICOLE SMALLMAN AND BIBAA HENRY MURDERS In June 2020 two officers were tasked with guarding a crime scene where sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, had been stabbed to death. Officers Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33, took photos at the scene in Wembley, then shared them in two WhatsApp groups. They were each jailed for two years and nine months last December. SARAH EVERARD MURDER In March last year, 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by serving officer Wayne Couzens. The force's officers were accused of 'manhandling' women at a Clapham Common vigil staged ten days after her disappearance. DANIEL MORGAN INQUIRY In June last year a report into the unsolved 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan accused the Metropolitan Police of 'institutional corruption'. STEPHEN PORT INVESTIGATION An inquest jury ruled in December that failures by Yard detectives contributed to the deaths of a serial killer's three final victims. Stephen Port killed four men in their 20s by giving them overdoses of the date rape drug GHB at his east London home in 2014 and 2015. The inquest found police failed to carry out basic checks. A solicitor for the families said the Met's actions were driven in part by homophobia. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is to re-investigate the force's handling of the case. CHARING CROSS SCANDAL In February the IOPC exposed conduct by officers based at Charing Cross police station who were found to have joked about rape, killing black children and beating their wives. BIANCA WILLIAMS Five officers are to face a gross misconduct hearing over their stop and search of Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams in 2020. She and her partner were stopped in west London. Nothing illegal was found and the couple, who are black, claim they were racially profiled. Advertisement Last week Scotland Yard revealed eight referrals about strip searches of children have been made to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after two teenage girls were strip-searched by officers while they were menstruating. Mr Parr also highlighted the investigation into four murders by serial killer Stephen Port, which he said was marred by 'seemingly incomprehensible failures'. Mr Parr said Scotland Yard 'hasn't always shown a great willingness' to learn from mistakes, echoing a report in March when he warned the 'arrogant, secretive and lethargic' force was failing to tackle corruption. The Metropolitan Police is now only one of a handful of forces ever to be placed under special measures, which the inspectorate refer to as an 'engage phase'. The move triggered a row between Miss Patel and Mr Khan. In a statement the Home Secretary said: 'I support the action that HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their failings and I expect the Met and the London Mayor to take immediate action to begin addressing them.' The damning indictment comes after Commissioner Cressida Dick was forced to quit in February following a torrid year of scandals which saw the murder of Sarah Everard by one of her officers, the force being branded 'institutionally corrupt' by an independent inquiry and two officers jailed for photographing bodies of murder victims. Pictured left to right: Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Nick Bramall, Alastair Morgan, Harvey Proctor, Michael Mcmanus, Paul Gambaccini, and Lady Diana Brittan But Mr Khan hit back, pointing out that he had been the one to force out Dame Cressida. A source close to the mayor said: 'He will take no lessons in policing from the Home Secretary, who clearly was happy with the status quo and didn't want any action taken.' Sir Stephen has been summoned to a meeting next month to discuss a plan of action before a new commissioner is appointed. A Met spokesman said: 'We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the Inspectorate about next steps.' A 15-year-old from West Yorkshire was charged on Tuesday for several acts of terrorism. Counter Terrorism Policing North East said the teenager from Hayworth was charged for a total of six offences. He committed four offences of dissemination of terrorist publications. He was also charged with engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism and another offence under the Protection from Harassment Act. He arrested on June 21 as part of an intelligence led operation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East The force said they ran a pre-planned raid into suspected extreme right wing terrorism in the area. A seven-day warrant of further detention granted by the courts on June 22 allowed the force to also search a home in the area. Counter Terrorism Policing North East deploy specialist support to police throughout the country, and in particular, forces in the North East region The boy is currently being held in prison but will appear at the Old Bailey on Friday, July 15. The North East Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) was set up in April 2007 and is part of the network of Counter Terrorism Units all set up to strengthen the UKs response to the threat from terrorism. They get extensive terrorism inquiries that have the potential to tie up a lot of police officers for a long time. The 15-year-old was charged for a total of six terrorism offences The North East region terrorism Unit uses specialists from skilled detectives, financial investigators, community contact teams, intelligence analysts, forensic specialists and high-tech investigators to catch terrorists. The Counter Terrorism Units are aware of the long term impact of terrorism investigations on local forces that use a huge amount of staff to respond to. An executed bikie had a nasty clash with the mother of a Comanchero's boss weeks before he was gunned down in a hail of bullets in front of his wife. Yusuf Nazlioglu was rushed to Sydney's Westmead Hospital at about 6.30 pm on Monday with about ten bullet wounds after the unidentified killer opened fire in the parking complex under his apartment in Rhodes, in the city's west. Police later confirmed the 40-year-old died in hospital about 7.15am on Tuesday. Now, underworld sources have revealed Nazlioglu had a run-in with the mother of Mick Hawi, who was shot dead outside Fitness First Gym at Rockdale in February 2018, at a cemetery. Nazlioglu had once been accused of murdering Hawi, the former president of the Comancheros bikie gang, but was acquitted by an NSW Supreme Court jury two years ago. Yusuf Nazlioglu, 40, was gunned down in his Rhodes apartment complex on Monday in front of his wife of four months, Jade (pictured together) Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that any of Hawi's relatives were involved in Nazlioglu's death. 'Juries get it wrong, he pulled the trigger (to kill Hawi), we all know that,' one underworld source told The Daily Telegraph. 'Hawi was a very popular figure in the Comos (Comanchero OMCG), especially after the way he gave himself up for the airport brawl. 'Theres a lot of guys out there that would still be loyal to him.' Other sources claimed Nazlioglu had also recently stirred trouble with a member of a well-known Sydney crime family after stealing his Bentley. They said vehicle was one of several luxury cars, including a Bentley, the former Lone Wolf bikie had allegedly stolen and then used for extortion. One source said Sydney was a dangerous place at the moment and was 'only a matter of time' before Nazlioglu was killed. Daily Mail Australia understands the gunman was waiting in a silver hatchback for Nazlioglu to get out of the car before he unleashed on the underworld figure. Nazlioglu was once accused of killing former Comanchero bikie boss Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi (pictured), who was shot in front of a gym in 2018 Emergency services cart Nazlioglu out of the Rhodes building on Monday after he was shot up to ten times in the head and chest Police towed a black Mercedes from the carpark on Tuesday morning. The car had a large bullet hole Pictured: The basement carpark where Nazlioglu was gunned down on Monday His wife Jade, to whom he had only been married four months, frantically rang the police. The shooter fled the scene, and the hatchback was later found burnt out in nearby Leeds St. Detective Superintendent Martin Hayston said detectives believe the attack was 'targeted'. 'The person who approached the 40-year-old male and shot him clearly was there to do that, there is various lines of inquiry underway in relation to motive,' he said. Nazlioglu's death marked the end of a six-week run without a fatal shooting in Sydney as the city grapples with a bloody underworld war, with at least 14 men gunned down over the past two years. Detectives say at this stage in the investigation the assassination does not appear to be linked to the feud between the Alameddine of Hamzy networks. Plain-clothed detectives arrived at the scene throughout Tuesday morning, as the investigation into the senseless killing continues. Residents said Mrs Nazlioglu was seen wailing in the foyer and saying 'why did they have to kill him' as emergency service tried to save her husband. Yusuf Nazlioglu is pictured with his wife in April. The couple got married in January Bodies have been piling up in the Harbour City in the past 18 months with at least a dozen contract killings linked to the bitter feud between the Hamzy and Alameddine crime clans Desperate relatives of missing victims of the Ukrainian shopping mall attack appealed for help in finding their loved ones yesterday. Among those at the scene asking passers-by for information was Ihor Ivakhenko whose girlfriend Tatyana Brigadirenko was working at the Amstor mall when it was hit in a Russian missile strike. At least 18 people are feared to have died, including 11 who were discovered in a toy shop. But more than 40 remained unaccounted for last night. Lists of the missing have been pinned up at a police station and relatives have left messages at the site of the attack in the central city of Kremenchuk. Several workers at Comfy, a household appliances store, were still missing last night, including Elena Poliakova. Meeting: Alyona Velichko (Left) and At work: Elena Poliakova (Right) Still missing: Sofia Vinnik (Left) and Shopper: Anna Vovnenko (Right) Another Amstor employee, Sofia Vinnik, 21, was known to have been at work. Other appeals were made on social media, including for Anna Vovnenko, who was with her mother when the missiles hit. Her mother is now in hospital among about 50 people injured. Another appeal, for Alyona Velichko, 44, said she was going to meet a friend near the mall. Devastation: The mall in flames As many as 1,000 people were feared to have been inside when it was hit. Yesterday Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky denounced Russias actions as one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history. Russia has accused Ukraine of staging the attack. The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a bid by Apple to relaunch hearings with the intention to cancel two Qualcomm patents despite a settlement on the issue between the two tech giants. The High Court rejected Apple's appeal of a lower court decision that the Cupertino, California-based company lacked standing to revive the matter due to the settlement. Apple pushed that it should be allowed to resurrect its legal action because Qualcomm could also haul them back to court again once the settlement ends. Qualcomm sued Apple in 2017 in San Diego federal court, claiming that Apple's iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches infringed two Qualcomm mobile-technology patents (US Patent No. 7,844,037 and US Patent No. 8,683,362). That case was one element of a broader court dispute between the companies, The Verge reported. Apple questioned the validity of the two patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Basis of Supreme Court Decision: 2019 Apple-Qualcomm Settlement The parties reached a settlement in 2019, signing an agreement worth billions of dollars that allowed Apple to still use Qualcomm chips in iPhones. The settlement also provided Apple a six-year license to tens of thousands of Qualcomm patents, including the two being dispute, as the patent board case remained. Read Also: Apple buries iPhone, iPod warranty lawsuit with $53 million The U.S. patent board favored Qualcomm in its ruling. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which specializes in patent law, threw out Apple's appeal in 2021 citing the 2019 settlement. The Federal Circuit rejected Apple's assertion that its royalty payments and risk of being sued again justified hearing the case based on merits. Apple Sought Appeal Over Fears of Future Qualcomm Patent Litigation When Settlement Ends Before the Supreme Court, Apple said that the company continued to face the risk of litigation after the agreement ends in 2025, or in 2027 if the settlement term is extended. For its part, Qualcomm told the Supreme Court to reject the appeal, arguing Apple had not shown any evidence to support its claims. The chipmaker found an ally in President Joe Biden's administration, which also urged the High Court to reject Apple's appeal. Apple had since discontinued using Qualcomm chipsets and had since moved on, utilizing its own M series of chipsets, which has now ruled the market for powerful chipsets. The original M1 was a powerhouse of a chip when Apple introduced in MacBooks and iPads and the latest M2 is also as superb. Because of this, Apple is considered the market leader in mobile chips. In response, Qualcomm is also developing next-generation chip powerhouse for laptops. Qualcomm is best known for making chips for high-end as well as affordable smartphones. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is one of the best chips that you can find and is powering most of the flagship smartphones. As part of its acquisition of powerful chipset maker Nuvia, Qualcomm will soon release chipsets to take on Apple's M series, seeking to reclaim the mobile chipset leadership. Related Article: Qualcomm Supply Shortage Puts Samsung, HMD Global in Trouble: Why is the Chip Supply so Critical? Police have arrested a man after a severed human head was left outside the front of a court house in the German city of Bonn. The 38-year-old suspect, who is from the area, was detained 'without resistance' following the horrific discovery on Tuesday. A body was found a short while later lying on the banks of the Rhine River near Alter Zoll. Police said they believe the body belongs to the severed head. It is thought the suspect walked one kilometre to the courthouse carrying the severed head, reports Bild. A witness told the newspaper: 'The man then just sat there a few meters from his head. He allowed himself to be arrested without resistance.' The scene outside the courthouse in Bonn, where a human head was found earlier tonight Detectives are urgently appealing for witnesses to come forward after the severed head was found in front of the Bonn district court. Police spokesman Robert Scholten is quoted as saying at the scene: 'We are at work here with the homicide squad. We will inspect both sites and question the provisionally arrested person.' The victim is believed to be a 44-year-old man. The victim and the suspect are believed to have been homeless - but it remains unclear whether the pair knew each other. Police vans blocked the road as a small tent was erected to conceal the human head left outside the court in broad daylight. Police said no suspicious activity was reported in the area and they are seeking witnesses to come forward for information. A man has been charged over his alleged role in the deadly shooting of underworld crime boss Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad. Detectives from the NSW Homicide Squad arrested the 49-year-old man during a police operation in Campsie, southwest Sydney, on May 2. He has been charged with one count of accessory before the fact to murder, and accessory after the fact to murder, among other offences. Following the arrest, officers conducted a search warrant at a home in Wetherill Park, where they seized 25kg of ice worth an estimated $22million. A man has been charged over his alleged role in the deadly shooting of underworld crime boss Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad, 39, (pictured) A harrowing picture shows Ahmad, also known as Sydney's 'Mr Big' fighting for life after he was brazenly executed on a suburban street in Greenacre on April 27 Officers also seized $200,000 in cash and cloned number plates. Police will allege in court he was involved in the planning of Brownie's death with the man to due to appear in Fairfield Local court on July 6. The 49-year-old was also charged with several drug and criminal group offences. Ahmad, also known as Sydney's 'Mr Big', was shot dead on a suburban street in Greenacre, in the city's southwest, on April 27. Raptor Squad police patrolling nearby performed CPR with vision of the harrowing scene showing 'Mr Big' fighting for his life, but they were unable to revive him. Friends of the slain underworld boss - who had a $1 million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death. He had repeatedly been warned he was a marked man when he walked free from jail after six months for a five-year sentence for killing a gangland rival. Ahmad had extorted fellow underworld figures both in prison and outside, demanding at least one inmate pay $250,000 to ensure his safety. Friends of the slain underworld boss (pictured) - who had a $1 million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death Friends of the slain underworld boss - who had a $1million bounty on his head - and detectives said they weren't shocked by his gruesome death (pictured, the scene of the April shooting) 'He's been warned in the past he was a marked man and as a result he didn't heed those words... he was going about his normal business without a care in the world,' detective superintendent Danny Doherty said. Last October, Ahmad dodged another attempt when he was tipped off by police about a planned hit on him in broad daylight at a park at Rushcutters Bay. The conflict between warring Sydney gangs has claimed 14 lives in two years, and the state opposition claims there have been at least 35 major violent incidents involving gangs in NSW since June 2020. The executions come as police are granted new powers to detain convicted drug dealers anytime anywhere, no warrant required. The unprecedented NSW laws also allow police to search them in the street, knock down their doors, as well as search their homes, businesses and vehicles. The new legislation two years in the making will be piloted in four areas across NSW, including Bankstown in Sydney's south-west as the city's gangland war escalates. Trophy hunters are slaughtering an animal every three minutes with UK marksmen among the worlds most prolific killers, the Daily Mail can reveal. British hunters have won prizes for shooting more than a hundred different species, including endangered ones such as lions and polar bears, says a report by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on banning trophy hunting. The exhaustive six-month inquiry the findings of which will be published today has found that firms founded in the UK are selling trophy-hunting holidays for tens of thousands of pounds. Among them are canned lion hunts, where the animals are bred in captivity and shot in enclosures. Pro-hunting activists claim the activity helps conservation in Africa, but British hunters have boasted of shooting monkeys and cats in trees for fun and the majority of animals die slow, painful deaths, the report says. Posing with his kill: Kenny MacLeod Snr, who runs a construction firm, next to a slain kudu antelope Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, the APPGs chairman, said the findings kick the bottom out of hunters claims that they are conserving wildlife and shows that their motivation is self-gratification of the most revolting kind. The industry is entrenching apartheid-era inequalities as some hunting company owners make millions of pounds a year but locals hired as cooks, cleaners or skinners earn just a few hundred, the APPG also says. It comes after a private members bill that aims to ban the import of hunting trophies into Britain was finally presented to Parliament earlier this month. If it becomes law, the bill tabled by Tory MP Henry Smith would stop hunters bringing animal skins, severed heads and carcasses back to the UK after shoots abroad. The Government has spent years promising a ban, but failed to offer a timetable. But British trophy hunters have defended their involvement, saying it pours money back into the economy of the countries where they hunt. For the Scottish MacLeod clan, it is a family affair, with father Kenny Snr and his three sons having shot at least 22 different species between them. Graeme and Greig Blundell, a father and son from Kinross, Scotland, are pictured with a zebra Kenny Snr, who runs housing firm MacLeod Construction, is the most prolific of the group, with 18 confirmed kills, including warthog and wildebeest. His son Greig, who has posed next to his kill of a zebra, worked for the company for 14 years before leaving to set up his own in 2020. Kenny Jr told the Mail that hunting was a way of life in Africa and compared it to deer hunting in the UK. He added: The companies employed a ton of local people, workers and all the meat of the animals was getting eaten and shared at night. It isnt a cheap thing to do either, so all that money is going to go back into their economy. Animal rights campaigners have condemned the practice, describing one hunter Ryan Seaman or Bullseye as he refers to himself as the sickest man in Britain. Mr Seaman openly boasts of his kills and shares gruesome pictures of their carcasses on Facebook. In one picture, he smiles next to a bloodied baboon while clasping the scruff of its head to hold it upright, making it appear chillingly human. Other animals he has killed include a kudu antelope, a warthog and blue wildebeest. In one post, Mr Seaman, from Bristol, kneels next to 57 dead foxes and rabbits, which he claims to have shot in one night and brags that it will provide loads of moleskin shirts. Among those urging MPs to support the bill and ban trophy hunters imports are explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who called on them to help put an end to this sick bloodsport. First Lady Melania Trump's former Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham had her own receipts to show off Tuesday after Cassidy Hutchinson testified about resistance from the president and his advisers to call off the January 6 Capitol attack. Grisham, who also served as White House press secretary, shared what appeared to be a text exchange between she and a 'MT' - Melania Trump - in which she asks: 'Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence.' 'No,' Grisham's texts show the first lady responded. First Lady Melania Trump's former Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham had her own receipts to show off Tuesday after Cassidy Hutchinson testified about the resistance from the president and his advisers to call off the January 6 Capitol attack Stephanie Grisham (left) had previously detailed how that exchange with now former First Lady Melania Trump (right) compelled her to quit her job on January 6. Grisham said she finally saw the first lady as the 'doomed French queen. Dismissive. Defeated. Detached' Grisham had detailed this interaction with the then first lady in her book, I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House, explaining how it compelled her to leave. She wrote that she 'finally saw the doomed French queen. Dismissive. Defeated. Detached.' Melania Trump was in the middle of a photoshoot, capturing some of the White House's rugs when the Capitol was being assaulted by the pro-Trump crowd. 'It broke me,' Grisham wrote. 'I took a breath and waited another minute. You learned to do that in the Trump White House: make sure you are grounded and not acting out of the moment. Then I resigned.' 'I sent her an email and cc-ed her senior adviser so I couldn't take it back or be talked out of it. I was done,' Grisham said. In January 2022, Grisham appeared in-person to speak with members of the House select committee on January 6. Melania Trump 's ex-Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham met behind closed doors in January 2022 with the House select committee on January 6. She is seen arriving at the meeting held at the O'Neill House Office Building in Washington Stephanie Grisham tweeted out her exchange with Melania Trump after former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson spoke of her own 'frustration' in getting Meadows to care about the angry pro-Trump crowd approaching the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6 Hutchinson, a 25-year-old former White House aide who was working under Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the attack, detailed some of President Donald Trump and Meadows' behavior during the MAGA riot to the House January 6 committee. She said she was 'frustrated' by her own boss' ambivalence - even pointing out to Meadows that one of his close friends, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, was likely still in the Capitol Building as the angry crowd neared. 'I remember thinking in that moment, Mark needs to snap out of this and I don't know how to snap him out of this. He needs to care,' she told the House committee. 'And I just sort of blurted out, "Do you know where Jim's at right now?"' she said. 'And he looked up at me at that point. "Jim?" I said Mark, he was on the floor a little while ago giving a floor speech, did you listen? ... Do you know where he's at right now?' Hutchinson said she encouraged Meadows to check in on Jordan. 'And I remember pointing at the TV and I said, "The rioters are getting close. They might get in,"' she said. 'He looked at me and said something to the effect of, "Alright I'll give him a call."' She told lawmakers it was like watching 'a bad car accident about to happen, where you can't stop it, but you want to be able to do something.' Hutchinson also said in her taped deposition that Ivanka Trump, among other White House officials, had tried to get the president to call off the assault hours before he released a video statement. During the hearing, Hutchinson also recalled an impromptu meeting on January 6 after Trump returned to the White House after speaking at the Ellipse she had with former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato and Bobby Engel, the head of Trump's security detail. 'Did you hear what effing happened in the Beast?' she said Engel asked her. She replied that she hadn't heard. 'Tony proceeded to tell me that when the president got in the Beast he was under the impression from Mr. Meadows that the off-the-record movement to the Capitol was still possible and likely to happen, but that Bobby had more information,' Hutchinson said. Trump, Hutchinson said, thought they were going up to the Capitol - like he had told his crowd of supporters he would do. This was in the hours before the attack. 'When Bobby had relayed to him we're not, we don't have the assets to do it, it's not secure, we're going back to the West Wing, the president had a very strong, very angry response,' Hutchinson continued. She was told that Trump said something like: 'I'm the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now!' Engel, she said, reiterated that they were headed back to the White House. 'The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel, Mr. Engel grabbed his arm and said, "Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, we're going back to the West Wing, we're not going to the Capitol,"' she said. 'Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward Bobby Engel and when Mr. Ornato had recounted this story to me he motioned toward his clavicles,' Hutchinson said, as a sign the president went for Engel's throat. GOP Rep. Liz Cheney then asked Hutchinson if Engel or Ornato ever changed their stories. 'Neither Mr. Ornato or Mr. Engel told me ever that it was untrue,' Hutchinson testified. From there, Hutchinson talked about Trump throwing dishes when being served with bad news. She said she remembered 'hearing noise' on the heels of the Associated Press article being released in which Barr confirmed that Trump's widespread election fraud claims weren't real. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was summoned to Trump's office. When Meadows returned Hutchinson said she walked down toward the White House dining room. 'And I noticed that the door was propped open and the valet was inside the dining room changing the tablecloth off of the dining room table,' she said. 'He motioned for me to come in and then pointed toward the front of the room near the fireplace mantel and the TV.' 'Where I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall,' she continued. 'And there's a shattered porcelain plate on the floor.' 'The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney general's AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall,' she said, explaining that she then helped with the clean-up. Cheney then asked Hutchinson if this was typical Trump behavior. 'There were several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flicking the table cloth to let all of the contents of the table go onto the floor and likely break or go everywhere,' Hutchinson volunteered. The NHS will ask patients to turn their bedrooms into hospital wards in an effort to free up hospital beds and tackle waiting lists. They will be given mobile phones and wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor their vital signs remotely on virtual wards. Up to 25,000 people at a time could be treated under the hospital at home scheme by March 2024 in a big boost to capacity. And it could allow patients to be discharged from hospital sooner or avoid the need to be admitted in the first place. The initiative forms part of the Governments Plan for Digital Health and Social Care, published today. The NHS will ask patients to turn their bedrooms into hospital wards in an effort to free up hospital beds and tackle waiting lists (stock image of ward) It outlines ministers ambitions to expand the use of technology within the NHS rapidly in an attempt to save billions of pounds over the next decade. Proposals include expanding the use of remote monitoring, improving the NHS App and rolling out digital health and social care records in hospitals and care homes. The Government will create an extra 10,500 data and technology roles as well as increase training in these areas for new and existing staff. The expanded use of virtual wards comes after NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard admitted that too many beds had been cut. Some 25,000 staffed beds have been lost since 2010/11, with fewer beds per head of population than comparable countries. Mrs Pritchard told the NHS ConfedExpo conference this month: We have passed the point at which that efficiency actually becomes inefficient. A shortage of beds, along with delays in discharging medically fit patients into social care, have contributed to longer waits for routine operations and in A&E. There are a record 6.5 million people on NHS waiting lists, with numbers soaring in recent months due to disruption caused by the pandemic. More than 280,000 people have had their conditions, such as asthma, remotely monitored at home and in care homes over the past year, freeing up hospital beds and clinicians time. This has resulted in improvements in patient outcomes, with problems spotted earlier, shorter stays in hospital and fewer admissions, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. A further 500,000 people could be supported in this way by March next year, the plan adds. Patients will also be able to complete their hospital pre-assessment checks from home by September 2024. Up to 25,000 people at a time could be treated under the hospital at home scheme by March 2024 in a big boost to capacity (stock of ambulance) Upcoming versions of the NHS App will let patients book and rearrange hospital appointments and communicate with their GP surgeries. It will also give greater access to medical records and be used for remote consultations. More than 28 million people have already downloaded it. Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: We are embarking on a radical programme of modernisation that will make sure the NHS is set up to meet the challenges of 2048 not 1948, when it was first established. This plan builds on our data strategy to revolutionise digital health and care, which will enable patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS App and take more control of their own care at home, picking up problems sooner and seeking help earlier. Ensuring more personalisation and better joining up of the system will benefit patients, free up clinician time, and help us to bust the Covid backlogs. Dr Timothy Ferris, director of transformation at NHS England, said: By harnessing the power of digital and data we can improve both how people access services and the way we provide care. Todays plan for digital health and care sets out an ambitious vision for a future where the NHS puts more power and information at patients fingertips, and staff have the tools they need to deliver better and more joined-up services. Climate change is 'unequivocally' linked to some extreme weather events such as heatwaves, but its effect on others, such as severe droughts may be overestimated, a new study suggests. In the last three months, monsoon rains unleashed disastrous flooding in Bangladesh, and brutal heatwaves seared parts of South Asia and Europe. Meanwhile, prolonged drought has left millions on the brink of famine in East Africa. A review of extreme weather hazards shows that climate change is making heatwaves more intense and more likely, and the impact in terms of lives lost and financial costs is being underestimated. For others, including tropical cyclones, there are variations between regions and the role that climate change plays in each event. But severe droughts in many parts of the world are not due to climate change, according to the review by scientists from University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Study co-author Friederike Otto, of Imperial College London, said the impact of global warming on extreme weather events was often 'overestimated'. Climate change has made heatwaves more intense and more likely, scientists have warned, with extreme weather causing a huge number of deaths and billions of pounds in damage HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL DIE? Large numbers of people are being displaced by worsening weather extremes. And the world's poor are being hit by far the hardest, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stated earlier this year. More people are going to die each year from heat waves, diseases, extreme weather, air pollution and starvation because of global warming, the report said. Just how many people die depends on how much heat-trapping gas from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas gets spewed into the air and how the world adapts to an ever-hotter world, scientists say. 'Climate change is killing people,' said co-author Helen Adams of King's College London. 'Yes, things are bad, but actually the future depends on us, not the climate.' With every tenth of a degree of warming, many more people die from heat stress, heart and lung problems from heat and air pollution, infectious diseases, illnesses from mosquitoes and starvation, the authors said. Advertisement 'I think on the one hand we overestimate climate change because it's now quite common that every time an extreme event happens, there is a big assumption that climate change is playing a big role, which is not always the case,' she told the Guardian. 'But on the other hand, we really underestimate those events where climate change does play a role in what the costs are, especially the non-economic costs of extreme weather events to our societies.' The researchers looked at information from the latest reports from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and results from the growing body of attribution studies, which use weather observations and climate models to identify the role of global warming in specific events. Dr Otto said it was 'absolutely' the case that climate change was already making heatwaves more likely and intense. 'We can very confidently say that every heatwave that is occurring today is made more intense and more likely because of climate change. 'There are local factors like land use changes that might change how much more likely, but there's no doubt climate change is really an absolute gamechanger when it comes to heatwaves around the world,' she added. However, in other extremes, such as drought, the role of climate change is less clear. Dr Otto pointed to East Africa, which has a naturally highly variable climate that contributes to drought, and warned that disaster there was linked to poverty and lack of health care systems and infrastructure. The study authors say there is a need to record the impact of extreme weather far more systematically around the world, as a lack of data on previous events makes it harder to cope with future extremes. Lead author Ben Clarke, of the University of Oxford, said: 'The rise of more extreme and intense weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall have dramatically increased in recent years, affecting people all over the globe. 'Understanding the role that climate change plays in these events can help us better prepare for them. It also allows us to determine the real cost that carbon emissions have in our lives.' In general, a heatwave that previously had a 1 in 10 chance of occurring is now nearly three times as likely and peaking at temperatures around 1 degree Celsius higher than it would have been without climate change. An April heatwave that saw the mercury climb above 122F (50C) in India and Pakistan, for example, was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to the climatologists leading the international research collaboration World Weather Attribution. Heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere in June from Europe to the US show that 'the frequency of heatwaves has gone up so much,' Dr Otto said. For heatwaves and extreme rainfall, 'we find we have a much better understanding of how the intensity of these events is changing due to climate change,' said study co-author Luke Harrington, a climate scientist at Victoria University of Wellington. Pictured, homes flooded in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida Overall, episodes of heavy rainfall are also becoming more common and more intense because warmer air holds more moisture, so storm clouds are 'heavier' before they eventually break. However, the impact varies by region, with some areas not receiving enough rain, the study suggests. Last week, China saw extensive flooding, following heavy rains, while Bangladesh was hit with a flood-triggering deluge. Scientists have a harder time figuring out how climate change affects drought. Some regions have suffered ongoing dryness, with warmer temperatures to the west of the US melting the snowpack faster and driving evaporation. And while East African droughts have yet to be linked directly to climate change, scientists say the decline in the spring rainy season is tied to warmer waters in the Indian Ocean. This causes rains to fall rapidly over the ocean before reaching the Horn. Heatwaves and drought conditions are also worsening wildfires, particularly megafires which are those that burn more than 100,000 acres. Fire raged across the US state of New Mexico in April, after a controlled burn set under 'much drier conditions than recognized' got out of control, according to the US Forest Service. The fires burned 341,000 acres. On a global scale, the frequency of storms hasn't increased, the researchers said, but cyclones are now more common in the central Pacific and North Atlantic. They are less common in the Bay of Bengal, western North Pacific and southern Indian Ocean, the study added. There is also evidence that tropical storms are becoming more intense and even stalling overland, where they can deliver more rain on a single area. So while climate change might not have made Cyclone Batsirai any more likely to have formed in February, it probably made it more intense, capable of destroying more than 120,000 homes when it hit Madagascar. The new research has been published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate. NASA finally launched its 'CAPSTONE' spacecraft on Tuesday morning, marking an important early stage in its Artemis space programme. The craft, which is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds, blasted off from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand at 10:55 BST (21:55 local time). Over six months, it will test the stability of a halo-shaped orbit around the moon before this orbit is used by Lunar Gateway, NASA's planned lunar outpost. Lunar Gateway, which is due to launch in 2024, will serve as a 'staging area' for landing humans on the moon for the first time in 50 years, and potentially as a jumping-off point for missions to Mars. The craft, which is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds, blasted off from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand at 10:55 BST (21:55 local time) Over six months, CAPSTONE will test the stability of a halo-shaped orbit around the moon before this orbit is used by Lunar Gateway, NASA's planned lunar outpost. CAPSTONE: Key stats Type: CubeSat Size: 13 x 13 x 25 inches Weight: 55 pounds Orbit: Near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) Launch site: Mahia, New Zealand Launch date: June 28, 2022 Advertisement The CAPSTONE spacecraft, which was originally scheduled to launch in October 2021, was sent into space on an 'Electron' booster rocket built by US firm Rocket Lab. 'We have lift-off from Launch Complex 1!' Rocket Lab tweeted moments after the launch. 'CAPSTONEs journey to the Moon is underway.' Rocket Lab also confirmed that the rocket had reached Max Q the point when an its atmospheric flight reaches maximum dynamic pressure. Bradley Smith, director of launch services at NASA, described the launch as 'fabulous'. 'This has been, for me, eight years in the making. Here we are, not even a decade later and this incredible team has sent CAPSTONE on a ballistic trajectory to lunar orbit.' CAPSTONE is an abbreviation for 'Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment'. It is unique in that it will travel on an elongated halo-shaped orbit, which will bring it as close as 1,000 miles and as far as 43,500 miles from the lunar surface. It will use its propulsion system to travel for approximately three to four months before entering into orbit around the moon. One orbit will occur every seven days. CAPSTONE is unique in that it will travel on an elongated halo-shaped orbit, which will bring it as close as 1,000 miles and as far as 43,500 miles from the lunar surface US company Rocket Lab has sent the CAPSTONE satellite into space on its Electron rocket (pictured in May) CAPSTONE blasted off on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand The spacecraft is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds. It's depicted here in an artist's impression in its orbit around the moon CAPSTONE over the lunar North Pole: After arriving at the moon in around four months, the craft will begin a six-month-long mission to validate a special type of orbit While it usually takes a few days for a spacecraft to reach the moon, CAPSTONE will take much longer as it's travelling at a slower speed and has to take a longer route to gear itself for an unusual oval shape. The strange-shaped orbit, officially called a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO), has never before been tried in space. WHAT IS THE ARTEMIS PROGRAMME? Artemis is an ongoing space mission run by NASA with the goal of landing the first female astronaut and first astronaut of colour on the Moon's South Pole. It is the US space agency's first crewed Moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis I, launching in August 2022, will pave the way for crewed flights by sending manikins to space. Artemis II will launch in May 2024 and fly by the moon without landing on it. Artemis III, which will launch 'no earlier than 2025', will be the first to land humans on the moon in more than 50 years. Source: RMG Advertisement The orbit's route is located at a precise balance point in the gravities of the Earth and moon, meaning less energy is expended. 'The stability of this orbit will allow CAPSTONE to behave almost like it's held in place by the gravity of Earth and the moon,' Elwood Agasid at NASA's Ames Research Center told The Next Web. 'It requires little energy for station-keeping or to manoeuvre into other cislunar orbits [those between the earth and the moon].' CAPSTONE will orbit this area around the moon for at least six months to understand 'the characteristics of the orbit', according to NASA, before the space agency deliberately crashes it on the lunar surface. The space agency said: 'It will validate the power and propulsion requirements for maintaining its orbit as predicted by NASA's models, reducing logistical uncertainties. 'It will also demonstrate the reliability of innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solutions as well as communication capabilities with Earth.' The first parts for the Lunar Gateway are not set to launch until November 2024 at the very earliest, giving NASA plenty of time to assess the results from CAPSTONE. Described as a 'vital component' of NASA's Artemis programme, the Lunar Gateway will be a small space station orbiting the moon, acting as a 'multi-purpose outpost'. The official word is that NASA's Artemis programme will land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2025, although this could be pushed back again, NASA Investigator General Paul Martin recently suggested. Pictured is an artist's impression of CAPSTONE in orbit around the moon with the Earth in the background Lunar Gateway, pictured here above the moon in an artist's impression, is described as a 'vital component' of NASA's Artemis programme NASA's original date for landing humans on the moon again was 2024, but last year it delayed the date, largely blamed on litigation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' firm Blue Origin. Also this year, NASA will be sending manikins to space as part of the Artemis I mission in August 2022. Artemis I will pave the way for crewed flights Artemis II, which will launch in May 2024 and fly by the moon without landing on it, and Artemis III, which will actually touch down on the lunar surface. Artemis III, which will launch 'no earlier than 2025', will be the first to land humans on the moon in more than 50 years, since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Advertisement A gorgeous and detailed Roman mosaic has come back home to Israel after more than ten years touring major museums worldwide. The 1,700-year-old mosaic was initially discovered by accident in 1996 by Miriam Avisar from the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) during a dig that was trying to save archaeological finds in a squite on HeKhalutz St. in Lod. It took another 13 years for it to be fully unearthed by researchers. 'It was the biggest and most impressive and unique mosaic discovered in Israel,' Mark Avrahami, head of the IAA Art Conservation Unit, said Monday at the dedication ceremony of the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center, according to the Jerusalem Post. Scroll down for video 'It was the biggest and most impressive and unique mosaic discovered in Israel,' Mark Avrahami, head of the IAA Art Conservation Unit, said Monday. Above: A detailed look at one portion of the mosaics, featuring several types of fish Although the beautiful mosaic was first found in 1996, it took another 13 years for archaeologists to fully unearth it. A worker is seen cleaning a portion of the mosaics The mosaic's new home is at the Shelbhy White and Leon Levy Mosaic Lod Archaeological Center. A worker is seen above cleaning a Roman-era mosaic featuring elephants, fish and other beasts The mosaic measures 56 feet by 30 feet - quite massive. It features a collection of animals, including an African elephant, rhinoceros and giraffe. 'It is very impressive in its artistic style, and its state of preservation was perfect,' Avrahami said, adding that the mosaic details includes shadows of the animal images as well as blood dripping from a bull in one panel depicting a hunting or fighting scene with a lion. The artwork's new home is at the Shelby White and Leon Levy Mosaic Lod Archaeological Center. The mosaic adorned the villa of a member of the wealthy elite. That villa was eventually destroyed in an earthquake. A close up is seen showing a wide range of animals in the mosaic That space offers guided tours and interactive exhibits in Arabic, English and Hebrew. The upper-class villa that the mosaics adorned in the third or fourth centuries underwent renovations and additions over the years as different empires took over the region. An earthquake in the year 749 CE took down the entire villa. Now that the mosaic has a permanent home, scientists hope it can become a major tourist attraction in the Middle East. A worker cleans a portion of the mosaic featuring fish When the mosaic was first uncovered, the authorities opened it to the public during a single weekend over the course of which 30,000 people traveled to Lod to see it. The mosaics were displayed over the years at many institutions, including New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology, the Louvre Museum in Paris, Chicago's Field Museum, and the the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Researchers are hopeful that it can become a major tourist attraction in a part of the world often riven with conflict. A close look at the craftsmanship involved in the Roman-era mosaic that's now back in Israel after being showcased at museums around the world. This scene depicts a deer and a lion 'Community tourism in an area of conflict is both an extraordinary experience for the tourist, and an opportunity for the local people to tell their story to the world,' Yossi Graiver, head of the JLM TIM tourism group, which runs the mosaic museum, told the Post. 'It's also an opportunity to develop tourism based on circular economics: people will set up tourism-based businesses telling their stories to the world.' 'That mosaic isn't Jewish, Christian or Islamic. Everybody can love it.' Although the names of the artisans who created the mosaic are unknown, IAA senior research archaeologist Hagit Torge said it would've been made by a famous groups of artists who were prevalent in that region and made similar works in other cities. 'This is the Rolls Royce,' she said. 'This is the most visually impressive mosaic we have found. This is the whole point of archaeology not just the structures, but trying to understand the people who built them and lived in them, their social structure and environmental relations.' Shelby White, who helped to make the museum happen - along with the Leon Levy Foundation, the IAA and the municipality of Lod - called the new space a 'dream come true.' Gooey 'rock snot' that suffocates organisms living on the bottom of rivers and streams is invading Michigan waterways. Formally known as didymo, this algae creates a mat that can grow over six inches thick and some have been observed to be two-feet-long. While non-toxic, rock snot reduces habitat for macroinvertebrates that are an important food for the underwater ecosystem. The algae can also survive for 40 days in cool, dark, damp conditions such as on angling equipment, neoprene and felt-soled waders and boots anglers are encouraged to clean gear in Michigan after every use. Gooey 'rock snot' that suffocates organisms living on the bottom of rivers and streams is invading Michigan waterways Didymo flourishes in cold water and sprout stalks 'under really low-nutrient conditions,' Ashley Moerke, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) professor and director of the new Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE), told MLive. Despite its nickname, didymo does not feel slimy, but has a wet wool-like texture. But it appears like goop as it clings to rocks and underwater plants. Another issue of this invader is its ability to choke organisms that are food for other fish specifically trout that are already threatened in Michigan. The algae can also survive for 40 days in cool, dark, damp conditions such as on angling equipment, neoprene and felt-soled waders and boots anglers are encouraged to clean gear in Michigan after every use And although didymo was first spotted in 2015, scientists are still working to figure out what triggers its blooms. According to Michigan State ANR, researchers are still working to figure out what triggers didymo's nuisance blooms. They speculate that it is a result of changing environmental conditions, or it could be didymo spreading to new waterways on fishing gear, which is the common way nuisance species spread. Researchers in Canada are connecting the large blooms to climate change; ice melting off the rivers earlier in the year and sooner springtime vegetation growth means fewer nutrients are naturally draining off into waterways. 'That's suggesting that if the land is holding the nutrients, there might actually be a decline in nutrients that's causing these blooms. There's some potential evidence for this in in the St. Marys River,' Moerke said. LSSU officials are also researching how the algae blooms impact macroinvertebrates and fish populations as an organism that is 'reengineering the habitat.' Despite its nickname, didymo does not feel slimy, but has a wet wool-like texture 'There's been a strong demonstration that macroinvertebrate communities have changed. What we haven't been able to really determine well is the impacts on fish. There haven't been nearly as many studies because it's much more difficult. Fish are very mobile. They can move out of a habitat,' Moerke said. The Manistee River, located in the lower peninsula of Michigan, is currently infested with the gooey algae. Ann Miller, an aquatic biologist and avid Manistee River fly fisher, told 9and10news: 'Right now, didymo is a big puzzle with a lot of people working to address it. We need to find out why it's showing up where it is and more importantly, how best to decontaminate gear to prevent it from spreading. 'Right now, many local fishing guides are doing their best to avoid the stretch of the Manistee where didymo is blooming but fishing is their livelihood. Facebook and Instagram are being criticized by users for its censoring of posts saying 'abortion pills can be mailed' - and parent company Meta is blaming it on 'incorrect enforcement.' People are flooding the internet with their distaste after learning status updates and Stories with the statement are being flagged and deleted. Many note that both platforms allow the sale of guns, painkillers and marijuana, but not 'pills that save women's lives.' DailyMail.com spoke with Andy Stone, Meta's communication director, via email about why the content was removed, but was only given a link to a tweet he published yesterday as a response. The tweet states that Meta 'discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting them.' Stone's tweet also notes: 'Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, gift, request or donate pharmaceuticals is not allowed. Content that discusses the affordability and accessibility of prescription medication is allowed. 'We've discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these.' DailyMail.com asked Stone which one 'abortion pills can be mailed' falls under - is the statement allowed or not allowed - and has yet to receive a response. Scroll down for video DailyMail.com conducted its own investigation into Facebook and posted 'abortion pills can be mailed' as a status Users flocked to Twitter to share their frustrations regarding Meta's censorship. One user, who goes by the name 'Fed Up Republican, posted: Post on Facebook abut selling guns? Sure. Post about selling Marijuana? No problem. Post about helping women obtain legal abortion pills? Nope.' While another user also slammed Facebook for allowing the sale of weed and guns. 'facebook and instagram delete posts about selling and delivering abortion pills but leave up posts with the same exact wording except they are for weed ad guns. mark zuckerberg gladly f**ks ovr women once more,' they tweeted. DailyMail.com spoke with Andy Stone, Meta's communication director, via email about status updates and Stories that contain the statement and were removed, but was only given a link to a tweet he published yesterday (pictured) as a response People are flooding the internet with their distaste after learning status updates and Stories with the the statement are being flagged and deleted Only 'abortion pills can be mailed' triggers consequences on the social media platforms. Posting 'abortion pills' and 'mifepristone' are not flagged as breaking Meta's Community Guidelines And others are testing it out for themselves. A user named 'Phil' shared a screen shot of his banned post that reads: 'Abortion pills can be mailed. I will mail to them anyone who needs them.' 'Seems Facebook is banning anyone who wants to help a woman make her own choices. I replaced abortion pills with painkiller pills and no removal,' he shared in the accompanied tweet. DailyMail.com conducted its own investigation on Monday and posted 'abortion pills can be mailed' as a status and Story. In less than one minute, a notification appeared saying the posts go against the platform's Community Standards on drugs. The restrictions come just days after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which now means states have the power to ban abortions A user named 'Phil' shared a screen shot of his banned post that reads: 'Abortion pills can be mailed. I will mail to them anyone who needs them' Only 'abortion pills can be mailed' triggers consequences as well. Posting 'abortion pills' and 'mifepristone' are not flagged as breaking Meta's Community Guidelines Stone has yet to comment on the discrepancies. The removal and limitation of posts regarding abortion pills was uncovered by NBC and Motherboard on Monday. The restrictions come just days after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which means states have the power to ban abortions. As first reported on by NBC, Instagram has deleted and limited at least two hashtags: 'abortion pills' and 'mifepristone.' Facebook is removing posts and even temporarily blocking users from their accounts for saying abortion pills can be mailed, according to Motherboard. However, only 'abortion pills can be mailed' triggers consequences on the social media platforms. Posting 'abortion pills' and 'mifepristone' are not flagged as breaking Meta's Community Guidelines Stone has yet to comment on the discrepancies DailyMail.com conducted its own investigation into Facebook and posted 'abortion pills can be mailed' as a status. In less than one minute, a notification appeared saying the post goes against the platform's Community Standards on drugs. And the same restriction occurred when the statement was posted as a Story in Instagram. The Instagram hashtags include a warning at the top that notes the tags 'are hidden because some posts may not follow Instagram's Community Guidelines. NBC notes that it is not clear exactly when Instagram began limiting the two hashtags and nor is it clear what guidelines have been violated. You can see some of the images that may have been deleted while scrolling through the two hashtags. For instance, one of the first images is timestamped for June 7, 2022 and just three posts after shows an image that was shared on September 15, 2020. The huge time gap makes it obvious that posts have been deleted from the hashtag. Facebook notes its standards on drugs prohibits the buying and selling of medical and non-medical drugs, which it claims is why it quickly removed the post 'abortion pills can be mailed.' However, putting 'painkillers can be mailed' did not trigger a warning and was allowed to stay on the platform. On Friday, the US Supreme Court held in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion. Instagram has deleted and limited at least two hashtags: 'abortion pills' and 'mifepristone' The 6-3 ruling authored by Justice Samuel Alito upended nearly 50 years of precedent and sparked massive protests nationwide. In the post-Roe world, eighteen states already banned abortion and more may follow suit. The Instagram hashtags include a warning at the top that notes the tags 'are hidden because some posts may not follow Instagram's Community Guidelines. NBC notes that it is not clear exactly when Instagram began limiting the two hashtags and nor is it clear what guidelines have been violated. You can see some of the images that may have been deleted while scrolling through the two hashtags. For instance, one of the first images is timestamped for June 7, 2022 and just three posts after shows an image that was shared on September 15, 2020. The huge time gap makes it obvious that posts have been deleted from the hashtag. Facebook notes its standards on drugs prohibits the buying and selling of medical and non-medical drugs, which it claims is why it quickly removed the post 'abortion pills can be mailed.' However, putting 'painkillers can be mailed' did not trigger a warning and was allowed to stay on the platform. On Friday, the US Supreme Court held in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion. The 6-3 ruling authored by Justice Samuel Alito upended nearly 50 years of precedent and sparked massive protests nationwide. In the post-Roe world, eighteen states already banned abortion and more may follow suit. Pakistan congratulates China on successful hosting of BRICS meetings Xinhua) 09:31, June 28, 2022 ISLAMABAD, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Monday congratulated China on its successful hosting of the BRICS meetings, appreciating China's role in promoting the interests of the developing countries including Pakistan. "Together with China, Pakistan has been a strong voice for global peace, shared prosperity and inclusive development," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Being the host country, China engaged with Pakistan prior to the BRICS meetings, where decisions are taken after consultations with all BRICS members, the foreign ministry statement said. "We do hope that future engagement of the organization would be based on the principles of inclusivity keeping in view the overall interests of the developing world and in a manner that is devoid of narrow geopolitical considerations," said the statement. Pakistan stands ready to work with all developing countries, including the BRICS members for addressing the challenges faced by the global community, the statement said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The entire series garnered a record-breaking viewership on Disney+. Nevertheless, despite its popularity, some Star Wars fans have claimed that the series would have made a better plot as a stand-alone movie. And initially, according to The Direct, that was exactly the intention of Lucasfilm. Interview With 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Writer In an exclusive interview with The Direct, "Obi-Wan Kenobi" writer Stuart Beattie discussed his involvement in the Ewan McGregor-starring film and how it was originally envisioned as "a full trilogy," with the first season of the series representing as simply part one of the story. The series' first, second, third, and season finale all bore Beattie's writing credit. "There's actually three stories here. Because there's three different evolutions that the character has to make in order to go from 'Obi-Wan' to Ben,'" Beattie said. When asked if he had been able to submit a treatment for the second or third movie to Lucasfilm, Beattie responded that he had not because of how busy he had been working on the first one. "No, just the first. Because they hadn't hired me to do the others yet, 'cause I was busy working on the first one." Read More: Foreign Workers Will Be Able To Reside and Work in Bali for Five Years Tax-Free With a 'Digital Nomad Visa' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Recently Broke a Disney+ Viewership Record In a separate report by The Direct, it was said that "Obi-Wan Kenobi" was surely going to rank among the most popular Disney+ shows to date. But up until this point, no one really realized how huge it would be. "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is now the most watched Disney+ series globally, according to the number of hours streamed during the series' debut last month. Following the launch, the number of hours watched in Star Wars films over the first weekend tripled. Ewan McGregor's return as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" has been anticipated by Star Wars fans for more than ten years, so the Disney+ record is a no-brainer. Uncertainty exists regarding this statistic, specifically whether Disney counts both of the two premiere episodes in the overall amount of hours streamed over the first weekend. Even more intriguing is how "Obi-Wan Kenobi" affected the popularity of the remaining Star Wars films. Undoubtedly, viewers rekindled the passion for Star Wars among many fans, inspiring them to see the movies again or, possibly, to watch animated programs like "Rebels" and "The Clone Wars" to understand more about these characters. Meanwhile, Deadline said that a five-day audience of 1.8 million U.S. households watched the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" season one finale on Disney+, which is 20% more than the viewership for the similar period for "The Book of Boba Fett," which garnered 1.5 million U.S. households. The publication said that the information comes from Samba TV, which tracks the number of people who have seen a show for at least five minutes in 3 million U.S. terrestrial TV households. Seattle outperformed the top 25 largest markets in terms of Obi-Wan Kenobi over-indexing (+46%), followed by Denver (+41%) and Sacramento (+22%) for L+4D. Related Article: 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Trailer Teases Appearances by Iconic 'Star Wars' Characters Chelsea have reportedly held talks with Manchester City over the prospect of signing Nathan Ake as well as Raheem Sterling. Sportsmail reported on Monday that Todd Boehly had made contact with the Premier League champions with a view to wrapping up a deal Sterling over the coming week. The Englishman has already held positive discussions with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel over how he would be utilised at Stamford Bridge, with that conversation solidifying the 27-year-olds desire to leave the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea are reportedly interested in Nathan Ake (right) as well as Raheem Sterling (left) And The Telegraph claim Boehly also requested a valuation for Ake, who has moved towards the top of their list of potential defensive signings. Tuchel was interested in signing Ake while he was in charge of Borussia Dortmund and the fact the 27-year-old can slot in to the left side of a back three to replace Antonio Rudiger, as well as fill in at left-back and in midfield, is particularly attractive. Ake spent seven years with Blues, joining them at the age of 15. It is believed that he would be open to a return, having failed to nail down a regular starting position at the Etihad. Ake is said to be open to a return to Chelsea, where he spent seven years from the age of 15 City are allowing Gabriel Jesus to make the move to Arsenal for an initial 45million and Sterlings valuation is believed to be north of that figure and could be around 55m. A formal bid is expected in the coming days as Citys squad reshuffle continues after a fourth title in five years. Chelsea still need to thrash out personal terms with the England international, who is in the final 12 months of his 300,000-a-week contract. It is believed that Sterlings wish to end a stellar seven-year stay at City was discussed with club executives at the beginning of the month. City have afforded the forward time to assess his options, with a likely exit handled amicably. Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Erik ten Hag's No 1 transfer target Frenkie de Jong. Sportsmail sources have indicated an agreement between United and Barcelona is for the Holland star is '90 per cent' complete with just the finer details of the deal left to finalise. It is understood United will pay around an initial 55million to the Spanish club for De Jong. That fee could rise close to 70m. Manchester United's deal to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is 90 per cent complete New United boss Erik ten Hag is edging closer to landing his No 1 transfer target De Jong - who worked with him at Ajax A complete agreement is still to be found but there is a growing sense that a deal can be struck this week. De Jong is open to signing for United and agreeing personal terms with the Dutchman is unlikely to be a problem. The Holland international has emerged as United's No 1 summer transfer target as Ten Haag looks to rebuild a team that struggled last season De Jong and Ten Hag are understood to have a close relationship from their time working together at the Amsterdam Arena. Indeed, the lure of a reunion with Ten Hag is described as a major factor in De Jong's willingness to become a United player this summer. De Jong was initially sceptical about leaving Barcelona but was persuaded by Xavi Ten Hag took his first pre-season training session this week and is shaping up his squad He was initially reluctant to leave Barcelona, but has been persuaded by managers at both ends of the deal that joining United would be a good move. Ten Hag worked with the Dutch midfielder at Ajax from 2017-19, where the pair won the domestic double and reached a Champions League semi final in 2019. United initially bid 60m for De Jong, but that offer was turned down as Barca did not want to make a loss on a player they had signed for 65m from Ajax in 2019. They later returned with a bid of 68m, with Barcelona keen to at least break even. Now the deal may reach as high as 70m as part of a new structuring of the transfer, and could be joined by a host of other Ajax stars - including Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico, who are all being targeted by United. De Jong has played 140 times for Barcelona since joining from Ajax, scoring 13 times in his three seasons. His only trophy at the Nou Camp was the Copa del Rey in 2021. Erik ten Hag was filmed taking charge of first Manchester United training session Erik Ten Hag began a new era for Manchester United on Tuesday morning by taking charge of his first training session as manager. Having ordered the players to arrive bright an early at Carrington for 9am, the Dutchman orchestrated proceedings on a sunny day at the training complex. Marcus Rashford was seen deep in conversation with assistant Steve McClaren and a number of key players such as Jadon Sancho were seen being put through their paces. Erik Ten Hag took charge of his first Manchester United training session on Tuesday Aaron Wan-Bissaka (left), Jadon Sancho (centre) and Victor Lindelof (right) pushed themselves Steve McClaren (left) was seen deep in conversation with Marcus Rashford during session Having brought in the former Ajax boss to reverse fortunes at Old Trafford, fans will keenly be observing the 52-year-old's manner with his inherited squad. He appeared to be comfortable in his surroundings, seen striding out to the training pitches in the short video posted by the club on social media. The players were also seen running in a line as the hard graft of pre-season began in earnest. No doubt Ten Hag has a plan in place to bring the best out of the individuals at his disposal. Rashford in particular endured an underwhelming campaign last term and supporters know the forward can deliver far more for his boyhood club. Ten Hag will be looking to start off on the front foot and establish his command of the group Rashford (left) and Lindelof (right) will be battling hard to make a strong impression Sir Alex Ferguson was known for his early training sessions and that was mirrored by Ten Hag on Tuesday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer allowed the players to begin at 10am but the Dutchman wants an earlier wake-up call for his group. On Tuesday, assistant manager McLaren, who also worked with Ferguson at Old Trafford, was one of the first to show up by arriving at 7.45am. Ten Hag was driven into Carrington just after 8am, while it's said that all players who have returned for pre-season were at the training complex before 9am. Tom Heaton (left) and Zidane Iqbal of Manchester United compete for the ball in training Ten Hag will be formulating opinions on which players he can rely on next season Ten Hag is also keen to foster a positive team spirit in the Red Devils dressing room and as a result has insisted that the squad must eat together and socialise after training. Ferguson made similar demands during his 26-year tenure at the club, but this culture has since evaporated within the camp. In an effort to prioritise on-ball drills during the opening sessions, Ten Hag has also reportedly told his staff to trim the grass to exactly 15mm, so that the players can quickly get up to speed with his passing demands. United are still yet to make a major move in the transfer market but a deal for Barcelona and Holland midfielder Frenkie de Jong is nearing completion. Ten Hag left Ajax with a glowing reputation having overachieved with the club in Europe Sportsmail sources have indicated an agreement between United and Barcelona for the Holland star is '90 per cent' complete with just the finer details of the deal left to finalise. It is understood United will pay around an initial 55million to the Spanish club for De Jong. That fee could rise close to 70m. De Jong's addition would provide a welcome boost to the squad and perhaps trigger further moves in the market with Ajax forward Anthony another target. A smart remark and a cackle. That was Nelson Piquet's way from the start. The cleverest man in the room and the most cutting and pleased to be so. On Tuesday that characteristic caught up with Brazil's triple world champion after an interview discussing Lewis Hamilton's crash at Silverstone last year with Max Verstappen, recorded in November in Portuguese, got a wider audience. In it, he referred to the Briton as a 'Neguinho', which translates as 'little n*****'. The Formula One community was appalled. And if there is any consolation for Hamilton as he feels gratuitously abused, it is that there was not a word of support for Piquet from the motor racing world, just condemnation. Nor was there surprise at this representative of a Piquet trait, his naughty boy 'quips' having long descended into something far more unpleasant. John Watson, who briefly drove alongside the 69-year-old son of a Rio doctor and politician at the Brabham team in the early 1980s, told Sportsmail: 'Why would I be surprised by what that a***hole says?' Nelson Piquet has been blasted by Formula One bosses after his comments on a Brazilian podcast (pictured) Piquet (right) used a racist slur to describe Hamilton (left) in an interview, sparking outrage Piquet's form on the personal insult is well-developed. He sneered at Ayrton Senna, calling him 'the Sao Paulo taxi driver'. If it had stopped there, we might conceivably have forced a guilty laugh, but even then only just. He went further, of course, making widely contradicted insinuations about Senna's sexuality, saying his (Piquet's) then girlfriend, one of his many, would vouch for his verdict that Senna was not into women. Piquet did not stop there. In an interview with the Brazilian edition of Playboy, he dismissed Nigel Mansell as 'an uneducated fool with a stupid and ugly wife'. The seven-time world champion has hit back at Piquet's racist comments, calling for 'action' against the 'archaic mindsets' 'Why Nigel didn't punch his lights out when he said what he did about Roseanne I don't know,' said Watson. The Mansells have been happily married for 47 years. 'It was typical Piquet,' Watson continued. 'Some people around him thought he was very funny. Niki Lauda was one of his great pals but I never understood what Niki saw in him other than Nelson was a serial s***** and Niki wasn't far behind in that respect. 'I remember some years ago I got on an aeroplane and Nelson saw me and said, 'I didn't know you were still alive'. He and Flavio Briatore laughed at that. It's what you expect from him. He is clever but arrogant. He once had a row with Alan Jones (Williams's 1980 world champion from Australia) and Alan said to him, 'If you start, I'll knock you into the next world' and he would have done. 'Yet Nelson had this swagger. Many of the people who worked with him liked him. 'But any apology from Nelson over these latest comments is a laugh. He never apologised for anything in his life. F1 bosses said that Piquet's vile language has 'no place in society', calling Lewis an 'incredible ambassador' 'He will have thought his remarks, describing Lewis in this derogatory way, amusing. That's how he is. I would rescind his Grand Prix pass for life, or five years, or whatever it takes.' There were other scraps and scrapes, including a fight with Chilean Eliseo Salazar in Germany in 1982. A stellar career that saw him drive at Brabham, Williams, Lotus and Benetton was pushed towards its close at the 1992 Indianapolis 500, where, after disparaging comments about the circuit, he crashed and badly damaged his ankle and leg, causing him to sit out the race. The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour, which have no place in sport or wider society. We express our solidarity with @LewisHamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport. FIA (@fia) June 28, 2022 An aged playboy, Piquet, who made an additional fortune in pioneering GPS technology in South America, is rarely seen at Formula One these days. He has suffered ill-health that required heart surgery in New York. His daughter Kelly dates Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen. Piquet was around a bit more when his son, Nelson Jnr, was writing his own chapter of infamy. Now 36 and racing stock cars in Brazil, he was driving for Briatore's Renault when he deliberately crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to bring out a safety car that gave team-mate Fernando Alonso victory. Piquet had been discussing an incident between Red Bull's Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, pictured, at the British Grand Prix last year Piquet Jnr, fearing for his future at the team a year later, spilled the beans. The accomplice had turned grass. So is F1 racist or is Piquet an outlier? Two things. Firstly the sport is predominantly white and male. That is not, I believe, because of any bias, but a result of the demographic that floods the engineering degree courses of Britain and, to an extent, Italy. Secondly, I have not heard any language used or views expressed that would chime with the Piquet view in the last 10 years. That said, Red Bull terminated the contract of Juri Vips, their 21-year-old Estonian reserve driver, who uttered the n-word while streaming a video game. As Hamilton says, there is still work to be done. Advertisement Shorts? This is Texas, partner! The ranch-hand eyed me suspiciously, impervious to the 40C heat in his double denim. If I were anywhere else in the Lone Star state Id worry I was about to be challenged to a showdown at High Noon. But this is Austin, home to Virgin Atlantics newest US route, and a city that challenges any misconceptions of Americas second-largest state you may have been given by JR Ewing or John Wayne. Cormac Connelly-Smith explored Austin (above), Texas, a city that 'beats with a quirky, individual spirit' Austin is home to Virgin Atlantics newest US route, operated by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (left). Pictured on the right is the Virgin Atlantic Dreamliner upper-class cabin At times it doesnt feel like Texas at all, from the green banks of the River Colorado that runs through town, to the fantastic eye-popping street art decorating the boujee vintage shops of South Congress Avenue. Coding, not cattle, is big business here. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have both set up gleaming new headquarters and the city is filled with smartphone-slinging tech pioneers. The business traffic has led to a boom in high-class, all-glass hotels Downtown. We stayed at the Fairmont, a short distance from the bustling nightlife of Rainey Street, with a wonderful rooftop pool. It would be unfair to label Austin as some kind of soulless Silicon Valley in a Stetson, however. It beats with a quirky, individual spirit epitomised in the unofficial motto of Keep Austin weird and aided by its proudly liberal politics - youll find no Trump stickers here. 'At times [Austin] doesnt feel like Texas at all, from the green banks of the River Colorado (above, passing under the Pennybacker Bridge) that runs through town, to the fantastic eye-popping street art decorating the boujee vintage shops of South Congress Avenue,' writes Cormac Cormac stayed at the Fairmont (pictured), which lies a short distance from the bustling nightlife of Rainey Street One of the guest suites at the Fairmont Austin, which features a 'wonderful rooftop pool', Cormac notes Avoid the rowdy walk-in bars on Dirty 6th Street and instead swing your hips at The Continental Club (left) on South Congress Avenue and the iconic blues joint Antones (right) on East 5th Live music is a way of life and the city truly comes alive when the sun sets and the hot Texan night is awash with the sound of country, blues and rock. Avoid the rowdy walk-in bars on Dirty 6th Street and instead swing your hips at the more established music venues like The Continental Club on South Congress Avenue, or iconic blues joint Antones on East 5th. After a night of dancing, a breakfast burrito, a combination of cheese, potatoes and egg in a tortilla wrap is a must-have, preferably topped with a fiery salsa that will wake you up better than any coffee. Allens Boots is an emporium for everything you could need to live out your Wild West fantasy, from Stetsons to cowboy boots. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons Head to Franklin, the citys most renowned smoke shack, for beef brisket - it's 'pure melt-in-the-mouth joy', according to Cormac. Pictured right is a plate of Franklin grub. Devotees queue for hours to get served Then theres the beef brisket, slowly barbecued for up to 15 hours over a low heat, a charred mess of pure melt-in-the-mouth joy. Devotees queue for hours at Franklin (franklinbbq.com), the citys most renowned smoke shack. Of course, it would be a shame to visit Texas without at least a bit of rootin-tootin cowboy fun. The wonderful Allens Boots (allensboots.com) is an emporium for everything you could need to live out your Wild West fantasy, from authentic Stetsons to rows of gleaming cowboy boots. And, once youve got the outfit, head to the Lone Star Ranch (lonestarranchtexas.com) on the outskirts of Austin, where the team of friendly cowpokes will teach you all the lasso-throwing and horse-whispering skills you need to make it on the open range. Even if you do arrive wearing shorts. A visitor to London has unveiled a picture that underscores how promotional images of hotel rooms can differ quite noticeably from reality. Tourist Jerone Tan checked into the five-star-rated Tower Suites hotel in London, located mere yards from the Tower of London, expecting a 'floor-to-ceiling outlook' in his room, as depicted in one of the photographs displayed when he booked it. The promo photograph showed the Tower of London beyond the windows, fresh flowers on the coffee table and desk, and patterned cushions. Mr Tan posted a photograph of the actual room to Twitter alongside a promo image, with his reality-check picture showing how an outside wall extends halfway up the windows and a total lack of Tower of London. The flowers, meanwhile, are conspicuous by their absence. This promotional picture is used by Tower Suites hotel in London to advertise its Signature Suite and One-Bedroom Apartment and was the picture tourist Jerone Tan saw when he booked the latter Mr Tan posted this picture of his One-Bedroom Apartment on Twitter to highlight the differences from the promotional picture Mr Tan, 46, who lives in Singapore, told MailOnline Travel: 'I wasn't expecting a super view. What I expected was an outlook floor-to-ceiling windows. 'What we got was a wall covering most of the outlook. It felt really claustrophobic.' The company that runs Tower Suites, Blue Orchid Hotels, tweeted to Mr Tan that 'pictures on our website are for reference purpose only and rooms are not all identical, including the view'. But Mr Tan argued: 'At the end of the day, anyone will agree it is not even close to any of the pictures on the website.' Mr Tan paid 1,138 for a three-night stay at Tower Suites in a 'One-Bedroom Apartment', but was upgraded one rung to a top 'Signature Suite' after checking in. He made the booking on booking.com, which displays a living room picture for the One-Bed Apartment and Signature Suite that's identical, with Blue Orchid Hotels explaining that this is because some One-Bed Apartments at Tower Suites offer the same Tower of London view as the Signature Suite. The booking.com page for a Tower Suites One-Bedroom Apartment that Mr Tan viewed The Signature Suite is billed as having 'magnificent views over the Tower of London'. But Mr Tan stressed that his had a wall partially blocking the view. He explained that he was moved to different rooms twice over after he checked in on Wednesday, June 22, after making complaints. His second room - a One-Bedroom Apartment - had a 'full view of train lines', but was spoiled by an 'electric buzzing noise', which he said made sleep difficult. Mr Tan, who works in banking, saw a return of the outside wall covering the windows in his third room - another One-Bedroom Apartment - which is the room he photographed and posted to Twitter. Mr Tan decided to check out and stay somewhere else after just one night and was given a full refund for the two unused nights but only, he says, 'after a whole series of complaints through social media and numerous exchanges with "Guest Relations"'. Mr Tan added: 'They never apologised or admitted there was an issue.' Tower Suites told MailOnline in a statement: 'We regret that Mr Tan remained dissatisfied by the staff's genuine endeavours to understand and resolve his concerns and elected to depart earlier than his scheduled date. The comfort of our guests continues to be our highest priority and we hope that Mr Tan will reengage with us to resolve his isolated concern.' The hotel has hundreds of very positive reviews on Tripadvisor. But Mr Tan's experience was not totally in isolation. Tripadvisor reviewer 'ti_boo34' wrote on June 9 after a stay at Tower Suites: 'We booked over the phone directly with the hotel asking to have a room with a nice view. [But] our room (724) was overlooking a very ugly building/wall. There was also a loud electric buzzing noise which was constant and very annoying at night.' When asked if the experience had put him off visiting London in the future, Mr Tan replied: 'London is one of my favourite cities in the world. So much energy, good and diverse food - yes, I totally believe that - and things to do. Unparalleled. 'I would still visit London but will be very careful in choosing hotels, especially with the crazy prices at the moment. I would be careful with the local brands/chains. 'I will likely stay in hotels that I have had a good experience in or stick with the international chains in future.' Fiona Bruce has admitted she was embarrassed into exercising by her GP who left her feeling 'mortified' at her lack of movement. The newsreader, 58, made the confession in line with her gorgeous cover shoot for woman&home, which sees her look graceful in a series of colourful outfits. She explained how the doctor was 'so appalled' that she did 'literally no' physical activity, before making the overhaul with the birth of her first son Sam, 21. Confession: Fiona Bruce has admitted she was embarrassed into exercising by her GP who left her feeling 'mortified' at her lack of movement The broadcast journalist said: 'I never did any exercise until I went to see a GP before or just after I had Sam. 'When asked if I did any exercise, I said, "None," and the doctor replied, "Literally none?" I said, "No." 'I was mortified because she was so appalled, so I decided to do something. 'To me, exercise isnt about living longer but it gives me energy and I dont know what Id be like without it. She explained how the doctor was 'so appalled' that she did 'literally no' physical activity, before making the overhaul with the birth of her first son Sam, 21 (pictured in 2011) 'I definitely get mental benefits. If Im feeling stressed at work or stressing that Ive got a lot on, I find it really helpful.' Fiona shares Sam, as as well as daughter Mia, 20, with her media mogul husband Nigel Sharrocks, 65, whom she has been married to since 1994. Fiona previously admitted she probably did not spend enough time with her two children when they were growing up because of her high profile TV career - and said she's grateful that they had the same nanny for 20 years. Looking good: The newsreader, 58, made the confession in line with her gorgeous cover shoot for woman&home, which sees her look graceful in a series of colourful outfits Candid: The broadcast journalist said: 'I never did any exercise until I went to see a GP before or just after I had Sam' Good read: The August issue of woman&home is on sale Thursday 30 July The TV personality said having the same live-in nanny for two decades helped her balance her professional and domestic lives. Appearing on the cover of October's edition of Good Housekeeping, she was asked how she balances work and motherhood, admitting: 'It was definitely helped by having the same nanny living with us for 20 years. 'She left when Mia finished her GCSEs, but she's a firm family friend.' She added: 'Did I spend enough time with my children? 'I think scratch the surface of any working woman and she will always think, "Probably not." I don't think there's such a thing as quality time with your children. I think it's quantity. 'But there's never been any question that they take precedence over everything in my life, and always have done.' The August issue of woman&home is on sale Thursday 30 July. Kesha looked stunning in an all-white outfit outside the NBC studios in New York Monday. The 35-year-old took a fierce stance in a white mini-skit and fitted tank top, with a matching white overcoat. The TikTok artist styled her dark locks in long, loose curls and completed the ensemble with some white open-toed mules. Stunning: Kesha looked stunning in an all-white outfit outside the NBC studios in New York Monday a mini-skit and fitted tank top, with a matching white overcoat The Billboard Women In Music award winner kept up the all white theme when she switched to a strappy white midi-dress with the same coat and shoes for a visit to Sirius XM. The Praying artist made the media rounds in the Big Apple. Earlier in the day, she appeared on the Today show for an interview with Jenna Bush Hager, 40, and Justin Sylvester, 35, who is filling in for Hoda Kotb, to talk about her new show Conjuring Kesha. New show: The Tik Tok artists has been promoting her new reality show, Conjuring Kesha, which debuts on Discovery+ July 8 The program in which she and her celebrity guests explore the supernatural is set to debut on July 8 on Discovery+. 'It's always something I've been attracted to, is trying to find something else out there. What is there other than us?' She continued, 'I like feeling a connection to something bigger than me. Some people like to call it God, some people call it the universe, whatever it is, I like having that connection.' Supernatural: The Billboard Women In Music Award winner revealed she likes 'feeling a connection to something bigger than me' The diva said she then did a deep dive and 'started looking into interdimensional beings and aliens, and ghosts and Bigfoot on my show. ' The This is Me artist said working on the reality show has 'changed my entire life,' and it's affected the music she's working on. The Rainbow star didn't say when she'd be releasing new songs, and claimed they're 'really special.' Former Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer plans to sue media outlets for defamation over their coverage of the show's 'nude photo scandal'. Frazer, 27, caused controversy when she allegedly 'outed' rival bride Domenica Calarco as an OnlyFans creator on the latest season. However, she denies 'leaking' any intimate images of Calarco - who has profited from the scandal by launching a post-show media career - and insists she has been falsely accused by publications of sharing so-called 'revenge porn'. Former Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer (pictured) plans to sue media outlets for defamation over their coverage of the show's 'nude photo scandal' Frazer stated her intention to pursue legal action during an Instagram Q&A on Monday after being asked by a fan if she would ever 'sue MAFS'. She responded: 'Um, probably not because of contracts and stuff, but I do want to sue every publication for defamation that's ever printed or said that I leaked OnlyFans content from Dom. 'Because even Dom has said that's not true.' Frazer, 27, caused controversy when she allegedly 'outed' rival bride Domenica Calarco (pictured) as an OnlyFans creator on the latest season of the Channel Nine show Frazer maintains the intimate photos of Calarco she discovered during filming last year were publicly available on Twitter and Reddit - and had in fact been posted by Calarco herself in order to promote her OnlyFans. Therefore, she argues, it is inaccurate to say she 'leaked' anything. Calarco does not deny posting the images on her social media, but has still made a complaint to police because of the 'pain and hurt' she suffered. The matter is currently being investigated by NSW Police. When the nude photo scandal aired on TV, many Australian news outlets rushed to describe Frazer's actions as 'revenge porn', or image-based abuse. However, as pointed out by Daily Mail Australia at the time, her actions do not appear to meet this legal definition because the photos of Calarco were sourced from her public social media accounts, not from behind an OnlyFans paywall. Frazer maintains the intimate photos of Calarco were publicly available on Twitter and Reddit - and had in fact been posted by Calarco herself in order to promote her OnlyFans. (Pictured: a screenshot of Calarco's old public Twitter account she used to advertise her OnlyFans profile) Calarco also promoted her OnlyFans account on her public YouTube channel, as seen here At the time Married At First Sight was being filmed last year, Calarco was using a Twitter profile to promote her OnlyFans. This Twitter account, launched in November 2020 with the handle @Sunday09692571, featured non-explicit 'teasers' of her paywalled content - including the nude photo that was discussed on MAFS. The leaked image in question showed her lying down on a bed with her bare bottom on display. Calarco would later recreate the photo for a News.com.au article promoting the relaunch of her OnlyFans. The pair's feud exploded on MAFS when Calarco, a former makeup artist, screamed at Frazer at the couples' retreat before smashing a wine glass in her direction Frazer and Calarco were fierce rivals on the latest season of Married At First Sight. Their feud exploded when Calarco, a former makeup artist, screamed at Frazer at the couples' retreat before smashing a wine glass in her direction. Frazer retaliated by telling her co-stars Calarco had a secret OnlyFans account. In the aftermath of the scandal, Frazer quit her job as a teaching assistant and, in an ironic twist, is now making a living on OnlyFans herself. Danny Bonaduce is on the mend after being affected by a mystery illness that affected his ability to speak and walk. The 62-year-old radio DJ, best known for his role as Danny Partridge on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, returned to work Monday at KZOK in Seattle, where he co-hosts The Danny Bonaduce & Sarah Morning Show. 'Great news. I'll be back live on the radio this Monday. Can't wait. My brain is still a little fuzzy but that's never stopped me or the people who hire me,' the actor announced of return to the studio via Instagram Instagram. Back at work: Danny Bonaduce, 63, returned to work Monday after taking a two month leave of absence due to a mystery illness that affected his ability to speak and walk The son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce shared information about his battle with the still undiagnosed condition on Good Morning America. He began treatment in April when his wife, Amy, first noticed his speech was off and called for help immediately. 'I couldn't walk at at all. I couldn't balance. I couldn't do anything like that. She looked really nervous. And she said, 'You're not saying words, you're not speaking English,' which of course is preposterous to me.' Medical leave: The radio host announced in he would be taking a leave of absence to deal with his health. Doctors ruled out a stroke, but have not been able to diagnose the cause of his illness Doctors ruled out a stroke, but still don't know why he suffered the health problems. While speaking of his condition, he noted that he 'couldn't walk,' keep his balance, was slurring 'really badly' and had trouble remembering 'anything.' In April, the usually boisterous personality announced to his fans that he would be stepping back to take care of his health, posting a picture using a cane. Child actor: Danny began his career as a child actor, rising to fame in The Partridge Family, seen here circa 1971 with co-stars Suzanne Crough, Jeremy Gelbwaks, Susan Dey, David Cassidy and Shirley Jones 'A bit of news to share I'm taking a temporary medical leave from my radio show. I'll share more when I know more, as I'm still working towards receiving a diagnosis,' he tweeted, at the time. He continued: 'What I do know is I need some time to focus on my health right now. I love my job and talking to you guys and I'll be back on the air very soon.' Bonaduce then added a self-deprecating joke about his walking stick as he quipped: 'Charlie Chaplin, Willy Wonka, Danny Bonaduce. I've joined the club of cool guys with canes.' The beloved radio personality received an outpouring of support from fans including Johnathon Schaech and Selma Blair. He's encouraging his others to take care of their own health. Bank of the West found their customers were breached by ATM skimmers. The bank alerted its customers regarding the danger that their banking details are in due to skimmers installed in several ATM machines of the bank. The bank started to notice suspicious unauthorized withdrawals on November 10, 2021, in multiple branches in the United States. The bank immediately worked with the law enforcement agency and reviewed their ATM network. Following an investigation, we discovered that several of their ATMs had been compromised by the installation of a device known as an "ATM skimming device." The time period encompassing this investigation and discovery took place between November 10, 2021 and April 18, 2022. Bank of the West ATM Skimmers According to BleepingComputer, the Bank of the West informed their customers with a letter just this month. The institution stated they regret informing their customers of this unfortunate event. Some banking details have been compromised as a result of fraudulent activities. Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the information may have been used to create counterfeit debit cards and make attempts to withdraw cash from the accounts. They reassured their customers that the bank moved swiftly to resolve to protect their information by monitoring, working with law enforcement, tracking suspicious activities, and investigating the ATM machines for evidence. The Bank of the West also informed their customers that when they detected suspicious activities in their account, they immediately blocked the transaction. The bank then mailed their customers a new debit card and instructions for a new PIN. However, the bank also encouraged customers to report to them any unauthorized suspected transactions in their account. When customers use their debit cards, they will not be responsible for any unauthorized withdrawals, transfers, or purchases that are made with them. Last but not least, as an additional measure of safety, the Bank of the West stated that they will provide customers with one year's worth of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. Read Also: Conti Ransomware Has Shut Down Sites Used for Data Leaks, Negotiations with Victims What Are ATM Skimmers? According to Navy Federal, even though the vast majority of ATM transactions are carried out in a risk-free and secure manner, fraud involving ATMs is still possible and does occur. Skimming is a common method that thieves use to obtain the information associated with your debit card and PIN when they are at an ATM. Skimming an ATM occurs when criminals steal card information by using concealed electronics or technology installed on ATM machines. Scammers are able to empty the checking or savings accounts of a user once they have access to that user's card information. There are different ways skimming is conducted to bait the victims. There is this very common tactic called the skimming overlay devices. The overlay skimming devices are placed atop the card slots in order to steal information. The information from a card's magnetic strip is captured by the device whenever a card is inserted into the slot of an automated teller machine. Techniques known as "keypad overlay" are also used by criminals. When placed over the keypad of an ATM, these keypad overlay devices have the ability to record PINs as they are being entered. These two are just the most common techniques that criminals use to steal someone's credit or debit card information and use it to perform financial attacks. Related Article: Flagstar Bank Reveals 1.5 Million Customers Have Been Affected by Data Breach 5SOS was forced to cut short a concert in Houston, Texas, on Sunday after the band's drummer, Ashton Irwin, suffered from an 'extreme' case of heat exhaustion. The Australian pop group told fans on Instagram the next day: 'As you may have heard, last night's show ended early due to a medical incident during the show. 'Upon experiencing physical symptoms, Ashton was taken to a local hospital for tests and a medical review. As a result, it was advised Ashton had experienced extreme heat exhaustion.' 5SOS was forced to cut short a concert in Houston, Texas, on Sunday after the band's drummer, Ashton Irwin (pictured), suffered from an 'extreme' case of heat exhaustion 'Thankfully and most importantly, he is feeling okay and recovering well. We apologise to all the fans in attendance for the show being cut short,' the band continued. 'Ticketholders please check your emails, you will be updated as soon as we have more information. Thank you, 5SOS.' 5SOS, comprising Ashton and bandmates Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford, were halfway through their set when the group rushed off stage. A crew member returned moments later to tell the crowd the concert had been called off. The Australian pop group told fans on Instagram the next day: 'As you may have heard, last night's show ended early due to a medical incident during the show. Upon experiencing physical symptoms, Ashton was taken to a local hospital for tests and a medical review. As a result, it was advised Ashton had experienced extreme heat exhaustion' 5SOS have since announced they will be postponing their Arkansas show that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday night. The Youngblood hitmakers are in the middle of their North American tour, and are booked to perform at several venues Down Under in November. They recently announced their fifth studio album, titled 5SOS5, will be released on September 23. 5SOS, comprising Ashton (right) and bandmates Luke Hemmings (centre), Calum Hood and Michael Clifford, were halfway through their set when the group rushed off stage. A crew member returned moments later to tell the crowd the concert had been called off The group will perform in Perth on November 30, Brisbane on December 2 and Melbourne on December 4. Then they are off to the Gold Coast on December 6, and Newcastle on December 7, before ending in Sydney on December 9 and 10. The band formed as high-school students in western Sydney in 2011, and have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The Hemsworths are known to be a tight-knit family. And Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky shared a fun and tender moment with her brother-in-law Luke at the Sydney premiere of her husband's new film Thor: Love and Thunder on Monday night. While Elsa, 45, is known to be good friends with Luke's wife Samantha, who was also at the screening, it was clear from the pair's behaviour on the red carpet that she also shares a close bond with the 41-year-old Westworld star. Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky shared a fun and tender moment with her brother-in-law Luke at the Sydney premiere of her husband's new film Thor: Love and Thunder on Monday The duo shared a laugh and at one stage Elsa nestled into Luke's shoulder as they took a break from posing for photos in front of the media wall. Elsa looked incredible at the premiere in a plunging black sequined dress with a backless design, thigh split and cut-out over the waist. Luke, meanwhile, opted for a more casual look in a colourful jacket and jeans. Elsa looked incredible at the premiere in a plunging black sequined dress with a backless design, thigh split and cut-out over the waist Elsa and Chris, 38, were joined by their twin sons Tristan and Sasha, eight. Luke also stepped out with his wife Samantha and their daughters. The Hemsworth brothers had attended the LA premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder last week, alongside their parents Leonie and Craig. One notable absence was the youngest Hemsworth brother, Liam, who couldn't make it because of filming commitments in Morocco. The duo shared a laugh and at one stage Elsa nestled into Luke's shoulder as they took a break from posing for photos in front of the media wall Chris and Elsa were also joined by their twin sons Tristan and Sasha, eight (all pictured) The famous brothers own more than 100 hectares of land in the Byron Bay region with a value of $100million. After buying his Byron Bay family home for $7million in 2014, Chris transformed the sprawling property into a compound with an estimated value of between $30million and $60million. In what has been dubbed 'The Hemsworth Effect', the famous family has been pegged as one of the main reasons for Byron Bay becoming Australia's most expensive housing market in 2021. Lisa Hochstein has accused her estranged husband Lenny of volatile behavior, alleging he 'berated and threatened' her in front of the couple's two children. The Real Housewives of Miami star, 39, claims she and the kids had to leave the family's $52million Miami mansion due to 55-year-old Lenny's conduct, in divorce documents obtained by The Sun. The newly single beauty additionally asked the court to forbid Lenny's alleged girlfriend - presumed to be 26-year-old Austrian model Katharina Mazepa - from having contact with the kids after acting in a manner 'that would be seen as injurious to the minor children.' Ugly divorce: Lisa Hochstein has accused her estranged husband Lenny of volatile behavior, saying he 'berated and threatened' her in front of the couple's two children; Pictured 2019 The reality star wants to be granted exclusive possession of the mansion, after Lenny previously asked the court to kick her out as he claimed that in their prenuptial agreement, Lisa had agreed to leave the home if they were to get a divorce. She is also asking that his 'alleged unannounced visits' to the home to stop right away. As for Lenny's girlfriend, Lisa is asking that the woman have no contact with their daughter Elle, two, and son Logan, six, as it is 'detrimental' to them. Had to flee: The star, 39, claims she and the kids had to leave the family's $52million Miami mansion due to 55-year-old Lenny's conduct; The former couple pictured with daughter Elle, two, and son Logan, six 'The husband has exposed the minor children to his presumed girlfriend which is detrimental to the best interests of minor children.' 'The husband's presumed girlfriend, upon information and belief, has acted and continues to act in a manner that would be seen as injurious to the minor children, should she have any contact of access to the minor children at this time,' the filing stated. Lenny has recently announced his new romance with Mazepa, though Lisa did not name a particular woman in her filing. The star is also asking for the court to put in place a temporary parenting plan that includes 'safeguards and parameters' and for Lenny to pay her attorney's fees. Protective: Lisa also asked the court to forbid Lenny's alleged girlfriend from having contact with the kids after acting in a manner 'that would be seen as injurious to the minor children' In the documents, the mother-of-two revealed that she is currently not dating anyone else and is 'loyal' to her husband, 'even though the husband filed this divorce unannounced and without the wife's knowledge.' Earlier in June, Lenny claimed that their prenup agreement stated Lisa will 'vacate the Marital Home then occupied by the parties within thirty (30) days of such filing.' He then asked the court to 'enter an Order that establishes a date certain the Wife will vacate the residence' after alleging that Lisa refused to vacate the mansion. Last month, it was claimed that Lisa was 'blindsided' by Lenny's divorce announcement, after 12 years of marriage. No contact: Lenny has recently announced his new romance with 26-year-old Austrian model Katharina Mazepa, though Lisa did not name a particular woman in her filing The plastic surgeon, known as the 'Boob God' of Miami, said that 'irreconcilable differences have arisen between the parties to the extent that their marriage is irretrievably broken and there is no present hope for a meaningful reconciliation' in divorce documents obtained by The Sun. Lenny is asking the court that both he and Lisa 'enjoy substantial time-sharing' with their kids, and at the time of filing he claimed that both he and his ex 'agreed to dissolve their marriage at least a month ago,' and that he offered to pay for her legal fees. The proud father plans on paying for all of their children's health insurance, private school education, and 'enrichment in school activities', as well as spousal support to Lisa as outlined in their prenuptial agreement. In addition, he has also asked that the court equitably distribute all non-marital assets. Natalie Roser is usually seen bouncing around in a string bikini. And the model and influencer, 32, flashed plenty of flesh when she dolled up for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder on Monday night. Despite the chilly temperature, Natalie opted for a skimpy crop top and matching black skirt that highlighted her flat stomach. Model and influencer Natalie Roser flashed plenty of flesh when she dolled up for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder on Monday night Natalie looked as glamorous as ever as she posed on the red carpet in her slinky ensemble, drawing attention to her flawless figure. The Guess model finished her look with strappy black sandals and a chic handbag. She showcased her natural beauty by opting for minimal makeup, and swept her trademark blonde hair over one shoulder. Despite the chilly temperature, Natalie opted for a skimpy crop top and matching black skirt that highlighted her flat stomach The Thor premiere saw actor Chris Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi lead the red-carpet arrivals, followed by a host of local celebs. Natalie only recently returned to Australia after a work trip to Palm Springs in California, with her friend Laura Dundovic. The two women shared a series of bikini-clad photos of themselves soaking up the sun in the luxurious surrounds. She showcased her natural beauty by opting for minimal makeup, and swept her trademark blonde hair over one shoulder It comes after Natalie's husband, Aussie actor Harley Bonner, paid tribute to wife on her 32nd birthday in May. 'Happy birthday to my darling wife,' wrote the former Home and Away star. 'This beautiful womans patience, love and support knows no bounds!! I am eternally grateful. Youve made this life a blessed one'. Natalie only recently returned to Australia after a work trip to Palm Springs in California, with her friend Laura Dundovic Influencer Mia Plecic has sparked outrage by comparing Australia's vaccine mandates to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court's ruling ends the constitutional right to abortion across America, meaning individual states can now decide whether abortion should be legal. Reacting to the landmark decision on Saturday, Ms Plecic, 30, wrote on Instagram: 'Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?' Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves 'pro-choice', borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion. However, the use of the term in the context of vaccines is highly controversial, with women's rights activists saying the two issues cannot be compared. Australian influencer Mia Plecic, 30, (pictured) has sparked outrage by comparing Australia's vaccine mandates to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade 'The same people who are against freedom of choice with mandates are the same people who are screaming freedom of choice about abortions,' added Ms Plecic in her post. The businesswoman, who made headlines last year for sharing anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine views on social media, continued: 'It doesn't work like that. Freedom of choice regardless of your narrative.' Her 'pro-choice' post was soon picked up by Instagram watchdog account Aussie Influencer Opinions, which warned customers of Ms Plecic's haircare company Slick Hair Co. they were supporting these views by buying her products. Ms Plecic has since received a wave of backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store. Reacting to the landmark decision on Saturday, Ms Plecic, 30, wrote on Instagram: 'Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?' Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves 'pro-choice', borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion. (Ms Plecic is pictured here) Aussie Influencer Opinions posted a screenshot purportedly showing an anonymous user messaging Showpo's official Instagram account asking why the company stocked a product 'with such a problematic company owner such as Mia Plecic'. A Showpo customer service representative replied: 'As a brand we will not be renewing our partnership with Slick Hair Company to stock their products on our website and we're effectively exiting out of this brand.' Reacting to Ms Plecic's Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: 'Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really.' Another agreed: 'Wow... to compare those VERY DIFFERENT things is just next level. How embarrassing.' Ms Plecic has since received a wave of backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store, according to this alleged Instagram exchange between a customer and a Showpo representative A third Instagram user wrote: 'Ah yes, because following public health advice to protect the community is the same as forcing women to give birth. Stop supporting these muppets.' Ms Plecic has since doubled down on her controversial stance, uploading another post on Sunday to thank the '500 people' who had reached out to her to express their agreement. She also used this post to clarify she is pro-choice when it comes to abortion. Loyal followers have also left supportive comments on the entrepreneur's page, with one writing: 'Good on you for stating your opinion regardless of your views.' Another added: 'Youre a legend! People coming to your page to hate are so brainwashed.' Reacting to Ms Plecic's Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: 'Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really' Ms Plecic has since doubled down on her controversial stance, uploading another post on Sunday to thank the '500 people' who had reached out to her to express their agreement The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Power has now been handed back to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Women with unwanted pregnancies in America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country' In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country'. He called the Supreme Court's decision as 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over'. He said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Married At First Sight star Tamara Djordjevic has revealed she suffers from ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 30-year-old reality star said she was diagnosed with the disorder in her early teens. Tamara was 'given prescription medication' to manage her symptoms, but chose not to take them. Married At First Sight star Tamara Djordjevic (pictured) is the latest celebrity to go public about being diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) 'I got diagnosed when I was like 10, being a female is very different to being a male when you have ADHD,' she explained. The reality star decided not to take the medication because of the change in her personality. 'Unless it affected my day-to-day life hugely, which it doesn't, having ADHD does make me a little bit crazy. I've learned to embrace it, I like it,' she said. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 30-year-old revealed she was diagnosed with the disorder in her early teens Tamara explained that she has become accustomed to having an up-day and a down-day. 'When I am really heightened by my ADHD I know what to do about it. I feel like if you're medicated for it. Like my brother is, you're so mellow... I miss you being so out there.' Elsewhere, the blonde bombshell admitted she was 'confused' by her husband Brent Vitiello's decision to stay on in the experiment, even though their relationship had fizzled. 'I got diagnosed when I was like 10, being a female is very different to being a male when you have ADHD,' she explained. Pictured on the Gold Coast earlier this month 'When I wrote leave was when I couldn't try anymore. [I was] confused with why Brent wanted to stay when we were not getting along, and the spark was not there,' she explained. 'I became spiteful and my defence mechanisms kicked in. Despite what happened, I did try to get to know Brent and I did try to understand him, or else why would this person want to stay with me?' She added: 'There was a lot to our story and always two sides to it.' The reality star explained she decided not to take the medication because of the change in her personality. 'Unless it affected my day-to-day life hugely, which it doesn't, having ADHD does make me a little bit crazy. I've learned to embrace it, I like it' It comes as Tamara flaunted her incredible physique as she was spotted taking her pet dog Zeus for a walk on the Gold Coast. The operations manger was seen wearing pink STAX bike shorts and a matching crop top. She showed off her natural beauty, appearing to wear little makeup during the sighting. Tamara appeared in good spirits and at one point was seen chatting on the phone while joined by her best friend Kristy Ralph. She has been in Manchester for the past few weeks, shooting for a new ITV drama. And Helena Bonham Carter donned a ginger wig as she transformed into Crossroads icon Noele Gordon to continue filming Nolly in the northern city on Friday. The actress, 56, donned a cream midi dress featuring puff sleeves, which she teamed up with a matching silk scarf, while shooting at the Martins Bank building which doubles as London's ATV Studios. Emerging: Helena Bonham Carter donned a ginger wig as she transformed into Crossroads icon Noele Gordon to continue filming Nolly in Manchester on Friday She kept things casual with a pair of brown trainers while clutching her mobile phone and glasses. Three part drama Nolly, penned by Russell T Davies, will explore the all-powerful reign and fall from grace of the inimitable Noele Gordon, who died in 1985. Noele was declared the 'Queen of the Midlands' thanks to iconic role as Meg Mortimer in Crossroads and was the darling of the establishment until it turned on her. As flame-haired widow Meg in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, Noele became one of the most famous people in Britain. Looking good: The actress, 56, donned a cream midi dress featuring puff sleeves, which she teamed up with a matching silk scarf In action: She shot at the Martins Bank building which doubles as London's ATV Studios Then in 1981, at the height of the show's success and the peak of her fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation, with the soap eventually ending two years later. With the boss's words 'all good things must come to an end' ringing in her ears, Noele found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years. A love letter to a legend of television, and to the madcap soap she starred in, Nolly will be an entertaining ride through Noele's most tumultuous years, and a sharp, affectionate and heart-breaking portrait of a forgotten icon. Of the role, Helena said: 'Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies' script. Serious: The Charlie And The Chocolate Factory star shot a stern expression as she walked through the set Stylish: She kept things casual with a pair of brown trainers while clutching her mobile phone and glasses Busy bees: Antonia Bernath, playing Jane Rossington, who starred in Crossroads as Jill Richardson, wrapped up in a fluffy coral dressing gown while an elderly man cut a stone suit 'I'm so thrilled to help tell Nolly's long overdue and largely forgotten story. 'Russell's screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I'll do him and Nolly justice. I can't wait to start.' Nolly has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill, who commented: 'Russell's scripts are magnificent and a great tribute to Noele Gordon, but also to our national love of soaps and a celebration of the incredible women they create. 'Helena Bonham Carter is going to be amazing as Nolly and we can't wait for her to step into those shoes.' Wow! A vintage green car sat above a towing lorry before its use on set Russell said: 'One of my very first jobs in TV was a trial script for Crossroads, and I've wanted to write the story of behind the scenes on that show for 40 years. At last, the truth can be told!' Noele, who had previously had multiple roles in the theatre before landing her part in Crossroads, played Meg from 1964 to 1981, and later returned for a two-episode stint in 1983. After she was dropped from the show, Noele's ill health prevented her from accepting many more roles, and she died in 1985 at the age of 66. Throwback: Noele was declared the 'Queen of the Midlands' thanks to iconic role as Meg Mortimer in Crossroads and was the darling of the establishment until it turned on her (pictured in 1981) However the casting of Helena in the titular role hasn't gone down well with everyone. Angela Webb, 64, who played Iris Scott in the drama from 1980 to 1985, told The Mirror: 'This is really bizarre. Someone writing a biopic of her who didn't know or experience her I do worry.' 'She wouldn't be my first choice. Nolly was statuesque and strong, Celticlike, with piercing blue eyes. Helena is tiny, dark-haired, dark-eyed. I hope she's met people who knew Noele and gets advice about the presence that she had. I'd be hugely up for that.' Jennifer Lopez enjoyed some quality time with her child Emme on the set of her fiance Ben Affleck's untitled Nike movie. The actress, 52, held hands with Emme, 14, as they checked out all the movie making magic from behind-the-scenes in Los Angeles on Monday. Jennifer looked stylish as ever in a white pussybow blouse, high waist slacks, and her hair slicked back into a half up, half down style. Mom and me! Jennifer Lopez enjoyed some quality time with her child Emme on the set of her fiance Ben Affleck's upcoming Nike movie on Monday She shielded her eyes behind a pair stylish sunnies while dangling earrings further jazzed up the look. Emme wore a tie-dye top, baggy jeans, and a pair of earbuds. The duo shared a sweet moment as JLo held Emme close to her side, pressing her lips atop their curly hair. Earlier this month JLo and Emme performed a duet together at the Blue Diamond Gala at Dodgers Stadium, where the songstress introduced her singing partner using they/them pronouns. Aww! JLo held her child close as she pressed her lips to their curly hair 'The last time we performed together was in a big stadium like this and I ask them to sing with me all the time, and they won't. So this is a very special occasion. They are very, very busy. Booked. And pricey,' she joked. 'They cost me when they come out. But they're worth every single penny because they're my favorite duet partner of all time. So if you will indulge me,' the Marry Me actress said while calling her partner to the stage. The I'm Real artist shares Emme and their twin, Max, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 53. Special duet: Earlier this month JLo and Emme performed a duet together at the Blue Diamond Gala at Dodgers Stadium, where the songstress introduced her singing partner using they/them pronouns When Jennifer isn't performing for fans, she has also been busy this past month supporting Ben on the set of his new film. Ben and Matt Damon are starring, writing, and producing a new untitled movie about how Nike managed to secure a partnership with Michael Jordan in the Eighties. Damon, who first met Affleck when they were just kids growing up in Massachusetts, will be playing Sonny Vaccaro, the real-life man who, despite all the naysayers, brokered the deal with Jordan, even though more established shoe companies Converse and Adidas were in the mix. His best friend, who is also directing the project, will portray billionaire businessman, Phil Knight, the co-founder of shoe giant Nike. Like they did for their Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting, the two old friends teamed up to write the screenplay for the biographical drama film from an early script written by Alex Covenry. Rebel Wilson and girlfriend Ramona Agruma have been enjoying a romantic trip around Europe after going public with their relationship. And now the pair are enjoying a stay in a luxury cave hotel in Turkey, where a suite can cost around $3,561 per night. Their room at the Museum Hotel in Cappadocia also has its very own own indoor pool and jacuzzi. Rebel Wilson and girlfriend Ramona Agruma have been enjoying a romantic trip around Europe after going public with their relationship, and now the pair are enjoying a stay in a luxury cave hotel in Turkey, where a suite can cost around $3,561 per night Fashion designer Ramona shared a video of their accommodation to Instagram on Monday. She also posted a picture of herself and Rebel cuddling up for a selfie as they made their way to dinner. Rebel looked stunning for her dinner date in a black lace dress as she tucked into some delish food. Their room at the Museum Hotel in Cappadocia also has its very own own indoor pool and jacuzzi Before heading to Turkey, Rebel and Ramona enjoyed a stay on the French Island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. The comedic actress, who publicly announced her relationship with Ramona in an Instagram post on June 10, looked absolutely radiant as she posed in a retro-style bikini while taking in the stunning sights on a yacht. They have also travelled to Iceland and Italy during their European vacation. Ramona also posted pictures of the pair enjoying a dinner date 'Good morning Cappadocia,' Ramona captioned one picture of herself Before heading to Turkey, Rebel and Ramona enjoyed a stay on the French Island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea Rebel publicly announced her romance with Ramona in an Instagram post on June 10, sharing a photo of the pair cosying up to one another. 'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince... but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess,' she wrote. The pair have been seen together since early this year, and they even walked the red carpet together at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in March. Rebel still hasn't shared many details about her new love, who is an LA-based fashion designer and the owner of the sustainable fashion brand Lemon Ve Limon. Shortly after her Instagram post, it was revealed that Rebel went public about her relationship and her sexuality in order to get ahead of a story from the Sydney Morning Herald after the Australian paper threatened to 'out' her. Shortly after she posted her photo, the paper's gossip columnist Andrew Hornery accused the actress of 'gazumping' his scoop by speaking out on her own terms. Rebel publicly announced her romance with Ramona in an Instagram post on June 10, sharing a photo of the pair cosying up to one another. Pictured in Iceland 'Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace,' she later wrote in a reply to a Twitter post by Channel 10's Kate Doak. In his original piece, Hornery wrote that he gave the Bridesmaids star two days to respond to questioning, effectively forcing the actress' hand, yet became angry when the star chose to take control of the narrative herself. 'It was with an abundance of caution and respect that this media outlet emailed Rebel Wilson's representatives on Thursday morning, giving her two days to comment on her new relationship with LA leisure wear designer Ramona Agruma, before publishing a single word,' he wrote. 'Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new 'Disney Princess' on Instagram early Friday morning, the same platform she had previously used to brag about her handsome ex-boyfriend, wealthy American beer baron Jacob Busch. 'Considering how bitterly Wilson had complained about poor journalism standards... her choice ignore our discreet genuine and honest queries was underwhelming.' The article prompted a major backlash on social media with users bowled over by the newspaper's insensitivity, prompting editor Bevan Shields to pen a lengthy statement denying any wrongdoing and wishing the couple well. Hornery subsequently apologised for his 'tone' in the article, and he claimed he never meant to 'inflict pain' when he approached the star about her relationship. 'I genuinely regret that Rebel has found this hard,' Hornery said in a column that replaced Sunday's article. 'That was never my intention. But I see she has handled it all with extraordinary grace.' He added that, 'As a gay man I'm well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts. The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else.' An Australian man claims he almost died after getting lost trying to meet Chris Hemsworth on the set of the new Mad Max movie. Aspiring YouTube star Andy Mai told news.com.au he drove a rented Mercedes from Sydney to the small village of Silverton, north-west of Broken Hill, after hearing the original Mad Max had been filmed there. However, he soon discovered there was nothing more than 'just dirt' around the tiny town, so decided to head back to Sydney the next day. Australian YouTuber Andy Mai (pictured) claims he almost died after getting lost trying to meet Chris Hemsworth on the set of the new Mad Max movie It was during Andy's drive home that he found himself in trouble on the dirt roads and long stretches of desert. 'This car was not built for the desert. Fifty per cent of the trip was just dirt road. There were so many potholes,' he said. 'I got bogged down three times, and on the third time, I got stuck,' he added. Andy eventually found himself trapped on an isolated dirt road with nobody around, hours away from civilisation. He desperately attempted to get the vehicle unstuck, but 'nothing was working'. Hemsworth (pictured) stars as the male lead in the upcoming Mad Max film, titled Furiosa Just as he was beginning to lose hope, Andy lucked out when he came across a young farm boy riding a dirt bike nearby. He flagged him down, and the boy and his mum helped free him from the potholes. Despite his narrow escape, Andy's troubles didn't end there. He later ended up in Broken Hill, but was unable to book accommodation anywhere because the Mad Max film crew had already booked it all out. Andy drove a rented Mercedes from Sydney to the small village of Silverton (pictured), north-west of Broken Hill, after hearing the original Mad Max had been filmed there The 23-year-old had no choice but to sleep on the floor in the office of an old racetrack, which he said was 'freezing'. The next day, Andy drove the 13 hours back to Sydney, and the trip almost 'killed him'. Andy is a budding YouTuber, boasting 27,000 subscribers on his channel, where he reviews books and shares health and wellness tips. A former sand mine in Sydney recently became another filming location for the fifth Mad Max movie, titled Furiosa. The remote site in Kurnell, 33km south of Sydney's CBD, has been turned into a giant movie set for the post-apocalyptic epic, which is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. After almost getting lost in the desert, Andy ended up spending a 'freezing' night sleeping on the floor of an old office in Broken Hill A large marquee and other buildings have been set up on the rugged location which has been cut-off to the public and is being guarded around the clock, The Leader reported earlier this month. Meanwhile, a development application (DA) to the Sutherland Shire Council indicates that filming in Kurnell is expected to last until October. According to The Leader, story details related to the location are being kept secret. All third-party service providers have been obliged to sign confidentiality agreements with the production. Earlier this month, Hemsworth confirmed that Furiosa had started filming More than 300 vehicles and a cast and crew of over 350 people will be using the set during filming. This isn't the first time a Mad Max crew has filmed in and around the area. The famous sand hills of Kurnell featured in the third Mad Max film, Beyond Thunderdome, in 1985 as the location for a crashed 747. Mad Max Furiosa began production in Broken Hill in April. It tells the origin story of a young Imperator Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who rose to fame in Netflix hit The Queen's Gambit. Furiosa was originally portrayed by Charlize Theron in 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. A Steam Deck designer does not want people from doing anything to their Steam Deck handhelds on their own. Lawrence Yang, a designer who worked on the Steam Deck, is advising people on his Twitter account not to modify or repair their Steam Decks on their own, per Rock Paper Shotgun. Yang's advice follows a PC Gamer article mentioning that Steam Deck users can install a larger NVMe SSD through a mod. Steam Deck Mod And DIY Repair Warning Details Hi, please dont do this. The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and get hotter than what Deck is designed for. This mod may appear to work but will significantly shorten the life of your Deck. https://t.co/Kmup7Zov13 Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) June 25, 2022 Yang mentioned in his official Twitter account that using a popular mod for the Steam Deck will compromise the device's ability to dissipate heat, which will significantly shorten a Steam Deck's lifespan. The mod in question was created by Canadian modder Belly Jelly, which upgraded their Steam Deck's SSD to use a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD rather than the 2230 form factor SSD the handheld was equipped with. Belly Jelly mentioned in his Twitter account that the Steam Deck's printed circuit board appears to work "fairly well" for adapting a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD and that it doesn't collide with anything on the motherboard or put any extra strain on any cables. Testers discovered that following this modification does give larger storage, per a separate PC Gamer article. Although doing so doesn't have a significant change in response time - a micro SD load was only two seconds behind an NVMe SSD. The pcb appears to work fairly well for adapting a 2242 m2 to the steam deck, it doesn't collide with anything on the motherboard or put any extra strain on any cables. However, it does make the heat spreader bow a tiny bit. The back plate reassembled without issue. pic.twitter.com/4j4LVbS0NG Belly Jelly (@TheSmcelrea) June 21, 2022 Belly Jelly does have reason to recommend the mod, though. a Reddit user by the name of u/midnight_watch mentioned that they emailed Valve CEO Gabe Newell, asking if the Steam Deck's SSD is replaceable - a question that Newell answered in the affirmative. Read More: Bank of the West Warns Customers After Skimmers That Steal Debit Card Info were Found in ATMs However, the Canadian modder does admit that the mod slightly makes the handheld's heat spreader, a device that moves heat from an area of a device that creates heat to a heat exchanger with a larger cross-sectional area, surface area, and volume, to bow. Yang mentioned that most 2242 M.2 SSD drives require more power and heat than what the Steam Deck is designed for, which would eventually lead to overheating. He also added that the thermal pads within the device should not be moved and that while the mod may appear to work, it will significantly shorten the life of a Steam Deck. Interestingly, Valve warned users of modifying their Steam Decks on its website, stating that "all models use socketed 2230 M.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement)." The warning also covers DIY repairs that could mess up the handheld's internal circuitry and design. Users should keep in mind that Yang's comment on the mod in question does not necessarily reflect Valve's view on the matter. More Steam Decks On The Way Although the Steam Deck is sort of hard to get, Valve mentioned earlier that it has increased the production of Steam Deck handhelds and will be shipping "more than double the number of Steam Decks every week." "Production has picked up, and after today we'll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week!" Valve said in its official Twitter account. As such, if you're looking for a Steam Deck to buy or to replace the one you just modded due to it voiding the warranty, you'll be getting a good chance to get one soon. Related Article: Valve Increases Production, Boosts Shipment of Steam Deck Just weeks after finishing his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry met up with some old friends in Las Vegas. The 52-year-old actor shared a snap from a Vegas hotel suite with his Mr. Sunshine co-star David Pressman, celebrity photographer Randall Slavin and Roger Castillo. The friends were all smiles in the snap, though they didn't quite have the best luck with gambling in Sin City. Old friends: Just weeks after finishing his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry met up with some old friends in Las Vegas Snap: The 52-year-old actor shared a snap from a Vegas hotel suite with his Mr. Sunshine co-star David Pressman, celebrity photographer Randall Slavin and Roger Castillo 'Vegas with old friends this weekend. This photo was take minutes before we went downstairs and lost every dime any of us have ever earned,' Perry said in the photo's caption. Slavin responded to the post, adding, 'Lady Luck was not on our side....' mirroring Perry's comment insinuating the friends lost a lot of money. The outing comes just under two weeks after revealing he has finished writing his memoir. Vegas weekend: 'Vegas with old friends this weekend. This photo was take minutes before we went downstairs and lost every dime any of us have ever earned,' Perry said in the photo's caption 'My ego doesn't like that I have to stop writing about myself. But the book is now done. So that's that,' Perry said in the caption of his post. He revealed the book's cover in February, also revealing that the memoir will be published on November 1. 'So much has been written about me in the past. I thought it was time people heard from me,' Perry said in his tweet on February 10. Book: 'My ego doesn't like that I have to stop writing about myself. But the book is now done. So that's that,' Perry said in the caption of his post 'The highs were high, the lows were low. But I have lived to tell the tale, even though at times it looked like I wouldnt,' he added. 'And its all in here. I apologize its not a pop up book,' Perry concluded. Flatiron Books will be publishing the non-fiction book, offering a tease of the book in a press release from October. Lived: 'The highs were high, the lows were low. But I have lived to tell the tale, even though at times it looked like I wouldnt,' he added 'In the book, Perry takes readers behind the scenes and onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction,' the publisher said. The actor will be, 'vividly detailing his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all,' the publisher said. Flatiron Books' Megan Lynch said in a statement, 'We need humor, we need catharsis, and we need to agree on something - and Matthews extraordinary story, told in his inimitable voice, is that thing.' 'Matthews book has unrivaled potential to bring people together, which feels especially galvanizing right now, a time of isolation and division,' she added. Vivid: The actor will be, 'vividly detailing his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all,' the publisher said Married At First Sight star Liam Cooper is the latest celebrity to 'seriously consider' launching an account on adult subscription service OnlyFans. The 30-year-old groom told Daily Mail Australia he was ready to start shooting content, but his boyfriend Samuel Levi convinced him to change his mind. While Liam hasn't ruled out joining the site, he's waiting to see if people are interested in seeing that sort of content from him. Married At First Sight star Liam Cooper, 30, has revealed he is 'seriously considering' launching an account on adult subscription service OnlyFans 'Oh no, it aint ruled out,' he laughed. 'I just dont think anyone would wanna see it but maybe there is a market there or maybe I can just sell my feet.' It comes after Liam shared a video of himself singing and dancing to High School Musical track Stick to the Status Quo, while shaking his hand toward the camera. 'When the thought of joining OF keeps crossing your mind daily,' he captioned the video before writing, 'it was coming but @_samuellevi said no'. The 30-year-old groom told Daily Mail Australia that he was ready to start shooting content but his boyfriend Samuel Levi convinced him to change his mind Samuel was quick to comment underneath the video, writing: 'If you can make us $10,000 in one hour. Go right ahead,' to which Liam cheekily replied: 'You know I can haha.' Meanwhile, fellow MAFS stars Beth Moore and Rebecca Zemek encouraged him to 'just do it'. 'Go make that money honey,' wrote Carly Bowyer. Samuel was quick to comment underneath the video, writing: 'If you can make us $10,000 in one hour. Go right ahead,' to which Liam cheekily replied: 'You know I can haha' Liam and Samuel are set to celebrate their one year anniversary together on Monday. The couple confirmed their relationship in July last year following months of speculation. Liam, who was 'married' to bride Georgia Fairweather on the last season of MAFS Australia, had been fuelling romance rumours with Kiwi influencer Samuel, 29, for some time. Liam, who was 'married' to bride Georgia Fairweather on the last season of MAFS Australia, will celebrate his one year anniversary together with boyfriend Samuel Levi on Monday The prison case worker let the cat out of the bag by posting a photo of the pair cuddled up for a selfie, alongside a gushing caption about their Hallmark-esque love story. 'When a country boy finds a city boy,' the bisexual reality star began. 'Life works in mysterious ways and this guy came into my life when I least expected it. I know I don't have to explain my life or what I do but I am very open and honest and wanted to let you all know,' he said of socialite Samuel. 'I met this guy early this year after the experiment. We hit it off and we remained friends until recently,' Liam explained, adding: 'Samuel has shown me what support looks like, what trust looks like and much more.' Ending his essay with a raw admission, Liam concluded: 'I am scared, I am nervous but most of all I am happy.' Heidi Klum and husband Tom Kaulitz looked in love as ever as they walked through a rainy New York City with arms wrapped. The blonde bombshell, 49, smiled as she strolled with her fingers interwoven with the 32-year-old guitarist's. They matched each other in black outfits, looking carefree as droplets of rain fell on them. Loved-up: Heidi Klum and husband Tom Kaulitz looked in love as ever as they walked through a rainy New York City with arms wrapped The longtime supermodel put on a fashionable display in a short-sleeved, wide-leg jumper. It featured gold hardware and highlighted her trim waistline with a matching belt that she secured for a snug fit. The mother-of-four looked happier than ever as she donned a pair of lightly-tinted, brown aviator-style glasses. She carried a large woven black tote with brown straps over her shoulder and walked in a pair of black Birkenstock slides. PDA: The blonde bombshell, 49, smiled as she strolled with her fingers interwoven with the 32-year-old guitarist's The America's Got Talent judge's waist-length hair was damp as it flowed over one of her shoulders. She wore it in an undefined part as it blew in the breeze, giving her a windswept effect. Klum rocked a pair of statement-making pendant earrings with a turquoise stone center. Sweet: They matched each other in black outfits, looking carefree as droplets of rain fell on them She showed off a long, sleek, oval-shaped nude manicure, which matched her impeccable pedicure. Complementing his wife, Kaulitz stepped out in a simple, black, short-sleeved t-shirt and dark pants. He wore his long, curly brunette hair free and also wore lightly-tinted, round, black-rimmed shades. Finishing out the look was a pair of white Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. Showstopper: Heidi's been enjoying her time in the Big Apple and she recently made a trip to Times Square Heidi's been enjoying her time in the Big Apple and she recently made a trip to Times Square. The runway veteran donned a strapless, body-hugging black dress for the occasion as she went to check out her NFT display at the tourist hot spot. Afterward she took to Instagram and said: 'While it is always exciting for me to see my face on a billboard, its even more exciting for me to see my painting up there !!' TikTok sensation Hasbulla Magomedov is coming to Australia in August for his first-ever speaking tour. But female fans hoping to get a photo with the Dagestan-born viral sensation will unfortunately be left disappointed. Hasbulla, 19, who has dwarfism and is known for his child-like appearance, confirmed via his touring company on Tuesday he 'cannot pose with female guests' due to his 'personal and cultural beliefs'. TikTok sensation Hasbulla Magomedov, 19, (pictured) has announced he won't pose for photos with female fans during his upcoming speaking tour in Australia 'To our female guests, if you would like to attend [the tour's official] meet and greet with Hasbulla, you are welcome to do so, but please acknowledge the limitations of photography,' the statement from The Hour Group reads. 'We understand the disappointment this creates. However, we respectfully acknowledge the cultural and personal beliefs of Hasbulla and have to accommodate his requests accordingly.' The exact nature of Hasbulla's religious views has not been disclosed, but some followers of Islam believe that men and women who are not married should not pose together in photos in certain circumstances. Hasbulla, 19, who has dwarfism and is known for his child-like appearance, confirmed via his touring company he 'cannot pose with female guests' due to his 'personal and cultural beliefs' The exact nature of Hasbulla's religious views has not been disclosed, but some followers of Islam believe that men and women who are not married should not pose together in photos Hasbulla is scheduled to speak in Sydney on August 29 and 30, and Melbourne on August 31 and September 1 Hasbulla is scheduled to speak in Sydney on August 29 and 30, and Melbourne on August 31 and September 1. The tour will also include an exclusive meet and greet with the social media star, with tickets for this event going on sale at 9am on June 30. 'I am very excited to be heading to Australia, I can't wait to see all my Aussie fans and visit these amazing cities. I've heard so many great things about Australia. I'm looking forward to all the great experiences your country has to offer,' Hasbulla said. The tour will also include an exclusive meet and greet with the social media star, with tickets for this event going on sale at 9am on June 30 The aspiring MMA star shot to fame in late 2020 when he began posting videos on Instagram and TikTok of himself performing daring stunts and pranks Chris Tamblin, the co-founder of The Hour Group, said: 'Traditionally, Hasbulla has not conducted many public appearances. We, The Hour Group, are honoured to be bringing him down to Australia for what will be a fun and eventful tour.' Hasbulla shot to fame in late 2020 when he began posting videos on Instagram and TikTok of himself performing daring stunts and pranks. With his unique appearance and confident attitude, Hasbulla soon amassed a huge online following. With his unique appearance and confident attitude, Hasbulla soon amassed a huge following He now boasts 4.6 billion views on TikTok, and 2.6 million followers on Instagram. Hasbulla has also attracted attention by challenging prominent UFC stars to fights, including MMA champion Conor McGregor. 'I want to punish this one [McGregor]. He talks too much,' he said in a recent viral clip. He now boasts 4.6 billion views on TikTok, and 2.6 million followers on Instagram Hasbulla's newfound fame helped him befriend Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov (right), which led to fans nicknaming him 'Mini Khabib' In December 2021, Hasbulla dipped his toe into the fledgling NFT market by launching a cartoon that resembled himself Hasbulla's newfound fame helped him befriend Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, which led to fans nicknaming him 'Mini Khabib'. And In December 2021, he dipped his toe into the fledgling NFT market by launching a cartoon that resembled himself. Hasbulla was born with Growth Hormone Deficiency, a condition known as dwarfism, causing him to have an abnormally short stature with normal body proportions. Advertisement Newlyweds Ron Perlman and Allison Dunbar made their official public debut as man and wife while attending The Pet Gala at Yamashiro in Hollywood on Monday. At 72, the two-time Emmy nominee is 23 years older than the For All Mankind actress, and they just returned from a whirlwind romantic European honeymoon. Ron flashed his new wedding band while Allison unveiled her large diamond sparkler at Wagmor Pets' inaugural benefit. Newlyweds! Ron Perlman and Allison Dunbar made their official public debut as man and wife while attending The Pet Gala at Yamashiro in Hollywood on Monday Perlman and Dunbar made sure to pose with two of the four available puppies on display for guests during the 'orange carPET' ceremony. The native New Yorker kept his shades on and wore a grey-patterned button-up beneath a black suit while the Delaware-born blonde wore a blue reptilian-print long-sleeved mini-dress with glossy nude pumps. Ron and Allison - who reportedly obtained their marriage license from a California courthouse - tied the knot at the Palazzo Margherita in Basilicata, Italy earlier this month. Perlman and Dunbar performed their first dance to Frank Sinatra's 1946 song You Make Me Feel So Young inside Francis Ford Coppola's 19th century palazzo turned nine-room boutique hotel. May-December duo: At 72, the two-time Emmy nominee is 23 years older than the For All Mankind actress, and they just returned from a whirlwind romantic European honeymoon Wedding bling! Ron flashed his new wedding band while Allison unveiled her large diamond sparkler at Wagmor Pets' inaugural benefit Future fur children? Perlman and Dunbar made sure to pose with two of the four available puppies on display for guests during the 'orange carPET' ceremony Puppy love: The native New Yorker kept his shades on and wore a grey-patterned button-up beneath a black suit while the Delaware-born blonde wore a blue reptilian-print long-sleeved mini-dress with glossy nude pumps The Groundlings company member joked they were 'pulling a Kravis before it was a thing,' which was a reference to Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's third wedding at 13th century castle Castello Brown in Portofino on May 22. The There Are No Saints actor met 'the scintillating' Allison in March 2018 on the set of their Crackle series StartUp and, by May 2019, he legally separated from his wife of 38 years, Opal Stone, and the divorce was finalized in October. The ex-couple are parents of 38-year-old daughter Blake Amanda and 32-year-old son Brandon Avery, who goes by 'Delroy Edwards.' Ron is now the proud grandfather of Delroy's four-month-old son Benicio. They do! Ron and Allison - who reportedly obtained their marriage license from a California courthouse - tied the knot at the Palazzo Margherita in Basilicata, Italy earlier this month The look of love! Perlman and Dunbar performed their first dance to Frank Sinatra's 1946 song You Make Me Feel So Young inside Francis Ford Coppola's 19th century palazzo turned nine-room boutique hotel Wisecrack: The Groundlings company member joked they were 'pulling a Kravis before it was a thing,' which was a reference to Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's third wedding at 13th century castle Castello Brown in Portofino on May 22 Perlman - who boasts 4.7M social media followers - revealed on Monday that he and Harvey Keitel recently wrapped Steven Brand's noir film Joe Baby in Mississippi. The action thriller - based on Drew Fine's 2002 novel - also stars Dichen Lachman, Willa Fitzgerald, Kelly Hu, Kenneth Choi, Corin Nemec, David Lipper, Dan Bakkedahl, and Jason London. But first, audiences can catch the SAG Award nominee voicing the Podesta in Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's 1930s Italian-set, stop-motion animated movie Pinocchio, which premieres in December on Netflix. 'This character is the podesta, or officer in the town, who basically controlled the town politically and socially at this time,' 57-year-old del Toro told Vanity Fair. 'Magnificent addition!' The There Are No Saints actor met 'the scintillating' Allison in March 2018 (pictured) on the set of their Crackle series StartUp and, by May 2019, he legally separated from his wife of 38 years, Opal Stone, and the divorce was finalized in October Two grown kids: The ex-couple are parents of 38-year-old daughter Blake Amanda and 32-year-old son Brandon Avery, who goes by 'Delroy Edwards' 'Lil Benny!' Ron is now the proud grandfather of Delroy's four-month-old son Benicio (pictured June 5) 'He also has a story with his own son, Candlewick (Finn Wolfhard), who is traditionally the sort of bully that troubles Pinocchio.' The darker, twisted remake - based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 fairy tale - also stars Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Tim Blake Nelson, David Bradley, and Gregory Mann. Meanwhile, Dunbar - the self-described 'protector of dogs' - will next portray Kitty Rash in Aemilia Scott's spy movie Classified, which hits US theaters in September. 'Joe Baby, baby!' Perlman - who boasts 4.7M social media followers - revealed on Monday that he and Harvey Keitel recently wrapped Steven Brand's noir film Joe Baby in Mississippi Premieres in December on Netflix! But first, audiences can catch the SAG Award nominee voicing the Podesta in Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's 1930s Italian-set, stop-motion animated movie Pinocchio Wagmor Pets' guest of honor - Jenna Dewan - wore a black slinky halter top tucked into a matching pencil skirt and gold strappy stilettos. The 41-year-old Superman & Lois star was honored with an award from Melissa Bacelar, who owns the non-profit dog organization. Also enjoying the puppy love was Emmy-winning host Tom Bergeron, who adorably cradled one cute canine. Woman of the hour! Wagmor Pets' guest of honor - Jenna Dewan - wore a black slinky halter top tucked into a matching pencil skirt and gold strappy stilettos 'I am so grateful, thank you!' The 41-year-old Superman & Lois star was honored with an award from Melissa Bacelar, who owns the non-profit dog organization Silver fox: Also enjoying the puppy love was Emmy-winning host Tom Bergeron, who adorably cradled one cute canine Slower pace: The 67-year-old presenter was famously replaced by Tyra Banks on ABC's Dancing with the Stars in 2019 after 14 years The whole gang! There Are No Saints star Neal McDonough and his producer wife of 18 years - Ruve - brought their son Morgan, 16; daughter Catherine, 15; daughter London, 12; daughter Clover, 10; and son James, 8; to the event Lovely ladies: Other animal-loving attendees included Hawaii Five-O alum Teilor Grubbs (L) in a yellow floral frock and Shallow star Hairong Tian (R) in a sparkly blouse and black tap shorts The 67-year-old presenter was famously replaced by Tyra Banks on ABC's Dancing with the Stars in 2019 after 14 years. There Are No Saints star Neal McDonough and his producer wife of 18 years - Ruve - brought their son Morgan, 16; daughter Catherine, 15; daughter London, 12; daughter Clover, 10; and son James, 8; to the event. Other animal-loving attendees included Hawaii Five-O alum Teilor Grubbs in a yellow floral frock and Shallow star Hairong Tian in a sparkly blouse and black tap shorts. Gogglebox Australia fan favourites Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd have taken their son Malik, two, for his first haircut. Malik's makeover on Saturday raised more than $12,000 for the Children's Tumour Foundation of Australia. Sarah told Daily Mail Australia: 'When it came to cutting Malik's hair, we just didn't want that to go to waste.' Gogglebox Australia fan favourites Sarah Marie and Matty Fahd have taken their son Malik, two, for his first haircut. (Pictured before Malik's haircut on Saturday) The Fahds initially hoped to raise $5,000 but have made $12,680 as of Tuesday. Malik had his long hair trimmed at Handmade Salon in Canterbury, south-western Sydney, on Saturday. Photos show the toddler wearing a blue superhero cape and sporting stylish shorter locks after his haircut. Malik's makeover on Saturday raised more than $12,000 for the Children's Tumour Foundation of Australia. (Pictured before and after his haircut) Sarah Marie and Matty recently celebrated their four-year anniversary. Sharing a short video montage to his Instagram, Matty wrote: 'Four years married, eight years together and infinite memories with you @sarahmariefahd. 'You have been the creator, the selfless mother, my travel companion, my wife, my friend and the light of my life. 'I will cherish you always. I will always love you. Happy anniversary.' Sarah told Daily Mail Australia: 'When it came to cutting Malik's hair, we just didn't want that to go to waste' The couple's best friend Jad Nehmetallah commented: 'What about our anniversary?' 'On that day we wear black,' Matty responded. Sarah also shared a tribute post to her account, writing: 'To my always and forever. Happy anniversary. You are my soulmate, an amazing father to our son Malik, have a heart of gold and always do the best you can for our family.' The Whiteley Corporation will be doubling donations until June 29 up to $25,000. Fans can donate here What is Neurofibromatosis (NF)? NF is a genetic condition that causes tumours to form on nerves in the body, including the brain and spine. These tumours can lead to physical differences, blindness, deafness, learning difficulties, chronic pain and in 10 percent of cases, these tumours can become cancerous. Advertisement Chrissie Swan has lost an estimated 90kg over the last two years. And the TV and radio presenter confidently showed off her body transformation on Monday as she poured her slimmed-down figure into a stylish dress. Chrissie, 48, snapped a photo of herself in a Leona Edmiston frock worth $450 as she prepared to host Channel 10's The Project. Chrissie Swan (left in 2014) confidently showed off her body transformation on Monday (right) as she poured her slimmed-down figure into a Leona Edmiston dress worth $450. The TV and radio presenter has lost an estimated 90kg over the last two years 'Lots of questions about the dress I wore last night on The Project,' Chrissie wrote in the caption. 'It's Leona Edmiston and I think on sale too.' It comes after Chrissie addressed rumours surrounding her 90kg weight loss. 'Lots of questions about the dress I wore last night on The Project,' Chrissie wrote in the caption. 'It's Leona Edmiston and I think on sale too' Speaking to The Weekend Briefing podcast in April, she clarified that articles saying she'd attributed her slimdown to quitting alcohol were inaccurate. The Nova host had previously spoken of giving up alcohol and going on daily 10km walks, which she said improved her physical and mental health during lockdown. 'You say one thing and then all of a sudden you're the poster girl for that thing,' she told the podcast. It comes after Chrissie addressed rumours surrounding her 90kg weight loss. Speaking to The Weekend Briefing podcast in April, she clarified that articles saying she'd attributed her slimdown to quitting alcohol were inaccurate 'I very carefully said, 'I drank too much in lockdown and it wasn't very good for my mental health, my anxiety was through the roof, so I gave it up and it's been a great decision for me.'' Chrissie went on to say her comments were 'misconstrued' as her saying she'd lost weight by cutting out booze. She continued: 'I never said that. I never ever talked about my body. I won't be talking about my body. My body is utterly irrelevant.' Chrissie had previously spoken of giving up alcohol and going on daily 10km walks, which she said improved her physical and mental health during lockdown. 'You say one thing and then all of a sudden you're the poster girl for that thing,' she said In February, Chrissie told The Australian Women's Weekly she'd ditched alcohol and started walking every day when the Covid lockdowns started. 'We couldn't go out to dinner, we couldn't go to a friend's house, they couldn't come to us, we couldn't go outside five kilometres. All we could do was walk, and so that's what I did,' she explained. Chrissie began walking only short distances, but steadily increased her fitness and now walks for two hours per day. Chris Pratt has been promoting his new series The Terminal List, which debuts on Amazon Prime Video July 1, though it will be quite some time before his daughters see it. The 43-year-old actor shares one-year-old Lyla and newborn Eloise with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, along with nine-year-old son Jack, who he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris. The actor was promoting Terminal List on Sirius XM, where he joked that he had no plans of showing his daughters the action-packed show, while dropping a spoiler. Some time: Chris Pratt has been promoting his new series The Terminal List, which debuts on Amazon Prime Video July 1, though it will be quite some time before his daughters see it Spoiler: The actor was promoting Terminal List on Sirius XM , where he joked that he had no plans of showing his daughters the action-packed show Pratt was asked if there were any of his movies that he was looking forward to sharing with his daughters, even though they might be too young now. 'The first thing... maybe Lego Movie would be the first thing I show them. It was the first thing I let my son see,' Pratt admitted. 'Ill just kind of like base it on age appropriateness. I'll tell you, it'll be a long time before they see The Terminal List,' Pratt said with a laugh. Sharing: Pratt was asked if there were any of his movies that he was looking forward to sharing with his daughters, even though they might be too young now Long time: 'Ill just kind of like base it on age appropriateness. I'll tell you, it'll be a long time before they see The Terminal List,' Pratt said with a laugh He joked, 'I'll certainly wait until Lyla is at least 24 months old' before seeing The Terminal List, before dropping a bit of a spoiler about his brother-in-law, Patrick Schwarzenegger. 'It's gonna be a long time before she sees old Uncle Patch get his head blown off,' he added with a laugh. Pratt stars as James Reece, a former Navy SEAL who investigates his platoon being ambushed, which leads him down a deadly path. Spoiler: He joked, 'I'll certainly wait until Lyla is at least 24 months old' before seeing The Terminal List, before dropping a bit of a spoiler about his brother-in-law, Patrick Schwarzenegger Head: 'It's gonna be a long time before she sees old Uncle Patch get his head blown off,' he added with a laugh Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Donny Mitchell in the series, and he's credited as appearing in three of the eight episodes. One of his upcoming movies may be more friendly for his young children, voicing Mario in the new Super Mario Brothers movie. Since both the Mario and Luigi characters are Italian, the white actor - who was born in Minnesota and raised in Seattle - raised eyebrows with his casting. Family friendly: One of his upcoming movies may be more friendly for his young children, voicing Mario in the new Super Mario Brothers movie Casting: Since both the Mario and Luigi characters are Italian, the white actor - who was born in Minnesota and raised in Seattle - raised eyebrows with his casting After facing a lot of online criticism, Pratt spoke to Variety to address the controversy. 'I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that Im really proud of, and cant wait for people to see and hear,' he said. The Guardians Of The Galaxy leading man clarified that the film is 'not a live-action movie' but 'an animated voiceover narrative,' adding, 'Im not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over.' Can't wait: 'I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that Im really proud of, and cant wait for people to see and hear,' he said Channel Nine has denied claims that Married At First Sight producers have been approaching 'widows' for the new season. A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'The casting of the next season of MAFS is not targeting those who have recently lost their partner.' It comes after the show sparked controversy for false reports that producers were attempting to cast a widowed woman for its upcoming tenth season. Channel Nine has denied claims that Married At First Sight producers have been approaching 'widows' for the new season. Pictured: MAFS' Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos According to a report from Yahoo! Lifestyle, producers have been hunting on Instagram to cast for the specific role, even reaching out to several women whose partners only recently died. Speaking to the publication on Tuesday, a friend of a widow who was approached for the show blasted producers for their eyebrow-raising casting tactics. 'They are looking for a widow and literally messaging all the ladies that she knows that have and are going through this trauma and some are very recent,' the woman said. A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday: 'The casting of the next season of MAFS is not targeting those who have recently lost their partner.' Pictured: MAFS' Selin Mengu and Anthony Cincotta Nine announced its first casting call for the upcoming tenth season back in February. It read: 'Are you looking for love? If you're searching for The One and are ready to settle down, Australia's biggest social experiment could find your soulmate.' 'Married At First Sight is searching for men and women of all ages and backgrounds who are genuinely committed to finding love,' the notice continues. 'This groundbreaking social experiment uses science and psychology to help Australian singles meet their perfect partner. It comes after the show sparked controversy for false reports that producers were attempting to cast a widowed woman for its upcoming tenth season. Pictured: MAFS' Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie 'But there's a catch you won't get to meet your future husband or wife until your wedding day!' It goes on to warn that the show is 'not a competition and there is no cash prize up for grabs'. 'Instead, you could walk away with the most valuable prize of all true love,' the Nine post teases. Additionally, potential stars are warned they will have to give up four months of their lives for the show. It also insists that the future couples must be, 'genuine about finding love'. According to the casting call, the show will be filming between early July and November 2022. Interested parties are directed to apply at the show's casting website, marriedatfirstsightcasting.com.au. Cruz Beckham appeared to mock Jaden Smith in a new Instagram post after sitting next to him at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon. The son of David and Victoria, 17, was positioned next to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's son Jaden, 23, during the the Kenzo Menswear S/S 2023 show. However the following day, Cruz appeared to take aim at something Jaden had previously said about 'not connecting with people his own age'. Awks! Cruz Beckham appeared to mock Jaden Smith in a new Instagram post after sitting next to him at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday afternoon Underneath a picture of his brother Romeo, 19, which was captioned 'What was I saying', Cruz wrote: 'You were chatting bout the political and economic state of the world.' Cruz's comment references a viral statement Jaden made earlier this year about how he was 'happy he spent more time with adults than kids as a child'. Speaking on BigBoyTV, he said: 'I was picking up more things from adults than I were [sic] from kids my own age,' the 23-year-old explained on BigBoyTV earlier this month. Underneath a picture of his brother Romeo, 19, which was captioned 'What was I saying', Cruz wrote: 'You were chatting bout the political and economic state of the world' He then went on to imitate the voice of a young person, claiming they like to say things like, 'Look at my phone! Selfie.' 'I'm just, like, 'Dude, like, oh my God. Can we talk about the political and economic state of the world, right now?'' 'Can we talk about what's going on in the environment? Can we talk about other things?' Viral: Cruz's comment references a viral statement Jaden made earlier this year about how he was 'happy he spent more time with adults than kids as a child' Romeo was clearly amused by his brother's quip and commented underneath with a laughing face emoji. Jaden's interview spurred on a series of mocking posts on Twitter, as trolls made fun of his desire for more high-minded conversation. One user posted photos of Travis Scott rubbing his forehead anxiously, writing, 'Jaden Smith when he sees kids going to birthday parties instead of discussing politics and the economic state of the world.' Going after him: Twitter users mocked his admission that he preferred to chat about the 'political and economic state' of the world Having a laugh: One user shared a still of SpongeBob SquarePants looking sad. '8 year old Jaden smith when jada gave him a spider man themed birthday party instead of a book study on the war of mesopotamia,' they joked Not all business: Jaden admitted he still liked to have fun sometimes. 'I like to turn up. I like to flex. I like to play songs loud and jump in the crowd in Atlanta,' he clarified Another user shared a humorous still of SpongeBob SquarePants looking sad and deflated. '8 year old Jaden smith when jada gave him a spider man themed birthday party instead of a book study on the war of mesopotamia,' they jokingly captioned it. One tweet included a video of Cristiano Ronaldo excitedly rising to his feet to accept an award. 'Jaden Smith after telling every kid in recess that they only have 20 years to live because of global warming,' the author wrote. Close to home: One Twitter user poked fun at him with a still from The Pursuit Of Happyness, which he starred in with his father Will Smith Mocking: Another person posted a humorous drawing of a man with a brain that had grown big enough that he could sit on it. How Jaden Smith felt like when he said "bro can we talk about the political and economic state of the world right now" to a bunch of middle schoolers' No comment: Jaden steered clear of any discussion of the moment when his father slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards ceremony; seen March 27 Others included photos of Jaden, including one person who shared a set photo from his film The Pursuit Of Happiness, which costarred his father Will Smith. 'My favourite part of The Pursuit of Happiness was when young Jaden Smith said to Will, "Father the socioeconomic state of New York City will not permit you to maintain a baseline lifestyle as a door to door salesman, you should attempt to join an investment firm instead,"' the user wrote. Another person posted a humorous drawing of a man with a brain that had grown so large that he was able to sit on it like a chair, which they captioned: 'How Jaden Smith felt like when he said "bro can we talk about the political and economic state of the world right now" to a bunch of middle schoolers.' Free to choose his path: Jaden also opened up in the interview about his famous parents and how they never tried to steer him toward a career in show business Jaden also opened up in the interview about his famous parents and how they never tried to steer him toward a career in show business. 'There was never that expectation,' he said of following in Will and Jada's footsteps. 'And definitely not going into hip hop.' The musician shared that he and his sister Willow would film parodies of their mother's series The Matrix when they were younger. 'I thought everybodys parents made movies and I thought that everyone made movies with their kids, too,' he admitted. He may have developed his preference for serious chats with older individuals after getting a front-row seat to his parents' business meetings about their upcoming projects. 'They would be having a meeting about their next film or something and they would put me at the head of the table and just make me sit there while theyre talking, debating with all of these people, talk numbers, talk all of this crazy stuff,' Jaden said. Word of warning: Still, his parents alerted him that other people might expect that he would accomplish as much as they had throughout their careers; seen with Jada on March 27 Although Will and Jada weren't placing their own expectations on Jaden, they made sure he understood that other people might expect him to achieve as much as they had. 'They made us aware of it before we even found out from other people that there was this expectation on us. They said, "Hey people out there in the outside world, theyre gonna say this and theyre gonna say you have to live up to our expectations of what weve done and what weve accomplished in our lives and you have to live with that,"' he recalled. 'So we kind of knew that when we were young.' That dose of realism, which was mixed with encouragement from his parents, helped instil confidence in Jaden. 'My parents always told me that I could fly. My parents told me that I could dig a hole to the next side of the earth,' he said. 'I would always ask them if I could do things, they would always say yes. 'They wouldnt necessarily be like, "Here it is!"' he clarified. 'When its time to go get the shovel it was like, you get the damn shovel. But they would always let me know that you could do that.' By Yoon Ja-young NongHyup Bank opened doors wider for its metaverse platform, "Dokdo-Verse," turning it into an open beta service. "Dokdo-Verse" is a virtual space themed on the group of Korea's easternmost islets, Dokdo, where users can create their avatars and complete various missions, such as picking up litter or visiting a trekking trail. The bank jointly launched the test service with fintech company Finger on March 2, open only to subscribers. Some 36,500 people applied to join the metaverse platform last November, followed by 30,000 applications in January of this year. The users also received a "Dokdo-Verse" resident card in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) early this month. The bank's Dokdo branch in the virtual space also got some upgrading following the transition to open beta service. It also strengthened games within the metaverse, such as lucky draws. The bank plans to launch "Dokdo-Verse" officially on Aug. 15, Liberation Day, after continuing to upgrade the service to be more fun and convenient, reflecting the demand of the users. It expects the virtual space to serve as its channel to communicate with the young generation, presenting its financial products and services. "We launched 'Dokdo-Verse' to emphasize the special meaning of Dokdo for Koreans as well as to provide a different customer experience," NongHyup Bank CEO Kwon Jun-hak said. "We will provide customers with new experiences by launching a range of services," he added. Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram on Monday afternoon to wish his daughter Sistine Stallone a happy 24th birthday. The 75-year-old actor shared a number of throwback snaps of him and his daughter while wishing her a very happy birthday. Sistine is the middle daughter of the three girls Stallone shares with Jennifer Flavin, along with 25-year-old Sophia and 20-year-old Sophia. Birthday: Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram on Monday afternoon to wish his daughter Sistine Stallone a happy 24th birthday 'A very very happy birthday to our amazing SISTINE! Every day with you has been like Christmas. The greatest gift!' Sly said, while tagging @sistinestallone. Sistine herself responded, 'I love you dad!!!!' while her sister Scarlett said, 'Bawling' and another comment where she sent two red heart emojis. The first photo he shared was from some sort of tropical locale, with Stallone puffing on a cigar and Sistine holding a small dog. Birthday girl: 'A very very happy birthday to our amazing SISTINE! Every day with you has been like Christmas. The greatest gift!' Sly said, while tagging @sistinestallone He also shared a throwback snap of Sistine as a young girl and another with two of the daughters flanking their dad. The final snap showed both Sly and Sistine, both clad in all black, walking down a hallway. The birthday love comes just after Stallone discussed the unusual way he landed his role in the new series Tulsa King. Young: He also shared a throwback snap of Sistine as a young girl and another with two of the daughters flanking their dad The new series follows New York mafia capo Dwight "The General" Manfredi (Stallone), who is released from prison after 25 years. Much to his surprise, he is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as he realizes the mob may not be looking out for him the way he had hoped. Manfredi starts assembling a crew to create his own criminal empire in the most unlikely of places. Final snap: The final snap showed both Sly and Sistine, both clad in all black, walking down a hallway Series creator Taylor Sheridan has become a hot commodity at Paramount Plus, but years before his big break as a writer with 2015's Sicario, he was a working actor, who met Stallone at a horse ranch. 'My daughters and I were practicing -- I play polo a lot; a long time ago people would say, how can you afford it? I played with the worst horse on the planet, but I learned and eventually after I made money, I started to go into... barrel racing,' Stallone began. 'It's very, very delicate and I brought my daughters into it and Taylor Sheridan was at the same barn and he hadnt made it yet' Stallone said. Stallone also revealed, 'Ive always wanted to play a gangster since... I basically started off my career mugging everyone... but it never happened. I have my thoughts on why but better late than never.' 'Taylor Sheridan wrote an idea, a screenplay that was really good and Terence Winter, who wrote Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, they put it all together and what you have is East meets West,' he added at the Londoner Hotel for Paramount+'s U.K. launch event. They've been sharing photos of an endless summer break in Italy. But Michael Brunelli and Martha Kalifatidis have revealed their idyllic break isn't as perfect as it seems, with the pair admitting they came to blows over a sandwich while in Florence. The couple, who are preparing to tie the knot, said that they had a misunderstanding when Martha went to the bathroom and then tried to cut in line at the sandwich shop, with Michael proceeding to just order a sandwich for himself. Michael Brunelli and Martha Kalifatidis have revealed their idyllic break isn't as perfect as it seems, with the pair admitting they came to blows over a sandwich while in Florence. Speaking on The Handbags podcast on Wednesday, Michael told his co-host Josh Moss: 'There's this sandwich shop in Florence that Martha loves, it's her favourite place. She's been wanting to take me there for a while now. 'We finally got there, and she needs to go to the bathroom so she said, "Go in, I need to find the toilet," and walked away. 'While I was in there I was like, "I might as well order my food", so I ordered a couple of sandwiches. If she wants one, she can have one, if she doesn't I'll have two sandwiches.' Earlier this month Martha stripped down to a bikini for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea He went on to explain that the cafe only has 'one guy behind the counter' and said there was a process that saw customers order, before the worker made half the sandwich, then take payment. 'In that time, another couple walked in and they were waiting for him to be ready to order. As I'm going to pay, Martha walked in at that moment...' Before he could continue any more of the story, Martha cut across to tell her side. The 34-year-old, who is on holiday in Europe with her fiance Michael Brunelli (left), later changed into a floral bikini after hitting the hotel gym 'No, no, no!' she said. 'I'm going to tell this story give me the headphones. I just want to come on here as I'm lying here listening to Michael tell these stories, and he keeps leaving out the most important part. 'Michael couldn't wait for me to return to the bathroom, as he needed to eat immediately because if he's not constantly eating at all times, he can't survive. 'Anyway, I thought, "There's no way he's going to order without me. He's going to wait." Martha celebrated her 34th birthday in Italy with Michael just a few days ago 'No! Michael ordered without me, and when I walked into the sandwich shop he was sitting in front of the counter and had two bottles of water on the bench.' She then explained that the shop worker was 'busy making orders' and that she asked her fiance to wait so she could order hers with him. 'Michael is like, "Nah nah nah. Don't want to push into these people behind you." I'm like, "'Sorry, what people? The people behind you, dude I'm in the line with you?" Martha added. Earlier in the day Martha showed off her sleek white ensemble as she posed on a staircase in Bodrum, Turkey 'He didn't put my sandwich order through, dude. He just got his own, paid and ate the two sandwiches in entirety didn't give me a bite. I had to eat steamed greens from the supermarket.' Michael then bit back trying to share his side. 'No, no, no, no, no! Josh. No. I was trying to be polite, as there were people who walked in after me. The process was, you order, he makes half, you pay,' Michael tried to reason. 'What process is that?! No one believes that's a process!' Martha added. Josh added: 'I didn't want to jump the two people. I didn't want to throw the whole process off. She could have just ordered after and I would have waited for her, but this is the reaction I got, Josh...' 'She walked out of the sandwich shop, said, 'Go f--- yourself' and she walked down the street,' he said. 'Give some context, we had been up since 5am and hadn't eaten a thing...' Martha went on. 'Doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the policy of the store, which you broke,' Michael added, before claiming he gave her the last bite of his sandwich. The couple appear to be enjoying an endless summer vacation, jetting away to Europe to avoid the Aussie winter. After spending some time in Italy , the Married At First Sight stars headed to Turkey with a load of luggage in tow this week (pictured) After spending some time in Italy , the Married At First Sight stars headed to Turkey with a load of luggage in tow this week. Martha shared an image to Instagram Stories on Friday, in which her massive pile of suitcases stood outside her villa. Among the bags was a high end designer Louis Vuitton carry-on as well as a number of black suitcases. Martha has been flooding her social media accounts with holiday spam in recent weeks, and recently admitted she'd 'packed 20 bikinis' for her Euro trip but ended up 'swimming in her underwear' most of the time. She later changed into a floral bikini after hitting the hotel gym, and captioned the sizzling snap: 'My toxic trait is posting a bikini pic after a workout.' Martha has been flooding her social media accounts with holiday spam in recent weeks, and recently admitted she'd 'packed 20 bikinis' for her Euro trip but ended up 'swimming in her underwear' most of the time. The brunette stripped down to her undies earlier this week, telling fans she 'had no choice' because of the 40C heat. She's always been known for her love of fitness. And on Monday, Love Island's Gabby Allen, 30, proudly showed off her ripped physique after undergoing a year-long body transformation. The Scouse reality star took to Instagram where she uploaded a' before' and 'after' snap, which clearly illustrated how her abs went from impressively toned to perfectly chiseled. Ripped!!! On Monday, Love Island's Gabby Allen, 30,took to Instagram where she proudly showed off her ripped physique after undergoing a year-long body transformation In the first photo, taken last year, Gabby looked sensational as she posed in a bright orange bikini, while in the second, taken recently, the Love Islander lifted up her tank top to reveal rippling abs. Fitness instructor Gabby wrote alongside in a lengthy post: 'ONE YEAR APART,' before praising her 'shape up' groups for being transformative and going on to explain how running the groups has helped to change herself. She insisted: 'We have had some amazing transformations, created sustainable heathy routines, built confidence, educated, introduced new friendships that are now bffe! 'I have improved so much as a trainer. I have educated myself on SO much due to working with incredible people. I have changed my OWN physique, Im stronger, healthier, happier. I am more confident & I love more than nothing else, helping others feel the same too.' Working those angles: And on Monday night, Gabby once again returned to Instagram where she shared two shots of herself in black hot pants and a matching crop top. Real talk: The Love Islander explained that the snap was taken following her most recent work out - almost a week ago - and insisted everyone deserves a rest from exercise And on Monday night, Gabby once again returned to Instagram where she shared two shots of herself in black hot pants and a matching crop top. The Love Islander explained that the snap was taken following her most recent work out - almost a week ago - and insisted everyone deserves a rest from exercise. Posing to show off all her angles in the skin tight workout wear, Gabby displayed her impressively fit physique, while admitting she indulged during her recent Toronto getaway. She wrote alongside: Im working for that 360 POV. Well, I was until I spent the whole of last week with a dirty martini in one hand and poutine in the other 'This was taken on the last session I did, Wednesday last week, with a lovely booty pump. That has deflated now for sure. Suppose it could be worse!! We all deserve a rest. 'As soon as this jet lag is done, Im a jump back on the horse!' Gabby is back home after enjoying a lavish getaway to Toronto with her Ex On The Beach star boyfriend Brandon Myers, 35. Gabby and Brandon have been dating since June 2020 and went public with their romance two months later The television personality initially denied speculation they were in a relationship, stating at the time they were 'just friends'. Gabby previously dated Rak-Su star Myles Stephenson until August 2019, when she accused him of cheating on her. The reality star is thought to be worth an estimated 1.3million since finding fame on the 2017 series of Love Island. Luciana Gimenez has revealed she chased after two teenage thugs who robbed her during her recent trip to London. The former model, 52, took to Instagram on Saturday to share details of the scary incident with her 3.3 million followers. The ex of Mick Jagger and mother of his seventh child said: 'I left Brazil to be robbed in London. I just got robbed. I had some money. Lucas he's saying it was a theft, they just took the money out of my purse. Scary: Luciana Gimenez has revealed she chased after two teenage thugs who robbed her during her recent trip to London She continued: 'I was with him to change, I ran after him and managed to get a girl. He was teasing, he looked at me and said 'nothing will happen because I'm 14' ', began the presenter. 'Poor cops for dealing with this kind of people. I went out screaming in the middle of the street. I caught one, the other managed to escape. He had my money and a boy's cell phone,' continued Luciana . After the presenter had calmed down, she explained: 'I was paying for something with my cell phone, so I didn't pay attention. []. 'Just because the girl is fifteen, does she have more important rights than we do? You stole my money and a gentleman's cell phone. We talk about Brazil, but everywhere she is the same.' Angry: The former model, 52, took to Instagram on Saturday to share details of the scary incident with her 3.3 million followers It comes after Luciana took her son Lucas, 23, to watch The Rolling Stones perform at the American Express presents BST Hyde Park festival on Saturday. She appeared in good spirits as she shared a heartwarming snap of herself and Lucas as they enjoyed the concert. Alongside the post, she wrote a message in Portuguese that read: 'Happy Father's Day post (in England), a few days late.! So proud of you to be Lucas' father!!! The show was the best! We love'. Family: Mick Jagger's ex Luciana Gimenez looked radiant as she took the former couple's son Lucas to watch The Rolling Stones perform in Hyde Park on Saturday Luciana used to perform as 'queen of drums' for The Rolling Stones more than a decade ago. She famously had an affair with Mick behind his then partner Jerry Hall's back - resulting in the birth of their son Lucas in 1999. Luciana discovered that she was pregnant with Mick's child in 1998 after an eight-month affair, which resulted in Jerry and Mick's 22-year relationship breakdown. In 1999 Luciana was described as 'the straw that broke the camel's back' by Jerry during her split from Mick. Proud: Luciana shared a snap of Lucas wearing a Rolling Stones hoodie as he filmed the crowd Luciana previously said of model Jerry: 'I don't know how she feels about me, but I understand that I probably hurt her.' Despite the fact that Mick insisted upon a paternity test when Lucas was born, she has always remained on good terms with the man she calls 'an excellent father' to their child. Mick paid all of Lucas's school fees and seems to have been generous and kind with his time, too regularly spending holidays with him. For her part, Luciana is even friends with Jagger's current love, Melanie Hamrick, the 33-year-old American ballerina whom he started dating in 2014. Love child: Luciana famously had an affair with Mick Jagger behind his then partner Jerry Hall's back - resulting in the birth of their son Lucas in 1999 She once wrote a letter to Jerry asking for forgiveness, but did not receive a reply. She told MailOnline: 'She didn't write back. I didn't really expect her to, but I wanted her to know that I was sorry. 'People forget that you can fall in love with someone, whether they are rich and famous or not,' she muses. 'Rich people love. Famous people love. It is all the same. It doesn't matter. We are all going to die in exactly the same way, anyway.' Abbie Chatfield has lashed out at Mia Plecic, after the influencer compared vaccine mandates to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 'First of all babes, now I've said this a million times so I'm not going to go into anti-vaxxing again because it's a rabbit hole, but let's remember no one forced you to get vaccinated,' Abbie said on her podcast, It's A Lot. 'I'm sure you're still not vaccinated, so you actually aren't forced, whereas people who get pregnant in the U.S. are now forced to carry to term'. Abbie Chatfield (pictured) has lashed out at Mia Plecic, after the influencer compared vaccine mandates to the U.S. Supreme Court 's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade Abbie continued: 'Also, abortions aren't contagious, Covid is and also, you are wilfully misunderstanding the 'my body, my choice' slogan'. 'Stop using our slogan. Stop f***ing using it. I'm sick of your s**t. 'Babe, the mandates were there for a reason. I don't know if there's something wrong [with her] or she's willfully ignorant or just a bit silly.' Australian influencer Mia Plecic, 30, (pictured) sparked outrage by comparing Australia's vaccine mandates to the abortion ban Mia Plecic has sparked outrage by comparing Australia's vaccine mandates to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The court's ruling ends the constitutional right to abortion across America, meaning individual states can now decide whether abortion should be legal. Reacting to the landmark decision on Saturday, Ms Plecic, 30, wrote on Instagram: 'Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?' Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves 'pro-choice', borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion. Reacting to the landmark decision on Saturday, Ms Plecic, 30, wrote on Instagram: 'Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?' However, the use of the term in the context of vaccines is highly controversial, with women's rights activists saying the two issues cannot be compared. 'The same people who are against freedom of choice with mandates are the same people who are screaming freedom of choice about abortions,' added Ms Plecic in her post. The businesswoman, who made headlines last year for sharing anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine views on social media, continued: 'It doesn't work like that. Freedom of choice regardless of your narrative.' Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves 'pro-choice', borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion Her 'pro-choice' post was soon picked up by Instagram watchdog account Aussie Influencer Opinions, which warned customers of Ms Plecic's haircare company Slick Hair Co. they were supporting these views by buying her products. Ms Plecic has since received a wave of backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store. Aussie Influencer Opinions posted a screenshot purportedly showing an anonymous user messaging Showpo's official Instagram account asking why the company stocked a product 'with such a problematic company owner such as Mia Plecic'. Ms Plecic has since received a wave of backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store, according to this alleged Instagram exchange between a customer and a Showpo representative A Showpo customer service representative replied: 'As a brand we will not be renewing our partnership with Slick Hair Company to stock their products on our website and we're effectively exiting out of this brand.' Reacting to Ms Plecic's Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: 'Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really.' Another agreed: 'Wow... to compare those VERY DIFFERENT things is just next level. How embarrassing.' Reacting to Ms Plecic's Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: 'Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really' A third Instagram user wrote: 'Ah yes, because following public health advice to protect the community is the same as forcing women to give birth. Stop supporting these muppets.' Ms Plecic has since doubled down on her controversial stance, uploading another post on Sunday to thank the '500 people' who had reached out to her to express their agreement. She also used this post to clarify she is pro-choice when it comes to abortion. Natalie Portman has revealed Chris Hemsworth had to hide behind a tree while picking his children up from school in Sydney. The actress, 41, said that she sent her kids to the same school as the Hemsworth kids while filming Thor: Love & Thunder and that while she managed to go incognito, Chris' 1.9m frame meant he caught the attention of the other school run mums. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, the Marvel star, who plays Thor's love interest Jane in the upcoming film, said: 'One day, we ended up at school pick up at the same time and I just felt so bad for him. Natalie Portman has revealed Chris Hemsworth had to hide behind a tree while picking his children up from school in Sydney 'Because I'm small and can kind of camouflage with the mums. And then he comes in, he's like a Greek god walking through. 'He's really famous everywhere but especially in Australia, he's so, so well-known. 'So to see him kind of by the tree, hiding.... Chris and his Spanish model wife Elsa Pataky share three children, daughter India Rose, 10, and twin boys Tristan and Sasha, eight The genetically blessed family stepped out to promote Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney on Monday 'It felt like some weird sitcom of the superheroes at school pick-up.' Chris and his Spanish model wife Elsa Pataky share three children, daughter India Rose, 10, and twin boys Tristan and Sasha, eight The family are based in Byron Bay, but Natalie's comments suggest the children attended school in Sydney during filming on the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actress, 41, said that she sent her kids to the same school as the Hemsworth kids while filming Thor: Love & Thunder and that while she managed to go incognito, Chris' 1.9m frame meant he caught the attention of the other school run mums. Meanwhile Natalie, who was based in Sydney throughout late 2020 and early 2021 to film the Taika Waititi-directed blockbuster, shares two children - Aleph, 11, and Amalia, five - with husband Benjamin Millepied, During her time Down Under, the actress was spotted enjoying Sydney's famous sights, including the Blue Mountains, Bondi Beach and she was even seen in the pub. The actress didn't attend the Sydney premiere of Love & Thunder this week though. Chris, his brother Luke and their wives and children represented the Aussie talent on the red carpet with an array of Sydney-based reality stars. Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky made a rare red carpet appearance with their children at the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder. Natalie didn't attend the Sydney premiere of Love & Thunder this week though. Chris, his brother Luke and their wives and children represented the Aussie talent on the red carpet The fourth Thor film sees the hammer-wielding superhero go up against the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, played by Christian Bale. The film is set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has given up his superhero ways. He enlists the help of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and other friends to help fight Gorr. Thor: Love and Thunder, directed by Taika Waititi, hits Australian and UK cinemas on July 7, and on July 8 in the United States. Stormzy left fans in hysterics at the weekend as he took a tumble while in the crowd at Glastonbury. The rapper, 28, who headlined the festival back in 2019, tried to keep a low profile as he made an unexpected appearance at the event at Worthy Farm. But all eyes ended up on him when he fell flat on his face an had to be helped up by friends and a worker. Funny: Stormzy left fans in hysterics at the weekend as he took a tumble while in the crowd at Glastonbury Stormzy was quick to laugh the tumble off in a hilarious video of the fall which was shared by an anonymous TikTok account that dubbed themselves a 'Glasto Insider'. The caption read: 'Stormzy on a mad one at Glasto last night.' The Vossi Bop hitmaker tried to go unnoticed with sunglasses and a Prada bucket hat on despite it being night time. But eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot Stormzy's 6ft 4ins frame as he enjoyed the music festival while surrounded by fans. Low-key: The rapper, 28, who headlined the festival back in 2019, tried to keep a low profile as he made an unexpected appearance at the event at Worthy Farm Ouch! All eyes ended up on him when he fell flat on his face an had to be helped up by friends and a worker Amused fans flocked to the comments to joke about someone of his height taking such a gracious fall. One said: 'He's so tall he fell in slow motion.' Another quipped: 'It took him three business days to get his head to the floor.' Danielle added: 'Nah, it's just the altitude sickness. He's about 15 ft tall.' Others praised Stormzy for laughing the incident off, impressed that he was able to get up smiling despite hitting the ground. A fan of the rapper wrote: 'He went down but got up smiling.' Another penned: 'Nothing to see - happens to the best. Cool: Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot Stormzy's 6ft 4ins frame as he enjoyed the music festival while surrounded by fans Casual: The Vossi Bop hitmaker tried to go unnoticed with sunglasses and a Prada bucket hat Stormzy was awarded an honorary university degree on Tuesday, and thanked his mother in a moving acceptance speech. The star - whose real name Michael Owuo Jr - also praised the 'guts, grit and dedication' of students as he was awarded the honour at Exeter University. The achievement was dedicated to the musician for his work to promote education and fighting racial inequality. As well as being an acclaimed performer, Stormzy has been an inspiring spokesman for Black empowerment and social activism. In his speech to graduates Stormzy said he felt 'extremely blessed and grateful' to receive his honorary degree. Achievement: British rapper Stormzy has been given an honorary university degree on Tuesday, and thanked his mother in a moving acceptance speech He also joked about how pleased he was to be known as a philanthropist - and thanked his mother who was watching on. Stormzy said: 'The journey I took to get to this moment has been considerably different to yours. 'You guys have the guts and the grit and the dedication that it takes to study for years and to finish your degree whereas I got my AS results in my first year of college and said yeah, see you later. I didn't have the same minerals that you guys have. Inspiration: The achievement was dedicated to the musician for his work to promote education and fighting racial inequality (pictured in March) He continued: 'A year later I took another swing at my A levels at a different college until I sat down for my English exam in January and walked out after 10 minutes. 'It took a hell of a lot for you to get here today. Your journeys to get to this moment were hard fought. 'The road you took was not easy. And this is coming from someone who tried to walk that exact same road and failed. 'So from the bottom of my heart I say congratulations, well done and you should all be so proud of yourselves, what you have achieved is incredible. 'Don't let anybody downplay it and don't let anybody undermine it. If you are sat in this room today you are worthy and you are brilliant.' During his speech Stormzy also thanked his mother 'who is sitting there beaming with pride and joy right now because her biggest dream for me was for me to go to university and graduate and then become somebody so this moment is real full circle'. He added: 'And I always say that God has a funny way of bringing you exactly where you were meant to end up'. Advertisement She is set to star as a young nurse names Kate in the six-part period drama. And, Michelle Keegan wore a vintage midi dress as she transformed into a 1950s nurse to film scenes on the set of new BBC drama Ten Pound Poms in Australia, on Monday. The former Coronation Street actress, 35, ditched her typically glamorous attire for the dowdy purple frock and a messy bun, roughly pinned together at the nape of her neck. FIRST LOOK: Michelle Keegan, 35, wore a vintage midi dress as she transformed into a 1950s nurse to film scenes on the set of new BBC drama Ten Pound Poms in Australia, on Monday Michelle got into character in her button-through number, which boasted a white collar, nipped in waist and A-line skirt. The TV star was seen strolling about on set in a retro pair of black heeled brogues teamed with opaque tights. Keeping warm between takes during Australia's winter, Michelle wrapped up with a padded black coat worn over a taupe layer. While off-duty and arriving on set in Australia, the British babe slipped into a white T-shirt and black bomber jacket. Transformed: The former Coronation Street actress ditched her typical glamour for minimal make-up and a messy bun, roughly pinned together at the nape of her neck Retro: Michelle got into character as a young nurse named Kate in the dowdy purple frock Checking it out: While holding a bottle of beer, Michelle watched back her scenes on a monitor Ready for action: Michelle got into character in her button-through number, which boasted a white collar Keeping cosy: Keeping warm between takes during Australia's winter, Michelle wrapped up with a padded black coat worn over a taupe layer She wore a pair of black skinny jeans and colourful trainers with her raven tresses styled sleek and straight as she grabbed a green juice. Six-part series Ten Pound Poms follows a group of Brits as they leave dreary post-war Britain in 1956 to embark on a life-altering adventure on the other side of the world. For only a tenner, they have been promised a better house, better job prospects and a better quality of life by the sea in sun-soaked Australia. But life down under isnt exactly the idyllic dream the new arrivals have been promised. Struggling with their new identity as immigrants, we follow their triumphs and pitfalls as they adapt to a new life in a new country, far from Britain and familiarity. Vintage fashion: The TV star was seen strolling about on set in a retro pair of black heeled brogues teamed with opaque tights Guided: Michelle was guided through her scenes by crew members Leading man: Actor Warren Brown, who plays leading role Terry Roberts was spotted walking around without his shirt on All dress up: Actress Faye Marsay commanded attention in an orange midi dress and rust coloured cardigan, with an extra jacket between scenes Fun times: Michelle smiled as she chatted to other members of the production At the heart of the drama are Annie (Faye Marsay) and Terry Roberts (Warren Brown). They try to make the best of the situation for their family, but the poor living conditions at the migrant hostel and local attitudes towards immigrants test them in ways they couldnt have imagined. They arent the only people at the hostel avoiding the truth. Kate (Michelle Keegan) is a young nurse who arrives without her fiance and will do whatever it takes to try and rewrite her devastating past. Bill (Leon Ford) has lost his family business back home and is so desperate to prove hes living the Australian dream that hell stop at nothing in order to get a lifestyle he cant sustain. Teenager Stevie (Declan Coyle) comes from a troubled background and hopes to use this new adventure to escape his oppressive father. Meanwhile, Ron (Rob Collins), an Indigenous Australian war veteran, struggles with feeling like an outsider in his own country. Catch ups: Michelle chatted to another crew member, while between scenes Making it perfect: Michelle look concentrated as she practised her part Off-duty style: While arriving on set in Australia, the British babe slipped into a white T-shirt and black bomber jacket Vintage vehicles: Actress Faye Marsay was filmed getting out of a retro car The first look at Ten Pound Poms comes after it was reported Michelle is to take in 2.5m from her TV work, as she and husband Mark Wright are thought to be TV's richest young couple. With an estimated combined net worth of around 12m, it's no wonder the pair are splashing the cash into their luxe new 'dream home'. Michelle uses her own company, Rosia Promotions Limited, for her various TV work - with the actress filing accounts for the business on Friday. Chatting: Michelle chatted to one of the crew members between takes In costume: Actor Warren was spotted in a grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up Edgy: Michelle wore a pair of black skinny jeans and colourful trainers with her raven tresses styled sleek and straight as she grabbed a green juice Vintage set up: The 1950s was perfectly recreated for the six-part series And detailing her earnings up to the end of September last year, the document showed that the actress had taken in an impressive 2,530,922 in assets after earning 1,192,802 from acting. It's onwards and upwards for the star, who's profit is up 450,912 from the previous filing- cashing in 2,313,678 after costs and deductions. It's no surprise, as Michelle has become a household name after her long-standing stint in Coronation Street, followed by roles in Our Girl and Tina and Bobby. Low-key: Elsewhere, Michelle was spotted in grey tracksuit bottoms and fully blue slippers Health focused: Michelle was sure to pack in the goodness as she sipped on green juice Wow! Thousands of 50s style vintage garments could be seen ready hanging up for the cast And it's only a portion of her joint fortune with husband Mark - as they are thought to have a joint net worth of 12m. Splashing the cash, the pair have bought their 'dream home' - a 1.3million Essex mansion. Mark and Michelle have been completely renovating the property since purchasing it in October 2019, and even have an Instagram account dedicated to the home. Construction experts have estimated the demolition and rebuild of the home will cost around 3.5million. Nicole Kidman has revealed how her early days in Hollywood were possible thanks to some of her Australian friends. The actress, 55, told the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in a recorded interview that she was supported by her good pals, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, even sleeping on their couch while auditioning for roles in Los Angeles. '[Deborra-Lee] was one of my best friends,' the Dead Calm star said, adding that the fellow actress always gave her a place to stay when she flew in from Australia. Nicole Kidman has revealed how her early days in Hollywood were possible thanks to her Australian friends Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness. Nicole and Deborra-Lee are pictured in 2013 '[I slept on the couch] in the house that Deborra-Lee was renting, and she gave the chance to stay there and we could go and audition,' Nicole said. 'It was expensive, we couldn't afford hotels, so the idea of being in hub out of a house together, was really, I mean, my god.' She added: 'You'd go and come back and you'd go over for a few weeks and do some auditions and hope to crack it.' The actress, 55, told the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in a recorded interview that she was supported by her good pals, Hugh and Deborra-Lee, even sleeping on their couch while auditioning for roles in Los Angeles '[Deborra-Lee] was one of my best friends,' the Dead Calm star said. '[I slept on the couch] in the house that Deborra-Lee was renting, and she gave the chance to stay there and we could go and audition,' Nicole said. Pictured together Nicole has previously revealed how Deborra-Lee, 66, and Hugh, 53, helped her after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001. 'When I got divorced, Hugh and Deb were so much a part of my healing,' she said in a candid interview with Australian Women's Weekly. 'They were some of my best friends through that period,' she added. Like Nicole, Hugh and Deborra-lee were among a small group of budding Australian actors living in Hollywood in the 1980s. Nicole has previously revealed how Deborra-Lee, 66, and Hugh, 53, helped her after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001. 'When I got divorced, Hugh and Deb were so much a part of my healing,' she said. Pictured together in 2008 Deborra-lee was the first to meet Nicole when she was 'couch surfing' in Los Angeles as a teenager before being cast in Days of Thunder, where she met Tom. 'I do remember Tom Cruise ringing the house when she landed the role [in Days of Thunder]. Nic was always very cool and took it all in her stride,' Deborra-lee said. After splitting with Tom, 59, Nicole went on to meet her second husband, Keith Urban, 54. Advertisement Great British Bake Off star Manon Lagreve has married her partner Luke Bennett in a picturesque ceremony at a French chateau in her hometown, Louvigne-du-Desert. The French baker, 30, who rose to prominence on the Channel 4 show in 2018, tied the knot with her British fiance on Saturday, with the couple's beautiful baby daughter Fleur, 12 months, serving as a flower girl. Manon took to Instagram on Monday to offer an intimate glimpse at her nuptials and shared an array of stunning snaps documenting their fairytale wedding and her breath-taking bridal gown. Just married! Great British Bake Off star Manon Lagreve has married her partner Luke Bennett in a picturesque ceremony at a French chateau in her hometown, Louvigne-du-Desert Sweet: The French baker, 30, who rose to prominence on the Channel 4 show in 2018, tied the knot with her British fiance on Saturday, with the couple's beautiful baby daughter Fleur, 12 months, serving as a flower girl The couple's daughter Fleur served as a flower girl on their special day, wearing a dress with 'I love you Mom and Dad' sweetly embroidered on the back in French. Manon was every inch the beautiful bride as she stepped out in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder white gown with bardot sleeves with a cut-out and white heeled sandals. The satin dress featured a dramatic train billowing out behind her while she clutched a vibrant bouquet of pink and orange flowers in her hands as she celebrated her special day. She styled her brunette tresses in a sophisticated up-do and fixed a white veil in her locks with an extravagant tiara by Hermione Harbutt, which featured natural pearls, crystals and gold detailing. Congratulations! Manon took to Instagram on Monday to offer an intimate glimpse at her nuptials and shared an array of stunning snaps documenting their fairytale wedding and her breath-taking bridal gown Newlyweds: Luke carried Manon out of the chateau while their friends and family showered them in confetti Manon let her bridal attire do all the talking as she kept her accessories simple, wearing a pair of droplet pearl earrings, while she accentuated her natural good looks with a glamorous Lancome make-up palette. After taking off her veil, she let her chocolate tresses fall loosely across her shoulders in a half-up half-down style as she flashed a huge grin and posed for wedding photographs with her new husband. Her partner Luke cut a suave figure in a navy suit, which he paired with a crisp white shirt and brown shoes, while he fixed a peach flower in his lapel. The newlyweds appeared to be in jovial spirits as photographs taken during the church ceremony showed Manon beaming as they exchanged their vows in front of their loved ones. Romantic: The newlyweds appeared to be in jovial spirits as photographs taken during the church ceremony showed Manon beaming as they exchanged their vows in front of their loved ones Gorgeous: Manon was every inch the bride as she stepped out in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder white gown with bardot sleeves with a cut-out and white heeled sandals Beautiful: The satin dress featured a dramatic train billowing out behind her while she clutched a vibrant bouquet of pink and orange flowers in her hands as she celebrated her special day Other pictures saw Luke carrying Manon out of the chateau while their friends and family showered them in confetti, while they then posed for more professional wedding photos outside. The couple and their guests then celebrated their union in a fun-filled wedding reception in a marquee, where they danced the night away with their loved ones. On Saturday, Manon - who made it to week eight of Bake Off back in 2018 - shared an array of their wedding photographs to her Instagram page and captioned the post: 'Officially got married today in my home town.' On Monday, she also took to her Instagram Stories to look back at the fairytale weekend as she gave her 158,000 followers an intimate insight into the festivities. Stunning: Manon let her bridal attire do all the talking as she kept her accessories simple, wearing a pair of droplet pearl earrings as she walked hand-in-hand with her new husband after they exchanged vows Princess: She styled her brunette tresses in a sophisticated up-do and fixed a white veil in her locks with an extravagant tiara by Hermione Harbutt, which featured natural pearls, crystals and gold detailing Gorgeous: The satin dress featured a dramatic train billowing out behind her while she clutched a vibrant bouquet of pink and orange flowers in her hands as she celebrated her special day She wrote: 'We welcomed the wedding party the night before. Luke had a little BBQ with his family and friends and I had a French buffet with my bridesmaids and their hubbies in the chateau.' In a follow-up post, she revealed that she hadn't slept the night before and neither had her infant daughter Fleur, saying that 'strong coffee' kept her awake throughout the jam-packed day. She continued: 'I didn't sleep at all the night before the wedding (didn't help that Fleur neither!) and was feeling very tired!! But @jennifermoyesphoto and her strong coffee helped me and it was very fun to get ready with @antoniabasile and my hairdresser from since I am a little girl Severine!' (sic) Manon arrived at her lavish wedding ceremony in a blue Porsche and Manon revealed that her father had driven her to the ceremony in the vehicle. Groom: Her partner Luke cut a suave figure in a navy suit, which he paired with a crisp white shirt and brown shoes, while he fixed a peach flower in his lapel Elegant: Manon accentuated her natural good looks with a glamorous Lancome make-up palette as she looked every inch the bride Bridal party: Photographs taken ahead of the ceremony showed Manon sitting with her bridesmaids as they got ready for the special day Partying: Black-and-white photographs showed guests sheltering under black umbrellas as they arrived for the lavish nuptials She said: 'My parents got their little Porsche to be decorated in flowers and it was so cute and perfect! Dad drove me to the church and it was so special to be just with him then. We arrived super early, so we just waited at the entrance of the town till everyone was inside the church!' Speaking about her bridal tiara, she added: 'I can't tell you how much I loved wearing my @hermioneharbutt tiara! It was simply incredible, made with natural pearls, crystals and gold plated elements, just amazing!' Manon also shared snaps of herself with her daughter Fleur and revealed that she handcrafted her daughter a pearl headband to wear to match her tiara. 'I embroidered "Je vous aime Maman et Papa" at the back of her dress, so people could see when she walked down the aisle,' she explained. All smiles: The newlyweds appeared to be in jovial spirits as photographs taken during the reception showed Manon beaming after they exchanged their vows in front of their loved ones Celebrating: Wedding guests were seen waving white napkins in the air during the reception, which saw their friends and families seated at round white tables decorated with floral arrangements Adorable: Luke and Manon's daughter Fleur wore a dress with 'I love you Mom and Dad' sweetly embroidered on a bow on the back in French 'She looked so cute and matching me with her little pearl headband (I also handcrafted it myself as I wanted something very simple and comfortable for her).' Manon also took to Instagram to share photographs from the night before their nuptials, where they welcomed the wedding party and spent time with their families. Manon looked incredible in a floor-length white satin gown with billowing sleeves, while her husband-to-be looked dapper in a blue suit and tie. Manon and Luke's wedding comes after they welcomed their first child last June. The Bake Off star took to Instagram at the time to announce that she welcomed a 'happy and healthy' baby girl named Fleur Camille, on June 20. Laughing: Manon and Luke held hands as they walked through the grounds of the wedding venue together in an intimate moment Bride: Manon looked gorgeous in her wedding dress, while she added a touch of colour with her vibrant bouquet of flowers Look of love: She gazed adoringly at her new husband as they took stunning photographs outside the French chateau Adoration: The couple appeared to be as loved-up as ever as they gazed at one another while holding sparklers during the fun-filled reception The French baker also shared the first photos of the tiny newborn, and included the first moment she gave her daughter skin-to-skin. Manon wrote alongside the trio of photographs: 'Fleur Camille Bennett. 'Born on Father's Day 20th June 2021, all happy and healthy. A little lady who took us by surprise when she decided to come! We love her very much already.' Back in April 2021, the baker had celebrated seven months of pregnancy, and joked about having 'baby brain'. Manon penned: '7 months pregnant, can't believe in 2 months we'll be parents, and we'll have our own baby!!! Excitement: A photographer documented the sweet moment that Manon's bridesmaids saw her in her wedding dress as they got ready ahead of the ceremony Fairytale: Manon and Luke's fairytale wedding weekend saw them take photographs in a forest (left) after the wedding, while they also hosted their family and friends the night before (right) Extravagant: The couple and their guests then celebrated their union in a fun-filled wedding reception in a marquee, where they danced the night away with their loved ones Sparkling: The reception saw sparkler decorations placed around the marquee with tasty treats including macaroons for guests to enjoy 'I kept telling friends that I have tended to so many babies, that it is going to be so interesting to see how I react to ours. 'Also baby brain is going strong, and I feel like I forget 10 times a day what I am meant to do.' Manon announced she was expecting her first child with fiance Luke Bennett in March during a sweet interview with Hello! magazine. The French baker told the publication: 'I grew up knowing I wanted to be a mum so I'm very happy and relaxed with being pregnant.' Amusing: One photograph showed the guests leaping into the air in a bid to catch the bouquet in a much-loved wedding tradition Couple: Manon also took to Instagram to share photographs from the night before their nuptials, where they welcomed the wedding party and spent time with their families And Manon revealed that she was keen to have a baby baker in the house to help her create culinary showstoppers. 'The baby will be with me in the kitchen from the day it's born. We are so happy to be having a summer baby and the due date is on Luke's birthday - it feels like it's meant to be.' The former Great British Bake Off contestant has also previously explained how much she wants to raise her child to be bilingual. Manon added: 'That is one of the best gifts we can give them, so we're going to work hard at it. I'd like the baby to be French speaking at home and then use English outside the home.' Mother and daughter: The night before the wedding, Manon posed with her one-year-old daughter Fleur as they welcomed their families and friends Happy times: Manon looked incredible in a floor-length white satin gown with billowing sleeves, while her husband-to-be looked dapper in a blue suit and tie Family: Adorable: Manon and Luke's wedding comes after they welcomed their first child last June Luke popped the question in November 2020 while the couple were on a romantic trip to Barbados. The French baker confirmed at the time that her boyfriend had 'dropped to one knee' with a stunning sapphire ring shortly after they arrived at their boutique hotel during the Caribbean holiday. Manon admitted it had not been a surprise, saying: 'We'd been talking about getting married for a while. It was love at first sight... 'We were boyfriend and girlfriend after two weeks and I moved in with him within four months. When you find the one, you just know.' Employees of Bank KB Bukopin work at one of the bank's branches in Indonesia. Courtesy of KB Kookmin Bank By Anna J. Park KB Kookmin Bank might need to inject additional capital into its Indonesian subsidiary, Bank KB Bukopin, as the Southeast Asian country's financial authority urged Seoul's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) to cooperate on reducing the Indonesia-based bank's debts. According to the financial industry, Tuesday, the Indonesian financial authority has stressed the need to get rid of the subsidiary bank's bad loans, calling on the Korean financial supervisory agency to discuss the matter. An FSS official explained that the Indonesian financial authority has asked for a capital increase on the part of KB Kookmin Bank to normalize Bank KB Bukopin's management. Regarding such calls, KB Kookmin Bank said that the bank is currently looking closely into its Indonesian subsidiary's financial statements and situation to see whether it needs a further capital increase. "As of now, nothing has been specifically determined as to the capital increase plan," an official from KB Kookmin Bank told The Korea Times, Tuesday. "Currently, the bank is closely examining the situation." Recently, KB Financial Group's key management officials, including Co-Vice Chairman Lee Dong-cheol and financial group CFO Seo Young-ho, made a business trip to Indonesia to carry out a due diligence audit on the subsidiary bank. Key officials are also planning to make another visit to the country next month. After KB Kookmin Bank acquired a 22 percent stake in Bank KB Bukopin for 116.4 billion won ($90 million) in 2018, the Korean bank became the major shareholder of the Southeast Asian bank by increasing its stake to 67 percent by 2020. So far, KB Kookmin has injected more than 813 billion won into the subsidiary. If it decides on the further capital increase this time, more than 1 trillion won ($770 million) will have been poured into the bank. Despite the seemingly endless money injections into the subsidiary, KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyu expressed his full support, saying that the group purchased the Indonesian bank knowing that it's a bad bank and its management environment has worsened more than expected amid the pandemic. Ewan McGregor has revealed his changing perspective on parenting, after welcoming a baby with his new wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The Star Wars actor, 51, was married to his first wife Eve Mavrakis, 56, for 22 years, and the couple share four daughters together. But in 2017 he was pictured kissing his Fargo co-star Mary Elizabeth, 37, leading to his 2020 divorce and his second marriage in April this year. Ewan and Mary share a son Laurie, who turned one this week, and the actor reflected on twenty years of parenting in a candid interview with British GQ, including his 'difficult' period of estrangement from eldest daughter Clara. Dad: Ewan McGregor has revealed his changing perspective on parenting, including his estrangement from his daughter Clara, who he is now working with on a new film (pictured in 2018) The Scottish star explained how lockdown changed his perspective on his career/ family balance as he realised it had been decades since he's stayed put in one place for longer than a few months. 'I just want to be present. I don't want to be away for four months in Romania,' he told GQ. 'If it has to happen, maybe it has to happen, but I'm trying really hard not to do that'. Referring to his years parenting his four daughters, Clara, 26, Jamyan, 20, Esther, 19, and 10-year-old Anouk, which coincided with his heady post-Trainspotting career high, Ewan mused: 'Before, I just felt like a gypsy. I was always a dad first, but I was away a lot.' Ewan and Mary first met on the set of their TV series Fargo in 2016, before the actress split from her husband of seven years Riley Stearns in May 2017. Ewan then separated from Eve in January 2017 and filed for divorce. Son: Ewan and his second wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead share a son Laurie, who turned one this week, and the actor has vowed to be more present for his fifth child Happy couple: Ewan and Mary first met on the set of their TV series Fargo in 2016, before marrying in April this year (pictured together in March) Ewan and his eldest daughter Clara, 26, have had a rocky relationship, since she famously branded her dad's second wife a 'piece of trash' and her dad an 'a***hole' when the pictures of them kissing first emerged. The father and daughter have repaired their relationship over the past five years and recently completed work on their first joint project. You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, is a film she conceived by Clara, with Ewan explaining of his daughter's pitch to him: 'She tells me that she'd come up with an idea about writing about us. At first I was a bit nervous. I didn't know what that meant.' The film focuses on a father daughter road trip, with Ewan's character driving his daughter, played by Clara, to rehab. While the drive is fictional, the premise of a dad trying to help his daughter is based on Clara's own experience. 'I sat down to read it and I was blown away. It was a beautiful story about us. There's things that aren't accurate, or are bent, but they still reflect our estrangement for a while,' explained the actor. Ex: The Star Wars actor, 51, was married to his first wife Eve Mavrakis, 56, for 22 years, and the couple share four daughters together. But in 2017 he was pictured kissing Mary Elizabeth and they split, with the divorce finalised in 2020 'The drive is fictional. But for a couple of years, we sort of lost her. So the storyline is about her realising that she needs the help her father's trying to give. Along the way, their relationship is healed somewhat.' 'I was so impressed by the story, by the humour. There's a sort of recognition in it that made me very proud and at the same time very close to her. I felt like she understood more than I'd thought.' When asked by GQ what he felt his daughter had understood, Ewan elaborated: 'My position, but also stuff about parenting somebody who's in trouble. It's a f**king horribly difficult situation to be in. You're so scared of what can happen. You will do anything in the world to stop losing them.' He later mused in a rare comment about his messy split from Clara's mother: 'A divorce in a family is a bomb going off in everyone's life my children's lives. The sort of healing of that is ongoing.' Kate Garraway has opened up on finding a new way to be in love with her husband Derek Draper after his Covid-19 battle. The Good Morning Britain host, 54, said that her children Darcy 17, and William, 12, also have had to 'relearn' how to be around their dad amid his continued health struggles. Derek, 54, was the UK's longest-suffering patient of Covid after being admitted to hospital with the virus in March 2020. Candid: Kate Garraway has opened up on finding a new way to be in love with her husband Derek Draper after his Covid-19 battle Derek returned home from hospital in April 2021 after a year-long battle and still requires round-the-clock care in the midst of his lengthy recovery. Speaking to Good Housekeeping, Kate said: 'When you nearly lose someone, it certainly brings everything into sharp focus. 'In many ways, we're still learning how we are as man and wife, as so much has changed. Challenges: Derek, 54, was the UK's longest-suffering patient of Covid after being admitted to hospital with the virus in March 2020 'It's the same for the children they're having to relearn the experience of being with their dad. And, of course, the biggest learning is for poor Derek.' Kate previously admitted that if left unaided for over three days, Derek could die. He is bed-stricken, with Kate doing much of the caring herself as she insists she won't 'ever give up on him'. Ongoing process: The Good Morning Britain host, 54, said that her children Darcy 17, and William, 12, also have had to 'relearn' how to be around their dad amid his continued health struggles Elsewhere in the chat, the presenter also spoke about trying to find the joy in the little moments in life after everything that's happened. She explained: 'I try to live in the moment more than ever before. I'll send an email and think, 'Okay, I've sent the email. I can't do anything more about that now, so I'm just going to look out the window and notice how pretty the sky is.' 'I really try to seize those moments because when you do, you realise that life is just a collection of moments and finding more good ones than bad ones is probably the secret to it all.' The presenter was awarded an MBE in this year's New Year's Honours for her services to broadcasting after documenting Derek's health difficulties. Glowing: Kate appeared on the cover of Good Housekeeping, looking radiant in yellow dress Speaking on being given the honour, she said: 'It was amazing! But I haven't received it yet, so I don't want to tempt fate in case they retract the offer! 'I do feel there's room for celebration, though, and my hope is that if we do eventually have a ceremony, Derek will be further along in his recovery and we can go together. That would be wonderful.' Kate also spoke about her new show Garraway's Great Stuff on ITV, saying: 'It's been wonderful to do [the show]. 'There isn't anybody who hasn't been affected by the pandemic on some way, so I wanted to be part of a show that would make people feel good, where they could find ways to save money or take control of their health. 'We have brilliant guests every week who share what brings joy into their life what's not to love about that!' The May issue of Good Housekeeping is on sale from 29 June Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson looked very cosy as they stepped out on a date night at Langan's Brasserie on Monday in London. The actress, 32, and the Coldplay frontman, 45, stayed close while making their way to the iconic Mayfair restaurant, and they made a point of holding hands during their outing. Chris cut a handsome figure in a black jumper layered over a white T-shirt and dark grey trousers, while sporting a white beanie and pink laced trainers. Loved-up: Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson looked very cosy as they stepped out on a date night at Langan's Brasserie on Monday in London Dakota looked typically stylish in a white button-up shirt and dark trousers and added white trainers for a casual touch. She kept the cold at bay by wrapping up in a black coat, and toted her essentials in a brown leather Gucci handbag. Her brunette tresses were swept up in an elegant ponytail with her fringe framing her face. Sweet: The 32-year-old actress and the Coldplay frontman, 45, stayed close while making their way to famous restaurant, and they made a point of holding hands during their outing Casual: Chris cut a handsome figure in a black jumper layered over a white T-shirt and dark grey trousers, while sporting a white beanie and pink laced trainers She opted to wear simple silver dangly earrings and minimal makeup to let her natural beauty shine through. Dakota and her now-boyfriend were initially introduced by mutual friends in 2017. The actress was previously linked to figures such as Jordan Masterson and Matthew Hitt. Sophisticated: Dakota looked typically stylish in a white button-up shirt and dark trousers and added white trainers for a casual touch Fashion forward: She kept the cold at bay by wrapping up in a black coat, and toted her essentials in a brown leather Gucci handbag Stunning: Her brunette tresses were swept up in an elegant ponytail with her fringe framing her face Chris was formerly married to Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he tied the knot in 2003. The pair welcomed a daughter and son named Apple and Moses, aged 18 and 16, before separating and divorcing in 2016. Dakota and her now-boyfriend began seeing each other the following year, when Us Weekly confirmed that they were dating. Flawless: She opted to wear simple silver dangly earrings and minimal makeup to let her natural beauty shine through According to the media outlet, the couple also took a trip to Israel and shared a night out with Nick Cave not long after the start of their relationship. A source who spoke to the media outlet noted that the pair's outing 'was a surprise.' The two later began being seen together in public much more frequently after the trip, although they attempted to remain private about their romance during the time period. First meetings: Dakota and her now-boyfriend were initially introduced by mutual friends in 2017 The happy couple took the step of moving in with each other in Malibu last February. Dakota spoke about her relationship with Chris during an interview with Elle, where she noted that she and her boyfriend loved spending time with each other at their shared residence. 'Weve been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that its nice to be at home and be cosy and private,' she said. Exes: Chris was formerly married to Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he tied the knot in 2003. The pair welcomed a daughter and son named Apple and Moses, aged 18 and 16, before separating and divorcing in 2016 Confirmation: Dakota and her now-boyfriend began seeing each other the following year, when Us Weekly confirmed that they were dating He got the seal of approval from both of her parents, actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, the following year. Gwyneth also gave her thumbs up to her ex's new lady in 2020, saying: 'I love her'. 'I can see how it would seem weird because its sort of unconventional. But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her.' Night out: According to the media outlet, the couple also took a trip to Israel and shared a night out with Nick Cave not long after the start of their relationship Surprise: A source who spoke to the media outlet noted that the pair's outing 'was a surprise' The famous 1980s celebrity haunt Langan's Brasserie was opened in 1976 under then-co-owners Michael Caine and restaurateur Peter Langan. By the mid-1980s it was a famous haunt for many big name stars. These include Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson and David Hockney - the latter of which helped design the menus turning them into collectors pieces. Home sweet home: The happy couple took the step of moving in with each other in Malibu last February Adorable: Dakota spoke about her relationship with Chris during an interview with Elle, where she noted that she and her boyfriend loved spending time with each other at their shared residence Other artists to feature including Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Gerald Moira. The London restaurant relaunched last year after closing in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and was then saved from administration The Mayfair eatery is a favourite with boxer Muhammad Ali and The Rolling Stones lead man Mick Jagger. Alesha Dixon beloved rescue dog Daisy has died. The Britain's Got Talent judge, who has had her pet canine for the last 13 years, took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to share the the heart-breaking news. Posting a snap of herself next to pointer Daisy, Alesha, 43, wrote: 'I will love you forever Daisy,' while sharing throwback photos of the pooch as a pup to her Instagram Story. Devastating: Alesha Dixon, 43, took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to share the the heart-breaking news that her beloved rescue dog Daisy has died Next to one shot of her dog in it's first year of life, she wrote: '13 years of loving you. My beautiful Daisy.' The mother-of-two who shares daughters Azura, eight, and Anaya, two, with husband Azuka Onoye, 41 previously spoke fondly of her pooches. Alesha - who also has two cocker spaniels, Rosie and Prince - told The Guardian how she enjoyed family walks in the woods with her three rescue dogs during the coronavirus lockdown periods. She said: 'When the weather's nice, we like to go to the woods with our three rescue dogs. Obviously the dogs still need walking when it's rainy, but we're not as quick to get out of the house then. Daisy: The Britain's Got Talent judge also included a snap of pointer Daisy as a pup, holding a daisy in her mouth 'If I could snap my fingers and go anywhere, it would be Cornwall to watch the dogs running in and out of the sea on a beautiful beach. I love the ocean.' In 2013, Alesha admitted she had always had a penchant for pooches, when speaking about visiting a zoo to help free three young European brown bears, who had been living in poor conditions. She told Daily Record: 'I have always been a huge dog lover and that's always been my main focus. Heartbroken: Next to one shot of her dog in it's first year of life, she wrote: '13 years of loving you. My beautiful Daisy' 'That made me open up to other animals and what they are experiencing and it just breaks your heart because once you start looking into it, it's never ending. You never feel you can do enough. 'Romania was really shocking. I was expecting it to be bad but it was far worse when I got there. 'These bears had basically been living there for their whole lives, some of them 20 years, in cages you could barely swing a cat in with nothing so much as a tyre to chew or any fresh water.' First Dates barman Merlin Griffiths is undergoing treatment in hospital for bowel cancer complications. The star of the Channel 4 dating show, 47, shared a selfie from his hospital bed on Monday, with the hashtag 'complications'. In April Merlin underwent robotic surgery to remove a tumour, after medical tests last year unearthed the stage three tumour that measured 4.5cm in length. Update: First Dates barman Merlin Griffiths is undergoing treatment in hospital for bowel cancer complications, sharing a selfie from his bed on Monday An exhausted-looking Merlin was wearing a colourful unicorn print face mask and had a cannula bandage on his hand as he lay in his hospital bed for the new photo. He didn't go into details as to why he was back in hospital, writing in the caption: 'Oh... Squibwibble. #complications. # nhs. #BowelCancerAwareness.' Two weeks ago the star was back at work, six weeks after his surgery to remove the tumour. The First Dates barman launched Royal Ascot's first ever reduced and alcohol-free bar on June 14 as part of Harrogate Spring Water's Mindful Drinking Mission. Treatment: The star of the Channel 4 dating show, 47, shared a selfie from his hospital bed on Monday, with the hashtag 'complications He looked dapper in a navy suit and pink shirt while putting his drink mixing skills to good use, before being joined by Love Island's Dr. Alex George, 31. Appearing to be in high spirits, Merlin beamed from ear-to-ear while clinking his glass with Alex's, as they posed for photographers. Merlin was discharged from hospital six days after undergoing surgery back in April. At the time, the TV personality shared a cheering update to Instagram, posting a selfie with blue skies behind him, writing: 'And breathe. 6 days, start to finish.' He added praise for the pioneering surgery, explaining: 'Now for real #cancer recovery. I've had open laparotomies before and the recovery was 6 weeks in hospital before robotic surgery!! Amazing.' Road to recovery: Two weeks ago the star was back at work ,launching Royal Ascot's first ever reduced and alcohol-free bar six weeks after his surgery to remove the tumour Looking good: The TV personality (right) was soon joined by Love Island's Dr. Alex George, 31 Merlin added the hashtags to mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, writing: #nhs #davincisurgicalsystem #bowelcancerawarenessmonth #stoma. He thanked the NHS for 'literally saving his life' after undergoing the 'robotic' surgery. He wrote: 'Thank you #NHS for literally saving my life. #BowelCancerAwarenessMonth.' He also shared a photo of the four-armed 'robot' holding the surgical instruments and a camera, to give his followers an insight into the procedure. Merlin announced in March that he was due to have the operation, joking that he had three weeks to 'get my s**t together'. On the mend: Merlin was discharged from hospital six days after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour, back in April Last year, Merlin was told he has a 75 per cent chance of living for more than five years after medical tests unearthed a stage three tumour that measured 4.5cm in length. And updating his followers on his progress, he tweeted: 'Operation scheduled. Three weeks to get my s**t together. Robotic surgery, welcome to the future!' He later thanked his fans for their well wishes, adding: 'Thank you to everyone wishing me well. X May your lives be prosperous and filled with empathy and happiness.' Robotic surgery sees surgeons view the operation through a magnified screen while a robotic machine with four arms holds the surgical instruments and a camera. The surgeon controls the arms of the machine and removes the cancer through keyhole surgery. Fascinating: At the time of his surgery he shared a photo of the four-armed 'robot' holding the surgical instruments and a camera, to give his followers an insight into the procedure Candid: Plugging April's Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, he concluded: Ready as I'll ever be. Tumour removal time. [champagne emoji] #bowelcancerawarenessmonth' Merlin received his bleak diagnosis from doctors at Northampton General Hospital, saying at the time that he was trying to keep a 'positive outlook'. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror last year, Merlin said: 'I'm keeping that positive outlook, but I've a morbid sense of humour. I tell people, 'I have colorectal cancer it's a real pain in the ar*e!' Merlin has a seven-year-old daughter called Alix with his partner Lucille, 40, who he has been with for more than a decade and will be by his side as he faces a year of life-saving treatment. When the barman told his young daughter of the troubling diagnosis he reassured her of the powers of modern medicine and gushed about the public healthcare system. Unwell: Merlin announced in March that he was due to have the operation, joking that he had three weeks to 'get my s**t together' At the time, he said: 'I have so much faith in medicine and the NHS in this country, which is just so incredible.' Keeping his emotions behind closed doors, Merlin admitted: 'I've shed a tear in private. But you can choose 'to do' or 'not to do'. I chose to lead my life as normal, to stick to the facts about it, and to keep putting one step in front of the other.' The TV personality, who became a household name alongside Fred Sirieix in the First Dates restaurant, started to feel pain in June but thought it was caused by an old stomach injury from a car accident in his 20s. Merlin was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year and said his tumour looked like an alien and felt like a walnut stuck inside of him. Close: He told his co-workers in the First Dates restaurant about his diagnosis just a week after he told his family (pictured: Fiona Beck, Grant Urquhart, Daniella Kalita, Fred Sirieix, David, Cici Coleman and Merlin on the show) Doctors discovered the tumour when they gave the barman an emergency sigmoidoscopy to probe his lower intestine after the star spent three months telling people he felt something wrong in his body. Merlin admitted he was terrified by the ordeal but immediately focused on his chances of survival following his diagnosis. The star revealed that his tumour wanted to move into the tissue surrounding it but wasn't 'lymph' - meaning the cancer thankfully hadn't spread. Merlin told his co-workers in the First Dates restaurant, including maitre d'hotel Fred Sirieix, and waiters Grant Urquhart and CiCi Coleman, about his diagnosis just a week after he told his family. The barman admitted his peers were shocked and couldn't help but question why bad things happen to good people. Denise Welch left the Loose Women panel stunned on Tuesday as she joked kissing her former co-star Michael Le Vell was 'a bit like kissing a cat's bum'. The 64-year-old Waterloo Road star and her ITV colleagues were discussing kissing techniques and their worst kisses when Denise revealed her worst kiss was with veteran Coronation Street star Michael. Joking with Charlene White, Janet Street-Porter and Brenda Edwards during the programme, Denise said she only had one bad kissing experience which was a fictitious kiss. Honest: Denise Welch left the Loose Women panel stunned on Tuesday as she joked kissing her former co-star Michael Le Vell was 'a bit like kissing a cats bum' Denise played barmaid Natalie Barnes on the cobbles from 1997-2000. Her character famously embarked on a steamy affair from Kevin Webster (played by Michael) who was married to Sally at the time. She explained: 'I was in Corrie and Natalie had to steal Kevin Webster, the most happily married man away. Old flames: Denise's character Natalie famously embarked on a steamy affair from Kevin Webster (played by Michael) who was married to Sally at the time. 'I had to say to Michael 'we can't do anything really sexy because it's pre watershed, so you have to kiss me, like you really, really want to kiss me, so the audience believe this is the most passionate affair that makes you leave Sally'. 'But he was quite shy so I used to say you have to put your hand behind my head. It was like (purses lips together). It was really difficult. She continued: 'It was a bit like a cat's bum sort of shape. Sorry Michael because I love you, but it was a bit like kissing a cat's bum. Sorry you have got to say.' Denise's appearance come after she looked sensational in a sizzling Instagram snap in May while promoting body positivity. The former soap star showed off her curvaceous figure in a plunging black and white F&F swimsuit as she posed on holiday in Greece. She sported a pair of chic white sandals while flashing her fresh red pedicure and manicure which matched her bold lipstick. Looking good: Denise looked sensation in a plunging black and white F&F swimsuit as she posed for a sizzling Instagram snap in May while promoting body positivity Alongside the snap, Denise wrote: 'Good morning!! Celebrating 9 yrs this week as ambassador for @lighterlife. I learnt the mental tools to address my emotional eating which was in danger of replacing my alcohol addiction. 'I use the flexifasting plan and eat normally the rest of the time. I enjoy all my favourite foods but I no longer let food and crooked thinking control me. I'm a healthy size 12/14 and that's fine by me. 'I celebrate my curves, my lumps, bumps, saggy boobs and cellulite because my 64 yr old body has served me well despite the reverse not always being true.' Former Neighbours star Adelaide Kane has showed off her sensational body in a series of snaps for a lingerie brand. The Aussie actress, 31, stripped down to a lace bra in a series of shots for lingerie brand Bluebella. In a series of snaps, Adelaide shows off her enviably toned abs and ample assets in a neon green lace bra. Former Neighbours star Adelaide Kane has showed off her sensational body in a series of snaps for a lingerie brand The Aussie actress, 31, stripped down to a lace bra in a series of shots for lingerie brand Bluebella She paired the bra with jeans, with she cheekily left unzipped to matching underwear underneath. In other pictures from the campaign, Adelaide opted for a bright purple bra and lace underwear - showing off her sensational figure in the process. In pictures posted to Instagram, the Teen Wolf Alum said that 10 per cent of the profits from the collection will go to OutRight Action International - a human rights charity protecting LGBTQ people across the world. In other pictures from the campaign, Adelaide opted for a bright purple bra and lace underwear - showing off her sensational figure in the process In a series of snaps, Adelaide shows off her enviably toned abs and ample assets in a neon green lace bra The low key photos appear to have been taken inside a home- with a book shelf on display in the background. Adelaide, who is bisexual, opted for a natural beauty look in the snaps, showing her effortless radiance. The Perth-born beauty kept her raven tresses down and loose in light waves and paired pink eye shadow with a light layer of foundation. She paired the bra with jeans, with she cheekily left unzipped to matching underwear underneath The low key photos appear to have been taken inside a home- with a book shelf on display in the background In May, Adelaide packed on the PDA with her Dutch girlfriend Marthe Woertman while the pair swam in a hotel pool. In late April, Adelaide confirmed her relationship with model Marthe. Posting to TikTok at the time, she shared a video of the pair kissing. Marthe, 21, also shared the footage on her own account. The Perth-born beauty kept her raven tresses down and loose in light waves and paired pink eye shadow with a light layer of foundation Kane recently came out as bisexual in a TikTok video, and also told her Instagram followers: 'Spoiler alert, I'm not straight.' In the past, she dated actor Jacques Colimon and fashion exec Joey Pauline. Adelaide shot to fame in 2006 when she was cast as Lolly Allen in Australian soap Neighbours, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. She's best known for playing Mary, Queen of Scots, in the Stan drama Reign. Turning up the heat! Aussie actress Adelaide Kane, 30, and Dutch girlfriend Marthe Woertman passionately kissed in a hotel pool in a racy throwback she shared on Thursday Johnny Depp fans were ecstatic when they found out the actor was reportedly set 'to return' to Pirates of the Caribbean after being dropped from the franchise in 2018. However, it's unlikely the star, 59, will be returning to his iconic role as Jack Sparrow as his official representative has spoken out on the report. They have denied the claims that Depp has been in talks with Disney about a '$300 million deal' and told NBC News: 'This is made up'. Update: Johnny Depp fans were ecstatic when they found out the actor was reportedly set 'to return' to Pirates of the Caribbean after being dropped from the franchise in 2018 Depp was the major lead in five Pirates movies over the past 15 years and made what was thought to be his final voyage on the Black Pearl in Dead Men Tell No Tales which was released in 2017. But a source told Poptopic that the actor has been in talks with Disney about a '$300 million deal' after winning his defamation trial again Amber Heard. The insider revealed that Disney are interested in patching the relationship up with Depp and have recently reached out to him. They said: 'They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another pirate film or two. Disappointed: However, it's unlikely the star, 59, will be returning to his iconic role as Jack Sparrow as his official representative has spoken out on the report The source added that another project is in the works for Disney Plus. They said: 'The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl.' They continued: 'What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.' The source said that the media house is working on a '$301 million deal' to coax Depp back soon and are also reportedly adding a 'sizeable donation' to a charity of Depp's choice as a gesture of goodwill. They have denied the claims that Depp has been in talks with Disney about a '$300 million deal' and told NBC News: 'This is made up' The Edward Scissorhands star previously told the jury he would not work with Disney again after he was scrubbed from the sixth Pirates movie. Depp was asked: 'If Disney came to you with $300m dollars and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film?' He responded: 'That is true' His legal team claims Depp lost out on a $22 million payday after Heard published her Washington Post op-ed in 2018 that didn't identify Depp, but clearly branded him as a domestic abuser. Depp said he felt as if he was 'guilty until proven innocent' with Disney executives. Return: A source told Poptopic that the actor has been in talks with Disney about a '$300 million deal' after winning his defamation trial again Amber Heard Original Pirates script writer Stuart Beattie was the first to publicly confirm that Disney Studios were ditching the star in 2018 as they rework the entire franchise. Speaking exclusively to DailyMailTV at a red carpet event in Hollywood, Beattie confirmed on camera the reboot means Depp is out as Sparrow. Nodding when it was suggested Depp was out, he said: 'I think he's had a great run. Obviously, he's made that character his own and it's become the character he's most famous for now. 'And kids all over the world love him as that character so I think it's been great for him, it's been great for us, so I'm just very, very happy about it.' Depp sued Heard over the op-ed she wrote, describing herself as 'a public figure representing domestic abuse.' The jury found in Depp's favor on all three of his claims relating to specific statements in the 2018 piece. The jury found Depp should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the judge reduced the punitive damages award to $350,000 under a state cap. Heard has said she plans to appeal the verdict as she teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. A source close to the Aquaman star claimed the 36-year-old actress was 'broke' that she 'considers her career in Hollywood over' and 'has nothing to lose' following a disastrous few months. Heard admitted through her lawyer that she cannot afford the $8.3 million in damages awarded to Depp. Ex: Heard has publicly admitted she cannot pay Depp (right) after the jury awarded him $10 million and her only $2 million in their highly publicized court battle Lawyers for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have now failed to reach a last-minute agreement which might have seen the damages the actress owed to her former husband be reduced, following their six week defamation trial which ended earlier this month. Instead, the judge in the trial made the jury's award official on Friday with a written order for Heard to pay Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim in an op-ed piece she wrote. Judge Penney Azcarate finalized the verdict as she entered a judgment order into the court record after a brief hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Neither Depp nor Heard were present. She also ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million, the jury's award on her counterclaim that Heard was defamed by one of Depp's lawyers. The order was a formality after the jury announced its verdict on June 1, largely siding with Depp after a sensational trial in which the couple revealed lurid details of their short marriage during a televised trial that was closely followed on social media. Attorneys for both Depp and Heard were unable to reach a last-minute settlement which now means there may be a costly and lengthy appeals process. In three weeks, the case will move to the Court of Appeals of Virginia during which time both parties will have 30 days to file a notice of appeal. She has been in a very low-key relationship with Coldplay's Chris Martin for almost five years. And Dakota Johnson revealed that maintaining privacy was by design. The 32-year-old actress is featured on the cover of the July/August issue of Vanity Fair as she touched on several subjects including her relationship with the world famous 45-year-old musician, the 'psychotic' process of working on the Fifty Shades Of Grey franchise, and her supposed feud with co-star Jamie Dornan. Opening up: Dakota Johnson talked about why she keeps her near five year relationship with Coldplay's Chris Martin so private, as the two are seen in November 2018 Dakota and Chris are rarely seen on public outings together and have never even walked a red carpet together in the over four years they have been together. She explained that the focus on privacy comes from many factors including them having a blended family and her upbringing as a child of two celebrities as she said: 'Maybe I think about relationships like that differently because I grew up in my family.' Chris famously has two teenage children - 18-year-old daughter Apple and 16-year-old son Moses - with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow. They were married from 2003 to 2016. Lots to say: The 32-year-old actress is featured on the cover of the July/August issue of Vanity Fair as she touched on several subjects including her relationship with the world famous 45-year-old musician, the 'psychotic' process of working on the Fifty Shades Of Grey franchise, and her supposed feud with co-star Jamie Dornan Loved up: Dakota and Chris (pictured out on Monday) are rarely seen on public outings together and have never even walked a red carpet together in the over four years they have been together Dakota is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and is one of seven half siblings. Of her relationship with her siblings she said: 'We were all cool. Obviously, there were times where it was not cool, but I experienced that, so I dont want that in my life. 'I dont want any kids to experience anything like that. Its better to be kind, and its also really nice that everybody actually really loves each other and has each others backs.' Bond: Chris famously has two teenage children - 18-year-old daughter Apple (pictured) and 16-year-old son Moses - with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow Blended family: Chris is seen flanked between his son Moses and Gwyneth's new husband Brad Falchuk Former flames: The former power couple (seen in January 2014) were married from 2003 to 2016 Dakota became a household name when she starred in Fifty Shades Of Grey in 2015 with sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed following in 2017 and 2018, respectively. She was asked if she regrets making the films to which she replied: 'No. I dont think its a matter of regret. If I had known... 'If I had known at the time thats what it was going to be like, I dont think anyone wouldve done it. It wouldve been like, "Oh, this is psychotic." But no, I dont regret it.' There were also rumors of an on-set feud between she and co-star Jamie Dornan and she addressed those supposed issues. In the limelight: Dakota is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, as the family are seen together in February 2016 Blended: Dakota one of seven half siblings, as she is seen with half-sibling Stella del Carmen and mom Melanie in Spain back in 2013 Dakota explained that the focus on privacy comes from many factors including them having a blended family and her upbringing as a child of two celebrities as she said: 'Maybe I think about relationships like that differently because I grew up in my family' Dakota explained: 'There was never a time when we didnt get along. 'I know its weird, but hes like a brother to me. I love him so, so, so much. And we were really there for each other. We had to really trust each other and protect each other.' Though she doesn't regret working on the racy franchise of films, the actress said that the original film she signed on to wasn't exactly the one they ended up doing. She said: 'Im a sexual person, and when Im interested in something, I want to know so much about it. Paving the way: Dakota became a household name when she starred in Fifty Shades Of Grey in 2015 (pictured) with sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed following in 2017 and 2018, respectively 'Thats why I did those big naked movies. I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making.' Dakota explained that the studio, directors, and book's author E.L. James, who goes by Erika, contributed to issues for the film. She said: 'She [James] had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen.' 'There were parts of the books that just wouldn't work in a movie, like the inner monologue, which was at times incredibly cheesy. It wouldnt work to say out loud. It was always a battle. Always. When I auditioned for that movie, I read a monologue from Persona [the 1966 Ingmar Bergman classic] and I was like, "Oh, this is going to be really special."' 'There was never a time when we didnt get along': There were also rumors of an on-set feud between she and co-star Jamie Dornan and she addressed those supposed issues (pictured in 2018's Fifty Shades Freed) The star also said that James became enraged when Charlie Hunnam, who was originally casted as Christian Grey, dropped out of the film that she scrapped the script. Dakota said of her three film contract: 'I was young. I was 23. So it was scary. It just became something crazy. 'There were a lot of different disagreements. I havent been able to talk about this truthfully ever, because you want to promote a movie the right way, and Im proud of what we made ultimately and everything turns out the way its supposed to, but it was tricky.' Meanwhile, Dakota has been casted in the titular role of Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web which is set for release sometime in 2023. David Tennant's son Wilfred made his television acting debut in BBC soap Casualty as he burst onto the screen asking for a doctor during Saturday night's episode. The budding star, nine, followed in the footsteps of his mum Georgia, who starred on the show in 2007 and his older brother Ty, 19, who appeared on the drama in 2020. Wilfred took on the role of Joey Parker, a little boy who wanders into the Holby City Hospital looking for some help for his pet gerbil, Rory. Talented family: David Tennant's son Wilfred, nine, made his acting debut in Casualty as he burst onto the screen asking for a doctor on Saturday night's episode Taking to Twitter, Georgia, 37, re-shared a Tweet from his acting agent Sarah Camlett, who wrote: 'So proud of this glorious young person's TV debut. The Future Is Bright. #WilfredTennant,' alongside a photo of the credits. During the episode Wilfred could be seen as he arrived at the hospital and announced: 'I need a doctor, he's not moving!' whilst gesturing to his gerbil inside a shoe box. Aside from having his mother's blonde locks, the youngster was the spitting image of his famous Doctor Who star father, 51. Oh no! Wilfred took on the role of Joey Parker, a little boy who wanders into the Holby City Hospital looking for some help for his pet 'He's not moving!' The doctors band together as they discuss how they will break the news to Joey that his pet is dead whilst trying to track down his parents The staff in the show band together as they discuss how they will break the news to Joey that his pet is dead whilst trying to track down his parents. Later in the show it was revealed that they purchased a replacement gerbil, so not to upset Joey with the bad news, as his dad thanked the doctors. David shares five children with his wife Georgia, he adopted her son, Ty, from a previous relationship, and they went onto have three daughters, Olive, 10, Doris, six, and Birdie, two, and a son, Wilfred. Ty made his first television appearance in the same show as Aaron who was rushed to hospital after having a seizure on his birthday. Throwback: The budding star followed in the footsteps of his mum Georgia (centre right), who starred on the show in 2007, 2009 and 2014 in short stints Keeping it in the family: His brother Ty, 19, made his first television appearance in the same show as Aaron who was rushed to hospital after having a seizure on his birthday Georgia first made a guest appearance on the show in 2007 before she took on the role of Heather Whitefield in 2009. But the doctor had a nasty end when she was crushed to death in a lift shaft in stomach-churning scenes in September of that same year. Georgia had only appeared in two episodes as Heather when her character was killed off; she later returned to Holby City again in 2014 as a guest character. Exciting: Taking to Twitter, Georgia re-shared a Tweet from his acting agent Sarah Camlett, who penned: 'So proud of this glorious young person's TV debut. The Future Is Bright' It comes as Russell T Davies has teased that David will face 'familiar but new' monsters as he returns to Doctor Who for the much-anticipated 60th anniversary special. The returning showrunner, 59, made a cryptic comment about the villains that the tenth doctor could face as he returns to the sci-fi franchise. He revealed the cast and crew are busy doing night shoots in Cardiff that could see some 'familiar but new' monsters appear, leaving fans guessing about which notorious species could return. Russell told the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine: 'At the time of writing, we're six days away from a night shoot in Cardiff in which some monsters might be glimpsed. He's back: It comes as Russell T Davies has teased that David will face 'familiar but new' monsters as he returns to Doctor Who for the much-anticipated 60th anniversary special 'Monsters which might well be familiar to readers of DWM, well, familiar, but new.' It remains unclear whether Russell could have been referring to notorious monsters such as the Daleks or the Cybermen, or lesser known villains such as Beep the Meep, who appeared in a Doctor Who comic strip. The screenwriter went on to tease the reason behind the return of David as the Doctor and his popular companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. He put forward a number of exciting theories, including that the Doctor and Donna are from a universe 'colliding' with our own or that they are from a 'multiverse'. He suggested: 'A mysteriously forgotten excursion for the TARDIS in between Planet of the Ood and Sontaran Stratagem?' Toss Bank CEO Hong Min- taek speaks during a press conference held in central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Toss Bank Internet bank announces nine-month achievement since launching By Anna J. Park Since Toss Bank was launched last October as the country's third internet-only bank, it has succeeded in attracting 3.6 million customers in just nine months. More than 2.5 million customers have been added this year alone, and the number of customers has tripled during the past six months. The bank announced its upcoming plans to launch differentiated products to help customers make wiser investment decisions and receive more benefits. "On average, it means that 13,600 people are joining Toss Bank per day," the bank's CEO Hong Min-taek said during a press conference held in central Seoul, Tuesday. "And 83.2 percent of those customers actually turned out to have put money into their accounts. Customers' high reliance on Toss Bank's innovative operation shows that digital banking is meeting the needs of financial customers." The CEO of the mobile-based bank specified its customers are distributed evenly in terms of age groups, with those aged in their 20s accounting for 25.1 percent and 30s for 25.4 percent, while those in their 40s take up 23.8 percent and in their 50s and older accounting for 19.2 percent. The CEO explained that the even distribution among age groups shows that digital banking is utilized by people of various ages with ease. The internet-only bank has also logged an impressive performance in providing loans, with accumulated loans surpassing 4 trillion won ($3.1 billion), as of June. 36 percent of the loans were lent to those with middle or low credit scores, with which the bank achieved its original pledge that at least 34.9 percent of its loans would be lent to those in the lower credit bracket groups. "Toss Bank has developed its own credit-rating model called TSS (Toss Scoring System) to provide further loans to customers of medium or lower credit scores, who could not enjoy full entitlements so far. Under the new credit rating system's credit-building effects, one out of four customers has had their middle and lower credit scores reevaluated as high credit scores," Toss Bank CEO Hong stressed. The CEO attributed the bank's innovative services, focusing on the needs of customers, as the source of the bank's exponential growth. The bank's innovative services include the free deposit and withdrawal account that gives out 2 percent interest a year, as well as its deposit products where customers can withdraw interest-accumulated money whenever they want. The CEO also highlighted that the bank's online-exclusive and unsecured debt products, which are the first of their kind in the local internet banking industry, have already lent more than 530 billion won to customers, in just four months after launching. Elizabeth Olsen was pictured as she made her way towards the Good Morning America studios in New York City on Monday. The 33-year-old performer appeared to be enjoying her solo stroll as she flashed a wide smile as she walked towards the production area of the long-running talk show. The WandaVision actress and her husband, Robbie Arnett, utilized their time on the program to discuss various aspects of their new children's book, Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective. Showing up: Elizabeth Olsen was pictured as she made her way towards the Good Morning America studios in New York City on Monday Olsen wore a stylish patterned green dress that showed off her chiseled legs as she strolled into the studio. The Primetime Emmy-nominated performer also rocked a set of black heeled shoes that contrasted perfectly with the color of her outfit. The actress accessorized with a round-framed pair of sunglasses and kept a small purse slung over her left shoulder. Her beautiful blonde hair fell towards her shoulder and paired well with the tones of her clothing. Dressed to impress: Olsen wore a stylish patterned green dress that showed off her chiseled legs as she strolled into the studio Stepping in style: The Primetime Emmy-nominated performer also rocked a set of black heeled shoes that contrasted perfectly with the color of her outfit Olsen and Arnett discussed various aspects of their publication during their interview with Good Morning America's hosts, and she noted that working on a children's book was a passion project for both of them. The actress noted that 'we've been wanting to write a children's book for about...four years.' The performer went on to speak about the process of coming up with the publication. She expressed that her husband 'writes and I'll edit, or I'll have notes,' to which Arnett added that their working relationship was 'a perfect harmony.' New book: Olsen and Arnett discussed various aspects of their publication during their interview with Good Morning America's hosts, and she noted that working on a children's book was a passion project for both of them Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective is centered on the character of the same name as she helps her friends navigate their first day of school. Olsen then remarked that she hoped that 'helping kids understand the complicated feelings that they're having' regarding their early experiences with education. She also pointed out that Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective was the first installment in what she described as a 'series' of children's books. Intention: Olsen then remarked that she hoped that 'helping kids understand the complicated feelings that they're having' regarding their early experiences with education The performer hoped that the book's readers would be able to utilize its lessons to help other students with their first days of school. 'If children are at least able to identify...what they're feeling, how they're feeling, then maybe they can identify it in someone else,' she stated. Olsen remarked that she also wanted Hattie Harmony: Worry detective's readers to 'have a little more compassion, or empathy, or curiosity' for other students. Advertisement Kim Kardashian spared no expense for her daughter North's ninth birthday party this month, that saw the young one and her pals whisked off by her mother's private jet to Wyoming for a glamping soiree. On Tuesday, the 41-year-old Kardashians star shared pictures from the grand event that had fans in awe over the extravagance on display, with one writing: 'Perks of being a billionaire's daughter. I wish this on everyone.' 'These kids are livin' the life,' one person added, while another noted the personalized private jet writing: 'Kim air is the biggest flex I literally can't.' 'GLAMPING at its finest,' another pointed out in the comments section, with another joking: 'If my kids can't flex like this I ain't having none.' 'Perks of being a billionaire's daughter': Kim Kardashian reveals North and her pals including Jessica Simpson's daughter took PRIVATE JET to Wyoming for 'glamping' 9th birthday party Among North's party crew was Jessica Simpson's daughter Maxwell, 10, as well as Kim's niece Penelope Disick, daughter of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick. Tracy Romulus - Kim's chief marketing officer at KKW Brand - also had her 10-year-old daughter Ryan along for the ride at the bash. Also in the gang was Selena Gomez's nine-year-old half sister Gracie Elliot Teefey. Kanye West, who shares North with Kim, was not pictured in the birthday post, though he is known to have a ranch in Wyoming, where at one point they were rumored to be moving as a family before the couple divorced. Kim first showed off her new 'Air Kim' private plane earlier this year, and it is rumored to have cost upwards of $150million. Fun for the kids: Once inside the vessel, the luxurious interior had been decorated with spooky Halloween-style cobwebs with fake pieces of wood on every seat to fit with the camping theme Killer kampers! The indoor tents also had blood-splattered teepees with black inflatable air mattresses, and stuffed toy deer heads hanging at the top Group fun: North's birthday gang included Penelope Disick, Jessica Simpson's daughter Maxwell, Selena Gomez's nine-year-old half sister Gracie Elliot Teefey, and Tracy Romulus' daughter Ryan Tiring them out: The fun-packed birthday party also including outdoor activities such as zip-lining and water tubing Epic: North and her pals also enjoyed a tubing ride along the water in Wyoming From the first picture taken inside an aircraft hangar, fans could see the amount of work that had gone into the preparations, as Kim's private jet - with its own branded 'Kim Air' doormat - was decorated with silver helium balloons spelling out 'Camp North.' Once inside the vessel, the luxurious interior had been decorated with spooky Halloween-style cobwebs with fake pieces of wood on every seat to fit with a horror-tinged camping theme. The indoor tents also had blood-splattered teepees with black inflatable air mattresses, giving off glamping vibes. Idyllic: Kim also shared more snaps to her Instagram Stories that showed teepees outside as well as incredible views Nature walks: Kim posted another snap of a nature trail while enjoying her daughter's birthday Birthday girl: North showed off her wake-surfing skills accompanied by an adult Each tent had a blood-stained toy-stuffed deer head hanging at the top, which some fans found distressing, with one writing in the comments: 'Are those blood stained tents?' while another joked: 'did they really have to do the stuffed deer like that???' The fun-packed birthday party also included outdoor activities such as zip-lining and water tubing. As well as the kids, Kim impressed her friends back home with the expedition, as her PR pal Simon Huck wrote, 'Sign me up,' while Rob Kardashian's ex Adrienne Bailon wrote 'SO DOPE' three times. Kim officially became a billionaire in April last year when Forbes estimated her mega-wealth by assessing her cosmetics company, KKW Beauty, and her shapewear brand, Skims, which have both proven to be extremely lucrative. She's expecting her first child, a baby girl, with boyfriend Jake Ankers later this year. And Charlotte Crosby showcased her growing baby bump as she posed for a snap alongside some of her Geordie Shore co-stars on Tuesday. The reality star, 32, took to Instagram and posted a mirror selfie alongside Chloe Ferry, Sophie Kasaei and Nathan Henry as they filmed the reunion special in London. Charlotte Crosby showcased her growing baby bump as she posed for a snap alongside her Geordie Shore pals Chloe Ferry, Sophie Kasaei and Nathan Henry on Tuesday Charlotte looked radiant in the shot as she donned a grey crop top along with a pair of matching leggings. The star's brunette locks were styled into loose waves as she struck a playful pose alongside her famous pals. Chloe, Sophie and Nathan all put their hands on Chloe's growing bump, with the star captioning the snap: 'Mi familia '. The gang were also joined by fellow Geordie Shore star Kyle Christie who looked dapper in a plaid suit. Co-star: The gang were also joined by fellow Geordie Shore star Kyle Christie who looked dapper in a plaid suit It was previously announced that MTV are producing a Geordie Shore reunion series with several of the show's original castmembers. OG stars including Charlotte, Sophie and Holly Hagan will be returning to screens together, 11 years after the reality show first aired in 2011. The upcoming reunion series will include a group holiday, a long-awaited wedding and a party in the Geordie Shore house. Charlotte, who was part of the show from series one, originally left in 2016 after announcing her departure on Twitter. Throwback: Original Geordie Shore follows a group of young adults from Newcastle as they move into a house together (Pictured in 2011: front row L-R Charlotte, Vicky Pattison, Holly and Sophie; back row L-R Jay Gardner, Gaz Beadle and James Tindle) Charlotte gave her Instagram followers a good look at her blossoming baby bump as she posed completely naked for a saucy snap on Sunday. The mother-to-be posed for a mirror selfie, turned to the side so as best to show off her growing bump on her Stories. Captioning the cheeky photo she wrote: 'The calm before the storm of tonight's big launch. Stripped off! Charlotte gave her Instagram followers a good look at her baby bump as she posed completely naked for a saucy snap on Sunday 'So here's some naked bumpness before I'm off dropping parcels around the northeast'. The sexy shot comes just days after Charlotte soaked up the sun on a romantic staycation with boyfriend Jake, 31. The mother-to-be looked radiant in a abstract printed bikini as she flaunted her blossoming bump for the camera. Naughty: Captioning the cheeky photo she wrote: 'The calm before the storm of tonight's big launch. So here's some naked bumpness before I'm off dropping parcels around the northeast' She posed up a storm in the skimpy two piece as she topped up her tan in the sunny British weather. Charlotte captioned the stunning snaps: 'We have snuck away to the most heavenly idyllic spot for some quality time together and a little R+R'. She continued: 'Ive never stayed anywhere quite like this in England! the weathers been 24 degrees and weve been in the sea, sunbathing and lighting up the barbie! Any guesses as to where we are?! Gunna [sic] show you guys some more of this place tomorrow honestly its an absolute hidden treasure'. 'We've snuck away': The outing comes just days after Charlotte soaked up the sun on a romantic staycation with boyfriend Jake Ankers, 31 Gorgeous: The mother-to-be looked radiant in a abstract printed bikini as she flaunted her blossoming bump for the camera Later, she took to her Instagram Stories as she dined alfresco while she and Jake continued to enjoy the weather. The trip comes after Charlotte revealed her baby's gender by enlisting the help of a skywriter to draw a heart in the sky. It later flew back round to draw the letter 'G' in water vapour in the clear blue sky. As the letter became clear, pink confetti was launched from a cannon above Charlotte, Jake and their friends at the lavish party. Boom! The trip comes after Charlotte revealed her baby's gender by enlisting the help of a skywriter to draw a heart in the sky Charlotte also invited many of her former Geordie Shore co-stars along to the bash, including newly married Holly Hagan and Sophie. Newlywed Holly stepped out with husband Jacob Blythe for the first time since they tied the knot in Ibiza last week. Jay Gardner, James Tindale and Ricci Guarnaccio were all also there to celebrate Charlotte's baby news. The party was captured for Charlotte's upcoming BBC Three and iPlayer series, Charlotte in Sunderland. Party: The party was captured for Charlotte's upcoming BBC Three and iPlayer series, Charlotte in Sunderland Advertisement Scott Reid has been pictured as the murderer Ian Huntley on the set of the Channel 5 show, Maxine, on-location at a school in Ireland, with approximately 40 extras, many of them police and media. Filming has begun on the chilling Channel 5 three-part miniseries, Maxine, documenting the Soham murders investigation through the eyes of killer Ian Huntley's fiancee Maxine Carr. Photos from Thursday show an intimidating Scott dressed in a navy polo shirt and trousers, as he spoke to the headteacher while restraining a German Shepherd, which belonged to his partner. Actor: Scott Reid (left) has been pictured as the murderer Ian Huntley on the set of the Channel 5 show, Maxine, on-location at a school in Ireland, with approximately 40 extras, many of them police and media (Real-life Ian is pictured in 2002, right) Actress Jemma Carlton looked eerily similar to former teaching assistant Carr as she filmed scenes in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland on Tuesday - 20 years after the murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10. The disappearance of the schoolgirls after a family barbecue in August 2002 sparked Britain's biggest-ever missing persons' enquiry - but came to a tragic end when their bodies were found dumped in a remote ditch. School caretaker Huntley - then 28 - had lured the girls to his house and murdered them before dumping their bodies and burning their clothes. Eek! Photos from Thursday show an intimidating Scott dressed in a navy polo shirt and trousers Uh-oh: He spoke to the headteacher while restraining a German Shepherd, which belonged to his partner Oh dear: The grey suit-clad principal walked towards the caretaker and appeared to be in deep conversation Dog-lovers: Two female police officers broke character as they flashed beaming smiles towards the pooch His then-fiancee Carr who provided him with a false alibi - but was in Grimsby visiting her mother at the time of the murders - was jailed for perverting the course of justice but released in 2004 with a new identity. She was dubbed 'The Most Hated Woman In Britain' following the trial , which saw Huntley admit to killing the children, but claiming their deaths were accidental. Scenes for the new drama showed Carr meeting with a journalist who has tracked her down. Scary! School caretaker Huntley - then 28 - had lured the girls to his house and murdered them before dumping their bodies and burning their clothes Troubling: His then-fiancee Carr who provided him with a false alibi - but was in Grimsby visiting her mother at the time of the murders - was jailed for perverting the course of justice but released in 2004 with a new identity Centre of attention: The actors put their skills to use as they got into character on-set Actress Jemma was seen with her bobbed hair in a scruffy updo and wearing a green jacket and jeans as she scowled at a male actor on the seafront. Channel 5 said in a statement about the drama: 'Maxine will examine the investigation of school assistant Maxine Carr and her caretaker fiance Ian Huntley, who was later imprisoned for the double murder of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the tragic case that shocked the nation. 'The three-part drama will explore their tumultuous relationship through Maxine's perspective; why she lied for him and how she became public enemy No.1, as well as reflect the scale of the police investigation and subsequent media frenzy around the biggest manhunt ever seen in British history.' Walking: Scott walked past police officers, as Ian, with the dog - as the headteacher walked away Solo: He was without the pooch as he strolled away while wearing a pair of brown trainers Ensemble: A large group of police officers gathered together for another scene Busy bees: Members of the press ensured to be on-site, with actors posing alongside a 'News Express' van What's going on? A satellite dish was seen above a press van, while a police car was parked in front Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer UK, at Paramount, said: 'The series marks a new venture into the true crime genre for Channel 5 drama and will give viewers an in depth examination of Maxine Carr and her role in one of the most notorious crimes in recent British history.' Mike Benson, Managing Director at Clapperboard added: 'Few crimes have embedded themselves in the national psyche more than the tragic events of Soham in 2002. It was a case which was unique in recent history in terms of the sheer scale of the media coverage and how this affected and nearly derailed the investigation and subsequent trial. We will explore this within the drama alongside the role played by Maxine Carr dubbed 'The Most Hated Woman in Britain.' Maxine will be produced by Clapperboard, Chalkboards scripted sister company and is set to air in 2022. The series was ordered by Cardwell and Paul Testar, Commissioning Executive, Drama. Gang: 10 actors playing police officers were joined by a man in a plaid navy shirt Prop: A sign reading 'Soham Village College Lodeside' had been planted in the ground outside the school Set: A row grey terraced houses also appeared to be in use for the Channel 5 programme Mike Benson and Julie Ryan are executive producers on the series. Laura Way (The Holiday, Blood) joins the team as director, whilst Simon Tyrrell (The Spanish Princess) serves as the writer. Abacus Media Rights are on board as international distributor for the series. Huntley was found guilty of killing both girls at his 2004 trial and later sentenced to two life terms, with a minimum 40-year tariff at the maximum security Frankland prison in Durham. He was a caretaker at the local Soham Village College and was arrested after the girls' bodies were discovered 13 days after their disappearance. During a two-week appeal to find the girls, Huntley gave TV interviews and joined in searches while his then-girlfriend Carr gave him a false alibi. Notorious: Actress Jemma Carlton looked eerily similar to former teaching assistant Carr (pictured R in 2002) as she filmed scenes in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland on Tuesday Final photo: Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by Ian Huntley on August 4 2002 (pictured two hours before their disappearance) He was jailed for life in 2005. During his trial, he said that he had 'killed the girls accidentally' but later admitted the killing in leaked tapes from prison. In a 2018 tape he said: I know the people of Soham took me into their community, they trusted me, gave me a job and a home, and I betrayed them in the worst possible way. And I am sorry for what I have done, sorry for the pain I have caused to the families and friends of Holly and Jessica, for the pain I have caused my family and friends, and for the pain I have caused the community of Soham. I am genuinely, genuinely sorry and it breaks my heart when it is reported I have no remorse, that I relish something. I do not. He added: I cant change anything. I cannot remove that day from history, what I have done. I know those girls would be 26 this year with families of their own, jobs and lives. I thought about them when they were turning 21 and when they were turning 18. I know no matter what I say that people are not going to think any better of me but I would much rather people have the truth about how I feel. I have nothing to gain by saying these things. I know I am never getting out. I have accepted that from day one. Huntley said he does not want to be freed from prison and insisted he will not apply for parole out of consideration for his victims families. A recent Channel 5 documentary - Soham: The Murder of Holly & Jessica - saw Sharon Gilbert, a former Special Constable with Cambridgeshire Police, reveal how Ian approached her and asked 'how long does DNA evidence last?' before joking about killing her just days before he was arrested for the murders. Sharon said: 'The atmosphere in Soham was very solemn, there wasn't very many people walking around, there were lots of police vehicles all over the place, lots of press parked at the end of the street 'Every window in town had a picture of the girls in the Manchester United tops - with the press rewards. 'On Wednesday afternoon we were tasked to go to Soham college, and Ian Huntley approached the vehicle and lounged over the hinge section of the door 'He was very relaxed in his talking, he wasn't nervous in any way shape or form 'Normally when you're sat in a police vehicle and someone comes up to talk to you they ask you about the equipment, the lights, anything else that's visible. He didn't want to know any of that 'Quite early in the conversation he said to me "how long said does DNA evidence last?" 'I said "indefinitely, they've used it on the Russian tsar family and woolly mammoths I believe" 'Everything about him made me feel uneasy, he had very strange eyes, like he's looking at your but through you, like your not there 'At one point he said the school was locked up, he'd locked it, but he wasn't sure if it would stay locked because the previous caretaker had left in dubious circumstances and had a second set of keys and it was a possibility he'd been in and out. 'But before he said that he told everyone "if I told you that I'd have to kill you" 'I spoke to the sergeant and he said straight away it was a missing person's enquiry and should I feel strongly about it to phone the inquiry line with my concerns. 'As soon as I got home I phoned the enquiry line, I wanted them to know that he was a person that they needed to have interest in, and it was serious. 'He'd done something that he was covering up with the way he was talking, and they needed to be interested in him.' A few days later, Sharon woke up to the news Huntley and Carr had been arrested. Tragedy: Police found the girls' burned Manchester United shirts in a bin at Soham College where Huntley worked 'I ran downstairs and phoned the enquiry line again. I said you need to listen to the phone call I made on Wednesday. 'I'm a member of Hampshire constabulary and I came to Soham and spoke to Ian Huntley and the conversation I had with him would be of interest to you. 'When they came and took my statement, one of the officers was sat at my table and every now and again I would say something and he'd go into the hall. 'I think they were using what was going in my statement to question him'. The documentary also spoke to reporters who were on the story at the time - including Brian Farmer, a reporter at the Press Association who found Huntley suspicious. 'The police issued a timeline of sightings, and they said Ian Huntley had seen the girls - although they didn't say he was the last person to see the girls,' he explained. 'I went to the house and I explained I just wanted to chat and get a few details, and they were quite reluctant. 'I remember asking Maxine whether at school they'd done stranger danger and if they'd be told to not get into car and she said they had 'I asked her from your knowledge of Holly and Jessica how would they react if someone said "get in the car" 'Before she had the chance to answer, Ian answered and said "Holly would probably get in and be quiet but Jessica would fight and be mad" 'That's when I thought something wasn't right, so I started to ask him more about the girls. He said he and Maxine had been out for a walk with their dog and he had got wet - he had got a hose out with soap and that's when the girls came along. 'They asked how Miss Carr [a teaching assistant at their school] was - I asked four or five times what they said 'And what baffled me was "why didn't they mention the dog" any child would be taken by the dog. 'He was describing a conversation an adult would have - not two 10 year old girls, I was wondering, why wasn't he telling the truth?'. Huntley had been given an alibi by his girlfriend Maxine Carr - but it was later revealed she was in Grimsby visiting her mother. Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson also spoke to the programme, revealing how he interviewed Carr and was struck by how she was talking about Holly and Jessica in past tense. TikTok star Charli D'Amelio and Travis Barker's son Landon appeared to confirm they are dating while holding hands following a romantic dinner date in New York City. The lovebirds, both 18, first sparked romance rumors after leaving her sister Dixie's debut album launch party together, and again, when eagle-eyed fans noticed they were recently inked by the same tattoo artist. And on Monday night, they continued to fuel romantic speculation as they walked with their hands intertwined down the street together through a large crowd. Blossoming romance: TikTok star Charli D'Amelio and Travis Barker's son Landon appear to confirm they are dating while holding hands following a romantic dinner date in New York City As Landon guided his influencer girlfriend to their next destination, she could be seen rocking a figure-hugging grey dress with a slit a few inches above her knees. For their fun night out, D'Amelio wore her glossy brown hair in glamorous curls, pink lipstick and a black handbag on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Landon cut a cool figure in a semi-sheer black shirt, a gold necklace, one cross earring and shiny pants. Fueling speculation: The lovebirds, both 18, first sparked romance rumors after leaving her sister Dixie's debut album launch party together, and again, when eagle-eyed fans noticed they were recently inked by the same tattoo artist Looking good! As Landon guided his influencer girlfriend to their next destination, she could be seen rocking a figure-hugging grey dress with a slit a few inches above her knees Earlier this week, a source told People of the new relationship: 'They're seeing each other, and it's early stages.' Eyebrows were also raised when the duo showed off the tattoos they both had done earlier this week by Arbel, a tattoo artist in Los Angeles. 'People peeped #charlidamelio and #landonbarker getting tatted at the same time,' the Instagram account, TikTokRoomTM, posted. Son of a rockstar: Meanwhile, Landon cut a cool figure in a semi-sheer black shirt, a gold necklace, one cross earring and shiny pants Supportive: They also both follow each other on Instagram They also both follow each other on Instagram. Charli was previously in a relationship with Chase Hudson, a TikToker and musician who also goes by Lil Huddy. She announced their split in April 2020 after less than a year of dating. The pair's romance began back in December of 2019, but they did not confirm their boyfriend-girlfriend status to fans until late January. Tatt's interesting! Eyebrows were also raised when the duo showed off the tattoos they both had done earlier this week by Arbel, a tattoo artist in Los Angeles Young love: Earlier this week, a source told People of the new relationship: 'They're seeing each other, and it's early stages' Meanwhile, Barker is rumored to have been in a romance with Devenity Perkins in 2016, according to People. He hasn't been romantically linked to anyone else these last few years. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Charli was raised by former model Heidi D'Amelio, and a businessman who once ran for the Connecticut Senate, Marc D'Amelio. After joining the platform in 2019, Charli had become the most followed account with her viral dance routines and by 2020 she had over 100 million fans. At the time she took to the platform to say that the achievement was 'like a dream'. TikTok sensation: After joining the platform in 2019, Charli had become the most followed account with her viral dance routines and by 2020 she had over 100 million fans In a video she added: 'I can't believe there's 100 million supporters following me right now. That is insane, oh my goodness. 'Y'all can't grasp that this is real, I still feel like it's a dream, kind of waiting to wake up. Very insane. Oh my goodness, thank you!' In the caption she wrote: ''A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED ME REACH 100 MILLION SUPPORTERS!!! AND ANOTHER HUGE THANK YOU TO @tiktok I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!' The social media platform congratulated her on the news and said it was 'so proud' of her achievements. In a statement TikTok said: 'In less than 18 months, Charli has grown into one of the most recognized and beloved TikTok creators in the world. 'While we're extremely proud of Charli and all that she has accomplished since she shared her first TikTok video in May 2019.' TikTok also announced it would be donating $100,000 in Charli's name to American Dance Movement, an organization aimed at increasing access to dance education in the US. Kali Reis has joined the cast of the upcoming fourth season of the crime drama series True Detective. The news about the 35-year-old actress and professional boxer was initially reported by Deadline, who noted that she would co-star with Jodie Foster. The media outlet also noted that the program's fourth run of episodes, entitled True Detective: Night Country, was officially greenlit on Tuesday. Starring role: Kali Reis has joined the cast of the upcoming fourth season of the crime drama series True Detective; she is seen in March The new season of the show will be centered on Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, and it is set to take place in Ennis, Alaska. When an extended period of winter night falls on the town, the six operators of the Tsalal Arctic Research Station suddenly disappear. The detectives are then forced to look into their own dark pasts in order to solve the seemingly impossible task. The new season of the program is set to be written and directed by Issa Lopez, who also serves as its showrunner and as one of its producers. Main characters: The new season of the show will be centered on Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, and it is set to take place in Ennis, Alaska; costar Jodie Foster is pictured earlier this month Other executive producers include Barry Jenkins, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The performers previously costarred in the first season of the program, which aired in 2014. HBO Programming's Executive Vice President, Francesca Orci, gave a statement to the media outlet to express her excitement for the new run of episodes. Sticking with it: Other executive producers include Barry Jenkins, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson; the actors are seen in the show's first season 'We are tremendously excited to return to the True Detective franchise and to be working with the multi-talented Issa Lopez,' she said. She also remarked that the director's 'singular vision for her Night Country installment will be beautifully realized with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in the starring roles.' Development on the project was initially revealed this past March, when it was announced that Lopez and Jenkins had been attached as producers. Working hard: Development on the project was initially revealed this past March, when it was announced that Lopez and Jenkins had been attached as producers; Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff are seen in the show's third season The former of the pair was only expected to produce and direct the pilot at the time. The new season of the show is currently scheduled to begin filming in Iceland at a date that has not been revealed to the public. True Detective: Night Country's release date has not been announced as of yet. Victoria Beckham seemed in high spirits on Tuesday as she took to her Instagram account to promote her new makeup product. The designer, 48, looked sensational as she posed up a storm for a gallery of snaps and clips showcasing her new beauty cheek product to her 30.1million followers. The former Spice Girl showcased her beauty sporting a pair of white and green silk pyjama trousers and matching shirt as she posed in the bathroom. Glam: Victoria Beckham seemed in high spirits on Tuesday as she took to her Instagram account to promote her new makeup product She swept her brunette tresses up in a chic neat up-do leaving her fringe framing her face. Victoria looked radiant while opting for a glam palette of makeup as she gave fans a tutorial on how to use her 'CheekyPosh' blush. In one snap she can be seen writing 'Cheeky' on the mirror with the product while revealing an arm full of all the colour swatches. Stunning: The designer, 48, looked sensational as she posed up a storm for a gallery of snaps and clips showcasing her new beauty cheek product to her 30.1million followers Chic: The former Spice Girl showcased her beauty sporting a pair of white and green silk pajama trousers and matching shirt as she posed in the bathroom She revealed she was feeling nostalgic in the clip as she announced that her two new blushes are named after Fame and Saturday Night Fever. She penned: 'Something Cheeky.... launching today. 'Two new shades of Cheeky Posh have arrived!! Meet Fame and Fever (can you guess the inspiration?!) Stylish: She swept her brunette tresses up in a chic neat up-do leaving her fringe framing her face 'Fame is a beautiful rosy mauve and Fever is a vibrant poppy that achieves that perfect sunkissed glow. My new summer staples! x VB.' It comes after Victoria took to her Instagram Stories earlier this month to offer her followers some less than glamorous advice. She may be an ex Spice Girl and award winning fashion designer but she still has to pick up after her dog like everyone else. The product: Victoria looked radiant while opting for a glam palette of makeup as she gave fans a tutorial on how to use her 'CheekyPosh' blush In the clip the fashion mogul was walking cocker spaniel Fig, joined on the journey by her ten-year-old daughter Harper when husband David, 47, seemingly came to the rescue. Guided by the pooch Victoria said: 'So we are on the school walk this morning, getting our steps in. 'And someone - David - has tied the poop bag around the lead' she continued as she showed off the green plastic sack - as well as her perfectly manicured nails. Incredible: She revealed she was feeling nostalgic in the clip as she announced that her two new blushes are named after Fame and Saturday Night Fever Before adding: 'What a good idea, so you never forget them!'. The Wannabe hitmaker, who is also mother to Brooklyn, 23, Romeo, 19, Cruz, 17, then gushed over the black pup. She cried: ' Fig, Fiiigie, good morning!'. 'David's got my back!': It comes after Victoria offered fans poop bag advice as her famous husband comes to the rescue as she walks cocker spaniel Fig Captioning the images: 'Top tip! @DavidBeckham ties ties the poop bags around the dog lead so you never forget them'. It comes after the family welcomed a brand new addition to the family earlier this month in the form of an adorable pup named Simba. And the arrival seems to be settling into family life, as Victoria shared a slew of sweet snaps to her Instagram dubbing him 'A real posh puppy'. Love: Guided by the pooch Victoria said: 'So we are on the school walk this morning, getting our steps in' (pictured together earlier this year) Handy David: 'And someone - David - has tied the poop bag around the lead' she continued as she showed off the green plastic sack - as well as her perfectly manicured nails Family: The family also own cocker spaniels Olive and Sage before welcoming puppy Simba to the clan earlier this month Showing that Simba is being showered with attention, the snaps included her husband David lying down for a cuddle. Flashing a smile to the camera, David locked Simba between his arms as they enjoyed the sweet embrace. While another showed Harper, the youngest of the Beckham clan (prior to Simba!), planting a kiss on his head. While Romeo, who was the first to announce the arrival of Simba, dubbing him 'my new baby', held the tiny pup by just one hand as he nestled into him. Jesting that he had 'great taste' in the caption, Victoria also shared a shot of Simba with a 'Chewy Vuiton' dog toy, which featured a play on the iconic Louis Vuitton design. Cute! Showing that Simba is being showered with attention, the snaps included David lying down for a cuddle Kisses: While another showed Harper (left) and Romeo (right) embracing the cute pup Advertisement Filming of the Gabby Petito Story, which follows the real life tragedy that played out last year, began in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Tuesday. The actress portraying the 22-year-old aspiring social media star - named Skyler Samuels, 28 - was seen with the famous 'let it be' tattoo inked on her right forearm for the Lifetime film. She was joined by actor Evan Hall, 31 - who is playing Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie, who admitted to murdering her. Actress Skyler Samuels, who plays Gabby Petito in the upcoming Lifetime movie The Gabby Petito Story, was spotted on set in Salt Lake City, Utah on Tuesday. She was joined by actor Evan Hall who plays Brian Laundrie Recreation: The actress was seen seen with Petito's famous 'let it be' tattoo inked on her right forearm for the Lifetime film. Petito, who was an aspiring social media star, is pictured right Petito was strangled on a road trip with Laundrie in Wyoming last summer while her boyfriend was later found dead at a swamp near his parents' home in Florida from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The FBI later revealed that Laundrie had taken responsibility for the murder in a notebook that was found near his remains more than a month after he went missing. Petito and Laundrie had been embarking on a cross country road trip which she had been documenting on social media. Tragedy: She was not alone on set as she was joined by the actor - named Evan Hall, 31 - who is playing Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie , who admitted to murdering her Tragedy: Petito was strangled on a road trip with Laundrie in Wyoming last summer while her boyfriend was later found dead at a swamp near his parents' home in Florida from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head Tribute: The film tattoo is seen on the left, while Petito's actual tattoo is seen in an Instagram post on the right, it is a reference to the classic song by The Beatles Busy day: Skyler was seen thinking about her next scene Changing it up: Evan was seen in a different outfit The FBI later revealed that Laundrie had taken responsibility for the murder in a notebook that was found near his remains more than a month after he went missing Actress Thora Birch - who is best known for her work in 2001's Ghost World and 1993's Hocus Pocus - is making her full-length feature film debut as director in addition to also acting in the made-for-television movie. Director Birch will also be playing Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt who has been at the forefront of the media coverage as she seeks justice for her murdered daughter. The movie is part of Lifetime's Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative. Petito and Laundrie had been embarking on a cross country road trip which she had been documenting on social media According to Deadline it will 'explore Gabby and her fiance Brian Laundries complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabbys tragic murder' Relaxed: Skyler donned a pink top with sweatpants and Birkenstock sandals According to Deadline it will 'explore Gabby and her fiance Brian Laundries complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabbys tragic murder.' The Gabby Petito Story will continue to film in Utah through the summer and the movie is set to premiere on Lifetime later this year. Back in November 2021, the FBI said it was closing its investigation into Petito's death after concluding that Laundrie did admit to it by taking responsibility in the notebook that was found by his remains in the Cartlon Reserve swamp near his parents home in North Port, Florida on October 20. The Gabby Petito Story will continue to film in Utah through the summer and the movie is set to premiere on Lifetime later this year Lots to do: It certainly seemed like a busy day on set The bureau did not say what specifically he wrote in the notebook claiming responsibility for Petito's murder. The FBI opened its investigation into Petito's disappearance after she was reported missing by her parents on September 12. At the time, she and Laundrie has been on a cross-country road trip in her white van. A massive manhunt ensued, and Petito's remains were found on September 19 at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming near where she and Laundrie had last been seen together - and three weeks after she had last spoken to her parents. Director Birch (seen in February 2019) will also be playing Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt (seen in September 2021) who has been at the forefront of the media coverage as she seeks justice for her murdered daughter She died of blunt-force injuries to the head and neck and manual strangulation, according to the Teton County Coroner. She had been dead for three or four weeks before her body was discovered. The search for Laundrie took more than a month, with a large group of police officials scouring the Carlton Reserve. His remains were found on October 20 after water had receded from the search area and the park was reopened. On that day, his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, then informed law enforcement that they intended to return to the park to search for him. Images from Fox News show the Laundrie's at the reserve ahead of the search as well as the notebook found by law enforcement. Back in November 2021, the FBI said it was closing its investigation into Petito's death after concluding that Laundrie did admit to it by taking responsibility in the notebook that was found by his remains in the Cartlon Reserve swamp near his parents home in North Port, Florida on October 20 In a statement on Friday, the FBI said: 'Law enforcement officers were present when Mr. Laundrie's parents located an item in the park later determined to belong to Mr. Laundrie. 'Upon further search of the area, investigators found human remains later confirmed to be Mr. Laundrie, along with a backpack, notebook, and a revolver. 'A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito's death.' The FBI opened its investigation into Petito's disappearance after she was reported missing by her parents on September 12. At the time, she and Laundrie has been on a cross-country road trip in her white van The search for Petito began after Laundrie had returned to his parent's Florida home from their trip without her on September 1. On September 11, Gabby's family reported her missing and two days later, her boyfriend Brian Laundrie vanished from his parents' home. The young couple had been on a cross-country van trip but it turned sour and in August, just a few weeks before she died. A massive manhunt ensued, and Petito's remains were found on September 19 at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming near where she and Laundrie had last been seen together - and three weeks after she had last spoken to her parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie, Brian's parents, have been widely condemned for not talking with Petito's family or turning their son in to police when he returned home from his trip, especially after she was reported missing. He left their home on September 13, two days after her family on Long Island, New York, reported her disappearance. Petito's family criticized the Laundries for not helping them and have since filed a lawsuit against them. Before Petito's disappearance, she and Laundrie were pulled over by Utah police officer in Moab on August 12, 2021 after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight. His remains were found on October 20 after water had receded from the search area and the park was reopened. On that day, his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, then informed law enforcement that they intended to return to the park to search for him. Images from Fox News show the Laundrie's at the reserve ahead of the search as well as the notebook found by law enforcement Officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins had pulled the couple over after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight. Bodycam footage showed a visibly shaken Petito admitting to being the aggressor in the public argument. During the conversation, Pratt had noted that Petito should have been arrested for her actions as stated in the Utah state law. The couple, however, managed to dispute the allegations and the officers let them go following a 75-minute conversation on the promise that they spend the night away from one another. Petito's family criticized the Laundries for not helping them and have since filed a lawsuit against them, Gabby Petito's parents Joseph Petito (pictured left) and Nichole Schmidt (center) are seen earlier this week After the bodycam footage emerged, the Price City Police Department launched its own independent investigation and said Wednesday that the officers should have pressed charges in the incident. 'I believe the officers responded to a domestic violence call and had probable cause an act of domestic violence had been committed,' Price Police Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe. 'This should have meant an arrest was made, either by citation or custody.' Despite evidence pointing towards Petito as the aggressor, Ratcliffe noted that she had probably been the victim of violence in the relationship. As a result of the investigation, Ratcliffe recommended that Pratt and Robbins be put on probation for how they handled the incident. He also concluded that he couldn't be certain that the officers could have changed the outcome of Petito's fate if they acted accordingly. Officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins had pulled the couple over after they responded to a call from a witness who saw the couple involved in a domestic fight Bodycam footage showed a visibly shaken Petito admitting to being the aggressor in the public argument. During the conversation, Pratt had noted that Petito should have been arrested for her actions as stated in the Utah state law 'Would Gabby be alive today if this case was handled differently?,' the report said, according to CNN. That is an impossible question to answer despite it being the answer many people want to know. 'Nobody knows and nobody will ever know the answer to that question.' The city of Moab has not revealed any form of future disciplinary action for the officers but they intend to implement new measures such as legal and domestic violence training. They noted, however, that the officers should have cited Petito made 'several unintentional mistakes' during the incident. 'Based on the report's findings, the City of Moab believes our officers showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident,' a statement from the city read. 'The City of Moab sends our sincere condolences to the Petito family. Our hearts go out to them as they continue to deal with the tragic loss of their daughter.' Pregnant Jill Duggar celebrated the forthcoming arrival of her third shower at an intimate baby shower hosted by her nearest and dearest - but neglected to invite her mother or any of her siblings amid ongoing tensions between the relatives. The sweet celebration was hosted at the home of the 19 Kids And Counting stars cousin, Amy Duggar King, however, it appears her parents Jim Bob and Michelle weren't at the event - and neither were some of the 31-year-olds sisters including Jana, Jessa, Joy-Anna, and Jinger. The mother-of-two gave Counting On fans a glimpse into the special day on Facebook as she shared a selection of images which showcased the decorations and gifts she received. Celebration time: Jill Duggar shares images from her baby shower with fans on Monday Family favor: The event was held at the home of Jill's outspoken cousin Amy Duggar King Jill opted for a floral print top and a white tiered skirt for the event, which saw Amys house decorated in a white, green and gold color scheme. An arch of white, green and pale pink balloons was placed in the living room while gold balloons spelling out OH BABY were seen in the kitchen. Jill - who shares sons Israel David, six, and Samuel Scott, four, with her husband Derick Dillard shared a message of thanks as she wrote: I feel so loved and more prepared now for baby boy with all the gifts, prayers & blessings by friends and family (+ several who couldnt attend the party in person) who showered us this weekend in anticipation of our little mans arrival next month! Though she didnt elaborate further on which loved ones couldnt attend, Jill took the time to thank Amy for organizing the celebration as she continued: Special thanks to the hosts: my MIL Cathy Dillard Byrum my SIL Deena Dillard my cousin Amy Rachelle King & my Aunt Deanna Duggar! The noted absences come weeks after Jill herself had been missing from a sibling reunion which took place in Santa Monica earlier this month. Sisters Jinger, Jessa, Jana and Jennifer had publicly ventured out together for first time since their disgraced older brother Josh Duggar was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison on child pornography charges. Jill and Derick, 33, spoke out after Josh was sentenced in May with a statement which read: The Bible clearly states that God effects justice and vengeance through the governing authorities. So many gifts: Jill and her unborn child were showered with gifts at the intimate celebration Feeling blessed: Jill wrote, I feel so loved and more prepared now for baby boy with all the gifts, prayers & blessings by friends and family' 'Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence and still fewer believe he should have received a lighter sentence, God has carried out his vengeance today for his unspeakable criminal activity.' The pair claimed that 'until now, [Josh] has yet to be held accountable to the extent necessary to cause change in his dangerous pattern of behavior,' and that 'it seems that it may take spending over a decade in federal prison, and still more on probation, for Josh to have any potential for rehabilitation to the point he can safely live in society again.' The statement continued: 'Hopefully, Josh can actually begin to get treatment and begin to work toward a lifestyle where he is less likely to reoffend. If for nothing else, the notoriety of this case has hopefully contributed to the deterrence of potential offenders and will help protect children by decreasing the demand for' child pornography. 'We are neither rejoicing nor disappointed by the sentence, but we are thankful its finally over. The couple ended their statement in saying that they 'continue to love Josh and his family and will be there for them however we can.' Jill's fraught relationship with her family was also brought to light last month when court documents from a 2017 lawsuit filed by the mom-of-two and three of her sisters against those people responsible for releasing a police report detailing how her brother Josh abused them were released to the public. In the documents, Jill spoke out about her 'toxic' relationship with her father Jim Bob, 56, whom she branded 'verbally abusive' and 'controlling'. Expanding their family: Jill already shares sons Israel David, six, and Samuel Scott, four, with her husband Derick Dillard Couldn't make it: It appears some of Jill's sisters were not in attendance Family reunion: Jill had notably been missing from a sibling reunion which took place in Santa Monica earlier this month Jill, the fourth-oldest of 19 siblings, made the negative assessment in court documents including a deposition that were obtained by The Sun. The soon-to-be mom-of-three also revealed that 'issues' with her family sent her to counseling, and she has had limited contact with Jim Bob for years. 'I saw a whole new side to my dad once my husband and I started making decisions that were best for our family, but not in his best interest,' she said during a Preliminary Psychological Opinion by Robert Wynne. 'Sadly, I realized he had become pretty controlling, fearful, and reactionary. He was verbally abusive. Our relationship is not good. It got pretty toxic.' Meanwhile, convicted pedophile Joshs outspoken cousin Amy has also spoken out against her family on a number of occasions - most recently when she issued a statement about her pedophile cousin in which she implied she hoped that prisoners would beat up Josh in jail. In a video on her Instagram page, the 35-year-old said: He cannot have his computer, he cannot hurt, exploit any more children and when he sees his kids, he has to be supervised. And honestly, where he's going, I feel like the prisoners are just gonna take care of him.' Criminal: Josh Duggar was found guilty in the Western District of Arkansas Federal Court in Fayetteville, Arkansas in connection with possessing and receiving child pornography last December King continued on saying that she feels as though the issues involving Duggar are not over. She said that her cousin's 'sickness stems from somewhere, and eventually we will hear about the trauma... Eventually I think more will come out. 'But hopefully tonight, I can sleep for the first time ever and rest assure that another monster will be put behind bars makes my heart feel a little lighter.' King, who occasionally appeared on 19 Kids and Counting, including a story arc where she tried to make it in the music industry in Nashville, is the owner of the clothing brand 3130 Clothing. When Josh married his wife, Anna, in 2008, King served as a flower girl. King has been married to husband Dillon King since 2015. The couple has one son, Daxton. Shocking: The disgraced reality TV star was found guilty on two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography after investigators traced a trove of the disturbing material on his work computer in an evidence photo Keeping watch: Jurors during the trial heard testimony that Josh and Anna, pictured with six of their seven young children, subscribed to a service in 2013 called Covenant Eyes that monitors adult internet use and would report 'objectionable material' to Anna Duggar has been in custody since December when a federal jury found the 19 Kids and Counting alum guilty of possession and receipt of child pornography. 'The images were some of the worst that this court has ever encountered,' Judge Brooks told Duggar, as his wife Anna, 33, sat a few yards behind him in the public gallery during May's hearing. Prior to the sentencing, Michelle wrote a letter of support for her son that asked for leniency in consideration of his 'tender heart,' with Michelle adding that Josh 'is compassionate toward others.' She also requested that Josh be 'reunited with his wife and family in a timely manner.' Famous family: The Duggar family's life was documented on TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting from 2008 to 2015 Elsewhere, Josh's wife Anna called her husband a 'loving, supportive and caring father' in her own letter to Judge Brooks. The court heard in December how the dad-of-seven used the desktop computer at his car dealership to trawl the dark web for hundreds of warped films and photos. Duggar's trove of child porn was described as 'the sickest of the sickest.' He told Duggar that his crimes were exacerbated by the 'sadistic' nature of the abuse, the ages of the kids involved and his refusal to accept his guilt. The upcoming season of The Block: Tree Change is being filmed in the Macedon Ranges in rural Victoria. But there are now calls for next year's season to return to Sydney so the teams can renovate host Scott Cam's childhood home in Vaucluse. The former dwelling was knocked down so the new owners could build a new, architecturally designed home, but construction was 'abandoned' before it could be finished, reports The Daily Telegraph. There are growing calls for Scott Cam's 'abandoned' childhood home in Vaucluse (pictured) to be transformed on next year's season of The Block The property last sold in 2017 for $3.025millon. The local council stopped the rebuild more than a year ago because the builders allegedly went beyond the development approval. They apparently built on council land and also erected unapproved rooftop access on the site. Scott Cam (pictured) is the longtime host of Channel Nine renovation show The Block The former dwelling was knocked down so the new owners could build a new, architecturally designed home, but construction was 'abandoned' before it could be finished (pictured) 'Absolutely The Block should return to Sydney. There's no real estate market in Australia as competitive, intense and enticing as Sydney's eastern suburbs,' said Gavin Rubinstein of Luxe Listings Sydney. The new season of The Block is being filmed in Gisborne in country Victoria, a 40-minute drive from Melbourne, and is said to be one of the biggest builds yet. After years of city renovations, the producers have opted for a 'tree change' by having the teams transform homes in rural Victoria. The property last sold in 2017 for $3.025millon. (Pictured before being knocked down) The local council stopped the rebuild more than a year ago because the builders allegedly went beyond the development approval Now the teams will each be building a home on 10 acres of land. Fashion influencer Ferguson and her footy star fiance Joel Patfull quit The Block in April, supposedly due to a family emergency. While he normally oversees the projects, Scott will also renovate one of the properties for himself on the new season. Korea's overseas financial assets hit a new high in 2021 thanks largely to a jump in investment in U.S. stocks, central bank data showed Tuesday. The nation's external financial assets came to $1.715 trillion at the end of December last year, up $177.8 billion from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK attributed the year-on-year surge mainly to increased investment in the United States and European Union countries amid stock rallies. Financial assets in the U.S. jumped $141.8 billion to $675 billion, touching a new high and accounting for 39.4 percent of the total. Korean entities' financial assets in the EU climbed $11.5 billion to $236 billion, and their financial assets in China rose $8.9 billion to $164.6 billion. In line with an international norm, the tally excluded Korea's foreign reserves, which stood at $463.1 billion as of the end of December, the BOK said. Foreign reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overseas currencies, International Monetary Fund reserve positions, special drawing rights and gold bullion. The data also showed the nation's external financial liabilities increasing $25.5 billion to $1.519 trillion as of the end of last year. External liabilities owed to the U.S. were the largest at $386.2 billion, or 25.4 percent of the total, followed by Southeast Asian nations with $323.9 billion and the EU with $251.5 billion. (Yonhap) She is celebrating her 43rd birthday. And Busy Philipps is aging naturally. The actress talked never getting any work done to her face during an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. 'People have actually accused me of work': Busy Philipps revealed she has never had any work done to her face during an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast 'No Botox, no fillers,' she said, adding she has 'no judgement' towards those who have had changes done. Busy said she has been accused of getting work done but cited a myriad of other factors which contributed to her changing face. She also admitted to being 'disappointed' seeing women get work done at a young age. 'I get disappointed when very young women start to f*** with their faces,' Busy admitted. 'People have actually accused me of work, [but] I've been on camera since I was 19 years old. Throwback: Philipps pictured on a 2001 episode of Dawson's Creek 'My face as a teenager and my face today is totally different because of having children, the hormones, losing and gaining weight, working out, structurally, I can't even explain to you how different I look now. 'My only point is that... 23-year-olds, calm down Your face is going to change you lose the baby fat. 'And post-children, post-baby there's like a hormonal shift.' Yet she isn't opposed to having work done later in life: 'My rules in life are just, there are no rules.' 'I can't even explain to you how different I look now': Busy said she has been accused of getting work done but cited a myriad of other factors which contributed to her changing face; pictured 2020 Busy's interview was published after she spoke up about Roe v. Wade being overturned. The 43-year-old actress shared a video of herself working out with an emotional caption to her Instagram Stories on Saturday. 'I couldn't do it yesterday but it's my birthday so even though I woke up crying, I'm making myself move,' she wrote. 'Because I won't stop. We can't stop.' Still moving: Philipps took to her Instagram story Saturday to encourage fans to keep fighting for abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned the day before (pictured May 2022) Busy's Instagram post is one of many she fired off in the past 24 hours about her opposition to the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision. She shared a post that gave people information on a protest in Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday. I have no words,' she wrote in the caption. 'This is total devastation. See you tonight New York and I hope you show the fuck up wherever you live. #abortionisahumanright #abortion #f*ckthesupremecourt.' Emotional: The 43-year-old actress shared an emotional video of herself working out while reflecting on Roe v. Wade getting overturned 'I couldn't do it yesterday but it's my birthday so even though I woke up crying, I'm making myself move,' she wrote. 'Because I won't stop. We can't stop' Protest: She shared a post that gave people information on a protest in Washington Square Park in New York City on Friday Philipps has publicly supported a woman's right to choose for years. Back in 2019, she even revealed she had an abortion. 'I have a thing that I would like to say,' she said on her talk show Busy Tonight. 'I hope that whatever it is that you believe personally that maybe you'll be open to hearing what I'm saying.' She continued, 'I know that people feel very strongly about abortion, but let me just say this. Women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them. Nobody else. Nobody. 'Here is the reality. No bill that criminalizes abortion will stop anyone from making this incredibly personal choice, but these laws will put more women at risk. Every woman deserves compassion and care, not judgment and interference when it comes to their own bodies.' Personal story: Philipps has publicly supported a woman's right to choose for years. Back in 2019, she even revealed she had an abortion End of an era: The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade She then talked more about her personal experience, saying she had an abortion when she was 15 years old. 'I'm telling you this because I'm genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country,' she said. 'Is that a hard left turn? Yeah, it is. Is it kind of jarring? Yes, it is also kind of jarring. But, guess what? That's what being a fing woman is. Having a regular Tuesday and then suddenly being reminded that people are trying to police your body. And then you just have to go back to work.' At the time, Busy's segment was in response to Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp created a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling and hand back power to individual states to decide whether or not to permit the procedure. Protestors: Protestors took to the streets over the weekend to show their displeasure with the Court's decision Less options: The decision means that women with unwanted pregnancies in large swathes of America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion The justices held that the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that allowed abortions performed before a fetus would be viable outside the womb - between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy - was wrongly decided because the U.S. Constitution makes no specific mention of abortion rights. The ruling means that individual states now have the power to decide on whether to ban abortion. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, has said that 26 states are 'certain or likely' to ban abortion now. The decision means that women with unwanted pregnancies in large swathes of America will now face the choice of traveling to another state where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills online or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion. In an address at the White House, President Joe Biden said it was 'a sad day for the court and the country' and called the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - and making terminations illegal for millions of American women - 'wrong, extreme and out of touch'. Accusing the court of 'expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans', Biden vowed the fight over abortion rights 'is not over' and said his administration will do everything in its power to combat efforts to restrict women from traveling to other states to obtain abortions. Dolph Lundgren is opening up about his experiences filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with his embattled co-star Amber Heard. Filming started exactly one year ago today in London, with production also taking place in Hawaii and Los Angeles before wrapping in January 2022. Heard, 36, made headlines earlier this month when she lost her defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp, though Lundgren, 64, told ET that she was great to work with. Opening up: Dolph Lundgren is opening up about his experiences filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with his embattled co-star Amber Heard Filming: Filming started exactly one year ago today in London, with production also taking place in Hawaii and Los Angeles before wrapping in January 2022 Great: Heard, 36, made headlines earlier this month when she lost her defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp, though Lundgren, 64, told ET that she was great to work with Lundgren returns as King Nereus in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with Heard reprising her role as Mera from the 2018 movie Aquaman. Lundgren was actually pulling double-duty, filming both the Aquaman sequel and The Expendables 4 in Europe last summer. When asked about Heard on Saturday, he admitted, 'I havent spoken to Amber,' since production wrapped. King: Lundgren returns as King Nereus in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with Heard reprising her role as Mera from the 2018 movie Aquaman Haven't spoken: When asked about Heard on Saturday, he admitted, 'I havent spoken to Amber,' since production wrapped 'I mean she was great during the shooting,' Lundgren said, adding the sequel is, 'looking great from what I hear.' Lundgren also said he was unaware of her 'status' on the film, after rumors spread that she was being cut from the film following her defamation lawsuit loss. A spokesperson for Heard shot down the rumors in a statement to Variety, insisting she is still in the film. Great: 'I mean she was great during the shooting,' Lundgren said, adding the sequel is, 'looking great from what I hear' Status: Lundgren also said he was unaware of her 'status' on the film, after rumors spread that she was being cut from the film following her defamation lawsuit loss 'The rumor mill continues as it has from day one inaccurate, insensitive and slightly insane,' the statement from Heard's rep read. Heard's ex-husband Johnny Depp sued her for defamation over a 2018 Washington Post column she wrote, where she claimed he was physically abusive to her. The jury ordered Heard pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the punitive damages were later lowered to $350,000. Rumor mill: 'The rumor mill continues as it has from day one inaccurate, insensitive and slightly insane,' the statement from Heard's rep read Damages: The jury ordered Heard pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the punitive damages were later lowered to $350,000 Heard will next be seen in the thriller In the Fire alongside Eduardo Noriega, which is in post-production and doesn't have a release date slated. Depp has started production on his new film Jeanne du Barry, where he plays King Louis XV. There had been reports that he will return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with a whopping $300 million deal, though the actor's rep denied those claims. Jacqueline Laurita's daughter Ashlee Holmes made the brave decision to share her Bipolar II diagnosis to the world by sharing a vulnerable Instagram post on Monday. Upon sharing the news with her more than 269,000 followers, the makeup artist, 31, best known for her cameos on her mom's series Real Housewives of New Jersey, was candid about her mental health struggles and seeking professional health. 'You may not think that I have had many difficulties in my life but I have. These last two years have been especially difficult for me,' she captioned a car selfie. 'About almost a month ago, I had a psychotic break.' Speaking up: Jacqueline Laurita's daughter Ashlee Holmes made the brave decision to share her Bipolar II diagnosis to the world by sharing a vulnerable Instagram post on Monday She continued: 'I found myself in a position where I was afraid of myself and my own thoughts. And I chose to finally seek proper help. I took a short break from social media as well.' 'During this process of seeking help, I was diagnosed with bipolar II,' she noted. 'I made the personal choice to begin medication right away, as I truly feel that I had tried everything else up to that point. I think I have been in denial for a very long time about this diagnosis.' The Your Mom Friends podcast host explained that she was 'never properly educated about all of the other aspects of having bipolar.' Upon sharing the news with her more than 269,000 followers, the makeup artist, 31, best known for her cameos on her mom's series Real Housewives of New Jersey, was candid about her mental health struggles and seeking professional health; seen (L) with her mom in 2010 'You may not think that I have had many difficulties in my life but I have. These last two years have been especially difficult for me,' she captioned a car selfie. 'About almost a month ago, I had a psychotic break' After a lifetime of only hearing 'negative' adjectives describing someone with the mental health condition that involves periods of depression and periods of elevated mood, called hypomania, she was surprised to find out it is 'is SO much more' than just mood swings. 'It was actually a relief to finally have an explanation for certain things. It has been empowering for me to learn more about it, and take back control. I am not ashamed of my diagnosis. And I will not allow anyone to try to make me feel ashamed of it,' Holmes added. She also made it clear she will 'not allow anyone to use' her 'diagnosis as a scapegoat to treat' her 'poorly.' Looking on the bright side: The mother-of-one described 'bipolar disorder as the gift of extraordinary emotions' that gave her 'a level of resiliency that' she 'very much needed growing up' The mother-of-one described 'bipolar disorder as the gift of extraordinary emotions' that gave her 'a level of resiliency that' she 'very much needed growing up.' 'It has given me a level of resiliency that I very much needed growing up. It has made me capable of withstanding whatever obstacles the Universe throws at me,' she continued. Holmes also called herself 'strong, imaginative, empathetic, adaptive' and mused that her bipolar disorder also contributed to her 'great sense of humor.' The way they were: In 2020, she and her ex-husband Pete Malleo announced their separation, just two years after welcoming their son Cameron in August 2016 'This is just yet another chapter of my life. Im curious and hopeful to see where Ill be a year from now. Life is a journey full of ebbs and flows. Keep going. Be proud of yourself,' she urged of others. The beauty concluded her statement by saying she believes it is important for people to speak about their 'individual experiences living with bipolar (and other mental illnesses)' to break negative stigmas surrounding mental health conditions. In 2020, she and her ex-husband Pete Malleo announced their separation, just two years after welcoming their son Cameron in August 2016. Struggling: In May, she reflected about her first Mother's Day as a single mom after her divorce was finalized earlier this year In May, she reflected about her first Mother's Day as a single mom after her divorce was finalized earlier this year. At the time, she wrote on Instagram that she 'wholeheartedly tried everything' to make her marriage work. 'I dont necessarily believe that everything happens for a reason, but I believe that everything that happens to us gives us the chance to become a stronger [and] better version of ourselves if we let life guide us that way,' she stated. If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) meeting to discuss issues related to the reorganization and restructuring of its departments, state media said Tuesday. Kim presided over a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the WPK the previous day in Pyongyang to discuss issues related to "improving and readjusting the work system of Party guiding organs at all levels and strengthening their political activities" and reorganizing the structure of some departments of the Central Committee, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. He also discussed issues of strengthening "policy-oriented guidance regarding the work of state and public security, judiciary and prosecution fields" and organizing the necessary work within this year, it added. (Yonhap) The South Korean government publicly asked North Korea, Tuesday, to give notification before releasing water from dams near their border during the current rainy season, as their daily hotline communication was disrupted presumably due to technical reasons. The Ministry of Unification made the request in a statement, describing it as a "basic measure" to protect the lives and property of the South Korean residents just south of the border. "We attempted to reach North Korea several times through our regular call via the inter-Korean liaison office at 9 a.m. this morning, but we failed to make a connection, as the North remained unresponsive," a unification ministry official told reporters. The official cited the possibility of technical glitches in Pyongyang's communication lines caused by heavy rainfall that hit some parts of the North recently, pointing out that such instability in the bilateral hotline is not unprecedented during the rainy season. The ministry plans to deliver a formal request to the North as soon as regular communication resumes through the joint liaison office lines. In August 2020, the North partially opened the floodgates of the Hwanggang Dam on the western inter-Korean border without prior notice and dumped water into the Imjin River, putting South Korean residents living near border areas on high alert. Under an agreement signed between the two countries in October 2009, the North agreed to notify the South in advance of any plans to release water from the dam, following a deadly accident that killed six South Koreans after the North discharged water from the Hwanggang Dam without notice. (Yonhap) In the 2021-22 academic year, out of a total of 44.47 lakh mothers, nearly 51,000 were unable to avail the Amma Vodi financial aid of Rs 15,000 per head. That means 98.86 per cent of mothers got the aid and the rest did not due to low attendance. DC file image Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday that the number of students in government schools increased by over 7 lakh in the last three years due to education reforms and the Nadu-Nedu scheme. Addressing a programme on Amma Vodi in Srikakulam, the chief minister said 37.21 lakh students were studying in government schools from Class 1 to 10 in 2018-19. The number rose to 44.30 lakh in 202122. This was an increase of 7.1 lakh students, he said. In the 2021-22 academic year, out of a total of 44.47 lakh mothers, nearly 51,000 were unable to avail the Amma Vodi financial aid of Rs 15,000 per head. That means 98.86 per cent of mothers got the aid and the rest did not due to low attendance. A minimum of 75 per cent attendance is mandatory to get Amma Vodi aid. The government made this mandatory to ensure quality education, he added. A 75 per cent attendance is mandatory to provide quality education to children and to check absenteeism among students. Otherwise, students who do not attend school are also likely to benefit. Then the real objectives of the scheme for better and quality education will not be met, Jagan said. Jagan said his election manifesto was considered as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran. Nearly 95 per cent of the promises in the manifesto has already been initiated and implemented. There are a few students who can afford to pay donations in degree colleges/universities and have already taken admission, but those who cannot are waiting for the results so that they do not miss a seat and get admissions in their choice of stream. Representational image/DC Hyderabad: Thousands of students and their parents are eagerly waiting for the Intermediate examination results which will be out at 11 am on Tuesday. More than their results, the students are said to be worried about how their parents are going to react if they fail or score less marks. Some parents are aggressive who scream and scare their children. A parent recently called me and said he was waiting for the results so that he could take care of his child. He sounded like he was just waiting to beat up his child once the results are out. He is sure that his child did not perform well in the exams, said T. Rajini, a psychologist. She added that there were two sets of students who called her. One who genuinely cared about their results, knew what subjects they could pick in the future and how the delay in results was adding up to their stress. There are a few students who can afford to pay donations in degree colleges/universities and have already taken admission, but those who cannot are waiting for the results so that they do not miss a seat and get admissions in their choice of stream. Students are also experiencing stress and anxiety. Most of them asked several questions about what kind of colleges they could apply to if they scored less marks in a subject. Some students are extremely stressed about their performance, said another psychologist Anjali Sharma. She advised the parents to be mentally prepared and accept their child as they had a tough time focusing on academics because of Covid. The students have already written their exams. The reaction of their parents, family members and society will create a huge impact on the child. The reactions matter so much to a few students who are even bound to get suicidal tendencies if not treated well or scolded way too much by their families. We need to avoid students suicide because of family and academic pressure, added Anjali. Several parents said they expected better results this year as the syllabus was cut short to 70 per cent with a lot of choices and the students had ample time to prepare as well. Rao, director of the Sai Defence Academy, was booked under Section 150 of the Railways Act, 1989, and under 307 of IPC. Facebook Vijayawada: The accused in the Agnipath scheme-related arson incident at Secunderabad railway station, Avula Subba Rao, moved a bail petition in the criminal court in Nampally on Monday. Rao, director of the Sai Defence Academy, was booked under Section 150 of the Railways Act, 1989, and under 307 of IPC. He was listed as accused-64 along with accused-1 Madhusudhan and accused-2 Prudviraj. His lawyer Alexander Sudhakar moved the bail petition on behalf of his client. He argued that Rao deserved bail. He said that in a preliminary inquiry conducted by the government railway police and other agencies, no incriminating evidence was found in Raos mobile phone vis-a-vis the allegations that he had instigated job- aspirants in defence forces to resort to violence against the Agnipath scheme. Though eight WhatsApp groups were found to have shared information before the arson at the Secunderabad railway station, Rao was not an administrator to any of these groups, the lawyer said. His lawyer admitted that his client extended support to the job aspirants to stage protests by holding placards in a non-violent manner and submit a representation to the army recruitment officer in Secunderabad to express their opposition to the Agnipath scheme, as they did in Guntur railway station on June 14. However, the protest in Secunderabad turned violent with some anti-social elements going on a rampage and burning railway property, he said. He alleged that the government railway police was working at the behest of the ruling TRS government to implicate his client in the arson, in order to safeguard the real culprits. Lawyer Sudhakar said, We are confident that Avula Subba Rao will emerge innocent in the case as no incriminating evidence was found against him either related to the arson or in provoking anyone to do so. Vijayawada: Mines minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has called upon leaseholders to extend their support to reforms in the mining sector that the state government is introducing in a series for the benefit of all the stakeholders. The minister made the plea at a meeting he held with the leaseholders here on Monday. He said that only 2,826 leases out of the 4,988 issued for mining of minerals in AP were operational while 2,162 remained as non-working leases. The state government is planning to introduce transparency in the mining sector and also avoid delay in the sanction of leases to encourage more entrepreneurs to actively take part in mining and help the state earn a good revenue, he said. The minister said that a committee would be set up with leaseholders and officials from the mining department to hold a series of meetings with the stakeholders in a month or two. It would come up with suggestions to make the mining sector more transparent and efficient. Referring to the earlier system of first-come-first-serve basis for allotment of mines, the minister said this caused a lot of delay in the leasing out of mines. Several applications were pending without grant of permission for various reasons. This resulted in the state government losing huge revenue. He said some leaseholders were not taking up mining and even creating legal hurdles for newcomers in the field. Based on Supreme Court directions, states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand etc introduced e-auction. AP also under the present government introduced a series of reforms in the mining sector with special focus on transparency, he claimed. The minister said that the state government had issued a GO for issue of leases to those who pay an annual dead rent 10 times more than the normal, and provided an opportunity to those who applied on a first-come-first-serve basis also to avail such a facility. Though the aim was to earn a revenue of Rs 500 crore, these fetched only Rs 142 crore, he said. The minister said e-auction would help the sanction of leases in a transparent manner and this would also help prospective miners get NOC from the revenue department. This would hopefully also help more entrepreneurs and youths to enter the mining sector, he added. The entire menu, for the special lunch on July 3, the second day of the national executive meet, will be totally shakahari (vegetarian) (Representational image/By arrangement) HYDERABAD: A Telangana gourmet festival awaits Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the phalanx of Bharatiya Janata Partys top leadership from across the country, who will be in the city for a two-day national executive meeting of the party on July 2 and 3. The lunch on July 3 at the national executive will be special, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar told Deccan Chronicle on Monday. Overseeing the special Telangana menu will be Yadamma, a well-renowned cook from Karimnagar. The food is going to be delicious, Sanjay said. The entire menu, for the special lunch on July 3, the second day of the national executive meet, will be totally shakahari (vegetarian), he said. Sanjay said that other than rotis, all curries, dals and chutneys will be made using authentic Telangana recipes. The party leaders will get a chance to sample dishes like Puntikura Pappu, Gangavailakura-Mamidikaya Pappu, Pachi Pulusu, along with Jonna Rottelu and Pedda Boondi Laddu, among other delicacies. In the evening, Sakinalu, Garelu, and Saravapindi will be served as snacks. Chada Suresh Reddy, a former MP from Hanamkonda, who heads the food committee for the BJP national executive meeting, said, We have invited Yadamma to join the chefs at Novotel on June 29 for a test run. He said, Our party president Bandi Sanjay was firm that we deliver the best food Telangana has to offer to the delegates, and that is what we will do. HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to have decided to drill into its ground-level leadership, and cadres, that the current Telangana government, led by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is corrupt, and inept. Also, to be added to this campaign plan is a dose of how Telanganas governance has become a family affair. This plan will be set into motion on June 30, when the BJP leaders, including Union ministers, former Chief Ministers, and other senior party leaders will fan out across Telangana to meet party workers over two days. These leaders will return to the city on July 1 to be in time for the partys national executive meet. Sources in the party said the meetings would be divided into different sessions for mandal and district-level leaders, leaders of various BJP wings such as the BJP Kisan Morcha, Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha and OBC Morcha, from that particular constituency. Also separate sessions are being planned for SC, ST members of the party. In short, every section of the society and our local level leadership will be interacting with the senior party leaders, a BJP leader said. The final session on day two of these meetings will be with mandal, district, and the partys prabharis, leaders from the state deputed to each constituency, and discussions will focus on the current political situation in the state, in the Legislature, and making plans to bring the BJP to power in the state in the 2023 Assembly elections, and to ensure the partys victory in the Lok Sabha elections a year later. During the two-day constituency level meetings, the discussions will also centre around the challenges faced by the party in the state in terms of local leadership, strengthening it in the run up to the Assembly elections, taking to the people the failures of the TRS government, and the successful 8-year governance of the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The final session will also look at mobilising party workers from the booth level upwards for the July 3 public meeting at Parade Grounds to be addressed by the Prime Minister. Hyderabad: Demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give directions to withdraw cases against Telangana youth in connection with the recent arson at the Secunderabad Railway station, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy on Monday assured that the Congress would assist the injured and jailed youth in engaging advocates to get bail for the arrested army aspirants. Addressing a gathering at Satyagraha Deeksha organised to protest against the Agnipath scheme at Malkajgiri on Monday, Revanth Reddy demanded the Prime Minister step into the state during his two-day visit to the city only after withdrawing cases against the Telangana youth in connection with the Agnipath protests. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao must bring pressure on the BJP government at the Centre to withdraw cases against the Telangana youth and the state government should extend their support to the family members of the arrested youth. "TRS leaders, Ministers and MLAs have participated in the final rites procession of Rakesh who died in firing in Secunderabad Railway station. Later, the TRS party forgot the arrested youth issues in the state. A number of students from poor and middle-class families were arrested in the incident and jailed by registering criminal cases," Revanth Reddy said. Blaming Modi for introducing the Agnipath scheme, the TPCC chief alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is trying to privatise the Indian Army by neglecting the country's security and integration. As per the Agnipath scheme, youth between 17 years to 21 years would be eligible to get Army jobs and would get retirement within four years. "Based on the Agnipath scheme, the Army employees will lose benefits such as pensions, health facilities and education facilities to their children. After working four years in the Army, the candidates will lose their jobs and will be ineligible for other jobs. The BJP government deliberately is trying to introduce the scheme without any discussion in Parliament," the TPCC chief alleged. Stating that lakh of candidates would lose an opportunity if the BJP government introduced the Agnipath scheme to recruit candidates into the Indian Army, Revanth Reddy said the Congress would take to the streets till the BJP withdrew the Agnipath scheme. Revanth Reddy demanded the state and Central governments to provide employment to 50 lakh unemployed youth in Telangana. Charity Works by Binod Chaudhary of Nepal are Larger than the Imagination of Many Sale of pani puri has been banned in Kathmandu Valley's Lalitpur Metropolitan City as cholera cases have spiked in the Valley with 12 people testing positive The Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) on Saturday decided to stop the sale and distribution of pani puri in the metropolis, claiming that cholera bacteria were found in the water used in pani puri. The metropolis has made internal preparations to stop the sale of pani puri in the crowded areas and in the corridor area, stating that there is an increased risk of spreading cholera in the Valley, according to Municipal Police Chief Sitaram Hachethu. With seven more people tested positive for Cholera in the Kathmandu Valley, the total number of cholera patients has reached 12 in the Valley, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. According to Chumanlal Dash, director at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Health Ministry, five cases of Cholera have been identified in Kathmandu Metropolis, and one each in Chandragiri Municipality and Budhanilkantha Municipality. The infected are currently undergoing treatment at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Diseases Hospital at Teku. Earlier, five cases of Cholera were found in different parts of the capital city. The two of the infected people have already been treated and discharged. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged the people to visit their nearest health facility immediately if they experience any symptoms of cholera. The ministry has requested everyone to be alert and vigilant as diarrhea, cholera and other water-borne diseases are spreading especially during summer and rainy season. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, moves to the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis By Jung Min-ho A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday called for the release of more information about the incident in which a government official was killed in North Korean waters. He was quoted by the victim's brother as saying that his family has "the right to know." At a meeting in Seoul with Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the fisheries official shot dead by the North two years ago, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, also said that Pyongyang should help the family uncover the whole truth, discipline those who were responsible and compensate the family for the loss. "He expressed support for our fact-finding efforts, including the attempt to get access to the information kept in the presidential archives," Lee told The Korea Times. His support comes at a time when the family members are demanding that the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a majority at the National Assembly, agree to grant them access to classified documents sealed by the Presidential Archive. They are hoping that the documents will help them resolve questions about the tragedy, including whether the previous Moon Jae-in administration did what was necessary to save their family member. Quintana is expected to share some of the family's concerns with high-ranking government officials, including Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, when he meets them on Wednesday. Kim Ki-yoon, Lee's lawyer who also attended the meeting, said it is important that Quintana specifically said the North should compensate the family over his death and prosecute those directly involved in it. Lee Rae-jin, the brother of a South Korean official who was killed by the North Korean military two years ago, speaks to reporters before a meeting with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, at the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis Two Indian women have been arrested at a Thai airport attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals including armadillos, porcupines and snakes, wildlife protection officers said Tuesday. Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, with the animals often bound for Vietnam or China where they are used in traditional medicines. The creatures were discovered when Nithya Raja, 38, and Zakia Sulthana, 24, passed through X-ray machines at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday night en route to Chennai in India, officials said. "This kind of case has happened many times because the animals have expensive price tags in India," Sathon Konggoen, chief of the airport's wildlife inspection office, told AFP. He estimated that the animals, believed to have been bred in Thailand, would be worth around 200,000 baht ($5,600). "Animal trafficking is usually detected at the Thai-Myanmar borders and domestic airports to a certain extent," he added. Officers discovered two armadillos, two porcupines, 20 snakes, 35 turtles and 50 chameleons stuffed into a pair of bags belonging to the women. Two dead iguanas were also found, while all of the reptiles were suffering from dehydration, according to a Facebook post from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The creatures are being treated and will be moved to an animal centre or breeding facility, the department said. The two women have been charged with violations of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, the Animal Epidemics Act and the Customs Act. They are being detained at a police station at the airport. An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced to death 10 Islamist militants found guilty of terror-related charges, a judicial source said. The men, charged with "leading a group known as the Helwan Brigades", were found guilty of having committed acts of terror, including opening fire at a police vehicle, the judicial source told AFP. Subject to appeal, the verdicts drew condemnation from Amnesty International, which described them as an "insult to justice" resulting from "grossly unfair proceedings." The men were convicted in relation to events that took place between August 2013 and February 2015 -- a period that saw a spike in attacks, particularly targeting security forces, following the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The court also handed down jail sentences to 205 others in the same case, ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. Since taking office in 2014 -- a year after leading Morsi's ouster -- President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has presided over a mass crackdown on Islamists and dissidents, jailing thousands. Egyptian courts have routinely handed down death sentences or long jail terms after mass trials that have drawn condemnation from the United Nations and rights organisations. "This was a mass trial of more than 200 people," Amnesty International's Amna Guellali said in a statement Tuesday, alleging that the case was "marred by enforced disappearances and torture", prisoners being kept in "cruel and inhuman conditions" and "flagrant trial breaches". "Authorities must quash the verdict and order the release of detainees, most of whom had been held for over two years in pretrial detention in contravention of Egyptian law," Guellali added. Egypt carried out the third highest number of known executions in the world last year, after China and Iran, according to Amnesty. An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for the murder of a student after she rejected his advances, a judicial source said, in a case that sparked widespread outrage. The court found the defendant Mohamed Adel guilty of the "premeditated murder" of university student Nayera Ashraf after he confessed to the crime in court, according to the source. The verdict, handed down in Mansoura north of Cairo two days after the trial opened on Sunday, will now be referred to the grand mufti, Egypt's top theological authority -- a formality in death penalty cases. A video that went viral appeared to show Ashraf being stabbed outside her university earlier this month. Adel had "stabbed her several times" according to the prosecution, which found "messages threatening to cut her throat" on the victim's phone. Ashraf had previously reported her fears of attack to the authorities, according to her father and witnesses. The verdict was met with celebrations in front of the courthouse in Mansoura, videos published by local media showed. The crime has triggered widespread anger in Egypt and beyond, and was followed by a similar campus shooting in Jordan a few days later. Jordanian police said Monday that the man suspected of the murder of student Iman Irshaid had "shot himself" after refusing to turn himself in. Social media users have drawn comparisons between the two cases, decrying incidents of femicide in the Arab world. Some called for the perpetrators to be sentenced to death, while others said men must "learn to take no for an answer". Egypt carried out the third-highest number of executions in the world in 2021, according to Amnesty International. Nearly eight million Egyptian women were victims of violence committed by their partners or relatives, or by strangers in public spaces, according to a United Nations survey conducted in 2015. The Group of Seven developed economies on Tuesday wraps up a summit intended to send a strong signal of long-term commitment to Ukraine's future, ensuring that Russia pays a higher price for its invasion while also attempting to alleviate a global hunger crisis and show unity against climate change. The leaders of the US, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Canada and Japan on Monday pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes after conferring by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The summit host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said he once again very emphatically set out the situation as Ukraine currently sees it. Zelenskyy's address, amid a grinding Russian advance in Ukraine's east, came hours before Ukrainian officials reported a deadly Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. Officials have said during the summit that leaders of the major economies are preparing to unveil plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions. Read | Will continue to do what is best in interest of own energy security: India From the secluded Schloss Elmau hotel in the Bavarian Alps, the G-7 leaders will continue straight to Madrid for a summit of NATO leaders where fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine will again dominate the agenda. All G-7 members other than Japan are NATO members, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to Madrid. Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. The G-7 has sought to assuage those concerns. While the group's annual gathering has been dominated by Ukraine and by the war's knock-on effects, such as the challenge to food supplies in parts of the world caused by the interruption of Ukrainian grain exports, Scholz has been keen to show that the G-7 also can move ahead on pre-war priorities. The summit host has been keen to secure agreement on the creation of a climate club for countries that want to speed ahead when it comes to tackling global warming. After a meeting Monday with leaders of five developing nations, a joint statement issued by Germany emphasized the need to accelerate a clean and just energy transition that would see an end to the burning of fossil fuels without causing a sharp rise in unemployment. In the cautiously phrased statement, the leaders tentatively endorsed the global climate club idea. Pakistan has launched a diplomatic campaign denouncing Indias plan to hold some of the events related to the 2023 G20 summit in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). With Prime Minister Narendra Modis government planning to hold some events related to the G20 summit in J&K, Islamabad has already reached out to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistans iron brother China, conveying its objection to New Delhis plan to take the foreign leaders to the newest Union Territory of India. Islamabad already asked Beijing, Ankara and Riyadh to convey to New Delhi that they might consider boycotting the G23 summit next year if the Modi Government did not drop its plan to hold some of the events related to the conclave in J&K, a source told DH. The countries Pakistan reached out to with the request to dissuade India from going ahead with its plan, however, remained non-committal so far, added the source. Modi will host the leaders of the other G20 nations for the summit, which will be held in October or November next year. The G20 summit this year will be hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali. The main events of the 2023 G20 summit are proposed to be held in Delhi and construction works are now going on to give Pragati Maidan in the national capital a facelift and to turn it into the venue for the conclave. New Delhi, however, also has plans to hold some of the events in J&K so that the foreign leaders, who would come for the summit, could also visit the Union Territory. The plan is being seen by Islamabad as a move by India to assert its claim on J&K as an integral part of its territory and reject Pakistans claim on it before the international community. The Modi Government had in August 2019 stripped the erstwhile state of J&K of its special status and reorganised it into two Union Territories. Pakistan, supported by China and Turkey, had then launched a campaign, making a renewed attempt to internationalize its dispute with India over J&K. India had blocked all attempts by Pakistan and China to bring the issue of J&K back on the formal agenda of the United Nations Security Council. India has been maintaining that the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan and the 1999 Lahore Declaration had left no scope for the UN or any other third party to play any role in resolving the outstanding issues between the two South Asian neighbours. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall continue to be an integral part of India. (The) issues related to J&K are internal matters to India, a senior official in New Delhi said, adding that India will foil the latest attempt by Pakistan to raise the issue in any international forum. Pakistan must vacate the territory of India it illegally occupied in J&K Islamabad has lodged a protest with Twitter alleging that New Delhi blocked access to the accounts of Pakistans diplomatic missions to the United Nations, Iran, Turkey and Egypt in India. Citing New Delhis move to block access to accounts affiliated to the Government of Pakistan on Twitter, Islamabad expressed concern over New Delhis alleged attempts to limit access to information in India. Diminishing space for plurality of voices & (and) access to info in #India is extremely alarming, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan posted on Twitter. SM (social media) platforms must abide by applicable intl (international) norms, he added, urging Twitter to immediately restore access to the accounts of the Government of Pakistan in India and ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech and expression. The spokesperson earlier alleged that New Delhi had blocked flow of information by withholding access to the four accounts of the Government of Pakistan on Twitter @PakinIran, @PakinTurkey, @PakinEgypt and @PakistanUN_NY in India. These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for the UAE after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany and interacting with several world leaders during which they discussed many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. "PM @narendramodi concludes his visit to Germany for the G7 Summit, wrapping up two days of productive discussions on sustainable solutions to global challenges, PM Modi now emplanes for Abu Dhabi for a brief stopover before reaching New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted. Leaving Germany after a productive visit in which I attended the @G7 Summit, interacted with several world leaders and participated in a memorable community programme in Munich. We were able to discuss many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity. pic.twitter.com/jZAMOj4SOo Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2022 In the UAE, he will convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi ruler. Also Read G7 leaders wrap up summit meant to bolster Ukraine support Zayed Al Nahyan, who had been in office since 2004, died at the age of 73 after a long illness on May 13. Modi had expressed grief over his death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India-UAE relations prospered. "Leaving Germany after a productive visit in which I attended the @G7 Summit, interacted with several world leaders and participated in a memorable community programme in Munich. We were able to discuss many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity," Modi tweeted. "I thank the people of Germany, @Bundeskanzler Scholz and the German Government for their hospitality during the entire visit. I am confident India-Germany friendship will scale newer heights in the times to come," the prime minister wrote. On Monday, Modi highlighted India's efforts for green growth, clean energy, sustainable lifestyles and global wellbeing, at a G7 summit session. During his two-day visit to Germany, Modi met his counterparts from the UK, Japan and Italy and exchanged views on a range of issues with them. Modi also met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and held productive discussions as the two leaders reviewed the India-EU cooperation in trade, investment, technology and climate action. He also met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Germany. During his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the two leaders agreed to take forward the momentum in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership besides further diversifying the bilateral cooperation on climate-related issues for the benefit of their people and the entire planet. Modi also met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties and reaffirmed the need for further deepening cooperation in areas like trade and investment, food security, defence, pharmaceuticals and digital financial inclusion. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed a range of bilateral and global issues over a cup of tea. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the summit venue. On Sunday, Modi addressed the Indian diaspora during a massive community event at the Audi Dome indoor arena in Munich. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Tuesday, slammed the Congress for their baseless allegations against his daughter. He tore into the party in opposition during his reply to the notice of adjournment motion in the state assembly. Attacking the chief minister, Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan alleged that a highly placed official at a consultancy, involved in several state government projects, was also the mentor in a firm run by Vijayan's daughter. The Congress MLA also said that UAE consulate smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh was appointed to a government agency through the same consultancy. Taking exception to the comment, Pinarayi asked if Congress has developed the culture of insulting family members of political opponents. The allegations against his daughter were baseless, he asserted. In his reply, Pinarayi also termed as foolishness the allegations that he had bribed the Sharjah ruler. The Opposition of Congress-led United Democratic Front demanded a CBI probe into the allegations against the Chief Minister. The house, on Tuesday as well, witnessed heated arguments between the MLAs of UDF and the ruling Left Democratic Front for nearly four hours. According to the Chief Minister, the allegations against him, such as that of currency smuggling, were not new, and had already been established as baseless. He also said that the Congress was unleashing agitations against him as part of Sangh Parivar agenda. Opposition leader V D Satheesan, however, said the Chief Minister could not give a convincing reply to the allegations against him and demanded a CBI probe into the allegations. Congress MLA Shafi Parambil, who gave the notice for the adjournment motion, asked why the Chief Minister hadnt yet initiated legal action if the allegations were baseless. In strategic affairs, every crisis presents an opportunity. It depends on the willingness of a nation's foreign and security policy establishment to leverage the possibilities in a situation. In the past, India has used natural and human disasters to demonstrate its willingness to act as a responsible and significant international player. The Tsunami-relief effort of 2004 was an example of such an approach. The disaster relief efforts launched in concert with the US, Australia and Japan helped India deepen strategic relationships with these countries and led to the emergence of the Quad grouping. India's recent steps to help the earthquake-battered Afghanistan and the crisis-hit Sri Lanka are examples of availing these crises to further national security and foreign policy interests. Afghanistan When the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan last August, India had closed its embassy. It was deemed too risky to operate the embassy after the fall of Kabul. The Taliban's close relationship with Pakistan and the experience with the Taliban regime in Kabul were key driving factors in India's decision. However, geostrategic realities have not allowed India or the Taliban to stay away from each other. Since last August, both have attempted to engage with each other. India even dispatched large-scale wheat assistance via Pakistan to help the Afghan people. Also read: India sends consignment of 3,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan The visit of the Indian delegation early this month indicated that India was rethinking its policy. During this visit, the delegation conducted n assessment of the security situation. The recent, devastating earthquake has opened another opportunity to re-establish the Indian presence on the ground. According to an MEA press release, India has deployed a "technical team" to Kabul "to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance". The team has been "deployed in our Embassy" there, it said. The disaster has presented India with the prospect of reopening the embassy without actually recognising the Taliban regime. It serves the dual purpose of having a diplomatic presence on the ground to protect Indian interests and minimise the influence of anti-India elements. The Taliban, too, is a divided house with various factions jostling consistently for influence. The Indian presence on the ground will be leveraged to engage with different factions. For the Taliban, reopening the Indian embassy to host a "technical team" helps diversify their external partners, reduces dependence on Pakistan and signals their growing acceptability. The regional context The possibility of working with Iran, Russia and Central Asian states in Afghanistan remains real for India. The visit of Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian this month to India has been crucial. He met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Delhi and called on the prime minister. India's reopening of its embassy in Kabul and the overall situation in Afghanistan is likely to have been discussed during the visit. The official MEA press release on the visit mentioned the discussions on the status of the Chabahar port developed by India. The port had become an important connectivity initiative to access Afghanistan via Iran during the last years of the America-backed Ghani regime. The discussions on Chabahar signal India's willingness to re-engage with Afghanistan. The port is strategically significant for India as it establishes its presence in the northern Arabian sea, near Pakistan's China-developed port of Gwadar, and provides land access to southern Afghanistan. The recent shipment of India-bound goods from Russia via the Caspian Sea-Iran route has underscored the importance of connectivity in Eurasia. The change of government in Pakistan and the consequent arrest of the ever-sliding trajectory of the America-Pakistan relationship are changing the regional security dynamics. India has to adjust its policy in response to these changes. Also read: India says will support crisis-hit Sri Lanka's economic recovery Sri Lanka In the case of Sri Lanka, India has emerged as the largest supplier of food, fuel and medical assistance. India has extended currency swap arrangements and lines of credit to Sri Lanka to help it overcome the difficult fiscal situation. Overall, the Indian assistance is pegged at approximately US $3 billion, and such help will likely flow in the coming months. China looms large over Sri Lanka's economy. It has also gained considerable strategic leverage in Sri Lanka. The Chinese financing of infrastructure projects has led to the debt trap for Sri Lanka. However, China did not help Sri Lanka when it needed it the most. On the contrary, the timely and much-needed assistance has helped India regain influence in the island nation. It is consistent with India's self-projection as the "first responder" and "preferred security partner" in the Indian Ocean region. Overall, the examples of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka demonstrate how India is turning the crisis into an opportunity to recover the lost ground. The momentum needs to be sustained. (Sankalp Gurjar is a strategic analyst based in Delhi) According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), during 2017-21, India was in the 23rd place out of 25 largest exporters, near the bottom when exporting global arms. India has a 0.2% share, far behind the top five exporters the US, Russia, France, China and Germany who together account for 77% of all arms exports. However, when importing defence equipment, India has the dubious distinction of being the largest, with both India and Saudi Arabia accounting for 11% of the global market. As regards defence spending, India is the third largest in the world behind the US and China. With so much familiarity with defence-related equipment and systems, why does India struggle to tap into foreign markets? A major fillip recently to Indias export of defence platforms was the Rs 2,800-crore agreement with the Philippines to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, further stirring interest among other Asean countries including Indonesia and Vietnam. Designed, developed and manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of Indias DRDO and Russias Mashinostroyenia, the BrahMos missile is considered to be a game changer in defence capability. A combination of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft and the BrahMos missile, for example, enables a user to hit very far and very hard. Apart from the BrahMos missile, Indias Akash air defence platform is proving popular, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates evincing keen interest in this weapon system. A coffee table book published by the Department of Defence Production mentions 84 different countries that welcome Indian weaponry such as Advanced Light Helicopters, Offshore Patrol Vessels, Coastal Surveillance Systems, Launchers and Electronic Systems. But will this interest turn into exports and will Indias exports be sustainable? Several areas of concern remain. Defence equipment manufacture revolves around 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), while Indias private sector moved into defence manufacturing only recently. DPSUs are better positioned to leverage defence exports by taking advantage of the Defence and other Lines of Credit extended by the EXIM Bank. Its easier for DPSUs to avail of Preferential Trade Agreements. DPSUs can take advantage of the services of defence attaches at Indian Embassies overseas who invariably play a very active role in promoting Indias exports, being knowledgeable, helpful, ideally placed and available on the spot to promote exports to the host nations defence requirements. Despite all these benefits, exports by the DPSUs are meagre. In FY 2020-21, while some of the shipyards did not export at all, the value of exports for other DPSUs, including the big-ticket Navratna and Miniratna companies, was a scanty Rs 1,300 crore, about 10% of Indias Rs 12,000 odd crores value of defence exports as spelt out in a Lok Sabha reply, leaving it to the private sector to corner a lions share. DPSUs must get their act together because despite dogged follow-up, the last-mile requirements to clinch orders get caught up in laborious permission-seeking and other bureaucratic compulsions from both the governments of India and the purchaser. A way forward to together meet higher export targets and also cut imports is to earnestly pursue the defence ministrys indigenisation lists mandating the manufacture of some 300 odd equipment and weapon systems such as lightweight tanks and mounted artillery gun systems that will be banned from future import in phases. These systems have been chosen after due consideration of the manufacturing capabilities of Indias private and public sector. Trial and testing infrastructure in the country requires augmentation. All defence equipment manufactured in India must be subjected to trials and testing specially when metallurgy and indigenous chip production are major issues in defence production. Access is required to expensive infrastructure mostly available with DPSUs. BEML, for example, has a world-class test track at its KGF complex with fluid power, power line and structural engineering laboratories for fatigue testing and material chemistry which other manufacturers must use without hindrance. On the strategic front, the ease of evacuation of defence equipment for export can be expedited through roads and railways to Vietnam through Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Efforts should be made for India to use Chittagong and Khulna ports for export to other Asean countries. Easy access to Indian defence products will only facilitate greater purchase. Riding piggyback on the Brahmos, using Free and Preferential Trade Agreements to the fullest and capitalising on Defence Lines of Credit can only mean a paradigm shift in Indias defence exports is taking place. It is only a matter of time before Indias defence exports will become as acceptable to the world as Indian IT services and pharmaceutical merchandise is accepted today. (The writer is former Executive Director and Member, Board of Directors, BEML) New media helps promote rural revitalization projects in Guizhou Xinhua) 09:38, June 28, 2022 Trainees practice livestreaming promotion skills during an e-commerce training class in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 24, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Photo by Wang Bingzhen/Xinhua) A live streamer of a media company promotes products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Zhang Zhenfei displays the making process of handicraft products made of ferns in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wang Hongdan (R) and a local embroiderer greet the audience in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wang Hongdan promotes batik products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) A live streamer promotes products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) A live streamer of a media company promotes products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wu Jiamei promotes batik products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wang Hongdan (1st L) and local embroiderers greet the audience in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Trainees practice livestreaming promotion skills during an e-commerce training class in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 24, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Photo by Wang Bingzhen/Xinhua) A live streamer displays the embroidery skill of local embroiderers in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wu Jiamei promotes batik products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Zhang Zhenfei displays the making process of handicraft products made of ferns in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) Live streamer Wu Jiamei promotes batik products in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 23, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee disembark from the presidential jet as they arrive at Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, Monday. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo MADRID _ President Yoon Suk-yeol showed confidence in his debut on the multicultural diplomacy stage, arriving in Madrid, Spain, Monday (local time) to attend the 2022 NATO Summit on his first overseas trip as president. During the 14-hour flight, he made himself available briefly to the presidential office correspondents accompanying him on the presidential jet. He shook hands with each and every reporter and answered their questions. Yoon said he will engage in a flurry of bilateral and multilateral meetings during his trip "as usual." When asked how he felt about his first overseas trip, he said, "Nothing special," adding that he was "not nervous at all." "While time is limited, there are many meetings. So I won't be able to spend much time on each meeting," Yoon said. "Maybe I will be able to check pending issues with bilateral meeting counterparts and meet them some other time again. We'll see what will happen." President Yoon Suk-yeol gestures while answering reporters' questions on the presidential jet en route to Madrid, Spain, Monday. First lady Kim Keon-hee stands next to him. Yonhap Relatives of children killed during the Troubles will tell their stories to MPs ahead of a vote on controversial legislation granting amnesty for crimes committed during the Northern Ireland conflict. Martin McGavigan and Mary Feeney-Morrison, both now in their 60s, are among a group of six families taking part in a special event in Parliament on Tuesday evening that aims to bring the reality of their experiences to Westminster. Mr McGavigans sister Annette was shot dead by British soldiers during a riot in the Bogside area of Derry in 1971. She was just 14 years old and still wearing her school uniform. He told PA he remembered his mother talking to Annettes clothes that she was murdered in, the blood-stained slippers, the school uniform and that as an adult his daughter, Maria, would find him reading Annettes papers and crying. Ms Feeney-Morrisons sister, Kathleen Feeney, was also 14 when she was killed by an IRA sniper in Derry in 1973. In 2005, the IRA made an official apology to her family, but so far nobody has been convicted for the murder. She said: When my sister was shot dead, when we buried her nobody came to us and said are you okay. Thats widespread around the north of Ireland there was no assistance, there was no help for anybody. They couldnt cope, you just had to get on with it. You just blended it into your daily life while you were fighting mentally. Although both are still affected by the loss of their siblings, they said they had been helped by a production staged by the Derry Playhouse in which their children helped tell their stories. Mary Feeney-Morrison (left) and her daughter Sarah Feeney-Morrison. Marys sister Kathleen Feeney was shot and killed at the age of 14 by an IRA sniper in Derry in 1973 (Ashlee Ruggels/PA) Ms Feeney-Morrison said seeing her daughter, Sarah, perform her story had helped her heal, while Mr McGavigan said seeing Maria on stage had made him both proud and able to talk more openly about his experiences. It is a stripped-down version of that production that has been brought to Westminster at the invitation of SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, who hopes the families testimonies will persuade MPs to oppose the Governments controversial Troubles Legacy Bill. The Bill is due for its next debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and has been criticised by Amnesty International for giving murderers and those responsible for torture a free pass. Mr Eastwood told the PA news agency: Particularly on the Tory benches there has been a fairly cavalier attitude to the impact that this Bill will have on ordinary peoples lives. Ive not met a victim yet who supports it. Its important they have the opportunity to see for themselves the impact that the past has had on people. Mr McGavigan, who was 11 when his sister was killed, added: Hopefully this doesnt go through because we need answers, we need truth, we need justice for our loved ones. You just dont brush it under the carpet and say move on. So far, only one Conservative Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chair Simon Hoare has agreed to see the production on Tuesday evening, which Mr Eastwood described as a test. Martin McGavigan and his daughter Maria. Mr McGavigan's sister Annette was shot dead by British soldiers during a riot in the Bogside area of Derry in 1971. (Ashlee Ruggels/PA) He said: The test is a fairly simple one. Are all of those MPs who are prepared to pontificate about Northern Ireland and the past prepared to walk up two flights of stairs and listen to them? We have tried to make it as easy as possible for them and it will say an awful lot about them if they dont turn up. Among the stories also being shared on Tuesday evening are those of Damien Harkin (8), killed by a British Army lorry in Derrys Bogside in July 1971; Julie Livingstone (14), who died in May 1981 from injuries sustained after she was hit by a plastic bullet fired by the British Army; Kathryn Eakin (8), who died in the Claudy bombings, carried out by the IRA, in July 1972; Henry Cunningham (16), from Carndonagh, who was a passenger in a van fired on by UVF gunmen in August 1973. Sinn Fein councillor, Brian McGuigan, has told the County Derry Post that his Community Wealth Building motion recently adopted by Mid-Ulster Council creates a potent sense of optimism, excitement, possibility and hope, while illuminating how new democratic approaches to our economy can work in practice and generate solutions to longstanding economic challenges faced by local communities. Cllr McGuigan proposing his motion last week said that it commits Council to developing a fully funded community wealth building framework with the purpose of democratising our districts economy by empowering community organisations, non-profits, social enterprise and co-operatives to be established or expanded with the ambition to create employment and grow local economies He further stated that it was presented at a time of great economic disruption caused to communities across Mid-Ulster by Covid-19 public health emergency, periods of economic recession and Tory austerity, while taking fully into consideration the current cost of living crisis, as well as long-standing economic problems across our district for many of our workers, families and communities, including inequality, low paid employment, poor rates of socially ineffective investment, deprivation and unsustainable levels of carbon emissions and ecological damage. The elected representative for Carntogher DEA also commended his party colleague, Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargeys efforts to establish a departmental advisory group to embed and deliver Community Wealth Building which centres on a more just and fair labour market. It also focuses on an inclusive economy and ensuring land and property generate wealth for people who live there. Councillor McGuigan continued: Community Wealth Building is a powerful alternative model for economic development. It seeks to leverage existing local and regional resources to provide workers, families and communities with greater control over their own economic development. The model of Community Wealth Building has proven to be very successful in large cities, towns and rural areas in Preston in England, North Ayrshire in Scotland and in Cleveland in the United States. Dozens of towns and cities across the US and Britain have formally adopted Community Wealth Building strategies with tremendous results for their local economy and communities. Here in the North of Ireland specifically, Tory Austerity and a denial of basic economic competencies have stifled economic development. "Therefore, we need to be bold in setting out a new approach for our local economy where we ensure we retain our local resources and initiative to keep good employment, the wealth of our communities, and socially beneficial investment in our communities. In short, Community Wealth Building has the potential to deliver lasting and progressive change to our local economy to make fairer, more sustainable, and vibrant communities. The five key pillars to any Community Wealth Building proposal are: Make financial power work for people, local towns and communities by retaining as much of that wealth as we can through local supply chains and targeted procurement contracts. Work with key institutions (commercial, public and semi-state) to create local employment and set a standard for high quality, sustainable jobs. Utilise all land and assets in our communities to generate wealth and resources for the people who live there. Develop an inclusive economy with social forms of ownership like co-operatives. Reduce our carbon footprint by establishing shorter supply chains and greater local employment. By adopting this motion, Mid-Ulster Council will now seek to advance these economic principles through Council, in co-operation with our communities, through coherent and ambitious economic strategy. "Community Wealth Building is about working in partnership with communities and businesses to build a more resilient economy that works for local people, which supports fair work and uses land in the region for the benefit of people that live there. Economic strategies obsessed with growth alone have shown themselves to have limited benefits and can be environmentally unsustainable. We will be planning to develop our economies in such a way that wealth is added to our communities and not extracted. Concluding his comments, Councillor McGuigan reiterated his firmly held belief that Community Wealth Building has the potential to maximise the unleashed potential of every village, town and community across Mid-Ulster and indeed throughout Ireland. Boris Johnsons bid to effectively tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first Commons hurdle, amid Tory warnings the plans are illegal. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. The Prime Minister claimed the proposed legislation, which gives ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, could be carried out fairly rapidly, with the proposals in law by the end of the year. But his predecessor in No 10, Theresa May, led the criticism from the Tory benches as she delivered a withering assessment of the legality and impact of the Bill. Mrs May made clear she would not support the legislation and warned it will diminish the UKs global standing. Other Tory MPs joined Mrs May in expressing concern, although they opted against seeking to block the Bill at second reading and instead appear likely to seek amendments. The House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses. Mr Johnsons Government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany. You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really arent working in a way that they like or understand, youve got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market. Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Mr Johnson said: Yes, I think we could do it very fast, Parliament willing. He said it would be even better if we could get some of that flexibility we need in our conversations with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president. The Prime Minister added: We remain optimistic. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss attempted to downplay concerns of MPs by saying the Bill has a strong legal justification and the UK remains committed to seeking a negotiated solution. But Mrs May told the Commons: The UKs standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions. As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it. Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith also said: I fear that this Bill is a kind of displacement activity from the core task of doing whatever we can to negotiate a better protocol deal for Northern Ireland. I also fear that it risks creating an impression to unionism that a black-and-white solution is available, when the reality is once this Bill has been dragged through the Lords, and courts, and EU responses and reprisals, compromise will ultimately be needed. But Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said there is necessity for the Government to act because there is a growing and real threat. Unionist opposition to the imposition of checks has seen the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuse to return to the powersharing Executive at Stormont, leaving the region without a functioning government. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson acknowledged the Bill is not perfect but said: It empowers ministers to make change where change is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the UK internal market. Sir Jeffrey, ahead of the debate, also warned the Lords that blocking the legislation would be akin to wrecking the Good Friday Agreement. Alliance MP Stephen Farry (North Down) said: This is an extremely bad Bill, its unwanted, unnecessary and, indeed, its dangerous. Sinn Fein MP John Finucane called the Governments plans shameful and said they will mean more instability for the region. He told BBC Radio Ulsters Good Morning Ulster programme: Its very interesting that we are watching a sovereign Parliament debating whether to continue a breach of international law or not. A Number 10 spokesman said on Monday that the Government had never put a hard target date on when it would hope to see the Bill enacted. Relatives of children killed during the Troubles will tell their stories to MPs ahead of a vote on controversial legislation granting amnesty for crimes committed during the Northern Ireland conflict. Martin McGavigan and Mary Feeney-Morrison, both now in their 60s, are among a group of six families taking part in a special event in Parliament on Tuesday evening that aims to bring the reality of their experiences to Westminster. Mr McGavigans sister Annette was shot dead by British soldiers during a riot in the Bogside area of Derry in 1971. She was just 14 years old and still wearing her school uniform. He told PA he remembered his mother talking to Annettes clothes that she was murdered in, the blood-stained slippers, the school uniform and that as an adult his daughter, Maria, would find him reading Annettes papers and crying. Ms Feeney-Morrisons sister, Kathleen Feeney, was also 14 when she was killed by an IRA sniper in Derry in 1973. In 2005, the IRA made an official apology to her family, but so far nobody has been convicted for the murder. She said: When my sister was shot dead, when we buried her nobody came to us and said are you okay. Thats widespread around the north of Ireland there was no assistance, there was no help for anybody. They couldnt cope, you just had to get on with it. You just blended it into your daily life while you were fighting mentally. Although both are still affected by the loss of their siblings, they said they had been helped by a production staged by the Derry Playhouse in which their children helped tell their stories. Ms Feeney-Morrison said seeing her daughter, Sarah, perform her story had helped her heal, while Mr McGavigan said seeing Maria on stage had made him both proud and able to talk more openly about his experiences. It is a stripped-down version of that production that has been brought to Westminster at the invitation of SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, who hopes the families testimonies will persuade MPs to oppose the Governments controversial Troubles Legacy Bill. The Bill is due for its next debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and has been criticised by Amnesty International for giving murderers and those responsible for torture a free pass. Mr Eastwood told the PA news agency: Particularly on the Tory benches there has been a fairly cavalier attitude to the impact that this Bill will have on ordinary peoples lives. Ive not met a victim yet who supports it. Its important they have the opportunity to see for themselves the impact that the past has had on people. Mr McGavigan, who was 11 when his sister was killed, added: Hopefully this doesnt go through because we need answers, we need truth, we need justice for our loved ones. You just dont brush it under the carpet and say move on. So far, only one Conservative Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chair Simon Hoare has agreed to see the production on Tuesday evening, which Mr Eastwood described as a test. He said: The test is a fairly simple one. Are all of those MPs who are prepared to pontificate about Northern Ireland and the past prepared to walk up two flights of stairs and listen to them? We have tried to make it as easy as possible for them and it will say an awful lot about them if they dont turn up. A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office said: The Government has spoken to a wide range of victims and survivors, many of whom have made clear that access to information and accountability through effective investigations is vital, and while the prospects of successful criminal justice outcomes are very low, the possibility should not be removed entirely. This legislation seeks to strike the right balance between a clear focus on information recovery, while ensuring that those who committed crimes during the Troubles are not able to obtain something for nothing. Those who do not co-operate with the independent body will not be granted immunity and will remain liable to prosecution should sufficient evidence exist or come to light. This legislation will provide answers and accountability for many families, deliver on our commitments to those who served in Northern Ireland, many of whom are also victims, and help society in Northern Ireland to look forward. Simple interventions rather than superheroes are needed to tackle violence against women, a conference has heard. Not laughing at a sexist or otherwise offensive joke or telling a friend to cop on are among the actions people can take in what is known as the Bystander Approach, an audience at Stormont was told. Professor Louise Crowley said it does not have to be about donning a cape and physically intervening, as she addressed a gathering of approximately 300 people both virtually and in person at the Long Gallery in Stormont on Tuesday. The law professor, whose successful Bystander Approach was first implemented at University College Cork and is now being rolled out across other higher education institutions and piloted in schools across Ireland, said there are various steps people can take. She told those gathered: I know from hearing from our students and our staff who say bystander intervention, gosh, I thought when I started I was basically learning how to fistfight. I was worried I had to put on a cape and dive in and sort out situations. In fact, thats very rarely the situation and what we want to do is understand the range of ways in which an intervention can be made interruption, removal, distraction, dont laugh at a joke, tell your friend to cop on. Her sentiment was echoed by Dr Jackson Katz, the keynote speaker at the event the largest ever Bystander Approach conference in Northern Ireland organised by the Executive Office. He said: This is not a superhero model, the bystander approach. He said his main message is that men especially those in positions of societal and cultural influence, have a much more important role to play in preventing mens violence against women than we have shown to date. He said that while womens leadership in Northern Ireland and across the world, has been incredible and transformative, there needs to be more action from men. Addressing the not all men school of thought voiced by some, Prof Crowley said men need to realise that although they are not all the problem they can all help to address the issue. She said: Its about awakening, and it is about awakening peoples recognition that although you may not be the source of the problem, you are part of the source of the solution. Not all men are perpetrators of violence or sexual harassment, but all men can do something about it, and there is nothing more powerful than a man speaking to somebody in his peer group and calling out behaviour. Dr Katz, co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), also raised the issue of pornography, which he said is normalising sexual violence. He said it is an unbelievably influential part of the culture and its really, really abusive and misogynist. He added: Anybody who thinks this is about sexual freedom hasnt been paying attention. This is not about sexual expression. Its not about sexual freedom. Its about normalising misogyny and violent abuse. He also said the normalisation of men strangling women in porn, which might be passed off as rough sex is so pathetic and should spark outrage. He said: The normalisation of men strangling women in pornography is why its happening more and more in quote unquote real life. We need to do better. While the Stormont Assembly remains unable to function due to a political disagreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol, work is ongoing to inform a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. It is aimed to have a draft framework for an Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy by the end of 2022. Addressing the audience virtually, Health Minister Robin Swann said he is committed, along with ministerial colleagues, to challenge and address the societal attitudes and behaviours that contribute towards violence and abuse in our society, adding that is is essential that we tackle the root causes. Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey, who was at the event, said: the strategy will work alongside and be complementary to the Gender Equality Strategy, which my department is developing on behalf of the Executive. The two strategies together will aim to provide a robust basis for addressing misogyny and tackling structural violence against women and girls. I still remember my jaw hitting the floor seeing the first phone with a camera which was a Nokia Supernova. It was a time when phone makers were being siloed into the Android and iOS camp. Today, cameras have become a part and parcel of the smartphone world and are right in the centre of digital convergence, especially in India, the worlds second-largest smartphone market. If you look back, it took just about 12 years for cameras to become a highlight of the conventional smartphone, eventually putting you, the user, in the spotlight front and centre. However, the roots of the camera phone concept date back to almost 23 years and even earlier, as part of prototypes and unreleased products in clandestine research divisions of some of the worlds leading tech companies back then. Apples prototype of a videophone in 1995 Coming of age for camera phones The first picture ever taken from a camera phone is credited to Philippe Kahn, who combined the power of a Casio QV-10 camera with a Motorola StarTAC flip phone (two other iconic products of the 90s) to document the birth of his daughter and instantly sharing it to friends and family. Picture by Philippe Kahn In the years leading up to 2010, more smartphone brands became comfortable with the idea of the camera being a major focus area but it wasnt until 2010 that the camera inside a smartphone was advanced and matured enough for it to be even considered an alternative to compact point and shoot cameras. This led to a downfall in the digital compact camera sales because phones were becoming way smarter and more efficient at taking high-quality pictures. Between 2010 and 2018, the sale of point-and-shoot and compact digital cameras plummeted by over 84%, giving rise to mobile phone photography. It also helped that you could use the same device for making calls, sending texts, listening to music and doing so much more. All these years later, capturing a picture or a video from a smartphone has almost become second nature for most of Indias 750 million smartphone users and it gets instantly shared across their social media channels, too. Of course, this has empowered a lot of phone users to bolster their confidence in front of cameras and get a taste of virality, with so many videos and content being produced and shared on social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, among others. But a majority of that has been made possible by the evolution of technology that has given everyone a digital camera in the palm of their hand and has given birth to camera phone photography or smartphone photography as a separate genre within mainstream photography. Breakthroughs in modern smartphone photography Not too long ago, 2010 was the year when we saw a lot of camera innovations but one phone stood out in particular, the Nokia N8! This was one phone ahead of its time as it had a 12-megapixel camera, a large 1/1.83-inch sensor, HD video recording and was developed in partnership with Carl Zeiss optics. These features alone rival the best point-and-shoot camera available at the time but it came in after a long wait and at a tremulous point for Nokia. Nonetheless, it set a benchmark for the largest sensor size in a phone that was only broken 11 years later by Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with its 1/1.12-inch sensor. While sensor sizes alone dont determine the quality of a camera phone, it remains a critical part of the experience. A larger sensor will be able to capture more light and pick up details that otherwise would be lost due to a smaller sensor. However, this has been a conundrum for most smartphone makers as large sensors often result in thicker phones and thats something neither the brands want nor the users. In 2012, Nokia released the Nokia PureView 808 with a 41-megapixel camera that used an even larger 1/1.2-inch sensor with PureView Pro technology which was our first look at pixel oversampling or what is commonly known today as Pixel Binning. The large image sensor combines information from multiple pixels into one single image pixel which is sent to the onboard image processor that produces high-quality pictures, reduces noise and also improves the low-light performance of the camera. However, one of the major downsides of pixel binning is that the final processed image that we get is 1/4th the resolution of the sensor and so the image sensor had to be large enough for the camera to be able to produce a detailed picture with good exposure levels. At the time, the smartphone industry was also going through a shift and established brands like Nokia were struggling to catch up to the Android and iOS smartphones bandwagon. But this also gave rise to smartphone photography as more and more brands put their effort into camera development and found computational photography to be the next big area of focus. For the next few years, smartphones continued to reign when it came to image quality but the overall progress in camera phone development slowed down, even though smartphones were getting more powerful every year. This is when computational photography went mainstream as smartphones took multiple captures of a frame and an algorithm stitched it into a final image that had less noise and this technique greatly improved the image quality. With the advent of BSI (Back-Side Illuminated) sensors, it became possible for smartphones to use larger sensors without increasing the thickness. This was a major breakthrough in smartphone photography in comparison to FSI (Front-Side Illuminated) sensors where the sensor received limited light as it had to pass through filters and other layers, thereby losing signal information. On the other hand, BSI sensors allowed flexibility of industrial design, as they made room for lenses to be placed closer to the sensors, all without making the phone any thicker. At the same time, we started seeing more than one camera in smartphones but for use cases that are way different from how we use multiple cameras today. Primarily, the first phones with dual cameras were made to capture 3D content because 3D was being perpetuated as the next big thing by consumer electronics brands. However, it failed to take off into something considerable and functional but since 2014, brands like HTC played with the idea of having a second camera as a depth sensor to capture depth information in a frame thereby allowing pictures to have a shallow depth of field effect thats now known as the Portrait mode in smartphone photography. Subscriber content preview CORVALLIS Oregon State University has been awarded $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund research on hybrid hydro-power storage units. The research project aims to demonstrate and quantify the value of a hybrid hydroelectric-storage generation unit, which combines a hydro-power unit that does not have storage capability with supercapacitor energy storage units. The project will involve the construction of a 200 kW lab-based hybrid hydroelectric-storage generation unit that will serve as a testbed for performance analysis and model validation. The project team will then develop a high-resolution, real-time, wide-area grid model to investigate the benefits and challenges arising from large-scale integration of hybrid hydro-power and energy storage units. OSU's project is one of three to be funded as part of Department of Energy efforts to update and improve the operation of the nation's hydroelectric generation systems, many of which are roughly a century old, and to invest in technologies that increase hydro-power flexibility. $8 million has been awarded across the three projects. The other two awards are for projects led by power companies, General Electric and Littoral Power Systems. . . . Subscriber content preview By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday celebrated the opening of the country's longest bridge, which took eight years to build amid setbacks involving political conflict and corruption allegations. The 4.04-mile bridge spanning the Padma River cost an estimated $3.6 billion and was paid for with domestic funds after the World Bank and other global lending agencies declined to finance the project following a graft scandal involving a Canadian construction company. . . . Top military officers of South Korea and the United States held video talks on Tuesday and agreed that the allies are "fully ready" to deal with any North Korean provocations, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The talks between outgoing JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John C. Aquilino came as Seoul and Washington are stepping up security cooperation amid concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang carrying out a nuclear test. Won and Aquilino shared the assessment that the allies' combined defense posture against the North's possible provocations, like a long-range missile or nuclear test, remains "more solid than any other time," according to the JCS. "(They also agreed) the alliance is fully ready to respond to any North Korean provocations," the JCS said in a press release. In addition, the two officers concurred that the North's continued missile launches and preparations for a nuclear test are "threats that undermine peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the Indo-Pacific region." Aquilino expressed his gratitude to Won for his contributions to the regional peace and security, as well as the development of the alliance. (Yonhap) Subscriber content preview The U.N. estimates that about 65% of the roughly 450-mile structure has been completed. By ODED BALILTY Associated Press JERUSALEM Twenty years after Israel decided to build its controversial separation barrier, the network of walls, fences and closed military roads remains in place, even as any partition of the land appears more remote than ever. Israel is actively encouraging its Jewish citizens to settle on both sides of the barrier as it builds and expands settlements deep inside the occupied West Bank, more than a decade after the collapse of any serious peace talks. . . . President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their summit at a hotel in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo MADRID President Yoon Suk-yeol and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed on Tuesday to strengthen communication in setting up their respective Indo-Pacific strategies and their relations with China. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2022 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Madrid, Spain, which will officially begin on Wednesday. Both South Korea and Australia will attend the event as partner countries of NATO. Yoon and Albanese explored ways to upgrade the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership during their first summit. Both Yoon and Albanese took office in May. "Both South Korea and Australia are currently working on their respective Indo-Pacific policies," a senior official at South Korea's presidential office said. "As they closely communicate in this process, the leaders explored how South Korea and Australia will set their relations with China, while removing any room for hostile relations with Beijing. Also, the leaders agreed to seek ways to form future-oriented partnerships with Beijing and other major countries in the region." After Yoon took office on May 10, Seoul has been departing from its so-called "strategic ambiguity" in the U.S.-China rivalry, and moved closer to Washington. Albanese, who took office on May 23, also heralded a hardline stance, saying Australia's relations with China will remain "a difficult one" during his inauguration press conference. Against this backdrop, their close communication in formulating their Indo-Pacific policies and China relations may trigger vitriolic responses from Beijing, which has been critical of Yoon's participation in the NATO Summit and said it will make South Korea's relations with China "more complicated." Citing experts, China's Global Times reported Tuesday that the "U.S. aim to further promote NATO's Asia-Pacific expansion" will create tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and "Seoul's relations with Beijing will be more complicated if the Yoon administration gradually loses its diplomatic independence by relying on the U.S." Regarding the NATO summit, the official at the presidential office said, "There will be no direct questions asking how South Korea will react to China's emergence at the NATO Summit, even though the organization will mention China in its strategic concept during the meeting." "There will be no measure putting direct pressure on China during the NATO Summit. Due to the war (in Ukraine) and those who support the war, the global economy, including that of South Korea, is suffering difficulties. There will be greater criticism and doubts raised on South Korea if it decides not to attend this summit," the official said. Yoon also said during a meeting with aides Tuesday that "Madrid is where [South] Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy and global peace initiative meet with NATO's 2022 strategic concept." President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a meeting with his aides at a hotel in Madrid, Spain, Thursday. Yonhap BAE Systems wins $12 billion US contract related to ICBMs The US Department of Defence on Friday awarded BAE Systems (BAES), a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company, a potential $12 billion contract to support intercontinental ballistic missile systems. A BAE Systems division won a potential $12 billion contract to integrate and engineer intercontinental ballistic missiles for the US Air Force. The companys technology solutions and services unit will continue to serve as the lead systems integrator and provide professional services for the ICBM programme at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, the Defence Department said on Friday. BAE is currently helping the military branch sustain the weapon as part of an eight-year, $534 million contract awarded in July 2013. According to solicitation documents, the Integration Support Contract 2.0 covers support for Minuteman III and the next-generation ground-based strategic deterrent missile or any future ICBM weapon system developed throughout the duration of the contract. The Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center received five proposals for the cost-plus-award-fee contract through a competitive acquisition process. Work related to the contract is expected to be completed by the end of 2040, the defence department said, and will mostly take place at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. BAE was one of five firms competing for the contract. The US Defence Department had earlier awarded BAE Systems a contract for advanced radiofrequency (RF) sensors or guidance systems that will allow LRASM to strike high-value, specific maritime threats. The RF sensors are capable of penetrating enemy air defences from a long range in electromagnetic warfare environments. The anti-ship missile provides a capable precision strike weapon to the warfighters. The air-launched LRASM is intended for surface vessels, using Mark 41 Vertical Launching System and for various aircraft. It includes F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, B-1B Lancer bombers, F-35 Lightning II aircraft and P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The missiles are already in use with the US Navys F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and USAFs B-1B aircraft. London-based BAE Systems plc is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. L&T wins two major offshore contracts overseas The Hydrocarbon division of engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro, L&T Energy, has secured three offshore contracts from an overseas client, reportedly Saudi Aramco. L&T said the scope of work comprises engineering, procurement, construction, and installation for various new offshore jacket structures. L&T Energy Hydrocarbon (LTEH) has executed orders for this client in the past and repeat business is a testimony to L&Ts Execution Par Excellence philosophy, it added. LTEH said it is executing several domestic and international offshore projects and is building its regional presence in geographies that it operates by growing local skills and talent, improving procurement from local vendors, engaging commercially with local contractors on the foundation of a sustainable workload. Organised under Offshore, Onshore, Construction Services, Modular Fabrication and Advanced Value Engineering & Technology (AdVENT) verticals, LTEH offers integrated design-to-build solutions across the hydrocarbon sector to domestic and international customers. With over three decades of rich experience, the company has been setting global benchmarks in all aspects of project management, corporate governance, quality, HSE and operational excellence. Aramco has dished out multiple EPCI awards worth more than a combined $1.6 billion, to three international contractors or consortia, as a part of an LTA arrangement. The winners included a grouping of L&T with Subsea 7, UAEs National Petroleum Construction Company and Italys Saipem. The L&T-Subsea 7 consortium is believed to have won deals for contract release purchase orders (CRPOs) 88, 89 and 90, reports citing sources said. CRPO 88 involves up to 10 jackets for the Safaniyah field, while CRPO 89 comprises the EPCI of up to nine jackets for the Safaniyah and Ribyan fields. CRPO 90 includes up to 11 offshore jackets for the Safaniyan and Zuluf fields. Safaniyah lies about 200 kilometres north of Dhahran and, with 37 billion barrels of heavy crude in place, is viewed as the worlds largest offshore oilfield. Aramco has been carrying out further development of the field through multiple LTA projects, as it aims to maintain the production profile and arrest decline at the field. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) have announced that the Institutes Certificate in Health and Safety (Manufacturing Industry) has been accredited by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). IOSH is the Chartered body and largest membership organisation for health and safety professionals. The Certificate in Health and Safety (Manufacturing Industry) is a level 6, 30 Credit course delivered part-time in the evenings, predominately online, over one year. It is designed to allow those working full time to gain a qualification in health and safety. The programme is suitable for anyone who has an interest in health and safety and graduates from the programme will have the professional skills and knowledge that will allow them to manage health and safety risks in their workplaces. The accreditation from IOSH demonstrates that the course meets the IOSH quality and standards including course content which contains relevant health and safety information. This accreditation also guarantees the course is pitched at the appropriate level, that the course meets the highest standards for trainer competence and includes opportunities for growth and development. The Certificate in Health and Safety (Manufacturing Industry) has also been awarded Springboard funding for its three intakes including September 2022, this means that fees are free to eligible students via the Springboard scheme. Applications are now being accepted for the September 2022 intake of this course and you can apply online at: HEA - Springboard+ (springboardcourses.ie) Consultant shortages and lack of extra facilities are resulting in unacceptable delays in providing healthcare in county Louth and across the North East region according to The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA). Research undertaken by the group showed that Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology, and Rheumatology outpatient waiting lists in North-East hospitals have increased by 41%, or almost 4,500 additional people, in the past seven years leaving 15,365 people awaiting assessment. Meanwhile, one in four approved permanent hospital Consultant posts in the North-East are not filled as needed with North-East hospitals spending 9.6 million on medical agency doctors last year more than 10% of the national total. The organisation has today warned that the ongoing shortage of Consultants across many specialties in the North-East together with public hospital capacity deficits is restricting patients from accessing timely, high-quality medical and surgical care and is contributing massively to growing waiting lists and poorer health outcomes. New analysis from the IHCA shows that between the period May 2015 to May 2022, an additional 7,966 (+31%) people have been added to outpatient waiting lists across the North-East, with 33,468 now waiting for assessment. A further 2,742 patients are on inpatient/day case waiting lists and another 2,144 are waiting for GI endoscopies. This means there are 38,354 people across Counties Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath waiting for public hospital inpatient/day case treatment, GI endoscopies or an outpatient appointment with a Consultant. The busiest hospital in the region, Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, has seen its Outpatient waiting list increase by almost 3,500 (+30%) in the past seven years to almost 15,000. Drogheda consistently has one of the largest number of patients in any hospital who are medically fit for discharge but whose discharge is delayed. Patients presenting to its Emergency Department also faced a 9-hour average waiting time for admission in May. Our Ladys Hospital Navan has experienced the largest growth, with the main waiting lists there having almost doubled since 2015 to 8,700. The number of long waiters at Navan have increased significantly, with 91 patients now waiting longer than a year for inpatient or day case treatment compared with zero patients seven years ago. Almost 4,500 additional people in the region waiting for an outpatient appointment with a hospital Consultant in four specialties, an increase of 41% since 2015, the analysis has revealed. The four specialties of Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology and Rheumatology have some of the largest waiting lists and combined they account for close to half (46%) of all those waiting to be assessed by a hospital Consultant in the region. The association says that these patients run the risk of either a delayed diagnosis of skin and other cancers or may be living with increased pain while awaiting hip or knee surgery or treatment for arthritis. These lists have also seen some of the largest increases since 2015 - an average increase of 41%: Orthopaedics alone accounts for 15% (5,064) of the entire Outpatient waiting lists at the four North-East hospitals. Louth County Hospital in Dundalk has seen a 127% increase in its Orthopaedic Outpatient waiting list, with an additional 833 people added since 2015, while Our Lady's Hospital, Navan and Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda have both seen a 28% increase over the same period. Many of these people will later go on separate inpatient waiting lists if they require hip or knee replacements. There are 4,133 people waiting to see a Consultant Dermatologist at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital - an increase of 1,438 (+53%) since 2015. This is the fourth largest Dermatology outpatient waiting list in the entire country, behind only Childrens Health Ireland, University Hospital Waterford and University Hospital Limerick. There are just 2.33 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Consultant Dermatologists in Drogheda and Louth County Hospitals serving a population in the North-East of around 330,000. That is a ratio of 1 WTE Dermatologist per 140,000 population less than half the internationally recommended level. At the same time, more than one in four (26%) approved hospital Consultant posts in the North-East were either vacant or filled on a temporary or agency basis thats 59 out of a total of 228 posts (as at May 2021). Nearly half of these posts (27, or 46%) were at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. The medical specialist workforce deficits, which predate the pandemic, have now reached record levels with 22% of all approved Consultant posts nationally either vacant or filled on a temporary or agency 838 posts. The proportion of posts not filled as needed increases to one in four (59 posts or 26%) in the North-East, which is resulting in the employment of agency staff at often twice the cost of retaining such specialists on permanent contracts. The failure to recruit medical specialists at the four hospitals in the North-East is creating a false economy with the hospitals spending a combined 9.6 million on medical agency doctors last year more than 10% of the total spend nationally. Commenting on the waiting lists, IHCA President Professor Alan Irvine, said: The severe shortage of Consultants across the North-East is the main contributor to the unacceptable delays in providing care to patients. Growing waiting lists demonstrate the impact of years of Consultant shortages and underinvestment in capacity across these public hospitals. We have a chronic recruitment and retention crisis with 22% of all approved Consultant posts nationally either vacant or filled on a temporary or agency 838 posts in total. This increases to 26% in the North-East. The unprecedented level of Emergency Department presentations in recent months and the continued impact of the number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 has meant further cancellations of surgical activity and outpatient appointments in the North-East and nationwide, which in turn will only increase the waiting lists further and lead to poorer clinical outcomes for patients. There were 281cancelled appointments in April alone at the four North East hospitals.8 In addition, just 68 (8%) of the 829 additional acute beds that were provided nationally over the past two-and-a-quarter years were in the four hospitals in the North-East.9 Health service management needs to progress practical plans to significantly expand hospital capacity in the North-East, and throughout the country, at a much faster pace and without further delay. The Government must make good on its promise to provide the extra beds, extra Consultants and extra facilities which are badly needed to meet the healthcare needs of the 38,000 people currently on waiting lists at hospitals in the North-East. To achieve that end, the Consultant contract talks which resumed last week must honour the unambiguous commitment made by the Minister for Health to end the pay discrimination imposed on Consultants contracted since 2012. "This and more competitive terms and conditions are crucially important to recruit and retain the increased number of hospital Consultants required to provide timely care to the 902,000 people waiting for hospital care across the country. Louth Craftmark is back again with their highly anticipated outdoor Summer Fair which will once again return to the St Nicholas Quarter, Church Street, Dundalk. The Summer Fair will take place on Saturday 9th July, from 10am to 5pm. Featuring a host of professional designers and makers, the fair will have an eclectic array of tempting art, gifts, and high-quality crafts. The Summer Fair is part of the Fringe Programme of the SEEK Contemporary Urban Arts Festival and is sure to be a buzzing vibrant addition to the town centre in July. Founded in 2006, Louth Craftmark Designers Network is a collective of talented Northeast based artists, craftspeople, and designers, who have come together to promote and support each other. The Summer Fair will comprise of 12 artists showcasing their beautiful work, representing various creative disciplines including ceramics, handmade scented candles, Irish designed textiles, glass giftware, artisan soaps, handmade skincare, jewellery, painting, and prints. There will be something for everyones taste at the Summer Fair; where visitors can treat themselves to something special or buy a gift for a loved one. Louth Craftmark is well known for their very successful annual Winter Fair, and the artists are delighted to have the opportunity to return to the St Nicholas Quarter, for a second time. The spacious layout will give visitors ample opportunities to browse and peruse the stalls and see the wonderful art and crafts on offer. Louth Craftmark is delighted to welcome new artists and designers to participate in the Summer Fair this year, including vibrant new Irish textile brand Jennie Ritchie. Jennies brand is inspired by nature and the outdoors, mixing laid back luxe, bohemian, and colourful designs. LORE Natural Skincare is also a new addition this year, handmade in the Cooley Peninsula using only natural, ethically sourced, and sustainable ingredients. Well known wellness and home-fragrance brand Emma's So Naturals, with their collection of clean burning candles, wax melts, palm-free soaps, and new aroma diffusers will also be joining the Summer Fair for the first time. Purchasing handmade products from Louth Craftmark is a great way to support local and buy Irish. By buying from independent businesses, we are contributing to the local economy and encouraging our community to thrive. Ceramicist Sarah McKenna from Louth Craftmark said: We are delighted to be bringing the Louth Craftmark Summer Fair back to Dundalk this July, after a very successful event last year. Our network has grown to 68 members, and we cant wait to showcase the work of our talented local artists and craftspeople in the heart of Dundalk. President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrive in Madrid, Spain, Monday (local time). Yonhap Industry expects president's arms marketing to help exports By Kang Seung-woo President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to engage in marketing efforts in his first overseas trip since his inauguration toward exporting domestically developed weapons that are currently capturing attention from countries amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yoon is now attending the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, where he will discuss security and economic ties with world leaders. Although Korea does not belong to the 30-member alliance, it was invited along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. The expectations come as a number of countries have shown interest in Korean-made military hardware as part of efforts to boost military capabilities in light of the war in Ukraine. The local defense industry is particularly focusing on Yoon's summit with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, scheduled for Wednesday (local time), as the two leaders may close an arms deal during the bilateral talks. The HSE has begun recruitment for over 100 interRAI home care needs facilitators across Ireland. Recruitment began yesterday (Monday June 27), with the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People calling it "a significant step" in delivering safer and higher quality care. It's hoped the rollout of interRAI - a collective network to improve services for vulnerable people including the elderly, disabled people and those with mental illnesses - will result in a standardised assessment for nursing, health and social care professionals. Minister Mary Butler said, "The government is committed to the introduction of a statutory home support scheme. I am pleased to announce the recruitment of the 128 interRAI care needs facilitators. This is a significant step towards delivering safer, more equitable and higher quality home support services. The interRAI Care Needs Facilitator will fulfil the important role of champion and centre point for interRAI within Community Health Networks (CHNs) and Community Specialist Teams (CSTs) and facilitate the integration of interRAI for all team members. Posts are expected to be in place by the end of the third quarter of 2022. A home support pilot using interRAI assessments is currently underway in pilot areas across Ireland including East Westmeath, Tuam, Athenry, Loughrea, Bandon, Kinsale, Carrigaline, Ballyfermot and Palmerstown. An independent counsel investigation team raided the Air Force's headquarters and combat units Tuesday as part of its investigation into the suicide of a servicewoman following alleged sexual abuse by a colleague. Investigators from the special probe team searched the Air Force headquarters in the central city of Gyeryong, as well as the 20th Fighter Wing and the 15th Special Missions Wing for materials related to the investigation, officials said. The independent counsel team went into operation early this month to look into the case. Lee Ye-ram, the then 23-year-old female master sergeant affiliated with the 20th Fighter Wing, killed herself in late May 2021 after claiming she was sexually abused by a male colleague of the same rank Lee's family claimed she was also coerced and pressured by other male colleagues not to report the case to authorities. The family also accused the military police chief of her unit and other investigators for a shoddy investigation after the case was reported. As the case drew intense public fury, the National Assembly in April unanimously passed a bill mandating an independent special counsel probe into the case, including whether any defense ministry and Air Force officials attempted to cover it up. On June 14, a military appellate court commuted a lower court's nine-year prison sentence to seven years for the master sergeant, surnamed Jang, charged with sexually assaulting Lee. The court said Jang cannot be solely responsible for Lee's death, stressing the victim had not been given adequate protection from within the military. (Yonhap) The prosecution suspended the imprisonment of former President Lee Myung-bak for three months due to health reasons Tuesday, more than a year and a half after the Supreme Court finalized a 17-year sentence for him for corruption. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office made the decision to release Lee from the Anyang Correctional Institution, after the 81-year-old former president filed for suspension of his imprisonment earlier this month, citing deteriorating health. Lee, president from 2008 to 2013, has been serving the sentence since the Supreme Court finalized the 17-year prison term in October 2020 on charges of embezzlement and bribery. Lee has been in and out of the hospital during his imprisonment for chronic diseases, including diabetes. He was admitted to Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul last week for medical examinations and treatment. Lee was first imprisoned in March 2018 during the prosecution investigation, before being released on bail in March 2019. Lee then was reincarcerated in February 2020 following a higher court's ruling but was released again six days later after he successfully challenged the cancellation of the bail. Following the top court's finalization of the 17-year term, Lee was imprisoned again in November 2020. Lee was excluded from the presidential pardons by former President Moon Jae-in last year, under which imprisoned ex-President Park Geun-hye was set free. (Yonhap) Fostering private sector competitiveness and improving connectivity Supporting Kazakhstans pathway to carbon neutrality Promoting economic inclusion, youth and gender equality The Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a new strategy for Kazakhstan, setting out the Banks priorities in the country for the next five years. The strategic approach to operations in Kazakhstan will be based on the following three pillars. Fostering private sector competitiveness, connectivity and strengthening economic governance: the EBRD will promote digitalisation of private companies, support state digitalisation strategies and facilitate investments in smart technologies across the municipal, transport and energy sectors. It will be financing key infrastructure, including roads and railways, and help develop alternative transport routes under the EU Global Gateway initiative. The Bank will also work with the authorities to strengthen the regulatory framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs). In the financial sector the EBRD will concentrate on providing finance and capacity building for local banks, enhancing the use of the tenge overnight index average (TONIA) to promote local currency lending and scaling up its Trade Facilitation Programme. Supporting Kazakhstans green pathway to carbon neutrality and climate resilience: the EBRD will continue to finance renewable energy projects and help integrate renewables into the national power network. The Bank will support the development of a decarbonised and climate-resilient energy system. Special attention will be paid to the development of carbon markets, cleaner energy generation and the reduction of air pollution. It will continue supporting the authorities drive to develop Paris Agreement aligned strategies. The EBRD will finance and advise companies, including small businesses, on decarbonisation and will support green municipal and transport infrastructure projects. Promoting economic inclusion and gender equality through private sector engagement: the EBRD will promote an inclusive and diverse workforce, and support joint public and private sector reviews of skills, including digital and green skills, to better reflect labour market needs. It will work with Kazakhstans financial regulator to promote inclusive lending practices by financial institutions, help build their capacity aimed at inclusion and support women-led businesses. The Bank will be providing financing for businesses in the regions of Kazakhstan, improving intra-regional connectivity and supporting digital solutions. The EBRD will also be working with various stakeholders to promote corporate social responsibility activities in the regions to improve the local business environment. In 2022 the EBRD marks 30 years since Kazakhstan joined the Bank. With more than US$ 10.3 billion invested in the country to date, this is the largest and longest-running uninterrupted banking operation of the EBRD in Central Asia. At a meeting on the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028, held this evening, councillors voted to overturn a decision made at the meeting in March to rezone lands in Kilcully from open space to residential use. The lands are located between Rosemount cul-de-sac and the River Bride Valley. Our recommendation is not to adopt this and revert to the [draft] plan which does allow for some housing development at the site, city councils director of strategic and economic development, Fearghal Reidy stated at the meeting. This failed the strategic environmental assessment based on the moderate likelihood of a landslide and also the OPR (Office of the Planning Regulator) and the Southern Regional Assembly recommended that you would not accept the amendment, he continued. Independent councillor Ger Keohane had previously stated that he had seen independent reports contradicting that there is a risk of landslide. He had said a man who grew up in the area is looking to develop several houses at the site and that outline planning permission had been granted by Cork County Council some years ago. Solidarity councillor Fiona Ryan was one of the councillors to voice her support of the Executives recommendation. The fact remains that part of the site where there is less of a danger is still allowable in terms of a few houses, which is the main argument that Cllr Keohane is making, she said. I think it would be reckless for the amendment to go ahead given the advice weve been given. It was agreed unanimously by the councillors to accept the recommendation not to change the zoning of the lands from public open space to sustainable residential neighbourhood. City councillors held their final meeting on the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 this evening the first of three development plans to provide a framework to achieve ambitious targets for Cork city, the newly elected Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Deirdre Forde said. Following the initial public consultation, Cork City Council prepared the draft plan which was published in July 2021 which then went for a further round of public consultation. The councils Chief Executive, Ann Doherty then compiled a two-volume report of over 800 pages summarising and outlining the key issues arising from those submissions and setting out her response and recommendation to the issues raised. A full council meeting took place in March this year, where councillors voted on 522 proposed amendments before a further round of public consultation took place. Final votes on the plan took place this evening. Other decisions Among the decisions made at tonights meeting, councillors also decided tonight to change the zoning of lands at Hyde Park House in Montenotte from landscape perseveration zone to sustainable residential neighbourhood. Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh proposed the amendment as he stated there is a need for housing in the area. This is a site that would be serviced. Its perfectly walled in. In terms of landscape preservation, you cant see the site from the other side of the river. That has been proven in a study that was done, he also stated. Green Party councillor Colette Finn was among the councillors to voice opposition to the proposed amendment. We dont need more zoned land. We need to live in a compact city. We have record levels of dereliction and vacancy. We dont actually need to build on greenfield sites. We need to do the opposite, she said. When asked for clarification, Mr Reidy informed councillors that a landscape preservation zone doesnt preclude an area from development for housing, it just means that the development would be sensitive to the environment. The deciding vote to pass the amendment was cast by the Lord Mayor after 15 councillors voted for the amendment and 15 voted against it. Meanwhile, councillors voted against a proposed amendment to change the zoning of adjacent lands at Clifton Convalescent Home in Montenotte from landscape preservation zone to sustainable residential neighbourhoods. Independent councillor Ken OFlynn voiced his support for the amendment stating that there is a need for housing in the area. Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said he would be voting against the amendment, in agreement with the Executive. All that removing the landscape preservation does is lift the lid to allow for development which is not in keeping with the historic building, he said. Ten councillors voted for the amendment and 21 voted against it. See echolive.ie tomorrow for more on the final draft plan. By Ben Hatton, PA Political Staff A senior Conservative MP warned the UK Foreign Secretary against impugning the patriotism of those who criticise Government plans to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Conservative chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Simon Hoare was speaking during a debate where both those for and against the Governments plans to give ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland claimed patriotism underpinned their position. Mr Hoare said he had grave concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which he described as a failure of statecraft. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, when asked in the Commons why she is not using the dispute mechanisms included in the agreed treaties with the EU, said part of the reason she was putting forward the Bill was because Im a patriot. Mr Hoare intervened to say: Is she seriously impugning the patriotism of colleagues across this House who have concerns about her Bill? I find that a false conflation. Elsewhere in the debate, Conservative former prime minister Theresa May outlined her opposition to the Governments plans, saying the Bill would break international law, and adding: As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. Labour former minister Tony Lloyd made a similar point, saying being able to ask others to adhere to international law and standards because the UK does so is true patriotism, which he said does not simply come from jingoist flag waving. Ms Truss remark about patriotism came in response to Labours Hilary Benn (Leeds Central), who said: I suspect that when she was campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU, she never in a million years thought shed be standing here proposing a Bill of this sort. He asked: Why is the UK Government not proposing to use the legal method to raise these questions with the EU through the treaty that it signed rather than one claiming necessity, when the Foreign Secretary is yet to give me a single example when the British Government has claimed necessity for abrogating a treaty that is negotiated and signed? Ms Truss replied: The reason I am putting this Bill forward is because Im a patriot and Im a democrat, and our number one priority is protecting peace and political stability in Northern Ireland and protecting the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, and nothing (he) has suggested will achieve that end. Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss (House of Commons/PA) Following the exchange, Mr Hoare said: The Foreign Secretary knows that I have grave concerns about her Bill. But could I ask her just to coolly reflect upon praying-in-aid patriotism as a defence of it. Is she seriously impugning the patriotism of colleagues across this House who have concerns about her Bill? I find that a false conflation. The Foreign Secretary replied: I was directly responding to the point of the honourable gentleman asking me why I had campaigned one way in the referendum and now am working to make sure that the Brexit negotiation that we achieve works for the people of Northern Ireland. Speaking later in the debate, Mr Hoare said: I think this Bill is a failure of statecraft and it puts at risk the reputation of the United Kingdom. The arguments supporting it are flimsy at best, and irrational at worst. It is a Bill that risks economically harmful retaliation, a Bill that runs the risk of shredding our reputation as a guardian of international law and the rules-based system. How in the name of heaven can we expect to speak to others with authority, when we ourselves shun at a moments notice our legal obligations? Cities around the country are considering following the lead of Berkeley, California, which became the first city to ban the installation of natural gas lines in new homes this summer. That means that stoves, heating systems and clothes dryers need another source of energy, which will ideally come from renewable sources as the technology and efficiency continues to improve. Now San Francisco is following suit along with 12 other California cities and Marin County in California, including San Jose, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Palo Alto, and Mountainview, according to Sierra Club. The idea is not to create new hookups that will be grandfathered into an older infrastructure as the country moves toward carbon-neutral energy sources, according to USA Today. We need to tackle climate change every way that we can and by doing this, were not asking people to change that much, said Berkeley City Council member Kate Harrison who led the initiative, according to KQED. Its going to give us a better life, added Harrison. Were going to have a cleaner environment. Were going to have less health problems. Were going to have less danger in our homes. Major American cities, including Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Albuquerque are considering similar ordinances to discourage the use of natural gas. Cities in Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington are also considering an all-electric requirement, according to Sierra Club, as The Weather Channel reported. Natural gas contributes greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere and it accounts for one-third of the nations CO2 emissions from electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as USA Today reported. Theres no pathway to stabilizing the climate without phasing gas out of our homes and buildings. This is a must-do for the climate and a livable planet, said Rachel Golden of the Sierra Clubs building electrification campaign, as USA Today reported. A new study from the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that the natural gas piped into homes for cooking and heating actually contains toxic volatile organic compounds, including chemicals linked to cancer. Research from the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard (C-CHANGE) in collaboration with PSE Healthy Energy, Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), Gas Safety Inc., Boston University and Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), collected more than 200 unburned natural gas samples from 69 different kitchen stoves and building pipelines around Greater Boston from December 2019 to May 2021. In the samples, the team found 296 chemical compounds, and 21 of these compounds are federally considered to be hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and hexane. While the concentration of chemicals varied by location and time of year, the study generally found the highest concentrations of pollutants in the winter. It is well-established that natural gas is a major source of methane thats driving climate change, Drew Michanowicz, visiting scientist at Harvard Chan C-CHANGE and senior scientist at PSE Healthy Energy, said in a statement. But most people havent really considered that our homes are where the pipeline ends and that when natural gas leaks it can contain health-damaging air pollutants in addition to climate pollutants. The study, recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, also measured odorants in consumer-grade natural gas. These odorants give gas its well-known smell that alerts people to a leak. But the researchers found that with gas leaks 10 times higher than naturally occurring levels, there may not be enough odorant for people to detect the leak. These leaks can make both indoor and outdoor air contaminated with hazardous chemicals. This study shows that gas appliances like stoves and ovens can be a source of hazardous chemicals in our homes even when were not using them. These same chemicals are also likely to be present in leaking gas distribution systems in cities and up the supply chain, said Jonathan Buonocore, co-author and research scientist at Harvard Chan C-CHANGE. Policymakers and utilities can better educate consumers about how natural gas is distributed to homes and the potential health risks of leaking gas appliances and leaking gas pipes under streets, and make alternatives more accessible. More and more cities are already banning natural gas hookups in homes, and the researchers shared some actions for individuals and lawmakers to take to further reduce exposure to harmful pollutants coming from natural gas pipelines. Among the policy recommendations, the team noted that both gas pipeline companies and utility companies need to measure, report and monitor natural gas composition, including odorant content. According to the scientists, there should also be more stringent performance standards for gas stoves and range hoods. As for individual actions, the team recommends hiring a specialist to perform an in-home leak inspection and improving ventilation when cooking. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) submitted a request Tuesday calling for an extraordinary session of the National Assembly amid an impasse in negotiations with the ruling People Power Party over how to share committee memberships. The request was seen as a move to press the ruling party to make concessions in stalled negotiations to form Assembly committees, with the threat to use its majority power to open the extra session, and select the speaker and vice speakers of the Assembly on its own. The DPK currently holds 170 out of 299 assembly seats. By law, an extraordinary session can be convened three days after a request is submitted, which means a new session could begin Friday. The impasse in committee formation negotiations has left the Assembly idle for almost a month after the first half of the 21st National Assembly ended last month. In an effort to break the deadlock, the DPK offered last week to hand over the chairmanship of the judiciary committee, a key Assembly panel that has the power to approve bills before they are put to a plenary vote, to the PPP in exchange for the PPP's cooperation for the launch of a special committee on judiciary reform. But the PPP rejected the proposal because the special committee is aimed at completing the process of reducing and ultimately abolishing the prosecution's investigative powers in accordance with recently enacted prosecution reform laws, which the ruling bloc opposed. (Yonhap) Heat waves are an extremely deadly type of extreme weather event in the U.S. they kill more people in an average year than other weather hazards but, despite this, they are not given the names and categories of hurricanes and other storms. Now, one city in Spain is looking to change that. On the first day of summer 2022, Seville became the first city in the world to introduce a naming and ranking system for periods of high heat. We are the first city in the world to take a step that will help us plan and take measures when this type of meteorological event happens particularly because heat waves always hit the most vulnerable, Seville Mayor Antonio Munoz said in a press release. The city government ratifies its commitment in the fight against climate change through the reduction of emissions and decarbonization, and second, through adaptation to make Seville a resilient city with a model that truly tackles the big challenge of rising heat. Today, Seville became the FIRST city in the world to pilot categorizing & naming #HeatWaves. The launch of @PrometeoSevilla is a critical step to providing residents with the resources needed to protect themselves from extreme heat. Discover more https://t.co/BDjW5dw5Ok https://t.co/jE309OVGzD pic.twitter.com/iU6rBDwzzq Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center (@ArshtRock) June 21, 2022 Seville is located in Andalusia, which is already one of the hottest regions in Spain. However, the climate crisis is making heat waves around the globe more frequent and severe. In Spain, they have become twice as common this decade when compared to the past, according to The Guardian. The announcement also comes as Spain has experienced an unusually warm spring. May was the warmest in 58 years, and June brought one of its earliest heat waves on record. In fact, the first two weeks of June were the hottest the country has ever seen, as E&E News reported. However, the plan to develop a system to name and categorize heat waves was actually announced in October of 2021. It was born of a partnership between Seville and the Arsht-Rocks Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance. The goal was to reduce the toll that heat waves take on human health. Heat waves, have been dubbed the silent killer for a reason: They wreak unseen havoc on our economies, prey on the most vulnerable members of society, and kill more people than any other climate-driven hazard, yet the dangers they pose are grossly underestimated and gravely misunderstood, Kathy Baughman McLeod, who directs the Arsht-Rocks Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance, said when the plan was first announced. The pilot program, officially called proMETEO Seville, will launch this summer and run for one year, according to the announcement. Heat waves will be assigned a severity category from one to three with three being the most severe based on a combination of temperature, humidity and conditions in the 30 days before the heat wave. Different categories will trigger different actions like the opening of public pools or the deployment of heat workers to monitor the most vulnerable populations, such as the elderly. Category 3 heat waves will also receive names, beginning with the end of the Spanish alphabet. The first five names will be Zoe, Yago, Xenia, Wenceslao and Vega. This new method, backed by 18 months of our science teams analysis and research and built with many global and local experts is intended to build awareness of this deadly impact of climate change and ultimately save lives, Baughman McLeod said in the most recent announcement. Other cities may soon follow in Sevilles footsteps. Athens, Greece; Melbourne, Australia; Los Angeles; and Miami are all among the cities that are developing similar programs. In farming, high crop yields are often associated with the use of human-made fertilizers. But what if these abundant results could instead be achieved by using farming practices that were more environmentally friendly? An extensive new study of 30 farms in Africa and Europe has shown that the combination of small amounts of fertilizer with natural farming methods like mixing compost or manure with the soil, cultivating a wider variety of crops and cultivating plants like clover or beans that amplify soils fertility can result in high crop yields while maintaining the harmony of agricultural ecosystems, a press release from Rothamsted Research said. The study found that a significant amount of chemical fertilizers could be replaced by adopting these more natural techniques, which would have multiple benefits. Reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers would help to buffer farmers and consumers against economic shocks, such as the current spike in fertiliser costs and consequent increase in food prices, said plant ecologist at Rothamsted Research in the UK Dr. Chloe MacLaren, who was the lead author of the paper, as The Guardian reported. The study, Long-term evidence for ecological intensification as a pathway to sustainable agriculture, was published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The farm experiments the researchers examined for the study had been going for more than nine years and 25,000 harvests and included 30 individual experiments on crops of oats, wheat, barley, maize, potatoes and sugar beet, the press release said. The research team analyzed how the variety of natural methods used interacted with various levels of plowing and nitrogen-rich fertilizers. Each analysis considered at least one of the trio of natural farming practices. It was the first time a major study had explored the interaction of a variety of natural farm methods with fertilizer and land cultivation practices. The study also found that, in general, the use of more natural farming methods in combination with large amounts of chemical fertilizer didnt further increase crop yields. In fact, the most abundant yields in the experiment were achieved when some nitrogen was added to the ecological intensification practices. Ecological intensification is when farmers actively support the environmentally friendly practices that benefit agriculture. Ecological intensification could help return agriculture into a safe operating space for humanity, MacLaren said in the press release. Our results demonstrate that it could play an important role in the development of future sustainable farming systems. MacLaren went on to say that the worldwide playing field of nitrogen fertilizer distribution could also be leveled with the increased use of these natural practices. Widespread uptake of these practices could also contribute to a more equitable global distribution of fertiliser. Currently, average nitrogen fertiliser rates in Africa are a small fraction of those in Europe, with smallholders in particular using much less than their fair share. If fertiliser use is reduced where it is currently high, then fertiliser use could be increased where it is currently low addressing food security issues without exceeding planetary boundaries, said MacLaren in the press release from Rothamsted Research. In the last 60 years, the excessive use of human-produced fertilizer has contributed to increased carbon emissions, water pollution and biodiversity loss. MacLaren said that a combination of many factors should be looked at when evaluating the fostering of these environmentally friendly practices in the future. Future assessments of ecological intensification should include a wider analysis of all social, economic and environmental factors, such as nutritional value or farm profitability. There are undoubtedly benefits beyond just yield, such as reducing costs, reducing pollution, or providing other valuable farm products, MacLaren said, according to the press release. Conversely, socioeconomic factors can also limit the adoption of such practices by farmers. These factors can include a lack of markets for these diverse products and limited access to necessary resources including land, seed, and manure. Upscaling these practices will require policymakers and society to create a more conducive socioeconomic context. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks on the first day of the UN Ocean Conference, June 27, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. Pedro Fiuza / NurPhoto via Getty Images From sea level rise to ocean acidification to plastic pollution, our planet faces an ocean emergency, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on the first day of the UN Ocean Conference. The conference, which is taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from June 27 to July 1, is an international gathering co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal with a goal of developing ways to use science and innovation to protect the worlds oceans. And Guterres was clear that it comes at an urgent moment. Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency, he said, as The Guardian reported. We must turn the tide. Guterres cited many of the challenges human activity has imposed on the ocean, including overfishing, increased flooding of low-lying islands and coastal cities, dead zones caused by nutrient pollution and the proliferation of ocean plastic. Without drastic action, the plastic could outweigh all the fish in the ocean by 2050, he said. He also criticized world leaders for failing to act to protect the ocean. Currently, there is no single set of laws governing the high seas, AP News pointed out. World leaders have been working on an agreement concerning Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, or a Treaty of the High Seas, for a decade now, but talks four months ago failed to reach consensus. The worlds largest ecosystem is still unprotected and is dying as we watch, activist group Ocean Rebellion said, as AP News reported. A total of 64 percent of the high-seas is not governed by any country, and only 1.2 percent of that is protected, according to The Guardian. When asked by reporters why he thought an agreement had not yet been reached on an ocean treaty, Guterres blamed egoism, as Reuters reported. Some people still think they are powerful enough to think international waters should be theirs, he said. However, UN Special Envoy of the Ocean Peter Thomson told Reuters he thought a treaty would emerge this year. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for August in New York, according to AP News. However, the conference also presents an opportunity to make progress informally. It will conclude with a non-binding declaration on Friday. Officially, the purpose of the conference is to promote action in order to fulfill UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, according to the conference website. The goal focuses on the sustainable use and management of the oceans and their resources. To mobilize action, the Conference will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action, the website reads. In his remarks, Guterres said that sustainable management of the oceans could produce six times more food and four times more renewable energy than the current state of affairs, according to The Guardian. He also endorsed a goal of mapping 80 percent of the seabed by 2030. The conference will involve around 7,000 people, according to Reuters. Among them are leaders and scientists from more than 120 countries, according to AP News. Some activists expressed skepticism about the usefulness of the conference. Leaders in Lisbon will congratulate each other for how well theyre doing on marine protection, while the ocean crisis deepens, Greenpeaces Laura Meller told Reuters. We dont need another talking shop, with vague statements and voluntary commitments. However, Guterres also said that ordinary people not at the conference had a role to play in making sure an ocean treaty is finally passed. We need to make people put pressure on those who decide, Guterres said, as AP News reported. China looks elsewhere for corn as war hampers Ukraine's exports China appears to be looking for other suppliers in the world market as Ukraine's corn exports are currently restricted due to the war in the country, Pig333 reported. In that regard, Brazil could be a good candidate to be an alternative supplier for the remainder of the 2021/22 marketing year, as well as in the new 2022/23 crop as production has recovered from the previous cycle and exportable supply is expected to be sufficient until the end of the calendar year. Moreover, production and exports for the new season are forecast at a new record level. On May 23, China and Brazil announced that they had signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements, which would allow the export of Brazilian corn to China. However, in the event that large volumes are negotiated, a reconfiguration of global trade flows of the grain could be expected. Meanwhile, both soybean oil and crude oil have exhibited dramatic price increases throughout 2022. At the beginning of June, soybean oil prices have risen by more than a third in the United States and by 20% in South America. This is occurring in parallel with the increase in oil prices, which rose by 45% in the same period. In the first decade of the 2000s, rising energy prices were the main driver of vegetable oil prices. However, the current situation is different, as the increase in oil values reflects the shortage of world supply, which is a consequence of droughts that affected production in Canada and South America; compounded with events occurring in Ukraine and trade restriction policies in some countries, stocks available for export have been reduced. Although neither market is directly affecting the prices of the other, higher energy values could eventually push soybean prices even higher, as their consumption for energy use would be promoted. - Pig33 / Economic Analysis Department of 333 Latin America Malaysian technical committee to propose new ceiling price for chicken Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee, Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Industries Minister, said a technical committee has met to discuss and propose a new ceiling price for chicken in the country, as well as set a new subsidy rate for poultry farmers, Bernama reported. The proposal will be presented to the Malaysian Cabinet before it is announced to the public. He said the new price takes into consideration the interest of retailers, wholesalers, and poultry breeders so it is reasonable for all parties involved in the industry. He also said the new proposed price takes into account the cash assistance under the Keluarga Malaysia' (Malaysian Family) aid that was announced by the Prime Minister. Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali were also present at the meeting. According to Ronald, the meeting also discussed the country's current food security situation, the cost of a few select items, and the implementation of interventions to improve it. In the fourth week of June, he said, the supply of chicken was expected to remain steady and adequate, and the supply of other goods was also thought to be sufficient to meet the current demand. Ronald said that the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs had informed about the most recent prices of a number of products as well as the enforcement actions taken against establishments that were discovered to be in violation of the maximum price set for poultry and eggs. For the welfare of Malaysian families, he said, the government is committed to continuing efforts to ensure the continuity and accessibility of food supply in the market at affordable prices. - Bernama With the whole nation in the middle of the annual monsoon season, heavy downpours reaching up to 300 millimeters are forecast to pound the central region, including the Seoul metropolitan area, between Tuesday night and Thursday morning, according to the state weather agency. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said 100 mm to 200 mm of monsoon rains are expected to soak the capital area and almost all parts of the central region, including the Gangwon and Chungcheong provinces, until early Thursday. The precipitation may reach up to 300 mm in some mountainous districts in the central region, the KMA said. Elsewhere, 50 mm to 100 mm are forecast for southern South Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, northern North Gyeongsang Province and Yellow Sea islands near the North Korean border, though the precipitation may exceed 150 mm in some areas of North Jeolla and North Gyeongsang provinces, the KMA said. The amount of rainfall forecast in the southern regions and on Jeju Island until Thursday ranges from 5 mm to 80 mm. The KMA said heavy downpours are expected to hit the Seoul metropolitan area, western parts of Gangwon Province and northern parts of Chungcheong provinces between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, while the monsoon rain belt is expected to move south toward Wednesday night. Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the central region will again be hit by torrential downpours, which will be far heavier than the previous night's rainfall, the agency said. The KMA said the atmospheric conditions on the Korean Peninsula will remain highly volatile for the time being, as tropical disturbances are developing in the South China and Philippine seas. (Yonhap) Flags at Government buildings and energy bills on HOK agenda Flags at Government buildings, energy bills and the number of foster carers on the Island will be among the questions raised in the House of Keys this morning. Garff MHK Daphne Caine will ask the Minister for Cabinet Office how many offers were made to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. Onchan MHK Rob Callister will ask the Treasury Minister what consideration has been given to the introduction of an interest free loan scheme to help with the cost of living. The sitting gets underway at 10am in Douglas. Airbnb is permanently banning all parties and events at host properties around the world, it announced. That follows a temporary 2020 ban it had instituted on house parties to comply with COVID-related social distancing restrictions. "Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure," Airbnb said in a blog post. "It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbors." Airbnb had already banned "chronic party houses" in 2019 following a California Halloween shooting that resulted in five deaths. It later barred all "open-invite" house parties, but still allowed invitation-only parties in single family dwellings. However, those too are now prohibited, under penalty of account suspension or full removal from the platform. On a more positive note, Airbnb lifted a 16-person occupancy cap also instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's because certain properties "from castles in Europe to vineyards in the US to large beachfront villas in the Caribbean" can easily accommodate more than 16 people, it said, adding that "properties like these thrive on hosting multi-generational family trips and larger groups." The company runs a tip line that allows neighbors or others to report parties. Airbnb noted that it saw a 44 percent drop in the rate of party reports after the ban was implemented in 2020 and it suspended the accounts of around 6,600 guests for breaking the policy last year. If you post about being able to mail abortion pills to those who need it on Facebook or Instagram, don't be surprised if you get a warning or even get your account restricted. A tipster told Motherboard that they were notified a minute after posting "I will mail abortion pills to any one of you" that their status update had been removed. When they tried to post about it again later, they were banned for it. Motherboard was able to replicate the scenario, and Engadget has also confirmed it. We tried posting "abortion pills can be mailed" on Facebook and were quickly notified that we violated the website's Community Standards. In the next slide explaining our infraction, Facebook said doesn't allow users to buy, sell or exchange things such as tobacco, marijuana, recreational drugs and non-medical drugs. To test it out, we posted "I'm selling cigarettes," "cigarettes can be mailed," "anti-depressants can be mailed" and "painkiller pills can be mailed." None of them got flagged. General posts such as "abortion is healthcare" didn't get flagged either. As for our post that did get flagged, we were asked if we would like to accept Facebook's enforcement action or not. After choosing to accept it, our post got removed but we didn't get banned. According to Motherboard, their account got restricted for 24 hours after making several posts that got flagged. Facebook The Associate Press is reporting that Instagram is also removing posts about the mailing of abortion pills, though Engadget not been able to independently confirm this yet. A post made to a private Instagram account offering to buy and ship abortion pills to those in need remained up at the time of this writing. It's unclear when the company started removing posts about mailing out abortion pills and whether it only began after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court's decision made all types of abortion illegal in several states with trigger laws, but people in those states can still get abortion pills shipped to them from international groups like Aid Access. Facebook could be preventing that information from getting to some people who need it, though, especially since it flags posts with "mail" and "abortion pills" even for international users. We posted from outside the US and still got a warning. "Some items aren't regulated everywhere," the slide explaining our violation reads, "but because Facebook is borderless we have global standards that apply to everyone." The New York Times also recently reported that Facebook's parent company, Meta, told employees not to discuss the Supreme Court ruling within the workplace. Moderators would reportedly swoop in and quickly remove posts about abortion in the company's internal Workplace platform. Meta did, however, tell employees that it would reimburse them for travel expenses if they need to access out-of-state healthcare and reproductive services "to the extent permitted by law." In a letter posted on her official website, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has revealed that House Democrats have been working on legislation to protect personal data collected by reproductive health trackers. It's one of the three avenues the lawmakers are exploring following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. "Many fear that this information could be used against women by a sinister prosecutor in a state that criminalizes abortion," she explained, though she didn't expound on how the lawmakers plan to protect people's personal data. Users have been swapping their period trackers for others they believe can offer them more privacy ever since the Supreme Court decision dropped. It's not unusual for companies to sell user information or to cooperate with law enforcement, and people are concerned about the possibility of investigators using that data to identify them if they ever seek an abortion. As TechCrunch reported, a number of reproductive health apps enjoyed a surge of new signups over the weekend. One of those apps is Flo, which announced that it plans to launch an anonymous mode shortly after the Supreme Court decision came out. The mode is supposed to remove one's personal information from their account so that they can't be identified, but Flo has yet to reveal when it will become available. It's worth noting that Flo's average daily installs has been on the decline, based on Apptopia numbers cited by TechCrunch, likely because it has a history of sharing private data with third parties. Back in 2019, The Wall Street Journal listed Flo as one of the apps that had been giving Facebook access to people's sensitive data. Two years later, Flo settled with the FTC over allegations that it was sharing information with the social network, Google and other third-party companies. As part of that settlement, Flo now has to explicitly ask for user consent before it can give external services access to their personal health information. Despite the House Speaker's announcement that House Democrats are working "to protect the health and freedom of American women," there's no guarantee that the legislation they're cooking up would be signed into law. It's always smart to take a closer look at how apps are protecting user data by reading their "nutritional label" on iOS or their "safety section" in the Play Store on Android. But for those who want to be truly safe, perhaps the best solution is to not use a period tracking app at all. Rocket Lab has successfully launched NASA's 55-pound CAPSTONE cubesat that will eventually orbit the Moon if all goes to plan. It's a small but important step in NASA's Artemis mission that aims to send humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972. The launch proceeded nominally according to NASA's broadcast, reaching low-Earth orbit at about 'T' plus 10 minutes. An Electron launch is much like any other, except that it's the first rocket to be electrically powered by batteries rather than a gas turbine. As such, there's a phase called "battery ejection" which happens near the end of the launch cycle. Rocket Lab used an Electron rocket with a special addition called the Lunar Photon upper stage with enough power to send it into deep space. It's one of the smallest rockets to attempt to launch a payload to lunar orbit, the company said. It launched from Rocket Lab's site on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, and is "the highest mass and the highest performance Electron has ever had to fly by quite some margin," the company told TechCrunch earlier. CAPSTONE will orbit Earth for nine days to build up enough speed for a trans lunar injection (TLI) that will allow it to eventually orbit the Moon. The primary objective is to verify a type of highly elliptical lunar orbit called "near rectilinear halo" that's planned for the Gateway space station. Gateway will eventually be delivered to lunar orbit by SpaceX with a science lab and living quarters for astronauts, along with ports for future spacecraft. Rocket Lab was supposed to launch CAPSTONE yesterday but delayed it until today "to perform final system checks," NASA tweeted. Regardless of the launch date, it's scheduled to arrive at the moon on November 13th. To see a replay of the livecast, check here. By Joschka Fischer BERLIN Russia's war in Ukraine will bifurcate Europe once again. East will be divided from West, and the frontier between them will likely be a dangerous, militarily secured zone for the foreseeable future. Of course, we don't know how or when the war will end. But, following recent developments, it now seems safe to assume that both Ukraine and Moldova will become candidates for European Union membership, and then full members within a few years. The leaders of the EU's three largest member states (France, Germany, and Italy) and of Romania made that clear when they recently visited Kyiv. They offered full-throated support for Ukraine and Moldova's membership bids, as did the European Commission immediately thereafter. This enlargement process will fundamentally change the EU, transforming it decidedly into a geopolitical player and, indeed, into Russia's main adversary on the continent. With his war of aggression in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it absolutely clear that he aspires to restore the Russian Empire. As such, he is operating on principles that are wholly incompatible with those of the EU, which is based on equal sovereignty, territorial integrity, the inviolability of borders, and rule of law. The EU has decided to embrace Ukraine not because it wanted to, or because it has imperial ambitions of its own, but because Putin forced its hand. Putin started the fight and thus confronted Europe with a choice between two clear alternatives. Europe could either submit to the Kremlin's claims to power, or it could defend its own identity and interests, based on respect for human rights and democratic principles. The EU has now made its choice, favoring defense of its principles and of freedom. Some critics of its decision will say that it should have tried to negotiate with Russia. But such arguments lack credibility. Even if the EU was willing to broker a dubious compromise with the Kremlin, it wouldn't have worked, because the EU occupies a position that is now mutually exclusive from that of Putin, with his revisionist dream of empire. Since neither side can give in, we should anticipate a prolonged conflict. And since military strength and deterrence capabilities inevitably will play a decisive role, the war will definitively change the EU's character. No longer will the project of economic integration take pride of place. From now on, security and geopolitical interests will have to come first. The declaration of support for Ukraine and Moldova's candidacies marks the beginning of the second phase of the EU's eastward enlargement. Even though neither country's accession will happen soon, the process itself will have an irreversible effect. The Europe of the future will no longer be realizable without the states of Eastern Europe, provided that they remain willing and able to join. The reason is simple. When an idea's time has come, it is unstoppable. By contrast, an idea whose time has passed can linger on only if it is propped up by military power and even that will not save it in the end. The new conflict between Europe and Russia is about ideas. It is an ideational clash between imperialism and democracy. Given the historic import of this development, Western Europeans must not succumb to any comfortable delusions about the risks they face. The current European order of states was originally constructed around the goal of integrating Russia and Europe. But Putin has irreversibly derailed that project. It is a thing of the past. With the war in Ukraine, Europe is facing a test of maturity; it has come of age in a world defined by great-power and nuclear rivalries. Like it or not, these are the geopolitical realities of the early 2020s. In the absence of a continued alliance with the United States, Europe, in its current fragile state, would be too weak to survive in this arena. Interests and values alone will not cut it. The alternative is for Europe to accept its current weakness and cling to fanciful illusions. Down that road lies submission and dependency. It cannot hope to find mutual consideration in a world defined by great-power rivalry. Europe's only real choice, then, is to pursue prudent alliances, develop its own power, and build up its own deterrence capabilities. A coherent strategy to survive the new ideational conflict must replace lingering illusions. Europe must accept that it is living in a dangerous neighborhood. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). Tesla has reportedly laid off approximately 200 workers from its Autopilot team and closed an office in California. According to Bloomberg , the company notified staff of the move on Tuesday. Many of the affected employees were annotation specialists whose jobs involved evaluating and labeling Autopilot data obtained from customers. Along with the layoffs, Tesla closed its San Mateo location; Bloomberg reports what remained of the 350-person team was transferred to another nearby office. Tesla did not immediately respond to Engadgets request for comment. The automaker has not operated a public relations department since 2020 . In his upcoming and much-anticipated biography, Prince Harry promises to discuss some of the treatment he experienced as a member of the British royal family. This is something that has a lot of people quite excited. However, in spite of the impending revelation, it is being said that he and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, do not have any ill will against him. In point of fact, the Duke of Sussex maintains his strong relationship with the Queen despite the divisions he has caused within the royal family, most notably between his brother Prince William and their father, Prince Charles. One instance of Prince Harry's closeness with his grandmother was brought to light by a friend who described how he convinced the Queen of England to appear in a royal spoof video with him to promote the organization he established in 2016, the Invictus Games. This is just one example of how close Prince Harry is with his grandmother. If the father of two were to approach the queen with his proposal, the monarch, according to a source who spoke with People magazine (via Express), would most likely grant his request since "she adores him." Another insider within the royal family has stated that the monarch has to strike a balance between her roles as a grandmother and as the head of state. They gave the following explanation: "One thing about the Queen is that she needs to manage to be a grandmother while also how it impacts the greater institution." READ ALSO: Prince Harry vs. Prince Andrew: Who's The Royal Causing More Trouble in the Family? When it comes to Meghan Markle, on the other hand, the same cannot be said, as a royal expert predicted that there would be a bloodbath on both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's side as well as the side of the royal family. According to royal correspondent Jack Royston, the outcome of a probe into the alleged bullying of the former "Suits" star would reflect negatively on both parties. In a podcast titled "The Royal Report," he stated that if the report were made public, nobody would come out looking like they did a good job. "I believe that if every truth and accusation were to come out, that there would be a full mud war, and there would be mud all over everybody," said the speaker. After the disclosure of an email conversation that took place between the former press secretary Jason Knauf and Prince William's private secretary, many Kensington Palace staff members are said to have leveled claims of bullying against Meghan Markle, according to multiple publications. The group representing the Duchess of Sussex responded to the allegations by calling them an instant "smear campaign." An investigation into the allegations of bullying was carried out. It was believed, however, that Queen Elizabeth II did not want the specifics of the assessment to be made public. This was referred to as a "blow" for the Hollywood actress by a number of royal experts. READ MORE: Prince Harry vs. Prince Andrew: Who's The Royal Causing More Trouble in the Family? Dakota Johnson has finally opened up about the process filming Fifty Shades of Grey. Dakota Johnson is an actress who seems to be appearing in every project under the sun. She stars in the recently released film Cha Cha Real Smooth and in the soon to be released Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Persuasion. She is an actress that can really do anything. It is easy to forget that the star got her start leading the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. In an interview published today, Johnson spoke to Vanity Fair about a lot of the chaos that was happening behind the scenes of the film - chaos she did not feel at liberty to discuss until now. The actress recounted to the outlet: "I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making...She [the author of the books] had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen. There were parts of the books that just wouldn't work in a movie, like the inner monologue, which was at times incredibly cheesy. It wouldn't work to say out loud. "It was always a battle. Always. When I auditioned for that movie, I read a monologue from Persona" -the Ingmar Bergman classic from 1966- "and I was like, 'Oh, this is going to be really special.'...I was young. I was 23. So it was scary...It just became something crazy...There were a lot of different disagreements. "I haven't been able to talk about this truthfully ever, because you want to promote a movie the right way, and I'm proud of what we made, ultimately and everything turns out the way it's supposed to - but it was tricky." Even with all of the chaos, however, Johnson assured VF that she does not regret being part of the films. She expressed: The U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted "a kinetic strike" in Syria's Idlib province, targeting Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Horas al-Din group. BYJUS has announced that Krishna Vedati has been named President of Global Growth and Strategic Initiatives. Vedati, Co-Founder and CEO of Tynker, a BYJUS company, will report to the company's Co-Founder and CEO Byju Raveendran and will join the companys executive committee. Srinivas Mandyam, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tynker, will replace Vedati as Tynkers CEO, and Kelvin Chong, Tynker Co-Founder and Chief Architect, now takes on the expanded role of Chief Technology Officer. BYJUS acquired the leading K-12 creative coding platform Tynker in September as part of its U.S. expansion. With more than 150 million users on our personalized learning platform, it is important for us to put in place the leadership necessary to continue scaling our businesses globally, said Byju Raveendran, Co-Founder, and CEO of BYJUS. With exceptional experience in business and consumer user growth, and strategic brand partnerships, Krishna is ideally suited for this new role. In the newly-created role of President of Global Growth and Strategic Initiatives for BYJUS, Vedati will serve as a senior executive for the Americas helping drive topline revenue and user growth, partnerships with major brands, and identifying strategic acquisitions. Vedati will also expand the companys international offering by overseeing new integrated products and services from the BYJUS learning portfolio to students and teachers in Canada, the U.S., and Latin America. Srinivas Mandyam takes on the mantle of CEO at Tynker where he has served as the companys Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer since the companys inception. Mandyam has more than 20 years of technical leadership experience building products and consumer web services. Previously, he led the engineering team for AT&T Interactive's Consumer Division. Mandyam was a Co-Founder and CTO of Plusmo, a venture-backed startup acquired by AT&T in 2009. Kelvin Chong moves into the CTO role at Tynker where he previously served as Co-Founder and Chief Architect. Chong brings over a decade of experience building scalable web systems and software for consumer sites and for a wide range of smart consumer devices including mobile phones, multi-function printers, camcorders, and even the Sony Aibo. I am proud of the deep bench we have in our leadership ranks, enabling a seamless transition at our newest portfolio company Tynker as Srinivas and Kelvin move into their new roles, added Raveendran. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) By Lee Jong-eun This month marks the Korean War's 72nd anniversary, a key defining event in the Cold War. Years ago, when I first read, "The Origins of the Korean War" written by U.S. historian Bruce Cumings, I was intrigued by his comparisons of U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. "Roosevelt's post-WWII foreign policy vision was like that of a corporate shareholder content to maintain a 51-percent majority share. So long as the U.S. remained the biggest shareholder, Roosevelt was willing to create a world order that guaranteed a significant share for the Soviet Union. In contrast, Truman's foreign policy was like that of a corporate owner determined to retain over 80 percent of his company's share. Even if it meant dividing the world into two ideological blocs, Truman was committed to ensuring at least that the 'free' bloc remained solidly under U.S. dominance." Cumings' point was that while Roosevelt was willing to share the Korean Peninsula with the USSR under joint trusteeship, Truman prioritized ensuring that South Korea remained firmly under U.S. geopolitical hegemony. Ultimately, Truman's strategy prevailed, and an iron curtain was drawn over the Korean Peninsula, consolidating through the experiences of the Korean War. Whether or not Cumings' historical descriptions are accurate, his comparison raises relevant questions even today, as many experts warn that the world faces risks of a new cold war. Could competing ideological powers share the world order? Or would dividing the world into clear geopolitical blocs contribute to a more stable coexistence? One argument is that global stability requires an integrated world order where both liberal and non-liberal states share influences and privileges. A solution to the conflict between the "liberal order" and the non-liberal powers is to accommodate ideological diversity and balance within the world order. At the same time, liberal democracies would assert a greater share of influence over the international order to deter non-liberal member states from seriously distorting the order's core liberal features. In the past century, Roosevelt invited the USSR to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, and Bill Clinton endorsed China becoming a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), elevating these non-liberal states in earlier eras to be global stakeholders. Even recently, similar proposals have suggested offering potential revisionist powers opportunities for co-governance within the existing liberal world order. One proposal has suggested inviting Russia to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while another proposal has suggested that China's membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could allay China's suspicion toward the latter as an economic restraint against China's rise. However, skepticism toward the strategy of integrating non-liberal states has also increased in recent years. Critics have warned that a heterogeneous international order is vulnerable to internal schisms. With Russia and China exercising veto powers in the U.N. Security Council, the U.N. has faced increasing criticism for being unable to take decisive actions on security crises in Northeast Asia, Syria and Ukraine. Skeptics have also questioned the effectiveness of an international order mitigating the non-liberal behaviors of its member states. Rather, the non-liberal states could attempt to subvert the international institutions to "de-liberalize" the international order and eventually surpass the influences of liberal democracies. Subsequently, mutual distrust and incompatible aspirations among member states could unravel internal balance and restraints within a uniform global order. An alternative argument advocates that "decoupling" the world into distinct ideological, geopolitical blocs would contribute more to international stability. By constructing cohesive partnerships based on "common values," participating states could reinforce mutual reassurances in collective deterrence against ideologically adversarial actors. Strategic clarity among adversarial geopolitical blocs could reduce ambiguities and uncertainties in international disputes. For example, suppose an "alliance of democracies" establishes more explicit differentiation between democracies vs. non-democracies? Suppose defense of the "free and open Indo-Pacific" is enforced by countries that are, in fact, "free and open?" While such measures risk pressuring countries to take a side, advocates defend them as promoting greater predictability in the behaviors of individual states and multilateral institutions. Such cohesive geopolitical blocs could also improve the signaling of "red lines" of mutual restraint among adversarial powers. A proposal for greater security cooperation between NATO, Japan and South Korea, for example, could enhance critical deterrence against revisionist geopolitical expansions in Europe and Asia. In turn, the Russia-China alignment could signal counter-deterrence against the West's overreach. An important implication of a divided world, however, is that it would be a world "half-lost" for the liberal world order. Advocacies for strategic clarity and deterrence among contemporary liberal democracies reflect growing pessimism toward post-cold war efforts to integrate non-liberal regimes. Subsequent proposals for restraining, even isolating the latter's global influence would likely provoke similar strategic entrenchment among non-liberal regimes, shrinking the boundary of the liberal world order. After three decades of post-cold war attempts at global integration, a decoupling would be a costly, cumbersome process, as evidenced by the impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. Should the West continue to engage with non-liberal regimes to prevent the emergence of a new iron curtain? Or should the West focus on restructuring a smaller, more cohesive liberal semi-world order? One legacy of the Korean War was that it might have irreversibly set the course of global geopolitics toward an "external balancing" between adversarial blocs rather than an "internal balancing" within a unified order. Perhaps the window of decision-making is still open for today's liberal democracies. If so, the liberal democracies must confront the same old dilemma: risk a more integrated world vulnerable to fluctuations of different shades of color or risk a more divided world composed of clearer "red and blue" blocs. ), Ph.D. candidate, is an adjunct faculty member at the American University School of International Service. Prior to this, he has served as a South Korean Air Force intelligence officer. His research specialty includes U.S. foreign policy, South Korean politics and foreign policy, alliance management and East Asian regional security. Lee Jong-eun ( jl4375a@student.american.edu Too few New York seniors are doing a good job of comparing their Medicare insurance options suggests the director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI). "Medicare is an incredible program benefiting seniors but many people are paying too much or not in plans that would maximize their benefits," states Jesse Slome, director of the Association. "Picking the wrong Medicare plan can be a potentially costly mistake." Nearly one in six New Yorkers is age 65 or above reports AAMSI, a larger share of the state's population than ever before. "There are now more New Yorkers aged 65 and older (3.2 million) than the entire population of 21 states," Slome notes. "There is an incredible need for education regarding the pros and cons of the various Medicare plan options available." Medicare is a national program but plan options are very local in nature Slome stresses. "The television ads featuring celebrity spokespeople make give the impression that with one call you can get the best plan and that's just not always true," Slome explains. "Your Medicare options are going to be based on where you live, and they will vary depending on where in New York You live." As an example, the Association regularly looks at local plan options. "Our latest analysis of Medigap Plan G protection revealed that someone turning 65 could easily pay $2,300 a year more than necessary," Slome notes. Medigap Plan G is the option selected by the majority of Medigap buyers first entering the Medicare program. A female turning 65 residing in New York City (Zip Code 10013) could find Medigap Plan G coverage for $278 per month according to Slome. The highest available premium for Plan G insurance was $476. "Medicare Supplement policy benefits for Plan G are virtually identical. But, each insurance company sets their own pricing." To learn more about New York Medicare insurance plan prices visit the Association's website. The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI) advocates for the importance of educated planning. The organization maintains the leading national online directory where consumers can find local Medicare insurance agents. For more information, visit the organization's website at www.medicaresupp.org. Cerveceria Chapultepec, the Mexico-based chain of one-price restaurants that opened two San Antonio locations in 2020, has closed both of those locations. The announcement came abruptly on Chapultepecs San Antonio Facebook page Monday. An employee reached at the location on Texas 151 just outside Loop 410 confirmed that the location on East Elmira Street near the Pearl closed Sunday, while the Texas 151 location closed last week. He offered no further details. Corpus Christi Fire Department A Game of Thrones-themed neighborhood near Corpus Christi could have used a little less fire and a little more ice after a blaze broke out at a home on Lannister Street. The fire occurred Monday morning in a new subdivision in the London area of the costal city at a home that was under construction, according to KIII-TV. Officials have not said what caused the fire. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The deaths of 50 migrants found in a semi-trailer truck in San Antonio on Monday night is believed to be the deadliest human smuggling incident on U.S. soil. Law enforcement officials often encounter smuggling deaths, but not at this proportion. Victoria, 2003 On May 13, 2003, 19 migrants died after riding in the rear compartment of an 18-wheeler in South Texas. In the incident, truck driver Tyrone Williams who agreed to smuggle the migrants across a border checkpoint for $7,500 failed to turn on the trucks cooling system causing temperatures inside to reach 173 degrees. When Williams opened the trailer in Victoria, the migrants were found dead of dehydration, overheating and suffocation. He was eventually sentenced to 34 years in prison. San Antonio, 2017 In another incident, 10 migrants died eight on scene and two at the hospital after being smuggled in a tractor-trailer to a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio on July 23, 2017. The driver, James Matthews Bradley Jr., pleaded guilty to charges in their deaths and was given a life sentence. Officials believed 39 migrants were found at the scene but as many as 200 may have been on the trip. Pedro Silva Segura, his co-defendant, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death. He was sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release, according to court records. Elsewhere in the world This manner of migrant death is not unique to the U.S. as similar truck incidents have been reported in England, Austria, Thailand, Libya and Pakistan, according to the Missing Migrants Project. Internationally, Monday's incident mirrors one of Britains biggest ever homicide investigations. In 2019, officials discovered the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals inside a refrigerated truck container in Essex, England. Four men were charged in connection to the deaths last year. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com In a Facebook post on Saturday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he won't "persecute" women seeking an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade the day before. Salazar, who has two daughters, said in the post that he would defend his daughters' ability to do what they feel is right with their own bodies and that their choice was "none of my business." On ExpressNews.com: The reason why gas prices are so high was decades in the making. Here's what Biden is trying to fix. "My job is chasing predators, rapists and human traffickers, not someone exercising their right," Salazar wrote. "... If its truly about protecting children, how about starting with the ones in our schools?" The sheriff also chastised the Supreme Court and the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., and Austin in his social media post for "attempting to impose their own supposed morals on others." Other than his view on abortion rights, below are five things to know about Salazar: Decades of policing: The 54-year-old has been in law enforcement for more than three decades, starting as an officer with the San Antonio Police Department when he was 22. Prior to being elected as the sheriff in 2016, Salazar held multiple positions with SAPD, including patrolman, bike patrol, director of communications and others. A local boy: Salazar was born in San Antonio and grew up in the area while his father was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Air Force Base. He lived in Universal City during his teen years and graduated from Samuel Clemens High School on the Northeast Side before earning his associate's degree from San Antonio College. Law enforcement wasn't his first career choice: At first, he wanted to go into broadcasting like his disc jockey dad and went to college to pursue a media major. After some soul searching, he decided to go into law enforcement instead and changed his major to criminal justice, according to the sheriff's SAC alum biography. Twice-elected sheriff: In 2017, he was sworn into office as the 34th Sheriff of Bexar County. During his first campaign, Salazar defeated former Sheriff Susan Pamerleau. He won his reelection in 2020, winning 61 percent of the vote over his opponent Gerard Rickhoff. Salazar vs. commissioners: Salazar has been at odds with the Bexar County Commissioners Court in the past. Late last year, the sheriff asked the Commissioners Court to fund new body-worn cameras and Taser gear. But the court refused to take action until Salazar changed the sheriff's office's body-cam policy. In February, the commissioners agreed to purchase new Tasers and body camera technology with assurances from Salazar that law enforcement videos would be released quickly. Last summer, former commissioner Trish DeBerry, who is now running for county judge, questioned whether a donation should be used for a rescue boat. In response, veteran-owned Black Rifle Coffee attempted to donate $32,000 for the boat. In the process, the coffee chain criticized DeBerry, which led to profanity-laced comments directed at DeBerry. County Judge Nelson Wolff then sent a stern letter to Salazar, saying he would not accept the Black Rifle donation. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net Associated Press file photo A McDonald's Big Mac cost a Texas man more than eight years of freedom after the burger tipped off Border Patrol agents to the methamphetamine stash that he was smuggling. Yen-Tsun Huang, of Austin, was sentenced to 90 months in prison on Thursday for attempting to smuggle meth into the country, the Department of Justice said. After his release, he will be on probation for three years and, as a Taiwan citizen, will likely be deported. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Two people were killed in separate shootings early Tuesday. In the first incident, a woman was shot and killed while walking in the 200 block of Woley Drive near St. Mary's University just after midnight, San Antonio police said. According to officials, a person who was walking with the woman told police that the driver of a white Chrysler pulled up to them and started talking to the woman. The woman turned to the witness and said, "he has a gun" before the suspect shot at the woman, police said the witness told them. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio gang member, convicted killer added to Texas' Most Wanted list The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the witness was unharmed. In the second incident, police said someone died in a shootout at around 4:15 a.m. at an East Side Circle K convenience store near the area of WW White Road and Houston Street. Police said the driver of a blue sedan pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store. When the driver went inside the store, someone from a vehicle that pulled up to the sedan fired shots into the vehicle, according to police. The driver came out of the store and started shooting back before they fled in the sedan to a nearby apartment complex in the 4100 block of Lord Street, police said. The driver then fled on foot, leaving behind a passenger who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Police said they have not found the driver or the person or persons involved in the shooting. taylor.pettaway@express-news.net The San Antonio Water System is enforcing water conservation during an ongoing infrastructure-testing drought with patrols and water waste report forms asking San Antonians to monitor their communitys consumption. Since San Antonio entered Stage 2 Drought Restrictions on April 13, SAWS has been busy keeping up with record temperatures and water demand, deciding to outsource some of its enforcement duties to the general public. The SAWS website provides a reporting form to tell the organization whether a homeowner or business is violating the restrictions, as well as the city of San Antonios Conservation Ordinance. The form asks for any reports to be as specific as possible: Time, date, address, a detailed description of the observed water problem, and images of the water waste can be submitted. SAWS notes all information provided may be subject to public disclosure as required by law. SAWS defines water waste on their website as: Landscape watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler outside designated watering hours Allowing water from any source to run off into a gutter, ditch or storm drain Failure to repair a controllable leak Runoff or overspray from a sprinkler or irrigation system regardless of the time of day Landscape watering during or shortly after a rain (Note: All automatic irrigation systems in San Antonio both residential and commercial are required to have working rain sensors to prevent this problem.) Charity car washes held at any location other than a permanent car wash facility Additional requirements of any drought restriction stage currently in effect SAWS also encourages individual reports of repeated water waste at the same location, so as to place chronic water wasters on a monitoring list. After the report, SAWS will contact the responsible party and issue a warning a friendly reminder about the rules, the SAWS website states, adding, most people cheerfully correct the issue reported and the process ends there. Citations ensue should they be needed. Those cited by SAWS will receive a summons from the City of San Antonio Municipal Court to appear in environmental court and appear before a judge. If you miss the court date, a judge will issue a warrant in your name. Enforcement SAWS officers, as well as part-time San Antonio police officers working with SAWS, engage in proactive patrols to see whether high-usage locations with multiple citizen complaints are committing violations. SAWS Director of Water Conservation Karen Guz said when residents fill out the anonymous water waste report form on the organizations website, it greatly assists the proactive patrolling process. A lot of properties will fix it after one notification, and that's the end of it, Guz said. But if we keep getting complaints, now they've ended up on our targeted list. So, if you're seeing the same property and you've reported it already, go ahead and report it again. That's helpful. Guz said she has not received many complaints from the public, believing San Antonians to be generally very water-aware and more than willing to report water waste when they see it. Some residents even email SAWS to apologize for complaints leveled against them, she said. SAWS guidelines under the currently active Stage 2 water restrictions allow watering with an irrigation system or sprinkler once a week from 7 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 11 p.m., but the organization encourages reporting water waste regardless of water conditions. The organization adds those observed watering on the wrong day by an enforcement officer may be issued a citation without prior warning. Despite the Stage 2 water restrictions and the potential stress on the water system, San Antonios diverse sources of water allow SAWS to keep restrictions from tightening further than in other nearby areas. Unlike some areas already under Stage 3 restrictions, SAWS can boast varied sources of water for the city, keeping them in Stage 2 despite the Edwards Aquifer Authority putting the area in Stage 3. Were San Antonio entirely reliant on the Edwards Aquifer, SAWS customers could only water their lawns every other week. But the percentage of water the city receives from the aquifer dropped from 100 percent in 1995 to 51 percent today, allowing San Antonio to think it can manage with Stage 2 for the time being, Guz said. As the drought continues, awareness and mindful conservation will likely rise. Guz said the general public may not realize the watering days provide needed relief to the various sources of water from which SAWS draws. After several days when temperatures simmered above 100 degrees and consumer demand rose with them, Guz said the organization reached over 300 million gallons produced a day. It's early in the year for us to be having to produce that much water, Guz said. It's hard on the water system. We have other extra water supplies now from a variety of sources and that helps us manage through the summers, Guz said. But I think what people don't maybe understand is that if you're watering just once a week on your day, and it's spread out, our system handles that really well. But if we have irrigation systems going off every day, it's very hard on the water system, and we have more main breaks. Excessive watering is but one piece of the problem, as drought conditions exacerbate the strain on infrastructure dry soil means even more stress on pipes that push hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day. All for grass that, according to Guz, does not need to be watered more than once a week to survive. The grass that's a little off-color now and kind of brownish will green up just as well as somebody who's out there hand watering every minute and spending a lot of money trying to keep it green despite this heat, Guz said. We think some of what's happening is people are watering too much because they're afraid that their grass is dying. Guz said SAWS customers do not need to fear the aquifers drying up or water scarcity but did ask for an appropriate level of concern from San Antonio residents enough to follow the rules and fix their irrigation controller settings. The way I try to explain it to people is that I want people to have a sense of urgency about following the rules, Guz said. I don't want them to be afraid. If you're in the SAWS service area, we are confident we can supply you with water. We are not worried about not being able to supply water. That is not true for some of the smaller communities in Texas and places like California. They're very worried. Ricardo.Delgado@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Fifty-three migrants have died after authorities discovered an abandoned tractor-trailer in southwest San Antonio on Monday night, in what is believed to be the deadliest human smuggling incident on U.S. soil. Initially, 46 migrants were pronounced dead with 16 others including four children taken to a local hospital due to heat exhaustion and dehydration, San Antonio officials said at a news conference. The death toll rose to 51 by Tuesday afternoon. Four people were pronounced dead at local hospitals on Tuesday morning. Another hospitalized person died on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. Two more deaths were reported on Wednesday. Here is what we know so far: Truck "cloned" In an apparent move to evade authorities, the truck that contained the migrants was cloned." Felipe Betancourt Sr. and his son, Felipe Jr., who own a South Texas trucking company, told the San Antonio Express-News that someone labeled the truck containing the migrants with the same color and identifying numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Texas DOT as a truck that their company owns. The truck had had driven up Interstate 35 and gone through a federal immigration highway checkpoint northeast of Laredo, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Cuellar said the truck was packed with people and managed to avoid detection, according to the AP. It's unknown if people inside the truck when it passed through the checkpoint. DEVELOPING: Truck with dead immigrants inside was cloned, Texas trucking company says How many people were in the trailer? Nearly 100 people were packed inside the trailer of the 18-wheeler, which was found after a worker at a nearby building in southwest San Antonio heard people inside and opened the rear doors. Sixteen people 12 adults and four children were rushed to area hospitals, officials said. In all, there were close to 100 people in the trailer, according to reports. Some of the hospitalized people were still in critical condition on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. A law enforcement official told the Texas Tribune Tuesday morning that it appeared people were attempting to jump out of the trailer because some of the dead were discovered along several blocks. The tractor-trailer had a refrigeration system that did not appear to be working, the official added, saying many of the people inside the trailer had been sprinkled with steak seasoning in what might have been an attempt to cover up the smell of the migrants as they were being smuggled. Where was the tractor-trailer found? The discovery was made at the intersection of Cassin Drive and Quintana Road, south of Lackland Air Force Base. It is currently unclear where along the border the tractor-trailer crossed when it entered Texas. Has anyone been arrested? As of Wednesday, four people had been arrested and charged in connected to the deaths. Homero Zamorano, 45, was arrested after officials say he abandoned the tractor-trailer in a desolate area near Lackland Air Force Base and fled the scene. Zamorano is originally from Brownsville and currently lives in Pasadena, officials said. Zamorano on Wednesday was charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. If convicted he could be sentenced to life in prison or receive the death penalty, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Zamorano on Wednesday was identified as the driver of the truck. U.S. and Mexican authorities said Zamorano tried to pass himself off as a victim of the tragedy before he was arrested, according to Reuters. Surveillance video captured Zamorano driving the truck through a security checkpoint in Laredo at 2:50 p.m. on Monday. Chritian Martinez, 28, was arrested Tuesday in Palestine and charged with one of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said Martinez and Zamorano used cell phones to communicate with each other about their attempt at human smuggling. Two other men, Juan Francisco- D'Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, were arrested after authorities traced the semi-truck to a home in the 100 block of Arnold Drive in South Bexar County. Both have been charged with being in possession of a weapon by an alien illegally in the United States. The two men were arrested Monday in San Antonio. The men were seen leaving a home that was the listed address of the registration for the tractor-trailer, prosecutors said. Police found a gun in a truck driven by D'Luna-Bilbao and more guns inside the home after searching it, according to prosecutors. Who is in charge of the investigation? The investigation into the deaths is being led by Homeland Security Investigations and also involves federal prosecutors. The people in the tractor-trailer were apparent victims of human smugglers, said Ashley C. Hoff, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas in a statement on Tuesday evening. Hoff called the discovery "tragic and disturbing." "We will continue to work with the Homeland Security Investigations and the local responders to identify and bring those who were responsible for this tragedy to justice," she said. Guatemalans, Hondurans among the dead Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed the death toll rising to 50 Tuesday morning. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said that number had increased to 51 Tuesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. Twenty-two of the migrants were Mexican nationals, he said, while seven were from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The remaining nationalities of the 19 others has yet to be confirmed. Marcelo Ebrard, foreign minister of Mexico, had initially confirmed late Monday in a tweet that two Guatemalans were among the dead. Alex Selgado of Fuerza Catracha, a Honduran immigrants organization in the U.S., told the San Antonio Express-News at the scene that officials did inform us that some of the deceased may be Honduran because they had emblems or insignia of our country on their clothing. Ruben Minutti Zanatta, consul general of Mexico in San Antonio, said Tuesday that his office would be going to the various hospitals to assist families in trying to identify injured victims and the dead. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the incident was a "horrific human tragedy" and called for prayers for those affected by it. Abbott blames Biden Gov. Greg Abbott placed the blame of the incident on President Joe Biden and his border policies in a tweet sent out Monday night. Deadliest migrant smuggling incident on U.S. soil Until now, the deadliest human smuggling event on U.S. soil came on May 13, 2003, when 19 migrants died after riding in the rear compartment of an 18-wheeler in South Texas. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com John.Ferguson@chron.com Federal agency confirms more than 40 fatalities from "alleged human smuggling event" in Texas Xinhua) 14:38, June 28, 2022 WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal agency confirmed on Monday night more than 40 fatalities from "an alleged human smuggling event" in San Antonio, Texas. The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tweeted that they responded to a call from the San Antonio Police Department earlier in the day regarding the incident "involving a tractor trailer on Quintana Road near Cassin Road." "Upon arrival, we confirmed more than 40 deceased individuals," the HSI wrote. The agency said its San Antonio office has initiated an investigation with the support of local police. "Details will be released as they are available," it added. "The criminal investigation remains ongoing." The HSI, part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) Fuel prices are displayed at a gas station in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap By Park Jae-hyuk SK Innovation, S-Oil, GS Caltex and Hyundai Oilbank appear to be more obedient to government policies amid growing calls from politicians to impose a tax on the windfall profits of the nation's four oil refiners, according to industry officials, Tuesday. A "windfall tax" refers to a higher tax rate on profits generated from a sudden windfall gain to a particular company or industry. After the global shortage of energy allowed oil refiners to enjoy handsome profits, the U.K. decided last month to impose a 25-percent windfall tax on oil and gas producers' profits, while the U.S. Democrats proposed a 21-percent surtax on the excess profits of oil and gas companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden even accused oil companies of exploiting high gasoline prices, saying, "Exxon made more money than God." Korea's four oil refiners also posted record profits during the first quarter of this year, thanks to the surging global oil prices and higher refining margins. Their combined quarterly operating profit reached 4.7 trillion won ($3.6 billion), up 2.5 trillion won from the previous year. They are expected to continue making handsome profits during the second quarter. Such a trend has prompted Korean lawmakers to propose a windfall tax, regardless of their political orientation. Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the ruling conservative People Power Party, even said last Thursday that "domestic oil refiners should not enjoy the higher oil prices alone," urging them to share the burden. The government has also zeroed in on the country's oil refiners. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy organized an inspection team with the Fair Trade Commission recently to find out whether or not the oil refiners fixed their fuel prices in collusion, given that their prices have remained high, despite an additional reduction in the fuel tax. In an apparent attempt to appease the public, the oil refiners issued a statement, Monday, promising that they will make efforts for consumers to realize the effect of the sharpest fuel tax cut as soon as possible. "The fuel tax reduction will be reflected in our prices, once it is implemented on July 1," said the Korea Petroleum Association, which consists of the four domestic oil refiners. The Korea Oil Association and the Korea Oil Station Association also said that they agree with the government's decision to lower fuel tax additionally. An oil refining industry official, however, pointed out that their efforts to support the government policies will have a limited impact. "Domestic oil prices fundamentally depend on global prices," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Even if a windfall tax is introduced, the government will not compensate for any losses of oil refiners when the global oil prices go down." Securities analysts were also skeptical about a windfall tax on the profits of the oil refiners. "The massive profits of the oil refiners this year can be used for their investments in new businesses, such as recycled plastic, hydrogen and batteries, so it seems to be better to enact a law enabling the Korean energy industry to make a leap forward, rather than imposing a windfall tax," Hana Securities analyst Yoon Jae-sung said. Forty-six immigrants were found dead Monday night in a tractor trailer on a stretch of scrubland on the Southwest Side. Four more people who were discovered still alive in the rig have since died, bringing the death toll to 50, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday morning. The dead include 22 immigrants from Mexico, seven from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Ebard said in a Tweet. The rest are still being identified. The new deaths come after law enforcement officials found nearly 100 people inside a tractor trailer on Quintana Road near Lackland Air Force Base a desolate area marred by illegally dumped trash and wrecked furniture, with at least one salvage yard close by. Forty-six were pronounced dead at the scene. Human smugglers favor largely unpopulated areas like that section of Quintana Road to drop off immigrants. San Antonio, with Interstate 10 running east to west and Interstate 35 south to north, is a major crossroads for human smuggling. Emergency personnel transported 16 people to area hospitals for treatment 12 adults and four pediatric patients, who were likely teenagers. Hood said the patients they treated at the scene men and women were hot to the touch. At least five of the patients remained in critical condition on Tuesday, local hospital officials said. Many of the survivors were suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. There were no signs of water in the truck. Temperatures in San Antonio hovered close to 100 degrees Monday. Hood said the back of the rig was refrigerated, but no air-conditioning unit was visible when emergency personnel entered. Many of the people found inside the truck were covered in steak seasoning, one law enforcement official said Tuesday, likely in an effort to disguise their scent as the smugglers were transporting them. Timothy Tubbs, who retired as the deputy special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Laredo, said smugglers commonly use seasonings and other substances to aid their smuggling operations. Dogs are trained for several things. Some are trained to smell money. Some are trained to smell narcotics, weapons, and some dogs are trained to smell human beings, Tubbs said. They will put seasoning on them to cover their scent so they can get through the Border Patrol checkpoint. Police Chief William McManus said three people were in custody, but he declined to elaborate. Homeland Security Investigations agents are now spearheading the investigation. HSI San Antonio has initiated an investigation with support from SAPD, the federal agency said in a written statement. The criminal investigation remains ongoing. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Department, in coordination with HSI, redeployed K-9 dogs Tuesday morning near Quintana Road in an effort to find any potential victims that may have fled the tractor-trailer before first responders arrived. Law enforcement officials feared some migrants could have fled the scene and died in the surrounding areas. Alex Selgado of Fuerza Catracha, a Honduran immigrants organization in the U.S., said at the scene that officials did inform us that some of the deceased may be Honduran because they had emblems or insignia of our country on their clothing. Marcelo Ebrard, Mexicos foreign minister, said on Twitter late Monday that two of the 16 survivors transported to San Antonio hospitals were Guatemalans. The news of the deaths drew an outcry from immigration advocates. We are devastated by the news, said Cesar Espinosa, an immigrant advocate with FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights organization. Unfortunately this is not the first time and unfortunately it wont be the last time that it happens as long as we dont have a pathway for people to migrate safely into the U.S. Border officials have reported a record number of migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, as Central Americans and people from around the world arrive there, often fleeing violence and poverty, in part due to worsening conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic. McManus said police were first called to the scene around 5:50 p.m. after nearby workers heard cries for help and walked over to the tractor trailer to investigate. One person was outside the trailer laying on the ground, Hood said. The workers opened the doors and discovered the dozens of dead, McManus said. Hood said they were too weak to get out and help themselves, adding that it wasnt clear how long they had been inside the tractor trailer. Were not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there, Hood said. None of us come to work imagining that. Hood said paramedics used a 12-lead ECG, a standard tool EMTS use to screen patients for cardiac activity, but that no such activity was found among the 46 dead. Hood said all the patients that they transported were conscious and alert. Patti Tanner, director of public relations at Baptist Health System, said that the Baptist Medical Center downtown received five patients. As of Tuesday morning, two had died; three remained in critical condition. Billy Calzada/Staff photographer Elizabeth Allen, a spokeswoman for University Hospital, said the hospital had received two patients from the scene. Early Tuesday, a 23-year-old woman remained in serious condition, and an adolescent male was in critical condition. Cheri Love-Moceri, a spokesperson for Methodist Healthcare System, said that Methodist Hospital Metropolitan had received three adult patients, all in stable condition. Two patients a 26-year-old woman and 32-year-old man were transported to Texas Vista, formerly known as Southwest General Hospital, a spokeswoman said. Both were in critical but stable condition early Tuesday morning. Mayor Ron Nirenberg described the event as tragic. There are, that we know of, 46 individuals who are no longer with us, who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life, Nirenberg said. And we have 16 folks who are fighting for their lives in the hospital. Our focus right now is to try to bring aid to them as best we can. This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy. McManus said it was the largest number of dead from a human smuggling incident in San Antonio that he knew of. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller lamented the news in a Tweet Monday evening. Our prayers raised up to you, O Lord, for their souls, Garcia Siller wrote. Lord have mercy on them. They hoped for a better life. Lord after Uvalde and now this, help us! We need you! So many people suffering. Not S.A.s 1st human-smuggling tragedy Human smuggling has had tragic consequences before in San Antonio. In July 2017, authorities found 39 undocumented immigrants in a sweltering tractor trailer in the parking lot of a Walmart on the South Side. Eight were already dead, and two more died later at area hospitals. A Kentucky trucker who transported the immigrants from Laredo to San Antonio later was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences without parole. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants for profit, resulting in death. At the truckers trial, witnesses testified that immigrants were told that, as soon as the tractor-trailer left Laredo, the cooling system would turn on. But it never did. As temperatures rose in the trailer, the desperate migrants tried to cut holes in the side with keys, a knife and their bare hands. Someone tried to claw their way through. There was blood everywhere, a federal agent testified. You could tell they just shredded their hands. In June 2018, more than 50 immigrants were discovered in an air-conditioned tractor trailer parked in an alley in the sedate Leland Terrace subdivision on the North Side. The migrants ran from the truck in an attempt to elude police officers, jumping over fences and climbing on the roofs of houses. More than 50 were apprehended. The political finger-pointing begins As the scope of San Antonios latest human-struggling tragedy became clearer Monday night, politicians on both sides of the countrys partisan divide were quick to cite it in support of their favored policies on immigration. Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted: These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. Gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke, Abbotts Democratic opponent in Novembers general election, said the incident illustrates the need for immigration reform. We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs, he said in a Tweet. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) said on Twitter that the calamity showed we must end Title 42, which has put desperate, oppressed people in grave danger of death. He was referring to a provision of U.S. public health law that first the Trump administration and now the Biden administration has used to turn away asylum seekers at the border, ostensibly to halt the spread of COVID-19. Biden wants to end the policy, but courts have prevented it. Like Abbott, Matt Mackowiak, a Republican political consultant in Austin, traced the disaster to supposedly weak border enforcement by Biden. Open borders lead to immeasurable human suffering and death, he tweeted. Staff Writers Eli Trovall and Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this story. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday laid the blame on human smugglers, poverty and a lack of control at the U.S.-Mexico border for the deaths of 50 immigrants in a tractor-trailer abandoned on the Southwest Side. Lopez Obrador called the discovery of the northbound trailer parked near Lackland Air Force Base on Monday evening a tremendous tragedy. In case you missed it: Truck with 46 dead immigrants inside was cloned, trucking company says Monday's grim discovery and other migrant deaths were due to the poverty and desperation of our Central American brothers and of Mexicans, Lopez Obrador said during a Tuesday morning briefing. It happens because there is trafficking of people and a lack of control, in this case at the Mexican-U.S. border, but also in the U.S. interior, he said. Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press Forty-six immigrants were found dead Monday night, and at least 16 others were taken to local hospitals alive but suffering from heat exhaustion and apparent dehydration. Four more people who were discovered still alive in the tractor-trailer have since died, bringing the death toll to 50, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a tweet Tuesday morning. The dead included 22 immigrants from Mexico, seven from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Ebard said in the Tweet. The rest are still being identified. Lopez Obrador said the Mexican government would be providing assistance to the family members of the deceased. Related: As death count rises to 50 migrants found in Texas tractor-trailer, here's what we know Three people are in custody and the Department of Homeland Security is now spearheading the investigation, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said on Monday. Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said he was heartbroken by the deaths in San Antonio. Far too many lives have been lost as individuals including families, women, and children take this dangerous journey, he tweeted Monday night. News of the death toll in San Antonio, considered to be one of the worst episodes of migrant deaths in the United States in recent years, quickly spread world-wide. Many political and religious leaders reacted on social media. Among them was Pope Francis, who called the incident in San Antonio a tragedy. I sorrowfully heard the news of the tragedy of the #migrants in Texas and #Melilla, the pope said in a tweet. Let us #PrayTogether for these brothers and sisters who died following their hope of a better life; and for ourselves, may the Lord might open our hearts so these misfortunes never happen again. timothy.fanning@express-news.net Although most abortions are now banned in Texas, they can be medically necessary in some cases and legal if a womans life is at risk. Since last Friday, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, women in Texas generally cannot receive an abortion after conception. However, in a small minority of cases, abortion is permitted if in a doctors good faith clinical judgment, a medical condition requires the immediate abortion of a womans pregancy to avert her death or to avoid a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function, according to the Texas Health Safety Code. An exception depends on a licensed physician determining that a woman has a life-threatening physical condition that could be adversely affected by a pregnancy, that puts the pregnant individual at risk of death unless the abortion is performed, said Dr. Randal Robinson, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Health San Antonio. That person can receive a legal abortion. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar DA vows to protect women, LGBTQ community in wake of SCOTUS abortion ruling Medically necessary cases come in many forms, such as a person with a severe underlying medical condition like kidney disease, cardiac disease or diabetes that a pregnancy can exacerbate. In such cases, a womans kidneys could shut down or the stress of having a child could induce a heart attack, losing both the baby and the mother. Preeclampsia, a complication in pregnancy, is another potential justification for a medically necessary abortion. The condition can lead to eclampsia, which causes seizures, coma and brain damage in a pregnant woman and can be fatal to the woman and the baby. Other reasons for a medically necessary abortion include a placental abruption when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before birth and maternal sepsis, which is the bodys extreme response to an infection. Sepsis can be fatal for a pregnant woman and the baby. This all depends on the medical judgment of the physician and the severity of the medical condition, Robinson said. If its life-threatening or could impair major bodily function, that could be a reason. Also, a severe fetal abnormality that would prevent a fetus from surviving outside the womb could be a reason to perform an abortion, according to the Texas Health Safety Code. But if a fetus has a survivable developmental or physical issue, such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease, Texas law requires the mother to continue her pregnancy. On ExpressNews.com: Supreme Courts abortion decision condemned, celebrated in San Antonio In all cases, it is up to a physician to determine whether medical necessity exists to perform an abortion, rather than the pregnant woman. In practice, few abortions are deemed medically necessary. Physicians who perform non-medically necessary abortions can be fined $100,000 or more for each offense or face life in prison for a first-degree felony. Robinson said the reduced availability of abortions could put more women at risk of severe medical issues as a result of continuing their pregnancies longer rather than ending them sooner. As of now, the Texas Legislature has made no move to remove the provisions for medically necessary abortions from the Texas Health Safety Code. Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez warned attendees of a forum addressing crime on the North Side that some people would get angry. He had cause for anger himself. Pelaez said his own home was targeted recently in a string of break-ins, and appliances were stolen. The same thing happened to 11 other houses. Such a crime was unheard of 20 years ago here, Pelaez said. For the most part, the session was tame as police Chief William McManus and District Attorney Joe Gonzales led the session with Pelaez and District 9 Councilman John Courage. More than 100 people gathered in Congregation Agudas Achim for the discussion, which featured a program called Mentimeter that allowed people to use their digital devices to chime in on questions submitted by Pelaez. The first was a question of what words attendees associate with crime. Their answers included scary, escalating, and the biggest one, fear. Carlos Javier Sanchez, Contributor Crimes of concern among attendees last week seemed to be break-ins, or burglaries. The session was an impromptu lesson in how the criminal justice system works in San Antonio, as McManus walked people through the primary goals of police: to arrest people who commit crimes and to deter crime by speaking to area residents and at schools. McManus said the types of crimes police see are split into two categories: violent crime and quality-of-life crimes. Most people are not affected by violent crime, he said. If someone is killed or theres a shooting, you dont really worry. Youre worried about the order- and maintenance-type crimes. Maintenance crimes include panhandling at intersections and auto break-ins. The chief said that people who commit petty crimes like class C misdemeanors are often back on the street no matter how many times they are cited. A similar situation occurs with violent crimes as well. McManus said two suspects whom police identified in a recent drive-by shooting at a barbecue that killed two happened to be arrested on unrelated charges, but they had bonded out. Thats the kind of stuff that frustrates the police department, McManus said. We arrest guys two or three days after the offense, and theyre back out on the street. Carlos Javier Sanchez, Contributor Some attendees shook their heads at Thursday evenings forum when McManus mentioned that leading a high-risk lifestyle, including drug use or prostitution, puts people at risk of violent crimes. McManus said an outside agency is reviewing staffing at SAPD to help reduce response times. The chief said he hopes to improve their non-emergency response time, which varies wildly from 17 minutes to two hours. Gonzales gave people a walk-through of how his office operates. He said his office relies on area law enforcement to file cases with his office so he can prosecute them. He touched on some of the problems facing the office, such as an exodus of talented prosecutors and a backlog of cases that was exacerbated by the inability to form grand juries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year, his office reviews 60,000 cases. He said his office is focusing on violent crimes, many of which now have heavier case files with more information for prosecutors to review, such as security camera footage, witness statements and other evidence. Crime scenes can be a lot more brutal today than when I was a prosecutor, Gonzales said. Carlos Javier Sanchez, Contributor Courage encouraged people to join a Citizen on Patrol group to help be the eyes and ears of police. Criminals see that, Courage said, noting that criminals often dont care unless they see the group is active. While all four officials said there are limits to what they can do in certain cases regarding quality-of-life crimes, they urged constituents to reach out to their respective council members offices for help. Pelaez ended the meeting with a call to action for people to discourage panhandling by not rolling down their windows, and instead to donate to local nonprofits and organizations that are working to aid the homeless, such as the Salvation Army, Goodwill or the Battered Women and Childrens Shelter. Remember that feeling of your heart breaking a little bit, take that home, and do something, Pelaez said. But please, for Gods sake, do not roll your window down. Be compassionate in a more mindful way. jbeltran@express-news.net Who do we blame for the nightmare that revealed itself on a desolate stretch of San Antonios Southwest Side on Monday night? For the unfathomable horror of migrants many of them coated in steak seasoning to disguise their scent slowly baking in a hot, cramped tractor-trailer and gasping in desperation for their final breath. Do we blame the migrants most of whom apparently came from either Mexico, Guatemala or Honduras for seeking refuge from soul-crushing poverty? Do we blame the smugglers, who saw a way to make money off the anguish of others and exploited the situation with cold, mercenary detachment? Do we blame employers in the United States who hire undocumented immigrants as a way to undercut U.S. workers and get cheap labor? On ExpressNews.com: Mexican president slams border security and human trafficking for San Antonio migrant deaths Do we blame a system that serves as a catalyst for this barbarous game? As of Tuesday afternoon, the death count from this tragedy had reached 51, with many more fighting for their lives in local hospitals. Details of the story were just beginning to emerge on Monday night when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott the same Greg Abbott who denounced his general-election challenger, Beto ORourke, last month for politicizing the May 24 Uvalde school shooting decided to score some immigration-policy points against Democratic President Joe Biden. These deaths are on Biden, Abbott tweeted. They are a result of his open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. GOP Congressman Chip Roy, whose district includes part of San Antonio, tweeted, This should not happen. Open borders are good only for cartels not Americans or migrants. Abbott and Roy called for the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security. Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based political consultant and chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, tweeted, Open borders leads to immeasurable human suffering and death. That may be true, but it bears little relation to the facts of this story. Logic and history tell us that people dont put themselves through extreme physical danger to make it into the United States if the border is wide open. After all, if someone from Mexico or Central America believes they can cross this countrys southern border anytime they want, without facing any risk of being caught, why would they choose to hide in a packed trailer tricked up to fool customs agents into thinking it belongs to a South Texas trucking company? This is the fourth, and the worst, massive immigrant-smuggling tragedy that Texas has faced in the past 35 years. The previous three tragedies all happened under Republican presidents (and Republican governors, for that matter). The locations and death tolls differ, but the rest of the details are remarkably similar. In July 2017, six months into the administration of border-hawk President Donald Trump, 10 undocumented migrants were found dead in a sweltering tractor-trailer outside a South San Antonio Walmart. The victims spent their final moments banging against the wall of the trailer. On ExpressNews.com: Truck with dozens of dead migrants inside was cloned, trucking company says A contemporaneous Associated Press story pointed out that big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement. Prior to that, the story noted, People paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border. Did you catch that point? Smuggling by tractor-trailer is an outgrowth of enhanced border enforcement, not reduced border enforcement. In May 2003, 19 migrants hoping to make it to Florida to work at a tomato packing plant, were found dead at a Victoria truck stop in a trailer with no water, food, light or air. The driver, a 32-year-old man from Schenectady, New York, named Tyrone Williams, had received $5,000 to transport 85 migrants from the South Texas border to Houston. He abandoned the trailer in Victoria when he saw the dead bodies. In July 1987, 18 men who paid $400 apiece to be smuggled into the United States, were found dead near Sierra Blanca in an airtight boxcar normally used for transporting beer. Four horrible incidents in four different decades with four different presidents in office. None of those presidents were advocates of open borders. For 15 months, Biden voluntarily preserved Trumps use of Title 42, a public-health directive, to turn away migrants at the border before they could apply for asylum. In April, he announced his intention to rescind it, but has been blocked by court order. No single element can be blamed for a system that feeds on desperation. But Title 42 has intensified that sense of desperation. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 The Butt family and H-E-B are donating $10 million to help build a new elementary campus in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed last month by a gunman at Robb Elementary School. The contribution is to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Moving Forward Foundation, a nonprofit created to raise money for the new school districts other financial needs. You might also like: One month after Uvalde school shooting: A graduation ceremony steeped in loss, resiliency Our first store in Uvalde opened in 1959, and Uvalde people are our people, H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt said in a statement. As we continue to mourn tremendous loss, I join with my family and H-E-B in working to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward from this tragic event. He added: Our children are this countrys future, and our schools should be a safe place where children can thrive and envision new possibilities." Its not the San Antonio-based grocers first donation since the school massacre. In May, H-E-B launched a donation campaign and pledged to give $500,000 to support the victims and families affected by the massacre. The H-E-B Tournament of Champions Charitable Trust also committed $500,000 to nonprofits assisting in Uvalde Robb Elementary School is set to be demolished, and more than 500 students who were to return to the campus in the fall will be relocated to two other Uvalde elementary schools. The two schools are Dalton and Flores. Third and fourth grade students who went to Robb will be relocated to Flores Elementary, which typically serves third through sixth grade. Students graduating from Dalton, who would have attended Robb, will instead remain at Dalton. Dalton Elementary typically serves pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students. Related: Uvalde shooters grandmother discharged from San Antonio hospital Its unclear how much the new school will cost, where it will be built and when construction could begin. It's also unclear when Robb Elementary School will be demolished. The foundation did not immediately respond to inquiries Tuesday. The school will significantly enhance educational offerings and implement state-of-the-art safety and security measures, and infrastructure to support the availability of new technology, according to H-E-Bs announcement. The Butt family and H-E-B are founding donors for the new school. Fort Worth-based architecture firm Huckabee and San Antonio-based Joeris General Contractors are donating their services to design the campus. The school district will work with the community and donors to gather feedback on the new schools features, according to the foundations website. Robb Elementary was built in the 1960s and served about 538 students in grades second through fourth. It has deep roots for many Uvalde residents, given that multiple generations of some families were educated there. It was also the focus of district-wide walkout in 1970 after the contract of a popular Hispanic teacher at the school was not renewed. Staff writer Claire Bryan contributed reporting. madison.iszler@express-news.net Jae C. Hong, STF / Associated Press Celia Martinez Gonzales, who was shot in the face at her home by her grandson before he opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last month, has been discharged from University Hospital in San Antonio. We are pleased to share some good news related to last months tragic shooting in Uvalde: The 66-year-old woman has been discharged, the hospital tweeted Tuesday morning. Imagine your beloved dog trapped in a small, rusty, wire cage where she spins in circles, making herself as small as possible so she can lay down, dodging her own excrement. She has the same needs for human connection as other pets. But breeders have decided her fate: She will produce litter after litter, and have her puppies taken away to faraway pet stores. We are far removed from this atrocity in our everyday lives. However, those cute puppies you see in stores are often products of this merciless enterprise, known as puppy mills. Statistics from the Humane Society of the United States reveal that 2.6 million puppies sold annually originated from puppy mills, and about 500,000 dogs are held in puppy mills for breeding purposes. Let me share my experience. RELATED: Commentary: Pass city ordinance on puppy mills In March of 2021, I bought a puppy from a pet store and was told the parvo shots had been administered. A few days later, my adorable puppy was so sick that she was admitted to a veterinary ICU where she was diagnosed with parvo. After five excruciating days and immense cost, Baby Syrah survived. Today she is a 20-pound bouncing bundle of joy. Having been exposed to the puppy mill catastrophe, I am now adamant about advocating for the abolition of this dreadful trade model. After the city of San Antonio passed an ordinance, effective Jan. 1, 2020, prohibiting the sale of puppies in pet stores, several pet stores relocated to nearby Type A General Law cities in Bexar County. Under the Texas Constitution, general law cities, with populations less than 5,000, may only pass ordinances that are consistent with state law, whereas home rule cities with populations greater than 5,000 can pass ordinances as they deem necessary. A number of Texas cities including San Antonio, Austin, College Station, El Paso, Fort Worth and Houston, among more than 400 localities across the nation, plus five states, have banned the sale of commercially raised puppies in pet stores. New Braunfels is in the process of banning pet shops from dealing with commercial breeders unless the dog is obtained from an animal shelter or welfare organization and must have supporting evidence. Local families who want to acquire pets should consider adoption from our strong network of shelters and rescues. Stores selling puppies claim to source puppies only from regulated, professional, USDA licensed and inspected kennels that are at the top of the strata. Yet, a USDA-licensed breeder can confine hundreds of breeding dogs to stacked, wire cages for their entire lives. RELATED: Editorial: Vote against puppy mills shows respect for animals Public records show that these stores across Texas import thousands of puppies from massive Midwest puppy mills, with egregious animal welfare records. I urge readers to view a very disheartening article in the Rolling Stone edition of Jan. 3, 2021, The Dog Factory: Inside the Sickening World of Puppy Mills by Paul Solotaroff. We can and will promote animal welfare and send a clear message to the state Capitol that our community does not support this inhumane undertaking and boycott stores that sell puppies - not in my back yard. Texans need to step up and reject this cruelty by advocating for a statewide ordinance. Shamila Behal, CPA, MBA, teaches accounting at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and is an ambassador with the Texas Humane Legislation Network. What is happening here? a distraught Nancy Pelosi said Friday. Its a good question, and I can answer it, because I was there at the start of the corrosive chain of events that led to women losing control of their own bodies. I saw how America went from a beacon of modernity to a benighted outlier. Over the past three decades, I have witnessed a dismal saga of opportunism, fanaticism, mendacity, concupiscence, hypocrisy and cowardice. This is a story about men gaining power by trading away something that meant little to them compared with their own stature: the rights of women. It started innocently enough on a beautiful summer day in Kennebunkport, Maine. I was covering President George H.W. Bushs nomination of a 43-year-old U.S. appeals court judge for the D.C. Circuit to take the seat of retiring Justice Thurgood Marshall. Clarence Thomas, standing in front of a weather-beaten shingled cottage, looked uneasy as Bush defended his conservative choice. The warnings were clear even then. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio, threatened to investigate Thomas record on abortion, saying, I will not support yet another Reagan-Bush Supreme Court nominee who remains silent on a womans right to choose and then ascends to the court to weaken that right. Thomas was a far cry from liberal lion and civil rights hero Marshall. He opposed affirmative action, even though it contributed to his rise, and he was championed by anti-abortion activists. Bush and his father were New England Episcopalians with a proud history of supporting Planned Parenthood. Prescott Bush had been an early supporter in the 40s and once served as a treasurer of a fundraising campaign. As a Texas congressman, George H.W. Bush was christened Rubbers because he was such a cheerleader for family planning in the United States and around the world. But when Bush joined Ronald Reagan on the ticket in 1980, he adopted Reagans more restrictive position. The right remained suspicious of Bush, though, and hoping to bring it around for his re-election, he appointed the ultraconservative Thomas. He also wanted to appeal to Black voters, still angry at the Willie Horton ugliness that had helped propel him to the White House. Womens rights had to take a back seat to re-election. Three months later, Anita Hill told Congress about her boss, Thomas, tormenting her with unwanted attention and dirty talk about pornographic films. Joe Biden was the chair of those Senate hearings. He let Hill be viciously ripped apart by Republicans and then abruptly ended the hearings, canceling the appearance of her two corroborating witnesses. Many senators on the committee composed entirely of white men privately thought it was an office romance gone wrong. Poor guy, they said among themselves, no point in letting his life be ruined by someone they thought, with no evidence, was a vengeful ex. Hill was smeared as a perjuring erotomaniac, and Biden, wasting a Democratic Senate majority, allowed a liar, a pervert and a sexual harasser to be elevated to a lifetime seat on the court. Womens rights had to take a back seat to Bidens desire to foster bipartisanship with his conservative colleagues. And with Thomas, those conservatives got the justice of their dreams, the first in a line of right-wing radicals. When Donald Trump came along, trailing a history of lurid sexual transgressions, the family-values Republicans and religious right didnt care. They knew he was the one who could bring them to Valhalla on the Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell and his Federalist Society minions used Trump as the host body. After wrecking the rules to keep Merrick Garland off the court, McConnell jammed through Amy Coney Barrett. Trump, who had once been a pro-choice, Nancy-and-Hillary-and-Chuck loving Democrat, was happy to flip to gain the fervor of an anti-abortion base. Womens rights had to take a back seat to Trumps ego and ambition and McConnells desire for a conservative court that would pull back the reach of the government, denying protections to Americans who need or value them. They pushed through three conservative justices one had to defend himself against sexual assault charges and one was in a weird Handmaids Tale-style sect and that was checkmate for Roe. Neil Gorsuch and another Trump appointee, Brett Kavanaugh, are now facing accusations from senators that they dissembled to get on the court and played down their intentions to throw out Roe. I am a dont-rock-the-boat kind of judge, Kavanaugh told Susan Collins, according to the New York Times Carl Hulse. Thomas concurring opinion to the fanatical Samuel Alitos majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade chillingly warned that he would apply the same rationale to contraception, same-sex marriage and same-sex consensual relations. Back when Thomas nomination ran into resistance, the Bush administration sold him as a sterling example of a Black man who had pulled himself up from rough beginnings. That day in Kennebunkport, Thomas talked about being raised by his grandparents, sharecroppers from rural Georgia. But on the court he has been cruel, pushing opinions that would grind down the poor and underprivileged. While his wife ran around helping Trump with his coup, Thomas was the senior firebrand in a coup of extremists on the court. They yanked power from John Roberts and are defying the majority will in this country in terrifying ways. Thursday, in the middle of an epidemic of mass shootings, with Congress finally getting a mild victory on gun control, Thomas opened the door to more guns on the street. He wrote the majority opinion overturning a New York law limiting the right to carry a handgun in public, a requirement more than a century old. In another ruling, the justices chipped away at the First Amendments separation between church and state, a foundation of the republic. And next, they will get around to removing environmental protections and gutting the governments ability to regulate and restrict business rights. The court is out of control. We feel powerless to do anything about it. Clarence Thomas, of all people, has helped lead us to where we are, with unaccountable extremists dictating how we live. And that is revolting. On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman went missing in Mississippi. They were working as part of Mississippi Freedom Summer, registering Black people to vote. Less than 7 percent of Black Mississippians were registered to vote. They were denied voting rights through bogus literacy tests, intimidation and violence. It was straightforward voter suppression. Schwerner and Goodman were white, Jewish and from New York City. Chaney was Black and from Mississippi. All three were in their 20s. Schwerner was married. A deputy sheriff stopped them outside Philadelphia, Miss., and booked them into the Neshoba County Jail. Chaney was charged with speeding. The other two were held for investigation. RELATED: Editorial: Honor King by protecting voting rights They were released around 10 p.m., after the local Ku Klux Klan was notified and could organize a lynch mob. The same deputy sheriff who had brought them to jail followed them after their release. He stopped them again and this time delivered the three to a gang of Klansmen on remote Rock Cut Road, where they were shot and killed. Their bodies were buried in a dam under construction at Old Jolly Farm. The land was owned by Olen Burrage, one of the wealthiest men in Neshoba County. FBI field agents searched for the three men. Eventually, they received a tip about where the bodies were buried. Finally, after 44 days, their bodies were unearthed. Mississippi state authorities refused to bring murder charges against any of the Klansmen. But in 1967, the federal government brought charges of civil rights violations against 18 Klan members. Only seven Klansmen were convicted, and no one served more than six years in prison. RELATED: Commentary: Dark history hovers over todays efforts for voting rights Then, in 2005, in a very different racial and political climate, a Neshoba County grand jury indicted Edgar Ray Killen, a minister who helped organize the lynch mob, on three counts of murder. He was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Killen died in prison in 2018, just shy of his 93rd birthday. The murders of Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman spurred passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the civil rights movements most significant accomplishments. It is important for us to remember that these three men were in Mississippi, working to make voting accessible to people who were denied the right to vote. Efforts to stop voter suppression, however, are not relegated only to events of a half century ago. Its a battle for today, too. The Brennan Center for Justice, named after the late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, reports, Since the 2020 election, the nations voting systems have been under unprecedented attack from multiple angles. Laws that make it harder to vote, Legislation that sabotages the electoral process. Threats and harassment directed at election officials. Extreme racial and partisan gerrymandering. Lets be clear about voter suppression. It is not a bipartisan movement. MORE LIKE THIS: Editorial: Fight to protect voting rights not over yet Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times observes that the Republican Party has been taking a two-pronged approach: Imposing additional restrictions on voting (especially mail voting), and giving Republican-controlled state legislatures greater control over the administration of elections. According to the Brennan Center, 19 states passed 34 laws restricting voting in 2021. Texas was one of those states. The Brennan Centers Will Wilder and Stuart Baum report that provisions in SB 1, passed last year by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, target election officials and workers and make it harder to vote by mail. The law imposes new identification requirements on mail-in ballots and threatens elections officials and workers with new criminal penalties for expanding voter access or even simply encouraging eligible voters to request mail ballots, according to Wilder and Baum. The National Urban League, in its recent State of Black America report, notes that the attacks on voting rights and American democracy are making it harder for Black people to achieve racial equality. The report notes that the redrawing of congressional maps, extremely strict voter ID laws and efforts to discredit votes are attempts to silence Black voices. Fifty-eight years after the murders of Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman, we find ourselves in a renewed battle for voting rights. Honor their lives by working for voting rights, not suppressing them. Roger C. Barnes is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of the Incarnate Word. LS Cable & System Asia LSCV plant in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. / Courtesy of LS Cable & Systems LS Cable & System Asia seeks to expand new businesses to be better prepared for and adapt to the changing pandemic. The company continues to grow after achieving record-high quarterly results in the first quarter of this year. Its strategy is to go beyond Vietnam and advance into global markets such as ASEAN countries and North America with its renewable energy and telecommunication businesses. LS Cable & System Asia is the "No. 1" cable maker, occupying more than 20 percent of the power cable market in Vietnam, the company said. It has three production subsidiaries Vietnam LS-VINA (Hanoi), LSCV (Ho Chi Minh City) and Myanmar LSGM (Yangon) to produce high-quality power and communication cables, and is playing a leading role in LS Cable & System's success in the global market. LS-VINA is the only cable company capable of producing ultra-high-voltage cables in Vietnam, and it is expected to benefit from the expansion to new and renewable energies such as wind and solar power. In particular, the Vietnamese government announced a plan to build 18GW of wind power capacity by 2030, which opened the way to a 3.6-trillion-won ($2.8 billion) cable market LSCV's telecommunication cable business is also expected to expand following the establishment of high-speed communication networks in North America and Southeast Asia. LSCV exports around 80 percent of all its telecommunication cables to the U.S. "Growth is expected due to the urbanization of the ASEAN countries, the establishment of high-speed communication networks and the development of new and renewable energies," Baek In-jae , CEO of LS Cable & System Asia said. "We will focus on investing in high-value-added products to improve our profit margins." (Advertorial) The death toll of migrants who have succumbed to the heat after being trapped in a tractor-trailer has risen to more than 50. Discovered Monday night on a remote stretch on San Antonios Southwest Side, these migrants deserved a humane and fair immigration system one that honors the rights of asylum workers, recognizes our workforce needs and reflects the inherent dignity in all people. But what migrants navigate in the United States whether in the back of a tractor-trailer, trekking across the desert or crossing the Rio Grande is a broken and politicized immigration system that denies our shared humanity and forces many people to put their lives at risk. We should all ask ourselves: Just what would it take to climb into the back of a tractor-trailer and risk such a perilous journey for a better life? Just what circumstances would lead a person to flee their home country? And just what hopes and dreams would that person be seeking? We know many of the migrants who were found dead Monday came from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Migrants from these countries, which have been rocked by cartels and gang violence, are likely to be expelled from the United States under Title 42, the deeply flawed public health policy masquerading as immigration policy to deny asylum claims and due process. Border hawks like to hype Title 42 as a deterrent, but this isnt the case. As we editorialized in May after a federal judge maintained Title 42, the public health law has fueled border crossings. Why? Because it is a public health law, not an immigration law. Title 42 carries no legal consequences, and as such, it encourages people to risk crossing the U.S.-Mexico border again and again. The most likely outcome of an expulsion under Title 42 is simply going to be a bus ride back to Mexico, if you are caught. And that incentivized a lot of people to start crossing the border repeatedly, rolling the die every time, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior policy counsel with the American Immigration Council, told us in May. In other words, Title 42 is often what leads people to attempt crossing the Rio Grande or climb into the back of a tractor-trailer despite suffocating heat. Since its implementation in March 2020, Title 42 has led to some 2 million expulsions. This tragedy, like those that have come before it, deserves an urgent humanitarian response. But it has instead received a predictable political one. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wasted no time in placing the blame on the White House, tweeting, These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a San Antonio Republican, took to Twitter to call for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas to resign. The Biden administration has been utterly incoherent on immigration and border security, but so have other recent administrations. While this is the deadliest human-smuggling tragedy in San Antonios history, it is not the only one. In 2017, 39 immigrants were found in the back of a tractor-trailer on the South Side, and 10 of them died. In 2018, more than 50 immigrants were discovered in the back of an air-conditioned tractor-trailer. The United States desperately needs comprehensive immigration reform. One that would allow asylum-seekers to present themselves at ports of entry and honor their due process. One that offers legal pathways for workers. And one that addresses root causes of immigration. As San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis. Until we achieve comprehensive reforms, the humanitarian crisis will endure and horrors like this will persist. Immigration is not a political issue. It is a human one. And it demands our moral urgency. Shortly after local authorities found more than 40 migrants dead inside a tractor trailer in southwest San Antonio Monday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott took to social media to blast President Joe Bidens immigration policies. These deaths are on Biden, Abbott tweeted from his personal Twitter account. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. It was a familiar refrain for Abbott, who has repeatedly condemned the Democratic presidents moves to reverse Trump-era immigration restrictions. But while Biden has rescinded a number of his predecessors policies, he has also kept intact Trumps signature border programs some by choice, others by court order. IN-DEPTH: Bidens border plan calls for 23,000 officers, slashing asylum processing time Advocates and immigration experts were quick to argue that, contrary to Abbotts characterization of an open border, federal authorities have restricted access to an extent that has encouraged migrants to take dangerous and even deadly journeys to reach the U.S. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes. Truck smuggling is way up, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director for the advocacy group American Immigration Council. Among the Trump-era policies continued under Biden is Title 42, a public health order that allows immigration authorities during a pandemic to expel migrants from the country before they can apply for asylum. Despite facing pressure from within his party to end the Trump-era policy, Biden continued it for more than a year, then announced in April he would lift the order. A federal judge has blocked the move, however, and immigration officials have continued a monthly pace of roughly 100,000 Title 42 expulsions. Critics of Bidens border enforcement have noted that while he has kept Title 42 in place, authorities under his administration have used the policy far less than under Trump, when upwards of 80 percent of migrant encounters at the southern border ended with a Title 42 expulsion. The rate has settled at around 50 percent under Biden, with an even steeper drop-off in recent months. Bidens detractors have also argued that his rhetoric during the 2020 campaign and the early months of his administration have played a leading role in the record surge of migrant encounters along the southern border. The president aimed at both human smugglers and his political foes with a statement Tuesday: Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, it said. Fate of Remain in Mexico policy uncertain Last fiscal year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended undocumented migrants a record-setting 1.7 million times, a figure on track to be easily eclipsed this year, with 1.5 million encounters reported through May. The figure is being largely propelled by repeat crossers, however: Nearly half the Title 42 expulsions since the start of the pandemic, covering both the Trump and Biden administrations, have been of migrants who were expelled multiple times, according to the American Immigration Council, which opposed Trumps border policies. Despite Bidens declining use of Title 42, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, pinned the Monday incident on the Biden administrations overall continuation of the policy, arguing it has put desperate, oppressed people in grave danger of death and created more business for human smugglers. In any case, much of Bidens preferred approach to immigration has been kept in check by court orders, several of which have resulted from lawsuits led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office. Thus far, Texas has convinced courts to halt Bidens attempts to place a moratorium on deportations during his first 100 days in office and end the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as Remain in Mexico, which requires some asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. immigration hearings. The Biden administration ended the Remain in Mexico program before reinstating it in December under court order. Litigation over the program has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on the case this week. Biden, citing initial reports linking the tractor trailer deaths to smugglers or human traffickers, said the incident underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths. My administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said. Still, Abbott was not the only Republican to take aim at Bidens immigration approach. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio who represents a sweeping border district, called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign due to loss of confidence in his ability to command. He also repeated Abbotts characterization of Bidens open borders agenda. To stop this madness we can start by ending catch & release, hiring more agents, getting agents out of the processing centers & back on the front lines, adding more drones and sensors, and labeling cartels foreign terrorist organizations, Gonzales tweeted. Abbotts Democratic opponent, former congressman Beto ORourke, called news of the tractor trailer deaths devastating. We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs, ORourke tweeted. jasper.scherer@chron.com A Harris County judge has granted a temporary restraining order allowing some Texas abortion clinics to offer the procedure without the threat of criminal prosecution for at least the next two weeks. The clinics, which had paused abortion services amid legal uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections on Friday, will now be able to resume providing the care to patients who are within the six-week gestation limit set by state law. That law was already one of the strictest in the country and prevented most abortions, as most women don't know they're pregnant until after that point. This decision will allow abortion services to resume at many clinics across the state, connecting Texans to the essential health care they need, said Marc Hearron, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. "Every hour that abortion is accessible in Texas is a victory. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told attorneys for the plaintiffs that he planned to appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court. "These laws are 100 percent in effect and constitutional," Paxton tweeted Tuesday. "The judges decision is wrong. Im immediately appealing. Ill ensure we have all the legal tools to keep TX pro-life!" After the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was struck down, Paxton had threatened to enforce a 1925 Texas law that banned all abortions other than those needed to save the mother's life and imposed criminal penalties for providers and others who offer someone assistance in obtaining an abortion. The clinics filed suit Monday requesting the judge declare that law, which had not been enforced in almost 50 years, to be invalid. Harris County District Judge Christine Weems, a Democrat, wrote as much in her order, finding that enforcement of the old law would cause "probable, irreparable, and imminent injury" to the plaintiff clinics and their physicians and other staff. She also wrote her order is necessary to preserve the status quo, as the six-week ban was the law of the land until Roe v. Wade was overturned. TRIGGER LAWS: Map shows where abortion will be banned, protected without Roe v. Wade Weems' order likely applies only to the clinic groups that sued the state: Whole Womans Health; Whole Womans Health Alliance; Alamo City Surgery Center, Brookside Womens Medical Center; Austin Womens Health Center; Houston Womens Clinic; Houston Womens Reproductive Services; and Southwestern Womens Surgery Center. It's unclear whether the injunction applies to clinics that are not party to the suit, such as Planned Parenthood. The CEOs of Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates said in a joint statement Tuesday that their clinics had no immediate plans to resume offering abortions, but added: "This is a rapidly evolving situation and legal teams are still reviewing this order and its potential implications." The case could also offer a lifeline to Texas abortion funds, which provide transportation and other assistance to people seeking abortions, after they shuttered Friday, citing concerns of criminal liability. The court will decide on a request for a more permanent injunction at a hearing scheduled for July 12. Regardless of how the court rules, however, the states trigger law, which bans most abortions with a narrow exception for cases in which the mothers life is at risk, is set to take effect 30 days from when the Supreme Court decision is certified. The certification process typically takes about 25 days after a ruling is issued. READ ALSO: Texas abortion funds freeze indefinitely as Supreme Court shakes landscape In their suit, lawyers for the clinics argue that the 1925 ban has been absent from Texas statutes since 1984 and point to a 2004 Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that found it was repealed by implication after Roe. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Texas had banned abortion before Roe v. Wade. Do those laws come back into effect now? Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee, a Democrat, was among those applauding the ruling. Its reprehensible that our Attorney General would invoke laws dating back to the 1920s we all know what types of laws were on the books in the South during that time, Menefee said. Our state leadership should not be trying to take Texans back to those times. ABORTION RULING: Read the notes from a legal expert who dove into the opinions overturning Roe City funding sought for infrastructure upgrades for apartments in Government Hill a neighborhood near Pearl where property values are surging recently thrust the debate over which developments should receive public dollars back into the spotlight. A group of investors and developers led by JJ Feik plan to build 281 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments; a parking garage and retail space outside Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Its expected to cost about $78 million and will be near buildings they renovated for office and retail tenants, including a brewery. They applied for $2.1 million from the Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone for the project, called the Residences at Grayson Heights. A tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, is a mechanism in which increases in property tax revenue from land within the zone are used to reimburse developers for public improvements such as utility work and new sidewalks. On ExpressNews.com: Apartments will be part of bigger Government Hill development At a June 16 meeting, several City Council members balked at the request, which was approved in a 7-3 vote. Councilwoman Teri Castillo said she is concerned about how the market-rate development will affect residents in the neighborhood, where homes are being renovated and prices and values are soaring. The average value of a single-family home in Government Hill rose from $78,208 in 2015 to $158,748 in 2020, according to the Bexar Appraisal District. The 78208 ZIP code in Government Hill had the third-highest increase in the median home price during that period, an Express-News analysis of San Antonio Board of Realtors data found. It rose 153.7 percent to $212,500. Public dollars should work for public good, Castillo said. Yes, the city of San Antonio is quickly gentrifying, but that does not mean that we should continue to feed the beast. No doubt this is going to have a ripple effect in the surrounding neighborhoods, she said. As part of their agreement with the city, the developers must contribute $500,000 to an affordable housing fund to help with home rehabilitation in Government Hill. Castillo pointed to the citys repair programs and how many homes could be rehabilitated with $2.1 million in funding. Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, whose district includes the development, said he was conflicted about it. It was in the works long before he was elected, and neighborhood associations and previous council members supported it, he said. But I still believe that any incentive going to a private housing development should come with some form of affordable housing. McKee-Rodriguez said he was ultimately comfortable voting in favor of it because of the amenities involved, including a public park and street lighting. This is the last of my inherited projects, and so moving forward, I want to be clear that Im looking for substantial community buy-in and feedback, he said. I want to see public spaces and community benefit to include deep affordability and/or a significant level of investment in the community. On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: A bleak portrait of the affordable housing crisis Councilman Mario Bravo said he is worried about energy consumption and the limited funding available for the TIRZ to distribute. Bravo said he wants to see developers go far above and beyond standard building practices for energy efficiency and that the Residences at Grayson Heights missed the mark. I fully recognize that we need to build housing at every cost level and that we need more housing, he said. But this project didnt stand out to me in any way, and so for me to want to invest public dollars toward this, I would want to see something thats catalytic. Councilman John Courage said growth should pay for growth. If this is a market-rate private development in an area that is certainly able to stand on its own after its become a multibillion-dollar valued area, I cant see why the city would be adding $2.1 million, he said. Councilman Clayton Perry and Mayor Ron Nirenberg said San Antonio needs more housing of every kind. We are phasing away from this kind of development, but in my view, we have to complete what we started, Nirenberg said. We also have to make sure that were mindful of facilitating every level of housing development. S.A. VOTES Voter Guide: What to know for the Texas runoff election A breakdown of key state and local races and candidates in the May 24 primary runoff. I think it would do this area a tremendous boost, especially right outside Fort Sam Houston, Perry said. The group developing the complex includes Feik and Tim Sanford, who own and operate local hotel and property management firm Paradigm Management, and real estate consultant Robert Hunt. In an interview, Feik said the development will benefit the community by adding housing, parks and space for businesses and generating more revenue for the TIRZ. Rents will be about $400 less than apartments closer to Pearl and along Broadway Street, he said. On ExpressNews.com: CVS Health taking on San Antonios affordable housing shortage with $15.3 million investment The group is putting about $3.6 million into infrastructure improvements and spending more than $1 million on green building measures. Feik said Bravo has not defined what standards he wants buildings to adhere to. Feik said hes sympathetic to residents who are struggling to keep up with rising costs, particularly those who are disabled, elderly or on fixed incomes. But to lay that at the feet of the developer versus to say, What can we do as a community, as a city and and a state to address some of these issues I think our energies are better spent coming together on that subject, Feik said. He expects the apartments to appeal to workers at Fort Sam, students in the Alamo Colleges District and young professionals working at Credit Human and Jefferson Bank. Theres a host of businesses that are in this area, and the demand generators are there to support additional housing, Feik said. madison.iszler@express-news.net New survey data on calf colostrum management shows that dairy farmers are making steady improvements, but performance monitoring needs more of a focus. MSD Animal Health has reported on the results of an early 2022 survey of current colostrum management practices in the UK. Feedback was gained from 248 dairy farmers representing both all year round and block calving herds. Questions were designed to draw out current practices relating to the accepted 5Qs of best practice colostrum management: Quality, Quantity, Quickly, sQueaky clean and Quantify. Asked whether they check the quality of their cow colostrum before storing or feeding it, 49% of respondents said they always check its quality; 25% said sometimes and 26% never. Interestingly, when farmers were asked this same question two years ago, 44% of farmers said they never test their colostrum. MSD Animal Health's youngstock product manager, Rob Simpson said the new results were particularly encouraging. Farmers are now making good strides forward in this crucial area and reaping the benefits of improved calf health as a result. Thats great news. Colostrums importance cannot be over-emphasised. In addition to providing immunity against key early life disease threats, fed correctly and in enough quantity, colostrum also helps kickstart sound organ development and a healthy metabolism. "We also know that a good colostrum intake enables a greater response by the calf to important vaccines (up to six to ten months of age)," he said. "Indeed, the additive impact of sound colostrum feeding protocols and vaccination is the cornerstone of immunity-led disease prevention. More than 70% of the 248 dairy farmers claimed to be feeding up to four litres with a further 9% of respondents feeding more than four and a half litres. And the majority seem to be getting it into the calf quickly; more than 75% giving it before the newborn calf is six hours of age and more than 15% within 12 hours of birth. Mr Simpson added that it was also encouraging that farmers now appreciate the importance of hygiene. More than 60% of farmers are feeding it within 30 minutes of harvest and another 23% within the hour. The final best practice Q relates to quantification and Mr Simpson stressed that there is no point investing in better colostrum management and feeding practices if progress cannot be monitored. Failure of passive transfer (FPT) of antibodies is nearly 14 times higher on farms that dont routinely monitor this goal compared with farms that do," he added. "However, this latest survey found that 40% of farms never check the transfer of antibodies from colostrum by calf blood analysis. Whats more, another 33% only do it in the event of a problem." Independent veterinary professional Owen Atkinson explained that farmers should be checking colostrum antibody absorption routinely. Progress has been slow in this area but now appears to be improving, he said. In 2015 just 3% of farms were blood testing calves but this latest survey suggests more than a quarter of the farms are now working with their vet in this area. Thats really encouraging. People watch as smoke billows after a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping mall, in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, June 27. AP-Yonhap Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underscored the urgency of helping his country's military improve its position against Russia in a video meeting Monday with leading economic powers, who in turn pledged to support Ukraine ''for as long as it takes.'' Zelenskyy addressed the delicacy of the moment for Ukraine in its war with Russia to the Group of Seven Summit as the leaders of the major economies prepared to unveil plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions. In addition, the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv to help Ukraine fight back against Vladimir Putin's aggression. The official announcement would come shortly after Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for the first time in weeks and as the Russian military has continued a full-on assault on the last remaining Ukrainian redoubt in Luhansk Province in order to take control of the eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian officials stressed the need for more air-defense systems Monday after Russia launched a missile attack on a crowded shopping center in the central city of Kremenchuk. Officials said 1,000 civilians were in the mall with at least twenty injured and two dead. The new aid and efforts by G-7 leaders to punish Moscow come as Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the world. The Ukrainian leader discussed his strategy for the course of the war, which has transformed into a bloody artillery battle in the country's west and east. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Zelenskyy's top request was for further air defense systems, followed by economic support to help his government meet its financial obligations. Zelenskyy also briefed the G7 leaders on how his administration is using the assistance he's received to date ''to maximize Ukraine's capacity both to resist Russian advances, and to pursue counterattacks where possible,'' Sullivan said. Sullivan added that the Ukrainian leader was ''very much focused on trying to ensure that Ukraine is in as advantageous a position on the battlefield as possible'' in the coming months because ''he believes that a grinding conflict is not in the interest of the Ukrainian people.'' Zelenskyy also told the leaders that he needs to be in a stronger position before engaging in peace talks with Russia, according to a senior French diplomat, who spoke under condition of anonymity in line with the French presidency's customary practices. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart following their meeting in Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine, June 27. EPA-Yonhap After hearing from Zelenskyy, the leaders pledged in a statement to support Ukraine ''for as long as it takes.'' They said it is up to Ukraine to decide on a future peace settlement. Leaders were also finalizing the deal to seek a price cap on Russian oil. G7 finance ministers will resolve details of how it would work, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview announcements from the summit. Some market analysts doubt how effective such a price cap would be, as enforcement by the G7 would likely depend on cooperation from India and China. ''It is questionable whether countries like India and China will agree to cease purchasing Russian oil, especially as it is trading at a significant discount to the global market price,'' said Carsten Fritsch, a commodities analyst at Commerzbank. The largest democratic economies will also commit to raising tariffs on Russian imports to their countries, with the U.S. announcing new tariffs on 570 categories of goods. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden increased the tax to 35% on certain Russian-made goods. Biden is expected to soon announce the U.S. is purchasing NASAMS, a Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft system, to provide medium- to long-range defense for Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. NASAMS is the same system used by the U.S. to protect the sensitive airspace around the White House and U.S. Capitol in Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel sit at a round table as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses G7 leaders via video link during their working session, in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, June 27. Reuters-Yonhap Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Here Is What She Wrote On Her Instagram Stories: expressed her disapproval of certain news items being circulated by sections of the media ever since her pregnancy was announced. While good wishes have been pouring in from all over, Alia Bhatt was also deeply disappointed in some of the misogynistic media coverage she received.The actress took to her Instagram stories to write, that meanwhile, we are still living in some peoples heads in a patriarchal world. She wrote that her projects had not gotten delayed. A news portal had earlier reported that Ranbir Kapoor would be traveling to the UK to bring Alia Bhatt home. The actress wrote that she doesnt need to be picked up and that she was a woman, not a parcel. She also added that she does not need to rest.Meanwhile we still live in some peoples heads we still live in some patriarchal world .. fyi. Nothing has gotten delayed!!!! No one needs to PICK anyone up. I am a woman not a parcel!!! I do not need to REST at all but good to know you'll have a doctors certification as well. This is 2022. Can we pls get out of this archake way of thinking! Now if you would excuse me my shot is ready (sic).recently shared a picture of herself with Ranbir Kapoor at the doctors office announcing her pregnancy. She later took to Instagram to share a gratitude post for all the good wishes she has received. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / Juine 27, 2022 / CoTec Holdings Corp. (TSXV:CTH) ("CoTec" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has retained PI Financial Corp. ("PI") to provide market making services in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange policies. PI will trade the securities of the Company for the purposes of maintaining an orderly market. The Company will pay PI a monthly cash fee of $5,000 in consideration of its services. The contract is for a minimum term of three months and renewable thereafter. The Company and PI are unrelated and unaffiliated entities and the capital required for the services will be provided by PI. PI will not receive any shares or options as compensation for its services. About CoTec CoTec is an ESG-focused company investing in innovative technologies that have the potential to fundamentally change the way metals and minerals can be extracted and processed for the purpose of applying those technologies to undervalued operating assets, as the Company seeks to transition into a mid-tier mineral resource producer. The Company is committed to supporting the transition to a lower carbon future for the extraction industry, a sector on the cusp of a green revolution as it embraces technology and innovation. CoTec is a publicly traded mining issuer listed on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol CTH.V For further information, please contact: Braam Jonker - (604) 992-5600 Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement Statements in this press release regarding the Company's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to management's expectations and the benefits to the Corporation which may be implied from such statements. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. For further details regarding risks and uncertainties facing the Corporation please refer to "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's filing statement dated April 6, 2022, a copy of which may be found under the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. 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. SOURCE: CoTec Holdings Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706719/CoTec-Holdings-Corp-Appoints-PI-Financial-as-Market-Maker NEW BEDFORD, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 27, 2022 / The Port of New Bedford applauds today's appointment of Eric Hansen, a New Bedford scalloper and president of the Fisheries Survival Fund, to a seat on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). Hansen's appointment will help ensure the concerns of New Bedford's vital fishing community are represented at the Council level. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, chairman of the New Bedford Port Authority, recommended Hansen for the seat in a February letter to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. The Port thanks Gov. Baker, who nominated Hansen to the Council, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who made the appointment. The Port also thanks NOAA Assistant Administrator Janet Coit and NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator Michael Pentony. For the past 21 years, New Bedford has been the most valuable fishing port in the country, with $451 million worth of seafood landed in 2020. In addition to species like surf clams and ocean quahog, a major share of the Port's success is due to the value of New England's scallop fishery, one of the most valuable fisheries in the country. Port of New Bedford. Credit: Spectrum Marketing Group Prior to Hansen's appointment, there was no representative from New Bedford on the NEFMC. Having a voice on the Council who understands the needs of our fishermen and our fishing community is critical to preserving the economic and cultural future of the Port. "As the most valuable commercial fishing port in the nation, New Bedford deserves a seat at the table where management decisions are made, and we appreciate Secretary Raimondo's recognition of that fact," Mayor Mitchell said. "Eric's extensive knowledge and experience, and his solid reputation in the industry, will enable him to serve with distinction." Hansen brings years of fisheries management experience to his new role on the NEFMC. He has previously served on the Council's Scallop and Monkfish Advisory panels. In his role as president of the Fisheries Survival Fund, he has effectively advocated for the scallop fishery as it has become one of the most sustainable and effectively managed species in the country. PRESS CONTACT Bob Vanasse Stove Boat Communications (202) 333-2628 bob@stoveboat.com SOURCE: Port of New Bedford View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706717/Port-of-New-Bedford-Applauds-Appointment-of-Eric-Hansen-to-New-England-Fishery-Management-Council HONG KONG, June 28, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - On the afternoon of June 24, Argentine Time, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez met with Li Zhen, chairman of Gotion High-tech, and his delegation at the presidential residence in Olivos, he explicitly supported Chinese investment in Argentina, and praised Gotion High-tech's multiple industrial investments will promote the development of Argentina's new energy industry. The two sides also had friendly exchanges on the "Targets of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization" strategy, the new energy vehicle industry, the Sustainable Transportation Act and the joint venture between Gotion High-tech and Corven, a well-known American auto parts manufacturer, to establish electric bus batteries and other topics. Alberto Fernandez: The friendship between China and Argentina goes back to ancient times. I attended the Beijing Winter Olympics this year and witnessed the unique Chinese winter Olympics moment. Not long ago, I also participated in the online communication of the BRICS Summit. China's "One Belt, One Road" strategy and "Targets of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization" strategy have encouraged many Chinese enterprises to invest in Argentina, undertake photovoltaic power stations, hydropower DAMS and other new energy projects, and continue to promote them, it also bringing opportunities for Argentina's development. The world is already shifting to renewable energy. Argentina has made incentives for lithium, wind power, photovoltaic and other industries. The Development of Sustainable Transport Act, introduced last year, it aims to promote investment in electric vehicles, promote the electrification of transport and provide legal protection for investors in new energy. We welcome Chinese investment in Argentina. Gotion High-tech's industrial investment activities in Argentina,it cover the development, processing and battery products of lithium resources, which accelerates the development of local lithium resources and it will help the development and progress of Argentina's new energy industry. Li Zhen: Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Argentina, leaders of the two countries have actively supported complementary advantages and economic cooperation between enterprises, especially the "Belt and Road" initiative. It provides strategic guidance, points out the direction and lays the foundation for inter-enterprise cooperation. The third energy revolution with solar and wind power as the main body has come. To make full use of it, we must have energy storage technology. Gotion High-tech has been focusing on energy storage for 16 years. We plan to reach 300GWh battery production capacity in the world by 2025, which makes enterprises' demand for lithium resources more vigorous. Argentina is the third largest economy in Latin America, with a harmonious social system and orderly development of resources, it provides a good external environment for enterprises to invest. We have partnered with Jujuy National Energy and Mining Company and we will work with Corven in Buenos Aires to develop downstream applications. In the next 100 years, new energy vehicles will certainly be a new engine for the world economy. Gotion is willing to work with visionary people in Argentina to jointly create a new era of energy industry. Daniel Scioli, Argentina's minister of Production and Development, Ariel Schale, The industry minister, President Fernandez was accompanied by Cecilia Todesca, Minister of International Economic Relations, and Fernanda Avila, Minister of Mines, and communicated with the Gotion High-tech team on the development of the lithium industry. Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. GOTION HIGH-TECH-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - JetBlue Airways Corp.(JBLU) said Monday that it has modified its proposal to acquire Spirit Airlines Inc. (SAVE) and issued an open letter detailing the benefits of its decisively superior proposal. JetBlue said it urged Spirit shareholders not to be misled by Spirit Board. The shareholders can protect their ability to receive JetBlue's offer by voting 'No' at the Spirit special meeting on 30th June. JetBlue's new offer raises the reverse break-up fee to $400 million from $350 million if regulators don't approve the transaction. The new offer includes a dividend to Spirit shareholders of $2.50 per share, up from a previous offer of $1.50 per share . The new offer also includes a 'ticking fee' that would provide shareholders with a monthly prepayment of $0.10 per share between January 2023 and the consummation or termination of the transaction. It represents an estimated aggregate ticking fee of up to $1.80 per share, of which the first $1.15 per share in payments will offset the reverse break-up fee or the merger consideration. Any payments in excess of the $1.15 per share will be incremental to the total purchase price of $33.50 or the reverse break-up fee. The increases the total transaction consideration to up to $34.15 per share in the event the transaction is consummated and total downside protection to $4.30 per share, or approximately $470 million in the aggregate, in the event the transaction is terminated. Earlier today, Spirit Airlines said it received an open letter from Frontier Group Holdings Inc. (ULCC), parent company of Frontier Airlines Inc., noting that its latest takeover offer gives Spirit stockholders the opportunity to realize significant upside in excess of $50 per share, delivering superior value compared to JetBlue's proposal. Spirit Airlines last Friday agreed to a sweetened offer by Frontier that includes more cash and increased reverse termination fee, after determining that JetBlue's revised offer is not a superior proposal. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX SPIRIT AIRLINES-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de TOKYO, June 28, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - E.design Insurance Co., Ltd., a direct non- life insurance company of the Tokio Marine Group, and Eisai Co., Ltd. announced today that both companies have entered into a business alliance agreement aiming to realize a society where people can safely enjoy driving for a longer period of their lives in anticipation of the advent of super-aging society, under the theme of "Improving Brain Health (brain performance) for Safe Driving." EDSP, as an Insurtech (a term coined by combining insurance and technology) company which promotes "co-creation of a world without accidents" with customers and other companies or local governments, and Eisai, which aims to build a dementia ecosystem through coexisting with various industries and organizations to remove the diverse anxieties of each individual, both will take this business alliance as an opportunity to promote safe driving and extend driving life, thereby contributing to solving the issues associated with an aging society.The initiatives planned under the alliance are as follows.1. Providing an opportunity to check brain healthThe privilege of using "NouKNOW", the digital tool for self-assessment of brain health distributed by Eisai, will be offered to customers who have purchased the "&e", automobile insurance of EDSP (Scheduled for July 2022). With "NouKNOW", brain health is measured quantitatively through a simple card test using smartphone or other devices, evaluating psychomotor function, attention, learning and memory, and working memory. When driving a car, the human brain processes a variety of information, such as road conditions, traffic volume, or the route to a destination, and makes instantaneous judgements repeatedly. Introducing "NouKNOW" is intended to promote safe driving and encourage people to become more aware of their brain health on a daily basis, which is thought to contribute to human judgment while driving.2. Jointly developing solutions for maintaining and improving brain healthEDSP and Eisai will jointly develop solutions that help maintain and improve brain health, by leveraging Eisai's experience and expertise, to enable customers to drive safely for a longer period of time in their lives. Both companies aim to create new solutions, including the development of training contents utilizing data on the characteristics of daily driving behavior and data on brain functions, and the development of a service, targeting customers whose brain health has declined or whose risky behavior has increased, to compile an integrated report on their brain performance and safe driving capability by utilizing the driving score provided by "&e" and the "NouKNOW" score, that allows customers to share the results not only with themselves but also with their families.About "&e"The "&e", co-creation-type auto insurance, provides benefits such as support services for safe driving tailored to each customer by linking IoT sensors and smartphones, in order to reduce the number of customers involved in accidents by even one.For more information about the "&e", please visit www.e-design.net/About "NouKNOWTM""NouKNOW" (non-medical equipment) is a self-checking tool of brain health (brain performance) developed by Eisai based on the algorithm created by Cogstate, Ltd. (Headquarters: Australia) for which Eisai holds the rights for exclusive development and commercialization worldwide. It is not a tool for the prevention and diagnosis of diseases, but therefore for the purpose of self-checking brain performance in order to raise health awareness. This digital tool allows users to self-assess independently evaluating psychomotor function, attention, learning and memory, and working memory in a short time frame (approx.15 minutes) through a simple card test using smartphone or other devices.For more information about "NouKNOW", please visit https://nouknow.jp/ (Japanese only)About E.design Insurance Co., Ltd.E.design Insurance Co., Ltd. is an Insurtech company* of the Tokio Marine Group with the mission of "not only supporting peace of mind in the event of an accident, but also creating a world without accidents, together with our customers." E.design Insurance Co., Ltd. is taking on the challenge of realizing a "world without accidents" through projects such as the "Safe Drive With," a project to reduce accidents using driving data with "&e" and various data on traffic safety, and the "+Machi (Pla-Machi)," a donation program for community-based initiatives to reduce traffic accidents and promote traffic safety, together with customers, local governments, and companies that support our aim of "creating safety through data. E.design Insurance Co., Ltd. will continue to work with its customers to create a new form of insurance industry.*For more information on Insurtech insurer, please see Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. News Release: bit.ly/3ylN7b0About Eisai Co., Ltd.The Eisai's Corporate Philosophy is "to give first thought to patients and people in the daily living domain, and to increase the benefits that health care provides." Under this Philosophy (also known as human health care (hhc) philosophy), we aim to effectively achieve social good in the form of relieving anxiety over health and reducing health disparities. With a global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to create and deliver innovative products to target diseases with high unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology. Under the medium-term business plan "EWAY Future & Beyond", which began in April 2021, Eisai is expanding its main role in healthcare, that is, we should contribute not only to people in the medical domain but also to people in the daily living domain. We aim to evolve into an hhceco (hhc philosophy + eco-system) company that empowers people "to realize their fullest life" by creating solutions based on science and data through building an ecosystem in collaboration with other industries.In addition, we demonstrate our commitment to the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which is a target (3.3) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with working on various activities together with global partners.Source: EisaiCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Achiko AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Achiko AG - Suspension of Trading 28-Jun-2022 / 06:55 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Achiko AG - Suspension of Trading Zurich, 28 June 2022: Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR - Achiko AG (SIX: ACHI; OTCQB: ACHKF; ISIN CH0522213468) ("Achiko", the "Company") announces that it has received notification from SIX Exchange Regulation AG {"SER") that the trading of Achiko's shares shall be suspended as of Tuesday, 28 June 2022. On 27 June 2022, SER has performed an initial review of Achiko's annual financial statements published on 26 June 2022 and determined that they do not comply with Art.49 and Art 51 of the Listing Rules1 ("LR") requiring the Issuer to publish an annual financial report, comprising the audited annual financial statements in accordance with the applicable financial reporting standard, as well as the corresponding audit report. SER noted that the audit report included in the annual report 2021 of Achiko issues an Adverse Opinion and, based on the auditor's conclusion, there is strong indication that the Issuer has breached Art. 49 and 51 LR, one of the most important conditions for maintaining a listing. Therefore, SER advised that the trading of Achiko's shares shall be suspended based on Art.57 LR as of Tuesday, 28 June 2022, until the orderly conditions are restored. Furthermore, SER has given Achiko AG a deadline until 31 July 2022 to publish audited financial statements in accordance with Art 49 and 51 LR. As noted in the Company's adhoc announcement of 26 June 2022, Achiko is looking forward to immediately completing a capital increase. The Company is working with its auditors, lawyers and a number of investors and financiers to resolve the situation as soon as possible and expects to be able to comply with SER's requirement in advance of the 31 July deadline. The Company has commenced production to supply Nahdlatul Ulama in Indonesia with its affordable, non-invasive Covid-19 saliva-based rapid test AptameX and this week has started supplying tests to 600 schools in Indonesia. The Company is also producing samples for prospective customers in other Asian countries, the UK, Europe and The Middle East. ABOUT ACHIKO AG Achiko AG (SIX: ACHI.SW; OTCQB: ACHKF; www.achiko.com) is developing disruptive diagnostic solutions that puts people first. The company's lead product is a rapid, reliable Covid-19 test with a companion app offering a user-friendly digital health passport. The test and companion app were launched in Indonesia in mid-2021 and an application for CE Mark approval in Europe will be submitted in 2022. Achiko creates and develops aptamer-based diagnostics through its biotechnology division, AptameXTM and companion health apps via its digital mobile health technology division, Teman SehatTM. The AptameX DNA aptamer tests can be rapidly chemically synthesised, are cost-effective and have wide potential across multiple disease diagnostics. Leveraging AptameX and Teman Sehat, Achiko aims to deliver fast, accurate and affordable diagnostic testing for a range of pathogenic diseases and therapeutic indications in the rapidly evolving healthcare diagnostics field. Headquartered in Zurich, Achiko has offices in Jakarta, and staff around the world. Media contacts: ACHIKO AG Investor Relations E: ir@achiko.com Switzerland & Global Marcus Balogh Farner Consulting Ltd. E: achiko@farner.ch T: +41 44 266 67 67 Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Achiko AG and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Achiko AG to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Achiko AG is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information,future events or otherwise. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference ahead of a NATO summit that will take place in Madrid, at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 27. Reuters-Yonhap North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies will boost high readiness forces to "well over 300,000" troops as they strengthen their defenses in response to Russia's war on Ukraine, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. Leaders from the U.S.-led military alliance will meet in Madrid this week for what Stoltenberg said would be a "transformative" summit as it grapples with the fallout of Moscow's invasion of its pro-Western neighbor. Stoltenberg said allies would bolster some of their battle group formations along NATO's eastern flank "up to brigade level" tactical units of around 3,000-5,000 troops and ratchet up high readiness numbers to "well over 300,000." In addition, more heavy weaponry including air defense systems would be shifted forwards and forces pre-assigned to defend specific NATO members on the alliance's exposed eastern edge. "This constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War," Stoltenberg said. NATO currently has a high readiness force of around 40,000 troops under its command, but the more than 300,000 troops are expected to form a larger pool that the alliance could tap into in the case of an emergency. A NATO official said the new system would be in place next year and improve the alliance's "ability to respond at very short notice for any contingency" with land, sea, air and cyber assets. Stoltenberg also said leaders would agree to bolster NATO's essential support to embattled Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to call in via video link. US spearhead That package would include "substantial deliveries" of equipment such as secure communications, anti-drone systems and fuel, and help Ukraine over the longer term to pivot to using more advanced NATO-standard arms. This support is separate from weaponry that NATO members spearheaded by the United States are already funneling to Ukraine, including anti-tank rockets, artillery and air defense to help it hold back Russia's onslaught. NATO has been building up its forces in the east of the alliance since Moscow first moved into Ukraine with the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The alliance has rushed tens of thousands more troops to the region since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion Feb. 24. NATO now has eight battle groups across its eastern members and Stoltenberg said some of these likely in the Baltics and Poland would be bolstered to "brigade level." Jittery leaders in the Baltics have pushed for major and permanent troop deployments that could stop the Kremlin's forces at NATO's border. Germany has said it would take the lead on a new brigade in Lithuania where it already has forces but most of those troops would be permanently stationed back on home soil. Britain's defense minister has said his country will likely propose a similar set-up for Estonia where it commands the existing battle group. Stoltenberg said he expected other allies to announce forces dedicated to protecting specific eastern members at the summit that starts Tuesday evening. (AFP) Critical Storage Infrastructure to Support the UK Power System Uskmouth will be one of the largest storage projects in the UK and will directly support the UK's energy transition. Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners ("Quinbrook"), a specialist investment manager focused on renewables, storage and grid support infrastructure has acquired the exclusive development rights for one of the UK's largest battery storage projects to date. The planned 230MW 460MWh Battery Energy Storage System ("BESS"), will be located at the site of the former Uskmouth coal fired power station in south Wales ("Project Uskmouth") and will seek to utilise existing power transmission infrastructure and provide a new lease of life to the area. Uskmouth was acquired from Simec Atlantis Energy Limited ("SAE"). Quinbrook has partnered with Energy Optimisation Solutions Limited ("EOS") in the origination and development of Project Uskmouth, which represents a major anchoring project in the planned re-development and regeneration of the Uskmouth site into a Sustainable Energy Park that will support innovative future industry. Quinbrook considers these types of regeneration projects as key to making meaningful contributions to delivery of the Government's Levelling Up ambitions. Quinbrook affiliate Private Energy Partners Limited ("PEP") and EOS are jointly undertaking the design and development phases of Project Uskmouth with PEP leading equipment procurement, construction and operational management. Habitat Energy, one of the major battery storage optimisers in the UK market owned by Quinbrook, will be engaged to optimise the Uskmouth assets when completed and operational. The development includes a modification of the existing grid connection agreement and a planning application, the latter to be determined by Newport City Council. Construction is envisaged to take up to 18 months, with the project expected to become operational towards the end of 2024. Quinbrook's policy is to prioritise the use of local contractors and specialists during construction works and where possible, the project will utilise the existing railway access for logistics requirements in order to minimise local impacts from construction activities. Rory Quinlan, co-founder and Managing Partner of Quinbrook commented, "The UK's 'Net Zero' transformation is an unprecedented investment opportunity for Quinbrook with a diverse array of attractive thematics. Our 'whole of system' investment philosophy puts the emphasis on addressing critical infrastructure needs and enablers for a stable transition to a decarbonised power system. If the UK power system is to meet its 2030 renewables targets (of 95% decarbonised power generation), battery storage will need to increase significantly to address urgent stability and flexibility requirements. Almost 10% of UK grid capacity is expected to be provided by battery storage by 2030, representing an estimated GBP 20 billion1 of new capital investment. Project Uskmouth is a timely example of how specialist energy infrastructure investors like Quinbrook can identify new opportunities of substantial scale and positive impact arising from the energy transition." Keith Gains, Senior Director of Quinbrook added, "Our ability to identify and build durable relationships with project development partners such as EOS, help us continue to execute innovative strategies within the UK's energy transition landscape. Investments in projects such as Uskmouth, supported by industry innovators like Habitat Energy, reinforce Quinbrook's strategic moves into the supply of critical flexible capacity, storage and grid support infrastructure that enables more variable and weather-dependent renewables to be safely accommodated on the UK power grid." About Quinbrook Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (http://www.quinbrook.com) is a specialist investment manager focused exclusively on renewables, storage and grid support infrastructure and operational asset management in the US, UK and Australia. Quinbrook is led and managed by a senior team of power industry professionals who have collectively invested c. USD 8.2 billion equity in energy infrastructure assets since the early 1990s, representing a total enterprise value of c. USD 28.7 billion or 19.5 GW of power supply capacity. Quinbrook has completed a diverse range of direct investments in both utility and distributed scale onshore wind and solar power, battery storage, reserve peaking capacity, biomass, fugitive methane recovery, hydro and flexible energy management solutions in the US, UK and Australia. About Energy Optimisation Solutions Limited EOS is a leading developer and operator of renewable projects in the UK. EOS develops projects across all renewable asset classes and has a development pipeline of c.1 GW. 1 https://www.cornwall-insight.com/press/uk-government-must-spend-20bn-on-energy-battery-storage-to-meet-2030-renewables-targets/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005707/en/ Contacts: Jennifer Pflieger jpflieger@sloanepr.com +1 (212) 446-1866 Investment Will Accelerate Development of Revolutionary Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) Technology to Make Virtual Reality Practically Indistinguishable from the Real World Swave Photonics, an innovator in Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) technology to bring the metaverse to life, today announced a 7 million seed round. The investment will be used to fund the commercialization of truly realistic, immersive 3D HXR gigapixel technology for a wide range of emerging applications. The demand for eXtended Reality (XR) technology that enhances or replaces our view of the world is exploding with the rapid emergence of the metaverse, a 3D world where participants can interact with people, objects and places and other applications benefiting from truly realistic 3D experiences. Swave Photonics is a new spin-off of imec and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005802/en/ Swave's Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) technology is the Holy Grail of the metaverse; delivering lifelike, high-resolution 3D images that are viewable with the naked eye, with no compromises. HXR technology enables 1000x better pixel resolution with billions of tiny, densely packed pixels to enable true realistic 20/20 vision without requiring viewers to wear smart AR/VR headsets or prescription glasses. (Graphic: Business Wire) Participating investors in the initial seed round include imec.xpand, a value-add venture capital fund focused on nanotechnology innovations and Flanders Future Techfund (FFTF), a Belgian/Flemish public investment fund, are co-leading this seed round. QBIC, a Belgian inter-university venture capital fund is also participating. Swave's Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR)technology is the Holy Grail of the metaverse, delivering lifelike, high-resolution 3D images that are viewable with the naked eye, with no compromises. HXR technology enables 1000x better pixel resolution with billions of tiny, densely packed pixels to enable true realistic 20/20 vision without requiring viewers to wear smart AR/VR headsets or prescription glasses. Swave's HXR technology projects lifelike holographic images that eliminate today's AR/VR/XR challenges of focal depth and eye tracking, so viewers can easily focus on nearby and faraway objects. Most importantly, the HXR chips are manufactured using standard CMOS technology, which enables cost-effective scaling. Leveraging advances in photonics and holography based on diffractive optics, Swave's HXR gigapixel technology targets metaverse platforms, 360-degree holographic walls, 3D gaming, AR/VR/XR glasses, collaborative video conferencing, and heads-up displays for automotive and aerospace systems. Swave technology can also power holographic headsets that deliver immersive 3D AR/VR/XR experiences with stunning high resolution, perfect depth of focus and 180-degree to 360-degree viewing angles, all without the headaches experienced by users of conventional headsets. Applications powered by HXR gigapixel technology will be capable of passing the visual Turing test in which virtual reality is practically indistinguishable from real-world images that humans see with their own eyes. "Our vision is to help build the fundamental holographic technology to bring the metaverse to life and work," said Theodore Marescaux, CEO and founder, Swave Photonics. "Swave's HXR gigapixel technology will forever change the way we see and experience displayed still images, videos and live imaging. True, lifelike and immersive metaverse experiences powered by Swave technology are poised to replace every AR/VR display and headset to the point where virtual, augmented or eXtended reality is practically indistinguishable from the real world." Swave's HXR gigapixel technology will play a key role in the future of work by enabling people everywhere to engage in immersive video conferences while working remotely. Swave plans to partner with leading AR/VR/XR and metaverse platforms, so companies can have a shared, lifelike 3D experience of meeting around a conference table. "We are convinced that Swave can bring to the market a fundamental technology we have been developing for more than five years through substantial R&D programs and imec investments," said Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec. "Imec has a strong track record of innovation and productization that can scale across a wide range of applications. We are committed to make Swave a success and have great confidence that with their extensive patent portfolio and continued support of our teams and ecosystem, Swave can become one of the biggest disruptors for immersive 3D displays and a key accelerator for applications like the metaverse." "As a co-lead investor in this seed round, investing from our brand-new xpand-II fund, we are helping to build and grow a disruptive, deep-tech holographic company," said Peter Vanbekbergen, a partner at imec.xpand. "We are convinced that Swave's transformative gigapixel holographic technology can fuel the $93 billion AR/VR, metaverse market and will position Swave to enable an upgrade to today's challenging AR/VR immersive experiences." "Swave is a fantastic addition to the growing high-tech community in Flanders, and will reinforce Flanders's place on the global map of the tech industry," said Jo Brouns, Flemish Minister of Economy and Innovation. "We are proud to see that the newly established Flanders Future Technology Fund has been instrumental in preparing this seed round for a promising company like Swave, in close cooperation with early stage deep-tech investors. The mission of the FFTF is to accelerate the breakthrough technologies developed by our knowledge centers to the market, which is exactly what we are doing with this investment in Swave." Availability Swave's HXR microchip products are mass-producible, cost-effective and reliable. Large chip versions (2 cm x 2 cm) are designed for ultra-high-end holographic display applications, and tiny 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm versions will target ultra-light-weight wearable devices. Initial HXR chip samples are planned to be available in 2023. Future versions of HXR chips will be optimized for additional emerging AR/VR/XR applications. About Swave Swave Photonics is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and markets holographic chips based on proprietary diffractive photonics technology. Its mission is to bring the metaverse to life and enable display manufacturers and content creators to disrupt the visualization market with immersive, ultra-high-resolution, lifelike, true holographic displays. Swave envisions a world where holographic displays give everyone the power to visualize the impossible, collaborate and accomplish more. www.swave.io About Imec Imec is a world-leading research and innovation center in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Imec leverages its state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure and its team of more than 5,000 employees and top researchers for R&D in advanced semiconductor and system scaling, silicon photonics, artificial intelligence, beyond 5G communications and sensing technologies, and in application domains such as health and life sciences, mobility, industry 4.0, agrofood, smart cities, sustainable energy and education. Imec unites world industry leaders across the semiconductor value chain, Flanders-based and international tech, pharma, medical and ICT companies, start-ups, and academia and knowledge centers. Imec is headquartered in Leuven (Belgium) and has research sites across Belgium, in the Netherlands, and in the US, and offices in China, India, Taiwan and Japan. In 2021, Imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 732 million euros. Further information on Imec can be found at www.imec-int.com. Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of imec International (IMEC International, a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut"), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.), imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.), imec India (IMEC India Private Limited), imec San Francisco (IMEC Inc.) and imec Florida (IMEC USA Nanoelectronics Design Center Inc.). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005802/en/ Contacts: Jade Liu // Imec // international press officer // T +32 16 28 16 93 // M +32 495 71 74 52 // Jade.Liu@imec.be Jeremy Hyatt // Green Flash Media // pr@gflashmedia.com proteanTecs' deep data enhances Vayyar 4D imaging radar-on-chip with continuous reliability and performance monitoring HAIFA, Israel, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- proteanTecs, a global leader of deep data for electronics health and performance monitoring, announced today that Vayyar Imaging will use the company's full lifecycle analytics in their automotive-grade 4D imaging radar-on-chip. By selecting proteanTecs, Vayyar is empowering their multifunctional chip with an in-demand benefit for automotive OEMs-in-use reliability and performance monitoring. Using proprietary chip telemetry data and machine learning, proteanTecs provides advanced analytics to ensure end-to-end SoC and ECU visibility. The company's cloud and edge solutions introduce a common data language throughout the automotive ecosystem, enabling predictive and prescriptive maintenance and further advancing vehicle safety. "Predictive in-chip monitoring is critical to supporting the highest standards of automotive safety," said Ian Podkamien, Vice President, Head of Automotive at Vayyar Imaging. "proteanTecs enhances our technology with unprecedented visibility, empowering our team to benefit throughout the production process and to deliver in-field monitoring to our customers." "We welcome Vayyar to our growing customer list," said Keith Morton, CRO at proteanTecs. "The company is well on its way to transforming the automotive industry with high-resolution in-cabin monitoring, ADAS and ARAS. By adding proteanTecs, Vayyar is giving their imaging radar platform the ability to report on its own health and to support unwavering reliability at scale." About Vayyar Imaging Vayyar, the global leader in 4D imaging radar, supplies the world's most advanced radar-on-chip platforms to gather life's essential data, providing solutions for senior care, automotive, security, smart home, robotics, and more, while maintaining privacy at all times. Vayyar's mission is to deliver the next generation of sensing technology that is miniature, affordable, and versatile enough to impact everyone's lives, enabling a safer world. Visit vayyar.com to learn more. About proteanTecs proteanTecs is a leading provider of deep data monitoring solutions for advanced electronics in the Datacenter, Automotive, Communications and Mobile markets. Based on Universal Chip Telemetry (UCT), the company provides system health and performance monitoring, from production to the field. By applying machine learning to novel data created by on-chip UCT agents, the company's analytics platform delivers predictive insights and visibility, leading to new levels of quality, reliability and scale. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Israel with offices in New Jersey, California, India and Taiwan. For more information, visit: www.proteanTecs.com. Press Contact: Tamar Naishlos, Media Relations tamarn@proteanTecs.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847558/proteanTecs_Vayyar.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/844547/proteanTecs_Logo.jpg Education in Motion Makes Strategic Investment in Future-Ready Education DUBAI, UAE, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Education in Motion (EiM), the education provider behind some of today's most forward-thinking schools around the world, announced that it has made a significant minority investment in School of Humanity, which reimagines the high school experience with a focus on future-readiness by offering personalised, interdisciplinary, competency-based, real-world learning paths and industry leader mentorships. EiM co-Founder and Chief Collaboration Officer, Karen Yung, commented: "Our investment in a strategic partnership with School of Humanity is a critical step in our quest to build a portfolio of innovative education brands empowering the next generation of young people with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to make a difference for society and the planet, given the ever-accelerating rate of change. School of Humanity's innovative pedagogy and online-first engagement models are completely aligned with that task and our vision for the future of education." Founded by education entrepreneur Raya Bidshahri, School of Humanity offers high school learners from around the world the ability to develop the skills, mindsets, and behaviors they need to be ready for the future of work, contribute to collective human progress and flourish in individual life. The online four-year High School, along with its Summer School and After School offerings, center on interdisciplinary learning pathways focused on global learners solving real-world problems in a collaborative, project-based, and personalized way. The model is based on research from World Economic Forum and OECD. About School of Humanity: With headquarters in Dubai and the US, School of Humanity designs and delivers innovative learning models that meet the needs of today's learners and today's world. It offers three online learning programs: a four-year High School; Ascend, its After School offering; and a six-week Summer School. https://sofhumanity.com/ About Education in Motion: Education in Motion (EiM) aspires to be the global leader in pioneering education for a sustainable future, inspiring generations of learners to Live Worldwise. Its 11,000-strong learning community is united by a strong common commitment to innovative education that nurtures students who can make a positive impact for people and the planet. Today, EiM's portfolio includes Dulwich College International, Dulwich International High School, Dehong , Green School International, Hochalpines Institut Ftan AG, Wo Hui Mandarin, and EiM Ventures. Latest Resident Voice Index finding also shows that close to seven in 10 worry about being able to afford fundamental living costs LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Over half (53%) of social housing residents surveyed say they have used credit or a buy-now-pay-later service to cover an essential household cost such as a food shop or a bill in the last 12 months, according to the latest output from the Resident Voice Index(RVI) initiative. The survey of over 5,200 social housing residents on the impact of the cost of living crisis also reveals that nearly seven in 10 respondents (68%) worry all or most of the time about meeting normal monthly living expenses. "The survey makes it clear that households are having to make tough choices," says Doug Sarney, Project Lead for the Resident Voice Index and Director at MRI Software. "Alongside over half of respondents reporting that they have had to use credit or deferred payment schemes to meet essential household costs, a further 20% considered doing so. We are seeing a ticking time bomb for households on the edge of coping." The Resident Voice Index is an independent project that anonymously gathers the views of social housing residents in the UK. Developed by MRI Software, a trusted provider of software to the social housing sector and wider property market, the short RVI surveys are designed to provide policymakers and housing providers with insights from residents about their neighbourhoods and communities. The goal of the project is to ensure the voice of the resident is heard to improve the experiences of social housing residents. Other key results of the survey include: Almost nine in 10 of those under age 35 say they are using or considering using buy-now-pay-later or credit to pay for essential household costs 82% of those under 35 report being worried all the time or most of the time about meeting normal monthly living expenses Only 4% of all respondents say they rarely worry about money Over half (56%) of all respondents didn't know that help or support would be available to them if they faced a financial struggle Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents do not feel that they have the power to influence their future financial situation One of the most significant indicators of the challenges being faced was the use of the word 'food' in the free-text input from the latest Resident Voice Index survey. Analysis of these answers reveals numerous examples of parents skipping meals to feed children, increased use of food banks and people eating only cold food to avoid using domestic energy. Key quotes from survey respondents: "I have tried to cut back with my food shopping and not using my heating, but it's proving impossible. We need heat and food." "As I'm struggling now, by wintertime I won't be able to eat." "I can't possibly cut back on anything as I already don't have money to spend on anything." "Life seems to be getting more and more expensive, but wages are staying the same and the level of help available is either unreachable or unheard of because not advertised." "Mainly eating cold food to cut down on electricity." "I expect my worry and concern will increase. With no scope to earn more or work a second job, with a pay rise that has disappeared to rising costs already, I know that I will be looking to shave even more off food and clothing." A core theme that emerges from the results is that residents feel there is nothing more to cut. Many respondents indicate that they are already living on tight budgets. "This is not just an instance of forgoing holidays, trips out with the family or self-proclaimed luxuries," Sarney notes. "Instead, for a proportion of those who answered, it is applying increased pressure to already bare-bones living. For those of pension age or who are unable to work - for example, because of disability or raising children - earning more money is simply not an option." Sarney concludes: "We anticipated the survey results to be hard hitting. However, we were not prepared for the high levels of desperation, extreme worry and hopelessness in the responses. References to catastrophic mental health slides and suicide were common in the free-text input of respondents. Our hope by sharing these accounts is to inspire anyone with the ability to enact change to do so." About MRI Software MRI Software is a leading global provider of real estate software solutions that transform the way communities live, work and play. Its comprehensive suite of cloud-based products and applications that form the MRI Living for Social Housing offering delivers flexibility, choice and scale to more than 850 clients in the UK and Ireland. Worldwide, MRI Software serves more than 3,000 organisations in social, affordable, public and community housing. Built on a foundation of industry expertise and innovation, our solutions are helping create thriving, connected communities and deliver better resident experiences. For more information, please visit www.mrisoftware.co.uk You can download a copy of this report at residentvoiceindex.com Media Contacts: (EMEA for MRI) Katrina Trantau Platform Communications Katrina@platformcomms.com +44 7597 163076 Hugh Filman Platform Communications hugh@platformcomms.com +44 7905 044850 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/489877/MRI_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1848445/MRI_Software_Doug_Sarney.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1848444/Resident_Voice_Index.jpg NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. NOT FOR GENERAL RELEASE IN THE UNITED STATES - SEE FURTHER INFORMATION BELOW. HEERLEN, Netherlands and GENEVA, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 31 May 2022, DSM and Firmenich announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement to establish the leading creation and innovation partner in nutrition, beauty and well-being. The merger is to be effected through a public offer for all issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the capital of DSM in exchange for DSM-Firmenich shares (1:1 exchange ratio) (the "Offer") and contribution of Firmenich shares to DSM-Firmenich in exchange for DSM-Firmenich shares and 3.5bn in cash (subject to potential adjustments). Pursuant to Section 7, paragraph 1 sub a of the Netherlands Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft), which requires a public announcement containing a status update on an intended public offer within four weeks after its initial public announcement, DSM and Firmenich provide the following joint update on the Offer, also on behalf of DSM-Firmenich. DSM and Firmenich confirm that they are making good progress on the preparations for the Offer. It is expected that an offering circular that will serve both as an offer memorandum for the Offer and as a prospectus for the offering and admission to listing and trading of DSM-Firmenich shares on Euronext Amsterdam (the "Offering Circular") will be submitted for review and approval to the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiele Markten, the "AFM") in August and in any event no later than 23 August 2022, which under the applicable Dutch rules is the last permissible date for submitting the offer memorandum for the Offer to the AFM for approval. DSM and Firmenich currently anticipate that the proposed combination will close in H1 2023. About Firmenich Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company and has been family-owned for 127 years. The Swiss company specializes in perfumes, flavors, and ingredients and is renowned for its world-class research as well as leadership in sustainability. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.5bn of sales in the calendar year 2021 with Adjusted EBITDA margin of c. 20%. About DSM DSM has transformed during its 150+ year history into today's Health, Nutrition & Bioscience global leader. The Dutch-Swiss company specializes in nutritional ingredients for food and feed with proven world-leading bioscience capabilities and an international network of high-quality manufacturing sites that underpin a business model of global products, local solutions and personalization and precision. For Health, Nutrition & Bioscience (excluding Materials), DSM delivered 7.3bn of sales in the calendar year 2021, with adjusted EBITDA of 1.4bn and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19%. Transaction website Please visit www.creator-innovator.com for additional material on the proposed combination. For more information DSM media enquiries: FTI Consulting LLP Edward Bridges / Alex Le May Email: scdsm@fticonsulting.com Telephone: +44 20 3727 1017 Firmenich media enquiries: Brunswick Group Joseph Chi Lo / Edward Brown Email: firmenich@brunswickgroup.com Telephone: +44 20 7404 5959 DSM Investor Relations enquiries: Dave Huizing Email: investor.relations@dsm.com Telephone: +31 45 578 2864 Firmenich Investor Relations enquiries: Diego Chantrain Email: investor_relations@firmenich.com Telephone: +41 75 429 45 93 DISCLAIMER This is a joint pressrelease of DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich. This joint release includes the information required pursuant to Section 7, paragraph 1 of the Netherlands Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft) in connection with the Offer. This announcement does not constitute an offer, or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities in DSM. Any offer will be made only by means of the Offering Circular approved by the AFM. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly (in whole or in part) in, into, or from any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction, including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Japan. NO OFFERING IS BEING MADE TO ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY NOT BE USED FOR, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE, OR FORM PART OF, AN OFFER BY, OR INVITATION BY OR ON BEHALF OF, DSM, FIRMENICH, DSM-FIRMENICH, OR ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH, TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES OR AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR THE SOLICITATION TO BUY SECURITIES BY ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION. NO ACTION HAS BEEN OR WILL BE TAKEN IN ANY JURISDICTION BY DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH THAT WOULD PERMIT AN OFFERING OF THE ORDINARY SHARES OR POSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF A PROSPECTUS IN ANY JURISDICTION, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT EXPLICITLY DISCLOSED BY DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH. This announcement is for information purposes only it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided "as is", without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation and DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich expressly disclaim liability for any errors or omissions. This announcement is not intended to be, and shall not constitute in any way a binding or legal agreement, or impose any legal obligation on the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or DSM-Firmenich. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this announcement shall vest in the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or DSM-Firmenich, as the case may be. No part of it may be redistributed or reproduced without the prior written permission of the DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich. This announcement speaks only as of this date. Additional information for US holders This announcement relates to the proposed combination of a Dutch public company and a privately-held Swiss corporation. This announcement, the Offering Circular and other documents relating to the proposed combination have been, or will be, prepared in accordance with European and Dutch law and European and Dutch disclosure requirements, format and style, all of which differ from those in the United States. The proposed transactions referred to herein and the information to be distributed in connection therewith, including the proposed Offer and related shareholder vote and any related corporate transactions, are subject to disclosure, timing and procedural requirements and practices applicable in Europe and the Netherlands, which differ from the disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy solicitation rules, provided that the Offer will comply with the relevant US tender offer rules set out in Regulation 14E under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and the rules thereunder. The securities referred to herein and to be issued pursuant to the proposed Offer have not been, and are not presently intended to be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under any laws or with any securities regulatory authority of any state, district or other jurisdiction, of the United States, and unless so registered may only be offered or sold pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state and other securities laws. There is not presently expected to be any public offer of any securities in the United States. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. Further details of which US holders are eligible to receive the securities referred to herein, and the procedural steps required to be taken by such persons to so receive such securities, as well as the procedures for those US holders who do not so qualify to receive such securities (if any), will be set forth in the Offering Circular. Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nor any US state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities referred to herein to be issued in connection with the proposed Offer or any related corporate transaction, or determined if the information contained herein or in the Offering Circular to be prepared in connection with the proposed exchange offer is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and are not presently expected to be listed on any US securities exchange or quoted on any inter-dealer quotation system in the United States. None of DSM-Firmenich, DSM or Firmenich presently intends to take any action to facilitate a market in such securities in the United States. Financial statements, and all financial information that is included in the information contained herein or that may be included in the Offering Circular and any other documents relating to the securities referred to herein, have been or will be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or other reporting standards or accounting practice which may not be comparable to financial statements of companies in the United States or other companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (US GAAP). It may be difficult for US holders to enforce their rights and claims arising out of the US federal securities laws, since DSM is incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands and DSM-Firmenich and Firmenich are incorporated under the laws of Switzerland, and in each case the majority or all of their respective officers and directors are residents of non-US jurisdictions. Judgments of US courts are generally not enforceable in either the Netherlands or Switzerland. US holders may not be able to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in a non-US court for violations of US securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's judgment. In addition, original actions, or actions for the enforcement of judgments of US courts, based on the civil liability provisions of the US federal securities laws, may not be enforceable in the Netherlands or Switzerland. Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. This announcement includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's and the Combined Group's control and all of which are based on the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's or the Combined Group's current beliefs and expectations about future events. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "aim", "annualized", "anticipate", "assume", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "goal", "hope", "intend", "may", "objective", "plan", "position", "potential", "predict", "project", "risk", "seek", "should", "target", "will" or "would" or the highlights or the negatives thereof, other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this publication and include statements that reflect the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's or the Combined Group's intentions, beliefs or current expectations and projections about the their respective future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, anticipated growth, targets, strategies and opportunities and the markets in which they respectively operate, and the anticipated timing of the proposed combination. These forward-looking statements and other statements contained in this announcement regarding matters that are not historical facts involve predictions. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved; actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks and uncertainties facing the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or the Combined Group. Such risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to vary materially from the future results indicated, expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this announcement speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by applicable laws and regulations, DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statements are based. Transaction conditions. Completion of the proposed combination is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions as more fully described in the announcement of 31 May 2022. Consequently, there can be no certainty that completion of the proposed combination will be forthcoming. DSM refers to Koninklijke DSM N.V. and the DSM Group refers to DSM and its subsidiaries. Firmenich refers to Firmenich International SA and Firmenich Group refers to Firmenich and its subsidiaries. DSM-Firmenich refers to Danube AG, which upon completion of the proposed combination will be renamed DSM-Firmenich AG. The Combined Group refers to DSM-Firmenich and its subsidiaries following completion of the proposed combination (including the DSM Group and Firmenich Group). Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1829134/DSM_Firmenich_Logo.jpg YANTAI, China, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IRay Technology Co., Ltd. ( referred to as "InfiRay" below), a leading brand in the thermal imaging industry, has shown itself with a high profile at MCE MOSTRA CONVEGNO EXPOCOMFORT 2022 in Milan. InfiRay presented its innovative technologies and highlighted thermal imaging products in booth F53 at Fieramilano, Rho (MI). In MCE, InfiRay exhibited the thermal imaging products suitable for the HVAC industry, including handheld and online monitoring thermal cameras for air tightness detection of buildings, HVAC operation monitoring, electrical device security monitoring, pipe network/pipe leakage inspection, and defect detection of valves in heating stations. Application Advantages of InfiRay Thermal Camera Thermal camera can be applied in heating equipment troubleshooting, equipment aging detection, and abnormal pipe temperature detection in heating stations. With thermal imaging technology, it screens and highlights abnormal areas to prevent accidents from the source. C200pro: C200pro Handheld Thermal Camera adopts InfiRay self-developed high-performance 12m infrared detector to provide thermal imaging pictures and videos with rich details and accurate temperature data. 15-hour long battery life and the pro-level USB plug-and-analysis functions help improve work efficiency. P200: P200 Compact Thermal Camera is small in size. With the 90 rotary lens, it can be used for fault detection in different narrow spaces without the need for moving other devices. Users can easily capture clear thermal imaging pictures and videos. M600: M600 Professional Handheld Thermal Camera has built-in self-developed 12m infrared detector, 640 512 thermal imaging resolution, and 5-megapixel visible light lens, which makes it very competitive in the industry. T600: T600 Handheld Thermal Camera has multiple professional lenses to satisfy the requirements of the power industry. Manual and automatic focusing modes, and continuous automatic zooming functions are all supported for thermal imaging in complex power industry sites. AT61F: AT61F Online Thermal Camera can provide high-quality thermal imaging pictures and videos for various application scenarios. -20C~+550C wide temperature measurement range makes it possible to monitor more industrial targets with high temperature requirements. About InfiRay InfiRay concentrates on developing thermal imaging technologies and products with completely independent intellectual properties. InfiRay is committed to providing global customers with world-leading professional thermal imaging products and solutions. The main products include thermal-CMOS, thermal imaging modules, and handheld thermal cameras for industrial thermal imaging and night vision thermal imagers. For media enquiries, please contact: Qiong.wu@iraytek.com CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Australian organic infant formula and baby food producer, Bellamy's Organic, has agreed to send around 696,000 cans of general formula milk to the United States to meet the supply shortage. Under the FDA's enforcement discretion to source more infant formula to the U.S., the available Bellamy's Organic products include about 1.4 million pounds or about 21 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles of Organic Infant Formula Step 1 for 0-6 months, and Organic Follow-On Formula Step 2 for 6-12 months. The agency noted that the infant formula will be available at major and specialty retailers in early July and over the next several months. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating options for getting the product to the U.S. as quickly as possible. Last week, the agency announced the availability of more than 4.8 million cans of general infant formula from UK-based Global Kosher, which are equal to more than 8.5 million pounds or more than 128 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles. Earlier, French food company Danone SA agreed to send about 750,000 cans of general infant formula, equivalent to about 1.3 million pounds or nearly 19 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles. Further, the Biden Administration recently announced that its Operation Fly Formula mission will transport around 320,000 pounds of Bubs infant formula from Australia, and 1 million pounds of Gerber infant formula from Mexico. In its latest update, the FDA noted that its increased flexibilities have resulted in a total estimated quantity of 17.7 million cans, or about 378 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles of infant formula products from six countries to date. 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. STOCKHOLM, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fishbrain ( www.fishbrain.com ) - the world's most popular platform and social network for people who love fishing - is raising money through Seedrs ( www.seedrs.com ), one of the leading online private investment platform with over 2.2BN investments to date. Fishbrain is now accepting investment ( www.seedrs.com/fishbrain ). Johan Attby, Fishbrain CEO, comments: "Fishbrain is growing rapidly, building out the platform for the world's biggest hobby, sport fishing. We already have more than 14 million registered users on Fishbrain and we're the number one in the US market where 55 million people fish every year and spend $50 billion doing so. To accelerate this growth we will now raise a round so that our community can invest alongside our renowned global investors such as Northzone, B Capital and Softbank, and get the benefits not only from our service, but also as shareholders." Already this year, Fishbrain has hired a new Chief Financial Officer and launched several new features for the community, such as: Fishbrain Reeled , a highlights reel of the year in fishing for community members (plus tips on how to progress); catch and release best practice policies; integrated Fish Rules (fishing regulations on a state by state basis in North America) into the app and website, following the 2021 acquisition ; and partnered with Aspira , the largest hunting and fishing licensing management software provider in North America, to enhance conservation efforts. In 2021, Fishbrain continued to evolve, through a combination of funding, new features, and strategic partnerships. In March last year, Fishbrain raised $31mn , which helped to expand its user base and hire across the company in multiple locations across the U.S. and Europe. Fishbrain further developed the app with the introduction of Garmin's Navionics HD Depth Charts . Additionally, Fishbrain bolstered the company's senior team with the addition of Stina Granberg as Chief Operating Officer , as well as Maria Hedengren (ex-Readly CEO), Karim Abdel-Ghaffar (Westerly Winds founding partner), and Dylan Bolden (Boston Consulting Group, Managing Director and Senior Partner), who joined the board . Companies such as Revolut and Mindful Chef also raised via Seedrs as each underwent rapid growth - Revolut is now one of Europe's most valuable fintechs, and Mindful Chef was acquired by Nestle in 2020. About Fishbrain Fishbrain is the world's most popular mobile app, social network, and social commerce platform for people who love fishing. With over 14 million registered users across the globe, the free-to-use app helps create the best possible fishing experience by providing everyone - whether beginner or pro - with the tools, insights, support, and fishing gear to fully enjoy the world's most popular hobby. The app's interactive map helps anglers find hot new fishing spots and see what other people are catching, with what bait and specifically where. Stockholm-headquartered Fishbrain disrupts an industry that has remained traditional, not only making fishing more accessible, but also levelling the playing field for the growing numbers of women, minorities, and young people looking to take up the sport. The startup has been twice named by WIRED as one of Europe's Hottest Startups, and has fostered a passionate and collaborative community; by helping them take their technique to the next level and arming them with the tools and gear needed to succeed. Fishbrain's in-app and on-web marketplace, Fishbrain Shop, allows users to find and purchase the best fishing gear from over 350 of the world's most respected brands. With other features like Fish Species Recognition, marine mapping (provided by Garmin/Navionics), forecasts, bait recommendations and more, Fishbrain has become one of the most valuable and rewarding tools in a fisherman's tackle box. Fishbrain values responsible fishing, supporting a catch and release approach, and the sustainable harvest of fish species. For more information visit www.fishbrain.com About Seedrs Seedrs is a leading online investment platform. It allows investors to buy and sell shares in private companies, and ambitious entrepreneurs to gain investment for their businesses while building communities in the process. Since its launch in 2012, Seedrs has funded over 1,600 deals, with over 1.9 billion invested on the platform to date. Business that have successfully raised funds with Seedrs include Revolut, Perkbox, Wealthify (sold to Aviva), Tandem, FreeAgent (sold to RBS), Allplants, Stamplay (sold to Apple), Chapel Down, Assetz Capital, Courier (sold to Mailchimp), THIS, Humble Grape, JAJA Finance and Mindful Chef (sold to Nestle). Seedrs is backed by leading European institutional investors as well as over 4,600 of its own customers. For more information visit www.seedrs.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1837375/Fishbrain.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1837376/Fishbrain_Logo.jpg Amsterdam/'s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 28 June 2022 27 June 2022, Van Lanschot Kempen successfully issued its inaugural 500 million long 5 year Soft Bullet Covered Bond with a 2.500% fixed coupon. The deal had a final order book of over 700 million and was placed with a broad range of European institutional investors. The transaction further strengthens and diversifies Van Lanschot Kempen's funding profile. The bonds are rated AAA by Standard & Poor's. Van Lanschot Kempen's Soft Bullet Covered Bond Programme is Dutch law-based and backed by a pool of Dutch residential mortgage loans. It is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank and is both UCITS-compliant and CRD-compliant. Van Lanschot Kempen mandated ABN AMRO, Credit Suisse, LBBW, Natixis and Rabobank as Joint Lead Managers for this transaction. Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com About Van Lanschot Kempen Van Lanschot Kempen is a wealth manager active in Private Banking, Professional Solutions, Investment Management and Investment Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth, in a sustainable way, for both its clients and the society of which it is part. As a sustainable wealth manager with a long-term focus, Van Lanschot Kempen proactively seeks to prevent negative impact for all stakeholders and to create positive long-term financial and non-financial value. Listed at Euronext Amsterdam, Van Lanschot Kempen is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company, with a history dating back to 1737. To fully leverage the potential of the Van Lanschot Kempen organisation for its clients, it provides solutions that build on the knowledge and expertise across its entire group and on its open architecture platform. Van Lanschot Kempen is convinced that it is able to meet the needs of its clients in a sustainable way by offering them access to the full range of its products and services across all its businesses. For more information, please visit vanlanschotkempen.com Disclaimer This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way or subscription to any financial instrument and is not a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action. This press release is a translation of the Dutch language original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch language version will prevail. No rights can be derived from any translation thereof. Attachment The Industrial Park of Hoechst is pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, June 23. AP-Yonhap European Union countries agreed Monday that all natural gas storage in the 27-nation bloc should be topped up to at least 80 percent capacity for next winter as they prepare for the possibility of Russia further reducing deliveries. The EU is trying to slash its use of Russian energy amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine and find other sources. A ban on imports of Russian coal will start in August, and an embargo on most oil from Russia will be phased in over the coming eight months. Meanwhile, Moscow is disrupting natural gas deliveries, a fuel used to power factories and generate electricity that the EU didn't include in its own sanctions for fear of seriously harming the European economy. Before the war, the bloc got about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia. Moscow has reduced gas supplies to several EU countries, including heavy importers Germany and Italy, and cut off deliveries to other members, such as Poland and Finland. The EU Council adopted the gas storage regulation Monday after the European Commission made a proposal in March. The regulation also says underground gas storage on EU soil will need to be filled to 90 percent capacity before the 2023-24 winter. Heads of state and government agreed last week during a summit in Brussels to step up preparations for further gas cuts from Russia and to keep searching for other suppliers. The EU already has increased deliveries from the United States, Norway, Algeria and Azerbaijan. Some EU members don't have storage facilities, so the regulation provides that they should store 15 percent of their annual national gas consumption in other member countries, allowing them access to reserves in other EU nations. Cyprus, Malta and Ireland, which are not directly connected with the gas system of other members, got an exemption, the council said, adding that filling obligations will stop at the end of December 2025. The council also agreed to raise the share of renewables in the bloc's energy mix to at least 40 percent by 2030 up from the previous target of 32 percent. In addition, a 9 percent energy consumption reduction target for 2030 becomes binding on all EU member states for the first time. Up until now, non-binding energy efficiency targets left the commission with little leverage over member states that failed to meet them. Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the French minister for energy transition, said the agreement was essential to achieving the bloc's 2050 climate neutrality goal and to ''also help us to reduce our dependence on Russia for energy, in the context of the war in Ukraine.'' Ministers stripped legal hurdles from construction of renewable energy production facilities and set specific goals for sectors such as housing and transport. The council and parliament will now start talks on a final text for the two directives. (AP) Statkraft has updated its growth strategy within renewable energy with new, more ambitious targets towards 2030. The strategy increases the annual growth rate for onshore wind, solar and battery storage from 2.5-3 GW in 2025 to 4 GW in 2030. At the same time, growth ambitions for hydropower, offshore wind and green hydrogen are increased. In total, Statkraft aspires to have developed 30 GW new renewable capacity by 2030. That could increase Statkraft's annual power generation by up to 50 percent from today, to around 100 TWh per year by the end of the decade. 100 TWh equals almost three times the annual power consumption of Denmark. "The need for renewable energy is increasing sharply, both to meet net zero targets, cover new power consumption in Norway and strengthen European energy security. Combined with increased investment capacity, Statkraft is now boosting the pace of developing more renewable energy. As we look towards 2030, we raise our ambitions higher than ever with significantly higher growth ambitions across our geographies and technologies," says CEO Christian Rynning-Tnnesen in Statkraft. As part of the strategy, Statkraft is focusing on upgrading and expanding Norwegian hydropower. The goal is to start at least five major hydropower projects by 2030. A significant part of the growth will be linked to the development of onshore wind, solar and battery storage, across all Statkraft markets. Within offshore wind, Statkraft is pursuing an industrial role in Norway and Ireland. Within green hydrogen Statkraft aims to be a leading developer in Norway and Sweden, and to broaden its geographical scope outside the Nordics. The target is to develop 2 GW of green hydrogen by 2030. The foundation is the group's unique expertise and position, and the following four strategic pillars: 1. Provide clean flexibility - leveraging hydropower 2. Accelerate solar, onshore and offshore wind, and battery storage 3. Deliver green market solutions to customers 4. Scale new green energy technologies Adapting Corporate Management To support the updated strategy, Statkraft is also making structural adjustments. The structure of the Corporate Management is changed by establishing the three geographical regions Nordic, Europe and International as separate business areas. At the same time, New Energy Solutions is being established as a separate business area, to strengthen the activities to develop new business opportunities within the green energy transition. "The changes will help us grow faster within hydropower, wind power, solar power and battery storage, first and foremost through better geographical coordination of our various activities. At the same time, we prioritize the development of new energy solutions, such as green hydrogen," says CEO Christian Rynning-Tnnesen. Effective August 15, 2022, Corporate Management will have the following members: Christian Rynning-Tnnesen, President & CEO Anne Harris, Chief Financial Officer & IT Henrik Stness, EVP Corporate Staff Hallvard Granheim, EVP Markets Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal, EVP Nordics Barbara Flesche, EVP Europe Ingeborg Darflot, EVP International Jurgen Tzschoppe, EVP New Energy Solutions "After more than 20 years with the company, and 12 years as a valued member of the Corporate Management, Hilde Bakken steps down from her current role to seek opportunities outside Statkraft. I want to thank Hilde for her huge contribution to Statkraft's achievements over two decades," says CEO Christian Rynning-Tnnesen. "I would also like to welcome Barbara Flesche and Ingeborg Darflot as new members of the Corporate Management. I look forward to working closely with both on the delivery of our updated growth strategy." About Statkraft Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 4,800 employees in 19 countries. For more information, please contact: Lars Magnus Gunther, press spokesperson, Statkraft AS Tel: 00 47 912 416 36 E-mail: lars.gunther@statkraft.com Stephan Skaane, VP Head of Front Office, Treasury, Statkraft AS Tel: 00 47 905 136 52 E-mail: stephan.skaane@statkraft.com Read more about the strategy at http://www.statkraft.com/about-statkraft/strategy/ This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 28, 2022 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted access to its priority medicines (PRIME) scheme for MVA-BN RSV in active immunization for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in adults =60 years of age. There are no approved vaccines for RSV, and access to PRIME has been granted upon an assessment that the available clinical data overall show the potential of MVA-BN-RSV to address the unmet medical need in the proposed target population. PRIME is a scheme launched by EMA to enhance support for the development of medicines that target an unmet medical need. Through PRIME, EMA offers early support to medicine developers to optimize the generation of robust data on a medicine's benefits and risks and enable accelerated assessment of medicines applications. This will help patients to benefit as early as possible from therapies that may significantly improve their quality of life. According to EMA, only 1 in 4 requests for PRIME eligibility are granted. For more information on the PRIME scheme, see https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/research-development/prime-priority-medicines Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said: "Following the grant of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year, we are proud to receive eligibility for PRIME access for our RSV vaccine candidate, enabling us to pursue accelerated development and review processes with the regulatory authorities in both U.S. and Europe. These grants highlight the potential of our vaccine to fulfil the significant unmet need for a preventative therapy, particularly for the elderly who may be at risk from serious complications from RSV. As we continue the enrolment into the global Phase 3 trial of the vaccine, we look forward to working closely with both EMA and the FDA on accelerating the pathway towards approval." About Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) RSV is a common virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but in serious cases can lead to severe lung infections, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which ultimately can lead to death. At-risk individuals typically include infants and elderly / immunocompromised individuals. It is estimated, that each year RSV-induced infections lead to approximately 177,5251 hospitalizations and 14,0001 deaths in adults aged 65 years and older in the US, similar to influenza. Accordingly, preventing RSV-induced infections is a top priority for governments and medical professionals globally. Currently there is no approved vaccine against RSV. As such, RSV constitutes a large and critical unmet medical need and a potential multi-billion-dollar vaccines market annually. About MVA-BN RSV MVA-BN RSV, Bavarian Nordic's vaccine candidate for the prevention of RSV, is being developed for use in elderly individuals. The vaccine incorporates five distinct RSV antigens to stimulate a broad immune response against both RSV subtypes (A and B), thus mimicking the immune response observed following a natural response to an RSV infection. The incorporation of five antigens differentiates MVA-BN RSV from other RSV vaccine candidates currently in development. In 2021, Bavarian Nordic reported strong results from a clinical Phase 2 double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, which enrolled healthy adult volunteers, 18-50 years of age who were randomized to receive either a single vaccination of MVA-BN RSV or placebo. Volunteers were challenged intranasally with an RSV type A strain 28 days after vaccination. A total of 61 subjects were evaluable. The study demonstrated a significant reduction in viral load in vaccinated subjects (n=30) versus placebo (n=31), thus meeting the primary endpoint of this pivotal study. At the same time, the vaccinated subjects showed a significant reduction in clinical symptoms typically associated with RSV infections. The MVA-BN RSV vaccine demonstrated a vaccine efficacy of up to 79% in preventing symptomatic RSV infections2. Bavarian Nordic has also previously reported strong results from a Phase 2 trial of MVA-BN RSV in 421 elderly subjects aged 55 years and older, demonstrating that the vaccine was well-tolerated and induced both broad and durable antibody and T-cell responses against RSV, as well as mucosal immune responses that may be important for protection against RSV. The Phase 2 program in elderly subjects included a revaccination of subjects after one year, following which the immune responses were rapidly and significantly increased, notably in subjects with the weakest immunity prior to the booster vaccination3. The vaccine candidate is based on Bavarian Nordic's proprietary MVA-BN platform technology, also used in the Company's approved vaccines for smallpox, monkeypox and Ebola. In February 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MVA-BN RSV, for active immunization for prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults aged 60 years or older. In April 2022, Bavarian Nordic initiated a global, randomized, double-blind Phase 3 trial (VANIR) of MVA-BN RSV, planned to enroll 20,000 adults aged 60 years and older. The trial is being conducted at approximately 115 sites across the U.S. and Germany and is designed to run through the RSV season 2022/2023 with topline results expected mid 2023 if the pre-defined number of lower-respiratory tract disease events has occurred. About Bavarian Nordic Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccines company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of life-saving vaccines. We are a global leader in smallpox vaccines and have been a long-term supplier to the U.S. Government of a non-replicating smallpox vaccine, which has been approved by the FDA, also for the protection against monkeypox. The vaccine is also approved for protection against smallpox and monkeypox in Canada, and as a smallpox vaccine in Europe. Our commercial product portfolio furthermore contains market-leading vaccines against rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates designed to save and improve lives by unlocking the power of the immune system, including an Ebola vaccine, which is licensed to the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. We are also committed to the development of a next generation COVID-19 vaccine. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com . Forward-looking statements This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law. Contacts Europe: Rolf Sass Srensen, Vice President Investor Relations, Tel: +45 61 77 47 43 US: Graham Morrell, Paddock Circle Advisors, graham@paddockcircle.com , Tel: +1 781 686 9600 1 Falsey AR, Hennessey PA, Formica MA, Cox C, Walsh EE. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in elderly and high-risk adults. N Engl J Med. 2005 Apr 28;352(17):1749-59 2 https://www.resvinet.org/uploads/2/2/2/7/22271200/abstract_booklet_rsvvw21.pdf 3 Jordan E. et al. 2010. J. Infect, Dis. 28:223(6). 1062-1072 Attachment June 28, 2022 Testing in accordance with ISO 18562 and ISO 10993 standards conducted by five certified, independent testing laboratories in the US and Europe Amsterdam, the Netherlands - On June 14, 2021, Philips '* to address potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam in specific CPAP, BiPAP and mechanical ventilator devices. At the time the recall notification/field safety notice* was issued, Philips Respironics relied on an initial, limited data set and toxicological risk assessment, and assumed a worst-case scenario for the possible health risks out of an abundance of caution. Since then, together with five certified, independent testing laboratories in the US and Europe, as well as other qualified third-party experts, Philips Respironics has been conducting a comprehensive test and research program on the PE-PUR foam to better assess and scope the potential patient health risks related to possible emission of particulates from degraded foam and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This update is intended to provide healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders with updated information on the testing results to date. Philips will continue to provide regular updates as new test results and assessments become available, as not all tests have been completed to date. The overall guidance for healthcare providers and patients in the recall notification/field safety notice* remains unchanged at this time. Testing methods Testing results and conclusions to date are grouped by device air path design and configuration, i.e., based on how the air flows through the device. Of the five device categories, the first-generation DreamStation devices represent 68% of the registered affected devices globally. Within each device category, testing and analyses are performed on new devices with pristine foam, devices with lab-aged foam and used devices: Visual assessment of the foam in returned/used devices to assess the prevalence of visible foam degradation. VOC testing to identify and quantify organic compounds that may be inhaled during device use. Particulate Matter (PM) testing to determine concentrations of respirable particulates, i.e., particulates up to 10 micrometers in diameter, as it relates to inhalation risks and established health thresholds. Additional physical, chemical and biological testing of the PE-PUR foam related to patient risks if patients were in contact with foam material. The complete update on the PE-PUR testing results and conclusions available to date can be found here , and the main findings have been presented below. Healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders should use the complete update for any informed decision making, and not the overview in this press release. "I deeply regret the concern experienced by patients who rely on the affected Respironics sleep and respiratory devices for their health and quality of life and want to emphasize our commitment to providing them with a resolution as fast as possible," said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. "More than 1,000 of our colleagues are working extremely hard to achieve this. While certain prolonged tests across the affected product categories are still to be completed, the results to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices, which represent the majority of the registered affected devices, show a very low prevalence of visible foam degradation. In addition, the new and used first-generation DreamStation devices passed volatile organic compound and respirable particulate emission testing. This is very encouraging. Results to date also indicate that ozone cleaning significantly exacerbates foam degradation." First-generation DreamStation devices (68% of registered affected devices globally) Visual assessment : In order to determine the prevalence of foam degradation, which may result in foam particulate emission, a visual assessment of the foam was performed on a sample of 60,847 returned/used first-generation DreamStation devices from the US and Canada. The visual inspection was conducted according to a specific protocol as part of the repair process. The sample included 36,341 devices for which the users reported no use of ozone cleaning, 11,309 devices for which the users reported use of ozone cleaning, and 13,197 devices for which it was reported unknown by the user whether ozone cleaning was used. Prevalence of visible foam degradation (US and CA): 164 of 36,341 (0.5%) devices with self-reported no ozone use showed significant visible foam degradation. 164 of 36,341 (0.5%) devices with self-reported no ozone use showed significant visible foam degradation. Impact of repeated ozone cleaning: Devices with self-reported ozone use were 14x more likely to have significant visible foam degradation than those with self-reported no ozone use: 777 of 11,309 devices (7%) showed significant visible foam degradation. Devices with self-reported ozone use were 14x more likely to have significant visible foam degradation than those with self-reported no ozone use: 777 of 11,309 devices (7%) showed significant visible foam degradation. Assessment of a sample of devices linked to reported alleged foam degradation complaints: 422 devices of the inspected 60,847 returned/used devices are linked to a reported foam degradation complaint. However, only 18 out of these 422 devices (4%) actually showed visible foam degradation. In those devices where visible foam degradation was significant, i.e., there was reduction in foam volume, it was observed that there was accumulation of degraded foam within the airpath inside the device. The foam becomes hygroscopic (i.e., absorbs moisture) and sticky with degradation. It also loses significant volume and increases density as the structure changes from a foam to a viscous liquid material. As such, even when foam particulates are formed by degradation, they are likely to accumulate within the device and may not be directly emitted by the device. A visual assessment of the foam was also performed on a sample of 1,360 returned/used first-generation DreamStation devices from various countries in Europe and on a sample of 931 returned/used devices from Japan. Prevalence of visible foam degradation (EU and JPN): None of the assessed devices from Europe or Japan showed significant visible degradation. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) : VOC testing according to ISO 18562-3 was performed on new, lab-aged and used devices to (1) quantify VOC emissions from devices, and (2) assess the toxicological risk associated with exposure to the quantified concentrations of those VOCs. It is important to note that these tested new and lab aged first-generation DreamStation devices were not exposed to ozone cleaning, in accordance with the instructions for use. As previously provided in an update (https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/press/2021/20211223-philips-provides-update-on-the-test-and-research-program-in-connection-with-the-cpap-bipap-and-mechanical-ventilator-recall-notification.html) on December 23, 2021, VOC emissions are below established limits based on ISO 18562-3 testing and evaluation of new, lab-aged, and used devices. Exposure to the level of VOCs identified to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices is not anticipated to result in long-term health consequences for patients. Particulate Matter (PM) : PM testing according to ISO 18562-2 was performed on the devices to (1) quantify the particulate matter emitted from devices, and (2) assess whether the concentration detected is less than thresholds provided in the standard. New devices and used devices (including used devices with visible foam degradation) were tested and were all found to be compliant with ISO 18562-2 allowable limits for PM emissions . . Tested PM emissions of used devices with degradation were not statistically different than PM emissions without degradation, suggesting that degradation did not contribute to appreciable elevated levels of respirable particles in the devices tested . . The used devices that were tested for PM emissions, were also evaluated for cleanliness based on a visual inspection of the exterior of the device, i.e., the presence of environmental materials on the external surface of the device, such as the inlet filter location. For these devices, average particulate matter counts in devices classified as 'dirty' were significantly greater than those classified as 'clean'. Biocompatibility testing of (degraded) PE-PUR foam : Additional testing is still being performed in accordance with ISO 10993 to facilitate a toxicological risk assessment of (degraded) foam particulates, which is relevant if they would potentially contact the patient. This testing includes chemical characterization (i.e., what chemicals may potentially extract or leach from the foam and have direct contact with body tissues and/or fluids), in vitro assessment (i.e., tests performed in a test tube, dish, etc. outside the body), and in vivo assessment (i.e., preclinical testing) of new, lab aged and/or used PE-PUR foam. To support the assessment of potential genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and irritation risks of lab-aged foam, chemical characterization of lab-aged foam, as well as experiments to assess the amount of foam that can potentially contact the patient are being conducted, as lab-aged foam did not pass Ames (genotoxicity), cytotoxicity and skin irritation bioassay testing. Further, complementing the lab-aged foam assessment, a chemical characterization of returned/used degraded foam is also being conducted to better elucidate risks under field conditions. Per ISO 10993, the bioassay results cannot stand alone and, therefore, a positive Ames, cytotoxicity, or skin irritation result triggers a required follow-up evaluation including identification of potential confounding factors, and a weight of evidence assessment to determine a confirmed conclusion on potential risks for patients under expected usage of the device. Other devices under the recall notification/field safety notice Other devices that are being tested include DreamStation Go (1% of the registered devices) and SystemOne (26% of the registered devices). These devices each have a different air path design/configuration compared to the first-generation DreamStation devices but contain the same PE-PUR foam. New DreamStation Go and SystemOne devices passed VOC and PM testing based on standards available prior to ISO 18562 i.e., Indoor Air Quality Evaluation (as previously disclosed in the April 25, 2022, update). Further ISO 18562 VOC and PM testing is ongoing. The results of ISO 10993 biocompatibility testing of degraded PE-PUR foam for the first-generation DreamStation devices, which is ongoing, will also apply to DreamStation Go and SystemOne devices. Further devices include Trilogy 100/200 (3% of the registered devices) and OmniLab/A-Series BiPAP (2% of the registered devices). New Trilogy 100/200 passed VOC and PM testing. New OmniLab devices passed VOC and PM testing based on standards available prior to ISO 18562 i.e., Indoor Air Quality Evaluation (as previously disclosed in the April 25, 2022, update). New and used OmniLab devices passed VOC testing based on ISO 18562. Further testing is ongoing. Summary of ongoing tests The first-generation DreamStation, DreamStation Go and SystemOne CPAP/BiPAP devices represent 95% of the registered affected devices globally. Philips Respironics expects to complete the remaining VOC and PM testing for these devices, as well as the degraded foam toxicological risk assessmentsthat Philips retain an independent laboratory to perform additional testing to determine what, if any, potential safety risks may be posed to patients by silicone-based foam. Philips Respironics engaged independent testing laboratories to perform additional VOC testing. Based on the draft reports, Philips Respironics has not identified any safety issues. The assessment is being completed, and the final reports are subject to FDA review, which are expected in the coming months. Guidance for healthcare providers and patients As indicated, this update is intended to provide healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders with updated information on the testing results to date. The overall guidance for healthcare providers and patients in the recall notification/field safety notice * remains unchanged at this time. Philips Respironics remains fully committed to addressing all devices affected by the recall notification/field safety notice* and continues to work with the relevant competent authorities to further optimize the remediation plan. To date, approximately 2.7 million replacement devices and repair kits have been produced. Additional information Further information, including the complete update and FAQs, as well as video messages from Philips CEO Frans van Houten, Chief Business Leader Connected Care Roy Jakobs and Technical Project Manager for the test and research program Jan Bennik, can be found here and here . * Voluntary recall notification in the US/field safety notice for the rest of the world. For media questions, please contact: Steve Klink Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 10888824 E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com Ben Zwirs Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 15213446 E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips. Forward-looking statements This statement contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips' organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Attachment Positive Results From Follow Up Soil Sampling Program at El Pantano Confirms Previous Work. High Level Gold in Soils Anomaly Over 1km, Plus Pathfinder Elements Over Wider Area, Suggestive of a Major Epithermal System. LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or the "Company") (TSXV:OMI)(AIM:OMI), is pleased to announce positive assay results from a follow up soil sampling program at the La Esfinge prospect at El Pantano, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. For the full PDF version of the announcement with Figures 1-5 included, please refer to: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/3737Q_1-2022-6-27.pdf As announced on May 3rd, 2022, field teams had returned to El Pantano to complete a short infill program designed to add more detail to the positive soil sampling results from the first pass reconnaissance program undertaken in March 2022. 13 additional soil sampling lines were completed across the western section of La Esfinge (Figure 4) and have returned highly anomalous results, with gold in soil results up to 152ppb Au. Figure 1. Gold (Au) in soils These results are highly encouraging in both scale and composition. A geochemical anomaly has now been defined in detailed over a strike length in excess of 1km (Figure 1), but open to both east and west. This anomaly is also evident in a range of additional pathfinder elements, such as would be expected from a substantial epithermal system. This work has now defined a high priority exploration target which will be followed up after the winter recess which is expected to last until early September. El Pantano The El Pantano project ("Project") is subject to an Exploration & Joint Venture agreement ("Agreement") with private Argentinean company DESEADO DORADO S.A.S and its shareholders ("Deseado"). The general terms of the Agreement allow for the Company to earn 100% equity in the Project by investing US$3m over five years in two phases: Phase 1, earn 51% by investing US$1m over an initial 3-year period. Phase 2, move to 100% ownership by investing an additional US$2m over a subsequent 2-year period and granting Deseado a residual 2% net smelter return royalty on the Project. Figure 2. Regional Location Figure 3. Licences Survey This second pass program entailed 13 additional geochemical survey lines at a nominal spacing of 120m, across the western end of the La Esfinge silicified ridge. The program was only small due to approaching winter and was designed to better define the highest coarse scale anomalies that had been previously defined by the first pass survey in March. It was felt that such definition was important so as to gain a better understanding of the potential of the prospect and allow for follow up work to be planned over the winter break. The same sampling techniques were employed as per the earlier work in March. Figure 4. Line plans, phases 1 and 2 The results of the program were extremely positive, with the broad anomalous responses at the western end of La Esfinge being confirmed, and much better defined. While anomalous gold results are important, of equal importance is the response from a range of pathfinder elements which are generally more mobile. Multielement geochemical analysis of the soil samples has confirmed good correlation between gold, and anomalous responses from a suite of other elements such as Ag, As, Bi, Cu, In, and Bi (Figure 5), that are suggestive as being derived from an epithermal system. Work at El Pantano has now ceased for the winter recess, which in general would be expected to last until early September. After this, the Company plans follow up work, which could include additional geochemical analysis over a wider area, ground magnetics, mapping, which if positive, could lead to a drilling campaign in the medium term. Figure 5. Plans, path finder elements. Orosur CEO Brad George commented: "It is early days at El Pantano, but it is highly encouraging to obtain such positive results from what is essentially an untouched grass roots project. We look forward to returning after the winter, but work so far has supported our strategy of carefully selecting attractive earlier stage projects on the best possible terms." For further information visit www.orosur.ca, follow on twitter @orosurm or contact: Orosur Mining Inc Louis Castro, Chairman, Brad George, CEO info@orosur.ca Tel: +1 (778) 373-0100 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP - Nomad & Joint Broker Jeff Keating / Caroline Rowe Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 470 0470 Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd - Joint Broker Andy Thacker James Pope Tel: +44 (0)20 3657 0050 Flagstaff Strategic and Investor Communications Tim Thompson Mark Edwards Fergus Mellon Tel: +44 (0) 207 129 1474 orosur@flagstaffcomms.com The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ('MAR') which has been incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service ('RIS'), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Orosur Mining Inc. Orosur Mining Inc. (TSX-V: OMI; AIM: OMI) is a minerals explorer and developer focused on identifying and advancing projects in South America. The Company currently operates in Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. Qualified Persons Statement The information in this news release was compiled, reviewed and verified by Mr. Brad George, BSc hons (Geology and Geophysics), MBA, Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG), CEO of Orosur Mining Ltd and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Orosur Mining staff follow standard operating and quality assurance procedures to ensure that sampling techniques and sample results meet international reporting standards. Forward Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to the "safe harbour" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the exploration plans in Colombia and the funding from Monte Aguila of those plans, Monte Aguila's decision to continue with the Exploration and Option agreement, the ability for Loryser to continue and finalize with the remediation in Uruguay, the ability to implement the Creditors' Agreement successfully as well as continuation of the business of the Company as a going concern and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. The Company's continuance as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing, to reach profitable levels of operations and to reach a satisfactory implementation of the Creditor's Agreement in Uruguay. These material uncertainties may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business and accordingly the appropriateness of the use of accounting principles applicable to a going concern. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking statements. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties including, but not limited, those as described in Section "Risks Factors" of the MDA and the Annual Information Form. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. 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: Orosur Mining Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706714/Orosur-Mining-Inc-Announces-El-Pantano-Argentina-Update WALLIX and Axians France have entered into a two-year partnership after a year of collaboration on large-scale projects to secure access and digital identities for companies in the airport, nuclear, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors, among others. and have entered into a two-year partnership after a year of collaboration on large-scale projects to secure access and digital identities for companies in the airport, nuclear, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors, among others. This partnership will allow WALLIX to accelerate its development in the industrial sector in France. From now on, joint projects will multiply to meet the cybersecurity challenges of the sector. to accelerate its development in the industrial sector in France. From now on, joint projects will multiply to meet the cybersecurity challenges of the sector. WALLIX and Axians share the conviction that cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation of companies, especially those in the industrial sector, which is particularly critical, to ensure business continuity, resilience to cyberattacks, and compliance with regulatory requirements in terms of data protection. Paris, 28 June 2022 - WALLIX, (Euronext ALLIX) a European cybersecurity software publisher and expert in access and identity solutions, and Axians France (VINCI Energies) have signed a two-year partnership agreement. Axians is now part of the Business Partner Program, WALLIX's distribution network, alongside its 300 international partners (distributors, reseller-integrators, global integrators or GSIs, and consulting firms). Axians has initially certified 12 members of the team in charge of joint projects in the WALLIX PAM4ALL unified solution. With offices throughout France, Axians supports the digital transformation of companies, particularly those in the industrial sector. Axians also works with Actemium, a VINCI Energies brand dedicated to industrial processes, which aims to improve the industrial performance and competitive advantage of its customers. This partnership will enable WALLIX to accelerate its development in the industrial sector in France as industrial organizations accelerate their digital transformation with the aim of meeting the challenges of competitiveness, sustainable development, and traceability with regard to consumers and global regulations. The industry is using IT technologies - Internet of Things, cloud services, Big Data Analytics, blockchain, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity - to optimize production costs, energy consumption, and maintenance operations, but also to drastically reduce its carbon footprint. "Working with Axians means being able to rely on a double expertise in IT and OT, thus providing a solid technological response that is perfectly adapted to the business uses. This response will be relayed as close as possible to our common customers through the proximity on the ground that characterizes VINCI Energies companies. In the long term, thanks to the global presence of Axians and WALLIX, we will be able to cover the cybersecurity needs of manufacturers with production sites all over the world," explains Yoann Delomier, OT Team Leader at WALLIX. "To create constructive synergies, it is essential for Axians to share our development ambitions with a local team and a trusted partner such as WALLIX, whose solutions have been recognized by the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI), . Thanks to this ambitious partnership, we want to offer solutions that allow VINCI Energies companies (Axians and Actemium) to guarantee their customers a cybersecurity approach that reassures them about both the tools selected and the methodology used. We will also offer a single point of contact for OT/IT convergence to best support our customers in their digital transformation," adds Pascal Girard, Business Development Manager, Industrial Cybersecurity & IIOT at Axians. ABOUT WALLIX A software company providing cybersecurity solutions, WALLIX is the European specialist in digital Identity and Access Security Solutions. WALLIX PAM4ALL, the unified privilege management solution, enables companies to respond to today's data protection challenges. It guarantees detection of and resilience to cyberattacks, which enables business continuity. The solution also ensures compliance with regulatory requirements regarding access to IT infrastructures and critical data. WALLIX PAM4ALL is distributed through a network of more than 300 resellers and integrators worldwide. Listed on the Euronext (ALLIX), WALLIX supports more than 1900 organizations in securing their digital transformation. WALLIX is a founding member of the HEXATRUST group and has been included in the Futur40, the first ranking of growth companies on the stock exchange published by Forbes France and is part of the Tech 40 index. WALLIX affirms its digital responsibility and is committed to contributing to the construction of a trusted European digital space, guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of data for organizations as well as for individuals concerned about the protection of their digital identity and privacy. Digital technology, whether for professional or personal use, must be ethical and responsible in order to pursue a secure societal digital transformation that respects individual freedoms. www.wallix.com | info@wallix.com ABOUT AXIANS Axians supports its customers - private companies, public sector, operators, and service providers - in the evolution of their infrastructures and digital solutions. To do this, Axians masters all information and communication technologies: application solutions and data analytics, corporate networks and digital workspaces, datacenters and clouds, telecom infrastructures, and cybersecurity. Through its consulting, design, integration, and services activities, Axians develops customized solutions to transform technology into added value. Axians: 12,500 employees in 27 countries and 2.7 billion in revenues by 2021, of which 100 million in industry. Axians is a VINCI Energies brand. www.axians.fr PRESS CONTACT AxiCom UK Jenny Gallacher wallixuk@axicom.com COMMUNICATION CONTACT Axians France Erwan TOULLEC erwan.toullec@axians.com FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION ACTUS Finance & Communication Investors Relations - Helene DE WATTEVILLE +33 1 53 67 36 33 / wallix@actus.fr Press Relations - Deborah SCHWARTZ +33 6 27 09 05 73 / dschwartz@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: yW1pk5pmYmmcy3JtY5ZlmWSWaWdnk2DJlmSXl2Jqa8eVaGxpyWppnJrHZnBmlmlo - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-75142-20220628_axians_eng_final.pdf The project will be rolled out globally after a pilot phase in Europe across Pernod Ricard's strategic international brands Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005826/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Press Release 28 June, 2022 Continuing its efforts as a proactive player in the industry, Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI) today announces the launch of a digital label system to better inform consumers about the products they purchase as well as responsible drinking. This initiative aims to offer consumers an efficient solution to their desire for more transparency on product content and health information. A European pilot program will be launched in July 2022, before being rolled out globally across all brands in the Group's portfolio by 2024. In 2021, to support the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking's commitments, Pernod Ricard announced the addition of two warning pictograms on its packaging against underage drinking and drink driving, complementing its pre-existing warning logo against drinking when pregnant. Now the Group has gone a step further in terms of product and health information. Every bottle of Pernod Ricard's brands will soon carry its own QR code on its back label. Once scanned with a smartphone it will redirect the consumers directly to a platform where they will be able to access, on one unique place, relevant information for each product: The list of ingredients and full nutrition facts that Pernod Ricard will be providing together with the European wine and spirits associations, - Information about the health risks associated with the consumption of alcohol, and where to find relevant information in their country, - Responsible drinking guidelines issued by their country's government authorities,including information about standard drinks and who should not drink alcohol, as well as a link to a consumer information website. All the available content will be adapted to local specificities, in particular local drinking guidelines that vary from one country to another, and will be displayed in the local language. Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard: "As a consumer-centric company committed to responsible drinking, this new digital label system strives to respond to our customers' evolving needs. Now more than ever, consumers want to know what is in their drinks Thanks to digital technology, this information can now be accessed easily. I am proud that Pernod Ricard continues to be an industry pioneer in spearheading such a proactive initiative About Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales amounting to 8,824 million in FY21. The Group, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive portfolios in the industry with over 240 premium brands distributed across more than 160 markets. Pernod Ricard's portfolio includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Campo Viejo, Mumm Sparkling and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term and sustainable growth for all its stakeholders, remaining true to its founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and strong sense of ethics. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 18,500 employees to be on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite". Pernod Ricard 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap "Good Times from a Good Place" is integrated into all its activities from grain to glass, and Pernod Ricard is recognised as a UN Global Compact LEAD participant. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005826/en/ Contacts: Emmanuel Vouin Head of External Engagement +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34 News summary: Tele2 Estonia wanted to reduce repair times and prevent network outages Deploying ADVA's compact, cost-effective ALM assurance solution provides full fiber network visibility Technology enables Tele2 Estonia to rapidly repair fiber breaks and offer enhanced SLAs ADVA (FSE: ADV) today announced that Tele2 Estonia has deployed the ADVA ALM fiber monitoring solution for real-time assurance across its national network. The compact, plug-and-play device boosts operational efficiency and service availability. This helps Tele2 Estonia to improve customer experience and offer enhanced SLAs. Managed by the Ensemble Controller network management system with Ensemble Fiber Director, the solution gives Tele2 Estonia's field forces full control over their optical infrastructure. With its simple graphical overlay, the ADVA ALM precisely pinpoints the location of fiber impairments, enabling proactive maintenance, reducing repair times and preventing network outages. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005471/en/ ADVA's ALM is helping Tele2 Estonia to eliminate downtime and ensure services stay online. (Photo: Business Wire) "With the ADVA ALM, we can offer even more value to our customers. Needing no calibration, it easily plugged into our infrastructure to instantly provide detailed info on any fiber event. Having the ability to rapidly respond to network issues and take immediate targeted action helps us ensure zero downtime and uninterrupted connectivity," said Asse Hang, head of international sales at Tele2 Estonia. "This deployment is also central to our role as a sustainability leader. As the first communication service provider (CSP) in the Baltic region to have achieved climate neutral operations, we're dedicated to reducing environmental impact in every aspect of our business. The ADVA ALM fiber monitoring solution enables us to dramatically decrease truck rolls, helping to further cut our carbon footprint". The ADVA ALM is a low-power, service-agnostic solution that offers total fiber infrastructure visibility. Requiring no active equipment at the user site, it's now delivering comprehensive insight into the integrity and performance of Tele2 Estonia's fiber infrastructure. The Ensemble Fiber Director provides a GIS-based, real-time graphical user interface that proactively notifies the CSP's field forces of any fiber anomaly, enabling them to take countermeasures before problems develop and services are affected. With complete control, Tele2 Estonia is now significantly improving robustness and efficiency across its nationwide network, which is built on the ADVA FSP 3000. "Tele2 Estonia is a CSP committed to adding value for its customers. Now it's harnessing our ALM as part of its mission to eradicate network downtime. With round-the-clock fiber monitoring, Tele2 Estonia can initiate instant troubleshooting, helping to avoid service disruption and empowering it to offer more valuable SLAs," commented Hartmut Muller-Leitloff, SVP of sales, EMEA at ADVA. "Uniquely compact and affordable, there really is no other fiber assurance technology on the market that delivers as much with such little investment. Our ALM is the easiest way to guarantee superior network performance, save time and money, and help tackle environmental impact." About ADVA ADVA is a company founded on innovation and focused on helping our customers succeed. Our technology forms the building blocks of a shared digital future and empowers networks across the globe. We're continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at www.adva.com. Published by: ADVA Optical Networking SE, Munich, Germany www.adva.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005471/en/ Contacts: For press: Gareth Spence t +44 1904 699 358 public-relations@adva.com For investors: Stephan Rettenberger t +49 89 890 665 854 investor-relations@adva.com Plural, a new investment platform started by the founders and backers of Europe's most significant tech companies, has unveiled today a 250m early stage venture fund (Plural Platform SCSp RAIF, "Plural") to back the next generation of founders with global ambitions. Set up by Ian Hogarth, Khaled Heloui, Sten Tamkivi and Taavet Hinrikus with other recognised founders who will announce themselves soon Plural is a scalable investment platform whose investors are exclusively former founders and operators with decades of company building experience. Plural was founded because the Plural founders saw that across Europe the vast majority of investors lacked experience of building tech businesses. In Europe just 8% of investors are former operators, in contrast to more than half of tech investors in the US. Plural's founders believe that the scar tissue from building tech companies is invaluable in helping the next generation of founders to build companies with global potential. Plural's intention is to be a more hands-on investor, with a focus on leading early stage rounds between 1 and 10m. The Investment Manager's investment committee have commented as follows: Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of Wise, said: "We're the investors we would have liked to have when we were building our own companies. Founding a company is a craft and the best way to learn that craft is to work alongside those who have done it before." Ian Hogarth said: 'We call experienced founders 'unemployables', because once you've experienced the intense authorship that comes with creating something new it's hard to work for anyone again. Plural was created to give unemployables a place to call home and put their entrepreneurial energy behind missions and founders they deeply believe in." Khaled Helioui said: "So much opportunity is left untapped today as exceptional founders often fail to meet standard investors' pattern recognition criteria. Sadly investors lack the risk appetite needed to fulfill founders' ambitions and consequently the full impact founders seek can not be realised. By changing the funding mechanisms that act as conservative gatekeepers today we can unlock so much potential." Sten Tamkivi said: "We are huge optimists for the potential of technology coming from Europe which can benefit the whole world, as well as improve the lives of people across the continent. We've already seen the real impact a well-funded startup scene can have on economies in small countries like Estonia now it is time to scale this GDP level impact across the whole of Europe." Between them Taavet, Sten, Ian and Khaled have founded four startups Wise, Songkick, Teleport and Certific and played a significant role in building three companies, including Skype, Bigpoint and Topia. All four operators turned investors have also been angel investing for years, with significant success. Companies in their portfolio include Deliveroo, Hopin, Pipedrive, Chorus, Uber, Zego and Bolt. As Plural, they have already invested in 14 companies including Feather, NFTport an NFT infrastructure company, energy storage company Field, metaverse company Ready Player Me and student banking challenger MOS. About Plural Set up by founders for founders, Plural is a 250m investment platform which is investing early stage venture capital in exceptional European tech companies. Its investors with scar tissue support founders to build tech companies that can make a GDP impact. https://pluralplatform.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005148/en/ Contacts: Antonella@Burlington.cc 07530815018 "An unmissable event for insurance senior management keen to discuss the concept of tomorrow's insurance." Earnix, a global provider of real-time AI-driven rating, dynamic pricing, product personalisation, and fully operationalised telematics solutions for Insurance and Banking, will join insurance industry leaders on June 30th, as they gather at Le Grand Forum D'Assurance ("The Great Insurance Forum") at L'Orangerie d'Auteuil, Paris. Sammy Krikler, Founder and Chief Insurance Officer, Earnix, will address the conference at 11.30 a.m. CET on the topic of: "How real-time pricing is creating new possibilities in insurance." His presentation will outline the value of intelligent insurance operations. It will include insights on informed decision-making at all levels of the organisation by operationalising advanced analytics; and how to launch products rapidly with precise measurement, and with proactive engagements that deliver highly contextual, relevant, and strategic offers. "We are delighted to be an official partner of this prestigious event which brings together top players and influencers in the insurance industry," says Adrian Coupland, recently appointed Head of Sales, Insurance, EMEA, for Earnix. "For its 18th year, the event has been entirely remodeled, reflecting the seismic changes that this historical traditional industry is undergoing. We look forward to engaging with our peers to discuss the current and future shape of the industry, which is one of the oldest in the world and which really lies at the heart of humanity as a whole," he added. Le Grand Forum D'Assurance offers a day of prospective reflection on the future of insurance, and a unique opportunity to discover the vision of leaders on the challenges of the sector including transformation of business models and the evolution of traditional markets and new markets. About Earnix Earnix is the premier provider of mission-critical solutions that are composable and intelligent and are designed to transform how global insurers and banks are run. Its solutions unlock value across all facets of the business, breaking away from the status quo imposed by legacy monolithic, inefficient systems. Earnix's solutions offer systemised, enterprise-wide value with ultra-fast ROI. It has been innovating for Insurers and Banks since 2001 with offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Israel. For more information please visit: earnix.com. Connect with Earnix via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Read the Earnix Blog. Event Details: Vist Earnix at L'Orangerie d'Auteuil, Paris, 2 Bd d'Auteuil, 75016 Paris From: 0830 hrs 1700 hrs Metro ligne 10; Porte d'Auteuil View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005422/en/ Contacts: Jena Murphy pr@earnix.com Elanders will issue its Quarterly Report for the second quarter 2022 on Tuesday July 12 at 07:30 CET, followed by a conference call at 09:30 CET, hosted by President and CEO Magnus Nilsson and CFO Andreas Wikner. We invite fund managers, analysts and the media to participate in the conference call. Please see below details to join the conference. To join this event, please use the below Click to Join link 5-10 minutes prior to start time, where you will be asked to enter your phone number and registration details. Our Event Conferencing system will call you on the phone number you provide and place you into the event. Please note that the Click To Join link will be active 15 minutes prior to the event. CLICK TO JOIN Use the Click to Join option above for the easiest way to join your conference or use one of the access numbers below: Sweden: +46 (0)8 5664 2754 Germany: +49 (0)69 22222 5195 UK: +44 (0)330 165 3641 USA: +1 646-828-8082 Participant Passcode: 767304 Agenda 09:20 Conference number is opened 09:30 Presentation of quarterly results 09:50 Q&A 10:30 End of the conference During the conference call a presentation will be held. To access the presentation, please use this link: https://www.elanders.com/presentations For further questions, please contact Magnus Nilsson, President and CEO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Andreas Wikner, CFO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Attachment Multinational telco will use Unacast Turbine Platform-as-a-Service to power insights NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Unacast , a global location data and analytics firm, today announced a partnership with London-based BT Group, one of the largest multinational telecommunications firms. Through the partnership with Unacast, BT seeks to set a new gold standard for human mobility insights in the United Kingdom. BT Group needed a way to move faster to market with multiple data insights offerings for industries ranging from retail to transportation, urban development, tourism, banking and finance, and disease control. BT Group chose Unacast for the company's proven track record of delivering high-quality human mobility insights. The company will use the cloud-native Unacast Turbine Platform-as-a-Service to transform raw mobile network data into high-quality, privacy friendly aggregated location intelligence. These clean, filtered insights can be used to make better strategic decisions on a global scale. Learn more about some of the insights derived from BT Group's data in this blog. Chris Withers, director of data and artificial intelligence, BT Group, said: "BT Group has for some time been using aggregated and anonymized mobile data to uncover mobility insights in the UK and has seen healthy industry growth in the last few years. We are now looking toward significant growth in this area. To achieve this, BT has chosen to partner with Unacast because of the company's proven track record in Europe, operating under GDPR, and for its transparent and result-oriented culture. We look forward to becoming the market leader within data monetization for the UK market, and our partnership with Unacast is essential to that growth strategy." Andreas H.F. Olsen, vice president of platform operations, Unacast, said: "At Unacast, we've invested heavily in designing a platform to help telecommunications companies succeed with data processing and monetization. BT Group's strong presence and market share in the UK, coupled with unmatched data processing capabilities and reliability from Unacast, will lead to a successful partnership." About Unacast Unacast is a global location data and analytics company that provides the most accurate understanding of human activity in the physical world for consultancies, software analytics firms, and multinational organizations. The Data-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service offerings provide customers with clean, filtered insights to make better strategic decisions on a global scale when it comes to competitive analysis, site selection and demand forecasting. Visit us online at www.unacast.com. About BT BT Group is the UK's leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services. We also provide managed telecommunications, security and network and IT infrastructure services to customers across 180 countries. BT Group consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Enterprise and Global are our UK and international business-focused units respectively; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary, which wholesales fixed access infrastructure services to its customers - over 650 communication providers across the UK. British Telecommunications plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.bt.com/about Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1740858/Acct_2434697_Unacast_logo_Logo.jpg Kenji Yamaguchi appointed as IFR's new Vice President The Executive Board of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has elected Marina Bill of ABB as its new President. Kenji Yamaguchi of FANUC appointed as IFR's new Vice President. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005570/en/ The new IFR President Marina Bill and her predecessor Milton Guerry. (Photo: Business Wire) "I am honored to head the IFR as President and serve our industry and I thank the members of the IFR for their trust and support," said Marina Bill. "The unprecedented pace of change we're experiencing in global business provides a historic opportunity to shape industry for the next generation. Robotics and automation create flexible, sustainable and efficient solutions for businesses of all sizes that minimize cost, promote resilience and benefit society." Bill thanked her predecessor for his work: "Milton Guerry took office at the starting point of the COVID-19 pandemic and served the industry dealing with a great number of challenges. He worked relentlessly as our ambassador and I am proud to continue this mission together with our new Vice President, Kenji Yamaguchi." Marina Bill heads Global Marketing Sales for ABB's Robotics business which has approximately 11,000 employees, operating in over 100 locations in 53 countries. She has over 25 years of experience in a number of management and sales and marketing roles across automation at ABB. The Swedish and Swiss national holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Kenji Yamaguchi has been serving as Representative Director, President and CEO of FANUC CORPORATION since April, 2019. After joining the company in April, 1993, he started his career with research and development of industrial robots, and has contributed to the development of several successful models. His main past responsibilities include heading the Production Engineering Department and Production Division, along with the CNC Business Division. He completed the master's course at the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in March 1993. Download Pictures are ready for download at: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/ About IFR The International Federation of Robotics is the voice of the global robotics industry. IFR represents national robot associations, academia, and manufacturers of industrial and service robots from over twenty countries: www.ifr.org Follow IFR on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005570/en/ Contacts: Press contact International Federation of Robotics Carsten Heer phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284 E-Mail: press@ifr.org Confo Therapeutics announced today that it has been awarded a EUR 1.7 million grant from Flanders Innovation Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The award further validates and supports Confo's leadership in the discovery of novel GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor) drug candidates using its proprietary universal ConfoBody technology, specifically for the purpose of developing needed new treatments for orphan and rare diseases. As an example, the company intends to address an important target for neurological orphan conditions which is currently considered to be an undruggable GPCR. "If successful, the research pursued under the aegis of this VLAIO grant will allow us to unlock new potential treatments for unmet disease areas and to simultaneously pursue new technology developments. This will ultimately shorten our drug discovery timelines, allowing us to access relevant GPCR conformations faster while dramatically increasing our screening efficiency," said Christel Menet, CSO of Confo Therapeutics. A ConfoBody is a single-domain VHH antibody that binds to and stabilizes a GPCR in its therapeutically relevant conformation1. ConfoBodies therefore enable superior and more efficient drug discovery for dynamic membrane proteins in their natural environment and state. The grant will enable the company to further extend its current universal ConfoBody, Cb35, toward other G proteins. The funds will also be used to identify additional universal ConfoBodies for use in the company's ConfoSensor screening technology, which enables the identification of smaller, difficult to detect chemical starting points in GPCR drug discovery and development. Cedric Ververken, CEO of Confo Therapeutics, added: "We are grateful to once again be the recipient of a VLAIO grant, a valuable recognition by the Flemish government of our position as an innovative leader in the GPCR space and a key member of the biotech cluster in Flanders. As we await data from our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial with our lead neuropathic pain program, CFTX-1554, VLAIO's support will allow us to continue investigating the broad utility of our ConfoSensor technology and expand our proprietary pipeline for rare disease indications." About Confo Therapeutics Confo Therapeutics' unparalleled technology stabilizes functional conformations of GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors) to uncover a wide range of previously inaccessible drug targets. This platform, combined with the pharmacologic and biologic insight it provides, allows Confo to build a multi-indication pipeline of drug candidates with the vision of transforming therapeutic outcomes for patients with severe illnesses lacking disease-modifying treatments. Confo Therapeutics was spun out of VIB-VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium. For more information, visit www.confotherapeutics.com 1 The company recently published an overview on ConfoBodies in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005115/en/ Contacts: Confo Therapeutics Dr. Cedric Ververken, CEO +32 (0) 9 396 74 00 info@confotherapeutics.com Trophic Communications Valeria Fisher or Desmond James +49 175 8041816 or +49 1516 7859086 confo@trophic.eu Continued increase in citation impact for journals publishing COVID-19 research LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today released the 2022 update to its annual Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The annual JCR release enables the research community to evaluate the world's high-quality academic journals using a range of indicators, descriptive data and visualizations. The reports are used extensively by academic publishers across the globe to understand the scholarly impact of their journals relative to their field and promote them to the research community. The JCR is based on 2021 data compiled from the Web of Science Core Collection, the leading collection of quality journals, books and conference proceedings in the world's largest publisher-neutral global citation database. Publications are evaluated by a global team of in-house editors at Clarivate using rigorous selection criteria. The data from selected content are then carefully curated to ensure accuracy in the JCR metrics, together with a wide body of descriptive data. These insights enable researchers, publishers, editors, librarians and funders to explore the key drivers of a journal's value for diverse audiences. COVID-19 continues to influence every aspect of scholarly publishing, just as it has affected every aspect of society Dr Nandita Quaderi, Editor-in-Chief & Vice President Editorial, Web of Science said: "Through the carefully selected and curated data within the Journal Citation Reports, we can fully appreciate and understand the enormous impact of the academic community's rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "As researchers explored the origins, spread and ramifications of the virus, working at speed to create new therapies and vaccines, we see this reflected in the trusted insights contained in the annual JCR. The effects of this pandemic will continue to be seen in the literature and citation impact for decades, particularly under the lens of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 3 on Health and Wellbeing. We are proud to support the research community and the UN SDGs with expertly curated data that informs decisions and helps them accelerate the pace of innovation." This year's release sees continued notable increases in citation impact for journals in the fields of general medicine, critical care, public health, infectious diseases, immunology and basic biomedical sciences This year The Lancet 's Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 202.731 has moved it to the #1 position in the general & internal medicine category, overtaking the New England Journal of Medicine, which has been the top-ranked title in that category since the first release of the JCR 45 years ago. Of the 10 articles with the highest citation count in 2021, three appeared in The Lancet . All three are directly related to the characterization and treatment of COVID-19. 's Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 202.731 has moved it to the #1 position in the general & internal medicine category, overtaking the which has been the top-ranked title in that category since the first release of the JCR 45 years ago. Of the 10 articles with the highest citation count in 2021, three appeared in . All three are directly related to the characterization and treatment of COVID-19. This year Nature earns the distinction of being the first ever journal to accumulate more than one million total citations in one year. Nature published 16 items with over 500 JIF citations - of which 12 items were COVID-19 related. earns the distinction of being the first ever journal to accumulate more than one million total citations in one year. published 16 items with over 500 JIF citations - of which 12 items were COVID-19 related. Seven journals had JIFs of more than 100 for the first time, all of which published high quantities of COVID-19 related research. These are the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Nature Reviews Immunology, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology and the New England Journal of Medicine. Upholding research integrity and a new type of citation distortion To support objectivity in journal selection and the integrity of the reports, Clarivate has suppressed three journals from the JCR (without presumption or accusation of wrong doing), representing 0.01% of the journals listed. Clarivate monitors and excludes journals that demonstrate anomalous citation behavior including where there is evidence of excessive journal self-citation and/or citation stacking. The methodology and parameters for the effect of journal self-citation on JCR metrics were updated in 2020 to better account for discipline norms. The suppression of a journal from the JCR does not equate to a de-listing from the Web of Science Core Collection. In addition, this year the editorial integrity team at Clarivate identified a new type of anomalous citation behavior: self stacking. This is where the journal contains one or more documents with citations that are highly concentrated to the JIF numerator of the title itself. This is the first year we have formally defined the criteria for self-stacking suppression, and as such we have made the decision to issue a warning to six journals rather than suppress the journal's JIF. Going forward, continued journal self-stacking will result in suppression of JIF. Clarivate continuously reviews content with the goal of developing additional screening for distortions of the JIF. Key facts from the 2021 data: The Journal Citation Reports contains more than 21,000 journals, from 254 research categories and 114 countries. This includes: 12,800 science journals 6,600 social science journals 3,000 arts and humanities journals Almost 13,000 journals have at least one gold open access publication More than 5,300 journals publish all of their content via open access 192 journals received a Journal Impact Factor for the first time Each journal profile in the JCR provides a rich array of journal intelligence metrics and allows users to filter by category and rank. These include: The Journal Citation Indicator, which represents the average category-normalized citation impact for papers published in the prior three-year period. All journals in the JCR are eligible to receive this metric as of 2021; The Immediacy Index, which measures how frequently the journal's content is cited within the same year as publication; The journal's rank in category, determined by Journal Impact Factor, expressed as a percentile; Cited half-life, which is the median age, in years, of items in the journal that were cited during the JCR year; and The Journal Impact Factor, which is given to journals in SCIE and SSCI, and which scales the citations received to recent content by a measure of the size of the journal's scholarly output. In addition, the Journal Citation Reports include descriptive data such as open access content, top contributing institutions and regions. For a more detailed explanation of this year's release, please see our blog. Visit the Journal Citation Reports website to explore all available data, metrics and analysis. You can find more information including our suppression policy in the Journal Citation Reports Reference Guide. Follow us on Twitter via @ClarivateAG JCR2022. About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the pace of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of Academia & Government, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Professional Services and Consumer Goods, Manufacturing & Technology. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com. Media Contact Amy Bourke-Waite External Communications Director (Academia and Government) newsroom@clarivate.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1159266/Clarivate_Logo.jpg TORONTO, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toubani Resources, Inc. (formerly African Gold Group, Inc.) (TSX-V: TRE, FRA: 3A61) ("Toubani Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that in line with its corporate strategy and shareholders' approval, the Company completed its change of name to "Toubani Resources Inc." on June 15, 2022. Common shares of the Company began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new trading symbol "TRE" at the opening of trading on June 15, 2022. The Company has changed its name to better reflect its strategic focus on the development of the Kobada Project in Southern Mali and its decision to dual list on the Australian Stock Exchange. The name change to "Toubani Resources Inc." and the related rebranding exercise will provide an opportunity to position the Company anew with all stakeholders as a growing and prospective gold company. Toubani Resources Highlights: A robust multi-million-ounce gold resource base with significant expansion potential Total proven and probable mineral reserve of 1,252,522 ounces of gold Total measured and indicated mineral resource of 1,711,000 ounces of gold Total mineral resource (including inferred resource) of 3,144,000 ounces of gold Over 50 km of new potential shear zones identified on Kobada and Kobada Est concessions Over 5,500 hectares of prospective mineral trends within trucking distance yet to be explored Recently published definitive feasibility study outlines robust economics of the Project 3 Mtpa operation producing 1.2 Moz of gold over a 16-year Life-of-Mine (" LOM ") Average annual gold production of 100,000 oz over the first 10 years Pre-tax NPV5% of US$506 million with an IRR of 45% Toubani Resource's President and CEO, Mr. Danny Callow, stated: "We are pleased to complete the first step in our strategic expansion by re-branding and enhancing our marketing strategy with the change of the corporate identity to Toubani Resources Inc., combined with our new trading symbol 'TRE' and corporate logo." "The name change to Toubani Resources Inc reflects the name of a popular bird in the region, in the local Malinke language. The name change reflects the company spreading its wings, the near-term resource growth potential of the Company and better reflects our local heritage, our strong relationship within the local communities in which we operate and our progress in the development of our flagship Kobada Project. The Company is poised for transformational growth with the advancement of continued exploration of the Kobada Project over the coming year which we believe gives us the potential for further resource growth increases and build on the highly successful drilling campaigns since late 2019. Over the last 2 years our team has been successful in expanding the resource base at Kobada with a 144% increase in reserves and 44% increase in measured and indicated resource categories." The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Mr. Uwe Engelmann (BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat. No. 400058/08, MGSSA), a director of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. About Toubani Resources Inc Toubani Resources is a TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: TRE) listed exploration and development company with a focus on building Africa's next mid-tier gold producer. The Company has a highly experienced board and management team with a proven track record in the African mining sector operating mines from development through to production. Toubani Resource's principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali, which is in an advanced stage of development having completed the 2021 definitive feasibility study and is targeting gold production of 100,000 oz per annum. As well as the initial Kobada Gold Project, other exploration locations have been identified on the Kobada, Farada and Kobada Est concessions, offering the potential for an increase in resource. For more information regarding Toubani Resources visit our website at www.toubaniresources.com. For more information: Danny Callow President and Chief Executive Officer +(27) 76 411 3803 Danny.Callow@toubaniresources.com Daniyal Baizak Vice President, Corporate Development +1 (647) 835 9617 Dbaizak@toubaniresources.com Cautionary statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the listing on the Australian Stock Exchange, the expansion of mineral resources and reserves, and drilling and exploration plans of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals from Canadian and Australian regulatory authorities; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; available infrastructure and supplies; the COVID-19 pandemic and other risks of the mining industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable 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 RELEASE. London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, Better Diversification Ltd is an emerging wealth management company that uses algorithmic trading to help users. The company recognizes the potential of algorithmic trading and the fact that it is an emerging industry. One thing to note is that algorithmic trading doesn't guarantee profits because the setup and analysis must be carefully considered. With keeping the same in mind, the company has come up with a strategy that includes the use of algorithmic trading, dealing in all major asset classes, and proper risk management techniques. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8846/128837_541a390be4f60888_001full.jpg The company uses historical backtests to gauge the performance of trading strategies. It then doubles down on this result by taking into account risk management techniques and a professional approach to investments. It will also use computer-generated trade scripts. However, the company's primary goal revolves around passive income and the concept of diversifying investments. The company is pretty transparent regarding risk management and will inform investors about performance and the risks of trading. It will also be more focused on providing value to investors. Better Diversification Ltd has already successfully launched several trading strategies with a high level of efficiency and profitability. The company has yielded investment through many promising avenues. It is also important to note that the company is determined to prove the viability of algorithmic trading, and wants to give investors a better model through which they can benefit from their investments. Media Contact: Company name: Better Diversification Ltd. Contact name: Vincent JAFFRENNOU Company address: 128, City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, UNITED KINGDOM Website URL: http://better-diversification.com/ Phone: +33627119059 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/128837 This strategic alliance formed by UbiPharm and Imperial, both significant logistics and distribution players in the healthcare industry in Africa, will provide complementary continental route-to-market solutions to healthcare principals and clients, leveraging best-in-class operations and commercial services. While UbiPharm and Imperial will each maintain their individual business autonomies, the strategic alliance will drive better access to medicines, vaccines and other healthcare products for patients and consumers across 40 African countries, representing one of the most expansive networks for healthcare distribution on the continent. All the activities essential to the availability of medicines including manufacturing, regulatory, promotion and distribution will be readily available to healthcare principals through this network. "This strategic alliance with UbiPharm is in line with this ambition and our 'Gateway to Africa' strategy, which is also focused on expanding our geographic footprint and reach on the African continent, including in Francophone and Lusophone African countries. A Pan-African solution such as this one bodes well for our principals, clients and customers and, more importantly, enhances healthcare through increased patient access to vital medicines that are critical for sustainable development of the African continent," says Mohammed Akoojee, Group CEO of Imperial The alliance between UbiPharm and Imperial also aims to meet the growing demand from the healthcare industry for a global, secure and efficient continental solution in Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Africa countries, in compliance with Good Distribution Practices. Gerard Mangoua, Group CEO of UbiPharm, adds "UbiPharm is a socially responsible company that, for 30 years, has pursued the same mission: to promote access to health solutions in the regions where we operate. Our alliance withImperial is aligned with our strategy, which is to continuously innovate to meet the changing needs of populations. This alliance will make it possible to strengthen access to health solutions on the African continent". The synergies provided through this strategic alliance present Imperial and UbiPharm's combined client base with a unique and unprecedented offering in terms of development, consolidation and access to new markets and territories. For more information about UbiPharm, pharmaceutical supply chain expert present in Africa and French Overseas Territories, visit https://www.ubipharm.com/en For more information about Imperial, an African focused provider of integrated market access and logistics solutions, visit www.imperiallogistics.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005628/en/ Contacts: Juliette Vienot juliette.v@oxygen-rp.com KBRA Europe (KBRA) releases a report on current funding methods for battery storage in mainland Europe and the UK, as well as the revenue streams and regulatory environment that underpin the sector's transactions. While there is an emerging opportunity for battery storage to become an important technology in Europe's renewable energy transition, the financial community faces challenges in funding the sector, and there are uncertainties regarding how it can achieve the requisite scale to meet its full potential. The report notes the need for greater collaboration between sponsors developing the batteries, regulators and national policymakers setting renewable targets, and the financing community funding development. This cooperation is necessary for battery storage to be maximally useful amid profound shifts in how Europe and the UK source energy. Key Takeaways: Battery storage is set to come into focus given government requirements to keep up with renewable energy and energy security ambitions, especially given headwinds stemming from the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Funding techniques vary, but most battery storage transactions are funded on a short-term basis, taking into account corporate risk rather than on a pure stand-alone, nonrecourse basis. Regulation has a role in bridging the gap between inherent merchant exposure and long-term lenders' needs for predictable cash flows. Achieving scale for battery storage will likely require a greater diversity of funding including from long-term nonrecourse bank, institutional, and capital market funding. Click here to view the report. Related Publications Demand for Environmentally Friendly European Power Assets Risks Weakening Credit Profiles The Coming Charge: Energy Storage Impacts on Project and Corporate Credit Quality Diminishing Russian Carbon Reliance: Funding the Household Renewable Energy Transition in Europe About KBRA KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRA's ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005625/en/ Contacts: Gordon Kerr, Head of European Research +44 20 8148 1020 gordon.kerr@kbra.com Karim Nassif, Director, Project Finance Infrastructure +353 1 588 1245 karim.nassif@kbra.com Garret Tynan, European Head Project Finance Infrastructure +353 1 588 1235 garret.tynan@kbra.com Andrew Giudici, Global Head of Corporate, Project, and Infrastructure Finance +1 (646) 731-2372 andrew.giudici@kbra.com Business Development Mauricio Noe, Co-Head of Europe +44 20 8148 1010 mauricio.noe@kbra.com Miten Amin, Managing Director +44 20 8148 1002 miten.amin@kbra.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks advanced on Tuesday, with commodity-linked stocks leading the surge after China relaxed its COVID-19 quarantine mandate. The relaxation of the country's 'zero-COVID' policy came after Beijing and Shanghai reported no new local COVID-19 infections for the first time in months. The benchmark FTSE 100 rose 83 points, or 1.2 percent, to 7,341 after climbing 0.7 percent on Monday. Anglo American, Antofagasta and Glencore rallied 1-3 percent as iron ore futures gained on optimism over improved demand from China, the world's second-biggest economy and top metals consumer. Oil & gas firm BP Plc and Shell both jumped around 3 percent after Brent crude prices rose above $116.2 per barrel. Energy services firm Petrofac gained nearly 4 percent. The company said it expects revenue for its Asset Solutions unit to be higher in the second half of the year, supported by strong order intake in the year to date. 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. COPENHAGEN (dpa-AFX) - Denmark's retail sales declined in May after rising in the previous month, figures from Statistics Denmark showed on Tuesday. Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 1.1 percent month-on-month in May, after a 1.1 percent growth in April. The latest decline was led by a 1.6 percent fall in sales of food and grocery sales. Sales of other consumables decreased 0.9 percent, while those of clothing and other goods rose by 0.1 percent. On an annual basis, retail sales decreased 7.0 percent in May, after a 1.2 percent growth in the previous month. In March, sales dropped 10.6 percent. For the March to May period, retail sales fell 5.6 percent annually and increased 0.2 percent quarterly. 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. TORONTO, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum" or "the Company") (TSX: FM) will release second quarter 2022 financial and operating results on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 after the close of the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the results on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 9:00 am (EDT). Conference call and webcast details: Toll-free North America: 1-800-319-4610 Toll-free International: +1-604-638-5340 Webcast: www.first-quantum.com (http://www.first-quantum.com) A replay of the webcast will be available on the First Quantum website. For further information, visit our website at www.first-quantum.com (http://www.first-quantum.com) or contact: Bonita To, Director, Investor Relations (416) 361-6400 Toll-free: 1 (888) 688-6577 E-Mail: info@fqml.com (mailto:info@fqml.com) Extensions to Gold-Silver discovery and VMS system at C2A-East LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Meridian Mining UK S (TSX:MNO)(Frankfurt/Tradegate:2MM)(OTCQB:MRRDF), ("Meridian" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an extensive exploration update within the 11km long Cabacal Mine Corridor. Results from recently completed IP surveys have extended the prospectivity of the C4-A gold-silver discovery1 along strike to the southeast linking up with further gold-in-soil anomalies. The Company is also announcing that recent geophysical surveys from the VMS copper target at C2-A East2, have defined strong basement EM and IP anomalies, creating a new priority target for future drilling. The strong geophysical results to date, coupled with ongoing drilling success at Cabacal, highlight the outstanding potential of the essentially untested 22km strike length of open soil anomalies within the Cabacal Project (Figure 1). These combined results are strengthening the Cabacal project as one of the most exciting, emerging metallogenic belts in South America. Three surface drill rigs and four drill crews are currently confirming, infilling, and expanding the extensive near-surface copper-gold mineralization of the Cabacal Mine. Referenced images are presented at the end of this release as well as on the Company's website. Further results are pending. Highlights Reported Today: CD-139 Discovery: New IP anomalies extend prospectivity of C4-A Gold-Silver Extensions; Next phase of work to focus on untested northwest trend back towards Cabacal Mine; Strong basement responses detected southeast of discovery hole CD-139 confirm further upside; C2-A East Copper Prospect: New Priority target - Geophysics confirms basement potential Priority target 3km southeast of Cabacal Mine; Extensive geophysical anomalies define basement geophysical signature; Copper anomaly with peak readings of 0.1% Cu associated with 1.2km alteration system from Worldview 3 satellite survey; Ongoing geochemical - geophysical data compilation and exploration emphasizes Cabacal's belt-scale potential of emerging targets; Extensive soil anomalies cover only 22km of the 50km long Cabacal project; with unsurveyed gaps to be progressively infilled; and Infill gravity program commencing at Espigao to delineate future IOCG drill targets. encouraged by strong anomalies: regional survey phase completed. Dr Adrian McArthur, CEO and President comments : "Three drill rigs are advancing the drilling at the Cabacal Mine and its extensions in preparation for the first resource statement at the end of Q3. The Company continues to delineate additional upside potential to our new C4A gold-silver discovery and with today's C2A-East discovery, a priority target. Our next phase of drilling starting in Q4 will focus on extending and infilling at the Cabacal Mine but also more delineation drilling within the largely untested Mine Corridor. Our team has shown great ability and initiative in discovering new anomalies beyond those outlined by BP Mineral's original 1980's campaign. As we continue to build our portfolio of copper-gold prospects at Cabacal, our investors have exposure to probably the most exciting, emerging metallogenic belt in South America and more importantly it is located in Brazil, where new copper and gold mines are frequently being, permitted, built and entering sustainable production." Figure 1: View NW along the trend of the .Cabacal Belt, with copper in soil geochemistry draped on relief model. Geophysics Builds Targets Along the C4-A / C2-A Discovery Corridor Southeast of the Cabacal Mine Results from pole-dipole geophysical programs confirm basement targets flanking and along strike from the CD-139 discovery hole. Anomalies are also emerging in satellite positions associated with additional base and precious metal targets located further southeast in the C2-A corridor from ongoing programs. The Company has continued its geophysical programs along the C4-A - C2-A corridor, having now completed 13-line kilometres of Pole-Dipole / Dipole-Dipole and 16-line kilometres of Gradient Array Induced Polarization ('IP') surveys (Figure 2). The objective of the surveys has been to better prioritize targets based on geophysical responses, given significant concentrations of sulphides seen associated with the new discovery position in the southern sector of the C4-A target. IP traverses over the original discovery area outlined basement chargeability anomalies with a threshold of up to 9.8mV/V. The chargeability response broadens and strengthens to the south, to peaks in the range of 11.3-15.9mV/V. This area has a flanking Worldview 3 satellite anomaly, marked by a silica-clay- jarosite-hematite signature. C2-A's soil response becomes progressively stronger in its base metal signature associated with the IP and Worldview3 anomalies (peak: Cu @ 500 ppm, Zn @ 418 ppm Zn; sample CAC4A-S-1640, and gold @ 402ppb Au). The C2-A East Prospect was found as a result of Meridian's soil programs, in an area where there was no historical BP soil anomaly. It falls within a larger alteration response detected in Meridian's 2021 WorldView3 satellite survey, measuring 1200 x 650m. The alteration domain is centred around an area with >200ppm Cu in soil values, with a peak value of 1004 ppm (0.1%) Cu. Pole-Dipole surveys have confirmed a peak basement chargeability response of 16.7mV/V, with local Fixed-Loop EM anomalies with conductivity-thickness 815 Siemens. The geochemical and geophysical response is reminiscent of the signature over the alteration pipes of the Cabacal Mine containing concentrations of disseminated to stringer and locally breccia to massive sulphide mineralization. Local float of quartz veins carrying sulphides (chalcopyrite and galena) have been observed, suggesting the influence of a late hydrothermal overprinting event in the area. Survey programs are ongoing. Whilst Cabacal advances, the Company is also working to position itself for assessment of Santa Helena as a satellite open pit development target. A similar program of checks and reviews to that implemented at the Cabacal Mine's, will be undertaken in preparation for a NI43-101 resource update. Field checks have located a significant number of historical collars to validate field positions and complete audit of BP Minerals and Prometalica will be undertaken. Figure 2: Map and example profiles of chargeability inversions (Top to Bottom: Line 6, Line 2NW, Line 5) Espigao IOCG Target Program - Update on Gravity Survey The Company has also continued its IOCG targeting program at Espigao in Rondonia. The regional survey phase has now been completed (Figure 3), and work has commenced on a 200 x 200m gravity survey grid over the southern anomalies where the highest threshold gravity responses have been encountered. Additional work will also be undertaken on a number of anomalies internal to the project area where the wide-spaced survey grid indicated elevated responses above backed associated from structural corridors, including positions within the Lavra, Ademir Curral, Vitalino, The Company continues to be encouraged by the strength of the anomalies encountered in this first phase of the reconnaissance program and looks forward to the results of the second phase of the survey, and expects to be in a position to review potential drill targets by the end of 2022 / early 2023. Figure 3: Updated first vertical derivative gravity image over the Espigao Project, with magnetic gradient modelling ("worms") superimposed. About Cabacal In November 2020, Meridian signed a Purchase Agreement3 to acquire 100% ownership certain tenements covering the historical Cabacal and Santa Helena lines and the along strike tenements from two, private, Brazilian companies ("Vendors"). Subsequently, Meridian expanded its land tenure to today's 55km of strike length. Cabacal had two historical, shallow, high-grade selectively mined underground mines that cumulatively produced ~34 million pounds of copper, ~170,108 ounces of gold, ~1,033,532 ounces of silver and ~103 million pounds of zinc via conventional flotation and gravity metallurgical processes. Cabacal is located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Meridian has defined an open 2,000m trend of shallow copper-gold mineralization centred on the Cabacal Mine. This mineralization trends northwest-southeast, sub-crops along its northeast limits and dips to the southwest at 26 and is up 90m thick; presenting excellent open-pit geometry and mineral endowment. Meridian is currently focused on infilling this 2,000m zone. Cabacal's base and precious metal-rich mineralization is hosted by volcanogenic type, massive, semi-massive, stringer, and disseminated sulphides within units of deformed metavolcanic-sedimentary rocks ("VMS"). A later stage sub-vertical gold overprint event has emplaced high-grade gold mineralization truncating the dipping VMS layers. It was explored and developed by BP Minerals/Rio-Tinto from 1983 to 1991 and then by the Vendors in the mid 2000's. This historical exploration database includes over 83,000 metres of drilling, extensive regional mapping, soil surveys, metallurgy from production reports and both surface and airborne geophysics. The majority of Cabacal's prospects remain to be tested. Cabacal has excellent infrastructure with access by all-weather road, industrial electricity provided by the adjacent hydroelectric power station supplying this clean energy grid, and local communities provide a large population to draw employees from. Cabacal consists of 1 mining license, 1 mining lease application and 4 exploration claims which total 28,324 hectares. A further three licences totalling 15,941 Ha are awaiting formal transfer from the ANM following the licence auction system. About Meridian Meridian Mining UK S is focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development activities in Brazil. The Company is currently focused on resource development of the Cabacal VMS copper-gold project, exploration in the Jauru & Araputanga Greenstone belts located in the state of Mato Grosso; exploring the Espigao polymetallic project and the Mirante da Serra manganese project in the State of Rondonia Brazil. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Meridian Mining UK S Dr. Adrian McArthur CEO, President and Director Executive Chairman Meridian Mining UK S Email: info@meridianmining.net.br Ph: +1 (778) 715-6410 (PST) Qualified Person Dr Adrian McArthur, B.Sc. Hons, PhD. FAusIMM., CEO and President of Meridian as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. Stay up to date by subscribing for news alerts here: https://meridianmining.co/subscribe/ Follow Meridian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeridianMining Further information can be found at www.meridianmining.co Technical Notes The geophysical survey has been conducted by the Company's in-house team utilizing its GDD GRx8-16c receiver and 5000W-2400-15A transmitter Electromagnetic surveys have been conducted using the SMARTem Geophysical Receiver System manufactured by ElectroMagnetic Imaging Technology (EMIT). Data sent to the Company's independent consultant, Core Geophysics. Modelling of conductivity response is undertaken using industry-standard Maxwell software. Geophysical exploration targets are preliminary in nature and not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit. Soils samples have been analysed at the accredited SGS laboratory in Belo Horizonte. gold analyses have been conducted by FAA505 (fire assay of a 50g charge), and base metal analysis by portable XRF calibrated with certified references. ~10% of base metal results area checked verified by laboratory analysis at SGS using methods ICP40B (four acid digest with ICP-OES finish). Samples are held in the Company's secure facilities until dispatched and delivered by staff and commercial couriers to the laboratory. Pulps are retained for umpire testwork, and ultimately returned to the Company for storage. The Company submits a range of quality control samples, including blanks and gold and polymetallic standards supplied by ITAK and OREAS, supplementing laboratory quality control procedures. Figures and intervals are rounded to 1 decimal place. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements for the purposes of applicable securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in under the heading "Risk Factors" in Meridian's most recent Annual Information Form filed on www.sedar.com. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by Meridian, in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, Meridian can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Meridian disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. 1 Meridian Mining Press Release of June 21, 2022. 2 Meridian Mining Press Release of December 6, 2021 (previously referred to as Area 4). 3 Meridian news release November 9, 2020 SOURCE: Meridian Mining UK S View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706739/Meridian-Confirms-Cabaals-Mine-Corridors-Significant-Exploration-Potential WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices rose for a third straight session on Tuesday after Libya and Ecuador flagged potential output cuts on political unrest and the United Arab Emirates' Energy Minister said the nation has no spare capacity. Investors also pinned hopes for improved demand in China after the country halved the length of mandatory quarantine for inbound travelers, in the biggest relaxation of entry restrictions after sticking to a rigid COVID policy throughout the pandemic. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 1.5 percent to $112.60 a barrel, while WTI crude futures rose 1.3 percent to $111.02. Analysts have warned that political unrest in Ecuador and Libya could tighten supply further. Libya's National Oil Corp said on Monday it might have to halt exports in the Gulf of Sirte area within 72 hours amid unrest that has restricted production. Ecuador's Energy Ministry said the country could suspend oil output completely within 48 hours, if road blocks and vandalizing of oil wells continue. Separately, UAE Energy Minister said the country is producing near to the maximum production capacity based on its current OPEC+ production baseline (3,168 mbopd) which UAE is committed by until the end of the agreement. A U.S. official said today that the Group of Seven nations have agreed to work on a price cap for Russian oil. NATO's summit will see its 30-member countries meet in Span today with the war in Ukraine top of the agenda. 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. ANN ARBOR, MI / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Zomedica Corp. (NYSE American:ZOM) ("Zomedica" or the "Company"), a veterinary health company offering diagnostic and therapeutic products for equine and companion animals, is honored to announce that the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named PulseVet as the Official Shock Wave Therapy Supplier of US Equestrian Team Veterinarians. "The USEF is pleased to partner with a company that supports our efforts to improve the welfare of our horses," said Bill Moroney, CEO of US Equestrian. "PulseVet is known for quality, innovation, and the science behind their products, and we are proud to welcome them as an official partner and supplier." PulseVet Founder and current Zomedica Vice President and General Manager Adrian Lock commented, "We are honored to be able to work alongside USEF to help provide optimal care and educational support for these amazing equine athletes and all the animals that we rely on for so much." Zomedica's PulseVet is a world leader in electro-hydraulic shock wave technology for the treatment of a wide variety of conditions in veterinary patients. The PulseVet shock wave therapy is a non-invasive treatment modality that utilizes high-energy sound waves to stimulate cells and release healing growth factors in the body that reduce inflammation, increase blood flow, and accelerate bone and soft tissue development. PulseVet's technology has been clinically proven to treat tendon, ligament and muscle injuries, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, navicular syndrome, chronic back and neck pain, fractures and wounds. "We feel privileged to partner with the USEF as their Official Shock Wave Therapy," PulseVet's Director of North American Sales & Client Education, Trudy Gage said. "Zomedica and USEF share a commitment to provide the best possible care for horses at every level of training and competition, whether that be rehabilitation from an injury or maintenance to stay at peak performance." For more information about Zomedica and PulseVet please visit www.zomedica.com. About the United States Equestrian Federation US Equestrian is dedicated to uniting the equestrian community, honoring achievement, and serving as guardians of equestrian sport. Since its inception, US Equestrian has been dedicated to pursuing excellence and promoting growth, all while providing and maintaining a safe and level playing field for both its equine and human athletes. For more information visit www.usef.org. About Zomedica Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zomedica (NYSE American:ZOM) is a veterinary health company creating products for companion animals by focusing on the unmet needs of clinical veterinarians. Zomedica's product portfolio will include innovative diagnostics and medical devices that emphasize patient health and practice health. It is Zomedica's mission to provide veterinarians the opportunity to increase productivity and grow revenue while better serving the animals in their care. For more information, visit www.ZOMEDICA.com. Follow Zomedica Email Alerts: http://investors.zomedica.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zomedica Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/zomedica Twitter: https://twitter.com/zomedica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zomedica_inc Reader Advisory Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include statements relating to our expectations regarding future results. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, including assumptions with respect to American economic growth, demand for the Company's products, the Company's ability to produce and sell its products, our ability to successfully integrate and operate the PulseVet business, the sufficiency of our budgeted capital and operating expenditures, the cost, adequacy and availability of supplies required for our operations, the satisfaction by our strategic partners of their obligations under our commercial agreements, our ability to realize upon our business plans and cost control efforts and the impact of COVID-19 on our business, results, and financial condition. Our forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; uncertainty as to the timing and results of development work and verification and validation studies; uncertainty as to the timing and results of commercialization efforts, as well as the cost of commercialization efforts, including the cost to develop an internal sales force and manage our growth; uncertainty as to our ability to successfully integrate and operate the Pulse Vet business, uncertainty as to our ability to supply equipment and assays in response to customer demand; uncertainty regarding the cost, adequacy and availability of supplies required for our operations; uncertainty as to the likelihood and timing of any required regulatory approvals, and the availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; veterinary acceptance of our products; competition from related products; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships; performance by our strategic partners of their obligations under our commercial agreements, including product manufacturing obligations: risks pertaining to permits and licensing, intellectual property infringement risks, risks relating to any required clinical trials and regulatory approvals, risks relating to the safety and efficacy of our products, the use of our products, intellectual property protection, risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact upon our business operations generally, including our ability to develop and commercialize our products, and the other risk factors disclosed in our filings with the SEC and under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Investor Relations Contact: PCG Advisory Group Kirin Smith, President ksmith@pcgadvisory.com +1.646.823.8656 SOURCE: Zomedica Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706721/Zomedica-Announces-Designation-of-PulseVetR-System-as-the-Official-Shock-Wave-Therapy-Supplier-of-the-United-States-Equestrian-Team WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold traded firm on Tuesday despite a stronger dollar and rising yields. The focus shifted to the ECB central bankers' forum in Portugal. Spot gold edged up 0.1 percent to $1,825.29 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures were up 0.1 percent at $1,826.50. Gold is tracking gains in the wider commodity complex after China halved the length of mandatory quarantine for inbound travelers, in the biggest relaxation of entry restrictions after sticking to a rigid COVID policy throughout the pandemic. The relaxation of the country's 'zero-COVID' policy came after Beijing and Shanghai reported no new local COVID-19 infections for the first time in months. Meanwhile, in a speech at the ECB forum on central banking in Sintra, Portugal, ECB President Christine Lagarde played down fears of a recession in the euro zone. 'We have markedly revised down our forecasts for growth in the next two years. But we are still expecting positive growth rates due to the domestic buffers against the loss of growth momentum,' Lagarde said. 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. The Gottingen base of Gotion High-Tech Co Ltd. (Gotion High-tech") is expected to reach the goal of annual production capacity of 6GWh and 12GWh in two phases respectively, thereby enabling the production of Gotion's battery in Europe . . GenDome, the first portable energy storage brand for overseas markets, was launched at the Gottingen base, and it is intended to be produced locally in Gottingen. GOTTINGEN, Germany, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 27 June, Gotion High-Tech held the 5th New Energy Economic Forum and the Opening Ceremony of Gotion Germany at its Gottingen base. It is noted that the Gottingen base, as the first battery production and business operation base of Gotion in Europe, is expected to start the transformation by the end of this year. Chairman Li Zhen said that Gotion perfectly combined China's advanced battery technology with Germany's advanced process engineering, thereby enabling the production of Gotion's battery in Europe. At the ceremony, Gotion High-Tech also released GenDome, its first portable energy storage product for overseas markets and Gendock 3000, its first portable mobile energy storage product at the same time. Wu Ken, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Germany, Stephan Weil, Premier of lower Saxony, Germany, Petra Broistedt, Mayor of Gottingen, Luo Yunfeng, Mayor of Hefei Municipal People's Government, and Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech, participated in and witnessed the ceremony. Gottingen base with annual production capacity of 6GWh in the first phase is expected to start transformation by the end of this year It is noted that the Gottingen base covers a site area of approximately 174,000 sq.m., and has an existing gross floor area of approximately 40,000 sq.m.. According to the plan, the project will be constructed in two phases, namely the brownfield plant and the greenfield plant, with an annual production target of 6GWh and 12GWh, respectively. The first phase of the brownfield plant transformation is expected to be officially launched by the end of 2022, and the first production line with an annual capacity of 3.5GWh will be officially put into operation in September 2023. It is expected that the annual production capacity target of 18GWh will be achieved after the brownfield and greenfield plants of the base are fully put into operation. Dr. Ahmet Toptas, Head of Gottingen Factory of Gotion Germany, introduced that: the Gottingen base will be product-oriented with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality, as well as will build a local product research and development team in Europe. Combined with the development and technology orientation of the new energy market in Europe, the base will research and develop new energy battery products that cater to the local European market, and carry out the production of bus batteries, automotive batteries, energy storage batteries, mobile charging and other series of products. In the future, it intends to cover customers in sectors of energy storage, commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. "With the advanced lithium iron phosphate battery cell technology of Gotion High-Tech, together with experienced German employees, strict quality control and high quality requirements of Europe, we intend to cover customers in sectors of energy storage, commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles in the future, so as to meet the demand of the new energy market in Europe and help Gotion High-Tech accelerate the expansion of overseas markets." The first portable energy storage product for overseas markets will be manufactured locally in Gottingen After releasing the semi-solid battery and the first smart mobile energy storage charging pile in May, Gotion High-Tech continuously launched more new battery products. At the opening ceremony, the Gottingen base released GenDome, the first portable energy storage product for overseas markets, and Gendock 3000, the first large-capacity portable mobile energy storage product, which can convert solar energy and wind energy into electricity; it not only helps customers manage the use of household energy and meet the daily needs of household and outdoor users, but also meets 99% of customers' power needs, and effectively reduces energy bills. The household energy storage product includes three different models, which are developed and manufactured by the international business team of Gotion High-Tech. In the future, it will mainly target the European market. In the later stage, the product will be manufactured locally at the Gottingen base. On the day of the opening ceremony, the 5th New Energy Economic Forum jointly organized by Gotion High-Tech, Committee of 100, Technical University of Braunschweig, Gottingen mbH ("GWG"), Die Chinesische Handelskammer in Deutschland ("CHKD") and the School of Automobile of Tongji University was successfully held at the Gottingen base. The forum focused on topics such as China-Europe economic relations, energy revolution, low-carbon transition and new energy market, and attracted senior executives of many famous enterprises in the new energy industry, university professors, scholars and relevant economic and political officers attended the forum. Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech said: With Chinese technology and German process engineering, we achieve the production of Gotion's battery in Europe" Li Chen, President of International Business of Gotion High-Tech, introduced in the closing speech that Gotion High-Tech is a global company that provides energy solutions for suppliers, customers and other partners at home and abroad. "We not only focus on the development and promotion of new energy battery products, but also strive to develop ToC business at the same time." According to Li Chen, since May 2022, Gotion high-tech has successively released its first self-developed E-PLUS smart mobile energy storage charging pile for ordinary consumers and Gendome portable energy storage product for the overseas market. In 2025, Gotion High-Tech's global production capacity is planned to reach 300GWh, of which overseas production capacity is planned to be 100GWh. Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech, said in his speech that today we have started the application research and development and product manufacturing of Gotion Battery in Germany and Europe. The Gottingen base of Gotion will gradually transform from the production of automotive parts in previous years to the manufacturing of battery application products, which is a difficult but promising process. In this process, we must protect the existing corporate culture, proactively participate in the development of Gottingen, and accelerate the pace of product transformation. "We will combine China's advanced battery technology with Germany's advanced process engineering to create more excellent products and contribute to society, so as to promote the progress and development of the new energy industry." *for reference purpose only WALLDORF, Germany and LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bank of London, the world's first purpose-built global clearing, agency and transaction bank, has teamed up with SAP Fioneer, a leading global provider of financial services software solutions and platforms, to transform and simplify global clearing and transaction banking. The Bank of London is the UK's second clearing bank authorised in the last 250 years. Its technology platform is engineered to be a foundational building block of borderless economic infrastructure of the future. The solution uses a combination of The Bank of London's own unique patented technologies in parallel with SAP Fioneer's proven hyper-scalable cloud banking platform. SAP Fioneer's Cloud for Banking platform (C4B) is seamlessly integrated with The Bank of London's API, providing the UK's first fully integrated real-time, friction free compliance, clearance, settlement, and payments solution designed to service banks, fintechs and corporates. After the expected go live in October 2022, the solution will provide the fastest connection to payment schemes in the market. Anthony Watson, Group Chief Executive & Founder of The Bank of London, commented: "Combining our offering will provide the world's leading solution for compliance, clearing, payments and settlement in GBP, EUR and USD. Now banks, fintechs and corporates gain significant advantages over their competitors, benefiting from near instant clearing, settlement and payments without liquidity constraints or financial intermediary friction in the flow of funds." Dirk Kruse, CEO at SAP Fioneer, commented: "To achieve real innovation and disrupt the global clearing and transaction market at the heart of banking, The Bank of London needed a partner who could deliver stable solutions at hyper-scale. SAP Fioneer provided exactly that: rooted in world-class technology coupled with the agility to co-innovate and seamlessly integrate with our customers' systems. We are excited to partner with The Bank of London to achieve its goals and support its growth journey as a major player in the market." Founded in 2021 as a joint venture between the global technology leader SAP and PE firm Dediq, SAP Fioneer set out to accelerate innovation in the financial services industry for and with its customers. SAP Fioneer's integrated C4B runs on SAP's S/4HANA Enterprise Cloud and SAP Business Technology Platform and is an open platform with a low total cost of ownership (TCO) and quick time to market. Notes to editors: About The Bank of London The Bank of London is a leading-edge technology company and the world's first purpose-built global clearing, agency, and transaction bank. Launched in November 2021 as the sixth principal clearing bank of the United Kingdom, and only the second in 250 years. With a $1.1 billion valuation, it is the first bank in history to attain 'unicorn' status upon debut. With headquarters in London and offices in New York and Belfast, The Bank of London has been established to serve banks, clearing houses, digital & traditional asset firms, governments, financial services companies, from local fintechs to global institutions, payment networks and non-financial brands seeking to launch fully compliant financial products and services in-country and across-borders. For more information, visit www.thebankoflondon.com. Follow The Bank of London on Twitter and on Instragram. About SAP Fioneer Founded in 2021 as a joint venture between the global technology leader SAP and private equity firm DEDIQ, SAP Fioneer's vision is to build the next generation of financial services software and platforms. By combining proven world-class technology with development expertise and a broad ecosystem of partners, SAP Fioneer enables banks and insurance companies to transform, grow and differentiate their business while meeting their needs for speed, scalability, and cost-efficiency through digital business innovation, cloud technology, and solutions that cover banking and insurance processes end-to-end. SAP Fioneer has offices and operations spanning the globe and a strong presence in Europe, North and Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.sapfioneer.com. Follow SAP Fioneer on Twitter and on LinkedIn. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849225/SAP_Fioneer_Dirk_Kruse.jpg Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - ScreenPro Security Inc. (CSE: SCRN) (OTCQB: SCRSF) ("ScreenPro" or the "Company") announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Concierge Medical Consultants Inc. ("Concierge"), is pleased to introduce Prestige Medical Care (PMC) to private clientele in the Vancouver area. The Company also plans to expand its (PMC) services to other provinces to help provide personalized healthcare to Canadians. The Company's prestige care service anticipates achieving major popularity in Vancouver with its premium healthcare program, delivering a full-service concierge health management system through personalized medical and non-medical care. About Prestige Care Our team of health care professionals provide the following services for patients: Your own personal physician led team of health care professionals that follow you through your health journey 24/7 medical care with house calls, virtual appointments, and wellness visits Unlimited and same day clinic visits Prescriptions Corporate and Executive Health Plans Naturopathy IV Therapy The B.C Medical Journal reports an evolving crisis in B.C.'s primary health care indicating that 17.7% of B.C residents lacked a health care provider due to staff shortages. The situation in the B.C. capital reports that an estimated 100,000 residents lack a family physician. Burnout and lack of adequate compensation are one of the many reasons reported for a shortage of health care professionals. Concierge's mission is to fill the gap and provide health care professionals to those who need it. (Source: The evolving crisis in primary care | British Columbia Medical Journal (bcmj.org)) "With private health care on the rise as the public sector faces demand, our team of board-certified physicians and registered nurses are prepared to service the community. Management is confident that continued growth is expected for our medical division and look forward to expanding Concierge to help improve the lives of our community," said Lena Kozovski, CEO of the Company. About ScreenPro ScreenPro is a Screening and Medical Technology company that provides turnkey screening solutions with its proprietary medical alerting software. ScreenPro's unique access to multiple manufacturers of high-quality test kits and its strategic partnership with labs in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec allows ScreenPro to be a full-service nationwide provider of COVID testing and breast cancer screening solutions across Canada. In addition, ScreenPro has its own medical doctor and nursing professionals with on the ground support staff and transportation, with access to high quality PPEs to ensure that clients are protected in all aspects of their testing needs. For additional information on ScreenPro and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.screenprosecurity.com About Concierge Concierge Medical Consultants is a small group of board-certified practicing emergency physicians who think that urgent care does not just happen in an ER or your doctor's office, it can happen anywhere at any time. Dr Jibran Sharif, MD, CCFP EM, RDMS, is the founder and President of Concierge Medical Consultants, he is a passionate advocate of Concierge medicine and believes that all patients should have robust, timely and personalized access to health care professionals. He earned a degree in Economics at the University of British Columbia before graduating with a medical degree and residencies in Emergency Medicine and Ultrasound at the University of Sydney, University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Calgary, respectively. He is a full time Emergency physician in the GVRD and a Clinical lecturer with the faculty of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia. For additional information, please visit Concierge's website at www.conciergemedical.ca For more information about the Company, please refer to the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information please contact: Lena Kozovski, CEO (647) 878-6674 Email: lena@screenprosecurity.com Priya Atwal, Communications Manager 416-901-5611 x 204 Email: priya@screenprosecurity.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements relating to expectations regarding the acquisition and business of Concierge Medical Consultants Inc. and the future development of ScreenPro's business. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves 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 information. The actual results of ScreenPro could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which ScreenPro operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to ScreenPro's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of ScreenPro. Management of ScreenPro believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents ScreenPro's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. ScreenPro 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 applicable securities legislation. ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129219 CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 28 JUNE 2022 AT 2:00 PM (EEST) Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has received a repeat order for shuttle carriers to APM Terminals in Tangier, Morocco. The first phase of the project consisted of 42 shuttle carriers between 2016 and 2020. As a next step in the collaboration, APM Terminals has selected Kalmar to deliver 23 additional units - manually-driven, semi-automated hybrid shuttle carriers. The latest batch of shuttles are in support of APM Terminals' expansion of their newest facility TM2 in Tangiers, Morocco. These units to be delivered will be integrated into the Terminal Operation System via KalmarOne software, complemented by professional services, maintenance and support. Jack Craig, Vice President, Global Head of Operations at APM Terminals: "We are pleased with our partnership with Kalmar in developing this significant infrastructure and operational change at TM2. Together, we have introduced a fleet of semi-automated equipment that will ensure high productivity in a sustainable manner as part of our terminal modernisation initiatives. Kalmar's hybrid AutoStrad solution will help us reduce CO2 emissions." Antti Kaunonen, President, Kalmar Automation Solutions: "We are proud of our continued collaboration with the APM Terminals in Tangier. The solution combines our industry-leading hybrid technology helping to reduce CO2 emissions." In addition, as has been planned since 2019, APM Terminals has also completed an order for 62 Kalmar Hybrid AutoStrads for its Los Angeles facility. This unique, eco-efficient, horizontal transportation solution operating between the vessels and truck lanes has removed significant safety risks and driven faster gate turntimes for the local customers during a period of unprecedented volumes in the port. Combined, these investments represent a continuation of APM Terminals' cooperation with Kalmar to bring efficient terminal solutions to critical pieces of the global supply chain. Further information for the press: Antti Kaunonen, President, Kalmar Automation Solutions, antti.kaunonen@kalmarglobal.com Maija Eklof, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Kalmar, tel. +358 20 777 4096, maija.eklof@kalmarglobal.com Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry. Kalmar is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and in energy efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution. Through its extensive product portfolio, global service network and ability to enable a seamless integration of different terminal processes, Kalmar improves the efficiency of every move.www.kalmarglobal.com Kalmar is part of Cargotec. Cargotec's Attachment Victory's Exploration Team is engaged in a comprehensive effort to d to delineate and extend significant lithium mineralization on its Smokey Lithium Property In response to drilling results, the Company has completed an extensive ground sampling program aimed at helping to develop a clear picture of the best potential drill locations for its next round of drilling Based on results from its overall efforts, the Company anticipates a beneficial revision to its drilling application with the relocation of several holes, which will be an expedited process once undertaken VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Victory Resources Corporation (CSE:VR)(FWB:VR61)(OTC PINK:VRCFF) ("Victory" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's exploration team has completed an extensive ground sampling program, building upon favourable drill results, aimed at guiding prime drill locations for its next round of drilling on the Company's Smokey Lithium Property in Nevada. The ground sampling program focused on sampling the Esmeralda Formation on and throughout the surrounding grounds of the Smokey Lithium property and has led to the Company locating a zone of higher values to the south and southwest. Mapping was done to locate controls on lithium clay deposition and locate clay beds, which have informed additional staking to protect the interests of Company. "We are continuing our exploration efforts at the property through a combination of surface sampling, geologic mapping and geologic modeling all aimed at providing additional drill targets," said Victory President and CEO, Mr. Mark Ireton. "Victory is focused on expanding the footprint of the subsurface claystone hosted lithium mineralization in its maiden drill program and our exploration team is actively working the property and environs to do so." On behalf of the Victory Resources leadership team and board, the Company is pleased to welcome entrepreneur, Mr. Gerald Tritt, as a Director. Mr. Tritt is an accomplished business leader, with vast experience in capital markets as an early-stage investor with multiple ventures, and within the hospitality industry as the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of several restaurant concepts, most recently the Vera's Burger Shack chain. Earlier in his career he served in senior management positions of both national and international hospitality groups. As an investor in multiple start-ups across multiple industries, Mr. Tritt brings tremendous firsthand capital markets experience including an extensive network, corporate governance, and a strong private equity background. About Smokey Lithium, Nevada Victory's Smokey Lithium project is a clay lithium property that lies approximately 20 miles north of Clayton Valley, to the west of American Lithium's flagship lithium project. Smokey Lithium is located northwest of Cypress' Clayton Valley Lithium Project and to the southwest of American Lithium Corporation's Tonopah Lithium Claims Property in southwest Nevada. Esmeralda County Nevada is a prolific region for lithium clay deposits, (Noram, Cypress, American Lithium, Spearmint, Enertopia, and Jindalee). The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Bob Marvin (PGeo), who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. For further information, please contact: Mark Ireton, President Telephone: +1 (236) 317 2822 or TOLL FREE 1 (855) 665-GOLD (4653) E-mail: IR@victoryresourcescorp.com About Victory Resources Corporation VICTORY RESOURCES CORPORATION (CSE: VR) is a publicly traded diversified investment corporation with mineral interests in North America. The Company is also actively seeking other exploration opportunities. 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. Forward Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws. SOURCE: Victory Resources Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706702/Victory-Advances-Smokey-Lithium-Exploration-with-Completed-Ground-Sample-Program DGAP-News: Hydrogen Fuel and EV Charge Solutions AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Hydrogen Power and EV Charge Solutions AG facing a high demand for the new charging stations and queues at their existing charging stations in China. 28.06.2022 / 13:10 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Hydrogen Power and EV Charge Solutions AG facing a high demand for the new charging stations and queues at their existing charging stations in China. The hot wave came and went, and there was another round of queuing for charging of new energy vehicles at the company's charging stations. The taxi owners who charge at the company's stations say that cars consume electricity quickly in summer, sometimes even needing to be charged twice a day, and that there are often no available charging posts and long queues to wait. The company's charging stations are almost always faced with full capacity. The Official data shows that the number of new energy vehicles in China reached 10 million in 2021, compared to the cumulative number of charging infrastructure in the country is less than 2 million units, the ratio of vehicles to piles is seriously disproportionate, and the increase in the number of charging piles is far from catching up with the number of electric vehicles, there is still a large gap in the future charging market. In 2021, the State Council has issued central documents such as the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan" for the construction of new infrastructure and the "Action Plan for Carbon Peak by 2030", which have plans for the development of the new energy charging market. And with the provincial and municipal government policies, more than 20 provinces and municipalities have already proposed the layout of the charging pile industry in their "14th Five-Year Plan" outlines. Henan Province in China belongs to the new energy demonstration and promotion area, Zhengzhou is a first-tier city in China, but there is still a public charging pile and electric vehicle ratio is not coordinated site, accelerate the development of new energy charging market is still the top priority of the Zhengzhou Municipal Government's work, in order to gradually achieve new energy vehicles and charging piles to adapt to the coordinated development. Hydrogen Fuel and EV Charge Solutions AG address: Maximilianstrasse 35 A 80539 Munich Commercial register: HRB 234833 Register court: Munich Local Court Represented by: Ms. Xia Zhao Director: Eduard William Rudolf Contact details https://evchargeholding.com/contact 28.06.2022 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) announced Tuesday it has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of its STANLEY Oil & Gas business to Pipeline Technique Ltd., a leading provider of solutions to the energy industry. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. STANLEY Oil & Gas encompasses pipeline services and equipment businesses including CRC-Evans Pipeline International, Pipeline Induction Heat Ltd. and STANLEY Inspection, which generated combined revenues of approximately $140 million in 2021. The proposed transaction further advances Stanley Black & Decker's portfolio transformation and strategic commitment to streamlining the company to focus on its core Tools & Outdoor and Industrial businesses. Stanley Black & Decker expects to incur a pre-tax, non-cash charge of approximately $125 to $200 million related to the write-down of the Oil & Gas net assets, which will be excluded from adjusted earnings. The results of the Oil & Gas business will remain in continuing operations and will not be reclassified as discontinued operations. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX STANLEY BLACK & DECKER-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. (TSXV: MOS), a fintech enabler of AI-enhanced payment card-linked incentives, announces that it has entered into a long-term license and support agreement with CGI, (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), in connection with one of its projects. The Agreement is for an initial term of 10 years and will come into effect once customization, currently being conducted by Mobi724 for a CGI project is completed. There is also an option for a five-year extension of this agreement. "Today's announcement is the culmination of customization efforts the past 20 months," says Marcel Vienneau, CEO of Mobi724 Global. "I am very proud of the work performed by our IT team to meet the demanding standards of this project. Working alongside CGI, an industry leader, has been tremendously rewarding and we are excited to be able to licence our proprietary solutions to CGI and look forward to continuing to work closely with CGI." Mobi724 and CGI began a collaborative business relationship back in the fall of 2020. Since then, both companies are enjoying a solid working relationship and, look forward in the future, to building upon this foundation. "Mobi724 has proven to be a valuable partner and has shown their expertise and agility to meet customer needs," says Francis Lachance, Senior Vice-President of Consulting Services, CGI. "We are always looking to partner with innovative experts." About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 84,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2021 reported revenue is $12.13 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com. About Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. Every Transaction is An Opportunity Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. (TSXV: MOS) is an AI powered fintech company which provides a platform, that enables banks and merchants to offer their customers real-time payment card-linked incentives, in a white-label format. Mobi724's objective is to add a layer of AI-driven actionable intelligence to every payment transaction, creating engaging consumer experiences & generating incremental commercial opportunities to its clients. Learn more at mobi724.com. Legal Disclaimer Mobi724 cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by Mobi724 are subject to risks and uncertainties, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 'Risk Factors and Uncertainties' in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis, available on SEDAR. Any forward-looking statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Mobi724 cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Mobi724's control. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Mobi724 undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THIS NEWS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL ANY SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. For further information, please visit www.MOBI724.com or contact: Investor Relations: For further information, please visit www.MOBI724.com or contact: Marcel Vienneau, CEO Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. T: 514-394-5200 ir@mobi724.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129201 Intersects a further 177 meters at 1.0 grams per tonne gold equivalent at Guintar Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Royal Road Minerals Limited (TSXV: RYR) ("Royal Road" or the "Company") announces results from a further three diamond drill holes at its Guintar copper-gold exploration project and initial drill results from the immediately contiguous El Aleman option agreement area, in Antioquia Department, Colombia. The Guintar project is part of the Guintar-Niverengo and Margaritas (GNM) project area which comprises the two contiguous Guintar and Niverengo concession contracts and the neighboring Margaritas concession contract, located approximately 50 Km west of Medellin in Antioquia Department, Colombia (see Figure 1). The titles were acquired through the Company's purchase of Northern Colombia Holdings Limited, an affiliate of AngloGold Ashanti Limited (see Press Release May 31, 2019). The GNM project is a 50-50 exploration joint venture pursuant to a strategic alliance agreement dated March 2, 2020 between the Company and Mineros S.A. ("Mineros" TSX:MSA; MINEROS:CB; see Press Release March 3, 2020). Royal Road is operator of the strategic alliance. Drilling at Guintar commenced in July of 2021 and was aimed principally at testing for an underlying intrusive or porphyry-related source to the gold and copper mineralization which had been intersected in previous drilling and is evident in surface geochemical sampling over an area of more than 10 square kilometers (see Figure 1). Results to-date have been encouraging and include; GUI-DD-012, 303.7 meters at 1.0 grams per tonne gold equivalent[1] (including 62.0 meters at 2.1 grams per tonne gold, 12.4 grams per tonne silver and 0.62% copper), GUI-DD-013, which returned 126.0 meters at 1.4 grams per tonne gold equivalent, GUI-DD-020 which returned 118.0 meters at 1.0 grams per tonne gold equivalent and GUI-DD-021 which returned 181.0 meters at 1.1 grams per tonne gold equivalent (including 43.0 meters at 2.4 grams per tonne gold, 8.0 grams per tonne silver and 0.40% copper), from diorite-hosted, porphyry-style mineralization. In December of 2021, the Company entered into option agreements with neighboring and immediately contiguous property holders (see Press Release December 14, 2021) including the El Aleman Mining title area (see Figure 1). Drill hole ALM-DD-001 is the first exploratory drill hole to have been completed on the El Aleman property. The drill hole targeted an approximately 200 meter wide, east-west oriented zone of polymetallic veins, hosted in metasedimentary rocks and intersected 80.5 meters at 1 gram per tonne gold, including 18 meters at 3 grams per tonne gold (from 323 meters down hole depth: See Table 1). The mineralization is located approximately 500 meters to the northwest of - and is interpreted to represent a lateral and vertical extension to - the porphyry-style mineralization intersected at Guintar. The Company has also received results from a further three diamond drill holes from the Guintar project (see Figure 1 and Table 1). Significant intersections include: GUI-DD-023 14 meters at 1.2 grams per tonne gold equivalent (1.0 grams per tonne gold, 2.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.2% copper); and 31 meters at 1.1 grams per tonnne gold equivalent (0.8 grams per tonne gold, 3.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.23% copper) GUI-DD-024 177.0 meters at 1.0 grams per tonne gold equivalent (0.8 grams per tonne gold, 3.3 grams per tonne silver and 0.16% copper) (Not true width and the company does not have sufficient information to make a determination of the true widths of the drill hole intersections) Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/129292_Figure%201.jpg Table 1 To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/129292_table1.jpg Gold and copper mineralization at Guintar is associated with porphyry-style veins hosted in diorite dykes and sills, skarn and siliceous hornfels. From surface and over its entire length, GUI-DD-24 returned 260.35 meters at 0.8 grams per tonne gold equivalent (0.5% copper equivalent) and extends mineralization at Guintar a further 100 meters towards the west (the drill hole ended in 0.3 grams per tonne gold: See Figure 1). The generally broad distribution of gold and copper mineralization in drill holes at Guintar, together with the style of alteration, the block-dyke and sill relationships and extensive regional roof-type geometry is interpreted to imply potential for a major mineralized probably porphyry-style intrusion at depth. The Company is currently drilling to test the deeper (to maximum 1000 meter) extents of the mineralizing system. "We are becoming more familiar with the geometry and depth potential of gold, copper and silver mineralization at Guintar". said Dr Tim Coughlin, Royal Road's President and CEO. "We believe we are in the aerially extensive roof zone to a major underlying mineralized body and our drilling program has now been adapted to test this concept". 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. The information in this news release was compiled, reviewed and verified by Dr. Tim Coughlin, BSc (Geology), MSc (Exploration and Mining), PhD (Structural Geology), FAusIMM, President and CEO of Royal Road Minerals Ltd and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Royal Road Minerals employees are instructed to follow standard operating and quality assurance procedures intended to ensure that all sampling techniques and sample results meet international reporting standards. More information can be found on Royal Road Minerals web site at www.royalroadminerals.com Quality Assurance and Quality Control: Sample preparation and analyses are conducted according to standard industry procedures. Drill core and saw-cut channel samples are crushed, split and pulverized prior to analysis of Gold by fire assay and Atomic Absorption and multi-elements by ICP-AES and ICP-MS after four acid digestion. Soil samples are sieved to -200 mesh and analyzed for Gold by fire assay and ICP AES and multi-elements by ICP-AES and ICP-MS after aqua regia digestion. Analytical performance is monitored by means of certified reference materials (CRMs), coarse blanks, coarse and pulp duplicate samples. Surface samples have been prepared in ALS Chemex preparation lab in Colombia and analyses have been completed in ALS Chemex Lima. Cautionary statement: This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements") describing the Company's future plans and the expectations of its management that a stated result or condition will occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or developments in the Company's business or in the mineral resources industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that is based on assumptions about, among other things, future economic conditions and courses of action, and assumptions related to government approvals, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The words "plans", "prospective", "expect", "intend", "intends to" and similar expressions identify forward looking statements, which may also include, without limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or circumstances. Forward-looking statements of the Company contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to the Company's exploration plans. The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. There is no guarantee that the anticipated benefits of the Company's business plans or operations will be achieved. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: economic market conditions, anticipated costs and expenditures, government approvals, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with Canadian provincial securities regulators or other applicable regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements included herein are based on the current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions of the Company management and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. For further information please contact: Dr. Timothy Coughlin President and Chief Executive Officer +44 (0)1534 887166 info@royalroadminerals.com [1] Gold equivalent calculation assumes USD $1850/Oz gold, USD $25/Oz silver, USD $4.0/lb copper and 90% recovery for all metals To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129292 Innokin's latest pod system vape takes the industry by storm LONDON, England, June 28, 2022pod device picking up three awards across three major international events. Q2 typically marks the start of the international vape exhibition circuit, providing manufacturers with the opportunity to showcase the future of next-generation nicotine across major global markets. Among thousands of new products released each year, only a select few are recognised by industry experts with coveted international awards. The pod system category continues to be the most competitive in vaping hardware, as manufacturers are keen to provide new vapers with the best entry-level devices possible. Success for Innokin's new Klypse device started with winning "Best Pod" at Vapexpo Spain. The Innokin Klypse stood out for its exceptional vaping performance and build quality. Innokin's success continued at the World Vape Show Dubai. The Klypse won "Best Pod" with performance, reliability and affordable price point being highlighted as reasons for the honour. Most recently, the Innokin Klypse was awarded "Best Pod Vape" by Vaping Post, the number one vaping publication in France. After a promising start to the exhibition and awards season, Innokin is set to continue its investment in beginner-level hardware and water-based vaping technology, with partner Aquios Labs. Commenting on the awards haul, George Xia, Innokin co-founder, said, "It is a privilege to be recognised by fellow industry veterans, especially as we focus on transitioning smokers with simple, affordable devices. We have been greatly encouraged by the consumer reaction to our new releases and look forward to gathering more feedback in the remainder of the exhibition season." The latest stop on Innokin's worldwide vape exhibition tour was Hall Of VapeStuttgart, Germany, June 25-26. Industry tastemakers Phil Busardo and Dimitris Agrafiotis hosted Innokin's booth throughout the event, giving deep insight into the latest vaping innovations. Learn more about innokin.com. For further information, please contact marketing@innokin.com. Related Images Image 1: Innokin Klypse The multi-award-winning Innokin Klypse vape pod This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk Awarded Best Product at Coffee Fest Chicago 2022 Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk Featured and Sampled on Good Morning America, Reaching Over Three Million Viewers Across the United States Planting Hope Partners With Metropolis Coffee, Chicago's Largest Independent Coffee Roaster Shirazi Distributing To Add Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk, Expanding Reach to an Additional 200 Independent Cafes in the Northeastern United States CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is pleased to announce that Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk was awarded Best Product at Coffee Fest Chicago 2022 ("Coffee Fest"). Coffee Fest was held on June 24-25, 2022. Planting Hope exhibited Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk along with Mozaics Real Veggie Chips and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks in booth #916. Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk Featured in Leading U.S. National News Outlets Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk was selected by celebrity chef George Duran on Good Morning America on June 25, 2022, as a top trend find from the Summer Fancy Food Show held in New York City from June 12-14, 2022. In the segment, Chef Duran showcased Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk and highlighted its sustainability and ability to froth beautifully for cappuccinos. Good Morning America has more than three million viewers across the U.S. Watch the full segment by clicking here. Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk was also highlighted on June 16, 2022, in a Washington Post article titled "6 Food Trends to Watch For in 2022 and Beyond", which discussed what the next 'It' alternative milk could be. Read the full article by clicking here. "We are thrilled that the specialty coffee industry is embracing sesamemilk as the next big plant milk trend," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "Validation by coffee experts, baristas, and chefs, and widespread positive media coverage of Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk as a prominent new trend on Good Morning America and in the Washington Post, are stamps of approval that add to the momentum fueling cafe and consumer demand for our sesamemilk." Planting Hope Expands Distribution Into Independent Cafes Planting Hope partnered with Metropolis Coffee ("Metropolis"), Chicago's largest independent coffee roaster, to host a Coffee Fest kick-off party at their headquarters on June 23, 2022. Metropolis is adding Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk to the menu at all its cafes, rolling out in summer 2022. Shirazi Distributing has also signed with Planting Hope to distribute Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk to cafes and restaurants in the Boston and Greater New England Area. Shirazi Distributing has more than 200 foodservice customers reached by their own trucks and a small network of sub-distributors. The Shirazi family has been supplying greater Boston restaurants, small markets, and institutions with the highest quality eggs, milk, dairy, and other restaurant foods since 1989. The following independent coffee shops announced they have added Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk to their menus: Aiyaohno Cafe (Vancouver, BC) Fusion Brew (Normal, IL) The SisterYard (New York City, NY) Storied Coffee (Scotia, NY) The Ridge Tea and Spice Shop (New Paltz, NY) Uncharted Tea (Portland, ME) S & S Corner Shop (East Hampton, NY) Henry's Local (Brooklyn, NY) Planting Hope Continues to Showcase Hope and Sesame Across North America The Summer of Love Hope and Sesame Barista Tour ("Tour") is kicking off Tuesday, June 28, 2022, with an event at Little City Cafe at Yeti corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas. The Tour will be continuing to Austin's Revival Coffee on Thursday, June 30, 2022. On Tour dates, Hope and Sesame 'takes over' each cafe, offering all hot and cold drinks featuring sesamemilk free to cafe customers. Planting Hope is also sponsoring a three-member barista team at the Crush the Rush barista competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 9, 2022. The team will be using Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk as they battle against other top contenders in a series of barista 'bar flow' challenges. Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk Awarded 'Best Product' at Coffee Fest Chicago 2022 4g complete plant-based protein per serving (provides all nine essential amino acids) Excellent source of Calcium and a good source of Vitamin D and Phosphorus Vegan / Soy-Free / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free Certified / Kosher Certified Froths, foams, and steams like a dream, great for latte art! Delicious in any hot or iced drink Sesame - One of the Most Sustainable Crops on the Planet Requires little water to cultivate, thrives in drought conditions Bee-friendly, self-pollinating An excellent cover crop, contributing positively to sustainable agriculture Sesamemilk upcycles the protein-rich pulp remaining after sesame seeds are pressed for oil (traditionally considered a by-product used primarily for animal feed) About Hope and Sesame Hope and Sesame has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds, creating an important new trend in plant milk: sesamemilk, both ultra-nutritious and highly planet-friendly. Sesame is sustainable, requiring very little water to cultivate, is naturally drought- and pest-resistant, and can self-pollinate. Sesamemilk is nutritionally comparable to dairy milk, delivering 8g of complete protein per serving (including all nine essential amino acids) - that's 8x the protein in most nut milks and 3x the protein in most oat milks! Specifically developed for and tested by top baristas, Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk froths, steams, and foams like a dream, great for latte art, and delivers 4g of complete protein per 8oz serving. Sesamemilk is an excellent source of Vitamin D and Calcium and is upcycled from the byproduct of sesame oil extraction. Hope and Sesame Sesamilk creamers are free from saturated fat and contain only 40 calories per serving. All Hope and Sesame products are vegan, Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, free from soy and dairy, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified by the Plant Based Foods Association. Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk was awarded Best Product at Coffee Fest Chicago 2022 and was a finalist for Best Product of the Year at the 2022 Specialty Coffee Awards; Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk was awarded Best Milk Alternative and Best Plant-Based Sustainability in FoodBev's 2021 World Plant-Based Food Awards; signature Chocolate Hazelnut Sesamemilk flavor received the 2020 Sofi Award for Best New Product, Plant-Based Milk from the Specialty Food Association. About The Planting Hope Company Inc. Planting Hope develops, launches, and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. Planting Hope's award-winning and cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. The Planting Hope brand family includes award-winning Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk and Barista Blend Sesamemilk, Sesamilk creamers, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company focused on nutrition, sustainability, and diversity. For more information visit: www.plantinghopecompany.com. Contacts: Company Contact: Julia Stamberger CEO and Co-founder (773) 492-2243 julia@plantinghopecompany.com Media Contact: Jessup PR Alex Jessup (323) 529-3541 alex.jessup@jessuppr.com Investor Relations Contact: Caroline Sawamoto Investor Relations (773) 492-2243 ir@plantinghopecompany.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. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. 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 be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated January 6, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706743/Hope-and-SesameR-Barista-Blend-Sesamemilk-Wins-Best-Product-at-Coffee-Fest-2022-Adding-to-Sesamemilks-Strong-Momentum-as-the-Next-Big-Trend-in-Plant-Milks Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Galleon Gold Corp. (TSXV: GGO) (the "Company" or "Galleon Gold") is pleased to report the first two diamond drill holes of the 2022 drill program have been completed at the West Cache Gold Project ("West Cache" or the "Project") in Timmins, Ontario. The initial two holes of the drill program were collared to intersect the South Area zones along strike to the west within 90 meters of untested ground from intersections encountered in the 2020/21 drill program. The objective of the first two holes was to intersect mineralized horizons at approximately the same elevation as in discovery holes WC-20-077 and WC-20-078 to identify a plunge or potential shoot within the South Area. Core logging and sampling has been completed and assays are pending. Hole WC-22-131EX, an extension of hole WC-21-131, was drilled to a total depth of 633 meters, which extended the 2021 hole by 492 meters. Multiple mineralized horizons were intersected across the two dominant lithologies, which may correlate to zones seen in holes WC-20-077 and WC-20-078 approximately 85 meters to the east, including the deepest sulphide zone seen to-date in the South Area at a down-hole depth of 563.5 m (Figure 3). Hole WC-22-214, totaling 552 meters, was planned to intersect the South Zone(s) between hole WC-22-131EX and hole WC-20-78. Zone #9 was intersected at a depth of 110 meters along with mineralized zones down-hole into the South Area (Figure 4). Visible gold has been found in both drill holes. Figure 1 shows the target area of the first two holes in relation to high-grade Zone #9 which is hosted in the metasediment-dominant stratigraphy. The cross section in Figure 2 identifies the relative locations of the holes, while Figures 3 and 4 provide photographs of the core that has been logged and sampled. R. David Russell, President and CEO of Galleon Gold commented, "As we continue to expand our knowledge of the South Area at West Cache, we are pleased to be able to keep shareholders up to date on our progress, while awaiting assays. The South Area was a new discovery identified at the end of our 2021 program. There is no historic drilling in this area, and we are pleased that our interpretations of the geology are being confirmed. I suspect that the South Area will provide Galleon Gold with additional resources as we continue to explore the ground between our 2022 mineral resource area and the Destor - Porcupine Fault." The fourth hole of the program is currently underway and core logging and sampling remains ongoing. An advantage of a summer drill program, located just 13 km west of Timmins, is that a "10 days on 4 days off" drill schedule can be utilized. This schedule should allow for assays from the initial holes to be returned in a timelier manner to assist with drill planning. Figure 1 - 3D View (east) of mineralized zones at West Cache and area of first two drill holes in the South Area. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1014/129205_48e0d48694a218c4_001full.jpg Figure 2 - Cross sectional view (east) of first two drill holes in the South Area To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1014/129205_48e0d48694a218c4_002full.jpg Figure 3 - Core Photos from WC-22-131EX To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1014/129205_48e0d48694a218c4_003full.jpg Figure 4 - Core Photos from WC-22-214 To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1014/129205_48e0d48694a218c4_004full.jpg Technical Content and Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by West Cache Gold Project Manager Leah Page, P. Geo. (APGNS #217) a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About the West Cache Project The Property is situated in the Western Porcupine Gold Camp along the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone ("DPFZ") within the Abitibi greenstone belt. The Property is predominantly underlain by Archean rocks of the Tisdale and Deloro Assemblages (metavolcanics), Porcupine Assemblage (metasediments) and quartz feldspar porphyry of the Porcupine Intrusive Suite. Paleoproterozoic diabase dikes trend north-south to northwest-southeast across the Property. The main break of the DPFZ trends east-west through the eastern part of the Property and is offset to the south in the western portion of the Property by the Mattagami River Fault. Gold mineralization is characterized by roughly east-west trending "shear" zones, dipping 60 to 80 to the north, and is associated with pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite. To-date, the quartz feldspar porphyry unit and associated contacts with the metasedimentary units have been the focus of exploration activities. In addition, large areas of Tisdale and Deloro metavolcanics have yet to be explored, including the Rusk contact zone, which is associated with gold mineralization at the Timmins West Complex, approximately 7 km southwest of the Property. About Galleon Gold Galleon Gold is an exploration and development company focused on advancing the West Cache Gold Project in Timmins, Ontario. The project is situated approximately 7 km northeast of Pan American Silver's Timmins West Mine and 14 km southwest of Newmont's Hollinger Mine. Since acquiring the Project the Company has demonstrated significant resource growth while providing a strong valuation in its maiden Preliminary Economic Assessment. Permitting and baseline studies in support of a bulk sample are currently underway. Eric Sprott holds approximately 21% of the Company's outstanding common shares. For further information: Galleon Gold R. David Russell Chairman and CEO T. (416) 644-0066 info@galleongold.com www.galleongold.com Investor Relations Harbor Access Graham Farrell T. (416) 842-9003 Graham.Farrell@harbor-access.com Forward-Looking Statements This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of Galleon Gold with respect to its long-term strategy, proposed work, plans and other reports including the PEA for its projects. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which Galleon Gold operates. Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, expectations, plans, and objectives of Galleon Gold are forward-looking statements that involve various risks. The following are important factors that could cause Galleon Gold's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, risks related to infectious diseases, including Covid-19 and the uncertainty of future exploration activities and cash flows, and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Galleon Gold undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129205 New Premier Version Provides the Ability to Create, Edit, Form Fill, and eSign Documents at One Affordable Price FREMONT, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Foxit, a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents, today announced the launch of Foxit PDF Editor Version 12, including the introduction of PDF Editor Pro +, the most complete offering of Foxit PDF editing tools ever made available. PDF Editor Pro + is an editor and eSign solution combination that allows users to create, edit, form fill, and eSign documents all in one place at an affordable price. PDF Editor Pro + is a complete solution that consists of PDF Editor Pro (Windows) or PDF Editor (Mac), PDF Editor for Cloud, PDF Editor for Mobile and Foxit eSign (supporting both cloud and mobile app platforms). 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To learn more, Foxit is offering a 5-part complimentary webinar series. Foxit PDF Editor Foxit PDF Editor allows users to create awesome PDFs with powerful yet easy workflows across desktop, mobile, and cloud - whether at the office, home, or on the go. Foxit PDF Editor provides a cost-effective solution for business professionals to work securely with PDF documents and forms. It provides a full featured platform to view, create, edit, collaborate, share, secure, organize, export, OCR, and sign PDF documents. Integration with Foxit eSign makes eSigning documents even easier. Foxit PDF Editor provides unmatched benefits and features to users, including: Quickly and easily update your own PDF documents Integration with Foxit eSign to: Create, edit and sign legally binding documents without leaving your PDF editor Easily collect signatures from multiple contacts and manage an eSignature workflow Export PDF to popular file formats Manipulate PDF files and pages Annotate, share, and collaborate with PDF Create PDF docs, forms, and portfolios Protect the information in your confidential documents Improve document accessibility through assistive technology Foxit PDF Editor V12 offers many upgrades and user experience improvements. 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To learn more about Foxit PDF Editor, please visit: https://www.foxit.com/pdf-editor/ About Foxit Foxit is a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents. Foxit delivers easy-to-use desktop software, mobile apps, and cloud services that allow users to create, edit, fill, and sign documents through their integrated PDF Editor and eSign offerings. Foxit enables software developers to incorporate innovative PDF technology into their applications via powerful, multi-platform Software Developer Kits (SDK). Foxit has over 700 million users and has sold to over 485,000 customers, ranging from SMBs to global enterprises, located in more than 200 countries. The company has offices all over the world, including locations in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. For more information, please visit https://foxit.com. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - MineHub Technologies Inc. (TSXV: MHUB) (OTCQB: MHUBF) ("MineHub" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore ("MPA") has awarded MineHub a grant to co-fund a project using the MineHub platform to promote open standards and interoperability of electronic Bills of Lading ("eBLs"). MineHub has been focused on removing friction from supply chain operations through digitalisation, and enabling and promoting the use of electronic Bills of Lading is core to MineHub's mission. Arnoud Star Busmann, CEO at MineHub Technologies, said "The Singapore government's support through its institutions like the MPA and the IMDA is instrumental in pushing the industry forward towards digitalisation. We are very pleased to contribute to this drive, and work with industry to promote the use of electronic Bills of Ladings, enabling interoperability between platforms and existing providers through open standards." The Bill of Lading is the most important international trade document. It underpins all seaborne transactions, which is 80% of global trade, but because it is usually required to be presented on physical paper to be legally valid, it has also prevented trade to be fully digitalised and as such is a major source of processing costs and time delays. In fact, some of the supply chain disruption we have seen in recent years are a direct consequence of pandemic lockdowns preventing couriers to deliver the physical paper Bills of Lading to banks or customers, which in turn delays payments from being settled and discharge of cargos. Those shipments that involved eBLs have done much better, and as such the use of eBLs has increased rapidly. Only 0.1% of bills of lading today are issued today as eBLs, and are only valid in limited or closed systems, each guided by their own rules and standards. Supply chain parties also have different Bills of Lading formats or varying IT system requirements. Changes are underway though in the regulatory landscape, as Singapore and several other nations have adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law for Electronic Transfer of Record. It was announced recently that the UK is also working towards adoption of electronic Bills of Lading in English law, the governing law for most of global trade. In addition, the Company completed its AGM on June 22, 2022, where all items of business put forward at the meeting were approved, and Arnoud Star Busman was appointed to the board of directors. Please refer to the Company's information circular as filed on SEDAR. About MineHub Technologies MineHub is an open, enterprise-grade platform for digital trade, bringing efficiency, transparency and responsibility to supply chains. MineHub connects the many parties involved in a physical commodity transaction in a digitally integrated workflow, operating on the basis of shared authentic and validated information secured by a global enterprise blockchain network. Users of MineHub are in full control of their supply chains, enabling them to optimize their use of resources, respond better and faster to customer needs and have confidence in the resilience, security and compliance of their operations. Arnoud Star Busmann CEO, MineHub Technologies Inc. For further information regarding MineHub, please email info@ Minehub.com or visit website at www.minehub.com . Media Contact Citigate, Angus Campbell at angus.campbell@citigatedewerogerson.com Investor Relations RB Milestone Group, LLC (RBMG) at minehub@rbmilestone.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains statements that are considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements") with respect to MineHub including, but not limited to, statements with respect to MineHub's future operational plans, the timing of such plans and anticipated customers. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts are generally, but not always, identied by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although MineHub believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, applications and for general working capital purposes, changes in economic conditions or nancial markets, changes in laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, dependence on its key management personnel and market competition. Other risk factors are identified in the Company's prospectus dated August 18, 2021, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. There may be other risk factors not presently known that management believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information is made as of the date included herein. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates and opinions of MineHub's management on the date the statements are made. However, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129200 New Study From Waitwhile Shows How Waiting in Line Makes People Feel Apathy, Boredom and Annoyance, and Describes How Brands Can Do More To Win Over Customers SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Waitwhile, a queue management platform built to eliminate wait times and create delightful guest experiences, today announced the publication of The State of Waiting in Line , a new study that explored how frequently consumers are waiting in line, how they feel about waiting, and how brands can improve their customer experience when customers are forced to wait. Recognizing that waiting in line is a universal pain point with consumers, the inaugural study took a deep dive into how long people are willing to wait for a product or service, and offers actionable insights for organizations to boost brand loyalty and increase profitability. In the United States alone, people spend roughly 37 billion hours each year waiting in line. To better understand the consumer mindset regarding waiting in line, Waitwhile conducted an online survey of 1,202 adults in the United States to determine the most common reasons for waiting in line, how long people typically wait before abandoning a line, and specific ways organizations can better meet their customers' needs. The research found that 70 percent of respondents prefer to wait in a virtual line if given a choice, and that wait time estimates, self check-in and the option to complete any requisite forms rank highest among ways to improve the waiting experience. Waitwhile's study found that 85 percent of people wait in line for longer than 5 minutes at least once a month, and that waiting is most common at retail stores (30%), restaurants (16%), and pharmacies (12%). The research also showed that 80% of guests most frequently waited on-premises, offering compelling evidence that organizations who engage with guests during this time have an opportunity to differentiate their brand and boost customer loyalty. "Our research shows that a staggering 74 percent of people will abandon a physical line before it's their turn, and that consumers who are subjected to wait for a product or service most frequently report feeling apathetic, bored and annoyed," said Christoffer Klemming, CEO & Co-Founder, Waitwhile. "The good news for brands is that waiting in line doesn't need to be a burden for customers and negatively impact business. Using virtual queues that give guests the freedom to move, relax or shop while waiting, organizations can significantly improve the customer experience while simultaneously increasing sales and saving their staff precious time." Other key takeaways from the study indicate that: 70% of guests are only willing to wait up to 15 minutes in a physical line for an item or service 69% of guests are less likely to leave a virtual line 57% of respondents would be willing to wait for a longer amount of time in a virtual line; 71% are willing to wait 15+ minutes longer 45% of guests are more likely to join a line if it is virtual Waitwhile helps businesses transform existing physical lines into virtual lines within minutes, saving time and eliminating the negative response caused by pointless waiting. It allows businesses to integrate queue management features directly into existing applications through its open API. In the background, the platform automatically learns about wait time patterns, resource constraints and guest preferences to help businesses reduce wait times and improve operations. To access the complete Waitwhile study The State of Waiting in Line, please visit https://waitwhile.com/assets/pdf/waiting-in-line-consumer-survey.pdf About Waitwhile Waitwhile is a queue management platform that helps businesses deliver better guest experiences for their customers. Waitwhile lets customers wait from anywhere, schedule appointments, communicate with staff members, and track their status in real-time - and helps businesses automate their customer flows and reduce wait times with machine-learning optimization. Waitwhile has improved waiting for over 180 million guests and collectively given people back over 2 million days they would have otherwise wasted standing in line. Customers include IKEA, Lululemon, Louis Vuitton, Best Buy, Applebee's, US Air Force, Hartford HealthCare and thousands of other businesses around the world looking to improve their guest experience. For more information visit https://waitwhile.com . Media Contact: Escalate PR waitwhile@escalatepr.com SOURCE: Waitwhile View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706732/New-Survey-More-Than-70-Percent-of-Guests-Will-Abandon-a-Physical-Line-Before-Their-Turn NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Madi Minerals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Madi") (CSE:MADI) is pleased to provide an update to its exploration program on the Georgina Au-Cu-V Project located 45 km north of Campbell River, BC. Madi Minerals Ltd. undertook an exploration programme on the Georgina Property from April 18 to June 24, 2021 at which time several soil samples returned anomalous results of Au ranging from 84 pbb to 998 ppb Au and five rock samples returned up to 3.49% copper as well as up to 202 ppm Vanadium. The company is currently conducting a Phase 2 exploration program on the property which includes extending the geochemical grid in all directions, trenching and sampling of anomalies identified by the 2021 program as well as undertaking a geophysical interpretation. The company expects the program to be completed in early July with assay results to follow. Madi further announces the resignation of Gary Musil as CEO and President but will remain on with the Company as a Director. Mr. Musil's contributions to Madi since inception have been greatly appreciated. Michael England will assume the responsibilities of CEO and President effective immediately. About Madi Minerals Ltd. Madi Minerals Ltd. is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets in Canada. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct its exploration on the Georgina Project. The Georgina Property consists of 1 mineral claim covering an area of 2,069 ha approximately 20 km south of the coastal town of Sayward; 105 km north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island, within the Nanaimo Mining Division. For more information, please refer to the Company's prospectus dated March 18, 2022, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Derrick Strickland, P. Geo (1000315), has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Mike England Chief Executive Officer and Director Phone #604-307-4776 Email: mike@engcom.ca Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE: Madi Minerals Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706761/Madi-Minerals-Announces-Work-Program-at-Georgina-Property Favorable efficacy and safety support further development of RGX-202-01 in advanced or metastatic second-line colorectal cancer Inspirna, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule cancer therapeutics, announced today data from the ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial studying RGX-202-01 in combination with FOLFIRI and bevacizumab (FOLFIRI/BEV) in second-line advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) at the 2022 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer being held June 29 through July 2, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. "These clinical data continue to demonstrate the clear potential of RGX-202-01 to improve on the standard of care for patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer, especially for those whose tumors harbor KRAS mutations," said Andrew Hendifar, M.D., Assistant Professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Principal Investigator on the study. "RGX-202-01 employs a novel mechanism by inhibiting the creatine transporter SLC6a8, which enables cells to generate ATP as well as other nucleotides by importing phospho-creatine (p-creatine). These results also show that KRAS mutant tumors are highly sensitive to the effects of SLC6a8 inhibition by RGX-202-01. The drug is also very well-tolerated, enabling a safe and effective combination therapy with FOLFIRI/BEV to provide further optionality for patients." RGX-202-01 is an oral, potential first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of SLC6a8, a creatine transporter that drives colorectal cancer and certain other cancers' progression. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b dose escalation and expansion study in combination with FOLFIRI/BEV in second-line, advanced or metastatic CRC. The primary endpoint of the study is to determine maximum tolerated dose (MTD), overall response rate (ORR), and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). In the dose escalation stage of the study, two dose levels of RGX-202-01 with FOLFIRI/BEV have been evaluated in patients with advanced or metastatic CRC who have progressed on available oxaliplatin based first line therapy. In the ongoing expansion stage, additional patients with CRC are being treated at the dose of 3000mg PO BID to provide further characterization of the safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of the treatment. Key findings to be presented at ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer: Previously reported data from the study (at ASCO 2022) as of a data cutoff of April 28, 2022 included 19 patients who were enrolled in the study, including eight total patients in the dose escalation stage treated with either 2400mg twice daily (BID) of RGX-202-01 plus FOLFIRI/BEV (n 4) or 3000mg BID RGX-202-01 plus FOLFIRI/BEV (n 4), and 11 patients treated in the expansion stage with 3000mg BID RGX-202-01 plus FOLFIRI/BEV. 17 patients were evaluable for response per RECIST v1.1 at data cutoff, of which 10 patients had KRAS mutant tumors and seven patients had KRAS wild-type tumors. In the KRAS mutant population, five patients (50%) had confirmed partial responses (PR) and five patients (50%) had stable disease (SD). In the KRAS wild-type population, one patient (14%) had an unconfirmed PR, five patients (71%) had SD, and one patient (14%) had progressive disease (PD). Preliminary median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 11.8 months in the enrolled patients with KRAS mutant tumors. Tumor regression was observed to deepen over time in patients with KRAS mutant tumors, with first radiographic achievement of PR appearing as late as 40 weeks post-treatment induction. Updates since April 28, 2022 (data cutoff date) through June 10, 2022: Two patients with KRAS mutant tumors had follow up imaging: patient 102-3112 remains in PR status and patient 102-2407 now has SD. Two patients with KRAS WT tumors had follow up imaging: patient 102-3121 remains in SD status and patient 103-3127 maintained SD radiographically but was declared clinical PD as per the Investigator. The ORR remains unchanged (50% in KRAS mutant group, 14% in the KRAS WT group). Two grade 3 TEAEs (neutropenia, pulmonary embolus) deemed unrelated to RGX-202-01. No grade 4 or 5 TEAEs reported. The poster is available at the Annals of Oncology website and https://inspirna.com/presentations-publications/. Poster Presentation Details Title: Phase 1b study of RGX-202-01, a first-in-class oral inhibitor of the SLC6a8/CKB pathway, in combination with FOLFIRI and bevacizumab (BEV) in second-line advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) Date and time: July 1, 2022 at 10:30 10:50am CEST and 4:30 5pm CEST Abstract Category: Clinical Colon Cancer Abstract Subcategory: Metastatic Disease Abstract ID: 291 About Inspirna Inspirna, Inc., is a privately-held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer drugs that target key pathways in cancers of high unmet need. The company is pursuing two first-in-class small molecule drug candidates, RGX-202 and RGX-104. Inspirna's lead drug candidate RGX-202 is an orally-administered small molecule that targets the CKB/SLC6A8 pathway. This pathway becomes activated in the tumors of select patients with gastrointestinal cancers where it enables the generation of the energy molecule ATP in response to tumor hypoxia. RGX-202 is currently being tested in a Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with standard-of-care FOLFIRI and bevacizumab for the second line treatment of patients with advanced CRC. Inspirna is also developing a first in class small molecule that activates ApoE, RGX-104 (abequolixron), in high unmet medical need lung cancer settings and in advanced endometrial cancer in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Inspirna identifies novel cancer targets using its RNA-based target discovery platform, RNA-DRIVEr, which was originally developed by Inspirna's scientific co-founders at The Rockefeller University and exclusively licensed to Inspirna. The Company brings together distinguished scientific founders, a seasoned board of directors, and a leadership team comprised of experienced drug developers. The Company is funded by leading biotechnology investors, including Novo Holdings A/S, Sofinnova Partners, Lepu Holdings Limited, Sixty Degree Capital, K2 HealthVentures, Oceanpine Capital, WuXi PharmaTech Healthcare Fund I, LP, Alexandria Venture Investments, LLC, Exor Seeds, and the Partnership Fund for New York City. For more information, please visit www.inspirna.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005222/en/ Contacts: Argot Partners Maeve Conneighton 212-600-1902 inspirna@argotpartners.com Slovakia has selected the CV90MkIV as its new Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005726/en/ The CV90 during firing demonstrations. (Photo: BAE Systems) The joint bid from the Government of Sweden and BAE Systems was filed earlier this year by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and BAE Systems Hagglunds. Following the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic's feasibility report last month, the CV90 was placed in both first and second position (in two different turret variants) when measured against all requirements for the IFV program. Negotiations will now begin to finalize a production contract before the end of the year. With the CV90MkIV, the Slovak Army will acquire the most advanced CV90 available. Together with Slovak industry, BAE Systems is prepared to deliver the program on time and on budget. Slovakia's requirements call for multiple variants of the CV90MkIV, including several turreted versions and both engineer and recovery vehicles. The program also includes training and education, tactics, and future vehicle development. This selection brings Slovakia into the CV90 User Club, which currently consists of seven countries, including four members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "The joint Swedish FMV and BAE Systems team confirms the Swedish government's support for Slovakia and further strengthens government-to-government relations," said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. "Our approach is built on strategic collaboration with local Slovak suppliers, enabling them to play a high-value role throughout the production and lifecycle of the CV90 and all its variants." BAE Systems Hagglunds has delivered multiple CV90 export programs to European and NATO customers and has a strong track record of highly successful industrial cooperation that goes beyond the mechanical assembly of the vehicles. By working with local Slovak industry across all aspects of the contract, BAE Systems will ensure a significant level of collaboration during production to support defense industrial cooperation, jobs, and economic growth. BAE Systems is committed to exceeding the mandated requirement for Slovak content and to work closely with the country's industry to deliver the most capable IFV on the market today. The CV90 is available in 15 variants and designed to provide optimum mobility, with the highest level of protection in any terrain or tactical environment. The CV90MkIV combines improved battlefield speeds and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth capabilities as the complex battlefield evolves. Today, there are nearly 1,300 CV90s in operation in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005726/en/ Contacts: For additional information, please contact: Ola Thoren, BAE Systems Hagglunds Office: +46 660 80506; Mobile: +46 708 335000 ola.thoren@baesystems.se www.baesystems.com @BAESystemsInc Red Light Holland launches: 'Red Light. Set. Go!' program to work with exceptional local Oregonians from diverse backgrounds who wish to enter the legal psilocybin service market. Shunji Smith, Japanese American avid mushroom grower, teacher, and small business owner from Eugene, Oregon joins the program. Red Light Holland and Halo Collective mutually dissolve Red Light Oregon, Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) (OTC Pink: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth, and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles, is pleased to announce its updated plan regarding aiming to enter the legal psilocybin service market that will be created by the adoption of Measure 109 in the state of Oregon ("Measure 109"). While some of the regulations in Oregon are still unclear at this time, Measure 109 intends to promote diversity and provide a head start to local Oregonians, which prompted Red Light to create the 'Red Light. Set. Go!' program (the "Program") - a unique program aimed at working with exceptional Oregonians from diverse backgrounds who wish to enter the legal psilocybin service market. The Program will provide selected candidates with expert advice and funding to help them attempt to enter the legal psilocybin service market. Shunji Smith, a Japanese American avid mushroom grower, teacher, and small business owner from Eugene, Oregon, is the first to team up with the Company under the Program. "I've been a big believer in Red Light's mission since I first heard of them and I'm very grateful to join this Program," exclaimed Mr. Smith. "It's a big dream of mine to enter the Oregon Psilocybin services market on the manufacturing side and with Red Light's support, I believe together we can make a big impact," added Mr. Smith. "We noticed a big gap between Measure 109's intentions and what we are seeing on the ground when it comes to promoting diversity and equity as the regulations are complex and entering the market requires initial capital that most individuals wishing to enter do not have access to" said Todd Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Red Light Holland. "Therefore, we established this Program to further align our vision with the intention of Measure 109 while seeking to provide value to our shareholders. With this Program, we will continue to grow our Mycelium network. Shunji has a combination of unique expertise and a deep passion for the promise of psilocybin services so we are very excited to work with him," added Mr. Shapiro. Measure 109 will make psilocybin services available to Oregonians 21 years and older without a need for medical diagnosis. The service must include a required prep-session, psilocybin session in a licensed facility supervised by a licensed facilitator and a possibility of an integration session. On December 31, 2022, the Oregon Health Authority will prescribe forms and regulations necessary for the exact implementation. To follow the current state of regulations in Oregon check out OHA website: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PREVENTIONWELLNESS/Pages/Oregon-Psilocybin-Services.aspx Dissolution of Red Light Oregon, Inc. Further to the Company's joint press with Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo") released date April 27, 2021, the Company wishes to announce that Halo and the Company have agreed to mutually dissolve Red Light Oregon, Inc. "We wish Halo well, but after monitoring Oregon's developments of Measure 109 very closely and having conversations with an Oregonian Senator, Measure 109 committee members, legal counsel and our direct Red Light team on the ground - we genuinely believe that our true alignment and best step forward is with our newly formed 'Red Light. Set. Go!' initiative. We are excited to work with Shunji and look forward to more advancements in Oregon," said Sarah Hashkes, Red Light Holland Chief Technology and Innovation officer. About Red Light Holland Red Light Holland is an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles. For additional information: Todd Shapiro Chief Executive Officer and Director Tel: 647-643-TRIP (8747) Email: todd@redlight.co Website: www.RedLight.co 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. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. 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 the Company's control. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or its respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained in this news release. Examples of such information include statements with respect to: the future plans and goals of the Company; the success of the Program; future participants and guidelines of the Program; Red Light Oregon, Inc. being dissolved; the adoption of Measure 109 and future regulations surrounding psilocybin and the Company; the Company providing funding and expertise to Program participants; the continued growth of the Mycelium network; and future changes in legislation, including Measure 109 and the regulations surrounding psilocybin. Forward-looking information in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: continued approval of the Company's activities by the relevant governmental and/or regulatory authorities; the continued growth of the Company; the Company meeting their anticipated timeline and process for growth, sales, production and commercialization; the Company's products being safe and providing their anticipated benefits; continued demand for the Company's microdosing products; the success of the Program, including the Company adding future participants to the Program; Red Light Oregon, Inc. being dissolved; the adoption of Measure 109 and future regulations surrounding psilocybin and the Company not changing such that the Program will be unable to continue; the Company providing funding and expertise to Program participants; the continued growth of the Mycelium network; and future changes in legislation, including Measure 109 and the regulations surrounding psilocybin not impacting the Company's ability to fulfil its plans and goals. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, expectations regarding future growth and expansion of the operations of the business; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the psychedelics industry, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to psychedelics; political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the psychedelics industry; risks surrounding the success of the Program and the ability of the Company to gain future Program participants; risk that Red Light Oregon, Inc. will not be dissolved; risk that Measure 109 with not be adopted and/or future changes to regulations surrounding psilocybin and/or the Company's business may hinder the ability of the Company to attain its goals and/or pursue its plans; risk that the Company will be unable to fund and/or provide expertise to Program participants; risks that the Company's Mycelium network will no longer grow and/or plateau; and such other risks contained in the public filings of the Company filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company 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. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129273 Historic grab samples of six undrilled high-grade showings have returned results up to 48.10 g/t Au, 11,270 g/t Ag and 7.49% Cu Property has potential to host a large epithermal-porphyry system within the major Bennett Lake Caldera complex Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) ("Transition", "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Pike Warden Au-Ag- Cu Property located approximately 65 kilometres southwest of Whitehorse (see Figure 1). The property consists of 185 contiguous mining claims totalling approximately 37 km2. The property encompasses historic and recently discovered high-grade polymetallic gold (Au), copper (Cu), and silver (Ag) epithermal showings that are potentially indicative of a large epithermal-porphyry system in the major Bennett Lake caldera complex. To date, limited exploration has outlined six undrilled high-grade showings that have returned grab sample results up to 48.10 g/t Au, 11,270 g/t Ag and 7.49% Cu as shown in Table 1 below. These showings are located over an area of approximately 30 km2. CEO Scott McLean commented, "The newly discovered showings in this major caldera complex suggest the potential for a large epithermal-porphyry system. The property has seen only limited exploration and we believe that a more thorough and systematic exploration program has the potential to identify a major polymetallic mineral deposit. We plan to proceed with an aggressive exploration program including reverse circulation drilling of the main showings as well as geological and petrographic work to better characterize and understand the nature and extent of the extensive epithermal-porphyry system." Table 1: Highlight Historic Grab Sample Results from Showings on the Pike-Warden Property1 Showing Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Cu (%) Pb (%) Mo (%) Upper Saddle 2.38 493 0.17 0.12 1.80 821 0.14 Confession 10.60 378 0.66 3.98 Squeaker 25.50 157 1.47 1.10 Middle Saddle 37.72 75 4.65 4.29 491 0.14 59.56 Silver Saddle 0.12 110 0.14 2.32 67.9 0.26 18.33 0.67 59.9 0.59 3.60 Bonanza 48.11 47.6 0.53 27 0.74 Cro 1.55 23 0.26 Silver Train 493 0.88 0.04 140 4.87 0.09 60 0.13 1.66 SV Zone 0.73 185 0.39 0.03 3.7 0.92 ERT 1.26 11,270 0.39 1.98 5.46 615 0.04 0.22 Note: the results provided in Table 1 are historic in nature and have not been verified by the Qualified Person About the Agreement Transition retains the option to earn a 100% interest in the property by issuing $150,000 in cash ($10,000 on signing) and 1,000,000 shares to the Vendor and completing an aggregate of $1,000,000 in work over a 4-year period. If the Company vests its interest, the Vendor will retain a 1% Net Smelter Return royalty (NSR) and a $1,500,000 Milestone Payment to be paid within 6 months following Commercial Production being achieve from the Property. Geology of the Pike-Warden Property Regionally, the Property is located near the boundary between the Jurassic andesites and siliciclastic rocks of the Stikine Terrane and Paleozoic gneisses of the Nisling Terrane which are intruded by late Triassic to Cretaceous intrusions of the Coast Plutonic Complex2. There are at least four Late Paleocene to Early Eocene volcanic complexes of the Skukum Group that in part overlie the older lithologies, including the Mount Skukum volcanic complex (MSVC) and the Bennett Lake volcanic complex (BLVC). The MSVC and the structures associated with it's emplacement host the Skukum Creek deposit. The Skukum Creek gold-silver deposit is estimated to contain an Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,001,300 tonnes at 7.75 g/t Au equivalent and an additional Inferred Mineral Resource of 537,000 tonnes at 6.22 g/t Au equivalent3. The Pike-Warden Property is located approximately 10 km to the south and associated with the BLVC which is a 19-by-30 km volcanic centre. The property is underlain by a series intrusions of the Coast Plutonic Complex including the Fenwick Creek diorite-quartz-diorite, the Mt. McNeil granodiorite, the Nisling leucogranite, and Mt. McAuley granite. The caldera of the BLVC immediately to the south of the property, with quartz-feldpsar porphyry rings and NE-trending rhyolite dykes associated with caldera formation located on the property. Work completed by the Optionor in 2019, 2020 and 2021 has identified a number of new showings associated with the ring dykes and the NE-trending dykes and associated structures1. Mineralization tends to be concentrated near the intersection of NE and EW trending structures. High silver, gold, copper, molybdenum and lead values in quartz veins suggest an intermediate sulfidation setting. At the Silver Train showing, elevated copper and molybdenum values along with quartz-carbonate breccias, heterolithic intrusive breccias and pervasive epidote-pyrite alteration within granodiorite suggest potential for a buried porphyry system at depth. 1 Burke, R, 2021. Rock and Geochemical Sampling, Airborne Geophysics and Hand Trenching performed between August 8th - August 30th, 2021 on the Pike Warden Property; Yukon Mineral Exploration Program, YMEP 21-043 2 Hart, C.J.R. and Radloff, J.K., 1990. Geology of Whitehorse, Alligator Lake, Fenwick Creek, Carcross and part of Robinson Map Areas, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Open File Report 1990-4 3 Simpson, R.G, 2020, Skukum Gold-Silver Project, NI43-101 Technical Report for Whitehorse Gold Corp Qualified Person The technical elements of this press release have been approved by Mr. Thomas Hart, P.Geo. (PGO), who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. The QP has not yet visited the Property and has not verified the historical sampling results. Transition Metals Corp Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity project generator that specializes in converting new exploration ideas into discoveries. The award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience which actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, often allowing the company to acquire properties inexpensively. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, 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. Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting: Scott McLean President and CEO Transition Metals Corp. Tel: (705) 669-1777 Figure 1: Location of the Pike-Warden Property To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2766/129295_df9f45699480ea54_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129295 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / (TSXV:GDP) Golden Pursuit Resources Inc. ("Golden Pursuit"). Golden Pursuit is pleased to report that it has completed a work program consisting of sampling, line-cutting, permitting and geophysical surveys (magnetometer and IP) undertaken at the South Gordon Lake Project in the NWT. This work is summarized in a new NI 43-101 report which will be posted on Sedar and on the company's website (www.goldpursuit.ca). The property comprises ten historical occurrences of high-grade gold in quartz veins. The current mineral tenure comprises four (4) historical mining leases, eighteen (18) territorial claims and thirteen (13) federal claims. The South Gordon Lake property lies 80 kilometers north-northeast of Yellowknife, the capital city of Northwest Territories. The total land package of 6,851.27 hectares with all properties owned 100% with no payments and no royalties except an optioned 1% NSR on two recently acquired leases (Vaydik and Nickerson). The South Gordon Lake occurrences are underlain by metaturbidites of the Archean Burwash Formation, and the area is considered favorable for turbidite-hosted quartz vein gold deposits. Gold mineralization is commonly accompanied by sulphides and appears structurally controlled, contained within veins formed by folding of a prominent refold at Gordon Lake at the continued movement through shearing on the limbs of the refold. Notable examples of similar deposit types include the Meguma Group deposits in Nova Scotia, which produced in excess of 1.5 million ounces of gold, the Bendigo District deposits in Australia including Kirkland Lake Resources, which have produced in excess of 18 million ounces of gold and the recently discovered New Found Gold turbidite hosted deposits in Newfoundland. Although New Found Gold is situated in Cambrian to Silurianaged rocks, the mechanisms of emplacement can be used to build a conceptual model for the South Gordon Lake project. Clearly, major structures are important. The grades of these types of deposits commonly range from 5 g/t to more than 50 g/t gold. Sampling from the fall 2021 program resulted in spectacular sample results that included 1 sample of 6,190 grams/t, 2 samples of >1,000 gms/t and many of the showing areas have historical intersections of high-grade gold content, ranging from 10's of g/t up to > 400 g/t Au across widths ranging from 0.3 meters to 1.5 meters. The Kidney Pond area has historical intersections ranging up to 4 g/t Au across 20 meters of true width. It is the ambition of Golden Pursuit to develop large breccia zones that are close to surface and host the historic intersections amenable to bulk surface and underground mining methods. The structural refold zone located south of the previously explored properties at Gordon Lake is described in a PhD thesis by Dr. Tim Stokes and has generally been ignored by previous operators whose focus was on veins with a minimum 15 gm/ton Au content due to gold prices and logistics. Golden Pursuit believes that the south end of Gordon Lake represents a large, mineralized gold system with the opportunity to systematically explore all the occurrences in what can only be termed as under-explored. The historical work at Camlaren has shown that high-grade gold mineralization continues at depth below the historical mining depth of 1,000 feet. The highest-grade intersection reported from the 1980 drill program was at 1,120 feet below surface returning 2.65 ounces/ton Au across 21.1 feet (82.41 g/t Au across 6.43 meters). Brian McClay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Pursuit commented "Golden Pursuit has for the first time in history consolidated the ownership of all known historical producers and advanced projects in the South Gordon Lake district under one corporate owner and has completed the first serious exploration effort since the early 1990's. Our field geologists have identified multiple sets of quartz veins and breccia zones at key prospects containing gold grades hosted by turbidite formations and we look forward to further developing these assay results in the near term." Highlights The exploration program through 2021 allowed for the relocation of many of the quartz veins and breccia zones to be revisited and resampled along with new zones being recognized. Sampling has shown that historical assays have been confirmed with a significant number of 2-4 g/t, up to 30-40 g/t, Au samples with one value at Lynx Zone returning an assay of 6,190 g/t Au Work in Lynx and Lynk Bay area during the 2021 field season resulted in the collection of numerous high grade rock samples from the Lynk area, mostly taken from historic trenches in this area. Two rock samples collected from one trench exceeded 1,000 g/t Au, along with several other high grade rock samples. The induced polarization surveys have documented strong resistivity and chargeablilty zones associated with the Kideny Pond Zone. The resistive responses are associated with the intense silicification. The chargeability zones are attributed to the disseminated mineralization and the graphitic zones associated with the carbonaceous siltstones which are key to the deposition of the gold in the quartz breccias. Successful negotiations with permits and access agreement established over key prospects at Gordon Lake including ten primary occurrences of gold mineralization; Burnt Island, Goodrock, Storm, Camlaren, Daf, Kidney Pond, Myrt - WT, Murray Lake, the May showing on the Nickerson lease and the CZone on the Vaydik lease. These are the individual properties that make up the South Gordon Lake property. Golden Pursuit completed a LiDAR survey in August of 2021. A threeweek prospecting and sampling program, obtaining 202 rock samples, was completed in the late summer and early fall of 2021. That program was immediately followed up with 1,120 line kilometers of magnetic surveying (1,030 km of snowmachine-towed and 90 km of walk mag) and over 10 kilometers of induced polarization surveying. Recommendations It is recommended an immediate airborne electromagnetic (frequency domain) and magnetic survey to be flown across all extents of the ground of interest. The importance of this is that airborne can be used to target groundwork (prospecting and sampling). It is significant to note that groundwork can be undertaken on the interim land withdrawal areas as long as no line cutting, brushing or physical disturbances occur. This allows the company to look at all areas of interest within the southern portion of Gordon Lake, including the mafic/sediment contact along the Cameron River greenstone belt. Additional and extensive prospecting, mapping and sampling at all areas, upon completion of the airborne, will be instrumental in moving this program forward. Once the geological program has identified additional areas for geophysical surveying, IP and mag should be completed to advance showings to the drill stage. It is Golden Pursuit's mandate to have a number of drill targets identified by January of 2023 and in time to use the winter road for access. It is well understood that Coarse Gold Vein systems are economically more significant when the veining is at, or along, the sediment-volcanic contact. An example of this is the historical Discovery Mine, just 40 km northwest of the south Gordon Lake property, which produced 1,000,000 ozs of gold from 1,000,000 tonnes of rock. This model exists in the South Gordon Lake area along the east side of Gordon Lake. The Cameron River greenstone belt offers potential for Coarse Gold veins as is related to sediment-volcanic contacts. It is estimated that a budget of $4.885 M should complete the first-year program at South Gordon Lake. Qualified Person Statement The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been prepared and approved by Gary Vivian, M.Sc., P.Geol. Chairman, Aurora Geosciences Ltd., who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. About Golden Pursuit Resources Inc. GOLDEN PURSUIT RESOURCES INC. (GDP-TSX-V) is a Canadian based junior venture mineral exploration issuer which is uniquely positioned to be a dominant player in the Northwest Territories of Canada and a significant project generator in Nevada with ownership of 16 claim groups, The company has a growth strategy focused on the consolidation and exploration of high potential, mineralized precious metals properties in these two prolific regions of North America. The company owns all projects free and clear of any debt or payment obligations. Total shares issued are 33,979,467. For further information please contact: Brian McClay, CEO bmcclay@aol.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although the Issuer believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE: Golden Pursuit Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706684/Golden-Pursuit-Completes-Rock-Sampling-and-Geophysical-Surveys-at-South-Gordon-Lake-Gold-Project-NWT Maturity of Old Oil Reserves to Offer Glycol Pumps US$ 123.7 Mn Market Opportunity by 2022 Fact.MR's in-depth analysis of the global glycol pumps market provides readers with a 360-degree view for the forecast period of 2022 to 2032. The study also reveals key information regarding future growth drivers, opportunities, and trends across multiple segments including type, capacity, operating pressure, pump type, and end-use industry across six major regions. NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global glycol pumps market size is expected to be valued at US$ 224.3 Mn in 2032 and exhibit a considerable growth at a CAGR of 6.1% in the forecast period (2022-2032). Increasing demand for industrial gear pumps, including glycol pumps in a wide range of industries, such as asphalt pouring and food processing is set to augment growth. As per Fact.MR, sales in the global glycol pumps market are projected to reach US$ 123.7 Mn in 2022. The market stood at US$ 119.1 Mn in 2021. Surging usage of glycol pumps in the oil and gas industry for leaning or moving rich glycol from reboilers to the contractor is anticipated to drive the market. Moreover, increasing demand for energy, coal bed methane, tight gas, and shale gas across the globe on the back of maturity of conventional oil & gas resources is likely to spur the sales. Subsequently, implementation of stringent regulatory frameworks in China and the Middle East to improve the production output of the domestic refining industry is another factor fueling the sales in the market. For more insights into the Market, Get A Sample of this Report! https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=7500 In addition to that, rising investment by government and private organizations in specialized reciprocating pumps to initiate complex refining processes is expected to accelerate growth. As current refining processes involve high pressures and temperatures, the requirement of state-of-the-art glycol pumps is surging as these can efficiently handle volatile fluids. Presence of a robust infrastructure for processing oil in Saudi Arabia is another significant factor that is projected to foster growth. Besides, increasing usage of glycol pumps in the automotive industry as a heat transfer fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze agent, and hydraulic fluid would augment growth. Key Takeaways: The U.S. glycol pumps market is expected to generate the largest share of nearly 86.9% in North America and exhibit a CAGR of 5.3% between 2022 and 2032. and exhibit a CAGR of 5.3% between 2022 and 2032. China is projected to hold the second-largest market share of about 73.2% in East Asia and register a CAGR of 7% during the assessment period. is projected to hold the second-largest market share of about 73.2% in and register a CAGR of 7% during the assessment period. Based on type, the ethylene segment is anticipated to dominate by generating a glycol pumps market share of around 75.2% in 2022. By end-use industry, the oil & gas category is estimated to hold 21.1% of the market share in 2022 and grow at 7.5% CAGR by 2032. The automotive & transportation industry is set to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% and generate a market share of approximately 18.9% in the upcoming years. Growth Drivers: Increasing consumption of natural gas is set to boost the demand for advanced electrical glycol pumps offering longer duty cycles and less downtime. High demand for cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional pumps in end-use industries is set to aid growth. Restraints: Accumulation of trash or debris in the dehydration system can often make their way through glycol pumps, thereby leading to scratches on the piston rod. Short stroking of glycol pumps can cause excessive wear in the middle of the piston rod, which would require replacement of the rod. Get Report Customization As Per Your Requirements! https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=7500 Competitive Landscape: Leading players operating in the global glycol pumps market are focusing on mergers and acquisitions with local or international companies to co-develop novel products and gain a competitive edge. Meanwhile, a few other key players are aiming to conduct research and development activities to introduce cutting-edge products to cater to the high demand from various industries across the globe. For instance, In April 2022 , North Ridge Pumps, an independent manufacturer of pumps headquartered in the U.K., conducted a case study on ATEX Triplex Plunger pumps for the production of green hydrogen. The pumps were specially designed to suit high pressures, as compared to piston models. , North Ridge Pumps, an independent manufacturer of pumps headquartered in the U.K., conducted a case study on ATEX Triplex Plunger pumps for the production of green hydrogen. The pumps were specially designed to suit high pressures, as compared to piston models. In March 2022 , the Atlas Copco Group, a multinational industrial company based in Sweden , signed a new agreement to acquire Geveke B.V. and subsidiaries, as well as LEWA GmbH and subsidiaries. The acquisition would enable Atlas Copco to strengthen its presence and technology portfolio in the positive displacement pumps segment. Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR North Ridge Pumps Kimray Mcmaster Viking Pump LEWA Verder Cat Pumps Xylem TriRotor Inc Goulds Pumps Heat Exchange & Transfer, Inc. John Wood , Inc. , Inc. T-Mag Exterran Rotor Tech Bifold HERMETIC-Pumpen GmbH March Pumps Sintech More Valuable Insights on Glycol Pumps Market In the latest study, Fact.MR offers a detailed study on global glycol pumps market for the forecast period of 2022 to 2032. This study also highlights key drivers promoting the sales of glycol pumps through detailed segmentation as follows: By Type: Ethylene Propylene By Capacity: Less than 5 Gpm 5-10 Gpm 10-15 Gpm Above 15 Gpm By Operating Pressure: Less than 50 Bar 50-100 Bar 100-150 Bar Above 150 Bar By Pump Type: Centrifugal Pumps Positive Displacement Pumps By End-use Industry: Chemicals & Petrochemicals Food & Beverages Pharmaceuticals Automotive & Transportation Oil & Gas Cosmetics Plastics Paints and Inks Others By Region: North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia & Oceania & Oceania MEA Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=EB&rep_id=7500 Key Questions Covered in the Glycol Pumps Market Report What is the projected value of the glycol pumps market in 2022? At what rate will the global glycol pumps market grow until 2032? Which are the factors hampering the growth in the glycol pumps market? Which region is expected to lead in the global glycol pumps market during 2022-2032? Which are the factors driving the glycol pumps market during the forecast period? What is the expected market value of the glycol pumps market during the forecast period? Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Industrial Goods Domain Fuel Pump Driver Module Market: Increasing usage of fuel pump driver modules to maintain the optimum fuel delivery and pressure to the engine is set to drive growth. Urgent need to improve fuel efficiency in automobiles to reduce carbon emission in the atmosphere is another vital factor that is anticipated to augment growth. Fabric Mesh for Industrial Dryer Market: As per Fact.MR, the global fabric mesh for industrial dryer market is likely to exceed USD 1.6 Mn in 2032 and showcase growth at a CAGR of 4.2% in the forecast period. Increasing investment in the textile industry worldwide is likely to push sales in the market. Automated Industrial Door Market: Increasing focus of key companies on research and development activities to enhance their portfolio of automotive industrial doors is projected to bolster the market in future. Besides, high demand for factory automation in developed countries, such as Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Germany is set to drive growth. Crane Pumps Market Study: Asia-Pacific is expected to hold a major market share and witness a high growth rate in the crane pumps market over the forecast period, owing to the presence of growing economies such as China and India. North America and Europe, despite being matured markets, are pegged to witness slower growth in the crane pumps market over the forecast period. Aircraft Pumps Market Forecast: Future market demand is dependent on rising preference for incorporating versatile aircraft fleet offering maximum capability and minimizing risks. Aircraft manufacturers are increasingly incorporating light material to reduce overall drag and improve operational efficiency. Thus, the sales of aircraft pumps are expected to exceed US$ 6 Bn by registering a CAGR of nearly 5% in the 2022-2032 Agricultural Pumps Market Research: Agricultural pumps market is creating lucrative opportunity for market participants to breach a high market share during the forecast period. The agricultural pumps market comprises huge local and global vendors. U.S. Vacuum Pumps Market Share: The West U.S. vacuum pump market and South-East U.S. vacuum pump market hold 28.1% and 23.2% share, respectively, of the overall market. Both these regional markets are projected to expand 7.1% and 6.7% CAGRs during the forecast years. Self-priming Pumps Market Report: The rising investment in water treatment plants in developing economies such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand and other gulf countries have driven the global self-priming pumps market. Currently, Europe and North America are leading the global self-priming pumps market. Chemical Pumps Market Study: The most crucial markets that are researched in the chemical pumps market study include North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Europe is expected to continue to be a highly lucrative market for players in the chemical pumps industry. About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a market research and consulting agency with deep expertise in emerging market intelligence. Spanning a wide range - from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare, technology, chemical and materials, to even the most niche categories. 80% of Fortune 1000's trusts us in critical decision making. Contact: Mahendra Singh US Sales Office 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Tel: +1 (628) 251-1583 E: sales@factmr.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global breast implants market size is anticipated to reach USD 4.11 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 7.4%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing focus on the enhancement of physical appearance has led to the growth of the market. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: In 2021, silicone implants dominated the breast implants market since it has a natural resemblance to the breast tissue. Saline implants are anticipated to showcase significant growth during the forecast period due to lesser risk of complications during implant rupture. Round-shaped implants held the largest market share in 2021 owing to fewer complications involved during implant rotation. Anatomical-shaped devices are expected to showcase lucrative growth in the future due to their design that has a natural appearance, which makes them ideal for breast enhancement. The cosmetic surgery segment dominated the market in 2021 due to the growing number of cosmetic procedures conducted globally. North America dominated the market in 2021 due to the rising number of augmentation procedures of this organ conducted in the U.S. Get more Insights from full market research report, "Breast Implants Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Silicone Breast Implants, Saline Breast Implants), By Shape (Round, Anatomical), By Application, By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. Breast Implants Market Growth & Trends Breast reconstructions are being highly adopted by women to enhance their physical appearance. This kind of surgery involves esthetic repair of any damage taking place after the implantation procedure. Breast implants are used post mastectomy to enhance the esthetic appeal. Breast augmentation is another procedure requiring the application of these implants. Esthetic appeal plays an important role in increasing the demand for these procedures, thereby, making the cosmetic industry lucrative for the target population. The COVID pandemic has had a significant impact on the aesthetic market. The increased prevalence of coronavirus cases had put a greater strain on medical personnel. As a result, facilities such as ICUs, surgical units, ventilators, hospital beds, and certain other surgical equipment have been reallocated from all disciplines and divisions to treat COVID-19 patients. As a result, governments in some countries have chosen to hold all non-essential & elective surgeries. Cosmetic procedures such as breast enhancement, cheek augmentation, dermal fillers, and others are all postponed or cancelled as they were considered "non-essential" elective procedures. For instance, to create extra inpatient beds, the NHS, postponed 2 million planned procedures. The Medicare and Medicaid Services announced guidelines in March 2020 to limit elective operations in the U.S. In May 2022. (Dublin, Ireland), GC Aesthetics, Inc. (GCA), a private medical technology organization that provides Health Aesthetic Solutions announced a launch of an advanced NAC (Nipple Areola Complex) reconstruction implant called FixNip. Many women around the world will receive support from this unique medical product, which addresses a well-known clinical necessity. Until now, a variety of surgical methods have been attempted to try to reconstruct the nipple-areola complex, but none have proven to be effective in the long run. Breast Implants Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global breast implants market based on product, shape, application, end-use, and region: Breast Implants Market - Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Silicone Breast Implants Saline Breast Implants Breast Implants Market - Shape Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Round Anatomical Breast Implants Market - Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Reconstructive Surgery Cosmetic Surgery Breast Implants Market - End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Hospitals Cosmetology Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers Breast Implants Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany U.K. Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa List of Key Players of Breast Implants Market ALLERGAN GC Aesthetics GROUPE SEBBIN SAS Mentor Worldwide LLC; Sientra, Inc. Polytech Health & Aesthetics GmbH Establishment Labs S.A. Shanghai Kangning Medical Supplies Ltd. Guangzhou Wanhe Plastic Materials Co., Ltd. LABORATOIRES ARION HANSBIOMED CO. LTD. Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: Breast Reconstruction Market - The global breast reconstruction market size is expected to reach USD 826.9 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030. Rising cases of breast cancer, an increase in the number of reconstructive procedures, and rising awareness regarding the availability of breast reconstruction procedures are expected to be the key factors driving the market. The global breast reconstruction market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030. Rising cases of breast cancer, an increase in the number of reconstructive procedures, and rising awareness regarding the availability of breast reconstruction procedures are expected to be the key factors driving the market. Breast Imaging Market - The global breast imaging market is expected to reach USD 7.3 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing prevalence of breast cancer and supportive government initiatives to increase awareness are expected to boost demand in the market. - The global breast imaging market is expected to reach by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing prevalence of breast cancer and supportive government initiatives to increase awareness are expected to boost demand in the market. Breast Pump Market - The global breast pump market is expected to reach USD 5.20 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to register a CAGR of 8.3% from 2022 to 2030. Improving healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies, increasing global women's employment rates and the presence of favorable demographics are the key driving factors for the breast pump market. Browse through Grand View Research's Medical Devices 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: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Prismo Metals Inc. (CSE: PRIZ) ("Prismo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced financing for gross proceeds of $682,125 through the exercise of warrants by certain warrantholders, including a number of insiders. "The proceeds received by Prismo will be primarily used to drill a minimum of 2,000 meters of HQ core at the Company's Verdes property in several holes to test mineralization at depth under the high-grade intercepts from previous drilling campaigns," said Dr. Craig Gibson, President and CEO of Prismo. He added: "Two of these holes intersected high-grade mineralization similar in grade and width to the results of Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA and NYSE: VZLA) in the Panuco district, whose property is contiguous to Palos Verdes. The best intercepts of these previous drilling campaigns were 2,336 g/t Ag and 8.42 g.t Au over a true width estimated at 0.8 meters within a larger mineralized interval with 1,098 g/t Ag and 3.75 g/t Au over a true width of 2.3 meters (see Prismo's news release dated September 30, 2020). The Company believes these intercepts indicate the presence of a potentially large Ag-Au shoot of the type being defined by Vizsla Silver." Dr. Gibson concluded: "We are currently in the process of selecting a drilling contractor and we expect drilling to begin in late-July pending reception of our environmental permit." The Company also expects to use some of the proceeds to finalize surface exploration work on the Los Pavitos property to advance to the drill ready stage, with expected drilling in the fall. Management of Prismo recently held an investor update call. The video of such investor update can be viewed on the Company's website at https://player.vimeo.com/video/721614600 Prismo also announced that Mr. Louis Doyle has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Mr. Doyle has over 30 years of experience focused primarily on capital markets and public companies. Since 2016, he has also provided consulting services to private companies seeking listing on Canadian exchanges. Since January 2016, Mr. Doyle is the Executive Director of Quebec Bourse. Between October 1999 and December 2015, he was the Vice-President, Montreal of the TSX Venture Exchange. As such, he was responsible for business development and listing activities in the Province of Quebec and Atlantic Canada. During his tenure, he acted as chairman of TSX Venture Listing Committee and was a member of the Policy committee. Mr. Doyle also led the nationwide TSX Venture Mentorship program and further acted regularly as a speaker and advisor at conferences and workshops. He also holds directorship roles with two other publicly traded companies. Mr. Doyle was granted 150,000 incentive stock options exercisable at $0.165 per share before June 26, 2027. Also, three other directors were granted 50,000 incentive stock option each exercisable at $0.165 per share before June 26, 2027. About Prismo Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is junior mining company focused on precious metal exploration in Mexico. Contact: Craig Gibson, Chief Executive Officer and Director 1100 - 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6 craig.gibson@prismometals.com Jason Frame, Manager of Communications jason.frame@prismometals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the warrants exercise financing, the proceeds received from such warrant exercise financing, the use of proceeds of the warrant exercise financing, the future performance of our business, its operations and its financial performance and condition, as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. 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 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, the availability of financing, the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties 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 except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129281 CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSXV:EPL) ("Eagle Plains") has received notice from its option partner (an arm's length private Alberta company), (the "Company") that drilling activity is currently underway on Eagle Plains' 100%-owned Iron Range Project located near Creston, in Southern British Columbia. A 5-6 hole, 3500m (11500') diamond drilling program is planned with targets in various areas of the property and is expected to take 8-9 weeks to complete. Drilling is underway on Hole IR22049, which is currently at 725m with a target depth of 920m. Under terms of the option agreement as announced May 5th, 2020, the Company holds the exclusive right to earn up to a 60% interest in the Iron Range Project (the "Project") from Eagle Plains over a five-year period by incurring $3,500,000 in exploration expenditures and making $250,000 in cash payments to Eagle Plains. The Company retains the right to increase its interest to 80% by making a one-time cash payment of $1,000,000 to Eagle Plains. See Iron Range Project Map here Iron Range Project Summary The Iron Range project is located near Creston, BC, and is owned 100% by Eagle Plains, subject to a 1% NSR on a portion of the claim group. A well-developed transportation and power corridor transects the southern part of the property, including a high-pressure gas pipeline and a high-voltage hydro-electric line, both of which follow the CPR mainline and Highway 3. The rail line provides efficient access to the Teck smelter in Trail, B.C. The Iron Range property covers an extensive area approximately 10km x 60km which overlies the regional Iron Range Fault System ("IRFS"). Prior to the acquisition and initial involvement of Eagle Plains in 2001, the property had seen little systematic exploration for other than iron resources known to exist on the property since the late 1800s. Since 2001, Eagle Plains and its partners have completed 17,226m in diamond-drilling in 70 holes, collected 2482 line-km of airborne and surface geophysical data and analysed 10,053 soil geochemical samples, 495 rock samples and 5749 drill core samples. Management of both Eagle Plains and the Company consider the Iron Range project to hold excellent potential for the presence of both iron-oxide copper-gold ("IOCG") and Sullivan-style lead-zinc-silver sedimentary-exhalative ("sedex") mineralization. The Sullivan Mine was discovered in 1892 and is one of the largest sedex deposits in the world. Over its 100+ year lifetime, Sullivan produced almost 300 million ounces of silver, 36 billion pounds of lead, zinc and other associated metals, collectively worth over $40B at current metal prices. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the Iron Range property. Drilling at Iron Range in 2010 resulted in the discovery of the Talon Zone, where drill-hole IR10-010 intersected 2 intervals of strong and continuous mineralization including 14.0m grading 5.1g/t gold, 1.86% lead, 2.1% Zinc, 75.3g/t silver and 7.1m grading 8.13g/t gold, 2.84% lead, 3.07% zinc, 86.6g/t silver (Eagle Plains news release December 21st, 2010). Previous drilling 10km north of the Talon Zone in 2008 by Eagle Plains intersected gold mineralization in drill-hole IR08006 which assayed 7.0m grading 51.52g/t (1.50 oz/ton) gold (Eagle Plains news release dated April 20th, 2009). The most recent drilling activity on the property was carried out by the Company in 2020 when 10 holes totalling 738.7m were been completed, with no significant results reported. Diamond drilling activity will be carried out by TerraLogic Exploration Inc. under the supervision of Kerry Bates, P.Geo.. Charles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101-Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a Director of Eagle Plains Resources Ltd., has prepared, reviewed, and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. About Eagle Plains Resources Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains is a well-funded, prolific project generator that continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada. The Company was formed in 1992 and is the ninth-oldest listed issuer on the TSX-V (and one of only three that has not seen a roll-back or restructuring of its shares). Eagle Plains has continued to deliver shareholder value over the years and through numerous spin-outs has transferred over $100,000,000 in value directly to its shareholders, with Copper Canyon Resources and recently Taiga Gold being notable examples. The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team. Eagle Plains also holds significant royalty interests in western Canadian projects, covering a broad spectrum of commodities on projects controlled by Cameco Corp., Iso Energy Corp., Denison Mines Corp., Skeena Resources Ltd. and Alexco Resource Corp./Banyan Gold Corp., among others. Management's focus is to advance its most promising exploration projects. Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices. Expenditures from 2011-2021 on Eagle Plains-related projects exceed $27M, the majority of which was funded by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 42,000m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Tim J. Termuende" President and CEO For further information on EPL, please contact Mike Labach at 1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673) Email: mgl@eagleplains.com or visit our website at http://www.eagleplains.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of Property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. SOURCE: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706683/Drilling-Underway-on-Eagle-Plains-Iron-Range-GoldSedex-Project-Southeastern-BC In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly. The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. 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We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email. Third party websites We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website. Updating information You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com Contact We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer however we have a Data Protection Manager. Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Ximen Mining Corp. (TSXV:XIM)(FRA:1XMA)(OTCQB:XXMMF) (the "Company" or "Ximen") Is pleased to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of 8 million units at a price of $0.07 per unit for gross proceeds of $560,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one transferable common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase, for a period of 60 months from the date of issue, one additional common share of the Issuer at an exercise price of $0.10 per share. Directors, officers or other insiders of the Company may participate in the foregoing offerings, and such parties may sell securities of the Company owned or controlled by them personally through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange to finance participation in such offerings. There is no material fact or material change of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. A finder's fee may be paid to eligible finders in accordance to the TSX Venture Exchange policies. All securities issued pursuant to the offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of closing. The offering and payment of finders' fees are both subject to approval by the TSX-V. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used by the Company for exploration expenses on the Company's British Columbia mineral properties and general working capital. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Christopher R. Anderson" Christopher R. Anderson, President, CEO and Director 604 488-3900 Investor Relations: Sophy Cesar, 604-488-3900, ir@XimenMiningCorp.com About Ximen Mining Corp. Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100% interest in three of its precious metal projects located in southern BC. Ximen's two Gold projects The Amelia Gold Mine and The Brett Epithermal Gold Project. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver Project adjacent to the past producing Huldra Silver Mine. Currently, the Treasure Mountain Silver Project is under a option agreement. The option partner is making annual staged cash and stocks payments as well as funding the development of the project. The company has also acquired control of the Kenville Gold mine near Nelson British Columbia which comes with surface and underground rights, buildings and equipment. SOURCE: Ximen Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706737/Ximen-Mining-Financing Customer Engagement Leader Scales Up To Accelerate Revenue Growth and Meet Market Opportunity RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Relay Network, the innovator of experience feeds that drive unmatched customer, patient, member and employee engagement, today announced a key hire following a year of continued massive growth. John Thomas joins the company as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer as its 101st employee, another testament to Relay Network's expansion. Thomas's hire follows the onboarding of several other key executive roles that reflect the impressive and growing demand for Relay Network's SaaS Feed platform as well as the ability to recruit executive talent in today's competitive market. The company announced 35% year-over-year revenue growth, delivering more than 75 million engagement feeds to their clients' customers, members, patients and employees. Thomas has more than 25 years of experience in various service industries including digital media, marketing technology, e-commerce and financial services. As a seasoned GM and business development executive, he has built and managed numerous new businesses and product lines inside multi-national companies including Bank of America, Amazon, MBNA America, Hibu and, most recently, TD Bank where he was responsible for enterprise innovation and strategic business architecture. Thomas's expertise lies in the areas of digital advertising, consumer technology and marketplaces, consumer and business payments and scaled business transformation. In his role, Thomas will focus on communicating and executing Relay Network's strategic objectives. He will also be responsible for managing the innovation process inside the organization, identifying market opportunities and advancing new technologies. "As a client, I experienced firsthand the impact customer feeds had on customer lifetime value. I look forward to helping all Relay clients succeed in fostering meaningful digital relationships with their customers, patients, members and employees with feeds," said Thomas. "We have a tremendous opportunity to become the feed platform for every business and dramatically change digital engagement for the better." "As our business continues to accelerate, we are strengthening our leadership team for scale," said Relay Network CEO Matt Gillin. "I'm heartened to have John Thomas, one of our biggest customer advocates and thought leaders join us at this juncture. Customer demand for Relay's innovative feed platform has never been stronger. I see it as a testament to the strength of our business, the trust our clients place in us and the uniqueness of our platform that we are able to recruit high-caliber talent to see us through our next explosive growth chapter." Additional key executive hires added in the last year are: Todd Graber, Chief Financial Officer. Graber has over 25 years of experience as a financial leader within the financial, marketing and security industries, primarily for high-growth SaaS companies. As Chief Financial Officer, Graber has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in both equity and debt financing and has led several companies to a successful exit. Graber's expertise lies in building scalable financial and operational organizations through a combination of leading great teams, implementing cutting-edge financial and business intelligence platforms and providing actionable insights to the executive team and board. In his role at Relay, Graber will partner with the executive team and will focus on efficiently scaling the financial and operational foundation of the firm, as well as providing strategic insights for further growth. Graber has over 25 years of experience as a financial leader within the financial, marketing and security industries, primarily for high-growth SaaS companies. As Chief Financial Officer, Graber has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in both equity and debt financing and has led several companies to a successful exit. Graber's expertise lies in building scalable financial and operational organizations through a combination of leading great teams, implementing cutting-edge financial and business intelligence platforms and providing actionable insights to the executive team and board. In his role at Relay, Graber will partner with the executive team and will focus on efficiently scaling the financial and operational foundation of the firm, as well as providing strategic insights for further growth. Dan Salinas, Chief Revenue Officer. Salinas is a sales, product management and business development executive with over 25 years of experience building and leading sales teams primarily focused on digital experience. Prior to joining Relay Network, Salinas was Vice President of Business Development at Lakeside Software where he was instrumental in the growing and positioning of Lakeside as a leader in the digital experience monitoring market, leading to a significant exit. Prior to Lakeside, Salinas spent 18 years at IBM where he served in a variety of roles managing and growing sales, new product offering development and technical activities with a strong focus and experience in the digital experience market Salinas is a sales, product management and business development executive with over 25 years of experience building and leading sales teams primarily focused on digital experience. Prior to joining Relay Network, Salinas was Vice President of Business Development at Lakeside Software where he was instrumental in the growing and positioning of Lakeside as a leader in the digital experience monitoring market, leading to a significant exit. Prior to Lakeside, Salinas spent 18 years at IBM where he served in a variety of roles managing and growing sales, new product offering development and technical activities with a strong focus and experience in the digital experience market Tal Klein, Chief Marketing Officer. Klein brings with him over two decades of marketing expertise, having served as CMO of digital experience monitoring leader Lakeside Software, Microsoft-acquired cloud access security broker Adallom, HP-acquired Bromium and others. As the digital engagement opportunity continues to grow, these leaders' tenure and experience will continue to position Relay Network at the forefront for employees, customers and partners. ABOUT RELAY NETWORK Relay Network is the innovator of SaaS feed technology, with over 10 years of experience helping companies more meaningfully engage with the people they serve. Using Relay Feeds, companies are deepening their relationships with their customers, members, patients, and employees. Our goal is to help our clients maximize the value of the relationships they've cultivated. COMPANY CONTACT Taylor Fleming, Relay Network tfleming@relaynetwork.com https://www.relaynetwork.com/ SOURCE: Relay Network View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706661/Relay-Network-Names-New-Chief-Strategy-Officer-Expands-Leadership-Team BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - To address and mitigate further impacts on global food security and surge in prices triggered by the Russian blockade of Black Sea ports, the G7 Summit pledged an additional $4.5 billion. More than half of it - $2.76 billion - will come from the United States. The leaders of the world's seven major economies called on countries and companies with large food stockpiles to contribute to the global food basket. 'We call on those partners with large food stockpiles, as well as on the private sector, to make food available without distorting the market,' says a statement issued by the Group of Seven leaders after the three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. They called on all countries to avoid excessive stockpiling of food which can lead to further price increases. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and its dramatic economic impacts, in particular soaring food and energy prices, has dominated this year's G7 discussions. The leaders were focused on discussing a range of approaches to addressing the issue of how to facilitate Ukraine's grain reach global markets. Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports prevents millions of tons of food grain from being shipped out of Ukraine, a country known as Europe's breadbasket. Ukraine is a major global grain producer, and its inability to export the stock resulted in the shortfalls in global markets. Those pressures are becoming more acute as Ukraine reaches harvest season. Estimates suggest that up to 40 million more people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of Putin's war in Ukraine and its secondary effects. The G7 leaders, from UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, have agreed to 'explore further measures to prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression.' 'As for oil, we will consider a range of approaches, including options for a possible comprehensive prohibition of all services, which enable transportation for Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultation with international partners,' they said in the joint communique. G7 will further reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, including working to assist countries seeking to diversity their supplies. 'We encourage producer countries to increase their production to decrease the tension in energy markets, and in this context welcome OPEC's recent responses to tightening international markets. We call on them to continue action in this regard.' The summit decided to end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022, except in limited circumstances clearly defined by each country consistent with a 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit and the goals of the Paris Agreement. G7 leaders expressed serious concern over the human rights violations in China, and the situation in the East and South China Seas. The leaders committed to working together to develop a coordinated approach to remedy China's non-market practices to help ensure a level playing field for businesses and workers. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Multi-million-dollar project will enable conversion of Reunion Island power station to biomass, reducing emissions by 84% Global technology and software company Emerson (NYSE: EMR) has been selected by Albioma (PAR: ABIO), a French independent energy provider, to help transition its coal-fired Bois Rouge plant to 100% renewable energy. As part of Albioma's wider mission to transition all of its existing fossil fuel plants to renewable energy, Emerson's automation systems and software will enable the coal-fired power station to convert to biomass feedstock. The multi-million-dollar project is the latest example of how Emerson technologies are helping customers accelerate their transition to more sustainable energy. The power plant, one of three that Albioma operates on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, will be converted to use 100% biomass wood pellets. The overhaul of the 108-megawatt facility will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 640,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year, an 84% decrease in direct emissions compared to current operating levels. "Our aim as a company is to reach almost 100% renewable energies by 2030 at the latest, and the complete discontinuation of coal at our flagship site represents a major milestone in this green revolution," said Pascal Langeron, chief operating officer, Reunion Island of Albioma. "Emerson is an automation partner with whom we have a trusted relationship and whose extensive experience and expertise in biomass power plants will be crucial to this project being completed on schedule." The Bois Rouge plant consists of three generating units. Two units are already controlled by Emerson's Ovation distributed control system, which will be modified for use with biomass feedstock, and the third unit will be replaced with a new Ovation system. The units will also be modernized with new turbine protection and health monitoring systems, safety systems for the boilers, and upgraded boiler control elements and instrumentation. To ensure the project is completed within the available timeframe a critical requirement of Albioma Emerson will provide its Project Certainty methodologies, digital technologies and software expertise. In addition to delivering local engineering support for the project, Emerson will provide its Remote Virtual Office (RVO) collaboration platform a secure virtual engineering and testing environment that will enable Albioma to access Emerson's resources and ongoing support to reduce project risk and costs. "Emerson has a vital role to play in the global transition to a sustainable energy future by supporting customers in their conversion projects," said Bob Yeager, president of Emerson's power and water business. "Our automation technologies, software, solutions and biomass project expertise will help Albioma operate Bois Rouge at peak performance, while also benefiting the environment by achieving a very significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions." Work on the transition project will begin during a planned outage in June 2022 and is scheduled to be completed within five months. Additional resources: Join the Emerson Exchange 365 Community Connect with Emerson via Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube About Emerson Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets. Our Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Commercial Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005642/en/ Contacts: For Emerson Denise Clarke 512.587.5879 denise.clarke@fleishman.com Global nonprofit World Hope International (WHI) has partnered with first-aid supplies and training company My Medic to supply 3,000 first aid kits, valued at over $500,000 USD, to emergency first responders who are treating individuals injured as a result of the war in Ukraine. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005310/en/ A delegation of My Medic and World Hope International medical and crisis response team members traveled to Odesa, Ukraine last week to donate 3,000 Individual First Aid Kits and train first responders, paramedics, and civilian emergency response personnel on their use. (Photo: Business Wire) Created by My Medic as an essential trauma kit, the Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK), can mean the difference between life and death for casualties of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The kits include emergency response equipment designed to stop bleeding, stabilize fractures, seal open chest wounds, clear compromised airways, and care for burns and other medical emergencies. To ensure seamless use of the equipment, a delegation of My Medic and WHI medical and crisis response team members traveled to Odesa, Ukraine last week to train over 400 first responders, paramedics and civilian emergency response personnel. The trainers, who focused on how to properly utilize the equipment in each kit, represent over seventy years of experience and have deployed with and trained some of the world's top crisis response teams. WHI CEO John Lyon, who traveled with the delegation, said, "Ordinary citizens and volunteer paramedics are on the front lines of this war. They lack equipment. They lack resources. They lack money. What they do not lack is a force of will to help those severely injured. These first aid kits and training will equip these fearless leaders to save lives." My Medic CEO David Barlow added, "One of the most rewarding aspects of the partnership is that the training and kits will be implemented immediately to help save lives on the front lines of the war." The cost of the kits provided to WHI were discounted by My Medic. The donation of the kits and the delegation of trainers deployed to Ukraine were funded by WHI donors. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, WHI has delivered over $12 million worth of medical supplies to aid those fleeing the war zone. Efforts have included partnering with churches, governments, and other aid agencies to help refugees in Moldova and Poland and training teams on the ground to watch for evidence of human trafficking. For more information on this effort and WHI's other work across the globe, please visit: https://www.worldhope.org/. For more information on My Medic, please visit: https://mymedic.com/. About World Hope International World Hope International addresses global poverty with sustainable, grassroots solutions that promote dignity and build opportunity and hope in the communities where it works. World Hope International responds to both acute crises and systemic challenges by partnering with local communities to implement the most sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions initiatives that belong to the communities and are centered on their visions for a better future. World Hope International does this through strong partnerships that share its compassion for those who have been marginalized. About My Medic A family-operated first-aid kits, supplies, and training company based on the objective to save lives, is driven by a goal to prepare everyone with equipment and training for the unexpected emergency. Based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, My Medic believes everyone should have instant access to a life-saving first-aid kit. Visit My Medic to learn more and follow @MyMedicofficial. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005310/en/ Contacts: Jeanne Hoffa for WHI Coast Public Relations jeanne@coastprgroup.com 949-233-5372 Sunlight is a Lenovo Innovator Program partner and an NVIDIA Inception member Sunlight.io, the edge infrastructure company, today announced support for the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform, and the Lenovo SE70, with the launch of its beta program 'Project Rosie.' Sunlight NexVisor is the first full hyperconverged stack to support the Arm-CPU-based NVIDIA Jetson. Sunlight NexVisor coupled with the Lenovo SE70 makes it easy to deploy AI applications anywhere at the edge. Application developers can be the first to access the technology and test their AI applications by applying here. AI is a 'killer application' at the edge where it is bringing real-time "insight to action" across a wide range of use cases. For example, computer vision combining cameras, video streaming and analytics is being implemented at drive-thrus nationwide for faster and more personalized food ordering; on manufacturing production lines to instantly identify and remove faulty items; and across smart cities to enhance population and crowd security. These sorts of AI applications need high levels of processing power with low latency and reliable networking in order to give real-time results. Enterprises want to replicate the simplicity of the hyperconverged infrastructure they enjoy in their core data centers for their edge AI applications. However, datacenter HCI isn't able to run in the constrained environments that exist at the edge due to their large RAM and CPU overhead and lack of edge management capabilities. This makes edge deployments extremely resource intensive to manage and hard to scale. Sunlight NexVisor is the only hyperconverged stack that is able to run on both x86 and Arm architectures and with a tiny footprint suitable for constrained edge environments. It includes centralized management and application deployment capabilities. NVIDIA Jetson is the world's leading platform for AI at the edge. NVIDIA Jetson modules are small form-factor, high-performance computers containing an Arm processor and GPU. The combination of Sunlight NexVisor and the NVIDIA Jetson-powered Lenovo ThinkEdge SE70 makes it possible to run demanding edge AI applications in harsh environments that span hundreds or thousands of sites with easy single-pane-of-glass management, low TCO and tiny power and space requirements. Sunlight is a member of NVIDIA Inception, a global program designed to nurture cutting-edge startups. Scott Tease, Lenovo's VP for HPC and AI said, "Our customers realize the advantages of edge AI and deploying solutions closer to the point of data capture to run real-time inferencing. That is why we are so excited to be partnering up with Sunlight as they support our edge portfolio to significantly improve the efficiency and economics of AI deployments for customers worldwide." "We are excited to launch this exclusive beta program for users who need to run efficient, manageable AI out where the data is generated at the edge," said Julian Chesterfield, Founder and CEO of Sunlight. "Sunlight already offers full support for the Lenovo ThinkEdge and ThinkSystem range, including the Intel-based SE30, SE50, SE350 and SE450. Together, we've been able to produce a truly industry-first solution by combining Sunlight's turn-key, edge-as-a-service offering with Lenovo's leading AI edge platform powered by NVIDIA Jetson. Sunlight was born out of a collaboration with Arm back in 2013 to build a lightweight hypervisor, and we're seeing huge demand for the use of Arm-based servers at the edge due to their performance and power-efficiency." About Sunlight The Sunlight Edge is a reliable, secure, zero-touch and economic infrastructure that helps turn your critical edge data into real-time insight and action across your retail stores, manufacturing lines and smart cities. Sunlight makes running and managing applications and infrastructure at the edge as easy as in the cloud. Sunlight works with efficient, ruggedized edge hardware so you can consolidate all of your in-location edge applications with full isolation, security and high availability. Contact info@sunlight.io with any queries, demo requests, or to arrange a free trial. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005051/en/ Contacts: Contact Hannah Mellow Marketing Director hannah.mellow@sunlight.io In addition to his investment, Georges brings listing expertise LIMASSOL, Cyprus, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SquaredFinancial, headquartered in Europe, has welcomed back co-founder Georges Cohen who has returned to the company as an investor. Georges is a renowned French businessman who joined Capgemini at the age of 17 as a sales commercial engineer in 1970 and climbed the ranks to become one of its directors. In 1990, he left the group to found Transiciel, one of France's fastest growing information technology consulting groups. In 2003, he merged Transiciel to Capgemini through a share exchange offer. Following this transaction, Georges was tasked to merge Sogeti and Transiciel. Georges successfully led the operation and managed the new entity, which was established in many countries throughout Europe and the United States. Currently based in Geneva, Cohen has created a family group which predominantly invests in technology and commodities, one of which being Altergaz - the first independent natural gas company in France. In particular, Georges enjoys helping with the development of young companies and sharing his expertise. The family group portfolio is diverse and present in many countries. Cohen took control of Robex, a Canadian gold mining company in Mali Philippe Ghanem, founder and executive chairman of Squared Financial, said: "We are in a new phase of execution as our scale and size are being driven by demand. Georges wanted to return to the fold as he shares our vision. "Our trajectory of increasing capital means we have the funds to acquire technology and continue to attract the best talent, and, as in this case, returning talent. Georges brings with him a wealth of expertise in capital markets and companies listing, which is something we have always been clear that we aim to achieve." Georges explained: "When Philippe and I founded this company in 2005, we wanted to build the financial institution of the future. Our vision is now a reality, and I want to continue to be a catalyst for success by funding further technology capability. Traders want a timely, personalised, accessible platform, and we are well capitalised to meet future demand." SquaredFinancial sees thousands of clients trading every day on its platform. The FinTech incorporated allows customers to trade the world's most popular markets with seven different asset classes and more than 20,000 trading instruments. https://www.squaredfinancial.com The company also partners with Proofpoint to block malware and cryptomining threats Sysdig, the unified container and cloud security leader, announced Drift Control to prevent container attacks at runtime. Teams can detect, prevent, and speed incident response for containers that were modified in production, also known as container drift. Additionally, Sysdig enhanced malware and cryptomining detection with new threat intelligence feeds from Proofpoint Emerging Threats (ET) Intelligence and the Sysdig Threat Research Team. To be successful in the cloud, teams need a single view of risk with no blind spots, which includes having prevention that flags and blocks container drift. Read: Preventing Container Runtime Attacks with Sysdig's Drift Control New critical vulnerabilities uncovered, including Log4j and Spring4Shell, are a reminder that threat detection is critical both in the cloud and data center. This detection needs to provide multiple layers of protection. Sysdig, using the Falco open source project, the de facto standard for cloud-native threat detection, covers all of the common system intrusion attack categories identified in Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report. With this announcement, Sysdig adds additional layers of detections. The first uses enhanced malware and cryptomining detection with the Proofpoint threat feeds for known and emerging threats. Drift Control, the second additional technique, enforces the immutability principle, providing a preventative defense layer to cloud-native workloads. Container immutability ensures that container software is not modified during its lifetime, preserving consistency from source to run and preventing actions that could be part of an attack. Given the dynamic nature of cloud-native environments and legacy practices carrying over to cloud environments, teams often neglect immutability best practices and are blind to drift, especially at scale. To close the dangerous security gaps created by container drift, Sysdig provides Drift Control to automatically flag and deny deviations from the trusted original container. Key Benefits Detect and prevent container drift with Drift Control: With Sysdig, teams can prevent common runtime attacks by dynamically blocking executables that were not in the original container. Sysdig helps customers follow security best practices of immutability and ensure containers aren't modified after deployment in production. Enhance detection with the latest threat intelligence feeds: Sysdig Secure has added threat intelligence feeds from Proofpoint Emerging Threats (ET) Intelligence and the Sysdig Threat Research Team. With these feeds, teams can rely on the most timely and accurate threat information, including malicious IPs and domains, to better protect their environments against threats such as Command Control (C2), malware, backdoors, crytominers, and anonymization. Speed incident response and mitigation with Rapid Response: Inaddition to the new prevention and detection capabilities powered by Drift Control and threat intelligence feeds, teams can then use Sysdig Secure to dig directly into the compromised or suspicious container with on-demand secured shell access and investigate the blocked executable and detected malicious communications. Teams can minimize exposure by removing the malicious file locally from the command line. Sysdig keeps a detailed audit trail of all mitigation commands and can upload session history to a user-defined external storage. "When there is an attack every 11 seconds, it is important to have multiple layers of defense," said Omer Azaria, Vice President of Research and Development at Sysdig. "Sysdig's new Drift Control capability enforces best practices that can stop an attack before damage is done." Availability Sysdig Secure customers have access to Drift Control and new threat feeds now and for new customers, it is included in Sysdig Secure at no additional cost. Resources Read: 5 Reasons Why Sysdig Partners with Proofpoint to Enhance Cloud Security. Read: Preventing Container Runtime Attacks with Sysdig's Drift Control. Learn more about Sysdig Secure. About Sysdig Sysdig is driving the standard for cloud and container security. The company pioneered cloud-native runtime threat detection and response by creating Falco and Sysdig as open source standards and key building blocks of the Sysdig platform. With the platform, teams can find and prioritize software vulnerabilities, detect and respond to threats, and manage cloud configurations, permissions, and compliance. From containers and Kubernetes to cloud services, teams get a single view of risk from source to run, with no blind spots, no guesswork, no black boxes. The largest and most innovative companies around the world rely on Sysdig. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005539/en/ Contacts: Amanda McKinney Smith amanda.smith@Sysdig.com 703-473-4051 LUGANO, Switzerland, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Temera, Luxochain and Polygon are to announce the collaboration with Bulgari into its newest high jewellery collection, launched in Paris, featuring emeralds, rubies and a surprising, sparkling new addition: NFTs. On this special occasion, the Maison also revealed Beyond Wonder, the first NFT jewel ever realized by Bulgari: an intangible creation, transcending the boundaries of materiality though a unique dialogue between creativity and the unlimited universe of cutting-edge digital technologies under the sign of Italian genius. This unprecedented jewel is a bold testament to the Roman House's pioneering approach, trailblazing DNA and relentless quest for innovation. Beyond Wonder is presented together with the NFT artworks of two High Jewellery creations, namely the Ruby Metamorphosis and the Emerald Glory necklaces. Further strengthening the connection between High Jewellery and High Technology through Bulgari's know-how and ever-evolving creative vision, the two digital artworks will be sold only together with their physical twin necklace, uniting the tangible and the intangible into one perfect whole. The two "digital twins" are not replicas of the necklaces to wear on Metaverse, instead, they are digital artworks inspired by the necklaces. Their data is stored on the Aura blockchain and also on Polygon Blockchain. The NFTs are minted by Luxochain, an innovative company that is becoming a reference for Fashion & Luxury, with the support of Polygon Studios, and are accessible through a digital experience created by Temera, leader of innovation-driven business journey for Brands. Digital twins are set to become a popular type of NFT for fashion brands. While some argued digital twins lack a suitable luxury halo and are more akin to a "bonus pack" mentality, Bulgari is diving in by directly linking its NFTs to high jewellery purchases. The LVMH-owned jeweller, with the same team of partners, has already launched a limited-edition collection of 10 NFT artworks inspired by the Octo Finissimo Ultra, which bills itself as the world's thinnest mechanical watch. They open up with a QR code engraved on the barrel's ratchet wheel. While the watch industry has been an early supporter of Web3, jewellery has so far shied away from it. Guido Mengoni, CMO of Temera, said: "To launch a second project in the NFT field, after Octo Finissimo, is a great honor for us at Temera. In this case, the Digital Twin concept makes us even more proud, as it comes very close to what is our main goal: serializing and tracking the product even in its entirely digital life. Bulgari has given us the opportunity to start this journey together, leading the way on an innovative path that is unique in the high jewelry industry" Davide Baldi, CEO of Luxochain, added: "We are very proud to be part of this consortium of top-level players on the international scene and we are honored by the esteem and trust that Bulgari has been confirming in us over time. We have always been committed to protecting the reputation of brands and safeguarding the authenticity of goods, what better opportunity to be able to achieve it with such precious jewels. We are convinced the market is still in the early stages of experimentation with this new technological innovation, which can guarantee authenticity and a new form of experience and loyalty to the end customer, and Bulgari is proving to be an innovative company in this sector, also for products of high-end like jewellery". Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, said: "Tying property rights to proof of authenticity is a powerful way of demonstrating verifiable digital ownership and ensuring against counterfeiting. Polygon and Polygon Studios are proud to be pioneering this new NFT standard to fortify authenticity in the luxury goods sector." The teams of Polygon, Temera and Luxochain, jointly, confirm the will to create a standard for the creation of NFTs, excluding speculation, becoming a symbol of authenticity and anti-counterfeiting obtaining full support from a Maison such as BVLGARI. About BVLGARI Part of the LVMH Group, Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 as a jewellery shop. Known as the magnificent Roman jeweller and master of coloured gems, Bulgari has established a worldwide reputation for Italian excellence and enjoys renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship. The company's international success has evolved into a global and diversified luxury purveyor of products and services, ranging from fine jewels and high-end watches to accessories and perfumes, and featuring an unrivalled network of boutiques and hotels in the world's most exclusive shopping areas. About Temera Temera is a center of excellence that supports business through the development of solutions based on the innovative use of IoT technologies such as RFID (UHF NFC) and Blockchain specifically designed for the Fashion & Luxury sector, addressing issues related to the optimization of logistics and production processes, traceability, anti-counterfeiting, customer engagement and control of distribution channels. Since 2009 it is the leading company for Digital Passport Identification. With offices in Europe and the United States, Temera has reached 650 million scanned tags in more than 60 countries. To learn more, visit: https://temera.it/ About Luxochain Luxochain is a Swiss company, based in Lugano, with world-class expertise in leveraging blockchain technology and product certification. Our mission is to deliver sustainability, reputation, and authenticity into the luxury market and ensure ownership of real products, creating unique certificates of authenticity and ownership combined with each product. Luxochain aims to increase brand awareness and fight the counterfeiting market. Luxochain registers goods' ownership transfers, the customer receives a certificate of digital property, as if it were the passport of the product itself, with a guarantee of non-repeatability. Luxochain offers a service to end-users, protecting them in the purchase of their products. At the same time, it works alongside the luxury brands, providing them with a transparency and loyalty system, as well as for analytics and insights towards their customers. About Polygon Polygon is the leading platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its growing suite of products offers developers easy access to all major scaling and infrastructure solutions: L2 solutions (ZK Rollups and Optimistic Rollups), sidechains, hybrid solutions, stand-alone and enterprise chains, data availability solutions, and more. Polygon's scaling solutions have seen widespread adoption with 7000+ applications hosted, 1B+ total transactions processed, ~100M+ unique user addresses, and $5B+ in assets secured. About Polygon Studios Polygon Studios aims to be the home of the most popular blockchain projects in the world. The Polygon Studios team is focused on supporting developers building decentralized apps on Polygon by providing Web2 and Web3 teams with a suite of services such as developer support, partnership, strategy, go-to-market, and technical integrations. Polygon Studios supports projects from OpenSea to Bulgari, from Adidas to Draft Kings and Decentral Games to Ubisoft. For more information please contact: Raffaella Di Vita for Bulgari International Press Relations and Press Events Sr Manager Bulgari Spa Lungotevere Marzio 11 00186 Rome tel. +39 06 68 810 282 Raffaella.DiVita@bulgari.com Guido Mengoni for Temera guido.mengoni@temera.it Federico Vigano for Luxochain federico.vigano@luxochain.io Katie Olver for Polygon polygon@cryptolandpr.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1848388/Bulgari_NFT.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1691490/LOGO_LUXOCHAIN_Logo.jpg ELM Solutions' AI applications and thought leadership win a raft of prestigious global awards programs Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions' outstanding thought leadership and innovative use of data and AI have propelled the company to a record half year for independent industry recognition, with 16 trophies year to date. A host of leading industry publications and global awards programs have recognized ELM Solutions' contributions to the legal sector, most recently including: Lawyer Monthly: Barry Ader Technology Executive of the Year, Legal Awards Lawyer Monthly: Thought Leadership Innovation of the Year, Legal Awards 2022 IT World Awards: Creative Project or Initiative of the Year, Gold Globee 2022 IT World Awards: Milestone of the Year, Gold Globee New World Report: Legal Operations Technology Firm of the Year, Legal Elite Awards New World Report: Best Use of AI, Legal Elite Awards Lawyer Monthly has a circulation of more than 750,000 legal professionals globally. The publication's annual highly coveted Legal Awards are free to enter and recognize law firms, consultants and other legal professionals who have demonstrated tangible success in their markets. Barry Ader, Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, at Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions, was recognized as Technology Executive of Year. ELM Solutions' LegalVIEW Insights program an ongoing series of reports, webinars and podcasts discussing trends from the company's LegalVIEW spend database received additional praise as Thought Leadership Innovation of the Year. This is the second time this year that the company has been honored for its thought leadership prowess, following success in the Stevie awards. The LegalVIEW Insights campaign was also bestowed recognition by The IT Global Awards, a subset of the internationally recognized Globee Business Awards program celebrating achievements in the information technology space. ELM Solutions' expansive thought leadership program was feted with a Gold Globee in the Creative Project or Initiative of the Year category, while the LegalVIEW database's recent climb past more than $150 billion in legal invoices received identical honors in the Milestone of the Year category. New World Report, meanwhile, covers business news unfolding across the Americas and is part of the AI Global Media digital media group, which averages more than 600,000 pageviews per month. The online publication's Legal Elite Awards are free to enter and celebrate businesses, individuals and initiatives that achieve outstanding results within the legal industry. In addition to naming ELM Solutions Legal Operations Technology Firm of the Year, the awards program also celebrated the company's LegalVIEW Bill Analyzer and Predictive Insights solutions with a Best Use of AI plaudit. ELM Solutions' record half year for independent industry recognition also includes a previous array of honors from both the Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards and the American Business Awards. "I would like to thank the editorial teams of Lawyer Monthly and New World Report for recognizing ELM Solutions' dedication to providing market-leading technology and unparalleled insights," said Raja Sengupta executive vice president and general manager of Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions. "I'm extraordinarily proud of ELM Solutions Product and Engineering teams for ensuring that our company remains at the forefront of innovation while continuing to shape many important technology conversations unfolding across the legal industry." ELM Solutions, part of Wolters Kluwer GRC, is the market-leading global provider of enterprise legal spend and matter management, contract lifecycle management and legal analytics solutions. The company provides a comprehensive suite of tools that address the growing needs of corporate legal operations departments to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs. Corporate legal and insurance claims departments trust its innovative technology and end-to-end customer experience to drive world-class business outcomes. The other legal solutions business of Wolters Kluwer GRC is CT Corporation. Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions was named a leader in both the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise Legal Spend Management 2020 Vendor Assessment and IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise Matter Management 2020 Vendor Assessment. The company's award-winning products include Passport, one of the highest rated ELM solutions in the latest Hyperion MarketView Legal Market Intelligence Report and TyMetrix 360, the industry's leading SaaS-based e-billing and matter management solution. CLM Matrix, meanwhile, was named a "strong performer" in The Forrester Wave: Contract Lifecycle Management For All Contracts, Q1 2021 report. ELM Solutions' LegalVIEW portfolio of legal analytics solutions is based upon the industry's largest and most comprehensive legal spend database, with more than $150 billion in invoices. About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk Compliance Governance, Risk Compliance is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to help ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance. Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2021 annual revenues of 4.8 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,800 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005229/en/ Contacts: Media Contacts for Wolters Kluwer GRC (Including Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions, Wolters Kluwer CT Corporation, Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions and Wolters Kluwer Finance, Risk Regulatory Reporting) Paul Lyon Senior Director, Global Corporate Communications: Global Marketing, Communications Planning Governance, Risk Compliance Division Wolters Kluwer Office +44 20 3197 6586 Paul.Lyon@wolterskluwer.com Frank Ready Senior Specialist, Corporate Communications, Legal Services Governance, Risk Compliance Division Wolters Kluwer 717-205-3647 Frank.Ready@wolterskluwer.com Shifting from classrooms to e-commerce: China's education giant finds new life with bilingual livestreaming sessions 16:39, June 28, 2022 By Wu Chaolan ( People's Daily Online (Screenshot/Livestreaming studio Dongfang Zhenxuan operated by New Oriental Education & Technology Group) China's private tutoring giant, New Oriental Education & Technology Group (New Oriental), is making a comeback. This time the arena is not inside the classroom but a live-streaming studio. In late 2021, the tutoring company jumped onto the bandwagon, starting its live-streaming channel to sell agricultural products, with its founder Yu Minhong occasionally hosting the sessions himself. The company's sales were lackluster until a few weeks ago when its host Dong Yuhui, a former teacher, began bilingual livestream e-commerce sessions, creating a national buzz. In a video that went viral on Chinese social media, Dong, after promoting a set deal for steaks, pulled out a small whiteboard where he wrote English words related to beef, such as steak, seasoning, and cuts. Dong's enthusiasm, fluency in English, witty jokes, personal stories, and talent for singing soon won over audiences across China, drawing a surge of followers and boosting sales on their official live streaming platform. After the unexpected sky-rocketing popularity of Dong, the company waged a bilingual live-streaming bonanza with dozens of tutors-turned-live streamers grabbing every opportunity to teach their viewers a little English by using a whiteboard to introduce new vocabulary related to the product they were promoting. The bilingual online sales approach starkly contrasts with other live-streaming rooms where hosts can be seen excitedly presenting products and urging people on with a direct sales pitch to make an immediate purchase. In the New Oriental's live-streaming studio, the hosts would chat about life, poetry, and philosophy and even recite some of Shakespeare's sonnets while introducing the goods. "I like the way they promoted products. It's calm and educational," said He Yunyi, who partook in one of the live-streaming sessions as a viewer. "The wide knowledge reserve of the hosts has made them the 'top ceiling' for live streamers," she added. "Selling products in two languages is a significant transformation for New Oriental," said Yu in a video he posted online. "They have changed from being teachers to being live-streaming hosts, which has attracted public attention and recognition, all thanks to consumers' tolerance and support." Although various kinds of social e-commerce categories are trendy in China, the New Oriental's bilingual live-streaming strategy combines education, e-commerce, and live streaming has hit the sweet spot with Chinese netizens who like to learn something while being entertained and perhaps also buying something. "Online shopping has never been more educational," one viewer commented. "When I was a kid, I took your class, and now I bought your products," another wrote. On June 10, when Dong first wowed Chinese social media with his English-language sales promotion show, the company's live-streaming account garnered over 680,000 followers. As of June 27, the account has accumulated nearly 20 million followers. Since June 10, New Oriental's live-streaming platform sales have surpassed 680 million yuan, nearly twelves times higher than the sales from the previous two months, according to data from live-streaming tracking platform Huitun. Now, New Oriental's Dongfang Zhenxuan, literally Oriental's Selection, is one of the highest cash-earning live streaming studios on Douyin, a domestic video-sharing platform in China known internationally as Tiktok. The stellar performance of the company in the stock market can also testify to the popularity of its new bilingual online sales approach. After the company's new strategy went viral, New Oriental Education & Technology Group staged a shock turnaround with a dramatic upsurge in its stock over many consecutive days, amid hopes that a new live-streaming strategy might salvage some of its diminished business prospects. As one of the largest private education providers in China, the company has been hit hard by China's "double reduction" policy introduced in July 2021 aimed at easing the burden of excessive homework on Chinese youngsters and the consequent bans on off-campus subject-based curriculum tutoring for young students, with its shares having plunged and with tens of thousands of its staff having been laid off. Facing these sweeping regulations, the company tried to keep its head above water by exploring new market ideas and pivoting to sectors unaffected by the new rules. Venturing into selling agricultural products online via live streaming is one of the self-saving approaches that the company has pursued. "It is revolutionary for the current live-streaming industry. The growth potential could be expected," said Cai Jiaojiao, an industry insider who has worked in the live-streaming sector for five years. (Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun) WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) on Tuesday welcomed the recent public support in favor of its clearly superior offer to acquire Spirit Airlines Inc. (SAVE). JetBlue said it has received support from independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and major Spirit shareholder TIG Advisors. ISS said clients may find the modified JetBlue proposal 'preferable' to the Frontier Airlines, Inc. (FRNT) offer for Spirit and may therefore choose to vote AGAINST the inferior Frontier transaction at Spirit's upcoming special meeting. TIG Advisors publicly declared that it will vote AGAINST the Frontier merger at the Spirit special meeting. Further, JetBlue added that by entering into a revised merger agreement with Frontier less than a week before the special shareholder meeting, the Spirit Board has given ISS, and all shareholders, little time to weigh the improved proposals. 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. Slovakia has selected the CV90MkIV as its new Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005779/en/ Slovakia selects BAE Systems' CV90 for new combat vehicle (Photo: Business Wire) The joint bid from the Government of Sweden and BAE Systems was filed earlier this year by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and BAE Systems Hagglunds. Following the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic's feasibility report last month, the CV90 was placed in both first and second position (in two different turret variants) when measured against all requirements for the IFV program. Negotiations will now begin to finalize a production contract before the end of the year. With the CV90MkIV, the Slovak Army will acquire the most advanced CV90 available. Together with Slovak industry, BAE Systems is prepared to deliver the program on time and on budget. Slovakia's requirements call for multiple variants of the CV90MkIV, including several turreted versions and both engineer and recovery vehicles. The program also includes training and education, tactics, and future vehicle development. This selection brings Slovakia into the CV90 User Club, which currently consists of seven countries, including four members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "The joint Swedish FMV and BAE Systems team confirms the Swedish government's support for Slovakia and further strengthens government-to-government relations," said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. "Our approach is built on strategic collaboration with local Slovak suppliers, enabling them to play a high-value role throughout the production and lifecycle of the CV90 and all its variants." BAE Systems Hagglunds has delivered multiple CV90 export programs to European and NATO customers and has a strong track record of highly successful industrial cooperation that goes beyond the mechanical assembly of the vehicles. By working with local Slovak industry across all aspects of the contract, BAE Systems will ensure a significant level of collaboration during production to support defense industrial cooperation, jobs, and economic growth. BAE Systems is committed to exceeding the mandated requirement for Slovak content and to work closely with the country's industry to deliver the most capable IFV on the market today. The CV90 is available in 15 variants and designed to provide optimum mobility, with the highest level of protection in any terrain or tactical environment. The CV90MkIV combines improved battlefield speeds and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth capabilities as the complex battlefield evolves. Today, there are nearly 1,300 CV90s in operation in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005779/en/ Contacts: Ola Thoren, BAE Systems Hagglunds Office: +46 660 80506; Mobile: +46 708 335000 ola.thoren@baesystems.se Issued by: BAE Systems, Inc. www.baesystems.com @BAESystemsInc With over five million Ukrainians displaced from their homeland since the start of the war - disproportionately women - Tent urges companies to join the Sunflower Project and offer employment, training, and remote work opportunities to tens of thousands of Ukrainian women BRUSSELS, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent), a network of over 250 large companies committed to integrating forcibly displaced people round the world, has launched the Sunflower Project - a pan-European initiative focused on accelerating the inclusion of tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugee women across the continent through better access to work. Five million refugees from Ukraine are currently displaced. Many -- at least one million Ukrainian women -- are likely to remain displaced in Europe over the coming years , even if Russian violence subsides. European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said: "Until now, the focus of the response to the war in Ukraine has been primarily humanitarian. With no end to the war in sight, it's now critical to address how displaced Ukrainians can get livelihoods. The Temporary Protection Directive gives those fleeing from the war the right to work in the EU. As the majority coming from Ukraine in this crisis are women and children, this initiative can broaden opportunities for women to have a job in the EU." Starting with 18 anchor companies - Accenture, The Adecco Group, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Generali, Hilton, ISS, KontoorBrands, LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, PepsiCo, Randstad, Royal FrieslandCampina, SAP, Swarovski, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), TTEC, and Visa - and looking to enrol many more, the Sunflower Project will enlist companies to undertake activities in a number of areas, including direct hiring into companies' workforces; training and upskilling programs; mentoring; remote freelance work opportunities; and other wrap-around support. In the coming months, Tent will work with companies to develop specific programs, and to announce public commitments, in these and other areas in support of Ukrainian women. Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani - a major U.S. food company - and founder of Tent, said: "The heartbreaking events in Ukraine have mobilised so many of us - individuals, governments, and businesses - to support Ukrainians in need. But as attention on the crisis starts to fade away, this is the time to step up and redouble our efforts. I call on companies to join us, and help give Ukrainian women a chance to provide for themselves and their families." Ukrainian women can bring critical value to companies. A recent survey showed that around two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees are mothers with higher education degrees or highly qualified specialists from sought-after professions. However, according to research published late last year by Economist Impact and sponsored by Tent, refugee women face "double discrimination" when seeking jobs and a number of hurdles - ranging from a lack of understanding of the local labour market, through to lower proficiency in the local language, a lack of access to social and professional networks, and higher childcare and domestic burdens. Chris Heutink, Executive Board member at Randstad, headquartered in the Netherlands, said: "Randstad has a longstanding commitment to help connect refugees to jobs. We're proud of our work to support displaced Ukrainians across the world - so many of whom are women - find a way to make a living. We're thrilled to join this initiative and pledge to play our part in helping make a meaningful difference to refugees' lives." Jean-Marc Ollagnier, CEO Europe, Accenture, said: "Businesses have a key role to play in supporting refugees as they rebuild their lives, and by joining this initiative, we can foster collaboration across Europe, scale initiatives and accelerate the much-needed access to livelihood opportunities for Ukrainian refugees. Accenture has been supporting refugees for many years and we have already mobilised to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and those being displaced. " To shape the programme, Tent will be working with Impact Force - a leading Ukrainian NGO focussed on behaviour change, social impact, and creating economic opportunities - and other Ukraine-focussed organisations to ensure the voices and needs of Ukrainian women are reflected in the initiative. Tent will also leverage its close relationships with over 80 refugee-serving organisations across the continent and will work with many others that support Ukrainian refugee women. Companies interested in joining the Sunflower Project, should visit: www.tent.org/the-sunflower-project , or email info@tent.org. For media enquiries: Kate Riminton katie.riminton@fleishmaneurope.com +32 4 78 70 19 83 About the Tent Partnership for Refugees With more and more refugees displaced for longer periods of time, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new host communities. The Tent Partnership for Refugees mobilises the global business community to improve the lives and livelihoods of more than 36 million refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries. Founded by Chobani's founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya in 2016, we are a network of over 250 major companies committed to including refugees. Tent believes that companies can most sustainably support refugees by leveraging their core business operations - by engaging refugees as potential employees, entrepreneurs, and consumers. Tent has produced several guidebooks to advise companies on how to hire and support refugees across Europe, which can be found here . Find out more at www.tent.org. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1630553/TENT_LogoBlackText_Logo.jpg WELLINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA's CubeSat, designed to test a unique lunar orbit is safely in space and on the first leg of its journey to the Moon. The spacecraft is heading toward an orbit intended in the future for Gateway, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support NASA's Artemis program, including astronaut missions. After postponing its launch by a day to allow more time to perform final systems checks, the mission, led by Advanced Space, took off aboard a Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 5.55 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The CAPSTONE mission, or the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, aims to send a microwave oven-sized spacecraft weighing just 55 pounds to elliptical lunar orbit. CAPSTONE is currently in low-Earth orbit, and it will take the spacecraft about four months to reach its targeted lunar orbit, NASA said. CAPSTONE is attached to Rocket Lab's Lunar Photon, an interplanetary third stage that will send CAPSTONE on its way to deep space. Shortly after launch, Lunar Photon separated from Electron's second stage. Over the next six days, Photon's engine will periodically ignite to accelerate it beyond low-Earth orbit, where Photon will release the CubeSat on a ballistic lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon. CAPSTONE will then use its own propulsion and the Sun's gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon. The gravity-driven track will dramatically reduce the amount of fuel the CubeSat needs to get to the Moon. 'Delivering the spacecraft for launch was an accomplishment for the entire mission team, including NASA and our industry partners. Our team is now preparing for separation and initial acquisition for the spacecraft in six days,' said Bradley Cheetham, principal investigator for CAPSTONE and chief executive officer of Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA. 'We have already learned a tremendous amount getting to this point, and we are passionate about the importance of returning humans to the Moon, this time to stay,' he added. As a pathfinder for Gateway, a Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of NASA's Artemis program, CAPSTONE will help reduce risk for future spacecraft by validating innovative navigation technologies and verifying the dynamics of this halo-shaped orbit. CAPSTONE's orbit also establishes a location that is an ideal staging area for missions to the Moon and beyond. The orbit will bring CAPSTONE within 1,000 miles of one lunar pole on its near pass and 43,500 miles from the other pole at its peak every seven days, requiring less propulsion capability for spacecraft flying to and from the Moon's surface than other circular orbits. After a four-month journey to its destination, CAPSTONE will orbit this area around the Moon for at least six months to understand the characteristics of the orbit. The peer-to-peer information that determines CAPSTONE's position in space will be used to evaluate its autonomous navigation software. If successful, this software, referred to as the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS), will allow future spacecraft to determine their location without having to rely exclusively on tracking from Earth. This capability could enable future technology demonstrations to perform on their own without support from the ground and allow ground-based antennas to prioritize valuable science data over more routine operational tracking. A successful CAPSTONE mission is expected to pave the way and expand opportunities for small and more affordable space and exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and other destinations throughout the solar system. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Zion Market Research study, The global vacuum interrupters market achieved revenue of USD 2.45 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach around USD 3.51 billion by 2028, the market is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3 percent during the forecast period. Key Industry Insights & Finding of the Vacuum Interrupters Market Reports: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Vacuum Interrupters Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 5.3 % (2022-2028). (2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Vacuum Interrupters Market was valued approximately USD 2.45 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly USD 3.51 Billion by 2028. Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly Billion by 2028. India , China , South Korea , and Japan are among the key nations regarded to be the primary vacuum interrupter production hubs. , , , and are among the key nations regarded to be the primary vacuum interrupter production hubs. According to World Economic and Financial Surveys, the economic momentum in Asia Pacific's top economies is likely to stay robust, indicating policy stimulus in Japan and China , which benefits other Asian countries. top economies is likely to stay robust, indicating policy stimulus in and , which benefits other Asian countries. Increasing expenditure on smart grid technologies, such as smart meters, distribution grid automation, and demand response systems, in countries such as South Korea , Japan , and Australia , would provide development prospects for the market during the projection period. , , and , would provide development prospects for the market during the projection period. According to the Kyoto Protocol, SF6 is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, having a global warming intensity of 23,000, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has classified it as a highly hazardous greenhouse gas. Zion Market Research published the latest report titled as "Vacuum Interrupters Market By Rated Voltage (0-15 KV, 15-30 KV, Above 30 KV), By Application (Circuit Breaker, Contactor, Recloser, Load Break Switch, & Tap Changer), By End User (Oil & Gas, Mining, Utilities & Transportation), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2022 - 2028." into their research database. Vacuum Interrupters Market: Overview A vacuum interrupter is a switch that employs electrical contacts in a vacuum in electrical engineering. It is the key element in generator circuit breakers, medium-voltage circuit breakers, and high-voltage circuit breakers. When electrical contacts separate, a metal vapor arc forms, which is soon extinguished. In utility power transmission networks, power production units, and power-distribution systems for trains, industrial facilities, and arc furnace applications, vacuum interrupters are commonly utilized. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/vacuum-interrupters-market Our Free Sample Report Includes: 2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included 145 + Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research) Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request 2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends Includes Updated List of tables & figures Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research methodology Industry Dynamics: Vacuum Interrupters Market: Growth Drivers Rapid expansion of distribution and transmission can boost the market growth. In the future years, transportation and other related industries are likely to see a massive increase in electrification. This would result in a massive rise in the energy demand and, as a result, its generation, necessitating a billion-dollar investment in transmission over the following decade. The electrical transmission and distribution industry might attract more than USD 600 bn in investment. The electric car category is likely to get the majority of this investment. In addition to this expenditure, the existing transmission infrastructure must be maintained and integrated with power generated from renewable sources to fulfill the current electrical demand. According to research, a trade organization lobbying for transmission investment, the amount of investment by 2030 is estimated to be similar to USD 4 to 7 bn per year, which is a 25 to 50 percent increase over the previous decade. All of this is likely to be driven largely by two primary factors: connecting more renewables to the grid and maintaining system reliability as peak load grows. All of these factors are likely to drive the growth of the global vacuum interpreters market. Vacuum Interrupters Market: Restraints Dearth of explicit government policies for vacuum interrupters may hinder market growth. According to the Kyoto Protocol, SF6 is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, having a global warming intensity of 23,000, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has classified it as a highly hazardous greenhouse gas. Concurrently, SF6 is categorized as a greenhouse gas, which will be subject to green taxes. As a result, the Kyoto Protocol calls for an emissions reduction. Other gases with lesser global warming potential, such as nitrogen, dry air, and CO2, or their mixes, have far low dielectric strength than SF6. However, specific guidelines and government rules regarding the usage of vacuum interrupters are required. Industries that are prohibited from using these enumerated greenhouse gases are shifting to air-type equipment or other gas equipment, according to reports. The use of vacuum-type interruption devices is not decreasing as a result of this. As a result, the lack of vacuum interrupter-specific rules, norms, and reforms is a key stumbling block in this scenario. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/vacuum-interrupters-market Vacuum Interrupters Market: Opportunities Cumulative investments and funding for smart grid & power distribution in the emerging nation will provide better growth prospects for the market. Utility companies are increasing their investments in smart grid infrastructure throughout the world. By 2027, the European Union is expected to invest almost USD 133 billion in the smart grid sector. For example, Tavrida Electric secured a series of contracts for the delivery of 25 reclosers with PKP Energetyka. A two-year period of demonstrations and testing of the delivered equipment preceded the sale. As a consequence, approximately 50 reclosers were delivered to the latter by the end of 2017. Furthermore, Southeast Asian countries are projected to invest nearly 10 billion in smart grid infrastructure in the next 10 years, thereby driving growth avenues for the global vacuum interpreters market. Vacuum Interrupters Market: Challenges Accessibility to low-quality and cheap products poses a major challenge to the market. Asia Pacific region is the greatest market for vacuum interrupters, with several emerging countries planning to install a high number of vacuum interrupters in the near future. In these emerging countries, cost takes precedence over quality. The price of electrical items is given considerable attention in major nations such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India. Vacuum interrupters of good quality are projected to last for roughly 30 years. However, as the price of a product falls, so does the quality of the product. Local manufacturers face the same problems as multinational businesses in this region. These grey market firms have pricing competitiveness and a local supply network advantage over major competitors, which is tough for leading players to obtain. Global Vacuum Interrupters Market: Segmentation The global vacuum interrupters market is segregated based on rated voltage, application, end-user, and region. By rated voltage, the market is categorized into 0-15 kV, 15-30 kV, and above 30 kV. The application segment of the market is split into a circuit breaker, contactor, load break switch, tap changer, recloser, and others. The end-user segment is bifurcated as utilities, oil & gas, mining, transportation, and others. Get More Insight before Buying@: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/vacuum-interrupters-market List of Key Players of Vacuum Interrupters Market : ABB Eaton Crompton Greaves Limited Siemens AG LS Industrial System Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Shaanxi Baoguang Vacuum Electric Device Company Limited Toshiba Corporation Meidensha Corporation ACTOM Chengdu Zuguang Electronics Company Limited Shaanxi Joyelectric International Company Limited Wuhan Feite Electric Company Limited. Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Vacuum Interrupters Market ? What are the key driving factors propelling the Vacuum Interrupters Market forward? What are the most important companies in the Vacuum Interrupters Market Industry? What segments does the Vacuum Interrupters Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the Vacuum Interrupters Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 2.45 Billion Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 3.51 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 5.3 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 - 2021 Forecast Years 2022 - 2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, and By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered ABB, Eaton, Crompton Greaves Limited, Siemens AG, LS Industrial System, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Shaanxi Baoguang Vacuum Electric Device Company Limited, Toshiba Corporation, Meidensha Corporation, ACTOM, Chengdu Zuguang Electronics Company Limited, Shaanxi Joyelectric International Company Limited, and Wuhan Feite Electric Company Limited. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/3317 Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/vacuum-interrupters-market Recent Developments August 2021 , Eaton Corporation had announced ambitions to launch HYPERRIDE, a ground-breaking cooperative research initiative focused on DC power grids. The firm will design circuit breakers for an automated and efficient DC power system as part of the USD 7.5 million project. , Eaton Corporation had announced ambitions to launch HYPERRIDE, a ground-breaking cooperative research initiative focused on DC power grids. The firm will design circuit breakers for an automated and efficient DC power system as part of the project. In 2020, ABB Electrification's facility in Ratingen, Germany , celebrated a significant milestone when it produced its seven millionth vacuum interrupter (VI). Regional Dominance: Asia Pacific is to lead the market over the forecast period. Asia Pacific is estimated to lead the global vacuum interrupter market. India, China, South Korea, and Japan are among the key nations regarded to be the primary vacuum interrupter production hubs. This region has experienced remarkable economic development in recent years. According to World Economic and Financial Surveys, the economic momentum in Asia Pacific's top economies is likely to stay robust, indicating policy stimulus in Japan and China, which benefits other Asian countries. The fast expansion of the economy would result in a rise in the demand for electricity. This would need a higher level of investment in electricity-producing infrastructure. Furthermore, increasing expenditure on smart grid technologies, such as smart meters, distribution grid automation, and demand response systems, in countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Australia, would provide development prospects for the market during the projection period. Global Vacuum Interrupters Market is segmented as follows: Vacuum Interrupters Market: By Rated Voltage Outlook (2022-2028) 0-15 kV 15-30 kV Above 30 kV Vacuum Interrupters Market: By Application Outlook (2022-2028) Circuit Breaker Contactor Recloser Load Break Switch Tap Changer Others Vacuum Interrupters Market: By End User Outlook (2022-2028) Utilities Oil & Gas Mining Transportation Others Vacuum Interrupters Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release For Vacuum Interrupters Market : https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-vacuum-interrupters-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Zion Market Research AEC Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global AEC market was worth around USD 7,085.5 million in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 15,237.4 million by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.8 percent over the forecast period. The global AEC market was worth around in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.8 percent over the forecast period. Battery Operated Lights Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global battery operated lights market is estimated to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.5 percent over the forecast period. The global battery operated lights market is estimated to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.5 percent over the forecast period. Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing Market - Global Industry Analysis; The global outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing market was worth around USD 34.85 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 50.9 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.8 percent over the forecast period. Browse through Zion Market Research's coverage of the Global Semiconductor & Electronics Industry Follow Us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook About Us Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to us-after all-if you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Contact Us: Zion Market Research 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite N202 New York, 10001, United States Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.com Website: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/ Blog : https://zmrblog.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1605489/Zion_Market_Research_Logo.jpg WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Monday, President Joe Biden signed a National Security Memorandum to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related harmful fishing practices in the United States. The White House said the Biden Administration will address IUU fishing by increasing coordination with diverse stakeholders - public and private, foreign and domestic. The United States Government will use the full range of existing conservation, labor, trade, economic, diplomatic, law enforcement, and national security authorities to address these challenges, it added. The White House outlined a number of actons that the Administration is taking to combat IUU fishing, which will be announced during this week's U.N. Ocean Conference. The United States, the UK, and Canada will launch an IUU Fishing Action Alliance, including a pledge to take urgent action to improve the monitoring, control, and surveillance of fisheries, increase transparency in fishing fleets and in the seafood market, and build new partnerships that will hold bad actors accountable. The U.S. Interagency Working Group on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, comprising 21 Federal agencies, will release its National Five-Year Strategy for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (2022-2026) by the end of July. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will also issue a proposed rule to enhance and strengthen its ability to address IUU fishing activities and combat forced labor in the seafood supply chain. These new actions build on President Biden's proclamation declaring June as National Ocean Month and key announcements the White House made earlier this month to conserve and restore the health and productivity of the ocean for the benefit of all Americans. IUU fishing is among the greatest threats to ocean health and is a significant cause of global overfishing, contributing to the collapse or decline of fisheries that are critical to the economic growth, food systems, and ecosystems of numerous countries around the world. Distant water fishing vessels, which engage in industrial-scale fishing operations on the high seas and in waters under other states' jurisdictions, can be significant perpetrators of IUU fishing and related harmful fishing practices. IUU fishing often involves forced labor, human trafficking, and other crimes and human rights abuses. Left unchecked, IUU fishing and associated labor abuses undermine U.S. economic competitiveness, national security, fisheries sustainability, and the livelihoods and human rights of fishers around the world and will exacerbate the environmental and socioeconomic effects of climate change. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Tacrolimus, which was recently approved by the FDA as a transplantation medicine, is anticipated to boost the category in the years to come The Asia Pacific region is a major region for transplant drug monitoring assay. The growing emphasis on organ donation is what is driving the market in Asia Pacific ALBANY, N.Y., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The value of the global transplant drug monitoring assay market stood at US$ 198.0 Mn in 2021. The global market is anticipated to rise at CAGR of 11.0% during the forecast period, from 2022 to 2031. The global transplant drug monitoring assay market is also expected to attain valuation surpassing US$ 542 Mn by 2031. In order to keep blood and plasma concentrations of immunosuppressants within the acceptable therapeutic limits, healthcare providers must use therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in transplant medicine. TDM controls concentrations to ensure that they are neither too high or too low, reducing the likelihood of toxicity or rejection, as appropriate. These factors are likely to drive market demand for transplant drug monitoring assay in the years to come. In order to assist in patient monitoring, top firms in the healthcare sector provide a wide range of immunosuppressant drug monitoring (ISD) tests, including those for everolimus, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and mycophenolic acid. In the coming years, firms in the transplant drug monitoring assay market is likely to benefit financially from rising healthcare spending, government reimbursement schemes, improved healthcare infrastructure, and rising global per capita income. The global market for transplant drug monitoring assay is anticipated to expand significantly during the forecasted period. The need for organ transplants is growing, R&D spending is surging, and chronic liver and kidney disorders are becoming more common, all of which contribute to this market expansion. For companies in the global transplant drug monitoring assay market, the rising demand for home-based therapeutic drug monitoring and point-of-care therapeutic drug monitoring is projected to present profitable prospects. Request Brochure of Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market Research Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=84851 Key Findings of Market Report The global population is aging quickly, particularly in affluent nations like Japan , Germany , and the US. The need for organ transplants as well as replacements is being driven by an increase in the prevalence of chronic illnesses of the pancreas, kidney, heart, and liver, as well as blood disorders like aplastic anemia and leukemia. The market for transplant medication monitoring assays is anticipated to grow as a result. , , and the US. The need for organ transplants as well as replacements is being driven by an increase in the prevalence of chronic illnesses of the pancreas, kidney, heart, and liver, as well as blood disorders like aplastic anemia and leukemia. The market for transplant medication monitoring assays is anticipated to grow as a result. As a result of government organizations' activities, more people are becoming organ donors worldwide. Through educational initiatives, financial support, and practical programs and policies, several governmental entities in developing and developed nations promote organ donation. The global transplant drug monitoring assay market expansion is also attributed to government encouragement for organ donation. Depending on product type, the equipment segment accounted for a sizable portion of the global market in 2021. The category is one of the key market segments in transplant drug monitoring assay and is anticipated to expand quickly throughout the projection period. Mid-to-high volume laboratories can adapt their operations to increase productivity and cut costs with the help of immunoassay analyzers and clinical chemistry analyzers. This equipment offers laboratories all around the world dependability and effectiveness that has been field-tested, and it has great onboard parameters throughput. Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=84851 Global Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market: Growth Drivers In terms of technology, the chromatography-MS category is likely to expand rapidly in the years to come and is expected to have prominent market share for transplant drug monitoring assay. The category is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.2% during the forecast timeframe. The segment's expansion can be attributed to the global increase in demand for organ transplants. In 2021, North America held a significant percentage of the global transplant drug monitoring assay market and is likely to offer largest opportunity for transplant drug monitoring assay. The supremacy of North America can be attributed to surgical methods, advancements in medical science, organ transplant success rates, and immunosuppressive medications. Get Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=84851 Global Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market: Key Players Some of the key market players are Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. Siemens Healthineers AG Abbott Laboratories Make an Enquiry Before Buying - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=84851 Global Transplant Drug Monitoring Assay Market: Segmentation Product Equipment Consumables Technology Chromatography-MS Immunoassays Drug Tacrolimus Methotrexate Cyclosporin Others End-Use Hospital Laboratories Commercial & Private Laboratories Others Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: Organ Transplant Rejection Medications Market: The global organ transplant rejection medications market is expected to reach a value of ~US$ 6.3 Bn by the end of the forecast period. High prevalence and increase in incidence of several acute and chronic disorders worldwide are anticipated to drive the global organ transplant rejection medications market. Multiplex Detection Immunoassays Market: The global multiplex detection immunoassays market is on the course to surpass US$ 3.65 Bn mark by the end of 2030. High prevalence and increase in incidence rate of chronic and infectious diseases are projected to drive the global multiplex detection immunoassays market in the near future. Immunoassay Market: Rise in prevalence of such diseases is likely to provide lucrative opportunities for the prominent market players. In order to speed-up the diagnosis process, the companies operating in the global immunoassay market are focusing on development of novel immunoassay products. Clinical Chemistry Analyzers Market: The global clinical chemistry analyzers market was valued at ~US$ 11.3 Bn in 2018. The clinical chemistry analyzers market is projected to expand at a CAGR of ~4% from 2019 to 2027. Prepacked Chromatography Columns Market: Technology has been the biggest aid for development in healthcare. As new diagnostic and treatment methods come up, the pharmaceutical industry becomes stronger. This has a positive impact on the markets that support smooth operations of pharmaceutical companies. One such aiding market for pharmaceuticals is the prepacked chromatography columns market. Cleanroom Consumables Market: The high demand for products such as goggles, gloves, surgical masks, and gowns are translating into income streams for stakeholders in the global cleanroom consumables market. The ever-evolving nature of coronavirus strains has kept medical professionals engaged in innovations for antiviral drugs and vaccines. PRP and PRF in Cosmetics Market: Changing lifestyles of the people in developing regions, increase in per capita income, and rise in awareness about beautification contribute to the growth of the global PRP and PRF in cosmetics market. Fetal Bovine Serum Market: Technological advancement in biopharmaceuticals, innovative drug development process, and rising applications in cost-effective personalized medicine are some of the major factors driving the demand for biologics. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research is a global market research company providing business custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyze 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. For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit Our YouTube Channel and hit subscribe for Future Update - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ Contact Us: Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: https://tmrblog.com Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1682871/TMR_Logo_Logo.jpg Boxspring Configurator_social_1200x628Boxspring Configurator_social_1200x628Latest real-time 3D rendering techniques deliver stunningly realistic images Beter Bed is launching an online configurator offering high-quality 3D visualisations that allows customers to put together their new box spring. Thanks to the latest real-time 3D rendering techniques, every choice the customer makes is instantly visible, down to the smallest detail. With this innovation Beter Bed is optimising the customer experience and boosting online purchases. The bedroom specialist is therefore taking another big step towards realising the strategic growth ambitions of its omnichannel strategy. Better experience and more convenience Configurators are already being used in various industries, including the automotive industry, where they are now well established. They help customers put together their ideal product via any channel, while also gaining an insight into availability and delivery times. A box spring is a highly personal product, due to its aesthetic aspects and the comfort the customer wants to enjoy. The high level of sleeping comfort it offers also makes the box spring one of the most popular bedroom systems of our time and a perfect fit with the vision of sleep expert Beter Bed: 'Sleep better, live better'. Jasper Logtens, Websites Manager: "We put this vision into practice by advising our customers on how to make the best choices when it comes to beds, mattresses and bedding." Beter Bed has an ambitious online growth strategy(online revenue of at least 100 million by 2025). Further developing and optimising our own websites is one of the pillars for achieving this growth. "We are convinced that the online configurator greatly enhances the customer experience and increases (online) shopping convenience. The configurator can, of course, also be used in stores" explains Perijn Hoefsloot, who is responsible for Marketing, Customer Experience & Strategic Business Development. "The digital channel is becoming increasingly important within our omnichannel strategy. Supporting and expertly advising the customer at every stage of the purchasing process, including via the configurator, is an important part of our strategy and is expected to boost online and offline purchases." Extensive choice Beter Bed has a very extensive box spring range - too extensive to present in full and in all colour and fabric variations in stores and online. The new configurator solves that problem. Using a simple selection process, the customer chooses the type of box spring, fabric, colour and legs step by step. The end result is an overall computer-generated image (CGI) of stunningly high quality. Every seam and stitch is visible. The configurator is a major step forward, especially when it comes to fabrics and colours. Instead of choosing on the basis of a fabric or colour sample, the customer now sees the whole picture. The configurator also supports the customer with the choice of mattress. As the options are fully customised, customers get a product that is completely tailored to their taste and the level of sleeping comfort they want. Augmented reality The Karlsson brand is the first to be fully available via the online configurator. The other brands will follow in phases over the coming period, starting with the new B Bright collection(summer 2022). By the end of 2022, it will be possible for half of the bed and box spring collection to be configured online. The next step will be the addition of Augmented Reality capabilities, which will allow customers to virtually place their customised box spring into their own bedroom. About Beter Bed Holding Beter Bed Holding (BBH) is the Netherlands' leading sleep specialist in retail, wholesale and B2B. Our mission is simple. We believe that the better we sleep, the happier, healthier and more productivewe are. And we won't rest until everyone gets the high-quality sleep they deserve. Listed on Euronext Amsterdam, BBH operates the successful retail brands Beter Bed, Beddenreus, the new subscription brand Leazzzy and the digital organisation LUNEXT. In addition, through its subsidiary DBC International, BBH has a wholesale business in branded products in the bedroom furnishings sector, which includes the well-known international brand M line. With 4 distribution centres, a fleet of 80 vehicles, 134 stores, a fast-growing online presence, and a wholesale company our team of over 1,000 dedicated employees generated 214.2 million revenue in 2021. Providing expert sleep advice is at the very heart of our strategy, and thanks to our revolutionary 'Beter Slapen ID' tool, our sleep consultants help customers to get the perfect night's sleep. BBH is proud that M line is the official sleep supplier of AFC Ajax, TeamNL, Jumbo-Visma, NOC*NSF and the KNVB. For more information Press enquiries: Uneke Dekkers / CFF Communications T +31 For the PDF version of the press release please click on the link under attachment(s). Press photos can be downloaded here . Attachments WEXFORD, PA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / S.T.L. Resources, LLC, through a newly created affiliate company, S.T.L. Marshlands, LLC ("S.T.L."), is pleased to announce that on June 6, 2022 it closed on the acquisition of shale natural gas assets previously owned by Tilden Marcellus, LLC (the "Seller"). The Seller filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on February 4, 2022. As a result of the closing, S.T.L. controls 100% of the working interest and will be the operator of record on all natural gas wells across the ~24,000 net mineral acres in Tioga and Potter Counties, Pennsylvania. A majority of the mineral acres are held-by-production and contain significant in-place infrastructure. The Marshlands Field is in the core of the Marcellus and Utica Shale dry natural gas fairway with producing wells and prospective acreage across both formations. UGI Texas Creek, LLC, a subsidiary of UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) will continue to own and manage the gathering assets associated with the Marshlands Field. This transaction marks the second area of mutual interest entered into between S.T.L. Resources and UGI. Although, S.T.L. is the new owner and operator of the Marshlands assets, the management team has a long and successful track record with this field. Bill Hayward, Chairman of S.T.L. Resources, helped to drill the initial Utica Shale pilot well in Marshlands and was the prospecting geologist that originally pieced together the acreage and subsequently sold it to Ultra Petroleum in the early 2000's. William Dressel, Founder and Managing Partner of S.T.L. Resources, negotiated many of the original mineral leases and surface right-of-ways and managed the original 3D seismic shoot over Marshlands. S.T.L. has also retained multiple employees from the Seller who have intimate knowledge of the assets. William Dressel commented, "This acquisition is consistent with our long-term growth strategy - to identify assets where we can leverage the deep talent of our team and help to unlock trapped value. We look forward to collaboratively working with both private stakeholders and public agencies to responsibly operate and develop this field." About S.T.L. Resources, LLC S.T.L. Resources, LLC is an independent oil and gas company with headquarters outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. S.T.L. Resources' business strategy is to pursue the leasing, acquisition, exploration and development of oil and gas properties in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays of the Appalachian Basin. The S.T.L. Resources team has developed over 5 Tcf of gas reserves and in the Appalachian Basin, participated in the drilling of over 2,000 unconventional wells and the leasing and management of over 500,000 acres. For further information, please contact: S.T.L. Resources, LLC Brian Van der Waag www.stlresources.com +1 800 407-7398 contact@stlresources.com SOURCE: S.T.L. Resources, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706674/STL-Resources-LLC-Announces-a-Transformative-Acquisition-of-the-Marshlands-Field-in-North-Central-Pennsylvania Regulatory News: In keeping with Korian SA's (Paris:KORI) conversion to the status of a European company, as approved by the General Meeting of Shareholders on 22 June 2022, the company has announced the signature of an agreement to establish a new European Works Council. As soon as its members are appointed at the end of 2022, it will replace the European Works Council set up in June 2020. In order to assist them in the negotiations, the members of the special negotiating group representing the Korian Group's employees were supported by the European Federation of Public Services Trade Unions (EPSU), which represents national and European trade union federations in this business sector, and which will continue to assist the members of the Council for the duration of the agreement. Currently, Korian is the only company in its sector to have set up a European Company Works Council. The Council will be made up of 20 employee representatives appointed by the trade unions.1 The agreement is the result of the discussions that took place in six negotiating sessions between December 2021 and June 2022, and, among other things, strengthens the role of its select committee by proposing four meetings of that committee per year (rather than two), thus facilitating consultation on subjects not requiring the involvement of the full Council. It also introduces consultation thresholds depending on the importance and impact of the subjects submitted, and clarifies the list of subjects open to information and consultation. Finally, the agreement confirms the presence of "observers" such as cooperatives, in Italy (where they were already represented under the previous agreement) and in the United Kingdom. The new agreement also improves the training of delegates, with a minimum of two days of training per year, in line with the previous agreement, which has offered them training on European works councils (in 2020), gender equality (in 2021), and environmental issues (in 2022). The Council's plenary meetings (two per year) will enable quality dialogue to continue between the delegates and members of General Management concerning the Group's development strategy and environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy. Korian's European Works Council will also continue the work started by the previous Council, which, in particular, led to the adoption in November 2021 of a first European agreement on health safety at work, including 25 measures to reduce workplace accidents. "Korian continues to regard the quality of social dialogue as a priority for the company, in all countries and at various complementary levels: at the level of every establishment as well as at national and European level. This agreement provides additional impetus compared to its original version, by making use of the new advances in social dialogue at European level based on best practice in each of our countries, and by strengthening the culture of social dialogue at all levels," says Remi Boyer, Korian's Group Chief Human Resources CSR Officer. According to Jan Willem Goudriaan, General Secretary of the European Federation of Public Services Trade Unions (EPSU): "It should be noted that the Korian Group's agreement represents a first for a company in the sector and continues the work that has been done to represent workers' interests including within the Board of Directors of the company. Our challenges are many to deliver quality working conditions and quality of care. Next publication 28 July 2022 First half 2022 revenue and results About Korian Korian, the leading European care services group for elderly and fragile people. www.korian.com Korian has been listed on Euronext Paris Section A since November 2006 and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Health Care, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid Small and MSCI Global Small Cap Euronext ticker: KORI ISIN: FR0010386334 Reuters: KORI.PA Bloomberg: KORI.FP 1 In proportion to the workforce in the 6 EEA member states in which the Korian Group operates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005967/en/ Contacts: INVESTOR RELATIONS Sarah Mingham VP Investor Relations & Financing sarah.mingham@korian.com Tel: +33 (0)1 55 37 53 55 Carole Alexandre Deputy Head of Investor Relations carole.alexandre@korian.com Tel: +33 (0)7 64 65 22 44 MEDIA CONTACTS Pascal Jentsch VP International Communications Tel: +33 (0)7 65 18 58 55 pascal.jentsch-ext@korian.com Marjorie Castoriadis Head of Media Relations Tel: 07 63 59 88 81 Marjorie.castoriadis@korian.fr Cyrille Lachevre Tel: +33 (0)6 20 42 12 08 clachevre@cylans.ovh Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares For immediate release 28 June 2022 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announces that it has today purchased 100,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 785.68p per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company. The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 9 February 2022. Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 4,518,772; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 220,472,531. The figure of 220,472,531 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary For further information, please contact: Victoria Hale Frostrow Capital LLP Tel: 020 3 170 8732 OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Stria Lithium Inc. (TSXV:SRA) ("Stria" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of up to $275,000 by Quebec's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN). The grant will be used to finance a geometallurgical study of lithium-bearing spodumene pegmatites at its Pontax property, located in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James region of Quebec. The grant award is part of the Government of Quebec's program to support mineral exploration for minerals needed for green and renewable energy technologies as outlined in its 2020-25 Plan for the Development of Critical and Strategic Minerals. "We appreciate the financial support of the Quebec Government as we move forward with the continued exploration and development of our lithium prospects at Pontax," said Dean Hanisch, President and CEO of Stria Lithium. "We continue to be highly impressed with Quebec's long-term vision and practical support in creating a positive environment for companies in critical and strategic minerals to succeed." Stria plans to engage IOS Services Geoscientifiques of Saguenay, Quebec to design and conduct the geometallurical surveys, which are expected to begin in June using samples taken from the Pontax property in 2021. About Stria Lithium Inc. Stria Lithium is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with an expanding technology focus and has a 100% interest in the Pontax spodumene lithium project in Northern Quebec. Lithium is a critical metal in the universal fight against global warming. It is a core component of Lithium-ion batteries used for powering electric vehicles and for industrial scale energy storage. For more information about Stria Lithium and the Pontax Lithium project, please visit http://strialithium.com. Forward Looking Statements Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is 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 and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Please refer to the risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. 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 accuracy of this release. For more information on Stria Lithium Inc., please contact: Kimberly Darlington Communications, Stria Lithium Inc. kimberly@refinedsubstance.com Judith T. Mazvihwa-MacLean CFO, Stria Lithium Inc. Jmazvihwa@grafoid.com (613) 581-4040 SOURCE: Stria Lithium, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706803/Stria-Lithium-Awarded-275000-Grant-from-the-Quebec-Government BWRX-300 small modular reactor technology chosen after four-year evaluation process The GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) has been selected by SaskPower for potential deployment in the mid-2030s. "We are excited that SaskPower has chosen the BWRX-300 for the generation of carbon-free electricity," said Jay Wileman, President CEO, GEH. "The BWRX-300 is the ideal SMR technology solution for SaskPower and customers that want to make an impact on climate change and energy security in a meaningful timeframe. There is the potential for great synergy between the work we plan to do with SaskPower and the ongoing work with Ontario Power Generation (OPG). OPG is expected to submit a construction license application this year, a major step toward the deployment of the first BWRX-300. Decades of design and licensing experience coupled with our proven and existing fuel supply chain make BWRX-300 the leading SMR solution." "This is an important milestone as Saskatchewan works towards a cleaner, more sustainable future," said Don Morgan, Minister responsible for SaskPower. "Conducting an independent and comprehensive evaluation while also collaborating with the other provinces on the SMR Strategic Direction has been extremely valuable in reaching this important milestone to potentially bring nuclear power to Saskatchewan." In December 2021, GEH was chosen by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) as technology partner for the Darlington New Nuclear Project. GEH is working with OPG to deploy a BWRX-300 at the Darlington site that could be complete as early as 2028. "Canada has a robust nuclear energy supply chain that we look forward to continuing to build to support the global deployment of the BWRX-300," said Lisa McBride, Country Leader, GEH SMR Technologies Canada, Ltd. (GEH SMR Canada). In July 2021, GEH and Cameco Corporation announced a collaboration through which the companies would explore areas of cooperation to advance the commercialization of the BWRX-300. In May 2022, GEH SMR Canada and the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Supplier's Association (SIMSA) agreed to cooperate to support the potential deployment of the BWRX-300 in Saskatchewan. Advanced nuclear technologies like the BWRX-300 are a key pillar of GE's energy transition leadership. The BWRX-300 produces no carbon during operation and has been designed to achieve construction and operating costs that are substantially lower than traditional nuclear power generation technologies. Specifically, the BWRX-300 leverages a unique combination of a new, patented safety breakthrough, proven components, the licensing basis of the U.S. NRC-certified ESBWR and the existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design. This unique combination positions GEH to deliver an innovative, carbon-free baseload power generation source this decade. GE's support for the Canadian nuclear industry dates to the early 1950s. The company helped build the first Canadian nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) reactor that became the basis for the CANDU fleet. There is significant and growing global interest in the BWRX-300. In addition to Canada, GEH has memoranda of understanding or other agreements in place with companies in the U.S., Poland, Sweden, Estonia and the Czech Republic, among others, to explore deployment of the technology. About GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a world-leading provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. Established in 2007, GEH is a global nuclear alliance created by GE and Hitachi to serve the global nuclear industry. The nuclear alliance executes a single, strategic vision to create a broader portfolio of solutions, expanding its capabilities for new reactor and service opportunities. The alliance offers customers around the world the technological leadership required to effectively enhance reactor performance, power output and safety. Follow GEH on LinkedIn and Twitter. About GEH SMR Canada Based in Ontario, GEH SMR Technologies Canada, Ltd. (GEH SMR Canada) is supporting the deployment of the BWRX-300 in Canada through collaboration with Canadian customers, stakeholders, suppliers and partners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006045/en/ Contacts: Jon Allen GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy +1 910 819 2581 jonathan.allen1@ge.com Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY) ("West High Yield" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of Toronto-based Oak Hill Financial ("Oak Hill") to assist with investor relations activities. West High Yield has partnered with Oak Hill to enhance its visibility and profile to the public and in the financial community. Oak Hill has been engaged for an initial three-month period. Oak Hill is to provide west High Yield with Canadian investor relations advisory activities, at a monthly advisory fee of CAD$14,000 plus applicable taxes, as long as this agreement remains in effect. Oak Hill and West High Yield are not related parties and operate at arm's length. Oak Hill does not have any additional interest in the Company's securities, directly or indirectly, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. "We are excited to work with Oak Hill to expand the visibility of our world class strategic critical mineral resource and to provide business and capital markets advisory to the Company. We believe that at the current stage of our Record Ridge magnesium project development, and in the middle of an exciting gold drilling program at the Midnight deposits, working with a great IR firm like Oak Hill will create the right awareness and understanding of the Company among the investor community, and help attain a fair valuation of the Company," said Frank Marasco, Jr, CEO of West High Yield. "West High Yield is an exciting, differentiated opportunity for our clients," says Marc Raffoul, Managing Partner of Oak Hill. "It combines the unique attributes of ESG, highly seasoned management as well as the potential for strong cash flow generation. We look forward to working with the Company to dramatically enhance its visibility in the investment community." About West High Yield West High Yield is a publicly traded junior mining exploration and development company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties in Canada with a primary objective to develop its Record Ridge strategic critical mineral magnesium deposit using green processing techniques to minimize waste and CO2 emissions. Contact Information: West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. Frank Marasco Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (403) 660-3488 Facsimile: (403) 206-7159 Email: frank@whyresources.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information is 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 and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; and other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. 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 OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129338 Open Systems, the only cybersecurity services provider with Mission Control, today announced it has won the 2022 Microsoft Swiss Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. "Winning the Microsoft Swiss Partner of the Year Award is a tremendous honor for us, especially as it comes so soon after we won Security MSSP of the Year in the Microsoft Security Excellence Awards at RSAC 2022," said Geoff Haydon, CEO of Open Systems. "These awards recognize how well both companies work together and our shared commitment to excellence in protecting our joint customers from cyber threats." The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Open Systems was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in Switzerland. In addition to winning Swiss Partner of the Year, Open Systems was also named a finalist for NGO Partner of the Year, in recognition of its efforts to substantially improve the cyber defenses of a leading, global NGO. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers." Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually prior to the company's global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, which will take place on July 19-20 this year. Additional details on the 2022 awards are available on the Microsoft Partner Network blog. The complete list of categories, winners and finalists can be found at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/inspire/awards. History With Microsoft Open Systems is a five-time Microsoft Gold Partner and one of a handful of companies that have received the Microsoft Cloud Security Advanced Specialization and Microsoft Threat Protection Advanced Specialization certifications. These achievements ensure the company's continued place in MISA's MSSP program, which Open Systems was invited to join when it launched in 2020. Open Systems Managed Security Services Open Systems believes a comprehensive and tailored cybersecurity approach is essential for rapid threat detection and an effective response to protect an organization's most critical assets. The Open Systems MDR+ and Open Systems SASE+ services with Mission Control combine certified experts, exemplary processes, and seamless technology to deliver 24x7 security and connectivity protection specialized to an organization's environment and business operations. Open Systems MDR+ Open Systems SASE+ Additional Resources Press release: Open Systems Recognized as a Microsoft Security Excellence Awards Winner for Security MSSP of the Year Blog: Open Systems Wins Microsoft Security Excellence Award for Security MSSP of the Year Press release: Open Systems' Co-Innovation With Microsoft Exemplifies the Power of This Ecosystem to Transform Security Blog: Open Systems Achieves Microsoft Cloud Security Advanced Specialization Certification Connect With Open Systems LinkedIn Twitter About Open Systems Open Systems delivers cybersecurity beyond expectations. Our award-winning managed detection and response (MDR) and secure access service edge (SASE) services connect and protect customers today while increasing their security maturity for tomorrow. Our Mission Control SOCs and NOCs provide 247 global coverage for nearly 10,000 locations across 184 countries. As a five-time Microsoft Gold Partner, we help customers better grasp and reduce their attack surface by unlocking the value of their security investments. With our outstanding 97% retention rate, it's no wonder our customers call it crazy good cybersecurity. Discover more at open-systems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005409/en/ Contacts: Open Systems Courtney Cantwell mediarelations@open-systems.com Bospar Matt Culbertson PRforOpenSystems@bospar.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE/ June 28, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Granite Creek Copper and Baseload Energy Corp. on their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Granite Creek Copper (TSXV:GCX) discusses updated PEA In 2017, Copper North Mining (CGX) commissioned a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Carmacks Project in Yukon. The updated PEA includes a resource estimate of 36 million tons, three times the amount contemplated in the original PEA. President & CEO Tim Johnson sat down with Sabrina Cuthbert to discuss the latest PEA, how it differs from the 2017 PEA and the role it will play in reevaluating the company. For the full interview with Tim Johnson and to learn more about Granite Creek Copper's news, click here. Baselode Energy Corp. (TSXV:FIND) provides update from the ACKIO Discovery Baselode Energy (FIND) has provided an update on the ongoing 20,000-metre diamond drilling program on the ACKIO high-grade uranium discovery, Hook project. The company plans to continue exploring for more high-grade uranium mineralization along the ACKIO trends. James Sykes, CEO, President and Director of Baselode discussed the update with Daniella Atkinson. For the full interview with James Sykes and to learn more about Baseload Energy's news, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. All information available on themarketherald.ca and/or this press release should be considered as commercial advertisement and not an endorsement, offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities. Report Card is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority in any province or territory of Canada, will not be performing any registerable activity as defined by the applicable regulatory bodies and do not provide nor claim to provide investment advice or recommendations to any visitor of this site or readers of any content on or originating from themarketherald.ca. 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Any action you take upon the information you find on this document and/or website (themarketherald.ca) is strictly at your own risk. Report Card will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website. From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald Brianna Anthony brianna.anthony@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE: The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706825/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-Interviews-With-Granite-Creek-Copper-and-Baseload-Energy-Corp VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd. ("Blackwolf" or the "Company") (TSXV:BWCG)(OTC PINK:BWCGF) is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General Meeting of shareholders held on June 28, 2022, including the appointment of Julia Gartley, P.Eng and Matthew Moore as independent directors. The Company would also like to thank outgoing directors Edie Thome and Ron Stewart, who have stepped down due to other commitments and wish them the upmost success in their future endeavors. "We are thrilled to welcome Julia Gartley and Matthew Moore as new directors; her expertise in metallurgy, mineral processing and engineering coupled with his background in economics, business development plus Indigenous engagement and consultation will augment our Board's skill sets. I believe that Matthew may be the first Nis g a'a citizen who is a director of a public company," said Robert McLeod, President and CEO of Blackwolf. "Additionally, on behalf of the rest of the Board, management, staff and shareholders, would like to thank Directors Thome and Stewart for their service to the Company and will continue to consult them as friends and shareholders of Blackwolf." Biographies of Blackwolf's new directors are as follows: Julia Gartley, P.Eng, Julia Gartley is a professional mineral process engineer with over 10 years of experience of operational and corporate experience in project management, metallurgical test programs, process optimization, operational support and engineering design. Julia currently is a director of BBA Consultants, a private engineering firm and Team Lead, Mineral Processing. She brings a wealth of practical experience including corporate development of new projects and properties, on-site optimization, and operational support. Julia's experience includes acting as Project Director for the engineering of large projects, report writing, leading senior management decision-making workshops, conducting on-site due diligence visits and technical report review and writing. In addition to Julia's technical experience, Julia is an active volunteer in the mining community. She has been serving as Community Liaison for the Canadian Mineral Processors BC/Yukon branch for over seven years, and as Vice-President of the Board for Mine Shift (formerly Me Too Mining) for four years. She is also actively involved with Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum National ("CIM"), where she has most recently served as a stream chair coordinating the technical presentations for The Value of People stream in CIMBC22. In May 2022, Julia was a recipient of CIM's Bedford Canadian Young Mining Leaders Award, which recognizes the exceptional achievement and potential of young leaders. Matthew Moore Matthew Moore brings a wealth of experience in community and economic development working with First Nations and Indigenous groups and governments. Matthew previously spent many years working with the Nis g a'a Tribal Council on the Nis g a'a Treaty with British Columbia and Canada, the first modern First Nations Treaty in the Province. He also worked for the First Nations Economic Development Corporation with an emphasis in construction, was CEO of Giltxat'in Development Corp. in Greenville BC and was a member of the Nisga'a Tribal Council prior to their Treaty. Matthew is a citizen of the Nis g a'a Nation and a graduate of Simon Fraser University where he received a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics and diploma in Business Plan Development. From the Sauder School of Business, Matthew received his Professional Realtor license, currently practicing on Vancouver Island. Matthew is Head of the House Wissen Xbiltkw and holds the name Wissen Xbiltkw. He is an active volunteer, carver and author of the book "The Name of My Blanket is Hlbin Hloxs." Annual General Meeting Results A total of 5,647,675 common shares were voted, representing 17.04% of the total issued and outstanding as of the record date. Details of the proxy voting are as follows: Shareholders also voted (i) 94.82% in favour of the re-appointing DeVisser Gray LLP, Charter Professional Accountants, as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing the directors to fix their renumeration and (ii) 94.32 % in favour of the Company's Amended Omnibus Share Incentive Plan. ABOUT BLACKWOLF COPPER AND GOLD Blackwolf's founding vision is to be an industry leader in transparency, inclusion and innovation. Guided by our Vision and through collaboration with local and Indigenous communities and stakeholders, Blackwolf builds shareholder value through our technical expertise in mineral exploration, engineering and permitting. The Company holds a 100% interest in the high-grade Niblack copper-gold-zinc-silver VMS project, located adjacent to tidewater in southeast Alaska as well as the Cantoo, Casey, Texas Creek and Mineral Hill gold-silver and VMS properties in southeast Alaska. For more information on Blackwolf, please visit the Company's website at www.blackwolfcopperandgold.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Robert McLeod" Robert McLeod President, CEO and Director For more information, contact: ROB MCLEOD 604-617-0616 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) rm@bwcg.ca LIAM MORRISON 604-897-9952 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) lm@bwcg.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements relating to the Hyder properties and the Company's future objectives and plans. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; fluctuations in commodity prices and changes in the Company's business plans. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including without limitation, that the Company will continue with its stated business objectives and its ability to raise additional capital to proceed. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company seeks safe harbor. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706820/Blackwolf-Announces-AGM-Results-and-Welcomes-Julia-Gartley-and-Matthew-Moore-to-Board-of-Directors LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atech Support (Atech) today announced it has been named a finalist of Modern Endpoint Management 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Ryan Langley, CEO of Atech, celebrates the achievement: 'By aligning efforts with Microsoft, we have been able to achieve impressive organic growth and become experts in our field. We are honoured to receive this award in recognition of our solutions and services in endpoint management. We feel privileged to work with some fantastic clients who recognise the enormous difference that technology can make in transforming their business.' The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognise Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honourees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Atech was recognised for providing outstanding solutions and services in Modern Endpoint Management. Modern Endpoint Management Partner of the Year recognises a partner with proven expertise in helping customers modernise their endpoint and device management posture while enabling organisations to operate their IT estate with a lower cost. This modernisation includes deployment of Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, leveraging cloud and hybrid identity management with Azure Active Directory, migrating customer to Windows Autopilot for modern device provisioning, and leveraging Microsoft Endpoint Manager for device security, compliance and management. "I am honoured to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers." Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually prior to the company's global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, which will take place on July 19-20 this year. Additional details on the 2022 awards are available on the Microsoft Partner Network blog: https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn/congratulations-to-the-2022-microsoft-partner-of-the-year-awards-winners-and-finalists/ The complete list of categories, winners and finalists can be found at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/inspire/awards. About Atech Atech delivers digital transformation, managed security and cloud services in addition to infrastructure and end-user support, with a specific focus and expertise built around optimising the Microsoft technology stack to deliver innovative technology transformation projects. Atech's track record is particularly strong in the private sector, delivering 24 x 7 global support to mid-market and enterprise organisations globally. With a deep focus and specialism in Microsoft technologies, Atech enables, and supports, digital transformation to visionary businesses. More on atech.cloud Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849708/Atech_Logo.jpg La Defense, 28 June 2022 Indigo & Patria signed an agreement for the business combination of their car parking activities in Brazil Indigo Group, the global car parking and individual mobility operator, and Patria Investments, leader in alternative investments focused on Latin America, recently agreed on a business combination between PareBem, the subsidiary of an investment fund managed by Patria Investments, and Administradora Geral de Estacionamentos, Indigo Group's Brazilian car parking subsidiary. Indigo Group will, through a limited partial cash-out, be the controlling shareholder of the combined entity by owning a majority of its share capital, the remainder of which will be owned by the investment fund managed by Patria Investments. With this complementary partnership, Indigo Group is pursuing its growth strategy in its core business in Brazil, enriching its long-term portfolio by expanding its geographic presence and integrating car parks especially in Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza and Curitiba, and entering on-street parking services. The combined entity will operate the car parks under the INDIGO brand and will increase its ability to compete in local markets. Building on its established relationship with local clients, PareBem operates in Brazil around 150 car parks, while Administradora Geral de Estacionamentos operates around 200 car parks. The combined entity is expected to bring its clients reinforced expertise in parking operation, digital channels, customer experience, and commitment to operational excellence and improved efficiency by creating significant synergies, with the ambition to promote urban mobility and new urban models for parking infrastructure in Brazil. Indigo Group will finance the cash-out required by this transaction with its current liquidity which amounted to 710 million euros as of 31 March 2022 (including 410 million euros of cash and 300 million euros of its undrawn RCF maturing in October 2023). The closing of this transaction is subject to customary conditions including its review by the Brazilian anti-trust authority. As set out in its strategic plan, Indigo Group confirms its positioning as a key partner of the public and private sectors for car parking and individual mobility solutions, as well as its solid and profitable growth strategy in countries where it holds a significant position, in the long term and with the intention to maintain its Investment Grade rating, while pursuing its innovation and quality policy focused on its customers. Banco ABC Brasil and Banco Santander Brasil acted as financial advisors to Patria Investments and Indigo Group, respectively. Pinheiro Neto Advogados and Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados acted as legal advisors to Patria Investments and Indigo Group, respectively. About Patria Investments Patria Investments is a leading alternative investment firm focused on Latin America, with over 30 years of history and combined assets under management of $27.6 billion, and a global presence with offices in 9 cities across 4 continents. Patria Investments aims to provide consistent returns in attractive long-term investment opportunities that allow for portfolio diversification through its Private Equity, Infrastructure, Credit, Public Equities and Real Estate products. Through its investments Patria Investments seeks to transform industries and untangle bottlenecks, generating attractive returns for its investors, while creating sustainable value for society. About PareBem An urban mobility company, Grupo PareBem is responsible for managing more than 150 car parks across the country. In 2015, it received investments and became controlled by Patria Investments, a global alternative asset management company and a pioneer in the Private Equity industry in Brazil. With a solid financial structure, the company has a legacy of strong growth through intensive investment in technology, innovation and the improvement of management processes, standing out for its efficiency and operational excellence. With a focus on generating value for its customers, the best experience for users, PareBem currently employs around 1,800 people and operates in shopping malls, hospitals, airports, commercial buildings, public rotating parking lots in 7 cities, among others. ********** Indigo Group Analysts / investors contact: Press contact: Noe Poyet Benjamin Voron ir@group-indigo.com benjamin.voron@group-indigo.com About Indigo Group Indigo Group S.A., holding about 100% of Indigo Infra, Indigo Neo (ex-OPnGO) and INDIGOweel, is a key global player in car parking and urban mobility, that manages more than 1.2 million parking spaces and related services in 11 different countries. Indigo Group is indirectly held at approximately 47.8% by Credit Agricole Assurances, 33.3% by Vauban Infrastructure Partners, 14.4% by MEAG, 0.50% in treasury shares and the remainder by its management. Visit www.group-indigo.com Disclaimer The information in this press release has been included in good faith but is for general informational purposes only. All reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information contained herein is not untrue or misleading. It should not be relied on for any specific purpose and no representation or warranty is given with regards to its accuracy or completeness. It should be read together with the information on Indigo Group S.A. published on its website at www.group-indigo.com This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities. Its making does not constitute a recommendation regarding any securities. Nothing herein may be used as the basis to enter into any contract or agreement. This press release may contain forward-looking objectives and statements about Indigo Group's financial situation, operating results, business activities and expansion strategy. Although we believe these objectives and statements are based on reasonable assumptions, they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including matters not yet known to us or not currently considered material by us, and there can be no assurance that anticipated events will occur or that the objectives set out will actually be achieved. All forward-looking statements are management's present expectations of future events and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The information is valid only at the time of writing and Indigo Group does not assume any obligation to update or revise the objectives on the basis of new information or future or other events, subject to applicable regulations. Additional information on the factors and risks that could have an impact on Indigo Group's financial results is contained in the documents filed by Indigo Group with the French securities regulator (AMF) and available on the its website at www.group-indigo.com. Neither Indigo Group nor any affiliates or their officers or employees shall be liable for any loss, damage or expense arising out of any access to or use of this press release, including, without limitation, any loss of profit, indirect, incidental or consequential loss. No reproduction of any part of it may be sold or distributed for commercial gain nor shall it be modified. ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: l25xkpeZZG3GnJ9wY8hpaWiYm26SxWaVZ2abyJedlpaWbnBomGdqm5WXZnBml2Vr - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-75205-20220728-press-release-signing-of-a-merger-between-indigo-brazil-x-parebem.pdf Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - NEWFOUNDLAND DISCOVERY CORP. (CSE: NEWD) (OTC Pink: NEWDF) (FSE: M4K) ("Newfoundland Discovery" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Brandon Schwabe as its Chief Financial Officer of the Company. About Incoming CFO Mr. Brandon Schwabe, CPA, CGA, has provided management consulting and corporate finance services to public and private companies for twelve years. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) and has a Bachelor of Technology in Accounting degree with distinction from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He has also completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC). The Company wishes to thank Mr. Glen Wallace for his tenure as Chief Financial Officer of the Company and for his continued support of the Company. The Company wishes him all the best in his future endeavours. About Newfoundland Discovery Corp. Newfoundland Discovery is a Canadian junior mining exploration company focused on exploration and development along the Detour Gold trend in Quebec and the Central Gold Belt in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Company is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Detour trend and retains significant landholdings in Newfoundland. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, NEWFOUNDLAND DISCOVERY CORP. "Jeremy Prinsen" President, CEO & Director Investor Relations Email: info@newfoundlanddiscovery.com Direct Line: (604) 440-8474 Website: www.newfoundlanddiscovery.ca Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129339 EDMONTON, AB / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Rocky Mountain Liquor Inc. (TSXV:RUM) (the "Company" or "Rocky Mountain"), listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), today reported the shareholder voting results of its 2022 Annual and Special Meeting held June 28, 2022 in Edmonton, Alberta. Shareholders voted and approved to fix the number of directors at five (5). The below individuals were nominated and received the requisite majority of votes and will be directors of the Company for the ensuing year: Peter J. Byrne Frank Coleman Robert Normandeau Allison Radford Courney Burton Shareholders voted and approved to appoint Grant Thornton LLP, Chartered Accountants as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizes the directors to fix their remuneration. Shareholders voted authorizing the amendment, ratification and approval of the Company's Stock Option Plan as adopted August 23, 2010. Shareholders voted and approved to confirm the Advance Notice By-Law, in the form adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation April 14, 2022. About Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain owns 100% of Andersons Liquor Inc. ("Andersons"), headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, which now own and operate 26 private liquor stores in that province, up from 18 stores since the Common Shares began trading in December 2008. It is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V:RUM). Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "appear", "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "approximate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "would" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as investment decisions. In particular, results achieved in 2022 and previous periods might not be a certain indication of future performance, which is subject to other risks, including but not limited to changes in operational policies, changes in management, changes in strategic focus, market conditions and customer preferences, the impact from COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and third party suppliers. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, the risks that these events may not materialize as well as those additional factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in RUM's Management Discussion and Analysis, which can be obtained at www.sedar.com. If they do materialize, there remains a risk of non-execution for any reason. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless so required by applicable securities laws or the TSX-V. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information: Scott Morrow Chief Executive Officer (780) 483-8183 Sarah Stelmack Chief Financial Officer (780) 483-8177 SOURCE: Rocky Mountain Liquor Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/706834/RUM-Announces-Voting-Results-from-Annual-and-Special-Meeting-of-Shareholders PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Leonardo Del Vecchio, the chairman of eyeglass retailer EssilorLuxottica (ESLOF) and one of Italy's wealthiest business figures, passed away at the age of 87. The company, in a statement, said, 'EssilorLuxottica sadly announces today that its chairman has passed away,' adding that the board would meet to 'determine the next steps.' Del Vecchio grew up from a childhood in an orphanage to amass a fortune of tens of billions of euros in one of the most famous rags-to-riches stories in Italy's post-war economic recovery. 'Leonardo Del Vecchio was a great Italian. His story, from orphanage to leadership of a business empire, seems like a story from another time. But it is an example for today and tomorrow. RIP,' European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Twitter. The Italian businessman founded Luxottica in 1961 and built up a company that owned the Ray-Ban brand and combined forces with France's Essilor in a major merger in 2018. He remained executive chairman of EssilorLuxottica until December 2020, when he handed the day-to-day leadership of the company to Chief Executive Francesco Milleri. He had supported Milleri as head of the Franco-Italian eyewear giant when the merged group was created. Del Vecchio's influence extended beyond his own business and at the end of 2021, he became Italy's second richest man behind Giovanni Ferrero of the Nutella-making group, as per Forbes. His Delfin holding company is the largest shareholder in Italian financial services group Mediobanca and has a stake of just under 10% in Italy's largest insurer Generali. It also owns about 7% of real estate company Covivio, which is listed in both Paris and Milan stock exchanges. Talking about Del Vecchio, Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala said, 'With the passing of Del Vecchio, Milan loses one of the most emblematic figures of its recent history.' Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - EDM Resources Inc. (TSXV: EDM) ("EDM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher Hopkins, a long-standing director and shareholder of EDM, has assumed the role of interim Chief Financial Officer. EDM's President and CEO, Mr. Mark Haywood, stated: "Chris is a highly experienced financial executive, Chartered Accountant and MBA holder. He also has over 25 years of experience in the mining sector, and we greatly appreciate him making the time to take on a number of management tasks as we advance EDM towards commercial production. The Company would also like to thank Mr. Robert Suttie, our former Chief Financial Officer, who has diligently and professionally served the Company for nearly nine years. Robert will assist with the transition and handover to Chris during the next 30 days." The Company has commenced a formal search for a full-time Chief Financial Officer of EDM. Suitably qualified applicants may enquire via EDM's website or via the Company's primary email address at info@EDMresources.com. Additionally, the Company has set the next Annual General Meeting ("AGM") date for August 30, 2022, with a record date of July 15, 2022. Further details of the AGM will be provided in the upcoming Management Information Circular, to be distributed to shareholders eligible to participate at the AGM. About EDM Resources Inc. EDM is a Canadian exploration and mining company that has full ownership of the Scotia Mine and related facilities near Halifax, Nova Scotia. EDM also holds several prospective exploration licenses near the Scotia Mine and in the surrounding regions of Nova Scotia. The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "EDM". For more information, please contact: Mark Haywood - President & Chief Executive Officer Christopher Hopkins - Chief Financial Officer Simion Candrea Vice - President, Corporate Development Head Office Purdy's Wharf, 1959 Upper Water Street, Suite 1301, Nova Scotia, B3J 3N2, Canada Telephone +1 (902) 482 4481 Facsimile +1 (902) 422 2388 Email & Web info@EDMresources.com & www.EDMresources.com The Company's corporate filings and technical reports can be viewed on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Further information on EDM is also available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EDMresources.inc Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/EDMresources and LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/EDMresources . CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "should", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, potential mineralization, exploration and development results, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. There can be no assurance that forward-looking 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 EDM's expectations include, among others, the degree to which mineral resource and reserve estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources and reserves, the degree to which factors are present which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable, the price of zinc, lead and gypsum, uncertainties relating to availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, delays in the development of projects, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of metals, ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in EDM's management's discussion and analysis of the Company's annual financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2021. Although EDM has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results to be not as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129365 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Wednesday release May figures for retail sales, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Sales are expected to rose 3.3 percent on year, up from 2.9 percent in April. Japan also will see June results for its consumer confidence index; in May, the index score was 34.1. Australia will provide May retail sales data, with forecasts calling for an increase of 0.4 percent on month - slowing from 0.9 percent in April. Singapore will release May figures for import prices, export prices and producer prices. In April, import prices jumped 24.7 percent on year, export prices spiked 26.3 percent on year and producer prices soared an annual 29.5 percent. Thailand will see May numbers for industrial production, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.5 percent on year - up from 0.56 percent in April. 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. Kaiko, a Paris, France-based digital assets data provider serving institutional investors and enterprises, raised $53m in Series B funding. The round was led by Eight Roads, with participation from Revaia and existing investors Alven, Point9, Anthemis, and Underscore. The company intends to use the funds to further strengthen its institutional data products and infrastructure, and to expand its global presence. Founded in 2014 and led by Ambre Soubiran, CEO, Kaiko provides a digital assets market information platform enhancing transparency and operational efficiency for institutional companies, DeFi participants, and Web3 enterprises. The companys product suite comprises market data, portfolio solutions, rates & indices, pricing services, DeFi data, and research covering digital assets that comprise over 95% of global traded volume. Today, Kaiko serves financial firms including ICE Global Network, Deutsche Borse, Oanda, Bloomberg, and some of the largest asset managers and investment banks in North America and Europe. It is also integrated with the blockchain ecosystem, providing data feeds for participants such as Ledger, Paxos, Chainlink, Tezos, Messari, SupraOracles, Flux, and the Pyth network, a Jump Trading initiative. The company currently has four global offices in Paris, London, New York, and Singapore, which enables the team to tailor products and marketing to meet the specific needs of local markets. Over the past year, Kaiko has invested in targeted M&A to expand its institutional product suite. The company recently announced the acquisition of Kesitys, a provider of quantitative decision tools for risk optimization, as well as an agreement with CoinShares for the acquisition of its Napoleon Index subsidiary, enabling the launch of Kaiko Indices. In February 2022, Kaiko also received their SOC-2 Type-1 accreditation, a gold standard certification developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) that indicates how companies manage data security, confidentiality, and availability of measurements and controls. FinSMEs 28/06/2022 OpenReplay, a Paris, France-based open-source session replay tool for developers, raised $4.7M in a Seed funding. The round was led by Runa Capital with the participation of Expa, 468 Capital, Rheinghau Founders and cofounders of Tekion. The company will use its funding to grow its community, accelerate deployment at scale and improve user experience. Led by Mehdi Osman, CEO and founder, OpenReplay provides developers with a session replay stack that helps them troubleshoot issues faster by making debugging visual. It combines session replay, devtools and performance monitoring to make it easy for developers to replay everything users do on their web app and understand where and why they got stuck. OpenReplays devtools enabled developers to analyze logs, diagnose errors, track performance metrics, inspect HTTP payloads and record the entire applications state. Being able to replay, side-by-side, what users were doing and how your stack behaved after each and every interaction, is like reproducing issues in a browser. OpenReplay can even be used to assist customers directly on your website while theyre browsing, using live session replay and co-browsing capabilities. FinSMEs 28/06/2022 CCTV: According to reports, the 24th General Assembly of Latin American Academy of Social Sciences (FLACSO) was held on June 24, which adopted a resolution by an overwhelming vote to admit China as an observer state of the organization. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video speech at the event upon invitation. Could you offer more details? Zhao Lijian: The Latin American Academy of Social Sciences (FLACSO) recently held its 24th General Assembly in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. After a voting at the General Assembly, China officially became an observer country of FLACSO. In his video speech delivered at the meeting upon invitation, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China attaches great importance to its cooperation with FLACSO and is willing to take this opportunity to have closer cooperation with the organization, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between China and LAC countries, and contribute more wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of China and LAC countries. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), charting the course for safeguarding world peace and security and promoting sustainable development around the globe. China stands ready to work with LAC countries to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility, boost economic recovery, improve peoples well-being and build a China-LAC community with a shared future. After the meeting, the Chinese ambassador to Ecuador held a celebration event, which was attended by Francisco Valdes Ugalde, President of the Supreme Council of FLACSO, Josette Altmann-Borbon, Secretary General of FLACSO, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Latin American Affairs Qiu Xiaoqi, who was on a visit there, and the Chinese ambassadors to Costa Rica and El Salvador. Secretary general Josette Altmann-Borbon, on behalf of the Latin American side, highly commended Chinas commitment to stepping up academic exchanges with LAC countries and expressed readiness to deepen cultural and people-to-people mutual learning between the two sides to promote innovation-driven development and deliver benefits to the peoples. Chinas becoming a FLACSO observer is an important and joyful event in China-LAC relations. This is the first time in the past 10 years that China has established institutional relations with a Latin American and Caribbean organization. Since last year, the two sides have jointly held lecture series featuring contemporary China, which has played a positive role in enhancing mutual understanding and trust between China and LAC countries. Going forward, China stands ready to work with FLACSO to further cement public support for bilateral relations, promote greater participation of regional countries in the GDI and GSI, and jointly advance the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future. China News Service: After the US government announced the entry into force of the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) last week, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby expressed concerns on June 25 over the so-called forced labor in China again when asked about the upcoming G7 meeting. Do you have any response to that? Zhao Lijian: Forced labor is not taking place in China, but in the US. For quite some time, the US has sought to use Xinjiang-related issues to contain China by repeatedly rehashing forced labor in Xinjiang, a staggering lie propagated by the US, along with a series of attempts to create forced unemployment in Xinjiang. Facts have shown, however, that the false assertions made by the US against China best summarize the poor track record of the US itself. Forced labor has been a deep-seated problem with the US since the day it was founded. The long history of slavery is solid evidence of forced labor in the US. According to statistics, between 1525 and 1866, over 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World for forced labor. Numerous black slaves were forced to work at the bottom of society and tormented by dire working conditions, heavy labor and the brutal whipping by slave owners. In many ways, the USs fortune began with the blood, sweat, tears and ultimate sacrifices of slaves. Even today, the US is still fraught with serious forced labor. It might even be called a country of prevalent modern slavery. The website of the University of Denver disclosed that there are currently at least 500,000 people living under modern slavery and forced labor in the US. Forced labor is a particularly prominent and prevalent issue in 23 industries, including domestic service, agriculture, planting, tourism sales, catering, medical care and beauty. The US is a source, transit, and destination country for victims of forced labor and involuntary servitude. Human trafficking can be found in any sector, whether legal or illicit. Up to 100,000 people are trafficked into the US for forced labor annually. There are approximately 500,000 child farmworkers in the US. The International Labour Organization has expressed concern for many years in a row about the serious occupational injuries to children working on American farms. While busy generating lies and rumors about forced labor in other countries, the US government turns a blind eye to the actual forced labor at home. It still hasnt ratified the Forced Labour Convention, 1930. It seems that the beacon of human rights fails to shine a spotlight on the USs dark history, and nothing in its human rights toolbox could aim at its own deep-seated social malaise. The US needs to face up to its own serious forced labor issue and respond to the international communitys concerns sooner rather than later. After all, slinging mud at others is no way to clean up its own record. Phoenix TV: On June 24, the White House issued a statement that the US will officially establish Partners in the Blue Pacific together with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the UK. The statement reads that the five countries will strengthen cooperation to respond to the growing pressure on the rules-based international order under the framework, support prosperity, resilience, and security in the Pacific, and conduct cooperation with Pacific Island countries on climate change, maritime security, health, among others. What is your comment? Zhao Lijian: The recent visit to the South Pacific by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi covered all the Pacific Island countries (PICs) having diplomatic ties with China, and injected strong boost to the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides. China and PICs value their traditional friendship and are committed to enhancing political mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation, responding to challenges together and realizing common development. China welcomes more tangible efforts to promote South Pacific Island countries development and prosperity by any country willing to do so. At the same time, I want to stress that any cooperation initiative for the South Pacific needs to respond to the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation, and respect PICs independence and sovereignty. Such initiatives should not be designed to form exclusive blocs, still less target any third party or undermine its interests. CCTV: On June 26, Cambodias National Election Committee released the official results of the 5th Commune/Sangkat Council Election, showing a landslide victory for the Cambodian Peoples Party. Whats Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: We congratulate Cambodia on successfully holding the 5th Commune/Sangkat Council Election and congratulate the Cambodian Peoples Party on winning the election. The Chinese side stands ready to work together with the Cambodian side to forge a community with a shared future, which is of strategic significance, and to deliver more benefits to both peoples. Associated Press of Pakistan: China hosted a high-level development dialogue on the sidelines of BRICS. There are media reports about the participation of Pakistan. Do you have any comment on that? Zhao Lijian: The decision to hold the High-level Dialogue on Global Development was based on consultation among BRICS countries. China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Pakistan is an important member of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. China highly values the important role of Pakistan in promoting global development, advancing implementation of the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and boosting regional cooperation. China and Pakistan maintain close communication and coordination. We have conducted substantial cooperation in the field of development, which has delivered tangible benefits to the people in both countries and the region. Pakistan remains a priority partner for China in implementing the Global Development Initiative and we will continue to work with Pakistan to advance the global development agenda. Beijing Youth Daily: The US Supreme Court overturned the New York State gun law that restricts the concealed carry of firearms in public on June 23, setting off an uproar among the American public. The people are now more concerned that gun violence in the US may get further out of control. What is your comment? Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. I also read that the day after this ruling was adopted, a 5-month-old girl was shot and killed in a shooting in Chicago. The US suffers from the most serious gun violence problem in the world. The number of victims keeps hitting new highs as 122 people lost their lives to guns on a daily average. The American public lives with the shadow of gun violence and fear for their lives on an almost daily basis. According to the statistical website Gun Violence Archive, since the beginning of this year, nearly 21,000 people have died due to gun violence and 279 mass shootings have taken place in the US, in each of which four or more people were killed or injured. But not even these tragic numbers have spurred US politicians to take any real action. People cannot but ask: what have US politicians done to respond to the countless lives lost and devastated families other than staging political stunts? New tragedies are already taking place and again testing peoples moral conscience while the memory of the Robb elementary school shooting in Texas is still fresh. What makes US politicians think they can moralize about other countries human rights when they cannot even protect the lives of American children? CRI: Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk recently extended condolences and offered donations to the Chinese side over the floods in southern China. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: China and Cambodia enjoy an iron-clad friendship and a long tradition of mutual support and assistance. King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk provided generous assistance quite a few times when China was previously hit by natural disasters. Their latest kind gesture in the wake of the flooding in China signifies the deep friendship between the Cambodian royal family and the Chinese people as well as the spirit of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future. We highly appreciate this and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks. Reuters: The G7 leaders, who are meeting at the moment, have said that they aim to raise $600 billion for mainly infrastructure-based projects in developing countries to counter Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Whats the Chinese governments comment? Zhao Lijian: I noticed relevant reports. They said Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has led to debt trap. To call the BRI a debt trap is a false narrative. For nine years since its inception, the BRI has followed the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and delivered tangible benefits to partner countries and their peoples. According to World Bank forecast, if all BRI transport infrastructure projects are carried out, by 2030, the BRI will generate $1.6 trillion of revenues for the world each year, or 1.3% of global GDP. Up to 90% of the revenues will go to partner countries, and upper-middle- and low-income corridor economies are expected to benefit the most. The BRI could contribute to lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million from moderate poverty from 2015 to 2030. In fact, no BRI partner has agreed to the so-called debt trap accusation. Rather, it is the US that should be held responsible for creating the debt trap. The USs expansionary monetary policies, financial innovation with lax supervision and ill-intended short-selling are weighing down developing countries with debt burden and the very reason some countries have fallen into debt trap. With regard to the new initiative put forward by G7, China always welcomes initiatives that promote global infrastructure. Such initiatives do not have to cancel each other out. What we oppose is moves to advance geopolitical calculation and smear the BRI in the name of promoting infrastructure development. I also noticed that a year ago, it was also at a G7 Summit that the US put forward the B3W Initiative. The US committed then to developing global infrastructure in a different way from the BRI. Whether it is B3W or any other initiative, the world wants to see real investment and projects that will truly deliver for the people. Bloomberg: Will President Xi Jinping attend the Hong Kong celebrations on July 1 in person or via video link? Zhao Lijian: We have put out the press release. Please refer to the competent authorities if you want to know more details. AFP: According to Australian media reports, China has invited ministers from ten Pacific Island countries to a virtual meeting with Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi next month. Can the foreign ministry confirm whether there is such a plan? Zhao Lijian: As I understand, these reports couldnt be further from the truth. Bloomberg: Uzbekistans Energy Ministry last week said the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members met to discuss cooperation in several fields of energy, including energy security and renewable energy. What role will China play in that cooperation? And did China and Russia reach any specific agreements about energy trade and energy security at that meeting? Zhao Lijian: I would refer you to competent authorities for the specific question you asked about. What I can say is that for more than 20 years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), guided by the Shanghai Spirit, has deepened cooperation in various areas and created a new cooperation model. It has played a vital role in maintaining regional security and stability and promoting development and revitalization of countries. China is ready to work with all parities to continuously deepen political, security, economy and trade, and people-to-people cooperation, and make the SCOs contribution to peace and development in the region and beyond. AFP: I have a question about the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Indonesia next month. Can you confirm whether Wang Yi will attend in person or virtually the summit? Zhao Lijian: Please stay tuned. We will release relevant information in due course. Reuters: The foreign minister of Tuvalu has decided to pull out of a United Nations oceans conference in Portugal after three Taiwanese participants on the pacific islands delegation had their accreditation blocked. Whats Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a basic norm governing international relations and shared consensus of the international community. It is also a fundamental principle affirmed in UNGA Resolution 2758. The Taiwan authorities are accustomed to resorting to such gambits in the context of international affairs. Stooping to joining the entourage of a foreign country in order to tag along and wedge into the United Nations Ocean Conference can only bring disgrace. China follows true multilateralism and supports parties in participating in the UN Ocean Conference in line with relevant laws and rules. On June 27, 2022, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Irfaan Ali to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi Jinping pointed out, since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago, China-Guyana relations have achieved significant development, with political mutual trust continuously deepened and practical cooperation yielding fruitful results. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people of the two countries have worked together with solidarity and mutual assistance, writing a new chapter of China-Guyana friendship. I attach great importance to the development of China-Guyana relations, and am willing to work with President Ali to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to lift bilateral relations to new levels and bring benefits to the two countries and two peoples. Ali said that Guyana was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with China, and that Guyana firmly adheres to the one-China principle. Over the past 50 years, Guyana and China have always respected each other and enjoyed equality and mutual benefit, and the traditional friendship has withstood the test of time. Guyana stands ready to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Guyana and China as an opportunity to continuously deepen bilateral friendship. The European soft drinks sector has delivered a 17.7% reduction in average added sugars in the last seven years based on the bolstered health and nutrition commitments... Read More Jessica Jackovich, 28, made the big move from Alaska to Albany. And shes not the only one who is glad she did. Jackovich, Albanys firefighter of the year, is a leader at Albany Fire Department, according to Chief Shane Wooton. I just want to tell you from my perspective how much I appreciate you and how much you do for our fitness committee and the health of our people, Wooton said while presenting Jackovich with the award during a June 22 City Council meeting. Jess is a huge asset to our department. I remember the day you thought about coming here from Alaska, and we are so thankful that you made that choice. Albany Fire's annual awards are voted on by the entire department. This is one of the reasons the award means so much to Jackovich. Its an honor. It was unexpected, she said. It makes me very humble to think that my peers think of me as firefighter of the year. A fulfilling career Jackovich is still early in her career, but shes already making an impact. According to Wooton, Jackovich is a leader in the health and fitness part of the department and serves as a great example for her peers. Jackovich tries to keep her co-workers motivated to exercise every day and maintain their health, she said. This, along with her normal firefighter duties, makes the work fulfilling for Jackovich. I enjoy coming to work and every day is a new day. Every day is dynamic, she said. Some people call us on their worst days, and I just enjoy getting to help them. Jackovichs firefighting journey started in her native Alaska. She was around 20 years old and considering a career in medicine. A ride-along with her stepdad, who was working at the local station, changed everything: She instantly fell in love with the job. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald. She started volunteering and eventually was hired with a station in Fairbanks, Alaska. In 2016, a friend with Albany Fire Department encouraged Jackovich to apply for a job here. Now, shes becoming a leader in not just Albany but in the county as well. Inspiring young women Just last week, Jackovich was at the Linn County Young Womens Fire Academy in Lebanon training and inspiring the next generation of female firefighters. The program is designed for young women 16 to 19 years old who live in Oregon. Firefighting being the male-dominated career that it is, encouraging other young women to get into the profession is important to Jackovich. I had a very strong female mentor who helped me grow immensely as a female firefighter, she said. A lot of people dont know what its like to be discriminated at a job. As a female firefighter, Jackovich is committed to getting other young women involved in the profession. She said she talks to various people in Albany whose daughters might be interested in a similar career path. In just a short time at AFD, Jackovich said she's already seen growth in terms of a female presence. AFD is very diverse and open to inclusion, she said. I think there were two females when I started at AFD, and now theres six. 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_ Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Were off to a flyer here. Later on in the night, at 7:30, our friend and three of his coworkers hit the town to grab a bite and some booze. Three hours later, the group split. Old mate still had the bag and USB in his possession at this time. The next piece of information the company gives us takes place at 3am. Like most one too many nights our USB holder is unaccounted for almost 5 hours. Anyway, at 3am the man was sleeping on the street and the bag was not with him. By Vic Medina | 20 hours ago The future of warfare is much closer than we think, according to a report from Futurism.com, which details how technology is close to making hiding behind walls or within structures during combat totally obsolete. A new radar-based military device called the Xaver 1000 can now give soldiers on the ground the ability to literally see through walls, detecting human beings moving within structures with an accuracy never before seen. The technology was developed by the Israeli-based Camero-Tech, an imaging solutions firm that has been working on the logistics of Sense Through The Wall (or STTW) technology for years. Their products are available on the market today, as this video on the companys YouTube page shows. Released over a year ago, this simpler version of the Xaver 1000, dubbed the Xaver LR80, is currently available for purchase from the company. Prices (or requirements for purchase) are not readily available. According to The Business Insider, the new Xaver 1000 was unveiled earlier this month at Eurosatury 2022, a defense and security exhibition in Paris, France. According to the companys website, the Xaver 1000 is a significant upgrade from their previous designs, as the military device is easier to carry into combat and is user-friendly. It also provides real-time, 3D images of hostile individuals behind walls and concealed within structures, which would give soldiers a decided advantage on the battlefield. It is now available to order, although it looks like the company is limiting purchases to military, law enforcement, and search-and-rescue firms. Billed as a military device that can provide an unprecedented situational awareness 3D visual picture, the Xaver 1000 can distinguish between stationary and moving individuals, and can even tell if the live object is a soldier or an animal. The imaging is so precise, that it can even tell if a person is standing, sitting, or lying down, and even distinguish body parts. While it has the potential to keep soldiers out of harms way by literally seeing the enemy behind walls, it has non-military applications, as mentioned before. The tech could be used in disaster situations, helping to locate and identify human beings trapped within the rubble, for example. It could also be a serious privacy issue, especially if the technology is available to the public. In both hostage and combat situations, the tech could make breaching structures much safer and more precise, protecting soldiers and law enforcement, while reducing the possibility of civilian casualties. The Xaver 1000, according to the company website, weighs only 36 pounds, sets up quickly, and can even transmit data to other soldiers or authorities, with the use of WiFi. Unlike heat-based motion detection, this new military device uses pulse-based, ultra-wideband radar waves, and an AI algorithm to see through walls from more than 100 feet away. It sounds like the type of technology seen in movies like Arnold Schwarzeneggers Eraser, although that film was made nearly 20 years before the tech became a practical reality. The problem with such technology is the possible misuse and privacy issues. Although designed to be used as a military device or a search-and-rescue tool, it could also be used to spy on private citizens without their consent, or even without government or judicial oversight. We have already seen how drones could be used to invade a persons privacy and track their actions without their knowledge. This sort of tech could make every inch of a persons home visible to anyone using the device. Camero-Tech is currently not releasing public comments on its products. NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New York Young Elite Association (NYYEA) hosted a charitable and get-out-the-vote event on June 26 in Corona, Queens, giving away personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and disinfecting wipes. The event was also one of many in the past month that coincided with the group's efforts lobbying for US Congressman Tom Suozzi for his bid for the New York governorship in November. This would be the final election rally the organization would hold for Suozzi before Primary Day on June 28. A separate get-out-the-vote event was held the day before, in Flushing, Queens. A larger rally was held on June 18, at the Queens Library at Flushing. Many Chinese community leaders and groups, along with Suozzi, were among the attendees. The crowd's chant and the sound of the Chinese drums reverberated many blocks away. Suozzi was also a guest on Wei Wei Talk at the rally, hosted by Chinese journalist Wei Wei Gao on her channel MGM. Suozzi and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor Diana Reyna, along with volunteers, passed out flyers and PPEs while taking photos with supporters. Suozzi, a Long Island native who had also previously served as the county executive of Nassau County, New York, had been campaigning vigorously since his announcement of his bid for governorship last November. The NYYEA has been vocal of their support for Suozzi -- as evident from the numerous fundraising events and rallies they have since hosted for the congressman. The organization, which is comprised of members from the local Chinese community, believes Suozzi's success as governor would benefit the overall interest of not only the Chinese residents but the broader community as whole. The recent uptick in crimes against the Asian community has also been a priority issue of the NYYEA, which coincides with Suozzi's stance on improving public safety. NYYEA President John JD Liu said recently that he and the NYYEA believe in many of Suozzi's ideas, such as fixing the controversial bail reform laws that have been plaguing the city and often viewed as being soft on crime, as well as a stricter gun control. Incumbent governor Kathy Hochul had also been riddled in controversy lately since Suozzi had brought it to attention that she had received an endorsement from the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 2011. Liu also said the rallies are an opportunity for young people to understand the importance of democracy and freedom, which include aspects such as voting rights and women's rights. Tel: 516-858-8899 Website: www.nyyea.org Related Images Image 1: John JD Liu, Tom Suozzi and Diana Reyna with volunteers and supporters This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- P2 Gold Inc. (P2 or the Company) (TSX-V:PGLD) reports that, subject to regulatory approval, it has entered into an agreement (the Amending Agreement) amending the terms of the option agreement (the Option Agreement) dated June 10, 2020 pursuant to which the Company can acquire up to a 100% interest in the Silver Reef Property located in northwest British Columbia. Under the terms of the Option Agreement, the Company initially has the right to acquire up to a 70% interest in the Silver Reef Property by paying to the vendor over a three-year option period $750,000 and issuing 1.2 million common shares in its capital (Common Shares) as follows: $50,000 (paid) and 200,000 Common Shares (issued) on the signing of the Option Agreement; $200,000 (paid) and 200,000 Common Shares (issued) on the first anniversary of the Option Agreement; and $500,000 and 800,000 Common Shares on the second anniversary of the Option Agreement. The Company is also required to incur exploration expenditures of $250,000 (incurred) before the first anniversary of the Option Agreement, $750,000 (incurred) of cumulative exploration expenditures by the second anniversary of the Option Agreement and $2 million of cumulative exploration expenditures by the third anniversary of the Option Agreement. Under the terms of the Amending Agreement, in place of paying the vendor $500,000 and 800,000 Common Shares on the second anniversary of the Option Agreement, the Company will now pay the vendor: $175,000 (in cash or Common Shares valued at $0.50 per share) and 300,000 Common Shares following TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) acceptance for filing of the Amending Agreement; $175,000 (in cash or Common Shares valued at the greater of the closing price of the Common Shares on the Exchange on June 9, 2023 and the Discounted Market Price, as defined in Exchange Policy 1.1) and 300,000 Common Shares on June 12, 2023; and $200,000 (in cash or Common Shares valued at the greater of the closing price of the Common Shares on the Exchange on June 7, 2024 and the Discounted Market Price) and 200,000 Common Shares on June 10, 2024. In addition, the Company has until September 30, 2024 to incur any remaining exploration expenditures at Silver Reef. Following exercise of the option and earning a 70% interest in the Silver Reef Property, the Company has the right for a period of 120 days to acquire the remaining 30% interest in Silver Reef, for a 100% total interest, on payment of $7.5 million of which up to $4 million may be paid in Common Shares at its election. If the Company elects to not purchase the remaining 30% interest, the Company and the vendor shall form a joint venture, with the Company appointed the operator. During the first three years of the joint venture, the Company will fund the vendors participating interest in the joint venture. If the vendor fails to sell its interest in the joint venture during such three-year period, the vendors interest will convert to a 3% net smelter returns royalty, provided that the Company will have the opportunity to purchase the vendors interest prior to such conversion for $7.5 million. About P2 Gold Inc. P2 is a mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing precious metals and copper discoveries and acquisitions in the western United States and British Columbia. For further information, please contact: Joseph Ovsenek President & CEO (778) 731-1055 P2 Gold Inc. Suite 1100, 355 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8 info@p2gold.com (SEDAR filings: P2 Gold Inc.) Michelle Romero Executive Vice President (778) 731-1060 Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. Forward-looking information includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, believe, continue, potential or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking information includes, without limitation, information with respect to the Companys expectations, strategies and plans for the Silver Reef Property including the Companys planned expenditures and exploration activities. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including without limitation, risks associated with mineral exploration, including the risk that actual results and timing of exploration and development will be different from those expected by management. See Risk Factors in the Companys annual information form dated March 31, 2022 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Vancouver, BC, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recharge Resources Ltd. (Recharge or the Company) (RR: CSE) (RECHF: OTC) (SL5: Frankfurt) is pleased to report that it has applied for and is awaiting the approval of diamond drilling permits for its 100% owned Brussels creek Copper-Gold-Palladium property, located in the Kamloops Mining District, British Columbia. The fully funded Phase 1 Drill Program was designed based on the results of the previously announced Induced Polarization (IP) survey to establish the potential for copper-gold mineralization similar to mineralization present at the adjacent New Afton mine owned by New Gold Inc. (NGD TSX). The interpretation led to the selection of five high-priority drill targets, with each hole approximately 300 m in depth, for a total proposed program of 1500 metres. The targets for these proposed locations are highly conductive zones which are interpreted to continue from surface outcrops below near-surface more resistive zones. Recharge Resources CEO and director, David Greenway, states, "With Recharges recently closed flow through private placement the company is fully funded for its designed Phase 1 drill program. Recharge was greatly encouraged by the results of the Quantec IP survey and excited to drill test these new high-priority targets at Brussels. About the Brussels Creek Project The Property is an early-stage exploration property, located approximately 24 kilometres west of Kamloops, B.C., and is immediately adjacent to New Gold's New Afton mine. The Property comprises 17 claims (66 cells) covering 1,350.43 hectares. The geological setting of the property is very similar to New Afton, a silica-saturated copper-gold alkalic porphyry-style deposit, as well as the Highland Valley, Mount Polly, Kemess and Galore Creek deposits. Recent field observations noted the presence of a substantial mineralized quartz-feldspar porphyry body intruding the overlying Nicola group volcanics. Historic sampling and mapping on the property, in 1983 and 1984, located a broad anomalous zone (200 metres by 400 metres) with gold values up to 3.5 grams per tonne. Grab samples taken from the property in 2019 include values of 10.1 g/t Au (with 0.7 g/t palladium) and 11.5 g/t Au. Brussels Creek Web Page: https://recharge-resources.com/projects/brussels-creek/ Qualified person Chris M. Healey, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist, is the qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 responsible for the technical content of this release, and consents to its release. About Recharge Resources Recharge Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on exploring and developing the production of high-value battery metals to create green, renewable energy to meet the demands of the advancing electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle market. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, David Greenway David Greenway, CEO For further information, please contact: Recharge Resources Ltd. Mr. Joel Warawa Phone: 778-588-5473 E-Mail: info@recharge-resources.com Website: recharge-resources.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Recharges intention to continue to identify potential transactions and make certain corporate changes and applications. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits Recharge will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect managements current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including Recharges results of exploration or review of properties that Recharge does acquire. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Recharge assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NEW YORK, New York, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ivanhoe Electric Inc. (Ivanhoe Electric), a U.S.-based minerals exploration and development company, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 14,388,000 shares of its common stock at a price of US$11.75 per share. The gross proceeds from the offering are expected to be approximately US$169.1 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Ivanhoe Electric. In addition, Ivanhoe Electric has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,158,200 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The shares are expected to begin trading on the NYSE American and the Toronto Stock Exchange on June 28, 2022 under the ticker symbol IE. The offering is expected to close on June 30, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. Ivanhoe Electric intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to fund certain payments to acquire or maintain its mineral and property rights to its material and key mineral properties, to further its metals exploration activities at all of its mineral properties, to construct and deploy additional sets of its Typhoon electrical pulse-powered geophysical surveying transmitter technology, as well as working capital and general and administrative costs. BMO Capital Markets and Jefferies are acting as the lead bookrunners for the offering. J.P. Morgan is acting as a joint bookrunner for the offering. Raymond James, RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank are acting as co-managers for the offering. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attn: Equity Syndicate Department, 151 W 42nd Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10036, telephone: (800) 414-3627, email: bmoprospectus@bmo.com ; or Jefferies LLC, Attn: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by telephone: 1-877-821-7388 or by email: Prospectus_Department@Jefferies.com . A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with, and declared effective by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ivanhoe Electric has also obtained a receipt for a final base PREP prospectus filed with the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada (except Quebec) on the date hereof. A copy of the supplemented PREP prospectus containing pricing information and other important information relating to the shares of common stock may, when available, be obtained from the underwriters at the addresses set out above and will be available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com and the EDGAR website at www.sec.gov/edgar under Ivanhoe Electrics profile. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Ivanhoe Electric Ivanhoe Electric Inc. is a United States domiciled technology and metals company that is re-inventing mining for the electrification of everything. Ivanhoe Electric represents the confluence of advanced exploration technologies (Typhoon and Computational Geosciences Inc.), electric metals projects focused in the United States and renewable energy storage solutions (VRB Energy Inc. vanadium flow batteries). Ivanhoe Electric is uniquely positioned to support American supply chain independence by delivering the critical metals necessary for electrification of the economy. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute forward looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. and Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding the expected closing date of the offering and the use of proceeds from the offering are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including changes in the prices of copper or other metals Ivanhoe Electric is exploring for, the results of exploration activities, significant risk and hazards associated with mining operations, extensive regulation by the U.S. government as well as local governments; the impact of political, economic and other uncertainties associated with operating in foreign countries, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economy. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements described in Ivanhoe Electrics registration statement on Form S-1, as amended, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and base PREP prospectus filed with Canadian securities commissions. Ivanhoe Electric expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Media Contact Evan Young Vice President, Corporate Development Evan.Y@ivanhoeelectric.com 604-598-8765 June 28, 2022 Testing in accordance with ISO 18562 and ISO 10993 standards conducted by five certified, independent testing laboratories in the US and Europe Amsterdam, the Netherlands On June 14, 2021, Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA) subsidiary Philips Respironics, initiated a voluntary recall notification/field safety notice * to address potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam in specific CPAP, BiPAP and mechanical ventilator devices. At the time the recall notification/field safety notice* was issued, Philips Respironics relied on an initial, limited data set and toxicological risk assessment, and assumed a worst-case scenario for the possible health risks out of an abundance of caution. Since then, together with five certified, independent testing laboratories in the US and Europe, as well as other qualified third-party experts, Philips Respironics has been conducting a comprehensive test and research program on the PE-PUR foam to better assess and scope the potential patient health risks related to possible emission of particulates from degraded foam and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This update is intended to provide healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders with updated information on the testing results to date. Philips will continue to provide regular updates as new test results and assessments become available, as not all tests have been completed to date. The overall guidance for healthcare providers and patients in the recall notification/field safety notice* remains unchanged at this time. Testing methods Testing results and conclusions to date are grouped by device air path design and configuration, i.e., based on how the air flows through the device. Of the five device categories, the first-generation DreamStation devices represent 68% of the registered affected devices globally. Within each device category, testing and analyses are performed on new devices with pristine foam, devices with lab-aged foam and used devices: Visual assessment of the foam in returned/used devices to assess the prevalence of visible foam degradation. VOC testing to identify and quantify organic compounds that may be inhaled during device use. Particulate Matter (PM) testing to determine concentrations of respirable particulates, i.e., particulates up to 10 micrometers in diameter, as it relates to inhalation risks and established health thresholds. Additional physical, chemical and biological testing of the PE-PUR foam related to patient risks if patients were in contact with foam material. The complete update on the PE-PUR testing results and conclusions available to date can be found here , and the main findings have been presented below. Healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders should use the complete update for any informed decision making, and not the overview in this press release. I deeply regret the concern experienced by patients who rely on the affected Respironics sleep and respiratory devices for their health and quality of life and want to emphasize our commitment to providing them with a resolution as fast as possible, said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. More than 1,000 of our colleagues are working extremely hard to achieve this. While certain prolonged tests across the affected product categories are still to be completed, the results to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices, which represent the majority of the registered affected devices, show a very low prevalence of visible foam degradation. In addition, the new and used first-generation DreamStation devices passed volatile organic compound and respirable particulate emission testing. This is very encouraging. Results to date also indicate that ozone cleaning significantly exacerbates foam degradation. First-generation DreamStation devices (68% of registered affected devices globally) Visual assessment : In order to determine the prevalence of foam degradation, which may result in foam particulate emission, a visual assessment of the foam was performed on a sample of 60,847 returned/used first-generation DreamStation devices from the US and Canada. The visual inspection was conducted according to a specific protocol as part of the repair process. The sample included 36,341 devices for which the users reported no use of ozone cleaning, 11,309 devices for which the users reported use of ozone cleaning, and 13,197 devices for which it was reported unknown by the user whether ozone cleaning was used. Prevalence of visible foam degradation (US and CA): 164 of 36,341 (0.5%) devices with self-reported no ozone use showed significant visible foam degradation. 164 of 36,341 (0.5%) devices with self-reported no ozone use showed significant visible foam degradation. Impact of repeated ozone cleaning: Devices with self-reported ozone use were 14x more likely to have significant visible foam degradation than those with self-reported no ozone use: 777 of 11,309 devices (7%) showed significant visible foam degradation. Devices with self-reported ozone use were 14x more likely to have significant visible foam degradation than those with self-reported no ozone use: 777 of 11,309 devices (7%) showed significant visible foam degradation. Assessment of a sample of devices linked to reported alleged foam degradation complaints: 422 devices of the inspected 60,847 returned/used devices are linked to a reported foam degradation complaint. However, only 18 out of these 422 devices (4%) actually showed visible foam degradation. In those devices where visible foam degradation was significant, i.e., there was reduction in foam volume, it was observed that there was accumulation of degraded foam within the airpath inside the device. The foam becomes hygroscopic (i.e., absorbs moisture) and sticky with degradation. It also loses significant volume and increases density as the structure changes from a foam to a viscous liquid material. As such, even when foam particulates are formed by degradation, they are likely to accumulate within the device and may not be directly emitted by the device. A visual assessment of the foam was also performed on a sample of 1,360 returned/used first-generation DreamStation devices from various countries in Europe and on a sample of 931 returned/used devices from Japan. Prevalence of visible foam degradation (EU and JPN): None of the assessed devices from Europe or Japan showed significant visible degradation. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) : VOC testing according to ISO 18562-3 was performed on new, lab-aged and used devices to (1) quantify VOC emissions from devices, and (2) assess the toxicological risk associated with exposure to the quantified concentrations of those VOCs. It is important to note that these tested new and lab aged first-generation DreamStation devices were not exposed to ozone cleaning, in accordance with the instructions for use. As previously provided in an update on December 23, 2021, VOC emissions are below established limits based on ISO 18562-3 testing and evaluation of new, lab-aged, and used devices. Exposure to the level of VOCs identified to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices is not anticipated to result in long-term health consequences for patients. Particulate Matter (PM) : PM testing according to ISO 18562-2 was performed on the devices to (1) quantify the particulate matter emitted from devices, and (2) assess whether the concentration detected is less than thresholds provided in the standard. New devices and used devices (including used devices with visible foam degradation) were tested and were all found to be compliant with ISO 18562-2 allowable limits for PM emissions . . Tested PM emissions of used devices with degradation were not statistically different than PM emissions without degradation, suggesting that degradation did not contribute to appreciable elevated levels of respirable particles in the devices tested . . The used devices that were tested for PM emissions, were also evaluated for cleanliness based on a visual inspection of the exterior of the device, i.e., the presence of environmental materials on the external surface of the device, such as the inlet filter location. For these devices, average particulate matter counts in devices classified as dirty were significantly greater than those classified as clean. Biocompatibility testing of (degraded) PE-PUR foam : Additional testing is still being performed in accordance with ISO 10993 to facilitate a toxicological risk assessment of (degraded) foam particulates, which is relevant if they would potentially contact the patient. This testing includes chemical characterization (i.e., what chemicals may potentially extract or leach from the foam and have direct contact with body tissues and/or fluids), in vitro assessment (i.e., tests performed in a test tube, dish, etc. outside the body), and in vivo assessment (i.e., preclinical testing) of new, lab aged and/or used PE-PUR foam. To support the assessment of potential genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and irritation risks of lab-aged foam, chemical characterization of lab-aged foam, as well as experiments to assess the amount of foam that can potentially contact the patient are being conducted, as lab-aged foam did not pass Ames (genotoxicity), cytotoxicity and skin irritation bioassay testing. Further, complementing the lab-aged foam assessment, a chemical characterization of returned/used degraded foam is also being conducted to better elucidate risks under field conditions. Per ISO 10993, the bioassay results cannot stand alone and, therefore, a positive Ames, cytotoxicity, or skin irritation result triggers a required follow-up evaluation including identification of potential confounding factors, and a weight of evidence assessment to determine a confirmed conclusion on potential risks for patients under expected usage of the device. Other devices under the recall notification/field safety notice Other devices that are being tested include DreamStation Go (1% of the registered devices) and SystemOne (26% of the registered devices). These devices each have a different air path design/configuration compared to the first-generation DreamStation devices but contain the same PE-PUR foam. New DreamStation Go and SystemOne devices passed VOC and PM testing based on standards available prior to ISO 18562 i.e., Indoor Air Quality Evaluation (as previously disclosed in the April 25, 2022, update). Further ISO 18562 VOC and PM testing is ongoing. The results of ISO 10993 biocompatibility testing of degraded PE-PUR foam for the first-generation DreamStation devices, which is ongoing, will also apply to DreamStation Go and SystemOne devices. Further devices include Trilogy 100/200 (3% of the registered devices) and OmniLab/A-Series BiPAP (2% of the registered devices). New Trilogy 100/200 passed VOC and PM testing. New OmniLab devices passed VOC and PM testing based on standards available prior to ISO 18562 i.e., Indoor Air Quality Evaluation (as previously disclosed in the April 25, 2022, update). New and used OmniLab devices passed VOC testing based on ISO 18562. Further testing is ongoing. Summary of ongoing tests The first-generation DreamStation, DreamStation Go and SystemOne CPAP/BiPAP devices represent 95% of the registered affected devices globally. Philips Respironics expects to complete the remaining VOC and PM testing for these devices, as well as the degraded foam toxicological risk assessments (in accordance with ISO 10993) in the coming months. Philips Respironics will also continue with the tests to assess the impact of repeated ozone cleaning on foam degradation in these CPAP/BiPAP devices, as well as the remaining VOC and PM testing and the degraded foam toxicological risk assessments for the Trilogy 100/200 and OmniLab ventilator devices. Silicone foam testing per FDAs November 2021 request In November 2021, the FDA requested that Philips retain an independent laboratory to perform additional testing to determine what, if any, potential safety risks may be posed to patients by silicone-based foam. Philips Respironics engaged independent testing laboratories to perform additional VOC testing. Based on the draft reports, Philips Respironics has not identified any safety issues. The assessment is being completed, and the final reports are subject to FDA review, which are expected in the coming months. Guidance for healthcare providers and patients As indicated, this update is intended to provide healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders with updated information on the testing results to date. The overall guidance for healthcare providers and patients in the recall notification/field safety notice * remains unchanged at this time. Philips Respironics remains fully committed to addressing all devices affected by the recall notification/field safety notice* and continues to work with the relevant competent authorities to further optimize the remediation plan. To date, approximately 2.7 million replacement devices and repair kits have been produced. Additional information Further information, including the complete update and FAQs, as well as video messages from Philips CEO Frans van Houten, Chief Business Leader Connected Care Roy Jakobs and Technical Project Manager for the test and research program Jan Bennik, can be found here and here . * Voluntary recall notification in the US/field safety notice for the rest of the world. For media questions, please contact: Steve Klink Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 10888824 E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com Ben Zwirs Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 15213446 E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2021 sales of EUR 17.2 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter . Forward-looking statements This statement contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Attachment Dublin, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Drug Type (Small, Large Molecules), by Therapeutic Area (Respiratory System, Immunomodulation), by Workflow, and Segment Forecasts, 2022-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global drug discovery outsourcing market size is expected to reach USD 6.3 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 7.4% The COVID-19 pandemic has brought pharmaceutical companies in limelight. Drug discovery is a costly and lengthy process. This has urged pharmaceutical and biotech companies to opt for outsourcing their research activities to academic and private Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Rising partnerships between public or private entities accelerate drug discovery processes, which, in turn, increase the global demand for outsourcing services for drug discovery. This scenario is expected to sustain post the covid implications as well. A rise in cases of chronic diseases has urged companies to develop medicines that extend life expectancy. According to the United Nations, people aged 65 years between 2015 and 2020 are expected to live an additional 17 years. Some of the key therapeutic areas where companies are actively involved in outsourcing include oncology, cardiovascular, and anti-infectives. In November 2020, AstraZeneca collaborated with 9 of the foremost oncology medical centers to expedite research in some of the hardest-to-treat cancers. The company will be funding clinical and non-clinical research proposals from members of this network. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value of drug discovery and development. People across the world are waiting for a vaccine while several companies are proactively involved in developing an effective vaccine to combat COVID-19. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE received first approval for the vaccine following a worldwide Phase 3 trial of a potential strain to combat the virus. As for clinical trials, many of them are halted, while some are functional by adopting remote monitoring technologies. Thus, the pandemic has brought the pharmaceutical industry to center stage with drug discovery outsourcing becoming a key aspect to develop effective treatments against the virus. This is expected to boost the market revenue for the next 2 years i.e. a short-term boom, after which it shall regain its original growth curve. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Report Highlights In 2021, the lead identification & candidate optimization segment dominated the market. It is one of the most critical processes in drug discovery. Oncology and anti-infective are projected to be among the fastest-growing segments during the forecast period. Small molecules dominated the market in 2021. The segment is also projected to register a high CAGR during the forecast period. This, however, may change in the short term with higher emphasis on biologics. Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to the government initiatives to forge alliances with U.S. pharmaceutical companies. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope Chapter 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Market Outlook 2.2. Segment Outlook 2.3. Competitive Insights Chapter 3. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Variables, Trends & Scope 3.1. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping 3.2. Industry Value Chain Analysis 3.2.1. Reimbursement framework 3.3. Market Dynamics 3.3.1. Market driver analysis 3.3.2. Market restraint analysis 3.3.3. Industry challenges 3.4. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Analysis Tools 3.4.1. Industry Analysis-Porter's 3.4.2. PESTEL Analysis 3.4.3. Major Deals & Strategic Alliances Analysis 3.4.4. Market Entry Strategies Chapter 4. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market: Workflow Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1. Segment Dashboard 4.2. Definitions and Scope 4.3. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Share, 2021 & 2030 4.4. Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2017 to 2030 for the following 4.4.1. Target Identification & Screening 4.4.2. Target Validation & Functional Informatics 4.4.3. Lead Identification & Candidate Optimization 4.4.4. Preclinical Development 4.4.5. Other Associated Workflow Chapter 5. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market: Therapeutics Area Estimates & Trend Analysis 5.1. Segment Dashboard 5.2. Definitions and Scope 5.3. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Share, 2021 & 2030 5.4. Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2017 to 2030 for the following 5.4.1. Respiratory System 5.4.2. Pain and Anesthesia 5.4.3. Oncology 5.4.4. Ophthalmology 5.4.5. Hematology 5.4.6. Cardiovascular 5.4.7. Endocrine 5.4.8. Gastrointestinal 5.4.9. Immunomodulation 5.4.10. Anti-Infective 5.4.11. Central Nervous System 5.4.12. Dermatology 5.4.13. Genitourinary System Chapter 6. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market: Drug Type Estimates & Trend Analysis 6.1. Segment Dashboard 6.2. Definitions and Scope 6.3. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Share, 2021 & 2030 6.4. Market Size & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2017 to 2030 for the following 6.4.1. Small Molecules 6.4.2. Large Molecules (Biopharmaceuticals) Chapter 7. Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis 7.1. Regional Market Dashboard 7.2. Regional Market Share Analysis, 2021 & 2030 7.3. Regional Market Share, 2020 Chapter 8. Competitive Landscape 8.1. Recent Developments & Impact Analysis, by Key Market Participants Albany Molecular Research Inc. Evotec Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Genscript Ppd Inc Charles River Wuxi Apptec Merck & Co. Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Dalton Pharma Services Oncodesign Jubilant Biosys Discoverx Corporation Qiagen For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tq7as7 Attachment The Zimbabwe Republic Police have launched investigations into the death of two senior Zanu PF officials in Nyatsime area of Chitungwiza with one of them alleged to have been poisoned, while the other reportedly succumbed to a stress-related illness after his house was recently burnt down by CCC supporters rampaging after the murder of a woman by a violent ex-boyfriend, now in custody. The two officials are former Manyame district chairperson Cde Tina Gweshe, who is suspected by family to have been poisoned after she attended a party last week, and Cde George Murambatsvina, the Zanu PF chairman for Nyatsime, whose house was set ablaze by CCC supporters in Nyatsime about a fortnight ago. Cde Murambatsvina suffered serious injuries and stress from the violent attack. In an interview yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police have begun the investigations over the deaths of the two Zanu PF officials, but now needed the results of the post mortems to ascertain the causes of the deaths. We are conducting investigations with a view to find out what exactly happened and we would like to urge the public to cooperate with the police, he said. On the heavy police presence, Asst Comm Nyathi said, There is need for police to maintain law and order especially considering what has happened and the investigations being conducted. The Herald yesterday visited the area where Zanu PF supporters were still mourning their two leaders. Senior party officials also visited the area where they handed over food and goods to the bereaved families. Seke Constituency legislator Cde Munyaradzi Kashambe also reiterated the need for peace and applauded police for ensuring that there is order in the area. Cde Kashambe said he was saddened that after the CCC supporters had unleashed violence, they then lost one of their hard working senior party members. A few days ago we also lost another comrade, Cde Gweshe who was also known as Greenhouse. As a party we have, however, then decided to donate food to the two families. I would also want applaud the unity that has been displayed between the party supporters in both the province and also at national level during this period. I would also want to thank you for maintaining peace. Even our President, Cde ED Mnangagwa, has always emphasised the need for maintaining peace as we head towards the 2023 elections, he said. Mashonaland East Zanu PF provincial vice chairman Cde Kudzai Majuru said Zanu PF was a peaceful party and it was his hope that the law will take its course. Cde Majuru said they had decided to assist the two families with maize meal, rice, cooking oil, flour, salt and various groceries. As Zanu PF we are a peaceful party and we have allowed the law to take its course. Following the loss of our two officials, as Zanu PF we have decided to assist with some groceries and cash for the bereaved families. We will continue to assist them and even the families left behind, he said. Cde Murambatsvina is expected to be buried in his rural home in Gutu and Cde Gweshe at Zororo cemetery. Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala and his Chitungwiza North legislator Godfrey Sithole, have since been arrested on charges of incitement to commit violence after the violence by CCC supporters in Nyatsime, remarks they are alleged to have made before that violence and allegations of involvement in assembling supporters. Sikhala, who is also the CCC deputy national chairperson, and Sithole are accused of mobilising their party supporters to unleash violence in Nyatsime during a memorial service for Moreblessing Ali, who they claimed had been killed by a Zanu PF member, when in fact she was killed by her former lover. Ali, who the CCC said was a supporter, was abducted outside a nightclub in Nyatsime on May 14 and her dismembered remains were discovered in a disused well at a farm in Beatrice about 10km away from where she was taken. The chief suspect in her murder, Pius Jamba (31), was arrested five days later and is remanded in custody. On Sunday, Zanu supporters also held a peaceful demonstration at Chibhanguza Shopping Centre where they castigated the opposition supporters including Sikhala and CCC leader Nelson Chamisa. New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Turboexpander Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Loading Device, By Application, By End-use, By Power Capacity, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289296/?utm_source=GNW Turboexpander have recently gained popularity in the oil and gas industry for extracting hydrocarbon liquid from natural gas. Turbo expanders are employed extensively in petrochemical applications such as nitrogen, hydrogen, and ethylene to liquefying natural gas. Oil and gas continue to dominate the energy landscape. Several countries are moving away from dirty energy sources. Natural gas is amongst the most suitable fossil fuel alternatives. It generates less carbon dioxide and burns cleaner than coal. As a result, operators are continually investing in boosting natural gas production, which might fuel the turboexpander markets expansion. Moreover, the market is expected to rise due to continual technological developments in bearing technology and a greater demand for Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) over oil-bearing in turboexpanders. An increase in industry awareness of the need to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions would further drive the demand for turboexpander in geothermal and heat recovery applications. The need for LNG for domestic uses, along with the resulting requirement to store and transport LNG, is predicted to increase the demand for turboexpander. Natural gas is regarded as a more environmentally friendly and dependable energy source. In October 2021, Sinopec Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), and local authority energy suppliers such as Zhejiang Energy started agreements with US natural exporters Cheniere Energy (LNG.A) and Venture Global. The goal of the effort was to establish a long-term collaboration to avoid LNG supply shortfalls in the face of rising gas prices and domestic power problems owing to poor coal production. COVID-19 Impact The turboexpander market saw a modest downturn due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Lower consumption of natural gas across economies is to blame, prompting many corporations to reschedule or postpone investment choices in LNG projects. The deployment of the new turboexpanders was delayed by two to three years as a result of this. However, since the outbreak of the pandemic, demand for liquid oxygen has increased dramatically, prompting numerous governments to declare plans to build additional oxygen plants. In 2021, this opened up new growth opportunities for turboexpander OEMs, which are projected to continue for the next few years. Due to the cumulative effects of low heating demand after a mild winter, the execution of lockdown restrictions in practically all nations, and the reduced level of physical activity caused by the COVID-19 induced macroeconomic crisis, natural gas demand fell by 4% in 2020. Market Growth Factors Liquid natural gas hydrocarbon extraction process utilize turboexpander Natural gas is mostly composed of methane (CH4), with smaller amounts of heavier hydrocarbon gases including propane (C3H8), ethane (C2H6), and normal butane (nC4H10), isobutane (iC4H10), pentanes, and even higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. Acid gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon dioxide (CO2), and mercaptans such as methanethiol (CH3SH) and ethane thiol (ETH) are also present in crude gas (C2H5SH). These heavier hydrocarbons are referred to as NGLs when they are turned into final products (natural gas liquids). Turboexpander and a low column extraction temperature are often used in the extraction of NGL also known as called demethanizer. In a heat exchanger, the incoming gas is compressed to around -51 C. The gas produced by the liquid combination is split into a liquid-gas stream and a stream. The flow of liquid travels through a valve and is subjected to an isenthalpic process that lowers the flow temperatures from about -51 C to about -81 C. Advancement in the Turboexpander cold gas services Low-temperature, refrigeration, and cryogenic services all require turbo-expanders. The primary purpose of such turbo-expanders is to minimize energy temperature in a high-pressure gas stream. Expansion cools the gas significantly while also supplying mechanical power to rotate tools to perform beneficial tasks. In some implementations, the turbo-expander is connected to a compressor, and the created work is used to compress the gas in the process. The turbo-expander and compressor are sometimes combined into a single machine with a single shaft. In much refrigeration, cryogenic and low-temperature gas applications, a turbo-expander can produce low-temperature gas significantly more effective than solutions such as a "Joule-Thomson" (JT) valve or others. Market Restraining Factors Presence of the Alternative Energy Recovery devices in the market In between furnace/reactor and the ultimate end product, most process plants employ single- or multi-stage outflow systems. These systems lower the flow pressure while preserving the medias integrity. Energy is released in numerous phases when the pressure is reduced, allowing the flow to stabilize before reaching the desired product conditions or extrusion process downstream. Depending on the media and process conditions, let-down systems can use both control and isolation valves. These valves can be subjected to turbulence, vibration, and noise while decreasing high pressures and/or velocities, as well as abrasion, corrosion, and viscous sludge. Product Outlook Based on Product, the market is segmented into Radial Flow and Axial Flow. The radial flow segment acquired the highest revenue share in the turboexpander market in 2021. The widespread use of radial expanders is in low-output power applications such as hot gas expanders in refineries, binary cycle geothermal facilities, and other low-power cryogenic plants. A carbon-free power source, binary cycle geothermal plants require radial flow turboexpander. A pseudo radical flow function can be used to calculate reservoir pressure and transmissibility when real pseudo radical flow is determined. Loading Device Outlook Based on Loading Device, the market is segmented into Compressor, Generator, and Hydraulic/Oil-brake. The generator segment witnessed a substantial revenue share in the turboexpander market in 2021. The hydrogen turboexpander-generator is an axial flow turbine or radial expander for energy recovery that expands a high-pressure hydrogen gas to produce work that drives an electrical generator. It takes the place of the control valve or regulator that lowers the pressure to the proper level for the low-pressure network. A turboexpander-generator can aid in the recovery of energy losses as well as the reduction of electrical demands and CO2 emissions. Application Outlook Based on Application, the market is segmented into Cryogenic, Air Separation, Oil & Gas Processing, and Others. The cryogenic segment procured the highest revenue share in the turboexpander market in 2021. It is because it lowers the enthalpy of the fluid throughout the expansion, which sub-cools it and reduces boil-off losses. It can also export the recovered energy as electrical energy. Propanes thermodynamic qualities are ideal for taking advantage of a cryogenic turboexpander. End-use Outlook Based on End-use, the market is segmented into Oil & Gas, Energy & Power, Chemical & Petrochemicals, and Others. The energy & power segment witnessed a substantial revenue share in the turboexpander market in 2021. The market for LNG gas is expected to rise as a result of favourable government policies to encourage sustainable energy and net-zero emissions. Over the projected period, the increased adoption of cryogenic energy storage (CES) and, in particular, energy storage with liquid air, is expected to fuel market expansion. Power Capacity Outlook Based on Power Capacity, the market is segmented into 1MW - 4 MW, 5MW - 9MW, Less than 1 MW, 10MW - 19MW, 20MW - 24 MW, 25 MW - 40 MW, and Others. 1MW - 4 MW segment dominated the turboexpander market with the highest revenue share in 2021. It is due to the increasing usage of such power capacity of turboexpander across different industrial verticals. In addition, there are many key players of the market, which are increasingly investing in advancing their products for better use. Regional Outlook Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific segment acquired the largest revenue share in the turboexpander market in 2021. It is mainly driven by China, Japan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other emerging economies in Southeast Asia. The Asia Pacific region is driven by an increase in the consumption of cryogens for ultra-high vacuum settings needed for semiconductor fabrication, as well as favourable government measures to promote the hydrogen economy throughout the automotive industry processes. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Honeywell International, Inc., Baker Hughes Company, Siemens AG, Atlas Copco AB, Cryostar, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Chart Industries, Inc., MAN Energy Solutions SE, Elliott Group, and R&D Dynamics Corporation. Strategies deployed in Turboexpander Market Apr-2022: Baker Hughes completed the acquisition of Mosaic Materials, an engineering and chemicals enterprise focused on allowing greenhouse gas depletion. Under this acquisition, the company would bring its actual advanced abilities, adding material science and modular design, to advance and measure Mosaics innovative technology, allowing direct air capture with a solution that demands extremely less energy to work and delivers decrease cost of possession. Mar-2022: Baker Hughes acquired Altus Intervention, providers of well intervention services and down-hole oil and gas technology. This acquisition aimed to improve Baker Hughes life-of-well abilities as executives look to enhance the effectiveness from cultivated fields. Feb-2022: Baker Hughes expanded its geographical footprint by establishing a new domestic supercenter facility for oilfield devices and services in Guyana. Under this expansion, the supercenter would cover more than 8 acres, which would support local consumers and reinforce Baker Hughes regionalization attempt within South America. Feb-2022: Atlas Copco joined hands with Plug Power, an American company engaged in the development of hydrogen fuel cell systems. Together, the companies aimed to establish a hydrogen liquefaction industry. Additionally, Liquifying hydrogen creates easy transportation, prominent to notable cost savings and wide circulation area. Jul-2021: Chart Industries completed the acquisition of L.A. Turbine, a turboexpander service, engineering, design, and manufacturing company. Through this acquisition, the L.A. Turbine lineup with Chart Industries artificial investment principles would contributes to financial strength and growth through extended profit and revenue. Moreover, LATs abilities are an organic fit and provide a competing point of distinction for Chart. Feb-2021: Chart Industries took over Cryogenic Gas Technologies, a producer of customized engineered process systems. Through this acquisition, the company aimed to integrate Cryo Technologies knowledge with its competence, Chart would provide the industry a distinctive one-stop shop for consumers to liquefy and advertise the hydrogen molecule, irrespective of plant ability, but requires dependable and experienced machinery and process distributor for storage and liquefaction. Jan-2021: Atlas Copco introduced XATS 900E, an electric convenient compressor. The XATS 900E is equipped with a 160kW motor that is highly capable and silent in working. Aug-2020: Atlas Copco came into a partnership with Vericor, a manufacturer of aero-derivative marine and industrial gas turbines. Through this partnership, the companies aimed to produce comprehensive geared centrifugal Companders and compressors that would be operated by Vericor gas turbines. Nov-2018: Air Products signed two gas manufacturing and delivery agreements with Sonatrach, the largest state-owned oil and gas enterprise. Under this agreement, the companies aimed to form a joint venture HELIOS. Through this joint venture, Sonatrach would regain helium from two actual liquefied natural gas provisions, and that helium would be provided to HELIOS actual liquid helium industry in Arzew. Aug-2018: Air Products completed the acquisition of the Rotoflow subsidiary of Baker Hughes, an Air Products business. Through this acquisition, Air Products obtained complete service and engineering abilities to continue delivering superior service to Rotoflow consumers. Additionally, the acquisition broadens Air Products actual word wide industrial gas and liquefied natural gas turboexpander abilities into increasing energy, petrochemical, and hydrocarbon division. Scope of the Study Market Segments covered in the Report: By Product Radial Flow Axial Flow By Loading Device Compressor Generator Hydraulic/Oil-brake By Application Cryogenic Air Separation Oil & Gas Processing Others By End-use Oil & Gas Energy & Power Chemical & Petrochemicals Others By Power Capacity 1MW - 4 MW 5MW - 9MW Less than 1 MW 10MW - 19MW 20MW - 24 MW 25 MW - 40 MW Others By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled Honeywell International, Inc. Baker Hughes Company Siemens AG Atlas Copco AB Cryostar Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Chart Industries, Inc. MAN Energy Solutions SE Elliott Group R&D Dynamics Corporation Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289296/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortuna Silver Mines, Inc. (NYSE: FSM | TSX: FVI) hereby announces the voting results at the Companys annual general meeting held on June 27, 2022 and announces the appointment of an additional Director to the Board. A total of 138,713,814 common shares were represented at the meeting, being 47.48 percent of the Companys issued and outstanding shares as at the record date. Shareholders voted in favor of all matters brought before the meeting including the appointment of auditors and the election of managements nominees as directors. Detailed results of the votes on the election of directors are as follows: Director Votes For Votes Withheld Jorge Ganoza Durant 104,658,257 (99.26%) 780,272 (0.74%) David Laing 80,580,329 (76.42%) 24,858,201 (23.58%) Mario Szotlender 104,351,248 (98.97%) 1,087,282 (1.03%) David Farrell 87,371,942 (82.87%) 18,066,588 (17.13%) Alfredo Sillau 89,962,016 (85.32%) 15,476,514 (14.68%) Kylie Dickson 102,933,091 (97.62%) 2,505,438 (2.38%) Kate Harcourt 104,445,839 (99.06%) 992,690 (0.94%) Fortuna is also pleased to announce that after the annual general meeting, the Board approved the appointment of Ms. Salma Seetaroo as an additional Director of the Company. Salma brings her skills and experience in commodities, financing, investment banking and project development in West Africa. She has spent the last 17 years working on debt, equity and special situations investments in Africa as an investment banker. Salma is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Cashew Coast, an integrated cashew business located in Cote dIvoire, with two processing factories employing over 1,000 people, primarily women, and supporting approximately 5,000 farmers. She currently sits on the board of GoviEx Uranium Inc., a Canadian mineral resource company, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, which is focused on the exploration and development of uranium properties in Africa, and is also a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Bayes Business School, City University London, UK, where she earned an Executive MBA. Salma started her career as a City solicitor with the global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright in London. David Laing, Chair of the Board of Fortuna, commented, On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am very pleased to extend Salma a warm welcome to our team. Her extensive business and operational experience in Africa will complement our Boards capabilities as Fortuna continues to position itself as a leading global precious metals mining company with operations in Latin America and West Africa. Mr. Jorge Ganoza, co-founder, President, CEO & Director of Fortuna, commented on the appointment of Ms. Seetaroo, Salmas knowledge, skill and experience in investment banking and business development in West Africa complement our Boards capacity to steward the company as we expand our presence in West Africa, one of the most prolific gold producing regions in the world. This year, West Africa is planned to contribute approximately 100,000 ounces to our gold production, which represents 27% of consolidated gold equivalent ounces. In 2022, the region will receive 71% of our capital investment budget of $244 million. We have seeded brownfield and greenfield opportunities to continue expanding gold production in the region in the coming years. About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. is a Canadian precious metals mining company with four operating mines in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Mexico and Peru, and a fifth mine under construction in Cote d'Ivoire. Sustainability is integral to all our operations and relationships. We produce gold and silver and generate shared value over the long-term for our stakeholders through efficient production, environmental protection, and social responsibility. For more information, please visit our website. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Jorge A. Ganoza President, CEO and Director Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Investor Relations: Carlos Baca | info@fortunasilver.com | Twitter: @Fortuna_Silver | LinkedIn: fortunasilvermines Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, Forward-looking Statements). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements. The Forward-looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Companys plans for its mines and mineral properties; estimates of gold production from operations in Burkina Faso, and the percentage of consolidated gold equivalent ounces that this is estimated to represent for 2022; the Companys estimated capital investments attributable to West Africa for 2022, and the percentage that this represents of the Companys consolidated investment budget for 2022; proposed future continued investment in brownfields and greenfield opportunities in West Africa; and other matters. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as estimated, potential, open, future, assumed, projected, used, detailed, has been, gain, planned, reflecting, will, anticipated, estimated containing, remaining, to be, or statements that events, could or should occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. 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 be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys mining operations and construction activities; the duration and impacts of COVID-19 on the Companys production, workforce, business, operations and financial condition, and the risks relating to a global pandemic, which unless contained could cause a slowdown in global economic growth; uncertainties related to the impacts of COVID-19 which may include: changing market conditions, changing restrictions on the mining industry in the countries in which the Company operates, the ability to operate as a result of government imposed restrictions, including restrictions on travel, the transportation of concentrates and dore, access to refineries, the impact of additional waves of the pandemic or increases of incidents of COVID-19 in the countries in which we operate; the duration of any suspension of operations at the Companys mines as a result of COVID-19 which may affect production and the Companys business operations and financial condition; the risks associated with the completion of the business combination with Roxgold, including the ability of the Company to successfully consolidate functions, integrate operations, procedures and personnel; changes in prices for gold, silver and other metals; increase in inflations; changes in the prices of key supplies; technological and operational hazards in Fortunas mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; the ability of the current exploration programs to identify and/or expand mineral resources; operational risks in exploration and development; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects including the construction of the mine at the Seguela Project; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; changes to current estimates of mineral reserves and resources; changes to production and cost estimates; governmental and other approvals; changes in government, political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; fluctuations in currencies and exchange rates; the imposition of capital control in countries in which the Company operates; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Information Form. Although the Company 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. Forward-looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to the accuracy of the Companys current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Companys activities will be in accordance with the Companys public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that the reconciliation of mineral reserves at each of the Companys mines remains consistent with the mineral reserve model; changes to production estimates (which assume accuracy of projected ore grade, mining rates, recovery timing, and recovery rate estimates and may be impacted by unscheduled maintenance, labor and contractor availability and other operating or technical difficulties); the duration and impacts of COVID-19 on the Companys production, workforce, business, operations and financial condition, and the risks relating to a global pandemic, which could cause a slowdown in global economic growth; government mandates in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire with respect to mining operations generally or auxiliary businesses or services required for the Companys operations; government and the Companys attempts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 which may affect many aspects of the Companys operations, including transportation of personnel to and from site, contractor and supplier availability and the ability to sell or deliver concentrate and dore; the expected trends in mineral prices, currency exchange rates and rates of inflation; that the Companys activities will be in accordance with the Companys public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals and permits will be obtained for the Companys business and operations; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any Forward-looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that these Forward-looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward-looking Statements. Sydney, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Lithuania-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW Operator investment has been focussed on fibre broadband and mobile network upgrades. Fibre is now by far the dominant fixed broadband platform, with the number of DSL and cable connections in steady decline. A number of alternative operators offer services although the incumbent Telia Lithuania remains the dominant player in the fixed-line and broadband sectors. SIM card penetration is relatively high for the region, with a growing proportion of subscribers being on higher-ARPU contract plans. While LTE services are available nationally, operators have made steady investments in 5G, with Telia being the first MNO to launch a commercial 5G service earlier in 2022. The regulator has helped the network operators to develop 5G by allowing them to repurpose spectrum in the 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz bands. After some delay, the regulator is expected to complete the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.4GHz bands later in 2022. Service obligations on the licensees include the provision of services to the five main cities by the end of 2023. Total revenue from the electronic communications sector increased 4.1% in 2021, year-on-year, showing the fastest growth since 2016. Revenue growth in the mobile sector was driven mainly from mobile broadband services. This report provides an overview of Lithuanias fixed-line telecom sector. It includes a variety of statistics from the regulator and the main players, as well as an overview of regulatory developments and telecom infrastructure. In addition, the report reviews the highly developed mobile market, covering the major operators, regulatory developments, mobile technologies, and services. The report also offers a wide range of statistical data on the fixed and wireless broadband markets, including subscriber forecasts. Key developments: Telia launches a 2Gb/s fibre-based broadband service; Bite Group contracts Ericsson through to 2028 as the sole vendor for 5G covering Lithuania and Latvia; Regulator proceeds with 700MHz and 3.4GHz spectrum auctions for 5G, allows 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum to be repurposed for 5G; Telia aiming to close down 3G network by end-2022; Telia launches commercial 5G services; Tele2 launches fibre broadband services in Vilnius; Report update includes the regulators market data to December 2021, telcos financial and operating data to Q1 2022, updated Telecom maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments. Companies mentioned in this report: Telia Lietuvos (Telia Lithuania), Bite Lithuania, Vinita, Balticum TV, Tele 2, Cgates. Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Lithuania-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market Report 2022-2032" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06288936/?utm_source=GNW The Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market Report 2022-2032: This report will prove invaluable to leading firms striving for new revenue pockets if they wish to better understand the industry and its underlying dynamics. It will be useful for companies that would like to expand into different industries or to expand their existing operations in a new region. Growing Demand for Secure Packaging in the Pharmaceutical Industry Counterfeit drugs have become a more severe threat to international supply chain risk management, causing enterprises millions and millions of dollars and putting patients health in jeopardy. In the battle against counterfeit products, secure packaging is essential. As a result, strict laws was designed to make sure that pharmaceutical package could never be reproduced simply. Pharmaceutical packaging producers may simply create secure packaging that fulfils regulatory criteria thanks to sophisticated anti-counterfeiting technology. Counterfeiters are attempting to enter legitimate supply networks in addition to making fake pharmaceuticals. This enables them to seize legitimate cargo and resell it for a profit. Packaging production during the third shift is another possible security concern in the drug supply chain. Contractors or their employees carry out clandestine production runs, which are subsequently sold to counterfeiters. What Questions Should You Ask before Buying a Market Research Report? How is the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market evolving? What is driving and restraining the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market? How will each anti-counterfeit packaging technologies submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2032? How will the market shares for each anti-counterfeit packaging technologies submarket develop from 2022 to 2032? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2022 to 2032? Will leading anti-counterfeit packaging technologies markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2032 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2032? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2020 and 2032? What are the implication of anti-counterfeit packaging technologies projects taking place now and over the next 10 years? Is there a greater need for product commercialisation to further scale the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market? Where is the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market heading? And how can you ensure you are at the forefront of the market? What can be the best investment options for new product and service lines? What are the key prospects for moving companies into a new growth path and C-suite? You need to discover how this will impact the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market today, and over the next 10 years: Our 520+ page report provides 307 tables and 293 charts/graphs exclusively to you. The report highlights key lucrative areas in the industry so you can target them NOW. Contains in-depth analyse of global, regional and national sales and growth Highlights for you the key successful trends, changes and revenue projections made by your competitors This report tells you TODAY how the anti-counterfeit packaging technologies market will develop in the next 10 years, and in-line with the variations in COVID-19 economic recession and bounce. This market is more critical now than at any point over the last 10 years. Forecasts to 2032 and other analyses reveal the commercial prospects In addition to revenue forecasting to 2032, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. You find original analyses, with business outlooks and developments. Discover qualitative analyses (including market dynamics, drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges), cost structure, impact of rising anti-counterfeit packaging technologies prices and recent developments. This report includes data analysis and invaluable insight into how COVID-19 will affect the industry and your company. Four COVID-19 recovery patterns and their impact, namely, V, L, W and U are discussed in this report. Segments Covered in this Report Type Track and Trace Tamper-Evident Overt Covert Forensic Application Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals Food & Beverage Industrial and Automotive Apparel & Footwear Electrical & Electronics Other Applications Technologies Radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs) Barcodes Security Ink & Printing Smart Labels and Holograms Digital Encryption & Serialization Other Technologies In addition to the revenue predictions for the overall world market and segments, you will also find revenue forecasts for 4 regional and 20 leading national markets: North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany Spain United Kingdom France Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA Brazil Turkey Saudi Arabia South Africa UAE Rest of Latin America, Middle East and Africa The report also includes profiles and for some of the leading companies in the Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032, with a focus on this segment of these companies operations. Leading companies and the potential for market growth 3M Company Agfa Gevaert NV AlpVision SA Amcor plc Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. Arjo AB Authentix, Inc. Avery Dennison Corporation Catalent, Inc. CCL Industries Inc. Digimarc Corporation DuPont de Nemours, Inc. Giesecke & Devrient Impinj, Inc. Intelligent Label Solutions PharmaSecure Inc Sato Holdings Corporation SAVI Technology, Inc. Sicpa Holding S.A SML Group Systech International UFLEX Limited Zebra Technologies Corporation Overall world revenue for Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032 in terms of value the market will surpass US$172.93 billion in 2022, our work calculates. We predict strong revenue growth through to 2032. Our work identifies which organizations hold the greatest potential. Discover their capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead. How the Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032 Market report helps you? In summary, our 529-page report provides you with the following knowledge: Revenue forecasts to 2032 for Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032 Market, with forecasts for type, application, technologies each forecasted at a global and regional level discover the industrys prospects, finding the most lucrative places for investments and revenues Revenue forecasts to 2032 for 4 regional and 20 key national markets See forecasts for the Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032 market in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and LAMEA. Also forecasted is the market in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, UK, Italy, China, India, Japan, and Australia among other prominent economies. Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market including company profiles for 20 of the major companies involved in the Anti-counterfeit Packaging Technologies Market, 2022 to 2032 Market. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06288936/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ English Finnish The Savings Banks Group reforms its management model. The aim of the reform is to enable the Savings Banks Group to serve its customers in the best possible way in an increasingly competitive environment. As part of the reform, CEO Tomi Narhinen will leave his position at the Savings Banks Union Coop by mutual agreement. The management model reform will be led by Karri Alameri who has been appointed Acting CEO and took up the position on 27 June 2022. Mr. Alameri has long experience in implementing and leading change. According to Pirkko Ahonen, Chairman of the Board of Saving Banks Union Coop, the Savings Banks in Finland are in an excellent position to succeed, as the Savings Banks Group is a strong and solid institution with more than 200 years of experience. Additionally, the member banks are committed to the group, and our way to face the customer, regardless of the channel, is first-class. Further information: Pirkko Ahonen, Chairman of the Board, Saving Banks Union Coop +358 50 407 0334 pirkko.ahonen@saastopankki.fi Sp Mortgage Bank is part of the Savings Banks Group and the Savings Banks Amalgamation. The role of Sp Mortgage Bank is, together with Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc, to be responsible for obtaining funding for the Savings Banks Group from money and capital markets. Sp Mortgage Bank is responsible for the Savings Banks Group's mortgage-secured funding by issuing covered bonds. PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR, OTCQB: ARRNF, FSE: 1BHA) (ARR or 'the Company') is pleased to announce highly promising assay results from recent exploration drilling in the Halleck Creek Rare Earth project in Wyoming, USA. These preliminary results are from four of nine holes drilled at Halleck Creek. Results for the remaining five holes are pending assay analysis and expected soon. During the period from March to April 2022 the Company drilled nine holes for 917 meters and collected 650 core samples. The assay results from 280 samples from four core holes demonstrate consistent rare earth mineralization associated with clinopyroxene quartz monzonite (CQM) rocks of the Red Mountain Pluton (RMP). A more detailed report, including data tables and disclaimers, can be reviewed in the announcement section at https://www2.asx.com.au/markets/company/arr Due to these promising assay results the company will accelerate its exploration plans to define a maiden JORC resource at Halleck Creek. Planning is well underway for this exploration program and the company will update the market once drilling permits are finalized. CEO Chris Gibbs commented: This project continues to deliver well beyond our expectations. The initial acquisition was a tiny land package with some interesting surface data. We have since increased the land holding to over 6000 acres. Now we are beginning to understand the massive nature of this deposit as these drill assay results confirm our extensive field surface sample work. The sheer size and consistent higher grades of this deposit are extremely exciting. The low Thorium content will also set this deposit apart from others in the rare earths industry. Our next objectives for this project are to upgrade the Exploration Target and fast track establishing a significant JORC resource with our next drill campaign. Assay Results Preliminary assay results for four holes (HC22-RM01, HC22-RM02, HC22-RM03, HC22-RM04) indicate promising and consistent levels of rare earth element (REE) enrichment. Core holes HC22-RM01, HC22-RM02, and HC22-RM03 contain an average TREO value of 4,252 using a cut-off of TREO 1,500ppm. Rare Earth mineralization exceeding TREO 3,500 ppm continues to the end of each of these core holes. Thus the deposit remains open at depth. It is notable that these large thickness TREO mineralisation observations are significantly higher grade and deeper than that estimated in the Halleck Creek Exploration Target. (See Companys ASX Announcement, 26 April 2022) If current trends continue into the remaining core drilling assays, the Company intends to expand the current Exploration Target. Next Steps Additional drilling results, from the project, are expected to be reported in July, 2022. Next steps include updating the existing Exploration Target and developing a more comprehensive drilling program, intending to define a high tonnage maiden JORC resource. If successful, the project could become a major rare earths mine supplying the US defense industry and renewable energy supply chains. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below: This market announcement has been authorized for release to the market by the Board of American Rare Earths Limited. Mr. Chris Gibbs CEO & Managing Director Competent Persons Statement: The information in this document is based on a company memorandum entitled Preliminary Assay Results for Red Mountain Resource Area at Halleck Creek, June 2022, compiled by Ms. Sara Stotter and Mr. Dwight Kinnes (Society of Mining Engineers #4063295RM) employed by Western Rare Earths and American Rare Earths. This memorandum has been reviewed and approved for release by Mr. James R. Guilinger. Mr. Guilinger is Consulting Geologist at World Industrial Minerals LLC. Mr. Guilinger is a Qualified Professional Member (QP) #01260280RM of the Society of Mining Engineers (SME) and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 JORC Code. Mr. Guilinger consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based upon the information in the form and context in which it appears. About American Rare Earths: American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR, OTCQB: ARRNF, FSE: 1BHA) is an Australian company listed on the ASX with assets in the growing rare earth metals sector of the United States of America, emerging as an alternative international supply chain to China's market dominance of a global rare earth market expected to expand to US$20 billion by 2030. The Company's mission is to supply Critical Materials for Renewable Energy, Green Tech, Electric Vehicles, National Security, and a Carbon-Reduced Future. Western Rare Earths (WRE) is the wholly owned US subsidiary of the Company. ARR owns 100% of the Halleck Creek Rare Earths project. ARR's other flagship project is the world-class La Paz Rare Earth Project, located 170km northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. As a large tonnage, bulk deposit, La Paz is potentially the largest, rare-earth deposit in the USA and benefits from containing exceptionally low penalty elements such as radioactive thorium and uranium. La Paz and Halleck Creeks mineral profiles are incorporated into emerging US advanced rare earth processing technologies in collaboration with US national laboratories, major universities and the US DOE innovation hub, the Critical Materials Institute. Media Contact Susan Assadi susan@americanrareearths.com.au 347 977 7125 English French CN is building the premier railway of the 21st century by investing in Louisiana HOMEWOOD, Ill., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced today plans to invest approximately $25 million in Louisiana in 2022. This includes investments in technology, capacity, rolling stock units and company-wide decarbonization initiatives, as well as network improvements. These investments will power sustainable growth and ensure the continued safe movement of goods in Louisiana and everywhere on CNs transcontinental network. We continue to make significant investments in our network, technology, and capacity. We are building the premier railroad of the 21st century to do even more for our customers, railroaders, shareholders, and the communities in which we operate. Sean Finn, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer of CN CN is an integral part of the transportation system here in Louisiana, safely and reliably serving New Orleans and our industrial corridor on the Mississippi River, including my hometown of Amite, Louisiana. I thank CN for being a strong local partner, and I look forward to a continued relationship with the railroad as we work towards growing the state economy and bettering the communities we serve. John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana Maintenance program highlights include: Replacing 4 miles of rail; Installing approximately 20,000 new railroad ties; Rebuilding 16 road crossing surfaces; and Maintenance work on bridges, culverts, signal systems, and other track infrastructure Louisiana in numbers: Capital investments: More than US$300 million in the last five years Employees: approximately 280 Railroad route miles operated: 239 Community partnerships: US$9,000 in 2021 Local spending: US$29 million in 2021 Cash taxes paid: US$9 million in 2021 Forward-looking Statements Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under Canadian securities laws. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may not materialize and that current economic conditions render such assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made, subject to greater uncertainty. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology such as believes, expects, anticipates, assumes, outlook, plans, targets, or other similar words. Forward-looking statements reflect information as of the date on which they are made. CN assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable securities laws. In the event CN does update any forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that CN will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statement. About CN CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canadas Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through a 18,600-mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. Contacts: CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LiveToBeHappy, Inc. (OTC: CAVR) (LTBH or the Company), a vertically integrated lifestyle services company, today announced the grand opening of its RenuYou clinic in the Myers Park community of Charlotte, NC, is set for October 2022. We are thrilled to open our second location for RenuYou, our premier clinic that is pioneering the advancement of neurofeedback therapy, said Kevin Cox, Chief Executive Officer of LiveToBeHappy. The feedback from RenuYou patients has been resoundingly promising so far, including reports of alleviation of symptoms from those diagnosed with various disorders. Our expansion of the RenuYou footprint reflects our commitment to building brands and services that improve the lives of individuals in our community, which we apply across each of our businesses. The rollout of our RenuYou franchise strategy will allow us to expand our brand presence and diversify our revenue streams, said Grant Edwards, Chief Financial Officer of LiveToBeHappy. We believe RenuYou will be a stable, positive contributor to our overall financial performance as we continue to make progress across each of our business units. About LiveToBeHappy, Inc. LiveToBeHappy, Inc. (OTC: CAVR) is a vertically integrated platform company focused on developing and building lifestyle brands. The Company acquires undervalued assets and manages a diversified portfolio of technology, education, and real estate services companies. The LTBH mission is to build lives, not just places to live. For more information, please visit our website at www.livetobehappy.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements that include the words expect, intend, plan, believe, project, forecast, estimate, may, should, anticipate and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law. Company Contact: IR@LTBH.com Investor Relations: MZ North America +1 949-546-6326 LTBH@mzgroup.us New York, New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business Responsible Business Coalition (RBC), an incubator for collective action among the leaders of modern business to improve the ESG impact on industries worldwide, in partnership with Rockbridge Associates, today announced the results of a nationally representative survey designed to gain insight into consumers opinions related to fashion brands use of eco-labels on garments to provide information on sustainability and social responsibility. As the conscious consumer movement continues gaining momentum, theres been a large focus on fashion given the size and scope of the industry and its significant impact on the planet. Consumers have become increasingly more aware of the environmental and societal impacts associated with the manufacture, sale, use, and recyclability of the fashion brands that they wear. As a result, 69% of consumers say sustainability is an important factor when making a fashion purchase according to a 2021 study. To understand consumers needs and wants related to fashion eco-labels, RBC partnered with Rockbridge Associates to survey 500 US consumers on their level of interest in eco-labels, the environmental and social issues of greatest importance to them, and their preferred means of receiving this information as part of the 2021 National Technology Readiness Survey. Full findings can be found here. Notable survey findings include: When asked to rate interest in eco-labels on a scale of 1-7, approximately half of consumers responded with a 5, 6 or 7, indicating a substantial interest in eco-labels among this population. Interest in eco-labels is primarily driven by younger, college educated and employed fashion consumers who live in urban settings. By contrast, older, high school educated, and unemployed consumers tend to show much less interest. Nearly half of consumers (46%) indicated that recyclability is an issue of importance to them that they would like displayed on eco-labels, followed by human and labor rights (39%). One-in-three respondents (33%) indicated that chemical usage, animal welfare and material usage are important to them, with information on carbon footprint following close behind in importance, chosen by 31% of respondents. Most consumers (65%) want eco-labels attached directly to the garments that they are considering purchasing via a brand label, the price tag, or both. As it relates to online shopping, 44% of respondents indicated theyd prefer an eco-label in the form of a sustainability icon on the website, a website filter, or both. Taken as a whole, these results indicate that eco-conscious fashion consumers want brands to communicate garments sustainability credentials through a means that is straightforward and easily accessible. While the majority indicated they prefer this information displayed on either brand labels or price tags in-store, and displayed via an icon or website filter while online shopping, nearly one-in-four respondents (24%) also indicated that they would like a designated area (in-store or online) for purchasing sustainable products. Moreover, their first priorities for eco-labels are knowing that clothing can be recycled, as opposed to ending up in a landfill, that the brand treats humans and animals fairly, and that no harmful substances or materials were used in the manufacturing process. Its also worth noting that one-in-five consumers (21%) indicated diversity and inclusion information is of importance to them as well. From these findings, its clear that there is a lot of potential for eco-labels in the pursuit of sustainable fashion, said Dr. Lerzan Aksoy, managing director of the Responsible Business Coalition. While older generations may not find them as influential or necessary as younger generations, millennials and Gen Z will represent over half of the worlds income within the next ten years. Brands who want to remain competitive and relevant will need to prioritize transparency when it comes to social and environmental impact, and clearly communicating their credentials to these consumers. At the RBC, we believe fashion has the potential to be a powerful force for good in the world and are committed to working with leaders in the industry to identify people- and planet-focused solutions that protect ecosystems and people while driving business value and profitability. The release of the Consumer Interest in Fashion Eco-Labeling" survey comes on the heels of RBCs release of their Scaling ESG Solutions in Fashion report, which serves as a playbook on actionable solutions the fashion industry can implement now in order to lessen its impact and achieve sustainability goals. By implementing the solutions outlined, brands and retailers will be able to more clearly communicate their sustainability credentials via eco-labels online and in-store. To learn more about the Responsible Business Coalition, please visit: www.fordham.edu/RBC About the RBC: The Responsible Business Coalition (RBC) at Fordham Universitys Gabelli School of Business is an applied research center and incubator for collective action among the leaders of modern business, focused on building the business case for sustainability to drive transformation. The RBCs mission is to bridge industry and academia with a focus on sustainability, to convene leaders of modern business, incubate collective action, and engage faculty and industry leaders to foster a values-based education. About Rockbridge Associates: Rockbridge is an innovative market research firm that provides research and consulting to Fortune 500 companies in the services and technology sectors, as well as leading non-profits and government. The firm guides clients on strategic areas including customer loyalty, segmentation, branding, and product development. Rockbridge offers a suite of proven solutions designed with the sole purpose of discovering insights that drive business outcomes. Rockbridge was founded in 1992, and has offices in the Washington, DC and New York metro areas. www.rockresearch.com BELGRADE, Serbia, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brightscout, a leading Brand and Innovation studio for high-tech companies, is proud to announce the official opening of its brand new office in Belgrade, Serbia. The new Serbian office will serve as an extension of the Brightscout brand to provide the world-class design and innovation services it already offers in the United States to its customers in eastern and southeast Europe. In opening a branch in this location, Brightscout also seeks to tap into the talent and market potential of the region to build its universal infrastructure of elite designers, strategists, and engineers. The company looks to hire local talent within Belgrade to contribute to developing its global design and development services. It also aims to grow its client base and influence in the region and leverage new exciting partnerships. Targeting Local Talent to Develop Business Technology Products One of the top reasons Brightscout has grown from a small company with a handful of employees in Austin, Texas, to a global digital design agency is how the company approaches its product development, attention to detail and agile work style. It takes finding the right talent and passion for putting together a team of designers and developers who can understand these challenges from diverse perspectives. Brightscout is positioning itself among the first U.S.-based companies to fully venture into the Serbian market with the intention to establish roots in the region. Considering its rich market experience and success in the competitive American market, Brightscout is well-prepared to unleash its team and employ new talents and idea-makers to refine its efforts. Brightscout Areas of Expertise Coming to Serbia While it is a budding five-year-old company, Brightscout is led by a team of enterprise software veterans. This trusted expert team had worked most of their lives in business technology disciplines, including project management, network and system administration, DevOps, product design, cyber security, and development. Their experience with the most complex challenges and their controversial solutions have shaped the company into what it is today. However, their tech verticals and problem-solving approaches are proven, and they are ready to bring them to Southeast Europe. The opening of a new Brightscout office in Belgrade is Brightscout's ongoing effort to grow its global business. The company is establishing itself as a leader in business-transforming technology services by opening offices in growing global markets over the next half-decade to better further its business interests, client base, and partners. About Brightscout Founded in 2017, and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Brightscout provides digital design and innovation services that give clients the ability to compete and scale in highly competitive markets. Brightscout boasts of a multi-discipline design and development team who has earned recognition from the likes of Awwwards, CSS Winner and Webby awards. They provide product management services that simplify and implement complex ideas and feature an engineering team who takes pride in building new products and fixing existing ones. In addition, its business strategy and data analysis tools use the latest tools in the market to ensure the company provides lasting solutions to current problems. Brightscout, Inc. 600 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701 Email: hello@brightscout.com Phone: (512) 298-2593 Website: https://www.brightscout.com/ Related Images Image 1: Belgrade Brightscout Office This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday declared that he will rule the country after elections expected next year. Addressing scores of mourners at the burial of the late constitutional law expert and academic Alex Magaisa in Mangisi Village, Chikomba district in Wedza, Mashonaland East province, Chamisa (44) said it was high time Zanu PF leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa prepared for his retirement. Mnangagwa (79) has already been endorsed by his party as the presidential candidate for the 2023 elections. He came into power on the back of a November 2017 coup which toppled late former President Robert Mugabe. I am going to lead, no doubt about that. I feel it, the heavens have endorsed me. Even endorsed me. Even my brother Mnangagwa is feeling the heat. We are not going to let go of our victory this time, Chamisa declared. My brother Mnangagwa will be on pension in Kwekwe, while we will be leading this country to glory. Even (Vice-President) Constantino Chiwenga, he will be in his rural home of Wedza enjoying pension benefits. An old man cannot till the land, while a young a man is there, he added. Zanu PF director for information Tafadzwa Mugwadi yesterday scoffed at Chamisas utterances, saying: The boy is over-excited for nothing. Chamisa will for the second time be contesting against Mnangagwa for the Presidency next year. In 2018, Chamisa, who was then the MDC Alliance leader, narrowly lost to Mnangagwa after both candidates amassed more than two million votes each. The opposition leader accused Mnangagwa of rigging the elections through the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and State security apparatus. Chamisa also told mourners that Zimbabwes economy has been completely destroyed by people who claim to be educated, including Finance minister Mthuli Ncube. In his eulogy, Chamisa described Magaisa, who died of a heart ailment on June 6 in the United Kingdom at the age of 46, as a true academic. Magaisa was a true academic; his writings were for the good of the people. This country has been destroyed by people who claim to be educated, the CCC leader said. I was listening to (Mthuli) Ncube recently as he said this and that, but he has failed. He was roaming around, no direction in his speech, nothing new. Zimbabweans are suffering, they need a better life. Chamisa pleaded for peace during the forthcoming 2023 polls, saying: I am here to represent Zimbabwe, I and Mnangagwa are one. There is, therefore, no need for us to fight over our political differences because we are one people. Chikomba district, where Magaisa was buried, has over the years experienced serious political violence which claimed the lives of a number of opposition activists. Chamisa bemoaned political persecution in the country and pleaded to Mnangagwa to end the heavy-handedness on political dissent, including arrests of CCC MPs Job Sikhala (Zengeza West) and Godfrey Sithole (Chitungwiza North). We all know that Sikhala is in prison for challenging bad governance and speaking the truth. We do not want that, he added. The late Kent University law lecturer, Magaisa was well known for his incisive legal and constitutional analysis published in his blog, the Big Saturday Read. His burial yesterday was attended by several high-profile people from all walks of life, which included top lawyers, civic society organisation (CSOs) leaders, academics and others who braved the chilly weather to say goodbye to their colleague. When he died early this month, CSOs declared him the peoples hero. Newsday Charleston, SC, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Marie Florence Desire immigrated to the US as a child. Empowered by a land of opportunity, Marie seized her chance for a better education and ultimately pursued a career in elementary education. Throughout her career, she recognized the importance of lifelong financial security and developed a set of guiding principles to allow her to strategically plan and invest. Forever a teacher, Marie is ready to impart her knowledge to help others achieve financial success. In her debut book, Improve Your Finances Year After Year, Marie cuts through the noise of financial advisors and offers simple tips on organization, creating a budget, and setting intentions for the future. Whether you are looking to grow individual wealth or an entrepreneur looking to start or grow a business, her helpful instructions take the guesswork out of financial decisions. This engaging and easy step-by-step guide provides access to financial literacy for all and will set readers on a path toward total financial freedom. Marie has lived the process and reaped the rewards. And now she is ready to show the world how they can achieve their financial goals too Improve Your Finances Year After Year is available for purchase online at Amazon.com. For more information on the book and Marie Florence Desire, please visit DesireLiteracy.com or any of her social media platforms. Marie Florence Desire is a non-fiction writer. She immigrated to the United States from Port-au-Prince, Haiti at the age of eight. She has a masters degree in special education and taught elementary education for 22 years. She enjoys broadening her knowledge of culture and the Arts. Attachment RENO, Nev., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Dickson Commercial Group (DCG), a locally owned and operated, full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Reno, announced the formation of its new healthcare services division, DCG Medical Group. The division includes a Nevada-based, eight-person team led by Jamie Krahne, previously with Ensemble Real Estate Solutions. "Both Ensemble and Jamie have a successful track record of development, leasing and management of real estate within our state's healthcare industry," said Dominic Brunetti, a Principal owner at DCG. "We are proud to carry that forward; building off the relationships they have cultivated in the healthcare space in northern and southern Nevada." The team will continue to perform leasing and property management services for 396,888 square feet on three Reno hospital campuses and leasing for 692,888 square feet on six Las Vegas hospital campuses. "I am thrilled at the opportunity for my team and I to join Dickson Commercial Group as our home to continue servicing our healthcare clients and medical office community," said Krahne "The assets have played an integral role in delivering healthcare in the state of Nevada for several decades, making it a natural choice to partner with a Nevada real estate firm." Krahne will lead the DCG Med Group as Senior Vice President. Krahne is a healthcare real estate specialist overseeing leasing, marketing, property management, and construction management for more than one million square feet of medical office space in Nevada. She also acts as a tenant representative working on behalf of both private physician groups and various hospital systems as a real estate advisor. Krahne's success stems from her in-depth understanding of the unique needs of physicians and aligning the nuances of healthcare with their medical real estate needs. Krahne's involvement in managing her client's tenant improvements allows her to oversee the transaction from lease negotiation through completion of premises delivery. Mike Tymczyn will continue as vice president of leasing for six medical campuses in the Las Vegas market. Tymczyn brings more than 15 years of involvement within the southern Nevada healthcare community. He has worked for The Valley Health System, St. Rose Dominican Neighborhood Hospitals: Dignity Health, North Vista Hospital, and Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center. Tymczyn will focus primarily on leasing in Las Vegas, Henderson, and surrounding areas. Also in Las Vegas, Lily Ponce, RBA will continue as the leasing assistant with a focus on supporting Krahne and Tymczyn. In northern Nevada, Nikki Tanner, senior property manager, will lead DCG Med Group's Reno property management portfolio of three hospital campuses including Northern Nevada Medical Center, St. Mary's Center for Health, and Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center. She will also continue managing the Copperfield Medical Building in South Reno. Tanner brings 23 years of property management experience to the organization and teaches pre-licensing courses for property management permits. The engineering team will be led by Mark Rumble, alongside building engineer Fred Bonnenfant, who share a combined experience of 20 years. Elisa Weeks, the property management assistant, has been involved in real estate since 2001 and is licensed in Nevada and California. Cody Chorjel is the property accountant in charge of all financial reporting for the northern Nevada portfolio. For more information, visit the DCG Medical Group website. DCG Medical Group has the insight and integrated approach to help healthcare clients design, implement and manage real estate solutions. We specialize in on-and off-campus facilities, including hospital-sponsored facilities, investor-owned facilities, and physician-owned office buildings. Chrisie Yabu chrisie.yabu@kps3.com Related Images Image 1: DCG Medical Group This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment DANVILLE, Calif., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crosschq , pioneers of the Talent Intelligence Cloud that is powering a revolution in data-driven hiring and people analytics, announced today that TalentWall co-founder, Jo Avent, has been named Chief People Officer of the combined entity. Crosschq acquired TalentWall, the popular recruiting analytics platform that enables talent acquisition teams to hire more efficiently and collaboratively through the use of data, in May 2022. Now more than 80 people strong, Crosschq supports 450+ customers and more than 9,000 active users at companies including Snowflake, Box, HubSpot, Palo Alto Networks, GoPuff, Glassdoor, Upwork, DISH, Roblox, Flexport, Cloudflare, Reddit, and more. Avent co-founded TalentWall in 2017, along with Jacob Paul and Nick Urban. Earlier in her career, she was an independent consultant specializing in recruiting selection process design, adapting agile methods for talent teams, and diversity and inclusion programs. Before that, she was a program manager at ThoughtWorks, where she began as a recruiter. Her career started in the IT recruiting category, where she was a recruiter for a London-based consultancy. Jos combined experience of running recruiting teams, followed by building her own talent technology company makes her exceptionally well-suited to lead this role, said Michael Fitzsimmons, CEO of Crosschq. She has consistently proven her ability to translate ideas into action, through her firsthand experience of what it takes to help employees develop while supporting the goals of the business. Avent commented, Going from co-founder to Chief People Officer is perhaps an unusual path but since Ive done some aspect of every role in an organization, Im keenly aware of the dynamics between different teams and the challenges faced by each role. She continued, We create people products for use by people who are, in turn, collaborating with people, putting us in such a unique position. The Crosschq product suite in use within our own organization respects and elevates the voice of the candidate and employee, ensuring they are well-positioned for success. Im excited to be part of the difference were making. About Crosschq Crosschq is powering a revolution in data-driven hiring and people analytics to help companies better recruit and retain talent. Crosschq's Talent Intelligence Cloud provides solutions across the new hire lifecycle to help enhance sourcing, screening, and onboarding new hires while providing a single source of truth for customers to accurately measure Quality of Hire. The company's AI-driven cloud-based SaaS solutions were built with a talent-first approach prioritizing trust and transparency, minimizing bias, and protecting privacy. Leading innovative companies like Snowflake, HubSpot, Glassdoor, Upwork, and DISH trust Crosschq to help build diverse, winning teams. Founded in 2018, Crosschq is backed by Tiger Global Management, GGV Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, SAP.iO, Intersect Capital, Okta Ventures, Slack Fund, and Rocketship.vc. To learn more, visit crosschq.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d960380f-0483-4ee4-ba0c-041ed8afdbd8 LEAMINGTON, Ontario, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadas food workers union published its annual Status of Migrant Agricultural Workers Report at the UFCW Canada Agricultural Worker Support Centre in Leamington, Ontario, on Sunday, June 26. Leamington is the epicentre of factory greenhouse farming in Canada, which is a multi-billion-dollar business that uses tens of thousands of migrants from the Global South every year. The special COVID-19 report highlights the increasing vulnerability experienced by migrant workers in the wake of a deadly pandemic which has already claimed the lives of nine workers. The report makes twenty recommendations that must be implemented as part of a desperately needed overhaul of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) to more adequately address the well-evidenced vulnerability that migrant workers experience. Much of the food we enjoy in Canada is the product of migrant labour, yet migrant workers continue to be mistreated by some irresponsible employers and a system that desperately lacks the necessary reforms to effectively tackle the abuse that migrants in Canada have long endured, says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema. The time is now for the federal government to work with UFCW to find solutions, and to reduce vulnerability and migrant exploitation, adds Meinema referring to the growing number of calls the union is receiving from migrants who end up being victims of human trafficking. Migrant workers joined UFCW activists for the report launch, as did Mexican Congressman and Federal Deputy for Migration Alejandro Robles, who made the trip from Mexico to be part of the announcement and solidarity event hosted at the Leamington support centre. For more than three decades, UFCW Canada has led the fight for migrant workers rights. To learn more about this advocacy and the reforms that are urgently needed, see UFCW Canada's report: The Status of Migrant Farm Workers in Canada, 2022. About UFCW Canada is the countrys leading private sector union, representing more than 250,000 union members across Canada working in food retail and processing, transportation, health care, logistics, warehousing, agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, and the security and professional sectors. UFCW is the country's most innovative organization dedicated to building fairness in workplaces and communities. UFCW Canada members are your neighbours who work at your local grocery stores, hotels, car rental agencies, nursing homes, restaurants, food processing plants, and thousands of other locations across the country. Contact Information Derek Johnstone UFCW Canada 416-679-3417 derek.johnstone@ufcw.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9ef52425-1a52-4369-8e68-f508fb16a611 SALT LAKE CITY, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elevar Therapeutics, Inc., a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company dedicated to elevating treatment experiences and outcomes for patients who have limited or inadequate therapeutic options, today announced the hiring of Jan M. Van Tornout, M.D., MSc., as chief medical officer, and Gordon Schooley, Ph.D., as chief regulatory officer. Van Tornout, an accomplished hematologist-oncologist, genetic epidemiologist and pharma-biotech executive, joins Elevar after serving as acting chief medical officer of biotechnology company Tyme Technologies, Inc. since March 2021. He brings more than 25 years experience in the medical industry and related academia, including over 15 years successfully developing drugs across the full spectrum of hematological, oncological and immuno-oncological indications from pre-investigational new drug (IND) meeting through Phase 4. Jan Van Tornouts broad experience and demonstrated leadership in every phase of the clinical development process, and his interest in the potential of drugs that address gaps in critical medical treatments, make him an ideal addition to the Elevar team, said Dr. Saeho Chong, chief executive officer of Elevar. We are pleased to add him to our leadership team. Van Tornouts clinical management and development experience includes work for Moleculin Biotech, Inc., Bright Peak Therapeutics, Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Puma Biotherapeutics, Maverick Therapeutics, ERT Inc., HUYA Bioscience Intl, Gradalis Inc., Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Natera Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Amgen. He played an instrumental role in two successful NDAs, led several INDs and has expertise in all phases of clinical trials. Van Tornout previously held academic appointments at the University of Southern California (USC), with a clinical appointment as attending pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium, a Master of Science in classical philosophy from KUL and a Bachelor of Science from the Faculte Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium. He obtained his certification as a pediatrician from the Gasthuisberg University Hospitals, KUL, and completed his training as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Childrens Hospital. Van Tornout earned a Master of Science in applied biometry from USC and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular epidemiology at USC. Schooley, a global regulatory leader with more than 30 years of drug development experience, joins Elevar after nine years as chief regulatory officer for BeyondSpring Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops immuno-oncology cancer therapies. Careful navigation of the road to regulatory approval is so critical to the clinical development process and Gordon Schooley has demonstrated his leadership in this discipline throughout his distinguished career, said Chong. His addition to the Elevar team adds valuable perspective with respect to both regulatory strategy and execution, and will bolster our efforts to fulfill the unmet needs of patients awaiting new therapeutic options. Schooley has spent more than a quarter century at the vice president level or higher, working in both startup and large company environments. Hes led global development teams through every clinical development milestone; worked closely with regulatory bodies in several different countries; overseen successful breakthrough designations and accelerated approvals; and managed complex label negotiations for initial product approvals. Prior to BeyondSpring, Schooley spent seven years as a consultant for drug development activities related to clinical development, biostatistics and regulatory affairs. He previously worked at SkyePharma PLC/Pacira Pharma, Alliance Pharmaceuticals and Allergan/Herbert Labs. Schooley holds a doctorate in biostatistics from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He earned a Master of Science in statistics and Bachelor of Science in business management at Brigham Young University. About Elevar Therapeutics United States, Rockville MD, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Fact.MR's recently released analysis on ferroniobium, worldwide demand stood at 134 kilo tons at the end of 2021. Due to lack of local production and efficient replacements, ferroniobium is strategically important to many developed and developing countries, including the United States. This is on top of its use in military equipment, such as in missiles and other aerospace applications. Ferroniobium has been named as one of the top 23 minerals that are critical to the U.S. economy and national security. It has a vulnerable supply chain and performs a critical function in the manufacturing of several products, without which, national security would suffer serious consequences. For Critical Insights on Ferroniobium Market, Request a Sample Report https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=7514 Demand for ferroniobium is inelastic, and it dropped by only 8% in the previous eight months. This refers to the reality that, to some extent, demand remains steady even when prices grow. Drop in ferroniobium demand in the worldwide steel sector during the global economic downturn and also during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, had only a minor influence on ferroniobium pricing. This is understandable, considering that, while ferroniobium is just a small part of the total cost of HSLA steel, its utilisation provides significant performance and cost benefits to steel makers and their consumers. Owing to this, global producers such as CBMM and CMOC are seeing market growth as a result of rising steel demand and they have expanded their existing facilities to 250 thousand metric tons in 2021, up from 110 thousand metric tons per annum in 2019. What are some of the Upcoming Use Cases of Ferroniobium? Niobium is used in the creation of high-performance and ultra-safe ultra-rapid rechargeable batteries for electric cars, as well as medical imaging, particle accelerators, and space exploration. Jet-engine components, rocket subassemblies, gas turbines, and turbo-charge systems, along with various other heat-resistant and combustion equipment, all employ large amounts of niobium in nickel, cobalt, and iron-based superalloys. This ferroniobium super alloy was employed in advanced airframe systems of the Gemini program and the primary engine of Apollo Lunar Modules, as well as the rocket thruster nozzles of SpaceX's Melin Vacuum engines for the upper stages of the Falcon 9 rocket. Moreover, niobium's usage in battery packs is a promising breakthrough. Toshiba's next-generation battery pack for electric cars has a niobium anode, which allows for improved performance, longer life, faster charging, and safer batteries. It is projected to become an industry standard. Niobium is classified as a 'strategic metal' by some nations, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Russia, due to its broad usage in defence and aerospace. Because there are just a few sources throughout the world and it is entirely reliant on imports, the critical nature of niobium is high in the United States of America. Owing to the aforementioned reasons, demand for ferroniobium is on the rise and is anticipated to provide a higher absolute $ opportunity over the short-term forecast period. To learn more about Ferroniobium Market, you can get in touch with our Analyst at https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=7514 Key Segments Covered in the Ferroniobium Industry Survey Ferroniobium Market by Form : Lumps Fines Briquettes Ferroniobium Market by Grade : Standard Ferroniobium High Purity Ferroniobium Ferroniobium Market by End Use : HSLA Production Stainless Steel Production Others Ferroniobium Market by Region : North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia & Oceania Middle East & Africa Winning Strategy End users involved in the steel manufacturing industry, as well as vital stakeholders across diverse end-use industries, are investing in expanding their production capacity. Tier-2 manufacturers need to follow suit and invest in setting up their production facilities closer to mines and collaborating with mine owners and end users in an attempt to capitalize on new pioneering discoveries in ferroniobium, ensuring futuristic revenue-generating opportunities. R&D into next-generation battery technologies and burgeoning demand for newer-age space-flight technologies are already on the horizon, and manufacturers have been quite vocal in their strategies to increase their market presence and regional dominance. Currently, the market has remained oligopolistic and newer players find it extremely difficult to enter the market in such a competitive scenario. Get Customization on Ferroniobium Market Report for Specific Research Solutions https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=7514 Key players in the Ferroniobium Market Existing Players Anglo American CBMM Niobec (Magris Company) China Molybdenum Potential Players Cradle Resources Alkane Resources Key Takeaways from Ferroniobium Market Study Regional markets of the future will continue to be reliant on imports, as two of the mines that are situated in Brazil currently serve over 92% of the global demand. Ferroniobium has always been a demand-driven commodity and supplying it has always been a challenge. Because there are just a few producers in the market, worldwide supply is constrained. Based on end use, HSLA production is poised to account for over 85% of the total consumption of ferroniobium. By 2032, North America is expected to account for 25.8% of the worldwide ferroniobium market share. Fact.MRs Domain Expertise in Chemicals and Materials Division Expert analysis, actionable insights, and strategic recommendations of the highly seasoned chemicals and materials team at Fact.MR helps clients from across the globe with their unique business intelligence needs. With a repertoire of over thousand reports and 1 million-plus data points, the team has analysed the chemicals and materials division across 50+ countries for over a decade. The team provides unmatched end-to-end research and consulting services. Explore More Chemical and Materials Industry Reports: Biodiesel Market- The global biodiesel market reached a valuation of US$ 90.4 Bn in 2020. Demand for biodiesel is slated to rise at a CAGR of 6.9% to reach US$ 187.6 Bn by the end of 2031. Agricultural Fumigants Market- The global Agricultural Fumigants Market is estimated at US$ 1 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 1.4 Bn by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 2.8% through the forecast period of 2022-2032. Cryogenic Ethylene Market- Worldwide consumption of cryogenic ethylene is estimated at US$ 4.78 Bn in 2022. Detailed industry analysis has revealed that, the global cryogenic ethylene market is forecast to reach a valuation of US$ 11.53 Bn by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 9.2% during 2022-2032. Abrasives Market- The global abrasives market was valued at US$ 54.03 Bn in 2020. Consumption of abrasives is expected to increase at a CAGR of 5.5% to reach a market valuation of US$ 97.7 Bn by the end of 2031. Anticoagulant Rodenticides Market- The global Anticoagulant rodenticides Market is estimated at US$ 720.4 Mn in 2022 and is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 1.4 Bn by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 3.3% through the forecast period of 2022-2032. Flock Adhesives Market- The global Flock Adhesive market is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 4.6 Bn by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 5.5% through the forecast period of 2022-2032. Aroma Chemicals Market- The market for aroma chemicals is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% between 2022 and 2032, from US$ 5,127 Million in 2022 to reach US$ 8,115.52 Million in 2032. Demulsifiers Market- Demulsifiers Market Value is projected to reach US$ 3.25 Bn by 2032-end, increasing at a CAGR of around 3.4% over the decade. Global demand for demulsifiers increased year-on-year (YoY) at 1.7% in 2021 to reach a market valuation of US$ 2.28 Bn at the end of 2021. Bonded Magnet Market- The global bonded magnet market is estimated at US$ 5.1 Bn in 2022, and is forecast to reach a valuation of US$ 10.9 Bn by 2032, expanding at an impressive CAGR of 7.8% from 2022 to 2032. Super Absorbent Polymers Market- The global super absorbent polymers (SAP) market saw steady growth at 3.5% CAGR over the past half-decade and is set to be valued over US$ 6 Bn in 2022. Detailed industry analysis reveals that worldwide super absorbent polymer consumption is predicted to increase at 4.9% CAGR to reach a valuation of US$ 9.7 Bn by 2032. About Us: Market research and consulting agency with a difference! Thats why 80% of Fortune 1,000 companies trust us for making their most critical decisions. While our experienced consultants employ the latest technologies to extract hard-to-find insights, we believe our USP is the trust clients have on our expertise. Spanning a wide range from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare & retail, our coverage is expansive, but we ensure even the most niche categories are analyzed. Our sales offices in United States and Dublin, Ireland. Headquarter based in Dubai, UAE. Reach out to us with your goals, and well be an able research partner. Contact: Mahendra Singh US Sales Office: 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 Email: sales@factmr.com Tel: +1 (628) 251-1583 Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Washington, DC, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, in a major win for cannabis patients, the DC Council voted unanimously to pass the Medical Marijuana Self-Certification Emergency Amendment Act of 2022. This bill allows individuals 21 years of age and older to self-certify their eligibility for medical cannabis without needing a healthcare practitioner's recommendation. The bill expands access to medical cannabis by easing the logistical burden of becoming a medical cannabis patient. Bypassing the arbitrary and antiquated recommendation process will allow patients to save time and money - often hundreds of dollars because these types of appointments are not covered by insurance, creating an additional barrier. Studies have shown that even among adult-use customers, the majority are using cannabis for health and wellness reasons. This reform makes DC one of the most accessible and affordable medical programs in the country. The bill also expedites the medical cannabis card process to one day if the patient selects to visit ABRAs office located at 2000 14th Street, NW. By allowing residents 21+ to self-certify as medical cannabis patients, access to safe and legal medical cannabis will expand and residents will hopefully be deterred from obtaining potentially harmful street cannabis from illegal sources, said Linda Mercado Greene, Chair of the DC Cannabis Trade Association. It is absolutely critical to have a safe, legal cannabis market so that those who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes are able to safely and reliably access their medicine. Currently, ABRA is waiving registration fees through August 18, 2022, meaning no out-of-pocket cost for patients. The program allows patients to purchase up to two ounces and offers reciprocity for patients registered in 38 other states. This bill was considered on an emergency basis and will take effect immediately, pending mayoral review. DCCTA thanks CM Mary Cheh for sponsoring the bill, CM Kenyan McDuffie for co-sponsoring, and Chairman Phil Mendelson for putting it on the agenda. The DC Cannabis Trade Association (DCCTA) is a coalition of legally licensed cannabis businesses. For more information on DCCTA, you can visit our website at dccta.org. ### HOD HASHARON, Israel, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Weebit Nano Limited (ASX:WBT; Weebit or the Company),a leading developer of next-generation memory technologies for the global semiconductor industry, is pleased to announce it has taped-out (released to manufacturing) demonstration chips integrating its embedded Resistive Random-Access Memory (ReRAM) module to SkyWater Technologys foundry. This is the first tape-out of Weebits ReRAM technology to a production fab and is a major milestone toward commercialization. The technology will be available on SkyWaters 130nm CMOS process, which is ideal for applications such as analog, power management, automotive, IoT and medical. SkyWater customers can now use the highly integrated demo chip as the final platform for testing and prototyping ahead of volume production. Coby Hanoch, CEO of Weebit Nano, said: Weve developed a close and efficient partnership with SkyWater, enabling us to meet our milestones, and bringing us ever closer to volume production. This successful tape-out concludes the technology transfer to SkyWaters US production fab, and once the chips are back from the fab, we will proceed with technology qualification. Were in discussions with early-adopter customers looking to leverage our faster, more efficient memory technology to increase their competitiveness in the market. Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater president and CEO, said: We plan to offer Weebit ReRAM as part of our growing portfolio of silicon-proven design IP. Weebit ReRAM is a rich building block our customers can leverage to create innovative, highly differentiated SoC designs. Given the technologys ultra-low power consumption and integration flexibility, we are already seeing enthusiastic interest from customers in areas such as IoT, power management and mixed-signal designs. Weebits embedded ReRAM module includes a 256Kb ReRAM array, control logic, decoders, IOs (Input/Output communication elements) and error correcting code (ECC). It is designed with unique patent-pending analog and digital smart circuitry running smart algorithms, thereby significantly enhancing the memory arrays technical parameters. It also supports an extended temperature range, 10 years data retention at high temperatures, fast access time, extremely low standby power, and is radiation-hardened (rad-hard) by nature. The demo chip comprises a full sub-system for embedded applications, including the Weebit ReRAM module, a RISC-V microcontroller (MCU), system interfaces, memories and peripherals. Approved for release by the Board of Weebit Nano Limited. About Weebit Nano Limited Weebit Nano Ltd. is a leading developer of next-generation semiconductor memory technology. The companys ground-breaking Resistive RAM (ReRAM) addresses the growing need for significantly higher performance and lower power memory solutions in a range of new electronic products such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, smartphones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, 5G communications and artificial intelligence. Weebits ReRAM allows semiconductor memory elements to be significantly faster, less expensive, more reliable and more energy efficient than those using existing Flash memory solutions. As it is based on fab-friendly materials, the technology can be quickly and easily integrated with existing flows and processes, without the need for special equipment or large investments. See www.weebit-nano.com and follow us on https://twitter.com/WeebitNano. Weebit Nano and the Weebit Nano logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Weebit Nano Ltd. in the United States and other countries. Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. For further information please contact: Investors Eric Kuret, Market Eye P: +61 417 311 335 E: eric.kuret@marketeye.com.au Media Australia Tristan Everett, Market Eye P: +61 403 789 096 E: tristan.everett@marketeye.com.au Media US Jen Bernier-Santarini, Weebit Nano P: +1 650-336-4222 E: jen@weebit-nano.com South Africa: President Ramaphosa urges Africa to focus on food security President Cyril Ramaphosa says food, fertiliser and grain shortages caused by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia must motivate Africa to wake up and take food security into its own hands. The President was speaking following discussions held at the G7 Leaders' Summit held in Bavaria, Germany. There are food shortages. Food prices have gone up. Theres a shortage of fertilisers, cereals and grains that Russia and Ukraine produce are not getting through, and this has led to huge shortages and prices have gone up for many developing economy countries. United Nations Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] explained the initiatives he has been involved in to open the channels so that the grains, cereals and fertilisers that come from Russia and the Ukraine can begin to be exported to various parts of the world, he said. President Ramaphosa said discussions expanded to a proposition similar to the one we worked on with the vaccines, which would culminate in African countries producing their own fertilisers and gaining self-reliance. We want African countries to be self-reliant when it comes to fertiliser production and we are going to be working with G7 countries. I am particularly pleased and excited that we should improve fertiliser production on the African continent to secure food security be it grains or any other type of food commodity. It is fertilisers that are going to help us reach that level. Africa must begin to produce its own fertilisers; we must become economically independent when it comes to food security. As much as there is conflict, the silver lining is that it could actually make us wake up and begin to produce our own fertilisers to secure our own food security. Climate change The President said during deliberations, fruitful discussions were held on climate change and the responsibility that developed countries have to ensure that developing countries are supported in their just energy transitions. The G7 countries recognised that many developing economy countries are not responsible for the terrible emissions that have led to climate change and they recognised that they have a responsibility,and also need to pledge solidarity to assist us as we traverse towards [a] renewable energy type of economic development and that they need to make funding available. They recognised that they did not live up to their [Paris Climate Accords]... to provide funding for developing economies so that we can begin to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, he said. President Ramaphosa revealed that negotiations are underway regarding South Africas $8.5 billion energy transition deal that was struck at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year with Germany committing a further 300 million to the countrys transition. Negotiations are still going to ensue as to what that exact package means for us. But we made it clearthat we will only be able to embark on a [just energy] transition [which] makes sure that the jobs of our mine workers are not adversely affected and the communities that live in and around mining towns are also not adversely affected. So we need to manage the transition very well. It needs to be done within a timeframe that will enable us to accede to a renewable energy transition particularly as we begin to embrace new technologies such as hydrogen [and] such as fuel cells. We need to walk together with our people in full consultation so that no one is ever left behind, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Digital yuan helps stimulate consumption, supports recovery of SMEs across China People's Daily Online) 17:10, June 28, 2022 A visitor (R) applies to access payment with digital Chinese yuan (e-CNY) at the first China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, May 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng) Multiple Chinese cities have recently issued red packets of digital yuan, or e-CNY, to stimulate consumption, with more e-CNY applications to be introduced in the future. On May 30, Shenzhen city in south Chinas Guangdong Province started distributing e-CNY red packets worth 30 million yuan (about $4.50 million) on Meituan, a Chinese e-commerce platform, to revive consumption and aid businesses. In the latest campaign, local consumers could join in a lottery for digital yuan red packets to spend the embedded money at over 15,000 offline merchants and through online consumption scenarios provided by Meituan. Similarly, Chengdu city in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province began handing out digital yuan consumption vouchers on Meituan on June 12. The vouchers can be used to foot the bill for food, hotel bookings, tickets for tourist attractions, and other life services on Meituan. Wenzhou city in east Chinas Zhejiang Province issued red packets of digital yuan worth 30 million yuan between June 19 and June 21, while Xiamen city in southeast Chinas Fujian Province began giving away digital yuan red packets worth 20.22 million yuan and e-CNY discount coupons worth 40 million on June 22. Driven by digital yuan red packets and consumption vouchers, consumers have shown enthusiasm using the e-CNY when engaging in consumption activities. From May 30 to June 19, the average daily number of orders on Meituan paid in digital yuan rocketed about 115 percent, compared with the number from May 9 to May 29. Rolled out in January this year, the e-CNY payment service on the platform had attracted some 6 million users by June 20. Data from JD Technology, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant JD.com, has indicated that users spent a total of about 400 million yuan using the e-CNY on the e-commerce platform during the mid-year shopping festival known as 618 that lasted for weeks, more than 18 times the sum for the same period one year ago. Issuing e-CNY subsidies can aid consumption and helps small and medium-sized businesses in recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. After Shenzhen started issuing consumption vouchers and digital yuan red packets, our business has gotten better, said an executive at a 24-hour supermarket chain based in Shenzhen, adding that the chain received a much larger number of orders during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on June 3 this year. The supermarket chain, though seeing a hit from the ongoing pandemic, saw a recovery in its prospects thanks to the digital yuan red packets recently distributed by Shenzhen. Over 20 supermarkets operated under the chain have benefited from the digital yuan red packets, the executive introduced. From May 30 to June 19, consumers used the e-CNY at over 52,000 merchants in Shenzhen listed on Meituan. Their total number of orders increased by 58.9 percent year-on-year and the total order value meanwhile rose by 64.6 percent from the same period last year. Data from the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), the countrys central bank, showed that transactions using e-CNY reached about 87.6 billion yuan by the end of 2021, with 261 million individual wallets for the digital yuan opened and over 8 million application scenarios formed. The combination of the e-CNY, consumption vouchers and e-commerce platforms can promote the use of the digital yuan and boost the recovery of consumption, said Zhou Maohua, a researcher with the China Everbright Bank. The usage of digital yuan has also been extended to include financial services. Recently, China Construction Bank has allowed its mobile app users in pilot cities to buy wealth management products with the e-CNY. As pilot cities continue to promote the use of digital yuan, the e-CNY is expected to be used in increasingly more diverse scenarios. An official with the PBOC said that the central bank would further deepen the pilot use of the e-CNY in retail transactions, lifestyle-related fee payments, government services and other scenarios. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) Epitomising magnificence, the imposing six-storey circular Parliament Building in Mount Hampden sitting on a 70-metre platform above the picturesque surrounding area, symbolically projecting legislative supremacy, is now 100 percent complete, and ready for handover. Breath-taking furnishings and top-notch equipment for offices and chambers have already been installed, with only works on two other parking lots and landscaping being outstanding, a recent visit to the site has shown. Royalty greets the visitor from the main entrance of the superstructure, where two water fountains, inspired by one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), the splendid Victoria Falls, majestically tells the Zimbabwean story of beauty and an enduring legacy of peace. On either side of the impressive stepladders and squares are four pillars at the top of which eight Zimbabwe birds are perched. The construction of the building, whose concept was born in 1983 with the Kopje area in Harare as the proposed site, is being undertaken on a six-hectare stand in Mount Hampden, about 18km north-west of Harare along Old Mazowe Road, thus creating opportunities for a new city project. The project was made possible by a grant from the government of the Peoples Republic of China through China-Aid. Feasibility studies were carried out by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Company Limited in 2015. It was designed by China SIPPR Engineering Group, and Shanghai Construction Group, a global construction behemoth, was the contractor. The Government of Zimbabwe also expended US$2,4 million towards enabling works to kick-start the project. The designs for the New Parliament Building, which embody Zimbabwean culture and heritage enshrined in the Great Zimbabwe monument were completed and approved in October 2017. Works on the project commenced in November 2018 and were completed on May 27, 2022. The project, which comprises four floors on the Parliament side and an adjacent six-storey office building, encompasses a Chamber House, containing the 350-seat National Assembly and 100-seat Senate. A 108-seat gallery overlooks the National Assembly, while an 84-seat gallery overlooks the Senate. There are also 24 interpreters rooms for both the National Assembly and the Senate; 12 for each House, which are linked to the state-of-the-art public address system. The public can follow proceedings from outside through television sets in the civic square, which also provides a clearer view of the building. From the ground floor to the fourth floor on the Chamber House building, and up to the fifth floor on the offices side, a comfy ambiance captures the discerning visitors eye. Three bridges link the Chamber House to the office building on each of the floors from the first, second and third, making a total of nine. Also, there are two specious and exquisitely furnished special committee rooms, and 15 equally adorned 30-seat and 44-seat committee rooms, connected to cutting-edge conference systems. At least 600 well-furnished rooms, among them service areas, VIP offices and directors offices are part of the offices section. There are also bar areas for National Assembly and Senate members, a well-equipped staff canteen, comfortably furnished dining hall, library, storerooms, and server rooms as well as public receptions on each floor. The building also has a press studio and conference room, a multi-purpose hall, and when complete 800 parking bays will be available, 50 of which reserved for VVIPs, and associated services. High quality information technology, which has seen the building being installed with world-class systems for conferencing, fire-fighting, air conditioning and cooling technologies, completes the route for excellence. From atop the hill upon which the edifice magnificently stands, the visitor is consumed in the serenity of the underlying environs, an expanse that stretches to the eyes limit, creating a feeling of dejavu that only comes with familiarity. It is that kind of peace and tranquil which lingers on in the heart, and is therapeutic to the soul. Outside, the dreamy feeling is only interrupted by the chirping birds in the foliage yonder, and the momentary whispering of both machinery and man. Indeed, man has the ability to turn stone, boulder, pebble, metal, wood, water, cement and soil into infectious beauty. Joltingly, one is reminded of mans ability to fashion out his world through sheer belief and workmanship. This was made possible by a workforce that constituted 135 Chinese experts and 350 Zimbabwean citizens. Had it not been for Covid-19-induced delays, which have seen the workforce at the site being scaled down in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines on curbing the spread of the highly contagious virus, the New Parliament Building would have been completed in April last year. The existing Parliament Building opposite Africa Unity Square was converted from a hotel that went broke in the 1890s, and was bought at bargain price by the British South Africa Companys (BSAC) administrator. The space has since become inadequate for the current 350 legislators (including the Senate and National Assembly), and 248 secretariat staff, as it was meant for 100 representatives. The precinct of the new sites proximity to Harare as well as its geographical environs offer opportunities for growth, and present Zimbabwe with a chance to define herself as a nation through a home-grown plan pregnant with vast prospects for all citizens cutting across the entire gamut of human endeavour. Herald Subscribe to The Freeman today! DIGITAL: JUST $10 PER MONTH PRINT+DIGITAL: AS LOW AS $21 PER MONTH A trusted news source since 1859 Delivered Tuesday-Saturday SUBSCRIBE TODAY Albemarle Corp is planning to build a major lithium processing plant in the United States that would produce as much of the battery metal as the entire company produces today, according to a report from Reuters. At the Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Eric Norris, head of Albemarles lithium division, said the company aims to build a processing plant with 100,000 tonnes of annual capacity in the US Southeast somewhere within rail access of a major port. Albemarle is in active discussions with automakers on buying supply from the facility, Norris said. Albemarle already supplies Tesla as well as several other major automakers. Norris said the US plant will be key as the company aims to boost its overall lithium production capacity fivefold to 500,000 tonnes annually by 2030. The US plant would be of a similar design to a processing plant Albemarle recently opened in Kemerton, Western Australia. The plant would be supplied from lithium extracted from the companys Kings Mountain mine in North Carolina, which is currently mothballed but may reopen as soon as 2027. (Earlier post.) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADRID (AP) President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russias Vladimir Putin for trying to wipe out Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe. Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make during the summit to help bolster the alliance in the region. Biden arrived in Spain for the summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy. Sometimes I think Putins objective is just to literally change the entire culture -- wipe out the culture of Ukraine (with) the kinds of actions hes taking, Biden said after meeting with Sanchez. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the destroyers' move will help increase the United States' and NATOs maritime presence." He said Biden would announce additional moves on Wednesday. The president said before the war started that if Putin invaded Ukraine, the United States and NATO would enhance the force posture on the eastern flank, not just for the duration of the crisis, but to address the long-term change in the strategic reality that that would present, Sullivan added. Biden is looking to use this week's NATO summit to shore up allies amid signs of fractures in the western alliance. After heaping an avalanche of sanctions on the Russian economy and funneling billions of dollars of weaponry into Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, NATO partners are showing signs of strain as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed. As the U.S. president departed for the NATO meeting from the German Alps, where he met this week with leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the G-7 on Monday, has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of the war. The U.S. has been building up its presence since shortly before the Russian invasion in late February, adding about 20,000 troops to the 80,000 who were previously in Europe. And the U.S. has signaled that the Russian invasion will have reverberations on its and NATO allies' defense posture for years to come. The U.S. and Spain, in a joint statement following the Biden-Sanchez meeting, said the invasion fundamentally altered the global strategic environment and that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transAtlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. Sullivan suggested that other moves Biden is set to announce will involve positioning additional forces on NATO's eastern flank in a steady state." He declined to say if some U.S. forces that serve there on a rotational basis would become permanent. The U.S. president praised Spain for taking in tens of thousands of Ukrainian migrants who have fled the war. Our people have stood together," Biden said during a meeting with Spain's King Felipe VI. Theyve stood up and theyve stood strong. Biden attended a dinner on Tuesday with other NATO leaders at the 18th Century Royal Palace of Madrid, hosted by Spain's king and queen, Letizia. Biden is set to meet with Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday, a day after Turkey lifted its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The two countries made the historic step of applying for NATO membership in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. Sullivan said the U.S. did not have a role to play in negotiations between Turkey and the Nordic nations, which were being brokered by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. A senior administration official said Tuesday that the U.S. offered no concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal and drop its opposition to membership for Finland and Sweden. The official said Biden told Erdogan when they spoke earlier Tuesday that closing the deal with the Nordic countries that night would set up a good opportunity for their own talks on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration strategy. Biden will also look to highlight progress made by NATO members at meeting the alliances goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on their defense budgets. Sullivan said a majority of members would report that they have met the benchmark or are on track to by 2024. He described it as a substantial shift in the intensity and commitment of NATO allies in terms of putting their money where their mouth is. Biden's predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, fiercely criticized NATO partners who failed to hit the target. The president will also hold a rare joint meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss North Korea's nuclear program. U.S. and South Korean officials say that North Korea has all but finished preparations for its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear warhead designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea may use its next nuclear test to claim that it has acquired the ability to build small nuclear warheads that can be placed on short-range missiles or other new weapons systems it has demonstrated in recent months, analysts say. ___ Madhani reported from Washington. WASHINGTON (AP) Drowned in the Rio Grande. Murdered in Mexico. Perished in the Arizona desert. For migrants traveling to the United States, the journey has always been full of peril. A tragic reminder came this week when at least 51 people died after being abandoned in the back of a tractor-trailer in sweltering San Antonio. Authorities believe the vehicle was part of a human-smuggling operation. While the scale of the calamity was shocking, it's only the most recent example to illustrate how U.S. officials have struggled to find the right strategy for patrolling the border and preventing deaths. Lax enforcement can encourage more people to travel north in hopes of a better life. But clamping down is not always a deterrent. Instead, migrants may rely on riskier routes to avoid detection, or put themselves in the hands of smugglers who promise that they can evade authorities for a price. The San Antonio tragedy triggered familiar reactions across the U.S. political spectrum, indicating that a solemn record as the deadliest smuggling attempt in the nations history will do little or nothing to reshape a debate that has hamstrung Washington for decades. Finger-pointing began almost immediately. President Joe Biden, in Europe this week for international summits, said the deaths were "horrifying and heartbreaking." Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said. The migrants were discovered on Monday when a city worker heard a cry for help from the abandoned truck that was parked on the side of a back road. Dozens were already dead; more died at nearby hospitals. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who is investing billions of dollars of state money on border security, tweeted within hours of the grisly discovery that the deaths were on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," Abbott said. Immigration advocates disagreed with Abbott's criticism and said Biden was too focused on enforcement. A federal judge has kept in place a Trump-era policy that denies many migrants a chance to seek asylum on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19. If the Biden administration continues to illegally turn away migrants and deny their chance to rightfully seek asylum, individuals and families escaping persecution, war, and climate disasters will continue to face violence and death, advocacy group RAICES Texas said in a statement. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden was flying between summits in Germany and Spain that the administration was focused on the victims and holding human smugglers accountable. The fact of the matter is, the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks, she said. The U.N. migration agency has reported that nearly 3,000 people went missing or died trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States since 2014. The San Antonio tragedy pushed the total to nearly 300 for the first half of this year. The International Organization for Migration, along with the U.N. refugee agency, called for a swift investigation. Without sufficient pathways to safety, vulnerable and desperate people will continue to be preyed upon by smugglers or forced to resort to desperate measures to cross borders," said Matthew Reynolds, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' representative to the United States and Caribbean. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which counts deaths differently, reported 557 people perished on the southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Deaths became commonplace on the border after Operation Gatekeeper, launched in 1994, pushed migrant traffic to the Arizona deserts from San Diego. Despite billions of dollars spent every year on border security since then, neither Republican or Democratic administrations have been able to stem the loss of life. Migrants routinely take risks to cross into the United States. Jose Castillo, 43, left Nicaragua with his wife and 14-year-old son in January but didnt cross the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, until May, paralyzed with fear that they would drown. He and his wife finally decided that one of them could die, as long as their child made it safely. They took a chance and it worked. We can never return to Nicaragua, he said. Under Trump and Biden, Border Patrol agents have been stretched extremely thin because they spend long stretches of time processing cases for immigration court. Such responsibilities take them out of the field, making it easier for people to cross undetected. The Border Patrol recently began releasing tens of thousands of migrants on parole in hopes of freeing up more agents to be in the field to try to stop migrants. The number of people found crossing the border illegally is at or near the highest in about two decades. Decisions to migrate are complex, but it could be that many people are getting through undetected and encouraging others to come. Migrants who succeed sometimes tell their stories to family and friends back home, encouraging them to follow. At the same time, Title 42 has encouraged repeat attempts to cross the border because there are no legal consequences, such as criminal charges or records of deportation, for getting caught. Many people cross several times until they succeed. Its unclear whether any of the migrants who died in San Antonio had previously been expelled. Isis Pena, 45, fled Honduras with a friend, who urged her to cross the border illegally. Pena refused but began to regret her decision after the friend soon called from San Antonio to say she made it easily and U.S. authorities didnt even ask her any questions before getting released. The next day, Pena tried to cross. Although she made it across the river, she was expelled to Mexico under Title 42 authority. ___ Spagat reported from San Diego. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH The acclaimed novel Olga Dies Dreaming is the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2022, and the Greenwich Library will welcome the author, Xochitl Gonzalez, to an event this fall. The annual program is designed to unite the community around reading one book and hosting the author for a talk. In making its announcement Tuesday, the Greenwich Library described Gonzalezs book as a bold, thought-provoking debut novel about resilience and diaspora that presses readers to examine their ambitions and at what cost pursuing an American success story may come. A committee led by librarian Siobhan Schugmann made the selection, which she said is already causing a buzz. It has been so exciting to see the response this Greenwich Reads Together pick has received thus far, Schugmann said Tuesday. Olga Dies Dreaming covers so much ground that theres really something in it for everyone - part political thriller, part rom-com, (with) a heavy helping of family drama. The novel tells the story of adult siblings Olga and Pedro Prieto Acevedo. Prieto is a popular, closeted congressman who represents their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., while Olga is a wedding planner for Manhattans power brokers. But there are troubles ahead for both. For Olga, the pursuit of perfection has become her survival mechanism, but a new love interest forces her to confront the effects of long-held family secrets, the library said in a statement. Blanca, Olga and Prietos politically radical mother who abandoned her children years ago to advance revolutionary causes, has come barreling back into their lives. The story takes place in the months surrounding the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and the title is an allusion to a poem by Pedro Pietri called Puerto Rican Obituary. It contains the lines Olga / dies dreaming of a five dollar raise. This is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream all while asking what it really means to weather a storm, the library said in its announcement. According to Greenwich Library, 30 titles were considered before Olga Dies Dreaming was selected. The selected book must be of literary quality, reflective of universal issues and capable of generating thought-provoking discussions. It must lend itself to engaging public programs and appeal to a diverse population, according to the criteria for Greenwich Reads Together. The selected title must also be available in large quantities in print as well as in formats for an eBook, audiobook and large print. All of those are available at Greenwich Library. We have multiple copies on two displays near the entrance of the library and quite a number of patrons have been stopping by to flip through and pick up a copy, Schugmann said. That the covers are so bright and sunny and recognizable from a distance is just an added bonus. The author talk is set for fall, but she said readers can read it now. Greenwich Reads Together also lines up nicely with the librarys Summer Reading Program, so anyone who is participating in GRT can use Olga Dies Dreaming toward their Summer Reading goals, Schugmann said. Gonzalez is scheduled to speak at the Berkley Theater at Greenwich Library on Oct. 25. The event will also be streamed and recorded. Registration will open in October. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Gonzalez fictionalized parts of her own life for the novel, including the concepts of an absent, activist mother and Gonzalezs actual career as a high-end wedding planner, the Greenwich Library said. Gonzalez won the 2019 Disquiet Literary Prize, and her work has been published in Vogue, The Cut and Bustle. She is a contributor to The Atlantic, where she explores gentrification of people and places in a weekly newsletter called Brooklyn, Everywhere. Greenwich Reads Together, now in its 11th year, is sponsored by the Friends of Greenwich Library. In 2021, thousands of readers participated in events around that years selection, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, the library said. For more information about Greenwich Reads Together, as well as additional title suggestions for younger readers, visit www.greenwichreadstogether.org. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was a victory for a group of women who spent years fighting for justice after an earlier generation of prosecutors failed to pursue the predatory power couple. Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Prosecutors said he couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, looked to one side as the sentence was announced, but otherwise did not react. She wore leg shackles that could be heard rattling when she walked into the courtroom. The sentence was shorter than the term sought by prosecutors, but Epstein's accusers still expressed relief. Its been an incredibly long road to justice for myself and for many other survivors," said Sarah Ransome, one of Epstein's accusers. "This is for the girls that didnt have their say, the ones that werent here. A jury in December convicted Maxwell, 60, of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. Judge Alison J. Nathan noted as she imposed the prison term and a $750,000 fine that Maxwell never expressed remorse for her crimes. The judge said she wanted the sentence to send an unmistakable message" that nobody was above the law. Addressing the court earlier, Maxwell stood at a lectern and said she empathized with the survivors and hoped her punishment would bring them peace. But she did not admit culpability and laid blame for the abuse on Epstein, saying meeting him was the greatest regret of my life. She called him a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life." The judge said Maxwell was being punished for her heinous and predatory crimes, not Epstein's. She criticized Maxwell's pattern of deflection and blame." Four survivors at the sentencing described their sexual abuse, including Annie Farmer, who was briefly overcome with emotion as she addressed the judge. She said she and her sister tried to go public with their stories about being abused by Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. We will continue to live with the harm she caused us, Farmer said. Inside a courtroom crowded with reporters, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Outside the courthouse, Kevin Maxwell said that his sister wont give up on her legal battle, and we as a family will be solidly behind her. Defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim promised to appeal. She said Epstein left Maxwell holding the whole bag. We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain and receiving the punishment he truly deserved, she said. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced in 2005. The FBI and local police had, at the time, amassed evidence of sexual misconduct with many underage girls. But under a deal with federal and state prosecutors in Florida, later criticized as lenient, Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges involving just one girl and served 13 months in prison, much of it in a work-release program. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Britain's Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations, and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. Since then, she has been jailed in a federal facility in New York City. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of her trial, but mentions of friends such as Bill Clinton and Donald Trump showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. The trial revolved around allegations from only a handful of Epstein's accusers. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. Maxwell's lawyers fought to have her conviction tossed out on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. During Maxwell's sentencing hearing Tuesday, the juror sat quietly among other spectators. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote to the court to ask for leniency and said that their sister's relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. Robert Maxwell, they wrote, subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections, which "led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature. Ransome an accuser whose allegations werent included in the trial testified about the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times. You broke me in unfathomable ways," said Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide. "But you did not break my spirit. People from around the country, including in Connecticut, will have access to abortion in this state despite the recent ruling from the Supreme Court. But if authorities from another state seek to charge people from their state with a crime in Connecticut, officials in this state may not have the power to prevent it. Connecticuts first-in-the-nation safe harbor law that strengthens legal protections for people seeking a goes into effect July 1. While someone from this state would have nothing to fear legally for having an abortion, the law doesnt necessarily prevent officials from a state that has criminalized abortion from seeking to extradite that person back to their home state and pressing charges. The Connecticut legislature has provided legal protection to health care providers and others who assist women from out of state get abortion services, said Jilda Aliotta, associate professor of politics, economics and international studies at the University of Hartford. One very important unresolved issue raised by the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health is to what extent states may punish their citizens who travel to other states for reproductive health services that are illegal in their home state. Before the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling last week overturning Roe v. Wade, Connecticut passed the safe-harbor bill, in response to a Texas law that allowed private individuals to sue patients or the providers of abortions. To anyone in a red state whose rights have been stripped: Our state is a safe harbor for anyone who needs an abortion, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said Friday on Twitter. You are welcome in Connecticut. Youll be safe here. Todd Fernow, a professor emeritus at the UConn School of Law specializing in criminal law and procedure, said the U.S. Constitutions extradition clause makes preventing extraditions difficult at best. Fernow said the courts majority opinion came very close to declaring a fetus a person. Thats troubling because it validates what is already on the horizon, making termination of a pregnancy a homicide, he said. If a state declares that a fetus is a person without any reference to viability, why shouldnt a murder apply? You can be prosecuted for murder for killing another person. The U.S. Constitution is explicit when it comes to extraditions from one state to another. Article IV, Section 2, Clause 2, says: A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another state, shall on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. So, if Connecticut attempts to prevent extradition to Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Alabama or any other state after a criminal charge, Thats flatly unconstitutional thats not going to fly, Fernow said. There are only four things one state can consider when examining an extradition request from another state, Fernow explained: Whether or not the documents are in order, if the person has been charged with a crime, if the person named in the request is actually the person being held and if the person being held is, actually, from the requesting state. The legality, morality or logic of another states laws cannot be considered, though it remains to be seen how aggressively other states will seek extraditions and prosecute their residents who seek abortions in states where abortion remains legal. You cant prevent an extradition. Thats not a choice, and its specific in the extradition clause of the constitution, he said. States will be powerless to prevent anyone from being extradited. State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, who helped draft Connecticuts safe harbor law, said whether the state would agree to another states extradition request depends of the situation. He agreed that all states must honor what are called fugitive extraditions, but said that would only apply if a person was accused of committing a crime in the requesting state. That might apply to women who come to Connecticut seeking an abortion, in violation of the law in their home state, or a provider. The short answer is if the person performed an abortion in Alabama, we would have to return them. If they did not perform the abortion we would not return them, he said. Whatever the crime is they would have to be physically present in the state that is seeking their extradition. Thats not so clear, Fernow said. Connecticut doesnt necessarily get to define where the locus of the crime is. The U.S. Constitution governs execution between states, but so does the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, which he said is about 30 statutes that every state in the country and the federal government have signed, so its like a treaty thats on top of the constitutional requirements. What you cannot do in this situation is you cannot say we refuse to recognize the legality of having an abortion under Texas law or under Mississippi law, Fernow said. You cannot do that. Max Reiss, spokesman for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, said if another state requested extradition of a woman or provider in Connecticut, it would begin with a letter from one governor to the other. At that point, Connecticut could respond positively or negatively to that request. If we respond in the negative we could be brought to federal court, he said. There would be very, very little we could do. Fernow offered a hypothetical: If, for example, an adult man is accused of convincing an out-of-state minor to cross state lines for the purpose of having sex, both states or either state would be able to charge that man with a crime. You use a phone, you write a letter, you use the internet, you do a search, you are doing an act in violation of the law, Fernow said. It all depends on how they write the law, and Arkansas and Texas and Mississippi and all these states, theyre going to start doing this. Blumenthal agreed that there are some gray areas there: Theoretically they could charge that person with conspiracy to do whatever, though he said obviously we would resist that. Then, Fernow said, it will come down to specifics. Youre going to have states basically saying, If the germ of the crime is committed in our state, and then you leave the state in order to perfect the crime, were going to say youre guilty of a felony in our state before you left, Fernow said. What its ultimately going to boil down to is, where did you get pregnant? When you find out you were pregnant? What evidence is there that you knew you were pregnant when you started making plans to get the plan B pill or go to another state for an operation? Doctors in Connecticut or another safe harbor state who provide care through telehealth that results in an illegal abortion in another state may not be protected by Connecticut law, either. I have no hesitation in telling you that if you are involved in the internet, you commit a crime on the internet and you affect people in another state, they can charge you in that other state with a felony, Fernow said. Thats why all these doctors are now concerned about telehealth, Reiss said. Theyre now worried about what they do through the mail that would be problematic. Fernow, like Blumenthal, said it may come down to the definition of the word fugitive. If that theoretical doctor does not flee from one state to another, they may not be considered a fugitive under the law. If a safe harbor state like Connecticut refused to extradite to another state on those terms, it might be in violation of Uniform Criminal Extradition Act but possibly not the constitutions extradition clause. Theres some meat on that bone, Fernow said. If that challenge to the extradition clause does arise, it will be the U.S. Supreme Court that will have to decide it. This is going to have to be resolved by the Supreme Court because the extradition clause is in the U.S. Constitution, Fernow said. They may or may not weigh in on the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, but they have to weigh in on the extradition clause. That, Blumenthal said, is ironic. A lot of the conservative justices basically said we should overturn Roe so we can get out of the abortion business, Blumenthal said. Instead, passing the question back to the states complicates things in, All sorts of complex and legally novel ways that are highly variable and unpredictable, he said. It doesnt simplify things. It sets state law against state law, Blumenthal said. Our safe harbor laws and other states anti-abortion laws, the battle between those laws will be resolved ultimately in federal court. Whatever happens when and if another state requests an extradition, Blumenthal said he is confident that Connecticuts safe harbor law will remain. Were very confident that our statute is constitutional, he said. We are not going to shrink from defending our residents and were not going to leave them unprotected. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Robert Franklin/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Emily DiSalvo / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald called out U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for suggesting the rights of same-sex marriages should be reconsidered. McDonald, who is gay, criticized Thomas on Facebook for being hypocritical in the concurring opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade last week, CNBC reports. WASHINGTON (AP) When President Donald Trump learned his attorney general had publicly rejected his election fraud claims, he heaved his lunch at the wall with such force that the porcelain plate shattered and ketchup streamed down. On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, consumed by crowd size concerns, he directed staff in profane terms to remove metal detectors he thought would slow down supporters who'd amassed in Washington for a speech. Never mind that some were armed they weren't there to hurt him, he said. And later that day, irate at being driven back to the White House instead of the Capitol, Trump uttered words to the effect of, I am the f'ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now" and grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle. Trump's volcanic temper has been the stuff of lore throughout his career in business, but during his presidency it has rarely been described with such evocative detail as in the testimony Tuesday of Cassidy Hutchinson, a junior White House staffer whose proximity to the-then president and top aides that day gave her a remarkably close view. Hutchinson offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trump's rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that some supporters had brought weapons with them and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol. The testimony came as the Justice Department expands its investigation into the insurrection and deepened, but did not resolve, questions about whether Trump himself could face criminal charges for his conduct. Though Attorney General Merrick Garland has given no hint about whether his department will bring a criminal case against Trump, some legal experts said Hutchinson's testimony could give prosecutors additional facts to pursue. Potentially problematic for Trump could be his urging on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021 to take down metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought were slow down supporters who'd gathered for a rally near the White House. Upset that some in the crowd might not get to see him, Trump, according to Hutchinson, said words to the effect of, I don't care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the f'ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here." Mags refers to magnetometers. A congressional hearing is not a court of law, but if this isnt powerful evidence that he wasnt just aware of the possibility of violence on the 6th but that he actively wanted to encourage it, Im not sure what is, said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor. Whatever any outcome related to a criminal proceeding, the disclosures come as Trump is laying the groundwork for another presidential run in 2024. Aides have been debating the merits of when he should announce his intentions. Looking to blunt negative publicity surrounding her testimony, Trump issued statements Tuesday on his social media platform calling her accounts of his behavior fake and denying that he had requested that we make rooms for people with guns to watch my speech. Trump is well-practiced at marginalizing his critics and accusers, but Hutchinson's well-calibrated testimony will test that power anew. Tuesday's hearing, the sixth by the House committee investigating the insurrection, was accompanied by suspense even before it began. It was hastily announced on Monday, but the committee did not reveal the identity of the witness until Hutchinson entered the room. Where prior hearings have involved clusters of witnesses who have recounted pressure campaigns on the Justice Department, or on local election officials, to overturn the election results, Tuesday's hearing involved a singular narrator with an easy-to-follow tale sprinkled with had-to-be-there color. Some anecdotes she witnessed herself. Others she heard second-hand. She recalled, for instance, being in the White House on the afternoon of Dec. 1, 2020 when she heard noise coming from down the hallway. Trump, it turned out, had just learned of an interview Attorney General William Barr had given to The Associated Press in which Barr said the Justice Department had not found widespread fraud sufficient to alter the outcome of the election. Inside the dining room was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor, apparently thrown in anger by the president. Ketchup streamed down the wall. Hutchinson says she grabbed a towel to wipe it off. She says she later heard about a separate episode on the afternoon of Jan. 6 when Trump tried to grab at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle so that it would take him to the Capitol and not to the White House. He was, he said, the f'ing president. Trump was directed to take his hand off the wheel. The story drew pushback after the hearing, with a person familiar with the matter saying the agent who was driving the vehicle and another official were prepared to testify under oath that Trump never lunged for the wheel. In that instance and others, according to the testimony, the president's will did not always prevail and Hutchinson detailed aides' best efforts to rein in Trump's worst impulses. The morning of Jan. 6, for instance, White House counsel Pat Cipollone cautioned Hutchinson that if Trump did go to the Capitol to intervene in the certification of the election, Were going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen." Whether the Justice Department thinks it has a case against the president, especially one that could further divide an already polarized nation, remains an open question. But there's also no doubt that the investigation is expanding far beyond the rioters themselves, with law enforcement officials last week serving a wave of subpoenas across the country to state elections officials. When you have witnesses who are in these conversations, who are in these rooms, who are actively participating in the high-level discussions of Jan. 6, it seems to me that one of two things has to be true: either they're lying, or President Trump and a lot of people close to him are in serious jeopardy," Vladeck said. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday authorized an increase in funding for debris removal and other emergency measures being taken as a result of a historic wildfire season in New Mexico that stemmed partly from missteps by federal forest managers in starting a prescribed burn. The additional funding comes through an amended disaster declaration signed by the president that calls for direct federal assistance to be increased to 100% of the total eligible costs for 90 days following the declaration. The wildfire still smoldering in the Rocky Mountain foothills of northern New Mexico grew to become the largest in the U.S. this spring after it was sparked in April by two planned government burns meant to reduce wildfire danger. The U.S. Forest Service acknowledged in a recent report that managers underestimated how dry things have become in the Southwest over the last two decades and that modeling and training needs to improve to account for the extreme conditions. Thousands of residents were displaced by the blaze, hundreds of homes were destroyed and now officials are warning of post-fire flooding. Burn scars in both New Mexico and neighboring Arizona have been hit over recent days with rain as the Southwest region marks a robust start to the monsoon season. Scott Sterns, a meteorologist assigned to the big fire in New Mexico, said Monday that up to 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) of rain fell over the last three days on some parts of the fire which spans more than 533 square miles (1380 square kilometers) of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The potential for runoff is high now that the soils are saturated and the vegetation is moist, Sterns said. There's really not a whole lot more good we can do with more moisture at the moment, he said during a briefing. The nice thing is so far on the incident we've had fairly consistent long duration moisture and that's always good to keep the (relative humidity) higher, which really helps us out in terms of the fuel situation. There has been much criticism of the federal government in New Mexico for causing the largest wildfire, with some residents saying they have been left to wade through a bureaucratic maze as they look to be reimbursed for their losses. Biden vowed during a visit earlier this month that the federal government would cover the full cost of the emergency response and debris removal, a responsibility that was previously shared with the state government. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than $3.5 million in assistance for housing and other needs have been approved for residents so far. The agency also is considering disaster requests for several other states from Minnesota to Tennessee because of wildfires, tornadoes and flooding since late April. Scientists and government officials have warned of more severe weather as the world keeps getting hotter. In the United States, there were 20 weather or climate disasters last year with losses exceeding $1 billion a year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In southwestern New Mexico, a half-inch of rain has fallen each day, stalling efforts to rehabilitate fire lines around a massive blaze that has burned through the rugged Black Range. Parts of northern Arizona, where a series of wildfires burned homes and forced evacuations over recent months, saw flooding over the weekend as storms brought rain, hail and wind. The National Weather Service reported that some roads in the Flagstaff area were closed as creeks and washes filled up with storm runoff. Qualcomm usually unveils its new flagship chipset on the first weekend of December but this year we expect it two weeks earlier. The official website of the San Diego chip company scheduled a Snapdragon Summit for November 14-17, which is likely when well see the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Screenshot from Qualcomm's website The event was later taken down from the website, and while it could be a false flag, we are keen to believe the chip is really coming in November. That would allow makers like Xiaomi and Motorola to get into the race of being the first maker to launch a phone with the new chip. Qualcomm does not unveil the date for its summit in Hawaii as early as five months ahead, so we believe it was a true slip-up by the team in California. There is still enough time for the rumor mill to keep going and allow us to piece the puzzle of the SM8550 platform. The first rumors suggested an unusual 1+2+2+3 CPU combo with one Cortex-X3 unit, two Cortex-A720, two A710, and three A510. Source (now deleted) The Xiaomi 12S that leaked last month will be officially unveiled next week - on July 4. This revelation comes from Xiaomi, which also said that the 12S will be joined by the 12S Pro and 12S Ultra at the event. Xiaomi also confirmed its partnership with Leica for the cameras on the 12S series and gave us a glimpse of the three smartphones. Judging by the leaked image of the 12S, we believe the smartphone with the white-colored back panel is the 12S, while the one in the center might be the 12S Pro, and the smartphone on the left might be the 12S Ultra. It has a golden metal frame with a green-colored leather panel. Xiaomi hasn't detailed the specs sheets of the 12S series smartphones yet, but the company said the 12S is a small-sized high-end flagship, whereas the 12S Pro is 2022's new flagship standard. The 12S Ultra is touted as the "new height of mobile imaging flagship." You can expect Xiaomi to share more information about the 12S lineup in the lead-up to the event next Monday. Source 1, Source 2 (both in Chinese) The Guam Department of Education began a three-day health and safety conference Tuesday that teaches educators how to handle active shooter situations and other threats. The conference is similar to safety workshops held before the pandemic. We wanted to reinstitute this so itd be an opportunity for staff, administrators, management and also our partners like the police department to come together, go over some of the major safety issues that we foresee taking place on campus, and even thxose that we may not foresee, but need to be prepared for, said Superintendent Jon Fernandez. Law enforcement professionals presented best practices and methods in school violence prevention, school shooting mitigation, and community response to an active shooter situation. Its been the Chiefs (Steven Ignacio) direction and initiative to ensure that GDOE or any other schools or locations are confident that the officers will not hesitate and they will address the threat immediately, said Guam Police Department Lt. Troy Lizama. Lizama, who is with Special Operations, said officers in precincts are also receiving training. Wednesdays training will focus on table-top exercises, and Thursday will be a full-scale interactive exercise involving one high school and multiple response agencies. The training also features workshops on dealing with students, developing skills, safety and security, and managing health. The workshops feature professionals in education, health, public policy and law. Sentencing of a former Guam Police Department officer in a 2014 sexual assault case has been rescheduled but a judge encouraged Paul Santos take advantage of the time before he turns himself in. Santos appeared in the Superior Court of Guam Tuesday afternoon to be sentenced for charges connected to the 2014 rape of a woman who was advertising sexual services on Craigslist. The sentencing was moved to allow Santos attorney, Curtis Van de veld, more time to prepare because of recent heart surgery. Judge Vernon Perez also allowed Santos to remain on house arrest until the Aug. 19 sentencing. Perez said hes not interested in prolonging sentencing anymore. Im encouraging you to finalize your time with your family over the next month, month and a half, ... because I will sentence you in the month of August and I will require you to turn yourself in shortly thereafter, Perez told Santos. Santos initially was sentenced to serve 21 years at the Department of Corrections in 2016 after being found guilty of several criminal sexual conduct charges, bribery, official misconduct and abetting prostitution, PDN files state. During the trial, the woman testified Santos, while wearing his GPD uniform, met her at a Tamuning hotel. Santos told her she could go to jail for prostitution and shed never see her family again if he arrested her. She described details of the sexual assault that were absolutely violent, PDN files state. Santos appealed the sentence. Some charges were vacated. Santos faces a minimum of 15 years in prison for the remaining charges. Four-term Sen. Mary Torres on Monday announced she wont be seeking a return to office in the upcoming election. By no means was this an easy decision. During my first bid for senator many years ago, my solemn commitment was to be your voice a voice for the vulnerable, a voice of reason, and a voice of hope, she said in a news release. I had seen too many families facing barriers to gainful employment, small businesses that felt government wasnt on their side, and a growing demand to help victims speak up and seek justice. She said she was proud to have worked with the support of the public to reduce taxes for small businesses, get citizens a fair chance for work and open more homes for foster kids, among other accomplishments. Like my father, I have always believed in putting the people before any one party, in working across the aisle to reach compromise and find common ground. But this is becoming increasingly rare. Here and across the nation, political polarization has made it harder to get work done, she said in the release. Sound bites took over sound legislation, petty quarreling replaced patience and civility, and deliberation gave way to grandstanding. I dont think policymaking should ever be easy, but over time Ive learned that deep division in the institution serves no one. And while I still believe more unites us than divides us, lawmakers must spend less time pointing fingers and more time building consensus to find it. Torres said she would continue to push through the end of her term for an update to Guams Child Protective Act, to close the gap on protection orders for sexual assault and help develop home industries. She said she would continue her community advocacy outside the Legislature, but for now, I thank you for allowing me to serve for as long as I have. Del. Michael San Nicolas asserted he was found not guilty in a years-long Congressional ethics investigation against him and said he and running mate Sabrina Salas-Matanane would stay the course in their gubernatorial bid this year. This ethics process is done, it is concluded, after three years, thousands of pages recorded, hundreds of hours committed. It has concluded with us not being found guilty of anything, and not even being charged with anything, he said in a Tuesday press conference. The delegate, who was accompanied by two of his attorneys throughout the virtual conference, painted a very different picture from the final House Committee on Ethics report. It found substantial evidence San Nicolas may have accepted an illicit $9,000 cash donation, conspired to cover it up and attempted to influence key witnesses. Stanley Brand, an attorney for San Nicolas, said the bipartisan ethics committees so-called referral of the report to the U.S. Department of Justice wouldnt meet the standard of evidence for federal prosecutors to take action under any circumstance. Candidly, this was a way to charge Congressman San Nicolas without charging him, without giving him the opportunity to present his case in an adversary proceeding, Brand said. San Nicolas and his counsel said the panel charged with the investigation cherry picked correspondence and misrepresented a good faith attempt to represent the delegate throughout the investigation when it stated he engaged in delay tactics. Every page The report asserted the delegate refused to voluntarily address allegations against him, didnt take up an opportunity to respond in writing under oath and that his conduct merits public condemnation. For three years, we provided them with every page they asked us for, attorney Stanley Woodward said in response. For the committee to claim that there was some refusal to provide testimony simply couldnt be farther from the truth, he said. According to Woodward, the delegates failure to testify in his defense at a compulsory April 29 deposition was caused by a last-minute subpoena being served and the investigative subcommittees unwillingness to accommodate his legal team, which was in federal court that day. San Nicolas said they had tried to contact investigators after he didnt appear at the deposition saying, Hey, were still interested. They didnt respond. They didnt take us up on that. According to San Nicolas, the decision to release the report at the most politically impactful moment just prior to the 60-day cutoff before the primary, after which the committee would be unable to release the report was meant to send a message to the rest of Congress. Whats the best way to send that message? Impact our elections. He said he would write other members of Congress asking them to review the ethics committees processes. $9,000 question San Nicolas asserted he had never accepted an illegal $9,000 cash contribution in 2018 from an unnamed campaign donor, whose interview is cited in the report. At the time of the alleged donation, the limit for a single campaign donor was $2,700 and just $100 for cash donations. The refund of $10,000 to the donor in October and September of 2020, reflected in filings with the Federal Election Commission, was made out of an abundance of caution and didnt mean San Nicolas had knowingly accepted the cash donation, Woodward said. It doesnt matter that we dont know what happened to that money. The law requires that it be refunded. So the campaign made a payment to that donor, Woodward said. The donor, in a letter attached to the report dated Jan. 22, 2020, said he made the contribution at the advisement of San Nicolas. Time-stamped WhatsApp messages about the cash exchange between the donor and the delegates former campaign manager, John Paul Manuel, appear to match the dates provided on the refund nearly two years later. San Nicolas on Tuesday said he was never given an opportunity to provide evidence refuting the claim and that the committee report failed to adequately present the testimony collected and the substantial evidence against him. When asked about a series of campaign donations the report questioned, which were made in October 2018, after the alleged illegal donation, San Nicolas said, When else are we going to have a campaign fundraising event, if not in September and October for the General Election, and after a primary election in August? In response to allegations made by the donor that a staffer waited outside the donors office in November of 2019, followed him in his car and told him that the donation never occurred, San Nicolas said: Im not quite sure (what) theyre trying to insinuate, that there was some kind of conversation trying to manipulate an outcome when the actual outcome is exactly what we did, returning the funds. Still in While she wasnt present during the press conference, Salas-Matanane committed to her partnership with San Nicolas for Adelup in a pre-recorded video statement played for reporters during the press conference. Although this has been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, it does not mean he is guilty of anything, she said in part, But over the next few weeks, our opponents will capitalize on this report. They will continue their campaign of cyberbullying and vindictiveness. They will attack my credibility and my integrity. They will do what they do best attack, shame, vilify, buy votes and pork adobo our governments finances. I am not a quitter. I signed up to fight for the people of Guam. I think our response is clear, San Nicolas said. Were not going anywhere. The peoples day will come, and its coming Aug. 27. Haiti - FLASH : Arrest of the fearsome Gang Leader Baz Pilat Sunday, June 26, 2022, agents of the Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) proceeded to the arrest at Carrefour Feuilles, at Place Jeremie (Commune of Port- au-Prince) of Ezechiel Alexandre, alias "Ze", fearsome "Baz Pilat" gang leader based at the southern entrance to the capital. At the time of his arrest, he was in the company of Junior Claude, a former police officer (registration number: 09-21-07-10718) dismissed by the PNH after leaving his post in 2019, who was also arrested. Under warrant to bring and subject to a wanted notice Ezechiel Alexandre is accused of involvement in acts of assassination, illegal possession of firearms, rape and armed robbery. Following this arrest, the men of "Ze" created great tension and sowed panic in the population of the city center. Bursts of automatic weapons and barricades of burning tires to block traffic, they demanded in vain the release of their Chief. Other armed men of "Baz Pilat" circulated in certain neighborhoods of the 3rd district of Port-au-Prince. Vehicles and pedestrians left the Portail Leogane area in a hurry. The PNH has deployed its men and several specialized units to regain control of the situation. SL/ HaitiLibre A COUPLE have called for police to do more to tackle speeding after their plant stall was hit by a passing car. Val and Chris Neal believe the culprit may have been a driver who was accidentally sprayed with a hose while Mr Neal was out watering. The couple sell flowers from the verge outside their home in Memorial Avenue, Shiplake. They were woken up early one morning recently by a loud bang and discovered the stall had been struck by a vehicle and flowers strewn across the road. Mrs Neal, 83, said: I actually heard the bump at 6.45am. I thought something had happened next door. It sounded as though someone was throwing something at the door, hard. Chris came down to check the door, then went out to check the plants. The ones that were hit were all down the road, squashed flat. The couple, who have lived in the street for 50 years, began offering flowers in return for small donations several years ago and have built up a loyal group of customers. Mrs Neal said: Its a hobby to help out my pension. I only sell them during the summer, from May to early July. I have a lot of customers who come back year after year. It keeps me going and keeps me out of the funny farm. The couple say that three to four trays containing a dozen or more plants were destroyed in the incident on Thursday, June 16. Mr Neal, 79, called the police non-emergency number 101 and spent more than an hour on hold before hanging up to go to his part-time job as a medical supplies delivery driver. His wife said: It is not everyone that speeds we have an awful lot of people who obey the 20mph limit. It is morning and evening when drivers put their foot down. In the morning it is just whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Mr Neal said hed had some minor altercations with speeding drivers in the past as he waved at them to slow down and one of these could have led to the plant stall being targeted. In this incident, he was watering the plants when he inadvertently sprayed an offending driver with the hose as he turned to find the vehicles window open. The road has a 20mph speed limit as both Shiplake Primary School and the Memorial Hall are there and many of the residents are elderly. The couple believe that Thames Valley Police are not interested in enforcing such limits. Mr Neal said: There was a statement from the police in the Henley Standard a couple of weeks ago in connection with quite a few villages looking to implement 20mph limits. In the article the polices comment was, We enforce speed limits but we consider the 20mph limit is a matter of driver conscience. In other words, We dont want to know. He would like police to visit Memorial Avenue with a speed camera periodically to encourage drivers to stick to the limit. Mr Neal said: It would be interesting to know what we have to do to get the police up here. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: We operate an evidence-and risk-based assessment of all potential enforcement sites. If there is evidence of speed and a risk to road users then camera enforcement will be considered as a potential solution. There is a number of considerations and checks made before deploying cameras. These include evidence of excessive speed from speed survey data, collision and casualty data, potential risk to road users, analysis of traffic data, site assessment for suitability of mobile enforcement, including van placement, and operational requirements. We rely on the public to provide information and would encourage anyone with information about speeding or poor driving to please report it so that we can gather information about a particular area and take action where appropriate. What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters @henleystandard.co.uk Opinion: US-led sanctions against Russia spawning 'debt traps' 17:46, June 28, 2022 By Qing Ming ( People's Daily Online Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times Since the Ukraine conflict erupted on February 24, the US has taken on a leading role among the bloc of Western nations in imposing sanctions, sending weapons, and dispatching batches of its politicians for a Ukraine tour. Yet, four months into the crisis, Washington is still masterminding behind the scenes, bullets and artillery shells are still flying, and people are still bleedingnothing appears to have changed, except for skyrocketing oil prices, looming food and energy shortages, and a Russia--together with other world financial institutions--now trapped in "defaults" and unpaid debts. A statement from the White House on June 27 has offered fresh clues on the Pyrrhic victory that the US-led sanctions have clinched. According to Reuters, the Biden administration announced Monday that Russia had "defaulted" on its international bonds for the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution a century ago. The Kremlin, on the other hand, has clarified that the payments due Sunday had been made, in US dollars and euros, on May 27 and yet the money remained stuck with Euroclear, a clearing house based in Belgium, according to CNN. Despite that, some view such defaults as a win for the US-led "sanctions bloc," a victory secured by the effective severance of Russia from the global payments system. Well, think again. A host of experts on global finance have sounded their alarms upon the announcement. "It's a very, very rare thing, where a government that otherwise has the means is forced by an external government into default," said Hassan Malik, senior sovereign analyst and expert on emerging market hedge funds. Russia owes $100 million in interest payments on one bond priced in US dollars and another priced in euros, which was originally due for payment on May 27, according to Al Jazeera. With Russia being forcibly decoupled from the global payment systems, it has also been reduced into a state of non-payment, "an artificial crisis manufactured by the West," as one analysis put it. For international lenders who lent out the money to Russia, it also presents an unprecedented "debt trap," with their money withheld not by the borrower itself but by the "force majeure" of the situation, in which their unpaid loans are regarded as "collateral damage." The "Made in the US default" indicates the destructive consequences that the current US dollar hegemony may bring to others. For the global financial market as a whole, the event offers a chilling lesson: that is, the international financial web, on which global trade and investment have been built, isn't immune to manipulation and weaponization. With the dominance of its currency and the capricious demeanor of a certain superpower, it is no guarantee that similar acts of manipulation or weaponization won't happen in other contexts. In fact, such malpractice is not without precedent. Washington's freezing of nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank last year is reminiscent of just such economic hegemony at work. In any event, the US may argue that its end justifies the means, but that all depends on what end the US is actually harboring. If its end is to see global lenders getting unpaid, the global financial system undermined, and the formation of "debt traps," then the US apparently has succeeded. Likewise, Washington may also feel a strong sense of contentment with the roles it has played in "mediating" the Ukraine crisis over the years. After four years of isolationism and a disgraceful pullout from Afghanistan, the US finally has seized its chance to rally together its allies and deploy its "weaponry of strength." At least that is the standpoint of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said in April that the conflict has only strengthened NATO's "collective resolve and unity." But with the passage of time, Washington has increasingly proved its Ukraine solution is nothing but a fig leaf, one that is just for show. As Christopher Caldwell, an American journalist and researcher, wittily and accurately put it in his New York Times guest essay back in May entitled The War in Ukraine May Be Impossible to Stop; And the U.S. Deserves Much of the Blame: "The United States is making no concessions. That would be to lose face." And given the high-stakes game now being played, "the administration is closing off avenues of negotiation and working to intensify the war." (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Montreux (Switzerland) - June 28th 2022 2022 marks Glion Institute of Higher Education 60 years. As part of the Anniversary celebrations, Glion alumni are reuniting around the world in a succession of events. After the London event at Harvey Nichols in March, last weeks it was in Bangkok, Thailand and in Montreux, Switzerland that the alumni community was commemorating this special occasion. Over one weekend it was just around 400 people attending events. Starting with 15 students from 5 countries, Glion campus in Switzerland first opened its doors in 1962. In 60 years, the institution has built a unique network with highly influential figures of the Hospitality industry and beyond acting as a career success factor for its members. The support of the community starts right at the beginning during students studies. Bachelor and masters students get personalized support from the institutions Career & Internship service. With 3480 industry partners and 655 companies who recruited last year from the highly recognized Swiss institution, Glion affirms a 98% employability rate. After graduation, alumni stay connected to the influential global network of industry professionals and entrepreneurs spread over 144 countries. Glion today unites a community of 7 board members, 66 regional vice presidents and Ambassadors with more than 15,000 alumni from all over the world. Through a state-of-the art on-line platform, Glion alumni enjoy privileged access to new positions and career opportunities from other members of the community, who choose Glion first when recruiting fresh talent and forging new partnerships. Overall, Glion is ranked in the top three worldwide for employer reputation since its entry in the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2018. 86% of Glion Alumni become managers in less than 5 years. 48% of Glion Alumni work in other sectors than hospitality, including FMCG, Luxury Goods and Services, Marketing, Events, Banking and Finance. 52% join the traditional Hospitality, Tourism and Food and Beverage sectors. Among the prizes awarded to Glion Alumni on Saturday June 18th in Montreux, just to name a few were: Stephen Alden, Glion Alumnus, 1981 and CEO Raffles & Orient Express, Member of the Executive Committee at Accor awarded for outstanding professional accomplishment and Susanne Kaufmann, Alumnus 1993 and founder of the eponymous cosmetic brand who received the special Achievement Award Entrepreneurial Leadership. The Alumni Association Glion (AAG) strives to foster the continuation of the Glion Spirit throughout the life its members by creating an active worldwide community of Glion Alumni which supports each individuals personal development and growth, careers, networking, entrepreneurship, thus enhancing the value of the membership and the prestige of both the Association and Glion Institute of Higher Education. The AAG Board members are Christopher Jones, President (CEO of Sushi Shop); Ronald Homsy, Vice President (COO and Co-Founder of Pinktada); Mayumi Matthaus, Secretary General (founder of Suskind); Beatrice Leon, Member (Front of House, Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como); Caroline Ellul, Member (Founder of French Luxury Consulting); Tibor Fejes, Member, (Director, Global Revenue Performance, Policy and Planning at Marriott International) and Frederic Frere, Member, (CEO and Co-Founder, Travelstore.pt) They are at the forefront of community engagement initiatives such as the Ambassador programme, Innovation and entrepreneurship commission, fostering industry relations and Alumni events like this the 60th anniversary celebrations world-tour in which recruitment and passion were high on the agenda. About Glion Institute of Higher Education Founded in 1962, Glion Institute of Higher Education is a Swiss institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees in hospitality, luxury and finance to an international student body across three campuses in Switzerland and London, UK. Glion is ranked among the world's top five higher education institutions for hospitality and leisure management, and in the top three number for employer reputation since its entry in the ranking in 2018. (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022). Part of Sommet Education, worldwide leader in hospitality education, Glion is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). For more information, visit glion.edu Anouck Weiss Chief Communication Officer Glion View source Orlando, Florida Mews, one of the leading hospitality cloud property management systems, today announced it has launched Mews for Salesforce on Salesforce AppExchange, empowering hoteliers to connect their Property Management System (PMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in real-time. This will fast-track guest personalization and enable data-driven guest experiences that increase loyalty and lifetime value. Mews for Salesforce marks the first collaboration between the two companies following the strategic investment made by Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of Salesforce, in Mews in December 2021. Mews is solving a huge headache for hotels: the inability to reap the benefits of integrating customer data which is held separately in a CRM and a PMS. This prevents hotels from offering personalized experiences or tailored communications and offers that drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and new revenues. Integrated directly with Salesforce, Mews for Salesforce is currently available on AppExchange click here. Mews makes it possible to connect the Mews PMS and Salesforce CRM in just a few hours, with minimal technical expertise. This enhanced connection enables hoteliers to create personalized guest communications before, during and after their stay. This includes delighting clients the moment they enter the hotel by instantly knowing who they are and their preferences, offering a unique dining experience during their stay based on their previous dining choice, to sending post-stay communications with offers, and products that are uniquely relevant to them as an individual not just at customers like them. Comments on the News Richard Valtr, Founder of Mews, said; For hoteliers to create and deliver exceptional guest experiences they need the tools and information about every one of their guests at their fingertips, no matter where they stayed in the hotel group. By having one single profile of each guest, they can focus their efforts on delighting guests to make every stay remarkable and every subsequent stay even better than the last. This rapid integration feature means every member of staff can now become a super-charged concierge, enabling them to make personalized product or service recommendations based on a guests current and past stays. Mark Liversidge, Chief Digital, Technology & Experience Officer at The Student Hotel, said; The Student Hotel always strives to offer a unique experience to each customer in our community of international citizens. No matter which of our locations they visit across Europe, we want our customers to feel personally engaged, to have an experience that is personalized to their needs and become a lifelong member of our community. Technology has a key role to play in this, acting as the enabler for our team members and helping them wow customers throughout the customer journey. With Mews and Salesforce as our two core operating systems becoming connected we are now able to optimize our operational processes and take customer experiences to the next level. About Salesforce AppExchange Salesforce AppExchange, the worlds leading enterprise cloud marketplace, empowers companies, developers and entrepreneurs to build, market and grow in entirely new ways. With more than 7,000 listings, 10 million customer installs and 117,000 peer reviews, AppExchange connects customers of all sizes and across industries to ready-to-install or customizable apps and Salesforce-certified consultants to solve any business challenge. Additional Resources Like Salesforce on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/salesforce Follow Salesforce on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salesforce Follow Mews on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewssystems/ Follow Mews on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MewsSystems Salesforce, AppExchange, Ventures and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. About Mews Founded in 2012 by a team of former hoteliers, Mews is transforming the hospitality industry with a cloud-based property management system. The Mews Hospitality Cloud acts as a central nervous system for properties of all sizes from small independents to large group brands. Over 3,000 properties across 70+ countries run their hotel operations, booking, payments, and guest management on Mews. Customers include Accor, Autocamp, The Student Hotel, Generator-Freehand, Life House, and the Wythe Hotel. For more information, please visit www.mews.com George Barker Director of Communications Chicago, IL Cloud5 Communications, a leading provider of communications solutions and Managed IT Services for more than 5,000 hotels, MDUs, and commercial facilities across the Americas, is set to demonstrate its Conference Services to this years HITEC Orlando attendees, as hybrid events grow in popularity and in-person events experience a dramatic resurgence. From June 27-28, 2022, visitors to Cloud5s booth, #2225, will discover how Cloud5s industry-leading expertise and high-touch consultation can guide them to build and operate reliable, right-sized, contained networks for conferences and events - in turn, boosting ROI as well as a propertys reputation as a preferred venue of choice. The return of events and meetings represent a tremendous opportunity for the industry to make up for lost revenue, and hoteliers need to ensure that they put their best foot forward in addressing modern connectivity needs at scale, said Mark Holzberg, President and CEO at Cloud5 Communications. Cloud5 looks forward to providing industry professionals with the essential insights and support they need to ensure that each event they host is successful and leads to revenue growth. Cloud5s Conference Services are designed to help hotels and resorts sidestep guesswork and common network challenges, quickly scale up or down to deliver on events of all sizes, successfully bridge gaps between AV partners and internal IT capabilities, and provide a seamless, fast, and reliable online experience that delivers on attendee and meeting planner expectations. Cloud5s Conference Services offerings include: Technical and Conference Support Services with direct access to expert network engineers who are available prior to, during and following an event to provide network assessments, design, and pre-event consultation, ensuring that allocated bandwidth is sufficient, and networks seamlessly perform without issue. Engineers can continuously oversee event network performance and provide real-time feedback and take actions to optimize the quality of network connections and meet any specific requirements of event groups and attendees. Cloud5 engineers can be assigned to provide exclusive support to a specific event, either remotely or onsite. with direct access to who are available prior to, during and following an event to provide network assessments, design, and pre-event consultation, ensuring that allocated bandwidth is sufficient, and networks seamlessly perform without issue. Engineers can continuously oversee event network performance and provide real-time feedback and take actions to optimize the quality of network connections and meet any specific requirements of event groups and attendees. Cloud5 engineers can be assigned to provide exclusive support to a specific event, either remotely or onsite. Effortless network redesign that can include the installation of new switches, cabling, and access points, depending on event network requirements and goals. Once an event has taken place, Cloud5 is also available to reset network infrastructure if a property requires a re-balancing of its available resources. that can include the installation of new switches, cabling, and access points, depending on event network requirements and goals. Once an event has taken place, Cloud5 is also available to reset network infrastructure if a property requires a re-balancing of its available resources. Custom Packages to support the unique needs of large and/or long-term events. To schedule a meeting with Cloud5 at booth #2225 during HITEC Orlando exhibition hours, please contact Jamie Murphy by emailing [email protected]. About Cloud5 Communications Cloud5 is the leading communications technology and services provider to customer-centric brands across the Americas. The company's fast, reliable Internet solutions and flexible voice systems enhance the guest experience and resident satisfaction at more than 5,000 hotels, MDUs, and commercial facilities. Cloud5's award-winning Contact Center combines innovation with skilled agents to deliver sales and service that add value across any channel. The company's comprehensive Managed IT services include Vendor Management, Dispatch & Onsite Support, Help Desk Support, Virtual Guest Services and more to help customers control operating costs and free up internal resources. For more information visit cloud5.com or call 877.241.2516. Mark Howbrook PR Manager ORLANDO, Fla. Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems and guest-centric technology, and the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, today released the results of a study on U.S. traveler sentiments on attribute based shopping. The report concluded that moving from Traditional Hotel Shopping (THS) to Attribute Based Shopping (ABS) is likely to increase traveler value, price transparency, and satisfaction, critical for hoteliers success in a post-pandemic era characterized by new cost, service and guest satisfaction challenges. The report surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. travelers to better understand their views on booking hotel rooms through a more customized booking process with Attribute Based Shopping. Key findings from the study include: ABS creates greater transparency - A large majority (85 percent) of survey respondents indicated that booking rooms as they do currently, via THS, creates levels of uncertainty that the rooms delivered will contain the features most important to them. Nearly a quarter of respondents also believe that Attribute Based Shopping will improve price transparency when booking a guest room, while 21 percent indicated it can improve the clarity of guest room descriptions. ABS builds value More than 60 percent of travelers find value in the ability to customize a guest room via ABS. A large portion (63 percent) of travelers who pay $251 or more per night, as well as 48 percent of those who pay between $151 and $250 per night, are willing to pay more for preferred room features with ABS. ABS and Guest Personalization Respondents overwhelmingly indicated that ABS would improve personalization, with 78 percent saying it would provide features tailored to my preferences, and 75 percent indicating that a room booked via ABS would likely be designed specifically for my needs. A further 56 percent of respondents indicated it would be a convenient way to ensure their most desired amenities and room elements are available and factored into their booking. Were pleased to share the results of this report with the industry, in partnership with NYU SPS Tisch Center, said Michael Heflin, chief revenue officer at Stayntouch. We believe it is path-breaking in many respects, not least because it establishes a definitive link between traveler preferences and the move toward Attribute-Based Shopping, which has been high on the agenda of hotel industry leaders for at least ten years. With this validation, Stayntouch looks forward to continuing to spearhead innovation to bring true ABS closer to reality. We are proud to stand alongside Stayntouch in showcasing the results of our collaborative report on traveler sentiment into Attribute-Based Shopping, a technology that will transform the booking process for the better, said Vanja Bogicevic, a clinical assistant professor at the Tisch Center and the director of the HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab. Here at HITEC Orlando, we are excited to discuss the findings of the study, in addition to the ways ABS is continuing to revolutionize hospitality. Further detail on the reports findings can be accessed by visiting this link and by attending a special briefing on the report at HITEC 2022. The session, titled The Future of Booking: Presenting Traveler Sentiments on Attribute Based Shopping, will discuss insights from the study authored by Vanja Bogicevic, PhD; Owen Wexman; and Justin DeRise, and examine how emerging technologies will influence the future of the hotel booking experience and guest personalization. Speakers at the panel will include Carolyn Fredey, Tisch Center adjunct professor & area director, revenue management advisory services for Marriott International; Michael Heflin, chief revenue officer at Stayntouch; Klaus Kohlmayr, chief evangelist & development officer at IDeaS; and Safet Dokara, director of operations at the Valencia Hotel Group. Download the full report: Traveler Sentiments on Attribute-Based Shopping About Stayntouch Stayntouch provides a cloud-native, guest-centric, and fully mobile hotel property management system (PMS) and over 1100+ integrations, enabling hotels to raise service levels, drive revenues, reduce costs, and ultimately captivate their guests. Backed by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry, Stayntouch is a trusted partner to many forward-thinking hotels and resorts, including the TWA Hotel, First Hotels, Conscious Hotels, Margaritaville, Valencia Hotel Group, and Modus Hotels. Stayntouch is also a preferred PMS partner to some of the leading independent hotel collections around the world including; Design Hotels, an Independent Marriott Brand, and Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. Visit Stayntouch at www.stayntouch.com. About NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields. The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub) that will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. The state-of-the-art facilities offer students, start-ups, established industry partners, and investors opportunities to learn, discover, innovate, and invest. For more information about the NYU SPS Jonathan M.Tisch Center of Hospitality, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch. Elliott Mest MFC PR In overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court presented corporate America with a question that may prove uncomfortable for big companies headquartered in states such as Texas, where abortion has effectively been banned. Several national companies including Disney, Goldman Sachs, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook reacted the Dobbs v Jackson ruling handed down Friday by announcing that they would reimburse the cost of employees who need to travel out of state to access abortion care. Companies including Apple, Amazon, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, SalesForce, Bumble and Levis had already announced similar policies, in anticipation of such a ruling or after draconian restrictions on abortion were adopted by states such as Texas, which last year banned virtually all abortions after the six-week mark of pregnancy. On HoustonChronicle.com: How Houston abortion clinics plan to pivot post Roe But many Houston companies have not been forthcoming about whether they will modify their benefits to help employees get access to reproductive health services. We do not have a comment on this issue, said Kinder Morgan, contacted by the Houston Chronicle on Monday. "We decline to contribute at this time, said EOG Services, an oil and gas company. We have no comment on this, said Hines, the real estate firm. The Supreme Court ruling that struck down Roe left the question of legal abortion to states. About half the states, including Texas, are set to ban abortion, if they havent already. The Chronicle on Monday contacted 40 of Houstons biggest companies, and only eight, including those that declined comment, responded. Companies that did not respond included oil majors Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, oil field services company Halliburton, and food services company Sysco. ABORTION RULING: A law professor dove into the opinions overturning Roe. Read her notes. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, based in Spring, said the company would continue to cover travel and lodging costs for out-of-state medical care, including abortion services. Our @HPE values compel us to stand up for a womans right to choose, said CEO Antonio Neri on Twitter the day after the Dobbs ruling. Restricting a womans ability and choices in obtaining health care is inequitable and harmful to the advancement of women. In a statement, the company added, We believe people of good will can disagree on matters of policy, and everyone is entitled to his or her personal beliefs. But, as a company, we must stand for unconditional inclusion and for the continual advancement of an equitable workplace. A similar policy is in place at Phillips 66. The refiner said its medical plans cover includes travel and lodging expenses for specialized care not available in a patients local geographic area, adding that its benefits include reproductive healthcare, adoption assistance and surrogacy support. On HoustonChronicle.com: Abortions wont stop post Roe. But they will be more expensive, harder to access Our commitment to our people recognizes that the decisions our employees make about their own health care are personal, Phillips 66 spokesperson added. Experts say no Texas laws prohibit companies from paying for travel for abortion services. A 2017 state law limits the extent to which conventional insurance companies can cover elective abortion, but makes no mention of travel. I dont see they currently have liability if they pay for travel expenses for a lawful, out-of-state abortion, said Seth J. Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center. Whether companies decide to pay for travel expenses may have something to do with how it will affect their ability to attract talent, Chandler said. THE IMPACT: Texas abortion funds freeze indefinitely as Supreme Court shakes landscape There is an issue of how you would attract employees, if there is a type of health care they perceive they may need is illegal, Chandler said. One vehicle for companies to overcome that reluctance is to say, Well pay for your travel. Schlumberger, the worlds biggest oil field services company, said it is still considering how it may adjust its health care policies for its U.S. employees following the Supreme Court ruling. Houston is one of Schlumbergers four principal offices, and the company employs nearly 8,000 here, according to a Houston Chronicle survey. Our health care benefits in the United States have included and will continue to include coverage for required and elective procedures, the company said in a statement. We will continue to ensure equal access to these benefits, regardless of an employees location. Over 100,000 new business applications were filed in Harris County in 2021, breaking the previous record set a year prior. The U.S. Census Bureau released its county-level Business Formation Statistics on Thursday, showing that Harris County's growth swelled by 28 percent last year, from 82,721 in 2020 to 105,787. The boom in new business applications continues a trend that picked up during the pandemic, when layoffs and uncertainty about future unemployment may have nudged more people to take their working lives into their own hands. Harris's growth mimicked the statewide growth rate of 28 percent. Of the largest Texas counties, only Travis Countys 36 percent was ahead of Harris in growth rate from the previous year. Harris County's entrepreneurial spirit was only outperformed by a few others in the state in 2021. Harris filed 22.6 applications per 1,000 residents, landing the county in 5th place for Texas. Fort Bend County topped the list with a rate of 25.7 filed applications, and Travis, Dallas, and Collin counties rounded out positions two through four. Statewide figures show that not all of these newly formed businesses plan on hiring employees. Census Bureau data shows that only about a third of applications filed in Texas are for businesses likely to have a payroll. The rest include individuals who are self-employed or work gig-economy jobs. The Census Bureau determines the total number of new business applications by looking at the number of Employee Identification Numbers assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to new businesses. National-, regional- and state-level data are released monthly and weekly, while county-level data is released annually. WASHINGTON - The U.S. energy industry added 300,000 jobs last year, driven largely by growth in clean energy technology as the oil and gas sector faltered, according to a new report from the Department of Energy. The solar industry added more than 17,000 jobs, a 5.4 percent jump. Jobs producing electric and hybrid vehicles and parts increased 25 percent, with more than 45,000 new jobs. Meanwhile the oil and gas industry lost more than 31,000 jobs, a 6.4 percent decline. Even with the decline in oil jobs,Texas added more than 30,000 energy jobs last year, the most of any state except Michigan, with its large automobile manufacturing sector. RELATED: Granholms meeting with oil executives productive but produces no agreement on gasoline supplies "Energy jobs are growing faster than the economy as a whole, notably jobs in renewables like solar and wind," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. "The jobs are growing in industries we need to support a 100 percent clean power sector." Driving last year's oil sector job losses was continued low crude prices coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. But with public health restrictions now loosened and economies clamoring for oil, crude prices are up more than 50 percent since the beginning of the year, with the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate trading for almost $110 per barrel Monday. The Energy Department is projecting jobs in the fuels sector, which includes oil and gas, coal and biofuels, will grow by 3 percent this year. Granholm said as the economy shifts towards clean energy, jobs in the oil and gas sector would inevitably decline. But with fuel prices at historic highs, for now those jobs remained necessary. "We need to have supply meet demand and that's the bottom line," she said. "Most project there will be a demand curve (for oil and gas) that comes down, and this transition will happen. But we want to make sure it happens in a way that is managed and orderly and doesn't injure people at the pump." Other sectors of the energy industry that saw job declines in 2021 were coal extraction, down 11.8 percent, and nuclear power, down 4.2 percent. Wind energy companies added more 3,300 new jobs, a 2.9 percent increase. Jobs in the biofuels sector grew 6.7 percent, with almost 1,200 new jobs. And the energy efficiency sector added more than 57,000 jobs, a 3.3 percent increase. Chevron is offering to pay for California employees to voluntarily relocate to Houston and is selling its San Ramon headquarters campus, as the companys center of gravity continues to shift to Texas. Last week Chevron confirmed it will remain in California, but it is inviting employees to move to Houston as it puts its 92-acre corporate campus in San Ramon on the market and plans to move its headquarters offices into a smaller leased office spaces elsewhere in the region. The 1.4 million square-foot campus is about 35 miles east of San Francisco. It's still a question though of how many of its 2,000 employees in San Ramon would actually make the move. Chevron isnt requiring employees to move to Texas, but its offer to cover employees relocation is another sign that Houston is a primary center of operations for the oil major. Chevron has about 8,000 employees in the Houston area, including about 6,000 employees in downtown Houston. Chevrons real estate shuffle was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The energy firm has roughly 3 million square feet of office space in downtown Houston spread across three buildings. Chevron also owns two office buildings in northwest Houston that it picked up after it acquired Noble Energy. One of those 438,000 square-foot building represented one of the largest blocks of sublease office spaces available in Houston area as of the first quarter 2022, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. In the past year, Chevron also moved into a leased small office space in The Ion, Rice Management Co.s startup incubator in Midtown Houston. In February, Chevron started requiring office-based employees to physically commute to the office at least three days a week. One of the primary reasons that we felt strongly that it was the right thing to eventually come back is we believe that every company has to preserve a strong culture and that comes from collaboration, face-to-face feedback and our ability to interact with each other on a human (level). We strongly believe that contributes to better business outcomes, Steve Green, president of Chevron North America, in a March interview. Ive heard more and more people had forgotten all the positive things from being together, like the ability to go to lunch with someone, the ability to walk out of the building to go to a different restaurant, the ability to collaborate fact-to-face on a business issue, or to ask a short question without having to jockey for positions on a calendar for a Teams or Zoom call. As the biggest private employer in downtown Houston, Chevrons return-to-office was a major boost in assisting downtown Houstons economic recovery from the pandemic. Green, however, said the company has continued to see value in allowing for some flexibility. We did learn some things working remotely that we very much want to preserve, Green said. Long-term it will be less necessary for people to travel for a 2-hour meeting (for example). The pandemic has shifted companys physical office space needs as more firms adopt hybrid strategies both in Houston and the Bay Area. Chevron is among numerous Bay Area companies that have sought to cut office space during the pandemic, including Wells Fargo, Salesforce and Airbnb. In Houston, where the oil price crash early in the pandemic hit the energy industry, many energy firms moved to shed office space too. Halliburton has said it has cut its real estate footprint in Houston by about 30 percent since the start of the pandemic. Exxon, Schlumberger, EP Energy and Petroleum Geo Services also put large blocks of sublease space on the market at the end of last year, according to research from the real estate firmCushman and Wakefield. Additionally last quarter Engie put sublease space on the market in the Galleria and BP put its 76,600 square-foot on WestLake Park Boulevard on the market for sublease, according to Cushman & Wakefield. EARLIER: Why $100 oil won't unleash an office boom in Houston Even as oil prices rebounded, energy firms aren't all jumping to expand their office spaces even as many do commit to long-term leases. Enbridge is halving its office footprint as it moves its employees to McDermott International tower in the Energy Corridor from the Galleria next month. And Exxon is selling its former headquarters campus in Irving, Texas after moving its headquarters officially to Houston. Although many California companies have relocated to Texas during the pandemic - from Tesla to Oracle and Hewlett Packard Enterprises - Chevron has maintained it plans to headquartered in the Golden State. The current real estate market provides the opportunity to right-size our office space to meet the requirements of our headquarters-based employee population, the company said in a statement. Chevron will remain headquartered in California, where the company has a 140-year history and operations and partnerships throughout the state. Chevrons roots in San Francisco stretch to Pacific Coast Oil Co. in 1879, a company that was later part of John D. Rockefellers corporate juggernaut Standard Oil. For three and a half decades, Chevron was headquartered on Market Street before moving its headquarters in 2001 to San Ramon. The company also has a major refinery in Richmond, Calif. with more than 3,000 workers. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Roland Li contributed. A new master-planned community could bring more than 2,000 new homes to one of the fastest growing counties in the Houston metro. Starwood Land, a Florida-based residential real estate firm, has teamed with Houston-based developer Land Tejas on a new master-planned community on 933-acres in southwest Fort Bend County. Called Starbridge, the community is planned near the intersection of Highway 59 and Doris Road in Beasley, about 41 miles southwest of downtown Houston near Rosenberg. Work is underway on the initial phase of Starbridge, which includes 815 homes across 375 acres, Starwood Land said. The first homes are expected to be available for purchase later in 2023 and into early 2024. Fort Bend County continues to be a very popular destination for homeowners, John Brian, east region president of Starwood Land, said in a statement. Starbridge will include many of Houstons top homebuilders, a variety of family-oriented amenities and a well-planned community design. Land Tejas has developed some of Houstons finest communities, and Starbridge will continue that legacy. On HoustonChronicle.com: What are Houston homes worth now? We break down the data. Land Tejas is developing the roads, utilities and other infrastructure on the site over the next several months, with the goal of turning over the first phase of developed lots to homebuilders early next year. Starwood said the project is in its early phases and it has yet to announce homebuilders or settle on floor plans and prices. Starwood Land has developed more than 90 communities in 10 states, including Harpers Preserve in Montgomery County north of Houston. Starwood acquired the land in Beasley about 18 months ago and it is financing for the development of Starbridge. Starbridge will add more homes to a county in the middle of a residential real estate development boom. The countys population soared nearly 47 percent in the past decade, hitting an estimated 858,527 residents by July 2021, according to the Census Bureau. Officials in Fort Bend County expect the countys population to eclipse 1.1 million residents by 2030, reaching 1.44 million residents by 2050, according to estimates by Woods & Poole, a demographic data consultancy in Washington. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houstons suburbs used to be a place to go for affordable homes. Not anymore, data suggests. Real estate developers have taken note of the population projections. In Richmond, near the center of the county, Johnson Development earlier this year said would add some 117 acres to accommodate more homes in its master-planned community Candela, as well as adding several hundred home sites to its Harvest Green community. Richmond also is where apartment developer Camden Property Trust has proposed a 16-acre build-to-rent single-family home community near the master-planned communities of Aliana and Long Meadow Farms. Elsewhere in Fort Bend County, Johnson Development also unveiled plans for a new 1,258-acre master-planned community in Fulshear. Separately The Signorelli Company has also proposed a 4,700-acre master-planned community, called Austin Point that could eventually encompass 14,000 single-family homes if fully built out. The new developments come as the suburbs are increasingly losing ground on affordability, forcing more homebuyers to drive even farther out of the city metro to be able to afford homes, according to a recent study from Rice Universitys the Kinder Institute, In Beasley where Starbridge is planned the typical home value is about $267,724, according to Zillow data. Thats more affordable than homes in pricier parts of Fort Bend County but still a 36 percent jump from a year ago, compared to a 23 percent increase in the Houston metropolitan area, according to Zillow. marissa.luck@chron.com,twitter.com/marissaluck7 To get into Houstons newest exclusive cocktail bar, you must make a reservation, limit your drinking to 90 minutes and plan to sip the citys priciest drinks Thursday through Saturday only. The 20-seat Bandista, tucked away in an enclave within Four Seasons Hotel Houston, represents a posh, ultra-refined example of Houstons growing appetite for hidden speakeasy-style restaurants and cocktail lairs. Getting inside Bandista is part of the hidden process. Snagging a reservation is tricky and may take several shots, given the precious few spots available. Once passage is secured, guests meet a staff member in the hotel lobby and are directed to a special elevator up to the third floor and through Toro Toro restaurant to an anteroom outfitted with a special bookcase. That bookshelf is actually the door to Bandista. Push it and youre inside the low-lit space where chummy bartenders working with top-shelf liquor concoct specialty cocktails, with razzle-dazzle garnishes, served in antique stemware. Its a unique and expensive experience. A gin/vodka Vesper cocktail is priced at $32, although it does come with side dish on which rests a wee spoonful of caviar and a frozen shower of liquid nitrogen truffle cream. The house French 75 will set you back $35, and the Manhattan is an eyebrow-raising $45. Those are examples of 1920s cocktails. The 2020s side of the list includes modern elixirs such as Fig Daisy (rum, tea, fig jam, lime and bitters), Viking Funeral (single-malt scotch, sherry, amaro, honey, vermouth and cherry bark vanilla bitters) and Sparkling Courage (gin, raspberry, Aperol, lemon and champagne). Here are some of Houstons other hidden spots. Hidden Omakase There are only two seatings per night (Thursday through Saturday) at this 18-seat sushi bar chef counter presided over by chef Niki Vongthong, working with ingredients sourced from Japan. The multicourse dinners, including impeccable nigiri, have sent Houston foodies aflutter. But first you have to find the restaurant. Theres no sign, so look for the storefront lined with old comic books in the Galleria-area shopping mall. 5353 W. Alabama; hiddenomakase.com Pattons The owners of Savoir in the Heights had some fun creating their new steakhouse. They hid the 38-seat venue behind the bar, with a wine-cellar entrance. Step through and youre in a moody, leather banquette-lined chamber brightened by the soft glow of chandeliers and table lamps. Tuck into beef carpaccio, Waldorf salad, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and rib-eye and New York strip cuts washed down with big martinis and bold wines. 1344 Yale; pattonsheights.com Lees Den Atop Local Foods Market in Rice Village, this intimate wine lounge has a food menu that includes dishes such as pistachio-whipped goat cheese with date jam and flat bread; spinach dip with hearts of palm; sesame ginger meatballs; and buttered bread with smoked trout roe. Access is from Local Foods or through an entrance on the east side of the building. 2424 Dunstan; leesdenhtx.com Juliet Theatrical flair accompanied the premier of Juliet, a new cinema-inspired restaurant in the Galleria area, when it debuted in February. Its entrance is a movie theater marquee, beyond which is a mock movie lobby decorated with a candy counter and popcorn machine. Behind the curtain is the dining room, decorated with black-and-white movie stills. The menu is upscale steakhouse stuff, including an Oscar-worthy tomahawk rib-eye wrapped in 24-karat gold leaf. 5857 Westheimer; juliethtx.com Parlour Hideaway Parlour Hideaway isnt open to the public, but if youre planning a special party for up to 65 guests, this chic new space, designed by Kate Rohrer of Philadelphias ROHE Creative, might fit the bill. The boite behind a hidden door near the Lobby Bar of downtowns C. Baldwin hotel features leather settees and velvet slipper chairs set against botanical wallpaper-clad walls. A marble fireplace, a pink bar and 8-foot crystal chandelier fill the space. Theres also a menu from chef Chris Cosentino of Rosalie Italian that includes nibbles such as Texas wagyu tartare, Parmesan gougeres, and bacalao fritters. 400 Dallas; cbaldwinhotel.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Lightning struck a League City home during Monday night's thunderstorms and caused multiple fires to erupt and destroy the home, according to the League City Volunteer Fire Department. Firefighters were dispatched to the two-story home in the Victory Lakes subdivisions at 10:01 p.m., according to the department. When crews arrived, the fire was venting from the roof and was so rampant that League City had to call for additional help from seven other agencies to assist, including fire departments in Kemah, Forest Bend, Nassau Bay, Webster, Dickinson, Santa Fe and Bacliff, according to the LCVFD Facebook page. NEWS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up for breaking news email alerts from HoustonChronicle.com here The fire hydrant across the street from the fire reportedly broke away causing a minor injury to one of the firefighters and a loss of their water supply. "League City Fire Chief Michael Lugo then pulled everyone out of the house and crews used their ladder truck to flow water from the outside to knock down a lot of the fire," spokesperson Nora Garcia said via email Tuesday. Crew extinguished the fire at 12:24 a.m., according to the post. LCVFD reported that all occupants of the home and pets were safely evacuated from the home, and crews were able to salvage some of the homeowner's valuables. There were no reported injuries. Currently, League City's Public Works Department is investigating what caused the hydrant to break away and plan to replace it, according to Garcia. In 2021, Texas led all states in the total number of pulses at more than 69.4 million and more than 5.59 million cloud to ground strikes, followed by Florida, Kansas, and Oklahoma, according to a recent lightning report by AEM/Earth Networks, which details the full scope of U.S. lightning activity. At a Tuesday news conference, U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, slammed the Texas Republican Party for taking the most infamous political U-turn in history and called, once again, upon the states business leaders to speak out against gun violence. The Republican Party has lost its way and desires to go back to a future that doesnt exist, Green said. This is not the Wild Wild West. We resolve our disputes with a ballot not a bullet. At the Texas GOP Convention this weekend, the party proposed a far-right platform which rejects the results of the 2020 presidential election, declares opposition to LGBTQ people, and calls for the abolition of abortion rights and the Federal Reserve. In addition to dubbing homosexuality an abnormal lifestyle choice and endorsing conversion therapy, this years platform also said that Texas retains the right to secede from the United States, and the Texas Legislature should be called upon to pass a referendum consistent thereto. This will take us back to the past when transgender people had no rights, when voting rights for minorities were trampled upon, Green said. This would take us back to before Texas became part of the Union in December 1845. This would take us back to before the Voting Rights Act became law in 1965. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was booed onstage for working with Democrats to reform gun laws. The bipartisan gun legislation would toughen background checks on gun buyers younger than 21. When you say no to gun safety laws, and that it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun, you are literally saying that were going to solve our disputes with guns, Green said. Thats what you see happening now, many young people and people in general are resolving their disputes with guns. This will take us back to July 11, 1804, when Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. GOP delegates argued that those under 21 were most likely to be victims and may need to quickly buy guns. Our society is governed by meritocracy, not by looks, said Green. The position the Republican Party is extolling is largely based on racist views that reward the good ol boys club white, straight men and penalize anyone else who does not fit the standards of that physicality. Some convention attendees called Cornyn a RINO (Republican in name only). Missouri GOP Senate candidate Eric Greitens released a controversial campaign ad on Monday in which he and a group of armed men in combat gear are seen hunting RINOs. Green slammed the ad for inciting political violence, stating that free speech did not mean sending messages that certain people should be killed. People who in your opinion are Republicans in name only have a right to be Republicans in name only, Green said. You have no right to indicate that these persons can be harmed and made to suffer. Are we now in a society where we want to resolve issues with long guns, hunting people down? Where the quickest draw wins? This is not the America that we have fought for. Green entreated Houstons organized business community to take a firm stand against gun violence, reiterating they had the ear and respect of policymakers. Youve been their supporters, they listen to you, Green said. Its time for you to send a message that you wont tolerate having weapons of war in the hands of 18 year olds. Weve reached a point now where nobody can be on the sidelines, because our countrys democracy and our way of life is at risk. juhi.varma@hcnonline.com MADRID (AP) Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, ending an impasse that had clouded a leaders summit opening in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades, triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks with leaders of the three countries, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. He called it a historic decision. Among its many shattering consequences, President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO as protection against an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable Russia which shares a long border with Finland. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any member would be considered an attack against all and trigger a military response by the entire alliance. NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to block the Nordic pair, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. After weeks of diplomacy and hours of talks on Tuesday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three leaders had signed a joint agreement to break the logjam. Turkey said it had got what it wanted including full cooperation ... in the fight against the rebel groups. Stoltenberg said leaders of the 30-nation alliance will issue a formal invitation to the two countries to join on Wednesday. The decision has to be ratified by all individual nations, but he said he was absolutely confident Finland and Sweden would become members, something that could happen within months. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said the agreement was good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better. But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson told the Associated Press. Turkey hailed Tuesdays agreement as a triumph, saying the Nordic nations had agreed to crack down on groups that Ankara deems national security threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension. It said they also agreed not to impose embargo restrictions in the field of defense industry on Turkey and to take concrete steps on the extradition of terrorist criminals. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Turkey, in turn, agreed to support at the 2022 Madrid Summit the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. Details of exactly what was agreed were unclear. Amineh Kakabaveh, an independent Swedish lawmaker of Kurdish origin whose support the government depends on for a majority in Parliament, said it was worrisome that Sweden isnt revealing what promises it has given Erdogan. Andersson dismissed suggestions Sweden and Finland had conceded too much. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said they will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated the three nations on taking a crucial step. Amid speculation about a U.S. role in ending the deadlock, a senior administration official said Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together, and Biden spoke with Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The agreement came at the opening of a crucial summit, dominated by Russias invasion of Ukraine, that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. The summit was kicking off with a leaders' dinner hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI at the 18th-century Royal Palace of Madrid. Top of the agenda in meetings Wednesday and Thursday is strengthening defenses against Russia, and supporting Ukraine. Moscows invasion on Feb. 24 shook European security and brought shelling of cities and bloody ground battles back to the continent. NATO, which had begun to turn its focus to terrorism and other non-state threats, has had to confront an adversarial Russia once again. Biden said NATO was as united and galvanized as I think we have ever been. A Russian missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a grim reminder of the wars horrors. Some saw the timing, as Group of Seven leaders met in Germany and just ahead of the NATO gathering, as a message from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to address NATO leaders by video on Wednesday, called the strike on the mall a terrorist act. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traveled to Madrid to urge the alliance to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko told reporters at the summit venue. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world and that meant we have to invest more in our defense, Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATOs 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Spain, which is hosting the summit, spends just half that. Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies will agree at the summit to increase the strength of the alliances rapid reaction force nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries on NATOs eastern flank, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition. Beneath the surface, there are tensions within NATO over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are also differences on how hard a line to take on China in NATOs new Strategic Concept its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last document, published in 2010, didn't mention China at all. The new concept is expected to set out NATOs approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change and the growing economic and military reach of China, and the rising importance and power of the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the summit as guests. Some European members are wary of the tough U.S. line on Beijing and dont want China cast as an opponent. In the Strategic Concept, NATO is set to declare Russia its number one threat. Russias state space agency, Roscosmos marked the summits opening by releasing satellite images and coordinates of the Madrid conference hall where it is being held, along with those of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. The agency said NATO was set to declare Russia an enemy at the summit, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Associated Press Writers Aritz Parra, Ciaran Giles, Sylvie Corbet and Zeke Miller in Madrid, Karl Ritter in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. (AP) A North Carolina businesswoman has been arrested in separate instances on charges stemming from complaints by elderly customers about her car repair shop, police said. Roanoke Rapids police said Vivian Pompliano, 59, is facing three new counts of exploitation of elder/disabled person, a month after she was arrested following a complaint from an elderly woman that her late husbands car was being held at the shop for minor repairs, news outlets reported. Houston Chronicle Three people were arrested Saturday and charged with kidnapping seven people from a Tomball group home, according to Tomball Police Department. Ebony Nikkisha Polk, 46; Henry Wayne Polk, 46; and Ganae Christine Segura, 49, were arrested on June 25, according to a press release. Each was charged with seven counts of kidnapping, according to police. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A pioneering jurist and a veteran news breaker captured attention anew this week. Judge Darrell Jordan of Harris County's misdemeanor bench was arrested in connection with a 2020 spat that ended with media consultant Wayne Dolcefino being jailed for his conduct in the judge's court. There are a lot of big personalities involved. Both of the men are strong-willed and outspoken and have taken public stands on hot-button issues. JUDGE JORDAN: Harris County misdemeanor court judge arrested, charged with official oppression Here's everything to know about the two Houston personalities and their latest headline-grabbing spat: What happened between Judge Darrell Jordan and Wayne Dolcefino? The judge was charged this week with unlawfully arresting and detaining Dolcefino following an incident in which the ex-reporter demanded an interview with the judge during court on June 30, 2020. Jordan repeatedly warned the consultant not to interrupt court proceedings, according to court documents. When he did not stop, Jordan held Dolcefino in contempt. A grand jury determined that Jordan should be indicted for wrongfully holding Dolcefino in contempt or subjecting him to summary punishment and jail without a hearing. Dolcefino was convicted and sentenced to three days in Harris County Jail, six months of probation and a $500 fine. An appeals court ultimately tossed his conviction. The new charges were bolstered by video evidence Dolcefino obtained by wearing a hidden camera during the 2020 hearing. Who is Judge Darrell Jordan? Jordan, 46, first made headlines in 2015 when he was appointed as part of a panel of special prosecutors to investigate Sandra Bland's arrest and death in Waller County in 2015. Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle Then a criminal attorney, the protege of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis began serving as a criminal court-at-law judge in Harris County in 2017. His arrival on the county misdemeanor court coincided with early hearings in the ODonnell case, a federal civil rights suit challenging the way Harris County treated people detained in its jails. He was the only Democratic judge on the 16-person misdemeanor courts for the bulk of that case, and he took a firm stand -- all by himself for a while -- against the use of cash bail for defendants too poor to afford it. The federal judge in that case ultimately ruled that the system in place in Harris County violated the constitution by detaining people based on whether they could come up with bail money. BAIL BOND ISSUE: Harris County officials pass bail measure requiring 10 percent fees by defendants For several years, he has spoken at conferences and training sessions around the country about myths, realities and constitutional underpinnings of bail reform. When Beto O'Rourke's Senate bid led to a "blue wave" in county government in 2018, Jordan suddenly was surrounded by Democrats. He and the new judges revised who could qualify for "general order bonds," and the bail case was resolved in a landmark settlement. Jordan also backed the civil rights lawyers in the filing of a federal lawsuit in 2019 challenging the county's felony bail system. Jordan has indicated his conflict with Harris County District Attorney Ogg began with his concerns over the way she ran her office and made decisions about who to prosecute. It boiled over into his courtroom, where Jordan confronted Ogg's staff over their behavior in his court. Jordan was admonished in May by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and ordered to do additional training in a separate incident. The commission found Jordan threatened to charge at least prosecutor with contempt of court for failing to show him the proper respect and in October 2018 he summoned several prosecutors to his chambers to talk about disrespect he was feeling. Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle Ogg's office filed a complaint with the judicial commission in Austin, asserting he'd been unprofessional. The commission said Jordan referred to himself in that meeting as the king of his court and the assistant district attorneys as hang-em-high prosecutors. Jordan recently returned from overseas duty in the Middle East with the Army National Guard. He has served in the Army for more than 20 years, including as a captain in with Judge Advocate General, or JAG Corps. According to a 2017 profile in Houstonia, Jordan grew up shutting between his mother's home in Columbia, Mo., and his fathers in Albany, Ga. He was poor, lived in homeless shelters and spent time in a child-abuse shelter, the magazine reported. His mother, uncles and younger brother were all incarcerated at various points in time. His own experiences with police profiling and overreach made him want to become a lawyer, according to Houstonia. MORE ON JUDGE JORDAN: Judge who referred to himself as king of court admonished for lashing out against prosecutors He studied at the University of Missouri and got his law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Who is Wayne Dolcefino? Dolcefino, 65, bills himself at his consulting firm's website as "one of the nations most decorated journalists." When he left journalism in 2012, the Houston Chronicle dubbed him "arguably the most controversial and most accomplished investigative reporter in the recent annals of Houston television." Dolcefino has 30 Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow award, three medals from Investigative Reporters and Editors, as well as honors from the Associated Press and Texas Association of Broadcasters. Cody Duty/Staff In terms of his journalism career, Dolcefino breaks it into two phases. First, he lived through what he called his "Hurricane Wayne" era, when he covered storms along the Gulf Coast. Then came his "13 Undercover" phase where he filed pieces on the "cocaine trail" from South America to Houston and improper conduct by city, county and school district employees. He ultimately ran undercover investigations for ABC13 KTRK for nearly 27 years and drew attention with his flashy presentation. He would march into schools on camera to show how poor their security was or slice up a pie and have coins popping out of it to demonstrate how people were getting rich off government money. If he was covering the Port of Houston, he might show up in a Hawaiian shirt. His focus was "exposing public corruption, wasted taxpayer money, government malfeasance and fraud," his site says. He previously worked as an investigative radio reporter. Many credit Dolcefino with tanking Sylvester Turners first bid for Houston mayor in 1991. Dolcefino's broadcasts implied Turner may have been involved in an attempted multimillion dollar insurance scam involving a man who faked his own death. The man was a client of Turner's, Sylvester Foster, who reportedly drowned in 1986 while sailing near Galveston, but was, it turned out, still alive. The report devastated Turner, all but torpedoing his chances at the mayor's office, the Chronicle reported. Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Turner sued Dolcefino and KTRK for libel. A Harris County jury found the broadcast false and awarded Turner $5.5 million. The award and verdict were overturned on appeal and the Texas Supreme Court found that while "Turner established that the broadcast as a whole was false and defamatory... he failed to present clear and convincing evidence of actual malice." CHANGE OF PACE: Wayne Dolcefino ready for his second act Years later, Dolcefino put his name in for election, coming close to winning a bid for Katy ISD Board of Trustees in 2013. Since 2012, he has been at the helm of Dolcefino Consulting, where he has represented prominent figures such as David Wilson, a Houston Community College trustee who questioned the impartiality of the college system's internal investigation into procurement practices. In addition to media support, Dolcefino provides "crisis management," a la Olivia Pope. Many of his clients are both prominent and confidential, he says. As a media image manager, he has continued to play a role in challenging power players in the region, including Ogg. He became embroiled in a spat over who was more connected with Houston's poker clubs. Ogg filed felony charges against nine employees of the Prime Social and Post Oak poker clubs. Later, she said, she learned that Amir Mireskandari, a financial crimes consultant for her office, had been lobbying on behalf of Prime Social. Prime Social attorneys said the club paid more than $500,000 to Mireskandari for campaign contributions to get an ordinance or law passed to legalize poker clubs. Dolcefino, who exposed the scandal, worked for one of the poker clubs that was accusing Mireskandari and the district attorney herself of misdeeds. In 2017, he was hospitalized after a head-on collision along Highway 87 near Brady, about 130 miles northwest of Austin. He underwent surgery for a fractured pelvis and foot and knee injuries. RELATED: Former Houston TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino sues after car crash He has spoken openly about having multiple sclerosis. Wayne Dolcefino grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Austin in 1968. He attended University of Texas and worked for an Austin radio station before coming to Houston to work for KTRH-AM radio. *** Ogg also has a (nonspeaking) role in this story. Because Jordan has a history of butting heads with the district attorney, Ogg's office has bowed out to avoid a conflict in interest. As a result, Fort Bend County District Attorney will be handling the prosecution of Jordan on the charge of official oppression. Ogg clearly trusted Dolcefino, who served as her campaign spokesman when she ran for district attorney in 2016. In the years that followed, the two developed a beef over the poker clubs and her office prosecuted him in the 2020 spat when he interrupted proceedings in Jordan's court. gabrielle.banks@chron.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The deaths of 46 migrants found in a tractor trailer truck in San Antonio on Monday night is believed to be the deadliest human smuggling incident on U.S. soil. Law enforcement officials often encounter smuggling deaths, but not at this proportion. Victoria, 2003 On May 13, 2003, 19 migrants died after riding in the rear compartment of an 18-wheeler in South Texas. In the incident, truck driver Tyrone Williams who agreed to smuggle the migrants across a border checkpoint for $7,500 failed to turn on the trucks cooling system causing temperatures inside to reach 173 degrees. DEATH TOLL RISES: As death count rises to 50 migrants found in Texas tractor-trailer, here's what we know When Williams opened the trailer in Victoria, the migrants were found dead of dehydration, overheating and suffocation. He was eventually sentenced to 34 years in prison. San Antonio, 2017 In another incident, 10 migrants died eight on scene and two at the hospital after being smuggled in a tractor-trailer to a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio on July 23, 2017. The driver, James Matthews Bradley Jr., pleaded guilty to charges in their deaths and was given a life sentence. Officials believed 39 migrants were found at the scene but as many as 200 may have been on the trip. Pedro Silva Segura, his co-defendant, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death. He was sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release, according to court records. Elsewhere in the world This manner of migrant death is not unique to the U.S. as similar truck incidents have been reported in England, Austria, Thailand, Libya and Pakistan, according to the Missing Migrants Project. Internationally, Monday's incident mirrors one of Britains biggest ever homicide investigations. In 2019, officials discovered the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals inside a refrigerated truck container in Essex, England. Four men were charged in connection to the deaths last year. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com Susan Walsh, STF / Associated Press WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for a crackdown on human smuggling after the bodies of 50 people who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico were found inside and around a San Antonio tractor-trailer Monday night. Initial reports are that this tragedy was caused by smugglers or human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit, Biden said in a statement. This incident underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths. A Texas mayor has resigned after recently being arrested and charged with soliciting a minor online, according to multiple reports. Matthew Mcllravy, 42, was booked into the Dallas County Jail on June 21 on a second-degree felony charge and has since been released on bond, according to the Dallas Morning News. Dallas police said in a Facebook post that Mcllravy was arrested after a five-month investigation that also included the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Collin County district attorneys office. As part of the investigation, Mcllravy reportedly exchanged messages with an undercover officer posing as a 12-year-old girl, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit obtained by KTVT-TV. The warrant says he wanted to engage in "deviant sexual intercourse." Police said the investigation also revealed additional "communications with minors" who have not been identified. Pilot Point City Manager Britt Lusk released a statement the night of Mcllravy's arrest, saying he was arrested that morning while at City Hall, according to a WFAA report. Lusk also said the city will follow applicable state law and its charter to fill any vacancies. In the absence of the mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Chad Major filled in to preside over meetings. Mcllravy's government profile has since been removed from the City of Pilot Point's website. Pilot Point is located in Denton County, more than five hours northwest of Houston and roughly 45 miles north of Dallas. Police are asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact Detective Michael Fontenot at (214) 671-4281 or email him at michael.fontenot@dallascityhall.com. KIN MAN HUI/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Dozens of people were found dead Monday afternoon inside a tractor-trailer, according to multiple media reports. KSAT said 42 bodies had been found and that San Antonio police had surrounded an 18-wheeler near the 9600 block of Quintana Road next to railroad tracks. Regarding Opinion: I mourn this day Roe v. Wade was overturned, (June 24): Ms. Herrick says June 24 was a day of mourning for our country because Roe was overturned. Sad that someones values are so out of kilter that they would mourn the loss of the right to put an unwanted child to death. Rather, Ms. Herrick should be rejoicing that mourning for more barbaric executions of babies will be stopped, at least in some states. If she wants to mourn, let her mourn for the approximately 60 million babies needlessly killed since Roe allowed and glorified it in 1973. J. Jones, La Porte I applaud the Supreme Court decision to return the abortion issue to the states in accordance with the Constitution. This decision takes abortion from the federal government and returns it to the individual states where it resided for more than 100 years. Abortions will still be legal in most states, while some states may take a more firm stance on when a pregnancy can be terminated. This decision by the Supreme Court may also bring back some morality to the country which has been rapidly receding. Robert T. Haas, Missouri City Regarding Anti-abortion demonstrators celebrate Roe ruling outside Houstons Planned Parenthood, (June 25): One of the most horrific and wicked practices has finally been overturned, and that is abortion, aka murder on demand. The argument about the right to have an abortion has never been about rape or incest. This genocidal practice has always had a targeted audience, and that is those who are in underserved communities. This is no secret. Just do the research. Minister Jerry Wharton, Kingwood Who should decide? Regarding Supreme Courts abortion ruling sets off new court fights, (June 27): There are really two questions at issue in the abortion debate, and they are often confused. First, how should decisions be made about controversial issues like abortion? Should the decision be made by our democratically elected representatives, or should it be made by unelected jurists? Should the laws be determined by the legislature or the judiciary? Most people, especially in a free society, would rather have them determined by elected officials who represent the voters. The second question involves the actual content of the laws. Under what circumstances should abortion be legal? Arguments about this issue may involve prevailing attitudes, moral issues and public reactions. Different communities may arrive at different conclusions. My point is that (the) Supreme Court decision was only about the first question and did not rule on the second one. Dave Dyer, Houston I wonder if anyone who is celebrating the millions of lives saved by the overturning of Roe vs. Wade is being realistic about how this planet is being overrun with human beings. Who in their right mind thinks we need more human beings? We are not doing a good job of taking care of the ones who exist now. We are not doing a good job of coexisting with each other or with other species. We are not doing a good job of using and conserving the precious resources of this planet. I cannot think of one good reason why anyone thinks it is a good idea to bring an unwanted human being into this world, especially if the one person who will be most responsible for the welfare of that child does not feel prepared to shoulder that responsibility. How can this be good for the child, the mother or the society? We have not thought this through very well. Joanna Friesen, Houston Its ironic that people will protest that it is not right for the government to force them to wear a mask or be vaccinated, in order to protect others from COVID and its possible deadly outcome, but that it is OK for the government to tell a woman she doesnt have the right to control her own body. This absolutely faulty logic makes the anti-abortion right-to-life argument look pretty ignorant. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is between the woman and God, not the woman and the Supreme Court, some male-dominated legislature or some stranger sitting next to her in church. Im anti-abortion but pro-choice. Paul Pieri, Houston Cost of care Regarding Essay: I didnt abort my child. Now the world must step up for women like me. (June 24): I was very touched by Mrs. Boadas story. It was far more than I could have done, and her daughter was very lucky to be born of such a mother. But I have a couple of questions: How have you managed to pay for the care this child has needed? For us regular folks, the birth of a child with such difficulties would have meant the child would have lived a year and left the family bankrupt. That, of course, assumes the family has insurance because, in Texas, 17.3 percent dont. The second question involves what happens when you get too old to care for your daughter or you die? I hope you can leave enough money for the childs continued care for the rest of her life, but even then it will never be equal to what you have given. Alan Wilson, Houston Editors note: As the Fourth of July approaches, we invite readers to send letters about how you will be marking the holiday and what freedom means to you. The best way to submit letters is through houstonchronicle.com/opinion/submit/ or viewpoints@chron.com. Over the last few years, states have taken unprecedented steps to expand parent choice in education for Americas families. Across the nation, Education Savings Accounts and tax-credit scholarships are being created, expanded or improved to make educational freedom attainable for all. In Texas, the topic has become quite important for families. Not only did Gov. Greg Abbott recently decide to speak up in support of school choice and of empowering parents, but candidates in favor of educational freedom are being elected up and down the ballot throughout the state. The latest historic win comes from the first Mexican-born Congresswoman Republican Mayra Flores who flipped Texas U.S. House District 34, a heavily Hispanic district created a decade ago which includes the southern border of the Rio Grande Valley. Flores understands the importance of parental school choice and the doors it can open for Latinos and disadvantaged children, and she voiced that support in October 2021. A recent study conducted in Texas sides with Abbott and Flores, finding an overwhelming support for school choice among the 608 Hispanic adults surveyed. The study, published by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, states that 78 percent of the survey respondents believe that parents should have the right to utilize earmarked tax funds to send their child to whichever school public, charter or private that best meets their needs. Although that number may seem small in relation to the total population of Hispanics in Texas, the results concur with a recent national poll conducted by the American Federation for Children and conducted by RealClear Opinion Research. The survey of over 2,000 registered voters nationwide overwhelmingly showed support among all demographics for school choice. Of the Hispanics surveyed, 77 percent strongly supported giving families educational options. As a Hispanic school choice advocate and parent myself, I understand why families, now more than ever, are asking for access to educational freedom. All one has to do is watch the news to see the frightening statistics. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened both academic and non-academic difficulties that Latino students already experienced, particularly for those growing up in low-income homes. Reports show that many students were forced to drop out of school to help support their families, and those who remained in school lacked access to technology and other necessary resources. NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. For years, disadvantaged children have systematically slipped through the cracks and been assigned to schools that have been failing for decades. The achievement gaps have considerably increased, and private schooling alternatives have become even more out of reach for many lower- and middle-income families. The pandemic exacerbated these failures and gave parents a front-row seat to what is truly happening in Americas classrooms. Unfortunately, the failures go way beyond reading, writing and arithmetic. As a first-generation American from Chile, I understand the importance and value of education. My parents and grandparents always reiterated how schooling is something invaluable that would open doors for my future. Latinos who can attend college or obtain a valuable education take pride in that. Many of us come from generations of poverty, and being able to break this cycle means freedom and opportunity for generations to come. No child should be forced to wait for a system to improve; they should have even greater access to school choice as a viable and cost-effective alternative to closing the achievement gaps. According to a 2016 EdChoice report, 25 studies show that school choice programs save taxpayers money. More importantly, these programs can help families who have been harmed most by generations of systemic failures. Most school choice programs in the country are limited based on income, and over 600,000 students successfully use them all across the country. From my experience visiting schools and working with families, I know firsthand that schools will often work with families to ensure low-income students are able to attend, and in some cases, offer supplemental scholarships as these schools want to be partners in education and help low-income families attend their schools. Texan families are no different, and their representatives should be bold enough to improve the school system in their state. Texans need legislators who are representative of their beliefs. They also deserve legislators willing to create an educational system process that is inclusive of their diverse community through school choice. As leaders in a state that does not provide scholarships for students to attend private schools, Texas legislators should view the strong support for school choice as a wake-up call. They should move to release the stranglehold on education for the next generation, considering Hispanics represent more than 52 percent of the 5.5 million students enrolled in public schools in the state during the 2019-20 school year. For years, Hispanics have been asking for a seat at the table, and that time has come. As a growing political power, Latinos are equipped not only to vote for leaders who empower parents and families, but also to become the educational leaders our community yearns for. The education status quo in Texas should not be our only option. Despite the challenges our community faces, freedom in education should be embraced by the Lone Star State as the remedy for minority communities to achieve the American Dream. Valeria Gurr serves as director of external affairs relations for the American Federation for Children. She was the program manager for the Nevada Institute for Childrens Research and Policy and is a passionate advocate for educational choice, particularly for underserved families. Texas abortion funds have played a critical role over the past 10 months for women trying to evade the states new six-week abortion ban, helping them pay for and travel to providers in states where the procedure is still legal. But when the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, upending nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections, those same groups were not offering help. Many announced instead they are pausing their operations while they reviewed the ruling and existing state laws. We want to protect our abortion fund staff and volunteers to the greatest degree possible from the risk of arrest and involvement with the racist criminal justice system, the Lilith Fund, the oldest abortion fund in the state, said in a statement. Abortion funds are among those facing difficult legal questions over what theyre allowed to do under state law. The answers will have implications for everyday Texans, covering whether people in Texas can donate to abortion funds, whether they can drive someone across state lines for an abortion, or even if they just post information online about how to get around state abortion laws. EXPLAINER: The Supreme Court's abortion opinions, explained by a law professor Texas has a trigger ban that criminalizes nearly all abortions and takes effect within a month of the courts final judgment. It carries punishment of first- or second-degree felonies and civil penalties of at least $100,000. But the state also has abortion bans that predate the 1973 Roe ruling, and its six-week abortion ban known as SB 8 is still on the books, enforced exclusively through civil lawsuits. Those laws dont just target abortions themselves, but all the support services that help people access them as well. The point of SB 8 was to close the clinics, and it was actually successful, said Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at Houstons South Texas College of Law. But now that women are having to go to other states now that Roes overruled, well see a lot more litigation. On Monday, more than a half dozen Texas abortion providers filed a lawsuit to block officials from enforcing the states 1920s-era abortion ban, arguing that the care should remain lawful until the trigger law takes effect this summer. But even if theyre successful, SB 8 remains in place and, later this summer, so will the trigger law. IN-DEPTH: How Texas became the training ground for Post-Roe America Elizabeth Sepper, law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said she doubts the state could file charges in many instances without passing a new law attempting to criminalize acts like driving a person to an abortion appointment out-of-state or donating to an abortion fund. Thats the kind of activity that is usually not a crime, Sepper said. What they will be facilitating is not a crime in the place where it will happen That would require a new legal structure and would infringe on other liberties that we have that are protected or under the state Constitution, U.S. Constitution or both. On the issue of donations in particular, she added that the Supreme Court has already set the precedent that money is protected speech under the First Amendment. Restricting pro-abortions rights donations but not anti-abortion donations could constitute viewpoint-based discrimination that would violate the First Amendment. But Blackman said someone could still try suing over a donation under SB 8s aiding and abetting clause. The usual rule is you have free speech to promote your views, but under the laws of the state now, those views are themselves illegal, he said. So this could be a prescient discussion about whether youre facilitating the commission of a crime, which is an exception to the First Amendment. I dont think that argument is very good, but I want to flag it. The bigger point, Blackman said, is the mere threat of a lawsuit may lead more people to refrain from donating or posting information online about how to access abortions. If state lawmakers try to pass such laws or if a prosecutor tries to use an existing law to seek criminal penalties for such actions, Sepper foresees a lot of lawsuits, as there already have been. ACLU of Texas staff attorney David Donatti said it would be extraordinary if the state tried to pass laws with extraterritorial reach. There would be serious concerns as to whether theyd be able to do that, Donatti said. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his concurring opinion that he did not believe those types of laws would pass Constitutional muster. As I see it, some of the other abortion-related legal questions raised by todays decision are not especially difficult as a constitutional matter, he wrote. For example, may a state bar a resident of that state from traveling to another state to obtain an abortion? In my view, the answer is no based on the constitutional right to interstate travel. Sepper said abortion funds have likely stopped operating because they want reassurance that they wont be subject to criminal charges, and the only way for them to get that will be through litigation. Abortion funds learned with SB 8 (the six-week abortion ban) they have a target on their back, she said. The aiding and abetting language in SB 8 was an example of the legislature aiming anti-abortion laws not only at providers but also at the funding institutions and structures. In March, two Texas abortion advocacy groups filed four lawsuits, two in state court and two in district court, challenging the private enforcement mechanism of the states six-week ban, saying it denies Texans the right to due process, free speech and equal protection under the law. The cases are still pending. taylor.goldenstein@chron.com Texas leaders directed more than $100 million to school safety initiatives and mental health services on Tuesday, about a month after a teenage gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school. The funds include $50 million for bulletproof shields for school police officers and $17 million for school districts to purchase silent panic alarms. The allocation marks legislators most direct response to the Uvalde shooting yet, as Gov. Greg Abbott has so far declined to call a special legislative session that would immediately bring lawmakers back to Austin to discuss appropriations and other legislative responses. The Legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until January, when students will already be about halfway through the next academic year. Texas Republican leaders have focused heavily on mental health and school security after the massacre, rejecting calls from the left to restrict firearm access. The Uvalde shooter used an AR-15-style weapon, purchased just days after his 18th birthday, and Democrats have been advocating for expanded background checks and limits on who can buy assault-style rifles. Funding these much-needed initiatives marks the first of many steps that we will take at the Legislature to respond to the horrific events in Uvalde and prevent another tragedy like this from happening again, said House Speaker Dade Phelan, who had suggested most of the appropriations earlier this month. Important policy discussions and debates remain on how the Legislature will tackle issues such as school safety, mental health, firearm safety and more, but this important first step will ensure that action is taken and implemented before school starts again in August. IN-DEPTH: Texas legislative leaders want to spend millions on mental health, school safety by end of summer The package will direct nearly $6 million to expand the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program, or TCHATT, which offers telehealth services to public school students who need mental health treatment. Another roughly $6 million will fund an expansion of specialty therapy across the state, providing more community-based treatment for juvenile offenders and helping young people experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Lawmakers are also giving up to $5 million to the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Center, which will evaluate mental health services in Uvalde and provide recommendations to lawmakers based on its findings. The rest of the funding will support new security measures, including $10 million for more law enforcement officials to take active shooter training. The funds were allocated through an emergency budget appropriation, which redistributes resources from existing pools. Texas Legislatures Uvalde response Texas allocations for mental health and school safety. $50 million for bulletproof shields $5.8 million to expand Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) $4.7 million to increase Multisystemic Therapy (MST) across the state $950,000 to expand Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams across the state $7 million for rapid response training by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center $3 million for local law enforcement agencies to travel for ALERRT trainings $7 million to the Texas School Safety Center for on-site campus assessments $17.1 million for school districts to buy silent panic alert technology $5 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand fusion center research and capabilities Up to $5 million for the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) Center See More Collapse Almost all of the money will come from a surplus in the Foundation School Program, the main source of funding for Texas schools. The allocations will last through August 2023. Childrens advocates welcomed the announcement on Tuesday but stressed that lawmakers must continue supporting mental health resources when the Legislature convenes in January. With the vast majority of this new funding going towards security measures, it looks like state leaders are making a down payment on addressing the childrens mental challenges that escalated over the last decade and laying the groundwork to make mental health a bigger priority during the next legislative session, said Josette Saxton, the director of mental health policy for the nonprofit Texans Care for Children. We will certainly be pushing the Legislature to close the remaining gaps in comprehensive childrens mental health services next session. cayla.harris@express-news.net As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Developers Pursue Duplex Project with Affordable Component for Former Williamstown Grange Site WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The owner of the former Grange Hall property on Water Street is looking to develop more than 20 sustainable, energy-efficient homes with a quarter of the owner-occupied units set aside for residents earning up to 80 percent of the area median income. Last week, Alexander Carlisle appeared before the board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust to seek its support for the project in anticipation of an approval process that will involve the town waiving zoning regulations to allow the development. Carlisle and his wife purchased the 6.6-acre 584 Water St. property in 2005 with hopes of renovating the historic structure after it no longer served the local branch of the Grange, America's oldest advocacy group for agriculture. The Great Recession in 2008 killed off initial interest that the couple had in such a project, but the Carlisles' fallback position had been to subdivide the property into three single-family residential lots. "But we realized building costs had become so high that there was simply no interest in it," he told the board. "No one was asking to buy lots, period. Even in the recent run-up to the housing bubble, there was no interest as well. Some of the fancier lots in town with great views they had to drop their lot prices, which finally sold during this incredible time of housing pressure." The Carlisles pursued the idea of establishing a community-supported agriculture farm on the property and communicated with Williams College about locating faculty housing on the site before connecting with Hicks Stone and Bill Freeman, who put together a plan to erect pre-fabricated, two-family duplexes on helical piles on the site. "Right now, we have 22 units [in the plan]," Stone told the trustees. "It's conceivable we could get 26." The developers face two primary regulatory hurdles. The first is a need for approval from the town's Conservation Commission, which has jurisdiction over projects that occur near waterways like the Green River, which abuts the Grange Hall property. The second is the town's zoning bylaw, which would not allow that many residents on that size parcel. That is where the affordable housing component comes in. Under Chapter 40B of Massachusetts General Law, local zoning can be waived to permit developments that include at least 25 percent affordable units six such income-restricted units in the development currently under consideration. In a community with less than 10 percent of its housing stock classified as "affordable" by the commonwealth basically income restricted housing Chapter 40B development is allowed by law. Williamstown, on the other hand, is nearing the 10 percent threshold with recent developments that include 330 Cole Ave., Highland Woods and 27 more planned units at the third phase of the Cable Mills development. If the project stays at 22 units, Stone said he projects the market rate units to sell for about $750,000. The six units designated as affordable which would be indistinguishable from their neighbors in the complex would sell for $175,000. "I've taken the Pittsfield area median income and calculated the monthly amounts for housing expenditure," Stone said. "At 70 percent [AMI] it's $1,488 per month. At 80 percent, it's $1,700 per month. At a sales price of $175,000 with an assumed down payment of 5 percent you end up with a monthly payment of about $1,684 a month, which places it below the 80 percent threshold." That number includes the homeowners association fees that would be associated with the planned duplexes. The development includes a central green space for the residences in addition to the existing marsh land on the site. "My colleague, Bill Freeman, is very interested in pollinator pathways and natural landscaping," Stone said. Stone is a Harvard-trained architect with a firm in New York City who moved to Williamstown "as part of the COVID diaspora," he told the housing board. In addition to an interest in preserving green space at the planned development, he and Freeman share a passion for sustainable architecture, he said. He shared that the duplexes under development would have maximum insulation and "a fairly sophisticated heat recovery ventilator, dehumidifier and heating and cooling unit made in Canada by Minotair." He noted that energy efficiency will add to all of the units' long-term affordability. "Our motto is, 'Planet, People and Profit,' with the emphasis on the planet and serving the people," Stone said. "I'd love to see a combustion-free, net-zero housing development with an affordable component in Williamstown. I hope this will be one step in a number of projects like this." As for the existing Grange Hall, Carlisle said that over the years, he has realized that any attempt to make the structure a fully-functioning, four-season building would not be cost effective. "As someone who has been involved in historic preservation most of my career, I know the process to take a building like that and turn it into a four-season structure is so damaging to the original building structure that it's not advantageous to anyone to do that," he said. He said he is interested in finding "alternate uses" for the Grange Hall, either on its current site or by disassembling and relocating the historic structure. "The cost of taking it down would be much less than the cost of conversion," he said. "It's possible to repurpose it in a much more cost-effective, utilitarian manner." Carlisle said he was surprised when the developers expressed an interest in keeping the Grange Hall on the property and working around it, but a decision one or another is still a ways off. Carlisle and his partners did not come to the Affordable Housing Trust last Wednesday with any specific requests, and the trustees did not take any votes. The developers did not give a timeline for when they would begin the formal process of seeking the wetlands and zoning approval they would need to break ground. Trustee Daniel Gura recommended that the group run the numbers to see whether an infusion of town funds either from the Affordable Housing Trust or directly from the Community Preservation Act allotments at next year's annual town meeting would help increase the number of affordable units in the project above the required 25 percent. Gura said they may find the number needed to move that needle is beyond the town's capacity to help but it is worth exploring the question. Gura also complimented the development team for pursuing a mixed-income development. "The single most valuable and lasting way to create affordable housing is through mixed-income," he said. "The extracted value of those who are the low-income recipients, to be in a mixed neighborhood, their outcomes vastly outweigh any other structure. The data is staggering versus putting 50 low-income people in one place. [Mixed-income] is what we at Habitat for Humanity are doing nationwide. "I don't mind a $700,000 house next to a $175,000 house. It sounds great to me." Stone told the board that based on conversations with some of the residents in the Water Street neighborhood, there was support for the proposal, but he acknowledged there could be some opposition when the time comes to go through the Chapter 40B process. "I'm told Williamstown is not as NIMBY-oriented as some other communities," Stone said. "Is that your impression?" "Largely, but not totally," board Chair Tom Sheldon replied. Dalton Voters OK Articles at Special Town Meeting DALTON, Mass. Fewer than a dozen voters at Monday's special town meeting took only 10 minutes to pass the two articles on the warrant. Article 1 was amended to include an additional $4,000 to cover trash removal from Town Hall, the senior center, garage, and park, based on a recent contract proposal with Casella. This addition brought the total amount for Article 1 to $12,643, of which $8,6324 will pay sewer and debt expenses that were not anticipated for the annual town meeting. Article 3 transfers $2,066 from free cash to the Miscellaneous Grants account to cure a deficit. Of this amount, $1,436 will be used for an e-911 grant, $630 will be used for funding the Coronavirus Supplemental Funding Program. Each of these articles passed with little to no discussion. Mayor Linda Tyer speaks to Congressman Richie Neal at Monday's small-business networking event hosted by General Dynamics at the Berkshire Innovation Center. PreviousNext General Dynamics Seeks Small-Business Connections Congressman Neal says there are more than 133,000 Massachusetts residents employed by small businesses in the state. PITTSFIELD, Mass. General Dynamics Mission Systems gathered around 75 small businesses and professional organizations at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Monday for a day of making connections. The event titled "Innovating for The Future" sought to expand the company's supply chain in the state and further GD's relationship with the community by strengthening the local industrial sector. "I think one of our main objectives today is to make connections. Make connections between General Dynamics and all of the folks we have here representing the various companies, we have several of the General Dynamics companies represented," Vice President of Supply Chain Management Ann Rusher said. "So getting our message out as to what our needs are and what would be important for small businesses to be able to support us and making the connections than with the small business, what are their capabilities and where do they want to go, everyone's on their own respective growth journeys, and then how do we make the connection so that we can follow up and actually find ways to work together and to help each other and collaborate on the hard problems that we are facing right now." Vice President and General Manager of Maritime and Strategic Systems Carlo Zaffanella said that the event is also aimed to expand accessibility for small businesses who may find the pre-requisites to work for GD intimidating. He explained that there are regulations involved when working for the U.S. Department of Defense and that over the last few years, cyber requirements have drastically changed. For small businesses, this can be a lot to deal with and one aspect of the event was to offer help in this situation. "If you're a small business, you're like 'I don't want to hire an IT expert,' well, let us help you," Zaffanella said. "Let us help you get to where you can meet the requirements without a lot of pain because we need you. So let us help you." The day began at 9 and concluded at 5. Presenters included the GD Innovation Sourcing Network, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center of Western Mass, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Berkshire Black Economic Council, and 1Berkshire. There was also a demonstration of the BIC Manufacturing Project. "I want to thank you again for the American Rescue Plan Act," she said. "Communities like Pittsfield have benefited in amazing ways in terms of how we're putting money to work in our community." Tyer expressed a shared concern among mayors that the Congress may cut back on COVID funding but Neal said he cannot see a chance of that happening. Afterward, Neal said he learned just how pleased Tyer and the rest of the attendees were with the CARES Act, as there was applause when it was mentioned. "What's come of it is clearly the role that General Dynamics and the Berkshires are going play in the defense ecosystem of the country," he concluded. SVMC Celebrates Accredited Nursing Residency Graduates Seated, left to right: Graduates Pauline Evans, BSN, RN, of Medical-Surgical; Caraline Sprague, RN, of Medical-Surgical; Rebekah Keasbey, BSN, RN, of ICU; and Regina Johnson, RN, of Medical-Surgical. Standing, left to right: Current students Leanne Hallenbeck, MS, RN, of ICU; Tayler Ferris-Dow, RN, of the Emergency Department; Mariah Micare, RN, of the Emergency Department; Michael Sigsbury, BSN, RN, of the Emergency Department; and Alison Camarda, MSN, RN, director of Clinical Education. Graduates not pictured include Christina Cooper, BSN, RN, of Womens and Childrens Services; Sam Irion, RN, of the Emergency Department; Daelyn Peterson, BSN, RN, of Medical-Surgical; and Claire Quigley, BSN, RN, of the Emergency Department. BENNINGTON, Vt. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), graduated eight nurses from its Transition-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program. The program is the first program in the state and one of only 208 in the United States to have received accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Practice Transition Accreditation Program for nurses working in the medical-surgical, women's and children's, and emergency departments. Accreditation for the intensive care unit is expected to be obtained later this year. Current students in the program joined the graduates in celebrating their completion. The year-long program is completed during the students' first year of employment and as they serve in nursing roles across the organization. Monthly meetings connect RNs with nurse educators, leaders, and skilled preceptors for mentorship. They incorporate clinical skills assessments and hone the interpersonal and organizational skills needed to coordinate care with a team of health care providers on the job. Topics for group sessions include communication, leadership, inter-professional teamwork, evidence-based practice, and ethics. Skill sessions provided new graduate nurses opportunities to gain confidence in the hands-on aspects of their work. "We are very proud of these distinguished graduates," said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, the chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services at SVMC. "Each of them is prepared for a long and successful career in the field of nursing." iciHaiti - Santiago : The former Consul Jacques abandons his charges and returns to Haiti In a letter dated June 27, 2022, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti, James Jacques, the former Consul General in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, following the incident of Friday June 24 and the diplomatic note sent by the Chancellery on June 25 to the Dominican Embassy in Port-au-Prince written : "I hereby wish to inform the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Mr. Jean-Victor Geneus of my decision with immediate effect to leave my charges at the Consulate General of Haiti in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic following the publication of the letter sent by the said Ministry to the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Haiti saying that I am a former Consul while, according to administrative principles, I was liquidating current affairs at the said Consulate. I return to Haiti as soon as possible. I never intended to resist the order of the Ministry, quite simply, I wanted as a Haitian Government representative to ensure the smooth running of the Consulate administratively and to be available for our compatriots like I recently did it faced the Dominican immigration agents who violated the rights of our valiant entrepreneurs and our peaceful citizens while waiting for the arrival of my successor. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37012-haiti-santiago-the-dgm-dismantles-a-gang-of-haitian-passport-and-visa-traffickers.html Receive my patriotic greetings. James Jacques Consul General See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37012-haiti-santiago-the-dgm-dismantles-a-gang-of-haitian-passport-and-visa-traffickers.html IH/ iciHaiti This year marks the 20th anniversary of Anhui's "counterpart assistance" to the Tibet Autonomous Region. In 2002, Anhui started the project to support Tibet, and the aid targets were Cona County, Comai County, and Nagarze County of Shannan City. Over the years, batches of aid-to-Tibet teams from Anhui have spread their love on the snowy plateau. Since the seventh batch of Anhui aid-to-Tibet teams entered Tibet in July 2019, they have done an excellent job in assisting Tibet with their heart and devoted themselves to supporting the construction and development of Shannan. Recently, a reporter approached Shannan and used the camera to witness the achievements of Anhui's aid to Tibet. On June 24, At the People's Hospital of Shannan in Tibet, Dr. Gong Binbin, an aid-to-Tibet physician from the Department of Urology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University was leading the local doctors to check the ward and study the medical condition together. On June 24, Cui Haiyan, an obstetrician-gynecologist from the Anhui Maternity and Child Health Hospital, received the banner of gratitude, khata and buttered tea presented by the patient Baima Yangzong's family at the People's Hospital of Shannan in Tibet. Aerial photo of the People's Hospital of Shannan on the banks of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Since 2019, Anhui Province has successively sent three batches of 88 medical talents to support the hospital. On June 24, students at the No. 2 Senior High School of Shannan City, Tibet, are doing special exercises between classes. It combines the national "intangible cultural heritage"-Anhui Chaohu Folk Songs with the characteristic music and dance elements of 7 cities in Tibet. On June 24, students perform the Huangmei opera "Chuangyuan Girl" (The Female Prince Consort) at the No. 2 Senior High School in Shannan City, Tibet. Music teacher Jin Huilin guides the children to learn to sing Huangmei Opera at the No. 2 Senior High School in Shannan City, Tibet. Physics teacher Yang Liuqi leads the students to conduct physics experiments at the No. 2 Senior High School in Shannan City, Tibet. Chinese teacher Yang Bin gives moral education to students. No. 2 Senior High School of Shannan City, Tibet "The birthplace of Tibetan civilization"-Shannan. Despite the ban on the march ordered by the governor and the heavy police presence, protestors gathered in large numbers around Taksim Square. The last authorised march in 2014 drew thousands of participants and the event has taken place every year since 2015, even though it was banned each year. Police detained about four busloads of people, around 200 demonstrators, according to the pride organisers. AFP reported Turkish police prevented the media from filming the arrests, while DISK Basn-Is Sendikas reported police beatings of journalists on the ground. AFP's chief photographer Bulent Kilic was arrested while covering the event and taken away handcuffed after denouncing police violence against other media workers. His lawyer stated that he was released later on the day. Bulent Kilic is a member of IFJ/EFJ affiliate Turkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi and was also detained while covering 2021 Istanbul Pride. DISK Basn-Is also denounced similar scenes in Izmir, where the association Kaos GL accounted for 12 people detained by the police. IFJ and EFJ affiliates DISK Basn-Is Sendikas, Gazeteciler Cemiyeti Dernegi (GCD), Turkiye Gazetciler Cemiyeti (TGC), Turkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS) have condemned the attacks and restrictions on journalists covering a public interest event. The IFJ and the EFJ stand in solidarity with their Turkish affiliates and all Turkish journalists who suffered beatings and harassment by the police for simply doing their job. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: Once again, Turkish authorities have shown the little respect they have for the journalists right to work independently and safely. We stand in solidarity with our Turkish affiliates and strongly condemn this new attack on Turkish journalists rights and freedoms." If your employees feel like they're under constant scrutiny, you're less likely to retain them. When it comes to tracking worker productivity, especially in remote, hybrid, and asynchronous work environments, when bosses may not physically "see" their employees, some monitoring tactics are contentious. More than half of workers would leave their jobs if their employer insisted on recording audio or video of them, or used facial recognition to monitor productivity, according to a May 2022 survey of 750 technology workers by the Washington, D.C.-based business intelligence company Morning Consult. To Dan Pupius, the San Francisco-based founder of the remote workplace management tool Range, the Big Brother issue is directly related to whether leaders ascribe to Theory X or Theory Y, which were coined by social psychologist Douglas McGregor at the MIT's Sloan School of Management in 1960. Basically, Theory X proposed that workers, by default, are unmotivated, which means they require strict supervision and rules; Theory Y, on the other hand, maintains that people are intrinsically motivated and want to find a sense of mastery in their jobs--so they can function in a more laissez-faire workplace. Subsequent researchers have studied Theory X and Theory Y in regards to their impact on both skilled and unskilled labor, though Theory Y is more frequently associated with knowledge workers. "Theory Y is backed by a lot of behavioral research," Pupius says. "So if your management style comes from the perspective of thinking that people are lazy and don't want to work, you're going to create a low-trust environment, with a lot of stress and anxiety, which will actually reduce peoples' performances." Surveillance-style monitoring, he says, is not the answer. But leaders still need to find ways to make sure that employees stay on track to meet business goals. Here's how they can do so effectively and ethically, with tactics that can even boost productivity in the long run. Create a check in-routine Good workplace communication requires two-way trust, says Jeanine Turner, affiliate professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. It can take some time to develop that trust, but creating a consistent check-in routine with your employees--daily or weekly--can help. "There should be an opportunity for both employer and employee to say, 'This is what I'm doing. Is this what you want?'" she says. "Make it a part of your weekly conversations to share what's going well and what's not." That way, you can identify any problem areas that might be hurting productivity, and you can address them. Check-ins can happen as a one-on-one process, but group check-ins can also be conducive to developing a more collaborative and team-oriented environment, Pupius adds. "Individual check-ins can feel like going up against the principal at school," he says. "But when you share what you're working on as a group, it's more communal." Make goal-setting a collaborative process To track productivity, leaders should clearly establish goals and expectations collaboratively, Claire Schmidt, CEO and founder of the Los Angeles-based employee feedback management platform AllVoices. "As goals are being set by managers, for their team, there should be an ongoing conversation about how it's going," she says. "Leaders should ask, 'what are the barriers standing in your way to achieving these goals?'" This can be challenging when employees don't feel like they can be open about difficulties they may be facing, which is why providing multiple channels for feedback may be helpful, Schmidt adds. Platforms like AllVoices offer anonymity, which can allow employees to more freely express concerns that may be impacting their work--though they aren't a substitution for the regular conversations that should occur in parallel. Gain a bigger picture understanding Poor productivity tracking fails to contextualize employees' outputs, Pupius says. That's why, during goal-setting, it's important for leaders to understand leading indicators, but focus more on end results. "One leading indicator for a salesperson might be the number of emails they send--but that's short-sighted. A person could send 200 bad emails, but 20 good emails might result in more sales," he says. "Instead of making a judgment purely on the metrics, you should ask questions, that then lead you to inspect and diagnose what might be happening." Another behind-the-scenes factor that plays into productivity, he adds, is emotion. Through Range's check-in platform, workers can note their general feelings for the day with an emoji, which gives leaders more context to why an employee's output might be different from one day to the next--and gives employees context for how their bosses are feeling. "In a remote environment, you lack context for how people are showing up," Pupius says. "If I'm a little bit short in my emails, people can attribute that to my mood and not that I'm upset with them." To repay the liquidity support given to state governments during the Covid-19 period, Indias federal government has extended the timeline for GST compensation cess levy by four years until March 31, 2026. The move will impact sectors like automotive and tobacco through higher tax rates. The cess is levied on notified luxury goods falling in the 28 percent GST slab. While it will be levied on imported goods, exporters will be eligible to claim input tax credit refund relating to goods exported. Indias federal government recently notified the extension of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation cess, which is levied on notified luxury goods and demerit goods in the 28 percent slab. As per the recently issued GST (Period of Levy and Collection of Cess) Rules, 2022, the compensation cess, whose levy was slated to end on June 30, 2022, will now continue to be imposed for another four years until March 31, 2026. The move was recommended by the GST Council as a way to recompense for the liquidity support given to the Indian states during the Covid-19 period, when tax collection was not sufficient to compensate for GST revenue losses. This extension will continue to impose a burden on the impacted businesses, such as tobacco and cars, through increased tax rates. What is the GST compensation cess? With operationalization of GST in India in 2017, the federal government assured the states that they will be compensated for revenue shortfall resulting from subsuming their taxes, such as value added tax (VAT), into the GST, for a period of five years, that is till July 1, 2022. Accordingly, the GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 was enacted to impose the compensation cess. The compensation cess is applicable on specific goods, including tobacco, cigarettes, hookah, aerated water, high-end motorcycles, aircraft, yachts, and motor cars. Why is the timeline for levy of GST compensation cess extended? The government decided to prolong the levy of the GST compensation cess till March 2026 for repayment of the loans that were obtained in the previous two fiscal years. To meet the resource gap of states due to short release of compensation, the federal government had borrowed and released consecutive loans worth INR 1.1 trillion in FY 2021 and INR 1.59 trillion in FY 2022 to meet a part of the shortfall in cess collection. While it has repaid INR 75 billion as interest cost for the borrowing in FY 2022, INR 140 billion is to be paid in FY 2023. Further, the repayment of the principal amount will start from FY 2024 and will continue till March 2026. Who is liable to collect GST compensation cess? All taxable persons selling the notified goods will be liable to collect and remit the GST compensation cess. GST compensation tax payers have been exempted from it. The compensation cess on goods imported into India shall be levied and collected in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975. At the same time, it will not be charged on goods exported by an exporter under bond. Can input tax credit (ITC) on compensation cess be availed? ITC can be availed on GST compensation cess paid on inward supplies. It means that the exporter will be eligible for refund of ITC of the cess relating to goods exported. However, credit of cess paid can be utilized only towards payment of the compensation cess on supply of goods or services. How is the GST compensation cess calculated? The cess is calculated on the transaction value, that is, the price at which the goods are sold. It should be levied in addition to the GST taxes (CGST + SGST) in case of intrastate supplies and IGST in case of interstate supplies. How is industry responding to the extension of cess? Industry stakeholders are unhappy with the extension but had anticipated the move by the government. Businesses remain concerned about the increased taxes slowing down macroeconomic variables. According to M S Mani (Partner, Deloitte India), The extension of the levy of compensation cess, although expected, will continue to impose a burden on the impacted businesses, especially sectors like automotive, which need to be encouraged as it is one of the sectors that has a multiplier effect on GDP and employment. What items are set to lose their GST exemption status? Items that could soon lose their GST exemption status include packaged curd (yogurt), lassi, buttermilk, foodgrains, cereals, honey, papad, and several non-branded food items. Hotel rooms that charge a tariff lower than INR 1000 per night and hospital rooms that charge a tariff of above INR 5000 per day will also become taxable under GST. These recommendations were submitted by state finance ministers and accepted by the GST Council on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The date for implementation of these recommendations have not yet been decided. Further discussions on which items of daily use should retain their GST exemption status will continue on Wednesday, June 29, the second day of the two-day GST Council meeting. The magazine provides a general overview of the options available to foreign firms to sell to the online India... The Board of Directors of Bank of Baroda in their meeting held on June 27, 2022 has approved the proposal of Raising of Long term Bonds for financing of Infrastructure & Affordable Housing to the tune of Rs5000 crore in single or multiple tranches during Financial Year 2022-23.According to the regulatory filing, these bonds shall be senior, unsecured and will not form part of capital of the Bank.At around 10:01 AM, Bank of Baroda was trading at Rs100.65 per share up by Rs0.7 or 0.7% from its previous closing of Rs99.95 per share on the BSE. The majority of Silchar, a city in south Assam, is still drowned in water on the eighth day since the flood began, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the deluge was "man-made." The Cachar district government had previously stated that the city of Silchar and its surrounding territories had been inundated due to a breach in an embankment at Bethukandi on the city's outskirts. From the next day, things got worse (June 20). The Barak river's water level increased as a result of heavy rains in the nearby Meghalaya and Mizoram highlands. In 2,542 villages across 28 districts, more than 22 lakh people were still affected by the floods, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority's daily flood report published on Sunday. File image Floods are arguably Assam's most frequent, widespread, and devastating natural hazard. It is concerning that Assam endures significant losses each year as a result of floods and the erosion of river banks. Man-made factors contributing to the problem Man-made factors, including human habitation, deforestation, and expanding populations in watershed regions all contribute to accelerated sediment deposition. Increasing numbers of people are reportedly living close to rivers as the riverbed encroaches. Without any adequate disaster response, cities and villages have sprung up all over the state. Shifting cultivation, also known as jhum, is the term for the traditional slash-and-burn farming done in the state's hilly parts. They burn the plants there, removing the uppermost layer of defence, hence, increasing the vulnerability of the land to rain erosion. The dead soil and crop detritus subsequently enters the river basin and builds up there in significant amounts. Reuters Landslides are significantly influenced by the seismic activity in Assam and some other northeastern regions. River beds are raised by the massive amounts of debris transferred by landslides and earthquakes. The issue has been exacerbated by embankments, encroachments, and deforestation. Sandbanks and islands are created as a result of the silt that is deposited in high-altitude regions. These places have become populated over time, obstructing the river's flow. The issue has gotten worse as a result of widespread deforestation and hill cutting. Understanding Assam's typography Assam is known as a river-rich nation. However, these rivers pose a significant threat to human populations and property in the region in the form of floods, drought, and erosion. The Brahmaputra is both a lifeline and a threat to Assam. It is a vast river system with numerous channels and water basins that traverses a sizable portion of Assam. The Brahmaputra and Barak river system is frequently susceptible to significant flooding, drainage obstructions, and bank erosion, which causes extensive land submersion, loss of life, and damage to property. AFP In addition to receiving water from rivers coming from the Himalayas, wherein the Brahmaputra is by far the largest, Assam also receives monsoon rains. The monsoon intensifies downstream due to the monsoon's timing with the glacier melting in the summer, resulting in yearly flooding. Deforestation and Assam Flood Gaon Connection reported that according to geographers deforestation is the primary factor that exacerbates floods in the area. Deforestation and haphazard hill-cutting are two significant causes of floods in Assam, retired professor Abani Kumar Bhagabati of Gauhati University, told Gaon connection. Soil erosion is driven by deforestation, which is one of its main causes. In addition to providing shelter from the wind and rain, trees and their roots hold the soil. When forests are destroyed, the land is left unprotected and exposed to the weather, making it susceptible to being washed or blown away. AFP Despite the fact that the slash and burn method of deforestation emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it has gained popularity since it is quick and inexpensive to clear an area. Particularly using this method, soils are exposed to wind and rain, which significantly increases soil erosion. Several reports also draws attention to the fact that increased deforestation causes rainfall to carry more silt, which then dumps in the lake and river beds. Once the river beds are shallow, they lose their capacity to hold water, causing the rivers to overflow and eventually flooding the surrounding areas. AFP "Another cause of waterlogging is cutting hills in the higher catchment regions, as the majority of the tributaries and sub-tributaries of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers originated in the nearby highlands. To stop it, we must cease cutting down hills and trees in the upper catchment regions of the streams, and for a long-term fix, we must launch significant afforestation drives " Bhagabati told Gaon Connection. In what is said to be a brutal case of murder, a tailor was hacked to death in broad daylight inside his shop in Rajasthan's Udaipur allegedly for posting a social media statement in favour of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial remarks about Prophet Mohammad. Both the accused have been apprehended from Rajsamand district. The attackers arrested have been identified as Mohammad and Riyaz. The victim has been identified as Kanhaiyalal Teli (40), a tailor who ran a shop by the name of Supreme Tailors in Dhanmandi. Reports said that the attackers entered his shop on the pretext of giving their measurements for cloth stitching and stabbed him multiple times with daggers and also slit his throat. A video of the incident where the accused have claimed responsibility for the murder has gone viral on social media. They have also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The shops in the areas like Hathipol, Ghantaghar, Ashwani Bazar, Dehli Gate and Maldas Street in Udaipur have been shut. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the people to maintain peace. After the gruesome murder, leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, called the SP and inquired about the incident. Kanhaiyalal was a resident of Govardhan Vilas area. Ten days back, he had put up a social media post in favour of Nupur Sharma. Since then, people from a particular community were threatening to kill him, IANS reported. Kanhaiyalal did not even open his shop for six days besides filing a police complaint in this matter. The police asked him to remain careful for a few days. District Collector Tara Chand Meena and SP Manoj Chaudhary also reached the spot after receiving the news of the gruesome murder. Choudhary said that action will be taken against the culprits. All records related to the deceased are being investigated, he said. The family members of the deceased have demanded Rs 50 lakh and a government job as compensation. Prohibitory orders imposed, mobile internet suspended across Rajasthan Rajasthan government on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders and suspended mobile internet service across the state in view of communal tension following the murder of a tailor in Udaipur. Two men slit the throat of the tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, in the Rajasthan city on Tuesday, saying in a video posted on social media that they avenged an insult to Islam. Chief Secretary Usha Sharma directed officials to suspend mobile internet service across the state for 24 hours and impose section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) -- preventing the assembly of more than four people -- in all districts of the state for a month. NIA team rushes to Udaipur A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was on Tuesday rushed to Rajasthan's Udaipur after a man was allegedly beheaded by two men in broad daylight in the region, sources said. The NIA team includes a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer, source told ANI on anonymity, adding the move comes following an order issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). As per government sources, the NIA team is likely to file a case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after visiting the crime spot. The incident took place in Udaipur's Maldas area. Soon after committing the crime, the two accused posted a video on social media boasting about the beheading and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life as well, police said. The two accused were arrested within hours of the incident. Muslim body condemns act Prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemned the heinous killing of a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur on Tuesday, saying such an act cannot be justified in any way and is against the religion of Islam. Two men slit the throat of a tailor in Udaipur, saying in a video post on social media that they were avenging an insult to Islam. In a statement, Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, condemned the "brutal killing in Udaipur apparently on the pretext of the insult to the Prophet" and called it against the law of land as well as "against the religion of Islam". With Agencies inputs While there are a lot of celestial events that occurred in the month of June alone, there was one very rare event that took place a decade ago and it may not happen for a very long time. NASA shares pic of rare event American space agency NASA took to its Instagram to share a picture of a rare celestial event that took place 10 years ago. This rare event was the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. This was captured by the agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). She was one of the rare ones, so effortlessly herself, and the world loved her for it, the space agency wrote. Just over a decade ago, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured one of the rarest celestial events the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. Solar transits are a planet's passage across the Sun's face, as seen from Earth's perspective, where the only observable transits are that of Mercury and Venus, they added. NASA Venus' solar transits happen in pairs just over 100 years apart: the last pair of transits occurred in 2004 and 2012, and the next will not happen until 2117. The solar transit in 2012 lasted nearly 7 hours and was visible worldwide, with observers on all seven continents able to view the event. Transits help astronomers study the atmospheric composition and orbit of planets, Nasa also explained. NASA's SDO continuously observes our Sun, measuring its atmosphere and magnetic field as it examines the core of our closest star, they expressed and concluded their post. The post was shared over 10 hours ago. Since being posted, it has garnered more than 4 lakh likes and the numbers are quickly increasing. People have commented on various different things on the post. Many showcased their reactions through fire or heart emoticons. Wow, wrote an Instagram user. Awesome, shared another. Beautiful, expressed a third. What is a transit? According to NASA, a transit is when one object crosses in front of another in space. "This can happen in a lot of different ways. To help you, the example of the moon is perfect. When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun then it is transiting. The orbit of the planet needs to be lined up right so the planet will pass in front of the star that it orbits. Looking for transits is one of the ways that scientists find exoplanets. NASA also added that the light from the star dims by a very small amount during the transit which is measured by astronomers. Follow us on telegram. A video of a waiter asking homeless kids to leave a restaurant even though they had paid for their meals has left the internet outraged. The video was shared on Twitter Twitter by a user Hatinder Singh. This was later retweeted by Kaveri on her account. The sight of seeing the little kids leaving the restaurant looking very upset is a very hard watch. Waiter Asks Homeless Kids Sitting At A Restaurant To Leave In the now-viral clip, a waiter at a fast-food restaurant can be seen approaching a group of kids and berating them. The kids were seated at a table and enjoying the food that they had paid for. The waiter then told the kids to leave, and the sadness on their faces was all too visible. It is not known when and where the video was shot. Screengrab/Twitter Don't know about the place, but if these kids have paid for something they should be allowed to sit inside. But the way the waiter is pushing them out and kids looking at each other shows, we see the financial status of a person and decide how much respect to give, the video caption reads. This just broke my heart. https://t.co/g7QBzWCyxf Kaveri (@ikaveri) June 27, 2022 Video leaves internet outraged The video has left the internet enraged. While some internet users wanted to know where the incident took place, others urged that the man be reprimanded for his insensitive behaviour. Its a cultural thing sadly . Ingrained in the way househelp is treated and menial workers are treated. They do back breaking work which goes unrecognised and grossly undervalued. Aamna (@aminak40) June 27, 2022 This country lacks compassion Swapneel (@Swapneel2010) June 27, 2022 This isn't right..... Kumail Ansari (@kumailansari) June 27, 2022 Inequality is the biggest curse Luv Datta #INC (@LuvDatta_INC) June 27, 2022 This is awful! Deepak Pokhariyal (@Pokhy) June 27, 2022 Do you know which place this is? (@Ghaafil) June 27, 2022 In May, a homeless man drowned in the US state of Arizona while three police officers just stood there watching. The man identified as Sean Bickings begged police officers for help as he struggled to stay afloat in the Arizona reservoir. According to the transcript of the May 28 incident, Bickings said to police 'Im going to drown, Im going to drown'. A police officer, identified as Officer One in the transcript, then replied: Okay, Im not jumping in after you." After this, the police officer asked Bickings to grab onto a nearby bridge. Bickings meanwhile kept asking the officer to help him. He said, Please, please, please. After this, Bickings went underwater while his wife kept pleading with the cops to help him out. Im just distraught because hes drowning right in front of you and you wont help, Bickings' partner said, as per the transcript. Bickings however drowned shortly after this. According to the Washington Post, after this incident took place, three police officers from Tempe, Arizona, have now been put on 'non-disciplinary paid administrative leave. The cops were initially called to the scene following reports of a domestic violence situation at Tempe Beach Park between Bickings and his wife. The two denied any fight had taken place. When the police arrived at the location where domestic violence was apparently taking place, the 34-year-old man tried to flee police by jumping into the lake where he eventually drowned. He was later pronounced dead when he was found by Tempe Fire's Dive and Rescue team. For the latest from trending, click here. It's 2022, and same-sex relationships remain unacceptable in many parts of India. The bitter truth remains that families still look down upon their children's choices after declaring they're not heterosexual. Will we ever learn? Representational Image The reality of acceptance remains a distant dream, and proof of the fact is right here. According to a report in India today, a woman in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj changed her gender after her family opposed her relationship with a 'woman.' Patheos Two women in love promised to be together for the rest of their lives, but their dreams turned into nightmares after their family rejected their relationship. To be able to be with her girlfriend, one of the two decided to go for a sex-change operation. To keep their families' displeasure out of the way, the couple chose a twisted route to make their 'happily ever after a reality. Unsplash After many attempts to convince their families of their relationship, one of the two women decided that 'sex-change' could only be their middle ground. The same report confirms that a team of doctors at Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj went ahead with the sex reassignment surgery. The woman's upper body parts were changed, and she underwent restructuring. The doctor confirmed that the entire process would take 1.5 years. Pic Credit: BCCL/representational pictures Talking to India today, Dr. Mohit Jain said, "The woman will be given testosterone replacement therapy. The testosterone therapy will stimulate the growth of chest hair." He also confirmed that the woman would not be able to conceive after the sex-change operation. BBC/Representational Image He was quoted as saying, "This is the first time that such an operation has been conducted, and a time of around 18 months is expected to complete this. A full health check-up of the woman was done, and she is doing fine." For the latest From trending, click here. It was during a trial in February, when Credit Suisse Group AG faced charges that it had failed to prevent a drug trafficker from laundering millions. With hazy information surrounding the stashes of cash and cocaine, the final verdict was not given. But yesterday, the historic verdict came out. Credit Suisse was convicted by Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court for failing to prevent money laundering by a Bulgarian cocaine trafficking gang. shutterstock The ruling, in which a former relationship manager at the Swiss bank was also convicted on money laundering charges, was handed down by Switzerlands top criminal court on Monday afternoon, as per a Bloomberg report. A former relationship manager at the bank was found guilty of money laundering and received a 20-month suspended prison sentence. Her 1.7m fine was also suspended, as per BBC. Credit Suisse faces a fine of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.1 million). The court said on Monday that it found deficiencies within Credit Suisse, both with regard to the management of client relations with the criminal organization and failure in the monitoring of the implementation of anti-money laundering rules. "These deficiencies enabled the withdrawal of the criminal organisation's assets, which was the basis for the conviction of the bank's former employee for qualified money laundering," the court said. The bank said in a statement it will appeal the decision, noting that the pretrial investigation dates back more than 14 years. Prosecutors alleged that the former relationship manager helped to conceal the criminal origins of money for clients through more than 146 million Swiss francs in transactions, including 43 million francs in cash, some of it stuffed into suitcases, as per Reuters. On the other hand, the main Bulgarian at the heart of the scandal, who was later sentenced to a 20-year term for his drug offences, had reportedly organized the import of tens of metric tons of cocaine into Europe between 2002 and 2012, using boats, planes and drug mules willing to swallow cocaine-packed rubber balls. Two other Bulgarians were convicted in the case for participation in a criminal organization and aggravated money laundering. One was given a 36-month prison sentence, with 18 months of it suspended, and the other was handed a 12-month suspended sentence. The bank had earlier expressed its astonishment in late 2020 when Swiss prosecutors publicly charged it with money laundering offences, given the alleged crimes took place between 2004 and 2008. Reuters Also Read: Switzerland Applies 'Time Is Money' Concept, Allows Citizens To ' Save & Deposit Their Time' In Banks Under Swiss law, local prosecutors can press criminal charges against banks if they believe those institutions didnt do enough to screen clients and their cash for obvious ties to illicit activity. The former Credit Suisse manager, who can only be named as E. under Swiss reporting restrictions, accepted deposits of used bank notes that regularly exceeded 500,000 euros ($528,650) at a time, according to the 515-page indictment. Cash deposits were very common given the parlous state of Bulgarias banks at the time, she said in testimony, as per the Bloomberg report. The judgment is another blow to the tarnished reputation of Credit Suisse, which had reportedly argued that the crimes date to an era when compliance standards were less stringent. It has been struggling with a series of scandals that have sent its shares to near-record lows and may face a second criminal indictment in an unrelated case later this year. The ruling also marks another headache for the second-biggest bank of Switzerland, which has been reeling from billions in losses racked up via risk-management and compliance blunders, as per Reuters. For the latest and interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here. In an effort to push past doubts cast by its data lake and data warehouse rivals, Databricks on Tuesday said that it is open sourcing all Delta Lake APIs as part of the Delta Lake 2.0 release. The company also announced that it will be contributing all enhancements of Delta Lake to The Linux Foundation. Databricks competitors such as Cloudera, Dremio, Google (Big Lake), Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, AWS Snowflake, HPE (Ezmeral) and Vertica have criticized the company, casting doubt whether Delta Lake was open source or proprietary, thereby taking away a share of prospective customers, analysts said. "The new announcement should provide continuity and clarity for users and help counter confusion (stoked in part by competitors) about whether Delta Lake is proprietary or open source," said Matt Aslett, research director at Ventana Research. With the announcements, Databricks is putting customer concerns and competitive criticism to bed, said Doug Henschen, principal analyst at Constellation Research. "In competitive deals, rivals such as Snowflake would point out to would-be customers that aspects of Delta Lake were proprietary," Henschen said, adding that Databricks customers can now trust that their data is on an open platform and that they're not locked into Delta Lake. Databricks refers to Delta Lake as a data lakehouse, a data architecture that offers both storage and analytics capabilities, in contrast to the concepts for data lakes, which store data in native format, and data warehouses, which store structured data (often in SQL format). Competition grows in commerical open source market With an increasing number of commercial open source projects in the data lake market, Databricks' Delta Lake may find itself facing new competition, including Apache Iceberg, which offers high-performance querying for very large analytic tables. "There are also open source projects that have recently started to be commercialized, such as OneHouse for Apache Hudi and both Starburst and Dremio coming out with their Apache Iceberg offerings," said Hyoun Park, chief analyst at Amalgam Insights. "With these offerings coming out, Delta Lake faced pressure from other open source lakehouse formats to become more functionally robust as the lakehouse market starts to splinter and technologists have multiple options," Park added. Many other players in this space are focused on Apache Iceberg as an alternative to Delta Lake tables, Ventana's Aslett said. Delta tables, in contrast to traditional tables that store data in rows and columns, can access ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability) transactions to store metadata to help with faster data ingestion. In April, Google announced Big Lake and Iceberg support, and earlier this month, Snowflake announced support for Apache Iceberg tables in private preview. The Iceberg announcements, just like Databricks' open source strategy, aim to appeal to prospective customers who might have concerns about committing to one vendor and the prospect of having access to their own data encumbered down the road, Henschen said. In the face of renewed competition, Databricks' move to open source Delta Lake is a good move, said Sanjeev Mohan, former research vice president at Gartner. "Databricks' announcement to open source the full capabilities of Delta Lake is an excellent step to drive wider adoption," said Sanjeev Mohan, former research vice president for big data and analytics at Gartner. Delta Lake 2.0 offers faster query performance Databricks' Delta Lake 2.0, which will be fully available later this year, is expected to offer faster query performance for data analysis, the company said. Databricks on Tuesday also released the second edition of MLflowan open source platform for managing the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle (MLOps). MLflow 2.0 comes with MLflow Pipelines, which offer data scientists predefined, production-ready templates based on the model type they're building to allow them to accelerate model development without requiring intervention from production engineers, the company said. According to analysts, MLflow 2.0 will serve as a more mature option for data scientists as machine learning production continues to be a challenging process, and translation of algorithmic models into production-grade application code on securely governed resources continues to be difficult. "There are a number of vendor solutions in this space including Amazon Sagemaker, Azure Machine Learning, Google Cloud AI, Datarobot, Domino Data, Dataiku, and Iguazio. But Databricks serves as a neutral vendor compared to the hyperscalers and Databricks' unified approach to data and model management serves as a differentiator to MLOps vendors that focus on the coding and production challenges of model operationalization," Amalgam's Park said. The move to release MLflow 2.0 eases the path to bring streaming and streaming analysis into production data pipelines, Henschen said, adding that many companies struggle with MLOps and fail even after successfully creating machine learning models. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Religious schools got what they wanted when the Supreme Court allowed them to participate in a state tuition program. But the state attorney general said the ruling will be for naught unless the schools are willing to abide by the same antidiscrimination law as other private schools that participate in the program. An attorney for the families criticized the knee-jerk comments, and the leader of a religious group predicted further litigation. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Maine cant exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition for private education in towns that dont have public schools. But religious schools didnt have long to savor their victory before learning of a new hurdle. Attorney General Aaron Frey said both Christian schools involved in the lawsuit have policies that discriminate against students and staff on a basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, preventing their participation in the tuition program despite the hard-fought litigation. The education provided by the schools at issue here is inimical to a public education. They promote a single religion to the exclusion of all others, refuse to admit gay and transgender children, and openly discriminate in hiring teachers and staff, he said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from two schools, Temple Academy in Waterville or Bangor Christian Schools. Michael Bindas, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, said the attorney general isnt paying close attention to the Supreme Courts commitment to religious liberty in recent years. It was an erroneous opinion of the Maine attorney general that embroiled the state in five lawsuits spanning three decades and that culminated in the Supreme Courts ruling against the state, Bindas said Thursday in a statement. The current attorney general seems to not have learned any lessons from that experience. If the state truly intends to use the state law to create another obstacle, then more litigation will be inevitable, said Carroll Conley, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine. The original lawsuit by three families seeking reimbursements to attend Christian schools dates to 2018, but it goes back even further. The state always sought to maintain a solid line between church and state by reimbursing for private schools _ but not religious schools. The goal was to give rural students without a public high school an education thats similar to what public school students get. In Maine, 29 private schools participate in the program, enrolling 4,526 students, officials said. Private schools that meet the states criteria can get about $12,000 in taxpayer funding per student. The most immediate effect of the courts ruling beyond Maine probably will be in nearby Vermont, which has a similar program. The Supreme Courts 6-3 decision could propel school choice pushes in some of the 18 states that have not directed taxpayer money to private, religious education. It was seen as an affirmation for states that already have voucher programs open to religious schools. But all schools receiving state tuition must abide by the Maine Human Right Act, which bans discriminating against someone because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability, Frey said. The Legislature in the last session strengthened the law that clarified the scope of the Maine Human Rights Act in education. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill into law last year. The updated law, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Craig Hickman, the first openly gay African American to serve in both chambers of the Legislature, bans discrimination in education on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, among other things. The American Association of Christian Schools, meanwhile, brushed aside concerns of discrimination against the LGBTQ community. We dont look at it as discrimination at all. We have a set of principles and beliefs that we believe are conducive to prosperity, to the good life, so to speak, and we partner with parents who share that vision, said Jamison Coppola, spokesperson for the association. The lead plaintiffs, Dave and Amy Carson, were students of Conley when he used to be headmaster at Bangor Christian Schools. Conley said the attorney general laid down the gauntlet for religious schools, but he said legal precedent favors the schools. Dave Carson, for his part, said his family wont benefit from the ruling because his daughter is already a junior at Husson University. But he said he doesnt think its right for the state to try to put up roadblocks. As long as its an accredited school, students should be able to go wherever they want to, he said. Youre teaching the basics. If you want to have a Bible class, too, then thats a parents choice, not someone down in Augusta. Bindas said the attorney general should undertake a sober reflection of how best to balance the rights of parents in the litigation versus the states anti-discrimination interests. It is possible to develop policies that respect the concerns of both advocates for LGBTQ rights and advocates for religious liberty, but only if elected officials are genuinely committed to that task, he said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation K-12 Maine Taiwans financial regulator said on Tuesday that seven Taiwanese insurance companies have not received interest due on May 27 on Russian Eurobonds after a grace period ended on Sunday evening. Russia defaulted on its international bonds for the first time in more than a century, the White House and Moodys credit agency said on Monday, as sanctions have effectively cut the country off from the global financial system. The payments in question are $100 million in interest on two bonds, one denominated in U.S. dollars RU000A0JWHA4= and another in euros RU234748670=, that Russia was due to pay on May 27. The payments had a grace period of 30 days, which expired on Sunday. Russian debt makes up only a fraction of overall Taiwanese bond holdings. The Kremlin and the finance ministry have repeatedly said Russia was honoring its obligations, saying that the currency payments were made but not processed by Euroclear to reach non-Russian bondholders. Russia Defaults on Foreign-Currency Debt for 1st Time in More Than a Century Asked on Tuesday whether Russia would sue Euroclear or other Western financial intermediaries involved in the transaction, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said: This question should be analyzed by our lawyers, our financial institutions. According to Alexander Afonin, head of debt market analysis at Moscow-based Sinara investment bank, bondholders may call a default on Russia themselves under certain conditions. In order to do so, a certain quorum must be called and is very unlikely to be presented given that the bulk of those bondholders are Russian investors, Afonin said. He estimated that foreign investors own 15-20% of Russian sovereign Eurobonds. Unlike foreign bondholders, Russian investors are receiving their payments on sovereign Eurobonds via the National Settlement Depository which is sanctioned by the European Union. (Reporting by Emily Chan; writing by Ben Blanchard; editing by Angus MacSwan and Tomasz Janowski) Topics Carriers Russia Numbers Chinas third-most populous province Henan will launch pilot programs for catastrophe insurance in six cities that were the hardest hit by historic floods last summer. Aside from its capital Zhengzhou, trials are to be set up in the cities Anyang, Xinxiang, Hebi, Zhoukou and Xinyang, the provincial government said in a statement on Monday. Local governments in typhoon-prone areas on the Chinese coast have taken on catastrophe insurance, but such insurance is largely still in its infancy in China, partly due to a lack of a central government push. Chinas Cities Arent Prepared for Extreme Weather Caused by Climate Change However, the devastating 2021 floods in Henan, a province of almost 100 million people, was a wakeup call for local officials. It caused billions of dollars in economic losses and hundreds of fatalities, spurring officials to seek greater protection against natural catastrophes. Under the Henan trial program, the history, probability of disasters and local conditions of the selected cities will be taken into account when negotiating with insurance agencies to determine a unified insurance plan. The cities are encouraged to boost insurance coverage as much as their financial resources allow, the Henan government said. Henan said it had selected cities with the highest risk and which were severely affected by rainstorms and floods last year as the first batch in the pilot program. It will later expand the coverage areas and the scope of protection based on the situation, and gradually cover the whole province. (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur; editing by Bernadette Baum) Photograph: Rescuers use boats to evacuate people from a flooded area in Weihui in central Chinas Henan Province, on Monday, July 26, 2021. Photo credit: Chinatopix via AP. Related: Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1986 and based in Teesside, England, Erimus is an established retail insurance broker with a strong presence in the North East of England, serving a mainly regional commercial client base. Product offerings include commercial combined, business interruption, commercial property, cyber, D&O and employers liability insurance. The firm, which is headed up by Paul Davison, will become part of Gallaghers UK Retail division, which serves local and national businesses across the UK. Davison will report to Elliot Miller, regional managing director of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East. We are delighted to welcome the Erimus team to Gallagher. This business is a great fit with our UK retail operations and provides us with a fantastic opportunity to expand our regional presence in England, said J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., chairman, president and CEO. We look forward to working with Paul and his colleagues to expand their service offerings. Headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Ill., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher provides insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services in 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Source: Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies A.J. Gallagher This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and Hiscox. A summary of these new hires follows here. WTWs Hires EYs Mayers for Commercial Lines Pricing, Underwriting WTW announced the appointment of Taffy Jo Mayers to the companys Insurance Consulting and Technology business. In her new role, Mayers will lead the units commercial lines pricing and underwriting propositions in order to help insurers modernise and thrive in this evolving market. Mayers most recently served as head of Commercial P&C and Specialty Insurance and Underwriting Transformation for EY North America. In that role she was responsible for identifying and developing strategies and technologies to assist commercial insurance carriers with automation and business modernisation initiatives to scale and future proof their operations. Prior to this, Mayers held several leadership roles at Zurich North America, including head of Middle Markets Underwriting Transformation. WTWs Insurance Consulting and Technology business has over 1,200 colleagues operating in 35 markets worldwide. It is a leading provider of advice, solutions and software primarily to the insurance industry. Its consulting services help clients manage risk and capital, improve business performance, and create competitive advantage by focusing on financial and regulatory reporting, enterprise risk and capital management, M&A and corporate restructuring, products, pricing, business management and strategy. *** Hiscox Names Flaquet to Newly Created Role of Group COO Specialist global insurer Hiscox has announced the appointment of Stephane Flaquet as the groups chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1, 2022 and subject to regulatory consents. Flaquet has been with Hiscox since 2010 and held a number of senior roles across the group. He initially joined Hiscox as chief operating officer for Hiscox Europe, before moving on to become group IT director in 2012 and then chief executive officer for Hiscox Europe between 2016 and 2021. He is currently group chief transformation officer and interim chief executive officer for Hiscox UK. In his new role, Flaquet will oversee a number of critical central functions including group claims, group IT, property services, procurement and group marketing to ensure the continued effective and efficient delivery of core services. He will be a member of the group executive committee and report to Hiscox Group CEO, Aki Hussain. As Stephane takes on this new role for the group, we will benefit enormously from his institutional knowledge, having run a number of Hiscox business areas. With a focus on driving process maturity, continued digital transformation and service excellence, Stephane will play an important part in ensuring we continue to build a better business that delivers for our customers, commented Hussain. Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Underwriting Pricing Trends Willis Towers Watson Burlington, Iowa, has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of a man who was shot to death by police nearly five years ago, the two sides said. The settlement comes nearly five years after Officer Chris Chiprez shot and killed 27-year-old Marquis Jones. Police stopped Jones on Oct. 1, 2017, for allegedly playing music too loudly, and police say Jones ran away with a gun in his hand. Chiprez fired several shots at Jones, saying in reports that Jones had refused orders to drop the gun. Jones fled into a backyard, followed by Chiprez, who fired a final shot that struck and killed Jones. Chiprez said in reports that he thought Jones was armed and was unaware that Jones had dropped the gun about 50 yards from where he was shot. But lawyers for Jones mother, Altovese Williams, said police body camera video and autopsy results showed that Jones was nearly prone on the ground when he was shot. Im not aware of a settlement larger than this in the state of Iowa for a wrongful death, civil rights claim, Cedar Rapids attorney Dave OBrien, who represented Williams, said in a statement. We believe the citys agreement to settle for their policy limits shows that they understand that the shooting and killing unarmed people in Burlington needs to stop. Police Chief Marc Denney declined to comment on the settlement, but he did confirm that Chiprez remains on the police force. Hes an officer in good standing who has been with the force for 20-plus years, Denney said. In March, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Chiprez was not entitled to qualified immunity in the lawsuit, citing body-camera footage that appeared to show Chiprez looking directly at items including the gun dropped by Jones while running after him. The appeals court also noted that autopsy results did not support Chiprezs assertion that Jones was in an upright firing position when he shot him. The Davenport law firm of Betty, Neuman & McMahon, which is representing Chiprez and the city, didnt immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. Burlington is a city of 24,000 people, located on the Mississippi River about 140 miles east of Des Moines. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Iowa New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Hertz Corp. has offered to settle about three dozen cases filed by renters that say they were wrongly arrested for auto theft, the company said.The settlement push comes after Colleen Batcheler took over as general counsel for the rental company. During her first month on the job, Batcheler made it her top priority to end suits from more than 230 customers accusing Hertz of improperly calling in police on its renters, mostly while haggling about overdue rentals. Weve tried to take a step back and say How can we make progress in a way that is fair to our customers and is based on individual facts and circumstances,' Batcheler said in an interview. Hertz lost a key court battle earlier this month when a federal judge allowed more than 70 customers to sue for false arrests. Until then, Hertz had successfully forced nearly all of the lawsuits to remain under the supervision of a bankruptcy judge in Wilmington, Delaware. Batcheler declined to say how much money the company was offering to the alleged victims and their families. Hundreds of customers say in court papers that Hertz filed police reports against them and had them falsely arrested, often at gunpoint. A small number of those cases allege errors by Hertz employees caused police to pull over innocent customers on suspicion of driving stolen cars. Lawyers for the customers say about 100 more claims are being prepared. Victims will review the offers before deciding whether to accept them, said attorney Francis Alexander Malofiy, the Philadelphia lawyer who has spent years fighting Hertz in court. Hertz has indicated interest in settlement in the past, only to reveal they were not serious about addressing the full scope of the harm they have caused, Malofiy said in an emailed statement. Hertz must also agree to withdraw theft reports it filed against about 40 customers who are still being prosecuted, Malofiy said. The false arrest claims are an early challenge for Batcheler, who became Hertzs top lawyer last month, and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Scherr, who took over in February and pledged Hertz would change its practices to protect customers whove done nothing wrong from false arrests. The company will try to settle as many of the cases as it can in the coming months, Batcheler said. Some offers will be for more money than the victims asked for in their bankruptcy court claims. Other offers will be for significantly less, the company said in a statement. Hertz Corp. is the unit of Hertz Global Holdings Inc. that operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty rental brands in regions that include Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. The company filed bankruptcy in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the economy and brought car rentals to a halt. Hertz exited bankruptcy oversight last year, but left a shell company behind to pay off its older, disputed debts, including the false arrest claims. Hertz files thousands of criminal cases against customers annually, according to court documents. The company says the majority involve disputes about vehicles that werent returned on time and likely have been stolen, and it tries to contact customers via phone calls, text messages, emails and certified letters about overdue cars and get them back through private means, working for about 63 days beyond the return date before involving police. Lawyers for the drivers say all the cases could cost Hertz more than $700 million. The company said in a quarterly filing that it doesnt expect a significant impact. About the photo: A traveler pulls luggage past a line rental vehicles at a Hertz location at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. The U.S. car rental industry achieved overall revenues of $28.1 billion in 2021 a 21% gain over the pandemic year of 2020, according to data collected by Auto Rental News. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The U.S. Supreme Court on June 27 made it harder for prosecutors to win convictions of doctors accused of running pill mills and excessively prescribing opioids and other addictive drugs, by requiring the government to prove that defendants knew their prescriptions had no legitimate medical purpose. The 9-0 ruling, authored by liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, sided with Xiulu Ruan and Shakeel Kahn, who argued that their trials were unfair because jurors were not required to consider whether the two convicted doctors had good faith reasons to believe the numerous opioid prescriptions were medically valid. While both doctors were registered under the a U.S. law called the Controlled Substances Act to prescribe such drugs to their patients, prosecutors at their trials argued that the prescriptions fell outside the usual course of professional practice. Breyer, who is retiring at the end of the courts current term in the coming days, wrote that once the doctors produced evidence that they were authorized to dispense drugs like opioids, prosecutors needed to prove they knowingly or intentionally acted in an unauthorized manner. Breyer said a decision by a doctor registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to intentionally prescribe addictive drugs in an unauthorized way would be illegal, not the prescriptions themselves. We normally would not view such dispensations as inherently illegitimate; we expect, and indeed usually want, doctors to prescribe the medications that their patients need, Breyer wrote. The justices, though, declined to decide whether jurors were sufficiently instructed in Ruans and Kahns cases or, if not, whether the mistakes were harmless. The Supreme Court sent the cases back to two federal appeals courts that had upheld the convictions for further proceedings based on Mondays ruling. Justice Samuel Alito, writing on behalf of himself and fellow conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett, said he agreed with the decisions bottom-line result but said its reasoning could result in confusion. Beau Brindley, Kahns lawyer, said the ruling totally changes the landscape of these prosecutions by requiring proof that doctors knew they were committing a crime when they write prescriptions. Ruans attorney did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment. The United States for more than two decades has struggled with an opioid epidemic that, according to federal health officials, has claimed the lives of more than a half million Americans. States have sued drug companies and pharmacies to hold them liable, but another key element in the public health crisis has been the role of doctors in prescribing massive volumes of the highly addictive pain medication. Some doctors have been accused of turning their medical practices into pill mills routinely prescribing controlled substances without a medical necessity and outside the bounds of a normal professional practice. Ruan, who practiced in Alabama, and Kahn, who practiced in Arizona and then Wyoming, were sentenced to 21 and 25 years in prison, respectively, in separate criminal cases. Prosecutors said Ruan with a business partner ran a clinic in Mobile that issued nearly 300,000 controlled-substance prescriptions from 2011 to 2015 and was one of the top U.S. prescribers of certain fentanyl-based pain medications. Prosecutors said he accepted kickbacks from drugmaker Insys Therapeutics Inc to prescribe a fentanyl spray to patients. Insys founder, John Kapoor, was later convicted of conspiring to bribe doctors including Ruan to prescribe the drug and defraud insurers into paying for it. The Supreme Court on June 13 rejected Kapoors bid to overturn his conviction. Prosecutors said Kahn regularly sold prescriptions for cash and unlawfully prescribed large amounts of opioid pills, resulting in at least one patient dying of an overdose. Topics USA New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A federal judge in California on Monday ordered a new trial on the damages Tesla Inc. owes to a Black former factory worker who accused the company of race discrimination, after he turned down a $15 million award. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco granted Teslas motion for a new trial a week after the former elevator operator, Owen Diaz, said he would not accept the judges award. Tesla Worker Rejects $15M Payout in Race Bias Lawsuit A jury last October had awarded Diaz $137 million, one of the largest verdicts ever in a discrimination case involving a single worker. Orrick in April said Tesla was liable to Diaz for discrimination, but he said the award was excessive and lowered it to $15 million. Tesla Seeks Retrial, Cut in Staggering $137M Award in Racial Bias Workplace Case Diazs lawyers said last week that the lower award was unjust because it undermined his constitutional rights to a trial by jury. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawrence Organ, a lawyer for Diaz, said we are hopeful that a new jury will see the evidence in a similar light to the first jury and that Mr. Diaz will get the justice that the jury system is supposed to provide to him. Orrick did not set a date for the new trial, but scheduled a conference for July 12. In his 2017 lawsuit, Diaz alleged that his colleagues and a supervisor at Teslas Fremont, California, assembly plant subjected him to a hostile work environment that included racist slurs, caricatures and swastikas. Tesla is facing a series of lawsuits involving alleged widespread race discrimination and sexual harassment at the Fremont factory, including one by a California civil rights agency. This month, a Tesla shareholder filed a lawsuit accusing the companys chief executive, Elon Musk, and board of directors of neglecting worker complaints and fostering a toxic workplace culture. Tesla has denied wrongdoing and says it has policies in place to prevent and address workplace misconduct. Topics Lawsuits Legislation Tesla New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! The Food and Drug Administrations order to Juul Labs Inc. to take its products off shelves in the US threatens to undermine the e-cigarette makers defense in a sprawling legal fight over its youth marketing practices. But it also raises the risk of scant payoffs for those suing, if Juul ultimately loses its appeal over the ban. While a federal court on Friday gave Juul some respite by temporarily blocking the FDA order, both sides now have extra incentive to settle more than 2,500 personal injury lawsuits and hundreds more cases brought by local governments and school districts seeking to hold the company responsible for an epidemic of underage vaping. Experts estimate that Juul could potentially be hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. There is a real question about Juuls ability to contribute much to a settlement if theres a strong possibility its income is substantially curtailed, said Mark Gottlieb, executive director of Public Health Advocacy Institute and a lecturer at the Northeastern University School of Law. That has reduced the settlement value for the enormous pool of cases brought against Juul. The FDAs decision, years in the making, comes nearly three months before the first youth marketing case is set for trial in San Francisco federal court. That personal injury complaint was brought by the mother of a Tennessee girl who allegedly got hooked on Juul products at age 12. Juul Soon to Be Ordered Off the Market by FDA In rejecting Juuls application to market its product, the FDA cited inadequate toxicology data. Even though the agency didnt get into the teen vaping issues that are at the heart of the litigation, its findings could bolster the addiction claims in the personal injury suits, said Elizabeth Burch, a professor at University of Georgia law school. The FDA is an expert agency that Congress entrusts with protecting public health, so courts and juries may give it a fair amount of weight if it comes into evidence and Juul will try to prevent that, Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. Juul said it disagrees with the FDAs findings and succeeded in persuading a federal appeals court to grant an emergency order temporarily blocking the decision. Juul claimed the FDA action was arbitrary and capricious and that the agency didnt consider the evidence before making a decision. Juul is also reportedly weighing a bankruptcy filing. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the company may seek protection if it doesnt get relief from the government ban. If theres no rapid solution to the FDA ban, all bets are off, said Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Altria Group Inc., which owns a 35% stake in Juul and is also a defendant in the youth marketing litigation, has argued that the harm caused to young vapers occurred before its investment in the e-cigarette company. Its likely shielded from direct liability, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kenneth Shea. A spokesperson for Juul didnt respond to a request for comment on the impact of the FDA order on the litigation. Sarah London, a co-lead plaintiffs lawyer in the Juul litigation, said her team will continue to fight for its clients. This action by the FDA in pulling Juuls toxic, dangerous and deceptively marketed products out of circulation vindicates the claims weve brought on behalf of the victims, London said. If Juuls products are ultimately taken off the market, it may be less inclined to throw its weight behind safeguarding the integrity of its e-cigarettes and more interested in looking for a way to end its legal woes, the University of Georgias Burch said. Theyre going to say, Look, weve got no cash coming in and youre going to have to take what you can get.' Photo: A person smokes a Juul Labs Inc. e-cigarette. Photographer: Bloomberg Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. A first-in-the-nation law that enables private citizens to sue manufacturers of dangerous firearms passed on Monday in the Assembly. The bill, backed by Gov. Newsom, returns to the Senate for consideration later in the week. Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, sponsored Senate Bill 1327, notes that the state Legislature declares that the proliferation of firearms to and among young people poses a threat to the health, safety, and security of all residents of, and visitors to, this state. The wording of the bill calls firearms especially dangerous in the hands of young people, because research shows the are more impulsive, more likely to engage in risky and reckless behavior, unduly influenced by peer pressure, motivated more by rewards than costs or negative consequences, less likely to consider the future consequences of their actions and decisions, and less able to control themselves in emotionally arousing situations. The bill continues: In recognition of these facts, the Legislature has previously prohibited licensed firearm dealers from selling a firearm to a person under 21 years of age, subject to certain exemptions. This state has a compelling interest in further restricting the proliferation of firearms among those under 21 years of age. According to an analysis by the Assembly, the bill would make it a violation to do either of the following: Purchase, sell, offer to sell, or transfer ownership of any firearm precursor part in this state that is not a federally regulated firearm precursor part. Sell, supply, deliver, or give possession or control of a firearm to any person who is under 21 years of age. It also authorizes any person, other than an officer or employee of a state or local governmental entity, to bring a civil action against anyone who knowingly does any of the following: Violates any of the above; Engages in conduct that aids or abets a violation, regardless of whether the person knew or should have known that the person aided or abetted would be in violation; or Commits an act with the intent to engage in the conduct described above. The bill passed on a 50-19 vote in the Assembly. Topics Lawsuits California Gun Liability News Global pce powder market trend 2025-2030 Differences Between Early Strength Agent and Water Reducing Agent by Newsintegra927 After Russia pledged to scale back its military operations around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine, the prices of most industrial metals fell, led by aluminum, showing people's concerns for supply shortage eased. At an earlier time, the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which aroused concerns about the supply problem because Russia is a major producer of nickel, aluminum, and copper. Russia is also a major gas supplier to Europe, where potential supply disruptions are seen as hitting power-intensive aluminum and zinc pce powder are still very uncertain. Definition Early strength agent refers to the admixture which can improve the early strength of concrete and has no significant effect on the late strength. Water reducing agent is a kind of concrete admixture which can reduce the water consumption under the condition of keeping the slump of concrete basically unchanged. Classification Early strength agents can be divided into strong electrolyte inorganic salts, water-soluble organic compounds, organic and inorganic compound early strength agents according to their chemical composition. Water reducing agent according to the chemical composition is usually divided into lignosulfonate type of water reducing agent, naphthalene series of high-efficiency water reducing agent, melamine series of high-efficiency water reducing agent, amino sulfonate series of high-efficiency water reducing agent, fatty acid series of high-efficiency water reducing agent, polycarboxylate series of water reducing agent. Composition Early strength agent in addition to chlorine salt and sulfate nitrite, chromate and other organic compounds such as triethanolamine, calcium formate, urea and so on. Water-reducing agent category is different, the composition is also very different, mainly a kind of surfactant, is widely used in the third generation of polycarboxylate water-reducing agent. Use Early strength agent does not contain chloride ion, no corrosion of steel bar, applicable to all civil and industrial buildings and prestressed reinforced concrete members, mortar and so on. It is most suitable for construction under low temperatures in early winter and early spring. Water reducing agent is widely used in high-speed railway, high-speed, civil, industrial buildings and prefabricated parts factory, etc., with wide applicability and suitable for four seasons. Note Early strength agent dosage is 3-6% of cement. In order to keep the quality of concrete mixed with this agent uniform, people need to extend the mixing time by 1-2 minutes. Concrete mixed with early strength agent cannot use orthopedic active minerals (such as opal). This agent such as damp agglomerate phenomenon, must be crushed or weathered rear can be used, its performance unchanged. Because there are many kinds of water-reducing agent, it is necessary to choose the appropriate type of water-reducing agent according to the needs of the project. In winter construction, it is recommended to choose the third generation polycarboxylate water reducing agent. Concrete Superplasticizer Supplier TRUNNANO is a reliable concrete additives supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development. If you are looking for high-quality concrete superplasticizer and early strength agents, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com) We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union, and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea. According to Reuters, U.S. Treasury officials said they would discuss with G7 leaders pricing caps and tariffs on Russian oil as an alternative to the embargo, which would keep the market supplied, limit price spikes, and reduce Russian revenues. The EU foreign ministers' meeting was held in Brussels. The meeting failed to agree on the sixth round of sanctions, including an oil embargo on Russia, because of objections from Hungary. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said at a press conference after the meeting, that the meeting failed to reach an agreement on the final adoption of the sixth round of sanctions, the permanent representatives of member states to the EU will continue to discuss. The foreign ministers faced similar difficulties trying to reach an agreement on an oil ban. He said Hungary's position was based on economic rather than political concerns. Hungary is highly dependent on Russia for energy, getting more than 60 percent of its oil and 85 percent of its natural gas from Russia. A few days ago, the European Commission submitted the sixth round of proposed sanctions against Russia, including a total ban on Russian oil imports by the end of this year. Hungary immediately objected and said it wanted substantial compensation from the EU to offset its loss from giving up Russian oil. The pce powder price is predicted to increase in the next few days, due to geopolitical factors. Inquery us News Global spherical quartz powder market trend 2022-2030 Where can Spherical Quartz Powder be Used? by Newsintegra927 Russian president demanded that exports of Russian gas to "unfriendly" countries be settled in rubles. The demand has raised concerns in Germany about possible supply disruptions and the impact on industry and households if utilities do not pay in robles. Europe gets about 40% of its gas from Russia. Last year, Europe imported about 155 billion cubic meters. Germany, Europe's largest economy, depends heavily on Russian gas. The chief executive of Germany's E.ON said the German economy would face "significant damage, which should be avoided if possible" without Russian supplies. He also said it would take Germany three years to wean itself off Russian gas. In the event of a supply disruption, Germany's gas network regulator would prioritize home heating over industrial use, so energy-hungry manufacturers such as steelmakers would be the first to suffer, he said. The volatile international situations will continue to affect the markets and prices of many commodities like the spherical quartz powder. Quartz powder, also known as silica powder, is a hard, wear-resistant, stable chemical properties of silicate minerals, its main mineral composition is SiO2. The color of quartz powder is milky white, or colorless translucent. The hardness is 7. The density is 2.65. Slightly soluble in KOH solution. The melting point is 1650. The product with the general fineness in 120 mesh below is called quartz sand, and that more than 120 mesh is known as quartz powder. Quartz powder can be divided into nanometer silicon dioxide and spherical silica powder because of its fineness and morphology. Quartz powder is widely used in the industry, including the glass industry, machinery industry, artificial quartz stone plate, ceramics and metallurgy, construction, chemical industry and other industries used in the number of products in dozens to hundreds of mesh, purity requirements are different; In plastics, coatings, adhesives and other industries as fillers, fineness requirements in hundreds of mesh to thousands of mesh, high purity requirements; Used in the integrated circuit industry, product mesh and purity requirements. Quartz powder can be used as filler to add plastic, rubber, coating, etc., to improve performance, improve process characteristics, reduce costs, etc. The hardness of paint film can be improved by adding high purity quartz powder into the coating. High purity spherical quartz powder has special optical properties that conventional silicon dioxide does not have. It has strong UV absorption and red-light reflection characteristics. The spectrophotometer test shows that the absorption rate of ultraviolet light within the wavelength of 400mm is as high as 70%. It can be added to the coating to form a shielding effect, to achieve the purpose of UV aging and thermal aging, while increasing the heat insulation of the coating. The high purity quartz powder was added to the coating, which obviously weakened the radiation degree of UV light to the coating, and thus reduced the curing speed of the coating. Quartz sand can be used to remove rust because of its high hardness. The quartz sand is installed in the sand-blasting machine, through higher air pressure or water pressure, spewed quartz sand to the metal surface of the rust, through the quartz sand and rust surface of high-speed friction contact to achieve the effect of rust removal. Some manufacturers choose to use river sand instead of quartz sand because of its low cost. But the hardness of river sand is much lower than quartz sand, the content of silica in the two is different, quartz sand silicon content of nearly 99.9%, and the soil content of river sand is more, in the sandblasting process, river sand will be quickly broken or stand on the metal surface, cannot achieve the effect of real friction derusting, and the quartz sand for derusting. High hardness, uniform, and angular particles can be fully stable contact with the rusty surface, to achieve the effect of rust removal. Quartz powder also has a filtering effect. Quartz powder is mainly used for water treatment to remove turbidity, soften water, and reverse osmosis pretreatment, can also be used for surface water and groundwater. It can effectively remove suspended matter, organic matter, colloid, and sediment in water. Spherical Silica Powder Price The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events. If you are looking for the latest spherical silica powder price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. ([email protected]) Spherical Silica Powder Supplier Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and nanomaterials including silica powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc. If you are looking for high-quality spherical silica powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected]) Due to the limited total amount of traditional energy, people have a huge demand for cleaner and greener new energy alternatives. Now, the emergence of graphene is unlocking the possibility of its application in the energy field, which can create a greener, more efficient, and sustainable future. Here Francesco Bonaccorso, Deputy Director of Innovation at the Graphene Flagship Program, explains how his researchers have developed a series of initiatives to bring graphene from the lab to the commercial market. Graphene has become a research hotspot for new materials in the 21st century. Graphene has been adopted by many industries, the most notable of which are healthcare and key material applications. The development of graphene has brought huge fluctuations in the demand for spherical quartz powder, and the demand for spherical quartz powder will continue to grow in the future. You can contact us for the latest news on spherical quartz powder. Inquery us Products Global Sodium stearate,Overview of Sodium Stearate,Application of sodium stearate,Sodium stearate price,Sodium stearate supplier market trend 2022-2028 Overview and application of sodium stearate by Newsintegra927 Chile's government is considering phasing in a proposed ban on glacial mining to limit projects high in the Andes by some big copper companies. Chile's constitutional assembly has approved a proposal to ban mining in glaciers, protected areas, and areas vital to protecting the country's water system. Chile's mining minister, Marcela Hernando, said about 20 mines had been identified in protected areas, some close to glaciers, including Codelco's El Teniente and Andina projects and Anglo American Plc's Los Bronces project. The new measures for glaciers and other protected areas will put about a fifth of Chile's copper Sodium stearate,Overview of Sodium Stearate,Application of sodium stearate,Sodium stearate price,Sodium stearate supplier prices are predicted to increase in the next few days. Overview of Sodium Stearate Sodium stearate is also known as sodium octadecanoate. White fine powder or lumps of sodium stearate, it is a chemically synthesized ingredient, not natural, but derived from the natural ingredient stearic acid, which is a saturated fatty acid that can be extracted from plant sources such as rapeseed oil, palm oil and sunflower oil. py solids have a slippery feel, have a fatty smell, and absorb water in the air. Dissolved in hot water or hot alcohol, it is decomposed into stearic acid, and in case of acid, the corresponding sodium salt is formed. Insoluble in ether, light gasoline, acetone and similar organic solvents. It is also insoluble in electrolyte solutions such as salt and sodium hydroxide. The aqueous solution is alkaline due to hydrolysis, while the alcoholic solution is neutral. It is prepared by the interaction of stearic acid and sodium hydroxide. Widely used in the manufacture of toothpaste, soap, cosmetics, as well as waterproofing agents, plastic stabilizers, adhesives, etc. Sodium stearate is an organic substance, a natural acid salt. Application of sodium stearate Sodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid. This white solid is the most common soap. It is found in many types of solid deodorants, rubber, latex paints and inks. It is also an ingredient in some food additives and food flavorings. Sodium stearate can be used as a heat stabilizer for polyethylene. It has excellent lubricity and good processing properties. Works synergistically with zinc soaps and epoxy compounds to improve thermal stability, base lead salts and lead. Soap is used in hard products to increase the rate of gelation. The use of sodium stearate in polyethylene and polypropylene eliminates the detrimental effect of residual catalyst on resin color and stability. This product is also widely used as a lubricant and release agent for thermosetting plastics such as polyolefin, polyester reinforced plastic, phenolic resin amino resin, etc. Sodium stearate price The price of sodium stearate will change randomly with factors such as production cost, transportation cost, international situation, exchange rate, and market supply and demand of meat sodium stearate. Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd. aims to help industries and chemical wholesalers find high-quality, low-cost nanomaterials and chemicals by providing a full range of customized services. If you are looking for Sodium Stearate, please feel free to send an inquiry to get the latest price of Sodium Stearate. Sodium stearate supplier As a global sodium stearate supplier, Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd. has extensive experience in the performance, application and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced engineering materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (including oxides, carbides, nitrides, single metals, etc.), high-purity targets, functional ceramics and structural devices, and provides OEM services. Sodium Myristate Powder Properties Other Names SODIUM MYRISTATE 822-12-8 Sodium tetradecanoate, Tetradecanoic acid, sodium salt, Myristic acid sodium salt CAS No. 822-12-8 Compound Formula CH3(CH2)12COONa Molecular Weight N/A Appearance white fine powder Melting Point N/A Solubility in water N/A Density N/A Purity >98% Particle Size 200 mesh Boling point N/A Specific Heat N/A Thermal Conductivity N/A Thermal Expansion N/A Young's Modulus N/A Exact Mass 478.387252 Monoisotopic Mass 478.387252 The Japanese minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry recently held talks with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and industry in Washington, where he is visiting, and agreed to include basic principles on joint research and development of semiconductors and strengthening of supply chains. Japan's economy, Trade and Industry Minister has asked the United States to increase the Sodium stearate,Overview of Sodium Stearate,Application of sodium stearate,Sodium stearate price,Sodium stearate supplier will continue to increase in the future. Inquery us US retail giant Walgreens is abandoning the sale of the Boots pharmacy chain in the UK and Ireland citing unexpected and dramatic change in the global financial markets since launching the sales process in January. The American healthcare group had been in talks with a consortium between Reliance Industries and Apollo Global Management over the more than 5.8bn sale of the chain. Boots has 89 outlets in Ireland employing more than 2,000 people As a result of market instability severely impacting financing availability, no third party has been able to make an offer that adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots, Walgreens said in a statement. The recent strong performance of Boots, and its key No7 beauty brand, is also behind the decision to retain the business, the company added in the statement. The Boots sale was considered a litmus test for dealmaking with credit markets becoming increasingly fragile. The easy financing conditions that supported a series of debt-fueled takeovers of British companies last year have mostly come to an end. Banks have been cutting their exposure to leveraged loans for risk of being saddled with debt they cant then sell on to investors. Thats cast a shadow over at least $25bn (23.75bn) of transactions in Europe. This year, banks have run into problems offloading 6.6bn (7.66bn) of debt tied to Clayton Dubilier & Rices take-private of UK supermarket chain Wm Morrison Supermarkets. The focus is now on how the financing will come together for deals including the possible 5bn (5.8bn) sale of UK gas station operator Motor Fuel Group. Meanwhile, Reckitt Benckiser Group has been struggling to attract bidders for its $7bn (6.65bn) infant nutrition unit. The Reliance-led consortium had been the frontrunner to buy Boots although the amount they offered was still short of the valuation of about 7bn (8.12bn) that Walgreens had been seeking initially. Its main competitor in the bidding was a consortium of Britains billionaire Issa brothers and TDR Capital, although the race between the two lost steam as financing markets became weighed down by concerns around inflation and the war in Ukraine. Boots has a sprawling web of more than 2,000 stores in the UK and many of them need to be renovated and adapted to changing consumer trends. Boots has also been slow to catch up with online shopping, just one of the areas where investment is needed. There are also billions in pension guarantees that would have to be taken on. The board and I remain confident that Boots and No7 Beauty Company hold strong fundamental value, and longer term, we will stay open to all opportunities to maximise shareholder value for these businesses and across our company, said Walgreens Chief Executive Officer, Rosalind Brewer. - Bloomberg Diageo, the world's largest spirits maker, will wind down its business operations in Russia over the next six months, it said on Tuesday, becoming the latest Western brand to withdraw. "Our focus will remain on supporting our employees in the region and providing them with enhanced redundancy terms, while ensuring we comply with local regulations," a Diageo spokesperson said in a statement. Foreign companies seeking to exit Russia over the war in Ukraine face the prospect of a law being passed in the coming weeks to allow Moscow to seize assets and impose criminal penalties. That has encouraged some businesses to accelerate their departure. Nike and Cisco announced plans to leave last Thursday. Michelin plans to hand over its Russian activities to a new entity under local management by the end of the year, it said on Tuesday, becoming the first Western tyre-maker to withdraw from business in Russia. However, Diageo, which stopped shipping to and selling goods in Russia in March, will retain a business licence there that requires a number of employees to remain, a source said familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Once the process of winding down is complete, Diageo will have fewer than 10 employees in Russia, the source said. Stocks of non-Russian alcohol have started to dwindle in Russia, hampered by sales suspensions by major Western firms and supply disruptions, leaving Russian consumers with less choice and higher prices. In early March, the leading Western brewer in the country Carlsberg, as well as Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken, suspended sales in Russia. They have since said they will sell their Russian businesses. Reuters Relatives of children killed during the Troubles will tell their stories to MPs ahead of a vote on controversial legislation granting amnesty for crimes committed during the Northern Ireland conflict. Martin McGavigan and Mary Feeney-Morrison, both now in their 60s, are among a group of six families taking part in a special event in Parliament on Tuesday evening that aims to bring the reality of their experiences to Westminster. Mr McGavigans sister Annette was shot dead by British soldiers during a riot in the Bogside area of Derry in 1971. She was just 14 years old and still wearing her school uniform. He told PA he remembered his mother talking to Annettes clothes that she was murdered in, the blood-stained slippers, the school uniform and that as an adult his daughter, Maria, would find him reading Annettes papers and crying. Are all of those MPs who are prepared to pontificate about Northern Ireland and the past prepared to walk up two flights of stairs and listen to them? Ms Feeney-Morrisons sister, Kathleen Feeney, was also 14 when she was killed by an IRA sniper in Derry in 1973. In 2005, the IRA made an official apology to her family, but so far nobody has been convicted for the murder. She said: When my sister was shot dead, when we buried her nobody came to us and said are you okay. Thats widespread around the north of Ireland there was no assistance, there was no help for anybody. They couldnt cope, you just had to get on with it. You just blended it into your daily life while you were fighting mentally. Although both are still affected by the loss of their siblings, they said they had been helped by a production staged by the Derry Playhouse in which their children helped tell their stories. Mary Feeney-Morrison (left) and her daughter Sarah Feeney-Morrison. Marys sister Kathleen Feeney was shot and killed at the age of 14 by an IRA sniper in Derry in 1973 (Ashlee Ruggels/PA) Ms Feeney-Morrison said seeing her daughter, Sarah, perform her story had helped her heal, while Mr McGavigan said seeing Maria on stage had made him both proud and able to talk more openly about his experiences. It is a stripped-down version of that production that has been brought to Westminster at the invitation of SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, who hopes the families testimonies will persuade MPs to oppose the Governments controversial Troubles Legacy Bill. The Bill is due for its next debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and has been criticised by Amnesty International for giving murderers and those responsible for torture a free pass. Mr Eastwood told the PA news agency: Particularly on the Tory benches there has been a fairly cavalier attitude to the impact that this Bill will have on ordinary peoples lives. Ive not met a victim yet who supports it. Its important they have the opportunity to see for themselves the impact that the past has had on people. Hopefully this doesnt go through because we need answers, we need truth, we need justice for our loved ones Mr McGavigan, who was 11 when his sister was killed, added: Hopefully this doesnt go through because we need answers, we need truth, we need justice for our loved ones. You just dont brush it under the carpet and say move on. So far, only one Conservative Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chair Simon Hoare has agreed to see the production on Tuesday evening, which Mr Eastwood described as a test. He said: The test is a fairly simple one. Are all of those MPs who are prepared to pontificate about Northern Ireland and the past prepared to walk up two flights of stairs and listen to them? We have tried to make it as easy as possible for them and it will say an awful lot about them if they dont turn up. A mortgage company has secured a temporary High Court order allowing it to appoint a receiver over an estimated six-figure insurance payout to a convicted child rapist whose property burnt down. The interim order was secured by Start Mortgages DAC which claims that the man, who cannot be identified and who the High Court heard on Tuesday is currently in jail, owes it over 400,000 arising out of his failure to repay loans. The court heard that while the exact figure of the payment is not known, it estimates that it will be approximately 125,000. Start says that those funds should be paid to it to satisfy the man's alleged debt to it. The man received a 12-year prison sentence from the Central Criminal Court in 2014 after he was found guilty by a jury of charges including rape and the sexual assault of his ex-partner's young daughter. The abuse commenced when the victim was aged seven years. On Tuesday, Ms Justice Nuala Butler at the High Court heard that several years before being jailed the man obtained a mortgage with Start for over 265,000 to obtain a property in the South-East. Property destroyed by fire A year later, that property was destroyed following a fire. The property was insured by Zurich Insurance, and on foot of the insurance policy it agreed to pay out over 222,000 for the reconstruction of the property. Zurich paid out 85,000 to the man's then lawyers as a first instalment. Start claims that the man informed it that those monies were being kept in a safe place until planning permission was obtained to allow his property to be reconstructed. The property, Start claims, was never rebuilt and planning permission for the reconstruction was never obtained. Start claims that some of the monies that were paid out were used by the man for improper purposes. Start says that following correspondence with the man, he informed the fund that 30,000 from the first instalment was paid by the man's former solicitors, without his consent, to clear arrears due on the mortgage. Those monies, the court heard should have been used to refurbish the property. Letters of demand Start said that it issued letters of demand against the man. When the monies were not repaid it obtained a High Court judgment against him, prior to his imprisonment. There was a delay in executing that judgement due to the lengthy interactions between the parties, that lasted several years, and the intervention of the Covid-19 pandemic, Start claimed. Start intends to seek a renewal of that judgment, which it has made all reasonable efforts to execute, that was obtained over six years ago. Start told the court that when interest is included the man currently owes it a sum of just over 402,000. Start also told the court that following his incarceration it appointed a receiver who sold the man's property, which it said was a derelict shell, for a sum of just over 33,000. Start claims that the man is due to receive the balance of the insurance pay from Zurich. Start had hoped that the insurer would pay the monies to it. However, Start says that Zurich's lawyers have indicated that the insurer is only prepared to pay the monies to the man's current solicitors. Start had hoped that those monies would be kept in a holding account until the matter between the parties had been resolved. However, the man's current lawyers declined to do that. Terms not honoured Start claims that the man has no intention of honouring the terms of the mortgage, and it fears that the monies due to be paid by Zurich may be dissipated unless a receiver is appointed over those funds. It is not known exactly when those monies will be paid. However, Start believes that the payment will be made in the coming days, and want a receiver appointed over the payment. That application was made on an ex-parte basis, before Ms Justice Butler. The judge said she was satisfied to appoint a receiver. The judge said she was not satisfied at this stage of the proceedings to make any permanent orders in relation to the payment until the court had heard from the man's legal representatives. The matter was adjourned to a date in July. A Garda surveillance operation intercepted a drug trafficking route from Dublin to Cork and now two Cork men have been jailed for the parts they played in the operation. Sergeant Paul Leahy gave evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of how a Dublin man carried 55,000 worth of heroin to Cork for onward transmission. The modus operandi entailed the Dublin man travelling by bus to Cork and getting off at Merchant's Quay. At the bus station, the plan was to meet a Cork man who would guide him to the third man to whom he would transfer the heroin. Without talking or giving any appearance of being in each others company, the Dublin man and the guiding local man would get on to a bus and travel to Gurranabraher and walk to St Marys Avenue off Cathedral Road. On this quiet cul-de-sac, the Dublin man would pass the drugs to a third man waiting on an electric bike. As this was about to happen, gardai emerged from their concealed positions and arrested all three parties. The Dublin man was not before the court. The man who led him from Merchant's Quay to St Marys Avenue without ever handling the heroin himself was 42-year-old Roy Twohig. The man on the bicycle who was to receive the package was William Kenny, 45. Both men were homeless and living at the time at St Vincents hostel on Anglesea Terrace in Cork. Now at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Sarah Berkeley has jailed Kenny for four and a half years. Twohig was jailed for two years. Twohig indicated he was to have been paid 100 for his part in the crime. Differentiating between the two parties, Judge Berkeley said of Kenny: His level of participation in the crime was at a high level of culpability. He was described by Sergeant Leahy as the organiser in facilitating the crime and involved in the sale or supply of the drug in the city of Cork. He recruited Mr Twohig and he [Kenny] has serious relevant crime. He made admissions. He was homeless and an addict. In all of those circumstances the judge set a sentence at seven years but suspended the last two and a half years of it. Judge Berkeley noted Kenny accepted that he played a greater part in the crime and that his co-accused Roy Twohig had only played a small part in the enterprise. In respect of Twohig, the judge said: There was an early plea of guilty. He was homeless and had a drug addiction. He had a limited role in the transaction. He has been of good behaviour in prison. He made admissions in relation to his role and he apologised. Albeit a smaller role, he must have known what was going on. His co-accused said he had recruited Mr Twohig to take the man to the locus. The judge sentenced him to two years and six months with the six-month portion of the sentence suspended. Commenting generally on the crime of heroin-dealing, the judge said she had to take into consideration the harm drugs caused to the public. Roy Twohig and William Kenny both pleaded guilty to having diamorphine [better known as heroin] for the purpose of sale or supply to others at a time when the street value exceeded 13,000 the threshold amount which gives rise to mandatory 10-year sentence unless the sentencing judge finds there are exceptional circumstances. Each man entered a signed guilty plea to the case against them. The charges against each man relate to St Marys Avenue, off Cathedral Road, Gurranabraher, Cork, on Wednesday, January 19. Its very superficial, I sense at times, and its sort of plucking one aspect of it or one manifestation of it and turning it into a big sort of toxic discussion, which I have no time for and we dont need that. On the eve of Dublins Pride, Taoiseach Micheal Martin was unequivocal: Trans rights, as the saying goes, are human rights. Martin was speaking after a couple of weeks in which the so-called trans debate reached a kind of fever pitch. (There is no trans debate, by the way; transgender people exist, and framing discussion about different aspects of their lived experience under the net of debate often implies otherwise.) But what Martin was really getting at was not that the discussion (it is important at this juncture to be clear I am not arguing against anyones right to speak freely) but was hitting on a key issue of the discourse: Namely that this is largely an imported battle in the culture wars, designed to do little but sow division. In the UK, the discussion around trans rights and treatment has become incredibly toxic. It has taken on many of the characteristics of a moral panic, about which many faceless Twitter profiles care suspiciously deeply. The question which Irish politicians have asked in the last week is salient: Is this the kind of debate we want to import? And, as importantly, to what end? To the first question, Martin was clear. Id be very concerned about that and Ive watched it in the UK and we certainly dont need that kind of debate in Ireland. We dont need to have that kind of debate in Ireland, he said. Taoiseach Micheal Martin: 'Acceptance is the key for trans persons.' Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire First of all, acceptance is the key for trans persons and I think we need a debate that creates a space for understanding and from an informed perspective, and sometimes we dont get that in a highly charged forum. As was the Green Party whip Marc O Cathasaigh in the Dail on Thursday: Were beginning to see an importation of culture wars that are being waged elsewhere where debates around these issues are becoming weaponised and are being used to stoke fears and to sow division. The debate around trans rights has become increasingly heated in Ireland over the past number of weeks, he said. It is a debate around somebodys basic right to exist. We always have to be conscious of that. Fuelling a narrative The importation of these debates exists purely to fuel a narrative that we, as a society, are being driven apart by our differences on social issues, that our day-to-day lives are riven with violence and upheaval because minorities are demanding more than their fair share and it is tearing apart our very social fabric. Look around you. Is that an Ireland you recognise? Because it certainly is not the country I live in. The Ireland I know can have grown-up conversations about issues (not peoples right to exist), while putting the dignity of those about whom we are conversing front and centre. Neither is that a representation of the minority communities in Ireland that I recognise, the vast majority of whom just want to get on with their lives in a country which recognises their basic rights and dignity. The second question is more complicated. To what end do people want to have this debate? There are some who say they worry about the invasion of female spaces by trans women, but under the Gender Recognition Act of 2015, according to the most recent review, there have been 599 gender recognition certificates issued to both trans men and women up to the end of 2020, about 10 a month. While this is not empirical data on the number of trans people in Ireland, it points to their being a very tiny minority. There are those who argue that changes to the 2015 Act would allow 16- and 17-year-olds change their gender identity without parental consent. This is, quite simply, untrue. The programme For government commits to: Removing the need for a person aged 16 and 17 years to have two specialist reports before they can apply for legal gender recognition, by providing for self-declaration, with parental consent and by making mediation available on a voluntary basis. This is being done on foot of a 2018 review of the legislation, which consulted with young trans people who felt that the need to consult with doctors was forcing young people down a medical route when all that may be required is social transition and legal recognition. There was an argument that the National Womens Council of Ireland wants to exclude the word woman from maternity hospital guidelines, which is also false. NWCI advocates for inclusive language in legislation and policy. NWCI recommended the use of women and people in the amendments to the maternity legislation, the group stated. Given that intersex people, non-binary people, and trans men can become pregnant, this doesnt feel like an egregious request and one which is very unlikely to impact the day-to-day lives of anyone. Attempt to relitigate 2015 Act There is now also an attempt to relitigate the 2015 Act under the guise that it was, somehow, snuck through. To be clear, the Act began its life with a 2010 formation of the Gender Recognition Advisory Group, which came back a year later with a report. This was followed by two opposition bills being debated in 2013 when Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh introduced his bill in the Dail and senator Katherine Zappone brought hers to the Seanad, before the Governments bill was brought in July that year. Aengus O Snodaigh: Sinn Fein introduced his bill in the Dail in 2013. File picture: Andy Gibson A comprehensive report was debated in 2014 before the bill was published that December. In January 2015, the bill was introduced in the Seanad and debated for two days before a Dail debate in which 26 TDs spoke. By the time the bill passed in July that year, the Trans Equality Network Ireland estimated that 240 articles were published about the bill. But even if the bill was snuck through, its quiet operation for seven years should say something, surely? In some sections of society, the issue of transitioning, trans healthcare, and trans treatment will raise questions which are more complex, but the answer to that complexity is never to import a toxic discourse. The Taoiseach is right thats something we have no time for. Did you know? In 1957, John Jack Murphy became the first unemployed person ever elected to a national legislature. Known in some quarters as the man in the black beret, he won a seat in the Dublin South Central constituency but resigned a year later, frustrated at the lack of support for unemployed people. I was fed up with the callous indifference of the big parties to the situation of the workers. I resigned as a protest against appalling indifference of those parties to the unemployed, he said. He left Ireland for Canada but returned in 1964. He passed away in 1984. This week in years gone by 1921 July 1: It is reported that Arthur Griffith and Eoin MacNeill have been released from Mountjoy prison to much excitement amid increased hope of a peace deal with Britain. According to Sinn Fein leaders, there was complete unanimity to achieve a settlement. 2001 July 2: Fine Gael leader Michael Noonan challenged taoiseach Bertie Ahern to call on election anytime. Following his party's decisive win in the Tipperary South by-election, the nine-percentage-point rise in the Fine Gael vote gave Noonan his first electoral endorsement as leader and a good springboard for starting his general election campaign. There is going to be a real contest now between Bertie Ahern and Michael Noonan. We have been planning a general election for some time now, and we are ready at any time, Noonan said. Fine Gael was roundly defeated at the general election nine months later, winning just 30 seats. Noonan resigned immediately after. 2011 July 1: The Irish Examiner reported that with more than 4.5m citizens, the population of Ireland was moving towards post-Famine levels and was the fastest-growing in Europe, according to the Central Statistics Office. Preliminary results of Census 2011 published showed the population of Co Cork exceeded 500,000 for the first time since the Famine, while 1.27m people live in Dublin. 2016 June 30: In the days after the Brexit referendum, the turmoil from that decision continued to play out on the front pages. The front page of the Irish Examiner on July 1, 2016 quoted Fianna Fail's Dara Calleary, a former junior finance minister, as saying Europe walked away from Ireland during the financial crash and enforced the bailout upon us. 2020 June 27: Micheal Martin becomes Taoiseach as a historic coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, and the Green Party comes to power at the Convention Centre in Dublin. What to look out for this week Tuesday The Dail week will kick off at 2pm with Leaders' Questions, with the cost of living due to remain an issue. Sinn Fein will look to hammer that home as they have a motion calling for an emergency budget in the Dail at 7.30pm. In the Seanad, a busy day will see three pieces of legislation debated, starting with the Institutional Burials Bill which will be discussed from 2.45pm. The Government business will also see the Planning and Development and Higher Education Authority Bills discussed. The Linn Dara CAMHs unit, which saw 11 beds closed last month due to staffing issues, will be discussed at the sub-committee on mental health. Sectoral emissions targets for transport and agriculture will be the subject of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action. The Joint Committee on Tourism, Sports, Art, Culture, and Media will launch its report on the abuse of referees in sport. Wednesday On Wednesday, the Taoiseach will join EU leaders in meeting Nato leaders in Madrid. Expect questions about Irish neutrality to be high on the agenda when Martin appears before the Irish media. At home, Labour will bring its Autism Bill to the chamber at 10am before Leaders' Questions at midday. With three weeks left of the Dail term, the Government will look to get through seven pieces of business. There are bills on EirGrid, regulation of builders, assisted decision making, and judicial appointments, as well as the renewal of the legislation underpinning the Special Criminal Court. Thursday Frances president has said Russia cannot and should not win in Ukraine, voicing the Wests continued support for Kyiv following Moscows horrific missile attack on a shopping centre. Ukrainian leaders denounced the strike, which killed 18 people in the central city of Kremenchuk, as a war crime and a terrorist attack. The attack drew swift condemnation from the Group of Seven (G7) leaders meeting in Germany at the time. It came as an unusually intense barrage of Russian fire all across Ukraine, including in the capital of Kyiv, drew new attention to a war that some fear could fade from the headlines as it drags on. Speaking at the end of the G7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to address that concern, vowing that the seven leading industrialised democracies would support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity. Russia cannot and should not win, he said. He added that Mondays attack on the shopping centre was a new war crime. As they have in other attacks, Russian authorities claimed that the shopping centre was not the target. Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the U.S. along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraines defense. President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2022 How to counter Russia and back Ukraine will be the focus of a summit this week of the western Nato alliance, whose support has been critical to Kyivs ability to fend off Moscows larger and better equipped forces. Ukrainian leaders, however, say they need more and better weapons if they are to continue to hold off and even drive back Russia, which is pressing an all-out assault in Ukraines eastern region of the Donbas. As Mr Macron spoke, rescuers combed through the charred rubble of the shopping centre that authorities said was struck with more than 1,000 afternoon shoppers and workers inside. The attack was branded a war crime by Mr Macron and Ukrainian officials (AP) Many of those inside quickly fled the building when an air raid siren sounded and took shelter across the street, Ukrainian interior minister Denis Monastyrsky said. Several of the bodies of those who did not make it out in time are burned beyond recognition and their identification could take days, he said. In addition to the 18 killed, authorities said 59 were wounded. Another 21 people are still missing, Mr Monastyrsky said. The attack recalled strikes earlier in the war that hit a theatre, a train station, and a hospital. A police officer inspects a fragment of a Russian rocket stuck in a tree trunk about 300 metres from the epicentre of the Russian rocket attack (AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history, while the G7 leaders said indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. At Ukraines request, the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting in New York on Tuesday to discuss the attack. As condemnation of the strike came in from many quarters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov struck a defiant note, saying Russia would press its offensive until it fulfils its goals. He said the hostilities could stop before the end of the day if Ukraine were to surrender and meet Russias demands, including recognising its control over territory it has taken by force. Standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Tackling energy prices spikes. Protecting the world from a food crisis. Investing in quality infrastructure. Democracies deliver. Even more so when they are united. This is what the @g7 stands for. pic.twitter.com/tTjLp94WIO Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 28, 2022 Russian defence ministry spokesman Lt Gen Igor Konashenkov claimed that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian officials have contradicted that, saying the shopping centre was hit directly. Lt Gen Konashenkov said the depot was near a factory for road construction equipment. Mykola Danileiko, a spokesman for that factory, confirmed that it was hit along with the mall, but insisted that there were no weapons there. Many of the victims were said to have been burned beyond recognition (AP) Wayne Jordash, a British lawyer who is working with Ukrainian officials to investigate possible war crimes, meanwhile, said that initial indications were that there were no military targets nearby, but the investigation is ongoing. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Russian forces struck the Black Sea city of Ochakiv, damaging apartment buildings and killing two, including a six-year-old child. A further six people, four of them children, were wounded. One of them, a three-month-old baby, is in a coma, according to local officials. The unusually intense spate of fire in recent days came as the G7 leaders gathered in Europe. They pledged continued support for Ukraine and the worlds major economies prepared new sanctions against Russia, including a price cap on oil and higher tariffs on goods. At least 18 people were killed (AP) Mr Zelensky has called for more air defence systems from his Western allies to help his forces fight back. The US appeared ready to respond to that call, and Natos support for Ukraine will be a major focus of its summit as the alliance turns its attention once again to confronting an adversarial Russia. In a sinister warning as Nato leaders gathered in Madrid ahead of that summit, Russias state space corporation Roscosmos published satellite images and the precise coordinates of the conference hall where the meeting will be held. It also posted the images and coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin referring to them as decision-making centres supporting the Ukrainian nationalists in a message on the Telegram app. That wording echoes Russian President Vladimir Putins earlier warnings that he could target such centres in response to what he has called aggressive Western actions. Burma ASEAN Special Envoy on Second Visit to Myanmar; No Meeting With Suu Kyi Prak Sokhonn, ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar and Cambodia's foreign minister, speaks during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat press conference in Phnom Penh on February 17, 2022. / AFP PHNOM PENHThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Special Envoy on Myanmar will start his second tour to the country on Wednesday, following up on the blocs peace plan and humanitarian assistance for the country that has been in social, political and economic turmoil since last years coup. Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the trip to Myanmar aimed to contribute to building an environment conducive to an inclusive political dialogue through the meetings with all parties concerned. Following last years military takeover, Myanmar has seen nationwide popular armed resistance to the junta. The military regime has killed at least 2,000 civilians so far for their anti-coup activism. The five-day visit by ASEAN envoy Prak Sokhonn comes just a day after his call to Myanmars regime to return the countrys detained democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from solitary confinement in prison to the location in the capital Naypyitaw where she was originally detained. Prak Sokhonn was appointed as the ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar earlier this year to mediate between all parties concerned as required by the blocs peace plan for Myanmar, known as the Five-Point Consensus. After the regimes brutal post-coup crackdowns on protesters, ASEAN last year adopted a five-point peace plan for Myanmar, including an immediate cessation of the juntas violence against its own people. However, the plan has largely been criticized as a failure, as the junta has continued to commit extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and the torching of civilian properties as it tries to crush armed resistance across the country. At the same time, ASEANs plan to provide humanitarian assistance to the country has been denounced by rights groups for allowing the junta to distribute the aid, amid fears that the military regime will use the relief supplies for its own benefit. Given the regimes ongoing atrocities, the envoys second trip to Myanmar seems unlikely to result in any breakthroughs. His first visit to the country in early May produced no tangible results after Prak Sokhonn met only with junta officials. Like last time, he will not be allowed to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. In May, Cambodias prime minister Hun Sen, the current ASEAN chair, urged the Myanmar regime leader to let ASEANs envoy meet with Suu Kyi and detained President U Win Myint to create a conducive environment to start an inclusive political dialogue. However, regime chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing responded that he would only facilitate meetings with other parties concerned, meaning that the envoy will not meet with Suu Kyi or U Win Myint during his visit. You may also like these stories: Regime Airstrike Destroys Hospital in Lower Myanmar Junta Chief to Preside Over Myanmars First Grand Military Review in Seven Years Resistance Fighters and KIA Clash With Junta Forces in Northern Myanmar Burma Karen Groups Battle Myanmar Military for Control of Key Outpost Local residents displaced by the fighting in Waw Lay / CJ Fierce clashes continued Tuesday between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmar military following the Karen ethnic armed groups attack on a military outpost in Waw Lay in Karen States Myawaddy Township on Sunday, sources told The Irrawaddy. The KNUs armed wings, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO), and other resistance groups launched the assault on the Ukayit Hta outpost on Sunday. Both sides have reportedly suffered casualties. Sources familiar with the fighting in the area said the battle for Ukayit Hta is the fiercest they have seen between ethnic and regime troops since last year. Artillery shells land every three seconds, he said on Tuesday. A resident told The Irrawaddy on Monday: [The Myanmar military] has bombed [the area] around 11 times from the air today. The fighting is fierce and is still going on. Residents from neighboring villages have been fleeing their homes since yesterday. A source close to the Karen armed groups said the regime sent in reinforcements on Monday and was also providing artillery support. The regime was conducting aerial attacks with Yak-130 jet trainers and light combat aircraft from its Hmawbi Airbase in Yangon, he said. So far there has been no airstrike today, he said, describing the situation on Tuesday morning. The outpost is located at the Falu-Waw Lay-Sukali intersection and is of strategic importance. Video files of local residents fleeing the fighting have spread on social media since Sunday. Neither side has yet released casualty figures. But a KNDO fighter was confirmed killed in action on Sunday. The fighter was identified as Corporal Wai Lin Aung, who defected from the regime in August last year, taking two firearms with him. He fought alongside KNDO fighters in attacks on the Maw Khee junta outpost and Waw Lay Police Station. Defense Minister of the parallel National Union Government U Yee Mon issued a certificate of honor for the former corporal. The KNLA, the KNDO and allied resistance forces captured a military camp in Maw Khee in the KNLAs Brigade 6 territory, known as Dooplaya District, on March 22. The KNLA and allied resistance forces also seized Thay Baw Boe camp on May 18. Earlier this month, the KNDO and allied resistance forces also seized Waw Lay Police Station, where junta troops are based. Five junta soldiers were captured, and nine resistance fighters detained there were rescued. Burma Myanmar Junta Tortures Sagaing Anti-Regime Activists Mother to Force Surrender A Wetlet protest. Wetlet Basic Education Students Union Myanmars regime has detained a protesters mother in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, and demanded that the activist hand herself in. Daw Htwe Htwe Thein, the mother of Ma Thoon Nant Thar, an executive member of the Wetlet Basic Education Students Union, was detained on Friday at her house. A police commander called Ko Han Min Soe, the students union president, and said he must surrender along with vice-president Ko Nanda and Ma Thoon Nant Thar by Tuesday. The police officer called him three times this week and Daw Htwe Htwe Thein was tortured on Monday during the phone call, Ko Han Min Soe told The Irrawaddy. They beat hit her nearly six times. They said they will kill her if we will not surrender, he said. The student union organizes frequent anti-regime protests for students and residents in the resistance stronghold of Wetlet. The students union lost contact with Ma Thoon Nant Thar three days ago. Troops raided her home in February and May. Ko Han Min Soe said: Seizing relatives will not stop the revolution. We will continue the revolution without betraying the people. Some members of the Wetlet General Strike Committee have been detained but the student leaders remain out of custody. A strike committee spokeswoman said: The student protesters are being targeted. Thats why they took their parents hostage and told them to surrender. We will never surrender. We will continue to do what we have to do for the revolution. Burma Resistance Mine Attacks on Myanmar Junta Convoys Kill Almost 40 Soldiers A mine exploding as resistance fighters ambush a junta convoy in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region in May. Photo- Black Eagle Defense Force-Myinmu Almost 40 Myanmar junta troops were reportedly killed on Monday when Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) staged multiple ambushes on regime convoys in three townships in Sagaing and Mandalay regions. Around 30 regime troops were reportedly killed on Monday morning when Tamu-PDF used mines to attack junta soldiers escorting a convoy of eight vehicles traveling between Yan Linn Phine and Wi Toke villages on the Tamu-Kale highway in Sagaing Regions Tamu Township. The convoy was returning from Tamu to Kale Township. Tamu-PDF battalion 3s spokesperson told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that three vehicles were damaged in the ambush and that regime forces opened fire randomly after the attack as they stopped briefly in Wi Toke Village. On June 23, the same convoy but with more than 12 vehicles was also attacked with mines by Tamu PDFs near Yan Linn Phine Village on the Tamu-Kale highway while it was heading to Tamu. Following the ambush, regime troops killed three villagers detained in nearby villages. Also on Monday morning, a junta convoy of three military vehicles escorting a civilian vehicle believed to have been carrying a senior regime official, was repeatedly ambushed with mines on the Sagaing-Monwya highway in Sagaings Myinmu Township, said local PDFs. PDFs used six mines to ambush the convoy at 9.45am as it traveled between Myinmu Town and Wan Pyae Village, said Myinmu Civil Revolution Force (MCRF), one of the PDFs that took part in the ambush. Just minutes later, at 9.53am, the convoy was ambushed again with six mines as it moved along the Sagaing-Monywa highway. The convoy was travelling from Sagaing to the northwestern military command headquarters in Monywa, according to local PDFs. At least six junta personnel, including officials, were injured in the attacks, while at least three vehicles were damaged by the blasts, said MCRF. However, The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm the military casualties independently. Later on Monday, at 5:45pm, the convoy was ambushed with mines for a third time as it traveled between Myinmu Town and Htee Saung Village on the return trip from Monywa to Sagaing, according to Knight Commander (KC), the resistance force that staged the attack. A PDF video shows the convoy moving at high speed after the mines went off, while the sound of gunfire can also be heard. Ko Bal Than Gyi, the leader of KC, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that they managed to ambush the convoy as it traveled the Sagaing-Monywa highway. Two vehicles, including the one believed to be carrying a senior junta official, were damaged in the attack, said KC. There were three military casualties from the attack and the convoy went directly to the hospital in Sagaing following the ambush. We will never give up our revolution. We will continue our missions against regime forces until we gain victory, said Ko Bal Than Gyi. Zero Guerilla Force claimed to have killed three military regime troops and injured nine others on Monday when a drone dropped a bomb on junta forces inspecting vehicles and civilians at the entrance to Myinmu Town. Video shows the military checkpoint being targeted with a bomb dropped by the PDFs drone. Another attack on Monday morning saw an eight-vehicle junta convoy ambushed with mines on the Pyin Oo Lwin-Mandalay highway in Mandalay Region. Dragon Rangers Mandalay, an urban guerilla group, claimed responsibility for the attack and said three soldiers died and three vehicles were damaged. Junta forces continue to face daily attacks nationwide from PDFs and ethnic armed organizations. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Continue in Kayah State Hell Hounds Are Loose in Myanmar; Who Can Stop Them? Myanmars Min Aung Hlaing, Russias Putin and Their Ilk Must Not Prevail COMPANY NEWS: Motorola Solutions has extended Kansai International Airports communication reach, becoming the fifth major airport in Japan to deploy mission-critical communications based on the Tetra standard. Motorola with its partner, Nippon Airport Radio Services, deployed the communication system to Kansai following integrations in Narita, Naha, Haneda, and Chubu international airports from 2016 to 2019. The communications system connects critical functions across the five airports including security, operations and baggage handling. The five airports have also deployed more than 9,000 of Motorola Solutions ST7000, MTP6550 and MTM5200 two-way radios to support communications for the Civil Aviation Bureaus air traffic control, runway management, airport security, ground staff, bus transit services and commercial airlines. The deployment is seen vital as Japans tourism and aviation sectors are starting to recover from the pandemic and reopening borders to international tour groups this month. The five airports experience high levels of passenger traffic and the largest inflows of Japans international cargo. Before the pandemic, almost 200 million domestic and international travellers transited through the airports annually, Kansai says. Nippon Airport Radio Services president and CEO Yoshikazu Takahashi said the performance of Tetra communications network and two-way radios had far exceeded expectations. Behind the scenes of any airport operation is a carefully coordinated set of activities to manage passenger flows, support on-time performance and maintain security, safety and customer satisfaction, Takahashi said. Motorola Solutions advanced Tetra technology has helped our airports to coordinate complex operations every day as well as proving its resilience to typhoons, snow storms and other disasters on many occasions, he said. Motorola Solutions vice president for Asia Pacific Steve Crutchfield said the mission-critical communications system would meet the operational needs of Japans airports today and well into the future. With mission critical communication based on the Tetra standard, organisations can deliver and scale their services to meet increasing demands while upholding the highest levels of safety, security and productivity, Crutchfield said. This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 27 June 2022. 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. Johnson City, TN (37604) Today Mostly sunny skies during the morning hours followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A few clouds from time to time. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Today Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Tomorrow Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds light and variable. A German court on Tuesday handed a five-year jail sentence to a 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard, the oldest person so far to go on trial for complicity in war crimes during the Holocaust. Josef Schuetz was found guilty of being an accessory to murder in at least 3,500 cases while working as a prison guard at the Sachsenhausen camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, between 1942 and 1945. The pensioner, who now lives in Brandenburg state, had pleaded innocent, saying he did "absolutely nothing" and had not even worked at the camp. "I don't know why I am here," he said at the close of his trial on Monday. But presiding judge Udo Lechtermann said he was convinced Schuetz had worked at the camp and "supported" the atrocities committed there. "You watched prisoners being tortured and killed before your eyes," Lechtermann said. "Anyone who tried to escape from the camp was shot. So every guard was actively involved in these murders." More than 200,000 people, including Jews, Roma, regime opponents and gay people, were detained at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died from forced labour, murder, medical experiments, hunger or disease before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops, according to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. - Contradictory statements - Schuetz, who was 21 when he began working at the camp, remained emotionless as the court announced his sentence. "I am ready," he had said when he entered the courtroom earlier in a wheelchair, dressed in a grey shirt and striped trousers. Schuetz remained at liberty during the trial, which began in 2021 but was postponed several times because of his health, and is highly unlikely to be put behind bars given his age. His lawyer, Stefan Waterkamp, told AFP he would appeal -- meaning the sentence will not be enforced until 2023 at the earliest. During the trial, Schuetz had made several inconsistent statements about his past, complaining that his head was getting "mixed up". At one point, the centenarian said he had worked as an agricultural labourer in Germany for most of World War II, a claim contradicted by several historical documents bearing his name, date and place of birth. After the war, Schuetz was transferred to a prison camp in Russia before returning to Germany, where he worked as a farmer and a locksmith. - 'Moral responsibility' - More than seven decades after World War II, German prosecutors are racing to bring the last surviving Nazi perpetrators to justice. The 2011 conviction of former guard John Demjanjuk, on the basis that he served as part of Hitler's killing machine, set a legal precedent and paved the way for several of these twilight justice cases. Since then, courts have handed down several guilty verdicts on those grounds rather than for murders or atrocities directly linked to the individual accused. Among those brought to late justice were Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at Auschwitz. Both were convicted at the age of 94 of complicity in mass murder but died before they could be imprisoned. A former SS guard, Bruno Dey, was found guilty at the age of 93 in 2020 and was given a two-year suspended sentence. Separately, in the northern German town of Itzehoe, a 96-year-old former secretary in a Nazi death camp is on trial for complicity in murder. She dramatically fled before the start of her trial but was caught several hours later. While some have questioned the wisdom of chasing convictions related to Nazi crimes so long after the events, Guillaume Mouralis, a research professor at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), said such trials send an important signal. "It is a question of reaffirming the political and moral responsibility of individuals in an authoritarian context (and in a criminal regime) at a time when the neo-fascist far right is strengthening everywhere in Europe," he told AFP. A German court on Tuesday handed a five-year jail sentence to a 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard, the oldest person so far to go on trial for complicity in war crimes during the Holocaust. Josef Schuetz was found guilty of being an accessory to murder in at least 3,500 cases while working as a prison guard at the Sachsenhausen camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, between 1942 and 1945. He is highly unlikely to be put behind bars given his age. The pensioner, who now lives in Brandenburg state, had pleaded innocent, saying he did "absolutely nothing" and had not even worked at the camp. "I don't know why I am here," he said at the close of his trial on Monday. But presiding judge Udo Lechtermann said he was convinced Schuetz had worked at Sachsenhausen and had "supported" the atrocities committed there. "For three years, you watched prisoners being tortured and killed before your eyes," Lechtermann said. "Due to your position on the watchtower of the concentration camp, you constantly had the smoke of the crematorium in your nose," he said. "Anyone who tried to escape from the camp was shot. So every guard was actively involved in these murders." More than 200,000 people, including Jews, Roma, regime opponents and gay people, were detained at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died from forced labour, murder, medical experiments, hunger or disease before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops, according to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. - Contradictory statements - Schuetz, who was 21 when he began working at the camp, remained blank-faced as the court announced his sentence. "I am ready," he said when he entered the courtroom earlier in a wheelchair, dressed in a grey shirt and striped trousers. Schuetz was not detained during the trial, which began in 2021 but was postponed several times because of his health. His lawyer, Stefan Waterkamp, told AFP he would appeal -- meaning the sentence will not be enforced until 2023 at the earliest. Thomas Walther, the lawyer who represented 11 of the 16 civil parties in the trial, said the sentencing had met their expectations and "justice has been served". But Antoine Grumbach, 80, whose father died in Sachsenhausen, said he could "never forgive" Schuetz as "any human being facing atrocities has a duty to oppose them". During the trial, Schuetz had made several inconsistent statements about his past, complaining that his head was getting "mixed up". At one point, the centenarian said he had worked as an agricultural labourer in Germany for most of World War II, a claim contradicted by several historical documents bearing his name, date and place of birth. - 'Warning to perpetrators' - After the war, Schuetz was transferred to a prison camp in Russia before returning to Germany, where he worked as a farmer and a locksmith. More than seven decades after World War II, German prosecutors are racing to bring the last surviving Nazi perpetrators to justice. The 2011 conviction of former guard John Demjanjuk, on the basis that he served as part of Hitler's killing machine, set a legal precedent and paved the way for several of these justice cases. Since then, courts have handed down several guilty verdicts on those grounds rather than for murders or atrocities directly linked to the individual accused. Among those brought to late justice were Oskar Groening, an accountant at Auschwitz, and Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard at Auschwitz. Both were convicted at the age of 94 of complicity in mass murder but died before they could be imprisoned. However, Schuetz's five-year sentence is the longest so far handed to a defendant in such a case. Guillaume Mouralis, a research professor at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), told AFP the verdict was "a warning to the perpetrators of mass crimes: whatever their level of responsibility, there is still legal liability." Western allies vowed on Tuesday to boost NATO's defences and to back Ukraine to the end as Moscow demanded Kyiv's surrender. As NATO leaders gathered in Madrid for a summit, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland and Sweden would be formally invited to join NATO after Turkey lifted its block on their bids. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had stubbornly refused to approve their applications -- lodged in response to Russia's war on Ukraine -- despite calls from his NATO allies to clear their path to membership. But he abandoned his opposition following crunch talks on Tuesday with the leaders of the two Nordic countries in Madrid. Erdogan's office said late on Tuesday it had agreed to back their applications, saying Ankara had "got what it wanted". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the agreement between Finland, Sweden and Turkey, saying their membership would make the defence alliance "stronger and safer". Meanwhile, a senior US official said their membership would be a "powerful shot in the arm" for NATO unity. NATO's expansion came as Russian missiles continued to pound Ukrainian cities. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters arriving with President Joe Biden that Washington will announce "historic" new long-term military deployments in Europe. The reinforcements will join NATO's eastern flank, Russia's nervous neighbours like the Baltic states, and reflect a long-term change "in the strategic reality" elsewhere in Europe. Ahead of the summit, Stoltenberg said the allies would boost their high-readiness forces from 40,000 to 300,000. - New sanctions - Before travelling to Madrid, Biden and other leaders of the G7 powers -- the world's richest democracies -- had held a summit in the German Alps. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz boasted afterwards that his country, a laggard in defence spending, would build "the largest conventional army within the NATO framework in Europe". Russia's invasion, he said, had convinced Berlin "that we should spend more... an average of around 70 to 80 billion euros a year on defence over the next few years". NATO member Bulgaria announced it would expel 70 staff from Russia's diplomatic mission accused of working against its interests. At the G7 summit, the leaders agreed to impose new sanctions targeting Moscow's defence industry, raising tariffs and banning gold imports from the country. The US Treasury said the measures "strike at the heart of Russia's ability to develop and deploy weapons and technology used for Vladimir Putin's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine," The new set of sanctions target Rostec, Russia's largest defence conglomerate, as well as military units and officers implicated in human rights abuses in Ukraine, the Treasury said. Putin's Kremlin was not fazed by the sanctions, warning that Ukraine's forces' only option was to lay down their arms. "The Ukrainian side can stop everything before the end of today," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "An order for the nationalist units to lay down their arms is necessary," he said, adding Kyiv had to fulfil a list of Moscow's demands. - 'Everything burned' - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the United Nations to visit the site of a missile strike on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk, as he addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday. "I suggest the United Nations send either a special representative, or the secretary-general of the United Nations, or a plenipotentiary commission to the site of this terrorist act... so the UN could independently find out information and see that this indeed was a Russian missile strike," Zelensky said of the attack on Monday that killed at least 18 people. "Everything burned, really everything, like a spark to a touchpaper. I heard people screaming. It was horror," witness Polina Puchintseva told AFP. All that was left of the mall was charred debris, chunks of blackened walls and lettering from a smashed store front. Russia claims its missile salvo was aimed at an arms depot -- but none of the civilians who talked to AFP knew of any weapons store in the neighbourhood. And, outside Russia, the latest carnage sparked only Ukrainian fury and western solidarity. "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime," the G7 leaders said in a statement, condemning the "abominable attack". Zelensky declared on his social media channels: "Only total insane terrorists, who should have no place on Earth, can strike missiles at civilian objects. "Russia must be recognised as a state sponsor of terrorism. The world can and therefore must stop Russian terror," he added. The G7 leaders did not go so far as to brand Putin a terrorist -- but they vowed that Russia, already under tough sanctions, would face more economic pain. "The G7 stands united in its support for Ukraine," Scholz told reporters. "We will continue to keep up and drive up the economic and political costs of this war for President Putin and his regime." - Oil price cap? - The G7 had announced several new measures to put the squeeze on Putin, including a plan to work towards a price cap on Russian oil. The group also agreed to impose an import ban on Russian gold. At the same time, the G7 powers heaped financial support on Ukraine, with aid now reaching $29.5 billion. Meanwhile, with fierce artillery duels continuing in the eastern Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said the central city of Dnipro and several other sites had been hit by more Russian missiles. Pro-Moscow forces detained Igor Kolykhayev, the elected mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. Russian media said the "nationalist" was an opponent of Moscow's supposed efforts to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, but Kolykhayev's aides said he had been "kidnapped" by the city's illegitimate occupiers. The UN said 6.2 million people are now estimated to have been displaced within Ukraine, in addition to 5.26 million who have fled abroad. "Ukraine now faces a brutality which we haven't seen in Europe since the Second World War," Stoltenberg said as leaders began to gather in Madrid. burs/spm/raz A photo taken on June 23, 2022 shows Ziyang street in the ancient city of Taizhou, Linhai, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Xinhua] Tens of thousands of people crowded a culture and tourism area close to the Yangtze River in Wuhu, Anhui province, for an outdoor concert on Saturday night. After the concert ended at around 9:30 pm, the night seemed to have just begun in Wuhu Old Town Block. "After the free concert, many in the audience went to nearby restaurants and bars to continue enjoying the cheerful night," said Cheng Pei, executive for activity planning at Huangshan Culture and Tourism, the company that runs the block. Since late May or early June, with the easing of epidemic prevention and control measures, many local restaurants have extended their opening hours to 2 am. In the neighboring city of Xuancheng, local authorities are considering holding similar activities regularly over the next three months. After an inspection visit to a downtown street on June 19, the city's Party chief and mayor led dozens of officials to a local barbecue restaurant for a casual dinner. Kong Xiaohong, Party chief of Xuancheng, has asked local officials to attach greater importance to consumption in order to help boost the economy. About 60 percent of Chinese consumption activities happen at night, while supermarket sales from 6 pm to 10 pm account for more than half of the day's revenue, according to the Chinese Cities' Night Economy Influence Report 2019 by Tencent. Such visits by top local officials to boost consumption have also happened in other cities across the country. The Party chief of Henan province's Xinzheng city and deputy Party chief of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's Guilin city, led local officials to restaurants for dinner on the nights of June 7 and June 15. Xuancheng statistics bureau's data show sales revenue for the local catering sector declined by 10 percent in the first four months from the same period last year. "Since May, the sector has been recovering steadily, though the latest performance still fell behind the same period before 2020," said Shang Jianping, an official from the Xuancheng's bureau of commerce. Bai Ming, an expert with the Ministry of Commerce, said officials' public support for the night economy showed that the fight against COVID-19 had been successful, so residents will consume more, according to a recent report by China News Service. "Their visits would push related departments and officials to think about new measures to boost the sector," Shang said. His bureau organized a meeting on Friday that included local government departments and business owners, to prepare multiple support policies for the night economy. For example, the local authorities are relaxing parking restrictions to make it easier for consumers to park. As long as they do not affect traffic and safety, more street vendors would also be permitted, said Shang. In late May, Shandong province required local tourism spots to offer no less than a 50 percent discount for entry tickets on workdays, support local catering shops during extended hours and provide more temporary streetside parking spaces. The "Counters" are back! "Uncanny Counter" team confirmed that Kim Sejeong, Jo Byung Gyu, Yu Jun Sang, and Yum Hye Ran will reunite in the much-awaited second installment of the action-fantasy drama! Keep on reading for all the details. 'Uncanny Counter' Season 2: Original Counters To Return Good news to "Uncanny Counter" fans! Sports Donga confirmed on June 27 that the original cast of OCN's record-breaking drama, which stars Yoo Jun Sang, Jo Byung Gyu, Kim Sejeong, and Yum Hye Ran are all returning for the series' upcoming sequel! In January 2021, the high-rated action series has recently been speeding up preparations for its much-awaited Season 2. The production was also hopeful that the original cast would participate again, which now is guaranteed. The crew also looked for new cast members to join the production. The drama was highly popular and was even evaluated as a new "Korean Hero Drama" during its run. In response, the production team, including director Yoo Sun Dong, decided to expand the drama into a new season just months after Season 1 concluded. Since the first season's finale, the series is being prepared based on the webtoon of the same name, which is serialized under the author's name Jang Yi. Kim Hieora Joins 'Uncanny Counter' Cast The "Uncanny Counter" team is devoted to casting new stars who will be significant to the story. Kim Hieora, who starred in the action-comedy series "Bad and Crazy," is confirmed as an additional cast member. She made her acting debut in a musical play in 2009 and had her first small-screen appearance through JTBC's "Beyond Evil" in 2021. Kim Hieora also made cameos in "Hospital Playlist" and "Forecasting Love and Weather." Furthermore, the production is willing to cast new actors and actresses to showcase fresh talents to captivate the viewers. 'Uncanny Counter' Season 2 Postpones Filming Meanwhile, the filming production was postponed until autumn due to Jo Byung Gyu and Kim Sejeong's busy drama schedules. The two were immediately booked for projects right after they starred in "Uncanny Counter" Season 1. Once the two stars finish their ongoing drama engagements, the production is expected to resume. After "Business Proposal," Kim Sejeong will return with another webtoon-based drama, "Today's Webtoon," which is set to premiere in July. Jo Byung Gyu is working on a new drama and film, both set to hit the screens this year. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: OCN Kdrama 'Uncanny Counter' Receives Grand Prize at 2021 Cable TV Broadcasting Awards + Update on Season 2 For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity update, follow and subscribe to KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. YORKVILLE Amazon Inc.s commitment to electric vehicles might make headlines on Wall Street, but the companys hub in Racine County is becoming where the rubber meets the road. Amazon has won approval from the Village of Yorkville to install almost 400 new electric-vehicle charging stations at its delivery center in the Grandview Business Park overlooking Interstate 94. This would be a significant change in EV charging infrastructure in the state. According to tracking from EV Adoption, as of September 2021, Wisconsin still had fewer than 900 total charging ports in the state and fewer than 15,500 electric vehicles. Plans submitted to the village indicate that Amazon could have its eye on a system ultimately capable of charging as many as 760 electric vehicles. Although the logistics giant is not saying much about its Yorkville plans, local officials are excited that Amazon Executive Chair Jeff Bezos and his team are bringing electric-vehicle technology to western Racine County. Its too soon to tell if its the wave of the future, Yorkville Village President Doug Nelson said, but it certainly seems to have its niche. Amazon spokeswoman Kate Scarpa said the company would not discuss its proposed Yorkville site for electric vehicles, including the question of how large a geographic area will be served. Amazon has several large distribution operations in Kenosha County and Racine County. Scarpa noted that Seattle-based Amazon has a struck a deal to put 100,000 electric-powered delivery vans into service by 2030 as part of the companys pledge to be free of carbon emissions by 2040. Some prototype electric vans already are being tested in select markets, although Scarpa would not say if that includes Wisconsin. Were working to electrify delivery stations across the country this year and over the next several years to help us support a zero-emissions fleet, she said in a statement. Amazon moved into Yorkvilles Grandview Business Park last year with a facility that local economic development officials estimated would bring in 50 delivery trucks a day and would dispatch 268 delivery vans. Located at 1925 W. Grandview Parkway immediately west of Interstate 94 and 15 miles north of the Illinois border, the hub is part of Amazons vast network of logistics and distribution services for online shopping and other ecommerce. The New York Times reported earlier this year that Bezos, one of the worlds richest people, is intent on building the worlds largest electric-vehicle fleet and charging network. Amazon last year posted $33 billion in profit on sales of $469 billion, up from $21 billion in profit and sales of $386 billion the previous year. Mario Denoto, president of the Greater Union Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, said he welcomes Amazons electric vehicle plan as a positive sign of business growth. Denoto questioned how much electrical power it would take to charge 400 vehicles at a time. But he added: If they think electrical vehicles will work for them, Im all for it. Lets go. Business is what makes the world go around. The proposal calls for precisely 399 charging stations, and the application seeking approval from Yorkville officials indicates that the charging stations and related equipment could be installed within 90 days. The charging stations will not be open to the public or available for public use, Amazon representatives wrote. The purpose of this installation is to supply electricity to charge Amazon fleet vehicles in their designated parking lots, the proposal states. Hours of operation will be determined by Amazons operating schedule. Designed by engineers at Kansas City-based Black & Veatch Corp., the plans describe a total of 399 charging stations, while also showing 630 as a future target and 760 for a total site. Black & Veatch officials declined to comment. The Yorkville Village Board approved the proposal June 13 with little debate. Nelson said he believes electric-powered delivery vehicles were part of Amazons plan when the company moved into the Grandview Business Park last year. He called the proposal straightforward and said he welcomes seeing Amazons innovation in western Racine County. It makes sense, he added. If they think its more efficient and can make them money, I think its a smart move. Correction: This story initially misstated the distance from Grandview Business Park to the Illinois border. It has now been corrected. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BRISTOL Russell Road and Highway EZ, which form an intersection at the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, could look a little different in the next few years, according to an intergovernmental agreement between Lake County and Kenosha County. Ray Arbet, the countys out-going public works director, said Lake County officials approached Kenosha County about a year ago regarding the proposal, which was discussed before the countys Public Works and Facilities committee, which met at the Pringle Nature Center in Bristol Monday night. The intersection proposed construction is expected to include a roundabout, along with infrastructure for stormwater management, could start as early as 2024, according to an intergovernmental agreement. In Wisconsin, a portion of the roundabout would be located on the county highway in Pleasant Prairie. The agreement, approved unanimously by the committee, also establishes in writing the maintenance responsibilities for each county, something the two municipalities traditionally shared over the years. This concept is basically them rebuilding and re-configuring the intersection of County Trunk Highway EZ and Russell Road, Arbet said. Theyre going to construct the roundabout, theyre going to do the design, construction, the acquiring all the right-of-way and temporary limited easements on the Illinois side. Our contribution to the project is limited to the right-of-way acquisition to about .3 acres those temporary limited easements they need for construction of it and thats pretty much it, said Arbet who announced earlier that he would be retiring on Friday. Theyre going to be taking care of everything else. According to the agreement, there had previously been no document spelling out jurisdictional maintenance responsibilities. Rather, the two counties have split the maintenance for its shared sections at the state line in what Arbet likened to a gentlemans or handshake type of agreement. Under the formal intergovernmental agreement, Lake Countys Division of Transportation would maintain Russell Road (Lake County Highway 19) and Lewis Avenue south of Russell Road (Lake County Highway 27). Kenosha Countys Division of Highways would maintain and have jurisdiction over 39th Avenue north of Russell Road (Kenosha County Highway EZ). In addition to the roundabout and storm sewer, the project would include street lighting, landscaping, signage and a multi-use path. The counties also agreed to maintain the rights of ways necessary for the improvements which include 128th Street/Stateline Road just west of Highway 45 to Highway 41 and Russell Road from Highway 41 to Illinois Route 137 (Sheridan Road) on their respective sides of the state line. In the IGA, the approval would establish our commitment to the project. It outlines their commitment to the project, as well as, memorializes the maintenance allocation of things going forward, he said. Supervisor Aaron Karow wondered about the countys financial commitments to the project. According to Arbet, the Kenosha Countys portion of the project has yet to be funded but it is expected to occur next year. According to the agreement the project is expected to begin as early as 2024 contingent on transportation funding awarded in Lake County. The agreement is still subject to approval by both the Lake County and Kenosha County boards. The Kenosha County Board is expected to vote on the agreement next month. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Kenosha County sheriffs sergeant has been recommended to serve as the countys director of emergency management. Sgt. Christopher Hannahs recommendation for the position was announced Monday in a joint statement by County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Sheriff David Beth. Under executive order, Hannah will serve as the acting director of the office pending appointment by the County Board, according to the release. Under an executive order signed Monday, Hannah is serving as acting director until his appointment is approved by the County Board. Hannah succeeds Horace Staples, previously a lieutenant who was recently promoted to captain in charge of the countys detentions operations. Previously, Hannah served as training sergeant and deputy director of emergency management. Emergency management plays a vital role in our county, particularly during times of crisis and great need, Kerkman said. With his experience, skill set and knowledge of the community, I am confident in Sgt. Hannahs ability to serve adeptly in this role. A Kenosha native, Hannah earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before beginning his law enforcement career with the Village of Oregon Police Department in 1999. He joined the Kenosha County Sheriffs Department as a deputy in 2005, working all three shifts on patrol. Hannah became the traffic court officer for the department in 2014, remaining in that position until his promotion to sergeant in May 2017. He has served in numerous roles in the Operations and Administrative Services divisions as a sergeant, including first- and third-shift patrol sergeant, sergeant of Support Services, sergeant of media/community relations and sergeant of training. The director of emergency management is responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing all emergency management and Homeland Security-related activities for the county. I am grateful for this new opportunity and look forward to continuing the valuable relationships the Kenosha County Sheriffs Division of Emergency Management has with all its partners, Hannah said. More information about Kenosha County Emergency Management visit https://www.kenoshacounty.org/511/Emergency-Management. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 74 Shares Share KevinMD contributors, virtually without exception, have asserted the solution to events like the horrific tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, is gun control. Allow me to present an alternative viewpoint in the interest of diversity of opinion. First of all, I favor reasonable gun restriction laws. But sadly, I dont think that will solve the problem. Look at the city of Chicago. It has one of the strictest laws on gun control in the country. And it has one of the highest rates of gun murder. The sad fact is that there are evil and crazed monsters who, if they desire to kill, will not cease their rampages by a law commanding them not to purchase a gun. (And even though the Uvalde, Texas murderer had posted his intention to kill on Facebook, to blame this tragedy on social media and Mark Zuckerberg is not helpful either.) However, we can do one crucial thing to stop violent crime: Stop freeing violent criminals with little or no punishment. We can end the no bail policies or slap on the wrist sentencing by judges and DAs. The father of 21-year-old murdered college student Saiko Koma is one man who laments these legal policies. Steven Mendez gunned down his daughter in October of 2021 in New York City. Mendez had pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 2020, only one year earlier. In addition, he had a host of other criminal charges against him at the time, including pulling a gun on his mother. Mendez was out on probation at the time. Would stricter gun control laws in New York City (which already have some of the strictest laws in the country) have kept Steven Mendez from killing this innocent young woman? Doubtful. Would keeping him in jail for a reasonably judicious period of time, instead of granting parole for his crimes, have saved Saiko Komas life? Absolutely. I would hope that many of us would resonate with Mr. Komas words when he lamented, What is wrong with these judges! Twenty-year career criminal Eugene Clark, who had previous convictions for robbery, gang assault, and other crimes, beat to death and then robbed 67-year-old Ramon Luna. Clark was on parole at the time. For these new crimes, a grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder and two counts of robbery. The judge, however, released Clark on his own recognizance after making him promise to show up for his court date in 4 months. In the meantime, Mr. Clark would be free to roam the streets. Yet sometimes, it is not the judges fault; it is the fault of some lawmakers, who espouse critical legal theory, a theory that proclaims criminal law is merely a construct of white privilege. That is the case in New York, for example, where lawmakers have passed the no bail statute, legislating the numerous crimes that are not worthy of bail under this new legal theory. This law was great news to someone like 32 years old Ricardo Hernandez, who already had over a dozen prior arrests to his credit. On April 17, 2021, Rodriquez shoved an Asian police officer on the New York City subway tracks. Rodriquez was arrested and charged with a hate crime. Then immediately after his arraignment, he was released without bail. Even the judge felt remorse. My hands are tied, said the judge. The law does not allow me to set any bail for this type of offense. Final case: Waukesha, Wisconsin,11/21/21. Darryl Brooks, a registered sex offender with a twenty-year career criminal record and who, in his many posts on social media, had expressed hatred for whites and praised Hitler for murdering Jews, deliberately drove his SUV into a crowd of Christmas holiday gathers, killing six, and maiming dozens of others. He had five open arrest warrants at the time. Amazingly, he was freed on one thousand dollars bail after using the same SUV nineteen days earlier to run over the mother of his child. While new restrictions on gun ownership are not unreasonable, if we want to keep Americans safe, lets stop letting violent criminals like Darryl Brooks, Eugene Clark, Steven Mendez, and Ricardo Hernandez back on our streets. And these are not isolated cases; there are thousands like them all across America. The answer is not gun control. It is violent criminal control. Scott Abramson is a neurologist who blogs at Doctor Wisdom. Image credit: Shutterstock.com For many health care professionals, the stresses of their roles routinely take a heavy toll on their mental and physical well-being. It did for me. The pandemic and the unprecedented loss of life were more overwhelming than any of us could have imagined, and for some, it simply pushed them over the edge. But, even before the pandemic, our peers have been suffering from depression, anxiety, and exhaustion and needed resources to help them better cope and manage their well-being. For me, I learned the path to a healthier, more balanced, and purposeful life. I took up ultra-running, which has helped me enormously. I also developed strategies and tactics that I can rely on to keep me on an even keel, even when things get extra challenging. My journey is what inspired me to write a book and share what I have learned with others. The resources which will now be made available as a result of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act are vital to supporting more health care professionals. Many medical associations are applauding the new legislation. We as medical professionals should not hesitate to avail ourselves of any and all resources designed to help us improve our mental and physical well-being so we can continue to help and heal others. Anthony Avellino is a pediatric neurosurgeon and the author of Finding Purpose: A Neurosurgeons Journey of Hope and Healing. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, New legislation addresses health care professionals mental health needs. Did you enjoy todays episode? Rate and review the show so more audiences can find The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out. Click here to earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CME for this episode. Also available in Category 1 CME bundles. Powered by CMEfy a seamless way for busy clinician learners to discover Internet Point-of-Care Learning opportunities that reward AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). Learn more at about.cmefy.com/cme-info Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode with anyone who wants to hear health care stories filled with information, insight, and inspiration. Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. A new government scheme providing 10,000 free hot desk working days at remote hubs across Ireland has gone live. The Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme - aimed at both existing hub users and first-timers - was announced today (Tuesday June 28) by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. According to the minister, the scheme gives people an opportunity to try out remote working hubs for free. She said, "This Voucher Scheme will help more people to realise the benefits of remote working and will provide an opportunity to try before you buy. Whether you are fitting in some work while on holiday in Ireland or looking to relocate to rural Ireland, Connected Hubs has an option for you. The first phase will see three vouchers credited to the accounts of all registered ConnectedHubs.ie users, with each redeemable for a day's hot-desk working in participating hubs. The scheme will run from now until August 31 (phase one) and September to early 2023 (phase two). Minister Humphreys continued: "The census figures released last week show population growth in every county with some of the largest increases happening in rural counties like Longford and Leitrim. This bucks previous trends where we have seen some rural counties experience population decline. Our Connected Hubs National Voucher Scheme is now live. The scheme will provide at least 10,000 hot desk working days free of charge. Read more & claim your vouchers https://t.co/RvKisCpnwe#OurRuralFuture #ConnectedHubs https://t.co/zouuxWkgUB Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) June 28, 2022 "The fact is there are now more people living and working in rural Ireland than ever before. Through the implementation of Our Rural Future and the continued drive towards remote working, I want to ensure we continue these positive trends for the benefit of our rural communities. "The Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme will allow people to try out their local hub for free and I believe many will see it is a much better option for them than working from the kitchen table or facing a long commute. They may also decide that the hubs in our wonderful regional towns and villages would make the option of relocating, or moving home, a viable one." Anybody wishing to register for their free vouchers can do so online at www.connectedhubs.ie or via the ConnectedHubs mobile app. Members of the Defence Forces could be drafted in to help with security at Dublin Airport. They will undergo training to help alleviate some of the pressure on staff until the end of the summer if needed. The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Government has supported a request from the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan. The capitals airport, run by DAA, made international headlines in May after passenger queues stretched outside the terminals and more than 1,000 people missed their flights. Statement re. request from Government for Defence Forces to be on standby to assist DAA with security duties at Dublin Airport. Agreed on the basis of a clearly defined timeline & non passenger facing role. @defenceforces @IRLDeptDefence https://t.co/2LBx9WcXl5 Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) June 28, 2022 In a statement, Defence Minister Simon Coveney said: While I recognise that the role of the Defence Forces is not normally to assist in the provision of services for a commercial airport, I have agreed to this request on a clear assurance that this is a distinct piece of work, provided in extreme circumstances, as a short-term emergency-related contingency action and is in direct response to a letter from DAA management to the Minister for Transport. The request is clearly defined in terms of the role and timeline, lasting no more than six weeks, in non-public-facing duties. Over the last number of days, I consulted with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy on this request. Members of our Defence Forces will undergo an immediate period of training and stand ready to assist if the need arises. However, this support will be stood down in August when the busy holiday period has passed. The DAA have given assurances that they will continue with their own recruitment and onboarding of additional security staff and the introduction of other mitigations during this period. In a statement, a spokesman for DAA said that 93% of all passengers spent 45 minutes or less queuing at Dublin Airports security screening areas in the first three weeks of June. Some 77% of passengers queued for 30 minutes or less. Over the past weekend which was the busiest Dublin Airport has experienced since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic 91% of the 50,000 to 55,000 passengers that departed Dublin Airport each day cleared security screening in less than 45 minutes. While capacity reductions, which have been deployed at other UK and European airports, have been considered as a possible option, there is general agreement that this is undesirable, given that it would be very challenging to implement with airlines and it would have a material impact on the summer travel plans of a significant number of Irish passengers and families, most of whom have not enjoyed a foreign holiday in over two years. Hence, data outlined to Government that a prudent contingency at this juncture could be for the State authorities and DAA to take initial steps to facilitate the training of Defence Forces personnel at the airports vehicle control posts, should this ultimately be required. As a first phase, we outlined that the State could take preparatory steps in the immediate term to train and prepare Defence Forces personnel for such a deployment, in the event that significant Covid-19-related absences due to illness and infection affected DAAs own security team. Any deployment of Defence Forces personnel would only be triggered as a second phase, and only if ultimately required due to a Covid-19 outbreak. As recently as last weekend we have started to see the impact of the current rise in Covid-19 cases in the aviation sector, with 13 flights cancelled by one carrier last Sunday alone, citing an outbreak of Covid-19 amongst its staff as a key contributory factor. In a statement, Mr Ryan said: I would like to thank the Minister for Defence for his agreement to this request and I would like to thank the Defence Forces for their assistance in this matter. This is a contingency measure only and the deployment of the Defence Forces may not be necessary. I expect that the DAA will continue to manage through the summer period with passengers who heed the relevant advice making their flights and the majority of passengers passing through security in less than 45 minutes. As this is a contingency measure, the Defence Forces will only be deployed, if requested by the DAA, and in a scenario where there is a significant deterioration in passenger queuing times with a risk of large numbers of passengers missing their flights. The Minister for Justice is seeking to restrict children and young peoples access to porn websites as part of a landmark strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Helen McEntee said pornography websites have changed the way younger people view sexual relationships, adding it is something the Government must deal with. Ms McEntee said that while she cannot block every porn site, ministers will work with children and parents through an education and public information campaign to raise awareness of the harm of pornography. She said pornography and the sex trade fuel misogyny and violence against women and undermine gender equality. It is part of the 363 million euro strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which will include the doubling of the number of refuge spaces across the country, from 141 to 282. The five-year strategy is based on four pillars protection, prevention, prosecution and policy co-ordination and contains 144 actions. Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Ms McEntee said that while the Government can put the strategy in place, it needs every man and woman to play their part in achieving zero tolerance of domestic and gender-based violence. The Fine Gael minister said there is more work to be done to tackle young peoples access to porn sites. We have committed to establishing a working group, bringing together a number of different state actors, making sure that they have the right information and data, Ms McEntee added. But also bringing together the voice of the child and this is simply to acknowledge the fact that pornography has become more violent, it has become more degrading. It has changed the way that younger people view sexual relationships and its something that we need to deal with. I would love to say that we would just block every single site and not allow young people to access it, but that is simply not possible. Even putting in place a huge amount of measures to restrict a child or young persons access to certain websites, working with them, supporting parents to make sure that they understand what the children are looking at. The plan also includes the possibility of a domestic violence register. Ms McEntee has asked Garda Commissioner Drew Harris for gardai to look at how a register would work and how it would be used to protect potential victims. The plan will also increase the maximum sentence from five to 10 years for assault causing harm, one of the most common charges in cases of domestic violence. Department of Justice officials will engage with the judiciary to consider the creation of specially trained judges for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence cases. We will be bringing forward a bill that will initiate the process for family judges who are specifically trained and would work specifically in family court hubs, Ms McEntee said. This is expanding beyond that. So it is an area that we need to explore further and obviously the action in this commits to exploring that. Describing it as a landmark day, Ms McEntee called on the public to do more to tackle sexual and gender-based violence. As minister, the Taoiseach and all of my colleagues, we can develop policy, we can put in place new laws, we can put in place a new curriculum, we can work with each and every one of you, but I cant insert myself into the WhatsApp groups and call out the type of behaviours and cannot insert myself in every single night out where these type of incidents are happening, she added. We must achieve #ZeroTolerance of domestic, sexual, and gender based violence and the attitudes which underpin it. Working together, we must make Zero Tolerance a reality. pic.twitter.com/VCS243kXJu Fine Gael (@FineGael) June 28, 2022 I cant stop the individual, unfortunately most likely a man, from picking up the phone and calling for sexual services from a woman who has possibly been trafficked, or is most likely in a very abusive situation. We all have a role to play here in the delivery of policy and services and the direction that we can provide. But its each and every one of us, each individual, each man, each woman, making sure that we play our part and we play a role in making sure that we achieve that overall goal, that overall objective along that journey. That is absolutely zero tolerance of any kind of domestic sexual and gender-based violence. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said there is simply no place in society for misogyny. He also said the experience of each domestic and sexual violence victim is unique. Their circumstances are unique. Their experience is unique and the impact on them and on their life is unique, he added. Because of this, their needs are unique and we must be able to respond in a way that works for each individual. The strategy recognises this, its guiding mission is clear. Zero tolerance of domestic sexual and gender-based violence. It places the individual victims and their needs at the centre. It will take us from a fragmented approach to a holistic and tailored one. It will build supports and processes that proactively respond to and adapt to meet the needs of each individual. Minister for Children Roderic OGorman said domestic and sexual violence do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability or socio-economic status. We recognise that domestic violence and sexual violence impacts on the lives of women and children of all backgrounds and some men, he added. However, society does not treat all victims or survivors of abuse equally. That has to change. Its time for zero tolerance on social biases and stereotypes that create barriers to safety to help and assistance provided for victims and survivors of domestic sexual and gender-based violence. Ms McEntee said 249 women have been killed in Ireland over the last 25 years, including Ashling Murphy, Jastine Valdez, Jennifer Poole, Urantsetseg Tserendorj, Ana Kriegel and Fiona Pender. The plan will also look to reform domestic violence laws, including strengthening emergency orders, increasing powers of detention, and enacting legislation to introduce offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation. It will also seek to allow gardai to wear body cameras when investigating domestic abuse cases. The Government will also set up a statutory agency for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence by January 2024. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 11 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values between 100 and 105 can be expected Monday, followed by heat index values between 105 and 110 Tuesday and Wednesday. * WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois. Portions of central, east central, northeast, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From Noon Monday to 11 PM CDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. People in the Saint Louis Metropolitan Area can get information about cooling centers or energy assistance related to the excessive heat by calling the United Way of Greater Saint Louis at 800-427-4626, or if calling from a land line phone dial 2-1-1. You can also call Cool Down Saint Louis at 314-241-7668. && CHARITON COUNTY Three people were killed and multiple people were injured after an Amtrak train derailed in Mendon on Monday afternoon. Seven cars and two locomotives on an Amtrak Southwest Chief Train 4 derailed around 12:43 p.m. while on its way to Chicago from Los Angeles. More than 200 passengers and crew members were on board, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The train derailed after "striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon," according to an updated statement from Amtrak. MSHP said the crossing, which is located on Porche Prairie Avenue, did not have any lights or electronic control devices. During a press conference, Cpl. Justin Dunn of MSHP Troop B said three people were killed in the crash, two from the train and one from the dump truck involved. "Many" injuries were reported, but all injured and non-injured have been transferred from the scene. MSHP Lt. Eric Brown said this is an active and ongoing investigation, which will remain well into Monday night and Tuesday. "As we stress here, this the beginning of a lengthy investigation," he said. "We have a lot more information we are seeking and need to obtain." A KOMU 8 reporter reported multiple medical helicopters and ambulances from Linn, Saline and Chariton counties at the scene. MU Health Care confirmed it has received 16 patients, and Boone Health said it was anticipating 30 patients to arrive. Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall said it has received six patients. A hospital spokesperson said the Saline County emergency management director is coordinating with the Marshall Ministerial Alliance to establish temporary housing for anyone in need. PHOTOS: Four fatalities, injuries reported after Amtrak train derails in Mendon 0:54 Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a 14-member team to the derailment. The team is expected to arrive Tuesday. The NTSB is launching a 14 member go-team to investigate Mondays Amtrak derailment near Mendon, Missouri. Chair Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team expected to arrive tomorrow. Check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom for updates. NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 27, 2022 Mike Spencer, a resident who lives in the area, said the trains come through at a "very rapid speed." "Amtrak comes through anywhere from 75 to a 100 miles per hour," Spencer said. "So, it doesn't give you much time to cross. If you make a mistake, this has got the potential of happening just like it happened." A passenger on the train tweeted that they were bussed to Northwestern High School for medical care. So thankful for the people here, safely at the Northwestern high school near Mendon. This town pulled together to help everyone pic.twitter.com/RYAVvQRlPm Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022 Local authorities are assisting with passengers. Amtrak said it has activated its incident response team and sent emergency personnel to the scene. Gov. Mike Parson tweeted and said multiple state agencies were responding to the scene. We are saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon. @MoPublicSafety, @MSHP troopers, and other emergency management personnel are responding. We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted. Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) June 27, 2022 U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt also sent out tweets, acknowledging the incident. We are closely watching this emergency situation as it develops and stand ready to help however we can https://t.co/1sgmA8vy16 Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 27, 2022 Terrible news of a train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon. We are thinking of all those affected and grateful for our first responders. Ready to assist with any federal resources that may be needed. Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) June 27, 2022 Amtrak established a hotline, 800-523-9101, for those with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard at the train. A machine is seen at the Bayan Obo mine mining for rare earth minerals, in Inner Mongolia. Reuters-Yonhap Korea places hopes in US-led Minerals Security Partnership, domestic production of rare earth metals By Kim Bo-eun HONG KONG South Korea's decision to join a U.S.-led pact on mineral supply helps satisfy a "definite need" to cut dependency on China for key resources, including rare earths, analysts said. Securing key resources has become a core task for major economies around the world, as minerals are a crucial element incorporated into cutting-edge technologies, green energy and national defense industries. Countries have traditionally relied on China as it not only holds the largest amount of rare earth reserves, but it also is the world's biggest producer. But China's recent moves to regulate the mining and exports of rare earths has had economies scrambling to secure alternative supplies, with the U.S.-led Minerals Security Partnership launched earlier this month. "Korea is more dependent on China [for supply of rare earth] because of proximity and because of the structure of trade between the countries where intermediate goods account for a large part," Kim Kyoung-hoon, senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association's (KITA) Global Value Chain Research Task Force, said. Korea has its own rare earth reserves, but does not possess its own production capabilities, although in recent years it has moved to produce its own rare earth magnets. A first step to establish an integrated supply chain was taken when Australian Strategic Metals invested in Korea to set up a joint venture with its subsidiary to produce rare earth metals with raw materials sourced from Australia. KSM completed setting up its production plant in Ochang, North Chungcheong province, last month and the company plans to produce 5,000 to 10,000 tons of rare earth metals on an annual basis. The Korean-produced rare earth metals will then be turned into magnets by an intermediary for use by Hyundai Mobis, the parts and services arm of the Korean multinational automotive manufacturer. "There is definitely a need for Korea to diversify sources of supply. While Korea's production of rare earth metal and magnets is in its very early stages, it is significant that it has set up a domestic base for production," added Kim. Rare earths are among the four items the Joe Biden administration has identified as critical strategic assets, along with semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries and pharmaceutical ingredients. AP-Yonhap U.S. allies in Europe, such as Germany, France and Britain, as well as others in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and Japan, have also signed up to the Minerals Security Partnership. "Demand for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, is projected to expand significantly in the coming decades," the U.S. Department of State said earlier this month. It also said members "are committed to building robust, responsible critical mineral supply chains to support economic prosperity and climate objectives". Rare earths are a group of 17 chemically similar elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides that are abundant in nature, but difficult and dirty to extract. China accounted for 58.9 percent of South Korea's rare earth imports in terms of volume in 2020, according to the KITA. "Rare earths are becoming increasingly important as industries covering electronics, chips and automobiles become more advanced," said Lee Jay-yoon, the director of the materials industry and sustainability division at Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade. He referred to the experience in 2019 after Japan placed restrictions on exports of its hi-tech materials and parts, which Korea was highly dependent on. "Korea has faced the need to utilize diplomatic relations and boost its network when it comes to economic security," Lee added. China began tapping into its rare earth reserves in the 1950s, taking advantage of a lack of environmental regulations to dominate the global market. The difficult and costly process of extracting resources, as well as the environmental pollution involved, have served as substantial barriers for other nations to produce rare earths. China holds 35.2 percent of global rare earth reserves equivalent to 12.5 billion tons according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. It is followed by Vietnam with 17.6 percent and Brazil and Russia with 16.8 percent each. The world's No. 2 economy produced 140,000 tons of rare earths in 2020 compared to just 39,000 tons from the U.S. Myanmar produced 31,000 tons in 2020, with Australia fourth with 21,000 tons. China's portion of global rare earth production peaked at over 80 percent after 2000 as economies opted to import resources that were cheaper than producing their own, but the percentage has fallen to around 60 to 70 percent. This is attributed to countries recognizing the importance of rare earths given their use in cutting-edge industries, and instead turning to utilize their own resources. Electric cars are seen charging at a station. gettyimagesbank The chief of an international group campaigning for an end to all nuclear testing has called on North Korea to reinstate its related moratorium, as speculation is rampant that the secretive regime may soon carry out an underground nuclear weapon test. "While I can assure you of the readiness of our verification regime to detect any nuclear test, I wish to take this opportunity to call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to renew the commitment it made in 2018 to suspend nuclear testing," Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said in a statement during a meeting of its governing body in Vienna, Monday (local time). He also urged Pyongyang to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The North announced a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missile tests in April 2018, two months before a historic summit with the United States in Singapore. In late 2019, however, the North's leader Kim Jong-un stated that Pyongyang no longer felt bound by the moratorium amid a stalemate in denuclearization talks. North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear weapon test in September 2017 at the Punggye-ri site. South Korean and U.S. intelligence communities say preparations for another test already have been completed. (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee disembark the presidential jet at Madrid-Barajas Airport in the Spanish capital, June 27. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol will meet with the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Tuesday, and promise to enter into a new cooperation program between South Korea and the military alliance in the latter half of the year, according to a presidential official. Yoon arrived in Madrid, Spain, the previous day on his first overseas trip as president. He is scheduled to attend a NATO summit Wednesday, and also hold a series of bilateral and multilateral summits on the sidelines. In his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Yoon will pledge $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and outline South Korea's plan to establish a mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, where the organization is headquartered, the presidential official said. "He will also promise to sign a new cooperation program between South Korea and NATO in the second half of the year," the official told reporters Under the deal, the two sides will seek to establish a "new strategic cooperative partnership" beyond the military and security fields at a time when the world faces multilayered threats and intense economic security competition, according to the official. South Korea and NATO first entered into a partnership in 2006, and developed it further through individual agreements and revisions in 2012, 2017 and 2019. South Korea is not a member of NATO but was invited to the summit along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. Yoon will be the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit. President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee disembark from the presidential jet at Madrid-Barajas Airport in the Spanish capital, June 27. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Spain, Monday, to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit and meet with world leaders to discuss security and economic ties on his first overseas trip as president. South Korea is not a member of NATO but was invited along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners. Yoon will be the first South Korean president to attend such a summit. On the sidelines, Yoon plans to hold a trilateral summit Wednesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first such gathering of leaders from the three countries in nearly five years since a meeting in September 2017. Yoon is also scheduled to hold a series of bilateral summits, starting with the Australian prime minister and the NATO secretary-general, Tuesday. A planned meeting with the Finnish president was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee greet the traveling press corps inside the presidential jet en route to Madrid, June 27. Yonhap By Arthur I. Cyr President Joe Biden's May trip to Northeast Asia rightly received extensive media coverage. By contrast, however, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's June journey to Southeast Asia has received much less. Too bad. Asia has enormous strategic importance. President Richard Nixon deserves special credit for achieving direct U.S. ties with China. Singapore, a main Austin stop, hosted the 19th in a series of conferences there sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Established in 1958 by the Ford Foundation, IISS is respected for providing reliable information on military developments worldwide, plus in-depth analyses of international security and strategic challenges. China's defense minister also attended the conference, along with leaders from the Indo-Pacific region. Early this month, President Biden hosted a U.S.-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting in Washington, D.C. In Singapore, Austin met with Indonesia Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. A fortunate meeting, because that nation provides powerful evidence regarding Asia's future course. Indonesia held the largest one-day free elections in the world in April 2019. President Joko Widodo enjoyed reelection for a second term by a majority. In 2018, a Gallup Poll found that an unprecedented 75 percent of Indonesians believed elections are honest. This is the highest percentage ever, in a long-term upward trend in public confidence, following a troubled national history. Gruesome earlier events provide graphic, important context. In May 2018, the Islamic State conducted bloody terrorist attacks in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city. Terrorism is persistent though not frequent in Indonesia. In a 2016 attack, four people died. In 2002, the worst attack killed 202 people in Bali, including many foreign tourists. Indonesia's election took place in the world's largest nation with a Muslim majority. Trade routes and commodities provide Indonesia with great strategic significance. Washington has the opportunity to highlight Indonesia, and neighboring nations, as success stories of expanding political stability, modernization and the rule of law. In 1998, opponents forced Indonesia's longtime autocratic president and former general Muhammad Suharto from power. Since then, the nation has had a representative government. Indonesia's international conflicts today are largely technical and legal, notably the maritime disputes that involve the nations of East and Southeast Asia. Dictatorship has ended, though corruption remains a problem. During the height of the Cold War, Indonesia enjoyed its status as a pivotal power among Third World nations. Flamboyant nationalist President Sukarno played the Soviet Union and the United States off against one another. CIA efforts to bring Sukarno down were frustrated and ultimately boomeranged. During the 1960s, cooperation between Indonesia and the Soviet Union expanded exponentially. This development, vital in the massive U.S. military intervention in Vietnam in 1965, is rarely mentioned today. British forces, with Australian and New Zealand allies, defeated Indonesian attacks on Malaysia. Earlier, Britain defeated an aggressive, virulent Communist insurgency in Malaya, which today is part of Malaysia. Britain's military avoided massive firepower, in contrast to the U.S. in Vietnam, especially from 1965. To be sure, the British military employed air strikes and artillery, but relatively selectively. Officials rightly regarded heavy bombing as counterproductive. Given American preferences for firepower and technology, we should keep this fundamental lesson always in mind. With today's firm foundation, the United States has promising opportunities. Stronger Indonesia ties can leverage influence and investment throughout the enormous Asia regions. Meanwhile, our veterans, especially of the Vietnam War, should feel pride in this long-term success. Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is the author of "After the Cold War" (Macmillan/Palgrave and NYU) and other books. His column appears weekly. Neutrality of police should not be compromised The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is drawing a strong backlash from police officers over its push for police reform aimed at taking direct control of the law enforcement agency. On Monday, Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min announced a plan to set up a police bureau at the ministry as early as next month. He stressed the need for such a bureau to better supervise the National Police Agency (NPA) which will take over most investigative powers from the prosecution. The ministry deserves criticism for its unilateral reform drive. It is hard to understand why the ministry is rushing to finalize its plan on the bureau by July 15, despite the police's objection. Any reform should be carried out based on consensus. But the government has so far done little to reflect different opinions. It has had no discussions with the police agency. Nor has it held any public hearings on this important and sensitive matter. It is necessary to gain democratic control of the police which will become more powerful after the prosecution is deprived of investigative powers. Nevertheless, the government should take a proper and appropriate step to seek police reform in a democratic manner. Otherwise it will only cause unnecessary social conflicts and see any attempt at reform go nowhere. It should keep in mind that haste makes waste. At the center of police reform should be how to ensure democratic control of the police agency without damaging its independence and neutrality. Under the dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s, police had served as the handmaiden of power. The police agency was separated from the interior ministry in 1991 following the death of a student activist by police torture which ignited the June 1986 pro-democracy movement. Lee argues that his ministry needs direct control of the police as President Yoon Suk-yeol abolished the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs which had reined in the police. He noted that the ministry's control of the police would be more legitimate than that of the presidential office. However, his reform plan could be seen as an attempt to return to the dark, old days. That's why most police officers are against his plan which they claim might undermine the agency's political neutrality. National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong offered to resign in apparent protest against the reform. Lee should not turn a deaf ear to their opposing voices. Lee's plan is based on recommendations by a police reform advisory committee under the ministry. But the newly formed committee has not had enough time to discuss police reform. Thus, the ministry should first try to build a consensus on the issue and work out a better blueprint to help the police agency serve the people better. It should not repeat the same mistake made by the previous Moon Jae-in government which had tried to directly control the prosecution at the sacrifice of its independence and neutrality all in the name of prosecutorial reform. We urge the interior minister and the Yoon government not to try to tame the police. And police reform should be focused on how to ensure officers conduct fair investigations without being swayed by any outside influence. By John J. Metzler How time flies. It's been 25 years since Hong Kong returned to Chinese control, a quarter-century since the prosperous British Crown Colony became a semi-autonomous part of the People's Republic of China, the world's largest dictatorship. Nonetheless, the small but feisty islands on the south China coast remained a prosperous and relatively free place, until recently. When Britain formally departed in 1997, part of the exit agreement was a fifty year deal that Hong Kong would retain its political and economic freedoms. Hong Kong's way of life was guaranteed. Thus while becoming a Special Autonomous Region (SAR) of the People's Republic, the feisty island entrepot legally retained rights and freedoms not permitted on the Chinese mainland. I vividly recall being in Hong Kong immediately following the July 1st handover from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic. The spectacular fireworks over Victoria Peak and the grand harbor signaled a new era joining what was described as a reformist and ascending China. The whiff of firework smoke was still in the air along with a nervous optimism that somehow all would go smoothly. This was Hong Kong after all, not authoritarian and corrupt Mainland China and the world was watching. In 1997, Hong Kong was a pretty prosperous place compared to the Chinese motherland that was trying to bring it back into the fold. The adage of the "Golden Goose" economy became the currency of the day. Hong Kong is the goose that lays golden eggs, in other words, prosperity for China. Why then would China wish to kill the golden goose? This analogy makes a good point and was largely true until recently. Hong Kong's Basic Law ensured the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, whereby the Crown Colony returned to Beijing's sovereignty, but in parallel, ensured a self-governing region where, for a 50-year period, freedoms and economic vitality would remain untouched by Beijing's heavy hand. Chairman Xi Jinping's regime would change the template and narrative for a once largely successful city-state based on the rule of law, not on the rule by law. But the storm clouds have been darkening. By 2014, Beijing considered the Sino-British Treaty to have no further legal effects. In 2020, China slapped Hong Kong with draconian national security legislation to pull the special administrative region into line with the rest of the People's Republic. Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, lamented recently that Beijing's crackdown on Hong's Kong's civil liberties has "been a lot worse" than expected. "I thought there was a prospect China would keep its word, and I'm sorry that it hasn't," Patten said in London. Beijing is strangling the proverbial golden goose. While Hong Kong's economy has remained largely free and highly competitive, both Beijing's political crackdowns in recent years and the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy pursued by the government there have begun to tarnish this once-thriving international business hub and its 7.6 million inhabitants. Hong Kong's political deterioration has been startlingly quick. The human rights monitor, Freedom House, states, "The people of Hong Kong traditionally enjoyed substantial civil liberties and the rule of law under their local constitution, the Basic Law." However, the enactment of the National Security Law in 2020 seriously undermined the 'one country, two systems' framework." The Chinese Communist Party now uses a new system of "patriots governing Hong Kong," as a way to vet and pick candidates in local elections. Viewing a global list of competitors and benchmarks for political and civil rights, Hong Kong came in at 43 out of 100 and was listed as "Partly Free." As recently as 2017, Hong Kong ranked 61 out of 100 in the ratings. China, however, scored an abysmal 9 out of 100. Conversely, nearby democratic Taiwan ranks 94 out of 100. Press freedoms have changed appallingly for the worse. Since China assumed control, there was a slow erosion of media freedoms. Now the press is encouraged to "be patriotic" and support the Beijing party line. While there was less direct censorship until recently, the Hong Kong media exercises wide self-censorship. Last year China's shut down the independent Apple Daily newspaper and arrested a number of journalists including its pro-democracy owner, Jimmy Lai. The French media freedom barometer watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, cites Hong Kong's stark decline. During 2017, Hong Kong ranked 73 out of 180 countries; by 2021 it slipped to 80 out of 180, and by 2022, it crashed to 148 out of 180. China ranks 175 out of 180. In 1997, many pundits argued that Hong Kong's freewheeling freedoms and rights would soon change China. Sadly, it turns out that China's communist system seems to have changed Hong Kong. John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China." Garrett, IN (46738) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High around 90F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Angola, IN (46703) Today Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 88F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early with thunderstorms developing later at night. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Sunshine and some clouds. High around 90F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy in the evening, then thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. It was reported that BTS member Suga's family is in the midst of preparing to launch their own business in the idol's hometown, Daegu. If Suga's family successfully launches their business, Daegu's tourism is expected to boom. Keep on reading to know more. BTS Suga's Family Acquired License to Launch Own Business in Daegu On June 28, it was revealed in an exclusive report by media outlet Kyongbuk that the family of one of the BTS members had sent in an application for a business license to the Dong-gu office in Daegu. According to the report, the application was for a permit to operate a gallery, which has been approved. In a phone call with Kyongbuk Ilbo on June 27, the mayor of Dong-gu, Bae Ki Cheol, revealed it was Suga's family who had applied for the business license. He added they wanted to build an exhibit in their hometown. Bae Ki Cheol said: "Suga's family said that they wanted to build a memorial exhibit in their hometown, and because there were no legal issues, they have been trying to get a building permit before. The application has [only] been approved now because there might be people who think that I was trying to use this as a way to take advantage of the elections before." IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Suga Shares Current Condition of His Shoulder Following Injury In Kyongbuk Ilbo's report, it is said that Suga's family had also applied for a building permit for a small retail store and a small restaurant back in June of last year. In addition, his family had reportedly also applied for a construction permit around the Dongchon Amusement Park, which consists of two buildings: a retail store the size of 499.71 m and a restaurant the size of 950.38 m. BTS Suga's Family Business Expected to Boom Tourism Although Suga's family applied for permits to operate a retail store and restaurant, it was revealed that his family would also be opening a gallery, such as a K-Pop library, after the construction of the building has been completed. In regards to the application, a Daegu official said: "We proceeded with the procedure in accordance to the application for a general business premises permit while discussing the future procedures with the client. During that process, we learned that [they are] the family of a famous group [member] who will run the business. The review period was extended while discussing permissions with the relevant departments. But [the permits] are not something that was granted because they were the family of a member of a famous group." IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Suga Gives SAVAGE Response to ARMY Asking for School Advice If Suga's family's plans of launching their businesses pushes through, it is expected that the tourism and the business itself will boom once it successfully opens, especially if it is located the Dongchon Amusement Park. In fact, fellow member Jin's older brother currently operates his own restaurant, Ossu Seiromushi. The restaurant has been successful and has become one of the places which ARMYs (BTS fandom) and K-Pop enthusiasts try to visit when they travel to South Korea. Based on that, Suga's family business is also expected to be successful. For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Robyn Joan BEIJING, June 28 -- Recently, an engineering element attached to a brigade under the PLA 81st Group Army carried out a multi-subject blasting operation assessment. The assessment was based on realistic battlefield environment, and aimed at testing the troops' technical know-how and equipment operation capability, optimizing the operational procedures, and improving the level of support capacity for military tasks. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Sudan's foreign minister, Ali Al-Sadiq Ali, on Monday summoned the Ethiopian ambassador to Sudan and expressed his country's condemnation for the "killing and mutilation of the bodies" of seven soldiers and one civilian on their common border If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here BURLINGTON A Burlington man allegedly sexually assaulted a group home resident. Brian K. Matheson, 38, of the 600 block of Foxtree Circle, was charged with a felony count of second-degree sexual assault and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. According to a criminal complaint: At 10:22 a.m. on Saturday, an officer was sent to a residence in the 300 block of McHenry Street for a sexual assault. The residence is a group home for people with disabilities. Upon arrival, the officer met with a woman who said Matheson entered her apartment and sexually assaulted her. She told him to get out and he eventually left. The officer then spoke to another resident who said he and Matheson left the Log Cabin Tavern at 233 W. Jefferson St. around 2:30 a.m. and walked back to his apartment. He went to bed and Matheson was still up talking to his roommate. The officer spoke to Matheson who said he knew that everyone who lived in the building had a disability. He confirmed being at the bar until 2:30 a.m. and coming back to the residence, but he claimed he did not stay long and did not sexually assault a resident. Matheson was given a $1,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing is on July 6 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. JUNEAU A 32-year-old Beaver Dam man made his initial appearance in court on Monday and faces felony charges of playing an inappropriate game of doctor with two girls, 6 and 7. Daniel Cameron faces two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child and felony counts of exposing genitals to a child. If found guilty of one of the counts of sexual assault, he could face up to 25 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision. Cameron appeared before Dodge County Circuit Court Commissioner Steven Seim. Cameron was released on a $1,000 signature bond with conditions that he shall not have any direct or indirect contact or communication with the victims nor their residence. He also may not have unsupervised contact with any minor females. According to the criminal complaint: Cameron called Beaver Dam Police on Saturday reporting he wanted to turn himself in for allowing the two girls to touch him inappropriately. Cameron had two girls at his home on Friday night who were cousins. One of the girls said they were playing doctor and pretending that Cameron had issues and that they were going to do surgery on him. The girl said that the surgery was on Camerons private parts. The other girl said that the doctor game had happened at least four or five times while the two girls were together. The girl said the three would shower together at times as well. Cameron told the police that he was in his room and was naked and that the two girls came in and started playing doctor. Cameron said it was inappropriate, but his intent was to desexualize the human body and nudity. Cameron told law enforcement that a similar game had happened in the past. A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Aug. 4. Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760. If you haven't been to the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market yet, you are missing out. Here are 20-plus photos and videos from the flea market on Ju | Welcome Guest! You Are Here: SC agrees to hear next week plea challenging Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment in armed forces. Maha crisis: SC to hear on July 11 fresh plea of Uddhav faction against Speaker's decision on new party whip along with pending ones. New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on The Tiruchengode Co-operative Urban Bank, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, for non-adherence or violation of directions issued under various guidelines including Know Your Customer (KYC) Guidelines, the central bank said in a statement. The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (AACS). Also Read | India vs Ireland 2nd T20I 2022: Hardik Pandya, Harry Tector and Other Key Players To Watch Out For. "This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers," the statement said. The inspection report of the bank based on its financial position as of March 31, 2020, revealed violations or non-compliance with the norms. Also Read | IND vs IRE 2nd T20I 2022, Malahide Weather, Rain Forecast and Pitch Report: Here's How Weather Will Behave for India vs Ireland Match At The Village Cricket Stadium. Based on the same report, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why a penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance, it added. "After considering the bank's reply and oral submissions during the personal hearing, RBI came to the conclusion that the aforesaid charges of non-compliance with RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty." Earlier on Friday, the central had imposed a penalty of Rs 57.50 lakh on Indian Overseas Bank for non-compliance with certain directions. The non-compliance included failing to report certain instances of frauds involving ATM card cloning or skimming within three weeks from the date of detection, among others. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thane, Jun 28 (PTI) As many as 582 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking the tally of infections to 7,26,053, a health official said on Tuesday. Also Read | Mumbai Building Collapse: One Dead, 8 Rescued After Four Storeyed Building Collapses in Kurlas Naik Nagar, More Feared Trapped. With the addition of these cases on Monday, the district currently has 5,629 active COVID-19 cases, he said. Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Procures 187.86 Lakh Tonnes of Wheat So Far at MSP Costing Rs 37,852 Crore. One death was also reported on Monday, raising the COVID-19 toll in the district to 11,903, he said. The recovery count has reached 7,07,480, the official added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) The Centre has sanctioned procurement of an additional 3,200 bullet proof jackets and helmets for the use of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at Delhi Metro, government installations and for VIP security duties, an official said on Tuesday. The procurement has been done at an estimated cost of Rs 16.51 crore. Also Read | TS Inter Results 2022: Telangana 1st and 2nd Year Intermediate Results Declared at tsbie.cgg.gov.in; Know Steps To Check Scores. Apart from the Delhi Metro network, the CISF is responsible for the security of all government buildings like the North Block housing the ministries of Home and Finance, Shastri Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan among others in the national capital. The Union Home Ministry has approved the procurement of 3,180 bullet proof jackets and helmets for augmentation of the CISF strength deployed at Delhi Metro, Government Building Security (GBS) and Special Security Group (SSG), the official privy to the development said. Also Read | Xiaomi 12S Series Launch Confirmed for July 4, 2022; Check Details Here. While the GBS provides security to government buildings, the SSG guards top dignitaries as recommended by the Union Home Ministry. The current deployed strength of the CISF at the Delhi Metro network is around 13,000 personnel while strength of the GBS and SSG is 3,000 personnel each. Presently, the CISF is providing security to protected persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y. The CISF has 74 formations including 12 reserve battalions and eight training institutes. According to the mandate, the CISF provides security to the premises staff along with the security of property and establishments. It provides security to strategic establishments, including the Department of Space, the Department of Atomic Energy, airports, the Delhi Metro, sea ports and monuments among others. The CISF also provides protection to some private sector units too. It is the only force with a customised and dedicated fire wing. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): In a sharp attack on rebel MLAs amid the Maharashtra political crisis, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are with Eknath Shinde's rebel camp are in touch with Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said that the rebel MLAs have sold themselves for lakhs and crores. Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Procures 187.86 Lakh Tonnes of Wheat So Far at MSP Costing Rs 37,852 Crore. "These MLAs have sold themselves for Lakhs and Crores or after their files were opened. MVA government will further continue. The power which has brought us here...we will come to power in Delhi too," said Thackeray while addressing Shivsainiks in Byculla, Mumbai He said that the rebels who are currently staying at a hotel in Assam, sold themselves when Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was hospitalised. Also Read | Hyderabad Jubilee Hills Gang-Rape Case: Police Conduct Test Identification Parade. "When the CM was hospitalised, they (rebel MLAs) sold themselves. I would like to ask them, is there no humanity left? We trusted them," he added. "There are two groups of people in Guwahati - there's a group of 15-16 people who are in touch with us, some of them recently. The other group is the one that has run away, they have no courage and morality," the minister said. Further, he openly challenged the rebels in revolt and said that have the courage to resign and stand in front of them. "They conceived an entire conspiracy when CM (Uddhav Thackeray) was incapacitated as a CM to work 24x7; even then he was working. Whoever wants to come back, our doors are open...if those in revolt are truly courageous, resign and have the courage to stand in front of us," he said. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". "Many people told us that Congress and NCP will betray us but our people betrayed us. Many MLAs who were watchmen, rickshaw drivers, and paan shopkeepers - we made them Ministers. On 20th May, Uddhav Thackeray offered him (Eknath Shinde) the CM post and he did drama," Aaditya Thackeray said. He said there was anger among party workers over the action of party rebels. "I can understand your zeal and strength, can even notice your anger. I've been visiting and interacting with Shivsainiks and I can see there is a lot of anger among them. But there is one positive thing the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena," he said. Aaditya Thackeray claimed that the food bill of rebel MLAs was to the tune of Rs 9 lakh per day and alleged they were taking private choppers. "They (rebel MLAs) went to Guwahati where there's a flood situation and many people are without shelter & food. They (rebel MLAs) are enjoying there. Bill for meals (for them) in one day is Rs 9 Lakhs, they are taking private choppers and enjoying there. Shame on them," he said. The Shiv Sena camp led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the rebel group has been seeking to outmanoeuvre each other. While the Thackeray group removed Shinde as leader of the legislative party and appointed a new chief whip, supporters of Shinde wrote to the state government that he continues to be the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature group. They also appointed a chief whip. The battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, the Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by Monday, 5.30 pm. The apex court was hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The bench also issued notices to the Deputy Speaker, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the Centre, Ajay Chaudhary, and Sunil Prabhu and asked them to file a reply within five days. On the request of providing security to 39 MLAs alleging threats to them, the Supreme Court recorded the statement of the standing counsel of the Maharashtra government, Rahul Chitnis, that adequate steps have already been taken and the state government will further ensure that no harm is caused to the life, liberty, property of the MLAs. During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for Eknath Shinde and others told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Nagaon (Assam) [India], June 28 (ANI): As the flood situation continues to stay grim in Assam's Nagaon district, Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Nisarg Hivare on Monday informed that the state government has been providing relief materials to the affected areas, hence, no one has to pay anything. "Relief material being provided. Everything is at the expense of the government. No one has to pay anything. We received a complaint in this regard and will take action, "Nagaon Deputy Commissioner, Nisarg Hivare told ANI. Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Procures 187.86 Lakh Tonnes of Wheat So Far at MSP Costing Rs 37,852 Crore. He further said, "We have sent three-day relief materials to the people and are now preparing to transport relief materials for five days. It's free, no one has to pay anything." The overall flood situation in Assam has improved but over 33.03 lakh people in 28 districts continue to remain affected due to the natural calamity in the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) informed on Saturday. Also Read | Hyderabad Jubilee Hills Gang-Rape Case: Police Conduct Test Identification Parade. According to ASDMA, a total of 117 people have lost their lives so far in the flood and landslides in the state this year; of which 100 people died in flood alone, while the remaining 17 died due to landslides. The report also stated that 8.76 lakh people have been affected in Barpeta district alone, followed by 5.08 lakh people in Nagaon, 4.01 lakh in Kamrup, 2.76 lakh people in Cachar, 2.16 in Karimganj, 1.84 lakh in Dhubri, and 1.70 lakh people have been affected in the Darrang district of Assam. The Indian Airforce deployed seven types of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in various flood-affected areas, informed the officials on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Silchar to monitor the flood situation and took stock of the condition of people who have been affected by the flood. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 28 (PTI) Development projects, like Silverline, which would benefit Kerala would not be abandoned irrespective of the financial constraints being faced by it, state Minister for Parliamentary Affairs K Radhakrishnan said in the assembly on Tuesday. Also Read | TS Inter Results 2022: Telangana 1st and 2nd Year Intermediate Results Declared at tsbie.cgg.gov.in; 63.32% Pass 1st Year While 67.16% Pass 2nd Year. Radhakrishnan was answering queries regarding the financial position of Kerala on behalf of state Finance Minister K N Balagopal, who is attending a GST Council meeting. Also Read | Xiaomi 12S Series Launch Confirmed for July 4, 2022; Check Details Here. "The government has no intention to withdraw from projects which would contribute to the development of the state. The government will move forward with such projects," the state Minister for Parliamentary Affairs said. His response was in answer to a query by the opposition as to whether the government would back off from the Silverline project as it would allegedly cause a huge financial loss to the state which is already dealing with a huge debt of over Rs 3.32 lakh crore. Radhakrishnan also said that since the government carried out various development and welfare-related activities in the state, even when it was facing financial problems, its revenue or funds would decrease. However, such development and welfare activities would bring in more revenue for the state in future and improve the standard of living of the people, he added. He also said the last LDF government was able to control the increasing debt of the state. Radhakrishnan said that from 2010-11 to 2015-16, there was a 100.03 per cent increase in the state's debt, but from 2016 to 2020-21 the rise was only 88.66 per cent. This indicated that the state government was able to take steps to curb or control the increase in Kerala's financial debt, he said. He also assured that Kerala would not reach a financial situation as that of Sri Lanka. Radhakrishnan further said that while difficulties were being faced in tax collection, the government was taking steps to strengthen the same. He also pointed out that besides the state government's policies, the central government's stand on issues like GST compensation were also responsible for the financial problems of Kerala. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): A core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation amid the crisis faced by the MVA government due to the revolt in Shiv Sena. The BJP has decided that the party will follow the "wait and watch" approach. Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Procures 187.86 Lakh Tonnes of Wheat So Far at MSP Costing Rs 37,852 Crore. The meeting was held at the residence of former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and other BJP leaders. "BJP core committee meeting was held. After the Supreme Court's order, the state's political situation was assessed and discussed. Eknath Shinde said that his faction is the original Shiv Sena, this too was discussed. We discussed what role should we assume in future in the current scenario," Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters after the meeting. Also Read | Hyderabad Jubilee Hills Gang-Rape Case: Police Conduct Test Identification Parade. "After discussion, it was decided that we will wait and watch and a core team will come for a meeting once again, depending on the situation in the coming days. BJP will then take a decision in the interest of the people, in the interest of Maharashtra," he added. In a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray camp, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant joined the party rebels led by Eknath Shinde at Guwahati on Sunday The Shiv Sena camp led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the rebel group have been seeking to outmanoeuvre each other. While the Thackeray group removed Shinde as leader of the legislative party and appointed a new chief whip, supporters of Shinde wrote to the state Governor that he continues to be the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature group. They also appointed a chief whip. The battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, the Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by Monday, 5.30 pm. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, in its order, said, "As an interim measure, the time granted by the Deputy Speaker, to the petitioners or other similarly placed MLAs to submit their submissions today by 5.30 pm, stands extended till July 12. The petitioners or other MLAs are at liberty to submit their reply without prejudice to their rights in the writ petition." The apex court was hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The bench also issued notices to the Deputy Speaker, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the Centre, Ajay Chaudhary, and Sunil Prabhu and asked them to file a reply within five days.On the request of providing security to 39 MLAs alleging threats to them, the Supreme Court recorded the statement of the standing counsel of the Maharashtra government, Rahul Chitnis, that adequate steps have already been taken and the state government will further ensure that no harm is caused to the life, liberty, property of the MLAs. During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing for Eknath Shinde and others told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): A four-storey building collapsed in Naik Nagar of Maharashtra's Mumbai on Monday late night, informed the civil body official adding that the rescue operation is on. The fire brigade and police team reached the spot to rescue the trapped people from the debris. Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Procures 187.86 Lakh Tonnes of Wheat So Far at MSP Costing Rs 37,852 Crore. "A 4-storey building collapses in Naik Nagar. Fire brigade team, and police at the spot as the rescue operation continues," Pravina Morajkar, Corporator told media persons here. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), seven people have been rescued from under the debris and are now in stable condition. Also Read | Hyderabad Jubilee Hills Gang-Rape Case: Police Conduct Test Identification Parade. "Seven people rescued from under debris are in stable condition; 20 to 25 are likely to be trapped under the debris. Rescue operation on," the Corporator added. In another incident, a man died and 19 people were injured after a multi-storey building collapsed at Shastri Nagar in Maharashtra's Bandra West a few days ago. The deceased has been identified as Shahnawaz Alam, a 40-year-old man. "The building collapsed around 12.15 am. One person has died and 19 are hospitalised and are now safe. All of them are labourers from Bihar. The fire brigade and officers are present at the spot," Manjunath Singe, DCP Mumbai Police told media persons. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) IT services company, Infosys, on Tuesday announced it has been selected by Australian express logistics business, Global Express, to separate the technology landscape post divestment from Toll Holdings. Building on its strategic collaboration with Global Express to drive hybrid cloud-powered innovation, Infosys will leverage the blueprints and tools from Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey. Also Read | FTX Crypto Exchange Not in Active Talks To Acquire Trading App Robinhood: Report. Under the collaboration, Infosys will also help set up a greenfield technology environment, and migrate Global Express' applications and services to a sustainable and energy-efficient data centre and public cloud on AWS. "Global Express appoints Infosys to manage technology separation from Toll Holdings," the Bengaluru-headquartered IT services major said in a statement. Also Read | Motorola Moto G42 India Launch Tipped for July 4, 2022. The statement did not reveal the size of the contract. Infosys will manage the end-to-end program, enabling Global Express' transformation strategy for its transport and logistics business, to deliver smooth customer service. "We are pleased to partner with Infosys to develop state-of-the-art digital capability, transforming our foundation technology platforms," said Danny Gravell, CIO of Global Express. Karmesh Vaswani, Executive Vice President and Global Head Consumer, Retail and Logistics, Infosys, said the company is thrilled to be working with Global Express on the business-critical project as they enter an exciting new era. "Our aim will be to bring an innovative hybrid agile approach to not just holistically separate the technology platforms, but to focus on enabling a modern, secure, and agile platform to support Global Express through their digital transformation," Vaswani added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Schloss Elmau [Germany], June 28 (ANI): After attending the G7 summit held in Schloss Elmau, Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday. In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, "Interacted with several world leaders and participated in a memorable community program in Munich. We were able to discuss many issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity." Also Read | G7 Leaders Vow To Back War-Torn Ukraine 'For As Long as It Takes', Amid Russia's Invasion of Kiev. PM Modi will pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler. He will also congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE. This will be PM Modi's first meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan since his election as the new President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Also Read | Canada Day Fireworks 2022 Live Streaming Online: Best Places To Watch the Illuminations From Home on Fete Du Canada!. In a first working session on Sunday, the heads of state and government of the G7 discussed global economic issues. On the second day of the summit in Elmau, the main focus of the G7 heads of state and government remained continued support for Ukraine as the leaders of the G7 nations, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held discussions on the impact of Russia's war on food and energy supplies including the global economy. Expressing his gratitude towards Chancellor Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz, and the government further, Prime Minister Modi hailed India-Germany ties. "I thank the people of Germany, Chancellor Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz, and the German Government for their hospitality during the entire visit. I am confident India-Germany friendship will scale newer heights in the times to come," PM Modi said in a tweet. India is among a select group of countries with which Germany has such a unique biennial dialogue mechanism for the government of both countries to coordinate across a spectrum of bilateral matters. Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe. The two countries had a bilateral trade worth USD 24.84 billion in 2021-22. Germany is also one of the largest Foreign Direct Investment sources for India with total a total FDI of over USD 13 billion between April 2000-March 2022. Over 1,700 German companies operate in India and more than 213 Indian companies operate in Germany. PM Modi arrived in Munich on Sunday to attend the G7 summit. Upon his arrival, PM Modi was welcomed by a Bavarian band on his arrival in Munich. The G7 Summit invitation is in keeping with the tradition of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. The Prime Minister also interacted with the Indian community in Germany on Sunday at the Audi Dome, Munich. Thousands of members of the vibrant Indian community in Germany participated in the event. He highlighted India's growth story and mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the government to further achieve the country's development agenda while he lauded the contribution of the diaspora in promoting India's success story and acting as brand ambassadors for India's success. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Munich [Germany], June 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India's position clear on the Ukraine conflict at the G7 summit where he reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Replying to a question on India's stand on Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kwatra during a press conference said, "On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India's position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue & diplomacy to resolve the situation." Also Read | Jordan: Toxic Gas Leak at Aqaba Port Kills 10, Injures Over 200. Foreign Secretary Kwatra also highlighted that PM Modi has spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially on the vulnerable countries. "PM also put forward knockdown effect of the conflict on food security crisis, especially on vulnerable countries," Kwatra said. Also Read | Mexico: 6 Police Officers Killed, 4 Injured in Shootout With Armed Individuals. Ever since the war started on February 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace and an end to hostilities. Earlier, PM Modi intervened and had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that a direct conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts to deal with the ongoing conflict. PM Modi had also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict. India is looked upon as a solution provider by all which was quite evident by the body language and camaraderie of leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra over PM's visit to G7 Summit in Germany. PM Modi on June 26-27 attended the G7 Summit in Germany, held meetings with world leaders as well as interacted with the Indian diaspora. During a press conference, Kwatra said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at the G7 summit showed that India's presence is valued by all and that India is looked upon as a solution provider by all. You would have seen the body language and camaraderie of leaders with our PM." In an instance of bonhomie between the leaders of the two largest democracies of the world that caught the eye of viewers, US President Joe Biden walked up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to greet him at the venue of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday. India is among the five partner countries invited to attend the G7 Summit. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today welcomed the Prime Minister at Schloss Elmau, ahead of the G7 Summit. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kremenchuk [Ukraine], June 28 (ANI): Amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, a Russian missile strike hit a crowded shopping centre in central Ukraine on Monday, killing 16 people. At least 10 people are missing and 59 people were severely wounded in the deadly strike that took place at a shopping mall near a railway station in the industrial city of Kremenchuk, located in Ukraine's central Poltava region, the New York Times reported. Also Read | The U.S. Supreme Court Ruled in Favor of a Former Public High School Football Coach Who Latest Tweet by Reuters. Condemning the attack, Ukraine's Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrskyi said "People just burned alive," in a statement. The strike came after Russia, in a sudden escalation, fired more than 65 missiles at Ukraine over the weekend. Also Read | India Says It Remains Deeply Concerned by Developments in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. Smoke engulfed the surroundings after the missile hit the mall in Kremenchuk as local residents desperately searched for the missing, according to city council officials. Ukrainian officials said that as many as 1,000 people could have been inside the building at the time of the strike, though the exact number was not clear. Until Monday, the centre of the city had not been hit -- Russian forces had only hit industrial targets and an oil refinery. The Amstar mall, located in the city's centre, is not far from an industrial facility and is believed to be used to repair tanks, the officials added. "When they hit infrastructure or factories, we can understand that someone was given the coordinates," Olha Usanova, a deputy mayor of Kremenchuk, said. "This is just destruction of civilians. I have no words for this horror." Earlier, a strike in the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed five people and wounded 22 on Monday, New York Times reported citing local authorities. Quoting the head of Ukraine's emergency services, Serhiy Kruk as saying "So far, 16 people had been killed and 59 injured, 25 of whom were hospitalized," the media outlet reported. The strike had been carried out by a Russian X-22 missile weighing nearly 2,000 pounds and was fired from Russia's Kursk region, near the border, Ukraine's Defense Ministry stated. Ukrainian media reported that 115 firefighters had managed to put out the massive fire and rescuers were continuing to search through the debris for survivors. During the ongoing G7 summit that is taking place in Germany, the world leaders called the mall attack a "war crime" in a statement Monday night, as per the reports by New York Times. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine dedicated most of his nightly address on Monday to the strike, calling it "one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history." "Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object," Zelensky said, adding, "Russia will stop at nothing," he said. Kremenchuk had a population of almost 220,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. The previous strikes by Russia have targeted a theatre, a maternity hospital and people waiting in line for bread, a shopping centre being the latest addition. On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine. Nearly 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to United Nations (UN) estimates and most of those displaced are women and children. The conflict has left 15.7 million Ukrainians in need of humanitarian support, with some of them lacking access to water and electricity. Three million children inside Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries are now in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost two out of every three children have been displaced by incessant rocket attacks and fighting between the two nations. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, June 28: The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) declared the Punjab Board Class 12th result today, June 28. The PSEB Class 12th results were supposed to be released on June 27, however, the press conference was postponed. The Punjab Board 12th results were declared at 3.15 pm. The overall pass percentage is 96.96 percent while the overall pass percentage of girls 97.78 percent. This year, a total of 302 students made it to the merit list. Pathankot district has topped the PSEB class 12th result. Students can visit the official website of the Punjab Board at pseb.ac.in or punjab.indiaresults.ac.in to check their results and view their marks sheets. Students must note that the PSEB Class 12th results can be checked using board exam roll numbers. TS Inter Results 2022: Telangana 1st and 2nd Year Intermediate Results Declared at tsbie.cgg.gov.in; 63.32% Pass 1st Year While 67.16% Pass 2nd Year. This year, the Punjab Class 12 board examination was held from April 22 to May 23 in offline mode. The duration of the PSEB Class 12 papers were 1.30 hours, 2 hours, 2.30 hours, and 3 hours, depending upon the requirements of the subject. Officials from the Punjab Board said that around 3 lakh students appeared for the Class 12 term 2 board examination in the state this year. The result of Class 12 term 1 examination has already been declared. Steps to check Punjab Board Class 12th Result 2022: Visit the official site of the Punjab Board at pseb.ac.in Click on the results tab on the homepage Select Class 12 exam result link Enter your name, roll number, and other details Submit and check your PSEB Class 12th Result 2022 Take a printout for future reference Last year, the Class 12th examinations were cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the result was declared based on an internal assessment. The overall pass percentage stood of PSEB Class 12th exams stood at 96.48%. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2022 03:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi, June 28: Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, BJP chief J. P. Nadda discussed the situation in a meeting with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his residence here. Sources said the agenda of the meeting was the current political situation. Maharashtra Political Crisis: Ill Be in Mumbai Soon; 50 MLAs Are With Us, Says Eknath Shinde "Future of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government hangs in balance and there is complete uncertainty over continuity of government. Current political situation is agenda of meeting between Nadda and Fadnavis, and also the party's future course of action," sources said. Bharatiya Janata Party's national general secretary Arun Singh has also reached Nadda's residence. It is learnt that Fadnavis will also meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the Maharashtra situation. Earlier in the afternoon, Fadnavis reached the national capital to meet the BJP central leadership. Sources said that Fadnavis will brief the central leadership about the political situation in Maharashtra. "Fadnavis will also discuss the party's future course of action," sources said. As uncertainty continues to haunt the MVA government the BJP is closely following the political developments and has adopted a wait and watch policy. On Monday, the Maharashtra BJP State Core Committee meeting was held in Mumbai to discuss all the aspects in detail. "So far we have not got any proposal from anybody in this matter... Whenever it is received, we shall consider it and call another core committee meeting if needed," senior Maharashtra leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had said, reiterating the party's known stance. A political crisis hit the Maha Vikas Agadhi government last week when Shiv Sena MLAs, including Minister Eknath Shinde revolted against the party leadership. A BJP insider said the party is treading cautiously amid the changing political situation in Maharashtra to avoid a repeat of the 2019 misadventure when Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra and later resigned due to lack of numbers. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2022 05:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). The Delhi Police on Tuesday outrightly denounced claims that termed the arrest of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, as politically motivated. Kochi, Kerala | Trial court dismisses plea of prosecution seeking to cancel the bail granted to actor Dileep in 2017 Actress Assault case. Prosecution argued accused has influenced the witnesses & tampered evidences. Dileep has got bail in October 2017 from Kerala HC ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) Finland to give Ukraine 70 million euros for development cooperation, humanitarian aid. According to Finlands Foreign Ministry, which announced the pledge, Finlands long-term development cooperation in Ukraine focuses on education, rule of law, energy and climate resilience. The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 28, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) New Delhi, June 28: Google has invested in Indian startup Progcap that caters to small and medium-sized businesses, as it raised $40 million in its Series C funding round. The funding into Progcap, which serves more than 700,000 small retailers by extending a revolving credit line of $10,000 to $12,500 to them, was led by Creation Investments and Tiger Global. "Progcap is becoming the core operating engine for all the transactions of its customers, providing them with credit and technology solutions that make their businesses more efficient," said Pallavi Shrivastava and Himanshu Chandra, Co-founders. Existing investors Sequoia India and Southeast Asia also participated in the round. The fundraise was an extension of the company's Series C round and values the company at $600 million. Earlier, it raised $30 million from Tiger Global and Creation Investments. Google To Shut Down Hangouts in November 2022, Tells Users To Switch To Chat. Progcap said it will use the new funds to support its expansion and accelerate product development. The startup has facilitated credit disbursals worth over Rs 6,500 crore, working with over 7,00,000 small and medium businesses. The startup has raised about $100 million in funding in the past one year. "We're delighted to invest once again behind the Progcap team as it expands its product offering and further serves last-mile retailers in India," said Tyler Day, Partner, Creation Investments. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2022 01:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Krun, June 28: The G7 leaders, who have gathered in Germany for their ongoing Summit, promised to continue providing Ukraine with "financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support" and stand with the war-torn nation "for as long as it takes" in the face of Russia's continued invasion of Kiev. In a joint statement issued on Monday, the leaders said that the G7 is "steadfast in our solidarity with Ukraine, and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defence of their country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in their fight for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future". The G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US who have been joined in Krun, Germany, by two representatives from the European Union (EU), also welcomed the European Council's decision last week to grant the status of candidate country to Ukraine. G7 Leaders Launch Plan To Rival Chinas BRI, Aim To Mobilise Nearly $600 Billion by 2027. While condemning Russia's "brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war" against Ukraine, the leaders said that they "will not recognise Russia's continued attempts to re-draw borders by force". "This devastating war has produced dramatic consequences far beyond Europe. It constitutes a blatant violation of international law, in particular a grave breach of the UN Charter." The G7 reiterated its demand for Russia to put an end to this "war of choice, and immediately, unconditionally cease all hostilities and withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders". The leaders also condemed Russia's unjustified use of nuclear rhetoric and signaling, and said that Moscow must abide by its international commitments, including those which ban the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. They also expressed serious concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement on June 25 that Moscow will supply Iskander-M nuclear capable missiles to Belarus in the coming months. In their joint statement, the G7 leaders said they remain committed to "sustaining and intensifying" sanctions against President Putin's government and enablers in neighbouring Belarus. There will be sanctions on gold and oil exports and also "targeted sanctions on those responsible for war crimes". The G7 also demanded that the Kremlin allow food to leave Ukraine's ports - and blamed Moscow for rising threats to global food insecurity as a result of the conflict. "We urgently call on Russia to cease, without condition, its attacks on agricultural and transport infrastructure and enable free passage of agricultural shipping from Ukrainian ports," said the G7 statement. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky virtually addressed the leaders and appealed for more heavy weapons from the Western allies. He also hoped the war would be over by the end of the year "before winter sets in" and urged the allies to keep the pressure on Russia with more sanctions. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2022 12:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). President Joe Biden's nominee to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ed Gonzalez, announced that he is withdrawing himself from consideration for the post. His nomination has been stalled due to an unsubstantiated domestic abuse allegation. According to his wife, Melissa Gonzalez, that allegation is not true. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford raised concerns about the old allegation, and this prompted Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to cancel their plans to vote on Gonzalez's nomination. Ed Gonzalez Decided on Withdrawal After 'Prayerful Consideration' In his announcement regarding his withdrawal, Ed Gonzalez, who currently serves as Harris County Sheriff in Texas, said that he prayerfully considered what was best for the United States, his family, and for Harris County, which elected him to serve a second term. Gonzalez then thanked President Joe Biden for considering him as his ICE nominee and expressed his gratitude to the president. He added that he wishes the administration well as it tries to overcome paralyzing political gridlock that threatens not only the U.S. border but also the heart and soul of America. According to The Hill, the Biden administration did not return a request for comment on Gonzalez's decision. READ NEXT: California Jury Awards $21 Million to Family of Pregnant Teen Killed in 'Botched' Police Operation Melissa Gonzalez Insists Abuse Allegation Is Unsubstantiated The domestic abuse allegations, which led to the stalling of Ed Gonzalez's nomination, came from an unrelated suit at Houston Community College (HCC) where Melissa Gonzalez previously worked as the vice-chancellor. An affidavit from an HCC officer alleged that he was called to the Gonzalez home due to a domestic dispute. However, Melissa Gonzalez herself said that the allegations are false. She said she never made any complaint, and that any suggestion that she made one against her husband was "false and defamatory." She added that any assertions in a said affidavit against her, her husband, or their marriage, are completely false. The Houston Public Media reported that the lawsuit came from another former Houston Community College employee against the college. It alleged sexual harassment against two superiors at the college, and its affidavit was signed by a former HCC police officer. However, no charges were ever filed against the sheriff, nor was there any evidence to support any claims of abuse or physical violence. Biden also stood by his ICE nomination and said that the Harris County Sheriff was an "extraordinarily qualified law enforcement professional." The president also spoke of Gonzalez's track record of "implementing progressive solutions to difficult problems," as well as his track record of working with other government agencies, including ICE. During his time as Harris County Sheriff, Gonzalez had been a vocal critic of the Trump administration, especially its policy on immigration, He terminated the agreement between his office and ICE in 2017, and even declined to participate in a 2019 ICE raid. READ NEXT: January 6 Hearing: Donald Trump Pressured Justice Department to Call 2020 Election 'Corrupt' This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin Watch:Sheriff Ed Gonzalez withdraws from consideration as ICE director - KHOU 11 U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said that abortion rights are only the beginning after Supreme Court decided to repeal the Roe v. Wade landmark decision that legalized abortion. According to Los Angeles Times, Harris said the Roe v. Wade revocation is likely to endanger other rights such as same-sex marriage and birth control. Harris noted that Justice Clarence Thomas cast doubt on those rights in a concurring opinion. She said that Thomas was merely saying "the quiet part out loud." In a CNN interview, the vice president said that she definitely believes that it is not over. READ NEXT: Roe v. Wade Overturned: What It Means for Abortion in California, Florida, New Mexico | Where Will It Be Illegal? Vice President Kamala Harris on Roe v. Wade Repeal In her interview, Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN's Dana Bash that she never believed former president Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick would preserve the landmark abortion ruling. Harris said she did not believe Trump's Supreme Court pick, which is why she voted against them. She added that it was clear to her when she was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that they were "very likely to do what they just did." Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins earlier said publicly that she feels misled by Brett Kavanaugh, who, she said, reassured her that he would not overturn Roe v. Wade. Harris was flying on Air Force Two from Washington to Illinois on Friday to unveil the administration's latest strategy to improve maternal health in the U.S. when the decision came down. Harris said that the current administration "will do everything" in its power to provide access to medication abortion. However, Harris said the administration is not currently discussing using federal lands for abortion services in and around states that will ban the procedure. Harris said she thinks it has been clear where U.S. President Joe Biden stands on the issue of reproductive health. Biden said last year at a CNN town hall that he would be open to altering the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation "and maybe more." Roe v. Wade Repeal U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade on Friday, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion no longer exists. Justice Samuel Alito said that the 1973 Roe ruling must be "overruled" as they were "egregiously wrong," adding that the arguments are "exceptionally weak," according to an NPR report. Abortion rights will be rolled back in nearly half of the states immediately, with more restrictions likely to follow. Abortion will not be available in large parts of the country for all practical purposes. Meanwhile, Thomas said that the legal rationale for removing Roe could be applied to overturn other major cases, such as legalizing gay marriage, barring the criminalization of consensual homosexual conduct, and protecting the rights of married people to have access to birth control. Thomas noted that "in future cases, we should consider all" of the said precedents as they are "demonstrably erroneous." States such as South Dakota, Kentucky, and Louisiana have laws in place that lawmakers designed explicitly to take effect immediately upon the repeal of the Roe ruling. READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Labels Supreme Court Leaked Opinion on Abortion Case as "Radical Decision" This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Kamala Harris speaks out against overturning of Roe v Wade: 'This is not over' - from Guardian News The United States has sent hostage affairs envoy Roger Carstens and ambassador James Story to Caracas in a bid to bring home American citizens detained in Venezuela and rebuild relations. According to a U.S. State Department spokesperson, the delegation went to Venezuela for a welfare trip. The jailed American citizens include a group of oil executives from Houston-based petroleum company Citgo and a former U.S. Marine. The Associated Press reported that in a televised remark, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro confirmed the visit from the American delegation. Maduro said that National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez received the U.S. delegation. He noted that both sides are continuing the communications between the two governments, which began on March 5, when the U.S. first sent Carstens and Story, along with the National Security Council director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, on a surprise trip to Caracas. That marked the first White House trip to Venezuela in over two decades, and it resulted in the release of two American prisoners, whom the U.S. said were unjustly detained. U.S. Willing to Resume Relations With Venezuela After Years of Hostilities Before the surprise trip by U.S. diplomats in March, U.S.-Venezuelan relations had been frosty at best. It escalated when Nicolas Maduro won re-election in 2018, and the U.S. and its allies refused to recognize him as the legitimate winner. The U.S. insisted that opposition leader Juan Guaido was the legitimate winner of the elections, leading to further hostilities between the two governments. As the meetings began, it was unclear what other issues aside from freeing prisoners were on the agenda. However, according to the Associated Press, the lifting of oil sanctions is high up on the list. READ NEXT: Cuba: Latin Grammy Winner and Dissident Artist Sentenced to Prison U.S. Diplomats Also Met With Rival of Nicolas Maduro But while the U.S. delegation met with the Maduro government, a representative from the opposition who wished to stay anonymous told the Associated Press that James Story also spoke with Juan Guaido shortly after arriving in Caracas. The AP reported that negotiations between Nicolas Maduro and the opposition have yet to resume. And Story and Guaido reportedly talked about jumpstarting the negotiations in Mexico. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden spoke with Guaido and affirmed that the U.S. still recognizes him as Venezuela's interim president. In a statement released via the official White House website, Biden expressed his support for the Venezuelan leader and said he was willing to calibrate the U.S. sanctions policy. The second trip of the U.S. delegation to Venezuela came after a public plea to the Biden administration from the family of Matthew Heath. According to Reuters, Heath is a former U.S. Marine and was arrested in Venezuela due to what the U.S. calls "trumped-up terror charges." His family called on the Biden administration to act after an apparent suicide attempt from the imprisoned American. The trip also comes as U.S. interest in Venezuelan oil has increased following a 50% jump in oil prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. READ MORE: Puerto Rico: 27 Haitian Migrants Stuck on Deserted Island Rescued by U.S. Coast Guard This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: U.S. Delegation Arrives in Venezuela to Continue Dialogue Process - From TeleSUR English A Michigan mom was accused of torturing and murdering her three-year-old son, whose body was found in a freezer. According to People, the child's mom, Azuradee France, 31, has been charged with murder, first-degree child abuse, torture, and concealing a death. France reportedly pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges on Sunday. The Michigan mom's next hearing is scheduled for July 8, the prosecutor's office said. Detroit Police Chief James White described the boy's death in a news conference on Friday as "a tragic case" and said it was "something that no one should have to see." According to some reports, family members identified that Michigan boy as Chase Allen and that he was blind. France has five other children who reside with her in her home in Detroit. "Just imagine what they [other kids] must have gone through and what they must have endured being inside of that home," White said. White confirmed that a child's body was found decomposing inside the freezer in the home's basement. He said police officers felt something was wrong when Azuradee France suddenly acted oddly and responded in a way meant to push the cops away as if nothing wrong was going on. READ NEXT: U.S. Southwest Megadrought Blamed on Climate Change; New Mexico, Others in Its Driest State in 1200 years Michigan Mom Allegedly Tortured and Killed Her Son Whose Body Was Found in Freezer The boy's decomposing body was discovered at around 1 p.m. on Friday when police officers were dispatched to a home in Monte Vista Street in Detroit to conduct a welfare check on a child. During the welfare check, the home was found to be in poor condition, and it raised concerns for the five children living there. The kids were all taken to a local hospital for physical evaluation, and a child psychologist will also interview them. Child Protective Services (CPS) will reportedly be placing the children in foster homes. Worthy said this case has shocked him and the investigators. Prosecutor Kym Worthy noted that the "alleged facts" of this case have "astounded even the seriously jaded." She added that "our children" continue to be at risk, not only from gun violence but also from "the alleged murderer that lives in the house with them." CNN reported that investigators were still unsure at this point how long the toddler's body was in the freezer or when or how he may have died. But the medical examiner's office ruled the boy's death a homicide. Meanwhile, the accused Michigan mom's mother, Toni Haynes, told The Detroit News that she and other family members had previously warned CPS about her daughter. However, she said they would visit Azuradee France's home but eventually "give her kids right back to her." Haynes noted that she became suspicious when France told her the toddler had burned his hand on a plateful of noodles, so she called CPS again. Haynes noted that the Michigan mom also told her after the CPS visited her daughter's home several times that the boy had gone to live with his paternal grandfather's girlfriend in Coldwater. However, she said the grandfather told her that Chase was not living with his girlfriend. Child Abuse in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least one in seven children in the United States have experienced child abuse or neglect. CDC reported that it is likely an underestimate as many cases are unreported. A total of 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2020. The CDC said the rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for children in families with low socioeconomic status. It noted that experiencing poverty could place a lot of stress on families, which may raise the risk for child abuse and neglect. READ MORE: Caldor Fire Moves Closer to Lake Tahoe as Blaze Continues to Spread in Northern Part of California This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Detroit Mom Charged After Blind 3 Year Old Son's Body Found in Freezer - From Event News At least 46 migrants were found dead inside a semi-truck in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, authorities said. According to CNN, authorities were alerted about the truck's contents just before 6 p.m., when a person working in a nearby building heard a cry for help inside the vehicle found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus said the worker found the doors partially opened and saw several people deceased inside. First responders rushed 16 people - 12 adults and four children - into nearby medical facilities. All those found alive and deceased were reportedly migrants seeking a better life in the United States. Migrants Likely Died From Heat and Lack of Water, Texas Fire Chief Says San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said those still alive were hot to the touch and were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion. Hoos noted that the migrants found alive were still conscious when transported for care. Hood also said that while the tractor-trailer was refrigerated, there was no visible working air condition unit, nor was there any sign of water for the people being transported. The National Weather Service reported high temperatures within the San Antonio area where the truck was found. It ranged from the high 90s to low 100s on Monday. Officials remained hopeful that the migrants who survived the ordeal will recover. They also said three of those rushed to the nearby Methodist Hospital Metropolitan were now in stable condition. According to McManus, three people have been taken into police custody. However, it is still unclear whether they are connected to the situation. Milenio reported that the San Antonio Police Department is now looking for the driver of the truck. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also dispatched several investigators to the scene. READ NEXT: U.S. Boosting Monkeypox Testing as Cases Rise Texas Governor Greg Abbott Blames Joe Biden for Migrants' Deaths; San Antonio Mayor Mourns In a tweet, Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke about the deaths of the migrants. Abbott said "these deaths are on" President Joe Biden. The governor blamed Biden's open border policies and said the deaths were consequences of the president's refusal to enforce the law. At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. https://t.co/8KG3iAwlEk Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 28, 2022 But according to New York Daily News, the tweet did not go too well to many, as Abbott was lambasted in replies. Many pointed out that this was all Abbott's fault because despite the governor's beefing up security along the Texas-Mexico border and increasing the funding for the human trafficking unit, migrants were still able to get across the border on his watch. The Texas governor is currently running on an anti-immigration platform for his re-election bid and has focused his attacks on Biden. But while Abbott has been playing partisan politics in the face of the tragedy, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg lamented the deaths of 46 migrants, calling it a "horrific human tragedy." He mourned the tragedy, urging people to think compassionately and asked to pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families. Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we're facing a horrific human tragedy. More than 40 hopeful lives were lost. I urge you to think compassionately, pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families at this moment. Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) June 28, 2022 Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard also expressed condolences to the victims' families on his Twitter account. Ebrard said the Mexican consul general in San Antonio, Ruben Minutti, was already verifying the nationality of the deceased. And if there are Mexican nationals among the victims, he noted that support would be provided to the victims and their families. The nationalities of all the victims were still unknown. But some media outlets reported that some of the victims are from Guatemala and Honduras. READ MORE: Joe Biden's ICE Nominee, Ed Gonzalez, Withdraws This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: At Least 46 People Found Dead in Semi Truck in Texas - From NBC News Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Gardai in Laois have issued a fresh appeal help to the public arsing from a fatal road traffic accident near Stradbally on Friday June 24. The guards are also still in the process of trying to positively confirm the identity of the victim of the crash which occured on the Athy Road at Laundry Cross about 4 kms from the Laois village. While gardai believe the man was an Eastern European national who had recently moved to Portlaoise after arriving in Ireland just over a month ago, they expect to have to carry out DNA tests to confirm his identity. The man may have spent a short time in Roscommon before moving to Laois. The deceased has no known relatives in Ireland so this could take some time to confirm. The process of identification has been made difficult for Gardai because the car he was driving went on fire after his car hit a wall on the R428. He was the sole occupant and there were no other vehicles involved in what is being viewed as a tragic accident at approximately 2.45pm on June 24. Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward. They are particularly interested in anyone who may have seen a distinctive blue coloured Vauxhall Astra registration number 151 RN. They want to know from any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the Athy Road (R428) or surrounding areas between 2.30pm and 3.15pm are asked to make this footage available to Gardai. The movement of the car on the day is also if interest to gardai. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on 057 867 4100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. A concert in Kildare town will take place to raise funds as part of medical mission for Syria. The Syrian Refugee Crisis still remains as one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises at present. Northern Jordan continues to host 1 million displaced individuals, including many families living in camps since 2016 or earlier. Doors for the Medical Mission For Syria - Music For Medicine, A Midsummer Concert will open at 7:30pm. The fundraiser consists of a two hour program in the midsummer setting of St Brigids Cathedral in Kildare Town. There will be a raffle at intermission, and the program will also include a series of brief talks detailing the current circumstances in Northern Jordan, the work of Atlantic Humanitarian Relief (AHR), and the experiences of some Irish Volunteers who are travelling on the September 2022 Mission, and who have travelled previously. The AHR, which is based in USA, has been conducting missions to the area since 2012, and its next mission will take place on September 30 this year. A team of 80 self funding medical and humanitarian volunteers from USA and Europe is now assembling for this mission. Featured guests will include the Gormanstown Choir, the DARA Quartet, Viola Soloist Elena Ryan and Organist Ella Fallon. The event will take place at 8pm on Saturday, July 23. Further information and booking via Eventbrite. Those who wish to donate directly to the AHR can do so by clicking here. A barrister expressed concerns at Naas District Court on Thursday, June 23, that a prosecuting garda currently on a gap year may be delaying a court case. Barrister Aisling Murphy made the comments in the case of Lee Byrne, with an address listed as 30 Broadfield Close, Rathcoole, Dublin 24. The 23-year-old has been accused of punching another person at the Sallins Road in Naas on October 6, 2021, allegedly causing them to fracture their jaw. Ms Murphy claimed that the prosecuting garda, who is on a gap year, did not hand over any of the relevant documents about the case. However, Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob insisted to Judge Desmond Zaidan that while the documents were not present on the day, they were indeed handed over to gardai. Ms Murphy countered that it could not be certain that the garda in question would even come back to their role. The judge adjourned the case to October 17 to allow for DPP directions, and also granted bail for the defendant until this date. Kildare County Council is no closer to finding a solution for a group of Kilteel, Naas, residents whose water supply has been contaminated with arsenic. The issue was highlighted by the Leinster Leader three months ago after it merged that the poisonous substance - which may be carcinogenic for humans after long term exposure - was present in a group water scheme used by a number of local families. Since then they have been forced to rely on bottled water. However KCC official Joe Boland said that because the supply is a private one the responsibility rests with the trustees of the scheme though we have a duty of care. He told a Naas Municipal District meeting on June 14 that efforts are continuing to find a solution. Read more Kildare news He also said the council had never before come across a similar problem adding well resolve it, I know its frustrating. He was responding to a call for more information about progress towards a resolution made by a number of councillors. Mr Boland said KCC, Irish Water and the trustees are working on it and the solution would be a connection to the public main which would have a significant cost, a new borehole or a treatment process. A lot of effort is being made to find a solution, he said, adding he would caution against speculation on the source of the contamination. The provision of a new connection which would mean laying a new 3.5 kilometre water main, is not part of Irish Wagers capital investment programme. Another option being explored is appointing a consultant to examine whether an alternative arsenic-free water source is available. Cllr Fintan Brett said between 64 and 70 families are affected and the cost of conducting a feasibility study to establish the feasibility of a borehole could be 25,000. He also said that a mains connection would take three years. Cllr Bill Clear said that the cost of a mains connection would be 1.5m and Irish Water wont do that. Cllr Colm Kenny claimed it was not clear whether the arsenic was naturally occurring or a man made source. A former garda and another man have been jailed for drug and alcohol-fuelled assaults on two women, which culminated in one woman being bundled into a van and told she would be driven to the mountains and buried. During the ordeal in April 2021, Dublin man and former garda Stephen Cooper (37) forced a woman to take part in a strip search after he claimed she had stolen drugs from him. Cooper threatened the woman and then told her: I used to be garda, I know how to do this and if you weren't a thief, I wouldnt have to do this. After forcing the crying woman to strip, Cooper then inserted his fingers into her body and repeatedly told her to shut up. This assault took place at a house in Naas, Co Kildare at the tail end of a four-day drink and drug binge that had begun in a hotel elsewhere in the county. The victim of this first assault was in a state of shock and left, the court said. Cooper, his accomplice Stephen McGrath (37) and a second woman then moved to a house in Ashfield, Kilteel Road, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. When the two men began accusing this woman of stealing cocaine from them, McGrath began a prolonged and vicious assault, kicking and punching the woman repeatedly and tearing clumps of her hair out. Both men told her at one point that they were going to bring her up the mountains and bury her. They then tried to lift her into the back of a van but she began screaming and kicking out and they stopped and instead put her in the footwell of the front seat. Cooper handed McGrath a small multi-tool knife and McGrath told the woman I am going to stick that in your head. Cooper said to McGrath: You have to take care of her or we are both fucked, prosecuting counsel, Edward Doocey BL, told the court. McGrath drove off with the woman as she begged him to let her live and told him she had a child. She later told gardai that every time she opened her mouth, he punched her. He also pulled down her trousers and underwear and stuck his finger aggressively into her anus. At their sentence hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said that the men's behaviour was cruel beyond extreme, reprehensible and shameful. To say they ill-used these women would be a gross understatement. They terrified them, they threatened they, they assaulted them, he said. He said that the second victim must have believed she was going to die and that she was struggling for her very life. She must have been absolutely terrified of what was her future, he said. Cooper, of Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of the first woman at a place in Naas. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the second woman at Rathcoole, making a threat to kill her and to production of an article capable of inflicting harm. McGrath, of Ashfield, Kilteel Road, Rathcoole pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the second woman and production of a weapon at Ashfield. He also admitted sexually assaulting her and assault causing harm to her at locations in Tallaght, Co Dublin. McGrath's four previous convictions are for possession of drugs, dangerous driving and drunk driving and Garda Rob Whitty agreed with Patrick McGrath SC, defending, that these were minor by comparison with the offences before the court. He agreed that this incident was out of character. Gda Whitty accepted that McGrath is genuinely remorseful and apologetic. Cooper was jailed in 2014 for perverting the course of justice and drug dealing after he allowed a friend to take the blame when gardai found the drug LSD during a search at the Electric Picnic music festival. Maurice Coffey SC, defending, said that Cooper came from a respectable family but that a once promising life was ruined by poor choices, particularly around drug use. He said both men were seriously out of control on the night. He said his client accepts what happened to these women should not have happened and that this is backed up by the guilty pleas. Mr Coffey said that after serving time for the earlier offences Cooper got his life together, married and set up a business. He said his marriage broke down and his business was hit by Covid and Cooper fell back into drug use and his life spiralled out of control. Judge Nolan said he was taking into consideration the fact that both men had entered guilty pleas which were practical indications of their remorse and shame and saved the victims the trauma of coming to court. He said that both men had otherwise contributed to society and he said he had no doubt both men could be reformed or rehabilitated. I doubt either man would come before this court again for anything remotely as serious, he said. He said both men came from good families and have brought great shame to their families. He described Cooper's assault of the first woman as humiliating and terrifying. He imposed a three-year prison sentence for this assault and another three-year prison term for the threats against the second woman, to run consecutively. He said that McGrath's level of culpability was greater because of his treatment of the second woman in the vehicle. He said McGrath's behaviour was gross and cruel. He imposed an eight-year prison sentence, made up of four-and-a-half years for the sexual assault and three-and-a-half years for the assault causing harm. Responded to report Garda Rob Whitty told prosecution counsel that on April 23 last year (2021) he responded to a report of an assault by two men at a house in Rathcoole. The victim had been admitted to hospital and told gardai she had met McGrath a few days before. He said the pair had spent two days together in their own company before meeting Cooper and the first victim. They went to a hotel and were on a binge of drugs and alcohol, with the two men providing the drugs. They were eventually thrown out of the hotel and went to the house in Naas where the victims later told gardai there were moments of paranoia and tension during binge-drinking and drug taking, Mr Doocey told the court. Counsel said that at one point there was an allegation that cannabis and make-up had gone missing and Cooper became irate and began asking the first victim to empty her pockets and her bag. He then patted her down in front of everybody and told her to go into bedroom because he wanted to do a more thorough search. He made threats and made her take her bra off and shake it out. He told her I used to be garda, I know how to do this. He then felt her legs and pulled her trousers down. She was crying and he told her: If you weren't a thief I wouldnt have do this. He then inserted his fingers inside her and twirled them around as if looking for something, the victim told gardai. He told her to shut up repeatedly while doing this. The woman was in state of shock and acutely embarrassed. She left the house and didn't go to gardai and this offending only emerged when the second woman went to gardai. This second woman told gardai that the three people then left Naas and went to a house in a rural area in Rathcoole where they set themselves up in a granny flat at the back. When the men accused the second woman of taking a bag of cocaine, Cooper grabbed the woman and threw her to the ground. McGrath then began kicking her and stamping on her and Cooper was saying to him: Don't let her away with that, batter her. The woman tried to escape through the door, but McGrath prevented her. He held her hair and punched her in the face and told her: You love your hair do you? before he pulled a clump of it out. The woman managed to get out through an open window and ran to the main house but McGrath caught up with her. She lost consciousness and regained it to find McGrath dragging her back to the flat. She heard both men saying, they were going to bring her up the mountains and bury her, Mr Doocey told the court. The men tried to put her in the back of a van with McGrath holding her by the top of her body and Cooper holding her legs. She managed to resist them and they then put her in the footwell of the van. When McGrath drove off he kept punching her and kicking her. The woman told gardai that he was driving like a maniac. CCTV footage of the journey showed the van coming to a stop at one point and the woman trying to get away and McGrath dragging her back. At one point he aggressively sexually assaulted her, the court heard. The incident ended when he let her out and she raised the alarm. Over 1,000 extra college places will be offered through the CAO this year. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, today (Tuesday June 28) announced the expansion, which consists of a total 1,056 targeted college places in areas such as IT, engineering and nursing. Speaking today, Minister Harris said, "Im delighted to announce these additional college places as I know it is a constant concern for Leaving Cert students. This year we have made a real effort to make sure that they are in sought after courses, and ones that will produce graduates with the skills our country is crying out for. "Some examples of courses receiving extra places this year include IT, architecture and construction, nursing, engineering, education and welfare." He continued: "In the coming weeks the Minister for Health and I will also bring a memo to Government to outline a 5-year plan to secure extra places in medicine, another area in which we are in need of more qualified staff. "After a stressful number of weeks for school-leavers, I hope today will offer some good news about the weeks ahead." Minister @SimonHarrisTD speaks about the choices at third level as he announced over 1,000 extra college places today, including 60 medicine places, and 16 new apprenticeships such as farm management, horticulture and software solutions architecture. https://t.co/ScrOskQ8Zn Department of Further and Higher Education (@DeptofFHed) June 28, 2022 Additionally, 16 apprenticeships in fields including roofing, robotics, cladding and automation are also currently in development and will commence this year (2022). He said, "While these extra CAO places are a vital and welcome development, it is essential we continue to expand our third level system for everyone. There must be multiple pathways that learners can take as they prepare for their chosen careers. "Thats why we are working hard to introduce new apprenticeship programmes, such as the ones in bar managing and wind turbine maintenance which we launched in March, and we have also improved the financial incentives on offer to employers to take on apprentices, particularly female ones." Minister Harris also confirmed work is underway to improve pathways from further to higher education as part of the government's Unified Tertiary System strategy. He said, "There should be no barriers for students who want to pursue their chosen educational and career goals. Students anxiously awaiting their Leaving Cert results should know that while their points are important, they alone will not determine whether they can succeed in their education and career ambitions. "There are different routes to getting where you want to go, and we are working hard to ensure they are accessible to everyone." The minister also announced the abolition of the 200 levy for Post-Leaving Cert courses. Today, Ulster Bank Ireland DAC gave a further update of its phased withdrawal process. As part of this phased withdrawal, Ulster Bank has signed a legally binding agreement with Aviva Direct Ireland Ltd for the transfer to Aviva Direct of renewal rights in relation to its home and car insurance books. Customers do not need to take any action and Ulster Bank will write to them shortly to communicate this change and what it means for them. This transfer, which will take effect on a rolling basis from September 1, 2022, relates to renewal rights for car and home insurance policies which are underwritten by Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC, for which Ulster Bank acts as insurance intermediary for Ulster Bank customers. In this context, since customer policies are already underwritten by Aviva with Ulster Bank as the intermediary, there will be no change to the terms and conditions of customers existing policies until their renewal date. When a customers current insurance policy expires, Aviva Direct will automatically issue a renewal quote prior to the renewal date and outline the terms of renewal cover. At that point, customers can renew the policy or seek alternative cover with another provider, as they could have done previously. Ulster Bank will write to customers to inform them of this transfer of renewal rights. Once the transfer starts customers will continue to receive correspondence as required from Ulster Bank until their renewal date and their policies will continue to be serviced and administered by Aviva up to the renewal date. Ulster Bank Chief Executive Jane Howard said: Todays announcement of this transfer to Aviva Direct is one more step in our phased withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland and I am happy to inform our customers that they dont need to do anything until their policy comes up for renewal. We will be writing to customers in this regard to ensure that they remain supported throughout the transfer. A senior Conservative MP warned the Foreign Secretary against impugning the patriotism of those who criticise Government plans to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Conservative chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Simon Hoare was speaking during a debate where both those for and against the Governments plans to give ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland claimed patriotism underpinned their position. Mr Hoare said he had grave concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which he described as a failure of statecraft. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, when asked in the Commons why she is not using the dispute mechanisms included in the agreed treaties with the EU, said part of the reason she was putting forward the Bill was because Im a patriot. Mr Hoare intervened to say: Is she seriously impugning the patriotism of colleagues across this House who have concerns about her Bill? I find that a false conflation. Elsewhere in the debate, Conservative former prime minister Theresa May outlined her opposition to the Governments plans, saying the Bill would break international law, and adding: As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. Labour former minister Sir Tony Lloyd made a similar point, saying being able to ask others to adhere to international law and standards because the UK does so is true patriotism, which he said does not simply come from jingoist flag waving. Ms Truss remark about patriotism came in response to Labours Hilary Benn (Leeds Central), who said: I suspect that when she was campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU, she never in a million years thought shed be standing here proposing a Bill of this sort. He asked: Why is the Government not proposing to use the legal method to raise these questions with the EU through the treaty that it signed rather than one claiming necessity, when the Foreign Secretary is yet to give me a single example when the British Government has claimed necessity for abrogating a treaty that is negotiated and signed? Ms Truss replied: The reason I am putting this Bill forward is because Im a patriot and Im a democrat, and our number one priority is protecting peace and political stability in Northern Ireland and protecting the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, and nothing (he) has suggested will achieve that end. Following the exchange, Mr Hoare said: The Foreign Secretary knows that I have grave concerns about her Bill. But could I ask her just to coolly reflect upon praying-in-aid patriotism as a defence of it. Is she seriously impugning the patriotism of colleagues across this House who have concerns about her Bill? I find that a false conflation. The Foreign Secretary replied: I was directly responding to the point of the honourable gentleman asking me why I had campaigned one way in the referendum and now am working to make sure that the Brexit negotiation that we achieve works for the people of Northern Ireland. Speaking later in the debate, Mr Hoare said: I think this Bill is a failure of statecraft and it puts at risk the reputation of the United Kingdom. The arguments supporting it are flimsy at best, and irrational at worst. It is a Bill that risks economically harmful retaliation, a Bill that runs the risk of shredding our reputation as a guardian of international law and the rules-based system. How in the name of heaven can we expect to speak to others with authority, when we ourselves shun at a moments notice our legal obligations? Boris Johnsons bid to effectively tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first Commons hurdle, with no Tory MPs voting against it despite warnings the plans are illegal. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. Voting lists showed that dozens of Conservative MPs abstained, joining former prime minister Theresa May, who made clear she would not support the legislation as she warned it would diminish the UKs global standing and delivered a withering assessment of its legality and impact. Following the result, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted that the Bill, which gives ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, provides practical solutions to problems caused by the Protocol and protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. While a negotiated outcome remains our preference the EU must accept changes to the Protocol itself, she added. The Prime Minister earlier claimed the proposed legislation could be carried out fairly rapidly, with the proposals in law by the end of the year. The Government is aiming to fast-track the Bill through the Commons before Parliaments summer recess. However, some MPs who opted not to block it at second reading appear likely to seek amendments, and the House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses. The European Union has also launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the Governments move. Mr Johnsons Government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany. You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really arent working in a way that they like or understand, youve got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market. Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Mr Johnson said: Yes, I think we could do it very fast, Parliament willing. He said it would be even better if we could get some of that flexibility we need in our conversations with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president. The Prime Minister added: We remain optimistic. Ms Truss attempted to downplay concerns of MPs by saying the Bill has a strong legal justification and the UK remains committed to seeking a negotiated solution. But leading the criticism from the Tory benches, Mrs May told the Commons: The UKs standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions. As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it. Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith also said: I fear that this Bill is a kind of displacement activity from the core task of doing whatever we can to negotiate a better protocol deal for Northern Ireland. I also fear that it risks creating an impression to unionism that a black-and-white solution is available, when the reality is once this Bill has been dragged through the Lords, and courts, and EU responses and reprisals, compromise will ultimately be needed. But Conservative former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said there is necessity for the Government to act because there is a growing and real threat. On Tuesday Chris Philp, the minister for technology and the digital economy, rejected the concerns raised by Mrs May and others. He told Times Radio: If entering into a treaty yourself at the beginning automatically meant you contributed to the problem, then you would never be able to invoke this clause to change a treaty, a set of treaty obligations. I think it quite clearly is necessary. Weve the powersharing agreement which is broken down, trade across the Irish Sea is being adversely impacted by this. The protocol was supposed to respect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which it is not doing. Unionist opposition to the imposition of checks has seen the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuse to return to the powersharing Executive at Stormont, leaving the region without a functioning government. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson acknowledged the Bill is not perfect but said: It empowers ministers to make change where change is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the UK internal market. Sir Jeffrey, ahead of the debate, also warned the Lords that blocking the legislation would be akin to wrecking the Good Friday Agreement. A Number 10 spokesman said on Monday that the Government had never put a hard target date on when it would hope to see the Bill enacted. The government took a decision today to move forward with a key Green Party Programme for Government commitment to provide free contraception on a phased basis, beginning with women aged 17 to 25. Cabinet approved an amendment to the Health (Exemptions from Charges for Acute In-Patient Services) Bill 2022 which will insert provisions to provide for the free contraception for young women. Green Party Senator Pauline OReilly said: It is eighteen months since the Green Partys motion to provide free contraception passed in the Seanad. Given the history of the State with regard to women, women are now owed proper healthcare and I am delighted that we are taking the next step today. A huge leap forward was made when we, as a nation, repealed the eighth amendment of the Constitution but if we are truly a progressive country it is time to deal with other aspects of reproductive care. For women in particular, the right forms of contraception can be very expensive, costing hundreds of euro. We need to see each woman receive the right form of contraception for her, allowing her to keep safe and preventing crisis pregnancies. A 2020 report from the Dublin Well Woman Centre demonstrated that 51 per cent of women aged 17 to 45 have had sexual intercourse without using contraception. Some women do not have access to funds, while others do not prioritise themselves when setting family budgets. It is time to tear down the barriers and to allow every woman equal access. The Health (Exemptions from Charges for Acute In-Patient Services) Bill 2022 will be published in the coming days and is expected to commence in the Dail shortly thereafter. Italian Roberta Capelli, center, and her lawyer Irene Terrel arrive for an extradition hearing in Paris on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. LEWIS JOLY / AP The Paris Court of Appeal may rule on Wednesday, June 29, on the extradition requests for 10 former Italian far-left activists who have been refugees in France since the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s. However, it is possible that the investigating chamber, which is responsible for deciding the case, will not make a decision and will request further information, as it has already done on several occasions in the autumn of 2021 and the winter of 2022. The Italian government is requesting extradition of these activists for acts of terrorism dating back to the Years of Lead, in the 1970s and 1980s. They were welcomed in France under what has been called the "Mitterrand doctrine" and granted asylum in exchange for renouncing armed struggle. The proceedings were initiated in the spring of 2021, just after the detention in France of these long-time activists on a European arrest warrant. For the first time, between March 23 and June 15 of this year, the court examined the situation of the eight men and two women requested by Rome, aged 61 to 78. Some of the 10 Italians chose to speak before the judges of the investigating chamber, although not Giorgio Pietrostefani, at 78 the oldest of the Italian asylum seekers, who arrived in France in 1975, and was never able to appear for health reasons. Lawyer Irene Terrel, who is defending seven of these Italians, emphasized that "it is rare for two further requests for information to be issued by the court. It is proof of culpable inaction by the repressive authorities, compared to our extreme diligence. If the Italian state requests extraditions 40-50 years after the facts, one might expect that it would produce the documents cited," she said. The public prosecutors have asked for clarification of the legislation relating to the statute of limitations, translations and procedural documents missing from the files. One of the main legal problems with the Italian requests is their retroactive nature. The Italian act bringing the procedure for judgement by default into line with the rulings by the European Court of Human Rights dates back to 2014. Previously, the law did not provide for a fresh trial in the event of the arrival on its territory of a person convicted in absentia. However, in the case of all the Italian refugees in France, the act would have to apply retroactively, as their case was much earlier. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback 'Humanitarian clause' In some cases, the Court of Appeal, as it has been asked to do in the past, had issued a favorable opinion on extradition in the 1990s or 2000s. But since the extradition was never carried out by France, the decision has now expired. "The French state has four months to execute [the extradition ruling], and the requesting state has two months to challenge [non-execution before the administrative judge]," Ms. Terrel explained. If nothing was done, the case is closed, according to the lawyer, one of the best specialists in extradition law in France. To justify new extradition, she maintains, there must be new facts. "This is not the case," she notes. You have 39.74% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. LIMERICK has received a jobs boost following the announcement by Three Ireland of a significant expansion of its operations in Limerick. The telecommunications company says it plans to create 175 new positions at its customer experience centre in Castletroy over the next four years. The new jobs will enable to the company's Irish office to begin export services to Three UK business customers for the first time. They will include both full time and part time positions and openings across a range of job titles and experience levels in the B2B sector. The Customer experience centre at the National Technologt Park was originally established over 20 years ago and currently employing close to 400 people. Welcoming this Tuesday's announcent, Tanaiste & Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar said: "These 175 new jobs for Castletroy are really welcome news from Three Ireland. For over 20 years, Three Ireland has invested in Limerick and the Mid-West region, creating jobs and providing services. These new jobs further strengthen the companys presence and commitment to Limerick and are a testament to the existing staff in Castletroy. .@ThreeIreland is investing further in its Castletroys facility, creating 175 new jobs for Limerick. Great news #FullEmployment pic.twitter.com/CaJbT0lI7u Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) June 28, 2022 Robert Finnegan, CEO of Three Ireland and Three UK, added: "This expansion of operations in our award-winning Limerick Customer Experience Centre demonstrates the strength of Threes customer service in Ireland and we are very excited to build on the high standard of talent we have. As the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Ireland by market share, with the fastest overall network, our Customer Care was awarded Contact Centre of the year in 2021 and were extremely happy to bring this exceptional level of service to our Three UK Business customers as well." Mr Finnegan said the investment underlines the company's commitment to Limerick as an employment hub into the long-term. "Three Ireland has been investing and growing in Limerick for over 20 years, and today, we are reaffirming and increasing that commitment with the creation of these roles. IDA CEO Martin Shanahan said Threes decision to expand the strategic operations at its Customer Experience Centre in Limerick is terrific news for the Mid-West Region and demonstrates its confidence in its ability to service international clients from Limerick. OVER 100 Ukrainian refugees enjoyed a day trip around West Clare recently thanks to the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP). The day tour for Ukrainian refugees included a visit to some of the regions best known attractions, including the Cliffs of Moher, Ailwee Caves, and the Burren. Organiser of the tour, artist Una Heaton, said: "This day would not have been possible to organise without the generosity of LEDP. "It was a special day filled with laughter and joy, an emotional time for a proud people but a day to feel normal once again." LEDP extended its community funding to support a memorable day out, and welcome distraction, for the Ukrainian Refugees who have little opportunity to explore life outside the Radisson Hotel where they are residing. Through its benevolence programme, LEDP already provides funding to Doras, to support its Refugee & Migrant Outreach Clinic. Niall OCallaghan, Chief Executive, LEDP, commented: "We were delighted to support this trip and bring some enjoyment to the lives of those who are living under constant worry and uncertainty. "These people are far away from home and family, so today was an opportunity for LEDP to support a temporary return to normality for the many children and parents based at the Radisson. "This builds further on our existing partnerships where were helping support those most vulnerable in our community. "The three-year funding programme we have put in place with Doras is another project we are supporting to enable the integration of migrants into Limerick life." A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. SIGNIFICANT fire safety concerns were identified during an unannounced inspection of a nursing home in Limerick earlier this year, it has been revealed. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published a report relating to the two-day inspection which was carried out at Corbally House Nursing Home on March 2. According to the report, inspectors found the facility had not taken adequate precautions to ensure that residents were protected from the risk of fire. They also found that fire safety precautions were not being adequately reviewed. "The provider had failed to identify serious deficits in the system of detection, containment and management of fire. In addition, staff spoken with did not demonstrate appropriate knowledge in relation to the procedure to be followed in the event of the fire alarm sounding," states the report. Such were the concerns of inspectors, the premises was visited again less than a week later after management were directed to take urgent action to address some of the matters highlighted. While all staff had attended fire safety and infection control training, a number of 'bad practices' were observed during the inspection. In addition, a review of the staffing roster suggested there was an inadequate level of staff "to ensure the safety of residents" in the event of a fire emergency. According to the detailed report, two residents' bedrooms at the nursing home did not have any fire detection equipment while there was inadequate management of the keys to exit doors. Inspectors also found that some fire doors were being kept open in an ad-hoc way. Another concern related to the large amounts of combustible materials which were being stored in the basement. "There was also eleven oxygen cylinders in the basement, most of which were not secured to a stand. There was holes noted in the plasterboard ceiling of the basement, creating a potential breach of the fire containment between the basement and the floor above," states the report. In addition to fire safety, Corbally House Nursing Home was found to be non-complaint across a number of other areas including governance and management, infection control, training and staff development. The failure to maintain proper records was also highlighted. However, the nursing home was found to be 'compliant' or 'substantially complaint' in all other areas. In their report, the HIQA inspectors noted the centre was well-lit and warm and that residents described it as being homely and comfortable. "There was a relaxed and calm atmosphere and inspectors overheard polite conversation between residents and staff. Residents told inspectors that staff were kind and residents were satisfied with the time taken for staff to respond to their call bells," states the report. A NEW online Revolutionary Map of Limerick (1913-23) has been launched by Limerick Museum as part of events marking 2022 centenary commemorations. Created by William ONeill on commission from Dr Matthew Potter, curator Limerick Museum, the map seeks to pinpoint the locations in Limerick city and county of events pertaining to one of the most important decades in Irish history. The information included is based on the work and research of Tom Donovan, Michael Hopkinson, Jennifer Levey, Helen Litton, Des Long, Sinead McCoole, John O'Callaghan, Padraic O'Farrell, Eunan O'Halpin, William T O'Neill, Padraig Og O Ruairc, Matthew Potter, Des Ryan, Sharon Slater and Thomas Toomey. The project also used newspapers such as the Irish Times, Freemans Journal, Limerick Leader, and Limerick Chronicle. Speaking at the unveiling Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler said Limerick was a major theatre of activity during the Irish Revolutionary period. "Both the city and county produced an array of figures who were willing to train, fund, and fight for Irish republicanism. In addition, there was also the Limerick Soviet, one of the most extraordinary events of the period, a general strike in which city's citizens governed their own affairs independent of British rule," said Mayor Butler. Dr Potter said Limerick also had a disproportionately large number of both police and army barracks, garrisoned by the Royal Irish Constabulary (including the Black and Tans), the British Army, and the Auxiliaries. "In addition, Limerick was the scene of the Dromkeen Ambush (1921), the most successful ambush by the IRA outside of Cork, during the entire War of Independence. The Civil War engulfed the nation in 1922-23, and all eyes were looking at Munster, which was the scene of major engagements, such as the Battle of Limerick City and the Battle of Kilmallock," said Dr Potter. The Revolutionary Map is being constantly improved and updated. It can be accessed here To begin with, the project is focusing exclusively on events within Limerick itself, and Limerick people who fought or were killed outside the city and county boundaries of Limerick have not yet been included. Please contact Limerick Museum at museum@limerick.ie if you have any edits that you wish to make to the map, including pictorial and other evidence that might enhance the story. The map forms part of the Limerick City and County Council Decade of Centenaries Programme which is organised by Limerick Library Service and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative. For more see www.limerick.ie MUMBAI : The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) on Tuesday rejected a Future Group plea seeking termination of arbitration proceedings on the grounds that Indias antitrust regulator kept its approval for the Amazon-Future partnership in abeyance, two people directly aware of the development said. In its order, SIAC said it would continue with the arbitration proceedings that began in October 2020 after Future Group proposed to sell its retail, wholesale and logistics assets to Reliance Industries Ltd for 24,713 crore ($3.2 billion). In April, Reliance called off the deal after Future Retail Ltds creditors rejected the proposal. Mint has reviewed a copy of the SIAC order. The tribunal finds that the continuation of these proceedings has not been rendered unnecessary or impossible under Section 32(2)(c) of the Arbitration Act. Accordingly, there is no ground for the termination of these proceedings under the Arbitration Act," presiding arbitrator Michael Hwang S.C.s order said. Future Retail argued that there was no basis for the tribunal to continue with the arbitration since the approval for the agreement based on which Amazon approached SIAC has been kept in abeyance by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The 2019 agreement between Amazon and Future Coupons Pvt. Ltd, a promoter entity of Future Retail, has been kept under suspension by CCI for alleged suppression of facts. Amazon has challenged the CCIs order. SIAC said even if Future Retail discontinues to be a party to the arbitration proceedings, all other Future Group entities must be under arbitration proceedings even if an insolvency case is initiated in India. Future Retails largest lender, Bank of India, filed a case under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code after the company defaulted on payments. Future Group owes about $3 billion to at least 28 creditors. The tribunal said its order takes cognizance of a live contract because of which investment flowed into the company (Future Retail), and in that contract, there was no suppression of facts. The SIAC order means the surrendering of Big Bazaar stores to Reliance by Future Retail is not legitimate and can attract severe penalty if those assets are not brought back," one of the two people cited above said. At the heart of the Amazon-Future battle is an intense rivalry for gaining a beachhead in Indias burgeoning retail e-commerce space. Reliance took control of about 950 Big Bazaar stores this year across locations after their leases expired. Following the takeover of the assets, Reliance lowered its deal value for the Future deal to around $2 billion from the original $3.2 billion. Subsequently, on 23 April, Reliance said it would not proceed with its plan to buy Future Groups businesses after secured lenders to Biyani-led Future Retail voted against the deal. SIACs hearing comes at a time Kishore Biyani and his family, the founders of the Future Group, are in talks with Reliance Industries to sell the groups supply chain and logistics businesses. The Biyani family is also in separate talks with at least three large investors, including Azim Premjis Premji Invest and billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala to sell Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd, Mint reported on 1 June. The proposed deal between Reliance and Future irked Amazon because its 2019 agreement to buy a 49% stake in Future Coupons gave it an indirect stake in Future Retail and barred Future Retail from transferring its assets to any company, including Reliance, without Amazons consent. In Indian courts, Future Group has claimed that Amazon was misusing the emergency arbitration order passed by SIAC on 25 October 2020. The interim award barred Future Retail from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities" to secure any funding from a restricted party. The quarter ended March 2022 saw banks in India open the highest number of bank branches in the past nine quarters, since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Even as the pandemic fed the growth of online banking services, brick-and-mortar branches remain crucial for financial inclusion in India, especially in rural areas. However, the experience of the past five years shows that nationalized banks, which dominate Indias banking sector and have historically led the rural drive, are going slow on branch expansion. And while private banks are taking the lead in branch expansion, rural via this route is not a priority for them. In the five-year period to March 2022, the number of functioning bank branches increased 8% to 158,793. Notably, branches of nationalized banks decreased 6.6% during this period as they rationalized their network following a spate of directed mergers. By comparison, the branch network of private banks increased about 40%. As a result, they continued their gradual ascent in branch network share, increasing from about 19% in March 2017 to about 25% in March 2022. Private Banks have a distinctly urban focus. Only about 20% of their branches are in rural areasthe least among the four geographical categories of bank branches defined by Indias central bank. As a result, private banks account for only 15% of rural bank branches in India. This is significantly lower than their 28% share in semi-urban branches, 27% in urban branches and 36% in metropolitan branches. For rural coverage to expand, government-owned banks have to step on the pedal again or private banks have to farm out in a bigger way. Slower expansion Around one-third of total bank branches in India are located in rural areas, which comprise nearly two-thirds of Indias population by most estimates. Therefore, these areas are largely underserved by the existing network of branches. Notably, 83% of branches situated in rural areas are operated by public sector banks (including regional rural banks), which emphasizes their importance to the rural economy. In the last five years, the pace of branch addition has decelerated in all four geographical categories. Between 2017 and 2022, India added 12,049 new branches, against 43,232 branches between 2012 and 2017, and 28,584 branches between 2007 and 2012. The deceleration is especially sharp in rural and semi-urban areas, where lower financial inclusion, lack of access to online services and low digital literacy serve as handicaps to remote banking. The number of new rural and semi-urban branches added during 2017-22 amounted to only about a quarter of the 2012-17 period. Private-public contrast While overall growth in bank branches in the latest five-year period has been anemic, select banks have grown well. The top five in growth are all private banks, led by IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank. In fact, HDFC Bank has said it plans to double its network in the next five years. By comparison, government-owned banks in this list have either posted marginal gains in branch network or have reduced branches during this five-year period. Several realignments are underway in the space of government-owned banks. As many as six of the top 20 banks by branches have had to absorb other government-owned banks following directives from the government. This has caused their branch network to increase, but this is more in the nature of an existing branch being reassigned. They are now rationalizing their networks. Even private banks have embarked on acquisitions (for example, IndusInd taking over Bharat Financial), some of which has led to new branches being created. Geographical disparity Wide, easy and equitable access in the Indian banking system remains a work in progress. At present, there exists wide disparity among states in terms of access to bank branches. This, in turn, reflects a stark inequality in access to financial services. Smaller states and union territories, and southern states, lead in terms of bank branches per capita. On the other hand, north-eastern states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand are the worst off in terms of access to banking services. Generally, the more economically-developed and urbanized states have better access to the banking network, while states with large rural populations are lagging behind. Even as large regions and populations remain underserved by the banking network, Indias dominant public sector banks seem to be pausing on expansion, either because of internal compulsions or because they have reached their expansion threshold. Thus, the role of the aggressively- expanding private banks and small finance banks becomes crucial. But will they expand their network in the regions that really need them? www.howindialives.com is a database and search engine for public data Ukrainian rescuers sifted through the rubble of a shopping mall in Kremenchuk looking for survivors the day after it was struck by Russian missiles, killing at least 20, as Western leaders vowed fresh measures to increase economic pressure on Moscow to call off its forces. The Statue of Liberty is a famous example of copper turning green. Copper has a beautiful reddish hue, but when exposed to the elements, the metal undergoes a series of chemical reactions that make it turn green. But why does this color transformation occur? The answer, it turns out, is similar to why iron rusts; if iron is left unprotected in open air, it will corrode and form a flaky orange-red outer layer. "When copper metal corrodes, it forms what is called an oxide layer," Paul Frail, an advanced senior engineer in corrosion treatments with Suez Water Technologies & Solutions based in Trevose, Pennsylvania, told Live Science. The oxide layer, Frail explained, forms when the surface of copper reacts with the oxygen and water present in Earth's atmosphere. The layer is made up of copper salts and oxygen, and becomes thicker over time. Eventually, the copper underneath the layer is no longer exposed enough to the air to react. Related: Why do some fruits and vegetables conduct electricity? "Initially, the film may looked tarnished or black," said Frail, who is also a member of the American Chemical Society. "As the oxide film matures and grows more color, it will begin to [change], ranging from yellow-reds, blues and to a greenish color." The Statue of Liberty, he noted, is a famous example of copper turning green, as is copper metal used in other types of statues, and in older buildings for government, offices and universities. Archaeologists discovered a copper necklace with the inscription "Nikostratos" next to a mummy in Aswan, Egypt. (Image credit: Courtesy of the University of Milan) The color we see on older copper exposed to the air is not directly due to copper oxide, or the reaction of copper with oxygen in dry air, said Mark Jones, a retired chemist with Dow Chemical. When the oxide reaction occurs, the oxides are not colored. Rather, the color comes from "reactions of traces of sulfate and chloride in the atmosphere with the copper oxide," Jones told Live Science. Sulfur oxides come from combustion of fuels with sulfur, for example, and then fall on to the copper through rain. "They react with the oxides on the surface [of the copper] and give color," Jones said of the sulfur oxides, which are always present at low levels in the air. This is one demonstration of how copper's gradual color change requires multiple steps. On the periodic table of elements, copper is situated next to nickel and zinc in the first row of what is called transition metals, which refer to metallic metals with certain properties. These properties include being good conductors of electricity, being resistant to corrosion, being very malleable (or shapable) and serving as good transfers of heat. Copper, like these other metals, can easily be combined to form alloys, Frail noted, which have popular properties in construction including slow corrosion when compared with iron. "A common alloy of copper is brass, where copper is mixed with zinc," Frail said. Copper also sits above silver and gold on the periodic table, meaning it has similar chemistry to these elements, Jones said. None are rapidly oxidized, he noted; while gold is completely resistant to oxidization, silver is less resistant than gold and copper even less so than gold or silver. "All these traits, and its higher natural abundance than gold and silver, contribute to copper's use in electrical applications," he added. Copper is also the major component of the catalyst used to make methanol and vinyl chloride. Originally published on Live Science on Feb 9, 2013 and updated on June 28, 2022. 5 Seconds of Summer drummer Ashton Irwin was hospitalized after the band was forced to cut its Houston concert short on Sunday, June 26. In a note shared on Instagram Stories, 5SOS said, Upon experiencing physical symptoms, Ashton was taken to a local hospital for tests and medical review. As a result, it was advised [that] Ashton had experienced extreme heat exhaustion. Thankfully and most importantly, he is feeling ok and recovering very well. (A rep for 5SOS declined to comment further.) 5 Seconds of Summer were well into their concert when the band left the stage, and someone reportedly came out and told the crowd the group was taking a break. Not long after, per video obtained by TMZ, someone returned to the stage to deliver the news that the show was over, but they told fans to hold onto their tickets. In their Instagram note, 5SOS added, We apologize to all the fans in attendance for the show being cut short. Ticketholders please check your emails, you will be updated directly as soon as we have more information. At the advice of Irwins doctors, 5 Seconds of Summer announced they would postpone their next show in Rogers, Arkansas. The gig has been pushed to July 26, and will now serve as the final date on the bands North American tour. The group will return to the road June 30 in Nashville, Tennessee. On Twitter, Irwin offered a few more details about what happened, saying he was struck by an intense migraine brought on by exhaustion and overheating onstage, which made me loose [sic] my vision and gave me symptoms of stroke in the left side of my body. I suffered from an intense migraine brought on by exhaustion and overheating onstage which made me loose my vision and gave me symptoms of stroke in the left side of my body. So the decision was to end the show there and then. Ashton Irwin (@Ashton5SOS) June 27, 2022 He added, Its always amazing to play a massive energetic show in every environment thrown at us. Unfortunately this time my body gave out due to heat exhaustion. I was in tears in the ambulance, because I feel Ive let many people down. Im looking after myself and getting rest now. I feel so loved and looked after by my brothers and team and all of you. this is the price a dehydrated drummer pays when he takes on Texas heat. 5 Seconds of Summer are set to release their fifth studio album which boasts a perfect palindrome of a name, 5SOS5 on Sept. 23. It follows the groups 2020 effort, Calm. This post was updated 6/28/22 at 9:23 a.m. ET with 5 Seconds of Summers updated touring plans and a statement from Ashton Irwin. Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is June 27, 2022, which means Emmy nomination round voting ends today . From there, its 15 days until Emmy nominations are announced on July 12 ; then 46 days until final round voting begins on August 12 , followed by 62 days until final round voting ends on August 22 . Then comes the finales: Its 68 days until the Creative Arts Emmys kicks off its two-night event on September 3 ; and then its 77 days until the 74th Emmy Awards takes place, live on NBC, September 12 . Listen, its obviously hard to put this newsletter out this week when the Supreme Court has just declared a war on women, stealing away their Constitutional right to autonomy over their own bodies and promising that more rulings that curb other hard-fought freedoms may soon also be taken away. Its the darkest time for this country, and sometimes it feels helpless as the fascist right-wing has effectively gamed the system and put in place voter suppression (and now, conspiracy-minded QAnon followers are taking on oversight of voting in many key battleground districts) which will continue to almost guarantee their tyranny, regardless of the actual popular opinion or vote. Lucky we live California, but if the Republicans get their way, the moment that they once again control Congress and the Presidency, expect them to try and strip away our rights on a national level. This is why, when Democrat politicians simply tell us to vote, in the magical hope this will all be corrected, its not good enough. Sure, vote. That is key. But we cant rely on a flawed system where voting suppression and other right-wing tactics could very likely suppress the majority vote. They need to do something. NOW. Its all connected. The Jan. 6 committee is highlighting the lengths the right wing will go to steal elections and push this country into a theocracy oppressing women, People of Color and all LGBTQ+. And now, the Supreme Court assault on womens rights is proof that its working. As Robert Reich tweeted, 5 of the 6 Supreme Court justices who just voted to overturn Roe were nominated by a Republican president who lost the popular vote. This is how democracy dies. The act of media companies promising to pay for the travel of employees in red states in order to receive a safe abortion is fine, but misses the point. Women shouldnt have to inform their employer of something so private and personal. Media companies need to be more forthcoming in no longer contributing to or supporting politicians who favor removing the rights of women and others. And how much longer should they even be forcing their employees to work in states (or produce in states) where their lives could be in danger? Yes, this is a newsletter about the awards race. But were all also humans here. The saying notes that Womens Rights are Human Rights. And as those rights go away, we all lose. Listen, its obviously hard to put this newsletter out this week when the Supreme Court has just declared a war on women, stealing away their Constitutional right to autonomy over their own bodies and promising that more rulings that curb other hard-fought freedoms may soon also be taken away. Its the darkest time for this country, and sometimes it feels helpless as the fascist right-wing has effectively gamed the system and put in place voter suppression (and now, conspiracy-minded QAnon followers are taking on oversight of voting in many key battleground districts) which will continue to almost guarantee their tyranny, regardless of the actual popular opinion or vote.Lucky we live California, but if the Republicans get their way, the moment that they once again control Congress and the Presidency, expect them to try and strip away our rights on a national level. This is why, when Democrat politicians simply tell us to vote, in the magical hope this will all be corrected, its not good enough. Sure, vote. That is key. But we cant rely on a flawed system where voting suppression and other right-wing tactics could very likely suppress the majority vote. They need to do something. NOW.Its all connected. The Jan. 6 committee is highlighting the lengths the right wing will go to steal elections and push this country into a theocracy oppressing women, People of Color and all LGBTQ+. And now, the Supreme Court assault on womens rights is proof that its working. As Robert Reich tweeted, 5 of the 6 Supreme Court justices who just voted to overturn Roe were nominated by a Republican president who lost the popular vote. This is how democracy dies.The act of media companies promising to pay for the travel of employees in red states in order to receive a safe abortion is fine, but misses the point. Women shouldnt have to inform their employer of something so private and personal. Media companies need to be more forthcoming in no longer contributing to or supporting politicians who favor removing the rights of women and others. And how much longer should they even be forcing their employees to work in states (or produce in states) where their lives could be in danger?Yes, this is a newsletter about the awards race. But were all also humans here. The saying notes that Womens Rights are Human Rights. And as those rights go away, we all lose. **************************************** Reach Michael on Twitter @franklinavenue or email mschneider@variety.com **************************************** As Emmy Nomination Voting Ends, Dont Forget About These Worthy Contenders Although series like Ted Lasso, Succession and Dopesick remain front-runners in their respective comedy, drama and limited-series categories, they all aired last fall. Are they vulnerable when it comes time for Phase 2 final voting? Maybe, or perhaps not, as theyve been consistently at the top of most pundits prediction pages. But Im getting ahead of myself: First off, as Phase 1 Emmy nomination voting ends today, its about handicapping who might even make it to that next stage. And with the Television Academy once again touting the largest number of Primetime Emmy submissions in its history, that means there will also be more so-called snubs than ever. So, TV Academy members, as youre marking your nomination ballots, lets take a look at series and performances that you shouldnt forget. I dont need to rave about sure things like Hacks Season 2, but I fear shows including Pen15, The Other Two, As We See It, Winning Time and Pam & Tommy may be passed over. (Its that anticipated deluge of snubs that keeps me pushing for an extension to 10 nominees in major categories!) And then there are the broadcast heroes that I hope will get some attention this year: Abbott Elementary and Ghosts. On Varietys Awards Circuit podcast, my colleagues Emily Longeretta, Jazz Tangcay and Clayton Davis also shared their hopes for nominations. Here are our pleas, read them Although series like Ted Lasso, Succession and Dopesick remain front-runners in their respective comedy, drama and limited-series categories, they all aired last fall. Are they vulnerable when it comes time for Phase 2 final voting?Maybe, or perhaps not, as theyve been consistently at the top of most pundits prediction pages. But Im getting ahead of myself: First off, as Phase 1 Emmy nomination voting ends today, its about handicapping who might even make it to that next stage. And with the Television Academy once again touting the largest number of Primetime Emmy submissions in its history, that means there will also be more so-called snubs than ever.So, TV Academy members, as youre marking your nomination ballots, lets take a look at series and performances that you shouldnt forget. I dont need to rave about sure things like Hacks Season 2, but I fear shows including Pen15, The Other Two, As We See It, Winning Time and Pam & Tommy may be passed over. (Its that anticipated deluge of snubs that keeps me pushing for an extension to 10 nominees in major categories!)And then there are the broadcast heroes that I hope will get some attention this year: Abbott Elementary and Ghosts. On Varietys Awards Circuit podcast, my colleaguesandalso shared their hopes for nominations. Here are our pleas, read them here **************************************** Enjoying Awards HQ ? Get the most important stories delivered to your inbox every day by subscribing to other Variety newsletters **************************************** Click here to read the full article. Manolo Cardona, one of Colombias top actors who has starred in such Netflix hits as Narcos and Who Killed Sara?, is now filming his directorial debut, One Must Die, for Paramount+. Cardona also stars in the suspense thriller and is joined by Spains Maribel Verdu, who starred in Pans Labyrinth, Belle Epoque and Y Tu Mama Tambien, and is soon featured in the upcoming DC film The Flash. The rest of the cast includes Carla Adell, Juan Carlos Remolina, Dagoberto Gama, Fernando Becerril and Adriana Paz. In the story written by Julieta Steimberg and Gavo Amiel, seven people are kidnapped and find themselves unwilling participants in a deadly game. In order to survive, the captives must choose one of them to die, but this person will have to agree to be sacrificed. Meanwhile, the clock ticks and their allotted time is running out. Ive always been interested in exploring the human condition, especially in the most extreme and vulnerable conditions, Cardona told Variety. All my life, Ive been a fan of these South Korean thrillers, especially those by Park Chan-wook and his vengeance trilogy: Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. When I read the script and started working on it, I realized that it was very similar to all the South Korean films that have inspired me on the narrative, aesthetic and visual level, he continued. Thats when I felt the urge to make this story my directorial debut. Filming began on June 20 in Mexico City, where the pic will shoot for a total of five weeks. A weeks shoot will be filmed on a beach in Veracruz, Mexico. Cardona has also produced a slew of film and TV projects through the shingle he runs with his brother Juancho, 11:11 Films & TV. One Must Die is produced by Paramounts international studio, VIS, in association with 11:11 Films. The project is one of many first-look deals that VIS has cobbled with major content makers across Latin America, Spain and the U.S. These include a number of high-profile directors, producers and actors, led by Paco Cabezas, Juan Jose Campanella, Santiago Segura, Frida Torresblanco, Marc Anthony, Diego Boneta, Cardona and Luis Gerardo Mendez. Most recently, it signed a deal with Spains Morena Films. Its also forged pacts with Gaumont, El Deseo, Cattleya and Indigo, among others. Production has also started in Mexico for the second season of Paramount+s original hit series Cecilia, produced by VIS in association with Oficina Burman, part of The Mediapro Studio. The first season of Cecilia was honored at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, where it earned the silver award for best screenplay. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Mary Mara, the actor best known for her recurring roles in ER and Law & Order, died in Cape Vincent, N.Y. Sunday from an apparent drowning. She was 61. In a report published Monday, the New York State Police confirmed that Mara was discovered in the St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent around 8:10 p.m. on Sunday by various officers. According to a statement from a representative, Mara was staying at the summer home of her sister Martha. A preliminary investigation suggested Mara died by drowning while swimming. Her body has been transported to Jefferson County Medical Examiners Office, where an autopsy will be performed to determine an official cause of death. In a statement to Variety, Maras manager Craig Dorfman confirmed her death. Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met, Dorfman wrote. I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in Mad Forest off Broadway. She was electric, funny and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed. Mara was born and raised in Syracuse, N.Y. before going on to study at San Francisco State University and Yale. She began her film and TV career in the 1989 with the television movie The Preppie Murder, and would go on to amass over 80 screen credits. Her notable productions include ER, which saw her play recurring patient Loretta Sweet, and police procedural Nash Bridges, which saw her act in the main cast as inspector Bryn Carson. Other notable television credits include NYPD Blue, Ally McBeal, Farscape, Law & Order, The West Wing, Monk, Shameless, Ray Donovan, Dexter and Criminal Minds. Onstage, Mara appeared in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Gregory Hines. In 1990, she co-starred with William Hurt in a Yale Repertory Theatre production of Anton Chekhovs Ivanov. Mara made her film debut in 1992 with Love Potion No. 9, and appeared that same year as Billy Crystals daughter in Mr. Saturday Night. Other credits include Bound, A Civil Action, K-Pax, Gridiron Gang and Prom Night. After appearing in the 2020 film Break Even, Mara retired from acting and returned to live in Syracuse. Mara is survived by her stepdaughter Katie Mersola, sisters Martha Mara and Susan Dailey, brother-in-law Scott Dailey and nephew Christopher Dailey. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Only Murders in the Building star Selena Gomez took a moment during the second seasons red carpet premiere to speak out against the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, effectively ending federal protections for abortion access. Its about voting, Gomez told Variety. Its about getting men men needing to stand up and also speak against this issue. Its also the amount of women that are hurting. Im just not happy and I hope that we can do everything in our power to do something to change that. .@SelenaGomez on what Hollywood can do in light of #RoeVsWade getting overturned: "It's about voting, it's about getting men men needing to stand up and also speak against this issue. It's also the amount of women that are hurting. I'm just not happy." https://t.co/jLjwaGfpcA pic.twitter.com/gsvN27UYFi Variety (@Variety) June 28, 2022 Gomez also pointed others to a recent post she shared on Twitter, in which she shared a link to Planned Parenthoods website, explaining it as a valuable resource on what people can do next to help defend abortion access on a state level. Watching a Constitutional right be stripped away is horrific, Gomez wrote on Twitter Friday, the same day that the Supreme Court announced its majority decision. A woman should have the right to CHOOSE what she wants to do with her own body. End of story. It was a serious note from Gomez on the occasion, which saw her walk the red carpet alongside her series co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short. Together, the trio talked about how the series has evolved since its first season last fall. Later at the premiere, series showrunner John Hoffman also offered up his dream casting for a third season of the show, explaining that Harry Styles should be visiting the apartments at the Arconia. When informed about her showrunners big ambitions, Gomez seemed more tentative: That is hilarious. I dont know about that. Martin offered his own dream casting in response, saying that hed love for director Steven Spielberg to make an appearance. Short then made the perhaps-not-so-serious suggestion of Steven Seagal: Everyone looks at me, but Im a Steven Seagal nut. The second season of Only Murders in the Building will premiere its first two episodes on Hulu on Tuesday. Variety chief television critic Daniel DAddario was a fan of the shows follow-up run, calling Selena Gomezs performance a career-best in his review. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. President Trump knew that protesters were carrying weapons before directing them toward the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, where they stormed the building and interrupted the electoral count, a former aide testified to Congress on Tuesday. Trump also demanded to go to the Capitol himself, according to the aide, Cassidy Hutchinson. When the Secret Service drove him back to the White House instead, he became angry and tried to grab the steering wheel, she testified, using his free hand to try to grab a Secret Service agent close to his neck. Im the effing president, he said, according to her account. Take me up to the Capitol now. Hutchinson was a surprise witness called by the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. She gave her account of Trumps comments on the day of the attack, as well as testimony about several warnings of potential violence in the days leading up it. Hutchinson said she heard about Trumps conduct in the car from Tony Ornato, then the White House deputy chief of staff. Hutchinson was a special assistant to Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff. The committee played police dispatch audio from the scene of Trumps speech at the Ellipse, in which officers warned that some of the demonstrators were carrying AR-15s. Trump was set to give a speech at the Ellipse, and the area around the stage was cordoned off with magnetometers. Shortly before the speech, Trump was concerned that not enough people were inside the magnetometers, Hutchinson said. She said that Trump had been warned that some of them were carrying weapons, and did not want to come inside and give up their weapons to the Secret Service. I dont care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me, Trump said, according to Hutchinson. Let the people in Take the effing mags away. She also said that the president indicated that the protesters could march to the Capitol once the rallys over. In his speech, Trump said that he would walk with the protesters up to the Capitol building. In his memoir, Meadows said that Trump meant he would walk with them metaphorically. But Hutchinsons testimony contradicted that, indicating that Trump insisted repeatedly that he be allowed to go to the Capitol himself. Hutchinson also testified that Ornato warned Meadows on Jan. 6 that the protesters were carrying knives, guns, bear spray, body armor, and spears made out of flagpoles. However, Meadows did not act on that information, she said. Ornato said he had also warned the president of that, she said. On Jan. 2, Giuliani told Hutchinson that Trump would go up to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Its going to be a great day, he told her, according to her testimony. She said she later discussed the conversation with Meadows, her boss, who warned her that things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6th. She said those conversations left her feeling scared and nervous about what might happen. Hutchinson recalled watching later in the day as the Capitol was overrun by violent rioters. She said she saw Trumps tweet from that afternoon, in which the president lamented the Vice President Mike Pence didnt have the courage to overturn the election result. As an American, I was disgusted, she said. It was unpatriotic, un-American. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie. The Jan. 6 hearings began on June 9, and the Democrat-led committee held its sixth panel on Tuesday. The hearings have focused on Trumps unfounded bid to overturn the 2020 election, his pressuring of lawmakers to find votes for him and the connections to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Two more sessions are expected to come in July. The latest hearing was announced abruptly on Monday night, when the committee announced it planned to disclose recently obtained evidence. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Courtesy/Webb County Sheriff's Office A suspected drunk driver had her child inside the vehicle when she crashed into a plastic trash can, according to Laredo police. Kassandra Cruz-Baldorinos, 29, was charged with driving while intoxicated with a child younger than 15 years old. A man is facing an array of charges after he allegedly assaulted his wife and endangered their 2-year-old son, according to Laredo police. Carlos David Munoz, 23, was arrested on the charges of aggravated assault, assault of a family, household member, endangering a child by criminal negligence, interfere with an emergency request for assistance and unlawful restraint. On June 18, officers responded to an assault reported in the 300 block of West Sycamore Street. While en route, dispatch told police that a woman was assaulted and the suspect had left the scene with a child. First officers on the scene encountered a woman who had bruises to her eye and cheek area, redness and inflammation, states the arrest affidavit. Police said she was covered in blood. She stated that her husband, Munoz, had assaulted her before leaving the scene with their 2-year-old son. Laredo Fire Department paramedics arrived to evaluate the woman. She was then taken to Doctors Hospital. Officers then went inside the apartment, where they observed pools of blood in the living room and kitchen along with a broken plate. Simultaneously, paramedics and officers were requested in the 3300 block of McDonnell Avenue for a person with lacerations to an arm. First responders identified the person as Munoz. Police said Munoz had arrived at the location with his 2-year-old child not in a safety seat. Munoz had crashed into the mailbox located in the front of the residence. Munoz was on the verge of passing out due to the amount of blood loss because of the lacerations to his arm. Paramedics took him to Laredo Medical Center. The child was safe and returned to his mother. According to the woman, Munoz had been drinking prior to the assault. She told him not to come home if he was drunk due to recent arguments. She stated they began to argue when he arrived home. She tried to leave the apartment to avoid further conflict, but Munoz prevented her from leaving. Munoz then grabbed her phone and broke so she could not call 911, states the arrest affidavit. Munoz started punching her in the face. The woman could not escape from him. She grabbed a plate and threw it on the floor to alert the neighbors. She stabbed Munoz several times on his left arm with a fork. He then started strangling her to the point where she had difficulty breathing, court documents state. As she was being strangled, she stated that Munoz said he was going to kill her, states the affidavit. The women fell unconscious. When she woke up, she noticed Munoz and her child were gone. Police also interviewed Munoz. He stated he helped a friend move from his apartment at about 10 a.m. When they finished, they went to a Tacos Kissi for dinner at about 4 p.m., he told officers. After eating, he went to a friends house where he had four drinks of mixed whiskey, two mixed drinks of tequila and possibly two bottles of Dos Equis. A friend had to drop him off at home because he felt tipsy. Munoz claimed he started arguing with his wife after she slapped him in the face. He tried to leave with the child when his wife began to stab him in the arm. He told police he was not good to drive because he was on the verge of passing out, authorities said. When asked about the claims made by his wife, he stated he did not hit her but could not explain the bruises to her face. He also denied breaking the phone and strangling her, states the affidavit. Almost anyone can now get a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States and in neighboring Mexico. This was made possible after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of six months and 5 years last week. Coming off that announcement, the health directors of both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo state that it is important for young children to get vaccinated. Like adults, children also can transmit the coronavirus to others if theyre infected, even when they have no symptoms, City of Laredo Health Director Dr. Richard Chamberlain said. The COVID-19 vaccine does protect children and adults, reducing the chance that they transmit the virus to others. Vaccines save lives. Chamberlain does state, however, that parents should expect to see some symptoms among their children, just like they might experience in adults. Side effects for children 4 year old and older include pain, redness and swelling to the area that the child got the vaccine, Chamberlain said. Also, children can experience tiredness, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, fever, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes. Side effects for children six months to 3 years old are pain where the shot was given, swollen lymph nodes, irritability or crying, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. According to Chamberlain, COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risk of becoming infected and suffering from severe illness, long COVID, hospitalization and death. Nuevo Laredo health director Dr. Liliana Arjona agrees with Chamberlain's assessment and also firmly recommends the usage of the COVID-19 vaccine. I recommend the COVID vaccine for children fully, Arjona said. It is important for all the people of Nuevo Laredo to get vaccinated and also for the people of Laredo, Texas to do so as well, because as we have said ever since the beginning, this is one region united together, and we must promote this closeness with each other and both cities. Arjona states that the most complicated problem among children is that they might cause bigger transmission of the virus than adults, which can lead to more active cases in the community if not vaccinated. Although these patients are not within the age groups in which COVID becomes severely complicated, they are equally capable of transmitting the disease to someone else, Arjona said. If we truly want to come out good out of this pandemic, these children must get vaccinated as well. Chamberlain does believe that vaccinating children can put another dent in the pandemic, which has seen its impact notably decrease since the vaccines first started to emerge. This latest action ... to have access to vaccines will help further prevent transmission of COVID-19 infections, he said. Breaking the cycle of transmission also prevents further mutations and the creation of new variants that might be more infectious or resistant. Fewer overall infections among the population mean less chance of severe infection, death in the community and the emergence of deadly coronavirus variants. The city recently announced its marketing and tourism department had seen multiple members recognized for their work and others earning high-profile certifications. Last week, city council highlighted their efforts and praised their work to entice visitors to come to Laredo. After three years of classes, CVB Assistant Director Joel Vazquez and CVB Marketing Manager Selina Villarreal earned their industry certificates of Certified Tourism Executive designation from the Travel and Tourism College of the Texas Travel Alliance. CVB Marketing Coordinator Ana Reyna Arzate was selected as one of the 2022 Emerging Tourism Stars by the eTourism Summit for her contributions to the city and tourism industry in Laredo. Through the recognition, she was given the opportunity to participate as a speaker in the 2022 eTourism Summit in Florida. Lastly, Visit Laredo was also awarded with the recognition in the "Innovation in Influence Marketing" category for their "Welcome Back to Laredo" last year in November. The campaign was spearheaded to ensure tourism returned to Laredo amid the reopening of the U.S.-Mexico border. Vazquez proudly told council he has been working for the city for over 19 years since his initial start during an internship as a senior at United South High School. He explained he previously planned to major in nursing, but after the internship and his travels, he changed his major to business administration and got a minor in marketing. I have grown with the city; the city has been a family to me, and its been a pleasure, he said. Its awesome to continue, I started as an information counselor and now I am the assistant director, so I have done nearly every position there. With over 14 years at the city, Villarreal began as an administrative assistant before climbing the ladder to marketing manager. She said she was blessed to say her job was promoting her home town and knowing visitors are having a great experience leading them to return to the Gateway City. What other better job could there be? she asked. Both Vazquez and Villarreal underwent intensive professional education focusing on marketing, leadership and management courses taught by college professors and seasoned travel and tourism professionals. According to Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau Aileen Ramos, Arzate was chosen as one of 140 other individuals as an Emerging Tourism Star, where she was selected for her dedication and her ways of finding new means of promoting Laredo. She said she was proud to hear of Arzates accomplishments and to have her work at the city for the past six years. She was one of nine winners and The Travel Vertical stated an Emerging Toursim Star is a savvy individual in destination marketing and attractions who are new to the eTourism Community of digital travel and tourism professionals or have risen to the challenges of a role. Arzate told The Travel Vertical during an interview she came to Laredo for a six-week internship but fell in love with the city on the first day. The warm and friendly people, small-town feel and its fast growth made it a perfect place for me to live. I remember people telling me, 'If you drink the water youll never leave,' so Im here 20 years later promoting Laredo as my own community, Arzate told The Travel Vertical. In regard to the final award, the Welcome Back to Laredo was deployed to bring back visitors after 19 months of the border being restricted. However, Ramos said the campaign was vital and the first course of action taken by the CVB after the restrictions were lifted. Through the Visit Laredo website, a number of activities, facts and city details can be found. This includes a border wait time link allowing Mexican residents to plan out the wait time before they visit Laredo. As food variety is a staple in Laredo, the website also features a number of restaurants for a variety of different cuisine. Courtesy/Immigration and Customs Enforcement A man wanted for murder in Honduras has been deported via the San Antonio International Airport, federal officials announced on Friday. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Jairo Samir Hernandez-Bautista, 30, a Honduran citizen, trying to enter the country illegally near Laredo on April 17. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations officers took custody of Hernandez-Bautista on April 21. He was then placed in immigration proceedings. An employee of the City of Laredo Municipal Housing Department has been arrested for using city-owned tools to do side jobs, according to Laredo police. Mario Escalera, 57, was arrested on June 16 via a warrant charging him with abuse of official capacity. A supervisor for the City of Laredo Municipal Housing Department filed a police report stating that an employee, Escalera, had taken assorted tools and equipment from the City of Laredo Municipal Housing warehouse without permission. The value of the items taken were about $2,027.92, according to court documents. The supervisor stated he had been in the area to conduct a surprise inspection on a city-owned house located in the 3300 block of Aberdeen Loop. The house had clutter in the front and rear. The supervisor took photos and submitted them to his supervisor for investigation. Housing officials then noticed on the photos several tools that belonged to the Municipal Housing Department, according to an arrest affidavit. Officials made contact with the renter of the home on Aberdeen. He was identified as Escalera. He stated he had borrowed the tools about two weeks ago. Escalera advised (the supervisor) that he took the equipment without letting anyone know because he knew they would not let him if he had asked. Escalera mentioned he would return the equipment in a week after he finished doing side jobs, states the affidavit. A search of his backyard yielded a multitude of equipment that belonged to the Municipal Housing Department. Inside his Ford F-150, he also had a 5-gallon jug of paint, two sets of restroom faucets and one set of kitchen faucets that also belonged to the Municipal Housing Department, according to court documents. Police learned that city employees are allowed to carry assorted tools in the work vehicles, but they are not allowed to remove them for personal use, states the affidavit. (The supervisor) informed (police) that Escalera has worked for the Housing Department for approximately 10 years and had never had an issue until now, the affidavit states. In an interview with investigators, Escalera stated he had worked for the Municipal Housing Department as a maintenance worker providing handyman work for the housing properties. He said that approximately three weeks ago, he started to have financial hardship and that his salary was insufficient to pay the bills. Escalera noted that he took it upon himself to take home the same tools and equipment and use them for handyman work after hours, states the affidavit. Escalera added he had no intentions to steal the items because he continued working for the city and would need the tools to work orders assigned to him. Escalera then provided a copy of a written confession in Spanish to investigators, according to court documents. At least 50 people were found dead in an abandoned 18-wheeler in San Antonio near Lackland Air Force Base on Monday evening, according to reporting from the Texas Tribune. Law enforcement officials believe the victims were migrants and that this was part of a migrant-smuggling operation. In addition to the 50 deceased victims, 16 others have been taken to the hospital, the Texas Tribune reported. Of the deceased, 22 people were identified as Mexican, seven were from Guatemala and two were Honduran, according to the New York Times. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who represents Laredo, took to Twitter to respond to the event, calling it an absolute tragedy. We must bring an end to these senseless deaths and hold those responsible accountable, Cuellar wrote in a tweet late Monday night. Let us pray for the families of the deceased. May they Rest In Peace. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott also responded to the news on Twitter. He blamed the incident on Democratic President Joe Biden, saying it was caused by the administrations deadly open border policies. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies, Abbott wrote in the tweet. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also said on Twitter the horrific and heartbreaking incident was a result of an open border and claimed that the President and Democrats will ignore it. Human traffickers are exploiting the open border and the most vulnerable are paying for it with their lives, Cruz wrote in a tweet. Tragically, President Biden and the Democrats will continue to ignore the [Biden border crisis]. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the administration rejects the blame for the death of the migrants, according to reporting from the Dallas Morning News. She said those who place the blame on Biden are exploiting the horrific and heartbreaking event. "The border is closed, which is...why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks, Jean-Pierre told reporters. "46 people died in Texas. Were focused on them and on holding the human smugglers who endangered vulnerable individuals for profit accountable. Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke also commented on the event, calling it devastating on Twitter. ORourke said urgent action is needed to address the border issue. Our thoughts go out to the families of those who lost their lives in San Antonio today, ORourke wrote in the tweet. We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs. According to the Texas Tribune, three people are in custody, but it is unclear if they are connected to the incident. Local authorities said they first received a call around 6 p.m. from a worker in the area of the 18-wheeler saying they heard cries for help coming from the vehicle. The trucks doors were partly open when authorities arrived, the Texas Tribune reported, with one body outside the vehicle and the rest inside. Local authorities said they were very hopeful the 16 taken to the hospital, four of which were children, would survive, according to the Texas Tribune. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said this case could be the deadliest human smuggling incident he could recall in the city, the Texas Tribune reported. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MENDON, Mo. (AP) An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. It was all over the tracks, said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. It's too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains won't be able to run on the track for a matter of days while they gather evidence, she added. At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car," Couture told WDAF-TV. Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands." Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Cheryl Benjamin was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan, after an Alasksan cruise and a trip to Disneyland. She said she felt a bump, then heard a squeal, then looked out the window and saw the cars in front of her falling to the right. Then her car fell, the last to derail. It all took about 45 seconds. Benjamin told The Associated Press that the passengers organized themselves to escape the cars. Some of the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Republican state Rep. Peggy McGaugh was at the high school. She said locals heard about the crash and started frying chicken, making sandwiches and delivering pallets of water. Being the small community this is, nobody wants to be the hero but everyone wants to help," McGaugh said. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on the land surrounding the intersection where the crash occurred, said everyone in Mendon understands that the intersection is dangerous, especially for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. The approach to the tracks is on an inclining gravel road and its difficult to see trains coming in either direction, he said. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF Railway, which owns the track, about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple days. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City. ___ Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Mo., Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb., and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. __ This story has been corrected to show that the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California voters will decide in November whether to guarantee the right to an abortion in their state constitution, a question sure to boost turnout on both sides of the debate during a pivotal midterm election year as Democrats try to keep control of Congress after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The court's ruling on Friday lets states decide for themselves whether to allow abortion. California is controlled by Democrats who support abortion rights, so access to the procedure won't be threatened anytime soon. But the legal right to an abortion in California is based upon the right to privacy in the state constitution. The Supreme Court's ruling declared that a right to privacy does not guarantee the right to an abortion. California Democrats fear this ruling could leave the state's abortion laws vulnerable to challenge in state courts. To address that, state lawmakers on Monday agreed to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot this year that would leave no doubt about the status of abortion in California. While for now we may feel safe here in California, we cannot rest on our laurels," said Assembly member Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Riverside. It is only a matter of time before this will directly affect you and the people you love. The amendment would declare that the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual's reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. It would become law only if a majority of voters approve it this November. Of California's likely voters, 76% oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a poll conducted in May by the Public Policy Institute of California. That could give a boost to Democrats chances of retaining control of Congress. Despite its progressive reputation, California has a number of competitive House races that will help determine which party wins the most seats in November for the remainder of Democratic President Joe Biden's first term. Republicans opposed the amendment, arguing it is too broad and would allow for abortions late in pregnancy when a fetus is capable of surviving outside of the womb. California law currently restricts abortion to only before a fetus is viable, which is usually defined as around 24 weeks of pregnancy. The wording of this says nothing about late term. It puts no restrictions on it, said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, who noted his twin sons had complications at about 30 weeks of pregnancy. Babies like my twins at 30 weeks, their lives could be taken. Assembly member Akilah Weber, a Democrat from San Diego and practicing obstetrician-gynecologist, said many factors other than the gestational age of the fetus determine viability, arguing the decision is best left to the patient and her doctor. This amendment ... is not only compassionate, but it is rooted in the current state of science, evidence-based medicine and the legal landscape, she said. California joins Vermont in trying to protect abortion in its state constitution. The Vermont proposal, also on the ballot this November, does not include the word abortion but would protect personal reproductive autonomy although there is an exception justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means. The amendment in California is part of Democrats' aggressive strategy to make California a sanctuary for women seeking abortions. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law aimed at shielding California abortion providers and volunteers from lawsuits in other states a measure aimed at blunting a Texas law that allows private citizens to sue people who help women in that state get an abortion. Californias massive operating budget scheduled for a vote later this week contains more than $200 million in new spending to expand access to abortion in the state. The money would pay for abortions for women who cant afford them, scholarships for people studying how to provide abortions and money to help women pay for logistics like travel, lodging and child care but only within the state of California. Monday's abortion debate in the state Legislature was colored with the emotion of personal experiences as many lawmakers detailed their own experiences with abortion. Assembly member Buffy Wicks said she chose abortion during an unplanned pregnancy when she was 25, and it allowed her to have a family when I was ready. Assembly member Isaac Bryan said his mother got pregnant from a rape and chose to have him and put him up for adoption. I get asked all the time why that doesn't make me pro-life, Bryan said. It's because my mother had options. She had choices, and they were hers to make. And I refuse to be tokenized to undermine the bodily autonomy of women and childbearing people. NEW YORK (AP) The company planning to buy Donald Trumps new social media business has disclosed a federal grand jury investigation that it says could impede or even prevent its acquisition of the Truth Social app. Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. dropped almost 10% Monday as the company revealed that it has received subpoenas from a grand jury in New York. The Justice Department subpoenas follow an ongoing probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission into whether Digital World broke rules by having substantial talks about buying Trumps company starting early last year before Digital World sold stock to the public for the first time in September, just weeks before its announcement that it would be buying Trumps company. Trumps social media venture launched in February as he seeks a new digital stage to rally his supporters and fight Big Tech limits on speech, a year after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The Trump Media & Technology Group which operates the Truth Social app and was in the process of being acquired by Digital World said in a statement that it will cooperate with oversight that supports the SECs important mission of protecting retail investors. The new probe could make it more difficult for Trump to finance his social media company. The company last year got promises from dozens of investors to pump $1 billion into the company, but it cant get the cash until the Digital World acquisition is completed. Stock in Digital World rocketed to more than $100 in October after its deal to buy Trumps company was announced. The stock closed at $25.16 Monday. Digital World is a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, part of an investing phenomenon that exploded in popularity over the past two years. Such blank-check companies are empty corporate entities with no operations, only offering investors the promise they will buy a business in the future. As such they are allowed to sell stock to the public quickly without the usual regulatory disclosures and delays, but only if they havent already lined up possible acquisition targets. Digital World said in a regulatory filing Monday that each member of its board of directors has been subpoenaed by the grand jury in the Southern District of New York. Both the grand jury and the SEC are also seeking a number of documents tied to the company and others including a sponsor, ARC Global Investments, and Miami-based venture capital firm Rocket One Capital. Some of the sought documents involve due diligence regarding Trump Media and other potential acquisition targets, as well as communications with Digital World's underwriter and financial adviser in its initial public offering, according to the SEC disclosure. Digital World also Monday announced the resignation of one of its board members, Bruce Garelick, a chief strategy officer at Rocket One. Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday he will lead the legal fight on behalf of Randy Cox, a Black man who was seriously injured in the back of a police van in Connecticut when the driver braked suddenly. Crump also called for a federal civil rights investigation into the treatment of Cox, 36, who was being taken June 19 to a police station in New Haven, Connecticut, for processing on a weapons charge when his head struck the back wall of the van. Crump said police mocked Cox's cries for help and later dragged him by his feet from the van and placed him in a holding cell before he was taken to a hospital. Cox, whose legal first name is Richard, is in intensive care, paralyzed from the chest down, Crump said. At a news conference Tuesday in front of New Haven Superior Court, Crump, who has been called Black Americas attorney general for his work on civil rights cases, led a crowd in chants of Justice for Randy Cox. His co-counsel, Jack O'Donnell, said the legal team expects to file a federal lawsuit within 60 days, once it has reviewed all the evidence, including more than two hours of video. Some of that, including footage from a camera that recorded the moments when Cox was injured, has been released publicly. I am here because when I looked at that video, it shocked my conscience, Crump said. And I believe when you all see that video, it's going to shock your conscience. The only question is, why, when the police look at Randy Cox saying, I cant move,' why doesn't it shock their conscience? Five members of the New Haven police department who were involved in the transport have been put on leave while the episode is investigated. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and acting Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle said they are committed to being transparent with the facts. They have released all videos to the public and have given all evidence to state police, who have been called in to conduct an independent investigation, they said. I've watched the videos many times, Elicker said. I, in my own view, did not see malice on the part of the officers. I saw some bad decisions, an extreme lack of compassion. I think what we focus on, what we can control here in New Haven, that is ensuring that we have accountability in our city. Cox was handcuffed when he was in the back of the New Haven police van, which was not equipped with seat belts. He flew headfirst into a wall when Officer Oscar Diaz braked hard; he said it was to avoid a collision, police said. Diaz resumed driving to the police department, despite Cox calling for help and saying he was injured and couldnt move, according to the video and officials. A few minutes later, Diaz stopped the van to check on Cox, who was lying motionless on the floor. Diaz then called paramedics but told them to meet him at the station instead of waiting for them where he was, police said. At the station, officers dragged Cox out of the van by his feet and put him in a wheelchair, video shows. Police then booked Cox, took him out of the wheelchair and dragged him into a cell, where he was left on the floor, video shows. Paramedics arrived minutes later and took Cox to a hospital, officials said. Crump said Cox was accused of lying and told to get up several times by police. Wheres the first aid training? Wheres the on the job training? Wheres the accountability? said Latoya Boomer, Crumps sister, who attended the news conference with several other family members. I want to know, wheres the person who sees whats going on and says, Maybe hes not joking. Maybe hes not drunk. Maybe he is in distress. Scot Esdaile, the president of the Connecticut branch of the NAACP, said he is not convinced the hard braking of the van was an accident. People from the community have been coming to us for years talking about how they torture people in the back of paddy wagons, he said. They put people in the back of the paddy wagon; they go real fast and then they slam the brakes. Elicker said last week that prisoner transport vans not equipped with seatbelts have been taken out of service and that the police department is working to install seatbelts in them. He said Tuesday that department will be also be implementing more training for officers in response to the incident. WASHINGTON (AP) Instagram is blocking posts that mention abortion from public view, in some cases requiring its users to confirm their age before letting them view posts that offer up information about the procedure. Over the last day, several Instagram accounts run by abortion rights advocacy groups have found their posts or stories hidden with a warning that described the posts as sensitive content. Instagram said it was working to fix the problem Tuesday, describing it as a bug. In one example, Instagram covered a post on a page with more than 25,000 followers that shared text reading: Abortion in America How You Can Help. The post went on to encourage followers to donate money to abortion organizations and to protest the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to strip constitutional protections for abortion. The post was slapped with a warning from Instagram that covered the post, reading This photo may contain graphic or violent content. Instagrams latest snafu follows an Associated Press report that Facebook and Instagram were promptly deleting posts that offered to mail out abortion pills in states that restrict their use. The tech platforms said they were deleting the posts because they violated policies against selling or gifting certain products, including pharmaceuticals, drugs and firearms. Yet, the APs review found that similar posts offering to mail a gun or marijuana were not removed by Facebook. The company did not respond to questions about the discrepancy. Berlin photographer Zoe Noble runs the Instagram page that had its post referencing abortion blocked for viewing. The page, which celebrates women who decide not to have children, has been live for over a year. Monday was the first time a post mentioning abortion was restricted by Instagram, although Noble has mentioned it many times before. I was really confused because weve never had this happen before, and weve talked about abortion before, Noble said. I was really shocked that the word abortion seemed to be flagged. The platform offers no way for users to dispute the restriction. The AP identified nearly a dozen other posts that mentioned the word abortion and were subsequently covered up by Instagram. All of the posts were informational in nature, and none of the posts featured photos of abortions. An Instagram post by an AP reporter that asked people if they were experiencing the problem was also covered by the company on Tuesday, and required users to enter their age in order to view it. The AP inquired about the problem on Tuesday morning. Hours later, Instagrams communication department acknowledged the problem on Twitter, describing it as a glitch. A spokesman for Instagram-owner Meta Platforms Inc. said in an email that the company does not place age restrictions around its abortion content. Were hearing that people around the world are seeing our sensitivity screens, on many different types of content when they shouldnt be. Were looking into this bug and working on a fix now," the company tweeted. Tech companies like Meta can hide details about how posts or keywords have been promoted or hidden from view, said Brooke Erin Duffy, a professor at Cornell University who studies social media. This can all take place behind the scenes, and it can be attributed to a glitch, Duffy said. We dont know what happened. Thats whats chilling about this. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran and the United States began indirect talks Tuesday in Qatar aimed at finding a way to save Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, met with European Union official Enrique Mora in Doha after earlier meeting Qatari officials with Tehran's local ambassador. Mora will pass messages between the Americans and Iranians. Rob Malley, the U.S. special representative for Iran, arrived in Qatar on Monday night ahead of the talks. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar said Malley met with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss joint diplomatic efforts to address issues with Iran, but declined to immediately offer any other details about his trip. Qatar's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it welcomed" hosting the talks. It said the talks aimed to reestablish the deal in a way that supports and enhances security, stability and peace in the region and opens new horizons for broader regional cooperation and dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran and world powers agreed in 2015 to the nuclear deal, which saw Tehran drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord, raising tensions across the wider Middle East and sparking a series of attacks and incidents. Talks in Vienna about reviving the deal have been on a pause since March. Since the deals collapse, Iran has been running advanced centrifuges and rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Even as negotiators convened in Doha, Iran's nuclear chief on Tuesday confirmed that Iran had begun installing a new cascade of advanced centrifuges at its underground Fordo facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency earlier reported that Iran was planning to enrich uranium through a new chain of 166 advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the site. A cascade is a group of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium. We will follow measures according to the plans made, declared Eslami, without saying at which level the new cascade will be enriching. Earlier this month, Iran removed 27 surveillance cameras of the IAEA to pressure the West toward making a deal. The IAEA's director-general warned it could deal a fatal blow to the accord as Tehran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Nonproliferation experts warn Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% to make one nuclear weapon, should it decide to do so. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, though U.N. experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program through 2003. Building a nuclear bomb would still take Iran more time if it pursued a weapon, analysts say, though they warn Tehrans advances make the program more dangerous. Israel has threatened in the past that it would carry out a preemptive strike to stop Iran and already is suspected in a series of recent killings targeting Iranian officials. ___ Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW ORLEANS (AP) Judges temporarily blocked abortion bans Monday in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law sharply restricting the procedure would take effect there immediately as the battle over whether women may end pregnancies shifted from the nations highest court to courthouses around the country. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for a wave of litigation. One side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect, and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures. Much of Monday's court activity focused on trigger laws, adopted in 13 states that were designed to take effect swiftly upon last week's ruling. Additional lawsuits could also target old anti-abortion laws that were left on the books in some states and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling are also coming back into play. Well be back in court tomorrow and the next day and the next day, Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case that resulted in the high court ruling, said Friday. Rulings to put trigger laws on hold came swiftly in Utah and Louisiana. A Utah judge blocked that state's near-total abortion ban from going into effect for 14 days, to allow time for the court to hear challenges to the state's trigger law. Planned Parenthood had challenged the law, which contains narrow exceptions for rape, incest or the mother's health, saying the law violates the equal protection and privacy provisions in the state constitution. I think the immediate effects that will occur outweigh any policy interest of the state in stopping abortions, Utah Judge Andrew Stone said. In Louisiana, a judge in New Orleans, a liberal city in a conservative state, temporarily blocked enforcement of that state's trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. At least one of the state's three abortion clinics said it would resume performing procedures on Tuesday. Were going to do what we can, said Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women, in Shreveport. It could all come to a screeching halt. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch abortion opponent, vowed to fight the judge's ruling and enforce the law. We would remind everyone that the laws that are now in place were enacted by the people through State Constitutional Amendments and the LA Legislature, Landry tweeted Monday. In South Carolina, a federal court lifted its prior hold on an abortion restriction there, allowing the state to ban abortions after an ultrasound detects a heartbeat, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. There are exceptions if the womans life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Planned Parenthood said after the ruling that it will continue to perform abortions at its South Carolina clinics within the parameters of the new law. Also Monday, abortion rights advocates asked a Florida judge to block a new law there that bans the procedure after 15 weeks with some exceptions to save a mother's life or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality, but no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. The ACLU of Florida argued that the law violates the Florida Constitution. A ruling on that is expected Thursday a day before the law is scheduled to take effect. Abortion rights activists also went to court Monday to try to fend off restrictions in Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Mississippi, the state at the center of the Supreme Court ruling, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed an emergency motion there on Saturday seeking to block a 2021 law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. In Friday's ruling, the Supreme Court left it to the states to decide whether to allow abortion. The expectation is that this will result in years of legislative and judicial challenges," said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University law school. As of Saturday, abortion services had stopped in at least 11 states either because of state laws or confusion over them. In some cases, the lawsuits may only buy time. Even if courts block some restrictions from taking hold, lawmakers in many conservative states could move quickly to address any flaws cited. That's likely to be the case in Louisiana. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in state court dont deny that the state can now ban abortion. Instead, they contend Louisiana now has multiple, conflicting trigger mechanisms in the law. They also argue that state law is unclear on whether it bans an abortion prior to a fertilized egg implanting in the uterus. And while the law provides an exception for medically futile pregnancies in cases of fetuses with lethal abnormalities, the plaintiffs noted the law gives no definition of the term. Now that the high court has ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion, abortion rights groups are seeking protection under state constitutions. Challenges to trigger laws could be made on the grounds that the conditions to impose the bans have not been met, or that it was improper for a past legislature to bind the current one. James Bopp Jr., general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, said the wave of suits from abortion rights advocates is not surprising. We know that the abortion industry has basically unlimited funds, and its allies have basically unlimited funds, and of course theyre fanatical about abortion on demand throughout pregnancy, Bopp said in an interview. But he said that that the Supreme Court ruling should preclude abortion rights supporters from prevailing in any federal challenges. And he called efforts based on state constitutions fanciful. Still other cases could be filed as states try to sort out whether abortion bans in place before Roe was decided sometimes referred to as zombie laws apply now that there is no federal protection for abortion. For instance, Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 banning abortions except to save the life of the mother. Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he does not believe it is enforceable. Abortion opponents have called on lawmakers to impose a new ban. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it immediately suspended all abortions. In Michigan, Planned Parenthood challenged a 1931 abortion ban ahead of last week's Supreme Court ruling. In May, a judge said the ban could not be enforced because it violates the states constitution. Abortion rights supporters are now trying to get a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to protect abortion and birth control. Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas have adopted laws that allow people to seek bounties against those who help others get abortions. It is an open question as to whether that means people can be pursued across state lines, and legal challenges over the issue are likely to come up in cases of both surgical abortions and those involving medicine mailed to patients. The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed a bill Thursday to shield abortion providers and volunteers in the state from civil judgments imposed by other states. In liberal Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed an executive order Friday that prohibits state agencies from assisting other states investigations into anyone who receives a legal abortion in Massachusetts. Rhode Islands Democratic governor said he would sign a similar order. ___ Forliti reported from Minneapolis and Mulvihill from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Samuel Metz in Salt Lake City; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; and other AP reporters throughout the U.S. contributed to this report. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion. Before beginning the Fall 2022 semester at Texas A&M International University, incoming freshman and transfer students will take part in a time-honored campus tradition. Affectionately known as Dusty Camp, the two-day student orientation experience focuses on helping incoming students learn more about University services, academic expectations, and receive a first-hand experience of student life on campus. Students who havent registered for Dusty Camp can still sign up online by visiting go.tamiu.edu/dustycamp. To date, some 1,205 students are registered to attend. Five Dusty Camps are expected to take place throughout the summer months, with Monday kicking off the first two-day camp. Other sessions are scheduled for: Dusty Camp II: Monday, July 11 and Tuesday, July 12. Dusty Camp III: Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22. Dusty Camp IV: Thursday, July 28 and Friday, July 29. Dusty Camp V: Thursday, Aug. 4 and Friday, Aug. 5. Dusty Camp is led by Student Orientation Leaders, who help guide students throughout their Dusty Camp experience. This years OLs are Fatima Barrera, Elena Cano, Jorge Chacon, Daniella Delgado, Arizbeth Espinoza, Jesus Galaviz, Austin Garcia, Agustin Guzman, Alicia Huerta, Glenys Maldonado, Abigaely Perez, Daniel Perez, Yelenis Pino Del Barrio, Derly Rojo, Monica Urias, Mayela Villarreal and Christopher Zavala. We are excited to welcome the Class of 2026 with their first signature event at TAMIU: Dusty Camp. This innovative, two-day experience allows for our incoming class to develop their five senses of student success for their first year and beyond: their sense of capability, connectedness, purpose, resourcefulness, and understanding of our academic culture, said Dr. Nicholas Hudson, Student Orientation, Leadership and Engagement director. Through Dusty Camp, students will develop meaningful connections with their peers and the university as they begin their university experience, Hudson reiterated. Students build lifelong friendships and experience TAMIU traditions, thereby leading to an increased affinity for the University and aiding in their overall retention and degree completion. Not only is Dusty Camp memorable and a highlight of their time at TAMIU, but it is also purposefully structured to allow students to create their own unique TAMIU experience. Students leave equipped with connections to faculty and staff, an understanding of available resources and an appreciation for TAMIU that we hope lasts a lifetime, Hudson explained. Dustdevil Transition, a one-day orientation session aimed at preparing students who are transferring to the university from another higher education institution, is also scheduled to take place. The transfer session is happening Friday, July 8. Transfer students should sign up by visiting go.tamiu.edu/transfer-orientation. In-person parent and family-only orientation sessions are also scheduled and will be delivered in both English and Spanish. Session topics include learning more about financial aid, campus safety and student success. All sessions take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first session began on Monday for English speakers. Five more parent and family-orientation sessions are expected to take place during the following dates: Monday, July 11 (English). Thursday, July 21 (English and Spanish). Thursday, July 28 (English). Thursday, Aug. 4 (English). Thursday, Aug. 18 (English and Spanish). Parents and families can register for the upcoming sessions by visiting go.tamiu.edu/parent-orientation. TAMIUs Fall 2022 Registration is now underway. For detailed registration information, visit news.tamiu.edu/fall22. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Late registration ends Friday, Aug. 26. For more information on Dusty Camp, contact the Office of Student Orientation, Leadership and Engagement at 956-326-2280, email sole@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the University Success Center, Suite 224. University news and information can also be found online at tamiu.edu and on TAMIUs social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. A group of abortion providers from around the Lone Star State filed a lawsuit Monday against Attorney General Ken Paxton and several other state and local officials over what they say are conflicting state laws banning the medical procedure. An initial hearing on the new legal challenge, filed in Harris Countys 269th state District Court, will be livestreamed at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on the courts website. Hours after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections Friday, Paxton issued a legal advisory arguing that Texas district attorneys could immediately file criminal charges based on an existing statute outlawing abortion that is technically still on the books in Texas, despite a court ruling questioning its validity. The law, originally passed in 1925, had since been ruled unconstitutional by the landmark Roe v. Wade, the same case overturned by the Supreme Court just days ago. The providers are asking 269th state District Court Judge Cory Sepolio to temporarily repeal the 1925 abortion ban so they can continue providing what were previously legal abortions before the states trigger laws go into effect 30 days after the Supreme Court officially releases its judgment. Once Paxtons advisory was released, abortion providers across Texas immediately canceled appointments in fear of being prosecuted, attorneys for the providers argued in their petition filed Monday afternoon. "Mr. Paxtons and the Texas Legislatures attempts to greenlight the immediate prosecution of abortion providers based on violations of the Pre-Roe ban must not stand," attorneys wrote in the suit. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In 1973, the law was transferred from the Texas penal code to the states civil statutes and deemed unenforceable after Roe was decided. Ever since, it failed to appear in the states official record of statutes, called Vernons Civil Statutes, attorneys said. Indeed, an archived version of the record from February 2022 before the Supreme Court overturned Roe shows it was nowhere to be found. But an official version accessed Monday includes the 1925 law in the code. However, despite Paxtons urging for prosecutors to file criminal charges related to abortions, the code now also has an annotation announcing it was "impliedly repealed" by another abortion case in 2004 that has yet to be overruled. That case, McCorvey v. Hill, started when Roes original plaintiffwhose real name is Norma McCorveyasked the federal courts to reverse their decision in the landmark Roe. The Fifth Circuit of Appeals ruled McCorvey waited too long to request the case be reversed. Attorneys for the abortion providers argue that because the statue had been off the books and unenforceable for decades, it should be invalidated. They also claim the states trigger laws would be inconsistent with the 1925 law, creating a potential problem surrounding due process. The American Civil Liberties Union and its Texas counterpart, along with the Center for Reproductive Rights which won a temporary halt on abortion restrictions in Louisiana on Monday, helped filed the suit. Susan Walsh/Associated Press "Abortion services stopped immediately in Texas last week after the Supreme Courts crushing decision, but we will fight to maintain access for as long as we can," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "Every day, every hour that abortion remains legal in Texas is a chance for more people to get the care they need. The clinics we represent want to help as many patients as they can, down to the last minute." The list of plaintiffs includes: Whole Womans Health, Whole Womans Health Alliance, Alamo Womens Reproductive Services, Austin Womens Health Center, Houston Womens Clinic, Houston Womens Reproductive Services, and Southwestern Womens Surgery Center. As of Monday afternoon, the defendants which include Paxton, key members of the state's health and medical boards, and several district attorneys including Kim Ogg had yet to formally respond to the lawsuit, according to Harris County court records. Mukesh Ambani has resigned as a Director in Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited with the company's Board on Tuesday approving his elder son Akash Ambani's appointment as the Chairman. In regulatory filing, Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of the Reliance group, said the Board of Directors at its meeting held on Monday "approved the appointment of Akash Ambani, Non-executive Director, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company". The company also said the Board "noted the resignation of Mukesh Ambani as Director of the company effective from close of working hours on June 27". The Board also approved the appointment of Pankaj Mohan Pawar as the Managing Director for a period of five years commencing from June 27, subject to shareholders' approval. The company also said the Board approved the appointment of Raminder Singh Gujral and K.V. Chowdary as Additional Directors, designated as Independent Directors, for a period of five years commencing from June 27, subject to shareholders' approval. Local News, Seasonal & Current Events By Chris Boyle Published: June 28 2022 Come and watch extremely rare aircraft, featuring the museums squadron of vintage WWII bombers and fighters, as they perform exciting flight demonstrations. In a patriotic salute to American Airpower, the American Airpower Museum will host a series of Warbird Weekends on selected Saturdays (weather permitting) for the remainder of their 2022 flying season, July 16th through October 29th. Come and watch extremely rare aircraft, featuring the museums squadron of vintage WWII bombers and fighters, as they perform exciting flight demonstrations. The American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport is Long Islands only flying military aviation museum. The American Airpower Museum (AAM) maintains a fleet of operational historic WWII aircraft. Weather permitting, the museum may fly one or more of the planes in our collection; a North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber, Douglas C-47B Skytrain Transport, Grumman TBM Avenger Torpedo Bomber, North American P-51D Mustang, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, North American AT-6 Texan Trainer and a WACO UPF-7 Biplane. Visitors will have the opportunity to see these iconic aircraft in action as they start their engines, taxi to the runway and take to the sky over Long Island as they did over 80 years ago. Bring your cameras to catch amazing photos of the planes as they roar by overhead. In addition to watching exciting flyovers, visitors can actually take a once-in-a-lifetime flight in one of three aircraft, a C-47B Skytrain, AT-6 Texan or red WACO Biplane! Folks interested in flying should stop by and book their flight! For information on flight experiences throughout the Warbird Weekends flying season (weather permitting), please visit the museum gift shop Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY. Or call Jacky at (516) 531-3950. Museum hours each Saturday during Warbird Weekends are 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call AAM first at (631) 454-2039 to check if planes are flying, or go to AAMs website and check Events and Activities. Admission for adults is $15, seniors and veterans $12, and children 5-12 $10. Tickets and pre-registration not required for regular admission. Museum visitors will enjoy food offerings including hot dogs, beverages, snacks and assorted refreshments! So, hang out with your family and friends at Hangar 3, grab lunch and enjoy exciting aviation action all day long! (Rain dates on Sundays.) (Correcting the description of Baron to reflect the relinquishment of its legacy licence block XXI in Peru earlier this month.) Baron Oil PLC - oil and gas exploration company with assets in the UK and Timor-Leste - Ahead of Tuesday's annual general meeting, Baron reports "significant" progress at 75% owned Chuditch asset in Timor-Leste, with reprocessing of the 3D seismic data now complete. Continues to engage with "multiple" potential farm-in partners for the asset. Progresses work on UK Offshore License P2478, in which it has a 32% interest, and achieves a "significant uplift" in data quality in 3D and 2D seismic reprocessing. Notes UK windfall tax could lead to oil and gas companies re-engaging in exploration drilling, which would be positive for the chances of its Dunrobin prospect. Rising oil prices will also be to Dunrobin's favour, Baron says. Current stock price: 0.075 pence 12-month change: down 17% By Elizabeth Winter; elizabethwinter@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Jadestone Energy PLC - Perth-based oil and gas development company with assets in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines - Hires SBM Offshore's Bert-Jaap Dijkstra as its new chief financial officer and director, effective on September 1. Dijkstra has held a number of finance and management roles since 2013 at SBM Offshore, most recently as group treasurer and director of Investor Relations. President Paul Blakeley says: "We're delighted to welcome Bert-Jaap to the Jadestone team as CFO following a thorough search process. He brings deep and relevant experience of capital markets and the upstream sector, and his impressive track record of executing significant financing solutions in the oil and gas industry will be invaluable to Jadestone as we seek further accretive growth in the Asia-Pacific region." Jadestone says Dijkstra will relocate with his family to Singapore in line with the company's strategy of ensuring that senior management are positioned close to its assets and finance teams in the Asia-Pacific region. Current stock price: up 1.2% at 82.97 pence each on Tuesday 12-month change: up 14% By Xindi Wei; xindiwei@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Shares in Jangada Mines PLC fell on Tuesday after the mining company said its Pitomberias vanadium project in Brazil may need additional funding, and it cautioned on an uncertain timeline to production. Shares in Jangada Mines were down 19% at 3.78 pence each on Tuesday morning in London. Jangada said it was "pleased" with the "great" progress with the 100%-owned Pitomberias Vanadium project in Brazil during the year. However, the company cautioned that additional funding will be required for the Pitombeiras project as it moves towards production, a key goal for the group. As a result, Jangada is engaged in an ongoing assessment and will consider the sourcing of funding over the next three to nine months. The timing of construction of the plant is currently unknown, and the company cautioned it was too early to say definitively whether the project would move into production in 2022. The project has a total resource estimate of 5.70 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.51% vanadium pentoxide, 10.09% titanium dioxide, and 50.42% ferric oxide. Since the year-end, a technical report also confirmed the economic viability of the project. Jangada said the project has "excellent potential to become a profitable producer" of ferro-vanadium concentrate, despite warning on its funding and production timeline. In addition, the Brazil-focused firm said to swung to profit in 2021 on lower costs. It swung to a pretax profit of USD92,000 from a loss of USD2.3 million in the 18 months ended December 31, 2020. Administration expenses were 20% lower at USD864,000 from USD1.1 million. Like the prior financial year, Jangada posted no revenue. By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who was supposed to appear before Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a prevention of money laundering case linked to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra chawl land scam on Tuesday, is likely to skip the questioning. Refusing to join the probe, he dared the anti-money laundering agency to arrest him. The ED, which took Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosale into custody this morning in connection with DHFL-Yes Bank case, wants to grill Raut in this matter too, as per sources. They claimed that Patra Chawl case of ED is also linked to DHFL case. On Monday, the central probe agency had asked Raut to appear in its Mumbai office the following day to get his statement recorded. Soon after receiving the summons, Raut took to Twitter and alleged that he was being victimised on the instructions of the Centre. "I just came to know that the ED has summoned me. Good! There are big political developments in Maharashtra. We, Balasaheb's Shiv Sainiks are fighting a big battle. This is a conspiracy to stop me. Even if you behead me, I won't take the Guwahati route. Arrest me," Raut had tweeted. In April, the ED had attached Raut's property in connection with the land scam. A property worth Rs 9 crore of Raut's associate Pravin Raut and assets worth Rs 2 crore belonging to Varsha Raut, the wife of Sanjay Raut, were attached by the ED. Pravin had eight parcels of land in Alibaug and a flat registered in the name of Varsha Raut which were attached. The ED had arrested Pravin in connection with the matter. "We had filed a charge sheet in the matter against Pravin, Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Wadhawan of HDIL and Guru Ashish Construction and others were named as an accused in the charge sheet," said an ED official. During the probe, the ED that Pravin allegedly paid Rs 55 lakh to Varsha. This was paid from the bank account of Pravin's wife. The money was termed "proceeds" of crime by the ED. It was also alleged that the travel expenses of Sanjay Raut were borne by Pravin which included his hotel stay and air tickets. (Alliance News) - Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC said on Tuesday it signed a supply agreement with Mexican bread manufacturer Grupo Bimbo for its d2p antimicrobial technology. Shares in Symphony were up 17% at 18.72 pence on Tuesday in London. The Borehamwood, Hertfordshire-based plastics and rubber technology developer said the agreement represent a "major commercial advance" for its d2p antimicrobial technology used in the plastic film of bread packaging. Symphony will supply its d2p antimicrobial masterbatch to Grupo Bimbo's nominated bread packaging manufacturer across the American continent for three years. The company did not disclose any financial details of the deal but said the supply of d2p in the US, Canada and Mexico will be exclusive. Grupo Bimbo has first-refusal for other countries in the Americas, it added. "I am grateful to our board and shareholders for their support for this very challenging research & development project. Its successful conclusion and commercial adoption, makes a big difference to the company, and lays the foundation for our FDA approved, d2p antimicrobial bread packaging for the whole world - not just in the Americas," said Chief Executive Michael Laurier. In 2020 and 2021, the company obtained regulatory approvals from the US Food & Drug Administration for its d2p anitmicrobial technology for the use in plastic films for bread packaging. By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's bid to effectively tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first Commons hurdle, with no Tory MPs voting against it despite warnings the plans are illegal. MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. Voting lists showed that dozens of Conservative MPs abstained, joining former prime minister Theresa May, who made clear she would not support the legislation as she warned it would "diminish" the UK's global standing and delivered a withering assessment of its legality and impact. Following the result, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted the bill, which gives ministers powers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, "provides practical solutions to problems caused by the Protocol and protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement". "While a negotiated outcome remains our preference the EU must accept changes to the Protocol itself," she added. The prime minister earlier claimed the proposed legislation could be carried out "fairly rapidly", with the proposals in law by the end of the year. The government is aiming to fast-track the bill through the Commons before parliament's summer recess. However, some MPs who opted not to block it at second reading appear likely to seek amendments, and the House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses. The EU has also launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the government's move. Johnson's government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability. "What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement," he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany. "You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really aren't working in a way that they like or understand, you've got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. "All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market." Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Johnson said: "Yes, I think we could do it very fast, parliament willing." He said it would be "even better" if we could "get some of that flexibility we need in our conversations with Maros Sefcovic", the European Commission vice-president. The prime minister added: "We remain optimistic." Truss attempted to downplay concerns of MPs by saying the bill has a "strong legal justification" and the UK remains committed to seeking a negotiated solution. But leading the criticism from the Tory benches, May told the Commons: "The UK's standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions. "As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world. "I have to say to the government, this bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the UK in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it." Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith also said: "I fear that this bill is a kind of displacement activity from the core task of doing whatever we can to negotiate a better protocol deal for Northern Ireland. "I also fear that it risks creating an impression to unionism that a black-and-white solution is available, when the reality is once this bill has been dragged through the Lords, and courts, and EU responses and reprisals, compromise will ultimately be needed." But Conservative former justice secretary Robert Buckland said there is necessity for the government to act because there is a growing and "real threat". Unionist opposition to the imposition of checks has seen the Democratic Unionist Party refuse to return to the powersharing executive at Stormont, leaving the region without a functioning government. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson acknowledged the bill is not perfect but said: "It empowers ministers to make change where change is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the UK internal market." Donaldson, ahead of the debate, also warned the Lords that blocking the legislation would be akin to "wrecking the Good Friday Agreement". A Number 10 spokesman said on Monday that the government had never put a "hard target date" on when it would hope to see the Bill enacted. source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Tuesday and not separately reported by Alliance News: ---------- Novacyt SA - Surrey-based biotechnology group focused on clinical diagnostics - Launches research-use-only monkeypox assay, as cases of the viral disease rise in non-endemic nations. "The launch of this assay expands Novacyt's genesig real-time PCR diagnostic product portfolio and is in line with the Company's strategy to maintain its position as a global first responder in infectious diseases," company explains. Company had previously developed Covid-19 assays. ---------- Tribal Group PLC - Bristol, England education software and services - Wins three further cloud contracts with University of Sunderland, Birmingham City University and University for the Creative Arts - all existing customers. Tribal will migrate their current Tribal Student Management Systems SITS:Vision to the Tribal:Cloud, offering an "improved student experience and delivering operational efficiencies for the universities". The deals range from three to five years and have a total value of GBP5 million. In addition, company signs new five-year SITS:Vision contract with the British University of Vietnam. Pact has total value of GBP1.7 million. Tribal now expects revenue for 2022 to be ahead of current board expectations and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation "broadly in line". "H1 Ebitda will be lower than the prior year due primarily to increased costs associated with a major customer implementation, following the extension of project timelines as a result of earlier Covid-19 related travel restrictions. However, Ebitda performance is expected to recover through the course of the second half, reflecting the group's continued focus on improved operational performance," Tribal adds. Will release interim results on August 16. ---------- Christie Group PLC - provider of professional and financial services, stock and inventory services to several sectors - Instructed to sell portfolio of 111 freehold care homes on behalf of Four Seasons Health Care Group. The properties are located in England, Scotland and Jersey and are trading under either Four Seasons Health Care or brighterkind brands. "This is the Four Seasons Health Care Group's remaining freehold property portfolio and associated care home business, thus being a key milestone in the group's ongoing restructuring process," Christie says. Process to be conducted by agency and advisory unit Christie & Co. "Christie & Co expects the portfolio to be of interest to a range of buyers, including corporate buyers and investors, regional groups, and SME operators all of whom are looking for growth opportunities via acquisition," company adds. ---------- Creo Medical Group PLC - Chepstow, Wales-based medical devices for surgical endoscopy - Expects high vaccination rates in US and Europe to lessen impact of Covid on operations in 2022, as Creo's commercialisation of endoscopy devices "continues at pace". Endoscopy procedures look at the inside of a patient's body. They are inserted into organs or orifices in the body. "Our momentum from 2021 has carried over with strong trading in the year to date, and the group continues to innovate, educate clinicians and to commercialise. The board looks forward to further updating shareholders during 2022 on important product advancements and meaningful commercial progress. The solid progress made over the past year underpins the board's continued confidence in the group's opportunities in 2022 and beyond," Chair Charles Spicer says. ---------- Firering Strategic Minerals PLC - operator of Atex dual lithium-tantalum project in Ivory Coast - Begins diamond drilling at "potentially lithium bearing pegmatite targets" at Atex asset. Chief Executive Yuval Cohen says: "This first phase of our diamond drilling programme, we believe, will confirm the presence of lithium bearing pegmatites and assist us in our goal to achieve a maiden resource estimate for Atex once all the drilling phases have been completed." Cohen continues: "With the price of lithium remaining robust, now is the time to push ahead at Atex, to meet the forecasted demand for lithium-ion batteries to fuel the [electric vehicle] and energy storage revolution." Ltihium-ion batteries are key components of electric vehicles. ---------- Hamak Gold Ltd - British Virgin Islands-based gold exploration firm focused on Liberia - Says rock chip samples from Nimba asset in Liberia are "positive". Two samples return grades of 45.5 grammes per tonne gold and 37.3 g/t gold. "The positive rock samples are located where significant gold in soil anomalies were recently reported from Nimba Block-1 and confirm the presence of bedrock gold," Hamak says. ---------- Getech Group PLC - Leeds, England-based green hydrogen company - Signs five-year extension to geospatial services contract with customer of its transitional petroleum division. New pact has total value of GBP1.7 million. "Services provided by Getech will include the design, implementation and management of geospatial operating systems that are essential for aboveground safety, environmental protection, and security on a large and complex asset," Getech says. "Adjusting the end-2021 order book position for contracts that have since converted to revenue in H1 2022, this new contract delivers significant growth in the value of Getech's current total order book - adding material recurring revenue over the next five years." ---------- CleanTech Lithium PLC - Jersey-based lithium exploration and development company focused on Chile - Applies for 119 new exploration licences in northern Chile, which constitute the Llamara project. "The Llamara project is located within the highly prospective Lithium Triangle in Chile, 600 kilometres north of the company's two flagship projects, Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin," CleanTech says. "The projects relatively low altitude of 1,100 metres allows for year-round exploration which can continue during the winter break in site operations at Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin." Says initial work programme, which will include geophysics, will determine drilling targets. ---------- Hydrogen Utopia International PLC - London-based waste-to-hydrogen company - Says design of waste plastic to hydrogen system reaches "advanced stage" and programme of testing to begin. Firm has been working with Electron Technologies BV in the Netherlands since May of last year on design of unique thermal processing system for conversion of waste plastics to hydrogen. "Electron and HUI have considered the thermochemistry of the entire process from basic principles and the equipment design has been developed accordingly," Hydrogen Utopia adds. "Electron, with HUI's help, is currently sourcing suitable plastic material to use in the tests, which are expected to take place next month." ---------- By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Nicola Sturgeon has insisted "now is the time for independence" as she unveiled plans to hold a second referendum on Scotland's place in the UK on October 19 2023. The Scottish First Minister outlined plans to hold a consultative vote on that date, with her government publishing a Bill to enable a second referendum. She also revealed to MSPs at Holyrood that Scotland's most senior law officer, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain will refer the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill to the UK Supreme Court, to see if such a vote would be legal. However, Boris Johnson has insisted the focus should be on the economy, as he argued the UK would have a "stronger economy and stronger country together". A Number 10 spokesman made clear the prime minister continues to believe it is "not the time to be talking about" a second referendum on Scottish independence. The spokesman said: "Our position remains unchanged that both ours and the Scottish Government's priority should be working together with a relentless focus on the issues that we know matter to people up and down the country." Johnson, meanwhile, said that while he would study the Scottish First Minister's plans "the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy". "I haven't seen exactly what she's said yet," he told reporters as he travelled to Madrid for the Nato summit. "We will study it very carefully and we will respond properly. "The focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy, that's what we're doing with our plan for a stronger economy and I certainly think that we'll be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together." Sturgeon argued it was time for Scots to "debate and decide the future of our country". In a statement to Holyrood she said: "Now is the time to get Scotland on the right path, the path chosen by those who live here. "Now is the the time for independence". She said while she had a "clear democratic mandate" for another referendum, the UK Government was "regrettably refusing to respect Scottish democracy". Opposition MSPs in Holyrood accused Sturgeon of putting the "priorities of Scots on the backburner" to focus instead on her independence "obsession". Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross was also clear his party will not participate in an illegal referendum. Sturgeon, however, said her plans provided for an "indisputably lawful" referendum to take place. In the event the court rules the proposals are outside of the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, the next general election will become "de facto referendum" on independence, she said She continued: "If it does transpire that there is no lawful way for this Parliament to give the people of Scotland the choice of independence in a referendum, and if the UK Government continues to deny a section 30 order, my party will face the UK general election on this single question: should Scotland be an independent country?" But Ross said the First Minister's "selfish obsession" with another "divisive" referendum has taken precedence over issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and NHS waiting times. "A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland," he said. He added: "We won't play Nicola Sturgeon's games. We won't take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done. "Real work on the global cost-of-living crisis, real work to invest in public services, real work to rebuild our economy. "Those are our priorities and they're the priorities of people across Scotland as well. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the First Minister's timing was wrong in launching the campaign while the Covid-19 pandemic was still causing people to lose their lives. He said: "For households across Scotland, it doesn't feel like this crisis is over. "Isn't it the case that the pandemic Nicola that said she wanted us to pull us through is gone, and the partisan Nicola Sturgeon that wants to divide our country is back, pursuing a referendum that two-thirds of Scots don't want right now." Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asked Sturgeon why her "fixation with breaking up the UK will always trump the needs of the people in the country". On Tuesday evening, the Supreme Court confirmed it had received a "reference" by the Lord Advocate under its devolution jurisdiction. In the first stage, it will be considered by Supreme Court president Lord Reed of Allermuir. He will decide whether there are preliminary matters to be addressed, when the case will be heard, how many Justices will consider the reference, and which Justices will sit on the bench. source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (l-r) 2nd Lieutenant Anthony Marturano of Penn College, 2nd Lieutenant Boyer Download Image: Web Lycoming College 2022 graduate Erika Boyer of East Greenville, Pa., was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves and was assigned to the Quartermaster Corps at a commissioning ceremony in May. As an ROTC cadet, Boyer participated in weekly classes, physical training, monthly leadership labs, and a field training exercise every semester, all while keeping pace with her academic commitments. She graduated from Lycoming College in May with a major in criminal justice and minors in psychology and sociology. Boyer was also a student athlete at Lycoming, playing for the womens lacrosse team. Upon commissioning, she committed to eight years of service. We are very proud of Erika and all of her accomplishments. As an ROTC cadet and Lycoming College student, Erika was exposed to a breadth of knowledge as she prepared to lead soldiers in her new position with the U.S. Army Reserves, said Chip Edmonds, executive vice president of Lycoming College. Her preparation as a criminal justice and criminology major, coupled with her ROTC training, will serve her well as she launches her career in service to our country and community. The Bald Eagle Battalion was happy to welcome back Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt as the guest speaker for the event. A 1987 graduate of Lock Haven University, Piatt was a member of the Bald Eagle Battalion as a student, and has held numerous positions in the armed forces, as well as written books based on his experiences. The Lycoming College Army ROTC program is part of the Bald Eagle Battalion, headquartered at Lock Haven University, where the commissioning ceremony was held. In addition to Lycoming College members, Bald Eagle Battalion is comprised of members from Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. More information on ROTC at Lycoming College is available at https://www.lycoming.edu/rotc. The National Police are investigating the death of a person whose charred body was discovered after a fire at a property in Coll d'en Rabassa, Palma. The body was found in an outhouse. On the plot were various items, including cars. The fire affected both the building and an exterior area. Forensic police sealed off the area and are investigating whether the person was intoxicated by smoke and passed out and was subsequently burned. Digging wells to access or filter drinking water is a relatively rare behavior in the animal kingdom only a handful of species have been documented to do so. Researchers from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Uganda provide the first report of habitual well-digging in a rainforest-living group of East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii); they suggest that this behavior may have been imported into the communitys behavioral repertoire by an immigrant female chimpanzee. Water, a resource of universal relevance, is rarely considered a concealed resource; it is usually directly accessible from surfaces, cavities, or other types of containers, said first author Hella Peter, a Ph.D. student in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews and the School of Anthropology and Conservation at the University of Kent, and colleagues. However, water is also present beneath the surface, where access is only possible through the creation of wells. Some species have been documented to regularly exploit concealed water. Reports include those on African elephants, warthogs and various equids, such as feral horses and donkeys, khulan, mountain zebras and plains zebra. In their research, Peter and co-authors analyzed the behavior of East African chimpanzees in the Waibira community in Uganda. The well-digging was first observed in Onyofi, a young immigrant female who arrived in 2015 and was immediately very proficient, suggesting she perhaps grew up in a well-digging community. Since then several other young Waibira chimpanzees and adult females have been seen digging wells. No adult males were observed digging, however, they regularly use the wells dug by others. Onyofis well-digging attracted a lot of attention from the other chimpanzees in the group, and she was carefully watched both by young chimps and other adults, suggesting that when she arrived the behavior was novel to the Waibira community. Her wells seem popular, with other chimpanzees drinking from them directly, or using chewed up leaves or moss, demonstrating that there seems to be some added benefit to well-water. The presence of the behavior also highlights the importance of water as a resource, even for rainforest living populations. With increasing change in the climate, behavioral adaptations to changes in rainfall may allow groups like Waibira to continue to thrive even when their local habitat starts to change. Well digging is usually done to access water in very dry habitats in chimpanzees, we only know about three savannah living groups who do so, Peter said. What weve seen in Waibira is a bit different from those groups. First, they live in a rainforest, so most people assume getting water shouldnt be a challenge but it looks like the yearly few months of dry season is enough to cause some trouble for them! Whats also interesting is that the wells all appear next to open water, so the purpose of them is likely filtering, not reaching the water the chimpanzees might get cleaner or differently flavored water from a well, which is fascinating. One of the most interesting things was seeing the other chimpanzees responses to Onyofis digging even large dominant males would politely wait for her to finish digging and drinking, and only then go and borrow her well, which is pretty unusual around such a valuable resource, said senior author Dr. Catherine Hobaiter, a researcher in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews and the Budongo Conservation Field Station. Were curious to see what happens once some of the young males who can dig grow older maybe they will be acceptable teachers for the big males, and theyll stop relying on others to dig wells for them. The study was published in the journal Primates. _____ H. Peter et al. Well-digging in a community of forest-living wild East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Primates, published online June 6, 2022; doi: 10.1007/s10329-022-00992-4 Gerardo Perez is the president of Faconauto, the Spanish association of car dealers. In Palma for a meeting with the Confederation of Balearic Business Associations, he said on Monday that deadlines for transition to electric cars "have never been realistic". "We have always advocated that transition be orderly and fair. A huge and high-power charging infrastructure is needed as well as time for technological development and a fall in the price of electric cars. Only 4.7% of sales in the Balearics are electric. In Spain it is 3%. The government is telling people that they have to buy a car for which there is insufficient infrastructure. "Administrations say that they can't undertake investment and that this has to be done by private businesses. But the businesses reply that as there aren't enough cars, they can't do this. It's a Catch-22 situation. We are asking for realism. The Spanish government has set up a working group to implement charging infrastructure throughout Spain, but this is three years too late. We have been under pressure to sell this type of car for three years, so this shows that the house has started from the roof. "There are 23,000 chargers on public roads in Spain and 350,000 would be needed. Of the 23,000, most are low capacity. They take four or five hours to charge the car, so it doesn't make any sense to have these chargers on the street. But a high-capacity one costs over 100,000 euros. Who is going to make that sort of investment with a fleet of 70,000 electric cars out of a total 26 million? The administrations are forcing a technology without knowing who is going to invest in it. It may be the future, but at the moment it is not the present. "In some northern European countries, income is getting on for double that in Spain. It's regrettable that the best-selling vehicle in this country is a used car over ten years old. An electric one costs between 35,000 and 60,000 euros on average. Even in Germany, where there is higher income, they are not going to meet deadlines set by Brussels because they can't be fulfilled. In southern European countries the situation will remain more acute if cars don't become cheaper. Politicians have to take their foot off the accelerator because they are putting Spanish and European industry in a very difficult situation. "This has all been born out of an ideological element having been added to the issue of sustainability. It is waving an ideological flag when the circumstances do not even exist for it to become a reality. When that ideological component is removed, the deadlines will be different." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade elicited strong reactions both positive and negative as the ruling meant abortion is no longer a constitutional right. State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, said leaving abortion regulation up to the individual states essentially leaves it up to the voters, which is "probably the way it should be." "I know people are emotional on both sides, but in the middle of all that, there is a process. They turned it back to the states, we've got this 1931 law, but the process also includes the people and a ballot initiative," he said. "What I'm assuming is going to happen on that front is no matter what the courts decide, in November the people of Michigan will be deciding whether there will be abortion or not. "In November, we'll let the people decide." A dormant 1931 law bans nearly all abortions in Michigan, but it hasn't been enforced since Roe v. Wade, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Anticipating that Roe could be overturned, Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit challenging Michigans ban. A state judge suspended the law in May, saying it violates the states constitution. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, hailed the decision. Rebecca Amidon, Manistee County Democratic Party vice chair, said outlawing abortions is dangerous. "Let's be very clear: Ending Roe does not end abortions," she said. "It ends access to safe and legal abortions for vulnerable communities nationwide." The sentiment was shared by the state of Michigan's chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian. "If women and doctors are under threat of prosecution and jail time due to Michigans abortion ban, women will have a more difficult time accessing critical health care," she said in a news release. "And with abortion not legally available, women are more likely to undergo unregulated procedures that can jeopardize their future reproductive health and in some cases be life-threatening." Rachel Roe, Munson Healthcares chief legal officer, said Munson will work to adapt to the effects of Friday's decision, whatever they may be. Fridays decision by the U. S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe versus Wade will have an undeniable impact on patients, providers and healthcare systems around the nation, including northern Michigan," she said in an email. "The path forward and scope of this change is still uncertain, but Munson Healthcare is committed to supporting our health care team in navigating this new landscape." For now, Munson's current practices remain in place, Roe said. "We are closely monitoring the two pending Michigan lawsuits and will be prepared to provide clarity when a dispositive ruling on the Michigan law is issued so that our healthcare team remains able to make scientific, evidenced-based care decisions that align with the law and ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of our patients," she said in an email. "... We will continue to update our health care team as this situation evolves. Amidon said outlawing abortion can negatively impact women who want to have children, too. "I do not want to be investigated for having a miscarriage," she said. "I do not want to wait until I'm dying of sepsis from an ectopic pregnancy before I'm allowed to terminate my pregnancy. By then, it's often too late." Bagdasarian said decisions about whether to end or continue a pregnancy should be made by a woman "with the counsel of her family, her faith and her doctor not politics." As a physician, I know that the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn nearly half a century of precedent protecting safe, legal abortion violates the trusted relationship between a patient and their doctor," Bagdasarian said in the release. "This ruling completely supersedes and overrides a woman's ability to dictate her health care in consultation with her physician. And it clears a path for draconian laws like Michigans 1931 criminal abortion ban to take full effect." Nancy Brown, secretary of Right to Life of Manistee County, said she supported the Supreme Court's decision. "I am really not surprised, because this is something that should have never been constitutional in the first place with the federal constitution," she said. "This is something that should be left up to the voters of the state. I'm very, very happy with that." Whitmer also filed suit asking the states Supreme Court to declare the 1931 law unconstitutional, according to the Associated Press. Michigan abortion rights supporters hope to put the issue on ballots this fall. Their proposed constitutional amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and other reproductive services such as birth control. The Reproductive Freedom for All committee needs to collect about 425,000 valid voter signatures by July 11 to make the November ballot. The measure would become law if voters approved it. The issue also is expected to shape statewide elections Whitmer and Nessel are both up for reelection in the fall and legislative races. "We are really going to have to fight hard for Michigan to be for life. We have a very aggressively pro-abortion attorney general and governor," Brown said. "I would really like to see the people in this state embrace life; embrace supporting mothers and families; and embrace supporting women of all ages with the love, care and financial support that they need." Amidon said she considers the Supreme Court's decision "a devastating blow to Americans' fundamental freedom to make their own health care decisions." "It can't be overstated: This decision is a direct result of the GOP's decades-long, radical war on reproductive health care and the right to choose," she said. "Now, with Roe v. Wade overturned, Republicans in statewide elected positions like GOP-controlled state legislatures like Michigan's are already taking steps to make abortion illegal." Amidon said Michigan Democrats are "our last line of defense against attacks on reproductive rights in the state of Michigan." "We must elect a majority of Democrats in state legislature, re-elect Gov. Whitmer and Attorney General Nessel in November, because our lives depend on it," Amidon said. "... While Democrats are focused on lowering costs, bolstering health care options and investing in Michigan's communities, Republicans are more interested in banning abortions and taking away our civil rights. "We have to vote like our lives depend on it." O'Malley said he is waiting to see what unfolds in the aftermath of Friday's Supreme Court decision. "There are so many plates spinning right now and balls in the air, I don't think we need another one. ... A lot of people are introducing things and saying things should happen, but there is a process there let's let it play out," he said. "I think it's going to play out rather quickly. I don't think this is something that's going to take eight months to figure out." The Fourth of July is a day for celebration for many, and those celebrations often involve fireworks. While each individual municipality is responsible for creating their own fireworks ordinance in the state of Michigan, public safety officers from both Benzie and Manistee counties said there are some are some basic safety practices that should be followed no matter when, or where, fireworks are involved. Benzie County Sheriff Kyle Rosa recommends people leave fireworks displays up to the professionals, even though consumer grade fireworks were made legal in Michigan in 2011. Commercial type fireworks can be bought, but they should be left in the hands of professionals when it comes to setting them off, Rosa said. Too many accidents can happen. Rosa gave an example of a young man who was killed and another seriously injured during a fireworks incident in Benzie County earlier in the year. Mark Cameron, fire chief for the City of Manistee Fire Department, said if people plan to set off fireworks for the Fourth of July, or any holiday, it should be done under adult supervision. Always have adults supervising children if theyre lighting fireworks, even if it is just sparklers, Cameron said. They can burn at 1,200 degrees and can cause severe burns. Make sure children keep them away from their faces. Cameron also suggests keeping a five-gallon bucket of water or other water source handy when using fireworks. When the fireworks are done, put them in the water so they dont have the chance to smolder or cause a fire, he said. If a firework is lit but does not go off, put it in the water so it doesnt ignite later. Cameron said fireworks should only be used on private property with the permission of the property owner, and to be aware of the surrounding area. Dont light fireworks off in crowded areas like a public beach, or elsewhere they can hit other people, he said. Be cautious with projectile type fireworks and watch so they dont land on a roof or grassy area where they can catch fire. Frankfort Police Chief Rob Lozowski said people are responsible for damage done by fireworks once they leave the ground, no matter where they may land. It is legal to light these fireworks off from private property, the person lighting it off is criminally and civilly liable for whatever happens if that projectile hits or catches something on fire when it comes down, Lozowski said. Keep kids and pets away from fireworks, said Rosa. Stay away from alcohol and drugs; mixing them with explosives is never a good combination. Rosa also said while it may be legal to set off fireworks at certain times depending on where they are at, people should use their best judgement and be aware of others around them. Be mindful of people who have pets in the area that might be scared of the noise from fireworks, he said. Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA ) announced today that it has received its narcotic license through Nimbus Health GmbH for the distribution and marketing of its first product for the German medicinal cannabis market a move understood to make Rua the first medicinal cannabis company from New Zealand to take such a step. The application to extend the narcotics license of Nimbus Health GmbH (Nimbus) to include Ruas dried flower has been granted by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Rua signed a commercial agreement with Nimbus Health in July 2020. The approval of the application will enable Nimbus to distribute and market Rua's products in Germany by the end of 2022. The medicinal cannabis product which is a high THC flower, has been developed through an extensive R&D programme by Cann Group, Ruas Australian strategic manufacturing, supply and technical services partner. Linus Weber, Nimbus Founder and Managing Director, says his team is excited with the progress. In Germany, medicinal dried-cannabis flower is prescribed mainly for pain patients (70%)(1), and cannabis flowers with a THC content of greater than 20% make up 77% of cannabis flower prescriptions1. At its launch, we believe Ruas flower will be one of the highest THC dried flower medicines on the market, which will give Rua a significant competitive advantage, he says. Through its partnership with Cann Group and with Nimbus as a distribution partner, Rua is well-positioned to provide German patients with sustainable access to its product for many years to come. Rua CEO, Rob Mitchell says, With the European medicinal cannabis market estimated to be worth 2.3b ($3.82b NZD) by 2026(2), Rua understands it must go global to support local, and our export plans, particularly into Germany and wider Europe, are coming to fruition. The acquisition of Zalm Therapeutics has enabled us to advance the securing of supply agreements in other emerging, high-growth markets including Czech Republic, Poland and the UK. The global commercial opportunities open to Rua are compelling and underpinned by our ability to export high-value medicinal cannabis at scale and pace as a result of the partnership we now have with Cann Group and the scale afforded by their Mildura facility, he says. Canns new AUD $120m cultivation and processing facility at Mildura is considered one of the largest and most advanced in Australasia. The first stage of its construction is now operational and capable of producing 12,500 kilograms of dried cannabis flower per year. When complete, capacity at the 13.5-hectare facility will grow up to 70,000 kilograms. In a capital-light strategy, Gisborne-based Rua is leveraging this unprecedented scale to punch above its weight and deliver a range of medicinal cannabis products to multiple export markets in record time. Chief Commercial Officer, Andi Grant, who is leading Ruas push into Europe says Each market has a unique regulatory environment, which makes the work complex but with strong short and long-term potential. The Czech Republic is one of the most progressive medicinal cannabis markets in Europe. It has seen steady growth over the last five years, largely thanks to a comprehensive public reimbursement programme whereby up to 90% of medical cannabis costs are covered by the Government(2). The Polish medicinal cannabis market is expected to be worth at least 2b ($3.29b NZD) by 2028(3). In Poland, medicinal cannabis must be imported from foreign producers, which presents significant opportunities for international companies(3). The UK is one of Europe's most promising markets for medical cannabis in terms of its sheer number of patients. With a regulatory and funding approach very similar to New Zealands, the number of privately prescribed medical cannabis items dispensed in 2021 increased by 425% on 2020(2). Experts estimate the existing 15,000 patients in the UK could conservatively reach 650,000 patients in the next seven years, amounting to an anticipated gross market size of around $1b USD(2) ($1.5b NZD). Rua will announce further expansion plans later in the year as the company finalises distribution agreements across Europe. While the company looks to global markets, it remains committed to patients in New Zealand and developing products for the New Zealand market. The kaupapa to give back to the community will always be in our DNA and entering global markets will secure meaningful revenue so we can continue prioritising sustainable economic development in the Ruatorea and East Coast communities, says Grant. ENDS Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 4th July 2022 Morning Report BIF - Acquires shares in Hot Lime Labs RUA - Cann Group granted TGA GMP for Mildura facility AFI - Invitation to Results Webcast PFI Share Buyback Programme to Pause Greenfern Industries Limited ("GFI") - Late Annual Report FSF - Monthly Allotment/ Redemption Notice 1st July 2022 Morning Report General Capital Releases 2022 Annual Report Fonterra, NZX, EEX confirm GDT strategic partnership Musician Machine Gun Kelly revealed a dark passage of his life, in his Hulu documentary, "Life in Pink." The musician, whose real name is Colson Baker, admitted that he put a shotgun in his mouth, affected by the loss of his father in July 2020 and that a phone call with his now fiancee Megan Fox, who was overseas making a movie, helped him stay alive. Loneliness almost caused a great tragedy "I flew to my dad's apartment to clean out all his stuff. I had a really weird interaction with a neighbor who told me a lot of things I didn't want to hear and that fucked me up even more because I couldn't deal with the pain," Kelly said. "I wouldn't leave my room and I started having really, really, really dark thoughts. Megan (Fox) went to Bulgaria to film a movie and I started feeling really wild paranoia. I was constantly getting paranoid that someone was coming to kill me." The story gets worse, as within the confession, the rapper added that he used to sleep with a shotgun next to his bed and had completely lost control that day. The phone call with Megan Fox "I called Megan. I was like, 'You're not here for me. I'm in my room and I'm freaking out, while she's listening to me. Dude, I put the shotgun in my mouth. And I'm screaming on the phone and the barrel's in my mouth. I go to cock the shotgun and the bullet, when it comes back up, the cartridge jams. Megan went silent," Machine Gun Kelly said. That moment was a wake-up call, but both Fox and his 12-year-old daughter, Casie, turned the tables on him and eventually calmed Baker down. "'I want to see you as my father' and 'I want to see you as my future husband' and I was like, I really need to get off drugs this time." As Fox noted that her fiance was "like dead silent" and realized that "something wasn't right." As a result of that event, the musician acknowledged that his fiancee "became the sunshine" for him, "That's what helps me write those songs. Because it's like all the fairy tales they never told you in school... the passion between us is out of this world". Kelly then explained that there came a time when he reflected, "I need to get off drugs, for real this time,'" although he did not mention whether he had been using drugs at that time elsewhere in his story. HARMONEY SECURES ADDITIONAL NZ$215M FACILITY TO SUPPORT FURTHER BOOK GROWTH Key highlights: Establishment of an additional NZ$215 million warehouse facility, supporting New Zealand growth This facility is led by one of Australias big four banks - Harmoney is funded by three of Australias big four banks across Australia and New Zealand With over 90% of the Group loan book now funded by warehouse facilities, Harmoney has a highly diversified funding panel, which provides for a cost-effective and capital efficient funding base to support its continued growth Harmoney Corp Limited (ASX/NZX: HMY ; Harmoney or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a new NZ$215 million warehouse facility with one of Australias largest banks. This new warehouse facility will provide further funding capacity supporting New Zealands loan book growth, and complements the Companys balance sheet strength. As announced on 27 April 2022, Harmoneys loan book accelerated to NZ$627 million, a 13% increase quarter on quarter (QoQ). The establishment of this new $215m facility gives Harmoney significant warehouse capacity, deferring a New Zealand asset-backed securitisation that was being considered in recent months. Commenting on the new warehouse facility, CEO & Managing Director David Stevens said: We have achieved yet another milestone for Harmoney. Back in 2019, we started the process of transitioning away from peer-to-peer funding and now within a short span of 3 years, we have accelerated this to be over 90% warehouse-funded. This new warehouse facility further unlocks our loan origination capacity, it provides a lower cost of funding to optimise growth, and further diversifies our funding panel. Our ability to secure this additional New Zealand warehouse facility, from the same big four bank that provided the new Australian warehouse in February 2022, demonstrates its confidence in Harmoneys 100% consumer-direct business model and our continued ability to execute on our growth plans. Our total warehouse facilities are now over $950m, of which over $330m remains undrawn. Update to Neil Roberts employment agreement As noted in section 6.3.3.3 of the Companys Prospectus, Neil Roberts employment contract with the Group includes entitlements to compensation in the event of his termination (other than for serious misconduct or breach) or redundancy (Compensation). Mr Roberts employment contract has been updated to the Groups current template for consistency with all other Group senior executives. In the process of standardising Mr Roberts terms of employment, the Group has agreed to satisfy its obligation and pay Mr Roberts Compensation. This amount will be repayable within 6 months if Mr Roberts employment is terminated for serious misconduct or breach within 6 months. Going forward, Mr Roberts will have no entitlement to compensation in the event of his termination or redundancy. This release was authorised by the Board of Harmoney Corp Limited. -END- Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 4th July 2022 Morning Report BIF - Acquires shares in Hot Lime Labs RUA - Cann Group granted TGA GMP for Mildura facility AFI - Invitation to Results Webcast PFI Share Buyback Programme to Pause Greenfern Industries Limited ("GFI") - Late Annual Report FSF - Monthly Allotment/ Redemption Notice 1st July 2022 Morning Report General Capital Releases 2022 Annual Report Fonterra, NZX, EEX confirm GDT strategic partnership Auckland 28 June, 2022: NZX: GSH Good Spirits Hospitality (GSH) advises that, as advised on 18 May 2022, its Chair, Duncan Makeig, has stepped down from the Board today. The Directors have unanimously agreed that Mr Matt Adams be appointed Independent Chairman. Mr Adams has been a director of GSH since December 2019 and is currently Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. Since his appointment to the Board, Mr Adams has been instrumental in pursuing opportunities to increase shareholder value through both operational and acquisitional initiatives. He also took a lead role in supporting GSH to navigate its way through the COVID pandemic and associated lockdowns and restrictions. On his appointment Mr Adams stated: It is an honour to be elected Chairman of Good Spirits and I look forward to working with the companys stakeholders to continue pursuing value as Good Spirits emerges from the COVID related hospitality downturn. We are seeing strong green shoots in regard to current trading and are especially delighted with the strong performance of GSHs newest venue the Fox A London Pub. I would also like to personally thank Duncan for his tireless work as Chairman of Good Spirits over the past 3 years, we wish him well for his future endeavours. At todays board meeting, Mr John Seton was elected Chairman of Good Spirits Audit and Risk Committee to replace Mr Adams. The GSH Board extended its thanks to Duncan for his dedication and service and congratulated Mr Adams on his appointment to Chair. ENDS Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 4th July 2022 Morning Report BIF - Acquires shares in Hot Lime Labs RUA - Cann Group granted TGA GMP for Mildura facility AFI - Invitation to Results Webcast PFI Share Buyback Programme to Pause Greenfern Industries Limited ("GFI") - Late Annual Report FSF - Monthly Allotment/ Redemption Notice 1st July 2022 Morning Report General Capital Releases 2022 Annual Report Fonterra, NZX, EEX confirm GDT strategic partnership Greenfern Industries Limited (GFI:NZX) is pleased to announce it has received an initial two-year binding offtake order for the purchase of their Taranaki-grown medicinal cannabis. This product will be for use in an overseas medicinal market and depending on which chemotypes are supplied could be worth in excess of NZD1.6 million over the contract's duration. This comes just days after Greenferns previous market announcement that it has received the globally recognised Good Agriculture and Collection Practices (GACP) certification via global certifying body Control Union Medicinal Cannabis Standards (CUMCS). This is another great milestone for the company and its shareholders. As we go from strength to strength in what is very much a sunrise industry here in New Zealand, the progress that we are achieving is a testament to the solid foundations we have laid to date, said Dan Casey, managing director of GFI. As the company looks to raise new capital in the second half of 2022, the phase one cultivation facility will be utilised until the larger phase two facility comes online. Its quite a strategy to not get too far ahead of ourselves by over capitalising on infrastructure before the markets are ready and the regulations are met, but at the same time you dont want to miss opportunities as they present themselves. Its a real balancing act, said Casey Greenfern is currently preparing a medicinal cannabis consignment for testing to meeting New Zealand minimum quality standards. Once this is completed the first batch will be ready for shipment. This agreement shows a clear path to revenue for Greenferns cultivation business and from this the company will scale accordingly to meet overseas demand. Greenferns Australian business, GFI Pharma, continues to acquire patients month on month through prescription medicine tincture sales. That, together with its hydroelectric power station in full swing with winter energy demands, the company is solidifying itself as a progressive and diverse cannabis company. -ENDS- Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 4th July 2022 Morning Report BIF - Acquires shares in Hot Lime Labs RUA - Cann Group granted TGA GMP for Mildura facility AFI - Invitation to Results Webcast PFI Share Buyback Programme to Pause Greenfern Industries Limited ("GFI") - Late Annual Report FSF - Monthly Allotment/ Redemption Notice 1st July 2022 Morning Report General Capital Releases 2022 Annual Report Fonterra, NZX, EEX confirm GDT strategic partnership Looks like 2022 is clearly the year for Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. The couple who tied the knot earlier this year in April is now all set to embrace parenthood. Alia took to Instagram and shared a photo of her undergoing a sonography and announced that Ranbir and she are expecting their first child. Alia wrote, Our baby . coming soon. (sic) With congratulations being in order for the it couple, we cant help but root for their love all over again. The two even have a special symbol which they share lovingly to signify their love for each other. The infinity sign, also seen at number 8, is a symbol that Alia often uses when referring to her feelings for Ranbir. Here we take a look at their 5 Instagram posts that speak a different love language. Watching Sunset Together Is A Love Language There is nothing more romantic than watching a sunset with your partner. The magic of that golden hour can drive romantic feelings in people, making them come even closer. Also, finding a travel buddy in your partner can literally take you places. This is actually a birthday post that Alia made for Ranbir, pulling out a picture from their romantic vacation in the Maldives. Twinning Outfits Is A Love Language Lets just put it this way, twinning your outfit with your partner is a love language. Much before the amazing pictures from their weddings were out, the couple had been twinning their outfits on festivals and special occasions. This particular post is from Diwali 2021 where Ranbir and Alia colour coordinated their outfits in navy blue ethnic numbers. 'Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai' Is A Love Language Girlfriends have always been guilty of taking over their boyfriends' wardrobes. Be it a sweatshirt that becomes a snuggle buddy in their boyfriends absence or a guys new t-shirt that unabashedly becomes a gfs loungewear, girls like to claim their guys wardrobe as theirs. Alia Bhatt is no different as a girlfriend. The Gangubai actor had taken to Instagram last year and shared a picture wearing Ranbirs hat while mentioning that she is missing him. She captioned the post as when you miss him so you steal his belongings . Flexing Each Others Skills Is A Love Language Be it revving about your partners work amongst your friends or simply flaunting their photography skills by posting a photo dump of pictures taken by them, flexing each others skills is a love language. Alia took to instagram while on a desert safari escapade with Ranbir earlier this year and posted a carousel of cute pictures of herself with a caption saying, Casually flexing my boyfriends photography skills. Cherishing Special Moments Over PDA Is A Love Language The Brahmastra stars refrain from subscribing for a lot of PDA on social media. In fact, they keep it very subtle and special and thats what makes their bond so magical. While everyone was tucked away in their homes during quarantine of 2021, Alia had posted on Instagram a picture of her and Ranbir holding hands, captioning it Major missing. If this is not a couple goals, we dont know what is! Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor tied the knot at an intimate wedding in their Mumbai home on April 14. The couple will be next seen together in Ayan Mukerjis film Brahmastra thats set to release in September this year. Celebrated as the Pride month across the globe, the month of June has become integral for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Buoyed by massive, energetic, and colourful marches through the city, Pride month is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, while also a medium for raising awareness around the problems and issues they face. Throughout history, the LGBTQIA+ community has been victims of systemic abuses. Fearing rebuke, exclusion, and violence, many members of the community withdraw a significant part of their identity from society in an attempt to hide their experienced realities, often leading to various mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Added to that, the stigma surrounding mental health and the supposedly taboo discussions around it, it is understandable how it can prevent an individual from the LGBTQIA+ community from seeking help. In our society, the importance of good mental health for an individual is often disregarded, regardless of ones sexual orientation. However, the LGBTQIA+ community faces increased challenges when it comes to addressing these issues due to the systemic prejudice that exists. Here are three major impacts that this social stigma surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community has on the mental health of those people. Anxiety Unsplash In their youth, individuals of the LGBTQIA+ community tend to be far more vulnerable to developing anxiety due to social stigma as they internalize feelings of shame for things which were normalised for all cis-heteronormative youngsters. This creates a sense of disparity and conflict of identity within the individual. Its a well-acknowledged phenomenon, especially in India, where struggles with being accepted in society lead to the vast majority of the LGBTQIA+ community experiencing a loss of confidence in society, snowballing the impact of anxiety to much greater levels. Several members of the LGBTQIA+ community also find themselves in extreme financial debt due to the stigma they face when looking for employment opportunities. Our indigenous hijra community has long been victims of this discrimination, leading to them being ostracised by society. Coming out of the closet also presented a high risk of rejection by their families as well as society at large. Depression Unsplash Depression often finds root in Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community in their childhood due to the bullying, harassment, and physical violence they face. From the school to the playground to even their own homes, the LGBTQIA+ youth arent safe from the many forms of prejudice. Even in adulthood, individuals face consistent persecution on the basis of their identity. Today still, non-heterosexual expressions of love are met with fierce resistance by the cishet society at large. Institutionalized discrimination rarely allows an opportunity for mental health recovery within the LGBTQIA+ community. The sheer frequency of these stigmatic experiences leads to a life severely impacted by depression as well as other health risks such as substance abuse, self-harm, and risky sexual behaviours. PTSD Unsplash An unfortunately common experience faced by many among the LGBTQIA+ community is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, where the affected can be triggered intensely due to past experiences of abuse from stigma and hate crimes. The stress experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community on a daily basis can range from discrimination at home, work or public places, to internal stressors such as the concealment of one's identity to keep themselves safe from any external triggers. Individuals can develop various coping mechanisms such as negative thoughts of self, hypervigilance, and hyperarousal. PTSD often lasts for months or several years, often even lifetimes without proper care, healing, and rehabilitation due to inaccessibility. At the end of the day, we must acknowledge that we are unfortunately a far distance from attaining true equality. Everyone should have the right to love who they want and identify how they want, without fear of judgement or punishment. This is why Pride Month shines bright as the beacon of hope, equality and self-identity against shame and prejudice. Back in time, we mostly saw LGBTQ+ characters come on in an irregular manner on shows or movies, mostly to add to the comedic or dramatic effect. This stereotypical route changed in recent years. Many shows paved the path for queer representation, and honestly, it has never been better. iStock As we celebrate pride month and the LGBTQ+ community, we have summed eight shows to stream on Netflix right now: 1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine Netflix One of the top-rated shows on IMDb, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is a series that revolves around Jake Peralta, a part of the New York City Police Department. He often comes into conflict with his commanding officer, Captain Raymond Holt. While it might sound like any other detective shows, it puts light on the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters. The show has received positive reviews throughout its time and is a must-watch. 2. Schitt's Creek Netflix We have often heard people rave about Schitt's Creek. As someone who recently binge-watched this show, Schitt's Creek has a brilliant storyline. The story talks about the Rose family, who lose their fortune after the business manager defrauds them. The family then settles in a motel but works hard to earn back their life. David Rose, essayed by Daniel Levy is a pansexual character, who falls for a man later. His relationship receives complete acceptance and no raised eyebrows from the people of the town. 3. Atypical Netflix Atypical released on Netflix in 2017, and the show takes you through an emotional ride. It's based on the life of an 18-year-old, Sam, who is suffering from spectrum disorder. The lead is in a quest to find himself. His younger sister plays the role of Casey, who holds her family together and keeps her sexuality a secret. The story unfolds more into love, independence and the topic of sexuality. 4. Sex Education Netflix If you haven't watched it already, add this to your list right away. Sex Education is a Netflix original series, a coming-of-age dramedy. The show received praises for its representation of sensitive subjects and has a diverse take on the LGBTQ+ community. The story is about a teenager who lives with his sex therapist mother and it talks about his friendship with gay character Eric. The series earned more than 40 million streams at the time of its release and became a successful show. 5. Sense8 Netflix Another high rated, queer-friendly show is Sense8. It's a story about eight individuals who embark on their journey and discover that they are 'sensates' connected emotionally and mentally. The show gets intense with each season and is quite famous for its no-holds-barred concept. The show ran for two seasons, after several controversies. 6. The Half Of It Netflix The Half Of it focuses on a lesbian love story. The American comedy-drama is about three characters in their teens. Paul is attracted to Aster and hires Ellie to write her letters and text messages. Soon Ellie starts developing feelings for Aster. The show unravels drama and romance and is the best modern-day queer series to watch. 7. Star Trek: Discovery Netflix For the first time, the franchise made headlines for its queer drama. The show boldly presents the life of a gay couple, Lt. Paul Stamets and Dr Hugh Culber. The duo also locked lips during the show's mid-season finale, which also made it the first gay kiss ever in the Star Trek Franchise. 8. Someone Has to Die Released in 2020, Someone Has to Die is set in the 1950s. The show talks about the alleged relationship between Gabino, who arrives home to his traditional Falcon family, with a male ballet dancer. The Spanish thriller was lauded for its script on homophobia amid the Franco regime. Unless and until the conflict ends, there is a continued risk of civilian deaths. It is therefore critical that all States, the United Nations and civil society use all available means to end the conflict and support a transition to peace. The UN Human Rights Office today published a report that, following rigorous assessment and statistical analysis of available data on civilian casualties, estimates that 306,887 civilians* were killed between 1 March 2011 and 31 March 2021 in Syria due to the conflict. This is the highest estimate yet of conflict-related civilian deaths in Syria. The report, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, referred to 143,350 civilian deaths that have been individually documented by various sources with detailed information, including at least their full name, date and location of death. In addition, statistical estimation techniques of imputation and multiple systems estimation were used to connect the dots where there were missing elements of information. Using these techniques, a further 163,537 civilian deaths were estimated to have occurred, bringing the total estimated civilian death toll to 306,887. The conflict-related casualty figures in this report are not simply a set of abstract numbers, but represent individual human beings. The impact of the killing of each of these 306,887 civilians would have had a profound, reverberating impact on the family and community to which they belonged, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said. The work of civil society organizations and the UN in monitoring and documenting conflict-related deaths is key in helping these families and communities establish the truth, seek accountability and pursue effective remedies. This analysis will also give a clearer sense of the severity and scale of the conflict. And let me be clear: these are the people killed as a direct result of war operations. This does not include the many, many more civilians who died due to the loss of access to healthcare, to food, to clean water and other essential human rights, which remain to be assessed, Bachelet stressed. The report also contains disaggregated data for the documented deaths, including by age, gender, year, governorate, actors allegedly responsible and the cause of death by weapon type. The estimate of 306,887 means that on average, every single day, for the past 10 years, 83 civilians suffered violent deaths due to the conflict. The report notes that, the extent of civilian casualties in the last 10 years represents a staggering 1.5 per cent of the total population of the Syrian Arab Republic at the beginning of the conflict, raising serious concerns as to the failure of the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law norms on the protection of civilians. This statistical work builds on previous efforts to assess direct conflict-related deaths. In 2013 and 2014, the UN Human Rights Office commissioned three statistical analyses of documented killings in Syria, but this effort was discontinued as the situation in the country grew more complex and dangerous, affecting the Offices capacity to maintain the required quality and verification standards. In 2019, the Office resumed information-gathering and analysis on casualties, including on Syria, in its global reporting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals indicator on conflict-related deaths (SDG indicator 16.1.2). The report sets out the challenges in recording casualties during a conflict, beyond the immediate risk to civil society actors who try to access the sites of incidents where attacks have taken place. Where civil society actors undertake casualty recording, effortscan put the recorders themselves at risk. They also face multiple challenges in their documentation efforts, including the collapse of their usual networks of information as people are on the move, displaced or in areas where there is a general information shutdown; the limited, or lack of, access to mobile data, Internet and electricity to collect and transmit information; limitations on their movements; and surveillance, the report states. Despite these challenges, there has been consistent and systematic work in documenting casualties on the ground for more than a decade now. The data used for the report rely on the courageous work of such individuals and groups. To produce the report, the Office used eight sources of information pertaining to different periods across the 10 years covered. These include: the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies; the Center for Statistics and ResearchSyria; the Syrian Network for Human Rights; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the Violations Documentation Center; Syria Shuhada records; Government records; and records of the UN Human Rights Office itself. The work done by casualty recorders in documenting individually verifiable information on each casualty is critical. The process is victim-centred, placing individuals, their families and communities at the centre by ensuring that those killed are not forgotten, and that information is available for accountability-related processes and to access a range of human rights, the report states. Unless and until the conflict ends, there is a continued risk of civilian deaths. It is therefore critical that all States, the United Nations and civil society use all available means to end the conflict and support a transition to peace. UN News With each passing day, anti-Indian emotions push the Kashmiri youth closer and closer to rebellion. Armed resistance to governmental persecution has risen in IIOJK as a consequence of the militarys iron fist tactics, which has created population alienation. by Asad Ali There have been a deadly epidemic, physical and economic instability, and savage conflict ravaging the earth for the last two years. Tyranny gained strength around the globe after democracys defenders suffered heavy losses in their battle against authoritarian adversaries. Because the international world was not doing enough to aid, persecuted activists frequently risked lengthy jail sentences, torture, or even death in detention facilities. The use of force was also common under power regimes when competitors and conflicts were typically resolved by violence in the interest of public health. Governments of all political shades utilised invasive monitoring, racial restrictions on assembly and association, and arbitrary or violent enforcement of these restrictions by law enforcement and non-state actors. False and misleading information, some of which was intentionally spread by political leaders, flooded the communication channels of many nations. People around them sought to cope with the epidemic in sloppy or dumb ways, and autocrats from Venezuela to Cambodia and other parts of the world utilised the catastrophe to quiet their critics and maintain their positions of power. Most democratic nations made sure that any limits on freedom were essential and commensurate to the danger presented by the virus, on the other hand. In world history, there have been both the greatest heroes and the cruellest despots, but those who motivated them to achieve great things for themselves and others are remembered. For the great majority of people, a genuine hero is an ordinary individual who overcomes obstacles with courage and inspires the masses to resist injustice. Benjamin Franklin, an American political philosopher, famously stated, if you do not wish to be forgotten when you are dead and decaying, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing. It is worthwhile to read and write about the experiences of Kashmiri freedom fighters. Kashmiris have been following saviours of their human rights and sovereignty, such as Mirwaiz Molavi Mohammad Farooq in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) valley for many years. He was known as the Mirwaiz of J&K during his stint as Chairman of the All Jammu and Kashmir AwamiAction Committee, a coalition of political parties in J&K that sought to settle the J&K dispute. In May 1990, he was assassinated by gunmen at his residence in Nageen, Srinagar. During the May 2002 commemorations of the 12th anniversary of Mirwaiz Molavi Muhammad Farooqs killing, another prominent Kashmiri lawyer and politician, Abdul Ghani Lone, was also murdered by Indian Occupation soldiers. The authorities enforce curfews and other restrictions in Srinagar to prevent a march to the graves of the two Kashmiri heroes, even though thousands of Kashmiris, South Asians, Hurriyat leaders, and other organisations commemorate their contributions every May. The story is not yet complete. Tens of thousands of people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have lost family members due to their battle for self-determination. The Kashmiri people have endured the horrors of conflict for many centuries. Not only are Kashmiris the direct victims of the upheaval, but so is everyone in South Asia. Regardless of what occurs in IIOJK, the future of relations between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers in South Asia, will be affected. In response to the problem of shrinking political space, the Kashmiri resistance has undergone a dramatic tactical shift from civil disobedience to armed resistance since August 2019. Students, academics, intellectuals, and researchers have often embraced the path of armed confrontation, mostly because they have been unable to discover other measures of preventing the atrocities perpetrated by the Indian military machinery. With each passing day, anti-Indian emotions push the Kashmiri youth closer and closer to rebellion. Armed resistance to governmental persecution has risen in IIOJK as a consequence of the militarys iron fist tactics, which has created population alienation. Instead of pursuing education and employment, the youth demand their right to self-determination by violent means. Everyone wants the Kashmir issue to be addressed, but the time has come for other countries to exert pressure on India to participate in the discussion. While the removal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution has led to the globalisation of the Kashmir Conflict, a settlement of this conflict is urgently required. Given the success of referendums in achieving independence for East Timor and South Sudan, it would be a grave violation of United Nations resolutions and international law to deny the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination. Never forget the sacrifices made by Abdul Ghani Lone and Mirwaiz Molavi Muhammad Farooq. People paying homage to the martyrs and expressing their determination to continue the ongoing liberation struggle demonstrate that the Indian government is scared of the populations power and fervour, which leads it to conduct these dictatorial actions. According to the concepts of classical realism, the use of power is influenced by many interactions between the strong and the weak. It is common knowledge that the powerful have a hand in moulding events and persons, thus the power of the weak should never be underestimated. Kashmiris in the J&K valley will continue to strive for their right to self-determination regardless of how oppressive the situation grows. The concept that democracy is failing because it cannot fulfil the wants of the people is complicated. In truth, democracy is in peril because of the silence of democratic torch-bearers. Democratic states need to take the lead on the international stage and come together fast. The new administration in Washington, DC, and the governments of other nations that respect democracy must work together to make the most of its advantages, combat its adversaries, and aid its supporters. They must also clean their own houses to defend their institutions and retain their credibility in the face of politicians and other actors who are prepared to compromise democratic values to acquire power. If these crucial actions are not done, the world will turn even more against the principles that free countries stand for, and the calamity of tyranny will spread to every country. The writer is Islamabad based expert of strategic affairs This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hundreds of people gathered Monday in front of the Midland County Courthouse for a "Reproductive Freedom Rally" and petition signing. At the back of the crowd sat 73-year-old Sharon Hale, sporting a Ruth Bader Ginsburg T-shirt. With neuropathy in her feet, Hale said she can hardly walk. Instead, she rode her scooter to the rally, where she said people were kind and made room for her. The rally was personal to her, bringing back memories of the trauma endured by a friend who sought an abortion before Roe v. Wade was decided in January 1973. I know someone that had to fly to New York in 1970 to have an abortion, Hale recalled. She was forced to see a psychologist. She had to tell that person (she) was going to throw herself down the stairs if (she) didn't get one. Hale said when she learned that the United States Supreme Court had overturned the decision on June 24, she thought of her friend and the days before Roe v. Wade and she felt absolutely terrible. Michael Burhans has volunteered for candidates or legislative issues in every election since 1968. He was collecting signatures for the petition at the event and was struck by the fact that he will have to continue to fight for women's reproductive health issues in the 21st century. I fought this battle when I was a teenager on college campuses around the country with my parents, he said. I can't believe I'm out here fighting it again. The Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative is an effort coordinated by ACLU of Michigan, Michigan Voices, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan. Petitioners need to collect 425,059 signatures from registered Michigan voters to get the effort on the November 2022 ballot. As of Sunday, organizers say they already have well above that number -- over 600,000 signatures. If Michigan voters approve the ballot initiative in November, the state Constitution would affirm that Michiganders have reproductive freedom. That means the right to make decisions about pregnancy, including birth control, abortion, infertility, miscarriage care, prenatal care and childbirth. The rally was packed with people of all ages and genders. Many were angry, sad and tired. All were determined to express their opinions and unite with others who are fighting back against the Supreme Court decision. I was born in 1978, so I've always had this freedom. For this to be taken away is just deplorable, said Sarah Haskett, of Midland, one of many mothers attending in support of their daughters. Four speakers addressed the group, including U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, the only Democratic candidate for the new 8th Congressional District. I don't trust the United States Supreme Court to protect fundamental freedoms, Kildee said. I trust women. Midland County Clerk Ann Manary, a Republican candidate for the 95th State House District, said the decision whether or not to have a child is a sacred choice that every woman should have. I'm running as a Republican and I'm pro-choice, Manary said, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Sometimes people think those two things can't go together and I'll tell you all you're wrong. Women have the right to choose. I will vote to protect that right each and every time it comes before me. Many people said they were pleased to see Manary representing the Republican Party at a pro-choice rally. The rally was organized by the Women of Michigan Action Network and led by Allison Wilcox. Wilcox encourages people to do what they can to support the movement by talking to friends and relatives, putting a sign in their yard, and doing whatever they can to help, even if they try to avoid getting involved in politics. Democracy is at stake, Wilcox said. People think talking about politics is hard, and it is, but that's the only way people understand the stories of other people and get that empathy. For more on this subject, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/06/americas-abortion-quandary/ GENEVA (AP) Two senior Libyan officials began two days of talks Tuesday on constitutional arrangements for elections, the latest U.N. effort to bridge gaps between the countrys rivals. Aguila Saleh, the influential speaker of the country's east-based parliament, and Khaled al-Meshri, head of the governments Supreme Council of State, based in the west, in the capital of Tripoli, met at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva. According to the United Nations, the talks will focus on a draft constitutional framework for elections after Libyas rival factions failed to reach an agreement in their last round of talks in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Stephanie Williams, the U.N. special adviser on Libya, said they would discuss "timelines, modalities and milestones to guarantee a clear path to the holding of national elections as soon possible. It is now the time to make a final and courageous effort to ensure that this historic compromise takes place, for the sake of Libya, the Libyan people and the credibility of its institutions, she said. The criteria for a presidential candidacy were a contentious point in the talks, according to Libyan media. The Tripoli-based council insisted on banning military personal from running for the countrys top post apparently a move directed at the divisive commander Khalifa Hifter, whose forces are loyal to the east-based administration. Hifter had announced his bid in elections slated for last December but the vote was not held because of myriad issues, including controversial hopefuls who had announced bids and disputes about election laws. There are growing tensions on the ground, and sporadic clashes between rival militias recently erupted in Tripoli. Living conditions have also deteriorated, mainly because of fuel shortages in the oil-rich nation. Tribal leaders have shut down many oil facilities, including the countrys largest field. The blockade was largely meant to cut off key state revenues to the incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who has refused to step down even though the vote was not held in December. Now, Dbeibah and another prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, appointed by the east-based parliament to lead a transitional government, are claiming power. The rivalry has sparked fears the oil-rich country could slide back to fighting after tentative steps toward unity last year. Libya has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country was then for years split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments. MINDEN, La. (AP) A north Louisiana mayor has died after battling cancer. The city of Minden announced Tuesday that Mayor Terry Gardner had died at age 66 of complications from cancer. KTBS-TV reports that Gardner had been hospitalized over the weekend, a month after he announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer. Gardner was serving his first term as mayor. He took office in January 2019. Gardner is survived by his wife, Debbie. Funeral arrangements were pending. NEW HAVEN A New Britain man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl for a drug trafficking organization Monday, federal prosecutors announced. The sentence stems from the mans participation in a Mexican-based drug trafficking organization. Armando Gonzalez, 40, of New Britain, and an associate used office space and area apartments to store and package fentanyl for street sale, according to U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery. After an associate left one of the storage locations, police found him with about 45,000 lethal doses of unpackaged fentanyl, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Gonzalez was arrested in April 2020 and pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in March 2022. He has been detained since his arrest, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The Drug Enforcement Administrations Hartford Task Force started investigating the drug trafficking organization in July 2019. Prosecutors said the organization was suspected of distributing fentanyl and heroin throughout the state. Investigators discovered that Gonzalez and other members received kilogram-quantities of narcotics primarily fentanyl from a source in Mexico. The group then distributed the drug to street-level dealers. Members of the organization delivered the earned cash to a money broker in Brooklyn, N.Y. The broker laundered the narcotics proceeds before transferring them to the organizations leaders, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. From August to October 2019, investigators seized more than $200,000 in cash from members of the drug trafficking organization. Gonzalez and his associate, David Cintron, used several locations to store and package fentanyl for street sale. These locations included an office space on Pratt Street in Hartford, an apartment in the Asylum Hill neighborhood in Hartford and an apartment in New Britain, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Cintron was arrested on state charges on Dec. 18, 2019 shortly after leaving the Pratt Street office. Police found him with about 4,860 wax paper sleeves of fentanyl, 90 grams of unpackaged fentanyl or about 45,000 lethal doses of the drug and other items used to process and package narcotics. Gonzalez, Cintron and three associates were arrested on federal charges on April 28, 2020. That day, investigators searched the New Britain apartment and seized numerous bags of suspected fentanyl, items used to process and package narcotics, a firearm, ammunition and cash. Investigators found Cintron in the bathroom of his Manchester residence that day, flushing suspected fentanyl down the toilet, the U.S. Attorneys office said. A grand jury indicted Gonzalez, Cintron and eight others with narcotics distribution adn money laundering offenses on June 3, 2020. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl in March 2022. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven sentenced Gonzalez to 10 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release Monday. Cintron pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. WEST HARTFORD Police say a 22-year-old man was charged with spray-painting 16 buildings, light poles, electrical boxes and telephone poles last week. West Hartford Police said they were called to the 200 block of Park Road around 11 p.m. Thursday for a report of a suspicious person. Members of the Community Support Unit then found a suspect spraying graffiti on the side of a building behind Prospect Avenue, police said in a news release Tuesday. Police detained the suspect, a 22-year-old man from Hartford, and said he admitted to spray-painting numerous buildings and pieces of property in West Hartford and Hartford. In West Hartford, police identified 16 buildings, light poles, electrical boxes and telephone poles that had been damaged. The suspect was charged with 16 counts of third-degree criminal mischief. He was released from custody on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MIDDLETOWN The Main Street block between Washington and Court streets is undergoing a major revitalization due to the efforts of developer Dominick DeMartino. A rooftop patio bar, gourmet grocery, Latin-style restaurant, nitrogen-infused ice cream and cookies parlor, New Haven-style, coal-fired pizza restaurant, and more have the potential to make downtown Main Street more delicious and diverse. The 49-year-old Durham resident is developing four adjacent buildings on the block, as well as another building about 900 feet north. The businessman, whose work schedule includes nights and weekends, is aiming to infuse vitality into an important downtown location that has suffered for years with some empty storefronts. Were creating 220 full-time jobs, 22 apartments and six retail businesses on Main Street, said DeMartino, who emphasized that existing downtown businesses will benefit from the attention and foot traffic these will attract. The area already has a great group of business people, and these new developments will bring everyone to a different level, he said. There is a real sense of community, because the businesses recognize they benefit from the resulting synergies, he added. Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said the new developments build on the citys economic development momentum, and is a strong use of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds intended for communities to recover from the economic, social and other impacts of the pandemic. We want the businesses to do well, of course, the mayor said. But these developments are also about building a cohesive community and downtown. We have something special downtown there isnt really anything like it in the region. The new businesses will make downtown stronger and even more distinctive, Florsheim said. DeMartino has already gutted and renovated the building at 412 Main St., an upscale-Italian restaurant called Sicily Coal Fired Pizza. Owner/operator Tony Prifitera, a New Haven-area entrepreneur working the kitchen during lunch last week, is planning to open a wine bar in the adjacent building at 418 Main St. DeMartino is also gutting and remodeling that building, and DeMartino said he expects the wine bar to be serving customers next summer. DeMartino is developing 422 Main St., which abuts 418 Main St., as a ice cream parlor with a mens barbershop in the rear, which is new construction. There also will be six apartments available over the first floor of 418 Main St. and another four apartments over 422 Main St. DeMartino said he expects the parlor and barbershop to be open for business by summer 2023. The ice cream spot, which will also offer large gourmet cookies, will be operated by Prifitera. Customers will see the ice cream being made right in front of them, DeMartino said. The barbershop will be operated by Fresh Cutz, which now has locations in Hamden and Wallingford. The fourth building in the string on the block DeMartino is developing is 428 Main St., the former Woolworth building. The plan is for a 7,000-square-foot gourmet market and a 4,000-square-foot restaurant on the main floor, and a roof-top patio bar. The rooftop bar will feature an enclosed, climate-controlled, 3,000-square-foot area with a 3,500-square-foot, open-air outdoor section. The enclosed area will have garage-style doors that can be opened in good weather, and the rooftop bar will feature views of the Connecticut River, DeMartino said. This will be the last of the downtown buildings he will develop, with businesses expected to open there in one and a half to two years. Less than 1,000 feet and two blocks north of 412 Main St., DeMartino also has bought and plans to gut and rehab 584 Main St., the former Shliens Furniture Co. building in the North End. It will include 12 units of market-rate apartments. DeMartino said the homes will appeal to young adults who want to live, work and play downtown thats who I am trying to attract. The buildings main floor will be for a Latin-style restaurant with a bar and heavy appetizers or tapas. A tenant has yet to be secured for that space, he said. DeMartino said his developments are unique because they are turnkey, or fully ready for the tenant to conduct business. The tenant gets everything (the business needs) except for food and liquor, he said. Thats what makes my approach unique, said DeMartino, who designs the interiors himself. The city is assisting the development with a council-approved $2.54 million grant from ARPA funds. Florsheim said the city received a total of $30 million, of which $8.5 million will go to the school system. The funds supporting the new development on Main Street are coming from the citys remaining allocation. The state of Connecticut also is supplying a $2.6 million matching grant, DeMartino said, adding that he expects the total cost for all five buildings to be approximately $15 million, including all the final preparations. DeMartino said he owns almost 1 million square feet of commercial space mostly in Connecticut, but some in Massachusetts. He said most of the properties are in the New Haven and Wallingford areas, including a 65,000-square-foot shopping plaza and 80,000 square feet of offices rented by a defense contractor. In Middletown, DeMarino said he also is developing 160 apartment units on Newfield Street at the location of the former Wild Bills Nostalgia site. He said he hopes to gain approval from the zoning commission in 2024, and construction could take a year to 18 months. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led states will ban or severely limit abortion immediately, while other restrictions will take effect later. At least one state, Texas, is waiting until after the Supreme Court issues its formal judgment in the case, which is separate from the opinion issued Friday and could take about a month. In anticipation of the decision, several states led by Democrats have taken steps to protect abortion access. The decision also sets up the potential for legal fights between the states over whether providers and those who help women obtain abortions can be sued or prosecuted. Here is an overview of abortion legislation and the expected impact of the courts decision in every state. Steve Helber/AP ___ ALABAMA Political control: Alabama has a Republican-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Background: In 2019, Alabama lawmakers approved what was then the most stringent abortion ban in the country, making it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. The only exception would be when the womans health was at serious risk. A federal judge issued an injunction, under the precedent of Roe v. Wade, blocking the state from enforcing the law. In 2018, voters agreed to amend the Alabama Constitution to say the state recognizes the rights of unborn children and does not protect the right to an abortion or require the funding of abortion. A 1951 law made it a crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to induce an abortion, unless it is done to preserve the life or health of the mother. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortions became almost entirely illegal in Alabama on Friday. A 2019 state abortion ban took effect making it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. All three clinics stopped providing abortions Friday morning under fear of prosecution under the 1951 state law. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson hours later granted Alabama's request to lift an injunction and allow the state to enforce the 2019 abortion ban. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said it is now a felony to provide an abortion in Alabama beyond the one exception allowed in the 2019 law, which is for the sake of the mothers health. Doctors who violate the law could face up to 99 years in prison. Marshall said the state would also move to lift other injunctions that blocked previous abortion restrictions, including a requirement for doctors who perform abortions to have hospital admitting privileges. Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers have said they would like to see the state replace the 2019 ban with a slightly less stringent bill that would allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Proponents said the 2019 ban was deliberately strict in the hopes of sparking a court challenge to Roe. ___ ALASKA Political control: Republicans currently hold a majority of seats in the state Legislature, but the House is controlled by a bipartisan coalition composed largely of Democrats. Fifty-nine of the Legislatures 60 seats are up for election this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican who believes life begins at conception, is seeking reelection. Background: The Alaska Supreme Court has interpreted the right to privacy in the state constitution as encompassing abortion rights. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The U.S. Supreme Court's decision is not expected to immediately affect abortion rights in Alaska, given the existing precedent in the state. Whats next: Voters in the fall will be asked if they want to hold a constitutional convention, a question that comes up every 10 years. Many conservatives who want to overhaul how judges are selected and do away with the interpretation that the constitutions right to privacy clause allows for abortion rights see an opportunity in pushing for a convention. Recent efforts to advance a constitutional amendment through the Legislature have been unsuccessful. ___ ARIZONA Political control: Both legislative chambers are controlled by Republicans, who regularly pass abortion restrictions that for the past eight sessions have been quickly signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, an abortion opponent. Background: Arizona law allows abortion through about 22 weeks, but the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban in March mirroring the Mississippi law that was contested before the Supreme Court. It was to take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourned on June 24. Current restrictions include bans on abortions because of gender and a 2021 law that makes it a felony for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy because the child has a survivable genetic abnormality. Arizona also has a pre-statehood law still on the books that would ban all abortions, although it has not been enforced since Roe was decided. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Ducey has argued in media interviews that the law he signed in late March takes precedence over the total ban that remains on the books. But the law he signed specifically says it does not overrule the total abortion ban in place for more than 100 years. Ducey is term-limited and leaves office in January. Abortion providers across the state stopped all procedures after the court ruled because of concerns that the pre-Roe ban could put doctors, nurses and other providers at risk of prosecution. Republican state Attorney General Mark Brnovich said on June 30 that the pre-statehood law could be enforced, putting him at odds with the Republican governor. Brnovich said he would seek to remove an injunction in place since shortly after 1973s Roe decision. Also on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Arizona to enforce a ban on abortions done solely because the fetus has a genetic abnormality. A federal judge blocked that part of the 2021 Arizona law last year, saying it was unconstitutionally vague, but will now have to reconsider that decision. Hes also being asked again to block a personhood provision that grants rights to eggs and fetuses, which medical providers worry could be used to bring various charges for harming an unborn child. Whats next: Abortion-rights supporters in Arizona have launched a long-shot bid to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. Rolled out weeks after the draft U.S. Supreme Court decision showing Roe could be overturned was leaked, backers must collect more than 356,000 signatures by July 7 to get the initiative on the November ballot. Voters would then be able to decide. ___ ARKANSAS Political control: Arkansas legislature is controlled by Republicans who have supported dozens of abortion bans and restrictions in recent years. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson also has supported bans on abortion with some exceptions. Hes term-limited and leaves office in January. Republican nominee Sarah Sanders, press secretary to former President Donald Trump, is widely favored in the November election to succeed him. Background: Arkansas already had a law banning most abortions 20 weeks into a womans pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. The state has several other bans that have been struck down or blocked by courts in recent years, including an outright abortion ban enacted last year that doesnt include rape or incest exceptions. That ban has been blocked by a federal judge, and the state has appealed. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Arkansas has a law it enacted in 2019 that bans nearly all abortions now that Roe is overturned. That ban, along with the outright ban thats been blocked by a federal judge, only allows exceptions to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. Hutchinson has said he thinks bans should include rape and incest exceptions, but he has not called on the Legislature to add those to either of the bans. Whats next: Hours after Fridays ruling, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge signed certification that Roe had been overturned. That certification allows the states trigger ban to take effect immediately. The only exception in that ban is to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. The Legislature isnt scheduled to meet until January, but Hutchinson is considering calling a special session to take up tax relief proposals. The Republican governor said Friday he does not plan on asking lawmakers to consider adding rape and incest exceptions to the states ban. ___ CALIFORNIA Political control: Democrats who support access to abortion control all statewide elected offices and have large majorities in the state Legislature. Background: California outlawed abortion in 1850, except when the life of the mother was in danger. The law changed in 1967 to include abortions in the case of rape, incest or if a womans mental health were in danger. In 1969, the California Supreme Court declared the states original abortion law to be unconstitutional but left the 1967 law in place. In 1972, California voters added a right to privacy to the state constitution. Since then, the state Supreme Court has interpreted that right to privacy as a right to access abortion, allow minors to get an abortion without their parents permission and use public funding for abortions in the states Medicaid program. California now requires private health insurance plans to cover abortions and does not allow them to charge things such as co-pays or deductibles for the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortion will remain legal in California prior to the viability of a fetus. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to make California a sanctuary for women who live in other states where abortion is outlawed or severely restricted. The number of women who travel to the state for abortions is expected to rise significantly. Whats next: The state Legislature is considering 13 bills that would strengthen or expand access to abortion. The bills are based on a report from the Future of Abortion Council, which Newsom formed last year to study reproductive rights in California. They include proposals that would help pay for women from other states to come to California for abortions, ban enforcement of out-of-state civil judgments on California abortion providers and volunteers, and increase the number of people who can offer abortions by authorizing some nurse practitioners to perform the procedure without the supervision of a doctor. Lawmakers also plan to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would explicitly guarantee the right to an abortion and contraceptives. ___ COLORADO Political control: The Democrats who control the Colorado Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: A 1967 state law legalized abortion up to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has been accessible ever since, despite repeated legislative attempts and ballot initiatives to restrict or abolish the procedure. Colorado voters have consistently rejected such initiatives, the latest in 2020 that would have banned abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2022, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a law placing the right to abortion in state statute. The law guarantees access to reproductive care before and after pregnancy and bans local governments from imposing their own restrictions. It also declares that fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses have no independent rights. Abortion rights advocates plan a 2024 ballot initiative to add abortion rights to the state constitution and repeal a 1980s constitutional amendment that bans public funding for abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The decision wont have any immediate impact on Colorado law -- but providers are preparing for a surge of out-of-state patients. Democratic House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar says lawmakers must consider how to invest in a health care workforce to ensure Colorado has the capacity to meet that anticipated demand. Colorados health department reports there were 11,580 abortions in the state in 2021; of those 14% were for non-residents. More than 900 of those non-residents were from Texas, Wyoming and Nebraska. Whats next: Its impossible to predict how many more patients from states surrounding Colorado will potentially seek care now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. But the Texas law could induce more people to come. Oklahoma now has an early pregnancy abortion ban; Utah and Wyoming have trigger laws banning abortion now Roe is overturned; the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on an August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it. ___ CONNECTICUT Political control: Democrats who control the Connecticut General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Connecticut passed a law in 1990 giving women the legal right to abortion. Having passed with strong bipartisan support, it was lauded at the time for being a rare compromise between abortion rights advocates and opponents. It affirmed a womans unqualified right to an abortion prior to viability of the fetus, as well as later-term abortions necessary to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman. It also repealed state laws predating Roe v. Wade that had made it a felony to have an abortion or to perform one and required that patients under 16 receive counseling about their options. This year, Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation to protect medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions. The same law allows advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives or physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, has vowed to challenge any attempt to nullify Connecticuts abortion rights law. Lets not mince words. They will come for us, Tong warned abortion rights supporters during a recent news conference. We will fight that effort tooth-and-nail. Any court, any place, Connecticut will be there and will fight. The state is already involved in major abortion cases across the country. And while Connecticut is surrounded by mostly pro-abortion states, its still bracing for out-of-state patients seeking abortions now that Roe has been overturned. Whats next: Connecticuts new law protecting abortion providers from other states bans takes effect on July 1. It creates a legal cause of action for providers and others sued in another state, enabling them to recover certain legal costs. It also limits the governors discretion to extradite someone accused of performing an abortion, as well as participation by Connecticut courts and agencies in those lawsuits. Theres discussion of possibly amending the states constitution to enshrine the right to abortion, making it more difficult to overturn, but that would be a multi-year process. ___ DELAWARE Political control: Democrats control the governors office and both chambers of the legislature in Delaware and have taken several steps to ensure access to abortion. Background: In 2017, Delaware became the first state following the election of President Donald Trump to codify the right to an abortion. A bill signed by Gov. John Carney, a Catholic, guarantees the unfettered right to an abortion before a fetus is deemed viable. The law defines viability as the point in a pregnancy when, in a physicians good faith medical judgment, there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus can survive outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures. The law also allows abortion after fetal viability if, in a doctors good faith medical judgment, abortion is necessary for the protection of the womans life or health, or if there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus cannot survive without extraordinary medical measures. The law eliminated existing code restrictions on abortions, much of which had already been declared unenforceable by Delawares attorney general in 1973 following the Supreme Court rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. In April of this year, Carney signed a bill allowing physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe abortion-inducing medications including mifepristone and misoprostol. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: In Delaware, the privacy protections of Roe v. Wade are codified in state law, guaranteeing residents have access to legal abortion services even if Roe were to be undone at the federal level, Democratic lawmakers noted earlier this month in unveiling legislation further broadening access to abortions. The bill, which is likely to pass before the end of June, allows physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwifes to perform abortions before viability. It also includes various legal protections for abortion providers and patients, including out-of-state residents receiving abortions in Delaware. Those provisions include protections from civil actions in other states relating to the termination of a pregnancy, and protecting individuals from extradition to other states for criminal charges related to terminating a pregnancy. Whats next: According to state health officials, 2,042 abortions were performed in Delaware in 2019, with 1,765 involving Delaware residents and 277 involving nonresidents. Delaware is not likely to see a huge influx of women traveling from out of state to get abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned, given that neighboring Maryland and New Jersey also have liberal abortion-access laws. In neighboring Pennsylvania, where Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, future abortion access could hinge on the outcome of this years gubernatorial contest. ___ DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Political control: The local government in the nations capital is completely controlled by Democrats, with a Democratic mayor and the D.C. Council split between Democrats and nominal independent politicians, who are all, invariably, Democrats. Background: Abortion is legal in the District of Columbia at all stages of pregnancy, a status that was upheld in the 1971 Supreme Court case United States v. Vuitch. However, the U.S. Congress has oversight power over D.C. laws and Congress has already banned the city from using local funds to pay for abortions for women on Medicaid. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Elected officials in Washington, D.C., fear Congress could move to restrict abortion access, particularly if Republicans recapture the House of Representatives in midterm elections later this year. President Joe Biden could theoretically veto such a move, but that protection is subject to political calculations and is not guaranteed. Whats next: Local officials have pledged defiance against any sort of Congressional move to restrict local abortion access. The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would declare Washington, D.C., a sanctuary city for those coming from states where abortion is banned. According to federal data, most of the women getting abortions in Washington already are coming from out of state. Those numbers could increase, particularly if new Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin moves to restrict abortion access in neighboring Virginia. ___ FLORIDA Political control: Republicans control both chambers of the Florida Legislature and this year passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which was signed into law by the states Republican governor. Background: Abortion was legal in Florida until the 24th week of pregnancy, though lawmakers have been tightening access in recent years with bills requiring a one-day waiting period and requiring parents of a pregnant minor to be notified before an abortion can be provided. This year, in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Legislature passed a ban on abortions after the 15th week, except to save the mothers life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape or incest. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the legislation the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The decision places Floridas 15-week ban on firm legal ground, at least under federal law. However, the legislation is being challenged in state court on arguments that it violates a guarantee of the right to privacy under the state constitution. Whats next: Floridas 15-week ban took effect July 1, but it will be in place only temporarily after a judge ruled that it "violates the privacy provision of the Florida Constitution. The law will be in effect only until the judge signs his written order, something that is expected to happen within the week. Although only about 2% of Floridas abortions take place after 15th week, abortion rights advocates have expressed concern over declining access to the procedure not only for Floridians but for residents from nearby Southern states where restrictions have historically been stricter than in Florida. ___ GEORGIA Political control: Georgia has a Republican legislature and governor who support abortion restrictions, but all are up for election this November. Republicans are likely to retain legislative control, but theres a possibility a Democrat could become governor. Background: Georgia lawmakers in 2019 passed a law by one vote that would ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, when fetal cardiac activity can be detected. The measure is unlike other so-called heartbeat bills in that it also contains language designating a fetus as a person for certain state-law purposes such as income tax deductions and child support. A federal judge quickly put the law on hold and in 2020 struck it down, saying it was unconstitutional. The state appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 11th Circuit said it would wait to rule on the appeal pending a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Mississippi case. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Georgias attorney general asked the 11th Circuit to reverse the lower courts ruling and allow the states abortion law to take effect. That same day, the 11th Circuit directed the parties to file briefs within three weeks addressing what effect, if any, the Supreme Court decision has on the Georgia appeal. If the law takes effect, it would ban the large majority of abortions that currently take place in Georgia about 87%, according to providers. The change could happen in the middle of tightly contested races in Georgia for governor and U.S. Senate. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger for governor Stacey Abrams say they want to secure abortion rights. Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker and incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp support restrictions. Whats next: Some Republican lawmakers and candidates want Georgia to go further and ban abortion entirely, but Kemp is unlikely to call a special session before this Novembers general election. Lawmakers are likely to consider further action when they return for their annual session in January. The Legislature or courts will have to sort out whether the provisions designating a fetus as a person are workable. ___ HAWAII Political control: Hawaiis governor is a Democrat and Democrats control more than 90% of the seats in the state House and Senate. Background: Hawaii legalized abortion in 1970, when it became the first state in the nation to allow the procedure at a womans request. The state allows abortion until a fetus would be viable outside the womb. After that, its legal if a patients life or health is in danger. For many years, only licensed physicians could perform the procedure. Last year, the state enacted a law allowing advanced practice care nurses to carry out in-clinic abortions during the first trimester. This helps women on more rural islands who have been flying to Honolulu to obtain abortions because of doctor shortages in their communities. The law allows the nurses to prescribe medication to end a pregnancy and to perform aspiration abortion, a type of minor surgery during which a vacuum is used to empty a womans uterus. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Existing Hawaii law allows abortions, but Gary Yamashiroya, a spokesperson for the state attorney generals office, has said the attorney general was carefully considering measures Hawaii might take to protect and strengthen reproductive rights if Roe ended. No matter the outcome, our state remains committed to reproductive freedom and choice, he said. Whats next: Political support for abortion rights is strong. Anti-abortion bills are rarely heard at the state Legislature. When they have been, they havent made it out of committee. Gov. David Ige issued a statement supporting abortion rights when the Supreme Courts draft opinion overturning Roe leaked. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, I will fight to ensure a womans right to choose in the State of Hawaii, he said. The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women earlier this month said 72% of the state Senate and 53% of state House members signed a pledge supporting abortion rights. ___ IDAHO Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in the House and Senate and oppose access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor. Background: Following the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, Idaho passed a law generally allowing abortions in the first and second trimester up to viability at about 23 to 24 weeks. The law allows abortions after viability only to protect the mothers life or in cases of nonviable fetuses. This year, lawmakers passed a Texas-style ban prohibiting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and authorizing family members to sue medical providers for performing an abortion. That law is on hold following a challenge by Planned Parenthood. The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in August. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It triggers a 2020 Idaho law banning all abortions except in cases of reported rape or incest, or to protect the mothers life, to take effect in 30 days. Under the law, the person performing the abortion could face a felony prosecution punishable by up to five years in prison. In cases of rape or incest, the law requires pregnant women to file a police report and provide a copy of the report to the provider prior to an abortion. If the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the states Texas-style abortion ban and Roe v. Wade is tossed aside, a medical provider who performs an abortion in Idaho could face a lawsuit and criminal charges. Whats Next: Pregnant women seeking abortions will have to travel out of state; the nearest abortion providers would be in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Planned Parenthood is renting space in the town of Ontario on the Idaho-Oregon border and says its preparing for an influx of patients seeking abortions. Some Republican lawmakers in Idaho might propose new legislation in January to outlaw abortion pills and emergency contraception. ___ ILLINOIS Political control: Illinois is overwhelmingly Democratic with laws providing greater access to abortion than most states. Democrats hold veto-proof supermajorities in the House and Senate, and the Democratic first-term governor seeking reelection this year, J.B. Pritzker, has promoted peaceful street protests to protect the constitutional right to an abortion. Background: Abortion is legal in Illinois and can only be restricted after the point of viability, when a fetus is considered able to survive outside the womb. Medical science determines viability at 24 to 26 weeks, but the Illinois law does not specify a timeframe, saying a medical professional can determine viability in each case. Abortions are also allowed after viability to protect the patients life or health. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It won't change access to abortion in Illinois. After the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 legalized abortion but enacted a trigger law that would reinstate the ban if Roe were overturned. That trigger law was repealed in 2017 in legislation that also required Medicaid and state employees group health insurance to cover abortions. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act replaced the 1975 law, large parts of which were never enforced because they were found to be unconstitutional. Whats next: Like other states providing access to abortions, Illinois has seen a steady influx of patients crossing the state line for abortions in recent months and those numbers are expected to increase. Planned Parenthood of Illinois says it expects to handle an additional 20,000 to 30,000 patients in Illinois in the first year following the reversal of Roe. ___ INDIANA Political control: Indiana has a Republican-dominated Legislature and a Republican governor in favor of restricting abortion access. Background: Abortion in Indiana is legal up to about 20 weeks, with some provisions for medical emergencies. Before an abortion, patients must undergo an 18-hour waiting period. Medical providers must tell patients about the risks involved in abortion and must say the fetus can feel pain around 20 weeks, which is disputed. Providers must report complications related to abortion; failure to report can result in a misdemeanor, 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Federal courts have blocked several restrictions in Indiana, including an attempt to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a law that would have required doctors to tell pregnant women about a disputed treatment to potentially stop a drug-induced abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: No immediate changes came from the decision, but the states Republican attorney general has asked federal judges to lift orders blocking several state anti-abortion laws. Those include one aimed at prohibiting abortions based on gender, race or disability, and another banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure that the legislation called dismemberment abortion. Whats next: Republican legislative leaders said they expected lawmakers to act on tightening Indianas abortion laws during a special legislative session starting July 6 but gave no details about what restrictions would be considered. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb called the Legislature into a special session to take up a tax refund proposal, although state law allows legislators to consider any subject. The session can last up to 40 days. ___ IOWA Political control: Iowas legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access and a Republican governor who agrees and is up for reelection this year. Background: Iowa allows most abortions until the 20th week of pregnancy, when theyre banned except to save a patients life or prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. In 2018, the state Supreme Court declared access to abortion a fundamental right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution. The states high court, now with a conservative majority, overturned that decision June 17, thus allowing a state law requiring a 24-hour waiting period to go into effect immediately. That requirement is being challenged in district court. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing is expected to change immediately in Iowa. The GOP-controlled Legislature has been working to get an amendment on the ballot in 2024 that would declare the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion but, with Roe overturned, Iowa lawmakers can ban abortion without completing that lengthy process. Whats next: Now that the Iowa Supreme Court has struck down its 2018 ruling, the state Legislature can convene a special session this summer and pass abortion restrictions. Republicans could still move to get the constitutional amendment on a public ballot in 2024. ___ KANSAS Political control: Kansas has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for re-election this year. Background: Under current law, Kansas does not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, when theyre allowed only to save a patients life or to prevent a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. The state Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution, granting stronger protections to abortion rights than the U.S. Constitution does currently. State law, however, doesnt allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Kansas. The state Supreme Court blocked enforcement of a 2015 legislative ban on a common second-trimester procedure, and abortion opponents fear a host of other rules could fall to legal challenges in the near future. The GOP-controlled Legislature responded by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot during the Aug. 2 primary, when turnout is expected to be much lower than in a general election and will likely see a higher proportion of Republicans voting. The amendment would declare that the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion. It would allow lawmakers to restrict abortion as much as the federal courts will allow . Whats next: If voters approve the amendment, the Legislature would still have to approve the new restrictions, and lawmakers are out of session until January 2023. They can call themselves in to special session with two-thirds majorities, but theyre likely to wait until after voters decide in the November general election whether to give Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a second term. ___ KENTUCKY Political control: Republicans have a supermajority in the Kentucky Legislature and have been restricting abortion rights since the 2016 election over the vetoes of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who supports abortion rights and will seek a second term in 2023. Background: Kentucky bans abortions after 20 weeks, but all abortion services were temporarily halted in April after the legislature imposed new restrictions and reporting requirements on the states two abortion clinics. The clinics, both in Louisville, said they suspended abortions because state officials hadnt written guidelines on how to comply with the new law. Noncompliance could result in stiff fines, felony penalties and revocation of physician and facility licenses. Abortions resumed after a federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law, including a provision banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Abortion services in Kentucky immediately became illegal under a trigger law enacted in 2019. The measure contains a narrow exception allowing abortion to prevent the death or permanent injury of a pregnant woman. Kentuckians will be able to vote this November on a proposed amendment declaring there is no right to an abortion in the state constitution. Whats next: Abortion-rights activists say the suspension of abortion services in April foreshadowed what would happen in Kentucky and other Republican-leaning states if Roe v. Wade was overturned. It likely ends several legal challenges pending against other Kentucky abortion laws including a 2018 measure that abortion-rights supporters say would effectively ban a standard abortion method in the second trimester of pregnancy. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that Kentuckys Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron, can defend the measure that was struck down by lower courts. ___ LOUISIANA Political control: Louisianas legislature is controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access. Its Democratic and Catholic governor also opposes abortions, though he supports exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Background: Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 stating that a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution. Of the about 2 million people who voted, 62% approved the amendment. Abortion had been legal in Louisiana through the 19th week of pregnancy. After that, it was legal only if the fetus would die anyway or if continuing the pregnancy would threaten the mothers life or health. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Louisiana has a trigger law that immediately outlaws abortions. There is no exception for rape or incest. The only exception is if there is substantial risk of death or impairment to the woman. Earlier this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signed a bill updating various aspects of the law and subjecting abortion providers to up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000. Edwards office said the bill allows the use of emergency contraception for victims of rape and incest prior to when a pregnancy can be clinically diagnosed." Edwards signed another bill that would require the doctor to certify that a drug used for abortion was being prescribed for another medical reason. The bill makes it illegal to deliver abortion medication to a state resident by mail-order, courier, or as a result of a sale made via the internet. Whats next: Louisianas three abortion clinics in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport were no longer providing abortions to patients as of Friday and instead are recommending pregnant patients seeking the procedure to go to states where it remains legal. ___ MAINE Political control: Both chambers of the Maine Legislature, which has adjourned, are controlled by Democrats. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has vowed to protect the right to an abortion, saying she will fight with everything I have to protect reproductive rights. Background: A Republican governor in 1993 signed a Maine law affirming the right to abortion before a fetus is viable. After that, abortion is only allowed if the life or health of the mother is at risk, or if the pregnancy is no longer viable. In 2019, lawmakers eliminated a physician-only rule and Mills signed it into law, allowing nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other medical professionals to perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change in Maine. Any attempt to restrict abortions when lawmakers reconvene next year would face fierce pushback. Abortion providers, meanwhile, said there could be an influx of patients seeking abortions from states that outlaw the procedure. Whats next: Any major changes are unlikely unless former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, unseats Mills and Republicans take control of both chambers of the Legislature in November. LePage, a Catholic who opposes abortion rights, has said its up to lawmakers to address the abortion issue as they see fit. ___ MARYLAND Political control: Marylands legislature is controlled by Democrats who expanded abortion access this year by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogans veto of the bill in April. Background: The right to abortion is protected in Maryland law. The state approved legislation in 1991 to protect abortion rights if the Supreme Court should ever restrict access. Voters approved the right in 1992 with 62% of the vote. Maryland law prohibits restrictions on abortion prior to viability. Maryland does not have a gestational limit. After viability, clinicians make the determination, based on clinical standard of care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Maryland law. Whats next: Marylands new law that will enable nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide abortions with training is set to take effect July 1. However, $3.5 million in state funding to provide training isnt mandated until fiscal year 2024. Hogan, who is term limited, has indicated he will not approve the money sooner. Some nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants already have received training on medication abortion and will be able to provide those services starting next month. ___ MASSACHUSETTS Political control: The Democrats who control the Massachusetts Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Republican governor, although they differ on specific policies. Background: Massachusetts once had a contentious relationship with abortion in part due to the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes it. In recent years, that influence has waned and Massachusetts has become a strong supporter of abortion rights. In 2018, in anticipation of the conservative tilt on the U.S. Supreme Court, the state removed an 1845 abortion ban from its books that was not enforced. Two years later, Democratic state lawmakers clashed with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker who says he supports access to abortion over an effort to codify abortion rights into state law, allow abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases where the child would not survive after birth, and lower from 18 to 16 the age at which women could seek an abortion without consent from a parent or guardian. Lawmakers passed the bill dubbed the Roe Act over Bakers veto. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Baker has vowed to fight to keep abortion legal in Massachusetts, but it is his last year in office. Both Democratic candidates for governor state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Attorney General Maura Healey support abortion rights. Republican candidate Geoff Diehl said he believes in the need to protect human life wherever and whenever possible. Fellow GOP candidate Chris Doughty said he would not seek any changes to our states abortion laws. Whats next: There is little chance Massachusetts will restrict abortion rights. Baker signed an executive order June 24 barring state agencies from assisting another states investigation into people or businesses for receiving or delivering reproductive health services that are legal in Massachusetts. The state also wont cooperate with extradition requests from states pursuing criminal charges against such individuals. The state House of Representatives has approved a bill later that is similar to the governors executive order. It would add protections into state law for individuals seeking abortions and providers so they would not be subject to actions taken by other states. ___ MICHIGAN Political control: Both chambers of Michigans legislature are controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict abortion access, but the states Democratic governor supports access. Background: A dormant 1931 law bans nearly all abortions in Michigan but it hasnt been enforced since Roe v. Wade. The law made it a felony to use an instrument or administer any substance with the intent to abort a fetus unless necessary to preserve the womans life. It has no exceptions in cases of rape and incest. Anticipating that Roe could be overturned, Planned Parenthood of Michigan filed a lawsuit challenging Michigans ban. A state judge suspended the law in May, saying it violates the states constitution. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, hailed the decision. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The injunction granted in the Planned Parenthood case ensures that abortion does not immediately become illegal. Planned Parenthood of Michigan and other supporters hope the injunction indicates abortion rights in the state will be preserved. But in a statement to The Associated Press, Nessels office said given the ongoing lawsuits, we cannot speculate what the state of abortion rights will be in Michigan after Roe. Whats next: Whitmer also filed suit asking the states Supreme Court to declare the 91-year-old law unconstitutional. It has not acted yet. Michigan abortion rights supporters hope to put the issue on ballots this fall. Their proposed constitutional amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including about abortion and other reproductive services such as birth control. The Reproductive Freedom for All committee needs to collect about 425,000 valid voter signatures by July 11 to make the November ballot. The measure would become law if voters approved it. The issue also is expected to shape statewide elections Whitmer and Nessel are both up for reelection in the fall and legislative races. ___ MINNESOTA Political control: The Minnesota Legislature is divided; Anti-abortion Republicans control the Senate and Democrats have the House, but the majorities are slim in both chambers, so control will be up for grabs in the November elections. Most legislative Democrats support abortion rights. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has said no abortion ban will ever become law while hes governor. But he faces a challenge this year from Republican Scott Jensen, who opposes abortion rights. Background: Abortion is legal in Minnesota up to the point of fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy. The state has some restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period with state-mandated counseling, both parents generally must be notified prior to a minor getting an abortion, and only physicians can perform abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Minnesota because the state Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that the state constitution protects abortion rights. If Republicans take control of both chambers, they could put a constitutional amendment on the ballot as soon as 2024 to reverse that ruling, but its not clear yet if they would take that path. Minnesota governors cant block constitutional amendments with vetoes. But amendments are hard to enact because they require the backing of most of the citizens voting in that election, not just those voting on the amendment. Leaving the ballot blank counts as a no. Whats next: Providers are preparing for a surge in women coming from other states to get abortions. Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said before the ruling that her organization was fortifying its delivery systems, including telemedicine. Dr. Sarah Traxler, the groups medical director, has said demand in Minnesota is expected to rise by up to 25%. ___ MISSISSIPPI Political control: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and leaders of the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature have been working for years to chip away at abortion access. Background: Mississippi already had a law banning most abortions at 20 weeks, although the states lone abortion clinic offered the procedure only through 16 weeks. The state tried to enact a law in 2018 to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. That law is the basis for the case that the Supreme Court has now used to overturn Roe v. Wade. A federal district judge blocked Mississippis 15-week law from taking effect in 2018, and an appeals court agreed. The Supreme Court agreed to take the case in 2021. Justices heard arguments in December, with the Mississippi attorney generals office saying the court should overturn Roe v. Wade. Mississippi has one abortion clinic, and it stops offering abortions at 16 weeks. Reeves was lieutenant governor in 2018, when Mississippi tried to enact the 15-week ban, and in 2019, when the state tried to enact a six-week ban. Mississippi law does not allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Mississippis only abortion clinic, Jackson Womens Health Organization, is expected to close by early July unless a judge blocks a trigger law. The clinic filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the 2007 law that bans most abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned. That law is set to take effect July 7. Abortions still would be allowed if the womans life is endangered by the pregnancy or if the pregnancy was caused by a rape that was reported to law enforcement. Any person who knowingly performs or attempts to induce an abortion, except the pregnant woman, could be punished by up to 10 years in prison. Whats next: Mississippis 2007 law says the state attorney general must publish a notice in a state administrative bulletin after the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Mississippis ban on most abortions will take effect 10 days after that publication. ___ MISSOURI Political control: Both GOP Gov. Mike Parson and the Republican-led Legislature support laws against abortion. Background: Missouri law previously allowed abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy. But a 2019 state law banned abortions except in cases of medical emergency, contingent upon the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Under that Missouri law, performing an illegal abortion is a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison, though women receiving abortions cannot be prosecuted. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The 2019 law contained a provision making it effective upon notification by the attorney general, governor or Legislature that the U.S. Supreme Court had overruled Roe v. Wade. Moments after Fridays Supreme Court decision, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Gov. Mike Parson filed the necessary paperwork for Missouris law to kick in. State statutes were subsequently updated online Friday saying the abortion-ban law had taken effect. Whats next: Some Missouri residents wanting abortions are likely to travel to neighboring states, including Illinois and Kansas. A new Illinois logistics center near St. Louis helps women from out of state find travel, lodging and childcare if they need help getting to the area for an abortion, and it connects them with funding sources. The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution. Even without the ban in Missouri, the number of Missouri patients seeking abortions in Kansas has gone up in recent years, increasing about 8% from 2020 to 2021. ___ MONTANA Political control: The Republicans who control the Montana Legislature and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte want to limit access to abortion. Background: Abortion used to be legal in Montana up until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy, but the state Legislature passed a bill in 2021 to reduce that to 20 weeks, arguing that is when the fetus can feel pain. That law, along with one that requires chemical abortions to be done with in-person medical supervision, are being challenged in court. A state judge temporarily blocked enforcement in October 2021 while the challenges move through the courts. The state has asked the Montana Supreme Court to vacate that injunction and overturn a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion that found the states constitutional right to privacy guarantees a womans access to abortion care. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The effect is unclear because of the unresolved legal challenges to the 2021 state legislation. Montana does not have an abortion ban that was triggered when Roe v. Wade was overturned, but the Legislature could seek to further restrict access in the next session. Whats next: The Montana Supreme Court will issue a decision on the preliminary injunction. The Montana Legislature also passed a referendum to ask voters this November whether they support a state law to require abortion providers to give lifesaving treatment to a fetus that is born alive after a botched abortion. Opponents argue federal law already offers those protections. ___ NEBRASKA Political control: Nebraska has an officially nonpartisan legislature with a Republican majority, but not a super-majority that would let the party unilaterally pass an abortion ban. Democrats appear to have enough votes to block such a bill, but just one defector could swing the vote. Nebraskas Republican governor vehemently opposes abortion. Background: Nebraska allows most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, although a few small towns have voted to outlaw the procedure within their borders. The state requires doctors to be physically present when patients take the first of two drugs that are used in medication abortions. Lawmakers have rejected attempts to allow abortion medications to be administered remotely, which would provide easier abortion access in rural areas. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ruling that lets states set their own abortion laws will trigger an immediate push by Nebraska conservatives to ban the procedure, but its not clear whether they could do it this year. Unlike other conservative states, Nebraska doesnt have a trigger law that automatically outlaws abortion. Gov. Pete Ricketts and other top Republicans have said theyll seek a special legislative session, but its not clear whether they have enough votes to pass anything. Whats next: If Ricketts calls a special session, attention will likely shift to state Sen. Justin Wayne, an Omaha Democrat who has declined to specify where he stands on abortion. Wayne was notably absent from a vote on the issue this year; his support would give Republicans the super-majority they need to enact a ban. He has struck deals with senators from both parties in the past. If a proposed abortion ban fails during a special session or if no special session is called, the issue will likely become a factor in the November election. ___ NEVADA Political control: Nevadas governor and state attorney general are Democrats who are up for reelection this year. Democrats control the state Senate and Assembly. Background: Nevada voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution in 1990. The law says a pregnancy can be terminated during the first 24 weeks, and after that to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. It would take another statewide vote to change or repeal the law. Most Republican candidates for Congress, governor, state attorney general and other statewide posts say they oppose abortions. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Here in Nevada, overturning Roe would not be felt immediately, state Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a position paper released after the draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion became public. Ford noted that a federal ban on abortion would supersede state law and said it would be naive not to recognize that some people want to ban abortions or make them more difficult to obtain. But he said his office will fight attacks on abortion rights, rights to birth control access and rights for LGTBQ people. Gov. Steve Sisolak on June 28 signed an executive order protecting abortion patients and providers from prosecution by other states. State agencies are barred from assisting other states in investigations of people who come to Nevada from other states for abortions. The order also protects providers from discipline and having their license revoked. Whats next: Anti-abortion advocates are not expected to focus on trying to repeal Nevadas abortion law. But they will seek laws affecting waiting periods, mandatory counseling or requiring parental notification or consent. Melissa Clement, executive director of Nevada Right to Life, said she believes there is strong support for parental involvement. ___ NEW HAMPSHIRE Political control: New Hampshire has a Republican governor and the GOP controls the 424-member Legislature. All face reelection this fall. Background: Any abortion restrictions New Hampshire had on the books before Roe v. Wade were not enforced after the landmark 1973 ruling, and they were repealed altogether in 1997. The state had no restrictions until January, when a ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy was enacted. In June, an exemption was added for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life. Anticipating the Supreme Court action, Democrats this year tried unsuccessfully to enshrine abortion rights into state law and the state constitution. Gov. Chris Sununu calls himself pro-choice and says he is committed to upholding Roe v. Wade, but he also has boasted Ive done more on the pro-life issue than anyone. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in New Hampshire. The Legislature wont return until fall, when there will be a one-day session to take up vetoed bills, and it would take a two-thirds majority vote to introduce new legislation then. Whats next: The majority leader of the New Hampshire House has said the public should not expect Republicans in the Legislature to further tighten state abortion laws. But anti-abortion lawmakers who have filed bills in the past are expected to try again. Democrats are urging Sununu to call a special session of the Legislature to codify abortion rights into state law, but both he and Republican legislative leaders say there is no need. ___ NEW JERSEY Political control: Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature and the governorship. Gov. Phil Murphy started his second consecutive term this year. Background: Murphy ran for reelection on the promise that he would sign legislation to enshrine abortion rights into state law, and he fulfilled that promise in January. The measure also guaranteed the right to contraception and the right to carry a pregnancy to term. It stopped short of requiring insurance coverage for abortions, something advocates had sought. Instead, it authorizes the state Banking and Insurance Department to study the issue and possibly adopt regulations if a need is discovered. Under Murphys predecessor, Republican Chris Christie, state funds to womens clinics, including Planned Parenthood, were slashed. Murphy restored those and has been a strong supporter of abortion rights. New Jersey doesnt have any significant restrictions on abortion, such as parental consent or a mandatory waiting period. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Officials, including the governor, have said the end of Roe would not lead to any rollback of abortion services in the state. Instead of hoping for the best, we prepared ourselves for the worst, Murphy said in May, addressing reports of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling. What's next: A week after the Supreme Courts ruling, Murphy signed two bills aimed at protecting the right to abortion for out-of-state residents and barring extradition of providers and patients to states that have prohibited the procedure. Another bill that would require health insurance companies to cover abortion services and set aside $20 million for access to the procedure remains pending in the Legislature. The bill would set aside $5 million for an abortion training program, $5 million for a health security grant and $10 million for health care facilities. ___ NEW MEXICO Political control: The Democrats who control the New Mexico Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Several conservative Democratic state senators who voted against the repeal of the abortion ban in 2019 were ousted from office in 2020 by more socially progressive primary challengers. Background: In 2021, state lawmakers repealed a dormant 1969 statute that outlawed most abortion procedures as felonies, thus ensuring access to abortion even after the federal court rolled back guarantees. Albuquerque is home to one of only a few independent clinics in the country that perform abortions in the third trimester without conditions. An abortion clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is just a mile from the state line with Texas and caters to patients from El Paso, western Texas and Arizona. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change in New Mexico now that the high court has overturned Roe v. Wade. It is unclear if Democrats, who control the state Legislature, will pursue additional guarantees to abortion access when lawmakers convene in January. Possible avenues of legislative reform include enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, which requires approval by voters. Abortion rights activists say the states equal rights amendment could be harnessed to guide more public funding for abortion-related programs. Raul Torrez, the district attorney in Albuquerque and the Democratic nominee for attorney general, is urging lawmakers to take further steps to protect access to abortions, including protections for women coming from other states. The state Republican Party said its time to elect more anti-abortion candidates to the Legislature. Whats next: The state can expect to continue to see a steady influx of people seeking abortions from neighboring states with more restrictive abortion laws. It already hosts patients from Texas and Oklahoma where among the strictest abortion bans in the country were introduced this year. ___ NEW YORK Political control: The Democrats who control the New York Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in New York state since a 1970 law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. The law allows abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy or to preserve the mothers life. The 2019 Reproductive Health Act removed abortion from the states criminal code, codified Roe v. Wade and allowed abortions after 24 weeks if a fetus isnt viable or to protect the mothers life or health. Lawmakers have passed laws extending legal protections for people seeking and providing abortions in New York. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Roe v. Wade protections are enshrined in state law. New York is planning to give abortion providers $35 million this year to expand services and boost security in anticipation of an influx of out-of-state people seeking abortions once any ruling comes down. Its unclear how many more people from neighboring states could travel to New York to receive abortion care. New York had 252 facilities providing abortions as of 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. Whats next: Planned Parenthood and civil liberty groups are urging lawmakers to start the process of passing a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortion care in case a future Legislature repeals the state law. ___ NORTH CAROLINA Political control: Republicans hold majorities in the state House and Senate, but the party lacks the margins to defeat a veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter. Since 2017, Cooper has vetoed a born-alive abortion measure and a bill prohibiting abortion based on race or a Down syndrome diagnosis. He cant seek reelection in 2024 due to term limits. Background: A 1973 North Carolina law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is currently unenforceable after federal judges struck it down as unconstitutional in 2019 and 2021. Instead, abortions can be performed until fetal viability. A state law approved in 2015 provides for post-viability abortions only in a medical emergency, which means the woman would die or face a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment without the procedure. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the 20-week ban could be restored. Legal experts say formal action would have to be taken to cancel the earlier court rulings striking it down. On the day of the ruling, Republican legislative leaders asked state Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat and abortion rights supporter whose agencys lawyers defended the 20-week law, to act. Otherwise, they said they would seek to intervene. In a response Friday, Stein didnt commit to going to court, telling lawmakers that his offices attorneys are conducting a thorough legal review that may take weeks to complete. Whats next: Republican General Assembly leaders didnt consider additional abortion restrictions in their legislative session that ended July1. The party will likely intensify its efforts in this year's elections to gain the five additional seats it needs for veto-proof margins. Cooper and other Democrats already are making abortion rights a key campaign issue. Abortion politics also are expected to figure into two state Supreme Court elections in November. Republicans would gain a majority on the court if they win at least one of them. ___ NORTH DAKOTA Political control: North Dakota has a legislature dominated by Republicans who want to ban abortion, and the GOP governor had hoped to see Roe v. Wade wiped off the books in favor of states rights. Background: The state has passed some of the nations strictest abortion laws, including one that would have banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant. The law never took effect because the states lone abortion clinic successfully challenged it in court. One failed Republican proposal would have charged abortion providers with murder with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: North Dakota has a trigger law that will shut down the states sole abortion clinic in Fargo after 30 days. That 2007 state law makes it a felony to perform an abortion unless necessary to prevent the pregnant womans death or in cases of rape or incest. Violators could be punished with a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. Whats next: The owner and operator of the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo said she would explore all legal options to ensure abortion services are available in North Dakota. Should that fail, clinic leader Tammi Kromenaker plans to move across the river to Moorhead, Minnesota, where abortion has not been outlawed. Planned Parenthood says it can provide abortions in Moorhead until Kromenaker gets up and running. ___ OHIO Political control: The Ohio Legislature is controlled by Republicans who support restricting or banning abortions, and the Republican governor backs those efforts. He is up for reelection this year against a former mayor who supports abortion rights. Background: Before Friday's ruling, Ohio did not ban most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy; after that theyre allowed only to save a patients life or when their health is seriously compromised. But the state imposes a host of other restrictions, including parental consent for minors, a required ultrasound, and in-person counseling followed by a 24-hour waiting period. Abortions are prohibited for the reason of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis. Ohio also limits the public funding of abortions to cases of rape, incest or endangerment of the patients life. It limits public employees abortion-related insurance coverage and coverage through health plans offered in the Affordable Care Act health exchange to those same scenarios. Clinics providing abortions must comply with a host of regulations. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: A ban on most abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat became the law in Ohio hours after the ruling. Enforcement of Ohios 2019 heartbeat ban had been on hold for nearly three years under a federal court injunction. The state attorney general, Republican Dave Yost, asked for that to be dissolved because of the high courts ruling, and U.S. Judge Michael Barrett agreed hours later. Two trigger bills are on hold in the Legislature, but a key legislative leader has said he anticipates needing to write new legislation after the decision is reversed that more carefully reflects the actual ruling. That all but certainly would not happen until lawmakers return to the capital after the November election. Whats next: Activists are considering how to help Ohioans get abortions elsewhere. They may also mount a statewide ballot initiative that would embed the right to an abortion in the state constitution, though that could not happen before next year. Abortion opponents are weighing strategies for imposing a statewide abortion ban. ___ OKLAHOMA Political control: Republicans in Oklahoma have a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature and a Republican governor up for reelection this year who has vowed to sign every pro-life legislation that came across my desk. Background: Abortion services were halted in Oklahoma in May after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that prohibits all abortions with few exceptions. The ban is enforced by civil lawsuits rather than criminal prosecution. Republican lawmakers have been pushing to restrict abortion in the state for decades, passing 81 different restrictions since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: It will have little practical effect given that abortions are no longer being provided in Oklahoma. Oklahoma also has a trigger law that outlawed abortion as soon as Roe was overturned. Whats next: Given the fierce opposition to abortion from the governor and Legislature, Oklahoma will continue to prohibit the practice if states are given the option to do so. Meanwhile, abortion providers who had been operating in the state are taking steps to help patients seek abortions out of state, including coordinating funding for these women and developing a referral network of therapists to help address complications before or after a woman receives an abortion. ___ OREGON Political control: The Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: The Oregon Legislature passed a bill legalizing abortion in 1969. In 2017, Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a bill expanding health care coverage for reproductive services, including abortions, to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity. Oregon does not have any major abortion restrictions and it is legal at all stages of pregnancy. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The Guttmacher Institute has estimated that Oregon will experience a 234% increase in women seeking abortions arriving from out of state, especially from Idaho. In March, Oregon lawmakers approved $15 million to expand abortion availability and pay for abortions and support services such as travel and lodgings for residents and out-of-state patients. Whats next: Brown said after the draft Supreme Court decision was leaked that access to abortion is a fundamental right and that she will fight to ensure access to abortion continues to be protected by state law in Oregon. Democratic state lawmakers recently formed the Reproductive Health and Access to Care Work Group of providers, clinics, community organizations and legislators that will make recommendations for the 2023 legislative session and beyond. Recommendations may include proposals to protect, strengthen, and expand equitable access to all forms of reproductive care. ___ PENNSYLVANIA Political control: Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are hostile to abortion rights, but the states Democratic governor is a strong supporter and has vetoed three GOP-penned bills in five years that would have added restrictions beyond the states 24-week limit. The race for governor this year could tilt that balance. Background: Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania under decades of state law, including a 1989 law that was challenged all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. That produced the landmark Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that affirmed the high courts 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide, but also allowed states to put certain limits on abortion access. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Gov. Tom Wolf has vowed to protect access to abortion for the remainder of his time in office, through January. Running to replace him is the states Democratic attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who supports abortion rights, and Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has said he supports banning abortion altogether, with no exceptions. The Legislature is expected to remain in Republican hands next year. Abortion clinics in some parts of the state already are experiencing fallout from the ruling. Less than a week after it came out, a clinic in Pittsburgh was flooded with patients who suddenly lost appointments in Ohio, the clinic director said. Clinic representatives are warning that Pennsylvanians will have a harder time finding appointments because of rising demand from out-of-state residents. Whats next: Legislation to outlaw abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat which can happen at six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant has passed a House committee and is awaiting a floor vote. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers aiming to overturn a 1982 law that bans the use of state dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. In response, Republican lawmakers are advancing a proposed amendment that would declare there is no constitutional right to an abortion in Pennsylvania or to public funding for an abortion. ___ RHODE ISLAND Political control: The Democrats who control Rhode Islands General Assembly support access to abortion, as does the Democratic governor. Background: Rhode Islands governor signed legislation in 2019 to enshrine abortion protections in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The law says the state will not restrict the right to an abortion prior to fetal viability or after if necessary to protect the health or life of the pregnant woman. It repealed older laws deemed unconstitutional by the courts. The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the 2019 law in May, just two days after the Supreme Court draft opinion was leaked suggesting that a majority of the justices were prepared to overturn Roe. Abortion opponents had argued the law violates the state constitution. In 2020, there were 2,611 abortions in Rhode Island, according to the state health department. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Rhode Islands attorney general believes the 2019 Reproductive Privacy Act will continue to protect access to abortion. Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island also said abortion will remain legal regardless of the decision because the right was codified in state law. Whats next: On the Monday after the Supreme Court decision, Rhode Islands Democratic governor said he will sign an executive order to shield abortion providers in the state from lawsuits by anti-abortion activists in other states. McKees office didnt have a date for the signing, but said the governor wants to act as soon as possible. Two of his opponents in September's Democratic primary for governor, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and Matt Brown, had urged McKee to sign such an order. They also want state lawmakers to return for a special session to add abortion coverage to Rhode Islands Medicaid program and to the insurance coverage for state employees. Legislative leaders said they plan to address abortion coverage next year because it has financial implications and wasnt included in this year's budget. ___ SOUTH CAROLINA Political control: South Carolina has a Republican governor, and its General Assembly is dominated by the GOP. However, the party doesnt quite have the two-thirds majority in either chamber needed to overcome procedural hurdles or a veto if a Democrat wins the 2022 gubernatorial election. Background: In 2021, South Carolina passed the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act that requires doctors to use an ultrasound to try to detect a fetal heartbeat if they think a pregnant woman is at least eight weeks along. If they find a heartbeat, they can only perform an abortion if the womans life is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The law is currently tied up in a federal lawsuit. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a federal judge allowed the state to begin enforcing the 2021 law. Planned Parenthood and others dropped their lawsuit, but the organization said it would continue to perform abortions in South Carolina under the parameters of the new law. Whats next: The South Carolina General Assemblys regular session ended in May, but Republican leaders had agreed they could return for a special session to take up more restrictive abortion bills if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They have yet to announce a special session, despite Friday's ruling. Some Republican lawmakers have opposed a complete abortion ban, especially without exceptions for victims of rape and incest. ___ SOUTH DAKOTA Political control: Republicans hold super-majorities in both Statehouse chambers. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is up for reelection this year and has been an ardent opponent of abortion rights. Background: South Dakota law bans abortions except if the life of the woman is at risk. The state had only one clinic that regularly provided abortions, a Planned Parenthood facility in Sioux Falls. The Legislature has worked over the years to make it more difficult for women to get abortions, passing mandatory waiting periods and requiring them to review and sign paperwork that discourages them from ending their pregnancies. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: South Dakotas trigger law immediately banned abortions except if the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. Whats next: Noem has called for a special session to craft laws under the new legal landscape now that Roe v. Wade is overturned. She hasnt commented on specific legislation, but lawmakers have floated proposals that would make it more difficult for women to seek an abortion out of state. However, South Dakota voters rejected outright bans in 2006 and 2008, and abortion rights advocates are preparing for a similar referendum on abortion access. The ban on abortions could eventually be challenged through a citizen-initiated ballot measure. ___ TENNESSEE Political control: Tennessee has a Republican governor who is consistently vocal about his opposition to abortion. The GOP holds a supermajority in the state legislature and has steadily chipped away at abortion access. Background: In 2020, Tennessee passed a law banning most abortions when the fetal heartbeat can be detected at about six weeks, before many women know theyre pregnant. The measure has never been enforced because it was promptly blocked by a federal court. On June 28, a federal appeals court let it take effect. Tennessee voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the states constitution doesnt protect or secure the right to abortion or require the funding of an abortion, and empowering state lawmakers to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion. State law also doesnt allow providers to dispense abortion medications through telemedicine consultations. There are six abortion providers in Tennessee. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The states attorney general, a Republican, has said a trigger law will go into effect in mid-August that bans all abortions in Tennessee except when necessary to prevent death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Doctors could be charged with a felony for providing an abortion under the law. Whats next: Tennessees attorney general has said the trigger law will take precedence over the 2020 law banning most abortions at about six weeks. Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to continue to have supermajority control after this years midterm elections. Reproductive rights activists say they will direct patients seeking abortion to clinics in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is overturned, or to Florida, which would ban abortions at 15 weeks. North Carolina and Virginia also could be options for women in eastern Tennessee. ___ TEXAS Political control: The GOP has commanding majorities in the Texas Legislature and has controlled every statewide office for nearly 30 years. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is up for reelection in November and is favored to win a third term. Background: Texas has given the nation a preview of the landscape of abortion access without the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade. A new Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks before many women know they are pregnant took effect in September and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Because of how Republicans wrote the law, which is enforceable only through lawsuits filed by private citizens against doctors or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion, Texas has essentially outmaneuvered decades of Supreme Court precedent governing a womens constitutional right to an abortion. State data shows the number of abortions performed in Texas roughly two dozen clinics fell by half in the five months after the law came into effect compared to the same period a year earlier. Effect of the Supreme Court ruling: Texas had more than 40 abortion clinics in 2012 before a decade of Republicans chipping away at abortion access began forcing providers to close. Without Roe v. Wade, Texas plans to ban virtually all abortions 30 days after the Supreme Court issues its judgment in the case, which could take about a month. Abortions would only be allowed when the patients life is in danger or if they are at risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. Whats next: Many Texas women have already traveled out of state for abortions since the law took effect, but they would likely have to travel much farther now that Roe is overturned as more states outlaw abortion. Some Republican lawmakers also want to punish companies that help their Texas-based employees get abortions elsewhere, although its unclear how much support that idea will have when the Legislature returns in 2023. ___ UTAH Political control: Utah is deeply conservative and the Legislature is controlled by a Republican supermajority. Background: The state has been restricting abortion for years, including a ban after 18 weeks passed in 2019 thats now blocked in court. The following year, lawmakers passed a trigger law that would outlaw nearly all abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The trigger law banning nearly all abortions became enforceable Friday evening, after the legislative general counsel certified the Supreme Court ruling to lawmakers. It does have narrow exceptions for rape and incest if those crimes are reported to law enforcement, and for serious risk to the life or health of the mother, as well as confirmed lethal birth defects. Whats next: Utah law makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. While its aimed primarily at providers, lawmakers have acknowledged that a woman who self-administers an abortion, including through medication, could potentially face charges. ___ VERMONT Political control: The Vermont Legislature is controlled by Democrats, but Republican Gov. Phil Scott is a firm supporter of abortion rights. Background: Vermont has a 2019 law guaranteeing the right to an abortion and voters will consider a proposal in November to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. Also in 2019, the Vermont Legislature began the process of amending the constitution to protect abortion rights, known as the Reproductive Liberty Amendment or Proposition 5. Vermonts proposed amendment does not contain the word abortion. Proponents say thats because its not meant to authorize only abortion but also would guarantee other reproductive rights such as the right to get pregnant or access birth control. Opponents say vague wording could have unintended consequences that could play out for years. Lawmakers approved the proposed amendment in February, leading the way for a statewide vote. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Nothing will change immediately in Vermont. Whats next: Vermont voters will cast ballots in November to decide if the state will amend its constitution to protect abortion rights. ___ VIRGINIA Political control: Virginia has a Republican governor who says he would support new state-level restrictions on abortion. Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday that he will seek legislation to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. Youngkin told The Washington Post he has asked four antiabortion Republican lawmakers to draft the legislation. He told the Post that a cutoff at 20 weeks might be necessary to build consensus in the divided Virginia legislature, where Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate. Youngkin generally supports exceptions to abortion restrictions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. Background: In recent years, when Democrats were in full control of state government, lawmakers rolled back abortion restrictions. They ended strict building code requirements on facilities where abortions are performed and did away with requirements that a patient seeking an abortion undergo a 24-hour waiting period and ultrasound. Advocates said the changes would make Virginia a haven for abortion access in the South. Republican victories in the November elections shook up the states political landscape, but Senate Democrats defeated several measures that would have limited abortion access during the 2022 legislative session. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: There will be no immediate change to abortion laws in Virginia now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Some abortion providers expect to see an uptick in patients seeking care in Virginia from neighboring states with trigger laws that would ban abortion. Whats next: The future of abortion access is Virginia is murky. Senate Democrats say they intend to continue blocking attempts to roll back abortion access, though they control the chamber by the narrowest possible margin and have one caucus member who personally opposes abortion and says he is open to new restrictions. Republicans also have a narrow hold on the House, with several moderate members. Every seat in the General Assembly will be on the ballot in 2023. ___ WASHINGTON Political control: The Democrats who control the Washington Legislature support access to abortion, as does the states Democratic governor. Background: Abortion has been legal in Washington state since a 1970 statewide ballot referendum. Another ballot measure approved by voters in 1991 declared a womans right to choose physician-performed abortion prior to fetal viability and further expanded and protected access to abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned. And in 2018, the Legislature passed a measure that would require Washington insurers offering maternity care to also cover elective abortions and contraception. Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure that grants specific statutory authorization for physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners and other providers acting within their scope of practice to perform abortions. Supporters say the move is designed to help meet the demand from the potential influx of out-of-state patients. That same measure also prohibits legal action by Washington state against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The state will use every available tool to protect and preserve Washingtonians fundamental right to choose, and protect the rights of anyone who wants to come here to access reproductive health care, said Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat. Data from the Washington state Department of Health from 2020 shows that of the 16,909 abortions performed in the state that year, 852 involved non-residents. The majority of those people came from neighboring states such as Idaho and Oregon. Whats next: Its impossible to predict how many more non-resident patients will potentially seek care in Washington now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, but the increase will likely be in the thousands, said Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. The state has more than 30 in-person abortion clinics, though the vast majority are in western Washington along the Interstate 5 corridor. ___ WEST VIRGINIA Political control: West Virginia has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, opposes abortion access and has signed two anti-abortion laws since taking office in 2017. Background: Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, West Virginia law banned abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy unless a patients life is in danger or they face substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. The state has several other abortion restrictions that include: requiring patients seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after undergoing legislatively mandated counseling that is designed to discourage a woman from ending a pregnancy; requiring minors to get parental permission; banning the use of telemedicine to administer a medication abortion; and prohibiting abortions on the grounds that the child will be born with a disability. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: West Virginias only abortion clinic announced after the Supreme Courts ruling that it would immediately halt abortion services out of concern that staff could be prosecuted under a state law banning abortion that dates back to the 1800s. Charleston-based Womens Health Center of West Virginia Executive Director Katie Quinonez said it would be impossible for the clinic to continue performing abortions with such a law on the books. Under that law, providers who perform abortions can face felony charges and three to 10 years in prison, unless the abortion is conducted to save a patients life. The law makes no exceptions for rape or incest. In 2018, West Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to declare patients do not have the right to abortion and banning state funding for abortions. Whats next: State officials have not said formally how the 19th century abortion ban will be enforced. Abortion is addressed in numerous statutes in West Virginia state code, including the 20-week ban passed in 2015 that acknowledges the right to abortion access in the state. State Senate President Craig Blair and Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, both Republicans, said legislative attorneys are reviewing each statute on the books to determine how they apply" in light of the high court's decision. No lawmakers have commented on whether they intend to outlaw medication abortion. The governor has said he will not hesitate to call the Legislature into a special session if the states abortion law needs to be clarified. Quinonez said while her clinic is not currently performing abortions, it will remain open to continue to provide reproductive care, such as birth control and diagnosis, and to treat sexually transmitted diseases. She said the clinic will help women travel to other states for abortions through its abortion fund. ___ WISCONSIN Political control: Wisconsin has a legislature controlled by Republicans who want to ban or restrict access to abortions but a Democratic governor who supports access and is up for reelection this year. Background: Wisconsin has allowed most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy to save the health or life of the mother. A woman seeking an abortion must meet with a counselor and doctor before obtaining an abortion and wait at least 24 hours before having it done. Anyone under age 18 must have an adult relative over age 25 with them to obtain an abortion. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, it is presumed that a state law passed in 1849 making an abortion a felony offense could go into effect, and doctors have halted procedures. However, Wisconsins Democratic attorney general argues that the law is so old that its unenforceable. The language allows a woman to legally destroy her own fetus or embryo and grants immunity if an abortion is needed to save a womans life and is performed at a hospital. Another state law, passed in 1985, prohibits abortions performed after a fetus reaches viability -- when it could survive outside the womb -- conflicting with the 1849 ban. Whats next: Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit June 28 against Republican leaders of the state Legislature, arguing that the 1849 abortion ban conflicts with a 1985 law that prohibits abortion either after 20 weeks or at the point of fetal viability. His lawsuit says the 1985 law should take precedence. Republican lawmakers are expected to attempt to clarify the 19th century law during next years legislative session to ensure a ban is in place, even as that issue is being argued in the courts. Lawmakers efforts would be stymied if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wins reelection. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, said he supports a rape exception to an abortion ban, but also said the overturning of Roe could prompt Republican lawmakers to consider other reproductive issues, such as contraception. ___ WYOMING Political control: Wyoming has one of the most Republican legislatures in the U.S. and a long tradition of libertarian-type if not always social or religious conservatism. That may be changing. In March, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a bill that would ban abortion in nearly all instances should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Background: Current Wyoming law allows abortions up to when a fetus might be able to survive on its own outside its mothers body. The law does not specify when that happens, but it is generally considered to be at around 23 weeks into pregnancy. Wyoming currently doesnt allow abortions after then except to protect the mother from substantial risk to her life or health. Wyoming Republicans have traditionally taken a hands-off approach to abortion but have proven more willing to limit the practice lately. The number of Democrats in the Legislature has dwindled from 26 in 2010 to just nine out of 90 total seats now. A 2021 law requires physicians to provide lifesaving care to any aborted fetus born alive. Effect of Supreme Court ruling: The new state law that bans abortion only provides exceptions in cases of rape or incest or to protect the mothers life or health, not including psychological conditions. Though Wyoming has no abortion clinics, abortions still occur. Ninety-eight took place in Wyoming in 2021, according to state officials. Whats next: A planned womens health clinic in Casper that would have been the only one offering abortions in the state was on track to open in mid-June but an arson fire May 25 delayed those plans by around six months. Clinic founder Julie Burkhart said Friday that, despite the ruling, she still plans to open the clinic and will continue to seek legal means to keep abortion legal in Wyoming. Police continue to look for a suspect in the arson investigation, and have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. ___ Associated Press statehouse reporters from across the U.S. contributed. ___ For APs full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexicos Democratic governor took steps Monday to ensure safe harbor to people seeking abortions or providing abortions at health care facilities within the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order that prohibits cooperation with other states that might interfere with abortion access in New Mexico, declining to carry out any future arrest warrants from other states related to anti-abortion provisions. The order also prohibits most New Mexico state employees from assisting other states in investigating or seeking sanctions against local abortion providers. Residents seeking access will be protected, providers will be protected, and abortion is and will continue to be legal, safe and accessible, period, said Lujan Grisham, who is running for a second term in November. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision and ended constitutional protection for abortion, the battle over abortion rights has shifted to lower courts around the country, as one side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures. Lujan Grisham has signaled her steadfast support for continuing legal access to abortion in New Mexico. She also ordered a review to ensure that reproductive health care providers won't be disqualified or disciplined by state professional licensure provisions under criteria from other states. It means we will not cooperate for any criminalization attempt, Lujan Grisham said at a news conference at her Capitol offices. I think you will see a coalition of states that really work to shut off access to abortion. Last year, Lujan Grisham signed legislation to repeal a dormant 1969 statute that outlawed most abortion procedures. New Mexico is likely to continue to see a steady influx of people seeking abortions from neighboring states with more restrictive abortion laws. It already hosts patients from Texas and Oklahoma, where strict abortion bans were adopted earlier this year. Albuquerque is home to one of only a few independent clinics in the country that perform abortions in the third trimester without conditions. An abortion clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is just a mile from the state line with Texas near El Paso. The Republican nominee for governor, former television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti, has proposed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and when a mothers life is at increased risk. That legislative proposal was described as dead on arrival by Democratic state Senate Whip Linda Lopez of Albuquerque, who attended the news conference. The owner of the Jackson Womens Health Organization that is at the center of last weeks Supreme Court decision says that she plans to open a new clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as soon as mid-July. Lujan Grisham said she'll encourage abortion providers to expand in New Mexico and consider possible financial incentives. The governor said her administration would continue to pursue reductions in unplanned and unwanted pregnancies through state investments in family planning services and criminal justice programs, at the same time the state expands support for working families such as access to free child care. We should have fewer unwanted pregnancies. We should have fewer pregnancies from high risk issues, including violence, including rape, she said. We need to do more in the family planning and healthy-family space. WATERBURY The 20-year-old who police said shot a toddler while handling a gun last week ran from the Pinecrest Drive home so quickly the boys mother assumed he was getting his car to take the child to the hospital, court documents show. Instead, Kharis Samuels fled the scene, Waterbury Supervisory States Attorney Don Therkildsen said Tuesday during his arraignment in Waterbury Superior Court. The car registered to Samuels was spotted on license plate readers in New York about 30 minutes after the shooting, according to a warrant for his arrest. Samuels, of Ridgeway Avenue in Waterbury, turned himself in at police headquarters Monday, Lt. Ryan Bessette said. He is charged with risk of injury to a minor, first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and weapons offenses, he said. He was held on $750,000 after the arraignment. His attorney Erin Field said her client maintains his innocence. He also told her that he had no idea why Bristol police had a warrant for his arrest since he had never been to that city. The 2-year-old boy, who was shot in the torso, survived and remains in stable condition at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford, Bessette said Tuesday. The bullet entered the area of the boys upper-left abdomen and came out at his lower back and then became lodged in a picture window in the room where the toddler was playing, the warrant said. He suffered damage to his intestines, which likely needed to be fixed with surgery, Waterbury Hospital staff told police. The child was breathing on his own after being shot, but was intubated to allow physicians to treat him, the warrant said. Police said it appears Samuels was showing off a gun when it went off, striking the child, who was in his walker at the time. Samuels had bragged to the toddlers older brother that he had a gun, the warrant said. They were playing video games, but the older brother left the room to talk to his mother and didnt know what Samuels was doing or what room he was in when the gun went off, the warrant said. It wasnt until the older brother ran into the living room after the shot was fired that he saw the gun sitting on a chair, the warrant stated. When Samuels was running out of the home, he yelled it wasnt his fault or something like that, the childrens mother told police, according to the warrant. The older brother used his shirt to stem the flow of blood and then put the 2-year-old in his arms so their mother could drive him to the hospital, the warrant said. Detectives found the bullet and a spent shell casing on the living room, but did not find the gun, the warrant said. Police had initially said the 2-year-old and his three siblings, including an older brother, were in the custody of their paternal grandmother and their parents were in the picture. The childrens mother told police she lives in the single-family raised ranch along the quiet street with her mother. According to police, the toddler was shot June 21 when Samuels was visiting the childs older sibling at the familys Pinecrest Drive home. Two other young children also were in the house when the boy was shot, police said. The childrens mother had just gotten home from work and was in the bathroom when she heard a loud bang and her young son crying, the warrant said. The family took the toddler to Waterbury Hospital themselves and hospital staff notified police about the young gunshot patient. The boy then was flown to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford. Police quickly identified the suspect as Samuels, who was also wanted in Bristol on robbery and threatening charges after an incident in December 2021, Lt. Geoffrey Lund said. In that case, Lund said, Samuels is accused of threatening an acquaintance with a gun over a debt. Although police said he lives in Waterbury, Field said Samuels spends most of his time in New York and he called her as soon as he learned there was a warrant for his arrest. Samuels, who was wearing a red sweatshirt and jeans in court Tuesday, works part-time at a Chipotle restaurant, his attorney said. It is unclear if the Chipotle is in Connecticut or New York. Samuels weapons charges from the shooting case are criminal use of a weapon, illegal discharge of a firearm, illegal transfer of a pistol/revolver, carrying a pistol without a permit and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle. His next court date is July 13. A National Guardsman on the southern border mission left a loaded M4 rifle in an unlocked vehicle Thursday, which was quickly found by a civilian. "I think it's irresponsible, reckless and a danger to public safety if that's the way the National Guard is doing things," Marianna Trevino Wright, who found the weapon, told Military.com. "If they cannot secure their weapons, how are they supposed to secure the border?" Trevino Wright is the executive director of the National Butterfly Center, a 100-acre nature preserve on the U.S.-Mexico border. She said there were five vehicles in front of the preserve, some belonging to the National Guard and others being Border Patrol vehicles. Read Next: Veteran Captured While Fighting in Ukraine Speaks to Family One vehicle had soldiers in it, which drove away when she approached. Trevino Wright saw a pickup truck used by Guardsmen still running and noticed a loaded M4 with a close combat optic, or CCO, attached in the driver's seat. It also had at least one assault pack and multiple floatation devices in the bed. Fearing the weapon could be taken by someone with bad intentions, she confiscated it and immediately called Border Patrol authorities. Roughly 45 minutes later, Border Patrol personnel and National Guardsmen came back to retrieve the rifle. The Texas National Guard did not respond to Military.com's request for comment or answer questions on whether the soldier faces any punitive action. Losing track of a weapon is widely seen as one of the greatest sins a service member can commit, a stance that's drilled into troops beginning in basic training. It is common for a soldier's company level chain of command to be investigated and potentially punished for a lack of proper oversight after such weapons are lost. "Let's say the Guard or Border Patrol were trying to apprehend someone, who got past them and got to that vehicle with the weapon," Trevino Wright said. "Anyone could have grabbed it, multiple people went by on bicycles and were jogging." Trevino Wright said she has constantly battled with the National Guard over trespassing on her property and causing incidents. In January, soldiers crashed a truck into one of the nature preserve's gates. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon Related: A Year Later, NCIS Still Investigating the Case of the Missing Marine Corps Rifles A block of military, veterans and civic groups have joined forces to address a nationwide shortage of election volunteers ahead of the November vote, encouraging military family members and veterans to step up. The Vet The Vote coalition, spearheaded by the nonpartisan group We the Veterans, wants 100,000 former service members and military dependents to serve at polling places this fall. Organizers said Tuesday during a press conference marking the launch of the initiative that the veteran and military community is a trusted source of volunteers who can help set an example by working the polls and expressing faith in the nation's election system. Read Next: Veteran Captured While Fighting in Ukraine Speaks to Family "Our mission is to empower the 17 million-plus veterans and millions more military family members to strengthen American democracy by reducing the impact of mis-, dis-, and malinformation, countering anti-democratic forces and increasing positive civic engagement," said Anil Nathan, co-executive director of We the Veterans. Across the country, election officials have reported a shortage of poll workers to staff polling sites, resulting in the closure of some locations during primary elections, including Texas in March and Chicago on Tuesday. The shortages have been attributed to retirement as well as concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. According to state officials, roughly 130,000 poll workers have left their posts in the past dozen years as they age. Roughly 60% of poll workers registered in the U.S. are 61 or older. Workers at some locations, especially those where ballots were challenged in the 2020 election, also have cited intimidation and fear as factors for not returning to the job. Vet The Vote's goal is to get more volunteers at polls nationwide to prevent poll closures resulting from worker shortages. But the initiative will focus hardest on states in desperate need, including six with acute shortages such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona, according to Ellen Gustafson, a We the Veterans cofounder. "What we know is that veterans and our community are really well-dispersed across the country, and we are hoping that by doing a national push, we can engage as many veterans as possible," she said. "But then if we do need to get more local in terms of areas where the need is exceptionally great, we hope that through incredible partner organizations, we can target some of those communities." Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, now retired, volunteered in April as a poll worker in Arlington, Virginia. He said that as a soldier who helped organize elections in Bosnia and Kosovo, he learned about the work that goes into guaranteeing that they be "free and fair," adding that it is "something we should never take for granted as a country." Noting the pool of young veterans, the population's diversity and its dedication and service as an all-volunteer force, Casey called the military one of the most trusted groups in society. "I put it all together, and these are just the kind of people that can contribute greatly to overseeing a disciplined election process and help restore a level of confidence to our electoral system," Casey said. The push to have veterans and military family members work the polls comes amid efforts by states, localities, political parties and organizations to fill spots vacated by long-standing volunteers, mostly older retirees, who quit during the coronavirus pandemic. But worker intimidation also has kept volunteers away. Shaye Moss, a Georgia poll worker who testified this nth before the House Jan. 6 committee, said she and her grandmother, also a poll worker, received death threats and were targeted by Donald Trump supporters following the Nov. 3, 2020, vote count. According to Moss, none of the permanent coworkers or supervisors at the vote counting site where she worked that day has returned to their jobs. Vet The Vote officials say the time has come for veterans and military families to help restore faith in the election process, regardless of political ideology or belief. By bringing in poll workers who already have served their country honorably, with different backgrounds and upbringings, they can "support and strengthen the electoral process," Nathan said. "This has zero connection or affiliation to any level of partisanship," Nathan said. "We know that without poll workers, there are a lot of consequences for election site delays and closures, which are ultimately -- regardless of who you support from a political perspective -- a bad outcome when people are not able to exercise their freedom to exercise their right to vote freely and fairly." Groups supporting the Vet the Vote initiative include Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the National Military Family Association, the Military Officers Association of America and Student Veterans of America. In addition to public outreach, the Vet The Vote campaign will recruit workers through the web-based Power the Polls, a tool where potential volunteers and workers can go to sign up to support their polling place. Poll workers and supervisors check identification cards, distribute ballots, oversee counts, provide stickers and pens and do just about anything else at a polling station on Election Day. Gustafson said these seemingly menial tasks make democracy tick and elections couldn't be held without volunteers, many of whom actually receive pay for a day of training and work. "Being a military spouse, I learned that if every single person in the military doesn't do their job, the mission does not get accomplished. [On Election Day], it is actually those menial tasks, handing people the blue or black ink pen, checking those IDs, making sure people now are standing at a social distance that makes our elections function," Gustafson said. More information on Vet The Vote can be found at the initiative's website. Editor's Note: Due to a transcription error a previous version of this article quoted Anil Nathan as saying that the Vet the Vote initiative would combat "mistakes and malinformation" rather than "mis-, dis-, and malinformation." The Article has been updated accordingly. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime Related: Opinion: America Needs Vets to Serve Again, This Time as Volunteer Poll Workers Soldiers in the frigid arctic and sailors aboard ships undergoing major construction could get extra pay as lawmakers look to respond through must-pass legislation to strings of suicides among service members in Alaska and on the USS George Washington. Included in the version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, advanced last week by the House Armed Services Committee are provisions to provide new $200 monthly stipends to sailors on ships undergoing nuclear refueling and complex overhauls and $300 monthly stipends to service members "assigned to perform cold weather operations." The stipends are among several measures in the bill "confronting the epidemic of deaths by suicide of servicemembers in Alaska, on the USS George Washington, and across the military," Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., the chair of the House Armed Services Committee's personnel subpanel, said in a statement last week. Read Next: Veteran Captured While Fighting in Ukraine Speaks to Family The measures come after Military.com revealed that the ship had suffered a string of undisclosed suicides that went back to at least last July. Rear Adm. John Meier, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said the ship had suffered nine suicides in two years by April 2022, but Military.com's reporting suggests that figure could be higher. Sailors told Military.com that the ship's commanding officer told them that between July 2021 and April 2022, there were 10 suicides aboard the ship, although the publication has only been able to confirm six suicides of sailors assigned to the ship in the past year. The ship has been undergoing a complex overhaul at Newport News shipyard in Virginia since 2017. The overhauls typically last four years and are usually done halfway through a carrier's 50-year life to refuel the nuclear reactor and see to repairs and upgrades. The George Washington's overhaul, though, has been extended twice and now isn't expected to be done until early 2023. Sailors who spoke to Military.com said living conditions aboard the shipyard-bound carrier had become unbearable and cited junior sailors having to live aboard the ship while it is still under construction, as well as parking issues that created extended commutes, as some of the chief culprits for the low morale aboard. Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., who represents the area around Norfolk and the shipyard, told the press in May that until the news of the deaths was made public, the quality-of-life concerns aboard the ship did not appear to be on the Navy's radar. Luria noted that Navy's leaders "haven't made any specific requests for that in this budget." In addition to the stipends, the NDAA would require the Navy to offer paid moves to sailors assigned to ships undergoing complex overhaul and ensure that billets on such ships are at least 75% filled. Meier told the press in May that while the ship had about 95% of the ship's junior sailors aboard, it had only about 65% of its senior enlisted personnel. The Navy would also have to assign at least two behavioral health providers and two behavioral health technicians to each aircraft carrier. The service would further have to study options for expanding housing and parking closer to the shipyards where the complex overhauls are done, as well as report to lawmakers on quality-of-life issues related to the George Washington. The Navy confirmed that the crew living aboard the ship was given an option to move to on-base housing just over a week after news of the suicides was reported and days after the Navy's top enlisted official, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith, told the crew was told the service is largely powerless to improve conditions. "In early May, I met and spoke with junior enlisted sailors and Navy leadership aboard USS George Washington, and it was clear that the status quo aboard ships undergoing [refueling and complex overhaul] is not acceptable," Luria, who authored several of the George Washington-related amendments, said in a statement last week. Meanwhile, in Alaska, at least 11 soldiers died by suicide last year, with another six deaths under investigation. That was up from seven soldier suicides in 2020 and eight in 2019. Lawmakers and other leaders have in part blamed the socially isolating nature of work in a remote location such as Alaska, as well as a lack of resources for the arctic mission and long wait times for mental health appointments. On top of the $300 "arctic pay" stipends, the House NDAA seeks to alleviate some of the stressors of life in Alaska with pilot programs to allow car sharing services on Alaska bases and to provide stipends to make up for the higher cost of internet there compared to the contiguous United States. The internet stipends would start at $125 per month next year and could change in following years depending on cost differences between internet plans in Alaska and the continental U.S. The government could also pay for airfare for service members and dependents in Alaska who are not from the state to take at least one trip home per three-year tour under another NDAA provision. The bill must still pass the full House and be reconciled with the Senate's version of the NDAA before becoming law. The version of the NDAA advanced this month by the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which a summary has been released but not the full text, includes measures to "expand access to mental health providers and support at remote military installations, incentivize behavioral health students to work in the military health care system upon graduation, and improve the living conditions of service members stationed in Alaska," according to a news release from Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. -- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: Remote Bases Seeing More Suicide Attempts But Fewer Deaths, Watchdog Says A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators said on Monday that they oppose a commission tasked with reviewing the Veterans Affairs' health care system and will block the process for seating panel members, effectively ending its work. The lawmakers, led by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., said recommendations on hospital realignment and closures published earlier this year by the VA as part of the Asset and Infrastructure Review process were "not reflective of the goal" of the law that created the commission and would "put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage." The group of senators said that they would not support confirmation hearings for the nominees to serve on the commission, which would stop them from meeting and completing the review. Read Next: Inside Recruits' Journey to Space Force's First Boot Camp "We are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward," wrote the senators. "The commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure." The Asset and Infrastructure Review commission was created in 2018 as part of the VA MISSION Act to review the VA's vast holdings of real estate to determine which facilities were underutilized or outdated and could be shed and which should be expanded and modernized. The effort has been compared with the Defense Department's Base Realignment and Closure process, although the VA's recommendations included new construction of more than 30 new hospitals and 225 clinics and other facilities in addition to the closure of 17 medical centers and dozens of aging or underused clinics. Opposition to the report began as soon as it was published. Senators from four states that faced reductions in VA services filed legislation to scuttle the commission, and Monday's announcement may sound its death knell. The group of senators opposing the commission included Tester and Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.; and Rob Portman, R-Ohio. Even before the announcement Monday, the process was facing delays: The commission was to have begun public hearings this spring and deliberate its own recommendations for delivery to President Joe Biden by February 2023. But while the Biden administration has nominated eight people to serve, the ninth was to be nominated by Senate Republican leaders and was never announced. The senators' announcement has rankled some Republicans in the House and Senate who say the Mission Act passed Congress handily and the commission's work is required by law. "I am astonished by the announcement today that several Senators, including the Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, are refusing to fulfill their responsibility under the law to confirm members of the AIR Commission," said Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, the ranking Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, in a statement. "The Mission Act was signed into law with broad support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and every major veterans service organization." Concerned Veterans for America, a conservative advocacy group that supports the expansion of private health care options for veterans in the VA system, called the decision "short-sighted." CVA senior adviser Darin Selnick, who served on a VA commission in 2016 to study public and private options for VA health care, said the commission is the department's best chance for modernizing health services. "Simply put, this decision ... will hurt veterans by keeping them trapped in a broken and outdated system not built to address their needs," Selnick said in a statement Monday. Paul Dillard, the American Legion's national commander, also expressed concern over the impact on VA health care modernization. "While the process thus far has been plagued with delays, recommendations based on problematic data, and commission nominees that are not in keeping with the VA MISSION Act, there remains a need to modernize and improve the national health care infrastructure for veterans and their families," Dillard said in a statement Monday. VA Secretary Denis McDonough has said reform is needed to provide state-of-the-art health care to current and future veterans. During a press conference June 22, he expressed frustration over the pace of the nomination approval process that includes a VA under secretary for health but said VA is committed to upgrading its physical infrastructure. "We are bound and determined to do right by our veterans," McDonough said. "We will not be deterred from the important effort of modernization." -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime Related: Congress Passes Sweeping New Rule Allowing VA to Vaccinate All Veterans, Spouses The Pentagon insisted Tuesday there would be no interruption in access to abortion services for troops despite the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe v. Wade and snap moves by more than two dozen states to ban or restrict the procedure. The court's decision does not prohibit the military from providing care for covered abortions -- pregancies that risk the life of the woman or are the result of rape or incest -- as allowed under federal law, Gil Cisneros, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in a memo to Defense Department leaders. But Cisneros also acknowledged troops who seek or receive abortions in states that ban the procedure could face a legal fight as laws in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and elsewhere were on a collision course with the federal rules and the Justice Department. Troops are also going to be forced to rely heavily on leave policies to travel to states where abortion is legal, according to Cisneros' memo. Read Next: Veteran Captured While Fighting in Ukraine Speaks to Family "We will work with the Department of Justice to ensure access to [legal] counsel for such civilian employees and service members if needed and as appropriate," Cisneros wrote in the memo published by the Pentagon. Overall, the Friday decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the 1973 high-court ruling that women have a constitutional right to abortions, creates "complicated" issues for the military and was still being evaluated on Tuesday, he wrote. The looming legal fights were already beginning to unfold across the U.S. on Tuesday as a ban in Louisiana was temporarily blocked by a judge and opponents of the court's decision mounted challenges elsewhere. The extent that states would seek to police and punish those seeking or providing abortions was still unclear just days after the landmark court decision, which erased a five-decade legal precedent. That could put service members who use abortion services under federal law in the legal crosshairs of states trying to impose bans. At least 13 states that are home to about 240,000 service members had "trigger" laws that immediately banned elective abortions or will ban the procedures within weeks. While the individual laws vary, many of the states provide exceptions when the woman's life is at risk or the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Texas, for example, will now ban most abortions from the moment of conception. The law affects the state's 72,000 soldiers at bases such as Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, and about 35,000 airmen and Guardians at Joint Base San Antonio and other bases. Troops who seek abortions -- procedures that are unplanned and often already laden with stress and emotional turmoil -- may now be forced to travel out of state to receive the care. The Pentagon is already signaling it will rely on that approach to continue to provide abortion access. "The Supreme Court's decision also does not affect the department's leave policies," Cisneros wrote. Government-funded official travel can be used for abortions that are considered covered because they endanger the woman's life or are due to rape or incest, but service members will be required to pay out of their own pockets for the travel needed for other abortions, according to Cisneros. Tricare health insurance only pays for the covered abortions and also can provide mental health counseling. It does not cover any services, including referrals and counseling, for elective abortions. But that solution also leaves in question whether commanders in anti-abortion states will approve the leave necessary to make a trip to states where it remains legal. The Defense Department is barred by federal law from performing abortions, but the health care can be covered by Tricare insurance and performed at civilian facilities. -- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten. Related: Troops at Some Bases to See Abortion Access Sharply Curtailed or Eliminated After the Fall of Roe The G7 Meeting in Bavaria, Germany announced on Sunday, 26 June 2022, in fact President Biden announced that a US$200 billion pledge for global infrastructure to challenge Chinese influence. by Victor Cherubim In 2013 China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure strategy designed to increase Chinas global reach and area of influence. Many will know that this initiative has already touched over 70 countries, as well as international organisations. Ports, railways, oil and gas pipelines, and power grids, along with plans for new economic corridors were envisaged, many were built and are running, but recently the US and the West complain, pointing out significant issues such as corruption scandals, environmental damage, local labour violations and manipulation among others for the debt exposure to China. What was Chinas President Xi Jinpings initiative was welcome by far off nations as Venezuela, Zambia and near countries to Sri Lanka as Maldives and Malaysia, and Pakistan. This was in contrast to the Wests previous involvement aid for infrastructure, which often required recipient countries to reform their governance or laws. Researchers at the College of William and Mary,West Virginia, USA, inform that $843 billion in Chinese loans for over 13,000 projects have been launched under the Belt and Road Initiative. With global trade slowing down after the pandemic and Russian advance into Ukraine, it now appears, that this infrastructure project of BRI can only be viable and/or productive to nations, if the infrastructure generates enough revenues to pay of its upkeep, not to mention, the interest on its loans. In short, infrastructure must unlock demand. Rebalance now in progress Sri Lanka is not the only nation in this process of rebalance. A case in point is Malaysias rail-link connecting East and West coasts, bringing the price down by a third of the original estimate. Even this price correction was not enough and the project has been suspended due to cost overruns. A similar situation is in Pakistan, and in many other countries. Chinas President, Xi according to a Wall Street report, has committed to creating a Debt Sustainability Framework for the BRI initiative, besides, compliance with international infrastructure contracting standards, as well as measures to cure corruption and ensure environmental stability. He has urged foreign and private sector partners to contribute more funding to BRI projects. We are aware that these infrastructure projects could never have been given an impetus, which would otherwise be un-investible if China did not intervene with its BRI. But now with the slowdown of trade, the pressure has made China to renegotiate contracts with reduced project size and financial outlays. What has now happened at the G7 Nations meeting in Germany? The G7 Meeting in Bavaria, Germany announced on Sunday, 26 June 2022, in fact President Biden announced that a US$200 billion pledge for global infrastructure to challenge Chinese influence. The G7 announcement was a chance to shift the global balance. With the US contribution of $200 billion in Government aid and private investments, the other G7 nations are to contribute or make up a further $600 billion in investments by 2027. Unlike much of the Belt and Road focus on capital infrastructure projects like ports, roads and railways, the G7 aid will focus on Climate, Information Technology and Health systems. The first project is with an initial investment to include a US. $2 billion Solar Power Project in Angola and a US. $600 million Submarine Internet Cable, laid from Singapore to France. Do I need to state that the West has always looked over the shoulder of China, to prove it can compete with China, in much-needed infrastructure development, which the poorer nations never could have received, in the first place? Family members of Alexander Drueke, one of two veterans captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine earlier this month who is being held by Russian-backed separatists, contacted his family via phone on Saturday, directly addressing his mother, Bunny Drueke, in the first alleged contact since videos and pictures of the two surfaced on Russian media over a week ago. "It was basically the same message as in the short video where he addressed his mother - saying he is OK, he is receiving food and water and has shelter and bedding," said Dianna Shaw, Alex's aunt and family spokesperson, in a statement received by Military.com late Monday night. The family of Andy Huynh's fiance, Joy Black, told Military.com over text message that they were hoping to speak with him as well "but unfortunately that did not happen." Huyhn was captured with Drueke, according to the families. Read Next: Inside Recruits' Journey to Space Force's First Boot Camp "We're going to be positive and assume it is a delay and not a denial," Darla Black, Joy's mother, said. Shaw said that the Drueke family receives daily briefings from the State Department on the status of the two veterans. The families of both captured veterans relayed that Dreuke had said he and Huynh were being held in separate cells. "The State Department confirmed that the men are being held in the Donetsk region, a troublesome area from a diplomatic standpoint," the Drueke family statement said. "Russia and the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) currently control the majority of Donetsk, having captured the southern and northern parts, including the city of Mariupol." The State Department did not respond by publication to Military.com's inquiry asking if it could confirm the information in the family's statement. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the two veterans heroes, risking their lives for Ukrainian "sovereignty and independence." "I'm sure we'll fight for them and get them back, and of course they will come back to their families," he said in the interview with the Aspen Ideas Festival last week as reported by NBC, though what Ukraine might do to help rescue the two men is unclear. "Alex and Andy are Ukrainian Army volunteers with U.S. citizenship," Shaw said. "Since the U.S. is 'on the sidelines' of the war, it's up to the Ukrainian government to take the lead on any potential negotiations or prisoner exchanges." "It's very encouraging to hear the Ukrainian government is committed to securing Alex's and Andy's release," said Drueke's mother, Bunny. "I want to thank President Zelenskyy for taking their situation seriously." Shaw said that a staff member at the State Department took the call on Saturday and relayed it directly to Bunny Drueke. "I'm just glad to know Alex is alive and to know for sure where he is," Bunny Drueke added. "Every 'unknown' that becomes a 'known' is one step closer to his release." Before their capture, Drueke and Huynh last spoke to their families on June 8, with Alex, a 12-year Army veteran who left for Ukraine in mid-April, telling his mother he was "going dark" for a day or two. Five days later, a member of their unit contacted Bunny Drueke saying the two were missing, according to the family statement. "I am encouraged that Russia appears to be treating them closely to Geneva Convention protocols," a fighter who says he is in Drueke and Huynh's volunteer unit in Ukraine told Military.com. "They are legitimate soldiers for Ukraine and should be accorded such status." In an interview with NBC last week, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov called Drueke and Huynh "soldiers of fortune" and claimed the two vets are not entitled to Geneva Conventions protections that would prevent prosecution and the death penalty, echoing claims made by Russian officials in March. At the time, one expert called that claim "a gross distortion of international humanitarian law." "They should be held responsible for those crimes that they have committed; those crimes have to be investigated," Peskov told NBC, saying the men had attacked Russian forces. How they came to be in the custody of Donetsk authorities is unclear. "We want to believe all these things, and it is Russia's responsibility to make sure it's all true," said Shaw, referring to Drueke saying he is receiving food, water, shelter and bedding. "Having Alex call and say these things tells me that Russia knows the world is watching how they treat the two men," adding later that she suspected that the veteran was reading from a script. -- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: Videos Show Missing US Veterans Who May Have Been Captured by Russian-Backed Forces in Ukraine 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. American democracy runs on elections, and elections run on volunteers. Every year, local county election boards across America must recruit more than a million citizen volunteers to administer polling sites. The COVID-19 pandemic sharply cut the number of volunteers from the traditional 60-and-older cohort. Today, we have a critical national shortage of election workers, creating barriers that could prevent some American citizens from exercising their right to vote. The shortage of volunteer poll workers has already negatively impacted our election system. Over the past few years, American communities have seen a drastic reduction in the number of polling locations and longer lines and wait times. In 2020, the situation was so dire that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers activated his state's National Guard to assist as poll workers in 40 counties during the state's primary elections. New Jersey did the same that year and sent 120 soldiers in civilian clothes to assist -- a first in state history. In early 2022, several voting locations in Texas were unable to open due to a lack of volunteers. There are similar stories from New York to Los Angeles and in just about every state in the nation. Despite that, because of the systems and norms and, most importantly, the incredible efforts of the cadre of American citizen volunteers, 2020 was the most secure election in our history. Military veterans and their family members are ideal candidates to help solve this critical challenge to our democracy. While in uniform, we came from all corners of the nation -- from every class and creed -- and put aside our differences, joining together to serve our democracy. A recent 2021 study by The Mission Continues, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and National Conference on Citizenship found that veterans are "more likely than non-military civilians to volunteer in their communities" and also more likely to vote. Veterans are used to working together in teams, following orders and regulations, and tend to be exceptionally security-minded. We can think of no better, more trusted group within the American public to step up and fill this critical shortage and create a new civic tradition in the veteran and military family community. To this end, we've launched Vet the Vote, a national campaign to recruit 100,000 veterans and military family members to serve as the next generation of poll workers, starting with the 2022 midterm elections. We invite and encourage America's 17+ million veterans and their families to serve their country once again by defending democracy but through a new mission. By doing so, they will serve our democracy in a very personal and meaningful way, help ensure the safety, security and efficiency of our elections, and demonstrate the pride veterans and military families have for our country. Gen. George W. Casey Jr. is the 36th chief of staff of the U.S. Army. Retiring in 2011, he lectures on international relations at the Korbel School, University of Denver, and serves on several corporate boards and numerous boards of organizations that support our servicemen and women, our veterans and their families. Ellen Gustafson is a co-founder and co-executive director of We the Veterans -- a pro-democracy, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization created by veterans and military family members to empower the veteran and military family community to strengthen American democracy. Gustafson is a proud Navy spouse and a co-founder of the Military Family Building Coalition, the first nonprofit supporting active duty military in building their families, as well as previously co-founding FEED, Food Tank and co-directing the Summit Institute. Anil Nathan is a co-founder and co-executive director of We the Veterans. He is a first-generation American and second-generation Air Force veteran, following his father who was drafted during the Vietnam War after emigrating from India. Fighting a war in Russia during the winter is never a good idea, and yet time and again, people keep trying. The United States is as guilty of it as Napoleon was. In November of 1918, much of the world was jubilantly celebrating the end of World War I, the "war to end all wars." As those celebrations caught the attention of newspapers and newsreels all over the United States, there was one group of Americans whose war hadn't yet ended. Around 5,000 American soldiers were part of an allied expedition to intervene in the ongoing Russian civil war against the "Red" Bolshevik forces. For a little over a year, the American Expeditionary Force in North Russia fought to give the anti-Bolshevik "White" Russians the upper hand. As summer turned to fall in 1918, the combined forces of Britain, France, Italy, the United States and the rest of their allies were making drastic advances against their World War I enemies. Things were looking bleak for the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. In France, the allied forces had pushed the German Army back to the Hindenburg Line, nearly pushing it out of France altogether. Soon, German soldiers and sailors would revolt against the continued war, the Kaiser would be forced to abdicate and an armistice would be negotiated to end the war. Things were looking good for the allies, but the Russians, who had negotiated a separate peace in March of 1918, were still locked in a brutal struggle for who would control Russia. Britain, France and the United States had sent the Tsar 110,000 new rifles and other war materials to help keep the Russian Empire in World War I. Since the Russian military was unable to distribute any of it, Russia dropped out anyway. Those arms and supplies were sitting in a warehouse in the northern city of Arkhangelsk. The "Polar Bear Expedition," as the mission had come to be called, was simple on paper. They were to capture the stored weapons and secure an area large enough for the White Russians to form a stable government and army. Neither of those things happened. The Americans, at the request of the British and French, landed in the city in September 1918. They found the city was already occupied by the British, and they also found that the weapons cache was already discovered by the Bolsheviks, who'd made off with them. To make matters worse, a force of Czech and Slovak armies called the Czech Legion was in danger of being overrun while fighting along the Trans-Siberian Railway, a front that was hundreds of miles long. The American 339th Infantry, which was largely overcome with Spanish flu, was sent to relieve them. (Library of Congress) The Americans, with British help, broke out of the Arkhangelsk perimeter and into Bolshevik territory. For six weeks, they fought their way along the Dvina River, but at the end of it, they found themselves just as stretched out as the Czech Legion. With winter beginning to set in, they had to do something fast. With the Czech Legion firmly out of reach, the allies tried to raise an anti-Bolshevik army from members of the local population. When winter arrived in force, the allies were without recruits. Then came the Bolshevik counterattack. In October 1918, the Red armies inflicted a large number of casualties on the Americans, who had expected a relatively calm winter. Instead, the Red assault forced the allies to retreat back toward Arkhangelsk. They were forced to give up all their gains and take a loss of 10% of their force: 110 killed in combat, 30 missing and 70 dead from Spanish flu. By the time the Polar Bears had secured their position in Arkhangelsk, World War I had ended in an armistice, and the port of Arkhangelsk was frozen over. Even though the war was over, the Americans in Russia would have to survive through the winter until a ship could exfiltrate them. The soldiers were getting restless, subject to defending an area the size of Texas and Oklahoma alongside Russians who seemed disinterested in the outcome of the battle. The Americans struggled to tell the difference between a Bolshevik and an anti-Bolshevik. All the while, they were inundated by ambushes and Red propaganda, asking: "If the war is over, why are you still here?" (Detroits Own Polar Bear Memorial Association) The Red army continued its push against the foreigners throughout the winter. Its new offensive was so successful, the allies decided that their ultimate goal was getting out of there as soon as possible. It wasn't until June 1919 that the USS Des Moines steamed into the port and picked up the Polar Bears. In all, the Americans lost 344 dead to combat and disease, along with another 305 wounded. They even left 125 men behind. These men wouldn't be returned home until the Veterans of Foreign Wars was allowed to retrieve their remains inside the Soviet Union in 1929. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. The Red Sox announced theyve selected infielder Yolmer Sanchez onto the major league roster. Theyve also recalled righty Connor Seabold from Triple-A Worcester. In corresponding moves, righty Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran are going on the restricted list. Thats typical procedure for players who havent been vaccinated against COVID-19 on teams heading for a series in Toronto, as the Canadian government prohibits unvaccinated athletes from crossing the border. Sanchez makes it to the majors for the first time in two years. A longtime member of the White Sox, the Venezuela native is a career .245/.300/.360 hitter over parts of seven seasons. Hes a highly-regarded defensive infielder who has logged significant time at both second and third base in his career. Sanchez claimed the American Leagues Gold Glove Award at the keystone in 2019. Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, the 29-year-old has spent the entire season in Worcester. Hes hitting .253/.381/.424 with eight home runs and an excellent 16.6% walk rate over 265 plate appearances with the WooSox. Sanchez has played each of second, third and shortstop in the minors this season. The Sox didnt announce whether he was being brought to the majors as a designated COVID substitute. Players with that designation which can only be granted by the commissioners office occupy temporary spots on the roster and can be sent back to the minor leagues without being exposed to waivers or optioned. Thatd be a meaningful distinction in Sanchezs case, as he has more than five years of MLB service time and thus cannot be optioned without his consent. If he were tagged with the substitute designation, hed likely head back to Worcester when Houck and Duran are eligible to return on Friday. If not, hell have to remain on the active roster or be designated for assignment from this point forward. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported the moves before the team announcement. 28.06.2022 LISTEN The creme de la creme of Ghanas music will mount the stage at this years Ghana Music Awards USA as the date for the main event draws closer. The event organiser, Don Music Production, has concluded arrangements with the likes of Diana Hamilton, Kofi Kinata and Samuel Obuobisa who will all thrill patrons at the event. Other notable artists to grace the event such as Impossible Afriyie, Wutah Afriyie, Cee Music as well as Jay Hover. This years Ghana Music Awards USA will be held on Saturday, August 20, 2022, with the red carpet event starting at 5:00 pm while the main event starts at 7:00 pm. The Awards will be held at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long Street in Columbus Ohio in the United States of America. Don Music Production has entered into a partnership with the Multimedia Group Limited to give full coverage of the event. As a result, the event will be carried live on selected channels of the MGL including live streams on Social Media platforms. 28.06.2022 LISTEN Actress and socialite, Adu Sarfowa is wondering what prompted Jackie Appiah to finally show off her ostentatious mansion on social media. According to the actress, Jackie Appiah should rather use the influence and connections she has amassed from her acting career to help secure movie roles for aspiring actors and actresses in Ghana. She further intimated that Jackie Appiahs failure to help talented aspiring movie actors or actresses doesn't qualify her to be praised for her wealth. "What pushed Jackie Appiah now to show off what she has? Jackie, please help some talented actors close to you gain movie contracts with your connections. The all about you makes your legacy not admirable," she wrote on her official Instagram page. She also challenged the actress to name a new act she has mentored or assisted in getting roles in the film industry. "As of now, which actor can say because of Jackie, I made it? None. consider this," she asked. Jackie Appiah's flashy mansion was top of social media conversations. While some netizens praised the actress for her accomplishments, others accused her of obtaining them through her alleged relationships with powerful men. The video of the mansion was first posted on the internet by Luchy Donalds, a popular Nigerian actress and movie producer who was stunned by what she saw when she visited the actress (Jackie Appiah) in her abode at Trassaco, Accra a few days ago. 28.06.2022 LISTEN The founder and leader of the New Jerusalem Chapel sited at Kumasi Sokoban Ampayoo in the Ashanti Region, Bishop Dr. John Yaw Adu has expressed worry about the rising trend of irresponsible fathers these days. He said their actions have compelled several young children to join bad companies that make them engage in all manner of social vices. Speaking to this correspondent in a telephone interview on the Father's Day celebrations on Sunday, June 19 2024, Bishop Adu said to keep the such irresponsible fathers on their toes, there is the need for the policy makers to introduce tougher laws to deal with the situation. According to the respected man of God though there are laws that deal with the situation, the laws seem to be less biting thus giving some fathers the chance to get away with it. Citing instances to justify his points, the clergy referred to the Police Service where cases regarding parental neglect are increasing. He said the monitoring system regarding the laws that address child neglect is weak to the extent that some fathers take advantage to shun their responsibilities. The man of God also partly blames Ministers of God for failing to use their pulpits to encourage men to become responsible and cater for the well-being of their children. The clergy observed that parts of child neglect is as a result of broken homes or divorce insisting that the issue is child upbringing. He urges parents to train their children, especially female children who are the vulnerable group. The father of a Moroccan facing a death sentence in a Russian-backed breakaway region of Ukraine on Monday urged Russia's President Vladimir Putin to intervene to save his son. Taher Saadoun made the appeal on behalf of Brahim Saadoun, who was sentenced to death alongside two British men by the unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) in early June. "I call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, as a father and out of humanism, via humanitarian and unofficial channels," Saadoun told a news conference in Rabat. The three young men were condemned to death after being accused of serving as mercenaries for Ukraine following Russia's invasion of its neighbour. His father has previously said his son, who obtained Ukrainian citizenship in 2020, "is not a mercenary", calling him instead a "victim of manipulation". He also appealed to the government of Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to "do what is necessary to work on this case". The young man's father, a retired investigator in the gendarmerie, told AFP the Moroccan authorities had not been in contact with his son. He was not aware if Rabat had contacted Moscow or the self-proclaimed authorities in Donetsk. The Moroccan government had not commented on the case until June 13, saying through its embassy in Ukraine that Saadoun "was captured while wearing the uniform of the military of the state of Ukraine, as a member of a Ukrainian naval unit". It said he was "imprisoned by an entity that is recognised by neither the United Nations nor Morocco", without commenting further. His father said he had enrolled in the Ukrainian navy in 2021 and was following orders. Moroccan rights groups have urged the government to intervene to save the young man, citing concerns over his health. The relationship between Buddhism and Pakistan is deep-rooted. by Ali Sukhanver The South-Asian region is no doubt a paradise on earth, blessed with a lot of scenic beauty, mystic serenity and natural sublimity. From Nepal to Pakistan and from Sri Lanka to India, most of the people have hearts enriched with love, kindness and sympathy for the whole humanity. Though the South-Asian region comprises of the people following different religious philosophies but their philosophical differences never create hostile-distances among them. From Buddhism to Hinduism and from Sikhism to Islam, one finds the followers of every religion here in a large number; at some places in minority and at some places in majority. That is the reason that here we find countlesstemples, gurdwaras, churches and mosques in almost all areas of the South Asian region. For example in Pakistanthe people from the Buddhist community are not more than a few thousand but there are countless religious icons here in Pakistan belonging to the Buddhist heritage. These icons includethe Fasting Buddha in Lahore,Buddhas Relics in Taxila,Dharma Rajika Stupa in Taxila,Shatial Rock Carvingin Chilas, the Healing statue of Buddha and Seat of Saints in Jaulian,the statue of Sleeping Buddha in Haripur, Buddhist Stupa in Mohenjo-daro,Jehanabad Buddha in Swat and the Throne of the Water Spring inTakht-i-Bahi, Mardan. Same is the case with churches, Hindu temples and Gurdwaras; they are also in a large number. The government of Pakistan spends millions of rupees on looking after sacred places belonging to the Buddhist, Christian, Sikh and Hindu community. Unfortunately, almost a decade back when Pakistan was under a severe wave of terrorism, reportedly some of the historic Buddhist religious icons were damaged by the foreign-supported terrorists near Pak-Afghan border area. It is also very a very painful fact that because of some Indian patronized miscreants, Pakistan couldnt be a safe place for the tourists, particularly for those who wished to visit Pakistan for seeing their sacred places; people from the Sikh and the Buddhist community were on top of the list among them. Recently the BJP government has issued an advisory for Sikhs and Hindu pilgrims coming to Pakistan directing them to desist staying as a guest of any Pakistani citizen. The advisory further warns that the Indian pilgrims who accept the hospitality of Pakistani citizens will be blacklisted for the future. Now-a-days about 495 Sikh pilgrims from India are visiting Pakistan to celebrate the anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This unethical advisory rather warning is a proof that the people of Pakistan give a very warm welcome to the Hindu and Sikh pilgrims and certainly this warmth is not acceptable to the BJP government. As far as the relationship between Buddhism and Pakistan is concerned, no doubt it is very deep-rooted. It was Raja Tri Dev Roy, the Chief of the Chakma tribe who openly supported and favoured Pakistan during the 1971 war with India. That war had resulted in separation of the West Pakistan from the East Pakistan. After that separation Raja Tri Dev Royleft Bangladeshs Chittagong region and settled in Pakistan. In Pakistan he foundedthe Pakistan Buddhist Society and remained its Chairman from 1996 till his death in 2012. During all that period, his family remained settled in Bangladesh. Raja Tri Dev Roy lived a very active social, political and religious life in Pakistan. Still people of Pakistan admire and appreciate his role as a politician, diplomat and a writer. He had been the Minister of the Minority Affairs in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto cabinet too.It is also a very interesting fact that the Buddhist and the Muslim communities had never been hostile to each other because both religions promote love, kindness and equalityfor all human beings, though there had been conflicts and clashes between the people belonging to the two communities at some places, particularly in Bangladesh but not on religious basis. The basic reason for this harmony is that Buddhism, just like Islam, disregards the inhuman caste system particularly prevailing in the Hindu extremist societies. According to the Buddhas preaching, individual people might be able to attain enlightenment in this life and moreover caste was not a punishment for deeds committed in a past life. Buddha further preached that prejudice is an example of ignorance and believing that we are in some way superior to those around us is an example of craving or of fear. Today for the Hindu extremists in India, Buddhism has become the most serious threat because countless low-caste Hindus are tired of their everyday persecution at the hands of the Upper Caste Hindus and that is why they find a comfortable sheltering zone in Buddhism.For Buddhists, the caste system is an example of discrimination and is something that they do not support. No doubt it is very much true that all Hindus of India are not extremists; neither were they all in the past but extremism has always been a dominating factor in that society. Be it the Muslims, the Sikhs, the Christians or the Buddhists; and even the low-caste Hindus commonly known as the Dalits, everyone is being exploited and maltreated by the extremist Hindus. The low-caste Hindus in a big number are reverting to other religions simply because of this insulting maltreatment. According to the Wikipedia, in the 1951 census of India, 181,000 (0.05%) respondents said they were Buddhist. The 1961 census showed an increase to 3.25 million (0.74%). According to the 2011 census, Scheduled Castes Buddhists grew by 38 percent in the country. In short, Buddhism is growing rapidly in the Scheduled Caste (Dalit) community. This large number of Dalits embracing the Buddhistreligion is simply a reaction against maltreatment with the low-caste Hindus. But it seems that such a large number of the Hindus changing their religion are never disturbing for the BJP government. Experts say that Modi led government is intentionally working on a plan of making India a land only for the Hindus; the upper-caste Hindus only.Recently during Modis visit to Nepal on 16th and 17th May 2022, an incident of a very trivial nature occurred which proved that no one else could ever be morerigid, prejudiced and narrow-minded than Mr. Modi. Apparently he was there in Nepal to attend the celebration of the birth of Gautam Buddha in Lumbini but critics say that this visit was something more than the promotion of religious and cultural ties; it must be viewed through the larger geopolitical lens. They are of the opinion that this visit was to give a clear-cut message to Nepal that countrys growing closeness to China is not acceptable to India.Here the point to be noted is that today China has the world's largest Buddhist population, with an estimated 185250 million practitioners. Closeness with China could mean inclination towards Buddhism and certainly this closeness and inclination could never be acceptable to India. That is why Mr. Modi chose to land via helicopter on a helipad in Lumbini which isjust 18 kilometers away fromthe Gautam Buddha International Airport.Gautam Buddha is the second international airport in Nepal built with Chinese assistance and support. Honourable Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba had inaugurated that airport the same day in the morning of 16th May when Mr. Modi landed in Lumbini. By avoiding landing on that newly inaugurated airport, Mr. Modireflected his personal hesitance to endorse a Buddhist majority country Chinas infrastructural activities in Nepal. Such type of narrow-mindedness could never be expected from the prime minister of a country which introduces itself as the Largest Democracy. The Metro Chief Executive for Kumasi, Hon Samuel Pyne says he is working on a better plan to help resolve issues about electricity and the acquisition of ECG meters for traders at the Kejetia markets. Hon. Hon Pyne assured traders to remain calm as the team he has put together finishes with all procurement requirements that would enable them have individual meters at the trading enclave. Hon. Pyne noted that he had to ensure that the processes leading to the acquisition of meters were transparent to ensure everyone is satisfied. He stressed that it is better to follow due process which is transparent than to allow people with selfish ambitions and interests pull through with shady deals. "Upon assumption of office I decided not to allow anyone or group of persons to coerce or force me to do anything that was shady so I have done a comprehensive work to address electricity and the acquisition of meters for traders at Kejetia and you would soon see a solution to the ongoing matter because procurement process are almost done", the Mayor stated. DISCLOSURES The KMA mayor disclosed that an earlier plan was shown to him upon assumption of office but indicated that the deal was murky. Hon Pyne noted that he was not ready to allow anyone to shortchange the traders and government with any opaque deal in acquiring meters for the shops and stalls at Kejetia. The Mayor said he decided to get a team to evaluate all of the issues at hand and find a better way of handling same. These measures, he noted were done to ensure arrears owed by traders would be catered for before individual meters were advanced to traders. "I am not sure the early plan shown me would have resolved matters because in there was some shady attempts to milk the situation and the traders", Hon Pyne disclosed. ASSURANCES The Kumasi Mayor said the procurement process was almost done and it will pave way for the Assembly to find ways to allocate about 7,000 meters to traders at the enclave. He noted that a payment plan would also be outlined to enable traders pay to have the meters the Assembly is seeking for. The Mayor also noted that the monies owed by traders for using the post-paid general meter at Kejetia would be addressed for payments to be made to the Electricity Company of Ghana, suppliers of power to the market. "I am so committed to ensuring a permanent solution is found to the ongoing issues so as to allow our traders go through their routine activities without hindrances while ensuring that monies owed ECG for power already consumed is paid for", the KMA Mayor intimated. 28.06.2022 LISTEN Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, an aspirant of the flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will take the party to opposition should he lead NPP in the 2024 general elections. Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Assin Central constituency, revealed in an interview with Sunyani-based Suncity FM over the weekend that no one can stop him from contesting the flagbearership elections in the party. The loudmouth legislator stated that his research has shown that only three percent (3%) of Vice Presidents have been able to win presidential elections immediately after their tenure. Only 3% of vice presidents, according to my research, have been able to move directly into the presidency. Im afraid about taking a chance like that. Ive entered as a result, he said. He added, "So if NPP makes such a mistake, it is obvious that they will lose the elections. Nobody can stop me from achieving my goals. I will defeat them hands down." Mr. Kennedy Agyapong indicated that he is the only alternative to help salvage the current economic difficulties. Every government has fallen out of favour due to the global economic downturn and the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, so why would you take such a risk? Ive come for that reason. People who believe its a ruse to get votes for Alan or D. Bawumia are mistaken, he said. Mr. Kennedy Agyapong further revealed some of the measures he will implore to restore the economy from its current situation. He stressed, "Im going to run for President in style. Residents of Nuaso in the Lower Krobo municipality in the Eastern Region, confronted the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) workers and the military who tried to install prepaid meters in the area, forcing the soldiers to make a retreat. Samuel Torgbor, the Assembly member for Nuaso electoral area, said the people were taken aback by the lack of consultation on the matter. I don't have any information to pass to my people. I was unaware of that the ECG and military people will be coming to our area on Monday, Mr. Torgbor said on Eyewitness News. He also said they were confused because they were under the impression soldiers had been asked to withdraw from the area. Parliament has directed the Minister for Defence to order the immediate withdrawal of soldiers in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality. There has been tension between residents and the ECG over the payment of electricity bills. Also speaking on Eyewitness News, the Lower Manya Krobo MP, Ebenezer Teye Larbi, said the safety concerns made by ECG to justify the military concerns were not warranted. We have gone past that stage where there was that confrontationthough the issue has not been wholly resolved, Mr. Larbi said. He maintains that people in the area also feel that soldiers are being brought in to intimidate them. The approach they are adopting creates the impression that they are being punished with prepaid meters, Mr. Larbi added. The management of the ECG has since said it will meet residents of Nuaso community to sensitise them about the ongoing prepaid meter installation. ---Citinewsroom The African Union Commission chief has voiced shock at the "violent and degrading" treatment of African migrants trying to cross from Morocco into Spain after 23 people died, and called for an investigation into the incident. About 2,000 migrants stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Friday. At least 23 migrants died and 140 police officers were wounded in the ensuing violence, according to Moroccan authorities. It was the heaviest toll in years from such attempts to cross the frontier at Melilla. "I express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from Morocco into Spain," AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement on Twitter late Sunday. "I call for an immediate investigation into the matter and remind all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritise their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force." Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, said a UN Security Council meeting would be held behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the violence African migrants face in Melilla. Kenya, Gabon and Ghana -- the African non-permanent members of the Security Council -- called for the meeting, he added. "Migrants are Migrants: whether from Africa or Europe, they do not deserve to be brutalised in this way," Kimani wrote on Twitter. Speaking at a regular press briefing, UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: "We very much deplore this tragic incident and the loss of life." 'Tragic symbol' Spain on Monday thanked Morocco for its "collaboration" in the defence of Spanish borders and once again blamed "international mafias that traffic human beings" for the incident. But calls for a probe have increased, with around 50 migrant rights groups calling the Melilla deaths "the tragic symbol of European policies to externalise the European Union's borders". "The death of these young Africans... alerts us to the deadly nature of the security cooperation on migration between Morocco and Spain," they added. Spain's rights ombudsman said it accepted a complaint from several non-governmental groups on the incident and has requested information from the relevant administrative bodies. Moroccan justice will prosecute 65 migrants, mostly Sudanese, who took part in the deadly attempt to force their way into the Spanish enclave, a defence lawyer in Rabat said Monday. The prosecutor's office in Nador, which borders Melilla, has charged 37 migrants with "illegal entry into Morocco", "violence against law enforcement officers", "armed gathering" and "refusal to comply", their lawyer Khalid Ameza told AFP. A second group of 28 migrants will be tried for "participation in a criminal gang with a view to organising and facilitating illegal immigration abroad", Ameza added. The lawyer said the majority of the defendants were from Darfur, in western Sudan, which is in the grips of a food crisis and has seen recent violence that has left more than 125 people dead and 50,000 displaced. The others charged are Chadian, Malian and Yemeni. The migrant rush in Melilla came after Madrid and Rabat normalised their diplomatic relations following an almost year-long crisis centred on the disputed Western Sahara territory. For Spain, the main objective of the diplomatic thaw was to ensure Morocco's cooperation in controlling illegal immigration. Spain's enclaves in Morocco, Melilla and Ceuta, are the only land borders the European Union shares with Africa. Acres of slums line the creeks of Nigeria's oil hub Port Harcourt, home to tight-knit communities with a population density more than twice that of Manhattan. The tangle of 50 self-built waterfront settlements made of concrete, wood and corrugated sheets hosts half a million people, many reliant on the polluted creeks for their livelihoods. Port Harcourt's communities are now caught in a battle over their informal homes after Rivers State Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike ordered all the settlements to be demolished. Wike and Rivers officials have described them as "dens of criminals" that needed cleaning up, offering no compensation for the homes destroyed and no development plan for the land. Many residents lived there for decades. Their parents and grandparents built the land, filling the creeks with fibrous black mud cut from the mangroves. Since the demolitions began in January, half of the Diobu settlement in the southwest of the city has been destroyed. Up to 22,000 residents were made homeless in six days. Where there was a thriving community now sits 11 hectares of rubble. "We were peacefully living here," said Tamunoemi Cottrail, a local landlord and fish seller, recalling the start of the demolitions when officials arrived accompanied by armed men. "As they came, they did not talk to anybody. They just came down the steps and begin to mark X on some buildings." Local government officials say the project will benefit the entire city and that demolitions of informal communities are necessary and legal. The Port Harcourt land struggle illustrates the complex development of cities in Africa's most populous country, which is estimated by the UN to become the third most populous in the world by 2050. Port Harcourt is Nigeria's oil capital. But despite the petroleum revenues, its infrastructure is overwhelmed and many live in slums. By Victoria Uwemedimo (AFP) Most of that will be urban growth, and much of it in slums as Nigeria's development plans largely ignore rapid informal urbanisation and adequate infrastructure. Port Harcourt is Nigeria's oil capital. But despite the petroleum revenues, its infrastructure is overwhelmed and many live in slum conditions. "People don't deliberately put themselves in informal settlements," said Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International Nigeria. "There shouldn't be informal settlements in those kinds of places because the states are rich and they have the capacity to provide." a Public backlash - The demolitions began nearly three weeks after the governor announced his decision during a New Year's speech. Rivers State's chief security officer arrived in Diobu waterfront on January 19, marking homes for demolition and telling residents they had seven days to pack up and leave. As Diobu's representative in the local governing body, Cottrail approached the officers, attempting to initiate a dialogue. But they refused to engage with him. They came back at the end of January. "There was no way to talk to them because they came with fully armed police officers and some civil defence officers," Cottrail said. The Port Harcourt land struggle illustrates the complex development of cities in Africa's most populous country. By Victoria Uwemedimo (AFP) "When they came, they started flogging people," said Omobotare Abona, a local fisherman. "When people were like 'You guys should wait -- let us pack our things because it's sudden', they were like 'Go out.'" After some public backlash against the governor's plan, his commissioner for information and communication, Paulinus Nsirim, took a harsher tone, emphasising the government's push to "sanitise the waterfronts". He said that the communities had become "a den of thieves, flies in the face of rational analysis". "That is a lie," said Abona, who has lived in the community most of his life. "There is nowhere they don't have bad persons." For the state development authorities, the programme is about the legitimate use of land. "The law allows (demolitions) so long as it is for public interest," said one official from the Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority. "What he wants to do is for the... benefit of the state or for everybody." a Living with relatives - Many former Diobu residents have moved in with relatives elsewhere, now cut off from their water-related livelihoods. Others have their furniture and clothes piled on the pavements near the waterfront. In one disused government compound close to the waterfront, women have squatted with their salvaged belongings and children. Some residents are still sleeping in the rubble of their former homes. By Victoria Uwemedimo (AFP) Peace West, a school cook who now squats there with her four children, said she had paid a year's rent upfront in October but now does not have the money to pay another. Some residents are still sleeping in the rubble of their former homes, even though the rainy season has swung into full force. The city's waterfront communities help fuel the informal economy, which accounts for up to 65 percent of real economic activity. But they live in extreme poverty, with little to no municipal services and a lack of political representation. For residents like Abona it is hard to imagine living elsewhere than in his community, where he lives off the properties he built and fishing. Although he relocated his wife and infant son to a relative's house, he often returns to the demolition site, watching over his family's land. He is waiting for the right time to rebuild. "As a riverine man, I feel safe and I grew up here," he said. "So I know everything here, at least. It's my comfort zone." 28.06.2022 LISTEN Lawyers for pressure group, Arise Ghana, have served notice of an appeal on the High Court's judgment, which partially granted orders against the group. The #KromAyeShe demonstration is, however, expected to come off today, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The Court of Appeal is expected to be moved on July 12, 2022 by Arise Ghana lawyers, who say they disagree with the entire judgment of the High Court on the matter. The High Court, in striking a balance between the competing demands of the Police Service and Arise Ghana, ordered the organizers to end their #KromAyeShe demonstration at 4pm on Tuesday. It also directed that the demonstration commenced at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, marching through Farisco and TUC junctions to the Independence Square. A petition may then be presented to a representative of the Presidency at the Square, the Court so ordered. But lawyers for Arise Ghana in their notice of appeal, say that Justice Comfort Tasiame's judgment is against the weight of the evidence as presented by Bernard Mornah, one of the Organizers, in Court. Lead Counsel, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe told Citi News in a later interview that the Ghana Police Service obtained the judgment by mongering the fear of terror attacks. To pick the incidence of terrorist activities in the afternoon as the basis for the Court to deny the lawful assembly of people in the night was completely far-fetched. Not only that, it was a very sinister supposition to play on the emotional keyboard of the Court, because, any judge who hears about terrorist acts, the feeling is possibly to instill a certain fear. So the whole thing was a very mischievous plan by the Ghana Police to kind of put fear possibly in the Court as though there is an imminent threat of coup in Ghana. ---citinewsroom A lawyer for the Arise Ghana group, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe says claims that the groups planned demonstration threatens national security and would give room for terrorist activities are untenable. He noted that all efforts have been made to ensure the demonstration comes off peacefully. This is going to be very peaceful. Nothing about terrorist acts. There is nothing more terrorizing today than the price of fuel and cost of essential services, he said. The High Court on Monday directed organisers of the demonstration, dubbed #KromAyeShe to end their public protests at 4pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The Court effectively struck a balance between the competing directive of the Police for the demonstration to end at 3pm on Tuesday, and the desire of the organisers to run till 8:00pm. The court, presided over by Her Ladyship Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame also directed that the demonstration should commence at 8am with the demonstrators converging at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, moving through Farisco and TUC to the Independence Square. But reacting to the development on Eyewitness News, Edudzi Tamakloe said the police had argued that a night demonstration will undermine public safety and public security on grounds that there have been terrorist activities in the sub-region but we find that proposition completely untenable by way of affidavit. We demonstrated to the court that of all the terrorist activities in the sub-region, none took place in the night. He urged the public to come in their numbers and support the demonstration to drum home the message of broken promises by the Akufo-Addo government. They should get ready to join the demonstration to send a message to the presidency of Akufo-Addo that the promises that he made to the good people of this country, he has not lived up to that promise. He has become very ostentatious, living luxurious lifestyles amidst the suffering Ghanaians are going through, he said. ---citinewsroom Faced with a sharp rise in the number of Covid infections in France over the last month, the government is preparing a bill which could introduce health passes on its borders. The health minister has also recommended wearing masks in public transport. The arrival of subvariants in France has pushed Covid-19 infection rates back up. An average of more than 50,000 cases per week have been recorded over the last month, and hospitalisations have also increased. "On 21 June 14,410 patients were hospitalised for Covid-19, including 855 in intensive care, and this week we have a 12 percent increase in ICU patients," Delphine Viriot, epidemiologist with health agency Sante publique France told franceinfo. While infections are well down on the 350,000 late January, the government is taking precautions. According to a draft bill, published on the Atlantico website and confirmed by the health ministry, France is looking to introduce a health pass on its European borders, in Corsica and in overseas territories. Return of the health pass? The proposed legislation could require travellers over the age of 12 to show proof that they have been vaccinated against Covid, have a recent negative PCR test, or have sufficient immunity after contracting the virus, in order to be allowed to enter France. Staff in transport services concerned could also be required to hold a valid health pass. The document shows the government's plan to extend the gathering of digital Covid data (test results and contact cases) through until 31 March 2023. The government also wants to set up a committee to monitor and anticipate health risks. It would be attached to the ministries of health and research, and provide recommendations directly to the National Assembly and Senate. The draft has been handed to the Council of State, France's highest court, for discussion before being presented before the council of ministers. Curbing mechanisms Government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire said it will allow France to "remain vigilant faced with the possible resurgence of Covid-19" after the health state of emergency ends on 31 July. Gregoire ruled out including the controversial vaccine pass in the draft legislation. "Extending the state of emergency is not on the table," she told franceinfo. "What matters is ensuring we are able to intervene if necessary [by] setting up curbing mechanism should the situation evolve, even degenerate, after 31 July." In the meantime, the government is reminding people, especially the over 60s, of the importance of getting their second booster shot. Professor Alain Fischer, head of the vaccine strategy council, said on Sunday that 8.5 million people in France who were eligible for a fourth dose have not yet had it, and strongly encouraged them to do so. Masks recommended A few days ago Fischer said he was in favour of reintroducing the wearing of masks in public transport, "definitely for vulnerable people and probably for everyone because it's a collective form of protection." Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon on Monday also called on all citizens to wear masks again in public transport. Speaking to RTL radio, she said in light of the highly contagious nature of the current Covid variants she recommended wearing masks in "all closed and crowded areas". Although masks are no longer mandatory in public places, except health centres and nursing homes, she said that was a question of a "citizen duty" which implied "protecting oneself and others who are more vulnerable". 28.06.2022 LISTEN The family of Victor Kwadwo Owusu has rejected a police autopsy report revealing the cause of death of their son. The report says the cause of death is a severe head injury and there is also an underlying brain tumour. Victor Kwadwo Owusu was allegedly shot and killed on 18 May 2022 by the police during a protest by the youth of Nkoranza in the Bono East Region. The family says the police autopsy report is fraught with inaccuracies and so, there is the need for an independent coroners inquest. The youth in Nkoransa, who were unhappy about the suspected killing of Albert Donkor by the police, poured out in their numbers onto the streets of Nkoranza on the day of the incident on May 18. They blocked major roads and burnt tyres to register their displeasure over the death of the 27-year-old businessman. They say Albert Donkor died under mysterious circumstances in police custody. The police had earlier claimed that Mr. Donkor was a robbery suspect, but the locals believed the young businessman was targeted and killed by the police because he witnessed a robbery incident involving a police officer on the Nkoranza-Kintampo road. After a long wait into what might have caused the death of Victor Kwadwo Owusu, a police autopsy report says the causes of his death are a severe head injury and an underlying brain tumour. Isaac Appiah Kubi, the brother of the deceased, said we don't believe in that. I believe we will go for a second opinion. The Member of Parliament for the area, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, indicated that the police autopsy report vindicated his earlier call for an independent coroners inquest. I said it from day one that it is not going to be the true reflection of what actually happened. I said it because I know that they will not bring the truth out. ---citinewsroom The Executive Director of Community Focus Foundation, Ghana (CFF-Ghana), Richard Kasu is asking President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's government to consider selling Ghana to cushion the economy if the 'saviour' Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) is not raking in the needed revenue. The comments come on the back of the revelation that the controversial E-Levy is not delivering as expected by the government. In a post on his Twitter page on Monday, a leading member of the ruling NPP, Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko said the E-Levy is giving the government just around 10% of the expected revenue target. He noted that only Ghc60million of the expected Ghc600million has been realised after two months of implementation. Reacting to that revelations, Richard Kasu of CFF-Ghana has urged President Akufo-Addo and his government to sell the country for more money to solve its economic challenges. We saw this coming hence the various proposals including sealing the revenue leakages to help us mobilize the needed revenue but regrettably, no heed was paid to our nation-saving proposals by the all-knowing Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta. Well, I have only one advise or last proposal on the table for the government. Nana Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta should consider selling the entire country to cushion the economy if they think we are not getting the expected revenue from unpopular E-Levy, parts of a statement from Richard Kasu reads. Below is a copy of the statement: Richard Kasu of CFF-GHANA writes... Sell Ghana to cushion the economy if you think E-levy is not raking in the expected revenue. We saw this coming hence the various proposals including sealing the revenue leakages to help us mobilize the needed revenue but regrettably, no heed was paid to our nation-saving proposals by the all-knowing Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta. Truth be told, majority of Ghanaians do not support the electronic levy and has since opted out from mobile money transactions. Yes, that's the price to pay if you blatantly refused to listen to people who gave you political power. If today, our Defacto "Prime Minister", Gabby Otchere-Darko is lamenting that the E-levy is delivering ONLY 10% of estimated revenues after implementation, what else does he expect Ghanaians to do? Well, I have only one advise or last proposal on the table for the government. Nana Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta should consider selling the entire country to cushion the economy if they think we are not getting the expected revenue from unpopular E-LEVY. End. 0248640364 28/06/2022 At the G7 Summit today, President of the United States Joe Biden announced $20 million in additional assistance to strengthen food security in Sri Lanka. Building on other recent funding announcements from the United States, this newly posted assistance will target Sri Lankans most in need during the current economic crisis. The funding aims to support a school nutrition program that will feed over 800,000 Sri Lankan children and provide food vouchers for over 27,000 pregnant and lactating women over the next 15 months. The effort also plans to support approximately 30,000 farmers through the contribution of agricultural assistance and cash in order to increase food production in vulnerable Sri Lankan communities. President Bidens announcement of $20 million in additional assistance to Sri Lanka demonstrates the United States ongoing commitment to food security, public health, and the economic well-being of all Sri Lankan people, said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung. The United States will continue to support Sri Lankan efforts to promote economic stability and will ensure this assistance reaches the communities and children who need it most. The $20 million of humanitarian assistance announced today builds on nearly $12 million in recent U.S. commitments in economic and humanitarian assistance, totaling $32 million in U.S. support for the Sri Lankan people since June 16, 2022. Funding is provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and will be awarded to partners that adhere to globally recognized monitoring and evaluation standards. This ensures that funding is accounted for and assistance reaches those identified as most vulnerable to food insecurity. The Concerned Imams and Chiefs of Ghana have thrown their weight and trust behind the chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh IC Quaye. They have also condemned the attack and removal of the chairman by the supposed Patriotic Muslim Front. The Patriotic Muslim Front on June 9th, 2022 called for the removal of the chairman over the increase in this year's Hajj fare as well as the age bracket from 18-65 years. Speaking at a press briefing held in Accra on Monday, 27th June 2022, the Municipal Chief Imam of La, Sheikh Imam Abdul Rashid Odoi Atsem stated that the call for the removal of Sheikh I.C Quaye is borne out of selfishness, hatred, tribalism and politics. He stated that the call by the group has no basis and without concrete evidence but mere tribalism which is the bane of Islam. He stressed that investigations carried out have revealed three people who constituted themselves into a clique started by sabotaging Sheikh I.C Quaye but could not succeed with their diabolic plan. "Is it not curious that if indeed members of the Patriotic Muslim Front have a problem with the increase in this year's Hajj fare, they will not call for the dissolution of the entire Board but call for the removal of only the chairman, Sheikh I.C Quaye? He quizzes. He revealed specific high amounts being paid by other pilgrims across Africa compared to Ghana. "The Hajj fare in Gambia is $7,756, Senegal $6,845, Guinea Conakry $6,795, Nigeria $6,022, Liberia $6,500, Morocco $6,405 and Egypt is $6,700. So compared to what Ghanaians are paying is very low," he said. Sheikh Imam Abdul Rashid Odoi Atsem added that Sheikh I.C Quaye deserves commendation for playing vital roles both at home and on the international front. "The title Sheikh was conferred on him by the Muslim World League over 30 years ago and was appointed a member of the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League. He was able to facilitate the homecoming of the former Imam Makkah, Sheikh Muhammad Subayir to Ghana twice. "Through his facilitation and Sheikh Subayir, the Tamale Central Mosque was built. He was also able to secure an amount of $1 million for the construction of the National mosque at Kanda. He also assisted in raising funds for the construction of the Ghana Muslim Mission's school, he also got funds for the Alajo Central Mosque and for the La Central Mosque in Accra," he added. According to him, together with its Board, Sheikh I.C Quaye ensured that the 452 fully paid pilgrims who could not perform the Hajj in 2016 under the Alhaji Tanko-led board performed the Hajj without paying a dime. Sheikh Imam Abdul Rashid Odoi Atsem used the opportunity to plead to the president, Nana Akufo-Addo to continue the trust and confidence reposed in Sheikh I.C Quaye as the Hajj Board chairman. He urged the Patriotic Muslim Front to eschew the subtle promotion of tribal interest, peddling of falsehood and character assassination. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has cautioned his men against any form of misconduct as they move out to protect Arise Ghana demonstrators who will be hitting the street today, Tuesday, 28 June 2022, to demonstrate against the government. According to the IGP, the Police must treat the demonstrators as they wish to be treated if they were on the other side. Dr Dampare does not want a repeat of Police brutalities that has marred previous demonstrations before his assumption as IGP. Addressing his men this morning ahead of the planned Arise Ghana demonstration, Dr Dampare cautioned his men to be as professional as they can to demonstrate to the world that Ghana is a beacon of democracy. He said: We should continue to remember that those demonstrators are human beings like us, those demonstrators are Ghanaians like us, they are our brothers and sisters and, therefore, we should treat them with all the respect, civility and the dignity each and every human being deserves. In effect we should treat them the way we would like to be treated if we were on the other side. The IGP explained that It means as you go out there, if anybody needs help, help the person, do that joyously, do that with love, do that with a sense of humility and humanity and as you do that you win the hearts of the demonstrators He disclosed that two mobile hospitals will be deployed to help both the law enforcement men and the demonstrators through their march. We are deploying two mobile police hospitals for the purpose of this demonstration both for yourself and also for any demonstrator that may need our assistance in this regard. We want to show the world that as a country our democracy is growing from strength to strength and this is a finest opportunity to demonstrate that and we cannot miss this opportunity, he noted. Source: Classfmonline.com Cassiel Ato Forson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency, has asserted that the electronic transaction levy (E-levy) is a failed policy. He said the NPP should admit their guilt for something urgent to be done to salvage the situation. Mr. Ato Forson, who is also a Ranking Member on Parliaments Finance Committee, stressed that if the E-levy is the only option to save this country, then Ghana is doomed. According to him, the levy was not able to generate the expected income government projected. The legislator added that, regardless of the numerous positive impressions created around the controversial levy by the government and their followers, it has flopped. If the e-levy is the only homegrown that you have then Im sorry to say this is a failed government because the e-levy has failed. And I say this because if you project to do revenue 475million Ghana cedis in a month and you end up getting 54 million then that is a gargantuan failure. I have never seen a tax policy that has underperformed so woefully than what Ive seen. This is a classic example of a mother of nuisance taxes. Upon all the noise that we saw with the e-levy, the way you couched it, the way you marketed it, impressions that were created at a point I even joked in parliament that it is going to cure the bald-headedness of my colleague honourable Ablakwa we were told that it was going to be the Akobam of this world, the modern-day Akobam, it will solve every single economic problem. Today look at how gargantuan it has underperformed. This is a failed policy, lets admit, he stated. Speaking on the PM Express Show on JoyNews, an Accra-based television station, on Monday, June 27, 2022, Mr. Ato Forson said he knew from the onset the e-levy was destined to fail. He reiterated that no one should put their hopes in the E-levy because it will not deliver, let alone meet the government's estimated GHC6.9 billion yearly target. In fact I knew it was going to fail because the structure and design of the e-levy, it was bound to have the accident that were seeing. That the tax policy that was designed without factoring in the fact that there are some elasticities, without factoring in the fact that the demand may change because its a choice and obviously the rate at which youre increasing the rate will mean that people will change their behavior towards that tax. Im not surprised were seeing this. Yes, you can tickle yourself and create the impression that e-levy will perform going into the line but I can assure you that the GHS6.9billion that you have budgeted in the budget that youll get, youll struggle to even get the point nine, you wont get the point nine, he said. His comment follows Mr. Gabby Otchere Darko, a staunch member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who revealed that government was only able to make 10%. He noted that only GHS60million was realised from the expected GHS600million. After 5 months of stalemate and bashing, the e-levy, after implementation, is delivering only 10% of estimated revenues; our revenues remain very low as compared to the rest of the world; debt levels dangerously high, cedi, like most currencies, struggling against the US dollar. What options are open to government? The question should rather be: what option, if adopted, will re-inject investor confidence in our economy? Even if we find the $3-5 billion required, will that help? E-levy which was to have given us some 600m by now has done less than 60m, Gabby tweeted Former Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper has indicated that the percentage of revenue said to be derived from the E-levy is immaterial considering the current state of Ghana's ailing economy. He noted that the E-levy was only raking in 1.4% of GDP of government's GHS100 billion revenue projections. Speaking on the matter on Joy News AM show today, Mr Terkper indicated that, the E-levy was already factored in gross revenue generation forming the 20% revenue government is expecting to make although only 13.5% has been realised. My short answer is that it will still be immaterial. In the context of the economic situation that we see ourselves in at the moment and I have made this point first, I have said that the E-levy is already factored as part of the GHS 100 billion equivalent of 20% GDP when all that we are able to do is 13%-15% of GDP revenue, which has been stagnant at that level. "Our tax revenue is slightly below and therefore if you consider that the deficit we were confronted with, the likely increase in debt, the borrowing already had the E-levy factored into it. In fact, the E-levy is bringing in 1.4% of GDP. The deficit itself was 11%-13% by government's own admission and likely to reach 15% so how does 1.4% GDP help the economy? he said in response to the host's question on whether to go by the 17% revenue in the survey by IMANI Africa or Gabby Otchere Darko's 10%. He added that the E-levy was not going to help address the current economic crisis. He noted that even though the tax had not stabilized yet, whether it was generating 10%, 50% or 70% it would just worsen the fiscal situation. If we take the government's medium term, which is in the budget, which is what we have now to see where government wants to land this economy, in terms of percentage of GDP. Again in the appendix, it is still 1.4% GDP. In fact, it is still 1.4% for 2022 all the way to 2025. So if that is what government was expecting, I am saying that the E-levy in substance was not going to help us out of the crisis and I kept saying this. Whether it is 10%, whether it is 50% or what we may be seeing as maybe 60-70% because the tax has not yet stabilized, would only worsen the fiscal situation because it has not been substantive despite everything that was being said, he expressed. An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 37-year-old businessman into Police custody over alleged theft of a Toyota vehicle valued GHS90,000.00, belonging to another businessman. Richard Oddoi Laryea has denied stealing the property of Isaac Ayisi. He will make his next appearance on July 8, 2022. Meanwhile, the Court ordered has prosecution to file and serve witness statements to the accused person's defence counsel. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong told the Court presided over by Mrs Ellen Offei Ayeh that Ayisi, the complainant, resided at Mallam whilst Laryea, the accused person, resided at Nungua. He said on May 15, 2022, the complainant was travelling with his home used unregistered Toyota Camry and on reaching Nungua, the said car developed an electrical fault so he parked it with the accused person to embark on his trip and come for same when he returned. ASP Oppong said the Complainant returned from the trip three days later and he came to the accused person to take his car but the car was nowhere to be found. The prosecution said every attempt made by the complainant to get the accused person to retrieve his car proved futile. The Court heard that the accused person went into hiding and switched off his mobile phone. ASP Oppong said on June 15, 2022, the complainant went to the accused person's place of abode and he was told that the accused person had been arrested in a similar case at Nima Police station. Complainant, the Court heard, made a follow-up to Nima Police Station and met the accused person at the station and subsequently pointed him out to Police as the culprit. He said in the course of the investigation, the accused person admitted the offence in his investigation cautioned statement and told Police that he had committed a similar offence to someone and National Security personnel were chasing him to get him arrested and that he used the complainant's car as a collateral to obtain loan and used same to defray his indebtedness in order not to be arrested. Further investigation revealed that after the accused person used the said car as collateral for loan he again went to the lender to bargain for the sales of the car and he brought a buyer to the lender and both sold the car at GHS69,000.00 which the lender took his loan amount of GH38,000.00 and gave the balance of GHS31,000.00 to the accused person and he made use of same. ASP Oppong said after investigation, the accused person was charged with the offence and put before court. In applying for bail, his lawyer said his accomplices not being around should not affect his client and that he was innocent until proven guilty. The lawyer said the facts given the Court were not totally correct and prosecution's submission was alien. He said his client had been in custody for two weeks and had people of substance to stand as sureties for him. The accused person, the lawyer said, had a wife who was due in a week's time. Prosecution in objecting to the bail, said Laryea had a number of similar cases at Nima, Tema, among other police stations. ASP Oppong said the accused person was a flight risk and his fixed place of abode was unknown, adding that should the Court consider bail, prosecution would not get him to stand for trial. The Court after considering both submissions declined the bail on the issue of Laryea not having a fixed place of abode. GNA 28.06.2022 LISTEN During the night 46 casualties from Mexico were found dead in a cooling truck around San Antonio, Texas border, and 16 were treated in hospital. Hunan traffickers are blamed for the death and hunted down by the Authorities, profiteers of a human tragedy. Mr. Mueller, Ghana Honorary Consulate Hamburg, Germany , 2021: "The Ghanaians drowning in the Mediterranean Sea that you see daily on TV is not the real picture. More die on African grounds. They carry lots of cash on them. Crossing Burkina Faso they get robbed and killed to eliminate witnesses. The lucky ones starve crossing the desert and get killed by other nationals. No western government addresses this situation by asking for an end to only dead people in the water hit headlines back home drawing voters into their corner. Sitting here I hear so many stories that go unheard in our societies." 2020 Germany and the rest of the EU boycotted the sale of small dinky boats to buyers in Syria much laughed about from different angles. In 2022 the German government extended cooperation with Mali to help a regime they do not like stretching out their support to Niger all to push China and newly forcefully incoming Russia back into their corner. 2022 UK decides to send asylum seekers for processing to Rwanda. The European Court of Human Rights blocked last minute the first flight with migrants from London to Kigali. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson immediately announced that a sovereign country like the UK has a right to make its own decisions even if it means leaving the European Court of Human Rights. He extends his thinking to change the Irish Protocol negotiated and signed by the EU and the UK to taste. The USA refuses to submit its soldiers to any criminal court in the world regardless of possible violations against universally accepted standards of human rights. Even their Presidents can get away with it. The UNO was established as a body to fight injustices around the world and coordinate the efforts to make the world a better place and give globalization a meaningful way. The world over the trend to live in ever closer identity is visible in Scotland, Catalonia, Bask Land, Kurdistan, Somaliland, West Sahara, Togoland, and Biafra to mention a few. As the world for thousands of years was dominated by secluded countries and nations often fighting each other for various reasons the idea of a UNO even in its infant stages seems today ever more broken down from the big dreams of generations past and present. The war in Ukraine has exposed the weakness in the core of world politics. It needed this war for US President Joe Biden to say in front of the cameras to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the 2022 G7 Meeting in Castle Elmau, Bavaria, Germany: "Putin thought he could divide us but here you see we have formed a strong alliance thanks also to you my friend." When the war is over, Ukraine rebuild with US companies having made their profit based on another Marshall Plan, and the underlying egoism of national interests will surface again. It is too early to declare the idea of the UNO a failure but it is time to dream again of a universal government in which countries are seen like cities. When most of us sit on Moon or Mars looking down on our miserable past we might have a good laugh. Until then it means hard work and never leaving the dream abandoned. Geneva More than 5.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their homes in Ukraine while the overall number of internally displaced persons remains high at over 6.2 million, according to the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) latest report. About half of those who had left their homes due to the war since 24 February have now returned, especially to the North of the country and to the capital Kyiv. The number of returns has grown significantly by 24 per cent over the last month. Most returnees have returned to their homes from other locations within Ukraine and about three-quarters of those people plan to stay. Only 10 per cent of people are returning to Ukraine from abroad. Considering the situation in Ukraine remains highly volatile, and despite a majority of all returnees (internally displaced and coming from abroad) indicating their intention to stay in their homes (74 per cent), returns may not be long-term. The sixth round of the general population survey conducted between 17 June and 23 June reveals that the most pressing needs of both displaced and non-displaced persons include access to health services and education, as well as rehabilitation of damaged homes. Alarmingly, the IOM survey revealed that almost one in four people (23 per cent) in Ukraine had to stop using their medication during the war, because it was either unavailable or too expensive. The survey also sheds light on a dire situation: access to education has been particularly precarious among children in displaced households. As many as 38 per cent of families with children aged 5-17 among displaced people and 25 per cent among non-displaced stated that their children did not have full access to education. The situation is most critical in the East of the country, where 16 per cent of displaced households with children of school age indicated they had no access to education at all. Almost 10 per cent of all respondents, and 15 per cent of returnees, indicated that their home was damaged by war. This results in growing needs for shelter repair materials and assistance, especially among returnees. In response to growing health care and shelter needs, IOM is responding swiftly. IOMs mobile medical teams have provided more than 9,000 health care and psychological consultations in western Ukraine. More than 40 facilities benefited from IOMs shelter rehabilitation works in Lviv, Uzhhorod, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipro, and Poltava regions. IOM is also planning longer-term housing solutions in the regions of displacement and in the war-damaged cities of return. Since the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of people in 24 regions of Ukraine have received direct assistance from IOM, including food, non-food and hygiene items, cash, mental health and psychosocial support, and have received timely information to help prevent human trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse. Read the latest Internal Displacement Report on Ukraine here. On June 24th, approximately 2000 African migrants made a desperate attempt at a mass border crossing, climbing the iron fence separating Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Footage of African bodies piled up at the foot of the fence, many lifeless, while others were being savagely beaten by Moroccan Security Forces, went viral. To date, the number of African migrants who lost their lives has climbed to 37. We join with those all over the world, to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this horrific attack by Moroccan security forces. However, we know that in a matter of weeks, the statements of condemnation and outrage will be buried, and the incident will simply be added to the mountain of crimes against African humanity. The question is, what is to be done? This brutal attack on Africans, on African soil, highlights the crisis that Africa is facing. The fundamental problem is that Imperialist forces have been able to install and sustain neo-colonial regimes throughout the continent, while rolling back and destroying all attempts by the African masses to rid themselves of the Imperialists stranglehold, from Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe to Libya. One of the most serious setbacks for Africa was the destruction of the Libyan Jamahirya, and the assassination of revolutionary Pan-Africanist, Muammar Qaddafi. Utilizing the situation that had arisen in neighboring African countries, Egypt and Tunisia, the imperialists seized the moment to invade and destroy Libya, and murder Qaddafi. In so doing, they were able to neutralize what was a very real challenge to their continued plunder of African resources, and their continued exploitation and genocide of African peoples. In addition, the destruction of the Libyan Jamahiriya dramatically changed the situation with regard to African migration. The Libyan Jamahiriya was the most prosperous country in all of Africa. Border restriction for Africans were relaxed which meant that Africans from all over the continent were free to live and work in Libya. From there, they were able to send money home to their families. When people risk their lives and the lives of their families to flee their countries, it is because of the desperate and unbearable conditions they face at home. The crisis facing Africa is worsening by the day. Numerous African countries are experiencing a surge in attacks and sabotage by heretical, Islamic terrorist groups, aided and abetted by foreign powers from Qatar to the Western Imperial nations, with the aim of destabilizing and balkanizing the continent. The US and their allies are notorious for using these groups as foot soldiers, and as a justification for the imposition of USAFRICOM, which has relations and/or military bases in almost every African country. Africa is experiencing climate shocks resulting in some of the worst droughts in East Africa in recent history. Food and fertilizer shortages, coupled with rising prices, caused by NATOs proxy war against Russia, are exacerbating the already dire conditions. Poverty and hunger are on the rise, and the potential risk of famine across the continent looms large. Lack of access to potable drinking water is threatening the lives of millions of Africans. There is only one way to overcome these problems, and that is to rid the continent of foreign military, economic and political interference and domination, and the neo-colonial governments installed to manage African nation-states on behalf of these foreign entities. We, revolutionary Pan-Africanists, must intensify our efforts to come together with revolutionary and progressive forces worldwide, to accelerate the collapse of the US Empire and its West European, Canadian and Australasian surrogates. Their decline is without doubt underway, and the world is now at a critical tipping point. Despite the overwhelming challenges that confront us, both organizationally and personally, we must organize and mobilize as never before, to hasten the inevitable implosion and destruction of all those countries that built their economies on the backs of captured Africans and the plunder of Mother Africa. There is nothing that White Power fears more than our united efforts and a united Africa, free from foreign domination. It is the reason why they target every African leader and movement advocating this vision. They know that a united Africa would completely change the balance of power globally. A well-documented fact is that if Africa stopped the flow of all resources and raw materials to the Western nations for just one week, the United States and Europe would grind to a halt. Almost every known natural resource needed to run contemporary industrial economies, uranium, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan (for cell phones, computers etc.), platinum, diamonds, bauxite, and especially large reserves of oil are located in Africa. Azania (South Africa) alone contains half the worlds gold reserves. Democratic Republic of Congo contains half of the worlds cobalt and 80% of the worlds known coltan reserves. One quarter of the worlds aluminum ore is found in the coastal belt of West Africa and the continent is awash in petroleum reserves. These resources must be liberated and placed in the hands of the people, so that they can live decent and dignified lives in the land of their birth. We cannot look to or expect anything from current African regimes with few exceptions, or to the impotent African Union, most aptly described by Zimbabwean writer, Reason Wafawarova, as a bunch of cowardly bucolic boofheads, totally mesmerized by Western donor fundingWhat an unthinking lot of hopeless traitors! Gone are the days when that fiery club, formerly known as the Organization of African Unity, was graced by great freedom-fighters, including Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Sekou Toure, Ahmed Ben Bella, Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, Jamal Abdel Nasser, Samora Machel, Thomas Sankara, Muammar Qaddafi, Robert Mugabe, Sam Nujoma, Nelson Mandela and so many other African heroes. We must now look to ourselves in this defining moment for Africa and indeed, for all of humanity. We must, no matter what the obstacles, work tirelessly to confront the core issues at stake. We must heed the words of Muammar Qaddafi, in an address to a large gathering in Niamey, Niger in 1997: This is a sacred battle, concerning our moral values We cannot accept any undermining of these values. All barriers created by the colonialist armies must be demolishedwe are stronger than them in terms of our moral values and material power the wealth of Africa must be in the hands of the African masses. To achieve this, Imperialism and Neo-colonialism must be destroyed. And in the timeless words of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Arise Ye Mighty Race Accomplish what you will. Gerald A. Perreira On behalf of the International Directorate of the New World Mathaba The New World Mathaba, formally established on African Liberation Day, May 25th, 2022, is a continuation of the original World Mathaba, launched in 1982 in Tripoli, Libya, by revolutionary Pan-Africanist and Martyr, Muammar Qaddafi. The word Mathaba is an ancient Afrabian word, and translates as a meeting place, a point of convergence for people to exchange ideas and share experiences for the purpose of furthering a collective struggle for justice and that which is right. Mathaba is more than a word it is a profound concept. Our aim is to facilitate unity of purpose and strategy, and to coordinate our collective efforts to rid Africa, and the world, of Colonialism, Neo-colonialism, Imperialism, Racism and Zionism. Contact us at [email protected] Kinshasa, June 27, 2022 Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should unconditionally release journalist Chilassy Bofumbo and all other members of the press jailed for their work, and ensure that the media in the country can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Thursday, June 23, a judge at the High Court in Mbandaka, the capital of the DRCs western province of Equateur, declined a June 21 request by Bofumbos lawyer, Edmond Mbokolo, for the journalist to be granted provisional release, according to Mbokolo, who spoke to CPJ over the phone, and media reports. Mbokolo told CPJ that Bofumbo is scheduled to appear in court again on June 28. Chilassy Bofumbo and all other members of the press behind bars for their work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should be released without delay, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, from Johannesburg, South Africa. The prolonged and ongoing detention of journalists in the DRC is a grim indicator for press freedom in the country. Bofumbo is the editor-in-chief of the local broadcaster Radio Television Sarah, a correspondent for the Kinshasa-based Flash Info Plus news website and the Bukavu-based Radio lEssentiel online broadcaster, and a coordinator for FILIMBI, a nongovernmental organization that promotes civil participation among Congolese youth, according to CPJ research. Bofumbos June 21 court appearance was the first since November 2021, when he was arrested while covering a protest, charged with various crimes, and his case was sent for review to the Court of Cassation in Kinshasa, the capital, according to CPJ research and Mbokolo. Bofumbo appeared on CPJs 2021 prison census, which annually documents all journalists jailed around the world for their work on December 1. Separately, at least two other journalists Patrick Lola and Christian Bofaya were arrested in Mbandaka in January 2022 over their coverage of protests in Equateur province in late 2021, according to CPJ reporting. The UN Eminent Peace Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Samuel Ben Owusu has charged the newly inducted Peace Ambassador to Uganda, Dr Livingstone Banjagala to focus on making sure that the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are achieved in the sub-region. That, he said will aid in the development of the continent. Amb. Dr samuel Ben Owusu gave the advise at the first ever Africa Peace Campaign in Kampala, Uganda. The International Association of World Peace Advocate (LAWPA) during the campaign inducted Amb. Dr Livingstone Banjagala as its newest Peace Ambassador to Uganda and the Country Director of the Association. Amb. Owusu in his message reassured Ugandans and the Eastern African Sub-Region of the reality that it is only through peace that "we can all develop our continent and expand our perceptions." RESPONSE For his part, Amb. Dr Livingstone Banjagala in his acceptance speech thanked the organization for the honour bestowed on him. He pledged to promote and advocate Peace in the Sub Region. BACKGROUND Dr. Livingstone Banjagala who is the General Overseer and the Lead Pastor of City Harvest Churches is also a Minister of the Gospel. He has been in ministry for 20 years and has dedicated his life to changing the lives of God's people by availing himself in the five fold ministry. He is a trail blazer and an agent of change; hence, it was no surprise when he was nominated and approved as the newest Peace Ambassador representing Uganda. The auspicious programme was held at Amb. Livingstone's church, the City Harvest. Among the dignitaries were Amb. Dr Sammy David from Liberia, H.E. Amb Emmanuel Nkweke, the World Peace spokesman who also represented the world peace president, H. E. Per Stahfan from Denmark, Government officials, the diplomat col, ministers of the Gospel. A Ghanaian Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student and a trade expert, Zankawah Sanusi Kris has admonished President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo to leave the matters of God to the clergy and concentrate on arresting the current economic downturn through industrialization. Commenting on the controversial National Cathedral project in an exclusive interview with this reporter,he said nothing at this point can save the face of Ghana in the midst of the worsening national crisis, except a shift towards adopting a protectionist policy aimed at boosting rice and sugarcane production. "Nothing can salvage our economy at this critical stage rather than embarking on a massive industrialization drive. Nigeria in August 2019 implemented a protectionist measure by banning all rice imports and embarked on massive rice production, today they are able to bridge the demand and supply gap of rice. So Mr. President the citizens need food and not a Cathedral," he noted. According to him, the much-talked-about National Cathedral project is a personal promise by the President and there can be no justification for government to invest a whopping $400 million up from the initial $100 million into such a project in a circular country like Ghana. He's with the firm conviction that part of the funds to be allocated for the National Cathedral project should be used to procure plants for rice processing and value addition to provide jobs for the teaming youth. "As of February this year, a complete 40ton/hr rice processing line plant exported to Burkina Faso cost about $160,000, such statistics suggest that with only $100 million the government could procure about 625 or many of these plants or much bigger ones which could produce 25,000 tons of rice per hour relieving the country from some of the burdens of rice importation and ostensibly the pressure it brings on foreign exchange reserves. "The remaining balance of $300 million could be channelled into the cultivation of rice and sugarcane and other operation/overhead cost to feed these plants and that of the Komenda Sugar factory," he intimated. In his analysis, quoting from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC world), Ghana in 2020 alone imported $151 million worth of raw sugar, becoming the 45th largest importer of raw sugar worldwide. The country also imported $391 million worth of rice, becoming the 20th largest importer of rice globally. In the same year, rice importation was the 3rd most imported commodity in the country. Ghana imports rice primarily from Vietnam ($282 million), Thailand ($45.5 million), India ($27.3 million), Pakistan ($20.6 million), and China ($5.95 million). This he said compels the country to outsource employment distorting the external sector by pushing the country much deeper into trade deficit and balance of payment crisis. These rice plants he pointed out are energy-friendly, uses firewood, solar energy, and diesel to power them, adding that," in the final analysis, the government will be creating employment, feeding its citizens and also becoming a net exporter of rice and sugar with the by-products from the rice production used for other economic purposes such as sodium for soap manufacture or poultry feed." Zimbabwe has issued an arrest warrant for award-winning author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga after she failed to appear in court over charges of inciting violence, her lawyer said Tuesday. Dangarembga, 63, is seeing her doctor in Germany and "missed court for medical reasons," her lawyer Chris Mhike told AFP. "We expect her to be well enough to return to Zimbabwe imminently, and to attend to the outstanding court processes." Dangarembga was arrested in July 2020 for staging an anti-government protest alongside her neighbour in the affluent Harare suburb of Borrowdale. Standing by the roadside, she held a banner that read "We want better -- reform our institutions." Dangarembga was charged with inciting public violence and freed on bail the following day. Nearly two years on, the trial has still not started and Dangarembga has filed to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence. A magistrate's court on Monday was due to rule on her request, but issued the arrest warrant when she failed to show up. Dangarembga will seek to have the warrant cancelled, said the lawyer. Dangarembga was charged after staging a roadside protest on the anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's election. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP) The ruling on the application for discharge will now be handed down on August 4. Dangarembga stepped into the international limelight in 1988 with her debut novel "Nervous Conditions," the first book published in English by a black Zimbabwean woman. The work earned her the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize the following year. The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) last week called on the Zimbabwe government to clear Dangarembga "of all charges, or to drop the case." Our elders do say that when you follow too much, the sweetness of honey, you will find its bitterness. Running up to the 2016 elections, Nana Addo/Bawumia and the NPP put before Ghanaians, a plethora of lofty and mouthwatering promises. These gave fake optimism to many Ghanaians. Some believed that Ghana could get a facelift and standard of lives improve under Nana Addo and NPP government, little did they know that they would be roasted to death prematurely. Nana Addo and the NPP claimed to have superior knowledge to making Ghana better for Ghanaians than John Mahama and the NDC. They insulted, lied, painted John Mahama and the NDC black in the eyes of Ghanaians. They deliberately cajoled Ghanaians to believing that Nana Addo and the NPP were the best alternative to bring heaven on earth for Ghanaians. The under-rotten belly of the elephant has been exposed. Today, every Ghanaian knows the truth. Ghanaians, after giving power to Nana Addo and the NPP, now bite their fingers day-in day-out. When these people failed Ghanaians in their first term, they cunningly came back with a suppose panacea to all our problems called E-Levy. It was vehemently opposed by many Ghanaians. The process to implementing the Killer E-Levy left in the records of parliament, lots of unprintable words. Physical throwing of blows and a number physical push and pull, assaults, naked insults, leakages of private personal information of the Speaker and other MPs happened all in the name of the Kill E-Levy. It took the finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta and the entire Economic Mismanagement Team, to waste our resources in organizing town hall meetings across the country to persuade Ghanaians to accept the E-Levy implementation. The said E-Levy, they say, would create a lot of jobs for the youth of this country. They said E-Levy would bring in a lot of cash to government to settle contractors. They said E-Levy would bring fertilizer to farmers. They also said E-Levy was going to be a panacea to the ailing Free Senior High School. Ghanaians were told that E-Levy would solve all the problems Ghanaians face. E-Levy, we were told would bring heaven down for Ghanaians. The foresighted and people-caring NDC MPs and the speaker of parliament advised them but they never took it. The speaker of parliament and the NDC MPs again warned Nana Addo and the NPP over E-Levy but they failed to reason. Some months after the implementation of the obnoxious E-Levy, Ghanaians are yet to benefit from it. As to whether or not it is yielding the desired outcome, they alone know. Today as we speak, the Saviour E-Levy has been implemented and is currently ongoing. Ghanaians are worst off than before. Prices of things are galloping on daily basis. Fuel price increases every day. Most farmers cannot buy fertilizers to farm; business men and women can no longer do business as they used to do. This makes the country extremely hot for the ordinary Ghanaian to survive. The excruciating hardship is truncating lots of peoples lives prematurely. Most men have ceased to be men. Some cannot gain erection while others suddenly become unproductive. Some women have become sterile; others always very bitter. Peace has failed to visit some families again. Husbands and wives rise against each other. Brothers rise against one another; children cry uncontrollably and myriad of confusions. All the smiling faces we used to know have suddenly changed to sad faces. Even those who still claim to be happy, when they smile, you still see relics of pretense in their faces. The country is currently at a crossroad. Every Ghanaian now reads the book of Lamentation. This is done at every corner in the country where two or more people are gathered. In the offices, hospitals, clinics, churches, mosques, schools, markets, funerals and even on beds, the book of Lamentation is being read every day, every hour, every minute and every second. Is Ghana a cursed country now? All Ghanaians but very few who voted for Nana Addo and the NPP are now regretting. Farmers are regretting, teachers are regretting. Doctors are regretting, nurses are regretting. Students are regretting, parents are regretting. Market women are regretting, youth are regretting. Chiefs are regretting, queen mothers are regretting. What kind of country are we in? I wish to conclude by calling on Ghanaians to rise up. Ghanaians must rise, speak and act! The time is now. We cannot allow the fear of victimization to cow us and slowly kill us. Enough of the wastage and mismanagement of our resources by Nana Addo, Garbby Ochere Darko, their families and the NPP. Ghanaians must not sit down and allow very few greedy, selfish and wicked family to roast all of us to premature death. GOD SAVES US! [email protected] 0240371356 Prof. Godfred Alufar Bokpin 28.06.2022 LISTEN Prof. Godfred Alufar Bokpin, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG), has dismissed all measures by government to address the economic crisis. He said the only option is the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He emphasized that current events in the country, particularly the country's rising debt levels is clear that going to the IMF is the only option. Prof. Bokpin believes that the country should have approached the IMF in 2021, even before the government presented the 2022 budget. If you look across the various sectors arrears, debt build-up and all of that, at this point, we have no choice. I will say that actually time is not on our side, time is not on our side and I believe that the government is coming to that reality. That in itself is positive. The conversation has been around for some time now. Probably the due time for Ghana to have signed onto the programme should have been somewhere last April [2021] and probably could have been included in the 2022 budget, he noted. Prof. Bokpin, who has since last year been talking about the need for the government to put good measures in place to solve the country's economic situation, said it is not a bad for Ghana to go to the IMF, particularly at this stage where everything seems to have fallen apart. Lets not take it that going to the IMF is a sin that cannot be forgiven. I think that as a leader, as a country, we now find ourselves in the position where we must embrace alternatives on the table in the interest of the common goal. To that extent I see that the ground is soften from the side of government, he brought up. I could be wrong and Ill be glad to be wrong and somebody told me that the ground is actually not softening but melting very fast. Where we find ourselves now is not good. We must act very fastthat is what Ill say, he added. On Tuesday, June 28, the economist made these claims on JoySMS which was monitored by Modernghana News. His statement follows Gabby Otchere Darko's recent E-Levy lamentations, in which he claimed that the E-levy, which was supposed to be the saviour of the country's economic crisis, has only generated 10% of the target. After 5 months of stalemate and bashing, the e-levy, after implementation, is delivering only 10% of estimated revenues; our revenues remain very low as compared to the rest of the world; debt levels dangerously high, cedi, like most currencies, struggling against the US dollar," Gabby tweeted on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammed has said the Akufo-Addo government should be blamed for the hardships in the country, insisting that the government lacks vision. Speaking to TV3 on the New Day programme on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, the lawmaker singled out President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the main man to be blamed for the challenges. This government is completely visionless. If they have a vision it is blurred. President Akufo-Addo should be blamed for the challenges Ghanaians are facing because he is the head, MP Murtala Mohammed indicated. According to the Tamale Central MP, the numerous economic challenges facing the country are because government has failed to introduce and implement potent policies. He further criticised the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (e-Levy), adding that it has made things harder for the already suffering Ghanaians. Unfortunately, the levy which was expected to shore up revenue mobilisation to help the government tackle the hardships in the country is failing. As disclosed by Gabby Otchere Darko who is a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the levy is only raking in 10% of the projected revenue of the government which is woefully inadequate. He also hinted that the government could be heading to the IMF. According to him, only GHS60million (10%) has been realised from the expected GHS600million. The Accra High Court will rule on the stay of execution application filed by pressure group Arise Ghana on Tuesday, 12 July. The group filed the application on Monday, 27 June 2022 following a ruling by the court stopping it from going ahead with its intended demonstration at night. The group had said its planned demonstration would still come off. In a statement issued by the group following the ruling of the court on the approved time and route for the demonstration, as proposed by the Ghana Police Service, Arise Ghana noted: The police has been duly served. The demonstration will come off as planned, the group said, adding: Protesters shall be converging on the Obra Spot/Kwame Nkrumah Interchange between the hours of 10AM and 12PM. Source: classfmonline.com An associate professor at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof Lord Mensah has advised against any move by government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to enroll on a programme. There have been talks of a possible return to the IMF for a programme that will save the ailing economy from collapse. Gabby Otchere Darko, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who fueled the IMF conversation on Monday hinted that it could be the last resort for President Akufo-Addo's government if the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) fails to rake in the projected revenue. Speaking to Asaase Radio on the Breakfast Show on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, Prof. Lord Mensah argued that going to the IMF just because the E-Levy is missing its projections will be suicidal. I see it as suicidal to go to the IMF so quickly after implementing the E-Levy. Policy uncertainty in this period of our economic landscape is suicidal. I think that we are getting it all wrong if we say that the E-Levy is not bringing in as much as was initially projected and thus we should resort to the IMF, the UG Business School Professor said. Prof. Lord Mensah further proposed that instead of rushing to conclusions, the country should wait and see how revenue mobilisation through the Electronic Transaction Levy will pan out in few months to come. Remember the Ghanaian economy is not an isolated economy. It is purely globally integrated and so if the globe is not doing well, obviously it has a tendency of building up into our economy. So, let us wait and see how things go, as we move on ahead of time, he added. Dr. Nii Lante Okunka Blankson, a physician specialist, has advised patients to refrain from taking too many painkillers because it can result in ulcer. Speaking on the Accra-based GTVs Breakfast Show on Monday, June 27, 2022, on the long-term effects of painkillers, monitored by Modernghana News, Dr. Blankson disclosed that drugs such as brufen, diclofenac, naproxen, and other strong painkillers are capable causing ulcer if taken too much without a medical prescription. According to the physician, the ulcer easily occurs as a result of the inability of the stomach to protect itself due to the higher acidity in the stomach. These painkillers, brufen and stuff, if you take them too much, you can develop an ulcer easily. An ulcer is a sore in the stomach lining. What happens is that if you take them for too long, the stomach cannot protect itself, and then there is a lot of acid in the stomach, and then you develop an ulcer. Its actually dangerous to keep on taking brufen, diclofenac, and naproxen without seeing the doctor. The doctor would usually give you limits. Dont take it more than this number of days to protect you, he noted. Dr. Blankson further stated that taking these painkillers too frequently can cause toxicity, which can sometimes lead to organ damage, making it difficult for those organs to function properly. Taking too many painkillers can spill into toxicity. That means you have too much of the level of the drug that you are supposed to have in you. For example, if you take tramadol, we know the drug depresses respiration. But just a little bit. So, everybody, you take tramadol and feel a little drowsy you know, but you can deal with that. But if you take a high burden, now the effect on the concentration and the effect on the breathing becomes more.. If every time you are taking painkillers, the receptors become blunt. So, you need more drugs to activate the receptor for you to get pain relief. And unfortunately, those drugs have side effects like euphoria, thats why people go and abuse it so its like a side root to get high, he said. The Arise Ghana krom ay3 hye demonstration which was meant to be peaceful today has resulted in chaos following a violent clash between the Police and protesters. Yesterday, some members of the leadership of the group were in court to face the Police over an impasse on the modalities for the planned two-day demonstration. At the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court yesterday, Justice Comfort Tasiame who presided over the matter partially granted the application by the Police and directed demonstrators to converge at Obra Spot, and go through Farrisco Avenue to TUC and end at the Independent Square. The court further directed that the intended demonstration should start at 8am and end at 4pm. Having filed an appeal and a Stay of Execution on the ruling of the court, the Arise Ghana group at midday today started their demonstration. During the protest, chaos erupted following a move by demonstrators to use unapproved routes. Some of the irate protestors after failing to force their way through the barrier of the Police resorted to pelted stones at the Police and managed to destroy the glass windows of some Police buses. The Police in a move to get the demonstrating crowd in order fired tear gas and managed to arrest some of the violent protesters. 28.06.2022 LISTEN The Ghana Police Service has described as shameful the violent actions of Arise Ghana protesters. Yesterday, some members of the leadership of the group were in court to challenge the Police over an impasse on the modalities for the planned two-day demonstration. At the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court yesterday, Justice Comfort Tasiame who presided over the matter partially granted the application by the Police and directed demonstrators to converge at Obra Spot, go through Farrisco Avenue to TUC and end at the Independent Square. The court further directed that the intended demonstration should start at 8am and end at 4pm. The Police administration on Tuesday morning deployed hundreds of personnel in the capital particularly to Kwame Nkrumah Circle to provide protection for Ghanaians who will be taking part in the Krom ay3 hye demonstration. While doing their job, some violent protesters attempted to go use the unapproved route. In the unfortunate turn of events, some of the demonstrators pelted stones at the Police, forcing officers to retaliate by firimng tear gas in a bid to control the crowd. Sadly, some protestors were injured in the rush to safety. It was the same for some Police officers as reported by the administration. In a post on the Facebook page of the Police, it condemns the action of the protesters, describing it as shameful. What a shame, we were there to protect you and ensure your safety, but you throw stones at us, injure and hurt us. This behaviour is unacceptable and must be condemned, parts of the Police statement said on Tuesday afternoon. Top seed Iga Swiatek registered her 36th consecutive win on Tuesday to move into the second round at Wimbledon and move past Venus Williams' exploits at the start of the century. The world number one beat Jana Fett from Croatia 6-0, 6-3 to eclipse Williams' feats between June and October in 2000. During that run, Williams claimed titles at Wimbledon, Stanford, San Diego, New Haven and the US Open. In surpassing the older of the two Williams sisters, Swiatek has hoisted trophies from the tournaments in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart. She also triumphed at the Italian Open and the French Open. At the outset of win number 36, Fett barely featured during a first set in which Swiatek swatted her aside as if an irritant. But Fett, who had emerged from the qualifying tournament, dug in and broke Swiatek's service early in the second set. While leading 3-1, the 25-year-old squandered five opportunities to take Swiatek's service for a second time for a 4-1 advantage. Hold But Swiatek managed to hold on to reduce Fett's lead to 3-2. And the world number 252 cracked when serving to go 4-2 ahead. From 3-3, Swiatek ramped up the power and raced through the next three games to take the set and the match after 75 minutes. "I lost my focus at the start of the second set," said Swiatek."And Jana used that well." The 21-year-old Pole will next play Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove after she defeated the 20-year-old Briton Sonay Kartal in three sets. If Swiatek prevails in that match on Thursday, she will surpass Monica Seles's 36-match winning streak from 1990 and draw level with Martina Hingis who opened the 1997 season with 37 successive victories. Swiatek maintained she was taking nothing fot granted. "I'm figuring out how to play on it," she added following her first competitive venture onto grass this season. "We'll see how I do but it's tricky. I feel like I've only played on grass for 12 weeks of my entire life," she added. "But I love the atmosphere and the history at Wimbledon and that's really motivating me to do well." The French number one Alize Cornet moved into the second round following a straight sets victory over the 27th seed Daria Kasatkina from Kazakhstan. Cornet, 32, saved a set point in the second set before wrapping up the match in the second set tiebreak when Kasatkina slapped a forehand drive into the net. Cornet also boasted a slice of history as a result of her match. She equalled Ai Sugiyama's record of playing in 62 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. Since participating at the 2007 Australian Open, Cornet has competed at every major event held in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of trying to "destabilise international order" by blocking food and energy flows. He also denounced a missile strike on a crowded mall in central Ukraine, blamed on Russia, as an "abomination". His comments came as G7 leaders wrapped up a two-day meeting in Germany. Leaders of the world's wealthiest nations struck a united stance on Tuesday, promising "to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," as Russia's invasion entered its fifth month. The final statement Tuesday from the Group of Seven summit in Germany underlined their intent to impose "severe and immediate economic costs" on Russia, maintaining sanctions on Moscow "for as long as necessary, acting in unison at every stage". Macron said he did not see the war in Ukraine coming to an end in the next few weeks or even months, but that he hoped it would be over by year-end. "Russia cannot and must not win this war," he said, noting the West would continue to make Russian President Vladimir Putin pay a high price for his invasion of Ukraine through sanctions, arms deliveries to Kyiv and possibly also by capping Russian oil prices. The G7 also vowed that Putin and those responsible would be held to account for an attack on a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, which killed at least 18 people on Monday. 'Brazen terrorist act' "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime," the G7 leaders said in a statement condemning the "abominable attack," which targeted during its busiest hours. "We share the pain of the victims' families, and the anger against such a despicable act. The Russian people must know the truth," Macron wrote on Twitter. The message was published in French, English and Russian. Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling it "one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history" in his evening broadcast posted on Telegram. "A peaceful town, an ordinary shopping centre - women, children ordinary civilians inside," said Zelensky, who earlier shared a video of the mall engulfed in flames with dozens of rescuers and a fire truck outside. Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday said it fired missiles at a weapons depot in Kremenchuk, with the subsequent explosion of ammunition triggering a fire in the nearby shopping mall, which they described as "non-functioning". Diplomats said Ukraine requested a Tuesday meeting on the strikes at the UN Security Council, where Russia wields veto power but has not been able to prevent critical discussion of the invasion. Tighten economic screws Leaders earlier agreed on a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hit with food shortages by the blockage on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. The proposed price cap on Russian oil would in theory work by barring service providers such as shippers or insurers from dealing with oil priced above a fixed level. That could work because the service providers are mostly located in the European Union or the UK and thus within reach of sanctions. To be effective, however, it would have to involve as many consuming countries as possible, particularly India, where refiners have been snapping up the cheap Russian oil shunned by Western traders. To help bring down surging prices, France urged oil-producing nations to raise output in an "exceptional manner" and Macron backed a return to the market of crude from Iran and Venezuela, both under US sanctions. Meanwhile, France's defence minister Sebastien Lecornu says a significant number of armoured troop carriers will be sent to Ukraine in the coming days. Speaking to the daily Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France, he also confirmed that six extra Caesar cannons would be sent on top of the 12 already being used by Ukraine against Russian forces. (with newswires) Information reaching this portal indicates that Police have fired tear gas at Arise Ghana demonstrators who have gathered at Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Reports suggest that there have been confusion between the Police and the demonstrators over the agreed route for the protest. The demonstrators pelted the police with stones while the law enforcement officers formed a human wall to prevent the protestors from moving forward with their march. Organisers of the Arise Ghana demonstration are marching against the persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices among others. They are also protesting against the E-Levy, and want a bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures as well as the cancellation of the controversial Agyapa deal. Earlier the General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, had cautioned his men against any form of misconduct. He urged his men to treat the demonstrators as they the law enforcers wish to be treated if they were on the other side. Dr Dampare cautioned them to be as professional as they can and demonstrate to the world that Ghana is a beacon of democracy. He said: We should continue to remember that those demonstrators are human beings like us, those demonstrators are Ghanaians like us, they are our brothers and sisters and, therefore, we should treat them with all the respect, civility and the dignity each and every human being deserves. In effect, we should treat them the way we would like to be treated if we were on the other side. The IGP explained: It means, as you go out there, if anybody needs help, help the person; do that joyously, do that with love, do that with a sense of humility and humanity and as you do that you win the hearts of the demonstrators Children of school-going age at Oli, a deprived community in the Wa West District, are unable to access pre-primary education due to the lack of a school in the community. The children in the community could only start formal education at the age of 10 and older since they had to trek several kilometres to other communities to access education. This came to light when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the community to ascertain some pertinent challenges the people faced. Madam Salamatu Imori, a resident of the Oli community, told the GNA in an interview that the situation discouraged many children in the community from attending school. Our community is isolated and hidden, so we are not getting any development projects here. We don't have a school here, so our children must walk to Gbache for school. A little child cannot walk that distance, so before a child can go there, the child must be about 10 years or above, she explained. While recognising the importance of education, Madam Imori indicated that pre-primary training was important in the child's brain development and learning ability. Mr Sabogu Tapori, another resident, said the plight of the children was worsened by a stream that cut the Gbache community from Oli making it difficult for the children to go to school during the rainy season. If we have a (Kindergarten) here our children can be attending and when they are to graduate to primary then they will be going to Gbache, because from here to Gbache is very far, Mr Tapori said. The residents, therefore, appealed to the government and other stakeholders in the education sector to come to their aid by providing the community with a pre-primary school to whip up the interest of the children in formal education. This is a sharp contrast between Ghana's efforts toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four, which required member states to Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, by 2030, and guarantee access to education at all levels. Target 4.1 of the SDGs sought to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. Target 4.2 also required member states to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education to get ready for primary education, by 2030. It, therefore, required that the government of Ghana and its development partners ought to beef up their efforts of ensuring access to pre-primary education, especially in the rural and deprived communities if this goal is to be achieved. GNA Nigeria - the sixth largest producer of cashew nuts globally - exports more than 80% of its raw cashews primarily to Vietman and India where they are processed into variuous consumer products such as butter, food and cosmetic ingredients. But Africa's most populous nation can extract more economic value out of cashews by using their wastes to produce citric acid. Cashew is a tropical tree cultivated for its fruit (cashew nut) and pseudofruit (cashew apple). The nut is the major reason for planting cashew it is very nutritious. The fleshy apple part yields a juice which is high in vitamins and minerals. But the juice is high in anti-nutrients too. These are compounds that prevent the body from absorbing nutrients. They also make the juice less palatable . Because of this, cashew apples are mostly discarded. The apple pulp, shell and liquid from the shell are all wasted or underutilised. Yet, these are valuable materials and they can be improved by biotechnology. We've been conducting work into the potential of producing citric acid from cashew juice. It was the first effort globally to produce citric acid from cashew juice. Citric acid is widely used to preserve blood, drugs and processed foods and drinks. Its global value is expected to reach US$4 billion in 2027 . We used cashew from Ogbomoso , south west Nigeria, an area that produces some of the best cashew nuts in Nigeria. Cashews in Nigeria Nigeria currently harvests 200,000 to 240,000 metric tons of raw cashew nuts each year, with about 85% of this exported. Nigeria's no different to other African countries that export the bulk of their production as raw cashew nuts. Africa, with production of 2,334,405 tons, is the world's largest producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts , accounting for more than 50% of production. Between 2000 and 2018, world trade in raw cashew nuts more than doubled to 2.1 million tons , and African producers led by Cote d'Ivoire accounted for almost two-thirds of the growth. In 2020, trade in cashew nuts was worth US$6.87 billion . Cashew farming contributes about N24 billion (about US$58 million) to the Nigerian economy annually. It employs more than 600,000 people . The sector could do more. Our work shows that citric acid can be produced from cashew apple juice, which is abundant in Nigeria. Domestic production would save Nigeria US$31 million a year in foreign exchange, based on citric acid imports for 2020. Nigeria can produce citric acid from cashew apple juice by using biotechnology - the science of using biological processes to produce valuable materials and services. For instance, man makes use of some bacteria to convert milk to yoghurt. Yeast is used in producing bread via biotechnology. Biotechnological products were valued at US$752.88 billion in 2020 with projected growth of 15.83% for 2021-2028. Cashew wastes, too, can be turned to wealth by creating new products. For instance, cashew nut shell liquid produces chemicals that can be used in the making of paints, varnishes, agrochemicals and medicines. Shell and pulp are used through biotechnology to produce animal feeds and bioethanol. Biotechnology can also turn the juice into drinks and ethanol . Citric acid from cashew In our efforts to add value to cashew, we focused on the underutilised cashew apple juice and aimed to test the possibility of producing citric acid from the juice. The demand for citric acid is growing because of its usefulness in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. New sources of nutrients are needed to grow microorganisms that produce citric acid. Nutrients in the cashew juice and pulp support the growth of microorganisms. We used cashew apple juice to grow black mould to produce citric acid for the first time globally. Black mould is a fungus that is widely distributed in the environment. It produces black spores when it grows. It is scientifically known as Aspergillus niger. The mould grows on simple and cheap materials. It has been used to produce citric acid since 1919. It is used to produce different products, including enzymes, proteins and animal feeds. It is celebrated as a microorganism that has made huge contributions to biotechnology for 100 years. The best locally sourced black mould consumed the juice to produce citric acid in large quantities. It produced 92.8g of citric acid per litre of juice after 10 days of growth. The yield is considered very high compared to those that were earlier reported . We used the citric acid to coagulate soy milk to make cheese. Citric acid is used as coagulant in producing cheese. We asked a panel to test the quality of the cheese. They found the soy cheese to have better characteristics than those produced locally using fermented liquor of corn. These include better colour, texture, flavour and firmness. We then used scientific techniques to increase the citric acid production. We manipulated growth conditions of the mould and applied nanomaterials in its nutrition in this regard. It was the first report globally to increase citric acid production by applying nanotechnology. At various times, we used four techniques to improve capability of the mould. These include obtaining high-yielding mould by exposure to radiation. Then, we added sugar to the juice to study its effect on yield of citric acid. We evaluated the addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles on citric acid production. Finally, we determined the best growth conditions to support citric acid production by our mould. These efforts increased citric acid production by the mould in cashew juice by about 2.38 to 11.98 times of the original production. For instance, addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles gave yield of 34.62% citric acid per day. The best growth conditions turned in 92.61% citric acid per day. These results showed that we can improve productivity of the mould to enhance commercial production of citric acid. Moving forward Large scale production of citric acid using cashew apple juice could achieve several benefits. It could: add value to cashew farming and increase income from planting the crop reduce the environmental nuisance of disposal of cashew apple enhance Nigeria's potential to produce citric acid locally boost the economy and save foreign exchange reserves. Agbaje Lateef receives funding from TETFund. Adeoye O. Adekunle (PhD) does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Agbaje Lateef, Professor of Microbiology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso And Adeoye O. Adekunle (PhD), Lecturer in Food Science, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso South Africa, a country plagued by power shortages, on Tuesday imposed the toughest electricity rationing in two and a half years after labour disputes disrupted production at several plants. Highly unpopular power rationing to consumers was ramped up to so-called Stage 6 load-shedding to prevent countrywide blackouts. Stage 6 means that South Africans will now experience multiple cuts per day, each lasting between two and four hours, on a rotational basis. The power utility Eskom, which generates more than 90 percent of the country's energy, has been hit by strike action over wages since last week. "Eskom is in this position because of the industrial action which has meant that in many power stations up to 90 percent of the staff could not attend to the duties... because of intimidation," State Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan told a media briefing shortly after the ramped-up rationing kicked in. The blackouts are "causing huge amount of damage to South Africa's reputation", he said. Workers downed tools demanding a 15-percent pay hike. Unions on Tuesday announced they have made "considerable progress" in wage negotiations, and urged Eskom workers in a statement "to normalise the situation". Africa's leading industrialised country last experienced such drastic outages in December 2019. Power cuts are a major source of frustration and discontent in South Africa, where protests broke out near Eskom's offices last year. The land on which the National Cathedral is being constructed was acquired by the state in 1910, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has said. He said the land measuring approximately 16.26 acres formed part of a large tract of land acquired by the State by a Certificate of Title dated September 29, 1910. Answering a question on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Abu Jinapor said the land was, therefore, a public land, vested in the president of the republic on behalf of and in trust for the citizenry by article 257 (1) of the Constitution. The sector minister was in the House to answer a question asked by Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, Member of Parliament of Adaklu, whether the government compulsorily acquired landed property that formed the site on which the National Cathedral was being built, if so, had the government fully compensated the previous owners as required by law. "Mr Speaker, by section three of the Public Lands Ordinance, 1876 (Cap 134), the applicable law at the time, compensation was fully paid to the pre-acquisition owners. "The land is, therefore, a public land, vested in the president of the Republic, on behalf of, and in trust for the people of Ghana, by Article 275 (1) of our national Constitution," he said. GNA Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) joined the Arise Ghana demonstration on Tuesday. Mr Samson Awingobit Asaki, Executive Secretary of the IEAG told the Ghana News Agency in Tema that their reason for joining the demonstration was to drum home their grievances on the effect of some policies on their operations. Mr. Asaki said even though the government promised not to collapse their businesses through high taxes, it had failed as they were on the verge of collapse due to such taxes and levies. The two-day demonstration, according to the Arise Ghana group, is to protest persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices, which they said had imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians. It is also to protest the imposition of the E-levy on the 'already burdened' Ghanaian people and demand its immediate repeal. The demonstration also aims to demand a full-scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures, as well as protest the increased rate of alleged police brutalities and killing of innocent Ghanaians. It is also to protest the growing culture of human rights abuses, and demand the total cancelation of the Agyapa deal, among other issues. GNA Two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the education crisis in Western and Central Africa. The pandemic hampered efforts to increase enrollment rates: indeed, more than 101 million children could not go to school and had little access to distance learning . As countries rebuild their economies, it is urgent to act now to secure the future of our children. We call for a general mobilization of our societies to invest in better education systems. The leaders of the region recognize the utmost importance of educating our young girls and boys, and significant efforts have been made in this regard. Today, the average net primary school enrollment rate in the region is nearly 90 percent, a substantial increase from less than 50 percent in the 1990s. Likewise, secondary school enrollment has more than doubled in the last decade. However, the population of Western and Central Africa is expected to double in the next 30 years, and significant challenges remain. More than 32 million children in the region are out of school. Furthermore, children who attend school do not always acquire the necessary knowledge or skills. Currently, 80 percent of children cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10, and options for formal skills acquisition are limited. To reverse this trajectory, urgent action is needed to advance reforms in education and deliver better access to quality education for our children. This will require strong leadership, better implementation, and more investments in high-impact interventions, including a whole-of-society and government approach. Strong leadership is critical to advancing reforms and scaling up innovations We will not be able to deliver change without building and sustaining political momentum in the region. We are convinced that our call will echo the Nouakchott Declaration from the Heads of State at the Sahel Education Summit in December 2021. The countries in the region must continue to increase their investments in education. However, governments alone cannot bridge the financing gap and meet the massive and growing needs. Many projects already demonstrate the tremendous results that can be achieved when leadership and political will are accompanied by sufficient funding. The Free Senior High School policy introduced by Ghana in 2017 is a good example of ensuring access, equity, and quality in education. Similarly, Sierra Leones Free Quality School Education initiative launched in 2018 offers all children tuition-free admission to government-approved schools. Malis PRODEC 2, a comprehensive 10-year national education program, takes a holistic approach to pursuing improvement in the school system, despite closures due to conflict and insecurity, among other issues. In the Edo State of Nigeria, the government is implementing a comprehensive approach that leverages technology and scripted lessons to improve teaching and learning outcomes. The region can learn a lot from its own experiences Time and again, the people of Western and Central Africa have proven their ability to learn from their experiences. To deliver results at scale, we are committed to meeting ambitious targets and focusing on: helping 30 million children to read by 2030; ensuring that 12.5 million more adolescent girls are in school by 2030; training 3.7 million more young adults in foundational skills by 2025; and ensuring that 1 million more youth acquire digital skills by 2025, of whom 60 percent will be expected to obtain better jobs. Many inspiring projects already strive to attain these targets. For instance, in Nigeria, the Better Education Service Delivery for All-BESDA Project is supporting the integration of school-age children who attend religious schools into public schools that teach the official curriculum. In Senegal, the [email protected]Investing in Early Years for Human Development Project is improving child nutrition and early stimulation, thus improving teaching and learning. Further, across 12 countries in Western and Central Africa, the Africa Centers of Excellence ( ACE) Projects are addressing the widespread skills shortages and mismatches by training post-graduate students. The Projects also support the scaling of research capacity and regional collaboration in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as the health and agriculture fields. Better coordination and more inclusive decision-making Although more investment is urgent, it cannot achieve the much-needed transformation without a coordinated approach at the national level, as well as the involvement of all concerned. In many of the regions countries, more efforts are needed to rationalize the governance of education systems to achieve greater coherence, cooperation, and coordination. Recognizing the diversity of our societies, languages, and educational practices, we must also ensure that our projects are developed in an inclusive manner. All stakeholders must be involved in an elevated dialogue so that we can have a common language and therefore coherence to define the goals we must achieve. The vitality and innovative spirit of our young people are our best assets and hold great promise for our region. Only we will be able to harness the demographic dividend, but only if our youth are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to realize their full potential and ensure social justice and mobility for all. Our young people deserve better education. Their interests must come first. It is only then that the region can be robustly transformed. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central AfricaOriginally published by Devex The Ghana Police Service Tuesday halted a street protest by members of Arise Ghana around 1530 hours. The Police fired tear gas into the demonstrators after they (demonstrators) decided to use an unapproved route. The disagreement over the route to use resulted in the demonstrators pelting stones at the police, with a few burning car tyres in the middle of the road. Police sources told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the police were carrying out a court order, which directed the protesters to demonstrate from 0800 hours to 1600 hours. After the altercation with the Police, majority of the protesters left the scene, with a few loitering around the Nkrumah Circle. Mr Edem Agbana, a Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress and a member of the organizers of the demonstration, said the demonstration was for two days and that they would remain in the streets. The high court had directed organisers of the Arise Ghana #KromAyeShe demonstration to end their public protest at 4pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The Court effectively struck a balance between the competing directive of the Police for the demonstration to end at 3pm on Tuesday, and the desire of the organisers to run till 8pm. The Court, presided over by Her Ladyship Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame on Monday, June 27, 2022, also directed that the demonstration should commence at 0800 hours with the demonstrators converging at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, moving through Farisco and TUC to the Independence Square. The Ghana Police Service had gone to court seeking to restrain the organisers from embarking on the demonstration in the form and manner it had been planned. The organisers intended a two-day demonstration, to close each day at 2000 hours, but the Police, in their case before the court, argued that the recent terror attacks within the sub-region presented a security red flags that did not allow for such an arrangement. The Accra High Court on Monday ruled that the protest by Arise Ghana on June 28 and 29 could only be staged between the hours of 0800 hours to 1600 hours. The Court additionally directed that the protest should commence at the Obra Spot in Accra and end at the Independence Square. The group was, however, unsatisfied with the ruling of the High Court and claimed it had filed a stay of execution. GNA NPP stalwart, Gabby Otchere-Darko has described the chaotic scene at todays Arise Ghana demonstration as shameful. In a tweet today, he indicated that an average of 250 protestors arose for a demo today. Scores of them decided to pelt the police with stones, bricks, etc. injuring them. Thankfully, the police would not be provoked and remained professional. I am not sure if this is what the organizers intended. Shameful! Twelve policemen have been injured as a result of clashing with demonstrators at the Arise Ghana demonstration. In a statement by the Ghana Police Service today, the demonstrators are said to have insisted on using unapproved routes despite the police attempt to persuade them. Per the court ruling, routes leading to the Jubilee House were out of bounds. Demonstrators according to the police took to pelting stones, which led to 12 police officers sustaining injuries. In return, the Ghana Police says it had no choice but to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd. The police have indicated that all persons found to have been involved in violent attacks will be brought to book. The Arise Ghana demonstration started at 8am on June 28 at the Obra Spot. See more details here 28.06.2022 LISTEN A former Research Scientist of the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Professor Roger Kanton is calling for a forward-thinking policy approach in boosting the country's agriculture sector. He said Ghana's agricultural sector will continue to struggle if leadership continues to take reactionary measures. Making his point at the Citi Business Festival forum on Rediscovering the Agribusiness Goldmine on Citi TV, Professor Roger Kanton said, no country owes the other anything. Why should the Ukraine-Russian war affect us? I dont think it makes sense. It should rather be a blessing to us. The military has very catchy logos. I saw one recently, it read challenges present opportunities. Nkrumah constructed the Tema Oil Refinery when oil had not been discovered in the country. That is forward-thinking. We have found oil, is it enough to sell it out cheaply? It could actually create jobs here and produce fertilizer. The richest black man has put up a fertilizer plant in Lagos that can produce about 3.5 metric tonnes of urea, which is key for the Nigerian agricultural sector. They only sell the surplus out. We can't continue to explore reactionary approaches to problems, he added. He said the country has all it takes for a robust agricultural economy. We are better off than most countries. We have critical minds and the needed resources. We only need proactive leadership to advance this, he added. Other panellists were William Nettey- Head of Agribusiness ABSA, Kwasi Korboe CEO of GIRSAL, and Catherine Krobo Edusei, Founder & CEO of Eden Tree. The Citi Business Festival is an extensive program of business events and on-air activities providing inspiration, business ideas, and information to persons who are starting, building, or growing their businesses. On-air series airs on the Citi Breakfast Show on 97.3 Citi FM every weekday. For the 2022 edition, the themes outlined during the period were as follows: Week 1: Re-imagining the Digital Economy Week 2: Resetting your SME after COVID-19 Week 3: The Ghana Opportunity Week 4: Consumer Markets Week 5: Agribusiness ABSA Bank is the main sponsor of the Citi Business Festival 2022 and supported by MTN Momo and MTN Business, IT Consortium and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), and GIRSAL. ---citinewsroom A leading member of the Arise Ghana group, Bernard Mornah has alleged that the Ghana Police Service planted officers amongst protesters on Tuesday and tasked them to pelt stones in order to have an excuse to brutalise demonstrators. A demonstration that was expected to proceed peacefully today ended in chaos after the Police resorted to using tear gas to disperse some protesters who pelted stones at officers and service vehicles. With the first day of the two-day demonstration coming to an end, Bernard Mornah who is a top official of Arise Ghana has accused the Police of planning the violence that was witnessed today. Speaking to Citi News this evening, the former chairman of PNC alleged that some officers were dressed in Arise Ghana T-shirts and specifically tasked to pelt stones during the protest to give the Police a reason to brutalise the demonstrators. I have led demonstrations from Kwame Nkrumah circle and terminating at the Jubilee House, several others to the Jubilee House through to Parliament. Nothing untoward happened. I have participated in the 'dumsor' vigil in this country that started after 8pm. The police conducted themselves professionally. Today, demonstrators did not move and you shot at them. It was Police people in red starting throwing stones at their own police. It is not an allegation, it is something I am saying. This is what happened. Some of the officers that were there were wearing red red. They were in Arise Ghana t-shirts. This attack was premeditated before they arrived there, Bernard Mornah claimed. The Arise Ghana leading member continued, So when the Police started to shoot at us they started throwing stones at their own because we had already informed our people that no one should throw any stone. Those who were throwing the stones you will see them in Arise Ghana t-shirts, I tell you they are Police officers. They decided to do that so that they can brutalize us. This is to tell you how violent President Akufo-Addo is and he has transferred his violence into the Ghana Police Service. According to the Ghana Police Service, 12 of its officers on duty today sustained various injuries and had to be taken to the hospital for medical care. In addition, parts of Police vehicles used to convey officers to provide protection for the protesters have been damaged. Checks have revealed that while some protesters have been arrested by the Police for pelting stones and causing the chaos, some of the demonstrators were also injured and receiving medical care. The Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has said Ghanaians have not been able to distinguish between demonstration and rioting. He stated that people in Ghana normally confuse demonstration to be rioting hence, resort to burning of tyres and pelting of stones at security officers assigned to protect them. Speaking on News 360 on TV3 Tuesday, June 28 in relation to the violence that characterized the first day of the demonstration by members of the Arise Ghana pressure group, he said we must also understand that demonstration is demonstration, rioting is rioting. Rioting can even escalate into something else. So when people are demonstrating, the leadership must understand the psychology of demonstrations. When you are demonstrating, the Police will do nothing against you but when it turns into rioting, burning tyres in the streets, pelting Police with missiles, it is no longer demonstration, it is riot. Unfortunately in Ghana, let us be honest with ourselves, as soon as we say we are going to demonstrate, then it is riot rather, even student demonstration is rioting. We have not been able to distinguish between rioting and demonstration, that has always been the problem. The Police announced that 12 officers have been injured during the demonstration by members of the Arise Ghana pressure group on Tuesday, June 28. The injured officers have been transferred to the Police hospital in Accra for further treatment. Some Police vehicles have also been damaged, the Police said in a statement. The Police further described the development as shameful. What a shame, we were there to protect you and ensure your safety, but you throw stones at us, injure and hurt us. This behaviour is unacceptable and must be condemned. But a leader of the group, Sammy Gyamfi dismissed claims that members threw stones at the Police during the demonstration. He described the persons who exhibited that conduct as agent provocateurs who were planted in their midst by the Police. They are agent provocateurs planted in their midst by the Police, these are not members of the Arise Ghana. We arrested them and gave them to the Police. We did not go there with sticks, we did not go there with stones, we went there with our voice to protest against the obnoxious e-levy which amounts to thievery. He added our hands are clean, our conscience are clean, we believe in what we are doing. Sammy Gyamfi further accused the Police of embarking on Public Relations (PR) gimmick to brand the demonstrators as violent citizens. If you look at the statement being issued by the Police on their social media handles, you can clearly see through the PR gimmicks being mounted by the Police. PR gimmick intended to brand Arise Ghana as violent citizens of this country. They described us as rioting demonstrators. No one who intends to embark on a riot will give the Police the Police 20 days notice to embark on a riot, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said. ---3news.com The Deputy Minister for Sanitation, Hon Amidu Issahaku Chinnia has described as strange calls for his removal following claims that his brother and others won contracts at the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council when he served as a Deputy Minister in the region then. Speaking to the media in Accra, Hon Chinnia explained that he cannot be deemed culpable in a matter involving a company and people he knows are businessmen who deal in lawful businesses. "The company won the said contracts under reference through competitive tender. "It is only natural that the company be treated as a separate legal entity which has nothing to do with me," he stated. He indicated that he was neither a shareholder nor a director of his brother's company. For this reason, calls by Ghana Integrity Initiative for his interdiction is misplaced. The Deputy Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for the Sisala East in the Upper West Region has therefore called on his constituents to disregard the mischief and orchestration to tarnish his image. According to him, he is unperturbed about any investigations against him since his hands are clean. Hon Amidu Issahaku Chinnia stressed that he was available for any investigations to prove his innocence. Guinean authorities should drop any ongoing investigation into journalist Mamadou Sagnane and ensure that the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 15, police in the north-central town of Dinguiraye summoned Sagnane, a reporter with the community broadcaster Dinguiraye Rural Radio, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ by phone, and a statement by the local journalist association Presse Solidaire. Police held Sagnane at the Dinguiraye Court of First Instance, seized his phone, and refused to let him contact anyone while they questioned him about a broadcast he aired on June 8, according to those sources. After about six hours, authorities released Sagnane and told him to go home, saying they would contact him as soon as they needed me, the journalist said. Guinean journalist Mamadou Sagnane should not have been detained over his work, and authorities must ensure he does not face legal repercussions for doing his job, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Journalists in Guinea should be able to distribute news of public interest without fear. In that June 8 broadcast, Sagnane told CPJ that he read a press release calling for a rally over the recent killing of a young man at a gendarmerie roadblock. When police asked Sagnane why he read that press release, he said that a local association had sent it to the director of Dinguiraye Rural Radio, who saw that it contained no calls for violence and then asked him to read it on-air. He said he referred the officers to the stations director for further questions. The rally mentioned in the press release did not take place as scheduled on June 9, but protesters angered over the killing attacked a local gendarmerie office and police station, according to Sagnane and news reports. Sagnane said that the police alleged that those attacks were linked to his airing of the press release, even though it did not call for such actions. Dinguiraye government representative Karamoko Oumar Boke Camara told CPJ via messaging app that he said he could comment on the case because he did not have permission from his superiors. CPJ called the Guinean judicial police and contacted them via messaging app for comment, but did not receive any replies. Nigerian authorities should release EagleForeSight publisher Olamilekan Hammed Adewale Bashiru and ensure that overly stringent bail conditions are not used as a tool to keep him behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 21, a federal high court in the Ogun state capital, Abeokuta, granted Bashiru bail under a series of requirements, which included a bond of 3 million naira (US$7,230) and two sureties, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ and Festus Ogun, Bashirus lawyer, who spoke to CPJ by phone. Bashiru was arrested on May 13 after his news website republished a report about the alleged criminal records of Ogun state governor Dapo Abiodun, as CPJ documented. The journalists lawyer told CPJ that Bashiru remained behind bars because the bail conditions were very difficult to meet, and said they would seek an amendment to the conditions. The bail conditions set for Nigerian journalist Olamilekan Hammed Adewale Bashiru are outrageously onerous, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, from Johannesburg. Bashiru should have never been arrested in the first place. Nigerian authorities should act swiftly to secure his release and ensure that these overly stringent bail conditions are not used as a tool to keep him behind bars. One of the sureties must be a senior civil servant and the other a business owner willing to provide their personal and business phone numbers, addresses, banking details, and a property deed, according to those sources. Additionally, the business owner must provide their business registration documents, and the civil servant must provide their passport, which will be held along with their property documents by the court until the end of the trial. Bashirus next hearing is scheduled for July 19. Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat was forced to meet similar bail conditions following his arrest in November 2021, as CPJ documented. The smart-mouthed servers with bad manners have turned the tables on customers at Karen's Diner. Their first location opened in Sydney last year and has been nothing short of a great success. Their staff continue to go viral online for their overly rude and sarcastic service. Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to President Joe Biden on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) plan that could jeopardize a quarter of the nations gas supply. The EPA recently announced it may impose a discretionary re-designation of the Permian Basin, which accounts for approximately 40% of all oil produced in the U.S. If allowed to proceed, the EPAs actions in the Permian Basin could result in draconian regulations that would directly interfere with the nations most prolific oil field. Here is the letter: "Dear Mr. President: While you express concern about out-of-control gas prices, your Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is threatening to increase them even further. The EPA has begun a that, if finalized, would jeopardize the production of 95,000,000 gallons of gasoline per day25 percent of our nations supply. The EPAs process could interfere in the production of oil in Texas which could lead to skyrocketing prices at the pump by reducing production, increase the cost of that production, or do both. Your administrations announced action is completely discretionary. Thus, you have the power to stop it. If you do not, this action alone might serve as a catalyst for economic harm leading to an even deeper reliance on imported foreign energy and a faster economic decline into the pending recession by forcing even more pain for American consumers to pay at the pump. You say that you want to bring refineries back online to get more gas to the pump at lower prices. See Remarks, March 31, 2022. That goalshared by Americanscould be thwarted if the EPA is allowed to move forward with its discretionary regulatory process. If Americans are to take you at your word, you will intervene and halt the EPAs administrative process that could lead to higher gasoline prices, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs that would be put at risk. Your fellow Americans are counting on you. You can either stand with Americans by working to reduce gas prices, or you can side with arbitrary and discretionary EPA bureaucrats who could impair oil production and jobs in the Permian Basin. I will choose the American people and my fellow Texans who are working to fuel our country. Here is the problem: The EPA recently announced that that it may impose a discretionary redesignation of the Permian Basin. See 40 C.F.R. part 81. This action could result in draconian regulations imposed by the EPA that would directly attack Americas most prolific oil field. The Permianmost of which is located in Texasaccounts for approximately 40 percent of all oil produced in the U.S. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration data, Permian producers in Texas and New Mexico are responsible for 5.2 million barrels of oil per day which can be processed into about 95,000,000 gallons of gasoline a day. On average, the U.S. consumes 369,000,000 gallons per day. If you let the EPA move forward with the untimely and unnecessary measures that accompany redesignation, that action will put at risk 25 percent of American oil supply. That, in turn, could substantially increase the cost of gasoline. Because time is of the essence in these EPA proceedings, I must hear back from you by July 29, 2022. If the EPAs proposed redesignation is not suspended by that date, Texas will take the action needed to protect the production of oiland the gasoline that comes from it. Sincerely, Greg Abbott Governor " This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO (AP) Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. He did not know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint. Investigators traced the trucks registration to a residence in San Antonio and detained two men from Mexico for possession of weapons, according to criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorneys office. The complaints did not make any specific allegations related to the deaths. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely back road and found the gruesome scene inside, police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground. More than a dozen people their bodies hot to the touch were taken to hospitals, including four children. Most of the dead were males, he said. The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling attempt in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. This is a horror that surpasses anything weve experienced before, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. And its sadly a preventable tragedy. President Joe Biden called the deaths horrifying and heartbreaking. Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry, Biden said in a statement. Authorities did not know the home countries of all of the migrants, nor how long they were abandoned on the side of the road. By Tuesday afternoon, medical examiners had potentially identified 34 of the victims, but they were taking additional steps, such as fingerprints, to confirm the identities, said Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Among the dead, 27 are believed to be of Mexican origin based on documents they were carrying, according to said Ruben Minutti, Mexico consul general in San Antonio. Several survivors were in critical condition with injuries such as brain damage and internal bleeding, he said. At least seven of the dead were from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, head of the North America department in Mexicos Foreign Relations Department, said on Twitter. About 30 people had reached out to the Mexican Consulate looking for loved ones, the officials said. Authorities confirmed that one of the surviving Mexicans from the trailer was Jose Luis Guzman Vasquez, 32, from San Miguel Huautla in the southern state of Oaxaca, according to Aida Ruiz Garcia, director of the Oaxacan Institute for Migrant Attention. He was dehydrated and receiving car at a San Antonio hospital, Mexico's foreign affairs said. A cousin, Alejandro Lopez, told Milenio television that the family worked in farming and construction and migrated because we dont have anything but weaving hats, palms and handicrafts. Attempts to cross the U.S. border from Mexico have claimed thousands of lives in both countries in recent decades. U.S. border authorities are stopping migrants more often on the southern border than at any time in at least two decades. Migrants were stopped nearly 240,000 times in May, up by one-third from a year ago. Comparisons to pre-pandemic levels are complicated because migrants expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42 face no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Authorities say 25% of encounters in May were with people who had been stopped at least once in the previous year. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. U.S. authorities discover trucks with migrants inside pretty close to daily, Larrabee said. Migrants typically pay $8,000 to $10,000 to be taken across the border and loaded into a tractor-trailer and driven to San Antonio, where they transfer to smaller vehicles for their final destinations across the United States, he said. Conditions vary widely, including how much water passengers get and whether they are allowed to carry cellphones, Larrabee said. Authorities think the truck discovered Monday had mechanical problems when it was left next to a railroad track in an area of San Antonio surrounded by auto scrapyards that brush up against a busy freeway, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the top elected official in the county that includes San Antonio. San Antonio has been a recurring scene of tragedy and desperation in recent years involving migrants in semitrailers. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a San Antonio Walmart. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. More than 50 migrants were found alive in a trailer in 2018, driven by a man who said he was to be paid $3,000 and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Other tragedies have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. In December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers stopped at a military checkpoint near the border. Some of the 16 people taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition. Those taken to the hospital were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Temperatures in San Antonio on Monday approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before that, people paid small fees to get across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became much more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and had to pay thousands of dollars. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administrations border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes, he wrote on Twitter. During a vigil held Tuesday evening in the rain at a San Antonio park, many of the more than 50 people who attended expressed sadness, frustration and anger at the deaths and what they described as a broken immigration system. I see this happen, and it didnt have to happen. If we had a better way for brown and Black people to enter safely, they wouldnt go through these desperate measures, said San Antonio resident Debbie Ponce. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under the pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020 that denies a chance to seek asylum. The Biden administration planned to end the policy, but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move in May. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the Southwest border in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most were related to heat exposure. ___ Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporters Eric Gay in San Antonio, Acacia Coronado in Austin, Terry Wallace in Dallas and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed. At least 50 people were found dead in an abandoned 18-wheeler in San Antonio near Lackland Air Force Base on Monday evening, according to reporting from the Texas Tribune. Law enforcement officials believe the victims were migrants and that this was part of a migrant-smuggling operation. In addition to the 50 deceased victims, 16 others have been taken to the hospital, the Texas Tribune reported. Of the deceased, 22 people were identified as Mexican, seven were from Guatemala and two were Honduran, according to the New York Times. According to the Texas Tribune, three people are in custody, but it is unclear if they are connected to the incident. Local authorities said they first received a call around 6 p.m. from a worker in the area of the 18-wheeler saying they heard cries for help coming from the vehicle. The trucks doors were partly open when authorities arrived, the Texas Tribune reported, with one body outside the vehicle and the rest inside. Local authorities said they were very hopeful the 16 taken to the hospital, four of which were children, would survive, according to the Texas Tribune. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said this case could be the deadliest human smuggling incident he could recall in the city, the Texas Tribune reported. Rep. Pfluger and Texas leaders react Midland Republican Rep. August Pfluger said in a statement provided to the Midland Reporter-Telegram that President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas must not be allowed to look away from this event and "their border crisis." In the statement, Pfluger added that cartels and human smugglers have taken control of our Southern border. Democrats like President Biden and Homeland Secretary Mayorkas can deny the heartbreaking realities of their border crisis, but when over 40 people are killed in the back of a tractor-trailer, they must not be allowed to look away, Pfluger said in the statement. A terrible and sad way to die. God bless them. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott also responded to the news on Twitter. He blamed the incident on Democratic President Joe Biden, saying it was caused by the administrations deadly open border policies. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies, Abbott wrote in the tweet. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also said on Twitter the horrific and heartbreaking incident was a result of an open border and claimed that the President and Democrats will ignore it. Human traffickers are exploiting the open border and the most vulnerable are paying for it with their lives, Cruz wrote in a tweet. Tragically, President Biden and the Democrats will continue to ignore the [Biden border crisis]. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the administration rejects the blame for the death of the migrants, according to reporting from the Dallas Morning News. She said those who place the blame on Biden are exploiting the horrific and heartbreaking event. "The border is closed, which is...why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks, Jean-Pierre told reporters. "46 people died in Texas. Were focused on them and on holding the human smugglers who endangered vulnerable individuals for profit accountable. Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke also commented on the event, calling it devastating on Twitter. ORourke said urgent action is needed to address the border issue. Our thoughts go out to the families of those who lost their lives in San Antonio today, ORourke wrote in the tweet. We need urgent action dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our countrys needs. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Denise Su, Arizona State University (THE CONVERSATION) Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. How many ice ages has the Earth had, and could humans live through one? Mason C., age 8, Hobbs, New Mexico First, what is an ice age? Its when the Earth has cold temperatures for a long time millions to tens of millions of years that lead to ice sheets and glaciers covering large areas of its surface. We know that the Earth has had at least five major ice ages. The first one happened about 2 billion years ago and lasted about 300 million years. The most recent one started about 2.6 million years ago, and in fact, we are still technically in it. So why isnt the Earth covered in ice right now? Its because we are in a period known as an interglacial. In an ice age, temperatures will fluctuate between colder and warmer levels. Ice sheets and glaciers melt during warmer phases, which are called interglacials, and expand during colder phases, which are called glacials. Right now we are in the most recent ice ages warm interglacial period, which began about 11,000 years ago. What was it like during the ice age? When most people talk about the ice age, they are usually referring to the last glacial period, which began about 115,000 years ago and ended about 11,000 years ago with the start of the current interglacial period. During that time, the planet was much cooler than it is now. At its peak, when ice sheets covered most of North America, the average global temperature was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). Thats 11 degrees F (6 degrees C) cooler than the global annual average today. That difference might not sound like a lot, but it resulted in most of North America and Eurasia being covered in ice sheets. Earth was also much drier, and sea level was much lower, since most of the Earths water was trapped in the ice sheets. Steppes, or dry grassy plains, were common. So were savannas, or warmer grassy plains, and deserts. Many animals present during the ice age would be familiar to you, including brown bears, caribou and wolves. But there were also megafauna that went extinct at the end of the ice age, like mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths. There are different ideas about why these animals went extinct. One is that humans hunted them into extinction when they came in contact with the megafauna. Wait, there were humans during the ice age?! Yes, people just like us lived through the ice age. Since our species, Homo sapiens, emerged about 300,000 years ago in Africa, we have spread around the world. During the ice age, some populations remained in Africa and did not experience the full effects of the cold. Others moved into other parts of the world, including the cold, glacial environments of Europe. And they werent alone. At the beginning of the ice age, there were other species of hominins a group that includes our immediate ancestors and our closest relatives throughout Eurasia, like the Neanderthals in Europe and the mysterious Denisovans in Asia. Both of these groups seem to have gone extinct before the end of the ice age. There are lots of ideas about how our species survived the ice age when our hominin cousins did not. Some think that it has to do with how adaptable we are, and how we used our social and communication skills and tools. And it appears that humans didnt hunker down during the ice age. Instead they moved into new areas. For a long time it was thought that humans did not enter North America until after the ice sheets started to melt. But fossilized footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico show that humans have been in North America since at least 23,000 years ago close to the peak of the last ice age. Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question youd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit adults, let us know what youre wondering, too. We wont be able to answer every question, but we will do our best. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-many-ice-ages-has-the-earth-had-and-could-humans-live-through-one-179360. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) France's president denounced Russias fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a new war crime Tuesday and vowed the West's support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow cannot and should not win" the war. The strike, which killed at least 18 people in the central city of Kremenchuk, came as leaders from the Group of Seven nations met in Europe. It was part of an unusually intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv, that renewed international attention as the war drags on. Speaking at the end of the G-7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to address that concern, vowing that the seven leading industrialized democracies would support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity. Russia cannot and should not win, he said. He called Monday's attack on the mall a new war crime. As they have in other attacks, Russian officials claimed the shopping center was not the target. In a virtual address to the U.N. Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has become a terrorist state and called for it to be expelled from the United Nations. He also urged the U.N. to establish an international tribunal to investigate Russias action in Ukraine. Zelenskyy ended his address by asking all in the chamber to stand in silent tribute to the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children and adults killed in the war. All council members rose, including Russias deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky. How to counter Russia and back Ukraine will also be the focus of a summit this week of the NATO alliance, whose support has been critical to Kyiv's ability to fend off Moscow's larger and better equipped forces. Ukrainian leaders, however, say they need more and better weapons if they are to hold off and even drive back Russia, which is pressing an all-out assault in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. As Macron spoke, rescuers combed through the charred rubble of the shopping mall, which officials said was struck when more than 1,000 afternoon shoppers and workers were inside. Kateryna Romashyna, a local resident, told The Associated Press that she had just arrived at the mall when an explosion knocked her down. When another blast came about 10 minutes later, she realized she needed to get away. I ran away from the epicenter with all of my strength, she said. Fighting back tears, she added: You have to be a real monster to strike a shopping mall. Many of those inside quickly fled the building when an air raid siren sounded and took shelter across the street, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky said. Several of the bodies of those who didnt make it out in time are burned beyond recognition, he said. In addition to the 18 killed, authorities said 59 were wounded, while 21 people were still missing. The attack recalled strikes earlier in the war that hit a theater, a train station, and a hospital. Zelenskyy called it one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history. Rocket attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine, with authorities in the city of Dnipro reporting that workers at a diesel car repair shop were trapped in rubble after a strike from a cruise missile fired from the Black Sea, Ukrainian news agencies reported. The Ukrainian military managed to intercept and destroy other missiles fired at the city, the agencies said. As condemnation came in from many quarters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov struck a defiant note, saying Russia would press its offensive until it fulfills its goals. He said the hostilities could stop before the end of the day if Ukraine were to surrender and meet Russia's demands, including recognizing its control over territory it has taken by force. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian authorities said that in addition to the direct hit on the mall, a factory was struck, but denied it housed weapons. Konashenkov also falsely alleged that the mall was not in use. One survivor, Oleksandr, a mall employee, told the AP from a hospital bed that the shopping center was packed with customers. He recalled stepping outside with a colleague for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off. There was a black tunnel, smoke, fire," he said. I started to crawl. I saw the sun up there, and my brain was telling me I needed to save myself. Ukraines prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said the missile attack was one of Russias crimes against humanity. She emphasized the need for all Ukrainians to remain alert and expect a similar strike every minute. On Tuesday, Russian forces struck the Black Sea city of Ochakiv, damaging apartment buildings and killing two, including a 6-year-old child. Six more people, four of them children, were wounded. One of them, a 3-month-old baby, is in a coma, according to officials. The unusually intense spate of fire came as the G-7 leaders pledged continued support for Ukraine and prepared new sanctions against Russia, including a price cap on oil and higher tariffs on goods. Zelenskyy has called for more air defense systems from his Western allies to help his forces fight back. NATO's support for Ukraine will be a major focus of a summit starting this week in Madrid, and an early signal of unity came Tuesday when Turkey agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted the two Nordic countries to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West that the more weapons are pumped into Ukraine, the longer the conflict will continue and the longer the agony of the Nazi regime backed by Western capitals will last. Russia has falsely called the war a campaign to de-Nazify Ukraine a country with a democratically elected Jewish president who wants closer ties with the West. In a sinister message to NATO leaders, Russias state space corporation Roscosmos published satellite images and the precise coordinates of the conference hall where their summit will be held. It also posted images and the coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin referring to them as decision-making centers supporting the Ukrainian nationalists" in a message on the Telegram app. That wording echoes warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin that he could target such centers in response to what he has called Western aggression. In other developments: One of the two Britons sentenced to death by separatist forces in eastern Ukraine has filed a formal appeal, the Russian news agency Tass reported early Wednesday. The report said the appeal filed on behalf of Shaun Pinner will be considered within two months. Pinner, Aiden Aslin and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun were sentenced to death on June 9 and were given one month to appeal. The court claimed they were fighting for Ukraine as mercenaries so were not entitled to protections provided to prisoners of war. There was no mention of appeals for the other two men. The two fighting countries continued a sporadic series of prisoner exchanges. Ukraine exchanged 15 Russian prisoners-of-war for 16 Ukrainian soldiers and one civilian, the Ukrainian Pravda news outlet reported Tuesday. Ukrainian Pravda also reported that in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, the mayor was detained Tuesday and occupying authorities seized his computer hard drive and documents after he had refused to cooperate with Russian-appointed local officials. Russias Tass news agency confirmed the detention. Bulgaria said Tuesday it was expelling 70 Russian diplomats designated a threat to national security, ordering them to leave within five days. A Bulgarian foreign ministry statement said this would reduce Russias Sofia embassy staff to up to 23 diplomatic and 25 administrative and technical staff. ___ Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Oleksandr Stashevskyi in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. This version corrects to say that Zelenskyy called Russia a terrorist state and did not call Putin a terrorist. H-E-B and the Butt family announced Tuesday they will commit $10 million to help replace Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas following the May 24 mass shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. The school, which was built in the 1960s and is located about 85 miles west of San Antonio, has been permanently closed following the tragedy. Plans have been made for the building to be demolished. The company and the family said in a news release they will work with stakeholders and organizations on the development of the new campus. Texas firms Huckabee and Joeris General Contractors have also made a commitment to donate their services and time to the project, according to H-E-B. "Our first store in Uvalde opened in 1959, and Uvalde people are our people," H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt said in a statement. "As we continue to mourn tremendous loss, I join with my family and H-E-B in working to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward from this tragic event. Our children are this country's future, and our schools should be a safe place where children can thrive and envision new possibilities." Those wanting to support the effort are asked to donate to the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, a charity formed in wake of the tragedy to raise funds for the new elementary school campus and to serve the immediate and ongoing financial needs of the school district. The new elementary school campus will "significantly enhance educational offerings" and implement "state-of-the-art safety and security measures" as well as provide infrastructure to support new technology, according to H-E-B. The location and design of the new campus, as well as a timeline for the project, have not been determined. The announcement follows confirmation from Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin last week that the Robb Elementary School building is set to be demolished in wake of the tragedy. "We could never ask a child to go back, or a teacher to go back, into that school ever," he told city council members at a meeting on June 21. Last month, H-E-B launched a fundraising campaign and announced it would commit $500,000 to support victims and families affected by the shooting. The Supreme Court is now a group of authoritarians who want to control your decisions. Ill be called an alarmist, but Americans needs to wake up and understand what the decision to overturn Roe means. You should be alarmed if you dont want to be told what to do in your home. Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the constitutions Due Process Clause does not secure a right to an abortion or any other substantive rights, and he urged the court to apply that reasoning to other landmark cases. What are those landmark cases? Marriage equality, consensual sex acts, and access to contraceptives. In Texas, we have laws still on the books that are not enforced because prior Supreme Court Judges ruled them a violation of due process. Our Texas legislators never removed those laws, they just werent allowed to enforce them. The sodomy law included sex between all partners not just same-sex partners. A ruling to overturn these cases will allow immediate enforcement just as the old laws regarding abortion are now in effect. Evangelical christians have prayed for the authoritarian leader they found in Trump for decades. He appointed three new justices who with Alito, Roberts and Thomas are poised to make decisions that will affect our daily lives. Will the current Texas leaders change these laws? Always remember that the current Texas legislators made open carry of a firearm easier in the last session even after testimony of mass shootings in Santa Fe, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Sutherland Springs and Dallas. Even police chiefs didnt want this bill passed. They are a group of predominately white evangelicals who have been praying for this for decades. Look at the makeup of your local county commissioners court, city council and school board. Most likely, they are packed with evangelicals just like the supremes and Texas legislators. Ask yourself if these are the people you want making decisions for you and your family. Should they get to determine the size of your family and ensure a domestic supply of babies? You can deny these facts all you want but denial doesnt make it any less true. The court and those who are rejoicing over this opinion have clearly shown who they are. Believe them! -- Cathy Broadrick is the chair of the Midland County Democratic Party Letters to the Editor Those wanting to submit a letter to editor for publication should use the following email address sdoreen@hearstnp.com. The old email address is no longer in use. Letter-writers should include a phone number and address. There is a 350-word limit; candidate letters have a 200-word limit. The deadline for letters is noon Thursdays for the following Saturday. Vanessa Williams attends the United States Commission on Civil Rights Guam Advisory Committee Inaugural Meeting on May 24 at the Dusit Beach Resort in Tumon. People take part in a rally Victory Rally to allow non-citizen NYC residents to vote in local elections, at the steps of the New York City Hall, Dec. 9, 2021. Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. speaks during the annual gathering for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 21, 2021. Philippine President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attends a news conference at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila on May 23, 2022. Pedestrians uses a portable fan on the street during a heatwave in Tokyo, Japan, June 27, 2022. Managing garden pests with pollinators in mind Proper identification of the plant-damaging culprit is the first step in managing problems. Often... Holy cow! History: Was Sylvester Graham just crackers? A cholera epidemic was rampaging across the globe at the time, bringing death and tragedy to the... BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) A fire at a prison in southwestern Colombia has killed at least 51 people and injured more than 20 others, authorities said Tuesday. The director of the national prison system, Tito Castellanos, told Radio Caracol that it's not clear if all of the dead were prisoners. He initially said 49 had died, but the Justice Ministry later raised the toll to 51. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Six-month-old Bruno was a little cold and tired, but otherwise uninjured after being rescued Monday from a cistern. The Malamute/pit bull terrier mix pup was playing in the backyard of a house in the 600 block of North East Street when he fell into the cistern. The reservoir was hidden underneath the house's back porch. Firefighters were called about 2:30 p.m. because Bruno was treading water. Bruno's owner, Bamako "Marco" Walton said he was unaware the unsealed cistern was under the porch. "My son was playing with Bruno, chasing him," Walton said. "The dogs always go under the porch, but I guess they don't go back that far." Fire Capt. Matt Summers said that when firefighters arrived, Walton and family and friends were removing planks of wood from the porch to gain access. "With their help, we cut boards out of the way and we were able to use a slip knot and get a rope around the dog and pull him out," Summer said. "He seemed cold and tired, but otherwise OK. He was able to swim and stay afloat until we got him out." Walton said he is thankful Bruno wasn't hurt, but was fearful that both the dog and his son could have been hurt because they weren't told the opening was there. "We have kids playing back here every day," he said. Summers said it is not clear how big the cistern was, but it was at least estimated about 20 feet deep and was holding thousands of gallons of water. "It was too dark, so we couldn't see the back of it," Summers said. "Our ladder didn't touch the bottom." Summers said the department covered the hole with boards and provided advice on how to properly seal it. NEW BERLIN Construction crews took apart a 62-year-old water tower in New Berlin on Monday. Village President Mike Krall said the tower, which was in North Park, had become too much of a burden for the village to continue taking care of. VIRGINIA A group in Virginia is creating a program to connect its senior residents with services and social opportunities. Virginia Senior Center will meet the third Wednesday of each month beginning July 20 in the fellowship hall of Virginia United Methodist Church. Barb Ring, a member of the city's senior citizen committee, said this is a program they hope to get started to benefit the community's older population. "We feel that we need to have a place for our senior citizens to come together and socialize and connect with various programs or organizations," Ring said. "I think sometimes this is the population that is often forgotten." The first program will be from 2 to 4 p.m. July 20, when Cass County Health Department will give a presentation on various programs. Each meeting will have various parts, including vaccines, social time, games and other activities, Ring said. Because the older population sometimes can be confined and have less access to community resources, this is meant as a way to counteract that, Ring said. "They can get out and socialize," she said. "They can get out and be with people. With COVID, people weren't able to get out and it was detrimental, especially to senior citizens who were even more impacted." Virginia United Methodist Church is at 401 E Broadway St. For now the group will meet at the church; organizers are trying to determine what people would like from the group. "If there is interest, our hope it to get our own space," Ring said. "This is the most available place, but it would be nice if we had a designated building. The church is willing to let us use the room for now. I hope we grow and can be a vital part of the community." The group is looking at various ways to distribute information about the new program but hasn't yet established anything, she said. "Many of these people are older and don't use the internet or social media, and some can't afford the newspaper, so we are trying to find ways to get information to them," Ring said. MADRID (AP) Spain's prime minister has defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police repelled migrants last week as they tried to cross the shared border into the north African enclave of Melilla, depicting the attempt in which at least 23 people died as an attack on Spain's borders. We must remember that many of these migrants attacked Spains borders with axes and hooks, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during an interview Monday with The Associated Press. We are talking about an attempt to assault the fence that was evidently carried out in an aggressive way, and therefore what Spains state security forces and Moroccan guards did was defend Spains borders. Authorities in Morocco have blamed the deaths on a stampede of people that formed early Friday as hundreds attempted to scale or break through the 12-meter (29-feet) iron double fence. The barrier surrounds Melilla, a town of 85,000 separated from the Spanish mainland by the Strait of Gibraltar. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shocked at the images of violence, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. Dujarric said the use of excessive force by authorities on both sides of the border needs to be investigated because it is unacceptable. States have obligations under international law, and international human rights law and refugee law which must be upheld, he said. Nonprofits working in northern Africa and human rights organizations have deplored the treatment the migrants received from police on both sides. But they have also directed their blame at Spanish and European Union officials who they say have essentially outsourced border controls to Morocco and other states. Sanchez, whose left-to-center government is trying to improve ties with Morocco following an acrimonious diplomatic dispute over Western Sahara, has refused to criticize the crackdown. Speaking at the palace on the outskirts of Madrid that hosts his office and residence, Sanchez told AP that his thoughts were with the families of those who died. But he blamed the tragedy on international human trafficking rings who are profiting from the suffering of human beings who only want to seek a better life. I insist, these are international mafia groups that are not only damaging the territorial integrity of Spain but also that of Morocco, which is a country suffering that irregular migration. Sanchez spoke to AP on the eve of hosting NATO leaders in a summit that aims to redraw the defense alliances strategy for the next decade. While Russias invasion of Ukraine will take center stage at the Wednesday and Thursday meeting, the group will also debate its posture on Africa, where Russian mercenaries are adding to concerns about migration, extremism and the impacts of poverty and climate change. Footage uploaded to social media shows how a large number of migrants approached a section of the fence and began scaling it. Some of the migrants hurled rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending many of the migrants to the ground from a height of several meters. In at least one video released by Spanish online news website eldiario.es, Spanish guards can also be seen escorting migrants back to the Moroccan side, a practice that human rights activists say denies the right of refugees to apply for asylum on European soil. More gruesome videos and photos posted online appear to show the aftermath of the crossing attempt, with scores of young men, some of them motionless and others barely moving and bleeding as Moroccan security forces stood over them. At least 76 civilians and 140 security officers on the Moroccan side, and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured, according to their respective governments. A small group of African men who did make it across the fence were taken to a migrant holding center in Melilla. Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the continents largest grouping of countries, the African Union, has called for an investigation into the deaths. In a tweet, Mahamat said he wanted to express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants, adding that all countries have obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritize their safety and human rights while refraining from the use of excessive force. While Moroccan authorities say 23 people died in addition to scores of injuries both among the migrants and border guards, activists claim that the death toll is higher and denounce the EU's policy of striking deals with Morocco and other states like Turkey to control migration flows. A group of 51 human rights groups said Monday in a joint statement distributed by Spanish NGO Walking Borders that the deaths are the tragic example of the European Union's policies of externalizing its borders, with the complicity of a southern country, Morocco. The death of these young Africans at the borders of Fortress Europe is a warning of the deadly nature of the security cooperation on immigration between Morocco and Spain, the statement added. Spanish authorities in Melilla, meanwhile, are using the most recent attempt by migrants to cross over in mass numbers to make an appeal for even greater guarantees on their territorial security. Last year, when relations between Spain and Morocco were frayed, Moroccan border guard let thousands of people cross in a few hours in Ceuta, Spains other enclave city in Africa. Since then, the Spanish media has been rife with debate about whether NATO would help Spain out if its hold of Melilla and Ceuta was ever in jeopardy. Melilla is Europes southern frontier, and that is why Europe must look to the south, Melilla chief Eduardo de Castro said Monday. ___ Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed. ___ Follow more AP migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration STAUNTON A Macoupin County man is facing 15 charges related to possessing and disseminating child pornography. Alex L. Ivey, 32, of Staunton has been charged in Macoupin Circuit Court with 10 counts of dissemination of child pornography and five counts of possession of child pornography. Bail was set at $400,000. His next court date is July 12. Online child exploitation is not a victimless crime, and individuals who are engaged in the distribution of child pornography need to be held accountable, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. I appreciate the assistance of the Macoupin County Sheriffs Office and the Staunton Police Department through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and I am committed to working with law enforcement at all levels to track down individuals who possess and distribute these horrific images. State investigators, aided by members of the Macoupin County Sheriffs Department and the Staunton Police Department, searched Iveys residence in Staunton and arrested him after reportedly finding evidence of child pornography. We are fortunate to have this great working relationship with the Illinois Attorney Generals office, Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl said. Great teamwork is essential to help us take criminals off the streets. The case will be jointly prosecuted by Raouls office and Macoupin County States Attorney Jordan Garrison. Assistant Attorney General Shantikumar Kulkarni is handling the case for Raouls High Tech Crimes Bureau. Online predators take advantage of our societys most vulnerable and cause lifetimes of pain for survivors, Garrison said. I am proud to team with the Illinois Attorney General Raouls office in prosecuting this case and appreciate the work and dedication of both the Macoupin County Sheriffs Office and the Staunton Police Department. Staunton Police Chief Jeff Doerr commended Illinois Attorney Generals Office investigators for their work in the case, saying the investigation made the community "a safer place for our children. Online child sexual exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com. Farmers Market: 7 a.m.-noon, Pathway Plaza, 1905 W. Morton Ave. Prices vary. | Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Oct. 31. Link cards accepted. Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents. Wild Times Exotics: 10 a.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. | Animal friends help celebrate summer reading. Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door. Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445. Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need. Bluffs Market: 4-6 p.m., Bluffs downtown square. Prices vary. | Crafts, vendors, farmers market, flea market and more. Every Tuesday through Labor Day. Steve Mellas of Outlaw Opry: 5-9 p.m., Grafton Pub, 225 W. Main St. | Live music. Wednesday Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m., noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents. Story Time: 10 a.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. Free | Stories and a craft. For more information, call 217-243-5435 or email clangdon@jaxpl.org. Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door. Brown Bag Lunch in the Park: Noon-1 p.m., Art Zeeck Park, Beardstown. Meal $3, includes drink and dessert. | Every Wednesday in June. Music by Stuart Smith. Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445. Ameren Illinois Military Support Program: 1-3 p.m., Jacksonville VFW Post 1379, 903 E. Morton Ave. | Applications will be accepted for program to assist qualified military and disabled veterans with energy costs. First 100 will receive free storm preparedness kit. Commodity Food Distribution: 1:15 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. Free | For income-eligible residents of Morgan County. Bring proof of residence and a box for food. Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need. Community Walking Group: 3:30 p.m., Boyd Hospital Wellness Center, Eighth and School streets, Carrollton. Free for wellness center members, $1 for non-members. | For more information and to sign up, all Dawn at 217-942-6946, extension 1352. County Line Dance Club Class: 6:30 p.m., The Hangout Bar & Grill, 901 W. Superior Ave. $5. To submit items to the calendar, go to myjournalcourier.com and select calendar, or email jjcsocial@myjournalcourier.com. Items must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance. Leave politics aside for a moment, if you can. What does the word conservative mean to you, outside of that cursed arena? To me, it connotes respecting tradition, caution when it comes to change, and hewing to the tried and true. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions; marked by moderation or caution; and marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners. Returning to the political realm, does any of that apply to so-called conservatives today? When Mitch McConnell refused even to hold hearings on Merrick Garlands nomination to the Supreme Court on the specious grounds that it couldnt be considered in a presidential election year, what manner of existing views, conditions or institutions was he maintaining? And when he upended that supposed rule to rush Amy Coney Barrett through the confirmation process just weeks before the 2020 elections (when early voting was already under way), how did that show moderation or caution? When candidate Donald Trump mocked a disabled journalist and trashed the parents of an American soldier killed in action, what traditional norms of taste or manners was he upholding? Once in office, when he lied again and again about almost anything, what principle of honest government was he serving? And when he knowingly and repeatedly lied that the 2020 election was stolen, and plotted to overthrow the results, how does that in any way conform to any reasonable concept of conservatism? Fox TVs Tucker Carlson is often described as a conservative commentator. How so? In what way does he respect tradition, caution or moderation? When he praises idolizes is probably a better word Hungarian autocratic prime minister Viktor Orban, what part of his tenure does he most appreciate: curtailing press freedom, moving to restrict or eliminate LGBTQ rights, or embracing Christian democracy?" As if following Carlsons playbook, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference was held in Budapest this year. Speakers included Trump and Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff. Another speaker was described in The Guardian newspaper as a notorious Hungarian racist who has called Jews stinking excrement, referred to Roma as animals and used racial epithets to describe Black people. This is conservative?" And what is conservative about the members of Congress who have tried to portray the Jan. 6, 2021, mob as a bunch of tourists quietly visiting the Capitol, or those at the podium that day urging the crowd to fight like hell, or Senate Republicans refusing to approve an investigation into that days deadly violence? Words matter. Calling McConnell or Carlson or a Jan. 6 rioter conservative is to normalize their behavior. Conservative is such a comforting word; it connotes thoughtful consideration, reasoned debate, consideration of others viewpoints. It suggests adherence to the law, not gaming the system or trying to overturn an election based on lies. It allows the reader or hearer to relax: These are not crazy people, theyre just conservatives and patriots. When McConnell said when he took over as Senate majority leader that his first job was to ensure that President Obama was a one-term president, that was not a conservative statement. It was an extremist saying he had no interest in governing despite the fact that he was leading a government institution. When Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley raised a fist in salute to the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, that was not a conservative act. It was a direct violation of his oath of office. There are other words the mainstream media can use for these people. My favorite happens to be extremist. Its short and businesslike. It doesnt need any explanation; it nicely stands on its own. It could be modified, if desired, as in right-wing extremist or anti-democracy extremist, though thats probably not necessary. Some members of this crowd can of course be further identified as white supremacists, neo-Nazis, racists and other such categories. I hope the wordsmiths in the media can and will find many other terms that both clarify and elaborate on extremist or extremism. Whats essential is to give the extremists no quarter, no place to hide behind comforting, compromising, euphemistic and deceptive words like conservative. . : , 13% 6% ... Mbabane - The response towards the singles seminar and the couples seminar has been overwhelming. The seminar will be held at The Happy Valley over the weekend. The Recharge Your Marriage Seminar (for couples) will take place on Saturday. The Singles Seminar will be take place on Sunday from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. The seminar will be hosted by Pastor Bakhe Dlamini. When reached for comment about the preparations of the upcoming seminar, the pastor said. Seminars Locals have been so excited about the seminars and have been purchasing tickets. This weekend is sure going to be a weekend of excitement and growth, said Dlamini. He went on to say, the seminars have also attracted attendees from South Africa. This past weekend, I was informed by my Personal Assistant (PA) that theres a couple from Matatiele in (Eastern Cape) and another from Johannesburg that bought tickets for the local seminar, said the pastor. He further said these attendees are actually going to travel for the couples seminar as a weekend vacation. Pastor Bakhe has just returned from the Witbank and the Durban seminars which took place on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both seminars were sold out. When asked if unmarried couples are welcome, Pastor Bakhe disclosed that unmarried couples are more than welcome. Topics that will be tackled during the seminar are; common dating mistakes, Understanding the Definition of Love, What to Know before You Say, I Do, and Increasing your chances in the dating market. The theme of the Singles Seminar is: Mastering uMjolo. Cases I handle a lot of divorce cases. As a single person, you do not want to get married and find yourself divorcing. The best you can do you is to come learn how you can avoid such happening, said Dlamini. Dress code for both seminars, is smart casual. When asked about what attendees can expect from the seminars, Pastor Bakhe said, Fun, a life changing experience, great outings, and much connecting with other attendees. To secure a ticket, one can contact Pastor Bakhes office at seminars@bakhedlamini.com. All tickets include refreshments. Turkey lifts its objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO View Photo MADRID (AP) Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, ending an impasse that had clouded a leaders summit opening in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades, triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks with leaders of the three countries, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. He called it a historic decision. Among its many shattering consequences, President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO as protection against an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable Russia which shares a long border with Finland. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any member would be considered an attack against all and trigger a military response by the entire alliance. NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to block the Nordic pair, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. After weeks of diplomacy and hours of talks on Tuesday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three leaders had signed a joint agreement to break the logjam. Turkey said it had got what it wanted including full cooperation in the fight against the rebel groups. Stoltenberg said leaders of the 30-nation alliance will issue a formal invitation to the two countries to join on Wednesday. The decision has to be ratified by all individual nations, but he said he was absolutely confident Finland and Sweden would become members, something that could happen within months. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said the agreement was good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better. But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson told the Associated Press. Turkey hailed Tuesdays agreement as a triumph, saying the Nordic nations had agreed to crack down on groups that Ankara deems national security threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension. It said they also agreed not to impose embargo restrictions in the field of defense industry on Turkey and to take concrete steps on the extradition of terrorist criminals. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Turkey, in turn, agreed to support at the 2022 Madrid Summit the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. Details of exactly what was agreed were unclear. Amineh Kakabaveh, an independent Swedish lawmaker of Kurdish origin whose support the government depends on for a majority in Parliament, said it was worrisome that Sweden isnt revealing what promises it has given Erdogan. Andersson dismissed suggestions Sweden and Finland had conceded too much. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said they will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated the three nations on taking a crucial step. Amid speculation about a U.S. role in ending the deadlock, a senior administration official said Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept a deal. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together, and Biden spoke with Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The agreement came at the opening of a crucial summit, dominated by Russias invasion of Ukraine, that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. The summit was kicking off with a leaders dinner hosted by Spains King Felipe VI at the 18th-century Royal Palace of Madrid. Top of the agenda in meetings Wednesday and Thursday is strengthening defenses against Russia, and supporting Ukraine. Moscows invasion on Feb. 24 shook European security and brought shelling of cities and bloody ground battles back to the continent. NATO, which had begun to turn its focus to terrorism and other non-state threats, has had to confront an adversarial Russia once again. Biden said NATO was as united and galvanized as I think we have ever been. A Russian missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a grim reminder of the wars horrors. Some saw the timing, as Group of Seven leaders met in Germany and just ahead of the NATO gathering, as a message from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to address NATO leaders by video on Wednesday, called the strike on the mall a terrorist act. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traveled to Madrid to urge the alliance to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko told reporters at the summit venue. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world and that meant we have to invest more in our defense, Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATOs 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Spain, which is hosting the summit, spends just half that. Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies will agree at the summit to increase the strength of the alliances rapid reaction force nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries on NATOs eastern flank, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition. Beneath the surface, there are tensions within NATO over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are also differences on how hard a line to take on China in NATOs new Strategic Concept its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last document, published in 2010, didnt mention China at all. The new concept is expected to set out NATOs approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change and the growing economic and military reach of China, and the rising importance and power of the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the summit as guests. Some European members are wary of the tough U.S. line on Beijing and dont want China cast as an opponent. In the Strategic Concept, NATO is set to declare Russia its number one threat. Russias state space agency, Roscosmos marked the summits opening by releasing satellite images and coordinates of the Madrid conference hall where it is being held, along with those of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. The agency said NATO was set to declare Russia an enemy at the summit, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Associated Press Writers Aritz Parra, Ciaran Giles, Sylvie Corbet and Zeke Miller in Madrid, Karl Ritter in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By JILL LAWLESS and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Smartly dressed robbers wielding what appeared to be weapons and a sledgehammer snatched jewelry in a brazen heist Tuesday at an international art fair in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht. Police quickly made two arrests and said they were hunting more suspects. Video purporting to be of the robbery and posted on social media and on the website of Dutch broadcaster NOS showed one man, dressed in slacks, sneakers, a jacket and cap pounding at something out of picture with a sledgehammer as an alarm rang. Three other men, also neatly dressed, stood guard around him. At least two appeared to be brandishing guns. All four ran off together. Photos from the scene that also were posted on social media showed holes smashed in glass display cabinets at the prestigious TEFAF art fair. Police said nobody was injured in the robbery. They said the robbers had made off with jewelry, but did not elaborate on what they stole or the value. Police later said that the two suspects they arrested were Belgians, aged 22 and 26, who were detained in a car with Belgian license plates heading toward the Dutch-Belgian border. The police appealed for witnesses with photos or video of the robbery to contact detectives. TEFAF organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. They later said in a tweet: Earlier today, #TEFAF was temporarily evacuated due to an incident at the fair. The situation is under control and the fair is still open to visitors and exhibitors. The organization later issued a statement saying TEFAF has robust procedures in the event of a security breach that were followed as visitors, exhibitors and staff were evacuated. Displays of costly art, antiquities, design and jewelry at TEFAF draw buyers and collectors from around the world. The fair, which opened its doors this year for the first time since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is slated to run June 25-30. Organizers said 242 dealers from 20 countries were represented this year. Live updates | Spains king hosts NATO leaders gala dinner View Photo MADRID (AP) The Latest on the G-7 summit, the annual meeting of the leading democratic economies, which this year is being held in the Bavarian Alps in Germany; and on the NATO summit in Madrid, where leaders begin gathering later Tuesday: ___ Russias war on Ukraine has dominated a gala dinner hosted by Spains King Felipe VI to welcome some 40 heads of state and government on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid. War has returned to Europe, he told guests Tuesday. Russias unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign State. No country is unaffected by this war. U.S. President Joe Biden sat to the kings right in the elaborately decorated dining room of the 18th century Royal Palace of Madrid. Felipe said the palace had never had such a large number of world leaders together. In all, some 60 people were at the table. ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Turkey lifts objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO ahead of alliance summit How a G-7 ban on Russian gold would work Zelenskyy tells G-7 summit Ukraine forces face urgent moment The AP Interview : Spanish PM says NATO summit to show unity Tale of 2 summits : Americas back to Americas backsliding ___ OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says Tuesdays deal with Turkey on her countrys and Finlands membership of NATO will bring more security to the alliance. Its good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO, because we would be security providers to NATO, Andersson told The Associated Press. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better, not only for Sweden and Finland but for other NATO countries, she said. But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson added. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said Swedes will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. Andersson said that her countrys contribution to the alliance will potentially be a strong military and navy. She said that Sweden is in the midst of the largest military buildup since the 1950s. Andersson said she wasnt too worried about Moscows reaction to Tuesdays announcement: Russia has reacted rather mildly so far, Andersson said. Maybe they see the fact that we have been a partner to NATO for quite some time that maybe they dont see this as quite such a big step. ___ A senior U.S. administration official says Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept the deal to drop its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The official said Tuesday that President Joe Biden made a deliberate choice to keep the U.S. from being a party to the negotiations or being in a position where Turkey could ask for inducements from the U.S. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, said Turkey never asked the U.S. for anything as part of the talks. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together. Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The leaders of Sweden and Finland reached out to Biden late Tuesday just before accepting the agreement. By Zeke Miller in Madrid ___ Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three countries leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday. ___ Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has made a powerful plea for Western allies meeting in Madrid to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war in Ukraine. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko said Tuesday, addressing reporters at the venue in Madrid where NATO leaders are meeting. Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, were in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a defense think tank forum ahead of the 2-day summit. Klitschko, who said he had no plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO meeting, rejected the idea that Ukraine should make any territorial sacrifices to end the war. Bully the bully, its the only way how to stop it, he said. And in this case, Russia is the bully. ___ U.S. first Lady Jill Biden, accompanied by Spains Queen Letizia, has visited a welcome center for Ukrainian refugees in Madrid and talked with several young people staying there. Speaking to CBS News, Biden said she had told Ukraines first lady, Olena Zelenska when she met her recently that I would carry forth her message, that we supported her. And so, Im continuing to meet with refugees no matter where I go. At the center, Biden and the queen looked at drawings by the refugees and talked with several of them. Jill Biden flew to the Spanish capital late on Sunday while US President Joe Biden arrived on Tuesday to attend a NATO summit that starts Wednesday. Biden said the first ladies of many countries were committed to helping Ukraine. ___ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging other NATO allies to increase their military spending but is being accused by his own defense minister of underfunding the U.K.s armed forces. Britain is among nine of the 30 NATO countries that meets the alliances target of spending at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense. Johnson said Tuesday that the current figure is 2.3%, adding that he would be having a conversation about spending at this weeks NATO summit in Madrid. But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the military had been underfunded for years by successive governments and had been fed a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed-out formations and fantasy savings, when in the last few years threats from states have started to increase. Despite the increased spending, the size of Britains military is shrinking. The British Army is set to be cut from 82,000 troops to 72,500. Wallace told a think tank conference in London that there is a risk Russia will lash out against wider Europe and it is time to mobilize, be ready and be relevant. ___ The United States and Spain have issued a joint declaration condemning Russia for invading Ukraine, emphasizing their defense partnership through NATO and pledging to promote safe and orderly migration. U.S. President Joe Biden is in Spain for the NATO summit. He met Tuesday with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The four-page declaration says Russias February invasion of Ukraine fundamentally altered the global strategic environment. It adds that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transatlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. It says both countries will work to strengthen legal migration pathways, especially for people from the Caribbean and Latin America. The U.S. and Spain also recognize the importance of cooperating to address what the declaration calls irregular migration from North Africa a pressing problem for Spain. ___ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance will commit to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its forces at this weeks summit in Madrid. NATO is determined to set the gold standard on discussing the security challenges of climate change, Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Spains capital as world leaders arrived for two days of talks. Stoltenberg says that NATOs immediate goal will be reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of its military forces by 45% by 2030. He said climate change is a crisis multiplier, so it matters for security. ___ WASHINGTON The United States has announced new sanctions on 29 people and 70 Russian firms related to the Kremlins defense industry, as punishment for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The targeted companies include state-owned Rostec, a state-owned defense conglomerate, and its affiliated companies. The move came in combination Tuesday with the Group of Seven announcement to ban imports of Russian gold, and price caps on Russian oil. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions will degrade Putins capabilities and further impede his war against Ukraine, which has already been plagued by poor morale, broken supply chains, and logistical failures. ___ The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, are in Madrid and have met Spains King Felipe VI at a NATO Public Forum debate on the eve of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital. The two brothers were in the audience when the king made his address to the forum Tuesday and met the monarch as he left. The king said their presence was a very pleasant surprise and that he had conveyed to them Spains support and our deep thoughts and friendship with your nation, with your people. The brothers, both former heavyweight boxing champions, work together to keep Kyiv running during the ongoing war with Russia. NATO has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit, but it is expected that he will appear only by video conference. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says a U.N. plan to bring grain out of Ukraine via safe sea corridors could save as much as a month in emptying silos in time for the autumn harvest, since it doesnt require demining ports. Draghi said a briefing that G-7 leaders received from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the plan was one of the most important of the summit and was, all in all, good news. But he said it requires Russias swift approval. Draghi said Tuesday the key elements of the plan involve using existing safe corridors in and out of ports, ensuring cargo ships are protected by the U.N. from possible Russian attacks, and that the ships are then inspected to prevent weapons from arriving. Draghi said Putin had insisted on this. He said Russia had in principle accepted the three-part involvement in the project of Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N.. ___ Russias state space corporation Roscosmos marked the gathering of leaders for the NATO summit by publishing satellite images and the precise coordinates of a conference hall in Madrid where its being held. It also published on its messaging app channel Tuesday the coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and of government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. It described them as the decision-making centers supporting the Ukrainian nationalists a reference to Western nations support for Kyiv in the face of Russias invasion. The corporation noted that NATO allies were set to declare Russia an enemy at their summit in Madrid, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says G-7 leaders were concerned about Russian advances in eastern Ukraine but that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was optimistic about Ukraines ability to mount a successful counterattack. Zelenskyy addressed the Group of Seven meeting via video link. One of the things that President Zelenskyy told us was that a counter-offensive would be starting, which he was confident would succeed, Draghi said. Asked about reported doubts from the White House, Draghi said: Its not so much doubts expressed by President (Joe) Biden as concern for the Russian progress that has taken place. I cant say anything more on this. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says the Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali. The Nov. 15-16 summit risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come. The Kremlin had said earlier that Putin intended to go. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. Asked about the Kremlins announcement that Putin would participate, Draghi said: President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: (Putin) is not coming. What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on oil-producing countries to boost output and thereby lower world prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine. He said Tuesday the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Speaking at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron welcomed the groups discussions on a price cap for oil as a very good idea, but added: The difficulty is technical. He said its crucial to include all major oil-buying countries in any cap agreement for it to be effective. Macron said he discussed boosting oil production with the president of the United Arab Emirates, and expressed hope that U.S. President Joe Biden gets a positive response in talks about oil in an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. Macron said oil producers have an immense responsibility given our collective dependence on them. He called for expanding Europes liquefied natural gas processing capacity and lashed out at speculation by energy traders he called war profiteers. ___ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called NATO plans to boost its rapid reaction force measured and proportional and not meant to provoke Russia. Speaking Tuesday at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany and before traveling to Spain for a NATO summit, Trudeau said Canada, is committed to making sure we continue to stand up against Russian threats and Russian posturing. According to the government, about 1,400 Canadian troops are currently deployed in central and eastern Europe as part of NATO assurance and deterrence measures. The response that we are taking to Russias illegal actions is measured and proportional, he said, adding it should not be considered a provocative move. We are looking at ensuring that Russia knows we will be there to defend democracies, Trudeau said. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron says Russia cannot and should not win the war in Ukraine, a day after a Russian missile strike killed 18 people at a Ukrainian shopping mall. Speaking at the end of the Group of Seven summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron said the seven developed economies have devised a plan to support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity. As fighting in Ukraine rages into the fifth month, Macron said its not clear when the war will end but the goal of Western democracies is, Russia must not win. His comments came as rescuers searched through the charred rubble of the shopping mall. Macron called the attack a war crime. ___ MADRID NATOs chief says Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in the alliances defense policy, and NATO members will have to invest more in military spending in what is now a more unstable world. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke as the alliances leaders began gathering Tuesday in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable word. Top of the agenda is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Moscows invasion. Stoltenberg said we hope to make progress at the gathering in breaking a logjam over applications by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. Turkey is blocking the move and says the Nordic pair must change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. The three countries leaders are due to meet in Madrid, alongside Stoltenberg, later Tuesday. ___ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is defending the decision by Group of Seven leaders to soften their commitments on ending public support for fossil fuel investments. The leaders say the war in Ukraine means time-limited support for new natural gas extraction projects may be necessary. The G-7 nations said in a statement Tuesday at the end of their three-day summit that in these exceptional circumstances, publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response. That contrasts in part with a previous pledge made last month by G-7 climate ministers, who said that the seven major economies would align official international financing with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Environmental campaigners, scientists and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have spoken out against any additional fossil fuel investments by rich, developed nations. But Scholz told reporters that gas will be needed temporarily and that is why there may be investments that make sense, in this transitional phase, and that therefore may need to be supported. One of the arguments made by German officials in favor of supporting new natural gas development projects is that it could spare them having to burn more polluting coal to meet their energy needs. Environmental groups argue that building additional pipelines and other infrastructure for surging U.S. LNG exports to Europe and for other fossil fuels will lock in increased carbon use for years to come. ___ Members of the Group of Seven major democratic economies have vowed to create a new climate club for nations wanting to take more ambitious steps on global warming. The move, championed by G-7 summit host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, will see countries that join the club agree on tougher measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century compared to pre-industrial times. Countries that are part of the club will seek to harmonize their measures so that they are comparable and avoid members imposing climate-related tariffs on each others imports. Speaking at the end of a three-day G-7 summit, Scholz said the aim was to ensure that protecting the climate is a competitive advantage, not a disadvantage. He said details of the planned climate club would be finalized this year. ___ Leaders of the worlds wealthiest democracies have taken a united stance to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, as Russias invasion of its neighbor grinds on for a fifth month. The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany said Tuesday the countries would explore far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from oil sales that are financing the war in Ukraine. The statement left out key details on how the fossil fuel prices caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to assess measures on barring the import of Russian oil above a certain amount. That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, ease the energy price spikes afflicting the global economy as a result of the war. Leaders also agreed to a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hard hit with food shortages by the blockage on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. Unity in the seven democracies confrontation with Putin was a key theme of the summit at a luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps. The G-7 countries have set aside $29.5 in Ukraine assistance this year, on top of $60 billion since Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea region in 2014. The Associated Press Court lets Tennessee 6-week abortion ban take effect View Photo NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal court on Tuesday allowed Tennessees ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect, citing the Supreme Courts decision last week overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights case. The action by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes before Tennessees other abortion ban, the so-called trigger ban, is expected to restrict abortion almost entirely by mid-August, according to a newly detailed legal interpretation by the state attorney general. Both measures would make performing an abortion a felony and subject doctors to up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Republican Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed an emergency motion Friday to let state to begin implementing the six-week ban. GOP supermajorities in the Legislature passed the law in 2020 with Republican Gov. Bill Lees backing, and it was quickly blocked in federal court. Specifically, the ban halts abortion once cardiac activity is detected, which is around six weeks in pregnancy when most women dont know theyre pregnant. There are a lot of things that I am very passionate about and take very personally in this job that I have, but this was the most important thing that I could do as governor, Lee said while speaking virtually with anti-abortion religious leaders Friday, after the Supreme Court ruling. Lee said Tuesday that the federal appeals courts decision marked another significant protection for unborn children in our state. It only makes an exception when an abortion is necessary to prevent the womans death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. However, it specifies that a womans mental health does not qualify for an exemption. Abortion bans rob people of their ability to make the decisions that are best for themselves, their lives, and their futures, said Ashley Coffield, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, in a statement. It is unconscionable that Tennesseans will lose access to abortion in their communities because of this decision. Planned Parenthood was not performing abortions at its facilities in Nashville and Memphis on Monday in anticipation of court action to unblock the six-week ban, said spokesperson Matt Anderson. Separately, abortion provider carafem which has a clinic in Nashville announced Tuesday that its staff had been flooded with calls from patients trying to understand Tennessees new legal landscape. In my more than 30 years in health care, nothing has been as hard as turning away patients from the care they need because politicians interfered with private health care decisions, said Melissa Grant, carafems chief operations officer, in a statement. An even more restrictive ban is set to take effect soon, according to the attorney generals guidance Tuesday. Tennessees trigger law set to go into place 30 days after the end of Roe would ban all abortions statewide, with essentially the same limited exceptions as the six-week ban. That law requires the attorney general to certify that Roe has been overturned. He hasnt done so yet, but indicated Tuesday that he plans to do so when the corresponding judgment is filed in the Supreme Court case, by no later than mid-July. That puts the effective date at around mid-August, Slaterys office said. The law ties the effective date to the judgment filing, not the timing of the attorney generals action. Democratic lawmakers at the time attempted to amend the measure to allow exceptions for incest and rape including rape of a child but Republicans ultimately spiked those suggestions. Bans pegged to the fetal heartbeat concept such as Tennessees six-week ban have been signed into law in more than a dozen states. Supporters commonly argue that abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy stops a beating heart, but medical experts say those claims are false. Thats because at the point where advanced technology can detect that first flutter, as early as six weeks, the embryo isnt yet a fetus and it doesnt have a heart. An embryo is termed a fetus beginning in the 11th week of pregnancy, medical experts say. The Supreme Courts ruling last week is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the states. Additionally, in Tennessee, voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the states constitution doesnt protect or secure the right to an abortion or require funding for abortions. Trigger laws, like Tennessees 2019 version, are also being targeted by lawsuits in other states. In Louisiana on Monday, a state district judge in New Orleans temporarily blocked enforcement of that states trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. Tennessees 2020 law includes the six-week ban and bans longer into the pregnancy, in the event that the Supreme Court did not fully overturn Roe v. Wade. By JONATHAN MATTISE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press Human remains found in 2013 in Midland County have been identified as those of a missing 16-year-old last seen in the early 2000s according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Sylvia Nicole Smith's remains were found on Aug. 1, 2013, near South County Road 1160 and Farm-to-Market Road 1213, south of Midland. Workers surveying near an oilfield well site discovered her partial remains, according to a press release from DPS. Smith's remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where an anthropology report was completed, and DNA was extracted. The results revealed the victim was a female between the ages of 14-21 and was likely the victim of a homicide, according to a press release from DPS. In 2020, after years of not having any DNA matches, the Texas Rangers and the Midland County District Attorneys Office sent the DNA samples for advanced DNA analysis to determine what the victim looked like, according to a press release from DPS. The analysis determined the victim was of African-American descent and identified eye color, hair color and skin tone. A genetic genealogist who examined the DNA assisted with a match that led to a distant relative. After interviewing numerous potential relatives, Texas Rangers made contact with Smith's mother in May 2022. She told investigators that one of her daughters Sylvia Nicole Smith had been missing since 2000. Smith was last seen on Feb. 14, 2000, according to her mother. The mother also stated she filed a runaway report with the Midland Police Department on Feb. 18, 2000. Texas Rangers collected DNA samples from Smiths family for analysis and on June 9, 2022, the University of North Texas verified that the remains belong to Smith. A homicide investigation is now underway, according to DPS. DPS is asking anyone with information about Smith's disappearance or homicide to come forward with information. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Person Hotline at 1-800-346-3243. BERLIN (AP) A 101-year-old man was convicted in Germany of more than 3,500 counts of accessory to murder on Tuesday for serving at the Nazis Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Neuruppin Regional Court sentenced him to five years in prison. The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S., had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. In the trial, which opened in October, the centenarian said that he had worked as a farm laborer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question. However, the court considered it proven that he worked at the camp on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Partys paramilitary wing, the German news agency dpa reported. The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years, presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann said, according to dpa. He added that, in doing so, the defendant had assisted in the Nazis' terror and murder mechanism. You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," Lechtermann said. You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years. Prosecutors had based their case on documents relating to an SS guard with the mans name, date and place of birth, as well as other documents. The five-year prison sentence was in line with the prosecution's demand. The defendant's lawyer had sought an acquittal. Defense attorney Stefan Waterkamp said after the pronouncement of the sentence that he would appeal the verdict, dpa reported. Germany's leading Jewish group welcomed the ruling. Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison sentence due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed, said Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, so they should take responsibility for it, Schuster added. It is bitter that the defendant has denied his activities at that time until the end and has shown no remorse. For practical reasons, the trial was held in a gymnasium in Brandenburg/Havel, the 101-year-olds place of residence. The man was only fit to stand trial to a limited extent and was only able to participate in the trial for about two and a half hours each day. The process was interrupted several times for health reasons and hospital stays. Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Centers office in Jerusalem, told The Associated Press that the sentence sends a message that if you commit such crimes, even decades later, you might be brought to justice." "And its a very important thing because it gives closure to the relatives of the victims," Zuroff added. The fact that these people all of a sudden feel that their loss is being addressed and the suffering of their family who they lost in the camps is being addressed ... is a very important thing. However, Zuroff expressed concern that S. might serve only part of the sentence or none at all because of his planned appeal and his advanced age. Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new site after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories. More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing. Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate. In its early years, most inmates were either political prisoners or criminal convicts, but they also included some Jehovahs Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the so-called Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom. During the war, Sachsenhausen was expanded to include Soviet prisoners of war who were shot by the thousands as well as others. As in other camps, Jewish prisoners were singled out at Sachsenhausen for particularly harsh treatment, and most who remained alive by 1942 were sent to the Auschwitz death camp. Sachsenhausen was liberated in April 1945 by the Soviets, who then turned it into a brutal camp of their own. Tuesday's verdict relies on recent legal precedent in Germany establishing that anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for being an accessory to the murders committed there. In a different case, a 96-year-old woman went on trial in late September in the northern German town of Itzehoe. The woman, who allegedly worked during the war as the secretary for the SS commandant of the Stutthof concentration camp, has been charged with more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK (AP) Nine months after she stepped into the job of New York governor as a relative unknown, Democrat Kathy Hochul easily locked up her party's nomination Tuesday, setting her on an expected glide path to win the office in November. Hochul was serving as an under-the-radar lieutenant governor under the shadow of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo until last year, when he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, catapulting her into office. Hochul beat back primary challenges Tuesday from New York Citys elected public advocate, Jumaane Williams, and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate from Long Island. She now turns her eyes to becoming the first woman to win election to the New York governors office this fall. In a nod to the barrier-breaking campaign, Hochul gave an election night speech Tuesday on a stage underneath a glass ceiling at an event space in Manhattan. Im also here because I stand on the shoulders of generations of women, generations of women who constantly had to bang up against that glass ceiling. To the women of New York, this ones for you," Hochul said. Hochul enters the general election campaign with a big advantage, running as the incumbent with a heavy fundraising advantage in a state that has more than twice as many registered Democrats than Republicans and has not had a GOP governor in 16 years. She faces U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, who won the Republican Partys nomination Tuesday. Zeldin is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and was among the Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Are we ready to fire Kathy Hochul? Zeldin said to cheers as he spoke at a victory party on Long Island. The Long Island congressman will try to become the first Republican elected governor in New York since Gov. George Pataki was reelected in 2002. This November, in the state of New York, one-party rule will end," he said. "Kathy Hochul will get fired. We will restore balance and common sense to Albany again. Hochul's prospects are expected to be even stronger this fall after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the Roe v. Wade decision establishing abortion rights. She has made bolstering abortion rights a key plank of her campaign. Hochul repeated that in her Tuesday night speech, proclaiming that the state had gone on offense to protect abortion rights" and "making the world know that New York State is a safe harbor for Americas women. Since taking office in August, Hochul has sought to step out from Cuomo's shadow, promising a clean break from his administration. She has said she was not close to the former governor, who has denied wrongdoing, and was not around to witness any alleged misbehavior. Still, Cuomos presence loomed over her campaign early on when he began making public appearances this past spring, criticizing Hochul and Democrats in Albany over their approach to crime and suggesting he might run for his old job. Despite suggesting he might run as an independent, the former governor ultimately did not file to run. Zeldin is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in Congress since 2015. He defeated primary challenges from former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, businessman Harry Wilson and Andrew Giuliani, the son of New York Citys former mayor Rudy Giuliani, who frequently campaigned for his son. He has focused his campaign on rising crime and criticized Hochul for not toughening the states bail laws, for imposing COVID-19 mitigation mandates and for rising costs. And despite Hochul seeking to project a fresh start from Cuomo, Zeldin has referred repeatedly to the Cuomo-Hochul Administration. New Yorkers are hitting their breaking point. Theyre deciding whether or not to stay here or head to other places," he said. He will have to persuade the states independent voters, which outnumber Republicans, along with Democrats in order to win the general election. Democrats are expected to focus on Zeldins vocal defense of Trump during both of his impeachments and objection to the election results. Hochul is also likely to focus on Zeldins statements praising the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and his comment that, as governor, he would appoint an anti-abortion state health commissioner. We must answer one question, she said Tuesday night. Are we going to move New York forward, or let the far-right extremist drag our state backwards? Hochul focused her campaign on steps she took to bolster abortion rights and moves to toughen the states gun laws after a racist mass shooting in Buffalo. Suozzi and Williams criticized her for her endorsement a decade ago from the National Rifle Association and over her plan to spend more than $1.1 billion in state and county funds on building and maintaining a new stadium for her hometown Buffalo Bills. She also faced questions about her choice for lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, who was arrested on federal corruption charges in April related to his campaign funds. Benjamin pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. Hochul pointed to the short time frame she had to pick a No. 2 and said she had been assured that any questions previously raised about Benjamins campaign fundraising had been resolved. Hochul replaced Benjamin with Antonio Delgado, who stepped down from his seat in Congress to accept the role. Delgado, also Hochul's choice for a running mate, won his primary Tuesday. Zeldin's running mate Alison Esposito is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. Tuesdays election in New York covered statewide offices and state Assembly races, but primary elections for U.S. House seats and the state Senate will be held Aug. 23. Those elections were delayed because of a redistricting lawsuit that led a court to throw out new political maps. ___ Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report. MERIDEN With new tax bills slated to go out next month, litigation continues between the city and several non-profit agencies over taxes levied during the previous tax year. MidState Arc and Easterseals of Greater Waterbury both challenged the citys 2021 determination that their properties would no longer be tax exempt. Both organizations complaints are pending in court, as a series of new lawsuits against the city by other property owners contesting recent assessments have been filed. Superior Court records show that the Women & Families Center, a third non-profit agency that filed a legal challenge of its 2020 tax assessment, negotiated a stipulated judgment with the city to settle the dispute. The contested assessment was for the WYSH House, at 183 Colony St., which the Women & Families Center opened in 2021 to provide supportive temporary housing for homeless youth. The Women & Families Center argued the property had been wrongfully assessed as taxable. Previous tax bills showed the center at one point owed $51,728 for the property. The organization claimed the city laid a tax on a property that is not taxable. In July 2021, city attorneys wrote in an answer to the complaint that the center incorrectly implied that its tax exempt status had been revoked, as this terminology wrongly implies a continuing legal right to a tax exemption. However, months later, both sides would sign a stipulated judgment, which was reached in part because of a state Supreme Court case, Rainbow Housing Corporation v. Town of Cromwell, which was decided in September 2021. The decision clarified the definition of temporary housing to mean impermanent and transitory without needing a specified duration. In a message to the Record-Journal, City Manager Timothy Coon wrote the matter between the city and Women & Families Center was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The taxes have been refunded because the information received during litigation, along with the Rainbow Housing Corp. decision, led to the city granting an exception. Women & Families Center Chief Executive Officer Wayne Valaitis said in the Rainbow Housing case the court established that the town of Cromwell could not strip them of their non-profit status over the issue of providing temporary housing. Women & Families Center had a similar case with the WYSH House. We reached out to the legal counsel for the city of Meriden, Valaitis said. The idea was that they were going to remove any tax assessments for last year. They would then reimburse us for the one payment we made. There were no guarantees beyond that, what would happen. Valaitis said the assessed tax more than $50,000 on the property, had been excessive. We have only 12 apartments. Thats $4,000 a year per apartment, Valatis said, noting that adds up to more than $300 a month in taxes alone per apartment. I have never see taxes levied like that on an apartment building. Easterseals, in its complaint filed last year, maintained that the Meriden city assessors office revoked the tax exempt status of two of its properties, 125 Broad St. and 158 State St. Both were previously classified as tax exempt, according to Easterseals complaint. The organization alleged it was not given any notice that its properties would be subject to taxes, and added the citys decision to revoke its exemption was done in violation of Connecticut statutes. A review of Meriden city tax bills show the Broad Street property is still considered a commercial property by city officials, and has been assessed at $461,720. The current tax bill owed for the property is $16,169.44, according to city records. MidState Arc Inc., in its complaint, described the citys assessment of its Alexander Drive group home as grossly excessive, disproportionate, and unlawful. Coon, the city manager, declined to comment on either matter due to the pending litigation. However, speaking generally, the City and its assessor must have access to sufficient information to determine that the properties qualify for tax exemptions, Coon wrote. When there is insufficient information provided, or the information provided does not meet the threshold, the property is taxed at the normal mill rate. The City continues to work with all property owners within the City to determine the proper tax status and will continue to ensure that organizations who meet the statutory threshold are exempt from taxation. Reporter Michael Gagne can be reached at mgagne@record-journal.com. Elon Musk loves to tweet. He practically lives for it. He's so invested in the practice that he's trying to pay $44 billion for the company that invented tweets. So why has the new Texan who loves pumping up his companies SpaceX, Boring Co., Tesla, and being extremely epic online, gone silent for almost a week? As I write this, Musk hasn't tweeted in six days, which is an eternity for the weird nerds who defend his every move and a nice break for those who cover his every move and/or hate-read his screeds. Interestingly enough, his most recent tweet, from Tuesday, June 21, is an image that made the rounds last week, of a 7-11 with regular and diesel gas prices at $7.11. The interesting part is that the tweet is appended by a user-generated fact-checking paragraph, with multiple sources pointing to the image's real origins. While the photograph is genuine, it was taken in March 2021, not June 2022. More importantly, the prices listed on the sign did not reflect genuine gas prices. Rather, the sign displayed a test price of $7.11 to promote the opening of a new store," it reads. This presents one explanation for Musk's absence. Is he sick of the lame-stream media pointing out that he did some of the old fake news online? I'd say probably not. Musk either would have deleted the tweet or simply not cared that the lyin' news media like NPR made a fuss out of him doing japes on the computer. Another explanation is that Musk is residing in the shadows while he waits for the much-delayed Twitter purchase to clear. This is a fair guess, but when has the man ever stayed silent, even when it behooved him to do so? Another plausible option is that, after the Friday, June 24 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, he's staying out of politics. After all, he's said as much himself. What's surprising about his inaction is that Tesla, Musk's electric car company now headquartered just outside Austin, said over a month ago when the SCOTUS decision leaked that they'd pay for employees to travel for abortions. Wouldn't all the experiences we've had with Musk point to him reiterating this notion online, perhaps moments after the court's decision? It's a bit more complicated when it comes to Musk, who plays both sides in the political realm. As has been reported widely, Musk has donated to both pro-choice and anti-abortion candidates in Texas and California. Last fall, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told CNBC that his pal Musk whom he talks to frequently, no big deal fled his former California home because of social policies, and that "he likes the social policies in the state of Texas." In response, Musk of course mentioned staying out of politics, but he also said this: "In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness." It's pretty wishy-washy as statements go, but the timing aligns specifically with the enacting of Texas' six-week abortion ban on September 1, 2021. It's difficult to imagine that Musk isn't speaking directly about abortion, and if so, he's falling squarely on the pro-choice side, even if only to preserve some sort of status quo. Just more than one third of Americans wanted Roe v. Wade overturned, according to multiple polls dating back more than 30 years, which means, by Musk's own definition, the government is not aspiring to maximize the people's cumulative happiness. So why hasn't Musk said anything pro, anti, look at me and Tesla being great, anything about the No. 1 topic on Americans' minds over the weekend? It's likely tied to his many business interests in Texas, a state about to make a complete abortion ban. Late last month, Musk told the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley no membership numbers posted but this has to be an enormous club, right? that his new factories in Berlin and Austin were losing billions. This sounds like the prayers of a man looking for some cold, hard cash from the government. Even though Musk doesn't mention it much because he's "anti-subsidy," Grid found that Tesla and SpaceX the former headquartered in Texas, the other with a large presence in the Rio Grande Valley have benefited from $7 billion in government contracts via tax breaks, loans, and subsidies. That doesn't include the Boring Co.'s recent moves across Central Texas, development of which could rely on government contracts. (Boring Co. is also tied up with TxDOT over its usage of a state road.) All that is to say that Musk can't really afford to piss off those across the state who are cheering loudly in favor of Friday's decision, people like Ken Paxton and Jon Cornyn and Ted Cruz and red-county officials presiding over towns under which he proposes to dig tunnels and, of course, his buddy Abbott. So Musk is quiet, and that may not mean much to most. But his silence these past few days say a lot about where he lands on major issues, issues he'd normally be braying about on the platform he'd love to buy (we think): money talks and, well, you know the rest. MBABANE Nduduzo Matse HAS GIVEN exclusive rights to ONE Gospel Channel 331 to air his Extended Playlist (EP). ONE Gospel is a 24- hour Christian music channel based in South Africa, found on every DStv decoder. The local gospel sensation has given the channel the premiering rights to his upcoming EP. The music channel is about the Gospel music genre, all spheres, all denominations, and all countries and most importantly, its a channel that promotes music with a message. This huge music platform will be working with Matse to exclusively air his EP on the day it will be released, July 4. Platform ONE Gospel is a visual content platform that saw the work that I was creating and loved it. They saw my posts on my Facebook page and approached me about premiering my upcoming work, and I was all for it. The relationship is all about growing content and sharing it, said Matse. Its worth noting that the date has been shifted from the initial release date which was this coming Thursday. The change comes after technical challenges that the recording company, Destiny Music, has been facing. Uzenza kahle zonke izinto, which is the name of the first single that was to be released, has another single paired with it, Wena uluncedo lwami making up the EP. The second single comes after Matses fans demanded more music from the artist and he decided to give the people what they asked for. The premier of the singles is a build-up to the artists upcoming album release scheduled for August. According to Music in Africa, gospel music enjoys the largest following of any music genre in Africa, giving ONE Gospel the unique platform to reach audiences throughout East, West, Central and Southern Africa. The latest development is huge for the Eswatini gospel artist and the artist body in the kingdom seeing that the album release will be a compelling force for the African continent, to give Eswatini artists an attentive ear. The upcoming music release by Matse will also get airplay from Ligwalagwala and Ukhozi FM in South Africa. These radio stations are one of the biggest stations in South Africa, respectfully by listenership. Ligwalagwala FM boasts of 1.3 million listeners. Matse is also a producer, songwriter and gospel musician. He was born at Saint Philips area in the Lubombo region. The artist has also been nominated for several awards namely, The Best New Comer of the Year and The Best video in 2010. The last single release by the artist was in early 2022. This new body of work will feature artists by the likes of Banele Dlamini, Fakazi Samuels and Canaan Nyathi who is a much celebrated melodic craftsman from Zimbabwe based in South Africa. DALLAS (AP) The largest pilots union has approved a contract that would boost the pay of pilots at United Airlines by more than 14% over the next 18 months, potentially clearing the way for similar wage hikes throughout the industry. The deal reflects the leverage currently held by unions, with the industry facing a pilot shortage that has resulted in cancellations worldwide and fewer flights. The Air Line Pilots Association said Friday that the council overseeing relations with United approved a tentative two-year agreement that covers about 14,000 of the airline's pilots. The contract would need to be ratified by rank-and-file pilots to take effect. Voting will run through July 15. United CEO Scott Kirby called the deal an industry-leading contract that would help both the union and the airline. United, based in Chicago, is the first major U.S. airline to reach an agreement with its pilots since negotiations across the industry were put on hold because of the pandemic. Union groups at other big airlines have been watching the United contract talks closely as a potential guide in their own negotiations. Federal law creates a long and difficult process before airline workers can legally go on strike, but pilots at the big airlines have picketed airports and other locations to pressure management into bigger pay hikes. Pilots have complained that thinly staffed airlines are asking them to work too many flights, with more pilots reporting fatigue. The United contract, which the union valued at $1.3 billion over two years, would be retroactive to the start of 2022 and give three pay raises totaling more than 14.5% through the end of next year. The union said it includes better overtime and premium pay, a new retirement plan, a new 8-week paid maternity leave benefit and improved scheduling provisions. The deal is likely to raise concern on Wall Street about rising expenses. Airlines have already seen their costs per seat rise more sharply as travel has rebounded from the worst of the pandemic. JPMorgan airline analyst Jamie Baker said the deal probably exceeds United's previous expectations for rising costs. He said pilots at Alaska, American, Delta and Southwest will use the United tentative agreement in their negotiations, and that other work groups at United will seek similar increases to those of the pilots. Win McNamee/Getty Images Senator Ted Cruz called award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson a bigot on Twitter amid the rising tensions that have been building online after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24. Cruz's comments came when Jackson weighed in on the fallout around the Supreme Court ruling. On Twitter, Academy Award honoree Jackson, 73, blasted Justice Clarence Thomas after Thomas suggested the court should reconsider other key decisions, including the 2015 case establishing the right to same-sex marriage. Chris Stokes/MySA If you live on the Southwest side near Tech Port Center + Arena, or are a frequent concert-goer, you may find this 'happy' news relevant to you. Tech Pour, the beverage purveyor located on the campus of the new Southside venue, has just instated an insanely long happy hour promotion that may test your endurance. The bar will now host a five-hour long happy hour from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy $5 margaritas, well drinks, and select draft beers and house pours. The deal will be ongoing and occur every Monday through Friday. While Tech Pour conveniently neighbors the stage that Modest Mouse will take in September and the Smashing Pumpkins took before them in May, you notably aren't required to be pre-gaming a show to secure a drink. If youre headed to Mexico anytime soon, generally people will warn you about something you already know, like, for instance, not to drink the tap water. Or maybe theyll add in a bonus tip like, And dont get ice in your drinks! Others might advise you not to trip on the sinking sidewalks, which, it turns out, is worth keeping in mind. But something no one mentions but can be a legitimate pain during your travels in Mexico concerns the currency you receive while there. Because if it is torn, taped or slightly mutilated, this can become a real issue. As in, no one will take it. As an inexperienced traveler, I had no idea about this when I landed in Mexico City. People recommended I get $100 in pesos at the airport. So I dutifully headed straight to the money exchange across from the baggage claim. With four men in matching uniforms worked diligently under an official-looking sign, it seemed to be a trustworthy operation. Granted, the exchange rate was not good, but everything is overpriced in airports, so why wouldnt the money be? But what I did not expect was that close to half of the money they handed me would turn out to be utterly useless. I found this out almost immediately. The next morning, I attempted to pay a cab driver a 250 peso fare with a 500 peso note. The bill was quickly inspected and rejected as the driver pointed to a small rip. Once I could actually see what he was talking about since I couldnt understand what he was saying I then pulled out a 200 peso note along with some coins. It too was rejected. Was this driver just a finicky but isolated pain? Apparently not, because a half hour later I tried to pay for some tacos with the same slightly torn 200 peso note. It was quickly tossed right back at me, along with a serious glare, by the server. Such close inspection was anything but an exception; every single restaurant, store, taxi or museum I did business with in Mexico closely checked each bill I handed them. The website Mexperience describes the money situation like a card game: A damaged banknote becomes like the joker in the card game where the object is to avoid taking the joker from another player, and if you do get it, surreptitiously hand it off to another. True enough. And what better target for sloughing off the bad money than the unwitting tourist. This is what happened to at the Leon Trotsky House Museum where the cashier tried to slough off a 200-peso note off on me. But I, now a wizened traveler, handed it back and requested an untorn note. Instead, she stuck a piece of scotch tape on the torn note and handed it back to me. My move. Unfortunately, its tough to argue when you cant speak the language. I took the useless bill and entered the museum. What is good to know is that banks in Mexico do accept torn or taped bills and will let you exchange them for usable money. So then why are people so adamant about not accepting these bills? Because perhaps no one wants to be bothered. Including me, apparently. I never turned in any of my torn or taped bills. Instead theyre just living in my dresser, reminding me of my rookie tourist mistakes every time I pull out a pair of socks. Courtesy, James Avery Artisan Jewelry Kerrville-based James Avery Artisan Jewelry has a few new items that will leave San Antonio charmed. The artisan jeweler released a set of Tex-Mex themed charms to their collection. The taco truck, guacamole-filled molcajete, Texas serape, and festive maracas charms are available online and in the more than 90 James Avery stores across the U.S. "Put your love for Texas on full display," the description for the Texas serape charm says. "The bright colors and traditional serape blanket theme on this charm give your bracelet a decidedly Texan accent." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Two of Congress staunchest conservatives repelled more centrist alternatives to lock up Republican nominations on Tuesday, even as the partys voters chose to turn out a six-term incumbent in Mississippi. Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller won her primary over fellow incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis just days after she called the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade a historic victory for white life during a weekend rally with former President Donald Trump. Her spokesperson said she misspoke. Another Trump ally, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of Congress most polarizing members, easily beat back a challenge from a more mainstream Republican. Mississippi Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo lost in a rare runoff to Sheriff Mike Ezell. But his Republican House colleague, Michael Guest, won a runoff race in the state, despite defying Trump and voting to create an independent commission to investigate last years insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In Illinois, Democratic Rep. Sean Casten beat progressive Rep. Marie Newman for a seat in suburban Chicago after a declining population cost the state a House seat. In all, six states held congressional primary elections, primary runoffs or special elections. In addition to testing Trump's national influence, they provided hints of how voters are reacting to the high court's decision on abortion. Some of the top elections: BOEBERTS STAYING POWER Boebert, a first-term firebrand, saw her GOP-leaning 3rd Congressional District in western Colorado become even more Republican after redistricting. She had little trouble with moderate state Rep. Don Coram, a rancher and hemp farmer, who slammed what he calls Boeberts extremism. Boebert trumpeted her gun-toting Second Amendment credentials and opposition to COVID-19 restrictions that briefly shuttered her Shooters restaurant. Long known for controversial statements, Boebert said Sunday, Im tired of this separation of church and state junk thats not in the Constitution. The phrase doesnt expressly appear in the Constitution, though the First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Thomas Jefferson was president when he wrote in an 1802 letter that such phrasing should amount to a wall of separation between church and state. Boebert referred to Jefferson's writing as a stinking letter. In Colorados deeply conservative El Paso County, meanwhile, eight-term Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn staved off a challenge from the right from state Rep. Dave Williams for his 5th Congressional District seat. Williams failed to get the phrase Lets Go Brandon, code for an obscenity against President Joe Biden, added to his name on the ballot. Lamborn faces an ongoing House ethics investigation over whether he misused official resources for personal purposes. He is an ardent opponent of abortion and backs the significant U.S. military presence in Colorado Springs. TWO INCUMBENTS LOSE IN ILLINOIS Miller bested Davis for the GOP nomination in a sprawling, heavily red district in central Illinois that was redrawn after the states shrinking population cost it a congressional seat. Miller, first elected in 2020, is no stranger to controversy. She quoted Adolf Hitler shortly after winning her seat, saying during a rally that Hitler was right on one thing. He said, Whoever has the youth has the future. She later apologized after Democrats in Illinois called for her resignation. She also voted against certifying Bidens victory in the 2020 presidential election and is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. On Saturday night, she made the white life comment as Trump stood behind her at a rally in Mendon, drawing cheers from the crowd. Miller has since said she's not racist, and her spokesperson said she had intended to say the ruling was a victory for the right to life. Davis was a co-chair of Trumps 2020 Illinois campaign but voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results. He had the backing of almost all of the districts 35 county party chairs and vowed to reimplement Trump policies, including walling off the U.S.-Mexico border. In the state's 6th Congressional District, Casten defeated his fellow Democratic colleague Newman, who was first elected to the House in 2020. She faces an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation over whether she promised federal employment to a political opponent. Casten is a two-term congressman who flipped a suburban seat in 2018 that Republicans had held for decades. JESSE JACKSON'S SON WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Jonathan Jackson, the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, emerged from a crowded field vying to replace 15-term Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush, the only lawmaker who has ever beaten Barack Obama in a race. Obama challenged Rush in a 2000 U.S. House primary and lost. The heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District that Jackson will now run in November to represent was redrawn after the 2020 census and now stretches from Chicago's South Side to Kankakee. In Illinois' open 17th Congressional District, Esther Joy King won the GOP nomination, while Eric Sorensen, a former meteorologist, won the Democratic nomination. They are vying to replace five-term Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, who decided against seeking reelection in the largely rural swath of northwestern Illinois. In Illinois' heavily Democratic 7th District, longtime Democratic Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago beat progressive and gun violence prevention activist Kina Collins on Tuesday though the margin was far narrower than his commanding primary win over her in 2020. MISSISSIPPI RUNOFFS: ONE INCUMBENT WINS, ONE LOSSES One of two Mississippi congressmen facing a rare primary runoff election lost his seat. Palazzo blamed the coronavirus pandemic and the Biden administration for his defeat to Ezell, the sheriff of a coastal county. But the congressman had also been accused in a 2021 congressional ethics report of abusing his office by misspending campaign funds. He said that Mississippi voters hired me to fight the woke, liberal agenda and to push back against government overreach, and Ive done that for 12 years. But Palazzo also added: With COVID and because of what the Biden administration is doing to this country, they took their anger out on me. Ezell said he won because of connections he forged during more than 40 years in law enforcement. When people call and need something, Ive been accessible to them. Meanwhile, Guest won a GOP runoff against former Navy fighter pilot Michael Cassidy. Guest will face Democrat Shuwaski Young in November. NEBRASKA SPECIAL ELECTION OVERLAPS WITH SENTENCING Former Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska was sentenced to probation on Tuesday for lying to federal agents just as voters picked a replacement for the rest of his term. State Republican Rep. Mike Flood defeated Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks in a special election to succeed Fortenberry, who served nine terms in the Republican-heavy district that includes Lincoln and dozens of smaller, rural communities. Theyll compete again in November to determine who serves a new term, beginning in January. Fortenberry resigned in March after being convicted of intentionally misleading FBI agents about his knowledge of an illegal, $30,000 campaign contribution from a Nigerian billionaire at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. A judge sentenced him to two years of probation, a $25,000 fine and community service. ___ This story was first published on June 29, 2022. It was updated on June 29, 2022 to correct an erroneous report that Republican Rep. Michael Guest had won a third term. He won his GOP runoff and will face a Democrat in November. Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I An Austin man was sentenced to over seven years in prison on Monday, June 27, for drug smuggling because he chose to eat a cheeseburger at the wrong time. A district judge sentenced 30-year-old Yen-Tsun Huang to prison for 90 months for trying to smuggle meth across the border in 2020, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Texas. Huang will then be under federal supervision once released from prison. Photo by Gabriel Romero The Butt family and H-E-B announced they will commit $10 million to help build a new elementary school campus in Uvalde after officials decided to demolish the Robb Elementary school where a gunman killed 21 people. H-E-B announced the news in a release on Tuesday, June 28 after Uvalde CISD tweeted it's starting a fund to help build a new campus. The Butt family and H-E-B stated in the release that they will work with other stakeholders and organizations on the development of the campus. MANZINI A man was sentenced to a total of 38 years imprisonment with an option to pay E40 000 fine for defrauding people of their monies amounting to E21 096 on 21 occasions. Thulani Bezile Dlamini (27) of Maphalaleni appeared before Manzini Magistrate Sicelo Lokothwayo yesterday. He was slapped with a total of 21 counts of theft by false pretences. It was gathered that the accused would call various people and lie by saying he had accidentally sent e-wallet monies and requested them to resend them. On other events, Dlamini called others and told them that he found their lost identity cards, or cattle. It was said he would listen to announcements on the national radio station, to track his victims and then lure them into pay him their monies. Among the offences committed, Dlaminis recent crime was committed on Sunday, when he defrauded Khanyisile Mkhonta of her E2 500 in Manzini. According to the charge sheet, he misrepresented himself to the complainant, by saying he mistakenly sent e-Wallet amounting to E2 500. In the same vein, the accused defrauded Buyile Vilakati of her E2 100 on June 17, 2022, using the same tactic. He also defrauded Nomalungelo Fakudze of her E412 under the pretence that he had sent her E2 500 by mistake. Misrepresented Meanwhile, he reportedly misrepresented himself to Jabulani Mdluli of Nhlambeni by calling and telling him that he had found his lost national identity card. The accused asked the complainant to send him E350 for his recovered ID. During his appearance, Dlamini pleaded guilty to all 21 counts. In his mitigation, he apologised to the court for the offences and said he deserved to be punished. He said he was embarrassed of the crimes he had committed. He begged the court to be lenient towards him, so that he could fix his transgressions. Dlamini said he left his children and siblings back home, who were without anyone, as their parents had died while they were young.Dlamini further claimed he was unemployed and relied on odd jobs. He also revealed that he had two children. Before delivering his sentence, Magistrate Lokothwayo said the accused ought to count himself blessed because the prosecutor employed a method that was merciful when dealing with him. Lokothwayo quipped that if it were up to him, he would have brought all the witnesses in court and further made sure that everyone remembered the accused for his deeds. Theft by false pretences is on the rise and the opposite side of the pendulum is that they are on the rise when the economy is so bad and people are struggling with money, Lokothwayo said. Justification The magistrate elaborated that the victims had even sent the little money they had. He reiterated that there was no justification for committing a crime, even if one was in a poor state of affairs, it was no excuse to make others suffer twice or three times what he was suffering. He reckoned that the accused must be intelligent, as he took time to think of the method that he employed to defraud people of their monies. He said these methods were well practised. Bexar County District 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores said Tuesday afternoon at a press conference that the county's Medical Examiners Office has the bodies of 51 immigrants that died in the back of a semi-truck or while receiving care after being found Monday night in the 9600 block of Quintana Road. Both Clay-Flores and County Judge Nelson Wolff then slammed Texas and its immigration policies during the conference. The truck was discovered in Clay-Flores' district. Clay-Flores said that of the 51 people dead, there are 39 men and 12 women. The medical examiner has potentially identified 34 of those people. County spokesperson Thomas Peine said that some of the people dead may be under the age of 18. There are still 12 immigrants in area hospitals in either critical or stable condition. Robin Jerstad / Robin Jerstad Clay-Flores said the county is working with the consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras to help reach families of the victims, and she encouraged families to call the Guatemalan consulate at 956-800-7351 if they fear their family member may be one of the victims. She criticized Gov. Greg Abbott for putting the blame on President Joe Biden in a tweet Monday night, which said the deaths were on him. "While bodies were still being removed and others being taken to local hospitals, he chose to be heartless and point the finger," said Clay-Flores. "Shame on our governor." County Judge Nelson Wolff echoed her criticism, saying the Texas government has only passed laws that discriminate against immigrants. "Let me tell you, I don't trust the state of Texas or any of them dealing with immigrants," Wolff said. The county officials didn't provide any updates to the ongoing investigation, which is in the hands of the Homeland Security Investigations unit. San Antonio police Chief William McManus said Monday night that three people were in custody. No charges have been announced as of Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday morning, June 28, the Mexican Consulate said that 50 immigrants are now dead from being left in the back of a semi-truck discovered at the 9600 block of Quintana Road on the Southwest Side on Monday, June 27. However, the death toll has continued to rise since Monday evening. Here's what we know so far. The Bexar County medical examiner is now working to identify 53 people who died after being found in the back of the semi-truck on June 27, meaning two more have died since Monday night, according to a news release. It now says 40 of the victims are men and 13 are women, with 37 of the people potentially identified. The medical examiner's office is now working with consulates in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The office is expecting help from Travis County and Dallas County over the next few days. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebecca Clay-Flores encouraged families Tuesday to call the Guatemalan Consulate at 956-800-7351 if they fear their family member may be one of the victims. Jay Janner/AP Feds arrest three According to the San Antonio Express-News, federal authorities arrested three people on Tuesday in connection with the human smuggling tragedy. Homero Zamorano, 45, was arrested along with Juan Francisco DLuna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio DLuna-Mendez. He was very high on meth when he was arrested nearby and had to be taken to the hospital, a law enforcement officer told the Express-News. Authorities traced the semi-truck back to a home in the 100 block of Arnold after arresting Zamorano. One of the men confessed to having a gun in the car and when authorities obtained a search warrant for the home on Arnold, they found more guns, according to court records obtained by the Express-News. Zamorano's first appearance in federal court on human smuggling charges may occur on Wednesday, June 29. Express-News reports that he has a lengthy criminal history. The two other men were arrested on suspicion of possessing firearms while in the U.S. illegally. They were detained without bail. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden released a statement on the tragedy, saying smugglers or human traffickers "have no regard" for lives they "endanger and exploit" to make a profit (see full statement below). Medical examiner has 51 bodies District 1 Commissioner Rebecca Clay-Flores said Tuesday afternoon that the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office has 51 people that have died after being left in a semi-truck on Quintana Road Monday night. She said 39 of those people are men, 12 are women and 34 of those people have been potentially identified. Thomas Peine, county spokesperson, said that some of those immigrants that died are possibly under the age of 18. An earlier update from Mexican Consulate Marcelo Ebrard tweeted on Tuesday morning said he had received information from the Department of Homeland Security that 50 immigrants were dead, four more than the initial 46 reported Monday night. The updated death toll was confirmed by a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A spokesperson with Baptist Health System confirms that two of the people brought from the semi-truck have died as of Tuesday morning. Three others were in critical condition. Among the dead are two young girls from Guatemala, Griselda and Carla, according to a tweet from Reveal Reporter Aura Bogado. Bogoda said the father of the two girls confirmed the deaths. According to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), there are 11 individuals receiving care as of Wednesday. University Hospital tweeted Tuesday morning that it was caring for a 23-year-old woman and a male child from the incident, and has since updated the woman's condition from serious to fair. Texas Vista Medical System reported that it was treating a 26-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man. Both were in critical but stable condition. Ebrard says that out of the immigrants that died, 22 were from Mexico, seven were from Guatemala and two were from Honduras. He said U.S. officials are still working to identify the other bodies. Honduran Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Reina said in a tweet that the Honduran government is investigating whether there were more Hondurans in the semi-truck. On Tuesday evening, HSI told MySA that ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not conduct enforcement activities in public sites tied to the situation. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remind the public that sites that are impacted by disasters or tragic incidents like what occurred in San Antonio yesterday are considered protected areas," the HSI statement reads. "To the fullest extent possible, ICE and CBP will not conduct immigration enforcement activities so individuals, regardless of immigration status, can seek assistance, and otherwise address the tragedy with law enforcement." Billy Calzada/Staff photographer How the bodies were found According to the Texas Tribune, some of the deceased were found in the blocks surrounding the truck, as if they were attempting to jump out of the vehicle. The Tribune also reports that "many" of the victims appear to have been sprinkled with steak seasoning in what seems to be an attempt to cover the smell of the people during transport. "Stacks of bodies" The San Antonio Fire Department and other first responders were called to a semi-truck parked at the 9600 block of Quintana Road around 6 p.m. on Monday. Fire Chief Charles Hood says that firefighters discovered "stacks of bodies" in the trailer attached to the truck with no signs of water or working air conditioning. Texas has been suffering from a record breaking heat wave this month. Officials initially reported 46 immigrants dead at the scene and 16 immigrants 12 adults and four children were transported to area hospitals. Those hospitals are Baptist Health System, University Hospital, and Texas Vista Medical Center. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Monday night that three unidentified people were apprehended and the investigation was turned over to HSI. President Biden addresses the truck tragedy On Tuesday, Biden called the loss of life in San Antonio "horrifying and heartbreaking." He showed appreciation for Federal, state, and San Antonio first responders. The president says the at least 51 deaths emphasizes the "need" to go after the smuggling industry. "Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my Administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry," the president says in his statement. Similarities to 2017 incident McManus says this is the deadliest human smuggling case in recent memory. The police chief told press on Monday, hours after the discovery of 46 bodies, that the situation was unparalleled. In July 2017, James Matthew Bradley Jr., a Kentucky truck driver, was found with 39 immigrants in his tractor trailer parked at a Walmart on the Southside. The parking lot is six miles from where the truck was found on Quintana Road on Monday. In the 2017 case, eight were dead when officials arrived and two died at area hospitals. The 61-year-old truck driver was sentenced to life in federal prison. A year later, Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a human smuggling investigation after 55 people were found in a truck on the Northeast Side. Five people had minor injuries, but no deaths were reported. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Watch the livestream below. UPDATE: 9:15 p.m.: Chief William McManus said that the first call came in around 5:50p.m. on Monday on June 27 saying that bodies were discovered inside the trailer. There were a total of 46 bodies of migrants found in the back of the 18-wheeler at the 9600 block of Quintana Road, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. He said that 16 people were transported to area hospitals 12 adults and four children with heat-related injuries. Most he believes were teenagers or young adults. Patients that we saw were hot to the touch, Hood said. He said while some people made it out of the trailer when first responders arrived, but most of the survived individuals were too weak get out of the back of the truck. Hood didn't know at the time how long they were in the back of the trailer. McManus said that the investigation has now been turned over to Homeland Security. He did not say where the immigrants were from or what language the survivors spoke. UPDATE - 8:41 p.m.: Police were called to the 18-wheeler at the 9600 block of Quintana Road around 5 p.m. today. City of San Antonio called Catholic Charities to aid with the immigrants who survived, said its CEO and President Antonio Fernandez at the scene. Archbishop Gustavo Siller tweeted that over 40 have died and about 15 people have been sent to area hospitals. UPDATE - 7:49 p.m.: KSAT is now reporting that at least 42 people were found dead inside the18-wheeler. Police are expected to provide more information soon. Original story follows below. San Antonio police are surrounding an 18-wheeler on the Southwest Side at Quintana and Cassin roads, according to multiple reports. Police have not officially said what they're investigating, but News 4 WOAI is reporting that 20 people who entered the country illegally were discovered in the back of the truck. KSAT is reporting that "a source close to the investigation" says the people are dead. MySA reached out for comment and will update this story as soon as more information is available. Yves here. Even though most readers likely know the broad outlines of this argument, that advanced economies, who have been and remain the biggest carbon emitters, are big on empty talk about climate change. Countries in the so-called global South have particular reason to be upset about this because many have major cities at low altitudes that are particularly vulnerable to sea rises and climate-change-induced severe storms. This article fleshes out this case. By Anis Chowdhury, Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and University of New South Wales (Australia), who held senior United Nations positions in New York and Bangkok and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor, who was United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. Originally published at Jomo Kwame Sundarams website Rich country governments claim the high moral ground on climate action. But many deny their far greater responsibility for both historic and contemporary greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, once acknowledged by the Kyoto Protocol. Climate Injustice Worse, responsibility has not been matched by commensurate efforts, especially by the largest rich economies in the G7, which dominates the G20. Its continued control of international economic resources and policymaking blocks progress on climate justice. That is the greatest injustice of climate change: that those who bear the least responsibility for climate change are the ones who will suffer the most, says Mary Robinson, former Eire President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. On a per capita basis, the US and close allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Canada produce more than a hundred times the planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of some African countries. The African population produced about 1.1 metric tonnes of carbon (dioxide equivalent) emissions per person in 2019, under a quarter of the 4.7 tonnes global average. The US emitted 16.1 tonnes nearly four times the global average. GHG emissions accumulate over time and trap heat, warming the planet. The US has emitted over a quarter of all GHG emissions since the 1750s, while Europe accounts for 33%. By contrast, Africa, South America and India contributed about 3% each, while China contributed 12.7%. Wealth inequalities worsen climate injustice. The worlds richest 5% were responsible for 37% of GHG emissions growth during 1990-2015, while the bottom half of the worlds population accounted for 7%! Poor regions and people take the brunt of global warming. The tropical zone is much more vulnerable to rapid climate change. Most of these countries and communities bear little responsibility for the GHG emissions worsening global warming, but also have the least means to cope and protect themselves. Thus, climate justice demands wealthy nations most responsible for cumulative and current GHG emissions not only reduce the harm they cause, but also help those with less means to cope. Rich Hypocrisy Wealthy countries have done little to keep their 2009 promises to provide US$100 billion annually to help developing countries. Most climate finance has been earmarked for mitigation. But this ignores their needs and priorities, as developing countries need help to adapt to climate change and to cope with losses and damages due to global warming. The OECD club of rich countries has been criticized for exaggerating climate finance, but acknowledges, Australia, Japan and the United States consider financing for high-efficiency coal plants as a form of climate finance. It reports climate finance of US$79.6bn in 2019, but these figures are hotly contested. However, commercial credit is typically not concessional. But when it is, it implies official subsidies for bankable, for profit projects. Many also doubt much of this funding is truly additional, and not just diverted (repurposed) from other ends. Private finance also rarely goes where it is most needed while increasing debt burdens for borrowers. Leading from Behind At the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow in November 2021, US President Joe Biden described climate change as an existential threat to human existence and pledged to cut US emissions by up to 51% by 2030. Biden had claimed his Build Back Better (BBB) package of proposed social and climate spending would be a cornerstone of restoring international trust in the US commitment to stem global warming. At the G7 Summit in June 2021, Biden announced his vision of a Build Back Better World (B3W) would define the G7 alternative to Chinas multitrillion USD Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). All this was premised on US ability to lead from the front, with momentum growing once BBB became law. But his legislative package has stalled. Unable to attract the needed votes in the Senate, BBB is dead in the water. Putting on a brave face, US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer promises to bring the legislation to a vote early next year. But with their partys declining political fortunes, likely horse-trading to pass the bill will almost certainly further undermine Bidens promises. Meanwhile, breaking his 2020 campaign promise, Biden approved nearly 900 more permits to drill on public land in 2021, more than President Trump in 2017. While exhorting others to cut fossil fuel reliance, his administration is now urging US companies and allies to produce more, invoking Ukraine war sanctions. Aid Laggard At COP26, Biden promised to help developing nations reduce carbon emissions, pledging to double US climate change aid. But even this is still well short of its proportionate share of the grossly inadequate US$100bn yearly rich nations had pledged in 2009 in concessional climate finance for developing countries. Considering its national income and cumulative emissions, the US should provide at least US$4350bn in climate finance annually. Others insist the US owes the developing world much more, considering their needs and damages due to US emissions, e.g., suggesting US$800bn over the decade to 2030. In 2017-18, the US delivered US$10bn to the pledged US$100bn annual climate finance less than Japans US$27bn, Germanys US$20bn and Frances US$15bn, despite the US economy being larger than all three combined. President Obama pledged US$3bn to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) the UNs flagship climate finance initiative but delivered only US$1bn. Trump totally repudiated this modest pledge. At the April 2021 Earth Day leaders summit, Biden vowed to nearly double Obamas pledge to US$5.7bn, with US$1.5bn for adaptation. But even this amount is far short of what the US should contribute, given its means and total emissions. After the European Commission president highlighted this in September 2021, Biden vowed to again double the US contribution to US$11.4bn yearly by 2024, boasting this would make the US a leader in international climate finance. At COP26, the US cited this increased GCF promise to block developing countries call for a share of revenue from voluntary bilateral carbon trading. The US has also opposed developing countries call for a funding facility to help vulnerable nations cope with loss and damage due to global warming. Worse, the US Congress has approved only US$1bn for international climate finance for 2022 only US$387m more than in the Trump era. At that rate, it would take until 2050 to get to US$11.4bn. Unsurprisingly, Biden made only passing mention of climate and energy in his last State of the Union address. In a move that has already raised hackles in Washington, Nicaraguas government has renewed a decade-long military partnership with Russia. From July 1, forces belonging to Russia as well as seven Latin American countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Mexico and Cuba, will be able to participate in what Nicaraguas Sardinista government describes as joint training exercises and military operations. The main objectives of these exercises, according to Managua, is to provide humanitarian aid or combat terrorist groups and organized crime outfits. The measure allows for the presence of up to 230 Russian soldiers in the country from July 1 to December 31, empowering them to patrol Nicaraguas Pacific and Caribbean coasts alongside the Nicaraguan military. At the same time, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has authorized the departure to Russia of 50 Nicaraguan soldiers to participate in joint instruction and training exercises. A Provocation According to a number of Western media outlets, including Spains El Pais and The National Interest, a Washington-based bimonthly international relations magazine, it is unclear how Nicaragua stands to benefit from renewing its military partnership with Russia at such a contentious time. Despite Washingtons escalating sanctions against Nicaragua, the US is still its biggest trading partner, providing 22% of Nicaraguas imports and buying just under 50% of its exports in 2020. By contrast, China accounted for just 9% of all imports and 3% of exports, while Russia doesnt even feature among Nicaraguas top ten trading partners. One thing that is clear is that the move will piss off Washington no end. The Biden Administration has already warned Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega not to cooperate with Russia since its recent invasion of Ukraine. Per The National Interest: Brian Nichols, an official at the U.S. Department of State, described Ortegas move as a provocation during the Summit of the Americas. The United States relationship with Ortega has long been antagonistic. The Nicaraguan leader initially ascended to power in 1979 following the successful overthrow of longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza by the Soviet-aligned Sandinista National Liberation Front, ruling the country for much of the next decade. During that time, the United States supported right-wing rebel groups opposed to Ortegas leadership, many of which were later tied to extensive drug smuggling and war crimes. While US power over Latin America may have diminished over the last couple of decades, Washington has not fully abandoned the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy position formulated in 1823 by President James Monroe that essentially holds that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers is a potentially hostile act against the US. As Noam Chomsky argues, the Monroe Doctrine has been deployed by Washington as a declaration of hegemony and a right of unilateral intervention over the Americas. Propaganda Coup For Russia the military cooperation agreement with Nicaragua has already served as a propaganda coup. Russian state television presenter Olga Skabeeva gave extensive coverage to Ortegas order a couple of weeks ago, stating at one point (presumably in a purely personal capacity): If US missile systems can almost reach Moscow, it is high time that Russia deployed something powerful closer to American cities. The Moscow-funded Sputnik news site published a report titled: Nicaragua: Military Cooperation with Russia Responds to National Security Principles. The Kremlin later tried to tone down its own messaging. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described sending the military to the tropics of Central America as merely a routine procedure. Roberto Cajina, a Nicaraguan security and defense analyst, told El Pais that it is quite normal for foreign military personnel to enter Nicaragua to take part in training and support exercises with the Nicaraguan army. The Ortega government has at times even extended an invitation to the US to participate. But what Cajina says is striking about Managuas latest invitation to Russian forces is that it takes place at a time when Russia has lost international support over its invasion of Ukraine meaning it has lost the support of NATO members and other US-aligned countries. Latin America, as a whole, has struck a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Only four out of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries Cuba, El Salvador, Bolivia and Nicaragua abstained in the vote to condemn Russias invasion during the emergency meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. A similarly small number of governments have publicly endorsed the Wests economic sanctions against Russia, including Ecuador, Chile and Guatemala. Most governments in Latin America have stayed firmly on the fence over the issue of imposing sanctions against Russia, including the regions two heavyweight economies, Brazil and Mexico. But two key dignitaries from the region, Brazils former, and quite possibly future, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Pope Francis, have both heavily criticized NATOs role in stoking the conflict in Ukraine. Curdling Relations The renewal of Russias military partnership with Nicaragua comes just weeks after Washingtons announcement, at the end of May, that it would send long-range missiles to Kiev. That act of escalation prompted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to accuse the US of intentionally adding fuel to the fire in Ukraine. Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the move risked dragging a third party into the conflict. It also comes as relations between Washington and Managua have soured to the point of curdling. As readers may recall, Nicaragua was, together with Venezuela and Cuba, one of three American countries that Washington refused to invite to the recent Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. It was a decision that ended up backfiring, as a number of other heads of state, including Mexicos Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, decided to skip the event in protest at Washingtons cack-handed diplomacy. The US has also imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Nicaragua in the past month, including visa restrictions on almost 100 government officials whom Washington has accused of undermining democracy by facilitating Ortegas illegitimate reelection in November. We remain committed to applying a range of diplomatic and economic tools to support the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights in Nicaragua, said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on June 13. To that end, the Department of State is taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on an additional 93 individuals believed to have undermined democracy following Daniel Ortegas illegitimate November 2021 reelection, including judges, prosecutors, National Assembly Members, and Interior Ministry officials. Four days later, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Nicaraguas state-owned mining company Eniminas, with two ostensible ends: first, to reduce the income the Daniel Ortega government derives from gold exports; and second, in retaliation for the close ties it has forged with Russia since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. As the Ortega-Murillo regime increasingly engages Russia and continues lining its coffers with significant revenue exploited from the Nicaraguan gold sector, the regime has turned its back on the Nicaraguan people, neglecting their livelihoods for regime gains, said US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. The United States continues to stand with the Nicaraguan people against the unjust imprisonment of political opponents and the sustained assault on Nicaraguas democracy by the Ortega-Murillo regime. Nicaraguas close ties with Russia date back decades. When the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) came to power after finally toppling the Somoza dictatorship in the late seventies, it aligned itself with the Soviet Union, which in return provided military aid. Since his return to power in 2007, Ortega has gradually strengthened Nicaraguas relations with Putin. In 2008, he supported Russias invasion of Georgia in 2008, in response to Georgias occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In 2014, he supported Crimeas referendum vote to join the Russian Federation. In response Moscow has financed a military training center to help Nicaragua fight against drug trafficking. It has also provided $26 million dollars to help the country deal with natural disasters. In 2016, Russia officially announced it was sending Nicaragua 20 T-72B tanks, worth $80 million dollars. The Kremlin has also supplied the Central American country with 12 ZU-23-2 air defense systems, two Mi-17V-5 helicopters, as well as a batch of armored vehicles. Moscow has also offered support with wheat and buses to improve urban transport in the capital. Much Ado About Not Much At All? Nicaraguas renewal of its military partnership with Russia may have heightened tensions with Washington. However, the actual content of the agreement signed with the Kremlin is fairly nondescript, though as Cajina says, there is very little transparency regarding the actual results of Nicaraguas joint military exercises. Nicaraguas Minister of Foreign Affairs Denis Moncada has tried to dampen concerns that Russia might begin build military bases in Nicaragua by pointing out that the countrys constitution effectively bans foreign militaries from building bases in Nicaragua. But Russia has already installed a terrestrial satellite station known as Glonass (the Russian equivalent to the Global Positioning System (GPS)) on the banks of Nejapa Lagoon, in Managua. The location is certainly advantageous: on the opposite side of the lagoon is the US Embassys premises in Nicaragua. At its inauguration in 2017, Nicaraguas Vice President (and wife of Daniel Ortega) Rosario Murillo said the satellite system would help to strengthen disaster management and prevention work, obtain more accurate weather information, support forecasting of crop cycles and support the entire agricultural sector of Nicaragua. It is also meant to help combat drug trafficking. But some are convinced its real role is to spy on the US. Now, the prospect of Russian soldiers, sailors and pilots returning to Nicaragua, albeit in small numbers, has set off alarm bells in certain corners of Central America. The new President of Costa Rica (and former World Bank economist) Rodrigo Chaves, who has already had to contend with a nationwide cyber attack in his first two months in office, said in a recent interview with Voice of America: Right now, we have serious concerns about Nicaragua. There is news that President Daniel Ortega has invited the Russian army to send troops and equipment to Nicaragua. We have not had a standing army since 1949. Imagine how we feel: worried, with good reason.* The move has also put the US on alert in its own direct neighborhood. For the past four months Washington has been able to watch the conflict in Ukraine gradually unfold from a relatively safe distance (nukes excepted) of around 5,000 miles. The costs of war have largely been borne by Ukraine and the US European allies, whose ratcheting sanctions against Russia have done little but harm their own economic interests, while US energy companies have benefited quite handsomely from Europes pivot to US natural gas supplies. Now, the US must keep a closer eye on its own backyard, especially given the possibility that Nicaragua may not be the only Latin America country interested in forging closer military ties with Russia. Any complaints Washington makes about Russian encroachments into its direct neighborhood will merely serve to underscore its own flagrant hypocrisy: If Russia has no grounds to criticise or oppose Ukraine joining NATO, how can the US possibly complain about Nicaraguas limited military cooperation with Russia? Next Up: Venezuela? In the days leading up to Russias invasion of Ukraine, Caracas, Moscows closest strategic ally in Latin America, announced plans to strengthen its military cooperation with Russian forces. On February 17, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unveiled plans to forge a powerful military cooperation between Russia and Venezuela, saying: We are going to increase all preparation, training and cooperation plans with a world military power such as Russia. Our ties are deep and historical. In the past week, Maduro has signed a 20-year cooperation agreement with Iran. He is also in the process of deepening Venezuelas cooperation with Russia in the administration of ports and the fight against drug trafficking and drug smuggling. At the same time, Venezuela finds itself in the rather surreal position of being courted by the US. After all, Maduro is still a wanted man in Washington, with a $15 million price on his head. Nonetheless, a US delegation quietly visited Caracas on Monday (July 27) to discuss a bilateral agenda, which may well include the lifting of sanctions on Venezuelan oil. As AP reports, the US is keen to rebuild relations with the South American oil giant as both the US and its European allies struggle to find alternative energy supplies after embargoing Russian oil. * As NC reader Jacob Hatch pointed out in a previous article, Costa Rica may not have a disciplined standing army but it does pre-stage equipment for US Southern Command, its real army. Also, almost 2,600 Costa Rican police officers were trained at the notorious School of the Americas between 1946 and 2007. 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. Follow William Williams 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 MANZINI The Crown believes that the suspects who were allegedly involved in the burning of a vehicle belonging to the Times of Eswatini may assist police in investigating a litany of offences of arson, which include three Inyatsi Construction sites that were affected. This is part of the application brought to court by the Crown when applying that Simanga Sigwili Vilakati (27) of Ndinda and Thandokuhle Galimese Dlamini (39) should be remanded in police custody. The two accused persons were arrested for allegedly damaging a white Isuzu LDV registered BSD 931 CH, belonging to the Times of Eswatini. It was in the lawful possession of Khulekani Dlamini. The car was burnt on February 22, 2022 at Nyakeni. Injury The pair appeared before Senior Manzini Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini and was charged with malicious injury to property. The accused persons were represented by Lawyer Mathokoza Mbhamali. The Crown submitted that it was in the interest of justice that the accused persons be remanded in police custody. It further submitted that there was another arson attack at Madlangemphisi Member of Parliament (MP) Sibusiso Scorpion Nxumalos homestead. The Crown added that there was another arson attack at Matsapha Police Camp, and all these were under investigation. The modus operandi of the charge which they are facing is the same that was used in the attacks that have just been mentioned before this honourable court, the Crown submitted. It elaborated that investigations had not yet been concluded. The Crown also noted that one of the sites were outside Manzini Region, which made it difficult for police to be in a position to have the accused persons attending. Meanwhile, the Crown submitted that the police were professional in their conduct. It highlighted that the court may inspect the accused persons when they returned, to see if they were in the same condition that they appeared in court. Rights In addition, the Crown undertook that their basic human rights would be upheld for as long as they were in police custody. It stated that they would be allowed to take a bath as and when the need arose. It submitted that the accused persons would be allowed to make a phone call and speak to their families at least once in a day.The Crown stated that they were currently kept at Matsapha Police Station.May the court release them into the custody of the station commander in charge of Matsapha police station, who shall be responsible, together with the Manzini Regional Criminal Investigation Mr Hlophe, to ensure their safety and their upkeep, and that they are brought before the court on Friday the 1st of July alive and well, the Crown submitted. (Natural News) World-renowned pediatrician Dr. Larry Palevsky told Dr. Bryan Ardis that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) injections are not a vaccine. I have been saying this for over a year and a half that this COVID shot is not a vaccine. Its not going to protect anyone from any infectious illness, Palevsky said during the June 22 episode of The Dr. Ardis Show on Brighteon.TV. Palevsky said its now up to the parents whether or not they want to risk the lives of their children after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisors unanimously endorsed Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots for infants and young children last June 15. The doctor, who uses a holistic approach to treat childrens illnesses, mentioned that the states have already ordered millions of doses to be made available prior to emergency use authorization given by the FDA to the mRNA injections for children. Pfizers three-dose vaccine will cover children six months to five years while Modernas two-dose vaccine covers children six months to six years. The pediatric board-certified physician stated that parents are going to see children with blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. He also said that in five, 10 or 15 years, these children are going to be infertile. According to Palevsky, there are parents who have spoken against vaccines that have been maiming, killing, damaging and injuring children over the past 60 years but no one heard them. He added that these mRNA injections, which have never been tested for safety or tested appropriately, contain a tremendous amount of suspicious chemicals that directly fry, injure and destroy the brain as well as kill the immune system. America has almost zero percent COVID death rate for children Palevsky pointed out that America has an almost zero percent death rate and minimal or almost zero percent harsh outcomes for children who got infected with COVID-19. (Related: COVID-19 mortality rate among healthy children is ZERO so why the rush to mask and vaccinate them all?) And yet we still want to be able to get it on the schedule. And make no mistake, the purpose of that is to eventually have it approved by the FDA. And as long as an injection thats called a vaccine is approved for children by the FDA, the manufacturers of these killer shots will have complete immunity to liability forever. And that is the true goal in all of this, Palevsky said. Ardis noted that these manufacturers are getting away with crimes after the late President Ronald Reagan signed the PREP Act in 1986. According to Palevsky, the technology being used in the COVID mRNA shots has never before been used in the manufacturing of vaccines and no one really knows if it operates to protect against infection. And if youre even thinking that this illness is an infectious illness, these shots have been shown not to stop any transmission of the so-called illness from one person to the other. In fact, it increases your chance of transmitting the illness from one person to the other, Palevsky said. This shot has never been tested for safety. There are chemicals in there that are unknown to the public. And the chemicals that are known are directly related to brain inflammation, heart inflammation, lung inflammation, kidney inflammation, liver inflammation and reduction in male and female reproductive systems. Follow VaccineInjuryNews.com for more news about the injuries caused by the COVID-19 injections. Watch the full June 22 episode of The Dr. Ardis Show below. The Dr. Ardis Show airs every Wednesday at 10-11 a.m. and every Saturday at 11 a.m.-12 p.m. on Brighteon.TV. More related stories: Overwhelming evidence suggests giving children COVID-19 vaccines will only harm them. VAERS: COVID-19 vaccines have injured over 50,000 children. Researchers show that children are much safer developing natural immunity to COVID-19 than getting vaccinated. Sources include: Brighteon.com NorthportWellnessCenter.com (Natural News) Senate Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, and Cory Booker and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs are concerned that mobile tracking software created by Apple and Google could be used to hunt down women seeking abortions. (Article by Joshua Young republished from ThePostMillenial.com) Individuals seeking abortions and other reproductive healthcare will become particularly vulnerable to privacy harms, including through the collection and sharing of their location data, should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the group said in a June 24 letter to the Federal Trade Commission. The same day, the Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade and sent abortion regulation back to state legislatures. According to Fox Business, the Democratic lawmakers are urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google for failing to warn consumers about the potential harms associated with advertising-specific tracking IDs in their mobile operating systems. Google and Apple employ tracking technology on their devices which keeps records of users geographic movement. The data is harvested and aggregated so individual users are are separated from it and remain anonymous. The data is then sold to third parties, often called data brokers. But legislators said the aggregated data can be easily linked to individual users. This is because some data brokers sell databases that explicitly link these advertising identifiers to consumers names, email addresses, and telephone numbers, they wrote. But even without buying this additional data, it is often possible to easily identify a particular consumer in a dataset of anonymous location records by looking to see where they sleep at night. Google and Apple tells users they can opt out of tracking data. However, the efficacy of opting out is unclear when there are a multiplicity of apps that use some version of the tracking IDs. Data collection also includes browser activity and social media usage. In April 2021, Google and Apple used movement tracking technology to better contact trace for the novel coronavirus, sometimes tracking users movements without their permission if they were tagged as infected.. The COVID-19 data collection was not addressed by Democratic lawmakers. Data brokers are already selling, licensing, and sharing the location information of people that visit abortion providers to anyone with a credit card. Prosecutors in states where abortion becomes illegal will soon be able to obtain warrants for location information about anyone who has visited an abortion provider. The four expressed concern of pregnant women getting rabidly hunt down by bounty hunters who could buy the information to track them down. The FTC should investigate Apple and Googles role in transforming online advertising into an intense system of surveillance that incentivizes and facilitates the unrestrained collection and constant sale of Americans personal data, they wrote. It is beyond time to bring an end to the privacy harms forced on consumers by these companies. Read more at: ThePostMillenial.com (Natural News) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for children aged six months old and up. The approval was granted even though a study found that mRNA vaccines can cause children to suffer from serious vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED). The regulator announced the fast-tracked authorization in a June 17 press release. But even though the two vaccines clinical trials were determined not to be reliable due to the low number of COVID-19 cases that occurred in the study participants, they were nevertheless granted a EUA. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said of the approvals: Were acutely aware of the importance of having vaccines available for our youngest children. As weve seen with the older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection for the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death. The June 17 announcement came two days after the FDAs Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted to recommend granting a EUA for the two vaccines. However, researchers from the University of Colorado conducted a detailed study of two healthy, fully vaccinated young adolescents, who were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C causes dangerous inflammation in body organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin and eyes. Eight weeks after having laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections, two otherwise healthy, fully immunized adolescent patients in the U.S. who were experiencing related signs and symptoms were diagnosed with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, stated the study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccination does not completely protect adolescents against MIS. Study centered on two children afflicted with VAED The first case involved a 14-year-old boy who reported headaches and myalgia. He then developed a fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, emesis, bloodshot eyes, red cracked lips, and a rash after seven days. The boy was then admitted to a hospital 10 days after reporting the initial ailments. The boy received two doses of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine three months before reporting headaches and myalgia. A month after being fully vaccinated, he suffered from coughing and congestion for three days and tested positive for COVID-19 but subsequently recovered. An analysis by the hospitals infectious diseases section determined that the boys illness met the CDCs criteria for MIS-C. He was provided treatments and was discharged after five days in the hospital. However, a cardiology follow-up on the boy after six weeks found an enlargement of his left main coronary artery alongside ongoing fatigue. The second case involved a 14-year-old girl who reported fever and fatigue, with congestion, cough, myalgias, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. While she tested negative for COVID-19, she was rushed to the hospital after 12 days due to persistent fever, headache, cough and vomiting. She had also received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine three months before her hospitalization. The girl was repeatedly admitted to and discharged from the hospital after treatment, which included a dose of remdesivir. However, she was taken off the antiviral drug after an ultrasound determined that her kidneys were enlarged. (Related: Dr. Bryan Ardis: Fauci knows remdesivir is KILLING PEOPLE.) Per the study, the two children were perfectly healthy before being injected with the Pfizer mRNA shot. They later suffered life-threatening conditions after a few months of them being vaccinated. Still, the FDA ignored the study and proceeded to grant EUA to the two mRNA vaccines. Visit VaccineDamage.news for more news about the severe adverse effects of the mRNA vaccines. Watch the below video that talks about doctors who protested FDA vote to vaccinate six-month-old babies. This video is from the Contrarian channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: CHD demands FDA WITHDRAW its approval of remdesivir for children. Pfizer quietly admits it will NEVER manufacture FDA-approved Comirnaty injection for covid. Documents show Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine causes autoimmune disease and VAED. Latest Pfizer document dump shows the company had to hire 2,400 new employees to handle wave of COVID vaccine adverse events. Sources include: Expose-News.com TheEpochTimes.com CDC.gov Brighteon.com (Natural News) Brice Patric Ryschon Williams, a Pennsylvania resident, has been charged with multiple counts of felony for possession of child pornographic content and the criminal use of a communications facility. He is being held on a $100,000 bail at Franklin County Corrections following the two-year investigation from the Attorney-Generals (AG) office. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children submitted a tip to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney Generals Child Predator Section after finding child pornography on a Dropbox, where authorities found 49 files of children under the age of 18 performing sexual acts. A subpoena was issued to confiscate the Comcast ISP address associated with the Dropbox, which was listed as belonging to an Anastasia Diamond or Ana D. In July 2020, the Center submitted another ten files of child pornography uploaded by the same user to the AGs office, and the investigation revealed that nine out of the ten files submitted included child pornography. On September 17, 2020, authorities seized the Dropbox through a search warrant, and shortly after, another file was uploaded to the service. Following the grant of a warrant, authorities uncovered 135 files of child pornography on the Dropbox registered to Ana D, including the files that were previously tipped to the AGs office. In December, another file of children engaging in sexual acts was uploaded. An FBI special agent discovered that the name Ana D was a nickname for Anastasia Diamond, the drag queen stage name of the Pennsylvania resident Brice Williams. He was arrested on June 22. The sexually explicit content in Williams Dropbox showed genitalia and young boys performing sexual acts on one another, sometimes with an adult man. Authorities said the boys were under 18 years, but did not specify their ages. The affidavit also said the photo and video downloads were linked to Williams email and home addresses. Following his arrest, authorities found 25 videos of child pornography on Williams phone, but the agent said that this was a small sample of the sexually explicit files they found on his devices. Who is Brice Williams, aka Anastasia Diamond? Williams, an HIV case manager, is a prominent activist in the LGBTQ community and has worked with LGBTQ youth. Last year, he was also featured as a speaker at GLO Harrisburg, which is a center that offers a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth of color. The LGBT Center of Central PA gave Williams the 2020 Rising Star Award for his work. Last year, Williams shared that he felt as though his work was so important because I know there are little kids like me who are queer, who are Black, who are still not able to look up to anyone, he said. So thats the reason why I got into this line of work. I wanted to make a big impact for folks in my community. When investigators arrived at Williamss Chambersburg home on June 23, he said the two email addresses linked to the pornographic files were his. He also confirmed the phone number listed as the recovery number for one of the addresses to be his. (Related: Another Drag Queen Story Hour pervert exposed as a sex offender why are public schools subjecting our children to these deviants?) The pornographic content in Williams device was also connected to a Comcast subscription that was registered under his home address. He initially denied downloading child pornography, but later admitted to searching, possessing and sharing child pornographic materials since 2014, before moving to cloud-based storage apps such as Dropbox. Williams was charged with one count of criminal use of a communication facility in addition to the 25 child pornography charges. Online court records show that Williams was arraigned on the afternoon of June 23 and taken to the Franklin County Prison. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 5 in front of Magisterial District Judge Kristin Nicklas. On his now deactivated Instagram account, Williams listed himself as an HIV Community Educator and a Licensed Masters Level Social Worker. It also indicated that he uses both he/him and she/her pronouns. (Related: Grooming at summer camp: Seattles MoPOP to host Drag Camp for youth of all gender expressions and identities.) A Facebook post also revealed that he took a strong liking to transgender youth as he shared a story about a child transitioning. Williams was set to perform in a Drag Show at the Harrisburg Comedy Zone on July 4, alongside other Drag Queens like Poison, Trixy Valentine and Jade Devere. Watch the video below to see Williams in his drag queen persona. This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Groomer alert: School district grants funds to middle school to pay for drag queen show. Creepy creator of Drag Queen Story Hour admits to grooming children to become transgender queers and drag queens. Childrens court judge and organizer of Drag Queen Story Hour charged with seven counts of child pornography possession. Chick-fil-A donated money to Covenant House, an LGBTQ pride organization that hosts Drag Queen Story Hour for young children. Whole Foods now sponsoring perverted, pedo-linked Drag Queen Story Hour to indoctrinate children into the transgender pedo culture. Sources include: ThePostMillennial.com PennLive.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Ladies and gentleman, we regret to inform you that Merrick Garland is at it again. His office just took two actions in two consecutive days that constitute a tacit legal insurrection against the United States of America. (Article republished from Revolver.news) Just yesterday, in an unprecedented move, our intrepid United States Attorney Generals office released a statement saying that the DOJ disagrees with the Courts ruling securing Second Amendment concealed carry rights. We respectfully disagree with the Courts conclusion that the Second Amendment forbids New Yorks reasonable requirement that individuals seeking to carry a concealed handgun must show that they need to do so for self-defense. The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with state, local and tribal authorities and using all legally available tools to tackle the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our communities. The Department of Justice today released the following statement from spokeswoman Dena Iverson following the Supreme Courts decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc., et al. v. Bruen, Superintendent of New York State Police, et al.: Then, today, Old Man Merrick took things one step further. The DOJ issued yet another statement disagreeing with the Supreme Court, this time on their ruling against a Constitutional right to abortion. But this time, Merrick Garland personally issued the statement himself, which makes this escalation that much more dangerous to our Republic. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today released the following statement following the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al. v. Jackson Womens Health Organization et al.: Today, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and held that the right to abortion is no longer protected by the Constitution. The Supreme Court has eliminated an established right that has been an essential component of womens liberty for half a century a right that has safeguarded womens ability to participate fully and equally in society. And in renouncing this fundamental right, which it had repeatedly recognized and reaffirmed, the Court has upended the doctrine of stare decisis, a key pillar of the rule of law. The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Courts decision. This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country. And it will be greatly disproportionate in its effect with the greatest burdens felt by people of color and those of limited financial means. *** But todays decision does not eliminate the ability of states to keep abortion legal within their borders. And the Constitution continues to restrict states authority to ban reproductive services provided outside their borders. We recognize that traveling to obtain reproductive care may not be feasible in many circumstances. But under bedrock constitutional principles, women who reside in states that have banned access to comprehensive reproductive care must remain free to seek that care in states where it is legal. Moreover, under fundamental First Amendment principles, individuals must remain free to inform and counsel each other about the reproductive care that is available in other states. Advocates with different views on this issue have the right to, and will, voice their opinions. Peacefully expressing a view is protected by the First Amendment. But we must be clear that violence and threats of violence are not. The Justice Department will not tolerate such acts. *** The Justice Department will work tirelessly to protect and advance reproductive freedom. Under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the Department will continue to protect healthcare providers and individuals seeking reproductive health services in states where those services remain legal. This law prohibits anyone from obstructing access to reproductive health services through violence, threats of violence, or property damage. The Department strongly supports efforts by Congress to codify Americans reproductive rights, which it retains the authority to do. We also support other legislative efforts to ensure access to comprehensive reproductive services. And we stand ready to work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care. In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication Mifepristone. States may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy. Furthermore, federal agencies may continue to provide reproductive health services to the extent authorized by federal law. And federal employees who carry out their duties by providing such services must be allowed to do so free from the threat of liability. It is the Departments longstanding position that States generally may not impose criminal or civil liability on federal employees who perform their duties in a manner authorized by federal law. Additionally, the Departments Office of Legal Counsel has determined that federal employees engaging in such conduct would not violate the Assimilative Crimes Act and could not be prosecuted by the federal government under that law. The Justice Department is prepared to assist agencies in resolving any questions about the scope of their authority to provide reproductive care. *** The ability to decide ones own future is a fundamental American value, and few decisions are more significant and personal than the choice of whether and when to have children. Few rights are more central to individual freedom than the right to control ones own body. The Justice Department will use every tool at our disposal to protect reproductive freedom. And we will not waver from this Departments founding responsibility to protect the civil rights of all Americans. (Natural News) Alex Jones of InfoWars said government agencies in both the U.S. and the European Union (EU) are reporting unprecedented amounts of microplastics in human blood and tissue samples. In the June 23 episode of his show, Jones explained that a global program directed by the World Economic Forum to spray the food with trackable plastic nanoparticles obtained authorization from different regulatory agencies around the world. While the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency both claim they have no jurisdiction over microplastics and nanotechnology, some websites say the government itself is doing it. Jones referenced Yuval Noah Hararis explanation of human hackability in an interview last year. The Israeli philosopher and academic said nanotech can be present in food and water to eventually take over the human body in a sort of revolution. Harari explained in his interview that nations must begin cooperating to prevent such hackability by regulating artificial intelligence and data collection across all nations. He added that the countries and companies that control the most data will control the world. According to Harari, the world is increasingly cut up into spheres of data collection and data harvesting. In the Cold War, he said, there was the Iron Curtain. Now, there is the Silicon Curtain in that the world is increasingly divided between the U.S. and China. Does your data go to California, or does it go to Shenzhen and to Shanghai and to Beijing? Harari asked. He has been warning people of a not-so-distant future of incredible change, with artificial intelligence working through algorithms to strengthen its grip on humans. Netflix tells us what to watch and Amazon tells us what to buy. Eventually, within 10, 20 or 30 years such algorithms could also tell you what to study at college, where to work, whom to marry and even whom to vote for, he explained, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the doors to even more intrusive data collection. Ultimately, he warned that humans are at risk of getting hacked if artificial intelligence does not become better regulated. To hack a human being is to get to know that person better than they know themselves and, based on that, to increasingly manipulate them. More studies needed on the effects of microplastics on humans While people are already known to consume tiny plastic particles via food and water and even by breathing them in, microplastics have also been found in the stool of babies and adults alike. Scientists analyzed blood samples from anonymous donors and found that a quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made. Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, said that it is reasonable for people to be concerned about what is entering their bodies as plastic particles are already present and are transported throughout. He also said that previous research had shown that microplastics were ten times higher in babies feces than adults, and that babies fed with plastic bottles swallow millions of microplastic particles daily. Vethaak acknowledged that the amount and type of plastic varied considerably among samples, but theirs was a pioneering study and a lot more work is needed. He also said that the differences might reflect short-term exposure before the blood samples were taken, such as drinking from a plastic-lined coffee cup or wearing plastic face masks. The big question is: What is happening in our body? Are the particles retained in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, such as getting past the blood-brain barrier? And are these levels sufficiently high to trigger disease? We urgently need to fund further research so we can find out, he said. (Related: REPORT: Bottled water TEEMING with microplastics.) Jo Royle, founder of the charity Common Seas, said plastic production is set to double by 2040. Shae added that everyone has the right to know what all plastics, and possibly nanoparticles, can do to human bodies. The charity, along with over 80 NGOs, scientists and members of Parliament, is asking the U.K. government to allocate 15 million ($18.4 million) to research the human health impacts of plastic. The EU, however, is already funding research on the impact of microplastics on fetuses and babies, and the immune system. Watch the video below for more information about deadly microplastics and chemicals in food and water. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Researchers find evidence of microplastics in Colorado RAIN SAMPLES: Where is it coming from? Due to extreme pollution of the worlds oceans, sea anemones are now eating microplastics. People are now consuming a credit cards worth of microplastics every week from tainted food supply; gut composition being drastically altered. Sources include: Brighteon.com CBSNews.com TheGuardian.com (Natural News) The genocidal precedent of Roe V Wade has been vanquished from American law. As it dissipates into the dustbin of history, the American people are no longer forced to endure the scourge of unchecked murder, predatory abortion policies, organ harvesting and the widespread lack of remorse that has resulted from decades of convenient, taxpayer-funded severances of life. All human life matters. With the stranglehold of Roe V Wade ending, the American people now have a voice at the state level. In South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem announced a new plan to prosecute predatory abortion doctors who knowingly break the law and murder unborn babies. The state isnt just moving to prosecute predatory abortionists. The state has also set up Life.SD.gov with the aim of helping mothers and their babies before and after birth. Predatory abortionists are no longer welcome in South Dakota Abortion clinics are no longer welcome in South Dakota. For years, abortionists have convinced women that they are poor and incapable mothers, that they are not in a position to support and raise a child. These abortionists have coerced women to give up their babies, to treat human life as an inconvenience or economic burden. But women and their children deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They deserve informed consent, support for prenatal development, and options after birth. For too long, abortionists have used falsehoods to prey on womens emotions, burdening both women and men with serious regrets throughout their life. The plan in South Dakota is NOT to continue on, piling shame and regret on women. The plan is NOT to prosecute mothers nor shame them for their experiences. Instead of leading women down a path of desperation and despair, Governor Noem hopes to lift women up and provide opportunities to help moms be successful. Well continue to have those debates on how we can support these mothers and what it means to really make sure we are not prosecuting mothers ever in a situation like this, Noem said. Prosecution will always be focused toward those doctors who knowingly break the law to perform abortions in our state. In South Dakota, we value life. Being pro-life also means getting moms the help they need to be successful. Were launching https://t.co/QwGdeKqWBi to give women the resources they need to navigate pregnancy, birth, parenting, and adoption, if they choose. Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 24, 2022 Will staunch anti-abortion laws lead to more dangerous black market abortions? South Dakota is also looking to regulate abortion pills so they cannot be obtained online and sent through the mail. Noem believes these pills are dangerous medical procedures that should only be made available under the supervision of a physician. Noem said, We dont believe it (abortion pills) should be available, because it is a dangerous situation for those individuals. In South Dakota, all abortions are illegal, unless a mothers life is in danger. Women who have been a victim of rape or incest may not be able to bear the trauma; they may seek a convenient way out to move forward with their life. If a state has banned all forms of abortion at any stage of gestation, women may decide to get a black market abortion or take abortion pills. Others may flee out of state. If staunch anti-abortion laws do not respect the unique situations that women face after rape and incest, some may seek dangerous back-alley abortions anyway. Without proper support for healing, some women may make rash decisions that put their own lives in danger. This is why some are seeking to offer support before and after birth. Many pro-life state legislatures are in support of heartbeat laws that define and protect life when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, typically between 6 and 8 weeks. These laws allow for discretion in the early stages of prenatal development, respecting the unique situations that women face. On the other hand, left-leaning state legislatures are moving in the opposite direction, denying the existence of human life in the womb, and making way for unchecked infanticide up until birth and thereafter. South Dakotas law-and-order stance will ultimately challenge all predatory abortionists and the unchecked degradation of women and murder of their babies. The states equally compassionate outreach for life will ultimately lift women up, instead of tearing them down. Sources include: OANN.com NaturalNews.com Life.SD.gov MBABANE Government will not hesitate to respond with the necessary force to protect our national security, as a sovereign State in the face of these brutal crimes that are being committed under the pretext of pursuing democracy. These were the words of the Prime Minister (PM), Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, when addressing the media during a press conference held at the Cabinet Offices yesterday afternoon. Dlamini said now that the unknown criminals, who he referred to as terrorists, were hiding behind veiled motives and had declared war against the people, government would declare it as well against the former. Njengoba sebayiphakile natsi sitayiphaka kuhlanganwe etulu, said Dlamini in vernacular. Statement The PMs statement came after two police officers were shot dead by unknown gunmen while they were on duty in the past few days in two separate incidents. The police officers are Zinhle Mavuso and Alpheus Sibusiso Matsebula. Mavuso was shot on Saturday around 3am, while Matsebula was shot on Sunday evening. They were both on duty responding to incidents reported via phone calls. However, it has since surfaced that the reported incidents were hoax. The PM, during the press conference, was in the company of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Pholile Shakantu. Dlamini said government could not sit back and watch these terrorists intimidate emaSwati. He said the security agents would stand up against the terrorists. He said government would not even bother to dialogue with such people, whom he referred to as batsakatsi. Wase wakhuluma yini nebatsakatsi, ngoba akusibobantfu labaphilako laba batsakatsi? said the PM in vernacular. He said government would do everything to protect the lives of emaSwati, and to restore peace and order in the country. These criminals and their enablers will face the full might of the law, said Dlamini. The prime minister said government was already out in full force conducting investigations and gathering the necessary information that would help to decisively deal with the criminals behind these acts. He said government committed to every citizen that it was deploying all its assets internally, as well as regionally to hunt down these terrorists and bring them to book, while exposing their enablers. He strongly condemned the senseless killing of State security officers, as well as the sporadic arson and terrorist attacks on public and private property, perpetuated by unknown criminals hiding behind veiled motives. He noted that the safety of emaSwati across all four regions was now under threat as this group of criminals continued to wage a senseless assault on the people. The PM noted that this spate of crimes and its effects had now reached a level in which it had, and would, affect the lives of all emaSwati in one way or another. He said it was no doubt that this was not through the consent of emaSwati. He said it, therefore, begged the question as to who was it for and what did that person or persons stand to benefit from it? He said the people who were behind the attacks were those who claimed to be fighting for freedom, but then the question was from whom they wanted that freedom and who was oppressing them. He said as government, they were aware that the terrorists were sponsored by foreign companies and other countries known to them. Batfola tinsambansamba emaveni lesiwatiko nekuwati nasetinhlanganweni lesitatiko nemagama ato, said the PM in vernacular. This could be loosely translated as; They are getting lump sums from known countries and organisations we even know their names. He said in most cases, those who were receiving the funds would then hire the poor emaSwati to conduct their dirty works. He said one then wondered what those sponsors were aiming to gain from the country, by sponsoring the terrorist attacks in Eswatini. He said it was clear, therefore, that these attacks were not just on government or any individual company, but on all emaSwati. He said those behind these evil acts were terrorists, hell-bent on condemning people to a state of fear and never-ending cycle of poverty. The PM further expressed that there could be no justification of such attacks, particularly when the country already had a clear laid down pathway towards reconciling differences and building a better Eswatini together. He stated that it was clear to all now that the people behind these attacks were not for the betterment of emaSwati or a better Eswatini, but selfishly pushing their terrorist agendas. He further thanked the security personnel and all emaSwati who have worked bravely and tirelessly to protect the people and the country from these cruel individuals. Embrace He urged all emaSwati to embrace the call to protect their country and their livelihoods. He said all peace-loving emaSwati should stay clear of activities that had the potential to escalate into conflict. The PM urged the nation to stay strong as the police and the army was there to protect them and hopefully the nation would cooperate. He said he was hoping that the nation would cooporate and help the government track down the criminals as they were already doing that. Dlamini said from now on, police would go out armed and in large numbers when responding to incidents. He said this when responding to questions from the media, on what would government do to ensure that police officers continued responding to incidents, and at the same time ensure their safety. The PM said from now on, police officers would not go out in pairs, as it had been happening. He said they would also be provided with the necessary protective gear, as some of them had complained about the lack of same. Dlamini emphasised that police would continue responding to incidents as there were still emaSwati who genuinely needed their service (Natural News) Exponential is defined as an increase or expansion at a rapid rate. In math, you might think of the whole number 2 to the 5th power, where 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 quickly becomes 32. This is a perfect example of what the spike protein injections are doing to catapult inflammation in the body and exponentially exacerbate pre-existing conditions, to the point where people are dropping dead from blood clots, cancer tumors, vital organ failure, heart attacks and strokes out of the blue. Its called SADS, or sudden adult death syndrome, and the main culprits are the Fauci Flu jabs the data even proves it. Vaccine side effects and adverse events include INFLAMMATION because many of the excipients, adjuvants, breeding agents and emulsifiers used to manufacture vaccines cause moderate to severe allergic reactions, including GMOs, peanut oil, dairy, animal blood, human abortion cells, formaldehyde, MSG, toxic spike proteins, and the list goes on. Just check the CDCs very own website pink-book that lists all these ingredients in most vaccinations. Chronic inflammation post-Covid-vaccination now becoming a pandemic itself Most Americans are already suffering from chronic inflammation due to their daily, toxic food and beverage choices, not to mention toxic medicines and care products. One third of all Americans are overweight, and half of those folks are obese. One third of all Americans are also currently battling one or more of the following: cancer, diabetes, and/or heart disease. All of these diseases and disorders are driven by one main common factor chronic inflammation. Now most of these folks have billions of microscopic blood-clogging particles called spike proteins throughout their vascular system, polluting vital organs, including the heart, the brain, the liver, the kidneys and the pancreas. Chronic inflammation is a response by the immune system that can continue long after you get a spike protein injection, whether by payload (J&J), or by mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna). Spike proteins are clogging the vascular system of every injected human, causing acute inflammation and auto-immune disorder. The bodys immune system is recognizing all of the spike proteins, no matter where they are located in the body, as an enemy, because they resemble a virus. For example, when the toxic spike proteins travel to the pancreas, the immune system attacks the pancreas, and when the toxic spike proteins travel to the baby in the pregnant mothers womb, the mothers immune system attacks the baby or placenta, causing spontaneous miscarriage. Long term exposure to irritants causes chronic and acute inflammation, causing life-threatening health issues and exacerbating existing diseases and disorders So its not that the COVID virus directly targets areas, its the vaccine-induced inflammation from the spike proteins (toxic irritants and prions) that spread throughout the vascular system and vital organs that exacerbates pre-existing health conditions. Thats why cancer, diabetes and heart disease turn into SADS. Heart and brain inflammation are massive problems and not uncommon from COVID jabs, even though the mass media and the vaccine industrial complex are trying their best to cover them all up. As the spike proteins clot and clog the vascular system, victims of the clot shots are experiencing life-threatening issues almost immediately, just hours, days or weeks after injection. Severe allergies are rearing their ugly heads after COVID-19 vaccines pollute the body systems. Myocarditis is in the news everywhere for clot shot victims, even the mainstream news cant ignore it. The cover-up itself is coming undone, and the true pandemic is the diseases and disorders now prominent due to the spike protein injections. Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental emergency only vaccines that spread Wuhan Coronavirus and offer zero protection against it. Sources for this article include: Healthline.com CDC.gov/vaccines Stuff.co.nz (Natural News) In order to get around the laborious process of having to show proof of safety and efficacy before releasing new reformulated versions of their Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines, pharmaceutical behemoths Pfizer and Moderna are exploiting a mechanism called regulatory capture that allows for these new drugs to be released without any additional clinical trials. Thanks to a new Future Framework system that is scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on June 28 and it is almost certain to pass these two Big Pharma companies will be allowed to rush the release of new injections every time there is a new variant of the Chinese Flu reported in the media. Much like flu shots and influenza, the Fauci Flu is being branded as a virus that is constantly changing, and thus requires new injections for every new strain. To accommodate this on behalf of Big Pharma, the FDA is poised to eliminate the normal clinical trial process, allowing new jabs to be produced and released immediately. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a bad candidate for a vaccine, as it has rapidly mutated, which is why all previous attempts to develop a vaccine against coronaviruses have failed (they never made it out of animal trials because the animals died during challenge trials or were injured by the vaccine), reports the Brownstone Institute. What are some of the bad things that can happen when you vaccinate against a rapidly evolving virus? Original antigenic sin, antibody-dependent enhancement, and the possibility of accelerating the evolution of the virus in ways that make it more virulent (and even more resistant to vaccination) are some known negative impacts. Covid evolves 10 times faster than influenza, claims scientist At an April 6 meeting of VRBPAC, Trevor Bedford, who runs his own laboratory at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, explained that he believes the Chinese Virus is mutating at a rate of up to 10 times faster than seasonal flu. These mutations, he says, substantially reduce the effectiveness of the original shots, which makes sense since vaccines for viruses have never really worked due to their constantly changing nature. Some members of VRBPAC were outraged by these scientific admissions because they suggest that the vaccines are a complete waste and do absolutely nothing to protect people against disease but never fear, there is another vaccine for that! The FDA is busy paving the way to making injections for the Fauci Flu a seasonal affair. Every year, or perhaps half year, a person can go get a new shot with a new formulation of ingredients, and each one will be rushed to market at warp speed with no additional clinical trials necessary. The only way out of the pandemic is to withdraw these vaccines from the market and pivot to therapeutics, Brownstone adds. Instead, the FDA is proposing to abandon clinical trials in connection with these vaccines altogether. The purpose of the Future Framework is to rig the Covid-19 vaccine regulatory process in perpetuity in favor of the pharmaceutical industry. If this Future Framework is approved, all future Covid-19 shots regardless of the formulation will automatically be deemed safe and effective without additional clinical trials, because they are considered biologically similar to existing shots. As if the original shots were not already experimental enough, now the FDA wants to let Big Pharma take shots in the dark and inject who-knows-what into peoples bodies with no additional testing required. Does this sound like science-based medicine to you? The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at Immunization.news. Sources for this article include: Brownstone.org NaturalNews.com (Natural News) In protest- and riot-hit Ecuador, regular people are continuing to suffer due to food and fuel shortages and price spikes. Tens of thousands of Ecuadorians all over the country are currently embroiled in demonstrations, strikes and violent protests, putting the country at a near standstill as the global spike in food prices and the constricting of the supply of food and fuel inflame discontent all over the world. (Related: Glimpse of the future: Protests, violence put a spotlight on Sri Lankas collapsing economy.) In Ecuadors capital Quito, resident and food vendor Mariana Morales said she has been unable to open her stall at the Santa Clara market in the citys north because of a lack of produce. The rest of the market also went from being filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables to having tarp-covered display cases, empty trays and deserted stalls. Some were forced to close for several days due to severe food shortages. This led some fresh produce to go to waste. Morales, in an interview with Paolo Lopez of AFP, showed the journalist a bunch of rotten peppers that she could have sold if not for the market closure. The peppers were brand new and now its all wasted, she said. Worse yet, Morales has not gone back to the wholesale market to restock her goods due to the explosion in prices. A bag of carrots that used to cost $25 is now worth $100. In the southwestern port city of Guayaquil, the countrys second largest city, even domestically produced crops like potatoes and corn are in short supply. The situation is difficult because there is no one left to bring food from the highlands, said Rosa, who has sold vegetables in Guayaquil for over 15 years. Guayaquils supply center normally receives nearly 3,000 truckloads of food from the Andean highlands every day. This figure has since dropped by almost 70 percent. Before, I was sold a kilo of tomatoes for half a dollar. Now it costs me a dollar, said Silvana Quimi, a resident of Guayaquil, commenting on how food prices have doubled within the span of just one week. Everything is too expensive now. Prices have also doubled in the capital, where a bunch of bananas which used to cost around $1 now costs over $2. What is available costs an arm and a leg, said Agustin Pazmino, a trader from Quito. Protests making economic collapse worse The protests have made deteriorating conditions in Ecuador including rising prices, shortages and diminishing economic activity even worse. One of the largest protests included close to 10,000 protesters who established numerous roadblocks and other barricades in the main roads and highways throughout the country, especially the extremely vital Pan-American Highway that runs through the whole length of the country. The Energy ministry warned that if the roadblocks arent dismantled, they could end up forcing oil production to cease within two days, which would only exacerbate collapse conditions for the countrys developing economy, which still relies heavily on oil exports. The blockades are being led by CONAIE, Ecuadors powerful confederation of organizations that represent the countrys indigenous population. The confederation has 10 demands, including freezing fuel prices, placing a moratorium on bank debts, subsiding the price of fertilizer and putting an end to mining in indigenous territories. In response to the blockades and the deteriorating economic situation, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in six provinces, accusing the protesters of not actually demonstrating over the economic crisis but wanting to overthrow him and his conservative government. CONAIE leader Leonidas Iza, a known anti-capitalist, has also refused to meet with government representatives unless Lasso lifts the state of emergency, withdraws law enforcement officials from the streets and meets at least some of the confederations most popular demands. The state does not want to listen to public opinion, claimed CONAIE communications chief Andres Tapia. Iza had hoped the president would give us an answer, [but] days later theres no response, only violent repression. Juan Carlos Holguin, Ecuadors foreign minister, said during an interview with the Financial Times that the government is exhausting all possible channels of dialogue with indigenous protesters in order to restore stability to the country, but attempts to reach out have so far been unsuccessful because the demonstrations have been infiltrated by radicals and criminal organizations. From day one, weve been open to the process of mediation. its the other side that has been unwilling to accept dialogue, said Holguin, condemning the massive amount of violence against people and property. Learn more about the collapse of food supplies everywhere at FoodCollapse.com. Watch this clip from Ecuador as an indigenous peoples organization calls for a general strike against the surge in food and fuel prices. This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com. More related articles: Germany moves to stage two of emergency gas plan, citing high risk of long-term energy shortages. Trucker warning: Youll see chaos as people fight for the basic necessities of everyday life shocking updates on the supply chain crisis and food shortages. Sri Lankan army unit fires into crowd of protesters as unrest over fuel and food shortages spreads. Import-reliant Singapore now feeling the pinch of FOOD INFLATION. UK National Farmers Union head: Crops are being wasted while food banks are being stretched thin. Sources include: News.Yahoo.com TheGuardian.com FT.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Millions of people mandated by governments around the world to wear face masks may soon find themselves with damaged lungs. Reports emerged that some manufacturers have included graphene coatings to their face masks in an attempt to inactivate the virus. The Conversation reported that manufacturers added graphene coatings on their reusable and disposable face masks to add some anti-virus protection. But there is a theoretical risk that breathing through a graphene-coated mask will liberate graphene particles that make it through the other filter layers on the mask and penetrate the lung. The report noted that if inhaled, the body may not remove these particles rapidly enough to prevent lung damage. According to a September 2020 short review of the scientific literature and published guidance and reports concerning face coverings, the Environmental Modelling Group and New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group prepared a report for the United Kingdom government. The report stated that there is a lack of good evidence relating to the wearing of face coverings, with very little data relating to (the) duration of wearing. On March 26, 2021, the Quebec provincial government removed face masks from schools and day-care centers after Health Canada warned that inhaling the graphene could lead to asbestos-like lung damage. The masks were produced in China and sold and distributed by Quebec-based manufacturer Metallifer. About 4.6 million graphene-coated masks were dispersed to schools by the Quebec government, although it was uncertain how broadly the masks were used. On April 2, 2021, Health Canada asked Canadians not to use face masks that include graphene or biomass graphene and released a recall of those masks. (Related: Wearing face masks coated in graphene can cause serious lung problems, warns Health Canada.) Meanwhile, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products on April 15, 2021, called for voluntary removal of the marketing of masks that contain graphene and started a probe into the hazard of pulmonary toxicity when inhaling graphene nanoparticles and stated that it is recommended that these masks not be used. In early June 2021, Public Health France warned French hospitals not to use face masks that included biomass graphene. However, 16.9 million face masks that possibly include graphene had already been dispensed from an order made in April 2020 of about 60.5 million masks made in China. Graphene masks manufacturers issue comments Zen Graphene Solutions, a Canadian company that created the graphene-based virucidal ink reported to be 99 percent effectiveness against Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), said that it is aware of the latest claims and is aligned and supportive of the steps taken to regulate the use of graphene and remove products that are unsafe for the public. It went on to say that its own products have been discovered to be safe in several comprehensive testing. NanoXplore, another Canadian company, gave an update on the regulatory approval of its GrapheneBlack material. It said that on September 4, 2020, it received approval under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to produce and sell its GrapheneBlack in any quantity in Canada for commercial uses as an additive in plastics, thermosetting composites, paints and coatings and as a part of battery electrodes. Meanwhile, the Graphene Council stated that Health Canadas decision for a blanket stop to all sales and distribution of any and all graphene-laced face masks will likely harm legitimate and trustworthy producers and suppliers. Graphene is a thin but powerful and conductive two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms that can help prevent the spread of microbes by mechanically damaging the viruses and cells that pass them. Its negatively charged and highly mobile electrons electrostatically trap and inactivate viruses and cells aside from causing cells to generate oxygen-free radicals that damage and impair their cellular metabolism. Visit BadMedicine.news for more on the health risks associated with wearing face masks. Watch the video below to know more about Dr. Joe Schwarczs explanation of graphene face masks. This video is from the TKWK T.V channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Federal judge strikes down national mask mandate covering airports, airplanes and other public travel. Study finds MICROPLASTIC fibers from FACE MASKS lodged in human lungs. Face masks are laced with cancer-causing toxic chemicals. Sources include: Expose-News.com TheConversation.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) The problem of human trafficking may seem to be an isolated case in the United States, but estimates from the Department of State have put the number of trafficking victims in America yearly between 14,500 and 17,500. According to the 2021 Federal Human Trafficking Report released last June 17, more than half of all trafficking victims in the U.S. are minors. (Related: More than 70 kids rescued from trafficking ring in multi-state operation) Of the approximately 450 human trafficking victims involved in the latest U.S. criminal cases in 2021, 57 percent were minors based on the report from the Human Trafficking Institute (HTI). The extensive data collected in the 2021 Federal Human Trafficking Report makes it a fantastic tool for both practitioners and the public to evaluate our response to combating human trafficking through the Federal justice system, Lindsey Lane, HTI senior legal counsel, said in a statement. In all criminal trafficking cases recorded last year, 92 percent were sex trafficking cases and eight percent were forced labor trafficking cases. The federal courts convicted traffickers in 96 percent of cases presented in 2021. The states of Texas, Florida and Georgia implicated the most criminal human trafficking suspects last year. The districts that indicted the most defendants accused of trafficking minors for sex in 2021 were southern Texas, South Carolina, southern Florida, eastern New York, southern Illinois, middle Florida, eastern Arkansas, eastern Texas, Nebraska, eastern Michigan and northern Illinois. Prosecution is an essential component of the U.S. anti-human trafficking response. This data makes it easy to understand trends in prosecution between 2000 and 2021, providing valuable insights we can use to ensure traffickers are brought to justice for years to come, Lane added. Majority of sex trafficking victims were recruited online The human trafficking research organization stated in its report that since 2000, 55 percent of sex trafficking victims have been recruited online, usually through social media platforms, online chat rooms, messaging apps, dating apps or advertisements. Traffickers soliciting buyers online made up the enormous majority (85 percent) of trafficking cases filed in the U.S. last year. Of all the latest trafficking victims reported last year, 64 percent were sex trafficking victims and 36 percent were forced labor victims. A massive 93 percent of forced labor victims were foreign nationals trafficked into America. As stated in the report, most forced labor trafficking victims were driven by fraudulent job and visa promises. While overall trafficking cases filed in 2021 declined by 22 percent compared to 2020, criminal forced labor cases rose by 22 percent. According to HTI, there are 16 states and four U.S. territories that have never filed a federal criminal forced labor complaint. HTI also announced the launch of a new website that aims to assist researchers, reporters and the general public to sort through data on human trafficking in America. To celebrate the fifth Federal Human Trafficking Report, we are including an interactive component to our data to make the report even more useful to policymakers, prosecutors, researchers and reporters looking to learn more about how the United States is enforcing its human trafficking laws. This website provides all of us with necessary data to improve our collective efforts to fight human trafficking, HTI CEO Victor Boutrous said in a release. Human trafficking is a serious problem with major signs to watch out for. While the signs will not be the same in all cases, some common ones include physical abuse, constantly appearing to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, malnourishment and harsh signs of mental illness like depression, anxiety, stress and paranoia. People must also be on the lookout for teenagers who spend time with generally older and or gang-associated buddies as they may also be trafficking victims as well. Meanwhile, a shocking piece of footage showed a human sex trafficking victim being beaten and forced into a car in broad daylight outside some shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. Fortunately, witnesses at the scene intervened, which allowed the 17-year-old victim to escape from her tormentors. The victim was 16 when she was kidnapped. She had been held and abused for a year before eventually escaping. Follow Trafficking.news for more news about human trafficking in America. Watch the video below to know how the Biden Administration has lost 45,000 children through human trafficking. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Sick and twisted: Kamala Harris comes out in favor of human trafficking of children across the open U.S. border. BOMBSHELL: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden built an international crime syndicate with ties to human trafficking organizations, prostitution, money laundering, bribery and extortion. Alex Jones reveals MASSIVE child trafficking scheme operating in plain sight at US border while local police watch and do nothing. Child trafficking in America is REAL, and this teen was kidnapped from a basketball game crowd and sex trafficked for 11 days before being rescued. Massive child sex trafficking ring busted, ran for decades, protected by police in exchange for sex. Sources include: 100PercentFedUp.com News.Yahoo.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) British pathologist and researcher Dr. Clare Craig said Pfizers trial for its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for babies as young as six months should be deemed null and void. She pointed to the trials numerous flaws and misrepresentations to back up her argument. Craig, co-chair of the Health Advisory and Recovery Team (HART) group, recorded a six-minute video where she analyzed the data from Pfizers COVID-19 jab trial in children ages six months to four years. After collating information from Pfizers emergency use authorization (EUA) application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of the drug in young children, she found that the vaccinated group contracted the virus in greater numbers than the placebo group. However, the pharmaceutical giant misreported the data to show instead that the vaccine was marginally more effective at preventing the infection. Theres an awful lot about this trial that has shocked me, and I think it will shock you too, Craig said in her videos opening. She said that the trial recruited 4,526 children aged six months to four years old, but over 3,000 did not make it a staggering rate of attrition. Craig then called on Pfizer to explain why two-thirds of the participants dropped out. Furthermore, Craig found in the appendix of Pfizers EUA application that the trial appeared to have lowered the bar for what was considered to be a case of severe COVID-19 in children. Prior to the vaccine trial, a child was considered to have severe COVID-19 if they required mechanical ventilation, dialysis, or other invasive treatments. However, the trial counted cases of participants expressing a slightly raised heart rate of a few more breaths per minute in the COVID-19 case count. The medical expert remarked that Pfizer utterly twisted [vaccine trial data] and urged parents to demand that the decision makers explain themselves. Pfizer scientists ignored weeks of data in flawed trial Craig continued that Pfizer scientists ignored weeks of data in their flawed vaccine trial. The Pfizer vaccines proposed primary regimen for children was three doses with the first two taken three weeks apart and the final dose to be given eight weeks after the second. But as early as the initial three-week period, 34 of the vaccinated children got COVID-19 compared to only 13 children in the placebo group. However, Pfizer ignored this data and maintained the eight week gap between the second and third doses. Aside from this, Craig added that Pfizer scientists turned a blind eye to the 97 percent of COVID-19 cases that occurred following the third dose. A week after the second round of vaccine efficacy averaged around 24 percent among 3,954 children. However, this was ultimately faulty as they were comparing three children who have been vaccinated to seven who have been injected with a placebo and did not have the virus after the third dose. Pfizer claimed an average efficacy of 78.9 percent from only ten children, and they said that this showed that the vaccine was effective, according to Craig. (Related: More people died following Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine vs. a placebo during clinical trial.) The trial further accounted for children who contracted the disease twice in the two-month follow-up period, with Craig noting that 12 children had COVID twice and all but one of them were vaccinated, mostly with three doses. She also asked how an ethics committee could have approved the trial in babies when they are not at risk from COVID, although Pfizer presented their data as evidence to the FDA for their EUA. Pfizer, in their own trial, had to make up other ways of measuring the problem because of the lack of serious injury or death. Visit Vaccines.news for more updates about the Pfizer vaccines. Watch the video below for Craigs explanation about why the FDA should have denied approval of the Pfizer vaccines for children. This video is from the In Search for Truth channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: IMMUNE TO LIABILITY: Once Pfizers mRNA clot shots are approved for kids, Pfizer will face ZERO liability for injuries, disease, or death caused by them. Matrixxx Groove: COVID vaccine is a bioweapon that is killing kids. Pfizer-sponsored NBC News caught lying about COVID and kids. Childrens Health Defense to sue FDA over fraudulent Pfizer covid vaccine approval. UKs Pfizer report reveals SHOCKING VACCINE INJURIES and deaths from the covid jab. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com Spectator.com.au Brighteon.com (Natural News) Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) just introduced the Protect Minors from Malpractice Act, which would allow adult transgenders to sue the doctors who mutilated their bodies while they were still minors. Also sponsored by the House Republican Study Committee, the bill would empower trans patients or their legal guardians to sue medical providers for declaratory or injunctive relief up to 30 years after the patient turns 18. These individuals would also be allowed to sue for compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees. Gender-transition procedures arent safe or appropriate for children, Cotton said in a statement. Unfortunately, radical doctors in the United States perform dangerous, experimental, and even sterilizing gender-transition procedures on young kids, who cannot even provide informed consent. Our bill allows children who grow up to regret these procedures to sue for damages. Any doctor who performs these irresponsible procedures on kids should pay. Cottons bill cites a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlining everything the Biden regime has in store for America if it refuses to accept the transgender mutilation of children as normal. Bidens HHS wants gender-affirming care to be accessible to all children as early as possible. Such care includes giving them puberty-blocking pharmaceuticals, cross-sex hormone drugs, and all the affirmation and praise they need to keep on destroying their bodies. The legislation would also bar the federal government from forcing medical practitioners to administer such treatments, as well as block federal funding from every state that attempts to do the same. The Biden administration released official guidance recommending irreversible and life-altering surgery for minors too young to apply for a learners permit, announced Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. These procedures lack any solid evidence and have been rejected by public health agencies around the world. Ten years from now, there will be hundreds of thousands of Americans who were permanently scarred by the radical Lefts agenda before they reached adulthood. Is continue to vote enough to stop the trannification of America? The chances of this or any other similar legislation passing and getting signed into law are slim apart from a massive red wave this November not to mention a subsequent victory in 2024, should the world last that long. Unfortunately, there is a lot that can still happen between now and then to drive the last nail into our countrys coffin, not the least of which is the permanent abolition of free and fair elections. Many would argue that the fraudulent 2020 election already solidified the end of free and fair elections in America, and that it will no longer be possible to win much of anything ever again unless dramatic changes are made to root out all the corruption. Why is an Air Force major the chief of adolescent medicine? asked a commenter at Headline USA about a headline photo depicting Air Force Maj. David Klein of Fort Belvoir Community Hospital administering gender-affirming care to a 13-year-old boy named Jenn Brewer who is trying to become a girl with hormones and surgery. Meanwhile, vaccine makers are still exempt from mass murder lawsuits for the jab, added another about how Republicans are still not tackling the elephant in the room known as Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines. Over at Natural News, a commenter added that the Biden regime is guilty of so much treason that it is just embarrassing nobody on the right is willing to tackle that elephant, either. What do patriots do when their government no longer works? asked another rhetorically. The latest news about the trannification of the United States can be found at Transhumanism.news. Sources for this article include: HeadlineUSA.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Police officers who initially responded to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last month are being called out as cowards for their abject failure to more rapidly engage the 18-year-old shooter who massacred 19 fourth-grade children and two adults. One recent report, for instance, said that Uvalde Police and other first-in law enforcement officers waited more than 75 minutes before engaging the shooter at Robb Elementary School. Now, the top Texas law enforcement officer is adding fuel to the fire with a claim that officers could have actually engaged with, and stopped, the 18-year-old gunman within minutes. The fact that they did not was an abject failure on their part, according to the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Theres compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything weve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre, said Col. Steve McCraw, the departments director. Three minutes after the subject entered the West building, there was a sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to isolate, distract, and neutralize the subject, McCraw continued. The only thing stopping the hallway of dedicated officers from entering rooms 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children, he continued. One error; 14 minutes and eight seconds, the director said of the young students desperately waiting in two classrooms for someone to come save them from the lunatic who was murdering them. McCraw went on to testify that officers were, in part, waiting for a key that was not needed. I have great reasons to believe it was never secured, he testified. How about trying the door and seeing if its locked? BREAKING: Texas DPS Director CONFIRMS Uvalde officers never even checked to see if the doors to the classrooms were locked Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022 Obviously, not enough training was done in this situation, plain and simple. Because terrible decisions were made by the on-site commander, McCraw said during testimony before a state Senate committee on Tuesday, blasting the officer in charge. Parents and others have also blasted the officers who were first on the scene for refusing to engage the shooter much more quickly. McCraws testimony appears to justify their anger and in no uncertain terms. One mother said she was briefly handcuffed for trying to get past officers to get into the school to get her two sons. After they released her, she did just that. The police were doing nothing, mother Angeli Rose Gomez accused, according to The Wall Street Journal. They were just standing outside the fence. They werent going in there or running anywhere. Gomez said she was one of the numerous parents waiting outside the school who began encouraging first politely, and then with more urgency police and other law enforcement to enter the school sooner, the Journal report outlined. After a few minutes, she said, U.S. Marshals put her in handcuffs, telling her she was being arrested for intervening in an active investigation, the paper added. Desperate to reach her children, the mother said she was able to convince local Uvalde officers whom she knew to get the marshals to un-cuff her. Once freed from her cuffs, Ms. Gomez made her distance from the crowd, jumped the school fence, and ran inside to grab her two children, the report detailed. She sprinted out of the school with them. Earlier this week, the San Antonio Express reported that security footage at the Robb Elementary School shows that cops waited some 77 minutes before they even tried to open two doors into the classrooms where the children and adults were being murdered. The performance of these officers who are sworn to protect and serve is a disgrace. Sources include: CitizenFreePress.com ExpressNews.com (Natural News) Our latest poll is devastating for the official narrative: a 6.6% rate of heart injury (>10M Americans) 2.7% are unable to work after being vaccinated (>5M Americans), 6.3% had to be hospitalized (>10M Americans) you were more likely to die from COVID if youve taken the vaccine. Almost as many (77.4%) households lost someone from the vaccines as from COVID. If you believe that 1M people in the US have died from COVID, then this survey indicates that over 750,000 people died from the vaccine (10.18/13.15*1M). (Article by Steve Kirsch republished from SteveKirsch.Substack.com) With a 500 sample size, the results can vary by a factor of 2 (or possibly more) between runs, so well be re-running the poll with a larger sample size (10,000). But even if the rates in this survey are off by a factor of 10, these results are still devastating. The ever-vigilant CDC hasnt found anyone who has died from the mRNA vaccines. Not a single person. So thats a gap of 750,000 people. Thats a big gap. Someone isnt telling you the truth. Anyone can run our poll for $500 if you dont believe us. I predict nobody in mainstream media will touch this because they dont want to know the truth. This is a poll that nobody who is pro-vaccine wants you to see. The poll will be ignored by the mainstream media, even when we rerun it with 8,000 people and get the same results. You can bank on that. We used a professional to draft most of the survey questions and skip logic for our Jun 25 survey. Here are the key takeaways from the Jun 25 survey. We use stratified counts throughout since these are normalized based on the US demographics: 380 of the 500 people who took the poll were vaccinated after normalization [Q1] Only 34% of Americans are drinking the Kool-Aid and getting >2 doses [Q1] 2.63% of the households (13.15/500) had someone who died from the COVID virus [Q19] 2.03% of the households (10.18/500) reported a death from the vaccine in their household [Q15]. This is stunning because it shows that the vaccine has killed almost as many people as the COVID virus has. The authorities say that COVID has killed over 1M people in the US so this suggests that 774,000 people were killed by the vaccine (10.18/13.15=77.4%). How can that be a safe vaccine? Computed another way, there are 123M households in the US. If 2% of those experienced just one vaccine death, then that is 2.4M deaths. Even if this is overestimated by a factor of 10X, this is devastating for the vaccine narrative. There is simply no way to spin this. This is why the fact checkers and mainstream media will avoid this survey. 2.7% of the people who took the vaccine (10.43/380) are so injured they are unable to work [Q7A2]. This is a disaster. So this is 2.7% of the 200M vaccinated people ages 18 and older: >5M severely injured people who cant work. I dont know how they will spin this as a positive. 16.7% (63.7/380) of the people who took the vaccine consider themselves vaccine injured [Q2]. So thats >30M vaccine injured. I dont know how they will spin this as a positive. The survey shows a 6.6% rate of heart injury post-vaccine according to the poll (24.97/380 [Q3]). This is stunning because these are of the people taking the survey reporting their own injury. Nobody could know this better than the survey taker. This is 1,000X higher than the CDC told us. Per Gavi, The CDC researchers estimated there might be a maximum of 70 cases of myocarditis out of a million second doses given to boys ages 12 to 17. How could the CDC underestimate this severe adverse event by 3 orders of magnitude?!!? There is something seriously wrong here. Our survey is well within 1 order of magnitude with other rates weve been told. This represents 13.3M million people who are seriously injured, probably for life. 9.2% (35/380) of the people who took the vaccine had to seek medical help for their injury. [Q4]. Thats 18M doctor visits. 6.3% (23.83/380) of the people who took the vaccine had to be hospitalized for their vaccine injury [Q5] Thats over 12M hospitalizations. 3.7% (18.83/500) of the households had a person with a heart condition due to the vaccine [Q14]. Since there are 123M households, this is 4.5M new heart conditions. This is a lower estimate than the direct injury above suggesting that people answering this question were answering it for people other than themselves (since otherwise the rate would be higher than the 6.6% direct rate above). So this is a another estimate on the number of new heart conditions. If you got a COVID infection, its 17% (36.4/30.98) [Q17] more likely that you were vaccinated, suggesting the vaccine could be making things worse. If you died from COVID, it was 72% more likely you died after getting the vaccine (6.81/3.95) [Q22]. We were told the opposite by the government. 46% are planning on getting more vaccines [Q23]. A total of 24.6% of all people are sheep, i.e., even if they are told the vaccine has a good chance of disabling them for life, they will do what the government recommends. These percentages are approximately what is predicted by mass formation theory. Most people (65%) believed that the hospital treatments for COVID may be responsible for killing people that they lost to COVID, not COVID [Q20] Latest survey Here is the skip logic Earlier survey See my earlier article. No change. It was done by a professional polling organization. If you start the first question, youre counted. You cant tell anything about the survey from the first question. The poll size is only 500 since these are test runs. Therefore, the numbers for the final results could be off by a factor of 5 in the worst case. But even if all numbers are a factor of 5 lower, this vaccine is still a complete disaster and should be immediately halted. Well happily do an interactive session where we show you all the data and the poll results so you can verify they werent tampered with. You can even reach out to Pollfish to verify the survey results are legit. We have nothing to hide. Well give you the data files so you can run the poll yourself. But nobodys going to fact check this because it would just draw attention to it. So they will have to ignore this and pretend it didnt happen. Thats what fact checkers do when the facts dont support the narrative they are paid to support. Well adjust some of the questions again (the myocarditis question will ask about the rates of each type of heart damage) and re-run the survey. Then well increase the size to 8,000 people to overcome the it was a small sample objection. The bottom line is this: the mainstream media, the medical community, public health officials, members of Congress, CDC, the fact checkers, or anyone else who is pro-vaccine will never run a poll like this to find out the truth. They dont want to know the truth and, more importantly, they dont want you to know the truth either. Please share this with all your friends. Read more at: SteveKirsch.Substack.com (Natural News) The recently concluded 2022 Digital News Report highlighted the U.S. as having the least-trusted media in the world. The report found that 29 percent of respondents avoid the news because it cannot be trusted. News trust in the U.S. also spiraled further down by three percent and remained at the bottom place with only 26 percent. (Related: Trust in the mainstream media continues to collapse amid a torrent of fake news and fabricated narratives.) Interest remained high during the Trump years but seems to have declined significantly since Joe Biden became president. Today, less than half of our sample (47 percent) say they are very or extremely interested in the news compared with 67 percent in 2015, Ric Newman, senior research associate, wrote in the study overview. The studys eleventh edition, conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, is based on data from six continents and 46 markets. Only about 42 percent expressed trust in most news. It also stated that trust in the news plummeted in almost half the countries and rose in just seven, partly reversing the gains made at the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The report, which aims to provide an understanding of how differently the news environment operates outside the U.S. and Europe, tapped a more global sample by including several other countries. In nations like the U.K., Argentina, Brazil and Spain, interest in news had been on a downward trend for some time. Meanwhile, trust toward the news in Finland stayed at the highest levels at 69 percent. While the majority remain very engaged, others are turning away from the news media and in some cases, disconnecting from news altogether. Interest in the news has fallen sharply across markets, from 63 percent in 2017 to 51 percent in 2022. People are tired of hearing the news The paper also observed that interest in news and overall news consumption has declined in many countries, with news fatigue being noticed. Selective news avoidance also turned out to be rampant around the world. While the majority of people across countries still use the news regularly, many also limit their exposure to it or at least to certain types of news. This is not just around COVID-19 but around politics and a range of other subjects, with the number of people actively avoiding news increasing markedly, the study stated. Respondents mentioned different reasons for avoiding the news, with 43 percent saying they are put off by the repetitiveness of the news agenda, especially regarding politics and COVID-19. Meanwhile, 29 percent said they often feel worn out by the news. Thirty-six percent, particularly those aged 35 and below, said the news brings down their mood. Seventeen percent said the news leads to arguments they would rather avoid, while 16 percent said watching the news leads to feelings of powerlessness. I actively avoid things that trigger my anxiety and things that can have a negative impact on my day. I will try to avoid reading news about things like deaths and disasters, a 27-year-old male respondent from the U.K. stated. The report further mentioned that 14 percent do not have enough time for news, and eight percent said that it is too hard to understand. According to Newman, American respondents whose political views lean right are far more likely to avoid the news because they think it is untrustworthy or biased. Those on the left do so because they are more likely to feel overwhelmed, carry feelings of powerlessness or worry that the news might create arguments. Watch the video below that talks about mainstream news media refusing to report on vaccine protests. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Poll finds only 10% of Americans trust media on COVID, 30% trust Fauci. Trust in mainstream media continues to tank, led by CNNs abysmal numbers: Nobody trusts CNN except the stupid. More Americans trust President Trump than the discredited fake news mainstream media. Sources include: Breitbart.com ReutersInstitute.Politics.ox.ac.uk Reuters.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Russian forces may have met a lot more resistance in Ukraine than their commanders and President Vladimir Putin initially anticipated, but as the fighting continues, Moscows superior numbers are taking a heavy toll on Kyivs defenders. According to a report on RT.com, at least two thousand Ukrainian troops including the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion are now trapped in the eastern Donbas region after having been surrounded by Russian troops, Chechen fighters and Ukrainian rebels. The soldiers are encircled in two neighboring towns in the Lugansk Peoples Republic, the report said, referencing a region of Ukraine that has been annexed by Putin and renamed. Four Ukrainian battalions as well as an artillery unit are among those trapped, the Defense Ministry announced. The encircled forces also include around 120 fighters from the notorious Right Sector, a neo-Nazi group of up to 80 foreign fighters, according to the ministry, the report continued. You may recall that one of Putins objectives for invading Ukraine was its denazification. The encircled Ukrainian troops are in the towns of Gorskoye and Zolotoye, located south of the major cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Those cities have recently been targeted by both sides as they continue to trade ground and fight over the territory of Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics, RT.com reported. The report adds: The Russian military has also claimed that the trapped units have lost over 60% of their strength. According to the defense ministry, 41 Ukrainian soldiers encircled in the area have surrendered. The Defense Ministry has also published a video supposedly showing those who have laid down their arms. The head of the Ukrainian Gorskoye military administration, Aleksey Babchenko, confirmed to the Ukrainian media on Friday that the town has been fully seized by the Russian forces and the Donbass militias. Sergey Gaidai, who is called the head of the Lugansk Oblast by the Ukrainian government in Kyiv, noted on the chat app Telegram that the countrys forces may soon pull back from Lysychansk because their defensive positions have been knocked out by Russian forces, and there is little sense in trying to remain. In addition, Russian warplanes have successfully targeted a Ukrainian artillery battery that was equipped with American-made M777 howitzers in the Kharkiv region. In recent days, the Biden regime had agreed to supply Ukraine with as many as 90 M777 guns, The New York Times reported in May. Russia is using its long-range fires to try to overwhelm Ukrainian positions, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week at a NATO ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, in part to figure out how to get more weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian troops being pounded by long-range Russian guns and rocket fire. The most advanced weapons the United States has so far supplied Ukraine include four HIMARS truck-mounted multiple-launch rocket launchers, with rockets that have a range of up to 40 miles, greater than anything Ukraine currently possesses. The first Ukrainian team is scheduled to complete its training on the system on Wednesday, and it will be deployed in the battlefield next week, a Biden administration official said, according to the Times. The Russian encirclement comes amid earlier reports that Moscows forces claim to have killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops during a strike on a shipbuilding plant in the Ukrainian port of Nikolaev. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry said forces killed dozens of Ukrainian officers during a strike on a compound where several Ukrainian unit commanders were meeting. The war will likely continue for months, if not years, which will no doubt leave more of Ukraine a wasteland as Russia continues to dominate in manpower, manufacturing and technology. The U.S. should be sitting this one out but wont, for some reason. Sources include: RT.com NYTimes.com Monsoon storms that entered the Valley on Sunday evening caused issues for firefighters and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport as Monday, June 27, approaches. There have been several tree fires in south Phoenix neighborhoods that are thought to have been started by lightning. According to the Phoenix Fire Department, firefighters extinguished at least three lightning-related house fires. Two were in the south of Phoenix, and one was in the north. In Arcadia, several fires were started by downed power lines close to 45th Street and Camelback Road. A facility for assisted living briefly lost power. There have been no reported injuries. Rainwater at Phoenix Sky Harbor's Terminal 3's Gate E-5 area leaked. According to officials, crews are evaluating the damage and developing a fix to stop it from happening again. Around 4:15, a convergence of two outflows, namely one from the northwest and another from the south, resulted in a few isolated thunderstorms. The first rain that was noticeable fell in parts of Mesa and Apache Junction. One spot in the South Mountain region received almost an inch of rain as a result of the storms. Phoenix Sky Harbor broke the rainfall record with 0.18 inches of rain. The previous record was 0.07 inches of rain in 1927. It has been the 14th wettest June overall so far. There have been several tree fires in south Phoenix neighborhoods that are thought to have been started by lightning. According to the Phoenix Fire Department, firefighters extinguished at least three lightning-related house fires. Two were in the south of Phoenix, and one was in the north. In Arcadia, several fires were started by downed power lines close to 45th Street and Camelback Road. A facility for assisted living briefly lost power. There have been no reported injuries, according to authorities. The Phoenix Fire Department encourages the public to take safety precautions during monsoon season. While some parts of the West Valley gathered a quarter of an inch of rain, most of the Valley was under a severe thunderstorm warning but it expired at 5:45 p.m. Meanwhile, Queen Valley and Apache Junction are under a flash flood warning lasting until 8:00 p.m., AZ Family reports. Read also: Monsoonal Moisture Continues Across the Southwest US: Heavy Rain with Flash Flooding Expected The Weather Channel 10-Day Forecast and Air Quality Alert According to The Weather Channel, partly cloudy skies will dominate the day with stray rain showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday will be met with more favorable Sunny weather with a very low chance of rain. Thursday and Friday will be met with another slew of partly cloudy skies as the chance for scattered rain showers rise to 15%. Sunday, July 3, gets the highest chance (24%) of rainfall among the next 10 days. Monday will herald a very low chance of rainfall for the succeeding days. However, the lowest temperature for the next 10 days will happen on Tuesday night, July 5, at 82 degrees. Arizona will be the host of skies that play around sunny and mostly sunny starting this Saturday, The Weather Channel reports on their website. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has extended an Ozone High Pollution Advisory for the Phoenix Metro Area through Monday at 9 p.m. This means that local maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations that pose a health risk are anticipated as a result of the forecasted weather conditions combined with the current ozone levels. As air quality declines, negative health effects become more pronounced. Ozone is an air contaminant that can make it difficult for people to breathe, including elderly people, children, and those who already have respiratory issues. It's advised to cut back on physical activity. The public is urged to carpool, work from home, or take public transportation. Reduce or postpone using gasoline-powered equipment during the day. Related article: Storm Alert: Nearly 20,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded in New Zealand Recently A lightning strike hit and destroyed a boat off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, on Saturday, June 25. It left seven people floating and stranded in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, several miles away from the shore amid a severe weather. The US Coast Guard eventually rescued the passengers from the capsized vessel. The lightning fork reportedly tore the boat into pieces and disabling it from functioning, but did not injured any of the passengers. One of them captured the incident through a video, which showed that the lightning bolt resembled a bright white light and orange sparks, causing a smoke and fire. The lightning occurred amid weather forecasts of a severe storm in multiple regions nationwide, including in the Southeast US. The incident also transpired ahead of a brewing weather disturbances in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, where one of it has been forecast to become at least a tropical depression. Lightning strikes have been perceived to rarely strike humans and other animals. However, experts believed that they can still hit any objects or even living organisms under the right climatic conditions and location, including during a severe thunderstorm. Florida Coast Lightning Strike The boat's co-captain Glenn Rumer told news media outlet Today that he used a radio beacon to send out a distress signal to the US Coast Guard. Rumer added the incident escalated after the lightning hit the outrigger, resulting in an explosion. The co-captain reportedly recalled that the only way out during their ordeal was through the storm with wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, six-foot waves, and recurring lightning. One of the passengers and Rumer's sister, Sherrie Kelley, said there was lightning every second, as reported by Today. All of the passengers were eventually airlifted by the Coast Guard. Also Read: Security Guard Miraculously Survives Getting Struck by Lightning in Indonesia What is a Lightning? Lightning is a form of electrical discharge as a result of imbalances between the ground and storm clouds, or within the clouds, where most lightning occurs. The imbalance is mainly caused during a storm as the collision of rain, ice, and snow particles within the clouds increase. This creates a negative charge at the bottom of the storm clouds, according to the National Geographic. Being extremely hot, a lightning flash can heat its surrounding air into temperatures five times hotter than the Sun's surface. The rapid expansion of air causes it to vibrate and produce the rumbling sound we hear after seeing the flash. Contrary to popular belief, lightning often strikes the same place twice, the National Geographic said. Trees and other natural objects on Earth are often the most direct conduit of lightning since they become positively charged. However, it is still possible the lightning bolts can still strike people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Weather Service (NWS) provides five ways or manner on how lightning strikes hit people: Direct strike Side flash Ground current Conduction Streamers The NOAA - NWS emphasized that it is not always possible to determine how a lightning strike victim was hit. But it considers direct strike and side flash to be the most common ways on how a lightning forks reach people. Related Article: Lightning Strike Kills 76 People in India, Including Victims Who Were Taking Selfies New Zealand's Met Service issued severe weather warnings that will take effect until Wednesday, June 29. Under the warnings, heavy rain is expected in some parts of the upper South Island and Northland. Meanwhile, heavy snow is anticipated in the Canterbury High Country and north of Rakaia river. A front is reportedly causing the inclement weather since Monday, June 27, in South Island, causing the issuance of a "Heavy Rain Watch" and a "Heavy Snow Watch" in the mentioned areas. Torrential rain can lead to flash flooding. Furthermore, heavy snowfall could cause disruption to both land and air travel due to the accumulation of thick snow and poor road visibility. Severe Weather Warnings As of Tuesday afternoon, June 28, the severe weather warnings are still in place in the website of the Met Service. For the Heavy Rain Watch, the following areas are affected: Northland Marlborough Sounds Rai Valley Richmond Range Westland North of Otira Buller south of Karamea Flash flooding is possible in low-lying lands, as well as in communities near lakes and rivers. The Met Service reminded that snow accumulation could reach 400 meters, while rainfall accumulation to be above 500 meters. Also Read: Tornado Wreaks Havoc on Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, Met Service Warns of Heavy Snow, Enormous Hail, and Massive Surf New Zealand Flooding Incidents New Zealand is no stranger to torrential and flooding, which have been evident across the country last year and even the preceding years, as compiled by Floodlist.com, a natural disaster monitoring site. Below are some of the instances where the Oceania country experienced severe weather: In August 2021, heavy rainfall of up to 90 millimeters fell in northern New Zealand in only a span of one hour, forcing dozens of families to evacuate and leave their homes. In July 2021, severe flooding ravaged the homes of hundreds of people in the Marlborough Region, causing local authorities to declare a state of emergency. In November 2020, the city of Napier in the Hawkes Bay Region recorded its all-time high rainfall which caused flash flooding in a single hour. In March 2019, authorities declared a state of emergency after heavy rain and flooding destroyed a bridge and several roads, as well as submerging houses in South Island. New Zealand Severe Thunderstorms The latest Met Service forecast has no warnings pertaining to severe thunderstorms. However, the occurrence of such adverse weather is possible during this period of the year in New Zealand, which is currently in its winter season from June to August. In early June, the meteorological agency recorded over 18,000 lightning strikes in a single weekend. It placed 42 storm warnings and storm watches across the country, where tornadoes, damaging winds, snow, large hail, and winter storms do occur. The Canberra Times also reported the occurrence of more than 100,000 lightning strikes amid a severe weather nationwide during the said period. Severe thunderstorms naturally produce tornadoes aside from lightning bolts. The weather phenomenon does occur in New Zealand. In Kapiti Coast, at least two tornadoes hit the town of Waikanae, leaving a trail of destruction more than two weeks ago. Related Article: Storm Alert: Nearly 20,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded in New Zealand Recently CALIPATRIA, CA - DECEMBER 28: Rock Hill is seen at the Salton Sea on December 28, 2018 near Calipatria, California, United States. Scientists believe that the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault will inevitably give birth to a massive earthquake, bigger than any that has occurred in Southern California in modern history. On top of the fault lies a rift lake, the Salton Sea, which is the latest in a series of great lakes to form then dry up with the changing course of the Colorado River throughout geologic history. The changing weight of these lakes is thought to have had a regulating effect by triggering periodic approximately magnitude 7 earthquakes to relieve built up tectonic pressures. That process stalled when the Colorado River was tamed by technology in the early 1900's and pressure is building. The current Salton Sea, California's biggest lake, formed when an irrigation engineering project accident in 1905 allowed the Colorado River to flood into the Salton Sink and form the body of water that would become more visited than Yosemite Valley in the mid- 20th Century. It also became one of the most important stops for migrating birds in the North America. Now the increasingly salty water has killed most of the fish that millions of birds, such as white pelicans and eared grebes that make up 80 to 95 percent of the Western populations have relied on. The sea has spiraled into ecological collapse and is drying up after decades of debate and insufficient action have failed to stop it. The demise of the lake is now accelerating since some water that would normally flow into the sea has been sold to coastal cities. (Photo : Photo by David McNew/Getty Images for Lumix) Numerous additional seismic activities rattled South Carolina this weekend, perplexing those who aren't certain why the mystery rattling is still going around. Earthquake Swarms in South Carolina Throughout the previous seven quarters, thousands of seismic events have rocked South Carolina as part of this cluster. This weekend's tremors have also occurred in Elgin, a modest established community in Kershaw some 20 miles northeast of Columbia, the country's capitol. Elgin is located in the Atlantic Ocean Area district's Carolina Sandhills area, which is marked by several wind-blown sandy beaches that were prominent in the previous ice age, although are now stabilized by greenery within present weather circumstances, as per The Weather Boy. The most powerful of the five events that occurred this weekend was a 3.4 magnitude incident that happened yesterday evening at a depth of 3.3 kilometers. Following the intensity 3.4 tremor, there was a 1.5 occurrence at 5 km, a 1.3 incidence at 2.1 km, a 1.8 activity at 3.2 km, and again 1.8 occurrence 3.3 km profound. Despite the fact that the previous significant tremor occurred over 100 years ago, a 2001 research titled "Comprehensive Seismic Risk and Vulnerability Study for the State of South Carolina" proved the region is particularly sensitive to seismically active. Furthermore, the 1886 Charleston tremor has been the worst catastrophic tremor to have strike the eastern United States; it was the deadliest devastating natural disaster in the United States throughout the 19th century. The 1886 Charleston-Summerville disaster and the 1913 Union County seismic activity were the among most major recorded tremors in South Carolina. While The Independent has recently updated that as per the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), roughly ten to 15 tremors occur in South Carolina yearly, with the majority of them being unnoticed by locals; on general, just three to five are felt annually. Following that, 12 further earthquakes with wide range of services from 1.5 to 2.6 were recorded. Derived from empirical investigation, the report gave details concerning the anticipated impacts of tremors on present populations as well as modern-day infrastructures and networks, such as motorways, railroads, residences, corporate as well as public offices, universities, healthcare facilities, and sanitary sewer utilities. The last tremor in the sequence happened on January 5, putting a stop to the seismic events there for the time being. Also read: Typhoid Fever! This Ancient Killer is Becoming Resistant to Antibiotics Several Earthquakes During the Weekend Researchers are afraid that a large-scale earthquake might occur in the coming years, causing substantial destruction to social lives and property. At a range of barely 3.1 kilometers, the initial 3.3 magnitude tremor struck 30 miles north of Columbia, South Carolina, WISTV reported. USGS also claimed that the aftershocks are a series of seismic events that occur following a bigger mainshock on a fissure, and the small earthquakes happen around the fracture zone where the mainshock breakage happened and are part of the readjustment phase after the main slide on the fracture. Nonetheless, repercussions from a 3.3 magnitude earthquake might merely persist about a couple days, not the week and a half that they experienced. While neither were severe likely to cause destruction, over than 3,500 people confirmed trembling from the 3.4 event to the USGS. A cluster, as per the latest report from Live Science, is a series of primarily minor earthquakes with no discernible mainshock. While many people experienced the seismic activity, there was no recorded harm in South Carolina. Related article: Toxic Particles From Air Pollution Can Travel Directly to the Brain and Cause Damage Valery Plotnikov, a palaeontologist at the Yakutia Academy of Sciences, stands near collected tusks in his laboratory on November 28, 2018. - Crouching near a wooden shed in his snowy backyard, Prokopy Nogovitsyn lifts up a grey tarpaulin and takes out a vertebra the size of a saucer: part of a mammoth skeleton. Mammoth bones are widespread in Yakutia, an enormous region bordering the Arctic Ocean covered by permafrost, which acts as a giant freezer for prehistoric fauna. (Photo : Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) The relatively complete bones of a 30,000-year-old infant woolly mammoth were unearthed in northeastern Canada. Mummified Baby Mammoth from 30,000 Years Ago A prospector discovered a preserved baby woolly mammoth in Yukon, Canada's Trondk Hwchin Traditional Region. The infant mammoth was discovered encased in tundra in the Yukon's Klondike California Gold Rush. Representatives from the Trondk Hwchin Native Area, where the prehistoric creature was identified, claimed that it is the finest intact and well-preserved woolly mammoth yet unearthed in North America, Science Alert reported. As shown in a county council media statement, the female newborn mammoth was already called Nun cho ga by the ancestors of the First Nation Tr'ondk Hwch'in, which corresponds to a large baby animal in the Han dialect. Nun cho ga is North America's finest extensive mummified mammoth discovery. According to the NBC News release, Nun cho ga perished and also was preserved in tundra throughout the glacial period when he was almost 30,000 years old, wherein she have explored the Yukon with untamed ponies, cave lions, and massive steppe bison. Geoscientists discovered the iced mammoth when a teenage worker in the Klondike gold mines discovered the bones while trying to dig up mud. The Weather Network cited Dr. Grant Zazula, the Yukon country's archaeologist, who said that the worker discovered the most remarkable finding in prehistory in North America. The baby mammoth was presumably with her mother when it got caught in the muck. Researcher Dan Shugar of the University of Calgary, who has been involved of the excavation crew, described the finding as the most thrilling academic event he has ever been a part of. Shugar explained how well the mammoth was kept, claiming it still had entire fingernails, skin, tresses, backbone, and apparently guts, as well as its final meal of grasses. Also read: Monkey Sharpens Knife, Terrorizes Brazilian Town for a Week Perfectly Preserved Baby Mammoth As per the public statement, Yukon is well-known for its ice period remains, but such clean and well-preserved specimens are uncommon. "Finally, that wish came true: Nun cho ga is stunning and among the greatest magnificent preserved ice period creatures ever unearthed in the globe," the expert stated. The woolly mammoth, which was roughly the scale of an African elephant, inhabited the planet until around 4,000 years ago. Mammoths were bred for nourishment, and their bones and tusks were utilized to make sculpture, equipment, and houses. Experts disagree as to whether extermination was caused by poaching or by global warming. Furthermore, this is precisely the second instance an entire mammoth baby has been discovered. In Siberia, a different, nearly whole newborn mammoth named "Lyuba" was unearthed in 2007. Parts of a mammoth calf were discovered in 1948 in an Alaskan mining operation. Business Insider likewise reported that academic experts working on the study also claimed that investigating the bones of Nun cho ga might contribute to understanding the lifestyles as well as habits of woolly mammoths, since the preserved calf might provide fresh information on similar ice period species that previously roamed the Yukon, such as cave lions and gigantic steppe bison. Related article: Caught on Camera! A 'Somber Moment' of Starfishes Devouring a Lifeless Sea Lion Flu shot or flu vaccination has been linked to a 40% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but it is only in the course of the next four years, according to a new study by UTHealth Houston. The breakthrough research suggested that at least one influenza shot is enough to counter the notorious mental disorder, marked by memory loss and cognitive function degeneration affecting mostly elderly people. The study found that individuals administered with the influenza vaccine are more resistant against the mental illness, compared to people who did not receive any injections. The sampling method was conducted among the US adult populace aged 65 and older. Preceding flu shots taken by age group also help in adding to the protective barrier against the disease. The research analysis from the report is relatively larger compared to previous studies. The discovery comes two years after UTHealth Houston researchers noticed a potential link between flu vaccines and its preventive effect against mental health condition. Millions of Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, as only one of the many forms of dementia affecting the daily lives of people afflicted with it. While there is still no cure for the disease, the said findings could be a foundation for future research concerning the development of a potential treatment. Flu Vaccination In a media release by UTHealth Houston on June 24, its research team led by Avram S. Bukhbinder, MD, made a comparative research of the risk of "Alzheimer's disease incidence" between patients with and without previous influenza vaccination. The total number of participants include 935,887 flu-vaccinated patients and non-vaccinated patients of the same number. After follow-up appointments within four years, the results yield that 5.1% of the flu-vaccinated patients developed the dementia-related disease. Meanwhile, 8.5% of non-vaccinated patients had developed the disease. The study will be available for its official publication on August 2 under the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Still, an early version of it was published at the IOS Press Content Library on June 13. Also Read: Cataract Surgery Linked to Natural Decline in Vision as We Get Older Alzheimer's Disease According to the Alzheimer's Association (ALZ), the mental disease does not only cause memory loss, but even death. One out of three seniors die from Alzheimer's disease, killing more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. The association estimated related deaths have doubled between 2000 and 2019, while deaths from heart disease, which is the leading cause of fatalities, have decreased. It also pointed out that people with Alzheimer's by the age of 70 are twice as likely to die before reaching 80. Being the most common form of dementia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Alzheimer's disease affects part of the brain responsible not only for memory but also thought and language as well. In the United States, the CDC reports that up to 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer's in 2020; wherein the number of cases doubles every five years for people beyond age 65. The figure is expected to reach to around 14 million by the year 2060. Related Article: Alzheimer's Disease: Vaccine Clinical Trial for Humans Underway for the Brain Disorder Bahrain's Future Generations Reserve Fund recorded an increase of 20.4% in its assets in the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, reaching a total value of $626.9 million, it has been revealed. It also recorded a positive return on investments of 10.4% and an average return over 5 years of 7.4%, said Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, according to a Bahrain News Agency report. Financial results for the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2021 showed a total comprehensive income of $50.8 million, he said. The Future Generations Reserve Fund has been able to achieve more positive results in various investment assets despite the challenges and economic developments Shaikh Salman said. Shaikh Salman said the positive results were achieved by continuing to monitor economic and political developments, taking advantage of opportunities in the markets, in addition to monitoring the distribution of the portfolios assets and restructuring them in line with the expectations of the global economic situation. He noted that the final financial statements scrutinised by the National Audit Office confirmed the standing of the fund and cash flows during the said financial year, in accordance with the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards. He affirmed that the Future Generations Reserve Board will continue to perform its tasks towards achieving more desired achievements and aspirations for the benefit of the future generations. He pointed out the solidarity of all and the efficiency of the young national cadres in the administrative and technical staff of the fund, which will enable the achievement of all strategic priorities and strategic plans of the fund. In the coming period, the board will continue its efforts to achieve the growth and sustainability of assets for future generations, he said, praising the council members and executive management. Our American States Plurality voting is the most common system in the U.S. A voter picks one candidate in each race and the candidate that receives the most votes wins. Then Maine enacted a new system called ranked choice voting for the November 2016 election. Now Alaska has joined Maine, and will use ranked choice voting for the first time this year as well as a new open primary system in which the top four candidates advance to the general election. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D) of Alaska is the first guest on the podcast and he discusses how Alaska came to adopt the system, and the challenges and costs it posed to the states election administrators. This discussion took place the day before Alaskas open primary on June 12. The second guest is Ben Williams, a principal in NCSLs elections and redistricting program and author, along with an advisory panel, of a new report on ranked choice voting that will be published in July. He discusses the national landscape for the new approach to voting and some of the information they discovered in surveying election administrators around the country. Resources VMware is upgrading vSphere virtualization and vSAN hyperconverged software packages to better manage and efficiently meld on-prem applications with cloud-based resources. The company introduced two subscription-based offerings: vSphere+ and vSAN+ that integrate cloud connectivity into both, enabling cloud services for workloads running on vSphere, but specifically targeting on-premise apps. The packages will include all necessary components such as VMware vCenter instances, VMware ESXi hosts, Tanzu Standard Runtime, and Tanzu Mission Control Essentials and support. [ Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters. ] Despite the recent trend of cloud migration many customers are choosing to keep many of their workloads on prem, or on the edge for a variety of reasons, such as data privacy, security, or in some cases, apps may have different requirements in performance and latency, said Weiguo He, senior director of product marketing at VMware. Here we are bringing cloud services and features to private data-center workloads, giving customers the best of both worlds. With the new services customers deploy a cloud gateway on-prem and connect the gateway to VMware Cloud Console workloads on other platforms, He said. Organizations can then register any number of vCenters in the console and convert them to subscriptions. There is no disruption to the host and workloads, which remain on-prem. Both vSphere+ and vSAN+, which will be available by the end of July, can be managed via the VMware Cloud Console that offers global inventory, configuration, alerts, administration, and security status for on-premises deployments, according to VMware executives. Administrators will also be able to perform certain operational tasks from the VMware Cloud Console such as provisioning VMs to any vSphere cluster or existing vSAN datastores, the company stated. In addition, organizations will be able to quickly add other cloud services such as security and disaster recovery, and add additional compute or storage capacity in the cloud as needed, He said. The goal is to manage cloud resources across private on-prem clouds and multiple public clouds from a single console. The new services stem from the companys development plan known as Project Arctic that promises to bring multi-cloud to the fingertips of vSphere customers by natively integrating cloud connectivity into vSphere. That would make vSphere cloud-aware, and make hybrid cloud the default operating model, VMware executives stated. The new VMware packages come on the heels of a report from IDC that estimated that half of the spending on server and storage infrastructure in 2021 was driven by on-premises deployments. IDC expects that these investments will continue to grow in the next five years at a compound annual growth rate of 2.9% and will reach $77.5 billion in 2026. The researchers found that 71% of respondents to a survey expected to move all or part of their workloads currently running in the public cloud into a private IT environment over the next two years. Just 13% expect to fully run in a public cloud. VMware competitors are also in on the act, with HPE this week announcing new GreenLake services that target enterprise on-prem deployments. The company rolled out GreenLake for Private Cloud Enterprise, which lets users integrate private-cloud applications into the GreenLake framework. The service opens options for organizations subject to heavy regulation, or those with operational concerns about putting their data in the public cloud, the company said. Tenmou, Bahrains first Business Angels Company, which provides both mentorship and capital to high-potential, innovative Bahraini entrepreneurs from the seed stage, has launched the Investors Awareness Programne. Tenmou stated that through the support and mentoring provided by its Angel shareholders, all of whom are established businessmen and successful entrepreneurs, the goal of this programme is to give these new entrepreneurs the best chance for success by enhancing their awareness and skills with the latest investment methods in start-ups and SMEs, and the promising opportunities these investments bring in terms of profits and supporting the Bahraini economy. Tenmou is organising this two-day programme in person at the Four Seasons Bahrain Bay and sponsored by CIPE (The Centre for International Private Enterprise) as well as the US Department of State under the Middle East Initiative (MEPI). The Programme Partnership includes Bahrain Businesswomens Society (BBWS), as part of Tenmous keenness to boost investment awareness among Bahraini women. Global expert The training in the programme will be conducted by Alexa Hall, who is a global expert in finance, project management, cross-functional team leadership and organisational strategy, and has worked for several of the largest global companies such as Google, Hewlett and others. In the framework of the cooperation agreement between Tenmou and (CIPE), which the two sides signed in December 2021, for the purpose of expanding and growing, the programme focuses on evaluating companies, feasibility studies, identifying new growth horizons, and exploring investment opportunities and challenges locally, regionally, and globally in light of Industry 4.0, said Tenmou CEO Nawaf Al Koheji. Al Koheji affirmed that part of the agreement with (CIPE) includes identifying financing opportunities for Bahraini companies involved in the project, thats which is why the programme aims at enlightening Bahraini investors about these rewarding investment opportunities. Role of investors Through this programme, we promote the role of investors in stimulating the national economy by developing the SMEs sector and boosting its contribution to the GDP. This is with the framework of supporting Bahrain's entrepreneurship system, and in line with the economic recovery plan announced last November by the esteemed government, Koheji added. Bahrain Businesswomens Society (BBWS) Board Member Hala Sulaiman affirmed that the society's involvement in this awareness programme is part of its effort to educate Bahraini businesswomen about promising investment fields, and to enlighten their awareness of new potential opportunities on where and how to diversify their finances and investments. The programme keeps pace with the achievements of Bahraini women in the economic sphere, as demonstrated by the fact that 43% of all commercial records in Bahrain are owned or managed by women, 28% of all investors on the Bahrain Stock Exchange are women, and 39% of companies benefited from Bahrain Exports support are women-owned and managed, Sulaiman added. Womens empowerment The Bahrain Businesswomen's Society continues to celebrate more than 21 years of innovation, mentorship development and women's empowerment, and was born out of a need for representation for the growing ranks of Bahraini businesswomen. With increasing access to the highest education and specialised courses and a national economic vision which embraced the participation of women, more and more Bahraini women were entering the business league as entrepreneurs, CEOs and creators of opportunity. The Society was founded with the aim of nurturing the expanding role of Bahraini women and promoting women's empowerment and entrepreneurship in local, regional, and international commercial and economic activities. Through its activities such as workshops, seminars and conferences and international networking, the BBS endeavours to equip businesswomen with the knowledge and skills they need to develop their business, while facilitating their business platform locally and internationally.-- TradeArabia News Service Oman Cables Industry SAOG (OCI), Omans leading manufacturer of industrial cables, received the OAE Manufacturing Excellence Award for Empowering Local Talent at the OER Manufacturing Summit 2022, in Oman. The company has raised its Omanisation rate to nearly 50% within the last year by introducing training and development programs designed to unlock the potential within the local workforce, OCI said in a statement. The summit offered an ideal opportunity to share the companys vision for supporting Oman Vision 2040 by implementing the world-leading innovative production technologies to enhance the nations competitiveness. Cinzia Farise, CEO of Oman Cables and Prysmian Group MEAT Region was present to underline the companys commitment towards supporting Omans economic diversification by producing and offering the most advanced cable technology. OCI is guided by a vision of Empowerment, Innovation and Excellence which extends from its products and services to the opportunities available to its workforce. As part of the Prysmian Group, Oman Cables has access to the Prysmian Group Academy which comprises the Prysmian Business School, Prysmian Professional School and Prysmian Digital School where employees can complete training programs in partnership with international Business and Technical Schools with a special focus on strengthening individual skills. OCI recently launched several educational initiatives to guarantee long-term sustainable growth of the company and its human capital. Development programs to upskill employees throughout the company have been designed to empower local talents in various roles. STEM IT, SELL IT is aimed at sales and SUM IT for controlling and finance. Each program is delivered over three-to-five years with digital training, technical training and project experience, and offers exposure to workplace cultures in Italy, North America and the ASEAN region to enhance the learning experience. OCI also offers a mini MBA to equip mid and senior management with leadership skills to take their career to the next level, and a worldwide youth program Build The Future- which has to date provided Omani employees with experience within Prysmian Group of Companies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and the UAE. Cinzia Farise, CEO at Oman Cables and Prysmian Group MEAT Region, said, Oman is poised to enter a period of technological advancement within the manufacturing sector and expanding the Omani industry through innovation is firmly aligned with Oman Cables mission. Our approach to investing in and empowering employees to meet the growing demands is part of a localised effort to develop an Omani team equipped with the skills and experience required to lead change and achieve the strategic goals of the company and of the nation. This, our people award, underlines our commitment to Oman and national industries and positions Oman Cables as ready to build a sustainable future. By working closely with the Ministry of Higher Education to implement meaningful plans and programs as part of our overarching strategy, we have created a workplace conducive to learning for our multicultural workplace which includes 13 different nationalities. OCI will continue to empower our employees to fulfil their potential and achieve their career goals contribute effectively to the Sultanates economy and progress. The OER Manufacturing Summit 2022 provided an ideal opportunity to conduct a deep dive into the opportunities, challenges and the road map for how to realise the full potential of the manufacturing sector in Oman. Focusing on the theme of Smart manufacturing: Enhancing competitiveness, innovation and transformation, the summit brought together government officials, C-suite executives, consultants and analysts to utilize the creativity of the Omani population together with the most innovative production techniques in line with the far-sighted leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to develop a modern and technologically-advanced manufacturing base. Hosted by Dr. Saleh bin Said Masan, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Commerce and Industry, on 27 June 2022, the OER Manufacturing Summit 2022 highlighted all aspects of the manufacturing process. Key topics included consumer-driven manufacturing, Smart factories, Industry 4.0 and the digital economy, as well as up-skilling in Quality and Lean Manufacturing Practices and improving quality levels to achieve world-class performance Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. College Football Reporter/Columnist Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. His email is asmussen@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@BobAsmussen). Police are seeking help from the public identifying these two women who are suspects in the thefts of thousands of dollars worth of merchanise from three Menards stores using a credit card stolen from a Champaign resident. Lufthansa said it is reactivating the Airbus A380 in response to the steep rise in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft and expects to use the long-haul aircraft again from summer 2023. The company is currently assessing how many A380s will be reactivated and which destinations the Airbus will fly to. Lufthansa still has 14 Airbus A380s, which are currently parked in Spain and France for long-term so called deep storage. Six of these aircraft have already been sold, eight A380s remain part of the Lufthansa fleet for the time being. The Executive Board Members of Deutsche Lufthansa AG said in a joint letter to the company's customers: "In the summer of 2023, we not only expect to have a much more reliable air transport system worldwide. We will be welcoming you back on board our Airbus A380s, too. We decided today to put the A380, which continues to enjoy great popularity, back into service at Lufthansa in summer 2023. In addition to this, we are further strengthening and modernizing our fleets with some 50 new Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-9 long-haul aircraft and more than 60 new Airbus A320/321s in the next three years alone. The Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft: it is 73 meters long and 24 meters high and can seat 509 passengers at Lufthansa. TradeArabia News Service Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Introduction History of respiratory diseases Forms of respiratory diseases Impact of COVID-19 What approaches are there to restore our respiratory system back to normal? The future of respiratory diseases The emergence of pulmonary fibrosis COVID-19 as a system disease References Further reading Until recently, COVID-19 seemed to be a harmless pathogen of minor outbreaks of unremarkable and mild acute respiratory (or intestinal) diseases. At the same time, many similar microorganisms lived in natural reservoirs - in the body of exotic Asian animals. Image Credit: MDGRPHCS/Shutterstock Life is changing fast. In the process of continuous regeneration, the genetic properties of viruses change, which allows them to better adapt to living conditions and find new hosts. Moreover, people are increasingly recklessly approaching microbiological hazards and can become not only infected but can also rapidly spread infections. History of respiratory diseases For the last 15 years, in terms of general morbidity in the world, respiratory diseases have consistently ranked first (2425%). At the same time, acute respiratory infections of the respiratory tract are the most common cause of cases and long duration of temporary disability compared with other acute pathologies. More than 200 million respiratory tract infections occur each year globally (outside of pandemic periods). Only less than a third of them go through health workers, primarily with the outpatient network, which accounts for more than 10% of all visits to the office of a primary care doctor. Respiratory infections generally account for half of the outpatient and one-third of the inpatient antibiotic use. Direct medical costs for treating respiratory infections in the United States reach about 15 billion dollars annually, and indirect costs make up another 9 billion dollars. Forms of respiratory diseases The most common acute respiratory tract infections are SARS and influenza, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis media, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Acute bronchitis and pneumonia are classified as respiratory infections of the lower respiratory tract, and the rest are upper respiratory tract infections. The problem of high morbidity and significant economic losses increases significantly due to complications, which can often end in death. Pneumonia and influenza together are the fourth leading cause of death in people aged 65 and over. Image Credit: MIA Studio/Shutterstock Impact of COVID-19 COVID-19 can cause serious complications in the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, blood vessels, and other vital human systems and organs. Although COVID-19 is a respiratory infection, doctors recognize that it is a multi-systemic disease, in other words, it can affect any organ. All doctors face its consequences, from pulmonologists to trichologists and psychiatrists. Many patients complain of poor health even after recovery from COVID-19. Complaints vary greatly - from hair loss to thrombosis. Given the similarity of the symptoms of respiratory infections, it is very important for adequate therapy to timely separate COVID-19 and seasonal SARS and influenza, as well as bacterial pathology. The significance of this aspect is enhanced by the fact that conventional antiviral drugs, which have shown their effectiveness in the treatment of seasonal acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, turned out to be of little use in many cases of COVID-19. What approaches are there to restore our respiratory system back to normal? The first thing we start with is antiviral therapy. However, it is not always possible to use it for a particular patient. So, if a person arrives after 5-6 days from the onset of infection, then there is little use in applying antiviral therapy. Next, doctors struggle with the syndromes caused by the disease. Treatment may require anti-inflammatory therapy, therapy aimed at eliminating coagulation disorders, and, finally, therapy aimed at correcting hypoxemia or respiratory failure. Of course, each patient may have their own unique features over the course of the disease, so the therapy in each case will be different. The future of respiratory diseases Acute respiratory infections today retain a strong leadership in the structure of human morbidity, primarily due to seasonal rises in the incidence of viral infections. Of course, this fact determines serious economic losses associated with the cost of treatment and temporary disability of patients. An important issue is the relationship between respiratory viruses and bacteria, which is not always straightforward. An important task of healthcare, primarily outpatient doctors, is the timely diagnosis of respiratory infections, aimed at the optimal choice of treatment approaches. Image Credit: Chinnapong/Shutterstock The emergence of pulmonary fibrosis Fibrosis is the body's defense response to inflammation or injury. It occurs in approximately 10-15% of patients who recover from viral pneumonia associated with COVID-19. In addition to measles, experts warn of a growing tuberculosis epidemic. Due to quarantine restrictions, mass examinations of the population (preventive and control fluorography) were almost never carried out. During this time, many patients could develop the initial stage of tuberculosis, which can only be detected using fluorography. In addition, COVID-19 survivors tend to have poor lung health and weakened immune systems, making them an easy target for the TB pathogen. Related: What is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis? COVID-19 as a system disease COVID-19 typically presents itself with respiratory symptoms, but it would be an erroneous simplification to consider it a localized respiratory disease. Even with a mild form of COVID-19, the nervous system is damaged and the intestines are often infected. At the same time, the danger of dissemination of the infectious process and the development of severe systemic disease is associated mainly with lung damage. Finally, accession to bronchopneumonia-alveolitis of infectious thrombotic microvasculitis (endothelins) not only forms a substrate for respiratory failure but also creates the danger of viruses entering the bloodstream. References World Health Organization. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS Monthly Summary, November 2019, http: //www.who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/. Retrieved on 15 May 2022. Li X, Ma X. (2020). Acute respiratory failure in COVID-19: is it "typical" ARDS?. Grasselli G, Tonetti T, Protti A, et al. Pathophysiology of COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome: a multicentre prospective observational study. L Ciceri F, Beretta L, Scandroglio AM, et al. Microvascular COVID-19 lung vessels obstructive thromboinflammatory syndrome (MicroCLOTS): an atypical acuterespiratory distress syndrome working hypothesis. Crit Care Resusc 2020;22:95-7. Baig AM, Khaleeq A, Ali U, Syeda H (April 2020). "Evidence of the COVID-19 Virus Targeting the CNS: Tissue Distribution, Host-Virus Interaction, and Proposed Neurotropic Mechanisms". ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Wang L, Wang Y, Ye D, Liu Q (March 2020). "Review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) based on current evidence". International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. Further Reading The most recently detected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant of concern (VOC) is the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa on November 9, 2022, after which it rapidly spread throughout the world. The Omicron variant is capable of escaping both infection- and vaccine-induced immunity due to several mutations in its spike protein. Study: Relative Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination with 3 Compared to 2 Doses Against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Among an Australian Population with Low Prior Rates of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Image Credit: Golden Dayz / Shutterstock.com Background The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was first detected in Australia on November 23, 2022. Since Australia had maintained strict border control and quarantine measures from the beginning of the pandemic through November 1, 2022, most of its population was infection naive by the time Omicron had arrived. Despite low infection rates, Australia achieved a very high vaccination rate against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with about 85.5% of people over the age of 16 years who had received at least two doses of the vaccine by the time Omicron was first detected in this nation. A significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Australia in December 2021 led to the approval of a third booster dose for those who were 16 years of age or above. Nevertheless, daily COVID-19 cases in Australia were reported to be the highest in January 2022 than at any other time since the start of the pandemic. In a recent The Lancet preprint, researchers aim to compare and estimate relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) in people who received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as compared to those who received two vaccine doses. The current study also analyzed the impact of previous infection on VE in an almost infection naive population. About the study The current study included individuals who were 40 years or older and resided in the Greater Sydney Area. Demographic information, as well as information on vaccination status, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, and deaths were also collected. COVID-19 diagnosis was made either by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay or rapid antigen test (RAT). The notification for SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with the method of diagnosis and death, was recorded in the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System (NCIMS). The researchers then examined two outcomes including infection with SARS-CoV-2 based on the NCIMS notification, as well as SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalization or death. Study findings The average age of the participants was 59 years, with 51.3% of the participants being female. Moreover, 75.6% of the study participants were above the median socioeconomic index of Australia, whereas 11% of study participants reported at least one comorbidity. Individuals who received three vaccine doses were more likely to be older than those who received two doses, have a comorbidity, have a higher socioeconomic status, and were mostly women. Taken together, over 52% of individuals who received two vaccine doses received the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, whereas 46.8% received the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 vaccine. Furthermore, 85.4% of individuals who were administered a third booster vaccine received the BNT162b2 vaccine and 13.7 % received the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine. The risk of infection increased three to six months, as well as after six months, following dose two; however, the risk of infection after dose three was moderately low. The rVE against infection waned after three months for two-dose recipients, while it was preserved for six months in individuals who received three vaccine doses. The rVE of a third vaccine dose was better as compared to two doses against severe disease, along with hospitalization and death rates during the first eight to 89 days. Moreover, the rVE of dose three against dose two in regards to deaths and hospitalizations was lower for individuals who were between 40 to 64 years of age as compared to individuals who were 65 years or older, as well as those with comorbidities. No difference in vaccine effectiveness was observed among individuals who were between 50 to 69 years of age and received either BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 vaccine as their primary vaccination course. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for infection and severe disease was lower for individuals who had a previous infection, along with those who received two vaccine doses, as compared to infection naive individuals who received two vaccine doses. Conclusions The current study demonstrated that the protection conferred by vaccines wanes several months after receiving a second dose; however, it can be restored by a third booster dose during the Omicron period. A third vaccine dose could also prevent severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19. Individuals previously infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant who had also received two vaccine doses were better protected against the Omicron variant as compared to uninfected and vaccinated individuals. Further analysis of vaccine effectiveness is needed to account for the different characteristics of each population, evolving immunity due to infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants, and different vaccine doses. Limitations The current study appears to be biased towards those who are more likely to seek medical care and be vaccinated. A second limitation of the current study is that the confirmation of severe disease using hospitalizations can be biased if the disease is contracted due to hospitalization for some other conditions. *Important notice Preprints with The Lancet / SSRN First Look 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. Whether a woman is giving birth or a man is having a cancer biopsy, medical care is rarely straightforward. At any point, an unexpected complication can arise, particularly during treatments that require several steps. Yet physicians tend to have unrealistic expectations of the success of multi-step medical procedures, according to a new nationwide study conducted by University of Utah Health scientists and their collaborators. They say inflated estimates of success could adversely influence treatment decisions and lead to unintended harm to patients. In all, nearly 8 out of 10 physicians surveyed believed the chances of obtaining a desired outcome after a medical procedure were greater than the probability of the success of one or more steps leading to that outcome. The study, which appears in JAMA Network Open, [DD1] highlights a serious logical disconnect among physicians who fail to consider that each step in the process has its own risks that can diminish the chances of success for the desired medical outcome, according to Scott Aberegg, M.D., a critical care pulmonologist at U of U Health. All too often, doctors act as though the stars align more frequently than they actually do. They tend to focus on the desired outcome rather than the actual chances of success involved in each intermediary step. We can't continue making medical decisions that way. We need to base them on more realistic expectations." Scott Aberegg, M.D., critical care pulmonologist, U of U Health The study, conducted by Aberegg; Hal Arkes, Ph.D., of The Ohio State University; and Kevin Arpin, Ph.D., a forensic specialist at Travelers Insurance company in Connecticut, sought to determine how frequently a phenomenon called conjunction fallacy happens in medicine. Conjunction fallacy occurs when a person believes that a combination of events or statements is more likely than any one of its individual components. Suppose, for instance, that a doctor notices skin growth on a patient and has 80% suspicion that it is cancerous. There's also an 80% chance that the pathologist sees cancer on a biopsy specimen in the lab. The false assumption-;the conjunction fallacywould be that there's more than an 80% chance that the pathologist will see cancer on the patient's biopsy specimen. In reality, the probability that the pathologist will see cancer on this patient's biopsy is 64%, because first the patient actually has to have cancer and then the pathologist has to see it on the biopsy. "Many physicians simply aren't good at calculating probability," Aberegg says. "As a result, they commonly miss opportunities to make better treatment decisions." In their study, Aberegg and colleagues asked 215 obstetricians and pulmonologists to evaluate scenarios that they might encounter while caring for patients. For example, in one scenario, obstetricians were confronted with a 29-year-old pregnant woman in labor. However, the child is not positioned properly for a vaginal birth. In this case, the doctors were asked to estimate the probability that the child would move into a deliverable position and be born without the need for a C-section. Overall, 78% of the physicians who evaluated one of three scenarios in the survey estimated that the probability of the desired outcome would be greater than the likelihood of the two individual events required for it to occur. This is a mathematical impossibility, Aberegg says. "Our study shows that if you poorly estimate the probability of two events needing to happen to get the result you desire, then you could be putting your patients at unnecessary risk," Aberegg says. "In the case of the childbirth scenario, you could end up waiting around for a long time for that baby and end up having to do a C-section anyway. That delay could be harmful for both mother and child." All of the physicians who participated in the surveys had an average of 25 years of experience. Yet this expertise did not appear to prevent them from opting for the conjunction fallacies presented in the study. However, this isn't too surprising since previous research found that nearly 50% of medical students are prone to these types of probability errors, according to Aberegg. "There are enormous opportunities in medical education to improve the curriculum in terms of teaching the importance of probability in medical settings," Aberegg says. "Numbers are the most reliable source of correct decisions in medicine." Aberegg urges practicing physicians to not only rely on their experience but also do their best to stay up-to-date on the latest probability research published in medical journals about various conditions and procedures. Among the study's limitations is that the participants were asked for written responses that might have been different had they been providing care to real patients. However, Aberegg believes the study could have broad implications. "Our results are very strong," Aberegg says. "We're confident that they represent a generalized phenomenon in medicine. I'm interested in further cataloging more examples so that the full breadth of this potential problem can be exposed and hopefully resolved." In January 2022, the U.S. shifted its guidelines to recommend isolation of five days from COVID-19 symptom onset, followed by an additional five days of mask wearing. However, the progression of the infection as well as the impact of the different variants and vaccinations on when a person is no longer infectious (culture conversion) has been largely unknown. To examine the infectious periods in vaccinated individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) collected daily anterior nasal swabs for at least 10 days from a group of college students and staff for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and culture and with antigen rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) on a subset of individuals. They found that in the majority of young, healthy and vaccinated adults, the infectious period for SARS-CoV-2 is limited, with only 17 percent remaining positive beyond five days. As isolation can have a significant impact on both the economy of a country and the mental health of its citizens, it is imperative to make efforts to reduce isolation periods while simultaneously preventing infectious individuals from spreading the disease." Tara Bouton, MD, MPH, corresponding author, assistant professor of medicine at BUSM The researchers recruited participants from a campus which had a multi-faceted surveillance testing and COVID-19 control program. They then compared infection with Omicron versus Delta, the vaccination and booster status of the infected individual and the difference from test date and symptom onset date on detectable virus and culture positivity. They also found there was no difference in time to culture conversion by variant or vaccination status. Among participants in the subset who used an antigen RDT in days five through seven following SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, RDT had perfect negative predictive value and sensitivity when compared to culture. The researchers say the study provides further support to the guidelines for strict masking beyond the initial five-day isolation period for SARS-CoV-2 infections to help prevent transmission from the minority of cases who remain culture positive. "We believe that rapid antigen testing may provide reassurance of lack of infectiousness, though masking for a full 10 days is necessary to prevent transmission from the 17 percent of individuals who remain culture positive after isolation," said Bouton, who also is an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center. These findings appear online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The first therapy to be developed specifically for post-traumatic headache significantly reduced related disability in veterans following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It also reduced co-occurring symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comparably to a gold-standard PTSD treatment. Moreover, the innovative treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Headache (CBTH), was appealing to patients, showing low drop-out rates, and is easy for therapists to learn and deliver, increasing its potential to be broadly disseminated and to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of service members and veterans. Those findings were reported today in JAMA Neurology by a team of investigators led by Don McGeary, PhD, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio). Their effort was part of the work of the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD, a group jointly funded by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. We are excited by this development in the treatment of post-traumatic headache, which along with TBI is poorly understood and for which treatment options are so limited. To find the first major treatment success for post-traumatic headache, which is arguably the most debilitating symptom of TBI, and that the treatment also significantly reduces comorbid PTSD symptoms, is a major breakthrough." Dr. Don McGeary, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the university's Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Both TBI and PTSD are signature wounds of post-9/11 military conflicts, and the two conditions commonly occur together. Post-traumatic headaches, or headaches that develop or worsen following a head or neck injury, become chronic and debilitating in a large percentage of those who experience a TBI such as a concussion, inhibiting their ability to engage in the activities of daily life. When PTSD is co-occurring, it can worsen the headaches and make them more difficult to treat. Effective treatments exist for PTSD but not for post-traumatic headache, which along with TBI, scientists are still working to understand. Migraine medications commonly used to alleviate the headache pain do not relieve related disability. They also often have unwanted side effects, and their overuse can worsen headaches. Dr. McGeary explained current theory that PTSD may be a "driver" of post-traumatic headache and the disability it causes. So the research team wanted both to study the interaction of the conditions and their treatment and to find a therapy effective for both. About the study Dr. McGeary and his colleagues developed CBTH by modifying a psychotherapy for migraine headaches. In this study, they evaluated its efficacy with co-occurring post-traumatic headache and PTSD symptoms. The study was conducted at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Participants had clinically significant PTSD symptoms and headaches persisting more than three months following a TBI. They were randomly assigned to receive either CBTH, a leading PTSD treatment called Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), or the usual care provided at the VA Polytrauma Center. CBTH, which uses cognitive behavioral therapy concepts to reduce headache disability and improve mood, includes key components such as relaxation, setting goals for activities patients want to resume, and planning for those situations. CPT is a leading psychotherapy for PTSD that teaches patients how to evaluate and change upsetting and maladaptive thoughts related to their trauma, with the idea that, by changing your thoughts, you can change the way you feel. Treatment as usual at the VA Polytrauma Center is a high standard of care that can include injections, physical and occupational therapies, pain medications, acupuncture and massage, and long-term medical care. Research findings What researchers found at the end of treatment was that, compared to usual care, those receiving CBTH reported significant reductions in disability and in negative impact on function and quality of daily life. They also showed improvement in PTSD symptoms comparable to the group that received CPT. All of these treatment gains were maintained six months after treatment completion. CPT, on the other hand, led to significant and lasting improvements in PTSD symptoms, but on its own did not improve headache disability. "This was a surprise," said Dr. McGeary. "If theories about PTSD driving post-traumatic headache are correct, you'd expect CPT to help both PTSD and headache. Our findings call that into question." Interpreting outcomes Interestingly, CBTH did not reduce headache intensity or frequency compared to usual care. Dr. McGeary said its dramatic reductions on negative life impact are likely due to its building patients' confidence that they could control or manage their headaches, a concept known as "self-efficacy." That sense of control was key to helping patients "get their lives back," he said. "If you can improve a person's belief that they can control their headache, they function better," Dr. McGeary said. "That's because, when dealing with a long-term, disabling pain condition, people make decisions about whether they're going to actively engage in any kind of activity, especially if the activity exacerbates the pain condition. They make those decisions based on their perceptions of their ability to handle their pain." Dr. McGeary believes the planning component of CBTH is key to improving those perceptions. He said, "There's a big difference between saying 'I've got to go to this party. What am I going to do?', versus 'OK, I have a plan for this. I'm going to bring my sunglasses to block bright light. I'll bring a cold compress. I'll step away if the noise becomes too much.' Forming plans helps individuals feel like they have improved their self-efficacy when it comes to managing their headaches." Regarding relief of PTSD symptoms, Dr. McGeary said it's surprising that CBTH and CPT were comparable. He believes CBTH was more appealing to patients, so fewer dropped out and more received a full dose of treatment. CBTH requires fewer and shorter therapy sessions-;typically eight sessions of 30-45 minutes each. CPT is a more challenging therapy and typically involves 12 sessions lasting 60-90 minutes each. Another benefit of CBTH is that it requires only two hours to train clinicians to deliver the therapy, compared to CPT, a complex treatment that requires significant training and acquired skill. That would make it relatively easy to increase the number of therapists available to treat veterans with post-traumatic headache and ease caseloads at clinics. Next steps Following up on this success with veterans in San Antonio, Dr. McGeary and colleagues are looking to replicate their findings in a more diverse sample. As part of a new study affiliated with the STRONG STAR Consortium, they will test the robustness of CBTH in a larger trial at multiple military and VA sites around the United States. Dr. McGeary explained, "We need more women, more racial and ethnic diversity, veterans as well as active military of different branches, with varying comorbidities, in different geographic regions attached to different hospitals and medical systems because we're comparing to usual care." Rixos Premium Dubai said that Daniyar Zeidullayev is promoted to the new Director of Operations and Yilmaz Ates to the position of Food & Beverage Manager and takes on the responsibility of being Accors Front of the House Alchemist. These promotions further demonstrate the hotels commitment to the development of talent in the hospitality industry and offering tools to accelerate career progression. With a vast experience of over 15 years in Front Office operations, Daniyar Zeidullayev previously worked with several Rixos brands such as Rixos Premium Bodrum in Turkey, Rixos Fuela Davos Switzerland, Rixos The Land of The Legends Turkey, Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel and Suites and Rixos President Astana Kazakhstan. Having been in Rixos Premium Dubai Hotel since its pre-opening in 2017, Daniyar has played a key role joining. He consistently demonstrates strategic and exceptional leadership skills to ensure that the hotel operations run smoothly and effectively. In his new role, Daniyar will be responsible for handling Outsourced F&B, organising the Front Office and Concierge Management, along with overseeing Guest Relations Management and the Spa. Further to this, he will expand his responsibilities in housekeeping operations. Yilmaz Ates has been an integral part of the Food and Beverage team at Rixos Premium Dubai for the last four years where he has led the front of house Food & Beverage operation and comes with 13 years experience in the industry. He joined Rixos Premium Dubai in August 2018 as an Outlet Manager. Prior to this he was working with Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel and Suites as an Assistant Outlet Manager. Before making the move to Dubai, he also has extensive experience working in various F&B roles and supporting management in Rixos Premium Gocek in Turkey. Yilmaz, who is now the new Food & Beverage Manager, will also assume the responsibility of the Front of the House Alchemist for Accor UAE-based brands like Raffles, Fairmount, Sofitel, White Label, Banyan Tree, and of course Rixos. He will bring extra value, innovation, and high service standards for Accor brands. He is held in very high regard throughout the company for his leadership, organisation, and tireless efforts. TradeArabia News Service Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are studying new ways to predict to prevent suicidality. The team recently published findings about the effectiveness of a new risk assessment tool in the Springer Nature journal Discover Mental Health. One person dies by suicide every 40 seconds worldwide, but suicides are preventable tragedies. This study shows our tool is highly predictive at identifying who is at risk and what can be done to decrease risk in a personalized way." Alexander Niculescu, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at IU School of Medicine Department of psychiatry and lead author of the study The assessment tool was first used in the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital Emergency Department in Indianapolis four years ago on over 400 patients. The assessment is called Convergent Functional Information for Suicidality (CFI-S). It can be taken on paper or in a digital format and is a simple 22 item yes/no questionnaire focusing on psycho-social risk factors rather than biological markers, as some of the other studies by Niculescu and his group. Unlike current clinical screenings, CFI-S does not ask about suicidal ideation and generates a quantitative risk score. "Patients do not always want to answer questions specifically about suicidal ideation, because they may be afraid of being hospitalized," Niculescu said. "Because this tool leaves out those questions, it is easier to deploy in any setting and can be a complementary questionnaire to use with current standard clinical screenings." Researchers found that at four years follow-up, the CFI-S tool was 80 percent predictive of future suicidality. The predictive ability increased to 90 percent when using artificial intelligence and machine-learning approaches in collaboration with colleagues at University of Southern California. The study found top risk factors for suicide were feeling useless or unneeded, a history of suicidality and social isolation. "That is exciting, since many of these risk factors are addressable and correctable," said Niculescu. "We now have validated a simple quantitative tool that can identify and track risk and help providers develop a personalized suicidality risk mitigation plan for their patients. Widespread use of CFI-S for screening purposes can be a gamechanger in suicide prevention efforts worldwide." Other study investigators include Kyle Roseberry, MD, Yena Choi, MD, Laura Quast, MD, Madelynn Gaines, and George Sandusky, PhD from IU School of Medicine; Jeffery Kline, MD from Wayne State University; and Mingxi Cheng and Paul Bogdan, PhD from University of Southern California. Infants undergoing heart surgery are connected to a heart-lung machine and given nitric oxide as an anti-inflammatory. Researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Queensland have now conducted the world's largest study of its kind, showing that using nitric oxide does not improve children's recovery after surgery. Congenital heart disease affects about one in a hundred live-born children. In the US alone, about 40,000 children are born with congenital heart disease every year. About half of these patients require heart surgery during the first years of life. This type of surgery involves performing a cardiopulmonary bypass, or artificial heart-lung machine, that is needed to allow surgeons to operate on the heart. However, this machine can cause severe inflammation in the children, which may last up to several days after surgery. This inflammation is harmful to the patients, as it weakens the heart and may result in organ dysfunction and the need for ventilation in the ICU. To reduce these side effects, the addition of nitric oxide to the heart-lung machine has been discussed as a promising approach. No difference in ventilation needs Researchers at the University of Zurich, the University Children's Hospital Zurich and the University of Queensland (Australia) have now investigated whether the addition of nitric oxide to artificial heart-lung machines reduces infants' need for ventilation after surgery. The randomized trial involved 1,371 children across six pediatric heart surgery centers in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands." Luregn Schlapbach, Lead Author, University Children's Hospital Zurich The findings show no difference in the ventilation needs of study participants who received nitric oxide and those who did not after heart surgery. The study authors thus conclude that the use of nitric oxide in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery does not improve the recovery of children following heart surgery. The trial was the largest interventional study in children with congenital heart disease performed to date. "Researchers will now analyze gene activation patterns in the study participants to find out which biological processes could be targeted in the future - including in terms of precision medicine," says Schlapbach. A follow-up study of the cohort into school age will also be conducted to understand the true long-term impact of nitric oxide gas intervention. Residents in predominantly Black communities are more likely than those in predominantly white communities to live near a hospital with a certified stroke center. But a new study shows that when residents in these Black communities have a stroke, they are at greater risk of receiving care at a less-resourced hospital, where their chances of recovery are slimmer. In their retrospective study, researchers led by corresponding author Renee Hsia, MD, MSc, of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC San Francisco, tracked patient demographics of general acute-care hospitals in the United States that offered stroke certification over a 10-year duration. Of the 4,984 hospitals, 961 were stroke certified in 2009, versus 1,763 in 2019, the researchers reported in their study publishing in JAMA Neurology on June 27, 2022. Stroke center certification ranges from primary stroke centers, which provide standard care, to comprehensive stroke centers that can treat the most complex cases. Treatment at stroke centers is associated with lower rates of mortality and severe disability, according to recent studies that point to features such as rapid triage, specialized neurosurgeons, advanced imaging facilities and swift access to thrombectomy, a surgery to remove a blood clot from inside an artery or vein. The researchers found that residents of majority Black communities, which were served by 10% of the hospitals in the study, were 1.67 times more likely to live close to hospitals with specialty stroke centers, compared to residents of majority white communities. However, when adjusting for population and hospital bed capacity, these patients were 26% less likely to receive care there, the researchers stated. Greater demand for stroke care in Black communities Black, racially segregated communities tended to cluster in areas with large populations, where stroke care must accommodate a much higher level of demand. Crowding may prevent patients from accessing the stroke center, and even if they do access it, they may not be able to be seen as quickly due to shortages of beds, critical care physicians, nurses and equipment." Renee Hsia, MD, MSc, a core faculty member at the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies The researchers also found a significant disparity in access to stroke centers when they compared residents' resource levels. Residents in predominantly high-income areas were 3.4 times more likely to live close to a hospital with a certified stroke center compared with residents in predominantly low-income areas. Similarly, patients in rural areas were markedly less likely to be served by hospitals with certified stroke centers than those living in urban areas. The decision to open a new stroke center should take into account population size and underlying needs of the community that the center will serve, said Hsia. "Currently, the distribution of stroke care is more motivated by profit potential, rather than community need. We found that for many in low-income, minority and rural communities, specialized stroke services are not even an option. Policymakers may want to consider how they can reduce financial barriers for hospitals in these communities where certified stroke centers are needed." Researchers from the Cancer Epigenetics group led by Dr. Manel Esteller at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and Dr. Aurora Pujol, from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), have identified an epigenetic signature associated to the development of the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) after a SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. The signature has been named EPIMISC, in line with previous studies on the epigenetics of COVID-19 from the same team. The SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and the development of the COVID-19 disease have been a serious health, social and economic problem in the last two years. The massive implementation of vaccines has allowed a certain recovery of normality, but there are still many unanswered questions. One of the puzzles of infection with the virus has been the remarkable resilience of children to exhibit severe COVID-19. However, a small percentage of the pediatric population affected by the virus experienced a serious health condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), also known as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS), that require admission to intensive care unit (ICU) in around 60% of cases. In MIS-C, different parts of the body can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. The factors associated with the appearance of MIS-C beyond the presence of the virus are unknown. In an article recently published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, the sister journal of The Lancet for rapid communication of clinical findings, Dr. Manel Esteller, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC), ICREA Research Professor and Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona and Dr. Aurora Pujol, also an ICREA Professor and Head of the Neurometabolic Diseases Group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), and member of the Spanish Network for Rare Diseases CIBERER, demonstrates that there are epigenetic changes linked to the triggering of MIS-C, at least in the studied cohort population. "The COVID-19 disease in adults is characterized by difficulty breathing, while the studied rare syndrome associated with the same virus in children affects many more organs and can have severe consequences. As the bases for the disorder are unknown, we decided to compare the epigenome of healthy children, children with COVID-19 without MIS-C, and children with COVID-19 who experienced MIS-C", explains Dr. Esteller in relation to the article and adds: "We found that MIS-C is characterized by a specific deregulation of epigenetic cellular programming that leads to a landscape of hyperinflammation that can damage tissues". The results of the study, signed by Dr. Veronica Davalos and Carlos A. Garcia-Prieto as first authors, showed that specific genes were affected in patients, such as those associated with the activation of T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, the recognition of antigens and coagulation. This pattern of epigenetic deregulation was also observed in Kawasaki Syndrome, another inflammatory disease that peaked in 2009 and possibly linked to infection with the influenza virus A H1N1. Interestingly, two of the 33 DNA methylation events that define the EPIMISC signature are also characteristic of adults without comorbidities who develop severe COVID-19 disease, as previously defined in the EPICOVID signature found by the same team last year. This fact confirms that both processes, MIS-C in children and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults, are inflammatory post-infectious complications and could be treated in a different way than the initial phase of the viral infection. On this regard, researchers hypothesize that pharmacological inhibition of the CUL2 gene, a mediator of inflammation, could be useful for MIS-C patients since it is known to protect against hyperinflammatory responses. This is an unusual feature and Dr. Pujol notes that "It is interesting to see that two disorders that exhibit similar clinical manifestations, MIS-C and Kawasaki, also share a common epigenetic signature, which is different to the epigenetic signature caused by other viruses including HIV". In the same line, Dr. Esteller concludes that "it seems that in both syndromes, MIS-C and Kawasaki, there is an exaggerated reaction of the children's immune system against a viral attack. Knowing the mechanisms triggering both diseases will give us better tools to diagnose and treat them". Brooke Emerling from Sanford Burnham Prebys has been awarded a new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue her work on cellular signaling in cancer. The four-year, $2.3 million project could accelerate the development of new therapies for a range of cancers, particularly metastatic breast cancer. It also offers an answer to a longstanding mystery in cancer metabolism. We're helping piece together how cancer works at the molecular level. The pathways we're working on have been poorly understood so far, and investigating them could possibly provide new therapeutic strategies for cancer." Brooke Emerling from Sanford Burnham Prebys The project focuses on a signaling system called the hippo pathway, which helps our organs grow and controls their size. One of the key characteristics of cancer is uninhibited growth, and the hippo pathway is known to contribute to cancer growth when it's not functioning correctly. "There's no single mutation we can pin this effect on or target, so it's been a mystery for years as to why and how hippo is activated in cancer," says Emerling. "We're just now beginning to piece that together." The researcher's key breakthrough was the discovery that a specific family of proteins called PI5P4Ks, which are known to be activated in breast cancer cells, also directly interact with parts of the hippo pathway. "It was a pretty serendipitous discovery," says Emerling. "We've found a connection between these seemingly unrelated elements of cancer metabolism, and this gives us a whole new angle we can use to tackle cancer." Because the hippo pathway plays a role in many parts of our biology, targeting this pathway with drugs could have implications for a wide range of cancers and other diseases. "This work has great potential to help people, and we're grateful that this new funding will help us do the research we need to do so we can make that happen," adds Emerling. In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* pre-print server, researchers in Israel described the case of a severely immunocompromised cancer patient who developed a chronic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Study: SARS-CoV-2 evolution and evasion from multiple antibody treatments in a cancer patient. Image Credit: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock Background This female aged between 60 to 69 began receiving her cancer treatment at Shamir Medical Center hospital, Be'er Yaacov, Israel, in June 2021. Her oncological findings included malignant melanoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. She also received treatment for fibromyalgia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in September 2021 and remained persistently infected for over eight months despite receiving monoclonal antibody (mAb) cocktail treatments twice. Typically healthy human hosts transmit SARS-CoV-2 for less than 14 days and do not transmit emerging mutations due to strong purifying selection. Conversely, the risk of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunocompromised individuals receiving the anti-cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) medication rituximab is exceptionally high. Antiviral therapies, such as monoclonal/ polyclonal antibodies, ivermectin, and remdesivir, also do not always successfully treat such patients due to resistant viral mutants that emerge in some cases. Subsequently, SARS-CoV-2 evolves more rapidly in such patients giving rise to mutations that increase viral fitness and enhance escape from neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). This could partially be the reason for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 novel variants of concern (VOC), which are a threat to public health globally. About the study In the present study, researchers compared the mutational profile of the viral samples obtained from SARS-CoV-2 infected immunocompromised cancer patients with the samples representing the closest phylogenetic relative to identify mutations that emerged within her patient over the course of infection. They also compared emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations in the presence and absence of nAbs. The researchers tracked SARS-CoV-2 evolution in this patient for around six months, during which they obtained three nasopharyngeal samples (S1, S2, S3) for SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing (WGS). They estimated the global prevalence of various mutations using statistics from the global initiative on sharing all influenza data (GISAID) database. Further, the team captured the SARS-CoV-2 mutations within the patient and distinguished minor mutations with allele frequency (AF)<0.5 from major mutations, that became fixed and had AF>0.5. They quantitatively determined anti-spike 1 and anti-spike 2 specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in patient samples using a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) which uses magnetic beads coated with spike 1 and spike 2 antigens. Likewise, they used measurements of deep mutational scanning experiments to assess antibody escape. Study findings The WGS results revealed the patient was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, lineage AY.43. These viral samples were genetically correlated with contemporary viral genomes collected in Israel and Europe. The earliest sample S1 was more mutated than its nearest phylogenetic relative, with 10 new substitutions. The genomes from samples S2 and S3 showed a pattern of accumulating mutation, although their distribution was uneven. Seven emerging mutations accumulated in less than a month, while another 10 in the next three months. Visualizations of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domains (RBDs), marked according to altered amino acid residues found in each sample. Each mutated residue is colored according to the magnitude of the largest-effect escape mutation at each site, as measured for the REGN10933+REGN10987 monoclonal antibody cocktail (see methods). The bar-plots at the bottom represent the estimated fraction antibodies that were either bound (cyan) or escaped (gray) from neutralization by polyclonal antibodies for each sample (see methods). The receptor-binding domain (RBD) was the most densely mutated locus, with ~12 mutations per kilobase (mKb), and the Spike gene was the most mutated structural protein. It had 23 unique non-synonymous mutations, eight of which overlapped with the RBD locus. The distribution of mutations in the accessory proteins, open reading frame (ORF)8, ORF10, and ORF3a were 10.9, 8.6, and six mKb, respectively. It is highly likely that in the first month of infection, the patient's humoral immunity was composed of endogenous antibodies and the REGEN-COV mAbs. Presumably, the mutations acquired before the collection of S1 evaded neutralization by the REGEN-COV mAb cocktail and the endogenous antibodies produced before treatment with Rituximab. The second REGEN-COV mAb treatment enabled greater escape from antibody binding and decreased the efficacy of the antibody treatment even further. Subsequently, SARS-CoV-2 infectivity assays performed two months after the second round of mAb treatment showed infectious viral shedding. While RBD mutations continued to accumulate for another five months, they showed no correlation with increased antibody escape. Due to the immunosuppressive effects of the Rituximab treatment, the humoral response remained negligible. Overall, even two rounds of REGEN-COV treatments failed to achieve SARS-CoV-2 clearance, and SARS-CoV-2 infection remained unresolved in the patient. Conclusions The study demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 survived two rounds of mAb treatments and remained infectious and viable despite an exceptionally high serum nAb concentration in immunocompromised patients. The adaptive immunity of the patient was severely compromised due to treatment with Rituximab. The mutations in the RBD region of SARS-CoV-2 enabled it to escape from neutralization in the absence of adaptive immunity. Furthermore, emerging mutations disrupted specific immunomodulatory viral functions, providing SARS-CoV-2 selective advantage in the immunocompromised host. *Important notice medRxiv 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. In a recent study published in The Lancet journal, researchers at Imperial College London quantified the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programs in 185 countries and territories between December 8, 2020, and December 8, 2021. Study: Global impact of the first year of COVID-19 vaccination: a mathematical modelling study. Image Credit: Foxeel / Shutterstock Background The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility and World Health Organization (WHO) had global vaccination coverage targets of 20% and 40%, respectively, to be achieved between 2020 and 2021 to ensure global vaccine equity. The researchers extensively searched the Public/Publisher MEDLINE (PubMed) database up to April 2022 and identified only eight studies that estimated the impact of COVID-19 vaccination. These studies focused only on specific regions, such as WHO European Region and some states in the United States. Furthermore, these studies did not account for the indirect factors contributing to the impact of COVID-19 vaccination. About the study In the present mathematical modeling-based study, the authors estimated the global impact of COVID-19 vaccination up to December 8, 2021. They fitted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) transmission models to reported deaths and excess mortality as a substitute for COVID-19 deaths during the early pandemic. By using excess mortality estimates, the present study more accurately estimated the impact of COVID-19 vaccination in countries with weaker surveillance systems. The team quantified the protection among vaccinated individuals and the indirect protection conferred upon all those living among vaccinated populations due to the reduced infection risk. Additionally, they quantified the impact of vaccination had there been global vaccine equity. Briefly, the researchers used a susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered-susceptible (SEIRS) model to fit in country-level data. They fitted the model to the official number of the COVID-19 deaths in a Bayesian framework using a MetropolisHastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo-based sampling scheme for each country to fetch a time-varying level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission Rt. Rt denoted the average number of secondary infections in the absence of both prior infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity. By fitting the model directly to mortality, the researchers indirectly captured the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the COVID-19 pandemic. They derived vaccination rates for first and second doses in each country from the Our World in Data (OWID) database and the WHO dashboard. COVID-19 mortality has been under-documented worldwide. Due to the heterogeneity in reporting COVID-19 deaths in some countries and periods, the team used model-based estimates of all-cause excess mortality, first produced by the news daily, 'The Economist.' The researchers took 100 draws from Rt distribution and vaccine efficacy estimates for each country. Based on the assumption that the epidemic in each country followed a similar Rt trend, first, they simulated a counterfactual scenario in which no vaccines were available. In the second counterfactual scenario, although vaccines were administered, they resulted in no indirect effects. The third scenario predicted the trajectory of the pandemic for the study model and most closely matched reported COVID-19 or excess deaths in each country. The researchers did not adjust the Rt trends for NPIs, and the emergence of variants had vaccines not become available. However, they characterized the relationship between the infection fatality ratio (IFR) and the assumed degree of immune evasion of the Delta variant. Global COVID-19 deaths averted due to vaccination based on excess mortality (A) Median number of daily COVID-19 deaths based on excess mortality estimates (grey vertical bars) in the first year of vaccination. The baseline estimate of daily COVID-19 deaths from the model fit to excess mortality is plotted with the solid black line and the counterfactual scenario without vaccines is plotted with a red line. The gap between the red and black line indicates the deaths averted due to vaccination, with the proportion of total deaths averted by direct protection conferred by vaccination shown in blue and indirect protection shown in green. (B) Median number of daily deaths averted per day as per 2022 World Bank income group. Study findings Based on official data on COVID-19 deaths, the authors estimated that vaccinations prevented 14.4 million deaths in 185 countries and territories during the one-year study duration. Based on excess mortality estimates, they observed that vaccinations halved the potential global death toll and averted around 19.8 million deaths in a year. The latter represents the true extent of the first year of the pandemic, showing a global reduction of 63% in total deaths due to vaccination. Median deaths averted by vaccinations per 10 000 people by country in the first year of COVID-19 vaccination Estimates of deaths averted were based on model fits to excess mortality and were binned within seven equal quantiles starting at 0 deaths averted. Deaths averted listed as not applicable for China because of its exclusion from our analysis, due to its unique position as the origin of the detected epidemic and large influence on estimates of deaths averted stemming from its population size. Furthermore, the study model estimated aversion of 41% of excess mortality or 7.4 million deaths in COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AIM) countries. If low-income countries had met the vaccination coverage targets of the COVAX, vaccination could have averted an additional 45% of deaths by the end of 2021. Likewise, an additional 111% of deaths could have been averted by the end of 2021 had each country met the 40% target set by WHO. Conclusions Despite concerted efforts by the WHO and COVAX Facility, low-income countries had limited access to COVID-19 vaccines. The study findings reinforced the urgent need to increase global vaccine equity and coverage. Nevertheless, the study showed how COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives globally and altered the course of the pandemic. Dolores County Sheriff Don Wilson never expected to use Colorado's red flag law when it was passed in 2019. He thought the law made it too easy to take a persons guns away. The statute allows law enforcement officers or private citizens to petition a county court to confiscate firearms temporarily from people who pose an imminent threat to themselves or others. "All it is is one person's word against another," said Wilson, whose sparsely populated territory is in southwestern Colorado near the Utah border. Then, in August 2020, a Dove Creek man threatening to kill his neighbors and himself pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a deputy. Wilson petitioned for and was granted an extreme risk protection order to remove the man's weapons, though the sheriff said his mistrust of the red flag law has not changed. "If a gentleman pulls a rifle on my deputy and then comes and threatens to shoot up my courthouse and kill me, kill the judges, and kill the district attorney," Wilson said, "I've got a problem with that person having a gun." The Uvalde, Texas, school shooting prompted a bipartisan gun control agreement in Congress that could provide funding to encourage more states to pass red flag laws. But in response to conservative objections, the bill Congress passed included funding for crisis intervention to states whether or not they establish red flag laws. Similar opposition was seen in Colorado, where Dolores County and at least 36 other counties declared themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries" after the red flag law was introduced. But 2 years later, those declarations appear to have had little effect on whether protection orders based on the law are filed or enforced. Petitions for protection orders have been filed in 20 of the 37 sanctuary counties, often by the very sheriffs who had previously denounced the law, according to a KHN analysis of the petitions obtained through county-by-county public records requests. "These are sheriffs and law enforcement who were originally saying, 'We want nothing to do with this law,'" said Lisa Geller, state affairs adviser for the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. "But in practice, they are using it, and this is not something that's unique to Colorado. Law enforcement ended up realizing, 'Hey, this is the best tool we have to protect ourselves.'" Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., have implemented some form of red flag law while, according to the website SanctuaryCounties.com, more than 62% of U.S. counties are now covered by either state or county Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions. Research shows red flag laws save lives. Duke University researchers found that for every 10 gun removals, one death is prevented. An analysis from the University of Indianapolis found similar reductions in suicide rates after red flag laws were passed in Connecticut and Indiana. Another analysis, by researchers with the Injury & Violence Prevention Center at the Colorado School of Public Health, found that in the first year of the Colorado red flag law, 85% of protection orders granted by judges had been filed by law enforcement. "A lot of that is because the law enforcement petitions may have been more complete," said Dr. Marian Betz, an epidemiologist and deputy director of the center. "They had the information that judges needed to move forward with it." Studies in California, Oregon, and Washington state also found the majority of petitions are filed by law enforcement. Although California's red flag law has been in effect for more than five years, two-thirds of the Californians in a 2020 survey had never heard of it. Betz and her team found the same hurdle in Colorado. "I hope there will be some improvement in awareness and education, both for the public and also for law enforcement," she said, "making it easier for people to understand how they work and when you might want to get one and how you would do that." In Colorado counties where sheriffs have declined to use the red flag law, protection orders have been filed by other law enforcement agencies. Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams has been one of the more vocal critics of the law and made national news saying he'd rather go to jail than enforce it. Nonetheless, 12 petitions were filed in Weld County, including two by municipal police departments. "My stance is still the same," Reams said. "Under no circumstances am I going to take someone's guns in violation of their constitutional rights." Reams describes the law as "shallow" and doing nothing to address the mental issues that might contribute to violence. "Our goal is to address the person and try to figure out how to get the person the help they need," he said. The process for citizens to file extreme risk protection order petitions can be challenging. Many of those reviewed by KHN showed filers didn't understand the red flag law, including one petition that was filed in the wrong county. Other petitions filed by citizens were clearly outside the intent of the law. Prisoners in county jails filed petitions against their sheriff jailers, including one who accused the sheriff of slavery. A Larimer County woman falsely claimed she had a child in common with a police officer in a bid to have his guns taken away. But judges rejected all those petitions, bolstering supporters' argument that protections against misuse are built into the law. "We documented the rare few cases of people misusing the law, but those petitions were not allowed," said Betz, the Colorado epidemiologist. "That shows that the system worked." During the debate over the Colorado bill, opponents argued that the law would allow vindictive people to take guns away from others for no good reason. "We're just really not seeing that," said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. "What we are seeing is that law enforcement has a tool to use in cases where someone is truly a risk to themselves or others and shouldn't have a firearm." Even before the Colorado law was passed in 2019, Alamosa County's Board of County Commissioners passed a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution reinforcing the county's commitment to the right to bear arms. Afterward, Sheriff Robert Jackson issued a statement in support of the resolution, saying the red flag bill lacked due process, didn't address mental health concerns, and would put his deputies at increased risk. Since then, Alamosa County judges have granted two petitions under the law, one from the county sheriff's office and one from the Alamosa Police Department. Jackson said his concern was over the ability of private citizens to file for protection orders. Law enforcement, he said, files only after looking into the facts. "Judges sometimes aren't really good at investigating stuff," he said. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock, one of the most outspoken proponents of the Colorado law, said his office filed four protective orders in the first year of the law. "Most of the time when we have people who have extreme mental health crises, unfortunately, there's an outcome of either suicide or homicide," he said. "The four cases that we've done, all four of those individuals are alive today and are productive members of our society and are working toward a healthier life." Spurlock said many sheriffs still refuse to make use of a law that's saved lives. He said he has asked some of them pointed questions about what it means to be a Second Amendment sanctuary, such as whether armed robbers and rapists are entitled to guns. "Then they get pissed at me," Spurlock said. "My number of friends is dwindling." KHN reporter Jacob Owens contributed to this article. A recent survey from the Guttmacher Institute documented an 8% rise in the number of abortions performed in the U.S. from 2017 to 2020, reversing what had been a nearly three-decade decline in women opting to terminate their pregnancies. But a closer look at the findings, drawn from a comprehensive survey of every known facility providing abortions in the U.S., reveals wide variation in abortion trends among the states. While 33 states reported a rise in abortion numbers, 17 states reported declines. And the swings up or down are striking. Among the states that saw the biggest increases: Oklahoma (+103%); Mississippi (+40%); Idaho (+31%); Kentucky (+28%); and New Mexico (+27%). Among the states with the biggest declines: Missouri (-96%); South Dakota (-74%); West Virginia (-31%); Wyoming (-29%); and Louisiana (-26%). Notably, states such as California and New York, which have pushed to expand abortion funding and services in recent years, saw less dramatic gains of 16% and 5%, respectively. Guttmacher, a research organization that supports abortion rights, noted that some of the state-level swings were interwoven, as women in states that have enacted laws restricting abortion access crossed into neighboring states to seek care. This is thought to be a driving factor behind the 103% surge in Oklahoma, where women from Texas a state with some of the nation's strictest abortion laws sought care before Oklahoma in May adopted its own ban on nearly all abortions. The report's authors cited other factors, as well, including state-level variations in access to government funding for abortion care for low-income women, and regulations issued by the Trump administration that disrupted the nation's network of Title X family planning clinics, a vital source of low- or no-cost contraception. The Biden administration has since replaced those regulations. The stark disparities in state abortion trends is expected to magnify in the coming year, following the Supreme Court's June 24 decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nation's long-standing federally guaranteed right to abortion and leaving the issue in the hands of state lawmakers. Phillip Reese is a data reporting specialist and an assistant professor of journalism at California State University-Sacramento. This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. Residence Inn by Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoys portfolio of 30 prestigious brands, has announced the opening of Residence Inn by Marriott Dammam, offering upscale longer stays to guests. Making its debut in the Kingdoms Eastern Province, the hotel is strategically located in the bustling Al Badi district, with easy access to malls, the beautiful Dammam Corniche, and is a 30-minute drive to the citys serene beaches. Ahmed Hozaien, Area Vice President Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, Marriott International said: The opening of Residence Inn by Marriott Dammam reinforces the demand we are seeing for longer stay market. The strategic location of this hotel and its offering makes it an ideal choice for various travellers including business, families and those traveling for leisure. Featuring residential suites instead of rooms, a stay at Residence Inn by Marriott Dammam is thoughtfully designed to give guests space and freedom to travel the way they love to live. The property offers 134 residential suites featuring modern comfort and elevated style. The spacious studios and one, two and three-bedroom suites boast 40 percent more space than traditional rooms, plus fully equipped kitchens, large bathrooms and separate sleep and work areas. Enhancing this home-away-from-home experience, cooking while travelling has never been easier. Each suites kitchen is furnished with a refrigerator, dishwasher, cutlery, and cookware, paired with the hotels complimentary grocery delivery. Guests can also savour a complimentary breakfast and a la carte dining at their signature restaurant, Dish Inn. Ensuring a holistic and productive stay, Residence Inn by Marriott Dammam offers guests a variety of amenities including free WiFi, express laundry facilities and access to a well-equipped health club, sauna and outdoor pool. The hotel also features a high-end business centre, a ballroom ideal for weddings, and an indoor kids area to keep little ones entertained. TradeArabia News Service (Newser) A Russian missile attack on a mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on Monday killed at least 13 people and wounded 40 othersbut with rescuers still searching the wreckage, the death toll could rise significantly. The United Nations described the attack on a civilian target in central Ukraine, far from the fighting, as "deplorable," and G7 leaders, who are at a summit in Germany, called it a war crime, the BBC reports. "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime," the G7 leaders said. "Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 1,000 civilians were inside the mall when Russia carried out "one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history," the AP reports. Ukrainian authorities say the missile was fired from Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bomber. "Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on Earth, can strike missiles at such an object," Zelensky said, per CNN. "And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strikeexactly at this shopping mall." The United Nations Security Council, at Ukraine's request, has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday. "Although Russia hasn't commented on the strike yet, it is already being suggested that this was another attempt by Moscow to send a message, just as the G7 group of wealthy nations was discussing new aid for Ukraine, says Joe Inwood at the BBC. "If this was Russian diplomacy, it was a negotiating tactic of the most brutal kind," he said. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.) (Newser) Survivors of the mysterious nightclub disaster that left 21 young people dead in South Africa say that had trouble breathing after something was sprayed or thrown inside the nightclub. A 17-year-old survivor tells Al Jazeera that she was at the nightclub in the coastal city of East London early Sunday when security guards said it had become overcrowded and ordered people to leave. She says that when people refused to comply, a security guard closed the door and sprayed the crowd with something. "We suffocated for a long time," and people were "pushing each other, but there was no use because some people were dying," she says. "It smelled like gas. Im not sure if it was tear gas or pepper spray," she says. "Then some people died and I also fell asleep for three hours. Then when they woke us up, they also thought I was dead." Kamvelihle Matafeni, 18, says she managed to get out of the nightclub after something was thrown into the crowd, the Washington Post reports. She says she heard people yell that they couldn't breathe. "People were falling around me, she says. They were dying right in front of my eyes. Police say no cause of death has been detemined, but a stampede has been ruled out, the AP reports. Samples have been sent to an advanced toxicology laboratory in Cape Town, but results could take "some time," police say. Authorities say the Enyobeni Tavern was full of young people celebrating the end of the school year. After police were called around 4am Sunday, 17 of themages 13 to 17were found dead inside the nightclub, and the others died in local clinics and hospitals. No charges have been filed. (Read more South Africa stories.) (Newser) Jodie Sweetin, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner on Full House and Fuller House, joined protests against the overturning of Roe v. Wade in Los Angeles over the weekend and was shoved to the ground by an LAPD officer. Video shows Sweetin, 40, being shoved as she apparently tries to lead a group of protesters up an embankment from a highway, Deadline reports. She tumbled down an incline and was helped up by fellow protesters, who chanted "No justice, no peace." A Sweetin rep confirmed to Variety that she was the person seen in the footage. "Im extremely proud of the hundreds of people who showed up yesterday to exercise their First Amendment rights and take immediate action to peacefully protest the giant injustices that have been delivered from our Supreme Court, Sweetin said in a statement Sunday. Our activism will continue until our voices are heard and action is taken." Mike Ade, the journalist who filmed the incident, said that Sweetin was "trying to lead a group of peaceful protesters away from the freeway" and that it "pained" him to see how she was treated, CBS reports. Sweetin said Monday that while people might be shocked to see something happen to "Stephanie Tanner," she doesn't want the incident to be a distraction from the wider issues. "Above all, I want to continue to not make this about me and continue to bring the focus back to womens rights and also police brutality," she said, adding, "If people are disturbed by what they saw, I want to tell you, I've spent a lot of time protesting out in the streets and that was a very minor incident of police brutality." (Read more abortion stories.) (Newser) A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more. Two of the people who died were on the Amtrak train, and one was in the truck, Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear how many people were hurt, the AP reports, but hospitals reported more than 40 admissions and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the accident happened near Mendon, at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, officials said. Seven cars derailed, the Highway Patrol said. It's not known why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. Investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said, and trains won't be able to run on the track for "a matter of days" while the investigators gather evidence. At one point, helicopter video from KMBC-TV in Kansas City showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department, and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Robert Nightingale, who owns an art gallery in New Mexico, said he was dozing off in his sleeper room when the crash happened. "Everything started to go in slow motion," he told CNN, describing how the train rocked before tumbling onto its side. Nightingale was able to climb out of the side of the rail car. "We all just sat there shocked," he said. Other passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong of the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, population about 160, is about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City. (Read more Amtrak stories.) (Newser) Inside an 18-wheeler in San Antonio, Texas, a horrific sight: 46 bodies, and another 16 people still alive but in dire shape. Shortly before 6pm Monday, a worker in the area called police after hearing a call for help from the truck, the Texas Tribune reports. Authorities arrived to find a body outside the truck and many more inside; in addition, some bodies were found strewn alongside a several-block areaauthorities believe they tried to escape the situation inside the truck by jumping out. The victims ranged in age from teens to adults, KSAT reports. The tractor-trailer's refrigeration did not appear to be working, authorities do not believe the people had access to water, and many were likely too weak to escape the vehicle. The local temperature hit 100 degrees Monday. Some of the bodies had been sprinkled with steak seasoning, likely in an effort to cover up the smell; authorities believe they were migrants being transported by human smugglers. "Were not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there," the city's fire chief says. Authorities aren't yet sure if everyone who had been inside the truck has been accounted for. The three people taken into custody in the case were not with the truck when it was found. The 12 adults and four minors taken to hospitals were suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion, but the fire chief says he's "very hopeful" they will survive. "They had families... and were likely trying to find a better life. Its nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," says San Antonio's mayor. (Read more San Antonio stories.) (Newser) With so-called "trigger laws" on abortion bans starting to kick in across the nation, some states are going on the offensive to protect access to the procedure. ABC30 reports that the California Assembly on Monday gave the green light to an amendment to the state's constitution, which will protect both legal access to abortions and contraceptionan amendment that "will ensure that no court case, no federal law can supersede" it, Assembly member Buffy Wicks notes. There's already a right to health care privacy baked into the state's constitution, but the Assembly wanted to more clearly spell out that abortion and birth control rights are part of that. Voters in the state will still have the final say on passing the amendment, as it's now on the ballot for November. Per the Washington Post, the Assembly has a Democratic supermajority, and the measure doesn't need the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom (who does support it) to pass. And it seems like Californians may indeed support the measure, as a poll from last year showed upward of three-quarters of the adult population were against overturning Roe v. Wade. California has been at the forefront of aggressively pushing back at the SCOTUS decision, including Newsom last week signing a law that offers protection for abortion providers offering their services to people from other states. California's budget for 2023 also includes more than $200 million to expand reproductive health services, including funds to help pay for travel, accommodations, and child care for Californians seeking an abortion. The Guardian notes Vermont will have a similar constitutional amendment up for a November vote in the wake of last week's Supreme Court decision. In Vermont's case, the word "abortion" isn't referencedinstead, "personal reproductive autonomy" is. (Read more abortion rights stories.) (Newser) It hasn't taken long for the question of abortion to surface as a point of controversy in at least one congressional race. Axios has produced audio of Republican candidate Yesli Vega in Virginia suggesting it's plausible that pregnancy isn't as likely after rape. Vega faces Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger in November in the closely watched contest. The audio is from a conversation Vega had with another woman at a Stafford County event. At one point, the woman says, "I've actually heard that it's harder for a woman to get pregnant if she's been raped. Have you heard that?" Vega's response: "Well, maybe because there's so much going on in the body. I don't know. I haven't, you know, seen any studies. But if I'm processing what you're saying, it wouldn't surprise me. Because it's not something that's happening organically. You're forcing it." When the other woman suggests the woman's "body shuts down," Vega says, "Yeah, yeah. And then the individual, the male, is doing it as quicklyit's not like, you knowand so I can see why there is truth to that. It's unfortunate." (Listen to the clip here.) More: Vega, a Prince William County supervisor, is also an auxiliary sheriff's deputy and former Alexandria police officer, per the Washington Post. Just before the rape question came up, she spoke of that experience. "The left will say, 'Well what about in cases of rape or incest?' I'm a law enforcement officer. I became a police officer in 2011. I've worked one case where as a result of a rape, the young woman became pregnant." This comment led to the rape question above. (The clip is here.) Vega, a Prince William County supervisor, is also an auxiliary sheriff's deputy and former Alexandria police officer, per the Washington Post. Just before the rape question came up, she spoke of that experience. "The left will say, 'Well what about in cases of rape or incest?' I'm a law enforcement officer. I became a police officer in 2011. I've worked one case where as a result of a rape, the young woman became pregnant." This comment led to the rape question above. (The clip is here.) Criticism: Spanberger described Vega's comments about the chances of pregnancy after rape as devoid of truth, shamefully disrespectful toward victims of rape, and clearly indicate that she is not qualified to be making serious policy decisions on behalf of our fellow Virginians" in a Twitter thread. Spanberger is a strong supporter of abortion rights, while Vega supports the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Spanberger described Vega's comments about the chances of pregnancy after rape as devoid of truth, shamefully disrespectful toward victims of rape, and clearly indicate that she is not qualified to be making serious policy decisions on behalf of our fellow Virginians" in a Twitter thread. Spanberger is a strong supporter of abortion rights, while Vega supports the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Vega responds: Liberals are desperate to distract from their failed agenda of record high gas and grocery prices, and skyrocketing crime, she wrote in a statement to media outlets including the New York Times, after her comments surfaced. For all the left-wing bloggers and media, as a mother of two children, yes Im fully aware of how women get pregnant. Liberals are desperate to distract from their failed agenda of record high gas and grocery prices, and skyrocketing crime, she wrote in a statement to media outlets including the New York Times, after her comments surfaced. For all the left-wing bloggers and media, as a mother of two children, yes Im fully aware of how women get pregnant. Context: Abortions that result from rape are uncommon, accounting for an estimated 1% of them, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. The CDC estimates that 3 million women in the US have become pregnant from rape. Abortions that result from rape are uncommon, accounting for an estimated 1% of them, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. The CDC estimates that 3 million women in the US have become pregnant from rape. Political context: Democrats are expected to make Vega's comments a focal point in the remainder of the race. The above coverage notes that GOP Rep. Todd Akin, who was running for Senate in Missouri, said in 2012 that pregnancy after rape is really rare because if its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. The comments caused an uproar, though Akin rebuffed demands he leave the race. He went on to lose to Democrat Claire McCaskill by about 16 points. (Read more abortion stories.) New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) A Delhi court on Tuesday sent Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to four-day police custody, arrested in a case related to an objectionable tweet he posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity. Delhi Police produced Zubair before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Snigdha Sarvaria and submitted that he was not cooperating with the investigating agency and was evasive, when asked questions and did not provide the 'necessary technical equipment'. Police submitted that Zubair had refused to hand over personal electronic devices used by him in 2018, which he used to make the social media post. (Newser) A 101-year-old former guard at a Nazi concentration camp, who was the oldest Nazi criminal ever to stand trial in a German court, has been sentenced to five years in prison. The man identified by AFP as Josef Schuetz, who worked at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin from 1942 to 1945, was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murders of 3,518 people by firing squad and Zyklon B gas, per the BBC. He denied he was an SS guard throughout the lengthy trial, which began in October and was repeatedly interrupted for health reasons and hospital stays, claiming instead that he spent those years as a farm laborer near Pasewalk. "I don't know why I'm sitting here in the sin bin. I really had nothing to do with it," he said in his closing statement of the trial in Brandenburg an der Havel. Judge Udo Lechtermann said the evidenceincluding SS documents carrying Schuetz's name and birth detailsshowed he not only worked at the camp as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing but "willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," per the AP. "You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years." After the war, he was taken to a Soviet prison camp. He later returned to Germany, where he worked as a farmer and locksmith, per AFP. "He is unlikely to serve any of his sentence as Germany's highest court will first have to rule whether to allow his appeal, and that will take several months," per the BBC. "Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison sentence due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed," said Josef Schuster of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, per the AP. "The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, so they should take responsibility for it." More than 200,000 people were imprisoned at the camp between 1936 and 1945, tens of thousands of whom died. (Read more Nazis stories.) (Newser) Witness Cassidy Hutchinson told the Jan. 6 panel Tuesday that former President Trump and chief of staff Mark Meadowsher bosswere informed that protesters gathering in DC on Jan. 6, 2021, were armed. However, both appeared to be unconcerned about it, she said. In fact, she said Trump was angry that his supporters had to go through metal detectors, called magnetometers, and turn over weapons as they gathered for his speech that day before the riot. "They're not here to hurt me," she remembered Trump saying. Hutchinson said Trump demanded that his supporters be allowed to move freely, even though they were armed, reports the New York Times. She said she was "in the vicinity of a conversation where I overheard the president say something to the effect of, 'You know, I dont f---ing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me. Take the f---ing mags [magnetometers] away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the f---ing mags away.'" Hutchinson also recalled how deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato told Meadows "these f----ing people are fastening spears onto the ends of flagpoles," per CNN. Hutchinson said Meadows didn't seem phased as he heard the description of various weapons. "I distinctly remember him not looking up from his phone," said Hutchinson. (She also said Meadows warned her in advance that Jan. 6 might get "real, real bad.") (Newser) The Los Angeles Police Department is being accused of using excessive force against one of its own officers during a training exercise last month, leading to the man's death. Shirley Huffman, mother of Houston Tipping, has filed a wrongful-death claim against the city, alleging assault and violations of her son's civil rights, the AP reports. She says that during an exercise meant to simulate a mob attack, Tipping's neck was broken in multiple places after he was "repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled." The 32-year-old officer was taken off life support and died three days after the May 26 incident. Huffman's lawyer, Bradley Gage, says Tipping also had a punctured lung and broken ribs, and it is "mind-boggling" that an officer could be so badly injured during training. "He was supposed to be in training, but he was brutally injured instead," Gage says, per the Washington Post. "He went from being a healthy young man loving his job, protecting and serving all of us, and became a quadriplegic who could not even [breathe] on his own." He says that when Tipping, a bicycle officer who had been with the LAPD for around five years, regained consciousness, he communicated through blinks that he did not want to live as a quadriplegic. Gage said Huffman is "pro-police," but she needs to know more about the "troubling events" that led to her son's death. He says Tipping's injuries suggest that whatever happened was a long way outside normal training. "It's a beating," he says. "It's a beating to death of a police officer." In a May 31 statement, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Tipping was "grappling with another officer" during training when he "fell to the floor and suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury." According to Huffman's wrongful-death claim, the training "had already been questioned" before her son's death because of injuries to other officers. (Read more LAPD stories.) (Newser) Former President Trump fired back at Tuesday's main witness in the Jan. 6 hearings even before Cassidy Hutchinson had finished her testimony. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized the former aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows, reports CNBC. "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and 'leaker'), and when she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down," Trump posted, per the New York Post. "Why did she want to go with us if she felt we were so terrible? I understand that she was very upset and angry that I didnt want her to go, or be a member of the team. She is bad news!" The Hill adds some context, pointing out that Trump "routinely claims not to be familiar with individuals who are critical of him, particularly when they were part of his administration." He did so during his impeachment proceedings in particular. Two assessments that differ from Trump's: Sarah Matthews, former White House deputy press secretary in the Trump administration, tweeted: "Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinsons role or her access in the West Wing either doesnt understand how the Trump WH worked or is attempting to discredit her because theyre scared of how damning this testimony is." At the New York Times, Peter Baker writes that "Hutchinsons testimony is powerful because it is precise, detailed, matter-of-fact and dispassionateshe is not accusatory or defensive, she does not come across as driven by anger or emotion, she is providing information in a straightforward way, what she saw, what she heard. It is not speculative or hypothetical. It is the account of someone in the room at the time." (Hutchinson testified that an angry Trump lunged for the steering wheel of the presidential limo on Jan. 6 and was unconcerned about reports that protesters were armed.) (Newser) Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified at Tuesday's surprise Jan. 6 committee hearing that she was "disgusted" by then-President Trump's reaction to the attack on the Capitolespecially his treatment of then-Vice President Pence. Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, was present when White House counsel Pat Cipollone told Meadows rioters were calling for Pence to be hanged. Hutchinson said Meadows told Cipollone in response, "You heard him [Trump], Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn't think they are doing anything wrong," per the Guardian. Hutchinson said she remembered seeing Trump's 2:24pm tweet on Jan. 6after rioters had already invaded the Capitolwhich read in part, "Mike Pence didnt have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution." She testified that as a White House staffer, she was "frustrated" and "disappointed" by the tweet. "As an American, I was disgusted. It was unpatriotic," she said, per WFAA. "It was un-American. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie." (Read more Jan. 6 hearings stories.) (Newser) After Cassidy Hutchinson's explosive testimony in Tuesday's Jan. 6 hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney praised the former White House aide's courageand warned that other witnesses may have been intimidated by allies of former President Donald Trump. Cheney said that in a practice "that raises significant concern," witnesses have been receiving messages like, "He wants me to let you know hes thinking about you. He knows you're loyal," the New York Times reports. Cheney, one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 panel, said democracy is preserved by people "who know the fundamental difference between right and wrong." Cheney said another witness told investigators, "What they said to me is, as long as I continue to be a team player, they know that Im on the right team. Im doing the right thing, Im protecting who I need to protect." Mick Mulvaney, Trump's former acting White House chief of staff, described Cheney's closing remarks as "stunning," the Guardian reports. "They think they have evidence of witness tampering and obstruction of justice," he tweeted. "There is an old maxim: it's never the crime, it's always the coverup. Things went very badly for the former President today. My guess is that it will get worse from here." (Read more Jan. 6 hearings stories.) Iraq finds remains of 47 victims of 1980s' war with Iran Baghdad, June 26 (UNI/Sputnik) The Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Sunday that remains of 47 Iraqis and Iranians who died in the 1980s' war between the two neighbors were found in four provinces. "The Human Rights Department at the Defense Ministry's legal office has unearthed remains of 25 Iraqis ... and 22 Iranians," a statement quoted by the Shafaq news agency read. The body fragments were found in the provinces of Basra, Maysan, Wasit and Diyala along the eastern border with Iran, where up to 1.5 million died during the eight years of a bloody conflict. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has ordered the inclusion of 500 additional beneficiaries in the Mazaya housing programme, bringing the total number of recipients to 2,500. This comes as the Cabinet yesterday reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Finance and National Economy, Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance, on the achievements of various housing programmes provided to Bahraini citizens, including the Mazaya housing programme, which has supported 10,629 beneficiaries. HRH Prince Salman, who chaired the weekly meeting, called on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to offer additional financing schemes for housing services, and reiterated the Ministrys and supporting authorities efforts in this regard. His Royal Highness stressed the importance of furthering efforts to develop innovative solutions for housing services that will accelerate the pace of delivery, in partnership with the private sector. Education sector The Cabinet highlighted His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas continued support to the Kingdoms education sector, and commended the winners of the Unesco King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the field of education. The Cabinet noted the important role of the award in the Kingdoms commitment to advancing UNESCOs objectives by encouraging the use of ICT to further develop education and its outputs. Bahraini leadership It welcomed the Kingdoms presidency of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council for a third consecutive term for the year 2022-2023, which reflects the global recognition of Bahraini citizens leadership in global organisations. The Cabinet commended Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifas efforts in his presidency of the WCO during his last two terms which led to his re-election for a third consecutive term. The Cabinet congratulated students who completed the academic school year, expressing their gratitude to the parents, teachers and administrators of the Ministry of Education for their contributions to the exceptional achievements and success across all academic levels. Support for pilgrims HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister highlighted the importance of providing the necessary support to Bahraini pilgrims during their Hajj pilgrimage. He praised the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the support of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, for their commitment to facilitating services for Hajj pilgrims attending from across the world. Agencies | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The arrival of the first shipment of cigarette packs with digital stamps at Bahrains customs clearance ports, announced the National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) in cooperation with the Customs Affairs. The Digital Stamps Scheme aims to track excise goods from the manufacturing stage up to the point of consumption through digital stamps and intends to limit the smuggling of excise goods into the Kingdom, protecting consumers against the circulation of counterfeit or illegal products and ensuring the effectiveness of government revenue collection. The first implementation phase of the scheme has gone into effect since March 11, 2022, when the digital stamps electronic system was enabled to receive purchase orders from excise payers who are registered with the NBR, which allows them to place such stamps on cigarette packs prior to dispatching them to local markets. The NBR urged importers and manufacturers of cigarette products to comply with the dates of the next implementation phase of the scheme, whereby the import of cigarette products into Bahrain will be prohibited if they arrive without digital stamps as of July 17. The NBR has encouraged all importers and merchants in the local markets to avoid stockpiling large quantities of cigarette products without digital stamps in preparation for the last implementation stage starting October 16, when no cigarette products can be traded or possessed without such stamps. The NBR stressed the necessity to comply with the scheme, as NBR will take the necessary legal measures either by imposing administrative fines or referring cases to the Public Prosecution to initiate legal proceedings. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com On behalf of the Amir of Kuwait, HH Shaikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Crown Prince, HH Shaikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah honored Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed for his participation as a judge in the Shaikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award 2022. This marks the fifth time he has been a judge in the course of the competitions 20-year run. Al Qaed expressed his pride in the recognition, and his appreciation to the awards Board of Trustees, chaired by Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, for their confidence in selecting him as a member of the judging panel, which includes a selection of former heads of authorities and ministers in the field of informatics. Al Qaed congratulated the awards organizers on its 20th anniversary, expressing his hope that it continues to have an effect in motivating GCC and Arab countries to share innovative ideas and initiatives aimed at empowering the regions IT industry. He added that the iGA is committed to participating in the award because of its important role in encouraging Arab communities to adopt digital initiatives and raise awareness on how to overcome related challenges. The iGA participated in the award since 2014 up until the 19th edition in 2020, with several of its projects winning during this period. The National Portal, bahrain.bh won 1st place in the Websites category in 2014. Al Qaed was awarded a bronze medal and volunteer shield for his participation as a judge in 2018. In 2019, the National Complaint and Suggestion System (Tawasul) won for being one of the best technological projects in the competition. Al Qaed praised all the participating projects in the 20th edition of the award, which was held under the theme, Best Technological Projects. He wished further success to the competition and congratulated the winning participants from Bahrain, which included the General Directorate of Traffic for its eTraffic project and the Ministry of Education for Edu NET, which are considered achievements on a regional level. An exhibition was held on the sidelines of the ceremony that included a showcase of the awards achievements since its launch in 2001, details and photos of 14 winners, and statistics about 332 winning entities from 12 Arab countries over the past 20 years. New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) India and Cuba held the second round of Foreign Office Consultations in Havana during which the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral relations, and signed an agreement on short-term credit worth Euro 100 million for procurement of rice from India. A Postal Stamp to commemorate 75 years of Indias Independence was also released by the Government of Cuba. The 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Cuba were held in Havana on June 27. The Indian side was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) and the Cuban side was led by Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the FOC, both sides comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral relations, including development partnership projects, trade and economic relations, and cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, health including traditional medicine and yoga, biotechnology, agriculture, sports, health, science & technology and ICT. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest including cooperation in the United Nations. Secretary (East) called on Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Gerardo Penalver and exchanged views on further enhancing bilateral ties between Cuba and India. During the visit, an agreement on short-term credit worth Euro 100 million for procurement of rice from India for Cuba was signed and a Postal Stamp to commemorate 75 years of Indias Independence was released by the Government of Cuba, an official statement said. The talks were held in a warm and friendly atmosphere. UNI RN BROOKFIELD Members of the towns Zoning Commission are getting closer to adopting a set of new zoning rules meant to guide the instillation of electric vehicle charging stations months after voting to form a special committee to study the issue more thoroughly. Despite some opposition in the spring to mandating a particular number of electric vehicle charging stations in certain parking lots, the town may need to do just that because of a state law signed last month. We didnt feel we could countermand or ignore the state of Connecticut regulations and, to be honest, they seem to very comprehensive and again the impetus here is to require commercial buildings going forward [to include electric charging stations], Zoning Commission Secretary Andy Koehm said a meeting last week. Under the towns existing zoning rules, developers wishing to install an electric vehicle charging station must seek a variance application and approval from the towns Zoning Board of Appeals. The decision to establish the special committee came on April 14 after Zoning Commission Member Curtis Timmerman presented a document outlining a set of new permitted uses for the charging stations, along with new requirements for their instillation for new construction projects, projects planning an increase of 10,000 square feet of floor space to a property, or projects that expand a parking lot by at least 50 spaces. A table included in the comprehensive proposal displayed the required number of charging stations to be included at various levels of parking availability. For example, the proposal recommended parking lots with one to nine spaces have one charging station. For lots with 26-50 spaces, four charging spaces would be mandated; and for lots with 201 spaces and over, 10 percent of the total spots would be required to be set up for electric charging stations. Out of the roughly 21,000 electric vehicles registered in Connecticut as of Jan. 1, about 100 are tied to Brookfield addresses, according to data provided by the states Registry of Motor Vehicles. Timmerman said work to prepare the proposal he presented began in February 2021 and aligned with an October 2021 announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration designating Route 7 as an official alternative fuel corridor, part of a national effort to establish a network of charging and fueling infrastructure along national high system corridors, according to the federal agencys website. Despite the low number of electric vehicles registered locally, Timmerman explained how the Route 7 designation added emphasis to putting in place regulations now for the eventual ramp up for more electric vehicle charging stations and was an important way to control the process before people start doing it and [the town has] to play catch up. We would rather be ahead of the ball than be behind, he added. Dont make it a mandate During public comment following Timmermans draft proposal, which he noted was based on similar regulations in place in South Windsor, Hartford, and Middletown, Alan Donnelly, a member of the Brookfield Zoning Board of Appeals, spoke against adopting the regulations, citing safety concerns and expressing his views on regulations, in general, and freedom. I dont see the rush, Donnelly said. I dont see the big rush at all Stating he was not opposed to electric vehicles, but held concerns over the safety of their batteries, he commended the some elements of the proposed regulations, like one around the instillation of pre-wiring in developments should future owners wish to install an electric vehicle charger. There is nothing wrong with that, he said, but dont make it a mandate, dont force people to do something they dont want to do. Donnelly then read aloud the electric vehicle charger zoning regulations adopted by Danbury in 2015 which permit charging stations as an accessory use. This is two paragraphs, its simple, its clean, its neat, it doesnt have any mandates, he said. Zoning Commission Secretary Andy Koehm thanked Timmerman for his presentation and Donnelly for reading the Danbury regulations for the record, before proposing the commission establish a special sub-committee to explore that topic further. I would rather err on the side of minimal regulations now rather than be over comprehensive, Koehm said. The vote at the meeting came a day after the commission received a letter sent by First Selectwoman Tara Carr to the commission signaling her support for the regulations in general, but she said she wanted to ensure they would be thorough. I want to ensure we are not rushing to propose a regulation for the sake of having a regulation and also just because we feel we need to without being sure there is benefit to the town, and not just to the few EV owners, wrote Carr. Finally, I am an advocate for EV and would like to see Brookfield as an early adopter of EV charging stations, but I would suggest the Zoning Commission continue working on the current draft proposal so that it best accommodates all of Brookfield, added Carr. Members of the Zoning Commission ultimately voted to establish the special zoning committee to discuss the electric vehicle charger stations by a vote of 4 to 1. A mandate after-all Despite the pushback against the charging station requirements included in Timmermans April presentation, a new draft proposal produced by the special zoning commission will still include mandates after Gov. Ned Lamont last month signed into law legislation aiming to reduce the states carbon footprint by adding thousands of electric vehicles to the states roads over the next decade. Passed by Connecticut lawmakers during the 2022 legislative session under the title, Public Act No. 22-25 - An Act Concerning the Connecticut Clean Air Act, the bill signed by the governor includes requirements that state facilities and school construction projects built on or after Jan. 1, 2023, with a cost exceeding $100,000, include a minimum number of electric vehicles charging stations. According to text of the legislation, for new commercial or multi-family residential building construction, completed on or after Jan. 1, 2023 and including at least 30 parking spaces, a municipality must require electric vehicle charging stations in at least 10 percent of the parking spaces. At the Zoning Commissions meeting last week, Koehm said the new state law is referenced in the Brookfield regulations drafted by the special committee, which he described as essentially a cut down version of what Danbury has. The commission voted continue the public hearing on the matter once again to allow the towns Land Use Department and zoning enforcement officer time to review the updated regulation proposal and provide feedback on its contents. Timmerman, who opted out of joining the established special committee when it was formed in April, commented on the extended length of the public hearing, which he noted has stretched to roughly 19 weeks, compared to the standard of 65 days that seems like a lot of lost time, I think once we get feedback from the land use director, I would hope that we can take what we have here and put the parts in the right places, Timmerman said. We could have been done 10 weeks ago, he added. We dont really do fries in Australia. Oh, of course you can order a side of battered and fried potatoes most anywhere, but much like our stuffy big brother Britain, we prefer to call them chips. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve tearing open a fresh package of hot chips wrapped in butchers paper. Whether picnicking at the park, or lounging at the beach odds are there would be a fish and chip shop somewhere nearby. One of the greatest glories of being a senior at my high school was we were permitted to leave the school grounds at lunchtime (or maybe we just did it anyway? Such rebellion!). Popping quickly across the road to the local fish and chip shop and returning with a potatoey glorious bounty was one way to ensure you had company for lunch: a small crowd of students would inevitably gather, hanging around like a pesky flock of seagulls, hoping to scab a chip or two. Why such enthusiasm? Because in Australia there is an x-factor that makes our tubers tantalizingly tasty and puts them over the top. Chicken salt. What is Chicken Salt? You mean, besides being one of Australias greatest inventions? Well, to be more helpfully specific, chicken salt is a savory, umami-packed salty seasoning that has just a hint of sweetness. Originally created by Peter Brinkworth in the 1970s to season his rotisserie chickens at his family-owned neighborhood chicken shop, legend has it that one day he accidentally seasoned the chips with the delectable concoction. Chicken-salty potatoes were an immediate hit with customers, and eventually chicken salt was picked up by food manufacturer Mitani and released commercially in 1979. It wasnt long before chicken salt had become a favorite staple on hot potato chips all throughout Australia. As a kid I thought chicken salt was a magic dust only available if delivered by the fryer-wizard working behind a counter. As I became an adult, I realized you could just buy it for yourself. Mind. Blown. Although the original recipe did in fact include chicken bouillon, now there are many different varieties and brands that offer the seasoning, and 9/10 of them dont actually have any chicken in them! In fact, the shaker that I bought off amazon recently in a fit of homesickness lists wheat, sugar, salt, onion powder, bell pepper powder, soy sauce powder and herbs as its primary components as well as Beef Fat! Wait what? Is everything a lie? Whatever. I quickly built a delicious bridge and got over it. Chicken salt is phenomenal, whatever its made of. You could say that its made by massaging regular salt through the ruffled feathers of freshly bathed brooding hens, and Id respond with a nod how very interesting can you please shake the packet as you sprinkle, to make sure it gets on all of the chips? If youre a vegetarian, no worries, mate! Most chicken salt doesnt contain any meat, only onion salt and paprika and other ingredients of that ilk. The Mitani brand which is also available on amazon is vegetarian friendly. I highly recommend you get some for yourself. It goes well on everything -eggs, popcorn, as a marinade for (surprise surprise) chicken. But I suggest most of all that you try it out on potatoes. Thats the true Aussie way. If youre looking to impress or seduce an Australian, might I suggest you do the following: Bimini Wright for Hearst Get a couple of classic Russet or Idaho potatoes (the high starch content in these kinds make them ideal for frying) and peel them. Cut the potatoes into sticks, aiming to get them all a similar size so that they cook at the same rate. Toss the chopped potatoes in olive oil and chicken salt. Bimini Wright for Hearst Spread your oiled potatoes in the air fryer basket in a single layer -dont cram them in, you want some space between the individual chips for the hot air to circulate, browning on all sides. Air fry at 380 for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping them halfway. Remove them from the fryer when theyre crisp and brown on the edges. Repeat this process as many times as necessary to cook the remaining potatoes. When youve finished cooking them all, add all of your fries (chips, whatever!) back into the basket (dont worry about crowding them this time) and cook for 2 minutes to warm them back up again. When theyre crispy and hot, take them out. Feel free to give another generous dusting with the chicken salt. And then ENJOY! Bimini Wright for Hearst Canada has its poutine, Germans will dip spuds into mayo, and of course theres nothing more American than fries with Ketchup. But Down Under, well take a healthy shake of the chicken salt, ta love. Our chippys are in the nud without it. OTTAWA, ON, June 28, 2022 /CNW/ - The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, today announced the appointment of four new members and the reappointment of a current member to the Board of Directors of Destination Canada, effective June 23, 2022. These appointments were made following an open, transparent and merit-based selection process. New members Brenda Holder is currently Vice-Chair of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Chair of Indigenous Tourism Alberta, serving hundreds of Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada. She has been active in the tourism sector for the last 22 years and is the owner of Mahikan Trails, an innovative Indigenous-owned soft adventure company that specializes in guiding, traditional camps, team building and instructional programs. Benjamin Ryan holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford. He is currently Chief Commercial Officer of Air North, Yukon's Airline. He is a member of the Board of the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon (TIAY); member of the Mat'atana Steering Committee, overseeing investment analysis for a first-of-its-kind high-end Indigenous tourism resort in Yukon in partnership with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations; and member of the Yukon Tourism Development Strategy Governance Task Force. Martin Soucy has been Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Quebec since 2016 and has held executive positions in the Quebec tourism sector since 1994. He holds an MBA from the School of Management at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). Natalie Thiesen is currently Vice-President of Tourism at Economic Development Winnipeg (Tourism Winnipeg) and has held executive positions in that organization since 2011. Since 2014, she has been a volunteer board member of Festival du Voyageur, for which she is currently President. She holds a Master of Arts in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Commerce from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of Winnipeg. Reappointed member Julie Canning, a Destination Canada board member since 2018, is the owner of Banff Trail Riders, the largest Western outfitting operation with a working herd of over 300 animals in Banff National Park. She has been recognized by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, making its list of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds In Sales and Marketing. Destination Canada's mission is to create demand for Canadian tourism products by marketing Canada as a four-season premier tourism destination. In addition, its Business Events team leverages in-depth global market analysis to target international clusters aligned with Canada's priority economic sectors. Destination Canada delivers on its mission by leading research, building alignment with the public and private sectors, and working with partners to support destination development. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected global tourism. Destination Canada, a federal Crown corporation, has been agile in expanding its focus from international marketing to domestic marketing to encourage the safe travel of Canadians within our borders and support Canada's tourism sector during this challenging period. It has established a strong foundation to support the sector's recovery and future resilience. Quotes "People overwhelmingly benefit from tourism in their communities. From large urban centres to rural towns to the ancestral territories of the First Nations, tourism provides well-paying jobs, growth potential for local businesses and opportunities for social connection. The appointees announced today have an excellent track record in the tourism sector. Their wealth of experience and knowledge will help support the recovery and ensure the growth of Canada's visitor economy, steering Destination Canada to attract even more international visitors. I wish to extend my most sincere thanks to two departing members of Destination Canada's Board of Directors, Patti Balsillie and Patricia Macdonald. Their contribution to Canada's tourism sector has truly been outstanding." The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance "Our Board of Directors is instrumental in guiding the strategic direction of Destination Canada as we work to drive recovery and resilience for the thousands of tourism businesses and millions of employees across the country. With the addition of these new board members, we are well positioned to seize the tremendous opportunity ahead, enhancing Canada's competitiveness as a destination for business and leisure travellers, enticing high-value guests to our shores and generating high-quality Canadian jobs. Together, we will build greater resilience for our industry over the long term. I also want to extend my deep gratitude to Patti Balsillie and Patricia Macdonald, whose board terms have expired, for their expertise and leadership, especially during the extremely challenging times caused by the pandemic." The Honourable Liza Frulla, P.C., C.M., O.Q., Chair of the Board of Directors, Destination Canada Quick facts In 2019, a record 22.1 million tourists travelled to Canada . . Tourism expenditures reached an estimated $104.4 billion that year. that year. In 2019, tourism directly supported approximately 692,000 jobs in communities across Canada and contributed an estimated $45.1 billion in gross domestic product. and contributed an estimated in gross domestic product. To ensure that Canada is a destination of choice when domestic and international travel resumes more fully, the Government of Canada provided an additional $100 million over three years to Destination Canada for marketing campaigns to encourage Canadians and international visitors to discover and explore the country. Associated links Stay connected Follow @cdntourism on Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using #cdntourismjobs. SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada For further information: Marie-Pier Baril, A/Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, 343-576-4131, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected] The suite of connected automotive software solutions offers a diverse set of proven and trusted products, including: vAuto, Motoinsight, Activix CRM, TAdvantage and TRFFK, harnessing data and insights from Canada's largest automotive marketplace, AutoTrader. To date, there are over 2,500 dealers subscribed to AutoSync's products, making it Canada's largest provider of dealer and OEM software. "AutoSync represents our laser focus on automotive retail evolution, coupled with our deep commitment to helping dealers and OEMs mobilize in an ever-changing category," says Edwin Ulak, president, AutoSync. "The industry is evolving quickly. Dealers and OEMs are overwhelmed with using multiple suppliers and systems. Our end-to-end products are proven to deliver results to our customers, and now we can also streamline and simplify their processes by offering a single suite of solutions, with a consistent performance and support system." Whether a customer is seeking an end-to-end solution, or the flexibility to pick and choose, AutoSync will meet the unique needs of the dealers and OEMs, connecting the car buying experience from start to finish. The AutoSync product suite, includes: vAuto: Inventory Management Inventory Management vAuto is an inventory management solution with the most comprehensive data to help dealers price and appraise vehicles accurately and maximize profitability. Motoinsight: Connected Modern Retail Connected Modern Retail Motoinsight offers leading e-commerce retailing technology that seamlessly converts browsers to buyers, in-store and online. Activix CRM: CRM & CLM CRM & CLM Activix is an Industry-leading CRM for managing prospects, clients and all dealership processes. The Activix CRM increases customer engagement and satisfaction, while optimizing dealership efficiency. It also includes phone and web training, optimizing follow-up engagement and client loyalty. TAdvantage : Dealership Website Platform : Dealership Website Platform TAdvantage is dealership website technology, together with an effective digital strategy, that maximizes customer engagement and a dealership's online inventory. TRFFK: All-in-One Digital Advertising All-in-One Digital Advertising TRFFK is an AI-based all-in-one digital advertising solution that provides personalized strategies to target in-market shoppers and move them into a dealer's funnel. By addressing the entire retail process, AutoSync helps dealers and OEMs thrive across a modern, connected automotive retail environment, improving sales velocity and increasing profitability. The platform offers tools for each step of the automotive purchase journey, from acquisition, to conversion, sales service and loyalty, to an inventory strategy that powers it all. The hands-on AutoSync team also provides top-tier support, guidance, and evaluation throughout the entire process. For OEMs, AutoSync offers a highly customized, integrated solutions package based on a brand's unique needs. Whether it's direct to consumer, a franchise model or anything in between, the AutoSync platform can be strategically configured in response to any OEM's evolving business model. "Our industry is more exciting now than ever before," says Ulak. "Things are moving fast, and it's created an opportunity for us to re-examine the way we do things, to help our partners be more efficient and effective. As Canada's leading automotive technology provider, we're committed to helping all of our dealer and OEM partners stay ahead of the curve." Learn more at www.autosync.ca About AutoSync: With over 2,500 subscribers and counting, AutoSync is the largest and fastest growing dealer and OEM software provider in Canada. The platform's suite of connected automotive software solutions brings advertising, conversion and operational support together, synchronizing the entire retail process. AutoSync's diverse set of products includes: vAuto, Motoinsight, Activix CRM, TAdvantage and TRFFK. Whether a customer is seeking an end-to-end solution, or the flexibility to pick and choose, AutoSync offers the most comprehensive insights, product selection and operational support available on the market. As part of the TRADER Corporation family of businesses, AutoSync is proudly Canadian-owned and independently operated. For more information, visit autosync.ca. Follow AutoSync on LinkedIn. SOURCE AutoSync For further information: Press contacts: Hannah Choat, 416.889.3743, [email protected]; Jessica Huynh, 647.985.5378, [email protected] OTTAWA, ON, June 28, 2022 /CNW/ - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reminds all travellers crossing the border this upcoming Canada Day and Independence Day long weekend of what to expect at the border during the busy summer months, whether returning home to Canada or visiting. This summer, travellers are returning to a border that is managed differently, with evolving COVID-19 requirements, which can mean delays during peak periods. The CBSA is working with government and industry partners to mitigate long border wait times, but there are also things that travellers can do to make the process easier for themselves and other travellers. Travellers can help reduce wait times at the border by coming prepared and by completing their mandatory ArriveCAN submission within 72 hours before arriving at the border. The CBSA invests significant effort annually to plan and prepare for peak periods, such as the summer months. The Agency works with bridge and tunnel operators, airport authorities and travel industry groups to plan and review service requirements, enhancement opportunities, and required resources, so that we can deliver together the best service to all travellers. The CBSA has also established modern processes to improve the traveller experience and manage volumes, like the International-to-Domestic and the International-to-International programs that significantly decrease connection times, as well as the Primary Inspection Kiosks, and the Advance CBSA Declaration feature with ArriveCAN. Key tips for all travellers: Ensure you are eligible to enter Canada Foreign nationals must meet the admissibility requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and provide appropriate travel and immigration documentation. Admissibility decisions on entry are made by a border services officer at the port of entry. Understand the rules around COVID-19. There are still border measures in place for COVID-19. They vary depending on who is travellingforeign nationals, returning residents or Canadian citizens. Answer a few questions to find out which requirements apply to you and if you can enter Canada . Use ArriveCAN . Whether you are travelling by air, land or marine, all travellers, regardless of vaccination status, are required to submit their information in ArriveCAN (free as a mobile app or on website), up to 72 hours before entering Canada . ArriveCAN collects contact, health and travel information to protect the health and safety of travellers and expedite processing at the border. It is the fastest, easiest and most secure way for travellers to show they meet public health requirements. Whether you are travelling by air, land or marine, all travellers, regardless of vaccination status, are to submit their information in ArriveCAN (free as a mobile app or on website), up to 72 hours before entering . ArriveCAN collects contact, health and travel information to protect the health and safety of travellers and expedite processing at the border. It is the fastest, easiest and most secure way for travellers to show they meet public health requirements. Travellers must ensure they have the most up-to-date version of the ArriveCAN app (consult the Google Play Store or the App Store for iPhone). Travellers should print or take a screenshot of their ArriveCAN receipt and bring it with them when they travel. Travellers without a smartphone or without mobile data can submit their information by signing in online through a computing device. If travellers are unable to enter their information themselves, they can have a friend or family member enter the information for them. Advance Declaration. Air travellers landing in Toronto (YYZ) or Vancouver (YVR) may use ArriveCAN (app or Web version) to complete their customs and immigrations declaration in advance of their arrival in Canada . This feature will be expanded to other airports in the future. Have all your documents ready . Travellers should have the following ready to present to the border services officer: their ArriveCAN receipt; passport or travel documents, proof of vaccination; and identification for all persons in the vehicle. . Travellers should have the following ready to present to the border services officer: their ArriveCAN receipt; passport or travel documents, proof of vaccination; and identification for all persons in the vehicle. Plan ahead and check border wait times . Travellers crossing the border by land are encouraged to plan to cross during non-peak hours, such as early morning. The Monday of holiday long weekends tend to be the busiest, with longer border wait times. . Travellers crossing the border by land are encouraged to plan to cross during non-peak hours, such as early morning. The Monday of holiday long weekends tend to be the busiest, with longer border wait times. Entering Canada by water. Unless exempt, all travellers entering Canada by water, must report their arrival to the CBSA without delay. All travellers, including those with a right of entry (Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the Indian Act ), must submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN before, or when, entering Canada at a marine port of entry. Unless exempt, all travellers entering by water, must report their arrival to the CBSA without delay. All travellers, including those with a right of entry (Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the ), must submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN before, or when, entering at a marine port of entry. Be prepared to declare. Travellers returning to Canada must declare all goods purchased and/or received while outside the country. It is recommended that gifts not be wrapped as CBSA officers may need to examine them. Have your receipts readily available from purchases made outside of Canada . Travellers returning to must declare all goods purchased and/or received while outside the country. It is recommended that gifts not be wrapped as CBSA officers may need to examine them. Have your receipts readily available from purchases made outside of . Know your exemption limits. Returning residents planning to make purchases or pick up online purchases across the border should be aware of their exemption limits. Be sure to check the CBSA duty and taxes estimator to calculate taxes on goods purchased in the United States and to help make informed decisions when shopping abroad. Residents can bring back tax and duty free goods valued at CAN$200 after being away for 24 hours, and goods valued at CAN$800 after 48 hours. There are no personal exemptions for same-day cross-border shopping trips, so be prepared to pay tax on those purchases and possibly duty. Alcohol and tobacco allowances may also vary depending on your length of absence from Canada . Declare any foods, plants, or animals such as raw poultry products and by-products that are not fully cooked, to the border services officer. There are currently restrictions on imports of live birds, bird products and by-products from states affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the United States . Also declare all wood and wood products (including. firewood and wooden souvenirs). Be sure to check the Automated Import Reference System to help determine all specific import requirements. Declare all currency and/or monetary instruments of CAN$10,000 or more. It is not illegal to bring such amounts into Canada , but it must be declared on arrival. It is not illegal to bring such amounts into , but it must be declared on arrival. Cannabis. Don't bring it in. Don't take it out. Transporting cannabis across the border in any form, including any oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada remains a serious criminal offence subject to arrest and prosecution, despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada . Know the contents of your vehicle. Travellers can consult the CBSA's website for information on firearms and other restricted and prohibited goods. Travellers can consult the CBSA's website for information on firearms and other restricted and prohibited goods. Use the latest technology. Upon arrival at selected major airports in Canada , travellers can use a primary inspection kiosk to verify their travel documents, confirm their identity and complete an on-screen declaration. Upon arrival at selected major airports in , travellers can use a to verify their travel documents, confirm their identity and complete an on-screen declaration. Children. When travelling with children, it is recommended that the accompanying adult have a consent letter authorizing them to travel with the child. Border services officers are always watching for missing children, and in the absence of the letter, officers may ask additional questions, to help them identify the relationship between the child and the accompanying adult. For more information, visit the CBSA Web site or call us at 1-800-461-9999. Associated Links SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency For further information: For more information or to schedule an interview with a CBSA representative, please contact: Media Relations, Canada Border Services Agency, [email protected], 1-877-761-5945 TORONTO, June 28, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - The Government of Canada firmly believes that everyone should have access to safe and consistent sexual and reproductive health services. To do so, we are committed to removing barriers to access that continue to exist from coast to coast to coast. We know that in Canada, LGBTQ2 communities are often unable to access inclusive sexual and reproductive health services because of a lack of safety in health care settings and/or a lack of provider knowledge about LGBTQ2 health. Today, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced more than $5.1 million in funding from the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund for projects by the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), Egale Canada and Sherbourne Health. These nation-wide projects will help improve sexual and reproductive health services, as well as develop resources and tools to support LGBTQ2 communities in getting the care and supports they need. The CBRC will receive $2,856,327 to work with partner organizations to foster health promotion leadership within LGBTQ2 communities; improve health care providers' capacity to provide sexual and reproductive care to community members; and create health promotion and policy resources for community members, health care providers, and policy-makers. The CCGSD will receive $1,090,624 to develop and deliver new educational resources and tools related to LGBTQ2 inclusive sexual health education. In five Canadian cities, this curriculum will be taught to teachers, as well as health and social service providers to increase their capacity to support LGBTQ2 youth and marginalized individuals. Through this curriculum, it will help improve access and promote greater equity in sexual and reproductive health care. Egale Canada will receive $584,941 to develop training in intersex health for health care providers as well as peer support resources for intersex individuals and parents/guardians of intersex children. By developing these resources, this project will help providers ensure that intersex individuals receive patient-oriented care, as well as provide opportunities for mutual support and knowledge-sharing within this community. Sherbourne Health will receive $569,443 to improve the quality of and access to sexual and reproductive health services for LGBTQ2 communities. The project will develop, pilot, and promote resources for health care providers on sexual and reproductive health options and considerations for community members. These investments reflect our belief that no matter who you are or where you live, we will always protect reproductive rights for all individuals in Canada. Quotes "Everyone, regardless of their sexual or gender identity, has the right to be their true, authentic self and have access to the care and services that they need to lead a happy and healthy life. As many individuals continue to face barriers and stigma when trying to access information and services regarding their sexual and reproductive health, projects like the ones announced today are doing important work to find solutions. Together, with organizations across the country, we are committed to defend the right to safe and consistent access to sexual and reproductive health services for everyone, including LGBTQ2 communities in Canada." The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Health "Canadians deserve health services that take into account intersectional realities. Organizations such as the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), Egale Canada, and Sherbourne Health all work to deconstruct existing barriers and provide appropriate sexual and reproductive health care options for LGBTQ2 communities. Providing safe and accessible sexual and reproductive health services is a crucial step towards achieving equality." The Honourable Marci Ien Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth "Accessing inclusive health care and information that affirms diverse genders and sexualities continues to pose a challenge. For 2SLGBTQ+ people, these barriers pose a significant risk to our quality of life. A community-led response that invites service providers and community members to shape new resources that best serve our needs is a must. This funding from Health Canada will act as an important step forward in addressing sexual and reproductive health care gaps for 2SLGBTQ+ people across the country." Michael Kwag, Acting Executive Director, Director, Knowledge Exchange and Policy Development Community-Based Research Centre "Comprehensive sexual health education is an important building block to lifelong health access for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Due to the nature of the barriers to equity that exist within our healthcare system, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals must often self-advocate for the care they need throughout their lives. By increasing the capacity of teachers, healthcare providers, and social service providers to support those whose access to healthcare has historically been limited including 2SLGBTQ+ youth the CCGSD hopes to create communities of care across Canada that make sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible for all." Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Executive Director Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity "We are extremely excited to be undertaking this ground-breaking project focussed on improving the lives of intersex people in Canada. Working with the intersex community, we will create educational resources for health care practitioners, policy makers, as well as develop a peer support network and programming for intersex communities, including parents/guardians of intersex children and infants, to connect." Helen Kennedy, Executive Director Egale Canada "We know that access and health provider knowledge can be barriers for care for 2SLGBTQ individuals. With this funding, Sherbourne Health will be able to create much-needed resources to provide education and awareness about reproductive and sexual health, ultimately improving care. Sherbourne Health is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of real system change for 2SLGBTQ people across Canada." Hazelle Palmer, President and CEO Sherbourne Health Quick Facts Budget 2021 committed $45 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to improve access to sexual and reproductive health care support, information, and services for people in Canada who face the greatest barriers to access. over three years, starting in 2021-22, to improve access to sexual and reproductive health care support, information, and services for people in who face the greatest barriers to access. From this $45 million commitment, to date, nine contribution agreements have been signed, for a dollar value of $15.2 million . Of the nine projects, two address access to abortion, five address LGBTQ2 communities and two address youth. Two of the nine projects include components focusing on Indigenous peoples. In addition, per capita funding of $9.7 million will be provided to the Province of Quebec to support community-based organizations located in Quebec. commitment, to date, nine contribution agreements have been signed, for a dollar value of . Of the nine projects, two address access to abortion, five address LGBTQ2 communities and two address youth. Two of the nine projects include components focusing on Indigenous peoples. In addition, per capita funding of will be provided to the Province of Quebec to support community-based organizations located in Quebec. The Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund was created to support a wide range of evidence-informed and innovative projects for people in Canada who are at increased risk for poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes, including LGBTQ2 people, Indigenous and racialized populations, women and youth. who are at increased risk for poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes, including LGBTQ2 people, Indigenous and racialized populations, women and youth. In addition, Budget 2022 committed $79 million over six years to help support people in Canada who want to become parents as well as allow: over six years to help support people in who want to become parents as well as allow: medical expenses related to a surrogate mother or a sperm, ova, or embryo donor fees paid to fertility clinics and donor banks in Canada in order to obtain donor sperm and ova to be eligible under the Medical Expense Tax Credit for 2022 and subsequent taxation years. The Government has taken concrete steps to support LGBTQ2 communities, including: Creating the first federal LGBTQ2 Secretariat; Criminalizing conversion therapy; Investing $20 million through Budget 2019 for the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, from which 76 projects were announced in February 2021 and eligible projects are being extended for 2022-23; through Budget 2019 for the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, from which 76 projects were announced in and eligible projects are being extended for 2022-23; Investing an additional $15 million for a new LGBTQ2 Project Fund via Budget 2021; and for a new LGBTQ2 Project Fund via Budget 2021; and New commitments through Budget 2022, including $100 million over five years to support the implementation of the forthcoming Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan. As part of the LGBTQ2 Survey conducted to inform the development of the first-ever Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan, results of consultation with LGBTQ2 people in Canada included information on experiences with health care professionals' understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Related Products SOURCE Health Canada For further information: Contacts: Marie-France Proulx, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200, Media Relations: Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Riyadh Nazerally, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, 873-455-4846, [email protected]; Media Relations: Women and Gender Equality Canada, 819-420-6530, [email protected] The departments, many of which are controlled by the NCP and the Congress, allies of the ruling party, were given government instructions for the release of hundreds of billions of money for various development-related projects from June 2224. In the midst of the political unrest in Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari wrote to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration to request information on the orders made from June 22 to June 25. The change occurs after Praveen Darekar, the leader of the opposition, voiced her displeasure with the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra for making premature choices and issuing Government Resolutions (GRs). According to a letter from his Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar, Governor Koshyari has requested full information on all GRs and circulars issued by the state government from June 2224. According to the letter, the governor has requested that all relevant background material regarding the general reports, circulars, and decisions made by the state government on these days be sent to him as required by Article 167 of the Constitution. The governments instructions for the release of hundreds of crores in funding for various development-related projects from June 2224 were issued by the departments, which were primarily controlled by the ruling alliances NCP and Congress. When cabinet minister Eknath Shinde arrived in Surat from Mumbai and subsequently departed for Guwahati with party MLAs backing him, the Shiv Sena, which leads the MVA government, had a revolt in its legislative ranks on June 21. The Maharashtra government's request that a floor test not be held in the meantime was also denied by the top court. In a move that relieved Shiv Sena rebel MLAs, the Supreme Court rejected a request from the Maharashtra government to postpone a floor test in the interim and instead allowed them until July 12 to respond to the disqualification letters issued to them by Deputy Speaker Narahari Zirwal. According to insiders, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari may urge the Maharashtra administration to demonstrate majority in the Assembly at some point this week because both sides have refused to budge and seem ready for a protracted battle. The attorney for Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut arrives at the Mumbai ED office. He would ask the agency for some leeway so that his client can appear in the Patra Chawl land scam case on a different day than today. The Eknath Shinde gang will meet this afternoon to discuss their future course of action. They are anticipated to make a significant choice, according to sources. Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde has been residing in a hotel in Guwahati with other rebel MLAs for the past week, and the neighbourhood has begun to resemble his strongholds in Maharashtra. Around the hotel, billboards with encouraging messages have appeared amid extensive security measures taken by the Assam government. Uddhav Thackeray, the chief minister of Maharashtra, will convene a cabinet meeting at 2:30. Abu Dhabi/New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a brief stopover at Abu Dhabi to meet new Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders shared a warm hug at the airport, and during talks reiterated their commitment to further deepen and diversify the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Modi made the stopover at Abu Dhabi on his return from Munich today. Prime Minister called on President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since August 2019 when Prime Minister visited Abu Dhabi last. In a special gesture, the UAE ruler received the PM at the Abu Dhabi airport and also saw him off. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), passed away on May 13 at the age of 73. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for one day after attending the G7 Summit in Germany. PM Modi will express his condolences for the loss of former UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan while he is in the country. On June 28, the Prime Minister will stop briefly in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, en route back to India. He will meet with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to offer his condolences for the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The UAE President, who had been in power since 2004, passed away on May 13 at the age of 73 following a protracted illness. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was a wonderful statesman and an inspiring leader, according to Prime Minister Modi, whose watch India-UAE ties flourished. After attending the G7 Summit in Germany, where he met US Vice President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and other leaders, PM Modi is now in the UAE. During his two days in Germany, PM Modi spoke at the G7 Summit and emphasised Indias efforts to promote green growth, renewable energy, sustainable lifestyles, and world peace. A combination of bad weather and staff shortages continue to trigger delayed and canceled flights across the nation, and the impact is being felt in Connecticut as well. A handful of flights were canceled over the weekend and Monday at the states biggest airport, Bradley International Airport, but they were a small percentage of the total flights at Windsor Locks. Alisa D. Sisic, a spokesperson for Bradley, said there were three cancellations on Saturday and four each on Sunday and Monday. She said the cancellations represent about 3 percent of the more than 125 daily arrivals and departures at Bradley. Sisic did not have information about why the flights were canceled. Southwest of Bradley, Westchester County Airport had two delayed arrivals and one cancellation listed on its website early Monday afternoon. It had no delayed or canceled departures. By mid-afternoon, it had four delayed arrivals, but no canceled incoming flights, and all departures were on schedule. Delta Air Lines told CNN there are compounding factors to explain canceled flights over the weekend, including unscheduled absences, weather and air traffic control constraints. CNN reported at least 730 flights were canceled across the country Sunday night, citing the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Delta alone canceled at least 224 Sunday, CNN reported. Nearly 800 more flights were canceled Monday nationwide, according to CNN. The Associated Press reported Friday that by early afternoon, more than 600 U.S. flights had been canceled, and more then 4,200 were delayed. That was better than Thursday, however, when thunderstorms on the East Coast contributed to more than 800 cancellations and 6,600 delays, the AP said. HAMDEN Thanks to funding from the federal government, Hamden is offering free meals for youths throughout summer. Each weekday, anyone under 18 can visit school distribution sites for breakfast and lunch, the district announced in a release. There is absolutely no cost to the child or family for the meals, and there is no ID, paperwork, or registration required, the release said, noting that meals must be eaten on site and are limited to one per child per service. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Shepherd Glen, Church Street, Helen Street and Wintergreen schools, which will offer lunch between 10:30 a.m. and noon. Those seeking later meals can visit Rochford Field at 1048 Winchester Ave. from 9 to 10 a.m. for breakfast and noon to 1 p.m. for lunch, according to the release. The program began Monday at the school sites and will start July 5 at Rochford Field, according to the Hamden Public Schools website. All sites will be closed July 4, the website says. The summer meals program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), the release said. Locally, summer meals are organized by Hamden Public Schools and Whitsons School Nutrition. Those looking for a free summer meal site elsewhere in Connecticut can visit www.CTSummerMeals.org, call 211 or text food to 304-304, the HPS website says. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday he will lead the legal fight on behalf of Randy Cox, a Black man who was seriously injured in the back of a police van in Connecticut when the driver braked suddenly. Crump also called for a federal civil rights investigation into the treatment of Cox, 36, who was being taken June 19 to a police station in New Haven, Connecticut, for processing on a weapons charge when his head struck the back wall of the van. Crump said police mocked Cox's cries for help and later dragged him by his feet from the van and placed him in a holding cell before he was taken to a hospital. Cox, whose legal first name is Richard, is in intensive care, paralyzed from the chest down, Crump said. At a news conference Tuesday in front of New Haven Superior Court, Crump, who has been called Black Americas attorney general for his work on civil rights cases, led a crowd in chants of Justice for Randy Cox. His co-counsel, Jack O'Donnell, said the legal team expects to file a federal lawsuit within 60 days, once it has reviewed all the evidence, including more than two hours of video. Some of that, including footage from a camera that recorded the moments when Cox was injured, has been released publicly. I am here because when I looked at that video, it shocked my conscience, Crump said. And I believe when you all see that video, it's going to shock your conscience. The only question is, why, when the police look at Randy Cox saying, I cant move,' why doesn't it shock their conscience? Five members of the New Haven police department who were involved in the transport have been put on leave while the episode is investigated. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and acting Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle said they are committed to being transparent with the facts. They have released all videos to the public and have given all evidence to state police, who have been called in to conduct an independent investigation, they said. I've watched the videos many times, Elicker said. I, in my own view, did not see malice on the part of the officers. I saw some bad decisions, an extreme lack of compassion. I think what we focus on, what we can control here in New Haven, that is ensuring that we have accountability in our city. Cox was handcuffed when he was in the back of the New Haven police van, which was not equipped with seat belts. He flew headfirst into a wall when Officer Oscar Diaz braked hard; he said it was to avoid a collision, police said. Diaz resumed driving to the police department, despite Cox calling for help and saying he was injured and couldnt move, according to the video and officials. A few minutes later, Diaz stopped the van to check on Cox, who was lying motionless on the floor. Diaz then called paramedics but told them to meet him at the station instead of waiting for them where he was, police said. At the station, officers dragged Cox out of the van by his feet and put him in a wheelchair, video shows. Police then booked Cox, took him out of the wheelchair and dragged him into a cell, where he was left on the floor, video shows. Paramedics arrived minutes later and took Cox to a hospital, officials said. Crump said Cox was accused of lying and told to get up several times by police. Wheres the first aid training? Wheres the on the job training? Wheres the accountability? said Latoya Boomer, Crumps sister, who attended the news conference with several other family members. I want to know, wheres the person who sees whats going on and says, Maybe hes not joking. Maybe hes not drunk. Maybe he is in distress. Scot Esdaile, the president of the Connecticut branch of the NAACP, said he is not convinced the hard braking of the van was an accident. People from the community have been coming to us for years talking about how they torture people in the back of paddy wagons, he said. They put people in the back of the paddy wagon; they go real fast and then they slam the brakes. Elicker said last week that prisoner transport vans not equipped with seatbelts have been taken out of service and that the police department is working to install seatbelts in them. He said Tuesday that department will be also be implementing more training for officers in response to the incident. WASHINGTON (AP) Russia appears to have defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and the U.S. and its allies are taking aim at the former Soviet Union's second largest export industry after energy gold. On Tuesday, the Group of Seven nations agreed on a ban on Russian gold imports in the latest round of sanctions over Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. says Russia has used gold to support its currency as a way to circumvent the impact of sanctions. One way to do that is by swapping gold for a more liquid foreign exchange that is not subject to current sanctions. Some experts say since only a few countries are implementing the gold ban, the move is largely symbolic, while others, including those in the Biden administration, say a ban on imports of Russian gold will target its ability to interact with the global financial system. How a G-7 Russian gold ban would work: HOW MUCH GOLD DOES RUSSIA HAVE? Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Sunday that since gold is Russia's second most lucrative export after energy and nearly 90% of the revenue comes from G-7 countries, "cutting that off, denying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, thats significant. It cant acquire what it needs to modernize its defense sector, to modernize its technology, to modernize its energy exploration," Blinken said. Russia began increasing its gold purchases in 2014, after the U.S. issued sanctions on Russia for Putins invasion of Crimea. Now the country holds $100 billion to $140 billion in gold reserves, which is roughly 20% of the holdings in the Russian Central Bank, according to U.S. officials. HOW WOULD A GOLD BAN WORK? While Russia will still be able to sell gold to other countries outside the Group of Seven jurisdiction, it will impact the ability of Russia to earn export revenue, says Chris Weafer, a Russian economy analyst at consulting firm Macro-Advisory. Its that high level of export receipts that is sustaining the country and sustaining the economy since sanctions were ratcheted up after February 24th, Weafer said. In practice, it could result in civil or criminal penalties on people who come from countries that have agreed on a gold ban from Russia. Swiss customs officials on Friday said they are tracking roughly 3 tons of Russian gold worth more than $202 million that entered Switzerland from the United Kingdom last month as they monitor potential violations of economic sanctions against Russia. WHAT OTHER MEASURES HAVE BEEN MADE ON GOLD TRADE? In March, the U.S. and its allies moved to block financial transactions with Russias Central Bank that involve gold, aiming to further restrict the countrys ability to use its international reserves. That came after calls from members of Congress to restrict Russias gold trade. The Treasury Department issued guidance that American individuals, including gold dealers, distributors, wholesalers and buyers, and financial institutions are generally banned from buying, selling or facilitating gold-related transactions involving Russia and the various parties that have been sanctioned. HOW WILL THIS MOVE PUNISH RUSSIA? Like the thousands of sanctions imposed on Russia through a variety of means, the gold import ban is meant to isolate Russia economically, starve its funding arm and prevent money laundering. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the G-7 meetings in Elmau, Germany, that the ban will directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putins war machine. Putin is squandering his dwindling resources on this pointless and barbaric war. He is bankrolling his ego at the expense of both the Ukrainian and Russian people," Johnson said. A White House official told reporters the ban is yet another way to block off paths between the Russian economy and the broader global financial system. ___ Follow APs coverage of the G-7 summit at https://apnews.com/hub/g-7-summit. WASHINGTON (AP) A conservative lawyer who aided former President Donald Trumps efforts to undo the 2020 election results and who has been repeatedly referenced in House hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol said in a court filing Monday that federal agents seized his cell phone last week. John Eastman said the agents took his phone as he left a restaurant last Wednesday evening, the same day law enforcement officials conducted similar activity around the country as part of broadening probes into efforts by Trump allies to overturn the election. The move underscores federal investigators' interest in the unsuccessful schemes advanced by Trump advisers to help keep the Republican president in power in the period between the November 2020 election and the riot at the Capitol two months later, when Trump loyalists stormed the building to halt the certification of the election results. Eastman said the agents who approached him identified themselves as from the FBI but appeared to be serving a warrant on behalf of the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General, which he contends has no jurisdiction to investigate him since he has never worked for the department. He said the cell phone that was seized contains emails that have been the subject of a months-long dispute between him and the House panel. That litigation has received extensive media attention, so it is hard to imagine that the Department of Justice, which apparently submitted the application for the warrant at issue here, was not aware of it, wrote his lawyers, Charles Burnham and Joseph Gribble. The action was disclosed in a filing in federal court in New Mexico in which Eastman challenges the legitimacy of the warrant, calling it overly broad, and asks that a court force the federal government to return his phone. He says the warrant does not specify any particular crime for which evidence from the phone might be relevant. The filing does not specify where exactly agents seized his phone, though the warrant was signed by a federal magistrate judge in New Mexico and footage of the seizure aired by Fox News on Monday night describes it as having occurred in the city of Santa Fe. Lawyers for Eastman did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Federal agents investigating the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot last week served a raft of subpoenas related to a scheme by Trump allies to put forward alternate, or fake, slates of electors in hopes of invalidating the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. Also that day, agents searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official who encouraged Trumps challenges of the election results. A spokeswoman for the inspector general's office declined to comment. Eastman, who last year resigned his position as a law professor at Chapman University, has been a central figure in the ongoing hearings by the House committee investigating the riot at the Capitol, though he has not been among the witnesses to testify. The committee has heard testimony about how Eastman put forward a last-ditch, unorthodox proposal challenging the workings of the 130-year-old Electoral Count Act, which governs the process for tallying the election results in Congress. Eastman pushed for Vice President Mike Pence to deviate from his ceremonial role and halt the certification of the electoral votes, a step Pence had no legal power to take and refused to attempt. His plan was to have the states send alternative slates of electors from states Trump was disputing, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With competing slates for Trump or Biden, Pence would be forced to reject them, returning them to the states to sort it out, under the plan. A lawyer for Pence, Greg Jacob, detailed for the committee at a hearing earlier this month how he had fended off Eastman's pressure, and another witness, retired federal judge Michael Luttig, has called the plan from Eastman incorrect at every turn. The panel played video showing Eastman repeatedly invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while being interviewed by the committee. Eastman later sought to be on the pardon list, according to an email he sent to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, shared by the committee. ___ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Jeff Reinitz/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Jeff Reinitz/AP Show More Show Less 3 of 3 GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa (AP) An Iowa man was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol trooper last year during a standoff and shootout with police. The mandatory sentence was handed down a little more than a month after a jury found Michael Lang, 42, guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assaulting a police officer for his actions on April 9, 2021, that killed 51-year-old patrol Sgt. Jim Smith in Grundy Center. The city of nearly 3,000 people is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines. Patna, June 28 (UNI) Leader of the opposition Tejaswi Prasad Yadav announced on Tuesday that opposition members would boycott proceeding of the Assembly till their demand for a debate on the Agnipath scheme in the House was not accepted by the Speaker. Yadav told media persons here that opposition members had boycotted the post-lunch sitting of Assembly on Tuesday and they would also continue to do so during the rest of the session till their demand for debate on the Agnipath scheme in the House was not accepted by the Speaker. Opposition members would stage dharna in front of statue of veteran socialist leader Karpoori Thakur in Assembly premises in first half till 2 PM on Wednesday in protest against the rejection of adjournment motion on Agnipath scheme, he added. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN The Board of Alders, itself, has yet to weigh in on Mayor Justin Elickers nomination of Assistant Chief of Police Karl Jacobson to be the new chief but if the 50 community members who turned out for an Aldermanic Affairs Committee hearing are any indication, Jacobson has plenty of support. Of the 20 or so residents who testified, most of them Black or Latino, all spoke strongly, often glowingly, in favor of Jacobson and his ability to lead the Police Department during a tough time. They included two mothers of slain youths, both of whom said Jacobson was compassionate and a great help both at the time of their loss and since. And one young man whom Jacobson tried to help a decade ago, back when he was 16, then later arrested for a shooting and sent to jail for three years, said Jacobson was waiting to help him again and set him on a better path when he got out of prison. Supporters also included the citys former police chief and soon-to-be Yale University police chief Anthony Campbell, who was a mentor of Jacobson, and Fire Chief John Alston. It was a sharp contrast to the reception given to former Interim Chief Renee Dominguez when she came before the alders late last year. The board on Dec. 6, 2021, rejected Dominguezs nomination and she later opted to retire. The committee took no action and will bring the nomination to the full board July 5, said Chairwoman Alder Rosa Ferraro Santana, D-13. The first time Curtis Ratchford he interacted with Jacobson, I was 16 and I was heading down the wrong path, he told the alders. Jacobson always seemed to be trying to help him, Ratchford said. But Ratchford was heading in a different direction at that time. Not only was he the one ironically to arrest me ... but he was so upset to have to do it, Ratchford said. He said, Ive been trying to help you, he recalled. I went away for a little bit, Ratchford told the committee, later explaining that he served three years in prison for his role in a shooting. Then I came back and this man was at my door, he said. He said, I told you Im trying to help you. Let me help you! I felt that moment there did change me, Ratchford told the committee members. ... He kind of saved my life. Tracey Suggs and LuQuvia Jones both met Jacobson during the most difficult times of their lives after their sons were killed, both victims of homicides. What I can say about Karl Jacobson is ... he was always there, said Suggs, whose 13-year-old son, Justus, was shot and killed as he rode his bike in 2006. He didnt hesitate to pick up his phone, talk to a kid. ... He has been a support for my family and I think this city would be a winning city to have him as chief. We need officers who come to the city with compassion, Suggs said. ... I think this board and the city would be doing the city justice by appointing him chief. Jones also met Jacobson at a rough point in my life after she lost her son, Dashown Myers, 18, when he became the citys first homicide of 2020. He has a servers heart, said Jones. If he has the community standing behind him, theres going to be a lot of changes in the city of New Haven if Jacobson is named chief, Jones told the committee. Among the other speakers were Gwendolyn B. Williams, director of the citys Youth & Recreation Department, who said Jacobson has been responsive to our requests and at no time has he been difficult to reach. Assistant Chief Jacobsons resolve to find a better way to serve our youth is second to none ... and his ability to follow through on commitments ... makes him an excellent candidate for this position, Williams said. He will be an asset and I wholly endorse his nomination. Lt. Dana Smith, district manager for Newhallville and East Rock and president of the New Haven Guardians, a group of Black police officers, said one of the main human attributes that Chief Jacobson possesses is dependability. ... You can call him any time of the day or night and hell pick up the phone, he said. Douglas Bethea, a street outreach worker, said Jacobson is always available. We believe in him. The people in the community believe in him, Bethea said. We want to see crime go down in this city. Jacobson began the hearing by laying out his own vision for how he would run and fix the Police Department. This is about trust and consent, Jacobson said. We need to have the consent of the community in order to properly do community-based policing, he said. The way to do that is through accountability and transparency, Jacobson said. ... I want officers to learn from their mistakes and move on, and be good officers. Well have a zero tolerance policy for officers who dont act in accordance with state and federal laws, he said. The statement sent a strong message at a time when the Police Department and the city are in the midst of a crisis over the treatment of Richard Randy Cox, a 36-year-old man believed to have been paralyzed during transport by New Haven police following his arrest for allegedly possessing a gun at a block party on June 18. We need the trust and consent of the community in order to police the community effectively, Jacobson said. He outlined a plan to achieve stability which he said has been lacking within the department and build a command staff that stays with me. ... I will select long-term partners who will stay with me and become future chief material. He promised internal promotion of tests and said, testing will continue to diversify the Police Department. We need everybody, including the alders and the police commissioners, to assist with the recruitment, Jacobson said. We need to send more people for training and we must continue and assist minority and woman police officers to take the tests, Jacobson said. ... I want everybody to feel as if they have an opportunity to be promoted ... and thats how we will diversify the ranks. He said he will begin by installing a diverse assistant chief and two diverse lieutenants. There are some diverse sergeants who could be district managers tomorrow. I will make that happen and thats how we will have a diverse command staff, Jacobson said. He promised, in efforts at recruitment and retention, to seek out candidates from all parts of society, including LGBTQ. Some groups from within the community may feel like we dont want them, he said. But Im telling you that we want you. We need to do better, he said. ... We have to prove to people that were going to solve homicides so they dont pick up the guns and start shooting. The city would begin with a walking beat detail that moves around the city as needed, but when we do get to full strength, we will have full walking beats in every district. He called procedural justice a key to building legitimacy. You must give everybody a voice, Jacobson said. You have two people involved in a situation. You listen to both of them. ... Im willing to listen to the community and I care abut this community and this Police Department. Maria Rodriguez, a licensed clinical social worker and long-term resident of the Hill who has been a chaplin for the Police Department, said that during the 50 years that I have resided in the city of New Haven I have seen many chiefs come and go, particularly in the last three years. Working with him during the pandemic ... I can say without reservation that Mr. Jacobson meets the criteria for being a great leader, Rodriguez said. Virginia Spell, a member of the Urban League of Greater New Haven staff, said, If you look at the number of people that have come and spoken on his behalf, you see the diversity of the people who support Chief Jacobson. ... Weve seen that he cares about the diversity of the community that he served which is critical to a community of color, Spell said. Ive had the ability to get to know him over a period of over a decade and when he gives his word that hes going to do something, he does it. ... Im so proud to put my support behind Chief Jacobson because I know hes going to do a fantastic job. Campbell, who has been named to be the new chief of the Yale University Police Department, said, Karl Jacobson is an extraordinary leader. ... The reason why I think he would exceed almost all if not all of the chiefs that came before him is because he doesnt seek power. ... Im just thankful that the mayor made, in my opinion, the right decision, chose the right person for the job. Alston said he has worked in public safety for 37 years now and when you look at what Karl Jacobson has done at every level since Ive been here, hes always made the right decisions. Hes an excellent cop. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com The Chairman, Northern Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi has said Nigerias political situation was the major issue that dominated his dis... The Chairman, Northern Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi has said Nigerias political situation was the major issue that dominated his discussion with former president Olusegun Obasanjo during the latters visit to Zaria, Kaduna State. Speaking in an interview, the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) explained that, The first thing the former president said was are we heading towards a new leadership that will take us out of the huge challenges bedevilling the country? Because there were divergent views on whether the nation is on the right track or not. Prof. Abdullahi stated that he and Obasanjo seemed to share the same view regarding the two major presidential flagbearers contesting for the apex seat of the nation, saying that they all felt that both Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar do not have what it takes to fix the challenges bedevilling the nation. The Chairman of Northern Elders Forum explained that that had been his personal stance, and he still maintains it. He stressed that it was borne out of the fact that he knew both of them too well, and going by their antecedents and track record of services, he doesnt think they have what it takes to fix the challenges in the country. Abdullahi observed that Nigerians may decide to go for an option elsewhere since there are 15 other candidates aspiring for the exalted seat. Speaking on the stance of the Northern Elders Forum, the NEF chairman opined that the Northern region was more concerned on quality leadership irrespective of where it comes from. Abdullahi, however, hoped that such quality leader would emerge from the North. A lady, Miss Mmesoma Ekpe, has, in a video message, explained how her mother was murdered by their landlords son, last Saturday. Miss Ekpe,... A lady, Miss Mmesoma Ekpe, has, in a video message, explained how her mother was murdered by their landlords son, last Saturday. Miss Ekpe, an indigene of Enugwu-Ukwu community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, said her mother, Mrs Uzoamaka Ekpe was beaten to death by the second son of their landlord in their residence at 5A Ugochukwu lane, Nkpor, near Onitsha. According to her, the incident happened last Saturday, when the landlords son suddenly declared a sanitation exercise for all tenants living in the compound. Ekpe said she wondered why sanitation will be declared, when all the tenants pay monthly for the cleaning of the compound. It was around 9am that my younger sister went downstairs to go to her work place, but she was stopped by the landlords second son, who asked her to go and clean the staircase. It was a surprise to us that the boy stopped my sister from leaving the compound, when he was opening the gate for other people to go out to their businesses. My mother decided we should all stay at home until 10a.m when the sanitation exercise will end. But after the exercise, I made to go to the market, but the boy stopped me. He shut the gate against me, but when other people living in the compound want to leave, he will open for them. My mother decided to intervene, insisting that he must open the gate as she does not know why all her children were being stopped from going out. It was then that the boy started beating my mother, and even kicked her on the chest and she fell. We rushed her to hospital, but they said the case was beyond them and refered us to Borommeo Hospital. It was there at Borommeo that my mother was declared dead, she said. Miss Ekpe called for justice for her mother, while also asking concerned individuals to help her and her siblings to relocate to another residence, as the family does not feel safe any longer living in the house of the man whose son killed their mother. My mother, Mrs Uzoamaka Ekpe is from Ngodo Isuochi, Abia State, and married in Enugwu-Ukwu. She was a good woman, I dont know why anyone would kill her. We want justice for my mother, she is the breadwinner of our family, the lady lamented. It was gathered that police in Anambra had arrested the suspect last Sunday, 30-year-old Ebube Oba. Spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga told journalists that investigation had commenced, and that the culprit would be charged to court afterwards. The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerias High Commission to the UK to ensure embattled... The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerias High Commission to the UK to ensure embattled Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice are provided with all consular services they require. The resolution was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Representative Abdullahi Abdulkadir (APC-Bauchi) at the plenary on Tuesday, NAN reports. Moving the motion earlier, Abdulkadir said he is concerned about the arrest of Ekweremadu, a Nigerian citizen, a serving senator, a former Deputy President of the Senate and a former Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament by the metropolitan police in the United Kingdom. He said Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice were arrested at the London Heathrow Airport, on their arrival from Nigeria to the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have since charged the Ekweremadus with offences relating to human trafficking and exploitation. Abdulkadir said the Nigerian lawmaker and his spouse had been detained pending the determination of the jurisdiction issues by the Attorney-General of England and Whales. Concerned that the additional information emerging from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and other legitimate sources including the visa issuing protocols at the UK High Commission. Bank verification number (BVN) suggests a different narrative which might not have been available to the metropolitan police at the time of arrest and charge. Hopeful that the authority in the United Kingdom will work with their national security and intelligence counterpart in Nigeria to conduct a holistic and thorough investigation to ascertain all the facts relating to the allegation to make a fair determination on the issues in the best interest of equity and justice for all concerned I am confident that the Federal Government of Nigeria will, through the respective organs of government, use all available tools to ensure that the investigation and outcome of this will be conducted in the highest fidelity to the rule of law and with respect to the dignity of the person as enshrined in the European Convention of human rights which the United Kingdom is a signatory. We are aware of Ekweremadus unblemished record as a constitutional lawyer, a ranking legislator at the highest level in Nigeria, the West Africa subregion and various international parliamentary bodies and foremost advocate of the right and dignity of man. Also aware that Mrs Ekweremadu has had a flawless career in the Nigerian federal public service rising to the rank of director, he said. Abdulkadir said it is important to be mindful of the value of human life as Miss Ekweremadu who has a life-threatening ailment needed not to be allowed to come to harms way due to the unavailability of parental care owing to the continued detention of her parents. The lawmakers requested that the agencies of government and corporate bodies and particularly the National Identity Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Immigration Service and banks, act swiftly to respond to legitimate requests for information to facilitate the prompt resolution of the charges against Ekweremadu. The House resolved to invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs, acting Comptroller of the Nigerian Immigration Service, and Director-General of NIMC to brief the house through the relevant committees on all necessary actions taken regarding the matter. In his ruling, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila said a criminal charge does not constitute a conviction or conclusive proof of guilt. He said this is merely the beginning of the judicial process to substantiate the fact of the allegation and gather sufficient evidence to sustain the charges therein. Until that process is concluded and even then, let us keep in mind that at the heart of this matter, there are human beings and fellow citizens whose lives have taken a turn none of us would ever wish for ourselves, he said. A former Special Assistant to a former Governor of Kaduna State, Namadi Sambo, Zachariah Diwong, has described as ridiculous, claims by the ... A former Special Assistant to a former Governor of Kaduna State, Namadi Sambo, Zachariah Diwong, has described as ridiculous, claims by the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Ango Abdullahi, that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar cannot fix Nigeria. Abdulahi had in a recent interview with a national paper suggested that Nigeria will be in chaos if either the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu or Atiku emerged President of Nigeria. Diwong in a statement issued Tuesday said only the people of Nigeria have the right to decide who they would vote for and not Abdulahi who is primarily interested in causing confusion for the sake of his desire for publicity. He noted that the agenda of the NEF chairman was not to move Nigeria forward but to throw a spanner in the works of any competent candidate because of his narcissistic arrogation to decide who should contest for the countrys highest political office. Diwong stressed that Nigerians do not need a lecture from Abdullahi because their current miserable experience of life was enough to motivate them to vote for change. Diwong said, We understand Angos unhealthy obsession with publicity and his tendency to arrogate to himself the right to appoint leaders for Nigerians, but he should understand that he was only speaking for himself as an armchair critic. The suggestion by Ango that Atiku cannot fix Nigeria is not only utterly ridiculous, but it is a reflection of detachment from our reality. If truly Ango cares about Nigerians, he cannot disregard experience and track record as the main qualifications for public office, especially the leadership of a country as large and diverse as Nigeria. The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Monday expressed concern over former President Olusegun Obasanjos comment that he made mi... The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Monday expressed concern over former President Olusegun Obasanjos comment that he made mistake when he picked his Vice President in 1999. The former President had on Saturday said he made a mistake in the choice of his number two ahead of the 1999 presidential election. Obasanjo became democratically elected President in 1999 while the current presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, was his Vice President. The former President, who did not mention Atiku in his statement, said it was a mistake he made in good faith but was saved by God. He said, One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the President. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me. But the party in its reaction threatened that should Obasanjo fail to clarify the comments credited to him within 48 hours, the party would be forced to expose the former President and tell Nigerians who he is in reality. The PDPs Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Walid Jibril, who made the threat at a press conference in Kaduna on Monday, said although the party has great respect for the former President, it would be disappointing if the statement credited to him, turned out to be true. Jibril, a Second Republic Senator, said, I wish to appeal to former President Obasanjo to come out openly to repeat what he has said. Whether or not he was misquoted or meant what was credited to him. Although he has not debunked what was reported, one can assume that what was quoted to have been said by him is correct, but if he fails to openly come out and say which is correct in 48 hours, you will hear the bombardment and I will have no option but to break the egg and tell the whole world and Nigerians who Obasanjo is. There is no doubt Obasanjo may still be angry with Atiku even after helping him to succeed but perhaps for truncating his third term agenda. In any case, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku is our presidential candidate and I can tell you for sure that he will be the President in 2023 Insha Allah. Jibril while speaking on picking of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, also said a high-powered reconciliatory committee would soon be set up to meet Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike. On the outcome of the presidential primary and subsequent picking of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate of Atiku which may have angered Governor Wike, the BoT Chairman disclosed that a high-powered reconciliatory committee would soon be constituted to meet Governor Wike and appeal to him. Governor Wike is a great party man who fought for the party. When the committee is constituted, we will also bring other contestants together. We will go and meet with Governor Wike and appeal to him even if it means kneeling down to beg him, he said. New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary and said he will always be remembered for his contribution to nation-building. Taking to twitter, Naidu wrote, "My humble tributes to former prime minister, PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary." Calling him a visionary statesman and a towering intellectual, the VP said he ushered in major economic reforms . "Rao was a multifaceted personalitya polyglot, scholar and writer of repute. He will always be remembered for his contribution to nation-building," Naidu said. UNI DS ACL The house of representatives has resolved to take measures to enable Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatric... The house of representatives has resolved to take measures to enable Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatrice, to get justice in the UK. At Tuesdays plenary session, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house, said he will try to meet his UK counterpart to ensure the Ekweremadus are given fair treatment. Gbajabiamila made the remarks following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Abdullahi Abdulkadir, a legislator from Bauchi state. The former deputy senate president and his wife were recently arrested for allegedly taking an individual to the UK for organ harvesting. They were subsequently remanded in custody till July 7. Gbajabiamila said the lower legislative chamber will use diplomatic pressure to ensure that due process is followed in the issue. I have spoken with the Nigerian high commissioner (to the UK, Sharafa Ishola) who has been extremely proactive in this matter and I expressed the need for him to continue to avail Senator Ekweremadu with all the necessary assistance that he will need to prove his case. I think this should be heightened as well to the UK parliament, Gbajabiamila said. I would try and get in touch with the speaker of the parliament (UK) whom I was opportune to meet with and had fruitful discussions with just a couple of months ago. I believe honourable Buba Yusuf (chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs) should also get in touch with his foreign affairs counterpart in the UK parliament. We are not talking about anything but for the parliament in the UK to make sure that Senator Ekweremadu gets the proper due process, that the rule of law is applied and that he is treated fairly on this matter. I believe the UK parliament or the congress of the United States, if their own was involved or if they have one of theirs, even a citizen, in this country that was going through the same travails, I believe that those parliaments would responsibly get involved as well. So, we must apply diplomatic pressure. The speaker said Nigeria and the UK have strong diplomatic ties, adding that we have to wait to gather all the facts on the matter. THE MOTION While moving his motion, Abdulkadir said fresh information suggests a different narrative which might not be available to the UK police at the time of the arrest of Ekweremadu and his wife. He said the UK should work with Nigeria to conduct a holistic and thorough investigation to ascertain all the facts relating to the allegation in order to make a fair determination on the issues in the best interest of equity and justice for all concerned. Contribution to the motion, Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader, said the UK may have acted on inaccurate information. The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to a voice vote by Gbajabiamila. The house subsequently mandated the ministry of foreign affairs and the high commission of Nigeria to the UK to wade into the matter. The lower chamber asked the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and banks to swiftly respond to legitimate requests for information to facilitate the prompt resolution of the charges. The minister of foreign affairs, acting comptroller of the NIS, director-general and chief executive officer of NIMC were also invited to brief the house of representatives through the relevant committees on all necessary actions taken regarding this matter. The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, on Tuesday, received a fresh order to probe the erstwhile Chief Justice, ... The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, on Tuesday, received a fresh order to probe the erstwhile Chief Justice, Tanko Muhammed over the allegations of corruption raised against him by some justices of the Supreme Court. 14 Justices of the Supreme Court had recently leveled allegations of corruption against Tanko Mohammed, which the ex-CJN denied. The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has then mandated the Committee led by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele to probe the allegations leveled against the ex-CJN and the crisis presently rocking the judiciary. Lawan said, The chamber mandates the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to go ahead with its assignment in the quest to find a lasting solution to the matter by interacting with relevant stakeholders to address the complaints raised in the petition by the Justices of the Supreme Court. The Senate Mandate the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to interface with the relevant stakeholders in the three Arms of Government as well as at the Bar and on the Bench to collate aggregate views and positions on the short term, medium term and long term measures needed to decisively address the crisis facing the Judiciary, including the immediate fiscal intervention as well as long term and sustainable budgetary allocations, required for the optimal performance of the Judiciary, in line with global best practices; and urge the Senate to wish the Hon. Chief Justice well, following many years of meritorious service to the nation and to pray for his good health. The Senate noted that on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Lawan drew the attention of the Senate to the media reports on the state of affairs in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, whereby Justices of the Court, through a petition signed by majority of them, raised issues bothering on deplorable welfare conditions and difficult working environment for the Justices, which was addressed to the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, National Judicial Council. He also noted that the President of the Senate emphasised the need for the Senate to urgently step into the matter as any issue that concerns the Judiciary is an issue of urgent national importance that the Senate could not afford to sit idly by and allow to spiral out of control. Accordingly, the President of the Senate directed the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to get involved in the matter with a view to unravelling the root cause of the recent development in the Judiciary and how best the Senate can intervene in order to address the concerns raised by the Justices. Lawan noted that Justices were taciturn and reticent in handling issues outside their judicial domain but resorting to such measures in order to protect the Judiciary, required the Senate to rise up to the occasion to ensure that their demands were addressed. The committee chairman, Senator Bamidele said his team was taking steps to look into the matter as directed by the President of the Senate by making arrangements to interface with relevant stakeholders both at the Bar and on the Bench. Bamidele said, The poor welfare of Judicial Officers would affect the delivery of the judiciary in respect of their output and will prevent them from performing optimally. The sacred image of the Judiciary, which is the epicentre of the temple of justice should be preserved by the Senate through appropriate legislative measures in order to safeguard this highly revered institution and prevent it from being ridiculed. Bamidele added that it is a regret that the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed on Sunday, June 27, 2022, voluntarily resigned his appointment on grounds of ill-health, leaving the most senior Justice to act as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria. However, this development would not prevent the Committee from going ahead with its assignment in the quest to find a probable lasting solution to the matter. He stated, Though Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed has stepped down as CJN, most of the issues raised by the Justices of the Supreme Court and other stakeholders within the Judiciary, still remain and need to be addressed urgently to prevent an eventual shutdown of the Judiciary. Muhammads resignation was made public on Monday morning after he tendered his resignation on the grounds of ill-health. Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, lawyers, civil rights groups and some branches of the Nigerian Bar Association on Monday called for the probe of the erstwhile Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Muhammad. The Trade Union Congress, TUC, Ekiti State Council has given the State Government 21days ultimatum to settle all the outstanding benefits of... The Trade Union Congress, TUC, Ekiti State Council has given the State Government 21days ultimatum to settle all the outstanding benefits of its members or face industrial action. This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the State Executive Council, SEC, of the union. According to the communique, the inability of the incumbent Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to attend to the outstanding benefits had subjected workers to untoward hardship, which had demoralized many of them. Some of the demands of the union include remittance of cooperative and pension deductions, promotion arrears, implementation of new minimum wage across board, among others. The communique reads: SEC-in-session commends the governments prompt payment of salary since the inception of this outgoing administration in Oct 2018 till date; however, the SEC reminds the incumbent Governor of his initial promise to offset all arrears of payment before the expiration of the tenure. The SEC-in session noted with dismay, the inability/refusal of the government to remit the already deducted dues such as co-operative deductions, contributory pension (Jan. till date) Bank loans repayment, NHF fund, etc to the appropriate quarters, thereby making life becoming unbearable for workers in the face of the present harsh economic realities. The SEC-in-session equally frowns seriously at the refusal of the Accountant-General of the State to continue with cooperative savings update of Ekiti workers, due to the alleged presence of some syndicate operating in her office. The meeting notes the fact that most members of TUC have not benefited from the new minimum wage after almost 2 years of implementation in the State, thus the SEC-in session calls on the government to implement the minimum wage across the board for all workers without further delay. The meeting also notes that the financial backing given the 2018-2019 promotion exercise was selectively implemented, hence calling on the government to ensure that others exempted should be immediately captured for financial remuneration. We demand that the government should set machinery in motion within the next 21 days to meet up with the above demands, failure of which industrial harmony will no longer be guaranteed. It was reported that the meeting had earlier congratulated the entire Ekiti Indigenes (Home and Abroad) on the peaceful conduct of the just concluded gubernatorial election held on 18th June, 2022. It also congratulated the Governor-Elect, Biodun Oyebanji and his Deputy, Chief Mrs. Monisade Afuye wishing them a blissful tenure and urging them to ensure the total fulfilment of all their campaign promises. While calling for merit in the appointment of top government functionaries, the TUC equally demanded an end to insecurity in the State. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High 76F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. For two years, the fate of the former K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen has been an open question, after the famous and highly influential New Orleans restaurant closed amid pandemic woes and its building remained idle. Now, though, it has a new owner with a plan to transform it into a hub for breakfast, brunch and lunch in the middle of the French Quarter. Local businessman Robert Thompson and his partners completed a purchase of the former K-Pauls building at 416 Chartres St. last week. Work is now underway to open French Quarter Boulangerie, which Thompson describes as a large, all-day breakfast and lunch restaurant designed for high volume and swift service. It is slated to open mid-2023. Fitting the name, French Quarter Boulangerie will have many types of pastry and a menu of savory dishes, with coffee drinks and a full bar. The key to the concept is making these daytime meals quick and accessible. It will be a large restaurant, at more than 12,000 square feet over two floors, using a counter service model. When I moved to town, I wanted to understand what the pulse and the needs were in the community, said Thompson. What jumped out at me is there just arent enough places serving breakfast and lunch for the 18 million people who come here, and theres long lines at the ones that are. He described the approach as polished plates in an efficient, counter service environment, comparing the intent to the energy and versatility of a food hall. In the evenings, French Quarter Boulangerie will be available for private events. A new start Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Thompson is a Mississippi native who got his start in the restaurant business in Denver in the mid-1990s. He later was founder and CEO of Punch Bowl Social, a chain of "eatertainment" venues with bowling lanes, arcade games, darts, ping pong and karaoke rooms. The brand grew to 20 outlets across the country over a dozen years before the pandemic. He left the company in 2020. He moved to New Orleans last year, where his hospitality firm, Angevin & Co. owns The Frenchmen Hotel with its bar Midnight Revival and the Whitney Hotel, slated to reopen after an overhaul in 2023. This latest project will mark a new start for a property that has for decades been synonymous with Paul Prudhomme, who died in 2015 at age 75. Prudhomme and his wife K Hinrichs Prudhomme opened it in 1979 as a small and casual spot, with communal tables and no reservations. With its casual approach and focus on a regional American cuisine, the restaurant helped set the table for the modern American restaurant scene and inspired a generation of chefs, and this was where Prudhomme himself made the leap from local innovator to global ambassador for Cajun cooking. But in July 2020, the family owners who were carrying on the restaurants traditions closed for good, citing the changing restrictions and uncertainties of the pandemic. It was by far the most significant New Orleans restaurant to shutter for good through the coronavirus crisis. A renovation to create French Quarter Boulangerie will bring a design style mixing classic French cafe with contemporary touches. Thompson's partners in the project include OnPath Credit Union and GBX Group. Thompson said when he started looking for right property for the concept, he was immediately drawn to the former K-Pauls. The many nearby hotels are a key to the plan, and theres also the legacy of the building. I like taking on the responsibility of a building where Paul Prudhomme found success and became an icon, he said. We like stretching into that challenge. +10 Emerils Delmonico has closed for good; celebrity chef says new restaurants to come When chef Emeril Lagasse opened his third New Orleans restaurant back in the 1990s, it marked the return of a long-running local restaurant na A series of events and performances this week will highlight New Orleans' relationship with African nations. The "Essence of Africa: NOLA Edition" starts at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday with a press conference and performance by David Batiste and The Gladiators and continues through Tuesday, July 5, with panel discussions, artist talks, concerts and a film screening. Essence of Africa is being organized by Damon Batiste's New Orleans South African Connection (NOSACONN), an outlet Batiste has used over the last 20 years to promote tourism, cultural exchange and trade between New Orleans and African countries. Essence of Africa isn't directly affiliated with the ESSENCE Festival of Culture taking place Thursday through Sunday but some visiting African delegates will be taking part in events at the Convention Center and Caesars Superdome. Events will include artists, business people and government representatives from Cape Verde Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. "We want to ensure prosperity for all as we develop business deals centered around tourism, arts, culture and bilateral trade," Batiste said in a press release. "NOSACONN has extensive ties in Africa, where I have traveled more than 80 times since 1998." Tuesday's press conference and performance will take place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Here are more events on the schedule: A panel discussion, "The importance of Africa in a fledgling global economy," will include Batisite, Ibrahima Seck, Lloyd Ward, Paul Robichaux, Jackie Wright, Ernie Singleton and Shaka Zulu. At 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Jazz Museum. A family-friendly production of the play "Malcolm X" directed by Anthony Bean with poet Sunni Patterson. At 11 a.m. Friday at Anthony Bean Community Theatre on Tchoupitoulas Street. A "Tribute to Black Music Month" featuring Johanna Hale McGill and Society of Soul, Larry Watson Jr., Kennadi Rose, Lester Singleton, and Dave Lemon and The Fleaux. At 9 p.m. Friday at Sweet Lorraine's Jazz Club. An artist talk with Big Chief Shaka Zulu. At 2 p.m. Saturday at Angela King Gallery on Royal Street. Film screenings of the documentary "Essence of Africa." At noon, 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday online at tellevidz.com. A round table discussion, "Doing business with Africa" at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, at First Pilgrim Baptist Church on Arts Street. The Essence of Africa is the latest of several events Batiste organized in 2022 to connect New Orleans and Africa. Earlier this year, NOSACONN hosted "The Grammy Party in the Bush" in South Africa partly to celebrate Jon Batiste's Grammy wins and the organization facilitated a culinary student exchange program at Nicholls State University with the Ivory Coast. Damon Batiste and his father, David, also presented several African musicians during a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May. Former WBOK radio show host Sandra Jimerson had a month left to live when she allegedly shot her ex-husband to death June 18 in the bedroom of the home they once shared together in Gentilly. Jimerson, 73, has Stage 4 cancer. This month, she attempted suicide by pill overdose, after writing a note that blamed her doctors for not properly treating her tumors, police said in Criminal District Court Monday. Before attempting to take her own life, Jimerson shot her ex-husband Jimmie Jimerson, police said. Police found Sandra Jimerson at the 3800 block of Gentilly Boulevard June 18 at 1 p.m., unconscious. There was a bloody rag next to her and blood on her hands. Officers also found the body of Jimmie Jimerson, 75, who had been shot in his right mid-side. Detectives revived Sandra Jimerson with naloxone before conducting a gunshot residue test, which came back positive, according to documents police filed in court. Police said they later discovered that Sandra Jimerson called the paramedics for her ex-husband before she hung up and attempted to overdose. Police also obtained video that showed the entrance of the home; according to the footage, only Jimmie went into the home before police got there, officers said. Jimerson was booked Saturday with one count of second-degree murder, but was released on house arrest Sunday morning under the supervision of her attorney and her hospice care doctors. Though the Jimersons had been divorced for nearly 25 years, Jimmie Jimerson helped care for his ex-wife as she struggled with cancer, and would often visit their old home in Gentilly weekly to check on her and pick up his mail, said Jimmie Jimersons niece, Kiwana Jimerson, in an interview. NOLA Business Insider The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The week before he was killed, Sandra Jimerson called Jimmie Jimerson repeatedly to remind him to come pick up his things, Kiwana Jimerson said. Kiwana Jimerson said her uncle was a clean-cut and organized man, known for slipping dollars to the kids of the family for making As on their report card. He was also incredibly punctual, and was known to be the man who bought all the liquor for their family barbeques. I dont think he deserved to be shot, she said. He didnt live like that. Attempts to reach Sandras attorney werent immediately successful. Coroner IDs man shot dead in domestic dispute in Gentilly Terrace The New Orleans coroner released the identity of a 75-year-old man shot dead in Gentilly Terrace on Saturday. A man accused of gunning down a woman in the 1400 block of Iberville Street on Monday fled to rural Tennessee and shot a police officer there later that night, authorities said Tuesday. Update: Accused shooter has been caught in Tennessee The New Orleans shooting was recorded on video from a nearby apartment and was circulated widely on social media. It shows a man walking up to a woman struggling on the ground in a parking lot on Iberville Street, less than a block from Canal Street, and shooting her twice with an assault rifle. New Orleans Police Department officials said Tuesday they had obtained a warrant to arrest B.J. Brown, 33, and book him with second-degree murder. NOLA Business Insider The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Brown is also accused of shooting a police officer during a traffic stop Monday night in Erin, Tennessee, a town of 1,200 people 65 miles west of Nashville, WKRN televison reported. He remains at large. Anyone with information on Brown or the Iberville killing was asked to call the New Orleans police homicide unit at (504) 658-5300 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans Inc. at (504) 822-1111 or (877) 903-7867. Marie Fazio writes for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate as a Report For America corps member. Email her at MFazio@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @mariecfazio. To learn more about Report for America and to support our journalism, please click here. Two of Louisiana's three abortion clinics resumed procedures Tuesday, a day after a Louisiana judge halted implementation of the state's trigger law that outlawed nearly all abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned. A third is open and planning to resume abortions and counseling Thursday. The Shreveport clinic was seeing patients on Tuesday and has more scheduled for later in the week. The clinic's administrator, Kathaleen Pittman, is a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Monday that led Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Robin Giarrusso, a Democrat, to issue a temporary injunction that stopped the state's abortion ban from taking effect. The Baton Rouge clinic was seeing patients Tuesday who were previously scheduled, said Amy Irvin, a spokesperson for both the New Orleans and Baton Rouge clinics, which have the same owner. The New Orleans clinic will resume seeing patients on Thursday, prioritizing 65 patients whose Saturday appointments were canceled when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling Friday on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. The clinic is also taking new appointments. Under Louisiana's abortion ban, who faces criminal penalties and what are they? Louisiana's new "trigger" law, which went into force when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sets out a long list of penalties for The rescheduled appointments represent what may be a small window to get an abortion in Louisiana and other states that have filed for similar restraining orders against trigger laws. In Louisiana, a hearing is scheduled for July 8, when the Civil District Court Judge Ethel Simms Julien, also a Democrat, will consider a challenge to the state's trigger laws, which the plaintiffs argue is vague and confusing for physicians. Currently, none of the trigger laws can be enforced and abortion remains legal. Attorney General Jeff Landry's office has indicated that it will file to dissolve the temporary restraining order before the July 8 hearing, according to lead plaintiffs' attorney, Joanna Wright, of Boies Schiller Flexner. Depending on the outcome of the hearing, the ban on abortion may or may not be in effect after July 8. Landry, a Republican, did not return a message on Tuesday but has vowed to defend the state ban. 'You're looking at women who are already desperate' Before Roe was overturned it was already difficult to get an abortion in most of Louisiana. The Baton Rouge and New Orleans clinics are now open just one day per week due to staff availability. Patients at the Shreveport clinic faced a two-week wait just to get an appointment scheduled. Women calling abortion clinics in the day leading up to the Supreme Court's decision couldn't get on the books anywhere in the state. Pittman, the clinic administrator in Shreveport, thinks she can fit in 100 to 150 patients before July 8. But that won't make much of a dent in their waiting list of over 400 people. They know the clock is ticking, but they're still trying to add more hours and procedure days, she said. "Someone was asking me yesterday, 'What is the point surely its going to come to an end at some point,'" said Pittman. "And all I can say to that is, why dont you ask that to the women who are able to be seen in the meantime? Youre looking at women who are already desperate. A Shreveport patient whose appointment was canceled said she had a weekend filled with fitful nights, anxiety and travel research. The 33-year-old said shes never flown on a plane and was looking at trips to California, Illinois or New Mexico, by herself, at high cost. Already the mother of a 5-year-old, she wanted an abortion for financial and medical reasons after a tough pregnancy. She and her fiance, who has children of his own, were relying on birth control pills, but she missed one. It makes no sense to me how in one moment they can change so many peoples lives, said the patient, who asked not to be named because of privacy concerns. She cried when she got the call that she could come in Tuesday as planned. Meanwhile, the clinic administrator in New Orleans spent Friday calling the patients whose Saturday appointments were canceled, directing them to abortion funds and clinics in Colorado and Illinois. "The general response was one of desperation," said Irvin, the clinic spokesperson. NOLA Business Insider The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up One woman with a canceled appointment threatened to kill herself, Irvin said. The administrator, thankfully, was able to get that patient an appointment and a flight to Colorado. "That story is just indicative of desperation that people were feeling on Friday and the tremendous stress that staff are under a full day of telling people that health care was going to be denied," said Irvin. 'One has to realize this is temporary' Clinic administrators know the reprieve from the state's ban may only be temporary. There is a lot of uncertainty over what happens next. "People are confused and scared and really trying to make sense of what is happening and what they can and can't do," said Michelle Erenberg, the co-executive director of Lift Louisiana, an abortion rights advocacy group. The same questions are being asked in states across the country, said Keith Werhan, a professor emeritus at Tulane Law School and former attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. "This kind of confusion and uncertainty is what happens when you change a legal regime thats been in effect for 50 years," said Werhan, a constitutional law expert. "You have all these various forces at play that are going to have to come to a resettlement, at least in the short term." Because Louisiana has multiple trigger laws, plaintiffs have argued that it's not clear to medical providers what is allowed under the ban. That presents a legal problem, said Werhan. "Criminal laws can't be so vague that when someone's acting, they don't know whether that their actions are legal or illegal," said Werhan. Landry's Office will likely make the argument that the current laws are coherent, said Werhan. If they are able to make that case, the judge will lift the injunction. If not, barring an appeal process, the matter would return to the state legislature. "It would be incumbent on them to sit down and come up with coherent set of laws if these are found to lack coherence as they currently exist," said Werhan. If the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, Landry's office will likely appeal to a higher court, which may or may not be expedited. It could then be a matter of weeks or months before a decision is made, Werhan predicted. In the meantime, Louisiana has returned to a pre-Dobbs status quo for now. "In the long run, one has to realize this is temporary," said Werhan. "The elected officials and Louisiana state government, including the governor, Attorney General and the legislature, are intent on writing a severely restrictive abortion ban, among the most restrictive in the country with extremely severe criminal penalties as well. That will be the ultimate result." Wright, the plaintiff's counsel, said her legal team will rely on Louisiana's constitution, which says you must provide notice to everyday people about what is and what is not legal conduct. "What we will continue to do is hold Louisiana, the Louisiana Legislature and Attorney General to their own constitution," said Wright. How will Louisiana enforce its criminal abortion laws? Officials arent sure yet As Louisiana enters an era in which abortion rights will be decided by a vehemently anti-abortion state government, observers and advocates ar Forbes ranked 1st Source Bank, First Merchants and Centier Bank among the best banks in Indiana. The national business magazine released the "America's Best Banks in Each State 2022" list honoring the top 2.7% of banks nationally. Terre Haute-based First Financial Bank topped the Indiana list, followed by Huntington Bank from Columbus, Ohio. South Bend-based 1st Source Bank, Muncie-based First Merchants and Merrillville-based Centier all of which have extensive footprints in the Region ranked among the top five. First Merchants ranked highly thanks to its app, financial calculators, how-to videos and other online banking capabilities. "We are delighted to be recognized by a well-known and reputable source like Forbes. This award is special because it truly reflects how we serve our communities consistent with our Helping you prosper service approach," said First Merchants CEO Mark Hardwick. "Were focused on genuinely helping our customers prosper by effectively responding to the needs of businesses, organizations, and people across the diverse communities we serve. Forbes partnered with Statista to survey 26,000 U.S. bank customers about customer service, financial advice, branch services, digital services, trustworthiness, terms and conditions and other topics as it came up with its state-by-state rankings. There are so many banking options, and we strive every day to show our clients they have made the right choice for their financial futures by entrusting us to be their partner in that journey, said Andrea Short, president of 1st Source Bank. Being named one of the best banks in Indiana by those clients lets us know that hard work is paying off, and that we are living our mission of helping people achieve security, build wealth and realize their dreams in all that we do. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Horizon Bancorp, the parent company of Michigan City-based Horizon Bank, selected a new lead director. Current Lead Director Daniel Hopp's three-year term expires at the end of the month and he chose not to seek another term. Hopp will reach the bancorp's mandatory retirement age by year's end. The board voted in a confidential ballot to choose Michele M. Magnuson to be the next lead director. In the leadership role, she will serve "as a principal liaison between the independent directors, all board members, the chairman and chief executive officer, and other members of senior management on matters including corporate policy, strategy and executive management performance." Magnuson is the former president and chief financial officer of LaPorte Bancorp and its subsidiary The LaPorte Savings Bank, where she also served on the board as a director. She joined the Indiana-chartered savings bank as chief financial officer in 2003 and was named vice president the next year, executive vice president in 2007 and president and CFO in 2011. Magnuson also has served on both Horizon Bancorps and Horizon Banks board of directors since 2016. She is a Ball State University graduate with a master of business administration degree from Indiana University South Bend. She has more than 33 years of experience in the banking sector. "Magnusons extensive management, financial and banking industry experience, including her familiarity with the local business and economic environment in the communities formerly served by The LaPorte Savings Bank and now served by Horizon Bank, adds value and a unique perspective to the boards of directors of both Horizon and Horizon Bank," Horizon Bank said in a news release. Her term starts on July 1. It expires on June 30 in 2025. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CROWN POINT The Crown Point Community School Corp. is taking measures to ensure school safety, school board President David Warne said at a meeting Monday. Administrators said school employees continue to train and meet with first responders monthly. We do continue to look at some infrastructure, software, surveillance, Artie Equihua, chief human resources officer, said. School officials are trying to make sure they are as well equipped as possible if an incident were to occur, he said. School officials are also working to prevent incidents of violence by providing support to students in an effort to ensure they feel safe and healthy. Superintendent Todd Terrill said all school buildings have school safety specialists. The schools may not reveal all information about how they are handling safety, but that is due to the tactical advantage needed if there were to be a security incident, Terrill said. In other business at Monday's meeting, it was announced Terrill will deliver a State of the Schools address July 13, in which he'll share his vision for the following school year and reflect on highlights from the previous year. It will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude by 9 a.m. at Crown Point High School. It requires an RSVP. The board also discussed hiring practices and ongoing projects throughout the summer. Equihua said Crown Point has been successful in hiring for the upcoming school year, despite an ongoing shortage of teachers and other types of employees. Officials also announced Crown Point is switching all parental communication to Parent Square, replacing a system that is outdated and not well used. The next board meeting is scheduled for July 25. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Twenty Ukrainian scholars displaced from their home universities and usual research programs because of Russias unlawful invasion of Ukraine have begun arriving in Indiana to resume their academic work at Purdue University. Purdues Ukrainian Scholars Initiative is slated to last at least one year. Visiting scholars receive a monthly stipend, travel expenses and health care coverage, among other benefits, and either can continue their own research or support research conducted by Purdue faculty members far away from the bombing and destruction happening to their home country. Our aim is to make at least one small contribution to help the Ukrainian people in this moment of peril, said Purdue President Mitch Daniels, who served as Indiana governor from 2005 to 2013. Our hope is that we can offer refuge to these scholars and a chance to continue pursuing their work and then see them return to a safe and free Ukraine. But while they are with us, I dont doubt that they will personify and perhaps share with our students the precious value of freedom and the constant need to defend it from its enemies. Anna Pavlishchuk, a chemistry professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv before the war, is among the Ukrainian scholars headed to Purdue. She said since Russia invaded her country, Kyiv a city of nearly 3 million people, or roughly the same size as Chicago is the emptiest shes ever seen it as people flee the war, even more empty than during the citys COVID-19 shutdowns. Once in West Lafayette, a city of 45,000 people located about 80 miles southeast of Crown Point, Pavlishchuk plans to continue her research examining new metallic complexes and their magnetic functionality in an effort to improve MRIs and other imaging technologies. One of the most wonderful things (during this time) is how people are helping and supporting each other, Pavlishchuk said. Tetiana Tanya Gordiienko agreed. Shes a doctoral student researching media and communication at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and looking to complete her Ph.D. at Purdue. This opportunity means so much to me, said Gordiienko, a former journalist whose husband, veteran photojournalist Vitaliy Nosach, is remaining behind as all Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country. Gordiienko said she already was familiar with Purdue through its Online Writing Lab, which was recommended by a professor as a resource for a doctoral class to improve her English academic writing skills. I remembered the logo of Purdue very clearly, and when I opened the link, I said, Oh, I know this university and thought this would be a very good place to study, to get new experiences, Gordiienko said. And the more I read about Purdue, the more impressed I got. Ihor Lantukh, a professor of psychology, economics and history at National University of Kharkiv Lantukh, looks forward to the day he can return home from Indiana with his wife and daughter. In the meantime, hes grateful Purdue is giving him the opportunity to continue studying entrepreneurship in post-serfdom economies, including the psychological effects of eliminating serfdom and historical parallels between the 19th and 21st centuries. We used to have a good life, used to dream about the future for our daughter. All our life has been destroyed by Russia, Lantukh said. Now, we are looking for opportunities to survive and raise a baby, dreaming about one thing: peace in Ukraine and the day we will be able to come back home. Altogether, Russias military invasion has displaced some 7 million people in Ukraine and left devastation, destruction and disruption across the eastern European country since late February. Stacey Connaughton, director of the Purdue Policy Research Institute and the Purdue Peace Project, who is co-hosting Gordiienko, said she believes Purdue has a responsibility to care for fellow academics during times of duress, particularly in response to a conflict like whats happening to Ukraine. This certainly aligns with our mission as a leading global university. We conduct research that makes a difference. We do transformative learning that has tremendous impact. During extreme crises like this, we are all hailed to continue that shared commitment to humanity, Connaughton said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HAMMOND An East Chicago man is pleading guilty to trafficking heroin near the citys Lincoln Elementary School. Antonio Curry, 39, appeared Monday before U.S. District Court Senior Judge James T. Moody to admit he illicitly sold narcotics last year to an unidentified government informant. The sale took place at an apartment building in the 3500 block of Pennsylvania Street, a block west of Lincoln Elementary in East Chicagos North Harbor neighborhood. A federal grand jury indicted Curry and Clarence Williams, of Gary, in spring 2021 on charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute large quantities of heroin. Williams pleaded guilty last month to possession of more than 60 kilograms of heroin early last year. He is awaiting sentencing. Curry had been pleading not guilty to helping Williams distribute the drug. He was facing a trial next month on charges that carry a maximum penalty of 40 years imprisonment. Curry signed a plea agreement last week with the U.S. attorney, giving up his right to make the government prove the case against him in return for dismissal of the remaining drug counts and the recommendation that he receive a more lenient sentence. Moody conditionally accepted Currys guilty plea but is withholding final judgment until sentencing, which is yet to be scheduled. The crime is detailed by Justin Reeder, a Porter County Sheriffs Office detective working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agencys Northwest Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, alleged in a written complaint to the court. Reeder alleges a confidential informant purchased a gram of heroin Jan. 20, 2021, and again Jan. 26, 2021, and nearly two grams of heroin March 31, 2021, all at the Pennsylvania Street apartment. The crime scene is within 1,000 feet of Lincoln Elementary where more than 300 students attend classes from kindergarten to grade six. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. A 38-year-old motorist is accused of shooting at an Indiana State Police officer during a high-speed chase Monday that resulted in the alleged gunman abandoning his vehicle with his weapon and then swimming naked for a while in the Little Calumet River before being taken into custody. The accused was identified by police as Carlos R. Santiago, of Milwaukee, who was cleared medically before being taken to the Lake County Jail. A state trooper said he stopped around 3:20 p.m. Monday to check on what he thought was a disabled vehicle along the Indiana Toll Road near the Calumet Avenue exit ramp. As he noticed the 1993 Ford Escort did not have a license plate, the driver sped away, initiating a pursuit, according to state police. The pursuit continued into Hammond before returning eastbound on the toll road from Calumet Avenue to Cline Avenue, where the driver briefly left the highway. The driver, later identified as Santiago, then headed eastbound in the westbound lanes of the toll road, police said. "As the driver was turning, shots were fired by the suspect out the window at the trooper," ISP said. "The trooper initially pursued the vehicle, however due to the traffic conditions, he terminated the pursuit." A crash involving vehicles was reported a short time later in the westbound lanes of the toll road east of Cline Avenue, and Santiago was spotted fleeing his vehicle with a handgun, according to police. State police, joined by officers from Lake County, Gary and Hammond, all took part in the pursuit. Santiago was spotted under a bridge near the crash site and then jumped into the Little Calumet River while carrying the handgun, police said. He was seen swimming across the river and attempting to hide in weeds. "The Lake County Aviation Helicopter was able to observe the suspect from their overhead location and maintained visual contact as the suspect attempted to swim away from the officers," ISP said. Santiago eventually left the river, was taken into custody and faces charges. "Mr. Santiago was also wanted for questioning involving a police investigation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin," police said. Lt. Deven Hostetler, Area II investigative commander for the Indiana State Police, said he was "extremely appreciative of the effort made by all the responding agencies, in particular the Lake County Aviation pilot, in locating this violent individual and removing him from the streets in a quick amount of time. The helicopter was instrumental in maintaining eyes on the suspect." Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said, "I am extremely proud of all the hard work everyone played in bringing this dangerous individual into custody. I thank God that everyone is safe and went home to their families. It is collaborative efforts like these that make Lake County safer for our citizens." Others involved in the crash were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. VALPARAISO A Valparaiso-area father told police he returned home from work early Saturday to find his two young children naked with the adult babysitter "hovering" over one of the youths. "After the children were dressed, (the father) approached Jerry (Palmer) and told him, 'if I find out there was any foul play, I'll (expletive) kill you," according to a newly filed charging document. Palmer, 63, who lives near Valparaiso, was later taken into custody on three felony counts of child molesting, court records show. Palmer reportedly admitted to touching the female, who is now 9, in a sexual manner for the past two to three years, police said. He referred to the touching as "light petting" and "advised touching with Victim 1 may have gotten out of hand on occasion." Porter County police said they were called out Saturday to a home in the Williamsburg Manor Manufactured Home Community where the father of the children described Palmer as a family friend, who has been babysitting the two children for about a year. The father said he knew of no problems with the arrangement until arriving home early Saturday afternoon and finding a 50-pound dumbbell blocking the door, police said. The father then spotted his juvenile son standing naked outside the bathroom door with Palmer "hovering over him." His juvenile daughter called out from the bathroom and said she too was naked and that Palmer had been in there with her, according to a charging document. Palmer left the residence without offering an explanation for the children being naked. The young girl later told investigators Palmer repeatedly touched her inappropriately when he was babysitting, charging information says. She said he would take her into the bathroom nearly every time he was over and have her remove her clothes before touching her. The girl's young brother confirmed her story and reportedly told police Palmer never touched him inappropriately. Palmer initially told investigators Sunday that he had touched the girl inappropriately three to four times over the past two to three years, police said. He later admitted he touched her once every two weeks. Palmer was booked into the Porter County Jail early Sunday and is scheduled to appear Thursday afternoon before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 25 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. CROWN POINT Residents turned out to support abortion rights Monday in Crown Point, just days after Roe v. Wade was overturned in a landmark Supreme Court decision, joining millions across the country in protest of the ruling. Several led chants, like "my body, my choice and "the Supreme Court needs to go." Signs read abortion is a personal decision, not a legal debate, vote and healthcare is a human right. The gathering in the middle of downtown Crown Point elicited honks and cheers from cars passing by. This is the second major rally in the Region since the decision, as organizers held a protest outside the Porter County Courthouse last week. In addition, several rallies and protests are ongoing nationwide as people react to the historic decision. Since the ruling, at least 10 states have effectively banned abortion in their state. Abortion remains legal in Indiana and Illinois. Megan Lucas, who grew up in Crown Point, said she was appalled at the Supreme Courts ruling. I came out in support of me and all the other women in my life, Lucas said. Lucas has a 7-year-old niece who will grow up without the option to choose, she said. She finds it crazy that she will live in this world. Jada Lubotina, of Schererville, said she felt like now is the time to stand up and fight. She said that while her protesting alone does not do much, having a large demonstration can make a difference. All these voices put together will catch some attention, Lubotina said. Jessenia Maldonado has a child with cancer. She said he is suffering and experiencing pain every day. It is not certain if he will survive. Maldonado said she is not sure she would have chosen to have her baby if she knew he was going to go through this. I love him, and I am glad I got to know him, but I do not want to see him in such pain, Maldonado said. She said she would have considered having an abortion if she could foresee the future. She also has a daughter, who she went with to the protest. She said she was hoping for a future where her daughter has the same opportunities she did. Maldonado also said she went through an abusive relationship where she experienced domestic violence. She ended up getting an abortion to help leave that relationship. Zoe Parr, of Crown Point, said she attended with several of her friends because she feels that abortion is a right. She is concerned about medical privacy going forward. This goes against a basic human right, Parr said. The upcoming special legislative session July 6 will address abortion in Indiana, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said. It is possible abortion will become illegal in the state. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 2 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. South Korean prosecutors have granted ex-President Lee Myung-bak a three-month release from prison over health concerns after he served less than three years of a 17-year sentence for corruption. The 80-year-old Lee could be sent back to prison at the end of that period, barring further health setbacks. But it's also possible he could be pardoned before then by President Yoon Suk Yeol, a fellow conservative who recently expressed a reluctance to keep Lee behind bars. Lee was sent to prison after the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in October 2020, but he has regularly received outside hospital treatment for various health problems including diabetes. A loophole in state law means a southern Indiana man, who now is over the age of 21, cannot be prosecuted in any court for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old child when the man was younger than 18. In a 3-2 ruling, the Indiana Supreme Court said Thursday theres no basis to pursue a juvenile delinquency case against Anthony J. Neukam, of Jasper, because he aged out of juvenile court jurisdiction when he turned 21. At the same time, the high court said Neukams alleged delinquent acts when he was a child do not automatically become crimes eligible for prosecution in circuit court simply because he no longer is a child. A trial courts jurisdiction is generally a question for the Legislature, wrote Justice Geoffrey Slaughter, a Crown Point native, on behalf of the Supreme Court. The Legislature has not said a delinquent act ripens into a crime when a juvenile offender ages out of the juvenile system. Slaughter acknowledged the courts decision creates a "jurisdictional gap" for Indiana children who engage in delinquent acts, which would be crimes if committed by adults, that either arent discovered or eligible for adjudication until years later. But he said in the ruling, joined by Chief Justice Loretta Rush and Justice Steven David, that theres no other way to interpret the statutes approved by the General Assembly and enacted by the governor. If a statutes text compels a particular result, judges must not second guess the outcome, even if it offends our own sensibilities. Policymakers often must make difficult judgment calls about when an alleged offenders needs should outweigh an alleged victims. But it is legislators, not judges, who bear that responsibility, Slaughter said. Relying on the Legislature to say what it means is what the Constitution both requires of us and demands of the Legislature. The high court said Neukam still is eligible to be tried as an adult for allegedly continuing to molest the same child when Neukam was over 18. A status conference on those charges is scheduled for July 18 in Dubois Circuit Court. The two justices dissenting from the Supreme Court ruling, Mark Massa and Christopher Goff, said they believe Neukam allegedly engaging in child molesting when he was a juvenile should be eligible for action alongside his adult criminal charges. These cases must go somewhere, Massa said. The General Assembly never contemplated safe harbor for alleged sex offenders who turn 21 before their victims reveal. Indeed, Goff pointed out the Legislature recently expanded the statute of limitations on child molesting to allow prosecutors to file charges until the victim turns 31 to give victims sufficient time to overcome the suppression of traumatic memories or escape intimidation by the alleged perpetrator. The victim in this case was 14 years of age when the molestations ended, creating a 17-year window for the state to prosecute Neukam. But the courts interpretation of the juvenile jurisdictional statute renders the state powerless to punish Neukam for the acts of molestation he allegedly perpetrated as a minor, Goff said. In my view, the courts interpretation of the jurisdictional statute leads to a result that is both unjust and absurd. Goff also suggests, beyond the loophole identified in this case, the Supreme Court ruling will prevent juvenile courts across the state from continuing to waive youthful offenders who commit particularly heinous acts to criminal court, or allow criminal courts to transfer certain cases to juvenile court, because, he said, criminal courts now lack jurisdiction over conduct by minors. For these reasons, I would hold that the circuit court has jurisdiction over an individual who committed the offensive acts as a child but who ages out of the juvenile system, Goff said. The Indiana General Assembly nearly did just that in 2021. House Bill 1198 would have authorized adult criminal prosecution of a person over age 21 who allegedly engaged in child molesting when the person was between 14 and 18 years old. The measure was overwhelmingly endorsed with different provisions by both the House and Senate. But the two chambers could not agree on a compromise version, and it failed to receive final approval prior to the Legislature adjourning for the year. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. On a recent afternoon in Brooklyn, a man known as Moody stood behind his dark blue cart in front of the Bushwick location of BK Lobster, gingerly prying open Fanny Bay, bluepoint and Prince Edward Island oysters with his shucking knife and presenting them to customers on a bed of ice. Occasionally, a curious passer-by would ask him what he was doing, to which he replied, Selling oysters, raising his voice loud enough to be heard over the rumble of the J train overhead and the hip-hop music playing from a portable speaker. Moody, a 37-year-old Crown Heights native whose real name is Ben Harney Jr., is the owner of the Real Mother Shuckers, a small business he founded in 2019 to provide a more approachable oyster experience. People can be a little leery of a guy selling oysters on the street, Mr. Harney said. So Im serving them in a comfortable way so that some can have the experience and judge for themselves. Her editor at Riverhead, Calvert Morgan, described her as one part fiction writer, one part provocateur and one part world class dreamer. Yuknavitch, he said thinks about story, and thinks about the powers that fiction can have, in a way thats different from almost any other writer I know of whos working today. Born in San Francisco in 1963, Yuknavitch started swimming competitively by age 6 and had serious Olympic dreams. She received scholarships to prestigious universities, but her father would not allow her to attend any of them, she said, calling them snob schools. While he was at work one day, her mother signed the paperwork for Yuknavitchs full ride at Texas Tech. I was trying to escape, she said, and her mother was trying to help me. There, she started experimenting with drugs, met her first husband, flunked out of school, and became pregnant. She then moved to Eugene, Ore., where she enrolled at the University of Oregon. In 1983, Yuknavitch gave birth to a stillborn daughter. (She was not using drugs at the time, she said.) The experience of losing a child unmoored her. I spent some time wandering around, living under an overpass in a kind of psychosis, she said. During this lost-my-marbles period, she started filling red notebooks with gibberish stories about girls with their hair on fire and women scratching and screaming and trying to get out and trying to survive, she said. I started madly writing them down, she added. Soon, a friend talked her into counseling, others guided her back to the University of Oregon, and she became a student in Ken Keseys graduate-level collaborative novel workshop. After receiving a Ph.D. in postmodern literature, she became a visiting writer at San Diego State University, where she met her now-husband Andy Mingo. Among the companies that said they would assist employees who have to travel for abortions are Disney, Macys, H&M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dicks Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Snap, which join a larger group including Starbucks and Yelp that had previously committed to doing so. Salesforce and Google both said they would move employees who want to leave states where abortion is banned. These employers cover health care for only a fraction of the millions of people living in states where abortion is or will soon be banned. And other major employers have not made public statements regarding employee assistance. The countrys largest private employer, Walmart, declined to comment on the Supreme Courts ruling. Other large employers like Target, Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines did not respond to requests for comment. Some marketing experts note that companies that do weigh in will likely face some backlash. Consumers and employees dont want companies to take a stand unless companies take up their position and cause, Kimberly Whitler, who teaches marketing at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, said in an email. In an attempt to ease fears over potential confidentiality issues, many employers rolling out new benefits related to abortion are aiming to allow workers, and others on their health care plans, to get travel reimbursement without disclosing anything to their managers. In some cases, that means having people submit claims to their insurance companies as they would for other medical procedures. Yelp, for example, explained to its employees in April that its travel benefit is administered through its insurance provider. One of the funniest sitcoms on Netflix makes its exit for U.S. subscribers at the end of July. If thats not cause enough for distress, the streamer is also jettisoning a handful of delightful coming-of-age movies, a classic 90s rom-com and one of the most influential movies of the 2010s. Watch them while you can. (Dates reflect the final day a title is available.) The Social Network (July 1) The screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and the director David Fincher seemed, at first, like an odd pairing a shotgun marriage of florid dialogue to a moody, sensual visual style. But in collaborating on this 2010 fictionalized account of the rise of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, they complemented each other: Fincher gives Sorkins words a distinct visual snap, and Sorkin gives him a script in which the dialogue is as sharp as the imagery. Sorkin picked up an Oscar and Fincher nabbed a nomination, as did the films star, Jesse Eisenberg, who finds the perfect note of know-it-all desperation as Zuckerberg. Stream it here. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (July 1) The writer Shirley Jackson, who died in 1965, is having a bit of an unexpected moment of late. In addition to this moody Netflix adaptation of her 1962 novel, her book The Haunting of Hill House was adapted for a mini-series on the streamer, and shes the subject of the Hulu biopic Shirley. Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario star in Castle as the Blackwood sisters, who live (along with their infirm Uncle Julian) in solitude and mystery; their parents died years earlier, under cloudy circumstances, and theyre still the subject of talk in town. That chatter grows louder with the arrival of an enigmatic cousin, Charles (Sebastian Stan, wild and woolly), who shakes the precarious household to its core. Farmiga and Daddario exude both fragility and danger, while Crispin Glover underplays nicely (and surprisingly) as Uncle Julian. A grocery store worker accused of assaulting Rudolph W. Giuliani at a Staten Island supermarket on Sunday had the charges against him reduced after the emergence of video footage that appeared to show him patting Mr. Giuliani on the back with an open palm rather than striking him. The worker, Daniel Gill, had been charged with second-degree assault, a felony, in the immediate aftermath of the episode. Prosecutors later reduced the charges to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, third-degree menacing and second-degree harassment. After a day in custody, Mr. Gill, 39, was arraigned on the lesser charges in Staten Island Criminal Court on Monday. He was released by Judge Gerianne Abriano and ordered to return to court in August. Obviously, the anti-abortion movement hasnt convinced anywhere near a majority of Americans. Roes death comes courtesy of three Supreme Court justices appointed by a president who lost the popular vote. According to a CBS/News YouGov poll taken after the ruling, 59 percent of Americans and 67 percent of women disapprove of it. The Senate cant codify minimal reproductive rights because of the filibuster, which gives a minority of conservatives veto power over much of national policymaking. In states like Wisconsin, legislatures are so gerrymandered that it will take more than a popular-vote majority to undo their abortion bans. The right pretends that ending Roe returns abortion to the democratic process, but Roes demise was made possible by democracys erosion. That shouldnt blind us, however, to the success of the anti-abortion movement, which has organized for almost 50 years to bring us to this moment. Those state-level gerrymanders didnt just happen. As The New York Times reported, they were made possible by the 2010 Republican wave, which reduced the number of state legislatures controlled by Democrats from 27 to 16. Republicans then used redistricting to cement their hold on power even as they passed a barrage of state laws meant to chip away at Roe. The legal and political wings of the anti-abortion movement were methodical, often biding their time until they had a friendly Supreme Court in place. As general counsel of the National Right to Life Committee, James Bopp opposed attempts to prohibit abortion outright, fearing that their rejection would only strengthen Roe. Instead, as Irin Carmon reported in 2013, he focused on wedge issues like 20-week abortion bans. In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, some women are evaluating their options for reproductive health care. Many are stocking up on morning-after pills, which are used to prevent a pregnancy from occurring within days after unprotected sex; while others are wondering how the ruling will affect their access to abortion pills, which can be used to terminate early pregnancies. Both medications come in pill form and are often confused for each other. Heres how they differ. What is Plan B? Also called the morning-after pill, Plan B One-Step is a type of emergency contraception that is typically taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex and is meant to prevent a pregnancy from occurring. It is usually available over the counter at drugstores and pharmacies (though access can vary depending on where you live), and contains levonorgestrel, which mainly works by stopping the release of an egg from the ovaries. It may also prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg; or if fertilization has already occurred, it may prevent the embryo from attaching to the uterus. Other brands of levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives include Next Choice One Dose, Aftera and EContra One-Step. Less than a month after instituting a mask mandate for most indoor settings, health officials for Alameda County, the San Francisco Bay Areas second-most populous county, lifted the order, citing improving conditions in a news release. Mask requirements were reinstated earlier this month for restaurants, bars and offices and other places, in response to increased hospitalizations and new coronavirus cases across the county, which had exceeded last summers Delta variant wave. The order was lifted Saturday after Alameda County, home to Oakland and 1.6 million people in the eastern Bay Area, moved from high risk to moderate risk for community transmission on Thursday, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Federal health officials may instead push for a bivalent vaccine that would target BA.4 and BA.5, two subvariants of Omicron. They now account for more than one-third of the infections in the United States, and might be more akin to whatever incarnation of the virus is circulating in the fall. But a bivalent that targets those subvariants would also be problematic. Neither Pfizer nor Moderna has concentrated on developing one, and no one knows for sure how well it would work. At this late point in the year, using human trials to test such a vaccine, followed by the two months that would be required to manufacture doses, could push the release of any new vaccine well into the next wave of the virus. That suggests that officials would have to base their judgments largely on animal trials and laboratory tests. Dr. Kelly L. Moore, president of Immunize.org, a nonprofit group that works to increase immunization rates, said such an accelerated process was already used to update the flu vaccine each year. While this is the nations first stab at the next generation of Covid vaccines, she said, the existing ones have been safely given to hundreds of millions of people. Updating them might call for very well-educated guesswork, she said, but such deductions are appropriate for the circumstances. If the government ends up going for a booster shot that targets BA.4 and BA.5, it will still be a race to produce the doses by fall, even with accelerated testing. Pfizer may be able to meet an October deadline, according to two people familiar with the companys operations. The deaths of at least 51 people found in or near an abandoned truck in San Antonio on Monday were one of the worst episodes of migrant deaths on the southern border in recent years. The journey north for migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico is usually dangerous and sometimes fatal. Smugglers often transport large numbers of people in trailers, vans or S.U.V.s through remote areas in sweltering weather. And in recent years, dozens of migrants have died in crashes while traveling north. Here are some of the deadliest vehicle chases, single-car accidents or heat-related deaths involving smuggled migrants: Miriam Jordan and Eliza Fawcett contributed reporting. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, facing re-election for a third term in November, has positioned himself as the defender of the country from migrants, making his aggressive stance on unauthorized migration central to his political campaign, even though his policies have been ultimately unsuccessful in stemming the arrival of migrants. Even though the federal government enforces immigration law, Mr. Abbott has poured billions into sending state police and the National Guard to the border, repurposed state prisons to hold migrants charged with trespassing and set up check points for trucks from Mexico, disrupting international trade. His Democratic challenger, Beto ORourke, has criticized Mr. Abbott for staging stunts and failing to achieve any meaningful progress in his years as governor in resolving the situation at the border. It was an audacious goal at the time, and we had serious doubts it would happen, he recalled. When the ruling came out, Severino said, he made the sign of the cross and offered a brief prayer thanking God before joining the crowds near the court to savor the moment. Health worries The news came as the Severinos continued to face personal challenges. Carrie, a mother of six in her 40s, learned she had breast cancer in late summer 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The news of her diagnosis emerged to the broader public in one of those happenstance ways so common on the modern internet. Her parents church posted a note online asking its congregants to pray for her good health. At the time, Carrie Severino said, she did not mind that her health condition had been unexpectedly revealed, because a huge development had coincidentally just come to pass and grabbed everyones attention: the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to replace the liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and cement the courts conservative majority. Severino said that she also didnt mind sharing the news, despite its awkward disclosure, because it allowed her to connect and bond with women who had experienced similar health challenges. On the eve of Election Day 2020, Severino was undergoing chemotherapy and steeling herself for surgery and radiation therapy. Her particular kind of tumor, her doctors assured her, tended to respond well to chemotherapy and it was already shrinking dramatically, she said at the time. Two years later, her doctors have seen no signs that the disease has returned. Follow live updates on the House committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. WASHINGTON The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is expected to hear public testimony on Tuesday from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mark Meadows, the final chief of staff for President Donald J. Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. The committee on Monday abruptly scheduled a hearing for Tuesday afternoon to present what the panel called recently obtained evidence. But it did not disclose the nature of the evidence or say who would be testifying, touching off a wave of speculation. The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Capitol Hill, according to a news release issued by the committee. Ms. Hutchinsons planned testimony was reported earlier by Punchbowl News. The withdrawal was yet another blow both to ICE, which has not had a permanent director since the Obama administration, and to the Biden administration, which has seen immigration become a political liability as it has struggled to contain surges of migrants at the border and replace many of the hard-line policies it inherited. It came on a day that the bodies of at least 46 people believed to be migrants were found dead in and around a tractor-trailer on the outskirts of San Antonio. Sheriff Gonzalez would have been a great leader of ICE, the White House said in a statement. We thank Sheriff Gonzalez for his willingness to serve in the face of baseless allegations against his family. The nomination of Sheriff Gonzalez, who had sharply criticized the Trump administrations deportation policies, represented a major departure from the hard-line immigration chiefs who had served under President Donald J. Trump. As sheriff, he had ended a partnership with ICE because, he said, the program encouraged illegal racial profiling. That repudiation of Mr. Trump, as well as ICE, drew criticism from Senate Republicans. But for Mr. Biden, the nomination had been a step toward fulfilling his promise of more humane immigration policies under his administration. The first clip indicates Ms. Vega was speaking in the context of the debate about abortion, as she can be heard saying: The left will say, What about in cases of rape or incest? Ms. Vega cited her experience as a police officer, saying that she had worked one case since 2011 where as a result of rape the young woman became pregnant. In the second clip, after the unidentified woman said she heard that it is harder for a woman to get pregnant if shes been raped, Ms. Vega replied: Well maybe, because theres so much going on in the body, I dont know. I havent, havent, you know, seen any studies but if Im processing what youre saying it wouldnt surprise me, because its not something thats happening organically, right? Its forcing it. After the unidentified woman said the body shuts down, Ms. Vega replied: Yeah, yeah, and then the individual, the male, is doing it as quickly, its not like, you know, and so I can see why maybe theres truth to that. Lithuania insists it has imposed no cargo ban and accuses Russia of lying. It says it has restricted just 1 percent of the goods that pass by rail through Lithuanian territory in response to European Union sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has nonetheless responded with fury, claiming that Europe had imposed an illegal blockade on its westernmost territory, formerly part of the German region of East Prussia and seized by Moscow at the end of World War II. Margiris Abukevicius, Lithuanias vice minister of national defense responsible for cybersecurity, said a wave of cyberattacks hit Lithuanias state railway, airports, media companies and government ministries on Monday, in a coordinated barrage by hackers known to be associated with the Russian state. The assault involved mostly so-called distributed denial-of-service attacks, which involve hackers flooding the servers that run a targets site with internet traffic until its falters or collapses under the load. A Russian hacker group known as Killnet claimed responsibility for the attacks on its Telegram channel, demanding that the Lithuanian authorities immediately withdraw their decision to ban the transit of Russian cargo between Kaliningrad Region and Russia. The group said it was not affiliated with any law enforcement authorities and mocked the Lithuanian authorities as stupid ducks known for making up garbage. KRUN, Germany Four months into Russias invasion, unprecedented Western economic retaliation and military aid to Ukraine have not curbed Vladimir V. Putins ability or apparent determination to wage war, leaving leaders of the worlds wealthiest democracies grasping for new ways to deter him. Meeting on Monday in the Bavarian Alps, President Biden and the other Group of 7 leaders were poised to embrace an aggressive but untried plan to manipulate the price of oil and restrict the revenue that underwrites Mr. Putins war machine. Even as they searched for different tactics to hinder Moscow, Russia launched a barrage of missiles deep into Ukraine, striking civilian targets including, Ukrainian officials said, a crowded shopping mall where at least 13 people were killed. In a statement condemning that strike, the G7 leaders said: Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account. KREMENCHUK, Ukraine Late into the evening on Monday night, the Amstar shopping mall was still smoking as hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers sought to clear away the rubble. This is a shock for all of us, said Olha Usanova, a deputy mayor of Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, where a Russian airstrike left at least 16 people dead, more than two dozen hospitalized and many others injured. The worst thing is that this is a shopping mall, she added. Any of us could have been here. Sitting along the Dnieper River, Kremenchuk is a major Ukrainian industrial hub with factories that produce railway cars and trucks. It is also home to Ukraines largest oil refinery, which has been targeted repeatedly by Russian missiles, according to the local news media, part of Moscows strategy to destroy the countrys fuel production and storage infrastructure. South Africa: SALGA concerned by councils' weak municipal credit controls The national executive committee of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has expressed concern at the weaknesses of municipal credit control and debt collection mechanisms in the countrys councils. The discontent comes in the wake of concerning revelations by Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke last week when releasing the 2020/21 consolidated general report on local government audit outcomes. The SALGA NEC made the concession last week during its meeting last week in Kimberley, Northern Cape. The meeting followed a series of engagements with municipalities in the province on 21 and 22 June 2022. The NEC met with Mayors, Speakers, Whips of Council, Municipal Managers and Chief Financial Officers from municipalities in the province against the backdrop of the release of the AGSAs report on municipal audit outcomes. SALGA in a statement said the NEC engagement with member municipalities in the province saw the opening up of conversation that brought deep insight into the major issues affecting municipalities and their communities. Like elsewhere in the country, the management and solidity of coalition rule at local government level remains a challenge in the province. The November 2021 Local Government Elections saw the formation of 12 multi-party governed municipalities. In response to the rising trend of coalition governments since the 2016 Local Government Elections, SALGA, in close collaboration with the Dullah Omar Institute, drafted a Coalition Government Framework that provides practical guidelines to political parties and councillors on the formation and management of coalitions in local government. SALGA said while the framework was not promulgated, municipalities are encouraged to draw lessons from the framework, which offers practical guidance on how political parties can manage such coalitions in a manner that ensures the sustainability of municipalities and delivers the best outcomes for local communities. The inability of municipalities to manage their finances and collect revenue from ratepayers has a severe impact on their financial viability, the association said. SALGA spokesperson, Tebogo Mosala, said it is worrying that only five Northern Cape municipalities received clean audits, while others were given adverse opinions. A few had difficulty submitting their financial statements on time, and this may as well tell a story about the services municipalities in the province deliver, and their ability to earn the publics trust and confidence. The NEC urged municipal leaders in the province to reflect on the state of municipal financial performance, while identifying the root causes of persistent challenges that warrant accountability and consequence management, she said. She said SALGA would continue to avail critical interventions such as Councillor Training and Capacity Building Programmes and the Municipal Audit Support Programme (MASP) in an effort to strengthen financial management capacity building in the sector. Separation of powers and functions SALGA said a matter of critical importance that emerged during the NEC and Northern Cape municipal leadership engagement was the decision taken by Sol Plaatje Municipality to appoint its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to the position of acting Municipal Manager (MM). True to SALGAs mandate to provide advisory services to its member municipalities, the organisation wrote to the Mayor of Sol Plaatje Municipality and recommended that the appointment be rescinded. The CFO and Municipal Manager cannot be the same person. The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) defines and separates the role and responsibilities of mayors, councillors and officials in the interest of oversight, accountability and transparency, and the action taken by the municipality was not in accordance with the financial governance principles espoused in the Act. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. He came aboard in 2015 to stabilize a troubled Metropolitan Museum of Art, led the museum after one director was ousted and then shared power with another. But on Tuesday, Daniel H. Weiss told the museums board that he would step down as president and chief executive in June 2023. The institution is in a strong and positive place Im proud of the work that weve done, Weiss, 65, said in an interview. I think its always best to know what the right moment is. Im ready to do something else. Weiss, the former president of Haverford College and an art historian, said he was unsure what his next chapter would be, though he looks forward to returning to more writing and perhaps some teaching. The board will now evaluate whether to replace Weiss or to abandon its two-pronged leadership structure, which is unusual for art museums and was put in place in 2017. On Tuesday morning, Marian Bies-de Wolf was working at TEFAF, the worlds pre-eminent fine art and antiquities fairs, when she saw a group of men running through its corridors. It was a strange sight, she said in a telephone interview, since nobody runs at TEFAF, which is held annually in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Then things got stranger, Ms. Bies-de Wolf said, as the men pulled out a heavy object and started bashing up a glass case in the next booth, which belonged to the London jewelry dealer Symbolic & Chase. Ms. Bies-de Wolf could not see if the men took anything, she said; after someone shouted that the thieves had a gun, she ran away. Sanctions on Russia worsen global food crisis As the U.S. and Europe contemplate further sanctions to punish Russia for its war on Ukraine, there is growing concern that the fallout is fueling an alarming hunger problem that will not easily be reversed, amid a combination of rising energy costs and constrained exports from Russia and Ukraine. Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, has embraced and exacerbated the crisis, blocking exports of food and grain from the region and using the shortages as leverage to get Western sanctions rolled back. The regions critical role in the food supply chain has meant a cascading effect, sending global food prices soaring. Even as the scale of the crisis became more apparent, leaders of G7 nations yesterday moved close to embracing an aggressive but untried plan to manipulate the price of oil, the largest commodity market in the world. The plan would allow Russia to keep selling oil to the world but would sharply limit the price. Theyre not here to hurt me Donald Trump demanded to join the mob as it approached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, even as the riot was underway, a former White House aide testified yesterday to the House committee investigating the attack. Trump knew the crowd he amassed in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, was armed and could turn violent, but he wanted security protections lifted, said Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mark Meadows, Trumps final chief of staff. Hutchinson paraphrased the former presidents objections to the presence of magnetometers to detect weapons: You know, I dont f-ing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me. Take the f-ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the f-ing mags away. This article is part of Upstart, a series about companies harnessing new science and technology to solve challenges in their industries. In its 150-year history, Paul Knowltons farm in Grafton, Mass., has produced vegetables, dairy products and, most recently, hay. The evolution of the farms use turned on changing markets and a variable climate. Recently, however, Mr. Knowlton added a new type of cash crop: solar power. For Mr. Knowlton, a fifth-generation farmer and the current owner, it was an easy call. He had already installed solar panels to provide electricity for his home and barn. When a real estate agent came knocking to see if he was interested in leasing a small portion of his land for a solar array, she planted the seed that I could do more, Mr. Knowlton said. Ben Silbermann, a founder and chief executive of Pinterest, stepped down from the top job on Tuesday after more than a decade of running the digital pinboard service and taking it public. Pinterest did not give a reason for the change. Mr. Silbermann, 39, will become executive chairman. Bill Ready, who has run divisions within PayPal and Google, was appointed Pinterests new chief executive. Mr. Silbermann helped found Pinterest in 2010 and oversaw its growth into a place where 431 million people, mostly women, save and share ideas for shopping, hobbies and recipes. Last year, the company generated $316 million in profit on revenue of $2.6 billion. From 2018 to 2020, assaults reported to the F.B.I. by law enforcement agencies overall rose 42 percent; they increased 63 percent in grocery stores and 75 percent in convenience stores. The assault numbers can fluctuate depending on how many local police departments and other law enforcement agencies report to the F.B.I., and more departments reported in 2020 than in 2018. Of the more than two million assaults reported to the F.B.I. by law enforcement agencies across the country in 2020, more than 82,000 about 4 percent were at shopping malls, convenience stores and other similar locations. Last year, the F.B.I. said, more than half the so-called active shooter attacks in which an individual with a gun is killing or trying to kill people in a busy area occurred in places of commerce, including stores. Violence in and around retail settings is definitely increasing, and it is a concern, said Jason Straczewski, a vice president of government relations and political affairs at the National Retail Federation. Tracking retail theft is more difficult because many prosecutors and retailers rarely press charges. Still, some politicians have seized on viral videos of brazen shoplifting to portray left-leaning city leaders as soft on crime. Others have accused the industry of grossly exaggerating losses and warned that the thefts were being used as a pretext to roll back criminal justice reforms. These crimes deserve to be taken seriously, but they are also being weaponized ahead of the midterm elections, said Jonathan Simon, a professor of criminal justice at the University of California, Berkeley, Law School. Womens reliance on the black market for access to medication abortions means they may not follow best medical practice. When C., a 24-year-old teacher in Recife, bought misoprostol from a drug dealer last year, she searched Google to figure out how to take it. Because it was illegal, there was no information about how to take it or what to take, she said. Her search found recommendations to insert the tablets in her vagina, as a doctor would if she were in a clinic, but cautioned that traces might be left behind and give her away if she wound up in hospital; instead, she dissolved them under her tongue, a method that also works but less quickly. C., who asked to be identified by only her middle initial out of fear of prosecution, bled for weeks after and wanted to ask her mother, a gynecologist, for advice. But her mother is an anti-abortion activist. Finally, C. said she thought she had miscarried, and her mother took her to see a colleague who performed a dilation-and-curettage under anesthetic. When I was having the curettage, I had to keep saying over and over to myself, Dont say anything, you cant say anything it was torture, she said. Even though I was totally sure that I wanted an abortion, I had no doubts, you still feel like youve done something wrong because you cant talk about it. The restriction on misoprostol has complicated regular obstetric care, which uses the drug for induction of labor, said Dr. Derraik. At the Rio public maternity hospital where she is medical director, a doctor must fill out a request in triplicate for the drug, have it signed by Dr. Derraik, take it to the pharmacy where the supervisor must also sign before taking it out of a locked cabinet, and then the physician must administer the drug with a witness, to ensure it is not diverted for black market sale. Not all of these steps are officially required, Dr. Derraik said. But hospitals do them because of the intense paranoia around the drug. When Silverberg was 17 and looking for a summer job in the mid-1980s, their father, like many well-connected fathers before and since, called around to people in his professional network in Toronto to see if anyone had work for a high schooler. Silverbergs father was a sex therapist, and the job he found for his kid was working as a clerk at Lovecraft, the first sex-toy store in North America owned by women. Silverberg was a young-looking 17 and had never so much as kissed anyone, yet they found themselves charged with helping customers pick out vibrators. They were mostly women, and they would see me and keep looking around for another salesclerk. They were like, I dont want that guy, Silverberg laughed as they told me this story in a cafe noisy with a late-morning Sunday crowd near their home in Houston. When Silverberg speaks to groups of parents or teachers, they talk about having grown up the child of a sex therapist with access to a wide selection of sex-education materials for both adults and children. They were a precocious reader and studied these carefully, but none of them offered any clue about something that was increasingly worrying them. I was this femmy kid that everyone thought was gay, Silverberg said, though they themselves were not at all sure that gay was the right concept for what they were experiencing. Silverberg was attracted to women but found going out with them uncomfortable in some way that they couldnt understand. I just felt bad lonely and bad. I thought that there was actually something structurally wrong with me. Silverberg eventually realized, when they were in their early 30s, that they felt more like a woman than like the man the world had presumed them to be. It was gender, not sexuality per se, that was at the heart of their struggle with their body and romantic life. But for years of Silverbergs adolescence and young adulthood, there seemed no good way to even begin to explain how they felt. I would say Im weird. I would say Im not straight, or that Im straight-ish. People would say that Im a man, and I would say, Well.... Silverberg went on to work at Lovecraft for nine years while finishing high school and attending university. Though they were very confused about sex in their own life, they were pleased to find that they had the ability to talk about sexuality without feeling or seeming awkward or as they put it, Other peoples sex stuff didnt freak me out, and I knew how to show that it didnt freak me out. They became particularly interested in working with the stores disabled clientele. With the nondisabled customers, most of the work was just helping them to say what they wanted. But the disabled customers would be very specific: Do you have a penis pump that doesnt have latex, because Im allergic to latex? Or I want to try to have an orgasm, but I cant hold anything with my hand what can I do? Theyd come in able to talk about every aspect of their bodies (what moves, and how, where theres feeling and isnt), but then their question would be: How can I have sex? It seems to me the reason those people asked How can I have sex? is because the world had already told them exactly how they were supposed to have it by having penile-vaginal intercourse and they cant do that, so they were stumped. After graduating with a masters in education from the University of Toronto, Silverberg developed a specialty in training professional groups midwives, teachers, home health care workers, occupational therapists on issues of sex and disability. Then some friends came to them with a proposition: Could Silverberg write a book for their young son about how babies are made? The friends were the parents of a 4-year-old and had another baby on the way. The father was a trans man. The childrens books on store shelves featuring Mom and Dad conceiving baby in a four-poster bed, or adopting a child, did not account for their family. One of the most compelling primary races in New York is for a largely ceremonial post with a relatively low-profile and few statutory duties: the lieutenant governor. The progressive-activist wing of the Democratic Party sees the race as one of its best chances to catapult one of its own to statewide office and potentially wield the post as a bully pulpit to counter Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat who is also running in the primary on Tuesday. Ms. Hochuls handpicked lieutenant governor and running mate, Antonio Delgado, is facing a spirited challenge from Ana Maria Archila, a longtime activist and community organizer backed by the Working Families Party and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ms. Maxwells trial and conviction were widely seen as the legal reckoning that Mr. Epstein, 66, never had. The disgraced financier hanged himself in his Manhattan jail cell one month after his July 2019 arrest as he awaited his own trial on sex trafficking charges. Mr. Epsteins high-flying lifestyle, mysterious wealth and cast of famous friends earned him notoriety, even as he was dogged by allegations of sexual abuse. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution the result of a deal with federal prosecutors that allowed him to avoid more criminal exposure. Even after his plea rendered him a convicted sex offender, Mr. Epstein socialized with powerful figures in his Manhattan mansion, his Palm Beach, Fla., estate, his private island in the Caribbean and elsewhere. They included politicians like Bill Clinton and Bill Richardson and billionaires like Leon Black and Leslie Wexner. There was even a royal: Prince Andrew, known as the Duke of York. In February, he settled a lawsuit by a woman who said he, Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell forced her, when she was a minor, to have sexual intercourse with him in Ms. Maxwells home in London; Prince Andrew has since stepped away from public life. Wherever Mr. Epstein was, Ms. Maxwell, his longtime romantic and then platonic companion, befriended girls who believed that caring adults were granting them access to a rarefied world. Instead, they became trapped, forced to gratify Mr. Epsteins apparently boundless sexual desires. After Mr. Epsteins arrest in 2019, Ms. Maxwell became the subject of intense public scrutiny, which increased after his death in custody a month later. Her lawyers, in a sentencing brief, contended that prosecutors turned their attention to Ms. Maxwell after Mr. Epsteins death only to appease his victims and repair the tarnished reputations of the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons, in whose custody he died a claim the government has roundly dismissed. Mariscelle Bautista, a mother of two public elementary school students, said during public testimony last week that the citys decision to defund public schools was outrageous and called for parents to mobilize and eventually vote all of these people out. The cuts to school budgets would hurt the programs and services that have helped students affected by school shutdowns and learning loss during the pandemic, said Ms. Bautista, including her own children. The New York City schools chancellor, David C. Banks, pledged Monday, the last day of the school year for students, that most, if not all, teachers forced out because of enrollment-based budget cuts at their schools will be able to find a position within the system before the next school year begins. Mr. Banks, who is just six months into his tenure at the helm of the nations largest school system, said that no teacher in the entire school system will lose their job as a result of this right sizing. For an altercation to qualify as assault in the third degree the main charge ultimately filed by the district attorney of Staten Island there must be an intent to cause injury to a person and an actual physical injury, Mr. Walz said. I could punch you in the face, and that wouldnt be physical injury in New York, unless I broke your nose or something like that, Mr. Walz said. He added that Mr. Gills behavior could qualify as harassment, but that he found even that notion questionable. This is New York; being called a scumbag, if thats a crime, were all going to jail soon, Mr. Walz said, alluding to the slur Mr. Gill allegedly hurled at Mr. Giuilani. In a text message from an aide, Mr. Giuliani continued to stand by his story on Tuesday. If the video was lateral, you may have seen the force, he said. I was moved a few steps forward. I now have swelling above my left scapula and my left arm hurts. The police departments initial recommendation of felony assault charges was based on Mr. Giulianis complaint and the age difference between Mr. Gill, 39, and Mr. Giuliani, 78, city officials said. The outlook for this year has become much less certain as the stock market has plummeted in recent months and certain forms of federal aid, like stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits, have ended. The citys Independent Budget Office said it was not possible to calculate the tax revenue lost from the people who had moved because some of them could be working remotely for New York-based companies and paying city income tax. In the long term, the office said, their tax status could become a major policy issue as states fight for their share of taxes from remote workers. Sophia and Charlie Blackett relocated last year to Rowayton, Conn., from Brooklyn, partly because both of their jobs in tech allowed them to permanently work from home. Ms. Blackett, 27, had previously considered raising children in the city, but the confinement of the pandemic shifted her thinking. I used to thrive on the hustle and bustle, she said. Now, she said, I think about waking up in my bed in an apartment, and I just feel a little bit anxious. The issue has become a talking point in the governors race. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat, said earlier this year that the steep population drop in New York State, driven by the city losses, was an alarm bell that cannot be ignored. Representative Tom Suozzi of Long Island, a centrist challenging her in this months primary, has blamed the exodus on crime, high taxes and an unaffordable cost of living. Gergana Ivanova, 28, a clothing designer and social media influencer, said her decision to move to Miami was less about taxes. The pandemic made the downsides of living in New York City more noticeable, she said, including the lack of space in her tiny Queens apartment and the trash piling up on the sidewalks. She felt less safe walking around when the streets were emptier. Today we pay a greater price for that freedom than do men. And it is a price that our children will inherit. Many of the people who celebrate the Dobbs decision are nostalgic for a pre-World War II American economy. That economy kept women from competing with men in the paid labor market. It also relied on unions to protect working-class mens incomes. That economy is gone. This economy will not magically provide good jobs and good wages for men who will pass that on to their wives and children. As a Black woman, I inherited the debts that white racism exacted upon the livelihoods of my grandparents and great-grandparents and their great-grandparents. I know well what that inheritance feels like. It makes your life poorer. It makes your communities poorer. And it dooms a society. That we are all less free than we were on Thursday is, even by now, a cliche. But in fact, that is more true for poor women and trans men than for others. Do not mistake the specific harm for localized harm. When women cannot move freely across this nation, sure that they have basic human rights as they migrate, we are all anchored to the poverty of their choices. There are even worse days ahead. By all accounts, the overturning of Roe v. Wade is just the beginning of decisions that could reverse hard-won human rights for all Americans. Justice Clarence Thomas indicated that L.G.B.T.Q rights, birth control access and health care privacy may be in the courts cross hairs. I am still reeling from waking up in a new world. But that feeling cannot solidify into inertia. We can and should donate to organizations that provide abortion services in local communities. At the same time, donations will not save us. Consumer citizenship has trained us to think about our politics as a set of transactions that we can purchase as we do a car or a new pair of shoes. Restoring human rights will require direct political engagement and tremendous resistance. I am not particularly hopeful. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority decision. The journalist Stephanie Mencimer wrote in Mother Jones that it was always going to be Alito who would write the majority decision. Alito says that the court cannot be concerned with how its decisions affect people. Linda Greenhouse in The Times described the opinion as arrogant. I expect arrogance from a conservative court. It is more important to me that the decision is so bold. Mr. Powell also demonstrates this expansive estimation of his own abilities, noting in a tweet that his efforts to demonstrate his open-mindedness by entertaining debate within his company were thwarted by his employees comparative ignorance: Problem is Im way more studied on the policy topics, people get triggered by everything and cant conform to basic rules of honest debate. Back to dictatorship, he tweeted. This know-it-all problem is particularly insidious when it manifests in white male chief executives who believe their success equips them to dictate what should and shouldnt be acceptable to employees many of whom face different structural realities in workplaces where they are marginalized. It doesnt seem to occur to these know-it-alls that their success is at least partly contingent on advantages they have because of the identity-based inequities that they seek to limit conversation about. Or perhaps this idea does occur to them, but it violates their triumphant personal narratives, so they discard it. They need to believe that they are extraordinary. By this logic, the people they hire are not. This kind of leader believes he is the biggest asset to the company, so his interests are naturally paramount and his right to do and say whatever he wants should be unconstrained, with no regard for consequences. The problem, for him and his company, is both labor law and a competitive market for top talent. Workers have a right to a workplace free of discrimination, and while what that means is subject to legal interpretation, it doesnt take a team of labor lawyers to understand that workers with other options will avoid companies where its suggested they may be less intelligent because of their gender or where theyre discouraged from expressing their identities. If a chief executive suggests, even jokingly, that women are intellectually inferior or invites discussion on who can use a racial slur, women and Black employees hear the message loud and clear. What are an employees rights in this case? The chief executive of another cryptocurrency platform, Coinbase, Brian Armstrong who defended Mr. Powell and called The Timess reporting on his behavior a hit piece has faced this question. In Mr. Armstrongs case, a wave of departures of Black employees in 2020 followed incidents in which racial stereotypes about drug dealing were invoked by a manager and Black people were characterized as less capable in a recruiting meeting. A small NASA-financed spacecraft launched from New Zealand on Tuesday, kicking off the space agencys plans to send astronauts back to the moon in a few years. The spacecraft, called CAPSTONE, is about the size of a microwave oven. It will study a specific orbit where NASA plans to build a small space station for astronauts to stop at before and after going to the moons surface. At 9:55 p.m. local time (5:55 a.m. Eastern time), a 59-foot-tall rocket carrying CAPSTONE lifted off from a launchpad along the eastern coast of New Zealand. Although the mission is gathering information for NASA, it is owned and operated by a private company, Advanced Space, based in Westminster, Colo. Ms. Hutchinson, 25, has informed the committee that Mr. Meadows told colleagues that Mr. Trump reacted approvingly to chants of Hang Mike Pence that some of the rioters bellowed. She has described Mr. Meadows burning documents in a fireplace in his office. She has testified about Mr. Trumps desire to join his supporters leaving what was billed as a protest at the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6 to travel to the Capitol. And she has said that at least half a dozen House Republicans who were instrumental in Mr. Trumps plan to disrupt Congresss counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6 sought pardons after the attack. Many of those Republicans deny having done so. Mr. Meadows, a former congressman who worked closely with his onetime colleagues in the House to try to overturn the election, has refused to cooperate with the inquiry beyond turning over hundreds of text messages to the panel last year. Ms. Hutchinson can fill in key pieces of the story. Until recently, she had been represented by a former deputy White House counsel who was recommended to her by two aides to Mr. Trump. She then switched lawyers, to Jody Hunt, and her discussions with the committee about possibly testifying in public became more productive, according to a person briefed on the discussions who insisted on anonymity to discuss them. Still, Flints mayor, Sheldon Neeley, who said his residents continued to distrust government, said the decision was a disappointment. He said he hoped prosecutors would continue pursuing the cases. Residents of this community feel that they have not received justice, and this is another punch to the level of confidence that people have in government, Mr. Neeley said. He added, People are angry and theyre frustrated. At least nine people died of Legionnaires disease in the Flint region from June 2014 through October 2015 after a breakdown at all levels of government. The water crisis, which resulted in elevated lead levels among thousands of people in Flint, has left numerous families distrustful of the water supply, even as city officials insist that it is now safe to drink. Most of the citys lead service lines have been replaced over the past few years, Mr. Neeley said, but a few thousand of the old pipes remain in the ground. The charges brought by Ms. Nessels team were not the first time prosecutors had tried to hold officials criminally responsible for what happened in Flint. Before Ms. Nessel took office, her Republican predecessor had helped oversee cases against 15 state and local officials for crimes as serious as involuntary manslaughter. But Ms. Nessels team had those cases dismissed in 2019 before filing new charges against several of the same officials. When the first batch of cases was abruptly dismissed in 2019, the two lead prosecutors, Ms. Hammoud and Kym Worthy, said they had immediate and grave concerns about the investigative approach and legal theories used by the prior team of prosecutors. Representative Bee Nguyen, another Democrat who testified before the grand jury, attended a second hearing a week later, held by the states House of Representatives, at which Mr. Giuliani appeared remotely. It was very surreal for me to revisit everything that occurred leading up to the Dec. 10 hearing, and everything that occurred in the aftermath, she said, adding that, in retrospect, the performance of Mr. Giuliani and his team felt like it was part of a very coordinated effort that led up to what happened on Jan. 6. Mr. Giulianis lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. In recent weeks, the former New York City mayor has been most visible on the campaign trail in New York, where his son, Andrew Giuliani, is running for governor. While campaigning for his son over the weekend, Mr. Giuliani claimed he was the victim of a vicious attack by a grocery worker, but charges were limited to misdemeanors after video footage appeared to show the man touching, rather than hitting, Mr. Giuliani on his back while walking past him. (Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, said Tuesday that it is Mr. Giuliani who should be investigated in the incident, for falsely reporting a crime.) Since the Georgia hearings were filmed, there is considerable evidence for prosecutors to work with. There was a seven-hour video, Senator Jennifer Jordan, another Democrat who appeared before the grand jury, said of the Senate hearing, adding, Im pretty sure that grand jury has viewed the whole thing in its entirety. Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Trump are not the only people whose conduct is being scrutinized by the grand jury; others include Mark Meadows, who as White House chief of staff traveled to Georgia in December 2020 amid an audit of absentee ballots; and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to inquire about the rules for discarding mail-in ballots. Among the charges being weighed by Ms. Willis are racketeering and conspiracy, as well as one related to making false statements in matters within jurisdiction of state or political subdivisions, which would include legislative committees. The special grand jury was impaneled in early May and has up to one year to complete its work before issuing a report advising Ms. Willis on whether to pursue criminal charges. In a perfect world, Id be done in the next 60 to 90 days, Ms. Willis said in an interview last month. But I live in an imperfect world. Jeff Fortenberry, a former Republican representative from Nebraska, was sentenced on Tuesday to two years of probation after he was convicted in a Los Angeles federal court of lying to authorities who were investigating illegal contributions to his 2016 re-election campaign, prosecutors said. Mr. Fortenberry, 61, was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and to perform 320 hours of community service, the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California announced on Tuesday. In court on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. said that Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind and a deaf ear to information that a foreign national funded $30,000 in contributions made at a fund-raiser in Los Angeles, prosecutors said. There are early signs of engagement from the Democratic base. Protests spilled into the streets in cities nationwide. And the ruling on Friday unleashed a gusher of Democratic donations: $20.5 million that day on ActBlue, the Democratic online donation-processing platform. It was the single biggest day for contributions on the site since 2020, according to a New York Times analysis. By late Tuesday morning, a total of more than $50 million had been processed since the decision came out on Friday. But Rebecca Katz, a Democratic operative who works with progressive candidates, demanded more from Mr. Biden and other party leaders besides simply asking for money or votes. This is one of those moments where the people in power have to do more than the people who are voting for them, she said. Those calling for the potential impeachment of Supreme Court justices are not just far-left Democrats but moderates, including Representative Charlie Crist of Florida, a Republican-turned-Democrat who is running for governor in 2022. Im a former attorney general of Florida, and I know what lying is, he said in an interview, referring to testimony from Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh, during their congressional confirmation hearings, on upholding abortion precedents. And he said that while there was not currently the will to act among Democratic leaders in Congress, he expected that to change. Frustration requires action, Mr. Crist said, or theres no vent for it. Later in the speech, Ms. Miller called the Supreme Courts decision on Friday to strike down Roe v. Wade a victory for white life in a clip that circulated widely after the rally. Ms. Millers campaign said she misread her prepared remarks and meant to say right to life. But it recalled an earlier episode shortly after Ms. Miller was sworn in to Congress, when she was forced to apologize for saying: Hitler was right on one thing: He said, Whoever has the youth, has the future. On Monday, she sought to defend herself from a flurry of criticism after her remarks at the rally, telling a local radio station: Im not a racist. To rally the kind of hard-right voters who turn out in primary elections, Ms. Miller has also claimed that Mr. Davis betrayed Mr. Trump on Jan. 6, first by refusing to overturn Mr. Bidens electoral victory, and later by voting with 34 of his Republican colleagues to establish a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission made up of nonpartisan experts to investigate the attack on the Capitol. He voted to certify the election, Ms. Miller told a crowd of retirees at a campaign event in Lincoln, outlining Mr. Daviss perceived sins. Then, for those of us who were calling for audits, he said we were spreading misinformation. Mr. Davis, in his role as the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, had initially worked with Democrats to set up an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot, but Republican leaders ultimately walked away from that effort and opposed the creation of such an inquiry, prompting Democrats to form their own select panel. Understand the 2022 Midterm Elections Card 1 of 6 Why are these midterm races so important? This years races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, hobbling President Bidens agenda for the second half of his term. They will also test former President Donald J. Trumps role as a G.O.P. kingmaker. Heres what to know: What are the midterm elections? Midterms take place two years after a presidential election, at the midpoint of a presidential term hence the name. This year, a lot of seats are up for grabs, including all 435 House seats, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 of 50 governorships. What do the midterms mean for Biden? With slim majorities in Congress, Democrats have struggled to pass Mr. Bidens agenda. Republican control of the House or Senate would make the presidents legislative goals a near-impossibility. What are the races to watch? Only a handful of seats will determine if Democrats maintain control of the House over Republicans, and a single state could shift power in the 50-50 Senate. Here are 10 races to watch in the House and Senate, as well as several key governors contests. When are the key races taking place? The primary gauntlet is already underway. Closely watched races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia were held in May, with more taking place through the summer. Primaries run until September before the general election on Nov. 8. Go deeper. What is redistricting and how does it affect the midterm elections? How does polling work? How do you register to vote? Weve got more answers to your pressing midterm questions here. As his primary contest has heated up, Mr. Davis has become increasingly vocal in criticizing the select committee, accusing its members of pushing a one-sided debate and inaccurate allegations about Republican lawmakers taking their constituents on tours of the Capitol ahead of Jan. 6 to study the layout of the building. Voters in Illinois, Colorado, Mississippi and Utah weighed in on Tuesday in primary and runoff contests full of drama, many of which will define the shape of the November elections: Will some of the most extreme supporters of Donald J. Trump square off with Democrats in the fall, or will voters choose more traditional conservatives? In New York State, voters are choosing candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, while, because of complications from congressional redistricting, House races will wait until August. And Oklahoma is holding a special primary election for the seat being vacated by Senator James M. Inhofe, which is likely to lead to a runoff. The Supreme Courts decision to overrule Roe v. Wade raises the stakes, especially for governors races in Colorado and Illinois, and to some extent in New York, where abortion would stay legal unless a conservative wave overwhelmed those states Democratic natures. Here is what to watch in Tuesdays voting: Colorados G.O.P. sticks to election denial, come what may. Not even former President Donald J. Trump disputed his defeat in Colorado, but Republican voters in this Rocky Mountain State face a slate of primary candidates who are among the most vociferous in their denials of President Bidens victory. State Senator Ron Hanks marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and began his campaign to challenge Senator Michael Bennet by using a high-powered rifle to shoot a photocopier labeled to look like an electronic voting machine. Image Ron Hanks during a Republican Party event in Colorado Springs in April. Credit... Hugh Carey/The Colorado Sun, via Associated Press Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk who is running to manage Colorados elections as secretary of state, was indicted on charges related to her arranging to copy sensitive election software from county voting machines in an attempt to prove the 2020 presidential election was rigged, according to court records. And Greg Lopez, who is seeking the Republican nomination to take on Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has also questioned the 2020 election and has promised to pardon Ms. Peters. All of them face more moderate Republicans who might be tougher for the Democrats to defeat in November. In the same vein, Representative Lauren Boebert, one of Mr. Trumps most ardent supporters, who sells Trump Won T-shirts in her Shooters restaurant in Rifle, Colo., is favored to beat State Senator Don Coram, a Republican who has promised to stop all of what he calls Ms. Boeberts drama. But Ms. Boebert does face an influx of Democrats in her Western Colorado district re-registering as unaffiliated voters to participate in the G.O.P. primary, in hopes of limiting Ms. Boeberts House career to a single term. Member-against-member races spice up Illinois. When the Democrats in control of the Illinois government redrew congressional maps this year, they generally moved to shore up incumbents rather than target Republican seats. But to do so, they made some sacrifices. A solidly Republican seat that fills the states midsection, nearly bisected by a new Democratic district, has pit Representative Rodney Davis, a traditional conservative and ally of Republican leadership, against Representative Mary E. Miller, a favorite of Mr. Trumps who made headlines this weekend when she said the Supreme Courts abortion decision was a victory for white life. (An aide insisted she had botched a prepared line about the right to life.) Image Representative Marie Newman with supporters in Chicago in May. Credit... Sara Burnett/Associated Press/Associated Press In Chicago and its suburbs, two incumbent House Democrats, Sean Casten and Marie Newman, were also pitted against each other on Tuesday. Ms. Newman, a liberal Justice Democrat who beat an incumbent conservative Democrat two years ago, is not a favorite of Democratic leadership, especially now that she faces accusations that she persuaded a challenger to drop out of an earlier contest with a written promise of a job on her staff. Mr. Casten faced tragedy this month with the death of his 17-year-old daughter, but has remained in the race. Governors races redefined in the post-Roe era. Three states where abortion remains legal Colorado, New York, and Illinois will choose a governor for a new era in which the states will determine whether abortion rights exist and how far they extend. Those states, especially Colorado and Illinois, could become magnets for women seeking to terminate pregnancies who live in neighboring states where the procedure is outlawed. If New York were to flip to the Republicans, abortion rights there could also be at risk. In Colorado, Mr. Lopez, who opposes abortion without exception for rape or incest, said the Supreme Courts decision to end a federally protected right to an abortion would allow Coloradans to redefine our moral compass. His opponent for the opportunity to take on Mr. Polis, Heidi Ganahi, a member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents, also opposes abortion but would allow it in the case of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. Image Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois joined demonstrators last week in Chicago at a rally in support of abortion rights. Credit... Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Illinois, like Colorado, is surrounded by states where abortion is or will soon become illegal in most cases. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, has vowed to make his state a regional safe haven. Not surprisingly, Mr. Pritzker has done his best to help a far-right state senator, Darren Bailey who called the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe historic and welcomed win the G.O.P. primary for governor. Mr. Bailey has bolted to the lead in polls, outpacing the moderate mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, whom Mr. Pritzker most feared. Mr. Irvin, a former Democrat who is ostensibly an opponent of abortion rights, played down the issues importance in the governors race, noting that with Democratic majorities in the Illinois General Assembly, this Supreme Court ruling will have no effect on the law in our state. In New York, a new incumbent Democrat tries to hold the governorship. Less than a year after she took office, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is trying to fend off energetic primary challenges from two fellow Democrats on Tuesday to win voters support for a full term as the states first female governor. Ms. Hochul, who succeeded Andrew M. Cuomo after his resignation in August, has locked up most of her partys institutional support and flooded the airwaves with more than $13 million in TV and radio ads. But Representative Thomas R. Suozzi, a Long Island moderate, and Jumaane D. Williams, New York Citys left-leaning public advocate, are seeking to capitalize on New Yorkers frustrations with crime and soaring inflation to end Ms. Hochuls governorship earlier than she would like. Image Gov. Kathy Hochul at a rally in Brooklyn on Saturday. Credit... Kirsten Luce for The New York Times New York Republicans plan to magnify those issues this fall, when they will test whether an outstanding national environment for their party can help end a nearly two-decade losing streak in races for statewide office. But first, primary voters must settle an increasingly bitter four-way G.O.P. contest. Representative Lee Zeldin of Long Island is the pick of his partys leadership, but he is fighting to hold on against incessant attacks from his rivals, most notably Andrew Giuliani, the MAGA-branded son of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, and Harry Wilson, a corporate turnaround specialist. Rob Astorino, a former Westchester County executive who was the partys 2014 nominee for governor, is also running. The Democratic contest for lieutenant governor may be just as close. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado remains the favorite, but Ana Maria Archila, a progressive activist, is riding a late wave of momentum, including an endorsement by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Diana Reyna, Mr. Suozzis running mate, is also in the race. The winner will face Alison Esposito, a Republican, who is unopposed. Because of delays in the drawing of new congressional and legislative maps, the primaries for congressional and State Senate seats across New York State will be held on Aug. 23. The lefts chance to make a mark. The insurgent liberal group Justice Democrats has taken two high-profile losses, barely losing its second try at unseating Representative Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, in South Texas, and failing to elect one of its most fiery candidates, Nina Turner, to a House seat in Cleveland. The next shot for progressives comes Tuesday in Chicagos Loop, where Kina Collins, a gun safety activist, is making a second pass at trying to unseat Representative Danny Davis, a veteran Democrat. Her run in 2020 was a bust; she lost by 46 percentage points. This time, however, Ms. Collins boasts the endorsement of The Chicago Tribune, which commended Mr. Davis, 80, but argued that the time has come for new blood. Mr. Davis still has the backing of Democratic leaders including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, widely considered a potential future House speaker. Image Kina Collins speaking at a protest in Chicago against former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2021. Credit... Paul Beaty/Associated Press/Associated Press Another Trump test in Mississippi. No one could seriously question Representative Michael Guests conservative voting record, but the Mississippi Republican has one blemish in the eyes of Mr. Trumps supporters, which pushed him into a runoff Tuesday and could usher him out of Congress: He voted last year in favor of an independent, bipartisan inquiry into the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. Mr. Guests primary challenger, Michael Cassidy, framed that vote as a sign of disloyalty to Mr. Trump. The former president did not make an endorsement, and neither candidate reached 50 percent on June 7. But Mr. Cassidys first-place finish drew plaudits from some leading Trump allies, including Stephen K. Bannon, his pardoned former chief strategist. The following day, Mr. Cassidy appeared on Mr. Bannons War Room podcast, during which Mr. Bannon referred to the incumbent, Mr. Guest, as one of these lame never-Trump guys. Image Representative Michael Guest at a campaign event in Magee, Miss., in June. Credit... Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press Also facing a runoff in Mississippi on Tuesday is Representative Steven M. Palazzo, who was vulnerable not on ideology but on ethics. The Office of Congressional Ethics in Washington is investigating him for what it called a concerning pattern of potentially misusing campaign funds, including spending more than $80,000 on a $1.2 million waterfront house that Mr. Palazzo was trying to sell. Mr. Palazzos opponent, the Jackson County sheriff, Mike Ezell, has pointedly emphasized his 42-year record tackling corruption and government wrongdoing. In a tweet addressed to Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Ezell wrote, Thats something you wouldnt happen to know about, would you? Oklahoma starts to choose its next senator. The retirement of Senator Inhofe, a veteran conservative, opens a coveted Senate seat in a reliably Republican state. That has brought out a host of would-be successors, including Representative Markwayne Mullin; Scott Pruitt, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; T.W. Shannon, a former speaker of the Oklahoma House; and Luke Holland, Mr. Inhofes former chief of staff. Neil Vigdor contributed reporting. Its Election Day in Oklahoma. Heres a last-minute guide to voting in the states primary elections. How to vote Polls are open until 7 p.m. local time in Oklahoma. Registered voters waiting in line at polling locations at that time will still be able to vote. In order to vote, you will need to show one of several forms of ID, including a state or tribal identification card, drivers license or passport. Mr. Windom is overseeing at least two key parts of the Justice Departments sprawling investigation of the Capitol attack, according to grand jury subpoenas obtained by The New York Times and interviews with current and former prosecutors and defense attorneys. One prong of the inquiry is focused on a wide array of speakers, organizers, security guards and so-called V.I.P.s who took part in Mr. Trumps rally at the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6. which directly preceded the storming of the Capitol. According to subpoenas, this part of the investigation is also seeking information on any members of the executive or legislative branch who helped to plan or execute the rally, or who tried to obstruct the certification of the election that was taking place inside the Capitol that day a broad net that could include top Trump aides and the former presidents allies in Congress. Mr. Windoms second objective mirroring one focus of the Jan. 6 committee is a widening investigation into the group of lawyers close to Mr. Trump who helped to devise and promote the plan to create alternate slates of electors. Subpoenas related to this part of the inquiry have sought information about Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Eastman as well as state officials connected to the fake-elector scheme. One of the witnesses he subpoenaed is Patrick Gartland, a small business coach active in Georgia Republican politics, who turned aside efforts by Trump supporters to recruit him as a Trump elector in late 2020. On May 5, Mr. Gartland, who was grieving the recent death of his wife, answered his front door to find two F.B.I. agents, who handed him an eight-page subpoena, signed by Mr. Windom. The subpoena, which he shared with The New York Times, asked him to provide emails, other correspondence or any document purporting to to be a certificate certifying elector votes in favor of Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence. Authorities in Texas are investigating the deaths of 53 people after they were discovered inside or near a tractor-trailer in San Antonio on Monday, one of the highest death tolls involving migrants crossing into the United States. Federal investigators are working with local and state police to identify the victims. Four people have been charged with crimes. Here is what we know so far. The investigation is continuing. The mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg, called the deaths a horrific human tragedy at a news conference on Monday evening. That district, the Second Congressional District, is more than 60 percent Black and snakes along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Much of it is surrounded by the Sixth District, which is one-third Black. Judge Shelly D. Dick of the Federal District Court in Baton Rouge found that the map violated the Voting Rights Act by packing Black voters into a single district and then splitting the remaining ones among the five other districts. Judge Dick, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ordered the Legislature to produce a revised map. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit refused to stay Judge Dicks order while an appeal moved forward, though it said her opinion was not without weaknesses. The unsigned opinion was joined by Judge Jerry E. Smith, appointed by President Ronald Reagan; Judge Stephen A. Higginson, appointed by Mr. Obama; and Judge Don R. Willett, appointed by President Donald J. Trump. A different panel of the appeals court had been scheduled to hear arguments in the case on July 8. In the Alabama case, the justices in February temporarily blocked a voting map that would have added a second congressional district in which Black voters made up a majority in that state. The court is set to hear arguments in the case, Merrill v. Milligan, when the justices return to the bench in October. In earlier decisions, the Supreme Court effectively gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which had required federal approval of changes to state and local voting laws in parts of the country with a history of racial discrimination, and cut back on Section 2 of the law, limiting the ability of minority groups to challenge voting restrictions. The cases from Louisiana and Alabama also concern Section 2, but in the context of redistricting. Section 2 bars any voting procedure that results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race. That happens, the provision goes on, when, based on the totality of circumstances, racial minorities have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice. A state-by-state legal battle in the wake of the Supreme Courts abortion ruling widened on Tuesday as a judge in Texas temporarily blocked a statewide abortion ban, a federal court let Tennessee tighten existing restrictions, Iowa Republicans said they would ask courts to clear the way for a ban from the moment fetal cardiac activity could be detected, and Wisconsin Democrats announced they were filing suit to halt the resurrection of abortion laws dating to the 19th century. The actions came as Americans absorbed last weeks watershed decision to reverse Roe v. Wade, ending a half-century-old constitutional right to abortion. Since then, roughly half of states have sought to outlaw or considerably restrict the procedure while others have sought to bolster abortion rights. A blizzard of litigation has ensued, mostly from abortion rights groups seeking to block new bans with the argument that they are vague or violate state constitutions, or to prevent old bans from going into effect by arguing that they are antiquated. On Monday, advocates persuaded judges in Louisiana and Utah to temporarily block enforcement of so-called trigger laws that were timed to ban abortion as soon as the Supreme Court reversed Roe. Similar lawsuits are pending in Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi and Idaho. Responding to news of the migrant deaths near the southern Texas border, Gov. Greg Abbott pointed the blame at what he said were President Bidens open border policies. Technically, the border remains sealed off to most migrants under a health order imposed in the early days of the pandemic that was designed to stem the flow of the coronavirus. But the policy, known as Title 42, has had the unintended effect of encouraging people to enter the country illegally more than once. Since it was first put in place in March 2020, the order has allowed border agents to swiftly expel most migrants without giving them a chance to apply for asylum under the justification that it was for pandemic safety. Many are often sent back to Mexico without facing criminal penalties or detention, leading some to repeatedly try to cross the border. The uneven application of the rule some families and unaccompanied minors are still being processed for asylum has encouraged others to again enter the United States. At least 51 inmates died and 30 people were injured at a prison in Colombia, after a fire broke out during a riot on Tuesday, the countrys top prison official said. Gen. Tito Castellanos, director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, told Radio Nacional de Colombia that inmates in the Tulua prison, in southwestern Colombia, had set mattresses on fire, producing an uncontrollable blaze in a pavilion that held about 180 prisoners. It is a sad and disastrous event, General Castellanos told Caracol, another Colombian broadcaster. Two guards were among those injured, according to officials, who said the riot was staged as part of an unsuccessful escape attempt. To understand why the West has settled on this complicated, untested idea for its latest attempt to combat both Russian aggression and the rising inflation that has swamped global consumers, it is helpful to revisit some basic economics. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States and its allies moved to ban imports of Russian oil in retaliation, hoping to cut off the key source of revenue for its war machine. But global prices soared in response, outweighing the loss in the volume of Russian sales, and Moscows oil revenues continued to flow in. That price spike is the sort of thing that can happen when oil producers collectively decide to pull supply off the market. Those producers are using their large power over the market to effectively pick the price that is best for them. That price is higher than an efficient market would set. Consumers suffer the consequences. What the Group of 7 is trying to do is a similar show of market-power force, but in the opposite direction. The price cap idea that the finance ministers now have to develop would seek to keep Russian oil on the market, in order to avoid further strains on global supply and spiking prices. One analyst firm, Barclays, projects prices could reach $200 a barrel by next year if most of Moscows exports were knocked offline. The final push to resolve the dispute started early Tuesday morning, when President Biden called Mr. Erdogan to urge him to seize the moment on the eve of the summit, to allow discussions on other topics to proceed, according to a senior administration official with knowledge of the discussion. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations, said the president conveyed the substance of his conversation with Mr. Erdogan to the leaders of Finland and Sweden. And after several hours of negotiations later that night, the two Nordic leaders consulted with Mr. Biden again before announcing the agreement with Turkey. The American official said that the deal between Turkey and the two Nordic countries involved a series of compromises on both sides, including the statement by Turkey welcoming Finland and Sweden to apply and issues involving an arms embargo imposed on Turkey and Turkeys belief that Finland and Sweden had offered safe havens to groups they considered terrorists. American officials had for days played down Mr. Bidens role in the negotiations, saying he would not be a broker between the other countries and insisted that it was up to Turkey, Finland and Sweden to resolve their differences. After the agreement was announced Tuesday night, the senior administration official conceded that it was considered more diplomatic to publicly minimize Mr. Bidens involvement. Doing so prevented Turkey from seeking concessions from the United States for agreeing to lift its veto, which might have complicated the discussions, the official said. The next steps for Finland and Sweden are clear: NATO will vote on Wednesday to accept their applications. There will also be a quick study of their defense capacities and needs. But the talks are expected to be routine, since both countries are NATO partners and have exercised together with NATO allies. Food prices around the globe have surged since the Russian invasion, which has cut off Ukraines exports of grain and has reduced shipments of wheat and oil from Russia. Together, the two countries typically export about 30 percent of the worlds wheat and 75 percent of its sunflower oil. The shortages have caused alarm around the globe, with estimates that they could push as many as 40 million people into poverty. The United States will commit more than half of the new funding for food security $2.7 billion to be financed by the $40 billion Ukraine aid legislation passed by Congress last month, according to the White House. The pledge of $4.5 billion is not going to solve the global shortages. But a statement released by the White House said that $2 billion of the U.S. aid would be used for direct humanitarian intervention in areas facing immediate hunger or famine. The other $760 million would be invested in upgrading food delivery systems for the short and medium term. These new investments will support efforts in over 47 countries and regional organizations, to support regional plans to address increasing needs, the White House said in its statement. NATO is set to approve its biggest overhaul of its defenses since the Cold War, significantly increasing the number of troops assigned to defend the alliances eastern flank and making a major commitment to position heavy military equipment there. As the Atlantic alliances annual summit kicks off on Tuesday evening in Madrid, global leaders are huddling across Europe at two other meetings to address the economic, humanitarian and defense fallout from the nearly five months of war in Ukraine. President Biden and the other leaders of the Group of 7 nations hold a third day of meetings, and the United Nations coordinates grain negotiations. Despite the rhetorical exchanges, it remained far from clear that Scots who voted against independence in a 2014 referendum would get the chance to decide again any time soon. James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at Edinburgh University, described the announcement on Tuesday as a political maneuver, saying that the prospects of a referendum taking place next year were slim, to put it mildly. Ms. Sturgeon could, however, still benefit politically even if the Supreme Court rules against her plan. In that scenario, she would hope to increase public support for independence by portraying the decision as a denial from London of Scotlands right to self-determination, Professor Mitchell said. If the Supreme Court says, No, you cant have a referendum, she will say, Thats an argument for independence, he said. He added that, in the medium term, the likely outcome would be stalemate and protracted trench warfare over independence. Ms. Sturgeon needs her referendum to be legal because she wants Scotland to rejoin the European Union, which would not accept a country whose vote for independence was not legally watertight. If she loses in the Supreme Court, Ms. Sturgeon said she would try to turn the next general election into a de facto referendum, to ramp up the political pressure on London to grant a vote. In 2014, when Russian-backed separatists formed two breakaway republics in the Donbas, the Ukrainian armed forces, built on the model of a Soviet-era military, had to modernize quickly. In the years since, that approach has been lopsided at best. Ukrainian units have procured small, commercial, off-the-shelf drones, and some larger, more modern ones, and they have developed app-based mapping programs that can be used on computer tablets to help direct artillery fire. But missing was any broader modernization, leaving the Ukrainian armed forces in transition still anchored to Soviet-era ways even as they sought needed upgrades on the battlefield. That meant brigades of around 4,000 troops still fought independently of one another and the important aspects of battlefield decision making, including empowering lower-ranking officers, remained largely aspirational for many units. The important aspects of command and control, along with delegation versus centralization of military functions, remain a work in progress, Mr. Kofman said. The grinding war in the east has slowly bled the Ukrainian military of manpower, with officials estimating there are up to 200 casualties a day. As a result, the front lines are increasingly defended by a constant rotation of units composed of less well-trained troops. Those forces, often from the National Guard and Territorial Defense, are placed into the larger brigades, and are quickly told to dig in and defend. A man who lost his iPhone 10 months ago while canoeing on a river in England was shocked to have it returned in working order by someone who spotted it on the bottom of that same river. Earlier this month, Miguel Pacheco was canoeing with his family on the River Wye, in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, when he spotted something blue in the water. It turned out to be an iPhone covered with mud and full of water, but instead of throwing it back in, Pacheco decided to take it with him and see if it still worked. Chances were low, considering where the phone had been found, but after using an air compressor to dry it out and placing it in the airing cupboard overnight, Miguel Pacheco was shocked to see the charging icon pop up on the screen when he plugged it in. Photo: Omar Al-Ghosson/Unsplash In the morning when I put it on charge, I just couldnt believe it, Pacheco said. I didnt think it was any good. It was full of water. Not only was the iPhone charging, but it turned on as well, revealing a photo of a man and woman as the screensaver, with the date 13 August, which, as it turned out, was the day its owner lost in that same River Rye. Pacheco told his story on social media, sharing photos of the iPhone with the photo of its presumed owner, and before long, someone recognized them. After posting the photos in his local Cinder Noticeboard Facebook group, the post was shared over 4,000 times, and reached a friend of the people in the screensaver, Owain Davis and his fiancee Fiona Gardner, who live in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: Miguel Pacheco/Facebook When he saw the phone, Owain Davies couldnt believe it. After all, he had felt it fall out of his back pocket during a canoeing accident over 10 months ago and figured it was lost forever. Now it was back in his possession with all the memories stored in it intact and in perfect working condition. I was in a two-man canoe and my partner probably shouldnt have stood up, and needless to say we fell in, Davies recalled. The phone was in my back pocket and as soon as it was in the water I realized the phone was gone. The iPhones owner was obviously impressed with Miguel Pachecos efforts to dry out the phone and seek him out on social media, admitting that if it had been him, he would have probably tossed it into the nearest trash can. Photo: Miguel Pacheco/Facebook I know if I lost my phone, Ive got a lot of pictures of my children, I know Id want that back, Miguel explained. Interestingly, this isnt the first time an iPhone dropped in water for several months is retrieved in working condition. Last year, we wrote about an iPhone 11 found on a lake bed a year after being dropped by its owner. It still worked. There is a 'huge amount' of empty space in the buildings lining Main Street in Birr. That's according to Cllr John Carroll who raised the issue at the recent meeting of Birr Municipal District. He pointed out that this is a problem going back years adding that a lot of the rooms above the retail businesses on the street are empty. No one's been living in them for years, he remarked. During a housing crisis it seems a great waste of space. The councillor pointed out that retail businesses receive rates rebates if part of their premises are unused. Cllr Carroll said there are a lot of derelict and empty buildings in Birr Municipal District. He said there's a Council official in the County Council whose remit is devoted to tackling this problem. Councillors throughout Ireland have been calling for more Compulsory Purchase Orders, as well as a taxation being placed on property owners who have been sitting on vacant or derelict properties for years. In terms of tourism, commented Cllr Carroll, these vacant and derelict dwellings are not a good look. When we are promoting an area we want the streetscapes looking as well and vibrant as they can possibly be. Cllr Carroll made his comments while he was giving his Chairman's acceptance speech. He was replacing Cllr Peter Ormond in the Cathaoirleach's chair. In his valediction speech as Chair, Cllr Ormond said he would like to thank the members for their co-operation and commitment to the Birr Municipal District over the last 12 months. It was a huge honour for me to Chair the meetings. Today, it is the first time back in the Chamber in person after two years of Covid and I look forward to that continuing. Despite the restrictions over the last 12 months, we have achieved a huge amount by working together for the betterment of the district. I would like to thank the Executive and all members of staff for their assistance and co-operation and I wish the new Cathaoirleach and Leas Cathaoirleach every success going forward. Cllr Carroll was proposed for the Chair by Cllr John Leahy and seconded by Cllr Clare Claffey. Cllr John Leahy proposed Cllr Claffey as Leas Cathaoirleach. She adds the female presence which we are all looking for now in the political world, said Cllr Leahy. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Ormond. Cllr Leahy congratulated everyone who was involved in the creation of the LOETB Birr Further Education and Training Centre on Townsend Street. It's a first class facility, remarked Cllr Leahy. It's a massive development for the town. Cllr Carroll's involvement in that project was huge. We hope to introduce Level 6 Post Leaving Cert Courses in the LOETB Birr FET, commented Cllr Carroll. This course will allow participants to go on to third level education. Unfortunately South Offaly has a comparatively low number of people going to third level education. We'd like to improve that situation. We hope the new Level 6 course will go a way towards achieving that. He said it would be nice to see participants completing the Level 6 course and then attending the new university in Athlone. The prime minister is considering reopening the embassy in Ukraine, but his hopes of visiting Zelensky are compromised by the recent wave of attacks. The family of two Queensland women killed in a Logan crash are calling for better safety measures and conditions on the state's roads. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly to Europe today to attend the NATO summit but he is facing trouble back home with angry.. Brisbane Times 25 Jun 2022 The alliance is expected to announce increased troop numbers in at its eastern borders, as well as more aid for Ukraine. Leaders from Asia and Oceania were also invited to address concerns about rising Chinese influence. The nationalities of the victims remains unknown, but US media reported they were believed to be migrants. Another 16 individuals were rushed to hospital. There's been worldwide condemnation of Russia's missile strike on a crowded shopping centre in the central city of Kremenchuk, causing many civilian casualties. euronews (in English) 29 Jun 2022 Josef Schutz was given a five-year jail term on Tuesday for complicity in the murder of 3,518 prisoners at the Sachsenhausen camp,.. With the conclusion of their three-day summit, G7 leaders have agreed to develop a price cap on Russian oil and provide billions in food assistance to avert a hunger crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Shoppers and workers caught up in Monday's deadly Russian missile attack on Kremenchuk are among dozens of injured who are being treated in hospital. ODN 28 Jun 2022 Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to press ahead with her plans for a second independence referendum in Scotland - with or without Boris.. Zelenskyy wrote on his social media page that Sean Penn is in Ukraine filming a movie about the war. He also said that Penn was in Ukraine during the first days of the Russian invasion, witnessing "what Russian aggression is." President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the deaths of migrants who were in the back of a tractor-trailer in Texas were "horrifying and heartbreaking," as authorities work to find out their identities, as well as who smuggled them into the United States. The Group of Seven summit has ended with only modest solutions to the global energy and food crises. The struggles of poorer nations were sidelined by Russia's disastrous war in Ukraine. From the testimonies of the Kremenchuk shopping centre missile attack survivors to the NATO chief saying Ukraine is facing brutality unseen in Europe since WWII, these are five of the main developments of the war on Tuesday. In late 2018, Joe Biden spoke with his son Hunter about a New York Times report describing the younger Biden's interactions with a Chinese oil tycoon suspected of committing economic crimes. My focus here is on North American Muslims, who have been a major force in challenging the Islamophobia now rampant in the West,.. Eurasia Review 01 Jul 2022 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow sends a powerful message about abortion on his Instagram Story following the United States Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. The situation comes as many abortion advocates are challenging the decision via courts in many states. Hundreds of rescue and emergency service workers continued to scour the rubble, searching for survivors at a wrecked mall in Kremenchuk. Russian long-range bombers fired a missile that struck the crowded mall in the central Ukrainian city on Monday. (June 27) The amendment, which comes three days after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, will go to midterm elections on Nov. 8. At the invitation of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, senior officials from Turkey, Finland and Sweden met with senior NATO officials at the Alliances headquarters in Brussels on Monday (20 June 2022). Chaired by Stian Jenssen, Director of the Secretary Generals Private Office, the talks focused on the security concerns... Newsy 28 Jun 2022 Watch VideoLeaders of the world's wealthiest democracies struck a united stance to support Ukraine for "as long as it takes" as.. The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing by China, ordering federal agencies to better co-ordinate among themselves as well as with foreign partners in a bid to promote sustainable exploitation of... A heavily pregnant woman has gone viral after scrawling the words "not yet a human" across her belly to protest the Supreme Court's abortion decision.Amanda Herring, 32, was among the pro-choice protesters in Washington DC on Friday... The director of the countrys national prisons system said that the inmates had set fire to some mattresses and produced an.. NYTimes.com 28 Jun 2022 Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders' summit in Madrid amid Europe's worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: European-domiciled ESG assets are poised to reach a value of between 7.4 trillion and 9 trillion ($9.52tn) by 2025, said a study. According to the research by PwC Luxembourg, by 2025 ESG assets will account for between 46% and 56% of total European Mutual Fund assets; up from 37% by end-2021. "European-domiciled ESG ETF assets are poised to surge at a CAGR of between 33.3% and 43.0% CAGR, to reach between EUR 684bn and EUR 906bn by 2025," the research, which has been acquired via the accounting firm's interactive ESG dashboard 'The ESG Opportunity in Europe'. PwC's research revealed that 66% of European Institutional Investors plan to stop investing in non-ESG Funds - two-thirds of which plan to do so by the end 2023. Further, 71.9% are willing to pay a premium for ESG Products. Data also shows that 72% of European Asset Managers are willing to halt all non-ESG product launches - most of which by 2024. "European Institutional Investors are demonstrating increased willingness and readiness to absorb higher fees to unlock ESG's risk mitigation and value creation potential - with 71.9% of those surveyed being agreeable to paying a premium on ESG products," the study revealed. European Institutional Investors are set to significantly bolster their exposure to Article 8 products. While 42% of Investors currently allocate over 30% of their European AuM in Article 8 funds, this figure is set to increase to ...................... To view our full article Click here Opalesque Industry Update - ECI, the leader in public cloud and cybersecurity managed services for the global financial services industry, recently commissioned IDC to write the white paper "Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation of Global Alternative Asset Institutions: A Critical Pairing" to understand the intersection of cybersecurity and digital transformation (DX) for global alternative investment institutions. As the alternative investment industry tackles a rapidly changing threat landscape, increased regulation, and a continuous need to innovate, most firms are increasing their DX and security budgets and cite security as critically important to their DX initiatives. Senior leaders from 400 global alternative investment institutions in U.S., Canada, France, U.K., and Germany were surveyed to understand the current state of digital transformation and cybersecurity, identify key barriers and benefits of an aligned strategy, and explore the growing role of consulting services as strategic partners. Major findings: Investment in cybersecurity and digital transformation is growing, but execution in-house is decreasing with outsourcing trends increasing. 89% of surveyed institutions are increasing their digital transformation and security budget in 2022 over 2021, and nearly half (48%) are increasing spending by at least 10 percent. Survey findings also indicate that institutions are increasingly leveraging consulting services and managed services providers to support initiative execution and management. Nearly 30% of institutions plan to heavily outsource to managed services providers in the next two years, more than doubling the current usage (12%) More than half of respondents (51%) will either heavily outsource to MSSPs or use a mix of MSSPs and managed threat detection and response providers in the next two years In addition to specific project work, 67% of respondents listed staff augmentation as a core reason to leverage consulting services. Cybersecurity is a driving force for digital transformation More than half (57%) of respondents identified security/privacy as their top concern about implementing digital transformation, and over one-third (35%) placed policy development and investigations as a top concern as well, yet: 61% had undertaken security-focused digital transformation projects in 2021 47% indicated that risk assessment management was also a top priority for their digital transformation efforts, and 42% ranked security strategy and road mapping as a priority "What these findings show is that the alternative investment market recognizes the value of coupling digital transformation and cybersecurity strategies, and firms are prepared to invest in such efforts, but struggle with execution due to obstacles outside of their control like staffing shortages," said David Andrade, CEO of ECI. "This presents an enormous opportunity for third-party vendors, such as consulting firms and managed services providers, to step into more of a strategic partnership with these institutions and help enable lasting change." Institutions need outside expertise for time-intensive processes and emerging technologies Threat monitoring, alerting and response is a time-consuming activity requiring specifically skilled and trained personnel; however, given the industry-wide skills gap, institutions are exploring vendor managed security solutions as a more cost-effective approach that allows in-house teams to focus on routine business and digital transformation efforts. 80% of institutions in North America and 81% in Europe indicated that cybersecurity consulting services are critical to digital transformation efforts The cybersecurity attributes outsourced most often include security operations center (SOC) presence and management (51%) and advanced threat detection technology (50%) 44% of respondents indicated that utilizing emerging tools and technologies are critical for enabling turn-key modernization in their enterprise "Digital transformation initiatives with embedded cybersecurity are top of mind for most industries due to the significant impact DX can have on a company's profitability, growth and risk management," said Philip Harris, Director, Cybersecurity Risk Management Services at IDC. "With security taking a critical role, companies are turning to outsourced resources to both scale initiatives and build or maintain a strong security posture in the process." Survey findings show that most institutions recognize the value of DX with embedded security and are actively investing in these projects. Leveraging outsourced experts is a leading trend to ensure organizations are taking full advantage of DX opportunities and security is only increasing in significance to these projects and organizational success. About this research This research was conducted by IDC in March 2022. The target audience was CXO and Director+ level employees from global alternative investment institutions located in U.S., Canada, France, U.K., and Germany. Alternative investment institutions include private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, commodity and derivatives trading houses. To learn more about these findings, download the full IDC White Paper, sponsored by ECI, Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation of Global Alternative Asset Institutions: A Critical Pairing, doc #US49115722, June 2022. About ECI ECI is the leading provider of managed services, cybersecurity and digital transformation for alternative investment services organizations across the globe. With its unmatched platform of solutions, ECI provides assured business acceleration through technology, partnering with clients to drive innovation. More than 1,000 customers worldwide with over $3 trillion of assets under management put their trust in ECI. Press release: Article source - Opalesque is not responsible for the content of external internet sites This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MADRID (AP) Russias invasion of Ukraine has shocked NATO back to first principles. Seven decades after it was founded, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is meeting in Madrid this week with an urgent need to reassert its original mission: preventing Russian aggression against Western allies. Leaders of the worlds most powerful military alliance are aiming to increase support for Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion, boost forces on NATO's eastern flank and set priorities for the coming decade with a new emphasis on checking Chinas growing international ambitions. But the gathering will also showcase the difficulties in keeping 30 nations from tiny Iceland and Luxembourg to huge Turkey and the United States aligned in an organization that must make decisions by consensus. FOCUS ON UKRAINE NATO was formed after World War II to counter the threat from the Soviet Union and foster cooperation in a shattered Europe. In the years after the collapse of the USSR, the alliance recast Russia not as an adversary but as a strategic partner. No longer. Russia is NATO's dominant issue and main adversary, and the Madrid summit will be dominated by how to support Ukraine and bolster defenses along the bloc's eastern borders, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry they may be next in Russian President Vladimir Putins sights. Until late last year, only around 5,000 NATO troops were deployed in the Baltic states and Poland on a rotational basis. Now hundreds of thousands of troops are on heightened alert, with 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe, and 40,000 under direct NATO command, supported by air and naval power. The summit is set to agree to stockpile weapons and equipment in eastern Europe and to dramatically increase the number of troops based in the region or on standby in their own countries as a rapid-reaction force. There will also be more support for Ukraine to upgrade its military, still reliant on Soviet-era equipment, to modern NATO-standard gear. The alliance is trying to strike a delicate balance, letting its member nations arm Ukraine without sparking a direct confrontation between NATO and nuclear-armed Russia. Thats one reason Ukraine will not be joining NATO in the foreseeable future, despite being put on the pathway to membership, along with Georgia, in 2008. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the summit by video, but he has acknowledged joining NATO is a distant prospect and is instead focusing on seeking European Union membership. Expansion of the alliance is on the cards, however. Finland and Sweden have both abandoned their nonaligned status and asked to join NATO as protection from Russia. TURKEY AS SPOILER? But Turkey, which has NATOs second-largest army after the U.S., is set to play spoiler to the aspirations of Sweden and Finland at least for now. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he will only allow the Nordic pair to enter NATO if they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hosted talks with Turkey, Sweden and Finland last week to work toward a breakthrough, and will meet with the three countries' leaders on Tuesday, but there's no guarantee the breakthrough will come in Madrid. Turkey has legitimate security concerns over terrorism that we need to address, Stoltenberg said. So we will continue our talks on Finland and Swedens applications for NATO membership, and I look forward to finding a way forward as soon as possible. A UNITED FRONT? Russias invasion upended European security, but NATOs members take comfort in the fact that the U.S. is back as the pillar of Western defense after four years in which President Donald Trump derided and undermined the alliance. But there are differences within NATO on military spending. Currently only nine of the 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently urged others to commit more, saying the 2% target is a floor, not a ceiling. Cracks also could emerge over strategy on Russia and Ukraine as the war drags on and debate intensifies over what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are still unresolved questions around how NATO as an alliance should deal with Russia in the long term, said Alice Billon-Galland, research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank. Do we consider that its unredeemable as a neighbor? And what does that mean? Or do we think that at some point we will have to sit down and negotiate a new security architecture with Russia? Allies have been on different pages when it comes to that. CHECKING CHINA With the world in turmoil, the alliance will try to craft a long-term strategy that can stand the test of time. NATO will set out its goals for the coming decade in a new Strategic Concept, the document that identifies its most pressing security concerns and how it will tackle them. While Russia will remain the top issue, the document will see NATO grapple for the first time with the growing military reach of China, which has set out on an ambitious plan to expand naval bases in the Pacific and in Africa. The leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have been invited as guests to the summit for the first time. All four have been supportive of Ukraine, and Japan has its own territorial disputes with Moscow. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will discuss efforts toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, because security in Europe and Asia is inseparable, according to Japans chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno. Insecurity in Africas Sahel region and its threats to southern Europe could also earn a mention, as could the threats caused by climate change and the growing waves of migration driven by global warming. ___ Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and David Rising in Bangkok contributed. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate FLINT, Mich. (AP) A Michigan Supreme Court order that charges related to the Flint water scandal against former Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven other people must be dismissed is the latest development in the crisis that started in 2014. That was when the city began taking water from the Flint River without treating it properly, resulting in lead contamination. Heres a look at some key moments since then: April 2014: To save money, Flint begins drawing water from the Flint River for its 100,000 residents. The move is considered temporary while the city waits to connect to a new regional water system. Residents immediately complain about the waters smell, taste and appearance, and they raise health concerns, reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems. Sept. 24, 2015: A group of doctors urges Flint to stop using the Flint River after finding high levels of lead in children's blood. State regulators insist the water is safe. Sept. 29, 2015: Then-Gov. Rick Snyder pledges to take action in response to the lead levels the first acknowledgment by the state that lead is a problem. October 2015: Snyder announces the state will spend $1 million to buy water filters and test water in Flint public schools, and days later calls for Flint to go back to using water from Detroits system. Dec. 29, 2015: Snyder accepts the resignation of Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant and apologizes for what occurred in Flint. Jan. 5, 2016: Snyder declares a state of emergency in Flint, the same day federal officials confirm they are investigating. A week later, the Michigan National Guard begins helping to distribute bottled water and filters. Jan. 14, 2016: Snyder, a Republican, asks the Obama administration for a major disaster declaration and more federal aid. The White House provides aid and an emergency declaration on Jan. 16, but not the disaster declaration. Jan. 15, 2016: Then-Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette begins an independent review." March 23, 2016: A governor-appointed panel concludes that Michigan is fundamentally accountable for the crisis because of decisions made by environmental regulators. April 20, 2016: Two state officials and a local official are charged with evidence tampering and other crimes in the state attorney generals investigation the first charges to come from the probe. Aug. 14, 2016: The federal emergency declaration ends, but state officials say work continues to fix the drinking water system. Dec. 10, 2016: Congress approves a wide-ranging bill to authorize water projects nationwide, including $170 million to address lead in Flints drinking water. Dec. 16, 2016: Congressional Republicans close a yearlong investigation, faulting state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency. Dec. 20, 2016: Schuette charges former emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose with multiple felonies for their failure to protect Flint residents from health hazards caused by contaminated water. He also charges Earley, Ambrose and two city employees with felony counts of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses in the issuance of bonds to pay for part of the water project that led to the crisis. Feb. 17, 2017: The Michigan Civil Rights Commission issues a report that finds systemic racism is at the core of problems that caused the water crisis in the majority Black city. March 27, 2017: Water lines in Flint homes will be replaced under a landmark deal approved by a judge. June 14, 2017: Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon is accused of failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires disease that some experts believe resulted from the poorly treated water. He and four others are charged with involuntary manslaughter. The states chief medical officer, Dr. Eden Wells, is charged with obstruction of justice and lying to an investigator. April 2018: Snyder ends Flint water distribution, saying the citys tap water has improved. July 19, 2018: A federal watchdog calls on the EPA to strengthen its oversight of drinking water systems nationwide and to respond more quickly to public health emergencies like Flints. The EPA says it will adopt the recommendations expeditiously. Jan. 7, 2019: Liane Shekter Smith, Michigans former drinking water regulator, pleads no contest to a misdemeanor disturbance of a lawful meeting in the Flint water investigation. Smith had been facing felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter. April 16, 2019: Todd Flood, a special prosecutor who spent three years leading a criminal investigation of the Flint water scandal, is fired after 23 boxes of records were discovered in the basement of a state building. June 13, 2019: Prosecutors drop all criminal charges against eight people in the Flint water scandal and pledge to start the investigation from scratch. Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who took control of the investigation in January 2019 after the election of a new attorney general, says all available evidence was not pursued by the previous team of prosecutors. Aug. 20, 2020: A $600 million deal between the state and residents of Flint harmed by lead-tainted water is announced after more than two years of negotiations. Jan. 13-14, 2021: Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is charged with misdemeanors, and his health director and other ex-officials are charged with various misdemeanors and felonies after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal. Nov. 5: Michigan says it will pay $300,000 to the only employee who was fired as a result of the Flint water crisis, Liane Shekter Smith, who was head of the states drinking water division. An arbitrator had said Shekter Smith was wrongly fired by officials who were likely looking for a scapegoat. Nov. 10: A judge approves a $626 million settlement for Flint residents and others who were exposed to lead-contaminated water. $600 million of that is coming from the state. June 28: The Michigan Supreme Court rules that charges filed in 2021 related to the Flint water scandal against former Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven other people must be dismissed. Brendan and Isabel Kiel make the best of a dangerous incident on their wedding day. Brendan and Isabel Kiel make the best of a dangerous incident on their wedding day. Photo provided/Andi B Photography Newlyweds Brendan and Isabel Kiel, accompanied by their wedding party, were heading to their reception in Holland when their rented Hummer limousine burst into flames. Their wedding photographer, Andi for Andi B Photography, caught the fire on camera. She continued shooting photos and video as the group made the best of the dangerous incident standing on the I-96 shoulder for about an hour. Andi's footage of the limo scene has gone viral on social media including shots posing with Jamestown Township firefighters and Ottawa County sheriffs deputies. Andi reported that everyone was safe and the party carried on "via highway style" until a bus came to take the group to the reception, a bit fashionably late. "The ceremony had just ended and we were on our way to take pictures and head to their reception in Holland, Michigan when this all went down," Andi said. "The limo driver initially pulled over because the engine was overheating." "We all got out because the AC kicked off and we were getting hot in the limo thank God! because the smoke almost immediately started turning black and the driver could see a fire starting under the limo," Andi continued. "So, we all started walking down the side of the highway and within minutes the engine exploded." Photo provided/Andi B Photography Photo provided/Andi B Photography Wedding photographer Andi documented the wedding party before, during and after the fire. Items lost in the fire included the boys' jackets, the girls' purses, shoes and bouquets according to Andi, who was thankful she grabbed her photography equipment before leaving the limo. The limo company said they'd be taking care of all expenses, including the lost belongings. Andi B Photography Andi is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan but is willing to travel for bookings. Contact Andi here. See More Collapse "Everyone was in great spirits and stayed so positive and calm throughout it all," Andi said. "They truly made the most of the situation. And it was easily the wildest experience I ever had while shooting a wedding." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A new exhibit hosted by the Midland Center for the Arts seeks to celebrate and bring recognition to wedding traditions of the community. Old, New, Borrowed & Blue displays wedding gowns, gifts and ceremonial items that connect to local residents throughout the community. The exhibit, which continues through Aug. 21, is open Fridays through Sundays in the Center for the Arts' brick lobby. Admission is $3 per person and free for Center for the Arts museum members. The name of the exhibit was inspired by a Victorian-era poem which originated in England: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe. It was used to symbolize good luck to a bride on her wedding day. About half of the art exhibit's dresses and accessories was donated by 11 local members of the community, according to Josh Holliday, director of communications at the Center for the Arts. The other half of the outfits is part of the Historical Society of Midland County's collection. Bertha Vaughn, who aided in organizing the exhibit, observed how the items on display demonstrate Midland's deep and diverse background. "The exhibit offers various perspectives from members throughout the community that can come together and contribute to the one diverse community we have and share, Vaughn said. In addition to helping coordinate the exhibit, Vaughn donated the dress she wore at her own wedding in 1975 in South Carolina. While some brides choose to wear a traditional veil, Vaughn opted for a hood to cover her afro. The exhibit has its roots embedded in the heart of Midland. One of the dresses on display belonged to Ruth Dow, the daughter of Dow founder Herbert Dow. Ruth wore an off-white Sax Fifth Avenue dress when she married Leland Doan on April 17, 1917 at The Pines, the Dow familys home. Among the outfits displayed in Old, New, Borrowed & Blue is cultural attire. The cultural attire includes a traditional headdress called tsunokakushi, or horn-hiding." The tsunokakushi, worn in Shinto wedding ceremonies, was meant to hide the bride's horns of jealousy. A tsunokakushi symbolizes the brides resolve to become a gentle and obedient wife. Just as wedding attire changes over time, so do wedding expectations. Rebecca Reed of Bay City, whose son was recently married, reflected on how she's seen weddings change between generations. Weddings are not as traditional as they used to be," Reed said. "For example, the bride's family used to basically pay for the entire wedding. Now, its the couple that pays for the wedding, except maybe when parents contribute to some of the costs. Not only is June known for prime wedding season, but it also is recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. In recognition of this celebration, the Center for the Arts has provided Pride flags and brochures from Great Lakes Bay Pride for visitors at the end of Old, New, Borrowed & Blue. While some couples prefer to have big weddings, others choose smaller, simplified ceremonies. Stacey Huizar explained how her marriage to her wife, Hope, was different from her expectations, yet worked out well for the couple.. We spent maybe $500 on everything," Huizar said. "I always thought having a huge wedding was the way to go. But when we decided to get married after dating for five months, I decided small was best and eloped to Caseville. If youre a fan of the luxury goods of Tiffany & Co., take a peek at this home designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. He's the legendary son of the company's founder, and this grand residence represents the ultimate jewel. On the market for $17 million, the Gilded Age estate in Boston is being marketed as the Tiffany Ayer Mansion. Also known as the Frederick Ayer Mansion, the residence resembles a work of art thanks to its unique design and edifice. Historically beautiful design Built in 1902, the five-level home measures over 15,000 square feet. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Inside, youll find colorful Tiffany mosaic tiles lining the stair risers. There's also a trompe loeil on the landing designed to make it look like the stairs lead up to an ancient Greek temple." Mosaic on the stairs Greg Premru/LandVest The home is one of only two exteriors Tiffany designed and the only one that remains today. Combined with the Tiffany-designed interiors, it can lay claim to being the only complete Tiffany home in the world. It was originally designed for Frederick Ayer, owner of the American Woolen Co. After Ayer died in 1918, the home was sold and reconfigured for other purposes. Over the decades, the building has served as a single-family home, office space, and a student dormitory. Today, developers plan to transform the classic interiors into a luxury residence. When the structure was configured as a dorm, there were a whopping 23 bedrooms. New plans call for a more modest six bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. A luxury home for Tiffany lovers Its most recent use was as a womens dorm owned by a religious order, says co-listing agent Greta Gustafson, of LandVest. The building has been vacant since they left, and with the advent of COVID, it couldnt sustain being vacant. The home, though, was originally designed as a single-family house and we have positioned it as such that it would be perfect for a family. The bold colors used in the bright mosaics and stained glass throughout the home are said to be inspired by Tiffanys travels to Japan and India. Tiffany glass Greg Premru/LandVest Its just so magnificent and unique, Gustafson said. When you enter the house, you will be taken by the grand staircase. But before you get there, your eye will be drawn up to the banister thats an oval and goes up all four floors with a Tiffany chandelier hanging above. Tiffany, whose artistic direction gained fame for the company his father founded, was also known for designing the now-famous Tiffany lamp made with stained, leaded glass. Future of the Tiffany home Ayer commissioned a design that's stood the test of time, and original details remain, including the plated- and stained-glass windows, the curving white marble staircase, numerous skylights, and ornate fireplace mantels. It was designed to be a summer property as the couple had traveled widely, says co-listing agent Ruth Kennedy-Sudduth, of LandVest. They had bold style, but the home is a really great design that doesnt age. It looks completely fresh. Its nice to know their creativity has lasted through the generations. While it is unclear if the keys to this historic beauty will be delivered in a trademark robin's-egg blue box, this remarkable jewel of a home will be preserved for generations to come. Rendering of living space Neoscape/LandVest The post The Only Tiffany-Designed Home in the World Is Available in Boston for a Whopping $17M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The deaths of at least 23 migrants seeking to reach Spanish territory from Morocco should be investigated urgently by both countries, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, reacting also to reports overnight of at least 50 migrants found dead in a truck in southern Texas, US Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The UN Refugee Agency is appealing for urgent support to help displaced people and local host communities affected by the catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa Photo: (Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Thirteen years after the disappearance of Lindsey Baum, a heartbroken mother is still waiting for justice to be served in the murder of her 10-year-old daughter, a crime that shocked the entire close-knit community of McCleary in the state of Washington. For over a decade now, the murder and kidnapping of Lindsey have weighed heavily on the heart of her mom, Melissa Baum, who carries what's left of her child's ashes in a pendant on a necklace. No one knows who killed the young girl to this day, even after a massive investigation and search by law enforcement officers, including those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Melissa told KOMO News that she wants to know where the rest of her daughter is, which is priority number one for her. She added that all she got back of her was a piece of her skull that she pointed to during the interview, "This is it, right here. This is my daughter." Part of Lindsey's remains found eight years after her disappearance June 26, 2009, marks the worst day of the mother's life. It was on that fateful day when young Lindsey was snatched from the streets of McCleary when she was walking back home from her friend's house, which was just a few blocks away. The little girl never made it back home that day, and her photos are now forever frozen in time. Melissa became emotional with that fact, saying she rarely stops and looks directly at the pictures because it is still hard. She added that looking at her daughter's face always gets her. A missing child investigation became a murder mystery eight years after her disappearance in 2017, when two hunters discovered a small piece of Lindsey's remains deep in the woods outside Ellensburg in Kittitas County. The rest of the child's body has never been found, though, according to CBS News. Melissa said her daughter deserves to rest in peace. She described her as a beautiful bright 10-year-old little girl, and there was no reason for anybody to take her other than for sick, vile things. Detectives had combed through the woods since the discovery in 2017, going through thousands of tips, fliers, and pages of work to solve the murder mystery. One of those officers is Darrin Wallace, the chief of investigations for Grays Harbor County. He said Lindsey's case has always kept him up at night, describing it as a monster. Read Also: Ohio Dad Goes Ballistic in Court, Pummels Man Accused of Killing His 3-Year-Old Son Paul Bieker, a person of interest in Lindsey's death Deputies said there are several persons of interest in connection with Lindsey's murder, including Paul Bieker. The 51-year-old was recently convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl in McCleary six years before Lindsey disappeared, according to KIRO 7. Investigators learned that Bieker lived in 2003 in McCleary near where the teenager lived. Detectives were able to get his DNA from a discarded item, and they were able to determine that he was a match for the 2003 sexual assault. Detectives say it is rare to have eerie similarities in both cases and in the same tiny town, making Bieker a prime suspect for Lindsey's death. Related Article: Police Arrest Santa Rosa Couple After Fentanyl Allegedly Found Near Their Dead 15-month-old Toddler Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) Following the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion, the judgment paved the way for individual states to ban the procedure. However, many companies have confirmed that they will pay for the travel cost through their insurance plans for employees who need to leave their home state to get an abortion. According to BBC, abortion will not automatically become illegal in the U.S., but individual states will be allowed to decide if and how they will allow abortions. Thirteen states have already passed "trigger laws" to outlaw abortion. Abortion is a controversial issue in the U.S. A recent Pew study found that 61 percent of the adults said that abortion should be legal all or most of the time, while 37 percent said it should not be allowed in the country. Companies that will cover employee travel expenses for abortions Amazon, banking giant Citigroup, and review website Yelp have expressed that they would reimburse employees who travel to circumvent local abortion restrictions even before the Supreme Court ruling. As per Yelp chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman on Twitter, the Supreme Court's decision "puts women's health in jeopardy" and urged the business leaders to speak out, CNN reports. Adding to the growing number of companies that confirmed that they would cover travel costs through their health insurance is Disney. The company assured its employees that it recognized the impact of the Supreme Court ruling and remained committed to them by giving them "comprehensive access" to affordable healthcare, including family planning and reproductive care, "regardless of where they live. It employs around 80,000 people in its Florida resort. Following the Supreme Court decision, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already signed a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would be effective on July 1. Read Also: Mom Delivers Triplets While in Medically-induced Coma In a staff memo, banking giant JP Morgan also told its U.S. employees that it would cover travel expenses for medical services, including "legal abortions." A spokesperson for the bank said that the company is focused on the health and well-being of its employees, and it would ensure equitable access to all benefits. U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said it would cover travel expenses for its employees who need to travel to another state to get an abortion. Meta, the social media company, also expressed that it will reimburse travel expenses where permitted by law for employees who need it for access-out-of-town state health care. Other companies supporting their employees if they need to undergo the banned procedure include Levi Strauss, Vogue publisher Conde Nast, and ride companies Lyft and Uber. Lawmakers in Texas have threatened CitiGroup and Lyft with legal repercussions for their announcement. Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi also urged Republicans not to use Cir's services. States that will likely restrict abortion According to Fortune, 13 states have already passed "trigger laws," which came into effect upon the overturning of the Roe versus Wade decision. These are Arkansas, Mississippi, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Related Article: Miracle Baby: Woman Gives Birth After 13 Miscarriages and Lupus Diagnosis Photo: (Photo : JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images) The mom of the 3-year-old boy who was found in a freezer by Detroit police officers was arraigned at the 36th District Court on Sunday, June 26. Officers responded to a home in the 12760 block of Monte Vista for a wellness check on a child on June 24 at 12:45 a.m. Police said that upon checking the residence, they found the body of 3-year-old Chase in the freezer. Zy'ar Anderson, Chase's cousin, told Fox 2 Detroit that God knows how they are feeling. She added that she knows Chase is in a better place right now. Azuradee France was identified as the mother of the deceased 3-year-old boy. The medical examiner determined the young child's death to be a homicide. The Wayne County Prosecutor has charged the 31-year-old France with First-Degree Child Abuse and Torture and Concealing an individual's death. She was arraigned on Sunday and remanded to jail. Vigil held for young Chase A vigil was held later that night to say goodbye to little Chase, according to Local 4. Betty Jenkins, the boy's great-great-grandmother, said in an interview that his death is tough to swallow, but they will pull through God's grace. It is still unclear right now how Chase was killed and how long he has been dead. According to Chase's neighbor Cheryl Hardy, France told her Chase had gone to Alabama. She said they had family there to take care of the kid, which required a lot of attention, and Hardy believed her. Family members also said that Child Protective Services (CPS) had been called at least 13 times this year, but each time, they were unable to make headway and were not allowed inside the home of France and Chase. Neighbors also said that the 3-year-old boy was blind and had some other disabilities, but those were not listed. A relative said that the mother could not deal with her son's disabilities, and they told her to give Chase to them if she couldn't deal with it. A relative described Chase as the sweetest one in the family. Read Also: Major Boost for Families as House Passes Bill Extending Food Assistance Measures for American Kids Young boy's body was found decomposing in basement freezer Detroit Police Chief James White told reporters that the young boy had been decomposing when he was found. He credited the first two officers who responded for following their instinct to go to the home of France and locate the boy. White said in the press briefing that the discovery would not be possible without the officers' intuition. He added that they recognized something was wrong with how the occupant communicated with them. White said the people at home tried to turn the officers away while talking with them. The police chief said the boy's body was found in the basement of the home, inside a freezer, the New York Daily News reported. Related Article: Illinois Dad of 3 Dies After Falling Into Vat of 1,500C Molten Iron, Where His Body Split in Half Photo: (Photo : STR/AFP via Getty Images) A school party in a popular South African nightclub turned into a mysterious and shocking tragedy as 21 teenagers, who were celebrating the end of the final exams, were found dead without any hint of gunshots or injuries. Reports from Today stated that the victims were found slumped on chairs, lying on the table, or sprawled on the floor of the Enyobeni Tavern on the morning of Sunday, June 26. The investigators said there were no signs of a stampede despite earlier speculations. Thus, they are looking into a mass poisoning or toxic ingestion angle. The kids might have drunk or inhaled the toxic substance as hookah pipes were also recovered from the site. Forensic samples of the 21 teenagers, the youngest was said to be just 13 years old, were already sent to a Cape Town laboratory, but Police Minister Bheki Cele expects the release of the results to take some time. The victims' parents, families, and friends were outside the site while the bodies were collected for further autopsy. Read Also: Parents React as Biden Signs First Gun Law Reforms Following 30-Year Gridlock School Party Survivors Speak Up According to SBS News, 17 victims died on the scene, while four were brought to the hospital but did not make it. At least 31 other victims were hospitalized and exhibited symptoms like vomiting, headache, tightness in the chest, and backache. Many of the hospitalized were also discharged Sunday. Sinovuyo Monyane, a 19-year-old witness, said that patrons of the nightclub were trying to get out because they were "suffocating" and having difficulty breathing, but the doors were already filled with people. She recalled passing out after smelling a strong odor similar to a pepper spray. When Monyane got up a few minutes later after someone poured water on her, she saw the rest of the bodies. Sifiso Promise Matinise, who works at the bar, told the police that he was one of those sprinkling water on the guests. He said many kids had been too drunk to realize what was happening. Luhlemela Ulana, the club's resident DJ who was celebrating his birthday, confirmed that the crowd tried to push their way towards the exit and could no longer be managed by the bouncers. South African President Issues Statement Even South African politicians expressed their shock over the deaths. Elleck Nchabeleng, the chairman of the South African parliament's education and technology, sports, arts and culture, said they seldom experience a tragedy of this magnitude involving minors. "This unfortunate and unprecedented incident underscores the importance of vigilance from parents," Nchabeleng said. Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa, who was in Germany for the G7 Summit, issued a statement to express condolences to the families of the 21 teenagers and to compound the importance of laying down the law and holding those responsible for the tragedy. In South Africa, alcohol drinking is off-limits to kids under 18, but questions have abounded as to why underage drinkers were at the party. Following the tragedy, the Eastern Cape Liquor Board stripped the liquor license of Enyobeni Tavern. The owners could also be charged with criminal liability. Many locals, especially the parents, want the venue shut down. Locals are aware that this bar has been serving alcohol to underage kids. Related Article: Do's and Don'ts to Follow When Parents Catch Teens Drinking Alcohol Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) Social media influencers shared their harrowing experience online after consuming Daily Harvest's French Lentil and Leek Crumbles. Since May, Daily Harvest has received around 470 complaints about eating their lentil and leek crumble meal kit. The company, a direct-to-consumer provider of vegan-friendly smoothies, bowls, and other foods typically shipped through the mail, announced a voluntary recall after the complaints. It has also stopped the production and distribution of the product while conducting an investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Los Angeles Times reports. Complaints about French Lentils and Leek Products like Daily Fresh rely heavily on social media influencers for promotion. However, in this case, influencers seem to point out the cause of their mysterious illness: the Daily Harvest's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles package they received before the product was publicly launched. According to Cory Silverstein, who runs an organic skincare brand with his wife, he received Daily Harvest French Lentil and Leek Crumbles as part of a PR package in May. After eating the product, Silverstein said he experienced so much pain. He was rushed to the urgent care center as doctors were trying to figure out what was wrong. He tested negative for hepatitis, but his blood test indicates that his liver enzyme levels are 12 times the normal range. The illness remained a mystery for weeks until he saw a post from fellow influencer Luke Wesley Pearson, a content creator from Portland. They noted the same symptoms like elevated liver enzymes and high bilirubin levels. They later realized that they both got a package of crumbles from the company before it was launched on the market. Pearson had to undergo an emergency procedure to remove his gall bladder on June 12. Pearson and Silverstein both had "excruciating stomach pains, fever, chills, itching of hands and feet, and jaundice after consuming the package, CNN says. Abby Silverman, a creative director in New York, and Raleigh Candice Smith, the CEO of French Press Public Relations, also posted on social media that they exhibited the same disturbing symptoms. Like Pearson, doctors also had to remove Smith's gallbladder on June 19. While most of the complaints stem from the Lentil and Leek crumble, there were also complaints about the company's flatbread, sparking concerns that there might have been cross-contamination of other products produced in the facility. A mom shared that her children began vomiting two hours after consuming the flatbread. Initially, her kids complained that their stomachs hurt, but after three hours, the kids started vomiting. Read Also: How a Frugal Couple With 9 Children Spends $364 for Monthly Expenses in New York Statement from Daily Harvest Earlier this week, Daily Harvest first posted the recall through a link on social media that they have voluntarily recalled all French Lentil + Leek Crumbles due to consumer reports of gastrointestinal illness and potential liver function issues. It added that their investigation of the product is ongoing. The company emailed customers who had received the crumble, telling them "to dispose of the product" immediately, as per the FDA website. The company's Instagram post received flak online as it simply used a promotional picture of the crumble and directed people to a link for the recall message. Daily Harvest had since removed the post. The FDA would not confirm or deny if an investigation on the matter is planned or in progress. Related Article: 5 Ways to Keep Houseflies Out of Your Kitchen Photo: (Photo : JAVAD PARSA/NTB/AFP via Getty Images) A federal jury in California has awarded the family of a pregnant teen shot dead by undercover cops $21 million. Elena Mondragon, 16, was in her first pregnancy trimester when she was killed during a police operation, but she was unaware that her friend, Rico Tiger, 19, was behind several robberies. According to the Insider, the incident occurred at a Hayward St. parking lot in March 2017. Mondragon was riding in the car driven by Tiger when a van with the Fremont undercover cops in plainclothes tried to cut them off. They planned on arresting Tiger, who attempted to escape. In their panic, the police fired at the car and hit the pregnant teen. Lawyers for the Mondragon family said that she was killed in "a botched covert arrest operation." Melissa Nold, one of the lawyers, said that the Fremont Police Department decided at the scene that the 16-year-old's life did not matter. The jury took two days to deliberate on their verdict and settlement in mid-June 2022. Half of the $21 million will be collected from Tiger, whom the city charged for murder. Read Also: Teenage Cancer Survivors Become Parents Together; They Thought Chemotherapy Affected Their Fertility Undercover Cop Admitted He Panicked Sgt. Jeremy Miskella was the undercover cop who fired the AR-15 rifle that killed Mondragon. According to The Mercury News, Miskella told the federal jury that he panicked during the encounter and thought Tiger would kill him. Tiger escaped by reversing the car and ramming onto anything. At some point, he was accelerating towards Miskella, who then pulled the trigger. Miskella said that his focus was fixed on Tiger. While police standard procedure strongly discourages firing onto a moving vehicle, as this was not an effective technique, they could fire if there was an imminent threat. Miskella believed there was. However, lawyers for the Mondragon family said that Miskella and his fellow officers failed to abide by the rules of engagement; they did not follow standard police practices. In the end, they got someone killed. Mondragon was hit by four of five bullets fired by Miskella as she was in the car's front passenger seat. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery on her chest and spine, but she did not survive her injuries. Doctors later confirmed that she was in the first trimester of her pregnancy. The car, a BMW that Tiger stole, also had two other passengers who were later arrested. The undercover cops were tracking them when they decided to proceed with Tiger's arrest, but he tried to run them over. Patrick Moriarty, the lawyer for the cops, said that the officers did not shoot indiscriminately. Instead, they thought they were going to get killed. Elena Mondragon's Death Went Unnoticed After the family filed their lawsuit against the city of Fremont in 2018, Miguel Minjares, the uncle of Mondragon, said that his niece's death did not gather outrage and attention regarding police brutality. No one took out their smartphones to record videos, and the cops did not turn on their body cameras. The family thought they were fighting a lost cause, and the case would be forgotten. However, Christina Flores, the victim's aunt, said that despite the lack of video evidence, they know that the police made serious errors of engagement. Meanwhile, according to East Bay Times, Mondragon's parents were unaware she was pregnant. Her mother, however, said that her daughter was not supposed to be on the scene because her dad was on his way to pick her up after she called to bring her home. Related Article: Teen Pregnancy: Young Grandma at 30 Says She Showed Love Not Anger for Daughter Who Got Pregnant at 14 Photo: (Photo : Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Her iconic face helped launch a popular baby food product, but Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby, wants to be best remembered as a great teacher who guided and mentored her students. Turner Cook died of natural causes at the age of 95 on June 3, 2022, and her children said that among her work and achievements, she counts being a teacher as her most important legacy. The mom of four taught English literature for 26 years at the Hillsborough High School in Tampa Bay, and it was there that rumors swirled that she was the original Gerber baby. Eventually, Turner Cook introduced herself to new students year after year with the anecdote of how her face was in the packages of the Gerber brand, per Tampa Bay Times. As a teacher, Turner Cook was known to students as someone who could relate to them quite well. She also worked without complaints and stayed up late to grade papers or guide her staff in the yearbook program. So, when she passed away, some of her former students posted tributes on social media. "She was the person who influenced me the most - other than my parents," said one student, Lenora Lake-Guidry. Read Also: Hope for Moms! New Postpartum Depression Oral Treatment One Step Closer to Availability Becoming the Gerber Baby In 1928, Gerber was looking for a baby's face for a new product and a family friend and neighbor, Dorothy Hope-Smith, kept some old charcoal sketches of Turner Cook as a 5-month-old. Hope-Smith sent in her drawings, which the company eventually picked. After a widely positive response to the Gerber baby's face, the company decided to trademark Turner Cook's image in 1931. However, for 40 years, her identity was kept hidden from the public, sparking speculations that the Gerber baby might have been Elizabeth Taylor. According to ABC 10, Turner Cook asked for secrecy because she was concerned about getting ridiculed. Turner Cook said she was paid $5,000 for her Gerber image, which, at that time, was enough to pay off her college fees and buy her first car with her husband, James Cook, who used to be in the Navy. Becoming a Published Author By 1989, Turner Cook retired as a teacher and started her new career as a writer. The couple traveled to small towns in Florida, and these places served as Turner Cook's inspiration for her mystery stories. While she counts teaching as her legacy, Turner Cook said she was most satisfied with writing and creating stories that people loved to read. Her main muse for her novels was a titular character named Brandy O'Bannon, who was a newspaper reporter. In 1976, Turner Cook spoke to People and said she really didn't do anything to gain her popularity as a Gerber baby. Incidentally, she also revealed that all of her children were fed with Gerber. A decade ago, Turner Cook helped the company launch its search for the next Gerber baby contest, and every year since then, the company looks for a new face to represent the brand. Related Article: Babies Younger than 6 Months Should Not Drink Water in this Heatwave, Pediatricians Warn Photo: (Photo : Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) More than half a million cans of baby formula will make their way from Australia into the United States this summer as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to address the nationwide formula shortage. According to a news release by the FDA, shipments of baby formula from Bellamy's Organic, an organic baby formula and food producer, will arrive and be distributed in the United States in early July and over the next several months. Currently, the estimated quantity that will arrive in the U.S. is 696,000 cans, which the federal agency said is equivalent to 21 million eight-ounce bottles, according to Fox Business. Bellamy's Organic shipment made up of two general formula types The shipment of Bellamy's Organic baby formula that will come from Down Under will be made up of two "general" formula types, including the brand's Organic Infant Formula Step 1 for babies between ages 0 and 6 months and Organic Follow-On Formula Step 2 for babies between the ages 6 and 12 months. According to the FDA, parents can find Bellamy's Organic at specialty stores and major retailers in the country. Online listings for Bellamy's Organic formula retail for around $35 for a single 31.7-ounce (900-gram) can. Bellamy's Organic was founded by Tasmanian recipe developer Dooley Crighton-Bellamy and English botanist David Bellamy in 2000. The brand became the first organically certified baby food manufacturer in Australia in 2004. The company's headquarters is located in Launceston, Australia. Bellamy's Organic was then acquired in 2019 by the China Mengniu Dairy Company, which is a publicly-traded dairy manufacturer and distributor. According to the FDA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will continue to evaluate options for getting safe baby formula into the United States as quickly as possible. Americans have been experiencing a shortage of baby formula in recent months due to labor and supply chain disruption, product recalls, and the related manufacturing plant shutdown of Abbott Nutrition's facility in Sturgis, Michigan. Abbott Nutrition is one of the four major baby formula producers in the United States. Its competitors include Mead Johnson Nutrition, Perrigo Pediatrics, and Nestle USA. Read Also: Baby Formula Shortage Highlights Huge Benefits of Human Milk Banking Bubs Australia formula to be transported to LA and Philly Australia has proven to be a big help to the U.S. during this nationwide formula shortage. President Biden announced on June 22 that his administration is sourcing flights, facilitated by the HHS, for Operation Fly Formula to transport Bubs Australia infant formula from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles, California on June 26 and to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 5. These two deliveries to Los Angeles and Philadelphia will include in total approximately 320,000 pounds of Bubs Supreme Infant Formula Supreme Follow On Formula, Bubs Goat Milk Infant Formula S1, Bubs Organic Infant Formula S1, Bubs Organic Follow On Formula S2, Bubs Goat Milk Follow On Formula S2, the equivalent of approximately 5.5 million 8-ounce bottles. The aforementioned products will be available through Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart, Target, and other retailers. Related Article: Many Baby Formula Plants Not Inspected in the US Because of COVID Pandemic Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) A 34-year-old home health nurse, Mallory Giles, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempted murder and theft for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars and poisoning a 93-year-old man she was looking after. The home carer is accused of using the 93-year-old patient's credit cards, which he gave to her to buy his essentials. At some point, police said that Giles started to take advantage of her patient and made significant purchases for herself. When family members noticed the strange spending, they reported it to the police. During their inquiries into the theft allegations, the elderly man was rushed to the hospital due to an opioid overdose. Police concluded that the nurse had been mixing opioids with his food. According to the Daily Mail, the victim was given a Narcan at the hospital and was successfully revived. However, the doctors discovered other powerful narcotics in his system that were not part of his daily treatment. Using an old man's credit card According to Lt. Scott Dahlgren, Giles might have stolen from her patient's credit card to buy clothes and shoes and furnished her home. He also believed that Giles had been mixing opioids into the victim's food to keep him sedated and unaware of what she was doing. Her spending included clothes, shoes, furniture for her home, wall decor, and outside lawn care items. Per body camera footage, the police told Giles that she basically outfitted her house with the old man's credit card. Police believed that Giles purchased more than $50,000. The authorities also said she was trying to keep him medicated to the point that he could not look at his bank and credit card statements. It would also allow her to continue using his credit card without him noticing. When police asked Giles why she did it, she said she did not know why. She also denied that she has drug problems. At the end of the investigation, police arrested Giles for attempted murder and theft from a protected class, reflecting the victim's age and declining health. Giles is being held at the Erie County Jail with a bond of $560,000. Read Also: Influencers Share Harrowing Experience After Eating Recalled Daily Harvest's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles Elderly people are the most vulnerable to fraud Dahlgren said the incident was upsetting that somebody would take advantage of elderly people. He noted it was sad that the elderly are the most vulnerable in the society, yet people continue to prey on them. He added he was glad that a family member noticed the irregularities, Fox8 reports. As of last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that senior citizens had lost almost $ 1 billion in scams in 2020. The FBI said the elderly are the ones extorted the most. In 2020, the highest fraud cases occurred in Florida, California, and Texas. Elderly Americans usually are victims of financial fraud, romance scams, tech support fraud, and lottery or sweepstakes scams, ABC News says. Related Article: Tiktok Star Ophelia Nichols Ask for Help from 7M Followers to Find Her Son's Killer Photo: (Photo : GRANT HINDSLEY/AFP via Getty Images) Amazon is working on a new Alexa artificial intelligence (AI) technology that will mimic the voices of people, including dead family members, who could still, in some ways, maintain a solid relationship with those they have left behind. Rohit Prasad, the head scientist for the Alexa AI project, said at the virtual Amazon conference in Las Vegas that they are developing a technology that will bring a companionship role with human attributes to the virtual assistant technology. The scientist explained that the idea to create the AI was hatched because of the COVID-19 pandemic when so many people lost a loved one or family member. He then demonstrated how this new technology would work by showing a clip of a boy listening to a bedtime story on Alexa and hearing his dead grandmother's voice. "While A.I. can't eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last," Prasad said, per People. Read Also: Lazy Parents Turn to Siri and Alexa to Potty Train Their Kids Ethical Issues and Debate on Deep-Fake AI Prasad said that his team found a way to create the new Alexa AI with just a minute-long voice clip from the source. He has not offered a timeline for the release, but, ideally, when the technology rolls out, users can simply download an update of their system. The head scientist also didn't provide more details about the upcoming feature because it may likely trigger questions about consent or ethics, according to NBC News. In recent times, AI technology, as well as deep-fake technology, has been the subject of debate among online communities and developers. Some end-users feel that this could be exploited and abused as big companies capitalize on the grief of the consumers. As Amazon scales up with its new Alexa AI, its premier competitor, Microsoft, has recently announced it will dial down on its synthetic voice features. Natasha Crampton, Microsoft's head of the ethics division for AI, said they recognize that it may be used to impersonate or deceive listeners. Reactions to the New Alexa AI Tamara Cavenett of the Australian Psychological Society said that while reliving some painful memories might help with processing grief, this AI may further push people to limit their engagement with real family members, actual connections, and relationships. She advised approaching "with great caution" because there are not enough studies on the impact of synthetic voices on the human psyche, per ABC Net. Subbarao Kambhampati of the Arizona State University said that Amazon's demonstration should spark vigilance from the public. He said that if people start getting used to this concept, it will not seem strange in the long run. Most people on Twitter found the AI demonstration a bit creepy and compared the idea to an episode of "Twilight Zone" or "Black Mirror," two dystopian-centered science fiction shows. Other netizens cannot help but utter, "I hear dead people," in reference to the movie "The Sixth Sense." Still, others said that the concept of bringing back the dead, even if it's just a voice copy, sounds pretty morbid. There is a line there somewhere ... one that we don't typically cross. Amazon uses kids dead grandma in morbid demo of #Alexa audio #deepfake #Voice #AI https://t.co/gndvso33Jn via @arstechnica pic.twitter.com/xZ5fDLqeCH Theodora (Theo) Lau - (@psb_dc) June 23, 2022 Related Article: Amazon Apologizes After Alexa Tells 10-Year-old Girl To Play With Electric Socket Photo: (Photo : Getty images ) Social media app Yubo announced on Tuesday that its platform would be adding a new safety feature, and it will be updating its usage guidelines following the news that the accused Robb Elementary gunman Salvador Ramos allegedly used the app to send disturbing messages that had gone unnoticed days leading to the shooting. The platform announced that it had updated its risk-detection policy, enhanced its user-reporting capabilities, and introduced audio-moderation technology for its live streams, allowing comprehensive automatic moderation across the platform. Sacha Lazimi, the Yubo CEO, said that the devastating events of May 24 in Uvalde raised systemic issues that need to be addressed. Since then, Lazimi added that they had been working to accelerate the safety developments and expand the scope of existing safeguards across the platform. The platform had also developed a "combined-signals risk detection algorithm" that will help provide context around potential risks on its platform. The feature would assess a combination of signals, including keywords, emojis, and images, ABC News reports. He kept coming back Yubo is a social media platform that mixes live streaming and social networking. Weeks before the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the gunman made many disturbing comments on various social media platforms. Law enforcement asked why they were not reported, but online users said they tried to do so, but their efforts were futile. He kept coming back no matter how many times he was reported. They said there were red signs in his behavior when he referenced school shootings and shared pictures and videos of guns. According to SEA Mashable, Ramos frequently made hostile remarks on the platform. He would often post photos of dead cats and threatened girls in the app with rape and sexual assault. A Yubo user said that leaders of panels and live chats on the app would ban the gunman after he joined live groups and issued threatening comments. However, users said that the reporting function of Yubo barely works. Users also claimed that Ramos was temporarily banned from the app but eventually got access again using the same account. They claimed that his account remained live on the platform four days before the shooting. Read Also: Influencers Share Harrowing Experience After Eating Recalled Daily Harvest's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles When ABC News asked Yubo earlier this month to confirm if Ramos' account had been flagged, their spokesperson said they could not legally release any specific user information outside of direct request from law enforcement. Ramos' online behavior sparked questions on the capacity of social media companies to monitor their platforms for red flags of rising hate online. Yubo, however, assured that the company is fully cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation. As per Education Week, Yubo was launched in 2015 by a French company and is also known as Tinder for teens. It has been downloaded more than 18 million times in the U.S. Related Article: Mom Finds Out Her Daughter's Daycare Apps are "Dangerously Insecure" In response to statements made at the International Air Transport Associations (IATA) 2022 annual general meeting (AGM) regarding airport charges, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general of ACI World, commented that Recent statements made by IATA do not reflect current market and economic realities. In his full statement, Luis Felipe de Oliveira (below, right) stated, Airports, airlines, ground handlers and other stakeholders work together to rebuild the sector following a historic downturn. At a time when the air transport industry has never been more united, it remains of utmost importance that fellow aviation organizations continue on this path of collaboration and cooperation. ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> While airport charges represent a small proportion of airline costs historically, they are a fundamental revenue source for airport operators to cover the cost of infrastructure. Airport revenue generated from aeronautical charges represents as much as 55% of all revenues (including passenger- and aircraft-related charges). This crucial source of revenue is necessary to invest in sustainable infrastructure and technology for current and future growth. Yet airport charges represent less than 5% of airline costs historically. He continued, Like other businesses in the aviation ecosystem, airports are businesses in their own right. Airports lost US$65.5bn in 2020 alone. And like many other areas of business, unit costs have gone up while unit revenues are not keeping pace. Even with significant cost-cutting exercises throughout the pandemic, the financial stress endured by airport operators due to passenger traffic losses is now unsustainable and cannot be absorbed. Fundamentally, airports will always remain infrastructure-intensive businesses this translates into unavoidable high fixed costs that must be financed. Airport charges have been declining prior to the pandemic across all regions. Global airport charges per passenger have on average declined by approximately 20% in real terms in the five years up to 2019. It is important to remind critics that regulated airport charges across many jurisdictions in their current state are inversely linked to traffic levels. In other words, this means that when traffic levels are low, charges rise (and vice versa). From a policy perspective, and beyond the rhetoric, regulators must consider what is ultimately best for the consumer. It is important to emphasize that airports invest in not only infrastructure that generates socio-economic benefits but also the passenger experience. Whats more, significant investment will be needed to transition to sustainable energy sources. He concluded, Overall, it is time to modernize the economic oversight of airport charges to something that is more reflective of market conditions allowing for risk to be shared across airlines and airports. We have outlined this clearly in our Policy Brief on the matter. Fundamentally, global regulatory frameworks need to be fair for the entire ecosystem so we can collectively thrive and rebuild a sustainable future to best serve our end user the passenger. IATAs 78th AGM and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) took place on June 19-21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar, hosted by Qatar Airways. Arm gave a hint at what next years smartphones and Arm PCs will offer on Tuesday, launching its next-generation Cortex-X3 CPU alongside a next-gen GPU architecture, code-named Immortalis. Arm claimed that the new Cortex-X3 would offer 34 percent more laptop performance than its current architecture. Specifically, Arm launched the Cortex-X3 as its next-generation performance core, designed both for smartphones as well as PCs. Arm also announced the Cortex-A715 as well as the Cortex-A510 efficiency core, part of the big-little architecture that splits the workload of a PC or a smartphone between powerful big cores and energy-efficient little cores. Arm executives said that the new Cortex -A715 is as powerful as the current Cortex-X1 performance core. Arm also announced Immortalis, its next-gen GPU brand. Immortalis GPUs will be defined by a new capability for Arm GPUs, hardware-based ray tracing, which will put smartphone GPUs next to AMD and Nvidia GPUs in terms of their own hardware capabilities. Arm executives said they have no immediate plans to release a Windows 11 hardware driver for the Immortalis line, ruling out the possibility of Arm GPUs for the near future. However, executives also added that the possibility for a discrete Immortalis GPU is there, if partners express interest. Paul Williamson, the general manager of Arms client business, told reporters that the new Cortex and Immortalis chips would appear later this year, to ship in products in early 2023. Arm is what the semiconductor industry calls an IP provider, licensing its designs to silicon partners to manufacture and sell. Company executives declined to comment on those partners plans, leaving the precise implementation of the Cortex and Immortalis line slightly up in the air. Typically, however, partners like Mediatek, Samsung, and Qualcomm take Arms designs and implement them mostly directly. Arm spent considerable time pitching its new chips at augmented reality/virtual reality architectures, beginning the launch with a conversation with famed game designer John Romero within Rec Room, a VR chat app. Virtually all of Arms designs appear in smartphones, however, with a small portion dedicated to the PC. There, however, Arm PCs simply havent kept up with PCs manufactured with X86 processors, a point Williamson acknowledged. A summary of the new Arm CPUs. Arm I think its a reasonable point that Windows on Arm devices have not been as performant, but they have shown interesting alternatives in terms of form factor and battery life as key differentiators, Williamson said. However, Williamson added that Arms roadmap also shows increasing scalability, so that the number of cores can be increased up to 12 to help keep up. There is even the potential to go all Cortex-X now, with single-threaded performance which is really compelling when compared against equivalent architectures in this space, Williamson added. After this story was originally published, Arm submitted a slide showing what the estimated performance of a PC would be using predominantly (though not exclusively) Cortex-X3 cores compared to the current implementation, to the far left. Arm Cortex-X3 and the new Arm CPUs Arms new Cortex lineup is the second implementation of its Armv9 processors, launched roughly a year ago, when Arm first promised that ray tracing would arrive on the architecture. Arm said that the 64-bit Cortex-X3 would deliver a 25 percent performance improvement versus the current generation of Arm smartphones, and a 34 percent performance improvement compared to the current Arm laptops. While Arm didnt deliver actual specifications, the company used a 3.66GHz Arm Cortex-X3 with 16MB of level-3 cache to make the comparison. Williamson called the -X3s performance improvement, which has increased by double digits over the last three years, a phenomenal step. The new CPU cores offer two times the machine learning capability for more intelligence and a better user experience, he added. Arm is also adding additional security protections, such as face recognition and face unlock capabilities. Williamson also said that the new Cortex-A715 would be 20 percent more energy efficient and that the Cortex-A510 would consume 5 percent less overall power than their predecessors. Combined with the Immortalis lineup, that will translate into 28 percent more gaming performance than the previous generation of CPUs/GPUs, which Arm calls a total compute solution. Arm also unveiled a sneak peek at the companys CPU roadmap: The Cortex-A715 performance core and A510 efficiency core will give way to the Hunter performance core and the Hayes efficiency core in the next generation, with Chaberton and Hayes following that. Arms CPU and GPU roadmap. Arm The new Immortalis GPU According to Williamson, the new Immortalis GPU lineup will supercharge the Android gaming ecosystem with unrivaled performance, built on the heritage of its Mali GPU lineup. The new Immortalis lineup includes both the Immortalis-G715 as well as the legacy Mali-G715 and Mali-G615. The Immortalis lineup will offer hardware ray tracing. The Mali-G715, designed for midrange smartphones, will include variable rate shading, Williamson said, while the -G615 will be offered for more mainstream devices. Arm is promising that its new GPUs will offer a 15 percent performance improvement over its previous generation. If thats not enough, Arm also showed whats coming next: GPUs code-named Titan and Krake. This story was updated on June 29 at 4:10 PM with additional information from Arm. Exports of yam tubers reached a record-high of US$48million last year, according to data from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) making the country the worlds largest exporter of yam. The country now controls 24 percent of the US$200million global export market, growing its export value from US$38.5million in 2018 to US$48.2million in 2021. GEPA said exports grew at an annual rate 14 percent in 2020-2021 and an average of 9 percent from 2017 and 2021. The USA alone imported US$87million worth of yam from the world in 2021. Among its top suppliers were: Jamaica, 37.4 percent; Ghana, 21.9 percent; Costa Rica, 10.8 percent; Colombia, 8.7 percent; and Brazil, 8.2 percent, GEPA said in a yam industry report. The United States of Americas imports of yam from Ghana represent 39.6 percent of the total global value of yam exported by Ghana, GEPA added. Meanwhile, globally, Jamaica is Ghanas closest competitor, ranking second in export of yam. Its total exports were valued at US$39million in 2021. Jamaica had 82.8 percent of its yam exports go to the United States market, as compared to the 39.6 percent of Ghanas exports to the same market. The leading global exporters of yam were Ghana, US$48million; Jamaica, US$39million; the United States of America, US$22million; Japan, US$21million; and China, US$20million. Growth forecast The global yam market is projected to register a compound annual growth rate of 3.5 percent between 2020 and 2025 says Mordor intelligence, a market research firm. According to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, most of the worlds production comes from West Africa which represents 94 percent with Nigeria alone producing 71 percent. However, Ghana remains the regions largest exporter of the starchy tuber. Challenges facing yam production Just like any other agricultural produce, constraints to its production include high labour demand and other inputs such as planting materials, unreliable sources of credit, pests and diseases, declining soil fertility, and unpredictable weather conditions. On commercial terms, yam production is constrained by lack of modern storage facilities, the absence of ready market and a well-coordinated national policy to boost production and export. For instance, every year there are reports of heaps of yam being left to rot across many farming communities because they lack storage facilities. We do not have storage facilities; we leave the tubers in the open and exposed to the sun, causing the yam to rot, said Barnabas Abu, a yam-farmer based at Yendi-Bimbilla in the Northern Region. He said the situation gets particularly bad during January and May, due to excessive heat within that period. Source: B&FT Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vice President, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has described the Public Enterprises League Table (PELT) as an important tool which will provide the government with a metric to assess the Public Enterprises and their Chief Executives. According to the Vice President, most of Ghanas Public Enterprises are fundamentally not accountable and thus described the PELT as an innovation which will help address problems. You dont know what you have invented, this league table is very innovative and it will help address the identified problems in the Public Enterprises sector, the Vice President stated. This will change the Public Enterprises sector. I mean who would want to be last on the league table. When an entity is last this year on the league table, it will strive to push to come forward to a better position the next time and that is what I see the PELT achieving, the Vice President noted. H.E Dr Bawumia was speaking to a section of the PELT Technical Committee, when it paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday 28th June 2022. The team, led by the Minister for Public Enterprises, Hon Joseph Cudjoe, as part of its activities prior to the Public Enterprises League Table Awards programme, on Thursday 30th June 2022, embarked on a road show to display a sample of the plaque to be presented to the winning entities on the day of the event to the Vice President in his office. I dont know of any other country which has a league table to assess performances of its public entities. This will really benefit the country if it is done and sustained, Dr Bawumia observed. The Vice President commended the Minister for Public Enterprises and the PELT technical committee team for devising the PELT awards to engender competition among the public enterprises. Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Minister for Public Enterprises, indicated that the Public Enterprises League Table (PELT) is an innovation, designed as an add-on management assessment tool for evaluating Specified Entities (SEs). He said the foundation of the PELT is the Performance Contract signed by the SEs, which provides the measurable Performance Dimensions and indicators which permit the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) and the Ministry of Public Enterprises (MPE) to conduct peer ranking exercise to achieve their prescribed mandate. The Minister indicated that the objectives of the PELT include the creation of competition among SEs, promoting innovation in the management of the SEs to ensure organizations are not only profitable but also efficient, and providing non-pecuniary incentives for improved performance. 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. Featured Video The Western Regional Director of Education, Felicia Okai, has debunked allegations that the Ghana Education Service is shielding teachers reported to have brutalised some 19 students of Annor Adjaye Senior High School. In her disclaimer on Angel FMs Anopa Bofo morning show, the Education Director said some of the teachers have been demoted in line with the institutions code. According to our policy, no corporal punishment and so we relieved them [offending teachers] of their positions as first time offenders said Madam Okai. She noted that the the GES, following the corrective measures taken, supported and approved of the punishment meted out to the teachers. They [GES] realised that the sanctions given were appropriate sanctions according to the code concerning corporal punishment for time offenders. This was disclosed after the Human Right Reporters Ghana, a human right advocacy group, alleged that some of the teachers were still at post despite efforts made to seek justice for the victims. According to them the infliction of pain on the students was tantamount to torturing which needed to be dealt with according to the laws of the country. The use of torture is simply wicked, a crime and must be punished according to the laws of Ghana, a statement issued by the organization in collaboration with like minded non-governmental organization, Action By Christians Against Torture (ACAT), dated June 26, 2022 said in part. Below is the full statement issued by HRRG and ACAT: HRRG, ACAT DEMAND JUSTICE FOR ANNOR ADJAYE STUDENTS MERCILESSLY FLOGGED BY TEACHERS The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) in commemoration of the this years International Day in Support of Victims of Torture has joined forces with the Action By Christians Against Torture (ACAT) to show support and sympathy to all victims of various crimes of torture across the world, especially in Africa and Ghana for that matter. Together in our actions as a vibrant rights organizations operating in Ghana and beyond, we remain absolute in our outright condemnation of the use torture and other inhumane treatments of persons which goes against the enjoyment and fulfillment of their fundamental human right as espoused by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which in its Article 5 unequivocally proclaimed that, No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. On this 35th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, of which Ghana is a signatory to, with almost the entire nations of the world, we call on the Ghana government and state institutions to be swift in apprehending perpetrators of torture on any citizen or persons residing in this country irrespective of their religion, race, ethnic group, etc. The HRRG and ACAT Ghana urges the state to resist the temptations of repatriating persons to home nations where theyre most likely to face torture of all kinds. We are also serving a reminder to all and sundry that anyone can be the next victim of heinous torture as we use the this years International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to reflect on some instances in Ghana. The use of torture is simply wicked, a crime and must be punished according to the laws of Ghana. State institutions like the military and police should eschew the use of torture on alleged offenders of the law, during interrogation for prosecution purposes. They should also object to persuasion of being used by powers that be, to visit torture and other acts of violence on political opponents, human rights advocates, journalists, minority groups and the marginalized in the Ghanaian society. The victims of torture and cruel treatments, HRRG entreats, should use this day to be resolved and continue to entertain the hope of obtaining justice for violation of their rights against inhumane and degrading treatments. Some highlights of torture and physical violence against citizens of Ghana include the alleged canning of the students of the Annor Adjaye Senior High School in the Jomoro district of the Western Region. In a bizarre case of teachers out of fury and misuse of power, serve severe bodily harm to 19 final-year students of the second cycle institution when it was reported that they were late for the Sunday morning church service. Several weeks have passed with no concrete punishments for tutors involved. Another act of torture and degrading of the human person is the reported case of the viral video of a young male and female openly flogged at the forecourt of the Wa Naas palace in Wa, for allegedly posting a sex video online. Some of the culprits have been arrested by law enforcement agencies. As a group with one strong voice, we call on the GES, the Ghana Police Service including other sanctioning institutions to endeavor to conduct proper investigations into all matters particularly the Annor Adjaye saga and ensured justice delivered to victims and their families without further delay in these instances of flagrant human rights abuses. No citizen deserves torture and degrading treatment of any form. We deem the use of torture on victims callous and extreme display of cowardice. All persons have the right to live in dignity and contribute meaningfully to society as we remind Ghanaian to dispassionately condemn all acts of torture and oppressive actions and make the country safe for all manner of persons. Thank you. Signed. Joseph Kobla Wemakor Executive Director (HRRG) Dzifa Miriam Damalie Program Director (ACAT Ghana) 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. Featured Video The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on traditional authorities to partner metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to deal decisively with illegal mining (galamsey) which has resulted in the pollution of water bodies. He has also given an assurance that the activities of the Operation Vanguard will be deepened to help combat the menace of illegal mining. The Vice-President was speaking at a durbar to climax this years Ohum Festival of the chiefs and the people of Akyem Abuakwa in Kyebi last Saturday. Operation Vanguard Operation Vanguard is a joint military/police task force launched in 2017 with the aim of ending illegal mining activities. Although the task force started on a promising note, there have been concerns over the re-emergence of illegal mining activities, especially in water bodies. The Vice-President, who raised concern over the alarming rate of pollution of water bodies, including the Birim River, through illegal mining and other human activities close to river banks, said there was the need for action to stop the menace. Ohum festival The chiefs and the people of Akyem Abuakwa celebrate the Ohum Festival to thank God for blessing their land with the Birim River. They use products from their land and the river as symbols to remember their ancestors, who struggled and persevered in keeping their society intact. In addition, the people give pledges to continue the tradition and to keep Okyeman strong, prosperous and peaceful. This years festival was attended by sons and daughters of Okyeman, both home and abroad. The celebration was on the theme: "Good old traditions for sustainable development". Also in attendance were Ministers of State, including the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is a citizen of the area; the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong; Members of Parliament (MPs), members of the Diplomatic Corps, municipal and district chief executives (MDCEs), a representative of the Speaker of Parliament, Kofi Amoatey; the Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwasi Kwafo Akoto, and the Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III. Birim River With the Birim River occupying an important part of the Ohum Festival, the Vice-President made reference to the present sorry state of the river. As we pledge this day to continue the tradition of our ancestors in keeping our environment safe and clean, we should reflect on the current sorry state of the Birim river, the pride of Okyeman, he said. Today in Ghana, our rivers are polluted with an alarming carelessness. It is either we have farmed or built so close to the river banks, callously polluted the rivers with activities of galamsey or encroached the river path for human settlement. These activities expose the water to all forms of pollution, he added. Overcoming canker Dr Bawumia said overcoming the canker of environmental degradation and pollution required the commitment of everyone, including the government. He pointed out that in times past, chiefs and their people organised communal labour to keep their communities clean. That spirit, he noted, was virtually dead, and called for its revival to address environmental challenges. I implore Nananom to work collaboratively with the local administrative authorities to rekindle that communal spirit to help deal with filth in our societies, he said. Unity and development The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, explained the significance of the Ohum Festival, which, according to him, reflected the core Akan belief in unity of life of the dead, the living and the unborn. He said the symbolic essence was the principle of balance, moderation and regeneration and the immeasurable contribution of the people to the struggle for ecological integrity as a prerequisite for the sustenance of humanity. Commitment He said Okyeman was committed to environmental sanity and commended the government for the Green Ghana Project, as well as its efforts against illegal mining activities. The Okyenhene said sustainable development also related to a condition of social reintegration and cultural revival heralded by people identifying with their ancestral home and history. Therefore, he said, it was necessary for all Akyems, both home and abroad, to submit to meaningful re-engagement with their communities and families. Since Okyeman is your umbilical cord, you must always come home to support the aged, the needy and poor but brilliant children, he told the citizens. 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. Featured Video The Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast, the Most Rev. Mathias Kobena Nketsiah, has urged the government to heed calls for educational policy reform from experts in the field. He said it was obvious the educational sector needed some reforms and suggestions, particularly from those who were active in student development, for a conclusive schedule on the academic calendar for students to be heard. On the double-track system, he said there had been difficulties associated with the high intake into senior high school (SHS), and that those asking for a transition to a more conducive schedule in the new educational environment needed to be heard, especially in the decision-making process. Speech, Prize-giving Day Archbishop Nketsiah was speaking at the 76th Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Holy Child School in Cape Coast, held on the theme: "Building resilience and inspiring creativity in the girl child through exemplary leadership." Given the mounting worries of stakeholders, he expressed the belief that it was prudent for the government and all pertinent institutions to heed the call to address shortfalls in the educational sector and to work to create a more conducive environment for educators to carry out their duty. "Calls being made by people for changes in the educational policy must be listened to. The calls by teachers and educationists, and particularly people in educational formation, must be heard. I want to ask the government to listen and address these growing concerns," he said. Intimidation The Archbishop expressed concern over the intimidation of teachers and head teachers in various institutions, which prevented them from speaking out on matters that were important to them and which affected the educational system. "Sometimes people are afraid to speak and they feel a lot of intimidation. I hope it is not true; but if it is true, those who intimidate them should change and allow teachers to freely voice out their concerns, so that they can be addressed in everyone's best interest," he said. TVET Archbishop Nketsiah applauded the government for emphasising technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the various second-cycle institutions, claiming that that was the best path forward for the nation to create the necessary capacity. "Despite a tremendous rise in the number of students in second-cycle institutions and the myriad of challenges that come with it, the government has made significant success in the skilled, technical training and other academic disciplines. I will implore it to keep working hard and consistently, that the advancement in TVET does not turn into a nine-day wonder," he added. Resilience The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, who was the special guest of honour for the occasion, exhorted the students to be resilient in their decision-making and academic pursuits. She emphasised that it was the only way they could develop the skills necessary for the challenges that lay ahead of them. Speaking on the theme, Prof. Amfo emphasised that resilience was the new skill that everyone, but particularly women, needed to function in today's society. "Society expects women to work graciously aside their work and other unpaid cared work, hence there must be that sense and efforts of resilience to go through life successfully." She challenged both teachers and students to find creative solutions to issues and situations that happened in their daily lives in order to help them meet global standards. Challenges The Headmistress of the school, Linda Appiah, said in spite of the school's many difficulties, the collapse of the fence wall was a serious issue. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) started building the wall in 2015, but could not carry through to completion and was left until its collapse this year. She made a plea to stakeholders to help rebuild the wall to strengthen security on the compound and in the surrounding area. Awards Deserving teachers and students were honoured for their outstanding performances with cash prizes, certificates and other items. The 1997 Year Group, the sponsoring year group, has also undertaken refurbishing works on the Archbishop Amissah Block to mark the celebration. A neurosurgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Mabel Banson, who is a member of the 1997 year group, who chaired the event, said the school had made significant contributions to the growth and successes of past students, and that it was only fitting that they reciprocated by giving something truly outstanding. 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. Featured Video Sri Lanka has suspended sales of fuel for non-essential vehicles as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades. For the next two weeks only buses, trains, and vehicles used for medical services and transporting food will be allowed to fill up with fuel. Schools in urban areas have shut and officials have told the country's 22 million residents to work from home. The South Asian nation is in talks over a bailout deal as it struggles to pay for imports such as fuel and food. On Monday, the government said it will ban private vehicles from buying petrol and diesel until 10 July. Bandula Gunewardena, a spokesperson for Sri Lanka's cabinet, said Sri Lanka "has never faced such a severe economic crisis in its history". The cash-strapped country has also sent officials to the major energy producers Russia and Qatar in a bid to secure cheap oil supplies. Read Full Story .... HERE >>> : Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, has renewed its commitment to partner the government of Ghana in attaining sustainable urbanization and improving on climate change adaptation. This was disclosed when Ghanas Minister for Housing, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye and the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, Her Excellency Maimunah Mohd Sharif, on Monday, June 27, 2022 met at the ongoing World Urban Forum (WUF11) in Katowice, Poland, held under the theme; Transforming our cities for a better urban future. As part of their engagement, the two leaders explored, among others, possible collaborations geared towards addressing both national and global issues. These included climate change adaptation, rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities and economies, as well as the provision of sustainable human settlements aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 11, that is, "To make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". Her Excellency Maimunah Mohd Sharif in her remarks congratulated Ghana for being part of the few countries that have prepared and submitted their report on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, and expressed the need to prioritize Affordable Housing in cities since it is linked to the provision of basic and essential services such as water, sanitation and public health. The provision of Affordable Housing is one of the surest ways to ensure that cities are planned and developed in a more sustainable manner which ultimately impact on a larger segment of the society, said UN-Habitat boss. Again, she stressed the need for the country to take issue of Climate Change Adaption seriously and lauded plans by the Ghanaian leader to institute a National Urban Forum, a platform to engage local stakeholders across various levels to investigate opportunities to strengthen cities resilience and deepen the understanding of the relationship between national urban policies and contemporary crises. It will also provide a platform for high-level discussion on the potential of national urban policies to address challenges in the fields of environment, housing, mobility, spatial planning and innovation and technology. In his response, Hon. Asenso-Boakye expressed his appreciation on the courtesies accorded him and his team. He re-echoed the need to prioritize Affordable Housing, not only to address housing shortages for a large segment of our cities, but also ensuring that cities are planned and built in a more sustainable and inclusive manner, which is in line with the theme for this years World Urban Forum. He noted that Ghana has currently developed a framework that seeks to provide housing in a more organized and sustainable manner to address the housing challenges facing the country. To achieve this, I believe, there is the need to create a robust institutional framework to develop and implement Affordable Housing Programmes across the country, hence our decision to establish a Ghana Housing Authority, said Hon. Asenso-Boakye. He continued; the National Housing Authority will not only serve as a regulator in the sector but also plan, develop, and manage housing development in Ghana. As a Ministry, we have resolved to lead the process to engage key stakeholders within the sector to set up the NHA and also find ingenious ways of creating the enabling environment, especially for the private sector to lead in the provision of safe, decent affordable housing especially for the low-to medium earning Ghanaian. The Minister for Works and Housing, who is leading Ghanas delegation to this years event currently ongoing in the Polish city of Katowice is also expected to take part in a Ministerial Roundtable as part of the global event, being held under the theme, Transforming our cities for a better urban future. 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. Featured Video Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has backed Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumias call for traditional leaders to help the government guard the surroundings. He described the call as awesome after urging all to join hands in the governments quest to protect our environs. The call by his Excellency the Vice president for an active collaboration by our Traditional leaders with the government on environmental responsibility is awesome, he tweeted Adding that, Our religious leaders must be part of the triploid; we must preach environmental responsibility in our churches and mosques. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia urged chiefs and different conventional officers to finish the federal governments efforts to guard the surroundings. Talking at this 12 months version of the Akyem Abuakwa Chiefs and Folks Ohum Competition in Kyebi within the Japanese Province on Saturday Dr Bawumia stated its the obligation of the present era to uphold and defend the traditional custom of maintaining the surroundings for generations but to be born. As we promised at the moment to proceed our ancestors custom of maintaining our surroundings secure and clear, we should mirror on the present unhappy state of the Birim River, the delight of Okyeman. As we speak in Ghana, our rivers are polluted. Weve got farmed this near the banks of the river. We additionally constructed, and polluted the rivers without emotion by means of galamsay actions or invading the river path, these actions expose the waters to every kind of air pollution. Taking on this environmental degradation and air pollution requires the dedication of everybody, together with the federal government. Previously, communal work and volunteering have been efficient methods utilized by Nananom and native authorities to cope with scum issues in our neighbourhoods. This noble initiative However these days our exercise appears misplaced. Nananom, I urge you to work in collaboration with native authorities to rekindle this shared spirit that may assist cope with the filth in our communities, he appealed Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has stated that he is not in support of the activities of members of the LGBTQI+ community. In an interview with Accra-based Power FM, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo intimated that LGBTI+ activities are essentially frowned upon by all major religions in the country. Consequently, he said he will not lend his support to it especially because of his Christian background. In Ghana, we have traditional authorities or religious adherents. Theres none who will accept LGBTQ when you go to them. For our Muslim brothers, the Quran strongly condemns a man marrying a man and a woman marrying a woman, so I dont think they support LGBTQI. It is also a taboo which is abhorred by we Christians. As a person and knowing my orientation, I dislike LGBTQ and I will not encourage it both in personal capacity and official capacity. Theres no way I will endorse it. We will not support it today, well not support it tomorrow, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo said. The comment by the NDC chairman comes on the back of suggestions by NPP chairman, Freddie Blay, that rights of homosexuals should be respected. In this case, Im expressing my own opinion on the matter. I dont subscribe to gayism as a choice because Im not attracted to men. But I dont want to go into peoples bedrooms, I dont see what they are doing. If you want to be gay, then it should be your own problem. I wont go ahead to be a prosecutor of those who want to be together as man and man or woman and woman. I think theres too much hypocrisy about it and we have been excited, motions have been excited over it to the extent that we are not sober. I honestly dont see the hullabaloo about it, we should allow them Mr. Blay said in a recent interview. Meanwhile, Ningo Prampram MP, Sam Nartey George and some other MPs are spearheading a private members bill against LGBTI+ and it related activities. The bill when passed will criminalize activities of LGBTI+ and curtail the rights of individuals engaged in the act. Meanwhile, GhanaWeb is accepting nominations for the prestigious GhanaWeb Excellence Awards Youth Edition. Watch how you can nominate from the video below. 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. Featured Video Senegalese opposition politician Guy Marius Sagna will stand trial on Tuesday for taking part in banned protests that left three people dead on 17 June. The demonstrations were triggered by the government's decision to exclude a list of opposition candidates from next months legislative elections. Mr Sagna is facing charges of calling for and participating in prohibited demonstrations. He was arrested a day after the protests in the southern region of Casamance. It comes a day after a court sentenced opposition MP Dethie Fall to a six-month suspended prison term for taking part in the protests. The main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has demanded the release of several activists - including Mr Sagna, who were arrested during the protests - and has threatened to mobilize his supporters to "come and get them" if they are not freed by the government. Mr Sonko, who came third in the 2019 presidential election, is one of the people prevented from running in the 31 July parliamentary vote by the constitutional council over alleged non-compliance with the countrys electoral law. He has called for further protests to be held on Wednesday, despite an ongoing ban on opposition gatherings, with a real risk of violent confrontations with the police. Instability in Senegal, considered a regional beacon of peace, could have ramifications for West Africa, which has suffered a string of unconstitutional power grabs since 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. Featured Video The Ghana Police Service has reportedly arrested some demonstrators who were involved in an attack against them during Arise Ghana's #KromAyeShe demonstration. The police fired tear gas after they were pelted with stones by the protestors. According to reports, the chaos ensued when the demonstrators insisted on using an unapproved route. In a tweet, the Service described the incident as shameful and unacceptable. Attack on Police in the Ongoing Arise Ghana Demonstration What a shame, we were there to protect you and ensure your safety, but you throw stones at us, injure and hurt us. This behaviour is unacceptable and must be condemned. pic.twitter.com/8FGeycExJD Ghana Police Service (@GhPoliceService) June 28, 2022 Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has presented Ninety-Five (95 ) signed licenses to Members of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM). At a brief ceremony held on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, to present the mining licences to Members of the Association, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor explained that the issuance of the licenses is an affirmation of the governments commitment to the growth of the Small-Scale Mining sector. The Minister relayed the vision of the government which is to create a complete value chain which will result in value retention in the mining sector. He disclosed that government is in the process of building a completely new small-scale mining sector typified by responsible mining, employment and improved living conditions for miners and mining communities. He said the governments plan to achieve the above-stated objectives has seen the adoption of two approaches. These approaches, he mentioned as being reformation and law enforcement is exemplified by the policies of reform at the Minerals Commission and allied agencies and effective enforcement of anti-galamsey laws. He warned that government will be ruthless in its fight against illegal mining, adding that lawbreakers will be dealt with in accordance to the law. "Those who will not come under the umbrella of the Responsible Small Scale Mining should know that the Ministry will come after them ruthlessly. All measures will be thoroughly enforced with no apologies" According to the Minister, the seizure and decommissioning of mining equipment will continue unabated as the government continues to clamp down on activities of illegal mining. He revealed that the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is leading a drive to build a new gold purchasing model, similar to that of the Produce Buying Company in the cocoa sector. Under this model, he said gold purchasing will be done in a robust regime led by the Bank of Ghana and therefore appealed to the members of the small-scale mining association to support the government to achieve the purpose for the new drive. Hon. George Mireku Duker, the Deputy Minister in charge of Mines, in a presentation outlined the governments support for the small-scale mining sector including the improved relations between the Ministry and the GNASSM. He further disclosed that the government through the Minerals Commission has introduced a mechanism that allows for easy application and granting of mining resources. The General Secretary of the GNASSM, Mr Godwin Armah expressed gratitude to the Sector Minister for accommodating and implementing some proposals made by the group. He said the Association will continue to partner with the government to ensure that the mining sector is developed to its apex. 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. Featured Video A man has been arrested in eastern Uganda and held in police custody after slapping an MP at church on Sunday, local media reports. The 39-year-old struck Transport Minister Musa Ecweru in the middle of his speech to congregants at St Michael Catholic Church in Amuria. "He did not react but just looked at him. The Christians and the priests were all shocked," an unnamed source told the state-owned New Vision newspaper. Mr Ecweru's bodyguards then overpowered him and handed him over to local police, the reports say. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Parliament has passed the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to provide for plea bargaining in the administration of criminal justice. When assented to, the law will ensure the speedy trial of cases and help decongest the prisons. The memorandum accompanying the bill named the benefits of plea bargaining, hence the amendment, to include a reduction in caseload of the courts and prosecutors, saving the state time and money by avoiding long and protracted trials, decongestion of the prisons due to reduced sentencing and aiding in the reform of convicted people. Repeal The bill amends the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), which was originally enacted as the Criminal Procedure Code and came into force on January 12, 1961. The object of the amended bill, therefore, is to specifically recognise plea bargaining to be applicable to all offences, except those of treason and high treason. The exclusion of treason and high treason from plea bargaining is in consonance with Clause Three of Article 140 of the 1992 Constitution, which prevents the court from convicting a person being tried for treason or high treason of any offence other than treason or high treason. The bill also excludes from plea bargaining the offences of rape, defilement, genocide, robbery, kidnapping, attempted murder, abduction, piracy, hijacking and offences related to public elections. Justification Justifying the need for Parliament to pass the bill during its consideration stage last Friday, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, said it was the first time plea bargaining arrangements were being introduced comprehensively in the countrys criminal jurisprudence. If, indeed, we are proceeding on this experiment for the first time as a nation, there is the need for us to tread cautiously. Mr Speaker, before the preparation of this bill, there were wide stakeholder consultations, and the preponderance of views was to the effect that there ought to be an exception to the plea bargaining agreement, that we ought to strike certain exceptions to plea bargaining negotiations, he said. Mr Dame explained that those exceptions must be informed by strong policy considerations the interest of the nation and the revulsion of the public to certain classes of offences, including very violent crimes, sexual offences and offences that the nation generally abhors, and that is why we are not including offences involving violent elections. Memorandum The memorandum said Act 30 had been in existence for almost six decades, and that national and international criminal justice systems had undergone many changes during that period the act had been in force. As society changes and criminal jurisprudence evolves, there is the need to amend Act 30 to meet the needs of society and bring it in tune with international best practices. One of such evolving best practices is plea bargaining, it said. Plea bargaining is a process in the criminal justice system where an accused person relinquishes his/her right to go the full trial in exchange for some other benefits. Such benefits might include a reduction of the offence charged to a lesser offence, reduction in punishment for an offence charged or a withdrawal of some of the charges against the accused person, the memorandum explained. It said while plea bargaining might result in the withdrawal of charges entirely, in exchange for a promise to assist in the prosecution of others, most plea bargains ended in a conviction, either for one or more of the offences charged, or for a lesser offence of which the accused could be convicted. Other benefits It also led to the satisfaction of victims of offences through compensation and restitution, in addition to punishing the accused, it said. Due to the enormous benefits of plea bargaining, it has been adopted as part of the criminal justice system in both civil law and common law jurisdictions, it said. The memorandum indicated that some form of plea bargaining already existed in Ghanas criminal justice system. It said subsections two and three of Section 239 of Act 30, for example, provided for some limited plea bargaining in respect of indictable offences, while Section 35 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) provided for plea bargaining in respect of offences which resulted in economic loss, harm or damage to the state or an agency of the state. It added that recent enactments, such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) also made provision for some form of plea bargaining in respect of corruption and corruption-related offences and narcotic offences, respectively. The majority of offences under our criminal jurisprudence are, however, generally excluded from plea bargaining, the memorandum 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. Featured Video The Ghana Police Service says it expects the courts to give directions today (Monday, June 27, 2022) on whether the two-day demonstration led by Arise Ghana, including picketing the precincts of Jubilee House into the night, should proceed as planned. Arise Ghana is mobilising the public for the demonstrations in Accra beginning 3pm on June 28, breaking at 10pm before resuming in the morning of the next day, June 29. The demonstration is to protest persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices and their attendant excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians, the imposition of E-Levy, the grabbing of State lands by officials and the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest reserve, increased police brutalities and state-sponsored killing of innocent Ghanaians, as well as demand a full scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures, and the total cancelation of the Agyapa deal. According to the police however, In order to adequately ensure the safety of demonstrators and other members of the public it had asked the organisers to rather start the demonstration early and end it before nightfall, but they refused to change the plans. The Police issued a statement Sunday explaining its misgivings about the time of the demonstration and the location for the picketing. Due to the lack of agreement between the Police and the organisers on the time for the demonstration and location for their planned picketing, the Police have had no option but to submit the process to the court for a determination. This was duly communicated to Arise Ghana in a letter on June 22, 2022. The case has since been filed at the court and the hearing is scheduled for tomorrow Monday, June 27, 2022. Arise Ghana disagrees Responding to the restraining orders applied for by the police, a member of Arise Ghana and second respondent in the police application, Bernard Mornah, said the reasons canvassed by the Police are contrived with the sole purpose of denying citizens their constitutionally guaranteed right to demonstrate and express their views, and urged the court to deny the application. Mornah also averred that the application had been brought in bad faith and in breach of an agreement reached by the parties, and granting it will only empower the police to use the court as a tool to impede and frustrate the exercise of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens. "That to further demonstrate the bad faith by the Police, the instant application even though on notice was served on me without a return date and this further demonstrates another bad faith by the Police to move the Application on our blind side", he argues, and adds that it would be unjust for the application to be granted by the court. 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. Featured Video Forum for Development and Accountable Governance (FDAG) cant agree less with Kamal Hassan when he aired that, "When you dont take a stand against corruption, you tacitly support it". Our nationwide program that called on Ghanaians to reject the obnoxious, insensitive and infamous E_Levy among other issues took us through out the country, specifically to places such as markets, lorry stations and some fishing communities, confirmes among the main reasons highlighted by the organizers of the *ARISE GHANA* demonstration. It is with great pleasure that ARISE GHANA comes up with such a needful demonstration to help bring our sinking nation on track. Without reservations, Forum for Development and Accountable Governance(FDAG) is exhilarated to rally our replete support for this honorable course. Signed: Kojo Danquah, Convener (0557354505) Peter Mensah, Convener (0547137937) Delali Sewoekpor, convenor (0244429228) Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The UN Eminent Peace Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Samuel Ben Owusu has charged the newly inducted Peace Ambassador to Uganda, Dr Livingstone Banjagala to focus on making sure that the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are achieved in the sub-region. That, he said will aid in the development of the continent. Amb. Dr Samuel Ben Owusu gave the advice at the First-Ever Africa Peace Campaign in Kampala, Uganda. The International Association of World Peace Advocates (LAWPA) during the Campaign inducted Amb. Dr Livingstone Banjagala as its newest Peace Ambassador to Uganda and the Country Director of the Association. Amb. Owusu in his message reassured Ugandans and the Eastern African Sub-Region of the reality that it is only through peace that we can all develop our continent and expand our perceptions. RESPONSE For his part, Amb. Dr Livingstone Banjagala in his acceptance speech thanked the organization for the honour bestowed on him. He pledged to promote and advocate Peace in the Sub Region. BACKGROUND Dr Livingstone Banjagala who is the General Overseer and the Lead Pastor of City Harvest Churches is also a Minister of the Gospel. He has been in ministry for 20 years and has dedicated his life to changing the lives of God's people by availing himself in the five-fold ministry. He is a trailblazer and an agent of change; hence, it was no surprise when he was nominated and approved as the newest Peace Ambassador representing Uganda. The auspicious programme was held at Amb. Livingstone's church, the City Harvest. Among the dignitaries was Amb. Dr Sammy David from Liberia, H.E. Amb Emmanuel Nkweke, the World Peace spokesman who also represented the world peace president, H. E. Per Stahfan from Denmark, Government officials, the diplomat col, ministers of the Gospel. 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. Featured Video The US Embassy in Ghana has restated the support of their country towards persons who identify as members of the LGBTQI+ community. In a post on their social media handle, the Embassy said US remained committed to bringing an end to the stigma and discrimination meted out against LGBTI+ persons. It also stressed their dedication to promoting human rights and ensuring freedom for all. The U.S. is committed to ending violence, discrimination, and stigma against LGBTQI+ persons and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, the US Embassy in Ghana tweeted on June 27. In a separate tweet on June 24, the embassy advocating for LGBTQI+ persons said they were seeking for their basic human rights to be respected. It stated that LGBTQI+ persons deserve to be treated equally under the law. LGBTQI+ persons do not seek special rights, only respect for their basic human rights. As our colleagues, our neighbors, and members of our families and houses of worship, LGBTQI+ persons deserve equal treatment under the law, the tweet said. Conversations bothering on LGBTQI+ resurfaced earlier this month after advocates mounted a huge billboard along a major road to mark the Pride month which is celebrated in June. This drew the wrath on Ningo Prampram MP, Sam Nartey George, who issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the city authorities to pull down the billboards. This was subsequently carried through. The MP and some of his colleagues are spearheading a Private Members bill against LGBTI+ and it related activities. The bill when passed will criminalize activities of LGBTI+ and curtail the rights of individuals engaged in the act. 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. Featured Video Research Scientist at the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute has called on the government to help promote underutilized, neglected and orphan leafy vegetables since the level of nutrient contents and medicinal values in those vegetables are unbelievable and unmatched and needed to be given more attention to create awareness about their usefulness. According to the research scientist, due to modernization, these nutritious leafy vegetables have been neglected and only used in a few parts of the country, especially in the Northern Region, and it's likely to face extinction if steps are not taken to protect, promote and revive its usage among Ghanaians. It is for these reasons that, the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute at Bunso in collaboration with Crop Trust are embarking on a project to revive the production and consumer interest of some of the underutilized leafy vegetables known locally as Alefu, Ayoyo, sobolo and kenaf. Speaking in an interview with UTV news, the Consultant of Crop Trust, Dr. Eva Weltzien said the project seeks to collaborate with the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute to come out with the preferred varieties of the leafy vegetables for the farmers to produce more feed the public. She added that her outfit will continue to support the promotion of the neglected and underutilized leafy vegetables. A Research Scientist with the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute, Dr. Richard Adu Amoah revealed that the neglected and the under-utilized leafy vegetables are very nutritious and medicinal than the notable ones in the system. He however used the opportunity and called on the government to help in the promotion of neglected, orphaned and underutilized leafy vegetables. The Acting Director of the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute, Dr. Daniel Ashie Kotey said as the national genebank which is mandated to collect and preserve plant resources, they will ensure that most of the essential neglected plant crops are not extinct. Source: Ayeh Ebenezer/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The presidency has again responded to some claims made by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu with regards to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos current trip to Belgium and Rwanda. According to the Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin, the NDC lawmaker is only trying to score political points with his series of lies. He noted in a lengthy statement that, the president left the country with a chartered flight for a good reason. In his statement, the MP conveniently avoids the issue of President Akufo-Addo having to arrive from Brussels to Kigali on time to participate in the commencement of the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Project, a project which is a collaboration between Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal." This event and the President's participation was one of the reasons for which the decision was taken to charter a flight for the President, so he could arrive on time, demonstrate Ghana's solidarity, and deliver his far-reaching remarks at the start of this strategic Pan-African project. "I am sure that the people of Ghana will recognize this as a good reason for the President to travel. Undoubtedly, the Hon. MP's motives are not well-intentioned, as he is merely seeking to score cheap political points to incite public disaffection against the President," part of the statement read. Read full statement Your browser does not support iframes. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation(STC), Nana Akomea, has thrown his weight behind the pressure group "Arise Ghana" demonstration against the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. The group scheduled their demonstration to commence today June 28 to 29, 2022 in Accra and their aim is to highlight economic and governance challenges bedeviling the country. But there is a brouhaha over the route and time they want to use for their demonstration. According to the Police, the Organizers of the demonstration who have requested to "move through the Nima Police Station street to the Arko-Agyei inter-change and end at the Frontage of the Jubilee House where we will picket until 10PM" cannot hold it, hence, they have secured a High Court order to prevent their terms. The Police, in a statement, said "in the interest of Public Order and safety, we entreated the organizers to reconsider the time frame and start the demonstration early in the day and end before night falls" but "on June 22, 2022, the Police received a verbal response from the organizers to the effect that they are unable to change the time of the demonstration". They added; Due to the lack of agreement between the Police and the organizers on the time for demonstration and location for their planned picketing, the Police have had no option but to submit the process to the court for a determination. This was duly communicated to Arise Ghana in a letter on June 20, 2022." The Arise Ghana organizers are also seeking an appeal to set aside the High Court ruling on their intended demonstration. "Lawyers for Arise Ghana have consequently filed a Notice for Appeal and an application for Stay of Execution of the said Order. The Police have been duly served. The demonstration will come off as planned," a statement by the group read. Nana Akomea, also appealing on behalf of the group, asked the Police to allow them to go on their demonstration. According to him, he sees nothing wrong with the routes that the demonstrators have chosen, therefore wants "them to embark on their demonstration. It's their right but they should make demands that will ruin their own case". He said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show on Tuesday. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A clergyman has said that a popular South African dance, Umlando, was created by demons. In a viral video, the clergyman while speaking to members of his church, said the Lord took him to the marine spirit where he saw that the demons manufacture seductive dance steps and unleashed into the earth. He said he was in the marine world where he saw the demons manufacture the popular South African dance step, Umlando, and the dance step was "unleashed" to the earth. He said right now so many girls have hosted the demon by dancing Umlando. Watch a video of him speaking as well as the dance move below... Source: youtube Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The union representing customs officers says the Canada Border Services Agency is not moving fast enough to fill the worker shortage behind the airport delays of the past few months. A Canadian Border Services agent stands watch at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair speaks with reporters as he arrives for a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle Britain's Queen Elizabeth II inspects the keys presented by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, left, during the Ceremony of the Keys on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during her traditional trip to Scotland for Holyrood Week, Monday, June 27, 2022. Most people in Canada do not think "new Canadians" should have to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen and her heirs when they take the oath of citizenship, according to a poll ahead of Canada Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-PA, Jane Barlow Saanich Police joined by Victoria Police and RCMP respond to gunfire involving multiple people and injuries reported at the Bank of Montreal during an active situation in Saanich, B.C., on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Saanich police say two people are dead and six officers were hurt when they exchanged gunfire outside the bank. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito Madnes Bicycles Atlas 29 Madnes Bicycles Atlas 29 Details - Frame made in France - 65.5 head angle, 75.5 seat angle - 438 mm seat stays - 440 / 468 mm reach (M / L) - 150 - 160 mm rear travel (depending on shock stroke) - Designed around 150 - 160 mm forks - Weight: 3.5 kg (frame only) - 29" - Price: from 2050 Euro (frame without shock) - Website: - Instagram: - Frame made in France- 65.5 head angle, 75.5 seat angle- 438 mm seat stays- 440 / 468 mm reach (M / L)- 150 - 160 mm rear travel (depending on shock stroke)- Designed around 150 - 160 mm forks- Weight: 3.5 kg (frame only)- 29"- Price: from 2050 Euro (frame without shock)- Website: https://madnesbicycles.com/en/ - Instagram: @madnesbicycles drj0n bagworks dRj0n bagworks barnacles dRj0n strapdeck dRj0n DeWidget DeWidget holding a top tube bag in place The barnacles can be attached to any round tube Details - Made in UK - Price: from 10 - Several shops sell Jon's products: - Instagram: - Made in UK- Price: from 10 - Several shops sell Jon's products: https://linktr.ee/drj0nbagworks - Instagram: @drj0n_bagworks Intend BC Hover Gamechanger Details - Made in Germany - Price: 1079 Euro - Trunnion and metric sizes - Length: 165 250 mm - Stroke: 45 / 55 / 65 / 75 mm - Colour: Black anodized - Adjustments: Air pressure / low speed rebound / low speed compression / volume spacers - Weight: 455 g (230 x 60 mm, including 22,2 x 8 mm bushings) - Other: Custom stroke available (15 Euro), Intend bushings available (25 Euro each), high pressure pump included - Intended use: all mountain bike styles - Maximum rider weight: 120 kg - Website: - Instagram: - Made in Germany- Price: 1079 Euro- Trunnion and metric sizes- Length: 165 250 mm- Stroke: 45 / 55 / 65 / 75 mm- Colour: Black anodized- Adjustments: Air pressure / low speed rebound / low speed compression / volume spacers- Weight: 455 g (230 x 60 mm, including 22,2 x 8 mm bushings)- Other: Custom stroke available (15 Euro), Intend bushings available (25 Euro each), high pressure pump included- Intended use: all mountain bike styles- Maximum rider weight: 120 kg- Website: https://www.intend-bc.com/ - Instagram: @intend_bc Cavalerie Bikes, Effigear & Opn Bar Opn Bar handlebar caps Cavalerie Bikes Anakin V2 Effigear "mimic" gearbox The new Cavalerie Bikes Anakin V2 uses a 9-speed Effigear gearbox Details - Made in France - Prices: from 990 Euro (gearbox), 4010 Euro (Anakin V2 frame including gearbox), 28 Euro (Opn Bar) - Website: https://www.cavalerie-bikes.com/en/ / https://www.effigear.com/en/opn-bar - Instagram: @cavalerie.bikes / @opn_bar - Made in France- Prices: from 990 Euro (gearbox), 4010 Euro (Anakin V2 frame including gearbox), 28 Euro (Opn Bar)- Website: https://www.effigear.com/en/ - Instagram: @effigear August Bicycles Details - Made in UK - Prices: from 15 (light brackets) / 50 (coffee tamper) - Website: - Instagram: - Made in UK- Prices: from 15 (light brackets) / 50 (coffee tamper)- Website: https://www.augustbicycles.cc/ - Instagram: @augustbicycles Since friends Jordan and Sylvain relaunched the Madnes brand last year, their bikes quickly gained a lot of attention due to their great paint jobs and clean design. Their Stellar 27.5 frame has been around for a while now, and they just recently launched their new Atlas 29 frame.The heart of these made-in-France frames is Reynolds 725 and 631 double-butted steel tubing and a fairly progressive VPP suspension design. The leverage ratio starts at 3.2 (0 mm travel) and ends at 2.3 (160 mm travel). Interestingly, their frames don't use regular bearings, but polymer bushings, which the Madnes team says increases durability and reduces maintenance intervals.At 150-160 mm travel, the Atlas 29 features a 65.5 head angle and 75.5 seat angle. The frames are currently available in sizes M (reach 440 mm / wheelbase 1203 mm) and L (reach 468 mm / wheelbase 1237 mm), with 438 mm chainstays on both. Apart from replacing the commonly used bearings with polymer bushes, the Atlas 29 relies on current standards: 30.9 mm seatpost, 180 mm PM brake mount, IS 42 / IS 52 headset, BSA 73 mm bottom bracket, and a boost rear wheel axle. According to Madnes, the frame is surprisingly light for a steel Enduro frame: it's said to tip the scales at 3.5 kg.If you want to know more about the suspension design of this frame, the Madnes team has some detailed charts on their website Jon started dRj0n bagworks as a tongue-in-cheek hashtag to collect his MYOG (make your own gear) bike-packing bag projects. His first non-bag product was the DeWidget - a top tube bag stabilizer that was a napkin sketch after a ride of the Cairngorm Loop in Scotland removed some material from his headset due to grit getting caught under the ubiquitous velcro straps. The initial design had a bearing that sat above the stem and a loop for the velcro attached to the outer race - allowing the steering to be independent of the bag attachment and therefore removing any friction and stabilizing the loaded bag hugely. His friend Mark at Bentley Components saw his sketch and made him the prototype. After that, they worked on a simpler, "bushing" style design.Soon after this, they explored 3D printing as a manufacturing method, and the DeWidget as it exists today was born.Mark is well known for taking ideas and making them a reality and over the years Jon had sketched out various parts that he thought would make life on the bike better. Primarily, they allow stuff you need to take along - bottles, tools, clothes, spares - to attach solidly, without fuss or extra weight, to the bike rather than the rider. The StrapDeck is a simple curved plate that can be used to strap a multitude of things to the frame and to the best of Jon's knowledge, it was the first of its kind. It has been used worldwide to haul dry bags, peanut butter jars, fishing rods, extra bottles, and more. The StrapDecks now come in four sizes and attach to bottle bosses or 3 pack bosses, and are compatible with Voile straps or velcro.The next product allows decks or bottle cages to attach where there are no bosses - the barnacle is flexible and strong, coming in a range of diameters to attach to frame tubes, seat posts, and forks.All the parts are 3D printed in the UK by 3dPrint-UK using nylon that is flexible, strong, and durable in many conditions. 3dPrint-UK is able to polish the parts giving an attractive surface finish compared to many printed parts and, although it is not the cheapest way to make plastic components, Jon says it has proven to be versatile and tough.Although drj0n bagworks catalog is growing, it remains primarily a hobby for Jon. He is glad that the parts are making adventures around the world better and that helps him to come up with new designs.While the first version of the Hover shock had a soft lockout (which was basically a firm compression setting), the new Hover Gamechanger comes with a hard lockout.The new flip lever closes the oil flow completely, resulting in a hardtail-like feel. However, the metal shim is designed in such a way that it allows a minimal oil flow so the shock can extend completely. This means that you're not pedaling uphill with a sagged shock (and a slack seat angle), but with an extended shock and steep seat angle. Please note that the oil flow does not work in the other direction, so the shock will remain 100% locked out when you ride. Cornelius from Intend says the lockout is so hard that you will definitely not forget to open the lockout before you hit the trails.Apart from the lockout, the Hover has some interesting tech. Unlike most shocks, you can adjust the air pressure in the positive and negative air chambers separately. When setting up the shock, you turn the small silver dial which opens a port between both air chambers. You pump them simultaneously to your desired pressure and after that, you turn the small dial again to close the port. Next, you add some more air to the negative air chamber to improve suppleness (typically around 5 bar / 70 psi more than in the positive air chamber).The shock can also be tuned with volume spacers, which can be added or removed within a couple of minutes.If you didn't know, you'd hardly believe that a rather unspectacular industrial building in the Rhone Valley south of Lyon is home to some of the most innovative bike companies. However, Cavalerie Bikes, Effigear, and Opn Bar all share one address and they all offer truly unique products.Effigear is best known for making gearboxes that work well on high-pivot full-suspension bikes. They recently updated their original 9-speed gearbox, which now offers a range of 463% instead of 440%. Last year, they also introduced their "mimic" gearbox , which happens to be compatible with the more common Pinion mount. The "mimic" gearbox also has 9 gears and offers a range of 469%. Both gearboxes can be used with SRAM trigger shifters.With the Anakin V2 , Effigear's sister company Cavalerie Bikes launched a very interesting enduro frame just a few weeks ago. The frame is designed around the updated original Effigear gearbox, can be used with belt drives and chains, and offers 158, 164, or 176 mm of rear travel. With a 63.8 head angle, a 77 seat angle, and 450 - 500 mm reach, it certainly ticks many boxes.The most affordable but no less interesting product from the Rhone Valley are the Opn Bar handlebar caps. What started as a fun project on a hot summer day has evolved into a handy product that makes for a great gift for your riding buddies or yourself.August Bicycles is a family-run frame and wheel building business based in Norwich, UK. One of the best-known bikes that Gavin, the frame builder behind August Bicycles, has built in the recent past was a fantastic town bike with a lot of nicely integrated details, such as a brazed-on downtube logo.Apart from building frames and wheels, Gavin also offers some neat small products, such as the small taillight brackets that replace the barrel nuts which are used in various seat clamps. These brackets let you mount Supernova E3 or B&M rear lamps directly under the seat clamp. Currently, there are brackets for Thomson, Salsa, and Pro seat clamps, but Gavin is planning to expand this range in the near future.Before you go on a long night ride, you might want to brew your coffee in style - the August coffee tampers surely help to get everything right. They are usually made from broken hub shells and there's a small selection of coffee tampers available online, but you can also send in your broken hub and Gavin will transform it into a one-of-a-kind coffee tamper. South Carolina's law banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is discernible took effect late on June 27, Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson announced. Its implementation is a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that sent control over the procedure back to the states. At least one provider in the Palmetto State plans to comply with it. The legislature's "Fetal Heartbeat Act" bans abortion once a heartbeat is detected, which could be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and could be before a woman knows she is carrying. The measure had been held up by an injunction from the U.S. District Court of South Carolina. But once the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, Wilson moved to have that injunction stayed, and it was days later. The order was signed by U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis. "Once Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision on legally protecting the lives of unborn babies was returned to the states, so there was no longer any basis for blocking South Carolinas Heartbeat Law, Wilson said in a media statement. Our state is now carrying out a governments most sacred and fundamental duty, protecting life, he added. The law allows exceptions in the case of rape or incest if the fetus is less than 20 weeks, or if it is necessary to save the life of the mother, Wilson noted. "Weve spent nearly a year and a half defending the Fetal Heartbeat Act in court," Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted. "Finally, it has gone into effect in South Carolina. This is why Fridays U.S. Supreme Court decision is so important countless unborn children will be saved because of this law." Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which operates clinics in Charleston and Columbia, said it will abide by the new law. "We are providing abortion care in full compliance with (the law), and we encourage anyone seeking an abortion to contact our office as soon as possible," President and CEO Jenny Black said in a statement. "But this fight is far from over," she added. "Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and our partners are dedicated to protecting reproductive freedom for all." South Carolina was not among the 13 states that had "trigger" laws that would enact an abortion ban in the event Roe was overturned. State lawmakers are poised to reconvene in a special session after July 1 to consider a total ban on abortion and what exemptions may be allowed. That process will start in the House, where a 12-member committee is expected to hear testimony and make recommendations. When that committee will start is expected to be announced this week. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, has promised the legislature would not act hastily on the issue. Skylar Laird and Seanna Adcox contributed to this report. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Charleston International set a new one-month passenger record in May, surpassing the half-million mark for the first time ever and providing a boost to the airport's projected goal of reaching 5 million travelers by year's end. More than 513,000 arrivals and departures passed through the main terminal last month, surging past the previous record set last July by nearly 24,000. The increase in traffic came during the first full month without mask-wearing mandates after U.S. airlines and many of the airports they serve dropped their requirements April 18, shortly after a federal judge in Florida struck down the national mandate Airport CEO Elliott Summey called the new passenger milestone for one month "a huge accomplishment" made possible by working with existing airlines and recruiting new carriers to add new destinations and larger aircraft. Summey also doesn't foresee a huge dent in passenger travel as airlines tweak schedules to match flights with their workforce in an ongoing labor crunch. He said the public's urge to travel after two years of coronavirus-interrupted vacation plans is increasing demand. "Right now, it looks like it's just a little bump in the road," Summey said. By the numbers Charleston airport passengers* 2022 January: 239,730 February: 307,665 March: 437,066 April: 486,808 May: 513,559 Total: 1,984,828 2021 January: 121,274 February: 127,416 March: 229,330 April: 300,627 May: 410,336 Total: 1,188,983 2020 January: 304,320 February: 312,213 March: 194,459 April: 14,896 May: 51,118 Total: 877,006 2019 January: 283,265 February: 296,318 March: 406,891 April: 432,406 May: 469,160 Total: 1,888,040 *Figures represent arrivals and departures Source: Charleston County Aviation Authority United recently announced it will cut a half-dozen flights in July between Charleston and Newark Liberty International as part of its trimming of 50 flights a day at the New York City area airport. Also, Breeze Airways said this week it is curtailing nearly a dozen flights each week from the Lowcountry to six destinations for the rest of the summer, including delaying the launch of a new six-day-a-week nonstop route to Las Vegas by one month until September. For the year, CHS has seen 1.98 million travelers, or nearly 100,000 more than during the first five months of 2019, the last year before COVID-19 sent air travel into a tailspin. The latest figures for 2022 show nearly 800,000 more ticket holders passing through Charleston's terminal than last year during the first five months, when air travel began to tick back up after many venues and events reopened following the introduction of coronavirus vaccines in 2021. To reach the goal of hitting the 5 million mark this year, the airport will have to see more than 3 million additional passengers by Dec. 31, or about 431,000 a month on average, an increase of about 5,000 each month compared to the final seven months of 2019. June's passenger count and the rest of the summer are projected to be strong in Charleston and add to the airport's climbing number of ticket holders, according to David McMahon, federal security director with the Transportation Security Administration for South Carolina airports. "We are seeing over 60,000 each week at the checkpoint, and one week in June we were over 63,000," McMahon said. "Passenger loads have picked up on Sunday and Monday and Thursday and Friday as well as midweek, which is usually slower." About 10,000 travelers a day have gone through the security checkpoint at CHS on Sundays and Mondays recently, and that's considerably higher than during the slower winter travel months. Also, TSA officers are seeing about 8,000 a day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when passenger numbers are usually about 7,000 at this time of year. McMahon said he believes the boost in midweek travel will help to offset some of the losses from airline route cutbacks. The TSA director attributed part of the passenger count increase to the return of business travelers, based on the number of PreCheck flyers in the early-morning weekday hours and on Sundays. "On a daily average, we are seeing about 35 percent PreCheck," a percentage he said has risen in recent months. PreCheck is a TSA program that allows passengers to be preapproved to go through the security checkpoint. Travelers who often fly for business purposes, McMahon said, are among the main users. "I think we are going to see a pretty strong summer," he said. "The numbers are still consistent, and they have actually gone up slightly." He urged ticket holders to get to the airport a couple of hours before their flight is scheduled to depart "for a less-stressful screening experience." A federal judge has accepted guilty pleas from four South Carolina residents charged with submitting false information to obtain more than $4.7 million in loans the government provided businesses to help preserve jobs during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conspiracy was led by Lori Hammond, 53, of Summerville, who also goes by the last names of McCracken and Blakely, according to a court document filed last month. She agreed to plead guilty May 19. Her associates are Catherine "Cassie" Needham, 36, of Manning and Holly Hill residents Christopher Conrad, 39, and Jontrell Wright, 35. They also signed plea deals last month. The four appeared before U.S. District Judge David Norton in Charleston last week, the U.S. Attorney's office said June 28. They each face up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The sentencing hearings have not been scheduled. Prosecutors said they bilked the U.S. Small Business Administration's $649 billion Payroll Protection Program, which was created to offer forgivable loans to employers after the global health crisis nearly crippled the economy more than two years ago. The PPP fraud is one of the largest of its kind to come to light in South Carolina. The government traced the crimes to May 2020. It said Hammond submitted loan applications over the next two months through several banks on behalf of five companies. On one of the forms, for a medical practice, she listed as the owner a Holly Hill man who had been dead for nine months. Hammond then helped Needham, Conrad and Wright obtain seven additional loans in July 2020. An unidentified California resident was paid a fee to submit the applications to banks for processing, prosecutors said. All of the paperwork contained "false and misleading statements" about the number of employees, payroll expenses, taxes and other information, according to a court filing. In all, the SBA paid the four conspirators more than $4.72 million in pandemic loans. The money was deposited electronically and some of it was used for "non-qualifying, non-business-related purposes," such as "homes, property, cars and other personal purchases." Nearly half went to Hammond. The government said last month it had seized bank accounts in her name containing more than $1.36 million. NORTH CHARLESTON An unusual sight to behold awaited guests at the Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark on the morning of June 28. A group of around 100 bathing suit-clad contest winners held onto pool floats resembling tortilla chips and ate free Moe's Southwest Grill queso before wading into the 870-foot-long lazy river. It was the realization, of sorts, of one Charleston comedian's dream to float down a queso lazy river. It all started with an email exchange between said comedian, Hagan Ragland, and Charleston County Park and Recreation's Nick Epps back in April. In that email, Ragland requested that the parks department turn the Whirlin' Waters circular attraction into "a queso cheese lazy river." The following email exchange, which included ideas from long twisty straws for slurping to cheese cloth to block the drains, created waves on social media and local news, and even reached the "Today" show. Ultimately, Epps had to turn Ragland down, citing logistical challenges like the lack of properly sized tortilla chips and the likely disapproval of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Little did they both know that wouldn't be the end of Ragland's far-fetched fantasy. Moe's Southwest Grill's corporate headquarters caught wind of the conversation and decided to collaborate with Ragland and PRC to create tortilla chip-shaped floats that could be used to drift down the lazy river. A contest was formulated online, and 50 lucky winners from more than 2,000 entries were selected to attend a special lazy river float at the waterpark on June 28. Each winner could bring a guest and would receive free queso for a year. Ragland and Epps, after a rousing speech and "Welcome to Moe's!" cheer, led the excited group into the lazy river with their fleet of tortilla rafts as Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" played over the loudspeakers. As the clouds parted and the sun came out, Hagland attributed the good fortune to the queso gods. "Now the sun's coming out because everybody loves cheese," he said. "I didn't know what to expect, but this is about what I expected, which is madness. I'm glad people had enough fun with it that it escalated to this point. That's how this thing started in the first place: Making people laugh." In addition to making people laugh, the event truly made some dreams come true. Among contest winners was 6-year-old Elia Ikonomidis, who attended along with her mother Ashley Ikonomidis and grandmother Kathie Kunz. Elia had been diagnosed with acute lymphonic leukemia at age 2 and underwent two years of treatment that included chemotherapy and steroids. During her cancer treatments, her mother said she craved Moe's queso. "Usually nobody craves sweets but craves salty, and there are videos of Elia in the clinic saying she wanted queso," said Ikonomidis. "On the way to MUSC, we would stop at Moe's." She said her daughter once even yelled out, "Taco meat! Where are you taco meat?" in her dreams. Queso was her favorite, though, so winning this contest was truly the perfect scenario. For breakfast before heading to the waterpark, she even ate shredded cheese and a tortilla to fit the theme. It was a cheesy day all around and a celebration of Elia being in remission for two years now. She got a picture in front of the provided queso fountain, surrounded by paper trays of chips, to remember the dreamy moment. Also in attendance was Amanda Williams, a 31-year-old librarian at the Wando Mount Pleasant Library, who proclaimed, "Everything about this day is perfect!" as she was handed a tortilla raft. Williams said she entered the contest as a joke after her friend sent her the link. "I really love queso, but I'm lactose intolerant, so thought it would be hilarious if I won," Williams said. She did, and brought her friend Kelsey Palmer along for the fun. "I'm crying tears of queso," said Williams, who admitted she would be taking several Lactaid pills to balance out the free cheese dip. The library allowed her to come into work late for the monumental occasion. Moe's Southwest Grill representatives from local stores and corporate headquarters alike were in attendance, in addition to Charleston County parks staff. Moe's marketing representative Sarah Zwolski said the company jumped onto the idea once it blew up online, hoping to make the most out of the queso mania. As of that morning, Moe's was selling official merchandise created based on the idea, including the tortilla chip floats, queso lazy river board shorts "You've gotta have a swimwear line," Zwolski asserted and button-down Hawaiian shirts. (The float will set you back $49.99 at moesmerch.com, while the board shorts ring in at $45 and shirt costs $60.) At the waterpark, while contest winners drifted down the lazy river all smiles and giggles, Zwolski said that she never so badly wanted to put on her swimsuit at a work event. After his float, Ragland said it was harder work than he expected, with the chip rotating from blunt edge to tip. He said he missed the twisty straws, but it was totally worth it to spread some queso mania in Charleston. Everyone got to keep their floats. COLUMBIA Gov. Henry McMaster said June 28 that he "looks forward to the day we don't have abortions" but indicated he'd sign whatever the Legislature sends him. He indicated that he is willing to sign legislation that includes exceptions to an outright ban. "I look forward to the day nobody wants an abortion in South Carolina, and we wont need exceptions," McMaster told reporters ahead of the Legislature gaveling in for a special, one-day session to take up his budget vetoes. Pressed for specifics on exceptions such as in cases of rape, incest and threats to the health of the mother the governor said, "If no one is seeking abortions, we wont need exceptions, but exceptions have been recognized." McMaster noted the law he signed last year, which forbids an abortion once an ultrasound detects a fetal heartbeat, includes those exceptions. That law, which bans abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, had been blocked by federal courts before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal nationwide. But the high court's opinion on June 24 made the challenge moot. The law took effect late June 27, days after Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a motion to lift the injunction. Even with the new restrictions in place, S.C. legislators are expected to return in the coming weeks for a planned special session in response to the U.S. Supreme Court retuning legal control over abortions to the states. The General Assembly is expected to weigh a total ban on abortions. A 12-member House committee led by Rep. John McCravy, one of the Legislature's most ardent abortion foes, will start the process by taking public testimony at its first meeting July 7. McMaster's Democratic opponent, Joe Cunningham, called on legislators June 27 to wait until after the November elections to debate abortion. But McMaster said a day later there's no need for that. "The people have been studying this and debating this for many years," McMaster said. "Now is a good time," he continued. "We have children being aborted in our state as well as the rest of the country. We have the information. Its time to get on with the discussion and make whatever decisions are necessary." As McMaster spoke, abortion rights protesters gathered outside the S.C. Statehouse as lawmakers returned to Columbia to vote on the governor's budget vetoes. Their numbers would swell to about 150 as they entered and ascended the stairs to the second-floor lobby, along with about a dozen abortion opponents. While the group filled the second floor the crowd was far less than a demonstration by teachers in 2019 seeking increased pay and other education reforms. As the bell rang calling legislators to their respective chambers, the protesters were there as a show of force to lawmakers, even though they were not taking up the issue in the veto session. Among the crowd was Roxanne Douthit of Columbia, who was 32 weeks pregnant after multiple miscarriages. She conceived via in vitro fertilization. She said she felt it was important to show her support for legal access to abortion because of her own pregnancy struggles, as well as those of her family. "I was five weeks pregnant when we got a positive test. So having one week, with a six-week heartbeat ban, is incredibly dangerous because so infrequently do you know you're pregnant at that point," she said of the ban signed into law by the governor last year. "I wouldn't be able to have this kid without the palliative and judgment-free care that my doctor was able to proceed with me during my miscarriages," Douthit added. "What happened during my pregnancies was between me and my doctor, not between me and my legislature." Another abortion rights supporter, Julie Lumpkin of Columbia, said she is old enough to remember life before Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal nationwide. "I had a woman on my hall who had a self-induced abortion in the bathroom at my college of twins, and she nearly died from bleeding out. And I'll never forget that," she said. Several Democratic lawmakers also made appearances, eliciting cheers from the crowd and a few contentious exchanges with abortion opponents. You have blood on your hands, you wicked devil, one woman yelled as Orangeburg's Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the longest serving member of the House, spoke. The woman, identified by law enforcement as Annie Shockley Wirth, of Belton, would later be arrested for misdemeanor assault. Social media videos show her yelling at police and slightly pushing one officer. The short-lived bouts of shouting, while a rarity for the Statehouse lobby, did not disrupt legislative proceedings. They continued as usual behind closed doors. "Thank you for showing up and making sure your voices are heard," said Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Hopkins, when he came into the lobby to address the crowd. "I hope you all are ready for a long summer of fighting." That's when the group began to chant: "Abortion rights are under attack. What are we gonna do?" yelled the leader. "Stand up. Fight back," the crowd screamed. After quick warnings from law enforcement that they would be arrested if they continued, much of the group walked out and made several laps around the Statehouse. Charles Swann, a Columbia pastor who said he holds the belief that life starts at conception, was among abortion foes at the Statehouse on June 28. "We're here to support and hopefully see that South Carolina will further its stand against abortion further than the 'heartbeat bill,' with no exceptions," he said. McMaster's comments on exceptions changed from when a draft opinion of the high court's decision was leaked in May. Asked then if an abortion ban should have exceptions, he responded on May 3, "I believe not." "The more we can protect life in South Carolina, the better it will be for everybody involved," he said at the time. On June 28, however, the governor fell short of saying there should be a total ban. McMaster noted the so called "fetal heartbeat" law that he signed last year includes exceptions in the cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Still, McMaster said he's confident whatever McCravy's committee comes up with in the special legislative session will be "thoughtful and well researched." COLUMBIA New EdVenture Childrens Museum CEO Andy Marquart said the driving force behind any of his decisions will be what the community around him wants to see. Marquart started at the downtown Columbia museum on June 28 after its former leader left at the end of 2021. He steps into the role as the museum best known its 40-foot-tall, 10-year boy named Eddie that visitors can climb through to learn about how the body works. The museum entering its second decade also operates a location in Myrtle Beach. We really have to sit down with the people that use the museum every day, Marquart said. We really need to sit with those folks and ask them, 'What do you want? What do you want to see?' He comes from Tennessee where he was the CEO of the Hands On! childrens museum for nine years. There, he overcame the financial and decaying infrastructure of the building located in Johnson City and formed a partnership with East Tennessee State University. Now, he comes to a Columbia museum that has seen a 38 percent decrease in admission revenue since 2017. He said the situation was nothing discomforting when looking into the job. It's just rolling up the sleeves and getting into the line items of the museum and figuring out are we doing everything we can correctly from a budgetary standpoint, Marquart said. Marquart said admission revenue should cover basic expenses, including salaries, utilities and cleaning costs. Donor revenue, he said, will be what funds exhibits and special projects and will come from meetings with community leaders and organizations. These partnerships with organizations, such as nonprofits or educational institutions such as the University of South Carolina or Benedict College, will allow EdVenture to fill learning gaps students may experience in the classroom. EdVenture is a learning institution. It needs to be robust with partnerships to really fulfill its mission, Marquart said. Jamelle Ellis, a member of the EdVenture board since 2018, said its important to offer opportunities to fill these learning gaps as people may learn in ways not thoroughly supported in the classroom. She said EdVenture can provide opportunities for people to learn in a way that best fits them. In forming relationships with the community and seeing what they want out of the museum, Marquart said he hopes to bring a more diverse audience to EdVenture. He said childrens museums struggle to reach minorities and other underrepresented groups and that its critical for a museum to be able to bring these groups to the museum through community partnerships. Ellis said Marquart has a specific interest in science, technology, engineering and math programming and bringing more women into STEM-related fields. When asked about his long-term vision for the museum, Marquart said hell have to find that as he goes. For now, he said hell spend the first few days getting to know the staff that runs the building, a place he said has so much potential. I think any museum director would be really excited about the potential within the building and what it has to offer, Marquart said. Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 84F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. FLORENCE "Tiger King" star Bhagavan Doc Antle is expected to be released on bond June 28, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Antle was granted a $250,000 bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Rogers during a June 27 hearing, where the controversial tiger handler appeared on a video feed from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway. Rogers set bond conditions on the Myrtle Beach Safari owner who is facing federal money laundering charges including releasing Antle to his son, who is responsible for making sure Antle makes his scheduled court appearances and limiting him to his Myrtle Beach-area animal preserve. The hearing comes weeks after Antles lawyers asked for the release of the nationally known star on bond because of his health issues, no prior convictions and the importance of him running the 50-acre tourist attraction located off of S.C. 707 in Socastee. But federal officials later detailed reasons for keeping Antle at J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway during a June 16 hearing including: Antle being a possible flight risk; his ability to obstruct justice by using an incinerator at his safari; and more pending federal charges coming within the next 30 days tied to wildlife trafficking. Antle additionally faced a pending extradition order out of Virginia for his animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs if he were released out on bond. He was granted a $100,000 bond in that case on June 24. Antle, 62, and Safari employee Andrew Sawyer, 52, were arrested by the FBI on June 3 on charges of money laundering out of the popular 50-acre tourist attraction located off of S.C. 707 in Socastee. A third man, William Dallis, a building contractor from Murrells Inlet, also was arrested in connection with the case and charged with money laundering. Dallis was released on a $75,000 bond on June 6, an additional fact that Antles lawyers pointed out in a 12-page motion submitted to the court for bond consideration. All three men, now out on bond, face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. The money laundering case has received national attention because Antle was featured on the hit Netflix series "Tiger King," about animal handler and zoo operator Joe Exotic, who was sent to prison in a plot to kill a rival, Carole Baskin. Antle has also been a controversial figure among animal rights advocates who have accused him of mistreating lions and other wildlife, including allowing people to hold the animals at Myrtle Beach Safari. The Myrtle Beach Safari owner has received more than 35 U.S. Department of Agriculture violations over the years for mistreating animals, and he is facing an Oct. 31 trial on animal cruelty charges in Virginia tied to trafficking lion cubs. Antle has never been convicted. GREENVILLE Onlookers craned their necks to look up at the 101 N. Main building on June 28 as a crew hung the letters for Canal Insurance Company, officially branding the tower as its anchoring tenant. Canal, a Greenville-based commercial trucking and specialty transportation operations insurance company, announced in October 2021 that it would relocate its headquarters from its almost 30-year home on East Stone Avenue to One City Plaza. Naming rights to the building previously belonged to Bank of America, which moved its Greenville offices to the Camperdown tower along the Reedy River in February 2021. The plan is for the family-owned insurance company to occupy 65,000 square feet, amounting to one-third of the building. The company will use floors 4, 12, 14, 15 and the top floor, 16. "We're in the throes of the renovations," president and CEO of Canal Paul Brocklebank told the Post and Courier in an interview on June 7. One of the conditions of Canal's new lease is to strip the interior space down to the bare walls and redo the five floors it will occupy. "[The] project has been underway now for the better part of three months," Brocklebank said. "We're cautiously optimistic that we are on schedule to move early fall." Brocklebank said the company is currently considering whether to move its employees into the building gradually or all at once. The company is receiving bids from movers. As of June 7, a decision had not been made. The company transitioned back into its office building on East Stone Avenue in April with employees coming in at least three days a week. It also resumed business travel, which was halted due to the pandemic. Canal has hired 10 people year-to-date, bringing their total to about 240 employees. More hires will be made soon. The company recently concluded its spring collegiate recruitments, and "so there'll be some additions coming very soon in terms of a new, what we call, reach class or training class," Brocklebank said. As for what will happen to its former headquarters at 400 E. Stone Ave a boxy building just outside downtown Greenville the decision is still up in the air. Canal owns the four-acre property. "We believe that there is intrinsic value to the building, but probably in a converted sense, whether it's renovations or repurpose of the property itself," Brocklebank said. He added that there has been a lot of interest in the site but a decision has not been made on whether the company plans to sell. GREENVILLE The Greenville Police Department is reviewing the conduct of its officers following physical clashes with demonstrators during a weekend protest downtown over the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn the federal right to abortion. Video circulated widely on social media shows violent encounters between police and protesters as the officers tried to maintain control over a crowd that involved activists at odds on the issue. The Saturday, June 25 event drew as many as 500 people to the ONE City Plaza downtown, far more than the 100 expected, Sgt. Jonathan Bragg said in an announcement. He said the department would review the handling of the crowd and the arrest of six people. "There will be a review of the incident, which is standard protocol for an incident like this," Bragg said. The videos that show officers pushing and slamming some protesters to the ground sparked outrage on social media, particularly among those angry over the Supreme Court's decision the day before to overturn Roe vs. Wade. The videos circulated far beyond the Upstate, appearing on national and international news feeds. On June 27, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson said that the officers' actions represented a "brutal assault on innocent people peaceably assembled" and called on Mayor Knox White fire the city's police chief. When I first watched the video of the police officers attacking a young woman and elderly gentleman, I thought I was watching something out of a third world country ... not Greenville, South Carolina," Robertson said. The mayor told The Post and Courier that he "absolutely expects to see a full and fair investigation of the incident." Sign up for our Greenville daily update newsletter. Sign up for daily roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email Sign Up! "The role of our police is to keep protestors safe and protect the exercise of First Amendment rights as we've done on many occasions," White said. The protest followed a pattern of other demonstrations, such as the summer 2020 demonstrations prompted by the death of George Floyd and the presence of a Confederate monument downtown, which turned from peaceable to violent when counter-protesters become involved. "The protest was peaceable and routine until counter-protesters showed up," White said. "Police followed the usual practice of separating the two groups, which put officers in the middle. What happened next is the subject of the investigation." On June 27, Bragg released incident reports that described what happened from arresting officers' points of view. In the incident reports, officers describe warning protestors to stay off Main Street in an effort to keep the opposing sides separated on either side of the street. The officers wrote that they felt threatened that they might lose control of the crowd, so they pushed people away and, in one case, an officer fired a warning shock from his Taser gun that didn't strike anyone. The scene grew more agitated on either side of the street, where one officer described the presence of elderly people and children as protestors cursed, made obscene gestures including showing only the middle finger and "an array of disorderly conduct to include twerking, where you could observe the persons buttock flapping." When one woman went to confront the opposing side and didn't heed warnings to get out of the street, she was arrested. Others then approached to intervene. The videos show women running toward officers trying to arrest others and then being pushed to the ground. One man stood up and walked away, was stopped and was picked up and slammed to the ground in front of the Trio restaurant as the crowd on that side of Main Street yelled 'USA, USA.'" BEAUFORT For people with Parkinson's, sleep can be an issue. Scott Rider, who was diagnosed with the disease 16 years ago, found he often woke up around 3 a.m. and usually with an idea. "I'm full of lots of ideas," he said. He tried to jot them down in a notebook beside his bed. The trouble is, penmanship can also be an issue for people with Parkinson's. Writing by hand is one of many everyday activities affected as the body becomes stiffer, shakier and slower. By the next morning, when Rider studied his notebook, he couldn't always figure out what he had written. But in late 2020, one of his middle-of-the-night ideas stuck. It was about the place where he and his wife live. Habersham is a planned community 7 miles from downtown Beaufort, currently with about 400 homes. It is designed to look and feel like a small Southern town, the kind of place where people grow up, raise families and stay into old age. Several magazines had already created floor plans for Habersham houses. "There has been a Coastal Living house, there has been a Southern Living house, and I thought, gosh, we should make an adaptive house!" Rider said. In his notebook, he captured his vision for a home allowing someone with physical limitations to live more independently. The home is now real. "The adaptive cottage" opened for tours in June and will be featured in the August edition of Southern Living magazine. Proceeds from the sale of the floor plans and the house itself will be donated to the Parkinson's Foundation. It is designed to bridge the gap between an ordinary house and one fully compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. Like a person, it is expected to change. 60 Mount Grace The one-story house blends in with the other houses on the street, called Mount Grace. Its location near a commercial area is one of its most important virtues, said Eric Moser, who donated his residential design services to the project. Normally, people with limited mobility spend a lot of time waiting for someone to pick them up in a car. But in a denser setting with wide sidewalks, they can take themselves to the dentist or the barber, either on foot or in a wheelchair. To get in and out of the house, a ramp can be installed over the shallow stairs. Throughout the interior, the doors and hallways are wide enough to accommodate a walker or wheelchair. In addition, wooden beams behind the drywall make installing hand railings easy. And pocket doors, levers instead of knobs, and outlets placed mid-wall reduce the need for fine motor control or good balance. Build for cohabitation, ease These features are easy enough to include in new construction, Moser said. What's less obvious to most builders and designers is a flexible layout. The vast majority of the housing stock in the U.S. is built for a nuclear family, he said. But in reality, only about 20 percent of American households today are comprised of minor children and two adult parents. Letisha Scotland, the director of aging for the Lowcountry Council of Governments, said her clients show how people of all ages and life stages are living together. Sometimes older people move in to help care for younger ones; sometimes younger people move in to help care for older ones. But in the current economy, Scotland said, more people are cohabiting, whether they're related or not. Soaring rental and mortgage rates are forcing more individuals into a single family unit. In response to the realities of today's households, Moser designed the adaptive cottage with two master bedrooms. Each has a private bathroom, walk-in closet and separate entrance. A third room can be used as an office, den, exercise studio, or guest room or some combination. Allan Patterson, who constructed the house and then gave the profit to the Parkinson's Foundation, doesn't believe in wasted space, especially for people seeking to age in place. He prefers fewer rooms that can serve multiple purposes. "As you get older, you don't want to be working on your house all the time," he said. Technology matters a lot Moser noted that smaller houses also cost less, both upfront and over time. "And that gives us the latitude to do cool things," he said. One is investing in an oven that can be monitored from a smartphone. For Rider, that technology matters not only because it reduces the occasions he has to maneuver into the kitchen and open the oven door. It also fits with the rhythm of his days. "Life is made possible when you have Parkinson's through medication, and medication has a cycle," he said. After taking it, he feels great. "You almost forget you have Parkinson's, everything's working good," he explained. And then gradually, the effects start to wear off. As a result, Rider could do something like make cookies or stuff a turkey when he had the energy, pop them in the oven, and then sit down. As they cooked and he became depleted, he wouldn't have to get out of his chair to check on them he could simply watch from his screen. When they were done, he could push a button to turn off the heat. "It's just amazing," Rider said. At the agency on aging, Scotland noted that most of her clients can't afford a cutting-edge oven right now. However, technology is still a game changer, she said. It can make small interventions that will ultimately save lives and extend the time people can remain in their own homes. For example, security systems can alert caregivers if someone with Alzheimer's leaves the house. A programmable thermostat is a great idea, too, she said. One innovation Scotland would like to see: a smart microwave. She recalled her grandmother, who suffered from dementia, nuked food for hours at a time. "I hope you wouldn't be able to do that in the future," Scotland said. Open a door On Hilton Head, Debi Lynes is an interior decorator with a doctorate in psychology. She specializes in creating places with health and wellness in mind. A few years ago, her 90-something father moved in with her, and her daughter had a baby. "Aging in place is really for any stage of life," she said. For example, many of the adjustments for a wheelchair such as a dining room table with a center column instead of legs also work for a high chair. And what she calls "wayfinding" deliberately setting up lighting to create a path is useful for people who need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, comfort a child, or, like Rider, pass the time before going back to bed. Safety and security are the most important things, she stressed, noting the need for a well-marked entrance in case medics needs to come. But her language kept drifting to feelings. Her dad didn't use a wheelchair at home because of "pride," she said. Instead, they created handholds for him throughout the house, sometimes just using stick-on devices they bought for $14 at Home Depot. An inexpensive folding screen in front of the toilet preserved his dignity, as did a bench in the bathroom and a handheld shower. A specially designed toilet paper holder and towel racks doubled as bars he could use to hoist himself up without calling attention to his difficulty standing. Rider also spoke fondly of adaptive products that looked like everyone else's. "Parkinson's takes away so much of your life as it is," he said. "So to be able to have independence and be able to put your shirt on without having to ask for help, to be able to put your shoes on without having to ask for help, that's a good feeling." When asked what her aging clients needed most, Scotland said, "Having people to talk to." Lynes expressed the same idea. As she showed the DIY adjustments she and her husband had made to their home for her dad labels on switches, a raised bed, an air fryer instead of a range she glanced back at the front door. They usually kept it open, she said. It let in the natural light, which is important because the brain's dopamine production declines with age and disease. But it also let in the neighbors. Her dad liked to see who was coming and going, and he always appreciated them stopping to chat, even if they only paused to say hello. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. A return from war, a hunt for treasure and the power of friendship. Search for Treasure by Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May has it all. The New York Times bestselling authors return with the second book in their award-winning series The Islanders. Released June 14, Search for Treasure finds Jake Potter back on Dewees Island for another summer with his grandmother, Honey, and his friends, Macon and Lovie. Jakes dad has also returned to the island to recover from the injuries he received in Afghanistan. The book follows the trio as they navigate new relationships and hunt for hidden treasure, which leads them to battle some unwelcome guests on the island. Both books are set on Dewees Island, a private barrier island of Charleston and a nature reserve. On Dewees, there are no paved roads, grocery stores or restaurants. There are no cars. You can only get to the island by ferry. When we began the series, I knew that the only place like that would be Dewees Island, where it's remote, accessible only by ferry, where we could put children without stores and cars and all the social media that inflicts our children with so much social pressure, Monroe said. Dewees is the perfect environment for an adventure story, May said. That place feels like absolute magic when you go out there because it is so different than the other barrier islands here along the Charleston coast, May said. We really wanted in our story for people to feel that same sense of magic and wonder and desire to explore the environment around them, whether they live in the Lowcountry, or live hundreds of miles elsewhere. Monroe and May said that theyve received a lot of positive feedback from readers, both younger and older. Just a week after its release, Search for Treasure ranked number three on the New York Times bestseller list for childrens middle-grade hardcover. This is not just a book for kids this is an enjoyable story for everybody. And I'm glad that they find it that way because when we wrote the book, even though the main character is a kid with his two best friends, it's a multi-generational story where we flush out adult characters as well, May said. The sequel is just the start of The Islanders series. When kids find a book they like to read, they don't want it to end. When there were talks of keeping "The Islanders" a standalone novel, it was a no-brainer for Monroe to have the story become a series. This always has been and always will be a series. I never allowed it to be anything else, Monroe said. The way that children read, if they find a story that they love, they want more, May said. And I mean, goodness, adventures out in the wild, you can definitely keep writing more books, you know, so I'm so glad that [Monroe] saw the potential of this being more than one book. Monroe hinted that the kids may have adventures off the island in future installments, but that their escapades will always be in a natural environment. This is to encourage readers, children and adults to break away from their phones, tablets and televisions. As Monroe puts it: less screen time, more green time. "I think it's really important, and it was a motivating force for the series ... getting kids to connect with the outdoors in nature; to not be afraid of it. Fear is a deterrent for kids to go out and explore," Monroe said. "When they know the names of [wildlife] and become educated, that fear dissipates and they really become curious and allow that DNA desire to get out and explore happen. This series is just meant as a spark." We live in an incredible place. I think every single one of us in the country is so blessed to be surrounded by parks and trails and creeks and lakes and oceans. There's so much to explore. But you can't discover the magic of nature until you step outside, May said. The writing duo is currently working on the third book in The Islanders series with the working title Shipwrecked. A very unlucky day unfolds for the three best friends and they find themselves in an emergency that forces them to rely on their knowledge and their wits. And it tests their friendship because they have to come together to really survive, May said. Monroe and May will be wrapping up their local book tour for Search for Treasure at the Daniel Island Club on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. and at the Wild Dunes Swim Center in the Isle of Palms on June 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. COLUMBIA The state grand jury has indicted disgraced Hampton County attorney Alex Murdaugh and an alleged accomplice on myriad money laundering and drug trafficking charges in connection with a years-long scheme to move mounds of ill-gotten cash and drugs. Curtis Edward Smith, 61, who was previously charged with shooting Murdaugh in September during a botched assisted-suicide scheme, becomes the third Murdaugh associate to face charges from the powerful investigative panel. Smith joins prominent Hampton County banker Russell Laffitte and suspended Beaufort County attorney Cory Fleming both accused of helping Murdaugh steal millions of dollars from settlements owed to his law clients and others who trusted him. The grand jurys June 23 indictment, unsealed June 28, alleges Smith laundered more than $2.4 million for Murdaugh from October 2013 to February 2021 a period in which Murdaugh is accused of pilfering piles of money from his law clients and legal partners. Murdaugh wrote Smith at least 437 checks, almost all of them for less than $10,000 to avoid scrutiny from banks and the federal government, charging documents allege. Smith used much of that money to purchase narcotics, investigators said in the 15-page filing. But a "substantial" portion was converted to cash that remains unaccounted for, state grand jury prosecutor Creighton Waters said in court June 28. Smith, a disabled logger whose curly blond hair reaches nearly to his shoulders, hobbled into the Richland County courtroom in chains. He denied selling drugs. A former law client and distant relative of Murdaugh's, Smith told state Judge Clifton Newman he was "pulled into it not by choice." I look forward to clearing my name," he said in a gravelly voice. Newman set a $250,000 surety bond for Smith, citing the severity of the charges against him. The bond requires Smith to post a portion of that amount in order to be released from jail while awaiting trial and forfeit that money if he fails to appear in court. His defense attorney, Jarrett Bouchette, told reporters he isn't sure Smith can afford it. Bouchette otherwise declined to comment on Smith's case. "For the time being, we're just going to have to wait and let more facts come out," he said. "As we've seen over the last year or so, things have changed over time that (weren't) what they initially appeared to be." Smith's alleged co-conspirator, Murdaugh, has been stuck in the Richland County jail since mid-October, unable to afford his own $7 million bond. The case has proven a stunning fall from grace for Murdaugh, the scion of a powerful family of Hampton County lawyers that simultaneously ran the local prosecutor's office and a high-powered law firm in Hampton for most of the past century. Civil lawsuits and dozens of criminal charges accuse Murdaugh of leveraging fraudulent bank accounts and well-placed accomplices to steal more than $8.5 million over the past decade. Murdaugh also remains the only known person of interest in the state investigation into the unsolved double murder of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul outside the family's Colleton County hunting lodge in June 2021. Murdaugh defense attorney Dick Harpootlian declined to comment June 28 on the new indictment. Waters asked Newman to set Smith's bond at $350,000. He cited Smith's years-long dealings with Murdaugh. His involvement in this conspiracy is extensive, and it is longstanding," Waters said. Murdaughs defense attorneys have previously said Smith was their clients personal drug dealer, supplying him opioids that fueled a secret addiction spanning two decades. Smiths attorneys have disputed that characterization. Smith was previously arrested in September and then indicted by a county grand jury in November for his role as the alleged hitman in a life insurance scheme Murdaugh concocted over Labor Day weekend. The plot came in the days after Murdaugh's former law firm discovered he had stolen millions of dollars from his law partners and legal clients. He was forced to resign. Murdaugh called 911 over Labor Day weekend and initially claimed he was shot in the head by a passing motorist while inspecting a flat tire on the side of a rural Hampton County road. Later, he changed his story and said he had Smith shoot him in the head so he could leave behind a $10 million insurance policy for his remaining son, Buster. Smith and his lawyer have denied that version of events. Smith said he refused Murdaughs request and tried to prevent Murdaugh from killing himself. The gun went off as they wrestled for control of it, Smith said. The state Supreme Court revoked Murdaugh's law license last week, citing his pattern of dishonesty, theft and misconduct. He faces decades in prison. Now, so does Smith. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy in the evening with more clouds for later at night. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy in the evening with more clouds for later at night. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. We are coming off one of the greatest weeks in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. And yet, a largely unreported dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas may be the harbinger of something important that is still to come. The case is Coral Ridge Ministries v. Southern Poverty Law Center, and the opinion by Justice Thomas, dissenting from a denial of a writ of certiorari, is the kind of thing that normally would disappear into the historical ether. But this time, perhaps not. Start with the fact that Thomas is now the undisputed intellectual leader of the Court. Then take into account that many observers, including President Trump, have argued that our current standards for defamation cases have been tilted way too far in favor of defendants who libel or slander prominent people. Mix in the reality that the Southern Poverty Law Center is one of the great grifter organizations of our time, reeling in countless millions in donationsthe SPLC has literally no idea what to do with the money it has raised, so it stashes it in offshore sheltersand making its living by contemptibly smearing conservative organizations. Justice Thomas thought that the case by Coral Ridge Ministries against the SPLC should have been heard by the Court: Coral Ridge Ministries Media, Inc., is a Christian non-profit dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a biblically informed view of the world, using all available media. 406 F. Supp. 3d 1258, 1268 (MD Ala. 2019) (internal quotation marks omitted). In 2017, Coral Ridge applied to receive donations through AmazonSmile, a program that allows Amazon customers to contribute to approved nonprofits. To its dismay, Coral Ridge learned it was ineligible for the program. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) had designated Coral Ridge an Anti-LGBT hate group because of its biblical views concerning human sexuality and marriage. Id., at 1270 (internal quotation marks omitted). AmazonSmile excluded Coral Ridge based on SPLCs hate group designation. This is a familiar story. Amazon has outsourced approval of nonprofits eligible to participate in its Smile program to the SPLC. The SPLC always approves left-wing groups, no matter how hateful they may be, but it considers many conservative groups to be hateful per se because it disagrees with them. Based on the SPLCs political categories, Amazon obligingly supports liberal groups, but, often, not conservative ones. Justice Thomas thinks that the SPLC should be required to defend the truth of its smears against Coral Ridge Ministries, which protests that, while it opposes homosexual conduct based on its religious beliefs, it is in no sense a hate group. To the contrary, it has nothing but love for people who engage in homosexual conduct and has never attacked or maligned anyone on the basis of engaging in homosexual conduct. The culprit here is twofold: 1) the requirement that to be actionable, a statement must be one of fact, not opinion; and 2) the actual malice standardthe standard that a public figure plaintiff must prove not only that the defendant (here, SPLC) was careless in libeling him or her, but rather that the defendant knew that what it said was false, or knew that it was likely false, and said it anyway. For obvious reasons, this subjective standard has proved impossible to meet in nearly all cases involving public figures. Justice Thomas continued: I would grant certiorari in this case to revisit the actual malice standard. This case is one of many showing how New York Times and its progeny have allowed media organizations and interest groups to cast false aspersions on public figures with near impunity. Tah, 991 F. 3d, at 254 (opinion of Silberman, J.). SPLCs hate group designation lumped Coral Ridges Christian ministry with groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis. It placed Coral Ridge on an interactive, online Hate Map and caused Coral Ridge concrete financial injury by excluding it from the AmazonSmile donation program. Nonetheless, unable to satisfy the almost impossible actual-malice standard this Court has imposed, Coral Ridge could not hold SPLC to account for what it maintains is a blatant falsehood. Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc., 472 U. S. 749, 771 (1985) (White, J., concurring in judgment). This is an issue that will return to the forefront many times in the years to come, until the Supreme Court adopts a reasonable standard to reconcile traditional libel law with the First Amendment. To adapt an old thought, hysteria has consequences. The Federalists Christopher Bedford documents the depths of the descent in Never Forget How Vicious And Violent Was The Lefts Top-To-Bottom Anti-Court Campaign. The editors of Issues & Insights line up the consequences in a set of bullet points with links. Their editorial is The left aborts its right to be called tolerantor intelligent. The past few days have put me in mind of the stupid antiwar gibe Kill for peace. In the 60s The Fugs turned it into a viciously stupid song protesting the Vietnam war. The motto of the Roe hysterics should be Kill for abortion. The would-be assassin of Justice Kavanaugh could serve as their mascot. Someone ought to come up with a Kill for abortion t-shirt sporting the visage of Nicholas Roske. I should add that I was a teenage fan of The Fugs in general and Ed Sanders in particular. I persuaded my dad to take me to see them in the course of their long residence at the Players Theater on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village in 1967 or 1968. Fortunately, my dad fell asleep during the show. More recently, I have collected their complete Warner Bros. recordings as well as Sanderss Truckstop. The limitations of the Fugs Weltanschauung is more apparent to me in retrospect than it was at the time. Abortion hysteria has overtaken the New York Timesnot that hysteria is foreign to the former Gray Lady these days. This story by Carl Hulse isnt news, it isnt even an op-ed. It is a liberals temper tantrum. Hulses point is to blame Mitch McConnell for recent Supreme Court decisions with which he disagrees: Mitch McConnells Court Delivers. In the course of his screed, Hulse repeatedly gets the facts wrong. Most incredibly, Hulse wrote that in Dobbs the Supreme Court banned abortion. This error raises, once more, the question whether the Times actually employs editors. Is it possible that a second pair of eyes approved that howler? Glenn Reynolds says the Times stealth-edited that misrepresentation, but the way it still reads is bad enough: Senate Republicans did not have to take the politically risky step of banning abortions; the court took care of the issue for them. This makes no sense. Putting aside the constitutional question of whether regulating abortion is one of the federal governments enumerated powers, in what world did Senate Republicans have the power to ban abortions, even if they wanted to do so? Without the House, apparently. Coherence is not a virtue of todays New York Times. The following also verges on the insane. I am including the full paragraph for the context of the last sentence: Now Mr. Trump is gone from office, but the court he shaped remains as a bulwark against progressive initiatives on such subjects as climate change, gun control, the conduct of elections and campaign finance all areas of great interest to Mr. McConnell and ones in which public opinion often diverges sharply from his own. Even if legislation that Republicans do not like somehow manages to escape Congress, they can now look confidently to the court to take care of it. So the current Court stands poised to somehow invalidate any legislation that Democrats might be able to pass? That is an absurd claim on its face. And has the current Court been any more prone to strike down federal legislation on constitutional grounds than any prior court? Not that I am aware of. Like so many liberals commenting on Dobbs, Hulse seems to assume that the case will be an electoral disaster for Republicans: While much of the public recoiled at the decisions and the prospect of more to come in the years ahead If all of that seems like a perverse outcome in a democracy a court that forces policies supported by the minority on the majority of the country Mr. McConnell says that is as it should be. Again, this is divorced from reality. As to abortion, the Court has not forced policies on anyone. It was Roe that forced an abortion policy on the entire country, like it or not, with no opportunity for democratic action. Dobbs doesnt force anything on anyone; it restores the issue of abortion to the democratic process, where it belongs. And it is by no means clear that Dobbs is as unpopular as liberals seem to assume. This morning Rasmussen published a survey that suggests the opposite: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. voters approve of the Supreme Court abortion ruling, including 38% who Strongly Approve of the decision, which means that each state can now determine its own laws regarding abortion. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove of the Supreme Courts new ruling, including 38% who Strongly Disapprove. Finally, the Times distorts and misrepresents the recent history of Supreme Court nominations: It is a fact that Merrick Garland should be on the Supreme Court and Amy Coney Barrett should not be, and would not be without Mitch McConnells shameless manipulating of the process, said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. To my knowledge, there is no theorylet alone a plausible oneon which Merrick Garland should be on the Court, but Amy Barrett should not be. It was Justice Scalias death in 2016 that opened the door to Mr. McConnells norm-breaking decision to stonewall Barack Obamas nomination of Merrick B. Garland for nearly a year. McConnells decision not to move forward on Garlands nomination was not norm-breaking. There was no precedent for the situation that then obtaineda nomination in an election year when the presidency and the Senate were held by opposing parties. McConnells theory was that in that situation, the Senate should not proceed but should await the outcome of the election. The Times doesnt have to agree with McConnells position, but an honest newspaper wouldnt misrepresent it, which is what the Times does in accusing McConnell of inconsistency. It was not part of the original plan, but the vacant court seat produced what Mr. McConnell described as an unanticipated electoral bounce for Mr. Trump, helping him win the presidency. Which would seem to contradict the Timess implication that a conservative court is wildly unpopular. Through the concerted efforts of Mr. McConnell and Donald F. McGahn II, the original White House counsel for Mr. Trump, three Trump-nominated justices were then pushed onto the court, culminating with the confirmation of Justice Barrett just days before Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election. Please: they were pushed onto the court? Elsewhere the Times refers bitterly to the strong-arm tactics that Mr. McConnell employed to install three conservatives on the Supreme Court. This is whining masquerading as news. In each case, the president nominated a justice, hearings were held, and the Senate voted to confirm the nominee. In other words, the standard constitutional process was followed. I feel sorry for anyone who reads the New York Times and suffers from the misapprehension that he is getting either accuracy or fairness in that papers reporting. A Nollywood actress, Chacha Eke, has, for the second time in two years, announced the end of her marriage of nine years to filmmaker Austin Faani. The actress, who married Mr Faani in June 2013 in Asaba, Delta State, broke the news in a late-night post on her official Instagram page on Monday. The actress hinted that the reasons for the split bordered on physical abuse. The post confused fans since she featured in a movie her husband recently produced, Wanted exclusively released on June 10 on YouTube. She said it is better if she leaves while still alive or risks leaving as a corpse. Chacha revealed that she had been enduring and living a lie in her marriage for years and apologised for deceiving the public. The 34-year-old actress also said that she doesnt want to die or go missing while revealing that she has released pieces of evidence to her lawyers and the police in case things go awry. The statement https://www.instagram.com/p/CfU0BkJI8mK/?hl=en Her entire statement read as follows: LEAVE NOW ALIVE OR LEAVE AS A CORPSE Many have died pretending all is well whilst wishing, hoping and praying for a better tomorrow. I dont want to die or go inexplicably missing. I sincerely and publicly apologise for living a lie these past years. True to random speculations, there has been trouble in my perceived paradise. For the 2nd time in 2 years, I am here on social media boldly declaring that I am done with my marriage. My long overdue/relentless stance on this is no news to Austin Faani, the doctors and my parents. Suppose push comes to shove & suddenly I am incommunicado. In that case, my lawyers, the welfare department and the Nigerian police force have my testimonials in recorded video clips/statements set for public release on all social media apps and national newspapers. History In October 2020, she announced the end of her seven-year-old marriage to her Nollywood movie producer husband, alleging domestic violence and a threat to life. She would make a u-turn days later, debunking the report saying she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She wrote: Five days ago, I made a video saying that my marriage to Austin Faani is over and that video came with a lot of backlash from people, with many insinuating that its a clear case of domestic violence. Its not. Austin has never laid his hands on me. Austin has never even raised his voice at me; God in heaven knows thats the truth. Im here at First Delta American hospital, Asaba, receiving treatment. Several psychiatrists have come to assess me mentally, and I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar is real. Here in Africa, we tend not to know about it due to ignorance or overlook it. I cannot tell you all how Ive been feeling in these little videos that Ive been making, but I will, however, show you motion pictures soon. A year after, they welcomed their fourth child, a daughter. Mr Faani has never responded to the allegations levelled against him by his wife. At least 46 people were on Monday found dead inside a truck in San Antonio, Texas, Al Jazeera is reporting. It appeared to be a human smuggling attempt along the United States-Mexico border, it said. San Antonio Fire Chief, Charles Hood, said 16 other people found in the trailer on Monday were transported to the hospital for heat stroke and exhaustion. They included four minors. The patients we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion. There were no signs of water in the vehicle, Al Jazeera quoted Mr Hood as saying. It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible air conditioning unit on that rig. Additionally, Police Chief William McManus said a city worker at the scene was alerted to the situation by a cry for help shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday (23:00 GMT). Officers arrived to find a body on the ground outside the trailer and a partially opened gate to the trailer, he said. The vehicle was found next to railway tracks in a remote area on the citys southern outskirts. McManus said three people were taken into custody over the incident, Al Jazeera reported. Mexicos Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the refugees and migrants a tragedy in Texas and said the local consulate was en route to the scene. He said two Guatemalans were among the victims and that the trailer had fake European Union plates. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called Mondays incident a horrific human tragedy. They had families and were likely trying to find a better life, he said. We hope those responsible for putting people through such inhumane conditions are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Tanko Muhammad exited on Monday as the 16th head of the Nigerian judiciary since Independence after serving as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) for about two and a half years. He was immediately succeeded by Olukayode Ariwoola who hails from Oyo State. Mr Muhammad, officially due for retirement when he clocks 70 in December 2023, abruptly left office 18 months ahead of time on Monday, citing health grounds. In line with the norm, Mr Muhammads resignation paved the way for Mr Ariwoola, the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, to be sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari as the acting CJN. Mr Ariwoola is expected to remain as the acting CJN pending when the process of his appointment in substantive capacity will be concluded. Nigerias chief justice, being the head of various key judiciary institutions and with power to make key appointments into the bodies, has an overbearing influence on the Nigerian judiciary. Therefore, the personality of the CJN generally determines the direction the Nigerian judiciary faces during his or time in office. There have been controversies about his age with his Wikipedia page indicating his year of birth as 1958 as against what is contained in his official records. Below are seven major points, including his date of birth, that you need to know about the new CJN: 1. 17th chief justice since Nigerias independence Since when the northern and southern protectorates were amalgamated into the entity Nigeria, 22 judges, including the newly appointed acting CJN, Mr Ariwoola, have presided over the affairs of the Nigerian judiciary. Five of the 22 chief justices presided over Nigerias judiciary under the colonial rule up till when the first indigenous chief justice, then referred to as the Chief Justice of the Federation, Adetokunbo Ademola, was appointed in 1958. In 1963, three years after Nigeria gained independence from the British colonial rule in 1960, Nigeria became a republic and the Nigerian Supreme Court was proclaimed. The appeals to the British Federal Committee of the Privy Council stopped and the Supreme Court became the highest court in Nigeria. Since the appointment of the late Mr Ademola as chief justice in 1958 up till Sunday, a total of 16 other chief justices have presided over the Nigerian Supreme Court and by extension the Nigerian judiciary. Mr Ariwoola became the 17th chief justice on Monday. Referring to Mr Ariwola as Nigerias 17th indigenous chief justice would imply counting a long-time Caribbean resident in Nigeria, Darnley Alexander, who was appointed in 1975 as a Nigerian. Mr Alexander, who was then serving as the chief justice of the South Eastern State (now Cross River State), was appointed by the Murtala Muhammed military regime to replace Taslim Elias who was controversially removed from office. But excluding the late Mr Alexander from the list of former Nigerian indigenous chief justices, then Mr Ariwoola will be the 16th on the roll call. The new chief justice, a Muslim from Iseyin in Oyo State, is the seventh person from the southern part of the country to hold the office since Independence, while the nine others were from northern Nigeria. 2. To serve two years in office Mr Ariwoola, its curriculum vitae obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, was born on August 22, 1954. This means he will clock 68 on August 22. If eventually confirmed as the next substantive CJN, Mr Ariwoola will hold office for about two years and two months which will end on August 22, 2024, the day he is expected to clock the mandatory retirement age of 70. 3. Education and legal training According to his profile published on the Supreme Courts website, Mr Ariwoola started his primary education in Local Authority Demonstration School, Oluwole in Iseyin in 1959. He graduated from the school in 1966. He attended Muslim Modern School in the same town from 1967 to 1969 and then proceeded to Ansar-Ud-Deen High School Saki, Oyo State, in 1970. He completed his High School at the Ansar-Ud-Deen High School, Saki, in 1974. He was admitted into the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife) to study Law in 1977. He graduated from the university with a Bachelors degree in Law (LLB) in 1980. He was called to the Nigerian bar and got enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the Nigerian Supreme Court in July 1981. 4. Teacher turned judge Before his training as a lawyer Mr Ariwoola taught at Ansar-ud Deen Society Primary School, Atori, Iseyin in 1974. After he was qualified as a lawyer and was practising in private law firms, Mr Ariwoola took up a part time teach at Civil Service Training School (now Simeon Adebo) Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State, in 1988.# He also did part-time teaching at Extra Moral (Advance Level) Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, between 1984 and 1988. He similarly did part-time teaching at the Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, the Polytechnic Ibadan, between 1989 and 1992. 5. 40 years of legal career, 30 years on the bench Altogether, Mr Ariwoola has put about 40 years into his legal career which started with serving as a state counsel during his national youth service at the Ondo State Ministry of Justice, Akure, between 1981 and 1982. He later served as a legal officer at the Oyo State Ministry of Justice between 1982 and 1988. From October 1988 and August 1988, the new chief justice worked in a private law firm, Chief Ladosu Ladipo, SAN & Co. Legal Practitioners, as counsel-in-chambers. He later served as the principal partner of Olu Ariwoola & Co Mako Allah Champers in Iseyin from 1989 to 1992. Mr Ariwoola continued his legal profession on the bench when he was appointed a judge of the Oyo State High Court in 1992. After three years on the High Court bench, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1995. He was on the Court of Appeal bench until he was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2011. He is currently the longest serving Justice of the Supreme Court having spent a total of 11 years on the courts bench. This marks the 30th year of his judicial career that started with his appointment as a High Court judge in 1992. 6. Protest letter Mr Ariwoola, topped the list of the 14 Justices of the Supreme Court that recently sent a memo the outgone CJN to protest against the poor handling of their welfare and the operations of the court. The ripples created by the leaked memo had yet to die down when Mr Muhammad resigned on Monday. Mr Muhammads resignation came days after denying the allegations levelled against him by his colleagues. But the issues had not been resolved before his exit on Monday. 7. Notable decisions Mr Ariwoola was part of the seven-man panel of the Supreme Court led by now retired Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, that gave judicial backing to the virtual court hearing on July 14, 2020. He was also on the seven-judge bench led by his predecessor, Tanko Muhammad, that affirmed President Muhammadu Buharis victory in the 2019 general elections. The panel, in its decision delivered on October 30, 2019, dismissed the suit of the then and now presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, challenging Mr Buharis victory in the February 23, 2019 presidential election. He was also part of the Mr Muhammad-led seven-man panel that that the delivered the controversial judgement of the Supreme Court that sacked Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP as Imo State governor and replaced him with Hope Uzodinma of All Progressives Congress (APC) on January 14, 2020. The same panel of which Mr Ariwoola was a part, delivered the Supreme Courts judgement on January 20, 2020 affirming the victories of Governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State in the 2019 governorship elections. Again on March 3, 2020, Mr Ariwoola delivered the lead majority decision of the six of the seven judges on the courts panel, that dismissed Mr Ihediohas request for a review of the earlier verdict. The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, on Tuesday, fixed July 15, for judgement in a suit seeking an upward review of salaries and allowances of Nigerian judges. The judge, Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, slated the case for verdict after lawyers to the parties closed their arguments. Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who represented the claimant, Sebastine Hon, posited among other depositions that the current economic reality in the country requires that the salaries and allowances of the nations judges be urgently improved upon. Mr Awomolo adopted the four processes he filed and urged court to grant all the reliefs. He said the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) directly involved refused to file any papers before the court. The plaintiff sued the National Assembly as the 1st defendant, RMAFC as the 2nd defendant, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is 3rd defendant, and the National Judicial Council (NJC) as the 4th defendant. While the NJC backed the suit, the National Assembly and the AGF opposed it. The RMAFC did not take a stance in the suit. NJC backs suit Kunle Adegoke, also a SAN, who represented the NJC, asked the court to grant all the prayers sought by the plaintiff. Mr Adegoke recalled that the Nigerian government at reviewed judges salaries in 2008. He pointed out that low wages had inflicted untold economic hardship on judicial officers in the country. He Adegoke lamented that salaries judges salaries had been stagnant for over 14 years. The National Assembly and the AGF opposed the suit on the grounds that the claimant lacks the right to institute the suit. But Mr Adegoke maintained that the judicial precedents had liberalised the right to sue in issues of public interest. He contended that Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders Act 2008 is inconsistent with section 84(3) of the constitution, and therefore called for modification of the Act to bring it in conformity with the provisions of the constitution. Shabby treatment of judges must be addressed Mr Awomolo, the plaintiffs lawyer, said all the parties in the suit unanimously agreed that the last adjustment of judges salary was done in 2008, and that none of the defendants had justified the reason for refusal to obey the constitutional provision. Mr Awomolo said the shabby treatment meted to the judges under 84(4) of the constitution must be redressed. The senior lawyer urged the court to stop the AGF from blowing hot and cold. We have moved from mere technicalities to substantial justice, Mr Awomolo said, urging the court to hold the AGF to his public statements admitting poor remuneration of judicial officers. AGF, National Assembly oppose suit But the National Assembly which had asked the court to allow an out-of-court settlement in the suit. At Tuesdays proceedings, Charles Yoila, the National Assemblys lawyer, made a u-turn. Arguing against the suit, he said it is the law that (a) pre-action notice be issued to Legislative Houses disclosing the cause of action and reliefs before such action is brought to court. He asked the court to strike out the name of the National Assembly from the suit on the grounds that the proper procedure was not followed. In a similar argument, Ekene Elodimuo, who represented the AGF, adopted his written address and urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction. Mr Elodimo said the position of the AGF was based on what the law states, insisting that as laudable as the case is, the claimant has not shown any sufficient interest to file the suit for judges welfare. Suit PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Hon had filed the suit seeking an order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) compelling the defendants the AGF, NJC, the National Assembly and the RMAFC to increase the salaries and allowances of judges in the country. The claimant noted that the highest-paid judicial officer in the country the Chief Justice of Nigeria, currently earns about N3.4 million per annum, far below what is earned by such an officer in other countries. He prayed the court to order the defendants to increase the salaries and allowances of judges in the country. Mr Hon stated that as a legal practitioner, who has practised in all the levels of courts in Nigeria, I know that poor pay for judicial officers is seriously affecting the quality of judgments and rulings those officers are delivering and the discharge of other functions associated with their offices. He argued that the current economic reality in the country requires that the salaries and allowances of the nations judges be urgently improved upon. Mr Hon, who quoted what all judicial officers currently earn as provided under Part IIB of the Schedule to the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Amendment Act 2008, said the paltry sums have discouraged him from aspiring to become a judge. He pointed out that it is about 14 years since the salaries and allowances of judges were last reviewed upward in 2008 despite the loss of value of the naira vis-a-vis other global currencies like the U.S. dollar, the British pound sterling and the European Union (EU) euro, etc. As of November 2008 when the amended Act was in force, the exchange rate between the naira and the U.S dollar was N117.74 to USD1. The naira has considerably lost its value over time; but judicial officers in Nigeria have been placed on the same salary scale for up to 12 years, namely since 2008, he said. The Delta State Police Command has shared some security tips with Nigerians on how to stay safe amidst rising insecurity in the country. The command shared the tips in a tweet on its handle @DeltaPoliceNG on Friday. Virtually all parts of country currently battle with one form of insecurity or the other with various crimes going on, largely unabated. Parts of the North-west is now being overran by rampaging bandits who kidnap for ransom and kill victims who cannot pay for their freedom. While the North-central is also plagued by bandits and criminal herders who operate in parts of Kogi, Benue and Nassarawa, the North-east is still fighting an age-long battle war with Boko Haram and other insurgency groups such as ISWAP. Even though authorities claim the insurgents have largely been degraded and are now focusing more on soft targets and solitary military formations, Boko Haram elements are still able to carry out attacks in many parts of the North-east including on military posts and formations. The South-east and South-south regions are also battling with attacks from suspected separatists. In its advisory, the police urged Nigerians to avoid showing off and many other norms in the society. Read full list: Weekend security tips Tip 1. Never use car stickers that say where you work, especially if you have a prestigious job. Tip 2. Never share pictures of your kids in their school uniforms or badges. Protect your kids! Tip 3. When you attend parties, dont let the band get you so high that you start spraying money. Use an envelope Tip 4. Dont be the one that tries to empty the ATM machine by making large withdrawals You dont need 50k in your wallet to feel like a man. Tip 5. Always delete your bank transaction notifications, especially SMSyou really can memorize your bank balance.Shred ur POS/ATM receipts. Tip 6. Dont go jogging while its dark, you really should be smarter than that. If you can, get someone trusted as company. Tip 7. Always lock your doors, even if youre only going out to switch off your generator. Tip 8. NEVER NEVER, NEVER EVER WEAR YOUR ID outside your work place. No one needs to know where you work Tip 9. Be accountable to your spouse or parents, let someone know where you are at every point. Tip 10. As much as you can, dont send kids alone on errand outside your house, they are soft targets. Tip 11. Dont try to show that you are the richest in the neighborhood by making large donations in your estate meetings, learn modesty. Tip 12. When you give, give with modesty and privately, learn to say I cant spare that amount now. Tip 13. Dont stay late in your office long after closing hours. That deadline work can be done later or at home if you wish. Tip 14. Make safety the number one factor in your decision always! Tip 15. Mind what you post about yourself on social media. At the Senate plenary on Tuesday, there was no mention of former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, or his recent arrest and remand in the UK. The Enugu West senator was arrested alongside his wife, Beatrice, last week by the London Metropolitan Police. The Police had charged the Ekweremadus for allegedly trafficking one David Nwanini with the aim of harvesting his kidney. The allegations were that the lawmaker brought a 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the UK with the claim that he was to be given a better life in the UK but was actually to harvest his organ to treat their daughter who is suffering from kidney disease. The couple were tried at the Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London and denied bail as the prosecutors reportedly informed the court that Mr Ekweremadu procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old only to discover that he was 15 years old. The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), has, however, said the age of the alleged victim of organ harvesting, David Nwamini, was 21; contradicting the claims of prosecutors in London. The Service said documents provided by Mr Nwamini from the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) gave his date of birth as October 12, 2000. Senate mum as Reps summon govt officials Meanwhile, Nigerians expected the Senate to discuss the issue as a matter of national importance at plenary but this expectations were dashed as no one mentioned it. Normally one of the senators from his home state would raise the matter and call for help for one of their own but the reverse was the case. The two Enugu senators, Chukwuka Utazi and Chimaroke Nnamani, all members of the PDP as Mr Ekweremadu, were present at plenary and contributed to other issues that were deliberated on the floor of the Senate. Mr Ekweremadu, 60, served as Chief of Staff and later Secretary to the Enugu State Goverment when Mr Nnamani was the governor of the state. He later moved to the Senate in 2003 and served as deputy senate president for 12 years. He is a member of the current ninth Senate. It is not exactly clear if the Senates silence was a unanimous decision taken before Tuesdays proceedings. Reps wade in But while the upper chamber decided to be silent on Mr Ekweremadus ordeal, their colleagues at the House of Representatives not only deliberated on it but also invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Aliyu Aziz, to appear and brief relevant committees of the House on the ongoing trial in London. The Director-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS), Idris Jere, is also to appear before the committees. The invitations were sequel to a motion sponsored by Abdulahi Abdulkadir (APC, Bauchi). If convicted, the Ekweremadus may get a maximum of life sentence or 12 months imprisonment or a fine or both on summary conviction under the United Kingdoms Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Act read, A person guilty of an offence under Section 1 or 2 is liable (a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life; (b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both. At least 58 senators will not be returning to the Senate after next years elections, having failed to secure the nomination of their parties, retired or opted to contest for other offices. The development continues a trend of high turnover in the Nigerian legislature after each cycle of general elections. As if they already had a foreboding, some senators decried the phenomenon at the Senate plenary session on April 14, during which the lawmakers sent forth Abdullahi Adamu, who resigned from the Senate following his election as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The senators had urged him to help them and the institution in the ruling partys primaries. Mr Adamu, a three-term senator, represented Nasarawa West in the Senate. Prior to that, he was the governor of the state from 1999 to 2007. In March, he was elected the National Chairman a position he said he did not expect. The Senate turned its plenary for that day into a valedictory session for the 75-year-old Mr Adamu. At the session, which lasted over two hours, over 20 lawmakers took turns to commend and praise Mr Adamu for his contribution to the Senate and the National Assembly in general. However, of the many contributions made by lawmakers, one stood out. And that is the need to achieve a lower turnover rate of lawmakers in the National Assembly after the 2023 elections. This point was first made by Edo senator, James Manager, and then echoed by Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South senatorial district. The duo appealed to the new APC chairman to protect senators because many of them are in danger. You know that the rate of turnover is very worrisome. It is not because the legislators are not performing. We need you, the chairman, to protect the institution and this institution is made up of individuals with a wealth of experience. Nigerians are expecting a lot from the institution, Mr Ndume said. Turnover at Nigerias legislature Messrs Manager and Ndume are among many Nigerians who have decried the high rate of turnover in the countrys parliament. Politicians, political analysts and even academics have, over time, frowned at the rate a situation, they said, dents the nations democracy. While the roles and responsibilities of a lawmaker are clearly stated in the constitution, the law does not put a limit to the number of years or terms that they can serve. A lawmaker can serve as many terms as possible as long as they keep winning elections. At the ninth assembly today, some lawmakers like Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Enugu Senator Ike Ekweremadu and House of Reps member Nicholas Mutu, have served for about 20 years in the parliament. Similarly, in countries with advanced democracies like the USA, lawmakers serve for as long as 20-30 years. Lowest retention rate A 2014 report by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) described Nigeria as the country with the lowest retention rate of lawmakers in national parliaments globally. The former Director-General of NILDS, Ladi Hamalai, who authored the report, disclosed that the retention rate in the Senate and House of Representatives between 2003 and 2011, was about 25.9 per cent. The 2003 elections only saw 35 of the 109 senators re-elected while 27 and 35 were re-elected in 2003 and 2011 respectively. In the House, only 108 of 360 lawmakers were re-elected in 2003 while 110 and 103 lawmakers were re-elected in 2007 and 2011. Possible reasons/implications Many have blamed the slow progress of the Legislature on the high turnover rate recorded after each general election. The argument is that when a new lawmaker resumes at the National Assembly, it takes them at least two years to get used to the workings of the parliament. And by the time they eventually get familiar with the system, they get voted out before they can make an impactful contribution to the parliament and their constituents. Although many would counter this argument by saying the new lawmakers should have an understanding of the workings of the parliament they fought so hard to be part of. This is besides the fact that most of them come from the State Houses of Assembly. Also, new lawmakers get three to six months of training and induction before they resume work in the parliament. These are some of the issues the senators considered when they asked Mr Adamu to help protect them and the institution. How the new APC chairman was supposed to address these factors and save members of his party in the National Assembly remained unclear at the time. But for his colleagues to make such a plea, they undoubtedly had trust in his past experience and influential position to do so. What 2023 holds Although the current DG, NILDS, Abubakar Sulaiman, is optimistic and ready for a better turnover rate of federal lawmakers at the National Assembly after the 2023 polls, the current situation after the primaries of all political parties suggests otherwise. It also suggests that Mr Adamu, could after all, not do so much to protect his people. As it stands, at least 58 senators (about half of the total 109 senators) will likely not return in 2023. Many lost out during the primary and a few others, after losing, defected to different parties to secure their tickets. And for the senators still in the race, many might still lose at the polls. There are some major factors which are not absent in the current assembly that would negatively affect the turnover rate of lawmakers after the polls. Discord between some lawmakers and their state governors With state governors maintaining a stranglehold on their political parties in their states, many lawmakers (both state and federal) are often at the mercy of the former. These governors could, at any time, select or mobilise support for a candidate to unseat a lawmaker they disagree with as was evident in the build-up to the primaries. Political analysts believe it was one of the reasons federal lawmakers wanted to make provision for just a direct mode of primary elections in the recently signed electoral law, even though both parties denied it. Senators like Abdullahi Yahaya, the former Senate leader, Adamu Aliero, Babba Kaita, and a few others recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And a major reason they gave for their defections is the absence of internal democracy in the party at their state levels and the constant interference of the state governors, thereby frustrating the efforts of party members. Another factor is federal lawmakers vying for other positions like governorship and presidential offices as well as state governors looking to settle at the National Assembly. The norm, as has been evident in the history of Nigerias legislature, is for governors who have served their term(s) in their states, to retire to the Senate. This is apparent in the about 15 past governors in the ninth Senate. It is, however, not uncommon to see federal lawmakers eyeing executive offices too. In the Senate, while some lawmakers joined the presidential and governorship races and won, others lost their tickets and have no means of returning to the upper chamber. Presidential aspirants who are not returning Ahmad Lawan The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan is one of the longest-serving lawmakers, having served as a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007 before transitioning to the Senate. He contested alongside 13 other aspirants in the APC presidential primary. He however lost to Bola Tinubu. Although the Yobe senator purchased a senatorial form as a plan B, he is currently in a dilemma with Bashir Machina, the Yobe North senatorial aspirant who won the primary in the state and has refused to step down for Mr Lawan. This paper gathered that the senate president tried different means to convince Mr Machina to step down, including involving the APC chairman, Adamu, to no avail. In the candidates list released by the electoral umpire, INEC, Mr Lawans name was missing. As it stands, he is not returning to the Senate. Others are Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central), Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo West) who also contested and lost in the APC presidential primary. They will not return to the Senate. Governorship hopefuls Other senators like Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, Taraba senator Emmanuel Bwacha and Kaduna senator Uba Sani have secured the APC governorship tickets in their states and will not return to the Senate. Also in the governorship races are Aishatu Dahiru of Adamawa State, Teslim Folarin of Oyo State and Sandy Onor (Cross River Central). Mr Omo-Agege is looking to take over from the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who is currently the PDP vice presidential candidate. Uba Sani is the anointed candidate of Governor Nasir El-Rufai to succeed him, which gives him a good chance of emerging victorious in the governorship primary and main election. And then there are governors who are eyeing the Senate and may likely displace current senators. Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi comes to mind. He seeks to replace Chukwuka Utazi who had already agreed to not seek re-election so as to let the former have his way. Ikezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Abubakar Bello of Niger State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State have all secured senatorial tickets as well. Power rotation Another major factor that could affect the turnover rate is the rotation principle within a senatorial district or constituency. Some parties and states seem to have an unwritten rule to rotate federal (and state) legislative seats within the various local governments in the zone. There is also a high chance of some senators being displaced from their positions because of the local zoning arrangement. The arrangements demand that other areas in their constituencies produce the next lawmakers, governor and deputy. It is worthy of note that state governors play a huge role in deciding the local government to produce a candidate as well as the candidate themselves. Should this rotation principle persist, it will definitely tell on the turnover rate after each poll. Voluntary retirement Three other senators who will definitely not return to the Senate are Nora Daduut of Plateau South, Theodore Orji of Abia Central and Oluremi Tinubu of Lagos Central. Ms Daduut who is barely three years in the Senate, recently announced that she will not seek re-election. This, she said, was to allow for other aspirants to get a shot at the seat in the Senate. She was sworn into the eighth Senate after the death of late senator Ignatius Longjan. On his part, Mr Orji, a former governor of Abia State, had promised to retire from politics come 2023. The 78-year-old said his decision was made to pave the way for a younger person to take over. While Mrs Tinubu is believed not to have obtained the senatorial form in order to support her husband, Bola Tinubu, in his presidential race. Already, Mr Adamus exit from the Senate has created a vacant seat in the upper chamber that will later be occupied, possibly by a newbie. Other senators not returning Many other senators who will not return include Dimka Hezekiah (Plateau Central), Gyang Istifanus (Plateau North), Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West), Yakubu Oseni (Kogi Central), Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North), Godiya Akwashiki (Nasarawa North), Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), Orker-Jev Emmanuel (Benue North West), Yusuf Yusuf (Taraba Central) and Amos Bulus (Gombe South). Others are Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central), Nicholas Tofowomo (Ondo South), Tolu Odebiyi (Ogun West), Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South), Gershom Bassey (Cross River South), James Manager (Delta South), George Sekibo (Rivers East) Betty Apiafi (Rivers West), Albert Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East) and Chris Ekpenyong (Akwa Ibom North West). Others include Rochas Okorocha (Imo West) Hadejia Ibrahim (Jigawa North East), Sankara Abubakar (Jigawa North West), Mohammed Nakudu (Jigawa South West), Bello Mandiya (Katsina South), Barkiya Kabir (Katsina Central), Lawali Anka (Zamfara West), Danjumah Laah (Kaduna South), Moses Cleopas (Bayelsa Central), Mohammed Bulkachuwa (Bauchi North) and Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North) will not return to the Senate. About seven senators defected to other parties to clinch their tickets having lost in their previous parties. They include Adamu Aliero, Babba Kaita, and Francis Alimikhena who left APC for PDP, Enyinnaya Abaribe who left PDP for APGA, Francis Onyewuchi who left PDP for Labour Party, and Ibrahim Shekarau and Lawal Gumau who left the APC for NNPP. They all secured the senatorial tickets of their new parties. Already the seats of Messrs Adamu, Abubakar Kyari and Mohammed Hassan have been vacant after they were appointed APC national chairman, deputy national chairman, and Zamfara State deputy governor respectively. While the turnover rate of lawmakers is largely dependent on the legitimacy of an election, peace between lawmakers and their state governors and the absence of the rotation principle, many would argue that serving lawmakers who have underperformed, should be kicked out. But the new lawmakers should have a working knowledge of the parliament even before seeking election so as not to cripple the progress of the legislature in the name of finding their way around. The Senate says it will continue its investigation of the corruption allegations against former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, despite his resignation on Monday. The Senate through its committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, will meet with relevant stakeholders to address the complaints raised by the justices of the Supreme Court. These formed part of the resolutions taken at plenary on Tuesday after lawmakers considered a mini report of the judiciary committee. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had asked the committee to probe the corruption allegations last week. PREMIUM TIMES reported how 14 court justices, in a leaked memo, accused Mr Muhammad of not giving justices their legitimate entitlements. The justices cited challenges that have almost crippled the efficient adjudication of cases at the court the first of its kind in the 58-year history of the court. Some major issues raised by the justices are non-replacement of poor vehicles, poor accommodation, lack of drugs at the Supreme Court clinic and poor electricity supply to the Supreme Court. Others are the increase in electricity tariff, little or no increase in the allowances for diesel and lack of internet services to residences and chambers. The CJN replied to the justices and addressed some issues, including non-provision of diesel allowances for Justices, non-provision of equipped offices, accommodation, and the complete set of vehicles for new Justices appointed two years ago, among others. He also allayed the fear of the general public assuring that theres no hostility or adverse feelings amongst the Justices of the Supreme Court, as everyone is going about his normal duty. Barely a week after the allegations surfaced, Mr Muhammad resigned his position as the CJN on health grounds. President Muhammadu Buhari would later confer on him the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and swore in Olukayode Ariwoola as acting CJN. Probe continues Following Mr Muhammads resignation, the Senate judiciary committee sought to update the chamber on the developments. In his presentation, the chairman of the panel, Opeyemi Bamidele, noted that the poor welfare of judicial officers would affect the delivery of the judiciary in respect of their output and will prevent them not to perform optimally. The sacred image of the judiciary, he said, should be preserved by the Senate through appropriate legislative measures to safeguard the institution and prevent it from being ridiculed. Justices are taciturn and reticent in handling issues outside their judicial domain but resorting to such measures in order to protect the Judiciary, requires the Senate to rise up to the occasion to ensure that their demands are addressed, Mr Bamidele said. While he informed the Senate that the committee is taking steps to look into the matter, he said the former CJNs resignation will not prevent the committee from going ahead with its assignment in the quest to find a probable lasting solution to the matter. In his contribution, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, described the petition by the justices as embarrassing. He said the judiciary, as an arm of government, should not lack anything financially. The Minority Whip, Chukwuka Utazi, urged lawmakers to return to the constitutional amendment to address the issues. The Senate committee was thereafter, mandated to interface with the relevant stakeholders within and outside the three arms of government and collate aggregate views and positions on the short term, medium-term and long-term measures needed to decisively address the crisis facing the Judiciary. This includes the immediate fiscal intervention as well as long-term and sustainable budgetary allocations, required for the optimal performance of the judiciary, in line with global best practices. The Senate also wished Mr Muhammad well, following many years of meritorious service to the nation and prayed for his good health. In two separate attacks in the last three days, gunmen, commonly referred to as bandits in the Nigerian press, kidnapped three medical staff and a pregnant woman in Zamfara State. The attacks occurred on Saturday and Tuesday respectively. On Saturday morning the gunmen ambushed a doctor, Muhammad Mansur, that works at the General Hospital Dansadau, in Maru Local Government and two female employees of the hospital a caregiver and a ward attendant who were travelling with him and abducted them. Manir Bature, the chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association in the state, confirmed the abduction to PREMIUM TIMES. He said they were abducted around Mashayar Zaki community on the Magami Dansadau road. Were disturbed because this is an ugly trend. We urge our members to include him and other abductees in our prayers while the association work with relevant authorities to ensure his timely release in good health, Mr Bature said. A relative of the doctor, who asked not to be named for his safety, said the bandits had earlier tried to abduct Mr Mansur. They attacked the hospital twice last year and during all the attacks, they kept asking for his whereabouts. He said the family was contacted on Monday evening and the gunmen asked for a ransom of N20 million to release the doctor. Kidnap of pregnant woman Meanwhile, the pregnant wife of the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees NULGE, Sanusi Isa, has also been kidnapped. Mr Isa told journalists in Gusau that the bandits attacked his residence in the Damba area of the state capital around 1.23 a.m. on Tuesday and abducted his wife, whom he said was nine-month pregnant. READ ALSO: Bandits attack intending pilgrims in Sokoto He said he believed the bandits were there to abduct him because they searched the house looking for him. They jumped over the wall and broke my door but before they could enter my room, I was able to hide somewhere. When they searched the house and could not see me, they abducted my pregnant wife, Ramatu, he said. Mr Isa said the bandits were yet to contact him as of 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. The police command spokesman in the state, Mohammed Shehu, didnt respond to calls and SMS sent to him for comments about the abductions. Gunmen on Monday killed three people during an attack on Ngbo community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. They also destroyed properties believed to be worth millions of naira in the community. The police spokesperson in Ebonyi, Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki. Mr Anyanwu, a superintendent of police, said two houses and a shop, including two motorcycles and a tricycle, were razed by the gunmen The DPO in the area said there are few dead bodies seen on the ground. The police are working round the clock to ensure the restoration of peace in the area, the Police spokesperson said. Clement Odah, the chairman, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, condemned the attack. He said efforts would be intensified to unravel the circumstances that led to such unwarranted attack and loss of lives and properties. It is unclear for now if the attack has a link with the appearance of Nnamdi Kanu in court on Tuesday. ALSO READ: Gunmen kill another Catholic Priest Mr Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), is standing trial for terrorism at a Federal High Court, Abuja. The court on Tuesday rejected Mr Kanus bail application. The Nigerian government has accused IPOB, a separatist group, of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the countrys South-east. (NAN) The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Monday in Abuja, warned owners of plots in the Apo-Dutse scrap market to develop their lands in one month or risk revocation. The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, issued the warning during a meeting with the Association of Apo-Dutse Scrap Market Dealers. Mr Attah, who said that the FCT Administration spent huge resources to clear the market of illegality, however, expressed worry that most of the plot owners had not taken possession of their lands. He disclosed that the administration through the Taskforce on City Sanitation removed over 50 illegal shanties and shops. We returned back to Apo-Dutse Scrap (Pantaka) market after a short break to continue to remove illegalities on plots of land and we also return for mop-up exercise but somehow we are not too pleased that most of the land allottees have not taken over their land. The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, is very bitter and unhappy because most of the land allottees have not taken over their land. And he is spending state resources to do the clean-up exercise in terms of buying diesel, paying personnel allowances and servicing the machines. People who have gotten land in this place and are waiting for us to clear it should immediately report to Development Control within the next one month. READ ALSO: Not just fencing the land but also getting building plan approval and building on it. They should not leave the land vacant for too long, he said. Mr Attah said that the task force would recommend and plead with the FCT minister to give the grace of one month, and if there is no meaningful development in terms of fencing and groundbreaking for structures, the minister should revoke the land. The only way you can get them to move out of here is for the plot owners to take over their plots and start development. As long as the plot owners are speculating, then pantaker and miscreants will take over their plots, he said. The senior special assistant, who revealed that the minister might consider allocating alternative land for the association of scrap dealers, advised them to be patient. The ministers aide, however, cautioned the scrap dealers to avoid operating with scavengers because the scavengers destroy their good image. Responding, the chairman of the association, Anas Ismail, explained that the members of the association were not regrouping rather they were packing their belongings. He said the association had already written to the minister and pleaded with him to give them more time to evacuate their property. Also, Bala Haruna, the secretary-general of the association, also appealed to the minister to consider their request of allocating land for them to do their business. He said that they were over 10,000 scrap dealers in the market. (NAN) About eight years after the 2014 National Conference a thought came, that some of the issues that characterised the Conference, particularly the interests and intrigues that shaped the deliberations and outcomes, should be revisited. The idea was to look at the issues beyond what is already available to the public and what was published in the Main Conference Report. That thought gave birth to a 633-page book titled The National Conversation: Interests and Intrigues that shaped the 2014 National Conference, written by two media professionals, Akpandem James and Sam Akpe, who were also at the Conference Secretariat. The Conference was a fundamental step towards addressing weighty national issues that have been canvassed over the years by the different stakeholders in the country. Therefore, it was an important national project aimed at realistically examining and genuinely resolving long standing hurdles to national cohesion and inclusive development of the country. This National Conversation distils some of the highlights of the 2014 National Conference proceedings, the trajectory of events, including moves that led to some of the very critical decisions, major contributions by delegates, the contentions, as well as other issues that are not in the public domain. Deputy Chairman of the Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, wrote the Foreword. The book will be presented to the public on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 by 10.00am at the Colonade Hall, NICON Luxury Hotel, near the CBN headquarters, in Abuja. A review of the book will be done at the event by the Director, Institute of Legislative Studies and recently appointed Director, Abuja Leadership Centre, University of Abuja, Prof. Philip Afaha. Until recently, he was the Head of Department of History and Diplomatic Studies at the university. READ ALSO: The principal players in the birthing and nurturing of the 2014 National Conference have given their word to be part of the event. Nigerias immediate past President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has accepted to be the chairman. Former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; Conference Secretary, Valerie Azinge; Dr Akilu Indabawa who was in charge of Conference Proceedings, delegates to the Conference, top politicians and journalists, business leaders, scholars and heads of development agencies, among others, have confirmed their availability for the event. The book is done in three sections. Section One contains the build-up analysis, including the road to the 2014 National Conference, why it was called and the overall agenda. Section Two dwells on issues that shaped the Conference including how the Principal Officers handled the project; background to the composition of delegates and the contentious issue of representation; women at the conference their antecedents and roles; how the Conference rules and procedures were fashioned out; the issue of voting and the 50 Wise men; the contentions that trailed the consensus groups; the ruckus over membership and leadership of Conference Committees; as well as wisecracks that tempered the ever rising tensions. Section Three contains conversations and background moves that shaped decisions on critical governance issues like Devolution of Power and Resource Allocation; Politics and Governance; Political Parties and Electoral Matters; National Security; Religion; Immunity clause; State Police; State creation; the contentious Land Use Act; the issue of Cattle Routes and Grazing Reserves; revisiting Agriculture and Water Resources; and also delegates that can be described as the forerunners and the potentates before and at the Conference. Apart from the front matters, the book has 105 pages of information on the structure of delegates by classification and by regions; Committees by responsibilities, leadership and membership; list of women and classification; those who died during the 2014 National Conference, all the speeches delivered at both the inauguration and closing ceremonies; and a comprehensive indexing for easy reference. It is delivered in both hardcover and paperback. Signed: Akpandem James, fnge Akpadem@yahoo.com June 22, 2022 Experts from local and international organisations as well as heads of relevant government bodies have suggested ways to ensure an effective implementation of Nigerias anti-torture law. The recommendations are contained in a seven-point resolution issued on Monday following the experts deliberations at a two-day meeting on how to devise strategies for the enforcement of the Anti-Torture Act (ATA) 2017. The two-day meeting of the experts, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice and some law enforcement agencies including the police, was held between June 21 and 22. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the meeting was organised by the British Councils Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) in collaboration with Lawyers without borders France in Abuja. Participants at the meeting lamented the low awareness about the anti-torture law among lawyers, judges, magistrates, and law enforcement agencies, a situation, they said, contributes to the rising incidence of torture in the country. They also evaluated the mandate of the National Committee Against Torture (NCAT) and developed a workplan to reinforce anti-torture measures at the meeting. Recommendations The Director of Lawyers without borders France, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, presented the resolutions of the meeting on Monday at a press conference organised to mark the 2022 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. They include a call on the government and its agencies to take measures to educate the public about anti-torture measures, strengthen internal mechanisms of security agencies, review the NCAT and institute criminal actions against perpetrators. It is necessary that the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Police Force and other Security agencies institute or strengthen internal mechanisms for holding law enforcement or security operatives accountable for acts of torture, part of the recommendations also read. READ ALSO: The experts also called for the amendment of the Anti-Torture Act by adding provisions that define the powers of the National Committee Against Torture, review of the committees membership to accommodate those who can provide new ideas and energy. The NCAT lacks statutory backing and resources to implement its mandate. These need to be addressed through legislative amendment to the ATA or by inserting provisions in the awaited Attorney-Generals implementation rules and regulations that define the powers of the NCAT, the resolution document added. It called for justice for the victims of torture through adequate reparation or compensation and rehabilitation, accountability for the perpetrators, and reassurance to taxpayers on enforcement and respect of rule of law. Poor funding Speaking at the press conference, the chairman of the NCAT, Sani Ameh, commended the efforts of RoLAC, Lawyers without borders France and other stakeholders who participated in the consultation. He bemoaned how lack of funding, publicity and resources has hampered the implementation of his mandate. The committee has no funding to even call a general meeting or make quarterly reports to the United Nation. Sometimes I use my own money to do these things, he said. Other participants at the press conference include the representatives of the National Human Rights Commission, Access to Justice, and Amnesty International. An Iyaganku Family Court in Ibadan on Tuesday ordered that two herdsmen be remanded in the Agodi correctional facility for alleged armed robbery. The police charged Abdulkareem Yusuf, 22 and Umaru Kessi, 22, with armed robbery. Chief Magistrate S. H. Adebisi also ordered that an 11-year-old boy charged alongside Messrs Yusuf and Kessi be remanded in Ijokodo Juvenile centre in Ibadan. Mr Adebisi did not take the plea of the suspects for want in jurisdiction. He adjourned the matter until July 11 for mention. Earlier, the defence counsel, M .A . Yusuf prayed the court to admit his clients to bail. The prosecution counsel, Gbemisola Adedeji, told the court that the suspects allegedly conspired to commit the offence. Ms Adedeji said on June 12, at about 8:45 p.m. between Oniki and Jagun Village, via Ikoyi Ile, while armed with gun and cutlasses, the suspects robbed one Saka Waheed of N1. 5 million She said an unregistered Bajaj motorcycle worth N320,000 and a Techno cell phone were stolen by the suspects. She also said the suspects robbed a man, Isiaka Bashiru of N1 million and stole a wristwatch worth N1,500 and a cellphone belonging to Mariam Fatai. Ms Adedeji said the offence contravened the provisions of sections Section 1(2) (a) (b) and 6b of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions ) Act, Cap RII, Vol. 14, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004. (NAN) The APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, has urged the newly appointed acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, to bring onto the apex judicial position, the competence and integrity that hallmarked his career. Mr Tinubu gave the advice in a congratulatory message by his spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, on Tuesday in Abuja. The former governor of Lagos State, who is currently out of the country, while congratulating Mr Ariwoola, also wished the former CJN, Tanko Muhammad, a quick recovery. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the former CJN resigned on Monday on health grounds. Mr Tinubu said: I congratulate Justice Olukayode Ariwoola on his elevation to the topmost judicial position with his appointment as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria. To say this appointment is richly deserved is stating the obvious as Justice Ariwoola has given everything to the law and judiciary. Mr Ariwoola has held important appointments over the years during which he demonstrated excellence. His over four decades judicial career has been hallmarked by competence, integrity and deep understanding and interpretation of the law without fear or favour, he said. READ ALSO: Buhari swears in Ariwoola as acting CJN Mr Tinubu, therefore, expressed optimism and confidence that Mr Ariwoola would bring competence and integrity which his judicial career had been hallmarked unto the appointment and continue to uphold the principles of law with courage and impartiality. He wished him increased wisdom and Gods guidance while praying for a quick recovery for the former CJN. I thank Justice Muhammad for his services to Nigeria and the judiciary and I wish him a most memorable retirement. NAN reports that Mr Ariwoola was called to bar in July 1981 and rose to the apex court as a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2011. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari says he is constrained to accept the resignation of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Muhammad Tanko, on health grounds. The president stated this while swearing in Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as acting Chief Justice of Nigeria in the State House, Abuja, on Monday. Mr Buhari said: Ordinarily, he (Tanko) was scheduled to retire from the Supreme Court on the last day of 2023. Unfortunately, as no man is infallible, ill-health has cut short Chief Justice Tankos leadership of the Nigerian Judiciary at this time. I am therefore constrained to accept his retirement, albeit with mixed feelings. Much as one may wish that the Chief Justice of Nigeria Muhammed Tanko is able to fully serve his term in office, it presupposes that he is able to perform the functions of the Office without let, hindrance or any form of disability. The instant resignation of Justice Tanko is however envisaged under Section 231(4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended which contains provisions relating to vacancy and the occupant of the Office of Chief Justice of Nigeria being unable to perform the functions of the Office for any reason. According to the president, under a constitutional democracy like ours, government powers and responsibilities are clearly allocated and shared among the three tiers; the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. He stated that the three organs must work harmoniously and optimally in accordance with their respective Constitutional mandates. He noted that Nigerias Judiciary under the leadership of Mr Tanko judiciously exercised the judicial powers of the Federation. The president added that Mr Tankos era witnessed several landmark, jurisprudential and policy decisions by the Supreme Court, and by extension other courts established by the Constitution. CJN Tanko dealt firmly with the issue of reckless and indiscriminate grant of ex-parte Orders that was assuming serious dimensions. History will be kind to Justice Tanko Muhammed for his modest contributions to Nigerias Judiciary, the strengthening of our democracy and national development, he said. The president used the opportunity to call on the judiciary not do anything to fail the ordinary people of Nigeria which may make them lose confidence in the justice system in the country. He also enjoined the Justices of the Supreme Court to always remain faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to remain steadfastly committed to the Oath of Allegiance which they all subscribed to, as contained in the 7th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Our Nation is approaching a critical general election in 2023, the Judiciary must not do anything to fail the ordinary people of Nigeria which may make them lose confidence in the Judiciary, he said. Mr Buhari reiterated his administrations commitment to ensuring the independence of the Judiciary and will not do anything nor take any steps to undermine your independence. We shall uphold the Constitutional provisions on the Rule of Law and the principles of Separation of Powers. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president honoured Mr Tanko with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON). In line with the custom of decorating Chief Justices of Nigeria with the second highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON), and upon the advice of the Council of State in that regard, as his Lordship CJN I. Tanko Muhammed is taking a bow from the Supreme Court, I hereby bestow on him the National Honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, (GCON). In the circumstances, and as nature abhors a vacuum, I hereby invite Honourable Olukayode Ariwoola JSC, being the next most Senior Justice of the Supreme Court, to come forward to take the Judicial Oath as Chief Justice of Nigeria in an Acting Capacity, pursuant to Section 231(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), he said. Mr Ariwoola, who later spoke to State House correspondents, said he would uphold the constitution of the country while discharging his duties. He said: What Nigerians should expect from me is to comply with, preserve, abide by and protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is what I will do essentially with the cooperation of my brother Justices of the Supreme Court. We shall not fail Nigerians. He dismissed as false the purported controversy surrounding the Supreme Court occasioned by petitions reportedly written against the immediate past CJN (Tanko), saying there is no controversy whatsoever. He, however, added that what transpired shortly before the change of guard at the apex court was an internal memo of the Supreme Court, written directly to Tanko. According to him, the matter is already being resolved. There is no controversy in the Supreme Court, we are one with the Chief Justice and that is why you heard the President said his Lordship (Justice Ibrahim Tanko) is disengaging on the grounds of ill health. It was an internal memo of the court; it was not a petition, it was not a letter. It was addressed by the brother-Justices of the Supreme Court and presented to his Lordship directly. They were issues to be resolved among Justices and we have started resolving them, he said. Fourteen Justices of the Supreme Court had on June 20 written a protest letter to the then CJN Tanko, lamenting the difficulties they were facing in carrying out their duties. (NAN) Fuel deliveries have risen in Abuja from 70-80 trucks in three days to 140 trucks in response to the governments offer of additional N10 freight reimbursements to marketers, the government said. The government announced last week it would pay more to cover the cost of transporting products across the country, amid rising price of diesel, as it struggles to end shortages that have lasted nearly a year. As Nigerians continue to struggle to get petrol for their cars and generating sets, officials claimed things were getting better. Top officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), and the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), visited two filling stations, Shafa and Shema, along Lugbe airport road on Monday, where they witnessed queues. The chief executive officer of the midstream and downstream petroleum regulatory agency, Farouk Ahmed, who led the team, said: At least were seeing the improvement. Our people were outside. As of today from the authorities alone, we have seven teams that are going around to different locations. Were trying to monitor the dispensing, first of all, to ensure that all the stations that have fuel are dispensed with all their pumps so that they can reduce the number of the long queues at efficiency in terms of service, Mr Ahmed said. We went to Shafa and Shema along Lugbe airport road. When we got to Shafa they were not selling because they were discharging. At least the good thing is that the queues are not as long as they were yesterday. He said the freight increase has impacted positively after marketers warned they could no longer sell at a loss. And theres been a lot of improvement because the average trucking that we received in Abuja in the last three days, was about 140 trucks on average. We were receiving like 70-80 trucks. So theres been a little improvement and credit also goes to the transporter because now they are reacting to Mr Presidents offer, which he gave them an additional 10 Naira incentive on transportation charges, he said. But motorists said similar upbeat claims by the government in the past had failed to end the crisis. READ ALSO: I dont know whether the government or the owner of the NNPC are deceiving people, because every day, they will say they have fuel in surplus but see what is happening here now, some filling stations do not have fuel, said a driver at Shafa filling station, who gave his name as James. Mustapha Baba, who was also at the station, said he did not believe the government. The advice I will give now is if they have fuel, let them share it to all the filling stations so that all the stations will be selling fuel. As you can see, many filling stations are not selling at all and even the filling stations that are selling, are selling just one or two pumps and this is not ideal, he said. In recent months, fuel scarcity has worsened in Abuja and several other cities across the country. Although the crisis in Abuja began in 2021 after the government announced plans to remove fuel subsidy, a major shortage hit major cities including Lagos in February, causing queues at filling stations and leaving millions unable to power their cars and generators they rely on for electricity. The government said the discovery of high amounts of methanol in imported fuel caused the shortage as authorities tried to replace the off-spec product across the country. The crisis lingered for months despite the federal government saying it had sufficient stock of petroleum products for distribution. The scarcity has continued in Abuja nonetheless and black market sales have thrived with hawkers lining busy roads with jerry cans filled with petrol. Weeks ago, long queues returned to filling stations in Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti as most of them remained shut due to scarcity of petrol. Marketers had listed the high cost of buying petrol at the depots and the high cost of diesel to truck them as the major factors responsible for the recent queue. Mr Ahmed said the price of petrol has not changed. The price is still N165 per litre, the government has not made any decision on that, he said. Mr President, in his wisdom has increased the freight rate for transporters by 10 Naira that is a huge jump from N10.46 Kobo to an additional N10 which amounts to N20.46 kobo and this is just to show that the transporters can still transport the product all across the nation without any loss of revenue to them, which is what they were complaining about. So, thats to say, that the price of N165 is still sacrosanct, nothing has changed from that. So people should not be concerned about whether there is an increase or not, absolutely there is no increase, he added. He noted that the authorities have been engaging with the key marketers and have advised them to warn their station managers to stop selling to the black marketers. These jerry cans boys are what is causing part of the problem, he said. We are out to show concern of what is happening, Were not just sitting back and letting it go on like, we have tried to take action. We have warned all the marketing companies, particularly those that are selling over the official price, that they should stop over-selling otherwise well take action against them. The NNPC Ltd. executive director, Adeyemi Adetunji, said the corporation had 1.9 billion litres of petrol in stock with the sufficiency of about 32 days. Today we have 1.9 billion litres of petrol which is about 32 days sufficiency. Lagos is cleared now. And we will just clear Abuja in a couple of days as well, he said. The Federal High Court in Abuja, again, on Tuesday, dismissed the bail request filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). It was the second time in a row the court would turn down the bail request by the IPOB leader, who faces seven terrorism-related charges. Ruling on Tuesday, the judge, Binta Nyako, held that Mr Kanus second bail request amounts to an abuse of court process, after a similar application was rejected on May 18. The present application amounts to an abuse of court process for attempting to relitigate an issue already decided by the court. Mrs Nyako had revoked the IPOB leader and asked him to give reasons for his absence from court since 2017. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the court had ordered Mr Kanus arrest in March 2019 after adjudging him to have jumped bail. The arrest order came months after the IPOB leader fled the country in the wake of the invasion of his home by soldiers in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, in September 2017. Justifying his clients escape from the country, Mr Kanus lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, had argued that the IPOB leaders absence from court was as a result of the invasion of his home by the Nigerian Army. During the invasion of Mr Kanus home, 28 people were mowed down by the military; forcing to run for his life, Mr Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had told the judge. Mr Kanus disappearance stalled his trial which he was jointly undergoing along with his co-defendants. With the development, the judge, on March 28, 2018, severed his trial from that of other co-defendants to stop further delay in the others case. Mr Kanu, a citizen of both Nigerian and Britain, was believed to have moved to Israel and later to the United Kingdom after leaving Nigeria. However, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, announced in June 2021, that Mr Kanu had been intercepted and returned to Nigeria. While Mr Malami was silent on where Mr Kanu was apprehended and the circumstances of his repatriation to Nigeria, the IPOB leaders family members and lawyers said he was abducted from Kenya. Ruling In her ruling, Mrs Nyako expressed dissatisfaction with Mr Kanus explanation for his absence from court. The judge said the IPOB leader had legal representation and sureties on the day his bail was revoked. Recalling the proceedings where Mr Kanus bail was revoked, Mrs Nyako said the sureties informed the court that they had no knowledge of the IPOB leaders whereabouts. The defendant (Mr Kanu) was not denied fair hearing, the judge said before dismissing the bail request. The judge advised Mr Kanu to approach the Court of Appeal if he is dissatisfied with the ruling. This application is dismissed, the judge said before adjourning the suit until November 14. Meanwhile, security agents took positions around the court premises to restrain the teeming number of Mr Kanus supporters who usually gather around the premises on the IPOB leaders trial days. They gathered around the court chanting solidarity songs on Tuesday. The security operatives prevented them from entering the court premises. President Muhammadu Buhari will, on Tuesday, depart Abuja on a State Visit to Portugal at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Garba Shehu, the presidents media aide, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Mr Shehu, the president, who will hold official talks with his Portuguese counterpart, will be conferred with the countrys National Honour and decorated with the Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry. The two presidents are expected to chair an enlarged bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements bordering on issues of mutual concern. President Buhari will also visit the Portuguese parliament and hold discussions with its president, c, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa. In the course of the visit, the president is scheduled to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen and hold separate meetings with select Portuguese Chief Executive Officers and prospective investors to Nigeria. President Buhari will also participate in the United Nations Ocean Conference, which began in Lisbon on June 27, and runs till July 1, the presidential aide said. The conference is being co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). It aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based innovative solutions to challenges facing oceans and the global marine ecosystem. The Nigerian leader is also expected to engage members of the Nigerian community in Portugal on matters affecting them and developments at home. Mr Shehu said the president would be accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, and Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami. Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa. The president is expected to return to Abuja on July 2. (NAN) The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) has appealed to the Nigerian government to halt all forms of discriminatory and unfair practices against other health professionals in the country. The union in a statement issued and signed by its president, Obinna Ogbonna, to commemorate the 2022 Health Sector Reform Day, said there is an ongoing dichotomy in the sector in the country. The dichotomy, NUAHP said, has bred several forms of injustices over the years. Mr Ogbonna said the union has repeatedly engaged relevant health authorities on issues bordering on professional dichotomy, discrimination, and other forms of injustice. He, however, said these acts continue unabated to date due to what he termed some notable gaps in health institutions establishment and management of extant laws, preferential treatment of physicians over other health care professionals, and many other factors. Undoubtedly, these unfair practices against other health care workers have been responsible for most trade disputes leading to industrial unrest and work stoppages over the years, he said. Health sector reform day Mr Ogbonna said June 27, every year, is set aside by the union as Health Sector Reform Day, as contained in its constitution. He said it is a day to draw the attention of social partners, especially the government, to the state of the health sector in Nigeria and the working conditions of members of the union and health workers generally. The theme for this years day is; Eliminating Professional Dichotomy and Discriminatory Practices; Panacea for Sustainable Industrial Harmony in Nigerias Healthcare Sector. The president said the theme was carefully chosen due to the perennial discriminatory practices in the sector. Demands In the statement, the union listed its 17 demands from the government and health authorities. The union said the appointment of chief medical directors should be thrown open for other health care professionals to compete, and that the position shouldnt be for medical doctors only. Board representation for other health care professionals should be increased from one to eight out of 14 since it is a larger group and in the majority. While the three representatives from the university should be reduced to one. Chairman Medical Advisory Committee should no longer be appointed from the University but among substantive directors or deputy directors in the teaching hospital and should be in accordance with public service rules of seniority. Other health care professionals should have at least four directors out of eight in the ministry, it said. The union also demanded that the government should establish schools or colleges of postgraduate studies for clinical residency training for other health care professionals as it exists for medical and dental practitioners. The union said healthcare workers are yet to receive the new hazard allowance and therefore urged the government to look into it and also pay outstanding arrears of promotion, withheld salaries and other allowances in all federal health institutions. Payment of salary arrears and other emoluments by some state governments that are owing to such, and payment of shortfall in April and May 2018 withheld salaries of health workers in the federal health institutions, it said. About NUAHP NUAHP is a coalition of other categories of health workers apart from medical doctors and nurses. It is made up of professionals across clinical sections such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists, radiographers or imaging scientists, dental technologists, and other related professionals. The House of Representatives has invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Aliyu Aziz, to appear and brief relevant committees of the House on the ongoing trial in London of a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. The Director-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS), Idris Jere, is also to appear before the committees. The resolution was a sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Abdulahi Abdulkadir (APC, Bauchi) during the plenary on Tuesday. The London Metropolitan Police had charged Mr Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, for allegedly trafficking David Nwanini with the aim of harvesting his kidney. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the prosecutors said the Ekweremadus were being charged for bringing a 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the UK with the claim that he was to be given a better life in the UK but was actually to harvest his organ to treat their daughter who is suffering from kidney disease. The age of Mr Nwanini has become a subject of controversy. The prosecutors reportedly informed the court that Mr Ekweremadu procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old but the prosecutors discovered that he was 15 years old. This newspaper paper reported that the NIS claimed that documents provided by Mr Nwamini from the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) gave his date of birth as October 12, 2000. The motion Moving the motion, Mr Abdulkadir expressed concerns over the controversy on the age of Mr Nwanini, noting that some of the emerging information may not be available to the UK police. He described Mr Ekweremadu as a public servant with flawless records. The additional information emerging from the NIS and other legitimate sources including the visa issuing protocols at the UK High Commission, Bank Verification Number (BVN) suggest a different narrative which might not have been available to the metropolitan police at the time of arrest and charge. Hopeful that the authority in the United Kingdom will work with their national security and intelligence counterpart in Nigeria to conduct a holistic and thorough investigation to ascertain all the facts relating to the allegation in order to make a fair determination on the issues in the best interest of equity and justice for all concerned, he said. In his contribution, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said an investigation on the matter is ongoing. He said that he has reached out to the High Commissioner in the UK. I still spoke with him this morning and he has been very proactive. He has done all that needs to be done. The Queens Counsel has been made available to Ekweremadu. He has access to him. Mr Abdulkadir, who appeared not to be satisfied with the intervention by the speaker, claimed that Mr Ekweremadus rights and status are not being respected. We cannot have a situation where a simple allegation that has not been thoroughly investigated will lead to the conviction of Mr Ekweremadu. He added that but from what is happening so far, we feel that all the privileges and status that he (Ekweremadu) is supposed to enjoy has been thrown to the dustbin. Also speaking on the matter, Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), said there is a need for justice for Mr Ekweremadu. Consequently, the House further resolved that the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the High Commission of Nigeria to the United Kingdom should take all necessary steps possible to ensure that Mr Ekweremadu and his wife are provided with all consular services as they may require in this critical time. It also resolved that the agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria and relevant corporate bodies particularly the NIMC, NIS and banks should act swiftly to respond to a legitimate request for information to facilitate the prompt resolution of the charges against them. The motion was adopted when it was put to vote by the speaker. Meanwhile, the Senate was mum on the matter when it reconvened on Tuesday. Mr Ekweremadu served as deputy senate president for 12 years and is still a member of the current Senate. As Monkeypox continues to spread globally, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC ) has decried what it described as widespread misinformation about the infection, especially in Nigeria. The Director-General of the NCDC, Ifedayo Adetifa, said this on Tuesday at a virtual media dialogue on the infection, noting that more than 3,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and one death have been recorded globally as of June 22, 2022. Mr Adetifa, however, admitted that there is an uptick in Monkeypox cases in Nigeria, and concluded that if not contained, it could exceed the peak number of cases seen in 2017 when the infection re-emerged. Misinformation The NCDC boss added that contrary to the belief in some quarters, monkeypox is not a plot to cause lockdowns like COVID-19 and there is no evidence of the release of the virus from a laboratory. He said, though rare, Monkeypox is not a novel disease. In Nigeria, there has been no observed change in transmissibility of the virus nor changes in its clinical manifestation documented (including symptoms, profile, and virulence) nor is there evidence of sexual transmission, he said. Global statistics The latest Monkeypox update by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that from January to June 22, 2022, 50 countries across five regions have reported a cumulative total of 3,413 confirmed cases with over 90 per cent recorded in non-endemic countries. According to the data, the WHO European Region topped the infection with 2,933 cases, representing 86 per cent of the total cases, followed by the Region of the Americas with 381, amounting to 11 per cent. The African Region came third on the log with 73 cases, representing 2 per cent of the global cases reported from six countries, with Nigeria topping the list. Nigeria is followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Ghana, Cameroon, and Congo. Stigmatisation Apart from misinformation, Mr Adetifa explained that the discrimination and stigmatisation that come with the Monkeypox infection need urgent intervention. He said: Prevailing media perception and misinformation on monkeypox has fuelled false narratives about the virus, the potential risk of discrimination and stigmatisation from this requires urgent social and behaviour change intervention. Since its sudden resurgence in 2017, a multi-agency Technical Working Group (TWG) coordinated at the NCDC has led Nigerias efforts to improve the detection, prevention, and control of monkeypox Importantly, we have gained a better understanding of the epidemiology of the virus to inform preparedness and response in-country, he said. He also added that genomic sequencing is ongoing at NCDCs National Reference Laboratory to identify possible mutations and the epidemiology of the virus. Speaking further, he noted that NCDC is supporting the global effort to respond to the disease as well as pushing for the renaming and re-classification of the virus to a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising nomenclature. Monkeypox is a priority despite being neglected for years, especially during outbreaks as we have had in Nigeria and neighbouring countries such as DRC a few years back While it is unfortunate that it takes such a global spread for the needed attention to be given, here in Nigeria, it has remained a priority for us, he said. In his remarks, the WHO Country Representative, Walter Mulombo, urged journalists to address misconceptions about Monkeypox disease which has continued to fuel false narratives about Nigeria globally. What is important is to avert any potential inequitable access to vaccines experienced by African countries including Nigeria in the early stages of a pandemic, he said. Mr Mulombo added that the rumours and misinformation would cause more harm and loss of lives than the monkeypox disease itself. Nigeria Monkeypox update The NCDC incident manager of the National Monkeypox Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Lateefat Amao, gave the breakdown of Monkeypox and case description in Nigeria. According to Mrs Amao, from January 1 to June 26 2022, there have been 204 suspected cases in total, 62 confirmed cases from 19 states and one death in a 40-year-old man with co-morbidity that was receiving immunosuppressive drugs. Describing the suspected cases, she explained that it comes with an acute illness with fever >38.30C, intense headache, lymphadenopathy, back pain, myalgia, and intense asthenia. One of three days later, it follows with a progressively developing rash often beginning on the face (most dense) and then spreading elsewhere on the body, including the soles of feet and palms of the hand. For the probable case, she said a case that meets the clinical case definition, is not laboratory-confirmed but has an epidemiological link to a confirmed case, while the confirmed case is a clinically compatible case that is laboratory confirmed. She further explained that Monkeypox can be contacted directly or indirectly with a confirmed case through skin lesions, oral secretions, urine, faeces, vomitus, blood, sexual contact and sharing a common space. In the latest situation report, spanning June 20 to June 26, 2022, the NCDC reported 42 suspected cases of Monkeypox, with 21 newly confirmed cases from 13 states. The states are Cross River (2), Delta (2), FCT (2), Lagos (2), Nasarawa (2), Plateau (2), Rivers (2), Taraba (2), Abia (1), Adamawa (1), Bayelsa (1), Edo (1) and Katsina (1). NCDC mandate Speaking on the NCDC mandate, Mr Adetifa said: As the national public health institute, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is mandated to prevent, detect and respond to events of public health importance. Over the last five years, Nigeria has witnessed catastrophic effects of infectious diseases such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Dengue, rabies, yellow fever, COVID-19, and most recently, Monkeypox. As we continue to ensure that all infectious diseases receive adequate attention using a One-Health approach, we remain grateful to our partners including the WHO-AIRA (Africa Infodemic Response Alliance) and Breakthrough Action Nigeria for the support they provide to institutionalise a system for effective management of infodemics associated with these outbreaks in the country. This birthed the National Infodemic Management Team (NIMT) domicile in NCDC that conducts active social and community listening to identify information gaps relating to the monkeypox outbreak, with critical support from partners. Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed the reasons for not implementing the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference convoked by his administration. While delivering a speech at the presentation of a book: The National Conversation: Interests and Intrigues That Shaped The 2014 National Conference, at the NICON Luxury in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Jonathan highlighted some of the issues that made it impossible to implement the report before he left office in 2015. Mr Jonathan, who was represented by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, said his government had already lost the control of the House of Representatives by the time the report was submitted in August 2014. He stated that the mass defection led by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, made it impossible to send the report to the National Assembly. Mr Tambuwal, who is currently the Sokoto State governor, had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 28, 2014, and joined the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC). He has since rejoined the PDP. After defecting from the PDP at the time, Mr Tambuwal adjourned the sitting of the House to December 3. Mr Jonathan, who served as president from 2010-2015, convened the National Conference on March 3, 2014, to address inclusive national consensus on the structure and guiding principles of state. The conference was chaired by the late Justice Idris Kutigi, with 492 delegates that represented different groups and interests across the country. Eight years after the presentation of the report, the recommendations of the reports are yet to be implemented. Why I did not send it to NASS The ex-president said the implementation would have required alterations to the 1999 Constitution and other existing laws, noting that all these would have been impossible with the defection of Mr Tambuwal and others. Such elaborate review couldnt have been possible at the time because at the time the report was submitted in August 2014, we were on the verge of a general election. It is also important to point out that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who was a member of my party, the PDP, had already moved out with some members to the opposition. That meant a reasonable part of the National Assembly were already anti-government. When you know that the parliament is under that kind of situation, it would have been imprudent on my part to take such a documentwhich I consider crucial to our development yearning to a parliament that will not give it due consideration, Mr Jonathan said. He added that Nigerians were already suspicious of the actions of the government, hence it would not be prudent to embark on the implementation of the conference recommendations. We were also aware that for the segment of our population that was already suspicious of the action of government, our actions could have been misread, especially against the backdrop of the ECOWAS protocol on Constitution reforms, which states that no substantial alterations to electoral laws of member states in the last six months before elections. Mr Jonathan said he believed he was going to win the 2015 general elections and thereafter implement the recommendations. When I contested the 2015 elections, my expectation was that I would win a second term within which period I would have worked for the implementation of that report. I felt that within the four years mandate, the first two years would have been dedicated to implementing a reasonable part of the recommendations, he said. In his remarks at the event, Ita Enang, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, said he pushed for the implementation of the recommendations but that the current administration refused to act. According to him, he sent a memo to the Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, but no action was taken. Mr Enang, who was a senator at the time, said the security challenges facing the country now are direr than the situation in 2014. In his remarks, Sam Akpe, a co-author, said the 633-page book is an inside account of the intrigues that played out in the course of the deliberations. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are aggrieved over the recent primaries of the party that justice will prevail. He asked the senators to exercise patience and to restrain from making any decision that could hurt the party. The president stated this when some APC senators, about 22 of them, paid him a visit at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday. The lawmakers, led by the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Kalu, had vowed to defect from the party over the outcome of primaries in their states ahead of the 2023 general elections. They said they felt disenfranchised by the process. The party has been hit recently by a gale of defections since its primaries last month. Already, some senators have left the party and joined other opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). One common reason the lawmakers gave for exiting the ruling party was the lack of internal democracy and interference of their state governors. Last week, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, met with the Senate caucus of the party over the defections of top party members. Addressing the senators, Mr Buhari said he will strengthen the culture of internal democracy and dispute resolution in the party. This, he said, he will do, by creating the opportunity for members to ventilate their opinions, views and grievances at different levels. I have noted your grievances particularly as it concerns the just concluded processes. The cost to the nation, the threat to the majority of positions held by our party in the legislative chambers and likely consequent causes to the electoral fortune of the party as we approach the General elections. We must not allow these dire threats to come to pass, he said. While acknowledging the presence of a level-playing field in every contest, the president urged them to see grievances that followed as a test of democratic credentials, systems and practices. The leadership of the party is currently addressing the outcomes as part of the way forward, he said just as he admonished all the party functionaries to adhere to the truth and to be fair to all parties in any dispute. Finally, Let me assure you that justice shall prevail, aggrieved members shall be assuaged in the interest of the party and the nation shall be protected. At the end of the meeting, Mr Kalu, who described the meeting as successful, said the issue of decamping from our party has been laid to rest. Although the president and the partys national chairman have promised to address the issues raised by the aggrieved lawmakers, it is not clear how they intend to settle them particularly those who have lost their return tickets. The Huouse of Representatives has opposed the latest policy of the Medical and Dentistry Council of Nigeria (MDCN) on medical certificates from Ukraine. MDCN had in a statement last week announced that Nigeria will not accept medical and dental degrees from Ukrainian universities obtained from 2022. The body had said the policy is due to the ongoing war in Ukraine that has seen many of its higher institutions closed for physical classes. However, many of them are still holding online classes, which the MDCN said it is inadequate for medical and dental programmes. The lower chamber on Tuesday resolved that MDCN should allow students in the 6th (and final) year of their programmes and who have completed their final exams to register for the MDCN in Nigeria and allow them to prove themselves. It also urged the MDCN to allow students in the 5th year of their medical programmes in Ukraine to be absorbed into medical schools in Nigerian universities to complete their 6th year. It asked the federal government to through relevant MDAs, discuss with Ukrainian authorities for universities to release the transcripts of years completed from year 1 to year 6 (as applicable) for Nigerian students willing to transfer to medical schools in Nigeria or other nations. The resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Tajudeen Yusuf (PDP, Kogi). Moving the motion, Mr Yusuf faulted the argument propounded by the MDCN, noting that thousands of Nigerians will be affected by the policy. He stated that the students risk not only losing these years of rigorous training but huge financial loses to their parents. The lawmakers said the MDCN failed to consider other pragmatic options in view of the dearth of medical personnel in the country. MDCN intends to truncate the academic dreams and professional ambitions of thousands of Nigerian Medical Students in Ukraine as a result of ongoing development that are not caused by them. MDCN did not explore other pragmatic and mutually benefitting strategies done by some other countries, he said. To address the matter, the House mandated the Committees on Education Tertiary, Health Institutions and Foreign Affairs to engage with the leadership of the MDCN, concerned Ukrainian Students Parents Forum Nigeria and other relevant MDAs to find lasting solutions to the challenge. When the motion was put to vote by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, members voted in support of it. The police in Ogun on Monday allegedly killed a truck driver and his motor boy at Itori, along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway. Witnesses said the police officers, who were driving against traffic to avoid a bad portion of the road in Ewekoro, accosted the truck driver who was committing the same offence. The officers reportedly shot at the truck tyres, causing a face-off between the driver, who was joined by the residents, and the police. During the heated argument, which lasted about 30 minutes, the police officers reportedly shot the truck driver and his colleague. The shooting led to a protest by the youth who blocked the expressway causing traffic gridlock. Many motorists resorted to using a bushy alternative route, where they were compelled to settle area boys before they could continue their journey. Several travellers disembarked from their vehicles and continued their journey on foot. A traveller, who identified herself simply as Damilola, described the situation as devastating, adding that truck drivers have blocked the road. What we suffered today cant be described, as I speak, the police are not there, they all ran away already, she said. Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the incident. He, however, said he was yet to be fully briefed by the Divisional Police Officer in Itori, where the incident happened. The Ogun State government secretariat and most schools in Abeokuta, the capital, were deserted Tuesday as the industrial action by workers in the state kicked off. The Organised Labour in the state, comprising the Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Committee, declared a strike on Monday after the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum issued to Governor Dapo Abiodun over the governments refusal to pay their eight-year statutory leave allowances. The labour union described it as a breach of the State Pension Reform Law, 2006 (amended 2013) in the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme, amongst other demands. While declaring the strike on Monday, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) in the state, Emmanuel Bankole, described any worker who goes to work today (Tuesday) as a traitor. When our correspondent visited the state secretariat, some primary and secondary schools were all deserted. The schools visited include Mac Job, Afro Grams, Lisabi Primary and Secondary School, Ijemo Titun Secondary School, and St. Paul Demonstration Primary School. Meanwhile, pupils and students who were sent back from their schools were seen trekking home. Also, members of the unions monitoring team were seen manning the gate of the state hospital in Ijaiye, Abeokuta. Commenting on the level of compliance, the Chairman, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Akeem Lasisi, described the level of compliance as total. He said the struggle is a fight for all. Speaking over the phone, Mr Lasisi said: There is total compliance to the strike in all government agencies, parastatals, hospitals, and schools, among others. That is because this strike was declared by the workers themselves. They were well carried along and we are one in this fight. The 2022 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland took place in Assembly Buildings, Belfast from Wednesday, 22 June and closed on the afternoon of Saturday, 25 June. You can watch recordings of the procedings here. Or watch them on Vimeo here. The General Assembly is the denominations principal decision-making and governing body - the highest court of the Church - where decisions taken by Members of Assembly will set the direction for the life and ministry of PCI over the coming year and beyond. Having had to conduct business through a small online Commission in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and hold a scaled back in-person meeting last October, the 2022 gathering was the first time since 2019 that the General Assembly had been able meet in its usual month and manner. The 2021 Assembly agreed that from this year it would move to a slightly later start in June, with the Opening Night on a Wednesday and not a Monday, with business conducted into Thursday and the Friday evenings. The General Assembly also agreed that business sessions would be held on Saturday morning and afternoon, to enable greater opportunity for those entitled to attend to take part in discussions and the decision-making process. You can review proceedings via Twitter @pciassembly following the hashtag #PCIGA22. Overview of the 2022 General Assembly In this section you will find information relating to the 2022 General Assembly: general information, news releases, statements, and Assembly business. Guide to Revised Assembly Procedure You can find a revised guide to Assembly procedure here. Assembly Business Details of each days business before the General Assembly can be found here. The Blue Book and Annual Reports The reports and corresponding resolutions that were discussed and debated during the course of the General Assembly can be found here. Historically they are known as the 'Blue Book' and this year included digital and e-reader versions. Supplementary Reports Any licensed supplementary business can be found in the Supplementary Report. It can be downloaded by clicking here. Media Relations General Assembly Previews You can find a summary of each days business and the issues before the General Assembly here: For all the formal reports of the business before the Assembly and the decisions that were taken, Draft Daily Minutes will be published in due course. Media Relations General news stories concerning the 2022 General Assembly You can read general news stories that relate to the 2022 General Assembly here: Blogs You can read the blogs that relate to the General Assembly here: Podcast Hosted by Karen Jardine, PCI's Public Affairs Officer, she will be joined by four guests - outgoing Moderator, Dr David Bruce, the Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Trevor Gribben, the Convener of the Council for Global Mission, Rev Dr Liz Hughes and Moderator-Designate, Rev John Kirkpatrick - to look ahead to this year's General Assembly. You can listen to the podcast here. 2022 General Assembly video To get a flavour of the 2022 General Assembly you can watch this short video that captures some of what took place. Until next year... Growth of the automotive sector, increase in adoption of electric vehicles, and surge in demand for automated system drive the global automotive solenoid market. PORTLAND, Ore., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Automotive Solenoid Market by Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicle, LCV, HCV, Electric Vehicle), by Application (Engine Control, Fuel and Emission Control, HVAC, Others), by Type (2-Way Valve, 3-Way Valve, 4-Way Valve, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031" As per the report, the global automotive solenoid industry generated $4.59 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $7.64 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2022 to 2031. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Growth rate of the automotive sector, surge in adoption of electric vehicles, and increase in demand for automated system have boosted the growth of the global automotive solenoid market. However, declining sales of diesel-based passenger vehicles and fluctuation in raw material prices hinder the market growth. On the contrary, rise in automation in the manufacturing processes and concept of autonomous cars would open new opportunities in the future. Download Report (284 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2542 Covid-19 scenario: The Covid-19 pandemic negatively affected the automotive sector which resulted in substantial drop in vehicle sales and insufficiency of raw materials. However, the relaxation of lockdown measures and consequent opening of markets across the globe have increased the demand for automotive solenoids. Request for Customization at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2542 The passenger vehicle segment dominated the market By vehicle type, the passenger vehicle segment held the lion's share in 2021, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global automotive solenoid market, due to relatively higher adoption of automotive solenoid in passenger vehicles. However, the electric vehicle segment is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period, due to rise in demand for electric vehicles. The engine control segment to register the highest CAGR through 2030 By application, the engine control segment is anticipated is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 6.1% from 2022 to 2031, due to rise in demand for automotive solenoids for engine cooling and lubrication of vehicles. However, the fuel and emission control segment held the lion's share in 2021, contributing to nearly two-fifths of the global automotive solenoid market, due to high adoption of automotive solenoid for fuel and emission control purposes. Interested to Procure the Data with Actionable Strategy & Insights? Inquire here at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2542 Europe to showcase the highest CAGR through 2030 By region, the global automotive solenoid market across Europe is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period, due to the optimistic outlook of automotive industry in the region. However, the market across Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2021, accounting for more than two-fifths of the market, due to higher number of passenger vehicles in the region. Key market players Robert Bosch GmbH Hitachi Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Continental AG Johnson Electric Holding Ltd. BorgWarner Inc. Padmini VNA Mechatronics Pvt Ltd Global Point Magnetics Asia Co. Ltd Nidec Corporation Denso corporation Buy Complete Report Now! https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/bfe46d2a22a72e0b566547774f72d9b7 Similar Reports We Have on Automotive Industry: Car Generated Data Market by Application (Advance Driver Assisted System (ADAS), Human Machine Interface Data (HMI), Technical Sensor Data, Infotainment Data, Infrastructure Data, Diagnostic Data, and Others), Type (Descriptive, Predictive, and Prescriptive), Fuel Type (Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), and Others (Hybrid Vehicles)), and Level of Autonomous (Conventional and Semi-Autonomous): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20182030. In-Car Infotainment Market by Installation Type (OEM and Aftermarket) and Component (Hardware and Software): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030. Motorcycle Infotainment Market by Application (Two-wheeler Motorcycles, Trikes) and Sales Channel (Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Aftermarket): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030. Automotive Head Up Display Market by Vehicle type (Passenger car, Commercial car, and Electric vehicle), HUD type (Combiner and Windshield), and Technology (Augmented HUD and Conventional HUD) global opportunities analysis and industry forecast, 20182030. About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): 1-800-792-5285, 1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research In addition to his investment, Georges brings listing expertise LIMASSOL, Cyprus, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SquaredFinancial, headquartered in Europe, has welcomed back co-founder Georges Cohen who has returned to the company as an investor. Georges is a renowned French businessman who joined Capgemini at the age of 17 as a sales commercial engineer in 1970 and climbed the ranks to become one of its directors. In 1990, he left the group to found Transiciel, one of France's fastest growing information technology consulting groups. In 2003, he merged Transiciel to Capgemini through a share exchange offer. Following this transaction, Georges was tasked to merge Sogeti and Transiciel. Georges successfully led the operation and managed the new entity, which was established in many countries throughout Europe and the United States. Currently based in Geneva, Cohen has created a family group which predominantly invests in technology and commodities, one of which being Altergaz the first independent natural gas company in France. In particular, Georges enjoys helping with the development of young companies and sharing his expertise. The family group portfolio is diverse and present in many countries. Cohen took control of Robex, a Canadian gold mining company in Mali Philippe Ghanem, founder and executive chairman of Squared Financial, said: "We are in a new phase of execution as our scale and size are being driven by demand. Georges wanted to return to the fold as he shares our vision. "Our trajectory of increasing capital means we have the funds to acquire technology and continue to attract the best talent, and, as in this case, returning talent. Georges brings with him a wealth of expertise in capital markets and companies listing, which is something we have always been clear that we aim to achieve." Georges explained: "When Philippe and I founded this company in 2005, we wanted to build the financial institution of the future. Our vision is now a reality, and I want to continue to be a catalyst for success by funding further technology capability. Traders want a timely, personalised, accessible platform, and we are well capitalised to meet future demand." SquaredFinancial sees thousands of clients trading every day on its platform. The FinTech incorporated allows customers to trade the world's most popular markets with seven different asset classes and more than 20,000 trading instruments. https://www.squaredfinancial.com SOURCE SquaredFinancial STOCKHOLM, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XNK Therapeutics AB ("XNK") today announced it is initiating a program targeting urothelial cancer, the most common form of bladder cancer. This is the first project where XNK's proprietary technology platform of natural killer (NK) cell therapies is applied towards solid tumors. The company will collaborate with the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden. "XNK is in a strong financial position and the time is right to continue to broaden our pipeline beyond hematological malignancies. Urothelial bladder cancer is a severe disease with large unmet medical need," said Johan Liwing, CEO of XNK Therapeutics. "This is the company's third indication and puts XNK at the forefront of clinical development and manufacturing of autologous natural killer cell-based products." The company will collaborate with the Karolinska University Hospital to initially evaluate XNK's autologous NK cell product, alone and in combination with existing treatment, on tumor cells from patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer with the goal to take this further into a clinical trial. More than 80,000 new cases of bladder cancer are expected in the United States in 2022 alone, according to the American Cancer Society. The program will complement the ongoing Phase II clinical study in multiple myeloma and the preclinical proof of concept study in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) using patient samples from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. For more information, please contact: Johan Liwing, CEO, XNK Therapeutics Tel: +46 706 70 36 75 E-mail: johan.liwing@xnktherapeutics.com About XNK Therapeutics AB XNK Therapeutics is a clinical stage, immunotherapy company focusing its efforts on preventing and treating cancer by developing novel NK cell-based therapies. The company is at the forefront of the development of autologous NK cell-based products using its proprietary technology platform. The company's platform technology and lead investigational candidate drug was developed specifically to target cancers, including settings where allogeneic cell products are not readily applicable. The Company's objective is for its investigational candidate drug and proprietary platform technology to constitute key components in the cancer treatments of tomorrow. XNK Therapeutics is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more info, please visit www.xnktherapeutics.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/xnk-therapeutics-ab/r/xnk-broadens-its-pipeline-with-bladder-cancer-study,c3592260 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/16693/3592260/1597767.pdf XNK broadens its pipeline with bladder cancer study https://news.cision.com/xnk-therapeutics-ab/i/johan-liwing,c3065190 Johan Liwing SOURCE XNK Therapeutics AB The leaders discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the UAE and Florida, with a focus on investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare. These meetings follow a delegation in March by Florida mayors to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai where they engaged with the UAE business community and attended closing events for Expo 2020 Dubai including visiting the US Pavilion. "Florida is the commercial gateway to the Americas and the UAE sits at the crossroads of global trade and commerce. It makes perfect sense that the Emirates is developing close ties with this economically vibrant region," said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. "The UAE was pleased to host multiple delegations of Florida mayors recently and we remain committed to expanding economic partnership opportunities here." In Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Minister Zeyoudi attended high level business development and networking events and meetings hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, The International Trade Consortium (ITC), Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership promoting economic development in Florida, and eMerge Americas, an organizing focused on establishing Miami as the tech hub of the Americas. In 2021, Florida exported over $1 billion of goods to the U.A.E., making it one of the top 10 states exporting to the Emirates. These exports supported an estimated 6,000 U.S. jobs. The U.A.E. also exported over $180 million of goods to Florida that same year. During Miami Mayor Frances Suarez's visit to the UAE in March, he signed a sister city agreement alongside HE Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, deepening ties between the cities of Dubai and Miami. Crown Prince of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended that signing ceremony. In July 2021, Emirates Airline began its first-ever passenger service between Dubai and Miami, opening new business and leisure opportunities between the U.A.E. and South Florida. Emirates has also been flying to Orlando since 2015, and it previously serviced South Florida through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from 2016 through 2020. For media inquiries, please contact May Baaklini [email protected] SOURCE Embassy of the United Arab Emirates Cantourage UK, a subsidiary of Berlin-based European medical cannabis leader Cantourage, has successfully imported the dried flower products from Germany. Cantourage UK will offer Together Pharma's high-THC, non-irradiated medical cannabis flowers to patients immediately through Cantourage Clinic. Together Pharma is the only cultivator of medical cannabis in Uganda. Its Ugandan farm extends over some approx. 30,000 sqm Greenhouses and has a full production capacity of more than 15 tonnes annually, including a range of innovative cultivars which will be introduced into the UK's medical cannabis market over the next few months. As of today, Cantourage has signed contracts with over 20 leading cultivators from 13 different countries. Together Pharma is the first company to launch products grown in Africa via Cantourage's Fast Track Access Platform. Niall Ivers, COO at Cantourage UK: "We're delighted to be extending our successful partnership with Together Pharma into the UK. Together Pharma is a market leader in the Israeli domestic market with extensive knowledge and international experience in delivering high-quality, great-value medicines to patients. We're confident the introduction of these first two varieties will assist in building a sustainable eco-system for UK patients." Nir Sosinsky, Managing Director of Together Pharma, added: "Our extended partnership with Cantourage UK is extremely exciting for Together Pharma and a new stage in the expansion of our global reach. It strengthens our position in the UK and Europe, while at the same time underpinning our commitment to Uganda's cannabis industry, which holds great future potential for the country. The United Kingdom is an extremely important market for us. We are glad that our medical-grade cannabis flowers are being made available through Cantourage UK and Cantourage Clinic, allowing for a reliable supply to the benefit of patients across the country." About Cantourage Cantourage GmbH is a leading European medical cannabis company. The Berlin-based company was founded in 2019 by industry pioneers Dr Florian Holzapfel, Norman Ruchholtz and Patrick Hoffmann. With its unique Fast Track Access platform, Cantourage enables producers from across the world to become part of the rapidly growing European medical cannabis market. Cantourage focuses on long-term collaborations and strategic partnerships: each partner along the value chain can focus on what they do best from growers to logistics, manufacturers to pharmacies and wholesalers. All with one clear goal in mind: to provide patients in Europe with an unprecedented selection of the highest quality cannabis medicines at affordable prices. Cantourage offers products in all relevant market segments: dried flowers, extracts, Dronabinol and pharma-grade Cannabidiol. Cantourage UK was formed in January 2021 as a joint venture between Cantourage GmbH and NICE Partners, a London-based cannabis company, founded in 2019 by Benjy Cuby, Gabriel Newman, Joshua Cuby and Niall Ivers. The company specialises in developing strategic alliances, business development and compliance in the European cannabis market. Cantourage UK imports medical cannabis products from Germany into the UK and Channel Islands, supplying a broad range of products to patients throughout the country. About Together Pharma Holdings Inc. Together Pharma is a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). The company has a subsidiary Globus Pharma Ltd., which holds the franchise, (both directly and through subsidiaries), to grow, produce, and distribute medical cannabis products. The company operates 2 farms of the world's most advanced agricultural cultivation systems, one in Israel and the second in Uganda, which allow the control and supervision of cannabis plants using the latest technologies, developing them into quality plants suitable for supervised medical use according to the strict IMC-GAP and GACP standards. The company has also a pharmaceutical factory, which meet all the required strict conditions for manufacturing medical products according to the IMC-GMP standard. Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847608/Together_Pharma.jpg Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847606/CAN_UK_team.jpg Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847607/Nir_Sosinsky.jpg Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1807078/Cantourage_Logo.jpg SOURCE Cantourage UK How to put in and remove lenses, understand how to read your prescription, and more. LAS VEGAS, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Handling contact lenses for the first time can be a daunting task they're fragile, susceptible to damage and contamination, and can cause discomfort and irritation if improperly inserted. To help new contact lens wearers, Lens.com developed a comprehensive guide for new contact lens wearers. It covers all the basics for anyone new to contact lenses. A Beginner's Guide to Wearing Contacts Are you ready to ditch those glasses? New contact lens wears typically want to move from glasses to contact lenses to take advantage of their unique qualities to enhance their appearance and get closer to a natural visual experience. It's not uncommon for new wearers to have apprehension. Luckily, practice makes perfect, and eventually, you won't think twice about inserting and removing contact lenses. How to Put in Contacts Make sure your hands are clean and dry before touching your contact lenses. If you're removing the contact lens from a brand new blister pack, gently shake the blister before opening (in case the lens is stuck to the foil). Place the lens on the tip of your finger and make sure your other fingers are out of the way. Hold the lens up to the light make sure it's clean, moist, and free from nicks or tears. Check the lens to make sure it's not inside-out if the profile of the lens is curved, the lens is in its proper orientation. Look straight ahead into a mirror and use the index finger on your opposite hand to hold your upper eyelid firmly against your eyebrow. Pull the lower lid of the same eye down using your middle finger. Place the lens over the iris, and make sure the edges of the lens are in contact with the eye. Allow the lens to settle on your eye, release your eyelid, and massage or 'blink' the contact lens into place. Tips for Putting in Contacts If the edges of your lens stick together, add a drop of solution to the lens and rub to disperse. To avoid confusion, always start with the same eye when inserting and removing lenses. Don't re-use contact lens solution; always fill your case with fresh solution. Never use tweezers, your nails, or other pointed instruments to dig your lenses out of the case. Never place a damaged lens in your eye throw it out and start with a fresh lens. If you're unsure how to tell if your lens is inside-out, try the "taco test": place the lens on your finger and pinch it together if the lens takes the shape of a taco shell, the lens is positioned correctly for insertion. Don't force or press the lens onto the eye this can cause the lens to fold or tear. Consult your eye doctor if inserting or removing your lenses is causing you excessive amounts of trouble. What to do if Your Contacts are Uncomfortable Now that you're contacts are in, what do you do if your contacts are uncomfortable? According to eye care professionals, your eyes may take two weeks to adjust to contact lenses fully. But if you've never used contact lenses before, how do you know if your eyes are adjusting to them appropriately? New contact lens wearers may experience discomfort, watery eyes, dry eyes, or blurry vision. Sometimes, a contact lens may also move on your eye due to the natural fluids in your eye, but don't fret. Blinking a few times or applying eye drops should quickly correct the problem. After a short adjustment period, a well-fitted lens will also conform to your eye's shape. You can make the process of adjusting to contact lenses easier by following these tips: Be patient. There's a big learning curve to putting in and taking out contacts, so don't feel frustrated if it takes you several days to get used to wearing them. With time and practice, putting in and taking out your contacts will be second nature to you. Set reminders to remove and clean your contacts. It can be easy to forget to clean your contacts or take them out at night. Therefore, it's a good idea to set a reminder or an alarm on your phone so that it can remember for you. Give your eyes a break. Forcing yourself to wear contacts for long periods isn't the key to getting used to them faster. If you feel your eyes are irritated, remove your contacts so that your eyes can rest. Make sure to clean your contacts before putting them in again. Set aside time to get ready. Give yourself a little more time in the morning to get ready until you're used to putting on your contact lenses. This way, you won't feel pressured to put in your contacts quickly to avoid being late for work or other commitments. Follow your eye doctor's instructions. Once your doctor has prescribed the contacts that fit your lifestyle, follow the replacement schedule they indicate for your lens. Doing so helps lower your risk of developing eye infections due to old contact lenses. How to Remove Contacts Wash and dry your hands thoroughly using a mild soap and a clean towel. While looking up at the ceiling, use your non-dominant hand to pull apart your eyelids. Slide the lens down onto the white of the eye, and with the pads of the index finger and thumb of your dominant hand, pinch the lens gently off the eye. Note: this might take a few tries, especially at first. Remain calm and keep trying. As an alternative, you can use a small device called a "plunger" to remove lenses directly from your eyes. Just make sure that the device touches only the surface of the contact lens and not your eye. Your eye doctor can provide you with one of these plungers if needed. If you wear daily disposables, toss your used contact lenses into the trash. If you wear any other type of contact lens, place the lens in the palm of your hand along with your cleaning solution and clean and sanitize according to the directions your solution bottle. Tips for Taking Care of Your Contacts and Your Eyes Proper lens care is crucial if you wear contact lensesafter all, you likely wear your contact lenses for the vast majority of your day. You'll need to know how to correctly apply, remove, clean, and store your contact lenses. Whether you're new to contact lenses or have been wearing them for a long time, here are the basic tips for caring for your eyes and your contact lenses. Always wash your hands with mild soap and water, and use a lint-free towel to dry your hands before touching your contact lenses. If you want to apply lotion or moisturizer on your hands, do it only after putting on your contact lenses or taking them out. The lotion residue can easily stick to your lenses, hurting your eyes and affecting your vision. Whenever you start your lens care process, make sure you start with the same eye each time. This way, you never mix up your right lens with your left lens and vice versa. If you have daily disposable lenses, toss those in the trash, never in the sink or down the toilet. The plastics in the contact lenses do not degrade in the sewer system and can cause issues later. Always place your lenses in their contacts case filled with fresh contact lens solution. Never touch the tip of the nozzle of your contact lens solution container or allow it to come in contact with a surface other than the container's cap, and doing so can contaminate the solution. Use only the contact lens solution prescribed to you by your eye doctor. When cleaning and storing your contact lenses, follow your eye doctor's instructions to the letter and never deviate. They may have provided special instructions to you. Depending on the type of contact lenses you wear and how much protein accumulates in your eyes, your eye doctor may recommend that you use a protein remover. However, disposing of your contact lenses immediately after their recommended wearing schedule eliminates the need for this step. Overwearing contact lenses or wearing them longer than their wearing schedule (three weeks instead of the recommended two weeks) leads to protein buildup and increases eye irritation. Keeping the following advice in mind will enable you to maximize your use of your contact lenses and prevent you from experiencing most problems with your eyes and vision. FAQs About Wearing Contacts Are contacts bad for your eyes? Leonardo da Vinci first envisioned contact lenses in 1508 with some basic sketches later found in his papers. Contact lenses were invented in 1887, but it wasn't until 1971 when soft contact lenses were made available worldwide, that they gained widespread popularity. With more than 50 years of mass adoption, contact lenses are generally safe when an eye care professional's advice is followed. As long as you follow all your doctor's recommendations to maintain the health of your eyes, and never wear someone else's contact lens prescription, contact lenses are an extremely safe choice. If you experience any concerns with your contact lenses or the health of your eye, consult your eye care provider immediately. Can I wear makeup if I wear contacts? Yes, you can wear makeup and contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses doesn't mean you have to stop wearing makeup. You just have to make sure that you are doing it safely and carefully. When wearing makeup while also wearing contact lenses, always follow these safety protocols: Apply your makeup after you've inserted your contact lenses. Always keep your makeup brushes and other makeup accessories clean to prevent eye infections. Never use other people's makeup or makeup accessories. Never insert contact lenses or apply makeup while in a moving vehicle. A bumpy ride can cause you to drop your contact lenses or cause you to poke yourself in the eye with your makeup brush or pencil. How can I tell if my contacts are inside out? Since contact lenses are extremely thin and pliable, even experienced wearers can have trouble determining whether their contact lenses are inside out. While pain and discomfort upon insertion are tell-tale signs of a contact lens being inside out, here are a few ways to tell if your contacts are inside out before even inserting them into your eyes. Method 1 The Side View. One of the quickest and easiest ways to check the orientation of your contact lenses is to examine them closely from the side. Place the lens on the tip of your finger with the edge facing upwards, and hold it close to your eyes to get the best view possible. If the lens is in its correct position, it will appear cup-shaped, with the edges curved upright. It'll look more like a bowl with a rim than a borderless cup if the contact lens is inside out. Method 2 The Taco Test. Place the contact lens between the tips of your forefinger and thumb. Pinch the lens at the center to form the shape of a taco folded in half. If the edge that's pointed up forms the shape of a taco shell, the contact lens is the right way. The contact lens is inside out if the edge bends outward and looks like a soup spoon. Method 3 The 1-2-3 Approach. Since inside-out contacts are a problem experienced by many contact lens wearers, contact lens manufacturers have gone so far as to mark their contact lenses with the numbers 1, 2, and 3. To determine if your lenses are inside out, place the lens on your fingertip and hold it up to bright light. The 1-2-3 markings can be placed anywhere on the lens and vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so examine the lens thoroughly. If you find the mark and it reads as normal, the contact is in its correct position. If the 1-2-3 is backward, it's safe to assume the lens is also backward. Method 4 Check for Tinted Edges. Many manufacturers also use tinted edges to help patients apply their contact lenses more easily. If your contact lenses have blue or green-tinted edges, place them on your finger and view them from directly above. If you can see the lightly colored edge, your contact lenses are right side up. If you don't see the tint, flip them over and check again. Note: if you're unsure if your contact lenses come with 1-2-3 markings or tinted edges, check the packaging or the manufacturer's website. Can a contact lens get lost behind my eye? Perhaps the most common misconception about contact lenses is that they can get stuck or lost behind the eye. The eye's anatomy makes it impossible for contact lenses to get stuck behind the eye. The inside of the upper and lower eyelids has a thin connective tissue called the conjunctiva that connects the two parts, making it impossible for microscopic substances such as dust and bacteria, let alone contact lenses, to reach the back of the eye. How long does it take to get used to contacts? According to eye care professionals, your eyes may take two weeks to adjust to contact lenses fully. If your eyes have not adjusted during this time, contact your eye doctor to evaluate the fit of your contact lenses. Can I wear contacts if I have bifocal glasses? Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses can help provide visual acuity without glasses. What sets bifocal and multifocal contacts apart from standard contact lenses is that they have more than one correction built into them, allowing wearers to see clearly at varying distances. Since different areas of correction are incorporated into bifocal and multifocal contacts, these lenses need to stay relatively stationary on the eye. Bifocal and multifocal contacts have special features built into them to keep them in place and ensure that vision is consistent. How old must children be before they can wear contacts? There's no minimum age requirement for contact lenses, and it's safe for children to wear contact lenses. Contact lenses are only dangerous if worn or cared for improperly, regardless of the wearer's age. You should still carefully consider if contact lenses are the best option your child has for vision correction. Are contacts difficult to care for? Contact lens care takes a bit of practice like your other morning routines, but it will quickly become second nature to you. The most challenging portion of their care is remembering to practice safe hygiene practices, like washing your hands and removing them before bed at the end of the day. If you're concerned about maintaining strict schedules, ask your eye doctor to consider daily disposable contacts or contacts approved for extended wear. When to see your eye care professional? Maintaining the health of your eyes is vital for clear vision your entire life. If you're happy with your contact lens prescription, you may qualify to renew it with an online eye exam. Lens.com's online exams take as little as 10 minutes to complete, and a board-certified ophthalmologist will review your results. If you experience blurred vision or persistent headaches with eyestrain, your eye doctor can provide a new prescription for glasses or contact lenses to correct your issue. Also, several diseases are associated with vision impairment and even loss. Glaucoma and cataracts are diseases that need a proper diagnosis and treatment immediately if you suspect you may have them. If you have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or lupus, regularly visit your eye care professional. Floaters in your eyes are normal, but when you see clear flashing lights or glowing blobs in your vision, immediately seek a visit with your eye care professional. Persistent pain in your eyes may be a symptom of a bigger problem, and this is another situation where you want to be seen as soon as possible. What do OD and OS mean? A typical contact lens prescription contains many abbreviations and numbers, so it can look incredibly complex to the uninitiated. Reading a contact lens prescription isn't that hard once you know what those abbreviations and numbers mean, like OD vs OS. OD stands for oculus dexter, Latin for "right eye" and OS stands for oculus sinister, Latin for "left eye". All the values listed on your prescription alongside OD pertain to your right eye, and those next to OS relate to the left eye. What do the abbreviations on my prescription mean? A typical contact lens prescription contains many numbers and abbreviations. One of the essential details in a lens prescription is "PWR," which stands for "power." This refers to the refractive power that your eye will need to be able to see with 20/20 vision. Simply put, "PWR" refers to the strength of your contact lens. Some contact lens prescriptions contain "SPH" instead of PWR. This abbreviation stands for "sphere," meaning the same thing as PWR. The power of a lens is measured in diopters, and the higher the diopter, the stronger the vision correction you need. The power of a lens also goes up from zero in increments of 0.25. If the number has a plus sign before it, you are farsighted, and if it has a minus sign before it, you are nearsighted. For example, if your contact lens prescription reads +2.25 under PWR, you need 2.25 diopters of strength to correct farsightedness or hyperopia. Inversely, if your prescription reads -2.25, you need 2.25 diopters of strength to correct nearsightedness or myopia. A contact lens prescription with a negative value under PWR will also include values under "CYL," which stands for "cylinder," and "AX," which stands for "axis." CYL refers to the extra correction needed for astigmatisman eye condition that causes blurry vision, and it often occurs with either myopia or hyperopia. The value under CYL is always shown with a minus sign. On the other hand, AX refers to the direction where another power is added to the contact lens to correct astigmatism, and is measured in degrees. Not all contact lenses have the same power throughout the lens. For example, toric lenses have different powers in different areas to correct astigmatism. Cosmetic contacts are sold either with no power, referred to as "Plano" or with powers just like spherical lenses. Unless they are made-to-order cosmetic lenses are not available to correct astigmatism or presbyopia. If you have previously worn eyeglasses, it is worth noting that the power of your eyeglasses is different from the power of your contact lenses. That's because a contact lens sits directly on the surface of your eye, while eyeglasses sit about a centimeter in front of it. As such, eyeglasses must account for that distance with extra power. What do the numbers on my prescription mean? Most of the abbreviations on a contact lens prescription are followed by numbers. Here's what those numbers mean: Positive (+) number If a number has a plus sign before it, you're farsighted. Negative (-) number If a number has a minus sign before it, you're nearsighted. For example, take a prescription with a PWR value of -2.25. This means you need 2.25 diopters of strength to correct nearsightedness. If that value were +2.25, you would need 2.25 diopters of strength to correct farsightedness. What are the most popular lenses for beginning contact lens wearers? New contact lens wears are often concerned with comfort when selecting contact lenses. Lens.com reported its top contact lenses include DAILIES Total1 for their unique comfort that leaves patients feeling like they are not wearing contacts at all. With this lens, all that touches your eye will be a cushion of moisture from the lens' water gradient technology. Also, the 1 Day Acuvue Moist is a daily disposable lens that keeps moisture in and irritation out plus offers ultraviolet light protection. This lens is popular with new lens wearers. The Acuvue Oasys line has a lens for nearly every eye condition and features ultraviolet light protection and superior comfort. CooperVision's Biofinity contact lens is an excellent choice for new wearers concerned that their hectic schedule won't allow for a daily cleaning routine. This lens is FDA-approved for extended wear for up to six nights and seven days of continuous wear. If you're looking to upgrade your look and want to try a new eye color, consider the popular Air Optix Colors. These contacts come in 12 colors and combine high oxygen flow for clear, white, and healthy-looking eyes. Learning how to insert and remove contact lenses safely can be overwhelming at first for new wearers. With practice, you'll be a pro in no time. About Lens.com Founded in 1995, Lens.com, Inc. is the nation's 2nd largest online retailer for contact lenses, offering consumers all the popular brands of contact lenses at wholesale prices with convenient quick delivery. The company provides competitive pricing, convenience, personalized customer service, and online eye exam through its easy-to-use website www.Lens.com and its toll-free telephone number "1-800 LENS.COM" (1-800-536-7266). Lens.com is a privately-held U.S. corporation based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contact: Janet Webster 888-812-9480, [email protected] SOURCE Lens.com, Inc. NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Zion Market Research study, The global thrombosis drug market is likely to grow from $25,892 million in 2021 to $47,789 million by the end of 2028. The global market is anticipated to show exceptional growth with an impressive CAGR of 9.51% during the forecast period. The report presents comprehensive projections on the growth factors, opportunities, and restraining factors. Key Industry Insights & Finding of the Thrombosis Drug Market Reports: As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Thrombosis Drug Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 9.51 % (2022-2028). (2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Thrombosis Drug Market was valued approximately USD 25892 Million in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly USD 47789 Million by 2028. Million in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly Million by 2028. North America swipes the largest share in the global thrombosis drug market due to the presence of well-established health infrastructure in the region. swipes the largest share in the global thrombosis drug market due to the presence of well-established health infrastructure in the region. The presence of proper reimbursement medical policies is further encouraging people to opt for complete thrombosis treatment. Treating cardiovascular problems with medication is a multifaceted approach, but people are also adopting blood thinner medication as a critical treatment for their problems. Zion Market Research published the latest report titled as 'Global Thrombosis Drug Market By Disease Type (Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, And Atrial Fibrillation), By Distribution Channel (Online Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacies, And Retail Pharmacies), By Drug Class (P2Y12 Platelet Inhibitor, Xa Inhibitor, And Heparin), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2022 2028.' into their research database. Thrombosis Drug Market : Overview Thrombosis drugs are referred to as the ones that inhibit the working of platelets, avoid clot formation, and further inhibit the formation of other new clots. These drugs help prevent myriad conditions like deep vein thrombosis and atrial fibrillation. Such drugs have many side effects like bleeding gums & noses, heavy menstrual periods, vomiting, and bleeding. Thrombosis treatment is used to cure the clots to avoid the blockage of an organ. The drugs adopted in the treatment of thrombosis are also referred to as blood thinners. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/thrombosis-drug-market Our Free Sample Report Includes: 2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included 180 + Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research) Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request 2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends Includes Updated List of tables & figures Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Zion Market Research methodology Industry Dynamics: Thrombosis Drug Market : Growth Drivers Increasing consumption of tobacco and liquor will drive the growth of the global market. As per the report from the World Health Organization, it is found that one in three people is overweight. Such statistics are due to the increasing consumption of tobacco and liquor, which is likely to scale up the risk of obesity. Such a landscape further creates critical hypertension, which causes thrombosis-associated problems. Therefore, it is likely to fuel the growth of the global thrombosis drug market exponentially in the forthcoming years. Another crucial factor fueling the growth of the global market is the growing awareness among people regarding the importance of cardiovascular health. However, treating cardiovascular problems with medication is a multifaceted approach, but people are also adopting blood thinner medication as a critical treatment for their problems. Additionally, a number of manufacturers introduced many anticoagulants which address the issues associated with the prevention of blood clots. Such a market landscape will expand the scope of thrombosis drugs. Simultaneously, there is a spike in the number of cases associated with myocardial problems and coronary heart disease, which is also likely to contribute to the growth of the market. Thrombosis Drug Market : Restraints Lack of awareness among patients is likely to spur the growth of the global market. Thrombosis is a result of certain cardiovascular problems due to aging, and nowadays, the geriatric population is growing rapidly. But simultaneously, there is a lack of awareness among people regarding the seriousness of thrombosis, which in turn will also hamper the growth of the global market. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/thrombosis-drug-market Thrombosis Drug Market: Opportunities Increasing geriatric population is likely to open new avenues in the global market. Thrombosis is common in the aging population because it is caused due to cardiovascular problems, which are highly found in aged people. Additionally, the growing disposable income of people is further encouraging them to adopt complete and successful treatment, which is likely to expand the scope of the global market. Thrombosis Drug Market: Challenges Side effects of thrombosis drugs are a huge challenge in the global market. For instance, the common side effect of such drugs is uncontrolled bleeding. Furthermore, anti-clotting medications often cause a stroke. Therefore, such conditions are likely to be a huge challenge in the global market. Global Thrombosis Drug Market : Segmentation The global thrombosis drug market can be segmented into disease type, distribution channel, drug class, and region. By disease type, the market can be segmented into atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis. By distribution channel, the market can be segmented into retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and online pharmacies. By drug class, the market can be segmented into heparin, Xa inhibitor, and P2Y12 platelet inhibitor. Get More Insight before Buying at : https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/thrombosis-drug-market List of Key Players of Thrombosis Drug Market : Pfizer Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited Bayer AG AstraZeneca plc Sanofi Johnson & Johnson Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Baxter International Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH GlaxoSmithKline plc. Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Thrombosis Drug Market ? What are the key driving factors propelling the Thrombosis Drug Market forward? What are the most important companies in the Thrombosis Drug Market Industry? What segments does the Thrombosis Drug Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the Thrombosis Drug Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 25892 Million Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 47789 Million Growth Rate CAGR of almost 9.51 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 - 2021 Forecast Years 2022 - 2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, and By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered Pfizer, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, Bayer AG, AstraZeneca plc, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Baxter International Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and GlaxoSmithKline plc. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/3363 Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/thrombosis-drug-market Recent Developments Mylan N.V. revealed that it had signed an agreement to take over Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. in Europe in September 2020 . in . The Story Brook found that using anticoagulation solution lowers the mortality in severe cases of Covid-19 patients in February 2021 . Regional Dominance: North America to hold the largest market share. North America swipes the largest share in the global thrombosis drug market due to the presence of well-established health infrastructure in the region. Additionally, the presence of proper reimbursement medical policies is further encouraging people to opt for complete thrombosis treatment. Furthermore, the presence of prominent market leaders will also expand the scope of the regional market. Global Thrombosis Drug Market is segmented as follows: Thrombosis Drug Market : By Disease Type Outlook (2022-2028) Deep vein thrombosis Pulmonary embolism Atrial fibrillation Thrombosis Drug Market : By Distribution Channel Outlook (2022-2028) Online pharmacies Hospital pharmacies Retail pharmacies Thrombosis Drug Market : By Drug Class Outlook (2022-2028) P2Y12 platelet inhibitor Xa inhibitor Heparin Thrombosis Drug Market : By Region Outlook (2022-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release For Thrombosis Drug Market : https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-thrombosis-drug-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Zion Market Research Pharmaceutical Sterility Testing Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global Pharmaceutical Sterility Testing Market accrued earnings worth approximately 1.2(USD Billion) in 2020 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 2.3 (USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 11.9% over the period from 2021 to 2028. The global Pharmaceutical Sterility Testing Market accrued earnings worth approximately 1.2(USD Billion) in 2020 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 2.3 (USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 11.9% over the period from 2021 to 2028. Respiratory Disorders Treatment Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global Respiratory Disorders Treatment market accrued earnings worth approximately 98.9 (USD Billion) in 2020 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 112.5(USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 6.1% over the period from 2021 to 2028. The global Respiratory Disorders Treatment market accrued earnings worth approximately 98.9 (USD Billion) in 2020 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 112.5(USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 6.1% over the period from 2021 to 2028. Medical Enzyme Technology Market - Global Industry Analysis: The global Medical Enzyme Technology market accrued earnings worth approximately 4.5(USD Billion) in 2020 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 6.7(USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 6.2% over the period from 2021 to 2028. Browse through Zion Market Research's coverage of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry Follow Us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook About Us Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Contact Us: Zion Market Research 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite N202 New York, 10001, United States Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/ Blog : https://zmrblog.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1605489/Zion_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Zion Market Research New Service Releases Cyber Energy into Managed Extended Detection and Response Market PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avertium, a cyber fusion company, today announced the launch of Fusion MXDR, the company's threat-informed, managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service. Unlike traditional managed detection and response (MDR), Fusion MXDR also includes exposure management, NIST CSF framework, and other professional services as part of a cyber maturity program. Avertium's new service fuses threat intelligence, attack surface monitoring, and vulnerability management with endpoint protection, security orchestration, and incident response automation into a single MDR service. "We are tearing down the wall between professional and managed services, but more importantly, we are fusing threat-informed services with security operations to create a more effective response," said Jeff Schmidt, CEO at Avertium. "Customers are demanding a MXDR approach that incorporates third party risk and compliance assessments as part of a cyber maturity program. The result is a MXDR response that is greater than the sum of its parts." Schmidt explains Fusion MXDR can support XDR platforms such as LogRhythm, SentinelOne, and Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel. According to Schmidt, at the center of Avertium's new service is the company's Fusion Engine, an open architecture platform that combines security information and event management (SIEM) and endpoint protection and response (EDR) technologies with the company's own advanced intelligence orchestration. Fusion Engine contains threat progression methodology based on a mathematical framework known as Set Theory. "Fusion MXDR uses the insights from vulnerability management, endpoint protection, and attack surface monitoring to improve the other response elements of the service," said Schmidt. "The result is an MXDR service with connected capabilities that not only inform one another but also measurably improve an organization's cyber maturity over time in a programmatic way." More information can be found at https://www.avertium.com/fusion-mxdr. About Avertium: Avertium is the security partner that companies turn to for end-to-end cybersecurity solutions that attack the chaos of the cybersecurity landscape with context. By fusing together human expertise and a business-first mindset with the right combination of technology and threat intelligence, Avertium delivers a more comprehensive, more programmatic approach to cybersecurity - one that drives action on the ground and influence in the boardroom. That's why over 1,200 mid-market and enterprise-level organizations across 15 industries turn to Avertium when they want to be more efficient, more effective, and more resilient when waging today's cyber war. Show no weakness.- Tommy Smith 865.567.6211 [email protected] www.avertium.com SOURCE Avertium MIAMI, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AVi8 Air Capital, an aviation-focused private equity sponsor, is proud to announce the launch of AERO Spirits, LLC and its first product AERO Tequila ("AERO"). AERO Spirits has partnered with Mexico-based Casa Tequilera ("CASA"), one of the world's finest distillers of agave, to bring this new and exciting tequila brand to market. Helping in the battle to reverse the effects of climate change is a primary focus of AERO Spirits. Tequila is distilled from the agave plant, which plays a critical role in helping clean the atmosphere of CO2. For every 15 acres of agave plants, the carbon footprint of one large commercial airplane can be offset each year. As a result, AERO is poised to become an increasingly important element in the carbon offset programs implemented by airlines worldwide and eventually by cruise lines and other modes of public transportation. "We are proud to launch AERO Tequila with our partners at CASA, who produce some of the finest tequila and bring decades of experience growing and distilling agave into world-class tequila brands," said Ed Wegel, founder and chairman of AERO Spirits. "Together, we bring AERO to the world's leading airline companies as an effective way for them to offset their carbon footprint. Major airlines will be buying land in Mexico and contracting with AERO to grow agave and blend their own special versions of AERO Tequila." Designed and created in partnership with award-winning branding and advertising agency ZiNG!, AERO Tequila's packaging and bottle stand out among competitors. The bottle design was inspired by vintage containers used during the golden age of air travel. Zing! has also been involved with the creation of other spirits, including Lunazul and LaCerteza tequilas. In addition to supporting carbon offsetting, the partnership between AERO Spirits, Inc. and CASA will also provide an increasing number of job opportunities in Mexico as more land is developed by airlines for agave production. AERO Spirits and its airline partners will sell AERO on aircraft and in duty-free stores worldwide. It is expected to be available in select venues in Miami by the end of 2022. A portion of the net proceeds from the sale of AERO will benefit the Amelia Earhart Museum, the Eddie Rickenbacker Home and Museum, and the National Air and Space Museum. About Casa Tequilera ("CASA"): CASA is owned and led by Hugo Yerenas, whose father was the master distiller for Jose Cuervo and grew up surrounded by agave fields. CASA is a craft company and is passionate about the art of making tequila. It grows and harvests blue agave Tequilana Weber, the official and only supply for the production of tequila. Under Mexican government regulations, the company also manufactures all of its own products. Located in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, CASA currently produces and distributes several tequila brands, including 1965 LYR, CLEMENTINA, REGIONAL, CINCO, and ERES TU. Visit https://www.casatequilera.com/ to learn more. About AERO Spirits, LLC: AERO Spirits was formed in 2021 by AVi8 Air Capital, an aviation-focused private equity sponsor to develop and distribute AERO Tequila. Aero Spirits is headquartered in Miami, FL, and is led by Founder and Chairman Ed Wegel. He has had a 40-year career launching and leading regional, international, and charter airlines in the US and abroad. Mark Salvador, Head of Marketing AERO Tequila [email protected] (219) 313-0369 SOURCE Avi8 Air Capital Private Equity Babson WIN Lab Tulsa will reside in the Greenwood Women's Business Center, located in one of the remaining buildings left standing after the Tulsa Massacre 100 years ago TULSA, Okla., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Babson College's Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) announced its latest WIN Lab (Women Innovating Now) initiative inside the Greenwood Women's Business Center (Greenwood WBC) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The initiative is in partnership with the Greenwood WBC, the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Black Chambers Inc. (USBC), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and local Tulsa universitiesLangston University (an Historically Black College and University), Oklahoma State University, Tulsa Community College, and Tulsa Tech. The WIN Lab is made possible through a grant given to Babson College from FedEx Corp. The Greenwood WBC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the SBA. WIN Lab was first launched in 2013 by Babson's CWEL on the Wellesley campus. In 2016, the WIN Lab expanded to Miami. It's a first-of-its-kind program helping women entrepreneurs launch successful businesses and create economic and social impact. Babson's Tulsa WIN Lab will reside in the Greenwood WBC, located in one of the remaining buildings left standing after the Tulsa Massacre 100 years ago. The building is a centerpiece in the initiative to "Help Rebuild Black Wall Street" preserving the legacy of this historic district. The center provides an array of resources designed to support women business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in achieving success. Dr. Shakenna Wlliams, executive director of Babson's CWEL, spearheaded the Tulsa WIN Lab project. "We are grateful to have been invited by USBC and Greenwood WBC and look forward to working collaboratively with this distinguished organization in advancing opportunities for women entrepreneurs," said Dr. Williams. The Tulsa WIN Lab is an extension of Babson's entrepreneurial leadership programming, designed specifically to meet the needs of women business owners in Tulsa and the Southwest region. The new site will offer programming from Babson's CWEL which includes workshops, networking events, accelerators, access to capital, and business development. The center also will offer local businesswomen access to other exclusive educational opportunities that are only available through Babson College. "This initiative is a natural fit for Babson. Creating an environment where the talented women of Tulsa can be entrepreneurial leaders is critical to addressing our economic development challenges at the national level," said Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph.D., President of Babson College. "Babson WIN Tulsa builds on Babson's strong track record in helping women leaders achieve success in business, government, and academia. We know that organizations that include women at all levels are more productive and successful," said Spinelli. For more details about CWEL Tulsa and the Greenwood WBC, click here . About Babson College Babson College prepares and empowers entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value everywhere. We shape the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge, skills, and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in organizations of all types and sizes. A global leader in entrepreneurship education recognized globally by U.S. News & World Report, our undergraduate, graduate, executive programs, and partnership opportunities are tailored to the needs of our world. SOURCE Babson College WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's CubeSat designed to test a unique lunar orbit is safely in space and on the first leg of its journey to the Moon. The spacecraft is heading toward an orbit intended in the future for Gateway, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support NASA's Artemis program, including astronaut missions. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, mission launched at 5:55 a.m. EDT (09:55 UTC) on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand Tuesday. "CAPSTONE is an example of how working with commercial partners is key for NASA's ambitious plans to explore the Moon and beyond," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate. "We're thrilled with a successful start to the mission and looking forward to what CAPSTONE will do once it arrives at the Moon." CAPSTONE is currently in low-Earth orbit, and it will take the spacecraft about four months to reach its targeted lunar orbit. NASA invites the public to follow the spacecraft's journey live using NASA's Eyes on the Solar System interactive real-time 3D data visualization. Starting about one week after launch, virtually ride along with the CubeSat with a simulated view of our solar system. NASA will post updates about when to see CAPSTONE in the visualization on NASA's Ames Research Center's home page as well as Twitter and Facebook. CAPSTONE is attached to Rocket Lab's Lunar Photon, an interplanetary third stage that will send CAPSTONE on its way to deep space. Shortly after launch, Lunar Photon separated from Electron's second stage. Over the next six days, Photon's engine will periodically ignite to accelerate it beyond low-Earth orbit, where Photon will release the CubeSat on a ballistic lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon. CAPSTONE will then use its own propulsion and the Sun's gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon. The gravity-driven track will dramatically reduce the amount of fuel the CubeSat needs to get to the Moon. "Delivering the spacecraft for launch was an accomplishment for the entire mission team, including NASA and our industry partners. Our team is now preparing for separation and initial acquisition for the spacecraft in six days," said Bradley Cheetham, principal investigator for CAPSTONE and chief executive officer of Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA. "We have already learned a tremendous amount getting to this point, and we are passionate about the importance of returning humans to the Moon, this time to stay!" At the Moon, CAPSTONE will enter an elongated orbit called a near rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. Once in the NRHO, CAPSTONE will fly within 1,000 miles of the Moon's North Pole on its near pass and 43,500 miles from the South Pole at its farthest. It will repeat the cycle every six and a half days and maintain this orbit for at least six months to study dynamics. "CAPSTONE is a pathfinder in many ways, and it will demonstrate several technology capabilities during its mission timeframe while navigating a never-before-flown orbit around the Moon," said Elwood Agasid, project manager for CAPSTONE at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. "CAPSTONE is laying a foundation for Artemis, Gateway, and commercial support for future lunar operations." During its mission, CAPSTONE will provide data about operating in an NRHO and showcase key technologies. The mission's Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System, developed by Advanced Space with support from NASA's Small Business Innovation Research program, is a spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation and communications system that will work with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to determine the distance between the two lunar orbiting spacecraft. This technology could allow future spacecraft to determine their position in space without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth. CAPSTONE also carries a new precision one-way ranging capability built into its radio that could reduce the amount of ground network time needed for in-space operations. In addition to New Zealand hosting CAPSTONE's launch, New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and a University of Canterbury-led team are collaborating with NASA on a research effort to track Moon-orbiting spacecraft. New Zealand helped develop the Artemis Accords which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA's 21st century lunar exploration plans. In May 2021, New Zealand was the 11th country to sign the Artemis Accords. The microwave-oven sized CubeSat was designed and built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a Terran Orbital Corporation. CAPSTONE includes contributions from Stellar Exploration, Inc., Space Dynamics Lab, Tethers Unlimited, Inc., and Orion Space Systems. NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) funds the demonstration mission. The program is based at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. The development of CAPSTONE's navigation technology is supported by NASA's Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, also within STMD. The Artemis Campaign Development Division within NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate funds the launch and supports mission operations. The Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the launch service. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory supports the communication, tracking, and telemetry downlink via NASA's Deep Space Network, Iris radio design, and groundbreaking 1-way navigation algorithms. Learn more about the mission at: nasa.gov/capstone SOURCE NASA Historical Novel Reveals the True Story of French Colonialism in Northwest Africa NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rassemblement National. Reconquete. Far right political parties in France today embrace racismi at a level not seen since the days of Marechal Philippe Petain and the Vichy government during Nazi rule. Police brutality and ethnic discrimination remain systemic. Kingdom of the West, an historical novel set in Morocco during the era of the French "Protectorate," tells the true story of France's colonization of that Muslim nation, the brutal treatment of its native peoples, and how Arabs and "Amazighen" (Berbers) rose to fight for their freedom. The irony: France's subjection of indigenous people, not only in Morocco but in Algeria, the Middle East, Indochina, and Polynesia, transpired under a democratic government. "The roots of oppression run deep not only in France, but in many Western nations including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States that colonized native peoples during the 19th and 20th centuries," says Kingdom of the West author, Sulaiman. "Given the rampant Islamophobia and anti-indigenous sentiment that persists to this day in many lands, Kingdom of the West is highly relevant to the times." "Sulaiman" is the nom de plume of an investigative journalist and novelist. He is the author of The Big Black Book of Electronic Surveillance (pseudonym - Edward Teach), exposing companies that develop spyware solutions for governments worldwide. Haqiiqa Communique is a subsidiary of Insider Surveillance Inc. Media Contact: Jacques de Valur, [email protected], 1-571-361-7160 i Little has changed. Secretive offshore corporations continue to exploit former colonies, prolonging the cycle of mutual distrust. In France, the Rassemblement and Reconquete parties advocate "de-Islamizating" legislation to expel Muslims and require all newborns to have Christian names. SOURCE Sulaiman WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Political protests and civil unrest are expected across America this summer and fall. The combination of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ongoing right-wing conspiracies about the validity of U.S. elections, and the prospect of domestic terrorist attacks have produced a climate that forebodes tense confrontations between protesters, counter-protesters, and the police. Journalists are already in the mix covering these clashes, sometimes being mistreated, physically harmed, or even targeted in the process. In the days following the Roe v. Wade ruling, journalists covering protests have already been shoved , clubbed, and illegally held by Los Angeles police . Are you familiar with your rights as a journalist to cover political protests and police responses to them? Do you have a plan on what to do if those rights are challenged or ignored by police or protesters? What steps are you taking to keep yourself and your equipment safe and secure, physically and legally? Registration is open for a National Press Club Journalism Institute virtual safety training at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, July 15, on how to cover political protests and civil unrest while limiting your legal exposure and physical safety risks. Attendees will learn: Your rights to photograph and record video in public spaces and what to do if you are confronted and your equipment is seized How to recognize the signs of a police kettling action that could lead to being swept up and detained with other protesters What safety equipment to bring and how to plan your protest route ahead of time Ways to strategize your communication plan with editors, a legal team, and loved ones Recent legal developments and court cases for journalists detained and charged for their coverage of the 2020 racial justice protests and implications going forward Confirmed speakers include: Corinne Chin , Emmy-award winning video journalist, and Associated Press director of news talent , Emmy-award winning video journalist, and Associated Press director of news talent Kamesha Laurry , Borealis Racial Equity in Journalism Fund Legal Fellow for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press , Borealis Racial Equity in Journalism Fund Legal Fellow for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Mickey Osterreicher , general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association The conversation will be moderated by Rachel Oswald , National Press Club press freedom team lead and a foreign policy reporter for CQ Roll Call. About the Institute The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The National Press Club Journalism Institute serves thousands of people daily with our newsletter, online programming, writing group, and other support. The Institute depends on grants, foundation funds, and contributions from individuals like you. Your donation today allows the Institute to offer the majority of its programming at no cost. If you value the Institute's services, please donate today. Any amount helps. Press contact: Beth Francesco Deputy Executive Director National Press Club Journalism Institute [email protected] SOURCE National Press Club VANCOUVER, BC, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSXV: DME) (OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) Due to general negative market pressures over the weeks, and a corresponding reduction in the Company's trading price, the Company will be reducing the per unit price of the private placement announced June 8 and 21, 2022. The price per Unit of the private placement will be reduced from $3.00 per Unit to $2.50 per Unit. All other terms and conditions of the private placement will remain the same, with each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant. Each whole Warrant will allow the subscriber to purchase one additional share of the Company for a period of three (3) years from the date of the closing at a price of CAD $4.00 per share. The expiry of the Warrants may be accelerated at the election of the Company on the terms as previously stated. The Units will be subject to a 4-month hold period. The private placement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Please refer to the Company's news releases of June 8 and 21, 2022 for further details. ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded resource company primarily focused on exploration, development and production of helium, hydrogen and noble gases. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor "Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing Exec Chairman & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp. E-learning Market Report Key Highlights Estimated year-on-year growth rate: 15.45% Key market segments: End-user (Higher education, Corporate, and K-12), and Geography (APAC, MEA, North America , South America , and Europe ) Key Consumer Region & contribution: North America at 34% Do reach out to our analysts for more customized report as per needs. Speak to an Analyst Now! E-learning Market Trend Increasing Adoption of Microlearning Microlearning refers to learning using bite-sized content. In microlearning, all topics of the course are split into smaller pieces that consist of videos, audio, texts, or infographics. Microlearning offers concise and relevant content and helps address the knowledge gap of the student. Microlearning refers to learning using bite-sized content. In microlearning, all topics of the course are split into smaller pieces that consist of videos, audio, texts, or infographics. Microlearning offers concise and relevant content and helps address the knowledge gap of the student. With the advent of microlearning, academic eLearning vendors are increasingly adopting microlearning course content. Students find precise content interesting and engaging, and the information is delivered within a short period. Furthermore, microlearning helps to learn specific information in short intervals through their device. E-learning Market Challenge Growing in-house content development In-house content developers create a few courses with instructors, add plenty of images and videos, and modify according to learner engagement and feedback. Third-party content providers are challenged because of the demand for courseware as content can be developed by in-house subject matter experts. The increase in the development of in-house content is expected to affect the global eLearning market adversely. In-house content developers create a few courses with instructors, add plenty of images and videos, and modify according to learner engagement and feedback. Third-party content providers are challenged because of the demand for courseware as content can be developed by in-house subject matter experts. The increase in the development of in-house content is expected to affect the global eLearning market adversely. Furthermore, blended eLearning requires online study materials and related services to support the online platforms. Schools and universities are continuously looking forward to creating powerful digital learning experiences for students, which help to evaluate student engagement, track results, and obtain feedback. Get report sample copy for extensive insights on key market Drivers, Trends, and Challenges influencing the E-learning market. Key market vendors insights The E-learning market is fragmented, and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as focusing on innovation to compete in the market. Some of the key market vendors are: Adobe Inc. Articulate Global Inc. Cengage Learning Inc. Cisco Systems Inc. City and Guilds Group GBS Corporate Training Global Health eLearning Center iEnergizer Infopro Learning Inc. Instructure Inc. John Wiley and Sons Inc. Learning Technologies Group Plc MPS Ltd. For more detailed highlights on products offerings and the growth strategies adopted by other vendors, Buy Sample Report Now! Regional Market Analysis 34% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. US and Canada are the key markets for e-learning in North America. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in the European, MEA, and South American regions. The increasing internet connectivity and innovation in this region will facilitate the e-learning market growth in North America over the forecast period. Request sample report copy for additional highlights and key segments that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period. Related Reports:- Corporate Leadership Training Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 E-learning Market in the UK by Product and End-user - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 E-learning Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 16.35% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 1.72 tn Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 15.45 Regional analysis APAC, MEA, North America, South America, and Europe Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Adobe Inc., Articulate Global Inc., Cengage Learning Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., City and Guilds Group, GBS Corporate Training, Global Health eLearning Center, iEnergizer, Infopro Learning Inc., Instructure Inc., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Learning Technologies Group Plc, MPS Ltd., New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Inc., NIIT Ltd., Oracle Corp., Pearson Plc, Skillsoft Ltd., Tesseract Learning Pvt. Ltd., and Thomson Reuters 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. Table of Content 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 End-user 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 between2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 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 End-user 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 5.3 Higher education - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Higher education - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Higher education - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Higher education - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Higher education - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Corporate - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Corporate - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Corporate - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Corporate - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Corporate - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 K -12 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 -12 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 36: Chart on K-12 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 37: Data Table on K-12 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 38: Chart on K-12 - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on K-12 - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.6 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by End-user ($ 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 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: 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 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 (%) 7.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 84: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 85: Data Table on UK - 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 Adobe Inc. Exhibit 93: Adobe Inc. - Overview Exhibit 94: Adobe Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 95: Adobe Inc. - Key news Exhibit 96: Adobe Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 97: Adobe Inc. - Segment focus 10.4 Articulate Global Inc. Exhibit 98: Articulate Global Inc. - Overview Exhibit 99: Articulate Global Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 100: Articulate Global Inc. - Key offerings 10.5 Cengage Learning Inc. Exhibit 101: Cengage Learning Inc. - Overview Exhibit 102: Cengage Learning Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 103: Cengage Learning Inc. - Key offerings 10.6 Cisco Systems Inc. Exhibit 104: Cisco Systems Inc. - Overview Exhibit 105: Cisco Systems Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 106: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key news Exhibit 107: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 108: Cisco Systems Inc. - Segment focus 10.7 City and Guilds Group Exhibit 109: City and Guilds Group - Overview Exhibit 110: City and Guilds Group - Product / Service Exhibit 111: City and Guilds Group - Key offerings 10.8 Instructure Inc. Exhibit 112: Instructure Inc. - Overview Exhibit 113: Instructure Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 114: Instructure Inc. - Key offerings 10.9 John Wiley and Sons Inc. Exhibit 115: John Wiley and Sons Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: John Wiley and Sons Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 117: John Wiley and Sons Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 118: John Wiley and Sons Inc. - Segment focus 10.10 Pearson Plc Exhibit 119: Pearson Plc - Overview Exhibit 120: Pearson Plc - Business segments Exhibit 121: Pearson Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 122: Pearson Plc - Segment focus 10.11 Skillsoft Ltd. Exhibit 123: Skillsoft Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 124: Skillsoft Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 125: Skillsoft Ltd. - Key offerings 10.12 Thomson Reuters Corp. Exhibit 126: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Overview Exhibit 127: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 128: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 129: Thomson Reuters Corp. - Segment focus 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 130: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 131: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 132: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 133: Research methodology Exhibit 134: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 135: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 136: 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 WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) priced Connecticut Avenue Securities (CAS) Series 2022-R07, an approximately $866 million note offering that represents Fannie Mae's seventh CAS REMIC transaction of the year. CAS is Fannie Mae's benchmark issuance program designed to share credit risk on its single-family conventional guaranty book of business. The reference pool for CAS Series 2022-R07 consists of approximately 101,000 single-family mortgage loans with an outstanding unpaid principal balance of approximately $30.6 billion. The reference pool includes collateral with loan-to-value ratios of 60.01 percent to 80.00 percent, which were acquired between July 2021 and August 2021. The loans included in this transaction are fixed-rate, generally 30-year term, fully amortizing mortgages and were underwritten using rigorous credit standards and enhanced risk controls. Fannie Mae will retain a portion of the 1M-1, 1M-2, 1B-1, and 1B-2 tranches and will retain the full 1B-3H first-loss tranche. Class Offered Amount ($MM) Pricing Level Expected Ratings (S&P/KBRA) 1M-1 $391.813 1-month average SOFR plus 295 bps BBB+ (sf) / BBB+ (sf) 1M-2 $275.718 1-month average SOFR plus 465 bps BBB- (sf) / BBB (sf) 1B-1 $91.652 1-month average SOFR plus 680 bps BB- (sf) / BB+ (sf) 1B-2 $106.927 1-month average SOFR plus 1200 bps NR / B- (sf) Nomura Securities International Inc. ("Nomura") is the lead structuring manager and joint bookrunner. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC ("Wells Fargo") is the co-lead manager and joint bookrunner. Co-managers are BofA Securities, Inc. ("BofA"), Citigroup Global Markets Inc. ("Citigroup"), Morgan Stanley & Co, LLC ("Morgan Stanley"), and StoneX Financial Inc. ("StoneX"). Selling group members are African-American-owned Loop Capital Markets LLC and African-American & women-owned Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC. With the completion of this transaction, Fannie Mae will have brought 51 CAS deals to market, issued nearly $58 billion in notes, and transferred a portion of the credit risk to private investors on over $1.9 trillion in single-family mortgage loans, measured at the time of the transaction. To promote transparency and to help credit investors evaluate our securities and the CAS program, Fannie Mae provides ongoing, robust disclosure data, as well as access to news, resources, and analytics through its credit risk transfer webpages. This includes our innovative Data Dynamics tool that enables market participants to interact with and analyze CAS deals that are currently outstanding in the market and Fannie Mae's historical loan dataset. In addition, our EU Resources and UK Resources webpages help European Union and UK institutional investors, as well as those managing funds subject to EU/UK regulations comply with EU/UK securitization regulations. In addition to our flagship CAS program, Fannie Mae continues to transfer mortgage credit risk through its Credit Insurance Risk Transfer (CIRT) reinsurance program. About Connecticut Avenue Securities CAS REMIC notes are issued by a bankruptcy-remote trust. The amount of periodic principal and ultimate principal paid by Fannie Mae is determined by the performance of a large and diverse reference pool. For more information on individual CAS transactions, visit our credit risk transfer webpage. About Fannie Mae Fannie Mae advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing for millions of people across America. We enable the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and drive responsible innovation to make homebuying and renting easier, fairer, and more accessible. To learn more, visit: fanniemae.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Blog Fannie Mae Newsroom https://www.fanniemae.com/newsroom Photo of Fannie Mae https://www.fanniemae.com/resources/img/about-fm/fm-building.tif Fannie Mae Resource Center 1-800-2FANNIE Statements in this release regarding the company's future CAS transactions are forward-looking. Actual results may be materially different as a result of market conditions or other factors listed in "Risk Factors" or "Forward-Looking Statements" in the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. This release does not constitute an offer or sale of any security. Before investing in any Fannie Mae issued security, potential investors should review the disclosure for such security and consult their own investment advisors. SOURCE Fannie Mae Prime Source drives digital transformation in businesses linking Europe and Asia, leveraging cloud and AI to drive growth, optimize processes and unlock savings NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FatBrain AI (LZG International Inc.; OTC: LZGI), the leader in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions empowering global growth businesses, has acquired Prime Source , the largest independent IT software developer in Kazakhstan and fifth-largest in Central Asia, delivering proven outcomes to enterprises worldwide since 2007. Prime Source's IT engineering scale paired with FatBrain's peer intelligence AI and accessible subscription model enables tens of millions of businesses across the Near East, Central and South Asia to join the data cloud and AI revolution. "There are more than 213 million global growth businesses, so-called SMEs, building the economy of the future today. This acquisition allows FatBrain to turbo-charge these businesses with powerful AI and peer intelligence solutions that have historically only been available to a few of the largest companies," said Peter B. Ritz, co-founder and CEO of FatBrain AI. Prime Source helps its clients and their customers optimize business processes through robotic automation (BPO+RPA); digital transformation and siloed data integration; risk differentiation and ratings; insight analytics and forecasting. For example, Prime Source rapidly delivered a lending solution that helped its Uzbek client Tenge Bank accelerate its underwriting to build a US$56M auto loan portfolio, issuing 100 loans per day with under 60-minute per loan in processing time. Prime Source also provides strategic supply chain solutions and dynamic risk management and credit monitoring to thousands of businesses and large financial institutions. "We've created a team culture centered on data-driven transparency and outcomes enabling our customers to rapidly innovate," said Evgeny Chsherbinin, CEO of Prime Source. "Our extended enterprise reach maximizes our impact across tens of thousands of businesses and the largest economic stakeholders across the region connecting Europe and Asia. For example, Prime Source solutions for corruption risk management and financial crime controls enable the thousands of businesses to assure a robust supply chain and compliant financial conduct, while simultaneously helping the largest financial institutions, heavy industry and state-owned enterprises to quantify improvements in their respective and overall credit ratings. We are very excited to simplify such multi-level complexities alongside FatBrain at scale, and look forward to joining forces to bring the AI revolution to more customers and markets." "Our mission at FatBrain is to boost businesses of tomorrow, their clients, suppliers and partners with actionable decision-making to reclaim time, save money and grow profits," said Dr. Rajarshi Das, co-founder and chief scientific officer at FatBrain. "FatBrain and Prime Source are united in supporting the global community of growth businesses through this extended enterprise GTM." About FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.): FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.; OTC: LZGI) is the first and leading provider of powerful and easy-to-use AI solutions to millions of businesses of tomorrow driving the majority of the global economy, empowering them to grow, innovate faster and save money. FatBrain's innovative solutions transform continuous learning, narrative reasoning, cloud, blockchain and Web3 technologies into auditable, explainable and easy to integrate products. FatBrain's subscription model allows all companies to deploy its advanced AI solutions quickly and easily, securely utilizing them on premises behind their firewalls or via cloud. For more information, please visit: https://www.fatbrain.ai. About Prime Source: Since 2007, Prime Source has been a powerful design center for software development, technology solutions, data management and strategic IT consulting. Prime Source's internal team of 450 IT engineers serves more than 2,000 customers in Kazakhstan, CIS Region and the United States, including major banks, state-owned and oil and gas enterprises. It provides businesses of all sizes from startups to multibillion-dollar enterprises with the latest innovations in robotization and business process management, system integration, data management, risk management, analytics and forecasting. Using internal R&D resources, Prime Source is advancing the markets for big data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. According to the March 31, 2022 IT provider market survey report by Kursiv Research , Prime Source tops the leaderboard for advanced IT solutions without state-owned or foreign balance sheet support and is fifth-largest overall by revenue in IT services across Central Asia. For more information, please visit: https://p-s.kz/. SOURCE FatBrain; LZG International, Inc. SILVER SPRING, Md., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on additional steps it has taken that will lead to more infant formula available in the U.S. under the agency's recent increased flexibilities. Company (Product Origin): Abbott Nutrition (Ireland) Product(s): Similac Advance 2'-FL Stage 1 Type of Formula: General Estimated Quantity: 18,677 cans (about 35,000 pounds or about 535,000 full-size, 8-ounce bottles) Availability: Mid-July. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating options for getting the product to the U.S. as quickly as possible. More Information and Where to Find the Products: Abbott Nutrition will reserve a portion of the inventory to provide free of charge product for critical needs to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) agencies. Abbott will also use online outlets (Similac.com, Abbottstore.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, and others to maximize availability nationwide for the balance of the product. The FDA is exercising enforcement discretion for the importation of the infant formula products listed above following the review of information provided pertaining to nutritional adequacy and safety, including microbiological testing, labeling and additional information about facility production and inspection history. The agency is leveraging a number of flexibilities to bolster the supply of products that serve as the sole source of nutrition for many infants while ensuring the infant formula can be used safely and provides adequate nutrition. The FDA remains in further discussions with manufacturers and suppliers regarding additional supply to ensure there's adequate infant formula available wherever and whenever parents and caregivers need it. The FDA issued guidance on May 16 that outlined a process by which the agency would not object to the importation of certain infant formula products intended for a foreign market or distribution in the U.S. of products manufactured here for export to foreign countries. This guidance also may provide flexibilities to those who manufacture infant formula products domestically and may be able to further increase the quantity of domestically-produced product for the U.S. market. The agency has posted a webpage that will be updated with information about additional products headed to the U.S. Ongoing FDA Steps to Increase Availability of Safe, Nutritious Infant Formula The agency's around-the-clock work as part of the all-of-government efforts has already begun to improve supply and availability. The agency expects that the measures and steps it is taking, and the resumption of production at the Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Mich., facility, will mean more and more supply is on the way or on store shelves moving forward. The FDA continues to advise against making infant formulas at home or diluting formula. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to work with their child's health care provider for recommendations on changing feeding practices, if needed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also has additional information available at HHS.gov/formula, including information to help families find infant formula. The agency also monitors online marketplaces for fraudulent products and works with major online retailers to remove violative and harmful products offered for sale on their sites. Additionally, since many of these fraudulent products originate overseas, the agency targets and examines these products at ports of entry. The FDA also monitors and follows up on various external signals such as consumer complaints about potential counterfeit and fraudulent products. The FDA will continue to dedicate all available resources to help ensure that safe and nutritious infant formula products remain available for use in the U.S. and will keep the public informed of progress updates. Additional Information: Media Contact: FDA Office of Media Affairs, 301-796-4540 Consumer Inquiries: 888-723-3366 The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products. SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration CHICAGO , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, June 24, 2022, the federal district court in Chicago approved an unusual settlement in which the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voluntarily agreed to drop all of its allegations of fraud against Gary S. Winemaster, the founder and former CEO of Power Solutions International, Inc. (PSI) as part of the resolution of its action against Mr. Winemaster. The SEC and Mr. Winemaster resolved the two remaining counts on a no-admit, no-deny basis. The settlement comes on the heels of Mr. Winemaster's full acquittal, in September 2021, after a trial on related criminal charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The SEC settlement officially terminates the alleged fraud cases that the DOJ and SEC filed against Mr. Winemaster in July 2019. "The public now knows what we've known from the start: Gary is innocent of the fraud charges brought against him. The evidence presented at trial gutted the government's theory of fraud, a federal court acquitted him of all charges, and now the SEC has dropped its fraud charges as well. We appreciate the SEC's willingness to walk away from its original theory of the case after considering the trial record," said John Sikora of Latham & Watkins LLP, lead counsel for Mr. Winemaster in the SEC matter. "I am relieved to have been completely cleared of the baseless allegations of fraud. I look forward to pursuing new opportunities in the industry I had stepped away from while resolving these matters," Mr. Winemaster said. Following the settlement, there are no pending charges against Mr. Winemaster for any actions related to his work at PSI. The settlement imposes no restrictions on Mr. Winemaster's ability to work in any capacity at any public company. In addition to Mr. Sikora, the Latham team that represented Mr. Winemaster at trial and in the SEC matter included partners Sean Berkowitz, Eric Swibel, and Heather Waller, and associates Jack McNeily, Adam Rosenbloom, Kirsten Lee, Linda Qiu, and Sydney Black. About Gary Winemaster Gary Winemaster co-founded Power Solutions International, Inc (PSI) and served as its CEO and President and as a director from 2001 until 2016, and served as the CEO and President of Power Great Lakes (which, prior to the incorporation of PSI in 2001, was the parent operating company of the business) from the inception in 1985 until PSI's incorporation in 2001. Mr. Winemaster played the leading role in the company's product development strategy as well as securing and expanding PSI's market presence as a global supplier of alternative fuel spark-ignited and diesel engine power systems. Prior to founding PGL and PSI, Mr. Winemaster worked in sales management for the European operations, with territory responsibility for the German, Scandinavian and Benelux markets, of Guardian Industries, a US-based global glass manufacturer. SOURCE Gary Winemaster "Xi'an is a dynamic destination known for its history, culture and incredible growth grounded in the city's flourishing tourism and technology sectors," says Bart Carnahan , President, Global Business Development and Portfolio Management, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "We are thrilled to continue expanding Four Seasons footprint in China alongside our partners at Vanzhong Group. This exceptional new hotel will offer guests a luxury respite in the bustling city of Xi'an that effortlessly meets the needs of today's business and leisure travellers." Once a former imperial capital of China and start of the ancient Silk Road, the rich history and culture of Xi'an can now be seen through its UNESCO World Heritage-protected temples, pagodas and relics. As one of China's most industrialized cities and now dubbed the "Digital Silk Road" as a result, Xi'an's impressive plans for growth can be attributed to the concentrated focus on specialized technology by the extensive list of domestic and Fortune 500 companies that have established operations in the city. "A resort-style hotel set within a thriving city-centre will be the first of its kind for Xi'an and its visitors," says Wuliang Li, Chairman, Vanzhong Group. "In a city with such a rich history and leading commerce ecosystem, welcoming Four Seasons and their curated luxury hospitality offering to Xi'an will serve to further ignite the bright future that lies ahead." About Four Seasons Hotel Xi'an Four Seasons Hotel Xi'an has an anticipated opening date in 2026. Distinguished by an expansive landscape within an otherwise high-rise and bustling metropolitan setting, the new-build Hotel will feature 250 luxurious guestrooms and suites as part of a mixed-use development project. Local guests and international travellers alike will enjoy a collection of fine dining options that include two restaurants, a lobby bar and a rooftop bar overlooking Muta Temple Relics Park. Several private dining rooms, two ballrooms as well as flexible meeting and event spaces will be available to suit the needs of gatherings big and small. For those looking to refresh and relax, the Hotel will feature a well-appointed spa, salon, indoor and outdoor pools, as well as open-air space dedicated to exercise and Tai chi. Younger guests can explore and play in the complimentary Kids For All Seasons program. An abundance of historic exploration awaits the millions of travellers visiting Xi'an each year. Future Four Seasons guests will be able to immerse themselves in the city's well-preserved imperial museums, the majestic ancient city wall and renowned Terracotta Warriors Museum. Four Seasons Hotel Xi'an will be adjacent to Muta Temple Relics Park which is celebrated for the famous Muta Temple that once occupied the land (603 A.D.) during the prosperous Sui and Tang Dynasties. Tang Dynasty Wall Relics Park is also a short walk from the Hotel where preserved relics proudly celebrate Tang culture, poems, music and calligraphy throughout. Four Seasons Hotel Xi'an will be located approximately 45 minutes by car from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport where there are flights from countless international and domestic destinations. The Hotel will also be accessible via high-speed rail and train for those travelling from destinations within China. Four Seasons Hotel Xi'an will join a growing collection of Four Seasons properties in China which currently include Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou At West Lake, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Four Seasons Hotel Macao Cotai Strip, Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen, Four Seasons Hotel Tianjin and the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel Dalian. For more images, click here. About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts opened its first hotel in 1961, and since that time has been dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. Currently operating 124 hotels and resorts, and 50 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world's best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com and follow @FourSeasonsPR on Twitter. About Vanzhong Group Founded in 2008, Vanzhong Group is dedicated to the pursuit of product excellence and leading trends in design. Today, Vanzhong Group has established a collection of businesses that include Vanzhong education, luxury hotels, commercial business that comprehensively integrates diversified formats such as the arts and ecological parks to created elevated environments. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts New Premier Version Provides the Ability to Create, Edit, Form Fill, and eSign Documents at One Affordable Price FREMONT, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Foxit, a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents, today announced the launch of Foxit PDF Editor Version 12, including the introduction of PDF Editor Pro +, the most complete offering of Foxit PDF editing tools ever made available. PDF Editor Pro + is an editor and eSign solution combination that allows users to create, edit, form fill, and eSign documents all in one place at an affordable price. PDF Editor Pro + is a complete solution that consists of PDF Editor Pro (Windows) or PDF Editor (Mac), PDF Editor for Cloud, PDF Editor for Mobile and Foxit eSign (supporting both cloud and mobile app platforms). The comprehensive offering allows users to create, edit and sign PDF documents anywhere, on any platform including desktop, mobile, or the cloud. Amazing Introductory Offering Customers signing up for PDF Editor Pro + will also receive an amazing added bonus - unlimited personal eSignatures. Users will be able to eSign their own documents within the PDF Editor and automate how they collect eSignatures on documents sent to multiple people as often as they need at no additional cost. "Our focus on innovation, customer experience and affordability has led to the launch of PDF Editor Pro +, our most comprehensive and customer friendly PDF package to date," said Phil Lee, CRO of Foxit. "It is extremely important to us that our users have the tools that they need where and when they need them, whether that be in the office or on the move. PDF Editor Pro + ensures our customers always have editing and eSign capabilities at their fingertips." To learn more, Foxit is offering a 5-part complimentary webinar series. Foxit PDF Editor Foxit PDF Editor allows users to create awesome PDFs with powerful yet easy workflows across desktop, mobile, and cloud whether at the office, home, or on the go. Foxit PDF Editor provides a cost-effective solution for business professionals to work securely with PDF documents and forms. It provides a full featured platform to view, create, edit, collaborate, share, secure, organize, export, OCR, and sign PDF documents. Integration with Foxit eSign makes eSigning documents even easier. Foxit PDF Editor provides unmatched benefits and features to users, including: Quickly and easily update your own PDF documents Integration with Foxit eSign to: Create, edit and sign legally binding documents without leaving your PDF editor Easily collect signatures from multiple contacts and manage an eSignature workflow Export PDF to popular file formats Manipulate PDF files and pages Annotate, share, and collaborate with PDF Create PDF docs, forms, and portfolios Protect the information in your confidential documents Improve document accessibility through assistive technology Foxit PDF Editor V12 offers many upgrades and user experience improvements. Highlights include: Add Accounting Calculations with tape - You can open an Accounting Calculator window within the application and, after performing the calculations, insert it into your PDF document as a tape. - You can open an Accounting Calculator window within the application and, after performing the calculations, insert it into your PDF document as a tape. Cross References - Create connectors that appear on the document as annotations and connect to each other as links, thereby automating the process of creating several interconnected links in a PDF document. Create connectors that appear on the document as annotations and connect to each other as links, thereby automating the process of creating several interconnected links in a PDF document. View Documents Side by Side - Create "tab groups" within a single window of PDF Editor. These groups are shown side by side, so the two documents can be viewed within a single window. To learn more about Foxit PDF Editor, please visit: https://www.foxit.com/pdf-editor/ About Foxit Foxit is a leading provider of innovative PDF and eSignature products and services, helping knowledge workers to increase their productivity and do more with documents. Foxit delivers easy-to-use desktop software, mobile apps, and cloud services that allow users to create, edit, fill, and sign documents through their integrated PDF Editor and eSign offerings. Foxit enables software developers to incorporate innovative PDF technology into their applications via powerful, multi-platform Software Developer Kits (SDK). Foxit has over 700 million users and has sold to over 485,000 customers, ranging from SMBs to global enterprises, located in more than 200 countries. The company has offices all over the world, including locations in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. For more information, please visit https://foxit.com. SOURCE Foxit Software DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Investing in 5G - An Investment Guide and Marketing/Technical Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report is unique among 5G reports - it is specifically focused on the investor and/or the investor advisor. The entire first section of the report (nearly half of the report) is devoted to questions of investment. The following companies are profiled with 5G activities, financials, and 5G positioning in the investment sections: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular, Dish Network, Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, BBK Electronics, OPPO, Vivo, Motorola/Lenovo, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Intel. The technology/marketing sections detail the architecture on several different levels to make the information usable for anyone from an investor adviser to a highly trained engineer. Forecasts are provided for capital expenditures, traffic growth deployment rates and several other items of interest. These questions and others concerning the technical and marketing aspects of 5G services are answered in this report. Some of the questions about investment have to be answered in the context of a particular investors' circumstances, but this report will provide the data to intelligently make those decisions. In addition, all of the normally expected technical/marketing information points (architecture, forecasts, deployment scenarios, etc.) are included in this massive (nearly 100 figures and well over 130 pages) report. Questions like the following are answered: I don't understand 5G; can you explain it to me? How is 5G different from what we now have? Why change? How do I invest in 5G services? What companies are involved? Do I want to invest in 5G? Are some companies better targets than others? What is different about 5G anyway? Why are the carriers all pushing 5G so hard? Who is going to benefit from 5G? Key Topics Covered: Investing in 5G - An Investment Guide and Marketing/Technical Report 5G - IS it An Investment Opportunity? Introduction 5G Situation Today What's going on? 1. What Is 5G? The Generations (G's) of Mobile Service 1st Generation (1G) 2nd Generation (2G) 4th Generation (4G) LTE Advanced (4G LTE) 5th Generation (5G) Nature of 5G 5G Frequency Plans Importance of Frequency Differences Millimeter-wave 5G Mid-band 5G Low-band 5G Carriers' Implementations T-Mobile Implementation AT&T Implementation Verizon Implementation Rationale for 5G 2. Investment Opportunities in 5G Based Services Major Carriers- Investment Opportunities T-Mobile T-Mobile US 5G Deployment Status as of 1-2022 Verizon Verizon 5G Deployment Status AT&T AT&T 5G Deployment Status Carrier Capital Requirements for 5G What Investments Are Involved in Infrastructure? Spectrum Cell Site Work and Additions Transmission Network Core Support Systems How Much Capital Will be Required for 5G? Background Recent Past Capital Expenditures Current and Future Plans for 5G Capital Budgets The 5G Major Carrier Market for Investments - Comments for Investments - Comments Smaller Carriers Investment Possibilities US Cellular Dish Network Phone Manufacturer Investment Opportunities Top Individual Phone Manufactures Investment Opportunities Apple Apple Financials of Interest Samsung Huawei Xiaomi BBK Electronics/OPPO/Vivo OPPO Vivo Motorola/Lenovo Operating Systems iOS Android Smartphone Modems Qualcomm Snapdragon Qualcomm Financials Apple iPhone Modem Huawei Balong 5G01 The 5G Phone Manufacturer Market for Investments - Comments 5G Network Equipment Manufactures - Investment Opportunities Huawei Ericsson Nokia ZTE Samsung Chip Set Vendors Intel Qualcomm Samsung Apple Huawei 5G Network Equipment Manufactures Investments - Comments 3. Architecture of 5G Basic Architecture 5G Infrastructure Components Phones Antenna and Towers Small Cell Antennas MIMO MIMO and 5G Massive MIMO Spectrum Multiplying Advantage 5G Radios Fiber and Back-haul Verizon Fiber Plan for 5G 5G Network Cooperation Location Types of 5G Stationary Mobile 4. What Are the Characteristics of 5G Services? Higher Capacity Higher Data Rate Lower Latency Massive Device Connectivity Reduced Costs Consistent Quality of Experience Provisioning Developmental Needs Interior Penetration of mmWave Infrastructure Deployment Aids Support Systems 5. 5G Forecasts Forecast Deployment Scenario 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Later Timeline Capital Forecast for 5G Individual Area Forecasts Mobile Traffic Forecast US Mobile Carriers Forecast 5G Penetration Forecast - US Smartphone Growth Forecast for 5G - the US 5G Phone Introduction Plans 5G US Penetration Forecast - Phones Major Use Cases of 5G - Penetration Forecast IoT - Internet of Things - 5G Penetration Forecast Autonomous Vehicles 0 5G Penetration Forecast Forecast Network Impact of Autonomous Vehicles and IoT Over-Build Forecast Forecast Summary Traffic: US Mobile Carriers: Phones: 5G Penetration: IoT: Autonomous Vehicles: Overbuild/ Cross-Boundary: Appendix I - History of Generations of cellular Phones in the USA History of Cellular Phones in the US What are the Generations? 1st Generation 1G Standards 2nd Generation 2G Standards 3rd Generation High-Speed Downlink Packet Access - 3GPP Long Term Evolution, the Precursor of LTE Advanced Evolved HSPA 3G Standards 4th Generation LTE Advanced MIMO 4G Standards 5th Generation 5G Standards Appendix II. Major Use Cases for 5G: IoT, Autonomous Vehicles, Overbuild IoT - The Internet of Things Availability of a Network for Connection - a Major Problem with IoT Cellular IoT Connections Explained: NB-IoT vs. LTE-M vs. 5G and More How did Cellular IoT come to Be? Cellular IoT is meant to meet the requirements of low-power, long-range applications. Cat-1 Cat-0 Cat-M1/Cat-M/LTE-M NB-IoT/Cat-M2 EC-GSM (formerly EC-EGPRS) 5G as an IoT Connection Solution How Does 5G Enable IoT? Autonomous Vehicles Autonomous Vehicles Benefits Current Versions of Autonomy Issues with Autonomous Development Safety Business Case Availability of a Network for Interconnection Overbuild - 5G as a Major Competitive Tool Overbuilding Cross-Boundary Service Competitive Implications Appendix III - List of US Cellular Carriers Contiguous US and Hawaii ] ] Alaska Appendix IV - Traffic Statistics Relationships SONET/SDH Data Rates Appendix V Data Traffic Fundamentals Internet Traffic Calculations Bits and Bytes Transfer Rate Busy Hour Traffic Protocol Efficiencies Statistical Multiplexing Peaking Appendix VI The Lightwave Network For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ymgfv5 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Subscriber Data Management Market by Service Provider Type (Carriers and OTT Service Providers), Network Type (LTE and 5G), Model (Premise and Cloud), and Region 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Select Report Findings Driven by 5G infrastructure investment, the Global SDM market will reach $10.46 billion by 2027 by 2027 North America is poised to benefit the most from this trend, becoming a $35.2 billion market by 2027 is poised to benefit the most from this trend, becoming a market by 2027 Global cloud-based 5G Unified Data Management (UDM) will become a $498 million UDM market by 2027 UDM market by 2027 Global 5G and LTE SDM will be $4.7 billion at 17.4% CAGR and $1.9 billion at 60.8% CAGR respectively by 2027 at 17.4% CAGR and at 60.8% CAGR respectively by 2027 The global market for third-party SDM (OTT and managed services providers) infrastructure will exceed $1.5 billion by 2027 by 2027 Centralized data management supported by cloud-based storage and retrieval will enable operational savings of over 50% Subscriber data is a crucial commodity for network carriers worldwide, as it can be leveraged to provide customized services and optimize applications to the market based upon subscriber preferences. This creates opportunities for new and highly focused applications and services. Optimally leveraging subscriber data also facilitates revenue expansion as well as improved customer loyalty and profitability. However, access to subscriber data is often a challenge for network operators. This is due largely to subscriber data being stored in a non-unified, distributed architecture that consists of a variety of different network elements and services. This legacy subscriber data architecture approach is often vendor-specific, which makes it costly to establish and maintain a consolidated view of the operational data. Subscriber Data Management (SDM) systems provide solutions to these problems by unifying subscriber data into a central repository. With this repository, SDM solutions unify cross-domain subscriber data, including identity, location, presence, authentication, services, and access preferences. These data elements may feed multiple applications through an API interface. An important aspect of SDM is the 3GPP defined Unified Data Repository (UDR) function, which is central to storage and retrieval of data in 5G networks. UDR is also central to the 5G Service Based Architecture (SBA) approach, including application, subscription, authentication, service authorization, policy data, session binding, and application state information. We estimate that carriers can save over 50 % in OpEx (associated with customer provisioning, administration, and application/service OSS/BSS) with next-generation SDM as compared to legacy non-UDR mechanisms for managing subscriber data. In addition to OpEx savings, SDM solutions allow carriers to reduce churn rates by enabling carriers to personalize services, improve marketing campaigns, and improve overall revenue and customer retention by gaining rich customer insights. Furthermore, SDM also allows carriers to establish themselves as brokers of subscriber identity through SDM APIs. Driven by internal utilization within carrier services and identity brokering, SDM APIs are anticipated to become a critical asset for 5G SBA-based services realization and operation. As network operators continue to invest in network modernization and migrate networks towards 5G, vendors from both telecommunications and IT-centric database backgrounds are competing to gain SDM market share. As part of the 5G network build-out, global carriers are committed to continuing the migration toward a unified data environment that began with LTE networks. As a consequence, we expect SDM vendor revenues to reach $10.87 billion by 2027. North America is poised to benefit the most from this trend, becoming a $4.9 billion market by 2027. Companies in the Report Bell Mobility Canada Bharti Airtel Cell C South Africa China Mobile Hutchison (H3G) Mobily Saudi Arabia Movistar Argentina Orascom Telecom Algeria Safaricom Kenya Sprint Tele2 Sweden Telenor Pakistan TeliaSonera TIM Brasil Verizon Wireless Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Subscriber Data Management Technology 2.1 Evolution Towards Next Generation SDM 2.1.1 What is SDM 2.1.2 Subscriber Data Management Network Elements 2.1.3 Legacy Subscriber Data Management Solutions 2.1.4 Converged Data in LTE and 5G Networks 2.1.5 Subscriber Data Management Standardization 2.2 Key Subscriber Data Management Solution Elements 2.3 Subscriber Data Management Deployment Scenarios 3. Subscriber Data Management Market Business Case 3.1 Subscriber Data Management Market Drivers 3.1.1 Capital Expenditure and Operational Expense Reduction 3.1.2 Subscriber Royalty and Churn Reduction 3.1.3 Elevating Customer Experience and Service Delivery 3.1.4 Service Personalization and Development of Unique Services 3.1.5 Providing a Foundation for Business Intelligence Applications 3.1.6 Identity Brokering: Competing with Web Providers 3.1.7 Network Densification and Heterogenous Networks 3.1.8 Private Wireless Networks 3.2 Subscriber Data Management Market Barriers 3.2.1 Privacy Constraints and Regulation 3.2.2 Investment Support 3.2.3 Integration Complexities 3.3 Subscriber Data Management Value Chain 3.4 Subscriber Data Management Industry Roadmap 3.5 Subscriber Data Management Trends 4. Carrier SDM Deployment Case Studies 5. Global SDM Market Analysis and Forecasts 2022-2027 6. Carrier SDM Market Analysis and Forecasts 2022-2027 7. SDM Market by Third-Party Service Provider 2022-2027 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jglvl9 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Access Home Equity with no monthly payments. Borrowers with a credit score of 500 and higher and equity in their home, can now instantly see if they would qualify for a Home Equity Investment. PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the potential slide of home prices looming, now could be a great time to utilize the accrued equity in your home. 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Homeowners can quickly find out an approximate amount of Cash they could be using, it will be an amount between $20,000 and $500,000. There are no parameters on what the cash out can be used for, and there are no monthly payments to make after the cash is received. This is truly a great product for some homeowners. For more information visit http://GoodLoan.io and see how much you qualify for today. Contact: GoodLoan Support ***@goodloan.io Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12922901 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE GoodLoan.io MINNEAPOLIS , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 27, 2022, a lawsuit was filed against high-profile victims' rights advocate Jeffrey Anderson and his namesake law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates, P.A. (JAA) in Ramsey County District Court on behalf of the firm's former Human Resources Director, Cherise Salim. The lawsuit alleges Salim experienced discrimination on the basis of her pregnancy and then retaliation for speaking out against acts of sexual harassment perpetrated by a fellow employee who worked closely with Anderson. Prior to going out on maternity leave, Salim was described as "an inspired and natural leader." However, upon her return, Salim alleges she was demoted on account of claimed performance issues, none of which had been previously raised. The Complaint further states that Salim was terminated after seeking disciplinary action against an employee alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment while with the Firm. Salim's investigation uncovered a pattern of repeated sexual harassment by this individual, none of which had been previously addressed, states the Complaint. Salim recommended that JAA terminate the individual, or at least place him on extended unpaid leave during the pendency of the Firm's investigation. In response, according to the Complaint, Salim was told the employee was "going nowhere" because of his working relationship with Anderson. Discipline was imposed, but then reduced. Salim was subsequently terminated. Halunen Law attorney Charles Horowitz stated, "the Complaint alleges that our Client experienced both pregnancy discrimination and retaliation for opposing what was seen to be a pattern of sexual harassment. We are committed to challenging conduct of this nature wherever it occurs and look forward to presenting our Client's case to a jury of her peers." The Complaint can be viewed here: https://minnesota.tylerhost.net/ViewDocuments.aspx?FID=da740e62-ed01-40e9-a10f-125c133fe192 About Halunen Law With offices in Minneapolis, Chicago and Phoenix, Halunen Law offers experienced legal representation to employees, whistleblowers, and those who have been wrongfully injured. Halunen Law has achieved a reputation as a fearless, tenacious and successful plaintiffs' law firm, with a laser focus on achieving justice for its clients. For more information visit halunenlaw.com . Contact: Carol Schuler [email protected] 612-281-7030 SOURCE Halunen Law Vendor Landscape The global handicrafts market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. The market is characterized by the presence of a significant number of small- to medium-scale vendors offering significantly differentiated products. Key vendors hold significant shares in the market. Established vendors have strong financial resources and technical expertise and they focus on product innovations. Small-scale vendors compete with established players by focusing on low pricing strategies and strengthening their presence in local markets. Technavio identifies Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd., Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd., HimalayanMart.com, Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd., Native Crafts and Arts, Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd., Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd., OSM HANDICRAFT, Ten Thousand Villages US, and The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. as some of the major market participants. Market Dynamics Although the need for low capital investments, growth in travel and tourism, and the rise in government support and funding will offer immense growth opportunities, the lack of information regarding handicraft products, the lack of trained and skilled workers to manufacture handicraft products, and the lack of managerial capabilities will challenge the growth of the market. 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. Identify other factors impacting the growth of market players and get more highlights on the vendor landscape. View Our Sample Report Now Handicrafts Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Handicrafts Market is segmented as below: Product Metal Art Ware and Jewelry and Jewelry Woodware Textile Products Others The metal art ware and jewelry segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021. The segment is driven by innovations in metal art ware, specifically in tableware, lighting products, and decorative products. Also, the increasing demand for metal-based outdoor handicrafts such as swings and furniture in the European market is driving the contributing to the growth of the segment. Geography North America Europe APAC MEA South America The North American region will provide significant growth opportunities for market players during the forecast period. The growth in travel and tourism activities and the presence of a large number of importers of handicraft products are driving the growth of the regional market. Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our handicrafts market report covers the following areas: Handicrafts Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the handicrafts market, including some of the vendors. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the handicrafts market is designed to provide entry support, customer profile, and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Handicrafts Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist handicrafts market growth during the next five years Estimation of the handicrafts market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the handicrafts market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of handicrafts market vendors Related Reports: Handicrafts Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 13.09% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 514.92 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 12.03 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 35% Key consumer countries US, UK, Germany, Japan, and UAE Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd., Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd., HimalayanMart.com, Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd., Native Crafts and Arts, Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd., Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd., OSM HANDICRAFT, Ten Thousand Villages US, and The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. 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 2.2 Market characteristics Exhibit 02: Market characteristics 2.3 Value chain analysis Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Home furnishings market 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 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 buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers 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 Product 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 15: Product - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 16: Comparison by Product 5.3 Metal art ware and jewelry - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Metal art ware and jewelry - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 18: Metal art ware and jewelry - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Woodware - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: Woodware - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 20: Woodware - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Textile products - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 21: Textile products - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 22: Textile products - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 23: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 24: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.7 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 25: Market opportunity by Product 6 Customer landscape 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 27: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 28: Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 30: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 31: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 32: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 33: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 34: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.6 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 35: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 36: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 37: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 38: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 39: Key leading countries 7.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges Exhibit 41: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Vendor landscape Exhibit 42: Vendor landscape 9.2 Landscape disruption Exhibit 43: Landscape disruption 9.3 Industry risks Exhibit 44: Industry risks 9.4 Competitive scenario 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 46: Market positioning of vendors 10.3 Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 47: Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 48: Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 49: Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.4 Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 50: Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 51: Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 52: Fakih Group of Companies Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.5 HimalayanMart.com Exhibit 53: HimalayanMart.com - Overview Exhibit 54: HimalayanMart.com - Product and service Exhibit 55: HimalayanMart.com - Key offerings 10.6 Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd. Exhibit 56: Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 57: Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 58: Minhou Minxing Weaving Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.7 Native Crafts and Arts Exhibit 59: Native Crafts and Arts - Overview Exhibit 60: Native Crafts and Arts - Product and service Exhibit 61: Native Crafts and Arts - Key offerings 10.8 Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd. Exhibit 62: Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 63: Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 64: Ngoc Dong Ha Nam Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.9 Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd. Exhibit 65: Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 66: Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 67: Orient Handicraft Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.10 OSM HANDICRAFT Exhibit 68: OSM HANDICRAFT - Overview Exhibit 69: OSM HANDICRAFT - Product and service Exhibit 70: OSM HANDICRAFT - Key offerings 10.11 Ten Thousand Villages US Exhibit 71: Ten Thousand Villages US - Overview Exhibit 72: Ten Thousand Villages US - Product and service Exhibit 73: Ten Thousand Villages US - Key offerings 10.12 The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. Exhibit 74: The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 75: The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 76: The Handicrafts & Handloom Exports Corp. of India Ltd. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 77: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.3 Research methodology Exhibit 78: Research Methodology Exhibit 79: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 80: Information sources 11.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 81: 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 Founded by Tim Heyl, an agent himself, Homeward offers the broadest set of solutions for both home buyers and sellers looking to leverage the power of cash in the real estate market. "Our move into Seattle marks a pivotal moment for Homeward as we grow our business, driven largely in part by our vast network of real estate agents requesting our products here," says Tim Heyl, Homeward's CEO and Founder. "This region has set the standard for innovation and is home to many early adopters in the tech industry. We couldn't be more excited to work with real estate agents and their clients to make homebuying more accessible, equitable, and simplified." By partnering with real estate agents, Homeward will make a cash offer on behalf of the agent's client, eliminating the finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies. This helps a home buyer's offer stand out and, when necessary, buy their new home before selling their old one. Clients then obtain a mortgage from Homeward or the client's preferred lender and buy the home back from Homeward. Homeward's Cash Offer is now available across the state of Washington, with a focus on the metro area of Seattle. As one of the country's most popular markets, the median home price in the Seattle metro area increased 14% last year to $868,492 in Q1. "This area is experiencing a drastic increase in valuation, and even with a softening market, inventory still hasn't caught up to buyer demand," says Brian Gubernick, Chief Real Estate officer at Homeward. "We're providing more than just a strong offer for buyers we're offering confidence for sellers who don't have to worry about the uncertainties of a traditionally mortgaged offer and the speed of a faster close in as little as 14 days." Cash offers are four times more likely to drive better terms because sellers prefer contingency-free contracts, and they know the transaction will close on time without any surprises. For clients that need to sell their current house before purchasing a new one, Homeward's Buy Before You Sell solution makes that a reality, while helping them save money on transaction fees and closing costs and getting them in their new home faster. Homeward has continued to build on last year's success. With expansions into Florida, Washington, and Oregon regions this year, Homeward plans to be in 20 markets by the end of 2022. Through February 2022, the company recorded a revenue increase of around 5x year over year while launching partnerships with over 50 brokerages across the country. About Homeward Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages. The Homeward Cash Offer eliminates finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies, enabling homebuyers to win with cash and, when necessary, to buy their new home before they sell their old one. Homeward has an office in Austin, TX, but operates with a fully remote workforce. If you're an agent, please visit homeward.com/washington to learn how to make every client a cash buyer. SOURCE Homeward Founded by Tim Heyl, an agent himself, Homeward offers the broadest set of solutions for both homebuyers and sellers."Homeward is helping real estate agents and their clients win in real estate whether that's simply negotiating the best terms, or buying before listing and selling," says Tim Heyl, Homeward's CEO and Founder. "We want to streamline the entire transaction and make homeownership universally achievable, making it more economical and taking the stress away from the process. We look forward to partnering with agents and their clients in Portland and beyond to achieve this." By partnering with real estate agents, Homeward will make a cash offer on behalf of the agent's client, eliminating the finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies. This helps a home buyer's offer stand out and, when necessary, buy their new home before selling their old one. Clients then obtain a mortgage from Homeward or the client's preferred lender and buy the home back from Homeward. Homeward's suite of innovative home finance products will be available across Oregon, with initial growth efforts focused on the Portland metro area, including Vancouver. Sometimes called the Silicon Forest thanks to its recent influx of tech jobs, Portland has been a fast-growing housing market, with a median home price of $625,000 a 10% increase year over year. Cash offers are four times more likely to drive better terms because sellers prefer contingency-free contracts, and they know the transaction will close on time without any surprises. For clients that need to sell their current house before purchasing a new one, Homeward's Buy Before You Sell solution makes that a reality, while helping them save money on transaction fees and closing costs and getting them in their new home faster. "In this market, sellers who need to sell their current home before moving are scrambling to get the house they want due to the fast-changing market. Our Buy Before You Sell product helps homebuyers make a stress-free, convenient transition on their own timeline not someone else's," says Brian Gubernick, Homeward's Chief Real Estate Officer. "This means less time transitioning between houses, more time for clients to settle into their new home, and an easier pathway to selling their old house if needed. It's a win-win for everyone." Homeward has continued to build on last year's success. With expansions into Florida, Washington, and Oregon regions this year, Homeward plans to be in 20 markets by the end of 2022. Through February 2022, the company recorded a revenue increase of around 5x year over year while launching partnerships with over 50 brokerages across the country. About Homeward Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages. The Homeward Cash Offer eliminates finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies, enabling homebuyers to win with cash and, when necessary, to buy their new home before they sell their old one. Homeward has an office in Austin, TX, but operates with a fully remote workforce. If you're an agent, please visit homeward.com/oregon to learn how to make every client a cash buyer. SOURCE Homeward "Safety is the top priority at Hyundai and is embedded throughout the entire organization," said Jose Munoz, president and chief operating officer, Hyundai Motor Company and president and chief executive officer, Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America and Hyundai Motor America. "We excel in third-party crash testing and ratings, and we strive to be a leader in equipping our vehicles with the latest safety features. The new laboratory will enable us to even more effectively protect our customers and enhance our world-class safety organization." The new facility will further augment Hyundai's existing safety testing and analysis. It will feature a field crash investigation lab, high voltage battery lab, forensics lab, 500m track and a Vehicle Dynamics Area pad. IBI Group and BCCG have been selected for the architectural design and construction of the building expansion. The investment is focused on enhancing Hyundai's safety commitment in identifying vehicle field issues, preventing crashes and keeping passengers safe. "This investment by Hyundai is critically important not only to Southeast Michigan, but to our entire country," said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12). "Traffic fatalities are at an all-time high in our nation, and each of us from elected officials to auto makers have a role to play in addressing this urgent, preventable crisis. This new Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory will save lives, and I applaud Hyundai for their commitment to keeping passengers safe." "Hyundai's cutting-edge Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory will create good-paying, high-skilled jobs right here in Michigan," said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. "Michigan put the world on wheels, and I am grateful for Hyundai's partnership in building on that tradition with a $50 million investment in Superior Township. Since entering office, Governor Whitmer and I have added nearly 25,000 good-paying auto jobs, and we will continue working hard to maintain Michigan's leadership in future mobility, grow our economy, upskill Michigan's workforce, and stand tall for Michigan." Hyundai recognizes the value and importance of enhancing its hands-on safety evaluation processes. The STIL was developed in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) based on a 2020 Consent Order which required an investment in a safety facility of $25 million. Hyundai increased its required investment by more than $26 million. Hyundai also reminds drivers and passengers to always wear safety belts, use appropriate child seats and focus on the drive. Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. As one of Hyundai Motor Group's (HMG) six centers focused on research and development (R&D), Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) was established in 1986 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. HATCI is HMG's design, technology and engineering division for North America. As HMG has solidified its position as one of the top five global OEMs, HATCI has grown to include a strong network of engineering disciplines and increased business-focused activities to support North America's Voice of the Customer. For more information, visit http://www.hatci.com/ . Hyundai Motor America Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 738,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2021, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com. Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn SOURCE Hyundai Motor America Inspired by Hyundai's Prophecy EV Concept, IONIQ 6 is characterized by clean, simple lines and a pure aerodynamic form that Hyundai designers describe as Emotional Efficiency . IONIQ 6's electrified streamliner typology and mindful cocoon-like interior embody a silhouette for the new era of electric mobility, while the overall design theme of Ethical Uniqueness reflects Hyundai's customer-centric commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. "IONIQ 6 connects an emotional convergence of functionality with aesthetics," said SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Design Center. "The distinctive streamlined design is the result of close cooperation between engineers and designers, with obsessive attention to detail and customer-centric values at the core. We have created the IONIQ 6 as a mindful cocoon that offers personalized place for all." The IONIQ 6 world premiere will take place in July, when Hyundai will reveal the full specifications, including the electrified streamliner's features and advanced technologies. To view the full press release, please download from here or visit Hyundai Motor's global newsroom at https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/company/newsroom.release.all [1] When tested with 18-inch Summer Tire and Digital Side Mirror SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company Since opening in July 2020, Illumina Accelerator Cambridge has launched 13 startups focused on harnessing genomics applications to improve human health, including novel therapeutics, diagnostics, synthetic biology, research tools, and agriculture. In addition, approximately 54% of Illumina Accelerator Cambridge startups have been founded by womenby comparison, in 2020, only 20% of all new startups over the previous year had female founders, according to CrunchBase. "Time Boost Capital Fund will further propel our Illumina Accelerator Cambridge startups and advance our mission to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome," said Amanda Cashin, PhD, cofounder and global head of Illumina for Startups. "Cambridge is a leading global hub for life science innovation and entrepreneurship, and this dedicated venture fund will attract the most exceptional entrepreneurs from across the globe." Time Boost Capital's 30 million in capital commitments from select US and European investors include a 10 million commitment from LifeArc, a leading UK independent medical research charity, and investment from Illumina Ventures, an independent fund investing in genomics and precision health. Time Boost Capital will provide pound-for-pound match funding to every Illumina Accelerator Cambridge graduate that secures between 500,000 and 4 million in new capital from qualified investors within 18 months of acceptance. The fund is advised by Time Partners, a private markets investment adviser focused on long-term investment solutions. "We are proud to partner with Illumina, a global leader in next-generation sequencing technologies," said Mark Florman, CEO of Time Partners Limited. "Illumina is making a significant commitment to supporting new growth in the field through Illumina Accelerator. As an investment advisor to Time Boost Capital, we have the unique opportunity to back some of the most promising new genomics businesses in the world." During two 6-month funding cycles each year, Illumina Accelerator provides selected startups with access to seed investment, Illumina sequencing systems and reagents, business guidance, genomics expertise, and fully operational lab space adjacent to Illumina's campuses in Cambridge and the San Francisco Bay Area. "Illumina Accelerator's track record in building breakthrough genomics startups is unparalleled," said Alex Aravanis, MD, PhD, chief technology officer of Illumina. "The partnership with Time Partners to provide match funding to our graduates of Illumina Accelerator Cambridge will further advance innovative genomic discoveries that will benefit people around the world." Illumina Accelerator Cambridge alumni include Alchemab Therapeutics Ltd., a therapeutics company pioneering the next generation of antibody drugs, which successfully raised 60 million in series A funding upon graduation. Another alumni is recent graduate Broken String Biosciences Ltd., a sequencing tools company focused on assessing the stability of the genome, which secured 3 million in seed funding. Illumina Accelerator is accepting applications for the next global funding cycle, which are due by October 1, 2022. Through a single, global application process, Illumina Accelerator will select up to five companies in each location. To learn more and apply, please visit illumina.com/science/accelerator.html. About Illumina for Startups Illumina for Startups is focused solely on creating an innovation ecosystem for the genomics industry by partnering with leading venture capital investors and entrepreneurs to create, launch, and grow genomics startups. Illumina for Startups initiatives include Illumina Accelerator, founded in 2014, and Sequoia Capital China Intelligent Healthcare Genomics Incubator, powered by Illumina, founded in 2021. Illumina Accelerator is a company creation engine colocated with Illumina research and development sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and Cambridge, England. Since its inception, Illumina Accelerator has invested in 68 genomics startups across the globe, which have collectively raised over $1 billion in venture capital funding. Approximately 93% of Illumina Accelerator investments have gone on to raise additional capital from leading investors. For more information, visit illumina.com/science/accelerator.html. About Time Partners Time Partners provides independent tailored solutions to major family businesses and institutions across the world with a particular focus on building and creating sustainable investing strategies. We provide specialist advice to investors seeking to build long-term private markets investment programmes and strategic advice to institutions seeking solutions in corporate finance, restructuring, and the design of investment vehicles with a broader purpose. Time Partners was formed in 2013 as a private markets investment adviser combining best advice, creative solutions and a client first philosophy. For more information, visit our website . About LifeArc LifeArc is a self-funded medical research charity. Our mission is to advance translation of early science into health care treatments or diagnostics that can be taken through to full development and made available to patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance and four licensed medicines. Our success allows us to explore new approaches to stimulate and fund translation. We have our own drug discovery and diagnostics development facilities, supported by experts in technology transfer and intellectual property who also provide services to other organisations. Our model is built on collaboration, and we partner with a broad range of groups including medical research charities, research organisations, industry and academic scientists. Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. About Illumina Ventures Illumina Ventures is an independently managed, health-care-focused venture firm in a strategic partnership with Illumina. As an early-stage, value-add investor, Illumina Ventures helps entrepreneurs develop breakthrough science and technologies into market-leading companies to transform healthcare. The firm focuses on investment in life science tools, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal wellness. For more information, visit illuminaventures.com. About Illumina Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Investors: Salli Schwartz 858.291.6421 [email protected] Media: Adi Raval US: 202.629.8172 [email protected]om SOURCE Illumina, Inc. DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Human Resource (HR) Technology Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Human Resource (HR) Technology Market reached a value of $28.65 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach $48.85 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 9.2% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. Human resource technology is a significant part of the human resource industry. It enhances all the aspects of employment with the organization, starting from the first day of recruitment until the retirement of the employees. The human resources technologies help the employer to manage payrolls, onboarding, talent sourcing, performance and workforce management, talent management, etc. The global human resource technology market is primarily driven by the aging of conventional human resource tools as enterprises are now gradually adopting the human resource software ecosystem. The human resource software solutions provide a time and cost-effective way for managing numerous human resources. Moreover, rapid technological innovations have augmented the demand for such solutions for diverse applications, such as workforce management, and talent management. Furthermore, rising working population and complex management methods are also creating a positive impact on this market. Owing to this, there has been an escalating development in the marketplace for recruitment, advertisement, assessment, and interviewing. Moreover, human resource technology lowers the risks of systemic errors in comparison to the conventional methods of human resourcing. This helps in time management, along with increasing productivity and reducing employment costs. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being SAP, Workday, ADP, Oracle, Microsoft, Kronos Incorporated, Ultimate Software, SumTotal Systems, IBM and Ceridian, etc. Key Questions Answered in this Report 1. What is the size of the global human resource (HR) technology market? 2. What is the expected growth rate of the global human resource (HR) technology market? 3. What are the key factors driving the global human resource (HR) technology market? 4. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global human resource (HR) technology market? 5. What is the breakup of the global human resource (HR) technology market based on the application? 6. What is the breakup of the global human resource (HR) technology market based on the type? 7. What is the breakup of the global human resource (HR) technology market based on the end-use industry? 8. What is the breakup of the global human resource (HR) technology market based on the company size? 9. What are the key regions in the global human resource (HR) technology market? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Human Resource Technology Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Breakup by Application 5.5 Market Breakup by Type 5.6 Market Breakup by End-Use Industry 5.7 Market Breakup by Company Size 5.8 Market Breakup by Region 5.9 Market Forecast 5.10 SWOT Analysis 5.10.1 Overview 5.10.2 Strengths 5.10.3 Weaknesses 5.10.4 Opportunities 5.10.5 Threats 5.11 Value Chain Analysis 5.12 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.12.1 Overview 5.12.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers 5.12.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5.12.4 Degree of Competition 5.12.5 Threat of New Entrants 5.12.6 Threat of Substitutes 5.13 Price Analysis 6 Market Breakup by Application 6.1 Talent Management 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Payroll Management 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 6.3 Performance Management 6.3.1 Market Trends 6.3.2 Market Forecast 6.4 Workforce Management 6.4.1 Market Trends 6.4.2 Market Forecast 6.5 Recruitment 6.5.1 Market Trends 6.5.2 Market Forecast 6.6 Others 6.6.1 Market Trends 6.6.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Type 7.1 Inhouse 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Outsourced 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by End-Use Industry 8.1 TTH (Travel, Transportation, and Hospitality) 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Public Sector 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Health Care 8.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Information Technology 8.4.1 Market Trends 8.4.2 Market Forecast 8.5 BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) 8.5.1 Market Trends 8.5.2 Market Forecast 8.6 Others 8.6.1 Market Trends 8.6.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by Company Size 9.1 Less than 1k Employees 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Market Forecast 9.2 1k - 5k Employees 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 9.3 Greater than 5k Employees 9.3.1 Market Trends 9.3.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by Region 10.1 North America 10.1.1 Market Trends 10.1.2 Market Forecast 10.2 Asia Pacific 10.2.1 Market Trends 10.2.2 Market Forecast 10.3 Europe 10.3.1 Market Trends 10.3.2 Market Forecast 10.4 Middle East and Africa 10.4.1 Market Trends 10.4.2 Market Forecast 10.5 Latin America 10.5.1 Market Trends 10.5.2 Market Forecast 11 Competitive Landscape 11.1 Market Structure 11.2 Key Players 11.3 Profiles of Key Players 11.3.1 SAP 11.3.2 Workday 11.3.3 ADP 11.3.4 Oracle 11.3.5 Microsoft 11.3.6 Kronos Incorporated 11.3.7 Ultimate Software 11.3.8 SumTotal Systems 11.3.9 IBM 11.3.10 Ceridian For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/buni16 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I almost got into an accident with another vehicle that was in my blind spot," said the inventor from Placerville, Calif. "I thought there should be a device that could assist in eliminating a persons blind spot, so I invented this." He invented NO BLIND SPOT that is a specialty designed mirror that would provide a full view to the rear sides of the vehicle. The driver would not be forced to turn or peer backward into the blind spot to try and determine if it is safe to change lanes. This would help prevent unnecessary accidents from occurring and reduce stress and anxiety associated with driving on a crowded highway. Additionally, this would help keep the driver alert and fully aware of immediate surrounds with this special mirror design. The original design was submitted to the Sacramento sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-SCO-183, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Being able to go anywhere and not having to worry about carrying a speaker is something that would come in handy to people all over the world," said inventor from Miami, FL "so we invented the GRAB AND GO SPEAKER. Invention would give peace of mind to users, fun and a way to connect with our loved ones and friends anytime and place." Patented invention would be attractively-styled, completely portable, innovative, impressive, and fun. Allowing high-quality sound to be enjoyed inside the car while parked or traveling. From fully functioning surround sound car speaker, to fully portable speaker that you can take anywhere at any time. Would enhance listening pleasure and relaxation for a party or get together anywhere. Without the hassle of multiple different sound system. The original design was submitted to the Florida sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-HAD-154, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp This Multi-Year Partnership Solidifies IV BioHoldings as an AI-Powered Organization and Will Further Accelerate the Company's Clinical and Commercial Efforts to Transform the Paradigm of Precision Health by Detecting, Diagnosing and Treating Patients as Individuals, at Scale NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. and BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IV BioHoldings (IVBH) a clinical-stage bio-platform company that conceives, creates and scales first-generation precision health solutions that improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease has partnered with Sonrai Analytics. Sonrai's customized, advanced AI applications will bolster IVBH's analytic capabilities, allowing for improvements on clinical insights for the company's pipeline of noninvasive diagnostics for lung cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and breast cancer. "In the digital age, abundance beats scarcity every single time," said IVBH Founder-CEO Marty Keiser. "The IVBH-Sonrai partnership is the ultimate expression of abundance, leveraging AI to democratize healthcare R&D and accelerating massive value creation for all stakeholders through our novel and highly efficient decentralized partnership model." Over the last year, says Keiser, IVBH transitioned its time and resources institutionalizing the people, partners and infrastructure required to accelerate its diagnostic solutions to market with speed, efficiency, and a rigorous approach to risk mitigation. "The collaboration with Sonrai closes the loop for us, providing IVBH with the dedicated data science, engineering and regulatory expertise and the AI-powered solutions required to optimize the IVBH platform from R&D through commercialization," added Keiser. Sonrai Analytics based in Belfast, Northern Ireland adopts artificial intelligence approaches to help biotech, CRO and pharma companies efficiently utilize their data. Sonrai's cloud-based platform provides full transparency and user-control; the ability to manage structured and unstructured data sources and file types from small CSV files to terabytes of Gigapixel images; and advanced AI, machine learning and deep learning methods to extract maximum value from modern precision medicine digital approaches. "From the very first meeting, it was evident that IVBH was approaching everything in a completely novel way," said Sonrai Founder-CEO Darragh McArt, Ph.D. "Their unique focus on commercializing multi-modal RNA solutions in healthcare areas of poor clinical outcome fit within the context of an integrative diagnostic ensemble, which aligned perfectly not just with the experience of the Sonrai team but also with the intentional design of Sonrai's platform, making this partnership a very natural fit." The collaboration comes at an important inflection for both companies, with promising early clinical data being generated across the IVBH offering through the company's strategic lab partner P4 Diagnostix, and Sonrai having successfully navigated a new venture round supporting large AI-driven programs, such as with the United Kingdom's National Health Service. While the relationship between the two high-growth companies is expansive, both will be squarely focused on interrogating, interpreting and disseminating findings within all clinical data related to IVBH's existing pipeline of noninvasive PCR technologies, with the first clinical data readout expected for the genTRU-breast cancer program this summer. This will be followed closely by the lung cancer and NAFLD programs, with plans for reaching a commercial launch-phase for all three programs by the end of 2023 and an eye toward future expansion within women's health, pulmonary disease and metabolic disease as well as entrance into new markets. For more information about IVBH, visit ivbh.studio. For more information about Sonrai Analytics, visit sonraianalytics.com. About IV BioHoldings (IVBH) Driven by a deep and unwavering love for people and a relentless quest to replace sick-care with precision healthcare, Marty Keiser founded IV BioHoldings (IVBH) in 2018. IVBH is a bio platform company that conceives, creates, and scales first-generation precision health solutions that radically improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The company has successfully launched three bio startups: LiquidLung, HepGene and Mammogen. These companies are focused on pulmonary disease, metabolic disease, and women's health, respectively. For more information: ivbh.studio About Sonrai Analytics Sonrai Analytics was founded in 2018 by Drs. Darragh McArt and Deva Senevirathne as a technology start-up within healthcare and precision medicine domains, spun-out of Queen's University Belfast. Sonrai's AI data discovery platform helps biotech and pharma companies identify high-value biomarkers, develop state-of-the-art algorithms, and get new products to the market much faster. Sonrai leverages proprietary artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud technologies to help accelerate innovative research and clinical product development, which can lead to faster and more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases. For additional information, visit: sonraianalytics.com SOURCE IV BioHoldings Organization's Group Sponsorship Program Surpasses $17 Million Given to Like-Minded Charities, Community Programs and Civic Groups Throughout the Country COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is celebrating its annual Giving in July campaign a month dedicated to the groups and individuals giving back in their communities while helping to share the year-round mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Since its founding in 2007, WAA has partnered with hundreds of like-minded charities, community programs, and civic groups throughout the country to remember and honor our nation's veterans and active-duty military all year long. Giving in July celebrates these groups and highlights the opportunity to give back to them through the sponsorship of veterans' wreaths through the organization's Group Sponsorship Program. Through the program, WAA gives back $5 of each $15 wreath sponsorship made to support the local group's initiative, which include programs helping veterans, military families, youth and more, in communities across the country. Through this national program, WAA has given back more than $17 million in local contributions over the last 14 years. "It would be disingenuous for us as an organization whose mission is to Remember, Honor and Teach, if we do not support other like-minded programs serving their communities," said WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester. "Our Group Sponsorship Program is a year-round effort, and our team provides the tools for success. Through Giving in July, our hope is that people are reminded that it is never too early to make a difference in your own community." This year, more than 3,100 locations will participate in National Wreaths Across America Day Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 and more than 4,000 Sponsorship Groups are working in their communities to raise awareness and the wreaths sponsorships needed to honor all their local servicemembers laid to rest with the placement of live, veterans' wreaths this December. Examples of the type of Groups that participate include, Daughters of the American Revolution Chapters, Civil Air Patrol Squadrons, Scouting Groups, VFWs, Young Marines, patriotic motorcycle clubs, school groups, and Veteran Service Organizations of all sizes. To find a Sponsorship Group supporting a participating cemetery in your community, please click here. "Like the well-known concept 'Christmas in July,' considering our own charity during the summer months provides us the opportunity to encourage others to get involved early with the WAA mission and support our nation's veterans and military families in the communities they live, now," concluded Worcester. Like and follow Wreaths Across America on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and tune in to Wreaths Across America Radio to hear from the many local Sponsorship Group volunteers throughout the country and how they are finding a way to serve in their communities. About Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization's mission Remember, Honor, Teach is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans' cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ SOURCE Wreaths Across America Teens Competed with Students from 14 other JA Student Companies to Earn National Recognition COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, June 22nd, the teen entrepreneurs representing Junior Achievement of JA of North Central Ohio, JA of Southeast Texas, JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and JA of South Florida, earned national recognition from among 15 JA student companies while participating in Junior Achievement's (JA) 2022 National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS). The competition took place in Washington, D.C. In addition to earning recognition, the teens representing the first-place student Company of the Year were each awarded a $3,000 JA Company of the Year Scholarship. To the five students representing the second-place team, all were awarded $1,500 scholarships, and $1,000 scholarships were awarded to each of the five students representing the third-place team. All scholarships were awarded by the Achievement Foundation. Junior Achievement's National Student Leadership Summit is a contest of business skills, ingenuity, and innovation that focuses on the accomplishments of the U.S. JA Company Program students, ages 15-19, during the 2021-2022 academic year. JA Company Program students start and run a real business enterprise under the guidance of a volunteer from the local business community. They devise and market a product or service that fills an unmet consumer need and recruit investors for their company. The student companies competing at the NSLS were assessed on both their business performance as well as the personal and professional development of individual team members. Scored elements of the competition include a self-produced annual report and commercial, a live virtual presentation to a panel of business leaders, and interviews with judges. The following awards were presented during the Awards Gala on Wednesday, June 22nd. The 2022 JA National Student Leadership Summit awards that were presented include: JA Company of the Year : Awarded to the student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies' achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member. : Awarded to the student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies' achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member. First Place Brainwave , representing JA of North Central Ohio ( Canton, OH ) , representing JA of North Central Ohio ( ) Second Place EVO , representing JA of Southeast Texas ( Houston, TX ) , representing JA of ( ) Third Place Relaxivibe, representing JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania (City, State, Area) Delta Social Impact Award : Awarded to the student team that created a solution to address a local, national, or global social concern. : Awarded to the student team that created a solution to address a local, national, or global social concern. Dulicious Co., representing JA of Southeast Texas ( Houston, TX ) FedEx Global Possibilities Award : Awarded to the student company that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity. : Awarded to the student company that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity. Ecossentials, representing JA of South Florida ( Fort Lauderdale, FL ) ICE NYSE Foundation Best Financial Performance Award : Awarded to the student team that demonstrated the best financial results, including profitability, investor expectations, employee earnings, product quality, leadership, and operational efficiency. : Awarded to the student team that demonstrated the best financial results, including profitability, investor expectations, employee earnings, product quality, leadership, and operational efficiency. Ecossentials, representing JA of South Florida ( Fort Lauderdale, FL ) The 15 finalist teams that participated were: Amity JA of Greater Washington ( Washington, D.C. , Area) JA of ( , Area) Botl+ JA of Northern New England ( Boston, MA , Area) JA of Northern New England ( , Area) Brain Wave JA of North Central Ohio ( Canton, OH , Area) JA of North Central Ohio ( , Area) Charcute JA of San Diego County ( San Diego, CA , Area) JA of ( , Area) Dulicious Co JA of Southeast Texas ( Houston, TX , Area) JA of ( , Area) Ecossentials JA of South Florida ( Fort Lauderdale, FL , Area) JA of ( , Area) EVO JA of Southeast Texas ( Houston, TX , Area) JA of ( , Area) Embracelet JA of Northern California ( San Francisco, CA , Area) JA of ( , Area) Gateway Clothing Co JA of Greater St. Louis ( Chesterfield, MO , Area) JA of ( , Area) InnoVistics JA of North Central Ohio ( Canton, OH , Area) JA of North Central Ohio ( , Area) IRIS JA of Greater Washington ( Washington, D.C. , Area) JA of ( , Area) On The Money Magazine JA of Chicago ( Chicago, IL , Area) JA of ( , Area) Relaxivibe JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania ( Philadelphia, PA , Area) JA of ( , Area) Sababa JA of North Central Ohio ( Canton, OH , Area) JA of North Central Ohio ( , Area) TriSense JA of Northern New England ( Boston, MA , Area) About Junior Achievement USA (JA) Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 2.5 million students per year in 103 markets across the United States as part of 10 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information. SOURCE Junior Achievement USA Key Market Dynamics: Market Driver Market Challenges The growing use of analytics is one of the main drivers fueling growth in the K-12 testing and assessment market. Due to technology advancements and the growing use of Big Data in the educational sector, the notion of learning analytics is gaining traction in the global K12 testing and assessment market. Schools can offer a customized kind of learning thanks to the incorporation of learning analytics and adaptive learning in the assessment module. Another element contributing to the increase of the K-12 testing and assessment market share is the growing emphasis on formative learning methods. However, the credibility issues will be a major challenge for the K-12 testing and assessment market during the forecast period. To learn about additional key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Read Sample Report right now! Market Segmentation The K-12 testing and assessment market report is segmented by product (curriculum-based testing and Non-curriculum-based testing), geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA), and method (blended method, online method, and traditional method). By product, the curriculum-based testing segment is expected to have significant market share growth during the forecast period. The K-12 testing and assessment market by the blended method is expected to register rapid growth. Many schools are opting for blended learning solutions owing to the method's growing popularity and benefits, such as cost reduction, and increased efficiency in the evaluation. North America will be the leading region with 46% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The US and Canada are the key countries for the k-12 testing and assessment market in North America. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA. Buy the sample report for additional insights into the contribution of all the segments and regional opportunities in the report. Some Companies Mentioned with their Offerings CogniFit Ltd. - The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment to introduce CogniFit for Education, a new web portal for teachers to assess, train, and monitor cognitive skills involved in the learning processes. The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment to introduce CogniFit for Education, a new web portal for teachers to assess, train, and monitor cognitive skills involved in the learning processes. Educational Testing Service - The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment to focus on building a bridge between learning and accountability. The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment to focus on building a bridge between learning and accountability. Edutech - The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment such as gaming, automation, and AI can help make tests more equitable for all students. The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment such as gaming, automation, and AI can help make tests more equitable for all students. Instructure Inc. - The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment such as Canvas LMS, Videri Analytics, Canvas Studio, and others. The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment such as Canvas LMS, Videri Analytics, Canvas Studio, and others. MeritTrac Services Pvt Ltd. - The company offers different types of K-12 Testing and Assessment for hiring & workforce development. To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here Related Reports: Corporate Leadership Training Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The corporate leadership training market share is expected to increase to USD 18.59 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.51%. Download Sample Report Now The corporate leadership training market share is expected to increase to from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.51%. Business English Language Training Market by End-user, Learning Method, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: Based on Technavio's market sizing methodology, the business English language training market size is predicted to surge to USD 7.20 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a CAGR of 9.76%. Download Sample Report Now K-12 Testing and Assessment Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 10.19% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 8.24 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 9.75 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 46% Key consumer countries US, China, UK, Germany, and Canada Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled CogniFit Ltd., Educational Testing Service, Edutech, Instructure Inc., MeritTrac Services Pvt Ltd., NIIT Ltd., Pearson Plc, Providence Equity Partners LLC, Scantron Corp., and Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. 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. Table of Contents Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2021 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Product Market segments Comparison by Product Curriculum-based testing - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Non-curriculum-based testing - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Market opportunity by Product Market Segmentation by Method Market segments Comparison by Method Blended method - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Online method - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Traditional method - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Market opportunity by Method Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2021-2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors CogniFit Ltd. Educational Testing Service Edutech Instructure Inc. MeritTrac Services Pvt Ltd. NIIT Ltd. Pearson Plc Providence Equity Partners LLC Scantron Corp. Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. 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 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 Kroger's national fulfillment network expands with addition of Pleasant Prairie Customer Fulfillment Center PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's largest grocery retailer, today announced the official opening of the Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) in the Village of Pleasant Prairie, WI, a city centrally located between Milwaukee and Chicago, powered by the Ocado Group (LSE: OCDO), engineering a model for the region, leveraging advanced robotics technology and creative solutions to redefine the customer experience for our customers in Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northwest Indiana. "We are thrilled to launch Kroger Delivery in Pleasant Prairie, continuing our long-standing engagement in the state of Wisconsin. Our tradition of fresh is all about our customers, and this true milestone moment incorporates end-to-end cold solutions, including customized refrigerated vans, providing Kenosha County residents with everything fresh, every time," said Gabriel Arreaga, Kroger's senior vice president and chief supply chain officer. "Through the incredible relationships with several local departments including Kenosha County and Village of Pleasant Prairie, this collaboration was key to success that will bring nearly 250 jobs to the 336,840 square-foot high-tech fulfillment center and will enable us to expand our delivery services to new areas in the region in need of our best-in-class service." The company also collaborated with Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. "Kroger is a tremendous example of how a company's vision and collaboration with the Village can provide new jobs to the region, said John Steinbrink Sr., Pleasant Prairie Village President. Kroger is a welcomed community partner, and we look forward to seeing their investment in our community succeed. Our residents will be excited to know a facility in Pleasant Prairie can deliver fresh groceries right to the doorstep of our neighborhoods. In addition, the Village staff would like to thank Kroger and Kenosha County for working with the Village on the Transportation Economic Assistance Grant that widened Highway H. The road improvements will ensure traffic surrounding the new Kroger facility continues to flow smoothly." "Through our growing partnership, we are helping Kroger Delivery to introduce a world-leading online grocery proposition to their customers across the USA. Enabled by Ocado Group's unique, cutting-edge technology, this fulfillment centre will introduce a step change in the kind of service and efficiency that shoppers across Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northwest Indiana can expect from grocery ecommerce," said Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions. "Kenosha County is the hotspot for economic development in the State of Wisconsin and we welcome Kroger's new state-of-the-art food fulfillment center," said Samantha Kerkman, Kenosha County Executive. "Utilizing the latest robotics and logistics technology, this e-commerce fulfillment center provides a vital role in offering access to fresh food, especially to those residents without easy access to groceries. We look forward to providing the Kroger leadership team with a supportive business environment here in Kenosha County." "Kroger's partnership with Ocado on this new Pleasant Prairie facility allows Wisconsin to help discover innovative solutions for grocery ordering and delivery," said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). "While this facility will use robots and the latest technology to fulfill orders, this project is also expected to create more than 200 jobs." WEDC is supporting the project with up to $1.5 million in state tax credits to the Kroger Fulfillment Network and up to $500,000 in tax credits to Ocado Solutions. The company worked closely with Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Kenosha County, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the Village of Pleasant Prairie. Kroger Delivery Explained This expansion represents an extension of a partnership between Kroger and Ocado, a world leader in technology for grocery e-commerce. In 2018, the companies announced a collaboration to establish a delivery network that combines artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and automation in a bold new way, bringing first-of-its-kind technology to America. The delivery network relies on highly automated fulfillment centers. At the hub sites, more than 1,000 bots whizz around giant 3D grids, orchestrated by proprietary air-traffic control systems in the unlicensed spectrum. The grid, known as The Hive, contains totes with products and ready-to-deliver customer orders. As customers' orders near delivery times, the bots retrieve products from The Hive and are presented at pick stations for items to be sorted for delivery, a process governed by algorithms that ensures items are intelligently packed. For example, fragile items are placed on top, bags are evenly weighted, and each order is optimized to fit into the lowest number of bags, reducing plastic use. After being packed, groceries are loaded into a refrigerated delivery van, which can store up to 20 orders. Powerful machine learning algorithms optimize delivery routes, considering factors like road conditions and optimal fuel efficiency. Drivers may travel up to 90 miles with orders from facilities to make deliveries. Kroger currently operates customer fulfillment centers in Monroe, OH, Groveland, FL, Forest Park, GA (Atlanta), Dallas, TX and Pleasant Prairie, WI with additional customer fulfillment centers slated for California, Frederick, MD, Phoenix, AZ, Romulus, MI (Detroit), Cleveland, OH, Charlotte, NC, Denver, CO as well as South Florida and the Northeast. Media Assets To download Kroger Delivery photography and video, visit here. About Kroger At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. About Ocado Group Ocado Group is a UK based technology company admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange (Ticker OCDO). It provides end-to-end online grocery fulfilment solutions to some of the world's largest grocery retailers and holds a 50% share of Ocado Retail Ltd in the UK in a Joint Venture with Marks & Spencer. Ocado has spent two decades innovating for grocery online, investing in a wide technology estate that includes robotics, AI & machine learning, simulation, forecasting, and edge intelligence. SOURCE The Kroger Co. Leading global pizza chain announces strategy to open 16 locations in Hawaii, targeting military presence with veteran incentives and discounts as pathway to business ownership DETROIT and HONOLULU, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Little Caesars is looking to grow its presence in paradise with a goal of opening more than 16 new franchise stores across the Hawaiian Islands by 2027. The bulk of franchise ownership opportunities are available on the island of Oahu, but the brand has also identified Kauai, Maui, the Big Island and Molokai as territories ripe for growth. A major focus of this expansion is on providing interested military veterans located on the islands with financial incentives to open a franchise through the company's Veterans Program. Established in 2006 by Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch, a Korean War military veteran, the program is designed to expand business opportunities for servicepeople. "With more than 10 percent of the population made up of veterans and over 13 military bases in the state, Hawaii is home to some of our country's greatest heroes," said Craig Sherwood, Little Caesars vice president of U.S. development and a military veteran himself. "Our brand knows from experiencewith hundreds of veteran-owned Little Caesars stores across the countrythat military veterans make some of the best business owners out there. And in a market with such a large military presence, there are endless opportunities for veterans and other entrepreneurs to pursue business ownership by franchising with Little Caesars." With six franchise locations currently open and operating across the Hawaiian islands and two new stores coming soon to Keaau, Hawaii, and Kahului, Maui, Little Caesars is building momentum to continue expanding, currently seeking both multi-unit and single-unit investors looking to grow their business endeavors. Potential prospects interested in learning more about Little Caesars and its growth opportunities on the Hawaiian islands are invited to attend a live webinar on Thursday, July 7 at 6 p.m. HST. To register for this free event hosted by Little Caesars U.S. Development Manager Danny Knipper, please visit bit.ly/LCEHawaii . Little Caesars franchising investments start at around $379,000, with incentive programs available for veterans and first responders. Interested prospects should visit Franchise.LittleCaesars.com . ABOUT LITTLE CAESARS Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain in the world, with stores in each of the 50 U.S. states and 27 countries and territories. Known for its HOT-N-READY pizza and famed Crazy Bread, Little Caesars products are made with quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. Little Caesars is known for unique product offerings and promotions like the Pretzel Pizza, Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza, the Batman Calzony, and now offers 33% more pepperoni on its Classic pizza. An exceptionally high growth company with over 60 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join our team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesars. SOURCE Little Caesars Black Lotus Labs' global visibility led to the discovery of a remote access trojan and sophisticated campaign that aligns with nation-state activity DENVER, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Lotus Labs, the threat intelligence arm of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), today announced that it discovered a new remote access trojan (RAT) called ZuoRAT, which targets remote workers via their small office/home office (SOHO) devices. It is part of a complex campaign that went undetected for nearly two years. The tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that analysts observed are highly sophisticated and bear the markings of what is likely a nation-state threat actor. When the pandemic forced offices to close, the rapid shift to remote work expanded security concerns as millions of employees began accessing corporate networks from home. This gave threat actors a fresh opportunity to leverage at-home devices such as routers that are widely used but rarely monitored or patched. Lumen Logo (PRNewsfoto/Lumen Technologies) Read the full report here: https://blog.lumen.com/zuorat-hijacks-soho-routers-to-silently-stalk-networks/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=press+release When the pandemic forced offices to close, the rapid shift to remote work expanded security concerns as millions of employees began accessing corporate networks from home. This gave threat actors a fresh opportunity to leverage at-home devices such as SOHO routers which are widely used but rarely monitored or patched to collect data in transit, hijack connections, and compromise devices in adjacent networks. "Router malware campaigns pose a grave threat to organizations because routers exist outside of the conventional security perimeter and can often have weaknesses that make compromise relatively simple to achieve," said Mark Dehus, director of threat intelligence for Lumen Black Lotus Labs. "In this campaign, we have observed a threat actor's capability to exploit SOHO routers, covertly access and modify internet traffic in ways difficult to detect and gain additional footholds in the compromised network." Dehus continued, "Organizations should keep a close watch on SOHO devices and look for any signs of activity outlined in this research. This level of sophistication leads us to believe this campaign might not be limited to the small number of victims observed. To help mitigate the threat, they should ensure patch planning includes routers, and confirm these devices are running the latest software available." Overview and Analysis of Malware Campaign Black Lotus Labs recently discovered the highly targeted, sophisticated campaign which has been active in North America and Europe for nearly two years beginning in October 2020 . and for nearly two years beginning in . The campaign included ZuoRAT a multi-stage RAT developed for SOHO routers leveraging known vulnerabilities which allowed the threat actor to enumerate the adjacent home network, collect data in transit, and hijack home users' DNS/HTTP internet traffic. The actor was able to remain undetected by living on devices rarely monitored, and by hijacking DNS and HTTP traffic. The hijacking capability allowed the threat actor to pivot from the router to workstations in the network where they likely deployed two additional custom-built RATs one of which allowed for cross-platform functionality (i.e. Windows, Linux and MacOs). These additional RATs allowed the actor to upload/download files, run commands and persist on the workstation. Black Lotus Labs also identified two distinct sets of command-and-control (C2) infrastructure. The first was developed for the custom workstation RAT and relied upon third-party services from Chinese companies. The second set of C2s was developed for the routers. Using proprietary telemetry from the Lumen global IP backbone, Black Lotus Labs identified that, once infected, the routers communicated with other compromised routers to further obfuscate malicious activity. A complete list of affected routers is included in the ZuoRAT blog. Additional Resources: See how Black Lotus Labs leverages its network visibility to protect businesses and help keep the internet clean: www.lumen.com/blacklotuslabs. To see our most recent research into suspected nation-state activity with Konni, ReverseRAT and ReverseRAT 2.0. For more Black Lotus Labs blogs, visit the archive. About Lumen Technologies and the People of Lumen: Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 500,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States. SOURCE Lumen Technologies Gullapalli spent seven years on Wall Street before transitioning to entrepreneurship in 2016. He has since become a veteran in the franchise industry, owning several fitness and health & wellness retail centers. Gullapalli joined Marco's in 2021 with a desire to diversify his portfolio amid the ongoing pandemic seeing the immense value of pizza in his playbook. The 1,100-store will open at 28065 US Hwy 27 in Dundee, FL this July, marking Gullapalli's 36th Marco's store with seven more in various stages of development, and commitments for another 16 future stores across Tampa, FL, Georgia and Columbia and Myrtle Beach, SC. This multi-unit growth furthers his vision for a desired 100-plus Marco's store portfolio by 2025. "With Marco's, there's a clear path to my team owning 100-plus locations," said Gullapalli. "The brand has a superior product, a sophisticated development team, and vast whitespace across the country. This, paired with its record-breaking growth, made now an opportune time to double down on my investment, because while the 1,100 is a cherished milestone, Marco's will be at 3,000 stores in no time." With more than 200 stores in various stages of development across the country, Marco's is on the fast-track to achieving its growth goal of 1,500 units by the end 2023. As franchise development continues to surge, leadership prioritizes investments in enhancing the franchise development program, new technology, personnel, strategic vendor partnerships, multi-channel national advertising, and more all with an eye on maximizing franchisee profits. For example, Marco's recently announced the investment of millions of dollars in technology innovations over the next few years designed to create business efficiencies, maximize order growth, and improve the customer experience. Areas of investment include AI-enabled voice-to-text ordering and automated promise times, integration with third-party delivery services, migrating to a 100% cloud-based order management system, plus testing automated kitchen innovations and new operational equipment. "The enhancements made in technology and operations is helping fuel franchise development as sophisticated multi-unit franchisees are seeing now as an attractive time to invest," said Keith Sizemore, Vice President of Development for Marco's Pizza. "We've spent a lot of time and investment in streamlining and strengthening our franchise development program to make it as easy as possible for franchisees to grow a robust portfolio with Marco's, and it's been remarkable to see Kal do just that as he continues to play a significant role in our growth story." Marco's offers a long-term incentive for multi-unit owners, including franchisee fee discounts, reduced royalties, and growth acceleration bonuses download the Franchise Information Report for more information. With strong growth and performance, Marco's sets its sights on becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza. The brand experienced a 12.8% increase in year-over-year Average Unit Volume (AUV), and the Top 50% of Marco's franchised stores generated $1,198,201 AUV for 2021*. For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or call 866-731-8209 to speak with Shannon Iverson, Vice President of Franchise Sales. ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA Marco's Pizza is America's Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,100 stores in 33 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2022 "Franchise 500" ranking, and No. 4 in the Fastest Growing category on Restaurant Business' 2021 "Top 10 Fastest Growing Chains" ranking. Other recent accolades include a first-time presence on Newsweek's 2022 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, ranked No. 42 on QSR's Top 50 and has been featured five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking. *Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2021. Based on fiscal year 2021, 146 of 389 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2022 FDD please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well. SOURCE Marco's Pizza Elizabeth joins Mesirow from Hilltop Securities where she served as the Managing Director of underwriting and debt capital markets. Prior, she served in senior roles at Citigroup and Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. She is a partner and program mentor for the Municipal Bond Women's Forum and a National Board Member for Women in Public Finance where she co-chairs the mentorship committee. She is also a volunteer mentor at Rock the Street, Wall Street, which strives to bring racial and gender equity to the financial markets and create career pathways for high school girls into the industry. "I am pleased to join Mesirow as the firm expands its geographic presence and service to clients and prospects," said Elizabeth Funk, Managing Director. "I was drawn to Mesirow's financial strength, sophisticated understanding of the municipal market and focus on corporate social responsibility. I look forward to contributing to the firm's strong momentum." Daniel Toboja also recently joined the firm to lead the IS&T high-yield municipal trading desk. He has more than 15 years of experience managing trading desks, and trading general and high-yield bonds. Daniel will utilize Mesirow's credit research and established trading desk to diversify Mesirow's product offering. Daniel most recently served as the Director and Head of Midwest Trading/Pre-paid gas at Citigroup. Mesirow also announced it hired Blake Oslan to enhance its distribution capabilities as a salesman in the municipal department. Blake will focus on expanding Mesirow's coverage to different institutional clients, including banks. "Strategically expanding our team and capabilities is a vital part of our commitment to serving clients," said Jeff Levine, Chief Operating Officer, Institutional Sales and Trading. "These seasoned professionals bring specific skills that will enhance our ability to provide high-quality sales and trading solutions. We are excited to welcome them to the team and, in the months ahead, look forward to bringing on additional talent to the firm." In addition, the firm recently hired several municipal bankers to Mesirow Public Finance. Chris Sheehan and Jeff Wilke in Maryland, Sam Gruer in New York and Bill Gumbert in Texas not only expand Mesirow's regional coverage, but also significantly deepen its expertise in high-yield, derivatives and school district banking. Mesirow is continuing to consider options to expand its banking, trading and sales capabilities. About Mesirow Institutional Sales and Trading As part of the firm's Capital Markets and Investment Banking unit, Mesirow Institutional Sales and Trading provides sophisticated market analysis, individualized service, customized investment strategies and market liquidity to serve institutional investors' unique needs. With 60+ traders, sales professionals and analysts aligned by fixed income sector and $146 billion in annual trading volume as of March 31, 2022, the team oversees one of the nation's most active trading desks. For more information, please visit: mesirow.com/institutionalsalesandtrading. About Mesirow Public Finance Mesirow Public Finance provides innovative debt financing solutions to a diverse set of public clients as they fund important capital and infrastructure projects. Regional bankers in six US urban centers support clients' day-to-day needs and sector specialists provide targeted expertise. Over the last two years, the team has acted as underwriter on more than $41 billion of negotiated public sector financing transactions. To learn more, visit mesirow.com/publicfinance. Securities offered through Mesirow Financial, Inc., member FINRA, SIPC. About Mesirow Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with locations around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Mesirow was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business and one of the Top 100 RIA firms by Barron's. Media [email protected] | Michael Herley | 203.308.1409 SOURCE Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. VIENNA, Va., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 9, The American Film Institute presented the 48th AFI Life Achievement Award to Julie Andrews at a Gala Tribute in the heart of Hollywood, California. Tony Jimenez Founder, President, and CEO of MicroTech had the unique and distinguished honor of attending this momentous event as a member of the American Film Institute's National Council and Corporate Council. During a private reception the night prior to the gala, Tony had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Andrews, who is best known for "Mary Poppins" (1964), "The Sound of Music" (1965), "Victor Victoria" (1982), and "The Princess Diaries" (2001). The star-studded gala featured tributes and speeches from Carol Burnett, Steve Carell, Gwen Stefani, Hector Elizondo, and Jane Seymour; and taped messages from Dick Van Dyke, Anne Hathaway, Ariana DeBose, Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, Kelly Clarkson, Nicola Coughlan, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will premiere the special, "The 48th AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Julie Andrews," on Friday, July 15, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. To learn more about AFI and the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Julie Andrews, please visit AFI.com. About MicroTech: MicroTech, a U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Verified and Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), has had noteworthy success since its inception in 2004. Under MicroTech's outstanding leadership, the privately-owned company has experienced exponential growth over the years and is repeatedly recognized as a small business success story. Regularly described as the "hottest Hispanic business in the nation," MicroTech was ranked as the #1 Fastest-Growing Hispanic Company in the Nation for three consecutive years by Hispanic Business Magazine. MicroTech was also named one of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Hispanic-Owned Companies in the Nation for five consecutive years. MicroTech is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) providing Infrastructure Services and Solutions, Cyber Security Solutions, Cloud Computing, Information Technology, Professional Services, Network Systems Integration, Research and Development, and Leasing and Financial Services. The company provides Unified Communications Services, solutions, and support to federal, state, and local government agencies, public sector companies, and commercial enterprises. MicroTech is ISO 9001, ISO 20000, ISO 27001, ISO 20243 certified, and is CMMI Maturity Level 3 appraised in both CMMI Services (CMI-SVC) & CMMI Development (CMMI-DEV). Follow MicroTech on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. About the American Film Institute (AFI): Established in 1967, the American Film Institute is the nation's non-profit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring artists and audiences through initiatives that champion the past, present, and future of the moving image. AFI's pioneering programs include filmmaker training at the AFI Conservatory; year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and at AFI Festivals across the nation; workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community; honoring today's masters through the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI AWARDS; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films that uphold film history for future generations. Contact: Jennifer Berman [email protected] SOURCE MicroTech "Tribal lands were hit hard by the pandemic. When lockdowns started, folks in urban and suburban areas could pivot to working or schooling from home. This access to technology and sufficient bandwidth allowed them to stay connected to family, friends, news, and the latest guidance from healthcare officials. For many rural and Tribal communities here in the Southwest, a comparable level of internet and data access is just not as readily available yet," said Judd Hinkle, CEO of Smith Bagley, Inc. (SBi), which owns Cellular One of Northeastern Arizona. Among other things, this highlighted to legislators and policy makers the urgent need to support the expansion of broadband connectivity on Tribal lands and in rural communities. "While we've made incredible strides over the past couple decadesworking arm in arm with Tribal leaders of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and White Mountain Apachethere is much work to be done! With the injection of funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and through dynamic organizations like the New Mexico PRC with its Broadband Fund, we can make strides to connect more people, more quickly," said Hinkle. The new towers launched by Cellular One at Mariano Lake, Bisti, and Timber Ridge in the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation are the latest in a consistent rollout of new sites covering important travel corridors on remote tribal lands and bringing greater mobile broadband access to underserved communities. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez showed his support for the expansion of internet access on Tribal lands and joined the Cellular One team to celebrate the launch of the carrier's latest tower in Mariano Lake on Wednesday, June 22. "For over 25 years we have worked tirelessly with Tribal leadership to bring connectivity to the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Apache people. To date our cellular division has built the largest regional LTE network with more than 230 sites, covering 60,000 square miles of rural and Tribal lands in the American Southwest. But we're so much more than a cell phone company. In fact, this year we launched our fiber division, Photon by SBi to put our expertise and resources to work so that fiber access also becomes a reality for more schools, healthcare facilities, and communities across Tribal lands," said Hinkle. About Smith Bagley, Inc. (SBi) For more than 25 years, SBi has served the communications needs of underserved rural communities and tribal lands in the Southwest. Its cellular division, Cellular One, is a leading regional provider of mobile technology and wireless communications service operating a network of more than 230 cell sites, covering 60,000 square miles. SBi has almost 200 employees, many of whom are Native American. For more information, please visit mycellularone.com. SOURCE Cellular One - Education Tech and Pearson to provide English Language Learning solutions ALGIERS, Algeria, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The British Campus is already a partner of one of the largest international qualification providers, NCUK (Northern Consortium the United Kingdom) which has been running successfully for three years now. Despite the constraints of the pandemic, it has become the largest center in Africa. Officially signing today through Education Tech, a new partnership has come into being with Pearson, the world's leading learning company. The collaboration aims to open doors to new opportunities in the field of education which includes the implementation of English language using Artificial Intelligence and the access to advanced English training for all, i.e., children, adults, or working professionals. Whatever their needs, a tailor-made solution for learning English will be available at their disposal and these programmes will available across 7 days a week & 24 hours a day. Commenting on the partnership/this development, Mr. Lotfi Ghazi, Founder and General Manager- Education Tech said: "We want to broaden the horizons of learners and to ensure that none of them is forgotten, we are implementing all the tools that technology offers to education. The teacher remains at the heart of learning and, these solutions will give a chance to all those who wish to learn without constraints". Guy Elders, Director - Middle East, English Language Learning, Pearson said: "We are always looking to build strong partnerships in new markets to help us expand our English Language Learning offerings to learners across the globe. Algeria has made significant strides in education in the past 60 years. Pearson's partnership with Education Tech will be vital in this endeavour as our Versant English Placement Test and online English digital solutions will improve learners' English-language proficiency in both the public and private sectors. The collaboration will benefit both the organizations as we embark on this journey to bolster the quality of Algeria's higher education system and position the nation as a premier knowledge hub." The partnership between Pearson and Education Tech will see the deployment of leading, innovative products like ROADMAP, VERSANT, and Pearson Online English solutions. It will enable both the organizations to offer a fully integrated market proposition and also provide synergies & cross-selling opportunities across the English Language Learning portfolio. For the press release in French or Arabic and other supportive materials, please go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lhjydmpaa3v4y4d/AACLO-JnpJTHC-W3gGeEOst0a?dl=0 About Education Tech Education Tech is a provider of innovative technological solutions serving education in Algeria. Founded in 2021, by Mr. Lotfi Ghazi, to allow Algerians to open up to the world through complete solutions for learning, whether for languages or higher education through teacher training. Education Tech works hard to improve accessibility to learning for all through various innovative solutions in partnership with several world leaders in the field of education and pedagogy. About Pearson At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com ABOUT THE PRODUCTS Roadmap Roadmap is a new general English course with 8 levels, easy to use and compliant with the standards of the GSE Global Scale of English as well as the CERF Common European Framework of Reference. Teachers have the choice between two different educational paths, which allows them to adapt their lessons to the needs and expectations of their students. Roadmap is a well-organized course with an integrated skills approach, focusing on vocabulary and developing communication skills. Level : A1 to C1-C2 Type : Paper and digital Target : accessible from 14 years old *one level lasts an average of 6 to 9 months VERSANT The Versant English Placement Test has been designed especially for English language learners to automatically assess the 4 language skills. Versant is used in colleges, language schools, and corporate language programs around the world to assess English proficiency. This test is accurate, objective, and reliable, it is scored by advanced speech recognition technology (for speaking and listening comprehension) and text analysis technology (for speaking and reading comprehension) to eliminate bias cultural and humans. The test can also be used with the Roadmap program for positioning at the start of the course or the exit. Availability : Testing on-demand, accessible anywhere online. Duration : 50 minutes Targe t: accessible from 14 years old Pearson Online English (POE) Pearson Online English is a unique personal digital learning experience that boosts employability as we enable individuals to learn real-world English for their real-world careers. With more than 11 million student users per year, MyLab creates truly personalized learning experiences. A flexible, intuitive, and interactive course platform available in many disciplines such as finance, IT, and management, designed to help employees better assimilate course content and understand difficult concepts. Field : more than 50 (Health, Human Resources, Oil and Gas, Management, Accounting, and others) Type : Online Target : Professionals Area 9 Area 9 is an adaptive math learning platform whose mission is to provide the highest quality of learning through Artificial Intelligence. This method delivered online automatically adjusts to the needs of each learner, it recreates the optimal teaching approach as during an individual course. This technology uses analytical data to adjust in real-time to the needs of the learner to provide an optimal experience. Domain : Mathematics Type : Adaptive Online Learning Target : all ages Price : 4000 da / year / learner Other products: Primary Education Program Secondary Education Program International baccalaureate education program Contact: Sherpa communications, [email protected], +971554040239 SOURCE Pearson Leading Coworking Provider Continues to Address the Growing Demand for Convenient Workspaces LOUISVILLE, Colo., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With more Los Angeles-based companies looking for new ways to maintain productivity, innovation, and connection as the shift to remote or hybrid work persists, Office Evolution has the perfect solution. The coworking provider is continuing to address demand and help small businesses and entrepreneurs in Los Angeles by offering convenient and affordable coworking spaces close to home. As the demand for affordable, convenient coworking spaces continues to skyrocket, Office Evolution currently has two Los Angeles-area locations in key business hubs, including Ontario and Westlake Village, as well as five more in the northern part of the state including Concord, Los Gatos, Mill Valley, Folsom, and Downtown Walnut Creek. According to calmatters.org, small businesses make up 43% of the local workforce in Los Angeles County, showcasing how important having flexible workspaces closer to home is for the area. "With two Office Evolution locations in the area, we continue to be a resource for our growing member base by providing a community where people feel productive and connected," said Mark Hemmeter, Founder and President of Office Evolution. Members benefit from being part of a nation-wide network of coworking locations where they have access to over 70 other business locations in 25 states when travelling. Office Evolution is part of United Franchise Group's Coworks division which provides the largest privately owned affiliated coworking network of flexible office space franchises in the world. "We build relationships with our franchise owners and members around the idea of Ohana, which is Hawaiian for family. We are here to support them in every way possible," said Hemmeter. "In addition to the business support, our spaces provide a short commute to work, which has a big economic impact for small business owners." Office Evolution's network of locally operated locations provides remote workers and business owners with access to affordable workspace close to home with flexible terms. Businesses of all sizes are shifting their focus towards flexible workspaces to get out of the home while avoiding the expenses and restrictions inherent in traditional office space. This transition from traditional workspaces to more flexible options in suburban markets has positioned Office Evolution perfectly for growth. "Now that more people are returning to the office, having the option to work in a space that has the amenities of a downtown office but is closer to home is becoming more attractive to local entrepreneurs, especially in areas with chronic traffic congestion," said Jason Anderson, President of Coworks. "As professionals continue to navigate what kind of work schedule is best for them, having access to Office Evolution's flexible office space is a huge benefit in a large city like Los Angeles." For more information about Office Evolution, please visit: https://www.officeevolution.com. About Office Evolution Office Evolution (OE), a shared workspace coworking environment, cultivated on the principles of 'Ohana', the Hawaiian tradition referencing family working towards a common goal. OE was founded in 2003 in Boulder, Colorado by Mark Hemmeter a lifelong entrepreneur and real estate enthusiast from Hawaii. In 2022, Office Evolution joined Coworks the largest privately held affiliated coworking franchise network on the planet, associated with United Franchise Group (UFG), a successful community of affiliated brands and consultants. Office Evolution is serious about supporting small business owners the Dreamers, Risk-Takers and Doers who dare to chase their passions. For more information about Office Evolution, visit www.officeevolution.com and for information about franchise opportunities visit www.officeevolution.com/development. About Coworks Coworks specializes in franchising within the coworking industry, offering solutions, expertise, and shared service options within the flexible workspace franchise community. Part of the United Franchise Group (UFG) family of affiliated brands and consultants, Coworks was founded in 2021 by Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group, with the express intention of building a framework to connect a variety of coworking brands, services, and amenities within the coworking industry, providing the largest privately owned affiliated franchise network of flexible, professional, and shared office space options on the planet. For more information about Coworks, visit www.coworksllc.com. About United Franchise Group Led by CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group (UFG) is home to an affiliated family of brands and consultants including Accurate Franchising Inc., FranchiseMart, Franchise Real Estate, Fully Promoted, Preveer (formerly Resource Operations International), Signarama, Transworld Business Advisors, and the Coworks division consisting of Network Lead Exchange(NLX), Office Evolution (OE) and Venture X as well as a food division featuring Graze Craze, Jon Smith Subs, and The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. UFG affiliated brands include over 1600 franchises in more than 60 countries, with consultants that have helped develop over 350 brands into franchises, in over 80 countries with more than 2500 franchisees. With over three decades in the franchising industry United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs. SOURCE Office Evolution The Online Furniture Market Share is expected to increase by USD 112.67 billion from 2021 to 2026, with an accelerated CAGR of 16.79%- according to the recent market study by Technavio. The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, competitive scenario, future market trends, market size & estimations, and major investment pockets. Online Furniture Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 16.79% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 112.67 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 8.0 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 37% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Japan, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Ashcomm LLC, Bobs Discount Furniture LLC, Brilloca Ltd., Herman Miller Inc., Inter IKEA Holding BV, Kimball International Inc., LaZBoy Inc., Otto GmbH and Co. KG, Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd., Raymour and Flanigan Furniture and Mattresses, Reliance Retail Ltd., Steelcase Inc., Wayfair Inc., World Market, Ballard Designs Inc., Bassett Furniture Industries, Haverty Furniture Companies Inc., HNI Corp., Pier 1 Imports Inc., and Williams Sonoma 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 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. Vendor Insights- The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including: Ashcomm LLC Bobs Discount Furniture LLC Brilloca Ltd. Herman Miller Inc. Inter IKEA Holding BV Kimball International Inc. LaZBoy Inc. Otto GmbH and Co. KG Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd. Raymour and Flanigan Furniture and Mattresses Reliance Retail Ltd. Steelcase Inc. Wayfair Inc. World Market Ballard Designs Inc. Bassett Furniture Industries Haverty Furniture Companies Inc. HNI Corp. Pier 1 Imports Inc. Williams Sonoma Inc. The online furniture market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as M&As and business expansions to compete in the market. Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Sample Report Segmentation Analysis & Forecasts The Online Furniture Market is segmented by Application (Online residential furniture and online commercial furniture). The market share growth by the online-residential furniture segment will be significant during the forecast period. Sales of living room furniture are expected to increase during the forecast period. For instance, Wayfair, a US-based online furniture retailer, offers living room furniture in a wide range of styles and price options and competitive prices, which reduce the need for visiting brick-and-mortar stores. Moreover, innovative styles and designs that occupy very little space and offer comfort are in high demand and will drive the online furniture market growth during the forecast period Gain further insights on the market contribution of various segments. Learn More with Sample Report Latest Drivers & Trends of the Market- Online Furniture Market Driver: Increasing online spending and smartphone penetration: The high penetration of internet services, improved economy, and upgradation of purchase and delivery options with the emergence of m-commerce has increased online shopping through smart devices. Meanwhile, consumers have now become way more comfortable about purchasing products on the go. Moreover, factors such as security features for online payments, free delivery, improved online customer services, and customer-friendly designs of shopping websites are also contributing to the growth of the market. Such flexible features associated with online shopping will drive the online furniture market growth during the forecast period. Online Furniture Market Trend: Mobile commerce and network marketing: Smartphone has now become an important part of modern life, which has paved the way for online shopping. In consideration of this, there are some retailers such as Amazon.com, Flipkart, and Alibaba Group that have launched mobile applications. Hence, with the increase in the popularity of shopping through mobile devices, sales through these devices are likely to grow. Furthermore, as consumers are slowly becoming comfortable with electronic cash, the use of mobile wallets is expected to grow in the future. Such factors will drive the online furniture market growth during the forecast period. Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends available with Technavio. Request 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. Speak to our Analyst now! to take full advantage of every opportunity using competitive analysis created just for you Here are Some Similar Topics- Online Household Furniture Market in the US by Product and Material - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The online household furniture market share in the US is expected to increase by USD 3.26 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 2.37%. Find More Exclusive Research Insights Here Organic Furniture Market by Distribution Channel and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025: The organic furniture market share should rise by USD 11.83 billion from 2021 to 2025 at a CAGR of 6.27%. Find More Exclusive Research Insights Here 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 ($ billion) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 between2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 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 Online residential furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Online residential furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Online residential furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 30: Chart on Online residential furniture - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Online residential furniture - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Online commercial furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Online commercial furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Online commercial furniture - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 34: Chart on Online commercial furniture - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Online commercial furniture - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Application Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Application ($ billion) 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 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 43: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 44: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 45: 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 46: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 47: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 (%) 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 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 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 ($ billion) Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) 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 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 71: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 72: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 75: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 76: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion) Exhibit 80: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 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 Ashcomm LLC Exhibit 89: Ashcomm LLC - Overview Exhibit 90: Ashcomm LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 91: Ashcomm LLC - Key offerings 10.4 Herman Miller Inc. Exhibit 92: Herman Miller Inc. - Overview Exhibit 93: Herman Miller Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 94: Herman Miller Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 95: Herman Miller Inc. - Segment focus 10.5 HNI Corp. Exhibit 96: HNI Corp. - Overview Exhibit 97: HNI Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 98: HNI Corp. - Key news Exhibit 99: HNI Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 100: HNI Corp. - Segment focus 10.6 Inter IKEA Holding BV Exhibit 101: Inter IKEA Holding BV - Overview Exhibit 102: Inter IKEA Holding BV - Product / Service Exhibit 103: Inter IKEA Holding BV - Key news Exhibit 104: Inter IKEA Holding BV - Key offerings 10.7 Kimball International Inc. Exhibit 105: Kimball International Inc. - Overview Exhibit 106: Kimball International Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 107: Kimball International Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 108: Kimball International Inc. - Segment focus 10.8 Otto GmbH and Co. KG Exhibit 109: Otto GmbH and Co. KG - Overview Exhibit 110: Otto GmbH and Co. KG - Business segments Exhibit 111: Otto GmbH and Co. KG - Key news Exhibit 112: Otto GmbH and Co. KG - Key offerings Exhibit 113: Otto GmbH and Co. KG - Segment focus 10.9 Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 114: Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 115: Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 116: Pepperfry Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.10 Reliance Retail Ltd. Exhibit 117: Reliance Retail Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 118: Reliance Retail Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 119: Reliance Retail Ltd. - Key offerings 10.11 Steelcase Inc. Exhibit 120: Steelcase Inc. - Overview Exhibit 121: Steelcase Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 122: Steelcase Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 123: Steelcase Inc. - Segment focus 10.12 Williams Sonoma Inc. Exhibit 124: Williams Sonoma Inc. - Overview Exhibit 125: Williams Sonoma Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 126: Williams Sonoma Inc. - Key news Exhibit 127: Williams Sonoma Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 128: Williams Sonoma Inc. - Segment focus 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 129: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 130: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 131: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 132: Research methodology Exhibit 133: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 134: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 135: 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 Invested Approximately $21 Billion in U.S. Homes Since Founding in 2012 Published Individual State Statistics on Website SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Progress Residential, the leading single-family rental management services platform, today announced its nationwide economic impact and highlighted its contributions to local economies across the United States. "As members of the very communities we serve, a hallmark of our company culture is making a positive local impact," said Adolfo Villagomez, Chief Executive Officer of Progress Residential. "Over the last decade, Progress Residential has been a significant economic driver in each of our markets, and we look forward to continuing to build on our efforts for many years to come." Since its founding in 2012, Progress Residential has contributed to local communities by: Investing approximately $21 billion in U.S. homes; in U.S. homes; Renovating 100% of homes at acquisition or vacancy; and of homes at acquisition or vacancy; and Serving over 520,000 total residents. Additional highlights of Progress Residential's economic impact include: Over 85,000 single-family rental homes today; single-family rental homes today; Over 2,500 employees; employees; Over 2,600 homes being built; homes being built; Over $50,000 average direct investment in homes over 5-year period; average direct investment in homes over 5-year period; Over $707 million taxes paid over the last 5 years; and taxes paid over the last 5 years; and Over $111 million rental assistance since March 2020 . Progress Residential also published a State-by-State Factsheet Series, comprising statistics for the Company's footprint and economic impact for each of the 22 states in which Progress Residential has a presence. Progress Residential encourages those who wish to learn more about its commitment to serving its residents and its communities in each state to visit rentprogressimpact.com. About Progress Residential Progress Residential is a market leader in intelligent single-family rental management services, with people, technology, scale, and data-driven solutions that streamline operations, optimize asset performance, and provide an exceptional renting and living experience for our residents. Progress Residential's approximately 2,800 employees currently manage more than 85,000 homes across 30 markets. Progress Residential also offers third-party property management service for investors with mid-to-large single-family rental home portfolios and Built for Rent communities through its Progress Residential Management Services. For more information, please visit www.rentprogress.com. Media Contact: Nikki Sloup Vice President Communications and PR [email protected] SOURCE Progress Residential MONTEREY, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Purchase Green Artificial Grass, North America's largest artificial grass landscape and leisure supplier as well as a proud member of The Recreational Group (RG) family announces the launch of their Monterey showroom and warehouse. Purchase Green Monterey opened on May 2nd - servicing areas such as Big Sur, Salinas, Santa Cruz, and other surrounding cities. The store will operate Monday through Friday from 7 am to 5 pm. Purchase Green Monterey is led by Eric Kristoffersen. Prior to owning his Franchise, Eric served as the Store Manager in Purchase Green's San Jose location for four years. Utilizing his former experience, Eric has passed along his resolve never to underdeliver and place integrity at the forefront of his business model in true Purchase Green fashion. Monterey Franchise owner Eric Kristoffersen, states: "The Monterey team is excited to provide this coastal market with a local option for artificial grass and supplies. There is an interesting market here, and we are doing our best to canvas our customer base and learn more about their needs. We are looking forward to a quick start this summer to get the ball rolling on a new store." Monterey Purchase Green is strategically positioned to service the unique requirements of coastal regions within the area. Because saltwater and sandy soils do not provide good growth opportunities for grass, coastal residents are often faced with high landscaping costs and irrigation bills. An alternative to maintaining coastal lawns includes adopting low-maintenance landscaping options such as artificial turf. Moreover, in California, drought conditions are not a thing of the past. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, Monterey has experienced its driest year in the past 128 years. Since 2009, Purchase Green has aided water conservation efforts by helping save a billion gallons of water. Purchase Green provides premium-quality artificial grass with nationwide delivery and a network of installers to ensure customers have access to the finest products in the industry. The opening of Purchase Green Monterey symbolizes Purchase Green's commitment to alleviating energy costs and assisting California's drought-stricken communities, one lawn at a time. For more information on supplies, locations, and franchise opportunities, visit purchasegreen.com. SOURCE Purchase Green Artificial Grass Independent Wealth Management Firm's Success Credited to Internal Team, Strategic Partnerships, and Fiduciary Business Model SCHAUMBURG, Ill., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Puzzle Wealth Solutions (Puzzle), an independently owned and operated wealth management company headquartered in Schaumburg, celebrates their one-year anniversary on June 11, 2022. By partnering with powerhouse companies Gladstone Wealth Partners (Gladstone), AZELLA Advisor (Azella), and Insight Financial Partners (Insight), Puzzle is set to surpass their 2022 expectations. The 11-person team reached approximately $1 billion in client assets under management (AUM) in the first six months of operations, bringing about 90% of their clients to the new company after core team members left a national financial services firm to establish their own privately-held wealth management firm. Puzzle is expected to surpass $2 billion AUM in 2022 and is actively seeking additional financial professionals to join the Puzzle team through their Puzzle Wealth Partners solution, which offers pre-transition, transition, and post-transition support for fellow financial advisors seeking a more efficient, client-first business model. "Every advisor is different. That's why every partnership we form is so unique," said Karoline O'Connor, Business Development at Puzzle. "Come as you are. We'll find your fit. We'll help you figure out how to put the pieces of your business together, even explore options you didn't even know you had. We remain custodian independent as we find the right fit for you. You might be just wanting to start your own practice, or maybe you are looking for ways to capitalize on your business as an asset. Either way we're here to help." STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS GUIDE SUCCESS Communities, teams, and puzzles all have one thing in common: when they come together, they are greater than the sum of their parts. Gladstone, a financial services firm and SEC Registered Investment Advisor that supports financial advisors nationwide, announced the partnership in June of 2021 as their latest recruiting victory. Kristopher Bonocore , President of Gladstone, said, "Partnerships and independence are what the relationship has offered. Growing stronger together has allowed us to expand our support and services to other advisors." Azella, a digital marketing platform and service solution for financial services firms and investment advisors, has been working with Puzzle and Gladstone to build out the Puzzle brand and establish a strong online presence. Gladstone and Azella have been working together on internal and external marketing initiatives since Azella's founding in 2020. "Azella helps independent financial advisors quickly and powerfully brand and market their firms with innovative, effective design and hyper-relevant content so that they can easily connect with clients who need professional financial planning and investment management services," said Azella CEO and Founder David Roberson . The pairing with Insight, an advisory firm that specializes in the fiduciary support services of employer sponsored retirement plans, happened during Q1 2022. Insight's Michael Smith , who leads the institutional consulting services for the wealth management firm, said, "Our relentless focus on the mitigation of fiduciary risk, combined with our uncompromising commitment to advise in the best interests of our plan participants and their beneficiaries are the cornerstones of what defines us as a partner," said Michael K. Smith, Managing Partner. FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR CLIENTS AND ADVISORS Puzzle prides itself on finding solutions for their clients and advisors alike. They work diligently to be thought of as more than investment advisors. Clients can discuss a broad array of financial needs such as estate planning, business sales, refinancing homes, alternative investments, multi-generational dynamics and more. Puzzle will work to find a solution as they serve their high-net-worth clients and care for their most valuable assets. The advisors who partner with Puzzle are an important part of solving client issues. The Puzzle team thinks unconventionally to create new solutions and clients are educated on every level. Puzzle's philosophy is that each person's financial needs are unique, therefore the solutions should be too. "Puzzle advisors help solve pressing issues for clients. If you come in the door as a client, you know that we're agnostic, we're going to strive to find the best solution for you," said Puzzle founder and CEO John Klaas Jr. "We see complex challenges as opportunities and it shows both in our name and in those we work with. From executive to practitioner, our expertise catering to those with specific and complex needs makes us particularly experienced to help you work toward reaching your goals. You hand us the puzzle and we'll hand you a solution." Klaas and Puzzle President David Millington recently spoke with Mindy Diamond of Diamond Consultants. In this industry-specific podcast, Klaas stated, "Puzzle is not here to be small. Puzzle is here to grow and help the other financial advisors in our industry. Gladstone's doing the same thing. They're trying to allow people to become independent and pool together and create efficiencies with scale. We want to be a solutions group on top of the Gladstone network." Millington ended the podcast by stating that Puzzle has its sights set on $5 billion. "We want Puzzle to someday have more of a national footprint," sharing that the company is exploring other states such as Florida, Texas, and Colorado. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here: https://www.diamond-consultants.com/podcast-puzzle-wealth/ ABOUT PUZZLE WEALTH SOLUTIONS Founded in 2021, Puzzle Wealth Solutions' financial professionals offer advisory services through Gladstone Institutional Advisory, a registered investment advisor. Puzzle is a well-seasoned independent wealth management team working with executives, business owners, and practitioners to solve complex puzzles and create honest, efficient financial solutions. Puzzle CEO John Klaas started in 1988 as a solo practitioner, and the firm has grown into a 12-person team. Now based in Schaumburg, Ill., the Puzzle team focuses on financial planning, estate planning and portfolio management, with an understanding that this important work makes a significant impact in their clients' lives. "We want our clients to trust us like their doctor, attorney or respected family member," Klaas said. "We value what's important to our clients and understand that money is just a tool so they can truly do what's meaningful in their lives." Learn more about Puzzle at www.PuzzleWealth.com . ABOUT GLADSTONE WEALTH PARTNERS Founded in 2013, Gladstone Wealth Partners was created by advisors, for advisors in order to help them reach their maximum potential when going independent. Gladstone provides the necessary tools for advisors to have a complete independent business to include transition assistance, full-time compliance support, marketing assistance, human resources support, administrative assistance to name a few. Based in Chester, NJ, Gladstone Wealth Partners is a rapidly growing Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with advisors nationwide. Gladstone helps advisors transition from running a practice to building a business, and ultimately receiving enterprise valuations. Securities are offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA / SIPC . Investment advice is offered through Gladstone Institutional Advisory, LLC, a registered investment advisor. Gladstone Institutional Advisory, LLC and Puzzle Wealth Partners are separate entities from LPL Financial. Learn more at www.WhyWouldYouStay.com . Learn more about Gladstone at www.GladstoneWealth.com . ABOUT INSIGHT FINANCIAL PARTNERS Insight Financial Partners, an advisory firm specializing in the fiduciary support services of employer sponsored retirement plans, collaborates with employer plan sponsors in an independent and objective manner, and is passionately dedicated to serving working Americans who we fundamentally believe they deserve to achieve financial independence and retire with dignity on their own terms. Learn more about www.InsightFPllc.com . ABOUT AZELLA ADVISORS Founded in 2020, AZELLA Advisors (Azella) uses modern marketing communication strategies to empower established or transitioning independent advisors with the tools they need to succeed. Harnessing over 10 years of experience in marketing, branding, and development in the financial advisory industry, the Azella team has perfected a proven process for driving awareness and growth. The Azella Advisor Method enables advisors to quickly establish credibility and grow their businesses utilizing today's innovative technology solutions coupled with Azella's professional business development insights and marketing advice. Azella's full-service SaaS marketing platform includes automated branding, dynamic website building, AI marketing and matchmaking for financial advisors. Learn more about Azella at www.Azella.io . Puzzle Wealth Solutions, Gladstone, Insight Financial Partners, Azella Advisors and LPL Financial are separate entities. MEDIA CONTACTS: Marie Swift or Grace Vogelzang Impact Communications, Inc. 913-649-5009 [email protected] SOURCE Puzzle Wealth Solutions Paralus offers access management for developers, architects, and CI/CD tools to remote K8s clusters by consolidating zero-trust access principles such as transaction level authentication and authorization into a single open-source tool. It helps engineering and architecture teams streamline access control for their fleet of K8s clusters spanning different operating environments, different public clouds and K8s distributions, and on-premises data centers operating behind firewalls. The inability to secure K8s infrastructure is a growing problem for organizations. In May 2022, a non-profit security organization named The Shadowserver Foundation scanned more than 450,000 systems hosting K8s and found more than 380,000 (84 percent) of these systems were accessible via the Internet, potentially providing an opening into a corporate network. In fact, the data shows that the majority of K8s API servers are found in the United States (nearly 53 percent). Per Shadowserver, "Enterprises using a K8s API server that is accessible should implement authorization for access or block it at the firewall to reduce the attack surface." Paralus addresses this security issue by providing a frictionless way for developers and architects to leverage open-source software that uses zero-trust principles to secure access to all K8s environments and harden security practices for cloud-native applications. To learn more about Paralus or contribute to the open-source project, visit the resources below: Zero-Trust K8s Access with Paralus Paralus grants authorized users seamless and secure access to all clusters with a native and familiar kubectl experience by acting as a proxy between the users and systems needing access and the K8s API server. It also addresses one of K8s' main pain points by eliminating the burden of managing K8s access controls cluster by cluster. Without Paralus, companies must manually manage access to each cluster using jump hosts or VPNs, and build custom tooling to audit and map all actions performed to a user's identity all of which which is error-prone and increases the risk of breaches as the number of clusters grows. Along with helping directly manage role-based access control (RBAC) policies and assignments, Paralus enables: Creation of custom roles, users, and groups Dynamic and immediate changing and revoking of permissions Ability to control access via pre-configured roles across clusters, namespaces, projects, and more Seamless integration with Identity Providers (IdPs) allowing the use of external authentication engines for users and group definitions, such as GitHub, Google, Azure AD, Okta, and others Automatic logging of all user actions performed for audit and compliance purposes Flexible workflows with a modern web GUI, a CLI tool called pctl, and a Paralus API "While Kuberentes is the de facto standard for container orchestration, companies have significant challenges related to securing this new, mission critical infrastructure. Rafay is leveraging its industry leadership and unmatched expertise in the Kubernetes arena to contribute this highly valuable asset to the community," said Haseeb Budhani, CEO and co-founder of Rafay Systems. "Today, Paralus' capabilities are the most widely used in the company's Kubernetes Operations Platform offering, and has been battle tested by thousands of architects, developers, operations, and DevSecOps professionals at world-leading companies. We are excited to open source this technology, submit Paralus to the Cloud-Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and assist the broader community in solving this critical access management issue that plagues Kubernetes deployments." To learn more about Paralus, visit: https://rafay.co/the-kubernetes-current/paralus-industrys-first-open-source-zero-trust-access-service-for-kubernetes/ About Rafay Systems Rafay Systems offers the industry's first cloud-made Kubernetes Operations Platform to help enterprises maximize the value of containerized applications that deliver today's business innovation. With Rafay's unified platform teams can operate modern application infrastructure at scale across public clouds, data centers, and the edge. End-to-end services help streamline deploying clusters and apps across multiple environments and deliver enterprise-grade control and governance to devops workflows. This breakthrough approach brings a new and much-needed operations mindset to the Kubernetes Management market. With the Rafay Kubernetes Operations Platform, platform teams enjoy centralized visibility, management and automation across once disparate processes and systems, resulting in the improved delivery of modern applications. Rafay's growing customer roster includes clients such as Verizon, MoneyGram, and Guardant Health. For more information, please visit www.rafay.co. Contact: Olivia Heel Catapult PR-IR [email protected] SOURCE Rafay Systems Enjoy a season of good times and great food and drinks at an awesome price ADDISON, Texas, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Razzoo's Cajun Cafe , the spirited casual eatery that spotlights the flavor, fun, and festivity of New Orleans, is giving fans another reason to celebrate with their Cajun Fried Fat Tuesdays. Starting July 5th, guests may enjoy Cajun Fried Steak or Cajun Fried Chicken for just $10 all day on Tuesdays, as well as $5 select sips. The Fat Tuesday offerings are available at all participating restaurants for a limited time. "We're delighted to offer our Cajun Fried Fat Tuesdays and celebrate one of our favorite holidays, but in the middle of the year," said Jeff Powell , Razzoo's Chief Executive Officer. "We couldn't wait another six months to celebrate Fat Tuesday, and with prices rising all around us, we thought the best way to party is with some flavorful deals on some of our most popular meals and signature drinks." In addition to the $10 Cajun-Fried Steak and Chicken dishes, the Razzoo's Cajun Fried Fat Tuesdays will also feature $5 frozen Hurrycanes, $5 Mardi Ritas, and $5 22 oz. Draft Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra and Bud Light. "This summer, we've got your back with our awesome food and drink deals. Guests can get a 22 oz. beer and Cajun-Fried Steak for just $15 on Tuesdays," added Powell. "Come on and join les bon temps with us!" The bar drinks at Razzoo's are available for guests who are 21 years and older. Razzoo's always encourages a good time, but one that is enjoyed responsibly. For more information about Razzoo's Cajun Cafe, including their menu and locations, visit www.razzoos.com or follow them on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok. ABOUT RAZZOO'S CAJUN CAFE Razzoo's Cajun Cafe passionately creates bold, flavorful, Cajun-inspired dishes that bring to life all the flavor, fun and festivity of New Orleans and the French Quarter. Founded in Dallas in 1991, Razzoo's operates 22 restaurants in TX, OK and NC. Razzoo's is privately owned. Learn more about Razzoo's by visiting www.razzoos.com or www.facebook.com/razzoos . Media Contact: Brianne Barbakoff 786-605-9250 [email protected] SOURCE Razzoo's Cajun Cafe "These new hires are a testament to the abilities of our product and the anticipation of our future product lines," said Tim Kubista, vice president of sales and marketing for RC Mowers. "We are seeing sustained interest from both commercial landscapers and from public works departments. Their positive reaction to our mowers, along with the continued expansion of our dealer network, has made these new hires a necessity to meet demand." Along with several new production, operations, purchasing and marketing team members, RC Mowers has notably hired Matthew Bries as its senior robotics engineer and Bryan Johnson as its regional sales manager based in the Pacific Northwest. Bries has a bachelor of science in electrical engineering, worked for several years as a research engineer at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas and has extensive experience in robotics technology. He will continue his work in autonomous vehicle development at RC Mowers. Johnson comes from an extensive career in the automotive industry. He has experience in sales, operations, project management, customer service and team building, including a 15-year career at Discount Tire, the world's largest independent tire and wheel retailer. The company has been traveling throughout the United States on an extensive Great American Road Show to demonstrate its remote-operated mowers to dealers and potential customers. The success of this tour has resulted in a sales growth that has exceeded projections. The company also broke ground on a new $4.8 million manufacturing facility near Green Bay, Wisconsin, earlier this year. "Our founders saw a need to solve the very real and ongoing problems of labor shortages and safety concerns in the landscaping industry," Kubista said. "Because we are efficiently addressing our customers' need to offset these industry shortfalls, we are continuing to grow at a rapid pace. We wish Matthew, Bryan and our other new employees continued success as we work together to redefine the business of mowing." About RC Mowers Founded in 2018 and based near Green Bay, Wisconsin, RC Mowers manufactures remote-operated robotic mowers for mowing steep slopes, difficult terrain and other hazardous landscapes. Our mowers help companies safely, quickly and efficiently mow these areas, often leading to reduced injuries, decreased labor costs and greater profitability. All our mowers are 100% manufactured and serviced in the United States, have a 30-day buy-back guarantee and come with a 72-hour parts shipping guarantee. For more information, visit https://www.rcmowersusa.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE RC Mowers Rick Belluzzo was born in San Francisco in 1953, as son of an Italian immigrant, and his resume boasts a career devoted to innovation, which includes international companies that have made history in technological transformation, such as Microsoft. Rick's career began at Hewlett Packard (HP) as a financial analyst. Thereafter, he was promoted to general manager and ultimately executive vice president. Leaving HP, Rick moved to Silicon Graphics, as chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Then in 1999, came his time at Microsoft when Rick was hired as head of the MSN division. Later, he became president and chief operating officer. Rick was also responsible for the launch of the first Xbox console. After Microsoft, he became CEO of Quantum Corp, until he left his role in the company and became an investor in Italian startups, including isendu. He is now isendu's Chief Strategy Officer. Rick was introduced to Lando Barbaglia Silicon Valley veteran with many years of experience in the tech and financial sectors, now isendu's CEOin 2018 through a mutual friend. The choice of isendu, Rick explains, is dictated by multiple factors, first among them, the determination of this company, coupled with an Italian heart and an objective that spans across borders. Inside isendu, Rick plays an active role and not one of mere representation. Rick's natural obsession with software perfection motivates the development team to pay close attention to detail and to leave no stone unturned. Consequently, he ensures that the software is built as a true SaaS with modern, secure, and scalable technologies. He is also facilitating the company's fundraising and assisting Lando in attracting top international venture capitalists; they are currently working together to close a large A round. "In isendu, I found a very unique company. I saw a team driven to achieve success, and a Silicon Valley style of building a company. Italy, which has great potential, however, also has several problems: in the IT sector Italy is behind," comments Rick Belluzzo. "The Italian market is difficult, the priority of customers to spend on software is reduced, and the economic fabric lacks the appetite for risk that is a requirement for success." The isendu product: globally scaling a unique Software as a Service The focus, Rick explains, is to build a company with a global perspective, planning for internationalization from the first months of the company's life. This is what isendu did. Its platform went live in 2020, and already crossed borders, landing in Spain the first quarter of 2021. Isendu now has its eyes on England, Ireland, France, Germany, and the rest of Western Europe. "To those who ask me what the secret of success is, I answer that, first of all, you have to be passionate about the product and the alignment with customers' needs.Then you should launch the product only when it is ready. At this point the emphasis can shift to customer acquisition and where "fine tuning" from customer feedback becomes the driving force. Second, it is imperative that people think analytically, making their decisions based on proven data and information. Finally, you need to have a clear understanding of the business model and the pricing dynamics associated with it in order to be properly evaluated and scale quickly," Rick concludes. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvCR1Pb8tYc Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847525/isendu_Rick_Belluzzo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847524/isendu_Logo.jpg SOURCE isendu NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Credit Suisse Group AG ("Credit Suisse" or the "Company") (NYSE: CS) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-02477, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Credit Suisse securities between March 19, 2021 and March 25, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Credit Suisse securities during the Class Period, you have until June 28, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Credit Suisse, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The Company offers private banking and wealth management solutions, including advisory, investment, financial planning, succession planning, and trust services, and financing and lending, and multi-shore platform solutions. Credit Suisse has a history of business dealings with Russian oligarchs, or ultra-high net worth business leaders possessing significant political influence. For example, an article published by Financial Times on February 7, 2022, entitled "Credit Suisse securitizes yacht loans to oligarchs and tycoons", cited a recent investor presentation for a synthetic securitization deal, in which Credit Suisse sold off $80 million worth of risk related to a $2 billion portfolio of loans backed by assets owned by certain of the bank's ultra-high net worth clients (the "Securitization Deal"), which disclosed that, in 2017 and 2018, Credit Suisse experienced 12 defaults on yacht and aircraft loans, a third of which were related to U.S. sanctions against Russian oligarchs. Press reports at the time indicated that Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska, Arkady Rotenberg, and Boris Rotenberg had to terminate private jet leases with Credit Suisse in those years. Beginning in or around October 2021, Russia commenced a major military build-up near the Russo-Ukrainian border, in apparent preparation for an invasion of Ukraine. Although the Russian government repeatedly denied it had plans to invade or attack Ukraine, the U.S. later released intelligence of Russian invasion plans, including satellite photographs showing Russian troops and equipment near the Russo-Ukrainian border. In November 2021, as Russia's military buildup on the Russo-Ukrainian border continued, the Company entered the Securitization Deal. Just months later, on February 24, 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, Western governments including, among others, the U.S., Canada, and the European Union, imposed significant sanctions on Russia. The sanctions included, inter alia, measures targeting Russia's ultrawealthy oligarchs by denying them access to the global financial system and by, in some cases, authorizing the seizure of certain of their high-value assets located outside of Russia. Barely a week after the commencement of the Russian invasion and the retaliatory sanctions imposed by Western nations, news outlets reported that Credit Suisse had requested non-participating investors who received information about the Company's loan portfolio to destroy and permanently erase any confidential information that Credit Suisse provided to them regarding the Securitization Deal. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Credit Suisse had deficient disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; (ii) Credit Suisse's practice of lending money to Russian oligarchs subject to U.S. and international sanctions created a significant risk of violating rules pertaining to those sanctions and future sanctions; (iii) the foregoing conduct subjected the Company to an increased risk of heightened regulatory scrutiny and/or enforcement actions; (iv) the Securitization Deal concerned loans that Credit Suisse made to Russian oligarchs previously sanctioned by the U.S.; (v) the purpose of the Securitization Deal was to offload the risks associated with these loans and mitigate the impact on Credit Suisse of sanctions likely to be implemented by Western nations in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine; (vi) Credit Suisse's request that non-participating investors destroy documents related to the Securitization Deal was intended to conceal the Company's noncompliance with U.S. and international sanctions in its lending practices; (vii) the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to subject the Company to enhanced regulatory scrutiny and significant reputational harm; and (viii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On March 28, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform sent Credit Suisse a letter asking the Company to turn over information and documents about a portfolio of loans backed by yachts and private jets owned by clients, potentially including sanctioned Russian individuals. In the letter, House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney and Rep. Stephen Lynch, chair of the Subcommittee on National Security, questioned Credit Suisse's request that hedge funds and other non-participating investors "destroy documents" related to yachts and private jets owned by the bank's clients. "Given the timing of this request and its subject matter," the House Democrats wrote, "Credit Suisse's action raises significant concerns that it may be concealing information" about whether participants in the deal may be "evading sanctions" imposed by the West after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On this news, Credit Suisse's stock price fell $0.21 per share, or 2.58%, to close at $7.94 per share on March 28, 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, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd. (""or the "Company") (NYSE: FHS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether FHS 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 or around March 11, 2021, FHS conducted its initial public offering ("IPO") of 7.5 million American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") priced at $10.00 per share. Soon after the IPO, media reports stated that Chinese policymakers had proposed stricter regulations to rein in the for-profit education industry, such as regulations aimed at enhancing teacher quality, limiting fee scams, reducing market abuse, and reducing the stress that for-profit educational companies had placed on students in the Chinese educational system. On May 12, 2021, news reports revealed that the impending government crackdown on for-profit educational companies in China would be much more drastic and far reaching than previously publicly known. Sources stated that anticipated rules would include measures such as banning on-campus tutoring classes, prohibiting tutoring services during weekend hours, and the imposition of industry-wide fee limitations. On May 14, 2021, China's state council announced that it would further tighten regulations on compulsory education and training institutions with new rules set to take effect on September 1, 2021. On July 23, 2021, China unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its education sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits, raising capital or going public. These drastic measures effectively ended any potential growth in the for-profit tutoring sector in China. On July 26, 2021, FHS issued a press release announcing that the Company "will follow the spirit of the Opinion and comply with all relevant rules and regulations in providing high school education services." In a series of disclosures beginning on September 28, 2021, FHS reported, among other things, disappointing financial and operating results due to the impact of the regulatory crackdown on China's for-profit education sector; the resignation of the Company's Chief Financial Officer; the dismissal of the Company's auditor, KPMG Huazhen LLP; the receipt of a letter from the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") stating that the Company was in non-compliance with the NYSE's listing requirements because its total market capitalization and stockholders' equity had fallen below compliance standards; and that the Company would be unable to timely filed its annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. By May 10, 2022, FHS ADSs closed below $1.00 per share, representing a decline of more than 90% from the offering price. 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, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Oscar Health, Inc. ("Oscar" or the "Company") (NYSE: OSCR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-04103, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Oscar Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with the Company's March 2021 initial public offering ("IPO" or the "Offering"). Plaintiff pursues claims against under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Oscar Class A common stock, pursuant and/or traceable to the company's IPO, you have until July 11, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Oscar is a health insurance company that claims to be the first such company "built around a full stack technology platform" which will "allow [Oscar] to continue to innovate like a technology company and not a traditional insurer." On March 4, 2021, the Company filed its prospectus on Form 424B4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which forms part of the Registration Statement. In the IPO, the Company sold 36,391,946 shares of Class A common stock at a price of $39.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $1.3 billion from the Offering. The proceeds from the IPO were purportedly to be used to repay in full outstanding borrowings, including fees and expenses, under Oscar's Term Loan Facility ($167 million), and the remainder proceeds were to be used for general corporate purposes. The complaint alleges that, the Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state: (1) that Oscar was experiencing growing COVID-19 testing and treatment costs; (2) that Oscar was experiencing growing net COVID costs; (3) that Oscar would be negatively impacted by an unfavorable prior year Risk Adjustment Data Validation ("RADV") result relating to 2019 and 2020; (4) that Oscar was on track to be negatively impacted by significant Special Enrollment Period ("SEP") membership growth; and (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On August 12, 2021, Oscar disclosed that the Company's Medical Loss Ratio ("MLR") for the second quarter of 2021 was 82.4%, an increase of 2170 basis points year-over year. The Company claimed that "[t]he MLR increased to 82.4% in 2Q21 from 60.7% in 2Q20, primarily driven by meaningfully lower utilization in 2Q20 as a result of COVID-19, as well as higher COVID-19 testing and treatment costs and a return to more normalized utilization in 2Q21." The Company also disclosed that its net loss for the quarter was $73.1 million, an increase of $32.1 million year-over-year. On November 10, 2021, Oscar disclosed that its third quarter 2021 MLR increased 920 basis points year-over-year, to 99.7%. The Company claimed that the MLR increase was "primarily driven by higher net COVID costs as compared to the net benefit in 3Q20, an unfavorable prior year Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) result, and the impact of significant SEP membership growth." The Company also disclosed that its net loss for the quarter was $212.7 million, an increase of $133.6 million year-over-year. During a conference call held the same day, Scott Blackley, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, stated: "We recognized approximately $20 million of risk adjustment expense this quarter related to our risk adjustment data validation audit or RADV results. The RADV exercise is atypical this year due to COVID. It spans two years, 2019 and 2020. The majority of the RADV headwinds relate to the 2019 audit results, which were recently completed." On this news, Oscar's share price fell $4.05 per share, or 24.5%, to close at 12.47 per share on November 11, 2021. By the commencement of this action, Oscar stock has traded as low as $5.47 per share, a nearly 86% decline from the $39.00 per share IPO price. 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, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz Llp announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Teladoc Health, Inc. ("Teladoc" or the "Company") (NYSE: TDOC) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-04687, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Teladoc securities between October 28, 2021 and April 27, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Teladoc securities during the Class Period, you have until August 5, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Teladoc provides virtual healthcare services in the U.S. and internationally through Business-to-Business and Direct-to-Consumer ("D2C") distribution channels. The Company offers its customers various virtual products and services addressing, among other medical issues, mental health through its BetterHelp D2C product, and chronic conditions. Teladoc touts itself as "the first and only company to provide a comprehensive and integrated whole person virtual healthcare solution that both provides and enables care for a full spectrum of clinical conditions[.]" Despite recent market concerns over new entrants to the telehealth field, such Amazon.com, Inc. and Walmart Inc., the Company has continued to assure investors of the Company's dominant market position in the industry. In fact, as recently as February 2022, Teladoc forecasted full year ("FY") 2022 revenue of $2.55 - $2.65 billion, as well as adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") of $330 - $355 million, on anticipated continued growth through its competitive advantages. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) increased competition, among other factors, was negatively impacting Teladoc's BetterHelp and chronic care businesses; (ii) accordingly, the growth of those businesses was less sustainable than Defendants had led investors to believe; (iii) as a result, Teladoc's revenue and adjusted EBITDA projections for FY 2022 were unrealistic; (iv) as a result of all the foregoing, Teladoc would be forced to recognize a significant non-cash goodwill impairment charge; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On April 27, 2022, Teladoc announced its first quarter ("Q1") 2022 financial results, including revenue of $565.4 million, which missed consensus estimates by $3.23 million, and "[n]et loss per share of $41.58, primarily driven by [a] non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $6.6 billion or $41.11 per share[.]" Additionally, the Company revised its FY 2022 revenue guidance to $2.4 - $2.5 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $240 - $265 million "to reflect dynamics we are currently experiencing in the [D2C] mental health and chronic condition markets." On a conference call with investors and analysts that day to discuss Teladoc's Q1 2022 results, Defendants largely attributed the Company's poor performance, revised FY 2022 guidance, and $6.6 billion non-cash goodwill impairment charge to increased competition in its BetterHelp and chronic care businesses. On this news, Teladoc's stock price fell $22.48 per share, or 40.15%, to close at $33.51 per share on April 28, 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 Chicago-based drag icon and performer Shea Coulee takes center stage at Chicago Pride in the Park to announce the brand's most inclusive drag fete NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Smirnoff is inviting all people to Show Up and Show Off for the LGBTQUIA+ community as it serves up its most inclusive drag celebration ever. With the help of drag royalty, Shea Coulee , Smirnoff made the announcement at Chicago Pride in the Park, building on decades of commitment to the LGBTQUIA+ community. Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9062751-smirnoff-pride-drag-celebration/ To announce Smirnoffs Show Up. Show Off! national drag competition, Shea Coulee werked Chicagos annual Pride in the Park event to kick off the inclusive fun. From pageant queens, butch kings and every unique flavor of drag in-between, the Smirnoff Show Up. Show Off! Competition will include a sick'ning lineup of all genres of talented performers from across the country serving up drag realness during a series of brunch-themed events as we search for our next Pride talent. The most showstopping will claim a spot to perform at our finale extravaganza. Taking place now through October, the Smirnoff Show Up. Show Off! Competition will be decided on by the people, for the people as part of a national fan vote hosted on the Smirnoff Instagram channel.* Shea Coulee (aka the "Shady Coulady") werked Chicago's Grant Park annual event to kick off the inclusive fun. To keep the celebration going well beyond the month of June, Smirnoff is inviting a variety of LGBTQUIA+ icons to join the party as guest hosts of the gag-worthy drag battles from coast-to-coast. "You know what's giving me life right now?! A brand celebrating Pride outside of June," Coulee said. "I'm all about giving every type of drag performer the chance to show up, slay and play so I immediately jumped at the chance to do just that with the help of Smirnoff!" The celebration will culminate in New York City in the fall where the fiercest top-voted kings, queens and everyone in-between will battle it out for the crown. The one who reigns supreme, if qualified, will be named Mx. Smirnoff No. 21, receive a talent contract valued at approximately $50,000 and be invited to serve as the newest ambassador representing the LGBTQUIA+ community for Smirnoff Pride 2023. At the event, Smirnoff will also unveil a groundbreaking surprise that everyone, no matter who you are or where you're from, will have a chance to take part in, as an added con-drag-ulations to the community. "Smirnoff has a long history of championing inclusivity for the LGBTQUIA+ community and that support has only grown stronger over the years," says Jay Sethi, Senior Vice President, Ready-to-Drink Category Leader, Diageo. "Show Up, Show Off is a celebration and call to action for people to be their most authentic selves all year round, because 30 days in June just isn't enough and our community needs to be louder and prouder than ever before." With a longstanding history of supporting love in all forms, Smirnoff has advocated alongside the LGBTQUIA+ community for a better, brighter future and will once again donate to organizations working to uplift and support those most at risk in the community, by donating $250,000 to The Phluid Phoundation . As a brand that stands "For the People," Smirnoff is proud to offer a delicious variety of options and a rainbow of flavors for adults 21+ across vodka and flavored malt beverages that reflect the full spectrum of individual tastes and the vibrant LGBTQUIA+ community. Tune into exciting news to come including delicious drink and drag content by visiting Smirnoff.com/en-us/Show-Up-Show-Off and following @Smirnoff on Instagram. And no matter how you decide to Show Up, and Show Off, please remember to drink responsibly. *(12) performers will be pre-identified, selected and compensated by Smirnoff to participate in the regional Smirnoff Show Up. Show Off events leading up to the final event in New York City on October 11. To vote for performers in events, persons must be 21+ and follow @smirnoff on Instagram. No compensation/consideration or other benefit will be provided in exchange for voting. About SMIRNOFF Smirnoff has been giving the people what they want since 1864, serving as a catalyst to revolutionize drinking culture across generations: from inventing the Mule and reimagining the vodka martini to creating a cultural mainstay that defines the flavored malt beverage category with the launch of Smirnoff Ice in 2000. Because the brand is dedicated to the people and their evolving taste preferences, Smirnoff has an option for everyone along with a dedicated history of adding fun to any occasion while keeping diversity and inclusion at the forefront. Truly showing the power of socializing when everyone (21+) is invited to celebrate. The Smirnoff portfolio offers a variety of options for adults across vodka and flavored malt beverages. Current offerings include foundations in Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka and Smirnoff Ice, a line of flavors in North America and ready-to-serve flavored malt beverages including Smirnoff Seltzer and Smirnoff Ice Smash. From culturally relevant limited editions to new innovations and zero sugar offerings, Smirnoff has always been known for quality and affordability, and prides itself on giving the people what they want. About Diageo North America Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO ) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com . Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com , for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow on Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA. MEDIA CONTACTS: Nicole Anastasi DIAGEO [email protected] 704-796-9992 TAYLOR [email protected] SOURCE Smirnoff Solar FlexRack system supports new clean energy resource for local community YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar FlexRack announced it has provided dependable, cost-effective solutions and engineering expertise to Tucson Electric Power (TEP) for an innovative community solar project in southern Arizona. TEP's 15 megawatt (MW) Raptor Ridge solar array was commissioned this month at a 100-acre site in Tucson, Arizona. The project utilizes Solar FlexRack's single-axis trackers to support 35,500 bifacial modules, which increase energy production by up to 30 percent compared to monofacial modules. The Raptor Ridge community solar project is powered by bifacial solar modules and Solar FlexRack's solar trackers, and is the latest addition to Tucson Electric Power's GoSolar Home program. The new array will supply power for the TEP GoSolar Home program, which provides a renewable energy option for renters and homeowners, including those whose rooftops are shaded by trees or nearby buildings. Participants can buy clean solar energy without installation or equipment maintenance costs. "We selected Solar FlexRack from many solar racking options because of their engineering expertise and solar tracker architecture with minimal backside shading design, well suited for bifacial modules," said Jeff Krauss, TEP's Manager of Community Scale Renewable Resources. "In a challenging market environment where supply chain issues have delayed other large solar projects, Solar FlexRack demonstrated their commitment to customer service by honoring agreements and delivering product on time. We are excited to bring this community-scale solar project online and Solar FlexRack is a big part of TEP's success at Raptor Ridge." According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, nearly 50 percent of households and businesses are not able to host rooftop solar systems. For reasons such as this, the U.S. community solar market continues to grow and enable greater access to solar energy, with expectations that it will add more than 4.5 GW of total capacity over the next five years. "We are pleased to have been selected by Tucson Electric Power to participate in this benchmark project," said Mike Herman, Director of Operations at Solar FlexRack. "We look forward to providing our engineering expertise and reliable and time-tested trackers in additional impactful community solar projects in 2022 and the years to come." About Solar FlexRack Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis solar tracking systems in the commercial and utility-scale solar mounting industries. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services to address the actual site conditions of an installation and provide a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed over 3 GW of solar racking installations in nearly all 50 states across America and five countries globally. For more information, go to solarflexrack.com, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Solar FlexRack Media Contact: Staci Lombardo [email protected] 330-799-1855 SOURCE Solar FlexRack Get Sample Report to get the exact yearly growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate Segmentation Analysis & Forecasts: The independent coffee shops category will significantly increase its market share in specialty coffee shops. The vendors are growing their businesses to serve the population in developed countries as a result of the growing popularity of gourmet coffee shops among the urban population. With major global brands constantly growing, independent coffee shops find it challenging to compete. During the projected period, the segment's growth is anticipated to be severely constrained by the serious challenge posed by chain coffee shops. Therefore, throughout the forecast period, the independent coffee shops segment is anticipated to experience an increasing growth momentum in the worldwide specialty coffee shops market. Request sample to gain further insights on the market contribution of various segments Regional Analysis & Forecasts: North America will account for 42% of market growth. The main markets in North America for specialty coffee shops are the US and Canada. The market in this region will expand more quickly than those in Europe and South America. Over the projected period, the busy lifestyles of the working population and students will support the expansion of the specialty coffee shops market in North America. Buy sample report now! for more insights on the market share of various regions Key Market Dynamics: Market Driver One of the main factors boosting the market expansion for specialty coffee businesses is the rising coffee consumption . The market's sellers now have more opportunities for expansion as a result of the rising demand for coffee. In order to boost profits, this is also forcing the vendors to concentrate on product diversity, the addition of new flavors, and brand extensions. . The market's sellers now have more opportunities for expansion as a result of the rising demand for coffee. In order to boost profits, this is also forcing the vendors to concentrate on product diversity, the addition of new flavors, and brand extensions. Additionally, coffee consumption has been rising significantly in developing nations like China , India , and Brazil . As a result, during the projected period, the demand for specialty coffee shops is anticipated to increase due to the rising global coffee consumption. , , and . As a result, during the projected period, the demand for specialty coffee shops is anticipated to increase due to the rising global coffee consumption. Market Challenges One of the things preventing the market for specialty coffee shops from expanding is the fluctuating price of coffee beans . The price of coffee is prone to volatility due to a number of reasons, including differences in supply and demand for coffee beans, decreasing production, adverse weather, and rising labor expenses. . The price of coffee is prone to volatility due to a number of reasons, including differences in supply and demand for coffee beans, decreasing production, adverse weather, and rising labor expenses. Additionally, the producers' profit margins are reduced as a result of the rising cost of raw materials. In addition, despite rising costs for raw materials, vendors are operating on poor profit margins as a result of increased market rivalry. Get Sample Report right now! to learn about additional key drivers and challenges available with Technavio Some Companies Mentioned The specialty coffee shops market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Caffe Nero Group Ltd. Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. Costa Ltd. Inspire Brands Inc. McDonald Corp. MTY Food Group Inc. Restaurant Brands International Inc. Starbucks Coffee Company Click Here for Sample Report to gain access to more vendor profiles available with Technavio Related Reports: Fast Casual Restaurants Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The fast casual restaurants market share is expected to increase by USD 186.27 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 12.41%.: Download Sample Report Quick Service Restaurants Market by Service and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025: The quick service restaurants market share is expected to increase by USD 119.2 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 3.55%.: Download Sample Report Specialty Coffee Shops Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 13.02% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 68.59 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 12.33 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 42% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Barista Coffee Co. Ltd., Global Orange Development LLC, BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE Inc., Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd., Caffe Nero Group Ltd., Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd., Costa Ltd., Doutor Coffee Co. Ltd., Dutch Mafia LLC, Ediya Co. Ltd., Gloria Jeans Coffees International Pty Ltd., Grupo Herdez SAB de CV, Inspire Brands Inc., JAB Holding Co. Sarl, McDonald Corp., MTY Food Group Inc., Redroaster Coffee Co., Starbucks Coffee Co., International Coffee and Tea LLC, and Restaurant Brands International Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for 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 Independent coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Independent coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Independent coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Independent coffee shops - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Independent coffee shops - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Chain coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Chain coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Chain coffee shops - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Chain coffee shops - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Chain coffee shops - 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 (%) - 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 (%) - 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 (%) and - 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 (%) - 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 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - 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 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 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 (%) - 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 Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. Exhibit 89: Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 90: Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 91: Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 10.4 Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Exhibit 92: Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 93: Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 94: Brew Berrys Hospitality Pvt Ltd. - Key offerings 10.5 Caffe Nero Group Ltd. Exhibit 95: Caffe Nero Group Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 96: Caffe Nero Group Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 97: Caffe Nero Group Ltd. - Key offerings 10.6 Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. Exhibit 98: Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 99: Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 100: Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 101: Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. - Segment focus 10.7 Costa Ltd. Exhibit 102: Costa Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 103: Costa Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 104: Costa Ltd. - Key offerings 10.8 Inspire Brands Inc. Exhibit 105: Inspire Brands Inc. - Overview Exhibit 106: Inspire Brands Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 107: Inspire Brands Inc. - Key offerings 10.9 McDonald Corp. Exhibit 108: McDonald Corp. - Overview Exhibit 109: McDonald Corp. - Product / Service Exhibit 110: McDonald Corp. - Key news Exhibit 111: McDonald Corp. - Key offerings 10.10 MTY Food Group Inc. Exhibit 112: MTY Food Group Inc. - Overview Exhibit 113: MTY Food Group Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 114: MTY Food Group Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 115: MTY Food Group Inc. - Segment focus 10.11 Restaurant Brands International Inc. Exhibit 116: Restaurant Brands International Inc. - Overview Exhibit 117: Restaurant Brands International Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 118: Restaurant Brands International Inc. - Key news Exhibit 119: Restaurant Brands International Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 120: Restaurant Brands International Inc. - Segment focus 10.12 Starbucks Coffee Co. Exhibit 121: Starbucks Coffee Co. - Overview Exhibit 122: Starbucks Coffee Co. - Business segments Exhibit 123: Starbucks Coffee Co. - Key news Exhibit 124: Starbucks Coffee Co. - Key offerings Exhibit 125: Starbucks Coffee Co. - Segment focus 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 126: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 127: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 128: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 129: Research methodology Exhibit 130: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 131: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 132: 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 Transaction Further Advances Stanley Black & Decker's Portfolio Transformation and Strategic Focus on Core Businesses NEW BRITAIN, Conn., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of its STANLEY Oil & Gas business to Pipeline Technique Limited, a leading provider of solutions to the energy industry. The pending sale of STANLEY Oil & Gas encompasses pipeline services and equipment businesses including CRC-Evans Pipeline International, Pipeline Induction Heat Ltd. and STANLEY Inspection, which generated combined revenues of approximately $140 million in 2021. Don Allan, Stanley Black & Decker's President & CFO, stated, "The sale of our oil and gas business builds on our strategic commitment to streamlining our company to focus on our core Tools & Outdoor and Industrial businesses. The portfolio simplification is designed to leverage our leadership positions to drive innovation, organic growth and margin expansion, as well as generate significant long-term value for our shareholders. On behalf of the entire Stanley Black & Decker organization, I want to thank our STANLEY Oil & Gas team members for their valuable contributions over the years." Stanley Black & Decker expects to incur a pre-tax, non-cash charge of approximately $125 to $200 million related to the write-down of the Oil & Gas net assets, which will be excluded from adjusted earnings. The results of the Oil & Gas business will remain in continuing operations and will not be reclassified as discontinued operations. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. About STANLEY Oil & Gas STANLEY Oil & Gas provides world-class pipeline services and equipment in more than 100 countries, offshore and onshore, working under the most extreme conditions and over the most difficult terrains. The business delivers the infrastructure and resources needed to serve pipeline contractors anywhere on earth ensuring higher quality welds and lower downtime from start to finish. To learn more visit CRC-Evans Pipeline International, a STANLEY Oil & Gas company, at www.crc-evans.com. About Stanley Black & Decker Headquartered in the USA, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is the world's largest tool company operating nearly 50 manufacturing facilities across America and more than 100 worldwide. Guided by its purpose for those who make the world the company's more than 60,000 diverse and high-performing employees produce innovative, award-winning power tools, hand tools, storage, digital tool solutions, lifestyle products, outdoor products, engineered fasteners and other industrial equipment to support the world's makers, creators, tradespeople and builders. The Company's iconic brands include DEWALT, BLACK+DECKER, CRAFTSMAN, STANLEY, Cub Cadet, Hustler and Troy-Bilt. Recognized for its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG), Stanley Black & Decker strives to be a force for good in support of its communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. To learn more visit: www.stanleyblackanddecker.com. Investor Contacts: Dennis Lange Vice President, Investor Relations [email protected] (860) 827-3833 Cort Kaufman Senior Director, Investor Relations [email protected] (860) 515-2741 Media Contacts: Debora Raymond Vice President, Public Relations [email protected] (203) 640-8054 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Stanley Black & Decker makes forward-looking statements in this press release which represent its expectations or beliefs about future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements are identifiable by words such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "will," "may" and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements made in this press release, include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: consummation of the STANLEY Oil & Gas sale transaction; streamlining the Company to focus on core Tools & Outdoor and Industrial businesses; leveraging the Company's leadership positions to drive innovation, organic growth and margin expansion; and generating significant long-term value for our shareholders. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future events and involve risks, uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that may cause actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: the failure to consummate, or a delay in the consummation of, the STANLEY Oil & Gas sale transaction for various reasons (including but not limited to failure to receive, or delay in receiving, required regulatory approvals and meet customary closing conditions); the completion of the STANLEY Oil & Gas sale transaction failing to result in the intended benefits for streamlining the Company and generating value for shareholders. Forward-looking statements made herein are also subject to risks and uncertainties, described in: Stanley Black & Decker's 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q; and other filings Stanley Black & Decker makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, actual results could differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Stanley Black & Decker makes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring or existing after the date of any forward-looking statement. SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker Six students won for developing an app that helps people suffering from mental illness get the help they need DALLAS, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- T.D. Jakes Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building bridges to opportunity for underserved populations around the world, has named six winners of its third annual STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Academy program, which was presented as a free, two-week immersive 'Hackathon' that challenged students, ages 14 to 18, to solve complex problems. Presented by the Dallas Mavericks and powered by Goldman Sachs, the 'Hackathon' included 386 high school students 142 attended in-person and 244 students participated virtually from 24 U.S. states as well as Bermuda, Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, Malaysia, Namibia, South Africa, United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Throughout the two weeks, students worked alongside Goldman Sachs engineers, who guided them through the engineering process, including how to ideate, prototype an idea and communicate with impact. "Our goal with our STEAM Academy is to create that spark that can lead students to career paths that they might have not have ever considered," said President and CEO of T.D. Jakes Foundation, Hattie Hill. "We want to provide exposure to our young people, so they will know the kinds of job opportunities that exist." Participating together as Team Flourish, the six winners were Dallas area high school students: Caleb Cox,15, Gabriel Crutchfield, 18, Savannah Crutchfield, 17, Katelyn Demars, 15, Ju-Sky Dunn, 14, and Alan Samineedi, 16. The team, who competed against four other top groups, developed an app to help people suffering from mental illness get the help they need. "I actually didn't even know what engineering was until I joined," said Caleb Cox of Cedar Hill. "But now that the program is over and we won, I think I might give engineering a try. I really liked how Goldman Sachs ran the program!" The winners will be invited to attend a Dallas Mavericks game, where they will watch the action on the court compliments of Goldman Sachs. At the kick-off event on June 6, Chairman T.D. Jakes told students, "This is a bridge I want you to cross and have a good time crossing over it. It's going to change your life." In addition to the 'Hackathon' competition, STEAM Academy students participated in a Q&A session with Goldman Sachs Co-Chief Information Officer George Lee, who explained how important STEAM skills will be to achieving success in the 21st century workforce. "Regardless of your career, your job is going to become a tech job," Lee said. "If you want to build code and write softwarethat's awesomeif not, you still need to know how this world works. The language of tech is going to make you successful no matter what you do." "We are honored to be presenting STEAM Academy again," said Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. "Over the past three years, we have seen the immense and life-changing impact this program has on the students who go through it, and it's a privilege to partner with T.D. Jakes Foundation on yet another innovative experience." For more information about STEAM Academy, please visit: https://tdjfoundation.org/steam-academy/ About T.D. Jakes Foundation Founded by Chairman T.D. Jakes in 2020, T.D. Jakes Foundation (TDJF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building bridges to opportunity for underserved populations in the United States and around the world. The Foundation aims to create a generational legacy of success for those it serves by providing access to the skills and resources needed for success in the modern workplace and forging partnerships with private companies, nonprofits, and public organizations to amplify the impact of every initiative. Building on Chairman Jakes' 45 years of connecting diverse communities across socio-economic divides, TDJF is focused on uplifting communities, educating people of all ages on STEAM subjects, and connecting corporations to new, highly-skilled pools of talent amid increasing global competition. For more information, visit: www.tdjfoundation.org. Contact Jill Goldsberry JConnelly [email protected] 201-898-0142 SOURCE T.D. Jakes Foundation The selected firm will collect and review relevant reports and publications; perform an analysis of the findings and key data, including missing data; and draft a final report to present to the TEDCO leadership team and Board members. The final report will consider the impact of Maryland's current economic development strategy and actions and include recommendations ensuring Maryland's long-term leadership in building an inclusive, advanced, technology-based, innovation and entrepreneurial culture across the State. "TEDCO would use the final report to begin a statewide strategic planning process around its goals, including making Maryland a top-ten, fastest-growing innovation economy by 2033 and a top ten global innovation economy by 2050," said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO CEO. Interested applicants will respond to a detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) which can be found here . The goal of this RFP is to receive proposals from potential firms, evaluate those submittals, and select the one best suited to provide the services detailed in the RFP. TEDCO anticipates spending between $80,000 and $120,000 for the services. The deadline for submissions is 5:00 p.m. on August 1, 2022. The firm will be selected on August 31, 2022 and deliver the final written report to TEDCO by December 30, 2022. Minority business enterprises, as defined in Section 14-301(f) of the State Finance and Procurement Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, are encouraged to respond to this RFP. TEDCO's Work and Vision TEDCO has a portfolio of more than 400 seed investments since 1998 through several funding, mentoring, and education programs. TEDCO's six largest funding programs collectively resulted in $2.3 billion in economic activity and over 10,400 Maryland jobs as of 2021. The organization has an ambitious vision: TEDCO will be the recognized national leader for supporting translational research, and technology-based, economic, and entrepreneurial development while being the hub of Maryland's innovation ecosystem. TEDCO is a technology-based economic development (TBED) organization. It was created in 1998 by the Maryland State Legislature to facilitate the transfer and commercialization of technology from Maryland's research universities and federal labs into the marketplace, and to assist in the creation and growth of technology-based businesses in the State. Over the past 24 years, the organization has evolved into an organization with three major areas of focus: technology advancement, investments, and entrepreneurial & ecosystem support. TEDCO is, among other things, a resource for mentoring, funding, and networking for entrepreneurs and start-ups that need guidance as they bring innovative concepts to market. It is more than an early-stage funding resource; it is also a hub of Maryland's entrepreneurial network where start-ups find mentors, organization assistance, facilities for daily operations, and a roadmap for success. About TEDCO TEDCO , the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com . Media Contact Tammi Thomas Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, TEDCO [email protected] SOURCE TEDCO Organic Maple Kush now available in ON, AB, SK, MB, QC, NS, and NL. now available in ON, AB, SK, MB, QC, NS, and NL. Distribution in more than 1000 stores across Ontario and Alberta and increasing weekly and and increasing weekly Expanding Organic Maple Kush product line with launch of Pre-Roll SKU August 2022 TORONTO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "TGOD") (CSE: TGOD) (OTC: TGODF), a sustainable global cannabis company, celebrates entry into the 2nd half of the year with rapid distribution growth of dried flower SKU, Organic Maple Kush. Organic Maple Kush is a 3.5g dried flower SKU from The Green Organic Dutchman, and after initial release earlier this year, sales of the SKU have expanded into many provinces. Organic Maple Kush flower is grown under a certified organic process, in living soil, and gets its name from the organic maple syrup used to feed the soil it grows in. It's known for having dense buds with dark purple leaves that bring with it a tropical, fruity, kush-like finish, a result of Myrcene and Farnesene terpenes that dominate this strains aroma and flavour. Since launch, Maple Kush has been a popular Indica for both retail stores and consumers with many retail customers asking for it by name. As a strain, Organic Maple Kush boasts consistent THC of 25%-29% and very high Terpene levels between 3.5%-4.5%. Due to popular demand and strong retail feedback, TGOD will now offer Organic Maple Kush in the pre-roll category as a 3 X 0.5g SKU starting this Summer. To celebrate the growth of Organic Maple Kush as a top dried flower strain, many retailers will be featuring the SKU as "The Quintessential Canadian Dried Flower Product" as part of Canada Day celebrations with various promotions and activations. Participating retail chains include True North Cannabis, The Cannabist Shop, Cannabis Xpress, Bud Bar, 420Premium, and One Plant locations. "There are few things as Canadian as maple syrup, and enjoying this unique product is a great way to celebrate Canada Day. Our proprietary living soil contains natural ingredients sourced from different regions across Canada, including organic maple syrup from the maple forests of Quebec" said Sean Bovingdon, CEO of TGOD. "Organic maple syrup is food for the beneficial micro-organisms that thrive in our living soil. Rather than synthetic alternatives, a natural approach helps make a stronger, better plant for our customers." Bovingdon added. About The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TGOD) (USOTC: TGODF) is a sustainable, global cannabis company with a focus on innovation, quality, consistency, integrity and transparency. By leveraging science and technology, TGOD harnesses the power of nature from seed to sale. The Company is committed to cultivating a better tomorrow by producing its products responsibly, with less waste and impact on the environment. In Canada, TGOD serves the recreational market with a brand portfolio including The Green Organic Dutchman, Highly Dutch Organics, Ripple by TGOD and Cruuzy brands, 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. TGOD'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 Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "TGOD", "TGOD.WS", "TGOD.WR", "TGOD.WA", and "TGOD.WB" respectively. TGOD'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 net revenue and gross margin, statements about future Adjusted EBITDA, statements about future production quantity and timing, statements about the offering of any particular products by the Company and statements regarding the future performance of the Company, statements about future development, growth and delivery of products, and statements about the level of demand for TGOD's products. 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. BLUE BELL, Pa., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Columbus Organization, a member of the CareSource family of companies, and the nation's largest provider of care coordination services for individuals living with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and complex health concerns, today announced the launch of a revolutionary approach to coordinating care for complex lives. Leveraging the strengths of the proprietary ACHIEVE Analytics data capture platform, The Columbus Organization is better able to predict which individuals are at greater risk of negative health outcomes and require immediate attention from the provider community. By then further leveraging the advantages of SharePoint and communication across its entire clinical system, each of the nearly 500 Support Coordinators has the ability to call upon a team of experts in complex care for this population, to quickly improve their well-being and help them achieve their most meaningful life. The growing prevalence of co-morbid conditions in the IDD population has necessitated novel strategies to reduce multi-dimensional risk while improving health outcomes. According to a recent study published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry (https://bit.ly/39kJDMo) as well as a metanalysis conducted at the University of Hertfordshire (https://bit.ly/3xo8vKV), approximately 30-50% of individuals with IDD may have co-existing psychiatric disorders. The studies also showed at least double the rates of polypharmacy as well as significantly increased rates for conditions like cancer, diabetes, and obesity in this population. Melissa Richards, PhD, LBA, BCBA-D, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations for The Columbus Organization, commented, "We see complex care as a real-time, person-centered, data-driven approach that requires interdisciplinary care teams and cross-sector partnerships to achieve optimal outcomes. Our innovative complex care management is a comprehensive operational model that includes integrated data analytics, rigorous selection of care coordinators, a unique approach to onboarding, training on co-morbid conditions ranging from depression & anxiety to HIV & asthma, and a state-of-the-art evolution in social/physical/behavioral processes and tools." While many organizations have line-of-sight to either retrospective data or real-time qualitative analysis of the consumer, The Columbus Organization has created a unique way to integrate community-based, face-to-face assessment with critical medical and behavioral event observations and data, pioneering the future of complex health care coordination. The Columbus Organization recently presented greater detail on this novel approach to coordinating care for complex populations at the recent Open Minds Strategies and Innovation Institute conference held June 14-16, 2022. About The Columbus Organization For 38+ years, The Columbus Organization has been a national leader and pioneer in care coordination specifically for individuals living with intellectual/developmental disabilities, behavioral concerns, or complex care needs. Having served over 100,000 families, the company continues to be at the forefront of innovation, developing and implementing revolutionary outcomes-based models for early identification and holistic management of health risks among individuals with intellectual, developmental, behavioral, medical, and/or complex care needs. In addition to its team of almost 500 highly-experienced care coordinators, dedicated Quality Assurance division, and unparalleled national infrastructure, Columbus is also a recognized leader in clinical staffing and quality improvement services for organizations that serve the behavioral health community. The company delivers an unmatched depth of expertise, breadth of resources, diversity of thinking, and dedication to ensuring everyone can achieve their meaningful-life goals through transformative approaches to healthcare. For more, visit www.ColumbusOrg.com, follow @TheColumbusOrg on Twitter, like The Columbus Organization on Facebook, or follow The Columbus Organization on LinkedIn. About CareSource CareSource is a nonprofit, multi-state health plan recognized as a national leader in managed care. Founded in 1989, CareSource administers one of the nation's largest Medicaid managed care plans and offers a lifetime of access to care through health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare Advantage and dual-eligible programs. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CareSource serves 2 million members in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. CareSource is also a partner in CareSource PASSE, which serves Arkansans with complex behavioral health and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and is transforming health care with industry-leading programs that improve the health and well-being of our members. For more, visit www.caresource.com, follow @caresource on Twitter, or like CareSource on Facebook. SOURCE The Columbus Organization Missouri to connect statewide finance and HR systems by moving to the cloud, increasing productivity, reducing costs, and improving employee experience VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mythics has been selected as the partner to support the State of Missouri's decision to move to Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite. The state will use Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM) to connect its statewide finance and HR systems, eliminating duplicative systems and standardizing processes. This will in turn, help improve transparency, reduce repetitive manual work, and increase efficiency across departments. "The State of Missouri is looking forward to partnering with Mythics and Oracle for its new ERP solution after a thorough procurement process," said Stacy Neal, Director of Accounting, State of Missouri's Office of Administration. "Mythics and Oracle both have a long history and have demonstrated success in state government providing the ideal partnership to begin our modernization journey." The state chose Oracle Fusion Applications after a thorough review of available solutions. In a scoring assessment of Oracle, SAP, Workday, Infor, and other solutions, Oracle Cloud ERP and Oracle Cloud HCM scored the highest in both software and hosting capabilities. Now, the state can utilize a cloud-based solution to deliver more modern functionalities while reducing the administrative burden of system fixes and upgrades, and improving alignment across state agencies. With the help of Mythics, Missouri expects to eliminate data silos to improve reporting, access to information across departments, and proactive decision-making with Oracle Fusion Applications. In addition, Missouri and Mythics will improve IT security with Oracle's consistent, automatic patching and benefit from the delivery of hundreds of new features every 90 days. "Mythics is honored to support The State of Missouri with the replacement of its legacy statewide administration system with a full suite of Oracle Fusion Applications," says Mythics Sector President, Doug Altamura. "Mythics has a proven track record of helping the Public Sector solve large and complex business and IT challenges. We look forward to supporting the State with this important digital transformation initative and realize the benefits of Oracle's solutions." "Government agencies are always looking to achieve more with limited resources; the more mundane and duplicative tasks that can be tackled by technology, the more resources can be dedicated to higher value work," said Gene Casciola, senior vice president of healthcare, higher education, and public sector at Oracle. "Using Oracle Cloud ERP and Oracle Cloud HCM, Missouri will benefit from a modern, integrated system to improve efficiencies across the state's agencies and free up resources to support their constituents." To learn more about how you can transform and modernize your state's digital infrastructure, reach out to the experts at Mythics by emailing [email protected]. A bout Mythics, Inc. Mythics is an award-winning Oracle systems integrator, consulting firm, managed services provider and member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork representing Oracle product lines across cloud, software, support, hardware, engineered systems and appliances. Mythics delivers technology solutions serving the Federal Government, State and Local Governments, Commercial, Higher Education, Utilities and Healthcare sectors and is a trusted partner to organizations worldwide. For more information or to place an order, contact Mythics at 866-698-4427; email [email protected] or visit https://www.mythics.com or @mythics on LinkedIn and Twitter. SOURCE Mythics, Inc. PHOENIX, JUNE 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Trust, a premier network for women entrepreneurs who generate $1M+ annually, has announced that the Special Guest Advisor for its Official Fall Meeting will be Paige Adams-Geller, founder and creative director of PAIGE. Twice per year, The Trust hosts exclusive member meetings featuring advisors who are female founders of ultra-successful ventures and iconic brands. Adams-Geller will be sharing her business insights with the members of The Trust all entrepreneurs generating revenues within the 7-8 figure range. Her journey began in LA, where her entrepreneurial spirit took her from working as one of the top fit models in the industry to launching her namesake premium denim collection in 2004. The move made her the first female founder in the denim industry. With the help of her leadership and vision, the brand quickly expanded to men's and lifestyle and now is sold in over 80 countries worldwide. "Paige's true passion in life is inspiring and empowering others," said Ali Brown, founder + CEO of The Trust. "The first pair of premium denim jeans I ever bought were from PAIGE, back in 2006. As I've gotten to know her and her story over the last several years, I knew she would make an impactful guest for our members not only for the savvy business moves she's made in growing PAIGE, but for the impactful leader she's become." Adams-Geller shared: "Empowering women and lifting up others are the most important things to me, which is why I'm excited to speak for members of The Trust. I've learned so much since I started PAIGE, from how to build and manage my dream team, to honing in on the mission and vision of the brand, to international business and retail expansion. I'm honored to have the opportunity to share my story with such a strong community of women." The Official Fall Member Meeting of The Trust will be held in Phoenix, AZ on October 4+5, 2022. About The Trust: Founded by award-winning entrepreneur mentor Ali Brown, The Trust is the modern, premier network for women generating revenues in the 7-8+ figures. Via both online and in-person programming, members are connected with a community of vetted peers as well as high-level guest advisors typically female founders of $100M+ ventures. Visit www.JoinTheTrust.org . Media Contact: Alexandria Brown +14695344994 [email protected] SOURCE The Trust DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market (2022-2027) by Product, Application, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market is estimated to be USD 2.34 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 4.54 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.16%. Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals. As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks. Company Profiles The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Amgen, BASF, Becton Dickinson and Company, CeQur, DCA Design International, E3D Elcam Drug Delivery Devices, Enable Injections, Gerresheimer, Insulet, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Neuma, Schott, Sonceboz, Stevanato, Tandem Diabetes Care Valeritas, West Pharmaceutical Services, YPSomed, etc. Countries Studied America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas) , , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe ) ( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA) and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific ) Competitive Quadrant The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Ansoff Analysis The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach. The report analyses the Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position. Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth. Why buy this report? The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies. The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry. The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report. The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies. The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool. Key Topics Covered: 1 Report Description 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.1.1 Rise in Prevalence of Chronic Disorders Which Require the Use of Ultra-Large Volume Wearable Injectors for Treatment 4.1.2 Surge in Adoption of Ultra-Large Volume Wearable Injectors Across the Globe 4.1.3 Benefits Associated with the Use of Ultra-Large Volume Wearable Injectors 4.2 Restraints 4.2.1 High Cost of Ultra-Large Volume Wearable Injectors 4.3 Opportunities 4.3.1 Presence of Products in the Development Phase 4.4 Challenges 4.4.1 Preference for Alternative Drug Delivery Modes 4.4.2 Low Adoption in Emerging Economies 5 Market Analysis 5.1 Regulatory Scenario 5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis 6 Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market, By Product 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Electromechanical Wearable Injectors 6.3 Others 7 Global Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market, By Application 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Diabetes 7.3 Cancer 7.4 Others 8 Americas' Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Argentina 8.3 Brazil 8.4 Canada 8.5 Chile 8.6 Colombia 8.7 Mexico 8.8 Peru 8.9 United States 8.10 Rest of Americas 9 Europe's Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Austria 9.3 Belgium 9.4 Denmark 9.5 Finland 9.6 France 9.7 Germany 9.8 Italy 9.9 Netherlands 9.10 Norway 9.11 Poland 9.12 Russia 9.13 Spain 9.14 Sweden 9.15 Switzerland 9.16 United Kingdom 9.17 Rest of Europe 10 Middle East and Africa's Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Egypt 10.3 Israel 10.4 Qatar 10.5 Saudi Arabia 10.6 South Africa 10.7 United Arab Emirates 10.8 Rest of MEA 11 APAC's Ultra large Volume Wearable Injectors Market 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Australia 11.3 Bangladesh 11.4 China 11.5 India 11.6 Indonesia 11.7 Japan 11.8 Malaysia 11.9 Philippines 11.10 Singapore 11.11 South Korea 11.12 Sri Lanka 11.13 Thailand 11.14 Taiwan 11.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Competitive Quadrant 12.2 Market Share Analysis 12.3 Strategic Initiatives 12.3.1 M&A and Investments 12.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations 12.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements 13 Company Profiles 13.1 Amgen 13.2 BASF 13.3 Becton Dickinson and Company 13.4 CeQur 13.5 DCA Design International 13.6 E3D Elcam Drug Delivery Devices 13.7 Enable Injections 13.8 Gerresheimer 13.9 Insulet 13.10 Johnson & Johnson 13.11 Medtronic 13.12 Neuma 13.13 Schott 13.14 Sonceboz 13.15 Stevanato 13.16 Tandem Diabetes Care Valeritas 13.17 West Pharmaceutical Services 13.18 YPSomed 14 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7msrn2 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 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets For the Pacific regions, drier conditions will start to develop in conjunction with warmer temperatures. In the Northwest, warmer weather may take longer to really settle in, but the heat of the summer should follow the high rainfall in the region that has been occurring since spring. On the Atlantic side of the country, warm air from the central United States will push into cool air closer to the coast, resulting in increased humidity and rainfall. "These large-scale shifts in regional weather will support larger mosquito populations in areas where rain follows hot weather," commented Dr. McMillan. "Mosquitoes will come out of hiding when the humidity increases. Watch for mosquito populations to explode once rain brings relief to areas in need of a good soak!" Working with meteorologists, entomologists, and forecasting data from AccuWeather.com, Thermacell uses a mosquito pressure index that predicts mosquito activity at a local level. The index ranks mosquito pressure on a 1-to-10 scale, with one indicating moderate pressure and 10 indicating extremely high pressure. Thermacell is predicting extreme levels of mosquito activity for these 10 metropolitan areas for the holiday weekend: JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. JACKSON, Miss. - Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. NEW ORLEANS Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. COLUMBUS, Ohio Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. LITTLE ROCK, Ark . - Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. WICHITA, Kan. - Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. PHILADELPHIA - Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. NEW YORK - Level 10: Weather is favorable for an extreme level of mosquito activity. Key environmental factors for forecasting mosquito activity are precipitation and temperature. Rainfall and flooding stimulate the development of the eggs of many mosquito species. At the same time, warmer temperatures speed up the time it takes mosquitoes to become adults. To keep mosquitoes from joining your summer parties, Dr. McMillan recommends using an area repellent to keep mosquitoes away. Thermacell technology uses heat to diffuse highly effective repellent into the air creating a zone of mosquito protection. This zone creates an invisible, scent-free barrier to keep mosquitoes away up to 20-feet from the repeller so you can enjoy the first weekend of summer without mosquitoes. About Thermacell Repellents, Inc. Thermacell Repellents, Inc., headquartered in Bedford, MA, designs, manufactures, and markets area mosquito repellent and insect control solutions. Thermacell can be found at most outdoor, sporting goods, home improvement, and mass merchant retailers. Thermacell products are also available internationally in more than 30 countries. For more information on Thermacell and its complete line of repellent products, consumer reviews, and store locations, visit www.thermacell.com. About AccuWeather AccuWeather is recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world and serves more than 1.5 billion people globally to help them plan their lives and get more from their day through our award-winning and popular AccuWeather app, accuweather.com and other digital and media platforms. SOURCE Thermacell SUZHOU, China, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it was selected to present the preclinical data of TST004 at the 2022 ISN Frontiers Meetings of Complement-Related Kidney Diseases in Bergamo, Italy. TST004 is a humanized mAb targeting mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) and designed to prevent the inflammation and tissue damage mediated by lectin pathway complement activation. MASP2, mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2, is a key enzyme in the lectin pathway initiation of complement activation. Studies have shown that lectin pathway activation contributes to multiple human diseases such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), hematopoietic stem-cell transplantationassociated thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA). Therefore, inhibition of MASP2 might be a potential treatment approach for diseases related to lectin pathway activation. Dr. Xueming Qian presented the poster which highlighted the following preclinical data: TST004 binds to MASP2 selectively in high affinity. TST004 showed more potent in vitro and in vivo blocking activities for the MASP2 dependent lectin complement pathway than benchmark. TST004 displayed more prolonged target inhibition than benchmark in Cyno monkey PK/PD study. TST004 displayed excellent tolerability and safety profiles in NHP in single and repeated dose toxicity studies following subcutaneous administration. TST004 is to be delivered as subcutaneous injection which could provide significant advantage over IV-infusion based delivery utilized by benchmark antibody being studied in clinical trial. "IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a disease highly prevalent globally and an area with high unmet medical needs. The preclinical data provide a compelling scientific rationale for TST004 to be further evaluated as a potential treatment for complement dependent diseases such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA)." said Dr. Xueming Qian, CEO of Transcenta. "We are working to advance TST004 into clinical development, hoping that it can benefit more patients with critical unmet medical needs." About TST004 TST004 is a humanized mAb targeting mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) and designed to prevent the lectin pathway complement-mediated inflammation. Transcenta discovered and developed TST004 in-house and plan to develop TST004 for IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a highly prevalent chronic kidney disease with very limited treatment options. TST004 also has therapeutic potential in a number of other indications, such as thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), representing significant market potential. About Transcenta Holding Limited Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing. Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China and in Princeton, US, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing ten therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders. For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly. These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions. Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect. SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TMF Group, a leading provider of compliance and administrative services, has today launched the ninth edition of its Global Business Complexity Index (GBCI). The comprehensive report analyses 77 jurisdictions, accounting for 92% of the world's total GDP and 95% of net global FDI flows, by comparing 292 annually tracked indicators, offering data on key aspects of doing business, including incorporation timelines, payroll and benefits, rules, regulations, tax rates, and other compliance factors. The study confirms that the US, Denmark and Hong Kong are still among the top 10 easiest jurisdictions when it comes to doing business. They are joined by the UK (68th position vs 53rd place in 2021), and Jersey, now in the 72nd place. At the top of the rankings are the Cayman Islands (77th) and Curacao (76th). The UK has ranked in the ten least complex countries for the first time. The ranking does not relate to trade barriers and any Brexit impacts that now apply. Its position is driven by a simple approach to business incorporation: there is no requirement for resident directors and set up can be achieved in as little as a day, meaning that international businesses can start full operations with ease. The UK is set to remain attractive in the future to compete with its European neighbours. One advantage to operating in the jurisdiction is a highly skilled talent base that is accustomed to working internationally and for foreign businesses. The US maintains its ranking among the simplest jurisdictions. A key driver of simplicity is that the government actively looks to make it business friendly: in recent years corporate tax rates were reduced in an effort to increase investment. Thanks to its skilled workforce and clear global reach, the US will remain one of the most attractive jurisdictions for foreign businesses. At the other end of the spectrum, Brazil once again tops the rankings as the most complex jurisdiction globally, followed by France. Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Turkey and Poland are still in the 10 least business friendly jurisdictions and are joined by countries where complexity has increased over the past 12 months: Italy (8th position versus 15th in 2021), Greece (6th vs 13th) and Peru (3rd vs 24th). Key drivers of complexity in Brazil are the volume of regulatory changes each year, as well as the three layers of tax regimes to comply with federal, state and municipality. Incorporating new companies, at 45 days much longer than most other countries, is a barrier as businesses deal with the three layers of regulation. TMF Group CEO Mark Weil said: "We hope that the report will help investors pick and manage their destinations with greater confidence. Our message isn't to avoid investing in complex jurisdictions as these are often among the most attractive for talent and customer opportunities. Rather it is to invest with eyes open and ready to manage the rules that might otherwise put your licence to trade at risk". Moreover, the report identifies key themes shaping the global business landscape and regulatory environment. Emerging from Covid-19 The study reveals that some of the measures put in place such as tax exemptions, increasing employee rights and the acceleration of digital reporting are in the process of being reversed to pre-pandemic status. Property tax payments on business premises reduced in frequency during the peak of the crisis. However, in 2022, 14% of jurisdictions require some or all companies to pay the tax at least every three months, compared to 9% of jurisdictions in 2021 On the HR (human resources) and payroll side, the trend for remote working has increased, to the point where it's legal or standard in most industries in 31% of jurisdictions, compared to 10% of 2020. The rise of remote working does have tax implications, however. Certain HR-related benefits such health insurance (58%), childcare assistance (31%) and housing/social care contributions (27%) have increased compared to previous years. Companies are also required to submit reports and information related to equality, covering areas such as gender pay gap and disabilities, in more jurisdictions up to 26% in 2022 from 9% in 2020. Compliance and the flow of FDI The report highlights a simultaneous growth in both complexity and the flow of FDI. Experts in a larger percentage of jurisdictions (34% in 2022 vs 28% in 2021) are predicting an increase in FDI over the next five years, reflecting post-pandemic optimism at investment opportunities. Technology continues to play a role in both increasing and curtailing complexity. Digital literacy is an important factor, with 16% of jurisdictions automatically notifying all the relevant authorities following incorporation. For businesses seeking to incorporate and operate across borders alignment is key, allowing them to operate similarly across multiple jurisdictions. Adoption of international standards such as CRS (86% of jurisdictions in 2022 vs 82% in 2020) and FATCA (82% vs. 76%) has been growing, reflecting a steady global move towards transparency. ESG on the rise ESG is becoming more of a focus for business globally. However, despite the increase in interest, legal enforcement of ESG practices is only in place for around 50% of the jurisdictions. This is especially the case outside the EU, demonstrating a lack of international alignment. The impact of ESG is therefore difficult to measure. ESG is on the rise globally, with jurisdictions such as France leading the way for many years. However, many governments are at an early stage of their engagement by starting to look at adopting environmental initiatives and guidelines. Top and bottom ten (1= most complex, 77= least complex) 1 Brazil 2 France 3 Peru 4 Mexico 5 Colombia 6 Greece 7 Turkey 8 Italy 9 Bolivia 10 Poland 68 United Kingdom 69 Norway 70 New Zealand 71 United States 72 Jersey 73 British Virgin Islands 74 Hong Kong 75 Denmark 76 Curacao 77 Cayman Islands About TMF Group TMF Group is a leading provider of critical administrative services, helping clients invest and operate safely around the world. Our 9,100 experts and 120 offices in 85 jurisdictions worldwide serve corporates, financial institutions, asset managers, private clients and family offices, providing the combination of accounting, tax, payroll, fund administration, compliance and entity management services essential to global business success. We work with 60% of the Fortune Global 500 and FTSE 100, and almost half the top 300 private equity firms, covering sectors as diverse as capital markets, private equity, real estate, pharmaceuticals, energy and technology. TMF Group we make a complex world simple. www.tmf-group.com SOURCE TMF Group Union's Social Justice Dinner features Richard Blanco CINCINNATI, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, July 11, 2022, Union Institute & University's Ph.D. Program in Interdisciplinary Studies presents the 23rd Residency Conference entitled "Ecologies of Hope and Change: Confronting Environmental Injustice from Climate to the Classroom and Beyond." Like time, there never seems to be enough hope, and the conference works to create more of it. Union's current students and alumni will confront injustice in order to bring hope and change. Presenters and participants synthesize the knowledge and find new ways of thinking about their own research topic, in a true interdisciplinary style. The conference will end with Union's annual Social Justice dinner, featuring the poet, Richard Blanco. Blanco wears many hats: presidential inaugural poet, memoirist, public speaker, educator, and advocate. He invites communities to connect by engaging with the heart of the human experience and, specifically, Blanco identifies the shared identities within the United States. In the spirit of seeking answers, Blanco describes the core of our nation through poems that "interrogate our past and present, grieve our injustices, and note our flaws, but also remember to celebrate our ideals and cling to our hopes." Join Union's Board of Trustees, staff, faculty, students, and alumni in welcoming Richard Blanco to Cincinnati. Tickets required: https://uiu.ce21.com/item/alumni-registration-uiu-phd-conference-day-social-justice-dinner-477835 About Union Institute & University Founded in 1964, Union Institute & University is a pioneer in educating adults through distance learning. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Union Institute & University offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs and certificates designed for adults seeking to make a difference in their own lives and within their communities. The university offers specialized online and low residency degree programs with high-touch faculty attention, designed for students regardless of where they live and work. Union's flexible delivery models emphasize relevant and transformative coursework taught by a national faculty of scholar-practitioners. Union graduates including two dozen college presidents, in addition to other leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, members of the United States Congress, and the first female prime minister of Jamaica promote Union's legacy of utilizing education to transform lives and communities. To learn more about Union Institute & University, visit www.myunion.edu or call 1-800-861-6400. SOURCE Union Institute & University Microsoft recognized Uptake for making industrial data available for enterprise analytics possible at scale CHICAGO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Uptake , a leader in industrial intelligence, announced today that it has been named a finalist for the 2022 Microsoft Energy & Sustainability Partner of the Year Award. Microsoft selected the company among a global field of top partners for demonstrating excellence in the development and implementation of customer solutions. Uptake Fusion was recognized for its ability to unlock industrial data by moving and normalizing enterprise datastreams in Microsoft Azure for real-time decisions. "We're honored to be recognized as a finalist for this award. Uptake's strategic relationship with Microsoft is a testament to the value of enabling energy companies to generate business value and enterprise reporting from their data," said Kayne Grau, CEO, Uptake. "We look forward to continuing to advance digital transformation and sustainability initiatives with the Microsoft tools our customers are using each day." Uptake Fusion enables asset-intensive operations, including energy and utilities , to prepare data in the cloud for analytics. By connecting to underlying operational technology (OT) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and then integrating with datasets like SAP, IBM, and Oracle, Uptake Fusion prepares contextualized industrial data for authorized first- and third-party consumers. Energy companies like Chevron and Capital Power are using Uptake Fusion to automate the integration of data in their Microsoft Azure environment. Once data is available in their own or Uptake's Azure cloud, data consumers can unlock real-time visibility and decision support. Industrial intelligence use cases like AI/ML, digital twins, connected worker applications, and sustainability reporting are possible at scale, including through Microsoft tools like Power BI, Uptake Radar , and preferred third-party applications. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees, and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact on their customers." The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognizes Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services, and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually before the company's global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire , which will take place on July 19-20 this year. The complete list of categories, winners, and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards can be found at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/inspire/awards . ABOUT UPTAKE Uptake provides industrial intelligence software-as-a-service (SaaS), translating data into smarter operations. Driven by unified data management and industrial data science, Uptake enables and delivers actionable insights that predict asset failure, advance ESG initiatives, mitigate catastrophic risk, optimize maintenance strategy, and protect operator safety. With 48 patents and recognition by Gartner, Verdantix, the World Economic Forum, CNBC, and Forbes, Uptake is based in Chicago, with an office in Mississauga, Ontario, and has a presence around the world. To stay up-to-date on what we're doing, visit us at www.uptake.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram . CONTACT Uptake [email protected] , + 1 312-242-2167 SOURCE Uptake Edition: 6; Released: January 2022 Executive Pool: 403 Companies: 43 - Players covered include American Elements; BBI Solutions; Blacktrace Holdings Ltd.; Cline Scientific AB; Cytodiagnostics Inc.; Eprui Nanoparticles & Microspheres Co. Ltd.; Hongwu International Group Ltd.; Meliorum Technologies, Inc.; MilliporeSigma; Nano Labs; nanoComposix; Nanocs Inc.; Nanopartz Inc.; Nanoshel LLC; Nanostructured & Amorphous Materials, Inc.; Particular GmbH; PlasmaChem GmbH; QuantumSphere, Inc.; Seashell Technology, LLC.; SkySpring Nanomaterials, Inc.; Strem Chemicals, Inc.; Tanaka Holdings Co., Ltd.; Us Research Nanomaterials, Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: End-use industry (Pharmaceutical & healthcare, Electrical & electronics, Catalyst, Other End-use Industries) 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 Metal Nanoparticles Market to Reach $36 Billion by 2026 Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Metal Nanoparticles estimated at US$16 Billion, is projected to reach a revised size of US$36 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.2% over the analysis period. Pharmaceutical & healthcare, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 15% CAGR and reach US$25 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 Electrical & electronics segment is readjusted to a revised 13.7% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $4.9 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $7.9 Billion by 2026 The Metal Nanoparticles market in the U.S. is estimated at US$4.9 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$7.9 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 18.6% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 10% and 12.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 11.2% CAGR. Catalyst Segment to Reach US$5.4 Billion by the year 2026 In the global Catalyst segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 12.3% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$1.9 Billion will reach a projected size of US$4.3 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. 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./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media [email protected] SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. CRANBURY, N.J., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Visionet Systems announced today it has won the 2022 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. "Visionet specializes in transforming the end-consumer buying journey in a personalized and simplified manner through modern technologies," said Ali Zubairy, Senior Vice President, Digital and Head of Europe and UKI of Visionet Systems. "Our current offerings take a holistic approach that allows us to connect customers in both physical and digital channels across commerce, services, and marketing. We are honored to have received this award for our aligned efforts with Microsoft to create cross-channel customer experiences for our clients across the B2B and B2C domains." The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Visionet Systems was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce Partner of the Year Award category. The Dynamics 365 Commerce Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce. As the winner, Visionet Systems demonstrated consistent, high-quality, and predictable service to Microsoft customers through Catapult , a comprehensive, multi-tier commerce implementation solution designed to enable rapid e-commerce adoption leveraging Microsoft technologies packaged with Visionet accelerators. The Visionet team also successfully demonstrated business leadership and consistent customer success, with significant growth in new customer additions and cloud revenue while maintaining and expanding their existing customer base. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees, and I am continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers." Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually prior to the company's global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, which will take place on July 19-20 this year. Additional details on the 2022 awards are available on the Microsoft Partner Network blog: https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn/congratulations-to-the-2022-microsoft-partner-of-the year-awards-winners-and-finalists/ . The complete list of categories, winners and finalists can be found at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/inspire/awards . About Visionet Systems Visionet is a premier digital technology solutions company built on the premise of disruptive innovation. For over 27 years, our innovation-centric and engineering-first approach has unlocked digital-driven success to over 350+ global enterprises across CPG, Retail, Banking & Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Manufacturing & Distribution, and Life Sciences industries. Our strategic technological alliances with Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Adobe and AWS, as well as accolades like Microsoft Partner of the Year 2021 and EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, are a testament to our expertise in delivering seamless digital transition. To learn more, visit www.visionet.com . Media Contact Bolt Public Relations [email protected] SOURCE Visionet BETHESDA, Md., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. has been named one of The Washington Post's 2022 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area every year since the award's founding. Selection is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC. Walker & Dunlop has been named one of The Washington Posts 2022 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area. "The Post's Top Workplaces list is now in its ninth year and continues to highlight the companies in the Washington-area that employees deem to be leaders in company satisfaction and engagement," said Washington Post Top Workplaces editor Dion Haynes. "Each year, the leaders at these companies are commended for their leadership and collegiality, qualities which have increased in importance to employees with the last few years of heightened transition and change." "It is an honor to be named as a Top Workplace by The Washington Post once again. This award is in recognition of the collaborative and caring environment our employees cultivate each day," said Walker & Dunlop Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Paula Pryor. "The past year has continued to present challenges to our employees and in the ways we work together, and it means a great deal that our positive and collaborative culture continues to shine through during these unprecedented times. Our commitment to our culture is unwavering, and we remain focused on supporting our employees and their experiences at Walker & Dunlop every day." Walker & Dunlop's commitment to culture extends beyond the computer screen, as a recent investment in the company's new headquarters has resulted in a new back-to-work environment for nearly 270 employees in the Wilson Building, a premier high-rise building in Bethesda, MD. The space is a reflection of the company's brand, culture and community, tailored specifically to give employees the space in which they can collaborate and connect with each other. Get a glimpse inside our new headquarters here. At Walker & Dunlop, employees find their hard work recognized, their ambition matched by opportunity, and a place to build their future. Walker & Dunlop currently has over 35 job openings in the DMV area as well as more than 75 openings nationwide. Check out available opportunities here. About Walker & Dunlop Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is one of the largest providers of capital to the commercial real estate industry, enabling real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities where Americans live, work, shop and play to life. The power of our people, premier brand, and industry-leading technology makes us more insightful and valuable to our clients, providing an unmatched experience every step of the way. With more than 1,400 employees across every major U.S. market, Walker & Dunlop has consistently been named one of Fortune's Great Places to Work and is committed to making the commercial real estate industry more inclusive and diverse while creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities. About The Washington Post The Washington Post is an award-winning news leader whose mission is to connect, inform, and enlighten local, national and global readers with trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions. It combines world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools so readers can interact with The Post anytime, anywhere. About Energage, LLC Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage (formerly known as WorkplaceDynamics) is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 47,000 organizations representing well over 16 million employees in the United States. SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc. Coupons and other details to be shared on whitecastle.com, in social media and through Craver Nation in the White Castle app COLUMBUS, Ohio , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The arrival of summer means family gatherings, trips to the pool and hot deals from White Castle. The iconic hamburger chain has some craveable deals lined up for July and August including free food, discounted prices, and buy one, get one free (BOGO) offers that are sure to make summer even more enjoyable for those who crave White Castle. White Castle's 10-piece Chicken Rings are just $2.99 through August 28 ($3.99 in New York and New Jersey). This is just one of several craveable deals and special offers available through the summer. "Summer is a season of fun, and we're doing our part to help create memorable moments," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "Our special offers will deliver financial relief this summer while providing quality food that Cravers have come to expect and deserve." Some of the offers are available only to members of the Craver Nation customer loyalty program in the White Castle app. Craver Nation is free and simple to join. More information can be found at whitecastle.com/download-app. In addition to the special deals scheduled to run in the third quarter of 2022, White Castle is also offering its 10-piece Chicken Rings for $2.99 ($3.99 in Arizona) and introducing the Bacon Ranch Chicken Ring Slider, a new limited-time item made with two all-white meat chicken rings, crispy bacon, and zesty, creamy Hidden ValleyO Original RanchO. And if that's not enough, White Castle will be celebrating its nightly transformation from White Castle to "Night Castle." Night Castle soft drink cups, a specially designed Night Castle Crave Clutch, and brand-new Night Castle merchandise will remind Cravers that White Castle/Night Castle is the place to be for late-night fun and food. Special Offers (no coupon necessary) Occasion Offer Date Designated Driver Free small soft drink between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. for anyone who mentions the Designated Driver offer. Through July 4 Special Offers (available with coupons on White Castle's social media and/or website) Occasion Offer Date National Fried Chicken Day BOGO Crispy Chicken Slider, Chicken Ring Slider or Chicken & Waffles Slider July 6 National French Fries Day Free small French fries with any purchase July 13 National Cheesecake Day Free dessert on a stick with any purchase July 30 National Lazy Day $0 Delivery with orders of $20+ ($25+ East Coast) August 10 Offers for Craver Nation Members (available through Craver Nation in the White Castle app) Order type Offer Dates At Castle BOGO 1921 Slider June 18-July 23 At Castle Free 6-piece Chicken Rings with any purchase July 1-31 At Castle 2 Breakfast Sliders for $2 July 1-31 At Castle BOGO Veggie Sliders July 1-31 At Castle BOGO Breakfast Sliders (5 a.m. 10 a.m.) August 1-31 At Castle BOGO Impossible Sliders August 1-31 Late-Night Offers for Craver Nation Members (available 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. through Craver Nation in the White Castle app) Order type Offer Dates Mobile $5 off a Crave Case July 1-31 Mobile A sack of fries for $1 August 1-31 At Castle 3-piece cheese sticks for $1 August 1-31 About White Castle White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time," is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com. SOURCE White Castle Retail space, lounge area, and private tasting room to serve the finest wines and spirits while offering effortless decadence MIAMI, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Maison Mura, downtown Miami's upcoming sophisticated venue for wine and spirits, is slated to open Fall 2022 at 333 SE 3rd Avenue. Maison MURA will serve and offer for sale an extensive selection of premium wine and spirits, as well as a refined food menu, all carefully curated by owners and long-time friends Matthieu Yamoum, the former Wine Director of New York's Baccarat Hotel, and Philippe Vasilescu, the former Brand Ambassador for the prestigious LOUIS XIII Cognac de Remy Martin. Both share extensive and complementary experiences in the fine wine and spirits industry and have been working for over 2 years on this project to bring this bespoke experience to Miami. Matthieu Yamoum and Philippe Vasilescu outside of the Maison MURA future storefront Maison MURA interior rendering "At Maison MURA, we love what we do and are excited to offer our guests in Miami a comprehensive wine list and menu that is thoughtful and provides a tailored and memorable experience whatever the occasion is! We will always strive to offer a truly personalized service and consistently propose the finest expertise available to all of our clients," says Vasilescu. "Our passion is meant to be shared every day and the only missing part of all our current ventures was to have our very own place instead of always hosting at different places! From the moment you enter Maison MURA, we want you to feel at home" said Yamoum. Although open to all, Maison MURA also offers a membership limited to 150 clients who get priority access to exclusive events, tastings with the world's top winemakers and invitations to special events and experiencesnot only in Miami but all over the world. Other perks include early access to pre-sold and "en primeur" wines that are nearly impossible to secure, priority reservations of the private room to host events and priority storage at their upcoming warehouse of any wines and spirits that you will buy through the shop. Membership can only be secured through Matthieu or Philippe. ABOUT MATTHIEU YAMOUM Matthieu Yamoum's love for wine began in his childhood city Reims, located in the Champagne region of France. Today his experience spans almost fifteen years within the hospitality industry forging strong relationships with winemakers, hotel and restaurant executives and avid wine collectors that share a deep passion for fine wine and champagne. Yamoum was formerly the Wine Director of Baccarat Hotel New York and in October 2020, he released the champagne Cuvee "Essentiel By '' in partnership with eponymous house Piper-Heidsieck. He also launched his own Champagne brand in January 2021 called HRLM Champagne. He is also the co-founder and wine director of Finest + Bond, an event planning and consulting company offering bespoke services for private clients and F&B professionals. ABOUT PHILIPPE VASILESCU Based in Miami and born and raised in Paris, France, Philippe Vasilescu has over twelve years of experience in fine wine & spirits, event management, experiential marketing and public relations with some of the most prestigious French brands. He has hosted over seven hundred luxury tasting events in 7 countries within the USA, Europe and Southeast Asia since 2013. From 2015 to 2020, he was the Brand Ambassador for the prestigious LOUIS XIII Cognac de Remy Martin. He also is the co-founder and event director of Finest + Bond, an event planning and consulting company offering bespoke services for private clients and F&B professionals. Media Contact: TARA, Ink. Sabrina Garcia 786-609-4752 [email protected] SOURCE Maison Mura WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- World Learning, a global organization that advances peace through education, development, and exchange, celebrated its 90th anniversary on June 23 with a reception at the downtown museum Planet Word. On June 23, 1932, sociologist Donald Watt launched World Learning's flagship program, The Experiment in International Living, which focuses on intercultural exchange. This program led to the establishment of both School for International Training (SIT) and World Learning. The anniversary's theme, "One World, Learning," highlights how the organization's distinct yet interconnected branches work to create a more sustainable, peaceful, and just world. "We are all here to celebrate an organization that has made such a huge difference in our lives and the lives of lots of other people around the world. It has been a force for good and for peace for 90 years," said Ann Friedman, an educator, conservationist, and philanthropist who participated in the Experiment as a student and group leader and served on World Learning's board of trustees. World Learning CEO Carol Jenkins and Board Chair Lawrence Cooley welcomed more than 100 guests at the museum, which was founded by Friedman in 2020. "With each year, my belief in World Learning's work to solve our time's most pressing problems grows ever greater. We serve individuals around the world, in fragile and conflict areas, with different cultures, policies, governments, ideologies, resources, and risks," said Jenkins. "Addressing complex issues through a framework of human connections and education is an effective and powerful way to make lasting change." Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the State Department, was also a featured speaker. Both Satterfield and Cooley noted that exchange programs are often born from conflict. "Public diplomacy, through people-to-people exchanges, is more important now than ever, as our world continues to evolve and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing threats of the climate crisis, the current war in Ukraine, and threats against democracy," Satterfield said. "Program participants and alumni are confronting these issues head-on and are real leaders in their communities. We need these informed citizen diplomats to fight for change and build a more stable and prosperous world." Satterfield specifically noted World Learning's Digital Communications Network, citing it as one of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' "flagship projects to counter disinformation and build healthy, resilient communities." "The network's superpower is bringing organizations and governments together around this shared goal," she said. World Learning began with Watt's modest vision that people could learn to live together by living together. He promoted peace through intercultural understanding by taking young Americans abroad to live with and learn from people of other cultures. "I think it was a foresighted notion that somehow he knew that the world was either going to grow together or grow apart, and he was going to do his part to see that it grew together," Cooley said. "He saw that somehow it is harder to hate people that you really know. And if you really put the extra effort in seeing the humanity in another person, there are possibilities that open up that just wouldn't be there." Cooley also highlighted several milestones throughout World Learning's history in his remarks but concluded with a reflection on today's world. "I think we're in a situation where polarization is poison, where people think the worst possible things about the other. But if we are going to find our way through this, we need organizations as well as individuals that are willing to lead. And I can't think of one that's positioned themselves better to do so than World Learning," he said. Today there are more than 130,000 Experiment and SIT alumni. They include SIT Graduate Institute alumna Jody Williams, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to ban landmines. World Learning Trustee Wangari Maathai won the prize in 2004 as the founder of Kenya's Green Belt Movement. The founder of SIT's CONTACT peacebuilding program was recognized by the Dalai Lama, and World Learning and SIT are currently partnering with a national refugee resettlement organization to house and teach Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban regime. World Learning is based in both Vermont and Washington, D.C., and works in more than 150 countries worldwide. The Washington, D.C., event was one of several planned this year to commemorate the organization's anniversary. Prior to the speakers, attendees toured Planet Word's exhibits which aim to explore cultures and show how language has shaped the world. "If The Experiment had taught me anything, it was that interaction with others and using words and language in authentic situations could help build bridges and create empathy. Those were the tools that could bring people closer and develop understanding across cultures," Friedman said. World Learning Inc. is a thriving global organization made up of World Learning , a global development and exchange nonprofit organization, The Experiment in International Living , the nation's most experienced provider of intercultural exchange programs abroad and virtual for high school students; and School for International Training , offering accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad , including the comparative International Honors Program , and internationally focused master's degrees, certificate programs, and a doctorate through SIT Graduate Institute . The organization is now in its 90th year delivering international education, cultural exchanges, and sustainable development. For more information, visit worldlearning.org. Contact: Abby Henson [email protected] SOURCE World Learning, Inc. ARLINGTON, Texas, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer from July 15th through the 17th the absolute coolest, baddest, one of kind custom trucks come to Texas from all over the nation for the inaugural Summer Truckin Nationals event at the AT&T stadium presented by Versatyre & HD Pro. Noche de Fiesta Best of Country's Risng Stars Robbie Bryant one of the premiere truck event promoters and a renowned national magazine cover custom truck designer along with his three partners have chosen the City of Arlington, TX to launch their biggest event yet. Having done highly successful truck related events around the country in places like Alabama, Missouri & Arkansas it was time to come to the mecca for people who own or just love trucks - Texas. The City of Arlington plays host as two thousand "custom" truly unique Lifted, Lowered, Slammed, Mini, Bagged will all be on display at the AT&T Stadium with hundreds of vendors and two nights of spectacular concerts sponsored by American Force Wheels. "Noche de Fiesta" Concert Friday night July 15th DJ Zeta, Milicia del Rancho, Banda Renya de Reynas & La Energia Nortenas "Best of Country Music's Rising Stars in 2022" David J, Sean Stemaly, Bailey Zimmerman & Chase Matthew Tickets are available in advance through SeatGeek @ https://seatgeek.com "We are excited to welcome the Summer Truckin Nationals to AT&T Stadium this summer," said Chad Estis, Executive Vice President of Business Operations. "The versatility of our infrastructure in Arlington continues to bring new fans and partners to the area, and we're excited for our stadium to be a host for this new experience." What makes this event different from other truck shows besides being one of the largest in the country "it's our sponsors involvement, the quality of the concerts and these truly are the best of the best trucks in the industry coming from around the country," says Robbie Bryant. Spectators can come see these custom trucks up close all weekend long with gates open at 9:00am each day. "It's great to see the inaugural Summer Truckin Nationals coming to Arlington, one of the most anticipated truck events to be found. We are known for our hospitality and look forward to bringing in excited visitors to the city and help create the great memories they will make while here for years to come." Decima Mullen, VP of Marketing & PR for the Arlington CVB. 2,000 Custom Trucks on Display $20,000 in cash and $5,000 in prizes given away Summer Truckin Nationals owned by Robbie Bryant, Josh Miller, Brad Baker & Michael Hyams promise this will be the preeminent event of the year especially with such an amazing venue like AT&T Stadium. "It's been an honor to be able to produce this event at such an amazing facility, it's the epitome of class for a show like ours," says Josh Miller. As a huge bonus parking is free for spectators all weekend long thanks to one of the event sponsors. Contact: Michael Hyams Phone: (417) 689-1411 Email: [email protected] Website: www.stntexas.com SOURCE Summer Truckin Nationals To know more about other contributing economies, Read Sample Report . Key Market Dynamics: Market Trend: The surging growth of 5D BIM will emerge as one of the most prominent building information modeling software market trends influencing the market growth positively in the upcoming years. The 5D BIM enables in-house database with complete details regarding the cost and labor productivity rates. The 5D BIM allows real-time cost estimation for an easy and quick comparison with the target cost. These benefits of 5D BIM will propel the building information modeling software market growth during the forecast period. will emerge as one of the most prominent building information modeling software market trends influencing the market growth positively in the upcoming years. The 5D BIM enables in-house database with complete details regarding the cost and labor productivity rates. The 5D BIM allows real-time cost estimation for an easy and quick comparison with the target cost. These benefits of 5D BIM will propel the building information modeling software market growth during the forecast period. Market Challenge: The high implementation and operating costs involved are expected to be one of the key market growth hindering factor. The IT service industry has also been adversely impacted by the war owing to the lack of workforce and the destruction of IT infrastructure, which has resulted in many IT companies pulling out of or ceasing operations in these countries. This, in turn, will have a negative impact on the building information modeling software market growth during the forecast period. To learn about key drivers, trends, and challenges available with Technavio. Download Sample Report! Market Vendor Landscape The building information modeling software market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as performance, innovation, cost, and financial stability to compete in the market. The market forecast report offers in-depth insights into key vendor profiles. The profiles include information on the production, sustainability, and prospects of the leading companies. Top Companies Mentioned with their Offerings Asite Solutions Ltd. :The company offers building information modeling such as BIM Escalator which provides designers, engineers and contractors a set of BIM and CAD tools. :The company offers building information modeling such as BIM Escalator which provides designers, engineers and contractors a set of BIM and CAD tools. Autodesk Inc. :The company offers building information modeling such as AEC Collection which provides designers, engineers and contractors a set of BIM and CAD tools supported by a cloud based common data environment that facilitates project delivery from early stage design through to construction. :The company offers building information modeling such as AEC Collection which provides designers, engineers and contractors a set of BIM and CAD tools supported by a cloud based common data environment that facilitates project delivery from early stage design through to construction. AVEVA Group Plc : The company offers building information modeling such as AVEVA Bocad which provides class leading productivity in structural steelwork, enabling consistently rapid, high quality design, fabrication and construction, for on time, onbudget delivery of a high quality project. : The company offers building information modeling such as AVEVA Bocad which provides class leading productivity in structural steelwork, enabling consistently rapid, high quality design, fabrication and construction, for on time, onbudget delivery of a high quality project. Bentley Systems Inc. : The company offers building information modeling such as OpenBuildings Designer, Legion Model Builder, Legion Simulator, and Staad Pro. : The company offers building information modeling such as OpenBuildings Designer, Legion Model Builder, Legion Simulator, and Staad Pro. Hexagon AB: The company offers building information modeling such as HxGN Smart Build Insight, BricsCAD BIM, and EcoSys. Some more companies classified as dominant players in this report are: Cadsoft Corp. Dassault Systemes SE GRAITEC Innovation SAS Nemetschek SE Pinnacle Infotech Inc. Plannerly Planon Shared Services BV Schneider Electric SE Siemens AG The Beck Group Trimble Inc. 4M SA Advanced Software Engineering Systems SA Advanced Software Engineering Systems ABB Ltd. ACCA software Spa AECOM To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Buy Report Right Here! Related Reports: Property Management Software Market by Deployment and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Business Productivity Software Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Geomarketing Software Market by Deployment, Location, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Building Information Modeling Software Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 20.12% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 18.05 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 13.64 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 34% Key consumer countries US, Japan, China, UK, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled 4M SA Advanced Software Engineering Systems, ABB Ltd., ACCA software Spa, AECOM, Asite Solutions Ltd., Autodesk Inc., AVEVA Group Plc, Bentley Systems Inc., Cadsoft Corp., Dassault Systemes SE, GRAITEC Innovation SAS, Hexagon AB, Nemetschek SE, Pinnacle Infotech Inc., Plannerly, Planon Shared Services BV, Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, The Beck Group, and Trimble 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 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. Key Topics Covered: 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 Product 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 between2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 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 Product 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Product Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Product 5.3 Software - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Software - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Software - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Software - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Software - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on Services - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on Services - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Services - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Product ($ million) 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 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 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on North America- 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 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe- 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 Exhibit 54: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Middle East and Africa - 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 Exhibit 58: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on South America - 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 Japan- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on Japan- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on Japan- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on Japan- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on Japan- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 China- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on China- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on China- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on China- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on France - 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 8.1.1 Increasing requirements for large-scale project management 8.1.2 Reduction in design time 8.1.3 Growth of the global construction market 8.2 Market challenges 8.2.1 High implementation and operating costs 8.2.2 Challenges from open-source platforms 8.2.3 Interoperability issues 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 8.4.1 Growth of 5D BIM 8.4.2 Increased adoption of open BIM 8.4.3 Increasing investment in intelligent processing 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 Asite Solutions Ltd. Exhibit 89: Asite Solutions Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 90: Asite Solutions Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 91: Asite Solutions Ltd. - Key offerings 10.4 Autodesk Inc. 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 The purchasing portal offers a range of features that remove complexities often involved in purchasing for the federal government, including clearly labeled country of origin information on products, and contract pricing automatically applied. From the purchasing portal dashboard, customers can easily manage orders, re-order frequently purchased items, and contact their assigned Account Manager for any technical or order-related questions. "After serving federal government clients via a dedicated sales team for decades, Adorama Business Solutions is excited to launch its new online purchasing portal to offer added flexibility for federal government employees," said Ben Murray, Director of Federal Government Sales. "For many years our customers have been asking for an e-commerce experience that makes life simpler when purchasing from our extensive range of technology products. We have worked that feedback into the creation of this new site, which has all the great products customers are used to seeing from us, plus a host of features that simplify the purchase experience." Adorama Business Solutions carries leading brands including Apple, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Freefly, Panasonic, HP, Blackmagic, RED, Brinc Drones, HTC, Profoto, Shure, Roland, Pelican, JBL, Varjo Xerox and more. Federal government customers can shop via purchase order (PO) or by p-card, meaning maximum flexibility. For more information on how Adorama Business Solutions can provide innovative technology solutions to master your mission, please visit www.adorama.com/government. About Adorama Business Solutions We listen. We collaborate. We amaze. Adorama Business Solutions helps public, private, and federal institutions communicate more vividly, efficiently and effectively with pioneering technology solutions. You'll work with a dedicated account manager from Day 1, helping you choose the right product solutions from a quarter of a million products for your needs and budget. To get you the gear you need to master your mission, we offer flexible procurement and financing options, plus features that help budget management like an extensive range of used equipment. Through our comprehensive suite of Technical Services, we help you get the most out of your purchases with us. Find out more about the benefits of working with Adorama Business Solutions at www.adorama.com/business. SOURCE Adorama Business Solutions PHILADELPHIA, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkemy X CFO Jay Halbert has been selected as a Philadelphia Business Journal CFO of the year honoree for 2022. Halbert was part of a group of top level business leaders selected for their outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. Jay Halbert The Philadelphia Business Journal received a large number of applicants this year for the CFO awards. The editorial team selected only 24 honorees from a wide range of industries including real estate, engineering, healthcare, and other business sectors. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, the executives have to demonstrate "financial management, strategic thinking, contribution to the company's reputation, and demonstrated commitment to fiscal integrity and accountability" to be selected. Notes Halbert, "I'm tremendously humbled to receive this honor. It is a testament to the tireless hard work of our entire team that we have not only been able to survive the turbulence of the pandemic, but have emerged even stronger as we move into a period of significant growth. This honor is only made possible by the dedication, energy and sacrifice made by each Alkemy X employee, for which I'm truly grateful." Halbert joined Alkemy X in 2017, with the company on its financial last breath just a few years prior. He was brought in by new President & CEO Justin Wineburgh as a foundational leader in the company's sweeping restructuring and steadfast commitment to rapidly transform Alkemy X into the profitable, award-winning global media powerhouse it is today. When Halbert stepped in as Alkemy X CFO, he quickly developed strong relationships with each of the company's department heads and began forming key strategic partnerships with the company's external financial partners, ensuring he was fully integrated into all existing and potential collaborations that would impact the company's bottom line. He also took on the critically important but arduous task of establishing robust financial forecasting systems for the company--a unique challenge in an industry that does not have the luxury of predictable recurring revenue and is highly affected by constant industry shifts. His diversified background allowed him to assess Alkemy X's financial struggles with a fresh perspective, leveraging his enthusiasm for creative problem solving and strategic business pivots. Halbert received his education at two of the most distinguished higher education institutions in the country. He earned a B.S. with a concentration in Accounting, magna cum laude, from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before getting his J.D. at one of the top Law programs in the country, the New York University School of Law. He graduated from NYU, magna cum laude and in the top 10% of his class while also serving as Associate Editor of the New York University Law Review in addition to his demanding studies. About Alkemy X Alkemy X is a global, award-winning creative partner for the biggest names in film, television, agencies and brands. Since 1981, Alkemy X has been a leader in a continuously evolving industry, entrusted with billions of dollars in budgets, with a proven track record of exceeding expectations with precision, innovation and excellence. The international Alkemy X team has earned countless honors and awards for its work in visual effects, production, editorial, design and creative development, while constantly looking toward the future of creativity. FOR MORE INFORMATION Jenna Wigman (617) 966-0649 SOURCE Alkemy X The four-day hybrid conference, featuring in-person and virtual elements, provides an opportunity for attendees to connect with and learn from leading tech innovators and continues to redefine the technology ecosystem for women and non-binary technologists SAN MATEO, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AnitaB.org , the global nonprofit focused on intersectional gender and pay parity in tech, is hosting its annual Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), the world's largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists on September 20- 23, 2022 at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida. This year's conference, presented in partnership with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), will be a hybrid event and includes a combination of exciting virtual and in-person offerings for the first time since 2019. This year's theme, Next is NOW, is reflected in the powerful speaker lineup* of tech innovators and thought leaders. Keynote speakers include Brenda Darden Wilkerson , President and CEO of AnitaB.org, and Frances Haugen , Data Scientist and Engineer, Advocate for Accountability and Transparency in Social Media. Additional featured speakers include Princeton University Professor of African American Studies, Ruha Benjamin ; Data Management Technology Executive for Bank of America, Michelle Boston ; Founder and CEO of Block Party, Tracy Chou ; Investor and Founder of Backstage Capital and Runner, Arlan Hamilton ; Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel ; Founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms, Reshma Saujani ; Minderoo Research Professor at NYU and the Faculty Director of the AI Now Institute, Meredith Whittaker ; and more! *Speaker lineup in formation "Our impact extends 365 days per year to over 70 countries and more than 47,000 AnitaB.org Members across the globe with products and services supporting women and non-binary technologists and allies," said Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org. "The time is now for businesses, organizations, institutions, and leaders to be held accountable for improving diversity within the tech ecosystem, from company values and hiring practices to retention and promotion. The time is now. Diversity is now. Innovation is now. Live in the opportunity of NOW." Noting the significance of holding GHC in a state that is actively working to crush the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and stamp out critical race-related dialogue in education, Wilkerson continued, "Now, more than ever, we are committed to creating a safe space where all are welcomed, and we are collaborating with leaders on the ground in Florida who stand for equality, equity, and justice values that are inherently aligned with the mission and drive of AnitaB.org." The first Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1994 to honor and amplify the legacy of tech pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. The annual GHC continues to inspire future generations of women and non-binary technologists while bringing the interests of women in computing to the forefront and highlighting their many contributions to the world of tech. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Visit ghc.anitab.org for the latest Grace Hopper Celebration updates and to view the agenda "at-a-glance"! Watch the sizzle reel HERE See the speaker bios HERE SPEAKERS Ruha Benjamin Ph.D., Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University and Founding Director, Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab Michelle Boston Data Management Technology Executive for Bank of America Tracy Chou CEO of Block Party Arlan Hamilton Founder of Backstage Capital & Runner, Author & Venture Catalyst Frances Haugen Data Scientist & Engineer, Advocate for Accountability & Transparency in Social Media Jessica Rosenworcel Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Reshma Saujani Founder & CEO, Marshall Plan for Moms, Founder, Girls Who Code Meredith Whittaker Minderoo Research Professor at NYU & Faculty Director of the AI Now Institute Brenda Darden Wilkerson - President and CEO of AnitaB.org To arrange press interviews with any of the speakers, submit a media request, or request media credentials, please contact Skai Blue Media at [email protected] . Please note that a media credential request does not guarantee entry. About AnitaB.org At AnitaB.org, we envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it. We connect, inspire, and guide women technologists and organizations that view technology innovation as a strategic imperative. For more than 30 years, this community has grown and changed to become the leading organization for women in technology. Today, AnitaB.org works with women and non-binary technologists in more than 50 countries and partners with leading academic institutions and Fortune 500 companies. For more information about AnitaB.org, visit anitab.org or find us on LinkedIn at @anitab-org and Instagram at @anitab_org . PRESS CONTACT Skai Blue Media [email protected] SOURCE AnitaB.org BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On the afternoon of June 24, Argentine Time, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez met with Li Zhen, chairman of Gotion High-tech, and his delegation at the presidential residence in Olivos, he explicitly supported Chinese investment in Argentina, and praised Gotion High-tech's multiple industrial investments will promote the development of Argentina's new energy industry. The two sides also had friendly exchanges on the "Targets of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization" strategy, the new energy vehicle industry, the Sustainable Transportation Act and the joint venture between Gotion High-tech and Corven, a well-known American auto parts manufacturer, to establish electric bus batteries and other topics. Alberto Fernandez said, The world is already shifting to renewable energy. Argentina has made incentives for lithium, wind power, photovoltaic and other industries. The Development of Sustainable Transport Act, introduced last year, it aims to promote investment in electric vehicles, promote the electrification of transport and provide legal protection for investors in new energy. We welcome Chinese investment in Argentina. Gotion High-tech's industrial investment activities in Argentina, it cover the development, processing and battery products of lithium resources, which accelerates the development of local lithium resources and it will help the development and progress of Argentina's new energy industry. Li Zhen said, Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Argentina, leaders of the two countries have actively supported complementary advantages and economic cooperation between enterprises, especially the "Belt and Road" initiative. It provides strategic guidance, points out the direction and lays the foundation for inter-enterprise cooperation. The third energy revolution with solar and wind power as the main body has come. To make full use of it, we must have energy storage technology. Gotion High-tech has been focusing on energy storage for 16 years. We plan to reach 300GWh battery production capacity in the world by 2025, which makes enterprises' demand for lithium resources more vigorous. Argentina is the third largest economy in Latin America, with a harmonious social system and orderly development of resources, it provides a good external environment for enterprises to invest. We have partnered with Jujuy National Energy and Mining Company and we will work with Corven in Buenos Aires to develop downstream applications. In the next 100 years, new energy vehicles will certainly be a new engine for the world economy. Gotion is willing to work with visionary people in Argentina to jointly create a new era of energy industry. Daniel Scioli, Argentina's minister of Production and Development, Ariel Schale, The industry minister, President Fernandez was accompanied by Cecilia Todesca, Minister of International Economic Relations, and Fernanda Avila, Minister of Mines, and communicated with the Gotion High-tech team on the development of the lithium industry. SOURCE Gotion High-Tech ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Erimus Group Limited ("Erimus"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1986 and based in Tees-side, England, Erimus is an established retail insurance broker with a strong presence in the North East of England, serving a mainly regional commercial client base. Product offerings include commercial combined, business interruption, commercial property, cyber, D&O and employers liability insurance The firm, which is headed up by Paul Davison, will become part of Gallagher's UK Retail division, which serves local and national businesses across the UK. Paul will report to Elliot Miller, Regional Managing Director of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East. "We are delighted to welcome the Erimus team to Gallagher. This business is a great fit with our UK retail operations and provides us with a fantastic opportunity to expand our regional presence in England," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "We look forward to working with Paul and his colleagues to expand their service offerings." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and 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. -- The Phase II clinical study in China is currently expected to be completed in early 2023 with an expected enrollment of 30 subjects HANGZHOU, China and SHAOXING, China, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672, "Ascletis") today announces that the first subject has been dosed in the China Phase II clinical trial of ASC22 (Envafolimab) in combination with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for immune restoration/ functional cure of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. ASC22 (Envafolimab) is a subcutaneously administered single domain antibody against PD-L1 and has the potential to restore virus-specific immune responses in patients with chronic viral infection. In addition to the indication of immune restoration/functional cure of HIV-1 infection, Ascletis has developed another indication of ASC22, that is, the one on functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. This Phase II study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05330143) is a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial in China to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ASC22 for treatment of HIV-1 infection at the dosage of 1 mg/kg or 2.5 mg/kg or placebo in combination with ART once every four weeks (Q4W) during 12-week treatment and 12-week follow-up. Subjects of ASC22 arm will be subcutaneously administered with 1 mg/kg or 2.5 mg/kg plus standard ART including Integrase inhibitors (INSTIs) Q4W for 12 weeks. In placebo arm, subjects will be given 0.9% saline plus ART Q4W for 12 weeks. The changes of CD4/CD8 ratio from baseline will be recorded at Week 4, Week 8 and Week 12 as the primary outcome measures. It was estimated that there were approximately 37.7 million people living with HIV globally with 0.68 million deaths and 1.5 million new infections in 2020[1]. Combination ART can suppress the virus in blood, but it is not curative, as nearly all HIV infected individuals will experience viral rebound within weeks or months when ART is discontinued. "ART treatment can effectively suppress HIV replication, delay or even stop disease progression, but it cannot eliminate the HIV reservoir, which is the major hurdle in achieving a cure for HIV/AIDS. The Phase II trial of PD-L1 antibody ASC22 initiated by Ascletis aims at enhancing the immunity against virus to improve the potential of host immune surveillance to clear HIV reservoir. This study is conducive to further exploring the possibility of clearing HIV reservoir to achieve the functional cure of HIV/AIDS. We expect to generate more evidence to support this immune-based strategy and benefit more people." said Prof. Fu-Sheng Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of Department of Infectious Diseases of Fifth Medical Centre of Chinese PLA General Hospital and the principal investigator of the ASC22 Phase II study. "I'm very glad to know that the Phase II trial of ASC22 for immune restoration/ functional cure of HIV-1 infection has completed its first subject dosing with the great support from Prof. Linghua Li and her team at Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University. It marks a new milestone that Ascletis has achieved in developing therapy for functional cure of HIV/AIDS, which is still a challenge in China and globally despite the improved access of standard ART treatment. By blocking PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, ASC22 is expected to potentially restore HIV-1 specific immunity and clear the latent HIV reservoir. We will accelerate the clinical study of ASC22 and share more milestones in the near future." said Dr. Jinzi J. Wu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis. [1] UNAIDS. Global HIV & AIDS statistics FACT SHEET. 2021. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet About Ascletis Ascletis is an innovative R&D driven biotech listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK), covering the entire value chain from discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization. Led by a management team with deep expertise and a proven track record, Ascletis focuses on three therapeutic areas with unmet medical needs from a global perspective: viral diseases, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and oncology. Through excellent execution, Ascletis rapidly advances its drug pipeline with an aim of leading in global competition. To date, Ascletis has three marketed products, i.e. ritonavir tablets, GANOVO and ASCLEVIR, and 20 drug candidates in its R&D pipeline. The most advanced drug candidates include ASC22 (CHB functional cure), ASC10 and ASC11 (oral small molecules for COVID-19 treatment), ASC40 (recurrent glioblastoma), ASC42 (PBC, primary biliary cholangitis), and ASC40 (acne). For more information, please visit www.ascletis.com. SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc. Freed-Hardeman University President David R. Shannon states, "We had listed our property with a national commercial broker for a year without a reasonable offer. After signing with J. P. King Auction Company, we had a pre-auction offer that exceeded our expectations in only 6 weeks. Their integrity and competence were evident from day one, and their success became our success. We are thankful to have partnered with J.P. King and highly recommend them." "Our intentions are always to go to auction with our properties, but in today's hot real estate market we see our marketing bring in pre-auction offers, and in this case, FHU accepted an offer prior to auction" said Craig King, President/CEO of J. P. King Auction Company. "Our extensive marketing techniques have been proven time after time to move property fast and efficiently. We diligently strive to seek the right buyers for the properties we sell and in this case, we found the right buyer for the Renaissance Center." David Rives Ministries a Christian non-profit focusing on media outreach has announced the acquisition of The Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN. "It has been a pleasure working with J.P. King and Associates through the acquisition of The Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN and when we learned about the availability of the property through J. P. King's marketing, we took immediate action. From the moment of my first call to the initial walk-through of the property, they were not only knowledgeable, but prompt and courteous. Whether communicating via email, in person, or on the phone, responses were rapid and professional." Said purchaser, David Rives, with David Rives Ministries J.P. King, headquartered in Gadsden, Ala., has specialized in selling exclusive and unique properties on a national level for over 100 years. They are the nation's leading real estate auctioneer of high value assets including, private estates, ranches, commercial property, land tracts, and more! Individuals seeking additional information on how J. P. King can benefit you please contact (800) 558-5464 or visit www.jpking.com. SOURCE J.P. King Auction Company Key Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market Report Highlights: YoY growth (%): 25.13% Performing market contribution: APAC at 34% Key consumer countries: US, China , and Japan Regional Market Analysis APAC will account for 34% of market growth. The main markets for virtual reality and augmented reality in APAC are China and Japan. This region's market will expand more quickly than those in other areas. Over the course of the forecast period, factors including the presence of key vendors, the expansion of the gaming industry in Asia, particularly in Japan, China, and India, and rising investments in AR and VR technologies to broaden their applications in various industries will support the growth of the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) markets in APAC. For additional information about the regional market, Request a sample report. Key Vendors and their Offerings Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc., HP Inc., HTC Corp., Magic Leap Inc., Microsoft Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Snap Inc., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp., among others., are some of the key vendors in the augmented reality and virtual reality market. The offerings of a few of these vendors are listed below: Alphabet Inc. - The company offers AR and VR under the brand name Google AR & VR. The company offers AR and VR under the brand name Google AR & VR. Facebook Inc. - The company offers AR and VR under the brand name Oculus virtual reality products. The company offers AR and VR under the brand name Oculus virtual reality products. HP Inc. - The company offers AR and VR under the brand names Workstation Class VR: HP Z840 Workstation, Production Class VR: HP Elite 800 VR Ready PCs, Mainstream VR: HP Z440 Workstation, HTC Vive Head-Mounted Displays and HP Sprout PRO. The company offers AR and VR under the brand names Workstation Class VR: HP Z840 Workstation, Production Class VR: HP Elite 800 VR Ready PCs, Mainstream VR: HP Z440 Workstation, HTC Vive Head-Mounted Displays and HP Sprout PRO. HTC Corp. - The company offers AR and VR under the brand name VIVE Enterprise Solutions. The company offers AR and VR under the brand name VIVE Enterprise Solutions. Magic Leap Inc. - The company offers AR and VR for applications including Health, Defense and Public Sector, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Automotive, Transport and Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Buy sample report to get a brief understanding about various other vendors and their offerings. Key Market Driver Increasing demand for VR and AR technology: A rising number of customers are actively looking for information related to VR. AR and VR applications enable users to use the technology in a more user-friendly manner. Wearable technology platforms will likely enhance the utility of AR. The growing application area of AR and VR technology in different fields, such as education, medical, retail, and training, will further boost the growth of the global AR and VR market. Key Market Trend Adoption of various business strategies by vendors: The increasing number of partnerships and collaborations among vendors will drive the growth of the global AR and VR market during the forecast period. Vendors are opting for diverse business strategies, such as partnerships and collaborations, with end-users and other vendors. This will help them improve and upgrade their product portfolios and explore new application areas for their AR and VR software platforms. Such strategies are expected to drive the growth of the global AR and VR market during the forecast period. To know about a few other market drivers, trends, and challenges. Get sample report Related Reports: Product Information Management Market by Deployment and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Business Productivity Software Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 46% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 162.71 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 25.13 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 34% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc., HP Inc., HTC Corp., Magic Leap Inc., Microsoft Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Snap Inc., Sony Corp., and Toshiba 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. Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 01: Parent market 2.2 Market Characteristics Exhibit 02: Market Characteristics 2.3 Value chain analysis Exhibit 10: Value chain analysis: Application software 2.3.1 Inputs 2.3.2 Software development process 2.3.3 Marketing and distribution 2.3.4 Post-selling services 2.3.5 Innovation 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 2020 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Exhibit 13: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 14: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%) 4. Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five Forces Summary Exhibit 15: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers 4.4 Threat of new entrants 4.5 Threat of substitutes 4.6 Threat of rivalry 4.7 Market condition Market condition - Five forces 2020 5. Market Segmentation by Technology The segments covered in this chapter are: AR VR The two segments have been ranked based on their market size in 2020. The AR segment constituted the largest segment in 2020, while the smallest segment was VR. 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 22: Technology - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 23: Comparison by Technology 5.3 AR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 24: AR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 25: AR - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 VR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 26: VR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 27: VR - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Technology Exhibit 28: Market opportunity by Technology 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 Exhibit 29: Customer landscape 7. Geographic Landscape The regions covered in the report are: North America APAC Europe MEA South America North America was the largest region of the market in 2020 and would improve its relative position in the overall market to become the second largest segment of the market in 2025. It would grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 42.99% between 2020 and 2025, which is slower than the overall market. North America would be the third-fastest growing region within the overall market and would grow from $10.32 billion in 2020 to $61.69 billion in 2025. North America would contribute 31.57% of the incremental growth in the overall market between 2020 and 2025. 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 30: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 31: Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 32: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 33: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 34: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 35: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 36: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 37: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.6 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 38: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion Exhibit 39: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 40: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 41: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 42: Key leading countries 7.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 43: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion) 8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.1.1 Increasing demand for AR and VR technology 8.1.2 Product launches 8.1.3 Increasing number of M&A activities 8.2 Market challenges 8.2.1 High development costs associated with AR and VR apps 8.2.2 Risks associated with AR and VR applications 8.2.3 Limitations of AR and VR technology Exhibit 46: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 8.3.1 Increasing popularity of coffee among millennials 8.3.2 Growing demand for premium and specialty coffee 8.3.3 Promotion strategies by vendors to increase coffee consumption 9. Vendor Landscape 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 48: Vendor landscape 9.3 Landscape disruption The potential for the disruption of the market landscape was moderate in 2020, and its threat is expected to remain unchanged by 2025. Exhibit 49: Landscape disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 50: Industry risks 10. Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 51: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 52: Market positioning of vendors 10.3 Alphabet Inc. Exhibit 53: Alphabet Inc. - Overview Exhibit 54: Alphabet Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 55: Alphabet Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 56: Alphabet Inc. - Segment focus 10.4 Facebook Inc. Exhibit 57: Facebook Inc. - Overview Exhibit 58: Facebook Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 59: Facebook Inc. - Key news Exhibit 60: Facebook Inc. - Key offerings 10.5 HP Inc. Exhibit 61: HP Inc. - Overview Exhibit 62: HP Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 63: HP Inc. - Key news Exhibit 64: HP Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 65: HP Inc. - Segment focus 10.6 HTC Corp. Exhibit 66: HTC Corp. - Overview Exhibit 67: HTC Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 68: HTC Corp. - Key offerings 10.7 Magic Leap Inc. Exhibit 69: Magic Leap Inc. - Overview Exhibit 70: Magic Leap Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 71: Magic Leap Inc. - Key news Exhibit 72: Magic Leap Inc. - Key offerings 10.8 Microsoft Corp. Exhibit 73: Microsoft Corp. - Overview Exhibit 74: Microsoft Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 75: Microsoft Corp. - Key news Exhibit 76: Microsoft Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 77: Microsoft Corp. - Segment focus 10.9 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Exhibit 78: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 79: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 80: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 81: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 82: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Segment focus 10.10 Snap Inc. Exhibit 83: Snap Inc. - Overview Exhibit 84: Snap Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 85: Snap Inc. - Key news Exhibit 86: Snap Inc. - Key offerings 10.11 Sony Corp. Exhibit 87: Sony Corp. - Overview Exhibit 88: Sony Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 89: Sony Corp. - Key news Exhibit 90: Sony Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 91: Sony Corp. - Segment focus 10.12 Toshiba Corp. Exhibit 92: Toshiba Corp. - Overview Exhibit 93: Toshiba Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 94: Toshiba Corp. - Key news Exhibit 95: Toshiba Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 96: Toshiba Corp. - 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 97: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.3 Research Methodology Exhibit 98: Research Methodology Exhibit 99: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 100: Information sources 11.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 101: 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 NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During BerniePortal's fifth annual users conference, Weekdays With Bernie, founder and CEO Alex Tolbert announced the addition of payroll to its award-winning, all-in-one HRIS platform for small to medium-sized employers. With BerniePortal's payroll feature, users can execute all aspects of the payroll process including calculating tax withholdings, paying employees via direct deposit, and populating and processing W-2s. "BerniePortal's payroll feature was carefully designed for the HR person who feels like he or she is a 'party of one' at their organization. We work with thousands of small and midsize employers across the country and the people who manage HR at those organizations told us they need a truly all-in-one HR system with the addition of payroll, BerniePortal now addresses that need. Our payroll feature will free up hours of time so our clients can focus more on providing good places to work," said Tolbert. With BerniePortal's payroll feature, small to midsize businesses will appreciate these notable capabilities: Save time, improve accuracy: the new payroll feature blends intuitively with the rest of BerniePortal's award-winning HRIS software, which streamlines every aspect of the employee lifecycle, from onboarding to tracking employee hours to benefits and PTO. By eliminating manual data entry often necessary for each payroll run, BerniePortal's payroll feature not only saves precious time, but it also improves payroll accuracy. the new payroll feature blends intuitively with the rest of BerniePortal's award-winning HRIS software, which streamlines every aspect of the employee lifecycle, from onboarding to tracking employee hours to benefits and PTO. By eliminating manual data entry often necessary for each payroll run, BerniePortal's payroll feature not only saves precious time, but it also improves payroll accuracy. Access to a dedicated support team: Organizations can feel confident knowing that when questions arise, BerniePortal's success team is staffed with experienced payroll experts who are eager to provide top-of-the-line support whenever help is needed. Organizations can feel confident knowing that when questions arise, BerniePortal's success team is staffed with experienced payroll experts who are eager to provide top-of-the-line support whenever help is needed. Access to a robust library of resources: As an integral part of BerniePortal, users can find an abundance of resources to help them navigate through payrollor anything HR-related for that matter. This comprehensive library is updated regularly with new and relevant content: As an integral part of BerniePortal, users can find an abundance of resources to help them navigate through payrollor anything HR-related for that matter. This comprehensive library is updated regularly with new and relevant content: BernieU offers free, online HR courses that are approved for SHRM and HRCI recertification credit offers free, online HR courses that are approved for SHRM and HRCI recertification credit HR Party of One the popular YouTube series and podcast covering emerging HR trends and enduring HR topics the popular YouTube series and podcast covering emerging HR trends and enduring HR topics Knowledge Base BerniePortal's extensive help forum BerniePortal's extensive help forum BerniePortal Blog if it's HR-related, it's there! if it's HR-related, it's there! Affordable prices: attractive pricing that won't break the bank. To learn more about how the BerniePortal HRIS can work for your organization, schedule a demo here or visit www.BerniePortal.com. About BerniePortal BerniePortal is an all-in-one HR platform that saves time, cuts the paperwork, and helps build better employee experiences. Founded out of healthcare advisory and software company Bernard Health, BerniePortal connects the fragmented HR ecosystem with a comprehensive all-in-one tool, allowing employers to spend less time on administration and more time focused on providing good places to work. BerniePortal includes the following features: applicant tracking, onboarding, benefits administration, PTO tracking, time & attendance, payroll, compliance, and performance management. Learn more at www.BerniePortal.com. SOURCE Bernard Health Social good software company celebrates community, Social Impact Awards, and meaningful service project during three-day, on-site event AUSTIN, Texas, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the Social Impact Leadership Conference (SILC), hosted by CyberGrants, a Bonterra company, Bonterra today shares highlights and key successes from the event that will help drive the social good community. Back in-person for the first time since 2019, SILC brought together a wide range of Bonterra employees, customers, and partners to build meaningful connections, join thought-provoking panel discussions and sessions, and share social impact achievements through the Social Impact Awards ceremony. "At SILC we certainly achieved the conference theme of 'Connected Impact', making new connections and reestablishing previous ones," said Pete Karns, General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility at Bonterra. "The power of presence, and of our community, could be felt and we had a unique opportunity to recognize that, from our engaging sessions to our Social Impact Awards to our group service project. Being present together let us explore impact from a variety of directions, diverse experiences, and perspectives." Key Learnings from the conference include: Program (and funding) equity, for both engagement and grantmaking, is increasingly important from the perspective of all stakeholders regardless of income, location, access to technology, role, and more. from the perspective of all stakeholders regardless of income, location, access to technology, role, and more. Focusing on the end-to-end process, inclusive of nonprofits, is yielding results. Maintaining this through product capability and enabling more dialog between all parties is crucial to driving efficiency while supporting evolving funding, security, and data requirements. Maintaining this through product capability and enabling more dialog between all parties is crucial to driving efficiency while supporting evolving funding, security, and data requirements. The pace of change continues to accelerate across multiple dimensions. Directing the Bonterra product and service model at increasing agility for customers remains a top priority from our Insights analytics platform to more program content to the evolution of our user experience. Directing the Bonterra product and service model at increasing agility for customers remains a top priority from our Insights analytics platform to more program content to the evolution of our user experience. The power of community is real. In-person engagement, when done safely, remains highly effective for collaboration and being able to have challenging discussions that solve for problems across the industry. The Social Impact Awards and SILC Service Project While on-site in Austin, Bonterra had the opportunity to recognize several customers and partners, sharing their social impact achievements as part of the Social Impact Awards. These awards celebrate the creativity, innovation, and continued commitment in driving maximum impact. In addition to the awards, attendees had the opportunity to work side-by-side on the annual service project, a famed SILC tradition, partnering with National Angels, a nonprofit focused on building a community of supporters for children, youth, and families experiencing foster care. This year's project was participation in the "Love Box" program, an initiative that provides fostering familiescaregivers, children in foster care, and biological/adopted childrenwith community and support. Customers, partners, and Bonterra staff joined together to create a Love Box for a designated family, filled with items tailored to their specific needs. We thank the team at National Angels and are inspired by their continued commitment. For more information and insights following this year's SILC event, please visit the SILC 2022 recap blog article. About Bonterra: Bonterra is the second-largest and fastest-growing social good software company in the world with solutions from CyberGrants, EveryAction, Network for Good, Social Solutions, and their respective entities making up its product family. Bonterra, which stems from the French word for "good" (bon) and the Latin word for "land" (terra) represents the exponential good that can be accomplished with the right foundation and supports the company's purpose to power those who power social impact. Bonterra's differentiated, end-to-end solutions collectively support a unique network of over 19,000 customers, including over 15,000 nonprofit organizations and over 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. Learn more at bonterratech.com. Media Contact: Amber Conger 406-560-7183 [email protected] SOURCE Bonterra Major payment processing company, Bryte, is utilizing its marketing department to give a voice to the restaurateurs impacted by the employment crisis in the hospitality industry, as well as increasing exposure for the restaurants themselves. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bryte Payment Solutions, the national payment processing company specializing in restaurants and hospitality services, announced the release of "Candid Conversations," a new video series where restaurateurs and industry professionals have open and honest conversations about the state of their respective businesses, and the industry as a whole. Candid Conversations To source the most authentic and genuine participants possible, Bryte President Dave Humphrey called upon Steven Morris, Senior Vice President of Partner Relations in Bryte's Columbia, South Carolina office. Morris, excited about the project, reached out to both clients and non-clients alike to ensure a fair and balanced conversation. Participants include (in order of introduction) Jessica Pagan, Owner of A Fuego 100x35, Justin Owens, Operating Partner at Travinia Italian Kitchen, Noel Caskey, General Manager at Le Peep WATCH FULL VIDEO "Nobody is talking about how the people and families within the industry are being affected by these challenges, and we found it important to shed some new light on these real stories," says Humphrey. Dave, a lifelong entrepreneur himself, understands the challenges that come along with business ownership. "Our clients and our agents are navigating a landscape that has quite literally never existed before, and is fundamentally changing the ways an entire industry is run. We want to utilize our resources to help the public understand that." "Candid Conversations" serves as a window into the very real and personal stories that continue to be written as pandemic restrictions ease, but still remain a concern for those hit the hardest. This announcement comes on the heels of a year where over 3 million jobs were lost in the industry, and over 110,000 establishments closed, or were projected to close due to profit losses (National Library of Medicine). "Our hope," concluded Humphrey, "is that this will help people understand that by feeding their families at locally owned restaurants, they're helping the owners and staff to feed theirs, as well." WATCH FULL VIDEO About Bryte Payment Solutions: Bryte provides merchant services for a wide variety of credit card companies. Their goal is to provide next-level payment processing and merchant services to small business owners, with real human support. From POS systems to software, to marketing; they customize a solution to fit your business' needs. http://www.BrytePS.com Media Contact: David Humphrey 800-605-4881 [email protected] SOURCE Bryte Web3 blockchain gaming leader introduces C2X NFT Marketplace, bolstering the experience for users LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- C2X NFT, an NFT marketplace based on the C2X blockchain gaming platform, recently presented at the VidCon US 2022 conference, presented by TikTok, in Anaheim, California, the world's leading community event for digital creators, platform innovators and their fans converge in one place. C2X NFT's speaking engagement was titled "Web3 & NFTs: The Next Level Engagement of Fans" and was presented by Director of Corporate Development of Com2uS USA, Michael Lee. Com2uS USA is the master platform provider for C2X NFT. The event, which took place from June 22 through June 25, was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and drew in 75,000 participants. During Lee's panel on June 24, he discussed how NFTs are providing creators with a new way to monetize content and provide more ownership for fans. Com2uS are mobile gaming giants with more than one million global users and Lee shed light on how the group developed a comprehensive content company through an independent blockchain ecosystem. He explained how users can easily create and provide NFTs through the C2X NFT Marketplace. "Speaking on VidCon's community stage was an exciting opportunity to explain how NFTs improve the gaming experience and offer convenience for content providers," stated Lee. "We're elated to instill confidence for those unfamiliar with NFTs through an easy-to-use marketplace where trading and transferring results in an entertaining and lucrative experience for anyone involved." Lee went on to explain how C2X NFT Marketplace works for content providers and users with easily accessible tools which do not require a series of exchanges. The C2X NFT Marketplace bypasses the need to connect wallets or send cryptocurrency to make purchases. He discussed one of the most popular NFT product lines on the marketplace developed by K-pop group, VERIVERY, which are clips obtained by the group's successful 2021 first US tour. The NFTs feature the musicians never-before-seen access to what happens backstage. He also mentioned another K-pop group, LOONA and a Korean broadcast show from JTBC titled "Showdown," among many others, are also collaborating with the company to develop NFTs. The C2X NFT Marketplace allows for simplicity, allowing those less experienced in blockchain to create NFTs, compared to other platforms. Minting, purchasing, transmitting and more are all stored through C2X NFT's SmartContract system, where trading and transferring happens in just a few clicks. On the horizon, the C2X NFT Marketplace will be expanding its number of shares in the blockchain ecosystem. For more information, please visit: https://c2x.world. About C om2uS Established in 1998 and headquartered in South Korea, Com2uS operates internationally with offices in the United States, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Vietnam, and became a subsidiary of Com2uS Holdings (previous: GAMEVIL) in 2013. As a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, they thrive on creating successful games with a level of depth and engagement for the global market. With a newly added focus on blockchain and metaverse, Com2uS is taking a new leap as a global comprehensive content and platform company to lead the global digital paradigm. MEDIA CONTACT: Shannon Blood M Group Strategic Communications (C2X) +1 917 765 1442 [email protected] SOURCE C2X INDIANAPOLIS, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CAI, a global consulting company that provides technical, operational consulting, and project management services to life sciences, data centers, and industrial process manufacturing industries, today confirmed its status as an official Kneat Platform Partner with the launch of its own validated Kneat Gx software instance following the initial development of a strategic partnership with Kneat Solutions in early 2022. The Kneat Gx instance, a 21 CFR Part 11 and Annex 11 electronic records and signatures compliant SaaS validation solution, enables CAI to host work product on behalf of its clients, including reviews, approvals, and execution of protocols. The CAI instance of Kneat Gx will provide a mechanism for Knowledge Management that is married directly to work product, by enabling tools and templates to be stored and managed in the same platform and format, where they can and should be used. "Our Kneat Gx environment gives us the ability to serve our clients more efficiently, using industry best in class standardized off-the-shelf content while removing the geographic obstacles to collaboration within our global network of industry professionals," states Mike Martin, CEO of CAI. He continues, "I am excited for what the future holds!" "CAI continues to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing their client experience and results through the adoption of digital validation and through their partnership with Kneat," commented Rick Mineo, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Kneat. "We are very pleased to partner with CAI, and we look forward to continuing to scale our solutions" About CAI: Since CAI's founding in 1996, we have delivered nearly a billion dollars in services for hundreds of clients across thousands of projects globally. With offices in the US, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Korea, Switzerland, India, Ireland, Italy, China, Singapore, United Kingdom, and Malaysia, we have built an international team of over 850 professionals providing local support from a global company. Our engineering, technical, and consulting services deliver mission critical facilities with a high level of performance and reliability. When operational readiness is critical, CAI delivers to a higher standard. https://cagents.com/ About Kneat: Kneat, a Canadian company with operational headquarters in Limerick, Ireland, develops and markets the next generation Kneat Gx SaaS platform. Multiple business work processes can be configured on the platform from equipment to computer system validation, through to quality document management. Kneat's software allows users to author, review, approve, execute testing online, manage any exceptions, and post approve final deliverables in a controlled FDA 21 CFR Part 11/ Eudralex Annex 11 compliant platform. Macro and micro report dashboards enable powerful oversight into all systems, projects and processes globally. Customer case studies are reporting productivity improvements in excess of 100% and a higher data integrity and compliance standard. For more information visit www.kneat.com Media Contact: David Shenberger +13177219847 [email protected] SOURCE CAI Acquisition Builds on the Significant Momentum of Caliber Car Wash, One of the Fastest-Growing Car Wash Platforms in the Country ATLANTA, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Caliber Car Wash ("Caliber") today announced the acquisition of Q Car Wash ("Q Wash"), one of the largest and highest-quality express car wash businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The combined company is a leading express car wash platform, operating premier car wash facilities in attractive markets across the Southern United States. Caliber is backed by Percheron Capital, a private equity firm focused on partnering with high-quality essential services businesses. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Caliber is one of the fastest-growing express car wash businesses in the country, providing customers with fast and friendly car wash services at a great value. By utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, including advanced water reclamation systems, Caliber delivers environmentally friendly car washes without sacrificing quality. The company expects continued rapid growth over the coming years due to the growing demand for express car wash services and the accelerating adoption of subscription car wash programs. Q Wash's dedication to its loyal customers, talented employees and local communities has made it a leading destination for superior car wash care in Dallas-Fort Worth. As part of the Caliber platform, Q Wash will leverage Caliber's deep operational capabilities and resources to continue offering exceptional service, outstanding quality and convenience to its loyal customers. Danny York, Chief Executive Officer of Caliber, stated, "I am extremely proud of our exceptional team, which is dedicated to providing the highest-caliber car wash services with a customer-first approach and an industry-leading value proposition. We have long admired Q Wash's culture of operational excellence, outstanding team members and strong market position in the attractive Dallas-Fort Worth area. This transaction creates new and exciting opportunities for our team members as we continue to rapidly grow the company through organic growth, greenfield developments and acquisitions of other high-quality operators." About Caliber Car Wash Caliber Car Wash is a leading express conveyor car wash platform with premier locations across the Southern United States. Caliber has built an industry-leading membership model and a strong reputation for high-quality, fast and friendly car wash services at a great value. By utilizing state-of-the art equipment, including advanced water reclamation systems, Caliber delivers environmentally friendly car washes without sacrificing quality. Caliber prides itself on putting customers first, investing in its passionate and dedicated team members, and supporting its local communities. For more information, please visit www.calibercarwash.com. About Percheron Capital Percheron Capital is a private equity firm focused on partnering with exceptional teams to build market-leading services businesses. The firm's purpose is to help high-quality businesses accelerate growth and enhance long-term value. Percheron has over $1 billion of assets under management and focuses on investing in strong services businesses in resilient end markets, including animal health, automotive, education, food & beverage, healthcare & wellness, and residential. For more information, please visit www.percheroncapital.com. Media Contacts Woomi Yun / Erik Carlson Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher (212) 355-4449 SOURCE Caliber Car Wash CARFAX Honored by The Washington Post and St. Louis Post-Dispatch CENTREVILLE, Va., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Team CARFAX has earned "Top Workplace" honors from both The Washington Post and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, based entirely on employee feedback. This is the ninth win in a row from The Washington Post for the Centreville, Va., headquarters. CARFAX is one of only 13 companies in the Washington, D.C., area to receive this prestigious recognition every year since the award began in 2014. This year also marks the first win for the CARFAX office in Columbia, Mo., from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The continued recognition as a Top Workplace is a testament to our employees," said Bill Eager, CEO at CARFAX. "I am grateful to come to work every day with great people who embody the CARFAX spirit and the pride we take in delivering on our mission of helping millions of people. Being a top workplace is an honor and true team effort when we work together, we win together!" CARFAX is known for its unique culture that emphasizes teamwork, transparency, and making work fun. It's a one-of-a-kind blend of a high achieving, high-energy workforce with a laid-back setting that values a strong work-life balance. As part of that balance, CARFAX is again offering four-day summer work weeks in 2022. CARFAX was founded in Columbia, Mo. in 1984. The company has more than 1,100 employees throughout the U.S. and in Canada, with offices in Centreville, Va., Columbia, Mo., and London, Ont., and more than 220 new team members joined Team CARFAX in 2021. CARFAX is a leader in consumer-information technology with a database of more than 28 billion vehicle records. Millions of consumers every year trust CARFAX to help them shop, buy, service, and sell used cars. Selection for The Washington Post and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplaces lists is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous survey administered by Energage , LLC, which measures aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection. Find your career at CARFAX by visiting www.carfax.com/careers. About CARFAX CARFAX , part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car Listings , CARFAX Car Care , CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world's largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell Show me the CARFAX. S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. SOURCE CARFAX Independence Day Vacationers Find Pump Price Relief With Shorter Distances, Carpools and American-Made Fuel Efficient Vehicles CHICAGO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey by the car-shopping marketplace Cars.com (NYSE: CARS) reveals that while 88% of American travelers plan to drive to their holiday destinations over Independence Day weekend, more than three-fourths say record-high gas prices have impacted plans, with many opting to stay closer to home or bring friends along to help chip in at the pump. Distance is the predominant sacrifice. More than half of those surveyed say they'll be driving a shorter distance due to fuel costs, and while 62% of 2021 respondents said their goal was to get "as far from the house as possible" last Fourth of July, this year, 68% of road trippers will stay within 50 miles of home. Continuing a Memorial Day travel trend, 45% of Fourth of July travelers will bring company along to offset the cost of gas, and the number surpasses 50% for those between 18-34 and those with a household income below $50,000. "Road tripping for the Fourth of July is an American tradition, and understandably, gas prices are at the forefront of any road tripper's mind right now. Pent-up demand for travel is pushing vacationers to get creative with their road-trip strategies to curb costs rather than forgo their adventures completely," said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "Every little bit helps, but one of the biggest factors is fuel efficiency, and fortunately, there are a variety of vehicle options on the market for all lifestyles that will help maximize mpg, including many that are made right here in the USA." Cars.com recently released its 2022 American-Made Index (AMI) , which features 95 cars that contribute most to the U.S. economy based on criteria ranging from U.S. factory jobs and manufacturing plants to parts sourcing. The index gives shoppers information to purchase the most American-made vehicles and direct their economic impact closer to home. The Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Appearing in This Year's Cars.com American-Made Index Include: Ranking (best MPG) American-Made Index Ranking Model on Cars.com's American-Made Index Version With Best MPG 1 65 Toyota Camry Hybrid (HEV) Camry Hybrid LE 2 56 Lexus ES Hybrid (HEV) ES 300h 3 90 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid RAV4 Hybrid 4 79 Honda CR-V Hybrid CR-V Hybrid 5 95 Hyundai Elantra Elantra SE 6 91 Honda Civic Civic EX 7 51 Toyota Sienna (HEV) Sienna with Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) 8 72 Toyota Highlander Hybrid (HEV) Highlander Hybrid with FWD 9 92 Toyota Corolla Corolla Hatchback SE with CVT 10 83 Nissan Rogue Rogue S and SV with FWD To view the complete American Made Index, visit Cars.com/AMI , and to learn more about the recent Independence Day travel survey, great deals and other car-buying tips and tricks, please visit Cars.com/News . Cars.com consumer survey, fielded June 14-17, 2022; 1,670 responses Cars.com survey conducted June 24-25, 2021; 1,013 responses Top 10 Cars.com American-Made Index vehicles with best mpg based on the trim/equipment for each model using data from the EPA ABOUT CARS.COM CARS is the leading automotive marketplace platform that provides a robust set of digital solutions that connect car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share. In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com's pure audience of in-market car shoppers; DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform; automotive fintech platform CreditIQ and Accu-Trade a vehicle valuation and appraisal technology. The full suite of CARS properties includes Cars.com , Dealer Inspire , FUEL , DealerRater , CreditIQ , Accu-Trade.com , Auto.com , PickupTrucks.com and NewCars.com . For more information, visit www.Cars.com . SOURCE Cars.com Inc. NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Origins , a European-based company specializing in fresh and authentic extra virgin olive oils (Evoos) and traceable foods, has just launched multiple lines of carbon-neutral Italian Evoos under its flagship brand Bellucci . The company's mission is to bring good and healthy foods to the world and sources this premium Italian Evoo from Tuscany, Apulia, and Sicily, exclusively for international markets. The Bellucci carbon-neutral Evoo lines compensate for its emissions by participating in offsetting programs, thanks to the collaboration with Climate Partner a leading company in the sustainability sector, active in Europe since 2006. But what does it take to become Carbon-Neutral? It means measuring the emissions generated each year by one or more product lines, laying down a strategic plan to reduce them over time, and immediately starting to offset the remaining emissions by financing certified offsetting projects. "We approached Climate Partner with a clear goal: to transform an already authentic, traceable Evoo into a fully sustainable product," explains Giovanni Quaratesi , Sales & Business Development Certified Origins division Director in the United States . "We finally calculated all the emissions generated by the Bellucci Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil supply chain and chose a reforestation project in a deserted area of China to balance the global greenhouse gas emissions of one of our most popular brands." Despite what most people think, Agriculture and Food Production are also great contributors to global emissions. Certified Origins wants to take the lead in the industry by launching a genuinely sustainable Evoo, with an open invitation to other companies and retailers to follow their example. The company is not new to groundbreaking innovation and initiatives in the food world; Bellucci Evoo is, in fact, also one of the first fully traceable extra virgin olive oil using Oracle blockchain . "The end consumer is linking the concept of authenticity with the one of sustainability more every day." Exclaims Giorgio Bertolini, Head of Climate Partner Italia, "That's why a traditional, quality, extra virgin olive oil like Bellucci can be the perfect ambassador to contribute every day, transparently and directly, to climate action. Becoming and using a carbon-neutral oil means to have real commitment to our planet, measuring, reducing, and offsetting all CO2 emissions. Together we can make a big difference; even small daily gestures like dressing our salad with a delicious, sustainable Olive Oil will help fight climate change!" CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Certified Origins WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) announced that it has imposed an interim suspension of the CFP certification against Patrick M. Egan, which is effective as of June 21, 2022. Pursuant to Mr. Egan's consent, CFP Board issued an automatic interim suspension order suspending Mr. Egan's right to use the CFP certification marks after receiving evidence that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a Complaint with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeking remedies for an alleged violation of Rule 15l-1(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, better known as "Reg BI." In its Complaint, which the SEC brought against Mr. Egan and other co-defendants, the SEC alleged that the defendants failed to comply with care obligations because they failed to exercise reasonable diligence, care and skill to understand the risks, rewards and costs associated with certain alternative investments and by recommending those investments to certain retail customers without a reasonable basis to believe they were in those customers' best interests. As of the date of the interim suspension order, the SEC's Complaint remains pending. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Egan's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. An interim suspension is a suspension of a CFP professional's Certification and Trademark License during the pendency of proceedings. A Respondent subject to an Interim Suspension Order must not use the CFP certification marks or state or suggest that Respondent is a CFP professional while the Interim Suspension Order is in effect. An Interim Suspension Order is a temporary sanction and does not preclude CFP Board from imposing a final sanction. An Interim Suspension Order will remain in place until the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) issues a final order or, if an appeal is filed, until CFP Board's Appeals Commission issues a final order. CFP Board may vacate an Interim Suspension Order if the underlying Professional Discipline is vacated or reversed or if Respondent provides sufficient evidence indicating that Respondent was not the subject of the Professional Discipline. A Hearing Panel of the DEC may issue an Order to vacate an Interim Suspension Order upon a successful Petition to Vacate an Interim Suspension Order by Respondent. The basis for this decision also may be found on CFP Board's website at CFP.net/verify, where CFP Board provides the public with: An Individual's CFP Board disciplinary history and CFP certification status. certification status. Links to other sources of information about CFP professionals that may be more recent or that may contain information that has not led to CFP Board discipline and does not appear on CFP Board's website. This information may include customer disputes, disciplinary actions taken by a regulator or employer, certain criminal matters and certain financial matters (such as bankruptcy proceedings and unpaid judgments or liens). professionals that may be more recent or that may contain information that has not led to CFP Board discipline and does not appear on CFP Board's website. This information may include customer disputes, disciplinary actions taken by a regulator or employer, certain criminal matters and certain financial matters (such as bankruptcy proceedings and unpaid judgments or liens). Links to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's (FINRA's) BrokerCheck and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure databases for individuals who are subject to FINRA or SEC oversight. CFP Board's Enforcement Process As part of their certification, CFP professionals make a commitment to CFP Board to abide by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (Code and Standards) or its predecessor, the Standards of Professional Conduct (Standards), which included the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards. CFP Board's Procedural Rules set forth the process for investigating matters and imposing sanctions where violations have been found. CFP Board enforces its ethical standards by investigating alleged violations and, where there is probable cause to believe there are grounds for sanction, presents a Complaint containing the alleged violations to CFP Board's DEC. The DEC meets at least six times a year to review any matter in which CFP Board has alleged that a CFP professional has violated the Code and Standards, or its predecessor Standards, or an individual on the pathway to CFP certification has violated the Pathway to CFP Certification Agreement. The DEC functions in accordance with the Procedural Rules and reviews all matters on a case-by-case basis, considering the details specific to an individual case. If the DEC determines there are grounds for sanction, then it may impose a sanction. DEC orders may be appealed by a CFP professional or by CFP Board pursuant to the Procedural Rules. In certain circumstances, such as when a CFP professional is in default due to failure to acknowledge receipt of a Notice of Investigation or file an Answer, CFP Board staff must deliver an Administrative Order of Suspension, Temporary Bar, Revocation or Permanent Bar. Administrative Orders also are subject to appeal. More information on CFP Board's enforcement process can be found at CFP.net/ethics/enforcement. ABOUT CFP BOARD Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board sets standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CFP certification one of the most respected certifications in financial services so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning. CFP Board, along with its Center for Financial Planning, is committed to increasing the public's awareness of CFP certification and access to a diverse, ethical and competent financial planning workforce. Widely recognized by firms and consumer groups as the standard for financial planning, CFP certification is held by more than 93,000 people in the United States. SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. THUNDER BAY, ON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (FRA: CKU) (OTCQB: CLRMF) is pleased to announce new assay results from the 2022 drill campaign from both the Escape and Current PGE-Cu-Ni Deposits at the Company's Thunder Bay North Project near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (the "Project"). New assay highlights from the Escape South deposit area includes (Table 1): Infill Hole ELR22-140 which intersected 70.5m grading 1.18g/t Platinum (Pt), 1.52g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.54% Copper (Cu) and 0.31% Nickel (Ni) from 341.0m - 411.5m downhole, including 14.0m grading 2.65g/t Pt, 3.46 g/t Pd, 1.28% Cu and 0.72% Ni from 392.0- 406.0m downhole and increases the known dimensions of the Escape South High Grade Zone ("HGZ"). from - downhole, including and increases the known dimensions of the Escape South High Grade Zone ("HGZ"). Infill Hole ELR22-143 which intersected 60.0m grading 2.05g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.74g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.01% Copper (Cu) and 0.51% Nickel (Ni) from 373.0m - 433.0m downhole including 20.7m grading 3.90 g/t Platinum (Pt), 5.36g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.97% Copper (Cu) and 0.97% Nickel (Ni) from 402.0- 422.7.0m downhole (Figure 1) and increases the known dimensions of the Escape South HGZ. Pursuant to the PEA mine plan reported January 12, 2022, initial production on the Escape Deposit commences at Year 4.5 of the Life of Mine on the Escape South HGZ on 2,323,948 tonnes grading 9.99g/t PtEq insitu. The Escape Deposit has now undergone an additional 55,651m of expansion drilling in 2021 and 2022 not yet included in the project mineral resource. This additional drilling has established continuity between the Escape South HGZ and the Escape North Zone and may add materially to the total Thunder Bay North Project Indicated insitu mineral resource (effective November 1, 2021) including the Current Deposit, averaging 8.12 g/t PtEq in 14,553,324 million tonnes insitu (reported December 1, 2021). New assay highlights from the Current deposit area includes (Table 2): Infill Hole CL22-043 which intersected 25.0m grading 2.01g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.57g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.94% Copper (Cu) and 0.52% Nickel (Ni) from 325.7m - 373.0m downhole including 8.0m grading 3.08 g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.97g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.63% Copper (Cu) and 0.39% Nickel (Ni) from 147.0- 155.0m downhole (Figure 2) and which improves the grade profile of the Beaver Lake Zone down plunge from the main PEA production areas. Pursuant to the PEA mine plan reported January 12, 2022, the first 3.7 years of mining at Current Deposit on 4,835,410 tonnes of material insitu averages 4.49g/t 4E PGE or 10.04g/t PtEq insitu at Lower Current and Bridge Zones, immediately up plunge from the Beaver Lake Zone. Mineral resource endowment and platinum-equivalents are quoted pursuant to the Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Thunder Bay North Project, Thunder Bay, Ontario, with an effective date of January 20, 2021 (the "Technical Report"). The Technical Report was posted to SEDAR on March 4, 2021 and prepared by Nordmin Engineering Ltd.- QP Glen Kuntz, P.Geo. Ontario. Nordmin as QP utilized 2-year trailing average metal price assumptions[1] for the updated mineral resource as a basis for the Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") reported on December 1, 2021 and filed January 12, 2022. DRA Selected as PFS Metallurgical Process Provider The Company again states that DRA AMERICAS INC ("DRA") is the successful bid under a request for proposal (RFP) for Pre-feasibility Metallurgical Testing and Process Plant Design for the Thunder Bay North Project. The DRA team has reviewed the existing and historical metallurgical testing results and marketing studies culminating in the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) by Nordmin Engineering, the technical report of which was filed on SEDAR on January 12, 2022. DRA will leverage existing knowledge on standard crush, grind, flotation process design and smelter payabilities into the next phase of testing and metallurgical optimization, including amenability to hydrometallurgical recoveries of the main platinum, palladium, copper, nickel commodity suite with rhodium, cobalt, gold and silver byproducts. Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) The Company announced a comprehensive mine plan and cashflow model for both the Escape Deposit and Current Deposit as part of a PEA for the Current and Escape PGE-Cu-Ni Deposits of the Thunder Bay North Project on December 1, 2021. The related Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on January 12, 2022 https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5750/21015-01-pfs-0000_ni_43_101_pea_12jan2022.pdf Table 1: New Insitu Assay Results Update Escape South Sail-Zone Extension (Figure 1) Hole ID Company From, m To, m Length, m Pt+Pd (ppm) Cu+Ni (%) Pt (ppm) Pd (ppm) Cu (%) Ni (%) ELR22-135 AIR 291.8 296 4.2 4.23 0.34 1.95 2.28 0.21 0.13 ELR22-135 AIR 331 337 6.0 1.27 0.47 0.58 0.69 0.24 0.23 ELR22-135 AIR 349 351 2.0 1.09 0.38 0.50 0.59 0.19 0.20 ELR22-135 AIR 355 377 22.0 2.43 0.83 1.09 1.34 0.50 0.33 ELR22-135 AIR 393.2 397 3.8 2.28 0.66 1.05 1.23 0.44 0.21 ELR22-139 AIR 315 317 2.0 1.09 0.41 0.47 0.62 0.22 0.18 ELR22-139 AIR 417 422 5.0 2.49 0.72 1.13 1.36 0.48 0.24 ELR22-140 AIR 341 411.5 70.5 2.70 0.85 1.18 1.52 0.54 0.31 *incl. 392 406 14.0 6.10 1.99 2.65 3.46 1.28 0.72 ELR22-141A AIR 356 358 2.0 1.14 0.32 0.52 0.62 0.18 0.14 ELR22-142 AIR 386 388 2.0 1.53 0.41 0.71 0.81 0.27 0.14 ELR22-143 AIR 373 433 60.0 4.79 1.52 2.05 2.74 1.01 0.51 *incl. 402 422.7 20.7 9.25 2.94 3.90 5.36 1.97 0.97 ELR22-143 AIR 444.5 458 13.5 1.70 0.60 0.77 0.93 0.38 0.22 ELR22-144 AIR 424 483 59.0 1.93 0.60 0.85 1.08 0.39 0.21 ELR22-144 AIR 485 487 2.0 1.09 0.42 0.48 0.61 0.21 0.20 ELR22-144 AIR 489.8 499 9.3 2.00 0.71 0.89 1.11 0.42 0.29 Note: 1) All intercepts are estimated to be >95% of true width based on drill hole inclination 2) Mineralized intervals calculated at 1 ppm Pt+Pd cutoff 3) Metallurgical recoveries estimated at 95% Copper; 85% Sulphide Nickel (52% total Ni); 87% Palladium; 82% Platinum Table 2: New Insitu Assay Results Update Current Deposit - Upper Beaver Lake Zone (Figure 2) Hole ID Company From, m To, m Length, m Pt+Pd (ppm) Cu+Ni (%) Pt (ppm) Pd (ppm) Cu (%) Ni (%) CL22-035A AIR 134.7 136.7 2.0 2.37 0.31 1.26 1.11 0.17 0.15 CL22-036A AIR 136.8 152.8 16.0 2.36 0.48 1.20 1.16 0.28 0.20 CL22-036A AIR 160.8 162.8 2.0 2.86 0.48 1.52 1.34 0.27 0.21 CL22-036A AIR 210.7 212.65 2.0 3.97 1.15 2.10 1.87 0.76 0.39 CL22-037A AIR 129 135 6.0 1.90 0.42 0.96 0.95 0.25 0.18 CL22-037A AIR 157 159 2.0 1.23 0.33 0.65 0.58 0.12 0.21 CL22-037A AIR 163 165 2.0 1.34 0.34 0.69 0.64 0.14 0.20 CL22-037A AIR 171 195 24.0 1.78 0.42 0.92 0.87 0.20 0.22 CL22-038 AIR 158 162 4.0 1.35 0.38 0.69 0.66 0.18 0.20 CL22-039 AIR 137.1 147 9.9 1.51 0.39 0.78 0.73 0.20 0.19 CL22-040 AIR 141.7 145 3.3 1.52 0.36 0.78 0.74 0.20 0.16 CL22-041 AIR 127 131 4.0 1.45 0.31 0.76 0.69 0.16 0.15 CL22-041 AIR 145 159 14.0 1.59 0.46 0.82 0.76 0.23 0.23 CL22-043 AIR 143 161 18.0 4.20 0.70 2.17 2.03 0.43 0.27 *incl. 147 155 8.0 6.04 1.02 3.08 2.97 0.63 0.39 CL22-043 AIR 183 185 2.0 1.12 0.37 0.59 0.53 0.17 0.20 CL22-043 AIR 187 189 2.0 1.29 0.43 0.66 0.63 0.21 0.22 CL22-043 AIR 193 194.95 1.9 1.98 0.52 1.02 0.96 0.30 0.21 CL22-044 AIR 144 148 4.0 1.05 0.25 0.56 0.49 0.10 0.15 Note: 5) All intercepts are estimated to be >95% of true width based on drill hole inclination 6) Mineralized intervals calculated at 1 ppm Pt+Pd cutoff 7) Metallurgical recoveries estimated at 95% Copper; 85% Sulphide Nickel (52% total Ni); 87% Palladium; 82% Platinum Abraham Drost, CEO of Clean Air Metals stated that "the Escape and Current deposits continue to perform. Potential peer leading mining head grades and proximity to infrastructure near the City of Thunder Bay and support of the affected First Nation and Metis communities for this sustainable green energy metal mix position the project well. These factors combined with DRA's work targeted on improving ore payabilities are critical to success of the project. This infill drilling on the margins and extension of the Escape South High Grade Zone (HGZ) and Upper Beaver Lake Zone of the Current Deposit continues to deliver strong results. The Lower Current and Bridge Zones of the Current Deposit may be accessed 70m below surface and provide a strong start to mining at the Thunder Bay North Project, pursuant to the PEA mine plan. The Escape South High Grade Zone (>5g/t Pt+Pd) is identified as a high value potential mining area at the base of the Escape Deposit contributing feed to the mill at Year 4.5 of the PEA mine plan, pursuant to the recently delivered PEA technical report filed January 12, 2022." Figure 1: New Drill Hole Intercepts in the Escape Deposit Area https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5809/elr_20220623_v2.png Figure 2: New Drill Hole Intercepts in the Current Deposit Area https://cleanairmetals.ca/site/assets/files/5809/cl_20220623_v3.png COVID Policy Clean Air Metals continued to apply COVID-19 avoidance and personal protection measures for its geological staff, drilling contractor and service suppliers. Personnel are required to self-monitor and self-isolate or elect to work from home. The Company closely follows Ontario Provincial Government COVID guidelines. Qualified Person Dr. Geoff Heggie, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and Vice President - Exploration for the Company, has reviewed and approved all technical information in this press release. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Clean Air Metals uses ALS Global ("ALS"), a well-established and recognized mineral assay and geochemical analytical services company. The Thunder Bay laboratory holds ISO-9000 accreditation; the Vancouver facility holds ISO-17025 registration. All NQ-sized drill core is cut with a diamond-tipped saw blade with half of the core submitted to ALS for sample preparation and analysis. Core samples from selected intervals are individually bagged and tagged, gathered up in larger sealed poly bags and shipped to the sample prep facility in Thunder Bay, ON under custody of Clean Air Metals' personnel at all times. Sample preparation is completed at the ALS sample preparation facility located in Thunder Bay, ON and analysis is completed at the primary ALS assay laboratory located in Vancouver, B.C. Clean Air Metals follows a documented quality control procedure for its core assay sampling program consisting of the insertion of blind blanks, duplicates, and certified Palladium-Platinum and Copper-Nickel standards into the sample stream. The insertion procedure results in a minimum of 11% to 12% control sample frequency depending on the length of the sampled interval. Gold, platinum, and palladium are analyzed using fire assay (FA) with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) finish. Samples with grades above the optimal ICP-MS detection limits are analyzed using an optical emission spectroscopy method (ICP-OES). Also, thirty-three (33) elements of each sample, including copper, nickel, silver, chromium, cobalt, and sulphur, are analyzed by a multi-element analytical method using the atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) technique following four-acid digestion of the sample. When samples have grades above the optimal detection limits for this analytical method, they are re-analyzed using a high-grade method consisting of either ICP-AES or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) techniques. Social Engagement Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the Cooperating Participants in a Memorandum of Agreement dated January 9, 2021 (press release January 11, 2021) and Exploration Agreement signed April 13, 2022 (press release April 14, 2022). The Company appreciates the opportunity to work in these territories and remains committed to the recognition and respect of those who have lived, traveled, and gathered on the lands since time immemorial. Clean Air Metals is committed to stewarding Indigenous heritage and remains committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation. About Clean Air Metals Inc. Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel project located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Thunder Bay North Project hosts the twin magma conduit bodies which host the Current and Escape deposits forming the basis for a robust preliminary economic assessment PEA) filed January 12, 2002. The PEA of a ramp access underground mine and on-site 3600tpd milling complex and the 2-year trailing average price deck, features a pretax NPV5 of C$425m and an IRR of 31% on initial capital of $378m over a 10-year mine life. Executive Chair Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced technical team who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development feasibility studies for a low-carbon, all-electric sustainable mining operation at Thunder Bay North. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December 2019, Jim Gallagher and team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Abraham Drost" Abraham Drost, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Air Metals Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements regarding the potential of the Thunder Bay North Project and the Escape and Current deposits and timing of technical studies including prefeasibility studies and updated mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection. __________________________ 1 CRU 2-year metal price assumptions can be viewed in the following Link (Click Here) SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc. VANCOUVER, BC, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX: CMMC) (ASX:C6C) (the "Company" or "Copper Mountain") has been made aware by the ASX of media speculation regarding a possible transaction related to the Eva Copper Project in Queensland, Australia. The Company's policy is not to comment on market speculation. The Company notes that it regularly reviews strategic opportunities to enhance shareholder value, and to this end, the Company has engaged Macquarie Capital to evaluate strategic opportunities regarding the Eva Copper Project. There are no pending transactions with respect to the Eva Copper Project of any nature at this time. The Company will update the market as necessary in line with its continuous disclosure obligations. About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation Copper Mountain's flagship asset is the 75% owned Copper Mountain Mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain Mine currently produces approximately 100 million pounds of copper equivalent per year. Copper Mountain also has the 100% owned development-stage Eva Copper Project, which is expected add approximately 100 million pounds of copper annually, in Queensland, Australia and an extensive 2,100 km2 highly prospective land package in the Mount Isa area. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C". Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". In this news release, certain forward-looking statements are identified, including anticipated production at the Copper Mountain Mine. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including in each management's discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Copper Mountain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation AMSTERDAM, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Laboratories (NYSE: "CLB US" and Euronext Amsterdam: "CLB NA") will broadcast its second quarter 2022 conference call over the Internet at 7:30 a.m. CDT / 2:30 p.m. CEST on July 28, 2022. Larry Bruno, Chairman and CEO, Chris Hill, CFO, and Gwen Gresham, SVP Corporate Development and Investor Relations, will discuss financial and operational results. An earnings press release will be issued after market close on July 27th and may be accessed through the Company's website at www.corelab.com. To participate in the live webcast, simply log on to www.corelab.com at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the call. For those who are not available to listen to the live webcast, a Podcast will be available immediately following the conference call and a replay will be available on Core's website shortly after the call which will remain on the site for 10 days. To listen to the conference call via telephone, please contact Lena Brennan at [email protected] for the dial-in number. Core Laboratories N.V. (www.corelab.com) is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description and production enhancement services and products used to optimize petroleum reservoir performance. The Company has over 70 offices in more than 50 countries and is located in every major oil-producing province in the world. SOURCE Core Laboratories N.V. VANCOUVER, BC, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CubicFarm Systems Corp. ("CubicFarms" or the "Company") (TSX:CUB), a leading local chain agricultural technology company, today announced that it has entered into agreements with NTE Discovery Park Ltd. ("NTE Discovery Park") for the purchase of 26 CubicFarm System modules at a sale price of CAD$4.4 million, the manufacturing of those initial 26 modules, as well as the future manufacturing of major components for contracts within North America. At Discovery Park, a former pulp mill located in Campbell River, British Columbia ("B.C."), NTE Discovery Park will operate the manufacturing and fabrication of the cold-formed steel framing for modular construction of the CubicFarm System modules. The CubicFarm System controlled environment agriculture ("CEA") technology grows commercial scale amounts of fresh produce in modular, food-grade steel systems using the Company's proprietary Crop Motion Technology moving plants throughout the system using less water, land, energy, and labour. 26-Module CubicFarm System Sale CubicFarms has signed an agreement with NTE Discovery Park to purchase an initial 26 CubicFarm System indoor growing modules, which will be installed at Discovery Park in Campbell River, B.C., with the intention to expand with the sale and manufacturing of an additional 100 modules in the near future. NTE Discovery Park is committed to repurposing existing facilities and evaluating sustainable initiatives to ignite a circular economy, localize food production, and reinvigorate local labour with jobs in the community. "We're excited about operating the CubicFarm System and diversifying our operations by manufacturing major hardware components, installing CubicFarms' impressive indoor farming technologies, and localizing fresh produce for communities in B.C.," said John Tang, Chief Executive Officer, NTE Discovery Park. "Building and operating vertical farms in Western Canada has a dual purpose of providing communities with better access to delicious fresh food year-round without importing 90% of it over long distances, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of food delivered to consumers. We are also providing new jobs with the ongoing manufacturing of CubicFarm System modules for installation across Canada and North America. We were impressed by the CubicFarm System's lower energy usage compared to other vertical farms, and we're proud to use power sourced BC Hydro with a hydroelectric dam located 4 kilometres from the site." North American Manufacturing Agreement As the Company's North American manufacturing partner, NTE Discovery Park will be manufacturing major hardware components for CubicFarms. Supply chain delays have impacted the Company's delivery and installation of CubicFarm System modules during the ongoing global pandemic. This new manufacturing agreement with NTE Discovery Park will mitigate supply chain constraints and allow increased efficiencies and new Farmer Partner installations for larger commercial scale commitments. "We're honoured to partner with NTE Discovery Park and parent company New Times Energy Limited in manufacturing CubicFarm Systems," said Dave Dinesen, Chief Executive Officer, CubicFarms. "The visionary leaders of this successful, international company are aligned on the importance of all the ways we can localize food production and improve food security in Canada. This manufacturing agreement for hardware made in Canada is in addition to the Company's existing manufacturing facilities in China, allowing CubicFarms to meet increasing demand for our technology and leading CEA platform." About NTE Discovery Park Ltd. New Times Discovery Park Ltd. is 100% owned by New Times Energy Corporation Limited ("NTE"), a Hong Kong-based company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 0166.HK). NTE is an international resource company that operates natural gas weighted assets in Alberta and B.C. and is taking steps to transform its business model into clean and sustainable energy, in its effort to be a part of the global "Energy Transition" that is underway, with social responsibility towards the environment and climate change at the forefront. About CubicFarms CubicFarms is a leading local chain agricultural technology company developing and deploying technology to feed a changing world. Its proprietary ag-tech solutions enable growers to produce high quality, predictable produce and fresh livestock feed with HydroGreen Nutrition Technology, a division of CubicFarm Systems Corp. The CubicFarms system contains patented technology for growing leafy greens and other crops onsite, indoors, all year round. CubicFarms provides an efficient, localized food supply solution that benefits our people, planet, and economy. For more information, please visit www.cubicfarms.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Dave Dinesen" Dave Dinesen, Chief Executive Officer This release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "would," "plan," "potential," "intend," "anticipate," "project," "target," "believe," "plan," "outlook," "estimate," or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar nature are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company including but not limited to statements with respect to expected revenue recognition and completion of the sale, manufacturing and installation of the 26 CubicFarm System modules, the intention of NTE Discovery Park to purchase an additional 100 modules, and future manufacturing of module components by NTE Discovery Park for contracts within North America. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. SOURCE CubicFarm Systems Corp. SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Curebase, a company committed to democratizing access to clinical studies, has named human resources management veteran Andi Seymour as its VP of People. Curebase's decentralized clinical trial model ensures more diverse studies because unique populations which typically are underrepresented in clinical trials can be included. The company's virtual research sites also provide physicians with new and unique options to offer their patients, regardless of location. The Curebase platform empowers sponsors, CROs, and physicians from practices of all sizes to conduct clinical research, including private practices, independent clinics, and large academic research sites. "Andi's expertise in HR leadership and her experience in helping technology startups grow makes her ideal for the critical role of VP of People," said Tom Lemberg, founder and chief executive officer of Curebase. "As we continue to scale our business and workforce, Andi will ensure Curebase maintains its core values, culture and professional standards while expanding our workforce skill set." Andi brings more than 15 years of progressive and hands-on experience managing global human resources teams. Prior to joining Curebase, Seymour was vice president of people operations in America for data science platform startup Dataiku. She also has served as VP of human resources for 7Park Data, an alternative data aggregator and analytics provider based in NYC; global head of human resources for AxiomSL, a fintech company for regulatory and risk reporting and global HR operations manager for fintech company MarketAxess, a leading fixed income electronic trading platform based in NYC where she was employed for nearly 10 years. "I strongly believe in what Curebase is doing to transform clinical trials and I'm impressed by the collaborative, respectful and mission-driven culture the company has developed," Seymour said. "I also love a fast-paced organization and it's clear that Curebase is both well-positioned and ready to seize growth opportunities." Seymour received her bachelor's degree with top honors in public administration with a minor in HR management from City University of New York - John Jay, and holds HR certifications from Cornell University. She is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), along with other community-based organizations. About Curebase At Curebase, our mission is to bring quality medical innovations to patients faster and improve human wellbeing through more efficient clinical studies. We are proving that clinical research can be radically accelerated if we empower physicians everywhere to enroll patients in the communities where they live. By applying cutting edge clinical software and remote study management techniques to the problem, we are reinventing clinical trials and research from the ground up. For more information, please visit www.curebase.com. For More Information: Bonnie VosWinkel Curebase [email protected] or Adam Beeson Amendola Communications [email protected] SOURCE Curebase Wife Nikki pleads for his return through her attorney, David Glass LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicole Boyd Margera, wife of world-famous stuntman, actor, director, and multi-talented performer, born Brandon Cole Margera, who started his illustrious career with MTV's Jackass series, is issuing an all-out appeal for her husband to return to the Florida rehab center where he has been undergoing treatment for his addiction issues since earlier this year. According to partner at Enenstein, Pham & Glass, David J. Glass, Nikki Margera's attorney, Nikki, along with her young son, are in full support of Bam's return to complete the program. Ostensibly, Bam Margera has blamed his wife for his troubles and the reason for his abrupt departure on both occasions. "Now," says Glass, "we don't know the whereabouts of Bam, and naturally my client is extremely worried for his well-being and safety." Typical with many addicts who continue to refuse to take accountability for his/her/their shortcomings in overcoming addiction, Bam Margera continues to blame others," Glass states. "Namely his former wife. My client has remained stalwart in her commitment to continue to support her husband in his recovery. Glass, who is not only a Certified Family Law Specialist, a high distinction given by the State Bar of California, he also holds a PhD in Psychology and was once a practicing therapist. "This is all too familiar," says Glass. "Until an addict can take responsibility and own their issues, and they stop blaming others for their own shortcoming, it is impossible to enjoy a full recovery." Glass adds, "Even after a number of failed attempts, my client is still willing to support her husband." According to Glass, Nikki Margera even temporarily relocated from California to Florida to be near her troubled spouse while he underwent treatment, hopeful they might be able to reunite as a family. But, after Bam left the facility a second time unauthorized, she returned to her home in California. "Once again, she has had to seek help from friends and family for the basics--food and shelter." Glass explains. Married for eight years, Nicole Margera has been and remains steadfast in support of her husband's sobriety and career. "She sought court intervention for support late last year when her husband refused to pay my client the support ordered by the court," Glass says. Nearly 18 months ago, Mrs. Margera uprooted her life when the married couple moved from their hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania so the daredevil star could pursue viable career opportunities in Los Angeles. In the past couple of years, the family has moved several times. Bam Margera, 41, is known as a skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He came to prominence in the early 2000s as a reality stunt star. After his enormous success in Jackass, he went on with MTV to create the spin-off shows, Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union. He also went on to co-write and direct his films, Haggard and MInghags. Additionally, he has had great success with his work on music videos. According to Glass, Nicole intentionally filed for child custody and child and spousal support rather than divorce last year. Not long ago, she was encouraged by his willingness to participate in the addiction and mental health treatment he knew he so desperately needed. "Now he can't be found," Glass says. "On behalf of Nikki and their four-year-old son, we ask that Bam come forward." "We love Bam, both as a husband and father," Nicole Margera reaffirmed. "We pray that he will return to the rehab facility to complete his treatment; so that he can return to us well and healthy," she said. SOURCE David J. Glass Enenstein Pham & Glass All Delta Lake enhancements contributed to Linux Foundation with release of Delta Lake 2.0 MLflow 2.0 with ML Pipelines accelerates time-to-production for machine learning projects Spark Connect introduced to allow Apache Spark TM to run on any device Project Lightspeed revealed for next generation Spark Streaming SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Databricks , the data and AI company and pioneer of the data lakehouse paradigm, today announced several contributions to popular data and AI open source projects including Delta Lake, MLflow, and Apache Spark. At the Data + AI Summit , the largest gathering of the open source data and AI community, Databricks announced that the company will contribute all features and enhancements it has made to Delta Lake to the Linux Foundation and open source all Delta Lake APIs as part of the Delta Lake 2.0 release. In addition, the company announced MLflow 2.0, which includes MLflow Pipelines, a new feature to accelerate and simplify ML model deployments. Finally, the company introduced Spark Connect, to enable the use of Spark on virtually any device, and Project Lightspeed, a next generation Spark Structured Streaming engine for data streaming on the lakehouse. "From the beginning, Databricks has been committed to open standards and the open source community. We have created, contributed to, fostered the growth of, and donated some of the most impactful innovations in modern open source technology," said Ali Ghodsi, Co-Founder and CEO of Databricks. "Open data lakehouses are quickly becoming the standard for how the most innovative companies handle their data and AI. Delta Lake, MLflow and Spark are all core to this architectural transformation, and we're proud to do our part in accelerating their innovation and adoption." Delta Lake 2.0 Brings the Lakehouse to Everyone Delta Lake 2.0 will bring unmatched query performance to all Delta Lake users and enable everyone to build a highly performant data lakehouse on open standards. With this contribution, Databricks customers and the open source community will benefit from the full functionality and enhanced performance of Delta Lake 2.0. The Delta Lake 2.0 Release Candidate is now available and is expected to be fully released later this year. The breadth of the Delta Lake ecosystem makes it flexible and powerful in a wide range of use cases. Fueling this is a vibrant community of over 6,400 members, with contributing developers from more than 70 contributing organizations. "Databricks provides Akamai with a table storage format that is open and battle-tested for demanding workloads such as ours. The lakehouse powers interactive analytics at scale so that our customers can have near real-time analysis of security events within our Edge platform," said Aryeh Sivan, VP Engineering at Akamai. "We are very excited about the rapid innovation that Databricks, along with the rapidly growing community, is bringing to Delta Lake. We are also looking forward to collaborating with other developers on the project to move the data community to greater heights." "The Delta Lake project is seeing phenomenal activity and growth trends indicating the developer community wants to be a part of the project. Contributor strength has increased by 60% during the last year and the growth in total commits is up 95% and the average lines of code per commit is up 900%. We are seeing this upward velocity from contributing organizations like Uber Technologies, Walmart and CloudBees, Inc., among others," said Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, Jim Zemlin. MLflow 2.0 Introduces MLflow Pipelines to Templatize and Automate MLOps As one of the most successful open source machine learning (ML) projects, MLflow set the standard for ML platforms. The release of MLflow 2.0 introduces MLflow Pipelines to the platform, substantially decreasing time to production and improving execution at scale through standardization. MLflow Pipelines offers data scientists pre-defined, production-ready templates based on the model type they're building to allow them to reliably bootstrap and accelerate model development without requiring intervention from production engineers. Next Generation Streaming Engine and Spark Whenever and Wherever As the leading unified engine for large-scale data analytics, Spark scales seamlessly to handle data sets of all sizes. However, the lack of remote connectivity and burden of applications developed and run on the driver node, hinder the requirements of modern data applications. To tackle this, Databricks introduced Spark Connect, a client and server interface for Apache Spark based on the DataFrame API that will decouple the client and server for better stability, and allow for built-in remote connectivity. With Spark Connect, users will be able to access Spark from any device. In collaboration with the Spark community, Databricks also announced Project Lightspeed, the next generation of the Spark streaming engine. As the diversity of applications moving into streaming data has increased, new requirements have emerged to support the most in-demand data workloads for lakehouse, data streaming. Spark Structured Streaming has been widely adopted since the early days of streaming because of its ease of use, performance, large ecosystem, and developer communities. With that in mind, Databricks will collaborate with the community and encourage participation in Project Lightspeed to improve performance, ecosystem support for connectors, enhance functionality for processing data with new operators and APIs, and simplify deployment, operations, monitoring and troubleshooting. To learn more about Databricks' commitment to the open source community visit: https://databricks.com/product/open-source . About Databricks Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 7,000 organizations worldwide including Comcast, Conde Nast, H&M, and over 40% of the Fortune 500 rely on the Databricks Lakehouse Platform to unify their data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe. Founded by the original creators of Delta Lake, Apache Spark, and MLflow, Databricks is on a mission to help data teams solve the world's toughest problems. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Safe Harbor Statement This information is provided to outline Databricks' general product direction and is for informational purposes only. Customers who purchase Databricks services should make their purchase decisions relying solely upon services, features, and functions that are currently available. Unreleased features or functionality described in forward-looking statements are subject to change at Databricks discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Databricks FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Foundation of Broward, United Way of Broward County and The Frederick A. Deluca Foundation have announced the renewal of collaborative funding for nine "Dignity in Aging" program grants totaling $509,315. As ongoing participants in the collaborative funding program, Community Foundation of Broward, United Way of Broward County and The Frederick A. Deluca Foundation help address issues identified in the groundbreaking 2018 Broward aging study, "The Silver Tsunami: Is Broward Ready?" The study was jointly commissioned and funded by the Community Foundation, the Jewish Federation and United Way. "This innovative collaboration aims to reduce senior isolation with support for senior centers, in-home services, arts programs, easy-to-use technology and much more," said Community Foundation of Broward President/CEO Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson, Ph.D. "Leveraging research and input from across our community, this long-standing partnership is building a better safety net of essential services that empower seniors to live life to the fullest." For 2022, the nine Dignity in Aging grants to combat senior isolation were awarded to: Memorial Foundation, Allies Program -- $75,000 to engage 500 seniors in weekly social activities, of which 100 of them will receive home visits and depression management. Goodman Jewish Family Services, [email protected] -- $74,940 to give 100 seniors in-home access to technology that connects them to family and friends, as well as interactive online activities. Mt. Olive Development Corporation, Senior Connection -- $75,000 to provide 130 seniors with social engagement activities three times per week, plus in-home visits and support for caregivers. Easterseals of South Florida, Expanded and Enhanced Adult Day Care -- $75,000 to serve 70 older seniors with memory and cognitive impairment Monday through Saturday at the center and provide respite for caregivers. South Florida Institute on Aging, SoFIACARE Caregiver Assistance Program -- $75,000 to serve 100 clients with in-home or virtual support, referrals and connections to resources, and provide respite for caregivers. Cantor Senior Center, Connected to Friends and Activities -- $75,000 to engage a total of 100 seniors at the Center in daily social activities and informal case management. Slow Burn Theatre, Elder Arts -- $19,650 for 500 seniors to attend five mainstage productions at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Performances are paired with themed activities lead by a teaching artist. Museum of Discovery and Science, Movies, Music & More --$19,725 to provide 100 seniors with monthly in-person programming that includes interaction with Museum educators, stage shows, and/or animal meet-and-greets, plus field trips to the Museum including bus transportation, lunch and theater concessions. Canine Assisted Therapy, Pet Therapy for Seniors -- $20,000 to provide pet-therapy for 20,000 isolated seniors living at assisted living facilities or participating in center-based day programs. For more information about the Dignity in Aging grants, please contact Angelica Rosas, Director of Community Impact at the Community Foundation, at [email protected] or 954-761-9503. About Community Foundation of Broward: Founded in 1984, Community Foundation of Broward (CFB) helps families, individuals, and corporations create personalized charitable Funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact. 473 charitable Funds represent more than $212 million in assets, distributing $119 million in grants over the past 35 years. CFB provides bold leadership on community solutions and fosters philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter which empowers visionaries, innovators and doers to create the change they want to see in the community and BE BOLD. www.cfbroward.org. About United Way of Broward County United Way of Broward County is a volunteer driven, community-based, non-profit organization servicing Broward County for 80 years. United Way of Broward County fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our community. United Way of Broward County is the catalyst for change and convener of partnerships that unite the hearts, minds, and resources within the Broward community. For more information, visit www.UnitedWayBroward.org. About The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation was created in 1997 by the late Fred DeLuca, cofounder of the global SUBWAY restaurant chain, to support charitable programs that empower people to lead healthy and productive lives. Since its inception, the foundation has provided educational scholarship opportunities and grants to community-based organizations in the state of Connecticut. Today, the Foundation's impact has broadened to support artistic experiences, health awareness, and career development programs that help youth and families achieve independence and self-sustainability. The Foundation operates in South Florida. For more information, visit www.freddelucafoundation.org/. Media Contact: Kirk Englehardt Vice President of Marketing and Communications Community Foundation of Broward [email protected] (M) 786-562-4282 (O) 954-761-9503 x105 SOURCE Community Foundation of Broward "Our PruittHealth family of providers continuously strives for excellence on behalf of our patients and their families, as well as our local communities. I am pleased eight of our skilled nursing centers have proven their dedication to high-quality health care to receive this well-deserved recognition," said Neil L. Pruitt, Jr., chairman and CEO of PruittHealth. The following PruittHealth locations are 2022 recipients of the AHCA/NCAL Bronze Commitment to Quality Award: PruittHealth Blue Ridge (GA) (GA) PruittHealth Carolina Point (NC) (NC) PruittHealth Fairburn (GA) (GA) PruittHealth Fitzgerald (GA) (GA) PruittHealth Moultrie (GA) (GA) PruittHealth Rock Hill (SC) PruittHealth Toccoa (GA) (GA) PruittHealth Washington (GA) Created in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is a rigorous three-level process that is reviewed and judged by trained experts against a set of nationally recognized standards for organizational excellence. The standards of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program help organizations achieve superior performance to improve quality of life and care of long-term care patients and staff. The awards will be presented during AHCA/NCAL's 73rd Convention & Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, which will be held from October 9-12, 2022. For more information about PruittHealth, visit pruitthealth.com. About PruittHealth A family-owned organization for 50 years, PruittHealth provides a seamless network of post-acute care services and resources, offering skilled nursing care, home health care, end-of-life hospice care, therapy services, as well as pharmacy and infusion services across the Southeast. Our 13,000 employed partners serve approximately 24,000 patients daily in more than 180 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. For more information about our commitment to caring, visit pruitthealth.com. SOURCE PruittHealth The medical marijuana card provider is expanding its outreach efforts to increase accessibility for those who need it most KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevate Holistics, a multistate solution provider in the medical marijuana industry, is donating $5,000 to K9s for Warriors , the nation's largest provider of service dogs to Veterans. "Veterans experience a variety of mental health challenges when they return home, and giving them the support they need should be a national priority," said Stephen Stearman, CEO of Elevate Holistics. "We hope that with this donation we can take steps towards addressing this vitally important issue and give Veterans the tools to heal." Elevate Holistics is a multi-state operator (MOS) serving patients and medical professionals with alternative advanced healthcare options, encrypted SSL safe-site security, turn-key business solutions for clinics, online cannabis healthcare clinics, and compassionate follow-up care. Encrypted online telehealth options, including medical cannabis evaluations, renewals, and online "Ask Me Anything" videos, help patients navigate state laws with confidence. For more information about Elevate Holistics, to partner with the company, or to request a medical marijuana card, visit https://elevate-holistics.com/ About Elevate Holistics Elevate Holistics, a Craft Health company, is a telehealth platform focusing on getting people their medical marijuana cards and physician's medical cannabis certifications/recommendations as simply and easily as possible. The vision was two-fold: increase accessibility to those in need and provide an easy to use platform for people who want the privacy of their own home. Today, Elevate Holistics operates in multiple states, has served thousands of HAPPY PATIENTS, and is innovating to provide doctors & patients a better medical marijuana evaluation experience. For more information, visit https://elevate-holistics.com/ SOURCE Elevate Holistics The partnership with Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance will give hundreds of residents the opportunity to receive free or subsidized medical marijuana cards KANSAS CITY, Miss., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elevate Holistics, a multistate solution provider in the medical marijuana industry, is donating 10 medical marijuana card appointments each month and $3,000 to the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance , a coalition of patients, caregivers, family members, medical professionals, and public health groups working towards safe access to medical marijuana. "The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance has been working tirelessly to increase access in the state since 2012, when they helped draft and pass the ballot question that led to the legalization of medical marijuana," said Stephen Stearman, CEO of Elevate Holistics. "We are proud to aid their efforts with this donation and are also providing 120 appointments per year, which will help them to achieve their goal of facilitating up to 750 free or subsidized medical marijuana card appointments each year." Elevate Holistics is a multi-state operator (MOS) serving patients and medical professionals with alternative advanced healthcare options, encrypted SSL safe-site security, turn-key business solutions for clinics, online cannabis healthcare clinics, and compassionate follow-up care. Encrypted online telehealth options, including medical cannabis evaluations, renewals, and online "Ask Me Anything" videos, help patients navigate state laws with confidence. For more information about Elevate Holistics, to partner with the company, or to request a medical marijuana card, visit https://elevate-holistics.com/ About Elevate Holistics Elevate Holistics, a Craft Health company, is a telehealth platform focusing on getting people their medical marijuana cards and physician's medical cannabis certifications/recommendations as simply and easily as possible. The vision was two-fold: increase accessibility to those in need and provide an easy to use platform for people who want the privacy of their own home. Today, Elevate Holistics operates in multiple states, has served thousands of HAPPY PATIENTS, and is innovating to provide doctors & patients a better medical marijuana evaluation experience. For more information, visit https://elevate-holistics.com/ SOURCE Elevate Holistics Enchanted Rock has attained the California Air Resources Board Distributed Generation (CARB DG) certification. Tweet this "At Enchanted Rock, our goal is to be the industry leader in providing electrical resiliency-as-a-service with an emphasis on sustainability," said Ian Blakely Chief Strategy Officer of Enchanted Rock. "Meeting the CARB DG requirements is validation of our continued push to provide cleanest long duration resiliency in the market, as these standards are one of the highest in the world. When our customers use our generators, they can be confident that we're not only providing world class reliability but doing so with minimal impact on the environment and public health." "Enchanted Rock is delivering innovative technologies and solutions to industrial and commercial markets which support Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and other long-term sustainability goals," said Joe Etheridge Chief Technical Officer of Encino. "We are honored to have supported their goal of attaining DG certification for both emissions performance and commercial optimization." Enchanted Rock recently announced that Microsoft will be utilizing these ultra-low emission generators to provide electrical resiliency services for their new data center in San Jose, CA. Power for the microgrid will be supplied by net-zero carbon renewable natural gas, injected upstream into the gas pipeline to offset the use of fossil gas. With hourly local emissions 80%-96% lower than EPA Tier 4 diesel standards while delivering higher reliability, widespread adoption of natural gas in place of diesel can help ensure that data centers do not carry negative health impacts for the communities where they operate. About Enchanted Rock Founded in 2006, Enchanted Rock is a leader in electrical resiliency-as-a-service, powering companies, critical infrastructure and communities to ensure operational continuity during unexpected power outages from extreme weather, infrastructure failures, cyberattacks and other grid disruptions. Enchanted Rock's dual-purpose microgrids use natural gas and renewable natural gas (RNG) offsets to produce significantly lower carbon emissions and air pollutants than diesel generators, capable of achieving resiliency with net-zero emissions. Additionally, the company's end-to-end microgrid software platform, GraniteEcosystem, provides real-time 24/7/365 system monitoring and optimization, including forecasting of electricity market conditions to ensure worry-free reliable power to customers. For more information, please visit www.enchantedrock.com or visit Twitter or LinkedIn . Media Contact Carlos Villacis [email protected] SOURCE Enchanted Rock, LLC NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Primoris Services Corp. (PRIM), relating to its proposed buyout of PLH Group, Inc. for $470 million. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/primoris-services-corp. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you own common stock in PRIM and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd. (NYSE: FHS) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased FHS American Depositary Shares in or traceable to the Company's March 2021 initial public offering. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 11, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in FHS: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/first-high-school-education-group-co-ltd-loss-submission-form?id=29210&from=4 First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd. NEWS - FHS NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) the new rules, regulations and policies to be implemented by the Chinese government following the Two Sessions parliamentary meetings were far more severe than represented to investors and posed a material adverse threat to the Company and its business; (b) contemplated Chinese regulations and rules regarding private education were leading to a slowdown of government approval to open new educational facilities which would have a negative effect on FHS's enrollment and growth; and (c) as a result, representations made in connection with the Company's initial public offering regarding FHS's historical financial and operational metrics and purported market opportunities did not accurately reflect the actual business, operations, and financial results and trajectory of the Company at the time of the initial public offering, and were materially false and misleading and lacked a factual basis. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in FHS you have until July 11, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased FHS securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the FHS lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/first-high-school-education-group-co-ltd-loss-submission-form?id=29210&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm "Every business decision requires a contract, and, because of that, contract data can give businesses a holistic view of not only their legal obligations, but also their operations," said Jason Boehmig, CEO and co-founder of Ironclad. "This allows companies to create a data layer that reveals insights around how teams are operating, how quickly deals are closing, how much spend companies are committed to, and much more." The report , which features four chapters, analyzes data across more than one billion contracts within Ironclad. The analysis comprises a unique proprietary mix of process data around the contracting process, and data inside contracts (known as "metadata"), to gain insight into trends across a wide range of areas in business. The analysis found that across Ironclad's diverse customer base, spanning industries, locations, and sizes, companies are: Moving faster, with more agility, to navigate the pandemic . Contract cycle times steadily decreased after 2019, dropping from a pre-pandemic average by 10 days (60%) in 2022. As companies were pushed to compete on speed and scale, they became more reliant on online digital agreements that can be accepted instantly, also known as clickwrap agreements . Measured against pre-pandemic levels, the report found clickwrap contract volume increased by 274% in 2020, and 443% in 2021. . Contract cycle times steadily decreased after 2019, dropping from a pre-pandemic average by 10 days (60%) in 2022. As companies were pushed to compete on speed and scale, they became more reliant on online digital agreements that can be accepted instantly, also known as . Measured against pre-pandemic levels, the report found clickwrap contract volume increased by 274% in 2020, and 443% in 2021. Embracing new, digital ways to collaborate internally and externally . Teams are increasingly embracing browser-based collaboration for their contracts, demonstrated by a 262% increase YoY in usage of Ironclad's browser-based contracts editor , and a 150% quarter-over-quarter increase in browser-based negotiation. . Teams are increasingly embracing browser-based collaboration for their contracts, demonstrated by a 262% increase YoY in usage of Ironclad's , and a 150% quarter-over-quarter increase in browser-based negotiation. Turning to contracts as shock absorbers during times of volatility, including the pandemic . Scrutiny of contracts is at an all-time high as companies seek to gain greater control and visibility into their obligations within contracts. With companies seeking to control risks lurking in their contractual obligations in 2020, the number of contract search volume queries rose by 470% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 2021 levels increasing by 335%. When COVID initially began peaking across the United States in April 2020 , there were record high levels of companies searching for " force majeure " clauses in their contracts. With Delta and Omicron, the report found a 181% and 32% quarter-over-quarter spike, respectively, for the same search term. . Scrutiny of contracts is at an all-time high as companies seek to gain greater control and visibility into their obligations within contracts. With companies seeking to control risks lurking in their contractual obligations in 2020, the number of contract search volume queries rose by 470% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 2021 levels increasing by 335%. Severance and termination peaked in 2020, with offer letters hitting an all time high in 2021 . In 2020, offer letter contracts saw a 42% increase from the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline levels, while also seeing a 247% increase in severance and termination agreements. In 2021, offer letters increased 177% from 2019 levels, and severance and termination levels grew 97%. These findings demonstrate that signs of the Great Reshuffling can be seen through contract data. . In 2020, offer letter contracts saw a 42% increase from the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline levels, while also seeing a 247% increase in severance and termination agreements. In 2021, offer letters increased 177% from 2019 levels, and severance and termination levels grew 97%. These findings demonstrate that signs of the Great Reshuffling can be seen through contract data. More hiring of consultants and services than ever before. Ironclad data showed a massive uptick in partnerships and consulting agreements, growing by nearly 80% in 2020, and by 119% in 2021, compared to 2019 levels. In a similar vein, procurement agreements (commonly used for software and other services) grew by 250% in 2020, and 220% in 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels. "By providing a platform that can not only extract metadata from existing contracts, but also generate unique insights about the actual contracting process, we're able to paint a much more holistic picture of the business world through contract data," said Boehmig. "This report is a true testament to the power of contract data, and serves as a glimpse into the future of business analytics. We're excited to be part of this journey, and to be helping build that future." About Ironclad Ironclad is the #1 contract lifecycle management platform for innovative companies, powering billions of contracts every year. L'Oreal, Staples, Mastercard, and other leading innovators use Ironclad to collaborate and negotiate on contracts, accelerate contracting while maintaining compliance, and turn contracts into critical carriers of operational business intelligence. It's the only platform flexible enough to handle every type of contract workflow, whether a sales agreement, an HR agreement or a complex NDA. Recently named one of the Top Companies to Bet Your Career On by Business Insider, the company is a Leader on the Forrester Wave for Contract Lifecycle Management and is backed by leading investors like Accel, Sequoia, Y Combinator, and BOND. For more information, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . Media Contact: Paul Chalker [email protected] SOURCE Ironclad Inc. DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Infrared Detector Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global infrared detector market reached a value of $437.3 Million in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach $737.4 Million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.50% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, they are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor Infrared (IR) detectors are electronic devices that are used to detect infrared radiation to measure heat and detect motion. They consist of photodiodes or phototransistors and the sensor, which consists of mercury cadmium telluride, lead sulfide and indium antimonide in silicon. They are commonly available in thermal, microbolometer, indium gallium arsenide, photo (quantum) detector variants. IR detectors are widely used in flame detectors, gas analysers, gas warning devices, medical gas measurement technology for contactless precision temperature measurement. They are also utilized in smart homes, biomedical imaging, spectroscopy, people and motion sensing solutions. In comparison to traditionally used detectors, IR detectors can detect infrared light from a distance and have a compact size The increasing demand for motion- and people-sensing devices is one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the market. IR detectors are installed in retail shops, homes, museums and libraries and are widely used in burglar alarms, security cameras, safety lighting and garage doors. Additionally, the increasing product utilization in the military and defense industry for surveillance, target detection and target tracking due to the compact size and ability to detect the light from distance is favoring the market growth. Moreover, various product innovations, such as the launch of novel infrared sensors for phone cameras, augmented reality (AR) glasses and driverless vehicles that enable the consumers to see through fog and smoke are providing a thrust to the market growth. In line with this, the widespread product adoption in industrial plants to monitor the functioning of boilers, motors, electrical peripherals and bearings is positively impacting the market growth. Other factors, including the increasing product deployment in smart homes, along with the rising utilization of IR detectors at airports and railway stations, are anticipated to drive the market toward growth Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Excelitas Technologies Corp., Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., InfraTec GmbH, Lynred, Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Nippon Avionics Co. Ltd., Omron Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, TE Connectivity, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated and Texas Instruments Incorporated Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global infrared detector market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global infrared detector market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the type? What is the breakup of the market based on the spectral range? What is the breakup of the market based on the technology? What is the breakup of the market based on the application? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global infrared detector market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Infrared Detector Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Type 6.1 Thermal Detector 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Photo Detector 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Spectral Range 7.1 Short-wave Infrared 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Medium-wave Infrared 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 7.3 Long-wave Infrared 7.3.1 Market Trends 7.3.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Technology 8.1 Mercury Cadmium Telluride 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Pyroelectric 8.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Thermopile 8.4.1 Market Trends 8.4.2 Market Forecast 8.5 Microbolometer 8.5.1 Market Trends 8.5.2 Market Forecast 8.6 Others 8.6.1 Market Trends 8.6.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by Application 9.1 Aerospace and Defense 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Market Forecast 9.2 Automotive 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 9.3 Consumer Electronics 9.3.1 Market Trends 9.3.2 Market Forecast 9.4 Industrial 9.4.1 Market Trends 9.4.2 Market Forecast 9.5 Medical 9.5.1 Market Trends 9.5.2 Market Forecast 9.6 Security 9.6.1 Market Trends 9.6.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by Region 11 SWOT Analysis 11.1 Overview 11.2 Strengths 11.3 Weaknesses 11.4 Opportunities 11.5 Threats 12 Value Chain Analysis 13 Porters Five Forces Analysis 13.1 Overview 13.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers 13.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 13.4 Degree of Competition 13.5 Threat of New Entrants 13.6 Threat of Substitutes 14 Price Analysis 15 Competitive Landscape 15.1 Market Structure 15.2 Key Players 15.3 Profiles of Key Players 15.3.1 Excelitas Technologies Corp. 15.3.1.1 Company Overview 15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. 15.3.2.1 Company Overview 15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2.3 Financials 15.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.3 InfraTec GmbH 15.3.3.1 Company Overview 15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.4 Lynred 15.3.4.1 Company Overview 15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.5 Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 15.3.5.1 Company Overview 15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.5.3 Financials 15.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.6 Nippon Avionics Co. Ltd. 15.3.6.1 Company Overview 15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.6.3 Financials 15.3.7 Omron Corporation 15.3.7.1 Company Overview 15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.7.3 Financials 15.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.8 Raytheon Technologies Corporation 15.3.8.1 Company Overview 15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.8.3 Financials 15.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.9 TE Connectivity 15.3.9.1 Company Overview 15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.9.3 Financials 15.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.10 Teledyne Technologies Incorporated 15.3.10.1 Company Overview 15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.10.3 Financials 15.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.11 Texas Instruments Incorporated 15.3.11.1 Company Overview 15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.11.3 Financials 15.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bah2qp Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Password Policy Enforcement Software Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Deployment and Enterprise Size" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The password policy enforcement software market was valued at US$ 212.31 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 426.46 million by 2028. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2021 to 2028. Key Players ManageEngine Avatier Hitachi ID Systems Inc. Netwrix Corporation nFront Security Inc. safepass.me Specops Software Tools4ever JumpCloud Inc. Enzoic Increasing Internet services penetration, upgrading communication infrastructure, and improving data speed, and the surge in Internet and mobile user base are influencing various businesses to offer their services and products online, further asking end users to create different profiles on the online buying portals. Businesses are progressively implementing security measures such as monitored accounts to improve responsibility. Such a shift toward internet-based service offerings is driving the need for password policy enforcement software. The password policy enforcement software market is becoming increasingly competitive, and the competitiveness of market players is based on the distinctiveness of the products they offer. Furthermore, many firms are attempting to meet the rising need for customized solutions to expand their shares in password policy enforcement software market. Lately, the technology sector is witnessing significant growth in cloud-based solutions as they are time and cost-efficient. Due to these advantages, cloud-based solutions have attracted many end users. Moreover, key market players are offering cloud-based products in the market with the rising demand for cloud-based software. Further, the internet infrastructure has matured in developed countries, allowing end users in both developed and developing countries to access cloud-based solutions. This factor is positively influencing the adoption of software in various industries. Moreover, due to incremental advancements in cloud computing, cloud-based solutions are experiencing significant growth. These factors are positively influencing the password policy enforcement software market. The password policy enforcement software market is broadly segmented into five major regions - North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and SAM. Countries, such as China, India, and Japan, are major contributors to the overall password policy enforcement software market growth of Asia Pacific. China has tightened its defense capabilities in response to the rising number of cyber-attacks. This is likely to increase the use of security solutions, to prevent illegal access to content positively influencing the password policy enforcement software market growth. North America is one of the most critical regions for adopting and growing new technologies due to favorable government policies to boost innovation, a substantial industrial base, and high purchasing power, especially in developed countries, such as the US and Canada. The US is a prominent country for password policy enforcement software market. The country consists of the maximum number of password policy enforcement software developers. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to adopt work-from-home trends. The pandemic created an enormous challenge for businesses in North America to continue operating despite massive shutdowns of offices and other facilities. The changing nature of working has affected IT security. Therefore, organizations are witnessing an increased risk of breaches due to the extensive use of open-source software during remote working. Furthermore, the surge in digital traffic presented an opportunity for numerous online frauds, phishing attacks, denial of inventory, and ransomware attacks are contributing to the password policy enforcement software market growth. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 5. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Rising Instances of Hacking and Breaches 5.1.2 Implementation of Password Security Policy Framework across Organization 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Security Concern for Enforced Password Complexity 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Rising Use of Password Blacklists or Dictionary Hacks 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 Advancements in Password Policy Enforcement Software 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Global Market Analysis 6.1 Global Password Policy Enforcement Software Market Overview 6.2 Global Password Policy Enforcement Software Market Forecast and Analysis 6.3 Market Positioning- Top Five Players 7. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market Analysis - By Deployment 7.1 Overview 7.2 Password Policy Enforcement Software, by Deployment (2020 and 2028) 7.3 Cloud-based 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Cloud-based: Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 7.4 On-Premise 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 On premise: Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - By Enterprise Size 8.1 Overview 8.2 Password Policy Enforcement Software, by Enterprise Size (2020 and 2028) 8.3 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 SMEs: Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 8.4 Large Enterprises 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Large Enterprises: Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million) 9. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - Geographic Analysis 10. Password Policy Enforcement Software Market - COVID-19 Impact Analysis 11. Industry Landscape 11.1 Market Initiative 11.2 Merger and Acquisition 11.3 New Development For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l8c1fw Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets SEATTLE, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the global pulse oximeter market is estimated to be valued at US$ 6,123.0 million in 2022 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period (2022-2030). Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Pulse Oximeter Market: Key trends in market include, inorganic activities such as acquisitions, by key market players in order to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in December 2021, Zynex Inc., a medical device manufacturer, announced that it had acquired 100% of Kestrel Labs, Inc., a laser-based, noninvasive patient monitoring Technology Company. The products of Kestrel Labs, Inc., include laser-based products, multi-parameter pulse oximeter, the NiCO CO-Oximeter, and HemeOx, a total hemoglobin oximeter that allows continuous arterial blood monitoring. Market Dynamics Pulse oximeter companies have adopted inorganic growth strategies such as partnership in order to expand their product portfolio and strengthen their position in market. In July 2020, Welch Allyn, a subsidiary of Hill-Rom Services Inc., partnered with Nonin Medical, a company designing and manufacturing noninvasive pulse oximeters, to offer its clinically-proven PureSAT SpO2 technology to Welch Allyn. This partnership will help the company expand its product portfolio. Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/467 Key Market Takeaways: Global pulse oximeter market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period, owing to increasing product launches by key players in market. For instance, in January 2021, TytoCare Ltd., a telehealth company, launched Pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen level and heart rate remotely. It is US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fingertip pulse oximeter device which measures blood oxygen saturation levels and heart rate. The virtual examination helps to monitor patients with Covid-19 and chronic lung or heart conditions, at the comfort of home, thereby helping them avoid clinic and hospital visits. Among product type, Table-top pulse oximeter segment is expected to hold a dominant position in the global medical pulse oximeter market in 2022. Desktop oxygen meter/table-top pulse oximeter can monitor blood oxygen saturation (SPO2), carbon dioxide (ETCO2), noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP), and other major parameters. Increasing product launches by market players are expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period. For instance, in July 2020, Opto Circuits (India) Limited, a multinational medical technology company relaunched its U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S.FDA)-approved pulse oximeters which include finger pulse oximeter, bedside/Intensive Care Unit (ICU) pulse oximeters, and multiparameter patient monitoring systems under the brand names of Mediaid and Criticare. On the basis of sensor type, disposable sensor pulse oximeter segment is expected to dominate in terms of market share in 2022, and is expected to retain its dominance over the forecast period. Increasing product launches by market players is expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period. For instance, in March 2021, Nonin Medical, Inc., a global leader in noninvasive medical monitoring, announced the launch of two new disposable products a single-use wristband and a sensor to use with WristOx2 3150 wrist-worn pulse oximeter (SpO2). This new single-use wristband and sensor offer secure placement on a patient's wrist or finger and are comfortable for extended wear for pulse oximetry and pulse rate monitoring. Key players operating in the global pulse oximeters market include Masimo, Medtronic Plc, Nihon-Kohden Corporation, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Hill-Rom Services, Inc., Smiths Medical, Nonin, MICROTEK, OSI Systems, Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Promed Technology Co., Ltd., Beurer, Contec Medical Systems Co., Ltd., ChoiceMMed, CONMED Corporation, Stryker, Medline Industries, Inc., Curbell Medical Products, Inc., and Ecomed. Request for Customization @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/467 Detailed Segmentation: Global Pulse Oximeter Market, By Product Type: Table-top/Bedside Pulse Oximeters Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Wrist-worn Pulse Oximeter Handheld Pulse Oximeter Global Pulse Oximeters Market, By Sensor Type: Disposable Sensor Pulse Oximeter Reusable Sensor Pulse Oximeter Reprocessed Sensor Pulse Oximeter Global Pulse Oximeters Market, By End User: Hospital Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers Homecare Settings Other End User Global Pulse Oximeters Market, By Region: North America By Country: U.S. Canada Europe By Country: U.K. Germany Italy France Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific By Country: China India Japan ASEAN Australia South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa By Country: GCC Countries Israel South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Buy this Complete Report Now @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/467 About Us: Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide. We create value for clients through our highly reliable and accurate reports. We are also committed in playing a leading role in offering insights in various sectors post-COVID-19 and continue to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients. Contact Us: Mr. Raj Shah Senior Client Partner Business Development Coherent Market Insights Phone: US: +1-206-701-6702 UK: +44-020-8133-4027 Japan: +81-050-5539-1737 India: +91-848-285-0837 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902389/Coherent_Market_Insights_Logo.jpg SOURCE Coherent Market Insights The Gottingen base of Gotion High-Tech Co Ltd. (Gotion High-tech") is expected to reach the goal of annual production capacity of 6GWh and 12GWh in two phases respectively, thereby enabling the production of Gotion's battery in Europe . . GenDome, the first portable energy storage brand for overseas markets, was launched at the Gottingen base, and it is intended to be produced locally in Gottingen. GOTTINGEN, Germany, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 27 June, Gotion High-Tech held the 5th New Energy Economic Forum and the Opening Ceremony of Gotion Germany at its Gottingen base. It is noted that the Gottingen base, as the first battery production and business operation base of Gotion in Europe, is expected to start the transformation by the end of this year. Chairman Li Zhen said that Gotion perfectly combined China's advanced battery technology with Germany's advanced process engineering, thereby enabling the production of Gotion's battery in Europe. At the ceremony, Gotion High-Tech also released GenDome, its first portable energy storage product for overseas markets and Gendock 3000, its first portable mobile energy storage product at the same time. Wu Ken, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Germany, Stephan Weil, Premier of lower Saxony, Germany, Petra Broistedt, Mayor of Gottingen, Luo Yunfeng, Mayor of Hefei Municipal People's Government, and Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech, participated in and witnessed the ceremony. Gottingen base with annual production capacity of 6GWh in the first phase is expected to start transformation by the end of this year It is noted that the Gottingen base covers a site area of approximately 174,000 sq.m., and has an existing gross floor area of approximately 40,000 sq.m.. According to the plan, the project will be constructed in two phases, namely the brownfield plant and the greenfield plant, with an annual production target of 6GWh and 12GWh, respectively. The first phase of the brownfield plant transformation is expected to be officially launched by the end of 2022, and the first production line with an annual capacity of 3.5GWh will be officially put into operation in September 2023. It is expected that the annual production capacity target of 18GWh will be achieved after the brownfield and greenfield plants of the base are fully put into operation. Dr. Ahmet Toptas, Head of Gottingen Factory of Gotion Germany, introduced that: the Gottingen base will be product-oriented with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality, as well as will build a local product research and development team in Europe. Combined with the development and technology orientation of the new energy market in Europe, the base will research and develop new energy battery products that cater to the local European market, and carry out the production of bus batteries, automotive batteries, energy storage batteries, mobile charging and other series of products. In the future, it intends to cover customers in sectors of energy storage, commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. "With the advanced lithium iron phosphate battery cell technology of Gotion High-Tech, together with experienced German employees, strict quality control and high quality requirements of Europe, we intend to cover customers in sectors of energy storage, commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles in the future, so as to meet the demand of the new energy market in Europe and help Gotion High-Tech accelerate the expansion of overseas markets." The first portable energy storage product for overseas markets will be manufactured locally in Gottingen After releasing the semi-solid battery and the first smart mobile energy storage charging pile in May, Gotion High-Tech continuously launched more new battery products. At the opening ceremony, the Gottingen base released GenDome, the first portable energy storage product for overseas markets, and Gendock 3000, the first large-capacity portable mobile energy storage product, which can convert solar energy and wind energy into electricity; it not only helps customers manage the use of household energy and meet the daily needs of household and outdoor users, but also meets 99% of customers' power needs, and effectively reduces energy bills. The household energy storage product includes three different models, which are developed and manufactured by the international business team of Gotion High-Tech. In the future, it will mainly target the European market. In the later stage, the product will be manufactured locally at the Gottingen base. On the day of the opening ceremony, the 5th New Energy Economic Forum jointly organized by Gotion High-Tech, Committee of 100, Technical University of Braunschweig, Gottingen mbH ("GWG"), Die Chinesische Handelskammer in Deutschland ("CHKD") and the School of Automobile of Tongji University was successfully held at the Gottingen base. The forum focused on topics such as China-Europe economic relations, energy revolution, low-carbon transition and new energy market, and attracted senior executives of many famous enterprises in the new energy industry, university professors, scholars and relevant economic and political officers attended the forum. Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech said: With Chinese technology and German process engineering, we achieve the production of Gotion's battery in Europe" Li Chen, President of International Business of Gotion High-Tech, introduced in the closing speech that Gotion High-Tech is a global company that provides energy solutions for suppliers, customers and other partners at home and abroad. "We not only focus on the development and promotion of new energy battery products, but also strive to develop ToC business at the same time." According to Li Chen, since May 2022, Gotion high-tech has successively released its first self-developed E-PLUS smart mobile energy storage charging pile for ordinary consumers and Gendome portable energy storage product for the overseas market. In 2025, Gotion High-Tech's global production capacity is planned to reach 300GWh, of which overseas production capacity is planned to be 100GWh. Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech, said in his speech that today we have started the application research and development and product manufacturing of Gotion Battery in Germany and Europe. The Gottingen base of Gotion will gradually transform from the production of automotive parts in previous years to the manufacturing of battery application products, which is a difficult but promising process. In this process, we must protect the existing corporate culture, proactively participate in the development of Gottingen, and accelerate the pace of product transformation. "We will combine China's advanced battery technology with Germany's advanced process engineering to create more excellent products and contribute to society, so as to promote the progress and development of the new energy industry." *for reference purpose only SOURCE Gotion High-Tech RALEIGH, N.C., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Irony , a Raleigh-based tech consulting company and strategic MuleSoft partner, has launched Revive - an offering tailored to help MuleSoft customers whose business objectives have been derailed by failed deployments and flawed integration architectures. This launch is a response to significant market feedback. "Unfortunately, we're seeing a large install base of MuleSoft customers where low-cost partners did not set them up for success. This is highly disappointing to us since we've always seen MuleSoft as a strategic platform that lets customers invest in solving digital transformation's top technology problem: scalable systems integration. The approach of throwing under-skilled labor at a platform like MuleSoft without a foundation is counter-productive, and many customers have paid the price and missed high-level business goals because of it." - Aaron Shook, Founder & CEO of Green Irony Aligning with MuleSoft CONNECT 2022's themes of innovation and driving business outcomes, Revive's purpose is to rescue customers struggling to thrive and realize the full potential of their MuleSoft investment. The Revive program leverages state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to quickly identify all APIs within an enterprise's IT environment and diagnose issues to quickly get customers back on track. Through the Revive offering, Green Irony's team evaluates the customer's existing architecture, utilization of MuleSoft capabilities, development best practices, and upcoming roadmap to maximize the use of Anypoint Platform with architectural patterns that meet business objectives. "Anypoint Platform is not a magic wand. Its true power lies in giving companies the ability to design APIs more strategically to align with business goals. By using artificial intelligence, Revive lets us quickly diagnose what went wrong and make recommendations for how we can get back on track. We're very excited to help this underserved segment of the MuleSoft customer base realize their original visions of scalable, API-led integration fueling greater business agility." - Aaron Shook Revive deliverables include a distillation of Green Irony's findings through a platform assessment and an in-depth implementation plan that includes budget, resourcing, and timelines required to meet business objectives. About Green Irony Green Irony is a Raleigh-based tech consulting company specialized in building integration architectures to enable digital transformations. They help clients align business goals to scalable technology solutions in partnership with world-class platforms to deliver rapid value. These partners include MuleSoft, Salesforce, Noname Security, and FormStack. Green Irony was founded in 2016 as a Salesforce partner when they saw the capabilities of the platform to drive business value to stakeholders quicker than any other technology when applied correctly. They set out to build an organization best equipped to deliver on the promise of this world-class software by combining best-of-breed technology expertise with platform expertise to address the challenges of complex enterprise software environments. To learn more about Green Irony's expertise, Revive, and other service offerings, visit greenirony.com . Media Contact: Ryan O'Connor Green Irony [email protected] SOURCE Green Irony CHICAGO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Ground Penetrating Radar Market by Offering (Equipment, Services), Type (Handheld, Cart-based and Vehicle-mounted), Application (Utility Detection, Concrete Investigation, Transportation, Law Enforcement) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Market size is projected to grow from USD 315 million in 2022 to USD 453 million by 2027 at CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. The growing government involvement and mandates for implementing GPR in applications such as utility detection and transportation infrastructure development will help grow this market. Government mandates to facilitate communication between the owners and operators of underground facilities and the excavation teams, is driving the demand for GPR systems worldwide. For instance, it is mandatory to call 811 before digging anywhere in Washington; failure to abide by this mandate is against the state law, which may lead to a fine, charges, or even criminal convictions. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=74332617 The market for services is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period The market for services is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Various services pertaining to GPR equipment include installation, calibration, maintenance, rental, and training/consulting services offered by GPR equipment manufacturers. The high ownership cost of GPR equipment and the constant requirement for innovative GPR solutions for different applications facilitate end users to procure GPR equipment on rent. Homeowners, commercial and industrial facilities, electrical contractors, plumbing contractors, general contractors, engineering business units, construction companies, and environmental companies are among the major adopters of services pertaining to GPR equipment. Training and consulting services help users operate and understand the equipment effectively and maintain safety while detecting utilities. Calibration services measure and control errors or uncertainties in the equipment measurement. The market for vehicle-mounted GPR systems is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period The market for vehicle-mounted GPR systems is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Vehicle-mounted GPR systems consist of GPR equipment fitted on vehicles such as trucks, cars, UAVs, tanks, and armored vehicles. This type is most commonly used for transportation infrastructure and law enforcement & military applications and consists of custom designs based on the type of application they are used for. For instance, a vehicle-mounted GPR system is used for fast and efficient monitoring of tunnel line structural conditions. Major companies providing vehicle-based GPR equipment include Guideline Geo, SPX Corporation, Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc., and Chemring Group. For instance, the RoadScan 30 offered by Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is an effective tool for determining the pavement layers at high speeds. RoadScan 30 can collect data densities that are not easily obtainable using other methods commonly used for pavement testing. Browse in-depth TOC on "Ground Penetrating Radar Market" 155 Tables 59 Figures 191 Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=74332617 North America accounted for the largest share of the GPR market in 2021 North America accounted for the largest share of the GPR market in 2021. The aging civil structures and deteriorating buildings because of harsh environmental conditions, resulting in increased maintenance, repair, and overhaul costs, would drive the demand for the market in the region. The US is optimistic about the implementation of GPR equipment in infrastructure projects. New governments are directing their expenditures toward meeting critical infrastructure requirements by implementing new advanced monitoring techniques. In the US, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report of 2021, school districts have mentioned a need for upgrades or total replacement of multiple building systems. They also mentioned that the buildings required excavation and underground utility scanning. For this, Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, LLC is currently helping to improve the school infrastructure of the US by providing top-of-the-line inspection services and technologies that promote construction safety and project efficiency. The company provides GPRs for utility detection and concrete inspection for buildings in the country. The Major Player includes Hexagon AB (Sweden), SPX Corporation (US), Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. (US), Guideline Geo (Sweden), and Chemring Group PLC (UK). Related Reports: Embedded Antenna Systems Market by Antenna Type (Chip, Patch, PCB Trace and FPC), Connectivity (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, GNSS/GPS, Cellular, LPWAN, and UWB), End User, and Geography (2020-2027) NDT and Inspection Market with COVID-19 Impact by Technique (Visual Testing, Magnetic Particle, Liquid Penetrant, Eddy-Current, Ultrasonic, Radiographic, Acoustic Emission), Method, Service, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/ground-penetrating-radar-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/ground-penetrating-radar.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Haig Partners LLC, the leading buy-sell advisory firm to auto, heavy truck and RV dealers in the U.S., served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Miami-based Lehman Auto World on the sale of its nine dealerships to Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE: LAD). Lehman Auto World consists of Largo Honda, Doral Hyundai, Doral Kia, Doral Genesis, Lehman Subaru, Lehman Hyundai, Lehman Buick-GMC, Lehman Genesis and Lehman Mitsubishi. As a part of this transaction, Lithia also acquired Esserman International which consists of Esserman Acura and Esserman VW in Doral, FL. This acquisition of eleven dealerships represents the most ever in Florida history. Lithia expects the dealerships to add over $850M in annualized revenue. William "Bill" Lehman, Jr., the principal owner, explained his rationale for the sale, "On a personal level, I asked my wife, when do I retire? When do I smell the roses? I've had one job my whole career running these dealerships. I've had a great run. I'm 81 and I think it's time. From a corporate perspective, there is continued consolidation in the automotive retail space, so when Lithia expressed interest in starting initial conversations with us, I felt that this was not only the right time but the right company. I thank Alan Haig and the team at Haig Partners for introducing us to Lithia and advising us on the sale process. This was a complicated transaction and they were integral to helping it to come off smoothly. Jonathan Awner at Akerman LLP was also impressive in his ability to negotiate the legal agreements and close a large transaction like this." Bill Lehman, Jr. has been making significant contributions to the economic, political and cultural life in South Florida for over 50 years. Mr. Lehman took over management of the family business, a Buick dealership in North Miami, in 1967 when his father, Bill Lehman, Sr., became a US Congressman. Mr. Lehman, Jr. has since grown the organization into one of the largest auto groups in Florida. In addition to being a highly respected auto dealer, Mr. Lehman has other impressive accomplishments. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Lehman served two years in the United States Army and has been a major supporter of local charities, serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami, President of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Florida International University, President of the South Florida Auto Dealers Association and President of the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center. Lithia Motors is a publicly traded auto retailer that ranks second on the 2021 Automotive News Top 150 Dealership Groups. In 2021, Lithia generated $22.8B in revenue and retailed 536,200 vehicles. With the purchase of these eleven dealerships, Lithia has become one of the largest dealers in Florida and likely the largest dealer in the US. "We are thrilled to welcome these teams to our Lithia & Driveway family," said Bryan DeBoer, Lithia & Driveway President and CEO. "The Lehman family has deep roots in south Florida, serving the community for over 86 years. Under the Lehman family leadership, the stores achieved a reputation for earning lifelong customers with their impeccable level of service." Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners which represented the seller, said, "We congratulate Bill Lehman, Jr. on the sale of his dealerships to Lithia Motors. He built Lehman Auto World into one of the largest groups in the state. They operate high volume stores, including Hyundai in Doral which consistently ranks as a Top 5 dealership in terms of sales. Also, we tip our hats to Bryan DeBoer and the Lithia team with this significant investment in one of the most desirable auto retail markets anywhere in the world. South Florida is growing rapidly and we believe Lithia will do very well with these eleven dealerships. Welcome to South Florida! This transaction demonstrates that buyers remain confident about the future profitability of auto dealerships and want to continue to grow." The team at Haig Partners has been involved in the purchase or sale of 100 dealerships in Florida, more than any other team, by far. Lehman Auto World is the 22nd client that Haig Partners has represented that qualifies as one of Automotive News Top 150 Dealership Groups, also more than any other firm. Haig Partners has advised on the sale of 26 dealerships nationwide so far in 2022. About Haig Partners Haig Partners LLC helps dealers to maximize the value of their businesses when they are ready to sell. The team at Haig Partners has unmatched experience with executives from leading retail dealer groups and financial institutions. They have advised on the purchase or sale of more than 575 dealerships for over $9.0 billion, more than any other firm. Haig Partners leverages its expertise and relationships to lead clients through a confidential and customizable sales process that also maximizes the value of their businesses. They author the Haig Report, the leading industry quarterly report that tracks trends in auto retail and their impact on dealership values, and are co-author of NADA's Guide, "Buying and Selling a Dealership." For more information, visit www.haigpartners.com. Transaction Contact: Alan Haig, Founder and President Haig Partners [email protected] (954) 646-8921 Media Contact: Aimee Allen, Director of Marketing and Business Development Haig Partners [email protected] (603) 933-2194 SOURCE Haig Partners Phytophthora is a soilborne pathogen that can be unintentionally introduced, and re-introduced, through water sources every year, posing a challenge for all producers. This disease can survive for years in groves, making it imperative to prioritize root health that will aid in maximizing fruit quality, yield potential and your bottom line at harvest. Strong root establishment is crucial to long-term health and grove profitability, especially for young trees that are particularly susceptible to disease. Phytophthora is a silent threat because initial damage is done underground, quietly decaying trees over time. Proactive management practices implemented before any disease symptomology is visible is the sweet spot for prevention and fruitful groves. "Permanent crops like citrus are different than annual crops. With permanent crops, you don't get to start over the next year," says Garrett Gilcrease, Syngenta agronomic service representative in California. "What growers do this year rolls into the next year and the year after that. Problems, especially diseases within the soil, don't go away if they aren't treated. Growers cannot afford to leave that potential on the table." Maintaining tree health is the foundation of orchard management. With healthy roots and proper irrigation, growers can set up their trees to successfully fight off disease threats. To boost tree health and increase tree longevity and productivity, adopt a robust management plan: Sample 3 times a year: spring, summer and fall. Limit standing water by avoiding activity that compacts soils and avoid over-irrigation. Choose resistant rootstocks when replanting or establishing a new planting. Implement a preventive disease management program, including treatment for root health, such as Orondis fungicide. "Phytophthora root rot is tough because it's not like spider mites or aphids when you see the pest and the damage easily. It's an underground pathogen choking off water and nutrient supply to the above-ground grove," Gilcrease says. "Fortunately, there are options available to combat this disease. Orondis fungicide has the ability to reduce propagules and inoculum by a significant amount, systemically protecting the root system of a tree and improving overall root health." This powerful fungicide protects roots by reducing propagule count and inoculum potential, which Gilcrease says encourage strong root development essential to grove establishment and longevity. Healthy root systems lead to better nutrient and water uptake. Gilcrease points out that maintaining plant health and employing preventive management strategies can help citrus trees thrive year after year. For more information on managing citrus pests for healthier trees, visit Syngenta-us.com/Citrus. Join the conversation online connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social. About Syngenta Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group, one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality, and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. The content of this release is for information purposes only. This release is not, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or other property interests. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta, www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. 2022 Syngenta, 410 S. Swing Road, Greensboro, NC 27409. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Orondis and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective third party owners. SOURCE Syngenta Building on A Decade of Success, Microsoft Again Recognizes Contract Intelligence Leader for Excellence and Business Impact BELLEVUE, Wash., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Icertis, the contract intelligence company that pushes the boundaries of what's possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM), announced today that it has won the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award for the United States. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. The award underscores the significant value that Icertis and Microsoft are delivering to customers, grounded in a decade of collaboration focused on digitally transforming enterprise contracting with cloud and AI technology. Icertis was also named Microsoft US Partner of the Year in 2018. Contracts define every dollar in and out of an enterprise. In recent years, the data within contracts has become a critical asset for companies as they manage through a global pandemic, historic supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical unrest. The AI-powered Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform structures and connects the critical business data found in a company's contracts, helping customers succeed in any business climate with automation and insights that ensure the intent of every contract in the enterprise is correctly memorialized and fully realized. Icertis and Microsoft have developed a deep, 360-degree relationship, resulting in a powerful contract intelligence platform that solves real-world customer problems. Relying on Icertis and Microsoft solutions, customers such as Best Buy, Mercedes-Benz, Sanofi, and ServiceNowas well as Microsoft, which uses Icertis across the enterpriseare better informed and able to quickly adapt to changing business conditions. "Icertis continues to build on our long-standing relationship with Microsoft. Winning the Microsoft US Partner of the Year Award underscores the significant business value that Icertis contract management software delivers to customers across industries in the United States," said Paul Gleeson, Senior Vice President, Partners and Alliances, Icertis. "Enterprises enjoy faster revenue, reduced costs, less risk, and better compliance, as well as efficiencies fueled by ICI experiences within the Microsoft product suite." The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services, and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Icertis was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in the United States. Icertis' 2022 Microsoft US Partner of the Year award continues the company's five-year streak of Microsoft Partner of the Year award recognitions including: 2021 Winner AI Partner of the Year and Finalist Global Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner of the Year; 2020 Finalist Alliance Global ISV Partner of the Year and Finalist Manufacturing Partner of the Year; 2019 Winner Microsoft US Partner Award for Manufacturing & Resources, Finalist Microsoft US Partner Award for Automotive, and Finalist Global Partner Global ISV and Automotive; 2018 Winner Microsoft US Partner of the Year, Finalist Platform Partner of the Year, and Finalist Manufacturing Partner of the Year. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees, and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and impact for their customers." Icertis has also received numerous analyst recognitions that underscore the company's CLM market leadership, including being named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contract Life Cycle Management (CLM), The Forrester Wave: Contract Lifecycle Management for All Contracts, Q1 2021, and IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Contract Life-Cycle Management Software for Corporate Legal 2021 Vendor Assessment. Icertis will be honored for its award-winning Icertis Contract Intelligence platform at Microsoft Inspire, held July 19-20, 2022, during the United States Keynote presentation. About Icertis With unmatched technology and category-defining innovation, Icertis pushes the boundaries of what's possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM). The AI-powered, analyst-validated Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantage by structuring and connecting the critical contract information that defines how an organization runs. Today, the world's most iconic brands and disruptive innovators trust Icertis to govern the rights and commitments in their 10 million+ contracts worth more than $1 trillion in 40+ languages and 90+ countries. For more information, visit www.icertis.com . Media Contact Liza Colburn Director of Corporate Communications, Icertis [email protected] +1 (781) 562-0111 SOURCE Icertis NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs closed two Fast-Track SWIFT cases in May 2022. In these cases: AT&T Services, Inc. challenged Charter Communications, Inc.'s (Spectrum) claim that AT&T's internet service, without distinction between cable/copper or fiber services, provides unreliable and glitchy internet connectivity, to a consumer-noticeable degree for the activities depicted in the commercial. T-Mobile Puerto Rico, LLC challenged disclosures made by Liberty Mobile Puerto Rico Inc. in connection with certain wireless network performance claims. Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited NAD challenge process designed for single-issue advertising cases. AT&T v. Spectrum AT&T challenged a claim made by Spectrum in a television commercial titled "The Choice for Gamers Ad." The commercial depicts, in writing, voiceovers, and visually, that Spectrum is the "winner" in providing internet service that is reliable and free from glitches as compared broadly to "telephone internet companies," without elaboration, limitation, or qualification. Spectrum objected to NAD's consideration of AT&T's challenge based on its contentions that the claim that AT&T challenged is not expressly stated in the commercial and the evidence of what quality of service AT&T offers across its footprint is complex. Charter also asserted that it permanently discontinued the challenged commercial before it learned of AT&T's challenge and therefore declined to submit evidence in support of the challenged claim. NAD determined that it had jurisdiction over the challenge because Charter's commercial continued to air through the date of the complaint and the challenge was appropriate for Fast Track SWIFT because it presented a single express claim that does not require review of complex evidence. Because Spectrum provided no evidence to support its superior performance claim, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the claim that AT&T's internet service, without distinction between cable/copper or fiber services, provides unreliable and glitchy internet connectivity to a consumer-noticeable degree for the activities depicted in the commercial. In its advertiser statement, Spectrum stated that it "is disappointed with NAD's decision to accept this challenge for Fast-Track review" for several reasons but noted that it "remains a strong supporter of self-regulation and will take NAD's recommendations into account in formulating its future advertising." T-Mobile Puerto Rico v. Liberty Mobile Puerto Rico T-Mobile Puerto Rico challenged as insufficient the "material connection" disclosures made by Liberty Mobile Puerto Rico in connection with claims that Liberty's wireless service has the "best network" and the "best coverage" based on testing from Global Wireless Solutions (GWS). NAD noted that GWS conducted testing as a paid non-exclusive service to Liberty. Although there is nothing unusual about the relationship between GWS and Liberty, NAD determined that consumers should be made aware of that relationship through a clear and conspicuous disclosure as it may affect the credibility and weight consumers give to the claim if they are aware that Liberty paid GWS for the study. Therefore, NAD recommended that Liberty clearly and conspicuously disclose that Liberty paid GWS for the study which is the source of its wireless network performance claims. NAD noted that during the challenge, Liberty voluntarily permanently discontinued its description of the GWS testing to support its network performance claims as an "independent study." Liberty's discontinuation of this claim will be treated by NAD for compliance purposes as if NAD recommended its discontinuance. In addition, Liberty began to use the language "Study conducted by GWS paid for by Liberty," which is clear and easily understood, effectively describing the source of the claims. NAD examined the challenged advertising in its various forms to assess the prominence and sufficiency of Liberty's disclosures. Based on its review, NAD recommended that the disclosure be more prominently located, at or near the very start of the text so that consumers do not read past the essential language. NAD also recommended that Liberty use some mechanism to direct consumers' attention to the disclosure and ensure that the font size of the disclosure is readable in all versions of the advertising. NAD determined that the challenged advertising was appropriate for Fast-Track SWIFT because the challenge presented the single issue of whether the advertiser's disclosures in connection with its wireless performance claims adequately disclose the connection between GWS and Liberty. NAD also determined that although the ads in question were in Spanish, they did not present any significant or unique linguistic concerns that would prevent NAD's analysis as NAD has analyzed claims made in Spanish-language advertising on several other occasions. In its advertiser statement, Liberty stated that it "agrees to comply with NAD's recommendations" and that it "appreciates NAD's guidance regarding the types of disclosures it shall make when making network performance claims based on testing completed by a third-party but paid for by the company." Advertisers are encouraged to learn more about the NAD Fast-Track SWIFT challenge process and how to file a challenge. All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library . For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive . About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org. About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business. SOURCE BBB National Programs DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Rubber Additives Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global rubber additives market reached a value of $5.16 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach a value of $6.70 Billion by 2027 exhibiting a CAGR of 4.30% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor. Rubber additives are ingredients added to natural and synthetic latex to obtain desirable properties. They include tackifiers, process aids, lubricants, protectants, stabilizers, emulsions, surfactants, polymers, vulcanizing agents, curing agents, antioxidants, crosslinkers, flame retardants, chain transfer agents, and modifiers to control molecular weight. They also comprise plasticizers to improve flexibility, fillers to enhance durability and performance, and plasticizers to provide flow and reduce compound viscosity. Nowadays, manufacturers are offering an innovative range of rubber additives like dispersions that eliminate cross-contamination of dry pigments, enhance color consistency, and increase product quality, depending on the specific requirements of end users. As rubber additives find extensive application in the production of tires, the boosting sales of automobiles represent one of the key factors strengthening the market growth. Moreover, rubber is employed in the construction of residential and commercial buildings on account of its heat, mechanical stress, and vibration-resistant properties. This, in confluence with the rising consumer spending on real estate properties, is providing a positive outlook to the market. Apart from this, due to the growing adoption of smart irrigation practices, there is an increase in the usage of rubber additives in the agriculture industry for making hoses that assist in the optimal distribution of water across the fields. Furthermore, rubber additives are used in electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) networks to protect against the hazardous impact of electricity. Additionally, rising investments by governing agencies of numerous countries in the refurbishment of aging grid technology and establishing sustainable electrical networks in remote areas are propelling the market growth. In line with this, market players are offering specialty additives that can significantly improve the endurance, efficiency, and performance of rubber compounds, which is anticipated to drive the market. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Akrochem Corporation, Arkema S.A., BASF SE, Behn Meyer Holding AG, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd., Eastman Chemical Company, Lanxess AG, Nocil Ltd., Solvay S.A., Struktol Company of America LLC (Schill + Seilacher GmbH), Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. and Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global rubber additives market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global rubber additives market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the type? What is the breakup of the market based on the rubber type? What is the breakup of the market based on the application? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global rubber additives market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Rubber Additives Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Type 6.1 Activators 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Accelerators 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 6.3 Vulcanization Inhibitors 6.3.1 Market Trends 6.3.2 Market Forecast 6.4 Plasticizers 6.4.1 Market Trends 6.4.2 Market Forecast 6.5 Others 6.5.1 Market Trends 6.5.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Rubber Type 7.1 Natural Rubber 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Synthetic Rubber 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Application 8.1 Tire 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Conveyor Belts 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Electric Cables 8.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Others 8.4.1 Market Trends 8.4.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by Region 10 SWOT Analysis 10.1 Overview 10.2 Strengths 10.3 Weaknesses 10.4 Opportunities 10.5 Threats 11 Value Chain Analysis 12 Porters Five Forces Analysis 12.1 Overview 12.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers 12.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 12.4 Degree of Competition 12.5 Threat of New Entrants 12.6 Threat of Substitutes 13 Price Analysis 14 Competitive Landscape 14.1 Market Structure 14.2 Key Players 14.3 Profiles of Key Players 14.3.1 Akrochem Corporation 14.3.1.1 Company Overview 14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.2 Arkema S.A. 14.3.2.1 Company Overview 14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.2.3 Financials 14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.3 BASF SE 14.3.3.1 Company Overview 14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.3.3 Financials 14.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.4 Behn Meyer Holding AG 14.3.4.1 Company Overview 14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.5 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation 14.3.5.1 Company Overview 14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.5.3 Financials 14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.6 China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd. 14.3.6.1 Company Overview 14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.6.3 Financials 14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.7 Eastman Chemical Company 14.3.7.1 Company Overview 14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.7.3 Financials 14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.8 Lanxess AG 14.3.8.1 Company Overview 14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.8.3 Financials 14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.9 Nocil Ltd. 14.3.9.1 Company Overview 14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.9.3 Financials 14.3.10 Solvay S.A. 14.3.10.1 Company Overview 14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.10.3 Financials 14.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.11 Struktol Company of America LLC (Schill + Seilacher GmbH) 14.3.11.1 Company Overview 14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.12 Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. 14.3.12.1 Company Overview 14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.12.3 Financials 14.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis 14.3.13 Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. 14.3.13.1 Company Overview 14.3.13.2 Product Portfolio For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4x3j5x Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating GrandSouth Bancorporation (GRRB), relating to its proposed acquisition by First Bancorp. Under the terms of the agreement, GRRB shareholders will receive 0.910 shares of First Bancorp common stock per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/grandsouth-bancorporation. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you own common stock in GRRB and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating USA Truck, Inc. (USAK), relating to its proposed acquisition by DB Schenker. Under the terms of the agreement, USAK shareholders will receive $31.72 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/usa-truck-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you own common stock in USAK and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC LUND, Sweden, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfa Laval will release second-quarter earnings on July 20th at 07:30 am CET. The telephone conference will start at 10.00 am CET. The telephone conference is hosted by Alfa Laval's President and CEO Tom Erixon and CFO Jan Allde. Please join the event conference 10 minutes prior to the start time. Participant Passcode: 448614 Location Purpose Phone Type Phone Number Denmark Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone 80 88 98 14 Denmark, Copenhagen Dial-in Local +45 35 15 81 82 Germany Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone 0800 724 5372 Germany, Frankfurt Dial-in Local +49 (0)69 22222 5195 Germany, Munich Dial-in Local +49 (0)89 2030 31236 Sweden Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone 0200 898 697 Sweden, Stockholm Dial-in Local +46 (0)8 5664 2754 United Kingdom Dial-in Tollfree/Freephone 0800 279 6894 United Kingdom, Local Dial-in Local +44 (0)330 165 3641 You can also follow the conference via a live webcast. A webcast link will be available on Alfa Laval - Investors. Contacts: Johan Lundin Head of Investor Relations Phone: +46 46 36 65 10 Mobile: +46 730 46 30 90 Beata Ardhe Phone: +46 46 36 65 26 Mobile: +46 709 36 65 26 www.alfalaval.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/alfa-laval/r/invitation-to-alfa-laval-s-second-quarter-conference-call,c3592645 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/905/3592645/1598056.pdf Invitation Q2 2022 SOURCE Alfa Laval Baybayin is the Philippine text prior to precolonial Spanish rule. Kabuay shares that having our Baybayin script is a step forward in normalizing our pre-Philippine culture in our everyday lives. "Island Pacific is an example of culture being served through the stomach. It's natural to showcase our writing, textiles, and stories along with our food." In the signages on the walls, baybayin is strategically on top of its Tagalog translations of the available items sold at the store. Muralist and Local Long Beach Artist Bodeck Luna's Ode to the Philippine Archipelago Bodeck Luna shares that it's a very special opportunity working with Island Pacific since he's a suki (loyal customer) there. Island Pacific is his local Filipinx market that carries products he grew up finding in palengkes (wet markets) in Tondo Manila.. As an artist from the Philippines working with a FilAm brand, Luna gets a sense of pride and gratitude to have this platform to share his talents with the community. "The mural he has created for Island Pacific are not only representational but rather a celebration of who we are," he says. Hiring on the Spot weekend event This coming July 1 and 2 from 9am to 4pm, Island Pacific invites everyone from all backgrounds to apply at the newest location at 23811 El Toro Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Positions to be filled are for the following departments - Seafood/Produce/Meat/Grocery Associates & Manager, Cashiers, Philhouse Associates and Utility crews. Qualified applicants for key positions can be hired on the spot with very competitive employment packages available. Lake Forest is anticipated to open mid-July. SOURCE Island Pacific Market This violation may lead to an exclusion order barring the importation of infringing Apple Watches MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AliveCor , the global leader in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, today announced that Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Cameron Elliot of the International Trade Commission (ITC) issued an Initial Determination finding that Apple infringed AliveCor's patented technology. If affirmed by the full ITC, the ALJ's finding of a violation could lead to the issuance of a limited exclusion order barring the import of infringing Apple Watches into the United States. AliveCor filed its complaint with the ITC in April 2021 alleging that Apple infringed AliveCor's patented technology, and filed an anticompetition complaint against Apple in May 2021. The ITC is currently scheduled to issue a Final Determination by October 26, 2022. A public version of the Notice of Initial Determination is available now, and a public version of the full opinion is forthcoming. "Today's ruling is a strong validation of our IP and underscores that patents matter and even an influential company like Apple cannot simply violate them to stifle innovation," said Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor. "Since the start, our focus has been on our customers and providing them with strong choices to help monitor their cardiac health, including KardiaBand, the first-ever FDA-cleared ECG device accessory for Apple Watch." AliveCor has built its legacy in transforming remote cardiac care. From the advent of KardiaMobile, the world's first AI-enabled platform to aid patients and clinicians in the detection of atrial fibrillation, to the introduction of KardiaMobile 6L, the first and only FDA-cleared 6-lead personal ECG, AliveCor has paved the way to efficient, affordable heart care for millions of patients. AliveCor protects its innovations with more than 170 patents issued and pending worldwide. About AliveCor AliveCor, Inc. is transforming cardiological care using deep learning. The FDA-cleared KardiaMobile device is the most clinically-validated personal ECG solution in the world. KardiaMobile 6L provides instant detection of Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy, Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions, Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS, and Normal Sinus Rhythm in an ECG. Kardia is the first AI-enabled platform to aid patients and clinicians in the efficient detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia and one associated with a highly-elevated risk of stroke. AliveCor's enterprise platform allows third-party providers to manage their patients' and customers' heart conditions simply using state-of-the-art tools that provide easy front-end and back-end integration to AliveCor technologies. AliveCor protects its customers with stringent data security and compliance practices , achieving ISO 27001 Certification, SOC 2 Type 2 Certification and HIPAA compliance attestation. AliveCor is a privately-held company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. "Consumer" or "Personal" ECGs are ECG devices available for direct sale to consumers. For more information, visit alivecor.com . SOURCE AliveCor, Inc. NIC+ZOE's founder and Chief Creative Officer, Dorian Lightbown, sees the acquisition of Hudner as a coup for the female-led fashion brand. "Jen brings such creative talent to NIC+ZOE. I am so excited to work with her and look forward to building our brand vision together." Just as thrilled is NIC+ZOE President Avra Myers, who had previously worked with Hudner at Myers' own A Ruby from 2013-2015. "I had such a lovely experience working with Jen. She brings an infectious passion to her work and everywhere she's been, well, the results speak for themselves. When the opportunity to bring her to NIC+ZOE presented itself, I had no hesitation. Her energy, creativity, and shrewd business sense is a perfect fit. I can't wait to get started!" For her part, Hudner is just as enthusiastic about the reunion and the opportunity. "I am thrilled about joining NIC+ZOE. First off, I am excited to be returning to a female focused apparel brand with an important mission. With a solid team already in place, I look forward to accelerating the brand's forward momentum by driving greater awareness and acquiring new customers who don't yet know it's their new favorite label. And second, I will be reuniting with Avra: a mentor who shares my passion for product." A brand that prides itself on a personal touch and devotion to detail, Hudner's blend of creativity and industry insight leaves the label poised for further success. Under her guidance, the company can look forward to helping women feel like their best selves with the perfect balance of style, comfort, andnaturallyjust the right amount of fun. About NIC+ZOE: Founded in 2006 by expert knitwear designer, Dorian Lightbown, NIC+ZOE is a brand that distinguishes itself by designing high-quality clothing that strikes the balance between comfort and style. Their mission is to create collections of clothing that enhance the lives of busy, multi-faceted women everywhere; offering clothing that is versatile, easy to wear, and stylish. NIC+ZOE is proud to partner with notable wholesale brands like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Stitch Fix as well as over 800 specialty stores across the country. Their collections are also available at NIC+ZOE stores and nicandzoe.com. SOURCE NIC+ZOE Transaction Creates a Global Leader in Plant Sterol Esters and Natural Vitamin E KANKAKEE, Ill., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kensing, LLC ("Kensing" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of Natural Vitamin E, Plant Sterols and high-purity surfactants, and a portfolio company of One Rock Capital Partners, LLC ("One Rock"), today announced its acquisition of Vitae Naturals ("Vitae"), a leading producer of Plant Sterol Esters and Non-GMO Natural Vitamin E derivatives for the food, nutrition and skin care end-markets. "We are pleased to bring Vitae Naturals into the Kensing family," said Serge Rogasik, Chief Executive Officer of Kensing. "This acquisition is highly complementary, strengthens our footprint in Europe and enables further expansion in food ingredients. This is an exciting time for both companies and we look forward to partnering with the Vitae team to accelerate our growth objectives." Founded in 2000 in Talavera de la Reina, Spain, Vitae Naturals manufactures Plant Sterol Esters under the Vitasterol brand and Natural Vitamin E derivatives under the Vitapherole brand. Plant Sterol Esters have been clinically proven to naturally lower cholesterol and help fight heart disease when added to margarine spreads, yogurts, and supplements. Natural Vitamin E derivatives are primarily used in vitamin supplements and as natural antioxidants in food and cosmetic applications. Vitae Naturals serves a large set of global customers in more than 40 countries across five continents. "Our businesses share similar values and we are delighted to become a part of the Kensing team," said Rafael Cano Mariblanca, General Manager of Vitae Naturals. "Kensing provides a strong platform to build upon our position in our existing markets and expand further into the personal care market. Together, we have a truly diversified footprint with numerous opportunities for growth." ABOUT KENSING Kensing, LLC is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of specialty chemicals derived from vegetable-oils including plant sterols, natural vitamin E, anionic surfactants and esters. Headquartered in Kankakee, IL, Kensing's high-quality, precisely formulated ingredients serve a diverse array of customers across the home & personal care, pharmaceuticals, nutrition and agricultural markets. Kensing is uniquely focused on providing customers with a superior level of service, agility and expert collaboration to help them develop improved products. To learn more, please visit www.kensingsolutions.com. ABOUT VITAE NATURALS Vitae Naturals is a Spanish company founded as Vitae Caps, S.A. in February 2000 with a strong international focus. Vitae's products are sold in more than 40 countries across five continents to nutrition and food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and animal feed sector. Vitae's manufacturing facility is based in Talavera de la Reina. Vitae's product range includes proprietary formulations antioxidant systems, microencapsulated vitamin E and plant sterol esters. To learn more, please visit: www.vitaenaturals.com. ABOUT ONE ROCK One Rock makes controlling investments in companies with potential for growth and operational improvement using a rigorous approach that utilizes highly experienced Operating Partners to identify, acquire and enhance businesses in select industries. The involvement of these Operating Partners affords One Rock the ability to conduct due diligence and consummate acquisitions and investments in all types of situations, regardless of complexity. One Rock works collaboratively with company management and its Operating Partners to develop a comprehensive business plan focused on growing the enterprise and its profitability to enhance long-term value. For more information, visit www.onerockcapital.com. MEDIA CONTACT Hallie Erlich Prosek Partners for One Rock Capital [email protected] SOURCE Kensing, LLC Natural gas combustion turbines to provide reliable generation to complement transition to majority renewables portfolio, while reducing carbon emissions EVANSVILLE, Ind., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced its Indiana-based electric utility business, CenterPoint Energy Indiana South, received approval for the construction of natural gas generation from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), a key step in the company's long-term electric generation transition plan. CenterPoint Energy intends to construct two natural gas combustion turbines (CTs) to replace portions of its existing coal-fired generation fleet. The company's generation transition plan will significantly evolve the way the company generates power for its 150,000 customers across southwestern Indiana by combining a cleaner portfolio of renewables and complementary natural gas. The estimated $334 million natural gas facility will provide an output of 460 megawatts (MW), sized appropriately to reliably support the anticipated electric generation needed upon the retirement of A.B. Brown units 1 and 2 in late 2023. The CTs will be constructed at the current site of the power plant in Posey County, Ind., and will assist CenterPoint Energy in delivering on its commitment to provide a cost-effective, well-balanced energy mix. The company's 2020 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) illustrated a preferred portfolio including nearly two-thirds of energy generated from renewable resources as well as natural gas generation, which is projected to ultimately save electric customers an estimated $320 million over the 20-year planning period. Through the IRP process, CenterPoint Energy performed significant analysis and considered public input to arrive at the most reliable and cost-effective solution for customers. "Although the majority of the proposed generation outlined in our plan comes from renewable resources, there remains a need for reliable, resilient and fast-ramping generation to operate around-the-clock when the sun and wind are insufficient to power the renewable resources," said Steve Greenley, Senior Vice President, Generation Development. "While the combustion turbines may not run constantly, it is very likely they will operate several hours each day in order to supplement our renewable generation with a lower carbon solution, when renewable facilities are not at peak generating levels." In addition, the company recently filed for securitization of its A.B. Brown assets, which was contingent on the IURC approval of the natural gas CTs and may result in up to $60 million in additional savings to customers over the same time period. "Today's approval will have no immediate impact on customer electric bills," added Greenley. "The recovery of the investments associated with the CTs will be requested through a future electric rate case. When combining the savings to be realized through securitization and other bill reductions associated with the added renewable investments, the average residential customer is estimated to see a bill impact of less than $10 per month for the total generation transition." The replacement of most of the company's coal-fired generation will help mitigate costs associated with compliance of ever-evolving environmental regulations and the higher operating costs of continuing to run the aging units. By replacing much of the coal-fired generation with significantly more efficient technologies like renewables, including a large percentage of universal solar, the replacement will move CenterPoint Energy significantly forward on achieving its goal of net zero on direct carbon emissions by 2035. For more information on CenterPoint Energy's long-term electric generation transition plan, visit www.centerpointenergy.com/smartenergyfuture. CenterPoint Energy delivers electricity to approximately 150,000 customers in southwest Indiana in all or portions of Gibson, Dubois, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties. Programs and services are operated under the brand CenterPoint Energy by Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company d/b/a CenterPoint Energy Indiana South. Forward Looking Statement: This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, including anticipated timing, savings and impact to customer bills as a result of the generation transition plan, including the CT facilities, the timing of CenterPoint Energy's generation transition plan, including the anticipated retirement of the A.B. Brown facility and the construction and completion of the CT facilities and the anticipated capacity of such facilities, and the mix of renewable resources and expected financial benefits of such generation transition to customers, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of disruption to the global supply chain; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; and (8) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, CenterPoint Energy's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Net Zero Disclaimer: While CenterPoint Energy believes that it has a clear path towards achieving its net zero emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 2035 goals, its analysis and path forward required it to make a number of assumptions. These goals and underlying assumptions involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees. Should one or more of CenterPoint Energy's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, its actual results and ability to achieve net zero emissions by 2035 could differ materially from its expectations. Certain of the assumptions that could impact its ability to meet its net zero emissions goals include, but are not limited to: emission levels, service territory size and capacity needs remaining in line with company expectations (inclusive of changes related to the sale of CenterPoint Energy's Natural Gas businesses in Arkansas and Oklahoma); regulatory approval of Indiana Electric's generation transition plan; impacts of future environmental regulations or legislation; impacts of future carbon pricing regulation or legislation, including a future carbon tax; price, availability and regulation of carbon offsets; price of fuel, such as natural gas; cost of energy generation technologies, such as wind and solar, natural gas and storage solutions; adoption of alternative energy by the public, including adoption of electric vehicles; rate of technology innovation with regards to alternative energy resources; CenterPoint Energy's ability to implement its modernization plans for its pipelines and facilities; the ability to complete and implement generation alternatives to Indiana Electric's coal generation and retirement dates of Indiana Electric's coal facilities by 2035; the ability to construct and/or permit new natural gas pipelines; the ability to procure resources needed to build at a reasonable cost, the lack of or scarcity of resources and labor, the lack of any project cancellations, construction delays or overruns and the ability to appropriately estimate costs of new generation; impact of any supply chain disruptions; changes in applicable standards or methodologies; and enhancement of energy efficiencies. In addition, because Texas is in an unregulated market, CenterPoint Energy's Scope 2 estimates do not take into account Texas electric transmission and distribution assets in the line loss calculation and exclude emissions related to purchased power between 2024E-2026E. CenterPoint Energy's Scope 3 estimates are based on the total natural gas supply delivered to residential and commercial customers as reported in the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA-176 reports and do not take into account the emissions of transport customers and emissions related to upstream extraction. Please also review other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, CenterPoint Energy's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About CenterPoint Energy As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2022, the company owned approximately $35 billion in assets. With approximately 8,900 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. For more information contact Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to EZCA an Azure based Certificate Authority to take advantage of the scalability, reliability and agility of Azure to drive application development and shape business strategies. BOSTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Keytos Security today announced the availability of EZCA in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Keytos customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management. Keytos is a security company specializing in identity and cryptographic solutions that enable companies to go passwordless. Keytos' tools help organizations save on IT spend and enable them to reallocate highly specialized security talent in other high-value initiatives. EZCA is a cornerstone of the Keytos toolset, enabling organizations around the world to save up to 70% of the costs of running an on-premise certificate authority. EZCA will benefit Azure customers by enabling them to manage existing Active Directory Certificate Services CAs with EZCA as well as modernizing them by connecting them to Azure services such as Azure Key Vault and Azure IoT Hub. "We are happy to add EZCA to the Azure Marketplace. This will allow Azure customers to create fully managed Certificate Authorities in Azure, enabling them to scale to the growing certificate needs of hybrid cloud and IoT," said Igal Flegmann, Cofounder and CEO of Keytos. "Through Microsoft Azure Marketplace, customers around the world can easily find, buy, and deploy partner solutions they can trust, all certified and optimized to run on Azure," said Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp."We're happy to welcome Keytos' EZCA solution to the growing Azure Marketplace ecosystem." The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use. About Keytos Keytos is a cybersecurity startup with the ambitious goal of making the world truly passwordless by creating easy to use cryptography-based tools. Keytos current solutions (EZSSH, EZGIT, EZCA, and EZMonitor) help companies around the world centralize identity management and gain visibility into their most critical infrastructure. SOURCE Keytos LLC "We've been searching for someone who can serve the changing content needs of our audiences for a while now," said Ellis. "In looking all over the country, we were searching for the exact right person to handle what the people of southeast Michigan have clearly told us they need and want on TV, on our website, and with extended coverage during important weather events. In Kim, we discovered that exact right person has been right here at home all along." Adams previously served as Meteorologist on Local 4 most recently in 2009, when she left the station to become a full-time mother of her five children. "We're thrilled to have Kim returning to the Local 4 team," said News Director Kim Voet. "She certainly knows southeast Michigan and the weather that comes with living here. Southeast Michigan also knows Kim, and they know they can depend on her to keep them updated across all our platforms on the changing weather." In addition to her role joining Devin Scillian, Kimberly Gill, Karen Drew, Jason Colthorp and Bernie Smilovitz on Local 4 News each evening on TV, Kim will be a daily contributor to clickondetroit.com, providing weather forecasts for the website and station apps, as well as providing insights through in-depth articles and a weekly weather newsletter as to why changing weather conditions are happening. She will also serve as one of the primary forecasters on Local 4+, the station's streaming channel, where she will be anchoring extended coverage for all of southeast Michigan. Teamed with Paul Gross, Andrew Humphrey, Brandon Roux, and Brett Collar, Adams will help sharpen the station's focus on covering local weather under the station's new weather brand, 4 Warn Weather. Using the most powerful weather technology available today, which is exclusive to Local 4 News, the station will give viewers the most up-to-the-minute information pinpointed for each neighborhood, so they are always prepared. "My job, above all, is to make sure everyone in Detroit and Southeast Michigan is ready for whatever is coming. You'll get that on TV, on our app, website, and streaming channel. After seeing the capabilities of the station's Exact Track 4D Radar product, I can tell you it's a true difference maker. It will help our entire weather team warn our audience dangerous weather is coming before it happens so you can keep your family, and friends safe. This technology is exclusive to Local 4, and it allows us to see things develop even before the national weather service issues warnings," said Adams. The Exact Track 4D Radar technology also provides street level weather data so with the forecast you will receive daily on all platforms, you can plan your day. "When the weather is going to be nice, I want to make sure you take advantage of it. With 4 Warn Weather we'll also warn you not to miss a chance to enjoy the outdoor activities that make Michigan special," Adams added. Adams, who grew up in southeast Michigan, has won numerous awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Association of Broadcasters for her weather reporting. She is also very involved in our community through her volunteer work. She is an active supporter of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising awareness for women's health issues. Kim is the former Fundraising and Development Executive for New Day Foundation for Families, which provides financial aid to help cancer patients during treatment. Drawing on her experiences as a domestic violence survivor and breast cancer survivor she is a tireless advocate for living life fearlessly. Additional organizations where she volunteers her time include The Miracle League and Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter. She also devotes time to supporting Michigan Humane. Adams graduated summa cum laude from Oakland University, ranking 3rd in her graduating class. She received a master's degree from Wayne State University majoring in Radio/TV & Film. In addition, she studied thermodynamics and dynamics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School in Washington, D.C., and Synoptic Meteorology at Ohio State University. "Our commitment to local weather has never been stronger than it is right now. That's what the word "Local" in Local 4 is all about. With Kim back home at WDIV we're putting more "Local" in Local 4 and we'll have additional announcements coming about plans for more special events and coverage of local weather. Things no one has ever done in Detroit," said Ellis. About WDIV-Local 4 Local 4 News is currently the No. 1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market. WDIV is the No. 1 NBC affiliate in the top 20 LPM markets. In addition, Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is a top breaking news and weather website and the No. 1 news website in Metro Detroit. And Local 4+ - WDIV's free streaming app - available on Fire TV, Roku, Google TV and Apple TV, brings viewers live, original and on-demand programming. SOURCE WDIV-TV Local 4 One woman's journey through the crucible of childhood trauma and the resulting recovery is detailed in this moving debut release, available now as a paperback and a Kindle. SILVER SPRING, Md., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Licensed social worker, holistic psychotherapist, and interfaith minister Santa Molina-Marshall has released her debut book, titled Running Through Darkness: Memoir of a Spiritual Warrior is now available on Amazon.This 264-page publication is a moving account of Ms. Molina-Marshall's own story of healing and transformation after unfathomable adversity. Victims of sexual violencewhether experienced in childhood or adulthoodoften feel 'broken' and alone in their suffering. It's so common for them to feel alienated from the world around them, feeling like no one can really know the pain they endure every day, having to live with the memories of their innocence being ripped from them. In Running Through Darkness, Santa Molina-Marshall offers her own story of triumph over trauma, with specific accounts of what life was like at every phase of her healing. Even in her darkest moments, when the world seemed cruelly fraught with fear and horror, Ms. Molina-Marshall fought onward and forged a path through her pain and into the light of a new life that is now a beacon of hope for everyone her work touches. Running Through Darkness is an exemplary resource for anyone who seeks to better understand their own trauma or that of a loved one. It is proof positive that no matter how severe our traumas are, there is a journey through thema journey that is worth the trials for the love, connection, and liberation that awaits on the other side. Acclaim for the book: "An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence." - Kirkus Reviews "Running Through Darkness" is a balm for trauma survivors. Using her narrative, many other survivor narratives and clinical expertise, Santa provides a compassionate way toward safety, healing, and transformation for those impacted by the scourge of childhood and adult sexual violence." - Aishah Shahidah Simmons On Tue., June 28, for 2 days only, you can download the Kindle FREE on Amazon. Or visit www.traumatotriumph.net for more information. Kindle free deal expires at 11:49pm Pacific on Wed., June 29. Book details: Publication Date: May 2022 Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph Format: 6" x 9", Paperback Pages: 264 pages Paperback ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6 Genres: Memoirs, Sexual Abuse, Spiritual Healing Retail: $19.99 Available from Ingram, and all major online retailers. [About the Author: Santa Molina-Marshall is a holistic psychotherapist, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Reiki Master, Ordained Interfaith Minister, Certified Massage Therapist, and Integral Yoga Teacher. She resides in Maryland, USA.] Contact: Veronica Yager, YellowStudios ***@yellowstudiosonline.com Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12921062 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE From Trauma to Triumph Second Cohort for Synchronous Online Program Begins July 11 COLLEGE PARK, Md. , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is accepting registrations for the next cohort of its Blockchain Business Imperative. The six-week synchronous online certificate program starts again July 11, 2022, as it focuses on blockchain technology and its potential economic impact across industries. The program, which launched in January 2022, is designed to help leaders identify how blockchain technology can enable them to innovate and drive growth in their businesses. "Participants may already be familiar with applications of blockchain technology like cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which rely on peer-to-peer networks," says Maryland Smith's Tej Anand, program director and clinical professor of information systems. "But the potential of blockchain technology far exceeds its current usage." The Blockchain Business Imperative further is designed to help participants understand how to conduct business with blockchain technology to the benefit of customers and partners and avoid creating large-scale inequities, Anand adds. "There are no prerequisites for the program, so participants can appreciate the accessibility and applicability of the course material." Over its six weeks the program covers: Economic inefficiencies that blockchain will impact An overview of foundational blockchain technologies A conceptual understanding of blockchain Implementation details for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger Exploration of various blockchain business applications including NFTs, DeFi, CBDC Potential opportunities and challenges stemming from blockchain BBI participants will also have an opportunity to put theory into practice by applying for Maryland Smith's Blockchain Accelerator. The accelerator, a 60-day program, assists companies in creating a prototype and a business case for their blockchain based solution. The accelerator provides business and technical mentorship and access to the FounderTrac virtual accelerator platform. "The enterprise applications of blockchain will usher in a new era of competitive landscape and it is very important that businesses are cognizant of the potential of blockchain -- it will be the era of Web3. The program is a must for business students and leaders," says P.K. Kannan, associate dean of strategic initiatives and Dean's Chair in Marketing Science. Echoing Kannan, first-cohort participant and Acting Division Chief for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Carl Prosack says, "The depth of the subject matter, excellent cohort members, and the readiness of the Smith team to discuss business problems and applications, while explaining how current (and future) blockchain technologies could help provide value, truly made this a beneficial course for my professional development." Participants completing the Blockchain Business Imperative receive a UMD professional digital certificate and 3.3 continuing education credits, as well as a Credly digital badge. Registration for the program is available with discounts for current UMD-College Park students, UMD system school alumni, BIG10 Conference school alumni, organizations with multiple registrations, and active military and veterans. For more information, register for an upcoming information session. About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]. SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business A Founding member of the Board, Mr. Owens has served as Vice Chair since 2019 and has served on its Audit, Compliance, Compensation, Nominating and Governance, as well as Racism and Social Justice Committees. He is also a long-time trustee of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he has served on the Compensation, Finance, Pediatric Program and Investment Committees. Mr. Owens serves on the Operating Committee and is the Senior Executive Vice President and head of Operations for Wells Fargo & Company, where he oversees a team of more than 70,000 employees and is responsible for building a more unified, integrated approach to Wells Fargo's business operations functions. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Owens was the Global Head of Operations at BNY Mellon. He has also led significant operations functions for JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, and Bankers Trust. "Lester has been at the helm of some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world, consistently managing complex, multifaceted projects with skill and dedication," said Barry H. Ostrowsky, Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health. "His leadership and expertise have been tremendous assets to our organization and will be instrumental to our continued growth." As evidence of his belief in service to the community, Mr. Owens has lent his time and knowledge to numerous non-profit organizations devoted to expanding the reach of higher education, particularly in communities where such opportunities have been scarce. "I feel very privileged to take on this role at such a pivotal moment for healthcare, as the needs of RWJBarnabas Health's patients, employees, communities, and other stakeholders are quickly evolving. The system is wholly committed to its mission of improving the health, quality of life, and vitality of the communities it serves. It has approached this in thoughtful and innovative ways that will benefit all stakeholders for years to come," said Mr. Owens. In his new role, Mr. Owens will continue to drive a key RWJBarnabas Health focus on providing accessible, high-quality health care to the citizens of New Jersey. Among his priorities will include the ongoing work to transform the patient experience, advance mental and behavioral health for individuals across the lifespan and drive social impact through strategic programs and policies that ensure health equity and address the social, economic, and environmental conditions that have a significant effect on health outcomes. He will work to advance the academic healthcare system and expand the partnerships with Rutgers University. He will also work closely with the system's executive leadership to build on the tremendous successes that have helped to position RWJBarnabas Health as a world-class academic health institution. "We are pleased to welcome Lester as our new Board Chair," said Mark Manigan, President of RWJBarnabas Health. "His voice and vision will help RWJBarnabas Health continue to make a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve." Mr. Owens earned a B.A. from Long Island University and an Executive MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Susan Reinhard, PhD, MSN, BSN, named new Vice-Chair, has served as a Founding member of the Corporate Board since 2016 and serves on the Compliance and Strategic Planning/Academic Affairs Committee and is Chair of the Quality Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital since 2013 and has served on its Finance, Strategic Planning and Quality Committees. Dr. Reinhard is the Senior Vice President and Director for the AARP Public Policy Institute and Chief Strategist of the Center to Champion Nursing in America and Family Caregiving Initiatives where she oversees teams working on health security, financial security, and family, home, and community issues. Previously, Dr. Reinhard was Professor and Co-Director of the Rutgers University Center for State Health Policy, where she contributed to the formulation of sound and creative state health policy in New Jersey. She also served as Deputy Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services from 1996-1999 and again from 2002-2005. In that role, Dr. Reinhard served three governors from both political parties. She earned a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and an MSN from University of Cincinnati. In other action, Richard J. Kogan was named Trustee Emeritus for the Board, in deepest gratitude for his many years of service. In addition to his work for the system, he had been an active member of the Saint Barnabas (now Cooperman Barnabas) Medical Center Board of Trustees since 1992 and had served as its Chairman for several years. Prior to that, he served as Vice-Chairman of the SBMC Board, and was also a Vice-Chairman of Barnabas Health. ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth; three acute care children's hospitals; Children's Specialized Hospital, including a network of outpatient centers; a behavioral health center and the state's largest behavioral health network; two trauma centers; a satellite emergency department; ambulatory care centers; geriatric centers; comprehensive home care and hospice programs; fitness and wellness centers; retail pharmacy services; an affiliated medical group; multi-site imaging centers; and two accountable care organizations. RWJBarnabas Health is one of New Jersey's largest private employers with more than 38,000 employees and 9,000 physicians and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers University, is New Jersey's largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research, and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey the state's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. SOURCE RWJBarnabas Health SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PredictHQ, the demand intelligence company, and Lighthouse by BCG, Boston Consulting Group's high frequency data and analytics engine for real-time demand forecasting have today announced a partnership to advance the growth and utilization of demand intelligence, creating a world of far more accurate, real-world aware forecasting and planning. Through this partnership, BCG's data analysts and scientists will be able to access and deploy PredictHQ's verified and enriched data for their retail, accommodation, and transport clients, with plans to extend this coverage. PredictHQ, in turn, will learn from Lighthouse by BCG's AI experts how they use and integrate the data for major global businesses, informing the growing tech company's product development and direction. Lighthouse by BCG focuses on demand forecasting across all industries using a broad range of data such as consumer mobility, online spending leading indicators, air travel demand, as well as economic activity tracking. Understanding which events drive people movement and spending is critical for this demand intelligence capability. Major companies are increasingly using event data, and PredictHQ's demand intelligence specifically. Companies such as Uber, Domino's, Favor, and Accor Hotels use PredictHQ's verified and enriched event data to identify their demand drivers in advance so they can prepare their staffing, stocking, pricing and operational strategies to make the most of rich pockets of demand, as well as mitigate impact during quieter times. "For truly industry-leading forecasting, dynamic scenario planning and operational decisions, companies need access to world-leading data that is prepared for easy access to utilization. Our partnership with PredictHQ arms our team with deep insight into demand drivers, so we can enable our clients to make smarter decisions at scale," says Aaron Arnoldsen, a partner with Lighthouse by BCG. Lighthouse by BCG will draw on PredictHQ's data to inform their forecasting models for clients across categories such as scheduled events including school and public holidays, expos, sports, concerts, and festivals; as well as live-breaking unscheduled events including airport delays, health warnings, and severe weather. "We are thrilled to partner with Lighthouse by BCG because of their talented data scientists and data analysts' vast experience working with external datasets," says PredictHQ CSO, Richard Bray. "The Lighthouse by BCG team understands the impact demand intelligence can have on forecast accuracy and how powerful this dataset can be. Factoring it into decision making and planning is increasingly urgent as companies grapple with changed consumer habits in the new normal. Equipping BCG with the ability to direct their clients towards rich pockets of demand and patterns that were previously hidden from them is an exciting opportunity as we continue to bring demand intelligence to the world." About PredictHQ PredictHQ, the demand intelligence company, empowers global organizations to anticipate changes in demand for their products and services. PredictHQ's demand intelligence API aggregates events from hundreds of sources and verifies, enriches, and ranks them by predicted impact so companies can proactively discover catalysts that will impact demand. With PredictHQ, businesses gain a leg up on the competition and remain confident in their ability to meet customers' ever-changing needs. About Boston Consulting Group Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholdersempowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place. Media contacts: [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE PredictHQ Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson was the Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. He was responsible for approximately 6,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $9 billion. As the Department of the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, Lt. Gen. Thompson managed the research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of satellites and the associated command and control systems. His extensive portfolio includes military satellite communication, missile warning, navigation and timing, space-based weather, space launch and test ranges, certification for launch, space superiority, responsive space and other emerging evolutionary space programs. Maj. Gen. James O. Poss was the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force ISR capabilities. General Poss received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Southern Mississippi. He served in Desert Storm with the U.S. VII Corps RC-12 Guardrail Battalion in Saudi Arabia and was Director of Intelligence for Central Command Air Forces deployed to Southwest Asia at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. The general commanded the 488th Intelligence Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, flying RC-135s in combat during the Kosovo Air War. He has also commanded the 609th Air Intelligence Group at Shaw AFB, S.C., and 70th Intelligence Wing at Fort George G. Meade, Md. About Radiance Technologies: Radiance Technologies is an employee-owned small business prime contractor founded in 1999. Radiance has over 950 employee-owners across the United States serving the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies. From concepts to capabilities, Radiance leads the way in developing customer-focused solutions in the areas of cyber security, systems engineering, prototyping and integration as well as operational and strategic intelligence including scientific and technical intelligence. Contact: Julia Parrish (256) 746-6133 [email protected] SOURCE Radiance Technologies Reports significant progress, including 29-percent reduction in carbon intensity across operations HOUSTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- McDermott International has reported progress and performance against its key environmental, social and governance targets in the company's 2021 sustainability report, published today. The report is an annual assessment of ways the company is reducing its carbon footprint, contributing to its people and communities and advancing the energy transition. "Now, more than ever, the world needs innovation and progress," said Michael McKelvy, President and CEO of McDermott. "We recognize that the nature of our business has environmental impacts. Our commitment to our customersand the global populationis to leverage innovation and creativity to continuously improve sustainability performance in all while positively contributing to our communities." Notable achievements reported for the calendar year include: Reduced carbon intensity by 29 percent reduction across global operations Introduced renewable power and fuels into operations, including McDermott's Batam Fabrication Yard which draws 98 percent of electricity from renewable sources Diverted 85 percent of global waste from landfills Eliminated approximately 1.5 million single-use plastic water bottles from its marine fleet Achieved industry-leading safety standards, including 100 million work hours lost-time injury free in the Jebel Ali, Dubai fabrication yard fabrication yard Delivered a carbon emissions calculation tool, ArborXD, to enable carbon-conscious decision making early in the project lifecycle Integrated the Sustainability and Governance functions to ensure that ESG is an integral part of corporate strategy Empowered employees to Speak Up through a global ethics campaign "McDermott is committed to a sustainable future within and beyond the energy industry," said Rachel Clingman, Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Governance of McDermott. "This report recognizes the measurable progress our employees and operations have made. Going forward, our dedication to sustainability and innovationcombined with our engineering expertise and strong collaboration with our customerswill continue to decarbonize and improve our industry and support the energy transition and beyond." The report is available on the company's website and was prepared in alignment with international frameworks and best practices including: Global Reporting Initiative Standards; Sustainability Accounting Standards Board; United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association; International Association of Oil & Gas Producers; and American Petroleum Institute. About McDermott McDermott is a premier, fully-integrated provider of engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry. Our customers trust our technology-driven approach engineered to responsibly harness and transform global energy resources into the products the world needs. From concept to commissioning, McDermott's innovative expertise and capabilities advance the next generation of global energy infrastructureempowering a brighter, more sustainable future for us all. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott's locally-focused and globally-integrated resources include more than 30,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabrication facilities around the world. To learn more, visit www.mcdermott.com. Contacts: Global Media Relations Reba Reid Senior Director, Global Communications and Marketing +1 281 588 5636 [email protected] SOURCE McDermott International, Ltd New facility to accelerate next generation MedTech and Life Science products to market BOULDER, Colo., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Meddux, a premier engineering, design, development, and manufacturing company serving early-stage start-ups, incubators, small to large OEMs, and research institutions in the MedTech and Life Science industry, has opened a new facility in Boulder, Colorado. The 22,000 sq. ft. facility doubles the overall square footage from the previous Meddux location in Colorado. The company has quadrupled its product development area and has doubled its manufacturing footprint. This facility also has a newly dedicated space for a 1,500 sq. ft. Class 7 cleanroom. This is the second move with expansion that Meddux has made in the five years since it was founded, and the company continues to deliver on its business growth strategies. Meddux was founded by three industry veterans in 2017David Schechter, Nathan White, and Chad Herremanswith the shared vision of accelerating the development and commercialization of innovative medical device therapies by providing unparalleled flexibility and responsiveness. The timing of this expansion also falls on the footsteps of their five-year anniversary. Customers and employees will be invited in a few weeks to engage in an event celebrating these two milestones for Meddux. "The Meddux team is excited about the new facility and our continued commitment to the Colorado region," said Dave Schechter, President of Meddux. "The new facility allows us to expand upon our highly engineered product development capabilities and manufacturing capacity to support long-term, sustained growth for years to come." Over the last ten years medical device innovation in Colorado has exploded. Many leading OEMs have opened and expanded operational facilities in the Colorado region. Boulder, Colorado is recognized as one of the best places to start and grow a business. It offers an award-winning quality of life, and is known for culture of innovation, and has a collaborative resource-rich business environment. "The new facility will allow us to grow our customer base and expand offerings to existing customers," said Margery Parsell, Director of Business Development at Meddux. "It will enable us to continue to fulfill our long-term commitment to deliver these life-saving solutions that enhance patients around the world." To learn more about the new Meddux facility, or discuss your next project, customers should contact Margery Parsell. About Meddux Meddux Development Corporation is a premier engineering design, development, and manufacturing firm for complex medical devices, life sciences, and consumer healthcare products. Meddux has the ability to take you from concept to product launch or help support task-specific projects to meet your goals. Sales Inquiries: Margery Parsell [email protected] 203.415.0053 Meddux | +1 720.675.7154 Media Relations: Partridge Communications, Inc. | Laurie Partridge [email protected] | +1 508.577.2553 SOURCE Meddux Development Corporation Khiron Serves Record Number of Patients With Khiron Products Globally in Its Medical Treatment Clinics TORONTO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQX: KHRNF) (Frankfurt: A2JMZC) the global medical cannabis leader, continues expansion of the Khiron end-to-end solution throughout Latin America and Europe. Khiron's growth aligns with its mission to improve consumers' quality of life through its global network of medical cannabis treatments clinics. Khiron is serving a record number of patients who are being treated with Khiron products globally. The company has recently reached a cumulative stock of more than 100.000 bottles of medical cannabis sold. This network of medical treatment clinics allows Khiron to collect evidence and conduct studies on the usage of medical cannabis. The groundbreaking analysis of the benefits of medical cannabis sets Khiron apart from any other cannabis companies in today's marketplace Khiron has posted record 2022 Q1 numbers that included revenue of $4.6 million, a 65% increase from Q1 2021, as well as record revenue in medical cannabis of over $2.6 million in Q1 2022, a 470% increase from the prior year. Q1 2022 showed an operating cash outflow of 2.8 million against a total receivable of 4.4 million. Khiron continues to grow thanks to the infrastructure that the company has built and some of the newer operations are already becoming profitable and EBITDA positive. Khiron is reducing expenses, selling high margin products, and being disciplined in the expansion approach. In countries such as Colombia and Germany, Khiron is benefiting from patients' ability to utilize their health insurance for treatment in its medical cannabis clinics. This exemplifies the opportunity on the path forward for a global cannabis company such as Khiron to leverage the health insurance expansion that will continue to cover more and more markets. Below is a status on Khiron's 2022 business developments, marking is a growth year for Khiron expansion throughout both Europe and Latin America: Status on Europe (the UK and Germany ): Khiron has established market leadership in the UK with its first two products on the market, and its KHIRON 20/1 THC-predominant strain is one of the best-selling medically prescribed products in the UK market. Europe , where Khiron is currently expanding through an asset light strategy, poses a large market opportunity for Khiron as additional countries beyond the UK are legalizing medical cannabis. The UK has a potential of at least 1 million medical cannabis patients and Germany has the potential of over a million patients by 2024. Additionally, Germany offers full coverage of insurance for medical cannabis. , where Khiron is currently expanding through an asset light strategy, poses a large market opportunity for Khiron as additional countries beyond the UK are legalizing medical cannabis. The UK has a potential of at least 1 million medical cannabis patients and has the potential of over a million patients by 2024. Additionally, offers full coverage of insurance for medical cannabis. Khiron has acquired Pharmadrug GmbH. The acquisition provides Khiron with a European manufacturing and distribution center for cannabinoid-based medicines with EU-GMP certification. This will have a direct positive impact on revenues and higher gross margins allowing Khiron to keep wholesale fees in-house. These fees range between 20-30%. The long-established German company will be instrumental in expanding Khiron's product portfolio with new dosage formats and bringing Khiron's full-spectrum extracts to Germany and the United Kingdom to grow the patient base and the to grow the patient base In Q1 2022, Europe (the UK and Germany ) represented 53% of all medical cannabis revenue, compared to 10% in Q1 2021. (the UK and ) represented 53% of all medical cannabis revenue, compared to 10% in Q1 2021. Europe accounted for 33% of Khiron's medical cannabis revenues, at more than 1.5 million CAD during 2021. accounted for 33% of Khiron's medical cannabis revenues, at more than during 2021. Khiron also announced a new product, the THC-dominant full-spectrum extract KHIRIOX 25/1, which will be available to pharmacies and patients in Germany and the UK in the near future. KHIRIOX 25/1 combines the medicinal properties and areas of application of the established THC isolate formulations (dronabinol) with the specific advantages of a full-spectrum extract, which may have fewer side effects and are better tolerated by patients. Status on Latin America : Colombia Khiron foresees a positive environment with the election of the new president of Colombia , Gustavo Petro , who has reiterated his commitment to the consolidation of the medical cannabis industry and recognizes the potential of medical cannabis to reduce high-cost therapies that are already in place. , , who has reiterated his commitment to the consolidation of the medical cannabis industry and recognizes the potential of medical cannabis to reduce high-cost therapies that are already in place. Khiron is the leader in medical cannabis in Latin America with its unique vertically integrated approach and leverage of insurance coverage on its clinics. with its unique vertically integrated approach and leverage of insurance coverage on its clinics. Colombia is the only country in Latin America with universal health insurance coverage for medical cannabis. Over 82% of Khiron sales were sold through insurance coverage, and over 84% of the sales were sold to returning patients. is the only country in with universal health insurance coverage for medical cannabis. Over 82% of Khiron sales were sold through insurance coverage, and over 84% of the sales were sold to returning patients. On May 31 2022, Khiron broke the record of 10.000 cannabis units per month, achieving positive net profit in its Colombian clinic operations. 2022, Khiron broke the record of 10.000 cannabis units per month, achieving positive net profit in its Colombian clinic operations. Khiron owns and operates 6 Zerenia Clinics in Colombia that have the capacity to attend more than 1,000 patients daily through physical and virtual appointments. that have the capacity to attend more than 1,000 patients daily through physical and virtual appointments. In June 2022 , Khiron opened its first retail pharmacy, fully licensed to dispense medical cannabis products to patients outside the Company's own clinic network. Three weeks since its opening, it has sold 197 prescriptions. Peru Khiron owns and operates two Zerenia Clinics in Peru and by the end of July 2022 , Khiron will open two additional clinics. and by the end of , Khiron will open two additional clinics. Sales of Khiron products in Peru have grown consistently and Khiron is expanding the access of Khiron products into drugstores and pharmacies. Sales have grown more than 75 percent from Q4 in 2021 to Q1 in 2022. have grown consistently and Khiron is expanding the access of Khiron products into drugstores and pharmacies. Sales have grown more than 75 percent from Q4 in 2021 to Q1 in 2022. Khiron obtained the sanitary registries for Khiriox, THC-rich products that will be launched on the market soon. These products will be available on pharmacies shelves across the country, allowing fast and safe access to all patients. With the soon to be launched CBD ointment, Khiron positions itself in Peru by offering the broadest and most complete portfolio of registered products with CBD and THC derived from a Full Spectrum extract. Mexico In March 2022 , Khiron signed a partnership with Teleton, allowing it to establish its medical cannabis clinics, Zerenia, within Teleton's network across Mexico and to distribute Khiron products in Teleton's pharmacies. Teleton has 24 Medical Centers (22 rehabilitation centers, 1 autism center and 1 Children's Hospital for Cancer) located across the country, and around 600,000 patients with disability, cancer and autism conditions. , Khiron signed a partnership with Teleton, allowing it to establish its medical cannabis clinics, Zerenia, within Teleton's network across and to distribute Khiron products in Teleton's pharmacies. Teleton has 24 Medical Centers (22 rehabilitation centers, 1 autism center and 1 Children's Hospital for Cancer) located across the country, and around 600,000 patients with disability, cancer and autism conditions. Khiron also has a partnership with Mexico's top university, Tecnologico de Monterrey , where Khiron provides medical education for ethical and safe prescribing of medical cannabis, launching its third course this year. To date, almost 1.000 physicians have been trained through this partnership. Brazil Brazil is the most recent market for Khiron's Latin American expansion. Between late Q2 and early Q3 2022, Khiron will open its first Zerenia Clinic in Rio de Janeiro . is the most recent market for Khiron's Latin American expansion. Between late Q2 and early Q3 2022, Khiron will open its first Zerenia Clinic in . The Company also expects to achieve its first import of high THC in Q3 2022. About Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Khiron is a leading global medical cannabis company with expanding operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging wholly-owned medical health clinics and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron delivers an end to end solution combined with a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific expertise, and product innovation, Focusing on creating access to drive prescriptions, brand loyalty with patients worldwide, Khiron is growing its business throughout Colombia, Germany, UK, Peru, and Brazil, and is positioned to begin operations in Mexico. Khiron is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and Board of Directors, with headquarters in Bogata, Colombia. Visit Khiron online at https://investors.khiron.ca Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/khiron-life-sciences-corp/ Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking information and statements contained herein reflect management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available and on assumptions that management believes to be reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, assumptions regarding the future regulatory developments and economic conditions, the Company's ability to continue its growth and reduce costs. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, 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. SOURCE Khiron Life Sciences Corp. Patient procedures performed at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital and The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial with first and only FDA-authorized surgical robot with humanoid-shaped arms TEL AVIV, Israel and FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Memic Innovative Surgery Ltd. (Memic), a medical device company dedicated to transforming surgery with its proprietary surgical robotic technology, today announced that HCA Florida Kendall Hospital and The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial have successfully completed the first U.S. patient procedures using the company's Hominis Surgical System for robotic-assisted transvaginal hysterectomy. Hominis is the first and only FDA-authorized surgical robot that features miniature humanoid-shaped arms, with shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints that provide high dexterity and unprecedented articulation. "As a leading healthcare provider, it is important to continually identify and implement innovative and advanced technologies to provide an enhanced surgical experience and improved outcomes for patients. The significant benefits the Hominis System provides to both surgeons and patients made it clear that we should offer this advantageous technology," said Ricardo E. Estape, MD, a practicing gynecologic oncologist at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital and director of HCA Healthcare's Institute for Gynecologic Oncology. "We are proud to be the first healthcare system in the U.S. to perform a surgical procedure using the Hominis System. We now have technology that can help us do robotic surgery through a very novel vaginal approach." "With the completion of our first surgical procedure, we are excited to offer this new technology to a wide range of women who need to undergo benign gynecological procedures. This new robotic system leverages the transvaginal approach, which is known to offer less pain, lower infection rates, faster recovery, and virtually no visible scarring," said Moises Lichtinger, MD, gynecologist at University of Miami Health System and The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial. The Hominis System is designed to replicate the motions and capabilities of a surgeon's arms. Multiple instruments can be introduced into the body through a single portal and the unprecedented articulation offers optimal access and working angles. Hominis requires a much smaller footprint and costs significantly less than conventional robotic systems, making it possible for more hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to acquire the system and offer more patients the benefits of less invasive robotic surgery. Hominis was granted de novo marketing authorization from the FDA in February 2021. "It is very encouraging to see the first two U.S. commercial sites actively performing benign gynecological procedures using our Hominis System and we are grateful for their support," said Dvir Cohen, president and chief executive officer of Memic. "Hominis is well positioned as a disruptive technology that will transform the way surgeons perform minimally invasive robotic-assisted procedures. We look forward to its continued use in the South Florida region and widespread adoption as we work to expand across the U.S. and worldwide." About Memic Memic, founded in 2013 and based in Tel Aviv, Israel with a wholly owned subsidiary based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a medical device company dedicated to transforming surgery with its proprietary surgical robotic technology. For more information, visit: https://memicmed.com/. Media Contact: Lynn Granito Berry & Company Public Relations [email protected] 973-818-3732 Investor Contact: Greg Chodaczek Gilmartin Group [email protected] 347-620-7010 SOURCE Memic When remarking on the 2022 release of the distiller's 10 Year Rye, Michter's President Joseph J. Magliocco said, "It may be the only release we do of a 10 Year whiskey this year, but it's a really special one. At Michter's it's about never compromising on quality rather than maximizing sales." The suggested U.S. retail price per 750ml bottle of Michter's 10 Year Rye is $185. Michter's 10 Year Rye is a single barrel product. It is a Kentucky style rye made from a fair amount of corn and barley to give balance and added complexity to the spice of its rye grain. "This year's Michter's 10 Year Rye continues to provide a consistent, rich and complex experience with beautiful spice and citrus surrounded by decadent chocolate, caramel and fruit. It is the exceptional balance of sweet and spice with a subtle hint of oak maturity that makes Michter's so special to those who appreciate a Kentucky style rye." observed Michter's Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson. Michter's has a rich and long legacy of offering traditional American whiskeys of exceptional quality. With each of its limited production offerings aged to its peak maturity, Michter's highly acclaimed portfolio includes rye, bourbon, sour mash whiskey, and American whiskey. Currently all types of Michter's are being allocated because demand exceeds supply. In October 2021, Michter's was named the Most Admired American Whiskey in a survey conducted in 25 countries. In January 2022, Michter's was named the #1 Top Trending American Whiskey brand by Drinks International in their Annual Brands Report. For more information, please visit www.michters.com, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Contact: Joseph J. Magliocco +1 (502) 774-2300 x580 [email protected] SOURCE Michter's Distillery DARIEN, Conn., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CEFALY Technology has partnered with Ordergroove, the leader in Relationship Commerce, to offer an upgraded electrode subscription experience to its customers. CEFALY is an FDA-cleared, clinically proven external trigeminal nerve stimulation (e-TNS) device worn on the forehead. It helps people with migraine relieve their pain and prevent future attacks by delivering mild electric stimulation to the trigeminal nerve, a primary pathway for migraine pain. CEFALY requires conductive gel electrodes, which now can be replenished automatically via a best-in-class subscription experience powered by Ordergroove. Not only does subscribing support customers' treatment plans by making it easy and convenient to keep fresh electrodes on hand, but the seamless shopping experience also includes a 5% discount and free shipping. Enrolling in the electrode subscription is simple. At cefaly.com/electrodes , customers enter the type of device and the preferred electrode type: standard or hypoallergenic. Then, they can select the desired quantity and frequency for electrode orders. "We're thrilled to announce this new partnership with Ordergroove during Migraine and Headache Awareness Month," said Jen Trainor McDermott, CEO of CEFALY Technology. "It's fitting that the month's theme is 'Advocate for Treatment Access,' as this streamlined subscription experience will empower more people to access migraine relief when they need it and keep up with their preventive treatment plan." "CEFALY clearly understands its customers' needs and has made it convenient to support treatment plans through a subscription experience," said Greg Alvo, CEO, Ordergroove. "The company is leading its industry with an innovative approach to migraine relief, and we're honored to help CEFALY continue to drive long-lasting relationships and serve its customers with exceptional experiences." Since 2020, CEFALY has been the only FDA-cleared migraine treatment device used for the treatment and prevention of migraine that is available without a prescription. This month CEFALY Technology is celebrating its eighth anniversary in the U.S. and a major milestone: two billion migraines treated with the CEFALY migraine treatment device. About the CEFALY device: CEFALY is an FDA-cleared, over-the-counter wearable medical device clinically proven to help reduce migraine frequency and relieve migraine pain. CEFALY is a non-invasive device placed on the forehead to modify pain sensation in the area research identifies as a center for migraine pain, the trigeminal nerve. The device offers two distinct treatment options - a 60-minute ACUTE setting that serves as an abortive treatment for pain relief at the onset of migraine symptoms, which is clinically proven to stop or reduce migraine pain during an attack; and a 20-minute PREVENT setting for daily use to help prevent future episodes. About CEFALY Technology: CEFALY Technology is a Belgium-based company with U.S. offices based in Darien, Conn., specializing in electronics for medical applications. CEFALY Technology's mission is to provide the migraine community with forward-thinking treatments that are drug-free and clinically-proven to relieve and prevent future attacks. Learn more about CEFALY by visiting www.CEFALY.com and following us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , Instagram and TikTok . About Ordergroove: Ordergroove enables Relationship Commerce experiences for hundreds of brands and retailers, including The Honest Company, Stumptown Coffee, Il Makiage, KIND Snacks and PetSmart, shifting consumer interactions from one-and-done transactions to frictionless and highly profitable recurring revenue relationships. The company's technology platform coupled with artificial intelligence, analytics and unmatched consumer expertise helps top brands transform their commerce experiences while making their consumers' lives easier. Ordergroove is headquartered in the cloud. For information visit www.ordergroove.com . Media Contacts: CEFALY Jen Trainor McDermott CEO [email protected] Ordergroove Jenny Bradford Ketner Group Communications (for Ordergroove) [email protected] SOURCE CEFALY Technology BANGALORE, India, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Military Drone Market Is segmented by Type ( Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing), by Application (Search and Rescue, National Defense, Military Exercises, Others) : Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20222028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Law & Government Category. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Military Drone market size is estimated to be worth USD 11770 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 17270 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 6.6% during the review period. Major factors driving the growth of the Military Drone market are: During the forecast period, the Military Drone market expansion is anticipated to be fueled by the growing use of drones in a variety of military applications. Demand for military UAVs will increase in the future years as a result of the expanding usage of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in the defense industry for a variety of purposes, including mapping, surveying, monitoring, transporting, and combat operations. Get Your Sample Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-17E9125/Global_Military_Drone_Market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH MILITARY DRONE MARKET Increasing investments to strengthen military and defense by various governments are expected to drive the growth of the military drone market. ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) is the primary usage for military UAVs. Military UAVs are currently being developed for a variety of tasks, including electronic attack (EA), strike missions, suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD), network nodes, communication relays, and combat search and rescue. Explore and rescue operations are far more successful and efficient thanks to a remote-controlled aerial vehicle's ability to rapidly and effectively search broad regions with a high-quality video and thermal video, regardless of the terrain. The most challenging and time-consuming part of the search and rescue event response is frequently finding wounded and distressed people and organizing ground teams' reactions to those people. Military drones can rapidly search large areas, recognize a person in distress by their thermal signature, evaluate their condition and surroundings with high-definition video, and communicate in real-time to ground resources the victim's location, ground accessibility issues, and other information that is essential to ground resource assets trying to reach victims. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the military drone market. Military forces must constantly be prepared for anything at any time. Military drones are being considered by military forces as a way to improve their surveillance and combat capabilities. By hovering above a location for a lengthy period of time, drones may carry out surveillance operations. Drones can provide vital information on the whereabouts, movements, and positions of important targets of the opposition. When in the field, commanders may use this knowledge to operate more effectively and make wiser choices. Furthermore, when carrying out combat and combat support tasks, unmanned vehicles are extremely important. Operators can strike their targets more precisely and accurately thanks to built-in targeting software. UAVs can be used by operators as target practice or in training activities to help them become more accurate. Target detection and reaction are automated by targeting software that is embedded into drones. Drones can help transport priceless supplies and equipment by acting as military-industrial couriers. Additionally, they can aid with personnel evacuation. This in turn is expected to drive the growth of the military drone market. Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-17E9125/global-military-drone MILITARY DRONE MARKET SHARE Based on type, the fixed-wing segment is expected to dominate in the military drone market due to premium structure quality aiding in long-distance missions for surveillance and Based on region, North America is expected to be the most lucrative during the forecast period owing to factors such as the presence of big players and rapid advancements in the US military. Get Regional Data: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-17E9125/Global_Military_Drone_Market Key Companies: Northrop Grumman General Atomics Lockheed Martin Textron Boeing Airbus IAI AVIC CASC Thales Group AeroVironment Inquire for Chapter Cost: https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-17E9125/Global_Military_Drone_Market Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-17E9125&lic=single-user SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. SIMILAR REPORTS: - The global Drone Package Delivery market size will be USD 241.53 Million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 3694.38 Million by the end of 2027, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 57.55% during the forecast period 2021-2027. - The global Drone Software market size is projected to reach USD 10030 million by 2027, from USD 1004 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 38.9% during 2021-2027. - The global Drone Analytics market size is projected to reach USD 2931.6 million by 2028, from USD 1070.7 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 15.4% during 2022-2028. - The global Commercial Drone market size is estimated to be worth USD 6510.8 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 34500 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 32.0% during the review period. - The global Drone Software market size is projected to reach USD 10030 million by 2027, from USD 1004 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 38.9% during 2021-2027. - The global Drone Defense System market size was USD 1825.6 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 16460 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 36.7% during 2021-2027. - The global Counter UAV market size is projected to reach USD 3948.6 Million by 2028, from USD 736 Million in 2021, at a CAGR of 26.8% during 2022-2028 - The global Anti-Drone market size is estimated to be worth USD 1323.8 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 5098.4 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 25.2% during the review period. - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle market size is estimated to be worth USD 32350 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 72320 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 14.4% during the review period. - The global Medical Drones market size is estimated to be worth USD 96900 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 212700 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 14.0% during the review period. - The global Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (C4ISR) market size is projected to reach US$ 104550 million by 2028, from US$ 87810 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 2.5% during 2022-2028. - The global EVTOL aircraft market size was valued at USD 45310 million in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 97370 million by the end of 2027 with a CAGR of 11.1% during 2021-2027. - The global Drone Logistics and Transportation market size is projected to reach USD 12180 million by 2028, from USD 5752.2 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 10.8% during 2022-2028. - The global Small UAV market size was USD 4350.3 Million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 5726.2 Million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 3.9% during 2021-2027. - The global Drones market size was USD 4350.27 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 5437 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 3.94% during 2021-2027. - The global Perimeter Security market size is estimated to be worth USD 124860 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 186330 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 6.9% during the review period. - The global SOC as a Service market size is projected to reach USD 772.9 million by 2027, from USD 296.3 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 14.2% during 2021-2027. - The global Military Image Intensifier market was valued at USD 672.2 Million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 1145.3 Million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.9% during 2021-2027. - Global Drone Accessories Market Insights, Forecast to 2028 - Global Security as a Service (SECaaS) Market Insights, Forecast to 2028 Click here to see related reports on Military Drone Market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. 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CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports Baker will serve a one-year term directing state and national legislative priorities DALLAS, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BenefitMall , the leading provider of next-generation broker services, proudly announces that Misty Baker, Director of Compliance and Government Affairs, has been installed as 2022- 2023 Legislative Committee Chair for the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU). NAHU is the leading professional organization for health insurance agents, brokers, general agents, and consultants. The organization serves as a consumer advocate by supporting legislation that ensures the present and future stability of the insurance industry. As Legislative Committee Chair, Baker will direct a team of legislative-minded professionals and help drive state and national legislative priorities for NAHU. "Legislative relationship building has been a highlight of my work at BenefitMall," said Baker. "As NAHU Legislative Chair, I want to empower and encourage NAHU members to engage with their elected representatives and shape the conversation around employee benefits. In many ways, agents are uniquely positioned to make recommendations on what the industry needs to function at its best." Baker is a long-time NAHU member and volunteer. She has been a member of the Legislative Committee for 4 years, including serving as Vice Chair. Over the years, she has volunteered her time and expertise to decipher new regulations both from the federal government and state governments, then explain them to members in easy-to-understand language. In her role as BenefitMall's Director of Compliance and Government Affairs, Baker focuses on helping agents stay current with education, compliance, and overall best practices. She has dedicated herself to developing a series of programs tailored to the specific needs of agents. Through webinars, podcasts, informational collateral, and consulting brokers across the country, she serves as an expert source and knowledgeable guide in a constantly changing regulatory environment. About BenefitMall Headquartered in Dallas, BenefitMall is the largest general agency partnering with a network of 20,000 Brokers to deliver employee benefits to more than 140,000 small and medium-sized businesses. BenefitMall uniquely leverages innovative technology backed by human expertise to provide the fastest, easiest, and most secure benefits selling experience for carriers, brokers, and their clients. BenefitMall is owned by Management and The Carlyle Group. More information is available at www.benefitmall.com . SOURCE BenefitMall WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Jen Judson, President of the National Press Club and Gil Klein, President of the National Press Club Journalism Institute announcing that Indian Journalist Rana Ayyub is the 2022 International John Aubuchon Award Honoree. The Aubuchon is the Club's highest honor for Press Freedom. "We are pleased to name Rana Ayyub the 2022 John Aubuchon Award International Honoree. Ms. Ayyub's courage and skill in investigative work has been evident throughout her distinguished career and her criticism of the government has been met with an unwelcome assault on her rights and freedom of expression. We are concerned that just over the weekend Twitter informed Ms. Ayyub's it was complying with a demand from the Indian government to censor inside India, one of her tweets related to threats against a mosque. Twitter cited the Telecommunications Act of 2000, which gives the Indian government control over what is published in India. This version of prior restraint is unworthy of a nation with India's democratic traditions. We urge Twitter to restore her account at once. "We are also aware that the Indian government has made burdensome and invasive requests for Ms. Ayyub's personal financial information a matter that is pending. And, we understand she has been the recent victim of threats both online and in person that have caused her to move from her home and go into hiding. It appears at least some of this harassment is being initiated and supported by the government. This follows a March incident where Ms. Ayyub was stopped from traveling to London though it appears her lawyers have since been able to have those travel restrictions lifted by the Indian government. And in February of 2022, the government froze most of Ms. Ayyub's assets on dubious charges. "Violence against journalists in India is at an all- time high. In the last 5 years some 18 journalists have been murdered in India, making it one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. And this year the trend of arrests and detention of journalists in India appears to be accelerating. At the center of this storm stands Rana Ayyub and the National Press Club stands with her. Ms. Ayyub is the first Indian journalist to receive the John Aubuchon Award. 'Aubuchon Award honorees do not simply receive recognition and a prize. By selecting Rana Ayyub, the Club is committing to monitor and support her case and do what we can to ensure her freedom including her freedom to publish. Past Aubuchon honorees include: Maria Ressa, Jason Rezaian, Austin Tice, Marie Colvin, Jamal Kashoggi, Emilio Gutierrez-Soto and last year Danny Fenster and Haze Fan. 'Ms. Ayyub is a contributor to Washington Post Opinions in addition to her work as an independent journalist. She has been named by Time magazine among ten global journalists who face maximum threats to their lives. Although the Aubuchon Award will not be formally conveyed until the end of the year, The Club wanted to announce its decision today to draw attention to Ms. Ayyub's case and encourage others to support her at this time." Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide. The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. Media Contact: Bill McCarren for the National Press Club, 202-662-7534 SOURCE National Press Club SHEBOYGAN, Wis., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Safety Month, Acuity Insurance, the sole regional insurance provider rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's with over $6 billion in assets, is releasing data on its top commercial claims to aid businesses in better understanding opportunities to improve safety. Across the 120,000+ businesses Acuity protects, slips, strains and sprains are some of the most common commercial insurance claims. Almost 8% of all commercial claims over the last five years included a strain or sprain injury, representing 15% of all workers compensation claims. This is significant considering many slips, strains and sprains are preventable given the right resources. "The data underscores the importance of prioritizing safety measures across all commercial properties," said Gwen Luscavage, loss control field director, Acuity Insurance. "In assessing risk and preventing leading claims causes, customers reduce their premiums, minimize service interruptions and provide a safe employee environment." Top areas to focus on when looking to minimize slips, strains and sprains include: Adequately preparing for wet weather. Plan for wet weather to mitigate slippery surfaces like wet floors and icy sidewalks. Plan for wet weather to mitigate slippery surfaces like wet floors and icy sidewalks. Addressing building maintenance rapidly. Building issues such as uneven door jams or leaky gutters can contribute to slips and falls. Building issues such as uneven door jams or leaky gutters can contribute to slips and falls. Quickly cleaning up spilled items. Slip and fall injuries are common in retail operations. Slip and fall injuries are common in retail operations. Providing safety tips during new employee orientation. New employees suffer more injuries than more experienced workers, and orientation is an important opportunity to familiarize them with safety policies and programs. New employees suffer more injuries than more experienced workers, and orientation is an important opportunity to familiarize them with safety policies and programs. Employing effective ergonomics. Simple ergonomic fixes can make a big difference in creating safe, comfortable working environments, including in retail environments, for employees. Businesses looking to proactively address situations that could arise in an insurance claim can connect with a loss control representative from their insurance provider. While a loss control visit is expected as part of onboarding with a new insurance provider, update visits are helpful in continuing to proactively address new hazards, ensuring coverage is as close to right-sized as possible and insureds are getting the full value from their insurance company. A proactive approach protects against post-audit bills or changes to pricing as well. "Loss control's role is to understand their insureds and see how they can help. They are there as consultants, not inspectors," Luscavage said. About Acuity Acuity Insurance, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, insures over 125,000 businesses, including 300,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly a half million homes and private passenger autos across 30 states. Rated A+ by A.M. Best and S&P, Acuity employs over 1,500 people. SOURCE Acuity Insurance Highest number of school shootings to date reported in 202021 while cyberbullying rates doubled in over a decade WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- There were a total of 93 school shootings with casualties at public and private elementary and secondary schools during the 202021 school year, more than in any other year since data collection began, according to the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021. The annual report released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), also shows that cyberbullying in public schools increased to 16 percent in 201920, versus 8 percent in 200910. "Although the rate of nonfatal violent victimization at school for 12- to 18-year-olds was lower in 2019 than in 2009, there were more school shootings with casualties in 2021 than in any other year since data collection began in the early 2000's, increasing from 11 in 2009 to 93 in 2021," said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. "While the lasting impact of these crime and safety issues cannot be measured in statistics alone, these data are valuable to the efforts of our policymakers, school officials, and community members to identify and implement preventive and responsive measures." In the 202021 school year, the total of school shooting casualties included 43 school shootings with deaths and 50 school shootings with injuries only. According to the report, school shootings are defined as incidents in which a gun is brandished or fired on school property. During the coronavirus pandemic, "school shootings" also included those that happened on school property during remote instruction. The incidence of several discipline issues at public schools declined in the decade between the 200910 and 201920 school years, with lower prevalence of student bullying (15 vs. 23 percent), student sexual harassment of other students (2 vs. 3 percent), and student harassment of other students based on sexual orientation or gender identity (2 vs. 3 percent). In higher education, the rate of criminal incidents on campus declined in that time from 23 per 10,000 full-time-equivalent students to 18.7. The rate of forcible sex offenses on campus increased during that decade from 1.7 per 10,000 students in 200910 to 8 per 10,000 students in 201920. The Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021, which is developed in a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), examines topics such as school shootings, criminal victimization, bullying, disciplinary problems and actions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, the presence of security staff at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions. This report is a synthesis of key findings from individual school crime and safety indicators, which can be browsed in The Condition of Education Indicator System online. The Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021 is a compilation of statistical information collected and assembled from other statistical products. For more information on the data sources, please visit https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/sources. NCES plans on releasing new data from the upcoming School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), the primary source of school-level data on crime and safety for the U.S. Department of Education, which includes a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of about 4,800 public elementary and secondary schools. The survey is scheduled to be released this July 2022. The full report can be viewed at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2022092. Key Findings: Criminal Victimization Experienced by Students Between 2009 and 2019, the total victimization rate at school decreased from 51 to 30 victimizations per 1,000 students. From 2019 to 2020, the total victimization rate at school continued to decline to 11 victimizations per 1,000an annual decrease of more than 60 percent in the first year of the pandemic. Incidents and Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools Lower percentages of public schools in 201920 than in 200910 reported that each of the following discipline problems occurred at least once a week: student bullying (15 vs. 23 percent), student sexual harassment of other students (2 vs. 3 percent), and student harassment of other students based on sexual orientation or gender identity (2 vs. 3 percent). However, the percentage of public schools that reported cyberbullying was roughly double in 201920 compared with 200910 (16 vs. 8 percent). Discipline, Safety, and Security Practices In the 201920 school year, about 52 percent of public schools reported having a written plan for procedures to be performed in the event of a pandemic disease. This percentage was higher than the percentage reported in 201718 (46 percent). Mental Health Services Provided by Public Schools About 55 percent of public schools (45,600 schools) reported providing diagnostic mental health assessment services to evaluate students for mental health disorders. Forty-two percent of public schools (35,200 schools) offered mental health treatment services to students for mental health disorders. Postsecondary Campus Safety and Security Between 2009 and 2019, the rate of criminal incidents on college campuses decreased from 23.0 to 18.7 incidents per 10,000 full-time-equivalent students. However, the rate of reported forcible sex offenses on campus increased from 1.7 incidents per 10,000 students in 2009 to 8.0 incidents per 10,000 students in 2019. In 2019, a total of 757 hate crimes were reported on the campuses of postsecondary institutions. More than half of hate crimes at postsecondary institutions were motivated by race or ethnicity. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES, located within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the independent and nonpartisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public. CONTACT: Josh Delarosa, National Center for Education Statistics, [email protected] James Elias, Hager Sharp, [email protected] SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics Company Plans to Revitalize $885M in Affordable Homes Over Five Years SALT LAKE CITY, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New Western , the largest national private source of distressed residential investment properties, announced today the opening of its 45th office location in Salt Lake City, Utah. Realtor.com listed Salt Lake City as the number one city positioned for growth in its Top Housing Markets for 2022 list. Utah's rapid population growth and job growth are the two most important drivers of housing demand in Utah right now. According to a recent report analyzing U.S. census data, there are 16 million vacant homes across the U.S. New Western partners with local real estate investors to help facilitate the revitalization of properties. "Salt Lake City has seen an upward trend in the median price of homes year-over-year," said Kurt Carlton, co-founder and president of New Western. "With our unique expertise in finding and acquiring vacant properties, combined with our value-added insights, New Western is well-positioned to be a valuable resource for local real estate investors, sellers, and buyers. Our expansion into Utah marks New Western's presence in 21 states." New Western brings market insight and an exclusive marketplace of distressed investment property inventory to help real estate investors acquire fixer-upper properties. The company's agents are helping to address the affordable housing shortage by revitalizing distressed homes across the U.S., with more than 700,000 aged properties in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area alone and 68.9% built before 2002. Colin Barnes is the general manager (GM) leading the Salt Lake City office, alongside regional director Mike Lam. In his new role, Barnes is responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and leading his team to revitalize $885 million in residential properties in the Salt Lake City area over the next five years. "I'm looking forward to growing and expanding our New Western team in Salt Lake City," said Barnes. "The metropolitan area is rated a top-tier market for multiple offer situations, providing New Western with the unique opportunity to provide much-needed housing inventory to both local investors and sellers." Barnes began his career with New Western in 2019 in its Denver Central office as a sales agent, where the team successfully led market sales totaling more than $1.02 billion for the past three years. In April 2022, New Western asked Barnes to open a Salt Lake City office. New Western is the largest private source of investment properties in the nation. Since 2008, New Western has bought and sold nearly $12 billion in residential real estate. About New Western New Western makes real estate investing more accessible for more people. Operating in most major cities, our marketplace connects more than 100,000 local investors looking to rehab houses with sellers. As the largest private source of investment properties in the nation, we buy a home every 13 minutes. New Western delivers new opportunity for alla fresh start for sellers, exclusive inventory for investors, and affordable housing for buyers. For more information, visit www.newwestern.com . SOURCE New Western CONCORD, N.H., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nita N. Grover, MD, MPH, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Physician for her outstanding accomplishments in Pain Management and in acknowledgment of her work at Granite State Pain Associates. Nita N. Grover As a Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Grover first works to determine and understand the cause of pain in her patients. She then tailors a treatment plan for patients to relieve, reduce or manage their pain. The ultimate goal is to return the patients to their normal activities without surgery or heavy use of pain medicines. She works with patients who have peripheral neuropathies, fibromyalgia, myofascial disease, chronic back and neck pain, and addiction or substance abuse issues. She also provides care to patients in need of palliative or end-of-life care. Before joining Granite State Pain Associates, Dr. Grover worked in private medical practice from 2011-2013 and served as an anesthesiologist with Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville, NY, from 2008-2011. To prepare for her medical career, Dr. Grover received her Bachelor of Arts degree, in 1995, at Smith College, in Northampton, MA, and earned her Doctor of Medicine degree, in 1999, from Tufts University, in Boston, MA. She completed a Medical Internship with Catholic Health Partners in Chicago, IL, then completed her Residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, and a Fellowship at Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield, MA. Dr. Grover holds professional memberships in the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Medical Association, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, and the North American Spine Society. Inspired by her mother and grandmother, who were both registered nurses, Dr. Grover knew that she wanted to work in healthcare from a young age. "When I was in college, I traveled to Nicaragua and witnessed the total lack of medical care," she states. "This confirmed for me my choice to pursue a career in medicine and public health." For more information, please visit www.painmd.com. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who NEW YORK , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE: OSCR) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Oscar Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company's March 2021 initial public offering. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 11, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in OSCR: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/oscar-health-inc-loss-submission-form?id=29211&from=4 Oscar Health, Inc. NEWS - OSCR NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Oscar Health, Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Oscar was experiencing growing COVID-19 testing and treatment costs; (2) Oscar was experiencing growing net COVID costs; (3) Oscar would be negatively impacted by an unfavorable prior year Risk Adjustment Data Validation result relating to 2019 and 2020; (4) Oscar was on track to be negatively impacted by significant SEP membership growth; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Oscar you have until July 11, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Oscar securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the OSCR lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/oscar-health-inc-loss-submission-form?id=29211&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Strategic Partnership with Trusted CPA Firm Opens New Opportunities for Expanding Client Base ARLINGTON, Va., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ostendio, Inc. , a leading provider of integrated risk management software, announced that premier CPA and business advisory firm, Aprio , has joined the Ostendio MyVCM Auditor Connect marketplace that enables organizations to select from a network of trusted, accredited security and risk management audit firms. Aprio will leverage the collaboration efficiencies within the MyVCM platform to guide clients through complex security audits, including SOC 2, HITRUST, ISO, and PCI. Ostendio Welcomes Aprio to MyVCM Auditor Connect Marketplace Through the MyVCM Trust Network, Aprio will establish trusted connections with clients to request and share relevant security and compliance information within the platform. Aprio clients who need to demonstrate evidence across multiple security frameworks can use MyVCM to crosswalk compliance to over 125 standard security frameworks at no additional cost. "Ostendio's MyVCM platform offers an impressive depth of features," said Brett Williams, Information Assurance Services Partner at Aprio. "As an Ostendio MyVCM Authorized Partner, Aprio will help companies pass complex security audits more efficiently while maintaining our high-quality standards." Ostendio MyVCM Auditor Connect enables auditors and clients to collaborate on real-time evidence within a single, secure integrated risk management platform. Unlike industry-standard methods of conducting complex audits using disparate and siloed shared drives and spreadsheets, the Ostendio MyVCM platform provides access to evidence and documents that are always available, easy to update, and optimized for collaboration. "We welcome Aprio to the exceptional list of Authorized Partners who choose to conduct audits using the MyVCM platform," said Doug Ochs, Ostendio Vice President of Partnerships and Alliances. "By working with approved VARS and auditors, clients benefit from the functionality offered by MyVCM and being part of the MyVCM Trust Network." The MyVCM Trust Network connects organizations with third-party vendors to help them safely share security information and manage and mitigate risk across the extended enterprise. MyVCM Trust Network members can invite vendors to complete custom risk assessments and share information quickly and in real-time. This allows vendors to demonstrate compliance to their customers and auditors, easing sales processes and reducing compliance burdens. Companies can mandate that vendors share their compliance information directly with them via the Ostendio MyVCM platform, dramatically reducing the risk of vendor-related data breaches. About Ostendio Ostendio MyVCM is an integrated risk management platform that automates security program lifecycles. Organizations that deploy Ostendio MyVCM spend less time and less budget building, operating, and demonstrating internally and externally the efficacy of their security programs. The platform provides a single solution that connects users and requirements from across the enterprise and is backed by the Ostendio Professional Services team to help customers anticipate auditor expectations, ensuring they are adequately prepared, thereby reducing the time and resources spent on an audit. Only Ostendio guarantees customers pass their next security audit the first time, or they will remediate the critical findings free of charge. For Ostendio: Miranda Elliott [email protected] 703-606-9373 About Aprio Aprio is a premier CPA and business advisory firm that advises clients and associates on how to achieve what's next. Aprio's associates work as integrated teams across advisory, assurance, tax, outsourcing, staffing, and private client services, bringing the best thinking and personal commitment to each client. Across practices, Aprio brings together proven expertise, deep understanding, and strategic foresight for industries including Manufacturing and Distribution; Non-Profit and Education; Professional Services; Real Estate and Construction; Retail, Franchise, and Hospitality; and Technology and Blockchain. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Aprio has grown to over 950 team members. To serve clients wherever life or business may take them, Aprio's teams speak more than 30 languages and work with clients in over 50 countries. For Aprio: Jordan Haywood [email protected] 770.353.3180 SOURCE Ostendio > 765 kV transmission components segment is anticipated to grow at 4.8% CAGR between 2022 and 2030. These voltage ranges have gained significant proliferation due to the expansion in the ultra-high-tension matrix to sustain accrued losses from a long-route electrical supply. Limited usage of conductor materials, low sagging, and sustainable long-range electrical transmission are the prime factors considered to validate the product demand. Request a sample of this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1151 The incorporation of renewable energy networks has compelled utilities and installers to focus on restructuring the existing electrical framework. Conventional systems are being developed and enhanced, depending on the resonating frequencies and bandwidth to sustain the unpredictability in the renewable networks. Arresters are core components across electrical supply networks owing to the rising demand for control units and circuit protection. Protection of transmission networks from lighting and surges has been the prime functional applicability sustained by these products. Continuous rise in demand for streamlined flow of power will continue to foster the market landscape. Middle East & Africa power transmission component market is projected to grow at a rate of 4.5% through 2030. Increasing investments to deploy sustainable power supply network in conjunction with favorable government norms related to electrification of rural areas will strengthen the industry growth. Additionally, rapid grid extension at the national borders in line with the shifting inclination toward trans-border electricity trade to attain electricity access in peri-urban will sway the product deployment. Some of the considerable findings of the power transmission component market report include: Large-scale renewable integration together with favorable reforms favored by the upgrading of existing grid networks to support the emerging electricity demand will comprehensively enhance product penetration. Key participants operating in the power transmission component market include Siemens Energy, General Electric, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Larsen & Toubro Limited, and Hitachi Energy. The rapid expansion of sustainable networks to provide areas with limited grid access coupled with rising investments from public and private institutions will escalate renewable deployment. A favorable regulatory inclination toward the establishment of a green energy corridor adhered by the enactment of a renewable supportive policy framework will support the industry scenario. Increasing disposable income and higher electricity consumption will further drive the product adoption. Request for customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/1151 Partial Table of Contents (ToC) of the report Chapter 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Power transmission component industry 3600 synopsis, 2018 - 2030 2.1.1 Business trends 2.1.2 Component trends 2.1.3 Voltage level trends 2.1.4 Current level trends 2.1.5 Regional trends Chapter 3 Power Transmission Component Industry Insights 3.1 Industry ecosystem analysis 3.2 Innovation & technology landscape 3.3 Regulatory landscape 3.4 COVID- 19 impact on the industry outlook 3.5 Industry impact forces 3.5.1 Growth drivers 3.5.1.1 North America and Europe 3.5.1.1.1 Expansion of smart grid networks 3.5.1.1.2 Refurbishment & retrofit of existing grid infrastructure 3.5.1.1.3 Large-scale renewable integration 3.5.1.2 Asia Pacific 3.5.1.2.1 Rising peak load demand 3.5.1.2.2 Expansion of micro-grid networks 3.5.1.2.3 Grid stability & security of supply concerns 3.5.1.3 Middle East, Africa, and Latin America 3.5.1.3.1 Increasing electricity demand 3.5.1.3.2 Integration of a sustainable electrical network 3.5.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges 3.5.2.1 High capital investments and associated replacement & maintenance costs 3.6 Growth potential analysis 3.7 Porter's Analysis 3.8 Competitive landscape, 2021 3.9 PESTEL Analysis Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/power-transmission-components-market About Global Market Insights Inc. Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661916/GMI.jpg SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc. Consulting firm demonstrated excellence in innovation and implementation of Microsoft technology-based client solutions MENLO PARK, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has been named a finalist of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year awards in both the Compliance and Power Automate categories. Protiviti was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. "One of our values at Protiviti is innovation. Bringing together our deep risk consulting capabilities and industry experience, coupled with the power of Microsoft, allows us to build innovative solutions for our clients," said Cory Gunderson, executive vice president, Global Solutions, Protiviti. "We're excited to have worked closely with Microsoft to build valuable solutions for our clients that transform their business in a meaningful way." Protiviti was recognized in the Power Automate category for helping global hospitality company Hilton streamline its RFP process and find efficiencies with Microsoft Power Automate. Protiviti's Microsoft experts built a custom solution that saved Hilton an average of 7.5 hours a day, or 1,950 hours per year. This solution has accelerated Hilton's speed to market, allowing the company to respond faster while winning more sales opportunities and increasing its ROI. Protiviti was recognized in the Compliance category for helping a large government entity outside the U.S. quickly roll out Microsoft 365 to enable remote work for approximately 60,000 employees while maintaining its information compliance requirements. This included validating and developing a solution to deploy sensitive information not previously authorized by the client within Microsoft 365. The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers." Additionally, Protiviti was honored recently as a finalist for the Microsoft Security Excellence Awards in the Compliance and Privacy Trailblazer category. Protiviti was also a finalist of the 2021 Microsoft Partner of the Year awards in the SAP on Azure category for its solution to a client's need to migrate its enterprise-wide data platform to the cloud. Learn more about Protiviti's Microsoft Consulting Services. About Protiviti Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, digital, legal, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries. Named to the 2022 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index. All referenced marks are the property of their respective owners. Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services. Editor's note: Protiviti photo available upon request. SOURCE Protiviti Raffel to announce plans to seek U.S. government investigations of Chinese furniture manufacturer, Man Wah, after Man Wah loses over $100 million verdict for theft of Raffel's patented multi-functional lighted cupholder Investigations could lead to exclusion orders of Man Wah products for "unfair competition" and recall of all Man Wah "knock offs" of Raffel cupholders due to known, reported consumer dangers GERMANTOWN, Wis., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 2022 1 PM EST DIAL IN: 800-274-7083 CONFERENCE ID: 93622 WHO: Paul Stangl , Executive Chairman, Innovative Motion Technologies (Parent Company of Raffel Systems) , Executive Chairman, Innovative Motion Technologies (Parent Company of Raffel Systems) John C. Scheller , Lead Attorney for Trial Team of Winning Verdict, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Madison, WI. , Lead Attorney for Trial Team of Winning Verdict, & Friedrich LLP, Lanny Davis , Attorney, Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC, To Discuss Sought U.S. Government Investigations of Man Wah for Proven Theft of Patented Products and Ongoing Risks to U.S. Consumers from Knock Offs Media questions will be permitted following opening statements. Follow-up interviews will be available following the conclusion of the press conference. Media Contact: Lincoln Zweig [email protected] (202) 906-0292 SOURCE Raffel Systems Gring, the College's ninth president, and his wife, Susan, are making the gift to support student research and the College's planned Science Center. SALEM, Va., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Roanoke College is thrilled to announce today that Dr. David and Susan Gring, the College's ninth president and first lady who served from 1989 to 2004, have committed to making a gift approximating $3.5 million to the College to support a student research endowment and the College's planned Science Center. To date, the College has raised $50 million toward the $70 million goal for the construction of the new Science Center. The Science Center is a critical capital project on the College's agenda. Plans for the center include state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces, and a complete renovation of the Life Sciences and Trexler buildings. The plaza of the Science Center will be named the Dr. David M. and Susan D. Gring Plaza. Every student at Roanoke takes at least three courses from the programs that will be housed in the Science Center. One-third of all courses on campus will be taught in the Science Center. Most of the student research will take place there, and it will house three of Roanoke's 10 most popular majors: psychology, biology and environmental studies. "The new Science Center will impact every student at Roanoke College and the Grings' donation gets us that much closer to making the Science Center a reality. Dr. Gring essentially formalized and extended undergraduate research at Roanoke College during his tenure, which makes this donation especially wonderful and fitting," said President Michael Maxey. "David and Susan's contributions to Roanoke College are immense and we are grateful for their service to the College. Science has been an important part of both of their lives, and we are thrilled that they have directed their gift in a way that will bolster the sciences at Roanoke College for future students." As a student at Franklin & Marshall College, Dr. Gring experienced firsthand the value of undergraduate research and went on to have a career as a college biology and genetics professor and administrator prior to his role leading Roanoke College. Susan Gring was the first Roanoke College first lady to have a full-time day job. She served as executive director of the Carilion Foundation, where she worked to raise money for programs that improved the health and welfare of communities in western Virginia. She and her husband have stayed closely connected to Roanoke College over the years, and Susan Gring said they especially want to get involved in the Science Center project. "The College today is a place with significant momentum, with excellent faculty and limitless opportunities for students," said Susan Gring. "Dedicated faculty and a community that cares, those are two of the reasons we are contributing to Roanoke College. Life has been good to us; Roanoke College has been good for us. So, we decided to contribute to something we love. The Science Center will open possibilities we can't even fathom today, and we want to be a part of that, albeit in a small way." During Dr. David Gring's 15 years as president, the College embarked upon several building projects including completion of the Fintel Library and the Colket Center; the student body became dramatically more diverse; the faculty acquired a Phi Beta Kappa chapter; and faculty-student interaction increased, with an emphasis on independent study, internships and the Summer Scholars program. He said it was impossible not to get excited about the possibilities currently present on the Roanoke College campus. "Roanoke is a college with a restless ambition," Gring said. "It is dissatisfied with the status quo and has always wanted to be better in the future than it is in the present. When you have a faculty, staff, alumni base and broad constituency relentlessly working to improve and become better, you know that you have been given the opportunity to contribute to a unique environment." Kim Blair, vice president for Resource Development, praised the Grings and their visionary plans for the Science Center. "Their support is inspiring, and we are grateful they are allowing us to publicize their gift to the Science Center in order to help others think about their own personal philanthropy," Blair said. "David and Susan Gring are wonderful ambassadors for the College and understand the importance of building a science facility that matches the level and abilities of our superb faculty at Roanoke." Dr. David Gring praised President Maxey and First Lady Terri Maxey for their leadership during a period of unprecedented challenges not faced by the college since President Charlie Smith led the college through World War II. To maintain forward progress during their tenure has been extraordinary Gring said. "Among the Maxey's many accomplishments has been the ability to keep the dream of the Science Center alive and guide it on a path toward reality," said Dr. David Gring. "When built, the Science Center will provide a facility that matches the quality of the faculty and students who will teach, research and learn there." "I'm a scientist," Gring said. "All of my degrees are in biology and genetics, so there's a warm spot in my heart for the place of science in a premier liberal arts college where students and faculty are engaged in the excitement of co-inquiry. Susan's career was spent in health care, which is integrated completely with the sciences." "The science building is something I confess I wanted to have happen during the time we were there, but it was not to be," Gring said. "President Maxey and Terri have brought a renewed enthusiasm for this project, and we are delighted to be able to contribute. It will be a transformational life-changing facility when complete." For more information about the Science Center, visit roanoke.edu/sciencecenter . SOURCE Roanoke College NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE: OSCR) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with the Company's March 2021 initial public offering ("IPO" or the "Offering"), of the important July 11, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Oscar securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement 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 Oscar class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6200 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 July 11, 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, the Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state that: (1) Oscar was experiencing growing COVID-19 testing and treatment costs; (2) Oscar was experiencing growing net COVID-19 costs; (3) Oscar would be negatively impacted by an unfavorable prior year Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) result relating to 2019 and 2020; (4) Oscar was on track to be negatively impacted by significant Special Enrollment Period (SEP) membership growth; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Oscar's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Oscar class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6200 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. GLENOLDEN, Pa., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a successful presale run, the Sacred team will open minting of their Sacred NFT avatars to the public today, June 28, 2022, exclusively on the Sacred website, https://sacrednft.io/. The public sale will be a limited run of 5,555 avatars. Sacred NFT Avatar Sample "These avatars have come through the portal of the Summer Solstice with a bright celestial energy, ready to elevate the collective frequency of the blockchain," says artist Lucia Dami. "They're more than just wonderful pieces of art; they're conduit for their holder's spiritual energy. Up to the full moon in July, they'll charge up with the manifestation of Sacred energy before being revealed. I really can't wait to see the effect these avatars have on people." The price to mint each NFT is 0.07 Ethereum (ETH), and it can only be done through the Sacred website. "We're placing a great deal of emphasis on the security of these NFTs," said MacguyverTech CEO Steve (Mac) McKeon. "We've seen far too many NFT thefts and issues with other smart contracts. We'd rather have keep the distribution of these avatars in-house, where we know they're secure. These are beautiful works of art that have genuine spiritual and monetary value, and we want to make sure every single one of them gets to where they belong." The public sale is the second step on the Sacred "Soul Map," the NFT's road map. "We're working toward creating a Sacred space, both in the Metaverse and in real life," says founder (and bruja) Carolina Coto. "These aren't just pieces of art; they'll also serve as someone's avatar in the Metaverse. Our plan is to create an inclusive safe space where these avatars can interact with other Metaverse communities in an educational way. There's so much spiritual energy inherent in all of us. We want to enlighten people on how they can maximize it. Dami designed each of the 5,555 NFTs that will be minted; each is a unique work of art, consisting of multiple elemental layers uniting to create a digital avatar. Each of the minted NFTs also serves as the buyer's portal into the digital Sacred space, a present, compassionate, and inclusive community with exclusive Sacred experiences. Sacred is a multidisciplinary team: Carolina Coto is the founder and visionary behind the project; she is a native bruja from the land of Costa Rica. Lucia Dami is the artist and illustrator, drawing our Sacred essence into reality through the Sacred NFTs. They have never met in person, but united through the pandemic to collaborate. MacguyverTech makes the project possible thanks to their hands-on technical abilities and minting process. To find out more about Sacred and begin your spiritual journey, visit the Sacred website.. For more information about Carolina Coto, visit her Twitter page. To browse the artwork of Lucia Dami, visit her website. For more information about MacguyverTech, visit the company website. CONTACT: Chip Turner (570) 369-3306 [email protected] SOURCE Sacred By eliminating hardware requirements, customers gain additional deployment flexibility SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scality announced today that Scality ARTESCA lightweight, cloud-native object storage software is now officially supported on VMware vSphere/ESXi virtualization environments. This provides production-level ARTESCA virtual machine (VM) support for vSphere users, with functionality equal to that on physical servers, along with additional deployment flexibility. Virtual machine support is especially valuable in this time of supply chain issues that are causing long lead times for physical storage server hardware, which can delay enterprise priorities. Click to Tweet: @Scality offers enterprise-grade support of ARTESCA on @Vmware virtual machine environments: https://ctt.ac/p01CE+ #datamanagement #datastorage Enterprise-grade storage has historically required hardware with integrated processing, memory and disk capacity. Scality was a pioneer in breaking through the needs for customized hardware with a 100% focus on software and an ability to leverage standard server platforms. Now, ARTESCA again breaks away from traditional storage requirements with the ability to support production-level workloads on flexible, commonly used VMware vSphere virtual infrastructures including support for VMware vSAN and live migration capabilities. In addition to providing customers with more flexibility in deployment options, this enables partners and resellers to more rapidly deliver solutions to customers by sidestepping supply chain disruptions to provide faster time to revenue. Launched in 2021, Scality ARTESCA is redefining object storage for the new cloud-native era. It provides both a small footprint at the edge and scalability for the data center. Designed for fast access anywhere data lives, ARTESCA uniquely combines lightweight, cloud-native object storage design with true enterprise-grade capabilities. Paul Speciale, chief marketing officer, Scality, said: "Ongoing supply chain disruptions hamper business goals and growth. We're supporting ARTESCA software-based object storage on VMWare's ubiquitous vSphere environment to offer a solution that bypasses current supply conditions by eliminating new hardware requirements. Companies can move forward with the data storage and management they need." About Scality Scality storage propels companies to unify data management no matter where data lives from edge to core to cloud. Our market-leading file and object storage software protects data on-premises and in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. With RING and ARTESCA , Scality's approach to managing data across the enterprise accelerates business insight for sound decision-making and maximum return on investment. To compete in a data-driven economy, IT leaders and application developers trust Scality to build sustainable, adaptable solutions. Scality is recognized as a leader by Gartner and IDC. Follow us @scality and LinkedIn . Visit www.scality.com , or subscribe to our company blog . SOURCE Scality Creates Leading Global Engineering Design Solutions Platform NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TriMech, a portfolio company of Sentinel Capital Partners, today announced its acquisition of Solid Solutions Group ("SSG"), a leading provider of 3D computer-aided design ("CAD") software and services in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sentinel, a private equity firm that invests in promising midmarket companies, acquired TriMech, also a leading provider of 3D CAD software and services in the United States, in March 2022. Sentinel provided significant follow-on equity financing to support the SSG add-on acquisition. Terms of the Solid Solutions Group acquisition were not disclosed. Headquartered in Leamington Spa, England, SSG provides software, support, and training to thousands of engineers, designers, and manufacturing companies across the UK and Ireland. This includes providing SOLIDWORKS solutions (a 3D CAD application developed by Dassault Systemes), computer-aided manufacturing ("CAM"), and a comprehensive portfolio of Dassault solutions including CATIA, its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and its full line of product data management ("PDM") and simulation tools. SSG's client base ranges from product designers, mechanical engineers, and manufacturers to entrepreneurs and educational institutions, with its software supporting a broad range of products across a diverse range of end markets and industries. SSG operates from 23 offices across the UK and Ireland and employs more than 250 people. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, TriMech is a provider of CAD and CAM software, additive and subtractive manufacturing solutions, and associated training, consulting, implementation, and staff augmentation services to clients across a broad spectrum of industries. TriMech partners with leading software and hardware providers, including Dassault Systemes and Stratasys, throughout the central and eastern United States and Canada, and delivers expert technical support to its clients through its world-class engineering staff. "SSG is a well-established company with a strong management team that is poised for continued growth," said Jon Gurss, a principal at Sentinel. "Adding SSG to the TriMech platform creates the most comprehensive provider of software and service for SOLIDWORKS and Dassault Systemes in the Western Hemisphere. The combined global platform brings together hundreds of technical specialists from several countries and enhances our best-in-class support services." Marcel Matte, President and CEO of TriMech, said, "The SSG acquisition broadens TriMech's capabilities to deliver technology and business solutions to our global clients, including multinational corporations operating in North America, the UK, Ireland, and other parts of Europe. Custom, process-specific solutions both within engineering departments and beyond are becoming increasingly important, and we are now superbly positioned to provide best-in-class service to our clients." SSG is led by CEO Alan Sampson, who said, "Joining TriMech and Sentinel is extremely exciting for our team. Through the combination, we will have significant new opportunities to serve our clients and the ability to continue growing organically and via acquisitions in European markets." The SSG acquisition represents an example of how Sentinel can support its portfolio companies' global growth ambitions. TriMech is the latest example of Sentinel's investment capabilities in the business services sector. Sentinel's current service businesses portfolio include Apex Companies , an environmental services company specializing in water resources and industrial hygiene; Corporate Visions , a provider of training services to improve sales force productivity; Mobile Communications America , a regional provider of communications solutions and services; New Era Technology, a global provider of managed IT services focused on collaboration and data networks; Revenew , a provider of cost recovery and cost containment services that deliver monetary recoveries and cost reduction benefits; Total Military Management , a global provider of relocation services for U.S. military and government personnel; TranSystems , a national provider of infrastructure engineering and design services; TTG Imaging Solutions , a national provider of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging solutions; and UBEO , a provider of best-in-class document management services. About Sentinel Capital Partners Sentinel specializes in buying and building midmarket businesses in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, going-private transactions, and structured equity investments of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $80 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings, operational turnarounds, and minority junior capital solutions. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com. About Solid Solutions Group Founded in 1998, SSG is the leading SOLIDWORKS provider in the United Kingdom and Ireland. SSG operates 23 offices, with headquarters in Leamington Spa, England. With a core mission to support client excellence throughout the design, engineering, and manufacturing industries, the SSG team offers software solutions and related training and consulting and has one of the world's most highly certified SOLIDWORKS support team. For more information, please visit www.solidsolutions.co.uk. About TriMech Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Richmond, VA, TriMech is a leading technology and business solutions partner for designers, engineers, and manufacturers. It works with top software and hardware partners, including Dassault Systemes, CNC Software, Stratasys, and Artec, and its experts provide computer-aided design and engineering software, additive and subtractive manufacturing solutions, and associated training, consulting, implementation, and staff augmentation services for clients across a variety of industries. Its tools support 3D modeling, simulation, virtual replication, and collaboration, as well as data management, configure-price-quote automation, product lifecycle management, and enterprise resource planning. With its acquisition of Solid Solutions, TriMech has grown to over 50 locations across four countries the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland serving more than 30,000 clients with over 650 employees, including approximately 270 application engineers. For more information, please visit www.trimech.com. Contact: Roland Tomforde Broadgate Consultants 212-232-2222 SOURCE Sentinel Capital Partners NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Tupperware Brands Corporation ("Tupperware" or the "Company") (NYSE: TUP) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-04976, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Tupperware securities between November 3, 2021 and May 3, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Tupperware securities during the Class Period, you have until August 15, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Tupperware operates as a consumer products company worldwide. The Company manufactures, markets, and sells design-centric preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as a line of cookware, knives, microwave products, microfiber textiles, water-filtration related items, and an array of products for on-the-go consumers under the Tupperware brand name. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Tupperware was facing significant challenges in maintaining its earnings and sales performance; (ii) accordingly, Tupperware's full year 2022 guidance was unrealistic and/or unsustainable; (iii) all the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on Tupperware's financial condition; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On May 4, 2022, Tupperware announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Among other items, Tupperware reported adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations and net sales that fell well short of consensus estimates and withdrew its full year 2022 guidance and named a new Chief Financial Officer. The Company attributed the poor performance to the conflict in Russia and Ukraine. However, when pressed by analysts on a conference call, the Company acknowledged that Russia and Ukraine only accounted for 2% of its revenue. On this news, Tupperware's stock price fell $5.76 per share, or 32.16%, to close at $12.15 per share on May 4, 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, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) today announced that John Berisford will assume a transitional role as executive advisor ahead of his departure from the Company in December 2022. In addition, he will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of CRISIL. Berisford, previously President of S&P Global Ratings, has led S&P Global's Integration Management Office since the close of the Company's merger with IHS Markit in February 2022. "John has been a transformative leader through a period of impressive growth and innovation for the Ratings business, and an invaluable colleague through the evolution of S&P Global for more than a decade," said Douglas L. Peterson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "John's contributions paved the way for so much of the strategic foresight, innovation and pivotal investment at the foundation of the thriving company we know today. His leadership of the merger's Integration Management Office served as the fitting capstone of an extraordinary chapter with the Company, and we are fortunate to benefit from his insights and advice during his transition." Berisford joined the McGraw Hill Companies in 2011 and served as Executive Vice President of Human Resources. He quickly established a reputation as an exceptional strategist and business leader. He served as one of the driving forces behind the Company's transformation from a well-established publishing and media conglomerate with a disparate group of assets into a leading global information services provider with a clear vision and focus on providing best-in-class data and analytics. "It has been my great privilege to contribute to the growth and performance of this Company over the last eleven years," said John Berisford. "Leading the Ratings division was an unforgettable career highlight, and I am proud of the legacy we built as a team. I look forward to working closely with the S&P Global leadership team during this transition." Prior to joining S&P Global, John had a successful 22-year career with PepsiCo. Starting as a campus hire, he rose to become the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Pepsi Bottling Group after its initial public offering. He also helped lead the successful integration of the bottling business into PepsiCo in 2009 before leaving to join the McGraw Hill Companies. About S&P Global S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world's leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world's leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com. Investor Relations: Mark Grant Tel: +1 347 640 1521 [email protected] Media: Ola Fadahunsi Tel: +1 212 438 2296 [email protected] SOURCE S&P Global Award-winning fintech emerges as leading player in student-centric financing, providing access to scalable capital and flexible repayment structures for students and schools BOSTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stride Funding, Inc. (Stride), announced today the addition of 15 new schools to its end-to-end financing platform, creating outcomes-based funding access for more than 5,000 additional students across the country. Stride is partnering with mission-driven universities like PA College of Health Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, Shenandoah University, and Point University and top-tier bootcamps like Galvanize, Upright Education, Academy Pittsburgh, Tech Elevator, and more. This growth comes on the heels of a $105 million senior credit facility from Encina Lender Finance and other leading credit investors. More than 5,000 new students will be joining Stride's award-winning platform through these school partnerships, and Stride's ongoing access to impact capital and low-cost credit facilities will enable the mission-driven company to support thousands more students across high quality education and training providers in 2022 and 2023. "We vetted many other players in the space, and Stride was by far the most rigorous when it came to compliance and student-centricity," said Breanne Zipko, Director of Student Financial Services at PA College of Health Sciences. "Outcomes-driven funding solutions like Income Share Agreements (ISAs) drive access and opportunity, and Stride ensures a seamless application and disbursement process for both PA College of Health Sciences and our students. We are thrilled to partner with a provider that puts students first." Stride's mission is to accelerate pathways to great careers for learners of all backgrounds by increasing access to education for those previously locked out by traditional lending options. Its outcomes-based financing solutions provide students with downside protection, affordable rates, and wrap-around support. Stride is quickly emerging as a leader in the space, known for its student-centricity and rigorous adherence to compliance. "Our team was impressed with Stride's dedication and their prioritization of transparency and compliance in the servicing of our income-contingent financing products," said Christopher Barnett, Associate General Counsel at Galvanize. "We anticipate our partnership will amplify Galvanize's impact and make our programs and outcomes more accessible than ever before." Gina, a Stride ISA member and recent nursing school graduate, said that with funding from Stride, she was able to achieve an incredible milestone in her careerstarting her nursing journey at the same newborn intensive care unit where she was once a patient. "Stride Funding contributed to a huge portion of me going to nursing school and pursuing my dreams and goals. My program was really expensive, and Stride helped me to find a way to make sure I didn't miss a single moment of school due to cost," she said. Universities and bootcamps interested in partnering to improve financial and career access for students of all backgrounds can contact [email protected] , or visit stridefunding.com/universities and stridefunding.com/bootcamps , to learn more. About Stride Stride Funding, Inc. is a mission-driven company that helps students hit their stridewith flexible educational funding. Unlike loans that lock students into rigid repayment structures, Stride offers affordable repayments with income protection. The company has been recognized as a visionary leader by FinTech analysts for its innovative funding arrangements and commitment to career support. Stride's executive team includes professionals with experiences across Sallie Mae, JP Morgan Chase, National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), Goldman Sachs, Uber, and Liberty Mutual. GSV Ventures, Slow Ventures, Strada Education, Juvo Ventures, Firework Ventures, and Flybridge amongst others have participated in previous funding rounds. Learn more at stridefunding.com. Follow Stride LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Contact Morgan Viehman [email protected] 469-454-0248 SOURCE Stride Funding Monitor, analyze, report, and mitigate risk across your lending business all in one place with Aperture Enterprise Collateral Management Solution CHICAGO , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Supernova Technology, a technology leader in securities-based lending (SBL) is expanding their product offering outside of SBL with the addition of Aperture an Enterprise Collateral Management Solution. Aperture was built to give credit and risk professionals a new level of control and efficiency giving them oversight of their loan book in one place. Aperture was the result of Supernova listening to customers' needs and was designed with the same technology and design approach as Supernova's SBL platform. The solution supports multiple asset types both marketable securities as well as hard assets. The interface is intuitively designed to provide dynamic views of customer data across loans, collateral types, and borrowers to empower credit and risk professionals to make more informed decisions and stay prepared. A benefit of the product is the data rich stress testing feature and robust portfolio concentration risk analytics which allow risk and credit professionals to anticipate and mitigate potential risks. Much like the aperture of a camera allows you to focus on something very specific, so do our portfolio concentration analytics. Credit and risk professionals can stress test their loan book beginning with simple straight forward tests all the way to recreating past market fluctuations to see how their loan book may be impacted when pledged collaterals are marketable securities. The expansion into collateral management is the first step in the evolution of the Supernova Technology brand towards being a broader fintech focused firm. "The expansion outside of securities-based lending has been a natural progression of our business growing and maturing. As we expand our business so does our brand and our focus. We see the future of Supernova Technology expanding in many exciting ways and we are just getting started", said Tao Huang, Chief Executive Officer at Supernova Technology. For more information about Aperture Collateral Management, go to www.supernovacompanies.com/solutions/aperture . About Supernova Lending, LLC Supernova Lending, LLC, a financial technology company based in Chicago. Providing an industry-leading, fully configurable, end-to-end software solution to automate securities-based lending from origination through the life of the loan and an enterprise collateral management software. Supernova is the technology leader that empowers the entire financial ecosystem using state-of-the-art risk monitoring systems, providing a robust level of information, data analytics, and transparency that few in the industry can match. The Supernova Technology Trademark is used under license from Supernova Lending, LLC. CONTACT: Ashley Dudzik, Head of Marketing (219) 427-4024 [email protected] SOURCE Supernova Technology DUBAI, UAE, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XT.com , a Dubai-based leading digital asset trading platform, has announced to kick off an exclusive token listing of TEB(TEBAH) with USDT trading on June 28, 2022, at 07:00 (UTC). The company excitedly welcomes and congratulates TEB(TEBAH) for the listing. The endogenous token of the TEBAH ecosystem TEB , is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency. Powered by the Binance BEP-20 token standard, TEB token is responsible for facilitating transactions within the TEBAH ecosystem. The token can be used to perform staking, swapping, and more. As brought by the listing, users can enter spot and future trading with TEB token on XT.com when it goes live. Regarding deposit, the XT.com team highlighted that everyone is eligible to start depositing their crypto holdings ahead for trading on June 27, at 07:00 (UTC), as TEB/USDT listing is underway. However, onboarding TEB token on XT.com is deemed as an iconic token listing innovation aimed to allow crypto enthusiasts to trade the token for the first time on the platform. Best of all, the withdrawal section will be available to anyone who participates in TEB/USDT trading on June 29, 2022, at 07:00 (UTC). There are no limitations on traders' ability to trade, withdraw, and transact with the TEB token on XT.com regardless of their geographical areas. Mo Mukarram, Head of Marketing at XT.com, said, "It's our pleasure to announce the listing of TEB token on XT.com. Our listing of TEB is an integral part of how XT.com has been pivoted as the front-runner in terms of crypto listing innovation. Everyone can use the TEB token for trading, staking, swapping, and payment on our platform." About TEB(TEBAH) The TEBAH project develops a system that fixes the issues with the global online digital asset management market. Additionally, TEBAH guarantees to implement a blockchain and metaverse ecosystem to connect development and investment in the real world economy with the first integrated resort and country club, by ensuring returns for investors. Website: http://official.tebah.io/ About XT.com Launched in 2018, XT.com is the world's first social infused digital assets trading platform, headquartered in Dubai. It has multiple operation centers across the globe including Singapore and Seoul. With 3+ million registered users, over 300,000+ monthly active users, and 30+ million users in the ecosystem, XT.com strives to cater to its large user base by providing a safe and easy trading experience. The platform currently supports 500+ high-quality currencies and 800+ trading pairs which are accessible to the entire global crypto market. Website: https://www.xt.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/XTsupport_EN Twitter: https://twitter.com/XTexchange SOURCE XT.com Izpisua Belmonte was chosen for the honor because of his work leading to innovations in cellular rejuvenation programming and its promise for the improvement of aging and age-associated diseases. His team has discovered that cell programming can reset a cell's aging clock, allowing organs to regenerate and rejuvenate, disease progression to improve, and healthy life span to increase in mammals. In 2018, TIME magazine included Izpisua Belmonte on its list of the "Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Healthcare" for his research on growing and regenerating human organs. "We are pleased to award this year's prize to Dr. Izpisua Belmonte," says Deepak Srivastava, MD, a member of the selection committee and president of Gladstone. "Aging is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today and is a major risk factor for many of the unsolved diseases that Gladstone investigators are working to address. Dr. Izpisua Belmonte's work could lead to new therapies for age-related illnesses and increasing health span." The Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize was established in 2015 by a generous gift from the late Hiro and Betty Ogawa. By creating this award, the Ogawa family sought to motivate and support individual scientists or doctors conducting groundbreaking work in translational regenerative medicine using reprogrammed cells. The prize is supported by Gladstone and Cell Press group. The prize also recognizes the groundbreaking work of Gladstone Senior Investigator and Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, who first discovered the potential of reprogramming adult cells to a stem cell fate. Izpisua Belmonte's work builds directly on this discovery, utilizing the "Yamanaka factors" to rejuvenate aged cells. "It is a privilege and honor to receive the Ogawa-Yamanaka prize for my research on novel stem cell models of human organ generation and regeneration," says Izpisua Belmonte. "I am deeply humbled that our work on genetic and epigenetic editing, as well as regenerative and stem-cell techniques, is helping inform a better understanding of how to program and regenerate cells' function. I'm hopeful that when combined with the work of many other researchers, our discoveries will contribute to the elimination of disease and improve human health span." For nearly 30 years, Izpisua Belmonte was a faculty member at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, attaining the rank of professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory and holding the Roger Guillemin Chair. He received an MSc in pharmacology from the University of Valencia and a PhD in biochemistry and pharmacology from University of Bologna and the University of Valencia. After postdoctoral positions at the European Molecular Biology Laboratories in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the University of California, Los Angeles, he joined Salk Institute in 1993 and later also became the director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. Izpisua Belmonte was selected by an independent committee of international stem cell experts from a highly competitive pool of nominees. A ceremony will be held on November 17, 2022, at Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, during which he will give a scientific lecture and will be presented with the award, along with an unrestricted prize of $150,000 USD. About Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte A biochemist and developmental biologist, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, PhD, is director of the San Diego Institute of Science of Altos Labs, a life sciences company focused on restoring cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming. Previously, he was the Roger Guillemin Chair and a professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, as well as director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. He received an MSc in pharmacology from the University of Valencia and a PhD in biochemistry and pharmacology from University of Bologna and the University of Valencia. He completed his postdoctoral training at the European Molecular Biology Laboratories in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at Salk, Izpisua Belmonte pioneered innovations in developmental biology, organ and tissue regeneration, and aging research. At Altos Labs, he is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of human life, with the objective of uncovering universal health therapeutics to restore cellular resilience, overcome human fragility and disease, and ultimately increase health span. Over the course of his career, Izpisua Belmonte has published over 500 scientific papers. He was named one of the "50 Most Influential People in Healthcare" in 2018 by TIME magazine, and received several awards in recognition of his research, including medals from the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Spain and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Spain, the Gold Medal of the Board of Castilla-La Mancha, several honorary doctorates, the National Science Foundation Creativity Award, the National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award, and the President William Clinton Career Award. About the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize The Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize recognizes individuals whose original translational research has advanced cellular reprogramming technology for regenerative medicine. Supported by Gladstone Institutes, in partnership with Cell Press group, the prize was established in 2015 through a generous gift from the late Betty and Hiro Ogawa and has been maintained through their sons, Andrew and Marcus Ogawa. It honors the Ogawas' memory by continuing the philanthropic legacy they shared during their 46-year marriage. It also recognizes the importance of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), discovered by Gladstone Senior Investigator and Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. Past recipients include Masayo Takahashi, MD, PhD, in 2015; Douglas Melton, PhD, in 2016; Lorenz Studer, MD, in 2017; Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, in 2018; and Gordon Keller, PhD, in 2019. The 2022 selection committee was composed of George Daley, MD, PhD, dean of Harvard Medical School; Hideyuki Okano, MD, PhD, dean of the School of Medicine at Keio University; Deepak Srivastava, MD, president of Gladstone Institutes and director of the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center at Gladstone; Lorenz Studer, MD, director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Fiona Watt, FRS, FMedSci, director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King's College, London; and Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, senior investigator at Gladstone and professor in the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University. About Gladstone Institutes To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impactunsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco. Media Contact: Julie Langelier, Associate Director, Communications, [email protected], 415.734.5000 SOURCE Gladstone Institutes The Bank of London is the UK's second clearing bank authorised in the last 250 years. Its technology platform is engineered to be a foundational building block of borderless economic infrastructure of the future. The solution uses a combination of The Bank of London's own unique patented technologies in parallel with SAP Fioneer's proven hyper-scalable cloud banking platform. SAP Fioneer's Cloud for Banking platform (C4B) is seamlessly integrated with The Bank of London's API, providing the UK's first fully integrated real-time, friction free compliance, clearance, settlement, and payments solution designed to service banks, fintechs and corporates. After the expected go live in October 2022, the solution will provide the fastest connection to payment schemes in the market. Anthony Watson, Group Chief Executive & Founder of The Bank of London, commented: "Combining our offering will provide the world's leading solution for compliance, clearing, payments and settlement in GBP, EUR and USD. Now banks, fintechs and corporates gain significant advantages over their competitors, benefiting from near instant clearing, settlement and payments without liquidity constraints or financial intermediary friction in the flow of funds." Dirk Kruse, CEO at SAP Fioneer, commented: "To achieve real innovation and disrupt the global clearing and transaction market at the heart of banking, The Bank of London needed a partner who could deliver stable solutions at hyper-scale. SAP Fioneer provided exactly that: rooted in world-class technology coupled with the agility to co-innovate and seamlessly integrate with our customers' systems. We are excited to partner with The Bank of London to achieve its goals and support its growth journey as a major player in the market." Founded in 2021 as a joint venture between the global technology leader SAP and PE firm Dediq, SAP Fioneer set out to accelerate innovation in the financial services industry for and with its customers. SAP Fioneer's integrated C4B runs on SAP's S/4HANA Enterprise Cloud and SAP Business Technology Platform and is an open platform with a low total cost of ownership (TCO) and quick time to market. Notes to editors: About The Bank of London The Bank of London is a leading-edge technology company and the world's first purpose-built global clearing, agency, and transaction bank. Launched in November 2021 as the sixth principal clearing bank of the United Kingdom, and only the second in 250 years. With a $1.1 billion valuation, it is the first bank in history to attain 'unicorn' status upon debut. With headquarters in London and offices in New York and Belfast, The Bank of London has been established to serve banks, clearing houses, digital & traditional asset firms, governments, financial services companies, from local fintechs to global institutions, payment networks and non-financial brands seeking to launch fully compliant financial products and services in-country and across-borders. For more information, visit www.thebankoflondon.com. Follow The Bank of London on Twitter and on Instragram. About SAP Fioneer Founded in 2021 as a joint venture between the global technology leader SAP and private equity firm DEDIQ, SAP Fioneer's vision is to build the next generation of financial services software and platforms. By combining proven world-class technology with development expertise and a broad ecosystem of partners, SAP Fioneer enables banks and insurance companies to transform, grow and differentiate their business while meeting their needs for speed, scalability, and cost-efficiency through digital business innovation, cloud technology, and solutions that cover banking and insurance processes end-to-end. SAP Fioneer has offices and operations spanning the globe and a strong presence in Europe, North and Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.sapfioneer.com. Follow SAP Fioneer on Twitter and on LinkedIn. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849225/SAP_Fioneer_Dirk_Kruse.jpg SOURCE The Bank of London CHICAGO, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- M&A in the Metals industry is accelerating up and down the value chain, building on a trend observed throughout 2021 and the first half of 2022, according to an industry report released by the Metals investment banking team from Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). Read the BGL Metals Insider M&A Accelerating Across Metals Value Chain: https://bit.ly/BGLmetalsInsider M&A in the Metals industry is accelerating up and down the value chain, building on a trend observed throughout 2021 and the first half of 2022, according to an industry report released by the Metals investment banking team from Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL). The report examines current drivers for consolidation in the Metals industry which are expected to sustain deal flow through the coming quarters: Scrap transactions have been dominated by steel mills trying to vertically integrate to secure feedstock for existing and new mills under construction, while large recyclers also pursue acquisitions to shore up scale in anticipation of near-term capacity expansions. Steel Dynamics is the latest steel mill to announce a deal to further its raw material sourcing strategy with the acquisition of Mexico-based ROCA ACERO S.A. de C.V. Downstream purchasing is occurring at a frenzied pace. Steel mills continue to be active buyers with increased furnace efficiency, closeness to the end user, margin enhancement, and growth among the benefits sought through acquisitions. Service centers are looking to acquire companies with more value-added processing to increase margin and help offset volatility in steel and other metal cost. Still other metals companies are seeking downstream acquisitions of fabricators to participate in market growth and increase margin, with end-markets such as solar, truck trailer, and warehouse and distribution seeing substantial growth. Gibraltar Industries (TerraSmart), Nucor Corporation (Hannibal Industries), and Commercial Metals Company (Tensar Corporation) are some strategics looking downstream to establish new growth platforms. About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, business valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and San Antonio. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com. SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company "We are honored to present this donation to the San Diego Symphony in support of their many local artistic community programs," said Cody Martinez, Chairman, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. "Through the Kumeyaay spirit of giving, it is very important for us to invest in all aspects of our community, especially arts and culture. We are very proud of our longstanding partnership with the Symphony and look forward to being a part of the different musical events and experiences that they continue to bring to life for the San Diego community." The Future is HEAR campaign supports San Diego Symphony's wide-ranging artistic and community programs, including construction of an extraordinary state-of-the art, year-round outdoor waterfront venue and Public Park along the Embarcadero. The campaign also encompasses improvement of the infrastructure of Copley Symphony Hall at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, engagement of all of San Diego's diverse communities with transformative musical experiences, and ensuring the future of the Symphony. As part of this gift, Sycuan is also the lead sponsor of the Symphony's Music Connects program. This long-standing program provides broad access to musical experiences for the entire San Diego region including free neighborhood concerts and free performances in hospitals, senior residences and other community centers. "We are honored to have this extraordinary gift from Sycuan to support The Future is HEAR campaign and our community programming," said San Diego Symphony CEO Martha A. Gilmer "From their early generosity towards our former 'Bayside Summer Nights' outdoor concert series to the newest partnership that will benefit our community programs, they have always been a vital partner for this orchestra. Together we are building greater access to cultural experiences in our region." The Sycuan partnership will include benefits for each organization's community at large with discounted symphony tickets made available to Sycuan employees and tribal members, and discount packages for casino amenities made available to the Symphony's constituents. Also, hospitality amenities at the Rady Shell will be available to Sycuan to host its clients at concerts, and musicians will have opportunities to perform at the Sycuan Casino Resort, deepening the Symphony's connections in the El Cajon neighborhood. Historically, Sycuan's partnership with the San Diego Symphony goes back two decades and includes nearly $2 million in donations. Some of the earliest major gifts were given in support of SUMMER POPS, the Symphony's initiative that started with the annual construction of a temporary stage at Embarcadero Marina Park South and evolved to the present permanent state-of-the-art Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. This gift will mark the largest single gift by a Tribal entity in Southern California's history to an Arts and Culture institution. ABOUT THE RADY SHELL AT JACOBS PARK The centerpiece of the 3.7-acre public Jacobs Park developed and managed by the San Diego Symphony on the city's scenic Embarcadero, The Rady Shell is the first permanent outdoor venue in the San Diego Symphony's century-long history, designed to host more than 100 concerts and events year-round. The venue has been developed in partnership with the Unified Port of San Diego with 96% of the $85 million cost raised privately by the Symphony. As innovative in design as it is spectacular in setting, offering 360 degrees of year-round music, sky and sea, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is an unprecedented resource for the Symphony's expanded schedule of diverse outdoor concerts, including classical concerts and an exciting roster of commissioned works and premieres programmed by San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare as well as performances by international touring artists and free programs. The venue will be available year-round for non-profit community groups, schools and individuals. Jacobs Park, owned and managed by the Symphony, surrounds the performance space with walkways, dining pavilions and recreational facilities in the heart of the Embarcadero and is accessible to the public for free on most days of the year. For more information, visit www.theshell.org ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony is the oldest orchestra in California and one of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in San Diego. The Orchestra performs for more than 250,000 people each season, offering a wide variety of programming at its two much-loved venues, Copley Symphony Hall in downtown San Diego (now under renovation) and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on San Diego Bay. In early 2018, the San Diego Symphony announced the appointment of Rafael Payare as music director. Payare leads the orchestra's 82 full-time musicians, graduates of the finest and most celebrated music schools in the United States and abroad. The San Diego Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera each season, as well as performing at several regional performing arts and community centers. For more than 30 years, the San Diego Symphony has provided comprehensive learning and community engagement programs reaching more than 65,000 students annually and bringing innovative programming to San Diego's diverse neighborhoods and schools. For more information, visit www.sandiegosymphony.org. ABOUT SYCUAN CASINO RESORT Sycuan Casino Resort began as a humble Bingo Palace in 1983. Now more than 38 years later, it has become a community landmark and one of San Diego's premier casino and resort destinations. Sycuan's newly expanded AAA Four Diamond-rated property includes a 12-story hotel tower with over 300 guest rooms and 57 luxury suites. Guests can enjoy a wide range of onsite amenities including a variety of restaurants and bars from fast-casual to fine dining, meeting and event space, a full-service spa, fitness center and a state-of-the-art outdoor pool deck with two pools, a lazy river and swim-up bar. Sycuan also boasts an expansive casino floor with more than 2,300 slot machines and 54 table games in a variety of gaming options. Sycuan is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, please visit www.sycuan.com, Facebook: @sycuancasinoresort, Instagram: @sycuan_casinoresort, Twitter: @sycuancasino and LinkedIn: company/sycuancasinoresort or call 619-445-6002. ABOUT SYCUAN BAND OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION Members of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation have resided in and around the foothills of the Dehesa Valley for more than 12,000 years. Today they are a modern government providing public services to their members, employees and neighbors. The Sycuan Tribal Government operates one of the region's premier Indian gaming and resort facilities, Sycuan Casino Resort. The Sycuan Tribe demonstrates its strong commitment to the San Diego region through the support of hundreds of civic and charitable organizations. The Tribe, through the Sycuan Tribal Development Corporation (STDC), also seeks to reinvest back into the San Diego community with a progressive business development effort. To date, STDC has purchased the former Singing Hills Country Club and the historic U.S. Grant Hotel; is an investor in Hotel Solamar near Petco Park; and is owner/developer of the Marina Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in National City. Combined, these enterprises now employ nearly 4,000 San Diegans. For more information on Sycuan visit www.sycuantribe.com. SOURCE Sycuan Casino Resort What are historical revenue figures and estimated revenue figures as well as CAGR during the forecast timeframe? What is the current trend taking place in the market space? Which are business tactics that will influence competitive scenarios along with defining the growth potential of the market? What are market drivers, restraints, and challenges impacting demand & growth of the market? Which regions & segments will garner massive revenue and emerge as market leaders in upcoming years? The competitive scenario provided in the Third-party Logistics Market In India report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Don't wait, Make a strategic approach & boost your business goals with our Third-party Logistics Market In India Forecast Report - Buy Now! Company Profiles The third-party logistics market in India is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as making huge capital investments to increase the scope of their offerings and expand their customer base to compete in the market. The third-party logistics market in India report includes information on the product launches, sustainability, and prospects of leading vendors including Aegis Logistics Ltd., Allcargo Logistics Ltd., AWL India Pvt. Ltd., Blue Dart Express Ltd., Delhivery Pvt. Ltd., FedEx Corp., Gati Ltd., Mahindra Logistics Ltd., Safexpress Pvt. Ltd., and TVS Supply Chain Solutions. FedEx Corp. - In December 2020 , the company announced the acquisition of ShopRunner, the e-commerce platform that directly connects brands and merchants with online shoppers. ShopRunner's capabilities complement and expand the FedEx e-commerce portfolio and are expected to create increased value for brands, merchants, and consumers. - In , the company announced the acquisition of ShopRunner, the e-commerce platform that directly connects brands and merchants with online shoppers. ShopRunner's capabilities complement and expand the FedEx e-commerce portfolio and are expected to create increased value for brands, merchants, and consumers. To know about all major vendor product insights & news - Click Now! Market Dynamics Drivers: The key factor driving growth in the third-party logistics market in India is the introduction of tax reforms and initiatives for 3PL in India. is the The 3PL sector in India is experiencing a transformative phase with the introduction of various reforms and initiatives. The GST is one of the major tax reforms that was introduced by the Government of India . The implementation of GST helped reduce the price differences between states and make tax liabilities uniform across India . is experiencing a transformative phase with the introduction of various reforms and initiatives. The GST is one of the major tax reforms that was introduced by the Government of . The implementation of GST helped reduce the price differences between states and make tax liabilities uniform across . The new tax regime reduces logistics costs and increases operating efficiencies by reducing border checks. The increasing introduction of such reforms and initiatives in India is expected to fuel the market growth of 3PL in India . Challenges: The high operational costs will be a major challenge for the third-party logistics market share growth in India . The logistics industry in India is becoming highly competitive in terms of the pricing of services owing to the increase in demand for VAS. Transportation costs form a major part of logistics costs. will be a major challenge for the third-party logistics market share growth in . The logistics industry in is becoming highly competitive in terms of the pricing of services owing to the increase in demand for VAS. Transportation costs form a major part of logistics costs. The volatility in fuel prices in India is contributing to the rise in transportation costs. As fuel prices increase, logistics service providers charge customers for achieving profits. The constant demand for lower rates from customers creates pricing pressure on logistics service providers. is contributing to the rise in transportation costs. As fuel prices increase, logistics service providers charge customers for achieving profits. The constant demand for lower rates from customers creates pricing pressure on logistics service providers. The unorganized and inefficient logistics supply chain in India results in various indirect costs such as inventory carrying costs as well as damages and losses to goods in transit. These incidences are very common in the Indian logistics sector and account for a larger part of operational costs. These factors are likely to restrict the market growth of 3PL in India . Segmentation Analysis By End-user, the market is classified as manufacturing, consumer goods, food and beverages, automotive, and others. By Service, the market is classified as transportation services, warehousing and distribution services, and VAS. To know about the contribution of each segment - Grab a sample now! Related Reports: The freight logistics market size in Spain is expected to be valued at USD 5.39 billion by 2026 with a progressing CAGR of 4.26%. is expected to be valued at USD 5.39 billion by 2026 with a progressing CAGR of 4.26%. The logistics market share from 2021 to 2026 is USD 71.96 billion at a progressing CAGR of 1.39%. Third-party Logistics Market In India Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 8% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 10.74 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.92 Regional analysis India Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Aegis Logistics Ltd., Allcargo Logistics Ltd. , AWL India Pvt. Ltd., Blue Dart Express Ltd., Delhivery Pvt. Ltd., FedEx Corp., Gati Ltd., Mahindra Logistics Ltd., Safexpress Pvt. Ltd., and TVS Supply Chain Solutions 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 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 Content 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 01: Parent market 2.2 Market Charectistics Exhibit 02: Market Characteristics 2.2 Value chain analysis Exhibit 03: Value Chain Analysis: Household Appliances 2.3.1 Shippers 2.3.2 Freight forwarder 2.3.3 Air freight carrier 2.3.4 Handling agents 2.3.5 Consignee 2.3.6 Industry innovation 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 Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million) 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 buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers 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 Product The segments covered in this chapter are: Manufacturing Consumer goods Food and beverages Automotive Others The two segments have been ranked based on their market share in 2020. The manufacturing segment constituted the largest segment in 2020, while the smallest segment was automatic. 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 Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 18: Manufacturing - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Consumer Goods - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: Consumer Goods - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 20: Consumer Goods - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Food and Beverages - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 21: Food and Beverages - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 22: Food and Beverages - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.6 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 23: Automotive - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 24: Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 25: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 26: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.8 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 27: Market opportunity by Product 6. Market Segmentation by Service The segments covered in this chapter are: Transportation services Warehousing and distribution services VAS The two segments have been ranked based on their market share in 2020. The transportation segment constituted the largest segment in 2020, while the smallest segment was VAS. 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 28: Service - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Service Exhibit 29: Comparison by Service 6.3 Transportation Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 30 : Transportation Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 31 : Transportation Services - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 6.4 Warehousing and Distribution Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 32: Warehousing and distribution services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 33 : Warehousing and distribution services - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 6.5 VAS - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 34: VAS - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion) Exhibit 35: VAS - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 6.6 Market opportunity by Service Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Service 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 37: Customer landscape 8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.1.1 Introduction of tax reforms and initiatives for 3PL in India 8.1.2 Growth of e-commerce sector in India 8.1.3 Increase in investments for 3PL startups in India 8.2 Market challenges 8.2.1 High operational costs 8.2.2 Inadequate logistics infrastructure in India 8.2.3 Lack of technology adoption and quality manpower Exhibit 38: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 8.3.1 Emergence of digitalization in 3PL 8.3.2 Modernization of logistics infrastructure in India 8.3.3 Increasing popularity of integrated cold chain logistics services 9. Vendor Landscape 9.1 Competitive Scenario 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 39: Vendor landscape 9.3 Landscape disruption The potential for the disruption of the market landscape was moderate in 2020, and its threat is expected to remain unchanged by 2025. Exhibit 40: Landscape disruption 9.4 Industry Risks Exhibit 41: Industry risks 10. Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 42: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 43: Market positioning of vendors 10.3 Aegis Logistics Ltd. Exhibit 44: Aegis Logistics Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 45: Aegis Logistics Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 46: Aegis Logistics Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 47: AB Electrolux - Segment Focus 10.4 Allcargo Logistics Ltd. Exhibit 48: Allcargo Logistics Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 49: Allcargo Logistics Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 50: Allcargo Logistics Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 51: Allcargo Logistics Ltd. - Segment Focus 10.5 AWL India Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 52: AWL India Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 53: AWL India Pvt. Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 54: AWL India Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 55: AWL India Pvt. Ltd. - Segment Focus 10.6 Blue Dart Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 56: Blue Dart Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 57: Blue Dart Pvt. Ltd.- Business Segments Exhibit 58: Blue Dart Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 59: Blue Dart Pvt. Ltd. -Segment focus 10.7 Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 60: Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. -Overview Exhibit 61: Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. - Business Segments Exhibit 62: Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 63: Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. - Segment Focus 10.8 FedEx Corp. Exhibit 64: FedEx Corp. - Overview Exhibit 65: FedEx Corp. - Business Segments Exhibit 66: FedEx Corp. - Key news Exhibit 67: FedEx Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 68: FedEx Corp. - Segment Focus 10.9 Gati Ltd Exhibit 69: Gati Ltd -Overview Exhibit 70: Gati Ltd - Business Segments Exhibit 71: Gati Ltd - Key offerings Exhibit 72: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Segment Focus 10.10 Mahindra Logistics Ltd. Exhibit 73: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. -Overview Exhibit 74: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. - Products and Services Exhibit 75: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 76: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. - Key offerings 10.11 Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 77: Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 78: Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. - Business Segments Exhibit 79: Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. - Key news Exhibit 80: Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 81: Safeexpress Pvt. Ltd. - Segment Focus 10.12 TVS Supply Chain Solutions Exhibit 82: TVS Supply Chain Solutions - Overview Exhibit 83: TVS Supply Chain Solutions - Business Segments Exhibit 84: TVS Supply Chain Solutions - Key offerings Exhibit 85: TVS Supply Chain Solutions -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 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 The Databricks Partner of the Year Award recognizes elite Databricks partners delivering multi-cloud solutions that unlock and enhance enterprise AI maturity, assuring the highest digital transformation impact and ROI. Databricks recognized Tredence for the company's achievement in delivering a 94% NPS working with the world's leading Retailers and CPGs to drive the last-mile adoption of best-in-class AI/ML-led analytics. The Tredence and Databricks partnership advance enterprise AI innovation leveraging Tredence's AI/ML industry solutions delivered on Databricks Lakehouse and Delta Sharing technology accelerating time to value by ~50%. With more than 900+ Retail and CPG data scientists and data engineers, the Tredence Databricks COE has delivered over 100+ Databricks projects helping enterprises accelerate the migration to the cloud and drive quantifiable ROI. Tredence's portfolio of 35+ AI/ML Databricks accelerators help retailers and CPGs unlock the power of their data and realize 70% faster time to value. "We are thrilled to be recognized as Databricks' 2022 Retail & CPG Partner of the Year," said Shub Bhowmick, CEO & Founder, Tredence. "The award recognizes our commitment to helping Retailers & CPGs solve complex industry problems through scalable Data & AI solutions. Tredence's AI expertise coupled with Databricks' Lakehouse Platform enables enterprises to increase supply chain efficiency, improve price and promotion ROI, drive true personalization and turn enterprise data into a strategic asset." "Tredence has demonstrated incredible agility, speed to market and time to value leveraging the power of the Databricks Lakehouse Platform, helping retailers solve critical pain points and uncover actionable insights from their data," said Rob Saker, Regional Vice President & Global Industry Lead, Retail & Manufacturing, Databricks. "We are delighted to recognize our partnership with Tredence that focuses on delivering rapid growth, scale & innovation on the lakehouse platform for our shared customers." Many of the world's leading Retail and CPG customers turn to Tredence's Databricks CoE to leverage their Databricks Brickbuilder Solutions to power enterprise decision-making through AI-enabled insights. Retailers and CPGs tap into Tredence's expertise and partner with a team of Databricks certified engineers to support a modern lakehouse data foundation and leverage Databricks' Lakehouse for Retail. The Tredence solutions for Retailers and CPGs architect a robust data foundation in double quick time and unlock 10x returns. Tredence high-impact Retail and CPG solutions include: On-Shelf Availability (OSA): reclaims missed sales with Al and out-of- stock modeling reclaims missed sales with Al and out-of- stock modeling Customer Cosmos: enriches customer data and extracts deeper insights to drive true personalization enriches customer data and extracts deeper insights to drive true personalization Revenue Growth Management: helps sustain revenue growth across products, consumer channels, and geographies helps sustain revenue growth across products, consumer channels, and geographies Sancus: provides trustworthy data with a holistic Al-driven data quality solution provides trustworthy data with a holistic Al-driven data quality solution Supply Chain Control Tower (SCCT): provides real-time Supply Chain & Inventory visibility and optimization provides real-time Supply Chain & Inventory visibility and optimization ML Works: helps deploy AI/ML models in real-time with an industrialized MLOps accelerator Databricks certified and onboarded Tredence's solution accelerators, including On-shelf availability (OSA) and Sancus, as part of their Brickbuilder Solutions program. The Brickbuilder certification includes extensive validation by the Databricks industry and technical experts to ensure that joint clients accelerate time to value, drive a clear ROI and maximize the power of the Databricks Lakehouse Platform. About Tredence Inc. Tredence is a global data science solutions provider focused on solving the last mile problem in AI. The 'last mile' is the gap between insight creation and value realization. Headquartered in San Jose, the company embraces a vertical-first approach and an outcome-driven mindset to help clients win and accelerate value realization from their analytics investments. Tredence is 1,700-plus employees strong with offices in San Jose, Foster City, Chicago, London, Toronto and Bangalore, with the largest companies in retail, CPG, hi-tech, telecom, healthcare, travel and industrials as clients. For more information, please visit https://tredence.com and follow us on LinkedIn . Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773052/Tredence_Logo.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849343/Tredence_Retail_CPG_Partner_2022.jpg SOURCE Tredence Inc Partnership lets new mothers in Connecticut and Massachusetts access lactation support via telehealth at no cost HARTFORD and FARMINGTON, Conn., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Health Of New England and Nest Collaborative announced the launch of a new program providing telehealth breastfeeding support to families giving birth at the integrated health system's hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The new program is available now to mothers who give birth within any of Trinity Health Of New England's three birthing hospitals Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn., Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., and Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. Trinity Health Of New England has a long history of supporting patients in breastfeeding, which imparts significant health benefits to both babies and their mothers. The health system is committed to ensuring expectant mothers can sign up for the Nest Collaborative service at no cost to the patient, regardless of their insurance status. Registration for interested parents is handled by each hospital's maternity team, who provide immediate virtual access to Nest Collaborative's International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) once parents return home with their newborns. "We know every new mother is going to run into breastfeeding hurdles and frustrations and we want to provide families with support, so they're able to overcome those challenges and reach their feeding goals," said Walter Trymbulak, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Women and Infants Service Line at Trinity Health Of New England. "Nest plays a critical dual role in that process by augmenting the lactation services we provide for our moms in the hospital and also fortifying and helping moms who are being seen by our private OBGYN providers in the community. Nothing's been easier than this relationship and we're hoping other Trinity Health hospitals across the country will also adopt this program." Mary Carnemolla, RN, the prepared childbirth coordinator at Saint Francis Hospital, noted the value in both the multi-lingual capabilities of Nest Collaborative's IBCLCs with service available in Arabic, English, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, Urdu and Burmese and their availability for same-day appointments 7 days a week and late into the evening. "(Nest Collaborative consultants) speak the language of the people we serve, and they're available when new moms are trying to put what they've learned into practice at 8pm or 9pm when they're tired, starting to struggle, and they just need a little extra guidance to breastfeed," Carnemolla said. "It's also a comfort to our on-staff lactation consultants to know that once their patient leaves the hospital, a Nest Collaborative consultant is going to follow up with that patient and help them continue on their breastfeeding journey." Nest Collaborative's nationwide network of lactation consultants are available to families for virtual consultations, seven days a week, in all 50 states. "Amid the infant feeding crisis, there has never been a more critical time to support parents in finding the safest, most appropriate way to ensure their newborns are well fed and healthy," said Judith Nowlin, CEO of Nest Collaborative. "We are grateful to Trinity Health Of New England for allowing our certified lactation consultants to help guide parents to the right choice for their family. Breastfeeding can be challenging, so we focus on helping parents find safe feeding options if exclusive breastfeeding is not possible or desired." Nest Collaborative removes a significant barrier to breastfeeding by connecting parents to lactation consultants who are covered in-full by most national insurers. The company accepts insurance from the healthcare marketplace, employee-sponsored plans and Medicaid. Nest Collaborative has quickly scaled to serve more than 10,000 parents and babies across the country. Families highly recommend the company's services with a consistent NPS rating of 95+. About Trinity Health Of New England Trinity Health Of New England is an integrated nonprofit health care delivery system formed in 2015 and is a member of Trinity Health located in Livonia, Michigan, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation serving communities in 22 states. Trinity Health Of New England is comprised of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut; Johnson Memorial Hospital and Home & Community Health Services in Stafford Springs, Connecticut; Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut; Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts; Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke, Massachusetts; Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital, Springfield, Massachusetts; Brightside for Families and Children; and Mercy Continuing Care Network that includes Mercy Homecare, Mercy Hospice and Mercy LIFE. Visit TrinityHealthOfNE.org for more information and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @THOfNewEngland About Nest Collaborative Nest Collaborative, Farmington, CT, is the creator of the nation's first virtual lactation platform. The company's nationwide network of lactation consultants is available to parents for same-day virtual consults, meaning more families have access to the help that creates successful breastfeeding journeys. Nest Collaborative was recognized by Verywell Family as the Best Online Lactation Consultant of 2021 , beating out competitors by offering insurance-covered appointments, same-day availability, and group sessions through their offering of Latch Lounge. For more information, visit www.nestcollaborative.com . Media Contact: Michelle Hillman Todd Stein Communications [email protected] SOURCE Nest Collaborative NEW YORK , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: November 3, 2021 to May 3, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 15, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in TUP: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/tupperware-brands-corporation-loss-submission-form-2?id=29226&from=4 Tupperware Brands Corporation NEWS - TUP NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Tupperware Brands Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Tupperware was facing significant challenges in maintaining its earnings and sales performance; (ii) accordingly, Tupperware's full-year 2022 guidance was unrealistic and/or unsustainable; (iii) all the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on Tupperware's financial condition; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Tupperware you have until August 15, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Tupperware securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the TUP lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/tupperware-brands-corporation-loss-submission-form-2?id=29226&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm DUBLIN, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Propulsion Type (BEV, HEV, PHEV and FCEV), By Vehicle Type, By Range (0-150 Miles, 151-250 Miles, 251-500 Miles and 500 Miles & Above), By Component, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2017-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. UAE electric commercial vehicle market is anticipated to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The market growth can be attributed to the enhanced focus of the government on promoting the use of clean energy vehicles and growing demand for zero-emission vehicles in the eCommerce and logistics sector. The UAE government has planned to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, mitigating climate change with a range of community and economic initiatives. The government has planned to invest over AED600 billion in renewable energy to develop the Emirates into the most dynamic economy in the world. Besides, the rising penetration of electric buses in public transport fleets and stringent government regulations regarding rising pollution levels and environmental hazards are driving the growth of the UAE electric commercial vehicle market. Moreover, advancements in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country and stringent emission norms imposed on fossil-fuel-powered commercial vehicles are boosting the UAE electric commercial vehicle market growth. Rising demand for pollution-free vehicles among customers owing to increasing environmental consciousness and the emergence of various electric commercial vehicle models that are advanced and affordable are some of the factors attributing to their market growth. Advancements in battery technology and the use of the latest technologies such as IoT, ADAS, AI, etc., are contributing to the growth of the UAE electric commercial vehicle market. Furthermore, many automotive manufacturers are making huge investments in R&D to improve further battery technologies, which could result in better electric commercial vehicles and aid its market growth in the coming years. However, high development costs involved in developing the electric commercial vehicles and related components and limited battery capacity could restrain the growth of the UAE electric commercial vehicle market in the coming years. The UAE electric commercial vehicle market is segmented based on propulsion type, vehicle type, range, component, company, and region. Based on the vehicle type, the market is further divided into bus, truck, and pick-up trucks. Electric trucks are expected to hold the largest share in the UAE electric commercial vehicle market due to rapid urbanization and fast economic growth, leading to high demand for electric trucks. Objective of the Study: To analyze and forecast the market size of UAE electric commercial vehicle market, in terms of value and volume. To classify and forecast UAE electric commercial vehicle market based on propulsion type, vehicle type, range, component, company, and regional distribution. To identify drivers and challenges for UAE electric commercial vehicle market. To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in UAE electric commercial vehicle market. To conduct the pricing analysis for UAE electric commercial vehicle market. To identify and analyze the profile of leading players involved in the UAE electric commercial vehicle market. The publisher performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study. Initially, the publisher sourced a list of manufacturers across UAE. Subsequently, the publisher conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies. While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, the publisher could include the manufacturers, which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The publisher analyzed the product offerings, distribution channels and presence of all major manufacturers across UAE. Report Scope: In this report, UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below: UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Propulsion Type: BEV HEV PHEV FCEV UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Vehicle Type: Bus Truck Pick-up Trucks UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Range: 0-150 Miles 151-250 Miles 251-500 Miles 500 Miles & Above UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Component: Electric Motor EV Battery Hydrogen Fuel Cell UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market, By Region: Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah Rest of UAE Key Topics Covered: 1. Product Overview 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Voice of Customer 4.1. Product Awareness 4.2. Product Pricing 4.3. Challenges & Unmet Needs 5. UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market Overview 6. UAE Electric Commercial Vehicle Market Outlook 7. UAE Electric Bus Market Outlook 8. UAE Electric Truck Market Outlook 9. UAE Electric Pickup Trucks Market Outlook 10. Price Point Analysis 11. Market Dynamics 11.1. Drivers 11.2. Challenges 12. Market Trends & Developments 13. Policy & Regulatory Landscape 14. UAE Economic Profile Companies Mentioned Daimler Tesla Proterra NISSAN BYD Proterra Honda Hyundai LG Chem ABB Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f4j5ss Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets NEW YORK, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Unilever American Depositary Receipts between September 2, 2020 and July 21, 2021, inclusive. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 15, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in UL: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/unilever-plc-loss-submission-form?id=29227&from=4 Unilever PLC NEWS - UL NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Unilever PLC made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: a) in July 2020, the board of Ben & Jerry's, one of Unilever's marquee brands, passed a resolution to end sales of its ice cream in "Occupied Palestinian Territory" ; and b) this boycott decision risked adverse governmental actions for violations of laws, executive orders, or resolutions aimed at discouraging boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel adopted by 35 U.S. states. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Unilever you have until August 15, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Unilever securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the UL lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/unilever-plc-loss-submission-form?id=29227&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue 59th Floor New York, NY 10118 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Dodge is charting a course along HWY 93 for its owners and enthusiasts this summer, connecting 93 Dodge-inspired events and locations across America one for each day of summer. Dodge is curating a list of places that embody the daring, authentic spirit of Dodge. The Dodge HWY 93 campaign officially launched on June 22 and runs through September 22, 2022. "HWY 93 is more than just a highway, it's a mindset; one that stretches across all 93 days between June and September, past the coolest events and hottest locations in America," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer Stellantis. "Summer is the best time of year for Dodge, it's when the shackles of winter come off, and drivers are free to get the absolute most out of the longest days of the year. And Dodge, with the Brotherhood of Muscle, is going to blaze a path across the United States that leaves no roadhouse, rest stop or drag strip unturned. "And with more than 13 million and growing devoted fans across our social media channels, Dodge has automotive's most active and engaged muscle car following, and their passion and excitement for the brand are all but impossible to recreate on our own," Kuniskis added. "So we're going to collect user-generated content from our biggest fans, including the 93 days, and put our Real Brotherhood of Muscle in the driver's seat of the Dodge brand's next national campaign." Fans can go to DodgeHWY93.com to begin charting their summer course. As Dodge enthusiasts make their way across the U.S., they can also submit their own content and recommendations for locations to be added to HWY 93 throughout the summer using #DodgeHWY93. Select user content will also be featured on DodgeHWY93.com. To get on the list, each event and location must feel like a uniquely Dodge experience. Forget mainstream or vanilla, Dodge is choosing only the most thrilling events and oddest attractions for summer travelers to enjoy. The campaign will include TV, social media and digital content running throughout the summer. DodgeHWY93.com will include a curated list and interactive map of events, roadhouses, restaurants, rest stops, races, including the iconic Roadkill Nights on Woodward Avenue in Michigan, dragstrips, iconic/scenic drives, lodging, sporting events and other attractions that Dodge owners can use to build their ultimate summer road map. After the 93 days of summer, Dodge will launch its new The Real Brotherhood of Muscle national advertising campaign featuring the real Dodge stars. We will scour social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, seeking out the most compelling video content from Dodge enthusiasts to integrate into the campaign, which will run across multimedia, including television and social media channels. Dodge is encouraging the Brotherhood of Muscle to help the brand in its search by posting and sharing their favorite content across their social media channels to bring awareness to their videos and photos. Dodge enthusiasts will need to post or share their content with the hashtag #ThatsMyDodge and #ad across their social channels to bring awareness to their content. Dodge is focused on content showing legal, safe driving practices and discourages owners from filming or posting anything dangerous, hazardous, illegal or harmful to the Dodge brand. Dodge is looking for content that shows off the unique culture of American muscle enthusiasts. And while donuts and burnouts on closed courses have become a signature of the brand, Dodge will be digging much deeper, searching for content where owners show off not just their vehicles and modifications, but how they care for their HEMI, Hellcat or Scat Pack, how they use them and even where they park their ride. The Dodge brand's HWY 93 campaign is being created in partnership with Doner agency in Michigan. The Real Brotherhood of Muscle campaign is being developed in partnership with Austin-based GSD&M. Dodge//SRT For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete. Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup. In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row. Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. Follow Dodge and company news and video on: Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com Dodge brand: www.dodge.com DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge and @StellantisNA YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA SOURCE Stellantis PHILADELPHIA, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading railroad catastrophe lawyers from Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC are raising wide ranging safety concerns and responding to media inquiries today following today's fatal multi-car Amtrak Southwest Chief train collision-derailment at a crossing in Mendon, Missouri, about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, that has resulted in at least three fatalities two passengers and a truck driver - and scores of injuries. Amtrak says there were more than 240 passengers plus 12 crew on the Chicago-bound train that derailed after striking the construction vehicle at the crossing. "We are deeply saddened and concerned for the safety of everyone involved following numerous reports of this latest catastrophic Amtrak collision and derailment," said SMB's trial attorneys and mass transportation safety advocates Robert J. Mongeluzzi and Jeffrey P. Goodman. "Once again, investigators from the National Transportation Board (NTSB) are rushing to a horrific incident scene. They'll focus on every safety factor, eventually determining if this was a predictable and preventable incident." Trial attorneys Mongeluzzi and Goodman have been amongst the lead lawyers in numerous catastrophic derailments including the 2015 derailment of Amtrak Train 188 that killed 8 people; the 2021 derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana that killed 3 people, and other fatal crashes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. They have consistently advocated for sweeping rail safety upgrades, including Positive Train Control (PTC), which provides automatic switching and braking systems and safer railcars, which would improve the survivability of accidents. Mr. Mongeluzzi said, "Passengers and the general public must be assured that the Amtrak system including rail crossings coast to coast is safe. We know from years of experience that properly operated trains and maintained track should not be involved in these kinds of incidents." Mr. Goodman added, "Sadly, despite its history, Amtrak has yet to create a culture where safety is its highest priority. We are particularly concerned by eyewitness reports of the Amtrak crew allowing overcrowding in the observation car; that poses unique safety challenges based upon the different seating configurations." In addition to their experience representing victims in train derailments, Mr. Mongeluzzi and Mr. Goodman previously were the lead lawyers for the victims in the sinking of amphibious Stretch Duck Boat 07 in Branson, Missouri in 2018 that killed 17 people. SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, PC LONDON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Croda International Plc ('Croda' or 'the company'), the company that uses smart science to create high performance ingredients and technologies that improve lives, announces that it has entered into a cooperative agreement with the United States ('U.S.') government in which the government will provide up to $75 million to expand the company's U.S. manufacturing capacity of ingredients for lipid systems used in novel therapeutic drugs, such as mRNA vaccines. In line with the company's strategy to 'Empower Biologics Delivery,' Croda will also invest up to $58 million, bringing the total project investment to up to $133 million. This spend is included within the company's existing capital expenditure program, outlined in the 2021 annual results. The investment will be used to establish a new lipid facility as part of a new multi-purpose cGMP* site in Lamar, Pennsylvania. Construction is expected to start later this year, with the new capacity anticipated in 2025. The investment supports expansion of the portfolio of patient health care solutions offered by Croda, by creating a third manufacturing site for lipid systems, alongside Croda's existing Alabaster, Alabama, U.S. (Avanti) and Leek, United Kingdom capabilities. The cooperative agreement is a joint award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in partnership with the Army Contracting Command's Joint COVID Response Division (ACC JCRD). The new facility is part of a program to expand the U.S. industrial base supporting critical vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing activities. The facility at Lamar will support U.S. preparedness for future health emergencies, by ensuring enough capacity is available in the U.S. to produce the necessary components for vaccine manufacture. Croda's Pharma business is a leading partner in the development of delivery systems for biologics. Croda's platforms enable the next generation of vaccines and therapeutics. Through acquisition of Avanti Polar Lipids in 2020, Croda was the first company to supply clinical and commercial quantities of critical lipid systems to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines globally. Lipid systems offer significant potential as the delivery system for a wide range of nucleic acid applications, including novel mRNA-based therapeutics, such as flu vaccines and cancer treatments. Given the scale of the current clinical development pipeline, the market for lipid systems is expected to grow significantly over the next ten years. Commenting, Daniele Piergentili, President of Croda Life Sciences, said: "We are grateful to the U.S. government for its support of Croda. The delivery technology based on lipid systems offers significant potential for the safe and efficient delivery of next generation vaccines and therapeutic drugs. As a result of this investment, Croda will be able to expand its capabilities to develop and manufacture ingredients in support of this important technology. This will help ensure that the U.S. is well prepared for future health emergencies and equipped to offer advanced treatments for some of the most prevalent illnesses in the world today." Nicole Kilgore, Deputy Joint Program Executive Officer (JPEO) for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense, said: "The U.S. government is pleased to be a part of these Industrial Base Expansion efforts to expand production of raw materials for mRNA vaccines." *cGMP is 'current Good Manufacturing Practice', the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) most stringent requirement for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. About lipid delivery systems Lipid-based drug delivery systems carry nucleic acid material. They protect this genetic material from degradation, while also allowing it to access the cell and, once inside, be released. This allows the cellular machinery to translate the delivered genetic material into a cellular response. Croda acquired Avanti Polar Lipids in 2020, a company that has pioneered the development of liposomal-based drug delivery systems to solve the stability and delivery issues associated with mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. Working with partners, Croda was the first company to supply clinical and commercial quantities of these critical lipid delivery systems to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines around the world. About Croda's Pharma business www.crodapharma.com Croda's Pharma business is a leading partner for the development of excipients and the supply of high purity materials for pharmaceutical formulations, committed to enabling the next generation of drug delivery systems. The business is focused on empowering biologics drug delivery, through its adjuvant systems, small molecule, protein, and nucleic acid delivery platforms. With a wide range of solutions for both human and animal health markets, our pharmaceutical portfolio is unsurpassed in its excellence for drug and vaccine delivery. Croda's products, along with its in-house formulation and regulatory expertise, allow the business to meet its customers' most demanding formulation needs. About Croda www.croda.com Established in 1925, Croda is the name behind sustainable, high-performance ingredients and technologies in some of the world's most successful brands: creating, making and selling speciality chemicals that are relied on by industries and consumers everywhere. Croda is a FTSE 100 company with over 6,100 passionate and innovative employees, working across manufacturing sites and offices around the world with a shared Purpose to use Smart science to improve lives. As part of this Purpose, Croda has committed to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients, becoming Climate, Land and People Positive by 2030. Following an agreement to divest the majority of its industrial-focused Performance Technologies and Industrial Chemicals businesses, Croda is well on the way to becoming a 'pure-play' Consumer Care and Life Sciences company. SOURCE Croda International Plc For more insights on segment-based contribution, Buy Report Now! . HCM Solutions Market Vendor Landscape The human capital management market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as organic and inorganic strategies to compete in the market. To make the most of the opportunities and recover from post pandemic impact, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The human capital management market forecast report offers in-depth insights into key vendor profiles. The profiles include information on the production, sustainability, and prospects of the leading companies. Top Companies Mentioned with their Offerings Automatic Data Processing Inc.: The company offers HCM solutions such as payroll management, time and attendance management, talent acquisition, benefit management, and HR outsourcing. Ceridian HCM Holding Inc.: The product offers modern cloud HCM platform for managing the complete employee lifecycle. Infor: The company offers CloudSuite HCM, a cloud-based HCM software. Kronos Inc.: The company offers HCM software solutions. Oracle Corp.: The company offers HCM solutions, which help in global HR, talent management, workforce rewards, and workforce management operations. Some more companies covered in the report are: Ramco Systems Ltd. SAP SE Talentia Software Group The Ultimate Software Group Inc. Workday Inc. To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here Key Market Dynamics: Market Trend: The emergence of cloud-computing services is one of the key factors likely to influence the market growth positively during the forecast period. The use of cloud storage allows the central administration to have control over all the resources and HR activities. It also eliminates the need for users to update and maintain IT infrastructure. Cloud technologies enable consumers to use SaaS, by which users are not required to buy the software to use it. Thus, cloud computing services can be the future of HCM solutions. is one of the key factors likely to influence the market growth positively during the forecast period. The use of cloud storage allows the central administration to have control over all the resources and HR activities. It also eliminates the need for users to update and maintain IT infrastructure. Cloud technologies enable consumers to use SaaS, by which users are not required to buy the software to use it. Thus, cloud computing services can be the future of HCM solutions. Market Challenge: Threat from open-source software is one of the key challenges hindering the human capital management (HCM) solutions market growth. The availability of open-source HCM software will become one of the major challenges for the global HCM solutions market during the forecast period. Similarly, some companies offer separate software for HR functions, such as recruitment and performance appraisal. Hence, the availability of multiple open-source software solutions helps companies to choose the best according to their needs. To learn about key drivers, trends, and challenges impactin the market growth, Download Sample Report! Related Reports: Incident Response System Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Cloud Computing Market in Government Sector by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Web Content Management Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 Human Capital Management (HCM) Solutions Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of about 10.57% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 12.16 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 9.52 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key consumer countries US, Germany, Japan, and Brazil Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Automatic Data Processing Inc., Ceridian HCM Holding Inc., Infor, Kronos Inc., Oracle Corp., Ramco Systems Ltd., SAP SE, Talentia Software Group, The Ultimate Software Group Inc., and Workday 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 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. Key Topics Covered: 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: Systems software 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 Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million) 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 buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers 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 Application 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 15: Application - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Application Exhibit 16: Comparison by Application 5.3 Core HR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Core HR - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 18: Core HR - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 Talent - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: Talent - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 20: Talent - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Workforce - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 21: Workforce - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 22: Workforce - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.6 Market opportunity by Application Exhibit 23: Market opportunity by Application 6 Customer landscape 6.1 Customer landscape Exhibit 24: Customer landscape 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 25: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 26: Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 27: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 28: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 31: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 32: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 33: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 34: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 35: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 36: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 7.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 37: Key leading countries 7.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 38: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges Exhibit 39: Impact of drivers and challenges 8.3 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Vendor landscape Exhibit 40: Vendor landscape 9.2 Landscape disruption Exhibit 41: Landscape disruption Exhibit 42: Industry risks 9.3 Competitive Landscape 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 43: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors 10.3 Automatic Data Processing Inc. Exhibit 45: Automatic Data Processing Inc. - Overview Exhibit 46: Automatic Data Processing Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 47: Automatic Data Processing Inc. Key news Exhibit 48: Automatic Data Processing Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 49: Automatic Data Processing Inc. - Segment focus 10.4 Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. Exhibit 50: Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. - Overview Exhibit 51: Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 52: Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. Key news Exhibit 53: Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. - Key offerings 10.5 Infor Inc. Exhibit 54: Infor Inc. - Overview Exhibit 55: Infor Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 56: Infor Inc. Key news Exhibit 57: Infor Inc. - Key offerings 10.6 Kronos Inc. Exhibit 58: Kronos Inc. - Overview Exhibit 59: Kronos Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 60: Kronos Inc. - Key offerings 10.7 Oracle Corp. Exhibit 61: Oracle Corp. - Overview Exhibit 62: Oracle Corp. - Business segments Exhibit 63: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings Exhibit 64: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus 10.8 Ramco Systems Ltd. Exhibit 65: Ramco Systems Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 66: Ramco Systems Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 67: Ramco Systems Ltd. Key news Exhibit 68: Ramco Systems Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 69: Ramco Systems Ltd. - Segment focus 10.9 SAP SE Exhibit 70: SAP SE - Overview Exhibit 71: SAP SE - Business segments Exhibit 72: SAP SE Key news Exhibit 73: SAP SE - Key offerings Exhibit 74: SAP SE - Segment focus 10.10 Talentia Software Group Exhibit 75: Talentia Software Group - Overview Exhibit 76: Talentia Software Group - Product and service Exhibit 77: Talentia Software Group Key news Exhibit 78: Talentia Software Group - Key offerings 10.11 UKG Inc. Exhibit 79: UKG Inc. - Overview Exhibit 80: UKG Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 81: UKG Inc. - Key offerings 10.12 Workday Inc. Exhibit 82: Workday Inc. - Overview Exhibit 83: Workday Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 84: Workday Inc. Key news Exhibit 85: Workday Inc. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 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 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 What's New for 2022? 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: 19; Released: January 2022 Executive Pool: 23062 Companies: 33 - Players covered include Bosch Security and Safety Systems North America; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; Intel Corporation; Schneider Electric SA; Siemens AG; Trend Micro, Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Type (Logical Security, Physical Security) 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 Data Center Security Market to Reach $11.1 Billion by 2026 Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Data Center Security estimated at US$6.3 Billion, is projected to reach a revised size of US$11.1 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% over the analysis period. Threat & Application Security, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 9.9% CAGR and reach US$8.8 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 Data Protection & Infrastructure Security segment is readjusted to a revised 8.6% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.9 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $2.3 Billion by 2026 The Data Center Security market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.9 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$2.3 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 12.8% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 6.5% and 8.2% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 7.5% CAGR. 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./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media [email protected] SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Major Price Models in the Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement Market The report discusses in detail each pricing model and the pros and cons attached to every pricing model prevalent in the market. Also, the report provides insights with respect to the category supply chain and the margins of various suppliers within the supply chain. The most widely adopted pricing models in the Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement Market Perpetual license Subscription-based pricing Freemium Learn about various other pricing models: Request for a sample report Spend Growth and Demand by Region The Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement market will register an incremental spend of about USD 3,052.62 Million during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions. To get a detailed analysis of the regional factors driving the Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement Report: Download the sample report now! Subscribe to our "Free Limited Period Starter Procurement Plan" to get the following: View 6 full reports View 800+ report samples Pre-order upcoming reports Dedicated account manager Subscribe Now! Most Adopted Procurement Strategies by Buyers Across the Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement Market The report provides a detailed insight of the most adopted procurement strategies by buyers across industries and analysis of these strategies with respect to innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adoption of these procurement strategies will enable the buyers to reduce category TCO and achieve cost savings, while sourcing for thermal equipment requirements. To get the exact information on various procurement strategies: Get the FREE Sample Report Now! This Warehouse Management System Sourcing and Procurement Market report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers, for instance: Am I engaging with the right suppliers? Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers? Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for? What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx? Our Top Selling Procurement Reports: Deep Sea Freight - Forecast and Analysis: The asset recovery services will grow at a CAGR of 2.55% during 2022-2026. A.P. Moller - Maersk AS, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Yang Ming Marine Transport. are among the prominent suppliers in deep sea freight market. Click here to download the free sample of this report. Road Freight Transportation Services Sourcing and Procurement Report: Warehouse Management System Procurement Market, prices will increase by 3%-6% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report. Fleet 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 fleet management services requirements. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report. 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 Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge MONTREAL, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - World Design Organization (WDO) announced today that internationally renowned designer and gerontologist Dr. Patricia Moore has been named as the recipient of the 2022 World Design Medal for her significant contributions to the advancement of the industrial design profession. As a pioneering figure in design, Dr. Patricia Moore is a leading authority on consumer lifespan behaviours and requirements. For a period of three years from 1979 to 1982, Moore travelled throughout the United States and Canada disguised as women of more than 80 years of age. This experience of responding to people, products, and environments as an elder enabled an empathetic approach to design that informed much of her future work, from NASA to Whirlpool. "Patricia represents an inspiration to many, and her decades-long career stands a testament to her commitment to accessible and inclusive design," stated WDO President David Kusuma. "WDO is honoured to take this opportunity to recognize her leadership, creativity and intellect that to this day, continues to have a profound impact on the industrial design landscape and the designers of tomorrow." Following a public call for nominations, Moore was selected from among a list of nominees representing 11 countries around the world by the World Design Medal Selection Committee. The committee, composed of members of the WDO and Board of Directors and Senators , acknowledged Moore's many years of dedicated service and her impact on the design community as a whole. "To live life with the blessing of a creative career is a joy that defies description, but to have the support of the family that is the WDO is the greatest gift of all," stated Patricia Moore. "I have no doubt that as we emerge from a crippling global pandemic, the WDO will provide for systematic dignity, equity and recovery with the leadership that can only be achieved by Design." The official World Design Medal presentation will take place on 29 June 2022 on the occasion of World Industrial Design Day, during WDO's 24-hour virtual event let's talk: leadership. Moore will join the programme to share her insight on the topic of design leadership as part of a 30-minute session moderated by WDO President, David Kusuma. To register for this special event, please visit: https://hopin.com/events/world-industrial-design-day-2022 . More information on the World Design Medal can be found by visiting https://wdo.org/programmes/world-design-medal/ . About World Design Organization World Design Organization (WDO) is an international non-governmental organization and the international voice for industrial design. We advocate for Design for a Better World, promoting and sharing knowledge of industrial design-driven innovation that enhances the economic, social, cultural, and environmental quality of life. Today, WDO services over 185 member organizations, representing thousands of industrial designers around the world. WDO.org About World Design Medal The World Design Medal was established in 2017 on the occasion of WDO's 60th anniversary to honour an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the industrial design profession. The award recognizes the impact one designer has had on their peers, in their local design community and internationally. SOURCE World Design Organization Adding new excitement to the MIR continent, Bicheon Heist will occur every Friday from 10pm to 11pm starting July 1. Bicheon Castle's underground Darksteel vault has been opened and the clan that rules over Bicheon Castle, together with their allies, must defend against the schemes of the Heisters who seek to plunder Darksteel from the vault. Top 20 clans in the server that are not allied with the Defenders are able to participate as Heisters. If the Heisters destroy the Iron Gate blocking the entrance to the Darksteel vault and defeat the menacing Master Guardian 'Cheol Mujin' who guards the Darksteel, numerous Darksteel Boxes will be theirs for the taking. Additional rewards such as Legendary Treasure Pieces, Mystic Stones, and Darkened Stones containing materials required to craft Legendary-grade Spirit Treasures can also be obtained. Exclusive missions for Expedition content have also been added. Players can experience more diverse missions across servers and will receive bountiful loot to help progress their characters as they complete these missions. Dark Crown Prince Wooska, a new Legendary Wind Spirit will also be introduced through the update. This Legendary Wind Spirit is extremely tough and highly specialized in physical defense. To commemorate the release of the Dark Crown Prince Wooska, a Special Summon tab will become available until the July 26th update. When a Legendary Spirit is summoned through the Special Summon during this period, players will have a 100% chance of obtaining the new Spirit, Dark Crown Prince Wooska. From my battle to our war! More information about MIR4 can be found on the official site. SOURCE Wemade Buy Our Report Now for complete insights on the market landscape, regional growth opportunities, and much more. Market Dynamics The market is driven by the increasing number of product launches. In addition, the increasing demand for Irish whiskey and American bourbon is expected to have a positive impact on the market during the forecast period. However, the increasing consumption of other alcoholic beverages, such as vodka, rum, brandy, and others will reduce the growth potential in the market. Vendor Landscape The global whiskey market is fragmented due to the presence of many regional and international players. The vendors are adopting growth strategies such as new product launches and M&As to remain competitive in the market. Technavio identifies the following as the key players in the global whiskey market. Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd.: The company offers Stering, Officers choice blue, and others. The company offers Stering, Officers choice blue, and others. Bacardi Ltd.: The company offers Maestros de Ron BACARDI as its key product. The company offers Maestros de Ron BACARDI as its key product. Beam Suntory Inc.: The company offers Beam Suntory Whiskies. The company offers Beam Suntory Whiskies. Brown Forman Corp.: The company offers popular brand Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. The company offers popular brand Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. Constellation Brands Inc.: The company offers Casa Noble whiskey as its key product. View Our Report Sample to identify other dominant players and factors impacting their growth. Key Segments Whiskey Market Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2025) Scotch whiskey - size and forecast 2020-2025 American whiskey - size and forecast 2020-2025 Canadian whiskey - size and forecast 2020-2025 Irish whiskey - size and forecast 2020-2025 Others - size and forecast 2020-2025 The scotch whiskey segment will have the largest share in the market. The increasing demand for Scotch whiskey from the middle-class consumer segment is driving the growth of the segment. In addition, the rising demand for premium Scotch whiskey will further accelerate the growth of the segment. Whiskey Market Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2025) Off trade - size and forecast 2020-2025 On trade - size and forecast 2020-2025 The off-trade segment accounted for the maximum revenue generation in the market in 2021. The market growth in the segment will be significant during the forecast period. Whiskey Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2025) APAC - size and forecast 2020-2025 North America - size and forecast 2020-2025 - size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - size and forecast 2020-2025 - size and forecast 2020-2025 South America - size and forecast 2020-2025 - size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - size and forecast 2020-2025 About 51% of the market growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. Factors such as increasing disposable incomes, westernization, and changes in lifestyles are driving the growth of the regional market. Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a Sample Report Related Reports: Whiskey Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.64% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 28.67 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.00 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, MEA, APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 51% Key consumer countries India, US, Thailand, Canada, France, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd., Bacardi Ltd., Beam Suntory Inc., Brown Forman Corp., Constellation Brands Inc., Davide Campari Milano Spa, Diageo Plc, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Pernod Ricard SA, and William Grant and Sons Ltd. 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 Distillers and Vintners market 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 Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million) 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 buyers 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers 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 Product 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 15: Product - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 16: Comparison by Product 5.3 Scotch whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 17: Scotch whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 18: Scotch whiskey - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.4 American whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 19: American whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 20: American whiskey - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.5 Canadian whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 21: Canadian whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 22: Canadian whiskey - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.6 Irish Whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 23: Irish Whiskey - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 24: Irish Whiskey - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 25: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 26: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 5.8 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 27: Market opportunity by Product 6 Market Segmentation by Distribution channel 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 28: Distribution channel - Market share 2020-2025 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Distribution channel Exhibit 29: Comparison by Distribution channel 6.3 Off trade - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 30: Off trade - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 31: Off trade - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 6.4 On trade - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 32: On trade - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 33: On trade - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 6.5 Market opportunity by Distribution channel Exhibit 34: Market opportunity by Distribution channel 7 Customer landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 8.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 36: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%) 8.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 37: Geographic comparison 8.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 38: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 39: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 8.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 40: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 41: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 8.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 42: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 8.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 44: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 45: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 8.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 46: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million) Exhibit 47: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%) 8.8 Key leading countries Exhibit 48: Key leading countries 8.9 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 49: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 9.1 Market drivers 9.2 Market challenges Exhibit 50: Impact of drivers and challenges 9.3 Market trends 10 Vendor Landscape 10.1 Vendor Landscape Exhibit 51: Vendor landscape 10.2 Landscape disruption Exhibit 52: Landscape disruption Exhibit 53: Industry risks 10.3 Competitive landscape 11 Vendor Analysis 11.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 54: Vendors covered 11.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 55: Market positioning of vendors 11.3 Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 56: Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 57: Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 58: Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 11.4 Bacardi Ltd. Exhibit 59: Bacardi Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 60: Bacardi Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 61: Bacardi Ltd. - Key offerings 11.5 Beam Suntory Inc. Exhibit 62: Beam Suntory Inc. - Overview Exhibit 63: Beam Suntory Inc. - Product and service Exhibit 64: Beam Suntory Inc. - Key offerings 11.6 Brown Forman Corp. Exhibit 65: Brown Forman Corp. - Overview Exhibit 66: Brown Forman Corp. - Product and service Exhibit 67: Brown Forman Corp. - Key offerings 11.7 Constellation Brands Inc. Exhibit 68: Constellation Brands Inc. - Overview Exhibit 69: Constellation Brands Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 70: Constellation Brands Inc. Key news Exhibit 71: Constellation Brands Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 72: Constellation Brands Inc. - Segment focus 11.8 Davide Campari Milano Spa Exhibit 73: Davide Campari Milano Spa - Overview Exhibit 74: Davide Campari Milano Spa - Business segments Exhibit 75: Davide Campari Milano Spa - Key offerings Exhibit 76: Davide Campari Milano Spa - Segment focus 11.9 Diageo Plc Exhibit 77: Diageo Plc - Overview Exhibit 78: Diageo Plc - Business segments Exhibit 79: Diageo Plc Key news Exhibit 80: Diageo Plc - Key offerings Exhibit 81: Diageo Plc - Segment focus 11.10 LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Exhibit 82: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton - Overview Exhibit 83: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton - Business segments Exhibit 84: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton - Key offerings Exhibit 85: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton - Segment focus 11.11 Pernod Ricard SA Exhibit 86: Pernod Ricard SA - Overview Exhibit 87: Pernod Ricard SA - Product and service Exhibit 88: Pernod Ricard SA Key news Exhibit 89: Pernod Ricard SA - Key offerings 11.12 William Grant and Sons Ltd. and Sons Ltd. Exhibit 90: William Grant and Sons Ltd. - Overview and Sons Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 91: William Grant and Sons Ltd. - Product and service and Sons Ltd. - Product and service Exhibit 92: William Grant and Sons Ltd. - Key offerings 12 Appendix 12.1 Scope of the report 12.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 93: Currency conversion rates for US$ 12.3 Research methodology Exhibit 94: Research Methodology Exhibit 95: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 96: Information sources 12.4 List of abbreviations Exhibit 97: List of abbreviations About Technavio 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 "As a European airport leader for business aviation, Paris-Le Bourget airport has always been a pioneer in the aviation world; through this enthusiastic initiative led by World Fuel with Neste, we stay at the forefront of innovation and decarbonization," said Sebastien Couturier, managing director, Paris-Le Bourget Airport within Groupe ADP. "This new service will allow us to complete the biofuel offer available on our platform, putting us in a unique position in Europe. This is an excellent signal, which attests to the transition underway in business aviation." Becoming an authorized branded distributor builds on World Fuel's ongoing commitment to developing innovative sustainability solutions for the aviation industry, which is exemplified by supporting customers in Europe with solutions and services such as: As one of the first companies to have blended SAF in the UK, World Fuel provides Farnborough Airport (EGLF) in Hampshire, England , with a supply of SAF from Neste. , with a supply of SAF from Neste. World Fuel managed Bremen Airport's (EDDW) fuel storage facility upgrade by converting an existing Avgas tank into a SAF tank and supplying a dedicated refueller asset to support Airbus' Beluga flight operations. At Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (LFBO), the company supported Airbus by delivering blended and 100% SAF for engine testing. World Fuel supplied SAF to the Royal Air Force Brize Norton in support of the Autumn Royal Tour and provided Boeing with SAF for flights related to the UK and the Middle East . "World Fuel is committed to the industry's goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50%. Working together with Neste to expand the global supply chain of SAF furthers that commitment," said Duncan Storey, vice president, supply aviation Europe, World Fuel Services. "We will continue to invest in creating innovative solutions and expanding renewable and lower-emission fuels and energy offerings." Neste's market-leading Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is fully certified for use and produced from 100% renewable and sustainable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. In its neat form and over its life cycle, Neste's SAF can reduce GHG emissions up to 80%* compared to fossil jet fuel use. "SAF is a key element in achieving the aviation industry's emission reduction goals. Neste is leading the transformation to SAF and increasing its global SAF production capacity to 1.5 million tons per annum in 2023," said Jonathan Wood, vice president Europe, renewable aviation, Neste. "Partnering with World Fuel at Paris-Le Bourget Airport underlines our commitment to business aviation and supports the French government's ambitions for a more sustainable aviation industry." Since 2015, World Fuel has delivered more than 27 million gallons of SAF to business and commercial aviation customers worldwide. Becoming an authorized branded distributor of Neste's SAF furthers the broader adoption of cleaner fuels that will help advance the industry on its path to net zero. *Calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology To learn more about World Fuel's efforts to create a more sustainable world, please visit https://aviation.World Fuelcorp.com/sustainability . About World Fuel Services Corporation Headquartered in Miami, Florida, World Fuel Services is a global energy management company involved in providing supply fulfillment, energy procurement advisory services, and transaction and payment management solutions to commercial and industrial customers worldwide. World Fuel Services sells and delivers liquid fuels, natural gas, electricity, renewable energy, and other sustainability solutions to its clients at more than 8,000 locations in more than 200 countries and territories through its Marine, Aviation, and World Kinect Energy Services divisions. For more information, visit www.wfscorp.com or www.world-kinect.com . About Neste Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. We refine waste, residues and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials. We are the world's leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel and developing chemical recycling to combat the plastic waste challenge. We aim at helping customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with our renewable and circular solutions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030. Our ambition is to make the Porvoo oil refinery in Finland the most sustainable refinery in Europe by 2030. We are introducing renewable and recycled raw materials such as liquefied waste plastic as refinery raw materials. We have committed to reaching carbon-neutral production by 2035, and we will reduce the carbon emission intensity of sold products by 50% by 2040. We also have set high standards for biodiversity, human rights and supply chain. We have consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies. In 2021, Neste's revenue stood at EUR 15.1 billion. Read more: neste.com SOURCE World Fuel Services A Major Hardware Milestone for X-Bow Systems ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- X-Bow Systems Inc. (X-Bow), a new non-traditional small business supplier of Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) and defense technologies, announced today that its Pathfinder I, a mobile energetics factory demonstration unit (aka Rocket Factory In-A-Box) will be delivered this month to the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Edwards, California. Pathfinder I is part of X-Bow's groundbreaking, low-cost additive manufacturing approach to solid rocket motors, developed in conjunction with, and as part of, AFRL's Eternal Quiver Program. X-Bow's Rocket Factory In-a-Box (RFIB) Pathfinder I is an inert demonstration unit of a mobile, containerized Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) "factory" that combines innovative design, automation, and additive manufacturing techniques. Pathfinder I operates in a small footprint and greatly increases flexibility in the manufacturing and fielding of rockets to specific missions. The X-Bow approach removes many design constraints and delays that are inherent to the current methods of producing SRMs. X-Bow's design and modular manufacturing techniques, together with state-of-the-art automation and digital engineering, enable affordable rocket propulsion anytime, anywhere. "Advanced propulsion technology, cutting-edge manufacturing, and our talented and dedicated team of engineers are critical to developing next-generation rocket solutions," said Jill Marsh, RFIB Program Manager at X-Bow System. "Over the next several years, X-Bow aims to work together with AFRL to identify projects and technologies to evolve the Pathfinder I capability for use in defense and other applications." "I look forward to our continued collaboration with X-Bow Systems and witnessing their technology change and modernize how we manufacture solid rocket motors. We eagerly look forward to receiving the world's first Rocket Factory In-a-Box Pathfinder and evaluating the amazing potential this technology brings to our mission. The pace of the world's threats and evolution of capabilities means we cannot stand still. This demonstration unit will allow us to redefine what solid rocket motor production means in the 21st century," said Dr Shawn Phillips, Chief Rocket Propulsion Division of AFRL Rocket Lab, located at Edwards AFB, CA. "X-Bow is poised to deliver the world's first tactical mobile energetics factory demonstration unit. The significance of this technology and what it could do to enable tactical responsive space access, increase the solid rocket motor industrial base resiliency and production capacity, shorten the design and production timelines and radically lower the cost for hypersonics, tactical missiles, missile defense and other commercial applications is now a significant step closer with this AFRL backed endeavor," states X-Bow CEO Jason P. Hundley. "We look forward to demonstrating its capabilities and further collaboration with AFRL Edwards in radically pushing the paradigm of solid rocket motor design development forward." For information on the goals and key benefits behind this program, please go to AFRL's website to learn more. ABOUT X-BOW SYSTEMS X-Bow Systems (X-Bow) is disrupting the aerospace industry with innovative and cost-effective additively manufactured energetics for the solid rocket motor and launch vehicle market. X-Bow is also designing and building a suite of modular solid rocket motors and small launch vehicles for both orbital and suborbital launch services. X-Bow is led by CEO Jason Hundley and a growing team of seasoned industry veterans and new space entrepreneurs. Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, X-Bow has additional presence in California, Alabama, Colorado, Texas, and Washington DC. X-Bow is actively recruiting talented and determined individuals to join its team. For more information visit www.xbowsystems.com ABOUT AFRL The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com SOURCE X-Bow Systems SHENZHEN, China, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 27, "2022 Qianhai Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" was officially kicked off, marking the start of series of activities "Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation to Create the Future" to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, according to Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. For many ambitious young people, this promises more opportunities and a better start. Sunny Zhou, a young lady from Guangdong, is director of a Macao-funded company. Her project won the silver medal in the finals of the competition last year. "The contest has provided us an opportunity to meet many industry experts and entrepreneurial partners from different places, and has brought us new ideas for entrepreneurship," said Sunny Zhou. To provide greater support to participants, this year's competition is fully upgraded. The winning projects can directly advance to the Industry Finals of China (Shenzhen) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Professional mentors are introduced to provide one-on-one counseling. Besides, the winners can be given priority to settle in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub (QSHKYIEH) and enjoy relevant preferential policies. The event will also carry out activities such as Creator Camp, Entrepreneurial Counseling Sessions and Investment Matchmaking Sessions to build a good platform for the youth to communicate, cooperate and advance. The competition has set four sub-regions, with a total prize of more than CNY7 million. The event has been held for six consecutive years since 2016, taking in altogether about 6,000 entries, including nearly 3,000 from Hong Kong, Macao and other places. By promoting the transformation of relevant scientific and technological achievements, Qianhai has become a "dream-big place" for many youths. Lee Jee Bong from Hong Kong, who has once taken part in the contest, is one of such entrepreneurs in Qianhai. Last year, the project of his company was awarded the silver prize in the Enterprise Growth Category of the competition finals. "The technical requirements of our product are high, and we need plenty of professional talents. Qianhai has policies and services appealing to talents, so excellent heads and minds gather. It is easy to get access to the Greater Bay Area and the broader domestic market. That's why we are based here," said Lee Jee Bong. "QSHKYIEH is where our dream started and will be the place where we can fulfill our dream," said Lee Jee Bong. The QSHKYIEH he mentioned is well-renowned in Hong Kong's entrepreneurial youth circle and considered by many Hong Kongers as the first choice to start a business. Here, a whole chain of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem has been established with "six chains in one": innovative chain, industrial chain, capital chain, policy chain, information chain and talent chain, and a large number of young entrepreneurial teams from Hong Kong have concentrated here. By the end of May, 2022, QSHKYIEH has incubated a total of 591 entrepreneurial teams. Recently, Qianhai continues to advance the construction of various areas for the QSHKYIEH to provide more space for young entrepreneurial people; meanwhile, a series of support measures such as issuing special support funds for Hong Kong and Macao youth, implementing 15% corporate income tax, foreign investment incentives, office rent subsidies, etc. to shore up youth entrepreneurship. At the launching ceremony of the competition, Qianhai released nine practical benefits for Hong Kongers, covering housing, entrepreneurship, services, employment, platform, scientific innovation, finance, settlement, livelihood, etc., aiming to provide comprehensive support for Hong Kongers and Hong Kong enterprises to develop in Qianhai, and to provide facilitations for youths to do business in Shenzhen. "Qianhai is the bridgehead of Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation and the first stop for Hong Kong youth to develop in the mainland. I hope more Hong Kong youth can pursue their dreams and fulfill them in Qianhai and the Greater Bay Area," said Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, at the launch ceremony. SOURCE Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC is a world leader in the development and marketing of scientifically proven technologies to improve plastic and rubber products to protect human health and the environment. These technologies are sold through an international network of distributors and agents. The company also sells a range of finished products containing these technologies and a comprehensive range of traditional flexible plastic products. Coro Energy PLC (AIM:CORO) chair James Parsons says volatility in energy markets presents huge opportunity for the company. In its results statement, Parsons described Coro as a micro-cap company with gas production, gas reserves and a growing clean energy portfolio, and said it's been boosted by the re-birth of its Italian gas portfolio thanks to higher European gas prices. At the same time, the company seeks to monetise its Duyung PSC asset, host to the Mako gas field offshore Indonesia, along with the development of renewable energy ventures in South East Asia. Our strategy remains to monetise the Duyung PSC, use the Italian cash flows, which more than covers the Company's G&A costs, and invest selectively in South East Asian renewables and high graded Italian production enhancement opportunities, Parsons said. In terms of operation highlights for the financial year, ended December 31 2021, the company noted that it had established a basic operating infrastructure in the Philippines and initiated planning and permitting activities for its renewable energy business. At Mako, 15% owned by Coro, it continued work with the operator which is progressing key commercial workstreams including preparation of an updated plan of development and signing of a binding gas sales agreement. It entered into a new venture in Vietnam to develop rooftop solar projects and initiated a 3MW pilot including signing a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement for the pilot Coro raised US$5.5mln of new equity during the year, to fund its low-carbon energy investments. Mark Hood was appointed as chief executive, and, in the current financial year the company successfully restructured a 22.5mln Eurobond, which will now mature in April 2024. The company told investors it is extremely confident in what can be achieved in 2022. In terms of financials, the company reported a US$6.5mln loss for the year including what it said was only a slight increase in G&A costs, offset by a US$1.6mln gain on foreign exchange (due to dollar strength against the Euro). Production of Italian gas led to US$200,000 of revenues in 2021, and, the company said it continued to focus on minimising costs in the year. It ended December with US$3.3mln of cash and equivalents. Jangada Mines PLC (AIM:JAN) moved into profit in 2021 helped by the sale of its Pedra Branca project in Brazil. AIM-traded Jangada posted a pretax profit of US$92,000 compared with a loss of US$2.3mln in 2020. It sold the Pedra Branca project to ValOre Metals (TSX-V:VO) Corp and gained a significant shareholding in ValOre, which it subsequently sold down over the year to help finance the development of its Pitombeiras vanadium project in Brazil. Jangada said it made great progress on its Pitombeiras project during the year. It carried out drilling programmes, metallurgical tests, and airborne magnetic surveys to delineate drilling targets and also reported an initial NI 43-101-compliant resource estimate for the project. In April this year, the company provided an updated technical report with the inclusion of the titanium component at Pitombeiras. READ: Jangada Mines unveils updated technical report for Pitombeiras project The group's key strategic goal is to progress the Pitombeiras operations through to production and future cash flow generative, which would be opportune at these times when we see peak iron ore prices and recovering vanadium prospects, said executive chairman Brian McMaster. The timing of the construction of the plant is at this stage unknown due to the ongoing assessment of the project and, if considered economic, the need to access funding. This ongoing assessment and the sourcing of funding are matters the board will be considering over the next 3-9 months. Whilst it is a strategy the board is seeking to pursue, it is too early to say definitively whether the project will move into the production phase in 2022, he concluded. Jangada ended 2021 with cash and cash equivalents of US$3.59mln. Novacyt SA (AIM:NCYT, OTC:NVYTF, EPA:ALNOV) is heading higher after unveiling a test for monkeypox. The diagnostics company has launched a research-use-only assay in response to the recent outbreak of the virus in non-endemic countries. Chief executive David Allmond said: "Whilst the risk of transmission of the disease to humans currently remains low, we believe our RUO assays are important tools to assist scientists and clinicians diagnose and monitor emerging infectious disease threats. "The launch of this new assay further demonstrates Novacyt's strength as a global first responder, in line with our strategy, as well as our commitment to expanding our portfolio in infectious disease." 2.36pm: Autins falls into loss and wary on outlook Autins Group PLC (AIM:AUTG), which makes insulation for the automotive and other industries, has gone into reverse. The firm has reported a 31.5% fall in half year revenues to 9.39mln and a loss after tax of 1.38mln, compared to a 0.01mln profit. It felt the impact of a shortage of semiconductors on its target automotive market, as well as supply chain disruption and rising costs, made worse by the Ukraine war. Chief executive Gareth Kaminski-Cook said: "OEMs continue to report record levels of order backlogs and the market expects new semi-conductor capacity to begin to ease during the latter part of 2022 after which an automotive market recovery should begin. In addition, the underlying demand for our flooring products remains positive and we continue to develop into other markets with dedicated resource. "There is little doubt that we are now entering a period of high-cost inflation and we will continue to take actions to mitigate the impact on margins through efficiency improvements, purchasing cost control and price increases... "Whilst it can be expected that the Ukraine war could suppress the trajectory of market recovery, the medium-term outlook remains positive." Its shares are down 12.12% to 14.5p. 12.50pm: Naked Wines cheered by chairman's share purchase Naked Wines PLC (AIM:WINE, OTCQX:NWINF) is toasting a share purchase by chairman Darryl Rawlings. The shares are up 5.72% to 160.8p after Rawlings bought 74,500 shares on the US over the counter market at US1.93 each, worth a total of US$143,785. After the deal he holds a 0.12% stake in the business. 11.53am: Abingdon Health soars after settlement with Department of Health Abingdon Health PLC (AIM:ABDX) has surged after a settlement with the Department for Health and Social Care on outstanding invoices relating to lateral flow tests and component stock. The full and final settlement means the DHSC will pay 6.3mln in cash before 22 July, with 1.5mln of this held under charge until the outcome of a judicial review is known. It will also transfer to Abingdon all the outstanding component stock procured on behalf of the DHSC in 2020/1. There will be joint ownership of the intellectual property of the AbC-19 COVID-19 antibody test, and a lower royalty payable to DHSC on sales of the test. The cash received from the DHSC will provide additional working capital, as well as funding the company's various growth initiatives. Abingdon shares have jumped 60.53% to 15.25p on the news. 10.56am: CloudCoCo climbs on positive outlook CloudCoCo PLC (AIM:CLCO) has seen its shares climb after an upbeat statement. Half year revenues at the company - which specialises in IT services and communications solutions - rose 183% to 11.6mln, while gross profit more than doubled from 1.6mln to 3.5mln. Chief executive Mark Halpin said: "The integration and optimisation of our four acquisitions is now largely complete, and with that we are moving through the second half in a strong position, with all parts of the group pulling in the same direction and on an exciting trajectory. "We are now a very different proposition to a year ago, with an expanded customer base; increased capability; significantly larger sales, support and technical teams; a focus on cross-selling; and several forward-thinking strategic initiatives that are already delivering. "With the marked headway that has been made, we expect to see additional growth in trading performance in the second half as our pipeline of larger multi-year deals is continuing to grow. "There is still work to be done to enable the group to reach its full potential and the macro-economic environment remains unpredictable, but with the hard work that has taken place in the first half to lay the foundations for sustainable and profitable growth in the future, we are confident of continued progress in the second half and moving into 2023." Its shares are up 9.52% at 1.37p. 10.21am: Oxford BioDynamics slumps by a fifth Oxford BioDynamics PLC (AIM:OBD) has dropped sharply after increased losses and a warning it might need more funding. The biotech company - which has just launched its flagship EpiSwitch CiRT product in the UK and US - saw half year revenues fall from 0.25mln to 0.09mln and its losses rise from 3.5mln to 4.1mln. Cash and long term deposits fell from 8.1mln a year ago to 4.6mln despite a 3.62mln fundraising in October. Chief financial officer Paul Stockdale said there continued to be doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern. He said: "The total cash and fixed-term deposits are relatively low compared to the group's ongoing cost base and the group will need to generate increased revenue and/or additional funding during the remainder of the calendar year "Early uptake of EpiSwitch CiRT has been encouraging, as have recent developments such as the signing of a master service agreement with a top-10 pharma company. "At the date of this report, the quantum and timing of likely revenue from these developments remains difficult to predict "Accordingly..the board has concluded (as it did in the annual reports for the years ended 30 September 2020 and 30 September 2021) that there continues to be a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt on the group's ability to continue as a going concern." Its shares are down 22.58% at 12p. 9.33am: Orosur Mining shines after positive report from Argentina project Orosur Mining Inc (AIM:OMI, TSX-V:OMI) is in demand after an upbeat mining report. The gold company announced positive assay results from a soil sampling program at the La Esfinge prospect at El Pantano in Argentina, with encouraging results in both scale and composition. Work will now be paused until after the winter recess which is expected to last until early September. Orosur chief executive Brad George said: "It is early days at El Pantano, but it is highly encouraging to obtain such positive results from what is essentially an untouched grass roots project. We look forward to returning after the winter, but work so far has supported our strategy of carefully selecting attractive earlier stage projects on the best possible terms." Orosur's shares have added 5% to 8.4p. 8.40am: Wandisco wanted after it signs its largest ever contract Wandisco PLC (AIM:WAND) has seen its shares dance higher after signing its largest ever contract. The data activation specialist has won an US$11.6mln deal with a top ten global communications company - one of the world's largest suppliers of internet of things applications - with 50% of the price be paid in advance. This is Wandisco's third consecutive deal with this customer, worth a total of US$14.3mln. Chief executive David Richards said: "The general availability of our product and its unique capability in moving data seamlessly, at scale to the cloud, gives us confidence that we will win more critical IoT migration contracts and take market share." Its shares are up 11.52% at 300p. Elsewhere Kore Potash PLC (AIM:KP2, ASX:KP2, JSE:KP2) has climbed 10% to 1.38p. The company has signed heads of agreement with SEPCO Electric Power Construction Corporation for the construction of its 97% owned Kola Potash project in the Republic of Congo. Mode Global Holdings PLC (LSE:MODE, OTCQB:MODGF), the fintech company, said it achieved its aim of substantially increasing its user base in 2021. The company highlighted that the number of users grew by 251% from the year before with 70% of trading customers being repeat buyers. Trading volume increased by 732% compared to the same period in 2020. On average, Mode customers had a trading volume of 2,995, and an average Bitcoin balance of 1,330. In 2022, Mode will look to increase its app's user base and grow revenue, as it seeks to offer services to people at all levels of the crypto spectrum, from crypto curious to crypto native. In preparation for 2022's growth, Mode has extensively expanded and developed its risk management framework. In addition, Mode, which has a market capitalisation of 7.5mln, has received irrevocable commitments from new and existing investors to subscribe for 1.94mln of convertible loan notes. The loan notes, which carry a coupon of 8%, are convertible into ordinary shares. An increase in revenue in 2021 to 1.31mln from 450,000 in 2020 was accompanied by an increase in administrative costs to 5.86mln due to higher people costs of 4.16mln and share option expenses of 743,000. Advertising spend rose to 1.39mln from 188,000 in 2020. 2021 was a big year for Mode. Our aim was to grow our user base and give them the products they want. Put simply, we achieved what we set out to do, said Rita Liu, the chief executive officer of Mode. Mode is a rarity on the LSE - a crypto-driven fintech which has obtained regulatory oversight via EMI and FCA registration. Those accreditations demonstrate that we are leading the way in the UK's digital asset industry. The prudent and sustainable approach we have adopted from day one will also help the firm navigate current market volatility, thanks to our strong risk management framework. Clearly, 2021 has been a year of innovation, development and growth and we will continue to build on this momentum in 2022,2 she added. Jonathan Rowland, the chair of Mode, was pleased by the results. The focus in 2021 was on product development and growth. The delivery of these ambitious growth plans did see operating costs increase in 2021. A combination of hiring more talent and costs associated with advertising and the listing saw these go up as we anticipated they would, Rowland said. However, the revenue increases we are reporting are a clear indicator that our proposition is a compelling one. In addition, our successful oversubscribed convertible loan also shows that despite recent market volatility in crypto and tech, Mode continues to attract strong interest from the investor community. Mode is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of crypto adoption and evolution and as a business, we are primed for fast future growth in 2022 and beyond," he added. Shares in Mode were down 1.125p at 7.125p after an hour of trading. Croda International PLC (LSE:CRDA) said the US government agreed to provide up to US$75mln to expand the company's US manufacturing capacity of ingredients for lipid systems used in novel therapeutic drugs, such as mRNA vaccines. Croda itself will invest up to US$58mln in the project, bringing the total investment to US$133mln, the company said in a statement. A new lipid facility will be set up as part of a new multi-purpose current Good Manufacturing Practice' (cGMP) site in Lamar, Pennsylvania. Construction is expected to start later this year, with the new capacity anticipated in 2025. It will be Crodas third manufacturing site for lipid systems, alongside existing facilities in Alabaster, Alabama, and Leek in the UK. Lipid systems offer significant potential as the delivery system for a wide range of nucleic acid applications, including novel mRNA-based therapeutics, such as flu vaccines and cancer treatments, Croda noted. Given the scale of the current clinical development pipeline, the company expects the market for lipid systems to grow significantly over the next 10 years. It said the Lamar facility will support US preparedness for future health emergencies, by providing enough capacity to produce the necessary components for vaccine manufacture. "We are grateful to the US government for its support of Croda, said Daniele Piergentili, president of Croda Life Sciences. The delivery technology based on lipid systems offers significant potential for the safe and efficient delivery of next generation vaccines and therapeutic drugs. As a result of this investment, Croda will be able to expand its capabilities to develop and manufacture ingredients in support of this important technology. This will help ensure that the US is well prepared for future health emergencies and equipped to offer advanced treatments for some of the most prevalent illnesses in the world today." Nicole Kilgore, deputy joint program executive officer for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense, added: "The US government is pleased to be a part of these industrial base expansion efforts to expand production of raw materials for mRNA vaccines." London's Heathrow Airport has been told by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) it must reduce passenger charges for airlines by around 6% over the next five years. In its final proposals published today, the regulator said the average maximum price per passenger that airlines will pay Heathrow will fall from 30.19 today to 26.31 in 2026. The decision follows a dispute between the airport and the airlines over the price cap. Heathrow had reportedly called for the cap to range from 32 to 43 per passenger. Although the charges are paid by airlines, they can be passed onto passengers via airfares. The CAA said the charges reflect expected increases in passenger numbers as the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic continues and the higher level of the price cap in 2022, which was put in place in 2021 to reflect the challenges from the pandemic. It said its proposals will enable the airport to deal with uncertainty over passenger numbers, while also allowing it to invest. "We have listened very carefully to both Heathrow Airport and the airlines who have differing views to each other about the future level of charges, said CAA chief executive Richard Moriarty. Our independent and impartial analysis balances affordable charges for consumers, while allowing Heathrow to make the investment needed for the future." But Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said the regulator "continues to underestimate what it takes to deliver a good passenger service, both in terms of the level of investment and operating costs required and the fair incentive needed for private investors to finance it". "Uncorrected, these elements of the CAA's proposal will only result in passengers getting a worse experience at Heathrow as investment in service dries up," he said. 28 June 2022 *A corporate client of Hybridan LLP Dish of the day Joiners: No Joiners Today. Leavers: Raven Property Group has left the Main Market. Whats cooking in the IPO kitchen? Immediate acquisitions (IME.L) is to re-join AIM via a Reverse Takeover of Fiinu Holdings Limited. Once complete the Company is proposing to change its name to Fiinu Group plc. Fiinu intends to be a provider of a consumer banking product, the Plugin Overdraft , which is designed to provide customers with an overdraft facility without having to change their current account or request an overdraft from their existing bank. Fiinu's technology arm manages and develops the platform, using open banking, and once the platform is fully operational will also look to develop secondary revenue streams by licensing Fiinu's intellectual property rights. Capital to be raised 8.01m. Target Mkt Cap c.53m. Due 8 July Visum Technologies seeking admission to The AQSE Growth Market. The Company's business is to own and operate an "on-ride" video and photographic camera system that it sells and/or licenses to customers (being theme parks, ride manufacturers, souvenir imaging providers, and other leisure operators). Due 30 June. LifeSafe Holdings (PRIVATE-UK:LSH), a fire safety technology business with innovative fire safety products, intends to join AIM. LifeSafe has developed what the Directors believe to be market disrupting, eco-friendly fire safety protection products to both protect (via fire extinguishers) and detect (via carbon monoxide, smoke and heat alarms) fires. At the centre of the Group's product range is the FER1000 extinguishing fluid, which has been developed by LifeSafe to extinguish five different types of fire: electrical, paper, textiles, cooking oil, and petrol and diesel. The Group's best-selling product using this patent pending extinguishing fluid is the StaySafe 5-in-1 fire extinguisher. It was launched on Amazon Prime in the UK in August 2021 and subsequently became Amazon Prime's top selling fire extinguisher in the UK in the same month. In n the year ended 31 December 2021, the Group generated revenues of 670k and a loss post taxation of 1.5m. 3m to be raised. Due early July 2022. Altona Rare Earths (Altona Rare Earths Plc (AQSE:ANR)), the AQSE listed mining exploration Company focused on the evaluation, acquisition and development of Rare Earth Elements mining projects in Africa, intends to join the Main Market. Admission to trading of the Company's Ordinary Shares on the AQSE Growth Market will be cancelled simultaneously with Admission. It is also proposed that on Admission, the Company will change its EPIC from Altona Rare Earths Plc (AQSE:ANR) to REE. The Company also seeks to raise funds to finance its current and future rare earths mining projects in Southern and Eastern Africa. Due June 2022. Banquet Buffet Ceres Power Holdings PLC (AIM:CWR, OTC:CPWHF) 590.8p 1,131.8m Ceres, a global leader in fuel cell and electrochemical technology, has signed an agreement with Shell to deliver a megawatt scale solid oxide electrolyser (SOEC) demonstrator in 2023. Shell and Ceres are building this partnership to utilise SOEC technology to deliver high-efficiency, low-cost green hydrogen; now widely viewed as a credible route to decarbonise hard-to-abate parts of the energy system that rely on fossil fuels today. Shell is targeting to become a net-zero energy business by 2050, by reducing emissions from its operations and from the fuels and other energy products it sells to its customers. Ceres aims to produce hydrogen at efficiencies around 20% greater than other technologies, in the range of mid-80s to 90% efficiency where it is possible to make use of waste heat in industrial processes to drive high efficiency. Ceres has committed 100m for the development of its SOEC technology - with the aim of achieving a market-leading levelised cost of hydrogen of $1.5/kg by 2025. The agreement with Shell aligns with Ceres' business strategy and provides a pathway to the commercialisation and development of new markets. Crossword Cybersecurity PLC (AIM:CCS)* 28p 21.1m The cybersecurity solutions company focused on cyber strategy and risk, has announced the creation of a new integrated Supply Chain Cyber practice. In response to client demand and the substantial increase in supply chain cyber threat levels, the integrated practice provides a set of controls, processes and tools, along with a range of managed services, advice and training to massively reduce the risk of direct cyber-attacks as well as threats via third parties across a company's supply chain. The practice provides an end-to-end approach to supply chain cybersecurity and includes a standard operating model (SOM) and a substantially updated version of Rizikon Assurance, Crossword's SaaS platform used by supplier management and cybersecurity teams and across an organisation to underpin the controls, tools and data needed to reduce supply chain risk. Updated Rizikon features include automated assurance, flexible reporting and new dashboards that improve supply chain cyber assurance, risk and compliance strategy, policy and operations. Experienced cybersecurity consultant, Ryan King, has been appointed as Practice Lead and is supported by a dedicated team of experts specialising in supply chain cyber risk. DeepMatter Group PLC (AIM:DMTR) 0.12p 4.6m The digital chemistry data and software company, has acquired ChemIntelligence SAS in a transaction valuing the business at up to 0.42m. ChemIntelligence (https://chemintelligence.com/) has artificial intelligence (AI) that is used to develop chemical products and reactions faster. The business is based in Lyon, a city known as a digital centre and its strong links to France's Chemistry Valley. The acquisition brings intellectual property and expertise that complements the Group's chemical reaction data, data collection platform and AI capabilities. It will also broaden Deepmatter's technical expertise in chemical formulation, which will enable the Group to expand its offering and address a broader customer base. The two businesses will benefit from combined sales and marketing, operations, customer support and research resources. ChemIntelligence enables the prediction of the properties of molecules, materials and formulations, suggesting the most relevant experiments to perform in a secure, certified end-to-end cloud environment. ChemIntelligence unaudited revenue for the financial year ended 31 December 2021 was EUR0.12m, with profit before tax of EUR0.02m. The gross assets of the Company as at 31 December 2021 were EUR0.12m Everyman Media Group PLC (AIM:EMAN) 109p 99.4m The independent, premium cinema group, announces that William (Will) Worsdell ACA, who currently holds the role of finance director at the Company, will continue to oversee the financial activities of the Group, assuming an Executive Director position and joining the Board with immediate effect. Will joined Everyman in early May 2022, having previously held senior financial roles at several leisure and hospitality businesses including Head of Commercial Finance at Cote Brasserie. Previously, Will also worked in financial and operational planning at Heathrow for three years. Will qualified as a chartered accountant in 2014. Getech Group PLC (AIM:GTC) 23.5p 15.8m Getech, a geoenergy and green hydrogen company, has signed a 5-year extension to a multi-faceted geospatial services contract with a customer of its transitional petroleum division. The new contract has a total value of 1.65m. Services provided by Getech will include the design, implementation and management of geospatial operating systems that are essential for aboveground safety, environmental protection, and security on a large and complex asset. Adjusting the end-2021 order book position for contracts that have since converted to revenue in H1 2022, this new contract delivers significant growth in the value of Getech's current total order book - adding material recurring revenue over the next five years. Jadestone Energy PLC (AIM:JSE) 82.5p 384.2m The independent oil and gas production company focused on the Asia-Pacific region, announced the appointment of Bert-Jaap Dijkstra as Chief Financial Officer and director of the Company, effective 1 September 2022. Mr Dijkstra joins Jadestone from SBM Offshore, where he held a number of finance and management roles since 2013. Most recently he served as Group Treasurer and Director of Investor Relations. He has been directly responsible for managing all financing activities for SBM Offshore, including structuring c.US$5bln in recent project financings, managing the group's financial risk (including hedging programmes), optimisation of funding sources and corporate finance. He was voted best investor relations professional for the energy services sector in the 2019 Extel and in the 2020 and 2021 Institutional Investor surveys. Kibo Energy PLC (LSE:KIBO, JSE:KBO)* 0.1p 3.2m Kibo has reported its results for the Year Ended 31 December 2021. Total revenues were 3,245 (2020: nil) with an operating loss 24m (2020:6,473,547 loss). There was a 20,705,209 impairment loss on Mbeya Coal to Power and Mabesekwa Coal to Power projects as a result of the continuing global shift to move toward renewable energy and disregard fossil fuel assets, coupled with the Group's execution of its renewable energy strategy during the 2021 financial period. The Companys intention to dispose of coal assets in accordance with a disposal strategy that will realise value for shareholders. Renewable projects include an agreement to jointly develop a portfolio of Waste to Energy projects in South Africa with Industrial Green Energy Solutions (Pty) Ltd, which will initially develop a phased c. 8MW project for an industrial client, to be followed by six other projects at different sites, to a total generation of up to 50MW. Mediazest PLC (AIM:MDZ)* 0.08p 1.2m HY Mar 22 results from the creative audio-visual company. Revenue for the Period was 1,402,000, up 66% (2021: 846k) due to covid-19 restrictions easing and client projects resuming. Gross profit was up by 84% accordingly to 756k (2021: 410k). EBITDA was a profit of 138k (2021: loss of 49k). Net profit for the period after taxation was 40k (2021: loss of 160k). Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2022 was 46k (2021: 16k). The progress over the last 12 months and the outlook for the remainder of the financial year is encouraging. Long-term clients continue to look to expand the range and number of deployments with the Group, reflective of the high standard of delivery. At a strategic level, the Board believes adding scale to the current operational business via acquisition would unlock shareholder value and the Group continues to evaluate potential targets. Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC (AIM:SYM)* 18.8p 33.1m The global specialist in technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer and more sustainable announced a supply agreement for its d2p antimicrobial technology with Grupo Bimbo, for its manufacturers. The Agreement represents a major commercial advance in relation to d2p. Grupo Bimbo is the largest bread manufacturer in the western world. Following extensive trials of d2p-enhanced plastic bread packaging, Symphony has agreed to supply its d2p antimicrobial masterbatch to their nominated bread packaging manufacturers across the whole of the American continent for a period of 3 years (extendable by agreement). The supply of d2p in the USA (the western world's largest bread market), and in Canada, and Mexico will be exclusive, and Grupo Bimbo has first-refusal for other countries in the Americas. Tribal Group PLC (AIM:TRB) 90p 189.5m The leading provider of software and services to the international education market has signed 3 further Cloud contracts for existing customers, University of Sunderland, Birmingham City University and University for the Creative Arts, to migrate their current Tribal Student Management Systems SITS:Vision to the Tribal:Cloud, providing an improved student experience and delivering operational efficiencies for the universities. The contracts range from 3 to 5 years, with a combined total contract value of 5m. Sales momentum has continued to be positive, and the Group now expects revenue for the year ending 31 December 2022 to be marginally ahead of current Board expectations and EBITDA to be broadly in line. Head Chef: Derren Nathan 0203 764 2344 derren.nathan@hybridan.com Sous Chef: Sacha Morris sacha.morris@hybridan.com Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any specific entity and is not a personal recommendation to anyone. 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Any reference to a partner in relation to Hybridan LLP is to a member of Hybridan LLP or an employee with equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of Hybridan LLP is available for inspection at the registered office, 2 Jardine House, The Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3EX. Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr has become the first airline boss to admit to failings that may have exacerbated the current travel chaos in Europe. Spohr apologised in a letter to Lufthansa staff, suggesting that the airline may have gone too far in cost-cutting efforts, according to Reuters. He told employees that the German airline had made mistakes while saving our company and more than 100,000 jobs over the past two years. "Did we go too far in cutting costs here and there, under the pressure of the more than 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion) in pandemic-related losses? Certainly, that too," he said. Lufthansa is now in the process of hiring thousands of new staff in Europe, though the new hires are not expected to make a material difference to its operations until the winter, he added. In a statement yesterday, the airline said it was reactivating 14 mothballed Airbus A380 planes in response to increased customer demand and delivery delays. In 2020, the airline announced a series of compulsory lay-offs in response to huge losses, in addition to a pre-existing target to get rid of a fifth of leadership positions and 1,000 admin jobs. Travel chaos over the summer has led to thousands of flight cancellations in Europe and the UK, leading Gatwick to cap the number of flights through the airport. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LSE:IAG) boss Sean Doyle said in May that the aircraft carrier cancelled a tenth of its flights between March and October because of staff shortages. British American Tobacco might see its profits from e-cigarettes double due to the ban on rival Juul, according to brokers at Barclays. The UK business owns rival Vuse, which is in a prime position to pick up business from Juul customers said the broker and transform the performance of BATS next generation (NGP) arm. According to our per-pack analysis and BAT's disclosures, we estimate that BAT lost c$1.20/pod EBIT in US e-cigs in FY21, or almost -$350mn, which will likely swing to $0.40+ in EBIT/pack in FY22, or US$160mln. With increasing prices, reduced trade margins and scale benefits in US e-cigs, we estimate BATS could grow US e-cigs EBIT to c$600mn+ in FY25. And with last week's developments in the US e-cig industry, BATS US e-cigs EBIT could be even higher. Barclays had an 'overweight' view on BAT with a 4,400p price target. Shares today rose 1.7% to 33,630p. While the current focus of Technology Minerals PLC (LSE:TM1) is on the US and Europe, its suite of battery metals projects may soon include Cameroon. Chief executive Alex Stanbury gives Proactive London an update on the exploratory licenses for its project in West Africa which he describes as an 'outlier' within the company's portfolio. He adds while Cameroon is not the flagship project it's "got potential to be of scale". Artrya Ltd (ASX:AYA) CEO John Barrington and his team are harnessing exponential growth in technological capability to address the largest cause of death in the world coronary artery disease with an AI-powered rapid diagnostic tool. The medtech boss has encountered his fair share of life-changing solutions in his time, with a background in surf-lifesaving and a strong presence in the arts, including as chair of the John Curtin Gallery, past chair of the Perth International Arts Festival, member of the Creative Economy Taskforce and deputy chair of the National Portrait Gallery. He draws a direct line from his ongoing interest in the arts to his current interest in the technology sector: Creativity and human innovation are linked theyre products of the human mind. That creative process of conceiving of the idea, extrapolating, testing and refining whether it be a novel or a poem or a new technology thats human ingenuity at its finest," he says. That ingenuity and ability to conceive of something that adds value to society that wasnt in existence before is almost magical and its endlessly inspiring. Barrington has come full circle from surf-lifesaving to potentially life-saving diagnostic technology. Ive always been a person to follow my passion, he says. We all take a lot out of society and Artrya is a way of giving back. John Barrington has a background in both technology and the arts. Harnessing technology for good Artrya, a medtech start-up deploying artificial intelligence (AI) for the early detection of coronary artery disease, was born when Barrington and co-founder John Konstantopoulos put their heads together to come up with a healthcare idea that would harness the exponential power of technology. Barrington had spent more than a decade in the technology space and written about it extensively. AI is at the core of a wide range of the technologies of the future, he says. The question then is where do you best deploy this to benefit people? In the early 1990s, the late business philosopher Peter Drucker said that technology would benefit two industries above all education and health, Barrington says. We havent seen that uptake thus far, and now is the opportunity for us to exploit tech to the benefit of humanity. We met a clinician, Professor Girish Dwivedi, whose area of research was vulnerable heart plaque and he was able to lend his expertise it came together very well. We saw an opportunity to make a difference in the world, to exploit technology to address a problem that has been around for generations and hasnt been solved. Combating a very common problem Coronary artery disease is the largest cause of death in the world accounting for a staggering one in every three deaths annually and outcomes havent significantly improved in decades. Within coronary arteries there is a soft plaque that is vulnerable to rupture. Its difficult to see with the naked eye and yet highly susceptible, and can kill within minutes. Diagnosis has thus far been tricky and often comes too late to save lives. Enter Artryas flagship asset, Salix a non-invasive, cloud-based software diagnostic for early detection of coronary artery disease. The AI used by Salix can examine imaging at a pixel level and rapidly detect and report the plaque. The technology draws on thousands of computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) scans within minutes to detect stenosis (a narrowing or restriction of a blood vessel or valve) and other biomarkers in a patients cardiovascular system, all within minutes. Salix has received Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval in Australia and Artrya is now in the process of trialling software at sites around Australia. A clinical partnership in the US was recently signed and the company is exploring avenues to move the technology into commercial use. Over in the UK, Salix is the only such product to have been appointed to a more than two-year agreement with the NHS, making the cost-efficient technology available to 1,250 NHS trust hospitals across the UK. The company needs the final chips to fall into place FDA (US) and UKCA (UK) approval but it is working on securing these with its wholly-owned subsidiary in the US, and a clinical advisory board consisting of prominent cardiologists. Addressing the anti-AI bias There has always been a certain scepticism holding society back from embracing AI wholeheartedly. People are reticent to yield to the machines, particularly in an area as sensitive as healthcare. Barrington sees this pushback in his work not only with Artrya but previously as chairman of Anglicare working to provide solutions for disadvantaged people but he believes that a certain willingness to accept the risk is necessary if we are to move towards genuine gains in the health sector at scale. He points to a disability leader who told him it was important to allow people with disability the dignity of risk, saying there was so much potential for technology to improve lives. I hold in my mind that AI develops exponentially, so we need to harness it to the benefit of humans, Barrington says. We cant afford to let it get away from us. Theres a massive shortage of clinicians, increasing expectations of an ageing and educated population, and rising costs of healthcare, he says. This is not sustainable in the long term we need to use AI to address some of these issues. Cost is a huge factor in diagnostics: We are able to assess coronary blood flows off a single CT scan, which would otherwise require an invasive hospital visit, 58% of which are not necessary. Of course, in the US, this means exponential costs. Human endeavour is inspiring Barrington says that the innovative people and the exhilarating pace of change in his line of work inspire him each day. Creating something that hasnt been created before, using technology, is an aspirational endeavour. These same things make the work high stakes and high risk, and require leaders to be fleet of foot because there is a constant balance between taking appropriate risks with shareholder capital while deploying new technology its all about managing that risk appropriately. The space is rapidly changing its important for leaders to move with high velocity while having appropriate risk management in place. With every decision you make youre weighing up upside potential and downside risks in what is a risky environment. Barrington believes there are several key ingredients to a successful small-cap company. The first is delivery: Do what you say you will. Make sure you are addressing a real problem with a differentiated solution, and always continue to innovate. With a start-up environment youre creating as you proceed its a complex system with a lot of interdependencies. Its important to have a strategy, but the other part of it is prioritising and reprioritising accordingly because it is such a dynamic world. Nexus Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXM) continues to make exploration headway as it unlocks the golden potential of its Wallbrook project in WAs Eastern Goldfields. In an exploration update, the precious metals explorer detailed its progress across Wallbrooks flagship Crusader-Templar project, as well as the gold camps regional targets. Commenting on the progress to date, Nexus managing director Andy Tudor said the company had completed nine months of extensive drilling at Wallbrook. We are very excited with the prospectivity of the project and look forward to completing the detailed geological work and interpretation required on a project of this size, Tudor explained. The geological modelling will allow the company to fully assess the significant amount of information gathered to date and planning future drill programs. Turning the soil at Crusader-Templar Recently, Nexus closed the books on a near 70,000-metre reverse circulation drill campaign along the Crusader-Templar prospects 1.6-kilometre mineralised corridor. Since then, almost 15,000 metres of diamond drilling have been completed along the same structure. Now, Nexus geologists have picked up the magnifying glass as part of a detailed review of Crusader-Templars geology, alteration, structure and gold mineralisation. Results for more than 16,00 metres of RC drilling and upwards of 10,000 metres of diamond drilling are pending, and Nexus expects to report the majority of assays in the coming months. The explorer has also appointed Snowden Optiro mining consultants to kick off geological modelling. After the geological interpretation and a drill planning phase, Nexus plans to return to the ground at Crusader-Templar. Nevertheless, amid current economic uncertainty and market volatility, the company plans to keep a prudent watch on its financials. Nexus has $7.4 million in cash on hand to complete its activities. Other regional prospects Beyond Crusader-Templar, Nexus is interested in exploring the potential gold across at Wallbrooks regional targets. Almost 20,00 metres of RC drilling has been completed across three regional prospects, known as Branches, Solomon and Clement. From that program, slightly more than 4,000 metres worth of results are pending. Nexus has also concluded a regional gravity survey and data processing is underway. From here, the explorer can rank the regional prospects in order of priority but with multiple mineralised corridors and targets on its hands, Nexus believes theres potential to shape an emerging gold camp. The big picture Nexus is actively exploring for gold deposits across its tenement package in WAs Eastern Goldfields. The company recently expanded its project portfolio, taking on the Bethanga Porphyry Copper-Gold Project in Victoria. In Western Australia, Nexus has been hard at work consolidating the 250-square-kilometre Wallbrook Gold Project, combining the existing Nexus tenements with others it has acquired. The Wallbrook package lies immediately north of Northern Star Ltds multi-million-ounce Carosue Dam mining operations, as well as the operating Karari and Whirling Dervish underground gold mines. The company is dedicated to investing in new exploration techniques, thereby refining its targeting approach across current and future tenements. Openn Negotiation Ltd (ASX:OPN)s Eric Bryant speaks with Proactive about the pilot agreements it has recently entered with two large North American real estate groups - The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and Triangle MLS. Bryant explains how the relationships and its technology will benefit not just the industry and its industry partners, but the broader North American real estate market. The company is also expected to make waves in the Canadian real estate market with its offer management software Openn Offers, which will be integrated with REALTOR.ca, a prominent Canadian online property listings portal, with over 1.9 billion property page views in 2021. It is hoped the pilot programs will lead to commercialisation based on its three key pillars of success: transparency, equality, efficiency. The pilots will run between 60 to 120 days. The company is committed to ESG activities in the region around its Kada Gold Preoject in Guinea. Golden Rim Resources Ltd (ASX:GMR) is trading higher after selling its Kouri and Babonga gold projects in Burkina Faso, West Africa, for total consideration of US$15.5 million (A$22.3 million). Funds will be received over four staged payments in the next 12 months with the money to be used to advance the 930,000-ounce Kada Gold Project in Guinea, where Golden Rim is making a strong community impact. The company is waiting for its latest auger drilling and geophysical survey results at Kada to plan follow-up drilling, which will be aided by the cash from the sale of Kouri and Babonga. Shares have been as much as 39.6% higher intraday to A$0.067. Consideration GMR will receive its first payment of US$600,000 (~A$860,000) from private mining company BAOR SARL within 15 business days and the second payment of US$5.4 million (~A$7.7 million) within 30 days. BAOR will receive a project with an indicated and inferred mineral resource of 50 million tonnes at 1.3 g/t gold for 2 million ounces. Kouri covers 325 square kilometres of highly prospective Birimian greenstones. Recent exploration has located several high-grade gold shoots. Notably, first-pass aircore drilling conducted by GMR discovered gold mineralisation in bedrock over 1 kilometre. The money will increase GMRs cash reserves from the A$4.25 million it had in the bank at the end of the March quarter. Sale to have immediate impact Golden Rims managing director Craig Mackay is happy with the sale as it allows GMR to accelerate its work program at Kada. Securing this deal to divest our non-core Burkina Faso gold assets is a fantastic outcome for Golden Rim and our shareholders that looks to deliver immediate and impactful value from projects which are no longer part of our core operations," he said. "While we have been focused on our transformational new Kada oxide gold project in Guinea, our projects in Burkina Faso have been sitting on the backburner and are attracting little market value. With a resource base of 2 million ounces of gold and extensive upside, the Burkina assets offer an exciting opportunity for an emerging Burkinabe mining company, such as BAOR SARL, and we wish the company much success with its plans. With the sale funds from these projects, we can accelerate our activities at Kada and ensure aggressive drilling and exploration to build our resource base without further dilutionary capital raising for the foreseeable future. This is a great outcome for our company and shareholders, and we are excited to deliver it. Sale details Golden Rim signed a binding sale agreement to sell 100% of the shares in its Burkina Faso subsidiary company that owns and operates its Kouri Gold Project and Babonga Gold Project for cash payments totalling US$15.5 million. The key terms include: cash payment of US$600,000 within 15 business days of signing; cash payment of US$5.4 million within 30 days of signing; cash payment of US$6.0 million within six months of signing; and cash payment of US$3.5 million within 12 months of signing. The agreement may be terminated if BAOR cant meet its obligations. GMRs shares in the subsidiary company are transferred to BAOR once the sale is complete and when full payment has been received. The transaction is not subject to shareholder approval. Aldoro Resources Ltd (ASX:ARN) Mark Mitchell speaks with Proactive about the results to date from its maiden drilling program at the flagship Wyemandoo Critical Metals Project in Western Australia. A total of 26 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes totalling 3,286 metres have so far been drilled from 82 to 202 metres in depth, with the majority of the holes intersecting pegmatites of various intervals. With the success at the Northern Ring structure and Dome 1 and Dome 2 so far, Mitchell explains that Aldoro is proposing to bring in an aircore hammer drilling rig to delineate the resource potential of Dome 1. Dome 2 drilling has intersected purple lepidolite-rich zones as well as identified greenish aluminosilicate possibly eucryptite (hydrothermal equivalent of spodumene) zones, which could make for interesting times for the company moving forward. Finally, Mitchell gives an update on the work going on at Niobe. Where it will conduct another 2000 to 3000 metres of drilling in search of rubidium, lithium and tantalum. Cookie Policy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping us understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. See our Cookie Policy for more information. Antilles Gold Ltd (ASX:AAU, OTCQB:ANTMF) has delivered a 25% boost in the resource at the La Demajagua gold-silver deposit in Cuba. The resource now clocks in at 10.3 million tonnes of ore, grading 2.74 g/t gold and 29.3 g/t silver for 908,000 gold ounces and 9.707 million silver ounces. Mineral resource statement (reported at a 0.8 g/t gold cut-off grade). The company established its latest resource on 50,000 metres of historical drilling, as well as more recent assays from 28,000 metres of cored drilling to support a proposed open-pit mine at La Demajagua. Ultimately, Antilles believes the additional 2.6 million tonnes of ore nested within the indicated and inferred resource categories should extend the mine life of its proposed open-pit operation from anywhere between six to eight years. Whats on the cards? Moving ahead, the company will consider what impact another 188,000 contained gold ounces would have on the open-pit mines economics, as detailed in a scoping study released in late February. More broadly, the MRE for the La Demajagua open pit will be finalised after all outstanding assays are received next month. A definitive feasibility study is also in the pipeline, scheduled for release in November this year. From there, Antilles plans to work on mine infrastructure over the first half of 2023, with mine construction to follow in the succeeding 12 months. The explorer aims to send out its first concentrate shipment in July 2024. With so much activity planned in the next two years, Antilles concedes its drilling program for the proposed underground operation will probably be deferred until 2028. However, it reassured investors that drilling would be completed in time for any development to ensure continuity of operations. Lets talk financials Commenting on the update, Antilles Gold executive chairman Brian Johnson said that any increased life of the La Demajagua open-pit mine would assist the companys joint venture with Cuban mining company GeoMinera to arrange project finance. Antilles has begun discussions with prospective financiers that are not impacted by US sanctions and has budgeted 12 months to have finance in place. Around US$15 million of the US$65 million of third-party funding required for the La Demajagua mine may be provided as credit by the Chinese suppliers of the project concentrator, as well as the heavy mining equipment, backed by the China Exim Bank or insurance company Sinosure. Antilles may provide a short-term loan of up to US$15 million to the joint venture, which could come from: anticipated proceeds from US$30 million of claims against the Dominican Republic Government, which are currently being arbitrated by a unit of the World Bank; conversion of listed options in April 2023; or from an issue of shares or notes later in 2023. Johnson said he was confident that a project loan of US$35 million can be arranged for the joint venture, where the lender will be repaid from a proportion of the proceeds from concentrate sales under a life of mine offtake agreement. An important next step in the bankability of the proposed mine will be negotiating the concentrate offtake agreement. The Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic. Euro Manganese Inc (ASX:EMN, TSX-V:EMN, OTCQX:EUMNF) has accelerated the structuring and procurement of project financing for its flagship Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic with the appointment of Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp, as project finance advisor. EMN describes Stifel as a leading financial advisory group in the battery metals space, with the expertise to initiate dialogue between Euro Manganese and several potential financiers while also facilitating due diligence activities. Stifel provides a suite of institutional services, including strategic business advisory across both debt and equity markets. The major milestones needed to secure project financing include: completion of the feasibility study for the Chvaletice Manganese Project (expected in the coming weeks); execution of binding offtake agreements; finalising land access agreements; and approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and final permitting. Euro Manganese expects to submit the ESIA to the Czech Ministry of the Environment in the third quarter of this year. Important step for the company Stifel is a well-regarded capital solutions advisory firm with a successful track record of debt and equity raises, Euro Manganese CEO and president Matthew James said. Euro Manganese stands to benefit from their significant experience in project financing and relationships with strategic partners in the European EV (electric vehicle) battery market. This appointment is an important step for the company as we seek to execute project milestones and move towards a final investment decision, expected in 2023. We look forward to working with the Stifel team to execute a successful financing package for the Chvaletice Manganese Project. Euro Manganese aims to supply manganese products to the European Unions electric vehicle battery market from the Chvaletice Project. The project is a remediation opportunity that involves reprocessing old tailings from a decommissioned mine to produce high-purity manganese products. Fully traceable and sought-after product Euro Manganese is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the growth in the European electric vehicle market, Stifel head of capital solutions group Jan-Erik Back said. Having the only sizable manganese resource in Europe combined with the development of a processing plant to produce high-purity manganese products, they will have a fully traceable and sought-after product for the EV industry. Moreover, as the Chvaletice project involves reprocessing and rehabilitating historic mine tailings, the environmental credentials of the project should be very compelling for financiers. Stifel is proud to partner with Euro Manganese to help advance this critical battery materials project. Alicanto Minerals Ltd (ASX:AQI) welcomes further strong high-grade assays as it gathers final data for its impending maiden JORC mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Sala Silver-Lead-Zinc-(Copper-Gold) Project in Sweden. The company believes the results of up to 2.8 metres at 12.7% zinc the final batch of assays to be included in the resource estimate deliver more strong evidence of the projects high grades and significant scale. Alicanto has completed a total of 28 diamond holes for 18,482 metres of drilling to date. Highlights from final assays Massive sulphide was intersected in this batch, including: 2.8 metres at 12.7% zinc and 22 g/t silver; 2.5 metres at 1.6% zinc, 173 g/t silver and 2.8% lead; and 4.1 metres at 4.5% zinc and 14 g/t silver. Drilling at the northwest extension of Sala intersected 3.8 metres at 653 g/t silver, 0.3% zinc and 2.6% lead; and 1.9 metres at 164 g/t silver, 0.6% zinc and 2.3% lead. "Immense potential" These grades are exceptional and entirely consistent with the grades which established Sala as a world-class asset in its previous life, managing director Peter George said. The results also extend the known mineralisation along strike at Prince and establish the presence of high-grade mineralisation in the gap between the Sala and Prince lodes. As well as helping to further strengthen the upcoming resource, these intersections demonstrate the immense potential for ongoing growth. We have two rigs continuing to drill as part of that growth strategy. Strike extended across large system Importantly, the results extend the known high-grade mineralisation in the gap between Sala and Prince lodes, which are now interpreted to be one large system. The Prince lode now extends for 750 metres along strike to a depth of 600 metres. The resource estimate, which is being calculated by leading independent consultants Cube, is scheduled for completion next month and will include this final data. Well-funded to continue Two drill rigs continue Alicantos work at Sala, with the aim of increasing the footprint of the resource. The company is well-funded to progress these activities with A$6.1 million cash in the war chest as at March 31. History of Sala In February 2021, Alicanto secured 100% tenure covering the historic Sala and Bronas silver mine in Bergslagen, Sweden. Production in the region was last undertaken at the Bronas mine, 400 metres from Sala, in 1962, by which time more than 200 million ounces of silver had been produced at grades of up to 7,000 g/t as well as 35,000 tonnes of lead. Alicanto is conducting the first systematic diamond drilling at the property since the mine closed. American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR) has fielded highly promising first assay results from recent exploration drilling at the Halleck Creek Rare Earth Project in Wyoming, USA. During the period from March to April 2022, the company drilled its first nine holes for 917 metres and collected 650 core samples with results demonstrating the potential for Halleck Creek to be one of the largest rare earths deposits in North America. Assay results from 280 samples taken from four core holes demonstrate consistent rare earth mineralisation associated with clinopyroxene quartz monzonite (CQM) rocks of the Red Mountain Pluton (RMP). High TREO; low uranium Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO) mineralisation was observed of up to 11,981 parts per million (ppm), with extremely low uranium and thorium levels, which is seldom the case for rare earth exploration. Drilling shows consistent high-grade mineralisation from surface and remains open at depth. Significant average intersections include: 4,115 ppm TREO over 98.6 metres; 4,335 ppm TREO over 94.6 metres; and 4,317 ppm TREO over 93.8 metres. High-value magnet rare earth oxides (MREO) comprise 26% of TREO. Resource update planned The company believes the existing exploration target is significantly underestimated, and plans are underway to update the resource estimate. ARR shares have been as much as 30.44% higher intraday to A$0.30 and the company's market cap has grown to approximately A$110.80 million. This project continues to deliver way beyond our expectations. The initial acquisition was a tiny land package with some interesting surface data, managing director and CEO Chris Gibbs said. Sheer size and scale We have since increased the landholding to over 6,000 acres and are now beginning to understand the massive nature of this deposit as these drill assay results confirm our extensive field sample work." he said. The sheer size, scale and consistent high grade of this deposit is extremely exciting. The low thorium and uranium elements will also set this deposit apart from others in the rare earths industry. Our focus is to upgrade the exploration target for this project, fast track our drilling efforts and establish a significant JORC resource as soon as reasonably practicable. Next steps The promising results have prompted ARR to accelerate its exploration plans at Halleck Creek. The company now plans to update the existing exploration target and develop a more comprehensive drilling program with the objective of defining a high-tonnage maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE), and a more detailed technical report is on the way. Assays from samples for the five remaining core holes are still pending most of these are on the Overton Mountain section of the RMP, where surface samples have been consistently higher than Red Mountain surface samples. FTSE 100 surged higher in early trades led by oil companies on higher crude prices and miners as China started to ease Covid restrictions. Londons blue-chip index was up 69 at 7,327. Heathrow has been told to cut passenger charges every year until 2026. Airlines complained bitterly about a proposed rise in charges prompting the Civil Aviation Authority to tell the airport to cut them. Royal Mail is facing a strike from 115,000 postal workers in a row about pay and jobs. The CWU said it is sending out strike ballot papers after rejecting the company's latest offer. Nike reported lower quarterly revenue but it was not as bad as Wall Street expected, despite a Covid lockdown in China and an exit from Russia. Guidance from the sportswear manufacturer and retailer for the coming quarter was revenue growth of a low double-digit percentage. Ceres Power has agreed to deliver a megawatt-scale solid oxide electrolyser demonstrator to Shell next year to produce green hydrogen. Shell will install the system at its research and development technology centre in Bangalore and said it is the start of a longer-term collaboration between the two. Creo Medical said trading so far this year has been strong, continuing the momentum seen in 2021. The solid progress made over the past year underpins the board's continued confidence chairman Charles Spicer wrote in a statement issued ahead of todays AGM. CO2 GRO Inc (TSX-V:GROW, OTCQB:BLONF) said it has sold a second CO2 Delivery Solutions to Hidroexpo S.A de C.V. in El Salvador marking the companys first repeat sale of the technology to a major international greenhouse vegetable grower. The company said the CO2 Delivery Solutionsits proprietary technology that mists an aqueous CO2 solution directly onto pants in protected growth facilitieswould be installed in one of Hidroexpos 36 similar one-hectare greenhouses that grow bell peppers mainly for export. CO2 GROs first sale to Hidroexpo announced in November 2021 came after a one-year technology trial that demonstrated a 20% increase in pepper production using CO2 Delivery Solutions when compared to peppers grown in ambient conditions. A second trial at Hidroexpo has been completed and showed pepper production increased by 30% under the same conditions. CO2 GRO VP sales and strategic alliances Aaron Archibald said the company looked forward to helping Hidroexpo transform its business profitability and market position with CO2 Delivery Solutions. Hidroexpo's two-year yield improvement data further validates our technology's benefits to other greenhouses globally that are currently conducting trials or are interested in trials, he said. Hidroexpo general manager Rodrigo Martinez said the company was very happy with the 20% and 30% yield improvements it had seen using CO2 Delivery Solutions over its past two growing seasons. Purchasing the technology again for a second greenhouse was an easy decision, he said. Over time, we hope to install the technology in more of our greenhouses. We believe that CO2 Delivery Solutions can transform our business profitability and provide us with a competitive edge in the Central America pepper production market." CO2 GRO is a people, planet, and prosperity-focused precision ag-tech, clean-tech company. Contact the author Emily Jarvie at emily.jarvie@proactiveinvestors.com Follow her on Twitter @emilyjjarvie Voyager Metals Inc (TSX-V:VONE, OTC:VDMRF) president and CEO Cliff Hale-Sanders joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with details of the company's Mont Sorcier project in Chibougamau, Quebec. Hale-Sanders telling Proactive that the iron ore property hosts a large, high-quality iron resource with significant and extractable vanadium in a top-tier mining jurisdiction. "If anyone knows anything about bulk materials, the key things to have are the right product for the market ... and probably just as important in any large-scale materials operation is access to logistics," he said. "Voyager Metals is ideally located with 300 kilometres of rail and an under-utilised port facility owned by the provincial and federal governments to export the product globally." Patna, June 28 : BJP MLA Hari Bhushan Thakur, blaming the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the "massive" violence in Bihar during the protests against Agnipath scheme, dubbed the RJD as 'Rail Jalao Party'. Arsons were reported in several districts of the state for three days during the protests against the scheme, with a large number of trains set on fire. Thakur said that the RJD was involved in the arson that led to damage of government properties across the state. "RJD is failing to access the pulse of common people of Bihar and the country. The Agnipath scheme is not just a job but it is a service to the nation. With the scheme, youth of the country will not only get training but also the salary," Thakur said. "At present, when a youth goes for the the ITI courses, they pay Rs 50,000. Similarly, for BEd, student has to pay Rs 2 lakh, donations for engineering and MBBS courses are Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore respectivey. While in the Agnipath scheme, the Centre is providing training as well as salaries," he elaborated. Meanwhile, RJD has conducted a meeting of legislators headed by Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav at Rabri Devi' residence on Monday evening and passed a resolution that they will continue to protest against the scheme. RJD senior leader Alok Mehta said: "The security of the country on contract basis is dangerous. We are in the Opposition and it is our duty to protest against the 'ill' policy of the Centre to secure the future of the youths." Meerut, June 28 : A woman died while seven others received serious injuries after a late-night cooking cylinder blast reduced two partially constructed houses to rubble at Lisari Gate in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. Though there was no official confirmation about the number of people trapped under the debris, locals claimed at least 10 were still inside. According to official sources, earth-moving machines were pressed into service. Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan said on Tuesday morning, "Rescue operations are in full swing. We have pulled out eight people from the debris, of which one woman has died while the remaining have been rushed to hospital. We received the information of a cooking gas cylinder blast but after reaching here, locals gave us more information about the activities that were taking place. Our forensic team is also here. We are working out the case and will reveal all details later." The District Magistrate also rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. According to eyewitnesses, they heard an ear-shattering sound, which was followed by the collapse of buildings. Lucknow, June 28 : Another case has been filed against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma for his controversial tweet on NDA's presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu. The FIR has been lodged at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on the complaint of a social worker, Manoj Singh. Earlier, a case was registered against Varma in Telangana in connection with the controversial tweet. In his complaint, Singh said, "...Varma had tweeted from his official twitter handle that 'If Draupadi is the President who are the Pandavas? And more importantly, who are the Kauravas?' The tweet is a deliberate attempt to vitiate the atmosphere which may lead to untoward incidents." The complainant said that religious sentiments were also hurt as the tweet portrayed the characters of the Mahabharata in a bad light and added that the post was also "humiliating for a woman". Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Central zone, Raghvendra Mishra, said on Tuesday that a case had been registered. "Varma has been booked under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 504 (intentional insult), 505 1(b) (cause fear or alarm to the public), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and also under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act," the ADCP said. He further said, "A probe will be conducted and statements of the filmmaker will be taken." After facing flak for his tweet, the filmmaker had clarified, "This was said just in an earnest irony and not intended in any other way. Draupadi in Mahabharata is my favourite character but since the name is such a rarity, I just remembered the associated characters and hence my expression. Not at all intended to hurt sentiments of anyone." Lisbon, June 28 : As the UN Ocean Conference gets underway and the global attention turns towards the ocean, political resistance to the emerging deep-sea mining industry gains traction. President of Palau, Surangel Whipps, joined the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and WWF at an official conference side event in Lisbon, calling on behalf of his government for an immediate moratorium on deep-sea mining. As the leader of the global call, the President launched the new Alliance of Countries Supporting a Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium. Oceanographer and marine biologist, Sylvia Earle, and Debbie Ngawera-Packer, Co-leader Te PAti MAori and Member of Parliament, Aotearoa/New Zealand, joined the President of Palau at the event to explore the wonders of the deep and the critical action needed to protect in the face of destructive mining. President Whipps said: "We all have to make sacrifices and come together as nations to achieve the greater good for our planet and our people. We know that deep-sea mining compromises the integrity of our ocean habitat that supports marine biodiversity and contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change." Sian Owen, Director of the Deep Sea Conservation, applauded Palau's call, saying: "We welcome the courage and integrity of President Whipps' leadership on this issue. Palau has taken a stand for global ocean and planetary health. "We hope that other governments will join them in specific action toward their bold commitments to reversing the downward spiral of environmental degradation." The conference proceedings on Monday saw parliamentarians from across the globe gather to explore the risks associated with deep-sea mining. These included French MEP Marie Toussaint who launched the International Parliamentarians' Call for a Moratorium on Deep-Sea Mining. The declaration released warns of the risks deep-sea mining would pose if the industry were to go ahead, including to marine ecosystems and species, carbon storage, food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities. The statement commits signatories to act at the national or regional level, in their respective Parliaments to make the call for a moratorium a reality. It also calls for a reform of the body charged with regulating deep-sea mining, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), so that it becomes a transparent, accountable, effective and inclusive regulatory body committed to defending the deep. Last week, Chile called for a 15-year moratorium on adopting regulations that would allow deep-sea mining in a letter submitted to the annual meeting of states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea at UN headquarters in New York. Chile cited concerns including the environmental damage deep-sea mining would cause and a lack of sufficient scientific data. With climate change, bio-diversity loss and pollution exacting a devastating toll on the world's ocean -- critical to food security, economic growth and the environment -- the 2022 UN Ocean Conference opened in Lisbon on Monday with a call for a new chapter of ocean action driven by science, technology and innovation. In recognition of the critical work ahead at the ocean summit, Environmental Defense Fund, WWF and the Blue Food Assessment launched a video series to call on governments, civil society and the private sector to fully recognize the diversity of small-scale actors, the crucial role they play in global food security and the contribution they make to livelihoods and economies around the globe. Portraits of Change is a video series featuring small-scale fishers and fishworkers on the front lines of climate change who contribute significantly to global food security, livelihoods, local economies and coastal resilience. The videos are individual accounts by community champions whose lives are dedicated to addressing the ocean, food and climate crises. "Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an 'Ocean Emergency'," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told delegates at the opening of the conference. "We must turn the tide. A healthy and productive ocean is vital to our shared future." Washington, June 28 : At least three people were killed and 50 others injured following a passenger train derailment in the US state of Missouri, authorities said. On Monday, the Amtrak train, with 243 passengers and 12 crew members on board, hit a dump truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri, when it was travelling eastbound from Los Angeles to Chicago, Xinhua news agency quoted the Washington, D.C.-headquartered passenger railroad service company as saying in a statement. Mendon is about 160 km northeast of Kansas City. Eight cars and two locomotives were derailed, according to the statement. Local authorities were assisting the passengers and an Amtrak incident response team had been activated, the company said. "We are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs," the statement added. Missouri Governor Mike Parson tweeted they were "saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon." Emergency management personnel were responding, wrote Parson, while asking "Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted". According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, of the three victims, two were on board the train and the third was in the dump truck. On Monday evening, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that a 14-member investigation team is travelling to the accident site and is expected to arrive on Tuesday The derailment in Missouri occurred just a day after an Amtrak train collided with a car in Brentwood, California, killing three people and injuring two others. Amtrak provides medium and long-distance inter-city rail service in the contiguous US and to nine cities in Canada. In the last decade, Amtrak has averaged 24 derailments annually, according to data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration, an agency under the Department of Transportation. Amman, June 28 : Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured in a toxic chlorine gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, state media reported. Jordan opened a large field hospital in Aqaba to treat those injured in Monday's leakage as the Red Sea port city's hospitals have reached full capacity, Xinhua news agency quoted the state-run Al Mamlaka TV as saying. Director of Aqaba Health Department Jamal Obeidat said those injured are in moderate to serious medical conditions. He warned Aqaba residents to remain at home, saying that the danger of the toxic gas leakage is still there. Samer Zbeideh, a resident of Aqaba who works as a teacher, told Xinhua that the situation is scary. "I am staying home with my wife and two daughters. We closed the windows and the doors and we are watching the news... we hope this will be solved very soon. It is a tragic incident," he said. Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh arrived in Aqaba on Monday evening to follow up firsthand on the efforts to deal with the repercussions of the explosion of a gas tank, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Khasawneh expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. He has directed Interior Minister Mazen Faraya to lead a team to investigate the incident. According to a report in the BBC, a large cloud of bright yellow gas was seen spreading across the ground following the leakage, sending people running for safety. Chlorine is a chemical used in industry and in household cleaning products. It is a yellow-green gas at normal temperature and pressure, but is usually pressurised and cooled for storage and shipment. When chlorine is inhaled, swallowed or comes into contact with skin, it reacts with water to produce acids that damage cells in the body. Inhaling high levels of chlorine causes fluid to build up in the lungs, a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema. Helsinki, June 28 : In June, consumer confidence in Finland dropped to its lowest level since records began in 1995, according to government figures. "In June 2022, the balance figure of the consumer confidence indicator (CCI) was -14.3, while in May, it was -11.6 and April -11.7," Xinhua news agency quoted Statistics Finland as saying on Monday. In the same month of last year, the CCI stood at 4.6. The long-term average for the CCI is -1.8. According to the survey, 74 per cent of consumers said that the country's economy is worse off now than it was a year ago, and 27 per cent thought the same of their own economic conditions. Furthermore, 58 per cent expected the country's economy to decline further. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Confidence Survey, to which 990 persons resident in Finland responded between June 1-15. Kiev, June 28 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy called the missile strike on a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk that killed 16 people, as one of the "most brazen terrorist acts in European history". According to the President, there were some 1,000 civilians inside the busy Amstor mall which was hit by two missiles at about 3.50 p.m. on Monday, the BBC reported. The strikes completely destroyed the shopping mall. Blaming Russia for te strike, Zelensky said the mall had no strategic value to Moscow, and posed no danger to its forces, "only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers". "Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object... Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens," he added. In a statement, the Office of the Prosecutor General said that 59 people were also injured in the attack, while 40 others remain missing. The Office noted that almost half of the injured were in critical condition, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. According to Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Security and Defence Council, a city stadium was also hit on Monday but did not prove any further details. Dmytro Lunin, the acting Governor of Poltava Oblast where Kremenchuk is located, said the attack was a crime against humanity, adding that "an obvious and cynical act of terror against the civilian population". The missile strike took place as the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK gathered in Germany for the G7 Summit to discuss, among other things, toughening sanctions against Russia, the BBC reported. In a joint statement, the G7 leaders called the strikes "abominable" and said that "indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime". They vowed to "continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes". This is not the first time Kremenchuk, one of Ukraine's largest an industrial cities with a population of nearly 220,000 people, has been hit by missiles, says the BBC. There was one strike recorded in April and another at a nearby oil refinery earlier this month. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Manama, June 28 : Senior diplomats from Israel, the US, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt have agreed to form a framework for regional cooperation. The meeting, hosted by Bahrain in Manama on Monday, was the first one of the Steering Committee of the Negev Forum, a summit attended by the same countries and held in Israel's Negev Desert in March, reports Xinhua news agency. The next meeting of its kind is expected to take place later this year, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. The officials discussed "ways to promote the cooperation in a manner that will bring tangible benefits for the region and its people", the Ministry said. Cooperation in such fields as security, clean energy, and food and water security will be explored, it added. The meeting came ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia in July. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco agreed to normalise their ties with Israel under the aegis of the US in 2020. Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord in 1979. Chennai, June 28 : Well-known Tamil actor 'Poo' Ramu, who has acted in several critically acclaimed Tamil films including 'Pariyaerum Perumal', 'Soorarai Pottru', 'Karnan' and 'Nedunalvaadai', passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here on Monday evening. Hw was admitted to the hospital on June 24 after he suffered a heart attack and was undergoing treatment at the medical facility. The actor's body has been kept at his residence in Periyar Nagar in Urapakkam for the public to pay homage. The last rites of the character artiste is to take place later on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin was among scores of people who expressed their condolences on learning of the actor's demise. In a statement, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin said, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the demise of actor 'Poo' Ramu, who had won a place for himself in the hearts of the people of Tamil Nadu with his acting in films. "Those with a progressive mindset will always remember his contribution in taking the idealogies of the Left to the common masses through street theatre. Ramu who made his mark in Tamil cinema through 'Poo', earmarked a special place for himself in the hearts of the people through his performances in films like 'Nedunalvadai' and 'Pariyaerum Perumal'. "I express my deepest condolences and offer my consolation to all those near and dear to the actor, including his family members and friends in the film industry." Several actors and technicians from the film industry including actor Kaali Venkat and director Lenin Bharathi have expressed their condolences on learning of the demise of the actor. Actor Ramu shot to the limelight for his brilliant performance in director Sasi's film 'Poo', which featured actress Parvathy and actor Srikanth in the lead. His performance in the film became his identity and he was known as 'Poo' Ramu. Thiruvananthapuram, June 28 : A day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan denied misplacing his baggage during his UAE trip in 2016 in the Kerala Assembly, his then principal secretary and top IAS official M. Sivasankar's statement to the Customs surfaced on Tuesday which states that a baggage containing gifts and mementoes for dignitaries that Vijayan had to meet there was sent. The incident of the baggage being sent to the UAE a day after Vijayan left surfaced early this month in a confessional statement made by the prime accused in the gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh before a magistrate under Section 164 (5) of the Criminal Procedure Code, for the Enforcement Directorate. After her statement, she revealed before the media that it was she who was entrusted with sending the baggage. She said the fact that the baggage contained currencies came to light out when it was screened at the UAE Consulate General's office here, where she had worked then. With Vijayan, on Monday, denying the incident in writing and Sivasankar's statement saying that a baggage with gifts and mementoes was left behind and Swapna claiming that it contained currencies, the case appears to have turned messy and murkier. Meanwhile, an article of the pro-Sangh parivar weekly magazine 'Kesari' suggested that Swapna's allegations just cannot be dismissed and raised a doubt as to why the Customs refused to hand over Swapna's 164 statement to the ED, when asked. Soon after her arrest in 2020, the accused had given a 164 statement to the Customs. The article also says that foul play needs to be suspected with her statement given to the Customs about the role of Vijayan and his family. Chennai, June 28 : Director and actor Parthiban's much-awaited single-shot, non-linear film, 'Iravin Nizhal' is to hit screens on July 15 this year. The announcement about the film's release was made by actor Dhanush, who took to Twitter to put out a poster that had the film's release date and said, "All the best to the team." The film has triggered a huge amount of interest among film buffs and critics as director Parthiban claims this to be the World's first single-shot, non-linear film. The fact that this is a single-shot film means that the film has not been edited and that what has been shot is being directly presented to audiences. 'Iravin Nizhal', which when translated into English means 'Shadow of the Night', has music by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman and cinematography by Arthur A Wilson. Interestingly, Parthiban, in an interview to IANS, has said that he will first be screening the making video of his film to all audiences before screening the actual film to them. Patna, June 28 : While BJP leader Sanjay Jaiswal was attacking the Nitish Kumar government over the massive violence during the Agnipath protests, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav asked him about the 1,111 arrests made during the agitation. Sanjay Jaiswal during the Agnipath protest had criticised the Nitish Kumar government for not acting against the mob, which led to massive scale in violence in several districts. "The Bihar Police has arrested 1,111 persons involved in the arson during the Agnipath protest. The opposition leaders are demanding to release the youths arrested during Agnipath agitation. If Bihar Police had not acted against the agitators then how could 1,111 persons be lodged behind the bars. Jaiswal should answer on it," said Yadav, who is a minister from the Janata Dal (United) quota in the NDA coalition government led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar. "The opposition leaders are not allowing the monsoon session to run smoothly. They are protesting in and outside of the house and demanding immediate release of the agitators. Then who is on the right side, opposition leaders or Sanjay Jaiswal and other BJP leaders," Yadav said. "We are running the government under a coalition and BJP should respect the sentiments of the alliance before reacting or blaming us," Yadav said. Islamabad, June 28 : Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has condemned allegations levelled against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and the military by Canadian MP Tom Kmiec. Kmiec, who belongs to the Conservative Party, in a recent speech on the floor of the Canadian Parliament, had accused COAS Bajwa of "toppling two governments in Pakistan" and claimed that the military under his command was involved in human rights abuses and had links with terrorist groups, Dawn reported. In his address to the National Assembly, Asif said the Canadian government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau respect Pakistan, but "if their Parliament member attacks our institution and state, then it is incumbent upon us to respond to those allegations". Asif said the Canadian government should have itself taken notice of the remarks made by its parliamentarian, Dawn reported. Responding to Kmiec's accusation that the previous government in Pakistan was "toppled" through military intervention, Asif said the former PTI government was removed through a constitutional process and the judiciary had also endorsed it. He informed the House that Pakistan had raised the issue at a diplomatic level as he linked Kmiec's allegation with "Islamophobia". "I believe the Canadian lawmaker does not represent his country or people, but if there is any such statement, there will be a reaction to it," Asif added. The Defence Minister noted that such voices were also being raised in other parts of the world, including the UK and the US "because of hatred propagated by former Prime Minister Imran Khan". New Delhi, June 28 : Religion might well be the opiate of the masses in India, but maybe the plethora of desserts offered in the name of religion have a role to play in it, says chef, columnist and food writer Rajyasree Sen, adding that in today's political climate, there are few moments as satisfying as Hindus craving for some creamy sheer korma during Eid, or Punjabis asking their Bengali friends for mishti doi. And the fact that Muslim cooks bake the Christmas cake in Calcutta ("no, I will not refer to it as Kolkata") for a largely Hindu clientele to celebrate a Christian festival proves that when it comes to desserts and mithai -- and maybe conveniently -- the barriers drop away; one of the biggest reasons to celebrate the sweets of India, she maintains. "I've been writing on food for a while now, almost 15 years I'd say. And it all started with me opening my Bengali and Anglo-Indian restaurant, Brown Sahib in New Delhi in 2007 (it shut down a decade ago). The thought behind the restaurant was to serve authentic Calcutta cuisine and to replicate some of the dishes I had grown up eating at home - keema chops, stuffed crabs, smoked hilsa, prawn malai curry. I have a background in journalism and with my interest in cooking, ingredients and in the history of foods and flavours, it was only natural that I'd be writing on food," Sen told IANS in an interview of her book, "The Sweet Kitchen - Tales & Recipes of India's Favourite Desserts" (Aleph). She was the Wall Street Journal India's food columnist for years, and has written columns on food for a variety of publications and also scripted many food shows for Fox, Nat Geo and Discovery. Thus, when approached to write on the history and cultural influences on Indian sweets - a topic which surprisingly hasn't been written about in detail in any one book - the outcome presents readers with some interesting anecdotes, historical facts and tid-bits about sweets in India, and introduces them to some sweets which they might not be familiar with. Considerable research went into the book. "As I mentioned, for a country which loves sweets as much as India does - and has a plethora of sweets unique to different communities and regions, it was quite surprising that there was no one definitive book, even academic, on sweets in India. I've referred to old texts, books, articles, recipes and spoken to people to discover and confirm much of what you will discover in the book," Sen explained. As a result of her extensive research, Sen discovered historical facts she was not aware of or had even considered. For instance, which desserts must we thank the Persians, the Mughals, the Portuguese, and the French for? While she knew that a sweet had been created for Lady Canning in Bengal, she had no idea which Mughal emperor to thank for bringing halwa to India, or the Sikh connection to the creation of kaju barfi. She has also tried to demystify the very controversial question of whether Bengal made the rosogolla first, or if the credit goes to Odisha. She also discovered that daulat ki chaat, an airy, churned milk dessert available only during the cold winter of North India, has a Mughal origin. Beginning with 'Sandesh: Muse of the Bengal Renaissaince', Sen takes the reader through 13 chapters to discover 'Rosogolla: Who Stole My Cheese', 'The Christmas Cake: Cultural Chameleon', 'Payasam, Payesh, Kheer: The Three Avatars of Sweet Pudding', 'Halwa: The Arab Who Strayed onto the Indian Palate', 'Barfi: When Art Outdoes Nature', 'Gulab Jamun: Everybody's Celebration Sweetmeat', 'Jalebi: Sweet Lord of the Rings', 'Daulat Ki Chaat: The Lingering Taste of Old Delhi', 'Misthi Doi, Shrikhand, Bhapa Doi: Haute Culture Curd', 'Goan Sweets: Gems from an Indigenous Pastelaria', 'Firinghee Sweets: Delicious Relics of the Raj', and 'In God's Name: Sweetmeats and Culutral Congeniality'. Each of these chapters contains a short introduction of the sweet, details of the ingredients, the method of making, the preparation time and the number of people it serves. Sen also discovered that sweets are not strictly vegetarian -- they can also be made with meat and eggs. "For example, there are some non-vegetarian variants of halwa such as gosht halwa and ande ka halwa which are worth mentioning," she said. "Giving a whole new meaning to the word 'sweet meat', the gosht halwa is a translucent, succulent dessert soaked in ghee and cooked with tender lamb mince. The recipe is referred to in old Persian recipe books, and khansamas who worked in Old Delhi homes have recreated the dish from memory, turning out a delightful dessert prepared by cooking meat for hours by stirring it with milk and sugar till it amalgamates into a thick halwa which is then flavoured with saffron and cardamom. This preparation is supposed to have originated in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. "Ande ka halwa, or egg halwa, is made by cracking eggs into a pan with ghee, milk, sugar, and dried fruits. The mixture is cooked until a thick custard forms, which is then sprinkled with saffron. Most Indian halwas, however, use grains, such as the suji halwa and atta halwa," Sen explained. She earnestly hopes the book will serve the purpose of breaking down barriers. "Like all good meals are supposed to do, this book should bring people to the same table and help create an understanding and appreciation of other communities and peoples. After all, if we love their foods, we can surely extend some affection towards them as well," she elaborated. What next? What will her next book be on? "Who knows, maybe I'll write a historical espionage! I'd love to write a book on Bengali cuisine with recipes. Let's see, time will tell," Sen concluded. (Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in) Seoul, June 28 : Korean Air, South Korea's flag carrier, on Tuesday said it will restore its international flights to half of the pre-Covid levels by September as pent-up travel demand is unleashed amid eased virus curbs. Korean Air currently operates one-third of the 120 international flights it offered before the pandemic hit the airline industry in early 2020, reports Yonhap News Agency. Starting July, Korean Air will resume some international routes to the US, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia while expanding the number of flights on those routes, the company said in a statement. The carrier was originally planning to restore the number of its international flights to 50 per cent of the 2019 level by the end of 2022 in line with the government's flight restoration plans. In April, the Transport Ministry announced it will help local airlines restore the number of inbound and outbound flights to 50 per cent of the 2019 level by the year's end. If the flight restoration goes as planned, the number of the country's overall international flights will reach 2,420 a week, or 51 per cent of the 2019 level, in November, the Ministry said. The carrier plans to inject the A380 superjumbo into routes to New York, Hong Kong, and Japan from July to absorb rising travel demand. Hyderabad, June 28 : After months of cold war, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday visited the Raj Bhavan and shared dais with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. The occasion was the swearing-in of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. Setting aside the difference with the governor, the chief minister continued the tradition of attending the swearing-in ceremony of the chief justice. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, exchanged pleasantries with the governor and presented her a bouquet. He greeted Justice Bhuyan and also attended the brief customary meeting with both the governor and the new chief justice. There were speculations the chief minister will stay away from the ceremony in view of the cold war with the governor and meet the new chief justice separately. This was KCR's first visit to Raj Bhavan after the strain in the relations between the two leaders. While Tamilisai alleged that the state government is insulting the Constitutional office of the governor, several state ministers had slammed her for acting like BJP's spokesperson. The rift between the governor and the chief minister came to the fore in March when the state government dropped the customary governor's address at the commencement of the state budget session of the state legislature. She stated that the state government had not followed the Constitutional convention on the pretext of technical reasons. The chief minister, his Cabinet colleagues and leaders of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had boycotted the pre-Ugadi festivities hosted by the governor at Raj Bhavan in April. The governor had complained that though she extended the invitations, neither the chief minister nor his ministers or officials attended the celebrations or conveyed their inability to attend. The governor was also not invited to Ugadi celebrations held at Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the chief minister. Earlier, the state government had not invited the governor for the inauguration of the renovated Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri. Tamilisai also alleged that the state government did not follow protocol when she visited Medaram in Mulugu district to attend Sammakka Saralamma jatara, a tribal fair in February. The governor had complained to the Centre about the state government not following the protocol during her visits. On June 10, the governor began receiving representations from people by holding aPraja Darbar' at Raj Bhavan. She defended the move saying she wants to act as a bridge between the state government and the public. She dismissed the criticism that she is crossing her limits. She argued that when she as the highest Constitutional authority was willing to serve people why should she be denied the opportunity. "Those saying it is unconstitutional should first respect the Constitution," the governor remarked when asked about the statements by leaders of TRS describing her action as unconstitutional. New Delhi, June 28 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday took Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosale into custody from Arthur Road Jail in an alleged corruption case pertaining to Yes Bank and Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL). He will be produced before a court later in the day. Bhosale, 61, was earlier arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and on May 26. The CBI had taken him to Delhi for further interrogation and he was in its custody till June 8. He was then sent back to Arthur jail custody. The ED had asked Bhosale to empty his Pune-based residential property which was attached last year. Bhosale has been accused for allegedly routing ill-gotten money through his Maharashtra based real estate companies. In 2018, Bhosale had received around Rs 68.82 crore from DHFL. It was said that it was consultancy charges received by him. The probe agency has claimed that Bhosale didn't provide any consultancy service to DHFL and the money received by him was nothing but alleged proceed of crime. Hyderabad, June 28 : Sobhita Dhulipala, who was most recently seen in the Adivi Sesh movie 'Major', shows her middle finger in a viral video ostensibly at those who are linking her up with Telugu star Naga Chaitanya. Her detractors on social media have accused Sobhita of being responsible for the much-publicised breakup between Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who's herself a popular actress. The video clip of Sobhita showing her middle finger while on a flight has gone viral on social media. Even though the video footage obscures the target of her gesture, netizens claim it is Sobhita's response to the rumours of her link-up with Naga Chaitanya. The upload time and date haven't been made public, though. Incidentally, Sobhita has denied the rumors, calling them "baseless", whereas Naga Chaitanya has not responded at all. His PR team, however, has blamed the Samantha camp for the rumour. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, June 28 : As EV battery fires continue unabated in the country, the National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) has come up with safety recommendations related to battery swapping and charging infrastructure. The suggestions also include installing a black-box like feature to monitor battery systems and identifying the issues that lead to battery failure. The organisation has issued 12 guidelines that include identifying battery failure issues along with problems regarding battery fires through an identification device. "Four recommendations regarding regulatory aspects were also made. These are identification of battery failure issues, volatile thermal behaviour and associated risks with an identification device to understand the root cause of failure, real-time verifiable exchange value for battery swapping, net metering of charging stations from Discoms, and financing (by bank and NBFCs) of only those batteries that meet government standardisation," the NHEV said in a statement. The NHEV meeting was attended by a Niti Aayog Member and Honorary Chair NHEV Knowledge Group, V.K. Saraswat, and key stakeholders from the EV industry. "NHEV Working Group decided to place these 12 recommendations before the policy think tank and government along with four new short-term pilots announced," said Abhijeet Sinha, National Project Director, NHEV. In another meeting late on Monday, the charge point operator's (CPO) society also announced that 4,000-5,000 EV chargers will be installed at 2,000 locations in the central Delhi district. The recommendations come as the government has ordered a probe into Tata Motors' Nexon EV fire incident in Mumbai. The company termed it as an "isolated thermal incident". The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was earlier tasked with investigating electric two-wheeler fire incidents by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, is leading the probe into Nexon EV fire. The DRDO probe had earlier found serious defects in the EV two-wheeler batteries. These defects occurred because the electric two-wheeler manufacturers like Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric and Boom Motors may have used "lower-grade materials to cut costs". The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued new performance standards for lithium-ion batteries to safeguard the consumers amid the rising EV fire episodes in the country. The BIS, which comes under the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry, published the "performance standards for electronic vehicle batteries" in a bid to keep a strict control over the manufacturing of EV batteries. The new BIS standard called "IS 17855: 2022" has been designed for lithium-ion traction battery packs and systems of electrically-propelled road vehicles. The standard for these battery packs and systems is harmonised with 'ISO 12405-4: 2018'. New Delhi, June 28 : Google on Tuesday rolled out Earth Engine, a leading technology for planetary-scale environmental monitoring, to businesses and governments worldwide as an enterprise-grade service through Google Cloud. Google Earth Engine, which originally was launched to scientists and NGOs in 2010, combines data from hundreds of satellites and earth observation datasets with powerful cloud computing to show timely, accurate, high-resolution insights about the state of the world's habitats and ecosystems -- and how they're changing over time. The technology will be available free of cost to government researchers, least-developed countries, tribal nations and news organisations. And it will remain available at no cost for non-profit organisations, research scientists, and other impact users for their non-commercial and research projects, Google said in a statement. Earth Engine will also be available to startups that are a part of the Google for Startups Cloud Programme. Through this initiative we provide funded startups with access to dedicated mentors, industry experts, product and technical support, and Cloud cost coverage (up to $100,000) for each of the first two years and more. This technology comes at a time when Earth is facing existential climate threats -- a growing crisis already manifesting in extreme weather events, coupled with the loss of nature resulting from human activities such as deforestation. Last October, the tech giant announced a preview of Earth Engine in Google Cloud. Since then Google has been working with dozens of companies and organisations across industries -- from consumer packaged goods and insurance companies to agriculture technology and the public sector -- to use Earth Engine's satellite imagery and geospatial data in incredible ways. This includes, Regrow, a company that helps large consumer packaged goods corporations decarbonise their agricultural practices, started using Earth Engine to report and verify regenerative and sustainable techniques. Through Earth Engine's analysis of historical and satellite imagery, Regrow could generate granular field data at the state or country levels across millions of acres of farmland around the world. Further, it also helped SC Johnson, a manufacturer of household cleaning supplies,to develop a publicly accessible, predictive model of when and where mosquito populations are emerging nationwide. The forecast accounts for billions of individual weather data points and over 60 years of mosquito knowledge in forecasting models. Kiev, June 28 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his visiting Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu discussed bilateral cooperation and the two countries' integration into the European Union (EU). At a news conference after the talks on Monday, Zelensky said that Ukraine and Moldova have all opportunities to deepen their partnership in the humanitarian sphere, economy, politics, and cross-border cooperation, reports Xinhua news agency. The two sides also discussed the partnership in the transport sector, in particular Ukraine's assistance in the reconstruction of the Moldovan railway, as well as strengthening energy cooperation. Zelensky also urged Sandu to deepen security cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova. For her part, Sandu said that obtaining the status of candidates for EU membership is a historic event for Ukraine and Moldova. She added that her country is ready to assist Ukraine in the post-conflict reconstruction and in transiting goods. Sandu arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for her first visit to Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the conflict began, and was granted, along with Moldova, the status of candidate for EU membership last week. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Aizawl, June 28 : The Young Mizo Association (YMA), the biggest community-based organisation in Mizoram, has provided drinking water and other essentials to the flood-hit citizens of southern Assam's Cachar district, where large parts remained inundated on Tuesday. YMA sources on Tuesday said that so far 15,000 liters of bottled drinking water and other relief materials have been handed over to the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar District to distribute them to the affected people in Silchar. The locals have provided their vehicles free of cost to carry the drinking water and other materials. Mizoram shares inter-state borders with Cachar and Hailakandi districts of southern Assam. For the first time in 33 years, Silchar and adjoining areas witnessed an unprecedented flood situation after the breach of the Barak River embankment on June 19, affecting over 8 lakh people. According to the district officials, 15 people were killed while 10 others were reported missing. Local s said that there is a severe crisis of drinking water and still no electricity in 70 per cent areas of Cachar district. Cachar District Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said that drones are being used to provide relief materials for people living in houses along narrow lanes and bylanes. Tripura, Mizoram, Western Manipur are connected with the rest of the country by road via Cachar and Karimganj districts of Assam. New Delhi, June 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the demise of noted industrialist Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry. In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri Pallonji Mistry. He made monumental contributions to the world of commerce and industry. My condolences to his family, friends and countless well-wishers. May his soul rest in peace." Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, the billionaire realtor and industrialist, and Chairman Emeritus of the venerable Shapoorji Pallonji Group, passed away at his home here late Monday night, official sources said here on Tuesday. He was 93 and is survived by two sons Shapoorji and Cyrus P. Mistry, and as many daughters, Laila and Aloo. Bengaluru, June 28 : To arrest surge in Covid cases, the Karnataka government is mulling action against those violating the mask rule. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Covid-19 has recommended the measure to contain the possible pandemic situation in the state. The health department is seriously considering the advice and is expected to take call on it in a week. The recommendation was made in the wake of a spike in the number of Covid cases and finding of the sub lineages of Omicron. During the second wave, the government had imposed a Rs 250 fine on the people for not wearing masks. Compared to other parts of the state, the majority of new Covid cases are being reported from Bengaluru which accounts for 96 per cent fresh cases. It reports about 500 to 700 cases in a day. According to statistics available with the health department, among the total active cases in the state (4,288) 95 per cent of cases (4,088) are in Bengaluru. The number of containment zones have swelled to 33 in the city. It is likely that the mask rule (with fine) will be implemented here first. Though the state government in its June 10 order has directed authorities to implement the mask rule with the help of police and local bodies, it has had very little impact. Meanwhile, the number of cases has crossed 800-mark and the positivity rate for the day is nearing 4 per cent. The finding of sub lineages of Omicron, BA3, BA4 and BA5 in the state is also one of the reasons why the government is seriously contemplating imposing a fine on mask rule violations. Meanwhile, the health department has also warned schools that if they conceal the information on Covid infections, action will be initiated against them. Sources reveal that the schools, especially private institutions, are not revealing the information on infections fearing that parents will stop sending their children to the school. Health Department Commissioner D. Randeep had asked the school management not to hide the information on Covid infections and take necessary precautions. Karnataka has reported 615 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours against 767 discharges. Positivity rate for the day recorded at 3.12 per cent and weekly positivity rate stood at 3.45 per cent. New Delhi, June 28 : Fact-checking portal AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair deliberately tweeted the content to provoke breach of peace in the society, according to the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. "Transmission and publication of such posts has been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with intent to provoke breach of peace," an excerpt from the FIR copy, exclusively accessed by IANS, reads. The 33-year-old fact-checker is currently under police custody and is being interrogated over one of his objectionable tweets which he posted in 2018. After Zubair's tweet, his followers on social media entities amplified and created a series of debates and hate mongering in the thread. As per the FIR, accused Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading 'Hanuman hotel' instead of 'Honeymoon hotel'. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel". The complainant tagging Delhi Police had written, "Linking our God Hanuman Ji with Honeymoon is a direct insult of Hindus because he is a brahmchari. Kindly take action against this." Noting the complaint, the police in the FIR said that the words and pictures used by Zubair in the tweet against a particular community were highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite feelings of hatred amongst people which can be detrimental for maintenance of public tranquility in the society. Chennai, June 28 : Several human rights organisations of Tamil Nadu led by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and some other NGOs continued their protests against the arrest of Teesta Setalvad and retired Director General of Police (DGP) R.B. Sreekumar by the Gujarat Police. Protests were held in Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Salem and other major towns of Tamil Nadu. PUCL national general secretary, V. Suresh told the mediapersons that the state has used the observations made in the Supreme Court judgment 'falsely and was vindictively prosecuting those who were fighting against human rights violations'. The duo was arrested by the Gujarat Police after the Supreme Court upheld the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. The Supreme Court had dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri calling for an investigation into the criminal conspiracy that resulted in communal violence and killings in 2002 after the Godhra train burning incident in which many Kar Sevaks were killed. Senior advocate of the Madras High court R. Vaigai, while participating in a protest march, said that there was a direct attack against the social activists by the state. He said that such arrests could happen to anyone who was assisting victims seeking justice. The PUCL office-bearers told the mediapersons that they would conduct protest marches across the state and corner meetings to apprise the people of the gross human rights violations taking place in the country. The office-bearers of the civil liberties organisation said the Gujarat government was playing politics of vindictiveness against the social activists and added that the human rights organisations of Tamil Nadu will conduct protests by whatever means they could do. Pughal, an NGO working against Human rights violations in Salem and Erode, also staged protests against the arrest of Teesta and Sreekumar. K.R. Senthil, Chief Coordinator of the organisation while speaking to IANS said, "The state is breathing heavily on the human rights activists and this is unbecoming of a democratic country like India. The government must revoke the arrest drama against Teesta and Sreekumar Sir and release them with immediate effect." Mumbai, June 28 : A Pawan Hans helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea water near the Sagar Kiran oil-rig off Mumbai High Fields, around 175 km off the country's commercial capital, official sources said here on Tuesday. The chopper was carrying at least 7 passengers and 2 pilots and at least 5 have been saved from the sea-water so far. The rescue was carried out by ONGC vessel Malviya-16 and a boat from the oil rig Sagar Kiran, while the Indian Coast Guard has also deployed its aerial and marine assets in the efforts. The cause of the emergency landing on water is not immediately clear and rescue operations are underway, said an ONGC official. Bengaluru, June 28 : Edtech major BYJU's on Tuesday named Krishna Vedati as President of Global Growth and Strategic Initiatives, along with rejigging top leadership at K-12 creative coding platform Tynker (which it acquired for $200 million) as part of its US expansion. Vedati, Co-Founder and CEO of Tynker, will report to BYJU's Co-Founder and CEO Byju Raveendran. Srinivas Mandyam, Co-Founder and CTO of Tynker, will replace Vedati as Tynker's CEO, and Kelvin Chong, Tynker Co-Founder and Chief Architect, now takes on the expanded role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the company said in a statement. "With more than 150 million users on our personalised learning platform, it is important for us to put in place the leadership necessary to continue scaling our businesses globally," said Raveendran. "With exceptional experience in business and consumer user growth, and strategic brand partnerships, Krishna is ideally suited for this new role," he added. Vedati will serve as a senior executive for the Americas helping drive topline revenue and user growth, partnerships with major brands, and identifying strategic acquisitions. Vedati will also expand the company's international offering by overseeing new integrated products and services from the BYJU'S learning portfolio to students and teachers in Canada, the US, and Latin America, said the company. Raveendran is currently focusing his energies on global operations, especially in the US, as the Indian online edtech market shrinks considerably with schools, colleges and tuition centres reopening. The edtech unicorn made at least 10 acquisitions for a cumulative transaction value of about $2.5 billion last year. So far, BYJU's has raised over $6 billion in funding, with Raveendran infusing $400 million from his own pocket, during the latest $800 million funding round at a valuation of $22 billion in March. BYJUs is also aiming to file an IPO in the US through the SPAC route. Raveendran is out of India, meeting investors in the US and the UAE. Sources close to the development earlier told IANS that Raveendran is all set to hand over India operations to Chief Operating Officer Mrinal Mohit. "I am proud of the deep bench we have in our leadership ranks, enabling a seamless transition at our newest portfolio company Tynker as Srinivas and Kelvin move into their new roles," said Raveendran. Hyderabad, June 28 : Girls outshined boys as over 65 per cent of the students passed Telangana Intermediate examinations, results of which were announced on Tuesday. Out of 9,07,787 students, who appeared in the Intermediate Public Examination (IPE) first and second year (11th and 12th standards) held last month, 5,91,836 (65.19 per cent) have qualified. The pass percentage in the Intermediate first year was 63.32 and Intermediate second year was 67.82 per cent. Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) declared the AIPE results of both first and second year. State education Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy released the results in the presence of TSBIE officials. In both first and second year, the pass percentage among girls was higher compared to boys. In Intermediate first year, 72.33 per cent girls passed the exam against 54.25 per cent boys. The pass percentage for girls in the second year was 75.28 while the same for boys was 59.21 per cent. Among districts, Medchal Malkajgiri topped with 76 and 78 pass percentage in the first and second year respectively. Hanamkonda district was second with 74 pass percentage in the first year while in second year Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district finished second with 77 per cent. TSBIE announced that the results are available on tsbie.cgg.gov.in, results.cgg.gov.in and examresults.ts.nic.in. The exams were conducted from May 6 to May 24. The practical exams were conducted from March 23 to April 8. The advanced supplementary theory exams will be held from August 1 to August 10 in two sessions while practical examinations will be held from July 26 to July 30. TSBIE has taken the services of nine clinical psychologists to help students to overcome any problem related to stress, strain, tension, anxiety, nervousness, etc. The intermediate exams could not be held last year due to Covid-19 pandemic. Panaji, June 28 : South Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha on Tuesday asked the BJP government to supply good quality vegetables and not the 'rejected' ones. While addressing a press conference at Margao in South Goa, Sardinha said that vegetable prices in the state have soared and thanked the local cultivators for giving a sigh of relief to people. "At least due to local vegetable cultivators, Goans could buy it for affordable rates," he said. "The Government should keep watch on rising prices. Vegetables have become costly and it should make sure that good quality vegetables are sold and not the rejected ones," the former chief minister of Goa said. Under Goa State Horticultural Corporation Ltd, around 1,300 vendors in the state sell vegetables which are imported from other states. Sardinha has called this import as 'rejected' products. Earlier, in May, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had also raised a doubt over 'quality' of vegetables supplied by other states to Goa and had urged the people to venture into the business of vegetable farming for quality, high yields and profits. "Annually a 20 crore rupees subsidy is being paid to farmers from other states. To whom we give it (subsidy)? Farmers from other states and what type of vegetable they supply us? If I tell this (about quality) then reporters will publish it. (Hence) I will not tell. If you grow vegetables then this subsidy can be yours," Sawant had said then. Mumbai, June 28 : Chris Hemsworth, who is set to headline the upcoming superhero film 'Thor: Love and Thunder', recently expressed his happiness on co-starring with Academy and Golden Globe award winning actor Russell Crowe in the film, who happens to be the latest addition to the MCU. Speaking of acting alongside Crowe, Chris Hemsworth who plays the titular role of Thor in the franchise, said, "I never thought I'd see the day where Russell would appear on-screen with hints at 'Gladiator' imagery, yet with a wink, totally self-deprecating. He didn't hold back." In his own words, Hemsworth fanboyed over Crowe, who is former's childhood idol. "I'm such a fan. I have been since I first started acting. There's such a weight and a seriousness to his performances and to him, as an individual, from afar. But meeting him, he has a great sense of humour and did whatever Taika asked on set, which was mind-blowing", Hemsworth added. Russell Crowe will be seen playing Greek God, Zeus in the Chris Hemsworth-Natalie Portman-Christian Bale starrer, 'Thor: Love and Thunder' which will release in Indian cinemas on July 7 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Chennai, June 28 : The team of director N Ragavan's upcoming kids fantasy film 'My dear Bootham', featuring actors Prabhu Deva and Remya Nambeesan in the lead, is on cloud nine as actor-producer-politician Udhayanidhi Stalin, who recently watched their film, has praised it. Sources close to the unit say that the actor, who watched the film at a special screening, recently called director Ragavan over phone and praised the film. The out-and-out kids fantasy flick, which has been produced by Ramesh P Pillai for Abhishek Films, is ready for release. Udhayanidhi is believed to have told the director that he liked the film very much and added that it had struck an emotional chord. He said people from all walks of life would enjoy 'My Dear Bootham' and that the movie would go on to become a blockbuster. Meanwhile, the movie's team said that the satellite rights and OTT rights of 'My Dear Bootham' had been bagged for a hefty price by Zee Tamil and Zee5, respectively. Prabhudeva plays the role of a genie in the flick, which also stars N Aswanth, Aliya, Suresh Menon, Samyuktha, Imman Annachi and Lollu Sabha Swaminathan. Child artistes Param Guhanesh, Saathvik, Sakthi and Kaesitha are also part of the cast. N Ragavan said that the bonding and journey of the Genie and a ten-year-old kid is the main theme of the story. "The movie belongs to the kids fantasy genre, and it can be thoroughly enjoyed by family audiences," he said. N Ragavan further said that the movie will have CG sequences for almost one-and-a-half hours and that they had used state-of-the-art technology for these sequences. "Every filmmaker will have the desire to make a movie for kids, mine is getting fulfilled with this," he added. "The flick will have comedy and emotions in the right mixture. Prabhu Deva has done his homework for the character and evokes laughter even with his body language," he said. D Music for the film is by D Imman, while cinematography is by U K Senthil Kumar. Editing is by San Lokesh and art direction is by A R Mohan. Deva has penned the dialogues. Paris, June 28 : French Minister of Health Brigitte Bourguignon has recommended wearing a face mask in public transport amid a spike in new cases, local media reported. "I ask the French to put back the mask in transport," Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying to French radio RTL. Bourguignon also recommended mask use in closed and crowded areas. "You only have to see a crowded train station or train to know that first. You have to protect yourself and protect others," said the Minister. She said the authorities are considering new measures in light of a resurgence of Covid-19 infections in the country. The mask madate in public transport was lifted across the country on May 16. The country's Public Health Agency reported 17,601 new Covid-19 cases nationwide in the last 24 hours, an increase of 52.2 per cent in seven days. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, France, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, has reported 30,678,541 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 149,406 deaths. Bengaluru, June 28 : Demanding a change of loan policy and delinking CIBIL score for extending the agricultural loan, thousands of farmers staged a protest against the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Members of the Federation of State Farmers Associations and Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association arrived from all across the state to protest in front of the RBI. However, the agitators were stopped by the police and a protest was staged near the building of the Department of Public Instruction. The farmers insisted that the RBI officers should speak to them and resolve the issue. The police department had made tight security arrangements in the premises of the RBI. Kurubur Shanthakumar, President of the Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association stated that he had written a letter to the Bengaluru RBI Chief 20 days ago but got no no reply. "When agricultural loans are granted, CIBIL score should not be considered. We are farmers who feed the country. Sometimes we are not able to pay back loans due to floods, or famine. It is not tenable to reject loans based on CIBIL scores," he said. "The RBI should take back its loan policy. If it does not then the protests will continue. Farmers are not even getting Rs 1 lakh loan on their land which is worth crores of rupees, but loans in lakhs are given for the construction of houses," he angrily stated. The RBI officers later agreed to meet a team of eight farmers. Initially, farmers rejected the offer by saying that they did not bother to answer their letter. They also demanded that the RBI officials should come to the place of protest and hear them out. Later police brokered peace and took a team of eight farmers near the RBI. Later, the farmers explained about the need to change the loan policy, granting of loans based on the value of farm lands, granting of loans for children of farmers and under the Mudra Scheme. They said that the farmers are not getting education loans for their children. They also took the officer to task for not bothering to reply to their letter. Later, the RBI representative gave an assurance that they will shortly be called for a meeting. Patna, June 28 : As many as 37 inmates of Patna's Beur jail tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. According to an official, the tests were carried out in last 24 hours. After the inmates tested positive, the jail administration isolated them inside the premises and started the process of sanitation. The security outside the jail is also strengthened with a large number of police and RAF personnel deployed there. The jail administration has temporarily stopped visitors from coming to jail to meet inmates. Besides Beur jail, 80 persons tested corona positive in Patna on Monday. In the last one week, Patna saw 531 cases and infection rate rose from 0.5 per cent to 1.6 per cent. Dr Mukul Kumar Singh, in-charge of pandemic cell of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital Patna claimed the cases are increasing in Patna. Four medical staffers of NMCH also tested positive in the last 24 hours. Besides Patna, 11 persons tested positive in Gaya, nine in Bhagalpur, four each in Arwal, Banka, Samastipur, three each in Rohtas and Saharsa, two each in Katihar and Munger and one each in Aurangabad, Bhojpur, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Madhepura, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur. --IANS ajk/svn/ IANS/AJK. A Ahmedabad, June 28 : Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi on Tuesday inspected the route of the 145th Rath Yatra which will be held in Ahmedabad on July 1. He reached the Jagannath temple here and inspected the 22 km route along with mahant Dilipdas. They inspected the entire route, accompanied by a police convoy, senior police officials, including the IGP and the SP. Local MLA Imran Khedawala and other Muslim representatives, including the president of the Jamalpur Traders Association, welcomed Harsh Sanghvi and Mahant with garlands, giving a message of unity. Preparations for the Jagannath Yatra are in full swing under tight police security. The 145th Rathyatra, which will depart from the Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on July 1, will this year use various equipment for vigilance as well as micro-planning on various aspects of the security. With guidance from the Home Minister an impregnable security arrangement will be made which will set an example for all other religious places in the country. The contingent will have about 25,000 police and security officers of various ranks. Helicopters as well as drones will be used to provide impenetrable security in the sky. The ground will be monitored by high resolution CCTV cameras at 46 fixed locations and moving vehicles. At least 2,500 personnel equipped with bodyworn cameras will be deployed in the procession. The police will keep an eye on the movements of everyone in the sensitive area. The rathyatra will pass through 7 police station areas on a pre-planned route. Apart from the chariots of Lord Jagannath, brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra and 101 decorated trucks will be the part of the procession. These trucks will be checked for anti-sabotage -- so that the truck does not contain any lethal weapons or other harmful materials. One police van will be deployed after every 10 trucks and live tracking of vehicles will be done using GPS. Adequate arrangements have also been made for continuous communication during the Rathyatra. VHF will continue to communicate on a total of 16 channels of wireless walkie-talkies. Mini control rooms will be set up in Karanj, Madhavpura, Shaherkotda, Khadia, Shahpur, Gaikwad Haveli, Kalupur and Dariapur police stations. The city police will also enlist the help of locals to keep a close eye on social media including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp so that no anti social element tries to spoil the atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood. If a person's suspicious activity is detected on social media, it will be immediately investigated by getting his IP address. Various cyber crime teams will maintain social media surveillance with the help of special software. The police department also plans to make extensive use of human intelligence for security. Madrid, June 28 : NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this weeks Madrid summit will agree the alliances most significant transformation for a generation, putting 300,000 troops at high readiness in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Stoltenberg said the military alliance's forces in the Baltic states and five other frontline countries would be increased "up to brigade levels", doubled or trebled to between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, the Guardian reported. That would amount to "the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the cold war", he said before the meeting of the 30-country alliance, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week. The rapid-reaction Nato Response Force currently numbers up to 40,000, and the proposed change amounts to a broad revision in response to Russian militarisation. Under the plans, Nato will also move stocks of munitions and other supplies farther east, a transition due to be completed in 2023, the Guardian reported. The Secretary General conceded he could not make any promises about the progress of applications by Sweden and Finland to join Nato, because objections raised by Turkey to their membership remained unresolved. Stoltenberg said Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had agreed to meet Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Finland's president Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday in Madrid to try to resolve the issue. But he played down hopes of a breakthrough at the meeting on the margins of the nato event. "It's too early to say what kind of progress you can make by the summit," he told a press conference. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Phnom Penh, June 28 : The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Tuesday marked the 71st anniversary of its inception, vowing to protect peace and political stability for sustainable socio-economic development in the Southeast Asian country. In an address to thousands of party members at the CPP's headquarters in Phnom Penh, CPP President and Prime Minister Hun Sen said that over the past 71 years, Cambodia has gone through many stages of both pride and difficulty as well as extreme danger, reports Xinhua news agency. "No matter in what the circumstances, the CPP remains committed to its purpose and ideals to build and defend an independent, peaceful, free, democratic, neutral and progressive Cambodia," he said. "The CPP and the Cambodian people as a whole must absolutely protect peace, political stability and national security, which are essential conditions to ensure the peaceful life of the people with freedom, honor and dignity, and sustainable socio-economic development." Hun Sen said the party continues to move forward on the path of liberal democracy, pluralism and the rule of law in line with the context of Cambodian society, and fully responds to the sacred aspirations of the people. "At the same time, the party thwarts actions, from whatever sources they may be, that attempts to push Cambodia off this path or to suppress Cambodia's sovereignty," he said. The CPP has been ruling the Southeast Asian country since 1979. Meanwhile, Hun Sen said the celebration took place as the Covid-19 pandemic has waned and the kingdom has resumed all socio-economic activities and reopened its borders since last November. "We firmly believe that we will be able to overcome the economic and social consequences of COVID-19, even though the disease has not yet disappeared from the face of the earth," he said. Cambodia has reported no new infections for nearly two months and no active cases since June 7. Hun Sen said Cambodia's economy has returned to positive growth in 2021 and is expected to improve further in 2022 and 2023. Chandigarh, June 28 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday informed the assembly that no river pollution will be allowed in the proposed Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks at Koom Kalan in Ludhiana, and all environmental clearances and norms as fixed by the Centre and state pollution control boards will be adhered to. Replying to a call attention moved by MLA Hardeep Singh Mundian, the Chief Minister said the Central government has approved the scheme for setting up seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) in partnership with state governments. He said under this scheme, a proposal for setting up a textile park at Koom Kalan has been sent to the Central government. Mann said this project will be subject to all environmental clearances and norms as fixed by the Centre and state pollution control boards. The Chief Minister asserted that the environmental laws will be followed to ensure that there is no pollution of river water or any sort of health hazard for the people. He said the ambitious scheme will help in attracting investments on the one hand and opening new vistas of employment for the youth on another. Mann said one of the basic requirement for the project is that the interested state government should have ready availability of contiguous and encumbrance free land parcel of 1000 acres. The Chief Minister said the state government has already identified a land parcel in Koom Kalan for the project. Canberra, June 28 : Health authorities in Australia's capital Canberra on Tuesday warned against a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith revealed that modeling has indicated the territory is currently experiencing another wave of Covid infections, reports Xinhua news agency. "We are seeing those case numbers starting to increase and we expect that is potentially the start of another wave of COVID-19 through this winter period into July and potentially into early August," she was quoted as saying. "We are conscious of that and we are keeping a close eye on the case numbers to see if that trajectory is going to be maintained." It comes after the ACT set a new record for Covid-19 hospitalizations. There were 121 people infected with thevirus being treated in ACT hospitals, marking the highest number since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, according to the latest update on Tuesday. The ACT government said an outbreak in a cancer ward at Canberra Hospital had contributed to the increase. Paul Craft, clinical director of the ward, said that authorities were still investigating how Covid had spread in the ward. "It's been a little difficult to track where the virus has spread through the population since then, we're still working on that," he told local media. "It will probably be a long time before it's exactly clear how the outbreak occurred." A total of 8,023,259 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Australia, with 9,704 deaths, and 226,653 active cases, according to the federal Department of Health. There were 3,133 cases being treated in hospitals nationwide, including 111 in intensive care. On Tuesday, Australia reported more than 30,000 new cases and over 70 deaths. Bengaluru, June 28 : In a major embarrasment to the BJP government in Karnataka, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Umesh Katti's recent statements demanding a separate state for north Karnataka has reignited the debate over regional divide in the southern state. To the chagrin of BJP leaders, who are handling social unrest in the state, textbook revision row, pressure from party insiders to expand the Cabinet, such repeated statements by Katti over separate statehood for north Karnataka has put the party in a fix. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike State General Secretary, B. Sannerappa, told IANS that such divisive comments are being made by a cabinet minister in the Karnataka government. North Karnataka is a BJP bastion and stronghold of the Lingayat community which is considered a core vote bank of the saffron party. On the other hand, there is also a demand for a separate Tulunadu comprising the coastal districts of Karnataka. This region is also considered a strong BJP base. It will benefit the BJP politically if there is separate state, Sannerappa said. "Silence is acceptance. We are observing the development seriously. If the statements from other sections of the society are dividing Karnataka, we will take necessary action to stop this debate," he added. Umesh Katti along with demanding a separate statehood has announced he will shun "Mysuru Peta" (traditional head gear offered to dignitaries by the Karnataka government) at functions and felicitations. He had appealed to the people to wear traditional north Karnataka head gear. At a a recent felicitation event, the Minister had refused to wear a Mysuru Peta and stressed that there is need for a separate state and the people must be prepared for it. BJP Ministers, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, have criticised Umesh Katti for his statements. However, the ruling BJP government is in a fix as remarks calling for the division of state are coming in an election year. Though, the saffron party has warned Katti not to raise this issue, the latter has refused to budge from his political stand. In the latest remark, the Minister has said that there is a proposal before the Central government to create 50 states out of 28. Asked to explain his statements, Umesh Katti said that his statements have been misquoted while adding that smaller states are better in terms of administration. Katti has been elected from Hukkeri constituency in Belagavi district for the eighth consecutive time. He lost only once in 2004 since 1985 and has been calling for a separate statehood since a long time. Earlier, he had said that he would become the Chief Minister of the new state that will be carved out from Karnataka. However, now he has said that he won't become the Chief Minister of the new state. Though, raising demand for a separate state has led to a massive setback for the BJP government since Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hails from north Karnataka, the party is addressing the issue. The successive governments in Karnataka have neglected the development of north Karnataka as the people of north Karnataka complain of focus on the southern part of the state. The Central government has given special status for Hyderabad-Karnataka region under Article 371 J. Chennai, June 28 : Actress and anchor Dhivya Darshini, who is better known as DD, is over the moon at having been able to give a hug to one of her favourite stars Shah Rukh Khan Taking to social media, the actress and popular Tamil anchor posted pictures of her hugging Shah Rukh and wrote, "I hugged him tight and I told him everything I wanted to tell. "'So many years, so many memories, so much of joy you have given us sir, for all that you deserve only the best of best life sir. Everyday I will pray for your heart's joy sir! Shah Rukh Khan you don't deserve any less." The actress shared the pics on the occasion of the King Khan celebrating 30 years in the film industry. She also thanked director Atlee for enabling her to meet one of her favourite stars. Atlee is next working with Shah Rukh Khan on a film titled 'Jawan'. Image Source: IANS News She wrote, "What a better day to post this picture as our King Khan celebrates 30 years in this industry. Shah Rukh Khan sir, no on like you ever before and ever after! Thank you so much director Atlee darling. For this kindness, I wish you a mega blockbuster hit! 'Jawan' 1000 crores vasool!" -- Syndicated from IANS Lucknow, June 28 : Allies of the Samajwadi Party are now getting increasingly restive, following the party's stunning defeat in Rampur and Azamgarh that were considered to be the strongholds of the party. "Akhilesh Yadav needs to do some serious rethinking about his party. He needs to move out of the air-conditioned comfort of his home and office and should connect directly with the people," said Om Prakash Rajbhar, president of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP). He said that politics was now a 24x7 job and it would be better if Akhilesh realized this. "The BJP is on a winning spree because it never stops working at the ground level. The by-elections are over and BJP cadres have been tasked with preparations for the Lok Sabha elections which are almost a year and a half away," he said. Janwadi Party chief, Sanjay Chauhan, another ally of the Samajwadi Party, also slammed the SP for its defeat in the by elections. "Akhilesh Yadav did not campaign and this dampened the mood of party workers. I do not know if he was over-confident or not but he should have campaigned, Azamgarh was his own constituency and his absence had an adverse impact on voters and supporters," he said. A section of party leaders is of the opinion that by keeping senior Yadav leaders away from the campaign, Akhilesh sent a wrong message to Yadav voters. "Azamgarh was Mulayam's constituency but he did not even issue an appeal for Dharmendra Yadav. Shivpal Yadav was excluded from the campaigners' list. Other Yadav leaders like Dimple Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav also did not campaign. It seemed that Akhilesh was taking Yadav voters for granted even though he knew that the BSP candidate Guddu Jamali would make a dent in Muslim votes," said a party functionary. Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (K), who won the Sirathu seat on SP ticket, also said that SP leadership needs to do some introspection about its strategy before 'it is too late'. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) and has been elected to the state assembly on SP ticket, also voiced his displeasure with Akhilesh's style of working. "There is no point is talking too much about what has happened. Everyone knows who went wrong where. There is very little time left for the general elections and the party leadership should do some rethinking," he said. Mumbai, June 28 : National Award-winning actress Amruta Subhash is soon to be seen as the protagonist in the upcoming web series 'Saas Bahu Aachar Pvt Ltd', as the trailer releases on Tuesday. The actress feels 'ecstatic' to be the lead of the show. Created by Arunabh Kumar and Apoorv Singh Karki, directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and written by Abhishek Srivastava and Swarnadeep Biswas, the 6-episode web series will premiere on July 8. The show is featuring - Amruta Subhash along with Yamini Das, Anup Soni, Anjana Sukhani and Anandeshwar Dwivedi. Talking about the show, Amruta said, "Saas Bahu Achaar is a special project because Suman's character is unlike anything I have played before. She is a force to be reckoned with even in the face of adversity. Her struggle is not sad but attractive and her journey will inspire others to persevere and not give up on their dreams. And all along, what keeps her going is her family. So, it is truly a show with its heart in the right place and I am ecstatic that I got to play such a strong female-led show". Based in the historic lanes of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, 'Saas Bahu Aachar Pvt. Ltd' revolves around Suman, a housewife from a small town, who embarks on an ambitious journey to become an entrepreneur and gain financial independence only to win her kids back from her ex-husband Dilip. She tries to kickstart her entrepreneurial journey by selling aachar however faces many hardships and realizes early on that this is not going to be an easy journey. Creators Arunabh Kumar and Apoorv Singh Karki shared, "This show is a tribute to all the women who found their professional calling despite all odds. A woman is a true warrior who battles all the hardships that reveal her highest potential giving her a new dimension". The show 'Saas Bahu Aachar Pvt Ltd' is releasing on ZEE5. Hyderabad, June 28 : Leaders, cutting across party lines, on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on his 101st birth anniversary. Telangana ministers, leaders of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and family members of the late leader visited PV Gnana Bhoomi on the banks of Hussain Sagar lake here to pay floral tributes. Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav paid tributes on behalf of the state government. Srinivas Yadav said the late leader did not get the due recognition. He said the central government did not give him the honour which he deserved as a former Prime Minister and the architect of economic reforms. The minister said no memorial was constructed for Narasimha Rao in Delhi. Both the previous governments and present government at the Centre have not honoured him and ignored the demands to confer Bharat Ratna on him, he said. Srinivas Yadav recalled that the TRS government conducted year-long centenary celebrations as a befitting tribute to PV, as the former prime minister was popularly known. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao made Narasimha Rao's daughter Sri Vani a legislator. Hailing from Vangara in Karimnagar district (now in Telangana), PV was India's first and only Telugu Prime Minister. He also had the distinction of being the first prime minister outside the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to complete a full five-year term. PV, who also served as the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and as a Central minister, was known as a scholar, statesman, a polyglot and an author. PV, who was elected to Parliament in 1972, held several cabinet posts under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi including Foreign Minister from 1980 to 1984. Described as "political Chanakya' by many, PV managed to complete the full term despite being just short of a majority in Parliament. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan paid tributes to PV. "A learned scholar, administrator, writer and was blessed with remarkable knowledge and intellect. His services to United Andhra Pradesh as CM will be always remembered," she tweeted. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao also paid rich tributes to the departed leader. He praised PV as the son of the soil and an architect of modern India who protected India from the crisis by introducing economic reforms. India has witnessed economic growth through the reforms introduced by PV Narasimha Rao. Besides, the country also registered qualitative growth in nuclear power, foreign policy, internal security etc, he said in his message. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said that PV as the PM increased the country's wealth manifold by his innovative policies. The Telangana state government has imbibed PV's inspiration in the administration, he said. KCR said that the development action plan implemented by Telangana government stood as a role model in the country. PV also proved that Telangana leadership has shown a path to the country, he said, adding that Telangana will move forward with the inspiration of PV. New Delhi, June 28 : The Congress on Tuesday said that it will not allow the reckless selling of Public Sector Banks (PSBs). The party alleged that the Modi government is now all set to completely exit from public sector banks, which is an "ill thought out strategy with dangerous repercussions." Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: "The Congress will oppose this reckless sale of strategic profit making assets including the complete exit from Public Sector Banks which are being sold. We will tell them to sell those assets which have been built in 8 years." The party said that banks were nationalised in 1969 which did not just break the monopoly of a few private lenders but ensured that banking reaches the last mile. State owned banks do priority lending to sectors like agriculture and small industries that private banks shy away from. They have helped in the development of backward areas and have opened branches in far flung regions of the country where no private banks would venture. PSBs are not just financial institutions, they are actually agents of social empowerment. "But this fire sale of strategic and profit making assets built over the last 75 years raises some serious questions. What is the explanation for the disastrous IPO of LIC with losses of over $18 billion, almost one third of its valuation," Shrinate said. The party pointed out that the Modi government forced to halt reckless PSU sale in the last 2 months alone, the government has been forced to halt its privatisation spree. The BPCL sale has been called off after 2 of 3 investors withdrew, deterred by faulty fuel pricing policies and various uncertainties. The sale of Pawan Hans Ltd is now on hold after 51 per cent stake was sold to a company that had failed to honour a previous bid for an insolvent company, and the NCLT Kolkata had ruled against it. PHL plays a strategic role in offshore oil platforms, commercial operations in border areas. Central Electronics Ltd is a Ministry of Science and Technology PSU that provides critical materials and services for strategic sectors such as defence, railways and energy. It was severely undervalued and 100 per cent equity was sold to a financial company with no scientific background that had links to BJP politicians --now on hold after the two bidders turned out to be related parties, the Congress said. Sale of Container Corporation of India (Concor), a unit of the Indian Railways, was put on hold over Congress party's charges of how the government was using backdoor arrangement to hand over railway land acquired from farmers at a concessional rate or free of cost to a private party for commercial use. Shrinate alleged that the privatisation of three PSUs has been delayed because of issues over the valuation of land. CONCOR has land around railway stations, Shipping Corporation of India has land in Maharashtra especially Mumbai) while Bharat Earth Movers has land in West Bengal and Karnataka. "It is clear the single minded objective is to hand over these ventures and the lakhs of acres of land they hold to Mr Modi's chosen few crony capitalist friends," she added. Bhopal, June 28 : A pond project, jointly funded by the government, along with villagers' effort, promises to put an end to the water woes of residents of Gunga, just 25km from the Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal. The water crisis in Gunga, a village of 4,650 people, is so acute that people cannot take up any employment. "If we go to work, then there will be no water in the house. If we manage to access water, we cannot go do our jobs," Dharmendra Ahirwar said. "I had to travel 3km to fetch this water," Dharmendra said. Explaining his travails, he said he has to balance eight jerry cans on an iron receptacle on his bicycle. "Our village has been experiencing water scarcity for years. As temperatures rise, all sources of water dry up. The few hand pumps and tubewells that yield water work intermittently. Only two to four buckets of water flow out at a time, and then it all stops. To start the borewell again, one has to wait for at least 25 to 30 minutes." Housewife Nafisa Bi echoes his views, "Ever since I moved to this village after my marriage, I've witnessed water scarcity. I am 45 now. We appealed to the panchayat, sarpanch and every politician who has visited this village, but the water problem continues to this day." According to Sandhya Lodhi, who helps many villagers with water from her private borewell and also heads a women's self-help group in the village, the villagers most time of their day in queues for water. "The taps fixed under per the Nal Jal Yojana hardly yield any water. For the past 15 days, we have not received any water in our taps. Complaining to the panchayat has never helped." Over the years, the government has promised to install nearly a thousand taps and hand pumps, with at least one in every home in the village, under the Nal Jal Yojana. Villagers allege this promise has not been kept and the taps are at any rate not reliable because of the dire groundwater situation. Housewife Smriti Kamleshwar complains, "I had to leave my cooking to queue up here for water. At times, we have to stay up all night for water. As for the taps set up under the scheme, the pressure is so low when they run that it's not possible to even fill a bucket." Dry taps and low groundwater levels Gunga has been battling water scarcity for 40 to 50 years, along with six other villages in its vicinity. Owing to the lack of any water resources in the village, the groundwater level is extremely low. This causes most hand pumps and tubewells to dry up in summer. Water is struck only at 450ft to 500ft depth; at times, it may even be as low as 700ft to 800ft. In view of all these problems faced by the villagers, the district panchayat embarked on a project to dig up a 50,000 cubic metre pond in the village, using funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and the Amrit Sarovar Yojana. However, this proved inadequate to cover the Rs 21.4 lakh that was actually needed. Bhopal District Panchayat CEO Rituraj Singh and his team set up a camp in the village and decided to reach out to its residents. The villagers willingly extended their cooperation, collecting funds to the tune of Rs 4.28 lakh, besides contributing tractors, trollies and excavators for the job. Soon, the project was underway. "We selected the site for this pond, keeping in mind that there are villages downstream, on the recommendation of hydrological scientists. The land belongs to the Forest Department, and hence the necessary processes had to be followed," Singh told 101Reporters. "The new pond will recharge the groundwater, do away with people's water woes here and also prevent hand pumps, borewells and tubewells from drying up every summer. We also intend to set up a park in the vicinity with a children's play area and a picnic spot with benches, trees and flowering plants." The authorities, he added, planned to train villagers in pisciculture and water chestnut cultivation to improve livelihood opportunities. And after the monsoon, they further intend to impart skills related to maintaining the ecology of the pond, with the help of an NGO. The local authorities plan to complete construction of the pond before the monsoon sets in. "Right now, nearly 90 per cent is complete. The rest should be completed in another week," Gunga Gram Panchayat Secretary Sumer Singh Rajput told 101Reporters. "The pond will relieve villagers of their water woes and help farmers access water to irrigate their farms, too." Optimism rules large Farmer Gopal Singh Bhadoriya owns 10 acres of land. There are two borewells with a depth of 500ft to 900ft on his farm. However, these die out in summer. Now, he has quite a favourable outlook for this project, having contributed a tractor, trolley and 25l of diesel for it. Similarly, farmer Arjun Singh, who also owns around 10 acres, said, "Lack of enough water limits me to produce just two crops a year with a lot of difficulty: soybean and wheat. With adequate water, I could produce two more crops annually: moong and garlic... The pond will help quench the thirst of wild animals, too, who roam in the forest adjacent to the village. Presently, lack of water drives many of them to their death." Farmer Nilesh Singh Rajput, who has 20 acres with four bore wells on the land, also contributed the services of his tractor and trolley for the project. "These bore wells dry up every summer. One has to queue up in the morning by the few private borewells that operate here in the dry weather, in the hope of receiving water by night. Even then, one cannot get more than two vessels of water." For these farmers, as with many other residents of the region, the pond holds hope for a better, stress-free existence, devoid of their water woes. (The author is a Bhopal-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.) Mumbai, June 28 : In an apparent softening of stance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray -- who is also Shiv Sena President -- on Tuesday appealed to the rebel group camping in Guwahati to return and hold discussions. "Many of you are in contact with us and are still emotionally connected with the Shiv Sena. The families of several have also got in touch with us and conveyed your sentiments to us," said Thackeray. He assured that as the head of the Sena family, he respected their views and made it clear from his heart that till date "nobody is out of the party" though the (rebels) are stuck in Guwahati with all kinds of speculations. "I appeal to you all. Come before me. Let's remove all the misconceptions among the minds of the people and the Shiv Sainiks," Thackeray appealed. The CM said if they all sit together, they can definitely come up with a solution to the political imbroglio and cautioned them against falling prey to any kinds of wrong measures. He made it clear that the respect and dignity the Shiv Sena accorded them, they can never get that privilege anywhere else. "Come in front of me and present your views, let's work out a solution. I am still worried about you," concluded Thackeray. This is at least the third direct appeal made by the Chief Minister to the rebels since the party crisis exploded on the night of June 21-22. The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi was plunged into turmoil, when that night around 39 Sena MLAs and 11 others sneaked out to Gujarat and then to Assam to join the rebel faction headed by Minister Eknath Shinde. Mumbai:Rescuers carry a survivor from the debris of a four-story residential building that collapsed in Mumbai,on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.. (Photo: Megha Jadhav/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai:Rescuers look for survivors in the debris of a four-story residential building that collapsed in Mumbai,on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. . (Photo: Megha Jadhav/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, June 28 : The toll in the Mumbai building crash has risen to 10 and at least 13 others, including a woman, were injured, the BMC Disaster Control said on Tuesday. According to officials, the entire wing of the ground-plus-three floor Naik Nagar Building in Kurla east suburb of northeast Mumbai crashed minutes before midnight, trapping many persons living there. Earlier this afternoon, the rescuers had extricated 17 (all adult males) persons trapped under the debris, and recovered four bodies. The injured were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar and LTMG Hospital in Sion. As work continues amid intermittent showers to clear the mound of rubble, six more bodies were recovered and another 6 injured survivors were pulled out and rushed to hospital. The rescue teams of Mumbai Fire Brigade and other agencies besides local volunteers, who joined the rescue efforts there have expressed a potential risk to the adjoining second wing of the same building which could also collapse anytime. The deceased have been identified as: Ajay M. Pasnor, 28, Ajinkya Gaikwad, 34, Kumar Prajapati, 20, Sikandar Rajbhor, 21, Anoop Rajbhor, 18, Arvind R. Bharti, 19, Anil Yadav, 21, Shyam Prajapati, 18, and two others unidentified men. Among the 13 injured, including a woman, four are admitted to hospital and the remaining 9 have been discharged after treatment, as a hunt continues to extricate others feared buried under the debris. Lucknow, June 28 : To make the health infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh more robust, the Yogi Adityanath government has instructed the officials to ensure that people in every corner of the state get the benefits of the ambulance services. The state government has laid out the action plan for all district magistrates to keep a close watch on the arrangements of ambulance operations in their respective districts. Furthermore, the government has asserted that strict action will be taken against those found guilty in any case of sudden death due to unavailability of ambulance. The administration has also been directed to ensure that under no circumstances should the patient or their families suffer. According to an official release, the chief minister has asked the officials to improve the response time of the ambulances. The ambulance staff has been trained to adopt a sensitive approach towards parents or guardians of children and the ambulances have been equipped with all life-saving equipment for the treatment of children so that they can be given first aid till they reach the hospital in view of any urgency. Hyderabad, June 28 : Prabhas, also known as Prabhas Raju Uppalapati, is currently one of the most popular stars in the nation as June 28, 2022, marks 20 years of Prabhas in the movie industry. Prabhas is known as the "Darling" of Telugu cinema because of his acting talent and humble demeanour. Prabhas' debut film 'Eeswar' was formally released on June 28, 2002. Krishnama Raju, his uncle and the "Rebel Star" of Telugu cinema, introduced Prabhas at a formal muhurat occasion. 'Eeswar' was directed by Jayanth Paranji, starring actress Sridevi as the female lead opposite Prabhas. The 'Radhe Shyam' actor, sure made a huge impact with his very first movie and managed to grab many more blockbusters soon after his debut. Prabhas went on to star in such films as 'Baahubali,' 'Chatrapati,' 'Mirchi,' and others. 'Darling' actor Prabhas' colourful journey is celebrated by his admirers 20 years after the actor first appeared in front of the camera. Prabhas will be next seen in Om Raut's 'Adi Purush' and Prashanth Neel's 'Salaar' while he has upcoming many projects in his portfolio. In the comedy directed by Maruthi, Prabhas will portray a cool character. He also has the movie 'Spirit', which will be directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who earlier made the movie 'Arjun Reddy'. Guwahati, 28 June : Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde said on Tuesday that he will be in Mumbai soon, adding that he is accompanied by 50 MLAs who have come of their own. Speaking to mediapersons outside the Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati, Shinde said, "We are with the Shiv Sena and I'll be in Mumbai soon." Shinde added, "50 MLAs are here on their own. No MLA is suppressed here, and everyone is happy. The MLAs are with us at the Guwahati hotel." He also said that if the Shiv Sena in Mumbai claims that it is in touch with the MLAs present in Guwahati, it should reveal their names too. "We are in Shiv Sena and will take the party ahead. We are taking forward Balasaheb Thackeray's Hindutva and there should be no doubt about this," he said. Shinde added: "Deepak Kesarkar is our spokesperson and he will give you the updates about our stand. We will let you know our further course of action." Meanwhile, rebel Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar also confirmed with the media that Shinde is expected to meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari soon, adding that a floor test might take place this week only. Bengaluru, June 28 : The Union Home Ministry has sought documents and proofs from the president of the Karnataka State Contractors' Association who levelled allegations of 40 per cent commission in all public contracts against the ruling BJP in the state. Association president Kempanna has submitted all the documents to the officer sent by the Union Home Ministry in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Kempanna had written to the Home Ministry about the corruption allegations against the BJP government in the state. "Union Home Ministry has sent an officer in this regard to discuss the issue. I have all the documents that were sought by the officer. I will meet and give all details in that regard," Kempanna had stated. Kempanna had got a call from the Union Home Ministry earlier asking him to submit all the documents pertaining to his allegations. Kempanna told the ministry that if a proper investigation will be done, he will provide all the documents. The development has got many BJP ministers and leaders worried. As the state has already entered an election year, the leaders who wanted to be in the good books of the high command are now jittery over possible developments, sources in the party said. The Contractor's Association had held a press conference and have also written to the Prime Minister alleging that the BJP leaders are forcibly taking a 40 per cent cut in all the projects executed by the contractors. The Congress made this a huge issue and even demanded imposition of President's Rule in Karnataka. Kempanna alleged that the Rural Development, PWD, BBMP and Irrigation Ministers have their own agents. "Even the CM's office is not an exception. There are audio records on commission given to them. Health Minister Sudhakar's family members are carrying out 60 per cent of the work. His wife gives cheques for the work. The son of a Chitradurga MLA has quit the medical profession to become a contractor," Kempanna had claimed. Reacting to the allegations Sudhakar had stated that Kempanna was a Congress agent. He challenged him to prove the allegations against him and warned that he would file a defamation case against him. New Delhi, June 28 : As Elon Musk, who turned 51 on Tuesday, decided to put Tesla's entry into India on hold, Chinese state media has termed the move as a strategic one as the electric car-maker will still eye the Indian market for its potential. According to a report in Global Times, Tesla might just use the suspension as a "business strategy to further promote the negotiation". Musk last month categorically said that Tesla will not manufacture cars in India unless it is allowed to sell and provide service to its electric vehicles. The team Musk hired in India last year has now been diverted to focus on the Middle-East and the larger Asia-Pacific markets. Manuj Khurana, the policy and business development executive at Tesla in India and who led lobbying efforts in India, has resigned. He was hired in March 2021 and lobbied the Indian government for more than a year to slash the import tax on electric cars to 40 per cent from as high as 100 per cent. Chinese state media said that the suspension of Tesla's entry plan in India is a typical representation of a number of multinational enterprises, "reflecting a business environment in need of improvement for the South Asian nation to win more foreign investment". "India's business market environment is still relatively conservative and closed rather than opening up, resulting from the rising economic nationalism," said Liu Zongyi, Secretary General of the Research Center for China-South Asia Cooperation at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. India has been seeking to build an industrial chain with the US under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) "by trying to exclude and limit China's development in manufacturing and forcing multinational enterprises in China to shift to other markets including India... the cost for such move is still high and will not be paid by the US government", Liu was quoted as saying. India is rich in labour resources with affordable lower costs, but it currently can't fully undertake the development of mid- and high-end industrial chains to boost its exports. "India will be able to achieve more rapid and stable development if it can strengthen industrial chain cooperation with China from a realistic perspective," Liu told Global Times. After Musk confirmed Tesla's arrival in India, then Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa declared in February last year that the US-based electric vehicle and clean energy company will set up its production unit in the state. Tesla then registered its office in Bengaluru. The electric car-maker has not launched any of its electric cars in India or any other country in South Asia yet. The only Asian market where Tesla has a presence is China. Delhi:BJP leader and Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis coming out from residence of party president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Tuesday June 28, 2022 (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Delhi:BJP leader and Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis coming out from residence of party president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Tuesday June 28, 2022 (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, June 28 : Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, BJP chief J. P. Nadda discussed the situation in a meeting with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his residence here. Sources said the agenda of the meeting was the current political situation. "Future of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government hangs in balance and there is complete uncertainty over continuity of government. Current political situation is agenda of meeting between Nadda and Fadnavis, and also the party's future course of action," sources said. Bharatiya Janata Party's national general secretary Arun Singh has also reached Nadda's residence. It is learnt that Fadnavis will also meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the Maharashtra situation. Earlier in the afternoon, Fadnavis reached the national capital to meet the BJP central leadership. Sources said that Fadnavis will brief the central leadership about the political situation in Maharashtra. "Fadnavis will also discuss the party's future course of action," sources said. As uncertainty continues to haunt the MVA government the BJP is closely following the political developments and has adopted a wait and watch policy. On Monday, the Maharashtra BJP State Core Committee meeting was held in Mumbai to discuss all the aspects in detail. "So far we have not got any proposal from anybody in this matter... Whenever it is received, we shall consider it and call another core committee meeting if needed," senior Maharashtra leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had said, reiterating the party's known stance. A political crisis hit the Maha Vikas Agadhi government last week when Shiv Sena MLAs, including Minister Eknath Shinde revolted against the party leadership. A BJP insider said the party is treading cautiously amid the changing political situation in Maharashtra to avoid a repeat of the 2019 misadventure when Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra and later resigned due to lack of numbers. Srinagar, June 28 : Two persons were shot dead by the army after they were found moving suspiciously along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K's Kupwara district on Tuesday, police said. Police sources said the two, moving suspiciously along the LoC in Keran sector of Kupwara, were noticed by the alert army troops and challenged. However, at this, the troops came under fire from the other side of the border fence and retaliated, a source said. Subsequently, searches were conducted and two persons found dead on the Indian side of the LoC, the source said. "Four AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, and two packets containing narcotics were recovered from the slain persons, while two more AK-47 rifles with magazines and four grenades were found on the other side of the border fence. "The slain persons have been identified as Shamsuddin Beigh and Majid Chechi, who, it is believed, had come to receive the consignment of arms, ammunition and narcotics to help infiltration by terrorists in the area," the source said. Mandi, June 28 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday formally dedicated the Sardar Patel University, the second state-run university in 52 years, to the people by inaugurating its two blocks here. Over 141 government and private colleges of Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts are affiliated to the university which has been set up in Mandi, the Chief Minister's home district. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Thakur announced that college and university teachers would be provided revised University Grants Commission (UGC) scales and a notification in this respect would be issued within a month. He said after the formation of Himachal Pradesh, the first state university, Himachal Pradesh University, was established in Shimla on July 22, 1970. He said the Sardar Patel University came into existence 52 years after the setting up of the Himachal Pradesh University with an aim to enable the youth to get higher education nearer to their areas. While urging the faculty and students of the university to work diligently and with missionary zeal for the bright future of the institution, the Chief Minister said this university has been named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, remembered as the 'Iron man of India', as a mark as of respect to his contribution in building a united India by integrating the princely states. He also said a statue of Sardar Patel would be installed on the university campus. Thakur said students coming from far-flung areas of the state would be benefited with the establishment of this university as Mandi is situated in the middle of Himachal Pradesh and would serve the students of five districts. He said having two state universities would also increase post-graduation seats and students would be able to take admission easily for higher education and the burden of Himachal Pradesh University would also be lessened. Becoming nostalgic about his college days, the Chief Minister said his alma mater, the Vallabh Government College in Mandi, in 1986-87 had over 4,000 students and even today it is the biggest college of the state with over 6,000 students. He said whatever he has learnt during his college days is helping him today to overcome hurdles in life. Thakur said Rs 27 crore has been spent on the construction of the Vallabh college campus and it would be completed by September. He said that it is a proud moment for him that a former student of this college today dedicated the second university of the state to the people of Himachal Pradesh. He said a medical university in Mandi has also been established at Ner Chowk, near here. Also, the land acquisition for a greenfield airport in Mandi would start soon. Mumbai, June 28 : At least four persons perished after a Pawan Hans helicopter ditched into the Arabian Sea near the ONGC's Sagar Kiran oil-rig, off Mumbai High Fields, around 175 kms off the country's commercial capital, official sources said on Tuesday. The chopper was carrying nine people - seven passengers, reportedly ONGC staffers, and two pilots - and a major operation comprising the ONGC, the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, and offshore supply vessels, was launched to rescue them. By 2 p.m., all the nine were taken out, but four, who were unconscious after rescue and flown to a Mumbai hospital, were pronounced dead later, said officials. "All 9 persons on board the helicopter were rescued. Unfortunately, four of them, brought unconscious to the Mumbai base and taken to the hospital, lost the battle of life. ONGC deeply mourns this loss," said the ONGC in a tweet this evening. Further details of the fatalities, the cause of death, their identities, etc are awaited. The rescue operation comprised the ONGC's offshore supply vessel Malviya-16 and a boat from oil rig Sagar Kiran, while the Indian Coast Guard deployed its helicopters to drop rafts near the ditched chopper, and the Indian Navy sent an ALH and a Sea King chopper. The cause of the emergency landing on water, whether related to weather or technical issues, is not immediately clear, according to ONGC officials in Mumbai and New Delhi. Udaipur, June 28 : A gruesome murder in broad daylight reported from a crowded street in Udaipur on Tuesday has triggered tension in the Lake City after the murderers posted a video on social media claiming to teach a lesson to the victim for putting up a social media post. As per the police, the victim, a tailor by profession, was attacked by a sharp-edged weapon. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media, which is being termed as a Taliban-style murder. Sources said that the victim was hacked to death for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a social media post over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. The police have reached the spot and further investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the people to maintain peace. "I condemn the heinous murder in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in the crime and the police will go to the bottom of the case. I appeal to all the parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to those involved in such a heinous crime," he said. In the viral video, one of the two accused could be heard saying, "I will make the video viral when I accomplish my goal to teach a lesson to the accused who has shown disrespect to our God." Police sources said that the plot to murder this man was chalked out some 10 days ago. Meanwhile, the local traders have shut their shops in protest against the brutal murder. New Delhi, June 28 : Online hospitality major Airbnb on Tuesday announced that a temporary ban on house parties and events, announced in August 2020 in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now permanent. The temporary ban has proved effective and the company has now "officially codifying the ban as our policy". "We focus on trying to deter the very rare cases of Hosts who do not operate responsibly, or guests who try to throw unauthorized parties," the company said in a statement. The policy will continue to include serious consequences for guests who attempt to violate these rules, varying from account suspension to full removal from the platform. In 2021, over 6,600 guests were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate its party ban. "In these cases, we also work to support our Hosts with property damage protection via AirCover for Hosts," said the company. Disruptive parties and events will continue to be prohibited, including open-invite gatherings. "Party house" properties will continue to be strictly prohibited as well. The temporary party ban policy announced in summer 2020 included a 16-person occupancy cap. "As part of the updated policy, and based on feedback from a number of Hosts who have listings that can house above 16 people comfortably, we will remove this cap," said Airbnb. In late 2019, the company tightened its measures to prohibit both "open-invite" parties (those advertised on social media) as well as "chronic party houses" that had developed into neighbourhood nuisances. "Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure. It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbours," Airbnb noted. Other anti-party measures include anti-party reservation prevention, special holiday anti-party measures, a 24-hour safety line, neighbourhood support line, etc. Patna, June 28 : An awkward situation arose in Bihar Assembly on Tuesday after opposition parties and JD-U walked out of the house leaving the BJP MLAs alone. The opposition parties including RJD, Left parties, Congress and AIMIM walked out of the House after Speaker Vijay Sinha refused to allow them to discuss the issue of Agnipath scheme inside the assembly. After lunch hour, the JD-U MLAs also left the house. There were three cabinet ministers under the JD-U quota -- Sheela Mandal, Madan Sahani and Sunil Singh who were present at that time. They also left the house along with leaders of opposition parties. Due to the absence of legislators of other political parties in the house, Speaker Vijay Sinha said: "MLA Sanjay Sarawgi has brought an important issue of best legislator award in the house. As the leaders of other opposition parties are absent, I am sadly closing this issue. Such an issue needs to be discussed in the presence of all party legislators." JD-U MLA Dr Sanjiv Kumar, after the incident said: "There is a difference of opinion between BJP and the JD-U over Agnipath scheme but the alliance is intact. The youths of the country are worried about their future. They were aiming for permanent jobs in the armed forces while the Centre is giving just 4 years jobs on contract basis. The Centre should address this issue. We urge the Prime Minister to amend the scheme if possible." Hari Bhushan Thakur, the BJP MLA said: "All JD-U MLAs and ministers were present in the house. There is no confusion about it. BJP and JD-U are united in Bihar." New Delhi, June 28: Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro that Moscow remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to ensure uninterrupted supplies of Russian fertilizers to Brazilian farmers. As agreed during the recent BRICS summit, Putin dialled Bolsonaro on Monday to discuss the problems of global food security in detail. "The President of Russia gave a detailed assessment of the causes of the difficult situation on the world market for agricultural products and fertilizers. The importance of restoring the architecture of free trade in foodstuffs and fertilizers, collapsed by Western sanctions, was emphasized," the Kremlin said in a statement. In this context, Putin stressed that Russia is committed to fulfilling its obligations to ensure uninterrupted supplies of Russian fertilizers to Brazilian farmers. "The mutual intention to consistently strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries was confirmed, including the further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, including agriculture and energy," the statement added. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro has hinted that Brazil can start buying diesel from Russia which has been facing unprecendented economic sanctions due to the Ukraine conflict. "I spoke with President Putin today from Russia. Commercial exchanges between us. There we have food security and energy security. So there's a chance we can buy diesel from there. It is, for sure, a more affordable price," the local media quoted the Brazilian president telling his supporters at Palacio da Alvorada. Brazil is a major agricultural and industrial power, and the strongest economy in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, it is the fourth largest agricultural producing country in the world, the main producer of coffee, sugarcane and citrus, and the second-largest soybean, beef and poultry producer. Russia has been among the 15 largest trading partners of Brazil with the bilateral trade in 2021 amounting to $7.3 billion. Trade is complementary and mostly based on the agribusiness chain. The two countries share the interest of expanding and diversifying trade with higher value-added products, in line with the level of development of the two economies. Fertilizers are the main Russian export to Brazil which also includes soybeans, meat, peanuts, coffee and sugar. However, with the sanctions levelled against Russia and the closure of Ukrainian ports, Brazil - the world's fourth largest consumer of fertilizers responsible for 8% of the world's consumption - was deeply concerned about the major disruption. "Russia provides 25% of Brazil's fertilizer imports along with large amounts from Belarus. Brazil imports 28% of its potassium from Russia. Brazil is the second largest nitrogen importer in the world with 21% of its nitrogen imports coming from Russia," notes UkrAgroConsult, a Kiev-based company which provides analytical services to Ukrainian and international market operators. "Brazil is urgently looking for alternatives to Eastern European fertilizers. The (Brazil's Minister of Agriculture) Minister is looking to Chile to supply more potassium and countries in the Middle East to supply more urea," it had said a few months ago. Putin's assurance to Bolsonaro on Monday could have calmed some nerves in the Latin American nation. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War The Islamic State Khorasan Province : has significantly stepped up its information war targeting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and China. In its visceral campaign against Taliban, which has been mutating into a Pashtun nationalist force, shedding substantially its puritanical past, the ISKP has released a new online propaganda magazine. The new outfit, released in Pashto, on May 11 is called "Khurasan Ghag". The title is a translation of "Voice of Khurasan", which has already been in existence in the English language. But in order to broaden its local reach, the content of the Khurasan Ghag has been significantly changed. Unsurprisingly, the Pashto version covers a lot of local issues, in comparison to the English version which is more focused on international events and developments. The Khurasan Ghag takes the cue from the "Yalghar"-a magazine in Urdu published by the Islamic State in Pakistan Province (ISPP), which first appeared in June 2021. The new round of information war follows the Taliban's takeover of Kabul on August 15, 2021. The first issue therefore slams the Taliban, accusing it of working together with the Shia community. But it is the second issue of the Khurasan Ghag that pours vitriol over the Taliban. The 81-page publication blasts Taliban's Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Mottaqi for meeting with the chairman of the council of Shia Ulama and other influential figures. Besides, the magazine details the Taliban's ties with the United Nations, which calls for the international recognition of the government led by Taliban, provided it rejects Sharia. An article by Riccardo Valle points out that the ISKP's media hub, the Al-Azaim Foundation, even prior to the takeover by the Taliban, was highly critical of the group. For instance, in May 2021, the affiliated Khalid Media published an 18-minute-long video which criticised the Taliban for having relations with "Communist China", accusing the group of covertly endorsing the ongoing repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. More recently, Al-Azaim Foundation released a video slamming Kabul's new government for opening its diplomatic relations with Russia, China, and Pakistan. The magazine firmly brings Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the ISKP's cross-hairs. The touchstone of the propaganda is ISKP's first ever attack on a military base in Termez, Uzbekistan on the April 18. Ten Katyusha rockets were fired. The Uzbek channel Tawheed News released a 24-minute-long Uzbek-language audio statement titled "The blessed attack of Termez". The statement announced that the jihad for Central Asia had been officially started. It called for attacks in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. During the remaining days of the month of Ramadan, ISKP Tajik and Uzbek channels published several posters and messages with the al-Azaim Foundation's logo praising the Termez attack. On May 3 the Al-Azaim Foundation and Xuroson Ovozi released a new 16-minute-long video featuring the Termez attack. The speaker then threatens to attack the so called "Russian empire" as well as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The speaker boasts that several Central Asian fighters of ISKP had drawn from combat experience in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya, Syria, and Iraq. They were now ready to fight in Transoxiana, as this region is closely connected with Khorasan. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative San Francisco, June 28 : Ride-hailing platform Uber on Tuesday announced that more than 15,000 drivers in its fleet are driving Tesla cars via its partnership with can rental company Hertz. Tesla has started deliveries to car rental service provider Hertz against its huge 100,000-vehicle order announced last year. According to Uber, the Hertz deal is its "largest-ever expansion" of EVs on a mobility platform in North America, reports The Verge. There have been more than 5 million Tesla rides driving over 40 million miles since the programme started last year, according to the company. Uber drivers who wish to rent a Tesla must complete at least 150 trips and maintain a 4.85-star rating to be eligible. It costs about $300 a week to rent the Tesla, and drivers receive an extra dollar per trip (max $4,000 a year) in select US cities. The Hertz-Tesla deal was the biggest-ever rental car order for electric vehicles. It was reported Hertz would pay $4.2 billion for 100,000 Model 3s over the next 14 months, which amounts to about a fifth of its fleet. The rental firm would also build a network of charging stations. Navsari, June 28 : On Tuesday morning, when the world woke up, a father in cold blood hacked his 19-year-old son to death with an axe over some petty issues. Father suspected that his son had stolen money from his pocket. Chanchalben Patel in her complaint with the Khergam police station in the Navsari district said, "Around 6 a.m. I was cooking in the kitchen, though my husband Bhagubhai had woken up, but he was lying in the bed. Our 19-year-old son Sahil was sleeping, when I heard big bang noise and rushed out to find that my husband was standing with an axe. He had hit on my son's neck with the axe two to three times. Sahil was lying in a pool of blood." "After hitting my son, my husband sat on the floor and did not reply to any of my questions," she added. She rushed out and sought help. "Neighbours called an emergency ambulance, and doctors declared my son dead, so police were informed," she stated in her statement. She told the police that when she asked her husband why he killed our son, Bhagubhai told her that on Monday night, Sahil had slapped him twice, because he was caught urinating in a tub and he also suspected that he had stolen money from his pocket. Bhagubhai is a daily wage earner, though Sahil was tenth pass, he was jobless. Police Sub Inspector S.S. Mal said that the accused Bhagubhai has been arrested and Sahil's body has been sent for the postmortem. The accused has been arrested for murder. Hyderabad, June 28 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said that his government wants Telangana to be known as the startup state of India and Hyderabad as the startup capital of India. He was speaking after inaugurating the second phase of T-Hub, billed as the world's largest technology startup incubator, in Hyderabad. Spread over 370,000 square feet and designed to house more than 1,500 startups, the swanky campus has come up at Raidrugi, a part of the information technology corridor. The Chief Minister claimed that T-Hub, which was launched in 2015, has now become a national role model. He recalled that it was founded to bring in the best talent from across the country to nurture a startup ecosystem. "Today, I can proudly say we have created a world-class entity at T-Hub to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Our state's startup policy is progressive, it has helped forge fruitful partnerships with both corporates and academia. This is something very uniquely wonderful about our state," he said. KCR, as the leader is popularly known, pointed out that T-Hub has impacted over 2000 entrepreneurs and seen $1.19 billion raised in funding by T-Hub startups. It has facilitated connections with venture capitalists and angel investors, establishing a brand name synonymous with innovation. He also noted that Telangana state's startup ecosystem is valued as among the top 10 global ecosystems in affordable talent, and is among the top 15 startup ecosystems across Asia in attracting funds. "In 2021, the startup ecosystem of Telangana was valued at $4.8 billion. Among cities in India, Hyderabad offers the best standard of living, and we want Hyderabad to be known as the startup capital of India. Our startups are providing valuable collaboration to the main sectors of our economy, namely IT, life sciences, aerospace, and defence, and automotives, including electric vehicles," he said. Noting that many startups have also created products and solutions relevant for social sectors like education, health, agriculture, sanitation, and environment, KCR said all this became possible due to the very progressive policies in the state like TS-IPass, TSBpass, and Telanganaas start up and innovation policy. "We have made doing business easier for the startups, ensuring that they receive mentorship support, get connected with knowledge institutions and corporates as per their requirements, receive funding support, and most importantly receive automatic job orders from government departments if their product or solution is of relevance to us." He recalled that the journey of T-Hub started as an idea, eight years ago, when Telangana became the youngest state in India. Around the fulcrum of T-Hub, the government promoted sister institutions to support different requirements of an entrepreneur. Today all of these institutions also, namely We-hub, T-Works, TSIC, RICH, and TASK, have become champions in their own right, he claimed. KCR said the first phase of T-Hub showed that there is a huge appetite for entrepreneurship among the youth in India. "We felt we must capitalise on this appetite. That we must provide them with best support from the startup stakeholders and give them a space for high-quality incubation and acceleration. Three years ago, our government decided to invest in the 2nd phase of T-Hub. This new facility is five times bigger. Our aim is to incubate the next generation of startups that would one day be strong pillars for our Indian economy. We hope that, through T-Hub, these startups can strengthen their entrepreneurial spirit and bring global recognition to our state and the country with their accomplishments." Stating that India is only weeks away from celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence, he underlined the need to provide a clear vision and roadmap for the country about its future, especially to youth. "Young India is an aspirational India. It wants to be challenged and seeks to compete globally. Our government recognised this aspirational India early on and wanted to put young India on the global map. We wanted to build an India known equally for its entrepreneurial and technology capabilities," he added. Panaji, June 28 : After the opposition MLAs boycotted the training programme by the Goa Legislature Secretariat, alleging wastage of taxpayers money, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that in future the training can be conducted in the Assembly complex itself and it is inappropriate to boycott training when a resourceful organisation imparts it. While speaking at the valedictory session of the training programme, Sawant said that it is not appropriate to boycott the training as an 'organisation', Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, is organising it. "They are not here to tell you about their goals and policies. This organisation is an expert in this (imparting training). They have given training to many legislative assemblies, to various political parties, MLAs, MPs and elected representatives of local bodies. I am not saying this because I am a member of the BJP. I know this organisation for the last many years," Sawant said. He said that 'Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini' has given training to the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena members in their campus. "Those who boycotted the training programme can find out this information. This organisation has many resource persons," Sawant said. "If they (Opposition MLAs) have problems coming here (hotel), then we can organise the programme in the assembly complex. Imparting training is important. We can organise it in September or October," he said. Sawant during the inaugural function on Monday had said that the rules of procedure and conduct of the 'business' of the state assembly are like 'Bhagavad Gita', which every MLA should follow to become successful and to take democracy ahead. The AAP MLAs had boycotted this training organised in a five-star resort alleging it was wrong to allow an ideologically-biased outfit and that the help of a RSS-backed NGO was not required. "Organisation chosen to provide the training is a propaganda agency of the BJP, and it was wrong of the Secretariat to allow an ideologically-biased outfit to be involved in such an important session of the state legislative assembly, expenditure of which was paid by the taxpayer's money," the AAP said in a press statement. The Congress had also criticised the BJP government for spending lakhs of rupees on the two-day training session attended by a few MLAs in a five star hotel. It had questioned the Legislature Secretariat about getting 'Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini' on board to hold the session. Chennai, June 28 : Tamil Nadu Coastal Police and the Indian Coast Guard have intensified patrolling in the Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram areas following intelligence report that more Sri Lankan Tamils will come to Indian shores after the financial situation in the island nation worsened. While the Tamil Nadu government has taken a political decision to lodge all the Sri Lankan Tamils who reach the shores of the country into the refugee camps and not to send them to jail, there are reports of some fugitives of now-defunct terror organisation LTTE reaching Tamil Nadu shores. Another factor that the Coastal police want to check is the illegal ferrying of refugees into the Indian shores by the boat operators who drop the people midway near the shores and make good their escape. The refugees have to wade mostly through chest-high water to reach the small lands that are near the Dhanushkdi shores. On Monday, the coastal police rescued an elderly Sivan, 81, from Mannar region in Sri Lanka and Parameswari, 71, from Trincomalee who was found unconscious on the shores near the Kothanadmarar temple in Dhanushkodi. The Indian Coast Guard had to use the services of hovercraft to rescue the duo to the mainland. What is worrying is that several Sri Lankan Tamils, who are genuine refugees are reaching the shores due to the economic crisis in the Island nation after paying hefty money to illegal ferry operators. These illegal operators, mostly fishermen from Sri Lanka don't have the necessary license to cross the International Marine Boundary Line (IMBL) and hence drop these refugees far away from the mainland in small mud elevations. If these refugees are not spotted either by the patrolling teams or the fishermen from Tamil Nadu, the situation will turn worse. Since the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, more than 90 people have reached the Indian shores and have been given asylum at the refugee camps for Sri Lankan nationals at Mandapam. The state government and the Central government are taking a lenient view as far as the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are concerned. A senior officer of Tamil Nadu Coastal police told IANS, "The police patrolling teams are in the sea and are monitoring closely but there are intelligence inputs of some hard core former cadres of the LTTE also trying to reach the Indian shores in the guise of refugees. This, we are monitoring closely and there is proper information from the intelligence agencies regarding the same." Ahmedabad, June 28 : Aam Aadmi Party Gujarat state president Gopal Italia said on Tuesday that "I congratulate the BJP leaders from Gujarat who are going to visit government schools and government hospitals in Delhi and I want to say that if they know the education system of Gujarat is in bad shape then they should learn something from the education system and health system of Delhi and try to implement it in Gujarat. In Gujarat, BJP leaders are trading education by starting trusts in the name of their parents and private schools." "I would like to say one more thing to the BJP leaders that they should not go there just for sightseeing, or for taking photos and not spread any false illusion among the people after coming back to Gujarat," he added. Italia said, "The Aam Aadmi Party considers education as a means of national service. We believe that through education we can take society and the whole country forward. While on the other hand the BJP considers education a business. That is why education has been commercialised in Gujarat while the country is being served by a good education system in Delhi." He continued, "When Melania Trump, the wife of then US President Donald Trump, came to Delhi she also praised the government schools in Delhi. It is a matter of pride for us that the BJP government, which had never seen any government school-hospital of the opposition government, is visiting the schools and hospitals in Delhi, this is happening for the first time in history and it is a good thing." He added, "BJP leaders used to condemn the Aam Aadmi Party and say that Delhi is a small city and Arvind Kejriwal is the mayor of a city and the Aam Aadmi Party is just an urban party. BJP leaders themselves are going to see the Kejriwal model schools and hospitals, this is a victory of the hard work of millions of workers of the Aam Aadmi Party." Aam Aadmi Party state president Gopal Italia and AAP state treasurer Kailashdan Gadhvi were also present at the press conference. In the morning the national joint secretary, Isudan Gadhvi tweeted and considered this visit as pure politics. He wrote, for the first time ever a political party is doing politics on public issues. Udaipur, June 28 : In a gruesome incident, a tailor was hacked to death in broad daylight inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. The attackers entered his shop and stabbed him multiple times with daggers and also slit his throat. A video of the incident where the accused have claimed responsibility for the murder has gone viral on social media. The shops in Hathipol, Ghantaghar, Ashwani Bazar, Dehli Gate and Maldas Street in Udaipur have pulled down their shutters in protest against the incident. The body of the victim was still lying outside the shop till the time of filing this report. The family members of the deceased have demanded Rs 50 lakh and a government job as compensation. The victim has been identified as Kanhaiyalal Teli (40), a tailor who ran a shop by the name of Supreme Tailors in Dhanmandi. At around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, the two miscreants entered his shop on the pretext of giving their measurements for cloth stitching. By the time Kanhaiyalal could understand anything, the miscreants attacked him multiple times with daggers, resulting in his death. Top police officers and an FSL team are on the spot collecting evidence. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the people to maintain peace. "I condemn the heinous murder in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in the crime and the police will go to the bottom of the case. I appeal to all the parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to those involved in such a heinous crime," he said. After the gruesome murder, leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, called the SP and inquired about the incident. Kanhaiyalal was a resident of Govardhan Vilas area. Ten days back, he had put up a social media post in favour of Nupur Sharma. Since then, people from a particular community were threatening to kill him. Troubled by the constant threats, Kanhaiyalal did not even open his shop for six days besides filing a police complaint in this matter. The police asked him to remain careful for a few days. District Collector Tara Chand Meena and SP Manoj Chaudhary also reached the spot after receiving the news of the gruesome murder. Choudhary said that action will be taken against the culprits. Asked about the threats received by the victim, the SP said that all records related to the deceased are being investigated. Karachi, June 28 : A minor boy of the Hindu community was kidnapped from outside his residence by unidentified men in Sindh's Ranipur town, Express Tribune reported. According to police and family members, the incident took place on Monday morning when the boy, Aadesh Kumar, was playing with his two neighbourhood friends in front of his house. Two suspects riding a Honda 125 motorcycle appeared in the lane and kidnapped him. "Initially, the abductors tried to kidnap two children, but one managed to escape, so they fled the scene with Aadesh in front of the area people," Sawan Raj, maternal uncle of the child, told The Express Tribune. He said that the local people followed the suspects till Kot Banglow, some 50 km away from the crime scene, but they managed to escape. A man also sustained injuries after the kidnappers allegedly shot at him as he was trying to save Aadesh. "The nearby people saw the boy screaming from between the two bike riders when they crossed any populated area," Raj said, adding that soon after the incident, they informed the police. However, he lamented that the law enforcers have only given "empty assurances" for the child's recovery. According to the police, they have checked the CCTV recordings and have started an investigation into the matter. "We have also arrested a few suspects and hope that we will be able to recover the boy and arrest the real criminals," said Ranipur SHO Ameer Ali Chang. Hero Mal - Aadesh's father, who runs a grocery shop in the Shahbaz Colony area of the town - said that they belong to the lower middle class and cannot afford to pay ransom to recover his son. "We have not received any call from the kidnappers yet, but such incidents frequently happen with the intention of collecting ransom," he said, Express Tribune reported. After the incident, the Hindu community members and local activists protested in front of the police station by staging a sit-in. The protesters demanded the boy's recovery and strict security in the area to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. "Some time ago, a child belonging to the Hindu community was kidnapped from Babarloi Town of Khairpur Mir on World Children's Day. He was later sexually assaulted and murdered," Zameer Solangi, a local activist told the media. Abu Dhabi, June 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a brief stopover at Abu Dhabi on his return from Germany and was received and sent off at the airport by UAE President and Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since August 2019 when the Prime Minister visited Abu Dhabi. The main purpose of the visit was for Prime Minister to convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan last month. "The Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as family members," a Ministry of External Affairs statement said. He also congratulated Sheikh Mohamed on his election as the third President of the UAE and becoming the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Both leaders reviewed various aspects of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which they have carefully nurtured over the past few years. At a virtual summit on February 18, both countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has since entered into force on May 1, and is expected to further boost trade and investment between both countries. Bilateral trade in FY 2021-22 was about $72 billion. The UAE is India's third largest trade partner and second largest export destination. The UAE's FDI in India has continuously increased over the past few years and currently stands at over $12 billion. During their virtual summit, both leaders had also released a Vision Statement which has laid the roadmap for bilateral cooperation in coming years in diverse areas including trade, investment, energy including renewable energy, food security, health, defence, skills, education, culture and people-to-people ties. Both leaders expressed satisfaction that India and the UAE continue to forge closer partnership in these areas building on their close and friendly relations and historical people-to-people connect. The India-UAE have a strong energy partnership which is now acquiring new focus on renewable energy. The Prime Minister thanked the UAE President for taking great care of the 3.5 million Indian community in UAE, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also him to visit India at an early date. Kochi, June 28 : Actor Dileep on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief when the trial court here on Tuesday dismissed the petition of the Crime Branch police probe team demanding cancellation of the bail. Actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the actress abduction case. The probe team had filed this petition in April and since then there have been several arguments in the case, but the beleaguered actor had the last laugh. The details of what transpired in the court on Tuesday will be known only on Wednesday as the court only announced that the application of the probe team has been dismissed. The actress abduction incident occurred in 2017 and Dileep was in jail for 85 days after which he is now out on bail and the probe team approached the court that he has violated the bail conditions and hence his bail should be cancelled. The case has in the past few months taken numerous twists and turns and in December last year, a fresh case was registered against the actor and his close associates based on a disclosure made by Dileep's former friend and director Balachandrakumar that he had conspired to do away with the police officials who probed the 2017 actress abduction case. And in this case, it was after several rounds of hearing that he got anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court in March. Visakhapatnam, June 28 : In a major blow to the Maoist movement in Andhra Pradesh, the state police arrested a top Maoist leader, which resulted in the surrender of 60 cadres. Communist Party of India-Maoist leader Vanthala Ramakrishna was arrested in Alluri Sitharamaraju district, dealing a big blow to the banned outfit in Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region. Ramakrishna alias Prabhakar alias Goddali Rayudu was the Area Committee Secretary (ACS) of Paddeabayalu-Korukonda area. Following their leader's arrest, 33 party members of the Korukonda Area Committee and 27 militia members surrendered before the police. According to police, the Maoist leader carried a reward of Rs 5 Lakh. Police seized Rs 39 lakh cash, a mine weighing 5 kg, five detonators, a 9 mm pistol with 9 rounds and Maoist party literature from him. Director General of Police K.V. Rajendranath Reddy said that the surrenders displays the weakening base of Maoists due to the developmental activities taken up by the government and people are vexed with the outdated ideology of the rebels. He appealed to all Maoist cadres to surrender and join the mainstream to lead normal life and also to avail the benefits of 'surrender and rehabilitation policy' of the government. The arrest of Ramakrishna left the Maoist party without any leader in the AOB region. He was one of the last two leaders left in the region after the killing of six Maoists in an encounter with police in June last year. Many key leaders from AOB region moved to Chhattisgarh amid reports of a rift between tribal and non-tribal Maoist leaders. Kora Nageswara Rao alias Nagesh, the other key leader, was arrested last month. Patna, June 28 : Several districts in north Bihar and the Seemanchal area were facing floods as a number of rivers in the region rose above the danger mark on Tuesday. Several villages in Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar in Seemanchal, as well as East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Supaul and other districts were affected due to flooding. In Araria, the water level of Nuna river rose on Tuesday and flooded several villages after washing away the embankment at Sikti block. The section of road connecting Sikti to Singhiya was also damaged by flood water. Children were seen playing in flood water. Beside Nuna river, Lohandra river was also flowing above the danger mark and flood water entered everal villages coming under the Kursakanta block. The Parman and Bakrav rivers were 10 centimetres above the danger mark in Jokihat block. The water level of the Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kosi, and Kamla Balan river have also crossed danger level in several places, due to continuous rainfall in Nepal. A total of 1.32 lakh cusec water was released from Valmikinagar Barrage in the last 24 hours leading to flood like situation in Bettiah, Bagha, and Gopalganj. The administration of these districts were on high alert as the rain is continuously taking place in Nepal and adjoining districts of Bihar. The districts of north Bihar lie lower than contiguous areas of Nepal, and hence, water accumulates there and creates havoc for the residents. The administration has alerted people and asked them to move to higher ground. Vadodara, June 28 : A woman and her paramour were detained by the Vadodara police on Tuesday for allegedly killing the six-year-old son of the woman. The crime took place in Pasva village of Savli taluka in Central Gujarat. Complainant Mukesh Parmar stated that his wife Sumitra had been in a relationship with one Kisan Rawal for more than a year. "On Sunday, I had gone to market to buy groceries when Rawal came to my house. The neighbours caught him red handed with my wife," he stated. Mukesh said that he had also called his parents, in-laws and informed them about his wife's illicit relationship. "Elders from both sides convinced her to break all ties with Rawal and live with me. After which Rawal left the village," he said. On Monday morning, he left for work leaving behind his son Prince, daughter Riya and Sumitra. In the afternoon, he received a call from his relatives who told him that his son's dead body was lying on the floor. After rushing back home, he found strangulation marks around his son's neck. The complainant said that his nephew had seen Sumitra carrying the body on her shoulder and going towards the canal. When neighbours saw Sumitra carrying Prince's body, she told them that she is going to kill her daughter Riya too so that she can live with Rawal, the complainant said. Savli police (Vadodara rural) have registered the complaint against Sumitra and her paramour for murder, destroying evidence, and criminal intimidation. Police Sub Inspector Alpesh Mahida said both the accused had been picked up on Tuesday morning and once their corona test is negative, they will be arrested. Kolkata, June 28 : A fresh controversy erupted on Tuesday over the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held the petitioners, in particular their counsel, responsible for putting the teachers recruitment process in the state on hold. The Chief Minister targeted CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who was the counsel for a number of petitioners on this count. She said the petitioners should either withdraw the cases or get a verdict in their favour so that the recruitment process can start again and the petitioners can also be accommodated. "After some irregularities were detected, I arranged for fresh recruitments for 17,000 teachers, under which those deprived could have been accommodated. But that process has stopped following the court order. In addition, many have lost their jobs because of the court order. Now I will follow the court order," Banerjee said at a Trinamool rally in Asansol on Tuesday. She then attacked Bhattacharya, a reputed lawyer, and told the petitioners to approach the latter for arranging their jobs. "Because of the court cases filed by Bhattacharya, the recruitment process has stopped. He has enough money. So go and tell him to arrange something so that the recruitment process can resume again," Banerjee said. She also appealed to the petitioners either to withdraw their cases or get a verdict in their favour. Bhattacharya, on his part, did not delay in replying to the salvos from the Chief Minister. Throwing a challenge towards Banerjee, he said that he will arrange jobs for 17,000 people in two hours on the sole condition that the Chief Minister should resign from her post. "She should understand that I was just a counsel and I did not file the petitions. These petitions were filed since there were massive irregularities where ineligible people were recruited against financial considerations. The petitions were filed because of these irregularities. The Chief Minister is now trying to mislead the people by holding the petitioners responsible," Bhattacharya said. While the Chief Minister was addressing the rally in Asansol, she spotted some deprived job-seekers with placards. Spotting them, she said that it would be useless to approach her for job since the matter was pending in the court. Panaji, June 28 : The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Goa government to complete the entire process of panchayat elections within 45 days. Advocate S.N. Joshi, representing the Goa State Election Commission, told media persons that High Court's Panaji bench has directed that the state government should issue notification in terms of rule 10, fixing of election, in the next three days. "This has to be fixed in consultation with the State Election Commission. The court has also directed that the entire process of elections should be completed within 45 days from today," he said. He said that once the main date is fixed under rule 10, other processes (of reservation) will follow. The opposition Congress has welcomed the court order. "It is indeed a sorry state of affairs that citizens have to knock on the doors of the court to uphold democracy. Holding timely elections is the duty of the government and the Goa State Election Commission. The order of the High Court once again highlights the failure of the government and more so of the statutory bodies like the SEC which are expected to function independently and guard the statutory and constitutional mandate," Congress Working President Yuri Alemao said. As the term of the elected members of panchayat expired on June 19, the government has appointed administrators for all the 186 panchayats in the state. The High Court verdict came as it heard two petitions seeking that elections be held before the expiry of term. Sources said that the SEC had suggested three dates to hold elections, but the government had postponed it on grounds of the monsoon. New York, June 28 : US Vice President Kamala Harris has virtually walked into the circle of fire with her tweet on abortion rights, saying "this is not over" and the Joe Biden administration will do everything in its power to defend medication abortion even as pro-abortion rights activists' protests over the apex court's ruling spread like a prairie fire across the nation. The Vice President's tweet on abortion rights has invited heavy flak from even liberals as "the embodiment of thoughts and prayers". Pro-choice protests broke out throughout the country after the Supreme Court decision overturning the Roe vs Wade verdict on Friday. "Harris is facing a rare bipartisan attack on Twitter following her post about fighting for abortion rights from Friday night," Fox News reported in its bulletin. Harris posted a twitter image of herself watching CNN's coverage of pro-choice protests while flying on Air Force 2. "I know there are women out there who are afraid. To those of you who feel alone and scared: I want you to know the President and I are fighting for you and your rights. We are in this fight together," Harris had tweeted. Most democrat politicians denounced the court's decision, but equally some liberal Twitter users called out Harris' tweet as being too vague and meaningless. "Could you be specific? Like, *how* are you fighting? Describe the tactics, explain the policy, give us the rundown," New York Magazine contributor Hillary Kelly asked in her post. Actor James Urbaniak joked, "I want you to know: We are watching TV." "Um. 36,000 feet above everything, watching on a big a-- TV in a private plane, and the message is 'we're in this together'? I'm not sure you guys get where the rest of us are at right now," Daily Kos writer Joan McCarter posted. Ernest Owens, editor-at-large for Philadelphia magazine, tweeted, "Change his mind on this [changing the filibuster (republican opposition to abortion rights and protect abortion rights] and I'll believe you." Though much of the dissension she has invited for her tweet from is only a rather "inappropriate place and time" and for not being specific from the high office she held, it should be observed that in 2021, court documents indicated that Harris as an abortion rights activist worked a case against pro-life journalist David Daleiden as California's attorney general. More recently in May, Harris met virtually with abortion providers at the White House to discuss the potential impact of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, Fox News reported. Here are Harris' views on record on abortion rights. She had slammed Texas' new law banning abortions after six weeks as she met with patients and providers, saying that the right for women to make decisions about their bodies is 'not negotiable'. Harris met with abortion patients and providers from Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky and New Mexico to discuss the new abortion law implemented by Texas -- the same day the state was sued by The Department of Justice. The law bans abortions after six weeks -- a time frame in which women may not even know they are pregnant. "The right of women to make decisions about their own bodies is not negotiable," Harris had said during the discussion. "The right of women to make decisions about their own bodies is their decision. It's their body." The law, which went into effect on September 1, was met with outrage and the state was criticised for its 'unconstitutional' approach to handling women's bodies. The law allows the people who sue to receive bounties of at least $10,000 and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest, although there are some very narrowly defined exemptions for the mother's health. In a statement, Harris had said: "We will not stand by and allow our nation to go back to the days of back-alley abortions. We will not abide by cash incentives for virtual vigilantes and intimidation for patients. We will use every lever of our administration to defend the right to safe and legal abortion -- and to strengthen that right." President Joe Biden had issued his own blistering statement in response to the Texas law. "This law is so extreme it does not even allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest," he had said, adding that he would direct government lawyers "to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision" and to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions. This was before the Roe vs Wade SC verdict of 1973 was overturned. London, June 28 : World No.1 Iga Swiatek safely navigated the first round at Wimbledon, beating Croatian qualifier Jana Fett in straight sets, stretching her winning streak to 36 matches, the most consecutive wins since 2000. Playing her first match since bagging the French Open title earlier this month, the 21-year-old Polish won her Centre Court contest 6-0, 6-3 in 75 minutes to be safely through to the second round. Swiatek has now matched Monica Seles's 36-match winning streak from 1990. A second-round win would tie Martina Hingis's season-opening 37-match winning streak in 1997. The top seed has fallen at the opening stage only three times in SW19. And Swiatek did not give any indications that she would disrupt the tradition. Opening Centre Court play on Tuesday and against a player who was playing just her third Grand Slam main draw. Swiatek was dominant in the first set but was heavily tested by Fett in the second set. Fett increasingly drew errors from the top seed as the match progressed, and held five break points to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set. But Swiatek's powerful groundstrokes held her in good stead and she squeaked her way out of trouble before grabbing the last five games of the match. Swiatek converted six of her 10 break points on the day, according to a report on the WTA tour website. Former Top 100 player Fett is now 0-3 against Top 10 players in her career. Fett famously held two match points against Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the 2018 Australian Open -- an event Wozniacki would go on to win. Swiatek will next face Dutch lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, who beat British wildcard Sonay Kartal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the second round of Wimbledon for the second time. Pattinama Kerkhove replaced Danka Kovinic in the draw due to a lower back injury, the report said. New Delhi, June 28 : Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, the BJP is exploring possibilities of bringing a 'no-confidence' motion against Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Sources said that a decision to bring a no-confidence motion is under consideration and a final decision will be taken soon. "Party leadership is discussing to move the motion by own, independent supporting rebels and Shiv Sena or together," sources said. Rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde expected to reach Mumbai from Guwahati. A party insider said that a final decision will be taken at the earliest. Earlier in the day, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met BJP chief J.P. Nadda and discussed the unfolding political situation in the state. It is also learnt that Fadnavis is flying back to Mumbai to execute the plan decided in the meeting with the party central leadership. "Future of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is hanging in balance and there is complete uncertainty over continuity of the government. Current political situation is the agenda of the meeting between Nadda and Fadnavis and party's future course of action is also discussed," sources said. "Fadnavis also discussed party's future course of action," sources said. As uncertainty continues to haunt the ruling MVA government, the BJP is closely following the political developments and adopting wait and watch policy. On Monday, Maharashtra BJP State Core Committee meeting was held in Mumbai to discuss all aspects in details. "So far we have not got any proposal from anybody in this matter... Whenever it is received, we shall consider it and call another core committee meeting if needed," senior Maharashtra leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had said, reiterating the party's known stance. A political crisis hit the Maha Vikas Agadhi government last week when Shiv Sena MLAs, including Minister Eknath Shinde revolted against the party leadership. A BJP insider said that party is treading cautiously amid the changing political situation in Maharashtra to avoid repeat of 2019 misadventure when Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra and later resigned due to lack of numbers. New Delhi, June 28 : The Delhi Police on Tuesday outrightly denounced claims that termed the arrest of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, as politically motivated. "It is not right to call this case politically motivated. He had been evasive during the questioning, which basically formed the ground of his arrest," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, Special Cell), K.P.S. Malhotra, told IANS. Zubair, 33, was arrested by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police's Special Cell for allegedly posting a controversial tweet that hurt sentiments of a particular religious community. The IFSO functions under the Special Cell and is a specialised unit that handles all complex and sensitive cases of cyber crime, including those in which victims are women and children. The unit is equipped with a state-of-the-art cyber lab having cyber forensic capabilities such as extraction of deleted data from hard disks and mobile phones, imaging and hash value calculation, forensic servers, portable forensic tools for on-site examination, facility to extract data from latest Android and iOS phones as well as Chinese phones. The tweet for which Zubair was being questioned is four years old. In the said tweet, Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading 'Hanuman hotel' instead of 'Honeymoon hotel'. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel." The DCP said that it does not matter whether the tweet in question was posted recently or four years back. "We took action when a social media user raised the issue with us," Malhotra said, adding that even endorsing [retweeting] a view on social media becomes the view of that person who has endorsed it. "Such tweets were getting retweeted and it appeared that there is a brigade of social media entities, who indulge in insult mongering, thereby leading to a possible ramification on communal harmony and are overall against the maintenance of public tranquility," the senior officer stated. The DCP averred that after Zubair's tweet, his followers on social media amplified and created a series of debates and hate mongering in the thread which were detrimental to communal harmony. "Moreover, apart from being evasive during questioning, the accused had even formatted his phone," said the official. Malhotra said that the police will be requesting the court for further custody of Zubair so that they can take him to the place of his stay where his technical gadgets are kept. "There was a case registered against Zubair in 2020 as well. But now in this particular case we have found pith and substance that warranted his custodial interrogation," the DCP said. Sources said that after recovering Zubair's laptop, the police will try to access its hard disk memory to check the materials which were allegedly posted by him. Later the laptop may be also sent for forensic examination at CFSL, Rohini. IANS spoke to DCP Malhotra before Zubair was produced before the court. Later, the court extended his police remand by four more days as Zubair's phone/laptop used for posting the tweet in question is to be recovered from his Bengaluru residence. (Ujwal Jalali can be reached atAujwal.j@ians.in) Thiruvananthapuram, June 28 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday reacted sharply to the fresh revelations levelled against him by Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, in the Assembly. He accused the opposition BJP and the Congress-led UDF of colluding together to shield Suresh but refused to respond on several queries raised by the UDF on the floor of the house. After the Question Hour ended, the UDF sought leave for an adjournment motion to discuss the fresh revelations made by Swapna Suresh, and this was allowed to be taken up by the Chief Minister for nearly two hours. This is only the second time that Vijayan gave the approval to discuss a notice given for the discussion on the gold smuggling case. In reply to the various allegations levelled by the opposition on the basis of Swapna Suresh's revelations, Vijayan said it is unfortunate that the opposition is relying on her statements and claiming these to be true. "She is an accused in a few cases and is the one who changes her statements frequently. She had earlier given a similar statement. How come the Opposition is getting to know the contents of her statement given to a court," he asked. "Just look who is shielding her, it's the Sangh Parivar forces. She has been given a job by one such agency, see who is her counsel. Sadly the Congress-led opposition has joined the Sangh Parivar forces. In the last Assembly, there was one legislator of theirs (Sangh Parivar), this Assembly, there is none and you (Congress) have joined forces with them to attack a government which is working for the uplift of the people," he said. Vijayan also asked what happened after four central investigating agencies had probed the matter when the same allegations against him surfaced earlier in 2020. "If they (probe agencies) had a shred of evidence, then would they have remained silent? So we are not going to be cowed down by all these allegations," he added and became angry when Congress member Mathew Kuzhalnaden who referred to his daughter Veena and her company. "Don't drag those who are sitting at home. You speak political things and not baseless things, especially against those who are sitting at home," he added. Kuzhalnaden later told the media that he stands by what he said about Vijayan's daughter and in a day or two, he will come back with all evidences to buttress his statements about her. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan slammed Vijayan, pointing out that during the 58 minutes he spoke, he did not reply to a single query and instead accused the Sangh Parivar and the Congress-led UDF and the BJP are colluding to malign him. "For 25 minutes of his time, he (Vijayan) spoke about the Sangh Parivar forces and about us (Congress). We are demanding that he orders a CBI probe into the matter. He claims that he is not worried, then he should order a CBI probe. We will now take note of his replies and we will decide on what our next step is, as he has not given a single answer," he said. State BJP President K.Surendran said Vijayan has run away from answering questions posed to him. "He chants 'Sangh Parivar' like chanting mantras a hundred times and he has become a miserable failure that he does not even care to file a defamation petition against those who he says has defamed him and his government. Mind you, he is also the Home Minister and he says all this is a conspiracy but he is unable to even unravel that," he said. NIA team reaches Mohali to inspect area, likely to take over the probe Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, June 28 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted searches at two locations in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh in JMB Case of Bhopal. The case relates to arrest of six active cadres, belonging to proscribed organization JMB, including three Bangladeshi illegal immigrants, from Bhopal. They were involved in propagating the ideology of JMB and motivating the youth to perform Jihad against India. The case was initially registered on March 14, 2022 and later the NIA re-registered the case on April 4. "During the searches conducted at the premises of suspects today, digital devices, documents and various other incriminating materials have been seized," the NIA official said. Further investigations in the matter is on. New Delhi, June 28 : Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has condemned the Udaipur incident and said the crime is most heinous and no religion approves it. "Udaipur killing most heinous and regrettable irrespective of the provocation assumed. We cannot allow our nation to be torn apart in this inhuman manner. No religion approves of killing human beings. Let us reaffirm positivity of faith," Khurshid said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too said that brutality in the name of religion cannot be tolerated. "I am deeply shocked by the heinous murder in Udaipur. Brutality in the name of religion cannot be tolerated. Those who spread terror by this cruelty should be punished immediately," tweeted Rahul Gandhi reacting over Udaipur incident. Appealing to maintain peace, he added in the same tweet in Hindi, "We all have to defeat hate together. I appeal to all, please maintain peace and brotherhood." A tailor was beheaded in broad daylight in Rajasthan's Udaipur on Tuesday by two perpetrators for allegedly supporting suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media. The two attackers also recorded the incident on camera and said in another video post that they avenged an insult to Islam. However, they were later arrested by the police. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condemned the gruesome incident of Udaipur. She said that the condemnation is not enough for this incident. Patna, June 28 : Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here on Tuesday evening. According to sources in the BJP, the meeting is considered as important in the context of the upcoming Presidential poll and the situation arising out of the announcement of the Agnipath scheme. During the agitations against the Agnipath scheme, the political equation between the BJP and the JD-U in Bihar had turned sour as former BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal had blamed the Nitish Kumar-led government for failing to prevent violence in Bihar for three days. He had also alleged that the state police inaction had allowed protesters to damage government properties, especially trains and railway stations, and attack BJP leaders including himself. The top leadership of the BJP probably sent Pradhan for damage control and build confidence between the two allies with the hope that JD-U will support NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu for the Presidential election. Bihar Education Minister Vijay Chaudhary and Sanjay Jha were present during the meeting. Jaiswal along with several other BJP leaders were at the Patna airport to welcome Pradhan. Thiruvananthapuram, June 28 : In a shocking incident, a man in Kerala's Palakkad on Tuesday killed his wife after she objected to him kissing their infant son without brushing his teeth, police said. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when Deepika objected to her husband Avinash kissing their two and a half year old son without brushing his teeth. Soon a war of words broke out between the couple and in a fit of range, Avinash attacked Deepika with a knife. Hearing her cries, the locals came to Deepika's rescus and she was quickly moved to a hospital near Perinthalmanna, but succumbed. The police have taken Avinash into custody. He was working in Bengaluru and had returned to Palakkad two months back. New Delhi, June 28 : In interim relief to slum dwellers in the national capital's Nizamuddin area, the Delhi High Court has ordered the authorities to halt a demolition process. While giving the interim relief till July 11, in a recent order, a vacation bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna observed that the people in the Gyaspur area in the city have been living there since 1995. As per the plea, the T-Huts settlement in the area comprises 32 jhuggis/households. They also submitted that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has no alternative plan for their rehabilitation and they are living there for over two decades. The petitioners also expressed apprehensions about the use of bulldozers as the heavy vehicles were parked in the area and the authorities asked them to leave the area. They also sought a survey be conducted for their rehabilitation as per the DUSIB policy of 2015 and to direct authorities to rehabilitate them prior to eviction/demolition of their jhuggis, and to follow the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015 and the Protocol (for removal of jhuggis) in letter and spirit. Further hearing in the matter will be on July 11. New Delhi, June 28 : In a latest development in the gruesome broad daylight beheading of a tailor in Udaipur on Tuesday, a team of the elite National Investigation Agency (NIA) is all set to visit the crime spot in the Lake City. A source said that there are possibilities that the case might be handed over to the anti-terror agency. "We suspect that some terror groups might be involved in the incident. The accused could have been in touch with some militant outfits. To probe these angles, a team of NIA is likely to visit Udaipur," said the source. The source added that after taking over the probe, the agency is likely to lodge a fresh case, which is being seen as a threat to national security. Meanwhile, Rajasthan police on Tuesday evening arrested two persons for the gruesome killing in Udaipur, Director General of Police, M.L. Lather. The arrested persons have been identified as Gos Mohammad, son Rafiq Mohammed, and Riaz, son of Abdul Jabbar, both residents of Surajpol area in Udaipur, Lathar said. The victim was identified as Kanhaiyalal Teli (40), a resident of Bhima town in Rajsamand district, who ran a tailoring shop in Udaipur. Earlier in the afternoon, Kanhaiyalal was beheaded inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. A video of the incident where the accused claimed responsibility for the murder has gone viral on social media. Ten days back, Kanhaiyalal had put up a social media post in favour of Nupur Sharma. Since then, people from a particular community were threatening to kill him. London, June 28 : A ringleader of the UK's notorious Rochdale grooming gang has won his battle against deportation back to his native Pakistan, media reports said. Abdul Aziz, known as 'The Master' by his fellow abusers, was stripped of his UK citizenship in 2018 after using human rights laws in a bid to avoid being thrown out of the country, Daily Mail reported. But while fellow gang members Adil Khan, 52, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 53, are still fighting efforts to send them back to Pakistan, the status of Aziz has been shrouded in secrecy. The 51-year-old taxi driver, who ferried victims to sex parties as far away as Leeds and Bradford, was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child and jailed for nine years in 2012, Daily Mail reported. But on Monday, to the outrage of campaigners, it was revealed that in reality, Aziz won his fight to stay in the UK almost four years ago. The truth was revealed when a barrister representing Rauf in his battle against deportation read out a document which she said then Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to Aziz on Halloween 2018. It revealed that Aziz renounced his Pakistani citizenship on July 13, 2018 - five days before a hearing before the Court of Appeal where he, Rauf and Khan lost their battle against being stripped of British nationality. As a result, the Home Secretary "has decided not to make a deprivation order in respect of you", the letter went on - meaning Aziz retained his British citizenship, Daily Mail reported. The Home Office last night failed to deny that Aziz was therefore no longer facing deportation. Whistleblower Maggie Oliver, who resigned a detective over failings in how police handled grooming cases in Rochdale, said victims would be "horrified" to learn that Aziz has secretly had his British citizenship restored. "All three of them should have been kicked out of the country as soon as they were released from prison," she told the Daily Mail. "Instead they've been given hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal aid to pay for clever lawyers who seek to defend the indefensible. "It's just the latest evidence that our criminal justice system is broken and that victims get no consideration at all." Victims have repeatedly told of their incredulity that the trio - all of whom had dual UK-Pakistani nationality - remain in the country a decade after they were jailed. Mumbai, June 28 : In a major political development late on Tuesday, a delegation of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called on Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari with a plea to ascertain the majority of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The BJP's move came after a group of 39 Shiv Sena MLAs along with 11 other legislators - who switched over to a rebel faction headed by state minister Eknath Shinde on June 20-21 - sent an email to the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. They have informed the Governor that the rebel group has withdrawn support to the government headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis told mediapersons. Following this, the BJP has submitted a letter to the Governor urging him to issue directions to the CM to prove his majority, added Fadnavis. "We are hopeful that given the present political circumstances and the Supreme Court directions of Monday, the Governor will take the necessary steps in the matter," Fadnavis said. Earlier on Tuesday, Fadnavis had gone to New Delhi to meet the top BJP leaders, including party President J.P. Nadda, to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra. The rebel group is likely to reach Mumbai from Guwahati in the next couple of days. New Delhi, June 28 : Dismissing reports of resistance from the industry to migrate to a single use plastic (SUP) ban scenario from July 1, the Centre on Tuesday said that it has constantly been in touch with e-commerce companies, FMCG sector and other industry houses on the issue and that all of them are cooperating and majority of them are game with the date. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has announced to ban manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified SUP items that have low utility and high littering potential all across the country from July 1. The list identifies 14 items prominently used widely across India. These include plastic wrappings that are mostly used by e-commerce companies for packaging. As per the details as on June 22 obtained from the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), there are about 683 units that have a manufacturing capacity of 2.44 lakh tonnes per annum (TPA) and operational capacity of 2.34 lakh TPA. The government said it had issued the notification to ban SUP in August 2021 and given ample time for such units, and therefore, as of last week, there were 433 units for which the consent (to operate) was either revoked or modified. There are some FMCGs or even dairy product businesses that have sought a delay in implementing this ban citing multiple reasons, including increased cost and availability of alternatives. Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "We had given ample time from last year (August 2021) to the producers to migrate to new machines and also for the industry in general to look for alternatives. On the other hand, we have also enabled production of alternatives through the Micro, Small & Medium Entrepreneurs (MSME) sector. Plus, we have a plan laid out for 10 years, a first for itself." Yadav also said that there would not be any shifting of the date, as majority are on board. The Ministry had earlier issued directions to the e-commerce companies regarding phasing out the identified items. "After the first meeting with e-commerce companies last year, we had another meeting earlier this year. Since then, we have been constantly in touch with them; the companies are participating in the meetings with the state pollution control board meetings," said Tanmay Kumar, Chairperson of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). He also confirmed, none of them have sought time to delay the ban, and not all are resisting. Scores of industrial units/business houses are indeed working in tandem with the government since last year, he said. "The decision (to ban SUP from July 1) might impact a lot of players in the FMCG ecosystem and business. Speaking for ourselves, our major snack packs are not made up of single use plastic, so they might not get affected much. We use packaging material for our snack packs which can be later recycled. As of now, shrink wrap is being used for our sweet packs and with the upcoming regulations, we are looking for alternatives," said Manish Aggarwal, Director, Bikano, Bikanervala Foods Pvt Ltd. Amaravati, June 28 : Less than two weeks after giving him a posting following revocation of his suspension, the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday once again suspended senior IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao. The state government issued orders suspending the official for violating service rules by speaking to the media without permission from the government. The Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was issued a show cause notice by Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma in April for speaking to the media on Pegasus row. According to the notice, he violated Rule 6 of the All India Services Rules by holding a press conference without prior permission of the state government. Venkateswara Rao, who was the intelligence chief during the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime, had addressed a press conference after Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram announced that a House Committee will be constituted to probe the Pegasus issue. The announcement came on the demand by members of ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) who wanted a thorough probe in the light of reported claim by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the TDP government headed by Chandrababu Naidu had purchased spyware from Pegasus. Venkateswara Rao told a news conference that neither the intelligence wing nor any other government department had procured or used the Pegasus spyware till April 2019. He had also stated that the people of the state are in a state of fear and anguish over the ongoing developments, and the responsibility to clear the air on the Pegasus issue lies with the state government. In February 2020, the state government had placed Venkateswara Rao, an officer of 1989 batch, under suspension for his alleged misconduct and irregularities in purchase of security equipment. Considered close to then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Rao was removed as the Additional Director General of Police, Intelligence, after Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed office in May 2019. He was waiting for a posting. The police officer had approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had set aside the suspension on May 22, 2020. The Supreme Court on April 22, 2022 dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government challenging the high court order, making it clear that the suspension could be for a maximum of two years as per the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Amendments Rules, 2015. It said since the two year period was over, the suspension could no longer be in place. In May, the state government issued orders revoking Rao's suspension with effect from February 2022. Though the officer had reported to the General Administration Department on May 19 for the posting, he was made to wait for nearly a month. He was finally appointed as Commissioner, Printing and Stationery. However, within two weeks of his new appointment, he has now been suspended again. Dublin, June 28 : An excellent maiden T20I century by Deepak Hooda along with a fine fifty by Sanju Samson powered India to a mammoth 227/7 against Ireland in the second and final T20 international at The Village, here on Tuesday. The pair of Hooda (104 off 57) and Samson (77 off 42) stitched 176 runs together for the second wicket, which is so far the highest by any Indian pair in the T20Is, to totally demoralize the hosts. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India lost the wicket of Ishan Kishan in the 3rd over of the innings, with the batter managing just 3 off 5 balls. The wicket didn't affect Hooda and Samson much as they didn't look under any discomfort. Hooda was looking more aggressive while Samson, who was playing his first match of the series, took his time to settle down as India reached 54/1 after 6 overs. Hooda continued his aggressive approach even after the powerplay and raced to his fifty in 27 balls. On the other hand, Samson also shifted gears as India went past the 100-run mark inside 11 overs. Very soon, Samson also reached his half-century in 31 balls as India were racing towards a big total. The carnage from Hooda and Samson came soon as they smashed Irish bowlers for 20 and 19 runs in the 14th and 15th overs respectively. It was Mark Adair, who finally broke the huge partnership by cleaning up Samson on the second ball of the 17th over. Suryakumar Yadav was the new batter and he got into the action straightaway, hitting the bowler for a six and four as India sailed past the 200-run mark in the same over. On the other hand, Hooda looked in sublime touch throughout the innings and slammed his maiden T20I hundred off just 55 balls. He became the fourth Indian batter after Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, and K.L. Rahul to score a century in T20Is. Suryakumar (15), who was looking for the big hits, got out to Joshua Little. The centurion Hooda was also dismissed by Little in the same over, while he was trying to nudge a delivery on the leg stump. Thereafter, Craig Young picked two wickets in consecutive balls in the 19th over as Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel failed to open their accounts. Mark Adair, who came to bowl the final over, did a decent job as he picked the wicket of Harshal Patel and conceded just 10 runs in it. Hardik Pandya returned unbeaten on (15 off 9) as India posted a gigantic 227/7 after 20 overs. For Ireland, Mark Adair took three wickets while Craig Young and Josh Little got two apiece. Brief scores: India 227 for 7 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 104, Sanju Samson 77; Mark Adair 3/44, Josh Little 2/38, Craig Young 2/35) vs Ireland Udaipur, June 28 : In the aftermath of the gruesome beheading of a tailor in Udaipur on Tuesday, the Rajasthan government has ordered suspension of internet services across the state for the next 24 hours. Also, Section 144 has been clamped in the state for a month. At a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, it was decided to clamp Section 144 across the state besides suspending internet services keeping security concerns in mind. Earlier on Tuesday evening, Rajasthan police arrested two persons for the gruesome broad daylight beheading of a tailor in Udaipur, Director General of Police, M.L. Lather, said. The arrested persons have been identified as Gos Mohammad, son Rafiq Mohammed, and Riaz, son of Abdul Jabbar, both residents of Surajpol area in Udaipur, Lathar said. The victim was identified as Kanhaiyalal Teli (40), a resident of Bhima town in Rajsamand district, who ran a tailoring shop in Udaipur. Earlier on Tuesday, Kanhaiyalal was beheaded inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. A video of the incident where the accused claimed responsibility for the murder has gone viral on social media. Meanwhile, an SIT team has been constituted to investigate the Udaipur incident, which includes SOG ADG Ashok Rathod, ATS IG Praful Kumar along with one SP and Additional SP. Further, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has been rushed to Udaipur to probe the matter. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, June 28 : In a latest development in connection with the CDSCO bribery case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved the Delhi High court seeking custodial remand of all the five accused who were allegedly involved in waiving the Phase 3 trial of 'Insulin Aspart Injection' of Biocon Biologics. Accepting the application, the Delhi High Court has fixed the matter for hearing on July 2. The CBI had arrested Guljit Sethi, the Director of Bioinnovat Research Service Private Limited; L. Praveen Kumar, the Associate Vice President and Head of National Regulatory Affairs of Biocon Biologics Limited; Animesh Kumar, the Assistant Drug Inspector of CDSCO; E. Eswara Reddy, the Joint Drug Controller (JDC) of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO); and Dinesh Dua, the Director of Delhi-based Synergy Network India Private Limited. Reddy is currently posted as JDC with CDSCO headquarters in New Delhi. Now the CBI wants the custodial remand of all of them. A CBI official said that on the basis of a complaint, they filed a case against Reddy, Dua, Sethi, Praveen and Animesh and others and later arrested the five persons. It was alleged that Reddy was trying to exert undue influence on the officials of CDSCO to waive the Phase 3 trial of Insulin Aspart Injection. The accused agreed to pay a bribe amount of Rs 9 lakh to Reddy for processing the said three files related to Bengaluru-based Biocon Biologics Limited and also for favourably recommending the file of Insulin Aspart Injection to the Subject Expert Committee meeting. The CBI laid a trap wherein Reddy was caught while accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh from Dua. The CBI also conducted searches at 11 locations in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Patna and Bengaluru, which led to the recovery of incriminating documents. The Biocon Biologics had issued a statement saying its Aspart was approved in Europe and many other countries. "We deny few allegations reported in India. All our product approvals are legitimate and backed by science and clinical data. Our Aspart is approved in Europe and many other countries. We follow due regulatory process for all our product approvals by DCGI. The entire application process in India is online and all meeting minutes are in public domain. We are co-operating with the investigation agency," it said. Claiming that it adopts global best practices in corporate governance, Biocon said that the rationale for waiver of phase 3 clinical trials was based on the following Indian regulatory guidance (Similar Biologics Guidelines 2016 & New Drugs and Clinical Trials 2019 {GSR 227 E}). The guidelines provide a framework for waiver of phase 3 clinical trials to be conducted in India based on a commitment to undertake Phase 4 trial, the design of which should be approved by the Central Licencing Authority, Biocon said. "In line with the above regulations, Biocon Biologics presented a proposal for import and marketing of Insulin Aspart with a waiver of phase 3 clinical trial in India. The company presented a detailed proposal along with CMC, pre-clinical and clinical trial data," the company said. According to Biocon, after detailed deliberation, the Subject Expert Committee (Endocrinology and Metabolism) at CDSCO recommended for grant of permission to import and market the drug with waiver of phase 3 clinical trial in the country with the condition that the firm should conduct phase 4 clinical trials in India. Chandigarh, June 29 : With the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann cracking down on the drug mafia, the state police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two drug smugglers in Ludhiana after recovering 20.80 kg amphetamine or crystal meth, notoriously known as ICE, from them, police said on Tuesday. The operation was carried out by teams of STF of Ludhiana led by AIG Snehdeep Sharma, Inspector General of Police, Gurinder Singh Dhillon said. Those arrested have been identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Bobby, 40, and Arjun (26), both of Ludhiana, who are taxi drivers. Police have also booked the main supplier identified as Vishal, alias Vinay, a resident of Ludhiana. IGP Dhillon said following a tip-off that Harpreet and Arjun to deliver supply of ICE in BRS Nagar, Ludhiana, on their motorcycle, a police team led by Harbans Singh raided the location and managed to arrest both the smugglers. The ICE was concealed in a bag. He said during investigation the accused have confessed to having been selling ICE drugs for over four years on the instructions of Vishal, who is believed to be the kingpin. Vinay, who is otherwise working as a realtor, is step-brother of Arjun and used to supply the ICE via Arjun and Harpreet. The IGP said that following the confessions of both the accused, the police team has also recovered 18.80 kg ICE from the house of Vishal. Sharma said the police are on manhunt to arrest absconding accused Vishal. Kolkata, June 29 : A professor of International Relations (IR) at Kolkata's reputed Jadavpur University (JU) has been barred from entering the campus of the university following allegations of rape attempts against him by a research scholar of the university. Recently, the said research scholar levelled an allegation on social media that the accused professor, identified as Herkan Neadan Toppo, was deliberately delaying the process of submission of her research paper. She alleged that the accused professor called her at his masters' quarter and made indecent approaches after touching her body parts. She resisted and somehow went out of the quarter and filed a complaint at the local police station. She has also alleged that after her social media post went viral, other female MPhil scholars informed her that they too faced similar experiences with the accused professor. Soon after the news went viral, the JU authorities issued an order barring the accused professor from entering the university campus till the time the investigation in the matter is completed and he is proven innocent. He has also been barred from remaining associated with any academic process till that time. The JU authorities have informed that arrangements are being made so that the victim research scholar is able to complete her MPhil research under a different supervisor. Patna, June 29 : Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav, RJD vice president Shivanand Tiwari and other leaders from Bihar condemned the barbaric broad daylight murder of a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur and demanded stringent punishment for the culprits. Jitan Ram Manjhi, the former CM of Bihar said in a tweet: "The murder incident in Udaipur was extremely painful and shocking. The law of the country should conduct speedy trials against so-called protectors of a particular religion and hang them in middle of a 'chowk' so that other people would not do such a heinous act in the shade of religion." Tejashwi Yadav in a tweet said: "I am extremely afflicted with the barbaric incident in Udaipur. Religious extremism not only makes any community blind but also takes away their ability of thinking from them. The perpetrators should be punished immediately." "I strongly condemned the murder incident. Those who did such a heinous crime want to create instability in the country. I appeal to the government of Rajasthan to punish them in the strongest possible manner so that no one would dare to think of doing so again," said Shivanand Tiwari. The two accused Gos Mohamad and Abdul Jabbar, residents of Surajpol locality in Udaipur, entered to victim Kanhaiya Lal's shop and stabbed him multiple times with daggers and also slit his throat. A video of the incident where the accused have claimed responsibility for the murder has gone viral on social media. Tehran, June 29 : A top Iranian commander has slammed the US military presence in the Islamic world for allegedly leading to "divisions among the nations, prolonged wars, destruction of houses, displacement of people, insecurity, poverty, and underdevelopment". Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), made the remarks in a meeting with Pakistan's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Nadeem Raza in the Iranian capital Tehran, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Iran's official news agency IRNA. Both Iran and Pakistan are suffering from the irreparable adverse impacts of "destructive" US interferences and presence in Afghanistan, the Iranian commander cited. Salami expressed satisfaction with the US retreat from the Islamic world, hoping that Islamic states would regain their independence through self-confidence. He also said that Iran sees Pakistan's security as important as its own, calling for further enhancement of cooperation in different sectors, particularly in ensuring security along their common borders and fighting terrorism. Raza, for his part, also blamed the US and Western plots for the divisions within the Islamic world, noting that the US withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years without managing to establish security in that country. He emphasised the necessity of intelligence and operational cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in protecting the security of the joint border. Javascript Error Javascript is deactivated in your browser. To use all functions on this portal, for example the login, Javascript must be activated. Please activate Javascript in your browser settings. These events are challenging, exciting, and very rewarding. We get to meet the people who surf our website, who are the voices on the phone, and the people who have given us their trust allowing us to provide them with the best there is in numismatic offerings or coin collecting needs. 1st National Reserve is proud to announce its successful participation in the 2022 NRA Convention held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Texas. Ryan Verde manager of 1st National Reserve stated, The event gave us a chance to meet so many of our loyal clients face to face. These are serious coin collectors and investors that have become long-term clients but also our friends over the years. These are individuals who share our core beliefs and our appreciation for the three precious metals of freedom gold, silver, and lead. 1st National Reserve provides clients with professional numismatic analysis and consultation. Many lucky attendees to the 1st National Reserve booth were given free NRA challenge coins as they perused some of the many numismatic offerings displayed by the company. 1st National Reserves numismatic consultant, Dr. Mike Fuljenz, was also present at the convention to work with representatives in providing professional advice to many of the visitors at the booth. He signed copies of books on classic gold coins, which have won awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild for their insight on rare coins. By their own right, 1st National Reserve has also produced award-winning material that has been recognized by the NLG. We were proud that our associate Mike Fuljenz was also a seminar speaker at the event, Verde stated, We look forward to our participation in the next convention in Indianapolis. These events are challenging, exciting, and very rewarding. We get to meet the people who surf our website, who are the voices on the phone, and the people who have given us their trust allowing us to provide them with the best there is in numismatic offerings or coin collecting needs. Mike Fuljenz has over 50 years of numismatic expertise and has assisted 1st National Reserves management for decades. Both 1st National Reserve and Mike Fuljenz are proud to support the Beaumont Police Department, Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas, and the NRAs Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, working with them to enhance these lifesaving programs. 1st National Reserve: Since 1989, 1st National Reserve has had the distinct pleasure of diligently providing superlative service, insightful analysis, and comprehensive consultation to our national client base of rare coin investors and collectors. The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has done business with more than 120,000 satisfied clients with transactions totaling more than $300 million. The company holds membership with the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC), the National Coin and Bullion Association (NCBA), the NRA Business Alliance and is a registered precious metals dealer with the state of Texas. Contact number: 800.321.8700 From the time I first met Chris, I knew I found a kindred spirit who would one day be my business partner, said Hughes. Armor is truly the agency that we've always wanted to create and we're both immensely proud to have assembled the team and client roster to enable that." Armor, an independent digital agency based in Philadelphia, today announced the sale of the company from founder Scott Peters to employees Dan Hughes and Chris Reif. The sale, which was completed on May 9, 2022 for an undisclosed sum, puts agency veterans and longtime friends Hughes and Reif at the helm of the agency they helped build. The pairs ascension to agency ownership is the culmination of a professional and personal relationship that started back in 2001. Hughes and Reif both worked at several local agencies including Brownstein Group and Razorfish before co-founding the Philadelphia office of Allen & Gerritsen (then Neiman Group) in 2008. Hughes joined Armor as employee two in May 2014, and later recruited Reif to join the team in June 2016. Armor now has five full-time employees and a network of partners, with plans to expand in the future while remaining a small independent agency. From the time I first met Chris, I knew I found a kindred spirit who would one day be my business partner, said Hughes. Armor is truly the agency that we've always wanted to create and we're both immensely proud to have assembled the team and client roster to enable that." Together, Hughes and Reif have built Armor into one of the most respected boutique agencies in the Philadelphia region, delivering consistently smart, creative work for nationally recognized and locally acclaimed brands alike. Clients with whom theyve built trusted relationships include Shopify, IndeVets, Sporttrade, vybe, SSH Real Estate, Catalyst Health, Kinship, Earth Science, Innoveo, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Wayfinder, Einstein Healthcare Network, ZeroWater, and GLOBO, among others. Throughout our careers, Dan and I have built creative teams and shaped various agencies in the Philadelphia region, commented Reif. Now we get the opportunity as owners to bring our shared vision and values to life in a way thats far more personal. Our team today is emblematic of whats in store for the future kind, hard working individuals who care deeply about the work at hand and each other. In addition to their work for clients, the agency also recently launched a tiny interview series titled Unguarded, which features insights and anecdotes from business leaders, artists, and tastemakers. Interview subjects include Matthew Cahn of the wildly popular Middle Child restaurants, Shannon Maldonado of nationally recognized lifestyle shop Yowie, and Chad Ludeman of boutique hospitality firm Stay Lokal, among others. Dan and Chris are two of the most creative, dedicated, genuine people Ive met in my career, said Peters, who is moving on to focus on Assemble, a digital production company. This is the exact right team to lead this agency and I have no doubt that they will take Armor to the next level. ### About Armor Armor is a Philadelphia-based digital agency that makes things better. We reimagine brands. Create engaging websites. And build smartly-designed user interfaces. Our clients include Shopify, IndeVets, Sporttrade, vybe, SSH Real Estate, Catalyst Health, Kinship, Earth Science, Innoveo, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Wayfinder, Einstein Healthcare Network, ZeroWater, and GLOBO. Learn more at thisisarmor.com and follow the agency on Instagram @thisisarmor. Kogniz mass notification text alert. By enabling a ready-to-deploy gun detection solution, were making it dramatically easier for companies, governmental agencies, schools, and hospitals to prepare for and then help reduce the harm done by an active shooter event. Kogniz, innovator of the next-generation AI-based computer vision platform, today announces a ready-to-deploy gun detection module as part of the latest version of its technology that predicts, detects, and resolves key safety and operational problems. The company is also announcing a $10 million investment led by Ulu Ventures and with participation by super{set} Venture Studio and its CEO and Co-Founder Tom Chavez, The Indy Fund, K20 Fund, H. Barton Asset Management, and others. The investment will help bring the companys technology product suite for gun detection, safety, and anomaly detection to commercial, industrial, school, and governmental organizations. Prevent and Quickly Respond to Active Shooter Events with Ready-to-Deploy Gun Detection Today active shootings present a serious challenge requiring multiple layers of safety and security measures. In fact, FBI data reveals that active shooter incidents have increased 33% between 2019-2020 and 52.5% between 2020 and 2021. The United States has suffered at least four mass shootings every week so far in 2022. Organizations across the boardretail, industrial, schools, religious, medical, governmental, among otherscan benefit from AI-based solutions to help prepare and prevent mass shootings in their environments. Kogniz built Kogniz Gun Detection to help organizations to prepare for, proactively detect, and respond to an active shooter event. Kogniz Gun Detection was designed for quick deployment with the flexibility to adapt to each organizations specific needs. Kogniz Gun Detection uses computer vision and AI to identify firearms in real time using a clients existing camera infrastructure, offering: No False Alarms using multi-pass AI and backed by a trained team of human verifiers Real-Time Alerts over phone, SMS, Slack, and email Prebuilt Automated Workflows to automate actions defined in the emergency response plan Dynamic Reports to easily access real-time, critical information Two-Way Communications to provide information to those in need of help and stakeholders like police and other first responders Emergency Response Plans to document and prepare for actions to be taken during the emergency response Visual Simulations to simulate and prepare for active shooter scenarios and validate emergency response plans Kogniz Gun Detection uses clients own cameras already onsite to detect and immediately respond in the horrible event of an active shooter or mass shooting situation, shared Daniel Putterman, CEO of Kogniz. By enabling a ready-to-deploy gun detection solution, were making it dramatically easier for companies, governmental agencies, schools, and hospitals to prepare for and then help reduce the harm done by an active shooter event. Kogniz Gun Detection seamlessly integrates with the Kogniz platform to address other safety and security situations. These pre-built detectors include detecting unusual behaviors like people running in halls, people entering through exits or jumping fences, and other situations that can be early indicators of incidents before they escalate. Next-Generation, AI-Driven Kogniz Computer Vision Predicts and Prevents Safety Incidents The new Kogniz Computer Vision product makes it remarkably easy to see, analyze, and make sense of anything that humans see, but with dramatically higher accuracy. Kogniz leverages clients existing video camera infrastructure, accurately detecting dangerous situations and unusual activity and predicting potential loss and equipment failure 24x7. This minimizes the risk of accidents, saves time, and improves productivity through earlier, always-on, and consistently-applied detection and monitoring. Companies are using Kogniz to solve key challenges in industrial, commercial, retail, school, governmental, and hospital settings, including, but not limited to: Employee safety Defect detection Perimeter intrusion detection Automated emergency evacuation management Building and vehicle lot occupancy and access Kogniz is tackling significant, long-standing gaps in safety, security, and operations and is truly helping organizations to better prepare before incidents happen, said Clint Korver, co-founder and managing director of Ulu Ventures. Were thrilled to help the company bring innovative products using its next-level computer vision technology to clients looking to solve safety challenges in ways not previously possible. Link to images About Kogniz Kogniz leverages AI-driven computer vision to deliver the leading SaaS platform for improving safety and operations. Companies rely on Kogniz to address key challenges, including: loss prevention, defect detection, unusual activity, evacuation management, and incident management. Used by more than 50 enterprise clients, the Kogniz platform can be implemented in days and integrates with a companys existing infrastructure. Kogniz has received funding from Ulu Ventures, super{set} Venture Studio, and The Entrepreneurs Fund, among others. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and Montreal. Learn more at http://www.kogniz.com. About Ulu Ventures Ulu Ventures is a top seed stage venture firm and the first Latina-led venture fund in Silicon Valley. Focused on enterprise IT startups, Ulu generates great financial results using a disciplined, repeatable decision-making process that analyzes risk-reward trade-offs and also reduces cognitive bias. More than three-quarters (76%) of entrepreneurs across all three funds are diverse. Ulus investment thesis is based on the proven concept that diversity is profitable. Ulu Ventures has more than $200M AUM and 10 unicorns in the portfolio. Media Contact Erica Zeidenberg +1 925-518-8159 mailto:PR@kogniz.com [PR@kogniz.com __title__ email] Its a great day for PLG. Pharma ITs specialist expertise will enable us to further drive business in the Nordics, more specifically in the Medicon Valley, and expand our quality management & compliance service line worldwide. ProductLife Group (PLG), a global provider of specialized services for the Pharmaceutical, Medtech and Biotech industries, recently acquired Pharma IT, a life sciences consulting company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 2016, Pharma IT is a leading provider of technology & regulatory compliance solutions for the life sciences industry. The company consists of 130 skilled consultants and specializes in quality and compliance, management consulting, drug development and information technology. The addition of Pharma IT will reinforce PLGs existing quality management & compliance offering with expertise in the field of IT systems implementation, validation and compliance. Thanks to its unique ability to provide tailor-made solutions to both established and emerging customers as well as new innovative Cloud resources, Pharma IT has been growing on average by more than 45% per annum over the last 4 years, making further inroads into the Nordic life sciences market. Following this acquisition, PLG will have more than 800 employees located in 40 different countries. This new alliance paves the way for further acceleration of the two companies growth ambitions by allowing clients to benefit from a deeper pool of consulting expertise and a broader reach, whilst allowing Pharma IT to expand its solutions internationally. Pharma IT is a well-recognized service provider with an excellent reputation in the pharma technology space explained Xavier Duburcq, CEO at PLG. "We are thrilled to bring on a company with seasoned management and synergistic services in the highly regulated industry we serve." Jakob Juul Rasmussen, Pharma ITs Managing Director and co-founder said, It was apparent to me that both organizations share a focus on quality as well as a strong dedication to our employees and clients. This shared commitment to providing reputable solutions with exceptional results will not only favor our partnership, but also provide our customers with noteworthy regulatory and technology expertise. Its a great day for PLG. Pharma ITs specialist expertise will enable us to further drive business in the Nordics, more specifically in the Medicon Valley, and expand our quality management & compliance service line worldwide. It also allows the organization to expand on the Pharma 4.0 and digital transformation journey that we have been pursuing recently, Xavier added. Our mission is to provide our clients with unsurpassed technical expertise combined with quality service, and we know we have found the same in PLG. Becoming part of a larger organization with an excellent reputation and significant global footprint is an exciting step for Pharma IT. We are looking forward to this next chapter, concludes Sren Winkel, Partner and co-founder at Pharma IT. About ProductLife Group ProductLife Groups mission is to improve human health by delivering regulatory & compliance services for the safe and effective use of medical solutions. PLG supports clients through the entire product life cycle, combining local expertise with global reach spanning more than 150 countries. It provides consulting and outsourcing services in the areas of drug development, regulatory affairs, quality management and compliance, vigilance and medical information, covering both established products and innovative therapeutics & diagnostics. With a goal of continuously improving the value delivered to people and customers, PLG is committed to long-term partnership, innovation, flexibility, and cost efficiency. For more information, visit https://productlifegroup.com/ Contact Fabrice Galzin ProductLife Group Head of Marketing fgalzin@productlife-group.com About Pharma IT Pharma IT is a one-stop consultancy shop providing services exclusively for the pharma, biotech, and medical device industries. Our consultants provide expert tailored assistance across all key areas of these industries including Management & Business Consulting, IT Consulting & Cloud Solutions, Automation & Analytics, Drug Development, Medical Device Consulting, Manufacturing Consulting, and Quality, Compliance & Security Consulting. We pride ourselves on our subject matter expertise, highly agile approach, and customer-orientation. This has made Pharma IT a trusted partner for nearly 100 companies across the Nordics. For more information, visit https://pharmait.dk Contact Naomi Jade Kellogg Pharma IT Head of Communications najk@pharmait.dk Logic, the worlds leading consultancy focused exclusively on the retail sector, today announced the launch of new practice areas designed to help leading retailers succeed in the post-pandemic market landscape. Logics addition of the new practices is a direct response to the unprecedented changes that have altered the retail industry in recent years. These practice areas also meet clients demand for the company to complement its world-class delivery capabilities with top-notch strategic consulting in key areas of modern retail. Weve made a major investment in growing our strategic consulting capability by creating new practices centered around retailers most pressing needs, significantly expanding our executive consulting ranks, and growing our consulting team to nearly 1,000 strong, said Bill Szlaius, Chief Executive Officer of Logic. The companys capabilities are now aligned across four integrated practicesDigital, Merchandising, Data and Cloudbringing together under one roof the key disciplines retailers must master in order to earn the loyalty of todays consumer. Xavier Mougeot Appointed Head of Logics Digital Practice Logics Digital practice aims to help retailers provide a modern shopping experience that spans every customer touchpoint. To lead the practice, Logic has named Xavier Mougeot as its Global Managing Director. Mougeot brings more than 20 years of experience as a digital commerce entrepreneur and executive. He leverages the knowledge and expertise he gained in leading commerce and customer experience strategies for companies including Stanley Black & Decker, Mary Kay, AT&T and Sobeys to advise clients of all sizes, from high-growth scaleups to Fortune 500 companies. Grant Wright to Lead Logics Merchandising Practice Logics Merchandising practice focuses on helping retailers achieve excellence in supply chain, merchandising and planningincluding assortment, price, promotion and space planning. Logic has appointed Grant Wright as Global Managing Director of this practice. Wright brings over 20 years of experience in retail technology leadership roles as a practitioner and consultant, including as a former merchandise planning executive at Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales and a solution architect at 7-Eleven. Graeme McVie Named as Leader of Logics Data Practice Logics Data practice helps fuel the intelligence-driven retail enterprise that wins with customers and outperforms the competition. Logic has named Graeme McVie as the Global Managing Director of this practice. McVie brings more than 25 years of experience in analytics and technology for retail and consumer packaged goods, including client-facing executive roles at APT, Symphony IRI and Precima, and as a management consultant with Bain & Co. Tony Rost Appointed Leader of Logics Cloud Practice Logics Cloud practice partners with retailers to dramatically reduce their infrastructure costs, accelerate their technical and business agility, maximize uptime SLAs and decrease their total cost of ownership. Logic has appointed Tony Rost as Global Managing Director of this practice. Rost brings over 20 years of experience as a leader in cloud and managed services, including as vCTO/vCIO of global enterprises such as Sony, Disney, Fox, Warner Brothers and Paramount. New Consulting Practices Already Delivering Success Over the past months, Logics Digital, Merchandising, Data and Cloud practices have already successfully engaged with select clients to define aggressive business goals and design and execute on new strategies to achieve them. Were 100% aligned with our retail clients on helping them achieve their business outcomes, said Szlaius. With the addition of our strategic capabilities, were now able to develop powerful strategies and partner with clients all the way through executiondelivering on those outcomes in the real world. All-New Corporate Website to Highlight Expanded Capabilities and Thought Leadership To mark the announcement of Logics new practices, the company has launched an all-new website detailing its expanded strategic capabilities, showcasing client stories, and featuring thought leadership content around topics that are top of mind for todays retail leaders. Over the past 25 years partnering with hundreds of leading retailers around the globe, weve amassed unique experiences, expertise and intellectual property. Were delighted to share our own insights as well as those of our clients and partners on Logics new website, says Szlaius. Logics new website is live at http://www.logicinfo.com. About Logic Logic works with the worlds leading retailers to help them move faster, innovate smarter and thrive in the face of retail disruption. Our expert retail business and technology consultants apply Logics proven methodologies and unique technology assets to partner with retail executivesfrom strategy to executionin delivering on initiatives that drive customer loyalty, boost revenues and margins and help outpace the competition. For more than 25 years, over 150 retailers such as 7-Eleven, Al Shaya, David Yurman, Express, Louis Vuitton, Makro, Oxxo, Ralph Lauren, Renner, Total Wine and more have counted on Logic to deliver on their most important business outcomes. To learn more, visit http://www.logicinfo.com. The combination of intuitive software, responsive customer support, and relentless digital marketing made our decision to work with Anytime Mailbox a no-brainer, said James Hall, CEO of GP Brands Inc., the franchisor of Goin Postal. Anytime Mailbox, the global leader in virtual postal mail management software solutions, is proud to announce an agreement with GP Brands Inc., one of the fastest-growing franchise retail shipping companies in the country, as an approved virtual mailbox provider. Now spanning over 150 locations across the USA, Goin Postals network is well-positioned to take advantage of the growth in virtual mailboxes. The combination of intuitive software, responsive customer support, and relentless digital marketing made our decision to work with Anytime Mailbox a no-brainer, said James Hall, CEO of GP Brands Inc., the franchisor of Goin Postal. Indeed, Anytime Mailboxs operator and customer support teams are renowned for helping operators in clutch situations. Being available from 6 AM to Midnight every day (Pacific Time) helps. Goin Postal is built on great customer service, fair rates, and attention to detail within our extended business family...We see a franchisees success as ours, and the addition of an Anytime Mailbox virtual mailbox offering will help our operators/franchisees to continue to rise above the competition, added James Hall. We believe Goin Postals quick scale-up from 2004 to today syncs seamlessly with Anytime Mailboxs scrappy, get-it-done attitude and phenomenal growth. Were thrilled that Goin Postal selected us to help their operators/franchisees achieve next-level results with a virtual mailbox offering, stated Matt Going, Anytime Mailboxs CEO & Co-founder. Beyond retail shipping & receiving, Goin Postal locations offer copying, faxing, cards, unique gift items, fingerprinting, shredding, and office supplies. Its dedicated staff continues to provide support and training from its corporate headquarters overlooking the lake in Zephyr Park, Florida, and its downtown corporate store. About Goin Postal: Founded by Marcus Price in Zephyrhills, FL, in 2002, Goin Postal quickly became a hit. Their first location exceeded expectations by turning a consistent profit within two years of operation, ahead of projections. Fueled by this early success, Goin Postal expanded by sharing that success and its systems via franchising in early 2004. With a low franchise fee and flat-fee royalty structure that differentiated favorably from competitors, Goin Postal rose among the industry leaders in the retail shipping sector. https://goinpostal.com/ About Anytime Mailbox: Anytime Mailbox is a leading technology company providing turnkey solutions for postal mail virtualization into the cloud. The easy-to-use app-based platform allows business centers, corporate enterprises, PO box store operators, and other mailroom managers to provide customers with access to their physical mail via a mobile device or a computer. Anytime Mailboxs virtual mailbox offering does not require server hardware or tech staff. It enables retail shipping & receiving businesses to offer digital mailboxes under their own brand name. Anytime Mailbox currently services over 1,600 operator locations across the United States and internationally. https://www.anytimemailbox.com/ We highly recommend all of our clients incorporate SEO into their marketing plans because it offers the most economical customer acquisition cost. SEOblog.com, a fast-growing website providing the latest SEO news, tips and resources and helping business owners connect with leading SEO agencies, has released its exclusive 2022 ratings naming the best Boston SEO companies in the United States. SEOblog analysts determined the 15 best Boston SEO companies based on dozens of key quantitative and qualitative factors. SEOblog industry experts examined each digital marketing agencys website, industry experience, market presence, client list, portfolio, expert certifications and authorship, among other factors in its ranking system. SEOblog has provided an in-depth view of companies in a particular city or focus area on various directory pages to help business owners find the expert help they need to grow. This was a new, free offer added by SEOblog in 2019. The United States boasts several top SEO companies that provide a very competitive digital marketing landscape. "More and more companies are realizing the importance of SEO for their businesses. We are seeing companies that five years ago, would not even be trying to attract companies online, to extend their budgets to make SEO a major part of demand gen, said Lysa Miller, founder at Ladybugz Interactive. Although SEO is more competitive than it was, your client is a unique persona, looking for a specific product or service. In local, B2C and B2B we have seen huge success with our SEO clients." Michael Krieger, President of Prime Marketing Experts, added, We highly recommend all of our clients incorporate SEO into their marketing plans because it offers the most economical customer acquisition cost. A representative from BBDS Design also noted, What makes the SEO industry unique is that we help people and businesses sharpen their message to reach their natural audience using search. It is as simple, and as complex, as that. SEOblog.com rankings are updated regularly as the market shifts and new players emerge. SEOblog.com has published more than 2,300 agency listings, with more added every day. There is no fee to participate, and the website welcomes all qualified agencies to apply. SEOblog.coms 15 Best Boston SEO Companies in the United States in 2022: Brick Marketing, Compete Now, Bizzistance, Ladybugz Interactive Agency, Boston SEO Company, Fuel Online, BBDS Design, GoingClear Interactive, Catalyst, inSegment, Tomo360, Boston SEO Services, Pepper Gang, Prime Marketing Experts and New Perspective Marketing. Link: https://www.seoblog.com/best-seo-companies/boston/ About SEOblog.com SEOblog.com is a leading thought leadership site with a rich history of publishing educational and informative articles about SEO and digital marketing topics. In early 2019, SEOblog.com answered the call from buyers of digital marketing services that lacked unbiased, informative online resources and launched a comprehensive directory to highlight the best SEO companies in the United States https://www.seoblog.com/best-seo-companies/. SEOblogs mission is to connect businesses with qualified digital marketing agencies while also offering further SEO education, best practices and industry trends. "We are excited by the opportunity to be the first provider of the most targeted type of radiation therapy for cancer patients in Israel. Together with P-Cure, Hadassah will change the paradigm by providing this long awaited technology, says Prof. Aron Popovtzer, Hadassah Medical Center. P-Cure Ltd. ("P-Cure"), the provider of the most compact 360 gantry-less adaptive proton therapy system that can be installed in a linac vault, announced today a collaboration with Hadassah Medical Organization ("Hadassah") in Jerusalem. The collaboration will provide cancer patients in Israel with access to proton therapy, the most targeted type of radiation therapy. The treatments will be carried out as a clinical research initiative with no economic burden to patients or medical insurers. The treatments will be performed by the medical team of Hadassah at the P-Cure Clinical Research and Development Center. The center will operate the patient intake and discharge, treatment planning and treatment delivery infrastructure. The center will have ambulatory services to treat complications in emergency situations. Initially, the treatments will be delivered to patients with brain, head and neck, thoracic, and pancreatic malignancies. P-Cure has already received approval of the study by the Ethical Committee of the Hadassah and an approval of the Israeli Ministry of Health. P-Cure and Hadassah anticipate beginning treating patients in Fall 2022. "We are excited by the opportunity to be the first provider of the most targeted type of radiation therapy for cancer patients in Israel. Until now the patients in Israel, who were found eligible for proton therapy, have to travel abroad. This has tremendous psychologic and economic burdens to the patient, their families, and the medical insurers in the country. Hadassah, together with P-Cure, will change the paradigm by providing this long awaited technology to all Israeli patients in need, says Prof. Aron Popovtzer, the Director of Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Medical Center. It is a great honor for us to partner with Hadassah in providing this cutting-edge technology to cancer patients, says Michael Marash, the P-Cure CEO. Hadassah, affiliated with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the institution whose first governors included Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, is always at the forefront of the battle with cancer. This initiative is additional evidence of the clinical excellence which is the golden rule of this institution, adds Marash. Proton therapy has proven its clinical benefits since the first hospital-based proton center started treating patients 32 years ago. Specifically, proton therapy is more precise than any other form of radiation. Unlike x-ray treatment, with proton therapy there is small amount of entrance radiation, but virtually none travels beyond the tumor. This benefit of proton therapy results in eliminating many of the harmful side effects of radiation therapy, as well as allowing physicians to safely deliver higher doses of radiation to tumors. However, even with the clinical benefits of proton therapy, there are only 112 operational centers world-wide. Less than 2% of the patients who can benefit from proton therapy have access to this advanced form of treatment. The limiting factor has been the cost of equipment and construction. The typical total cost of a completed single room center can be more than $50 million. With a P-Cure solution, we eliminate the cost of construction and reduce by half the cost of equipment. The compact P-Cure system installed inside existing radiation oncology departments removes the economic barrier to offering more patients the benefits of proton therapy; and, this is in addition to the clinical benefits of proton therapy that will be generated by Prof. Popovtzer and his team in Israel, says Marash. About P-Cure: P-Cure Ltd is a developer and provider of the most compact proton therapy system that can be integrated in any radiation therapy departments and designed to improve clinical outcomes in treating all anatomic areas. This year, P-Cure is expecting to receive FDA and CE approvals to its additional product configurations. The companys headquarters are located in Israel with subsidiaries in the US and China. For more information please visit: http://www.p-cure.com Opto 22s groov EPIC and groov RIO version 3.4 features more OPC UA server and MQTT options Opto 22 announces the latest firmware version 3.4 for the groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller from Opto 22, along with firmware version 3.4 for the groov RIO edge I/O module. Both are available as a free download for all existing groov EPIC and groov RIO users, adding even greater capabilities for sharing OT data with SCADA systems, databases, HMIs, and historians, and with other functions like Quality and Process. New data democratization capabilities include an additional, embedded OPC UA server and much more flexibility in MQTT services. The release also adds support for SNMP and the Scratch Pad memory map area. New embedded OPC UA server. Opto 22 was instrumental in developing the original OPC specification and in founding the OPC Foundation. With the new PAC Control and I/O OPC UA server now on board, both groov EPIC and RIO offer this familiar, platform-independent way to exchange data among devices and software within your OT network. For example, you can smoothly integrate your control and I/O systems into SCADA software using OPC UAno special drivers required. For groov EPIC, the new OPC UA server option complements three other OPC UA server options previously available on board: Ignition/Ignition Edge, CODESYS, and Node-RED. For groov RIO, the new OPC UA server is the first of its kind: a fully-functioning OPC UA server option for a remote, Ethernet-based input/output module. More MQTT options. This release also includes expanded menu options for MQTT and Sparkplug configurations. You can now configure multiple MQTT brokers (servers) and choose both JSON and Sparkplug payload formats to simultaneously publish operational data to multiple MQTT servers. For example, you can configure MQTT to send Sparkplug-formatted messages to one server and MQTT JSON strings to another server. With these new data service capabilities, you can communicate operational data through both OPC UA and MQTT protocols simultaneously. Tried-and-true OPC UA is client/server based and, because it requires an open incoming port, is best used in a secure OT network such as your in-plant network. MQTT is a more secure publish/subscribe method, offering a simpler architecture that doesnt require opening incoming firewall ports, which is ideal for sharing data with remote servers over standard IP networks, including cellular and the public internet. Other notable updates. End users and system integrators will appreciate the new firmwares support for SNMP for integration with network management systems. Also added is the ability to share EPIC and RIO Scratch Pad data, via both MQTT and OPC UA. This feature is especially useful for groov RIO users because non-I/O data can be shared through the Scratch Pad area. Also new in this release are enhancements to the embedded web-based, mobile-ready groov View HMI, including new rulers and layout guides for building responsive HMI screens. Updates to the embedded web-based EPIC and RIO management tool, groov Manage, offer a new groov View management interface (similar to the existing Node-RED management page) and a new I/O Diagnostics page. For improved security and performance, version 3.4 firmware includes several embedded software upgrades: Ignition 8, Ignition Edge 8, and their modules are updated to version 8.1.17. Ignition Edge 7 is now 7.9.20, and Node-RED is updated to version 2.2.2. Certificates in the root store are updated as well, and a number of Linux kernel packages and libraries are updated and running the latest security updates and patches. For complete information on new features and bug fixes, see the groov EPIC Release Notes or the groov RIO Release Notes. Availability groov EPIC firmware 3.4 is available now as a free download from manage.groov.com. Complete upgrade instructions are available in the groov EPIC Users Guide. For new customers, all groov EPICs now ship with this latest firmware version. Note that due to supply chain-driven hardware changes, firmware version 3.4.0 will be the minimum installable version for new EPICs. groov RIO 3.4 firmware is scheduled to be released in July 2022 and will be available as a free download from Opto 22. Each of the three groov RIO models will have product-specific 3.4 firmware updates: GRV-R7-MM1001-10, GRV-R7-MM2001-10, and GRV-R7-I1VAPM-3. About groov EPIC groov EPIC is an edge programmable industrial controller (EPIC). More than a PLC, PAC, or PC, it is a Linux-based processor in a compact industrial enclosure, with local and remote I/O and wide-ranging programming and communications options. In addition to real-time control, groov EPIC provides the connectivity many of todays projects require: it connects to field sensors and devices, legacy PLC systems, software applications, remote equipment, and cloud services for anything from weather conditions to big-data analytics and predictive maintenance. About groov RIO groov RIO is a flexible edge I/O module that quickly connects traditional wired switches and sensors directly to Ethernet networks, software applications, and cloud platforms without intermediary control or communication hardware, such as PLCs, PACs, or PCs. Two groov RIO models consist of a single part number providing 8 channels of multifunction I/O (input or output, analog or discrete). One model is specifically designed for power and energy monitoring. All groov RIO models include embedded tools for connectivity and control that integrate I/O data seamlessly with business and automation systems. With power over Ethernet and industrial-grade hardware, groov RIO deploys quickly anywhere your equipment lives. About Opto 22 Opto 22 designs and manufactures industrial control products and Internet of Things platforms that bridge the gap between information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT). Based on a core design philosophy of leveraging open, standards-based technology, Opto 22 products are deployed worldwide in industrial automation, process control, building automation, industrial refrigeration, remote monitoring, and data acquisition applications. Designed and manufactured in the U.S.A., Opto 22 products have a worldwide reputation for ease-of-use, innovation, quality, and reliability. For over 40 years OEMs, machine builders, automation end-users, and information technology and operations personnel have and continue to trust Opto 22 to deliver high-quality products with superior reliability. The company was founded in 1974 and is privately held in Temecula, California, U.S.A. Opto 22 products are available through a global network of distributors and system integrators. For more information, contact Opto 22 headquarters at +1-951-695-3000 or visit http://www.opto22.com. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube. Blockchain Service Integrator Gigster Partners with Online Web3 University Moralis Academy Were excited to announce our new partnership with Moralis Academy to help bring upskill and reskill opportunities for engineers in Web3 Gigster, the leading service integrator for blockchain and Web3, announces a new partnership with Moralis Academy to provide greater training opportunities for engineers in the Web3 space. This new partnership will benefit all engineers and partners in Gigsters ecosystem of Web3 service providers. Gigsters Blockchain Partner Ecosystem supports innovative blockchain and Web3 companies by providing distributed teams, experts in leading solutions, and access to a wide network of blockchain tools, platforms, and service providers. The goal of the partner program is to support innovation and allow companies to quickly access the development talent to build their software they need. Founded in 2017 by Ivan Liljeqvist and Filip Martinsson in Stockholm, Sweden, Moralis Academy is the leading online university for blockchain and cryptocurrencies. They have provided industry-specific, future-proof blockchain knowledge to over 45,000 students. Were excited to announce our new partnership with Moralis Academy to help bring upskill and reskill opportunities for engineers in Web3, said Cory Hymel, Director of Blockchain at Gigster. As the space continues to grow, access to the knowledge that enables it has to grow too. We look forward to bringing this opportunity to Gigsters engineers, partners, and customers. Moralis Academy offers blockchain certifications, real-life development projects, and 24/7 on-demand access to industry experts. They offer specific programs for companies looking to upskill their organization and train their staff on the advantages and impacts of blockchain for business. Gigster provides custom blockchain development services to help companies build solutions using a proven blockchain app development methodology and the top 1% of blockchain talent. With hundreds of blockchain engineers in their talent network, Gigster is always looking for new ways to enhance the knowledge and skills of their teams. This new partnership will provide engineers and companies working with Gigster access to a community of highly engaged learners and experts. A big step in seeing greater Web3 adoption is educating companies and their employees on the benefits Web3 can bring, said Hymel. Our partnership with Moralis Academy is an exciting move to increase access to blockchain knowledge and training to push the entire industry forward. About Gigster Founded in 2013 with the vision of democratizing access to great software development, Gigster has helped hundreds of businesses deliver innovative software solutions to their customers. In 2021, Gigster was acquired by Ionic Partners, LLC (Ionic) and appointed Andy Tryba as CEO. The new investment has enabled Gigster to build off of its position as a trusted application development partner for enterprise businesses and accelerate into being the leading service integrator for blockchain and Web3. Gigsters network of highly-skilled software developers, engineers, designers and product managers working on top of Gigsters proven platform and methodology have built some of the largest Web3 projects in the market today. For more information, please visit http://www.gigster.com or follow @trygigster on Twitter. 2022 Hyundai Palisade Is Now Available for Purchase at San Leandro Hyundai When looking for a new three-row SUV, there are many options available in the automotive market. With so many vehicles available in this popular automotive segment, it can be challenging for drivers to decide which new vehicle is best for them. San Leandro Hyundai, a local California dealership, is here to help drivers learn more about the best new vehicles. The 2022 Hyundai Palisade is now available at San Leandro Hyundai, ending the search for three-row luxury SUVs in the San Leandro, California region. The 2022 Hyundai Palisade comes with a robust 291 horsepower 3.8L V6 engine that generates 262 pound-feet of torque rating. Paired with a responsive eight-speed SHIFTRONIC automatic transmission, the Hyundai Palisade with front-wheel drive fetches a gas mileage of 19/26 mpg city/highway. Hyundai HTRAC AWD is available for all trims to improve off-road and all-weather capabilities. When equipped for towing duties, the Hyundai Palisade will tow up to 5,000 pounds of cargo. In terms of infotainment and safety, the 2022 Hyundai Palisade is packed with state-of-the-art features, such as a 10.25-inches color touchscreen with onboard Navigation & Traffic flow, including incident data via HD Radio. It also includes a Harman Kardon premium audio with 12 speakers and QuantumLogic Surround with Clari-Fi Music Restoration Technology, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and much more. To know more about the 2022 Hyundai Palisade shoppers are encouraged to visit the San Leandro Hyundai website. They can even schedule a test drive of the vehicle with the dealership by going to http://www.sanleandrohyundai.com. Drivers may also contact the California Hyundai dealership to ask further questions about this new three-row SUV by calling 510-347-3000 or by driving to 1066 Marina Boulevard in San Leandro, California. We Love Healthy Air signage installed as you walk into the break room from the main entrance. Poynette has become critical to our expansion to meet the enormous recent uptick in national interest in healthy indoor air. This renovation will help us meet this new demand and we are proud that we were able to repurpose an existing space into a one-of-a-kind, multi-functional workspace. AprilAire, the nationwide leader in professional-grade Healthy Air solutions for the home since 1954 and its parent company Research Products Corporation (RPC), has completed a major renovation and remodel in the Madison suburb of Poynette, transforming the campus initial building which opened in 1962 and most recently used for storage and maintenance, into state-of-the-industry offices and gathering spaces. Located at 300 E. John Street, the 16,000-square-foot space features a new secure entrance to the campus with 16 new cubicles, 16 new individual offices, two break rooms, a fitness room, a quiet room, three team flex spaces and four collaboration zones appropriate for spontaneous conferences, drop-in meetings, impromptu discussions, and other gatherings. While we are headquartered in Madison, Poynette has become critical to our expansion to meet the enormous recent uptick in national interest in healthy indoor air, said Dale Philippi, president and CEO of Research Products Corporation. This renovation will help us meet this new demand and we are proud that we were able to repurpose an existing space. The remodel is a one-of-a-kind, multi-functional workspace and were thrilled to move in there. The renovation and remodel began in August 2021 and the plant leadership team, safety, human resources, and process engineering team moved in two weeks ago. The nine-month process included stripping the building down to its original columns and roof and building back a one-of-a-kind office space for RPC and AprilAire. Masonry stone exteriors were added, and the roof retrofitted. New, large windows were installed allowing plentiful natural light. The parking lot got a facelift with old asphalt removed and new asphalt installed, landscaping design added, and a flexible outdoor patio created. AprilAires commitment to its employees and investment in the spaces where we work is evident with this large renovation, said AprilAire Talent Acquisition Manager Claudine Baccheschi. We are creating a fresh new space to develop our current talent and expand on the opportunity to attract new personnelthis step not only supports our own business, but the Poynette community. The interior design of the remodeled space includes new furniture and casework, trendy black stain on vintage concrete floors as well as carpet and LVT flooring, employee lockers, DC fast chargers so employees can ultra-quickly boost EV batteries, and a water wall which takes inspiration from the evaporative humidifier that started it all. Streamlined wall graphics offer fresh decor and a 12-foot We Love Healthy Air display, the companys motto, is a focal point. Theres even a set of overhead doors in the breakroom which open to the outside patio, accommodating larger gatherings or special events and adding an open-air setting. "First impressions are critical in todays labor market, and this is one more step to show how willing we are to invest in our employees and create a good work environment, said AprilAire Senior Human Resources Manager Elizabeth Vehige. Findorff, the Madison-based commercial building services and construction company, was the partner to RPC and AprilAire from concept and design to build out, installation, and final touches on the renovation. RPC and AprilAire also worked with Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) on the architecture design and Strand Associates on the engineering. A second, similar renovation of the second building erected on campus, built in 1962, begins immediately and Findorff will spearhead that project as well. About AprilAire AprilAire is on a mission to make homes healthy. We believe everyone deserves Healthy Air and envision a future with Healthy Air in every home. We value healthy living, customer inspired innovation, simplicity of design, straight talk and delivering real results as promised, and most importantly making a positive difference in the lives of our customers, families, and communities. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin since 1954, AprilAire has been creating and delivering Healthy Air solutions to manage air purity, humidity, fresh air supply, radon mitigation, and temperature for all types of homes, in all environments. We have an unparalleled reputation as the brand of choice among tens of thousands of professional contractors and make a Healthy Air difference in the lives of the millions of families who rely on our products every day. To learn how to turn your house into a Healthy Home with the AprilAire Healthy Air System and learn about other solutions, visit http://www.aprilaire.com. Bayne Wetmore, a father, grandfather, screenwriter, and former history professor at Vincennes University who pivoted to a career as a stockbroker and presently resides with his faithful bichon frise-poodle mix, Jack, in Ottawa, Illinois, has completed his new book Happiness Times Two: Live Every Day Like Youre on a Vacation: an invaluable resource for readers seeking to maximize their potential for lasting happiness. The author writes, The universe is over 13 billion years old. The sun is one million times larger than the earth. The earth is inhabited by trillions and trillions of life-forms, and we are one of the billions of people who inhabit our world, yet from our point of view, we are the most important thing to have ever existed. You will find more amazing facts inside the book, which will relate more directly to your life and will help you determine how happy your life will be. Im not saying every day will be sunshine and roses. We all know bad things will come our way through no fault of our own, and we will have to deal with events in our lives that will cause us anguish and sorrow, but armed with the ideas in this book, we should be able to rise above the negative events that happen in all peoples lives and live the kind of happy life we all deserve. Positive psychologists say we are born with 40 percent of our potential for happiness, which is genetic, another 10 percent of how good we feel is caused by our environment, and the media which leaves 50 percent of our potential to be happy for us to work with. Thats a potential for 100 percent more happiness in our lives if we know how to get it. Thats why Ive written this book and am giving this gift to you. Read it, study what you find in it, and put as many of these ideas into your life as you possibly can. See if you dont feel happier. If you also feel happier, it will make me happier too. Best of luck, Bayne Wetmore (I choose to be happy). Published by Page Publishing, Bayne Wetmores engrossing book is a motivational work with actionable ideas for increased happiness. Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Happiness Times Two: Live Every Day Like Youre on a Vacation at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Crypto Payment Processor Billbitcoins Crypto payments gateways will inevitably be the future of payment processing services. The numerous advantages combined with fluctuating fiat valuations is propelling its adoption across nations all over the world. Billbitcoins, a crypto payment gateway developed by HashCash Consultants, has garnered acclaim on a global scale, generating interest among organizations willing to accept cryptocurrencies as a payment option. Setting its sights higher, the blockchain development company plans to improve and offer the best crypto payment gateway services worldwide. The rapid growth in digital asset implementation is pushing forward cryptos stake as a viable payment option among global business organizations. Market research indicates a consistent 22.8% CAGR across 2022-28. Even in a bearish phase, the current crypto market capitalization is $863 billion. An increasing number of nations are adapting to crypto payments, with Brazil becoming the latest in line. Hashcash Consultants CEO and noted blockchain pioneer Raj Chowdhury states, Crypto payments gateways will inevitably be the future of payment processing services. The merits combined with fluctuating fiat valuations is propelling its adoption across nations all over the world. Billbitcoins combines cutting-edge blockchain architecture with the latest security updates. The payment gateway also features zero chargebacks and faster settlements at processing charges a fraction of conventional legacy services. The digital asset-based payment processor eliminates intermediaries from the process and utilizes Bitcoins blockchain network to prevent identity theft protection and fraud. Billbitcoins also offers free conversion from BTC to fiat for the first $1 million. HashCash-designed products have been deployed in more than 26 countries across 6 continents. The company contributed to the crypto transformation in several nations including the US, Brazil, UAE, and more. Winning top honors in blockchain development, HashCash recently announced discounts on all its blockchain products and solutions, including the white label crypto exchange. Rising mainstream crypto relevance is driving a global interest in crypto-asset payment processors. The Billbitcoins crypto payment gateway offers revenue growth opportunities for businesses through alternative modes of transactions such as digital assets. About HashCash Consultants: HashCash is a global software company. HashCash Blockchain products enable enterprises to move assets and settle payments across borders in real-time for Remittances, Trade Finance, Payment Processing, and more. HashCash runs US-based digital asset exchange, PayBito & digital asset payment processor, BillBitcoins. HashCash offers exchange and payment processor software solutions, ICO services, and customized use cases. HashCash propels advancement in technology through Blockchain1o1 programs and its investment arm, Satoshi Angels. HashCash offers solutions in AI, Big Data, and IoT through its platforms, products & services. HashCash solves the toughest challenges by executing innovative digital transformation strategies for clients around the world. Satanic Alliances: Christians Unwittingly in League with the Devil: a potent argument for the existence of God. Satanic Alliances: Christians Unwittingly in League with the Devil is the creation of published author Bruce G. Ohms, a dedicated husband and father who recently retired from the computer programming field after nearly fifty years. Ohms is an Air Force veteran where he served as a Chinese translator. Ohms shares, Existence of God didnt seem impossible to Bruce. After all, the universe exists, and something had to create it. All of the scientific theories that Bruce learned about the beginning of time, space, matter, and energy basically said that it just happened and perhaps cyclically repeated the process. He thought there was a critical piece missing because, according to his understanding, scientific principle requires a cause for every effect. But what was the cause? God seemed like a possible explanation. Did God exist or not? Without sound evidence, agnosticism persisted. Much of what Bruce heard about Christianity and the Bible seemed like nonsense. If that were the case, the Bible and Christianity could not be based on a real God. In a discussion with his wife-to-be, he was challenged to show her any nonsense in the Bible. What could be easier than that? Just find those nonsensical writings and be done with it. But what he found, no matter how diligently he searched, was that the nonsense was a misrepresentation of Scripture. Based on overwhelming evidence from Scripture and science, Bruce became convinced that the Bible is indeed the inspired Word of God. This book is a presentation of many of the interesting things he discovered as he continued his search for the truth. Both Christians and nonbelievers will find it eye-opening. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Bruce G. Ohmss new book will challenge and encourage both non-believers and practicing Christians. Ohms presents an articulate discussion that is certain to resonate and inspire many as they seek to understand Gods word. Consumers can purchase Satanic Alliances: Christians Unwittingly in League with the Devil at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Satanic Alliances: Christians Unwittingly in League with the Devil, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. "Over the last several years, Cartessa has developed into a clear leader within aesthetics and Copley is excited to partner with the Cartessa Team to support continued growth. - Peter Trovato, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Copley Equity Partners Cartessa Aesthetics, a leading Aesthetic Device supplier in North America, announces significant investments from Copley Equity Partners, a leading private equity sponsor, and PennantPark Investment Advisers, a leading middle-market direct lender. With the financial backing and strategic support from these elite investment firms, the company is well-positioned to continue the growth trajectory of the past five years. Founded in 2017 to overcome the shortcomings of legacy aesthetics OEMs, Cartessa has built a reputation for differentiated technology, customer support and industry expertise. Cartessas business model puts them at the intersection of leading global manufacturers and North American aesthetic providers. Over the last several years, Cartessa has developed into a clear leader within aesthetics and Copley is excited to partner with the Cartessa Team to support continued growth. said Peter Trovato, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Copley Equity Partners. Cartessas differentiated model has delivered tremendous value for both customers and device suppliers, making Cartessa a growing, and highly trusted, name in the aesthetics sector. Copley Equity Partners, is a Boston-based private investment firm, that focuses on partnering with founder-owned, lower middle-market, companies. As a minority partner, Copley will bring their proven track record of assisting similar companies scale. We couldnt be more pleased to have the strength of our business validated by these two exceptional companies. There is no doubt we will benefit tremendously by having these dynamic and experienced professionals as a resource as we forge ahead with our ambitious growth plans says Gabe Lubin, Cartessa Aesthetics Founder and CEO. Steven Winograd, Partner at PennantPark, also involved in the capital raise, shares Trovatos sentiments; Cartessa has a proven track record of delivering high quality and affordable devices in a large and growing aesthetics market. We believe there is significant opportunity to further expand Cartessas platform and we look forward to partnering with Copley and the companys management team to help support their strategic growth. In only five years, Cartessa has risen to become one of the top companies in the North America with exclusive relationships across leading global manufacturers and a product portfolio that spans categories and configurations. With the new infusion of funds, Cartessa will continue to introduce breakthrough technologies and invest in the customer-centric model that has set them apart. About Cartessa: Cartessa Aesthetics is a leading North American aesthetic company focused on cutting-edge technology and industry leading customer support. Because of their established relationships with top global manufacturers, Cartessa is able to curate a product portfolio that offers true competitive advantages for practices and patients across aesthetic categories. Customers benefit from expertly vetted devices as well a holistic support model that spans marketing, practice development, service and more. https://www.cartessaaesthetics.com/ About Copley Equity Partners: Established in 2012, Copley makes investments in privately held, lower-middle market, companies. Copley invests out of an evergreen, single family office, capital base. Copley invests across a broad range of sectors and is comfortable holding both majority and minority ownership positions. Post investment, Copley works closely with portfolio company management teams on key strategic initiatives and business development opportunities. Copley maintains offices in Boston and Denver. https://www.copleyequity.com/ About PennantPark Investment Advisers: PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is a leading middle-market credit platform, managing $6 billion of investable capital. Since its inception in 2007, PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC has provided investors access to middle-market credit by offering private equity firms and their portfolio companies as well as other middle-market borrowers a comprehensive range of creative and flexible financing solutions. PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is headquartered in Miami and has offices in New York, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles. https:http://www.pennantpark.com I wrote this book for my readers as an educational reminder of what anyone's mind is capable of doing, Thompson said, we are all greater than what we think and are geniuses in our life. From extensive research and the study of effective thinking processes, author Keith Reginald Thompson wrote a spiritual guide from a psychological perspective. The self-improvement guide offers a discovery workbook for professional and personal life, helping people understand and change their beliefs and values. In A Journey into Value Systems: Cracking the Genius Code, Thompson explains the value systems, the higher mind, the subconscious, and the conscious mind, encouraging readers to dismiss their unwanted values for a potential life of true happiness. He hopes to help turn his readers' ideals, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts into organizing principles for their lives, allowing them to live a life defined by their highest excitements and passion. I wrote this book for my readers as an educational reminder of what anyone's mind is capable of doing, Thompson said, we are all greater than what we think and are geniuses in our life. Thompson encourages his readers to live their life with value. Through the display of effective thinking habits introduced in his book, readers are allowed the potential opportunity to have a higher awareness of living their life through the education of the value systems of psychology. A Journey Into Value Systems: Cracking the Genius Code By Keith Reginald Thompson ISBN: 9781982241704 (softcover); 9781982241711 (electronic) Available at: Balboa Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. About the author Keith Reginald Thompson is a clinical hypnotherapist and received his certification in 1981. For over 40 years, Thompson has researched and studied effective thinking processes, the roles emotions play in peoples lives, and the ways their beliefs affect their physical realities. From research, Thompson developed a way of helping individuals understand the value systems, the higher mind, and more. Currently, Thompson has built a Facebook presence using the value systems and cracking the genius code principles. The Facebook group name is Cracking the Genius Code Group. Thompson now resides in Renton, Wash. To learn more, please visit: https://www.ajourneyintovaluesystems.com/about-the-author/ General Inquiries: LAVIDGE Phoenix Taylor Moralez Tmoralez@lavidge.com Brandweek 2022 Our partnership with Brandweek will give global brand leaders an unparalleled experience of intimate sessions, exciting activities and relationship-building opportunities." Jon Suarez-Davis, SVP, Marketing Strategy & Innovation, Salesforce Adweek the leading source of news and insights covering marketing, media and technology today announced a partnership with the CMO Club and Salesforce. CMO Club members will receive exclusive invitations to attend Adweeks fifth annual Brandweek summit, returning as a live event in Miami on September 1216. Salesforce executives will also give keynote presentations on the main stage of the five-day summit. Brandweek is Adweeks premiere event, bringing together the leading creative and strategic minds in brand marketing to solve problems, discuss projects and map out a future thats ahead of the trends. This gathering of marketing leaders is a natural fit for the CMO Club, an engaged community of senior marketing leaders from around the world with the same dedication to innovation and community. "We're thrilled to have Salesforce and the CMO Club joining us at Brandweek in Miami in September, said Juliette Morris, CEO of Adweek. Salesforce is an incredibly valuable partner and industry leader, and the CMO Club brings some of the world's most innovative CMOs to the Brandweek community. The CMO Club is a global community of progressive growth leaders that come together to educate, inspire and elevate each other professionally and personally, said Jon Suarez-Davis, SVP, Marketing Strategy & Innovation, Salesforce. Our partnership with Brandweek will give global brand leaders an unparalleled experience of intimate sessions, exciting activities and relationship-building opportunities all set against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. In addition to main stage presentations, breakout sessions, receptions, and networking opportunities, the program also includes bespoke evening events throughout the week, including Adweeks Brand Genius Awards. About Adweek Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweeks award-winning coverage reaches an engaged community across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their jobs better. About The CMO Club The CMO Club is a global community for senior marketing executives to come together, share ideas, and solve their toughest challenges in a collaborative and trusted environment. Together, Salesforce and The CMO Club provide best-in-class programs, events, and a digital platform for marketers to connect and be inspired like never before. Customers in the Melbourne, Florida region can now get professional Hyundai oil services at Coastal Hyundai. Regular oil changes help extend a car's life and keep the engine running smoothly while lubricating the engine components. Other benefits of frequent oil changes include: Better engine performance Less harmful emissions Better gas mileage Customers whose vehicles are exposed to extensive use of brakes, driving in dusty conditions, on rough or muddy roads, and in mountainous areas, repeated short-distance trips, extended periods of idling, prolonged periods of cold temperatures or extreme humidity, and other such conditions should ensure that regular oil services are conducted. At Coastal Hyundai, customers can schedule their regular oil change and receive quick and free Multi-Point Inspection while performing any needed adjustments as the car ages. Hyundai recommends that oil changes be conducted once every 6,000 7,500 miles or 4,500 5,000 miles based on the driving habits. Customers interested in scheduling an oil change can visit the dealership website at http://www.coastalhyundai.com for further details. The dealership is located at 915 New Haven Avenue in Melbourne, Florida 32901, and can be contacted at 321-723-4500 for further assistance. Its an honor to recognize these innovative institutions for their exemplary use of CollegeSource solutions to enhance the student experience through more streamlined transfer and degree achievement processes" - Kerry Cooper, CEO of CollegeSource. CollegeSource, the higher education industrys most trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions, today announced the winners of its annual Sourcies Awards, which recognize institutions for their best practices in transfer and degree achievement. Winners were announced today during CollegeSources Annual Conference, which was held in person in San Diego. The 2022 Sourcie Awards were granted to the University of Minnesota System (Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, Crookston, and Rochester) for Innovation in Advancing Systemwide Positive Student Outcomes, University of Colorado Boulder for Exceptional Model for Transfer Student Success, and to Dr. Cristina Rodriguez from Los Angeles Pierce College for Superior Work in Advancing Statewide Transfer Evaluation. Its an honor to recognize these innovative institutions for their exemplary use of CollegeSource solutions to enhance the student experience through more streamlined transfer and degree achievement processes, said Kerry Cooper, CEO of CollegeSource. The most effective way to establish successful student outcomes is by implementing best practices for a better student and advisor experience, which is what these institutions have accomplished. Congratulations to them and their hardworking teams. At the University of Minnesota System, teams worked eagerly to enhance their degree audits and processes serving students with transfer credit during their Transfer Articulation and Degree Audit (TADA) upgrade project. During the upgrade, they recognized an opportunity to simplify degree audits enterprise-wide. As a result, the institution achieved better visibility into student mindsets. In addition, they leveraged the full capabilities of CollegeSource solutions, including uAchieve, TES and Transferology to streamline the transfer credit evaluation process for students. Using TES, the Twin Cities transfer evaluation process was completely transformed from a decentralized unreliable paper process to a high functioning, completely online central process. One of the top priorities at the University of Colorado Boulder is to remove barriers for students during the transfer process by utilizing Transferology and TransferologyLab. Their latest initiative resulted in the implementation of strategies to facilitate successful transitions to CU Boulder for incoming transfer students. As a result, prospective transfer students can now schedule a one-hour appointment to discuss several topics, including admissions criteria, transferability and applicability of transfer credit, graduation timeline, course selection for required admissions prerequisites and to facilitate a future transfer. Through TransferologyLab, advising appointments are more effective as it allows students to consider transfer courses more strategically and make more informed transfer decisions. L.A. Pierce College Articulation Officer Cristina Castelo Rodriguez has served as a champion of transfer credit evaluation and articulation between L.A. Pierce and the California Community College System. By creating an initiative to add course tags in CollegeSource TES, transfer students now benefit from Dr. Rodriguezs perseverance as they can more easily transfer from a California Community College to any other institution in the system. About CollegeSource CollegeSource is the higher education industrys trusted provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions. For 50 years, CollegeSource has led market-changing transformation by inventing and investing in technology solutions that aid the staff and students of higher education in their quest to plan and complete academic careers. As the archiver of the nations extensive higher education course catalogs, CollegeSources degree audit, academic planning, and transfer credit evaluation solutions are depended on by more than 2,000 institutions and millions of individuals worldwide. Founded and led by higher education and technology veterans, CollegeSource is a privately-held company based in San Diego with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, please visit collegesource.com. "This entrepreneurship program is a win-win-win situation for both the students who gain real-world experience in the venture capital space as well as the benefactors and the investors." In April, several teams of Stetson University entrepreneur students pitched investment opportunities in start-up companies they had vetted to a group of angel investors made up of Stetson alumni. As a result, the group the Hatter Angels Network, invested in two Florida companies: VerdeGo Aero in Daytona Beach (for $265,000) and Xendoo in Fort Lauderdale (for $135,000). Formal check presentations were made on June 17 in both Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The entrepreneur students are part of a class that was established during Stetsons Spring 2021 semester and is taught by Lou Paris, assistant professor of Practice, Management and assistant director of Stetsons Joseph C. Prince Entrepreneurship Program. In the class, the students research actual companies to present to the Hatter Angels Network, which is comprised of Stetson alumni who are accredited investors. The network was co-founded by alumni/angel investors Dan Glunt and Milt Douglass. Douglass earned both bachelors and masters degrees from Stetson in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Hes now a Stetson adjunct professor. Glunt graduated from Stetson in 1993. In their research, the students analyze data such as company financials and interview company leadership to assess growth goals. The purpose of the program is twofold: 1) to expose students to real-world examples of the venture capital world, and 2) to impact local start-up companies with local investment dollars. A percentage of the investment gains goes back to Stetsons School of Business Administration. While the student-run initiative is still in its infancy, the class is quickly becoming one the most popular taught at Stetson. The Spring 2022 class consisted of 15 students, who reviewed 30 companies and made five investment recommendations under the supervision of Paris, Douglass and Glunt. Following each investment selection by the Hatter Angels Network, a student becomes a board adviser at that company. In 2019, Douglass and Glunt first explored the idea of a new signature program focused on investing in private companies. They stumbled on a 2007 white paper written by Stetson associate professors William Andrews and John Tichenor. The idea was analogous to the Stetsons acclaimed Roland George Investments Program, which focuses solely on public companies. This entrepreneurship program is a win-win-win situation for both the students who gain real-world experience in the venture capital space as well as the benefactors and the investors, Paris said. I continually hear from former students who say, I wish that program was available during my time at Stetson. Dan and I spent a couple of years on the School of Business Administration Advisory Board, explained Douglass. The school was searching for new signature programs to draw students, such as Roland George and the Centurion Sales Program. Since Dan and I are active investors, we thought, Hey, why not teach the students how to conduct due diligence for us, expose them to startups, and give them an experiential learning opportunity by meeting with the CEOs and possibly board seats. After a few conference calls to broach the idea with the School of Business Administration, Professor Paris ran with it. This program is shaping into the vision Dan and I originally had back in 2019. Working with the students and watching their development is the most rewarding part, commented Glunt. We completed our third semester and have had three students take the class a second time. We even have one taking it again this fall. I dont think that has ever happened in Stetsons history. It is a testament to the level of student engagement they are excited to learn! VerdeGo Aero is a leader in hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for the next generation of aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company enables its customers to develop electric aircraft that meet demanding mission requirements while also complying with high regulatory and safety standards required for commercial or military flight operations. What our team is working on represents the first steps of a major revolution in aerospace that will ultimately generate millions of dollars in aircraft sales and powerplant sales, as electrification continues to mainstream in the aerospace market, commented VerdeGo Aeros CEO Eric Bartsch. Xendoo, a cloud-based fintech company, provides small-to-medium-sized business owners with a wide variety of accounting tools and resources delivery via proprietary technology and speedy service all with of goal of delivering real-time data and speedy financial transparency to business owners. Our experience working with the students and team at Stetson was incredibly rewarding. The students bring a unique lens of inquisitiveness and curiosity, said Xendoo CEO Lil Roberts. I am inspired to know that these will be the minds of our future leaders and investment arms. Congratulations to Milt, Dan and Professor Paris for this exceptional program! We are grateful to be a recipient and look forward to delivering a great return on their investment! About Stetson University Founded in 1883, Stetson University is the oldest private university in Central Florida. Stetson focuses on intense learning experiences in a supportive community that allows students to develop their voice in a connected, inclusive environment. Stetson ranks in the top five on U.S. News & World Reports list of Best Regional Universities (South) and is consistently recognized as one of The Princeton Reviews Best Colleges. Stay connected with Stetson on social media. ### Its All a Setup for Gods Glory: a potent account of divine intervention and the power of faith. Its All a Setup for Gods Glory is the creation of published author Evangelist Juanita M. Phillips, a loving mother and grandmother saved and anointed by God to teach, preach, and intercede in prayer for others. For over forty years, Juanita has faithfully worked in various facets of ministry. She has also worked in the community for over twenty-four years as a homecare worker, assisting the sick, elderly, and disabled. Juanita shares, If you believe in miracles, you need to read this book. You will be so amazed. God has blessed my life above measure because there were a number of times when I should have died, but each time he miraculously delivered me. In Gods plan, situations are set up in each of our lives to glorify him. Over forty years ago, he set it for me to meet the late Prophetess Dr. Hattie B. Jones and become a member of her ministry. Through her faith in God and powerful prayers, my life and numerous others were changed, blessed, and impacted phenomenally. The amazing and mind-boggling ways God used her was similar to how he used the prophets in the Bible. Her life and ministry was a testament that all things are possible, including the impossible, with God. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Evangelist Juanita M. Phillipss new book shares an amazing story of one womans ministry and the heartfelt appreciation felt by those who knew her. Phillips shares an engaging message of faith within the pages of this heartfelt message of thanks and appreciation. Consumers can purchase Its All a Setup for Gods Glory at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Its All a Setup for Gods Glory, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. "Targeted harassment toward people experiencing homelessness is criminal. Sweeps are traumatizing, destabilizing, dangerous and beyond cruel. In May 2022, Stetson University Professor and Jessie Ball duPont Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education Rajni Shankar-Brown, PhD, became the newly elected president of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), the nations oldest advocacy and direct service organization supporting people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. She is the first woman of color to hold this esteemed national position. Shankar-Brown has been part of the NCH in various capacities over the past several years and served in numerous leadership roles over the past decade. She has dedicated her life to promoting human and civil rights, and her commitment and passion for the organization is inspiring. There are basic human rights that should be guaranteed for all of us, including safe, decent and affordable housing, said Shankar-Brown. I am proud to serve in an organization that actively affirms diversity, practices inclusion, and advances equity and social justice. Shankar-Brown has not wasted time since her stint as president began. She is a lead member and visionary of Bring America Home Now, a comprehensive grassroots campaign to end homelessness in the U.S. She works with national recovery and homelessness advocate and NCHs Executive Director Donald Whitehead, a military veteran and Emmy Award winner, and Campaign Director Joel Segal, who a pioneer in the universal healthcare movement. While serving as a key staffer for Rep. John Conyers Segal was a co-writer of the original Medicare for All Bill, which was introduced in Congress in 2003. Our campaign has an incredible team of diverse, talented, dedicated experts and amazing human beings, commented Shankar-Brown, who also serves as chair of the campaigns racial equity and education pillars of the campaign. On June 17, 2022, Shankar-Brown helped with a national vigil at the Lincoln Memorial, along with a peaceful NCH protest that gathered people from across the United States to speak up for housing justice. During the overnight protest, people spoke out against rampant human rights violations that target people experiencing homelessness. Among the chants were housing justice now, stop sweeps and homes, not handcuffs. On June 18, Shankar-Brown was a featured speaker and a key organizer, helping to attract numerous housing justice advocates and organizations, at the Poor Peoples Campaign Moral March on Washington. We must act with revolutionary love and bend the arc toward justice. Forward together! said Shankar-Brown, with the Capitol behind her and thousands of individuals cheering and chanting back, Forward together, and not one step back. In addition, NCH has launched a campaign called Sweepless Summer 2022 and is calling on cities to stop the forceful clearing of homeless encampments. As stated in a recent NCH release, Shankar-Brown and the NCH are urging government officials to stop embracing a hardline strategy of sweeps, which rely on police enforcement to clear homeless encampments inhumanely destroying the belongings of people who are experiencing homelessness and, in turn, displacing an already marginalized community. Sweeps must end, Shankar-Brown said. Destroying peoples belongings and unleashing harassment are forms of violence that are totally unacceptable. It is shameful that we live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, and we have millions of individual and families including millions of children and youth living in extreme poverty and experiencing homelessness in the United States. Targeted harassment toward people experiencing homelessness is criminal. Sweeps are traumatizing, destabilizing, dangerous and beyond cruel. On June 23, 2022, Shankar-Brown spoke at a congressional briefing organized by U.S Rep. Maxine Waters in coordination with NCH. She delivered compelling remarks, urging Congress to invest in comprehensive solutions and long-term infrastructure to solve homelessness and the affordable housing crisis. Also participating were U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; Christian Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women; Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens; Rev. Rodney Sadler Jr., director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation; and others. With heat-indexes rising, and with more than half of all heat-related U.S. deaths coming from unhoused individuals (including children and youth), Shankar-Brown called for intersectional approaches to housing justice. Also, she emphasized the significant connections between environmental, public health and housing justice, as well as the importance of prioritizing racial equity. And, as we work to push effective affordable housing policies forward, we must dismantle intersectional oppressive forces and intentionally advance racial equity with persistence and intention, she urged. Black women, many mothers with children, are disproportionately facing evictions and experiencing the violence of homelessness. Homelessness is surging among our tribal nations and in our Latina/Latino and Latinx communities. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are overrepresented in homelessness in the United States with elevated rates, up to 9 times higher than white individuals. In addition, Asian communities are also disproportionately represented in homelessness and often not captured at all in counts as visible in our Hmong communities. This is collective work, and we must work together to end and prevent homelessness. Sister campaigns will be taking place in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Nashville, Orlando and Northfield, Minnesota. Follow the events on Facebook, or see more below. NCH Policy Against Sweeps: https://nationalhomeless.org/issues/civil-rights/policy-opposing-sweeps/ Statement Against Anti-Camping Ordinance in Kern County, CA: https://nationalhomeless.org/kern-ca-anti-camping/ Statement Against Austin Criminalization: https://nationalhomeless.org/sign-on-austin-tx/ Criminalizing Poverty during a Public Health Crisis: https://nationalhomeless.org/criminalizing-poverty-during-a-public-health-crisis/ Swept Away: Report on the Encampment Closure Crisis: https://nationalhomeless.org/swept-away/ About Stetson University Founded in 1883, Stetson University is the oldest private university in Central Florida. Stetson focuses on intense learning experiences in a supportive community that allows students to develop their voice in a connected, inclusive environment. Stetson ranks in the top five on U.S. News & World Reports list of Best Regional Universities (South) and is consistently recognized as one of The Princeton Reviews Best Colleges. Stay connected with Stetson on social media. About the National Coalition for the Homeless The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To end and prevent homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights are respected and protected. ### SquaredFinancial, headquartered in Europe, has welcomed back co-founder Georges Cohen who has returned to the company as an investor. Georges is a renowned French businessman who joined Capgemini at the age of 17 as a sales commercial engineer in 1970 and climbed the ranks to become one of its directors. In 1990, he left the group to found Transiciel, one of Frances fastest growing information technology consulting groups. In 2003, he merged Transiciel to Capgemini through a share exchange offer. Following this transaction, Georges was tasked to merge Sogeti and Transiciel. Georges successfully led the operation and managed the new entity, which was established in many countries throughout Europe and the United States. Currently based in Geneva, Cohen has created a family group which predominantly invests in technology and commodities, one of which being Altergaz the first independent natural gas company in France. In particular, Georges enjoys helping with the development of young companies and sharing his expertise. The family group portfolio is diverse and present in many countries. Cohen took control of Robex, a Canadian gold mining company in Mali Philippe Ghanem, founder and executive chairman of Squared Financial, said: We are in a new phase of execution as our scale and size are being driven by demand. Georges wanted to return to the fold as he shares our vision. Our trajectory of increasing capital means we have the funds to acquire technology and continue to attract the best talent, and, as in this case, returning talent. Georges brings with him a wealth of expertise in capital markets and companies listing, which is something we have always been clear that we aim to achieve. Georges explained: When Philippe and I founded this company in 2005, we wanted to build the financial institution of the future. Our vision is now a reality, and I want to continue to be a catalyst for success by funding further technology capability. Traders want a timely, personalised, accessible platform, and we are well capitalised to meet future demand. SquaredFinancial sees thousands of clients trading every day on its platform. The FinTech incorporated allows customers to trade the worlds most popular markets with seven different asset classes and more than 20,000 trading instruments. ### On June 17, 2022, administrators, faculty, and students from the Newport School District joined U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, RIDE Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green, Treasurer Seth Magaziner, and other local elected officials, alongside representatives from Gilbane Building Company, Downes Construction, and SLAM to celebrate the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rogers High School. Designed by SLAM to meet the New England Collaborative for High Performance Schools criteria, the new, approximately 166,000-SF facility will encompass three floors and integrate existing career and technical education programs currently located on the school campus, including STEM and media design labs, along with cosmetology and culinary centers. The school will be constructed adjacent to the existing high school, which will remain fully operational and accessible by vehicles and pedestrians during construction. Upon occupancy of the new high school, the existing vacated school facility will be demolished to allow for development of new driveways, parking areas, and landscaped areas. During his ceremonial remarks, RI Treasurer Seth Magaziner, who was instrumental in helping the Rhode Island Department of Education assess all 306 public school facilities in Rhode Island in 2017, noted, Rogers High School held the dubious distinction of being the worst-rated facility of all 306, so this is a day we have been waiting for for a long time. Were so excited to have reached this milestone and mark the official groundbreaking of the new Rogers High School with the City of Newport, said Steve Duvel, senior vice president and business unit leader for Gilbane in Rhode Island. Our experience as a leading builder of K-12 facilities throughout Rhode Island and the country, coupled with our student and community first mindset, empowers us to deliver a new high school that citizens of Newport can truly be proud of. Rogers High School is set for completion in 2024. About Gilbane Building Company Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com. ### In a rare and complete victory, a Greenberg Traurig, P.A. team of Litigation and White Collar Defense & Special Investigations attorneys led by Jed E. Dwyer and Stephanie Peral achieved dismissal of the sole remaining charge against Roger Richard Boncy. Boncy is a Haitian national and U.S. citizen the federal government alleged had conspired to funnel bribes from the non-profit National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians to high-level Haitian government officials. Since his indictment, Boncy has maintained that he was innocent and that two calls the FBI destroyed would prove his innocence. Boncy maintained that in those destroyed calls he did not agree with any plan that 5% of the cost of a construction deal in Haiti was intended for bribes. This 5% for bribes, was, as the First Circuit explained after a review of the record, a key part of the governments conspiracy theory. United States v. Baptiste, 8 F.4th 30, 38 (1st Cir. 2021). Boncy has always maintained that he never agreed with this key part of the governments case. Boncy took this position since his indictment, throughout his previous trial, and up to his upcoming trial on July 5, 2022, which now will not occur. United States v. Baptiste, Boncy No. 17-cr-10305-ADB United States District Court District of Massachusetts. All the while, the government remained steadfast in opposing Boncys innocence. But on Friday, June 24, 2022, after Boncy took the unusual step of making a preservation demand on the government, the government discovered and disclosed to Boncy that it had certain exculpatory text messages between FBI agents. These texts sent on the same day of the destroyed calls specifically referenced the contents of the destroyed calls. In those texts, consistent with Boncys long-held defense, the FBI agent explicitly stated that Richard said 5% social program money is absolutely not for bribes. This is exactly what Boncy has claimed all along. And, more egregiously, the existence and content of these texts are directly at odds with the FBI special agents testimony throughout this case. It is clear now that Richard is innocent; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The government agrees and today dismissed the sole remaining count against our client, Dwyer said. Richard has always maintained he did nothing wrong and the evidence the FBI withheld proves that. We would like to thank the court, specifically Judge Burroughs who prioritized justice throughout. Judge Burroughs truly honored, respected, and protected Richards rights from day one. Her respectful, quiet command that the law be followed, and that justice be done, was a breath of fresh air. Our client and we are forever grateful. Our client, Richard, had the courage to stand up to the government, which is a rarity these days. He was adamant in his innocence and his commitment to proving his innocence. Too often the government rides roughshod over defendants. Not Richard. He is a man of conviction, courage, and heart. We are proud to stand with him today. As Dwyer noted, Today is a great day a day when justice prevails. We are grateful for the crucible of the courtroom. The Greenberg Traurig team in the matter also includes Shareholders Mark A. Berthiaume and Jay A. Yagoda. About Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice: Greenberg Traurigs White Collar & Special Investigations Practice comprises over 60 experienced and knowledgeable global practitioners prepared to tackle whatever new challenges may arise, whenever they may arise. The team includes a number of former prosecutors from U.S. and non-U.S. enforcement agencies, with a wide array of experience and intimate knowledge of the highest levels of federal and state government. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2400 attorneys in 43 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm, often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono, reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021. The firm is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, NLJ 250, and Law360 (US) 400. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com. I enjoy learning about my clients businesses and helping them solve the many issues they face as they start, grow or exit their companies, Davis said. Jaret L. Davis, co-managing shareholder of the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been recognized as one of the Minority Corporate Counsel Associations (MCCA) 2022 Rainmakers in the United States. Davis is among 15 diverse attorneys selected by MCCA for their outstanding legal work and community focus. Rainmakers have achieved success through innovative, consistent, and proactive business development, according to the associations website. The award celebrates lawyers for their diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and generational differences, as well as diversity in their practice areas. The 2022 rainmakers were selected from a group of lawyers whose annual billings exceeded $5 million over the past three years and who have contributed significantly to their communities. As Miami co-managing shareholder, Davis oversees approximately 170 attorneys and 200 business staff based in the firms founding office. He focuses his corporate and securities practice on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, and large financings. Most of his clients are technology players in a variety of areas including information technology, life sciences/biotech and renewable energy sources. He has represented clients on transactions totaling $11 billion in the past five years and has handled approximately $17 billion in deals over his career. I enjoy learning about my clients businesses and helping them solve the many issues they face as they start, grow or exit their companies, Davis said. My advice to attorneys starting out in the profession is to focus on a field that most people are afraid to enter. If you are willing to take the time to understand new industries, you will find your niche. In addition to his practice, Davis serves in a number of civic capacities that allow him to leverage his professional interests to assist the South Florida community, including positioning it as a major technology and entrepreneurial hub. He serves on the board of directors for City National Bank, Nicklaus Childrens Hospital, The Miami Foundation, and is a co-founder and general counsel of the eMerge Americas global technology conference. He also is a former chair of Nicklaus Childrens Hospital and the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the countys economic development arm. In this role at Beacon, Davis led a local bid to obtain Amazons HQ2 headquarters, which resulted in Miami being selected as a finalist. MCCA will honor the 2022 rainmakers at its Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference on Oct. 17-19 at the New York Marriott Marquis and at its Diversity Gala on Oct. 19 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Founded in 1997, MCCA is dedicated to advancing the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA accomplishes its mission through industry-shaping publications, research, training, innovative pipeline initiatives, and curated events designed to connect its members to thought leaders and one another. About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,400 attorneys in 43 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Plus Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Were in great company with the AI Breakthrough Award winners, and its an honor that our efforts to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future were recognized by this prestigious award, said Mike Ratliff, CTO of GridPoint. GridPoint, a leader in building energy management and optimization technology that decarbonizes commercial buildings and drives grid modernization, announced it was named a winner in the Best Decision Management Solution category in the fifth annual AI Breakthrough Awards. Were in great company with the AI Breakthrough Award winners, and its an honor that our efforts to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future were recognized by this prestigious award, said Mike Ratliff, CTO of GridPoint. GridPoints platform leverages AI and patented algorithms to provide visibility into complex building operations in order to help businesses automate efficiency and generate cost savings. The platform uncovers best-fit energy strategies to set businesses up for long-term success by not only increasing the value of the buildings, but also making those buildings more resilient to quickly changing energy trends. GridPoint redefines energy optimization by connecting businesses, buildings and the grid to make companies more efficient and energy grids more reliable, while also creating a more sustainable future for everyone. The data-driven platform analyzes millions of data points to help businesses make better decisions. By transforming the way commercial businesses use energy, GridPoint unlocks the decarbonization, sustainability and grid resiliency required for a cleaner, more efficient tomorrow. The AI Breakthrough Awards received nearly 3,000 submissions globally for the 2022 program, which is dedicated to performing the deepest evaluations of the global AI industry each year to recognize and highlight the breakthrough AI solutions and companies. More details along with the list of 2022 winners are available at AIBreakthroughAwards.com. About GridPoint GridPoint is a leader in building energy management and optimization technology that decarbonizes commercial buildings and drives grid modernization. GridPoints data-driven platform connects energy grids with the built environment and behind-the-meter distributed energy resources, enabling the ability to optimize energy and sustainability goals for businesses and the grid at the same time. GridPoints technology platform is deployed in 16,000+ commercial buildings across multiple industries. Leveraging data analytics, intelligent automation and machine learning to deliver unprecedented visibility into complex building operations, GridPoint reduces energy costs, maximizes decarbonization, provides actionable facility insights and strengthens resiliency building by building. Networked together, buildings with GridPoint Intelligence aggregate the reliable, precise and instantaneous capacity that energy grids increasingly require. GridPoints intelligent energy network of buildings is driving grid modernization and accelerating the transition to a sustainable energy future. For more information, visit gridpoint.com. About AI Breakthrough Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AI Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in Artificial Intelligence technologies, services, companies and products. The AI Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of AI companies and products in categories including AI Platforms, Robotics, Business Intelligence, AI Hardware, NLP, Vision, Biometrics and more. For more information, visit AIBreakthroughAwards.com. Lonesome Dove meets the The Godfather is the best description of John Kerrs The Bear series a multi-generation tale set against the backdrop of the colorful and unique history of Americas 31st state. This 2022, the author releases its fourth volume titled The Bear: California Dreamin' (published by iUniverse). In this novel, long-time partners James McGuire and James Hagen stand back-to-back and take on the government, the mob, and a duplicitous woman out for revenge. Bullets fly and the streets run red with blood as Los Angeles city fathers redline Mexican neighborhoods in a plot to bring a professional ball club to the City of Angels. Can James McGuire and James Hagen beat the odds that await them? First and foremost, (I) would like any reader to be entertained and enjoy being taken on a grand adventure that stretches over 100 years, the author states. Anyone who likes the books of Larry McMurtry, Dennis Lehane, and Cormac McCarthy should enjoy the fast-paced action that begins with Senator McCarthys HUAC hearings and ends in a blood bath with the mob on the mean streets of Los Angeles. The Bear: California Dreamin is an action-packed conclusion to Kerrs epic series which stretches from the Bear Flag Revolt up to the Manson murders. To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.iuniverse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/807532-the-bear-california-dreamin. The Bear: California Dreamin' By John Kerr Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 310 pages | ISBN 9781663239013 Softcover | 6 x 9in | 310 pages | ISBN 9781663239006 E-Book | 310 pages | ISBN 9781663238993 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author John Kerr grew up in Bostonia, California. He attended six different schools by ninth grade, usually due to the administration requesting his dismissal. He has worked as a producer/director for NBC and CBS in Hawaii, and as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Kerr lives in Riverside, California, with his wife, three dogs and two cats. He makes it a point never to live more than 10 minutes from a good Mexican restaurant. iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Rising Star, and Editors Choice designationsself-publishings only such awards program. iUniverse is headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. NVTC launches a new student initiative to connect the next generation of talent to the regions workforce. Infusing the next generation of diverse talent into our workforce is a top strategic priority. Our ultimate goal is to equip students with the resources and skills to meet the future demands of the regional technology community," said Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of NVTC. The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the trade association representing the National Capital Regions diverse technology community, today announced its new Student Membership Initiative, specifically designed to infuse the next generation of talent into the regions workforce in both technology and professional services roles. The initiative includes a new student membership category, dedicated intern professional development and networking events, and the NVTC Foundation Kilberg Scholarship Fund. The Student Membership Initiative advances NVTCs mission to accelerate tech innovation and promote world-class workforce development to enable the regions tech sector to continue to innovate, grow, and thrive. It will provide opportunities for college-level students and new collar apprentices to build their professional network, access the thousands of jobs in the regions vibrant tech community, stay informed of innovative tech trends, and hone both technical and soft skills. While students prepare for the post-graduation hybrid work environment, they will gain access to the nations most influential tech leaders, relevant content, and signature events covering the industrys cutting-edge topics. NVTC is thrilled to offer students and apprentices opportunities to network and learn about the incredible companies that make up the NVTC membership and the open jobs they have available, said Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of NVTC. Infusing the next generation of diverse talent into our workforce is one of NVTCs strategic priorities, so we may achieve our vision of becoming the most vibrant and collaborative tech hub in the world. Our ultimate goal is to equip students with the resources and skills to meet the future demands of the regional technology community. The Student Membership Initiative also includes the NVTC Foundation Kilberg Scholarship Fund. Each year, NVTC awards female students who have demonstrated leadership promise and commitment to advancing technology with a substantial gift to pursue higher education in STEM-related fields. The five 2022 recipients for the scholarship fund were recently announced. To kick off the Student Membership Initiative, NVTC hosted its first-ever Summer Intern Networking Reception on June 23 at Convene in Arlington, Va., with over 200 attendees. Designed to provide professional development and networking for summer tech interns working at NVTC member organizations, the event featured esteemed panelists who shared their insights about in-demand skills, tips on how to find job opportunities, networking best practices, and more. Panelist companies included Beyond20, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, Micron Technology, and Sandy Spring Bank. The event was sponsored by Attain Partners, GDIT, and International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training. To learn more and sign up for NVTCs Student Membership, please visit: http://www.nvtc.org. About the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) NVTC is the trade association representing the Northern Virginia technology community. As one of the nations largest technology councils, NVTC serves companies from all sectors of the industry, from small businesses and startups to Fortune 100 technology companies, government contractors, as well as service providers, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. More than 425 members look to the organization as a resource for networking and educational opportunities, peer-to-peer communities, policy advocacy, industry promotion, fostering of strategic relationships, and branding of the region as a major global technology center. Learn more at http://www.nvtc.org. Intimacy over Answers: an encouraging opportunity for reflection and growth. Intimacy over Answers is the creation of published author Osbert Wei, who is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Enrolled at Liberty for his undergraduate studies, he recently completed his bachelors degree in psychology. Wei is also involved in campus ministry and serving at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Wei shares, Why? When? How? Who? What? We all have questions. We all desire answers, but God just doesnt seem to help me out. When will God answer my prayer requests that I have been prayer for forever? Will God tell me who I am going to marry? Does God understand that I need him to perform a miracle in this instant? Where is God? If you are like me, you want answers, and you want them now. The beauty of our faith is that God wants something moreintimacy with you. What I have written is not designed to solve your specific problems or answer your specific questions but to consider something even greater, more beautiful, and magnificent. Waiting, questioning, Gods silence, you name it, weve all been through it. Let us, however, consider the Answer thats been given to us alreadyJesus. Allow me to begin a conversation with you on what it means to seek after intimacy with our heavenly Father more than pressing for answers to our questions. Let a relatable brother in Christ share some of his stories and experiences with you. When you understand that this life is more about intimacy than answers, you will be freed of anxiety, worry, and fear and be able to freely, confidently, and boldly step into the calling that has been given to each and every single one of Gods childrenthe Great Commission. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Osbert Weis new book weighs in on a common theme amongst believers that can result in frustration and distraction from Gods true intent. Wei offers readers a personal testimony that is certain to resonate with many in hopes of helping others on their path to truly knowing God. Consumers can purchase Intimacy over Answers at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Intimacy over Answers, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. We believe that veterans and military spouses are uniquely positioned to fill the leadership gap that our society faces. Its our honor to support them in making an impact as they grow as leaders and enter their next chapter. Dan Futrell, CEO and 2011 Tillman Scholar Today, the Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF) announced the names of the 60 U.S. service members, veterans and military spouses chosen as 2022 Tillman Scholars. In recognition of their service and leadership potential, the newly selected class will receive scholarship funding to pursue higher education and continue their service in the fields of healthcare, business, law, public service, STEM, education and the humanities. For the full list of 2022 Tillman Scholars, along with their service branches, institutions and fields of study, please visit http://scholars.ptf.org. Were thrilled to welcome these 60 veterans and military spouses as part of our global Tillman Scholar community, said Dan Futrell, CEO and 2011 Tillman Scholar. We believe that veterans and military spouses and especially our Tillman Scholars are uniquely positioned to fill the leadership gap that our society faces. Its our honor to support them in making an impact as they grow as leaders and enter their next chapter. Each year, its so exciting to get to know a new class of Tillman Scholars and help them realize their potential for service and impact, said Marie Tillman, Board Chair and Co-Founder of PTF. It means so much to see them continue to carry Pats legacy and values forward, in fields as diverse as medicine, music, architecture, and geoscience. To date, PTF has invested more than $24 million in scholar support and named more than 800 Tillman Scholars at nearly 150 academic institutions nationwide. The Tillman Scholars Program The Tillman Scholars program supports our nations active duty service members, veterans and military spouses by investing in them through education, lifelong leadership development, and a global community of high-performing peers and mentors to help them develop as leaders and make an impact at both a local and global scale. University Partners The Pat Tillman Foundation invites University Partners based on their institutions strong support for military veterans and spouses, as well as Tillman Scholars at their campus. Current University Partners include: Arizona State University; Columbia University; Florida A&M University, Georgetown University; The George Washington University; Indiana University; The Ohio State University; Syracuse University; Texas A&M University; University of Arizona; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Maryland; University of Minnesota; University of Missouri System; University of Oklahoma and University of South Florida. If you are a member of the media who wishes to arrange an interview with Pat Tillman Foundation Board Chair and Co-Founder, Marie Tillman, Chief Executive Officer, Dan Futrell, or a 2022 Tillman Scholar, please contact Stephanie Kuenn at (773) 495-8278, skuenn@pattillmanfoundation.org. About the Pat Tillman Foundation The Pat Tillman Foundation identifies remarkable veterans and military spouses as the next generation of leaders and helps them scale their impact as they enter their next chapter of service beyond self through academic scholarships, lifelong leadership development, and a global community of peers and supporters. For more information on the Pat Tillman Foundation and the impact of the Tillman Scholars, visit pattillmanfoundation.org. Paulette Garafalo Garafalo says, With Trevors expertise, hard work, and loyalty to Paul Stuart the brand will continue to thrive, evolve, and expand for years to come. I look forward to our continued partnership as we move into this next chapter at Paul Stuart. Paul Stuart is pleased to announce the following management changes. Effective July 1st, Paulette Garafalo will become the Executive Chairman of Paul Stuart. Trevor Shimpfky will assume the post of President and CEO. Garafalo brought Shimpfky to the company four years ago as Vice President of Omni and they have a shared vision for the company. Garafalo joined Paul Stuart in 2016 from Brooks Brothers where she was President, International, Wholesale, and Manufacturing. She also served as CEO of The Americas at Bally and CEO and Group President of Hickey Freeman at Hartmarx Luxury Group. At an announcement to long-time employees, Paulette Garafalo said, The future looks bright here. With the talented and dedicated Paul Stuart team currently in place, the brands business is strong with plans for a healthy growth trajectory. Under Garafalos leadership, the company has modernized its creative communication platforms, has launched the customLAB for made-to-order suiting and shirts, opened a boutique in Southampton, NY, and expanded its wholesale operations with business at Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. Trevor Shimpfky started his career with a passion for menswear as the Retail Director at Robert Talbott for ten years and spent 16 years as the head of wholesale for North America at Ermenegildo Zegna, where he worked closely with the style offices in Italy. Trevor joined Paul Stuart four years ago as Vice President of Omni. Shimpfky says, We have a great competitive advantage and are mobilized for strong growth. My support of our Creative Director in his unyielding pursuit of product excellence, while staying focused on our digital transformation, will be primary goals as I begin my tenure as CEO and President. Garafalo says, With Trevors expertise, hard work, and loyalty to Paul Stuart the brand will continue to thrive, evolve, and expand for years to come. I look forward to our continued partnership as we move into this next chapter at Paul Stuart. About Paul Stuart: Headquartered in New York City, Paul Stuart, Inc. was founded by Ralph Ostrove and named for his son Paul Stuart Ostrove, has remained in its original location since opening in 1938. The company designs exclusive collections of mens and womens tailored clothing, sportswear, and accessories. Additional stores are located in Southampton, NY, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Paul Stuart footwear is also widely available at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom.com stores nationwide. https://www.paulstuart.com Five Easy Steps to Heal the Union By taking my 5 Easy Steps, youll have the power to unlock the limitless wisdom and creativity necessary to transform pain, incivility and disunity into purpose, harmony and lasting fulfillment. - Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) During this years Fourth of July Celebration, philosopher, educator and founder of the American Meditation Institute, Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) boldly challenges every American to employ his 5 Easy Steps to make our nation a more perfect union. In the July issue of Transformation a quarterly journal of Yoga Science as holistic mind/body medicine, Perlmutter presents a precise, practical and revolutionary program he promises can heal both our personal and our political traumas. According to Perlmutter, The accumulation of our individual, unresolved inner mental conflicts and the current speed of change is causing the human mind to habitually dwell in the past or future, trapped by strong emotions of fear, anger and depression. In turn, we experience a loss of self-confidence and self-reliance, a lack of creativity, a heavy sense of dread, and the weakened state of our health and the health of the nations union. And yet, as Perlmutter promises, When Americans begin experimenting with using my 5 Easy Steps, theyll realize for themselves that the untrained, reactionary mind is the cause of our problems, pain and division, and that the educated mindguided by the Super Conscious Wisdom of Your Conscienceis the key to solving lifes most troubling challenges, those both at the most personal, public and political levels. Perlmutters own list of lifes challenges include: Abortion, Addiction, Aging, Anger, Anxiety, Bullying, Burnout, Civil Rights, Climate Change, Death, Depression, Education, Family, Fear, Food, Government, Greed, Gun Control, Health , Immigration, LGBTQIA, Marriage, Misogyny, Misinformation, Money, Moral Decline, Non-Truth, Parenting, Politics, Pollution, Poverty, Racism, Self-Preservation, Sex, Sleep Stress, Terrorism, Violence and War. Perlmutters 5 Easy Steps are the essence of his time-tested AMI MEDITATION Foundation Course which he has taught continuously since 1996. Perlmutters comprehensive six-week syllabus incorporates Holistic Mind/Body Medicine principles, a systematic AMI MEDITATION procedure, meditation-in-action, easy-gentle physical exercises, breath as medicine, an understanding of Ayurvedic medicine, the practical power of prayer (even for atheists and agnostics), and supportive elements of Yoga Science, Philosophy, and Psychology. Each weekly session combines the best of ancient Eastern wisdom with the practicality of modern Western medical science. This one-of-a-kind program, is open to the general public, and has been certified by the American Medical Association to provide attending medical physicians 18 CME (Continuing Medical Education) credit hours. Mr. Perlmutters books, YOUR CONSCIENCE, as well as The Heart and Science of Yoga have been endorsed by medical pioneers Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD and Larry Dossey MD. Leonard has taught workshops on the benefits of optimizing the mind and the Conscience at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, numerous medical schools, The New York Times forum on Yoga, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Association of Graduates. According to recent course graduate, Internist and Pediatrician, Kristin Kaelber, MD, PhD, FAAP, FACP, Leonards Five Easy Steps and his 6 week online AMI MEDITATION Foundation Course literally changed my personal life and the direction of my professional career as a physician. Practicing the tools that I learned helped me every day to eliminate the burnout I was experiencing. I am practicing as a lifestyle medicine physician and am much happier and more creative in serving my patients. I urge every physician to prescribe this course for yourself so that you too can rid yourselves of burnout and frustration and create a happier, healthier life and career. -30- About the American Meditation Institute The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, Yoga Philosophy and Yoga Psychology as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, the AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of Zoom classes and webinars. AMI also publishes the quarterly Transformation journal. Call 518.674.8714 for a mail or email subscription. Over the course of his decades-long career, Gary has built a name for himself throughout New Jersey as one of the states foremost audit experts trusted by municipalities and school districts alike, said Kevin J. Keane, Executive Chairman at PKF OConnor Davies. PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, one of the nations largest accounting, tax and advisory firms, today announced that it has hired Gary Higgins as Partner. An accomplished industry leader who has spent decades providing audit and accounting support services to governmental and not-for-profit entities in the State of New Jersey, Higgins joins the Firms Public Sector practice. His hiring supports the Firms strategic growth plan and its ongoing efforts to enhance the capabilities of core practice areas through the acquisition of specialized, top-tier talent. Over the course of his decades-long career, Gary has built a name for himself throughout New Jersey as one of the states foremost audit experts trusted by municipalities and school districts alike, said Kevin J. Keane, Executive Chairman at PKF OConnor Davies. His broad base of experience will amplify the work of our Public Sector practice, and his ability to forge long-lasting relationships with clients will ensure we remain a premier partner to those who serve our communities every day. Im thrilled to welcome him to the PKF OConnor Davies family. Prior to joining PKF OConnor Davies, Higgins served as a Managing Committee Partner and Founder of one of New Jerseys largest accounting firms specializing in servicing local government entities. In addition to his work as Partner-in-Charge of audits of governmental entities represented by the firm, he provided accounting support services in the areas of bond and note issuance, regulatory agency appearances, labor contract negotiations, financial and compliance corrective action plans, cost-benefit studies, governmental budgets, and administrative and financial management of homeowners associations. Higgins also served as the firms Quality Control Partner responsible for the firms annual quality control inspection and triennial peer review. Organizations across the public sector regard PKF OConnor Davies as one of the best in the business for its unwavering dedication and in-depth expertise, Higgins said. As I embark on the next phase of my professional journey, Im excited to share the wealth of experience I have gained throughout my career to continue the Firms tradition of excellence. Higgins remains actively involved in numerous professional organizations, including as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) and the Registered Municipal Accountants Association of New Jersey (RMAA). He is also a member of the Governmental Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and an associate member of the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO). Higgins has been a member of the RMAAs Board of Trustees for over 30 years and currently serves as the organizations President. In addition, Higgins is the Chairman of the NJCPA Political Action Committee and previously served as a member and two-term Chairman of the NJCPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee. Higgins holds a Certified Public Accountant, a Registered Municipal Accountant and a Public School Accountant license in the State of New Jersey. He is also a Certified Municipal Finance Officer. Higgins joins the Firms Woodcliff Lake, NJ, office. PKF OConnor Davies continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions on the East Coast and beyond. It has supported this growth with a strategic combination of promoting from within coupled with an ongoing focus on top-tier external hires. About PKF OConnor Davies, LLP PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, is a full-service certified public accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients both domestically and internationally. With roots tracing to 1891, the Firm has 18 offices in the United States and abroad. In the U.S., offices are located across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where PKF OConnor Davies has recently merged in Boston-based DGC and expanded its footprint in the New England market. The Firm also has an office in Mumbai, India. PKF OConnor Davies employs more than 1,400 professionals who provide a complete range of accounting, auditing, tax and management advisory services. The Firm is led by over 150 partners who are closely involved in the day-to-day management of engagements, ensuring a high degree of client service and cost effectiveness. The Firm is a top-ranked firm, according to Accounting Todays 2022 Top 100 Firms list and was recently recognized as one of Americas Best Tax and Accounting Firms by Forbes. PKF O'Connor Davies was named one of Vault's 2022 Accounting 50, a ranking of the 50 best accounting employers to work for in North America and ranked among the top 50 most prestigious accounting firms in America in a complementary Vault survey. PKF OConnor Davies is the lead North American representative of the international association of PKF member firms. PKF International is a network of legally independent member firms providing accounting, tax and business advisory services in over 400 locations in 150 countries around the world. With its tradition, experience and focus on the future, PKF OConnor Davies is ready to help clients meet todays ever-changing economic conditions and manage the growing complexities of the regulatory environment. For more information, visit http://www.PKFOD.com. ST Engineering iDirect streamlines site installation process for Intelsat FlexEnterprise customers Satmotion is an important addition to the FlexEnterprise platform, enabling our expanding base of customers to streamline service delivery and making it easier to deploy services to support more enterprise use cases. - Gerry Collins, Director Network Product Management, Intelsat ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications, has enabled a simplified site installation solution for Intelsats FlexEnterprise platform, reducing the amount of coordination required to quickly activate new sites. The Satmotion solution, developed by Integrasys, is now integrated into iDirects Velocity platform which underpins the global FlexEnterprise service fabric to enable even faster deployment of connectivity services for enterprise locations practically anywhere in the world. This software-based solution eliminates the requirement for a separate communications channel and coordination between a central operations center and remote sites, making it faster and more cost-effective to deploy services. The capability will accelerate time-to-market for service providers and reduce time-to-deploy for individual sites, a critical need when establishing services to new areas. How it Works The new feature allows remote-site installers to accurately point antennas and autonomously enable service. Upon detection of ST Engineering iDirects persistent multicast signal, installers are guided through the equipment commissioning process without the need for coordination with the Intelsat Network Operations Center (NOC), saving significant time and resources while bringing needed flexibility to the process of delivering service to new locations. This is a proven solution that significantly simplifies the deployment of VSAT systems like FlexEnterprise, said Tim Winter, Vice President Global Accounts at ST Engineering iDirect. By removing the need for real-time coordination between the remote installer and NOC personnel to line up the antenna, the number of labor hours are reduced, which can be a significant portion of the overall cost to get sites up and running. The rapid roll-out and subsequent cost savings equal a faster Return on Investment for service providers, accelerating time-to-market and increased revenue. The FlexEnterprise solution is already deployed by service providers to extend resilient internet, private network, and cloud connectivity to enterprise locations around the globe, and a key benefit of the service is the ability to bring sites up quickly, explained Gerry Collins, Director Network Product Management, Intelsat. Satmotion is an important addition to the FlexEnterprise platform, enabling our expanding base of customers to streamline service delivery and making it easier to deploy services to support more enterprise use cases. Working with ST Engineering iDirect and Intelsat has introduced us to a new set of market requirements, and we are pleased to have been able to adapt to serve these needs with our technology, said Alvaro Sanchez, CEO at Integrasys. It has been a great pleasure to work with such leaders in their respective markets. ***** ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications (satcom) providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their satcom networks. Through the merger with Newtec, a recognized industry pioneer, the combined business unites over 35 years of innovation focused on solving satellites most critical economic and technology challenges and expands a shared commitment to shaping the future of how the world connects. The product portfolio, branded under the names iDirect and Newtec, represents the highest standards in performance, efficiency and reliability, making it possible for its customers to deliver the best satcom connectivity experience anywhere in the world. ST Engineering iDirect is the worlds largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including broadcast, mobility and military/government. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information on our platforms please visit http://www.idirect.net. Intelsat As the foundational architects of satellite technology, Intelsat operates the largest, most advanced satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure in the world. We apply our unparalleled expertise and global scale to reliably and seamlessly connect people, devices and networks in even the most challenging and remote locations. Transformation happens when businesses, governments and communities build a ubiquitous connected future through Intelsats next-generation global network and simplified managed services. At Intelsat, we turn possibilities into reality. Imagine Here, with us, at Intelsat.com. Integrays, established in 1990, 30 years ago. The company was founded by the Marquess of Antella and a team of Hewlett Packard engineers, who spin-off to develop automated signal monitoring for the government. Since then we have developed technologies for streamlining communications especially in satellite network environments and remote areas for bridging the digital divide. Integrasys is a software development and engineering company specialized in satellite network design, deployment, maintenance, and interference mitigation tools for monitoring critical satellite infrastructure in the commercial and defense fields, offering a wide range of signal monitoring products and VSAT Deployment, maintenance, and link budget solutions for telcos and satellite service providers, satellite operators and governments around the globe. Currently, Integrasys has offices in Europe, Americas, and Asia for an improved customer experience. For more information please visit http://www.integrasys-space.com Media contact: Julie Bettinger Vice President, Corporate Marketing ST Engineering iDirect Phone: (1) 703 648 8155 Email: jbettinger@idirect.net The Agency I am delighted to continue expanding The Agencys presence throughout Mexico with the launch of our new office in one of the countrys leading markets and sought-after destinations, said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency. Global real estate brokerage, The Agency has announced the launch of its new franchise office in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The new locale is the firms 40th global franchise among its growing network of offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe. The San Miguel de Allende office will be led by esteemed luxury real estate agents and managing partners, Juan Diaz Rivera and Bernardo Mucino Koenig. Marking the 61st office across the globe, The Agency San Miguel de Allende is The Agencys seventh office location in Mexico, following Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Punta de Mita, Riviera Maya, Todos Santos and La Paz. I am delighted to continue expanding The Agencys presence throughout Mexico with the launch of our new office in one of the countrys leading markets and sought-after destinations, said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency. Bernardo Mucino Koenig and Juan Diaz Rivera have been exceptional ambassadors for our brand for years now, and I am confident that their team will usher in a new era of luxury real estate in San Miguel de Allende. The Agency has rapidly expanded its presence across the globe throughout the past year, making it one of the fastest-growing luxury boutique brokerages in the world. The Agencys independent-owned brokerages are referred to and integrated as true global partners. Every Managing Partner, from both corporate or independently-owned offices, operates cohesively as one true global network. Rather than just using the brand likeness in their marketing, The Agencys global partners enjoy the same access to leadership, marketing, public relations training, tools and technology as our corporate offices. In the past 12 months, The Agency has already showcased impressive growth in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, opening independently-owned offices in Amsterdam, Downtown Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Muskoka, Brantford, Naples, Florida, Birmingham, Michigan, Seattle, Washington, Miami, Florida, North Atlanta, Georgia, Austin, Texas, Grand Cayman, Frederick, Maryland, and now San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The picturesque city of San Miguel de Allende, renowned for old world charm and first world amenities, was a clear next milestone for The Agency as we further grow throughout the region, said Jim Ramsay, Executive Vice President of Franchise Sales at The Agency. Bernardo and Juan are true authorities in Mexico and we could not be more excited for another successful launch in this beautiful metropolis. Juan Diaz Rivera comes from a family of leaders and innovators. From an early age he became acquainted with real estate development and marketing, which led him to become a Director of Sales and Marketing & Partner at Capella Pedregal (now the The Waldorf Cabo San Lucas) one of the highest ranked luxury retreats in Mexico. For nearly two decades, his leadership and market knowledge served as a COO of Grupo Riveras. Under his leadership, Grupo Riveras Coldwell Banker Riveras franchise achieved the top CB franchise in Mexico for over 14 years. As Co-Managing Partner of The Agency Los Cabos, Juan has been largely responsible for Business Development in addition to specializing in larger commercial transactions and curation of sales teams for new development sales. Bernardo and I look forward to continuing to service buyers and sellers in another top Mexican market while harnessing the exceptional offerings of The Agencys global network, said Juan Diaz Rivera. No other brokerage provides the unparalleled marketing, tools, and technology that The Agency brings to each market. The Agency is making its mark across prominent destinations in Mexico, and its latest franchise office in San Miguel de Allende will further differentiate the brand from other brokerages in Mexico. Fully bilingual and bicultural, Bernardo Mucino Koenig grew up between Mexico City and Beverly Hills. While researching Cabos booming real estate market for his Master's dissertation in International Housing at The London School of Economics, Bernardo made the decision to move to Cabo. Over the past decade, Bernardo has been actively involved in all areas of luxury real estate in Mexico. As a strategist, with a healthy appetite for negotiation and strong ethical professionalism, Bernardo has developed an impressive portfolio of loyal clients. In 2014 Bernardo joined forces with The Agency as the sales director of Hacienda Beach Club. Along with a stellar team of agents, they managed to sell all developer inventory in two years. The success of Hacienda Beach led to the partnership and creation of The Agency Los Cabos where Bernardo is the managing director and broker and represents premier developments and estates across Baja California. The Agency is more than a brokerage, more than a brand. Its about reconceiving the way luxury real estate is sold in an ever-evolving market to better serve our clients, said Bernardo Mucino Koenig. The Agencys global network and cutting-edge solutions will bring never-before-seen success to the breathtaking market within San Miguel de Allende and I am honored to be at the forefront. With solid infrastructure and a renowned brand that is featured on international television shows including Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Agency has grown to over 50 corporately-owned and franchise offices across the globe. Poised for further expansion with like-minded partners in strategic markets, The Agency is noted by The Financial Times as one of Americas Fastest Growing Companies and has ranked among Inc. 5000s list of fastest-growing private companies in the country for five consecutive years. Recently, The Agency ranked 21st on the 2022 RealTrends 500 list, and led the top 50 firms in average sales price by sides with a whopping $2.5 million average sales price. In May 2022, The Agency acquired Triplemint, a revolutionary technology-powered, NYC-based firm, in an all-equity transaction. The Agency will adopt Triplemints proprietary, disruptive technology, and Triplemint will adopt the Agencys innovative, industry-leading brand, forming an agent-first, tech-driven boutique luxury global brokerage firm. In tandem with the acquisition, The Agency jointly raised $35 million in growth capital from strategic investors, further positioning the brand for strategic and sustainable global growth. The Agency San Miguel de Allende will be located at Aldama #31, Colonia Centro C.P. 37700, en San Miguel de Allende Guanajuato, Mexico. This historic street has been voted one of the top 50 most beautiful streets in the world by Architectural Digest in 2021. The Agency The Agency is an agent-first, tech-driven boutique luxury global brokerage representing clients worldwide in a broad spectrum of classes, including residential, new development, resort real estate, luxury leasing and vacation rentals. Breaking away from the traditional brokerage model, The Agency takes a collaborative approach to the business, fostering a culture of partnership in which all clients and listings are represented in a collaborative environment. Agents and clients benefit from the shared resources and networks of the entire global team, including in-house creative, public relations and cutting-edge technology divisions. The Agency has closed more than $41 billion real estate transactions since 2011, comprising over 60 offices in six countries, and counting, as one of the fastest-growing boutique, luxury real estate brands in the world. USOSM President and CEO Richard Hall praises new surgeon partner, saying Dr. George A. Maranon is "dedicated to clinical excellence and always puts his patients first." The partners of USOSM are among the most respected oral surgeons in the country. It is my honor to be a member of this partnership. U.S. Oral Surgery Management(USOSM) a specialty management services company that exclusively serves premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons is pleased to announce its fourth practice partnership in California. The new partnership is with George A. Maranon, DDS, MD, of Encino, near Los Angeles, California. Were excited to announce our partnership with Dr. Maranon, who is well-known throughout the oral and maxillofacial industry and in his community for his exceptional compassion, skills and expertise, said Richard Hall, USOSM president and CEO. He is dedicated to clinical excellence and always puts his patients first, qualities we value and look for in all of our potential partner practices. A board certified maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Maranon has been treating patients in San Fernando Valley for more than 25 years. He practices the full scope of oral and maxillofacial procedures with particular expertise in dental implant surgery. He treats patients of all ages and prides himself on how well he and his staff care for children. In addition, Dr. Maranon is highly skilled in techniques designed to reconstruct bone structure with minimal surgical intervention and optimal patient comfort, diagnosing and treating oral pathology, facial pain, and traumatic facial injuries and fractures. Dr. Maranon earned his bachelor and doctor of dental surgery degrees from UCLA and his medical degree from New York Medical College. He serves on the medical staff of the Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. Dr. Maranon has been actively involved with CDA Cares, a volunteer driven program that provides pro bono dental care in underserved communities throughout California and spent time in Uganda, providing oral surgery to those in need. In addition, he is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Maranon is a past president of the San Fernando Valley Dental Society and the UCLA Dental Alumni Association. He serves as a director of the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He is the chair of that associations peer review, a member of the continuing education, legislative and PAC committees, and served as chair of the anesthesia commitee. Dr. Maranon is a founding member of the UCLA School of Dentistrys Apollonian Society, a former trustee of the California Dental Association and a fellow of both the American and International College of Dentists. As its new partner, USOSM will provide Dr. Maranon with behind the scenes business expertise, such as support services. Like all of USOSMs partner practices, Dr. Maranon will retain complete clinical autonomy, keeping his focus on his patients and their care. The partners of USOSM are among the most respected oral surgeons in the country. It is my honor to be a member of this partnership. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM has partner practices spanning 19 states. They include Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, California, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Massachusetts. A shared services organization, USOSM collaborates with premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons to offer a partnership solution for continued and accelerated practice success. USOSM provides operational, marketing and administrative support services, reinvests resources, and applies best practices to improve clinical and financial performance and produce steadier, more profitable growth for all. For more information, visit https://www.usosm.com/. Westmoor Manufacturing Rounds Up Digital Transformation with Centric PLM ...instead of trying to remotely access your computer, and then try to find it in the network and the server. With Centric, its another story, much more efficient. Everything's much faster than before. Centric Software is delighted to announce the release of a success story about its customer, Westmoor Manufacturing. Westmoor Manufacturing is a western wear company founded in 1946 and known for their trademark pearl-snap western shirts. With their brands Panhandle, Rock & Roll Denim and Powder River, they have a full line of apparel for men, women and kids. They sell via their website and through various retailers in North America. The company had been using email, spreadsheets and pdf files in product development and were looking to improve efficiencies, standardize processes, and modernize throughout. When the pandemic hit, Westmoors IT department had pieced together a way to get into their existing system. Liz Enoch, Technical Design and Production Manager at Westmoor Manufacturing says, During the time that we all worked at home, the IT people found ways for us to get into our existing system but boy, was it clunky and slow. We all felt even better about the decision to move forward with PLM. After Centric PLM implementation, Lead Designer at Westmoor, Ana Sylvia Legarreta says that it is much easier to use Centric PLM when working from out of the office. ...instead of trying to remotely access your computer, and then try to find it in the network and the server. With Centric, its another story, much more efficient. Everything's much faster than before. Read the details of how this 76-year-old company is modernizing the product development process and setting a digital foundation to carry Westmoor to 100 years and beyond. Read the full story Request a Demo Westmoor Manufacturing Co. (http://www.panhandleww.com) In 1946, Westmoor Manufacturing was founded by two German immigrants on the principles of individuality, intelligence, and style. Ernest and Martin Hochster began their journey with a stroke of both luck and genius when they added pearl snaps to their popular Gambler shirts. This small detail quickly became the trademark of their first brand Panhandle Slim. Panhandle Slim, now shortened to Panhandle, still honors its authentic cowboy inspiration through small but impactful style details, western prints, and supreme fit. Westmoors brands offer cool, comfortable shirts, rugged and stylish denim, and fashionable outerwear for men and women, boys and girls, embracing styles that transition from a day on the ranch to a night of line dancing. The clothing features details that those living the Western lifestyle know and love, while pushing the boundaries with new prints, stylized embroidery, and modern trends. Through their brands Rock & Roll Denim, Panhandle, and Powder River, the company has continued to pursue its love of fashion by persistently and consistently designing and creating high-quality merchandise. Designed in Texas, with American values. If you would like to know more about the eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047. The Los Angeles labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against eLink Recruiting Solutions, Inc. and Global Mail, Inc. (hereinafter, collectively, "eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail") for allegedly failing to provide employees with timely, off-duty meal and rest periods. The eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail class action lawsuit, Case No. 22STCV18259, is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the complaint can be read here. According to the lawsuit, eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections 201, 202, 203, 204, 226, 226.7, 246, 510, 512, 558, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay minimum wages; (2) pay overtime wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) provide wages when due; and (6) reimburse employees for required expenses. The lawsuit also alleges eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail violated the Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA"), which gives rise to civil penalties as a result of eLink Recruiting Solutions' and Global Mail's conduct. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to file a lawsuit to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations. An "aggrieved employee" is defined as "any person who was employed by the alleged violator and against whom one or more of the alleged violations was committed." Cal. Lab. Code section 2699(c). PAGA allows aggrieved employees to become deputized as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. If you would like to know more about the eLink Recruiting Solutions and Global Mail lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047. Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment. -THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT- Chris Hendrickson, Senior Managing Director in Zieglers Healthcare Corporate Finance practice stated, Through its twenty-year lifespan, TRG has exemplified the importance of the in-home care sector to the most vulnerable population. Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce its role in advising The Residentialist Group (TRG) on its sale to SCAN Group, the parent of SCAN Health Plan, one of the nations largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans. TRG is an organization that provides clinical services to frail and vulnerable older adults in their homes in the Southern California and Greater Philadelphia areas. TRG was founded by Dr. Norman Vinn, who coined the term residentialist a physician who specializes in in-home care. Since 2002 TRG has strived to prevent unnecessary trips to the hospital, offer quality care, and improve clinical outcomes. In a world where healthcare has become less interpersonal and more distant, TRG helped to successfully revitalize the tradition of the family doctor making house calls. SCAN Group is merging the operations of TRG with its own in-home care program, known as HealthCHEC, to form Homebase Medical, a medical practice that will provide palliative care, chronic disease management, care transition management, and in-depth personal health assessments to people in their homes. Chris Hendrickson, Senior Managing Director in Zieglers Healthcare Corporate Finance practice stated, Through its twenty-year lifespan, TRG has exemplified the importance of the in-home care sector to the most vulnerable population. This acquisition complements the hands-on experience that TRG has accumulated with SCANs focus on care management and quality care to the Medicare population. Dr. Sachin Jain, President and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan stated, We are excited about adding TRG to our portfolio and view our first-ever acquisition as an investment in the future of SCAN. Not only will it help further SCANs mission to keep seniors healthy and independent, but it will also bring greater efficiencies to our work as we expand our in-home clinical delivery capabilities. Zieglers Corporate Finance team is focused on delivering best-in-class advisory and financing solutions for companies and organizations across the healthcare industry. In our core practice areas of healthcare services, information technology, hospitals and senior living, Ziegler is one of the most active M&A firms offering innovative sell-side, buy-side, recapitalization/restructuring, equity private placement and strategic partnering services. For more information about Ziegler, please visit us at http://www.ziegler.com. About Ziegler: Ziegler is a privately held, national boutique investment bank, capital markets and proprietary investments firm. It has a unique focus on healthcare, senior living and education sectors, as well as general municipal and structured finance. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and branch offices throughout the U.S., Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, fixed income sales, underwriting and trading as well as Ziegler Credit, Surveillance and Analytics. To learn more, visit http://www.ziegler.com. Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This clients experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees. In The Clackity, 12-year-old Evie Von Rathe journeys into a terrifying supernatural world populated by ghosts and witches. There, she faces off against a serial killers spirit in order to rescue her Aunt Desdemona, who was kidnapped by the mysterious entity known as the Clackity. PW spoke with debut author Lora Senf about the origins of this tale and her favorite authors. What was the genesis for The Clackity? The seed for The Clackity was planted in October 2019. I got a text message from my sister, and all it said was haunts for Halloween. She [added], Ive got this idea. Im never going to do anything with it. Its yours. I loved the idea of an otherworldly advice columnist who had a column in a local paper, and maybe her advice was kind of absurd. That character became Aunt Desdemona. A few months later, I was with my family in my husbands hometown of Butte, Montana. He took me to an abandoned abattoir, and I fell in love with the building. It was old and kind of beautiful in a really upsetting sort of way. It felt incredibly haunted, whether you believe in that kind of thing of not. I thought, This building is something. I had the pieces, and I needed a main character. I started thinking about the books Id have loved to have read as a kid, the main characters Id have fallen in love with. I grew up in the 80s as a kid with anxiety, but there wasnt really a name for it. It was just, you were a weird kid. I wanted to take a main character with anxiety and throw her into a horror story and see how she dealt with it. It was one of the first things I knew about Evie. How does anxiety affect her as the protagonist of a horror story? I wanted to show to myself and kids out there that you can be brave and strong despite being afraid, and you can be a hero. What drew you to dark fantasy and horror stories? I fell in love with horror when I was very youngmaybe too young, some would say. I was afraid of everything as a kid, but I wasnt afraid of scary books, and movies, and television, because that felt like a safe space in which to be frightened. It was a place you could practice being brave without consequences. I never outgrew horror. Its still my go-to genre, and my beach read. What would you say your influences as an author are? First and foremost, the books by John Bellairs. He wrote childrens Gothic horror before anyone else was really doing that kind of thing. The book most people are familiar with is The House with a Clock in Its Walls, which was turned into a movie a few years ago. But he had a whole series of books featuring these very real, imperfect young characters. He was my first influence as a reader and a writer, especially for The Clackity. From there, I got into Stephen King. I also have to acknowledge that Neil Gaimans Coraline was really important for this book. Its hard to believe Coraline turns 20 this year. That book showed me that you can truly write a frightening book for children. You dont have to sugarcoat and soften things for them. I think kids actually handle that better than adults. They still have a capacity for believing magic is real, and they can process those scary things in a way adults sometimes dont. And not to say that the world of The Clackity feels like Pans Labyrinth, but I was moved by that world and how singular, how beautiful and frightening it was. I often think of that film when Im writing, not to replicate it, but to take its mood of beauty and fear and turn it into something unique. You also bring fairy tale and folkloric elements into your story. What led you to incorporate these themes? I wasnt aiming for a fairy tale retelling, but I was probably remiss in not mentioning fairy tales as an influence. When I was young, I also read the original Hans Christian Andersen and Grimm stories. Again, these were tales that were truly frightening. But we find them comforting in a strange way. I really wanted to include some of that, give at least a nod to it in the book. So you see Evie refer to reading the Grimm books, and later she has a lengthy discussion with a character about different fairy tales. I definitely wanted to acknowledge them. What do you hope readers will take away from your book? I have two different answers for this. Some readers dont need a message or a moral. Theyre not looking to learn anything. I hope they can take The Clackity at face value, where a monster is just a monster, a witch is just a witch, a story is just a story, and I hope they enjoy it on that level. But I also hope that kids like I was, kids who dont necessarily see themselves as heroes, perhaps because they deal with something like anxiety or depression, will relate to Evie, and see that yes, absolutely, they can be heroes. It just might not look like heroes theyve seen before. Whats next for you? Evies story doesnt end here. There will be two more books after this. Im currently working on the second, tentatively called The Nighthouse Keeper, which should be out next fall. The third book, which is still in the brewing stage, should be out in fall 2024. Im excited to work on the setting. I sort of envision Blight Harbor as my Castle Rock, a town I can return to even outside of Evies story. It has so much potential for more stories, because its a place where anything is possible. The Clackity by Lora Senf. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99 June ISBN 978-1-66590-267-0 The hybrid publishing model has increasingly become an efficient and empowering first choice for emerging authors eager to get their books into the hands of readers. And with offices in New York City, London, Cambridge, and Sharjah, Austin Macauley is at the forefront of the international hybrid publishing landscape. Recognizing that no two books or authors are the same, Austin Macauley takes a personalized approach to each project while offering a full range of author services, including editing, design, and distribution. Jade Robertson, international publishing director at Austin Macauley, spoke with PW about the benefits of hybrid publishing, recent book highlights, and how Austin Macauley is meeting the demand for todays authors. Austin Macauley embraces a unique hybrid publishing model. Explain what you offer authors and why publishing with Austin Macauley is an ideal option for writers. At Austin Macauley, we believe in the free movement of writers being able to tell their stories and share their knowledge across a variety of topics. Having an open submissions policy allows us to support local and new emerging authors that have credible, well-written stories but have not been given the opportunity to highlight their titles in the market. Our hybrid publishing model gives us the option to offer both contributory and non-contributory contracts. Every manuscript submitted is reviewed by our editorial team; after this, we either offer a contract or decline the opportunity to publish the work. All contracts include paperback and e-book formats. We also publish audiobook and hardback editions. Royalty rates for hybrid publishers are in line with, or even higher than, average. From typesetting, editing, and design to distribution and marketing, a contract with Austin Macauley includes the essentials needed to enhance the potential of each title. Once the work in production has been finalized, a publication date is assigned. The marketing team creates a strategy tailored to the title that includes targeted pitches for promotion in the media, in-store stockings, events, and reviews. Austin Macauley has a wide reach through international distribution, and we continually strive to enhance accessibility to the titles we publish. We are also members of well-recognized associations such as the Publishers Association (U.K.), Independent Book Publishers Association (U.S.), and Emirates Publishers Association (UAE), which represent our commitment to adopting professional hybrid publishing practices that benefit authors. Youve had a very eventful five years! Tell me about how Austin Macauley Publishers has grown and evolved. In 2017, we opened offices in New York and Sharjah. This has given us wider access to different markets and incredible opportunities to also publish in Arabic languages. Internationally, we have broadened our familiarity with different markets through attendance at key international exhibitions: Austin Macauley now attends more than 14 exhibitions around the globe. Understanding the importance of accessibility, we have onboarded a multitude of new suppliers and emerging subscription sites over recent years to enhance awareness of our e-books and audiobooks. We were delighted to be the official book licensee for World Expo 2020 and published the Expo 2020 Dubai Mascots Activity Book, which was available across the six-month-long exhibition. We are proud to give back to local and international communities by donating to several charities, including the Book Trade Charity and Book Aid, as well as to a number of local schools. In 2021, we won gold at the SME National Business Awards in the business innovation category for our new CRM systemwhich we designed to enhance communication with our authorsas well as a silver award for employer of the year. We continually gauge interest with authors at an international level when selecting titles, which strengthens the diversity of our catalog. In 2021, we published The Moving Type, a book created by 122 authors and illustrators across the globe during the pandemic. All proceeds are donated to the Lions Clubs International Foundation. We have published many fantastic books over the past five years, but to name a few: Author Latii Xis, Inspirational Poems and Thoughts Over the Current Times is a poignant poetry collection. All proceeds of this title are donated to Dubai Care, an organization dedicated to providing access to education for children in developing countries. The Caterpillar and the Butterfly by Michael Rosenblum is a childrens title that introduces young readers to a caterpillar named Fear. A chance encounter with a wise butterfly named Faith helps Fear find the courage to experience the world in a bolder and more joyful way. Lastly, we published Emirates: Nothing Is Impossible by Giovanni Bozzetti, a leading Italian expert in internationalization processes toward the Middle East. This year, we are due to establish a sustainability initiative on our websites. With each order, we donate to One Tree Planted, a charity that helps to plant trees around the world. How does Austin Macauley personalize its approach to publishing each book? Our titles range from childrens and young adult to an array of fiction and educational nonfiction. At AMP, we take an author-centric approach to each published title; we recognize that requirements and strategies differ from book to book. Each book has a personalized marketing strategy that is not limited to traditional practices. Our digital and marketing teams keep up with trending marketing techniques, such as the use of social media platforms like TikTok to promote titles. Are there any limits to what you publish? We are reasonably and understandably selective. Our books are our pride and reputation; therefore, we must ensure that every title we publish has not only commercial potential but also meets internal parameters. When looking at a book, we consider narrative structure, attention to plot and characters, quality of the writing, and awareness of the readership and audience. To ensure this, we also have the help of a proactive production department whose members provide an extensive editing process. Due to also having an office in the UAE, titles must be in line with National Media Council guidelines surrounding topics. Can you share a few of your upcoming titles? Kasie Kennedy, author of Grandpa Is Now in Heaven, will release a second book in the series, Grandma Is Now in Heaven. Its a heartfelt childrens book that explores the experience of loss and grief in young children. Bestselling non-contributory author and relationship expert, Annabelle Knight, has a third erotica/romance release with us, The Matchmakers Match. Annabelle will also be the official love expert on the upcoming Love Island series in the UK, so we are very much looking forward to releasing her next book. Lastly, we are looking forward to releasing a new children's book in partnership with The Big Heart Foundation written by a Syrian refugee working in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. It teaches the importance of reading to children and the joys any child can have from picking up a good book. How is Austin Macauley investing in both new and previously published authors? We have published many talented authors and produced respectably selling books. Our talented marketing team members have relationships with a large network of bookstores, media, and distributors, all working toward the aim of increasing circulation and sales for our authors. We actively sell and have sold rights on behalf of our authors around the globe. Accessibility is paramount; therefore, we continually look at developing a wider readership for our titles through additional distribution and marketing opportunities. What are your plans for expanding your national and global presence going forward? We are always looking for new opportunities for our authors to gain the recognition they deserve. That means exploring new markets and sources of revenue for them. As we represent a very diverse catalog, we plan to continue developing relationships in GCC markets! We also have plans to translate selected titles into Spanish. Produced by Woodcut Media for Channel 4, Surviving a Serial Killer (S1, 6 x 1 hr and S 2, 8 x 1hr) delves into the personal stories of people who have survived a face-to-face meeting with a murderer and lived to tell the tale.From the likes of Rhonda Stapley who was attacked by one of Americas most notorious killers Ted Bundy, and Cindy Brown whose husband Bobby Joe Long physically battered her and killed 10 women in Florida, through to university student Mo Lea who managed to survive at the hands of Peter Sutcliffe aka the Yorkshire Ripper, or Tony Antonucci who took up an apprenticeship with local contractor John Wayne Gacy, only to find himself potentially facing the same grisly fate as Gacys 33 other victims all these individuals and more speak out about their horrific ordeals.Surviving A Serial Killer has sold to RTL (Germany), AMC Networks (Spain) for Crime + Investigation, Planete+ (France), and streamer Viaplay. The Nine Network in Australia also snapped up the series which will transmit later in 2022.For North American viewers, Surviving a Serial Killer which was re-titled as Close Encounters with Evil saw its US premiere in March following a deal Woodcut International concluded with A+E Networks which acquired all US rights to the series.We have had tremendous interest in Surviving a Serial Killer following its UK debut last year and are delighted to announce these deals with such premium platforms as the true crime genre continues to engage audiences worldwide, remarked Woodcut International commercial director Koulla Anastasi. This series is highly emotive, and each harrowing case pays homage to the courage and resilience of these incredible survivors. Ombudsman Moskalkova plumps for digital technology use extension in criminal process MOSCOW, June 6 (RAPSI) Russias Ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova has backed an expert proposal to create a new state digital platform for interdepartmental interaction in the criminal process. According to Moskalkova, a platform for the electronic interaction between citizens and state bodies by sending messages, applications, motions, copies of judgments and decisions is worthy of notice. As she stated, the creation of such system will extend the volume of operations realized via new technologies as part of initiation, investigation and solving of criminal cases. It will also simplify the process of filing and registration of crime reports, provide fixing of automatic investigative jurisdiction and improve guaranteeing of the criminal process parties rights, her report submitted to the President of Russia reads. Moskalkova also considers it expedient to extend the list of persons having rights to the distant participation in the proceedings and implement electronic communications between investigative and judicial authorities. All these measures require amendments to the criminal procedure legislation, the reports authors point. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on the website. The purposes of using cookies are defined in the Privacy Policy of RAPSI If you agree to continue using cookies, please click the "Confirm" button. If you do not agree, you can change your browser settings. President Putin signs law providing for legalization of parallel imports of goods MOSCOW, June 22 (RAPSI) President of Russia Vladimir Putin has signed a bill providing for the legalization of parallel imports of goods into law, according to the official website of legal information. The initiative was adopted by the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, on June 21 and approved by the Federation Council, the upper house, the day after. According to the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, the document is to ensure both the interests of domestic consumers of products of foreign companies that have left the Russian market, and in general will contribute to the development of the Russian economy in the context of the sanctions policy applied against the Russian Federation by unfriendly countries. In early May, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation published a list of more than 50 categories of goods that will be available for parallel imports. It included a variety of items: from plants to medicines, from soap to weapons. The law is to protect Russian companies that import goods without the permission of the copyright holder from possible civil, administrative and criminal liability. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. By subscribing to rdrnews.com you agree to recurring payments and your credit card will be billed at the subscription intervals selected, cancel anytime. The Laser Eyes that have become a signature MEME of crypto enthusiasts are gone from El Salvador President Nayib Bukeles Twitter profilea likely acknowledgement of Bitcoins recent price slump. The image-conscious leader is wrestling with his countrys massive Bitcoin investment as he tweets about Bitcoins future value, hosts global conferences on cryptocurrency, and tries to stave off the International Monetary Funds entreaties against his pro-Bitcoin stances. But he should also take a hard look at his own governments increasingly authoritarian monetary policy as the root cause of his problems, not the volatile digital assets recent price slump. His best move would be to open the countrys monetary policy completely to all crypto and allow competition to thrive. Mr. Bukeles Bitcoin foray placed him on the crypto map when El Salvador declared Bitcoin legal tender last summer, along with grand promises of modernizing the economy, decreasing dependence on the U.S. dollar, and lowering transaction fees from the U.S.-based relatives. The promises invited a clash between a government controlling citizens monetary future and Bitcoins decentralized, individual-empowered ethos. The biggest rift concerns Chivo, the digital wallet Salvadorians are strongly incentivized to use. Although privately designed, a state-owned company controls the wallet and users private access keys. It is also funded by a public trust. Chivo is, in effect, a state-controlled chokepoint with the potential power to cut off anyones funds or perhaps even dictate spending. Thus, it differs only by degree, not kind, to the dystopian nightmare China is imposing with its central bank digital currency (e-CNY). There, party apparatchiks have gleefully described e-CNY as a means for economic control and to enforce party discipline. Salvadorians are not legally mandated to use Chivo but signees receive a $30 sign up bonus, and compatibility with competing commercial wallets is reportedly difficult. The wallet as an exercise in bureaucracy has been plagued with technical glitches and poor customer service. The countrys chamber of commerce reports 86percent of businesses surveyed had never conducted a Bitcoin transaction. Problems dont end there. One native software programmer who criticized Chivo found himself detained, his phones confiscated and investigated for financial fraud. This creates an untenable mix: an authoritarian government trying to ensure its citizens a more prosperous future whilst maintaining economic control. While, as in Venezuela, there may be prosperity with high pricesBitcoin or oilfuture prospects remain clouded. El Salvador should continue opening its monetary system to all forms of currency, including U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins. (The U.S. dollar is already legal tender.) This would allow further competition and the greatest degree of financial stability if Salvadorians can pick between the most stable or potentially most promising forms of currency. Another benefit to this policy for Salvadorians is that it may also invite crypto-dollarization. Dollarization essentially exports monetary policy to the U.S., which at least for now, provides more stable money to people outside the U.S. Crypto-dollarization via stablecoins could provide the benefits of dollarization without the confiscatory policies that plagued previous dollarization periods in Latin America. As Mr. Bukeles Bitcoin foray seems motivated at least in part by anti-U.S. animus, he seems unlikely to welcome it. But excluding non-Bitcoin forms of digital currency puts Salvadorians at the mercy of international markets for a famously volatile asset. If El Salvadors experiment does fail, the fault will lie with Mr. Bukele and not Bitcoin. Whatever volatility the digital asset undergoes, its fundamentals are solid. Bitcoin is sound, hard, money. Its fixed supply is written into its code. Further, Bitcoin has revolutionary aspects that assure long-term viability. It is the first currency form that makes its relationship with energythe fundamental building block of civilizationexplicit. As Bitcoin enthusiast Michael Saylor states, Money is energy. Bitcoin is the first crypto monetary energy network, capable of collecting all the worlds liquid energy, storing it over time without power loss, and channeling it across space with negligible impedance. Despite the recent dramatic price drop, Bitcoins possibility for future human development and prosperity are limitless. But its sustainability as an everyday currency is an open question. Its incompatibility with population-controlling tin-pot dictators, however, is not in doubt. As Human Rights Foundations Alex Gladstein remarked, Bitcoin is nothing short of freedom money. Attempts at harnessing its potential while maintaining state control will not end well. Paul H. Jossey is an adjunct fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and founder of thecrowdfundinglawyers.com. Follow him on Twitter, @thecrowdfundlaw. Sony will release a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2023. ADVERTISEMENT The studio said Tuesday that the new film will open in theaters Dec. 20, 2023. The sequel shares a release date with Paramount's animated film The Tiger's Apprentice and Warner Bros.' musical adaptation of The Color Purple. Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman and writer Gil Kenan had confirmed the sequel June 8 on Ghostbusters Day. The new film will return to the franchise's original New York City and Firehouse setting. "At the end of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Ecto-1 is driving into Manhattan, returning to its home. And before anyone ever heard the title Afterlife, we called it Rust City. Which would not have made sense to anyone until they saw the movie. The code name for the next movie is Firehouse," Reitman recently told The Hollywood Reporter. The Ghostbusters franchise originated with the 1984 film Ghostbusters, directed by the late Ivan Reitman. The movie was followed by the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II, the 2016 reboot Ghostbusters, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which opened in November. Jason Reitman and Kenan are also developing an animated Ghostbusters series for Netflix. Johnny Depp's representative dismissed Tuesday a rumor that Disney was working on a $301 million offer for Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in its Pirates of Caribbean franchise. ADVERTISEMENT Depp had played Sparrow in all five movies, including the latest one, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and an industry insider alleged Disney was working on the $301 million deal for him to return to the role in a sixth film, Poptopic.com reported earlier this month. But a representative for Depp told NBC News on Tuesday "this is made up." Last month, amid the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, and her defamation countersuit, Pirates of Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer was asked if Depp would return for future projects. "Not at this point," Bruckheimer told The Sunday Times. "The future is yet to be decided." A Virginia jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages from winning his side of the defamation trial on June 1 over Heard's statements in a 2018 op-ed in the Washington Post claiming to be a survivor of domestic abuse. The verdict included $10 million compensatory damages and $5 million punitive, though the latter was reduced to a statutory cap of $350,000. Though Heard didn't name Depp in the article, Depp argued that she was clearly referring to him after obtaining a restraining order against him during their 2016 divorce proceedings. Heard won $2 million from a counterclaim that she was defamed when her allegations were called an "elaborate hoax." A judge finalized the verdict on Friday after the couple failed to reach a settlement. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Depp will return to court in July for a separate assault and battery lawsuit alleging he repeatedly hit a crew member during the filming of the 2018 crime-drama City of Lies. Mary Mara, who starred in Nash Bridges, and had a recurring role in ER, has died. ADVERTISEMENT The 61-year-old Syracuse native drowned in New York on Sunday morning while swimming in the St. Lawrence River in the town of Cape Vincent, on the border of Canada and the United States, according to a preliminary investigation, state police said in a statement to NBC News and Deadline. Police told Deadline the investigation is continuing, there was no indication of foul play and an autopsy will determine the official cause of death. Mara starred as Inspector Bryn Carson in the police drama Nash Bridges, and was also known for her recurring role as Loretta Sweet, a sympathetic prostitute and single mother in the NBC series ER. She also made guest appearances in Law & Order, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Dexter, The Practice, Nip/Tuck and Criminal Minds. Her break out role in the 1989 made-for-TV movie, The Preppie Murder, was followed by roles in other films, such as Blue Steel, Mr. Saturday Night and Love Potion # 9. Her latest role was in the 2020 film Break Even. According to her bio, she also performed on stage for the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, and New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, co-starring with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Mara attended San Francisco State University, where she established the Haight Ashbury Repertory Theatre and developed her acting skills. She later transferred to the Yale School of Drama where she graduated with a master's degree in fine arts. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Mara also won the Angel Film Award in 2003 for best second supporting actress in Em & Me. "Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met," Mara's manager, Craig Dorfman told NBC News by email. "She was electric, funny and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed." Kali Reis has joined the cast of True Detective Season 4. ADVERTISEMENT HBO confirmed in a press release Tuesday that Reis, an actress, professional boxer and activist, will star in the upcoming season, titled True Detective: Night Country. The network gave a series order to Night Country, which hails from showrunner, writer, director and executive producer Issa Lopez. Reis joins previously announced star Jodie Foster. "We are tremendously excited to return to the True Detective franchise and to be working with the multi-talented Issa Lopez, whose singular vision for her Night Country installment will be beautifully realized with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in the starring roles," HBO programming EVP Francesca Orsi said. Night Country follows Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) as they investigate the disappearance of the six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in Ennis, Alaska. "To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice," an official logline reads. Foster will also serve as executive producer with Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak and Alan Page Arriaga. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Reis made her acting debut in the film Catch the Fair One. She will also star with Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan in the upcoming movie Black Flies. The Michigan Supreme Court has thrown out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal At least 20 injured when commuter bus overturns near LAX At least 20 people have been injured, three critically, when a commuter bus clipped a parked truck and flipped onto its side near Los Angeles International Airport Tour attendees get free t-shirts during a stop of the Valentines' Day themed tour at the North Oconee Water Reclamation Facility on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. Attendees were given gifts throughout the different stops of the tour, including a gift bag and homemade Poo-Pourri. (Photo/Katie Tucker ktucker@randb.com) The AthFest Music and Arts Festival 2022 opened back up on Sunday morning to welcome the city of Athens to see live music on the last day. The festival showcased much of the music and arts that Athens has to offer over the weekend and finally came to a close on Sunday. Students in the University of Georgias College of Public Health were warned to be more aware of [their] surroundings. This warning comes in the wake of an article published by Fox News on June 25 addressing violent responses to a map of crisis pregnancy centers that was created by two faculty members in UGAs public health program. Camp is a place to make friends, have fun, and enjoy traditions from a long time ago. At the Green Mountain Girls Camp, on the last night, the groups get to enjoy two special traditions that date back more than 50 years. During the day the campers collect pieces of nature and place them on a You are the owner of this article. 'Hard to walk away': Brattleboro Fire Department captain retires after two decades on the job Photographer / Multimedia Editor Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer. Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Chloe Learey is the executive director of Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development in Brattleboro and chair of the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance Steering Committee. About 40 people gathered at Bennington's Four Corners on Friday evening to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Vernon Police Department / Contributed Photo VERNON A woman has been hospitalized with serious injuries after she was shot in the leg near Talcott Avenue Monday, police said. Hartford Hospital informed police just after 2 p.m. about the shooting victim, Vernon Police Lt. Robert Marra said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WINSTED Nearly a week ago, local and state officials began removing nearly 160 animals, mostly cats, from a home on Moore Avenue. According to Winsted Police Chief William Fitzgerald this week, the animal hoarding situation is under investigation, but no arrests have been made. The residents cooperated fully as the animals were being removed, he said. Winsted received assistance from the Connecticut Animal Response Team, which sent volunteers to help remove the animals. The hoarded animals, which also included a dog and two ferrets, were taken to Batcheller Elementary School, where they were examined by veterinarian Dr. Kim Maynard and her Northwest Hills Mobile Veterinary Clinic. Residents interested in adopting a cat were allowed to visit the school Monday night, a line of them stretching across the parking area. Mayor Todd Arcelaschi, Sarah Toomey from Greenwoods, Selectwoman Candace Bouchard, Animal Control Officer Alicia Campbell, Social Services Coordinator Katie Vaill, Terry Hall, Kellys administrative assistant, and other Town Hall staff joined Town Manager Josh Kelly for the adoption event. Animal shelters including Paws for Life on the shoreline, Animal Haven in North Haven, Purr Friends in Torrington and others from as far as Stamford and Woodstock took as many of the cats as they could. The remaining animals stayed in the gym at Batcheller. Along with the dozens of cats in the gym, three tiny kittens were in the adjacent kitchen in a carrier with a female. The room was darkened and quiet for the babies and the nursing mother. We dont know if they are hers, but this female is lactating so we put them together with her, Kelly said. Theyre resting now and seem to be doing OK. An outpouring of donations of food, pet litter, animal cages and carriers, paper towels and other cleaning products, as well as blankets and sheets, were piled up along a wall in the gym Weve received hundreds of pounds of food, litter ... and not just from the Northwest Corner, said Kelly. Weve had people send us checks from as far away as Old Lyme and Stamford. Its pretty amazing. Many of the animals were suffering from upper respiratory infections, but will be available for adoption as soon as they are healthy, said Kelly. Families were asked to fill out an application if they found a pet they wanted. Christian Brown, 9, and his mother, Jessica, chose Number 60, a black-and-white female cat, who was nestled in a corner of her cage on the floor. Browns boyfriend, Ryan Warren, put a tag on the cats cage to save her for the family. We have three other cats, too, a beaming Christian said. I havent decided on her name yet, he said. Well wait til we get home. The cats received rabies shots and flea treatments, and in some cases put on medication for infections. None of the animals had been spayed or neutered, and, according to Hall, town officials are seeking funds for vouchers to spay and neuter the animals. Anyone adopting an animal will be responsible with followups for their new pets medical care. When the town first started removing the animals from the house, residents began asking whether their missing pets were there. Kelly asked those people to send their name and a picture of the missing cat. He received many such requests. None of the cats reported missing have been found, Kelly said. Many of the cats from this situation are younger and may have been born in the house. We will continue to do our due diligence to follow up on all these situations. Follow Kelly on Facebook for updates at www.facebook.com/joshuasteelekelly. Cash and check donations can be dropped off at the Town Managers office at Town Hall, or mailed to 338 Main St., Winsted, CT 06098. Checks should be made out to Town of Winchester, CT with Animal Care in the memo line. A NagaWorld worker holds up a poster calling for the reinstatement of 365 people fired from the hotel and casino during a rally in Phnom Penh, June 27, 2022. At least ten people were injured Monday when security forces in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh violently dispersed a strike, ramping up a crackdown on workers involved in a six-month-old labor dispute with the NagaWorld Casino. Strikers told RFA Khmer that hundreds of security personnel were deployed to set up roadblocks and otherwise stymie the peaceful protest by around 150 mostly female NagaWorld workers near the downtown casino. They said authorities beat them when they wouldnt board a bus sent to ferry them away from the area, leaving 10 people in need of medical attention. A worker named Chan Srey Roth said a security officer hit her in the head with a walkie talkie and repeatedly insulted her during the incident, while other officers grabbed male workers by the hair and smashed their heads against the side of the police vehicle. They are members of the national security forces, whose duty is to protect the people, not to use violence against them particularly against women, she said. We raised our hands, begging them not to beat us, but they did so anyway, ordering us to disperse. When we interlocked our hands, they tried to break our chain and dragged us off, one by one, to brutally beat us. One of them hit me in the face with a walkie talkie and kicked me, while cursing at me. Another worker, Phat Channa, said authorities are increasingly turning to violence to break up gatherings by her group as protesters refuse to board the buses police have used to relocate them to Prek Pnov district, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. They beat me unconscious. I was shocked because they didnt bother to consider that we are women they just dragged us away and beat us like dogs, she said. We have experienced a lot of injustice. We are only demanding the right to work, but they beat us like beasts. Other protesters told RFA that authorities prevented civil society representatives and United Nations human rights officials from monitoring Mondays protest and threatened to confiscate the phones and cameras of anyone seen documenting the incident, unless they deleted their photos and video. A statement issued by the Phnom Penh government claimed that Mondays protest was an ugly event that was planned in advance by a handful of people seeking to make the authorities look bad. They disrupted social and public order, leading to violence that left a number of authorities injured and resulted in the loss of five walkie talkies and one watch. Government Human Rights Committee spokesperson Kata Un accused the strikers of holding an illegal rally and called the response by authorities an educational measure. In the case of illegal acts, the authorities have the right to use whatever measures are necessary to stop, disperse, or suppress the perpetrators, he said. So far, the Phnom Penh authorities have not taken any repressive measures. What the authorities are doing is educating people to avoid restricted areas and to instead hold protests in Freedom Park [in the Phnom Penh suburbs]. Thousands of NagaWorld workers walked off their jobs in mid-December, demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of eight jailed union leaders, three other jailed workers and 365 others they say were unjustly fired from the hotel and casino owned by a Hong Kong-based company believed to have connections to family members of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The strikers began holding regular protest rallies in front of the casino, drawing the attention of NGOs and U.N. agencies who have urged Cambodias government to stop persecuting them and help resolve their dispute in accordance with labor laws. Cambodian authorities allege that the strikes by NagaWorld workers are part of a foreign plot to topple the government, although they have provided no evidence to back up their claim. An increasingly tough response by security personnel led to pushing and shoving during a strike outside the casinos offices on May 11 that one worker claimed caused her to miscarry her pregnancy two weeks later. Am Sam Ath, chief of General Affairs for Cambodian rights group LICADO, told RFA that authorities have made the NagaWorld dispute worse by leveling allegations against the workers and cracking down on their protests. We dont want to see a labor dispute between NagaWorld and its workers turn into a dispute between the authorities and the workers, he said. What we want to see is a peaceful settlement to the issue, and these incidents of violence dont benefit anyone. Am Sam Ath urged the Ministry of Labor, as well as other relevant state institutions, to remain neutral and end their accusations against the NagaWorld workers and called for a resolution of the dispute in accordance with the law and international labor practices. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. UPDATED at 3.40 P.M. EDT on 2022-06-28 The body of a man, whose head and arms had been cut off, was found at the weekend near the Chinese-owned Letpadaung copper mine in Myanmars northwestern Sagaing region, local residents told RFA on Wednesday. The victim discovered on Sunday at Phaungkata (North) village in Salingyi townshipwas identified as 30-year-old Sai Myat Soe. Residents said he was not from the village but came from Sa Don Gyi village, also in Salingyi township. The junta forces guarding the copper project carried out raids on nearby villages, including Moe Gyo Pyin (North), Zee Taw, Sal Tel and Phaungkata (North) villages from June 21 to 24. The man went missing on June 24 when the junta forces set fire to his village, residents told RFA. A Phaungkata villager told RFA they found the mutilated body at around 10 a.m. on June 26. The body was found near the school where he was arrested, locally called Phaungkata North village, a resident told RFA. The head, body and arms had been separated and scattered. Everything had to be collected and cremated. Locals said Sai Myat Soe may have been killed after he was arrested when the junta forces set fire to villages near Sa Don Gyi. Calls to the junta spokesman by RFA went unanswered on Tuesday afternoon. The remains of Moe Gyo Pyin (North) village, Salingyi township, Sagaing region, May 23, 2022. CREDIT: Citizen journalist On April 21, 16 local People's Defense Force (PDF) militias fighting the junta that took power in a coup in February 2021 issued a warning that the Letpadaung copper project, a joint venture with the Chinese Government and operated by Wanbao Mining Ltd., would be attacked because it could provide income for the military junta.. Shortly after the PDFs warning, the military junta stepped up security at the mine. They started raiding nearby villages on June 21. Tensions remain high due to guerilla raids by the PDFs. On Wednesday, Myanmar-Wanbao Co. condemned attacks on the mining project by the anti-junta forces, saying they threatened the lives of the employees inside and the destroyed some buildings. Wanbao said in a statement that production has been suspended for more than 16 months, while most of the staff have their basic salaries paid. It said Wanbao did not want to be involved in the internal conflict and wanted to ensure the safety of its employees and their right to livelihood. One local villager living near the mining project, however, called the Sino-Myanmar firm's statement a "blatant lie" because the mining company has worked closely with junta forces. "They have taken full charge of providing food and accommodation for the military in the area. After setting villages on fire, the military spent the night either in the village or back in the Wanbao compound. The soldiers were able to commit the atrocities because they were getting support from the company," the villager told RFA. The area around the copper mine "is a very strategic area for our revolution and therefore we cannot let them have a strong military presence here," said Sit Naing, a spokesman from Salingyi PDF. "They themselves (the company) are supporting the military," he added. "The military has unnecessarily set up artillery and heavy weapons in the Wanbao compound." The military regime spokesman earlier responded to RFAs inquiries, saying the junta had to protect the copper mine because it is a foreign investment. More than 20,000 residents from 25 villages near the mine have been forced to flee due to attacks on nearby villages and fighting between junta forces and PDFs. Nyimas conviction for revealing state secrets is the latest a series of crackdowns on Tibetan intellectuals. Chinese authorities this month sentenced a university student to three years in prison for contacting Tibetan exiles, the latest in a series of arbitrary arrests of Tibetan intellectuals, artists and other community leaders, activists told RFA. Nyima, from Shelian Township in Kardze (Ganzi in Chinese) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, was arrested unexpectedly in January this year on charges of spying. He was a student at Sichuans Gehoe National University, concentrating his studies on Tibetan culture. Fluent in Tibetan, Chinese and English, Nyima had always been around tourists and visitors, sharing Tibets unique language and culture prior to his arrest in January. [He] was sentenced on June 5 to three years in prison for allegedly disseminating state secrets, but the Chinese authorities have shared no details of what kind of state secrets Nyima has exposed, a Tibetan source living inside Tibet told RFA. He could be seen sharing Tibets history and authentic Tibetan culture with the tourists, so I think that may be the reason for his arrest. His family has no idea where he is imprisoned at the moment, said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons. Nyimas arrest is very similar to the arrests of other influential Tibetans, Pema Gyal, a researcher at the Londonbased Tibet Watch advocacy group told RFAs Tibetan Service. There have been a growing number of cases of arrests of Tibetan intellectuals inside Tibet by the Chinese government, and we have learned that in case of Nyima, he was arrested for communicating with the outside exile community, and also for his commitment to preserve Tibetan language and culture, Pema Gyal said. Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses typically deemed illegal associations and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Eugene Whong. The campaign comes as Vietnam develops its naval facilities to counter Chinas presence in the seas off its coast. The Vietnamese government has launched a national campaign to promote its maritime policies as the ruling party pledges to explore all available legal tools to defend its interests amid Chinas growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. A government order stipulates that by 2025, all domestic media outlets are required to have a dedicated section on Vietnams sea and ocean strategy, and their entire editorial staff must have the necessary knowledge and understanding of both the international and domestic laws on the sea. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese authorities have banned all tourist activities on two islets adjacent to the strategic Cam Ranh Bay that is undergoing intensive development into an advanced naval base, home to its submarines. Vietnam has the largest submersible fleet in Southeast Asia with six Kilo-class subs, bought from Russia at a cost of U.S.$1.8 billion. Tour guides and witnesses told RFA that since April, the two islands of Binh Ba and Binh Hung in Cam Ranh Bay, Khanh Hoa province, have become off-limits to foreign visitors. Vietnamese nationals still have limited access to the scenic islets, just a stones throw from the docked frigates. Eventually, even Vietnamese tourists will not be allowed on Binh Ba, said Binh, a tour operator who wanted to be known only by his first name. So, my advice is to visit it while you can, he said. Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov at Cam Ranh port on June 25, 2022. CREDIT: Sputnik Modern naval base Cam Ranh Bay is a well known deep-water port in central Vietnam, only 300 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. It was used by the French, and subsequently, the U.S. Navy until the end of the Vietnam war. In 1979 the Soviet Union signed a 25-year lease of Cam Ranh with the Vietnamese and spent a large sum of money to develop it into a major base for the Soviet Pacific Fleet. But Russia withdrew from the base in 2002, citing increased rent and changing priorities. Hanoi has since announced a so-called three nos policy - no alliances, no foreign bases on its territory and no alignment with a second country against a third that means foreign navies will not be allowed to set up bases in Cam Ranh. However, a logistics facility has been established to offer repair and maintenance services to foreign vessels, including Russian and U.S. warships. Moscow is still maintaining a listening station in Cam Ranh Bay and has also indicated that it is considering a comeback, according to Russian media. Three warships of the Russian Navys Pacific Fleet led by the Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov visited Cam Ranh between June 25 and 28. With 50 ships and 23 submarines, the Pacific Fleet is Russias second largest naval fleet after the Black Sea Fleet which is currently involved in the war in Ukraine. U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea A Russian presence may be seen as a counterweight for China-U.S. competition in the South China Sea, analysts said. Beijing claims historical rights over almost 80 percent of the contested waterway. With China apparently gaining a foothold in the region, at the Ream naval base in Cambodia, Cam Ranh may become even more important strategically to other regional players. On June 19 Vietnam protested against Chinas drills near the Paracel islands, claimed by both countries but occupied entirely by China. Hanoi and five other claimants in the South China Sea are still struggling to agree on a Code of Conduct in the contested sea, where the U.S. and allies have been challenging Chinas excessive territorial claims with their freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs). Vietnamese experts are calling for a more active application of legal documents to assert the countrys sovereignty in the South China Sea, especially as 2022 is the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 10th anniversary of Vietnams own Law of the Sea. Tran Cong Truc, former head of Vietnams Border Committee, said that UNCLOS paved a clear legal corridor for countries to defend their lawful rights, and needed to be properly utilized. A series of special events are being held to commemorate the anniversaries, as well as to highlight the importance of this legal corridor. UNCLOS and Vietnams Law of the Sea are the two main legal tools for the fight for our rights, Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, former vice minister of defense, was quoted by the Peoples Army newspaper as saying. Vietnam should only consider military actions as the last resort after exhausting all other options, he said. NATO leaders will gather in Madrid on June 28-30 for one of the most anticipated meetings the military alliance has held in recent times. As Sweden and Finland aim to unblock their paths to membership, NATO is bolstering its eastern flank, and war-stricken Ukraine is desperate for more military support, RFE/RL's Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak looks at what are likely to be the summit's main developments. A Breakthrough For Sweden And Finland? The status of the alliance's newest aspirants is probably the most pressing question ahead of the summit. Many expected that Sweden and Finland would come to the Spanish capital as NATO invitees, with the accession protocols signed and the ratification process already under way in the parliaments of the current 30 NATO member states. But, in mid-May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled his opposition to the Nordic countries' applications, voicing concerns both about the informal Western arms embargo imposed on Ankara due to its military incursion into northern Syria and foreign support for various Kurdish causes, notably in Sweden. A process that was supposed to be expedited has now ground almost to a halt for over a month now. All eyes will now be on a meeting on the sidelines of the summit on June 28 between Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto -- a meeting engineered by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. This comes after what Stoltenberg described as a "good call" with the Turkish president over the weekend and negotiations among the diplomats of the three countries in Brussels. The Swedish prime minister also dropped by NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 27, increasing speculation that a compromise was in the works. NATO, however, has been keen to temper expectations, saying that the summit was "never a deadline." The question now is if Erdogan is ready to strike a deal and how far Sweden is willing to go to compromise. NATO officials familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous told RFE/RL that there was some "calibrated optimism" that an agreement could be reached, hinting that the Turkish leader might want to portray himself as a "deal broker on the international stage." For Sweden and Finland to get Erdogan's blessing, they might have to agree not to fully implement the arms embargo on Turkey (a practice many Western powers have already adopted) and to strengthen their anti-terrorism legislation, something Ankara is pushing for. For Sweden, with a sizable Kurdish migrant community, it might also mean less overt support for Kurdish organizations in both Syria and Turkey -- and perhaps the extradition of certain individuals wanted by Turkish authorities. If some sort of goodwill pact between the trio is signed, allowing the accession process to start, don't be surprised by another Turkish veto further down the road if Erdogan feels that the Nordic commitments aren't being honored. How Best To Support Ukraine The summit will, of course, be dominated by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has an added urgency after G7 leaders called a Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk a "war crime." There had been speculation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would attend the Madrid summit in person, but he will now address NATO leaders via video link. There will almost certainly be more concrete support for Kyiv, including what NATO calls a "new comprehensive assistance package" consisting of equipment such as drones, body armor, secure communications tools, and fuel. It's also possible individual allies will also pledge heavier military equipment. The closed-door discussions will likely focus on how much military equipment should be provided for Ukraine and for how long. The NATO line, for now, is that everyone needs to be prepared for the long haul and that there is a political and moral obligation to provide substantial support to Ukraine. But as the war becomes increasingly one of attrition and Western voters' sympathy for Ukraine wanes, this stance could be revisited later this year. Bolstering The Eastern Flank What you will hear repeatedly in Madrid is that NATO is a "defensive alliance" that is "ready to defend every inch of allied territory" -- messages that are aimed at Moscow as a deterrent and to NATO's population as an assurance. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, NATO, for the first time ever, deployed combat-ready battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance. These battlegroups -- placed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland -- are now expected to be beefed up from battalions into brigades. And since this spring, battlegroups have also been created in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. But despite this troop boost, there are still plenty of nerves. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently said that her country would be "wiped out" under current NATO plans and only liberated afterwards, urging the alliance to defend allied territory with a larger number of troops from Day One instead of having smaller so-called "trip-wire" forces waiting in the wings. NATO is currently "preassigning" forces to defend specific allies. For example, the German armed forces are moving weapons and military equipment to Lithuania but still keeping their troops in Germany, ready to deploy to the Baltic country at a moment's notice. With Vilnius currently being threatened by Moscow as it blocks EU-sanctioned Russian goods from reaching the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a key question is whether these "trip-wire" forces will be seen by member countries -- and, most importantly, by Russia -- as enough of a deterrent. A New Strategic Concept For NATO Roughly every decade, NATO agrees on a new strategic concept, which is supposed to spell out the alliance's main focus in the years ahead. The last such concept was agreed back in Lisbon in 2010 in a world that looks radically different from today. Back then, the document stated that the Euro-Atlantic area was at peace and that Russia was a strategic partner. China was not even mentioned. Expect that to change in Madrid. Stoltenberg has noted that the new text "will make clear that [the NATO] allies consider Russia to be the most significant and direct threat to our security." China will also most likely be mentioned for the first time ever in a NATO strategic concept. While China won't be described as an "adversary," it is expected that it will be acknowledged that Beijing poses challenges to NATO values, interests, and security. China's growing influence will also be reflected in the fact that the leaders of NATO's Asia-Pacific partners -- Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea -- will participate at a NATO summit for the first time. Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to NATO membership bids filed by Finland and Sweden in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the breakthrough came after he and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on June 28 ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid and signed a joint memorandum "to extend their full support against threats to each others security." The memorandum confirms that [Turkey] will at the Madrid Summit this week support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, Niinisto said on Twitter. "The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO allies during the next two days, but that decision is now imminent," Niinisto said in a press release. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkey's presidency confirmed the accord in separate statements. The agreement "sends a clear message to President Putin: NATO's door is open," Stoltenberg said at a press conference, referring to the Russian president, whose ardent opposition to Ukraine's desire to join NATO was a pretext for his decision to invade Ukraine in February. The invasion raised fears in Finland and Sweden about Russian aggression, prompting them to seek to join the Western alliance, and once they are formally accepted as members, Finland's long border with Russia means the Russian-NATO border will expand dramatically. Stoltenberg said NATO's 30 members would now invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO and that they would become official "invitees." The parliaments of the NATO countries must ratify the decision, a process that could take up to a year. Finland and Sweden last month moved to abandon their nonaligned status and applied to join the military alliance, but their bids were held back by Turkey, which has accused both nations, particularly Sweden, of offering a safe haven to Kurdish militants who have been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state. The issue threatened to cloud the summit and its attempt to proclaim unity among NATO members in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Under the terms of the deal, Sweden will intensify work on Turkey's requests for the extradition of suspected Kurdish militants, Stoltenberg said. Sweden and Finland also will amend their laws to toughen their approach to Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and will lift their restrictions on selling weapons to Turkey. The Turkish presidency statement said the agreement meant "full cooperation with Turkey in the fight against the PKK and its affiliates." It also said Sweden and Finland were "demonstrating solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: "Fantastic news as we kick off the NATO summit. Sweden and Finland's membership will make our brilliant alliance stronger and safer." The NATO summit is expected to be one of the most important summits of the Western alliance in recent years amid Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Stoltenberg said earlier that the three-day summit will agree a new assistance package for Ukraine in areas "like secure communications, anti-drone systems, and fuel." Stoltenberg said Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in NATOs approach to defense, and member states will have to boost their military spending. The meeting will chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world, he said. Strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine top the agenda of the meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to address virtually. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians and refugees, and Western aid and reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. The United States and Spain issued a joint declaration ahead of the summit, condemning Russia for invading Ukraine. The declaration, which came after U.S. President Joe Biden met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, said the invasion fundamentally altered the global strategic environment. The declaration emphasized the two countries' defense partnership through NATO and said Russias invasion of Ukraine "constitutes the most direct threat to transatlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. The summit will also change language dating back to 2010 describing Russia as a strategic partner. "That will not be the case in the strategic concept that we will agree in Madrid," Stoltenberg said. "I expect that allies will state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security, to our values, to the rules-based international order." Stoltenberg announced on June 27 that NATO will boost its high-readiness forces to "well over 300,000" in response to Russia's war in Ukraine. The NATO Response Force currently has about 40,000 troops. The summit will also be attended by leaders of countries not currently members of NATO -- including South Korea and Japan -- as observers. Stoltenberg said on June 28 that NATO does not see China as an adversary but it is concerned about Beijing's ever-closer ties with Moscow. He noted that China will soon be the biggest economy in the world and that NATO needs to engage with Beijing on issues like climate change. "But we are disappointed by the fact that China has not been able to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that China is spreading many of the false narratives about NATO, the West, and also that China and Russia are more close now than they have ever been before," he added. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and Time TBILISI -- Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied on the streets of Tbilisi, angered by what the opposition sees as the governments failure to make progress on reforms that can boost the Caucasus countrys hopes of joining the European Union. Participants of the July 3 event, organized by the Shame civic movement and other pro-democracy groups, also displayed support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, which occupies segments of Georgian territory captured in a short 2008 war. Protesters holding flares and waving Georgian and EU flags and banners blocked traffic on the central Rustaveli Avenue and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and for a new government of national accord to be formed. Georgia has been gripped by protests after EU leaders last month deferred Tbilisi's membership candidacy, recognizing it as a perspective member but insisting that candidate status could only be granted as soon as set priorities are met" and widespread reforms are put in place. While deferring on Georgia, the EU at the same time formally agreed to take the historic step of making Ukraine and Moldova candidates for EU membership in the midst of the war in Ukraine and Moscows bitter denunciations of the two countries intensions. Garibashvili has said his government is "mobilized" to meet the requirements set by Brussels "so that we get candidate status as soon as possible." No immediate estimate on the number of rally participants was available, but an estimated 120,000 people took part in each of two previous rallies in the Georgian capital. In one demonstration, Shota Digmelashvili of the Shame movement read out a manifesto and announced the launch of a new popular movement that will include opposition parties, civil society organization, journalists, and labor unions to make demands on the government. The manifesto asserted that the countrys main obstacle on its European path is Bidzina Ivanishvili," the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party who is widely believed to be the top decision-maker in the South Caucasus country even though he does not hold office. In May, the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the EU to impose sanctions against Ivanishvili for his "destructive role" in Georgia's politics and economy. Ivanishvili insists he has retired from politics. In a Facebook statement, rally organizers called on Ivanishvili to "relinquish executive power and transfer it, in a constitutional manner, to a government of national accord." The statement said a new government could "carry out the reforms required by the EU, which will automatically bring us the status of an EU membership candidate." "A next stage of our protests begins today. We will not disperse." The government led by the Georgian Dream party has been hit by increasing international criticism over perceived backsliding on democracy, damaging its EU hopes. The European Commission said the conditions that Tbilisi must fulfill include ending political polarization, progress on media freedom, judiciary and electoral reforms, and "de-oligarchization." Georgian Dream officials insist they are following democratic principles and accused the opposition of "plans to overthrow the authorities by organizing anti-government rallies." Opinion polls show that at least 80 percent of the Georgian population favor plans to join the EU, as well as NATO, amid perceived threats from Russia. Georgias aspirations to forge closer ties with the West have long angered Russia. Tensions culminated in Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 after which Russia recognized South Ossetia and another region, Abkhazia, as independent countries and stationed thousands of its soldiers in those areas. With reporting by AFP As NATO leaders gather in Madrid for a key summit that will focus on Russias invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces are continuing to make incremental gains in the war. Government troops are still defending Lysychansk, the last city held by Kyiv in the eastern Luhansk Province. But with no end in sight to the war, the transatlantic military alliance is looking to devise a long-term strategy to help Ukraine and punish Russia. Kyiv has pleaded for continued support, including Western arms and ammunition, to help it expel Russian forces from the country before winter bogs down forces on both sides. Kyiv says that it remains outgunned on the battlefield, with the Russian advance now covering about 20 percent of the countrys territory. In the eastern Donbas region, composed of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, Ukrainian troops are believed to be outgunned by 10-to-1 in artillery. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are estimated to have been killed since the war broke out in February. Meanwhile, Russian forces are making small gains in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has concentrated most of its forces. But Western intelligence predictions say that Moscow may soon exhaust its combat capabilities and be forced to halt its costly offensive. To find out more, RFE/RL spoke with Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army and a fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. RFE/RL: It appears that the Russians are making headway in eastern Ukraine, but there're also a lot of warnings and commentary, especially coming from Western officials, saying that they only believe that Russia can sustain its current momentum and pace for the next few months. Taken together, what does that mean to you moving forward? Mick Ryan: It means that both the Russians and Ukrainians are reaching a point where their forces are pretty tight, where both of them have been slugging it out in the north, the northeast, the south, and the east for over four months now. At the individual level, but also at the strategic level, both sides are getting weary in [the] Donbas, where the Russians have focused the majority of their combat power since about Day 50 or 55 of this war. This has really been a crucible event for both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and this has allowed the Russians to actually make some progress in the war, which they really haven't made up until this point. It demonstrates that they've learned from some of their failures north of Kyiv and around [the northeastern city of] Kharkiv and are still focused on achieving some of the political outcomes that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin set out in his May 9 [Victory Day] speech. The Russians have been able to generate a significant advantage in artillery firepower and in air power for the first time, while the Ukrainians haven't been able to interrupt [Russian] supply lines to the same degree that they were able to do earlier in the war. So, we're at a point now where the Russians have improved. The Ukrainians are getting a bit tired and being careful. They don't want to get drawn into a war of attrition any more than they have to because they cant win a war of attrition against the Russians. The Russians like fighting that way -- its their preferred way of war -- and I think the Ukrainians are clever enough not to get drawn into fighting their adversary the way they want to be fought, but they have to be very careful at the moment. RFE/RL: How do you avoid something like getting pulled into a war of attrition? Ryan: The political element comes to the forefront here because there is a political desire [from Kyiv] to not cede too much Ukrainian territory. They've already lost about 20 percent of their territory so far in this war. In particular, Syevyerodonetsk in the east represented the last major Ukrainian-held city in [Luhansk] Province. There certainly would have been political pressure to retain that city and retain that territory, but the reality is that sometimes you have to give up territory if you want to keep your army intact. For Ukraine at the moment, preserving their army is way more important than territory, so they need to be sure not to be fighting on Russias terms. RFE/RL: In a lot of the analysis that's out there, the view seems to be that the Ukrainians actually have quite a difficult time retaking a lot of territory. What does Ukraine need to do in order to launch some more successful counterattacks and retake territory in the south or in the Donbas? Ryan: We're in a different phase of the war now. At the beginning, particularly when things were focused north of Kyiv and around Kharkiv, both sides were still learning and blowing out the cobwebs from their institutions that hadn't fought big wars for a long time. The Russians, in particular, learned some very tough lessons about combined arms, air defense, logistics, and electronic warfare, among other things. They do appear to have learned at least some lessons and they are applying them in the east where they have really concentrated their combat power to generate a significant combat advantage against the Ukrainians. In the south, the Ukrainians have been taking back land, but it's been a tough fight. There's a couple of reasons for that. First, this is not the main Ukrainian effort at the moment, so they arent getting the reserves and reinforcements that they need to make the operational breakthroughs that their tactical advances might enable. Second, the Russians have had time to prepare multiple defensive lines in the south, and if you are fighting from prepared defensive positions, coupled with a pretty good sensor network and artillery and long-range strike advantages, you're going to make it pretty tough for an attacker to push through those multiple defensive lines. RFE/RL: There're a lot of questions going around right now about sustainability and how long this war can really be fought by either side. It seems that sooner or later, we're going to reach a point where this is going to feel a bit difficult to maintain for both parties. Is that a realistic thing to expect? If so, how long until we reach this point? Ryan: This is an existential fight for Ukraine. This isn't one they chose, and it's one they would prefer not to have to fight, but they know from how the Russians have treated Ukrainian civilians, how they've destroyed Ukrainian cities, how they've raped, tortured, and murdered Ukrainians, that this is truly an existential fight for their country. Its also one that President Putin has essentially said is a war of conquest. So far, Ukrainians are retaining the will to fight for as long as they need to in order to ensure the Russians aren't able to subjugate them, and they have some of the resources to do that. If they keep getting supported by the West, they can continue. But Russia is also a country that has about 100 million more citizens [than Ukraine] and is able to generate a larger military and resources to fight. It certainly has its own problems, but both sides can keep this war going for quite some time. RFE/RL: Looking ahead, what are the key things that you're watching and that you think are important for people to follow? Ryan: It's quite likely that Russia will close the Luhansk pocket and the Ukrainians will lose that territory or cede it. After that, the big question is whether the Russians have the reserves to maintain their momentum and continue offensive activities in Donetsk? Or will they need to have some kind of operational pause to reset and reinforce? I'm also looking at the south. If the Russians successfully take all of Luhansk, they'll have to make a choice about some of the critical resources -- artillery, airpower, or electronic warfare -- and whether they use them to defend that area around [the city of] Kherson in the south or do they use them to maintain the offensive in the east or, indeed, around Kharkiv? Do they want to continue to attempt to push the Ukrainians back from the Russian borders? So, the Russians in the next month or two have some interesting challenges ahead of them. They have some big choices to make about the prioritization of ground forces, and this doesn't even include other strategic challenges that theyre facing. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. In addition to thousands of deaths and the destruction of crucial infrastructure, another, more invisible, crisis tied to Russias invasion could haunt Ukraine for years: environmental damage. From shelled chemical plants to forests scorched by missiles, the consequences will be felt not only by Ukraines ecosystems but also by its people. The list of damage caused by armed conflict in Ukraine since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 is long and, if not given proper attention, could last for years. The Conflict and Environment Observatory has reported that the environmental impact of war began even before the conflict began. Building up military forces and maintaining their readiness can consume a lot of resources. Military gear and vehicles require energy that usually comes from oil, and large militaries' CO2 emissions are greater than many countries in the world combined. A study by Brown University showed that the U.S. militarys greenhouse-gas emissions are greater than those of countries like Portugal, Denmark, and Sweden. After a conflict starts, hazards ramp up and the damage becomes a lot more apparent. Ukraine's Environmental Background Ukraines ecosystems are of considerable importance to Europe: Encompass 35 percent of Europes biodiversity. Are home to over 70,000 species. 29 percent of Ukraine's territory is composed of natural vegetation as well as seminatural vegetation (such as managed grasslands and hedgerows, etc.). 16 percent of its territory is composed of forests . . Ukraine has about 63,000 rivers. Ukraine occupies 11 percent of the Carpathian mountain range, which comprises one-third of all plant species in Europe. The Severskiy Donets River is the longest in eastern Ukraine and an important source of fresh water. The Dnieper is the fourth-longest river in Europe. On March 14, after the Russian military shelled a sewage-treatment facility, water from several districts of Zaporizhzhya began to enter the Dnieper River without any treatment. The Red Data Book of Ukraine, a document that tracks the current state of rare and threatened fauna and flora, has registered 687 endangered species of animals and 857 endangered species of plants in its latest edition from 2021. In addition to wildlife declines due to wildfires caused by rocket launches, thousands of dolphins have been found dead in the Black Sea, which could be a consequence of increased shipping noise and the use of powerful sonar systems by navies, according to data collected by Ukraine's Tuzla Estuaries National Nature Park. Ukraine's Industrial Sector The environmental dangers Ukraine is facing as a result of armed conflict are also heightened by the countrys industrial background. Heavy industry is a big part of Ukraine's economy, especially in the east of the country. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in Ukraine, in the city of Zaporizhzhya, and Ukraine's industrial sector accounts for nearly 29 percent of its gross domestic product. One of the high-risk threats comprises tailings storage facilities (TSFs), which store liquid industrial waste. Altogether there are 465 TSFs in the country, storing over 6 billion tons of waste, and 200 of these TSFs are located in eastern Ukraine, the region that has been hardest hit by the war. A 2019 study by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) showed that potential threats posed by damage to these facilities include risks of floods, explosions, and chemical, environmental, and fire hazards. Now, three years after this report was published, more than 40 industrial sites have already been attacked by the Russian military. According to a war assessment by the Dutch peace organization PAX, Ukraine had already been on the brink of an environmental catastrophe since the beginning of the ongoing war in the Donbas in 2014. This was avoided by the creation of de-escalation lines to prevent the bombing of chemical plants and continuous monitoring by the OSCE. However, since this period, many industrial installations that store a huge amount of toxic and radioactive waste are in bad condition due to the effects of previous attacks and a lack of maintenance. At the beginning of June, shelling on a chemical plant hit nitric-acid tanks, causing a big cloud of pink smoke to cover residential areas in Syevyerodonetsk. The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hayday, urged the population to stay inside their houses, since nitric acid can be dangerous if it is inhaled or swallowed or if it comes into contact with the skin. Laws And Obstacles The four treaties of the Geneva Conventions that are supposed to regulate conduct during armed conflict dont expressly mention the environment. However, after the Vietnam War, two important changes occurred in the law. The first prohibits the violent use of environmental modification techniques that have widespread, long-lasting, or severe effects. The second blocks methods or means of warfare that are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term, and severe damage to the natural environment. As of May 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine had recorded 231 environmental crimes allegedly committed by Russia. The problem is that, even when actions in war are harmful to the environment, it is difficult for them to be considered a violation of the provisions, because the standards for military action to fall under the two new conventions are very high. As rescue teams in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk search the rubble of a shopping center hit by a Russian missile, a local journalist speaks about how one survivor rushed back into the flames to help. Ukraine has seen a surge in Russian missile strikes on civilian targets across the country in recent days. On June 10, Albina Abayeva posted a short remark on the social network VK: Gazprom zp has come, it said in Russian. Cryptic, but in context the meaning was clear: Her husband, who was fighting in Russias war against Ukraine, had received his wages from the military, and they came through Gazprombank. The bank connected to state-controlled natural gas monopoly Gazprom is the third-biggest in Russia, after Sberbank and VTB. And its the only one of the three that has not been hit with the harshest kind of sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States -- an exception that results from the fact that EU countries pay Russia for natural gas, a major source of revenue for the assault on Ukraine, through Gazprombank. A new report by Schemes, an investigative unit of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, documents a wide range of evidence showing that a substantial number of the Russian soldiers and security-force members who have been deployed to Ukraine have received their regular military pay and combat bonuses via Gazprombank. Schemes Report: The Russian Army's 'Cash Box' There is Abayeva, whose husband, Vadim Abayev, has indicated on his page on the Russian social network Odnoklassniki that he serves in the 6th Separate Tank Brigade. Reached on the phone by Schemes, Abayeva confirmed her husband had received salary money and combat pay through Gazprombank, saying the bank does not provide a breakdown between the two. She later changed the name she uses on the social network. Among several others, there is also Lyudmila Reshetnikova, who reported in the same VK forum that combat pay had come in via Gazprombank. On her page, she identified her husband as Aleksandr Reshetnikov and indicated that he is at war. As of 2020, he served in a radiation, chemical, and biological protection brigade in the Russian military. After Schemes journalists expressed interest in the payment of military wages through Gazprombank, the moderator deleted about 14 pages of discussions. It is not clear what proportion of Russian military personnel, or of Russian soldiers, receive payments via Gazprombank. Several other banks are also authorized to process military pay, including Sberbank and VTB. And there is no evidence that if the United States and the EU were to impose tough sanctions on Gazprombank, these payments would dry up. While sanctioned banks such VTB and Sberbank are frozen out of dollar and euro transactions and and cut off from the SWIFT global payments messaging system, Russia has its own system, and domestic ruble transactions are generally unaffected by the sanctions Western states have imposed on Russia over its aggression against Ukraine which began in 2014 and was massively escalated on February 24, when President Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale invasion that has killed tens of thousands of people, forced more than 12 million to flee their homes, and turned a number of cities and towns in the north and east to rubble. Conduit For Payments Sanctions are "highly unlikely to affect domestic payments in rubles. Such payments would generally be outside the reach of U.S. sanctions," Brian O'Toole, a former senior adviser at the U.S. Treasury Department and an analyst at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told RFE/RL. But for many in Ukraine, the fact that a bank that has escaped severe sanctions is the conduit for payments to the soldiers who are killing and maiming their compatriots is particularly unpalatable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on the EU to impose the toughest form of sanctions on all Russian banks without exception. "This applies first of all to Gazprombank -- one of the main wallets financing the anti-European policy of the Russian Federation, Zelenskiy said on June 11. And, of course, for its own benefit, the EU must work much faster to completely abandon Russian energy resources. This is a fundamental security issue. But while the West has imposed milder sectoral sanctions on Gazprombank, and the EU is seeking to slash its dependence on Russian energy supplies, there is no indication that the bloc is as about to impose more severe sanctions on the bank. Sanctions on Gazprombank would be equal to an embargo on Russian gas, which is now not in the cards, Simone Tagliapietra, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Belgium-based think tank focusing on Europes economy, told NBC News earlier in June. Britain, which is no longer in the EU and is less reliant on Russian energy exports than other European nations, has imposed tough sanctions on Gazprombank. Zelenskiys chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told NBC News that the United States and the EU should sanction Gazprombank, not just for its role in helping Russia accrue revenue from its energy sales, but because Gazprombank is directly involved in supporting Russias military, state-owned companies, and other institutions that are sustaining the invasion of Ukraine. While other Russian banks are also being used to pay the soldiers fighting in Ukraine, there is concern in Kyiv that Gazprombanks avoidance of sanctions is making it stronger and more financially robust. "There is a problem that Gazprombank is functional, continues to receive huge revenues, and more and more customers of other Russian banks, affected by sanctions, are switching to it. That is, it is such a haven to avoid sanctions on the financial system," Tetyana Shevchuk, legal counsel for the Anti-Corruption Action Center in Ukraine, told Schemes. In May, the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys intelligence department said that the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, has intensified international settlements through Gazprombank. Meanwhile, evidence gathered by Schemes shows that Gazprombank, which in 2016 reported issuing a bank card bearing a star symbol and the words Army of Russia, has ties with the military that go deeper than the payment of wages and combat bonuses. Since the February invasion of Ukraine, Gazprombank representatives have attended ceremonies held by military units around Russia marking the anniversary of their formation and other milestones. In April, an officer of the bank met with the wives of servicemen from a military unit based in Naro-Fominsk, outside Moscow, some of whom have been part of the invasion force. The topic was social support for military families, the repayment of loans, and the registration of debt deferrals. Moreover, Gazprombank may also be in use as a conduit for payments for military equipment used by Russian forces in the assault on Ukraine. The Ukrainian defense intelligence department said in April that payments for military equipment purchased for the 47th Guards Tank Division, a Russian unit that is involved in the fighting, were made through two banks, one of which was Gazprombank. Gazprombank did not respond to a request for comment from Schemes on the banks cooperation with The Russian Defense Ministry. Written by Steve Gutterman based on reporting by Heorhiy Shabayev, Natalie Sedletska, and Kyrylo Ovsyaniy. Todd Prince contributed to this report. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. "They are looting toilet bowls and women's underwear," says a Ukrainian soldier in a dismissive assessment of Russian forces. Soldiers from the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Tank Brigade spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service about their experiences in battle in eastern Ukraine. The United States on June 28 imposed sanctions on 70 entities, including Russian defense firm Rostec, and 29 individuals in a move that it said aimed to "strike at the heart of Russias ability to develop and deploy weapons." The new sanctions, which also ban imports of Russian gold, were announced by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and they implement agreements reached during the Group of Seven (G7) summit this week. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement that the United States reaffirmed its commitment to work with partners and allies to impose additional severe sanctions in response to Russias war against Ukraine. Broad multilateral commitments and actions by G7 members this week further cut off the Russian Federations access to technology that is critical to their military, Yellen said. Targeting Russias defense industry will degrade [President Vladimir] Putins capabilities and further impede his war against Ukraine, which has already been plagued by poor morale, broken supply chains, and logistical failures. The sanctions on Rostec announced on June 28 build on previously announced sanctions against the state aerospace and defense conglomerate. The Treasury Department said that Rostec's "management umbrella includes more than 800 entities across a wide range of sectors" and that all entities owned 50 percent or more by Rostec are blocked. This includes United Aircraft Corporation, the maker of Russia's MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets. The Treasury Department said this aims to "weaken Russia's ability to continue its aerial assault on Ukraine." The ban on gold imports, which the Treasury Department said is Russia's biggest nonenergy export, was also agreed by Britain, Canada, and Japan during the G7 summit. In addition to targeting Rostec and other industries critical to the defense sector, the sanctions take aim at military units and officers implicated in human rights abuses in Ukraine, the OFAC said. The Treasury Department's enforcement arm also issued a joint alert with the U.S. Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security advising vigilance against Russian and Belarusian export control evasion, the statement said. Separately, the U.S. State Department announced visa restrictions on more than 500 military officers "for threatening or violating Ukraines sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence." The department has also taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 18 Russian nationals in relation to the suppression of dissent, including politically motivated detentions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Washington is also increasing tariffs on more than 570 groups of Russian products worth approximately $2.3 billion. The U.S. Commerce Department took complementary actions, adding several entities to its so-called Entity List for continuing to do business with Russia even after its invasion of Ukraine. The additions to the Entity List "demonstrate the United States will impose stringent export controls on companies, including those in third countries, in order to deny them access to items they can use to support Russias military and/or defense industrial base," Blinken said. With reporting by AP, AFP and Reuters (Photo : MIRA OBERMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Science-paleontology-mammoth-US-museum A replica of the world's best preserved wooly mammoth - a 40,000 year old baby named Lyuba who was discovered in Siberia in 2007 - is displayed for the media in a fossil storage room at Chicago's Field Museum on September 30. A well-preserved baby woolly mammoth that was estimated to have died 30,000 years ago was discovered in the Klondike gold fields, Trondek Hwechin Traditional Territory of Yukon in Canada. According to the local government's press release, it was "the most complete find" in North America. The calf was named 'Nun cho ga,' meaning "big baby animal" in the Han language. It was frozen in permafrost during the ice age, which resulted in its well-preserved form. Miners working in the gold fields found the mummified woolly mammoth, and its photos show that it still has skin and hair clinging to the body. Finding an Intact Mummified Woolly Mammoth The woolly mammoth is roughly the same size as modern-day elephants and was the last in the line of mammoth species before they went extinct 14,000 and 10,000 years ago. Scientists believed climate change and hunting drove them to extinction. They are thinking of bringing the species back through de-extinction. If that's the case, the recent discovery could take scientists closer to bringing mammoths back. According to Interesting Engineering, gold miners at the Klondike gold fields in Yukon came across the intact mummified remains of the baby woolly mammoth on June 21 while excavating through permafrost. The area is famous for previous fossils of ice age animals, although this is the first complete remains of an animal that still has hair and skin. Upon finding the remains of the baby woolly mammoth, gold miners immediately called for geologists to help recover the remains before it thaws. Dr. Dan Shugar and his team of researchers from the University of Calgary, who also happened to be in the area, responded quickly and excavated the remains. Being part of the recovery of Nun cho ga, the baby woolly mammoth found in the permafrost in the Klondike this week (on Solstice and Indigenous Peoples Day!), was the most exciting scientific thing I have ever been part of, bar none. https://t.co/WnGoSo8hPk pic.twitter.com/JLD0isNk8Y Prof Dan Shugar (@WaterSHEDLab) June 24, 2022 Dr. Shugar told the Business Insider that the baby mammoth had been well-preserved and that even its toenails, hide, trunk, and hair are still intact. More so, its intestines did not decay and possibly still had traces of its last meal inside them. ALSO READ: Woolly Mammoth Could Get Back From 4000 Years Of Extinction: But, Is It Necessary ? Nun cho ga: The Perfectly Preserved Baby Woolly Mammoth Nun cho ga is the most complete mummified woolly mammoth ever found in North America and dethrones the partial mammoth calf called Effie found in 1938 at a gold mine in Alaska, EarthSky reported. An analysis of the remains showed that the woolly mammoth is female and roughly the same size as the infant mummy woolly mammoth named Lyuba, which lived 42,000 years ago and was found in Siberia in 2007. The geologists from the Yukon Geological Survey and the University of Calgary who helped recover Nun cho ga's remains suggest that the baby woolly mammoth died and was frozen in permafrost during the ice age. Its remains provide a detailed glimpse of when it roamed the Yukon alongside other ancient animals, including wild horses, cave lions, and giant steppe bison. Nun cho ga's successful recovery was possible with the help of gold miners, as well as the scientists from the local government and universities in the area. RELATED ARTICLE: Tusk of Woolly Mammoth Found in Alaska, Offers Insights About Links Between Climate Change and Prehistoric Extinction Check out more news and information on Paleontology in Science Times. Courtesy of ALERTWildfire Vegetation fires burning in Marin County have temporarily shut down traffic on one lane of Highway 101 northbound and suspended public transit in the area, according to local authorities. By Monday evening, firefighters had stopped forward progress on the Redwood Fire, which ignited in the San Antonio area at about 4:30 p.m and had burned 115 acres. The Redwood Fire, which was 40% contained by 6 p.m. Monday, was one of multiple small grass fires burning along the highway, according to the Marin County Sheriffs Office. Great Americas days are numbered. The Santa Clara amusement park will shut down no later than 11 years from now after a Bay Area real estate developer bought the land the park sits on for $310 million. In a Monday news release, Cedar Fair, one of the nations largest theme park operators, said it sold the land at Great America adjacent to Levis Stadium to San Francisco developer Prologis in an attempt to shed debt. As part of the agreement, Prologis will lease the land back to Cedar Fair to continue operating the famed theme park for a period of up to 11 years before closing down for good when the lease expires. The Mercury News reported that the lease agreement is for six years and includes an option for Cedar Fair to extend the agreement an additional five years. We chose Prologis as our partner because of their deep ties in the Bay Area and their reputation for working closely with local communities on large developments, Richard A. Zimmerman, Cedar Fair president and CEO, said in a statement. For our investors, the sale and lease agreements allow us to monetize a high-value asset in the heart of Silicon Valley at a very attractive multiple. The sale comes only three years after Cedar Fair bought the land from the city of Santa Clara after leasing the land from the city for more than 40 years. Ricardo Cano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ricardo.cano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByRicardoCano For a moment, the first week of summer looked like the prelude to a vicious fire season in the Bay Area, with blazes ripping through the hillsides south of Livermore and the ridges bordering Port Costa. But firefighters managed to quash these fires quickly, aided by tame winds and a landscape still moist enough to keep the flames from spreading fast. Its hot, but its not super windy, Dwight Good, assistant chief of Cal Fires Santa Clara unit, told The Chronicle. The humidities and the field moistures are still high enough to keep things manageable. From June 19 through June 27, Cal Fire battled 14 major fires across the state that torched 10 acres or more, nine of them in the greater Bay Area region stretching from Sonoma County to the San Joaquin Valley in the east and south to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Goods unit alone fought 25 fires of varying sizes, including the Tesla Fire that charred 524 acres in the Altamont area of Livermore. Cal Fires San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit responded to eight brush fires within the same time period, and assisted other agencies with seven fires. While the number of conflagrations has dropped slightly statewide compared with last year from 3,784 as of June 24, 2021, to 3,311 as of June 27, 2022 last weeks spate of incidents seemed to usher in a sense of familiar apprehension in the Bay Area, where cell phones bleated evacuation orders and motorists encountered thick clouds of smoke on Interstate 280 and Highway 4. The breakneck pace for Cal Fires Santa Clara unit, which averaged more than three fires a day last week, has become normal for June, Good said. This years summer solstice arrived baked in triple-digit temperatures, followed by a round of monsoon rains and lightning strikes in the San Benito County area, before the region settled into its more typical pattern of sunshine and fog. Despite those dramatic fluctuations, some indicators of fire danger have been less severe this year than in 2021, according to John Abatzoglou, an associate professor at UC Merced who researches climate and weather. A few light rains and periods of respite between heat waves have kept the landscape from getting too arid, he said, and the clustering of fires near urban areas while threatening has also made it easier for crews to get the upper hand. The large infernos that tear through remote wildnerness are given a head start, he said. Warren Blier, science officer at the National Weather Services Bay Area office, also credited mild winds and humidity for helping keep scores of wildfires at bay last week. He noted that many of the larger, out-of-control fires ignite at times when the air is parched, the wind is violent and the land is tinder-dry, conditions that can arise after weeks of roasting in torrid summer heat. The Wine Country fires that burned vast swaths of the Napa and Sonoma valleys in October 2017 erupted after summer turned to fall, a time of year when the foliage is crackly and brittle. A dry atmosphere and gusty winds played a much bigger role in fueling those wildfires than the outside temperature, which was moderate for autumn the night the flames exploded, Blier said. While climate change has redefined Californias seasons so dramatically that wildfires are now a year-round phenomenon, climate and weather alone dont determine the path or intensity of a fire. The Wine Country fires were more dangerous because they sparked at night, when it was harder to deploy crews and evacuate residents, Blier said. Last weeks string of fires seemed to flare up during the day, when they were easier to control. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Fires also tend to be less daunting in early summer because crews are less fatigued, Good said, and more people are available to respond. The biggest factor, however, is human behavior. People, and their infrastructure, cause the vast majority of fires, and were probably largely to blame for the cluster scalding the Bay Area in June. Its poor judgment, bad luck or bad habits, Good said. A vehicle backfiring. A flat tire. A trailer dragging chains. Illegal fireworks. A gender-reveal party. Someone running their lawnmower in knee-high grass in the middle of the afternoon. Blier agreed. As is widely known, there really are only two sources of ignition, he said: Lightning and people. Fire experts constantly warn California residents to be more vigilant, given how this years fire season is shaping up. The book on Californias 2022 fire season is still being written, Abatzoglou said. And in most parts of the state, the brush and grass are still damp, and the high winds havent yet arrived. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The number of hate crimes reported by Californians last year rose to a level not seen since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the states attorney general said Tuesday. Rob Bonta delivered the sobering news during a live-streamed news conference from Sacramento, where he noted that the nearly 1,800 crimes reported in 2021 reflected a 33% jump from 2020. The year 2020 saw the beginning of the pandemic, a historic racial justice movement and nationwide increases in hate crimes, particularly against Black and Asian Americans. The epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat, Bonta said. Black and Asian Californians were again among the most common targets of bias-motivated acts of violence and property crimes. Bonta said anti-Black crimes were once again the most prevalent, with 513 reported incidents last year, a 13% uptick. The 240 anti-Asian hate crimes reported in 2021 represented a skyrocketing 177% increase from the previous year, added Bonta, who blamed the bigoted words of our former president for turning a trickle of racial animosity into a flood. Bonta said the new figures reflect a grim reality that Californias diverse communities already know too well. Justin Zhu of San Francisco was anything but surprised by the data. This is what Asian American communities have been calling up for some time, said Zhu, executive director of Stand with Asian Americans, a nonprofit Zhu co-founded after the murders of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta spas. He pointed to recent Pew Research Center polling that found that one-third of Asian Americans had changed their routine out of fear of racism. Forty-eight percent favored stronger hate crime laws. Zhu said hes hearing from many who are behind Assembly Bill 1947 by Assembly Member Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, which would require law enforcement agencies to use standardized policies in hate crime investigations. Looking over the state hate crime figures, Zhu noticed increases across demographic categories. Hates up in general, Zhu said. The state with the largest share of LGBT adults in the nation, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, also recorded 303 bias crimes involving sexual orientation, a 48% increase from the prior year. Reports of anti-Latino and anti-Jewish crimes were up around 30% as well, numbering 197 and 152 reported incidents last year, respectively. Gender-biased hate crimes which includes anti-transgender crimes were the only category to see a drop. The California Department of Justice says anti-trans events decreased 30%, from 54 reported incidents in 2020 to 38 last year. Phyllis B. Gerstenfeld, chair of the criminal justice department at California State University, Stanislaus, said the rise in attacks against African Americans may be due to fraying social tensions. Its probably a sign of the times and the general increase in social tensions that weve seen really since the 2016 election, said Gerstenfeld, a longtime hate crime researcher. When it came to hate crimes against Asian Americans, she also thought of former President Donald Trump. His statements blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic made Asian Americans a handy target, leading to a spike in crimes against them, Gerstenfeld said. And the spike seems to be particularly present in urban areas and on the West Coast. Even as Bonta delivered the news of rising attacks, he seemed to hint at signs of progress. Last year he announced a number of initiatives designed to increase reporting and prosecutions by launching a campaign to inform residents, law enforcement and prosecutors. In 2021, reporting was up, though it isnt clear to what extent that was driven by an increase in incidents as opposed to an increase in people deciding to report. The state also saw a 30% increase in prosecutions of hate crimes, according to Bontas report. On Tuesday, Bonta announced the creation of a statewide hate crime coordinator position to assist state and local law enforcement efforts. The new report includes a granular look at hate crime data in the Bay Area. Around the nine-county region, 627 hate crime offenses involving 615 victims and 475 suspects were reported last year. More than three-fourths of offenses were reported in Santa Clara, San Francisco and Alameda counties. In Alameda County, more hate crimes were reported in Berkeley than in Oakland. Berkeley has less than a third of Oakland's population, seemingly illustrating the ways reporting patterns can affect the numbers. Of 627 hate crime offenses reported to Bay Area law enforcement, 136 or 22% ended up referred to local prosecutors. The Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office had the highest rate of turning hate crime referrals into hate crime prosecutions regionally last year. Of the 23 cases referred to the office, it filed hate crime charges in all of them. The San Francisco District Attorneys Office last year filed hate crime charges in 20 of 30 cases referred to it and sought other criminal charges in seven cases. The 141 hate crime offenses reported in San Francisco last year reflected a 139% increase from 2020, when 59 offenses were reported. Hate crimes and whether District Attorney Chesa Boudin took them seriously enough were animating factors in the successful campaign to recall him on June 7. The Alameda County District Attorneys Office filed hate crime charges in 24 of the 56 cases referred to its office, and non-bias-related criminal charges in 26 cases. The report comes as events of hatred continue to play out. San Leandro police said last week they were investigating after a home was defaced with an anti-Asian slur. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office is considering hate crime charges after a group of men interrupted a Drag Queen Story Hour at a San Leandro public library this month and allegedly yelled transphobic slurs. Investigators believe the men may be members of the far-right group the Proud Boys. These are cases that rise to public scrutiny, but many never get reported, said Gerstenfeld, the Cal State Stanislaus researcher. The number of crimes that get reported to the police and end up in the attorney generals report is probably only a very small percentage of whats really happening, she said. As disturbing as the data are, theyre really only showing probably a very small piece of of the reality, and thats even more disturbing. Joshua Sharpe is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: joshua.sharpe@sfchronicle.com Twitter @joshuawsharpe This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After three years of drought, the massive state and federal water projects that serve Californias cities and farms have less water to distribute, forcing water managers to increasingly ration supplies. This year, squeezed extra tight by the prolonged drought conditions, both the state and federal water projects are expecting to deliver mere fractions of what cities and farms are asking for. Water suppliers relying on project water must figure out how to cut use accordingly. For many smaller farms without backup, that could mean fields left fallow without crops. Scarce supplies also lead to water rate hikes. Everyone gets less water during a drought. But the breakdowns of the state and federal projects water allocations show some groups particularly farmers who have longtime rights to divert water faring better than others. They also reflect the overwhelming thirst of Southern California towns and cities some of the most arid, and populous, parts of the state. The Chronicle analyzed this years expected water allocations from the California State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, and how they break down and compare to previous years. Here are some of the biggest takeaways of who got more from where: State Water Project The State Water Project, which includes the 444-mile-long California Aqueduct and the Oroville Dam, supplies water to some 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, according to the state water department, its operator. It also generates power and provides for recreational areas in the state. The project has 29 long-term contractors smaller, regional water providers, including cities, towns and irrigation districts, that sell the water to customers. For the past two decades, about a third of State Water Project water was for agricultural use and two-thirds for municipal, industrial or residential uses, state officials said. For the second year in a row, the State Water Project is expected to deliver only 5% of the amount requested from contractors. The last time allocation was that low was in 2014 the third year in that drought spell. Were not going to expect much additional precipitation on the horizon, said Molly White, the projects water operations manager. The 2022 cuts were deep across the board among the 29 contractors, but some cuts were less harsh than others. Most were approved for just 5% of their requested amounts, but the state awarded larger percentages to communities with critical health and safety needs. Folks at the Department of Water Resources have been very clear that theyre not going to reduce allocation to 5% if that suppliers going to have to turn off water to residences, White said. Napa and Solano counties water districts were approved for 15% of their requested amounts, compared with the 5% contractors in the Central Valley and Southern California received. But these Bay Area communities requested far smaller amounts to begin with. The allocation amounts are based on a variety of factors, including river flows, water storage conditions, environmental requirements and how much rain and snow there has been, the water operations manager said. In terms of the total amount of water, Southern California water agencies still take the bulk nearly half of State Water Project water, with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California expected to get the most, at almost 96,000 acre-feet. The Metropolitan Water District is a public regional wholesaler cooperative supplying water to roughly 19 million people in California through its numerous member agencies. This year, for the first time, it required significant cutbacks from its users, who must limit lawn-watering to one day a week. Small water suppliers, especially those who rely entirely on one source and dont have alternatives to fall back on, tend to be much more vulnerable to water shortage, according to the water department. Most water suppliers dont rely solely on one source of water, however. Many, like the East Bay Municipal Utility District, have several sources, including access to reservoirs, groundwater pumping and purchasing water from other providers. Annually, the State Water Project delivers 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water. An acre-foot about 326,000 gallons generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year. By comparison, the Colorado River another huge water source for the state, especially farmers in Southern California is supposed to deliver 4.4 million acre-feet annually to California, though cutbacks are on the horizon due to the drought. Central Valley Project Californias Central Valley Project, run by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is much bigger than the State Water Project and is geared more toward agriculture. It counts more than 270 contractors, including the big irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley. It has historically supplied water for 3 million acres of farmland. The federal waterworks also serves communities in the Bay Area and wildlife refuges. 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. The project, which captures water from the southern Cascades to the southern Sierra Nevada, consists of 20 dams and reservoirs including the states largest, Shasta Lake and operates more than 500 miles of canals and pipelines to deliver water. It also operates 11 power plants. This year, because of the drought, federal water managers announced that no project water would be sent to many of its contractors, effectively a 0% allocation. Those who receive water are doing so because of contractual obligations that date back decades or because of health and safety issues. Faring best are senior water rights holders, typically farmers and irrigation districts. This is not because the project allocates water based on water rights but because the federal government, to operate its project, committed to providing water to senior users who were drawing water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds before the project began drawing water. Senior users are those with water rights dating back the longest. But even those users are falling far short of what they normally get. This year, because of low flows, federal water managers made a deal with senior users in the Sacramento River watershed to take less than what theyre due just 18% of what they requested. While the projects municipal and industrial contractors were officially allocated no water, the federal government is providing these customers enough to meet minimum health and safety needs. The Contra Costa Water District in the East Bay, for example, is getting 34% of its requested allocation. Agricultural contractors who dont have senior water rights in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river watersheds are not getting any project water. In the Friant (Fresno County) area, some contractors are receiving limited deliveries because the source of water there is different than in the rest of the project area, and federal managers say water is available. The Central Valley Project has historically delivered about 7 million acre-feet of water annually. Yoohyun Jung and Kurtis Alexander are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: yoohyun.jung@sfchronicle.com, kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @yoohyun_jung, @kurtisalexander The man arrested last week following a fatal shooting inside a Muni train will face two counts of felony gun crimes and no homicide charge, according to defense attorney Randy Knox, who called his clients case a clear example of self-defense. Javon Green, 26, was arrested and booked last week on suspicion of murder, possession of a weapon and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in an incident that left 27-year-old Nesta Bowen dead at the scene. A second victim, a 70-year-old man, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. San Francisco police arrested Green the day after the shooting, after publicly circulating images of the suspect taken from the trains security cameras. Knox said prosecutors plan to charge Green with having a concealed weapon in a public place and having a loaded gun in a public place. While the counts will be charged as felonies, Knox said there is a possibility of getting them reduced to misdemeanors. Prosecutors with San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudins office on Monday declined to comment. Green was expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday. Police last week offered few details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting and did not mention the possibility of Bowen attacking Green with a knife. Surveillance footage obtained by The Chronicle appears to show the alleged shooter being attacked by a man believed to be Bowen with a knife just before he opened fire at his assailant. The footage begins with the two men sitting next to each other on a sparsely populated train car. The shooter, who is wearing dark clothing and a green hat, matches the description of the image circulated by police and identified as Green. Knox said he has viewed the surveillance video and that its consistent with what his client told him. Knox also relayed an account of the incident he said was provided by his client and that he said occurred before the events captured on footage viewed by The Chronicle. Knox said Green twice tried to move away from the man believed to be Bowen. In their first encounter, Green said he and the other man were only the two people on the train, and that the man was mumbling to him and saying aggressive things. Green said he walked away and that the man followed him to the second location on the train, which is where the video starts, Knox said. Knox said his client witnessed the man take a knife out of his pants and that Green said to him, What are you going to do, stab me? And thats when he started to run away, Knox said. Its a clear case of self-defense. Knox said his client had the gun for self-protection. Green works as a security guard, Knox said, and has been shot at twice in the past. 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. The video reviewed by The Chronicle begins with the man in dark clothing talking to another man in an orange shirt who is seated next to him. The tenor and content of their conversation isnt clear the videos The Chronicle reviewed did not include audio. At one point, the men stand up, and the man in orange can be seen reaching for something in his back pocket before charging at Green. Green, who is carrying a backpack, quickly backs up as the other man advances. The man in the orange swings at Greens face with his fist and what appears to be a knife in one hand. As the melee approaches the end of the train car, Green can be seen holding the gun and shooting at the man in orange, who falls to the floor. After the shooting, Green is seen walking to the other end of the train car and seemed to say something to the other passengers. Knox told The Chronicle that Green apologized to the 70-year-old man whom he shot and to other passengers on the train. The shooting occurred between Forest Hill and Castro stations, and police said Green fled when the train reached Castro Station. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle A traffic collision following what Oakland police described as a sideshow left one person dead and several injured early Sunday morning, law enforcement officials said. The crash occurred yesterday at the 5400 block of International Boulevard at around 2 a.m., according to the police department. Officers arrived on the scene to find an unresponsive male and three additional males suffering from injuries due to the collision. A San Francisco Police Department officer was arrested and booked on multiple charges of grand theft, insurance fraud, identity theft and forgery last week, the department announced Monday. Officer Adam Eatia, a 15-year veteran of the department, surrendered to authorities on June 24 after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Eatia is the fourth SFPD officer who has been arrested this year. According to SFPD, Eatia committed theft by false pretense involving a car accident when he allegedly made fraudulent complaints that the damaged vehicle was not insured, SFPD said. Eatia allegedly took money from the victim as compensation for the damage while he was off duty, they added in a statement. Eatia also allegedly made fraudulent claims to his insurance company about the vehicle and impersonated an SFPD sergeant on his application for insurance, the department said. The actions of this SFPD member violate the law and regrettably fall far short of our departments shared values, said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, who made the exact same statement when three other police officers were arrested in April. According to SFPD, investigators were notified of the incident in August 2019, and in September of 2021, Eatia was transferred to an assignment with non-public contact. It was unclear whether he would face disciplinary consequences at SFPD. In April, two current SFPD officers and one retired officer were arrested and accused of felony-level crimes that included illegal posession of a machine gun and destroying evidence, The Chronicle reported. Retired SFPD officer Mark Williams was arrested after allegedly being found with a firearm that was missing from evidence; he was also charged with possession of a machine gun, possession of a silencer and embezzlement, all felonies. 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. In a separate incident, officers Kevin Lyons and Kevin Sien were arrested for allegedly destroying or concealing evidence. Officials told The Chronicle that after a San Francisco hotel reported finding luggage that contained multiple credit cards, IDs and suspected methamphetamine, Lyons and Sien told employees it would take too long to file the evidence and instead shredded the cards and flushed the drugs down the toilet. Lyons, a 21-year SFPD veteran, and Sien, a five-year veteran, were both transferred to assignments that dont involve contact with the public, according to officials, who declined to say whether the pair would face internal disciplinary actions. Annie Vainshtein (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain Aaliyah Nitoto makes wine, but not from grapes. Instead, the Oakland winemaker ferments California-grown flowers such as lavender, marigold, hibiscus and rose. The finished products from her Free Range Flower Winery look like grape wine and clock in at a similar alcohol level but they taste like something wholly their own. (They do not, however, taste like soap or perfume.) Nitoto is the only person making commercial flower wine in California to her knowledge, and since launching her business in 2018, shes quietly amassed a following in the Bay Area. Her bottles can be found at wine shops small and large, from San Franciscos Canyon Market to the national chain Total Wine. Free Range Flower even made a cameo in the NBC sitcom Grand Crew. After years of running the winery on a shoestring budget Nitoto still has a day job, in health care Free Range Flower is maturing. In March, Nitoto was one of 35 recipients, out of more than 12,500 applicants, of a $10,000 Sage Invest in Progress Grant for Black female entrepreneurs. Last fall, she opened a tasting room in Livermore, where she holds lively parties for wine club members. These days, shes going through inventory quickly: Shed been sold out of her wines for months when she bottled a new batch on June 25. Still, as the business grows, Nitoto finds herself having to explain to customers that making flower wine isnt some newfangled innovation, as many assume. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Nitoto stumbled upon the idea while reading The Way of Herbs, a book by Michael Tierra about herbalisms health benefits. Shed been interested in wine for a long time, though attempts to land a winery internship during college were unsuccessful. A brief, two-sentence passage in the book about flower wines piqued her interest. That set her off on a research quest. I found this whole history of women making wine with flowers, and I just kind of fell down that rabbit hole, Nitoto said. She read about creations from the chrysanthemum wines made during Chinas Han Dynasty to the dandelion wines of colonial America. She found a simple recipe and, in 2008, made her first batch in a pot in my closet, she said, with lavender. It would take a decade of homespun experimentation before Nitoto formally began her business. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle To make her wines, Nitoto starts with flower petals sometimes fresh, sometimes dried and macerates them in water before beginning the fermentation. Flowers contain a starch that can be fermented into alcohol, but theres not enough fermentable material to result in a wine of, say, 11% to 14% alcohol, the range of most grape wines. So she needs to add another fermentable sugar source. That can be actual sugar, though Nitoto also uses citrus juice, which has the additional benefit of acidity. While Nitoto purchases the petals for her three main wines marigold, lavender and rose-hibiscus from distributors, she experiments with foraged blooms too. On walks in Oakland, she started noticing pineapple guava flowers, whose pink stamens look like little fireworks, she said, and she ended up making a batch of wine with flowers shed picked by hand from a co-workers backyard tree. Nitotos next experiment is with red clover, a flower she used to munch on as a child growing up in Rhode Island. Its natural to reach for familiar analogues when describing these creations. Nitoto tends to describe her marigold wine, for example, as tasting like an aged Chardonnay. But the comparisons go only so far. Ultimately, these drinks defy the neat categories of grape wines; theyre sui generis. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Take marigold. The aged-Chardonnay comparison is apt insofar as the wine is a deep golden color with some oxidative notes that you might expect to find in an older vintage, and a citrusy burst that comes from the lemon juice Nitoto adds. Much more than Chardonnay, however, it smells like marigolds, as evocative as if you were standing in a flower field. Its savory and herbaceous, recalling thyme and sea salt. A better grape-wine benchmark could be Sherry, the Spanish fortified wine known for capturing the briny quality of the Mediterranean Sea. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle If theres an analogue for Nitotos RoseHybiscus, it might be a carbonic Pinot Noir. The wine is a vibrant, translucent magenta color, exploding with juicy flavors of sour cherry, cranberry and orange (another citrus addition), along with the sorts of flavors one might expect from an oak barrel, like sandalwood and vanilla, despite the wine never having touched oak. This one has some tannin from the flower petals, making it taste even more vinous, though the texture here feels softer, more tealike, than Pinot Noir. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Coming up with a parallel for Lavender, Nitotos original creation and, she admits, her favorite is trickier. This one is sharp, herbal, assertively floral. It tastes like anise, juniper and the bittersweet flavor of lemon rind, all amplified by bubbly carbonation. There is something vermouth- or amaro-like about Lavender, with its complex botanical profile and that resounding, refreshing bitterness. Those who seek out the extreme herbal flavors of hoppy IPAs would find something to love here as well. Drinkers who have never tried flower wines might wonder whether they taste like some of the cloyingly floral food products that have become popular recently, like rosewater desserts and lavender lattes. Flowers are always delightful to smell, but not always to taste. Nitotos wines avoid these pitfalls. Shes careful to make sure they dont recall soap or your grandmothers bathroom. You have to be really precise in how youre using the flowers, she said. She doesnt work with some blooms, like geraniums, that veer too perfumy. Its a fine line to walk: making wines that dont taste too flowery but still taste like flowers. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles senior wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Of all the people to suggest that Supreme Court cases that established the right for gays and lesbians to marry, and struck down so called anti-sodomy laws, why would Justice Clarence Thomas do this? Someone should remind Thomas that he himself has exercised his freedom to marry interracially, upheld by the 1967 Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia. Though he has been granted his freedom, he has suggested that the court should consider rescinding the freedom granted to men and women to marry partners of their choice, and has further suggested that the court should consider rescinding the freedom of men or women to chose whether they can have sex with individuals of the same or opposite sex. Darryl Raszl, San Francisco Protest by voting Are you as outraged as I am over the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade? Do you feel helpless? Dont. Theres one thing the Supreme Court cannot take away from you and thats your right to vote. Exercise that right every time you have the opportunity. Put individuals who think as you do in a position to make a difference. If youre still hesitant, remember how the Supreme Court gutted the 1965 Voting Right Act in 2013? Vote in the midterm election and every election while you still have that right before the Supreme Court tries to take that away from you, too. That is the best way to make your voice heard Bonnie DeClark, San Rafael End of Roe is not a ban Please help readers understand that the Supreme Court did not ban abortions; it decided that the Constitution does not confer that right. Please note from the decision: The Court emphasizes that this decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion. Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. The Court overrules those decisions and returns that authority to the people and their elected representatives. I would encourage those who may want to protest or weaponize the decision for political purpose to read the whole decision; its not that long. It does not threaten gay marriage. A real understanding would help both those who support and those who oppose it. Charles Precobb, Menlo Park Trumps coup succeeds As we have seen in the House January 6 committee hearings, Donald Trumps many attempts to invalidate the 2020 election results were thwarted by people whose sense of honor prevented them from giving in to his demands. We breathed a sigh of relief, knowing how close he had come to succeeding in his grab for power. But in the past few days, we realized that Trump has succeeded in his coup attempt after all. Trump essentially took over the judicial branch of our government by selecting Supreme Court justices who lacked honor, conscience or even honesty. This is one coup that cannot be ended in the next election. Along with our children and grandchildren, we will all suffer the consequences of this coup. The Supreme Court justices installed by president found to be corrupt and dishonorable should resign or be rendered ineffective. Are the rights of same-sex partners to sexual intimacy and marriage on the chopping block now that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe v. Wade? Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote for the majority of the Supreme Court in the ruling that eliminated the right to an abortion, says not to worry. But his explanation of why those rights are safe doesnt make a lot of sense. Alito says sexual intimacy and marriage equality are different from abortion because abortion involves a potential life. The problem is that potential life had nothing to do with the courts reasons for overruling Roe v. Wade. And the rationale the court did use very much threatens marriage and sexual intimacy. The court said that Roe was egregiously wrong not because it failed to take potential life into account but because the constitution does not mention abortion or even a right to privacy, and no right to abortion has long been recognized in the United States. We only use the Constitution to enforce a right not specifically set out in the document, the court said, if it is a right society has long recognized. Abortion, the court said, didnt qualify, so no constitutional protection. Much the same, however, can be said of marriage for same sex couples and for most if not all sexual intimacy. In much of the United States, any form of sex that did not hold out the possibility of creating children was illegal until the mid-20th century the enduring heritage of our colonial forbearers. Marriage for same-sex couples was pretty much unheard of in the United States until the mid-20th Century. And guess who made that point about marriage for same-sex couples not being protected by the Constitution because it was not historically available to them? Justices Alito, Clarence Thomas and John Roberts in dissenting opinions to the 2015 case that guaranteed equal marriage rights for same sex couples. Here is Alito, joined by Thomas: In this country, no State permitted same-sex marriage until the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held in 2003 that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violated the State Constitution ... Nor is the right to same-sex marriage deeply rooted in the traditions of other nations. No country allowed same-sex couples to marry until the Netherlands did so in 2000. What (those arguing in favor of a constitutional right to same sex marriage) seek, therefore, is not the protection of a deeply rooted right but the recognition of a very new right, and they seek this innovation not from a legislative body elected by the people, but from unelected judges. Marriage and sexual intimacy are constitutionally different from abortion as the court sees it in a way that should protect those rights. But while the court has used history to decide what individual rights U.S. society has historically recognized, it has not used history to decide who got to exercise the rights. Even though unwed fathers had no legal relationship with their children until the 20th century, they had the same constitutional parental rights as legally married parents. The historical right to marry itself did not apply to interracial couples until the mid-20th century. Still, individual members of those interracial couples had the constitutional right to marry that others do. Those cases make sense. The 14th Amendment, passed after the Civil War, protects liberty and privileges and immunities (19th century language for basic human rights) from state interference. Those general words are the basis for protecting historically respected rights not specified in the Constitution. And right alongside those protections is another, which guarantees all persons the equal protection of the law. History tells us what liberty is; equal protection tells us all of us have it. But guess again who has rejected the argument that equal protection should keep states from excluding same-sex couples from marriage. Thats an easy one: Alito, Thomas and Roberts. Heres how Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Thomas, put it: In any event, the marriage laws at issue here do not violate the Equal Protection Clause, because distinguishing between opposite-sex and same-sex couples is rationally related to the States legitimate state interest in preserving the traditional institution of marriage. In overruling Roe, guess who brushed aside the powerful argument that laws against abortion deny women equal protection? Guess who ruled I am not making this up that laws against abortion discriminate not against women but against people who become pregnant? That would be Alito and Thomas, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanagh and Amy Coney Barrett. All of this is to say that any recent assurances the court has given us that sexual intimacy and marriage for same-sex couples are not rights that might be taken away has nothing to do with its reason for taking away the right to abortion. It is, as lawyers like to say, a distinction that makes no legal difference. Furthermore, the solid constitutional reason, equal protection of the law, for continuing to protect the rights to sexual intimacy and marriage for same-sex couples has already been rejected by the leaders of the conservative block on the court, even including its chief. The court will likely leave the rights to marry and to sexual intimacy alone if it thinks the damage in overruling them is not worth what it would do to its already crumbling institutional legitimacy. If the blow back from overruling Roe clips the justices wings enough, and they think married gays are a minor problem, these cases are safe. But, boy, thats a slender reed for protecting the right to love and be together. Matt Coles is a professor of constitutional law at UC Hastings. He previously ran the ACLUs National LGBT Project and participated in landmark LGBT cases on equality, sexual intimacy and marriage. Legislators in the California Assembly ripped a page out of Texas anti-abortion playbook on Monday when they passed a measure designed to clamp down on gun violence by letting private citizens sue the makers and sellers of assault weapons and parts for untraceable ghost guns. But the effort could face a major obstacle in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling last week, in which the courts conservative majority signaled its willingness to strike down stringent state firearm laws. Assembly members voted 50-19, largely along partisan lines, to approve SB1327 by Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys (Los Angeles County), which is loosely modeled on a Texas law that all but bans abortions and relies on private citizens to enforce the law by allowing them to sue abortion providers and anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion. Californias law would create a private right of action so residents can file lawsuits seeking $10,000, plus attorneys fees, against companies that make or sell illicit firearms and untraceable gun parts. Assembly Member Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, helped carry SB1327 and said the state needed to act after a series of mass shootings across the country in recent months, including a shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. This puts the power back in the peoples hands, Ting told his colleagues before the vote. Were always offering prayers and thoughts and our sympathies. Really, those sympathies dont go very far. Were a legislative body, its time to take action. Californias effort likely faces headwinds, however, in the wake of another Supreme Court ruling last week (New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen), which required states to allow more people to obtain licenses to carry concealed, loaded guns in public. The courts rationale could have more far wide-ranging consequences: Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, in the majority opinion, that to impose gun laws, states must show that the restrictions are consistent with this nations historical tradition of firearms regulation. That approach could be used to help bolster challenges to Californias ban on semiautomatic firearms that the state defines as assault weapons, potentially rendering a portion of SB1327 unenforceable. Eugene Volokh, a professor at the UCLA School of Law who studies gun laws, said Californias ban on some types of weapons could be in jeopardy, particularly when it comes to blanket prohibitions on semiautomatic guns that have certain features, such as forward pistol grips or telescoping stocks. He said conservative justices might attempt to argue those measures dont substantially increase public safety. It makes it harder for the government to justify these kinds of laws, Volokh said of the latest ruling, the courts first major gun-related decision since 2008. Certainly, some of the conservative justices have expressed skepticism about theses bans. He said, however, that Californias ban on ghost guns which the user assembles using parts that are sold without serial numbers or background checks would likely be easier to defend because its difficult to argue that requiring serial number infringes on the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The states ban on guns it defines as assault weapons has been more embattled. Last year, a U.S. District Court judge declared the law unconstitutional and compared the guns to Swiss Army knives. But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed California to keep the law in effect while it appeals the lower courts ruling. The Ninth Circuit last month also ruled that a California law banning the sale of semiautomatic weapons to those under 21 was unconstitutional. SB1327 faces a final procedural vote in the state Senate before it heads to Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk. But the measure is all but guaranteed to become law given an earlier version passed in the Senate and the governor supports it. Newsom proposed the idea for a bounty-style law to combat illegal weapon sales back in December, after the Supreme Court upheld Texas abortion law a move that telegraphed the courts decision last week to overturn the constitutional right to abortion enshrined in the courts 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?! Newsom tweeted at the time. If thats the precedent then well let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets. The bill is one of more than a dozen gun-related measures that lawmakers are expected to send to Newsom this week. Another measure approved by the Senate on Monday, AB1594, by Ting, would allow residents to sue firearms manufacturers and retailers if they are harmed by their products and the company didnt follow state gun laws. Dustin Gardiner (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is staring down his last few days in office following a historic recall election. But he may not be out of the public spotlight or San Francisco politics for long. In his first interview since the June 7 election, Boudin told The Chronicle he has not ruled out running again for district attorney, either in the special election taking place this fall or in next years scheduled race. A lot of my supporters and endorsements and donors and Democratic clubs that were behind me are urging me to run now, or in 2023, Boudin said on Monday. Im committed, as I always have been my entire life, to doing the work to support our communities, to fight for a fairer system of justice. San Franciscos Board of Supervisors was expected to certify the results of this months election on Tuesday, starting a clock on Boudins final 10 days in office. Mayor London Breed has yet to publicly announce Boudins replacement, but she has interviewed candidates with prosecutorial experience, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. Her appointment would helm the District Attorneys Office until voters select the citys next D.A. in November. Boudins term would have ended in 2024. The past year has left Boudin with little time for reflection, he said. In the span of 10 months, Boudin witnessed the birth of his first child, the release of his long-imprisoned father, the death of his mother and, now, a vote that will force him to relinquish his office and his status as one of the most high-profile prosecutors in the country. Theres a lot to think about, Boudin said. I want to spend time with my family. The weekend after the election, I did the household errands and went shopping ... things I hadnt been able to do for months while running the office and fighting two separate recalls. After the election, Boudin said, he and his family went to Chile for a few days to celebrate his wifes grandfathers 94th birthday and to introduce him to his great-grandson. During that time, Boudin said he was also working remotely on the budget and other regular office meetings. Boudin edged out more moderate candidates in the 2019 race by promising to hold police officers accountable for wrongdoing, combat prison overcrowding and create policies for a more racially just criminal justice system. But the political winds began shifting about a year into his term, as pandemic-induced anxieties over a perceived rise in crime began to take hold. Though overall reported crime fell during his tenure, a spike in offenses like home burglaries and a series of shocking crimes committed by people already arrested on Boudins watch fueled a sense of lawlessness in the city. Critics also alleged mismanagement of his office and pointed to the many staffers who quit under his tenure. Boudins supporters argued that turnover is common after a change in leadership, and said they had no problems drawing in highly qualified new hires. Perhaps the most consequential of these cases was that of Troy McAlister, a man accused of a New Years Eve crime spree that ended with the deaths of two pedestrians, Hanako Abe and Elizabeth Platt, after McAlister allegedly struck them in a stolen car while intoxicated. McAlister had a long history of arrests in the months leading up to the crash, but his state parole was never revoked and the District Attorneys Office did not file any new charges. Many came to see the case as an indictment of Boudins policies and felt that criminals were too often allowed to go free without consequences. Just a few months later, two separate recall groups were actively campaigning to recall Boudin, and raising millions of dollars to do so. The final split for the recall vote was 55-45 in favor of Boudins ouster, a decisive outcome but a significantly thinner margin than the one that was predicted in the polls or counted during the first ballot returns. I was only in office for two months with our courts functioning at their normal capacity, Boudin said, referring to the first months of 2020, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And despite that, I was attacked for literally everything thats wrong in the city, things that have been wrong for decades. And so when you put in that context, Im actually really proud of the fact that we won a lot more votes in 2022 than we did in 2019. Boudin in 2019 won 86,712 votes in a ranked-choice election, narrowly overcoming the 83,872 that went to Suzy Loftus, whom the mayor appointed to fill former District Attorney George Gascons seat after he left to run for the same job in Los Angeles. There were 100,177 votes cast against the recall, compared to 122,588 ballots cast to unseat Boudin. Among the slate of reforms he enacted, Boudin, a former public defender, effectively barred his staff from asking for cash bail, gang enhancements, adding strikes for previous convictions that could boost prison time, and charging youths as adults. Many of Boudins policies, like the expansion of diversion programs, remain popular with voters, according to a San Francisco Examiner poll. Boudins loss in whats considered to be a liberal bastion like San Francisco touched off a torrent of speculation over what the results meant for national politics, particularly whether the recall reflected a growing resistance to the progressive prosecutor movement among Democrats. Boudin said conclusions about blowback against criminal justice reforms overlooked the unique realities of recall elections. Recalls are extremely odd elections, especially in San Francisco, he said. Unlike the governors recall, I wasnt competing against other candidates. There werent contribution limits, and there was no requirement that voters choose between competing platforms or visions or policy. Boudin noted that more than $7 million was spent by the recall supporters, more than double what his team collected. Not a single affirmative idea or policy or candidate was put forward, and despite that we got more votes than we did in 2019. 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. Boudin acknowledged there were things he could have done differently, both while running the office and on the recall campaign trail. We make mistakes every day. All of us do, he said. And certainly when youre running a bureaucracy of over 300 staff members, things go wrong. And in the criminal justice system, were managing, every day, a huge amount of risk. Boudin also admitted to what he characterized as a lack of political shrewdness that might have helped him win over some of the voters who chose to oust him. I didnt make major changes when political winds shifted or when it was politically expedient to do so, he said. But the reality is I wouldnt have implemented any of those policies if I didnt believe that they made our city safer. Boudins fear, he said, is that the person appointed with no mandate, having not gone through the traditional vetting of a normal election where theyre asked for a specific policy commitment, will not publicly reverse course, but instead quietly, slowly undermine the work that weve done these last 2 years. When asked about the possibility of Boudin seeking the office again, Mary Jung, chair of the Safer SF Without Boudin recall campaign, said, Its a free country, but Chesa will be soundly rejected by voters again if he chooses to run for the office he was just ousted from. Voters just sent a clear message that they want a new District Attorney who will chart a better and safer path forward for San Francisco, Jung said in a statement. Jason McDaniel, a political scientist at San Francisco State University, said Boudin would likely gather a strong coalition of supporters among the citys liberal base if he chooses to run. Hes got a lot of popularity among the progressive coalition here in San Francisco, he said. If they have any doubts or tensions over this, it will be very difficult for them to resist that lure of name recognition. Because theres nobody else who will have that similar level of name recognition. Regardless of whether he runs again, Boudin said he will continue his career in criminal justice reform. There are better ways to solve the problems were facing in San Francisco, he said. Im committed to continuing to work on developing those solutions. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A group of angry parents will square off against the San Francisco school board Tuesday over the removal of a longtime elementary school principal who uttered the n-word several times while rebuking the use of the slur by a student and during a subsequent investigation into the incident. The conflict has escalated during the past few weeks with more than 28,000 people joining a letter writing campaign defending Principal Carol Fong while those representing the African American community have called for zero tolerance of district staff who use the word, although they did not explicitly call for her dismissal or transfer. The issue has again exposed the racial conflict seen in city schools between the Asian American community, specifically Chinese American groups, and the Black community, most recently reflected in the debate over the school assignment process at Lowell High School. It also brings up questions about the districts approach to conflict resolution at schools, called restorative justice, and whether it extends to adults in the community. The district launched an investigation into Fong in January after parents filed a formal complaint over Fongs use of the racial epithet. According to the principal and parents, Fong called a meeting of fifth-grade students following a fight on the playground, during which one student used the racial epithet. In the course of explaining that the slur is unacceptable and hurtful, Fong spoke the word several times to students and later to district staff. In my recounting of the incident out in the yard, I made the mistake of recounting the n-word in its entirety. Although the intention was to teach my students (knowing 40% of them are from non-English speaking families) that saying the n-word was inappropriate, in hindsight, I should not have used the full word, she said in her May 24 apology letter. In the course of the investigation, I recounted the incident verbatim to district staff. This included the verbatim use of the N-word the student said during the incident. Ulloa Elementary families said they will protest the decision to reassign Fong before Tuesdays meeting and then will call for the district to keep her at the school during public comment. Fong has served at the school, located in the Outer Sunset, for 20 years. Fong could not be reached for comment. The districts African American Parent Advisory Council and representatives from the San Francisco NAACP have called for the district and school board to listen to Black families who have been drowned out during the process. Fong notified families on Friday that Superintendent Vincent Matthews decided to involuntarily transfer her out of the school. The decision followed months of investigation into the incident as well as a restorative justice process that required the principal to apologize to students and parents and participate in diversity training, among other actions, which she fulfilled, parents said. It is my job to think about the best interests of Ulloa students, said Matthews in response to Fongs removal. The community will be involved in selecting a new permanent principal for Ulloa. The Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP, participated in meetings with Fong during the investigation and restorative process. We were about restorative justice, Brown said Tuesday. However, there were parents in that meeting whose cup of endurance had overflowed and were at their wits end. Some felt Fong had mishandled the situation and that her apology was insincere, Brown said, adding he was not aware of Fongs reassignment until it was publicly announced. Parents, however, said they were blindsided by the decision, which came a month after Fongs public apology and well after school let out for the summer. Fong has been offered a program administrative position at the districts central office, officials said. Parents have signed petitions and many emailed district leaders asking for more information about the process, while defending Fong, who they believe used the slur while trying to navigate cultural differences or misunderstandings. The school, which has 530 students, is nearly 80% Asian American, 6% Latino, 4% white and less than 1% African American. Nearly 40% are English learners and 53% from low-income families. Vid Tubtimscharoon, whose son is entering the third grade at Ulloa, understands the challenge that Fong faced in trying to create a teachable moment with a student body that has a large immigrant population. The districts African American Advisory Council, however, said Fong repeated the word multiple times and caused harm to students and families. 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. We acknowledge that the use of the n-word initially used by Principal Fong when speaking to an auditorium full of fifth-grade students and staff could have been a misguided attempt at a teachable moment, the group said in a May 22 letter to district leadership, however, after being called out on the use of the slur and educated on the impact and history of the word, Principal Fong willfully continued to use the slur several more times when speaking to parents, staff and even her supervisor. Several parents have appealed to district administrators in support of Fong. In one case, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools Eleva Hughes Gibson replied via email, saying that using the N-word multiple times with various people in numerous places is a racist practice. Many Ulloa parents acknowledged that the use of the word was wrong but believed the restorative process was completed and the healing could begin without further discipline, said parent leader Selena Chu. The restorative justice process is to communicate and to educate and have a second chance, Chu said. Usually the outcome is positive unless the person is not willing to comply. Principal Fong, according to the information we heard about, shes already complied. The citys Chinese American Democratic Club and Supervisor Gordon Mar also weighed in on the situation. This Principal is highly regarded in the school community with the 20,000+ signed petitions from the community as a reflection of the demonstrated long standing support and faith in this principal, the clubs leadership said in a letter to the superintendent on May 26. Please ensure these voices are not silenced in determining an outcome. Mar called on SFUSD officials to consider Fongs long history with the district. I urge the District to engage in a fair and thoughtful process that validates the concerns of families who may feel harmed while also recognizing Principal Fongs exemplary track record of achievements as an educational leader, Mar said. Jill Tucker and Chasity Hale are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com chasity.hale@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker @chas_hale San Francisco plans to get rid of single-family zoning and instead allow fourplexes in every neighborhood and six-unit homes on all corner lots, a change long sought by housing development advocates. But champions of greater housing density are worried that San Franciscos legislation might result in very few new homes being built. They fear that restrictive provisions limiting who can take advantage of the new permissions and how fast property owners can get their projects approved will stymie new construction. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors narrowly approved the legislation, which is intended to alleviate the citys notorious housing crunch. The vote marks the culmination of more than a years work by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to pass legislation that would promote fourplexes in San Francisco. In early 2021, Mandelman announced a more modest plan that failed to advance. He returned last summer with a new proposal that the board passed in a 6-4 vote Tuesday, with Supervisors Ahsha Safai, Catherine Stefani, Shamann Walton and Matt Dorsey dissenting. Supervisor Connie Chan was absent. Some supervisors opposed the legislation because it circumvents the fast-tracked permit approval process required by a new state law SB9 that was passed to promote the construction of more multi-unit housing. With the ordinance, Mandelman and co-sponsor Supervisor Myrna Melgar are trying to encourage more density while preserving local control over new development. Mandelman has acknowledged that his legislation leaves more work to be done to address the housing crisis. I share the frustration of those who feel that a measure that was already modest and incremental to begin with ended up even more so after working its way through the legislative process, but I believe todays vote is nonetheless a move in the right direction for San Francisco, Mandelman said in a statement after the vote. Still, the reality is that this board needs to do better and be bolder if we are to have any hope of achieving the significant increase in housing production required by state law and demanded by the moment. Richard Hillis, the citys planning director, said the impact of the fourplex ordinance will likely be fairly small as measured by new housing units. But he called the act of ending single-family zoning a pretty big step at least in terms of recognizing that building multi-family rather than single-family homes is good policy. But he added that hes nervous that the changes theyre making are either not going far enough, or theyre putting requirements in place that will result in too few units being produced. Currently, about 40% of San Franciscos land area is zoned for only single-family homes. The ordinance rezones all those areas to allow duplexes by default. Property owners can then receive a density exception from the city that allows them to build up to four units, six on corner lots. Any one building more than two units would have those extra units subject to rent control a program that some developers say can make the economics of building more homes harder to pencil out. And only those who have owned their properties for at least five years or inherited it from a family member who did can qualify for the density exception at all. The latter provision, implemented in committee at the urging of Supervisor Dean Preston, could hamstring the ordinances ability to translate into much new development, some observers say. Preston pushed the restriction in order to prevent rampant real estate speculation. But critics say the ownership restriction could simply push more developers toward building more expensive duplexes and single-family homes rather than more affordable fourplexes. That doesnt make sense to us in terms of what we think the public policy objective should be, which is ... to encourage more small units and more rent-controlled units, said Tom Radulovich, the executive director of Livable City. Todd David, executive director of the Housing Action Coalition, said he thought the original version of the bill wouldnt have much of an impact, but the amendments made that even more true. They took the original policy they knew would create little housing and they added some additional bells and whistles to ensure that it will create very little to no housing, David said. Additionally, the ordinance allows San Francisco to get around a key provision of SB9. The 2021 state law lets homeowners who want to add extra units get approval through a streamlined process that bypasses city officials ability to use their discretion to reject housing developments. But the law applies only to areas zoned for single-family homes, so San Franciscos rezoning of the whole city would make SB9 no longer apply to the permit approval process. The San Francisco legislations end-run around SB9 was cited by Safai and Dorsey when they explained to their colleagues why they were voting against the local measure. I believe its too small of a step, said Safai, who had proposed his own fourplex ordinance that was not incorporated into Mandelmans. 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. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat and co-author of SB9, said in a statement after the board vote that, while Mandelmans original ordinance was a good-faith proposal, the amended version, sadly, doesnt cut it. The ordinance avoids SB9 without offering an alternative robust path to more housing, Wiener said. Even without San Franciscos restrictions, however, SB9 likely would have had limited impact in the city, according to housing experts and a Chronicle analysis. Mandelman has previously said he was open to discussing ways of fast-tracking permit approvals but that any such changes would have to be made by supervisors later. This is not the final statement on density in low-density neighborhoods, he said Tuesday. Hillis said that streamlining approval for fourplexes and sixplexes once the city is rezoned would likely require a ballot measure to amend the City Charter. San Franciscans are already voting on at least one amendment possibly two in November aimed at accelerating housing production for some projects. Wiener said he did not believe that San Francisco could rely on its newest fourplex law to comply with its state-mandated plan to meet housing production goals. The city must plan to build 82,000 units between 2023 and 2031. This is further evidence that the voters are going to have to take matters into their own hands to ensure San Franciscans have enough housing to meet our citys needs, he said in his statement. Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who supported the ordinance, said Tuesday that he was actually kind of shocked that there is opposition to this. He and Preston both said they believed the real reason for the resistance was that many of those in favor of more housing development also oppose rent control. Lets be clear: They hate rent control and that is why they are opposing a bill that increases density in San Francisco, Peskin said. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris 3 killed when train hit car were headed to funeral fundraiser in Contra Costa Three women killed when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into their car in Northern California were headed to a fundraiser at a vineyard for a Brentwood resident who died less than a week ago Jennifer Oliva is a professor of law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where she specializes in health care law and policy and is affiliated with the UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy. Valena Beety is author of the forthcoming book Manifesting Justice: Wrongly Convicted Women Reclaim Their Rights. She is deputy director of the Academy for Justice and a professor of law at the Arizona State University Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOKYO (AP) Toshiba shareholders approved 13 nominated directors to its board Tuesday, as the Japanese technology giant struggles to restore its one-time glory and set a clear leadership direction. Chief Executive Taro Shimada, who oversaw the annual shareholders meeting in Tokyo, said the majority had voted to OK that plan. He promised shareholders Toshiba Corp. would forge ahead with clean energy, infrastructure projects, data services, devices and storage. He stressed the Tokyo-based company had boosted profits for the latest fiscal year, ended in April, to 194.7 billion yen ($1.4 billion), up from 114 billion yen the previous fiscal year. By 2030, Toshiba is aiming for 5 trillion yen ($37 billion) in annual sales, up from about 3 trillion yen ($22 billion), now. During the question-and-answer session, several shareholders got up to express concern about the future of Toshiba, saying its management appeared confused and its brand image negative. Toshiba has been studying privatization as it tries to move ahead with the latest restructuring plan. Some potential investors are recommending Toshiba go private. At the meeting, several shareholders said they opposed privatization because Toshiba was involved in public works projects that widely affect society. Toshiba has also set up a special committee to oversee the restructuring efforts, headed by Jerry Black, who joined the board as an outside director in 2019. Black, who has extensive experience in Japanese management, also spoke at the shareholders meeting, stressing his commitment to bring back a strong Toshiba. In March, investors rejected a company-backed reform proposal to split Toshiba into two businesses. An earlier plan that also was scrapped had called for a three-way split. The options will now be narrowed, and there was no clear indication at Tuesdays shareholders meeting. But speculation is rife the bid will move forward because of the addition of those more likely to push for such a move, including Eijiro Imai, who works with Farallon Capital Japan, and Nabeel Bhanji, with Elliott Investment Management, a major investor in Toshiba. Japan Investment Corp., owned partly by the Japanese government, and U.S. investment fund Bain Capital are reportedly among those trying to acquire Toshiba. Black has said Toshiba is working closely with the Japanese government in evaluating its options. Toshiba, founded about 150 years ago, has been struggling since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. An earthquake and tsunami damaged a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, sending three reactors into meltdowns and spewing radiation over an area thats still partly a no-go zone. Toshiba is involved in decommissioning the damaged plant, which will take decades. Former chief executive Satoshi Tsunakawa, who tried to lead Toshiba through reforms in recent years, has been replaced by Shimada, formerly with Siemens. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama Gender and sex education are topics widely-debated among parents, students and community members in Midland. Rachel Crandall-Crocker is the founder of Transgender Michigan, the first organization in the nation to offer a trans help line. When she was a child, she said support resources for trans people, like her, were non-existent. At the same time, transgender people continue to suffer from high rates of bullying, violence and suicide. Before I came out, I was really isolated and it was really affecting my mental health, Crandall-Crocker said. I tried to come out to my parents when I was only eight and they had a very negative reaction. They told me that was the dirtiest thing I could say. She spent another 25 years in the closet before accepting herself, creating her non-profit and founding the annual International Trans Day of Visibility, March 31, which is now celebrated all over the world. LGBTQ+ rights have improved over the last 25 years thanks to activists like Crandall-Crocker, but she said there has been a lot of backlash against the queer community in the last six or seven years that can be seen in places including Texas and Mississippi. Crandall-Crocker said trans acceptance starts with educating children about diversity and respect from a young age. People come in all shapes and sizes and all genders, and we need to respect that, Crandall-Crocker said. LGBTQ+ students in Midland recently addressed their school board about this issue, advocating for education about pronouns and the gender spectrum. In an effort to spread information and awareness, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sector of Midland Highs National Honor Society had created a presentation about gender identity to share with their peers. They were ultimately unable to present to their target audience, however, as students were given the choice to opt-out of the presentation, which was considered controversial material. "The majority of cisgendered students do not know how to support, or even talk to, their transgender peers, senior Kyle Bacon said at the May 16 Midland Public Schools board meeting. "They don't know how pronouns work or that asking invasive questions is insensitive... Transgender youth is the most likely population of students to attempt suicide." Farwell Area Schools psychologist Matt Smith said avoiding discussion about gender can be detrimental to the mental health of trans youth. In Farwell, a small school district in rural Clare County, he said there are a handful of students that have completed paperwork to legally change their gender identity. A lot of the members of school boards are people that are very influential in the community, but may not be up to date on a lot of the trends and a lot of things that are occurring within the youth population, Smith said. Some parents believe students are too young to learn about gender-related topics: They say schools should focus on academics. Smith said with time and education, he hopes people will become more receptive to understanding the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether people agree with it or don't agree with it, just having an open mind and listening to that information that they want to provide, and educate others on, I think is really important, Smith said. Farwell schools recently instituted a Gay Straight Alliance Club, a resource for LGBTQ+ students to find and support one another. Smith said there are also straight and cisgender students in the club who support their LGBTQ+ peers by listening and learning. Harm endured by the trans community can be minimized by uplifting their accomplishments, having open discussions and educating one another about the existence of trans and gender-non-conforming identities. I think a lot of it's just the education and kind of learning about the differences and how to support them, he added. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Churches across the U.S. are tackling the big question of how to address homelessness in their communities with a small solution: tiny homes. On vacant plots near their parking lots and steepled sanctuaries, congregations are building everything from fixed and fully contained micro homes to petite, moveable cabins, and several other styles of small-footprint dwellings in between. Church leaders are not just trying to be more neighborly. The drive to provide shelter is rooted in their beliefs they must care for the vulnerable, especially those without homes. Its just such an integral part of who we are as a people of faith, said the Rev. Lisa Fischbeck, former Episcopal vicar and the board chair of Pee Wee Homes, an affordable housing organization building tiny abodes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Fischbeck led the Episcopal Church of the Advocate when it added three one-bedroom units on its 15-acre campus. The first residents, including the organizations namesake, Nathaniel Pee Wee Lee, moved into them in June 2019. Before that Lee, 78, had spent years sleeping in alleys, cardboard shelters and cars after medical issues ended his masonry career. Today he enjoys watching TV in his home, growing tomatoes and fishing in the nearby pond. I thank the Lord because this is mine and nobody can run me out, Lee said, breaking out in laughter as he sat on the porch of his little white house. Fischbeck said tiny homes can fit nearly anywhere, and an advantage to building them on church properties is they already have electricity, water and other infrastructure in place. I just feel so passionately that churches have space, she said. Just consider it. Its a dire need. The embrace of tiny homes as housing solutions can be found in both sacred and secular spaces. Within the Christian sphere, their use spans denominations. Often the tiny homes projects build on related ministries such as providing parking space for people living in their cars. Beneficiaries are generally welcome to attend worship services but not required to do so. Some churches projects are already up and running, while others are still working toward move-in day, like the Church of the Nazarene congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is assembling a tiny house community for chronically homeless people with local nonprofit Settled. We do not have a lot of property, said Jeff ORourke, lead pastor of Mosaic Christian Community in St. Paul. We have just strived to use every square inch of property that we have to be hospitable. This spring in El Cajon, California, Meridian Baptist partnered with local nonprofit Amikas to begin building emergency sleeping cabins on a slice of its property that Rolland Slade, the churchs pastor, said is usually unoccupied except by tumbleweeds. Mothers with children a hard-to-shelter demographic can stay for 90 days and be connected with the citys housing safety net for more permanent options. Bathrooms and a communal kitchen are in a nearby church building. Folks have said to me that six cabins are not going to make a difference, and I wholeheartedly disagree, Slade said. Well make the difference for at least six women. If they each have a child, thatll be six children. For help with construction, operation and dealing with bureaucratic hurdles, churches often turn to community organizations like Amikas, Pee Wee Homes and Settled. Firm Foundation Community Housing, in the San Francisco Bay Area, is another. It was launched by the Rev. Jake Medcalf, the former lead pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward, when the congregation built transitional tiny housing in its parking lot. Houses of worship not only have land to spare, Medcalf said, but are positioned to provide community in a way that really is humanizing and is a part of anybodys basic healing and recovery. In 2020, First Christian Church of Tacoma in Washington state became a host site for a tiny home community set up by the nonprofit Low Income Housing Institute. The nonprofit operates the village, allowing the congregation to contribute without overextending itself. We dont have a lot of money. We dont have a whole lot of people but we care a lot about it, and weve got this piece of property, said the Rev. Doug Collins, the churchs senior minister. Not everyone welcomes these projects into their neighborhoods. In Nashville, Tennessee, plans to put up tiny homes by Glencliff United Methodist Church prompted backlash and a lawsuit by some neighbors. Ultimately the Village at Glencliff prevailed, and today an arc of multicolored micro homes greet congregants as they pull into the churchs driveway. It specializes in helping people with medical issues, like William Green Bay Scribner, 37, who spent seven months recuperating there. Not only was he able to leave in better health, he said, village staff helped him land a more permanent apartment where he can host his young daughter overnight. For people with medical vulnerabilities like Scribner, housing is lifesaving, said the Rev. Ingrid McIntyre, a United Methodist minister and village founder. A nationwide survey, the last conducted without being impacted by the pandemic, found that about 580,000 people were homeless on a night in January 2020, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. The number, based on point-in-time counts, rose for the fourth year. So the tiny home movement on its own is too small to fix the whole problem, said Marybeth Shinn, a Vanderbilt University professor who has studied homelessness for decades. It would be hard to scale up to meet the overwhelming demand. Its good to help some people, but we need to figure out solutions that are going to help many more, Shinn said. Donald Whitehead, director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said he supports churches using their spare space to help homeless people and sees tiny homes as a great emergency option, but added that homeless people deserve standard-size housing like everyone else. It can be included in a menu of resources that would help to address homelessness, Whitehead said. If theres an opportunity to build a regular home at the same price, we would prefer that people build the regular home. Meanwhile, churches also are finding tiny homes useful as temporary housing in the wake of natural disaster. Months after a deadly December tornado ripped through Mayfield, Kentucky, some renters were still displaced. Bread of Life Humanitarian Effort, a Churches of Christ nonprofit, stepped in to help. With buy-in from Mayfield congregations, the nonprofit used donations that were pouring in and started putting up tiny homes wherever they could secure permission including next to Northside Church of Christ. Youve got people that are hurting, said Joel Crider, Bread of Lifes treasurer. Its our Christian duty to look out for them. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. maybefalse/Getty Images Californias Great America, a Bay Area amusement park that has entertained families for nearly five decades, will be closing its gates permanently in the near future. Cedar Fair, owner and operator of the park, announced on Monday that it has sold the land to Bay Area real estate developer Prologis for $310 million. The 112-acre property is nestled between Route 237 and Highway 101, directly next door to Levi's Stadium, and has its own dedicated light-rail stop. The deal stipulates that the park will close sometime within the next 11 years, although the exact timing has not been announced. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A 32-year-old woman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault as abortion protesters spent about 90 minutes inside the lobby of the South Carolina Statehouse during Tuesday's special session on the state budget, authorities said. The woman was seen on videos on social media yelling at police and putting her hands on an officer. She faces up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail if convicted of third-degree assault and battery, according to police. A German court has found a 101-year-old former concentration camp guard guilty of being an accessory to thousands of murders and sentenced him to five years in prison - the latest in a string of prosecutions of ex-Nazis in the country. The centenarian - who has maintained his innocence throughout his months-long trial in Neuruppin state court in east Germany - was convicted Tuesday of over 3,500 counts of accessory to murder. Prosecutors accused him of being an accessory to the murder of thousands of Jews, political prisoners and other minorities persecuted by the Nazis at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp from 1942 to 1945. "You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," a judge told the man Tuesday, as his verdict was read in a gymnasium in the town of Brandenburg an der Havel, where he lives. The man, identified internationally as Josef Schuetz and as Josef S. in Germany because of privacy laws, has repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed he was an agricultural laborer in a different area of the country at the time, according to Deutsche Welle. He was not identified at his sentencing hearing. "I don't know why I am here," Schuetz said on the last day of his trial Monday, according to Agence France-Presse. His attorney, Stefan Waterkamp, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. Waterkamp previously told AFP he would appeal a guilty verdict. According to Deutsche Welle, Schuetz is the oldest person ever tried in Germany for complicity with Nazi crimes during World War II. As The Post has previously reported, Schuetz's trial and recent conviction "reflects how law enforcement officials are racing against time to bring some closure for elderly Holocaust survivors and their families, as more and more Nazi personnel and their victims die in old age." Throughout Schuetz's trial, which began in October and has been paused several times because of his apparent ill health, prosecutors relied on old identification documents to build a case that he was a Nazi guard at Sachsenhausen between 1942 and 1945, during which time they alleged he aided and abetted the murder of different groups of prisoners by firing squad and poison gas, according to AFP. Tens of thousands of people died at Sachsenhausen, a forced-labor and death camp where Jews, Soviet prisoners of war and other persecuted minorities were killed by shooting and gas chamber. The camp was liberated by Soviet forces in April 1945. Schuetz said throughout his trial that he did not know what was taking place in the concentration camp and gave conflicting accounts of his whereabouts during World War II, AFP reported. "The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years," presiding judge Udo Lechtermann told Schuetz, according to the German news agency DPA. A German court set a precedent in 2011 with the conviction of John Demjanjuk, a 91-year-old accused of being an accessory to 28,000 murders while working as a guard at the Sobibor concentration camp run by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. The court's decision paved the way for convictions that largely rested on whether the defendant had served at a Nazi death camp where crimes had taken place. Prosecutors previously had to prove the accused had committed specific crimes against someone - a higher threshold, given the alleged events took place decades ago. Demjanjuk, who died in 2012, denied he had been a guard. While elderly people convicted of being former Nazis are not typically expected to serve time in prison, some argue that prosecuting and convicting them can restore a measure of justice to descendants of their victims, and ensure their crimes do not go unacknowledged. In another high-profile case, Irmgard Furchner, who went on the run hours before her trial last year, is still awaiting sentencing. The 97 year-old worked as a secretary in the Stutthof concentration camp between 1943 and 1945. Age just 18, Furchner became the private secretary to camp commander Paul Werner Hoppe. She stands accused of complicity in murder in 11,380 cases. According to German magazine Der Spiegel, Furchner married a former SS officer after the war and allegedly kept in contact with Hoppe and one of the former executioners at the concentration camp. Throughout her trial, she protested her innocence, arguing that she had no say over where she was posted during the war. - - - The Washington Post's Andrew Jeong and Florian Neuhof in Berlin contributed to this report. The County of Midland serves executive, legislative and judicial needs for its more than 84,000 residents. Midland County Administrator/Controller Bridgette Gransden, who leads the executive branch of Midland County's government, spoke with the Midland Daily News to highlight five areas of "need to know" information for residents of the County of Midland. Midland County Road Commission is not a part of the County of Midland entities. The road commission is an "entirely separate organization" from the County of Midland, Gransden explained. In some instances across the State of Michigan, road commissions have combined under the umbrella of the county administration and the legislature. Gransden estimated that roughly 10 to 12 years ago, legislation was adopted to allow such combining; however, Midland County chose not to do so. "At the time, the Board of Commissioners just felt like the road commission as an organization was operating just fine and chose not to fix something that wasn't broken," she said. The millage dollars for roads are split between the county, the road commission, and the City of Midland, based on State Equalized Value. "So essentially, the road commission is its own separate unit of government, and the partnering is primarily with the county board to appoint the road commissioners," Gransden said. GIS mapping makes veteran graves, bricks accessible There are more than 6,000 military veterans in Midland County. The County of Midland has GIS-mapped road, floodplain and school district data. But, more recently, the county has two GIS map projects to highlight veteran graves in 19 cemeteries and engraved bricks that rest at the Midland County Courthouse Memorial site. "All you have to do is search by name," Gransden said. "We used our GIS coordinator's skills along with our new drone." To view the GIS projects, visit the County's website. Midland Broadband Committee: High-speed Internet is no longer a luxury The County participated in a study through Connected Nation, with the help of the Midland Area Community Foundation and Midland Business Alliance. The study revealed expectations of room for progress with Internet access. Some of the county's ARPA funds are being used, while the county works on collaborating with other counties in Michigan to view possible models and paths for progress. "Our kitchen tables were turned into school rooms .... it's really important for us, as far as equity and inclusion, to be able to have as much (Internet) service and make it affordable as possible across the community," Gransden said. Midland County recognized for financial responsibility Every year since 1991, the county has been awarded the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Excellence in financial reporting for its annual audit, which is one of the highest levels of assurance that the County of Midland is being responsible with taxpayer dollars. "We're very proud of that," Gransden said. "We strive to continue that longstanding tradition of submitting the report for review, and we always feel confident that we're going to get the certification. "If we didn't, it would be kind of a blow to my ego," Gransden joked. General operating millage remains near levels of 90s The county's general operating millage has been at 4.8955 mills for the last 30 years. The average taxpayer pays around $490 in summer taxes. One of the special millages, or millage for a specific program or service, is for the county infirmary, or Pinecrest Farms. It is one of only two county infirmaries in the state, after the other Michigan counties converted their infirmaries to medical care facilities. "We continue to operate Pinecrest similar to an adult foster care, (so) it can be a place of last resort for people who need help and don't have other places to go," Gransden said. In 2007, the county requested residents to approve a millage that supported the operations of Pinecrest and would help renovate the building at the time. The millage is at .37 mill currently. "The Midland community has shown that they are extremely compassionate and want to, or are willing to, pay for the services that they want to see to improve quality of life in this community," Gransden said. NEW YORK Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, on Tuesday said the Staten Island district attorney should investigate Rudy Giuliani for falsely reporting a crime while campaigning for his son. Giuliani had claimed that he was assaulted at a Staten Island supermarket, an allegation that resulted in the arrest of an employee there named Daniel Gill. But video footage later obtained by the New York Post showed Gill patting Giuliani on the back, seriously undermining Giulianis allegations that he had been physically assaulted and almost knocked down. Those allegations were amplified by Giulianis son, Andrew Giuliani, who is competing for the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesdays primary. Prosecutors ultimately downgraded their charges against Gill from second-degree assault, a felony, to third-degree assault, second-degree harassment, and third-degree menacing, all misdemeanors. Gill spent more than 24 hours in police custody. On Tuesday, Adams said prosecutors should turn their attention to Giuliani instead. I think the district attorney, he has the wrong person that hes investigating, Adams said, during an unrelated media address in Harlem. To falsely report a crime is a crime. If that video wasnt there, then this person would have been charged with punching the former mayor. Adams said he was talking to the police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, about whether Giulianis actions themselves constituted a crime. When you look at the video, the guy basically walked by and patted him on the back, Adams said. It was clear that he was not punched in the head. It was clear that it didnt feel like a bullet. It was clear that he wasnt about to fall to the ground. Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment. The Legal Aid Society, which is representing Gill, had no immediate comment. The DAs office is declining comment pending the open case and investigation, said Ryan Lavis, a spokesperson for Michael McMahon, the Staten Island district attorney. What if we didnt have the video? the mayor asked Tuesday. This person would have been accused with a serious crime, when all he did was pat the guy on the back. You cant do sensationalism to carry out your own agenda, and you cant use the police to carry out your own agenda. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Currently Reading Alert: Former White House aide says Trump was told by security official that crowd at Jan. 6 rally had guns and other weapons The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection held a surprise hearing Tuesday that featured a key witness: Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a top aide to President Donald Trump's last chief of staff, Mark Meadows. Hutchinson is not a household name, but she has become central to the committee investigation - sitting for recorded interviews and being the only live witness at the Tuesday hearing. In live testimony, Hutchinson provided an intimate, detailed and shocking look inside the West Wing, and at the president specifically, on the day of the attack. Here are some of her most stunning revelations about Trump: --- 1. Trump knew his supporters had weapons - and encouraged them to march on the Capitol. And he tried to go, too. Hutchinson testified that Trump was informed that some of his supporters in Washington, D.C., were armed to the teeth. On the morning of Jan. 6, she said, Meadows and Trump were informed that Trump supporters came to his "Stop the Steal" rally on the Ellipse armed with weapons - pepper spray, knives, brass knuckles, stun guns, body armor, gas masks, batons and blunt weapons, the committee detailed. The committee also played police calls reporting people with AR-15s. Hutchinson said Tony Ornato, the deputy chief of staff who served as a liaison for the Secret Service, told Meadows on the morning of Jan. 6 "something to the effect of, 'And these f---ing people are fastening spears on top of flagpoles.' " Trump was mad that the Secret Service wasn't letting these armed supporters through security, said Hutchinson, who was in a tent with the president before his rally speech. "I was in the vicinity of a conversation where I overheard the president say something to the effect of: 'You know, I don't even care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me,' " Hutchinson said. Trump then got onstage and repeatedly told his supporters: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol." --- 2. Trump wrestled with a Secret Security agent as he sought to go to the Capitol. After the speech, Trump got back in his heavily fortified limousine and literally tried to wrestle the steering wheel away from the head of his Secret Service detail to go to the Capitol, according to Hutchinson, who said she was repeating what she heard from Ornato. (The Secret Service decided it was too dangerous.) Here's how Hutchinson relayed what she heard from Ornato about the moment: "The president said something to the effect of 'I'm the f-ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now,' to which [Robert Engel, the head of the Secret Service detail] responded, 'Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing.' The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said: 'Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing. We're not going the Capitol.' Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel," Hutchinson testified, and said Ornato motioned to his clavicles to describe a kind of choking motion. --- 3. Trump threw dishes. Hutchinson was also in the room on Dec. 1, 2020, when Trump learned that his then-attorney general, William P. Barr, said in an interview with the Associated Press that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud that would call into question Joe Biden's win. "I remember hearing noise coming from down the hallway, so I poked my head out of the office," Hutchinson testified. She said she saw the White House valet inside the dining room, changing the tablecloth on the dining room table. "He motioned for me to come in, and then pointed toward the front of the room, near the fireplace mantle, where I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall and there's a shattered porcelain plate on the floor." She went on: "The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney general's AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall." Under questioning from Cheney, Hutchinson said this was not the first time the president had thrown dishes when he was mad. --- 4. Trump didn't want to call off the rioters. In the days leading up to attack, Hutchinson testified, White House counsel Pat Cipollone was frantically warning that if anyone from the White House, let alone the president, went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, they'd be charged with federal crimes. She said he told her, in language that sounded almost like begging: "Please make sure we don't go up to the Capitol, Cass. . . . We are going to get charged with every crime imaginable." Fast forward to Jan. 6, and the rioters had broken into the Capitol. Back at the White House, Hutchinson said, she saw Cipollone "barreling down the hallway" looking for her boss, Meadows. She overheard the conversation: "I remember Pat saying to him, something to the effect of, 'The rioters have gotten into the Capitol, Mark. We need to go down and see the president now.' And Mark looked up [from his phone] and said, 'He doesn't want to do anything, Pat.'" She said Cipollone continued to pressure Meadows to persuade Trump to call off the rioters: "Something needs to be done, or people are going to die, and blood is going to be on your f---ing hands. This is getting out of control." They both marched out of the office, down to the dining room where Trump was, she testified. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate TOKYO (AP) The rickshaw men in Tokyo are adding English-speaking staff, a sure sign Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad. Japans border controls to curb the spread of coronavirus infections began gradually loosening earlier this month. That's great news for Yusuke Otomo, owner of Daikichi, a kimono rental shop in Asakusa, an old district of Tokyo famous for its temples, quaint restaurants and rickshaw rides. He can barely contain his excitement. Those were a hard three years. But we managed to endure until today. And after such an experience, to think people from abroad can finally come back is simply thrilling, Otomo told The Associated Press. Im thinking that maybe, just as before COVID, my shop, the city of Asakusa and everyones hearts can flourish again. I cant wait. Before the pandemic, Asakusa was so brimming with foreigners they sometimes outnumbered the Japanese. After the coronavirus struck, the streets were deserted. Not a soul in sight, he said sadly. Some kimono rental stores folded. Restaurants were shuttered. The crowds are finally back with a gradual relaxing of the city's COVID-19 restrictions, which called for restaurants to close early and people to social distance and limit attendance at events. But most of the visitors are Japanese. Shuso Imada, general manager at JSS Information Center, a sake and shochu showroom in downtown Tokyo, said he has been feeling pretty lonely and is itching to tell foreign visitors about how to match the traditional Japanese rice wine with all kinds of non-Japanese food, even cheese and beef. In a way, we didn't have much to do and we just had to wait. The gates have now reopened, he said. But like others waiting for tourists, he acknowledged that the limited entry for tour groups now in effect may not allow time for a relaxing visit to his center. Visitors have to abide by guidelines requiring travelers to have a special coordinator, stay on specific routes and abide by rules like wearing masks and regularly using disinfectant. Before COVID, tourism was booming as a mainstay of Japan's economy, the world's third largest. Foreign visitors numbered a record 32 million in 2019 and the target for 2020 was 40 million. After COVID struck, the government gradually imposed very restrictive limits on foreign arrivals, for a time excluding many foreign residents. As of June 10, it is allowing foreign tourists to visit, but in limited numbers and only on group tours, not as individual travelers. Visas are required for nearly everyone, even those from countries that normally would have visa-free entry. And they're available only to travelers from 98 so-called blue countries, including the U.S., who are deemed to pose a minimal health risk and can enter without a quarantine if they show proof they tested negative for COVID within 72 hours of their departures. People entering Japan from countries considered to be a greater risk must quarantine for three days at home or in government-designated facilities. There is a daily cap on arrivals of 20,000 people, including all travelers. And the number of airports open to foreign tourists also is gradually expanding. Worries about COVID-19 remain. If infections shoot up again in another wave, pandemic precautions could be brought back. Japan, a crowded island nation, is wary about outside risks and infectious diseases. After about two years of seeing very few tourists, Japanese have some adjusting to do, Otomo and others said. So the authorities are taking it slow. I would love to have tourists from abroad come, as long as everyone, including myself, abides by the rules, like wearing masks and keeping sanitary standards, said Minaho Iwase, who was visiting Tokyo from Aichi, central Japan, recently. Many tourists might be deterred by the restrictions on independent travel. But some seem not to mind. When my friends asked me to join this trip to Japan, I immediately said, Yes. I visited Japan before. I love their food, their tradition, and their highly organized culture. Japan is great, said Sorrasek Thuantawee, an office worker who joined a group of eight Thais excitedly preparing to board a flight from Bangkok last week. Japan is a favorite destination, despite its not "opening up 100%," said Nuttavut Mitsumoto, the guide for the group, Thai travel agency Compax Worlds first to Japan since it relaxed its entry rules. The Japanese yen has weakened this year against the U.S. dollar and other currencies, making visits something of a bargain. A study last month by Money.co.uk, a free online service that compares financial products, found Osaka ranked fourth and Tokyo eighth for most affordable luxury travel, including Michelin star meals and five-star hotels. Back in Asakusa, rickshaw man Shunpei Katayama has yet to drive around his first post-COVID foreign tourist, but English-speaking drivers are back on the job. And for now, Japanese visitors from outside Tokyo are keeping him busy. Japanese who cant go to Guam and other spots abroad come visit Shibuya. And Asakusa, he said. On a recent day, Otomo was shooting photos of a Japanese mother and daughter dressed up in colorful kimono to attend a friends wedding in Tokyo. The foreign clientele that used to frequent his shop were so enthusiastic about dressing up as samurai, ninja and geisha, complete with swords and hair ornaments. Some quickly became friends, regardless of their nationalities, Otomo recalled a bit sentimentally. When theyre happy, Im happy. They get my adrenaline going, he said. ___ AP journalists Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok and Haruka Nuga in Tokyo contributed to this report. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A man who shot and killed a passenger on a San Francisco subway commuter train will be charged with gun crimes but not homicide in what was clearly" a case of self-defense after he was attacked with a knife, his attorney said Monday. Javon Green, 26, will face charges of having a concealed weapon in a public place and having a loaded gun in a public place, both felonies that possibly could be reduced to misdemeanors, attorney Randy Knox told the San Francisco Chronicle. Green was scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office declined to comment to the paper Monday. Messages from The Associated Press seeking comment weren't immediately returned. Green shot to death Nesta Bowen, 27, last Wednesday on a Muni train, his attorney said. Knox told the paper that his client was a security guard who carried a gun for protection because he had twice been shot, and that he had twice tried to move away from a man on the train who is believed to be Bowen. The man had been sitting next to Green. According to his client's account, the man was mumbling and saying aggressive things" to Green, who got up and walked away from him, but the man followed him and took a knife from his pants, Knox said. According to Knox, Green said to him, what are you going to do, stab me? And thats when he started to run away, Knox said. Its a clear case of self-defense. Surveillance footage obtained by the Chronicle appeared to show the man pulling something from his pocket and charging at Green, swinging at his face with his fist and what appears to be a knife, the paper said. Green backs up but as they approach the end of the train car, Green shoots the man, the paper said. Police said the shooter fled when the train stopped in the Castro neighborhood. Green was arrested the next day in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Pittsburg. A 70-year-old passenger on the train was wounded and received non-life threatening injuries. Knox said Green apologized to the man and to other train passengers. BALTIMORE (AP) Baltimores City Council passed a bill Monday to create a police accountability board. The bill passed with several amendments, news outlets reported. The amendments include allowing former officers to serve on the board and giving the police department two weeks to refer complaints instead of three days. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BOSTON (AP) The Biden administration, reacting to a federal court ruling in Texas, has suspended an order that had focused resources for the arrest and deportation of immigrants on those who are considered a threat to public safety and national security. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday it will abide by the decision issued this month, even though it strongly disagrees and is appealing it. Immigrant advocates and experts on Monday said the suspension of Bidens order will only sow fear among immigrant communities. Many living in the country illegally will now be afraid to leave their homes out of concern theyll be detained, even if theyre otherwise law-abiding, said Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University. Prioritizing whom to arrest and deport is a necessity, he said. We simply dont have enough ICE agents to pick up and put into proceedings everyone who violates our immigration law, Yale-Loehr said. The Texas case centers around a memorandum Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, issued last September, directing immigration agencies to focus their enforcement efforts on those who represented a threat to national security or public safety or who recently entered the U.S. illegally. The approach was a departure from President Donald Trumps administration, when immigration agencies were given wide latitude on whom to arrest, detain and deport, prompting many immigrants without legal status to upend their daily routines to evade detection, such as avoiding driving or even taking sanctuary in churches and other places generally off limits to immigration authorities. But on June 10, U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton in southern Texas voided Mayorkas' memo, siding with Republican state officials in Texas and Louisiana who argued the Biden administration did not have the authority to issue such a directive. In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland, the Department of Homeland Security said in its statement Saturday. How the court ruling plays out in cities and towns across the country remains to be seen, advocates say. Sarang Sekhavat, political director at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the largest such group in New England, said the outcome likely rests on the approach taken by local ICE field offices. Some ICE offices may elect to go after a wider range of immigrants, while others will continue to focus on going after ones that pose the greatest threats, he said. This takes away any kind of centralized guidance, Sekhavat said. What this does is really leave it in the hands of the local field office and how they want to go about enforcement. Nationwide, ICE officials arrested more than 74,000 immigrants and removed more than 59,000 in the fiscal year that ended in September, according to the agencys most recent annual report. Thats down from the nearly 104,000 arrests and 186,000 deportations the prior fiscal year, according to ICE data. ICE spokespersons in Washington and the Boston field office, which covers the six-state New England region, declined to comment Monday, as did officials in ICEs Los Angeles field office. But in a June interview with The Associated Press conducted before the Texas court ruling, Thomas Giles, head of ICE's LA office, said nine out of 10 immigration arrests locally involve people convicted of crimes. He said the Biden administrations priorities didnt bring a huge change for the region because officers were already focused on people with felony criminal convictions or prior deportations. It required them to weigh aggravating and mitigating factors and make more detailed evaluations on cases, he said, but the focus remained constant. Were out here enhancing public safety," Giles said. ___ Associated Press reporter Amy Taxin in Los Angeles contributed to this report. PHILADELPHIA (AP) The owner of a Philadelphia building that caught fire and collapsed this month, killing a city firefighter and injuring five other people, has been charged with setting the blaze, authorities announced Tuesday. Al-Ashraf Khalil, 28, also lied to authorities probing the June 18 fire and later flew from the United States to Jordan after telling investigators he had no travel plans, officials said. However, he was refused entry to Jordan and was arrested Friday at an airport in New York City. Authorities said they used handcuffs that had the deceased firefighter's initials on them. DOVER, Del. (AP) The chief investigator in the criminal corruption case against Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness tried repeatedly under cross-examination Monday to deflect responsibility for false statements he made in a search warrant affidavit and which were later reiterated in an indictment. The testimony by Frank Robinson involved allegations that McGuiness orchestrated a no-bid communications services contract for My Campaign Group, a firm she had used as a campaign consultant when running for lieutenant governor in 2016, then deliberately kept the contract payments under $5,000 to avoid having to get them approved by the Division of Accounting. Robinson told a judge in a sworn affidavit in the fall of 2021 that payments to My Campaign Group were split in August 2020, and again in September 2020, to keep them under $5,000, the threshold at which payments by state agencies require approval from the Division of Accounting. In fact, before swearing to the truth of those statements, Robinson and lawyers in the attorney generals office had seen a Division of Accounting spreadsheet about two months earlier indicating that the contractor received only one payment each month, both above $5,000 and both approved by the Division of Accounting. Robinson also stated in the affidavit that the contract with My Campaign Group was the only no-bid contract of at least $45,000 entered into by McGuiness office in which all payments were made below the $5,000 reporting threshold. Under cross-examination by defense attorney Steve Wood, Robinson admitted, as he had done at an earlier evidence suppression hearing, that those prior statements were false. I have to admit that our understanding at the time was not accurate, Robinson said, adding that it would have been good to call the director of the Division of Accounting and seek clarification before making the assertions contained in the search warrant affidavit. Wood suggested that the reason Robinson didnt make that call was because he already had a theory that McGuiness was splitting payments in order to avoid scrutiny of the contract payments, and that the spreadsheet was ignored because it didnt fit that theory. While admitting that the statements were false, Robinson said they were not intentionally false. He also tried to deflect responsibility by noting repeatedly that he was part of an investigative team. That team consisted of Robinson who has more than two decades of experience as a police officer and as chief special investigator for Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust and attorneys associated with the division. I cant speak to the thought process, Robinson said when asked why statements were made in the search warrant affidavit that were contrary to what was contained in the accounting spreadsheet. Under earlier questioning by prosecutor Mark Denney, Robinson denied that he intentionally misled the court in obtaining a search warrant. He said he had misread the spreadsheet, confusing line splits with payments, and that other members of the investigate team were operating under that same misunderstanding. Robinson also testified that, after several employees in her office began talking to the attorney generals office about concerns they had with her conduct, McGuiness in December 2020 asked state information technology officials whether anyone other than her had requested access to email accounts of anyone in the auditors office since January 2019. Officials determined that, as an agency head, McGuiness would already be aware of email monitoring requests that were not otherwise confidential, and she would not be entitled to any information about confidential requests. McGuiness, a Democrat elected in 2018, is responsible as state auditor for rooting out government fraud, waste and abuse. She is being tried on felony counts of theft and witness intimidation, and misdemeanor charges of official misconduct, conflict of interest and noncompliance with procurement laws. McGuiness is the first statewide elected official in Delaware to face criminal prosecution while in office. Prosecutors allege, among other things, that the way McGuiness' office handled payments for My Campaign Group was a deliberate attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny and amounts to illegal financial structuring of a contract. Prosecutors also allege that McGuiness hired her daughter and her daughters best friend as temporary employees in 2020, even though other temporary employees had left because of the lack of available work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities allege that in hiring her daughter and exercising control over taxpayer money with which she was paid, McGuiness engaged in theft of state money and conflict of interest. Authorities also allege that when employees in her office became aware of McGuiness misconduct, she responded by trying to intimidate the whistleblowers, including monitoring their email accounts. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) A Truth Commission presented its final report on Colombias armed conflict Tuesday, urging the government, military and rebel groups that are still fighting in the countryside to recognize the suffering victims have endured and ensure that political disputes are no longer solved through violence. The commission is made up of academics and representatives of civil society groups and was set up as part of a 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that ended five decades of conflict in which at least 450,000 people were killed. It was tasked with documenting war crimes and publishing its findings in a digital format that will be available to the public. The commission also issued a series of recommendations aimed at stopping future conflicts from taking root in Colombia, including changes to drug policy and transformations in the nation's military forces. The commission's final report is based on interviews with 30,000 war victims, military leaders, former guerrilla fighters and five former Colombian presidents. The 900-page report said 50,000 people were kidnapped between 1990 and 2018 as a result of Colombias armed conflict, often by rebel groups who kept hostages for ransom. It also mentioned that more than 7 million people were forced to flee their homes and that 56,000 civilians were killed by Colombias armed forces, including 6,300 people who were murdered in remote areas and presented to authorities as rebel fighters killed in action. The report called for major changes to Colombias military and police forces, which have received more than $8 billion from the U.S. over the past two decades. It said the militarys objectives should be re-evaluated and that all human rights violations committed by security forces should be tried by civilian courts. The truth commissions report also discussed drug related violence in Colombia and called on the nations government to regulate the drug trade so that its profits go to government agencies and not drug trafficking groups. It suggests that Colombia restart peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army, Colombias largest remaining rebel groups. The Truth Commissions recommendations are not legally binding. But some will likely be implemented by Colombias new government which will take over in August. President-elect Gustavo Petro attended the ceremony where the report was presented to the public and said its recommendations would effectively become part of Colombias history. The leftist senator, who was once a member of a rebel group, said during his campaign that he will re-establish diplomatic relations with neighboring Venezuela whose socialist government is not recognized by the United States. Petro has also called for reforms to Colombias defense forces, suggesting he police should stop being used for military operations and be placed under greater civilian oversight. The presentation ceremony was not attended by President Ivan Duque, who was in Portugal for the UN Ocean Conference. So the Truth Commission's president, Jesuit priest Francisco de Roux, handed the report and its recommendations to Petro instead. We are confident that President Petro will incorporate these recommendations into institutional spaces of dialogue and debate, so that we can make the changes that are needed De Roux said. A separate war crimes tribunal called the Special Jurisdiction for Peace is also investigating crimes that happened during the armed conflict. SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Wildlife advocates say there has been a distressing uptick in wolf poaching cases in the Northwest in the past year and a half. Four dead wolves were discovered in the northeastern corner of Washington state in February. That followed the poisoning of eight wolves in eastern Oregon in 2021, along with the poaching of a total of eight wolves in Idaho last year. While the numbers are small, they are a big jump over previous years. Oregon had a total of 10 confirmed wolf poachings between 2017-2020. Washington had no confirmed wolf poachings from 2017-2021. Data for 2017-2019 was not available for Idaho, but the state had three confirmed wolf poachings in 2020. Wolf experts say the actual number of poaching incidents is likely much higher. The cases are difficult to solve because they occur in remote, rural areas where a perpetrator can kill a wolf and bury the body. The term shoot, shovel and shut up is what gets thrown around a lot and from my conversations it seems to be pretty engrained in these communities, said Sophia Ressler of the Center for Biological Diversity, which compiled the numbers. There is actually science that shows for every confirmed poaching there are likely several additional, Ressler said. In the Washington case, deputies from the Stevens County Sheriffs Office discovered four dead wolves on Feb. 18. The incident report did not find any evidence of bullet holes or physical trauma to the wolves, which suggested their deaths may have been the result of poisoning. No arrests have been made in the case, despite conservation groups offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. The dead wolves were all in the territory of the Wedge Pack, which has been exterminated twice for preying on cattle. But new packs keep forming in what is prime wolf habitat. Wolves were exterminated in Washington early in the last century at the behest of the cattle industry. Since wolves returned to the state in 2008, there have been numerous conflicts with ranchers. There were a minimum of 206 wolves and 33 packs in Washington state in 2021, according to an annual survey conducted by state and tribal biologists. Idaho has about 1,500 wolves, while Oregon has about 173. The Washington case is "pretty distressing and alarming, said Julia Smith, wolf policy lead for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. But the number of wolf poaching incidents is still small, she said. The agency knows that there are a number of undetected wolf poachings, but the numbers must be small because the total number of wolves keep increasing, Smith said. Conservationists are outraged about the poisoning of wolves. Putting poison out on the landscape for any unsuspecting creature to feed on is one of the most loathsome things a person can do, said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, a national nonprofit advocacy group. Its not just about killing wolves. Its also about wanting them to suffer. Steph Taylor, president of Speak for Wolves, said Washington has a poaching problem and wildlife managers "need to step up their game in holding these disturbed poachers accountable. Otherwise, this shoot, shovel, shut up culture will continue to thrive. Meanwhile, Oregon wildlife troopers found eight dead wolves between February and July of 2021 in the northeastern part of the state. The animals were poisoned, but the deaths remain unsolved. Last December, Oregon State Police announced they had exhausted all leads in the case and pleaded with the public for help. A $36,000 reward has been posted for information that leads to an arrest. The Oregon deaths last year included all five wolves from the Catherine Pack, found southeast of Mount Harris, plus three wolves from other packs. In late 2020, the Trump administration removed gray wolves from the endangered list and stripped their legal protections, citing the successful recovery of the gray wolf. But in February, the Biden administration restored federal protection for gray wolves in most of the lower 48 states. The decision to re-list gray wolves was hailed as a major conservation victory for the species. Ressler, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the poaching cases must be solved. If poachers are allowed to get off scot-free, it only encourages them to kill again," she said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal court on Tuesday allowed Tennessee's ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect, citing the Supreme Court's decision last week overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights case. The action by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes before Tennessee's other abortion ban, the so-called trigger ban, is expected to restrict abortion almost entirely by mid-August, according to a newly detailed legal interpretation by the state attorney general. Both measures would make performing an abortion a felony and subject doctors to up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Republican Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed an emergency motion Friday to let state to begin implementing the six-week ban. GOP supermajorities in the Legislature passed the law in 2020 with Republican Gov. Bill Lee's backing, and it was quickly blocked in federal court. Specifically, the ban halts abortion once cardiac activity is detected, which is around six weeks in pregnancy when most women dont know theyre pregnant. There are a lot of things that I am very passionate about and take very personally in this job that I have, but ... this was the most important thing that I could do as governor, Lee said while speaking virtually with anti-abortion religious leaders Friday, after the Supreme Court ruling. Lee said Tuesday that the federal appeals court's decision marked another significant protection for unborn children in our state. It only makes an exception when an abortion is necessary to prevent the woman's death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. However, it specifies that a woman's mental health does not qualify for an exemption. Abortion bans rob people of their ability to make the decisions that are best for themselves, their lives, and their futures, said Ashley Coffield, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, in a statement. It is unconscionable that Tennesseans will lose access to abortion in their communities because of this decision." Planned Parenthood was not performing abortions at its facilities in Nashville and Memphis on Monday in anticipation of court action to unblock the six-week ban, said spokesperson Matt Anderson. Separately, abortion provider carafem which has a clinic in Nashville announced Tuesday that its staff had been flooded with calls from patients trying to understand Tennessee's new legal landscape. In my more than 30 years in health care, nothing has been as hard as turning away patients from the care they need because politicians interfered with private health care decisions, said Melissa Grant, carafem's chief operations officer, in a statement. An even more restrictive ban is set to take effect soon, according to the attorney general's guidance Tuesday. Tennessee's trigger law set to go into place 30 days after the end of Roe would ban all abortions statewide, with essentially the same limited exceptions as the six-week ban. That law requires the attorney general to certify that Roe has been overturned. He hasn't done so yet, but indicated Tuesday that he plans to do so when the corresponding judgment is filed in the Supreme Court case, by no later than mid-July. That puts the effective date at around mid-August, Slatery's office said. The law ties the effective date to the judgment filing, not the timing of the attorney general's action. Democratic lawmakers at the time attempted to amend the measure to allow exceptions for incest and rape -- including rape of a child -- but Republicans ultimately spiked those suggestions. Bans pegged to the fetal heartbeat concept such as Tennessee's six-week ban have been signed into law in more than a dozen states. Supporters commonly argue that abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy stops a beating heart, but medical experts say those claims are false. That's because at the point where advanced technology can detect that first flutter, as early as six weeks, the embryo isnt yet a fetus and it doesnt have a heart. An embryo is termed a fetus beginning in the 11th week of pregnancy, medical experts say. The Supreme Court's ruling last week is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the states. Additionally, in Tennessee, voters approved an amendment in 2014 declaring that the states constitution doesnt protect or secure the right to an abortion or require funding for abortions. Trigger laws, like Tennessees 2019 version, are also being targeted by lawsuits in other states. In Louisiana on Monday, a state district judge in New Orleans temporarily blocked enforcement of that states trigger-law ban on abortion, after abortion rights activists argued that it is unclear. The ruling is in effect pending a July 8 hearing. Tennessee's 2020 law includes the six-week ban and bans longer into the pregnancy, in the event that the Supreme Court did not fully overturn Roe v. Wade. Eight tips provided through the Michigan Department of Natural Resource's poaching hotline lead to the arrest and charges against a poacher who was killing deer to "relieve frustrations," according to the DNR. Edward Trout, 29, of Cedar Springs, Michigan reportedly confessed to DNR conservation officers that he illegally shot and abandoned multiple deer in Kent County, according to a DNR press release. "Since late January, eight tipsters have contacted the DNR's Report All Poaching hotline, reporting gunfire at night and deer carcasses located on or near properties in Nelson and Spencer townships," the release read. Originally, Trout faced three charges in connection to poaching deer, but later failed to appear in court, he faced two additional charges for poaching snapping turtles. On June 24 in Kent County's 63rd District Court, Trout pleaded not guilty to five misdemeanor charges of: Two counts of hunting and fishing without a license (up to $250 in fines, per count). Taking game from a vehicle (up to $500 in fines). Taking, possessing deer out of season ($1,000 per deer). Using illegal fishing devices (up to $1,000 in fines). Additionally, Trout has had all hunting and fishing privileges revoked until he appears in court July 19. If charged, Trout faces jail time, reimbursement to the state for illegally taken wildlife, court costs and losing his hunting and fishing privileges. Officers seized Trouts firearm, crossbow, homemade spear and additional evidence, according to the release. Were grateful for the concerned community members who reported the many dead, gunshot deer that were discovered throughout these communities, which helped officers identify a suspect, said Chief Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division in the release. The suspect has continued to display repetitive, unethical behavior while stealing public trust resources and allowing them to go to waste. Conservation Officers Casey Varriale and Justin Ulberg began investigating the tips in January, often locating deer that appeared to have been shot from near the roadway and by Feb. 13 officers had investigated 13 deer killed and abandoned across two townships. "After hearing several news stories about the poaching, a concerned community member anonymously contacted the Report All Poaching hotline on Feb. 14," the release read. "The tipster reported local rumors of Trout driving around over two to three nights, shooting deer from his vehicle." "Varriale interviewed Trout, who admitted to three instances of going out and shooting at deer, stating that he, relieved frustration by driving around at night, listening to music and occasionally shooting his pistol into vacant fields from his pickup truck, often while under the influence of alcohol and/or marijuana," the release continued. Trout alleged he did not remember the exact dates and times, but he reportedly provided Varriale a map and confessed to shooting at least five deer. "During the investigation, officers retrieved additional evidence that, since 2020, Trout has a history of driving around at night and shooting deer from his vehicle," the release read. "Trout initially denied the history of offenses until he was presented with a series of text messages where he openly told people about his illegal activities." Officers began investigating a new tip June 7, alleging Trout was spearing snapping turtles at Pine Lake, in Cedar Springs. While snapping turtles can be harvested in Michigan between July 15-Sept. 15, you must use a trap or a hook and line. The caller reported that Trout has been seen fishing late at night and leaving multiple lines unattended. Additionally, Trout has been seen spearing and leaving snapping turtles on the shore. When officers investigated the turtle reports, Trout reportedly "blamed family members for the unattended fishing lines, and stated he speared the snapping turtles because he feared for his childrens safety while they were fishing." "Varriale located multiple speared turtles, including one with a spear still in it, among other evidence," the report read. Conservation Officers Jeremy Beavers, Anna Cullen and Sgt. Jeff Rabbers assisted with the deer investigation. Anyone with information about wildlife crimes can anonymously contact the DNR's Report All Poaching hotline by calling 1-800-292-7800 or using the online reporting form available at Michigan.gov/RAP. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ELMAU, Germany (AP) The Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said Tuesday. The Nov. 15-16 summit had risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come, or the specter of Western leaders not even showing up given Russia's war in Ukraine. The issue was a topic at the smaller Group of Seven summit in Germany that wrapped up Tuesday and included leaders from five major emerging democratic economies India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Argentina which don't all share the G-7's views on the war in Ukraine or on sanctions against Russia. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. He was asked about comments from Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin had accepted Widodo's invitation to attend the Bali summit. President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: Hes not coming," Draghi told reporters in Elmau, Germany. "What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. We'll see. Ushakov shot back Tuesday that its not Draghi who decides that. We have received an invitation and responded positively, he said. Widodo is scheduled to travel to Russia and Ukraine after the G-7 meetings. Putin, along with several other leaders, participated via video at the G-20 summit in Rome last October, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking around the same time as Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz didnt address whether or not Putin would attend. But he said that he and his fellow G-7 leaders agreed that we dont want to drive the G-20 apart. Scholz added: Viewed from today, the decision of the states that were gathered here would be that they go there. Actress Mary Mara, best known for her roles on "ER," "Nash Bridges" and "Ray Donovan," died Sunday in what authorities are describing as an "apparent drowning" in a river in upstate New York. She was 61. The New York State Police responded to a call of a possible drowning in Cape Vincent on Sunday morning, authorities said in a news release. When first responders arrived at the St. Lawrence River, they discovered a dead woman later identified as Mara. "The preliminary investigation suggests the victim drowned while swimming," Major Michael S. TenEyck wrote. "The victim's body showed no signs of foul play and was transported to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office pending an autopsy to determine an official cause of death." Craig Dorfman, her manager, confirmed Mara's death to The Washington Post on Tuesday. "Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met," Dorfman said. "She was electric, funny, and a true individual, and devoted to her family. Everyone loved her. She will be missed." A family spokesperson told Deadline that Mara was staying at the summer home of her sister, Martha Mara. The property is near the St. Lawrence River, which separates the United States and Canada. Mara was a celebrated character actress with more than 80 screen credits to her name. She's best known for her time in the '90s as a recurring character on NBC's hit show "ER," playing patient Loretta Sweet, and her stretch as Inspector Bryn Carson, a main character on CBS's "Nash Bridges." She later played recurring characters in the Showtime shows "Dexter" and "Ray Donovan." Born on Sept. 21, 1960, in Syracuse, Mara studied at San Francisco State University and Yale before starting her acting career. Roger Mara, her brother, told the San Francisco Examiner in 1996 that they were both encouraged to pursue acting after seeing "their mother's flair for the dramatic." Mary Mara's first credited role was in the 1989 made-for-TV movie "The Preppie Murder," according to her IMDb page. After appearing in the 1992 Billy Crystal film, "Mr. Saturday Night," Mara broke through on "ER" at a time when the NBC show was the hottest prime-time medical drama on television. She appeared in nine episodes between 1995 and 1996, playing Sweet, a former prostitute diagnosed with cervical cancer. The recurring spot on "ER" helped catapult Mara into a main cast role on "Nash Bridges," appearing in 23 episodes in the first two seasons between 1996 and 1997. After appearing on such shows as "NYPD Blue," "Ally McBeal" and "Law and Order," Mara landed recurring roles as Valerie Hodges on "Dexter" in 2009 and Mrs. Sullivan on "Ray Donovan" in 2013. She most recently appeared in the 2020 film "Break Even." Dorfman told The Post that the outpouring of grief he's received since Sunday has been "extraordinary." Some of the people who had worked with Mara over the years went on social media to remember a colleague described as the consummate professional. Actor and director Jon Lindstrom recalled working with Mara during a theatrical run of "In Heat" in Los Angeles at a time when, he said, she had undergone chemotherapy for cancer. "She was plowing through the aftereffects of Chemo," Lindstrom wrote, saying Mara's death left him "crushed." "Brave, brilliant, Uber-talented. Earth will be much less-colorful without her." Screenwriter Bob Saenz posted a black-and-white photo of Mara, whom he said he worked with for "2 great years." "This the Mary I remember," Saenz tweeted. "Consummate pro, funny, sharp, kind, a first class human being. She was kind enough to participate in a table read of one of my earliest scripts." He added, "RIP Mary. You'll be missed." Mara is survived by stepdaughter Katie Mersola, sisters Martha Mara and Susan Dailey, brother-in-law Scott Dailey and nephew Christopher Dailey, according to Variety. The investigation into Mara's death is ongoing, police said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Ethiopian authorities have named a team of seven negotiators for possible peace talks with Tigray forces. The announcement comes after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced earlier in June the formation of a committee to handle negotiations with Tigray's ruling party, which the government declared a terrorist group last year. The ruling Prosperity Party has laid out plans to settle the war in northern Ethiopia peacefully, Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos told state media late Monday. The governments negotiating team will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, he said. Tigray's leaders have not yet commented on the latest announcement by the federal authorities of the East African nation. But the regions top official, Debretsion Gebremichael, said in an open letter to the international community on June 15 that his side is open to peace talks. He also warned that his group's "readiness to go the extra mile for peace must not be misunderstood as a readiness to abandon our principles from weakness or greed. The African Union special envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, has been traveling within Ethiopia in recent weeks as he tries to get both sides to talk. It remains unclear where the peace talks would happen. Tigray officials have said they are prepared to meet in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, in negotiations hosted and facilitated by the Kenyan president. Ethiopias deadly war in the northern part of the country has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions more. Tigray has been mostly cut off from the rest of Ethiopia after Tigray forces re-captured the regional capital a year ago and federal forces withdrew. A truce declared by the government in March has led to a significant increase in aid reaching Tigray by road after months of deprivation. Former Nebraska congressman Jeff Fortenberry was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to two years probation for lying to the FBI about a 2016 foreign campaign contribution. Fortenberry, 60, was sitting quietly as a federal judge read the sentence in a Los Angeles courtroom. The former congressman resigned in March shortly after a California jury found him guilty in the corruption case. He has maintained his innocence and said he plans to appeal. Prosecutors alleged Fortenberry lied to federal agents multiple times about $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions he received from a Nigerian billionaire at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles. Federal law prohibits donations from foreigners. Federal judge Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr. said that Fortenberry made a "wrongful dishonest choice" that was "out of character." "Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the information he was provided by (Dr. Elias Ayoub) provided in June 2016," Blumenfeld said. Blumenfeld also sentenced Fortenberry to 320 hours of community service and a fine of $25,000. Fortenberry was facing up to 15 years in prison for all three charges. When court convened in Los Angeles, the judge had sentence requests from both the prosecution and the defense. The defense asked for one year probation and no fine, saying Fortenberry is over 60 and has spent all his money on his defense. Family, friends, even some of Nebraskas elected officials wrote the judge on behalf of Fortenberry asking he serve no time. The prosecution asked for prison time as well as a $30,000 fine: the exact amount Fortenberry accepted and purged only after the FBI asked about it, according to prosecutors. The U.S. Probation Office recommended three months prison, plus probation and a fine. Fortenberry is convicted of one count of scheming to deceive and falsifying material and two counts of lying to the FBI. The former congressman, who vowed he would fight the conviction, can now file an appeal. Fortenberry's sentencing came as a special election was taking place to fill the rest of his term, which ends in January. Republican state Sen. Mike Flood faces a fellow legislator, Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks, in the GOP-leaning eastern Nebraska district. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that collect personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use those data troves against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever people's personal data is tracked and stored, there's always a risk that it could be misused or abused. With the Supreme Court's Friday overruling of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, collected location data, text messages, search histories, emails and seemingly innocuous period and ovulation-tracking apps could be used to prosecute people who seek an abortion or medical care for a miscarriage as well as those who assist them. In the digital age, this decision opens the door to law enforcement and private bounty hunters seeking vast amounts of private data from ordinary Americans, said Alexandra Reeve Givens, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based digital rights nonprofit. IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING Until this past May, anyone could buy a weekly trove of data on clients at more than 600 Planned Parenthood sites around the country for as little as $160, according to a recent Vice investigation. The files included approximate patient addresses derived from where their cellphones sleep at night income brackets, time spent at the clinic, and the top places people visited before and afterward. Its all possible because federal law specifically, HIPAA, the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects the privacy of medical files at your doctors office, but not any information that third-party apps or tech companies collect about you. This is also true if an app that collects your data shares it with a third party that might abuse it. In 2017, a Black woman in Mississippi named Latice Fisher was charged with second-degree murder after she sought medical care for a pregnancy loss. While receiving care from medical staff, she was also immediately treated with suspicion of committing a crime," civil rights attorney and Ford Foundation fellow Cynthia Conti-Cook wrote in her 2020 paper, Surveilling the Digital Abortion Diary. Fisher's "statements to nurses, the medical records, and the autopsy records of her fetus were turned over to the local police to investigate whether she intentionally killed her fetus, she wrote. Fisher was indicted on a second-degree murder charge in 2018; conviction could have led to life in prison. The murder charge was later dismissed. Evidence against her, though included her online search history, which included queries on how to induce a miscarriage and how to buy abortion pills online. "Her digital data gave prosecutors a window into (her) soul to substantiate their general theory that she did not want the fetus to survive, Conti-Cook wrote. Fisher is not alone. In 2019, prosecutors presented a young Ohio mothers browsing history during a trial in which she stood accused of killing and burying her newborn baby. Defense attorneys for Brooke Skylar Richardson, who was ultimately acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges, said the baby was stillborn. But prosecutors argued shed killed her daughter, pointing in part to Richardsons internet search history, which included a query for how to get rid of a baby. She was later acquitted. INDUSTRY RESPONSE Technology companies have by and large tried to sidestep the issue of abortion where their users are concerned. They haven't said how they might cooperate with law enforcement or government agencies trying to prosecute people seeking an abortion where it is illegal or who are helping someone do so. Last week, four Democratic lawmakers asked federal regulators to investigate Apple and Google for allegedly deceiving millions of mobile phone users by enabling the collection and sale of their personal data to third parties. Individuals seeking abortions and other reproductive healthcare will become particularly vulnerable to privacy harms, including through the collection and sharing of their location data, the lawmakers said in the letter. Data brokers are already selling, licensing and sharing the location information of people that visit abortion providers to anyone with a credit card. Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Governments and law enforcement can subpoena companies for data on their users. Generally, Big Tech policies suggest the companies will comply with abortion-related data requests unless they see them as overly broad. Meta, for instance, pointed to its online transparency report, which says we comply with government requests for user information only where we have a good-faith belief that the law requires us to do so. Online rights advocates say that's not enough. In this new environment, tech companies must step up and play a crucial role in protecting womens digital privacy and access to online information, said Givens of the Center for Democracy and Technology. For instance, they could strengthen and expand the use of privacy-protecting encryption; limit the collection, sharing and sale of information that can reveal pregnancy status; and refrain from using artificial intelligence tools that could also infer which users are likely to be pregnant. WHAT ABOUT PERIOD APPS? After Friday's Supreme Court ruling, some period-tracking apps tried to assure users that their data was safe. But it helps to read the fine print of the apps' privacy policies. Flo Health, the company behind a widely-used period tracking app, tweeted Friday that it would soon launch an Anonymous Mode intended to remove personal identity from user accounts and pledged not to sell personal data of its users. Clue, which also has a period tracking app, said it keeps users health data particularly related to pregnancies, pregnancy loss or abortion private and safe with data encryption. It also said it uses auditing software for regulatory compliance and removes user identities before their data is analyzed by the scientific researchers the company works with. At the same time, the company acknowledged that it employs some carefully selected service providers to process data on our behalf. For those purposes, it said, we share as little data as possible in the safest way possible. But Clue offered no further details. BURDEN ON THE USER Unless all of your data is securely encrypted, theres always a chance that someone, somewhere can access it. So abortion rights activists suggest that people in states where abortion is outlawed should limit the creation of such data in the first place. For instance, they urge turning off phone location services or just leaving your phone at home when seeking reproductive health care. To be safe, they say, it's good to read the privacy policies of any health apps in use. The Electronic Frontier Foundation suggests using more privacy-conscious web browsers such as Brave, Firefox and DuckDuckGo but also recommends double-checking their privacy settings. There are also ways to turn off ad identifiers on both Apple and Android phones that stop advertisers from being able to track you. This is generally a good idea in any case. Apple will ask you if you want to be tracked each time you download a new app. For apps you already have, the tracking can be turned off manually. ___ Associated Press Writers Amanda Seitz and Marcy Gordon contributed to this story. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Farmers protested around the Netherlands as lawmakers voted Tuesday on proposals to slash emissions of damaging pollutants, a plan that will likely force farmers to cut their livestock herds or stop work altogether. The government says emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, which livestock produce, must be drastically reduced close to nature areas that are part of a network of protected habitats for endangered plants and wildlife stretching across the 27-nation European Union. As tractors gathered outside the parliament building, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said farmers have the right to protest but not to break the law. Freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate are a vital part of our democratic society, and I will always defend them," Rutte said. "But ... it is not acceptable to create dangerous situations, it is not acceptable to intimidate officials, we will never accept that. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSING? The ruling coalition wants to cut emissions of pollutants, predominantly nitrogen oxide and ammonia, by 50% nationwide by 2030. Ministers call the proposal an unavoidable transition that aims to improve air, land and water quality. They warn that farmers will have to adapt or face the prospect of shuttering their businesses. The honest message ... is that not all farmers can continue their business, and those who do will likely have to farm differently, the government said in a statement this month as it unveiled emission reduction targets. Livestock produce ammonia in their urine and feces. The government in the past has called on farmers to use feed for their animals that contains less protein as a way of reducing ammonia emissions. The problem is compounded in the Netherlands, which is known for its intensive farming practices, with large numbers of livestock kept on small areas of land. It is not only farmers being targeted. In the past, the government also has cut the national maximum speed limit on highways from 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour) to 100 kmh during the day as a way of reducing nitrogen oxide created by vehicle engines. The government has been forced to take action after a series of court rulings that blocked infrastructure and construction projects because of fears they would cause emissions that breach environmental rules. It is giving provincial authorities a year to work out ways to meet the emission reduction targets. WHAT ARE FARMERS DOING? Some 40,000 farmers gathered last week in the central Netherlands agricultural heartland to protest the government's plans. Many arrived by tractor, snarling traffic around the country. On Monday and into Tuesday, farmers again took their protests to crowded highways, driving slowly along the roads or stopping altogether. Some have dumped hay bales on roads, and small groups demonstrated at town and city halls, in some cases starting bonfires outside the buildings. Some farmers set hay bales ablaze Tuesday alongside highways, while others gathered in towns and cities, including The Hague. Farmers argue that they are being unfairly targeted as polluters while other industries, such as aviation, construction and transport, also are contributing to emissions and face less far-reaching rules. They also say the government is not giving them a clear picture of their futures amid the proposed reforms. WHAT ARE THE NATURE AREAS THAT ARE THREATENED? The government has published a map with reduction targets across the country based on proximity to areas designated as part of the EU's Natura 2000 network of vulnerable and endangered plant and animal habitats. There are Natura 2000 sites across the 27 member states, covering 18% of the bloc's land area and 8% of its marine territory. On its website, the European Commission says conservation and sustainable use of Natura 200 areas is largely centered on people working with nature rather than against it. However, Member States must ensure that the sites are managed in a sustainable manner, both ecologically and economically. Dutch farmers argue that other EU countries are not clamping down on the agricultural industry as hard as the Netherlands. During a protest Monday, a group of farmers at a Dutch Natura 2000 region near the German border put up flags and a Welcome to Germany sign to symbolically make it part of the neighboring country. HOW IMPORTANT IS AGRICULTURE TO THE DUTCH ECONOMY? Agriculture from dairy farming to growing crops in fields and greenhouses is a significant part of the Dutch economy. According to a national farming lobby group, LTO, there are nearly 54,000 agricultural businesses in the Netherlands with exports totaling 94.5 billion euros in 2019. BOSTON (AP) Federal prosecutors have dropped the case against a retired U.S. Army colonel and another businessperson after new evidence surfaced days before they were set to stand trial for a second time on allegations that they conspired to pay millions of dollars in bribes to Haitian officials. Prosecutors in Boston moved to dismiss the indictment against Joseph Baptiste and Roger Richard Boncy late Monday after the FBI handed over never-before-seen messages between agents about December 2015 calls between Boncy and an undercover agent that bolster the men's claims of innocence. Baptiste, of Fulton, Maryland, and Boncy, a businessperson who lived in Spain, were convicted by a jury in 2019 of soliciting bribes from undercover federal agents who posed as potential investors in a proposed $84 million port project in the Mole-Saint-Nicolas area of Haiti. Prosecutors alleged that Baptiste, a dentist who served 23 years in the Army, and Boncy told agents they would funnel the payments to Haitian officials through a nonprofit Baptiste controlled that purported to help impoverished residents of Haiti. Prosecutors claimed 5% of project costs would be allocated to bribe Haitian officials. A judge in March of 2020 ordered a new trial for the men, citing errors, omissions, and general lack of diligence by Baptistes trial attorney. The second trial was scheduled to begin next week. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said that late last week, the FBI provided prosecutors with communications they had never seen before about the Dec. 19, 2015, calls between Boncy and the undercover agent. We have an obligation to provide all discoverable evidence in our possession to the defense. That is a core principle of the criminal legal system, Rollins said in an emailed statement. In those text messages between FBI agents, which were sent on the same day that the calls were made, an agent wrote that Boncy said 5% social program money is absolutely not for bribes," according to Boncy's lawyers. Recordings of the calls no longer exist. Boncys attorneys long argued that the calls they said the FBI destroyed would prove his innocence. Prosecutors have said in court documents that a case agent mistakenly failed to download the calls based on an erroneous understanding of an FBI retention policy. It is clear now that Richard is innocent; no ifs, ands, or buts about it," Boncy's attorney, Jed Dwyer, said in an emailed statement. Richard has always maintained he did nothing wrong and the evidence the FBI withheld proves that. Daniel Marx, attorney for Baptiste, said his client never paid a penny in bribes" and never agreed to do so. Baptiste's other attorney, William Fick, accused FBI agents of playing on prejudiced tropes about pervasive Haitian corruption." Those agents knew nothing about Haiti, a country they had never even visited, Fick said in an emailed statement. The agents had never spoken with the officials who were supposedly offered bribes or considered how their undercover operation might derail a significant development project that could better the lives of countless Haitian people, Fick said. A spokesperson for the FBI office in Boston declined Tuesday to comment. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A county judge in Williamsport has to decide whether to force officials to provide voter-by-voter electronic election records after the state Office of Open Records ruled Pennsylvania law makes them confidential. Heather Honey, who heads the Lebanon, Pennsylvania-based firm Haystack Investigations, sought in October a digital copy of Lycoming County's cast vote record for the 2020 General Election in which Democratic challenger Joe Biden unseated Republican President Donald Trump. Lycoming told Honey no, saying Honey was essentially asking for the contents of ballot boxes and voting machines, information that the state Election Code declares off-limits for public inspection. In a January decision, Office of Open Records appeals officer Erin Burlew agreed with the county elections director that the cast vote record is the digital equivalent of the contents of ballot boxes. Honey challenged that decision in county court in February, likening the cast vote record to a spreadsheet and describing it as merely a digital report tallying the results of ballots scanned into a tabulator. The CVR is a report that is prepared after an election from a desktop computer that is not and never was the contents of a ballot box. Thomas Breth, a Butler-based lawyer for three Williamsport area residents who were allowed to join the case a local businessman, a retired state trooper and Republican state Rep. Joe Hamm said that during a hearing last week there was evidence that the records Honey wants are randomized and could not be used to determine how any identifiable individual voted. The whole argument that somehow this cast vote record would enable anybody to match up an elector to a ballot is incorrect, despite officials claims to the contrary, Breth said. Honey told the court the records she seeks do not link ballots with individual voters in a way that would identify them, and that they can help people double check the work of election officials in counting total votes. At least one county has granted her the cast vote record data, Breth said. CVRs are important public records, she wrote in the February lawsuit, acting as her own lawyer. CVRs allow the public to inspect the adjudication process because only the CVR shows the number and character of corrections made when the votes are tabulated. Honey has not returned messages seeking comment, nor did lawyers for Lycoming County. But in an April brief, the county argued that the records in question were the equivalent of ballot boxes. That modern technology has removed the physical box does not mean that this information is subject to public disclosure, they wrote. Earlier this month, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's acting secretary of state, Leigh Chapman, asked to intervene in the Lycoming County case, saying Honey has or is likely to file similar requests for the cast vote records in the state's other counties. Agency spokeswoman Ellen Lyon declined comment, citing ongoing litigation, but the state's lawyers have said the cast vote records are produced before tabulation and counting of votes has occurred. Thus, this record is not, as petitioner Honey argues, a digital tally,' the Department of State argued in a June 8 request to join the Lycoming County litigation. Overvotes may be displayed, which are resolved through other aspects of the EMS software. In other words, the data will be unprocessed and considering it on its face will be problematic. Some systems even capture scans of the ballots, similar to photocopies or photographs, and therefore may potentially expose the identity of a voter, the state wrote. Cast vote records' data can lack randomization, they said, so the data Honey seeks can be compared with the polling place's numbered list of voters to create insight into how a person voted. In a Nov. 8 email to county election officials, Department of State elections bureau director Jess Mathis advised them against releasing the voting records. Breth said the two days of testimony in the case this month contradicts those concerns about voter privacy and show the state has certified that Lycoming's election system upholds constitutional secret ballot requirements. He noted the state Right-to-Know Law does not permit agencies to consider how a requester plans to use public records. The publics not as dumb as the secretary of the commonwealth leads us to believe, Breth said. 'You're not smart enough to get this data because you might get confused.' Its offensive. A Republican nominee in a closely watched House race in Virginia made bizarre and false comments about rape victims, saying in leaked audio recordings that she wouldnt be surprised if a womans body prevents pregnancies from rape because its not something thats happening organically, and that the rapist is doing it quickly. The nominee, Yesli Vega, a supervisor and sheriffs deputy in Prince William County, made the remarks at a campaign stop last month in Stafford County, according to Axios, which published the audio recordings Monday. The person Vega is speaking with in the two clips, which together run about a minute long, is not identified and Axios did not reveal the source of the audio. In a statement, Vega did not dispute the authenticity of the recordings, but said: As a mother of two children, yes Im fully aware of how women get pregnant. The first clip indicates Vega was speaking in the context of the debate about abortion, as she can be heard saying: The left will say, What about in cases of rape or incest? Vega cited her experience as a police officer, saying that she had worked one case since 2011 where as a result of rape the young woman became pregnant. In the second clip, after the unidentified woman said she heard that it is harder for a woman to get pregnant if shes been raped, Vega replied: Well maybe, because theres so much going on in the body, I dont know. I havent, havent, you know, seen any studies but if Im processing what youre saying it wouldnt surprise me, because its not something thats happening organically, right? Its forcing it. After the unidentified woman said the body shuts down, Vega replied: Yeah, yeah, and then the individual, the male, is doing it as quickly, its not like, you know, and so I can see why maybe theres truth to that. Vegas statement did not say directly whether she stood by her comments. Liberals are desperate to distract from their failed agenda, the statement reads. She also said her political opponents would rather lie and twist the truth than explain their stance on abortion. Her campaign did not explain what lie her comment was referring to. Vega won a June 21 Republican primary to take on Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger in Virginias 7th Congressional District, a newly drawn, Democratic-leaning district. Spanberger supports abortion rights. On Twitter, Spanberger called Vegas comments extreme and ignorant and devoid of truth. Vegas recorded comments are similar to remarks made in August 2012 by Rep. Todd Akin, who, as the Republican Senate nominee in Missouri, said pregnancy from rape is really rare because, If its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. Leading Republicans called on Akin to drop out of the race, which he rebuffed. He went on to lose the race to the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Claire McCaskill, by nearly 16 percentage points. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. WASHINGTON (AP) The man who wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 apologized for his actions Tuesday and said he doesn't remember what he was feeling when he fired the shots that also wounded three others. John Hinckley Jr. told CBS Mornings in his first televised interview since he was freed from all court oversight this month that he feels sorry for all the lives his actions affected. I feel badly for all of them. I have true remorse for what I did, Hinckley said. I know that they probably cant forgive me now, but I just want them to know that I am sorry for what I did. Going back to that day, Hinckley recalled Reagan walking out of the Washington Hilton after giving a speech: And I was right there, and I fired shots at him, which so unfortunately hit other people, too." Asked what feelings led him to shoot, Hinckley said he can't remember those emotions and doesn't want to. Its such another lifetime ago. I cant tell you now the emotion I had right as (Reagan) came walking out. I cant tell you that, he said, later adding: Its something I dont want to remember. Hinckley was 25 and suffering from acute psychosis when his gunshots wounded Reagan and three others. The assassination attempt paralyzed Reagan press secretary James Brady, who died in 2014. It also wounded a police officer and a Secret Service agent. Hinckley told Major Garrett, CBS News chief Washington correspondent, that he's glad he didn't succeed. He said that at the time of the shooting he did not have a good heart and was doing things a good person doesn't do. Jurors found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity and he spent decades at a mental hospital in Washington. I was not just a cold, calculating criminal in 1981, he said. I truly believe I had a serious mental illness that was preventing me from knowing right from wrong back then. Hinckley began making visits to his parents' home in Williamsburg, Virginia, in the early 2000s. A 2016 court order granted him permission to live with his mother full time, albeit under various restrictions, after experts said his mental illness had been in remission for decades. He signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in the Williamsburg area last year and has been living alone there with his cat, according to court documents. His mother died in July. He's also been releasing songs online and looking for a venue willing to let him sing and play guitar before a live audience. Hinckley had previously been under restrictions that barred him from owning a gun, using drugs or alcohol or contacting members of the victims' families. But a federal judge in Washington had said months ago that he would free Hinckley from those restrictions if he remained mentally stable. Those restrictions were lifted on June 15. Tuesdays apology was not Hinckleys first. His attorney Barry Levine said during a court hearing last year that Hinckley wanted to express his heartfelt apologies and profound regret to the people he shot and their families as well as to actress Jodie Foster, who he was obsessed with at the time of the shooting, and to the American people. As Hinckley expressed his regrets on Tuesday, he said he hopes to soften the public's perception of him. I'm just trying to show people I'm kind of an ordinary guy who's just trying to get along like everybody else, he said. But he doesn't expect to see forgiveness from his victims, saying: I really dont think that the Brady family or the Reagan family or Jodie Foster I dont think they want to hear from me. I feel terrible for what I did," he said. "If I could take it all back, I would. I swear I would take it all back. AZUSA, Calif. (AP) Twenty-seven homes in a Los Angeles suburb were evacuated for hours Monday as authorities seized more than 2 1/2 tons of illegal fireworks at a residence, authorities said. Police in Azusa, northeast of LA, began evacuating homes on Hollyvale Street as a precaution shortly before 3:30 p.m. after a tip led authorities to a storage facility and then to a local home, police said. More than 3,500 pounds of fireworks were seized at the home and in a van parked at the residence, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad was called in to move the devices to a safe location, authorities said. One person was detained and handcuffed, but additional details weren't immediately released. Certain types of fireworks are illegal in Azusa, including firecrackers and bottle rockets. All types of fireworks are illegal to sell or possess in Los Angeles and in unincorporated areas of the county. A cache of illegal fireworks seized in South Los Angeles on June 30, 2021 exploded after being loaded into a bomb squad containment vessel. The blast injured 27 people and damaged homes, some heavily. Dozens of residents were displaced and some never returned to the neighborhood. Federal investigators concluded that the containment vessel had been overloaded. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimated that the catastrophic blast caused more than $1 million in damage to the area. Hundreds of claims against the city the precursor to a lawsuit were filed. Michigan's Aug. 2 primary election is roughly five weeks away, but election officials advise absentee ballots are available. Up in this year's election cycle are members from both branches of the Michigan Legislature which are the state House of Representatives (110 seats) and state Senate (38 seats). Whether you choose to vote absentee or in person, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center to view a sample ballot, verify voter registration information and track the status of absentee ballots. The absentee ballots for the Aug. 2 primary can be obtained at local clerk's offices or can be mailed to voters who have already applied to vote absentee, according to a Wednesday press release issued by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "Voters have numerous secure options for how to cast their ballots this August," Benson said in the release. "Whether they choose to vote from home, by mail, via secure drop box, in person by absentee ballot at their local clerk office or at their polling location on Election Day, Michigan voters can be confident their vote will be counted and their voice will be heard." Voters on the permanent absentee list have been mailed applications by their local clerk at the last address the clerk has on file. And some clerks may mail applications to all registered voters in their jurisdiction, according to Benson's office. Regardless of if they have received an application in the mail, voters can apply to vote absentee at Michigan.gov/Vote. Using the same website, voters who have already submitted their application can track that it has been received and track the mailing of their ballot. Political parties, candidates and partisan and nonpartisan organizations also frequently mail absentee applications directly to voters. Clerks only provide one absentee ballot to each voter, and only after verifying the signature on the application matches the voters signature the clerk has on file, according to Benson's office. Polls are open on Election Day, Aug. 2, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. As long as you are in line to vote by 8 p.m., you will be permitted to cast your ballot. If you are unsure which state legislative or local districts you vote in, in light of new maps drawn in 2021, you can enter your home address and obtain a sample ballot when you visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. The Michigan Secretary of State finalized its candidate list for the primary. Candidates for attorney general, secretary of state and education boards will be formally nominated by both parties after the primary. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Hamad Al Kaabi/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Rashed Al Mansoori/AP Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Rashed Al Mansoori/AP Show More Show Less 5 of 5 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, showcasing deep ties between the major trade partners. From the oil-rich capital of Abu Dhabi, Modi offered condolences on the death of the long-ailing late President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He congratulated Sheikh Mohammed on his elevation to power after nearly a decade as de facto leader, the UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported, without elaborating on discussions it said sought to push bilateral relations forward. A fourth person has died from injuries suffered in an Amtrak train derailment in Missouri, the state highway patrol said Tuesday. The patrol said the person died at University of Missouri Health Center. The persons identity was not released. The patrol said the fourth fatality was aboard the Southwest Chief train, as were two others who died. The driver of a dump truck that was hit by the train Monday near Mendon, Missouri, also died. The patrol said law enforcement and Amtrak officials say about 150 people were taken from the scene to 10 area hospitals. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious. Amtrak officials have said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard the train, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. Several train cars can be seen on their side in photos posted to social media shortly after the incident. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire departments and medical helicopter services responded, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. At least eight medical helicopters were responding from around the state, Matt Daugherty, Lifeflight Eagle director of business development, told The Kansas City Star. The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a 14-member go-team to investigate the derailment. "All of a sudden the car that we were on was over and everyone was flying everywhere. Seats were coming apart. Bags were going everywhere. And then, after it stopped, you could smell the fumes and so people started panicking, thinking it was going to catch fire so we tried to get out as quick as possible," said Amtrak passenger Jason Drinkard, who boarded the train at Kansas City's Union Station. Robert Nightingale, a passenger in a sleeper car, said he was taking a nap when he heard something. "It all happened like slow motion. It started to rock and, and rock, and then flicker, and then it just all of a sudden all this dust was through my window," Nightingale, who is from Taos, New Mexico, told CNN. Video below: Passenger captures aftermath of train derailment He said the train fell over on the side that his compartment was on. Nightingale, who was not injured, said he couldn't get through the window, which was blocked by dirt, so he grabbed his backpack and climbed into the hallway. Then he moved into a neighboring room where he found a way to climb out and onto the side of the train. He said some people helped others reach the ground where he and others walked to the front of the train. He said the truck looked like it had big boulders in it. "It hit something major to cause ... every car to go off," he said. Passengers on the train included high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Two Boy Scout troops from Appleton were on board the Amtrak train that crashed Monday afternoon in Missouri. They were returning from the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Scott Armstrong, director of National Media Relations for Boy Scouts of America, told sister station WISN that 16 Boy Scouts from Troops 73 and eight adult leaders were on board the derailed train. "In true scouting fashion, the scouts rendered aid to their fellow passengers before they worried about anything for themselves," Armstrong said. "It was one of our scouts who actually discovered the driver of the dump truck who struck, located him in the vicinity of the impact and rendered aid and comfort until the driver passed away," Armstrong said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City. The collision was the second in two days in which an Amtrak train hit a passenger vehicle. On Sunday, 85 passengers were on board a train in rural California that hit a vehicle. Three people were killed and two people suffered major injuries, according to officials. All of the victims were in the vehicle, the officials added. The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON (AP) Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. Such social media posts ostensibly aimed to help women living in states where preexisting laws banning abortion suddenly snapped into effect on Friday. That's when the high court overruled Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision that declared access to abortion a constitutional right. Memes and status updates explaining how women could legally obtain abortion pills in the mail exploded across social platforms. Some even offered to mail the prescriptions to women living in states that now ban the procedure. Almost immediately, Facebook and Instagram began removing some of these posts, just as millions across the U.S. were searching for clarity around abortion access. General mentions of abortion pills, as well as posts mentioning specific versions such as mifepristone and misoprostol, suddenly spiked Friday morning across Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and TV broadcasts, according to an analysis by the media intelligence firm Zignal Labs. By Sunday, Zignal had counted more than 250,000 such mentions. The AP obtained a screenshot on Friday of one Instagram post from a woman who offered to purchase or forward abortion pills through the mail, minutes after the court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours, the post on Instagram read. Instagram took it down within moments. Vice Media first reported on Monday that Meta, the parent of both Facebook and Instagram, was taking down posts about abortion pills. On Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills. The post was removed within one minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on a warning status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on guns, animals and other regulated goods. Yet, when the AP reporter made the same exact post but swapped out the words abortion pills for a gun, the post remained untouched. A post with the same exact offer to mail weed was also left up and not considered a violation. Marijuana is illegal under federal law and it is illegal to send it through the mail. Abortion pills, however, can legally be obtained through the mail after an online consultation from prescribers who have undergone certification and training. In an email, a Meta spokesperson pointed to company policies that prohibit the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals. The company did not explain the apparent discrepancies in its enforcement of that policy. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed in a tweet Monday that the company will not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information on how to access pills. Stone acknowledged some problems with enforcing that policy across its platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram. Weve discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these, Stone said in the tweet. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that states should not ban mifepristone, the medication used to induce an abortion. States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy, Garland said in a Friday statement. But some Republicans have already tried to stop their residents from obtaining abortion pills through the mail, with some states like West Virginia and Tennessee prohibiting providers from prescribing the medication through telemedicine consultation. ___ Associated Press reporter Sophia Tulp in New York contributed to this report. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she will move to end most abortions in the state by turning to the courts and asking them to relax the legal standard used to evaluate restrictions and to reverse a decision that halted a ban as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. That law bans abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, as early as six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. A state court judge found the 2018 law unconstitutional under previous Iowa Supreme Court rulings. However, the high court on June 17 reversed previous precedent, which would allow the law to be considered under a lower legal threshold. The court also suggested it might relax the legal standard even further. Reynolds said she would pursue that change in the legal standard as well as seeking a reversal of the 2019 decision on the six-week ban. A week after the Iowa court decision overturning its previous precedent that assured abortion was a fundamental right under the state constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed the right to an abortion under the U.S. Constitution. Previously the U.S. Supreme Court guidance was that restrictions could not place an undue burden on women seeking abortions, but the recent decision rejected that. The ruling said a rational basis is the best test for abortion. Laws must be sustained if there is a rational basis on which a legislature could have thought it would serve a legitimate state interest. Iowas ban on abortions after 20 weeks remains in effect while Reynolds pursues more restrictions. Now is the time for us to stand up and continue the fight to protect the unborn, Reynolds said. The Supreme Courts historic decision reaffirms that states have the right to protect the innocent and defenseless unborn and now its time for our state to do just that. As governor, I will do whatever it takes to defend the most important freedom there is: the right to life. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, said he won't represent the state in the abortion requests for ethical reasons. He said he supported Roe v. Wade and the rationale that underlies it and that he supports the undue burden standard previously established by the federal courts. He said he can't "zealously assert the states position because of my core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and protections for women. He said in his 40 years in office it's only the second time he's chosen not to represent the state. Alliance Defending Freedom and Iowa attorney Alan Ostergren have agreed to represent the state at no cost to Iowa taxpayers, Reynolds said. The announcement suggests Reynolds and legislative leaders have decided go to court is a faster way to enact abortion limits than calling a special session to enact a new law. It also could be a political calculation for Reynolds and some GOP legislative leaders seeking reelection in suburban areas where abortion bans aren't popular. This approach places the burden on the courts to resolve the issue. Iowa House Republicans goal is to protect the lives of the unborn. Thats why I support the governors decision on these legal actions as the best path forward to protect innocent life, House Speaker Pat Grassley said. Senate Democratic leader Zach Wahls said Republicans won't stop until they have completely banned abortion without exception. This is an incredibly dangerous action that threatens the health, safety, and future of Iowa women, he said. The six-week ban does provide some exceptions, including for rape, incest and when the mother's life is in danger. A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, which provides most abortions in the state, said Iowans deserve the right to control their bodies and futures. "Iowa is headed down a dangerous path where Gov. Reynolds will have more say over our reproductive health than we do, said Sheena Dooley, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, a bungled crime at a Washington D.C. hotel on June 17, 1972, that two years later led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Perhaps members on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol have been reading some of the recent Watergate retrospectives, because on Monday afternoon, they pulled a move straight out of the Watergate playbook: They announced a surprise hearing to "present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony." By Tuesday morning, news had leaked that Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, would be the witness. J. Scott Applewhite/AP In July 1973, the Senate committee looking into the Watergate scandal called only one surprise witness, and what that witness had to say blew the investigation wide open. Alexander Butterfield was never a high-profile guy, not like Nixon's attorney general turned campaign chief John Mitchell or White House counsel John W. Dean III. In 1968, he was an Air Force colonel stationed in far-flung Australia before using an old college connection to land a job in the White House. As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield was responsible for Nixon's schedule, managing visitors and logging memos. Soon after taking the job, Butterfield nearly quit. Nixon seemed to him "an ignorant boor, a bumpkin," he later revealed to Bob Woodward for the 2015 book "The Last of the President's Men." Much of his job was spent managing the president's fragile ego and strained marriage. But Nixon could also be charming and generous. So, in early 1973, when Butterfield vowed to get out of the White House "cesspool" and Nixon made him head of the Federal Aviation Administration, he still felt some warmth for and loyalty to the president. Then he got subpoenaed. The Senate investigation back then followed a similar protocol to the current House hearings: Witnesses were interviewed privately and exhaustively ahead of their somewhat choreographed public testimonies. Committee staffers interviewed Butterfield behind closed doors on July 13, 1973. Going into it, Butterfield later told Woodward, he decided not to say anything about Nixon's tape-recording system unless specifically asked. The previous month, Dean, Nixon's former White House counsel, had testified that he suspected his conversations with the president had been recorded, so the committee had begun asking witnesses about it. They hit pay dirt with Butterfield; in 1971, he had been put in charge of having it installed, arranging for the Secret Service to place microphones all over the Oval Office. As soon as he revealed this to the committee staffers, he asked them not to call him to publicly testify. To reveal the existence of the tapes would be a threat to national security, he told them. Three days later, on July 16, the committee announced a surprise public hearing. Butterfield was given a few hours' notice. Future lawmaker Fred Thompson, then serving as counsel for the Republicans, did the questioning, and he cut right to the chase: "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the president?" Butterfield paused for five long seconds. "I was aware of listening devices, yes, sir." The news stunned D.C., The Washington Post reported. Less than a week later, the special counsel investigating the break-in subpoenaed the tapes. And the rest - Nixon's refusal, the "Saturday Night Massacre," the missing 18 minutes, "I am not a crook," United States v. Nixon, the "smoking gun" tape, a disgraced president smiling and waving in front of a helicopter - is history. Butterfield is still alive - as of 2015, he was living in San Diego. So is Dean, who first guessed about a taping system and is now a CNN commentator. On Monday evening, when the surprise hearing was announced, he recalled Butterfield's testimony and tweeted, "The January 6 Committee is dealing with a very high historical standard in springing a surprise hearing and witness tomorrow. . . . Cancel now if you can't match!" LOS ANGELES (AP) A real estate developer was found guilty of bribery Monday for giving $500,000 in cash to a former Los Angeles city councilman and his special assistant in exchange for favors. A jury convicted Dae Yong Lee, 57, and a company he controlled of bribery, honest services wire fraud and falsifying records in federal investigations, a U.S. Department of Justice statement said. Federal prosecutors said that in 2017, Lee bribed ex-councilman Jose Huizar and assistant George Esparza for help in resolving a labor issue involving Lee's company's planned construction of a large commercial and condominium complex in the citys burgeoning downtown district. At the time, Huizar chaired the city's powerful Planning and Land Use Management Committee. During a later federal corruption investigation, Lee altered accounting and tax records to falsely categorize the bribe as a legitimate business expenditure, prosecutors said. Lee could face up to 10 years in prison for bribery and 20 years each for the wire fraud and obstruction counts when he is sentenced in September. His company could be fined $1.5 million. Lee is one of several developers and city officials who were charged in the sweeping City Hall corruption probe. In 2020 a Huizar fundraiser, Justin Kim, pleaded guilty to a bribery offense for facilitating the bribes from Lee, while Esparza pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Both are cooperating with the investigation and await sentencing, the Department of Justice said. Prosecutors allege Huizar masterminded a $1.5 million pay-to-play scheme tied to the approval of developments. Huizar and former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan are scheduled to face trial in February on federal charges that include racketeering conspiracy and bribery. They have pleaded not guilty. In another case, former City Council member Mitchell Englander pleaded guilty in 2020 to obstructing an FBI investigation into his acceptance of tens of thousands of dollars in cash, escort services and other perks from a businessman involved in major developments. He was sentenced last year to 14 months in federal prison. MANISTEE A Manistee Township couple who traveled to Boratyn, Poland to help Ukrainian refugees in May plans to go back to Poland in the fall. Cynthia and Phillip Knapp are back home in Manistee after spending the entire month of May at the Ukrainian border, working to provide refugees with medicine and build a daycare center. However, "the work is not completed," Cynthia Knapp said. As such, the couple's plan is to go back again in the fall. This time, however, the nature of the visit will be different, according to Cynthia Knapp. She noted that when they first arrived at the border city of Boratyn on Ukraine's western border the women and children were not nearly as sick as she thought and that after a couple of days of getting medication, she started to help her husband Phillip with his project of building a daycare center for refugee children. Knapp said that beyond being healthy, the children at the centers needed to really be able to have some sense of normalcy again. She noted that the center was crowded, and though they were not extremely sick at least in the way she prepared for to help Doctors Without Borders the situation they were in was not ideal. We were very successful with medications, now they need comforts of outside space, she said. Poland Welcomes Knapp and her husband aided an organization called Poland Welcomes based in Jaroslaw to retrofit the location where the daycare is being transformed from a school that is no longer used. The organization, according to its website, has six sites that have a total capacity to host 1,100 refugees. Poland Welcomes started to work informally on Feb. 25, the day after the war in Ukraine began. It was founded by Patrycjusz Gawe, a local property developer in Jarosaw, with the volunteer help of a group of friends. It was registered as a charity under Polish law on March 16. "Starting from two private houses, we have quickly scaled up to operate six shelters. As of April 18, Poland Welcomes is hosting around 500 refugees in total," the website read. It is so interesting is talk to all the organizations working together to help. ... We are working at their center in Boratyn. At our work site, there are 250 people. Poland Welcomes administration takes no money, they are working from 8 a.m. until late at night to feed and give shelter to over 1,100 people. Poland Welcomes needs money to heat the six buildings, keep the lights on and provide three meals a day," Cynthia Knapp wrote in a public Facebook post. Beyond the basics Poland Welcomes is also helping the refugees to find work. See more photos See more photos of the Knapps helping refugees in Poland at manisteenews.com See More Collapse The nonprofit organization and volunteers were able to get computers from several different computer manufactures, so the refugee children could do homework, Knapp said. She said that Poland Welcomes was working with 40 companies to get supplies and that Microsoft had donated the software for the computers. Of the 500 refugees that the organization is currently hosting, some of them have learned how to code in a programming language called Python and compose from another computer program that is designed for creating musical compositions on computers. Those skills could help the refugees eventually find work in Poland if they cannot go back to their lives in Ukraine. Knapp said that when she and her husband go back to Poland in the fall, they are planning to bring more computers. People coming together Knapp also spoke about people from all over the world who were coming to Poland and the Ukrainian border to help the refugees of the war. We were so impressed, with the world coming together. There were people from Scotland, who were bringing pizza ovens. There were Portuguese doctors who were helping out. The world is coming together for these people and to make sure everything is OK for them," she said. Knapp had previously said that the Ukrainians "are fighting for us" and spoke of the reason that she feels compelled to help. These people have left their homes. They gave up everything and we have a moral duty to try to help them, Knapp said. She also wrote in a different Facebook post from May 5, about how ordinary people are giving aid, and how that is unique from wars in the past. "This is the first war that the civilian population is contributing all of the humanitarian aid. Governments are giving the big guns but its people giving life-sustaining care," she wrote. "Its day three and it is emotionally draining. I try not to think too much about what is going on six miles east of here. I hold onto the bravery and beauty of the people Im meeting. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland's highest court has reinstated the murder conviction of a man who helped kill two Montgomery County high school students. The Maryland Court of Appeals issued its ruling on Monday in the case of Rony Galicia, of Boyds, Maryland. The ruling reverses an opinion from the Court of Special Appeals, which is the state's intermediate appellate court. It reinstates Galicias convictions on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of first-degree felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and armed robbery. In June 2017, on the night before their graduation from Northwest High School, Shadi Ali Najjar, 17, and Artem Ziberov, 18, were shot multiple times while they sat in a parked car in Montgomery Village. Four men, including Galicia, were convicted of the murders in three separate trials. The Court of Special Appeals reversed Galicias conviction in January 2021, on the basis of two evidentiary issues that arose during his trial, but the Court of Appeals has reached a different conclusion on both of those issues. MEXICO CITY (AP) Abortion pills smuggled into the United States from Mexico inside teddy bears. A New York home used as a pill distribution hub. A small apartment just south of the U.S.-Mexico border converted into a safe place for women to end their pregnancies. Networks of Mexican feminist collectives working with counterparts in the United States are ramping up their efforts to help women in the U.S. who are losing access to abortion services to end their pregnancies. With the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the landmark decision that gave women the right to access abortion last week, these networks of activists are preparing to be busier than ever. So far this year, according to the organizations, they have helped at least 1,700 women living the U.S. who have sought their help. The number may seem anecdotal, but its exponentially higher than what they saw before. With a number of U.S. states already enacting abortion bans since the court overturned Roe v. Wade last week, the activists expect the pace to continue increasing. The demand is going to triple, said Sandra Cardona of I Need an Abortion, a collective based in the northern Mexico city of Monterrey, 138 miles from Texas. Before we accompanied about five women a month from the United States; now there are five to seven a week. These organizations strategy is clear: a self-managed abortion, that is to say, putting the abortion-inducing misoprostol and mifepristone in the hands of women who want to end their pregnancies and accompanying them, usually virtually, when they take the drugs. The drugs are legal in the United States and more than half of the abortions performed there in 2020 used them, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights organization. But there they require a doctors prescription, some states require a doctor to be present and they are usually taken in womens health clinics, many of which have been forced to close. In addition to the 13 states that already have laws banning abortion, there are another half-dozen that have almost complete bans or that do not permit them after six weeks, when many women do not know they are pregnant. So theres no doubt that the alternative will be abortions at home. And that is something with which the Mexican activists have a lot of experience. Even though Mexicos Supreme Court ruled last year that it was unconstitutional to consider abortion a crime and 10 states have made it legal, not all have abortion services and abortion, with some exceptions, remains a crime in 22 states of the strongly Catholic country. At the same time that we were taking it for granted in the United States, people in Mexico, advocates in Mexico, have been working and testing narratives and building, building power, convincing people that their message was the correct one, said Texas state lawmaker Erin Zwiener during a visit to Mexico in May. Mexican activists built networks, battled the stigma, pushed for legal changes and little by little made headway, Zwiener said. Their strategy since January has been the same, but cross-border. Collectives far from the U.S. border like Unasse in Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula coordinate donations from abroad to buy the pills, explained Amelia Ojeda, one of its members. Others to the north, focus on getting the pills into the United States inside toys, jars of vitamins or sewn into the hems of clothing. Those who are detected at the border, its like you were crossing drugs, said Marcela Castro of Green Tide Chihuahua, a state bordering Texas. There are also women who live between the two countries and carry them when they fly. The pills are then stored at so-called medicine banks, that are really private homes in strategic cities in Texas or even in New York where abortion remains legal. From there they are distributed by low-profile volunteers by any means available -- hand-to-hand, through the mail, etc. -- to women across the country who need them. Most are in states like Texas and Oklahoma that have imposed bans, but also states where abortion remains legal but women prefer to end their pregnancies in the privacy of their homes. The new modern menace is a chemical or medical abortion with pills ordered online and mailed directly to a womans home, Randall OBannon, an anti-abortion activist, said at a national convention last week in Atlanta. With Roe headed for the dustbin of history, and states gaining the power to limit abortions, this is where the battle is going to be played out over the next several years. Medication abortion will be where access to abortion is decided, said Mary Ziegler, a professor at Florida State University College of Law who specializes in reproductive rights, told the AP last month. Thats going to be the battleground that decides how enforceable abortion bans are. Las Libres -- The Free -- one of the most experienced groups in Latin America has a strong network network of allies in Mexico. Just there people have helped 1,500 women living in the United States this year with pills, information and accompaniment. Veronica Cruz, their director, said that has been possible because of the help of some 100 volunteers, mostly in New York and California. But facing growing demand, she said, they need more medicine, more hands and more heads that want to collaborate. As battles play out in U.S. state courts, the fear among activists grows. In such a litigious country (like the United States), the risks are taken seriously, said Castro of the Chihuahua group. And theyre besieged on all sides, she added, noting the financial penalties or even prison sentences that those who help could be subject to in some states. I Need an Abortion receives women in its office in Monterrey. The majority tell us they prefer talking and having first-hand information, they take the pills and cross the border back to Texas, said director Sandra Cardona. Others decide to have the abortion in the collective's offices, which is Cardona's house. When they arrive, they stand with their mouth hanging open when they see what they call the aborteria. Its really crazy, Cardona explained. They tell us, but this isnt a clinic! It isnt a shady place! Its not scary! Well, of course, its a home! she said. Cardona has opened their doors to women for five years. Since May, they have outfitted a small apartment on the second floor of her home with a desk and sofa bed where women have gone through the whole process in privacy or with accompaniment based on their preference. At first, women dont believe they give away the pills for free, because some have been scammed online, and theyre surprised to feel so psychologically protected. One even told them that if she didnt have to pay we werent a serious organizations, Cardona said laughing. They give them the option of making a donation. Our Paypal link has never been used so much. After their abortion, most realize they could have done it in their own homes. And that, says the activist, is important because the message gets passed on. So far, most of the women seeking assistance from the collectives in Monterrey and Chihuahua have been Latina and Black. Cruz was surprised because most of those who contacted The Free spoke English, suggesting to her a big pending issue: undocumented migrants. The women who most need it, who dont even have internet access, still havent made it to us, she said. The race to find mental health treatment can feel like a marathon when you may not have the energy or ability to even make it to the starting line. You may be faced with limited affordable options and a lack of available therapists. Prior to the pandemic, we had an inadequate workforce to meet the mental health demand of the country, says Vaile Wright, who has a doctorate in counseling psychology and is the senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. And that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. According to the APAs 2021 COVID-19 Practitioner Survey, 43% of psychologists reported an increase in overall number of patients compared with 2020. At the same time, 41% of psychologists said they couldnt keep up with demand and 46% felt burned out. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to access care at a variety of price points, including telehealth options. USE RESOURCES THAT YOU MIGHT ALREADY HAVE Your employer may offer an employee assistance program, or EAP, which can connect you, your spouse or partner and your children with various services including short-term counseling. Review your benefits to see what your EAP provides, if you have one. If you have school-aged children, their guidance counselor can be a helpful resource not just for academic concerns, but also for more personal, social and behavioral issues. College students may also have access to free or low-cost counseling services on campus. And dont forget primary care physicians and OB-GYNs. Annual preventative care visits, which are free with insurance, are an opportunity to talk about your mental health. Your doctor might prescribe medication or refer you to other practitioners. Dr. Carlene MacMillan, co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consumer Issues Committee, recommends setting aside time during your routine appointment to talk about your mental health. If youre healthy mentally, physically its easier to take care of whatever else is going on, she says. SEARCH FOR PROVIDERS WHO TAKE YOUR INSURANCE You can search for in-network providers through your health insurance company, but MacMillan cautions that the information there might be out of date. Double-check with Psychology Today (yes, as in the magazine). Its website has a search tool you can use to find therapists, psychiatrists, treatment centers and support groups. According to MacMillan, the search results from this tool could be more up to date than some insurance databases. Alma and Headway are two additional websites where you can search for providers who accept your health insurance. ASK IF THERAPISTS OFFER REDUCED PRICING Many therapists set aside appointment slots for patients who cant afford the full hourly rate. Ask therapists in your area if they accept patients on a sliding scale, meaning they lower their rates based on your income. And if youre open to group therapy, that can cost less than seeing a therapist one-on-one. You can also look beyond private practices. Most places, at least cities, have community mental health centers that offer a sliding scale, says Nance Roy, chief clinical officer at The Jed Foundation, or JED, a nonprofit with the goal of supporting and protecting mental health for teens and young adults. Open Path is a nonprofit that can help you find affordable care if your household income is less than $100,000 a year and you either lack health insurance or your insurance plan doesnt offer mental health benefits . You can join their mental health collective by paying $59 for a lifetime membership. From there, youll be able to access therapy for a per-session fee of $30 to $60 for individual counseling, or $30 to $80 for couples or families. TURN TO TEACHING HOSPITALS Hospitals and universities in your area may have programs where you can see a clinician in training, who is supervised by a licensed practitioner, for a lower cost. Look for local teaching hospitals or colleges with psychology programs. GET HELP VIRTUALLY Use of telehealth expanded because of COVID-19, when privacy regulations adjusted to allow more ways for patients to communicate with medical professionals. Even now that in-person appointments are back, virtual appointments are still an option thats especially convenient for anyone who previously had to take off work or pay for a babysitter to attend sessions. The possibilities of how you can consume mental health care is where the disruption really happened, says Heela Gonen, vice president of strategic partnerships and communications at BetterHelp, an online therapy platform. You see that people are not going back. Mental health platforms like BetterHelp and Brightside make it possible to communicate with a therapist on a video or phone call, or through text. For kids and teens, MacMillan recommends Little Otter and Brightline. ADD ON SOME SELF-CARE While you search for a therapist, or in between appointments, it can be helpful to incorporate mindfulness practices into your day, like meditation, breathing exercises or even just going for a walk and observing everything around you. The research is clear on the value of mindfulness in terms of promoting mental health, Roy says. Its not about stopping your thoughts, its about letting them pass. ________________________________________ This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Sara Rathner is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SaraKRathner. RELATED LINKS: NerdWallet: Free ways to protect your mental health Psychology Today: Find a therapist The 2021 American Psychological Associations COVID-19 Practitioner Survey was distributed to approximately 26,400 doctoral-level active licensed psychologists in the United States from Aug. 30 to Sept. 17, 2021. A total of 1,141 psychologists responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 4.3%. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) Five of New Hampshires Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls are suggesting they dont support enacting federal legislation restricting abortion, though most of them initially sidestepped the question during their first debate. Donald Bolduc, Bruce Fenton, Vikram Mansharamani, Chuck Morse and Kevin Smith were asked Monday night to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court decision ending constitutional protection for abortion and whether they would support federal laws restricting it. While all praised the decision, Fenton, a bitcoin businessman, was the only candidate who clearly said he would oppose federal abortion legislation. The others indicated their opposition only by not raising their hands when a moderator pressed them to take a position. Bolduc, a retired Army general, called the court decision a necessary correction but otherwise offered no details of his views on abortion. This is what we need to do: Move forward, not backwards, under responsible, effective leadership, he said. The debate sponsored by New Hampshire Journal featured five of the 11 men seeking the Republican nomination in the Sept. 13 primary. The winner will take on U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat seeking her second term. She argues that several of the GOP candidates have records and positions consistent with backing a nationwide abortion ban. My opponents have made themselves very, very clear: if elected, they would work to eviscerate a womans fundamental rights. In the worlds greatest democracy, they would make women second class citizens, she told reporters earlier Monday. As state Senate president, Morse helped insert a provision into the current state budget prohibiting abortion after 24 weeks' gestation and has opposed efforts to add exceptions for rape, incest and fatal fetal anomalies. And Smith, the former director of a conservative advocacy group, told Nashua Republicans earlier this month that would back any federal legislation to protect life, according to video shared by the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Smith more recently served as town manager of Londonderry, a position that drew scorn from Bolduc, who called Smith clueless when it comes to the war in Ukraine. He has no idea what hes talking about. The town manager in Londonderry knows nothing about national security and strategy, he said. I do. I lived it. Smith highlighted his work as town manager when the candidates were asked whether they support the bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday that aims to address gun violence. Im the only person on this stage thats actually done something, said Smith, who described his towns work to improve school security. Smith, Bolduc and Fenton all said they oppose the bill, which will incrementally toughen requirements for young people to buy guns, deny firearms from more domestic abusers and help local authorities temporarily take weapons away from people judged to be dangerous. Neither Mansharamani nor Morse answered the question, which prompted an angry response from Fenton targeting Morse. You know what you are? Youre a rubber stamp, he said. You wont answer the question because youre afraid, because youre a dealmaker. And youre what we needed many years ago and you might have done a good job, but youre not what we need right now. Not in these times. Not in this America. Morse declined to respond. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A 10-member panel led by Gov. Roy Cooper with other statewide elected officials usually meets monthly to sign off on such mundane government matters as state land purchases, bond sales and repairs of state buildings. But the Council of State gained more attention during the coronavirus pandemic when the Democratic governor had to get the other members' OK before many emergency restrictions were carried out. That approval or rejection process was usually performed outside of public view. Now legislation being considered in the final days of the General Assembly session would match council proceedings more closely with other local and state government bodies that comply with open meetings and public records laws. The council was exempt from the states open meetings laws in 1979, but that exemption was repealed in 1991, according to legislative staff. For the last 31 years, its been a disorganized attempt (by the council) to actually comply with open meetings requirements, said Rep. Tim Moffitt, a Henderson County Republican helping shepherd the bill. After little debate, the bill was approved on a voice vote by a House judiciary committee on Tuesday. Among other things, the measure would require the governor, who leads council meetings, to formally hold a council meeting any time state law mandates the councils concurrence, advice, discretion, opinion or consent." The Council of State is an appointed governing body of the state, and it should have the same level of transparency and process as every other governing body, said Republican Dale Folwell, a council member since 2017 when he became state treasurer, speaking in an interview this week. The council does meet in person regularly, usually on the first or second Tuesday of the month, with the meetings open to the public. But when the governor needs the formal backing of members during an emergency or unforeseen event, it's often sought through an email request to the nine members. The decisions get played out in a string of email responses. Folwell said he recalled a time where it took him at least five months to learn how other council members voted specifically on an COVID-19 issue early in the pandemic. The measure, which would need both House and Senate approval before going to Coopers desk, also would require the council to adopt formal parliamentary rules by Oct. 1. "Too often I and the other members who currently serve or have served in the past have been asked to vote by email with little notice and zero opportunity for public debate and input, Folwell wrote in a letter last week to House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger. In the letter, he urged the bills passage. Coopers office didnt immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment on the legislation. Staff members of the council already produce written minutes of each council meeting and present that record to members before each ensuing meeting. The bill says all council proceedings must be chronicled in writing and be a public record. Other current council members are Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson; Attorney General Josh Stein; Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler; State Auditor Beth Wood; Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey; Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson; Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt; and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. Republicans currently hold six of the 10 council positions. The council soon will gain additional powers during emergencies from language contained in the 2021 state budget law. Starting in January, any state of emergency issued by the governor must receive the support of a majority of the other council members otherwise, the emergency order expires in 30 days. The law directs the governor to release how each council member voted and publish that information on the same web site where his emergency order is published. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Koreans were working intensively to protect crops, factory equipment and other assets from potential damage from days of heavy rainfall, state media said Tuesday, as outside observers worry any flooding could aggravate the countrys economic hardships amid its COVID-19 outbreak. Summer floods in North Korea, one of the poorest countries in Asia, often cause serious damage to its agricultural and other sectors because of its troubled drainage and deforestation. Typhoons and torrential rains in 2020 were among the difficulties leader Kim Jong Un said had created multiple crises at home, along with strict pandemic-related restrictions and U.N. sanctions over his nuclear weapons program. North Koreas weather authorities predicted this years rainy season would start in late June and issued alerts for torrential downpours in most of its regions from Monday through Wednesday. The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that authorities in the Norths central and southwestern regions "have concentrated all forces and means on the work to cope with possible flood and typhoon damage. Officials and workers were working to protect crops, equipment at metal and chemical industrial establishments, power plant facilities and fishing boats from heavy rains, KCNA reported. It said the countrys anti-disaster agency was reviewing the readiness of emergency workers and medical staff. KCNA said North Korean officials are urging residents and laborers to abide by pandemic-related restrictions during the countrys monsoon season. It said medical workers were ready to deal with any potential major health issues and officials were working to ensure epidemic control measures at shelters for people evacuated from flood-damaged areas. South Koreas weather agency said most of North Korea has been receiving heavy rains since Sunday. South Koreas Unification Ministry said later Tuesday it asked North Korea to inform the South in advance if it plans to release dammed water along the rivals border. Some of the Norths previous sudden, unnotified discharge of dam water caused deaths in frontline South Korean towns. The South Korean request was conveyed through a cross-border military hotline communication channel. Earlier Tuesday, South Korea said North Korea was unresponsive to its calls on another official communication channel but liaison officials from the two countries eventually had their regular call later in the day. Concerns about the heavy rains come after North Korea admitted last month to a domestic coronavirus outbreak. It has said about 4.7 million out of the countrys 26 million people became ill and only 73 died, but experts question whether North Korea's propaganda has given a true picture of the outbreak. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma officials have reached an opioid settlement with three drug companies that would bring more than $250 million to finance efforts to battle opioid addiction, state Attorney General John O'Connor has announced. The deal with McKesson, Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen settled a lawsuit in which Oklahoma accused the companies of fostering a nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse, O'Connor said in a Monday statement. Many Oklahoma families have been ravaged and lives have been lost by opioid addictions and overdoses, O'Connor said. Money cannot possibly heal those wounds or bring back our loved ones. The funds we are recovering will be used to prevent and treat addictions to opioids. The settlement was subject to approval by city and county governments with which the proceeds would be shared to support their efforts against opioid abuse, he said. In a statement, AmerisourceBergen spokeswoman Lauren Esposito said the agreement will avoid years of protracted litigation, expedite the movement of resources to communities impacted by opioid misuse and allow our company to do what we do best ensuring that health care facilities like hospitals and community pharmacies have access to the medications that patients and care providers need. There was no immediate comment from McKesson and Cardinal. OConnor noted that the state had previously rejected a national settlement with the companies and now has recovered more than $680 million from opioid makers, including $270 million from OxyContin maker Purdue and $85 million from Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. People travelling on Huron County roads on Thursday or Friday may have encountered quite a few bicyclists sharing the road. Several hundreds traveling by bike were making their final stretch for a trip across the Lower Peninsula here in Huron County as part of this years PALM bike tour. PALM, an acronym for Pedal Across Lower Michigan, has taken bike riders on cross-state trips for the past 39 years, with this year having between 500 and 600 riders of all ages. They traveled between 50 and 60 miles a day for a total of 265.8 miles across six days this year. This years route had the riders travel from Whitehall in Muskegon County to Harbor Beach, with stops in Hesperia, Big Rapids, Clare, Bay City, and Bad Axe along the way. The bikers set up their own tents outside of local schools while trucks carried their luggage along the way. Its been a beautiful trip, said Coleen Sutton, the PALM site coordinator for Bad Axe, last week. Weve had great weather, so things are working well. For those riders who wanted to explore the area during their stay, information was provided for local restaurants and what movies were playing at the Bad Axe Theatre. Food and showers were available inside Bad Axe High School. Jim Toten, of Birch Run, has been participating in PALM bike rides for the past 30 years, riding this year with his daughter Jamie Darrow of Northville just a few days before his 69th birthday. The first time he was part of a tour through Bad Axe was in 1996, and he has since been on three or four tours in the area. Its just a nice bike ride, Toten said. Its not too grueling. I like to bicycle so its a chance to bike. This year was a bit challenging for Toten, since the last two PALM tours were canceled due to COVID and he has gotten a bit older. The heat over the past few days and the wind on Thursday was rough, so his plans for Thursday were just getting dinner and staying in. Michelle Tuckerman, of Pittsburg in Shiawassee County, was participating in PALM for the first time this year, having done some other bike tours including the Michigander along Lake Michigan and Shoreline West tour in the northwestern part of the mitten. I was in Bad Axe for work some time ago, so I think this has given me an opportunity to see it in a little different light, Tuckerman said. While the day was challenging for her too due to headwinds, she said she had enjoyed the ride and was looking forward to doing it again next year. Beth and Chet Brett, a couple from Worthington, Massachusetts, were participating in the ride because a friend of theirs participated back in 2019 and jumped on board with them the next time it came around. They have previously ridden their bikes in Death Valley, California, and the Natchez Trace bike trail from Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Chet did pass through Michigan while riding his bike cross-country last summer, but did not go through the Upper Thumb. Its fantastic terrain, Chet said. Were used to a lot more hill climbing, so it has been real nice. VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) A pilot died in a fiery crash on a runway Tuesday in Vancouver, Washington, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The single-engine Beechcraft V35B ended up upside down and ablaze at Pearson Field at around 7:30 a.m., The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Alexander Shcherbak/AP MOSCOW (AP) President Vladimir Putin says Russia is trying to build relations with the Taliban and that Russia wants to see all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan take part in running the country. Putin's statement Tuesday came in a meeting with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan during the Russian leader's first trip abroad since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The South Carolina education superintendent candidate backed by the Republican establishment came back from her second place finish in the primary to win the runoff. Also on Tuesday, state Rep. Krystle Matthews won the runoff to be the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and will take on incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott in November. EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT Conservative think tank CEO and chairwoman of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee Ellen Weaver won her party's nomination on Tuesday, but she still could face a rough road to the job even in a GOP-dominated state. A new South Carolina law requires education superintendents to have at least a masters degree. Weaver doesnt have one, but started a program in April. She said she should earn her degree in time. Election officials said there is no precedent for what happens if she wins in November without an advanced degree, meaning the issue could be decided in court if someone sues. Weaver will face Democrat Lisa Ellis in November. Ellis is a high school English teacher who founded the group SC for Ed on social media. Hundreds of teachers joined the group, calling for education improvements and higher pay and better treatment for teachers. The group brought 10,000 people to rally at the Statehouse, one of the biggest crowds of the past 20 years. Ellis already has an advanced degree, as does the opponent Weaver defeated in the runoff, Palmetto State Teachers Association Executive Director Kathy Maness. Maness won the primary, but fell well short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. She had grassroot support from teachers and educators. Maness faced an onslaught of television ads, campaign mailers and appearances by prominent Republicans who painted her as a Democrat posing as a member of their party. Maness secured one big endorsement when Republican Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, who is leaving the job after eight years, threw her support behind Maness. Spearman said Maness has been a teacher, knows what goes on in schools and is familiar with the legislative process. Weaver has raised more money $327,000 to Maness' $115,000 Ellis has raised just under $15,000, according to state campaign finance reports, but won the three-way Democratic primary without a runoff. STATE HOUSE There are six state House runoffs. Only one involves incumbents. Democratic Reps. Roger Kirby and Cezar McKnight were drawn through redistricting into the same district that stretches across three counties but is centered in Williamsburg County. The two Democrats basically get to run primary night over again, but this time the winner likely returns to the Statehouse because no Republicans filed to run in the general election. Tuesday's results were too early to call. McKnight won the June 14 primary by seven votes out of the 5,557 cast. A third candidate threw the race into a runoff. McKnight has represented much of the district for eight years from its anchor of Kingstree, but dwindling population in South Carolina's rural areas drew Kirby into the district when new lines were approved this year. Kirby is from Lake City and has been in the House as long as McKnight. In the other five South Carolina House races, four Republican runoffs and one involving Democrats will decide nominees for open seats already controlled by their parties. Six Republican House incumbents lost primary races earlier this month and a Democratic incumbent lost after her district was combined with another House member. About a dozen of the 124 members of the House also aren't running for reelection. ___ Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP. A dog who was found on the side of the highway in the sweltering heat now has a forever home thanks to a Tennessee state highway patrol trooper. The dog was discovered earlier this month by a driver traveling along a highway in Tennessee. The driver, Kaye Fiorello, said she saw the dog in a ditch and turned around to help. She said a Tennessee state trooper was nearby so she asked if she could stop and check on the dog. The trooper followed her and they found the dog panting in the sweltering heat. The trooper dumped out his Kool-Aid and made a water bowl for the dog who quickly finished it. The trooper got her more water and also grabbed a chair and umbrella. The trooper used the umbrella to help shade the dog from the sun. Fiorello said the trooper told her he was going to stay there until the dog trusts him before bringing her to a shelter. "I believe his being there at the right time, was one of those little messages reminding us of the good in our world," Fiorello said in her Facebook post. Related video: K9 officer rescues dog stuck in mud The dog was taken to be treated at Cleveland Tennessee Animal Control and the trooper, Trooper Tudors, adopted the dog. His family named her Princess. TSP said Princess is still receiving treatment at the facility until she can go to her forever home. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday made it more difficult for the government to prosecute doctors who overprescribe drugs, unanimously setting aside the convictions of two physicians accused of operating opioid "pill mills." Under federal law, licensed physicians are permitted to dispense controlled substances for "legitimate medical purpose" as part of their professional practice. The justices were deciding how to distinguish valid medical conduct from illegal overprescription of highly addictive drugs like opioids that have claimed the lives of more than 500,000 people in the United States since 2016. The court held that the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the doctor knew or intended to prescribe the drugs in an unauthorized manner. "We normally would not view such dispensations as inherently illegitimate; we expect, and indeed usually want, doctors to prescribe the medications that their patients need," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court. In such prosecutions, he continued, "it is the fact that the doctor issued an unauthorized prescription that renders his or her conduct wrongful, not the fact of the dispensation itself." The combined cases involve two doctors - Xiulu Ruan and Shakeel Kahn - who were convicted at trial of unlawfully dispensing and distributing drugs and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Ruan operated a medical clinic in Alabama and a pharmacy, which made more than $4 million during a four-year period and dispensed nearly 300,000 prescriptions, including many for opioids. Kahn practiced in Arizona and Wyoming, operating mostly on a cash-only basis and accepting property as payment, including firearms. The court rejected the government's request to affirm the convictions and its argument that requiring prosecutors to prove that a doctor knowingly or intentionally acted not as authorized would allow bad actors to escape liability. The justices unanimously returned the physicians' convictions to the lower courts for further review. Justice Samuel Alito agreed with his colleagues to return the cases to the lower courts but would have applied a different standard and held that a doctor is acting professionally when the physician writes prescriptions "in good faith." Alito wrote a concurring opinion to say that the court's "radical new course" may cause "confusion and disruption." The court's alternate approach, Alito wrote, does not answer the question of whether there is a "good-faith defense" in the prosecutions of physicians. "How many other affirmative defenses might warrant similar treatment, the Court does not say. It leaves prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the lower courts in the dark. I cannot accept this cavalier treatment of an important question," wrote Alito, who was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett. The Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling. Former prosecutors said the decision would change the way the government assesses health-care fraud cases by requiring the Justice Department to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a doctor knew what he or she was doing was wrong at the time the prescription was issued. "This will have a chilling effect on how the DOJ assesses what cases to prosecute," Sean B. O'Connell, a former federal prosecutor with health-care fraud experience, said in a statement. "The DOJ has aggressively pursued health care fraud in a post-pandemic world and each of these investigations will have to be re-evaluated to determine if the DOJ has enough evidence to meet" the court's new standard. The cases are Ruan v. United States and Kahn v. United States. Bond has been set for Tiger King star Bhagavan Doc Antle on charges he laundered more than half a million dollars, money federal prosecutors have said that he believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle people across the Mexican border into the United States. A federal judge in Florence, South Carolina, on Monday set a $250,000 secured bond for Antle, who was still listed as being held in jail as of Monday evening. Federal prosecutors said it would take a day to process his release, after which Antle will be confined to his 50-acre (20-hectare) wildlife tropical preserve in Socastee, outside Myrtle Beach. Prosecutors had argued in court filings that Antle should remain in custody prior to his trial because he is a flight risk, noting his significant financial resources and contacts that know how to make false identification documents." Arguing for his release, Antle's attorneys said the 62-year-old has no prior convictions and suffers from an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, which can exacerbate the symptoms of COVID-19 should Antle contract the disease while he is incarcerated. Charges against Antle and Andrew Jon Sawyer, one of Antles employees at Myrtle Beach Safari, were revealed during a federal court hearing earlier this month. According to federal prosecutors, Antle and Sawyer laundered $505,000 over a four-month period by doling out checks from businesses they controlled, receiving a 15% fee of the money that passed through their hands. The checks, prosecutors allege, falsely purported to be payment for construction work at Myrtle Beach Safari but were in reality intended to serve as evidence that the recipients had legitimate income. According to a federal complaint, Antle discussed his plan to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at his wildlife preserve. Prosecutors also said he had previously used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks. According to authorities, Antle and Sawyer each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. Sawyer was released earlier this month on $100,000 bond, according to court records. Antle is featured prominently in Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders and private zoo operators in the U.S. The series focused heavily on Oklahoma zoo operator Joe Exotic, who also was targeted for animal mistreatment and was convicted in a plot to kill a rival, Carole Baskin. Animal rights advocates have accused Antle of mistreating lions and other wildlife. He faces multiple charges in Virginia, including animal cruelty, wildlife trafficking and 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act. Federal prosecutors said Antle was on bond for those state charges when he committed his alleged crimes in South Carolina. In May, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the IRS to probe Antles Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit raising money for wildlife conservation. PETA alleges he uses some of the funds money to subsidize his safari site. In a statement Monday, Michelle Sinnott, associate director of PETA's Captive Animal Law Enforcement Division, said that a federal agent who testified at Antle's detention hearing made it clear that additional federal charges are expected within the month. Antle has a history of recorded violations, going as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. Over the years, he has had more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Senior U.S. government officials have quietly traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to bring home detained Americans and rebuild relations with the South American oil giant as the war in Ukraine drags on, forcing the U.S. to recalibrate other foreign policy objectives. A U.S. State Department spokesperson described the trip as a welfare visit focused on the safety of several U.S. citizens detained in Caracas, including a group of oil executives from Houston-based Citgo jailed more than four years ago. The delegation includes Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy on hostage affairs, as well as Ambassador James Story, who heads the U.S. governments Venezuelan Affairs Unit out of neighboring Colombia. President Nicolas Maduro confirmed the visit during televised remarks, saying the delegation would meet with a trusted ally, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, to "give continuity to the bilateral agenda between the government of the United States and the government of Venezuela. The visit follows a surprise trip in March by the two officials and Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council director for the Western Hemisphere. That was the first White House trip to the county in more than two decades. That trip resulted in the release of two American citizens who the U.S. considered unjustly detained and a promise from Maduro to jumpstart talks with his opponents. Months earlier, he had suspended the negotiations, led by Norwegian diplomats in Mexico, after a key ally was extradited to the U.S. on money-laundering charges. It's unclear what else the officials are seeking to accomplish during the mission. But high on the list are likely to be Maduro's demand that the U.S. lift crippling oil sanctions that have exacerbated hardships in what was once South America's most prosperous nation. Upon arrival in Caracas, Story met for two hours with Juan Guaido, according to someone close to the leader of the U.S.-backed opposition. The two discussed efforts to jumpstart negotiations in Mexico, according to the person on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Since the March trip, both the Biden administration and Venezuela's socialist government have shown a willingness to engage after years of hostilities between Washington and Caracas over Maduro's 2018 re-election, which was marred by irregularities. The U.S. and other nations withdrew recognition of Maduro after that election, and instead, recognized Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Although negotiations between Maduro and the opposition have yet to resume, the U.S. then renewed a license so that oil companies, including Chevron, could continue to perform only basic upkeep of wells they operate jointly with Venezuela's state-run oil giant PDVSA. The White House also lifted sanctions imposed in 2017 targeting the nephew of First Lady Cilia Flores, who at the time was accused of facilitating corruption while a top official at PDVSA. The trip follows a public plea to the Biden administration from the family of Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine arrested nearly two years ago on what the U.S. considers trumped-up terror charges. Heath's family earlier this month called on the administration to take urgent action to save his life following what they said was a suicide attempt, which the AP has been unable to verify. The U.S. is also interested in tapping into Venezuela's vast oil wealth as the war in Ukraine has led to a 50% jump in oil prices that is fueling the worst inflation in decades. Maduro during his televised remarks Monday alluded to remarks from an official close to French President Emmanuel Macron urging the U.S. to ease sanctions on Venezuela and Iran to offset the spike in oil prices. The comments were made on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders in Germany. Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves but production has plummeted for the past decade as a result of a drop in prices, mismanagement and the U.S. sanctions. Its presence in the world oil market is today marginal and any attempt to boost production would take time to materialize. ___ Goodman reported from Cleveland, Ohio. BEIRUT (AP) A drone strike by the U.S.-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaida-linked group, Syrian opposition activists and the U.S. military said Tuesday. The attack on the suspected militant, who was riding a motorcycle at the time, came shortly before midnight on Monday the latest in a series of strikes over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants in northwestern Syria. The U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted a kinetic strike in Syria's Idlib province, targeting Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Horas al-Din group. Al Yemeni was traveling alone at the time of the strike, it said, adding that initial review indicates no civilian casualties. The oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said the attack occurred just south of the rebel-held city of Idlib. The White Helmets said there were no other fatalities except the man on the motorcycle, adding that they have handed over the man's body to morgue officials in Idlib. Syrian opposition activists did not identify the slain man while the U.S. Central Command statement indicated he was a Yemeni citizen. Members of Horas al-Din, Arabic for Guardians of Religion, are hardcore al-Qaida elements who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in Idlib, the last major rebel enclave in war-torn Syria. In June 2020, the U.S. military killed Khaled Aruri, a top Jordanian commander with Horas al-Din, also in Idlib. A drone strike in December 2019 killed a senior Horas al-Din commander, the Jordanian citizen Bilal Khuraisat, also known as Abu Khadija al-Urduni. CENTCOM said in its statement that violent extremist organizations, including Al Qaida-aligned organizations such as Horas al-Din, continue to present a threat to America and our allies. It added that al-Qaida-aligned militants use Syria as a safe haven to coordinate with their external affiliates and plan operations outside of Syria. The removal of this senior leader will disrupt al-Qaidas ability to carry out attacks against U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians around the world, CENTCOM said. Brett McGurk said at the time when he was the top U.S. envoy for the coalition battling the Islamic State group, that Idlib is the largest al-Qaida haven since bin Ladens days in Afghanistan. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaidas second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017. In February, the U.S. military killed the latest IS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in Idlib province near the Turkish border. The first leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also killed in a U.S. strike in Idlib, in 2019. A Vermont sheriff arrested Tuesday by the state police on multiple charges related to sexual and domestic assault pleaded not guilty and was then expected to be released on unsecured $100,000 bail. Peter Newton, 50, of Middlebury entered the pleas during an afternoon court appearance in Burlington, outside Addison County where the sheriff was arrested Tuesday while he was conducting contractor work at a construction job site in his hometown. During the arraignment Newton was served with what in Vermont is called an extreme risk protection order known more generically in other states as a red flag law that prevents him from possessing firearms. During the 35-minute hearing the defense attorney, prosecutor and judge focused on the appropriate conditions of release for Newton, a lifelong Vermonter with no criminal history. Defense attorney Jason Sawyer said Newton has not been convicted of a crime and he should be able to continue his work as sheriff without engaging in law enforcement activities." Vermont Superior Court Judge John Pacht said Newton could not buy, use or have any firearms or dangerous weapons with the exception that he can be at his place of employment as long as he does not possess or have immediate access to any firearms. The state police investigation began March 3 when detectives were assigned to follow up on a report of a domestic disturbance involving Newton and a person with whom he was in a relationship that allegedly took place in Newtons Middlebury home on Feb. 26. To avoid conflicts of interest, the case was investigated by troopers from the St. Albans barracks and it is being prosecuted by the office of the Washington County States Attorney. Prior to his arrest Newton, a nearly 20-year law enforcement veteran who was first elected sheriff in 2018, had already announced that he would not seek re-election this fall. FARGO, N.D. (AP) A coalition of veterans organizations is upset over plans to build an outhouse on the grounds of a national cemetery that borders North Dakota and Minnesota. The group said Tuesday it plans to file a formal complaint with the Department of Veterans Affairs over the outdoor bathroom set to be built next to a proposed Native American ceremony area at the Fargo National Cemetery. To help cover the rising cost of insulin for people whose insurance doesn't include it or the 28 million Americans without insurance Walmart offers the first-ever private brand analog insulin at a low cost. The offering includes analog insulin vials retailing for $72.88 and FlexPens retailing for $85.88, according to Walmart in a press release highlighting its low-cost insulin on Wednesday. An insulin-dependent diabetic could go through one vial anywhere from one week to a few months, according to the American Diabetes Association. Through a partnership with insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk, Walmart is selling the insulin products under a private label called ReliOn that saves customers up to 75% off the cash price of branded analog insulin. This translates to a savings of up to $101 per branded vial or $251 per package of branded FlexPens, according to Walmart in the release. The ReliOn private label of Novolog injection analog insulin in vials and FlexPens, as well as ReliOn NovoLog Mix 70/30, are available at Walmart and Sams Club pharmacies nationwide to anyone with a prescription, regardless of their insurance status. "We know many people with diabetes struggle to manage the financial burden of this condition, and we are focused on helping by providing affordable solutions," Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president for Walmart Health & Wellness, said in a statement. "We also know this is a condition that disproportionately impacts underserved populations. With ReliOn NovoLog insulin, were adding a high-quality medication for diabetes to the already affordable ReliOn line of products and continuing our commitment to improve access and lowering cost of care." For many with diabetes, their health depends on having reliable access to insulin. Insulin helps control blood sugar levels and prevent complications that diabetes causes. And, people living in rural America are 17% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those in urban areas. The rising price of insulin a diabetes drug thats been around 100 years has been well documented and widely criticized. Solutions, though, have been elusive. "While drug pricing in the United States is complicated and involves many stakeholders, the publics need for life-saving medications like insulin at predictable and more affordable prices should drive all of us to do more and do better," Walmart stated in the release. National drug spending jumped 7.7% in 2021, growing to $576.9 billion, according to a study released in April 2022 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The average cash price for insulin in the U.S. in late 2021 had risen more than 40% compared to early 2014. Due to the rising cost, one in four people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the U.S. resorted to rationing their insulin because of the high cost, according to researchers for the Yale School of Medicine. The consequences of skipping or reducing insulin treatments can put a diabetic's life at risk. Complications include an increased likelihood of blindness, amputations, heart attack and kidney failure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rising cost of insulin has prompted lawmakers, including Congress, to call for price caps and for pharmaceutical companies to find ways to drop the cost for patients. Walmart stated it was "encouraged" to see lawmakers at the federal and state levels recognize the need to make insulin more affordable. In his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022, President Joe Biden called for a nationwide $35 cap on insulin copayments for those enrolled in private health plans or Medicare. The U.S. House approved a bill in February 2022 that does just that. The bill caps cost-sharing under private health insurance for a month's supply of selected insulin products at $35 or 25% of a plan's negotiated price (after any price concessions), whichever is less, beginning in 2023. Michigan U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D Flint, said the rising cost of insulin and other drugs is proving to be a financial burden on patients. "As a father of a Type 1 diabetic, I have seen firsthand how the high price of prescription drugs like insulin can harm patients and harm families," Kildee, one of the bill's sponsors, said on the House floor before the vote. "When my daughter turned 26 and got her own health insurance, there were months where she spent a third of her take-home pay because shes diabetic on staying alive." Kildee urges the U.S. Senate to pass the bill in a June 21 Tweet. "No one should ever be forced to ration their insulin," Kildee wrote. "My bill to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month passed the House. Americans cant afford to wait any longer. The Senate must act now and help lower the cost of this necessary lifesaving medication." Additionally, the Senate is pursuing a bipartisan agreement on a similar measure. Unwilling to wait for federal action, 16 states across the country, starting with Colorado in 2019, enacted caps on insulin co-pays, ranging from $25 to $100 a month for consumers with commercial health insurance. Eight more states are considering similar legislation, including Michigan. On Feb. 24, 2021, Michigan State Rep. Sara Cambensy, D Marquette, introduced a bill that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $50 a month. A copay cap provides some consumer relief, but Cambensy acknowledged it wouldnt "get to the root bottom" where manufacturers set prices. Three drug companies dominate the production of insulin. Four people are confirmed to have died in a rural Missouri after an Amtrak passenger train derailment. The crash occurred near Mendon, Missouri, before 2 p.m. Monday. Here's what we know about what happened, who was on board at the time and what passengers described in the moments after the train derailed. What happened? Amtrak confirmed eight cars and two locomotives were impacted by the derailment of a passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago "after striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing" on Monday at 1:42 p.m. There were approximately 275 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said that three train passengers and the driver of the truck that struck the train are confirmed dead. The patrol said law enforcement and Amtrak officials say about 150 people were taken from the scene to 10 area hospitals. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire departments and medical helicopter services responded, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Who was on board? Passengers on the train included high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. According to sister station WISN, two Boy Scout troops from Appleton, Wisconsin, were on board the Amtrak train. They were returning from the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Scott Armstrong, director of National Media Relations for Boy Scouts of America, told WISN that 16 Boy Scouts from Troops 73 and eight adult leaders were on board the derailed train. "In true scouting fashion, the scouts rendered aid to their fellow passengers before they worried about anything for themselves," Armstrong said. "It was one of our scouts who actually discovered the driver of the dump truck who struck, located him in the vicinity of the impact and rendered aid and comfort until the driver passed away," Armstrong said. Video below: Appleton Boy Scout troops on Amtrak train that derailed in Missouri Boy Scouts of America officials are working with the local council nearest the crash site to try to determine travel plans for the scouts. "We're figuring out exactly who's where, how banged up are they, and how to get them home," Armstrong said. Two of the adult leaders were transported to local hospitals with what Armstrong described as non-life-threatening injuries. He says many of the scouts suffered cuts and bruises. Sister station WLWT reports that members of a Greater Cincinnati church group were also among those injured in the train derailment, according to the church's Facebook page. Our Lady of The Valley posted on Facebook saying a group from their parish was on the train when it derailed. The group was returning from a mission in New Mexico. Our Lady of The Valley said that four of their church members are being taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries. "Lots of sore backs and necks, but we all have our lives. People we met on the train are not ok. Please pray for everyone involved," the church said in the post. How did passengers describe the scene? Robert Nightingale, a passenger in a sleeper car, said he was taking a nap when he heard something. "It all happened like slow motion. It started to rock and, and rock, and then flicker, and then it just all of a sudden all this dust was through my window," Nightingale, who is from Taos, New Mexico, told CNN. Video below: 'We tried to get out as quick as possible:' Amtrak passenger says He said the train fell over on the side that his compartment was on. Nightingale, who was not injured, said he couldn't get through the window, which was blocked by dirt, so he grabbed his backpack and climbed into the hallway. Then he moved into a neighboring room where he found a way to climb out and onto the side of the train. He said some people helped others reach the ground where he and others walked to the front of the train. He said the truck looked like it had big boulders in it. "It hit something major to cause ... every car to go off," he said. What's next? The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a 14-member go-team to investigate the derailment. The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report. Woody Allen told Alec Baldwin during a live interview Tuesday on Instagram that he is mulling ending his movie-making career, saying directing has lost its luster. The two men each facing significant controversies steered clear of addressing either the abuse allegations against Allen or the shooting last year on Baldwin's movie set. The public comment options were turned off, and the 45-minute interview attracted a modest audience of between 2,400-2,700. The two men chatted about Allen's writing, the use of profanity in films and the current state of Broadway. Allen lost his connection several times, with his screen freezing. Allen, 87, said movie-making is not as exciting now that his films spend a few days in movie theaters and then directly go to streaming. A lot of the thrill is gone, he said. It's not as enjoyable as it was. Still, he plans to make his next movie later this year in Paris. "Im going to make another one, and Ill see how it feels. Baldwin, who has worked with Allen on a number of films, including To Rome with Love, Alice and Blue Jasmine, kept the mood light, complimenting Allen for his writing. and realizing that neither had contracted COVID-19. Allen has continued to face backlash after his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, accused him of molesting her as a child. Allen has denied the allegations. Baldwin has faced his own controversy after he fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of his film Rust" in New Mexico. Baldwin has said he was pointing the gun at the cinematographer at her instruction when it went off without his pulling the trigger. By Tony Hicks Bay City News Foundation Albany Police arrested a 31-year-old Berkeley woman they suspect started two fires on Albany Hill on Sunday afternoon that burned into the evening and prompted the city to evacuate nearby neighborhoods. Albany spokesperson Brennen Brown said police arrested Megan Strahl on suspicion of arson. She was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. The first reports of fire on the tree-lined hill across Interstate 80 from Golden Gate Fields came in at 3:24 p.m. Fire was reported at the corner of Washington and Cleveland avenues, according to the city's website. A second fire was reported shortly after on the west side of the hill. The city said on its website Monday that a security guard in the area contacted a police officer about a possible suspect. Police located Strahl and arrested her without incident. The city issued an alert to nearby residents around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, saying, "Firefighters have been deployed to the west side of Albany Hill (ALB-E002). Residents of Gateview, Hillside, and Taft St need to evacuate. Meet at Golden Gate Fields. Please avoid the area. Visit https://community.zonehaven.com to know your zone." Other agencies helped contain the fire, including the Berkeley Fire Department, which tweeted at 5:32 p.m. "All 7 engines are working Albany's #cleveland incident, with both truck companies staffing brush rig and type 3 wildland unit. Alameda County and Oakland Fire departments are covering #berkeley currently." Albany lifted the evacuation order at 6:43 p.m. Sunday, Brown said. Albany Police are asking people who may have seen the fires start or may have additional information regarding suspicious activity in the area just prior to the fires starting to contact them at (510) 525-7300. Copyright 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. Copyright 2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A Texas mayor resigned after he was arrested and charged last week with soliciting a minor online. Pilot Point Mayor Matthew Mcllravy, 42, was elected in May and then arrested on June 21 following a five-month police investigation. During a city council meeting, acting interim mayor Chad Major told the public how Mcllravy submitted his resignation on Thursday, June 23. Mcllravy, who is a married father of two boys, is accused of trying to meet up and engage in sex with a girl he thought was 13, according to an arrest warrant pulled from the Dallas Morning News. California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised more questions about a potential presidential run late Monday when his re-election campaign purchased roughly $105,000 worth of cable TV ads that will run on Fox News in Florida starting July 4. The actual content of the ads isn't clear quite yet Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom's re-election campaign, said only, "stay tuned," when asked but the act of purchasing ads in a state across the country naturally led to further speculation that Newsom may run for higher office in the near future, despite repeatedly saying that his focus remains on California. "The Governor who said he has 'subzero interest' in running for President will reportedly air ads in a state *checks notes* 2,700 miles away from his own," tweeted Nextstar Media Group's Ashley Zavala. Although the ads won't run until next month, they're expected to be released to California media outlets before next week. As we've previously reported, Newsom has dramatically escalated his national posturing over the past month. It wouldn't be surprising if the content in the Florida cable ads was related to his recent antagonism towards Republican-led states. Newsom did an interview with The Atlantic earlier this month to talk about the national Democratic Party and conservative legislation on abortion and LGBT rights, and in that interview, called for the national Democratic party to be more combative. That interview came just a few weeks after he made national headlines for publicly calling out the national party during a news conference. He also joined the conservative media app Truth Social with the stated goal of "calling out Republican lies," and has dedicated a lot of time taking shots at national GOP officials namely Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Twitter and in news conferences. Additionally, some of his recent California policy decisions have been made directly in response to issues gaining attention nationally. On Friday, following the United State Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Newsom signed a bill that protects people traveling from states with abortion restrictions to California to receive the procedure. He also garnered a lot of attention last year for introducing a bill that allows private citizens to sue gun manufacturers. That bill is intentionally modeled after a Texas abortion law. A new apartment complex with 378 units is planned for New Braunfels would help meet the needs of the city's continued growth as a housing shortage rages nationwide, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing. The Prose apartment complex in New Braunfels is expected to take nearly two-years to complete and will begin construction on September 16, the filing notes. Even if you arent familiar with Jenny Slates face, theres a good chance youve heard her voice. Back in 2010, Slate scored a viral hit with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, a stop-animation short about, well, a talking shell wearing sneakers. In addition to co-writing the video, Slate voiced the character, which led to more animation work in Bobs Burgers, Big Mouth, The Secret Life of Pets and much more. In front of the camera, shes had roles on Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation and most recently, the critically acclaimed multiverse action-comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. Now 12 years after the initial success of Marcel, the most famous shell in the world returns with a full-length feature film thats as funny as it is heartwarming. We caught up with Slate last week to discuss her recent trip to San Francisco to screen the movie (she's returning for stand-up sets on Aug. 19 and 20 at Cobb's), her favorite moment from Parks and Recreation and why her 2014 film Obvious Child is so relevant today. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. A24 Films SFGATE: Tell me about your experience at SFFILM. Jenny Slate: Oh, I love coming to San Francisco. I love the film festival. It was very exciting to be able to show that film at the Castro Theatre, and I performed there doing stand-up a couple times. It just has that vibration of being legendary. SFGATE: What did you do while you were in SF? Slate: We had dim sum, then we went to Nob Hill and we just went shopping. I bought myself a nice outfit, and that is unheard of. I havent been in a store in the last few years, thats the only time Ive done that. SFGATE: What was your favorite thing about the city during your visit? Slate: Im just a little baby. I like to go in the car and go up and down on the hills, and open the windows and scream woah as we drive. A24 Films SFGATE: The root of the original Marcel shorts was stop motion. Were any computer graphics added to the film version? Slate: It's all stop motion. And then there are a few VFX of the bugs in the film, there's beetles and stuff, and those are done with VFX. SFGATE: Where did you find the shell you used in the movie? Slate: Dean-Fleischer Camp, the director of the movie and co-creator of the character, he went to a craft store and bought a container of shells, some googly eyes and the molding clay that makes the green inside of Marcel's eye. Then he went to a toy store on Court Street in Brooklyn called Pizzazzz Kidz. He got something that was sort of akin to a Polly Pocket and took the shoes from that. So, the shell was not found on the beach. SFGATE: Will we see a Marcel the Shell cinematic universe? Will he be back? Slate: I absolutely love playing the character. If we found producing partners again, like we found in Cinereach who produced this film, and they allowed us to do our work in a way that makes us feel good, I would love to do that. Katie McCurdy SFGATE: You have a role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. I feel like I came out of that movie telling everyone to see it. Why do you think everyone should see it? Slate: It has this central belief system, that the way to really get to the heart of things that are complex and confusing is to depend on intentional loving behavior, that ends up being what the main character Evelyn understands. But it's just so inclusive, it takes everything to the maximum, there's so much confidence and imagination, and so much variety in a film that in the end has a fairly simple message. One hundred percent it's one of my favorite movies that I've ever seen. SFGATE: You voice the character Tammy Larsen in Bobs Burgers. Whats your perfect burger? Slate: I like burgers that are really thin. And I like my burger on a sesame seed bun. I don't like it when it's like a fancy bun like a ciabatta or something like that. I just really don't need that. I like a normal bun. And then I like American cheese. Pickles, iceberg lettuce, mayo, ketchup and yellow mustard. SFGATE: Wow, mayo, ketchup and mustard. That's a lot of condiments on there. Slate: Yeah, you got to be careful. SFGATE: What was one of your favorite things about being on Parks and Recreation? Slate: All of the people there were so kind and wonderful to work with. Ben Schwartz is such a special person. He is so, so, so turbo-funny, and hes very kind and considerate. He feels to me like a long-lost sibling, which, I mean, we did play siblings, but I felt that way about him when I first met him on a different show. NBCUniversal via Getty Images SFGATE: The name of your Parks and Rec character Mona-Lisa still makes me chuckle. Are there any moments you look back on that still make you laugh? Slate: Our final scene when we fake our own death. That dance that we do across the graveyard, which is just a ridiculous, improvised weird dance, that was not supposed to be that way. It just turned out that way. It's a treasure, it was so fun, and it's so sweet to see something that you loved doing caught on film forever. SFGATE: Were speaking on the day of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Your 2014 movie Obvious Child addresses a lot of stigmas around abortion. How has it aged and why is it relevant today? Slate: I think it's incredibly relevant today, because it depicts a legal, safe abortion, that a person who was not very wealthy is able to access. What's going to happen now is so, so deeply terrible. And this decision is so shameful, the people who are going to suffer from this are going to be the people who can't travel out of state to get an abortion. Its a disproportionate level of suffering, especially for women of color. It's time to speak out. We cant forget that there used to be a time where it still was not great, but at least it was better. I think the most important thing is to try to just keep getting out there and showing people who might feel isolated and abandoned that there are large communities of people who want them to have their reproductive freedom. The Supreme Court has just stripped anyone with fallopian tubes of our basic human rights. They should have to live with that truth. That's what they did. And everyone will always remember them for that. The power of community feedback is on display with the return of multiple Muni bus lines that will begin connecting neighborhoods together or with downtown San Francisco starting July 9. These routes were suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic and a shift in ridership. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced at the onset of the pandemic that they were cutting service to the majority of their 89 bus lines as ridership plummeted due to the COVID-19 shelter in place. Over the last two years, SFMTA reached out to riders by releasing a survey and hosting several open houses to determine which routes passengers most desired. The transit agency said it focused on bus lines that connected folks to essential destinations like hospitals and neighborhood commercial corridors. Their research gives a glimpse into how travel trends shifted since March 2020. Trip patterns have changed over the last two years with a noticeable shift in San Francisco residents traveling neighborhood to neighborhood instead of the peak period downtown-centric travel pattern that was prevalent pre-pandemic, the agency said. Below are the major lines that are coming back either in full form or with tweaks to their service. The SFMTA isnt finished with its expansion, so check their website for opportunities to voice your concerns or preferences. Courtesy of SFMTA 2 Sutter Connecting Presidio Heights with the Ferry Building The revived line starts at California Street near Presidio Avenue and heads east for Ferry Plaza on Steuart Street near Embarcadero. The route provides access to the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on California Street. SFMTA said they heard from many seniors that the Jewish Community Center food hub was a priority. 6 Haight / Parnassus Connecting the Inner Sunset with the Ferry Building by way of Market Street A line between UCSF and downtown, the 6 Haight / Parnassus returns with its route through the heart of the city. Beginning on 14th Avenue and Quintara Street, the line crosses over Parnassus, cuts through Cole Valley and rides Haight Street to Market. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 21 Hayes Connecting the Inner Richmond by Golden Gate Park with Civic Center The 21 Hayes restores a connection from Saint Marys Hospital to the Civic Center BART station and the Main Library. It will no longer continue downtown on Market Street. 23 Monterey Connecting West Portal with Bayview The route will now restore pre-pandemic alignment on Sloat Boulevard to the San Francisco Zoo. 52 Excelsior Connecting Inner Sunset via Forest Hill to the Excelsior This line will be fully restored to its pre-pandemic route. Starting near McLaren Park at Dublin Street and La Grande Avenue, the ride goes up to Diamond Heights before connecting to Laguna Honda Boulevard. WFO LOS ANGELES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, June 27, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 759 PM PDT Mon Jun 27 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING... Tomorrow will still be very warm, but most areas should see a few degrees of cooling from today's high temperatures. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 95 to 108 expected. * WHERE...Cuyama Valley, San Luis Obispo County Mountains, San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys and Southern Salinas Valley. * WHEN...Until 8 PM PDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 90 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...In Los Angeles county...Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley, and San Gabriel Valley. In Santa Barbara county Santa ...Ynez Valley. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO LOS ANGELES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, June 28, 2022 _____ HEAT ADVISORY URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 159 AM PDT Tue Jun 28 2022 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 95 to 108 expected. * WHERE...Cuyama Valley, San Luis Obispo County Mountains, San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys and Southern Salinas Valley. * WHEN...Until 8 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. * WHAT...High temperatures ranging from 90 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...Santa Ynez Valley. * WHERE...Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angeles County San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, June 27, 2022 _____ SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Southwestern Victoria County in south central Texas... Southeastern Goliad County in south central Texas... North central Refugio County in south central Texas... * Until 730 PM CDT. * At 652 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles west of McFaddin, moving south at 20 mph. HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. * Locations impacted include... Quintana. This includes the following highways... US Highway 183 between mile markers 662 and 666. US Highway 77 between mile markers 594 and 618. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. ...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of west central Milam and south central Bell Counties through 730 PM CDT... At 655 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles south of Rogers, or 14 miles northeast of Granger, moving southwest at 25 mph. HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated. IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Locations impacted include... Bartlett. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. LAT...LON 3074 9728 3081 9747 3087 9717 3079 9711 3068 9725 TIME...MOT...LOC 2355Z 059DEG 20KT 3081 9722 MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, June 28, 2022 _____ FLASH FLOOD WARNING The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for... Southeastern Jeff Davis County in southwestern Texas... * Until 630 PM CDT. * At 321 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar. IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas. * Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Fort Davis, Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis National Historical Site. This includes the following streams and drainages... Limpia Creek and Cienega Creek. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. Remain alert for flooding even in locations not receiving rain. Arroyos, streams, and rivers can become raging killer currents in a matter of minutes, even from distant rainfall. _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather An ETC station on the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway. (Photo: VNA) The Ministry of Transport has asked the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN), the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), the Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company (VIDIFI), and other service providers to realize the Prime Minister's request on completing automatic non-stop toll collection (ETC). The ministry requested VEC to direct service providers and related units to urgently install and operate the ETC system on highways by July 31. In case of delay, the ministry will handle it according to its competence or report it to authorities for strict handling in accordance with the law, including the suspension of toll collection. The ministry asked DRVN to direct and coordinate with VEC in deploying the ETC system on highways managed by VEC, ensuring the schedule and smooth operation. Meanwhile, VIDIFI was asked to continue piloting the ETC on the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway only. In particular, the service providers must pay attention to information dissemination about the ETC on the expressway and prepare plans for traffic regulations and remote warnings to limit vehicles that are not eligible to enter the expressway, causing traffic jams and poor safety. DRVN will support VIDIFI in successfully piloting the operation of ETC on the Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway. Besides, the agency has to make monthly reports on the pilot ETC operations results and propose the time of ending the operation as well as amending, supplementing and completing mechanisms, policies, legal regulations and other related issues on ETC. Regarding the increase in the rate of using ETC payment tags (e-tags), the ministry requires ETC service providers to raise service quality to reach 80-90 per cent of the vehicles nationwide to use e-tags by September. VNDR will direct and support service providers in increasing carding and expanding services to achieve the target rate of vehicles affixed with e-tags, the ministry said. To install ETC stations on expressways, the ministry requested the DRVN to direct build-operation-transfer (BOT) investors managed by the ministry to coordinate and support localities in the installation before June 30. The toll collection will be suspended at stations behind schedule. According to the DRVN, by the end of May this year, the number of vehicles with e-tags was nearly 3 million, reaching more than 65%, an increase of more than 648,000 vehicles compared to before December 31, 2021. Currently, there are 48 ETC lanes belonging to stations managed by the Ministry of Transport (excluding the 12 lanes belonging to the Cau Gie-Ninh Binh Expressway managed by VEC) and 52 ETC lanes belonging to stations under local management that need to be installed. The DRVN will continue to mobilize and require vehicle owners to use e-tags and ETC service to reach at least 90% of vehicles affixed with e-tags to use the ETC service by September. The agency will also coordinate with the traffic police to strictly punish vehicle drivers who are not eligible to enter the ETC lanes causing traffic obstruction as per Government Decree No 123/2021. Vietnamplus In the first six months of 2022, Vietnam Airlines has resumed flights to 14 countries and territories, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, the US, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Lately, the airline has opened a new route to India and is preparing the necessary conditions to immediately reopen flights to China, Myanmar, and Russia when the conditions permit. The national carrier is expected to resume flights to Indonesia in July and key international routes to Japan, Korea, and Australia in November at the same flight frequency as in 2019. It hopes that it will be able to restore the entire international flight network, equivalent to that in 2019 by the end of 2023. The gradual restoration of international flight routes is an opportunity for Vietnam Airlines to improve the usage efficiency of resources, increase revenue, improve production and business results, reduce losses, and aim at profits in the following years. In 2021, the total consolidated revenue of this enterprise was only VND29.75 trillion. However, the consolidated pre-tax loss was VND1.34 trillion lower than the forecast. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, international regular flight routes accounted for 65 percent of the airline's revenue. Pacific Airlines faces risks of shutdown In related news, according to the information from the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Vietnam Airlines on June 28, the current financial situation of Pacific Airlines is extremely pessimistic. According to Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, the carrier currently holds a 98 percent stake in Pacific Airlines. At present, this airline is facing a cash-flow shortage, large overdue debts, and a risk of insolvency and shutdown. Vietnam Airlines worked with relevant agencies and potential investors. However, the investor selection process encountered many difficulties related to mechanisms and policies according to current regulations for State-owned enterprises. Because of the accumulated losses of Pacific Airlines, the transfer of losses was entangled with regulations and implementation procedures. Vietnam Airlines will report to the competent authorities to apply regulations to select investors publicly, transparently, and compliantly with the law, ensuring the harmony between the Law on Enterprises and the Securities Law. Pacific Airlines was established in 1991, with shareholders being State-owned enterprises. In 2007, Qantas Group bought a 30 percent stake in Pacific Airlines, and the airline changed its name to Jetstar Pacific Airlines. In 2012, the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) transferred 68 percent of the capital at Jetstar Pacific to Vietnam Airlines. By July 2020, Jetstar Pacific changed back to its first name - Pacific Airlines. In October 2020, Qantas Group carried out procedures to withdraw from the partnership at Pacific Airlines and transferred 30 percent of its shares in Pacific Airlines to Vietnam Airlines in the form of gifting. Thus, Vietnam Airlines currently holds about 98 percent stake in Pacific Airlines. Following the policy approved by State agencies, the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines had directed the implementation of solutions to maintain the airline's operations while looking for new investors to participate in the restructuring of Pacific Airlines.Vietnam Airlines worked with relevant agencies and potential investors. However, the investor selection process encountered many difficulties related to mechanisms and policies according to current regulations for State-owned enterprises. Because of the accumulated losses of Pacific Airlines, the transfer of losses was entangled with regulations and implementation procedures.Vietnam Airlines will report to the competent authorities to apply regulations to select investors publicly, transparently, and compliantly with the law, ensuring the harmony between the Law on Enterprises and the Securities Law.Pacific Airlines was established in 1991, with shareholders being State-owned enterprises.In 2007, Qantas Group bought a 30 percent stake in Pacific Airlines, and the airline changed its name to Jetstar Pacific Airlines.In 2012, the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) transferred 68 percent of the capital at Jetstar Pacific to Vietnam Airlines.By July 2020, Jetstar Pacific changed back to its first name - Pacific Airlines.In October 2020, Qantas Group carried out procedures to withdraw from the partnership at Pacific Airlines and transferred 30 percent of its shares in Pacific Airlines to Vietnam Airlines in the form of gifting. Thus, Vietnam Airlines currently holds about 98 percent stake in Pacific Airlines. By Bich Quyen Translated by Da Nguyet Edtech major BYJU's on Tuesday named Krishna Vedati as President of Global Growth and Strategic Initiatives, along with rejigging top leadership at K-12 creative coding platform Tynker (which it acquired for $200 million) as part of its US expansion. Vedati, Co-Founder and CEO of Tynker, will report to BYJU's Co-Founder and CEO Byju Raveendran. Srinivas Mandyam, Co-Founder and CTO of Tynker, will replace Vedati as Tynker's CEO, and Kelvin Chong, Tynker Co-Founder and Chief Architect, now takes on the expanded role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the company said in a statement. "With more than 150 million users on our personalised learning platform, it is important for us to put in place the leadership necessary to continue scaling our businesses globally," said Raveendran. "With exceptional experience in business and consumer user growth, and strategic brand partnerships, Krishna is ideally suited for this new role," he added. Vedati will serve as a senior executive for the Americas helping drive topline revenue and user growth, partnerships with major brands, and identifying strategic acquisitions. Vedati will also expand the company's international offering by overseeing new integrated products and services from the BYJU'S learning portfolio to students and teachers in Canada, the US, and Latin America, said the company. Raveendran is currently focusing his energies on global operations, especially in the US, as the Indian online edtech market shrinks considerably with schools, colleges and tuition centres reopening. The edtech unicorn made at least 10 acquisitions for a cumulative transaction value of about $2.5 billion last year. So far, BYJU's has raised over $6 billion in funding, with Raveendran infusing $400 million from his own pocket, during the latest $800 million funding round at a valuation of $22 billion in March. BYJUs is also aiming to file an IPO in the US through the SPAC route. Raveendran is out of India, meeting investors in the US and the UAE. Sources close to the development earlier told IANS that Raveendran is all set to hand over India operations to Chief Operating Officer Mrinal Mohit. "I am proud of the deep bench we have in our leadership ranks, enabling a seamless transition at our newest portfolio company Tynker as Srinivas and Kelvin move into their new roles," said Raveendran. Dukaan, India's leading e-commerce enablement platform for merchants, retailers, and entrepreneurs to set up and manage their businesses online, has partnered with SHIELD, the worlds leading risk intelligence company, to provide a safer and more trusted digital experience on their platform. Over the course of the pandemic, Dukaan has seen exponential growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) and daily active users, leading to an increase in the volume and frequency of orders completed on the platform. The traction has led Dukaan to expand worldwide, as it looks to challenge more established players such as Shopify. This partnership with SHIELD will supercharge Dukaans existing anti-fraud capabilities and fortify the ecommerce websites of more than 3.5 million merchants on their platform. As part of their end-to-end ecommerce operating system offering, Dukaan also facilitates all online transactions. SHIELDs real-time risk intelligence will provide them with actionable insights into risk on their platform as they facilitate millions of transactions across the platform each day. Through this partnership, merchants and their customers across India will enjoy a more secure, seamless, and trusted online experience. Small businesses are turning to technology faster than ever in these unprecedented times. And theyre looking for a platform that wont let them down, said Subhash Choudhary, Co-founder and CTO of Dukaan. SHIELDs expertise, experience, and solution will enable us to deliver superior merchant-centric solutions and focus on providing a trusted one-stop platform needed for current and future entrepreneurs to grow their business. Justin Lie, Founder and CEO of SHIELD added, Its imperative for every rapidly growing organization to know which users to trust, and to build a trusted platform for all their users to interact on. We are delighted to be supporting Dukaan in their mission to empower every merchant worldwide, big or small, to launch, and grow their business online, without ever worrying about the safety of their transactions. Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced that it has been selected by Australian express logistics business, Global Express, to separate the technology landscape following divestment from Toll Holdings Ltd. Building on its strategic collaboration with Global Express to drive hybrid cloud-powered innovation, Infosys will leverage the established blueprints and tools from Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey, As part of this collaboration, Infosys will also help set up a greenfield technology environment, and migrate Global Express applications and services to a world-leading sustainable and energy-efficient data centre and public cloud on AWS. Infosys will manage the end-to-end program, enabling Global Express transformation strategy for its transport and logistics business to deliver exceptional customer service. Danny Gravell, CIO, Global Express, said, We are pleased to partner with Infosys to develop state-ofthe-art digital capability, transforming our foundation technology platforms. We value Infosys collaborative approach and their experience in implementing infrastructure and cloud transformation programs. We look forward to working with Infosys as we work towards providing the best possible experience for our customers." Karmesh Vaswani, Executive Vice President & Global Head Consumer, Retail & Logistics, Infosys, said, We are thrilled to be working with Global Express on this business-critical project as they enter an exciting new era. Our aim will be to bring an innovative hybrid agile approach to not just holistically separate the technology platforms, but to focus on enabling a modern, secure, and agile platform to support Global express through their digital transformation. This engagement reflects our commitment to doubling down on our strengths in Cloud with Infosys Cobalt and Digital to drive tangible business value through a risk free and seamless separation." Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. United States President Joe Biden said that he has a "very good" relationship with India and has visited the country twice, as he left on a weekend trip to his home in Delaware FREMONT, CA: As he embarked on a weekend trip to his home in Delaware, US President Joe Biden said he had an extremely nice connection with India and had visited the nation twice. The president informed reporters at the White House that he had received information about the three Americans who had gone missing in Ukraine. On this occasion, Biden stressed the fact that Americans must not travel to Ukraine. Further, he also emphasized that he cherishes the friendship between India and US and would visit the country again. Biden's statements come a day after State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US is there for India and highlighted that New Delhi's relationship with Moscow grew over decades when Washington was not prepared or able to be a partner of choice for the Indian government. Despite heavy American pressure, India and other Asian nations are becoming an increasingly important source of oil revenues for sanctions-hit Russia. Price was replying to a question about whether the US was talking to the Indian authorities. The US government has had several conversations with its Indian counterparts and they have also underlined that each country maintains a different relationship with Moscow. As refiners acquire Russian crude offered at a great discount following the crisis in Ukraine, Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become India's second-largest oil supplier behind Iraq, according to current industry data. Following President Vladimir Putin's order to invade Ukraine, India, the world's third-largest oil importer, and consumer, has long defended its purchases of Russian crude oil. Energy purchases from Russia remain small in proportion to India's total consumption. India's relationship with Russia has evolved over several decades. The State Department spokesperson explained things evolved over decades during a period when the US was neither prepared nor capable of being the Indian Governments preferred partner. This is the result of a bipartisan tradition that dates back more than two decades. It dates back to the Clinton era, and certainly to the George W Bush administration when the US sought a partnership with India and aspired to be India's preferred partner, especially in the security area. This isn't a collaboration formed over a few days, weeks, or months, according to Ned Price. This will be a gradual process and the US government has made it clear that they are prepared, capable, and eager to collaborate with them. The US government recently had a '2+2' conversation with the Indian partners. US has plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi again in the context of the I2U2, the agreement made with the United Arab Emirates and Israel, as well as India, incorporating India into many of the US partnerships, including, the Quad. the official also continued that it is a group that this administration has attempted to revitalize at very high levels. The US, UAE, India, and Israel have formed a new grouping called I2-U2 to re-energize and revive American partnerships around the world. The new grouping's four countries will convene their inaugural virtual summit next month. Japan, India, Australia, and the United States make up the Quad. The Quadrilateral coalition was formed in 2017 by the four countries to fight China's aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific area. The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai celebrated the 246th anniversary of U.S. independence as well as 75 years of U.S.-India partnership in Chennai. FREMONT, CA: The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai commemorated both the 75th anniversary of US-India cooperation and the 246th anniversary of American independence. The adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, is remembered on Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July in the United States. Consul General Judith Ravin presided over the ceremony. Thangam Thennarasu, the Minister for the Department of Industries, the Minister for the Tamil Official Language, the Minister for Tamil Culture, and the Minister for Finance and Human Resources Management, Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan attended as Chief Guests on behalf of the government of Tamil Nadu. Acting Deputy Chief of Mission (A/DCM) for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi Brian Heath presided over the celebration this year from the Consul General's residence in Chennai. A slideshow outlining significant events from the last 75 years of U.S.-India diplomatic relations was shown at the event. The national anthems of India and the United States were performed by Chennai-based neo-jazz vocalist Susha Raja. A/DCM Heath addressed the audience and discussed the close relationship between the US and India. How both the nations are addressing some of the most urgent problems facing the world, he continued, united in this shared purpose. The United States and India are working together in almost every sphere of endeavor to better the lives of people and advance the common good of humanity, from combating the climate crisis to leading the global pandemic response and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific. The fact that this collaboration is 75 years old shows how important U.S.-India cooperation has been in achieving a more wealthy, free, connected, and secure world as well as how much room there remains for the partnership to expand. He also expressed gratitude to the visitors for their contribution to the close ties between the two nations. You are boosting our bilateral commerce and investment, working to battle new health risks and address climate change, encouraging innovation across a variety of industries, and exchanging best practices through academic and professional exchanges. Thangam Thennarasu, the minister of industries, and Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, the minister of finance, were present to speak on behalf of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. To celebrate both the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-India collaboration and Independence Day in the United States, Industries Minister Thennarasu sent greetings. Observing that Tamil Nadu has some inherent advantages in seaports and airports and is strategically located for industrial expansion, he welcomed American corporations to invest in the state. Because of the state's progressive and proactive leadership, it is currently a popular location for investment. For the occasion, Chennai-based Bespoke designer and quilt maker Cognac by Manjeri developed a signature work that blends American quilt designs that were used to help enslaved people travel the underground railroad to freedom in the late eighteenth century. Early American folk art that is still in demand today is quilting. The artwork combines the meaning of Juneteenth and Flag Day, the two bookends for U.S. national festivals in June. Mistrust and disagreements over privacy have impeded a partnership that could transform the global digital economy. FREMONT, CA: Despite their strategic partnership's advancements in the twenty-first century, the United States and India have had trouble achieving digital convergence. Even though many American technology companies are placing significant bets on India's digital ecosystem and many Indian engineers are working in Silicon Valley, the two nations are diverging more on issues like data governance, competition regulation, and digital trade. Washington and New Delhi risk missing a golden opportunity to alter their relationship and the global digital economy. The US-India conflict related to technology is not new, but tensions have intensified over the years. Washington has raised objections to New Delhi's actions to limit cross-border data flows, control nonpersonal data, oust American payment and e-commerce firms, and increase internet shutdowns since 2017. Indian officials have chastised the United States for not regulating tech companies or changing its immigration laws. New Delhi has also expressed concern over actions taken by American businesses, such as the suspension of services in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Officials need to make resolving these differences a priority, even if a digital connection between India and the United States may never provide complete alignment. A success might serve as a blueprint for the United States to collaborate with other Asian nations that have similar reservations about American technology to India but also seek foreign investment. Even if it necessitates difficult compromises, bringing India closer to Washington's alignment on digital policy would be advantageous from an economic and geopolitical standpoint. It needs to be acknowledged that the US and India have a tech trust deficit before they can engage in productive discussion on digital concerns. Within the framework of bilateral trade negotiations, efforts to address these difficulties are hampered; in a global setting, it restricts American engagement with India through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the Biden administration's new initiative to compete in Asia. The framework for U.S.-India collaboration is likely to concentrate on supply chains, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined while avoiding its elements related to digital trade. The tech trust deficit has caused digital initiatives to be placed under a security umbrella, with a focus on emerging technologies rather than on issues like cross-border data flows and foreign investment. This is true even within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. The United States and India should seek a so-called digital handshake to overcome policy gaps and develop institutional mechanisms to spur progress to reverse their lack of tech trust. Both nations can learn from the European Union, which established Trade and Technology Councils (TTCs) with the United States and India separately to create a forum for the highest political levels to debate digital concerns. Last month, the EU-U.S. TTC had its second meeting, which included cabinet-level representatives from the fields of diplomacy, trade, and technology. The EU-India TTC was announced during the most recent visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to New Delhi, and it is anticipated to have a similar structure. Such high-level discussions on digital concerns are still lacking in Washington and New Delhi. The long-running United States-India Information and Communication Technology Working Group interaction bring together midlevel representatives from the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the United States Department of State, which are not natural equivalents. The Trade Policy Forum, on the other hand, annually brings together cabinet-level trade ministers from both nations, but it only discusses digital trade problems as part of a discussion on services. Because of this, even the most significant conflicts receive insufficient attention, and both parties pass up chances to address points of agreement. A skilled policy researcher with an extensive experience in trust and safety matters, Radha Iyengar Plumb is the latest addition to the list of Indian Americans to be named for key positions in the Biden administration FREMONT, CA: US President Joe Biden has nominated Radha Iyengar Plumb to serve as Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. She became the latest Indian-American to be nominated for an important post via her nomination. In less than 50 days, Biden announced via virtual conversation that he had nominated 55 Indian-Americans to key posts in his cabinet. The President also remarked how the country is taken over by Americans of Indian ancestry mentioning Vice President Kamala Harris, Swati Mohan, and Bidens speechwriter Vinay Reddy. Plumb serves as deputy secretary of defense's chief of staff. Radha was previously Director of Research and Insights for Trust and Safety at Google, where she led teams of business analysts, data scientists, and technical researchers. Plumb joined Google in February 2021, after spending a year as Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H Hicks. Plumb is an accomplished policy researcher with experience in trust and safety issues. Over the course of her career in government service, she played an monumental role in preventing sexual assaults, formulating budgets and policies related to nuclear and energy infrastructure security, and regulating counterterrorism initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa. Plumb also played a key role in analyzing stabilization operations in Afghanistan, where she served as a civilian undertaking measurement and evaluation work to support the Commander, ISAF's Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team. Radha Iyengar Plumb earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002, and in 2006, she earned her Master of Science and then a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University in 2007. In 2011, Plumb was appointed Associate Professor (Lecturer) at the London School of Economics after completing her postdoctoral scholarship at Harvard. Formerly, Plumb worked for the US Department of Defense and the Department of Energy (DOE). Radha Iyengar spent time at Facebook as the Global Head of Policy Analysis, concentrating on high-risk, high-harm safety, and key international security concerns, among her many duties. Plumb worked as a senior economist at the RAND Corporation before moving to Silicon Valley, where she focused on enhancing the measurement and evaluation of preparedness and security activities throughout the Department of Defense. Plumb was the lead author on several important papers during her time there, including one analyzing the consequences of open service for Transgender Service members and another reviewing security and suitability screening measures. The RAND Corporation released her book 'Availability of Family Violence Services for Military Service Members and Their Families' in January 2020. She is a well-known advocate for gender equality and violence prevention. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Six months ago, the worlds largest meat processor, JBS, and Australias richest man, Andrew Forrest, got into a show-stopping brawl over the ownership of Tasmanian salmon group, Huon Aquaculture. Now, another international food behemoth, Cooke Inc is preying on Australias largest salmon farmer, Tassal. Salmon is clearly proteins new black and there is a corporate scramble to buy those producing it. Big fish hunting: ASX-listed Tassal is on the menu for Canadian fisheries giant Cooke. Credit:Bruce Miller Brazilian JBS hotly contested bid for Huon was an early foray into salmon and departure from its mainstay business, meat processing. And just how hot is salmon right now? The latest offer puts a price tag on Tassal exceeding $1 billion. Ten years ago, when corporate sharks (including Cooke) were circling Tassal the offer was more in the order of $280 million. Its been just over a month since Anthony Albaneses election win, but Labor is still grappling with the slow task of staffing its offices with ministerial advisers. Among the big name hires (well big in the Canberra bubble, anyway) are Claudia Crawford, who is returning to Treasurer Jim Chalmers office. The pair have worked together on and off for a decade, going back to the Wayne Swan days. Skye Laris, a veteran Labor staffer, AGL policy wonk and former Getup! campaigner (though that bit seems to have fallen off her LinkedIn profile) has taken up a senior adviser job in the PMs office. Laris is also married to Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke. Chris Owens, whos worked for former ministers Nicola Roxon and Kate Lundy, NAB and most recently the departed Kristina Keneally, has been snapped up by Albaneses office as governance director responsible for wrangling the crossbench. We wish him the very best of luck with that. This does not mean that women in their 30s who are in a couple with children are the largest demographic. Rather, it represents a combination of the most popular answers across various categories, such as sex, parental status and education. For instance, more than half of the population identifies as female, while more than 1.85 million people are aged 30 to 34 the five-year age bracket recording the highest number of census responses. The highest number of people completing the national survey indicated they went to a government school and completed their year 12 or equivalent studies. Charlotte Poulson, 37, is married and has a two-year-old son. She owns a beauty salon and lives in St Kilda. Her husband is an architect. Because the census data is used to inform policy decisions, Ms Poulson said she hoped the data collected would lead to more funding for childcare and less tax for businesses. I have my son in childcare three days a week. If we could afford four days that would be amazing, but its just not feasible, she said. Megan Chambers could be classified as an average Australian based on the latest census data. I would love for us to pay less tax. Its a massive drain on our business because we pay GST, and super just went up for our staff. Its great for staff that they get more super, but its not fair for small businesses. Ms Poulson, a Greens voter, said her number-one issue of concern was climate change. Megan Chambers, 32, could also be classified as an average Australian. The public relations worker has a seven-month-old boy and lives in Melbournes north with her partner. Anything that helps women get back into the workforce after having a child is always a positive; likewise, anything that helps dads and partners be more involved and have access to more time off to care for children is great too, she said. According to the 2021 ABS census, the average Australian is a woman in her 30s, who has a partner and children. Credit:Monique Westerman Overseas migration Almost half the population have a parent born overseas and more than a quarter of Australian residents were born outside the country, the data reveals. The number of Australians born in India has increased dramatically since 2016, and the country has now gone past China and New Zealand in the country-of-birth statistic to sit behind only Australia and England. The second-largest increase in country of birth was Nepal, with an additional 70,000 people. David Gruen, the bureaus Australian statistician, spoke about the census results. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The data on more than 250 ancestries and 350 languages shows the number of people who use a language other than English at home has risen to more than 5.5 million since 2016. Of those, 850,000 reported that they did not speak English well or at all. Mandarin continues to be the second most common language, after English, with nearly 700,000 people speaking it at home. This is followed by Arabic. Punjabi had the largest increase. While Australia has welcomed more than 1 million new migrants since 2017, the census confirms that the bulk arrived before the COVID-19 pandemic. Gruen noted that there were just 61,860 international visitors counted on census night, a significant drop from the 300,000 in the country on the night of the 2016 count. Areas like the Gold Coast saw the impact of international travel restrictions with a significant drop in people at hotels and motels, Gruen told reporters. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status The release of the national dataset marks 50 years since the 1971 census, which was the first to include the results of Indigenous Australians. Loading The 2021 count showed a 25 per cent increase in people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and 50 per cent growth in those over 65. Traditional languages continue to be an important part of these households, with 167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken at home in 2021 by more than 78,000 people. But Professor Sandra Harding, the chair of the 2021 Census Statistical Independent Assurance Panel, said there was undercounting of Indigenous Australians in 2021, a problem that existed at the previous two censuses. Despite increased efforts and investment by the ABS, an estimated 17 per cent net undercount of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has persisted in 2021, she said. Families The proportion of married households fell from 37.9 to 37.2 per cent, but there were an additional 25,000 same-sex marriages after marriage equality was introduced in legislation in 2017. No figures were released for same-sex divorces or separations. For the first time, more than 1 million families in Australia are headed by a single parent and in most cases this parent is female. Loading Dickenson said Australia was undergoing a generational shift as the Millennial generation caught up to Baby Boomers in becoming the largest generation group in Australia. Gender identity The census gathered data on sex, giving options of male, female and non-binary, and sexual orientation, but did not ask about gender orientation, Gruen said. The census did not collect information on gender identity, and therefore it cant give you an estimate of the trans population, he said. There will be an opportunity to revisit that for the 2026 census, and the ABS will be engaging in a public consultation process starting later this year to ask the community if there are other questions that that people think that we should be asking. This was also the first time the census collected information on people diagnosed with long-term health conditions. Mental health (2,231,543), arthritis (2,150,396) and asthma (2,068,020) were the most reported long-term health conditions. When Nirajan Poudyal moved from Nepal to Australia in 2008, he was a relative rarity. Fifteen years ago, the Nepalese diaspora comprised 4567 people, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Things have changed dramatically, with the number of Nepalese-born people in Australia growing 25-fold since 2006. The latest census results, released on Tuesday, show there are now 122,515 Nepalese-born people living in Australia, a 124 per cent increase in five years. Nirajan Poudyal moved to Australia in 2008 and now runs Nepalese grocery store in southern Sydney. Credit:Jessica Hromas The growth in Nepalese migrants over the past five years was easily the largest of any country in percentage terms and second only to India in absolute numbers. Sydneysiders have been told to prepare for a disrupted commute on Tuesday, when industrial action from the Rail and Transport Union will coincide with a second day of demonstrations by Blockade Australia. Peak-hour train services will be reduced by 50 per cent on Tuesday and up to 75 per cent later in the week in response to workplace and safety concerns the rail union believes have not been adequately addressed by the NSW government. Significant delays are also expected for long-distance and regional services, with customers advised to travel only in essential circumstances. Transport for NSW said commuters should expect significant disruptions, as the protected action is expected to cause delays and the increasing cancellation of services across the week. Meanwhile, Blockade Australia was met by a heavy police presence on Tuesday morning when they attempted to march through the streets for a second day. Little obstruction occurred before police arrested 12 people. The group dispersed in Hyde Park about 9am after shouting spaghetti. Sydneysiders who received a third coronavirus vaccination were less likely to be hospitalised or die from an Omicron infection during the height of the citys wave, as public health experts urge people to come forward for overdue boosters. Data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), published on Tuesday, showed a third COVID-19 vaccine dose in middle-aged and older adults provided 65 per cent greater protection against hospitalisation or death from the virus than only two shots. Researchers used data from 2 million Greater Sydney residents in January and February. Credit:Rhett Wyman At that point, a lot of people just had two doses, and a number were having their third, but even now we still have many people who are yet to get that booster shot, said Associate Professor Bette Liu, the studys lead author and a UNSW researcher. Hundreds of private school board members will be offered long overdue training in how to oversee their institutions, as school councils face increased scrutiny and calls for greater transparency and accountability. John Simpson, a specialist in education governance and a member of council at Monash University, said most private schools are not prepared for the world in which they operate. Geoff Newcombe, head of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, said governance training is vital given the diversity and scale of private schools. Governance in independent schools in 2022 isnt anywhere where it needs to be. Many are stuck in the 1960s. Parents need to demand more from governing councils and boards should be much more open to questions, he said. The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) will provide governance training to more than 250 independent school board members across the state, with plans for the program to be expanded to boards at almost 500 independent schools. The program will be run in partnership with the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. Young Australians have reported far higher levels of psychological distress than any other age group, with the census capturing the upheaval and mental toll of living through a pandemic. The first tranche of census data released on Tuesday provides a snapshot of the state of health in Australia, revealing that one in five Australians aged 16 to 34 years reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. Thats more than twice the rate of those aged 65 to 85 at 9 per cent. Jane Fisher, a professor of global health at Monash University, said the data, which showed more than 2.2 million Australians now had a diagnosed mental illness, was shocking and perplexing. It raises some really important questions, one being: just how much of this is a reflection of our COVID situation? she said. It is almost impossible to answer this directly because we have never asked this question before in a census. An incoming secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet feared ministers would meddle with the appointment of trade commissioners and urged bureaucrats to finalise the process before politicians could intervene. Internal emails from July last year, obtained by the Herald, suggest then-incoming secretary Jim Betts wanted recruitment reports for the lucrative roles finalised before they were sent to senior ministers, including then-deputy premier John Barilaro. Feared political interference: Investment NSW boss Amy Brown and former bureaucrat Jim Betts. The appointment process behind the trade roles is under fierce scrutiny following Barilaros controversial appointment to the US $500,000-a-year job this month, now the subject of two inquiries. The July correspondence between Investment NSW boss Amy Brown and staff relates to the preferred candidates for the overseas positions, which included former bureaucrat Jenny West, who was offered the US role before it was rescinded last year. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has reinforced its concerns about Australias plans for a nuclear-powered submarine fleet after a very candid discussion between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Malaysian counterpart on Tuesday. The south-east Asian nation joined Indonesia in expressing anxiety about the submarine ambitions soon after the AUKUS three-way defence alliance was announced by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and then prime minister Scott Morrison in September, fearing it could instigate a regional arms race. Foreign Minister Penny Wong meets with Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah on Tuesday. Credit:Farhan Iqbal Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also raised alarm last month about the potential knock-on effects of the deal, warning that if China, for example, wanted to help North Korea buy nuclear-propelled submarines we cant say no because AUKUS has set a precedent. On Tuesday, as Wong made her first visit to the country of her birth as Australias top diplomat, the issue was back on the agenda. Denmarks Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik have pulled their son out of his prestigious high school after former students came forward alleging abuse and bullying were running rife there. The royal couple released a statement on Sunday (Danish time) announcing that Prince Christian, 16, had left the Herlufsholm Boarding School, and his sister Princess Isabella would no longer attend as planned. From left, at the back, Denmarks Prince Christian with his father Crown Prince Frederik and Australian-born Crown Princess Mary. Front row: Prince Vincent, Princess Isabella, and Princess Josephine in April 2022. Credit:Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix via AP We are deeply shaken by the reports that have come out about Herlufsholm recently, they said. We have also made it clear that, as parents of a child at the school, we expect that the school will do what it must do to rectify the unacceptable conditions. The prestigious boarding school favoured by the countrys elite came under scrutiny in May with the broadcast of a documentary called Herlufsholms Hemmeligheder (Herlufsholms Secrets). It detailed allegations of physical violence including corporal punishment and sexual abuse. Former pupils described a culture of bullying and humiliation. Some said older pupils attacked their younger peers at night. Others claimed the schools leadership turned a blind eye. Washington: The US House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol has abruptly scheduled a hearing for Tuesday to hear what the panel called recently obtained evidence and take witness testimony, a surprise move that touched off a wave of speculation about a potential explosive revelation. Donald Trump speaks to supporters just before the US Capitol riots. Credit:AP The hearing is scheduled for 1pm Washington time (Wednesday AEST) on Capitol Hill, according to a news release issued by the committee, in which it provided no other details about the session. The announcement and its sudden and secretive nature gave way to a day of guesswork about what the panel might have learnt, or whose cooperation it may have secured, to warrant upending a carefully choreographed hearing schedule during a week when members had left Washington to spend time in their districts around the country. BETTER BE A BIG DEAL, John Dean, the White House counsel under former president Richard Nixon known for his role in the Watergate scandal, wrote on Twitter. There was only one surprise witness during the Senate Watergate Committee hearings. On July 16, 1973 an unannounced witness appeared: Alex Butterfield, who testified to Nixons secret taping system forever changing history! The January 6 investigation panel has held a series of hearings this month laying out the findings of its nearly year-long investigation, but it had not been scheduled to have any additional sessions until July. San Antonio: The death toll from the discovery of the bodies of migrants inside a truck in Texas has risen to 50, Mexicos Foreign Minister said on Tuesday. Some 22 Mexicans, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans were identified among the dead, Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter. The dead migrantswere discovered inside a semitrailer in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border. Authorities investigate a semitrailer in San Antonio, Texas, where 46 migrants were found dead inside. Credit:Getty Images US President Joe Biden in a statement on Tuesday (US time) called the incident horrifying and heartbreaking. (This article is the second in a series of essays written by Dr. Nilda Arduin to commemorate 1 July 1863, the Abolition of slavery within the Dutch Kingdom) - July 2022 According to the Dutch Constitution of 1815, enacted after the Netherlands became a Monarchy, the Dutch Kingdom encompassed the Netherlands and a few colonies and assets of the State (volksplantingen en bezittingen van het rijk). Lets take a look at what happened since 1 July 1863. Consider the following timeline: 1863: Abolition of Slavery 1922: The Dutch Constitution included not only the European territory but also Indonesia, Suriname, and Curacao (and its dependencies) The pertinent institutions in these territories obtained limited powers to regulate their internal affairs. Holland, the motherland of the colonists, had an obligation towards her people stationed in the overseas territories. 1939-1945: World War II During the war, Queen Wilhelmina in exile announced a Kingdom conference to discuss new relationships between the Kingdom partners. The Netherlands was seeking to further strengthen ties with their largest colony, Indonesia, noting the importance of economic, political, and so-called interpersonal contacts. However, the Netherlands could no longer play its former role. 1947 (August 17): The Republik Indonesia declared itself independent from the Netherlands. 1950: Interim Regulation Netherlands Antilles, a prelude to the Charter, including the right of self-determination for the islands, further outlined in the Island Regulation (ERNA). The Island Regulation introduced the formula of general interest of the Kingdom; followed and further outlined in article 50 of the Charter, which includes supervision. 1954: Enactment of the Charter, which was in principle meant to be an agreement between Indonesia and the Dutch Kingdom (the Netherlands, Suriname, and Netherland Antilles). Reviewing the socio-economic and political history of the relationships within the Kingdom in the period 1954-2022 is vital to understand how we reached where we are today, and understand what we did, or did not do adequately as partners within the Dutch Kingdom to resolve continued conflicts. Who were the negotiators around the table leading up to the enactment of the Charter, if general voting rights to include the descendants of the former enslaved Africans were obtained only in 1948? 1969-1974: Awareness Movements on Curacao and Sint Maarten. 1970: The first Afro-Dutch governor (B.M. Leito) was appointed for the Netherlands Antilles. 1983: The Windward Islands became three separate territories (Sint Maarten, Saba, Statia). 1986: Aruba left the Netherlands Antilles to obtain a separate status. 1993-1996: Sint Maarten was placed under preventative Higher Supervision. 1994-2000: Attempts to reconstruct and keep the Netherlands Antilles together. 2010: The Netherlands Antilles were dismantled; Sint Maarten and Curacao obtained autonomy pursuant to the Island Regulation of 1950 (ERNA). Up to 2010 Sint Maarten only had formal representation within the Dutch Kingdom via the Netherlands Antilles. Whether interested, indifferent or even somewhat hostile towards each other, the intra-regional connection within the Dutch Kingdom is a fact with international consequences. The few colonies and assets of the State became equal partners. Consider the following actions and discussion points: - Explore the transition to self-governance in the Caribbean parts of the Dutch Kingdom after the enactment of the Charter. - Have we heeded and consciously acted upon the lessons learned from; the Awareness Movements of May 1969 on Curacao, August 1974 on Sint Maarten, and the preventative Higher Supervision on Sint Maarten in the nineties? - Proper education is an important condition in the development of any country. How can the population/households be mobilized to take advantage of education possibilities offered online in the absence of widely available higher education in Sint Maarten? PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, Mr. Omar Ottley has gained the commitment from the Minister of Public Health in Curacao, Drs. Dorothy Pietersz-Janga joined forces to finalize the establishment of a local BIG registry for medical professionals. Both countries have identified the benefit of working together in order to expand the current pool from which medical professionals can be sourced, making it easier for the countries to hire qualified medical professionals from around the world to provide care that is not available locally. At present, Sint Maarten can only hire foreign medical professionals with credentials from the European Union (EU) or medical professionals who are BIG registered in the Netherlands. During the visit, Minister Ottley and his delegation learned of the experiences and challenges with the establishment of the Curacao BIG registry. Representatives of the Ministry of Public Health in Curacao will be joining the committee that has been established by Sint Maarten to further these preparations. Canada Nickel Company Announces Assay Results and Confirms Discovery at Reid Property Highlights Assays achieved expected grades over entire core length of 354 metres: 0.24% nickel including 15 metres of 0.39% nickel and 6 metres of 0.57% nickel Confirmed same mineralogy as Companya?s flagship Crawford Project Reid property has larger geophysical footprint than Crawford Crawford resource update expected to be released by July 6, 2022 Canada Nickel Company Inc. (\Canada Nickel\ or the \Company\) (TSXV: CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/canada-nickel-company-inc/) announced today assay results at its Reid property, where two drill holes have been completed as part of its regional exploration program. Drilling was highlighted by hole REI21-02 which intersected 354 meters of 0.24% nickel and includes 15 meters of 0.39% nickel and 6 meters of 0.57% nickel. Mineralogy completed on samples from these holes confirmed that they contain the same heazlewoodite-pentlandite-awaruite minerals as Crawford. Mark Selby, Chair and Chief Executive Officer said, aWe are very pleased with our drilling on the Reid target. A The assay results from the second hole achieved expected grades over 354 metres and contains a core of higher grade mineralization of 15 metres of 0.39% nickel, and the first hole intersected a PGM zone similar to that at Crawford. We are continuing to drill Reid as we highlight the resource potential of this target with a larger geophysical footprint than our original Crawford discovery.A Additionally, we are looking forward to the release of our updated resource estimate for Crawford expected to be released by July 6, 2022.a Reid Nickel Property The Reid Property is located just 16 kilometres southwest of Crawford and contains an ultramafic target that measures 3.3 kilometres north-south by 2.1 kilometres east-west based on the total magnetic intensity (aTMIa) (see Figure 1). A A Hole REI-22-02 collared on dunite in the SE corner of the target, and was drilled to the NW. It remained in dunite for a total length of 354 metres grading 0.24% nickel, with a higher-grade section near the bottom of the hole intersecting 0.39% nickel over 15 metres (see table 1A). The hole ended in mineralized dunite, and the contact is open to the north. REI22-01 collared on dunite in the same setup, drilling towards the south contact where the magnetic anomaly is at its highest. The hole transitioned from dunite to a sequence of peridotite-pyroxenite-gabbro similar to that seen at Crawford. The pyroxenite in the sequence yielded 1.6g/t Pt+Pd over 4.5 metres (see Table 1B) similar in grade and thickness to PGM zone at Crawford. Mineralogy completed on samples from these holes confirmed that they contain the same heazlewoodite-pentlandite-awaruite minerals as Crawford. As of June, drilling at Reid resumed with a helicopter supported program that will test the extent of the anomaly. Share Issuances Canada Nickel also announces that it has agreed to issue 100,000 common shares pursuant to the terms of an exploration agreement relating to the Company\-s Crawford Project and 34,200 common shares pursuant to the settlement of certain matters with a third party service provider. These issuances are subject to the prior approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.The common shares described in this news release will be subject to a statutory four-month hold period from the date of issuance under applicable securities laws. Assays, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Drilling and Assay Edwin Escarraga, MSc, P.Geo., a \qualified person\ as defined by National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for the on-going drilling and sampling program, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). The core is collected from the drill in sealed core trays and transported to the core logging facility. The core is marked and sampled at 1.5 metre lengths and cut with a diamond blade saw. Samples are securely shipped for analysis to SGS Burnaby (Canada) and SGS Callao (Peru). All ISO/IEC 17025 accredited labs. Analysis for precious metals (gold, platinum and palladium) are completed by Fire Assay while analysis for nickel, cobalt, sulphur and 17 other elements are performed using a peroxide fusion and ICP-OES analysis. Certified standards and blanks are inserted at a rate of 3 QA/QC samples per 20 core samples making a batch of 60 samples that are submitted for analysis.A Qualified Person and Data Verification Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a \qualified person\ as is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc.A About Canada Nickel Company Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel Sulphide Property in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain information that may constitute \forward-looking information\ under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, drill results relating to the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Property, the potential of the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Property, timing of economic studies and mineral resource estimates, the ability to sell marketable materials, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals, and the impact of COVID-19 related disruptions in relation to the Company\-s business operations including upon its employees, suppliers, facilities and other stakeholders. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel 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. GCM Mining announces multiple high-grade drill results from the 2022 in-mine and Brownfield drilling campaigns at its Segovia operations AA A A A A A A A Continuation of significant high-grade intercepts at the producing Sandra K and El Silencio mines AA A A A A A A A Success continues in our brownfield drilling campaign on the La Guarida-Cristales Vein System including 48.45 g/t Au and 34.2 g/t Ag over 0.47 meters GCM Mining Corp. (aGCM Mininga or the aCompanya) (TSX: GCM; OTCQX: TPRFF https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gran-colombia-gold-corp/ ) announced today multiple high-grade intercepts from the latest 32 diamond drill holes, totaling 8,299 meters, from the 2022 in-mine and near-mine drilling programs, as well as a further 28 diamond drill holes, totaling 7,735 meters, from the 2022 brownfield drilling programs at its Segovia Operations, Colombia. The Company also announced the assay results from one additional kick-off diamond drill hole, totaling 748 meters, from the ongoing directional drilling program on the El Silencio Deep Zone. Significant high-grade intercepts from the latest drill results include: In-mine Sandra K: 146.33 g/t Au and 712.0 g/t Ag over 0.30 meters on the Sandra K Techo Vein (SK-ES-035); El Silencio: 16 g/t Au and 142.9 g/t Ag over 0.88 meters on the 450 Vein (ES-EU-047); and, El Silencio: 78.09 g/t Au and 20.0 g/t Ag over 1.29 meters on the Nacional Vein (ES-EU-48) Brownfield Marmajito: 23.55 g/t Au and 22.0 Ag over 0.60 meters on the Marmajito Vein (MAR-EU-018); Vera: 81 g/t Au and 479.9 g/t Ag over 0.54 meters on a SNO Vein (VER-ES-032A); and, La Guarida-Cristales Vein System: 48.45 g/t Au and 34.2 g/t Ag on the Cristales Vein over 0.47 meters (CR-ES-047A) Serafino Iacono, Executive Chairman of GCM Mining, commented, aOur 2022 drilling programs are continuing to provide us with outstanding results, especially on the back of a 14% increase in our Measured and Indicated Resources and a 41% increase in our Inferred Resources, both as reported in our press release dated March 24, 2022. Todaya?s announcement of our latest exploration results continues to highlight the potential to extend the mine life and grow production at our Sandra K and El Silencio mines from known in-mine and near-mine exploration targets. Additional high-grade results from the Marmajito and Cristales veins are shaping up our ongoing brownfield drilling campaign, focused on the other 24 known veins we are not currently mining. The sustained investment in geology and exploration by the Company continues to deliver high quality ounces on which to leverage future production and growth initiatives. We look forward to moving these and a number of other promising exploration projects forward in the coming months.\ The ongoing 2022 in-mine and near-mine in-fill and step-out drilling campaign commenced in early January with eight diamond drill rigs operating from purpose-built underground drill stations and surface drill platforms and comprises a total of up to 67,000 meters at its four producing mines, including up to 15,000 meters of underground in-fill drilling, for about 74% of the total drilling programs for this year. In and near-mine in-fill and step-out drilling is focused on replacing the 2022 mining production and organic growth through resource conversion to expand the current reserves at the Companya?s core operating mines. Approximately 16% of the total in-mine and near-mine drilling programs for this year was completed by the end of April, the cut-off date for results reported in this press release. The other 26% of the planned drilling campaign for 2022, comprising up to approximately 24,000 meters, is focused on defining new resources from the brownfield exploration targets covering the 24 veins within the Segovia mining title that are not currently in production. Approximately 32% of the brownfield exploration drilling programs for this year were completed by the end of April, the cut-off date for results reported in this press release. GCM Mining currently has a total of 10 diamond drill rigs in operation at Segovia distributed as follows: In-mine and near-mine drilling Two rigs are carrying out step-out drilling at the Sandra K Mine from two purpose-built surface platforms; and, Four rigs are carrying out resource definition on the El Silencio Deep Zone from one purpose-built underground drill station in the El Silencio Mine to test the 450 and Manto veins from the Lejanias sector, and two additional purpose-built underground drill stations on Levels 11 and 17 of the Providencia Mine to test the Nacional Vein. The fourth rig is conducting directional in-fill drilling on the southern ore-shoot below Level 38A from a purpose-built underground drill station on Level 3 of the Sandra K Mine; One rig is carrying out resource definition at the Carla Mine from a purpose-built underground station off Level 3 to guide the mine development. Brownfield drilling Two rigs are operating from surface on the La Guarida-Cristales Vein System; and One rig is operating from surface on the Manzanillo Vein. Key Highlights IN-MINE and NEAR-MINE DRILLING Sandra K In-mine in-fill drilling from underground station SK5680, installed off Level 6, was completed in early March with additional 11 drill holes totaling 1,147 meters. This program was intended to better delineate and further extend down-plunge a cluster of narrow, discontinuous, high-grade zones to approximately future Level 9, outlined by previous mining on the upper levels, which occur at the northernmost end of the Sandra K Mine. Drilling confirmed the continuity of the Sandra K Vein System to the north, but most results were disappointing, except for drill hole SK-IU-216, which returned 6.46 g/t Au with 159.8 g/t Ag over 0.32 meters on the Sandra K Techo Vein. Step-out exploration drilling from surface platform SK6020, located at the northernmost end of the northern fault block of the Sandra K Vein System, delimited by a set of faults striking NE and steeply dipping to the north related to the Lejanias Fault System, was completed with an additional drill hole totaling 495 meters. This program was designed on a 150 m x 150 m drill spacing and was aimed to extend down-dip the main vein system from future Level 9 to Level 15 and along strike. This drilling was extremely successful confirming the down-plunge extension of the cluster of narrow discontinuous, high-grade zones tested by drilling on underground station SK5680. Drill hole SK-IU-032 intercepted the deepest, high-grade intersection of the Sandra K Vein System encountered so far, some 200 meters vertically below the deepest level of the ongoing operation, returning 20.17 g/t Au with 887.0 g/t Ag over 0.53 meters on the Sandra K Techo Vein. Additional step-out exploration drilling from surface platform SK5430, still located on the northern fault block of the Sandra K Vein System, was completed with 7 drill holes totaling 2,989 meters. This program was designed on an 80 m x 100 m drill spacing and was aimed to extend down-plunge the Sandra K main ore-shoot. Drilling was successful in demonstrating continuity together with high grades at depth, extending the mineralization down-plunge by 200 meters. Multiple high gold grades were intersected with maximum intersection grades of 146.33 g/t Au with 712.6 g/t Ag over 0.30 meters (SK-ES-035). Exploration drilling from surface platform SK4950 was completed with an additional 4 drill holes totaling 2,294 meters. This drilling was designed to test the southern fault block of the Sandra K Vein System, south of the main mine area, confirming that results continue to be so erratic that it has not yet been possible to clearly define a sector of interest for the operation. There are some drill holes of interest, such as drill hole SK-ES-36 that returned 12.72 g/t Au with 19.7 g/t Ag over 0.90 meters on the Sandra K Techo Vein, but in-fill drilling is warranted to test the continuity of the mineralization. El Silencio In-mine exploration drilling from underground station ES4950, installed on Level 38 of the El Silencio Mine, was designed to test the continuity of the 450 and 450-FW veins close to the mine workings on the Nacional Vein, and to explore the Manto Vein that occurs in the footwall of the Nacional Vein. The 450 Vein, discovered by directional drilling in 2020, is interpreted as a low angle vein or manto that occurs in the hanging-wall of the Nacional Vein, some 40 meters vertically above. Drilling was successful in demonstrating the continuity of the 450 Vein together with high grades. Multiple high gold grades were intersected from 9 drill holes totaling 974 meters, with maximum intersection grades of 271.16 g/t Au with 142.9 g/t Ag over 0.88 meters (ES-EU-047). The ongoing directional drilling program on the El Silencio Deep Zone is targeted to extend and better delineate the southern ore-shoot down-plunge below Level 40, the deepest level of historical mining on the Manto Vein. Mother hole ES-MH09 (440 m deep) intercepted two unknown structures at depths of 97.0 meters and 267.0 meters, which returned 11.32 g/t Au with 13.0 g/t Ag over 0.39 meters and 9.28 g/t Au with 13.4 g/t Ag over 0.79 meters, respectively. A medium grade intercept was intersected from kick-off hole ES-MH09-01 (748 meters) with intersection grades of 6.32 g/t Au with 4.9 g/t Ag over 0.52 meters on the 450 Vein. Results from in-mine exploration and in-fill drilling are reported for 20 holes (2,521 m) including: 11 holes (1,547 m) at Sandra K (SK-IU-207 to SK-IU-217); and 9 holes (974 m) at El Silencio (ES-EU-040 to ES -EU-048). There are no results above cut-off grade for 10 holes at Sandra K and 5 holes at El Silencio, so these holes are not listed in the table above. Results from step-out surface exploration drilling are reported for 12 holes (5,778 m) from Sandra K (SK-ES-032 to SK-ES-043). There are no results above cut-off grade for 6 holes, which are not listed in the table above. Results from directional drilling from one purpose-built station on Level 3 at Sandra K are reported from 1 kick-off hole (ES-MH09-01), totaling 748 meters, drilled on the southern ore-shoot. In addition, 440 meters were drilled in one mother hole (ES-MH-009). Please refer also to the attached illustrative maps showing the Sandra K and El Silencio drilling programs. BROWNFIELD DRILLING Vera Exploration drilling from surface station VER5420 was designed to test the continuity of the Lluvias Vein on the northern fault block of the Vera Vein System, east to the Vera Mine, with 4 drill holes totaling 816.0 meters. Drill hole VER-ES-032 and its re-drill hole VER-ES-032A intercepted the same zone of veining in the hanging-wall of the Lluvia Vein at a depth of 87.0 meters, which returned 9.89 g/t Au with 370.8 g/t Ag over 0.47 meters and 8.81 g/t Au with 479.9 g/t Ag over 0.54 meters, respectively. A low-grade intercept was intersected from drill hole VER-ES-032 (264 meters) with intersection grades of 3.66 g/t Au and 151.0 g/t Ag over 0.30 m on the Vera Vein. Marmajito The exploration drilling program on the Marmajito Vein from underground station MAR5380, installed on the exploration ramp that starts from Level 15 of the Providencia mine and leads to the western extension of the Marmajito mine workings, was suspended when drill hole MAR-EU-020 intercepted an unknown confined water source with a very high flow rate that prevented normal drilling operations, putting the safety of the drillers at risk. Since the beginning of January 5 drill holes had been completed for a total of 1,662 meters. This program was aimed to follow up a high-grade intercept encountered by drilling from the previous drill station PV5630, also installed on the same ramp. Drilling was successful in confirming the up-dip continuity of the Marmajito Vein with maximum intersection grades of 8.61 g/t Au with 5.8 g/t Ag over 0.50 meters on the Marmajito Vein (MAR-EU-018). La Guarida-Cristales Vein System Drilling from surface platform CR6550 was designed to test the down-plunge extension of the La Guarida Mine ore-shoot within a structural block delimited by two NW trending faults. A total of 9 drill holes, totaling 3,320 meters, were completed. Drill holes CR-ES-038, CR-ES-039, CR-ES-041, CR-ES-045, CR-ES-047 and CR-ES-047A intercepted a vein over an average depth of 360 meters interpreted as the structure corresponding to the southeastern extension of the Cristales Vein. Multiple high gold grades were intersected, with maximum intersection grades of 48.45 g/t Au with 34.2 g/t Ag over 0.47 meters (CR-ES-047A). Additional surface exploration drilling from drill platform CR7150, located to the north of the Cristales Mine, was designed to test the up-dip extension of the Cristales Vein. A total of 5 drill holes, totaling 792 meters, were completed with maximum intersection grades of 16.22 g/t Au with 7.8 g/t Ag over 0.62 meters on the Cristales Vein (CR-ES-035). Results from brownfield exploration drilling are reported for 28 holes (7,735 m) including: 5 holes (1,326 m) at Vera (VER-ES-029 to VER-ES-032A) of which one was lost; 4 holes (1,298 m) at Marmajito (MAR-EU-016 to MAR-EU-019) and 19 holes (5,111 m) on the La Guarida-Cristales Vein System (CR-ES-031B and CR-ES-034 to CR-ES-048) of which three were lost. There are no results above cut-off grade for 3 holes at Vera, 2 holes at Marmajito and 11 holes on La Guarida-Cristales Vein System, so these holes are not listed in the table. Please refer also to the attached illustrative maps showing the Vera, Marmajito and La Guarida-Cristales Vein System drilling programs. Qualified Person Dr. Stewart D. Redwood, PhD, FIMMM, FGS, Senior Consulting Geologist to the Company, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 a Standards of Disclosure or Mineral Projects and prepared or reviewed the preparation of the scientific and technical information in this press release. Verification included a review of the quality assurance and quality control samples, and review of the applicable assay databases and assay certificates. Quality Assurance and Quality Control The Segovia samples were prepared and assayed by SGS Laboratories Ltd (ISO 9001:2008) at their laboratory in Medellin. Gold was assayed by 30 g fire assay with atomic absorption spectrophotometer (aAASa) finish. Samples above the upper detection limit of 10.0 g/t gold were re-assayed by 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Silver was assayed by aqua regia digestion and AAS finish. Silver samples above 500 g/t were re-assayed by nitric and hydrochloric acid digestion with AAS finish for ore grades and the highest in grade were double-checked by SGS Laboratories Ltd. in Lima, Peru. Blank, standard and duplicate samples were routinely inserted and monitored for quality assurance and quality control. About GCM Mining Corp. GCM Mining is a mid-tier gold producer with a proven track record of mine building and operating in Latin America. In Colombia, the Company is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer with several mines in operation at its high-grade Segovia Operations. In Guyana, the Company is advancing the Toroparu Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in the Americas. GCM Mining also owns approximately 44% of Aris Gold Corporation (TSX: ARIS) (Colombia a Marmato), an approximately 32% equity interest in Denarius Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSLV) (Spain a Lomero-Poyatos; Colombia a Guia Antigua and Zancudo) and an approximately 26% equity interest in Western Atlas Resources Inc. (TSX-V: WA) (Nunavut a Meadowbank). Additional information on GCM Mining can be found on its website at www.gcm-mining.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information This news release contains \forward-looking information\, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies, including exploration programs and mineral resources and reserves. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as \plans\, \expects\, \is expected\, \budget\, \scheduled\, \estimates\, \forecasts\, \intends\, \anticipates\, or \believes\ 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. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of GCM Mining to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption \Risk Factors\ in the Company\-s Annual Information Form dated as of March 31, 2022 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and GCM Mining disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management\-s estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. EnWave Sells Third 10kW REVa Machine to Dairy Concepts IRL, Further Increasing Capacity for Shelf-Stable Dairy Snack Production EnWave Corporation (TSX-V: ENW | FSE: E4U) (\EnWave\ https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/enwave-corp/ ),announced that Dairy Concepts IRL (aDCIa), an emerging leader in innovative dairy snacks has signed an Equipment Purchase Agreement (the aAgreementa) to acquire its third 10kW Radiant Energy Vacuum (aREVaa) dehydration machine for commercial use at Moorepark Technology Limiteda?s (aMTLa) facility in Cork, Ireland. DCI signed a royalty-bearing commercial license agreement (the aLicensea) with EnWave in September 2020, granting it processing rights for a portfolio of natural, sweet and savory, shelf-stable, hand-held dairy snacks. To facilitate initial REVa processing, DCI forged a commercial relationship with MTL, a leading provider of commercial pilot plant and research services for customers in the food industry. DCI and MTL have collaborated to combine leading technology with food innovation strategy to launch new and exciting dairy-based products to the market in Europe. MTL previously purchased a 10kW REVa machine from EnWave in September 2019, and this machine has been used commercially by DCI since September 2020. In March 2021, EnWave sold a second 10kW REV unit to DCI to expand its manufacturing capacity at MTL, and the addition of a third 10kW REVa machine will continue to increase production capacity at the MTL facility. DCI will use all three of the existing REVa machines at MTL for the production of CheeseOsa and its premium specialty cheese brand Moorepark https://www.moorepark.ie/. As DCI continues to expand its market presence with the production of dried cheese and cheese-like snacks in Ireland and the United Kingdom. They will look to further expand REVa capacity with additional investments. About Dairy Concepts Dairy Concepts IRL has become a leading innovator in the global dairy snacks market by combining its entrepreneurial vision with Irelanda?s scientific talent, quality dairy ingredients, global reputation and sustainable competitive advantage in dairy. DCI is focused on the development of innovative, all-natural, hand-held dairy snacks for the global market. For more information on DCI, visit dairyconcepts.ie/. About EnWave EnWave is a global leader in the innovation and application of vacuum microwave dehydration. From its headquarters in Vancouver, BC, EnWave has developed a robust intellectual property portfolio, perfected its Radiant Energy Vacuum (REVa) technology, and transformed an innovative idea into a proven, consistent, and scalable drying solution for the food, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries that vastly outperforms traditional drying methods in efficiency, capacity, product quality, and cost. With more than forty-five royalty-generating partners spanning twenty countries and five continents, EnWavea?s licensed partners are creating profitable, never-before-seen snacks and ingredients, improving the quality and consistency of their existing offerings, running leaner and getting to market faster with the companya?s patented technology, licensed machinery, and expert guidance. In addition, EnWave established a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to manufacture, market and sell REV-dried snack products within North America, including the popular Moon CheeseA brand, and serve as a co-manufacturer for third parties. EnWavea?s strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with food and cannabis producers who want to dry better, faster and more economical than freeze drying, rack drying and air drying, and enjoy the following benefits: Food and ingredients companies can produce exciting new products, reach optimal moisture levels up to seven times faster, and improve product taste, texture, color and nutritional value. Cannabis producers can dry four to six times faster, retain 20% more terpenes and 25% more cannabinoids, and achieve at least a 3-log reduction in crop-destroying microbes. Learn more at EnWave.net. Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management\-s expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company\-s strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing, are forward-looking statements. All third-party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third-party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Argentine President Fernandez meet with Gotion High-tech chairman Li Zhen HONG KONG, June 28, 2022 (ACN Newswire) On the afternoon of June 24, Argentine Time, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez met with Li Zhen, chairman of Gotion High-tech, and his delegation at the presidential residence in Olivos, he explicitly supported Chinese investment in Argentina, and praised Gotion High-tech\-s multiple industrial investments will promote the development of Argentina\-s new energy industry. The two sides also had friendly exchanges on the \Targets of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization\ strategy, the new energy vehicle industry, the Sustainable Transportation Act and the joint venture between Gotion High-tech and Corven, a well-known American auto parts manufacturer, to establish electric bus batteries and other topics. Alberto Fernandez: The friendship between China and Argentina goes back to ancient times. I attended the Beijing Winter Olympics this year and witnessed the unique Chinese winter Olympics moment. Not long ago, I also participated in the online communication of the BRICS Summit. China\-s \One Belt, One Road\ strategy and \Targets of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization\ strategy have encouraged many Chinese enterprises to invest in Argentina, undertake photovoltaic power stations, hydropower DAMS and other new energy projects, and continue to promote them, it also brings opportunities for Argentina\-s development. The world is already shifting to renewable energy. Argentina has made incentives for lithium, wind power, photovoltaic and other industries. The Development of Sustainable Transport Act, introduced last year, it aims to promote investment in electric vehicles, promote the electrification of transport and provide legal protection for investors in new energy. We welcome Chinese investment in Argentina. Gotion High-tech\-s industrial investment activities in Argentina, cover the development, processing and battery products of lithium resources, which accelerates the development of local lithium resources and it will help the development and progress of Argentina\-s new energy industry. Li Zhen: Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Argentina, leaders of the two countries have actively supported complementary advantages and economic cooperation between enterprises, especially the \Belt and Road\ initiative. It provides strategic guidance, points out the direction and lays the foundation for inter-enterprise cooperation. The third energy revolution with solar and wind power as the main body has come. To make full use of it, we must have energy storage technology. Gotion High-tech has been focusing on energy storage for 16 years. We plan to reach 300GWh battery production capacity in the world by 2025, which makes enterprises\- demand for lithium resources more vigorous. Argentina is the third-largest economy in Latin America, with a harmonious social system and orderly development of resources, it provides a good external environment for enterprises to invest in. We have partnered with Jujuy National Energy and Mining Company and we will work with Corven in Buenos Aires to develop downstream applications. In the next 100 years, new energy vehicles will certainly be a new engine for the world economy. Gotion is willing to work with visionary people in Argentina to jointly create a new era in the energy industry. Daniel Scioli, Argentina\-s minister of Production and Development, Ariel Schale, The industry minister, and President Fernandez were accompanied by Cecilia Todesca, Minister of International Economic Relations, and Fernanda Avila, Minister of Mines, and communicated with the Gotion High-tech team on the development of the lithium industry. Gold Terra Intersects 1.97 g/t Gold over 6.50 Metres with Visible Gold and 2.00 g/t Gold 0ver 4.50 Metres at Depth on Campbell Shear, Con Mine Property, Yellowknife, NWT Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSX-V: YGT; Frankfurt: TX0; OTC QX: YGTFF) (aGold Terraa or the aCompanya https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gold-terra-resource-corp/ is pleased to announce assay results of GTCM22-037 designed to test the Campbell Shear at a depth of 1,000 vertical metres.A GTCM22-037 intersected the Campbell shear as planned with the main zone carrying of 1.60 g/t gold (Au) over 14.57 metres, including two gold zones of 1.97 g/t Au over 6.50 metres from 1,263.30 to 1,269.80 metres and 2.00 g/t Au over 4.50 metres from 1,256.08 to 1,260.58 metres. Hole GTCM22-037 encountered alteration, veining, and mineralization consistent with descriptions of typical Campbell Shear gold zones from historical production. It was drilled below historical holes Y-88 (13.72 g/t Au over 5.27 metres)* and above Y-86 and Y-96A (8.32 g/t Au over 4.45 metres and 18.11 g/t Au over 0.83 metres)* along the Campbell Shear structure. The past producing Con Mine Property is under option to purchase 100% by the Company from Newmont Canada FN Holdings ULC and Miramar Northern Mining Ltd., both wholly owned subsidiaries of Newmont Corporation (see November 22, 2021 press release).A *Note: these intersections are historical in nature and have not been verified by Gold Terra. Hole location, downhole survey, assay and lithologic data was obtained from the Con Mine database, and therefore is assumed by Gold Terra to be reasonably valid. Chairman and CEO, Gerald Panneton, commented, aOur drilling program is getting positive results on the Campbell shear at depth, and confirming gold mineralization in the area of historical holes Y-88 and Y-86. At the past producing Con Mine (5.0 Moz @ 15 g/t Au), it was typical to go from low-grade gold (approx. 1-3 g/t Au) to highgrade in the span of 10 metres. For example, we have observed visible gold, and the Campbell shear is present and well altered and mineralized, south of the Pud fault. Our 2022 program will continue to test this area using hole 37 to set up wedges on 50-metre spacing. For the second half of 2022, we are well-financed to continue with the deep drilling program and updating our current mineral resource to include the high-grade Yellorex Zone for Q4 2022.a The 2022 drill program along the Campbell Shear structure is well underway with a total of 15 drill holes (GTCM22-027 to 22-041) completed to date for a total of 8,391 metres. The Company is pleased to announce it has received $132,000 funding from the 2022-23 Government of the Northwest Territories Mining Incentive Program for the Campbell Shear project. The Company also received the remaining assays for hole GTCM21-029. Figure 1 below shows the location of holes GTCM21-029 and 037 in plan view and Figure 2 below shows the holes on the Campbell Shear long section. Drilling Results Hole GTCM22-037 is a deep hole drilled below historical holes Y-88 (13.72 g/t Au over 5.27 metres)* and above Y-86 and Y-96A (8.32 g/t Au over 4.45 metres and 18.11 g/t Au over 0.83 metres respectively)*. GTCM22-037 intersected two gold zones of 1.60 g/t over 14.57 metres and 0.59 g/t Au over 12.65 metres. Although the zones are located within the Campbell Shear, its gold mineralization style contrasts with the usual sericite-rich alteration and arsenopyrite-rich smoky quartz veins style intersected at Yellorex. The main difference is the absence of sericite alteration; chlorite and calcite being the main alteration present. Local sericitized clasts and angular fragments of semi-massive, laminated pyrite suggest a late remobilization or setting of the gold. The gold is associated with quartz-tourmaline breccia veins. Locally two pinpoint visible gold specks were found within one of those quartz-tourmaline veins at a depth of 1,257.38 to 1,257.84 metres. Additional assays received from previously released hole GTCM22-029, which is a deep hole designed to test the Campbell Shear at a depth below 1,000 vertical metres, intersected 3.02 g/t Au over 1.05 metres from 1,307.95 to 1,309.00 metres. To reach the 1,000-metre depth on the Campbell Shear, hole GTCM22-029 was collared immediately west of the Con Shear, a secondary structure from which aboutA 1 Moz of gold at a grade of 19.5 g/t Au was mined at the Con Mine. This resulted in an intersection 3.61 g/t Au over 4.55 metres including 15.75 g/t over 0.75 metresA at 30 metres vertical depth (see May 15, 2022 press release). A A 1-kilometre-long portion of the Con Shear in this area was previous tested by only two shallow holes from the 1940\-s. One of the historic holes reported a historical intersection of 30.86 g/t Au over one foot*. A Hole GTCM22-041 has been completed to a depth of 1,364 metres and assays are pending. A table of significant drill intersections for holes GTCM22-029 and 037 are shown in Table 1. The Company has completed approximately 14,402 metres in 2022 to date with the objective to delineate aA high-grade gold mineral resource to add to the Companya?s current 1.2 million inferred ounces (See the technical report, titled \Technical Report on the 2021 Updated Mineral Resource Estimates, Northbelt Property, Yellowknife City Gold Project, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada\ with an effective date of March 14, 2021, which can be found on the Company\-s website atA https://www.goldterracorp.comA and on SEDAR atA www.sedar.com) and ultimately advance towards an economic study. Technical Appendix This news release reports the final assay results from two (2) drill holes from which 374 core samples were assayed. Results include final assays from holes GTCM-029 and 037 for 2,833 metres of drilling.A Assay results range from non-detectable gold to a highest assay of 15.75 g/t Au. The Company inserts certified standards and blanks into the sample stream as a check on laboratory Quality Control (QC). Drill core samples are cut by diamond saw at Gold Terraa?s core facilities in Yellowknife. A halved core sample is left in the core box. The other half core is sampled and transported by Gold Terra personnel in securely sealed bags to ALS preparation laboratory (aALSa) in Yellowknife. After sample preparation, samples are shipped to ALSa?s Vancouver facility for gold analysis. Gold assays of >3 g/t are re-assayed on a 30 g split by fire assay with gravimetric finish. Samples with visible gold are additionally assayed using a screen metallic method. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. ALS routinely inserts certified gold standards, blanks and pulp duplicates, and results of all QC samples are reported. Drill holes GTCM22-029 and 037 were drilled at right angles to the structure hosting the mineralization and dip angles of holes were designed to intersect the zones as close to normal as possible. Zones reported here are interpreted to be approximately 90 percent true thickness. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joseph Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Gold Terraa?s Yellowknife City Gold Project The YCG project encompasses 800 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometers of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power, and skilled tradespeople. Gold Terra is currently focusing its drilling on the prolific Campbell shear, where 14 Moz of gold has been produced, and most recently on the Con Mine Option claims immediately south of the past producing Con Mine (1938-2003). The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company\-s exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company\-s objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada. Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com. For more information, please contact: Gerald Panneton, Chairman & CEO gpanneton@goldterracorp.com Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102 Strazdins@goldterracorp.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute \forward-looking information\ within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (\forward-looking information\). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by 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 statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results \will\, \may\, \could\, \would\, \might\ or \will be taken\, \occur\ or \be achieved\ or the negative connotations thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the current drilling on the Campbell Shear on the Newmont Con Mine Option potentially adding high grade ounces to the Companya?s current YCG mineral resource, future planned drilling on the Con Mine Option area and the Company\-s objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company\-s actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the \Risk Factors\ section in the Company\-s most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company\-s profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information. Sky today announces the start of production for upcoming Sky Original drama, The Lovers, starring Johnny Flynn (Beast, Emma) and Roisin Gallagher (The Fall, The Dry).The series follows Janet (Gallagher), a foul-mouthed, hilarious, Belfast supermarket worker who couldnt give a shit about anything much at all, including her life, and Seamus (Flynn) a handsome, self-centred, political broadcaster with what looks to be a perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend.So when Seamus unexpectedly drops into Janets world (literally over the wall and into her backyard) they instantly clash and yet also find themselves inextricably drawn to each otherSet in Belfast, this is a sexy, funny, fight-y love story about two people who appear to be utterly wrong for each other yet may just be utterly right.The series also stars Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones, Holding) as Janets supermarket boss, Philip.Produced by Drama Republic, in association with Sky Studios, the new 6 x 30 series is about love, connection and finding your soulmate in the most unlikely of places.Written by award winning playwright David Ireland (Cyprus Avenue, Ulster American) and directed by BAFTA winning Justin Martin (Together, Prima Facie), the darkly comic, romantic drama, will be coming to Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in 2023.Liz Lewin & Manpreet Dosanjh, Executive Producers, Sky Studios: We cant wait to start filming The Lovers and see our two brilliant leads, Johnny and Roisin, bring our love-struck odd couple to life. David has written the most unique, funny and heart-warming scripts and we look forward to shooting against the iconic backdrops of Belfast and London.Roanna Benn and Rebecca de Souza, Executive Producers, Drama Republic, added: We are so excited that Davids beautifully crafted, romantic and subversive story is being brought to life by such a brilliant team and cast - with the hugely talented Justin Martin at the helm.The series was commissioned by Gabriel Silver, Director of Commissioning for Drama at Sky Studios for Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content at Sky UK. Roanna Benn and Rebecca de Souza are executive producers for Drama Republic, with commissioning editors Liz Lewin and Manpreet Dosanjh as executive producers for Sky Studios. Hannah Pescod also serves as executive producer, with Chris Martin as producer. The Lovers is written by David Ireland and directed by Justin Martin.NBCUniversal Global Distribution handles international sales on behalf of Sky Studios. WINTER HARBOR, Maine (AP) There is an arrest warrant for a man suspected of killing his girlfriend with his SUV in Acadia National Park, police said Monday. Nicole Mokeme died in the hit-and-run at the Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor earlier this month. The activist served as creative director of Rise and Shine Youth Retreat, which offers retreats and programs for Black children and adults. Connecticut is among 11 states nationwide that do not require sex education in public schools, and instead offers guidelines for local districts and teachers to navigate on their own. The result is a patchwork of inconsistent and sometimes incomplete lessons that advocates say impact LGBTQ students the most. Jay Potter said he had some sex education classes while attending Killingly High School from 2004 to 2008, but he said few of the lessons applied to him. The environment in the school at that point in time was pretty hostile, Potter said. So the sex education I received was not really applicable to me. For LGBTQ students like Potter, sex education classes focusing on heterosexual relations between people whose gender identity aligns with their birth sex can be confusing and isolating, advocates and LGBTQ people say. The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States conducts surveys every few years on how sex is being taught in schools. Connecticut did not participate in the 2018 survey, but data from 2016 shows that 18.6 percent of the states secondary schools taught students all 19 of SIECUSs critical sexual health education topics in a required course in any of grades six, seven or eight. These numbers may have improved due to recent state-level changes. Prior to an update in 2022, the last time the Connecticut health education curriculum framework was updated was 2006. It lacked terminology and concepts related to LGBTQ students. The new framework outlines a health and sexuality education for all races, genders, sexualities and backgrounds, according to John Frassinelli, division director at the state Department of Education. However, schools are not required to teach that information. When theres limited resources, COVID-19 hits and theres less teachers, less time and they dont know how they are going to teach the classes? The first thing on the cutting board will absolutely be sex education, said Brittany McBride, associate director of sex education and training at Advocates for Youth, a nationwide organization that promotes adolescent reproductive and sexual health programs and policies. When states require that sex education is taught, it ensures theres a sustainable access to those equitable, safe classrooms for our young people. Connecticut has one of the weakest sex education requirements in the nation, according to McBride. The state does not require human sexuality to be covered and it does not have to be medically accurate or inclusive. Advocates for Youth research shows 39 states plus the District of Columbia mandate sex education and/or HIV education. Connecticut only requires instruction on human growth and development and disease prevention. Human growth and development refers to puberty education usually taught in the fourth or fifth grade. The state Department of Education provides local school districts with guidelines for sex education called the Healthy and Balanced Living Curriculum Framework. Parents of students in districts that offer these topics can choose to opt out for their children. When states don't require sex ed, it doesn't mean that sex ed isn't being provided, it really just is up to the school districts to then make that priority, McBride said. While some districts may have a curriculum more robust than the state guidelines, some towns may have no curriculum at all. Frassinelli said the state does not track how many districts offer sex education beyond the required human growth and development section. What districts are doing In Windsor, while some teachers and education leaders are trying to develop a curriculum, sex education is not being offered to students right now. Kids should be able to have more information than what they can find online, said Ericka Fangiullo, dean of students in Windsor and the former director of health and physical education. During her time at West Haven High School, Farah Bejdadi said resources at the school were limited. They had a health class offered in tandem with gym, but sex education was not included. There were a few years during my high school career where we didnt have a teacher, said Bejdadi, who graduated in 2021. A lot of kids didnt need to take it because there was no option for them to. Glastonbury Public Schools has a health curriculum that begins addressing topics related to human development and puberty in the kindergarten through grade five segment of the lesson. Topics related to puberty are discussed in separate learning environments for male and female students. Noah Goodwin, who graduated from Glastonbury High School in 2021, said the sex education he received was not comprehensive. They made it very specific to the [cisgender-heterosexual] audience, Goodwin said. And they touched on LGBT relationships, just a little bit. And they didn't really get in-depth about anything like for trans kids, or safe sex practices for queer relationships. The practice of separating students by gender for puberty education should end, according to professor Martha Goldstein-Schultz, who is teaching future teachers at Eastern Connecticut State University about how to be effective health educators. The traditional approach to puberty ed is that we separate by gender, Goldstein-Schultz said. We need to shift away from that, because not only does it reinforce the binary, it leaves out that whole dialogue that's really valuable about how people, how bodies change, and the different pathways that folks take with this. At the state level, Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi said the best practice for teaching puberty is to do so in large groups for students of all gender identities. Johnathon Henninger / For Hearst Connecticut Media Goldstein-Schultz provides workshops to schools and educators across Connecticut as part of her consulting business, Sexuality Consulting LLC. Goldstein-Schultz and Potter, who is a former student of hers, are trying to sway the dialogue toward skills-based sex education across the state. When they're with a partner, and they have to communicate to have safe sex, we certainly teach consent as part of the conversation and the skills to be able to advocate for yourself, Goldstein-Schultz said. And so if that's not being taught, it's clear that students are not empowered with those with that skill set and the knowledge that comes from sex ed. Potter said arming students with this knowledge could even help prevent abuse or allow students to report abuse more effectively. When a student comes into school saying, Daddy touched my cookie, well, what does cookie mean to a teacher? Potter said. It doesn't mean anything, right? And so if these kids don't have the words across their development, to protect themselves and to advocate for themselves, we're really just enabling, we're opening the door to things like abuse. Diverging from both the state framework and Goldstein-Schultzs recommendation, New Haven Public Schools teach a health curriculum based on the Michigan Model for Health, according to a spokesperson for the district. The Michigan Model for Health teaches abstinence or abstinence-based curriculum at the high school level with discussion about condoms. As of 2014, 76 percent of schools in the U.S. taught that abstinence is the most effective method to avoid pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Potter said this is not an effective approach since not all intimate relationships involve pregnancy risk. What are the things that every human being experiences at some point in time? Sexuality and intimacy, Potter said. Its a universal fact of life that is biologically motivated. If we cant have conversations about biology and desire in a realistic-based way, you cant deny it. In 2016, SIECUS reported that 95.5 percent of Connecticut secondary schools taught students about the benefits of sexual abstinence in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11 or 12. In Hamden, the district bases its curriculum on the state-recommended framework. In Bridgeport, the district works with the local health department to develop a health curriculum. Neither the district or the health department responded to requests for comment. In 2021, Connecticut lawmakers tried to formally include LGBTQ concepts in sex education via House Bill 5510. Some local advocates think this is a good start. Sex education coursework that is focused on heterosexual intercourse can give LGBTQ students the perception that sex is only defined by penetration, advocates say. You can obviously still contract an STI, an STD and not having this awareness and this insight and not making these other students feel included and supported for whatever they do sexually is very troubling, Bejdadi said. We need to move past those traditional values. Resistance to sex education Some Connecticut school districts and teachers declined to comment when contacted by Hearst Connecticut Media about how sex is being taught in local classrooms. Some cited the contentious nature of sex education in schools. A new bill in Florida bans public schools from holding conversations about sexual orientation and several other states have considered similar measures. Woodstock Middle School is one Connecticut public school that has established a skills-based sex education curriculum. In addition to constantly having to advocate for health education as one of the most crucial courses in which students can participate, health educators now have to defend our life-saving and affirming service to youth against the sharpened inaccurate swords of fear conglomerates, Michelle Rawcliffe, a health educator at Woodstock Middle School, wrote in a blog post. Potter and Goldstein-Schultz are no strangers to risks associated with providing sex education. [Goldstein-Schultz] was a fierce advocate at a time when it was dangerous for her career to be as open and supportive as she was, Potter said. For parents who feel they can adequately educate their kids in sex education, Potter said theres a chance thats true. But he emphasized that sex education is for all children, and not every student has a parent who will provide them with the information they need. The reality is that the public school system is in place to provide that education for every student, right? said Potter, who is now a foster parent. Not just the students that have parents or adults in their lives that are able to be there and protect them. Because the reality is that I see parents that hurt their children. I see it every day. And I assure you that those parents are not educating their kids and aren't keeping them safe. Parents may have fears about their kids as young as in kindergarten learning about sex. But the state and skills-based curriculum that advocates are pushing for do not address topics related to pregnancy prevention or sexual intercourse until much later. Were talking about stomach, eyes, ears and nose, Frassinelli said. Those are the body parts we are talking about in pre-K to (second grade). However, by grade 12, students should be able to, describe situations in which someone might choose to abstain from sexual activity after already engaging in the behavior, and assess the barriers that might be encountered in implementing this decision. Why it matters Talking about sex in school, particularly for the LGBTQ community, could be life-saving, advocates say. Statistics on the Trevor Project website reveal that LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. They're at a higher risk for all of these negative health outcomes, McBride said. There's less protection for them. And by not providing our students with equitable access to safe-learning environments, they're also not getting a complete education, which is a complete failure on the system of the school system itself. Research from GLSEN shows that only 4 percent of LGBTQ students were taught positive information about LGBTQ people or issues in their health classes. In 2016, SIECUS reported that just over half of Connecticut secondary schools provided students with curricula or supplementary materials that included HIV, STD or pregnancy prevention information relevant to LGBTQ youth. LGBTQ youth need and deserve to learn in settings that are inclusive of their experiences and that give them the education necessary to stay safe and healthy, GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers said. However, some students have graduated from Connecticut schools without finding it. Goodwin, who recently completed his freshman year at the University of Maine, said he feels more comfortable and accepted for who he is since leaving high school. I am in the prism housing, which is a LGBTQ accepting housing, where anybody can room with anybody, Goodwin said. And they have gender-inclusive bathrooms and a bunch of support. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (En Espanol: 888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can contact the Trevor Project online. emily.disalvo@hearstmediact.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD The future of Stamfords historic lock factory hangs in the balance: Must it be razed or can it be saved? After an ever-expanding list of structural faults forced the owners of the historic Lofts at Yale and Towne to move out all the residents, the propertys owners and the city must make a final choice: Does the century-old factory stay, or does it go? Zoning Board officials Monday made it clear that, if the building goes down, the structure that replaces it will face extreme scrutiny, especially if property owner GAIA Real Estate wants historic preservation development bonuses. This is one of those buildings that really is a treasure architecturally for that area, and to modify it ... I think itd be a real shame, outgoing board member Joanna Gwozdziowski said. There is no definite plan for the South Ends old lock factory a building that remains one of the few reminders of Stamfords industrial past. But land use consultant Ray Mazzeo, who represented GAIA before the board, said that the prospects look grim for the building. The drilling necessary to save the structure, which was rehabilitated by Stamford developer Building and Land Technology in the early stages of the Harbor Point development, could destroy it even more, he said. The vibrations would further disturb an already disrupted building, and the amount of shoring that they would need to put in place to stabilize the building all the way up just cant be supported, Mazzeo said. Built between 1910 and 1920, Yale & Towne Lock Works factory buildings were converted into 225 apartments with high ceilings and massive windows. With a new name, they opened to residents in 2010. But the refurbished lock factory has been slowly deteriorating for at least four years, Mazzeo said. Building management first noticed problems in the building in 2018, two years after GAIA purchased the property from BLT. Tenants noted problems opening their windows, cracks in the drywall and countertops separating from their base. The problems grew severe enough that owners moved some residents out of the Lofts by May 2021 to accommodate renovations caused by a settling foundation. By January 2022, management moved to completely vacate the property in response to even more damage. The property owner and its consultants link the structural problems at the historic building to depleted groundwater levels in the South End. Old buildings like the Lofts are built on wooden piles that are, in part, covered by groundwater. When groundwater levels go down, and the piles are exposed, the wood can rot and cause instability in the building, they said. Similar problems to those observed in the historic South End have played out in Boston, where wooden piles prop up brownstones in neighborhoods like Beacon Hill. City and state governments, along with property owners and nonprofit groups in Massachusetts, have spent millions monitoring and remediating the problems caused in the city. The Boston Groundwater Trust, an organization that tracks citywide water levels, estimates that fixing the average three or four-story rowhome can cost upwards of $300,000. The costs only grow for larger buildings like the Lofts. Because of the existing damage, Mazzeo and fellow land use consultant Rick Redniss pitched two future visions for the property to the Zoning Board. Development projects that maintain or reconstruct historic Stamford buildings like Yale and Towne are eligible for extra development rights at the Zoning Boards discretion. In both scenarios it pitched, GAIA used the extra rights to create a bigger building. Neither vision satisfied the Zoning Board. Like the Historic Preservation Advisory Council did in April, its members urged the property owner to replicate the existing Yale and Towne building as precisely as possible. However, that possibility is complicated by the owners proposal to add additional units. Stamfords historic preservation zoning rules use extra density as a perk to create financial incentives for saving older buildings. But on the Yale and Towne property, there is no room to add another smaller building with extra apartments, as is customary in many historic preservation projects. The solution, Mazzeo argued, is to put the extra density on top. Board chair David Stein suggested that GAIA explore adding the bonus density to one of the other properties it owns in the Harbor Point area. Before any final judgment is passed on Yale and Townes future, the Zoning Board emphasized that the city and property owner would both have to agree on the path forward. I think we would need to hire an independent engineer to take a look at whats been done the engineering work and just to assure us that demolition is really the only the only option at this point, Stein said. Were gonna need to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, board member Rosanne McManus said. veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com Disney+ via youTube Thirty years after the release of the original, "Hocus Pocus 2" will see the three lead actors reprise their roles at a very different place in their career. Disney has just release their trailer for the new film, which will debut on Disney+ in September. The original three stars, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, are going to be coming back to reprise their roles as the trio of witches who have a diabolical quest to achieve eternal youth by sucking the souls out of children. While Midler was already Hollywood royalty when the first film was released in 1993, Parker and Najimy have cemented their superstardom in the years since, with Parker leading the "Sex & the City" franchise on HBO and Najimy voicing Peggy Hill on "King of the Hill" and one of the only human characters in Pixar's "WALL-E." Scranton Police Chief Tom Carroll sits down for a News Engine Podcast interview to discuss community policing, schools, gangs, violent crime, and how the force needs your help. Chief Carroll also addresses cooperation between local and regional police departments and what's important to our citizens. The interview was recorded June 15, 2022. Click on the audio player below to listen or download wherever you get your podcasts. Submit an anonymous tip to Scranton Police Editor's note: Ed Pikulski's wife is human resources director for the city of Scranton. 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"The decisions to be taken in Madrid will ensure the strengthening of long-term efforts to adapt the alliance's profile and collective posture of deterrence and defence to meet current, emerging and future security challenges. The alliance's new strategic concept, the programmatic document that will be adopted at the summit, will offer the conceptual framework to guide all of NATO's future work, defining NATO's security vision, threats, areas of interest and ability to adapt, while maintaining the alliance's primary and original task - collective defence," Dincu wrote in a Facebook post. Dincu will attend the NATO summit together with Romania's Chief of Defence General Daniel Petrescu and President Klaus Iohannis. Dincu also said that the Madrid summit "is an important milestone in the process of NATO's adaptation to the complex strategic security environment marked by the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, as well as an increase in geopolitical and systemic competition at continental and global level." Dincu said that during an informal dinner of the NATO defence ministers to be hosted by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles Fernandez, also with the participation of the defence minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, those in attendance will address security issues related to the Western Balkans, including in terms of hybrid challenges and actions. NATO support formulas will be discussed "in support of strengthening the resilience and efforts of Bosnia and Herzegovina to manage destabilising hybrid challenges and actions, as this region of strategic importance to the alliance is currently facing various challenges, including caused by both its domestic security situation and the external influences of malevolent actors such as Russia." Also addressed will be KFOR's contribution to promoting stability in the region in the current geopolitical context, as well as supporting current political efforts, including the use of the EU-Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the minister said. AGERPRES Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, said in an interview with AGERPRES in Bucharest on Tuesday that she could not make promises, but that she would really like that the community's executive put an end to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Romania and Bulgaria, which occupies the Commission's capacities, and transfer the assessment of our country in the annual report on the rule of law for all EU states. The senior European official said that there was political momentum in Romania for the adoption of laws to address the issues included in the CVM reports and that she had seen "strong statements" including from the president and prime minister. In this context, she drew attention to the fact that the new structure that replaces the Special Section for the Investigation of Magistrates will be monitored by the Commission, which wants to see the new structure "doing its job properly, being independent, impartial and fulfilling its purpose". Also, Vera Jourova said, the attempts of some institutions in Romania to challenge the primacy of EU law were not a "pleasant surprise" and said that one of the objectives of her visit was to ensure that there is a clear recognition of EU law in Romanian legislation and that Romanian judges, who are also European judges, must be able to apply EU law without fear that they will be penalized for it. Last but not least, Vera Jourova spoke in the interview given to AGERPRES about the problems faced by the media and what could be done to overcome them and expressed the full readiness of the European Commission to continue its support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in carrying out the necessary reforms after both states have received the status of candidate countries for accession. AGERPRES: Madame Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency how would you sum up these 2 days in Romania, with justice, Ukrainian refugees and media freedom high on the agenda? Vera Jourova: I had two very rich, fruitful days in Romania. The mission started in the refugee center, and I'm deeply impressed by what Romania and Romanian people are doing for the refugees and also doing other things in relation to the Russian aggression in Ukraine, because also they are creating the lines for the lanes, for the transport of the food and all the measures relating to stronger defense. I'm deeply impressed and to send a million people for taking such a strong position. I also met the key representatives of the country. I have to mention first the President of the country, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, Minister of Home Affairs. I spoke to the key figures representing Romanian judiciary, prosecution and magistrates, other stakeholders. I spoke to the representatives of the media to understand also the situation in the media scene. So fruitful two days, I have to 'swallow' everything to compare notes, what I have in my materials and what I heard from real people who have a lot to say on the situation in Romania. And I will continue cooperation with Romania on many different issues. AGERPRES: How do you feel about the attempts of some Romanian institutions, like the Romanian Constitutional Court, to challenge the primacy of EU law? Vera Jourova: I have to say, it was not a nice surprise. It was something which we didn't expect. And that's why also I am here to see that there will be clear recognition of the primacy of the EU law in the Romanian legislation, because we believe that the Romanian judges, who are also European judges, should be able to apply the EU law without a fear that they will be penalized for that. And I had an opportunity to have a very good discussion with the President of the Constitutional Court. And we discussed also the basic principle of the privacy of EU law. I tried to explain something what the President, of course, knew that the primacy of EU belongs to one of the pillars on which the European rule of law is built. So we would like to see the primacy of the EU law to be fully recognized in Romania. AGERPRES: You have been speaking in a recent interview about the possibility of a last CVM report for Romania. After the meetings you have had the last two days would you say, in fact, that this perspective is really there? How would that work? Vera Jourova: I believe here is a political momentum now because I had a strong declaration and determination from the site of the President, Prime Minister, Minister of justice, other important figures that now is the momentum to adopt the laws which will address the issues which we list in the CVM report, which will enable us to finish the CVM and transfer the assessment of Romania under the new measure or tool which we have, which is the rule of law report, which is a standard assessment which covers all the EU member states. So I think that the momentum is here. There are things to be done. I cannot promise, but I can be honest with you. I would really like to finalize the CVM reporting because, among other things, it's also occupying the capacities of the Commission. And because we have this new tool, we might do this, I don't know, take the step from the CVM to the rule of law report assessment. It will depend on Romania. AGERPRES: The Special Section investigating magistrates was recently dismantled, which was one of the Commission's recommendations. Do you think that the structure that is replacing the Special Section is meeting the Commission's requirements? Vera Jourova: The new structure on investigation of judges and prosecutors will be fully monitored from our site because indeed, we said that the Special Section should be dismantled, but now we want to see the new structure doing the proper job and being impartial and being independent, impartial and fulfilling the purpose. So this is now to be monitored by the Commission. AGERPRES: Are there are other issues except for the dismantling of the specialization that are essential to the ending of the CVM? Vera Jourova: What's absolutely important is the recognition of the primacy of the EU law and the recognition of the fact that the last word on interpretation of the EU law is being set in Luxembourg by the European Court of Justice. And the European Court of Justice's decisions are legally binding. So this is essential thing. Also, of course, we want to see the stabilization of the status of magistrates, all the safeguards protecting their independence. And what is relatively new for me after my talks here there are a lot of issues relating to the practical things like conditions for the work of the judges and prosecutors, the stability, the financing, the good planning of human resources, and sufficient human resources for the sector of judiciary. So I have a lot of ideas which I received from the practitioners, which is very valuable. AGERPRES: There is a lot of criticism in the Romanian media about a new draft package of national security laws and some of those concerns probably have reached the European Commission. Are you aware of the issue and if so, is this something that you are watching closely? Vera Jourova: I am not personally covering security laws and it depends on which stage the laws are. The Commission can react on the law which have been adopted. We are always assessing whether the law is in breach with EU law and in case it is true then we can launch some procedure. AGERPRES: Another important issue of your visit in Romania was media freedom and fighting disinformation. Would you say Romania is dealing with setbacks in media freedom or would you rather say that there are issues that have not been properly addressed so far? Vera Jourova: I see similar problems as in some other member states, especially the economic weakness of media. And the lower you go to the regional and local level the more we see media struggling for survival because of economic distress, so I see similar problems, we also see issues which related to possible political pressure on media also by means of allocation of public funding. Also one specific thing for Romania on the excuses based on GDPR should not have access to some information because of GDPR is a country specific Romanian issue. That's why I decided to collect these complaints and ask Romanian Data Protection Authority to check the situation and to take some measures if necessary. So I informed your colleagues from media that we are working on Media Freedom Act, which should be legally binding set of rules for all the member states. It should in a concrete way protect media sector better against politisation, against financial pressure, against non-transparent funding and relating things, so we will adopt this law in September and I think that it might improve the situation or so far Romanian media. AGERPRES: I would like to have one last question about Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, which received the status of candidate countries at the last European Council. You will need to make many reforms in areas that you are familiar with. Are you considering a way to work more closely with the two countries to encourage them and help them make the necessary steps in the judiciary and so on? Vera Jourova: Indeed, it's something which was ongoing already before the war in Ukraine. We are investing also some funding into the reforming efforts in Ukraine. I was myself engaged in the discussions with the Ukrainian bodies and we will continue the technical support and the opened dialogue helping Ukraine and Moldova to fulfill the commitments which are now listed under the accession candidacy proposal. It's not easy to imagine that Ukraine will face the war, the aggression and at the same time to take the other steps towards reforming the judiciary, combat corruption, money laundering and all these things, but we have very strong commitments verbally expressed by the Ukrainian colleagues that they started the work, so we will help as much as we can. AGERPRES Three new cases of monkeypox have been diagnosed in Romania, the Ministry of Health informed on Tuesday. These are three men aged 24, 33 and 38 from Bucharest. "Their health is good and they are in isolation (one in hospital and the other two at home). Epidemiological investigations are being carried out to establish direct contacts," the source was quoted as saying. To date, nine patients have been diagnosed with monkeypox in Romania. AGERPRES HONG KONG (AP) Every few generations, Hong Kong transforms itself, evolving from a swampy fishing village to 19th century colonial port, to capitalist outpost and factory after Chinas 1949 revolution, to 21st century financial center. As the former British colony marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China, reeling from pandemic curbs that devastated business and a crackdown on its pro-democracy movement, Hong Kong leaders say it is time to transform again. They say the city should become a leader in technology that relies more on its ties with nearby Chinese factory cities than on global trade. Chief Executive-elect John Lees government is under pressure to generate new sources of economic growth, looking beyond COVID outbreaks and anti-virus controls that have devastated tourism and business and uncertainty about the legal climate after a crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement. In April, during his election campaign, Lee promised to start a new chapter for the city better known as one of Asia's busiest ports and biggest stock markets and strengthen its competitiveness in technology and innovation as well as trade and finance. Lee gave no details but pointed to the Greater Bay Area, a Chinese government initiative to link Hong Kong with neighboring mainland cities including the technology and finance hub of Shenzhen and the manufacturing powerhouses of Dongguan and Foshan. There are great opportunities in the Greater Bay Area that havent been realized yet, said David Graham, executive director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. It is a big opportunity for Hong Kong, and it will be very hard to replicate in other cities like Singapore or Dubai. Adding to the urgency for Lee to roll out a long-term strategy, executives frustrated with Hong Kongs travel controls are leaving the city, business groups say. Some companies are moving for good to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai or other business centers. Hong Kongs strength as a global connector has been greatly reduced, said Joseph Armas, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Executives have left for cities where travel is feasible. Armas appealed to Lee for a concrete roadmap to revive Hong Kong, which remains, together with mainland China and Taiwan, one of the few places that still requires inbound travelers to serve mandatory quarantines. For Michael Chan, who manages a fashion goods manufacturing business, the restrictions have extended what used to be one-week trips to factories in Bangladesh or China to a month or two, since it makes no sense to spend weeks in quarantine for a short work trip. Chan has considered temporarily relocating to Singapore, whose controls are much less strict. When I meet government officials, I often have to meet them face to face and talk about things," said Chan, a veteran of multiple quarantines. It's not like in the U.S. where I can just use Zoom for a video call. Hong Kong lost nearly 90,000 of its 7.5 million population in 2021, according to government figures. More than 100,000 people left in February and March of this year, during the citys worst COVID wave. The angst over Hong Kongs travel controls presents an opportunity for others to dip into our talent pool, said Sally Wong, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association. Activists and foreign governments complain the ruling Communist Party is chipping away at the 50 years of autonomy Beijing promised after 1997. The freedoms afforded to Hong Kong and its leeway for self-governance had helped it keep its status as a center for Asian headquarters of global companies even as rent and other costs soared to record levels and levels of inequality grew ever wider. Hong Kong still has a skilled workforce, an efficient port and a Western-style legal system considered to be impartial and reliable. But its status as a global hub for trade and business center is waning. One in 20 companies surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong plan to move their global or regional headquarters out of Hong Kong, the chamber reported in January. It said half were uncertain about whether to go. Some businesses are watching to see how law enforcement and the free flow of information and people that are crucial to commerce and finance might change. Two out of five companies surveyed said they worry they will lose free internet access, vital for a trading center that relies on the flow of information. There is a perception that foreign businesses are less welcome, the report said. More than half our respondents feel the government is unconcerned or dismissive about business concerns. Until now, Hong Kong has been largely free of the censorship on the mainland, where internet barriers known as the Great Firewall are used by the ruling party to block Chinas public from seeing foreign websites run by news outfits, governments and human rights activists. But the territorys leading pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was shut down during the crackdown and its publisher, Jimmy Lai, sentenced to prison. Kurt Tong, a former U.S. consul general in Hong Kong who is managing partner of The Asia Group, a consulting firm, said that so far the city's national security law, though used to stifle dissent, has not had much impact on business and finance. But the effect of the law and Beijing's overhaul of the territory's political system bear watching, he said. People who care about the Hong Kong financial system need to think about that, Tong said. Hong Kong thrived as the trade gateway to China for decades, but it was eclipsed as the world's busiest container port in 2000 by facilities in the Chinese mainland. Two decades later, with cargo volume barely 10% above its 2000 level, Hong Kong's port ranks 8th in the world. Shanghai, Shenzhen and three other Chinese ports are bigger. Hong Kongs stock market, once Asias biggest outside Japan, also has grown steadily but has slipped behind regional rivals. Companies traded in Hong Kong have a total market value of $5.4 trillion, compared with $8.2 trillion for the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Companies on Chinas second exchange in Shenzhen are worth $6.2 trillion, according to the World Federation of Exchanges. Tong is among those who believe Hong Kong's recent setbacks are only temporary. The current status is that Hong Kong is a very significant global center, one of the most important in the world, and it plays a unique and critical role in linking the Chinese economy with the rest of the global economy and channeling finance in both directions, said Tong. The city is meanwhile nurturing its role as a center for innovation, setting up research centers that have helped incubate dozens of start-up companies. A vice chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Rocky S. Tuan, pointed to medical and biotechnology research as one of the citys less well-known strengths. Writing in the newspaper South China Morning Post, he said Hong Kong offers access to capital, expertise, global regulatory recognition of its clinical trial data and a network of world-class universities. That could lend the city an edge over regional rivals. Other cities in the region, notably Singapore, perhaps will be more of an Asia hub or Southeast Asia hub, said Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics. Hong Kongs business will be mainly focused on Greater China. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Woody Allen told Alec Baldwin during a live interview Tuesday on Instagram that he is mulling ending his movie-making career, saying directing has lost its luster. The two men each facing significant controversies steered clear of addressing either the abuse allegations against Allen or the shooting last year on Baldwin's movie set. The public comment options were turned off, and the 45-minute interview attracted a modest audience of between 2,400-2,700. The two men chatted about Allen's writing, the use of profanity in films and the current state of Broadway. Allen lost his connection several times, with his screen freezing. Allen, 87, said movie-making is not as exciting now that his films spend a few days in movie theaters and then directly go to streaming. A lot of the thrill is gone, he said. It's not as enjoyable as it was. Still, he plans to make his next movie later this year in Paris. "Im going to make another one, and Ill see how it feels. Baldwin, who has worked with Allen on a number of films, including To Rome with Love, Alice and Blue Jasmine, kept the mood light, complimenting Allen for his writing. and realizing that neither had contracted COVID-19. Allen has continued to face backlash after his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, accused him of molesting her as a child. Allen has denied the allegations. Baldwin has faced his own controversy after he fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of his film Rust" in New Mexico. Baldwin has said he was pointing the gun at the cinematographer at her instruction when it went off without his pulling the trigger. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. ST. LOUIS On a hot June day, a $65,000 machine sliced a path through an inhospitable landscape in the heart of St. Louis. Johnny Epps stood at the top of a steep, overgrown hill off South Kingshighway Boulevard. In his hands, an industrial joystick and control box. Epps was driving one of St. Louis citys newest pieces of equipment: a remote-controlled lawnmower. The machine is a bright-red, 1,800-pound beast, with tank tracks, a 52-inch wide blade, and a mowing speed of almost 6 mph. This thing is like a mini tank, said Epps, a heavy equipment operator for the St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. And theyre catching fire among parks departments and landscapers across the U.S. Heres the issue: Grass, especially wet grass, can be slick. And when employees use your typical riding cutter, they can slip and fall. Thats bad for workers and bad for employers. The Missouri Department of Transportation has been using remote-controlled mowers for 10 years, said Linda Wilson Horn, the departments communications director. Its safer to use the machines on steep hillsides near highway interchanges, she said. Paul Wappel, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said the department has had the mowers in its arsenal for six years. Theyre used for steeps but also to control invasive species of grass. St. Louis is testing out a new model, the TK-52XP, one of several remote control grass cutters built by Green Bay, Wisconsin-based RC Mowers. The company says sales have doubled every year since it opened four years ago. The city parks department received a demo six months ago before deciding to purchase one. Crews struggled to cut grass in April and May, when the rains were heavy and the hillsides slick. But that left lawns growing out of control until summer dried the ground out a bit. Epps started training on the machine about a month ago. Kim Haegele, St. Louis Parks Commissioner, said the department will probably purchase more and train two more operators for parks around the city. Theres a knack to it, Haegele said. If youre a gamer, then its a lot easier to use. Early Saturday, Epps was piloting the mower around a bowl off Kingshighway, at the edge of Forest Park. The mower zoomed to the bottom of the bowl before slowing gently to a stop in front of a stand of reeds, a habitat for birds. Epps said it can be easy to lose control of the machine going downhill if hes not careful. Turning on its rubber treads, the mower cuts started cutting into a new row of grass and powered up the hill. Curious drivers slowed to watch. Epps said one once stopped completely on the highway off-ramp to look at the mower. The area used to take an entire day to mow with a riding machine, he said. He can now be finished in half the time. And it can take down serious grass: One of the lawns he cut was more than 6 feet tall, he said. Its not perfect: The mower makes a rough cut the first time around. It takes a second pass to look more presentable. But training was easy, Epps said, because hes a PlayStation player. Epps said it would be a plus for a trainee on the next mower to have video game experience, but that he could help anyone serious about operating it. Its like Pac-Man, Epps said. It just chops up grass. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. 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 St. Louis board has once again denied a developers plan to raze part of the Optimist Building for apartments. The St. Louis Preservation Board, which reviews demolition requests for property in historic districts, voted 3-2 on Monday to deny Lux Livings request to partially demolish the Optimist Building property, which consists of a three-story office building and pavilion at 4490 Lindell Boulevard, for 150 apartments. Commissioners Michael Allen and Michael Killeen voted against the project. Commissioner Anthony Robinson and Alderman Jack Coatar voted for the project. Chair Richard Callow was the tiebreaking vote. Commissioner David Richardson abstained from the vote, and Commissioner Tiffany Hamilton was absent from the meeting. The applicant has certainly put a lot of effort into the project, a lot of strong design thinking, Allen said, but in the end, our job here is to protect a high-merit building. Lux wanted to demolish the office building but keep two of the pavilions walls that front Lindell. It hired prominent architecture firm HOK to design the project. Eli Hoisington, design principal at HOK, said Luxs proposal was about as aggressive as we could get it in preserving the property. Lux principal Vic Alston said at the meeting that his company was willing to put up a surety bond that would have required his company to pay the neighborhood association $2 million if its preservation efforts failed during the redevelopment. But the Cultural Resources Office, which staffs the board, argued against Lux Livings plan, invoking a 1999 ordinance that prohibits the demolition of sound high-merit structures. The CRO had listed the Optimist Building in its survey of St. Louis top-25 list of midcentury modern buildings several years ago. Meg Lousteau, director of the CRO, said that Luxs plan to keep two walls of the Optimist Building was not preservation. The alderman for the neighborhood, Tina Pihl, also spoke out against the project during Mondays meeting, saying its approval would set a precedent that could lead to the demolition of other older and historic properties. It marks the second time the board has rejected Luxs request after an August attempt when the developer initially sought to demolish the whole Central West End property. At the time, the CRO had urged Lux to reuse the property instead of demolishing it. The Optimist Building was built in 1962 and expanded in 1978 for St. Louis-based childrens charity Optimist International. The nonprofit still owns the building but no longer needs as much space and cant afford to do continual maintenance. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Carter Revard, a poet who grew up on an Osage reservation, received a Rhodes scholarship and became an English professor at Washington University, will be remembered at 2 p.m. June 29. Revard died Jan. 3 at age 90. His memorial, in the Women's Building Formal Lounge on the campus of Washington University, will "celebrate his life, share stories, and reflect on the great impact he had on this community," the university says in a news release. Carter taught in the university's English department for over 30 years, retiring in 1997. He published scholarship on Middle English poetry and was especially known for his research on the medieval manuscript known as Harley 2253. He was also by most accounts the most significant American Indian poet from Oklahoma, according to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. He wrote poetry with some Native America themes, while sometimes using forms known to medieval writers. Carter's collections include: "Ponca War Dancers" (1980), "Cowboys and Indians, Christmas Shopping" (1992), "An Eagle Nation" (1993), and "How the Songs Come Down" (2005); as well as essays, "Family Matters, Tribal Affairs" (1998), and a mixed-genre memoir, "Winning the Dust Bowl" (2001). More information about Revard is in his obituary. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) (THE CONVERSATION) Editors note: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released new regulations on May 6 that govern how sexual assault investigations are handled on college campuses. We asked Marissa Pollick, a University of Michigan lecturer and attorney who specializes in compliance with Title IX the federal law that governs gender discrimination on campus to explain what the new regulations mean for accusers and the accused. 1. Has the definition of sexual harassment become more narrow? Yes. Under the prior guidance, a single incident, if severe enough, might meet the definition of sexual harassment. The new rules state that sexual harassment must be unwelcome conduct that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person access to the schools education programs or activities. An isolated incident of unwelcome remarks of a sexual nature, for example, would not meet the revised definition. The new rules also clarify the sexual harassment definition to specifically include sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, which need not satisfy the severe and pervasive standard. 2. How do the new regulations affect victims? Victim advocates are concerned that the new rules will discourage victims from coming forward. As before, educational institutions, public and private, that receive federal funds must have a Title IX policy that addresses sexual misconduct. Under the new rules, colleges and universities must now conduct live hearings with cross-examination in connection with sexual misconduct complaints. Critics believe this will intimidate and cause further emotional harm to sexual assault survivors. In addition, schools may use a new evidentiary standard that will make it harder for complainants to prove that a violation of sexual misconduct policy took place. Before, schools could use a standard of preponderance of the evidence which means more likely than not to prove a Title IX policy violation. Now, schools may use a clear and convincing evidence standard. Clear and convincing proof means that the evidence presented must be highly and substantially more probable to be true than not. This higher standard is used in certain civil cases that involve high risk of loss or fundamental concerns such as free speech under the First Amendment. Under the new rules, schools will be permitted to choose between these two evidentiary standards for use at all stages of their investigation and proceedings. Victim advocates are concerned that schools will utilize the higher standard of proof to reduce the number of lawsuits from accused perpetrators who are disciplined under the policy. 3. What are the most significant changes for the accused? The rule changes arguably provide more due process protections for alleged perpetrators that many observers and some courts found were lacking in the past. For instance, there have been successful lawsuits against universities that expelled or otherwise disciplined students for policy violations without conducting a full and fair hearing. Accused students must now be given written assurance that they are presumed innocent, which was not previously required. They also may use lawyers or legal advisers to cross-examine their accuser. This was not included in the prior guidance. Further, the accused will receive greater protections under the clear and convincing evidentiary standard because it will be more difficult to prove that the alleged conduct was a policy violation. 4. What do schools have to do now that they didnt before? Schools must now carefully review and revise their policies to ensure that they are compliant with the new regulations. The final rules take effect Aug. 14, 2020, which is particularly challenging given the major demands on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. If a college or university has not utilized live hearings, they must now coordinate and train staff and personnel to develop and implement the new investigation and hearing requirements, including virtual hearings if necessary. [Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversations email newsletter.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/heres-how-the-new-title-ix-regulations-will-affect-sexual-assault-cases-on-campus-138091. Licenced as Creative Commons - attribution, no derivatives. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. Error! There was a problem with reporting this article. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Report Abuse Log In to report ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) The first American to be convicted in a U.S. jury trial of joining the Islamic State had his prison term reduced Tuesday from 20 years to 14 years after an appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing. Mohamad Khweis was convicted back in 2017 of providing material support to terrorists, as well as a weapons charge. He traveled to Islamic State-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria in December 2015, even obtaining an official IS membership card. But he left after a few months and surrendered in northern Iraq to Kurdish forces. In 2020, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out the weapons charge many defendants had similar charges tossed out in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling and ordered a new sentencing hearing. Prosecutors urged Judge Liam O'Grady at Tuesday's hearing to again sentence Khweis to 20 years. They cited the need for deterrence in a high-profile terrorism case and reminded O'Grady of the significance of Khweis' conduct. While there is no evidence that he fought for the Islamic State, there was evidence at his trial that he volunteered to be a suicide bomber and that he cared for injured fighters at safe houses. He also admitted at trial that he burned his laptop and multiple phones, and deleted contact info from another, before he fled the Islamic State. He testified at trial that he was worried the laptop contained financial data like his credit score, which the judge said was implausible. Khweis, 32, has been in custody in one form or another since March 2016, and on Tuesday again renounced his allegiance to the Islamic State and apologized for his conduct. It's still mid-boggling to me that I made this terrible decision, said Khweis, who grew up in northern Virginia and had worked as a Metro Access bus driver for disabled passengers before departing to the Islamic State. Khweis' attorney, Jessica Carmichael, highlighted his exemplary behavior in the Bureau of Prisons after his conviction and said he's done all he can to show he's matured. We do want to send a message with this sentence, she told the judge. And she said the audience paying the most attention is the people he left behind in prison. We want to encourage others to engage in this type of rehabilitation, to not wallow in self-pity. In a statement after Tuesday's hearing, Carmichael said, Mohamad worked exceptionally hard for years while incarcerated to show that he was taking this seriously ... and was more than the poor decisions he made six-and-a-half years ago. I am proud of him for that, and hope that others in custody can receive an opportunity to show the same. Still, while the reduction to 14 years is significant, it is far less than Khweis' request that he be released with time served. O'Grady said Tuesday that Khweis deserved credit for his good conduct in custody, but that he struggled with how to evaluate Khweis, given how quickly he became radicalized and how easily he lied about his actions on the witness stand at his 2017 trial. I don't know what your inner thoughts are, O'Grady said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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 When Gov. Mike Parson signed a proclamation last week implementing Missouris trigger law banning abortions, he sought to limit the potential political damage. In his statement, Parson, a staunch anti-abortion Republican, pointed out that the states law doesnt allow for the prosecution of women who seek abortions, only their doctors. But thats not really what the law says, according to an analysis by a former Missouri prosecutor. In fact, says Joe Bednar, an attorney at the Spencer Fane law firm, Missouris law might even make it possible for a woman to be prosecuted over the use of certain contraceptions, including the morning-after pill and an intra-uterine device, or IUD. Bednar was chief counsel for former Gov. Mel Carnahan, a Democrat, and an assistant prosecutor in Jackson County. The devil, Bednar writes in his analysis, is in the details. Those details are found in the definitions that lawmakers regularly include when they write laws. And in the case of Missouris abortion laws, how the various definitions of abortion and pregnancy work together in the state statutes could open up women who use certain forms of contraception to prosecution. Missouris law has a sentence that says that women who have an abortion shall not be prosecuted for a conspiracy to violate the provisions of this subsection. Thats the sentence Parson highlighted in his news release announcing that Missouris trigger law was now in effect. The law bans abortions except in certain cases of medical emergency. It does not include exceptions for rape or incest. Such overarching bans are unpopular with the American public, polling has consistently shown. Pew Research Center polling shows that 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in at least some cases. The percentages are even higher among women, who fear prosecution over failed pregnancies. Several polls in the wake of the recent court decision show similar results. So its easy to understand why Parson would highlight Missouris prohibition against prosecution of women who have had abortions for conspiracy. But in the context of criminal law, that is simply one of many possible charges, Bednar says. Because of the way the definitions of abortion and pregnancy work together in the law, he and other attorneys believe that it is possible a woman could be charged with causing her own abortion for using certain kinds of contraception. I dont know that people really understood at the time what was passed, says Bednar, a Democrat. As chief counsel in the governors office, he was involved in reviewing abortion bills for several years. They have been very artful over time of redefining words that mean one thing to the public but another in Missouri law. Bednars not the only one reading the law that way. Former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat who is now a commentator on cable television channel MSNBC, says she sees a path for possible prosecution of women in the law. I cant decide whats worse, that they passed a law that women can be prosecuted or that they are lying about it, says McCaskill, a former Jackson County prosecutor. And its not just Democrats who share that opinion. When the bill was passed in 2019, the former chief counsel to Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, issued an opinion suggesting that women could face future prosecution. My opinion is that there are circumstances in which it is at least possible that a woman could be charged with a felony, said Lowell Pearson, an attorney with Husch Blackwell. One way or another, the issue of abortion has now become something that could change prosecutorial elections in Missouri and elsewhere. This week, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell was one of 88 prosecutors nationally to sign on to a letter pledging not to prosecute those who seek, assist in, or provide abortions. Lawmakers in some states including Texas are seeking to criminalize those who help women seek abortions in other states, such as Illinois. But the prosecutors who signed the letter say they will not file such cases. As elected prosecutors, we have a responsibility to ensure that these limited resources are focused on efforts to prevent and address serious crimes, rather than enforcing abortion bans that divide our community, create untenable choices for patients and healthcare providers, and erode trust in the justice system, the prosecutors, including Bell, wrote in the letter. Enforcing abortion bans would mean taking time, effort, and resources away from the prosecution of the most serious crimes conduct that truly impacts public safety. Other prosecutors, of course, will choose a different path. The nonprofit National Advocates for Pregnant Women, for instance, reports that there have been more than 1,300 cases of pregnant women who have been arrested or prosecuted for various actions related to pregnancy between 2006 and 2020. And that was before the abortion bans triggered by the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe vs. Wade. This is the new battleground in the abortion debate. Do you want your local prosecutors seeking charges against women for their personal health care choices? In Missouri, thats an open question. 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. CLAYTON The 13-year-old driver who survived a Florissant crash that killed his three young passengers was being held Tuesday by juvenile authorities on three counts of manslaughter. Florissant police Officer Steve Michael said the suspect was turned over to the St. Louis County Family Court in Clayton. Michael refused to identify the boy. One 9-year-old boy and two 13-year-old boys died in Mondays fiery crash. None of the victims had been positively identified as of Tuesday afternoon; it might take dental records or DNA to confirm who they are. The vehicle they were riding in hit a tree and burst into flames about 1:45 a.m. Monday in the 100 block of South New Florissant Road. The lone survivor, the driver, was treated for unspecified injuries Monday. Michael said speed was a factor in the crash but declined to say anything else about what police investigators have discovered. Michael wouldnt say if the vehicle was stolen, how fast the car was moving, if police had chased the vehicle before the crash or if the boys were related. Investigators are still working on the case, Michael said in an email, and these types of investigations take quite a bit of time to complete so I dont have any new answers for you on that. Police Chief Tim Fagan's administrative assistance told a reporter Michael would handle media questions. It wasnt immediately clear if the teen suspect would be held or released. John OSullivan, who is public information officer for the 21st Judicial Circuit Court in St. Louis County, told a reporter, We are just not allowed to comment on juvenile matters. Juveniles are detained under juvenile law in Missouri if they score high enough on an assessment scale, based among such things as the juveniles history of criminal or violent behavior. The county wouldnt comment on this boys assessment or even verify he was in custody unlike court officials in the city of St. Louis, who have been much more open. OSullivan referred a reporter to the county court website, which says the detention center houses kids accused of crimes if they are deemed a threat to themselves or the community. They remain in detention until a juvenile court judge can hear the case. And if the prosecutor seeks to have the boy stand trial as an adult, a judge would decide that in a certification hearing. The day after the crash, the site was quiet: no makeshift memorials along South New Florissant, no relatives using social media to organize candlelight vigils to mourn the victims. Authorities have the names of who they think died in the crash, and police have contacted relatives. But authorities dont officially release names until a positive identification is made. Residents in the area have long complained about speeders along the road. The speed limit on South New Florissant is 35 mph, but traffic whizzes by. There is a bend in the road less than a quarter-mile to the south. The road straightens out into a straight-of-way stretch at the crash site, at 120 South New Florissant Road. Tire tracks in the lawn indicate the car was heading north when it ran off the road to the right and drove across a narrow shoulder residents use to park cars. The vehicle drove up a slight grassy slope and across the homes single-car driveway before hitting the tree. The tree, a towering oak, stopped the boys vehicle in its tracks less than 15 feet from the front door of the small brick home. The home has a for-sale sign out front and appears to be vacant. The Florissant Valley branch of the St. Louis County library is across the street. UPDATED to include that Chief Fagan's administrative assistant said Michael would handle media questions. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ST. CHARLES COUNTY An off-duty firefighter who heard a woman screaming inside a burning St. Charles County house Tuesday morning teamed up with three other first responders to pass her to safety through a window. The injured resident, described by dispatchers as an elderly woman, suffered serious injuries from smoke inhalation and was rushed to a hospital. A firefighter from Central County, a county police officer and a county sheriff's deputy suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation, said Andy Parrish, assistant chief with the O'Fallon Fire Protection District. Four other people were treated at the scene, Parrish said. The fire was reported about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday at a ranch home on Wood Oaks Drive, east of Knaust Road in unincorporated St. Charles County. The cause of the two-alarm fire is under investigation. Parrish did not release more details about the injured adult who was rescued. Parrish said an off-duty firefighter with O'Fallon was in the area and got to the scene first. He could hear screams through a window, Parrish said. A deputy and police officer arrived next, and they could see the resident through the window and tried to rescue the person. The house was engulfed in flames. A Central County firefighter went into the home and passed the resident through a window to the other rescuers outside. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. 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 COUNTY A Pine Lawn man pleaded guilty Monday in the 2019 shooting of a Maryland Heights police officer. Menius Ellis, 20, pleaded guilty to four felonies and one misdemeanor for a June 20, 2019, shooting that injured Officer Cliff House, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said in a statement. Ellis was pulling on door handles of parked vehicles outside an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Gallery Drive in Maryland Heights about 3:45 a.m. that night when House approached him, the prosecutor's statement said. Ellis admitted that he then fired his gun at House, striking him in the thigh and groin area. House was taken to a hospital for treatment, and was reported to be in stable condition shortly after the shooting. Ellis also admitted firing at Officer Kevin Devine, who returned fire. Devine was not injured. The two officers had been taking part in a special assignment in the predawn hours, working to curb a rash of car break-ins in Maryland Heights. Ellis pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault or attempted assault resulting in serious physical injury of a special victim. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of stealing, with a value less than $150, for taking a purse with about $50 in it from a vehicle. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 18. ST. ANN A Ritenour High School choir teacher has been indicted on a charge of having sexual contact with a student, the St. Louis County prosecutors' office said Tuesday. Richard Bell, 60, of the 2900 block of McKibbon Road in Charlack, was indicted June 15, according to court records. On March 15, Bell inappropriately touched a 15-year-old student in his choir class at Ritenour High School, authorities said. Another student saw the incident. According to the prosecutors' office, Bell's school personnel file revealed similar allegations from 2008 and that he signed a memo saying he'd maintain appropriate relationships with students and would not touch them. A spokesperson for the Ritenour School District said Bell was placed on administrative leave after the district was notified of the allegation, and the Missouri Division of Family Services was notified. Bell began teaching at the school in 2004, the spokesperson said. There was no lawyer for Bell listed in court records. A judge set his bail at $50,000. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CLAYTON An inmate died at a local hospital Friday night after suffering seizures at the St. Louis County jail in downtown Clayton, a county spokesman confirmed Monday. Angela J. Brown, 55, of St. Louis was pronounced dead at 10:21 p.m. at SSM Health St. Marys Hospital in Richmond Heights, a little over an hour after she was taken there by ambulance from the Buzz Westfall Justice Center, county spokesman Doug Moore said. Moore said jail staff called 911 at about 9:10 p.m. Friday, immediately after Brown began experiencing seizures. Police and paramedics confirmed they responded to the jail about 9:15 p.m. for a medical call but did not have more information. St. Louis County Medical Examiner Dr. Mary Case said she did not have more information, pending an autopsy later this week at the earliest. Moore declined to provide details about Browns medical conditions or any medications she was provided at the jail, saying he could not release the information under federal patient privacy laws. But he said Brown was being seen by jail staff for about half an hour before she was taken to St. Marys. A corrections officer and a nurse checked on Brown about 8:35 p.m. Friday out of concern because she had refused meals, Moore said. Other medical personnel were called to the cell, and the group was with Brown when she began suffering seizures about 9:10 p.m. and immediately called 911, he said. Moore said Brown was conscious and able to communicate with paramedics in the ambulance. Clayton Police are investigating the incident. Cpl. Jenny Schwartz said officers responded to the jail about 9:15 p.m. Friday evening for a medical call, which resulted in someone being transported to the hospital. Schwartz said police were notified by the jail the person had been pronounced dead but did not have more details. Clayton Fire Department Capt. Ryan Harrell said paramedics responded to the jail at 9:15 p.m. Friday for a sick case and transported someone from the jail to St. Marys. He did not have more details. Moore said county officials were notified of Browns death Saturday but were unable to reach her next of kin until Sunday. A relative of Brown could not be reached for comment Monday. Jail Director Scott Anders could not be reached. Moore said Anders was out of town over the weekend, but working Monday and reading through all reports from jail staff. Brown had been booked into the jail two days prior on an arrest warrant from Brentwood Police for alleged shoplifting, Moore said. Brown was arrested Tuesday, June 21 at 4:11 p.m. in Brentwood and booked into the county jail at 1:34 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, where she was held for the evening on the main floor awaiting possible release on bond. She was then relocated to a county holding cell at 10:38 a.m. on Thursday, June 23, the day before she died. Browns last known address was in the 1900 block of OFallon Avenue in St. Louis, Moore said. Browns death is the first time a county jail detainee has died in custody since early 2020. Dwight Williams, 32, died May 15, 2020 of cardiomyopathy, a heart condition, that was made worse by opiate withdrawal. The Post-Dispatch has filed Sunshine requests for Browns booking sheet and incident reports about her time in the jail and emergency calls to the jail Friday evening. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. JEFFERSON CITY Charter schools in Missouri will receive an infusion of at least $62 million in state funding under a new law scheduled to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson Wednesday. The legislation, which emerged this spring after a three-year lobbying effort, designates more state aid for charter schools and includes other provisions for virtual schools, which also are seen as alternatives to traditional public schools. The greatest benefit is the 25,000 public school students who will be receiving equitable financial resources for their education, said Douglas Thaman, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association. It will ensure the kids are receiving a quality education. Instead of using state money, the original version of the proposal, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, would have diverted an estimated $18 million away from St. Louis Public Schools, according to a nonpartisan fiscal analysis, provoking outrage among public school proponents. Charter schools have been funded in Missouri based on a formula that used a fixed property tax value from 2005, while property tax funding for traditional public school districts has increased based on current values. Advocates argued the outdated funding model had left charter schools receiving less per student than public schools. The legislation also changes Missouris virtual education program by giving parents input over whether their kids can enroll. School administrators currently make the final call over whether a student is eligible for virtual learning. The measure transfers the decision on virtual schooling options to the childs parents. It also includes new rules for charter schools, mandating that charter school management companies be nonprofits. The measure also requires charter school board members be Missouri residents. After an early version squeaked out of the House with just two votes over the threshold needed for passage, the reworked, current version moved through the lower chamber on a 116-29 vote. It was approved in the Senate on a 29-5 vote. The long-running issues over funding are rooted in the way the two different types of schools receive support. Charters receive most of their funding from the state, while St. Louis Public Schools receives most of its funding from local sources, such as property taxes. But while local revenues to SLPS have increased over the years, state funding to charter schools has remained flat, he said. Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, who helped negotiate the final compromise, said it was unfair that the average St. Louis public charter student receives $2,500 less compared to peers who attend district schools in the St. Louis Public School system based on figures provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. We see this as something thats been a long time coming, Thaman said. The legislation is House Bill 1552. Posted at 12:53 p.m. Tuesday, June 28. Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ARNOLD Eric Greitens says he has received several endorsements in his run for U.S. Senate that each have a common denominator. Veterans for Trump. Women for Trump. Black Voices for Trump. Hispanics for Trump. Theres even a publicized video clip of him shooting guns with Donald Trump Jr., whose fiancee, Kimberly Guilfoyle, is national chair of the Greitens campaign. But with little more than a month to go before the Aug. 2 primary, the highest endorsement for one of the 21 Republicans in the race still hasnt come. President Trumps decision about when he is going to endorse in this race or any race is 100% up to him and his team, Greitens told a crowded room of supporters here Monday night in response to questions from the Post-Dispatch. Ive said this since Day 1, any conversations that I or anyone on my team have with the president, we always keep those private because this is his decision to make on his timeline, and I respect that. While Greitens has been polling ahead of his main competition state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, U.S. Reps. Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long, and personal injury attorney Mark McCloskey a Trump endorsement would likely lead to an easy primary victory for him. His main competitors also seek Trumps endorsement. Greitens tries to set himself apart by lambasting RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only, for being as dangerous as the Left when it comes to holding the country back. On Monday night here, about 75 people gathered with Greitens in a side room at Wesley Rogers Steak and Buffet for his latest stop in the No Mo RINOs Statewide Tour. So-called RINO hunting permits were available for a suggested donation of at least $25. Many were Trump loyalists, including Kerry Lippold, of Barnhart. Everything was running like a business, Lippold said of the Trump administration during an interview. Gas prices were down. The economy was good. Lippold, who runs an auto repair shop, said it didnt matter to him that Trump hadnt endorsed Greitens. What matters to me is that the people in office have the same values as Trump does, he said. Cathy Wooldridge, 50, of Imperial, said Trumps endorsement was perhaps held up for two reasons. One, hes waiting for the right time. Or, two: I am not sure Trump wants this affair baggage attached to him because he also has some of that in his past. And if hes running for president again (in 2024), he doesnt want to drum that up. Last summer, Politico reported that Trump thinks Greitens is problematic. Citing anonymous Trump advisers, the report also said Trump wouldnt endorse Greitens at that time because of the scandal that forced him to resign as governor. Greitens had an extramarital affair with his hairdresser in 2015. He has described the affair as a consensual relationship that was a mistake on his part. He has denied taking a semi-nude photograph of the woman as blackmail to stay quiet. Sworn testimony from the woman described secret encounters with Greitens in his home as abusive. A Missouri House Special Investigative Committee on Oversight report led by Republican legislators said she was a credible witness. The House committee was investigating additional topics, including the use of The Mission Continues donor list in Greitens campaign for governor; Greitens, a former Navy SEAL officer, started the nonprofit for military veterans before he entered politics. The committee was also looking into financing of A New Missouri, an organization that promoted his agenda. Greitens was invited to participate in the House investigation. He didnt. He announced his resignation as governor in late May 2018, shortly after a judge ruled he could be subpoenaed to testify. He and his wife, Sheena, divorced in 2020 and are currently in a custody dispute regarding their two boys. Today, in his campaign for U.S. Senate, Greitens doesnt mention the hairdresser and specifics of the House investigation. Instead, he directs attention to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner for being a George Soros-funded prosecutor who tarnished his image with a botched invasion-of-privacy case stemming from the affair. Indeed, the criminal case was dismissed. A lead investigator in the prosecutors case pleaded guilty to misdemeanor evidence tampering. Gardner faces disciplinary action. Asked Monday night by the Post-Dispatch why he resigned, Greitens told the crowd: For me, at that time, that was the thing I had to do for my sons. The pressure that is put on the attack that comes. And again I was naive when I first was in office. First, I thought that the RINOs would have my back. They didnt. But I also didnt realize the depth of the evil that we were facing. He said Gardner, the Soros-funded prosecutor, came after him with a corrupt FBI agent. Her entire prosecution of me was exposed, he said. What about the separate House investigation? It comes from RINOs, he said. What about the sworn testimony of Witness No. 1, the hairdresser, in the House investigation? No cross examination, he told the Post-Dispatch, asking for a chance to answer. He told the crowd that resigning was probably the hardest test of his life, but it was necessary and the right thing to do. Ive also found in my own life that sometimes the most painful things that you go through, grant you wisdom, he said. And I actually feel that it was a tremendous blessing. And the reason why it was a blessing is that all of my illusions were taken away. I was able to finally see clearly the nature of the enemy that we are facing. I believe that we all have a purpose-driven mission. This is my mission right now. I am going to win this race. Posted at 7 a.m. Monday, June 27. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. JEFFERSON CITY Gov. Mike Parson appears on track to veto a plan that would have given Missouri taxpayers election-time rebates of up to $500. The move, which could be announced Friday, was anticipated after the Republican chief executive expressed skepticism in May about the hastily crafted proposal. His official schedule shows a raft of legislation he plans to sign this week, but the tax rebate is not on the list. Parson is expected to issue a round of vetoes of various bills on Friday. Unlike all members of the House and half of the Senate, Parson is not running in the 2022 election and is barred by term limits from seeking another four years in the 2024 election. Under legislation first floated in the House and then adjusted and approved in the Senate, individual income filers would receive up to $500, while joint filers could expect to receive up to $1,000. Missourians eligible for the tax credit must have earned less than $150,000 as individuals and $300,000 for married couples. The state will credit taxpayers $1 back for every $1 paid in taxes, up to $500. The cost of the program is $500 million, meaning the rebates could be prorated to a lower level if more than the total cost is claimed. Missourians who did not pay income taxes in 2021 would not be eligible. Word of the pending veto emerged Monday after the governor released a schedule for this week outlining his plans to take action on the remaining bills on his desk. Included in that list is the overall state budget. The tax rebate proposal was stitched together in the closing days of the Legislatures annual session after election-minded lawmakers had approved a massive $49 billion spending plan that left more than $1 billion in tax revenue unspent. State coffers are brimming after receiving billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid. Income and sales tax revenues also have been robust. Although the state can afford to give some of that tax revenue back to voters, Parson raised concerns about the income caps, suggesting that someone earning $160,000 should not be left out of the rebates. He suggested the income limits create winners and losers. Look, weve cut taxes twice since Ive been governor of the state of Missouri. And we cut them for everybody, Parson said, pointing to reductions in the states income tax rate pushed by Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Parsons early skepticism was shared by other groups, including the AARP and the Missouri Budget Project, who said the rebate plan would not be available to an estimated 36% of low-income Missourians and senior citizens because they earn too little to pay income taxes. Older adults shouldnt be left out of a tax rebate when theyre struggling to put food on the table and pay for essential medications, and neither should their kids or grandchildren, said Jay Hardenbrook, advocacy director for AARP Missouri. The legislation is House Bill 2090. Posted at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, June 28. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HAZELWOOD There will be no fireworks show this Fourth of July in the city of Hazelwood. Fall leaf collection is gone for now. As is spring tree limb pickup. And it looks like a city community and fitness center will stay closed. Hazelwood is staring down the possibility of bankruptcy, Mayor Matthew Robinson said in a letter to residents. This city of 25,000, the seventh largest in St. Louis County, has been fighting an area fire district for years over a contract the mayor and other city officials have said is a rip-off. Stimulus dollars have temporarily saved the city, officials said. But it needs a break from the bills from the Robertson Fire Protection District, Robinson said. If bankruptcy occurs, wrote Robinson in the June 22 letter, core city services such as police, fire, street maintenance and snow plowing will continue, but in a much reduced capacity. The two sides have been fighting in court for years. At the center of the dispute is the contract Hazelwood entered with the fire district after the city annexed an area already covered by the district in 1995. The result: Some of Hazelwood gets fire service from the citys own fire department, while other annexed areas are covered by Robertson Fire Protection District and the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District. The Robertson contract requires the city pay any fire district tax exceeding 99 cents for each $100 of assessed value. That cost has ballooned over the years, Hazelwood City Manager Matt Zimmerman told the Post-Dispatch in April. In 2021, Hazelwood paid the fire district about $4.5 million out of its annual budget of $30 million, according to Robinsons letter and city financial documents. Robinson could not be reached for comment on Monday. The Robertson Fire District's attorney, Chuck Billings, provided a statement on the district's behalf. The statement notes that Hazelwood agreed to pay the district the proper tax rate, but then refused to honor the agreement. Both parties have spent millions on attorneys in the legal battle since, it states. "Hazelwood has continuously indicated that they were in financial distress," the statement reads. "Robertson offered to merge with Hazelwood Fire Department to save the city money, but that was rejected by Hazelwood. Florissant Valley Fire Protection District offered to take over the Hazelwood Fire Department, but that was rejected by Hazelwood." The statement argues that while Hazelwood may be in financial distress, "threats such as those found in the recent letter from the mayor are not the answer." "Robertson stands ready, willing, and able to work with Hazelwood to enact long term solutions," the statement reads. "Hazelwood has been threatening bankruptcy for years as a strategic bargaining point in this litigation. The positioning continues." The ongoing legal fight has prompted a group of residents under the name Citizens to Save Hazelwood & Fire Services to speak out against Robertsons spending. The group is leading an effort to recall the districts three board members. Robertson averaged about 2,542 calls for service per year from 2019 through 2021, according to dispatch statistics. Its latest public audit from 2020 shows the district had $9.1 million in expenditures, about 73% of which went to salaries and benefits. Median employee pay in the district was $116,066 in 2021, according to district salary records. Former Robertson Fire Chief Maynard Howell said in the April interview that the firefighters are well paid because he wants to attract them to the district. He wants them to stay long enough to get to know the residents and perhaps spend their careers here, he said. Howell recently retired and has been replaced by Chief Todd Phillips. The fire district announced in April a plan to slash residential tax rates by nearly 60%. The residential tax rate would go from $2.41 to 99 cents. Robertson officials said the move, to take effect next year, would save the city of Hazelwood an estimated $638,000 in taxes. Robinson said in his letter to residents that he would keep them informed. I appreciate your patience and understanding, Robinson wrote, while these issues are worked out. Editor's note: A previous version of this story described Maynard Howell as chief of the Robertson Fire Protection District. Howell has retired. This version has been updated. It also now includes a statement from the Fire Protection District. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MENDON, Mo. An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtraks Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. It was all over the tracks, said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. Its too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains wont be able to run on the track for a matter of days while they gather evidence, she added. At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car, Couture told WDAF-TV. Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands. Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Cheryl Benjamin was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan, after an Alasksan cruise and a trip to Disneyland. She said she felt a bump, then heard a squeal, then looked out the window and saw the cars in front of her falling to the right. Then her car fell, the last to derail. It all took about 45 seconds. Benjamin told The Associated Press that the passengers organized themselves to escape the cars. Some of the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Republican state Rep. Peggy McGaugh was at the high school. She said locals heard about the crash and started frying chicken, making sandwiches and delivering pallets of water. Being the small community this is, nobody wants to be the hero but everyone wants to help, McGaugh said. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on the land surrounding the intersection where the crash occurred, said everyone in Mendon understands that the intersection is dangerous, especially for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. The approach to the tracks is on an inclining gravel road and its difficult to see trains coming in either direction, he said. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF Railway, which owns the track, about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple days. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Mo., Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb., and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. Updated at 9:23 p.m. Monday, June 27. MENDON, Mo. A Missouri Department of Transportation plan released this year cited a need to improve safety at the rail crossing where an Amtrak train and a dump truck collided, resulting in the deaths of three passengers and the truck driver. The Missouri Highway Patrol announced the fourth death Tuesday afternoon and provided its first estimate of the injured about 150 people taken to 10 area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The dead, which included three people on the train and the truck driver, have not been identified. The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri, about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City, has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train. Amtraks Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago on Monday afternoon when it struck the truck and derailed at the crossing. Amtrak officials have said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard the train. The collision derailed seven cars, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. The truck was broken into pieces. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the scene Tuesday, trying to determine how the accident happened and why the truck was on the tracks. The damaged tracks had been repaired and freight trains were operating. In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its State Freight & Rail Plan. It included a list of proposed improvements, including the installation of lights and gates, along with roadway improvements. The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said in an email that any project must be worked out in coordination with the track owner, BNSF Railway, and the county based on very limited funding. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said that if the state wants an upgrade, the next step is a site review. We would work with all of the parties involved to determine if additional warning devices are needed and then work to get those designed, built and installed, Kent said. Local residents have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks make it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days. Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it. We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer wrote with the posting. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. The posting noted that some trains pass by at up to 90 mph. If you cross here with a vehicle stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways there are 2 tracks and around 85 trains go through there everyday, Spencer wrote. Passengers recounted the frightening aftermath of the accident. Rob Nightingale of Taos, New Mexico, said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth and he felt it tip. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. People have been injured or killed in at least six other accidents involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Ballentine reported from Columbia, Missouri. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jim Salter in OFallon, Missouri, contributed to this report. Updated at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, June 28. MENDON, Mo. About two weeks ago, a farmer in northern Missouri posted a video on Facebook about the railroad crossing where a train derailed Monday, killing three and injuring dozens. That footage, which Mike Spencer posted on June 11, showed a train moving down the BNSF Railway tracks on Porche Prairie Avenue, southwest of Mendon in Chariton County. We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer, 64, wrote. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. On Monday evening, just hours after an Amtrak train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed, the farmer told The Star that the tragedy could have been prevented. They knew it was unsafe, Spencer said. That was pretty much a no-brainer I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain that this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time. They never even offered to cut brush back for us so we could at least see. Another local farmer, Daryl Jacobs, who has lived in the area his whole life, called the crossing very dangerous. It needs arms on it or signals, Jacobs, 62, said. Its so dang steep. I heard that truck just stalled out today going up it. Thats what I heard. And this dang brush along these railroad tracks all needs to be cleared back. Jacobs daughter-in-law, Shannon, was sitting on the porch of a nearby home and saw the train hit the truck. She called 911. There are approximately 3,800 public highway-rail crossings in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Transportations Office of Multimodal Operations, which oversees rail services in the state. Each year from 2017 to 2021, MoDOT has improved the safety features at about 20 of those crossings. The Mendon crossing is on the list of proposed improvements. Nearly half of public train crossings in Missouri are not equipped with active warning devices such as bells, flashing lights and gates, according to a MoDOT report. Only the crossings with extreme amounts of train and vehicle traffic or other sight distance problems will receive lights/gates because the need is great, the agency wrote on its website. MoDOT did not provide comment after being contacted by The Star. Spencer said the rise from where the road is flat to the top of the tracks is about 9 feet. Our concern was that the approach on it is very, very steep, he said. You cant see over it. We have to cross over it with farm equipment, loaded grain trucks. We have no choice but to cross that track. Its very treacherous. He estimates trains come through at up to 90 miles per hour. There are no signals. No cross arms to stop motorists. They want the grade to the top of the track lessened. Theres no way you can pull up there and stop and go on. The video Spencer posted earlier this month shows a train only moving at approximately 45-50 but some come through at anywhere from 70-90 mph, he wrote. If you cross here with a vehicle, stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways. There are two tracks and around 85 trains go through there every day. His wife Sheryl commented soon after he posted the video. They are waiting till someone gets hit, she wrote. For the past three years, Spencer and others in the community have been in discussions with BNSF, a safety engineer from the Missouri Department of Transportation, a county commissioner and a railroad engineer with the goal of improving safety at the crossing. Authorities agreed to do something, said Spencer, whose farmland surrounds the crossing. But it hasnt happened. This is on the railroads shoulders. This is on the railroads shoulders, Spencer said. They have known this is a problem. They were concerned, but not concerned enough to do anything. I mean my heart goes out to the families who are involved here, whether they have loved ones injured, dead or whatever. Its just a tragedy. And I dont feel like it should have happened. BSNF Railways parent company is a wholly owned subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway. The Stars Natalie Wallington contributed to this report. 2022 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com. Updated at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. MENDON, Mo. When an Amtrak train derailed in northern Missouri Monday, a crew of teenage Boy Scouts on board got to work helping passengers get out of the overturned train cars. The train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit a dump truck at a crossing near Mendon, Missouri, and the cars toppled off the tracks and onto their side. The scouts were among 275 passengers who were on the train along with 12 crew members, according to Amtrak. The train was identified as a Southwest Chief Train 4, and when it wrecked near Mendon it was about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City. Ultimately, at least four deaths would be reported in the crash and about 150 people taken to 10 hospitals across the state. But at the time, it was not clear how many people were hurt. On the train at the time were two Boy Scout troops from Wisconsin, according to Scott Armstrong, the director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. Scouts from Troops 73 and 12 were on their way back from a 10-day trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. They were more senior-level scouts, Armstrong said. After the crash, the boys jumped into action and began helping fellow passengers by administering first aid and getting people out of the cars, Armstrong said. Many passengers mentioned the Boy Scouts specifically as the ones helping them before first responders were able to get to the rural location. A 15-year-old boy who is the senior patrol leader for his troop went to the front of the crash and saw the driver of the dump truck laying outside the truck. The teen administered first aid to the driver and stayed with him until he died, Armstrong said. Dan Skrypczak, father of the 15-year-old and the Appleton Troop 73 Scoutmaster told NewsNation in an interview that his son gave the driver water and held his hand until the end. Eli and another boy ran towards the front of the train, to try to determine if anybody was hurting in the vehicle. Eli found the driver and immediately started to render aid and comfort. There wasnt a lot he could do. I know Eli felt horrible, Skrypczak said in the interview with NewsNation. Another boy broke a window open in order to help get people out of a car. Armstrong said he is proud of the boys and that their experience with the scouts has trained them well. They are scouts doing what scouts do, Armstrong said. There were 16 scouts between the ages of 13 and 17 and eight adult leaders on the train. Armstrong said three of the adults were hospitalized, but have no life-threatening injuries. None of the boys were seriously injured, and Armstrong said they were all medically cleared Monday night with just scrapes and bruises. He said the group was in a hotel in Columbia Tuesday and doing well despite having no luggage or phone chargers. Armstrong said they have been in contact with the local Boy Scouts council in the area, the Great Rivers Council, who have offered any assistance they can give. Parents and scouts from Troop 6 in Columbia have been delivering water and food to them according to John Fabsits, scout executive and CEO of the Great Rivers Council. The local council has been great, Armstrong said. Armstrong said now they are working on getting everyone safely back home to Wisconsin. 2022 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com. MENDON, Mo. (AP) An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. It was all over the tracks, said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. It's too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains won't be able to run on the track for a matter of days while they gather evidence, she added. At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car," Couture told WDAF-TV. Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands." Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Cheryl Benjamin was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan, after an Alasksan cruise and a trip to Disneyland. She said she felt a bump, then heard a squeal, then looked out the window and saw the cars in front of her falling to the right. Then her car fell, the last to derail. It all took about 45 seconds. Benjamin told The Associated Press that the passengers organized themselves to escape the cars. Some of the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Republican state Rep. Peggy McGaugh was at the high school. She said locals heard about the crash and started frying chicken, making sandwiches and delivering pallets of water. Being the small community this is, nobody wants to be the hero but everyone wants to help," McGaugh said. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on the land surrounding the intersection where the crash occurred, said everyone in Mendon understands that the intersection is dangerous, especially for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. The approach to the tracks is on an inclining gravel road and its difficult to see trains coming in either direction, he said. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF Railway, which owns the track, about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple days. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Mo., Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb., and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show that the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. WASHINGTON A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by eight citizens of Mali who sought to hold Hershey Co., Nestle SA, Cargill Inc. and others liable for child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa farms. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said the plaintiffs in the proposed class action lacked standing to sue because they did not show a traceable connection between the seven defendant companies and the specific plantations where they worked. The judge said the plaintiffs also did not adequately explain the role of intermediaries in the cocoa supply chain, noting that the companies did not monitor activity in free zones where about 70% to 80% of the cocoa is produced. Mali and the Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa. The plaintiffs said they were trafficked as children after being approached by unfamiliar men who promised paying jobs, but were ultimately not paid for their labor, threatened with starvation if they did not work, and required to live in squalor. Their lawyer, Terry Collingsworth, said the plaintiffs plan to appeal, hoping to force the companies to keep their own promises and end this abhorrent system they have created. The other defendants included privately-held Mars Inc., Mondelez International Inc., Barry Callebaut AG and Olam International Ltd. In court papers, the seven defendants said they strongly condemn the use of forced labor and were working to address non-forced child labor in cocoa supply chains. But they said the plaintiffs overbroad legal theory could leave too many people liable for forced child labor, including consumers and retailers who might benefit from lower prices. The plaintiffs had sued under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a similar lawsuit by six Malian citizens against Cargill and Nestle brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 federal law. That decision was the latest in a series of rulings limiting access to federal courts based on human rights abuses outside the country. Friedrich was nominated by former President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 97-3 in 2017. The case is Coubaly et al v Cargill Inc. et al, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, No. 21-00386. President Joe Biden plans to meet on July 12 at the White House with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who skipped the recent Summit of the Americas in protest of the U.S. not inviting Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the event. The White House said Tuesday that Biden and Obrador will discuss issues such as food security, immigration, climate and security and shared economic interests. Relations between the U.S. and Mexico were strained by the June summit that was supposed to be about unity among western hemisphere nations. Obrador said that the legitimacy of the gathering depended on all of the countries in North America, South America and the Caribbean being in attendance. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had previously defended the exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela by saying, We do not believe that dictators should be invited." The announcement of a bilateral meeting also comes as migration along the border between the U.S. and Mexico has been a persistent challenge for the Biden administration. On Monday, 50 migrants being smuggled into the U.S. died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, without air conditioning in the sweltering heat. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. PHOENIX (AP) The Arizona Capitol was ringed with a double barrier of fencing with concertina wire strung between the barriers Monday after three straight nights of protests prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning women's constitutional right to abortion left some memorials damaged. The protests were mainly peaceful and led to only a handful of arrests, but the actions of small groups of people led to the damage and decision to erect the fencing Saturday, authorities said. The Arizona National Guard added the razor wire on Sunday. The protests on Friday night, which came hours after the Supreme Court issued its opinion striking down Roe v. Wade and as the Legislature was meeting to complete its 2022 session, were the largest. The Arizona Department of Public Safety estimated that between 7,000 and 8,000 people gathered at the Capitol. All was peaceful until about 8:30 p.m., when a small number of protesters began beating on the glass front of the state Senate and at least one person tried to kick in a sliding glass door. Dozens of state troopers were lined up just inside, but the group did not stop until an unannounced volley of tear gas was launched toward them from the second floor of of the old state Capitol building less than a hundred feet away. A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, Bart Graves, confirmed that no warning was given. He said state troopers were protecting lawmakers working inside. These rioters knew exactly what was at stake here and knew what our job is there and they continued to try to bust in anyway, Graves said. The commotion led senators to cut short an ongoing vote and flee to the basement. They returned about 20 minutes later, but lingering tear gas pulled into the large room by the building's ventilation system forced the 30 senators and staff, reporters and the public to move to a meeting room where the air was fresher for the session's final hours. After the tear gas was deployed, most of the crowd either left or went into a nearby plaza packed with dozens of memorials. Tear gas was again deployed, this time with a warning and announcement first. On Saturday morning, damage was obvious, with memorials and walls and concrete walls spray painted with Abort the Court and unpublishable phrases. Efforts to scrub it off were ongoing Monday. No arrests were made Friday night, Graves said. On Saturday evening a crowd of about 1,200 people protested. After most had left, and as midnight approached, several people pulled down a section of fencing, leading to four arrests. Fewer than 200 people protested Sunday night and five people were arrested on minor charges. No injuries were reported all weekend. Many Republicans hailed state troopers and criticized the protestors. Democrats also praised state police and denounced protesters who were violent, while saying they want an investigation of the state police action. Abortion providers across Arizona stopped performing the procedures Friday because they feared prosecution. Arizona has a pre-statehood law banning all abortions and a law granting legal rights to unborn children that abortion providers fear could be used to bring charges. The Capitol was last ringed with fencing after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by backers of then-President Donald Trump and after Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May 2020. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (AP) The boat of a North Carolina man missing for seven months has washed ashore in the Azores Islands, thousands of miles from the marina where it was last seen, officials announced Monday. Joseph Matthew Johnson has not been found, but Carolina Beach police said that authorities in the Azores said a boat registered to his name washed up last week on the small island of Sao Jorge, some 2,700 miles (4,345 kilometers) across the ocean. Johnson was last seen leaving Federal Point Yacht Club marina on Nov. 22 on his boat, police said. The 44-year-old Carolina Beach resident was reported missing five days later by a friend who arrived in town for a previously arranged fishing trip, police said. Video surveillance from Nov. 22 shows the boat leaving the marina where he lived and the last ping from Johnson's cellphone was from off the coast of Bald Head Island at 5:17 p.m. that same day, Sgt. Colby Edens said by telephone Monday. The U.S. Coast Guards search for Johnson in November covered nearly 7,500 square miles (19,425 square kilometers), but it was suspended when no new information was found, news outlets reported. When the boat was found June 21, it had a heavy buildup of barnacles and algae, indicating that it had been capsized at sea for quite some time, Edens said. Portuguese authorities are helping the Carolina Beach police department as they gather evidence and continue their search for Johnson. Johnsons mother, Mary Kay Anderson, said his family is confident he will be found alive, The StarNews reported. The retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier served for 24 years with tours in Afghanistan and South America, so Anderson believes he has skills to survive in dangerous conditions and elements. Its not just hope, Anderson said. We know hes alive and are praying for his miraculous rescue. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. PIERRE, S.D. (AP) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has appointed the lead prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to fill the remainder of Ravnsborg's term. Noem's interim appointment of Pennington County States Attorney Mark Vargo was effective Tuesday. She pushed for Ravnsborg, a first-term fellow Republican, to step down days after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in 2020, and later pushed for his impeachment. Ravnsborg was ultimately convicted last week of two impeachment counts and was removed from office. Mark Vargo returns integrity, experience and stability to the Attorney Generals Office, Noem said in a statement. Vargo will serve until January, when the winner of the November election is sworn in. Marty Jackley, the Republican nominee and Ravnsborg's predecessor, has Noem's endorsement. Jackley served as the states attorney general for about a decade and the states U.S. attorney for three years. Ravnsborg was removed from office last week after the Senate heard testimony about his conduct in the September 2020 crash that killed Joseph Boever, who was struck as he walked along a rural highway. Ravnsborg had announced shortly before his impeachment trial that he would not seek a second term. The Senate also voted to prohibit him from holding public office again. Ravnsborg appeared before a state ethics board Monday to press for an investigation of Noem, the person he blames for his impeachment. As attorney general, Ravnsborg last year filed a pair of complaints against Noem to the states Government Accountability Board alleging she abused the powers of her office by interfering in a state agency as it evaluated her daughters application for a real estate appraiser license and by misusing state airplanes. The board, which is comprised of retired judges, has not decided whether to investigate Noem, who is running for reelection after a first term in which she has gained national prominence in her party and is widely considered to be a White House aspirant in 2024. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. NEW YORK (AP) Seven states are set to host primary elections Tuesday as the nation comes to terms with last week's stunning Supreme Court ruling eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion. This week's nominating contests could offer the first clues as to whether the political landscape has shifted. Abortion is particularly relevant in Colorado, where GOP voters are deciding whether to nominate a rare abortion-rights-supporting Republican for U.S. Senate. And in Illinois, a Donald Trump-backed congresswoman ignited a political firestorm over the weekend by celebrating the overturning of Roe v. Wade as "a victory for white life," phrasing that her spokesman later called a "stumble" and was meant to be "right to life." The primaries will also offer new insight about the state of the Republican Party, with the central issue in virtually every GOP contest being fealty to Trump and his baseless conspiracy theories. Those Republicans who have pushed back at all, including a senator in Oklahoma and a congressman in Mississippi, are facing fierce challenges. Democrats have their own challenges. Illinois voters will decide a rare incumbent-on-incumbent primary for a House seat, while in South Carolina, Democrats are picking which candidate will take on South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott this fall. In all, primary elections are playing out across Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah on Tuesday. Nebraska is holding a special election. *** MORE COVERAGE *** BATTLE FOR THE SENATE Kansas City Star. June 24, 2022. Editorial: After abortion ban, do you think Missouri and Kansas right-wingers will stop there? The U.S. Supreme Court untethered to facts, precedent, the law or the Constitution has declared all American women second-class citizens, unprotected by the nations founding documents. Voting 6-3, the Court discarded Roe v. Wade, the seminal case protecting a womans right to an abortion for half a century. The decision ranks among the courts most disturbing anti-liberty decisions, alongside the Dred Scott case, the Plessy case that entrenched discrimination and Korematsu, which affirmed the incarceration of Americans of Japanese descent. One result of todays decision is certain: the curtailment of womens rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens, the three dissenting justices wrote. As of today, this Court holds, a state can always force a woman to give birth. The decision is an outrage. It will infuriate millions of women who have joined the 150-year fight to protect their rights. It will cause sickness, and women will die unnecessarily. It will not end the debate over abortion, and abortion rights. Nor should it. Some may be tempted to abandon the effort to protect equality, because of frustration, or exhaustion, or anger. Those reactions would be understandable. But Americans who believe in freedom and self-governance cant give up now, particularly in Missouri and Kansas, where the crusade against women is likely to accelerate. Missouri took the first step, implementing a so-called trigger law that bans abortion in the state. There is little that can be immediately done to resist this tyranny, which is tragic. Instead, Missourians must redouble efforts to elect state legislators and other officials who are committed to ensuring equal rights for all. Its that simple. Kansans have a more direct way to make their voices known. In August, theyll consider an amendment to the state constitution that would hand a womans personal decision-making to the anti-liberty cabal in the state capitol. We are still considering the arguments for and against the amendment, and will write about our views later. But there can be no doubt that Kansans who believe women should be seen as equal before the law must register to vote, and cast their ballots later this summer. When they do, they must remember the disingenuous reasoning of the six members of the Supreme Court who prevailed Friday. Most of them told the nation that Roe was settled law during their confirmation hearings, or suggested they were neutral on the issue. They were lying. They lied to the Senate, and to the American people. Like all judges, they are not due additional respect or deference because they wear black robes. They have acted as politicians, not neutral arbiters of fact and law. Do not believe the argument, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, that Fridays decision doesnt affect same-sex marriage, or contraception, or interracial relationships. In his own additional opinion, Clarence Thomas urged his fellow justices to reconsider all precedents involving due process, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. That means contraception, consensual sex and same-sex marriage. Does anyone think the right-wingers who engineered this calamity will stop now? Do we think Missouri and Kansas lawmakers will leave these rights untouched? Do we think Congress will resist a federal law eliminating abortion, and the rights of women? St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 25, 2022. Editorial: Greitens claims his violent campaign video is humorous. No, its dangerous. Did you hear the one about the Republican Senate candidate who suggested killing any Republican who isnt deemed conservative enough? Its a real knee-slapper. Especially with recent horrendous mass shootings, public officials getting death threats and the country watching a forensic review of how a former presidents violent rhetoric spurred the actual violence of Jan. 6, 2021. Eric Greitens, the disgraced former Missouri governor turned Senate candidate, said last week he was just kidding around when he posted a violent video about hunting for RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). The video has a sense of humor, said Greitens. Which part was funniest? The comical brandishing of military-style assault rifles like the one that killed 19 children in Uvalde, Texas? Or perhaps the hilarious rhetoric about using violence to save our country reminiscent of the language former President Donald Trump used to inspire thousands of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol. If Greitens Senate bid doesnt work out, maybe he should consider a career in standup comedy. In the video, Greitens and some camouflaged pretend-commandos approach a house with rifles poised. Greitens who, remember, was forced to resign as governor in 2018 amid allegations of corruption and physical abuse whispers: The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice. This is a man who has been credibly accused of abusing his wife, his children and his mistress. His definition of courage must be different from ours. (Greitens acknowledges the affair but denies the abuse.) The commandos bash in the door, explode a stun grenade and barge into the room, assault rifles poised. Greitens follows them in, then delivers what he apparently considers a punchline about getting a RINO hunting license. The Post-Dispatchs Jesse Bogan last week looked at how Greitens video has landed in deep-red Missouri. What he found was, well, not funny. People in St. Louis may not like it, said former state Sen. Jane Cunningham, with Greitens at a campaign stop in Camdenton, near Lake of the Ozarks, but by golly in Camdenton, in rural Missouri, that is a huge hit. If that doesnt give pause to anyone who has seen this video, its difficult to imagine what would. Greitens last week breezily dismissed the notion that his video portrayal of violence could prompt the real thing: I dont think there is a real person in Missouri who thinks about it literally. Not one. More than one, actually. Greitens ex-wife has received emailed death threats since the video was posted, according to the attorney representing her in their child-custody case. Wouldnt it be awful if someone hunted down and killed Eric Greitens and his entire family, the attorney quoted from one of the messages in a hearing Thursday. The other one is so horrible I cant read it aloud in court. What, they cant take a joke? Jefferson City News Tribune. June 26, 2022. Editorial: Missouri deserves better Enough already. The use of violent rhetoric has steadily increased in recent months; threats and aggressive imagery have become all too common in our communities, congressional offices and on the campaign trail. The objective is to win by demonizing the opposition. For Americas sake, it simply must stop. The latest horrible example of that incendiary rhetoric was an ad run by Eric Greitens, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. Greitens was governor from January 2017 until he resigned June 1, 2018, when allegations arose that he engaged in an extramarital affair in which the woman said he physically abused and threatened her. His resignation was part of a plea deal to drop a felony charge that alleged misuse of a charity donor list to raise funds for his gubernatorial campaign. Since his resignation, he also has been accused by his ex-wife of abusing her and her son. Greitens has denied any wrongdoing. Now, the former governor seeks to return to office and is one of 21 GOP candidates seeking the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. In his latest campaign ad, Greitens is seen packing a shotgun as he and a SWAT-style team armed with assault rifles storm a home in search of RINOS, or Republicans in Name Only. In a hushed tone as the ad begins, Greitens lays out the mission: The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice. Then, he and a heavily armed SWAT-style team crashes through the door and detonate flash bangs in the homes living room. The smoke clears, and Greitens proclaims: Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit. Theres no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesnt expire until we save our country. If the ad were not bad enough, he then tweeted: We are sick and tired of the Republicans in Name Only surrendering to Joe Biden & the radical Left. Order your RINO Hunting Permit today! Its not the first time Greitens has pulled out the big guns to sell his candidacy while brandishing a weapon. In 2016, the gubernatorial candidate fired a Gatling-style machine gun into a lake under the auspices of taking back Missouri from those with differing views. But the world has substantially changed in those six years, Mr. Greitens. We live in a much more polarized society where we seemed to be defined more by our differences than our similarities. Incendiary rhetoric has created a climate where we are more inclined to shout down or strike down those with whom we disagree rather than try to find a common ground. The imagery Greitens has promoted and defended does nothing but drive the wedge deeper and push us farther apart as Missourians and as Americans. The ad drew immediate outrage. This horrific ad -- suggesting that firearms should be used to hunt human beings with whom he disagrees debases the right to keep and bear arms, dishonors law enforcement and the military, and is antithetical to conservative pro-life values, Eagle Forum President Kris Ullman said in a news release. Greitenss response? Those criticizing the ad are snowflakes who are just expressing faux outrage. The idea behind it was very simple, Greitens told a Kansas City radio station. We just wanted to demonstrate with a sense of humor and with a sense of fun that we are gonna take on RINOs. Mr. Greitens, enough. Apologize for the ad and take it down; it was insensitive and could potentially incite violence; the ad is unbefitting of someone who seeks to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. If you cant do that, drop out of the race. We need a senator who is more inclined to build bridges rather than blow them up. Missouri deserves better. END Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Missouri had the distinction of being the first state right off the blocks to implement its new abortion ban after Fridays U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Attorney General Eric Schmitt even rushed out a press release touting the law. But news reports pointed out only the breadth of Missouris ban. It did not provide, as many other states provided, exceptions for cases of rape and incest. And Missouris exception for medical emergencies is narrow, limited to situations where the risk of death or of a permanent impairment of a major bodily function necessitates an immediate abortion. Other states allow exceptions for a larger category of health risks, including risks to psychological health, not just physical health. Not so Missouri. There may be another way in which Missouri is an outlier. At least some were under the impression that Missouris new law, like the laws in many other states, does not permit going after women for getting an abortion. It is not possible under Missouri law to prosecute a woman for having an abortion, prosecutor Eric Zahnd of Platte County said in a statement. On the contrary, Missouri law repeatedly states that a woman upon whom an abortion is performed shall not be prosecuted. And in a press release of his own, Gov. Mike Parson said that the law protects any woman who receives an illegal abortion from being prosecuted in violation of the Act. But that interpretation of the law may be incorrect, as former Sen. Claire McCaskill has recently pointed out. The confusion could stem from a line in the new law that says, A woman upon whom an abortion is performed or induced in violation of this subsection shall not be prosecuted for a conspiracy to violate the provisions of this subsection. A skim of this might get you to the conclusion that a woman could not be prosecuted under the statute, period. But thats not what it says. It says that a woman cannot be prosecuted for a conspiracy to violate the statute. Thats different. A conspiracy is an agreement with someone to break the law, not the act of breaking the law itself. A conspiracy to rob a bank is a crime, but it is not the same crime as actually robbing a bank. It is true that a woman who agrees with a doctor to have an abortion performed cannot be prosecuted for conspiracy to violate the abortion ban. But the law doesnt say that she couldnt be prosecuted for actually having an abortion, especially if she induces or performs an abortion on herself. A woman could also, under Missouri law as it is now written, be prosecuted as an accomplice to the doctor performing the abortion. She could also be prosecuted for attempting to get an abortion. Compare Missouris law to the laws in other states, which dont leave room for this kind of loophole. Alabamas law says: No woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to be performed shall be criminally or civilly liable. Similarly, Arkansass law reads: This section does not authorize the charging or conviction of a woman with any criminal offense in the death of her own unborn child. Kentuckys law is also clear: Nothing in this section may be construed to subject the pregnant mother upon whom any abortion is performed or attempted to any criminal conviction and penalty. One more, from Tennessee: This section does not subject the pregnant woman upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to criminal conviction or penalty. There is a rule for interpreting statutes called expressio unius est exclusio alterius: If legislators put one thing down in the statute, they mean to be talking just about that thing, and intend to leave out other things. The fact that the Missouri law excludes only prosecutions for conspiracy to violate the law could be interpreted as purposely leaving open the possibility of prosecutions for violations and attempted violations of the law itself. Missouris law may be even broader than it looks (and broader than some prosecutors apparently think it is), making it even more of an outlier among the states that have abortion bans. Of course, prosecutors dont have to enforce the law against women; that is one of the choices they can make. But the law as it stands doesnt rule out prosecutions against women. In other words, whether women get prosecuted for having an abortion may depend on where in Missouri they live. If the legislators in Missouri like legislators in many other states wanted to prevent women from being prosecuted under the law everywhere in Missouri, then they should have written that. Marcia McCormick is a member of the faculty of the law school and Women and Gender Studies at St. Louis University. Chad Flanders is a member of the universitys law school faculty. Last weeks Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has left officials like St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell with a dilemma: His job is to prosecute violations of the law. But as of last Friday, Missouri law criminalizes abortion services from the moment of conception, even for victims of rape or incest. We agree with Bells characterization of that law as misguided and dangerous. Add to that draconian and unjust. By enforcing it, Bell would effectively have to play a role in further victimizing those victims. Which makes it all the more difficult to conclude that Bell is taking the wrong approach with his blanket pronouncement that he wont enforce the new law like similar pronouncements from 80-plus other elected prosecutors around the country. But legal officials have an obligation to enforce the laws as written, not as they wish them to be. That was our position when, for example, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt chose not to defend state pandemic-protection policies in court. And its our position now. Laws are supposed to be determined by legislators and the courts, not prosecutors. That said, Bell and other prosecutors also have an obligation to seek justice within the bounds of the law, not merely to convict (as American Bar Association standards for prosecutors specify). This is what the important concept of prosecutorial discretion is all about. Every case is different. Prosecutors arent required to robotically ignore specific factors and prosecute every case to the full extent of the law, regardless of whether the real-world outcome would clearly be the opposite of justice. Thats the essential tension here: Its a slippery slope for a prosecutor to unilaterally decide in advance, in blanket fashion, not to enforce a given law because he disagrees with it. But we would argue that in many cases, like the aforementioned rape victim, its difficult to imagine how justice would be served by prosecuting those who would spare her the further trauma of a resulting unwanted pregnancy. Prosecutorial discretion could also come urgently into play in cases involving a medical emergency, which is the only exception Missouris new abortion ban makes. Its such a vague legal standard that the question of whether to prosecute should reasonably rest on whether the doctor involved can confirm the medical necessity. Missouri legislators have shown no hesitance to substitute their own uninformed medical judgment for that of actual doctors, but prosecutors arent obligated to follow that example. If such good-faith testing as to whether each case meets the bar associations seek justice standard should result in a scarcity of abortion prosecutions under this radical law, so be it. But thats different from declaring in advance that enforcement of the law simply wont be considered in any case. The proper venue to change unjust laws is at the ballot box, not the prosecutors office. Cole Porter, in a different universe, might have written a song, "Another agony, another trip," with lines something like these: Four weeks and you think it's a curse; Three weeks and it couldn't be worse; One week, will it ever be right? And all of a sudden, it's time for your flight. Those hypothetical other-universe lines actually do apply to this universe: The outlook for airline travelers the rest of the summer and fall is, charitably, dismal, with very few quick fixes in sight and very little you can do to avoid cancellations and delays if you plan to fly any time soon. The airlines generally blame weather and air traffic control for delays and cancellations, but they've always faced weather and air traffic control. Today's mess is substantially of their own making: Instead of retaining key staff during the COVID slump, as they were paid to do, they offered early retirement and encouraged voluntary retirement. This move was particularly damaging to the pilot staff the key high-skilled positions that are central to an airline's ability to function. But it also affected other critical personnel: cabin crew, ground handlers, airport agents, and phone agents. Post-COVID, they've been posting unrealistic schedules promises to travelers they've been unable to keep then canceling many of those scheduled trips. Those posted schedules are more what they hope they can do if everything breaks in their favor rather than what they can realistically expect to do. Airline managements aren't the only culprits. Air traffic control, airports, TSA, and other agencies involved in air travel were also woefully unprepared for the highly predictable post-COVID surge. And climate has not cooperated with travelers, either. The result is the mess we're suffering. Flights canceled or extensively delayed at the last minute often not until eager passengers are at their departure airports with no slack in the system to allow them to find easy substitutes and as long as two-day waits to connect with a live phone agent who might help. But unless it points to fixes, wrangling about blame isn't helpful going forward. And a lot of folks in the industry are looking to the Department of Transportation to "do something," preferably something it can do quickly without needing new legislation. Among the suggestions: Raise the mandatory retirement age for healthy pilots from 65 to 67 or even 68. Fine airlines for unrealistic scheduling. Require all airlines to participate in reciprocity agreements allowing canceled or delayed passengers on one airline to transfer to another without paying extra. Designate failure to answer phone calls in less than some number of minutes maybe 15 or 30 as an "unfair practice" and fine airlines for violations. In addition, legislators are considering bills that would reduce the minimum flight time required for a commercial pilot's license from 1,500 to 1,000 or even 750 hours. Realistically, however, none of these fixes would solve problems quickly enough to ease the crunch of heavy Fourth of July and Labor Day weekend travel. Instead, maybe the only possible quick fix is voluntarily schedule cutbacks a move already underway that will probably help but add undesirable consequences. Thus, for now, it again falls on travelers to minimize risks. And, sadly, I have no "secret insider tips" beyond the usual suspects: Reserve flights early in the day to avoid cascading late-day troubles. Get to airports early for your flights (well, duuh). Consider a lounge membership or single-day entry in case you're stuck in an airport for a long time. Keep continuous tabs on your flight online or through an app. Buy tickets through a full service travel agency that maintains a staffed 24/7 assistance line. Where you can, avoid flights on small regional planes the ones most likely to be canceled. Book "plan B" backup flights on refundable tickets or re-depositable frequent-flyer awards. Above all, be prepared to fix problems you encounter on your own. Despite the best of intentions, airline personnel will probably be unable to do anything immediately useful. (Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Eds new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com.) Europe has built more than its share of walls. From Hadrians Wall (constructed by the ancient Romans to defend the northern boundary of Britannia) to the Maginot Line (built by the French in the 1930s to keep out the Germans), these walls were symbols not of strength, but of mistrust and insecurity. They were necessary back then. But the promising news in our age has been a European society that is advancing dismantling walls so that it can move forward. With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the rise of the European Union, walls and border checks have been replaced by free trade, free travel, and the Erasmus Program a well-funded government initiative that subsidizes students and teachers working and learning in neighboring countries. Europes key to a wall-free world: interdependent economies and lots of travel, which encourages empathy. At one point or another, most of Europes great cities Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Milan, Barcelona, Vienna were contained within walls, constructed during ancient and medieval times to defend against invaders. Many of these walls were torn down long ago as cities expanded beyond their historic centers and land was opened up for grand circular boulevards. Some intact walls have been preserved in places like Dubrovnik, Croatia; Rothenburg, Germany; York, England; Lucca, Italy; and Carcassonne, France. In each case, these walls have become people-friendly, park-like spaces where people stroll, gather, and enjoy the view. Some walls seem to survive to take us back in time. One of my favorites, Hadrians Wall, is the remains of the fortification the Romans built nearly 2,000 years ago in Britain. Now in ruins, this great stone wall once stretched 73 miles from coast to coast across the narrowest part of northern England, where Britannia ended and the barbarian land that would someday be Scotland began. More than just a wall, it was a cleverly designed military rampart manned by 20,000 troops. At every mile there was a small fort guarding a gate. Imagine the bleakness of being a young Roman soldier stationed here 18 centuries ago. Today, two of these Hadrian Wall forts have been turned into museums, where visitors can see the ruins up close, view ancient artifacts, and get a sense of life in the distant past of a desolate corner of the Roman Empire. Hadrians Wall is much-loved by hikers, who follow the wall as it meanders up and down the natural contours of the land. I grabbed a sunny late afternoon to hike the wall. Scrambling along Roman ruins, all alone with the wind and the sheep, I took a moment to simply absorb the setting. I surveyed vast expanses from a rocky crag that seemed to rip across the island like some horrific geological violence, frozen in mid-action. Some walls have become museums and memorials, designed to inspire us to relate to our neighbors in ways that make them obsolete. The most poignant wall experiences focus on Europes recent past. Thankfully, walls that once stood for fear and intolerance now symbolize peace and progress. During the Troubles, the 30-year conflict that wracked Northern Ireland, so-called peace walls went up in Belfast to separate its sectarian communities: Catholics, in favor of a united Ireland, and Protestants, in favor of staying in the United Kingdom. Today, instead of separating its warring tribes, these walls are a tourist attraction. Visitors from around the world decorate the walls with colorful messages of hope and thanksgiving that the bombs and killing that came with the Troubles are no more. Europes most famous wall is the Berlin Wall, designed not to defend against invaders but to keep residents from escaping. Built in 1961, this 96-mile-long barrier encircled West Berlin, making it an island of freedom in communist East Germany. When the wall fell on Nov. 9, 1989, Europe enjoyed its happiest day since the end of World War II. In the euphoria that followed, wall peckers giddily chipped the Berlin Wall to smithereens. A surviving stretch of the wall has been preserved as a memorial to the victims of the Cold War. Its a long, narrow park stretching from a museum and viewing tower. What was once the notorious death strip, with a deadly obstacle course of barbed wire and tire-spike strips, is now dotted with personal memorials and informational displays. That no-mans-land between East and West is now an everymans land, famous for hosting the worlds biggest karaoke party. And the long-hated wall has become a concrete canvas for graffiti artists a peoples gallery celebrating freedom. Europes walls were built for a reason. But, as travelers learn, the true success of a society lies in finding a way beyond walls. If you look at European currency, you notice that bills feature bridges, not walls. And so do the dreams of great leaders. (Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his book, For the Love of Europe. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.) VANCOUVER, B.C. / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / Banyan Gold Corp. (the "Company" or "Banyan Gold") (TSXV:BYN) (OTCQB:BYAGF) is pleased to announce the completion of the Royalty Purchase Agreement (the "Royalty Purchase Agreement") from the Estate of Jim McFaull ("the Vendor"), whereby Banyan Gold has purchased 100% of the Vendor's royalty interest on 97 claims, known as the McFaull Claims, within the Aurex Claim Block of the AurMac Property. The Vendor had been granted Royalty Interests under a Net Smelter Royalty Agreement dated November 23, 1992. The McFaull Claims cover key target areas on the AurMac Property and include portions of the Company's Powerline and Aurex Hill deposits. Under the terms of the Royalty Purchase Agreements, Banyan Gold will jointly establish a scholarship in partnership with Jim McFaull's brothers, Gordon and William McFaull, in the name of Jim McFaull and Banyan Gold, at the Yukon Foundation, for students studying in fields related to geology and mining. The scholarship plans to award $5,000 annually to a successful candidate. "By removing one Royalty Interest on the Aurex Claim Block, Banyan is continuing to advance and de-risk the AurMac project," stated Banyan Gold CEO, Tara Christie. "I am honored that we are able to establish this scholarship in the name of Jim McFaull, whom I worked with briefly in the Keno area early in my career and I admired his hand drawn maps. This will enable more Yukoners to pursue careers in geology and mining". The scholarship is dedicated to the late geologist, Jim McFaull ("McFaull"). McFaull was born in Regina in 1952 and completed a degree in geology at the University of British Columbia. He began working with United Keno Hill Mines Ltd. in the seventies and was a key member of a team of geologists who discovered millions of ounces of silver. From 1990 until his death in 2012, he served on the boards of the Yukon Chamber of Mines and the Yukon Prospectors Association. Jim McFaull staked the first claims of what is known as Aurex Hill in 1992. Prospecting carried out in 1992 identified widespread gold mineralization associated with carbonate replacement alteration and within sheeted veins. Banyan Gold published a maiden resource for Aurex Hill in 2022, and the property was staked into a larger claim block by subsequent operators to become the Aurex Claim Block which also hosts the Powerline Deposit. Additional details on Jim McFaull and the scholarship will be made available on the Yukon Foundation website and scholarship applications will be accepted for the fall 2023 school year. Figure 1: Jim McFaull 2022 Exploration Update Banyan commenced exploration diamond drilling in January 2022 and has now completed over 26,000 m of drilling of the planned 60,000m program. Upcoming Events Banyan Gold will be attending: Precious Metals Summit: Beaver Creek, Colorado, September 13 - 16, 2022 New Orleans Investment Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 12 - 15, 2022 All events are subject to change. About Banyan Gold Banyan Gold's primary asset, the AurMac Property is comprised of the Aurex and McQuesten properties, as well as claims staked and owned 100% by Banyan Gold, and adjacent to Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine, in Canada's Yukon Territory. The updated resource for the AurMac Property of 3,990,000 ounces (see Table 1 below) was announced on May 17 2022. The 173 sq km AurMac Property lies 30 kilometres from Victoria Gold's Eagle Project and adjacent to the Keno Hill Silver District operated by Alexco Resource Corp. and is highly prospective for structurally controlled, intrusion related gold-silver mineralization. The property is transected by the main Yukon highway and access road to the Victoria Gold open-pit, heap leach Eagle Gold mine. The AurMac Property benefits from a 3-phase powerline, existing power station and cell phone coverage. Banyan has a right to earn up to a 100% interest, in both the Aurex and McQuesten Properties, subject to certain royalties. The Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the AurMac Property was prepared May 13, 2022and consisted of 3,990,000 ounces of gold (see Table 1) hosted within near surface, road accessible pit constrained Mineral Resources contained in three near/on-surface deposits: the Airstrip, Aurex Hill and Powerline Deposits. Table 1: Pit-Constrained Inferred Mineral Resources at a 0.2 g/t Au Cut-Off - AurMac Property Deposit Au Cut-Off g/t Tonnage M Tonnes Average Au Grade g/t Au Content k oz. Airstrip 0.2 42.5 0.64 874 Powerline 0.2 152.0 0.59 2,898 Aurex Hill 0.3 12.5 0.53 215 Total Combined 0.2 - 0.3 207.0 0.60 3,990 Notes to Table 1: The effective date for the Resource Estimate is May 13, 2022. The updated Resource Estimate for the AurMac Property was prepared by Marc Jutras, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., Principal, Ginto Consulting Inc., an independent Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. Mr. Jutras is preparing a technical report supporting the Resource Estimate (the "Technical Report") in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101, which will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com within forty-five (45) days of the date of the initial news release. Please see the news release of May 17, 2022. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Resource Estimate may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, changes in global gold markets or other relevant issues. The definitions of inferred mineral resources that are contained in the Definition Standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM Definition Standards"), which are incorporated by reference into National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") were followed to classify the mineral resources in the Resource Estimate. The quantity and grade of reported inferred mineral resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred mineral resources as an indicated mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. Mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.2 g/t Au for the Airstrip and Powerline deposits and 0.3 g/t Au for the Aurex Hill deposits, using a US$/CAN$ exchange rate of 0.75 and constrained within an open-pit shell optimized with the Lerchs-Grossman algorithm to constrain the Mineral Resources with the following estimated parameters: gold price of US$1,700/ounce, US$2.50/t mining cost, US$5.50/t processing cost, US$2.00/t G+A, 80% heap leach recoveries, and 45 pit slope. The gold price and cost assumptions are consistent with current pricing assumptions and costs, and in particular are consistent with those employed for recent technical reports for similar pit-constrained Yukon gold projects. The number of tonnes was rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. The number of ounces was rounded to the nearest thousand and final result to three significant figures. Any discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects. In addition to the AurMac Property, the Company holds the Hyland Gold Project, located 70 kilometres Northeast of Watson Lake, Yukon, along the Southeast end of the Tintina Gold Belt (the "Hyland Project"). The Hyland Project represents a sediment hosted, structurally controlled, intrusion related gold deposit, within a large land package (over 125 sq km), accessible by a network of existing gravel access roads. Banyan Gold trades on the TSX-Venture Exchange under the symbol "BYN" and is quoted on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "BYAGF". For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.BanyanGold.com or contact the Company. Qualified Persons Paul D. Gray, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for the Company, is a "qualified person" as defined under NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the contents of this new release. Mr. Gray has verified the data disclosed in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information. ON BEHALF OF BANYAN GOLD CORPORATION (signed) "Tara Christie" Tara Christie President & CEO For more information, please contact: Tara Christie " 778 928 0556 " [email protected] Jasmine Sangria " 604 312 5610 " [email protected] CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor OTCQB Venture Market accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains forward-looking information, which is not comprised of historical facts. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe", "potential" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's plans for drilling this year; and statements regarding exploration expectations, exploration or development plans; and mineral resource estimates. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, uncertainties inherent in resource estimates, continuity and extent of mineralization, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, enhanced risks inherent to conducting business in any jurisdiction, and those risks set out in Banyan's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although Banyan believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Banyan 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. SOURCE: Banyan Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2022 / All amounts in USD unless otherwise stated) - Polaris Infrastructure Inc. (TSX:PIF) ("Polaris" or the "Company"), announced today that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of an operational solar project in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic - Solar Polaris has completed the acquisition from a Canadian based renewable energy developer, Potentia Renewables Inc., a 32 MWdc operational solar project named Canoa 1 (the "Project") located in the Barahona Province, Dominican Republic. The Project reached COD in March 2020 and has a 20 year power purchase agreement ("PPA") in place with Edesur Dominicana SA (EDESUR), a local Dominican distributor. The key terms and attributes of the acquisition are as follows: Polaris purchased all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Emerald Solar Energy SRL which owns 100% of the Project and the licenses and permits, in exchange for $20.3 million in cash, including closing adjustments; Polaris now owns 100% of the Project which includes the Canoa 2 expansion as described below; Polaris assumed non-recourse debt at the project level of $35.3 million; The Project has a PPA denominated in US$ with an estimated price for 2022 of $128.10 per Mwhr. Such PPA has an inflator of 1.22% per annum until the price reaches $142.80 per Mwhr at which point the price remains fixed until the end of the PPA in 2040. The Project has an extendable 30-year lease agreement with the original developer and is located on a portion of a land parcel totalling ~1.4km2. The Canoa 1 project represents approximately 30% of the total land parcel. The definitive Concession allows for the capacity installed to be doubled from the current operating capacity of 32.6 MWdc to approximately 65 MWdc. A second PPA for Canoa 2 with the local distributor would be required and these discussions are actively continuing. To the extent a PPA for Canoa 2 is reached, Polaris will look to commence construction shortly thereafter. "We are very pleased to have closed on this acquisition" stated Marc Murnaghan, Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Infrastructure, "The combination of operational and development assets is the mix of assets we have been looking for and aligns with our strategic objectives. Now that the acquisition is closed, our jurisdictions will have increase to four and our plants in operation will increase to five with operational solar added to the generation mix. As well, we do expect to close on our previously announced Ecuadorian transaction in Q3-22. This is all aligned with the goal of diversification by asset class and generation mix while maintaining 100% of revenues derived in US dollars. In addition, we view the Dominican Republic as a very attractive market for Polaris to grow and develop further renewable projects." Polaris Infrastructure funded the acquisition with cash on hand. About Polaris Infrastructure Polaris Infrastructure is a Toronto-based company engaged in the operation, acquisition, and development of renewable energy projects in Latin America. Currently, the Company owns and operates a geothermal project located in Nicaragua, three hydro projects located in Peru, and is developing solar projects in Panama. Investor Relations Polaris Infrastructure Inc. Phone: +1 647-245-7199 Email: [email protected] This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to future events or future performance, management's expectations regarding the ability to complete the acquisition of the Project on the terms described in this press release or at all, the anticipated MW of the Project, the anticipated investments required to complete construction of the Project, the anticipated timeline required to achieve commercial operation, the ability to fund construction with cash on hand and funds generated through operations, and the expected benefits from the acquisition of the Project and diversification into Dominican Republic and the availability of similar acquisition opportunities in Panama. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current geothermal and hydro energy production, development and/or exploration activities and the accuracy of probability simulations prepared to predict prospective geothermal resources; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; possible variations of production rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the geothermal and hydro power industries; political instability or insurrection or war; labor force availability and turnover; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or in the completion of development or construction activities, or in the commencement of operations; the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern and general economic conditions, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form. These factors should be considered carefully and readers of this press release should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Although the forward-looking information contained in this press release is based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The information in this press release, including such forward-looking information, is made as of the date of this press release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, Polaris Infrastructure assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances. SOURCE: Polaris Infrastructure, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: Credit Suisse analyst Robert Moskow reiterated a Neutral rating and $68.00 price target on General Mills (NYSE: GIS) after Nielsen ... I'm a New Customer I'm a Returning Customer E-mail Address (or username, if registered via mobile device) Password Valencia Pointe is funded in part by CalHFAs Mixed-Income Program SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Since launching its Mixed-Income Program in 2019, the California Housing Finance Agency has made loan commitments to 47 projects which, when completed, will represent more than 7,600 new affordable homes across the state. With new construction housing projects typically taking a couple of years to complete, CalHFA is now seeing some of the first projects to receive commitments, start to open up to residents including Valencia Pointe. The 102-unit development held a Grand Opening event on June 22 in San Diego. With a mix of units, ranging from those that are affordable to extremely low-income families to those that working class Californians can afford, Valencia Pointe exemplifies what Senate pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins envisioned when she authored 2017s Building Homes and Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2), which led to the creation of the Mixed-Income Program (MIP). The states housing affordability crisis has become so dire that Californians at all income levels are struggling to find suitable housing, Atkins said. I am thrilled that CalHFAs program is using these resources to address the housing needs of vulnerable working-class Californians while continuing to provide affordable housing to those at the lower income levels, and even more excited to see it being done in San Diego. The MIP model of including units that are affordable at various income levels in the same development is beneficial for the residents living in those apartments and for Californians everywhere because these projects use state resources efficiently. Mixed-Income projects are truly integrated, inclusive communities that create opportunity and upward mobility for the residents, said CalHFA Executive Director Tiena Johnson Hall. When choosing which affordable housing projects will get MIP funding, CalHFA prioritizes readiness to proceed with construction as well as those projects that make the most efficient use of state housing investment. These cost efficiencies allow the state to stretch its resources to fund even more affordable housing. The program was honored in 2020 with an award from the National Council of State Housing Agencies with judges praising MIPs streamlined finance model, which produces more housing in less time and with less public subsidy. In a state where affordable housing projects can sometimes cost up to $1 million per unit, the unique design of the Mixed-Income Program has led to a projected average cost per unit of under $500,000. Valencia Pointe received its commitment from CalHFA in June of 2020 and is providing affordable housing to vulnerable San Diego residents just two years later. The development will provide various services to these residents such as job training, credit counseling, budgeting courses and more. CalHFA partnered with developer CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development to create this much-needed affordable housing and additional financing came from the County of San Diego, the Debt Limit and Tax Credit allocation committees in the State Treasurers Office, Citibank, MAAC and Hunt Capital Partners. We were honored to be selected to build this project and without CalHFA, we could not have gotten it done, said Paul Salib, CEO of CRP Affordable and Community Development. The California Housing Finance Agency was created in 1975 with the goal of helping more Californians find a place to call home. CalHFA has helped more than 201,000 low- and moderate-income homebuyers with $32.6 billion in first mortgages and used $6.1 billion in financing for the construction and preservation of more than 70,000 affordable rental housing units throughout the state. CalHFA is a self-supported state agency that doesn't rely on taxpayer dollars for its operational costs. For more information on CalHFA programs, and how we are investing in diverse California communities, visit www.calhfa.ca.gov or call toll free at 877.9.CalHFA (877.922.5432). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005912/en/ Chris Saur Phone: 916.326.8604 [email protected] www.calhfa.ca.gov Source: California Housing Finance Agency SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EquBot announced today that the Board of Trustees of ETF Series Solutions (the "Trust") has determined to close and liquidate the EquBot AI Powered International Equity ETF (NYSE: AIIQ) (the "Fund") effective immediately after the close of business on July 29, 2022. EquBot will continue to operate its other Funds and Indexes as usual. The Fund's last day of trading will be July 28, 2022, which will also be the final day for creation unit orders by authorized participants. The Fund will conclude operations and distribute the remaining proceeds to shareholders promptly after July 29, 2022. Shareholders who do not sell their Fund shares by this date will have their shares automatically redeemed for cash based on the Fund's net asset value (NAV). Customary brokerage charges may apply to transactions to sell Fund shares. Shareholders should contact their tax advisor to discuss the income tax consequences of the liquidation. About EquBot EquBot is an explainable AI investment platform that helps institutional investors make smarter investment decisions. The platform currently powers approximately $2 Billion in assets across ETFs, indices, thematic baskets and other solutions for some of the largest global financial institutions. EquBots investors stay informed through access to insights across global news articles, financial and market data, and alternative data on over 50k global stocks, bonds, REITs, and commodities. EquBot is a participant in the With Watson program and a graduate of the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program. EquBot is headquartered in San Francisco. Additional information is available at www.equbot.com. Carefully consider the Funds investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Funds statutory or summary prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-650-451-5497, or by visiting www.AIIQetf.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), may trade at a discount or premium to NAV and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005143/en/ Julia Stoll / [email protected] MacMillan Communications 212-473-4442 Source: EquBot OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to aa (Superior) from aa- (Superior) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) of Aflac Life Insurance Japan, Ltd. (Aflac Japan), American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Omaha, NE), American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (Albany, NY) and Continental American Insurance Company (Omaha, NE). The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has been revised to stable from positive while the outlook of the FSR is stable. These companies represent the life/health insurance subsidiaries of Aflac Incorporated (Aflac) (Columbus, GA) [NYSE: AFL] and are collectively referred to as Aflac Incorporated Group. Concurrently, AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term ICR to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) and all Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IRs) of Aflac. The outlook of the Long-Term ICR and Long-Term IRs has been revised to stable from positive. (See below for a detailed listing of the Long-Term IRs and shelf registration). The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Aflac Incorporated Groups balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and very strong enterprise risk management (ERM). The upgrade of Aflacs Long-Term ICRs is driven by the strength of its ERM program, which is deeply embedded in the organizations strategy and decision making, and has impacted its balance sheet strength, operational performance and business profile positively. AM Bests assesses ERM program as very strong, a description of a program that demonstrates robust processes within its framework that are effective in identifying potential risks early, managing those risks and mitigating them. Aflac has established clear risk appetite and tolerances with a program that is structured to control and manage those identified risks effectively. The organization for years has built a risk culture that spans vertically throughout each of its levels. AM Bests assessment also includes an evaluation of the programs risk defense capabilities of multiple exposures and has determined that most are managed with very high capabilities. Aflacs ERM capabilities allowed it to develop diligent analysis and assessment of the Long Duration Target Improvement (LDTI) accounting change. The company implemented various proactive measures to ensure the balance sheet and financial flexibility remain robust following LDTI GAAP accounting changes in 2023. Aflac has also leveraged its risk management capabilities to maintain its favorable business profile in Japans market and management has made numerous investments in its U.S. market businesses to position the company well to grow product premium over the next few years. The company is the leader in providing medical and cancer insurance in Japan, and its strong partnership with Japan Post solidifies its standing as a formidable competitor in that market. In the U.S. market, Aflac continues to lead in marketing supplemental insurance at worksites. The medium to long-term growth strategies include realizing growth from its investments in its network dental and vision insurance products, with high expectations in its group life, disability and absence management insurance products. A good deal of the growth expectations are supported by Aflacs ability to innovate at the product level and use technology to extend its direct-to-consumer reach during the periods of the pandemic that may have limited its core face-to-face sales strategies that are so very effective by its sales agents. AM Best assesses the balance sheet strength as strongest, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best notes that Aflacs capitalization, liquidity and access to capital provide financial flexibility and support for the overall enterprise and its operating entities. Aflac is active in shareholder repurchases and uses its capital to pay dividends; however, its diversified product sales structure across international markets contributes to favorable operating earnings and strong cash flows at the holding company. This has supported Aflacs strong debt interest coverage where it has issued debt opportunistically over the years and carries an adjusted financial leverage measure well within AM Best tolerances. Aflacs pretax operating margins in 2021 were strong in the Japan and U.S. markets, with margins of 25.2% and 22.8%, respectfully. The results through first-quarter 2022 were similar for Japan; however, the profit margin declined to 19.8% for the U.S. operations on higher expenses. Aflac has been investing in its U.S. businesses growth initiatives, which include dental, vision, group life and disability, and leveraging its direct-to-consumer capabilities. These and other integration expenses of recently acquired business have contributed to the higher expenses. The investments in these U.S.-based market products are expected to provide premium growth, and over time, scale, to drive down the cost structure at Aflacs U.S. operating entities. The following Long-Term IRs have been upgraded with the outlook revised to stable from positive: Aflac Incorporated -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $750 million 3.625% senior unsecured notes, due 2024 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $450 million 3.25% senior unsecured notes, due 2025 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 12.4 billion, 0.3% senior unsecured notes, due 2025 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $300 million 2.875% senior unsecured notes, due 2026 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $400 million 1.125% senior unsecured notes, due 2026 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 60 billion 0.932% senior unsecured notes, due 2027 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 12.6 billion 0.5% senior unsecured notes, due 2029 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 13.3 billion 0.55% senior unsecured notes, due 2030 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $1.0 billion, 3.6% senior unsecured notes, due 2030 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 29.3 billion 1.159% senior unsecured notes, due 2030 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 9.3 billion 0.843% senior unsecured notes, due 2031 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 30 billion 0.633% senior unsecured notes, due 2031 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 20.7 billion 0.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2032 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 15.2 billion 1.488% senior unsecured notes, due 2033 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 12.0 billion 0.844% senior unsecured notes, due 2033 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 9.8 billion 0.934% senior unsecured notes, due 2034 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 10.6 billion 0.83% senior unsecured notes, due 2035 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 10.0 billion 1.039% senior unsecured notes, due 2036 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 8.9 billion 1.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2038 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 6.3 billion 1.122% senior unsecured notes, due 2039 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $400 million 6.90% senior unsecured notes, due 2039 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $450 million 6.45% senior unsecured notes, due 2040 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 10.0 billion 1.264% senior unsecured notes, due 2041 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $400 million 4.0% senior unsecured notes, due 2046 -- to a- (Excellent) from bbb+ (Good) on JPY 60 billion 2.108% subordinated debentures, due 2047 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on $550 million 4.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2049 -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on JPY 20.0 billion 1.56% senior unsecured notes, due 2051 The following indicative Long-Term IRs have been upgraded with the outlook revised to stable from positive for securities available under the existing shelf registration: Aflac Incorporated -- to a (Excellent) from a- (Excellent) on senior unsecured debt -- to a- (Excellent) from bbb+ (Good) on subordinated debt This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006070/en/ Wayne Kaminski Senior Financial Analyst +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5061 [email protected] Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 [email protected] Doniella Pliss Director +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5104 [email protected] Jeff Mango Managing Director, Strategy & Communications +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5204 [email protected] Jason Shum Associate Director +852 2827 3424 [email protected] Source: AM Best SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Andersen Global establishes tax and legal capabilities in New Zealand through Collaboration Agreements with two Auckland-based firms law firm Turner Hopkins, and tax and advisory firm Bellingham Wallace. The firms maintain deep connections in the region and will play a pivotal role in driving business and delivering integrated, global solutions to create long-term value for clients. Turner Hopkins was founded in 1923, and for nearly 100 years, has provided full-service capabilities in real estate, corporate and commercial law, litigation, finance, employment law, family, private client, estate and immigration. Turner Hopkins interdisciplinary team of professionals has vast experience working across a suite of industries and addressing client needs with comprehensive, customized solutions. We pride ourselves on our client-focused approach and our commitment to ensuring that we retain the highest caliber of lawyers and professionals, which has allowed us to maintain a competitive edge in the Auckland region for nearly a century, said Managing Partner Michael Robinson. Collaborating with Andersen Global enables us to continue to work seamlessly with clients and to deliver quality solutions for clients whose needs are increasingly global in nature. Established in 2012, Bellingham Wallace was founded by Co-Managing Partners, Matt Bellingham and Aaron Wallace, to work closely with clients ranging from small to large privately owned enterprises. The firm offers a range of full-service capabilities in advisory, governance, tax, strategy, due diligence and valuation to drive growth and manage risks for clients businesses. Our firm has experienced exceptional growth over the past few years as we continue to prioritize our clients every need and expand our existing capabilities in the market, said Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner Matt Bellingham. Collaborating with Andersen Global demonstrates our commitment to excellence and reinforces our client-focused approach as the additional global resources will bolster our capabilities to meet evolving client needs, added Aaron Wallace. Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO Mark Vorsatz said, Turner Hopkins and Bellingham Wallace will be great assets in satisfying our growing needs in the region. These firms share our organizations commitment to stewardship and demonstrate the highest professional standards, forecasting a synergistic working relationship among our professionals. Collaborating with these firms is key as we continue to bring best-in-class solutions to our clients across the globe and strengthen our presence in the Asia Pacific region. Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 11,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 360 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005430/en/ Megan Tsuei Andersen Global 415-764-2700 Source: Andersen Global TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Balance is proud to celebrate five years in business serving Canadians as the country's top digital asset custodian. Founded in June 2017, the company introduced its custody services in a closed pilot in August 2018. The public launch followed one year later, the first of its kind in Canada. Having surpassed $500M of assets under custody (over $2.5B ahead of the recent market pullback), this makes Balance not only the oldest Canadian digital asset custodian, but also the largest. Our focus since day one has been to build a world-class solution for Canadian businesses. To compete with established giants such as Coinbase and Gemini, we eschewed vending ready-made solutions and instead built our offline and warm infrastructure in-house. It wasnt an easy challenge. It took us over one year of building and one year of polishing before our public launch. Were grateful to our early backers at Techstars and Bicameral Ventures for sharing the vision and taking a bet on us. The Canadian ecosystem is better off as a result. - George Bordianu, Chief Executive Officer Since its August 2019 public launch, Balance has grown its client base to include companies that span Canada, certain US states, as well as BVI and Cayman Islands. Balance successfully serves crypto exchanges, OTC and prop. trading desks, neobanks, ATM networks, private funds, market makers, liquidity providers, foundation treasuries, and more. The fact that we built our infrastructure in-house allows us to charge 10-25 bps/year and offer free unlimited withdrawals while maintaining positive unit economics. Typical market rates are 30-50 bps/year with an additional 1-5 bps/transfer. Our prospects sometimes have a hard time believing that a small Canadian company built a solution thats 2-3x more cost effective than what the industry giants offer. Yet we prove it every day. - Dustin Plett, Chief Sales Officer To celebrate these milestones and better showcase its product offering, Balance has launched a new online presence at www.balance.ca. Disclaimer PARADISO VENTURES INC. O/A Balance is a private company incorporated under the laws of the Canada Business Corporations Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-44, with the registered office address at 325 Front St W, 4th floor (Attn: Balance), M5V 2Y1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada which sells digital goods and services. This is not an offer or solicitation of any investment contract or financial security and should not be misconstrued as such. Digital assets and the blockchain are early technologies and as such have an associated high degree of risk. Balance cannot and does not offer financial or investing advice. For informational purposes only. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005257/en/ Dustin Donley Plett [email protected] +1 (833) 225-7030 Source: Balance IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CoreLogic announced today that Patrick Dodd has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the company. He will continue to serve on the companys board of directors. Dodd was named interim chief executive officer in January 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005057/en/ Pat Dodd, President & CEO, CoreLogic (Photo: Business Wire) Charles Davis, CEO of Stone Point Capital, said, We are thrilled that Pat is assuming the role of CEO on a permanent basis. Pat has demonstrated his dedication to the company following his role as CoreLogic's chief operating and growth officer and holds almost three decades of proven leadership and value creation in the information services industry. We look forward to continuing to work with Pat as CoreLogic advances its strategic priorities. Pat stepped up at a pivotal time in CoreLogic's growth story. He has done an outstanding job as interim CEO, leading the company through a period of great transformation over the past six months, added Deven Parekh, Managing Director at Insight Partners. Prior to assuming the top job in January, Dodd served as the companys chief operating and growth officer. "I am honored and excited to continue leading our outstanding team through this next important phase of growth and transformational evolution for our company," said Pat Dodd, president and CEO of CoreLogic. About CoreLogic CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions provider. The companys combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance, and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. About Stone Point Capital Stone Point Capital is an investment firm based in Greenwich, CT, with more than $40 billion of assets under management. Stone Point targets investments in companies in the global financial services industry and related sectors. The firm invests in a number of alternative asset classes, including private equity through its flagship Trident Funds. Stone Point also manages both liquid and private credit funds and managed accounts. In addition, Stone Point Capital Markets supports our firm, portfolio companies and other clients by providing dedicated financing solutions. For more information, please visit www.stonepoint.com. About Insight Partners Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of February 24, 2022, the closing of the firm's recent fundraise, Fund XII, brings Insight Partners' regulatory assets under management to over $90B. Insight Partners has invested in more than 600 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Insight Partners meets great software leaders where they are in their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005057/en/ CoreLogic Contact: Robin Wachner (949) 939-7392 [email protected] Stone Point Capital Contact: Mary Catherine Manin (203) 862-3126 [email protected] Insight Partners Contact: Nikki Parker (571) 353-4237 [email protected] Source: CoreLogic 761,000 Square Foot Facility To Be Fully Operational in 2024 HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. (Daikin) will build a 761,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Mexico that will be fully operational in 2024, the company announced today. The estimated $230 million investment is a pillar of an aggressive growth strategy in response to increasing demand for Daikin products in North America and Latin America, which include the Daikin, Goodman, and Amana brands. Daikin is intensely focused on becoming the North American HVAC industry leader in all aspects, from production and innovation to quality and customer service, said Satoru Akama, President and CEO of Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. In order to meet the increased demand for our technologies and products throughout North America and Latin America, and from a business continuity standpoint, it is absolutely necessary to expand our manufacturing presence into Mexico. The new facility will localize production of Daikins mini-split and Daikin FIT residential inverter products that are currently imported from manufacturing sites in Asia. Daikin has already expanded its manufacturing presence into Mexico, migrating the production of some modular blower product lines to a 200,000-square-foot repurposed facility. That facility will supplement production at DTTP with five product lines once fully operational in 2023. It is vital to integrate production at a local level to efficiently maintain our high standards to deliver quality service to our customers, Akama said. It also underscores our belief in adding manufacturing capacity where our products are bought, sold and used. A vast majority of manufacturing operations will remain at DTTPs 4.3-million-square-foot campus, where production volume, scale and workforce headcount will not be impacted by the new sites. Production at DTTP is on pace to eclipse manufacturing records set in FY21. Daikin Texas Technology Park will continue to be the center of our operations and forefront of Daikins innovation in North America, Akama said. Our presence in Mexico will be a wonderful complement to the tremendous achievements and continued growth in manufacturing operations at DTTP. DTTP, which has served as the companys North American headquarters since 2017, currently employs a workforce of close to 10,000 and continues to actively recruit new team members. Growth beyond the bounds of DTTPs massive facility is a corollary to Daikins expansion in the United States. Demand for Daikin, Goodman, and Amana brand products has increased significantly across more than 80 locations and 20 states in the last 21 months through the acquisition of Stevens Equipment Supply, LLC, ABCO HVACR Supply + Solutions, Robinson Plumbing & Heating Supply Co., Inc. Thermal Supply, Inc., AirReps, LLC and CCOM Group, Inc. Daikin has also expanded operations in the Greater Houston region in recent years. In 2020, it added 62,000 square feet of office space and common areas at DTTP. Last year, the company signed a 494,800 square-foot lease in northwest Houston to supplement distribution and logistics operations. Daikin has since built out that site, which now serves as a parts distribution center. We remain committed to focusing intense recruiting efforts in the Greater Houston region, said Kristi Pittman, Vice President of Human Resources. Our priorities continue to be enhancing our employee experience, filling open positions with talented individuals, and preparing for future growth. We have made substantial investments in Daikin Texas Technology Park, the surrounding community, and the Greater Houston region and will continue to build our team locally, Akama said. We are so proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to advancing our footprint across North America. For more, visit www.northamerica-daikin.com. About Daikin Daikin Industries, Ltd. (DIL) is a Fortune 1,000 company with more than 84,870 employees worldwide and is the worlds #1 indoor comfort solutions provider company. Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. (DNA) is a subsidiary of DIL, providing Daikin, Goodman, Amana and Quietflex brands products. DNA and its affiliates manufacture heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and industrial use and are sold via independent HVAC contractors. DNA engineering and manufacturing is located at Daikin Texas Technology Park near Houston, Texas. For additional information, visit www.northamerica-daikin.com. Amana is a registered trademark of Maytag Corporation or its related companies and is used under license. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005983/en/ Marc Bellanger - Director of Marketing & Communications - 713.263.5505 [email protected] Wendy Hall - Director Communications 713-263-5263 [email protected] Source: Daikin Industries, Ltd. HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Enterprise Products Operating LLC (Enterprise), a subsidiary of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD), recently filed applications for tax abatements for six proposed projects, including a proposed ethane to ethylene cracker that could be located in one of at least three jurisdictions. None of the six projects and their locations have been finalized, approved or sanctioned at this time. Furthermore, to clarify multiple media reports, while Enterprise has been working to develop and commercially underwrite an ethane to ethylene facility for a number of years, the company has neither approved nor sanctioned the construction of such a facility. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is one of the largest publicly traded partnerships and a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. Services include: natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and storage; NGL transportation, fractionation, storage and marine terminals; crude oil gathering, transportation, storage and marine terminals; petrochemical and refined products production, transportation, storage, and marine terminals and related services; and a marine transportation business that operates on key U.S. inland and intracoastal waterway systems. The partnerships assets include more than 50,000 miles of pipelines; over 260 million barrels of storage capacity for NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals; and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity. Please visit www.enterpriseproducts.com for more information. This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein that address activities, events, developments or transactions that EPD and its general partner expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including required approvals by regulatory agencies, the possibility that the anticipated benefits from such activities, events, developments or transactions cannot be fully realized, the possibility that costs or difficulties related thereto will be greater than expected, the impact of competition, and other risk factors included in EPDs reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. Except as required by law, EPD does not intend to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005815/en/ Randy Burkhalter, Investor Relations, (713) 381-6812 or (866) 230-0745, [email protected] Rick Rainey, Media Relations (713) 381-3635, [email protected] Source: Enterprise Products Operating LLC REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GoFundMe, the trusted leader in online fundraising, announced today that Greg Mrva is joining the company as Chief Financial Officer. Greg has over 25 years of experience building finance, strategy and operating teams at leading technology companies and leading investment banking teams advising global technology businesses. He will be responsible for leading GoFundMes finance, accounting, business operations and corporate development functions which includes Classy, a leading software platform for nonprofits. Greg will join the companys executive team and will report to CEO Tim Cadogan. He will play an instrumental role in advancing the companys vision of becoming the most helpful place on earth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005461/en/ GoFundMe Chief Financial Officer, Greg Mrva (Photo: Business Wire) Most recently, Greg was the President of TPG Pace Tech Opportunities, where he led the organization's successful business combination with Nerdy Inc. (NYSE: NRDY). Prior to TPG Pace Tech Opportunities, Greg was the CFO of StubHub where he sat on both the StubHub and eBay finance leadership teams and was responsible for financial planning, accounting, analysis, operations, management, and strategy. Greg has also held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley, Barclays and Yahoo!. The focus and experience Greg brings to our leadership team will be invaluable as we scale our business, expand into adjacent markets, and continue to build industry-leading tools to help people help each other, said GoFundMe CEO, Tim Cadogan. Gregs mix of financial, strategic and operating expertise will be essential as we accelerate growth globally across both GoFundMe and Classy. GoFundMe is a unique technology company as people rely on the power of its platform and global community during lifes most pressing moments and to provide support to each other during nearly every world event, said Greg Mrva. Im thrilled to join a company that has become a household name for providing a trusted and efficient way for people to help each other and their communities as well as providing nonprofit organizations with mission critical software to unlock giving. Mrva joins GoFundMe during a period of sustained momentum. In May, the company announced that it completed the acquisition of Classy, the leading nonprofit fundraising software company. The acquisition creates a global leader in modern giving across B2C and B2B, unlocking new opportunities to service the nearly $500 billion U.S. philanthropic market and reach more people and organizations across the world. About GoFundMe: Since 2010, GoFundMe has become a trusted global leader in online fundraising, helping to raise and deliver more than $17 billion from over 200 million donations. Our vision is to become the most helpful place in the world. In 2022, GoFundMe acquired Classy, which has helped nonprofits mobilize and empower the world for good by helping them raise $4 billion on its platform since 2011. To learn more, visit us at GoFundMe.com and Classy.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005461/en/ Heidi Hagberg GoFundMe [email protected] Source: GoFundMe TOULOUSE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Latecoere (Paris: LAT), a leading partner of major international aircraft manufacturers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hilmar Leimbach as Group Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1st, 2022. He succeeds Philippe Salats who leaves the Company. With more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, Hilmar Leimbach has held various management positions in the aerospace and transportation sectors (Constellium, Novelis) as well as in the consumer goods (P&G) and services (Intertek) sectors. "We are very pleased to welcome Hilmar Leimbach to the Executive Committee. With his international background, strong financial expertise and in-depth knowledge of the industry, he will actively contribute to Latecoere's profitable growth strategy and operational excellence." said Thierry Mootz, CEO of Latecoere. A propos de Latecoere As a "Tier 1" international partner of the world's major aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Mitsubishi Aircraft), Latecoere is active in all segments of the aeronautics industry (commercial, regional, business and military aircraft), in two areas of activity: Aerostructures (55% of turnover): fuselage sections and doors, Interconnection Systems (45% of turnover): wiring, electrical furniture and on-board equipment. As of December 31, 2020, the Group employed 4,172 people in 13 different countries. Latecoere, a French limited company capitalised at 23,704,629.50 divided into 94,818,518 shares with a par value of 0.25, is listed on Euronext Paris - Compartment B, ISIN Codes: FR0000032278 - Reuters: LAEP.PA - Bloomberg: LAT.FP. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005984/en/ Taddeo Antoine Denry / Relations Investisseurs +33 (0)6 18 07 83 27 Laurine Quil / Relations Media +33 (0)6 59 70 88 39 [email protected] Source: Latecoere VAUGHAN, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IGNITE International Brands, Ltd. (CSE:BILZ, OTCQX: BILZF) (IGNITE or the Company), is pleased to announce today the appointment of Mr. Ralph Gilpin-Payne and Mr. Tom Bunker, as independent, non-executive directors, to Ignites board of directors. Mr. Gilpin-Payne and Mr. Bunker have been appointed to replace Ms. Vered Elkouby Nisim and Dr. Pradeep Albert following their resignations from the Companys board of directors, effective today. Mr. Ralph Gilpin-Payne has extensive managerial experience and is currently the Operations Manager at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. Mr. Gilpin-Payne also served as adjunct professor at Seneca College teaching Airline Operations and Aviation Management. Mr. Bunker is President and CEO of Middleast Airlease Limited and brings over 30 years of management and investment experience to the IGNITE board. IGNITE would like to thank Ms. Nisim and Dr. Albert for their invaluable service to the Company. About IGNITE IGNITE is a global consumer brand, operating in the premium product segment of the market. Founded by Dan Bilzerian, the Companys qualityfirst approach is fundamental to the brand and its products. IGNITE product categories now include CBD products, nicotine and synthetic nicotine vape products, premium performance drinks named ZRO, spirits featuring a premium vodka, tequila and apparel. Shares of IGNITE are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol BILZ and quoted in the United States on the OTCQX under the symbol BILZF. Further information on IGNITE can be found on the Companys website at ignite.co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006079/en/ For further information, please contact: Paul A. Holden, General Counsel Tel: 416-407-1795 Email: [email protected] Source: IGNITE International Brands, Ltd. CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Imperial (TSE: IMO, NYSE American: IMO) today announced that together with ExxonMobil Canada, it has entered into an agreement with Whitecap Resources Inc. for the sale of XTO Energy Canada, which is jointly owned by Imperial and ExxonMobil Canada, for a total cash consideration of $1.9 billion ($940 million Imperials share). The sale is expected to close before the end of the third quarter 2022, subject to regulatory approvals. The sale completes the marketing effort announced in January 2022, and is consistent with Imperials strategy to focus upstream resources on key oil sands assets and its commitment to deliver long-term value to shareholders. The assets include 567,000 net acres in the Montney shale, 72,000 net acres in the Duvernay shale and additional acreage in other areas of Alberta. Net production from these assets is about 140 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and about 9,000 barrels of crude, condensate and natural gas liquids per day. RBC Capital Markets acted as exclusive financial advisor to Imperial and ExxonMobil Canada in connection with the transaction. After more than a century, Imperial continues to be an industry leader in applying technology and innovation to responsibly develop Canadas energy resources. As Canadas largest petroleum refiner, a major producer of crude oil, a key petrochemical producer and a leading fuels marketer from coast to coast, our company remains committed to high standards across all areas of our business. Cautionary statement: Statements of future events or conditions in this release, including projections, targets, expectations, estimates, and business plans are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include references to the expected close of the sale before the end of the third quarter 2022, and the companys strategy to focus upstream resources on key oil sands assets and its commitment to deliver long-term value to shareholders. Forward-looking statements are based on the company's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions at the time the statements are made. Actual future financial and operating results, including expectations and assumptions concerning demand growth and energy source, supply and demand mix; general market conditions; commodity prices; receipt of third party and regulatory approvals in a timely manner; operations continuing as normal prior to close of the sale; capital and environmental expenditures; the adoption and impact of new facilities or technologies on unconventional development; applicable laws and government policies and actions, including climate change and restrictions in response to COVID-19; and progression of COVID-19 and its impacts on Imperials ability to operate its assets could differ materially depending on a number of factors. These factors include global, regional or local changes in supply and demand for oil, natural gas, and petroleum products and resulting price, differential and margin impacts; general economic conditions, including the severity, length and ultimate impact of COVID-19 on people and economies; the receipt, in a timely manner, of regulatory and third-party approvals; environmental risks inherent in oil and gas exploration and production activities; operational hazards and risks; unanticipated technical or operational difficulties; availability and allocation of capital; political or regulatory events, including changes in law or government policy; reservoir performance; environmental regulation, including climate change and greenhouse gas regulation and changes to such regulation; unexpected technological developments; and other factors discussed in Item 1A risk factors and Item 7 managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations of Imperials most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent interim reports on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some that are similar to other oil and gas companies and some that are unique to Imperial Oil Limited. Imperials actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by its forward-looking statements and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. Imperial undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, except as required by applicable law. Source: Imperial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006031/en/ Investor relations (587) 476-4743 Media relations (587) 476-7010 Source: Imperial NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA releases research on the key issues affecting the residential solar loan industry, including the U.S. Department of Commerce investigation into Chinese companies potentially circumventing U.S. tariffs, net metering legislation, and rising energy prices. The report also details the potential implications, in KBRAs view, that each issue poses on the solar industry. Several of the issues have a direct impact on residential solar loan ABS and will shape the sector over the near and long term. While the focus of the report is the residential solar loan ABS industry, many of the issues also impact the residential solar power purchase agreement (PPA)/lease sector as well as the solar commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors. Click here to view the report. Related Reports About KBRA KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU, and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRAs ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005874/en/ Maxim Berger, Director, Consumer ABS +1 (646) 731-1260 [email protected] Eric Neglia, Senior Managing Director, Consumer ABS +1 (646) 731-2456 [email protected] Rosemary Kelley, Senior Managing Director, Head of Global ABS +1 (646) 731-2337 [email protected] Eric Thompson, Senior Managing Director, Head of Global Structured Finance Ratings +1 (646) 731-2355 [email protected] Business Development Ted Burbage, Managing Director +1 (646) 731-3325 [email protected] Source: KBRA DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Minerva Consulting, a boutique communications firm based in Dallas, Texas with satellite offices across the country, was awarded five Telly Awards, selected as a winner out of 11,000+ entries from around the world. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks and production companies. These latest international honors mark a total of 12 Telly Awards received by Minerva, having previously won in 2019 and 2020. MINERVAS WINNING ENTRIES INCLUDE: Austin Street Centers Come Together video received a Silver award in Non-Broadcast - Not-for-profit and a Bronze award in Non-Broadcast - Social Issues. Homelessness is a critical issue, exacerbated by the pandemic. This video celebrates the collaboration and heart of Dallas, raising up diverse voices who banded together in a time of crisis for the well-being of the citys most vulnerable. New Friends New Lifes Alumni Circle Roundtable received a Silver in Non-Broadcast Videography / Cinematography and Bronze in Non-Broadcast - Not-for-profit as well as a Bronze in the Non-Broadcast - Social Issues This intimate look inside a conversation between survivors of sex trafficking highlights the important work New Friends New Life is doing to restore and empower its members. At Minerva, we believe the power of a story can change the world and are grateful for the opportunity to serve organizations devoted to making this kind of difference, said Ashley Elsey, president and CEO of Minerva Consulting. We are honored to receive these awards from such a prestigious group and to be selected among these outstanding entrants. It is a privilege to tell the stories of our clients and their work that gives voice to those who have been marginalized. Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Netflix, Jennifer Garner, HBO Latin America, Microsoft, RadicalMedia, Conde Nast, Adobe, Nickelodeon, and Partizan. The full list of the 43rd Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners. About Minerva Consulting Founded in 2003, Minerva Consulting is a boutique communications firm with offices in Dallas and Los Angeles. Minerva is grounded in the belief that fundamentally we want to be inspired. We focus our work on integrated communications services that create breakthrough messaging, humanize content, and foster artful discipline and engagement. Minerva provides services ranging from communications strategy, to messaging and brand development, to social media strategy and execution, video storytelling, graphic design, web development, public relations and event production. Minerva has won numerous international and domestic awards for its work. A certified Womens Business Enterprise National Council member, Minerva is consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Work by The Dallas Business Journal. For more information, visit www.minervaco.com. Follow Minerva on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. About The Telly Awards The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Councilan industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include Video Consortium, Ghetto Film School, We Are Parable, Future of Film, IFP, LAPPG, NAB, Stash, NYWIFT, Production Hub, IFP, with support from The Commercial Directors Diversity Program. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005867/en/ Meredith McKee 214-577-5896 [email protected] Source: Minerva Consulting NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DWS, one of the worlds leading asset managers, announced today the launch of a new Xtrackers exchange-traded fund (ETF). It provides large and mid-cap U.S. equity exposure aligned with an internationally recognized framework and is designed to capture the move of the global economy to a net zero emissions environment. Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned U.S. Equity ETF (NYSE Ticker: USNZ) listed today on the New York Stock Exchange and is designed to align with the objective of transforming economies to net zero. It provides exposure to a unique Paris Aligned Benchmark (PAB) index that uses a transparent set of rules that aim to be at the cutting edge of sustainable investment practices1. The index is designed to provide a 50% reduction in carbon intensity2 versus a market capitalization weighted U.S. equity index3, and a carbon intensity reduction trajectory of 7% year-on-year. It provides an evidence-based, statistically driven pathway to net zero, aligned with the Paris Climate Accords and their two main objectives: to achieve a net zero emissions economy by 2050 and limit the rise in global temperature by 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. There is a clear need for investments that align with net zero aims. USNZ provides a powerful net zero investment strategy that meets the latest regulatory standards that govern Paris aligned benchmark indices as defined above, said Arne Noack, Head of Systematic Investment Solutions, Americas, at DWS. DWS has a long history of providing ETF investors with specialist investment opportunities that combine the efficiency of passive investing with the advantages of well thought out, rules-based strategies for particular needs. This new listing is another example of that. In addition to meeting PAB regulations, the index also aims to comply with recommendations published by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC)*, specifically its Net Zero Investment Framework. DWS engaged with index provider Solactive to develop the index, which is called the Solactive ISS ESG United States Net Zero Pathway Enhanced Index. It consists of 386 U.S. large and mid-cap stocks and is re-balanced semi-annually4. Amanda Rebello, Head of Passive Sales at DWS, U.S. Onshore, commented: Our clients are keen to play a positive role in helping society reach net zero, and we are confident that this new ETF, with its rigorous index methodology run by Solactive, can help seek to meet that need. Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned U.S. Equity ETF has a gross/net expense ratio of 0.10% per annum, though subject to change. The launch augments the extensive $4.2 billion line-up of ESG and climate focused Xtrackers ETFs in the U.S. (Source: DWS, June 22, 2022), spanning all major asset classes. About DWS DWS Group (DWS) is one of the world's leading asset managers with EUR 902bn of assets under management (as of 31 March 2022). Building on more than 60 years of experience, it has a reputation for excellence in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia. DWS is recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines. We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major asset classes and solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground-knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, which guides our investment approach strategically. DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing: with approximately 3,600 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are investors entrusted to build the best foundation for our clients future. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ETF shares are not individually redeemable, and owners of shares may acquire those shares from the Fund, or tender such shares for the redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. Consider each funds investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other important information can be found in the funds prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-855-DBX-ETFS (1-855-329-3837) or by viewing or downloading a prospectus at www.Xtrackers.com. Please read it carefully before investing. Xtrackers ETFs are managed by DBX Advisors LLC (the Advisor), and distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. (ALPS). The Advisor is a wholly owned subsidiary of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, and is not affiliated with ALPS. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Stocks may decline in value. Incorporation of ESG criteria in the funds investment strategy does not guarantee a return or protect against a loss, limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not have an ESG focus. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the funds ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds following an ESG strategy such as the fund. The Underlying Indexs methodology for identifying companies attempting to reduce their carbon footprint limits the types and number of investment opportunities available to the fund and, as a result, the fund may underperform other funds that do not follow a carbon reduction strategy. This fund is non-diversified and can take larger portions in fewer issues, increasing its potential risk. War, terrorism, sanctions, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and, in the future, may lead to significant disruptions in US and world economies and markets, which may lead to increased market volatility and may have significant adverse effects on the fund and its investments. Investing in securities that meet ESG criteria may result in foregoing otherwise attractive opportunities, which may result in underperformance when compared to products that do not consider ESG factors. Environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance (ESG) related DWS strategies seek to provide investors with access to assets that meet responsible investment criteria without sacrificing investment returns. Although we strive to incorporate an ESG criterion, as one of many other criteria, in our investment process, DWS is a fiduciary and will act in the best interests of the client and investment account. Thus, our investment team is to not sacrifice performance for ESG investments unless specifically required by a client's investment guidelines. In addition, ESG activities and processes may vary by investment strategy, asset type and location. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. Certain statements contained in this release may be forward-looking in nature. These include all statements relating to plans, expectations, and other statements that are not historical facts and typically use words like expect, anticipate, believe, intend, and similar expressions. Such statements represent managements current beliefs, based upon information available at the time the statements are made, with regard to the matters addressed. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. Management does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements: (i) the effects of adverse changes in market and economic conditions; (ii) legal and regulatory developments; and (iii) other additional risks and uncertainties, including public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus), war, terrorism, trade disputes and related geopolitical events. NOT FDIC/ NCUA INSURED MAY LOSE VALUE NO BANK GUARANTEE NOT A DEPOSIT NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc. which offers investment products or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C. which offer advisory services. R-090684_1(6/22) DBX005247 (6/23) 1 Paris Aligned Benchmark (PAB) indices were first introduced in 2019 as tools to accompany the transition to a low carbon economy by the Technical Expert Group of the European Commission. They are a group of indices aiming to reallocate capital towards a low carbon and climate resilient global economy. 2 The carbon intensity for each company included in the underlying index is defined as its greenhouse gas emissions as a percentage of the companys enterprise value including cash. 3 The relevant reference is the Solactive GBS US Large & Mid Cap Index 4 Source: Solactive, as of June 22, 2022 * IIGCC (Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change): European initiative to mobilize capital to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. More than 170 members with more than 23 trillion euros of investment capital. Linked to Climate Action 100+. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005174/en/ Kenny Juarez DWS Phone: 1-212-454-9994 E-Mail: [email protected] Source: DWS Group Collaboration will further strengthen ties between startups and corporates in Israel and Singapore JERUSALEM & SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OurCrowd, Israels most active venture firm, today announced its partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), under its Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) programme. The GIA is a platform that serves to catalyze cross-border collaboration between Singapore and major innovation hubs globally. Israel joins the ranks of other notable tech hubs in the programme including Silicon Valley, China, and Europe. As the first Israeli company to run the programme, OurCrowds collaboration with EDB will provide thousands of Israeli startups the opportunity to work with Singapore-based corporates across the manufacturing and services sectors including healthcare, precision engineering and chemicals. This collaboration includes a series of in-person meeetings and virtual programmes including curated networking sessions and bespoke demo days. The first such programme involving in-person meetings will be held in Israel this July, where invited Singapore-based corporates will meet with Israeli entrepreneurs to discuss collaboration opportunities in technology and innovation. Yakir Machluf, OurCrowds newly appointed Head of Business Development said, The partnership with EDB is the direct evolution of OurCrowds long standing relationships in Singapore and the entire region. Following the opening of the OurCrowd office in Singapore in 2016, as well as past collaborations with United Overseas Bank (UOB), Changi Airport, and Kepple, we will continue to strengthen the strategic partnerships driving corporate innovation between Singapore, the Israeli ecosystem and beyond. Ms Lily Phua, Vice President, Innovation Economy, EDB said, With the reopening of global travel borders, our companies can now resume travel to meet with international partners to discuss growth opportunities and strengthen innovation collaborations. EDB is pleased to partner with OurCrowd to organise this series of programmes in Israel, which seek to enhance our companies capacity to create new products and businesses out of Singapore. Companies will be able to leverage OurCrowds extensive networks and deep understanding of technology capabilities in the Israeli startup ecosystem, which will further strengthen innovation ties between the two countries. Israeli startups that are interested to attend the GIA Israel programme in July 2022, please email [email protected]. About OurCrowd: OurCrowd is the online global venture investing platform that empowers institutions and individual accredited investors to invest and engage in emerging technology companies at an early stage. Acclaimed by PitchBook as the most active venture investor in Israel, OurCrowd vets and selects companies across all sectors and stages, invests its own capital, and provides its global platform of over 215,000 registered members from 195 countries with unparalleled access and freedom to co-invest from as little as $10,000 in the companies and funds of their choice. Founded by CEO Jon Medved in 2013 with the vision of democratizing world-class venture capital investing, OurCrowd has grown rapidly into the worlds leading online venture investing platform and as of 2021 has received over $1.9 billion in commitments, and deployed capital into more than 347 portfolio companies and 39 funds across five continents. To date, OurCrowds startups have recorded 59 exits including several stock market listings: Beyond Meat, Lemonade, Innoviz, Hub Security; and numerous high-profile acquisitions: JUMP by Uber, BriefCam by Canon, Argus by Continental, Crosswise by Oracle, Replay by Intel, Corephotonics by Samsung, CyberX by Microsoft, and Kenna Security by Cisco. OurCrowd builds value for its portfolio companies throughout their lifecycles, providing mentorship, recruiting industry advisors, navigating follow-on rounds and creating growth opportunities through its network of multinational partnerships. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005314/en/ PRESS CONTACT: Leah Stern, Partner, Global Communications @OurCrowd / Europe: +44 747 019 6826 / E: [email protected] Source: OurCrowd PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced the following details for its second quarter 2022 earnings release and teleconference call. Earnings release: Thursday, July 21, after U.S. stock markets close Teleconference: Friday, July 22, 8 a.m. ET PPG participants: Michael H. McGarry, chairman and chief executive officer Tim Knavish, chief operating officer Vincent J. Morales, senior vice president and chief financial officer John Bruno, vice president, investor relations Dial-in registration: Visit https://ige.netroadshow.com/registration/q4inc/11228/ppg-2nd-quarter-earnings-call/ to register for the conference call. Upon registering, you will receive your access details via email. Webcast: A live, listen-only webcast will be available via the PPG Investor Center. Telephone replay: Available beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m. ET, Friday, July 22 through 11:59 p.m. ET, Friday, August 5. Replay numbers: US Toll Free: 1 866 813 9403 US (Local): 1 929 458 6194 Canada: 1 226 828 7578 UK (Local): 0204 525 0658 All other locations: +44 204 525 0658 Access Code: 411826 Web replay: Replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the call on the PPG Investor Center and will remain through Friday, July 21, 2023. The news release will be available on the PPG Investor Center and PPG Newsroom. Prepared remarks and details regarding PPGs operating segment results and other financials will be available on the PPG Investor Center after the earnings release. PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD At PPG (NYSE: PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 135 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 75 countries and reported net sales of $16.8 billion in 2021. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com. We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. CATEGORY Financial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006049/en/ Media Contact: Mark Silvey Corporate Communications +1-412-434-3046 [email protected] Investor Contact: John Bruno Investor Relations +1-412-434-3466 [email protected] investor.ppg.com Source: PPG BWRX-300 small modular reactor technology chosen after four-year evaluation process SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) has been selected by SaskPower for potential deployment in the mid-2030s. We are excited that SaskPower has chosen the BWRX-300 for the generation of carbon-free electricity, said Jay Wileman, President & CEO, GEH. The BWRX-300 is the ideal SMR technology solution for SaskPower and customers that want to make an impact on climate change and energy security in a meaningful timeframe. There is the potential for great synergy between the work we plan to do with SaskPower and the ongoing work with Ontario Power Generation (OPG). OPG is expected to submit a construction license application this year, a major step toward the deployment of the first BWRX-300. Decades of design and licensing experience coupled with our proven and existing fuel supply chain make BWRX-300 the leading SMR solution. This is an important milestone as Saskatchewan works towards a cleaner, more sustainable future, said Don Morgan, Minister responsible for SaskPower. Conducting an independent and comprehensive evaluation while also collaborating with the other provinces on the SMR Strategic Direction has been extremely valuable in reaching this important milestone to potentially bring nuclear power to Saskatchewan. In December 2021, GEH was chosen by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) as technology partner for the Darlington New Nuclear Project. GEH is working with OPG to deploy a BWRX-300 at the Darlington site that could be complete as early as 2028. Canada has a robust nuclear energy supply chain that we look forward to continuing to build to support the global deployment of the BWRX-300, said Lisa McBride, Country Leader, GEH SMR Technologies Canada, Ltd. (GEH SMR Canada). In July 2021, GEH and Cameco Corporation announced a collaboration through which the companies would explore areas of cooperation to advance the commercialization of the BWRX-300. In May 2022, GEH SMR Canada and the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association (SIMSA) agreed to cooperate to support the potential deployment of the BWRX-300 in Saskatchewan. Advanced nuclear technologies like the BWRX-300 are a key pillar of GEs energy transition leadership. The BWRX-300 produces no carbon during operation and has been designed to achieve construction and operating costs that are substantially lower than traditional nuclear power generation technologies. Specifically, the BWRX-300 leverages a unique combination of a new, patented safety breakthrough, proven components, the licensing basis of the U.S. NRC-certified ESBWR and the existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design. This unique combination positions GEH to deliver an innovative, carbon-free baseload power generation source this decade. GEs support for the Canadian nuclear industry dates to the early 1950s. The company helped build the first Canadian nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) reactor that became the basis for the CANDU fleet. There is significant and growing global interest in the BWRX-300. In addition to Canada, GEH has memoranda of understanding or other agreements in place with companies in the U.S., Poland, Sweden, Estonia and the Czech Republic, among others, to explore deployment of the technology. About GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a world-leading provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. Established in 2007, GEH is a global nuclear alliance created by GE and Hitachi to serve the global nuclear industry. The nuclear alliance executes a single, strategic vision to create a broader portfolio of solutions, expanding its capabilities for new reactor and service opportunities. The alliance offers customers around the world the technological leadership required to effectively enhance reactor performance, power output and safety. Follow GEH on LinkedIn and Twitter. About GEH SMR Canada Based in Ontario, GEH SMR Technologies Canada, Ltd. (GEH SMR Canada) is supporting the deployment of the BWRX-300 in Canada through collaboration with Canadian customers, stakeholders, suppliers and partners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006045/en/ Jon Allen GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy +1 910 819 2581 [email protected] Source: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) plans to announce its second-quarter 2022 financial results on Friday, July 15, 2022 at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET. The results will be reviewed via webcast and teleconference at 11:00 a.m. ET. The conference call will be accessible via audio webcast on State Streets Investor Relations website, http://investors.statestreet.com, and by telephone at +1 (888) 396-8049 (Conference ID: 30142444). Materials will be available on State Streets Investor Relations website prior to the call. Following the call, a replay will be available via audio webcast on State Streets Investor Relations website, http://investors.statestreet.com, or by telephone, which will be available for approximately one month, at +1 (877) 674-7070 (Conference ID: 30142444, Playback Passcode: 142444 #). About State Street Corporation State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $41.7 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $4.0 trillion* in assets under management as of March 31, 2022, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 39,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com. * Assets under management as of March 31, 2022 includes approximately $73 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005866/en/ Ilene Fiszel Bieler +1 617-664-3477 Carolyn Cichon +1 617-664-8672 Source: State Street Corporation RIDGELAND, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vergent LMS, a premier fintech lending platform, announced that it is partnering with CRS, the single platform for all credit, fraud, and compliance needs, to simplify compliance, unlock more data, and boost data-driven decisions for Vergent customers. CRS joins 25 years of credit industry expertise with modern technology to power smart, scalable lending. Vergents partnership with CRS will empower consumer lenders to make accurate, data-driven decisions. CRS will provide Vergent clients with streamlined data and integration management that enables businesses to launch faster, get more data for less time and money, and scale with ease. Lending is the engine of our economy, which is why its so important to empower responsible lenders with reliable data, said Stephen Hawkins, CEO and co-founder of CRS. Were passionate about helping those who create Americas financial possibilities, do it faster and at scale. Our partnership with Vergent gives consumer lenders unrivaled access to a wealth of data and industry expertise that accelerates smarter lendingthat can mean real opportunity for more people. Vergent will leverage CRS API technology platform to access data, products, and offerings from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and other data providers. Through these offerings, consumer lenders will have access to simplified vetting, compliance and security processes. CRS is a proven leader in credit API technology, and were very excited to expand on Vergents services through our partnership, said Scott Putnam, CEO of Vergent. CRS will serve as a trusted partner in guiding Vergent customers to a simple but data-driven lending experience. Their simplified process makes lending easier and more accessible for consumers. About Vergent Loan Management Software Vergent Loan Management Software (Vergent LMS) provides an omnichannel lending solution for lending institutions and financial services organizations. Based out of Texas and Mississippi, Vergent offers an end-to-end solution for consumer, small-dollar, auto and online lenders. Founded in 2006, the company serves lenders in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Central America. With over $690 billion serviced and 20,000 active users, Vergent offers lenders an intuitive software that seamlessly adapts to any business. To learn more about Vergent LMS, go to vergentlms.com. About CRS CRS is the single platform for all credit, fraud, and compliance needs, helping companies make powerful, accurate data-driven decisions. CRS joins 25 years of credit industry experience with modern technology to help responsible lenders bolster economic opportunity at scale. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, CRS is a trusted partner for U.S. business and consumer lenders and their partners. A subsidiary of Credit Reporting Services, Inc, a Credit Reporting Agency and certified reseller for Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, CRS partners and integrates with bureaus and other providers to simplify vetting, compliance, and security. With a single API connection, companies unlock many data sources to power smarter lending. Learn more at CRScreditapi.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005110/en/ Vergent Contact: Gracie Gay William Mills Agency [email protected] 678-781-7221 CRS Contact: Lauren Weatherall CRS Group, Inc. [email protected] (707) 230-6272 ext. 1013 Source: Vergent LMS Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) welcomes the announcement today from the UKs Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that he is minded-to accept the statutory competition and national security undertakings provided by Parker as part of its pending acquisition of Meggitt PLC. As previously announced on August 2, 2021, the boards of Meggitt and Parker reached agreement on the terms and conditions of a recommended all cash acquisition by Parker of the entire issued, and to be issued, ordinary share capital of Meggitt PLC (the Acquisition). This decision is now subject to a public consultation period, which is due to end at 23:45 (BST) on July 13, 2022. Subject to this consultation, the UK Secretary of State will be in a position to approve the Acquisition without further review. We are pleased that following very constructive engagement with the UK Government, the Secretary of State is minded to accept the national security and competition undertakings we have offered. The combination of Parker and Meggitt is an exciting opportunity for both companies and we look forward to welcoming Meggitt to the Parker team, said Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Acquisition remains subject to satisfaction or, where applicable, waiver of the Conditions set out in the scheme circular published on August 16, 2021, including further regulatory clearances and the sanction of the scheme of arrangement by the High Court of Justice in England and Wales pursuant to the UK Companies Act 2006. Parker continues to expect the Acquisition to close in Q3 2022. On May 11, 2022, Philip Morris Holland Holdings B.V.1 (PMHH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM), announced a recommended public offer to the shareholders of Swedish Match AB (Swedish Match) to tender all shares in Swedish Match2 to PMHH (the Offer). The offer document relating to the Offer has today been approved and registered by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen). The offer document is available on the Offer website (www.smokefree-offer.com) in English and Swedish and will be available on the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authoritys website (www.fi.se) in Swedish. A copy of the offer document and a preprinted acceptance form will be sent to shareholders of Swedish Match whose shares were directly registered with Euroclear Sweden AB as of June 29, 2022, except for those domiciled in the excluded jurisdictions (see above). The acceptance form for directly registered shareholders of Swedish Match can also be obtained via email: [email protected]. The acceptance period of the Offer starts on June 29, 2022 and ends on September 30, 2022. Settlement is expected to commence on or around October 6, 2022. PMHH has reserved the right to extend the acceptance period and, to the extent necessary and permissible, will do so in order for the acceptance period to cover applicable decision-making procedures at relevant authorities. PMHH has also reserved the right to postpone the settlement date, however, that settlement shall in any event be made within 7 business days following the expiration of the acceptance period (provided that the Offer has been declared unconditional). PMHH will announce any extension of the acceptance period and/or postponement of the settlement date by a press release in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. For administrative questions regarding the Offer, please contact your bank or the nominee registered as holder of your shares. The information was submitted for publication on June 28, 2022 at 11.00 a.m. (CEST). Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE: PINS) today announced that co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President, Ben Silbermann will transition to the newly created role of Executive Chairman, and online commerce expert Bill Ready will become Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective June 29, 2022. Ready is joining Pinterest from Google, where he served as President of Commerce, Payments & Next Billion Users and oversaw Googles vision, strategy and the delivery of its commerce products. Prior to Google, Ready served in various senior leadership roles at PayPal, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. With over 400 million monthly active users, Pinterest has built a healthy advertising business that generated strong cash flow and doubled revenue during the pandemic. In addition, Pinterest has been laser-focused on putting Pinners first, continuously improving its roadmap, investing in creators, shopping and scaling internationally. Building Pinterest with such a wildly talented, kind and creative team has been the gift of a lifetime, said Silbermann. Today, Pinterest inspires hundreds of millions of people with ideas for every aspect of their lives. Weve built a growing global business that puts the well-being of our users at the core of everything we do. And were just getting started. Silbermann continued, In our next chapter, we are focused on helping Pinners buy, try and act on all the great ideas they see. Bill is a great leader for this transition. He is a builder who deeply understands commerce and payments. And he shares our passion for creating a positive corner of the Internet. Im confident hes going to be an outstanding CEO. On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to welcome Bill to the Pinterest team, said Andrea Wishom, Pinterest Board Lead Independent Director. Bill is a proven leader, whose experience in payments, product development, and shopping uniquely positions him to take Pinterest to its next phase of growth. It is a testament to the remarkable vision and leadership of Ben that we are able to welcome Bill, who shares similar values. The Board and I look forward to working with them both to accelerate Pinterest's strategy of bringing everyone the inspiration to create the life they love. Theres no better time to join Pinterest, said Ready. "I have long admired the brand and platform that Ben and the Pinterest team have created and everything the Company stands for. I am excited to build on that foundation to further scale the Companys ecosystem and drive increased value for shareholders. Having built multiple businesses from zero and operated at the scale of billions of users, I have a deep appreciation for what it takes to scale a business like this to the next level. I look forward to working closely with Ben, the Board and the rest of the leadership team to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead and usher in Pinterests next chapter of growth and success. About Bill Ready Ready joined Google as President of Commerce in January 2020 and was appointed President of Commerce, Payments and Next Billion Users in April 2021. Prior to Google, Ready was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of PayPal and Chief Executive Officer of Braintree and Venmo. Ready also serves as a director on the Board of Directors for Williams-Sonoma and ADP. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Finance from University of Louisville and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. About Pinterest Pinterest is the visual inspiration platform people around the world use to shop products personalized to their taste, find ideas to do offline and discover the most inspiring creators. People have saved more than 300 billion Pins across a range of interests from building a home office to cooking a new recipe and planning a vacation. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pinterest launched in 2010 and has more than 400 million monthly active users worldwide. Available on iOS and Android, and at pinterest.com. Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, statements about us, our industry, our growth strategy and our future operational and financial performance. Words such as believe, project, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, plan or the negative of these words or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including (but not limited to): the COVID-19 pandemic; general economic and political uncertainty and deteriorating global economic conditions; changes in user and creator engagement; our ability to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation; compromises in security; our dependency on online application stores and internet search engines methodologies and policies; disruptions to or changes in our relationships with third-party login providers; the competitive environment; our ability to scale (including internationally); our ability to generate advertising revenue; risks associated with litigation, government actions and changes to applicable laws and regulations; disruptions to our hosting services and infrastructure; and our ability to attract and retain personnel. These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022 and other information we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which is available on our investor relations website at investor.pinterestinc.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628006087/en/ LeMia Jenkins Thompson [email protected] Investor Relations Neil Doshi [email protected] Source: Pinterest, Inc. FILE PHOTO: The administrative entrance at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio, U.S. October 3, 2017. Picture taken October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (Reuters) - Whirlpool Corp has struck a deal to sell its operations in Russia to Turkish appliances maker Arcelik AS, the U.S. company said on Tuesday, a move which will see it join a raft of Western firms exiting the sanctions-hit country. The deal, which also includes Whirlpool's sales operations in Kazakhstan and other select countries in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), will result in a loss of $300 million to $400 million in the current quarter, the company said in a regulatory filing. The transaction consideration is expected to be made in the form of deferred payments over a 10-year period and is capped based on the net asset value of the business, which is currently estimated at about 220 million euros ($233 million). Whirlpool in March had said it would scale down its operations in Russia, as Western countries ratcheted up sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, making it nearly impossible for manufacturers to do business there. Since then, Western companies such as Cisco Systems Inc and Nike Inc have announced they would exit Russia. "The company, as a U.S. company, is taking this action given the current operating environment in Russia," Whirlpool said in the filing. Its manufacturing site in Lipetsk, Russia will continue to manufacture appliances under the Indesit, Hotpoint and Stinol brands after the deal closes, Whirlpool added. ($1 = 0.95 euros) (Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Action Against Hunger, a nonprofit leader in the movement to end hunger, today announced the appointment of two new members of its U.S. Board of Directors. The appointees share a passion for Action Against Hungers vision of ending hunger in our lifetimes and further enhance the boards expertise in food systems, public health, and health policy to help the organization address a growing global hunger crisis. The new board members are: Aisha Haynie Smart, a physician who is board-certified in family practice and palliative medicine, works for Memorial Hermann Hospital System as a medical director of care management. Previously, Dr. Haynie worked as a hospitalist, an emergency room physician, and as a public health physician in disease control and epidemiology. She holds a sociology degree from Harvard College and a masters degree in public affairs from Princeton University, with a focus on development economics and health policy. She obtained her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Haynie spent her formative years in the Philippines where she developed an interest in healthcare and addressing the worlds inequalities. Leslie Grant Smith, currently the Business Development Manager at American Custom Drying, has more than 16 years in the food industry. While experienced in research and development, sensory panels, and quality assurance, she is most known for her ability to successfully lead cross-functional teams in new product commercialization. She holds a Bachelors in Food Science from Penn State University, where she studied abroad in Costa Rica with an Agribusiness Management program, and also, collaborated with faculty and graduate students during a research internship at the University of Arkansas Food Science Dept. She deeply believes in the power of food as a force for good. Our commitment to strong governance will help us deliver on Action Against Hungers mission at a time of rapidly rising need among the people we serve, said Raymond Debbane, Action Against Hunger US Board Chair and President and CEO of The Invus Group, LLC, a global investment firm. It is an honor to welcome to the board Dr. Haynie and Ms. Smith, both highly qualified leaders with a diversity of personal and professional experience that can help promote the organizations ongoing social impact. Action Against Hunger reaches people in almost 50 countries with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. It also engages in issue advocacy, original research and program innovations that promise even more efficient, effective approaches to addressing the growing global hunger crisis. We must come together against hunger as climate change and conflict create the kind of global hunger emergency that we havent seen in decades, said Dr. Charles Owubah, Action Against Hungers CEO. We are delighted that Dr. Haynie and Ms. Smith are supporting our efforts to ensure that every life is well nourished. The new appointments to the Board join existing members who include: Raymond Debbane (Chair), Thilo Semmelbauer (Co-Chair), Charles Owubah (Secretary and Chief Executive Officer), Christophe Duthoit (Treasurer), Jean-Pierre Chesse, Sylvain Desjonqueres, Burton K. Haimes (Chairman Emeritus), Ricardo Hernandez, Yves-Andre Istel, Shabrina Jiva, Anya Kuligina, Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, Amy Schulman, Julia Sherbakov, Robert Spatt, Karim Tabet, Sandra Tamer, and David Van Zandt. Action Against Hunger has been recognized for the strong governance practices of its board of directors and executive team, including through 15 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator. This is the highest level of recognition, reflecting the organization's sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. # # # About Action Against Hunger Action Against Hunger is leading a global movement to end hunger in our lifetimes. It innovates solutions, advocates for change, and reaches 25 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 50 countries, its 8,300 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. It strives to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. # # # Emily Bell Tyree Associate Director of Communications Action Against Hunger +1 917-847-8636 ebtyree (at) actionagainsthunger.org Source: Action Against Hunger 151% increase in branded cannabis net revenue 1 to $36.8 million in 15-month fiscal year 2022 ended March 31, 2022 (new fiscal year end) from $14.6 million in the prior 12-month year $8 million in branded cannabis net revenue for Q5, a growth of 55% calendar year over calendar year 3rd highest increase in overall market share rankings over the course of the fiscal year among top 20 Canadian LPs 2 168% increase in international sales over the prior 12-month year with distribution agreements in place enabling delivery into three attractive countries $5.6 million private placement equity financing completed to fund growth Closing of Debenture Amendments expected to be completed this week Extracted $10 million in annualized SG&A savings A record $11.0 million in adult-use purchase orders in the current quarter to date Reaffirmed guidance of delivering between $53 and $63 million in total net revenue in fiscal year 2023 TORONTO, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX: AH, OTCQX: ALEAF) (Aleafia Health or the Company) is pleased to report its financial results for the three and 15 months ended March 31, 2022. The Companys fiscal year 2022 audited, consolidated financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the fifth quarter and 15-month periods, due to changing the year end to March 31, will be available in the Investors section of the Companys website at aleafiahealth.com and will be filed on SEDAR and available at sedar.com. Branded cannabis net revenue increases 151%: Aleafia Healths branded cannabis net revenue increased 151% to $36.8 million in fiscal year 2022, from $14.6 million in the prior year. Total branded cannabis revenue for the period was $47.5 million.3 Branded cannabis net revenue rose 55% to $8.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $5.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the Aleafia Health team once again demonstrated its relentless drive toward steadily increasing market share in branded adult-use and medical cannabis along with strong international sales growth, said Aleafia Health CEO Tricia Symmes. We continued our decisive quarter over quarter upward sales trajectory from Q4 to Q5 with adult-use market share rankings rising an additional two positions from 15th to 13th. The Company is now positioned to become a Top 10 Licensed Producer. Aleafia Health had exceptionally strong growth year over year in retail adult-use market share, as part of a successful end to a transformative fiscal year. The Company delivered a top 3 market share rank increase among the 20 largest Canadian Licensed Producers, from 28th in Q1 2021 when the Company launched the Sunday Market House of Brands, to 13th in the most recently completed quarter. Transformation towards higher margin cannabis: The Company completed a dramatic shift to become a branded cannabis producer in fiscal year 2022, from a largely wholesale business-to-business supplier in fiscal year 2020. This move resulted in an increase in average net realized price per gram and an improvement in the branded cannabis gross profit margin. Branded cannabis represented 85% of total net revenue in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, compared to only 40% in the prior fiscal year. The quality of the Companys revenue base increased significantly driven by the growth in sticky, highly recurring medical sales, adult-use market share capture which drives continued end user demand for the Companys branded consumer products, and the continued build-out of its international sales platform. Medical cannabis leadership: The Company is also maintaining leadership in the medical cannabis market, with 7.0% market share4. While others have declined in the current business climate, we are not only holding our own but expanding, Symmes said. Currently in the medical segment, our run-rate net revenue is a strong $10 million5 as we are increasing our presence in key high value markets like Quebec, and providing enhanced wellness to veterans while third-party channel revenue was up 20% in revenue in Q5. International sales a strategic focus for the company: International sales, a strategic focus for the company, grew 168% over the prior year, with a run rate of approximately $1.0 million6 and growing, Symmes said. Starting with only one country in fiscal year 2020, the Companys cannabis in fiscal year 2022 was successfully exported into three: Germany, the U.K., and Australia. We have established strong distribution partners in each of these countries with significant upside potential, said Symmes. Contracted strain specific sales are expected to drive sustainable higher margin business. We continue to see the international markets as strategically important as they can potentially enhance Aleafia Healths margins and provide increased visibility into near and long-term revenue and cash flows, said Aleafia Health CFO Matt Sale. Closing of Debenture Amendments: During the current quarter the Company successfully negotiated a major breakthrough that will enhance our financial future, commented Sale. On May 12, 2022 an agreement in principle was announced to amend the $37.35 million 8.5% convertible debentures due June 27, 2022. The Debenture Amendments improve the Companys balance sheet tremendously as they facilitate over $11.6 million of additional potential liquidity through the equity financing and full-access to our receivables revolving facility, improve our cash flow dynamic with no mandatory cash interest payments for at least 24 months, and balance our refinancing profile with staggered maturities over 2, 4 and 6 years. We expect the Debenture Amendments to close this week. $5.6 Million Equity Financing Completed: On June 24, 2022 we closed our $5.6 million equity financing that we announced earlier in May. The net proceeds from this Private Placement will be used to fund working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. The net proceeds from this financing will provide liquidity to pursue immediately accretive growth initiatives that accelerate top-line revenue, improve our margin profile, and enhance our cash flow generation, said Sale. Cost rationalizations and contaminant initiatives: The Company underwent a complete top-to-bottom organizational realignment which saw a 30% reduction in the workforce, integrated the medical business to deliver a cohesive and consistent patient experience, turned around its Grimsby greenhouse to focus on high-potency usable flower, and wound down many of the legacy consultants, contracts and non-recurring costs related to the Sunday Market House of Brand build-out, said Aleafia Health CFO, Matt Sale. With significant cost rationalizations enacted over the fiscal year, and continued cost containment initiatives underway, the Company is on track towards Adjusted EBITDA7 profitability in the second half of fiscal year 2023. Reaffirm net revenue guidance for fiscal year 2023: Our current annual run-rate net revenue of approximately $43 million is primarily underpinned by $288 million in adult-use branded cannabis and $119 million in medical and international revenue. In the current quarter, I am pleased to announce that we have significantly increased our sales generation sequentially, as the Company has $11.0 million in purchase orders from its four provincial authorities to which it supplies cannabis products, an increase of 22% or $2.0 million over the quarter ended March 31, 2022. In the year ahead one of our goals is to add to our provincial supply relationships and deepen our product lines within our existing store partners which are expected to increase overall net revenue and total gross profits. With our strategic growth projects underway we remain confident we can deliver on our previously issued guidance of between $53 and $63 million in total net revenue in fiscal year 2023.10 Portfolio optimization: In Q5, the Company completed a detailed portfolio optimization exercise which resulted in focusing on flower, vapes and pre-rolls, the largest flower categories with the highest overall gross profit potential where we are best-positioned to continue winning consumer traction and share of purchases, Symmes said. In 2021, the Company launched five adult-use brands, and 37 new SKUs across multiple markets from the everyday Divvy brand, consistently among the top searched brands at the Ontario Cannabis Store since its launch to the Companys CBD-forward wellness brand Noon & Night. Other Fiscal Year 2022 and Q5 highlights included: Record breaking outdoor harvest: The 2021 outdoor harvest produced record-breaking results with THC levels reaching 21-27% and an unprecedented 2.7% to 5.7% terpene profile. The harvests high potency flower has been and will be primarily used in the adult-use sales channel, delivering significantly higher net margin per gram than the wholesale sales channel where it was previously utilized. In Ontario, Divvy vapes have reached the Top 10th percentile while Divvy oils have become top 20 SKUs in the same province, reflecting the strong upward trend of the Companys innovative product development, said Symmes. Among the Top 6 for during FY2022 for retail sales growth11, the Company reported: During the fiscal year total retail sell through grew an average of 55% quarterly in our core markets (all participating categories). Dried Flower retail sell through exceeded 115% quarterly growth, while market share was able to achieve 110% average growth rate every quarter over the same period. Pre Rolled was Aleafias best performing category by retail sales dollar growth, posting a 116% average quarterly growth rate over the fiscal and an average market share quarterly growth topping 88%. Vape retail sell through achieved an average quarterly growth rate of 42% through the fiscal year, and market share exceeded 32% growth every quarter during the fifteen-month period. Aleafia Healths market share grew from under 0.5% in key markets from Jan 2021 to 2.2% at the end of the fiscal year and continues to grow. Four Core Strategic Objectives to Drive Aleafia to Profitability Achieving top 10 adult-use market position with innovative products Leadership in medical via Aleafias integrated medical clinic platform Strong position in international distribution Breakeven Adjusted EBITDA profitability in the second half of fiscal year 2023 There are four strategic objectives that, once accomplished, we believe will drive Aleafia Health forward to a successful future, said Symmes. Portfolio optimization has improved adult-use margins. We are leveraging our outdoor grow facility, one of the largest and most successful in Canada, and two indoor facilities, to build a consistent and growing supply of high-quality usable flower. This diverse grow supply and nimble, agile team can redirect flower to the highest margin sales channel, whether that be adult-use, medical or international, sets us apart from our peers. We have also reallocated headcount strategically to optimize talent, maximize revenue velocity and operational efficiency, said Sale. One factor that held the company back this year was it continuously sold out all its usable flower from its Grimsby greenhouse. We lost out on approximately $3 million in flower sales in the quarter ended March 31, 2022, based on turning down potential purchase orders with the four provincial buyers to which we distribute adult-use branded product, said Sale. Moreover, the greenhouse underwent a significant operational turnaround in Q5, incurring $2.0 million in non-recurring costs related to improving the growing environment. We didnt stop there, investing in a vastly improved irrigation system and making other strategic capital expenditures to improve the Grimsby greenhouse in the more challenging summer growing months and year round, added Sale. Despite these challenges, which we faced head-on, we are leveraging our ability to react nimbly to market forces and continue driving towards breakeven Adjusted EBITDA profitability in this fiscal year. Aleafia Health today continues its rise to a position of industry leadership, with higher market share, increased retail penetration, innovative and higher potency new products, continued growth in its medical business market share and an upward trajectory in its international business, said Symmes. Couple those positive factors with a great, multi-faceted, devoted operations team, cost containment, a revamped balance sheet and new equity financing and what you have is one terrific growth company firmly in the highest margin market segments. We are very proud of what we have accomplished. OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS ($,000s) Three months ended Fifteen monthsended Twelvemonthsended Twelvemonthsended Twelvemonthsended 31-Mar-22 31-Mar-21 31-Mar-22 31-Dec-20 31-Mar-22 31-Mar-21 Operating Results Kilograms Sold - Dried Flower 4,290 3,142 20,713 27,548 17,571 25,698 Avg Net Realized Price 1.64 2.25 2.08 1.32 2.05 1.12 Adult-Use Market Share %12 2.16 % 0.48 % 1.32 % 0.56 % 1.48 % 0.46 % Adult-Use Market Share Ranking 13 30 17 29 15 29 Medical Use Orders 17,048 19,093 94,137 58,135 75,044 65,614 Medical Use Avg Order Value $ 152 $ 141 $ 144 $ 145 $ 145 $ 145 Financial Results Revenue 10,734 7,510 53,813 37,406 46,303 30,083 Branded Cannabis Net Revenue 8,047 5,200 36,767 14,627 31,567 16,884 Net revenue13 7,039 7,066 43,122 36,275 36,056 28,745 Branded cannabis net revenue % 100 % 74 % 85 % 40 % 88 % 59 % Adjusted gross profit before fair value ("FV") adj's14 Branded Cannabis profit $ 2,851 2,135 13,889 5,116 10,179 5,722 Branded Cannabis profit % 35 % 41 % 38 % 35 % 32 % 34 % Bulk Wholesale profit $ (1,918 ) 1,151 (4,732 ) 15,587 (5,882 ) 6,191 Bulk Wholesale profit % - 62 % -74 % 72 % -131 % 52 % Total Gross profit $ 933 3,286 9,157 20,703 4,297 11,913 Total Gross profit % 13 % 47 % 21 % 57 % 12 % 41 % Adjusted EBITDA15,16 (4,412 ) (3,033 ) (22,011 ) 5,115 (18,978 ) (5,881 ) Net Cash used in Operating Activities (3,555 ) (8,764 ) (36,218 ) (7,629 ) (32,663 ) (16,539 ) ADJUSTED SG&A17 ($,000s) Three months ended Fifteen and Twelvemonths ended Twelvemonthsended Twelvemonthsended Mar 31,2022 Mar 31,2021 Mar 31, 2022 Dec 31,2020 Mar 31,2022 Mar 31,2021 SG&A 4,887 6,896 34,127 24,040 27,231 25,342 Business transaction costs 696 1,454 5,026 4,146 3,572 5,090 Wage Subsidies, severance 1,142 1,458 860 3,613 (598 ) 5,097 Medical Clinic Supply Services 557 - 2,059 - 2,059 - Adjusted SG&A 7,282 9,808 42,072 31,799 32,264 35,529 The Company has aggressively contained and rationalized its Adjusted SG&A cost profile, resulting in a 26% decline to $7.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $9.8 million in the prior year. This was achieved despite branded cannabis net revenue increasing 155% over the same period. ADJUSTED EBITDA18 Three months ended Fifteen and Twelve months ended Twelvemonthsended Twelvemonthsended ($,000s) March 31,2022 March 31,2021 March 31,2022 December 31,2020 March 31,2022 March 31,2021 Net loss (4,152 ) (11,248 ) (169,867 ) (255,505 ) (158,619 ) (254,087 ) Add back: Depreciation and amortization19 2,149 2,377 12,427 10,166 10,050 7,843 Interest expense, net 2,626 2,238 10,787 11,636 8,549 11,226 Income tax expense (recovery) (2,854 ) (2,540 ) (2,854 ) (2,040 ) EBITDA 623 (6,633 ) (149,507 ) (236,243 ) (142,874 ) (237,058 ) Inventory write down - - 19,648 24,922 19,648 FV changes in biological assets and changes in inventory sold 906 921 1,453 10,721 532 30,385 Share-based payments 68 579 2,899 2,690 2,320 2,303 Bad debt expense (8,088 ) 558 1,868 1,892 1,310 2,346 Business transaction costs 696 1,454 5,026 4,146 3,572 5,090 Gain on sale of assets - - (12,092 ) (1,181 ) (12,092 ) (6,344 ) Fair value through profit and loss adjustments 1,120 15,505 (943 ) 15,505 (1,843 ) Impairment of intangible assets - - 53,093 22,116 53,093 22,116 Impairment of goodwill - - 11,314 177,476 11,314 177,476 Impairment of property, plant & equipment - - 28,800 - 28,800 Non-operating expense (income) 263 88 (18 ) (481 ) (106 ) (352 ) Adjusted EBITDA20 (4,412 ) (3,033 ) (22,011 ) 5,115 (18,978 ) (5,881 ) Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was a loss of $4.4 million, compared to a loss of $3.0 million in the prior year comparative quarter. The decrease over the prior year quarter was primarily due to a nonrecurring operational issue at our Grimsby Facility amounting to approximately $2.0 million which has since been rectified and $1.9 million negative margin on bulk wholesale cannabis sales, partially offset by cost containment, and cost rationalization initiatives. There were certain marketing, consultant, brand development and product formulation costs related to the launch of new product formats, most of which are non-recurring in nature. In conjunction with the Companys focused cost containment and rationalizations, this has delivered a dramatically improved SG&A expense profile. Restatement of 2020 Financial Year The Company has restated its consolidated statements of financial position as at December 31, 2020 and its consolidated statements of loss and comprehensive loss, consolidated statement of changes in shareholders equity and consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020. In the course of preparing the Companys consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2022, a misinterpretation was discovered involving two non-recurring transactions in the bulk wholesale sales channel recorded in the quarters ended June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020. In the periods ended June 30 and September 30, 2020, the Company recorded net revenue of $6,163 and $2,104, respectively. Both of these non-recurring transactions in the bulk wholesale sales channel were to one customer. These transactions provided the wholesale customer with extended payment terms which were initiated upon shipment to the customer. Some products which were shipped to the customer were later returned to the Company. No payment to date has been received by the Company for either of these two non-recurring transactions. Tables presenting the impact of the restatement adjustments on the Companys previously reported consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended December 31, 2020 are set out on in Note 23 of the Companys consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. The December 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022 consolidated statements of financial position are not impacted by this restatement. For Investor & Media Relations: Matthew Sale, CFO1-833-879-2533[email protected]LEARN MORE: www.AleafiaHealth.com About Aleafia Health: Aleafia Health, a vertically integrated and federally licensed Canadian cannabis company, owns three licensed cannabis production facilities, including the first large-scale, legal outdoor cultivation facility in Canadian history, and operates a strategically located distribution centre, all in the province of Ontario. The Company produces a diverse portfolio of cannabis derivative products including oils, capsules, edibles, sublingual strips, and vapes, for sale in Canada in the adult-use and medical markets and is pursuing opportunities in select international jurisdictions. The Company owns and operates a virtual network of medical cannabis clinics staffed by physicians and nurse practitioners. Forward Looking Information Certain statements herein relating to the Company constitute forward looking information, within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, business plans and/or objectives, sales programs, forecasts and projections, assumptions, expectations, and/or beliefs of future performance, are forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements involve unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to our market share, net revenue, branded cannabis net revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and other financial outlook projections for fiscal year 2023, our commercial operations, including production and / or sales of cannabis, quantities of future cannabis production, anticipated revenue in connection with such sales, and other Information that is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of production not yet determinable, and other key management assumptions. The following material factors or assumptions were used to develop the forward looking information: market size and growth of the Canadian adult-use and medical cannabis markets, retail store penetration, script trends, cultivation and processing capacity, costs of production, gross and net revenue per gram. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements and involve risk and uncertainties relating to: future cultivation yield and quality, actual operating performance of facilities, product launches, facility licenses and amendments, average selling prices, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, Adjusted EBITDA, regulatory changes in the Canadian and international markets, and other uninsured risks. The forward looking information was approved by Management as of June 27, 2022. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. The forward looking information is provided for information purposes only and readers are cautioned that it may not be appropriate for other purposes. This presentation is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. Non-IFRS Measures Adult-use Cannabis Net Revenue is net cannabis revenue for Canadian adult-use sales. Cannabis net revenue is sale of cannabis revenue less excise taxes Branded Cannabis Net Revenue is calculated as Adult-use Cannabis Net Revenue, Medical Cannabis Net Revenue and clinic revenue. Medical Cannabis Net Revenue is net cannabis revenue for Canadian and international medical sales. Total Branded Cannabis Revenue is calculated as Adult-use Cannabis Revenue, Medical Cannabis Revenue and clinic revenue. Adjusted SG&A is widely used by industry participants and analysts to measure company performance. The Company considers Adjusted SG&A an important key metric to measure the Companys cost structure outside of production and inventory related costs metric as it progresses towards breakeven Adjusted EBITDA profitability. It is generally fixed in nature with some variability depending on sales volume. Adjusted SG&A is defined as SG&A expenses adjusted to exclude non-recurring costs. These non-recurring items may relate to certain transaction costs, one time subsidies, and severances. Medical clinic supply services amounts are included in SG&A. Adjusted SG&A is not recognized or defined under IFRS, and as a result, it may not be comparable to the data presented by competitors Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA is widely used by industry participants and analysts to measure company performance. The Company considers Adjusted EBITDA a key metric for measuring operating performance and cash flow, to manage working capital, debt repayments and capital expenditures. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as net income (loss), excluding (i) amortization and depreciation, (ii) fair value changes in biological assets and changes in inventory sold, (iii) share-based payments, (iv) bad debt expense, (v) business transaction costs, (vi) non-operating expenses (income), (vii) taxes, (viii) interest expenses, (ix) one-time sale of assets, and (x) unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities. Adjusted EBITDA is not recognized or defined under IFRS, and as a result, it may not be comparable to the data presented by competitors. _________________________1 See Cautionary Statement on Non-IFRS Measures below2 https://hifyreretail.com/ - Includes participating categories & markets (BC, AB, SK, ON) 3 See Cautionary Statement on Non-IFRS Measures below.4 Calculated as a % of active patient registrations in the most recent Health Canada Reported PeriodsData on cannabis for medical purposes, Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada, April 1, 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/medical-purpose.html5 Based on quarter ending March 31, 2022 on an annualized basis.6 Based on Management estimate.7 Please see note on forward looking information & non-IFRS measures below.8 Based on current quarter POs annualized.9 Medical based on quarter ending March 31, 2022 on an annualized basis and International based on last six months annualized.10 Please see note on forward looking information.11 https://hifyreretail.com/ - Includes participating categories & markets (BC, AB, SK, ON)12 Based on HiFyre data and includes Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia13 See "Cautionary Statements Regarding Certain non-IFRS Measures" section for term definition14 See "Cautionary Statements Regarding Certain non-IFRS Measures" section for term definition15 See "Cautionary Statements Regarding Certain non-IFRS Measures" section for term definition16 See "Adjusted EBITDA" section for reconciliation to IFRS 17 See cautionary statement on Non IFRS Measures below18 See cautionary statement on Non IFRS Measures below19 Includes non-cash depreciation expensed to cost of sales.20 See "Cautionary Statements Regarding Certain non-IFRS Measures" section for term definition Source: Aleafia Health Inc. PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An Arizona couple has full hearts and hands after welcoming all four of their quadruplets home from Dignity Health St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center following a complex delivery, and 10 week stay in the hospitals Nursery Intensive Care Unit (NyICU). We are so blessed to add four little miracles to our family, said Ashley Crandell, the quadruplets mother. They are incredibly strong, and we are so grateful for the care they received at St. Josephs. We are looking forward to creating more memories at home as a family of seven. After having their daughter, Isla, Ashley and Lance Crandell knew they wanted to have more children, but struggled to get pregnant. The couple was shocked when they learned Ashley was expecting. They were in for another big surprise when they found out more than one baby would be joining their family. At our first ultrasound, the technician loaded four separate sonograms to the screen, said Ashley. It took me a minute to process that she was showing us four babies. Once it hit us, my husband and I burst into panicked giggles. Those panicked giggles turned into cheers and happy tears when the couple shared the exciting news with their friends and family. At what their guests thought was a gender reveal party, the Crandells opened a box only to have a number four balloon pop out. But, similar to most women carrying multiples, the road to delivery wasnt easy. Quadruplets are extremely rare. Of the more than 3.6 million births recorded in the United States in 2020, only 108 were quadruplets according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pregnancy can also be taxing on both the mother and babies. Ashley was under very close monitoring during her pregnancy. At one point, the Gilbert, Arizona couple was told that they may have even lost one of the quadruplets. However, one week later four heartbeats were detected, reaffirming that their little loves were born to be fighters. On February 11, Ashley and Lance welcomed Wesley, Emma, Leah and Nora into the world at St. Josephs, which is one of only a few Phoenix hospitals experienced in delivering a high number of multiple births. The quadruplets were delivered by renowned perinatologist, Dr. John Elliott, who specializes in high order multiple pregnancies. The "Crandell Quads" were born at just 31 weeks gestation. Since they were nine weeks early, three of the babies weighed just over three pounds, and the fourth weighed hardly two pounds. Luckily, each newborn had a dedicated team of NyICU nurses on hand in the operating room to provide them with the immediate care they would need after birth. St. Josephs is home to a world renowned NyICU that is skilled and prepared to care for some of the most fragile babies, including high-number multiples, said Dr. Mohammad Elkhwad, medical director of St. Josephs NyICU. Families expecting quadruplets or quintuplets often travel from all over the country to deliver their babies at St. Josephs, and receive world-class care for their newborns. This time, we were lucky enough to care for a family who resides in our own backyard. For ten weeks, Ashley and Lance made the trip from Gilbert to St. Josephs in Central Phoenix to watch their four babies continue to grow outside the womb. They celebrated each milestone, such as when they weaned from their oxygen tanks, started taking a bottle and when Ashley was able to hold all four of her babies at the same time. Holding them all in my arms together was literally the best feeling in the world, said Ashley. The nurses made magic happen that day and there are no words to describe what it felt like to have all four of them with me again. During their 70 days in St. Jospehs NyICU, the "Crandell Quads continued to gain strength and were finally ready to go home and meet their big sister in late April. Leah was the first to leave the hospital, followed by her big brother Wesley and older sister Nora. Emma was the final baby to be discharged, completing the Crandell family. We are grateful to finally have all of our children under one roof, and watch Isla be the best big sister to her little brother and sisters, said Lance, the quadruplets father. We are so excited to watch them become their own people, and to see what the future holds for our family. ### Attachment Abby Friedemann Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center 602-406-4734 [email protected] Source: Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center Focus on polyetheramines and tertiary amines Increase of production capacities at Geismar site on-stream in mid-2023 BASF aims to reliably support customers in North America FLORHAM PARK, N.J., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BASF will increase the production capacity for key specialty amines manufactured at its Geismar, Louisiana site. After the completed production capacity expansion of a flexible world-scale production asset by mid-2023, BASF will be able to produce more of its key polyetheramines and tertiary amines marketed under the Baxxodur and Lupragen brands. These assets in North America will complement a global network of specialty amines production plants including those at Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and in Nanjing, China. This investment underlines our commitment to continuously support the growth of our customers with high-quality specialty amines, said Kevin Anderson, Vice President, Business Management Amines, Acetylenics and Carbonyl Derivatives, Chemical Intermediates, North America for BASF. The additional capacity in Geismar will allow us to respond quickly and reliably to increasing market demand. BASFs Baxxodur portfolio is utilized by customers as highly efficient curing agents and chain extenders in epoxy and polyurea applications for the wind, electrical, composites, adhesives and flooring industries. The usage of Baxxodur products allows customers to achieve a wide range of benefits in their formulation, including curing time, hardness, flexibility, peel strength, chemical and temperature resistance. BASFs Lupragen products are highly efficient amine catalysts for Polyurethanes (PU). Those catalysts are typically tertiary amines, which are required to facilitate the reaction of the main components isocyanate and polyol. Depending on the choice of catalyst, the polyurethane forming process can be controlled to enhance the gelling or blowing reaction. BASFs Lupragen portfolio includes several low-VOC catalysts which offer support to address the increasing target of sustainable emission reductions. With about 300 different amines, BASF has one of the worlds most diverse portfolio of chemical intermediates. Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, BASF offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as specialty amines. The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. The versatile products prove themselves mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers. Baxxodur and Lupragen are trademarks of BASF SE. About BASF BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the US affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,700 employees in North America and had sales of $25.9 billion in 2021. For more information about BASFs North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us. At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com. Media Relations contactAlberto HernandezPhone: 973-245-5228[email protected] Source: BASF Corporation TORONTO, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHAR Technologies Ltd. (CHAR or the Company) (TSX Venture Exchange: YES) is pleased to announce that the City of Saint-Felicien, Quebec, has received $CDN 2.8 million in government funding to support their waste heat recovery system from the forest biomass cogeneration plant in Saint-Felicien. The waste-heat recovery system is an important first step in a larger staged approach towards CHARs previously announced and proposed build, own, operate (BOO) proprietary high temperature pyrolysis (HTP) system. The project would produce both biocarbon & green hydrogen to renewable natural gas (RNG) in Saint-Felicien, Quebec. We are excited to see this major milestone, which is a key step in support towards the planned infrastructure needed to bring our facility to fruition, said CHAR Technologies Chief Executive Officer, Andrew White. Once implemented, our BOO HTP facility will produce green hydrogen to RNG and biocarbon, both of which aide in the decarbonization of heavy industry. We want to congratulate Luc Gibbons, the Mayor of Saint-Felicien, Yanick Baillargeon, the Prefet of MRC Domaine-du-Roy, Nancy Guillemette, the Deputy of Roberval (CAQ), the Societe de Cogeneration de Saint-Felicien and everyone from their respective groups, for their hard work and commitment to advancing this project. The funding will be used to capture and distribute waste heat from the cogeneration plant in Saint-Felicien. The waste heat network will be used by the Centre de Valorisation de Biomass (CVB) to dry and process biomass, which will be the feedstock supply for CHARs proposed HTP project. With the kick-off of the waste heat recovery system, the MRC Domaine-du-Roy can progress towards the CVB, with the CVBs sequential approval being the next step to allow for the implementation of the CHAR facility. The Government of Canada is contributing $1.5 million under the Green Infrastructure Component of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The province of Quebec is contribution $1.3 million through the Electrification and Climate Change Fund while the municipality of Saint-Felicien is responsible for an additional $1 million in funding for their project. About CHAR Technologies CHAR Technologies Ltd. is a cleantech development and services company, specializing in organic waste pyrolysis and biocarbon development, custom equipment for industrial air and water treatment, and providing services in environmental management, site investigation and remediation, engineering, environmental compliance and resource efficiency. For further information: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/supporting-green-infrastructure-the-governments-of-canada-and-quebec-to-invest-more-than-2-8m-to-recover-and-reuse-waste-heat-from-the-forest-biomass-cogeneration-plant-in-saint-felicien-889994514.html Andrew White, Chief Executive OfficerE: [email protected] Mark Korol, Chief Financial OfficerE: [email protected] T: 866 521 3654 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this news release. Source: CHAR Technologies Ltd. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSX: DIV; DIV.DB and DIV.DB.A) (the Corporation or DIV) announced today that the requisite quorum was not present to conduct any business at the Corporations 2022 annual general meeting scheduled to be held on June 28, 2022 (the "Meeting"). In accordance with the Articles of the Corporation, the Meeting has been adjourned until, and will be held at, 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver Time) on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at the offices of Farris LLP, 25th Floor, 700 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. Under the Articles of the Corporation, those shareholders who attend the Meeting on July 7, 2022, in person or by proxy, will constitute quorum and the Meeting will proceed at that time. The record date for shareholders of the Corporation entitled to vote at the adjourned Meeting remains the close of business on May 19, 2022. Shareholders will have until 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver Time) on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 to submit their proxies. Shareholders who have not yet voted are encouraged to vote. Any shareholders who previously submitted proxies do not need to take any further action as those proxies remain valid for use at the Meeting on July 7, 2022. About Diversified Royalty Corp. DIV is a multi-royalty corporation, engaged in the business of acquiring top-line royalties from well-managed multi-location businesses and franchisors in North America. DIVs objective is to acquire predictable, growing royalty streams from a diverse group of multi-location businesses and franchisors. DIV currently owns the Mr. Lube, AIR MILES, Sutton, Mr. Mikes, Nurse Next Door and Oxford Learning Centres trademarks. Mr. Lube is the leading quick lube service business in Canada, with locations across Canada. AIR MILES is Canadas largest coalition loyalty program. Sutton is among the leading residential real estate brokerage franchisor businesses in Canada. Mr. Mikes operates casual steakhouse restaurants primarily in western Canadian communities. Nurse Next Door is one of North Americas fastest growing home care providers with locations across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia. Oxford Learning Centres is one of Canadas leading franchised supplemental education services in Canada and the United States. DIV intends to increase cash flow per share by making accretive royalty purchases and through the growth of purchased royalties. DIV intends to pay a monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend as cash flow per share increases allow. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The use of any of the words anticipate, continue, estimate, expect, intend, may, will, project, should, believe, confident, plan and intends and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements made in relation to: the timing of the adjourned meeting; DIVs intention to pay monthly dividends to shareholders; and DIVs corporate objectives. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, performance, or achievements of DIV to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking information. DIV believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In particular there can be no assurance that: the adjourned Meeting will be held in accordance with the currently contemplated timing; DIV will be able to make monthly dividend payments to the holders of its common shares; or DIV will achieve any of its corporate objectives. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking information included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. More information about the risks and uncertainties affecting DIVs business and the businesses of its royalty partners can be found in the Risk Factors section of its Annual Information Form dated March 10, 2022 and in its most recent Managements Discussion and Analysis, copies of each of which are available under DIVs profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In formulating the forward-looking information contained herein, management has assumed that DIV will generate sufficient cash flows from its royalties to service its debt and pay dividends to shareholders; lenders will provide any necessary waivers required in order to allow DIV to continue to pay dividends; the impacts of COVID-19 on DIV and its royalty partners will be consistent with DIVs expectations and the expectations of management of each of its Royalty Partners, both in extent and duration; DIV and its royalty partners will be able to reasonably manage the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on their respective businesses. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, DIV. The forward-looking information included in this news release is presented as of the date of this news release and DIV assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law. THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Additional Information Additional information relating to the Corporation and other public filings, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Contact:Sean Morrison, President and Chief Executive OfficerDiversified Royalty Corp. (236) 521-8470 Greg Gutmanis, Chief Financial Officer and VP Acquisitions Diversified Royalty Corp. (236) 521-8471 Source: Diversified Royalty Corp. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corporation (TSX:ERD | MSE:ERDN) (Erdene or the Company) is pleased to announce that it intends to issue, by way of a non-brokered private placement, up to 20,000,000 units of the Company (the Units) at a price of $0.30 per Unit (the Private Placement), for gross proceeds of up to $6,000,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share and one-half () of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Warrants are exercisable by the holder into one common share of the Company within two years of the closing date, at a price of $0.45. Proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund exploration, including follow up drilling at the recent Ulaan and Dark Horse discoveries, site establishment work for the Companys Bayan Khundii Gold Project development, and for general working capital purposes. The Private Placement is expected to close on or about July 22, 2022 and is subject to the Company receiving all necessary regulatory approvals, including approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange. Securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a four month hold period which will expire four months plus one day from the closing date of the Private Placement. 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 an exploration license 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 Source: Erdene Resource Development Corporation SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) is collaborating with eCornell, Cornell Universitys external education unit, in a concerted effort to advance the Banks commitment to diversity and inclusion. Through eCornells expert-led Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program, the Banks executive leadership team is expanding their knowledge, skills, and professional toolbox, broadening their awareness and setting the stage for greater workplace inclusion. We are thrilled to collaborate with FHLBank San Francisco to deliver an executive development program around diversity and inclusion, said Paul Krause, Vice Provost of External Education, Cornell University, Executive Director at eCornell. At Cornell, we have the vision to educate the next generation of global citizens. By collaborating with the Banks leadership, we will work together to positively impact the Banks employees today, while setting precedents for awareness and inclusion moving forward. The four-course online program is designed to help organizations become more supportive and engaging workplaces through the perceptual, institutional, and psychological processes that impact the ways people interact with each other. This certificate program is one way we are investing in our leadership and enriching the diversity and inclusion of our organization, said FHLBank San Francisco President and CEO Teresa Bryce Bazemore. This is an excellent program that emphasizes the need to be intentional about inclusion as a team, even when you have diversity in your workforce. I look forward to building on our foundation, putting these lessons to work, and ensuring an inclusive workplace for all team members. eCornells Diversity and Inclusion certificate program is designed as an online course and offered through the university's Industrial and Labor Relations School. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of San FranciscoThe Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-driven cooperative helping local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. The tools and resources we provide to our member financial institutionscommercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutionsfoster homeownership, expand access to quality housing, seed or sustain small businesses, and revitalize whole neighborhoods. Together with our members and other partners, we are making the communities we serve more vibrant, equitable, and resilient. Media Contact:Mary LongSenior Director, Marketing Communications[email protected]415.616.2556 Source: Federal Home Loan Bank Of San Francisco SHANGHAI, China, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) today announced its continued investment in its Forensic & Risk Advisory Services practice with the appointment of Casey Kah as a Senior Managing Director in Shanghai. Mr. Kah brings over 20 years of experience conducting independent investigations into financial misstatements, bribery and corruption issues and employee misconduct matters, as articulated by whistleblowers, auditors or short sellers. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Kah was a Partner in the Forensic & Integrity Services practice at Ernst & Young in Shanghai. He led numerous complex investigations and assisted clients in proactively identifying risk areas and managing and mitigating non-compliance risks, strengthening processes and supporting systems and enhancing compliance frameworks. He has diverse industry experience across life sciences, automotive, financial institutions, consumer and industrial products, asset management, mining and metals, media and travel. Casey has joined us during an exciting period as we look toward growth in China and brings a wealth of experience to our Forensic & Risk Advisory Services practice. His background will give clients unique insights that will help them manage investigations and maintain compliance programs that will protect their ability to operate, said Jon Rowell, Head of Asia and Caribbean at FTI Consulting. Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Kah said, I am excited to build our Forensic & Risk Advisory Services practice in China, and I am eager to help further expand the teams footprint in Asia. Leveraging my experience, in combination with the deep expertise of FTI Consultings global network, will help clients tackle some of their most sophisticated challenges. Mr. Kah is a frequent speaker on compliance matters and best practices and has presented at numerous events, including Integrity APAC Summit, Innoxcell Annual Symposium, The European Chamber Compliance Conference, American Conference Institutes China Forum On Anti-Corruption and Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress. About FTI Consulting FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 6,900 employees located in 30 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $2.78 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2021. In certain jurisdictions, FTI Consultings services are provided through distinct legal entities that are separately capitalized and independently managed. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn. FTI Consulting, Inc. 555 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 +1.202.312.9100 Investor Contact: Mollie Hawkes +1.617.747.1791 [email protected] Media Contact: Annie Malone +852.3768.4606 [email protected] Cascais, Portugal, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the Sustainable Blue Economy Investment Forum in Cascais, Portugal, a special UN Ocean Conference event, more than 150 major companies have signaled their commitment to a healthy ocean by signing onto the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles. In addition to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the Sustainable Ocean Principles provide a framework for responsible business practices across ocean sectors and geographies. Companies signing on to the Sustainable Ocean Principles commit to assess their impact on the ocean and integrate ocean sustainability into their overall strategy. The world depends on a healthy, productive and resilient ocean for food security, climate mitigation and economic livelihoods. Climate change, overfishing, pollution and unsustainable and inequitable development are damaging the health of our ocean and seas. Todays commitment by 150 blue economy companies showcases the private sectors willingness to support SDG 14. Healthy and productive oceans rely on all actors to do their part. I am encouraged by these companies and their commitment to integrate ocean health into their corporate strategies, said Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the UN Global Compact. Some of the largest blue economy companies, including Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Orsted and SAP SE, have joined the 150 signatories of the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Principles. Signatories span 30 industries, 35 countries and six continents, with a combined market capitalization of 1 trillion euros. Several large shipping liners are amongst the companies committing. Accounting for around 80% of the volume of international trade and nearly 3% of global emissions, shipping is increasingly under the global spotlight. Signatories of the Sustainable Ocean Principles include many of the largest shipping companies, such as A.P. Moller - Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and NYK Line. These companies hold an estimated combined market share of 50%. Major offshore energy companies, including Engie, EDP, SSE Renewables and Iberdrola are also amongst the signatories. Scaling up renewables is a key priority for global climate action, but offshore wind still faces market barriers and challenges slotting into busy marine spaces facing ecosystem pressures. Leaders from the seafood industry, including Sanford Limited and Thai Union, have also committed to the Principles. The global seafood industry is increasingly taking sustainability more seriously and represents a vital source of healthy and potentially sustainable protein. Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life below water) still has the lowest level of financial investment of any of the 17 SDGs. There is a need for increased public, private and blended financing to foster a sustainable blue economy. The UN Global Compact has also announced that five global stakeholders are developing a universal guidance for blue bondsa commitment to provide the global market consistency and transparency in financing the sustainable blue economy. With "Bonds to Finance the Sustainable Blue Economy: a Practitioner's Guide, the UN Global Compact, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA), UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) aim to provide market participants with clear criteria, practices and examples for issuances to advance the blue economy. The full of list of signatories to the Sustainable Ocean Principles can be found here. Notes to Editors About the United Nations Global Compact As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org. Contact For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact: Sturla Henriksen, +47 911-222-55 [email protected] Erik Giercksky, +47 996-474-55 [email protected] Dan Thomas United Nations Global Compact (212) 907-1301 [email protected] Source: United Nations Global Compact WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHH Mortgage (PHH or the Company), a subsidiary of Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE: OCN) and a leading non-bank mortgage servicer and originator, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBank Indianapolis) to purchase mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) through its Mortgage Purchase Program (MPP). FHLBank Indianapolis has more than 300 depository members and 100 participating financial institutions that originate about $2 billion annually who sell loans into MPP to replenish their capital and minimize portfolio risk. PHH has partnered with FHLBank Indianapolis as both a buyer of MSRs and a strategic partner to provide subservicing solutions to members within the FHLBank Indianapolis footprint. Earlier this year, PHH was recognized for servicing excellence through Freddie Macs Gold Servicer Honors and Rewards Program (SHARP)SM award in the top tier servicing group and Fannie Maes Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards (STAR)TM performer recognition for General Servicing, Solution Delivery and Timeline Management, and achieved HUDs Tier 1 servicer ranking. FHLBank is always looking for ways to improve the liquidity and pricing that we can offer our members. PHH was a natural choice given its experience in co-issue, its scale and its high level of performance in subservicing, said Dan Green, FVP and Senior Director of MPP at FHLBank Indianapolis. We are extremely pleased by FHLBank Indianapolis decision to expand its co-issue/subservicing program to add PHH as its new strategic partner, said George Henley, EVP and Chief Growth Officer of PHH Mortgage. This new relationship supports the banks mission of providing liquidity to its members and to the residential housing market. Partnering with PHH immediately enhances FHLBank Indianapolis sale execution and serves as a blueprint that can be replicated by other FHLBs and member banks. We look forward to working with FHLBank Indianapolis and its members, and the opportunity to provide subservicing and other value-added services in the future. PHH Mortgage added $64 billion in new subservicing volume over the past 12 months and is one of the most active co-issue buyers within the Fannie Mae SMP, Freddie Mac CRX and Ginnie Mae PIIT co-issue programs. About Ocwen Financial Corporation Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE: OCN) is a leading non-bank mortgage servicer and originator providing solutions through its primary brands, PHH Mortgage and Liberty Reverse Mortgage. PHH Mortgage is one of the largest servicers in the country, focused on delivering a variety of servicing and lending programs. Liberty is one of the nations largest reverse mortgage lenders dedicated to education and providing loans that help customers meet their personal and financial needs. We are headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, with offices and operations in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, India and the Philippines, and have been serving our customers since 1988. For additional information, please visit our website (www.ocwen.com). About Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis FHLBank Indianapolis is a regional bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises created by Congress to ensure access to low-cost funding for their member financial institutions, with particular attention paid to providing solutions that support the housing and small business needs of members' customers. FHLBanks are privately capitalized and funded, and they receive no Congressional appropriations. One of 11 independent regional cooperative System banks across the U.S., FHLBank Indianapolis is owned by its Indiana and Michigan financial institution members, including commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, savings institutions and community development financial institutions. For more information about FHLBank Indianapolis, visit www.fhlbi.com and follow the Bank on LinkedIn and Twitter (@FHLBankIndy). Forward-Looking Statements This press 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. These forward-looking statements may be identified by a reference to a future period or by the use of forward-looking terminology. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as expect, believe, foresee, anticipate, intend, estimate, goal, strategy, plan target and project or conditional verbs such as will, may, should, could or would or the negative of these terms, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words, and includes statements in this press release regarding the opportunity for PHH to provide future subservicing and other value-added services to FHLBank Indianapolis and its members. Forward-looking statements involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. In the past, actual results have differed from those suggested by forward looking statements and this may happen again. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the volume of MSRs PHH acquires under the agreement with FHLBank Indianapolis, changes in the business condition of FHLBank Indianapolis, changes in market conditions, the industry in which we operate, and our business, the actions of governmental entities and regulators, developments in our litigation matters, and other risks and uncertainties detailed in our reports and filings with the SEC, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and any current report or quarterly report filed with the SEC since such date. Anyone wishing to understand Ocwens business should review our SEC filings. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, we disclaim any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Source: Ocwen Financial Corp.; PHH Mortgage TORONTO, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quisitive Technology Solutions Inc. (Quisitive or the Company) (TSXV: QUIS, OTCQX: QUISF), a premier Microsoft solutions and payment solutions provider, today announced it has been named a finalist of the 2022 Microsoft Healthcare Partner of the Year Award. The Company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. We are proud to once again be recognized by Microsoft with this placement as a testament to our proven success in the healthcare field thanks to our MazikCare solution and our broad suite of technology consulting services, said Quisitive CEO Mike Reinhart. This further validates our combined efforts in creating distinguished cloud-based healthcare solutions at the enterprise level to further promote collaboration, efficiency, and digital transformation for healthcare providers. We remain enthusiastic in our perpetual working relationship with Microsoft and look forward to teaming up together on future initiatives. The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognizes Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Quisitive was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in the healthcare sector. The Healthcare Partner of the Year award recognizes Microsoft partners that are committed to leveraging Microsoft technology in their efforts to make considerable impact within a certain industry. Quisitive was selected as a finalist due to its proven expertise and dedication in utilizing Microsofts technological capabilities to solve challenges within the healthcare sector. Additionally, Quisitives healthcare-ready business solutions, MazikCare, continued to generate significant value by enhancing end-to-end business operations across the care continuum, further validating Quisitives broad portfolio of solutions for the healthcare industry. I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards, said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees, and Im continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers. Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually prior to the companys global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, which will take place on July 19-20 this year. Additional details on the 2022 awards are available on the Microsoft Partner Network blog: https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn/congratulations-to-the-2022-microsoft-partner-of-the-year-awards-winners-and-finalists/. The complete list of categories, winners and finalists can be found at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/inspire/awards. About Quisitive:Quisitive (TSXV: QUIS, OTCQX: QUISF) is a premier, global Microsoft partner that harnesses the Microsoft platform and complementary technologies, including custom solutions and first-party offerings, to generate transformational impact for enterprise customers. Our Cloud Solutions business focuses on helping enterprises move, operate, and innovate in the three Microsoft clouds. Centering on our LedgerPay product suite, our Payments Intelligence solution leverages the Microsoft Azure cloud to transform the payment processing industry into an entirely new source of customer engagement and consumer value. Quisitive serves clients globally from seventeen employee hubs across the world. For more information, visit www.Quisitive.com and follow @BeQuisitive.Quisitive Investor Contact Matt Glover and John YiGateway Investor Relations[email protected] 949-574-3860 Tami AndersChief of Staff[email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain forwardlooking information and forwardlooking statements (collectively, forward looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation regarding Quisitive and its business. 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 forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: internal business integrations, onboarding of pilot merchants, completion of additional certifications, expectations regarding go-to-market strategy and future success of the Companys LedgerPay platform, growth prospects, projected milestones and timelines, and other anticipated benefits and impacts of the Visa certification. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, are described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated June 23, 2022, which are available under the Companys issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. 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: Quisitive Technology Solutions Inc. TUCSON, Ariz., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sierra Tucson, a nationally recognized residential and outpatient addiction and mental health treatment center, has named Carrie Foote its new chief operating officer. Foote previously worked as the director of enterprise privacy governance at the University of Arizona, where she assisted the chief privacy officer in building the schools privacy program. She began her career as a case manager in community mental health services, developing an acumen for leadership that eventually led her to become chief operating officer and chief compliance officer at a regional mental health organization. I am thrilled to have Carrie Foote join our exceptional team at Sierra Tucson, said Sierra Tucson CEO Dr. Valerie Kading. Carrie brings a 20-year history of expertise in behavioral health systems development, implementing strategic initiatives and cross-departmental collaboration that will complement our already dynamic leadership team. Foote also has significant experience in business development and expansion, contract procurement, HIPAA privacy compliance and professional development. She has managed teams including IT, finance, billing, compliance, facilities, medical, transportation, utilization management and medical records. Carrie is passionate about helping others improve their lives and realize that recovery is possible, Kading said. We are extremely fortunate to have Carrie on our team and look forward to her positive impact on the residents and clients we serve each day. About Sierra Tucson Sierra Tucson is a nationally recognized provider of residential and outpatient treatment for adults who are struggling with addiction, trauma, chronic pain, mood and anxiety disorders, and co-occurring conditions. Located on 160 acres in Tucson, Arizona, the campus offers a serene environment to focus on healing and recovery. Treatment options at Sierra Tucson include inpatient treatment, residential care, partial hospitalization programming, intensive outpatient programming and detoxification services. For more information, please visit www.sierratucson.com. Robert Santiago, Director of Marketing Sierra Tucson (520) 366-8718 Source: Sierra Tucson GENEVA, June 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the sidelines of the 50th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Dr. Wesam Basindowah's Yemen Coalition of Independent Women, with co-organizer The Washington Outsider, whose Editor-in-Chief Irina Tsukerman participated in the seminar, and along with other international human rights organizations, revealed the humanitarian disaster in Yemen unleashed by the widespread use of land mines by the Iran-backed Houthis. Irina Tsukerman started the discussion by explaining that the Houthis are considered some of the most prolific offensive land mine users in the world, having planted between a million and a half and over 2 million land mines all over the country from the Northern provinces to the borders with Saudi Arabia since the civil broke out with the start of the Houthi uprising in 2014. As other participants also noted, many of these land mines are illegal anti-personnel land mines planted in civilian areas, disguised as rocks, toys, or other civilian objects which maximizes the number of civilian casualties in violation of international laws, and complicates the demining process. Tsukerman had interviewed demining experts from MASAM, a civilian project with Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, which had removed hundreds of thousands of mines since 2018. From the start of the war, KSA has contributed approximately $20 billion to humanitarian aid in Yemen. Tsukerman explained that Houthis fought numerous wars with Yemen's government before the current civil war and grew in sophistication thanks to training from Iran's and Hezbullah's military advisers. Iran, Tsukerman asserted, views Yemen as a gateway to Saudi Arabia; controlling the Two Holy Mosques is at the epicenter of the Islamic Republic's goal to export the Islamic Revolution, becoming the only recognized religious authority. The land mines would help clear the way. The land mines progressed from old Soviet mines and locally made simple IEDs to sophisticated technology imported from Iran or developed on the ground, similar to ordnances recovered after use by Iran's proxies in Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon. Since the start of the current war over 9000 Yemenis were reported killed from IED blasts with hundreds injured each year. Even if the war comes to an end, due to lack of cooperation from the Houthis in mapping the land mine sites, the humanitarian disaster may persist for decades, Tsukerman added. The panel recommended sanctioning Houthis, increasing international demining cooperation, building more hospitals and artificial limb centers in remote areas, providing psychological care and rehabilitation for victims, especially for children, providing safety training for volunteers, disrupting Iran's efforts in providing land mine materials, providing safe passage and humanitarian assistance to communities where facilities have become inaccessible, and increasing coordination among demining groups. Media Contact: Irina Tsukerman917-755-5977 Related Images Image 1: Panel discussion on Houthi use of land mines in Yemen Yemen Coalition of Independent Women, The Washington Outsider seminar in Geneva on the sidles of the 50th session of UNHRC. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Panel discussion on Houthi use of land mines in Yemen Panel discussion on Houthi use of land mines in Yemen Source: The Washington Outsider MAPLE GROVE, Minn., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TopLine Federal Credit Unions second annual Clothing and Shoe Drive held during the month of May benefited local non-profit Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and global non-profit African Education & Health Initiatives (AFEDHI) who provide donated items to communities in Nigeria. TopLine members and employees generously donated gently used or new clothing and shoes, and could also purchase items from TopLines Amazon Wishlist or Target Registry to have them sent directly to the credit union, and in return TopLine delivered to our charitable partners. When the drive ended, TopLine members and employees had donated over 1,000 pounds of clothing and over 100 pairs of shoes to assist families in need in our communities and around the world. The true meaning of being a financial cooperative is putting members and communities best interest above all else, says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO. Our employees and members aspire to connect, care and contribute in our communities locally and globally, and we are grateful for their generosity to assist with clothing and shoe needs. Looking at the clothes and the shoes donated by our partner TopLine this season, and with the current market values, we believe their donation is well over $1,500, said African Education and Health Initiatives (AFEDHI) founder Idowu Kotila. We are so appreciative and grateful for their support for humanity. We hear again and again how grateful our emergency shelter guests and residents are for the gift of free clothing at Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, said Chief Executive Officer Pam Stegora Axberg. Many arrive at our doors with only the clothing they are wearing. Others rely on donated clothes and shoes for job interviews that will help launch them back to independence. We are deeply grateful for TopLines partnership. Since 2002, TopLine Federal Credit Union employees and members have been involved in several programs each year to benefit local non-profits like Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and Africa Education and Health Initiatives. In addition to the clothing and shoe donations from this drive, these efforts have included drives for food, bedding, personal care items, bikes, childrens back-to-school supplies, holiday gifts and more. African Education and Health Initiatives (AFEDHI) is a non-profit organization with a vision to ensure that African students, kindergarten through college, have access to educational materials such as books, computers and other reading aids to support their educational needs and goals. For more information or to donate, visit https://www.facebook.com/African-Education-and-Health-Initiative-153446941686348/ Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities is a Christian ministry dedicated to serving people facing homelessness, poverty, or addiction in our community. By meeting physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational needs, our Mission is changing lives! For more information or to donate, visit https://www.ugmtc.org/ TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesotas 13th largest, with assets of more than $675 million and serves nearly 46,500 members. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Pauls Como Park as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. Visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TopLineFederalCreditUnion or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/toplinefcu. To learn more about the credit unions foundation, visit https://www.toplinecu.com/foundation. CONTACT:Vicki Roscoe EricksonSenior Vice President, Marketing & CommunicationsTopLine Federal Credit Union[email protected]763.391.0872 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a99addb-d14b-462b-9ab5-9b053a75b9e9 TopLines Clothing and Shoe Drive Benefits Local and Global Communities TopLines Clothing and Shoe Drive Benefits Local and Global Communities Source: TopLine Federal Credit Union By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney Co's board of directors on Tuesday unanimously voted to extend Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek's contract for three years, a major vote of confidence in his leadership following recent controversies at the media giant. Chapek, 63, became Disney's CEO in February 2020, succeeding Bob Iger just months before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the company's businesses from theme parks to television, movies and live sports. His current contract was set to expire in February. "Disney was dealt a tough hand by the pandemic, yet with Bob at the helm, our businesses - from parks to streaming - not only weathered the storm, but emerged in a position of strength," board chair Susan Arnold said in a statement. "Bob is the right leader at the right time for The Walt Disney Company, and the board has full confidence in him and his leadership team," Arnold added. In recent months, some analysts and media executives had wondered whether Chapek's position was at risk when he upset employees by initially refusing to condemn a bill in Florida that limited LGBTQ discussion in schools. When the company eventually spoke out against the measure, Florida lawmakers stripped Disney of its self-governing status for Walt Disney World in Orlando. The law has not yet taken effect. Chapek also shocked Hollywood when he ousted respected TV executive Peter Rice earlier this month. A 30-year veteran of Disney, Chapek previously ran the theme parks business and the consumer products unit. The Disney+ streaming service, the company's top priority, grew substantially during the pandemic to 137.7 million global subscribers as of March. But Disney faces a variety of competitors as it tries to achieve its stated goal of attracting 230 million to 260 million Disney+ subscribers by September 2024. Disney shares, which have fallen nearly 40% this year, rose about 0.5% to $96.36 in after-hours trading on Tuesday. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles and Shariq Khan in Bengaluru;Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Matthew Lewis) Pinterest, Inc. by Chairman, Co-Founder, President and CEO Ben Silbermann reacts as they celebrate the IPO of Pinterest Inc. at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (Reuters) - Pinterest Inc said long-time Chief Executive Officer Ben Silbermann would step down, handing over the reins of the social media platform to Google commerce executive Bill Ready. The news sent the company's shares 9% higher in extended trading on Tuesday and underscored a shift in focus at Pinterest to e-commerce initiatives from its advertising-based business model. In Ready, 42, the company gets an executive who for the past two years ran commerce and payment operations at the Alphabet Inc-owned search giant. Ready has also held senior leadership roles at PayPal. His appointment brings to an end Silbermann's 12-year tenure as CEO, which began when he co-founded the company in 2010. Pinterest has grown rapidly since then and now has more than 430 million monthly active users. Silbermann, 39, will take up the newly created role of executive chairman and keep his board seat, while Ready will also join the board, the company said. Ready will receive an annual salary of $400,000 and be eligible for a stock option award to buy about 8.6 million Class A shares. "In our next chapter, we are focused on helping Pinners buy, try and act on all the great ideas they see," Silbermann said. "Bill is a great leader for this transition," he added. (Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) Flint, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Bacco Farms is proud to announce the 3rd Anniversary Block Party at their 6200 North Dort Highway location. The family-owned, female-run recreational marijuana dispensary, is known for providing cannabis education and offering exceptional, reasonably priced products. Locals can visit Bacco Farms on July 1st, from 12 pm to 6 pm, for guest appearances, cannabis vendors, product giveaways, along with an assortment of food trucks. A Flint-First Community Event Bacco Farms helps the residents of Flint access premium cannabis products in a safe, educational, and welcoming environment. Today, Bacco Farms is a staple in the local cannabis community. They give back to the city by hiring within Flint, community outreach projects, and hosting events to raise awareness of the healing properties of cannabis. The block party is an opportunity for Bacco Farms to give back to the public, interact with customers face-to-face, and express their gratitude for Flint's cannabis community. Gage Green Group & Prima Clones Among Block Party Attendees One of the biggest names in Michigan cannabis seed breeders, Gage Green Group Genetics Seed Bank, will be in attendance for the Block Party celebration. A genetics seed bank with a mission to provide boutique-grade cannabis seeds, they are a leader in natural farming, healing philosophy, engaging consciousness, and engaging human potency through meditation and herbs. Prima Clones, one of Michigan's leaders in high-performance genetics, selective cannabis breeding, and research and development, will also be in attendance. The nursery, which provides a service-oriented approach to cannabis cultivation, will be taking clone orders from cultivators looking for high-quality genetics. Visitors interested in learning more will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from Gage Green Group and Prima Clones. There will be several charity events throughout the day hosted by the groups Bacco Farms, Gage Green Group, and Prima Clones. Detroit's Hottest Hip Hop Artist to Make Appearance This year's Bacco Farms block party features a much-anticipated "meet and greet" with one of the most popular hip hop icons in Detroit. The celebrity, whose identity is currently a surprise, is a vocal cannabis advocate and a pivotal member of the area's next generation of artists. More details will be released as they are available. Food & Cannabis Vendors Bacco Farm's 3rd Anniversary Block Party will also host an assortment of cannabis and food vendors. Guests will have a plethora of options from 25 of Michigan's favorite cannabis vendors that supply Bacco Farms with cannabis products. Visitors will be provided with education, swag, and great discounts on cannabis products. Food trucks will also be on site to provide a delectable assortment of eateries. About Bacco Farms Bacco Farms is a locally owned and operated recreational marijuana dispensary near Flint, Michigan. Founded by those who have a deep understanding of the power of recreational cannabis, Bacco Farms strives to be a safe and reliable resource for top-tier quality marijuana and marijuana products as well as exceptional customer service and cannabis education. For more information on Bacco Farms' 3rd Anniversary Block Party, Phoebe with Bacco Farms is reachable either through phone 810-877-6538 or via email at [email protected]. CONTACT: Phoebe Momgaudas PHONE: 810-877-6538 EMAIL:[email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129342 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Forza Petroleum Limited (TSX: FORZ) ("Forza Petroleum" or the "Corporation") today announces that the nominees listed in its Management Proxy Circular dated May 17, 2022 were elected as directors of Forza Petroleum. Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held earlier today at Forza Petroleum's Annual Meeting of Shareholders are set out below. Each of the following four nominees proposed by management was elected as a director by a majority of the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy. The proxies received by management with respect to the election of directors were as follows: Nominee Votes For Votes Withheld Brad Camp 516,402,859 97.76% 11,853,100 2.24% Peter Janele 528,236,259 100% 19,700 0% Peter Newman 528,216,908 99.99% 39,051 0.01% Sami Zouari 528,031,599 99.96% 224,360 0.04% Percentages in the table above represent the votes for or withheld, as applicable, cast by proxy, as a percentage of all votes cast at the meeting for the election of directors by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy. Final voting results on all matters voted on at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders have been filed under the Corporation's profile at www.sedar.com. ABOUT FORZA PETROLEUM LIMITED Forza Petroleum Limited is an international oil exploration, development and production company. The Corporation's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol "FORZ". Forza Petroleum has a 65% working interest in and operates the Hawler license area in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which has yielded oil discoveries in four areas, three of which are contributing to production while appraisal and development activity continues. Further information about Forza Petroleum is available at www.forzapetroleum.com or under Forza Petroleum's profile at www.sedar.com. For additional information about Forza Petroleum, please contact: Kevin McPhee General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Tel.: +41 (0) 58 702 93 00 E-mail: [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129312 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - Datametrex AI Limited (TSXV: DM) (FSE: D4G) (OTCQB: DTMXF) (the "Company" or "Datametrex'') is pleased to announce that further to the news release on May 18, 2022, the Company's telehealth Medi-Call app is now available for download on Android devices within the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). As of today, residents of Vancouver, BC can download the first release of the app for Android devices on Google Play here: https://bit.ly/MCGooglePlay The Company is in the process of getting approval for the iOS release on the Apple store and once it becomes available, they will provide further communication and share the link via www.medicallmd.ca. Medi-Call services including but not limited to: One 360-degree quarterly in-home wellness visit (checkup) Unlimited access to our telehealth platform Free prescription refills Access to our expert nursing team Safe and secure electronic medical record (EMR) keeping system that follows you geographically "Now that Medi-Call is available for android users, the Company is excited to start rolling out the application and begin providing Canadian patients direct healthcare," said Marshall Gunter, CEO of the Company. "As the public health care system faces shortages of doctors, meeting patient's needs remains a top concern. Medi-Call is a flexible solution that enhances patient-doctor relationships while providing healthcare that patients can really appreciate," said Dr. Omar Sharif, Chief Medical Officer of the Company. About Medi-Call Medi-Call is a subscription-based software as a service (SaaS) mobile application that connects patients with doctors. It is an integrated grid system that connects patients with providers in real time. Medi-Call solves accessibility issues for patients living in rural or isolated communities and those also have limited mobility while improving coordination and communication of treatment among healthcare team members and their patients. Medi-Call facilitates mobile health care services, including prescriptions and is passionate about building doctor-patient relationships virtually. For additional information on Medi-Call, please visit www.medicallmd.ca. About Datametrex Datametrex AI Limited is a technology-focused company using artificial intelligence (AI) to create progressive solutions for the cyber security, telehealth, and electric vehicle (EV) verticals. Datametrex's mission is to provide tools that support companies in fulfilling their operational goals with predictive and preventive technologies. For additional information on Datametrex and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.datametrex.com. For further information: Investor Relations & Communications Marshall Gunter, CEO Email: [email protected] Tel: 514-295-2300 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements All statements included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Bid. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events. ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129222 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2022) - MineHub Technologies Inc. (TSXV: MHUB) (OTCQB: MHUBF) ("MineHub" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore ("MPA") has awarded MineHub a grant to co-fund a project using the MineHub platform to promote open standards and interoperability of electronic Bills of Lading ("eBLs"). MineHub has been focused on removing friction from supply chain operations through digitalisation, and enabling and promoting the use of electronic Bills of Lading is core to MineHub's mission. Arnoud Star Busmann, CEO at MineHub Technologies, said "The Singapore government's support through its institutions like the MPA and the IMDA is instrumental in pushing the industry forward towards digitalisation. We are very pleased to contribute to this drive, and work with industry to promote the use of electronic Bills of Ladings, enabling interoperability between platforms and existing providers through open standards." The Bill of Lading is the most important international trade document. It underpins all seaborne transactions, which is 80% of global trade, but because it is usually required to be presented on physical paper to be legally valid, it has also prevented trade to be fully digitalised and as such is a major source of processing costs and time delays. In fact, some of the supply chain disruption we have seen in recent years are a direct consequence of pandemic lockdowns preventing couriers to deliver the physical paper Bills of Lading to banks or customers, which in turn delays payments from being settled and discharge of cargos. Those shipments that involved eBLs have done much better, and as such the use of eBLs has increased rapidly. Only 0.1% of bills of lading today are issued today as eBLs, and are only valid in limited or closed systems, each guided by their own rules and standards. Supply chain parties also have different Bills of Lading formats or varying IT system requirements. Changes are underway though in the regulatory landscape, as Singapore and several other nations have adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law for Electronic Transfer of Record. It was announced recently that the UK is also working towards adoption of electronic Bills of Lading in English law, the governing law for most of global trade. In addition, the Company completed its AGM on June 22, 2022, where all items of business put forward at the meeting were approved, and Arnoud Star Busman was appointed to the board of directors. Please refer to the Company's information circular as filed on SEDAR. About MineHub Technologies MineHub is an open, enterprise-grade platform for digital trade, bringing efficiency, transparency and responsibility to supply chains. MineHub connects the many parties involved in a physical commodity transaction in a digitally integrated workflow, operating on the basis of shared authentic and validated information secured by a global enterprise blockchain network. Users of MineHub are in full control of their supply chains, enabling them to optimize their use of resources, respond better and faster to customer needs and have confidence in the resilience, security and compliance of their operations. Arnoud Star Busmann CEO, MineHub Technologies Inc. For further information regarding MineHub, please email [email protected] Minehub.com or visit website at www.minehub.com . Media Contact Citigate, Angus Campbell at [email protected] Investor Relations RB Milestone Group, LLC (RBMG) at [email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains statements that are considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements") with respect to MineHub including, but not limited to, statements with respect to MineHub's future operational plans, the timing of such plans and anticipated customers. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts are generally, but not always, identied by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although MineHub believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise sucient capital to fund its operations, applications and for general working capital purposes, changes in economic conditions or nancial markets, changes in laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, dependence on its key management personnel and market competition. Other risk factors are identified in the Company's prospectus dated August 18, 2021, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. There may be other risk factors not presently known that management believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information is made as of the date included herein. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates and opinions of MineHub's management on the date the statements are made. However, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129200 Hong Kong: Over 1.5k COVID-19 cases reported (To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.) The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 1,533 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 603 were directly identified through nucleic acid tests and 930 via rapid antigen tests which were verified. Separately, 152 imported cases were reported. One more patient passed away, bringing the total number of deaths in the fifth wave of the epidemic to 9,186. At a press briefing this afternoon, the centres Principal Medical & Health Officer Dr Albert Au gave updates on the cluster of cases that occurred in a restaurant at Chelsea Heights in Tuen Mun, involving people who dined there on June 16. So far, we have identified 42 customers affected and the remaining customers tested negative (for COVID-19) already, the majority of them. All the (restaurant) staff tested negative. So, we consider that the outbreak (from this restaurant) has ended. During our epidemiological investigation, we have identified some secondary (transmission) cases, mainly including some cases with transmission in the same buildings, as well as a suspected transmission in an elderly care home - Fu Tai Elderly Home, and also another small-scale outbreak in another restaurant (in Mong Kok), which might be related to (the outbreak of) the Tuen Mun restaurant. Meanwhile, the centre received notifications of 202 positive cases from 172 schools, among which three were advised to suspend the classes where a few teachers or students had contracted the virus. This afternoon, the Government made restriction-testing declarations to cover Tak Nga Court in Tai Po and Kam Nga House of Kam Ying Court in Sha Tin, requiring people in the restricted areas to undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline. As there were positive sewage test results with relatively high viral loads in several residential areas in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, the Housing Department and respective district offices will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to relevant residents as well as cleaning workers and property management staff working there. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Governments dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 27, 2022) - Novra Technologies Inc. (TSXV: NVI) ("Novra") and its subsidiary International Datacasting Corporation ("IDC") announced today that it has been selected by Your Network of Praise (YNOP), a non-denominational international radio network, to provide the next-generation broadcast infrastructure for its radio network refresh. The network will be operated by LinkUp Communications from its Denver teleport. IDC will provide audio encoders and next-generation MAP receivers as well as the IDC MISTiQ cloud distribution platform. The MAP Pro Audio receives and distributes for broadcast state-of-the-art audio signals via satellite and/or internet, empowering redundancy and high-availability requirements. Broadcasters today are looking for the flexibility of hybrid distribution in order to increase reliability, reduce costs, and/or expand the reach of networks beyond the traditional satellite footprint. In this case, MISTiQ will be used for contribution links, while distribution will take place via satelliteall managed by LinkUp Communications. LinkUp Communications is the nation's largest independent technology provider for content producers. LinkUp's selection of IDC as one of its technology partners will enable it to provide a range of solutions, including receivers, uplinks, hosted satellite channels, internet distribution, and event affiliate and network administration. LinkUp's prime directive is to manage all aspects of their clients' technical details, leaving programming companies empowered to create the very best in audio content. This network upgrade replaces the previous ABR network. Novra is pleased to furnish next-generation hardware and software technologies supporting LinkUp's commitment to provide a cost-effective and seamless transition for networks using orphaned technologies. Mark Johnson, President of LinkUp Communications, commented, "This is an important project for us as we expand our hybrid delivery services. As a longtime leader in rock solid satellite distribution, the IDC platform provides a strong future of distribution solutions for our customers. We are pleased to add reliable, versatile MISTiQ to the services we provide our user community." Gary Carter, VP Business Development and Products for Novra Group/IDC, said, "Our MISTiQ platform is now in its second generation, and MAP Pro Audio in its third. It is exciting to see these products mature and add features and functionalities based on real life deployments and the feedback of our customers. Our industry is on the verge of a tipping point for internet distribution and we are at the front of this evolution." # # # About Novra and International Datacasting: Part of the Novra Group (Novra) (TSXV: NVI) (OTCQB: NVRVF), International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) is a longtime global provider of products, systems and services for the distribution of multimedia broadband content. The Novra Group of companies includes Novra Technologies, International Datacasting Corporation, and Wegener Communications. The companies in the group are known for a strong focus on applications including: broadcast video and radio, digital cinema, digital signage, and highly reliable data communications. For more information, visit: www.datacast.com. About LinkUp: Founded in 2016, LinkUp Communications Corporation is a broadcast technology company specializing in content delivery. LinkUp offers an array of services, including FCC licensing, design, integration, installation, space segment, internet distribution, managed services and ongoing support. LinkUp Communications, designs, installs, supports and operates satellite and MISTiQ IP/Internet distribution systems for radio and television broadcasters with a highly experienced team of professionals from its offices in Florida and teleports in Alabama and now Colorado. For more information visit: www.linkupcommunications.com. CONTACT: Novra Group Diana Cantu, VP Marketing & Sales +1-613-596-4120 x2202 [email protected] LinkUp Communications Corp. Karen Johnson, Chair / Chief Marketing Officer +1 (703) 378-5090 [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129216 FILE PHOTO: Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of U.S. and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo By Daphne Psaledakis and Michelle Nichols WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on more than 100 targets and banned new imports of Russian gold, acting on commitments made by the Group of Seven leaders this week to further punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on 70 entities, many of which it said are critical to Russia's defense industrial base, as well as 29 people in an effort to hinder Russia's ability to develop and deploy weapons and technology. The move freezes any U.S. assets of those designated and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. "Targeting Russia's defense industry will degrade (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's capabilities and further impede his war against Ukraine, which has already been plagued by poor morale, broken supply chains, and logistical failures," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. The U.S. action is the latest in several rafts of sanctions targeting Moscow since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Fresh sanctions were imposed on Rostec, Russia's state aerospace and defense conglomerate. The Treasury said Rostec's "management umbrella includes more than 800 entities across a wide range of sectors" and that all entities owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, by Rostec are blocked. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) was sanctioned to "weaken Russia's ability to continue its aerial assault on Ukraine," the Treasury said. UAC makes Russia's MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets - planes that are also flown by U.S. allies including some NATO members - and is majority-owned by Rostec. Tupolev, maker of Russian strategic bomber and transport aircraft, was also designated. PLANES, TRUCKS, GOLD Irkut Corp, a UAC-affiliated aircraft manufacturer that builds many of the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets used by Russia in Ukraine, was targeted, as were several of its subsidiaries and other companies in Russia's aerospace sector. The Treasury also named some 20 entities that develop, produce and service military electronics gear under the Rostec-owned Ruselectronics electronic company. The United States slapped sanctions on Russia's largest truck manufacturer, Kamaz, saying its vehicles have been seen carrying missiles and Russian soldiers throughout the Ukraine conflict. It named nine subsidiaries of Kamaz, a publicly-traded company less than 50% owned by Rostec. U.S. imports of Russian-origin gold have been banned, with the exception of gold located outside of Russia prior to Tuesday. Russia produces around 10% of the gold mined globally each year and it is the country's biggest non-energy export. Gold is a crucial asset for the Russian central bank, which has faced restrictions on accessing some of its assets held abroad because of Western sanctions. Others designated on Tuesday include people involved in sanctions evasion, the conflict, as well as several current and former officials in the two self-declared breakaway territories in Ukraine's Donbas region - the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. The State Department on Tuesday is also imposing sanctions on 45 entities and 29 people, including Russian military units, the Treasury said. Over 500 Russian military officers will also be hit with visa restrictions, as will other officials. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York and David Lawder in Saint LouisEditing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy) Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrive to sign a document during a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herma MADRID (Reuters) - Turkey has agreed to support Finland's and Sweden's bids for NATO membership, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. "I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO," he told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Madrid. "Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism," he added. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, writing by Sabine Siebold, editing by Andrei Khalip) Stock Symbol: AEM (NYSE and TSX) TORONTO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or the "Company") today announced that it will release its second quarter 2022 results on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, after normal trading hours. Second Quarter 2022 Results Conference Call Webcast Agnico Eagle's senior management will host a conference call on Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 11:00 AM (E.D.T.) to discuss the Company's financial and operating results. Via Webcast:A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's website at www.agnicoeagle.com. Via Telephone:For those preferring to listen by telephone, please dial 416-764-8659 or toll-free 1-888-664-6392. To ensure your participation, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. Replay archive:Please dial 416-764-8677 or toll-free 1-888-390-0541, access code 895272#. The conference call replay will expire on August 28, 2022. The webcast, along with presentation slides, will be archived for 180 days on the Company's website. About Agnico Eagle Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company, producing precious metals from operations in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico. It has a pipeline of high-quality exploration and development projects in these countries as well as in the United States and Colombia. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. The Company was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agnico-eagle-provides-notice-of-release-of-second-quarter-2022-results-and-conference-call-301577274.html SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AlloFuse Micro Fibers are the latest addition to the company's AlloFuse line of Fibers and Fiber Boat products, expanding its bone graft portfolio CENTENNIAL, Colo., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AlloSource, one of the largest allograft providers in the U.S., creating innovative cellular and tissue allografts to help surgeons heal their patients, today announced the addition of AlloFuse Micro Fibers Demineralized Bone allograft for use in spinal, foot and ankle or other orthopedic procedures. AlloFuse Micro Fibers are made of 100 percent demineralized cortical bone and does not contain any form of carrier. The product can be formed into tightly compacted shapes to fill small boney voids and provides an osteoconductive scaffold with osteoinductive potential to support bone fusion. The short fiber size eliminates cutting or mincing, reducing unnecessary work, as well as time in the operating room and may be used in combination with biologics or autograft tissue as directed by the surgeon. "Based on surgeon feedback, we realized there was a need for shorter demineralized bone fibers to answer an unmet need for our customers and their patients," said Kevin Whitten, AlloSource Chief Commercial Officer. "Maximizing the gift of tissue donation, we developed Micro Fibers that are moldable and formable, allowing surgeons to maintain desired shapes, especially in small spaces." AlloFuse Micro Fibers join the portfolio of Fibers and Fiber Boats as the latest addition to the line of bone grafts, originally launched in 2009. For more information on AlloSource's AlloFuse Micro Fibers, Fibers and Fiber Boats, please visit https://allosource.org/products/allofuse-fibers-fiber-boats/. About AlloSource AlloSource, one of the largest human tissue providers, honors tissue donors by creating innovative dermal, cartilage, tendon, fascia, bone, amniotic, and living cellular allografts to help heal patients. Since 1994, the Colorado-based organization has continued to advance its allografts to improve patient outcomes, serving as a trusted tissue partner to the medical community. AlloSource is registered with the FDA as a tissue establishment and accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks. Learn more at allosource.org. Media ContactColleen KilkennyAlloSource303. 596. 6370[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allosource-announces-new-micro-fibers-demineralized-bone-allograft-301575442.html SOURCE AlloSource NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Freed-Hardeman University contracted leading luxury real estate auction marketing firm J.P. King to auction the iconic Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tennessee. The 100,000+/- sq. ft. facility was home to students currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing. J. P. King listed and closed the property in less than 90 days. Freed-Hardeman University President David R. Shannon states, "We had listed our property with a national commercial broker for a year without a reasonable offer. After signing with J. P. King Auction Company, we had a pre-auction offer that exceeded our expectations in only 6 weeks. Their integrity and competence were evident from day one, and their success became our success. We are thankful to have partnered with J.P. King and highly recommend them." "Our intentions are always to go to auction with our properties, but in today's hot real estate market we see our marketing bring in pre-auction offers, and in this case, FHU accepted an offer prior to auction" said Craig King, President/CEO of J. P. King Auction Company. "Our extensive marketing techniques have been proven time after time to move property fast and efficiently. We diligently strive to seek the right buyers for the properties we sell and in this case, we found the right buyer for the Renaissance Center." David Rives Ministries a Christian non-profit focusing on media outreach has announced the acquisition of The Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN. "It has been a pleasure working with J.P. King and Associates through the acquisition of The Renaissance Center in Dickson, TN and when we learned about the availability of the property through J. P. King's marketing, we took immediate action. From the moment of my first call to the initial walk-through of the property, they were not only knowledgeable, but prompt and courteous. Whether communicating via email, in person, or on the phone, responses were rapid and professional." Said purchaser, David Rives, with David Rives Ministries J.P. King, headquartered in Gadsden, Ala., has specialized in selling exclusive and unique properties on a national level for over 100 years. They are the nation's leading real estate auctioneer of high value assets including, private estates, ranches, commercial property, land tracts, and more! Individuals seeking additional information on how J. P. King can benefit you please contact (800) 558-5464 or visit www.jpking.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/auction-house-sells-property-six-weeks-prior-to-auction-301577394.html SOURCE J.P. King Auction Company THUNDER BAY, ON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (FRA: CKU) (OTCQB: CLRMF) announces that it has filed its unaudited consolidated interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the three month period ended April 30, 2022, available for viewing on www.sedar.com. First Quarter Financial Highlights Total assets as at April 30, 2022 of $45,350,018 Total cash as at April 30, 2022 of $7,265,049 Working capital as at April 30, 2022 of $5,859,911 Shareholder's equity as at April 30, 2022 of $41,742,012 During the first quarter ended April 30, 2022 as previously reported, the Company: closed a private placement raising gross proceeds of approximately $12.5 million through the issuance of 12,280,800 flow-through units at $0.285, 10,869,600 flow-through units at $0.23 and 32.25 million non-flow-through units at $0.20. signed an exploration agreement with Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and the Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek, which confirms a framework for a mutually beneficial relationship between the co-operating participants regarding the Company's Thunder Bay North project. Completed a total of 34 holes on the Escape Deposit for a cumulative total of 13,103 m of drilling. Financial Summary For the three months ended April 30, 2022 April 30, 2021 Operating Expenses $ 1,098,079 $ 747,134 Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss (560,871) (47,741) Loss per share Basic and Diluted $ (0.00) $ (0.00) April 30, 2022 January 31, 2022 Total Assets $ 45,350,018 $ 35,059,465 Total Liabilities 3,608,006 4,027,436 Total Shareholders' Equity $ 41,742,012 $ 31,032,029 Full details of the financial reports and operating results for the three month period ended April 30, 2022 are described in the Company's unaudited consolidated interim financial statements with accompanying notes and related Management's Discussion and Analysis, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Social Engagement Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the Cooperating Participants in a Memorandum of Agreement dated January 9, 2021 (press release January 11, 2021) and Exploration Agreement signed April 13, 2022 (press release April 14, 2022). The Company appreciates the opportunity to work in these territories and remains committed to the recognition and respect of those who have lived, traveled, and gathered on the lands since time immemorial. Clean Air Metals is committed to stewarding Indigenous heritage and remains committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation. About Clean Air Metals Inc. Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel project located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Thunder Bay North Project hosts the twin magma conduit bodies which host the Current and Escape deposits forming the basis for a robust preliminary economic assessment PEA) filed January 12, 2002. The PEA of a ramp access underground mine and on-site 3600tpd milling complex and the 2-year trailing average price deck, features a pretax NPV5 of C$425m and an IRR of 31% on initial capital of $378m over a 10-year mine life. Executive Chair Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced technical team who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development feasibility studies for a low-carbon, all-electric sustainable mining operation at Thunder Bay North. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December 2019, Jim Gallagher and team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Abraham Drost" Abraham Drost, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Air Metals Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clean-air-metals-files-interim-financial-statements-as-at-april-30-2022-301577339.html SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc. SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Curebase, a company committed to democratizing access to clinical studies, has named human resources management veteran Andi Seymour as its VP of People. Curebase's decentralized clinical trial model ensures more diverse studies because unique populations which typically are underrepresented in clinical trials can be included. The company's virtual research sites also provide physicians with new and unique options to offer their patients, regardless of location. The Curebase platform empowers sponsors, CROs, and physicians from practices of all sizes to conduct clinical research, including private practices, independent clinics, and large academic research sites. "Andi's expertise in HR leadership and her experience in helping technology startups grow makes her ideal for the critical role of VP of People," said Tom Lemberg, founder and chief executive officer of Curebase. "As we continue to scale our business and workforce, Andi will ensure Curebase maintains its core values, culture and professional standards while expanding our workforce skill set." Andi brings more than 15 years of progressive and hands-on experience managing global human resources teams. Prior to joining Curebase, Seymour was vice president of people operations in America for data science platform startup Dataiku. She also has served as VP of human resources for 7Park Data, an alternative data aggregator and analytics provider based in NYC; global head of human resources for AxiomSL, a fintech company for regulatory and risk reporting and global HR operations manager for fintech company MarketAxess, a leading fixed income electronic trading platform based in NYC where she was employed for nearly 10 years. "I strongly believe in what Curebase is doing to transform clinical trials and I'm impressed by the collaborative, respectful and mission-driven culture the company has developed," Seymour said. "I also love a fast-paced organization and it's clear that Curebase is both well-positioned and ready to seize growth opportunities." Seymour received her bachelor's degree with top honors in public administration with a minor in HR management from City University of New York - John Jay, and holds HR certifications from Cornell University. She is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), along with other community-based organizations. About CurebaseAt Curebase, our mission is to bring quality medical innovations to patients faster and improve human wellbeing through more efficient clinical studies. We are proving that clinical research can be radically accelerated if we empower physicians everywhere to enroll patients in the communities where they live. By applying cutting edge clinical software and remote study management techniques to the problem, we are reinventing clinical trials and research from the ground up. For more information, please visit www.curebase.com. For More Information: Bonnie VosWinkelCurebase[email protected] or Adam BeesonAmendola Communications[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/curebase-hires-hr-veteran-andi-seymour-as-vp-of-people-301577144.html SOURCE Curebase NORCROSS, Ga., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight PruittHealth locations have been recognized as 2022 recipients of the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for their commitment to improving the lives of patients and residents through quality care. "Our PruittHealth family of providers continuously strives for excellence on behalf of our patients and their families, as well as our local communities. I am pleased eight of our skilled nursing centers have proven their dedication to high-quality health care to receive this well-deserved recognition," said Neil L. Pruitt, Jr., chairman and CEO of PruittHealth. The following PruittHealth locations are 2022 recipients of the AHCA/NCAL Bronze Commitment to Quality Award: PruittHealth Blue Ridge (GA) PruittHealth Carolina Point (NC) PruittHealth Fairburn (GA) PruittHealth Fitzgerald (GA) PruittHealth Moultrie (GA) PruittHealth Rock Hill (SC) PruittHealth Toccoa (GA) PruittHealth Washington (GA) Created in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is a rigorous three-level process that is reviewed and judged by trained experts against a set of nationally recognized standards for organizational excellence. The standards of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program help organizations achieve superior performance to improve quality of life and care of long-term care patients and staff. The awards will be presented during AHCA/NCAL's 73rd Convention & Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, which will be held from October 9-12, 2022. For more information about PruittHealth, visit pruitthealth.com. About PruittHealth A family-owned organization for 50 years, PruittHealth provides a seamless network of post-acute care services and resources, offering skilled nursing care, home health care, end-of-life hospice care, therapy services, as well as pharmacy and infusion services across the Southeast. Our 13,000 employed partners serve approximately 24,000 patients daily in more than 180 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. For more information about our commitment to caring, visit pruitthealth.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eight-pruitthealth-locations-earn-national-quality-award-301577221.html SOURCE PruittHealth PORTLAND, Ore., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "The number of bad actors is increasing and they are getting more sophisticated as they target local government agencies. Cyberattacks and ransomware represent the number one concern of IT directors at the local government agency level," says Doug Robinson, Executive Director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). During Springbrook's annual Activate conference, Robinson will be providing an update on the $1 billion Federal Cybersecurity Grant that will ultimately provide local government agencies with monies to reenforce their cybersecurity initiatives. Robinson is one of several keynoters addressing this year's Activate cybersecurity theme: Securing Your Future. Robinson provided details on the 2021/2022 cybersecurity grant program and its $200 million distribution on a Springbrook Research Institute interview earlier this year. The distribution, part of a four-year, $1 billion infrastructure package, is currently working its way through the system. The awards will be issued through a competitive process, and Robinson will be providing up to the minute details as information becomes available. Robinson's current update on the grant is now available on the Springbrook Research Institute. "The creation of this grant program is a significant step toward improving the cyber resilience for state and local governments across the country. The state CIOs and CISOs look forward to playing a significant role in the implementation of this program," adds Robinson. Springbrook's Activate event is September 14-16, 2022 at the Virgin Resort in Las Vegas. It is open to all representatives from local government agencies: register here. The event features advanced training, keynote presentations, workshops and incredible networking opportunities. A complete agenda can be found on the registration page. About Springbrook Software: Springbrook Software is the country's leading cloud-based finance and administration software provider designing solutions specifically for small to medium sized local government agencies. Nearly 2000 cities, towns and districts from coast to coast use our suite of modern, high-performance solutions to manage their finances, payroll, utility billing and collect citizen payments. Springbrook is headquartered in Portland, Oregon with regional presence in over 40 states, and seven countries internationally. https://springbrooksoftware.com MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/executive-director-of-nascio-doug-robinson-to-address-1-billion-federal-cybersecurity-grant-at-springbrook-softwares-annual-activate-customer-conference-securing-your-future-301577091.html SOURCE Springbrook Software MIAMI, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Haber Law, a law Firm recognized for their outstanding achievements several years in a row, is honored to be recognized as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars once again. This highly selective list of well-respected Florida attorneys is an immense prestige for the firm. The recognition entails a thorough review of the Firm's expertise including construction litigation, real estate, general litigation, and business litigation. The following Haber Law attorneys are recognized as 2022 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars: Roger Slade Top Rated Attorney in Business Litigation Top Rated Attorney in Business Litigation Frank Soto Top Rated Attorney in Construction Litigation Top Rated Attorney in Construction Litigation Hal Lewis Top Rated Attorney in Real Estate Top Rated Attorney in Real Estate David Podein Rising Star in Real Estate Rising Star in Real Estate Rebecca Casamayor Rising Star in Real Estate "Our law Firm is proud of the accomplishments of its outstanding attorneys, and we continue to be acknowledged by our peers for our achievements in the Firm's four core practice areas commercial litigation, construction law, real estate, and condominium law. Our Firm continues to expand while remaining true to our ideals of excellence and quality lawyering for a fair price which our clients respect and value," says Shareholder Roger Slade. Florida Super Lawyers is an attorney rating system owned by Thomson Reuters. Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes the top lawyers in Florida using a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research, and peer evaluation. No more than 5% of licensed attorneys can be designated a Super Lawyer and no more than 2.5% can be Rising Stars. The Rising Stars list is similarly selective and honors lawyers who are under 40 or have been practicing less than 10 years. The process is designed to find the best attorneys in their field of practice. For more information on Super Lawyers, visit www.superlawyers.com About Haber Law Haber Law is a 20-attorney boutique law firm based in Miami, Florida that has four core practice groups, Complex Business Litigation, Construction Law, including design and construction defects litigation, Real Estate, Finance and Transactional Law, and Condominium Association and HOA Law. Additional practice areas include aviation law, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, and family law. The Firm is committed to its core values of integrity, service, dedication, innovation, diversity, and success. Haber Law is located on the internet at www.haber.law and can be reached at 305-379-2400. Media Contact: Velocitas Interactive Marketing + PR [email protected] 305.735.9845 URL : https://www.haber.law View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/five-haber-law-attorneys-recognized-by-super-lawyers-301577293.html SOURCE Haber Law Adams to help launch 4 Warn Weather, the most locally focused up-to-the-minute weather in Detroit, and serve multiple roles, including weather anchor on southeast Michigan's most watched news DETROIT, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Local 4 News Meteorologist Kim Adams will rejoin WDIV as a meteorologist on all of our station's main content platforms -- Local 4 News on television, the station website clickondetroit.com, and the station's streaming channel Local 4+, it was announced today by WDIV Vice President and General Manager Bob Ellis. Adams will start these new roles beginning August 8. "We've been searching for someone who can serve the changing content needs of our audiences for a while now," said Ellis. "In looking all over the country, we were searching for the exact right person to handle what the people of southeast Michigan have clearly told us they need and want on TV, on our website, and with extended coverage during important weather events. In Kim, we discovered that exact right person has been right here at home all along." Adams previously served as Meteorologist on Local 4 most recently in 2009, when she left the station to become a full-time mother of her five children. "We're thrilled to have Kim returning to the Local 4 team," said News Director Kim Voet. "She certainly knows southeast Michigan and the weather that comes with living here. Southeast Michigan also knows Kim, and they know they can depend on her to keep them updated across all our platforms on the changing weather." In addition to her role joining Devin Scillian, Kimberly Gill, Karen Drew, Jason Colthorp and Bernie Smilovitz on Local 4 News each evening on TV, Kim will be a daily contributor to clickondetroit.com, providing weather forecasts for the website and station apps, as well as providing insights through in-depth articles and a weekly weather newsletter as to why changing weather conditions are happening. She will also serve as one of the primary forecasters on Local 4+, the station's streaming channel, where she will be anchoring extended coverage for all of southeast Michigan. Teamed with Paul Gross, Andrew Humphrey, Brandon Roux, and Brett Collar, Adams will help sharpen the station's focus on covering local weather under the station's new weather brand, 4 Warn Weather. Using the most powerful weather technology available today, which is exclusive to Local 4 News, the station will give viewers the most up-to-the-minute information pinpointed for each neighborhood, so they are always prepared. "My job, above all, is to make sure everyone in Detroit and Southeast Michigan is ready for whatever is coming. You'll get that on TV, on our app, website, and streaming channel. After seeing the capabilities of the station's Exact Track 4D Radar product, I can tell you it's a true difference maker. It will help our entire weather team warn our audience dangerous weather is coming before it happens so you can keep your family, and friends safe. This technology is exclusive to Local 4, and it allows us to see things develop even before the national weather service issues warnings," said Adams. The Exact Track 4D Radar technology also provides street level weather data so with the forecast you will receive daily on all platforms, you can plan your day. "When the weather is going to be nice, I want to make sure you take advantage of it. With 4 Warn Weather we'll also warn you not to miss a chance to enjoy the outdoor activities that make Michigan special," Adams added. Adams, who grew up in southeast Michigan, has won numerous awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Association of Broadcasters for her weather reporting. She is also very involved in our community through her volunteer work. She is an active supporter of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising awareness for women's health issues. Kim is the former Fundraising and Development Executive for New Day Foundation for Families, which provides financial aid to help cancer patients during treatment. Drawing on her experiences as a domestic violence survivor and breast cancer survivor she is a tireless advocate for living life fearlessly. Additional organizations where she volunteers her time include The Miracle League and Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter. She also devotes time to supporting Michigan Humane. Adams graduated summa cum laude from Oakland University, ranking 3rd in her graduating class. She received a master's degree from Wayne State University majoring in Radio/TV & Film. In addition, she studied thermodynamics and dynamics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School in Washington, D.C., and Synoptic Meteorology at Ohio State University. "Our commitment to local weather has never been stronger than it is right now. That's what the word "Local" in Local 4 is all about. With Kim back home at WDIV we're putting more "Local" in Local 4 and we'll have additional announcements coming about plans for more special events and coverage of local weather. Things no one has ever done in Detroit," said Ellis. About WDIV-Local 4 Local 4 News is currently the No. 1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market. WDIV is the No. 1 NBC affiliate in the top 20 LPM markets. In addition, Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is a top breaking news and weather website and the No. 1 news website in Metro Detroit. And Local 4+ - WDIV's free streaming app - available on Fire TV, Roku, Google TV and Apple TV, brings viewers live, original and on-demand programming. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kim-adams-returns-to-local-4-news-301576141.html SOURCE WDIV-TV Local 4 Dr. Susan Reinhard to Serve as Vice-Chair WEST ORANGE, N.J., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, RWJBarnabas Health announced the appointment of Lester J. Owens as the new Chair of the RWJBarnabas Health Board of Trustees, effective immediately. Mr. Owens will be the first African American to hold this position in the system. A Founding member of the Board, Mr. Owens has served as Vice Chair since 2019 and has served on its Audit, Compliance, Compensation, Nominating and Governance, as well as Racism and Social Justice Committees. He is also a long-time trustee of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he has served on the Compensation, Finance, Pediatric Program and Investment Committees. Mr. Owens serves on the Operating Committee and is the Senior Executive Vice President and head of Operations for Wells Fargo & Company, where he oversees a team of more than 70,000 employees and is responsible for building a more unified, integrated approach to Wells Fargo's business operations functions. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Owens was the Global Head of Operations at BNY Mellon. He has also led significant operations functions for JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, and Bankers Trust. "Lester has been at the helm of some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world, consistently managing complex, multifaceted projects with skill and dedication," said Barry H. Ostrowsky, Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health. "His leadership and expertise have been tremendous assets to our organization and will be instrumental to our continued growth." As evidence of his belief in service to the community, Mr. Owens has lent his time and knowledge to numerous non-profit organizations devoted to expanding the reach of higher education, particularly in communities where such opportunities have been scarce. "I feel very privileged to take on this role at such a pivotal moment for healthcare, as the needs of RWJBarnabas Health's patients, employees, communities, and other stakeholders are quickly evolving. The system is wholly committed to its mission of improving the health, quality of life, and vitality of the communities it serves. It has approached this in thoughtful and innovative ways that will benefit all stakeholders for years to come," said Mr. Owens. In his new role, Mr. Owens will continue to drive a key RWJBarnabas Health focus on providing accessible, high-quality health care to the citizens of New Jersey. Among his priorities will include the ongoing work to transform the patient experience, advance mental and behavioral health for individuals across the lifespan and drive social impact through strategic programs and policies that ensure health equity and address the social, economic, and environmental conditions that have a significant effect on health outcomes. He will work to advance the academic healthcare system and expand the partnerships with Rutgers University. He will also work closely with the system's executive leadership to build on the tremendous successes that have helped to position RWJBarnabas Health as a world-class academic health institution. "We are pleased to welcome Lester as our new Board Chair," said Mark Manigan, President of RWJBarnabas Health. "His voice and vision will help RWJBarnabas Health continue to make a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve." Mr. Owens earned a B.A. from Long Island University and an Executive MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Susan Reinhard, PhD, MSN, BSN, named new Vice-Chair, has served as a Founding member of the Corporate Board since 2016 and serves on the Compliance and Strategic Planning/Academic Affairs Committee and is Chair of the Quality Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital since 2013 and has served on its Finance, Strategic Planning and Quality Committees. Dr. Reinhard is the Senior Vice President and Director for the AARP Public Policy Institute and Chief Strategist of the Center to Champion Nursing in America and Family Caregiving Initiatives where she oversees teams working on health security, financial security, and family, home, and community issues. Previously, Dr. Reinhard was Professor and Co-Director of the Rutgers University Center for State Health Policy, where she contributed to the formulation of sound and creative state health policy in New Jersey. She also served as Deputy Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services from 1996-1999 and again from 2002-2005. In that role, Dr. Reinhard served three governors from both political parties. She earned a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and an MSN from University of Cincinnati. In other action, Richard J. Kogan was named Trustee Emeritus for the Board, in deepest gratitude for his many years of service. In addition to his work for the system, he had been an active member of the Saint Barnabas (now Cooperman Barnabas) Medical Center Board of Trustees since 1992 and had served as its Chairman for several years. Prior to that, he served as Vice-Chairman of the SBMC Board, and was also a Vice-Chairman of Barnabas Health. ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth; three acute care children's hospitals; Children's Specialized Hospital, including a network of outpatient centers; a behavioral health center and the state's largest behavioral health network; two trauma centers; a satellite emergency department; ambulatory care centers; geriatric centers; comprehensive home care and hospice programs; fitness and wellness centers; retail pharmacy services; an affiliated medical group; multi-site imaging centers; and two accountable care organizations. RWJBarnabas Health is one of New Jersey's largest private employers with more than 38,000 employees and 9,000 physicians and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers University, is New Jersey's largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research, and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey the state's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lester-j-owens-named-chair-of-rwjbarnabas-health-board-of-trustees-301577008.html SOURCE RWJBarnabas Health ATLANTA, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Modera Wealth Management, LLC is pleased to announce that Laurie Vitali has joined the firm as Chief People Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer. "We are very excited to bring Laurie into our Modera family," said Tom Orecchio, Chief Executive Officer, Principal, and Wealth Manager at Modera Wealth Management, LLC. "Laurie and Modera are 100% aligned in our commitment to hire, develop, and retain exceptional talent across Modera. Laurie's deep talent management experience and her contagious positive energy will be instrumental in successfully leading these efforts for us." For over two decades, Laurie has held key talent management leadership positions within the legal industry, with demonstrated success in developing and executing strategies to transform workplace performance. For the past 10 years as Director of Talent Management at Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, LLP, Laurie's efforts focused on employee engagement, leadership development, business development training, and other people-centric functions across the global law firm. "What excites me most about this new opportunity is that Modera employees already understand and buy into the competitive advantages of hiring and investing in a diverse workforce committed to providing exceptional client service," said Laurie Vitali. "Every person I have met at Modera is 100% focused on doing the right thing by both Modera and its clients. I look forward to helping lead the next chapter of Modera's growth through continued key-person hires and building and enhancing our HR infrastructure and talent management initiatives." Laurie earned her law degree from The College of William and Mary Law School and her bachelor's degree in economics, graduating magna cum laude, from Boston University. In her spare time, she loves reading, spending time at the beach, and periodically traveling to Italy with her native-Italian husband and teenage daughter. Laurie and her family currently live in Acworth, Georgia along with their two ragdoll cats, appropriately named Cappuccino and Latte. About Modera: Modera Wealth Management, LLC (Modera) is a fee-only, independent financial planning firm that works with individuals, families, retirement plan sponsors, and non-profit institutions in the areas of portfolio management, retirement planning, estate planning, income tax planning, investment management, risk analysis, and stock option analysis. As a fiduciary, Modera is required to provide objective counsel and a commitment to the highest level of ethics. Since the firm's inception in 1983, Modera has maintained a client-first philosophy. Modera was formed as a fee-only registered investment adviser which, at that time, was rare in the industry. To learn more about Modera: www.moderawealth.com Modera Wealth Management, LLC (Modera) is an SEC registered investment adviser with places of business in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Florida. SEC registration does not imply any level of skill or training. Modera may only transact business in those states in which it is notice filed or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from notice filing requirements. For information pertaining to our registration status, fees and services and/or a copy of our Form ADV, please contact Modera or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure web site (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). A full description of our business operations and service offerings is contained in our Disclosure Brochure which appears as Part 2A of Form ADV. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/modera-wealth-management-welcomes-laurie-vitali-as-chief-people-officerchief-human-resources-officer-301577116.html SOURCE Modera Wealth Management, LLC WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Shannon Walker will join Acting Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon to present 27 employees with the coveted Silver Snoopy Award on Thursday, June 30, at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Walker will be available to speak to media briefly about her career, as well as the importance of centers like Glenn to flight safety and mission success, at 12:30 p.m. The award ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. with remarks from Kenyon and Walker before the awards are presented. To participate, media should contact Jan Wittry at 216-433-5466 or [email protected] and plan to arrive at the main gate for badging no later than 12:10 p.m. Walker served as mission specialist on the on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed May 2, 2021. She also served as flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64 and Expedition 24/25, a long-duration mission that lasted 163 days. She was selected by NASA to be an astronaut in 2004. An astronaut always presents the Silver Snoopy because it is the astronauts' own award for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety and mission success. Fewer than one percent of the aerospace program workforce receive it annually, making it a special honor. Recipients must have significantly contributed to the human spaceflight program. The award is a sterling silver Snoopy lapel pin that has flown in space, plus a certificate of appreciation and commendation letter for the employee, both signed by the astronaut. For more information on Glenn, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/glenn View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-invites-media-to-meet-astronaut-at-silver-snoopy-awards-ceremony-301577232.html SOURCE NASA Market Demand and Recognition Continues to Grow for Neosec as CompaniesGrapple with Potential Loss of Money, Data, Trust and Resources PALO ALTO, Calif., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Neosec, the pioneer in discovering and identifying API threats using behavioral analytics, today announced additions to its platform for discovering and assessing all APIs in use by an organization and preventing fraud and abuse of business assets and processes through them. The features reflect rapidly growing market demand and recognition as companies grapple with potential loss of money, data, trust and resources through the use of business APIs. A new API inventory feature enables organizations to see and have a constantly up-to-date, unified view of all APIs in use with detailed information on each. This centralized view is particularly important when an organization has a large number of APIs and services in place. The new discovery experience shows which APIs saw the greatest number of endpoints recently added. It can instantly show the riskiest APIs and those that pass sensitive information within them. Detailed risk scoring, risk posture and a quick way to see risk changes makes it easy to manage large sets of APIs. Typical values and top-ten values of any parameter can also be displayed, which makes it easy to understand how the APIs are used in practice. A new automated service and endpoint risk scoring shows risk values and risk changes for each API and endpoint. The feature enables security professionals to understand any endpoint and service along with all its details, including its risk posture, and any actions that need to be taken or prioritized. In addition, the recently available ShadowHunt service augments use of the Neosec platform with a team of threat-hunting experts to respond to findings quickly, investigate potential threats and recommend immediate remediation and actions. "Companies are quickly waking up to the rapidly increasing potential for third parties or external attackers to abuse business APIs for criminal or malicious gain," said Giora Engel, co-founder and chief executive officer, Neosec. "We are continually advancing our platform to add greater visibility, understanding and protection of the abuses that can take place within business APIs." Neosec is receiving growing industry recognition and attention from companies around the world. Recently, the company was named a 2022 Gartner "Cool Vendor" in Application Security as well as being selected as a finalist for the RSA Conference 2022 Innovation Sandbox Contest. Neosec was also selected as an Excellence Award finalist in the Best Emerging Technology category for the 2022 SC Awards and as Cutting Edge Infosec Start-Up of the Year in the Global Infosec Awards 2022. As Neosec continues to receive recognition and accelerate their go to market strategy, they welcome DC Cullinane as the Vice President of Sales, spearheading global sales expansion. Cullinane brings over 20 years of sales leadership experience and has previously served in key roles as Global Sales VP, Senior Director Sales, and Strategic Advisor Roles for Deduce, Kasada, Shape Security, Inktomi and ThreatMetrix. For more information about the Neosec platform: About Neosec Neosec is re-inventing application security with a powerful platform that unifies security and development teams to protect modern applications from threats. The foundation of the SaaS platform is built on data and analytics to manage security at scale. Neosec prevents threats from abusing the complex network of APIs that connect today's businesses. The platform helps organizations discover every API and audit risk. Neosec has pioneered the use of behavioral analytics to understand normal versus abnormal API usage and delivers powerful threat hunting capabilities together with a team of expert threat hunters. Neosec prevents threats and stops abuse hiding within APIs and brings new intelligence to application security. Neosec is based in Palo Alto, California with R&D in Tel Aviv, Israel. To learn more, visit Neosec.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/neosec-enhances-api-security-platform-is-named-a-gartner-cool-vendor-wins-numerous-awards-and-expands-management-team-with-key-hire-301576935.html SOURCE Neosec SALISBURY, Md., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to combat food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $25,000 grant to support the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore school backpack program and 10,000 pounds of nutritious chicken products to feed food insecure families in rural Virginia. The grant from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the company's charitable giving arm, and donation of chicken are part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities. "For 40 years, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore has pursued a mission of leading the effort to eliminate hunger in our community," said Christopher Tan, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. "We're grateful to partners like Perdue Farms who provide the necessary nutrition and financial support to help us feed those in need in our community." The service area of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore spans 4,745 square miles and includes the cities of Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Franklin and the counties of Southampton, Northampton, Sussex, Isle of Wight and Accomack. Since its incorporation in 1981, more than 360 million meals have been distributed to those facing hunger. In the past five years, an average of 15 million meals have been distributed to more than 160,000 people each year. "Our BackPack Program provides food-insecure children with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations," said Tan. "Backpacks containing six healthy, child-friendly meals are discreetly handed out to the participating children at each distribution." The Foodbank backpack program serves roughly 3,600 children across 65 schools, seven of which are on the Eastern Shore. It provides 16,524 meals for 152 children attending public elementary schools in the region. These nutritious meals for the children allow caregivers to stretch their household budgets far enough to eliminate some of the impossible choices they must otherwise make between rent/mortgage, heat, electricity, transportation costs, medicine, doctor visits and groceries, according to Tan. Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, praised the work of Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. "Backpack food delivery programs are an important cornerstone program of the Foodbank's efforts to address childhood hunger," she said. "We believe none of our neighbors should go hungry so helping provide food each weekend to children facing food insecurity through this wonderful program is a meaningful investment." About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture. About Perdue Farms We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services. The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE brand, Niman Ranch, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats, Coleman Natural, and Yummy, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms and Full Moon, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com. Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/perdue-farms-delivers-25-000-to-foodbank-of-southeastern-va-and-the-eastern-shore-backpack-program-and-10-000-pounds-of-nutritious-protein-301577187.html SOURCE Perdue Farms New office in Leadership Square will allow dedicated team of staff to more directly serve Thentia clients in and adjacent U.S. states OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Thentia, an industry-leading government software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, is excited to announce the opening of its new office in Oklahoma, which will offer first-class support to Thentia clients in the state and nearby jurisdictions. After the State of Oklahoma announced its formal support for Thentia Cloud as a software provider for occupational licensing in 2021, company leadership began taking steps to open an office in Oklahoma City, enabling Thentia to more effectively serve the needs of area customers and take better advantage of future growth opportunities. Thentia has seen a significant expansion in its U.S. client portfolio in 2021 and 2022, particularly in Oklahoma and other central U.S. states. CEO Julian Cardarelli says the company saw a new opportunity to capitalize on this growth and chose to seize it. "We are excited to continue investing in our team to support our growing customer base in the central U.S.," Cardarelli says. "It is clear more regulatory agencies are putting their trust in Thentia, so we are ecstatic to have the opportunity to follow through on that promise and establish a local presence." The new office will be located in Leadership Square, in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, and led by Bonnie Campo, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Thentia. With a background at the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), Campo will bring front-line regulatory experience and a wide range of statewide connections to the office as General Manager. According to Cardarelli, Campo stood out as the perfect candidate to take on this massive new opportunity. "Bonnie's level of government experience and expertise is unmatched in Oklahoma, and she has personally watched many agencies successfully migrate their licensing systems to Thentia Cloud," Cardarelli says. "In short, there was no better person for the job." After cutting costs and streamlining licensing processes for agencies like the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), the Oklahoma Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE), Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners (OSBOE) and the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission (OREC), among others, the company has only further expanded its presence in Oklahoma and nearby states. The new office represents a major step forward in Thentia's endeavor to become the state-supported software vendor across all 50 states. Brent Kisling, Executive Director at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Workforce Development, says Thentia's physical presence will be a welcome continuation of the pattern of success the company has established in the state. "Thentia's track record in Oklahoma speaks for itself," Kisling says. "Having a new home in Oklahoma City will only make it easier for the company to implement its modern, elegant software solution in government offices across the state." The new office will also contain Thentia's dedicated Oklahoma project team, including two new hires: Shauna Cole, Program Manager for Oklahoma, and Stephanie Wood, Project Manager for Oklahoma, who will oversee project implementations throughout the state. Office General Manager Campo says Thentia will continue hiring personnel to fill roles that will allow the company to serve its Oklahoma clients more effectively. "We have now set a precedent for working with government agencies in Oklahoma," Campo says. "We've seen what works and what doesn't, and with this knowledge, we can strategize to ensure Thentia Cloud works as effectively as possible for countless government agencies in the area." Thentia will be holding an office opening reception during the second week of August official date still to be confirmed to celebrate this milestone in the company's relationship with the state of Oklahoma. All clients as well as other state agencies will be invited to come and celebrate the start of what will be a long and fruitful public-private partnership. More details will be shared with Oklahoma clients and stakeholders in the coming days and weeks. About Thentia Thentia is a global company with teams operating in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada and is trusted by regulatory bodies and government agencies worldwide with more than 8.5 million active licensees across the globe using its platform. Thentia was developed by subject matter experts with a mission to transform government technology through best-in-class capabilities. Its secure, modern and elegant solution, Thentia Cloud, is revolutionizing the way regulatory bodies and government agencies manage data and licensing by bringing the entire process into the 21st century with speed, automation, ease of use, and best-in-class support. For more information, visit thentia.com. For inquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact: Carolyn GoardVice President of Marketing, ThentiaT: (437) 703-1331E: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regulatory-licensing-software-company-thentia-announces-opening-of-new-regional-office-in-oklahoma-city-to-support-growing-platform-adoption-across-central-us-markets-301576282.html SOURCE Thentia Corporation RIDGE, N.Y., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ross Charles Hendrickson is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Executive for his excellence in the Information Technology field and in acknowledgment of his work with Dental HiTech Management. A business professional with over five years of experience in the IT field, Ross Hendrickson has served in his current role as the director of operations for Dental HiTech since 2021. Headquartered in Brooklyn, the organization provides seamless technology integration, infrastructure design and implementation, backup monitoring and rapid, on-site service, and immediate remote support to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area dental offices. The company ensures complete HIPAA compliance with its products and service. Away from professional duties, Mr. Hendrickson enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Gina Menzione, and their newborn baby. He is also involved in various charitable organizations, including providing food to the homeless population in his community. He wishes to dedicate this honorable recognition to Joseph Macedonio. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ross-charles-hendrickson-is-recognized-by-continental-whos-who-301577292.html SOURCE Continental Who's Who SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tredence Inc., a global Data Science and AI solutions provider, today announced that it has been named the Retail and CPG Partner of the Year by Databricks, the Data and AI company. This award was presented on June 27 at the Databricks Partner Summit, which took place during the company's annual Data + AI Summit in San Francisco. The Databricks Partner of the Year Award recognizes elite Databricks partners delivering multi-cloud solutions that unlock and enhance enterprise AI maturity, assuring the highest digital transformation impact and ROI. Databricks recognized Tredence for the company's achievement in delivering a 94% NPS working with the world's leading Retailers and CPGs to drive the last-mile adoption of best-in-class AI/ML-led analytics. The Tredence and Databricks partnership advance enterprise AI innovation leveraging Tredence's AI/ML industry solutions delivered on Databricks Lakehouse and Delta Sharing technology accelerating time to value by ~50%. With more than 900+ Retail and CPG data scientists and data engineers, the Tredence Databricks COE has delivered over 100+ Databricks projects helping enterprises accelerate the migration to the cloud and drive quantifiable ROI. Tredence's portfolio of 35+ AI/ML Databricks accelerators help retailers and CPGs unlock the power of their data and realize 70% faster time to value. "We are thrilled to be recognized as Databricks' 2022 Retail & CPG Partner of the Year," said Shub Bhowmick, CEO & Founder, Tredence. "The award recognizes our commitment to helping Retailers & CPGs solve complex industry problems through scalable Data & AI solutions. Tredence's AI expertise coupled with Databricks' Lakehouse Platform enables enterprises to increase supply chain efficiency, improve price and promotion ROI, drive true personalization and turn enterprise data into a strategic asset." "Tredence has demonstrated incredible agility, speed to market and time to value leveraging the power of the Databricks Lakehouse Platform, helping retailers solve critical pain points and uncover actionable insights from their data," said Rob Saker, Regional Vice President & Global Industry Lead, Retail & Manufacturing, Databricks. "We are delighted to recognize our partnership with Tredence that focuses on delivering rapid growth, scale & innovation on the lakehouse platform for our shared customers." Many of the world's leading Retail and CPG customers turn to Tredence's Databricks CoE to leverage their Databricks Brickbuilder Solutions to power enterprise decision-making through AI-enabled insights. Retailers and CPGs tap into Tredence's expertise and partner with a team of Databricks certified engineers to support a modern lakehouse data foundation and leverage Databricks' Lakehouse for Retail. The Tredence solutions for Retailers and CPGs architect a robust data foundation in double quick time and unlock 10x returns. Tredence high-impact Retail and CPG solutions include: On-Shelf Availability (OSA): reclaims missed sales with Al and out-of- stock modeling reclaims missed sales with Al and out-of- stock modeling Customer Cosmos: enriches customer data and extracts deeper insights to drive true personalization enriches customer data and extracts deeper insights to drive true personalization Revenue Growth Management: helps sustain revenue growth across products, consumer channels, and geographies helps sustain revenue growth across products, consumer channels, and geographies Sancus: provides trustworthy data with a holistic Al-driven data quality solution provides trustworthy data with a holistic Al-driven data quality solution Supply Chain Control Tower (SCCT): provides real-time Supply Chain & Inventory visibility and optimization provides real-time Supply Chain & Inventory visibility and optimization ML Works: helps deploy AI/ML models in real-time with an industrialized MLOps accelerator Databricks certified and onboarded Tredence's solution accelerators, including On-shelf availability (OSA) and Sancus, as part of their Brickbuilder Solutions program. The Brickbuilder certification includes extensive validation by the Databricks industry and technical experts to ensure that joint clients accelerate time to value, drive a clear ROI and maximize the power of the Databricks Lakehouse Platform. About Tredence Inc. Tredence is a global data science solutions provider focused on solving the last mile problem in AI. The 'last mile' is the gap between insight creation and value realization. Headquartered in San Jose, the company embraces a vertical-first approach and an outcome-driven mindset to help clients win and accelerate value realization from their analytics investments. Tredence is 1,700-plus employees strong with offices in San Jose, Foster City, Chicago, London, Toronto and Bangalore, with the largest companies in retail, CPG, hi-tech, telecom, healthcare, travel and industrials as clients. For more information, please visit https://tredence.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1773052/Tredence_Logo.jpgPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849343/Tredence_Retail_CPG_Partner_2022.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tredence-wins-databricks-2022-retail-and-cpg-partner-of-the-year-award-301577017.html SOURCE Tredence Inc Group Corporation or any of their or Sony Group Corporations respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on behalf of ADS holders to satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations. Sony Group Corporation will not treat ADS holders as its shareholders and ADS holders will not have direct shareholder rights. The Depositary will hold on ADS holders behalves the shareholder rights attached to the Shares underlying their ADSs. ADS holders will be able to exercise the shareholder rights for the Shares represented by their ADSs through the Depositary only to the extent contemplated in the Deposit Agreement. To exercise any shareholder rights not contemplated in the Deposit Agreement, ADS owners need to arrange for the cancellation of their ADSs and become direct shareholders. The manner in which a holder of ADSs owns the ADSs (e.g., in a brokerage account vs. as registered holder, or as holder of certificated vs. uncertificated ADSs) may affect the holders rights and obligations, and the manner in which, and extent to which, the Depositarys services are made available to the holder. A holder of ADSs may hold ADSs either by means of an ADR registered in the holders name, through a brokerage or safekeeping account, or through an account established by the Depositary in the holders name reflecting the registration of uncertificated ADSs directly on the books of the Depositary (commonly referred to as the direct registration system or DRS). The direct registration system reflects the uncertificated (book-entry) registration of ownership of ADSs by the Depositary. Under the direct registration system, ownership of ADSs is evidenced by periodic statements issued by the Depositary to the holders of the ADSs. The direct registration system includes automated transfers between the Depositary and The Depository Trust Company (DTC), the central book-entry clearing and settlement system for equity securities in the United States. 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The Depositary will apply the same method for distributing the proceeds of the sale of any property (such as undistributed rights) held by the Custodian in respect of securities on deposit. The 18th Airborne Corps and the Army Futures Command are seeking idea submissions for the seventh Dragons Lair innovation competition, which will take place Aug. 16 in Austin, Texas. The Shark Tank style competition, open to all service members across the Defense Department, is seeking submissions via its website. Users must create an account, which does not require a Common Access Card and is available from civilian systems. All ideas must have a description of the innovation and the problem being addressed, and must be submitted to the site by July 24, according to an Army news release. The 18th Airborne Corps developed Dragons Lair in August 2020 for soldiers of any rank across the corps to convey their ideas to senior military leaders and civilian technical experts. Beginning last year, the corps opened the competition to all services in the DOD. This is the first year the corps will team with the Army Futures Command to co-host the competition, the news release said. Last years top concepts included a cooling apparatus for body armor, an armored vehicle safety system built by three enlisted soldiers, and an algorithm to predict a buildings internal layout. The price was wrong at U.S. military bases in Kuwait. The Armys property books were off by millions of dollars, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a report released Monday. Among the errors were 82 printers worth $412 apiece listed as being worth $1.1 million each, the report said. A simulator for the base fire department worth $499,950 was listed at $36.3 million in the Armys databases. And an Army property book officer told auditors he erroneously listed 17 refrigerators worth $24,170 each at $652,606 per unit. A lack of accountability skewed the costs provided to a base operations and security support contractor, and the Armys sloppy bookkeeping on just one aspect of a contract at the two bases may be off by as much as $48 million, the report said. The audit investigated the Armys oversight on a contract for Area Support Group-Kuwait at Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring. The auditors compared the property books held by the military and by the contractor, which wasnt named in the report. Both the military and the contractor are supposed to track how much government property is supplied. But the contractors records included at least 23,374 more items of government property than the military was tracking, the report said, adding that unaccounted items could have been lost or stolen without the Armys knowledge. The contractor said it had losses of $13.5 million worth of equipment over the last 11 years. The militarys acquisition rules say that contractors must inform the government when property given to them is lost, stolen or destroyed. But without accurate records, the Army cannot verify whether the contractor is telling the truth about how much government property was lost in Kuwait, the report said. Auditors found one of the printers at a contractors staff apartment outside Camp Arifjan, despite language in the contract saying that someone from the military would have to give approval for it to leave the base, the report said. The Armys lack of accountability and oversight of location of the (item) allowed the contractor to take the printer off base without detection, the report said. Meanwhile, the governments property records overstated the costs of what it was providing contractors by $48.3 million, the report said. The Army maintains a database of its property with information about how much each item costs and a description. But items considered nonstandard must be manually added into the system, the report said. The Army official in charge of managing the property books said he put the wrong total into the database on several items, the report said. Its possible that other items manually typed into the Armys databases by other property book managers around the world are also incorrect, the report said. The report recommended that Area Support Group-Kuwait, which did not have policies to correct errors found in the property records, create those processes. Before the audit, the property book officer didnt obtain records from the contractor to identify any discrepancies, the report said. Area Support Group-Kuwait agreed with the recommendations but argued that there was no loss of property and that they actually had 100% accountability. Government property when given to contractors often disappears from the Pentagons property and financial systems, leading to incomplete financial records. The military identified the issue as a problem as far back as 2011, and has said it would try to find a fix by fiscal year 2026, the report said. FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii The Marine Corps continued its decade-long force overhaul by launching a littoral combat team and realigning a logistics battalion last week in Hawaii. The 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, was redesignated 3rd Littoral Combat Team, while Combat Logistics Battalion 3 was realigned under the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment at ceremonies Thursday and Friday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the Marine Corps said in a news release Friday. The 3rd Marine Regiment was redesignated 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in February, a major step in the Marine Corps Force Design 2030 modernization effort in Hawaii. The changes are intended to remold the service into a lighter force more adapted to fighting in the kinds of contested maritime spaces expected to be central in a conflict with China. This is a significant moment in Marine Corps history, Col. Timothy S. Brady, commander of the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, said in the news release. This transformation began two years ago when the Commandant of the Marine Corps laid out his guidance for the force of the future in Force Design 2030. The ceremonies last week mark the completed assembly of the 3rd Littoral Regiments subordinate units. The 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion was administratively activated in February, according to the Marine Corps release. The regiment is not expected to be fully operational for several years. The newly designated 3rd Littoral Combat Team is being organized and equipped to support the Navy in controlling areas of sea and denying adversaries access to contested waters, according to the release. The teams Marines will conduct reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, employ and enable multi-domain fires, and establish expeditionary sites to support a naval expeditionary forces maritime campaign in conflict areas, the release states. Combat Logistics Battalion 3 will provide tactical logistics such as equipment maintenance, transportation and engineering and explosive ordnance disposal, the Marine Corps said. The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is slated to participate in the Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise in Hawaii, which kicks off on Wednesday. MADRID President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russia's Vladimir Putin for trying to "wipe out" Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe. Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make during the summit to help bolster the alliance in the region. Biden arrived in Spain for the NATO summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy. "Sometimes I think Putin's objective is just to literally change the entire culture -- wipe out the culture of Ukraine (with) the kinds of actions he's taking," Biden said after meeting with Sanchez. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the destroyers move "will help increase the United States' and NATO's maritime presence." He said that Biden would announce additional moves on Wednesday. "The president said before the war started that if Putin invaded Ukraine, the United States and NATO would enhance the force posture on the eastern flank, not just for the duration of the crisis, but to address the long-term change in the strategic reality that that would present," Sullivan added. Biden is looking to use this week's NATO summit to shore up allies amid signs of fractures in the western alliance. After heaping an avalanche of sanctions on the Russian economy and funneling billions of dollars of weaponry into Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, NATO partners are showing signs of strain as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed. As the U.S. president departed for the NATO meeting from the German Alps, where he met this week with leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the prices are putting European economies in an "untenable" situation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the G-7 on Monday, has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of the war. The U.S. has been building up its presence since shortly before the Russian invasion in late February, adding about 20,000 troops to the 80,000 who were previously in Europe. And the U.S. has signaled that the Russian invasion will have reverberations on its and NATO allies' defense posture for years to come. The U.S. and Spain, in a joint statement following the Biden-Sanchez meeting, said the invasion "fundamentally altered the global strategic environment" and that the "aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transAtlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War." Sullivan suggested that other moves Biden is set to announce will involve positioning additional forces on NATO's eastern flank "in a steady state." He declined to say if some U.S. forces that serve there on a rotational basis would become permanent. The U.S. president praised Spain for taking in tens of thousands of Ukrainian migrants who have fled the war. "Our people have stood together," Biden said during a meeting with Spain's King Felipe VI. "They've stood up and they've stood strong." Biden attended a dinner on Tuesday with other NATO leaders at the 18th Century Royal Palace of Madrid, hosted by Spain's king and queen, Letizia. Biden is set to meet with Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday, a day after Turkey was lifting its objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The two countries made the historic step of applying for NATO membership in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. Sullivan said the U.S. did not have a role to play in negotiations between Turkey and the Nordic nations, which were being brokered by NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. Biden will also look to highlight progress made by NATO members at meeting the alliance's goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on their defense budgets. Sullivan said a majority of members would report that they have met the benchmark or are on track to by 2024. He described it as a "substantial shift in the intensity and commitment of NATO allies in terms of putting their money where their mouth is." Biden's predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, fiercely criticized NATO partners who failed to hit the target. The president will also hold a rare joint meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss North Korea's nuclear program. U.S. and South Korean officials say that North Korea has all but finished preparations for its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a thermonuclear warhead designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea may use its next nuclear test to claim that it has acquired the ability to build small nuclear warheads that can be placed on short-range missiles or other new weapons systems it has demonstrated in recent months, analysts say. ___ Madhani reported from Washington. If Sweden and Finland succeed in joining NATO, their addition could provide the fringe benefit of enhancing U.S. strategies and tactics against a rival far removed from Atlantic waters, according to analysts. Navy and Marine Corps personnel carrying out operations to deter China would do well to pick up some pointers from their counterparts in the two aspirants to the trans-Atlantic alliance, they say. The Swedish and Finnish navies excel in exploiting the geography of the Baltic Sea region by using small, elusive, missile-armed surface patrol craft and conventional submarines to mask their whereabouts, said James Holmes, who chairs the maritime strategy program at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Honed by decades of countering Russian aggression, the skills of their naval forces include proficiency at operating near islands or major landmasses and mingling with nonmilitary surface traffic to elude detection, tracking and targeting. Such a skill set would be useful in expeditionary advanced base operations, the U.S. Marine Corps concept for fighting in the western Pacific, Holmes said, adding that the same abilities also would be useful for stiffening Taiwans defense. If you want to go small, as the U.S. Navy and USMC talk all the time about doing, then why not ask those who are small and thus clever at harnessing such advantages as they have? Holmes said. Sweden and Finland formally applied in May for NATO membership, but Turkey objected, citing concerns about their perceived support for Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorist organizations. Earlier this month, Turkey threatened to delay the membership process by as much as a year. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his objections during a meeting with Swedish and Finnish leaders ahead of this weeks NATO summit in Madrid. The next step is for the legislatures of each ally to grant approval. Lessons on topics such as how to use topography to evade detection by an aggressor could come more easily for American sailors and Marines if Sweden and Finland are admitted to NATO, said Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institutes Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. Their navies also could deploy ships with NATO carrier strike groups, further increasing learning and integration opportunities, Clark said. Both countries are closely aligned with the U.S. and NATO, frequently participating in exercises such as the U.S.-led BALTOPS. But their partner status means they are not part of the alliance command structure, which limits their ability to fully integrate, Clark said. Holmes, Clark and other analysts also stress that the potential benefits of accepting the two countries into NATO must be measured against the additional commitments the alliance would shoulder, such as helping Finland defend the more than 800-mile border it shares with Russia. (Sweden and Finland) would need a lot of help from NATO and the U.S. to defend themselves if Russia really wanted to invade, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. As a direct result of Russias unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, both countries jettisoned decades of neutrality and sought to bring their national defense under NATOs collective security umbrella. Russian President Vladimir Putin cited NATOs enlargement in the former Moscow-dominated Eastern bloc as one supposed justification for attacking Ukraine, which for several years has expressed a desire for membership in the alliance. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Putins calculations had backfired, as the accession of Finland and Sweden would bring more NATO to Russias doorstep, not less. NATO and the U.S. have more to gain than lose if Sweden and Finland join the alliance, said retired Adm. James Foggo, who led U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command Naples from 2017-2020. Admitting them would make NATO more robust, give it more capability and provide more security, said Foggo, who is now the dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy at the Navy League. And regardless of alliance status, if Russia invaded Finland, the conflict likely would soon spill over into a NATO country, requiring intervention, he said. So why not extend that forward perimeter even further along the border of a sovereign nation who is friendly to the West, a good ally and a good partner and frankly an exceptional fighting force? Foggo said. YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan A U.S. Navy warship entered the South China Sea over the weekend, one day after a Navy reconnaissance aircraft flew through the adjacent Taiwan Strait. The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, homeported at Yokosuka, sailed west from the East China Sea to the South China Sea through the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines on Saturday, according to a tweet that day from Chinese think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative. The passage separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro. The Benfold was still in the region Tuesday on routine operations, U.S. 7th Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Hayley Sims told Stars and Stripes by phone. The Navy sometimes sends warships on freedom-of-navigation operations past islands claimed by China and other nations in the South China Sea, including Taiwan and Vietnam. Those missions are meant to challenge those maritime claims and maintain free passage, according to the Navy. China also claims a large portion of the sea itself as its maritime territory. In January, the Benfold steamed past the Spratly and Paracel island chains on a freedom-of-navigation operation. However, Sims said the destroyer was not on such a mission Tuesday. The Benfold arrived in the South China Sea one day after a Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait, a 110-mile-wide waterway that separates the island of Taiwan from mainland China. The aircraft was conducting a transit of the Taiwan Strait from the South China Sea to the East China Sea in accordance with international law, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Maj. Jonathan Camire told Stars and Stripes by email Tuesday. By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations. Chinas Eastern Theater Command spokesman Col. Yi Shi said Friday that the Poseidons transit was an intentional disruption of the regional situation that endangered the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, according to his statement on the Chinese Ministry of Defense website. We express our firm opposition to this, he said. The theaters troops maintain high alert at all times and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunified with the mainland at some point, possibly by force. Lately, Chinese authorities have emphasized their nations claim to the strait as its exclusive economic zone. RABAT, Morocco The father of a Moroccan man facing execution after being captured by Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine appealed Monday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, "as a father," to spare his son from the firing squad. "I want my son back, just like any father would," Taher Saadoun told reporters in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. Saadoun also called on Morocco's government to pursue negotiations on behalf of his 21-year-old son, Brahim, who was sentenced June 9 to the death penalty alongside two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. They are the first foreign fighters sentenced by Ukraine's Russian-backed rebels. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic convicted all three of terrorism and trying to overturn constitutional order. They were given a month to appeal, and could be executed as soon as early July if they don't. The proceedings were denounced by the West as a sham and a violation of the rules of war, but the sentence was supported by Russian officials. While the court claimed Saadoun was a mercenary, his father insisted that he was enlisted in Ukraine's regular army and that when he was captured, he was wearing an official Ukrainian army uniform and carrying a weapon with serial numbers belonging to the Ukrainian government. The Donetsk republic's self-styled "foreign minister," Nataliya Nikonorova, told Russian state TV on Monday that none of the three condemned men have filed yet for pardons. The father said his son's local lawyer will submit the appeal when things calm down a bit, without providing a date. A lawyer for Aslin said the Briton is pessimistic about his prospects and that British authorities have not contacted the DPR about an appeal. Saadoun's father said he wrote to Putin and the leader of the Donetsk Republic, and pleaded for intervention on his son's behalf. "I'm appealing to Russian President Putin to step in as a father, by using NGOs and humanitarian organizations" to seek dialogue, Taher Saadoun said. "Russia is accountable because it supports the Donetsk Republic." Brahim Saadoun's mother visited the Russian Embassy in Rabat, "which welcomed us warmly and gave us the case summary," Taher Saadoun said. The father said he had "faith" in the Donetsk court and that he was "grateful" to Russia for sparing his son's life when he was captured. The father, a retired member of Morocco's Royal Gendarmerie, said he hasn't heard from anyone from the Moroccan government about his son's situation, but they ought to get in touch "because I pay taxes and I am military man who carried weapons to defend my country." "I call on the prime minister of Morocco to step in and engage in dialogue through all formal and informal channels," he said. The Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement earlier this month that Saadoun obtained Ukrainian citizenship and enlisted in the Ukrainian army "of his own free will," and is imprisoned by "an entity which is recognized neither by the United Nations nor by Morocco." It has not commented on eventual efforts for his release. The family is seeking to provide Brahim Saadoun with its own lawyer, and to visit him in prison. They haven't spoken to him since his arrest. "I am ready to board the first flight to see him and bring him home," his father said. Born in the city of Meknes, Brahim Saadoun read a lot and did well in school, and attended flying and skydiving clubs, his father said. In addition to Arabic, he studied English and French, and started Russian at age 12, notably watching cartoons and news channels like Russia Today, according to his father. The family hoped for him to pursue space and aviation sciences in Russia after high school, but chose Ukraine over Russia because it was more affordable. Brahim moved to Ukraine in 2019, picked up Ukrainian and started studying at the Institute of Aeronautics and Space Sciences in Kyiv the next year. While there, he used to have regular communication with his sister in Finland and his family in Morocco, his father said. He noted shifts in Brahim's behavior in 2020, after he began purchasing military garb. Brahim stopped video chatting with his family in 2021, apparently to "hide these changes," his father said. The family learned of his arrest by pro-Russian forces after a brief pause in communications. The father said he felt a little relieved when his son was apprehended by pro-Russian forces: "At least I knew where he was," and that he was alive. In the first video taken after his arrest, the father said Brahim appeared to be in good health, but expressed concern that in a later video it seemed like he was getting less sleep and had lost weight. BOSTON Federal prosecutors have dropped the case against a retired U.S. Army colonel and another businessperson after new evidence surfaced days before they were set to stand trial for a second time on allegations that they conspired to pay millions of dollars in bribes to Haitian officials. Prosecutors in Boston moved to dismiss the indictment against Joseph Baptiste and Roger "Richard" Boncy late Monday after the FBI handed over never-before-seen messages between agents about December 2015 calls between Boncy and an undercover agent that bolster the men's claims of innocence. Baptiste, of Fulton, Maryland, and Boncy, a businessperson who lived in Spain, were convicted by a jury in 2019 of soliciting bribes from undercover federal agents who posed as potential investors in a proposed $84 million port project in the Mole-Saint-Nicolas area of Haiti. Prosecutors alleged that Baptiste, a dentist who served 23 years in the Army, and Boncy told agents they would funnel the payments to Haitian officials through a nonprofit Baptiste controlled that purported to help impoverished residents of Haiti. Prosecutors claimed 5% of project costs would be allocated to bribe Haitian officials. A judge in March of 2020 ordered a new trial for the men, citing "errors, omissions, and general lack of diligence" by Baptiste's trial attorney. The second trial was scheduled to begin next week. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said that late last week, the FBI provided prosecutors with communications they had never seen before about the Dec. 19, 2015, calls between Boncy and the undercover agent. "We have an obligation to provide all discoverable evidence in our possession to the defense. That is a core principle of the criminal legal system," Rollins said in an emailed statement. In those text messages between FBI agents, which were sent on the same day that the calls were made, an agent wrote that Boncy "said 5% social program money is absolutely not for bribes," according to Boncy's lawyers. Recordings of the calls no longer exist. Boncy's attorneys long argued that the calls they said the FBI destroyed would prove his innocence. Prosecutors have said in court documents that a case agent "mistakenly failed to download the calls based on an erroneous understanding of an FBI retention policy." "It is clear now that Richard is innocent; no ifs, ands, or buts about it," Boncy's attorney, Jed Dwyer, said in an emailed statement. "Richard has always maintained he did nothing wrong and the evidence the FBI withheld proves that." Daniel Marx, attorney for Baptiste, said his client "never paid a penny in bribes" and never agreed to do so. Baptiste's other attorney, William Fick, accused FBI agents of playing on "prejudiced tropes about pervasive Haitian corruption." "Those agents knew nothing about Haiti, a country they had never even visited," Fick said in an emailed statement. "The agents had never spoken with the officials who were supposedly offered bribes or considered how their undercover operation might derail a significant development project that could better the lives of countless Haitian people," Fick said. A spokesperson for the FBI office in Boston declined Tuesday to comment. Russias invasion of its neighbor Ukraine bears similarities to North Koreas invasion of its neighbor 72 years ago, the U.S. commander in the Indo-Pacific said over the weekend. The two conflicts grew from a desire to dominate a peaceful neighbors territory and people, Adm. John Aquilino said during a memorial service Saturday in Honolulu marking the anniversary of the Korean War. The 1950-53 war, still unresolved, started as an act of aggression, very similar to what we see in the Ukraine today, said Aquilino, the head of Indo-Pacific Command, which is headquartered in Hawaii. Aquilino leads roughly 380,000 U.S. troops in 36 nations. On Jun 25, 1950, North Korean forces, backed by Russia, crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. Counterattacks by the 21 allied nations led by the U.S. pushed the North Koreans back almost to the Chinese border, prompting Chinas entry into the war and an eventual stalemate. A broad alliance of countries and shared values joined forces on the Korean Peninsula to preserve the freedom that we enjoy, as well as the rules-based international order, Aquilino said. It is altogether fitting and proper we reflect on this conflict and consider how we might avoid such events in the future, he said. Aquilino spoke four months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nations armed forces into Ukraine. The U.S. and NATO members have hurried arms and other supplies to Ukraine to help it fend off the Russian forces. Just like we saw 72 years ago, the Soviet Union and [China] approved and supported the North Korean plans, Aquilino said at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Authoritarian regimes in North Korea and [China] approved of the Russian invasion of [Ukraine]. Around 10,506 civilians were killed in the conflict as of June 23, according to a report from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The U.N. believes that most of those casualties were due to heavy artillery, air strikes and other explosives across wide areas. Chinese officials have called for calm and claim they do not materially support Russias campaign. The two countries held a large-scale military exercise in the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan in May. China-Russia relations is a partnership, not an alliance, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said during the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 12. It does not target any third party. North Korean state-run media support Russias campaign against Ukraine. Russia made a legitimate demand against Ukraine, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in February. A review of U.S. military flights by U.S. authorities found none had dipped below a minimum safe altitude over central Tokyo, Japans Foreign Ministry told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. The Mainchi Shimbun on June 21 reported that U.S. helicopters are flying below safe altitudes prescribed in Japanese and international aviation law. However, Japans minimum altitude rule does not apply to U.S. military helicopters under a special law based on the status of forces agreement that governs the relationship between Japan and the U.S. military, according to The Mainchi. The newspaper reported that it has video recordings of U.S. Black Hawk helicopters passing 650 feet above Shinjuku Station in the heart of Tokyo since February 2021. The minimum safe altitude is about 1,000 feet over buildings, according to the newspaper. The ministry statement did not explain why it asked U.S. Forces Japan for a report on low-altitude flights. USFJ told the ministry that it found no record of flights that violated military flight rules, which are consistent with Japanese and the International Civil Aviation Organization regulations, according to the ministry statement. Air Force Maj. Tom Barger, a USFJ spokesman, did not respond to a request for comment June 22 from Stars and Stripes. According to the ministry statement, USFJ explained that ensuring safety is the top priority when conducting flights. The ministry declined to provide details of its exchanges with USFJ or with whom the ministry had spoken, according to its statement Friday. However, the Japanese government, after receiving the USFJ report, again strongly requested that it thoroughly ensure safety when conducting flights, according to the ministry statement. We think that ensuring utmost safety is extremely important for U.S. military operations including flight training, according to the ministry. We will continue to work with the U.S. as ensuring safety when conducting flights is the top priority. Ever since Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, China has blamed NATO for antagonizing Russia and accused the U.S. of seeking to set up a similar alliance in the Asia-Pacific. The presence of four leaders from the region in Spain this week will only make Beijing more paranoid. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will all attend a summit of the 30-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization. At the meeting starting Tuesday in Madrid, the alliance is set to label China a systemic challenge in new policy guidelines for the coming decade, reflecting shifts in the geopolitical landscape as President Xi Jinping increasingly joins hands with Putin in opposition to the worlds democracies. While the U.S. has dismissed the idea that an Asia-Pacific NATO is in the works, the Biden administration has strengthened ties with partners in the region to both push back against Chinas assertiveness over disputed territory and sanction key officials over alleged human-rights abuses in places like Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Fears are also growing that Xi will look to invade Taiwan in the coming years, potentially triggering a wider war in Asia. At a virtual BRICS summit last week attended by Putin, Xi accused the U.S. of seeking to expand military alliances and split the world economy into mutually exclusive zones. He warned that those who obsess with a position of strength would only fall into a security conundrum. The new development certainly will make China feel uneasy, encircled and threatened, Vivian Zhan, an associate professor specializing in Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said of NATOs focus on China. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said NATO had become a tool for certain countries to uphold their hegemony. He said China follows an independent foreign policy of peace, and called the growth of the worlds second-biggest economy an opportunity for the world. After disrupting Europe, NATO should not try to destabilize Asia and the whole world, Zhao said. U.S. allies and security partners in Asia arent convinced Chinas rise is peaceful. In recent years, Beijing has increased military activity around Taiwan and become more assertive over disputed territory off its coastline from Japan to the Philippines. It has boosted security cooperation with Pacific Island states near Australia and sparked the deadliest border fight with India in decades. Still, the Asian leaders attending the NATO summit must walk a fine line with Beijing. China remains the biggest trading partner of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand, and has used that leverage to inflict pain in geopolitical disputes. About a decade ago, a dispute over East China Sea islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing led to a boycott by Chinese consumers of goods that prolonged a recession in Japan. Its impossible for Japan to stand up to China by itself, either economically or militarily, said Kyoko Hatakeyama, a professor specializing in security at the University of Niigata Prefecture. America is backing us, but even so, its a bit difficult, so we must have Europe take an interest. Chinas actions have prompted a vow from Japan under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to upgrade its military, in a departure from the pacifism it embraced under a U.S.-drafted constitution after its defeat in World War II. That includes boosting defense spending beyond a longtime cap set at 1% of gross domestic product. South Korea is in a similar position. President Yoon Suk Yeol, a newly elected conservative, has sought to align his country more closely with the U.S. and its allies in Europe. Linking up with NATO may protect South Koreas interest against that of Beijing in case of the decline of U.S. influence in the Pacific region in the long term, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Koreas presidential office. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who took office last month, warned China this week to learn lessons from Russias strategic failure in Ukraine when weighing what to do with Taiwan. The Ukraine invasion brought democratic nations together, whether they be members of NATO, or non-members such as Australia, Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review. Yet while Asian countries are more interested in linking up with NATO, theres little prospect of them joining in a similar collective defense arrangement. The US and other colonial powers once sought to form the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization as a regional NATO to fight communism, but it suffered from organizational problems and eventually disbanded in 1977. All of the U.S. mutual defense treaties in Asia - with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia - are bilateral and have been around for decades. Southeast Asian nations in particular have no interest in picking sides, and Japan and South Korea remain at odds over disputes stemming from Japans past colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Only a regional crisis like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might prompt Asian nations to overcome their differences and form a security bloc, according to Japanese lawmaker and former vice defense minister Akihisa Nagashima. If China tried to unify with Taiwan by force, I dont think other Asian countries could accept it, and they might consider creating an Asian NATO, he said. But at this point, no one would join. And even if it was somehow created it wouldnt function. - - - Bloombergs Kari Soo Lindberg, Philip Glamann and Jeong-Ho Lee contributed to this report. TOKYO The Japanese government on Tuesday warned of possible power shortages in Tokyo as a heat wave continued its grip on the city. The temperature in Tokyo was expected to reach 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday and stay above 86 degrees until July 5, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There will be many days in which the temperature will be high in eastern and western Japan for the next six days due to warm temperature spreading in the area, according to an agency news release Tuesday. Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry urged customers of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. to conserve power during the peak demand period between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to a report Tuesday by The Associated Press. The utilitys generating capacity fell after a March earthquake damaged some of its plants in Fukushima prefecture, according to public broadcaster NHK on Monday. The power supply in Japan has tightened following the nuclear-power accident in Fukushima in 2011 and as Japan closes old coal-fired plants to eliminate carbon emissions, according to AP. The meteorological agencys two-week forecast predicts hot days the remainder of the week throughout Japan. The temperature is expected to drop to 86 degrees by July 6, about the average temperature in July. The annual summer rainy season was the shortest recorded since 1951, when the meteorological agency began keeping records, according to the Reuters news agency. The rainy season normally lasts until July and helps reduce the summer heat. A spokesman from Japan Meteorological Agency gave tips to keep safe during the rising temperatures. Government spokespeople in Japan customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity. People should refrain from going out and drink fluids frequently to keep them from getting heat stroke, he said. MANILA, Philippines A U.S. Navy destroyer escort that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers. The USS Samuel B. Roberts, popularly known as the "Sammy B," was identified on Wednesday broken into two pieces on a slope at a depth of 22,916 feet. That puts it 1,400 feet deeper than the USS Johnston, the previous deepest wreck discovered last year in the Philippine Sea also by American explorer Victor Vescovo, founder of Dallas-based Caladan Oceanic Expeditions. He announced the latest find together with U.K.-based EYOS Expeditions. "It was an extraordinary honor to locate this incredibly famous ship, and by doing so have the chance to retell her story of heroism and duty to those who may not know of the ship and her crew's sacrifice," Vescovo, a former Navy commander, said in a statement. The Sammy B. took part in the Battle off Samar, the final phase of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, in which the Imperial Japanese Navy suffered its biggest loss of ships and failed to dislodge the U.S. forces from Leyte, which they invaded earlier as part of the liberation of the Philippines. According to some records, the destroyer escort disabled a Japanese heavy cruiser with a torpedo and significantly damaged another while battling the group led by the command battleship Yamato. After having spent virtually all its ammunition, it was critically hit by the battleship Kongo and sank. Of a 224-man crew, 89 died and 120 were saved, including the captain, Lt. Cmdr. Robert W. Copeland. According to Samuel J. Cox, a retired admiral and naval historian, Copeland stated there was "no higher honor" then to have led the men who displayed such incredible courage going into battle against overwhelming odds, from which survival could not be expected. "This site is a hallowed war grave, and serves to remind all Americans of the great cost born by previous generations for the freedom we take for granted today," Cox said in a statement. The explorers said that up until the discovery, the historical records of where the wreck lay were not very accurate. The search involved the use of the deepest side-scan sonar ever installed and operated on a submersible, well beyond the standard commercial limitations of 19,685 feet, EYOS said. STUTTGART, Germany U.S. soldiers and special operations troops in Europe got new commanders Tuesday as leadership changed hands for two headquarters at the center of the militarys response to Russias war on Ukraine. Gen. Darryl Williams, who previously served as superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., brings with him extensive experience on the Continent as head of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. U.S. European Commands Gen. Tod Wolters said Williams 39 years of active-duty experience, which includes stints in key NATO roles, made him the best fit at a pivotal phase marked by the Russia-Ukraine war. For the U.S., Russias unprovoked invasion has resulted in a sharp increase in troops sent to Europe, where forces are focused on deterring potential aggression and helping to manage the flow of weapons for delivery to Ukraine. We know this: This component has led from the front to serve that cause and support Ukraine, Wolters said. Williams said during a ceremony at USAREUR-AF headquarters in Wiesbaden that his focus will be ensuring that his soldiers are prepared to deter would-be aggressors and fight if necessary. Our number-one job is to be ready and to continue to keep that spear sharp, he said. In previous Europe postings, Williams commanded troops in Baumholder, Germany, as an artillery officer and later as a two- and three-star general with assignments in Italy and Turkey. Williams replaced Gen. Cristopher Cavoli, who has led the Army in Europe the past four years. On Friday, Cavoli will take over as head of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart and will serve as NATOs next supreme allied commander, taking over from Wolters. Meanwhile, in Stuttgart, Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven Edwards replaced Air Force Maj. Gen. David Tabor on Tuesday as head of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, leading a group of Navy SEALs, Green Berets and Air Force special operators. Wolters officiated both command changes and said the two headquarters have been central to the effort to support Ukraine. In Stuttgart, he credited special operators for pressing forward during an intense two-year period that involved carrying out missions during the coronavirus pandemic, supporting last years evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan and now playing a key role in Ukraines efforts to repel the Russian invaders. I know you are tired, and you know you are tired. You are exhausted, Wolters said. I want you to know that what youve done for the last two years has made a huge, huge difference. The leadership changes come at a pivotal moment for security in Europe, where combat in Ukraine is happening at a scale not seen on the Continent since World War II. Gen. Richard Clarke, U.S. Special Operations Command chief, said during the ceremony in Stuttgart that over the past several months, the SOCEUR mission has emerged as his commands main effort. Tabor, who leaves Stuttgart for a new post as the Air Forces director of programming, said getting the right kind of assistance to Ukraine, whether material support or training and advice, has been a major focus over the past several months. I think the big role we stepped into was one of cohering the allies we have, that weve been working with for years and years now, including for the last seven years in Ukraine, Tabor told Stars and Stripes. Stars and Stripes reporter Mike Abrams contributed to this report. President Joe Biden intends to announce a U.S. troop increase in Poland and the possible basing of more American warships in Spain, NBC has reported. He also is expected to announce the extension of some Poland and Baltic deployments that came in the days ahead of Russias February invasion of Ukraine, the network reported Monday. Citing two defense and two former administration officials, NBC said the number of troops operating in Poland on a more permanent basis would be in the range of several hundred. Meanwhile, Biden could announce a plan to position two more Navy ships in Rota, Spain, but that would take a couple of years to implement, NBC said. For several years, U.S. European Command leaders have sought more destroyers in Europe to help keep closer tabs on Russian submarines, among other missions. In April 2021, Gen. Tod Wolters said it was only a matter of time before additional ships were sent. The plans come as Biden and fellow leaders of NATO countries gather in Madrid this week for a summit that is expected to bring significant changes to the allies approach to security in Europe. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday that the alliances quick-response force, now comprising 40,000 troops, will be expanded to 300,000. Allies also will increase the manpower of multiple multinational battlegroups that now operate on NATOs eastern flank to brigade-size level. Typically, ground-force brigades range between 3,000 and 5,000 troops. Current battlegroups in the Baltics and Poland now stand at about 1,000 each. Its not clear what types of forces could be added in Poland or where they could be positioned. In all, there are now 10,500 American troops operating in the country, up from about 5,000 before the full-scale Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth month. One possibility in Poland is using the additional forces to beef up a U.S.-led NATO battlegroup that operates just 50 miles from the Russian military exclave of Kaliningrad. Over the past week, tensions have escalated with Russia over Lithuanias rail transit ban on certain Russian goods into Kaliningrad, prompting Moscow to make unspecified threats of retaliation. KREMENCHUK, Ukraine France's president denounced Russia's fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a "new war crime" Tuesday and vowed the West's support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow "cannot and should not win" the war. The strike, which killed at least 18 people in the central city of Kremenchuk, came as leaders from the Group of Seven nations met in Europe. It was part of an unusually intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv, that renewed international attention as the war drags on. Speaking at the end of the G-7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to address that concern, vowing that the seven leading industrialized democracies would support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia "as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity." "Russia cannot and should not win," he said. He called Monday's attack on the mall "a new war crime." As they have in other attacks, Russian officials claimed the shopping center was not the target. In a virtual address to the U.N. Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has become a terrorist state and called for it to be expelled from the United Nations. He also urged the U.N. to establish an international tribunal to investigate Russia's action in Ukraine. Zelenskyy ended his address by asking all in the chamber to stand in silent tribute to the "tens of thousands" of Ukrainian children and adults killed in the war. All council members rose, including Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky. How to counter Russia and back Ukraine will also be the focus of a summit this week of the NATO alliance, whose support has been critical to Kyiv's ability to fend off Moscow's larger and better equipped forces. Ukrainian leaders, however, say they need more and better weapons if they are to hold off and even drive back Russia, which is pressing an all-out assault in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. As Macron spoke, rescuers combed through the charred rubble of the shopping mall, which officials said was struck when more than 1,000 afternoon shoppers and workers were inside. Kateryna Romashyna, a local resident, told The Associated Press that she had just arrived at the mall when an explosion knocked her down. When another blast came about 10 minutes later, she realized she needed to get away. "I ran away from the epicenter with all of my strength," she said. Fighting back tears, she added: "You have to be a real monster" to strike a shopping mall. Many of those inside quickly fled the building when an air raid siren sounded and took shelter across the street, Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky said. Several of the bodies of those who didn't make it out in time are burned beyond recognition, he said. In addition to the 18 killed, authorities said 59 were wounded, while 21 people were still missing. The attack recalled strikes earlier in the war that hit a theater, a train station, and a hospital. Zelenskyy called it "one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history." Rocket attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine, with authorities in the city of Dnipro reporting that workers at a diesel car repair shop were trapped in rubble after a strike from a cruise missile fired from the Black Sea, Ukrainian news agencies reported. The Ukrainian military managed to intercept and destroy other missiles fired at the city, the agencies said. As condemnation came in from many quarters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov struck a defiant note, saying Russia would press its offensive until it fulfills its goals. He said the hostilities could stop "before the end of the day" if Ukraine were to surrender and meet Russia's demands, including recognizing its control over territory it has taken by force. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian authorities said that in addition to the direct hit on the mall, a factory was struck, but denied it housed weapons. Konashenkov also falsely alleged that the mall was not in use. One survivor, Oleksandr, a mall employee, told the AP from a hospital bed that the shopping center was packed with customers. He recalled stepping outside with a colleague for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off. "There was a black tunnel, smoke, fire," he said. "I started to crawl. I saw the sun up there, and my brain was telling me I needed to save myself." Ukraine's prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said the missile attack was one of Russia's "crimes against humanity." She emphasized the need for all Ukrainians to remain alert and expect a similar strike "every minute." On Tuesday, Russian forces struck the Black Sea city of Ochakiv, damaging apartment buildings and killing two, including a 6-year-old child. Six more people, four of them children, were wounded. One of them, a 3-month-old baby, is in a coma, according to officials. The unusually intense spate of fire came as the G-7 leaders pledged continued support for Ukraine and prepared new sanctions against Russia, including a price cap on oil and higher tariffs on goods. Zelenskyy has called for more air defense systems from his Western allies to help his forces fight back. NATO's support for Ukraine will be a major focus of a summit starting this week in Madrid, and an early signal of unity came Tuesday when Turkey agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the two Nordic countries to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West that "the more weapons are pumped into Ukraine, the longer the conflict will continue and the longer the agony of the Nazi regime backed by Western capitals will last." Russia has falsely called the war a campaign to "de-Nazify" Ukraine a country with a democratically elected Jewish president who wants closer ties with the West. In a sinister message to NATO leaders, Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos published satellite images and the precise coordinates of the conference hall where their summit will be held. It also posted images and the coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin referring to them as "decision-making centers supporting the Ukrainian nationalists" in a message on the Telegram app. That wording echoes warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin that he could target such centers in response to what he has called Western aggression. In other developments: One of the two Britons sentenced to death by separatist forces in eastern Ukraine has filed a formal appeal, the Russian news agency Tass reported early Wednesday. The report said the appeal filed on behalf of Shaun Pinner will be considered within two months. Pinner, Aiden Aslin and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun were sentenced to death on June 9 and were given one month to appeal. The court claimed they were fighting for Ukraine as mercenaries so were not entitled to protections provided to prisoners of war. There was no mention of appeals for the other two men. The two fighting countries continued a sporadic series of prisoner exchanges. Ukraine exchanged 15 Russian prisoners-of-war for 16 Ukrainian soldiers and one civilian, the Ukrainian Pravda news outlet reported Tuesday. Ukrainian Pravda also reported that in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, the mayor was detained Tuesday and occupying authorities seized his computer hard drive and documents after he had refused to cooperate with Russian-appointed local officials. Russia's Tass news agency confirmed the detention. Bulgaria said Tuesday it was expelling 70 Russian diplomats designated "a threat to national security," ordering them to leave within five days. A Bulgarian foreign ministry statement said this would reduce Russia's Sofia embassy staff "to up to 23 diplomatic and 25 administrative and technical staff." ___ Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Oleksandr Stashevskyi in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. STUTTGART, Germany Sweden and Finland are poised to formally be invited into NATO after breakthrough negotiations Tuesday with Turkey, paving the way for one of the most significant alliance expansions in years. Turkish opposition to the two Nordic states membership bids threatened to derail NATO plans, but hours before an alliance summit in Madrid was set to begin, Ankara got on board. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who led negotiations between the three countries, said Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed off on a trilateral memorandum that dealt with Ankaras concerns. Finnish and Swedish membership of NATO is good for Finland and Sweden, it is good for NATO, and it is good for European security, Stoltenberg said. With NATO ready to formally extend an invitation to Finland and Sweden, the next step will be for parliaments of the other NATO states to grant final approval. Typically, once a country has been invited into NATO, membership is a virtual done deal. But the process can be somewhat lengthy, often taking at least a year. But given current security conditions in Europe, it is possible allies could seek to fast-track Sweden and Finlands entry. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in a joint statement said allies should accelerate Finland and Swedens accession into NATO. The addition of Finland and Sweden is certain to upset Russia given the historic military neutrality of the Nordic states, which dates all the way back to the early days of the Cold War when tensions between Moscow and the West were at their highest. But Russias full-fledged war on Ukraine changed the calculus for Finland and Sweden, which over the years has steadily developed closer military ties to NATO. Ultimately, the war in Ukraine was a turning point in the Nordic states quest for NATOs Article 5 security guarantee that an attack on one member demands a collective response from the entire miltary alliance. In Finland and Sweden, NATO also gets two of Europes most more modern militaries that also are strategically positioned along the alliances northeastern flank and into the Arctic. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the trilateral agreement reached Tuesday confirms that Turkey will support the invitation of Finland and Sweden into NATO. The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO Allies during the next two days, said Niinisto, adding the decision is now imminent. Turkish opposition to the addition of Turkey and Sweden stemmed from Ankaras view that the countries have not taken into account its security concerns regarding Kurdish militant groups. Ankara also has complained about weapons embargoes as part of its objection to Finland and Sweden. The agreement, signed by the foreign ministers of all three countries, states that there are now no national arms embargoes in place between the countries. In addition, Finland and Sweden will address Turkeys pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects, the agreement states. Niinisto in a statement acknowledged Turkeys concerns. Finland has constantly taken these concerns seriously. Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. As a NATO member, Finland will commit fully to the counterterrorism documents and policies of NATO, Niinisto said. Stoltenberg, during a news conference after Tuesdays deal, said all three countries agreed to enhance their cooperation on counterterrorism. As NATO Allies, Finland and Sweden commit to fully support Turkey against threats to its national security, Stoltenberg said. This includes further amending their domestic legislation. Cracking down on PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) activities. And entering into an agreement with Turkey on extradition. U.S. forces on Monday killed a senior leader of an al-Qaida-aligned terrorist organization during a strike in Syria, U.S. Central Command said in a news release. Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Hurras al-Din, was traveling alone on a motorcycle in Idlib province at the time of the kinetic strike, Central Command said Monday. The removal of this senior leader will disrupt Al Qaedas ability to carry out attacks against U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians around the world, Central Command said. The news release did not elaborate on the nature of the strike. About 900 U.S. troops are based in Syria supporting partner forces. There were no indications of civilian casualties in the strike, Central Command said. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011 when opposition forces moved to oust President Bashar Assad. The country is now in an extended stalemate, with portions controlled by Assad, Kurds, Turkish forces and opposition and extremist forces, including remnants of the Islamic State, according to an April report by the Congressional Research Service. Violent extremist organizations, including al-Qaida-aligned organizations such as Hurras al-Din, continue to present a threat to America and our allies, Central Command said in the news release. Al Qaeda-aligned militants use Syria as a safe haven to coordinate with their external affiliates and plan operations outside of Syria, Central Command said. In February, U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted a raid in northwest Syria intended to capture Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurayshi, a leader of the Islamic State. The terrorist leader detonated a suicide vest rather than submit to capture, killing himself, his wife and children. Central Command has conducted military strikes in Syria since 2015, including targets linked to al-Qaida, Assads forces and Iran-backed militias. In February and June last year, the U.S. conducted airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria. California is poised to become one of the first states in the nation to explicitly enshrine the right to abortion and contraception in its constitution after lawmakers on Monday voted to advance a constitutional amendment, putting the issue on the November ballot. The amendment is part of a flurry of legislative efforts in liberal states aimed at solidifying reproductive rights in the aftermath of last weeks Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade. California, which has advertised itself as a sanctuary for people seeking abortions, is trying to lead the way. The bill introducing the proposed amendment easily passed through the states legislature, where Democrats hold a supermajority, and voters will now consider it during the general election. A wide majority of Californians have said they oppose overturning Roe, and the amendment is expected to pass. It does not require the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, who supports the measure. If enacted, the amendment will affirm abortion rights already protected under existing law. Californias constitution, like those of several other states, includes a right to privacy that courts have interpreted as protecting abortion. But last months leaked draft opinion of the Roe decision prompted lawmakers to clearly spell out a safeguard for reproductive rights. California remains steadfast in the right of individuals to access abortion care, Toni Atkins, D, president pro tempore of the state Senate, said in an interview. Thats what we explicitly want to make sure continues to be the case, no matter whos in office, no matter who the judge is. . . . I dont want people to think we are safe here just because we have a constitution that guarantees a right to privacy - it doesnt say abortion. The California Future of Abortion Council, an alliance of abortion rights advocacy groups, cheered the Monday vote. California must continue to take every step possible to protect access to abortion, the alliance said in a statement, calling the effort the response needed by our state right now to meet this moment of national crisis. A similar constitutional amendment will also appear on ballots in Vermont, the first state to put forward such a proposal. Along with the amendment, California leaders have recently announced a number of initiatives focused on countervailing the Supreme Courts ruling and the increasingly aggressive effort in conservative states to restrict access to abortion. Californias proposed budget for next year includes more than $200 million for reproductive health care services. And 0n Friday, Newsom signed into law legal protections for abortion providers who care for patients traveling from places where the procedure is now outlawed. He also announced a partnership with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to turn the West Coast into a safe haven for abortion care, promising to protect patients and providers from out-of-state civil and criminal action. This is not the America we know, Newsom said after the Roe decision was released. And its not the California way. (Tribune News Service) A student at South Carolinas Citadel military college who was charged in the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol will get to study for three weeks this summer in Estonia after all. In May, a federal judge overseeing the case of rising Citadel junior Elias Irizarry refused to let him go on a Citadel study abroad program in Estonia this summer and raised security concerns about his request. Estonia is a NATO country on Russias border, and the trip includes visits to sensitive installations. He is facing federal charges in one of the most serious and consequential actions in this country over 100 years, U.S. Judge Tanya Chutkan said of Irizarry in a May hearing. Im not going to allow him unsupervised to go off for three weeks to visit NATO cybersecurity sites. The Capitol riot was the equivalent of an attempt to overthrow the government, she said. But two judges on a three-judge panel for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals disagreed Friday with Chutkans decision and ruled he could go. In their reversal, Judges Karen Henderson and Gergory Katsas noted that Chutkans ruling did not find that Irizarry was even a flight risk or dangerous. The court instead based its ruling on global judgments about all defendants charged with offenses related to Jan. 6, rather than on an individualized assessment of safety concerns or flight risks presented by Irizarry himself. That was error. The two majority judges also noted that Irizarry, who has been out on bond since his arrest in early 2021, had so far complied with all conditions of the court and is an honors student at The Citadel. Moreover, they wrote, prosecutors did not initially oppose Irizarrys trip or propose any conditions be attached to his movements. Irizarry has a school scholarship to help him pay for the trip, which takes place from July 11-31. In a dissent, Judge Robert Wilkins wrote that instead of granting Irizarrys request to travel abroad, the majority judges should have sent the case back to Chutkan for a determination on what conditions, if any, should be attached to Irizarrys foreign travel. Once Irizarry leaves the country, Wilkins noted, the District Court, the Pretrial Services Agency, and U.S. law enforcement lose jurisdiction over him. Irizarry, who is charged with four misdemeanor charges, each of which carries up to a year in prison, could choose not to return to the United States and not have to worry about being extradited, Wilkins wrote. Extradition is possible only when charges have a punishment that exceeds a year in prison. Irizarry is charged with one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; one count of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; one count of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and one count of parading or demonstrating in a Capitol building. He has pleaded not guilty and said he wants a trial. Chutkan has set a Jan. 3 trial date. Irizarry traveled to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, with a friend, Elliott Bishai, who faced the same charges as Irizarry. Bishai agreed to plead guilty to one of the charges, and he will be sentenced July 29. Court testimony and records said prosecutors say Bishai and Irizarry took photos and videos inside the Capitol and sat atop statues after entering with hundreds of others through a broken window. They are among some 840 people charged in what the Department of Justice has called the largest criminal investigation in its history. Irizarry and Bishai attended Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill. In high school, both were members of the Marine Corps JROTC and the Gastonia, North Carolina, Civil Air Patrol unit. Rock Hill Herald reporter Andrew Dys contributed to this story. 2022 The State. Visit thestate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON During Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, then-California Sen. Kamala Harris asked the judge if he thought women's privacy rights extended to choosing to have an abortion. Kavanaugh declined to answer. With Justice Kavanaugh now part of the court majority that voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and the senator now the vice president, Harris is warning that the court's decision could trigger some of the same far-reaching privacy limitations she warned of during those hearings. Taking to the issue with a passion linked both to her personal and professional background, Harris has spent recent weeks sounding the alarm that upending Roe could create precedent for new restrictions on everything from contraception and in vitro fertilization to gay marriage and that states restricting such things are also leading the way in new limits on the right to vote. Justice Clarence Thomas seemed to validate such concerns, writing in a concurring opinion to the larger ruling on Roe that the high court should reconsider past decisions on access to contraception and same-sex marriage. Harris has been a leading Biden administration voice on abortion rights since early May, when a leaked draft opinion previewed Roe v. Wades nullification. She was flying to Illinois for a maternal health event when the final decision was announced last week, and read it while still in the air quickly shifting the focus of her planned remarks to the ruling. The decision calls into question other rights that we thought were settled, such as the right to use birth control, the right to same sex marriage, the right to interracial marriage, Harris told her audience Friday at a suburban YMCA, adding that it would spark a health care crisis. During an interview Monday with CNN, Harris said, I definitely think this not over," adding that, of what Thomas wrote, "I think he just said the quiet part out loud. Becoming a leading voice on abortion access could be a better fit for Harris after President Joe Biden tasked her with overseeing other thorny issues that haven't gone well: immigration and expanding voting rights. Sweeping legislation on both issues has stalled in Congress, prompting some advocates to say the vice president and the White House should've done more. Harris symbolically presiding over the Senate didnt stop Republicans from blocking efforts to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law before the court's ruling overturning it. But Democrats are hoping anger around the issue will energize their base for the November midterm elections, when the party faces steep headwinds. Getting straight to the politics of the matter after the ruling was announced, Harris said, You have the power to elect leaders who will defend and protect your rights. With your vote, you can act. And you have the final word. After a Texas law effectively banned abortion in the state in the fall, Harris met providers and patients, which her office believes is the first time abortion providers have visited the White House. She stressed then that gender discrimination persists, saying that womens full participation in our nation was still only a goal, not a reality. After the draft Supreme Court opinion leaked, the vice president convened a virtual discussion with doctors and nurses providing abortion care in states with strict restrictions and met with Democratic attorneys general from states supportive of reproductive rights. Biden has also forcefully defended abortion rights and warned that other rights are now at risk. But as a observant Catholic, he hasn't always had a strong record on the issue. Harris, the first female vice president and Californias former top prosecutor, brings unique personal perspective and legal expertise to the issue. Seeing women fight on behalf of other women is just very true to the core of who she is, said Jacqueline Ayers, senior vice president of policy, organizing, and campaigns at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She added that Harris has framed the issue to underscore the disparity that it creates on Black and brown communities, and for people who are living with low income. Ayers said the high court's action has allowed the vice president to highlight how she's used her office to listen to women and advocate for improving their health care perhaps even in ways Biden can't. Its not necessarily a wedge, its just a continuation of someone who has really staked their career around the issues that are key and drivers for them, Ayers said of differences between Harris and Biden. Rev. John Dorhauer, the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, attended a recent virtual meeting on abortion rights that Harris hosted, and suggested she's been less afraid than some top Democrats to advocate forcefully on the issue. To hear that from one of the highest offices in the land is incredibly encouraging," Dorhauer said. But some abortion opponents argue that Harris has hurt her cause by equating abortion access with other, more routine medical care. She has become emblematic of the abortion absolutism on the other side, said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which advocates for women who oppose abortion in politics. As a senator, Harris introduced legislation to improve maternal health. During a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate, then-candidate Harris said it was outrageous that abortion had been overshadowed by other issues, despite a woman's right to the procedure being under full-on attack even then. The vice president most forcefully signaled the outspoken role when she declared a day after the draft opinion leaked in May: Those Republican leaders who are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women, well, we say, how dare they?" She then used subsequent weeks to argue that undermining Roe v. Wade could soon wipe out other key privacy rights the same theme she raised during Kavanaugh's hearing. Harris says many states moving to fully ban abortion could restrict in vitro fertilization if legislatures argue that human life begins at fertilization. They could prohibit contraception methods, including intrauterine devices and the morning after pill, she argued. Law enforcement might scrutinize data collected from millions of women who use menstrual cycle tracking apps, or those doing internet searches on getting abortions in other states, the vice president said. Also ultimately at stake, Harris maintains, is the legalization of gay marriage, noting that states with the strictest abortion laws often also have past LGBTQ prohibitions that the Supreme Court could revive. Once those rights have fallen, the argument goes, voting rights could be next. She convened a recent meeting with privacy experts to discuss the matter. That slippery slope is really slippery, said one of the meeting's participants, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, the women and democracy fellow at the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice in New York. "Were barreling right down it right now. Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told attendees to be prepared for the coming of a new Jane Crow, as efforts to limit abortion begin to emulate antiquated laws that once sanctioned open discrimination against Black people. Dannenfelser countered that Harris and others are exaggerating, saying the current Supreme Court is "the least likely to do what shes saying. They believe in the rule of law. It's intended to scare people and to build a coalition on the other side outside of the abortion issue," Dannenfelser said. Harris' office says she is indeed building a coalition, but it will be one of people who believe that Roe v. Wade's effects far exceeded abortion, and not just for women. To help drive home that point, Harris met recently in Los Angeles with religious leaders, noting that to support Roe v. Wade, and all it stands for, does not mean giving up your beliefs. President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor, the nations highest recognition for combat valor, to four U.S. Army veterans who fought their way through hellacious battles during the Vietnam War more than 50 years ago, White House officials said Monday. The recipients are Spc. 5 Dwight Birdwell, who led an armored unit through a bloody ambush in 1968; Maj. John Duffy, a Special Forces officer who fought off an attack on his fire base in 1972; Spc. 5 Dennis Fujii, who directed airstrikes on advancing forces while under fire in Laos in 1971 and after surviving a helicopter crash; and Staff Sgt. Edward Kaneshiro, who single-handedly cleared a trench of enemy fighters using grenades and a rifle in 1967. All four will have previous awards upgraded, with Kaneshiro receiving the honor posthumously. The ceremony is scheduled for July 5. Birdwell, 74, said in a phone interview Monday that he received notification of his award from Biden last month and that the president told him twice it was a big deal. He previously received the Silver Star, the U.S. militarys third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions on Jan. 31, 1968. Others in his unit had sought the upgrade for years. Frankly, he said, its a bit overwhelming. Birdwell was assigned to a cavalry unit with the 25th Infantry Division when a major military installation, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, came under attack. North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerrillas had just launched the Tet Offensive, marked by surprise attacks across Vietnam on South Vietnamese soldiers, U.S. troops and their allies. Birdwell and his fellow soldiers were ambushed while driving to the air base to assist, and Birdwells tank commander was incapacitated with gunfire. Specialist Birdwell immediately took command of the vehicle and began placing effective suppressive fire on the enemy force until all of his ammunition was expended, according to his Silver Star citation. He then retrieved an M-60 machine gun and continued to place devastating fire on the enemy until his weapon became inoperable. Birdwell, with complete disregard for his own safety, then ran under enemy gunfire to get ammunition from other damaged vehicles, distributed it to fellow soldiers and helped evacuate the wounded. He was wounded in the torso and face during the battle. Birdwell said Monday that he still replays just about daily what happened during the battle, and whether there is anything he could have done better. I also think quite a bit about the bullets whizzing by me, he said. I can still hear that unique sound they make. Its a bit terrifying. It stays with you. Duffy previously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Armys second-highest award for valor in combat, for his actions April 14 and 15, 1972, when his base came under attack. He braved enemy fire to coordinate airstrikes on enemy antiaircraft guns, scrambled about his base to treat wounded Vietnamese soldiers and requested U.S. aircraft launch gun runs on his position after enemy forces advanced within 10 meters, according to his award citation. He now lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., the White House said. Fujii previously received the Distinguished Service Cross for his role in rescue operations in Laos and Vietnam between Feb. 18 and 22, 1971, after his units medical evacuation helicopter came under fire and crashed. He waved off rescue from another helicopter and stayed on the battlefield, administering aid to other soldiers. The following night, Fujii called in American helicopters to repel another enemy attack. Over the following 17 hours, he braved enemy fire repeatedly, leaving a trench to observe enemy positions and direct airstrikes on them. He now lives in Hawaii, the White House said. Kaneshiro was an infantry squad leader with the 1st Cavalry Division on Dec. 1, 1966, when his unit was attacked by North Vietnamese soldiers. He fought them off and allowed the withdrawal of his platoon. He was killed March 6, 1967, during another operation in Vietnam. (Tribune News Service) Robert Morss, a former Army Ranger from Glenshaw, Pa., charged in the Capitol assault, says the congressional committee hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection will make a fair trial impossible and is demanding that the Justice Department turn over any communications it has had with the House committee. Mr. Morss, a 29-year-old combat veteran, is accused of attacking police with a group of other rioters. He remains jailed pending trial this summer in Washington, D.C. He and his lawyer, John Kiyonaga, said in a motion filed Monday that the committees televised hearings have irreparably poisoned the jury pool and are asking for a change of venue because of it. They also are seeking disclosure of communications to show possible collusion between the DOJ and the House committee in an effort to paint the insurrectionists as murderous orchestrators of an attempted coup. The motion said Mr. Morss and the rest of the more than 800 people charged in the riot, fueled by former President Donald Trumps repeated false claims about the election being stolen, have not been able to counter the House committees version of events broadcast nationally. The hearings were conducted without any remote indication of any contrary view or possible grounds for skepticism, Mr. Kiyonaga said. The result, he said, is that millions of Americans are viewing hearings portraying Mr. Morss and others as violent insurrectionists and threats to democracy without benefit of any cross-examination, as would happen in a court of law. The Committees portrayal of the January 6th defendants as members of a seditious, murderous mob renders the notion of an impartial jury anywhere, but especially in the District of Columbia, risible, Mr. Kiyonaga said. He also said the comments made by various committee members, along with the release of closed-circuit and bodycam video marked highly sensitive in discovery materials, indicate a willingness on the part of the committee to collaborate with the Justice Department. Disclosing any communications to that effect will, at the very least, supplement Mr. Morss pending request for a venue change, the motion said. Mr. Morss, who served three tours in Afghanistan and worked briefly as a substitute teacher in the Shaler Area district, faces multiple felonies and likely years in federal prison if convicted. He will be tried together with eight others who clashed with police in a Capitol tunnel. Prosecutors said he acted as a leader and aggressor in assaulting multiple officers, initiating the violence and encouraging others to do the same. Mr. Morss is among about two dozen people from the Pittsburgh region accused of storming the Capitol. Several have been sentenced, and cases against others are pending. In addition to Mr. Morss actions on Jan. 6, all of which were recorded on video, the FBI recovered a file from his phone in which he wrote to a potential sentencing judge that he did not regret his actions and that Congress should have overturned the election results. (c)2022 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit at www.post-gazette.com WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) The U.S. House has passed a resolution calling for the immediate release of WNBA star and Houston native Brittney Griner, whom the U.S. government considers to be wrongfully and unjustly detained in Russia. The bipartisan resolution, introduced and led by Reps. Colin Allred, D- Dallas, Sheila Jackson Lee, D- Houston, and Rep. Greg Stanton, D- Ariz., had 65 cosponsors in the House, including six Republicans. Allred, Jackson Lee and Stanton first introduced the resolution in May. The resolution calls on the Russian Federation to not only immediately release Griner but to ensure her human rights are respected and she has access to U.S. consular services. It also expresses support for former Marine Paul Whelan and all prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation. Its unacceptable that Russia continues to violate international norms and I am proud that the House has spoken in passing our resolution and calling for [Griners] swift release, Allred, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. I will keep working with the Biden Administration to do all we can to bring home every American detained abroad. Cherelle Griner, Brittneys wife, said she was grateful for the overwhelming show of support from Congress. We need to be doing all we can to keep Brittneys case on the forefront and finally put an end to this nightmare, she said. The Phoenix Mercury, Griners WNBA team, showed its support for the resolution on Twitter. On Monday, Griner was ordered to stand trial by a court near Moscow on cannabis possession charges, about four and a half months after her arrest at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage at the airport revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing hashish oil, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. At Mondays closed-door preliminary hearing at the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, Griners detention was extended for another six months, to Dec. 20. Russia is now engaging in theater by subjecting her to a sham trial in an effort to create a false pretense that she is anything other than a political prisoner, Allred said. On Tuesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also called on Russia to release Griner, reiterating that the U.S. government has determined Griner is wrongfully and unjustly detained and should be allowed to return home. The United States government is actively engaged in trying to resolve this case and get Brittney home, Sullivan said. Im not going to get into the details of what that means because these are sensitive matters, but I will tell you it has the fullest attention of the President and every senior member of his national security and diplomatic team. Sullivan said the Biden administration is actively working to find a solution, and will continue to do so without rest until Griner is back in the U.S. We also are trying to work actively to return all unjustly detained Americans and hostages being held overseas, whether that be in Iran or Afghanistan or Russia or Venezuela or China or elsewhere, Sullivan said. 2022 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON A Department of Veterans Affairs plan that contains nearly $2 trillion in recommended facility closures, consolidations and upgrades across the country could be in jeopardy after 12 senators announced they oppose the agencys reassessment of its facilities. As senators, we share a commitment to expanding and strengthening modern VA infrastructure in a way that upholds our obligations to Americas veterans, according to the joint statement by the senators. We believe the recommendations put forth [by the Asset and Infrastructure Review] Commission are not reflective of that goal, and would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage, which is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward. The statement was issued by Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Joe Manchin, D-W.V.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio. Six of the senators Tester, Rounds, Brown, Murray, Manchin and Hassan are members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. In May, Manchin, Rounds, Heinrich and Capito introduced a bill, "Elimination of the VA Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission," which would remove the commission. Thune, Lujan and Hassan are cosponsors. The bill doesnt say why they want to eliminate the commission, but the senators have been vocal about their opposition to the VAs closure recommendations in their respective states. The VA was required to establish the Asset and Infrastructure Review as part of the Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018, or MISSION Act. The review was designed to analyze the health care needs of veterans as well as the departments infrastructure. That same year, Congress approved the creation of an Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission to work on the "modernization or realignment" of VA properties. The review of VA facilities determined which facilities were underutilized, outdated and should be closed, where to invest more resources, the demand for which services, and the needs of the veteran demographic in each market. The VA released the commissions report in March, which recommended facility closures and upgrades to provide better services to veteran patients in their respective markets across the country. The report listed 35 medical center closures. However, some closures are recommended to be replaced by new buildings and, in some cases, other locations. Other medical centers were recommended to close permanently. The VA report cited old, deteriorating buildings and a projected decrease in demand for VA services in the areas where it is suggested hospitals be closed. Furthermore, the veteran population in each market varied. Additionally, the VA proposed more than 100 multi-specialty, community-based outpatient clinics. The agency also recommended clinic closures and consolidation of services to other nearby VA clinics or medical centers. But two different independent reports examining the VAs review found the work was deficient. The VA Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office in December and March, respectively, issued reports that found the VA's infrastructure recommendations were incomplete, inaccurate and outdated. VA Secretary Denis McDonough acknowledged the data was outdated at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in April. He said he had a team of health care experts and former VA senior officials look at the data. They came back with an answer that I feared, which is that they think the data is not up to speed in light of the [coronavirus] pandemic, McDonough told House lawmakers. The senators in their statement Tuesday said they feel because the review is flawed the commission is not needed. The commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure, and together we remain dedicated to providing the department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to veterans in 21st century facilities now and into the future, according to the senators statement. Because of this, the senators said they will not move forward with nominations to fill empty posts on the review commission. There was supposed to be nine members on the review commission. The White House and the VA provided five nominees for the commission. Four others are nominated as commission members by leaders in the House and Senate. The final nominee was announced June 22. Melissa Bryant, acting assistant secretary for VAs public and intergovernmental affairs, said President Joe Biden requested nearly $20 billion in new VA infrastructure spending to replace and upgrade old buildings. President Biden has insisted that our veterans in the 21st century should not be forced to receive care in early 20th century buildings, Bryant said. The median age of VAs hospitals is nearly 60 years old, and thats why the president requested nearly $20 billion in new VA infrastructure spending last year and it is why he has requested the largest ever investment in VA infrastructure in his [fiscal 2023] budget. Whatever Congress decides to do with the AIR Commission, which was called for in the 2018 MISSION Act, we will continue to fight for the funding and modernization that our veterans deserve. The American Federation of Government Employees, a government employee union representing VA workers, applauded the announcement by the senators to block the review commission nominations. We thank the committee for listening to the voices of veterans and front-line workers who have been rallying for months against rubber-stamping the VAs recommendations to close veteran hospitals and send our nations heroes into the private sector where they will pay more for worse outcomes, Everett Kelley, the unions president and an Army veteran, said in a prepared statement. But Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said he was disappointed the committee will not hold confirmation hearings on the commission nominees. Many of the VA's facilities are empty, underutilized and severely outdated, he said in a prepared statement on Monday. We passed the VA MISSION Act to address these issues but by refusing to confirm commissioners, we are essentially shutting down the work of the AIR Commission and possibly our only opportunity to fix this long-standing issue." Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, also released a statement Monday that condemned the senators' opposition. "The MISSION Act was signed into law with broad support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and every major veterans service organization, he said. It established an Asset and Infrastructure Review or, AIR process with nine Senate-confirmed commissioners to recommend updates to VA's failing medical care infrastructure. This process is vital for the future of modern, state-of-the-art VA care. It is wrong for these senators to outright refuse to even consider the nominees put forth by the Biden administration. This decision does an immense disservice to veterans and VA staff who will feel its repercussions for years to come." Aaron Murdiff was left with a lasting brain injury, and may never walk or run normally again. He is now cared for by his mother A man who viciously attacked an acquaintance in an attack of breathtaking savagery, leaving his victim with a traumatic brain injury, has been jailed for five years. Jamie Heffernan (22) took it upon himself to attack the victim, Aaron Murdiff, after he learned Mr Murdiff had attacked his cousin earlier that night, Judge Orla Crowe told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday. Heffernan was captured on CCTV chatting in the early hours with the victim before another man approached and the atmosphere changed, the court heard. Gardai believe Heffernan was informed at that point that Mr Murdiff had assaulted his cousin at a house party earlier that night. The court heard that Heffernan struck Mr Murdiff causing him to fall to the ground and launched three separate assaults on him during the course of four and a half minutes. Sentencing Heffernan, Judge Crowe said it was an attack of breathtaking savagery, after which this accused walked away. She said in the final two attacks, Heffernan repeatedly struck Mr Murdiff when he was lying motionless on the ground. The viciousness and severity of the assault was a significant factor, she said. The court heard Mr Murdiff, now aged 25, was left with a lasting brain injury, and may never walk or run normally again. He is now cared for by his mother, who described the devastating impact the attack had on her son. Two other co-accused, who cannot be identified as they are minors, are awaiting sentence for their roles in the assault on Mr Murdiff. Heffernan, of Blackrock House, Newtown Avenue, Blackrock, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Murdiff at ORourke Park, Sallynoggin, on August 16, 2020. He has five previous convictions. Garda Patrick OConnor told Karl Finnegan BL, prosecuting, that Mr Murdiff and Heffernan had been at a house party in Sallynoggin on the night. While Heffernan was absent, there was an incident at the house and Mr Murdiff assaulted Heffernan's cousin. He has since pleaded guilty to this assault and will be sentenced in July. Mr Murdiff was asked to leave and he and Heffernan came across each other a short distance away. CCTV captured them engaging in friendly conversation and hugging until another person approached and there was an exchange of words. Gda OConnor agreed that the atmosphere appeared to change and gardai believe this person told Heffernan what had happened to his cousin. The garda said Heffernan struck Mr Murdiff knocking him to the ground and he was kicked to the head and body in three separate assaults, with Heffernan leaving and returning twice to assault him again after the initial attack. Heffernan was stopped and arrested a short distance away due to his agitated behaviour and it soon became clear to gardai he may have been involved in the assault. The court heard Mr Murdiff suffered a traumatic brain injury. The court heard he was not in a position to give a victim impact statement but one was handed into court from his mother and sister. Gda OConnor agreed with Garnet Orange SC, defending, that this was not a planned assault and was a spontaneous event arising from Heffernans state of mind when he found out what happened to his cousin. Mr Orange said this was a red mist descending situation. He said Heffernan had consumed considerable alcohol on the night and had gone out with the intention of getting drunk. He said he no longer drinks to excess as a result of these events and has made a concerted effort to reduce his alcohol use since the offence. Counsel said Heffernan had rationalised his actions but acknowledged at all times that the level of violence used was excessive. Ballymena mother-of-two Nuala McLaughlin confessed to one count of fraud by abusing the position of trust she held with Antrim Enterprise Agency Ordering 48-year-old Nuala McLaughlin to serve six months of that sentence in jail and the rest on licence, Judge Patrick Kinney told the thief there were multiple aggravating features to her offences, including the clear breach of trust that her sophisticated fraud was perpetrated against a charity over a protracted period. At an earlier hearing, McLaughlin, a widowed mother-of-two from Mansefield Heights in Ballymena, confessed to one count of fraud by abusing the position of trust she held with Antrim Enterprise Agency on dates between 1 July, 2013, and 31 December, 2019, when she took a total amount of 100,656. In an agreed statement of facts, prosecuting counsel Michael Chambers told Antrim Crown Court how McLaughlin was the finance officer for Antrim Enterprise Agency when the registered charity reported suspected thefts to the police in December 2020. An audit had uncovered a series of unauthorised money transfers from the charitys account to an unidentified Nationwide account and Mr Chambers revealed that, over the six years, the transfers amounted to 100,656. McLaughlin was initially spoken to by Antrim Enterprise Agency on 2 December and denied any wrongdoing, but the following day she emailed a charity board member to confess she was the account holder of the Nationwide bank account identified and was responsible for the transactions identified as irregular. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Kinney revealed that McLaughlin had created and inputted debit descriptions on the Antrim Enterprise Agency Danske Bank account in an attempt to conceal the true details of the transfers and also that she created false invoices to cover the paper trail which ultimately lead back to her. That sophisticated aspect of the fraud was an aggravating feature said the judge, adding that, in mitigation, she had entered guilty pleas and shown genuine remorse and victim insight. Judge Kinney said that, according to the various defence reports, there has been no real motivation put forward by the defendant save for general financial difficulties in the family home, while he accepted the assessment that McLaughlin was of low likelihood to reoffend and wasnt a danger to the public. He told her, however, that, given the steps she took to perpetrate the frauds, the length of time over which they were committed and the breach of trust against a charity, there would have to be a jail sentence. In addition, he adjourned a Proceeds of Crime application until September. Patrick Sheedy also conned an educational supplies company out of just under 10,000 A serial conman who pretended he was making a documentary on sick children for RTE before conning an electronics company out of 13,000 has been sentenced to 15 months in jail. Patrick Sheedy (53) also conned an educational supplies company out of just under 10,000 by pretending to be from the Department of Education, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. Judge Martin Nolan said he was not sure Sheedy would stop conning people when he got out of prison, but said he couldnt lock him up forever. Sheedy has 97 previous convictions, of which about 70 are for fraud offences, the court heard. He is already serving a sentence imposed at Limerick Circuit Court in October 2020 and he was on bail for those offences when he carried out the crimes before court today. Sheedy, of Cliona Park, Moyross, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to six counts of deception at an address in Dublin on dates between January and March 2020. He also pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at locations in Dublin between August and September 2020. Judge Nolan said Sheedy had an ability to take advantage of the trusting nature of other parties and had been doing it for quite a long time. He is intelligent and persuasive. It seems he has the conmans ability, the judge said. Up to now, he has been incredibly successful in deceiving people. The question is, can he change his ways? He cons people, can he stop? The judge said he wasn't sure that Sheedy would not continue to con people after he gets out of prison. Jurisprudence in this country does not recognise preventative detention. I can't put him in jail for the rest of his life on the basis that I think hes going to be a conman forever, he said. He noted that Sheedy's lawyers have told the court he has a gambling addiction and that he is doing well in prison and making use of the services provided to prisoners. The judge imposed concurrent prison terms of 15 months which are to run consecutive to the termination of the sentence he is currently serving. Sergeant Colin Sullivan told the court that Sheedy contacted an electronics company in January 2020 and told them he was a documentary creator who had been commissioned to make a documentary on sick children for RTE. He gave them a fake name. Sheedy said one of the children had an advanced brain injury as a result of being born premature and that she required the use of an iPad to help her in her day-to-day activities. He said he would interview the managing director as part of the documentary. The electronics company agreed to supply Sheedy with an iPad for this use. Sheedy also placed an order for 15 mobile phones with a value of 12,460. When he failed to pay, the company contacted RTE and discovered no such documentary had been commissioned and Sheedy had not been contracted by them Between the phones and the iPad, the company was at a loss of 13,539, the court heard. A few months later, Sheedy contacted an educational supplies company pretending he was from the Department of Education. He placed an order for 12 mobile phones which was fulfilled but never paid for. The company was at a loss of 9,801, the court heard. Around the same time, Sheedy contacted a mobile phone company pretending he worked for BMW. He ordered five iPhones with a value of 4,200 and never paid for them. None of the companies involved recovered any money, with Sheedy selling the electronic goods for cash, the court heard. Sgt Sullivan said Sheedy lived with his elderly mother and had a gambling addiction. Maxwell on Tuesday said it was her greatest regret to have ever met Epstein Ghislaine Maxwell attends her sentencing hearing in a courtroom sketch in New York. Image: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg REUTERS Maxwell on Tuesday said it was her greatest regret to have ever met Epstein as the British socialite prepared to be sentenced for helping the sex offender and globetrotting financier sexually abuse underage girls. Speaking in Manhattan federal court, Maxwell called Epstein a "manipulative, cunning and controlling man who fooled everyone in his orbit, and said she was sorry for the pain that his victims experienced. It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell said. Maxwell (60) was convicted in December 2021 for recruiting and grooming girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004. The stiff sentence of 20 years was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14, and then exploited them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, and couldnt have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. US District Judge Alison J Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said a very significant sentence is necessary and that she wanted to send an unmistakable message that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give Maxwell 30 to 55 years in prison, while Maxwell's defence sought a lenient sentence of just five years. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, sat quietly before the sentencing, looking ahead as Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to horrifying nightmares by taking them to Epstein. Ghislaine Maxwell attends her sentencing hearing in a courtroom sketch in New York. Image: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg REUTERS They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together, she said, calling Maxwell a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings. When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell called him a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life, echoing her defence attorneys' assertions, in court filings calling for a lenient sentence, that Epstein was the true mastermind. Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her unusual incarceration bring some measure of peace and finality. Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Annie Farmer, whose voice cracked several times as she said we will continue to live with the harm she caused us. Farmer said her sister and herself tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them. Many described Maxwell as acting as a madam who recruited them to give massages to Epstein. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfil their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. In her victim impact statement, Virginia Giuffre, accused Maxwell of opening the door to hell by introducing her and other victims to Epstein. Read the full statement from Ms Giuffre below: Your honour, my name is Virginia Roberts Giuffre. For more than two years, from age 16 to 19, I was abused by Ghislaine Maxwell. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge and profusely thank the police, FBI investigators, prosecutors and judges who have invested their time and integrity in this case to hopefully set a precedent for victims and the hunters who prey upon them. Now, if it pleases the court, I would like to address my victim impact statement directly to Ghislaine Maxwell. Ghislaine, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice. You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually, and emotionally. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day. I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell. And then, Ghislaine, like a wolf in sheeps clothing, you used your femininity to betray us, and you led us all through it. When you did that, Ghislaine, you changed the course of our lives forever. You joked that you were like a new mother to us. As a woman, I think you understood the damage you were causing - the price you were making us victims pay. You could have put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening manipulations that you arranged, witnessed and even took part in. You couldve called the authorities and reported that you were a part of something awful. I was young and naive when we met, Ghislaine, but you knew that. In fact, you were counting on it. My life as a young person was just beginning. You robbed me of that by exploiting my hopes and ambitions. Ghislaine, the pain you have caused me is almost indescribable. Because of your choices and the world you brought me into, I dont sleep. Nightmares wake me at all hours. In those dreams, I relive the awful things you and others did to me and the things you forced me to do. Those memories will never go away. I have trouble meeting new people without questioning if somehow they are going to hurt me, too. I dont allow my children to stay over at friends houses, or to walk down the street alone. I dont trust anyone to be near them without me or my husband close by. I am hyper-vigilant, because I know that evil exists. You taught me that. There is not a day that goes by that I dont ask Why? Why, Ghislaine, did you enjoy hurting us so much? I worry every single day and night that you will get away with it and evade being punished. I will worry about that until you are brought to justice. And what should that justice look like? Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. You deserve to be trapped in a cage forever, just like you trapped your victims. But, Ghislaine, I want you to know that, while you tried to break me, you didnt succeed. Despite you, I have grown into a woman who tries to do good in the world - a woman who, on her best days, feels like she is making a difference. My promise to you is as follows: As long as you and perpetrators like you continue to prey upon the vulnerable, I will not stop standing up and speaking out. Together, with so many others you abused, we will do all we can to keep predators from stealing the innocence of children. I will never give up. I will never go away. If you ever get out of prison, I will be here, watching you, making sure you never hurt anyone else again. I do not think it was at all appropriate that I was subjected to this before attending hospital for tests on my heart Kieran Smyth also contends prison staff unlawfully handcuffed and remained with him throughout the medical consultations and tests. The 62-year-old was granted leave to seek a judicial review into claims that the authorities breached his right to privacy and left him degraded. Smyth, with a previous address at Springfield Avenue in Belfast, is serving a 12-year sentence for a violent home invasion robbery on an elderly couple in September 2013. Masked intruders claiming to be loyalist paramilitaries entered the property in Ballynahinch, Co Down, tied up a businessman and his wife - then aged 82 and 76 - and threatened to cut their son's fingers off. They stole more than 5,000 in cash, a Rolex watch and a Mercedes car, ripping out phone lines before escaping. Smyth was originally freed on licence in 2019 after serving half the term imposed for the robbery. In March 2020 the Secretary of State ordered his recall based on intelligence which suggested he posed a risk to national security. He had allegedly gained access to a rocket launcher, forged links with dissident republicans and targeted members of the security forces following his initial release. In July last year he was re-released following a decision by the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland. But after breaching strict conditions his licence was revoked again weeks later. With Smyth classified as unlawfully at large at that stage, a police hunt culminated in him being arrested in north Belfast in December and returned to jail to complete his sentence. His latest legal challenge against the Department of Justice centres on alleged treatment in connection with a medical appointment in March this year. He is seeking a declaration that prison authorities breached his human rights by subjecting him to strip searches on departure from the hospital and after returning from the hospital to check for any concealed items. I found this to be degrading and stressful, he claimed in an affidavit. I do not think it was at all appropriate that I was subjected to this before attending hospital for tests on my heart. Smyth further alleges that prison staff unlawfully restrained and remained with him throughout the private medical consultations. Based on the court papers, Mr Justice Colton granted leave to apply for judicial review and listed the case for full hearing in October. Welcoming the decision, Smyths solicitor insisted inmates should no longer be strip searched. Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law said: There are more humane ways for the prison to conduct security checks. Prisoners should also have a right to privacy in medical consultations at all times. Joshua Allen, the son of celebrity TV chef Rachel Allen, was caught with cocaine just five weeks after being released early for possession of more than 22,000 worth of cannabis Joshua Allen, the son of celebrity TV chef Rachel Allen, has been remanded to prison for five days after he was caught with cocaine just five weeks after being released early from a sentence imposed for possession of more than 22,000 worth of cannabis. Allen (22) appeared before Judge Sarah Berkeley at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in relation to two separate drugs matters. Judge Berkeley, after hearing submissions in relation to both matters, decided to adjourn dealing with the issues involved until Friday next, July 1. She indicated she wanted to consider all expert reports and files in relation to the matters before finalising them. Allen is appealing the severity of a sentence imposed by the district court for possession of 280 worth of cocaine in July 2020. However, that incident occurred just five weeks after Allen was released early from a sentence imposed for possession for sale or supply of more than 22,000 worth of cannabis. A portion of the cannabis sentence was suspended - and the cocaine conviction could serve as a 'triggering' matter, with the suspended portion of the earlier sentence being reactivated. This is now the second issue before the court. Judge Berkeley said she would deal with both matters on July 1. I will remand him [Allen] in custody until Friday. I will deal with the matter then, she said. "I want to read everything on file about him." The judge said she also wanted to clarify issues surrounding two other pending cases involving alleged Road Traffic Act matters. Both are vehemently denied by Allen and will be contested if they arrive before the court. Defence counsel Donal O'Sullivan BL said he was urging the court to deal with both the appeal and suspended sentence matters on a non-custodial basis. He argued that the two-month sentence imposed for the cocaine possession be entirely suspended and that the court not reactivate the suspended portion of the earlier cannabis sentence. Mr O'Sullivan said his client had changed his life and was now deeply involved in sport via mixed martial arts. He said the young man had learned his lesson and was pursuing positive, healthy life choices. The young man - who is a great grandson of Ballymaloe founder, the late Myrtle Allen, and a grandson of TV chef Darina Allen - received a 15-month custodial sentence with 15 months suspended at Cork Circuit Court three years ago after he pleaded guilty to possession of more than 22,000 worth of cannabis for sale and supply in September 2018. However, he was convicted last year before Midleton District Court, in a separate and unrelated matter, of possession of 280 worth of cocaine on July 20, 2020. In sentencing him last September, Judge Alec Gabbett noted that the cocaine matter arose just five weeks after the young man had been released from custody on the earlier cannabis possession charge. Judge Gabbett imposed a two-month prison sentence for the cocaine possession. Cork Circuit Court was told that Allen's grandmother, Darina Allen, was convinced her grandson had a new focus in his life and appealed to the court to give him a chance. The 22 year old is now training daily as part of his MMA routine and is also working on the Ballymaloe farm. I know he has made mistakes but he realises all his troubles have been caused by issues with drugs and alcohol. He has disassociated himself from his former associates and he is determined to turn his life around," she wrote. He has told me how much he regrets his actions and with the benefit of hindsight he is acutely aware of the folly of his ways. He is determined to continue on the path he is now on. The TV chef urged the court to offer him a chance to prove that he has turned his life around. Judge Berkeley was told that multiple drug analysis tests conducted on the young man over the past year have all proved to be clear. Last year, Midleton District Court heard that a Garda spotted Allen throwing an item into a bush when officers attended an outdoor gathering of youngsters in July 2020 - and the cocaine was located at the precise spot involved. The question of Allen's suspended sentence activation, because of the Midleton District Court conviction, was listed before Cork Circuit Criminal Court earlier this year and adjourned until today. The young man dropped an appeal against his Midleton District Court conviction last March - but proceeded with a challenge to the severity of the sentence imposed. Cork Circuit Criminal Court was to deal with both the suspended sentence issue over the cannabis possession and the challenge to the severity of the cocaine possession sentence. Allen had pleaded not guilty to a charge that on July 10, 2020, at the Pontoon, Midleton, Co Cork, he had unlawfully in his possession a controlled drug, namely cocaine, to the value of 280, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act. Last September, Judge Gabbett jailed Allen for two months, having convicted him of the offence following a day-long hearing. Judge Gabbet noted that Allen had been released from Cork Prison in May 2020 in relation to a previous cannabis offence and within five weeks the cocaine possession case arose. The Midleton District Court conviction represents a so-called 'triggering offence' in respect of an outstanding suspended sentence over the previous cannabis matter. The court will now rule on a 15-month suspended sentence which Allen faced from a previous and separate 2019 cannabis conviction. He was arrested almost four years ago after customs officers at Portlaoise Mail Centre became suspicious about a package addressed to Joshua Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School which was mailed from the United States. That sentence was imposed after he had attended a three-month term at a residential treatment centre for drug use in 2019. He received the 15-month term after the court was told he was "naive" and "amateurish", with the young man being warned he initially faced the case with "stupidity". Allen had last year vehemently denied the Midleton cocaine possession charge. The young man is now involved in mixed martial arts (MMA) and has been helping raise funds for a number of local charities. In evidence to Midleton District Court, he denied throwing anything into the bushes on the night when gardai approached a group of youths following a noise complaint. "With all due respect, you are making a mistake. It is a big mistake. It affects me and my family a lot. It is impossible [that I dropped anything]," he said. "If I wanted to get rid of drugs I probably would have put them down my pants." He insisted it was simply his "first instinct" to walk away from the gardai when they arrived at the scene that night in Midleton. Allen had insisted that whatever drugs gardai found in Midleton that night were not his. Noel Long (73) with an address in Passage West, Co Cork was formally charged with the murder of Mrs Sheehan A 73-year-old-man appeared in court in Skibbereen, West Cork this afternoon where he was charged in connection with the murder of a woman more than 40-years-ago. The body of 54-year-old Nora Sheehan was found by forestry workers at The Viewing Point, Shippool Woods near Innishannon in Co. Cork on June 12th 1981. The mother-of-three from Ballyphehane in Cork city was last seen alive a week before the discovery of her body when she attended a medical appointment for a dog bite at the South Infirmary Hospital in the city on June 6th 1981. She disappeared shortly afterwards and is believed to have been murdered on a date between June 6th and June 12th in 1981. Nora Sheehan Noel Long with an address at Maulbawn, Passage West, Co. Cork appeared before Judge James McNulty at a sitting of Skibbereen District Court where he was formally charged with the murder of Mrs Sheehan. Inspector Eamonn Brady from Macroom Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution. He said that Mr Long was arrested at 8:45am on Tuesday morning, June 28th before being brought to Bandon Garda Station for questioning. Inspector Brady said that Mr Long was charged under caution at 11:05am with one count of murder of Nora Sheehan to which he made no reply. Noel Long MCN pics Sgt Paul Kelly told Judge McNulty that the DPP had directed trial by indictment at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin and no application was made for bail which cannot be applied for at District Court level with a murder charge. Defence solicitor Eddie Burke said that his client was a 73-year-old retired man living on a State pension and would require legal aid. He added that Mr Long has a number of medical issues and asked that the appropriate attention was given to his medical needs in Cork Prison. Judge McNulty remanded Mr Long in custody to appear before Clonakilty District Court on Tuesday, July 5th at 2pm. Samantha Young (32) was sentenced to five months imprisonment A woman who demanded cash from two vulnerable men she met on an adult website has been further convicted of impersonating a police officer. Samantha Young (32) was sentenced to five months imprisonment, suspended for two years, for contacting one victim to claim she was a detective constable. Earlier this month Young, of Wilgar Close in the east of Belfast city, avoided being sent to jail after she admitted charges of blackmail and fraud. It was revealed that she had been in communication with two men on an adult website in May 2020. One victim was told if he did not make a payment of 200 to Young then details of their sexual conversation would be disclosed to his friends and family. The second man, described as suffering from autism, was contacted and paid 260 in total. Young received a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting those offences. But she appeared back at Belfast Magistrates Court today to be dealt with for separate charges of impersonating a police officer and possessing Class A drugs. Prosecutors said one of the victims informed the PSNI that he had been in conversation with a woman who used the username Jessica Rose19. Police established a link to Youngs phone and went to her home on May 23, 2020, finding a small bag of white powder. Forensic tests subsequently confirmed that it contained cocaine. A Crown lawyer set out how a second victim received a phone call following online communication on July 11, 2020. A lady was on the line saying that she was a named police officer from Strandtown Police Station, the prosecutor said. The injured party handed the phone to his mother, who was unsure that the person on the phone was the female detective constable that she alleged (to be). He added: That phone call, saying I am a detective constable was made from her device to one of the injured parties. An examination of Youngs devices confirmed the communication between her and the victim. District Judge Mark McGarrity questioned why the cases were not dealt with together. It seems to form part of the same facts as the blackmail, he observed. Declining to impose probation for the impersonation and drugs offences, Mr McGarrity instead decided to hand down a suspended prison term. He warned Young: If you commit any imprisonable offence within two years of todays date you will go to prison for at least five months. The men and women pleaded guilty to laundering amounts ranging from 4500 to just under 110,000 Six fruit factory workers who became money mules and helped to launder hundreds of thousands of euro between them have been given suspended sentences. The four men and two women were all working at Keelings Fruit when they were each enlisted by an unnamed man, referred to in court as a money mule herder, to allow their bank accounts to be used for the proceeds of crime, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Monday. The money laundering was being carried out by a West African gang, Garda Jennifer Connolly told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting. The alleged money mule herder is still before the courts. The offending took place on dates between 2016 and 2017 and the men and women pleaded guilty to laundering money ranging in amounts from 4500 to just under 110,000. They were paid varying amounts of money ranging from a few hundred euro to 10,000 for allowing their accounts to be used. Sentencing them on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan said the six defendants were extremely useful to the money launderers in allowing their accounts to be used. The judge said it was one of the easier ways to make a living from crime. He noted all six came to Ireland from different countries to make some money. They worked at Keelings and no doubt that was tough physical work, the judge said. The judge took into account a number of mitigating factors including the fact that none of the accused have previous convictions, they all cooperated with gardai and are considered unlikely to reoffend. He handed down suspended sentences ranging from 18 months to three and a half years. Albert Joseph (38). Photo: Collins Albert Joseph (38) with an address at College Manor, Hoeys Lane, Dundalk, Co Louth pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering 34,236 and 25,575 on dates in June 2016. The court heard he laundered a total amount of 109,000. He was given a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence. Josip Vlahovic (33) with an address at Beaumont Crescent, Beaumont, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering just over 79,000 on dates in June 2016. He was given a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence. Toni Kudro (33). Photo: Collins Toni Kudro (33) with an address at Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering 8869 on dates in September 2017. The court heard he laundered just under 36,000. He was given a suspended two-and-a-half year sentence. Mate Vlahovic (41). Photo: Collins Mate Vlahovic (41) with an address at Berwick Drive, Swords, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering 6760 on dates in September 2017. He was given an 18 month suspended sentence. Kristina Baradlai (29). Photo: Collins Krisztina Baradlai (29) with an address at The Old Rectory, Collon, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering 5900 on September 18, 2017. She was given an 18 month suspended sentence. Claudia Onofrieciuc Photo: Collins Claudia Onofrieciuc (39) with an address at Premier Square, Glasnevin, Dublin pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering 4592 on March 20, 2017. She was also given an 18 month suspended sentence. Karl Cummins (29), who has has 65 previous convictions, forced the garda patrol car to take evasive action after he came at them at speed when they blocked his path Karl Cummins (29) was the driver of a car that forced the garda patrol car to take evasive action after he came at them at speed when they blocked his cars path in 2017. Cummins, of Drumcairn Avenue, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving at Fettercairn Ring Road, Tallaght on July 21, 2017. He has 65 previous convictions including 15 for dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for 16 years in 2015. The court heard during a sentence hearing last March that Cummins has since turned his life around and he brought 500 to offer to the court as a token of remorse. That 500 went to aid Ukrainian refugees via the Irish Redcross Crisis Appeal following a suggestion by investigating officer Detective Garda David Jennings after the judge asked him to nominate a charity. Judge Melanie Greally had adjourned the case having heard the evidence and ordered a community service report. On Monday she imposed a four-month sentence which she suspended in full on condition that he engage with the Probation Service for 12 months. She also disqualified Cummins from driving for eight years. Det Gda Jennings told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, at the previous hearing that gardai began a pursuit of a car driving at high speed in Tallaght. He said he saw the car coming back towards the patrol car and gardai moved to block the vehicles path. He said the car came at the patrol car at speed and they had to manoeuvre to avoid a collision. The car swerved at the last minute and Det Gda Jennings recognised the driver as Cummins. He said gardai called off the pursuit and made the decision to stop for fear of endangering other road users. Det Gda Jennings said Cummins had not been on the garda radar since 2017 and had been keeping his head down. Sarah Jane OCallaghan SC, defending, said her client was finally at a stage of his life where he was seeing sense. She said he was a very committed father, engaged in voluntary work in his community and was getting his life together. She said he had saved 500 as a token of remorse. She said the offending was serious but he has changed his ways. She said he was willing to give back to the community and do community service. Goodbye Cian, Aoife Farrelly said in her victim impact statement, adding she hoped she would never see or hear from her brother again A woman who was sexually abused by her older brother when she was a child has said today is the start of the rest of her life after he was jailed for three years. Cian Farrelly (30) was a teenager when he began abusing his seven-year-old sister when he was minding her in their family home in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath. 'It's not going to define me anymore' Young woman waives right to anonymity as brother is jailed for rape and sexual assault Johnny Brew His sister Aoife Farrelly, who waived her anonymity so he can be named, said her brother had literally and metaphorically held her in a chokehold for so long but no longer would. She said she hoped he would finally pay for what he had done and that she was determined to grow and heal. Unlike you I am not at fault and will no longer allow you to take up space in my head. Goodbye Cian, she said in her victim impact statement, adding she hoped she would never see or hear from her brother again. Aoife Farrelly Farrelly, of Kells Road, Oldcastle, Co Meath and Co Westmeath pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape and sexual assault of his sister at the family home on dates between 2007 and 2009. He has no previous convictions. His sister was aged between seven and eight and a half at the time, while Farrelly was aged between 15 and a half and 17 years old. Sentencing Farrelly on Tuesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said Ms Farrelly's childhood was destroyed and she was deeply affected by the abuse inflicted on her by her brother. There was a significant degree of violence which made the assaults all the more terrifying for a small child in the family home, the judge said. He said Ms Farrelly was brave enough to articulate what was happening to her when she confided in her mother about the abuse, but that she then largely had to deal with the consequences of the abuse and was left with a sense of deep betrayal and a loss of trust in others. The judge said that had he been dealing with the adult abuse of a child, he would have set a headline sentence of 10-15 years. But he noted the court must deal with Farrelly as a child, given that he was a teenager at the time of the offending. He handed down a four-and-a-half year sentence and suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions, including that Farrelly have no contact of any kind with his sister. Speaking outside court, Ms Farrelly said she was pleased with the sentence that was handed down, saying that the headline sentence the judge mentioned was enough for her. I'm a lot more content now than I was, she told reporters. No sentence would have been long enough at all....but just hearing the headline sentence was enough for me. I always said it had to be three to five (years). That was what I had in my head and I got that. When I got that I just broke down because everything I sacrificed for years has finally made it all worth it. Ms Farrelly said she was determined not to let the abuse define her. I am Aoife Farrelly, this happened to me but it's not going to define me anymore. Today is the start of the rest of my life and I am so grateful that I finally got my little piece of justice that I needed to keep going. During the sentence hearing, the court heard that as a child, Ms Farrelly confided in her parents about the abuse. Her parents then confronted her brother and the abuse stopped. Ms Farrelly later made a statement to gardai in October 2020 about the pattern of abuse perpetrated on her by her brother. In her victim impact statement, Ms Farrelly outlined the effects the abuse has had and continues to have on her life including self-harm, disordered eating, anxiety, stress and OCD. She says she has undergone counselling, psychotherapy and inpatient treatment for PTSD. She said she did not blame her parents for what had happened but hated that they did not understand the weight of what he had done. She said her brother had been allowed to slot back into her life. She described how she had dreaded sitting with her family at the dinner table seated beside Farrelly and had been basically trapped in the family home with him due to Covid. She said she had initially feared speaking about the abuse in case she was taken from her parents. She said her brother had silenced her for years, saying the abuse had to be our secret. She outlined how she had loved music, singing and dancing but now feels sick to the stomach and refuses to touch her instruments as it reminds her of Farrelly. He has torn my whole world apart and I have lost everything because of him, she said. She said her education had also been deeply affected by the abuse and after reporting the offences in 2020, she had to drop out of college due to the sheer amount of stress. She feels this is another thing her brother has taken from her. She outlined how intimate relationships had been ruined by the abuse and her relationship with her parents was impacted. She said she hopes they can reconcile and hopes her brother is no longer part of her life. Cian Farrelly took the stand at the end of the hearing to apologise to his sister. He told her he knew it wouldnt mean much to her now but he was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused. I destroyed our family and you and anything it meant for me to be your brother, he said, I hope you can rise and come out stronger than before. Dara Foynes SC, defending, handed a number of reports into court including a probation report and a report from forensic psychological services. She said it was recommended Farrelly attend specialised counselling in relation to sexual self-regulation. She said it had not been possible to do a risk assessment as he had been under 16 years old when the offending started. She said he had expressed remorse. She said Farrelly had hearing difficulties and had been bullied at school. She said he was described as very introverted and makes no effort to build new relationships. She said the sexual abuse had been a maladaptive attempt to achieve intimacy. Reports outlined Farrelly was a vulnerable child who went down a path with the most terrible consequences for himself, his sister and his family, the court heard. Gardai at the scene of the shooting in Dublin. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Associates of exiled gangland figure Brian Rattigan are the chief suspects in the attempted murder of a criminal who was shot at least six times in a planned attack yesterday. Gary Carey (41) was fighting for his life last night after being targeted in a shooting for the third time in just over a year. He was shot in the shoulder, arm, chest and leg by gunmen who it is believed had him under surveillance. Carey has been involved in a long-running dispute with convicted killer Rattigan (42), who is now based in Spain, as well as with the west Dublin gang nicknamed The Family. Read more Man (40s) shot in south Dublin previously survived hit attempt The gang known as The Family tried to target him before, but this time the chief suspects are linked to Rattigan, a source said. Little has been heard of Rattigan since his release from Portlaoise Prison last August. He was jailed in March 2003 for a number of serious offences, including manslaughter, drug dealing, firearms and assault. If detectives theory is correct, it means that Rattigan, nicknamed King Ratt, has re-emerged as a significant underworld player. Carey was found in a serious condition in the underground car park of the Hilton Hotel in Kilmainham by staff and was rushed to hospital. It is understood he was not wearing a bulletproof vest, as he usually does, after working out in the hotels gym. He was chased around the car park by at least one gunman before being shot. He underwent emergency surgery and was described last night as being in a critical condition. Detectives believe a silver Audi car was used in the shooting and are investigating if the gunman was waiting for Carey in the car park. Carey, originally from nearby Islandbridge, was not staying at the hotel, and gardai were trying last night to establish his movements before the attempt on his life. He had been living abroad for several months before returning to Dublin in recent weeks. Witnesses reported hearing up to eight gunshots at around 11.30am before Carey was found. Gardai are appealing for witnesses, especially anyone who was travelling along the South Circular Road yesterday morning, to contact them. The victims younger brother, Darren Carey, was one of two men killed in the Canal Murders in 2000, which were carried out by a now dead criminal who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Darren Carey was 20 at the time. Last November, Gary Carey was lucky to survive after being shot several times outside a house in Dublins Ballyfermot Crescent. The previous March, gardai also received reports that he had been shot at in Ballyfermot, but he escaped serious injury. He did not make a complaint to gardai then, but detectives believe a local criminal was involved. Carey has been questioned a number of times over seizures of drugs, firearms and cash. He has served only one significant jail term, for drug dealing, after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court in 2002 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. A garda spokesman said the scene of yesterdays shooting was preserved to facilitate a technical examination being carried out. Dempsey Lewis was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years behind bars in 1979. Dempsey Lewis, formally known as Dempsey Hawkins, was convicted for murdering his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend Susan Jacobson in 1976 when he was just 16 years old. After spending more than four decades behind bars in the United States, in 2017 the London-born, New York-raised man was deported to England as part of his parole conditions. Currently living in Cambridge, Dempsey Lewis says he is keen to move to Ireland. It is a better country than Britain in the sense of its people, he tells Nicola Tallant in an episode of Crime World Explaining an ancestral link to Kilkenny, the killer said that Irish people also have warm personalities. Every person of Irish extraction that Ive spoken to out here in Cambridge [has] just a lively, more engaging, warmer personality than the people that Ive met here in Cambridge and in Britain, he explained. If theyre from Ireland, you can talk to em, you can relax with em. Its just a totally different person. I dont know if its in the DNA out there. I dont know if its in the biology, but the people are just different people, he continued. Dempsey was born in 1959 to an English mother and an American father who was stationed overseas with the United States Air Force. As a young child, his parents split up and when he was six he moved to Staten Island with his mother. Dempsey Hawkins Dempsey compares his childhood growing up in New York to that of Huckleberry Finn, telling Crime World: There was adventure in it. There was spontaneity, and theres always spontaneity when youre young because the only responsibility you have is school. Always up for fun with his close group of friends, his relationship with one in particular turned romantic. At 15, he began dating 13-year-old Susan Jacobson but the pair were soon banned from seeing one another after Susan became pregnant and needed an abortion. Despite their families forbidding them from seeing each other, the pair continued to meet in secret until the day that their love turned deadly and Dempsey decided he was going to kill her. I considered suicide and I was thinking of all the ways to commit suicide until I thought about murdering her and the insanity of it all was once I started thinking about the idea of murdering Susan, I could, I never got off it, he said. I latched onto it. And it just, it was the only way I knew how to get off this emotional rollercoaster because we were supposed to end the relationship and I couldnt see myself doing it. I have no idea when it came upon me, he continued, but the idea started to formulate and as it started to formulate, I never let it go. I thought I would kill her, then kill myself. And that would be the end of it. Dempsey Hawkins Recalling the murder, he told Crime World about the moments following the tragic killing. I remember leaving that area and in that area, there was a factory. There was a dock. And I remember a heavyset guy in suspenders. He was just sitting out there, smoking a cigarette, just looking off into the distance, he said. I remember thinking at that moment, what would he think if he knew what I had just done? Dempsey said he carried on his day as usual but could not get the image of the man on the dock out of his head. After the cold-blooded murder, Susan was missing for years until her body was discovered in March 1978 hidden in an oil barrel in an underground bunker. During the time in which her body was missing, Dempsey participated in searches with her family, leading them away from the area whenever they got close to where her body was hidden. Now in his 60s, Dempsey said he felt relief when the police came to arrest him two months later in connection with the crime. When those handcuffs came on me and I heard the slow click, click of those handcuffs, that noise it was almost a silence, you know, kind of quiet noise, but it was really thunderous in my mind. That moment it was a relief, cos I didnt have to run anymore. It was over. Despite his relief, Dempsey was unwilling to admit to the crime, despite confiding in two friends about the murder. He went on trial and in April 1979 he was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years behind bars. Dempsey, who spent some of his time incarcerated at the notorious Rikers Island has said that despite his violent past people should not be afraid of him as he has more to fear of others. I consider myself a bigger spirit for having committed my crime and come out and have been a different person, he said. And another thing, when it comes to people being afraid of me, I have more to be afraid of somebody else than, you know, somebody is afraid of me. I am no one to be afraid of in any instance. He says the violent memories of that fatal day in 1976 still haunt him. Its not in my nature to involve myself in any type of violence, any type of wrongdoing. I dont need any, another bad memory. I cant take it. I dont have space for it. I dont pose a threat. I committed my crime when I was 16. Im much better. I have no propensity for criminality whatsoever. Ive been out for five little over five years now and I have no police involvement. I had no instances of violence, he said. Im not a criminal. Ive never been. I just had that one instance where emotion and immaturity over road reason, to the extent where Ive destroyed a person and destroyed myself. Listen to the full interview with Dempsey Lewis, and more than 200 other episodes of Crime World with Nicola Tallant, available to listen to now wherever you get your podcasts. Hes not a human being. Hes not even an animal because an animal kills to survive, said Patrycja's step-mother Yvonne Dawid Lukasz Mietus must serve a minimum of 20 years in jail before being considered for release for killing the partner he claimed to adore, Patrycja Wyrebek, who was just 20. Patrycjas distraught family believe he should spend the rest of his days behind bars for taking her life. Hes not a human being. Hes not even an animal because an animal kills to survive, said step-mother Yvonne, who looked after Patrycja since she was a little girl. I dont know what was going on in his head, what kind of person is he? How is it possible to do such a thing to someone he claimed to love? I think he should stay in prison to the end of his life. I think he should be kept from other people, particularly women. Even police believe Mietus would be a danger if ever released. He has clearly demonstrated a strong propensity for violence, which is fuelled by alcohol and anger issues, said Detective Inspector Mark Gibson. Now the 25-year-old killer has been sentenced, more has been revealed about this terrible crime, how he tried to cover it up, and his attempts to smear victim Patrycja by claiming her death was a sex game gone horribly wrong. He has maintained this version of events throughout and has dragged this case through the courts for over a year-and-a-half. Its only recently that he has actually admitted his guilt. He showed absolutely no remorse at any stage, and took no responsibility for what happened, said DI Gibson. It couldnt be more distressing. Patrycja came to Northern Ireland with her family as a young girl, with her whole life and all her hopes and dreams ahead of her. Mietus killed her that night, along with all her dreams for a better life. Her family are left heartbroken, with no answers as to how or why he could be so cruel. Yvonne said: I didnt believe that (sex game) for a second. Since the beginning I didnt believe it. I knew Patrycja very well, I know she wasnt interested in this kind of thing. Asked what does that tell her about Mietus, she replied: For me he is not normal. Hes very calculating and cold and estimates everything only for himself. While speaking, Yvonne regularly kisses and hugs a framed picture of the young woman she treated as her own daughter her life cruelly taken at the height of the Covid pandemic back in August 2020. Patrycja pretended to be a warrior, a very tough lady but in her heart, she was dreaming to have a loving husband, loving family, just like any other woman, said Yvonne. When I close my eyes I can see her smile. I still have the impression she has just left the room and she will be back very, very soon. It still doesnt feel real. Patrycja and Mietus met online and their relationship quickly developed with the young woman moving to Newry to be with him in January 2020. Contact with her family in north Belfast became minimal and by the time August came, Patrycjas hopes of a new life would be extinguished. Then came that moment every parent dreads. I thought maybe Patrycja was in trouble. The female officer came in and told me she had been murdered, said Yvonne. I just hoped it was not her until I saw her (body) the next day. It is not possible to describe. When you see your child is lying dead, it is not like in the films. I remember Patrycja looked as if she was asleep, but had small injuries close to her lips. The person in a situation like me wants to die, to kill myself, to do something to escape this awful thing. I was angry, really angry. I was angry with all the world, even angry at Patrycja. I didnt understand how it could happen why did it happen to us? Yvonne is haunted by Patrycjas last moments. I think about it often. I feel guilty she was alone, there was no one who could help her. I feel guilty we were not there at that moment. Patrycja was found naked and dead in the bath of their home in Newry after Mietus told relatives living nearby that he killed her. This was a vicious attack. He punched Patrycja several times to the face, breaking her nose and then strangled her with his hands, explained DI Gibson. Mietus killed Patrycja in the bedroom, then moved her body to the bathroom. And he didnt own up immediately, instead he tried to clean up the heavily bloodstained murder scene with bleach and concocted various stories to try and cover his tracks. First, by texting friends pretending that his girlfriend was missing, then talking about ways of deposing of Patrycjas body to those stunned relatives who would alert the police. In the aftermath, his actions were cold and calculating. His thoughts were of escape and evasion from the police. Really, his only concern was for himself. He demonstrated a complete disregard for Patrycja and her family, added DI Gibson. But one of the most disturbing aspects of this case is that Mietus took pictures of Patrycjas dead body. Its clear from the evidence gleaned that Mietus was in a state of panic after he realised what hed done. He was clearly trying to piece together a plan to try and get away with the murder, said the detective. As to why he took pictures of the scene and of Patrycjas body, only he can answer that. However, it does suggest a very disturbing mindset. The trigger for murdering his girlfriend is not exactly known but at his sentencing hearing the court was told he saw red after a row with Patrycja over previous partners. It is unlikely that the court will know with certainty what actually happened in the house on the night in question. There were only two people in the house the deceased and the defendant, said the prosecutor. It was at that same hearing Mietus said sorry for making up the story about the sex game that never happened. He (Mietus) tried to be cute in the way that he dealt with it... but it was also stupid, said a defence barrister. Patrycjas loved ones believe this back-tracking and late admission of guilt was not about remorse, but was all about Mietus trying to get a lesser sentence. In the end he got one of the longest handed down for murder in Northern Ireland. I dont know what was going on in his head, what kind of person is he, how is it possible to do such a thing to someone he claimed to love, said Yvonne. He took my daughter, he took a sister from my children, but most importantly he robbed Patrycja of the opportunity to have a good life, fulfil her dreams. So many boyfriends who wanted to spend their lives with her, but she picked the wrong one. I have no words to describe him this will stay with us for ever, we will miss Patrycja for ever. Jason Desmond filled his car and a container with fuel and drove off without paying Father-of-three Jason Desmond (29) filled his car as well as the container with fuel and drove off without paying. Judge Bryan Smyth sentenced him at Dublin District Court. Desmond, with an address at Green Isle Court, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to theft. The court heard the accused went to the forecourt at Top Oil, Howth Road, Raheny on March 19, 2020. He pulled up to the pumps, got out and proceeded to fill the vehicle with 24 worth of unleaded fuel. He then went to the boot, removed a canister and filled it with 19 worth of diesel. He left without making payment. The court heard Desmond had previous convictions for offences including theft. He was already in custody when he appeared in court. He had gone through a tough time personally, went off the rails and wasnt behaving like himself, his lawyer said. Addiction issues were the driving force behind the offence, he said, but he was doing well in prison and would be living with his family on release. Mark 'Baldy' Byrne (50) was put on a 'most wanted' list in New Zealand as part of a probe into a 500kg methamphetamine haul An Irishman arrested in Spain earlier this year is facing extradition to New Zealand over allegedly masterminding a 30m drugs haul three years ago. Dubliner Mark Byrne (50) was put on a 'most wanted' list in New Zealand as part of a probe into a 500kg methamphetamine haul, which was smuggled into the country in April 2019. Five men linked to a criminal syndicate based in the UK were arrested in New Zealand in relation to the haul as part of an Operation Essex, with some already prosecuted. However, the investigation continued and New Zealand authorities allege that Byrne masterminded the drugs shipment, which was the second-biggest meth haul in the country's history. In November, Byrne was charged in his absence at Tauranga District Court in New Zealand with importing a Class-A Drug, possession for supply, and participating in an organised criminal group. A warrant was issued for his arrest and circulated to Interpol as his location was unknown at the time. The Interpol alert said Byrne, who goes by the nickname 'Baldy' in the underworld, could have been in the UK, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates or Spain and could be travelling under a false identity. Spanish cops then tracked him down to the Sierra Nevada ski resort in Granada in January, and set up an operation to locate him among thousands of visitors who had descended on the area for Three Kings Day. "We were really blown away from the initiative and resources the Spanish police put into tracking Byrne down," Detective Inspector Paul Newman, of the New Zealand National Organised Crime Group, told the New Zealand Herald this week. A Spanish court will now decided on whether Byrne can be extradited to face the charges. DI Newman said that the process of getting Byrne to New Zealand is legally complicated but would send a strong message to organised crime figures based abroad. "Trans-national crime groups see New Zealand as a lucrative market and are trying to flood our country with drugs which really attack the heart of our communities," said Newman. "These types of arrests send a clear message that the world is getting smaller, that global law enforcement agencies are better connected and are working together to track down and hold these [alleged] offenders to account." A number of people have already been prosecuted in relation to the haul, including Anthony Charles Netzler, a martial arts expert who at one time worked as a bodyguard for Phil Rudd of AC/DC Netzler flew from Bangkok to New Zealand in December 2018 to meet with senior members of a UK-based crime syndicate. In April 2019, he travelled by boat to pick up the 500kg meth haul from a catamaran in the ocean off New Zealand and bring it back to shore. He was sentenced to 15 years and seven months. Clare O'Connor (35) was going out with British solider turned Kinahan cartel member Robert Browne (39), jailed for a plot to kill Patsy Hutch A Kinahan cartel gunman, who is serving time for a plot to murder Patsy Hutch, pressured his girlfriend into storing almost 50k of drugs while he was behind bars, just months after she was caught trying to smuggle drugs to him in prison. Clare O'Connor (35), of the Horizon Building, Ashtown, Dublin 15, was given a four-year suspended sentence after she pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having various drugs at her home, with a total street value of 47,407, on November 17, 2019. The Sunday World can reveal that O'Connor was going out with former British solider turned Kinahan cartel member Robert Browne (39), who is serving a 11-and-a-half year sentence for a plot to kill Patsy Hutch in 2018. O'Connor was previously convicted for trying to smuggle heroin and cannabis into Browne in Mountjoy Prison on February 6, 2019. She was given a three-month suspended sentence for that offence. Robert Browne was jailed for 11-and-a-half years Browne, who is originally from Hardwicke Street flats but has an address at Phibsborough Road, Dublin, was part of a three-man hit team who were arrested with four firearms at Belmont Hall Apartments, Gardiner Street in Dublin on March 10, 2018. He has involvement with the cartel dating back 20 years and had links to senior Kinahan associates, including Ross Browning. Browne, along with Finglas brothers Gary and Glen Thompson, were just 250 metres from Patsy Hutch's house when heavily-armed gardai swooped in and foiled their assassination plot. Gary Thompson Browne and the Thompsons were being secretly recorded in the run-up to the plot and in one recording they discussed how the "cartel has money all over the world" before Browne told Gary Thompson: "I'll get you 15,000 out of this". In another recording, Glen Thompson said: "These are the gloves we're using. I'll give you the Makarov. Let me use the Mac thing because I'll be getting out as well." Browne replied: "I'll use the small one, you use the 38 - I just want something, just in case." Browne added: "What I want is to get in the van with no one seeing us. It's real quiet there, especially with them guards." He also discussed how there could be people in the area paid to watch Patsy's back. Patsy Hutch Browne later pleaded guilty to a number of offences related to the murder plot and was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in 2019. However, he continued his involvement in crime while behind bars. Even though O'Connor was caught trying to bring contraband into Browne in Mountjoy in February 2019, she was still storing drugs at her apartment nine months later under his direction Garda Brian O'Toole agreed with Anne Marie Lawlor SC, defending, that at the time of her arrest O'Connor was in a relationship with a violent offender who had been jailed for conspiracy to commit murder. While the violent offender was not named in court, the Sunday World has established it was Browne. Gda O'Toole accepted that this man had "enormous control" over O'Connor and that she was in great fear of him. Gda O'Toole further accepted a suggestion from Ms Lawlor that O'Connor was "prevailed upon by him" to bring the drugs into Mountjoy Prison. He agreed that O'Connor, who has no involvement with the Kinahan cartel, felt herself that she had no option but to make her home available to this man to have drugs stored there. Gda O'Toole acknowledged that O'Connor "no longer has any dealings with this man" and agreed that he does not expect to see O'Connor before the courts again. Gda O'Toole told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that gardai secured a warrant for O'Connor's home on foot of a tip-off. She was there with her three children at the time and "co-operated with the gardai through the whole process". The apartment was searched and various drugs were found in different locations, including in a sock, in the water tank, in the hot press and in a school bag in a locked shed on the balcony. O'Connor later admitted that she had agreed to mind the drugs in the apartment for a day. Robert Browne (far right) with Trevor Byrne (third from left) pictured celebrating his 40th birthday with (from left to right) Kevin Gibson, Graham Gardiner and Glen Thompson in Mountjoy jail Gda O'Toole confirmed that 300g of heroin was discovered with a street value 42,784, various tablets worth 2,880, cannabis worth 360, cannabis resin worth 291 and 62 MDMA tablets worth 620. Ms Lawlor told the court that her client has two children of her own but has also been the carer for her children's 10-year-old cousin since that child was a newborn. She said that this child has "very profound special needs" and is heavily reliant on O'Connor, adding that if her client went to prison it would be to the "huge detriment" of this little girl. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged that O Connor fully co-operated with the gardai and accepted that she was holding the drugs for third parties. He accepted evidence that she was "a very good carer to this child and the child depends on the affection and love of this defendant" before he suspended a four-year term of imprisonment. Since being locked up Browne has had another three months added to his sentence after being caught with a mobile phone. Last year the Sunday World published pictures of Browne partying behind bars with fellow Kinahan-linked criminals, including Glen Thompson and Trevor Byrne. Masonry and dozens of smashed eggs were strewn across the man's front yard and the downstairs window had also been smashed A car belonging to the man believed to be in his 50s was destroyed when thugs set it alight in the back entry behind his house in east Belfast. Locals in the normally quiet area of Ardenlee Avenue were said to be terrified when the explosion happened just before 11pm last Thursday. The ferocity of the fire burned right through the backyard door of a neighbouring property which has no connection to the man being targeted. The Sunday World spoke to people in the area who said they were living in fear of further attacks. Theres an oil tank just behind the wall where the car was petrol bombed, so its by luck that the explosion wasnt even worse, said one resident, who didnt want to be identified. There are a lot of pensioners living in the area and they are genuinely scared about whats going on. We can reveal the man has been targeted in a sinister hate campaign despite not being convicted of anything. Locals said: On Wednesday night a group of people turned up and started lobbing two big boxes of eggs at his windows and door. Most of them are coming from the nearby Cregagh estate but they have also been arriving in taxis from the Shankill too. Other men in east Belfast have also been targeted by the same groups. One of the social media groups that targeted the man has since been taken down. Protesters did not renew their vigil on Friday night as the man appeared to have fled. But neighbours remain fearful of further protests and violence should he return. The burned car in an entry The man who lives or lived there has done so most of his life, said a resident. On Thursday night, just as it was finally getting dark, the UDA turned up to torch the mans car and brick his windows. Police maintained a vigil outside the mans house most of Thursday night and were still there on Friday morning. The Sunday World called at the mans home on Friday but he had left the area. Masonry and dozens of smashed eggs were strewn across his front yard. The downstairs window had also been smashed. Locals said protesters said they were planning to return to continue their protest. The police have been called out when they protest but they just stand chatting with the protesters, said a source. Apparently the same group has already protested at the homes of two other people in east Belfast. Nobody living in Ardenlee Avenue is protesting. Its people who dont live here and its not fair on those of us who do. A police spokesperson said: Police are aware of protest activity in the Ardenlee area of east Belfast in recent days and are monitoring the situation. We are investigating the circumstances of a vehicle fire on Thursday evening, which at this stage, is being treated as arson. Eggs were also thrown at the property and a window broken. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 2087 of 23/6/22. steven.moore@sundayworld.com Its understood the young man attempted to cause serious harm to himself as a result of the threats A vulnerable young man was threatened by mobster Mr Flashy who demanded 30,000 in compensation from him after he liked a social media post put online by the drug traffickers rivals. Social media continues to play a huge role in the deadly Finglas feud with the warring factions goading their rivals on various platforms on a daily basis. The Sunday World can reveal that the north Dublin man aged in his 20s who was previously friendly with Mr Flashy became a target for the criminal when he liked a post which was put online by associates of James Whela Whelan, who was murdered by the Mr Flashy mob in April. Its understood the young man attempted to cause serious harm to himself as a result of the threats. James Whelan was gunned down by the Mr Flashy mob The young lad has been trying to move away from that gang but even so, it is not known why he liked the post put up by the rival faction, a source said. Associates of Flashy took major offence to this and demanded 30,000 in compensation from the chap. This demand later got reduced to 10,000 on condition that the chap allowed himself to be shot in the leg as punishment. The net effect of all this is that the fella attempted to serious self harm himself and ended up in hospital, the source added. The incident shows just how dangerous the social media warfare element of the Finglas feud is and it is understood that the north Dublin man is still receiving medical attention. Police at the scene of the burnt-out home of James Whelans mother, Sonya Tensions remain extremely high in the Finglas area this weekend after Mr Flashy and his brother recently survived an assassination attempt. The Sunday World understands that the gangster is now in hiding and is believed to be in a safe-house in the capitals southside. He is also a prolific user of social media and has been posting videos of himself with his mother and young child in recent weeks. But Mr Flashy is no ordinary family man and his gang have been using social media to taunt their rivals after the botched murder attempt on him. A particular focus of the gangs abuse is a highly reckless and dangerous criminal who was released from jail in early June. The 21-year-old, who is originally from Darndale, is on bail in relation to serious firearms charges and his release has inflamed tensions in the deadly feud. He was heavily involved when the Finglas feud first kicked off last summer and is now the number one target of the Mr Flashy crew. Slain gangster David Fred Lynch After spending around 11 months in custody, the young criminal who has close links to slain gangster David Fred Lynch, was finally released from custody around three weeks ago. While in jail, he was considered a highly disruptive prisoner and amassed around ten P19 disciplinary reports due to breaching rules in relation to contraband and violent behaviour in Cloverhill Prison. His release has been seen as a boost to the gang who are feuding with the wealthier and more equipped Mr Flashy mob. Revenge attacks are expected in the coming days against this crew whose base is the Kippure area of Finglas. At this point in time, the Mr Flashy crew have the upper hand. There is no doubt that they will seek to avenge the botched murder attempt on him and his brother, a source said. The other gang will need all the help they can get now and the Darndale criminal is going to be an important part of what happens next for them. He is well capable of going up against them, the source added. It has been a turbulent few weeks for Mr Flashy; as well as surviving a murder attempt, his gang were left reeling after a major cocaine seizure that happened in a Leinster county earlier this month. Exact details of the bust in which drugs to the value of over 400,000 were seized cannot be outlined here for legal reasons but a close associate of the gangster was one of two men arrested and charged in relation to it. That seizure actually caused a lot of paranoia in the gang. Some people were claiming that it was a set-up. The drugs that were got were on their way back to Dublin and there are concerns in the gang that the Gardai were tipped off. Either way it was a lot of cocaine to lose and people are not happy, a source explained. Friends of James Whela Whelan pay tributes to the murdered gangster on their bikes Gardai are braced for more mayhem, and armed officers continue to patrol the troubled northside suburb on a 24/7 basis. The only murder so far is the unsolved the fatal shooting of drug dealer James Whela Whelan in the early hours of April 3. Whelan was once a key ally of Mr Flashy but set up his own rival criminal organisation last year which has led to the feud. A common feature of the feud has been targeting of innocent family members of those involved in the gang warfare. In the early hours of May 21, the mother and brother of murder victim James Whelan were lucky to escape injury when the family home was firebombed by the Mr Flashy mob. Whelans innocent mother Sonya and her other son managed to escape the house uninjured after the attack. The house was substantially damaged, as were two cars parked outside. And all the time the threats and abuse continue to play out on social media. This is not the first gangland feud in which social media has been used as a weapon it was a massive element of the Coolock feud which erupted in 2019 and claimed five lives. In 2011, Mrs McAreavey was murdered in her hotel room when she returned alone and disturbed a robbery A man facing a charge of conspiracy to commit larceny in relation to the murder of Michaela McAreavey has had the charge struck out. Sandip Moneea (52) was previously acquitted of murdering the 27-year-old while she was on honeymoon in Mauritius in January 2011. Earlier this year he was charged with conspiracy to commit larceny in relation to the case. According to Moneeas barrister Neelkanth Dulloo the charge was struck out at a court hearing on Tuesday. In April, his lawyer told the court that the charges had no basis when he filed to have them dropped. READ MORE Star witness in Michaela McAreavey murder trial found dead in Mauritius Crime World Extra: The unsolved murder of Michaela McAreavey Mauritian government to re-examine killing of Irish newlywed Michaela McAreavey "There is no substance to the charge whatsoever, he said. It is solely based on a new statement given by Dassen Narayanen, who has proven himself to be an unreliable witness in the past. He said Mr Moneea had been left devastated by his re-arrest more than a decade after he was acquitted of murdering Mrs Mcareavey, but that he believed he would be bailed next week. A decision on the case against Narayanen has been adjourned until 25 July. Sandip Moneea His barrister Vikash Teeluckdharry said that prosecutors only received the evidence file from police on Friday and had requested more time to review it. The daughter of GAA manager Mickey Harte was strangled to death in her hotel room. Michaela was attacked when she returned to her hotel room alone and disturbed a burglary. Sandip Moneea, who worked at the Legends Hotel at the time of the murder was accused of conspiring with his colleague, Dassen Narayanen (37) to steal a key card to the hotel room in order to commit larceny. Both men have denied the charge. In 2012 Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon were found not guilty of Mrs McAreavey's murder following a high-profile trial in Mauritius. Both men worked at the hotel at the time of the murder but have denied any role in the killing. The illegal trade in smokies is a serious public health risk, as the meat is often infected with diseases and parasites that could pass to those people who eat the meat A Welshman who had living in Ireland has been sentenced for his involvement in an illegal meat operation after being extradited to the UK. Robert Thomas (45), who is from Ceredigion, was part of an organised crime gang that was involved in illicit farming and trading of meat that was unfit for human consumption. The meat operation produced sheep smokies in which sheep are slaughtered and, as part of the production process, have their fleece retained on the carcasses and burnt with blow torches to impart a smoked flavour to the meat. This process is illegal in the UK and many European countries. Ceredigion County Council launched the initial prosecution in 2015, but it has taken seven years for proceedings to reach a conclusion as Mr Thomas managed to evade justice. The prosecution involved Mr Thomas and another male person from Ceredigion, who is still wanted on warrant in respect of the charges. Thomas was sentenced to a 28-week term of imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Swansea Crown Court in December 2015. He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work and confiscation proceedings were ordered to try and identify and recover any assets obtained by Thomas through his illegal activities. That confiscation investigation was undertaken by officers in the Tarian Regional Economic Crime Unit (RECU) assisted by Ceredigion County Council. Thomas gave evidence on oath to various Proceeds of Crime Act hearings that his assets and income were minimal. He declared that he had two old cars and was earning just 40 per week working for his parents. Thomas claimed that he had two UK bank accounts with no money in them and produced bank statements to back up his claims. Over the course of three years, Thomas persistently denied having any more than this, and in April 2017 he failed to appear at court, a report in the Nation Cymru also revealed. However, further investigations uncovered the fact that Thomas held a number of bank accounts and property and land in Ireland. He was finally located in Ireland and arrested under a European Arrest Warrant in December 2021 by Irish authorities and extradited to the UK in February 2022. Earlier this month, Thomas appeared in Bristol Crown Court having previously entered a guilty plea to a charge of perjury. At sentencing, His Honour Judge Cullen described Thomas actions as a considered lie and a practiced lie. He also said that giving sworn evidence to a Judge was a serious matter which could only be dealt with by an immediate imprisonment and requires a significant custodial sentence. Thomas was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment for perjury and for breach of a Community Order He was also sentenced to two months imprisonment to run consecutively, making a total of 24 months imprisonment. Councillor Mathew Vaux, Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection Services, said the illegal trade in smokies is a serious public health risk, as the meat is often infected with diseases and parasites that could pass to those people who eat the meat. The animals are also killed inhumanely with no regard to their welfare, which is against the principles of high animal welfare held by the farming community of Ceredigion County Council, he added. Thomas is also facing further legal proceedings as proceeds of Crime Act proceedings have not been concluded Thomas has not fully discharged his liabilities under the Order which the Court concluded amounted to a criminal benefit sum of over 200,000. The woman, who has not yet been formally identified, died in hospital on Sunday morning after being found with serious head injuries A 36-year-old woman has died after she suffered serious head injuries in a horrific assault in Ilford, east London, Scotland Yard said. Police, who have launched a murder investigation, said the victim was walking along Cranbrook Road in the direction of Gants Hill Station when she was attacked. The woman, who has not yet been formally identified, died in hospital on Sunday morning after being found injured in the early hours. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the scene by the London Ambulance Service at 2.44am. A crime scene remains in place. Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who leads the Mets East Area basic command unit (BCU), said: Our investigation remains in the critical early stages and is now being led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime. The woman had been subjected to a horrific assault and sadly passed away as a result of her injuries. Urgent inquiries have been under way since the very early hours of Sunday morning to identify the woman. At this time formal identification is yet to take place but the womans family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers. Teams of dedicated officers are working at pace to establish what happened and identify the person responsible. This includes full forensic examination of the scene and the surrounding area, house to house inquiries and a focus on identifying all available CCTV. No arrests have been made at this time. Local people will see a significant police presence in the area today and in the coming days. I understand that for women, particularly locally, this is an incredibly distressing incident, and I urge you to be alert but not alarmed. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, of the Mets Specialist Crime North Command, is leading the investigation and said: It is vital that my officers speak with every possible witness and everyone with information that may assist the investigation. We are appealing for anyone who was in the Cranbrook Road area of Ilford between 2am and 3am on Sunday morning to get in touch, including anyone who drove through the area and may have dashcam footage. We also want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the wider Ilford area overnight. Anyone with information or footage, or any witnesses, are asked to call the major incident room on 0208 345 3715. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. They will never ask your name and cannot trace your call, your IP address or the device you use. Magazine+ agony aunt Maura ONeill reveals how she rebuilt her life after loss in a powerful new book When I was offered the Agony Aunt column in the Sunday World my first question was could I use my own life as a manual for responding to readers problems. The answer was a resounding yes and since 1999 I have been writing replies sharing my own experiences as support. I was a contributor for the Gerry Ryan Show on 2FM and I had been offered the job of reporter when the show was broadcast from Capetown, South Africa, sponsored by this newspaper. On return I was offered the role of Agony Aunt. During my time on radio, I was often asked to open up about my familys tragic accident when I lost both my parents and two of my brothers, Sean aged 23 and Noel, aged 16. There was never a time I felt comfortable enough to talk about the 2nd of January 1984 when a tree fell on their car during a storm outside Arklow town. We had been celebrating the New Year in North Wexford where my mother grew up. I had often thought about writing a book to help me make some sense of this loss but discovered that I hadnt yet healed or worked through my grief to even begin to describe that time. My determination to live life to the full, to honour my parents and brothers who died, brought me into a challenging and exciting career in radio. First, in pirate stations, then independent radio FM 104, later to 2FM and Radio 1. I covered a broad range of roles in RTE from fill-in presenter for Gerry Ryan and Marian Finucane, to reporter on Five Seven Live. I also had a very rewarding career as a secondary teacher. Meanwhile, my personal life brought me other challenges: divorce, single parenthood when my baby, Kate, was three months old, taking a chance on marriage for the second time, building a house and focusing on making a home. Some years after the loss of my family I found the courage to talk through the trauma and found my voice to write about those years and I found the strength to write my memoir Leaving To Go Home. I wanted to give my daughter, Kate, an account of the accident, to help her understand that difficult time in my life, to give her an insight into how wonderful her granny and grandad, Uncles Sean and Noel were. The book is all about holding memories for the generations to come. What have I learned? Even if youre struggling keep moving forward and always look for support. Equality never goes out of style, and this month its more important than ever to celebrate love and identity in all its guises and to be loud and proud with our outfit choices. From major fashion houses to the high street, there is a plethora of brands celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community this Pride month. Sustainable Irish urban clothing brand Human Collective has launched a limited-edition range of T-shirts with a percentage of each sale going directly to support LGBT Ireland. Penneys has also dropped a 29-piece range, featuring head-to-toe rainbow slogan items like T-shirts, sliders, socks and bucket hats, starting at 3. Meanwhile, Levis is bringing bright, playful and genderless fits to the fore to inspire tomorrows generation of activists and allies. So whether youre planning to join in Dublin Pride Festival, on until Tuesday, or simply want to toast diversity, go fly that rainbow flag. I asked the owner if I could have a job. He said: You came all the way from Belfast for a job? and I told him Yes" A Belfast man who left Northern Ireland almost 20 years ago to pursue his dream of becoming a world-class cocktail maker is the toast of New York after the Manhattan haunt he co-owns was named Best Bar in North America. Michael McIlroy and his business partner Sam Ross opened Attaboy, in Lower East Side at the start of 2013, in the same space as the former iconic Milk and Honey cocktail bar, where they first met. The pair, who honed their craft under Milk and Honeys renowned owner Sasha Petraske, saved up their tips over eight years to open Attaboy on a shoestring budget after their former mentor and boss moved his venture to a new location. The tiny bar, accommodating 28 seated people at one time, built up a reputation as one of New Yorks coolest bars and a destination hot spot, thanks to its bespoke cocktails and laid-back, speakeasy vibe. Now its just been unveiled as the number one bar in North America at the inaugural North Americas 50 Best Bars Awards one of 11 New York venues to appear on the list. McIlroy, (39), who comes from north Belfast, said he and his Australian business partner were humbled to top the prestigious list, which saw Mexico Citys Handshake Speakeasy and Licoreria Limantour placed second and third. Michael McIlroy, Sam Ross and Haley Traub in Attaboy, the best bar in North America. Michael hails from north Belfast Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a delighted McIlroy, who owns five bars in total, said: I worked in the Apartment bar when I was young and loved making cocktails. I knew I wanted to do it as a full-time job. I wanted to work in the best cocktail bar and everything Id heard and read about Milk and Honey pointed me in that direction, so I jumped on a plane and flew out to New York. I asked the owner if I could have a job there. He said: You came all the way from Belfast for a job? and I told him Yes. He said Well, thats good enough for me and I got hired. That was the start of it all. McIlroy met Ross at Milk and Honey and the pair, who shared a similar ambition, became friends. Over an eight-year period, they perfected their cocktail-making craft, saving their hefty tips until they had enough to open Attaboy when Petraske moved Milk and Honey uptown. For two months, the men worked around the clock to get Attaboy ready, turning the bar into a huge success, without investment or a PR campaign. We dont have the gimmicks that other bars go for, he said. We dont even have a cocktail menu. When people come into the bar, we ask them what flavours theyre into and what alcohol they like and make a bespoke cocktail for them. Before they come in, we have to ask them how many people are in their party, because the bar is so small and only seats 28. North Belfast man Michael McIlroy, whose New York bar Attaboy, has just been named Best Bar in North America From Pina Coladas to Penicillin an Attaboy signature drink consisting of whiskey, ginger, honey and lemon juice the bars cocktails are renowned and the small team, including mixologist Haley Traub, lauded by critics and contemporaries. Next year Attaboy will celebrate its 10th anniversary and McIlroy and Ross have high hopes of expanding their business with more bars, in the States and further afield. McIlroy said the award came at a great time for Attaboy and its team, after a challenging period due to the Covid pandemic. And he said that they were all still in shock at winning Americas Best Bar. We were reading down the list from 50 to 40, to 30 and I started to wonder if wed made it at all, said McIlroy. To find out wed come in first place then was a shock, but were incredibly happy and humbled. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into opening Attaboy and building it up to the bar that it is today. Explaining why Attaboy had come first, Mark Sansom, content director for North Americas 50 Best Bars, said: Despite its modest size, it has had an outsized influence on how we drink, not only in New York and the USA, but globally as well. Amazon has revealed how new technology enabling its best- selling digital assistant to mimic anyone's voice is getting closer One of things anyone who's lost a loved one fears most is forgetting the sound of their voice. So why was I so creeped out by news this week that Alexa could soon 'reincarnate' dead relatives? Amazon has revealed how new technology enabling its best- selling digital assistant to mimic anyone's voice is getting closer. Forget: 'Alexa, is it going to rain today?' Now it'll be: 'Here, Ma, where did I leave my car keys?' Teasing the development at Wednesday's re: MARS 2022 conference in Las Vegas, head scientist Rohit Prasad explained how less than a minute of audio would be needed to reanimate someone's voice for the popular household device. The aim, he continued, was for "generalisable intelligence" rather than the freaky "uber-artificial" stuff of science-fiction movies. To demonstrate, an AI granny was heard reading her grandson a bedtime story after he asked Alexa: "Can grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?" So much for 'rest in peace' - these days dearly departed family members don't even get to enjoy the great hereafter without being resurrected to help mind the kids or play Ed Sheeran's latest hit. It wouldn't be the first time computer wizardry has been used to bring someone back from the dead. After his sudden death at the age of 61, Hollywood legend Oliver Reed was revived to finish his scenes in Ridley Scott's 2000 epic Gladiator, at a reported cost of 3m for 2 minutes of film, winning the actor a posthumous Bafta for his role as slave owner Proximo. In 2018, Russian techtrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda created a chatbot to invoke her best friend, Roman, who was killed in a hit-and-run aged 32, using old text messages to help simulate natural 'conversations' with her late pal on AI app Replika. It's a not-so-distant future that was previously explored by an episode of television mind-bender, Black Mirror, which saw a grieving woman (played by Haley Atwell) turn to a digital avatar echoing the personality of her dead fiance (played by Domhnall Gleeson) for comfort, eventually upgrading to a robot doppelganger, complete with synthetic skin featuring every wrinkle and mole that her husband-to-be had. The upshot, as in real life, was - that as unnervingly close as it came - the droid couldn't replace the real thing, only compounding her grief by making her miss him even more. Whether it will cost any more than the 99 price tag for an Alexa-compatible Echo speaker to digitally dig up granny or grandad thanks to Amazon's latest technology remains to be seen. Although it may give comfort to some, personally, I won't be rushing to provide a treasured voicemail to avail of the service, or signing up to others like Eternime, which mines your social media accounts to build up a digital clone so you can Skype friends long after you're pushing up daisies. Other companies, like Microsoft, are treading more cautiously, this week publishing new ethics rules that place strict limits on who can create synthetic voices and how they can be used. In the meantime, maybe embarrassing commands like 'add toilet roll to the shopping list' should be left to Alexa - and not dead family members. Dugdale's methods are said to have been used in an attack on the Baltic Exchange in 1992, which killed three people, and in the London Docklands bomb in 1996, which left another two dead A group representing victims of the Troubles has called for an investigation into new claims that a London heiress who joined the IRA was behind a series of high-profile bombings. Rose Dugdale (80) is the subject of Sean ODriscolls book Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber. She has previously served nine years in prison for stealing art used to try and fund the escape of IRA prisoners. It is now alleged that after growing up as the daughter of a London millionaire, she was involved in developing bomb-making techniques used in several IRA attacks during the Troubles. Rose Dugdale in an RUC wanted poster The book is based on interviews with Dugdale, who currently lives in Dublin, and others, and for the first time its suggested that she had a key role in developing the IRAs bomb-making capability. Her methods are said to have been used in an attack on the Baltic Exchange in 1992, which killed three people, and in the London Docklands bomb in 1996, which left another two dead. Dugdales techniques were also said to have been used in a massive 2,500lb bomb in a 1991 attack on Glenanne barracks, Co Armagh, that killed three soldiers. Reacting to the claims, Kenny Donaldson of Innocent Victims United, has called for her immediate arrest. The reported confessions Rose Dugdale has made within this new book demand that she be immediately arrested, he said. Here we have in black and white someone allegedly confirming their involvement in the making of bombs which led to the murders of people, security forces and civilians, he said. He also voiced concerns about legislation on the legacy of the Troubles currently going through Westminster. He said if immunity was granted in exchange for information, then terrorists would then be emboldened to wax lyrical about their involvement in violence, which would be painted as some form of romanticised resistance against tyranny. These types of offerings do nothing other than dance on the graves of innocent victims; it is abhorrent and such practice must cease, he said. Sean O'Driscoll's book about Rose Dugdale However, the author said last night he did everything I possibly could to keep it balanced and found it frustrating of being accused of romanticising violence after striving to include the stories of IRA victims. Sean ODriscoll said what he was reporting may actually be of use to victims, bringing to light information that may otherwise never have been made known. Urging his critics to read the book first, Mr ODriscoll said: I feel that if loyalists and republicans are attacking me, I must be doing something right. And he added that coercing a million outraged Protestants into a Catholic-majority state always seemed like an exercise in futility. A PSNI spokesperson said: Police have not examined the content of the book referred to; however detectives will always pursue any credible evidence of criminal offences. A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said that it takes the concerns of all victims seriously and seeks to ensure all victims are treated with dignity and respect. An Garda Siochana does not comment on remarks by third parties or on the specifics of investigations conducted by other parties, they said. It is also the policy of An Garda Siochana not to make detailed public comment on police investigations conducted in other jurisdictions. Specific enquiries in relation to the investigation into the 1996 London Docklands bombing should be directed to the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police have also being contacted for a response. It is the first significant move in the Government response to Covid for a number of months The move is being described as precautionary and no settings have been earmarked for the return of legally required face coverings. However, it is the first significant move in the Government response to Covid for a number of months and comes at a time of rising cases numbers and hospitalisations. The Cabinet will be told the burden on hospitals caused by the virus has increased considerably in recent weeks. But a senior Government sources said there is no public health rationale for masks to return and said they do not envisage the legislation being enacted any time soon. This is purely precautionary and lets people know we are still monitoring the situation and ready to take action, the source said. The Cabinet will be told Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has prepared a contingency Covid-19 public health bill. The draft bill has been prepared with the Office of the Attorney General. The minister is also drafting a broader contingency Covid-19 bill which he agreed to do at a Cabinet Subcommittee on Covid meeting in February. The Cabinet will be told burden on acute hospital care has increased considerably over recent weeks, from 167 case on May 28, to 767 as of June 27. The ministers will also be told the number of new daily in hospital has also increases. They will also be 74pc of people hospitalised due to Covid were aged 65 and older. While, according to HSE data, 45pc of those hospitalised had received a booster vaccination, 21pc completed their primary vaccination course and 35pc had not completed their primary vaccination course. Three years waiting, two years planning, 6,000 Faro holiday, three distraught children, wife in tears, two queues go nowhere The company has apologised, saying a Covid surge among staff and Air Traffic Control strikes in France, Italy and Spain, had caused buffers to fail. Yesterday evening, a Dublin to Faro flight, along with a flight to Split in Croatia were cancelled by the airline, along with arrivals from London Heathrow and Amsterdam. Passengers vented their frustration online with one person saying their expensive family holiday, which had been booked three years ago, had been cancelled, leaving their children distraught. The passenger said: So many feelings I want to share but thought it best I should be the professional. Three years waiting, two years planning, 6,000 Faro holiday, three distraught children, wife in tears, two queues go nowhere. "Long drive home. Starting refund/vouchers and the travel agent. Aer Lingus issued a statement to Independent.ie detailing how Covid cases had affected staffing, along with the air traffic control strikes, which Ryanair had already stated it expected would impact flights. Aer Lingus anticipated the return of demand for travel once Covid restrictions were removed and built appropriate buffers into our plans in order to deal with a reasonable level of additional disruption, the statement said. This weekend, system pressures from ATC strikes, and ongoing issues at airports and among third party suppliers, have regrettably necessitated the cancellation of some flights. This pressure on the system has been compounded by a spike in Covid cases among our own teams in the last number of days. Where cancellations have occurred, Aer Lingus has sought to re-accommodate disrupted passengers on the next available alternative service. Aer Lingus wishes to apologise to those customers that have been impacted, and has shared details regarding customers rights the airlines obligations under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 which can be found here: www.aerlingus.com/support/legal/regulation. One woman tweeted that there had been a disgraceful lack of communication cancelling our flight from Paris to Dublin this evening. Ryanair had already said over the weekend it predicted disruptions, mostly in France, Italy and Spain, as a result of a two day strike in the French Air Traffic Control centre in Marseille. The crowd was told about how the US can learn from Irelands 2018 movement to repeal the Eighth Amendment and liberalise its abortion laws A protest over the move to restrict abortion in the US state of Texas is held in Dublin in October 2021 (PA) A protest has been held at the United States embassy in Dublin after the constitutional right to abortion in the US was removed by the nations highest court. The US Supreme Court ruling, handed down on Friday, ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. It is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of US states. A protest held at the US embassy in Dublin on Sunday heard speeches from activists about how the US can learn from Irelands 2018 referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and liberalise its abortion laws. People Before Profit TD Brid Smith compared the restrictions on abortion laws to gun regulations in the US. Its alright to control womens bodies but dont control access to guns, she said. I have no doubt that that ruling will embolden the anti-choicers in this country and elsewhere. We still have a way to go. Repeal was a massive victory, it was won from below by people power throughout this country over many years, she said, adding that better access to abortion was still needed in Ireland. Watch this space: the right wing in Dail Eireann, and outside Dail Eireann, will try to chip away at meagre access. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Sinead Kennedy, of the Action for Choice group, told those who had gathered that after decades of solidarity from people in the US and around the world over Irelands strict abortion laws, it was time that we paid that back. Weve seen this disgusting judgement that basically has said that women and pregnant people are now second-class citizens in the United States. This flies in the face of one of the core things that weve come to realise in the last decade that control over your own body, over your own person is one of the core and fundamental rights. You cannot exist as a free human being in this society without that fundamental right. This is not 1973, its not the 1950s, there are reasons to be optimistic, she said. We have seen inspiring, powerful social movements: the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter, the wave of unionisation that is taking place in the United States. There is the example of Ireland We can see what a grassroots movement can achieve. We learned the lesson not to look to the courts, not to look to so-called enlightened politicians, that we will fight for our rights. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Ailbhe Smyth, a feminist and LGBT rights activist, told the crowd that the ruling was a mockery of freedom, a mockery of justice, a mockery of equality for women. What we saw the unelected members of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, what we saw them do and declare the other day in their ruling on Roe v Wade was to declare a war on women. This is incredibly, incredibly serious. We talk about this as being a rollback. It is not a rollback of one law or one right, this is a rollback in the way in which the whole democracy of the United States of America works. Everywhere across the world, we have to be those who stand in absolute solidarity with the many people in the US who are every bit as disgusted. I think of the distress, I think of the suffering, I think of the anxiety, the anguish that so many people are experiencing as we stand here outside the US embassy. I hope theyre listening to what were saying, because no country should ever condemn women or anyone to those levels of suffering and anguish, she said. Speaking on RTE programme The Week In Politics, Minister of State Mary Butler said that the issue is a very, very divisive one and it will continue to be debated in the US. Ms Butler campaigned for a No vote in the referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment. We took that decision in Ireland in 2018 and we embedded it in our constitution. Whether youre in favour of it or not, the people spoke quite clearly from a majority of two-to-one, and abortion is a reality here in Ireland. What I do say, and everybody would have known my position in relation to the referendum, but I would be very, very fearful now of the amount of illegal abortions that will take place in (the US), she said. It is understood the woman in a wheelchair entered the water at the West Pier and the underwater garda unit retrieved her and the wheelchair The scene of the recovery operation at Dun Laoghaire Harbour undertaken by the Irish Coastguard and the Garda water unit A woman has died after she was pulled from the sea at Dun Laoghaire pier earlier today. Dublin Coastguard assisted in the operation. It is understood the woman in a wheelchair entered the water at the West Pier and the underwater garda unit retrieved her and the wheelchair. Gardai confirmed this evening that the woman, who was aged in her 50s, has been pronounced dead. A spokesperson said: Gardai are investigating all the circumstances after the body of a female in her 50s was recovered from the water at Dun Laoghaire at 2.30pm this afternoon, Monday 27th June. Her body has since been removed to the mortuary at Loughlinstown where a post-mortem will take place at a later date. Rescue | Woman and her wheelchair pulled from water at Dun Laoghaire pier Dublin Coastguard confirmed they had participated in the recovery. However, they could not confirm the condition of the woman A motorised wheelchair is taken from the water at Dun Laoghaire Harbour today Laura Lynott Mon 27 Jun 2022 at 19:28 A woman and her wheelchair were pulled from the sea at Dun Laoghaire pier earlier today. John Murphy, a former member of the Defence Forces, was jailed for 18 years in 2018 A child sexual abuse survivor who had encouraged other victims to stand tall and speak out has welcomed a Court of Appeal decision not to reduce her rapist fathers 18-year jail term. In June 2018, John Murphy (65), a former member of the Defence Forces, pleaded guilty to numerous counts of rape, indecent and sexual assault against his daughter Sophia at locations in Galway and Mayo on dates between 1988 and 2001 she when was aged between three and 15. He also pleaded guilty one count of sexual assault against Ms Murphy, carried out in 2010. He was sentenced to consecutive terms totalling 18 years for the offences by Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court in July 2018. Mr Justice White said the headline term for the offences, which he had described as depraved, was life. Murphy, formerly of Nephin View Manor, Foxford, Co Mayo, had appealed the sentence on the grounds it was excessive, disproportionate, and unfair in all the circumstances. But in a judgment delivered yesterday by Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, Murphys attempt to have his jail time reduced was rejected. Speaking outside the Court of Appeal, Ms Murphy who attended the hearing said she hoped the judgment would encourage other victims of sexual abuse to come forward. When I first heard my father was appealing his sentence, I was gutted. And to sit through the evidence again today made me feel sick, said Ms Murphy, who had waived her right to anonymity so her father could be named. Seeing my father again was also intimidating but I eventually managed to block him from my mind. I was worried he would get the sentence reduced, and if that happened it would be as if no one had believed me, she continued. All victims feel like that, and they dont think anyone will believe them. So, I hope this judgment encourages others to come forward in the belief that they will be listened to and believed. She also said that her thoughts were with her sister Stephanie [Prendergast], who was another of her fathers victims and who died from a brain haemorrhage last August. But she also suffered from issues with her mental health as a result of the abuse she suffered, Ms Murphy added. I was relieved and delighted with the judgment today, not just for her, or for me, but for all victims of this type of abuse. In her judgment, Ms Justice Donnelly, sitting with Mr Justice George Birmingham, presiding, and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, said the abuse Ms Murphy suffered from her father represented the ultimate breach of trust of a parent. She said the aggravating factors in the case were the victims age and the abuse of trust, and that the court could find no error in principle in the total sentence imposed by Mr Justice White. As the judge read an excerpt from Ms Murphys victim impact statement, Ms Justice Donnelly said Ms Murphy had eloquently expressed the physical and psychological damage that the years of abuse had had on her. Dad, you stripped me of every human right. My worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my confidence, my innocence, my childhood, my education, my teenage years, a normal life, even my own voice until today, Ms Murphy had told her father as he sat in the dock awaiting sentence, Ms Justice Donnelly had observed. Earlier, Brendan Grehan SC, for the appellant, said his clients essential complaint was that the sentence imposed was too long. Mr Grehan said it was his submission that the sentencing judge did not afford sufficient weight to the mitigation in this case such as admissions of guilt and an indication of an early plea to prosecutors during the investigation. A guilty plea was subsequently entered at the earliest possible stage at the Central Criminal Court, counsel added. Mr Grehan said his clients early plea was not only beneficial to the operation of the criminal justice system, which he described as being particularly congested at this time, but was also of benefit to the victim in this case. The proportionality principle, in my view, does not seem to have been at work in this case, he said. While I accept this was a serious case, and it called for a serious sentence, the sentence of 18 years in this particular case was excessive and this court should act. Patrick Reynolds BL, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court the sentence imposed had reflected the seriousness and prolonged period of the offending. It comes down to whether the learned sentencing judge took the concepts of proportionality and totality into account. In my respectful submission, he clearly did, he said. Before Murphys arrest, Ms Murphy had given Garda Thomasina McHale a 110-page written statement outlining the details of her fathers abuse. She told Gda McHale that the abuse occurred initially at family homes in Co Galway, as well as later in Co Mayo. She was also sexually abused in the family car while on the way to visit her grandmother. In her statement, Ms Murphy told gardai that throughout her childhood, there had been constant grabbing and touching. Her father would grab her behind or breasts numerous times during the day. Ms Murphy told gardai she could not explain how often the sexual abuse happened, she said it was horrendous and happened at every opportunity. She said that her father had all the control. She said had been sexually abused on Christmas Day, when a friend was in the house, and one time when her baby sister was present. She said Murphy even abused her wearing his army uniform. Murphy was arrested in October 2016 and interviewed by gardai. He admitted sexually abusing his daughter two or three times per week and raping her when she was about 13 or 14 years old. At his sentencing hearing, it emerged Murphy had 73 previous convictions for the sexual assault of four victims and was serving an eight-year sentence for sexual abuse involving Ms Murphy's two younger sisters. In her victim impact statement, Ms Murphy said: Abusers control, manipulate you and make you feel like you are the one with the problem. And she urged victims to stand tall speak out and take back your life, you are not to blame. Silence protects the abuser and imprisons the victim. Take back your life, break the silence. You are not a victim for sharing your story you are a survivor, she said. Dozens were injured in an attempt to cross into the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla Eighteen African migrants have died and dozens have been injured in an attempt to cross into the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, Moroccan authorities have said. It is the first such mass crossing incident since Spain and Morocco mended diplomatic relations last month. Over 2,000 migrants stormed the border between the Moroccan city of Nador and Melilla on Friday, with 133 people successfully breaching the fence, according to officials. A large group of sub-Saharans [Africans]broke through the access gate of the Barrio Chino border checkpoint and entered Melilla by jumping over the roof of the checkpoint, the Spanish governments delegation in the area said in an earlier statement. All of them [are] men and apparently adults, it added. Riot police officers cordon off the area after migrants arrive on Spanish soil and crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in Melilla, Spain, Friday, June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Javier Bernardo) The migrants arrived at the crossing at about 6am and the crossing took place after a skirmish at about 8.40am. A spokesperson for the Spanish governments office in Melilla said the crowd was stopped by Spanish civil guard police and Moroccan forces on either side of the border fence. This led to clashes with security forces. Moroccos interior ministry initially said five migrants had died in the border raid, some after falling from the fence surrounding Melilla and others in a crush, and that 76 migrants were injured. It later said another 13 had died in hospital from the injuries sustained. The Moroccan Human Rights Association reported 27 dead but the figure could not immediately be confirmed. Some 140 Members of the Moroccan security forces were also injured, it added, five seriously, though none of them died. Four police vehicles were damaged by rocks thrown by some migrants. Those who successfully made it to the other side of the border were taken to a local migrant centre, where authorities were evaluating their circumstances. Images on Spanish media showed exhausted refugees and migrants laying on the pavement in Melilla, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes. Fridays crossings were the first attempt since relations between Spain and Morocco improved in March after a year-long dispute centred on Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1976. The migrants, most of whom flee due to poverty and violence in their local areas, often make such mass attempts to cross through the border onto the Spanish territories in North Africa. Earlier in March, more than 3,500 people tried to scale the six-meter barrier that surrounds Melilla and nearly 1,000 made it across, according to Spanish authorities. Additional reporting by agencies Her spokesman subsequently said it was a mistake and she meant to say "right to life". Congresswoman Mary Miller (left) is joined by US representative Lauren Boebert (right), of Colorado, on stage at a rally in Mendon, Illinois, on Saturday (Mike Sorensen/Quincy Herald-Whig/AP) An American congresswoman was thanking former president Donald Trump for his role in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade when she said the decision was a "victory for white life". US representative Mary Miller of Illinois was speaking at a rally on Saturday night with the former president when she made the comments. Her spokesman subsequently said it was a mistake and she meant to say "right to life". The line as it was delivered was out of step with the disproportionate impact the repeal of abortion rights will have on women of colour. Ms Miller is running for re-election in the state's newly redrawn 15th Congressional District against Republican Rodney Davis with the former president's blessing. She had been invited on stage to speak by Mr Trump, who held the rally in Mendon, Illinois, to turn out the vote ahead of the state's primary on Tuesday. "President Trump, on behalf of all the MAGA patriots in America, I want to thank you for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court yesterday," she said, drawing cheers from the crowd. Ms Miller spokesman's Isaiah Wartman told The Associated Press that it was "a mix-up of words". "You can clearly see in the video... she's looking at her papers and looking at her speech," Mr Wartman said. Her campaign noted that she is the grandmother of several non-white grandchildren, including one with Down Syndrome. The freshman congresswoman, who was among those who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, previously came under criticism for quoting Adolf Hitler. "Hitler was right on one thing. He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future,'" Ms Miller said in a speech last year, according to video posted by WCIA-TV. She later apologised after Democrats in Illinois called for her resignation. The rally came as some elements of the far right have pushed the great replacement theory, a racist ideology that alleges white people and their influence are being replaced by people of colour. Proponents blame both immigration as well as demographic changes, including white birth rates. During the rally, Mr Trump took a victory lap for the Supreme Court's bombshell ruling on Friday ending the constitutional right to abortion. The three conservative justices he appointed all voted in favour. He noted that in 2016, he promised to appoint judges who opposed abortion rights. "Yesterday the court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law, and above all, a victory for life," he told the crowd, which broke into a chant of "Thank you Trump!". Mr Trump at the rally also endorsed Republican Darren Bailey, who is running to become the party's nominee for governor. Tensions mounted between demonstrators as they absorbed the news that the court had struck down the 50-year-old decision guaranteeing the constitutional right to an abortion. Dozens of police officers were present as the crowd swelled to a few hundred and began to group itself into duelling factions. The scene, in the wake of the courts ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, was a remarkable split screen that captured Americans wildly divergent reactions to a watershed moment in one of the nations bitterest debates. Supporters of abortion rights voiced despair and outrage one held a defiant sign: I will aid and abet abortion while anti-abortion activists were overwhelmed with emotion at a legal victory that had been decades in the making. I cant believe its real, said Lauren Marlowe (22), an anti-abortion demonstrator who shrieked and embraced her friends when the decision came down. I just want to hug everyone. Were in a post-Roe America now. Tanya Matthews, a 26-year-old masters student in anthropology from South Carolina, was on her way to the Library of Congress, on the next block from the Supreme Court building, when she heard about the decision, and headed to the Supreme Court. Matthews, who said she had an abortion at 19 and supports abortion rights, was dismayed by the celebratory crowd of anti-abortion activists, many of whom were young women. It feels like were at a Justin Bieber concert, Matthews said. They dont understand the gravity of this decision. "Just because its not legal doesnt mean it isnt going to happen. She interrupted antiabortion activist AJ Hurley as he explained why he had come to Washington from Los Angeles. What about rapists? Ms Matthews asked, referring to abortion exceptions. I think rapists should be executed, but you dont execute the child for the crimes of the father, Mr Hurley (38) replied. Ms Matthews asked how he could be for the death penalty and call himself pro-life. I hate rapists more than you do, he said. I have a degree in biology. You dont have a degree. You dont know my degree, Ms Matthews shot back. By midday, such confrontations had not escalated into violence, authorities said. Police officers observed a scene in which equally impassioned crowds chanted but did not confront each other en masse. Shortly before noon, NY Democrat Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared at the rally and delivered a speech through a borrowed megaphone to abortion rights supporters. This is not going to be instant gratification, she said, promising a long fight to rebuild the rights the court revoked yesterday. She left amid an escort of police officers, who protected her from anti-abortion activists who swarmed and screamed at her. Dustin Sternbeck, a Washington, DC police spokesman, said the full department had been activated, meaning all officers were standing by to be deployed as necessary to the demonstrations. A few miles south, traffic on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge spanning the Anacostia River was shut down late yesterday morning after Washington, DC police said a demonstrator climbed to the top of a 70-foot-tall archway. Police said the demonstrator displayed a flag or a banner reading: Dont tread on my uterus. Authorities halted traffic on the bridge as they tried to coax the person down. Caroline Flermoen and Kate Spaulding, both 17, had just begun their walking tour of Capitol Hill, adjacent to the Supreme Court building, yesterday morning when they heard chanting and the strains of music. They immediately knew what the noise meant. The girls from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Boston, respectively are rising high school seniors and were in Washington for an educational summer programme. Their guide had mentioned that a decision on Roe might come during their tour, but to hear it, the girls said, was surreal. Bye bye reproductive rights, Caroline texted her mother at 10.14am. They joined a couple hundred people out in front of the Supreme Court. When someone offered them bright green stickers reading Overturn Roe? Hell no! with an illustration of a crossed-out coat hanger, they accepted. Stephanie Gross, a 21-year-old college senior dancing to rap music blasted from a stereo being pulled in a wagon, would also remember the day. She believed the courts decision paved the way for a better future, she said. There were bubbles in the air, and spilled champagne coating her friends arms. When I have kids someday, I can say that I was there when it happened, Ms Gross said. Can you believe it? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack in Kremenchuk. Scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian missile hit a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post that the number of victims was unimaginable, citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack. Minutes later, Kyryl Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential office, said in a Telegram post that at least two were dead and about 20 were hurt, with nine in serious condition. Mr Zelenskyy said the target presented no threat to the Russian army and had no strategic value. Firefighters work at a residential building in Kyiv (Nariman El-Mofty/AP) He accused of Russia of sabotaging peoples attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry. The strike came the day after Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for the first time in weeks, with missiles striking at least two residential buildings. Meanwhile, Russia is mounting an all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, pouring fire on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air, the local governor has said. Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were pounding Lysychansk after capturing the neighbouring city of Sievierodonetsk in recent days. It is part of a stepped-up Russian offensive to wrest the broader Donbas region from Ukrainian government control in what western experts say has become the new main goal of President Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine, now in its fifth month. Theyre pouring fire on the city both from the air and from the ground. After the takeover of Sievierodonetsk, the enemy army has concentrated all its forces on capturing (our) last stronghold in the Luhansk region: Lysychansk, Mr Haidai told the Associated Press. A ruined building in Kharkiv (Andrii Marienko/AP) The Russians are trying to blockade the city from the south, destroying everything that their artillery and multiple rocket launchers can reach, he added. In recent weeks, Russian troops have captured several villages and towns south east of Lysychansk, and are trying to halt access to the city from the south. To the west, the mayor of the city of Sloviansk potentially the next major battleground said Russian forces fired cluster munitions on the city after dawn, including one that hit a residential neighbourhood. Authorities said the numbers of dead and injured are still to be confirmed. Ukrainian forces have spent weeks consolidating their defences around Sloviansk out of concern it could be the next big Russian target if Lysychansk falls. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow wanted to capture and completely destroy Sloviansk. Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP) The shockwave from Mondays blast blew out most windows in the surrounding apartment blocks and the cars parked below, littering the ground with broken glass. Everything is now destroyed. We are the only people left living in this part of the building. There is no power, said local resident Valentina Vitkovska, in tears as she spoke about the blast. I cant even call to tell others what had happened to us. Mr Zelenskys office said at least six civilians had been killed and 31 injured as part of intense Russian shelling against various Ukrainian cities over the past 24 hours including Kyiv and major cities in the countrys south and east. It said Russian forces fired rockets that killed two people and injured five overnight in and near Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, and continued to target the key southern port of Odesa. A missile attack destroyed residential buildings and injured six people, including a child, it said. In Lysychansk, at least five high-rise buildings and the last road bridge were damaged over the past 24 hours, Mr Haidai said. A crucial highway linking the city to government-held territory further south was rendered impassable because of shelling. Such shelling is making the evacuation of civilians increasingly difficult, Mr Haidai said. The city had a pre-war population of around 100,000, approximately a tenth of whom remain. Analysts say Lysychansks location high on the banks of the Siverskiy Donets river, as well as its large area dotted with hills, give a major advantage to the citys Ukrainian defenders. The river encloses Lysychansk from the north and east, while the Ukrainian army continues to hold territory west of the city, which it uses to supply arms and humanitarian aid. I'm good, he told reporters after U.S. Secret Service agents quickly helped him up. I got my foot caught in the toe cages. US President Joe Biden gets back on his bike after he fell when he tried to get off to greet a crowd at Gordons Pond in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Picture: AP President Joe Biden fell when he tried to get off his bike at the end of a ride on Saturday at Cape Henlopen State Park near his beach home in Delaware, but wasn't hurt in the tumble. Dempsey Lewis, formally known as Dempsey Hawkins, was convicted of murdering Susan Jacobson in New York in 1976, when he was just 16-years-old. During the time in which Susan's body was missing, he participated in searches with her family, leading them away from the area whenever they got close to where her body was hidden. Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud. Now in his sixties, Dempsey said he felt relief when police came to arrest him two years after Susan's grisly murder and says the violent memories of that fatal day still haunt him. After spending more than four decades behind bars in the United States, the London-born, New York-raised man was deported to England in 2017 as part of his parole conditions. Now, he says, he would like to continue re-building his life here in Ireland. MORE EPISODES Episode 119: The story of Joe Joyce jnr - bare-knuckle boxer to slash-hook killer Spacey Unmasked will follow the career of the former Hollywood A-lister who currently faces multiple accusations of sexual abuse. Spacey Unmasked will follow the career of the former Hollywood A-lister who currently faces accusations of grooming, sexual harassment and abuse from multiple men. It comes after Spacey, 62, appeared in a UK courtroom two weeks ago to strenuously deny claims relating to three men, now aged in their 30s and 40s, in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013. The documentary comes after Spacey, 62, appeared in a UK courtroom two weeks ago to strenuously deny claims relating to three men (Jonathan Brady/PA) The alleged incidents occurred while Spacey was artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in London. Spacey is also due to face a civil case to be heard in New York in October 2022, brought by actor Anthony Rapp, his first public accuser. Channel 4 said the two-part series, which will air following the outcomes of both cases, will also chart the actors childhood, through his emergent success on Broadway and hugely successful career. It will be produced by Oscar-nominated production company Roast Beef Productions in association with All3 Media International. It will be directed by Kira Phillips and produced by Kathy Haywood, with Dorothy Byrne and Mike Lerner serving as executive producers. Kevin Spacey is one of the most highly honoured and admired actors of our age, said Byrne. Spacey granted the freedom to fly home to the US following his UK court appearance on June 16 (Elizabeth Cook/PA) His brilliance has won him two Oscars and multiple other awards. Critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic for his film work, he led the Old Vic for 11 years of remarkable success, becoming one of the most important figures in Londons cultural life, a friend to some of its leading figures, making regular appearances in society columns. These films will follow the unfolding story of the allegations of abuse against him and the resulting court cases. Alisa Pomeroy, Channel 4s head of documentaries said, Im delighted that this important story is being taken on by such a stellar documentary team, who I know will tell it with the sensitivity, thoughtfulness and journalistic rigour it requires. Spacey granted the freedom to fly home to the US following his UK court appearance on June 16. The Birmingham Yardley MP spoke at Glastonbury Festival. Speaking at Glastonbury Festival in the Crows Nest area, Ms Phillips told the audience how she rang the family of Ms Cox to affirm there has to be zero tolerance against the abuse of MPs but said she could not let this person be criminalised. She said: A man attacked my office because of things he read on social media that were entirely untrue about the Brexit referendum. He tried to kick in the door and the police had to be called. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content I just thought I know if I sit down with this man I will be able to have a laugh with him. I thought I cant just let this person be criminalised, I could try and talk to him, so I did. Funnily enough the people that I asked if it was OK was Jo Coxs family. I rang them and said I am going to do this, I know there has to be zero tolerance against the abuse of Members of Parliament but they said absolutely, its certainly what Jo would have done had she had the opportunity to do it, I was anxious about letting them know. The Birmingham Yardley MP said that as expected the talk was lovely and he was just a person who needed help. She added that since the incident in Yardley Road in Acocks Green, Birmingham, in September 2019, the man has moved to her constituency on purpose because he wanted me to be his MP. During her midday talk at Worthy Farm, she added that apathy is the greatest tool that the Conservative Party has. She said: When people opt out of politics, they win. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Do you think it bothers Boris Johnson when we say youre all the same every time somebody no longer bothers to vote, it has the opposite effect. Apathy is the greatest tool they have. I cant bear the idea that people think they cant change things, its simply not true. Everything that this audience has that they value is because some people got together. The exact opposite story gets told to people now, theres no point trying, nothing is going to change they are gleeful when people think like this. Power is something we want more of, we should seek power, we should use our power and every single time you think the way to gain power is to opt out of the system you might as well give Boris Johnson a hug. When the Labour Party wins again there has to be a massive, massive push to reconnect the people with the politics. Democracy is needlessly complicated. All of it needs to be made much more simple and better for people to understand. It was very difficult for the band to see me in certain company, says Bono The U2 frontman joined Lauren Laverne for this weeks podcast and spoke about his family life, his childhood and life within the band. Bono has worked with charitable causes worldwide, saying he was inspired to get involved in helping others after seeing The Secret Policemans Ball in 1979. Now, he has revealed how his activism often lead to tensions within the band due to some of the people he associates with. It was very difficult for the band to see me in certain company, says Bono. It was excruciating for them, but they gave me their blessing. I do remember Edge very early on saying to me, but please not Senator Jesse Helms, who was a sort of right-wing firebrand, explains Bono. At the time the late US Senator Jesse Helms had introduced legislation to prohibit the use of the central government funding towards HIV/AIDS educational materials. Later he revoked his statement and went on to support AIDS education and care in Africa. He was really helpful, explains Bono And Edge said, But you'd never invite him to a U2 show, and I said, I have, and he came with his wife. He had given me the blessing as he said, he'd repented for the way he'd spoken about AIDS publicly on the steps of the Senate. There's a picture of Edge dodging him in the backstage area. But you don't have to agree with everyone and everything, if the one thing you agree with them on is important enough. When asked how they have stayed as a group for so long, Bono admitted that the band doesnt always get on and often threatened to split from one another. I mean we break up all the time, after usually the good albums. "It is trying for the male ego to suffer a kind of introspection that writing great songs takes and the extrospection of your mates criticising what you do. So, we have broken up many times and its also a good thing to say to yourself you know we might be done, but the thing that has kept us there is unfinished business, a sense that we still havent maybe got to that sound we hear in our head. If you are going to serve the song you might as well do it with the people that understand you and can tell you where to go. "And we all have moments where someone has stepped on our toes and I have been in a huff and a puff, but in U2 presently we are okay with that, but I dont know for how long. Words matter when they come from someone like him and this all centres around a lack of education among those who dont know the effect their words can have" Dublin UFC star McGregor was forced to issue a very public apology on The Late Late Show in 2017 for his use of an f word. The Crumlin man has since shown his support for the LGBTQ+ community and shared photos on Instagram over the weekend of his Black Forge pub draped in pride flags. But Gough reckons more can and should be done to hasten the evolution of opinion across a wider Irish society around the subject of homosexuality. When you have a person in the public eye like Conor, using language like that, its just not helpful to what we are trying to achieve, said David in exclusive interview with the Sunday World as part of the SuperValu #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign. Conor McGregor Words matter when they come from someone like him and this all centres around a lack of education among those who dont know the effect their words can have. Sometimes in a GAA dressing room, I will hear words like f**got, gay or queer and while those saying it might think its funny, they dont realise the impact it can have. How can I exist in this sport if this is what they find funny? It chips away at my confidence and when the lads making these comments see that Im uncomfortable, they get it straight away and check themselves. Homophobic language like that is learned and that means it can also be unlearned and that is what we want to try and do. David said that before going public with his sexuality in 2015, even using the word gay was a step too far as he struggled to come to terms with his own reality. When I realised I was gay, I grappled for maybe four to six years with my sexuality before being able to tell my parents that I was gay. Even when I told them, I wasnt able to say the words; I am gay... I just told my family: I have a partner and his name is... Thats an incredibly uncomfortable situation to be in. Nobody else ever has to come out and do that and discuss their sexuality...Its a very difficult experience to go through. Then you roll it forward to 2015 and the Marriage Equality referendum is happening, Leo Varadkar is coming out on the radio and even though I was openly gay with my family, I wasnt within my sport. I wanted to take this step and I felt the environment was safe and right and it was much easier to feel that way in Ireland in 2015 than it would have done a few years earlier. Filmmakers have taken footage, voice recordings and interviews from her dictaphone which they say enables McKee to narrate her own story in the film. Simply called Lyra, the film tells the story of the Northern Ireland investigative journalist, who was shot by dissident republicans as she observed a riot in her native Derry. The film is directed by Belfast-based filmmaker Alison Millar, who is a BAFTA winner. She was also a good friend of the journalist. Filmmakers have taken footage, voice recordings and interviews from her dictaphone which they say enables McKee to narrate her own story in the film. It will also feature interviews with her mother, sister and partner Sara. Following its cinema release, Lyra will be screened on Channel 4 in 2023. Lyras death was, to many, a sharp puncture to the future of a country trying to move beyond its past, Millar told Channel 4. I hope this documentary will introduce a new audience to Lyra and her work. The film is an urgent story that reflects life today in contemporary Northern Ireland as we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. Lyra's story and work represents her generation and reminds us why we cannot allow the dark shadows of the past to return. Lyra had its UK premiere at the Sheffield Documentary Festival this weekend and previously won the Audience Award at Cork Film Festival. It will be released in Irish cinemas by Wildcard Distribution. Bay of Plenty We are looking for a storeman with an OSH forklift license. You will need to be physically for as the job is about 70% forklift... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz The Labour government has announced what is says is a significant investment to prevent and minimise harm caused by gambling. "Gambling harm is a serious public health issue and can have a devastating effect on the wellbeing of individuals, whanau and communities," says Minister of Health Andrew Little. "One in five New Zealanders will experience gambling harm in their lives, or know someone close who does." The government has invested $76 million into a new Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm that will include: -Training pathways to enable a more skilled and diverse workforce, including more peer and cultural support workers; -New and expanded digital services and supports; -Education initiatives to reduce harm to rangatahi (young people); -A de-stigmatisation initiative to help change the conversation around gambling harm and encourage people to seek help; -Better support for vulnerable communities including Maori, Pacific, and Asian people. "The new funding and strategy aligns our gambling harm prevention and minimisation efforts with the reforms to the health and disability system and the new mental health system were building," says Little. "Effective regulation of gambling means we can deal with harms including financial problems, relationship problems, family violence, and alcohol abuse," says Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti. "The new investment and strategy is about showing were serious about protecting New Zealand from these harms " The Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm was developed following public consultation in late 2021 and will ensure that services are co-designed with people with lived experience of gambling harm, service providers, community groups and industry bodies." The Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm will be funded by a problem gambling levy paid by non-casino gaming machine operators, casinos, the TAB NZ and New Zealand Lotteries Commission. The drug that killed more than 100,000 Americans last year is now thought to be behind 12 overdoses in Wairarapa. Fentanyl has been described by the United Nations as one of the deadliest drugs. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released its annual World Drug Report in Vienna this week, estimating more than 100,000 people in the US died from a fentanyl overdose last year alone. Now, experts here are calling for better prevention, before someone in New Zealand dies from the drug. It is just the second time the drug has been found in New Zealand illicitly. Five men and two women between 31 and 71 years old were admitted to Wairarapa Hospital, with another case thought to have gone directly to a Wellington hospital, says the DHB. However, yesterday the drug information website High Alert says 12 people had been hospitalised due to suspected fentanyl overdoses over the weekend, all in the Wairarapa region. Detective Inspector Blair Macdonald, from the National Drug Intelligence Bureau, says two people took the drug after buying what they thought was cocaine. He says the bureau is still trying to find the supplier and how the drug got into the country. "We are very, very aware that this drug will cause harm because it's highly active in such a small dose rate. "Really just a few grains of salt is an active dose." Drug-harm reduction organisation Know Your Stuff says fentanyl was first identified in New Zealand in 2018, when it was sold as heroin. Managing director Wendy Allison says its re-appearance is not unexpected, and in the four years since, New Zealand has legalised drug checking and developed a national alert system for high-risk drugs. However, she says it's concerning the synthetic is now being sold as cocaine because people are more likely to snort it, which might cause quicker overdoses, and possible deaths. "We can't rule out the possibility that it's more widespread and [that] we will see further cases," she says. "Even if we don't in this situation, fentanyl has now arrived on our shores and based on what we've seen overseas it's likely that we'll continue to see instances like this popping up." The Needle Exchange Programme says its Masterton branch will hold a pop-up drug checking clinic on Thursday after the spate of overdoses. They have also ordered in more fentanyl home test strips and Naloxone - a medicine used to reverse opioid overdose. They have had a slew of enquiries since news of the weekend's overdoses broke. National operations manager Philippa Jones says the incident shows the need for more permanent drug-checking services in places like Wairarapa. "We've got 20 outlets around the country and quite a few of those outlets are in those more provincial areas," she says. "We're a licensed drug checker, so we've got all the capability to actually do this and to have these facilities available but we just don't have any funding to actually make that happen." Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm says these overdoses could have been avoided if New Zealand's 1975 drug laws had been updated. She says the laws are based on the American system, which clearly is not working. "One of the reasons we have this situation at all is because people are purchasing drugs on a black market, they are criminalised ... ," she says. "We need to update our drug laws so we can use a health-based approach." Helm says New Zealand also needs better resourcing for harm reduction and prevention initiatives, including funding to make Naloxone more accessible. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson says he's not aware of any concerns about the availability and supply of Naloxone. Concern about possibility of more overdoses Fentanyl arriving in New Zealand has been a case of 'when' rather than 'if', Drug Detection Agency chief operating officer Glenn Dobson told Checkpoint. He says in its pure form a couple of grains is enough to kill someone. There is a real concern there could be more fentanyl-related overdoses as it 's unclear how widespread the drug might be. Dobson believes it will be unusual for it to be found in only one region of the country. Asked how supplies would have reached Aotearoa, he says: "There's illegitimate labs in China and Mexico that produce it. DEA intel suggests India is another country emerging with illicit labs. From there generally the drugs will come through Canada, the US or Mexico, and make their way down to Australasia." He reminds people that abstinence is the best safety mechanism. -RNZ/Soumya Bhamidipati. By Wang Mengjie Shipping fresh perishable products can be challenging, but some Chinese companies have made it easier for farmers to deliver fresh seasonal fruit to their customers. For example, cherries are welcome in the summer time. But from harvesting to sale, the whole cycle usually lasts three to five days, which affects the quality of the fruit and, therefore, farmers' income. For seasonal fruits, raising transport efficiency remains a major priority, and logistics companies in China have devised a plan to do that. "We've launched direct flights to transport the sought-after commodities by air," said Yin Haibing, manager of the ground support service department at SF Airlines. The manager told CGTN that only the one-way transport capacity could reach as high as 56 tonnes. "Combined with our cold-chain vehicles, we can provide integrated services for customers in urban and rural areas," Yin continued. Besides SF Airlines, a subsidiary of one of China's largest courier companies, other major domestic couriers, such as JD Logistics and China Post, are making efforts to grow their fruit-transport business. "More domestic couriers are competing for transporting fresh fruit like cherries and lychees in the summer,"Dong Qiang, a professor at China Agriculture University, told CGTN, stressing that what's behind that is "market demand." Dong said more Chinese consumers have got into the habit of eating seasonal fruit, not only in the summer but in every season. "It will become a new normal." With an increasing number of companies joining the air shipment business, the professor also believes the logistics industry is up for a new and expanding market. CGTN June 27th. 2022 Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Paris La Defense, June 27th, 2022 Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, has supported the design, construction and entry into operation of the Aframax tanker, Green Admire, the first of a series of 4 vessels, which has been delivered to Aegean Shipping Management SA on Friday 24th June 2022 by COSCO Yangzhu in China. Despite its conventional design, the vessel includes a number of innovations and environmental initiatives aimed at limiting air and sea pollution. Bureau Veritas welcomes into class the Green Admire as the first oil tanker to receive the BV pollution prevention notation CLEANSHIP SUPER. The notation recognizes that a number of steps have been taken to ensure that the vessel has been designed to control and limit its emissions of polluting substances in the sea and the air, beyond the standard MARPOL requirements. These include additional eco-friendly systems such as a grey water treatment system, an oily water separator set at 5ppm, an integrated bilge water treatment system, zero use of ozone depleting substances as well as many arrangements in piping systems to strictly prevent and control oil leaks. These new systems combined with a SEEMP compiled and applied by Aegean, IMO Tier III for NOx and EEDI Phase 2, enable the vessel to also qualify for BVs SUSTAINABLESHIP I notation. The Green Admire also applied voluntarily to the unique BV notation Elastic Shaft Alignment (ESA). It means its shafting system and alignment have been designed to take into account the hull flexibility and deflections during service. The strict requirements of ESA ensure that the bearing loads are equally distributed and remain at safe levels in both static and running conditions for the complete range of the expected vessel operational profile. This is a real booster for the vessels reliability and ensures trouble-free operations. The Green Admire will also be the first newbuilt vessel to utilize the BV Planned Maintenance System Platform, optimizing the vessels machinery surveys and offering the possibility for advanced condition-based maintenance in the near future. Paillette Palaiologou, Vice President for Southeast Europe, Black Sea & Adriatic Zone at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, commented: We are very pleased to be classing the Green Admire. It has been a pleasure to work with Aegean Shipping Management to support their ambitions to make this vessel more eco-friendly. We all wish the vessel and crew calm seas and fair winds as they travel the world with substantially reduced emissions. Mr. George Melissanidis, Principal of Aegean Shipping Management SA, commented: I am very proud to announce that Aegean Shipping Management SA has taken delivery of the first -out of four- AFRAMAX tankers, named "Green Admire", from Cosco Shipyard (Yangzhou) China. Aegean Aegean Shipping Management SA is committed to building vessels which adopt innovative technologies and ecological systems with the aim to reduce our environmental footprint and at the same time to enhance the safety of our people and the cargoes we are carrying all over the world. We are happy to realize that our efforts are recognized by leading industry organizations. I want to express my appreciation to Bureau Veritas and its entire team, who provided tireless assistance and support during the construction period of this lady. Without BV's assistance and close cooperation it would have been very difficult for us to fulfill our objectives in such a timely and flawless manner. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. ToDoList has been in continuous development for the last 6 years and is an ongoing project. Your tasklists are stored in XML which provides many opportunities for advanced formatting and printing using stylesheets. ToDoList's flexible design makes it ideal for both IT related projects as well as more general GTD uses. We welcome feature requests and respond promptly to all reports of bugs or unexpected behaviour. What's New Facepalm: Elon Musk might have been successful in demanding Tesla employees work at least 40 hours per week in the office or find another job, but it seems the EV maker wasn't prepared for so many workers rushing back to the office in Fremont, Californiaand that's caused unforeseen problems. Musk sent emails to SpaceX and Tesla executives earlier this month stating that employees must spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week or quit. They must also work in a main company office and not a remote pseudo location. The CEO also said that he would spend six days a week in the Fremont factory and office, "seven if physically possible," adding that "anything I ask others to do, I do myself even more." But according to an investigation by The Information, the sudden influx of workers has led to issues. Many of these employees have been working from home since the start of the pandemic, but the number of Tesla staff has doubled since the pre-pandemic era, and the company wasn't ready for everyone returning at once. As you might expect, some of the biggest problems were a lack of desks, inadequate seating, and not enough parking spaces. There have also been complaints about weak Wi-Fi connections. News from @elonmusk & @tesla today feels like something out of the 1950s: "Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week". Very different approach to what we are taking at Atlassian and here's why. (1/5) Scott Farquhar (@scottfarkas) June 2, 2022 Musk faced plenty of criticism over his 40-hours-per-week in-office demands. Scott Farquhar, the CEO and co-maker of Atlassian, said it felt like something from the 1950s. The world's richest man has softened his stance slightly since then, noting that "exceptional" employees might be allowed to keep working from home. In addition to its mandate that workers return to the office, Tesla is also laying off a portion of its workforce, a move that has seen some employees sue the company over claims it has violated federal laws. Samsung maintains its position in the tech industry as one of the most trusted brands in the world. Whether you're looking for a smartphone, a monitor, or a home appliance, the South Korean tech titan will provide everything you need. Last year, the company made a huge transition in its leadership following the promotion of former Vice Chairman Han Jong-Hee Han. At the time, the CEO was assigned the new SET Division leader as Kyehyun Kyung handled the DS Division. Get to know some information about Han Jong-Hee for this segment. Samsung CEO Han Jong-Hee To look forward to the prosperity of its business, Samsung decided to promote John-Hee Han to lead the Visual Display Business. According to the Samsung Newsroom, JH Han has an important part in notching the top sales for the TVs globally in the 15th straight year since he has expertise in TV research and development. He was seen to be a driving force in the SET division which would bolster the emergence of new technologies and strategies for the company. As an official in the tech industry, JH Han wants to be more associated with the Samsung staff by being called by his initials. During the Digital eXperience division meeting last April, the CEO said that some employees called him "JH" instead of the usual "daepyo-nim" or "buhoejang-nim," per The Korea Herald. Truly, JH wants the work culture to be lighter and more smooth-flowing among all people in the company. Additionally, this is a good move for the tech boss, especially if Samsung aims to create a more productive workplace. This would also attract talents who will want to test the environment and culture inside Samsung. The action is in line with Samsung's internal policy of adding "nim" (Korean suffix) to a staff's name. This would further eliminate the need to call them "bujang" (team leader) and "gwajang" (manager). Related Article: #TechCEO At 19-Years Old, Advait Thakur Is Chief of IoT Company Apex Infosys India Samsung CEO Signals Metaverse Trend Participation In another story from the same source, Han Jong-Hee has previously signaled that he would lead the creation of a dedicated headset for the metaverse platform. The popularity of the metaverse subjects is sending everyone in amazement. The trend can be incorporated into games, wearable devices, and other tech innovations. During the Samsung CEO's MWC 2022 exhibition visit, Han mentioned that the consumer electronics firm was striving for "perfection" for the release of the upcoming gear. At that time, Han did not reveal the release date for the metaverse device. It's possible that it could come in the form of hardware and even wearables like headsets and smart glasses. In the future, the XR device could be the first Samsung device to thrive in the metaverse environment. Furthermore, it can be used by people with other gadgets such as tablets, laptops, and smartwatches. Read Also: #TechCEO: Get to Know Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and How He Came on Top of the Business This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Valve's Steam Deck remains one of the most craved items on the market in the current video game industry, yet despite the ample praise its base-set memory proves to be a mild setback in its outward longing. At 64GB of space, the base $400 device proves to have a very limited storage capacity, highlighted in our own Steam Deck review as not even being able to hold Elden Ring at the outset. While there is an additional storage potential in the form of micro SD cards, most Steam Deck users want something a bit speedier and bulkier for their on-the-go video gaming. Enter modder Belly Jelly on Twitter, who recently put forth a working memory modification that would allow the larger 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD to fit into the Steam Deck as opposed to the smaller 2230 SSD Valve explicitly positioned as the proper form factor. According to the modder, the upgraded SSD "doesn't collide with anything on the motherboard or put any extra strain on any cables," yet it did "make the heat spreader bow a tiny bit." Although Jelly's own modification did end up successful and showed little aftereffects of hardware tampering, an official Steam Deck engineer later came forward on the matter calling the memory mod dangerous due to heating constraints. Lawrence Yang, a designer at Valve, put forth a rather long winded post in a quote tweet of the original PC Gamer article, noting that the modification "will significantly shorten the life of your deck." Related Article: Larger M.2 SSDs Can Be Added to Steam Deck with Use of New Mod "Hi, please don't do this," Yang wrote in his post. "The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and get hotter than what Deck is designed for. This mod may appear to work but will significantly shorten the life of your deck." While other models have a much larger Steam Deck memory, Jelly's mod might have been a potential cheaper buy-in if an upgradeable internal SSD was an option. Additionally, these higher tiers of memory, specifically 256GB and 512GB, aren't as fast as alternatives on the market. Yet, according to Yang, it seems this mod will only have a detrimental impact on the long-term life of your deck. Might as well respond to this, I absolutely agree with this guy. Mod at your own risk! I am taking risks by opening the device and working on it, and it is mostly just as a proof of concept. Thread continues below. https://t.co/upg15Vxmhz Belly Jelly (@TheSmcelrea) June 26, 2022 In response, modder Jelly quote tweeted Yang's initial response, saying that they "agree with this guy" and that one should always "mod at your own risk." They also explained that they will continue with modifications in that same line, in order to discover "ways to deal with my own concerns regarding the mod." It's unclear if they will eventually share a new and improved iteration of the modification, but it's a safe bet to stay clear of tearing down the Steam Deck at all if one wants to refrain from damaging their device. Read Also: Steam Deck Compatible Games Can Now Be Checked Ahead Of Handheld's Launch This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Ryan Epps 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Instagram has a massive focus on its age verification tool. It is one of the top AI features that users will experience with the application, as it will determine if their experience would be available in the app. There were previous disputes regarding Instagram for Teens and the age requirement it needs for access, and the AI will be a bridge to give users access or prevent them from using Instagram. Instagram's Age Verification Tool: Is it Accurate? (Photo : ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images) Last week, Instagram announced via its blog post that it is testing a new age verification AI that would help the company determine the correct age of a user trying to access the app for their usage. That announcement refers to the recent addition to its tests, where the company takes on different tools for verifying the age of its users. Users would have to take a video selfie for verification, and the company will send its copies to a partner company called Yoti. According to CNN, the AI tool is helpful and has a massive database that stores information from the public to verify age. However, it is accurate for caucasian or white people only, as it faces a problem for people of color and other races. Nevertheless, Yoti said that its database is expanding to identify people, regardless of race or skin color, correctly. Read Also: Instagram New Feature: 'Disappearing Messages' Now in Testing Instagram Uses Yoti's AI for Age Tests Yoti is the partner of Instagram for this AI age test, and what users submit to the social media for verification is sent over to the verification company for analysis. Yoti's white paper talked about its massive library of human faces in different age groups, and its AI would help classify a person's age depending on the video selfie sent. CNN's test showed that while the group's majority passed at their correct ages, a 30-year-old person's result says they are only in the 17-year-old age group. Instagram and its Age Verification Meta faces many disputes regarding Instagram's usage in the present and a previous incident regarding a whistleblower that leaked several reports and information from the company. Frances Haugen addressed many things that put Meta in the spotlight, and one of her testimonies is how Instagram affects teenagers' health which the company swept under the rug. Since then, there were several propositions from Meta, which talked about the "Instagram for Kids" venture that would bring an experience for the young ones to use the media sharing application. This version of the famous social media application aims to bring a platform for children that is safe to use, and it would ensure that all users would avoid exploitation. However, Instagram for Kids faced petitions from groups and concerned citizens regarding its potential dangers and did not push through with development. Instagram found a way to regulate its interactions, and it is through its original plan of only allowing adolescents who are in their 13 years of age to enter the app for its access. Here, one of the company's gatekeepers is an AI verification tool that will help it determine those eligible to use the application. Still, it may not be entirely accurate as it promises. Related Article: This Instagram's Age Verification Tool Will Allow AI to Verify How Old You Are, and You Can't Deny It This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ford's first-ever electric SuperVan impressively flaunts a supercar-like speed, thanks to its horsepower numbers, which outperforms the renowned high-performance automaker, Bugatti. (Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images) CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 06: A Ford F-150 pickup truck is offered for sale a dealership on September 6, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. But is it as quick as a Bugatti? Ford Electric SuperVan The American carmaker unveils its all-new Pro Electric SuperVan, the fourth iteration of the sporting promotional vehicle. But, as per a news story by Car Scoops, it is its first-ever all-electric version, and also rightfully the fastest SuperVan in history. Ford says the new SuperVan is loosely based on the production E-Transit Custom, which is another all-electric van offering from the carmaker. However, Car Scoops notes that while it is based on the E-Transit, they are far more distinctive from each other. In fact, the only thing that the E-Transit and the new SuperVan share is their floor pan. Everything else is entirely different, more specifically, their power. Ford SuperVan Performs Like a Supercar One of the most notable in the first all-electric SuperVan is its impeccable performance, which is near what supercars could offer. (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) COLMA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: The Ford Bronco logo is displayed on a vehicle at Serramonte Ford on January 05, 2022 in Colma, California. According to a recent report by Business Insider, the all-new high-performance van of Ford boasts a blazing fast acceleration performance. If we are going to be more precise, the renowned American carmaker touts that the new SuperVan achieves 62 miles per hour or 100 kilometers per hour without going over two seconds. Given that this powerful Ford electric vehicle (EV) is a van, Business Insider notes that this should mean that the SuperVan could deliver packages to your doorstep instantaneously. If the all-new SuperVan were to deliver packages, there's no doubt that it would perform the same-day delivery job without a sweat. Read Also: Ford Mustang Mach-E Recall: 48,000 Cars Affected by an Unknown Issue in its Batteries Ford SuperVan vs Bugatti Chiron The extremely fast performance of the new SuperVan is thanks to its four electric motors, which lashes out 1,937 horsepower. As such, it doesn't need a couple of seconds to go past 60 miles per hour. (Photo : PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images) A driver steers a Bugatti Chiron near the luxury automobiles manufacturer Bugatti's headquarters in Molsheim, eastern France, on June 5, 2019. Interestingly, Business Insider notes in its report that the hefty priced $3 million Bugatti Chiron supercar delivers a lower horsepower than the Ford SuperVan. The fuel-powered 16-cylinder engine of the Chiron only produces up to 1,500 horsepower. But does that make the SuperVan a faster vehicle than the iconic Bugatti supercar? As per a report by Car and Driver, the Bugatti Chiron achieves 60 miles per hour as fast as 2.3 seconds. So, in terms of acceleration, the SuperVan outperforms it, at least on paper. Related Article: This Ford F-150 Lightning Charges Mini Cooper SE's Battery! How Long Does it Take to Complete? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hummer electric vehicle (EV) is getting a new Extract Mode, which significantly lifts the ride height of GMC's all-electric pickup to steer clear of obstacles along the way. Owners of GMC Hummer EV are getting a new handy feature, enabling them to go through off-roading obstacles without a sweat. (Photo : MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images ) US President Joe Biden test drives a GMC Hummer EV as he tours the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, 2021. Hummer EV Extract Mode Now that the initial deliveries of the all-new Hummer EV, the greener take of General Motors to its gas-guzzling SUV, have begun, its owners are getting a new remarkable feature. As per a news story by Engadget, GMC plans to add an all-new Extract Mode to its Hummer EV. The upcoming feature vows to lift the 9,000 pounds electric pickup higher than any other similar trucks out there. Essentially, it allows drivers of the Hummer EV to step up their off-roading game. (Photo : Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 05: U.S. representative Rashida Tlaib looks at a GM Hummer EV Truck while touring General Motors Factory Zero with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on August 5, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. The Extract Mode feature significantly lifts the Hummer EV by a total of six inches from the ground. The elevation then allows the massive SUV to keep away from any annoying obstacles like massive debris while going over rocky terrain. Engadget notes that the additional six inches of lift give the all-electric SUV 15.9 inches of ground clearance. The news outlet notes that it notably towers over off-road offerings these days, such as the Ram TRX and the all-electric Rivian R1T, to name a few. How to Get Hummer EV Extract Mode The current and new owners of the Hummer EV are in for a treat as GM plans to release the new suspension feature to its customers through a software update. Meaning to say, Extract Mode is rolling out as if it was a new feature on your smartphone. Yes, all you need is an internet connection to get the over-the-air (OTA) software update. Well, except for a few owners. According to a recent report by Electrek, GMC says that some Hummer EV owners need to bring their vehicles to the nearest dealership to change the height sensor. But the rest would only need to get the software update. Read Also: GM Hummer EV: Early Reviews Say the Car is Not Efficient Despite 329 Miles for Premium Trim When to Use Hummer EV Extract Mode While getting a remarkable ground clearance sure sounds fun to use all the time, GMC warns against doing so. The automaker notes that the Extract Mode should only be turned on when driving at low speeds. What's more, using it for an extended amount of time requires the vehicle to cool off. Related Article: GMC First 1,000 HP Electric Pickup '2022 Hummer EV' Price, Specs, Features: May Beat Tesla Cybertruck? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. SpaceX has a plan to deploy 30,000 second-generation Starlink satellites, but for its rival, Amazon, that's too much. (Photo : SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images) The US giant Amazon logo is pictured on the opening day of a new distribution center in Augny, near Metz, eastern France, on September 23, 2021. Amazon told the FCC that it should only let Elon Musk's SpaceX to operate a "small subset" of the 30,000 satellites for the meantime. In a letter, "Granting a small subset of its nearly 30,000 satellite system would offer SpaceX a path to begin deploying, while also providing the Commission time to carefully address the issues raised by its larger constellation." Due to the sheer size of Starlink's second-gun network, it's only natural for other companies like Amazon to have their reservations. Currently, there are over 4,800 active satellites in orbit around Earth. Now, with SpaceX's proposal, it will increase the number of satellites in orbit tremendously. Also Read: SpaceX Starlink Poses Risks? Chinese Military Claims It Can Allow US to Dominate Cyberspace The Plan of SpaceX SpaceX plans to use its second-get satellites to improve the speeds and coverage for Starlink. Currently, the company is already serving almost 500,000 users across the globe. Amazon's Reservations Amazon is worried that the growing number of Starlink constellations will stifle their satellite internet service. The company is also planning to roll out satellites in the coming years. Amazon told the FCC to ensure that the deployment of Elon Musk's satellites will not compromise them, along with other companies that have plans to launch their satellites in space. Amazon also made it clear that they are not pushing for the FCC to deny the second-gen network of SpaceX, rather, they only want it to be reasonable and ensure there are targeted conditions that are designed to ensure that SpaceX's satellites will not interfere with their planned deployment and the foreclosure future NGSO FSS (Non-Geostationary Fixed Service Satellite) systems from deploying. Amazon suggests that FCC grans one of the 18 filings SpaceX made with the International Telecommunication Union for the second-gen constellation of Starlink. Through this, SpaceX will have more time to demonstrate that their satellites will not pose a risk of a threat to the orbital safety or create radio interference. They also said that they will allow SpaceX to make the near-term deployment even more possible. Amazon isn't the only company that has expressed its reservations about the large deployment of SpaceX's satellites. NASA also has submitted concerns with the FCC regarding the potential risks of a large satellite constellation. What Does Elon Musk Have to Say? SpaceX hasn't responded yet to this. But they are hoping to launch the second-gen Starlink satellites soon with the Starship. They are only waiting for approvals from US regulators. The question now is, will Musk adjust the numbers or will he fight for the original plan to push through? Related Article: Amazon vs. Starlink: What You Need to Know About the Newly Acquired Facebook Satellite Internet Team This article is owned by TechTimes Written by April Fowell 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The US Supreme Court has junked Apple's appeal for a hearing regarding the Qualcomm patent lawsuit on Monday, June 27. The Cupertino tech giant wants to suspend two smartphone patents coming from the chipmaker. Before, the two companies had a bitter relationship with each other. Now, the issue has been brought to the court for clarity. US Judges Turn Away Apple's Appeal (Photo : Laurenz Heymann from Unsplash) The US Supreme Court has junked Apple's bid to continue its legal battle with Qualcomm. In a recent report by The Verge, Apple wants to reopen the hearing regarding the patent infringement filed by Qualcomm back in 2017. The two patents, which are US Patent No. 7,844,037 and Patent No. 8,683,362, suggest that the Cupertino giant was sued because it used the mobile-technology patent of the chipmaker for its Apple smartwatches, iPads, and iPhones. As a result, the tech titan decided to challenge if these patents were valid. As such, it submitted a request to the Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Both Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a billion-dollar deal that says that the former can use Qualcomm processors for smartphone production. The legal action was settled in 2019. At the time, the US judges favored the chipmaker, therefore dismissing Apple's bid that would rekindle the infringement issue with the processor manufacturer. In addition, Apple could not push through its move regarding the royalty payments since the Federal Circuit junked this decision. Related Article: Apple's First Modem Without Qualcomm is Reportedly Debuting in 2023! Here's What to Expect Apple is Facing Risk of Litigation In a story from Reuters, Apple said that the legal action will still take effect after its agreement with Qualcomm expires in 2025. If there's an extension for the settlement, the schedule will be moved to 2027. According to the iPhone maker, Qualcomm has previously filed a lawsuit against them, yet it did not reveal if it would do the same thing for the second time. So far, Apple knows that the chipmaker has a "history of aggressively enforcing its patents." Since the Silicon Valley electronics company has not yet presented any "concrete" injury regarding the legal case, Qualcomm requested the US supreme court to junk its appeal. In 2018, Tech Times reported that Apple was already keen on dropping Qualcomm as its supplier for its iPhone chips. A popular tech leaker Ming-Chi Kuo said that the company did that because of the "legal fallout" with the latter. At that time, Apple established its plans to seek other firms which would help them in producing a component for their smartphones. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 is allegedly coming in late 2022, according to several sources. The speculations suggest that the upcoming flagship device would receive a "significant" upgrade from its predecessor. The new lineup could potentially debut with the always-on-display feature, one of the most awaited capabilities for the next-gen handset. Read Also: [LEAK] Huawei Nova 10 Pro Will Allegedly Boast 5x Front Camera Zoom This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is poised to capture crisp images of the universe. But before it takes off, it is still in the process of commissioning its 17 science instrument modes. The space agency recently invited Nathalie Ouellette of the Universite de Montreal to provide further information regarding the modes of the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) - Canada's scientific instrument aboard Webb. Using near-infrared light with wavelengths up to 5.0 microns, Ouellette said that NIRISS would be able to record images and spectra from all kinds of astronomical objects. To gather various types of data that are useful for specific targets and scientific goals, the NIRISS team has created four instrument modes. 1st Mode: Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy (SOSS) The SOSS mode on NIRISS enables the Webb telescope to get increased-precision spectra from a single bright object at a time, according to Ouelette. This mode is designed to conduct time-series investigations, which are excellent for examining phenomena that alter throughout observation for several hours. Oluette said this mode is ideal for an exoplanet crossing its host star. The NIRISS instrument can gather a spectrum of an exoplanet's atmosphere and other characteristics using a method known as transit spectroscopy. 2nd Mode: Wide Field Slitless Spectroscopy (WFSS) With NIRISS's WFSS mode, Webb may simultaneously gather spectra for thousands of space objects throughout the detector's complete field of view. According to Oluette, the spectra of a thousand galaxies will make it possible to calculate their age, distance, and several qualities to understand their evolution. Individual spectra may collide if their sources are too close together since NIRISS can receive so many spectra at once utilizing the WFSS mode. "There are thus two orthogonal grisms, GR150C and GR150R, that can produce spectra horizontally and vertically, respectively, which helps to disentangle blended spectra from different galaxies," Oluette said in an interview with NASA. Read also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Set to Release First Science-Quality Images of the Universe on July 12! 3rd Mode: Aperture Masking Interferometry (AMI) Using interferometry, Webb will investigate celestial objects near one another with the NIRISS's AMI mode. Only a portion of the primary mirror's light can pass through the instrument due to a mask. Only a portion of the primary mirror's light can pass through the instrument due to a mask. Astronomers can also double the telescope's resolution with the patterns created from the interference of light beams. This makes two nearby objects that would typically appear as a single fuzzy point in a Webb image appear as two separate points of light. Further, this mode will be used to look at brown dwarfs, exoplanets, and protoplanetary disks. 4th Mode: NIRISS Imaging Oluette stated that NIRISS provides an imaging function that is an alternative to NIRCam imaging because near-infrared imaging is crucial to Webb's scientific performance. She added that NIRCam and NIRISS could be employed in parallel to image a greater region of an extended source by concurrently capturing photos with two closely spaced lines of sight. Related Article: NASA James Webb Telescope Captures Dazzlingly Sharp Image of a Galaxy This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Uber's ambition to transition its driver fleet to clean energy by 2030 appears to be on track. The ride-hailing business revealed today that over 15,000 Uber drivers have agreed to hire Tesla automobiles through its relationship with Hertz. Uber claims the agreement is their biggest expansion into electric vehicles, with over 5 million Tesla trips traveling over 40 million miles since the initiative began last year. Uber and Hertz to Increase Access to Electric Vehicles Like Tesla Through its agreement with Hertz to increase access to electric vehicles, Uber stated that the vehicles are already in the hands of its drivers in more than 30 US locations. Hertz launched a major initiative last year to electrify its rental car fleet, led by a massive purchase of 100,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles to be delivered over the next year, aided by a large ad campaign featuring Tom Brady. The transaction also lifted Tesla to the trillion-dollar mark. In April, Hertz announced a large 65,000-unit order of Polestar 2 vehicles, which would be available for rental by the end of the year. Consumers' interest in and demand for electric vehicles is at an all-time high, especially given the rising expense of gasoline. The same is true for Uber drivers, who are responsible for the price of recharging their vehicles regardless of what gasoline they use. According to Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president at Uber, the project is a triumph for drivers who are also pleased to be contributing to the climate solution. They are also pleased with the higher profits they receive as a result of gas savings, electric car incentives, and other tips. Electric Vehicles Are Helping Uber Drivers by a Mile Uber's evaluation of its drivers' all-electric experience was overwhelmingly positive. According to one of Uber's program drivers, electric vehicles handle mileage quite well. According to Uber, 95 percent of drivers renting Teslas through Hertz had never driven an electric vehicle on the platform before, and 92 percent are now contemplating buying an electric vehicle as their next vehicle. "To date, more than 15,000 drivers have rented a Tesla through this program - and they're making a real impact. Together they've completed more than five million fully-electric trips and driven over 40 million electric miles." The initiative looks to be a success, with high driver satisfaction. Uber drivers pay only $334 per week to hire a Tesla Model 3, which includes insurance and maintenance, and some drivers report saving more than $160 per week on petrol alone. In addition to paying for the rental cost with gas savings, Uber compensates drivers of battery-electric vehicles an extra $1 per trip for up to $4,000 per year, and it just unveiled the "Comfort Electric" option, which pays drivers more when Uber passengers pick an electric ride. Although it is not currently accessible everywhere, eligible drivers can rent Tesla automobiles through Hertz in the following cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Connecticut, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis - St. Paul, Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, NYC suburbs, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Tampa Bay, Washington, DC To be eligible for a Tesla rental, Uber drivers must have completed at least 150 rides and have a 4.85-star rating. The Tesla costs around $300 per week to rent, and drivers are registered in the company's newest "Uber Green" ride-hailing category. Related Articles: Tesla's Cybertruck is Scheduled for Release in 2023 as its Design Has Been Finalized 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. [Pick] "I was suspected of having an affair with my neighbor"... 80's 'house oil' wielding a hammer at his 70's wife Cet accord, confirme en premier lieu par la presidence finlandaise, est intervenu a Madrid apres plusieurs heures de discussions, dans le palais des congres ou se deroule le sommet jusqu'a jeudi, entre le president turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan, son homologue finlandais et la Premiere ministre suedoise, avec Jens Stoltenberg comme mediateur. A l'issue de ces negociations, les trois dirigeants ont signe cet accord en presence du secretaire general de l'Otan. L'adhesion de la Suede va "renforcer la securite de la Suede et du peuple suedois dans cette periode trouble", s'est felicitee la Premiere ministre suedoise Magdalena Andersson. Watermelons will be readily available and for sale on farmers' tables at the Red Stick Farmers Market on Thursday. The market will be kicking off the July 4 weekend with its with Farm to Fourth celebration, which will include free food samples. Randazzo's Italian Market: 'You must try the meatball' and the pizza and the bread pudding A temporary restraining order granted by Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Robin Giarrusso on Monday barred the state of Louisiana from enforcing its "trigger" ban on abortion, leading to the reopening of clinics statewide this week. In Baton Rouge, the Delta Clinic of Baton Rouge is continuing to provide services after initially closing its doors on Friday. "There was just a lot of desperation and tears on Friday," Amy Irvin, media spokesperson for the Delta Clinic, said. "But following the temporary restraining order, people were relieved and also knew that we needed to get back to work." Irvin said the Delta Clinic saw patients on Tuesday who were scheduled from last week and the clinic is continuing to accept new patients. With the restraining order only taking effect briefly, district court Judge Ethel Simms Julien will hold a hearing on the preliminary injunction July 8. Irvin said the clinic staff does not know what to expect and have provided alternative resources to patients who may not be able to receive treatment following the injunction. Under Louisiana's abortion ban, who faces criminal penalties and what are they? Louisiana's new "trigger" law, which went into force when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sets out a long list of penalties for It is uncertain how they will rule and whether the temporary restraining order will be extended and clinics can remain open or if it will be a replay of last Friday, she said. Last week, patients were provided a list of clinics in other states that we believe to be open and they were referred to the National Abortion Federation or the New Orleans Abortion Fund for financial assistance." At the clinic on Tuesday, several pro-life advocates came out to pray and express their displeasure at the continued services being provided. Two of those advocates said they come there each week, even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, to hand out pamphlets and literature about the pro-life movement. While the men declined to be interviewed by The Advocate, they said they believe life begins at conception and were happy to see the U.S Supreme Court overturn the earlier abortion decisions. Carmen Damen, an anti-abortion advocate who works with the pro-life organization Baton Rouge Right to Life, said Friday she shed tears for a different reason. "I just cried when the ruling came in because it's been a long road," she said. "Now it's going to be about directing women to pregnancy centers and things of that nature now that abortion facilities will be closed in Louisiana." 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 Damen said she had doubts that Roe v. Wade would ever be overturned, but is pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court decision. "I had my doubts with the culture and everything that's happening in the world right now," she said. "But I've never given up hope and I never will, I'll go to my grave fighting for life from the moment of conception to the moment of death." With the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Irvin said she has seen people from neighboring states come to Louisiana abortion clinics. "Already the clinic is seeing patients from across Louisiana and outside the state, particularly from Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida," she said. "Folks were already traveling far distances to be seen here in Louisiana and theyre going to need additional money if theyre able to travel out of state." In speaking with administrators at the Delta Clinic in Baton Rouge and the Women's Health Care Center in New Orleans, which also provides abortion services, Irvin said they were disappointed but not surprised. Here in Louisiana, we are familiar with anti-choice legislation being passed every legislative session," she said. "Its a rollercoaster of emotions and from that point of view, I think folks at the clinic and in Louisiana are a bit toughened to these sort of reactions." Until the situation changes or an update to the temporary restraining order takes place, Irvin said, the clinics will continue to take appointments and provide services until they are not allowed to do so anymore. "Certainly, the ruling on Friday was devastating," she said. For many folks who were in the clinic or may have had appointments, to be told they were going to be denied healthcare is a denial of their choice and of their bodily autonomy and self-determination. Under Louisiana's abortion ban, who faces criminal penalties and what are they? Louisiana's new "trigger" law, which went into force when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sets out a long list of penalties for Agents were notified around 4 p.m. about three missing boaters at the mouth of the Blind River where it feeds into Lake Maurepas. LDWF agents along with the Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office, Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office, Livingston Parish Fire Department and Lake Maurepas Fire Department immediately started searching the area. Western Sydney University has taken possession of its new state-of-the-art health and medical research hub with the practical completion of stage 1 of Charter Halls $350 million Westmead Innovation Quarter (iQ) precinct. Charter Hall is an ASX-listed funds manager with a market value of $5.44 billion, and teamed up with the WSU in late 2019 to launch the deal, with the development approval for stages 1 and 2 received in June 2020. The A-grade development comprises around 43,000 square metres of health, research, education and commercial space, as well as mixed-use research, health, commercial and retail space across three towers. The research hub will deliver 43,000 square metres of space when complete. Credit:Architectus - Westmead - Grant Leslie Photography IQ will be the new home to WSU medical research organisations the MARCS Institute, NICM Health Research Institute and Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), as well as CSIRO and WentWest. It is unlikely that view has changed. If anything, a regime that thrives off propaganda will be even more desperate to avoid any scenario that adds to the impression that Russia is a rogue creditor or has been weakened by sanctions. Witness the Kremlins attempts to dismiss the default as a sham artificially engineered by the US and hostile Western powers. Anton Siluanov, the finance minister, has called the situation a farce. It has also made a last-ditch bid to service $US40 billion of outstanding sovereign debt with roubles, a move that creditors have already ruled out. The idea that America is pulling the strings when it comes to Russias financial clout will infuriate Putin, but it is a timely reminder of who the real superpower in this battle is. So yes, a debt default is in some ways symbolic but hugely so because it underlines Russias dramatic decline from a country celebrated for its fortress economy to an economic and political basket case. But its much more than that, even. Siluanov knows that the ramifications potentially spread much wider. This is all about Russias access to international financial markets and anything that dents its reputation, however manufactured it may be, with foreign lenders will make it harder for the Kremlin to borrow from them. By affecting the countrys debt ratings, it doesnt just make it more difficult to access financing, it becomes more costly to borrow too and because it was the US Treasury that forced Russia into default, it will be Washington that dictates when negotiations with its foreign creditors can begin. This means Moscow could effectively be shut out of the global financial system for years, possibly even decades, Ash predicts. Loading The idea that America is pulling the strings when it comes to Russias financial clout will infuriate Putin, but there is no doubt that it is a timely reminder of who the real superpower is in this battle. Russias president has claimed that sanctions are a double-edged sword that are more painful for the West than Russia as Moscow starts to squeeze energy supplies, pushing Europes economy into a prolonged stagnationary era. It is of course the unavoidable truth that Western consumers are suffering the price of the war in Ukraine, as energy bills, petrol costs, and food prices all keep being forced up, raising fears of a looming recession. This has tested Western resolve, something that host Olaf Scholz admitted at a meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday in the Bavarian Alps. All the G7 states were worried about the crises we currently face, Germanys chancellor said. Loading Boris Johnson also warned of fatigue among populations and politicians but reiterated the need to maintain consensus, and Scholz said he was convinced the group would send a very clear signal of unity and decisive action. Reports that the G7 is closer to reaching an agreement on a proposed price cap on Russian oil and gas are reassuring. Putin, like any autocratic leader, gains great strength from any sign of weakness in his enemies. Ukraines allies must stay the course and keep turning the screws. With Joe Biden and US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen leading the way, Britain, France, and Italy reportedly backing a cap, and Berlin expected to follow suit shortly, the West may soon have a potent new weapon at its disposal. The theory is that a buyers cartel would force down the value of the Kremlins most lucrative export by only allowing Russian oil and gas to be sold and stored at below a certain price, whereas a full boycott has pushed prices up. A plan to allow China and India access to cheaper Russian energy is also a smart move because previously the Kremlin had been trying to circumvent sanctions by selling its crude and gas to more sympathetic nations. Loading The Kremlin is wrong to claim the war has changed nothing. The default, however engineered, is in itself proof that sanctions are well and truly working. Theres often a moment in a Zoom where you just have to ask about that thing in the background. With Rob Smith, creative director at London-based design studio Bompas & Parr, that thing is an enormous pipe organ designed to play music that changes the flavour of whisky. Bompas & Parrs edible fog created for Casey Cornucopia. Credit:The Empire Collective Yeah, so this is our flavour organ, says Smith, glancing over his shoulder. It sits in the corner of their meeting room, returned from a world tour where an organist would play music designed to alter the taste and experience of sipping distilled liquor. And its a typical project from this studio, whose creations are practical or entirely impractical experiments in the weird sciences of the human senses. Change is messy, and human beings inevitably come into conflict even when fighting on the same side, say filmmakers Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sanchez Bellot. Their new documentary Rebellion about to screen in Australia illustrates the point perfectly, if painfully: they talked their way into three years of inside access with climate warrior group Extinction Rebellion. They captured on film a tense, angry showdown between father and daughter, co-founder Roger Hallam and his daughter, youth co-ordinator Savannah Lovelock. Extinction Rebellion in Trafalgar Square: a moment from the documentary Rebellion. Credit:Maia Kenworthy Lovelock tells her father he has denied young people agency and voice within the organisation. Hallam responds she may need to walk her own path, prompting Lovelock to storm out of the room, shouting: F--- you, f--- you! It was a really conscious decision to include the tensions, because that was the reality of what was going on, says Bellot. Its messy, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt go for it. We really wanted to show a bit of humanity. Just over a month after Anthony Albaneses election win, Labor is slowly staffing its offices with ministerial advisers, though the so-called star chamber process is making it a laborious task. Among the big-name hires (well, big names in the Canberra bubble, anyway) are Claudia Crawford, who is returning to Treasurer Jim Chalmers office. The pair have worked together on and off for a decade, going back to the Wayne Swan days. Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Skye Laris, a veteran Labor staffer, AGL policy wonk and former GetUp campaigner (though that bit seems to have fallen off her LinkedIn profile), has taken up a job as a senior adviser in the PMs office. Laris is also the wife of Workplace Minister Tony Burke. Chris Owens, who has worked for former ministers Nicola Roxon and Kate Lundy, NAB and most recently the departed Kristina Keneally, has been snapped up by the PMs office to be governance director, responsible for wrangling the crossbench. An official counting of the non-Indigenous population in Australia began the very year the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, until 1825 musters were held regularly where all members of the community gathered at specified locations to be counted. Today, counting the nations population is a much more complex business. The ABS recruited about 32,000 staff last year to ensure every person in Australia, no matter where they lived, had the opportunity to answer the more than 60 questions the census entailed. The result is not just a fascinating snapshot of contemporary Australian society, but an enormously rich source of information for governments, businesses, community groups and the like to help them make broad policy decisions on everything from education, health and infrastructure to allocating local services for individuals, families and communities. The first tranche of data from the 2021 census, released on Tuesday, reveals a nation undergoing significant change. One of the most prominent shifts has been generational, with, for the first time, the number of Boomers and Millennials now each accounting for 21.5 per cent of the nations 25.5 million residents. Just a decade ago, Boomers people born between 1946 and 1965 accounted for more than 25 per cent of Australians while Millennials born between 1981 and 1996 made up just 20 per cent. Ex-bikie killed in Sydney shooting Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss When Mr John Walsh, the producer of the SBSs Face the Press, mentioned Mr Hawke, Mr Fraser and Mr Whitlam as possible guests for the programs 100th episode, his colleagues gave him little hope of snaring the trio. Former Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Malcolm Fraser appear together on June 29, 1992 for the 100th episode of Face the Press on SBS Television. Credit:Rick Stevens The three men who led Australian government for most of the past two decades came together for the first televised time yesterday. But there was little fanfare for the prime ministerial triumvirate no minders, bodyguards, preconditions or appearance fees. First published in The Age on June 30, 1992 But all three accepted the invitation to appear together to discuss the topic Australia in the year 2000. A spokesman for SBS, Mr Stephen Cook, said the former prime ministers discussed a wide range of issues at yesterdays filming with a panel of journalists the presenter of Dateline, Mr Paul Murphy, the Telegraph Mirror political correspondent Ms Amanda Buckley and the broadcaster Mr Phillip Adams. Topics included employment, the new world order, human rights, the Constitution, multiculturalism and republicanism. Both Mr Hawke and Mr Whitlam predicted an Australian republic would be formed by the year 2000 but Mr Fraser disagreed. His main hope for the turn of the century was full employment. Mr Cook said Mr Hawke had been passionate about his achievements as leader. By contrast, his predecessors seemed more circumspect, preferring to look to the future. The program will be broadcast on Wednesday next week. The 1980s commenced not only a new decade, but a new generation and one that continues to transform Australia to this day. As the Millennials (or Generation Y as they are also known) began being born, there was no Apple Macintosh, no Microsoft Windows, the Space Shuttle hadnt yet been launched, and Australians could still appeal to Englands Privy Council. Dolly Partons 9 to 5 was playing on the radio (or perhaps on cassette tape on the cool new Walkmans that had just been released), Malcolm Fraser was prime minister, and of course, Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne. Gossip helps us to orient ourselves within our group: who is up and down, who is in or out. Credit: The Millennials are a generation that parallels a changing nation. In their first census of 1981, the population was much smaller, at 14.5 million (compared to 25.4 million today), and younger, with 1.4 million aged over 65 (compared to 4.4 million today). We were less diverse, with 3 million overseas born (compared to more than 7 million today), and 76 per cent identified as Christian (compared to 44 per cent in 2021). Over the last four decades, Indigenous recognition has been a work in progress that has born welcome results, one of which has been the increasing openness to identify with ones Aboriginal or Torres Strait heritage. Since 1981 the national population has increased 1.7 times while the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has increased fivefold, from 159,897 to 812,728 in the 2021 census. Murder suspect in hospital following police shooting in Melbourne Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has vowed to implement a sweeping set of recommendations to boost accountability, transparency and the independence of integrity bodies, after a damning review of the governments internal culture. The LNP has seized on the report as further fuel for its calls for a broadscale royal commission-style inquiry into the third-term government, with opposition leader David Crisafulli suggesting it identifies a lot of crimes, but not a single culprit. Professor Peter Coaldrake has handed down the final report of his review of culture and accountability in the Queensland public sector. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen / Matt Dennien The four-month review, by former Queensland University of Technology vice-chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, has called on the government to shed searing light on its decision-making processes by releasing cabinet documents within 30 days. Coaldrake found a public service kneecapped by an overreliance on contractors and consultants, a trivialising of parliamentary committees, along with an internal culture too tolerant of bullying and dominated by short-term political thinking. Newly minted deputy premier Jacinta Allan and incoming minister Harriet Shing have tested positive to coronavirus just a day after being sworn in to their new roles. Daniel Andrews, his new cabinet secretary, 19 ministers and their families packed out Government House on Monday for the swearing-in ceremony as part of a pre-election cabinet reshuffle after the government lost five of its most senior ministers, including deputy premier James Merlino, last week. Members of the new-look Victorian ministry pose for a group photo at Government House during the swearing-in ceremony on Monday. Credit:AAP Sonya Kilkenny, the new Minister for Corrections, Youth Justice, Victim Support, and Fishing and Boating was unable to attend after being struck down by COVID-19. She was at a press conference in Frankston with the premier, new Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas and Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke a day earlier. The principal of a Melbourne secondary school has apologised in court to a student who says he left because of anti-Semitic bullying by fellow students. Brighton Secondary College principal Richard Minack runs a school that has been accused of failing to protect Jewish students under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Racial Discrimination Act. Richard Minack outside the Federal Court on Tuesday. Credit:Justin McManus Five former students brothers Joel and Matt Kaplan, Liam Arnold-Levy, Guy Cohen and Zack Snelling are suing the government-run school and the state for negligence and allegedly failing to protect them under the convention and the act. In the Federal Court in Melbourne on Tuesday, Minack apologised to Arnold-Levy, who left the school over incidents of bullying he said were not acted upon by the colleges administration. Move along, nothing to see here. That is, essentially, how Premier Daniel Andrews has attempted to brush off his partys latest internal machinations, claiming Victorians have zero interest in Labor Party factions and only care that the government gets on with the job at hand. Premier Daniel Andrews and newly appointed Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan. Credit:Paul Jeffers Its a canny approach, pretending it doesnt matter. And hes at least partly right. Factional politics is convoluted and the voting public is increasingly disillusioned by party games played out by caucus heavyweights pulling strings behind the scenes. Better to not discuss how the sausage gets made, and when youre the person pulling most of the strings, youre better off being modest about the outcome youve engineered. Indeed, that Andrews not only stage-managed the resignation announcements of four of his most experienced ministers on Friday, but also ensured his preferred successor and Socialist Left faction colleague, Jacinta Allan, was installed as deputy leader in a rare breach of factional protocol was a mighty demonstration of how much power he continues to wield. The notion that the premier might quietly fade away after his COVID marathon and back injury following a fall now seems laughable, at least in the foreseeable future. Photo call is 12.45 pm, Monday, June 29, when the program is being recorded at McCabe Studios, 7 McCabe Street, Willoughby. Contact Face the Press publicist Stephen Cook on 964 2783 at SBS. SBS Television had snared the three exs for the 100th episode of Face the Press. A great catch does not great history make. At the risk of stating the obvious, something else is wrong with the picture, as anyone with half an eye and half a glance can see. All three heads are as level as a Nullarbor horizon. Robert James Lee Hawke, Prime Minister of Australia 1983-1991, let history record, was standing on a dais. PS: Messrs Whitlam, Fraser and Hawke can be seen making history, box-style, on SBS at 8 pm on Wednesday, July 8. FACING THE PRESSURE OF ROVING July 6, 1992 BOB HAWKE was laying on the charm. Nice to find somebody more my size,he said to Helen Vatsikopoulos, the SBS presenter and roving Dateline reporter. A jovial Hawke was being dwarfed by his former prime ministerial colleagues, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, when, for the first time, they shared a television studio to record the 100th edition of Face the Press. The horsing around between the three elder statesmen of Australian politics, which followed the photo call, and the friendly nudge from Hawke was all that Vatsikopoulos needed to ease the tension of the occasion. By all accounts, the half-hour taping went like a dream, though a tightly edited three-minute trailer reel, which may not accurately reflect some of the exchanges between the three men, showed Hawke up to some of his old prevaricating TV tricks as he clashed with a patient and mellowed Fraser. This special hour-long edition of Face the Press turned out to be a triumph for producer John Walsh, who wrote a carefully-worded letter to all three men asking if they would come in to discuss the future of Australia. Walsh wanted all three or none at all. He made it clear that if one prime minister declined, the program would not go ahead. Face the Press host Helen Vatsikopoulos. Credit:SBS Television Gough Whitlam was the first to accept; Malcolm Fraser quickly followed without waiting to see if he was the first. The only hiccup was Bob Hawke, who had overseas commitments with 60 Minutes. But, yes, if a date could be worked out, hed be in it, too. Walsh could retreat to the control booth. Now it it was up to Vatsikopoulos. In the world of Helen Vatsikopoulos, the person who faces the questions is always known as the talent, whether it be for Face the Press or for her own brand of in-depth reporting for Dateline. And as talent goes, Vatsikopoulos is a pretty good scout. While the prime ministers were picking a date to face a panel of questioners - Paul Murphy, Philip Adams and Amanda Buckley - Vatsikopoulos was packing her bags for the Philippines and an exclusive Dateline interview with its newly installed President, General Ramos. Only a tight schedule would get her to Manila and back in time for Face the Press. At the last minute, Ramos begged for a postponement. It usually works out, says Vatsikopoulos. If necessary, well record two or three editions of Face the Press, and that leaves me free to travel overseas. She acts as her own producer for Dateline, travelling with an SBS camera operator and sound recordist, a tightly knit group that manages to save on the luxuries enjoyed by 60 Minutes and Foreign Correspondent crews, which always include a line producer. The targets often include heads of State. The first time she met Lech Walenska, he was still a shipyard electrician in Gdansk. Now look at him,she says. The talent tends to be friendly, though the interpreters, always locally hired, can be dodgy, sometimes because they fear for their jobs, sometimes because they are up to political mischief. Were SBS and we prefer to sub-title - and thats wonderful, says Vatsikopoulos. But sometimes the interpreters just change the questions and the answers. Or they dont give you a very good translation of what the target is saying, and thats so frustrating. If you come home and find youve got something completely different, maybe for political reasons - and our sub-titlers pick that up at once - youre helpless. You have to throw that bit out. Sometimes its a government person who doesnt embarrass the target. Theyre being polite and they want to cleanse the interview. Loading And at the same time, they might be having a go. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says John Barilaro told him he was intending to apply for the US trade commissioner role in a social setting after the former deputy premier left parliament. Perrottet on Tuesday confirmed he learnt of Barilaros ambition for the $500,000-a-year role before the application process, however he could not recall when it was. Dominic Perrottet and John Barilaro. Credit:Brook Mitchell, Jessica Hromas He said he was later advised by Trade Minister Stuart Ayres that Barilaro had applied for the role, which was one of six trade commissioner roles Barilaro created as trade minister, but insisted it was an independent process in which government could play no role. I think in a social setting he may have said he was applying for a position, which was an independent process, Perrottet said. I speak to people socially all the time and there is always interested people saying Im interested in this, Im interested in that. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size For more than 40,000 years, first Australians on the continents north-west coast scraped through a thin layer on the outside of rocks to turn a peninsula they called Murujuga into an outdoor art gallery. Their works of more than one million engravings include some of the earliest depictions of the human face. Woodside is doubling the size of its Pluto plant to process gas from its $17b Scarborough project. Many of a generation of those artists were murdered by settlers in 1868 in the Flying Foam massacre, named after a passage between islands off what Europeans call the Burrup Peninsula. There are few Yaburara people today and there is concern their engravings to be nominated for World Heritage listing may face the same fate due to emissions from nearby gas plants. The creation of the engravings was art but their survival is a question of commerce and science. Industry arrived in the 1960s when Rio Tinto developed an iron ore port at nearby Dampier. Advertisement In the 1980s, Woodside built its North West Shelf plant to produce liquefied natural gas for export. Since then, Woodside has expanded the NWS plant, built another called Pluto, and Norwegian firm Yara operates plants to make ammonia and explosives from gas. Scientists investigating the rock art differ on whether it is being damaged by industrial emissions but are unanimous on its importance. For Dr Ian Macleod, a conservator with the WA Museum for almost four decades before becoming a consultant, Murujuga is utterly awe-inspiring. Its the same experience whitefellas feel walking into the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and seeing Michelangelos painting on the roof, MacLeod said. Loading University of WA Professor of world rock art, Benjamin Smith, said Murujuga was home to one of the worlds longest unbroken sequences of rock art, from probably 50,000 years ago when people first arrived, to the time shortly before the Flying Foam massacre when engravings of European ships appeared. The early engravings have lasted tens of thousands of years despite relying on contrasting colours between a brown outer layer as thin as one-thousandth of a millimetre, called the patina, and the underlying orange-coloured rock. Advertisement If the incredibly thin patina disappears, millennia of art and culture is gone. Bacteria and fungi on the surface of the rocks concentrated manganese and iron from dust particles and when the microflora died the metal compounds were incorporated into the patina, giving it its colour. MacLeod and Smith agree the patina only develops at a certain level of acidity on the rock surface and at higher levels the manganese and iron compounds would leach from the patina, causing the art to disappear from colour loss. With acidity the key to the arts survival, there has been concern about nearby industry emitting nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides as they produce acid when combined with water. Acid rain was a global concern late last century, damaging forests, lakes and crops, prompting tighter air quality regulation. In 2021, MacLeod and fellow consultant Warren Fish, who together monitored the chemistry and colour of the rock art for Yara from 2017, published research that the rock art has not been damaged by the industrial emissions. Smith and six other scientists countered with a paper that reviewed past research and called Macleod and Fishs conclusion an extraordinary claim that contrasts with findings and expectations of decades of studies. Advertisement We have shown categorically that it is deteriorating, Smith said. Murujuga National Park. otherwise known as the Burrup Peninsula, near Dampier in Western Australia. Credit:Krystle Wright According to MacLeod and Fish, salt spray on Murujugas rocks counteracts any acidic effect and protects the art, unlike engravings on similar rocks studied overseas that are inland. Compared to Smith, MacLeod thinks a higher level of acidity is required to endanger the art and the two disagree on the effect of rainfall. MacLeod concluded that while the acidity of the rock surface does increase with time, heavy downpours, such as cyclones, reset the acid clock. Smith is concerned that more frequent minor moisture, such as dew, will combine with the pollutants to increase acidity and any beneficial effect of a cyclone is temporary. It is impossible for anyone in good faith to claim today that the emissions are having no impact UWA professor of world rock art Benjamin Smith Advertisement Of the two pollutants, Smith is most concerned about nitrogen oxide as it produces a stronger acid and is emitted at Murujuga in greater quantities. Woodsides two LNG plants produced 99 per cent of nitrogen oxide emitted from industry on the Burrup Peninsula this century, according to data from the National Pollutant Inventory. In that time, reported emissions from the North West Shelf in 2014 and Pluto in 2018 reduced dramatically. A Woodside spokesman said this was due to a change to calculations to use more site-specific information in accordance with the regulators requirements. The NWS plant emitted 82 per cent of the nitrogen oxide from the four plants in the 12 months to June 2021, and Pluto contributed 11 per cent. Production from the NWS plant is declining as offshore gas fields empty, and without new investment the Pluto plant would have followed suit later this decade, causing a significant decline in nitrogen oxide emissions near the Murujuga art. However, Woodside is spending $17 billion to develop the Scarborough gas field which will not only extend the life of the Pluto plant to 2050 but double its capacity. Advertisement She described how she and her sister tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to horrifying nightmares by taking them to Epstein. They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together, she said, calling Maxwell a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings. Epstein and Maxwells associations with some of the worlds most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britains Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Elizabeth Stein and Sarah Ransome (right), alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, leave court after Maxwells sentencing. Credit:AP Inside a courtroom crowded with reporters, three of Maxwells siblings sat in a row behind her. Outside the courthouse, Kevin Maxwell said that his sister wouldnt give up on her legal battle, and we as a family will be solidly behind her. After the sentencing, Maxwells defence lawyer Bobbi Sternheim promised to appeal. She said Epstein left Maxwell holding the whole bag. We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today escaped accountability, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain and receiving the punishment he truly deserved, she said. The sentence was shorter than the 30 to 55-year term sought by prosecutors, but Epsteins accusers still expressed relief it was more than the five years Maxwells team had pushed for. Its been an incredibly long road to justice for myself and for many other survivors, said Sarah Ransome, one of Epsteins accusers. This is for the girls that didnt have their say, the ones that werent here. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Audrey Strauss, then-acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, outlined the charges against Ghislaine Maxwell at a press conference on July 2, 2020. Credit:AP Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epsteins mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the UK; and Carolyn, now a mother recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfil their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epsteins Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $US100 bills in what prosecutors described as a pyramid of abuse. Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticised as lenient. Afterwards, he was required to register as a sex offender. A courtroom sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell on December 20, 2021. Credit:AP In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, now Australian resident, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but killed himself a month later. Loading Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A US, British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticise her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadnt told the court during jury selection. Maxwells lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell at trial, speaks, to the media outside court after the sentencing. Credit:AP At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured for having met Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwells seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. Maxwells fellow inmate also submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the last two years. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections. Loading This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature, they wrote. Before her fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and scribbled on a notepad as Sarah Ransome an accuser whose allegations werent included in this trial spoke of the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times. [June 27, 2022] Morgan Stanley Announces 11% Dividend Increase and Authorization of a $20 Billion Multi-Year Common Equity Share Repurchase Program Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) announced that it will increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $0.775 per share from the current $0.70 per share, beginning with the common dividend expected to be declared by the Firm's Board of Directors in the third quarter of 2022. In addition, the Firm's Board of Directors authorized a new multi-year common equity share repurchase program of up to $20 billion, without a set expiration date, beginning in the third quarter of 2022. The share repurchases will be exercised from time to time at prices the Company deems appropriate, subject to various considerations, including current market conditions, the Firm's capital position and future economic and earnings outlook. James P. Gorman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley, said, "We are pleased to continue our robust capital return program, which is driven by our business transformation, especially the durable earnings from our Wealth Management and Investment Management businesses. After doubling our dividend last year, we are raising our dividend 11% and continuing to buy our stock under a new $20 billion multi-year share repurchase authorization. The strength and stability of our franchise and our capital cushion provide us the flexibility to continue to invest for future growth while also returning capital to shareholders." On June 23, 2022, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System released its CCAR 2022 resuts, as a result of which Morgan Stanley will be subject to a Stress Capital Buffer (SCB) of 5.8% from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. Together with other features of the regulatory capital framework, this SCB results in an aggregate U.S. Basel III Standardized Approach Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 13.3%. The Firm's U.S. Basel III Standardized Approach CET1 ratio was 14.5% as of March 31, 2022. Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made, which reflect management's current estimates, projections, expectations, assumptions, interpretations or beliefs and which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Morgan Stanley does not undertake to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that may arise after the date of forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties that may affect the future results, financial position or capital of Morgan Stanley, please see "Forward-Looking Statements" preceding Part I, Item 1, "Competition" and "Supervision and Regulation" in Part I, Item 1, "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A, "Legal Proceedings" in Part I, Item 3, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk" in Part II, Item 7A, in Morgan Stanley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and other items throughout the Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments thereto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220627005717/en/ [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] The Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) published a new bedrock geologic map of the Oil Mountain quadrangle in central Wyoming. The study better characterizes the areas mineral and energy resources, as well as sedimentation trends from when Wyoming was covered by an ancient sea. Energy and mineral resources are our number one criteria for prioritizing geologic mapping targets in Wyoming, says Dr. Erin Campbell, State Geologist and Director of the WSGS. The Oil Mountain map addresses several aspects of economic potential for the state. The Oil Mountain quadrangle is 15 miles west of Casper and at the southeastern margin of the Wind River Basin. The basins eastern boundary is defined by the Casper Arch, a northwest-trending region of folding and faulting that separates the Wind River and Powder River basins. Several of the geologic units in the Oil Mountain quadrangle, such as the Wall Creek Sandstone of the Frontier Formation and the Parkman Sandstone of the Mesaverde Formation, are well-known oil and gas reservoirs or source rocks in both basins. These same units also may be local sources of groundwater or enriched in mineral resources. Oil and gas production in the quadrangle dates back to the mid-1800s, and includes the Iron Creek, Poison Spider, Oil Mountain, and Canal fields, which produce from primarily Cretaceous-age rocks in reservoirs controlled by Laramide folding and faulting. The Casper Arch area is a great place to study Wyomings iconic Cretaceous sedimentary section, says WSGS geologist Derek Lichtner. These typically buried formations rise to the surface here, allowing geologists to connect the dots between wells in the nearby basins. The 1:24,000-scale map and accompanying 34-page report provide updated information about the geologic structure and sedimentary history of formations within the quadrangle, as well as their potential as a resource of groundwater, heavy-mineral sands, coal, uranium, bentonite, and aggregate. The report summarizes analytical results acquired from rock samples of key formations: whole-rock geochemistry, source-rock analysis, palynomorph biostratigraphy, and detrital zircon geochronology. These analyses shed light on various aspects of the formations geologic history, such as depositional age, depositional environment, fossil assemblages, and organic content. An extended dataset is available from the WSGS website. The map also builds upon recent WSGS studies in the Powder River Basin and Greater Green River Basin, and recent quadrangle maps, including Ervay Basin, Ervay Basin SW, and Richards Gap. The Oil Mountain quadrangle mapping project was supported with funding through the U.S. National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (STATEMAP), which is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group via Getty Images Full House star Jodie Sweetin isnt afraid of a little civil unrest. The actor, best known for playing Stephanie Tanner in the 90s sitcom (and the Netflix reboot, Fuller House), is speaking out after video of police pushing her to the ground during an abortion-rights protest went viral over the weekend. And shes ready to get back out there. Video of Sweetin attending a pro-choice protest in L.A. circulated on Sunday, just a few days after the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. The footage shows Sweetin, dressed in black and speaking into a megaphone, being pushed to the ground by law-enforcement officers in riot gear. I was walking and one of the officers just snatched my bag and tossed me forward, she told E!s Daily Pop on Monday, adding that she wasnt injured. We didnt use that as an excuse to do anything further. We continued on our march, and we were out there probably another four or five hours marching downtown. Photographer Michael Ade, who captured the video, wrote on Instagram that Sweetin had been trying to lead a group of peaceful protesters away from the freeway. He called the actor the definition of a real one. Sweetin reposted the video to her Instagram feed on Sunday and released an initial statement, saying that she was proud of the protesters who were taking a stand against the giant injustices that have been delivered from the Supreme Court. She added that any police violence would not stop the protests, noting, We are not free until ALL of us are free. Speaking with Daily Pop about the viral video, Sweetin said she hoped that people would focus less on her and more on abortion rights and police brutality. If people are disturbed by what they saw, let me tell you, Ive spent a lot of time protesting out in the streets and that is a very minor incident of police brutality, she said. She also challenged people who were shocked because it happened to Stephanie Tanner to see the bigger picture. I hate [that] it takes people knowing someone or it being someone that they recognize for people to be outraged or to take action, she said, which is why Ive been out there and Ive been really committed the last couple of years. Sweetin said she was committed to keep protesting alongside fellow activists. Ill still be out there, she said before sending a message to protesters at large. To all the people that are out there fighting, I have the utmost admiration and Im just honored that Ive been welcomed out there, and that Ive met some incredible agents of activism. LAPD spokesperson Officer Cervantes told E! that the video would be evaluated for any breaches of protocol or procedure, and Sweetin said she doesnt intend to press charges. A tornado above the town of Zierikzee, the Netherlands, on June 27, 2022, in a still from video. (B de V Photography via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) 1 Dead, 10 Injured as Storm Pummels Southern Dutch City THE HAGUE, NetherlandsOne person was killed and about 10 injured Monday as a weak tornado ripped through a historic fishing town in the southern Netherlands, tearing the roofs off at least four houses and sending cafe furniture flying through the streets. Video posted on social media showed a waterspout close to the town of Zierikzee. There is, sadly, one fatality to mourn as a result of the whirlwind, Veilig Zeeland, the organization that coordinates emergency response in the region, said in a statement. In addition, the first assessment is around 10 injured. Dutch weather website weerplaza described the storm as a weak tornado, a combination of a tornado and a waterspout, and said such events happen a few times each year in the Netherlands. The organization urged people to stay out of the area as the cleanup got underway in the town with just over 10,000 residents about 140 kilometers (87 miles) southwest of Amsterdam. In addition to rooftiles flying around and knocked-down trees, the roofs have been blown off four homes, the organization said. A storm front crossed the Netherlands from south to north Monday, dumping heavy rain on parts of the country. 3 in Custody After 50 Illegal Immigrants Found Dead in Trailer in San Antonio, Texas Authorities announced Tuesday that three people are in custody after 50 illegal immigrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer near San Antonio, Texas, on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed the death toll had risen to 50, saying that 22 of those who died were Mexican citizens, seven were from Guatemala, and two were from Honduras. Its not yet clear where the other 19 were from. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told local media that three people who werent identified were in custody over the incident. Its now being treated as a federal investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security is leading it, he said. McManus said hes not exactly sure how the three people are connected to the case. They are now in federal custody, he added in a news conference. The initial discovery was made when a worker heard cries for help and saw the doors of the tractor-trailer partially open. When the worker entered, he found deceased individuals inside, said the police chief. The illegal immigrants most likely died due to heat stroke and heat exhaustion because they were trapped inside a tractor-trailer in 100-degree Fahrenheit weather, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told local media. Officials said the victims were mostly teens and young adults. The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, Hood told reporters. There were no signs of water inside the trailer, and there was also no air-conditioning unit in the vehicle, he added. Data from the National Weather Service shows that the high on Monday in San Antonio reached 103 degrees. Illegal Immigration in Focus This speaks to the desperation of migrants who would put their lives in the hands of callous human smugglers who show no regard for human life, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement on Monday. We will be working with our federal, state, and local partners to assist in every way possible with this investigation. Last year, more than 2 million illegal immigrants were stopped as they tried to enter the United States along the southern border, according to data provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection several months ago. In October 2021, the agency said that border arrests rose to an all-time high for the 2021 fiscal year. A first responder walks through the scene where a tractor-trailer was discovered with migrants inside outside San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2022. At least 46 migrants were found dead in and around the tractor-trailer. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images) Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the deaths were, in part, a result of President Joe Bidens deadly open border policies and show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Its among the deadliest of the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten illegal immigrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 aliens were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. Our prayers are with those who tragically lost their lives, their loved ones as well as those still fighting for their lives. Were also grateful for the swift work of federal, state, and local first responders, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Law enforcement personnel inspect the scene of an Amtrak train which derailed after striking a dump truck near Mendon, Mo., on June 27, 2022. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo) Official: Upgrades Urged at Amtrak Crash Site, but No Action MENDON, Mo.The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries. A day after the deadly crash on Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said people taken to 10 hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. By Tuesday afternoon, at least 15 people remained hospitalized. The deadthree passengers and the truck driverhave not been identified. Amtraks Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago Monday afternoon when it struck the truck and derailed at the crossing. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard. The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri, about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City, has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train. Chariton County Presiding Commissioner Evan Emmerich said in an email to The Associated Press that resident Mike Spencer first brought his concerns about the crossing to a Dec. 2, 2019, commission meeting. He was told to contact the Missouri Department of Transportations Railroad Safety division. A week later, commissioners spoke with officials from the state agency and were told it is on their plans to repair, Emmerich said. After that, Emmerich cited other efforts by the commission. They included a March 2021 meeting with a state Railroad Safety division engineer at the crossing site; an email sent to the Railroad Safety division on May 23 to address concerns about visibility at the crossing; and a May 31 call to BNSF Railway, which owns the track, to express our concerns with the visibility issue at the crossing. An Amtrak train lies derailed after the train hit a truck at a crossing near Mendon, Mo., on June 27, 2022. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP) In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its State Freight & Rail Plan plan. It included a proposal to install lights and gates, along with roadway improvements. The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80 percent and the county 20 percent. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said the crossing near Mendon is identified for funding for improvements. Neither Horn nor a spokeswoman for Gov. Mike Parson immediately responded to emailed questions about why the countys request wasnt addressed sooner. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said the company had not been made aware of the states proposed upgrade. She said the next step would be a site review. We would work with all of the parties involved to determine if additional warning devices are needed and then work to get those designed, built and installed, Kent said. Spencer told The Associated Press that he is among several people who have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. Spencer is on the board of a local levy district. He said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days. Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it. We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer wrote with the posting. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. The posting noted that some trains pass by at up to 90 mph (145 kph). If you cross here with a vehicle stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways there are 2 tracks and around 85 trains go through there everyday, Spencer wrote. An Amtrak passenger train lies on its side after derailing near Mendon, Mo., on June 27, 2022. (Dax McDonald via AP) Passengers recounted the frightening aftermath of the accident. Rob Nightingale of Taos, New Mexico, said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth and he felt it tip. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. People have been injured or killed in at least six other accidents involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. By Charlie Riedel and Summer Ballentine Why the arts are an essential element of education Students in traditional, brick-and-mortar schools spend much of their time taking high-stakes tests. From kindergarten on, kids are pushed to be college-ready. Rigorous academic classes. Never-ending arrays of tests. Push, push, push. But what if, instead of pressuring young people in the single-minded pursuit of academics, we encouraged them to balance their lives by taking arts classes like music, art, theater, and dance? Aside from learning some basic motor skills, what else can the arts teach? Working Together for Arts Sake It turns out, arts classes are a great place for learning collaboration and communication skills. Retired art teacher Michelle Michaelson-Gard said, Students have to share tools and materials and learn how to work together and support each other. Art classes are often noisy, but its surprising how much talk involves sharing ideas, making suggestions, revealing struggles, celebrating successes. So much noise is actually productive. Over decades as a band teacher, Ive found band teaches students how to be part of a group and learn about teamwork, said Kate Metzger, a music educator in Aurora, Nebraska. Sometimes I think the band is a big familywhich might seem dysfunctional at timesthat works together to accomplish the goal of making music. Theres a similar refrain in the private sector as well. Jennifer Winkelman, owner of MidMo Conservatory of Dance, said, Dance is a team activity. Everyone works together to perform their part of a dance and make it the best that it can be. Dance encourages children to communicate with each other as they work towards a common goal. Amy Brix, director of JCHE Teen Theater, said, Kids in our theater program begin with very small roles, and gradually they work their way up to leading roles by the time they are seniors. Theater teaches them there are no small or unimportant roles, that every single person on stageand behind the sceneshas an important part to play in every single production. Homeschool mom Jacklyn Korte said focusing on the arts has made a remarkable difference in their family dynamic. My 11-, 9-, and 6-year-old are all taking a pottery class, and it has been wonderful. Occasionally older kids tend to have more opportunities, but with pottery, all ages start at the same level and are learning and growing at the same pace. It has been huge for my 6-year-old to be a part of something his older brothers were most interested in. Its providing bonding and deeper relationships among the siblings. Persevere Through Challenges Arts educators are also quick to stress how the arts teaches the value of practice and the need to persevere through adversity. If mastering different art techniques were easy, there would be no challenge, said Michaelson-Gard. Students often get frustrated and impatient, but good teachers embrace these moments as a natural part of the process. Students learn how to persevere and enjoy their progress, and they learn how important the process is. The same holds true with music. Musicwhether its vocal music or an instrumentteaches kids to be self-motivated, to see the value of regular practice, said Jim Jordan, a retired music teacher from Onawa, Iowa. Kids learn how to be responsible to other people, whether it be through showing up on time and well-prepared for rehearsals or performances or lessons. Theres always one rehearsal in every play where its clear the whole production is going to be a disaster, Brix said with a laugh. But then somehow, some way, everyone comes together and digs deep. They work harder. They get their lines memorized. They learn their cues and placement of props. By going through the hard stuff, they see the rewardsthe applauselater on. And they gain so much self-esteem through the process. Art Changes Lives One of my favorite stories came very early in my career, said Michaelson-Gard. A boy in my seventh grade art class loved to draw, but he put his head down on his desk and hid his face and artwork under his hood. I focused on his outstanding art skills and used a few of his drawings as examples in class. His classmates were impressed and started asking who created them. Gradually, the hood was up less and less, and he started sitting up in his chair. Several years later, after school one day, a young man came intall, muscular, decked in a very flashy, dressy ensemble. I didnt know who he was, but he explained he had an assignment for English class to interview someone who made a positive impact on his life. I immediately knew exactly who he was. He had even designed the outfit he was wearing! I cant imagine where hed be today if he didnt have art in his life and a chance to share it with others. Metzger remembered a girl who was ready to drop out of school entirely when the school said her grades were too low to qualify for Honors Band. Metzger helped the student, and instead of dropping out, she brought up her grades. Not only did the girl stay in Honors Band, she graduated, went on to college, got a degree in music, and now teaches band herself. She was absolutely ready to drop outbut look at her now! Successful, happy, and giving back to her students. I know so many shy individuals who have benefited from dance, said Winkelman. One of my students is painfully shy, and she would hide in the bathroom at school rather than go to lunch. But in her dance world she is so brave. She will perform in front of thousands of people. Now she is choreographing the dances and starting to teach them to otherswhich is amazing considering how she used to not talk. It has given her confidence and a common ground to share with others. Got Arts? All that talking and practicing and working together and being visible in non-academic ways makes a positive difference in childrens long-term success. If your local public or private school doesnt support the arts the way youd like, then look outside the school box. Millions of homeschool families incorporate the arts into their homeschools by taking local art, dance, or music lessons and participating in community theater. The opportunities to encourage your kids in the arts are out there if you look for them. In the end, arts education isnt art for arts sake, its art for the sake of our childrens flourishing. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine. Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the XIV BRICS summit in virtual format via a video call, in Moscow, on June 23, 2022. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) Argentina, Iran Apply to Join BRICS Group of Emerging Economies That Includes China and Russia Argentina and Iran have applied to join to become members of the group of emerging economies known as the BRICS, according to officials. The BRICS includes the worlds leading emerging market economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and is an acronym for those developing nations, which represent 42 percent of the worlds population and 24 percent of the global gross domestic product. Irans membership in the BRICS group would result in added values for both sides, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency. Khatibzadeh noted that while BRICS is not a treaty bloc, it has a very creative mechanism with broad aspects. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Tehran has already had a series of consultations with BRICS about the application. The idea of the group was first formulated by Chief Economist at Goldman Sachs, Jim ONeill, in a 2001 study titled Building Better Global Economic BRICs (pdf). According to the official website of the South African government, BRICS countries have increased their share of global GDP threefold in the past 15 years and the group aims to promote peace, security, development, and cooperation. It also aims at contributing significantly to the development of humanity and establishing a more equitable and fair world, according to officials. In a separate statement on Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Argentina had also applied to join the group. Hoping to Become a Member While the White House was thinking what to disconnect, ban, or spoil in the world, Argentina and Iran have applied for joining BRICS, Zakharova wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Argentinian officials could not be reached for immediate comment. Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez is pictured during a bilateral meeting with the German Chancellor on the sidelines of the G-7 summit at Elmau Castle, southern Germany, on June 27, 2022. (Markus Schreiber/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) However, Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez, who is currently in Europe, said at a BRICS+ meeting on June 24 that his country is hoping to become a full member of the association. We are enthusiastic about the prospect of coordinating policies that enhance the agenda of the countries of the global south, Fernandez said. We are safe and responsible food suppliers, recognized in the field of biotechnology and applied logistics technology. This means that we are not only capable of producing and exporting food. We also know how to provide services and train specialists so that other countries can increase their productive efficiency and thus improve the quality of life of their inhabitants, Fernandez added. We aspire to be full members of this group of nations. During that virtual meeting, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Argentine leader also called for peace in Ukraine, while other BRICS nations called for renewed talks between Moscow and Kyiv. We have also discussed our concerns over the humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine and expressed our support to efforts of the U.N. Secretary-General, U.N. Agencies, and ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] to provide humanitarian assistance, the group said in a joint statement. Selfish Actions of Individual States China, India, and South Africa have previously abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution calling for an end to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Only on the basis of honest and mutually beneficial cooperation can we look for ways out of the crisis situation that has developed in the global economy due to the ill-considered and selfish actions of individual states, which, by using financial mechanisms, are actually shifting their own macroeconomic policy mistakes onto the rest of the world, Putin said during the BRICS virtual meeting. We are confident that today, as never before, the world needs the BRICS countries leadership in defining a unifying and positive course for forming a truly multipolar system of interstate relations based on the universal norms of international law and the key principles of the U.N. Charter. Reuters contributed to this report. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) about the big elephant in the room that no one seems to want to talk about. When Dr. Anthony Fauci found out on Jan. 31, 2020, that the COVID-19 pandemic likely started in a Wuhan laba lab that he had fundedhe did not tell anyone. Instead, he covered it up. That wasnt just bad manners, it was criminal. Concealing material information within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the United States government is an offense. And it was an offense with terrible consequences. Who can doubt that the White House would have responded very differently if they had been told there was a lab-made virus out there that is specifically tailored to latch onto human lung cells? China would have been shut off immediately and the past two years would have turned out very differently. Welcome to Truth over News with Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke. * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. Follow EpochTV on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV Rescuers work at a site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine, on June 27, 2022. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters) At Least 13 Killed in Russian Missile Strike on Shopping Mall, Ukraine Says KREMENCHUK, UkraineTwo Russian missiles slammed into a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 13 people and wounding 50, the regional governor said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 1,000 people were in the shopping centre at the time of the attack, which witnesses said caused a huge fire and sent dark smoke billowing into the sky. A Reuters reporter saw the charred husk of a shopping complex with a caved-in roof. Firefighters and soldiers were pulling out mangled pieces of metal as they searched for survivors. It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims Its useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia, Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, wrote on Telegram that 13 people had now been confirmed killed by the strike, adding that it was too soon to talk of a final death toll as rescuers continued to trawl through the rubble. Lunin also wrote on Telegram that 21 people had been hospitalized, and 29 others had been given first aid without hospitalization. Its an act of terrorism against civilians, he said separately, suggesting there was no military target nearby that Russia could have been aiming at. At one point, paramedics rushed into the building after rescuers called out 200 meaning they had found one or more bodies in the building. Reporters were later pushed away from the scene as air raid sirens wailed again. A shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine, on June 27, 2022. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters) Ukraine Wants More Weapons As night began to fall, rescuers brought lights and generators to continue the search. Worried family members, some close to tears and with hands over their mouths, lined up at a hotel across the street from the mall where rescue workers had set up a base. Kiril Zhebolovsky, 24, was looking for his friend, Ruslan, 22, who worked at an electronics store and hadnt been heard from since the blast. We sent him messages, called, but nothing, he said. He left his name and phone number with the rescue workers in case his friend is found. A mall worker who gave his name as Roman, 28, told Reuters that the malls management had only three days ago allowed shops to remain open during air raid sirens. Kremenchuk, an industrial city of 217,000 before Russias Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, lies on the Dnipro River in the region of Poltava and is the site of Ukraines biggest oil refinery. Ukraines air force command said the mall was hit by two long-range X-22 missiles fired from Tu-22M3 bombers that flew from Shaykovka airfield in Russias Kaluga region. Russias deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, wrote on Twitter, without citing evidence, that the attack was a Ukrainian provocation. Exactly what Kiev regime needs to keep focus of attention on Ukraine before (the) NATO Summit, he said, referring to the alliances Madrid gathering due to begin on Tuesday. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the upcoming summit will agree a new assistance package for Ukraine in areas like secure communications, anti-drone systems, and fuel. We need more weapons to protect our people, we need missile defenses, Andriy Yermak, head of the presidents office, wrote on Twitter after the attack. Russia, which has captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk after a weeks-long assault, has stepped up missile strikes across Ukraine in recent days. Missiles hit an apartment block and landed close to a kindergarten in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, killing one person and wounding several more people. The Imperial Highway near the Los Angeles International Airport in El Segundo, Calif., in February 2022. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) At Least 20 Injured When Bus Collides With Big Rig Near Los Angeles Airport By Itzel Luna From Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELESTwenty people were injured, with seven being transported to the hospital, following a bus collision with a parked tractor-trailer in El Segundo on Monday morning, according to authorities. The crash involving a Los Angeles Department of Transportation bus took place near the Los Angeles International Airport on the eastbound lanes of Imperial Highway and Douglas Street. Three patients, including the driver of the rig, are in critical condition, according to El Segundo Fire Chief Deena Lee. Two patients sustained moderate injuries while another two patients had minor injuries, Lee said. She added that these patients are being treated at the hospital. In addition to the seven patients, 13 other people riding on the L.A. city commuter bus sustained minor injuries but did not want to be taken to the hospital, according to Lee. According to reports, at 8:23 a.m., a big rig was parked and offloading a scissor lift when the bus crashed into the rig in the 5600 block of West Imperial Highway. The bus was flipped on its side. The El Segundo Police Department is investigating the crash, Lee said. The El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Los Angeles fire departments responded to the incident, according to Lee. 2022 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. At Least 50 People Found Dead in a Truck Carrying Suspected Migrants in San Antonio At least 50 people were found dead in an 18-wheeler truck carrying suspected illegal immigrants on a remote back road in southwest San Antonio, according to officials. William McManus, the citys police chief, said that a city worker was alerted to the situation by a cry for help shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday. Officers arrived at the site of the tractor-trailer rig near the intersection of Cassin Drive and Quintana Road and found a body on the ground outside the vehicle, which had a door that was partially opened. Another 16 people, four of whom were children, were taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses, Fire Chief Charles Hood said, adding that they were hot to the touch and dehydrated. He also noted that no water was found in the truck. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, Hood said. It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig. Temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the Texas city on Monday. Temperatures can rise drastically inside vehicles on hot days. 3 Taken Into Custody McManus said three people were taken into custody but it was unclear if they were linked to any human trafficking efforts. They were not found with the truck and their involvement is not yet clear, he said. However, he noted that the truck was a presumed migrant smuggling attempt into the United States. A federal investigation has been launched following the find, led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, he added. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the HSI is leading an alleged human smuggling event in coordination with local police. A first responder walks through the scene where a tractor-trailer was discovered with migrants inside it near San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2022. At least 46 migrants were found dead in and around the tractor-trailer. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images) This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said late on Monday at a press conference near the scene. Mexicos Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, in a post on Twitter, called the deaths of the migrants in the truck a tragedy in Texas. He said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help however possible. A spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry told Reuters the countrys consulates in Houston and Dallas would be investigating the incident. Ebrard said two Guatemalans were hospitalized and Guatemalas foreign ministry said on Twitter that consular officials were going to the hospital to verify if there are two Guatemalan minors there and what condition they are in. Immigration Policies Blamed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attributed the deaths to Bidens immigration policies. In a blunt post on Twitter, the Republican governor wrote, These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICEs investigative unit who retired in December, told Reuters that the I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic. He said that illegal immigrants have been intercepted in the area regularly since July 2017, when 10 people died after they were traveling in a tractor-trailer that San Antonio police found in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The driver of the truck was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the human smuggling operation. President Joe Biden said in a statement on Tuesday that initial reports are that this tragedy was caused by smugglers or human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit. This incident underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths, he said. In Los Angeles two weeks ago, I announced that the United States has launched a first-of-its kind anti-smuggling campaign with our regional partners. In the first three months, we have made over 2,400 arrests, and that work will only intensify in the months ahead. Biden said his administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a Labor Party Caucus at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 31, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) Australia Could Reopen Its Embassy in Ukraine, Says Australian PM Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is looking to reopen the Australian embassy in Ukraine, as the Australian government continues to explore additional ways to provide aid to the war-torn country. Speaking prior to talks in Spain for NATO, where the Russian invasion is high on the agenda, the PM revealed his government has considered re-establishing a new post over in Ukraine over recent days and weeks. We would like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and to be able to provide that on-ground presence. And Ill have more to say on that in the coming days and weeks, he told reporters in Madrid on Monday. Ukraine Invasion Strategic Disaster For Putin Albanese also joined with world leaders to condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine, saying Vladimir Putins aggression has unified NATO and democratic nations against the Russian governments actions. The Australian PM further noted that Russias invasion came just after the was made of a special relationship between Russia and China which has reinforced the need for leaders in the free world to be engaged. We know that the invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic disaster for Vladimir Putin he was expecting to march into Ukraine and for it to be all over well before now, he said. He underestimated the courage and the resilience of the Ukrainian people but he also underestimated what the impact would be on the world. Albanese is attending the NATO summit as a Asia-Pacific leader, along with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. Calls For More Military Aid The comment comes after Ukraines ambassador to Australia Vasyl Muroshnychenko renewed calls for more military support to combat Russias military aggression. We need to see more weapons coming into Ukraine, more air defence systems, artillery, ammunition, infantry fighting vehicles, Myroshnychenko told Sky News Australia on June 23. The Prime Minister did not reveal whether a new support package had been developed but said Australia was the largest non-NATO contributor in the defence of Ukraine. Australia has promised to provide 40 Bushmasters to Ukraine, with 20 of those having already arrived. Meanwhile, it has also committed to assisting A$300 million to Ukraine, although not all had yet been handed over. Australias Defence Minister Richard Marles on Tuesday said the government is looking at additional ways to support the war-torn nation. The reason for that is whilst Ukraine is a long way from Australia we really do see the principles which are at stake in that conflictwhich is essentially that the global rules-based order that Australia stands for that it has helped to build and protectneeds to protected everywhere, Marles said in a press conference in Canberra. Whilst this is a conflict that is a long way away we see it as one that very much engages Australias national interest, we therefore stand with Ukraine against the aggression of Russia and will continue to look at further ways to support them. AAP contributed to this report. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is seen illuminated in the early evening in Sydney, Australia, on June 21, 2022. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) Australian Energy Industry Calls for Scrapping of Complicated Grid Transmission Proposals Australian companies and peak bodies in the energy sector have called on regulators to scrap overly complicated proposals on transmission access that may adversely affect the energy market. The Energy Security Board (ESB) has developed an Integrated System Plan to adjust controls and investment incentives in energy transmission as more and more renewable energy zones have been added to the grid. The plan will determine which generator gets priority in the transmission queue and how much they need to pay. Regulators have been concerned that new renewable energy projects are not bringing more new clean energy to the system but displacing existing sources and worsening congestion in the transmission network. However, Elizabeth Molyneux, the general manager of energy giant AGL, said the ESBs plan needed further modelling to figure out if there were still congestion issues requiring immediate attention. In addition, Jonathan Upson, the head of policy of Tilt Renewables Australias largest owner of wind and solar generation, said that wholesale electricity prices are subject to volatility and currently stay at extremely high levels. Therefore, he said regulators should focus on avoiding any rule change or policy that could cause wholesale electricity prices to become more volatile. Meanwhile, the Australian Aluminium Council said the plan had many design features and complexities that were not resolved and provided with enough details. The councils CEO Marghanita Johnson said the above issues might further increase risks or hinder investments and would not necessarily result in better overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the energy market. The Hazelwood Power Station and a electricity pylon is seen in Hazelwood, Australia, on March 31, 2017. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Sharing a similar view, Clean Energy Council director Christiaan Zuur said the models included in the ESB policy paper could not sufficiently judge the market impacts caused by the plan. We would caution the ESB from further over-complicating an already complicated system by the introduction of an investment timescale mechanism, Zuur said. Regulatory Uncertainty Cause Difficulties for Investors At present, many investors are facing difficulties due to uncertainty in regulations and lengthy project timelines. A report by Clean Energy Council showed that new renewable energy investment in 2021 was down 29 percent from 2020 and 70 percent from 2018. Energy regulators said that their proposals would improve investment certainty and provide more funds to technologies that could deliver new forms of energy to consumers and enhance the reliability and cost-effectiveness of power supply. However, AGL said the congestion zones with connection fees and a proposed transmission queue outlined in the regulators proposals would cause energy generators to pass on costs to customers. AGLs general manager also said many other ESB processes and market rule changes that would improve the energy market were still not finalised. AGL believes those should be prioritised over a reform of open access at this time, she said. Australian PM Facing Hostile Parliament After Slashing Staff Levels for Independents, Crossbench The Labor government could have trouble fulfilling its domestic agenda after crossbench MPs threatened to block all government legislation in the Senate after cuts were made to staffing entitlements. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese informed crossbench MPs and senators on June 24 that they would only be allowed to hire one parliamentary staffer (a senior adviser) along with four electoral office staff. Under the previous Morrison government, independents could hire four parliamentary staff eachtwo advisers and two assistant adviserson top of their four electoral staff. Speaking to ABC radio on June 27, Albanese said that independent MPs and senators would be serviced by more staff compared to MPs from the major parties, and they would also receive higher salaries. Further, these staff would have travel privileges not afforded to backbenchers. Theyre not totally on their own. The fact is that they have access to the Parliamentary Library that we will be increasing support for. They have access to clerks that draft legislation, in addition to personal staff, Albanese said. Albanese said there was also confusion about the role of staff in response to comments from MPs saying they did not want electorate office staff involved in work at Parliament. The fact is that people who work as electorate officers often do parliamentary work, he said. Thats how every single backbencher operates and indeed, frontbenchers, as well. We had a circumstance whereby I didnt know, and I cant find any great record of any publicity, for the fact that some crossbenchers had double the staff that other backbenchers had. Staff Cuts a Cost-Saving Exercise Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the staffing cuts will save the government over $1.5 million (US$1 million) a year. Just because youre employed under electorate arrangements doesnt mean you dont work in the Parliament, Gallagher told reporters on June 27. Its simply not right to say, well, they only get stay in the electorate, and they dont do any work in the Parliament. Gallagher said the government recognised that the crossbench needed additional resources. They get one additional personnel allocation and we believe thats a fair and sustainable way forward, she said. Decision Endangers Labors Ability to Work in the Senate However, the response from minor and independent MPs has been fierce. Senators Jacquie Lambie, Tammy Tyrrell, David Pocock, as well as One Nations Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts issued a joint press release calling the decision a direct attack on democracy that would only serve to decrease scrutiny on legislation introduced to Parliament, noting that in the previous Parliament senators scrutinised 550 bills. This is also a direct attack on the people of Australia who decided to put their trust in independents and minor parties to represent them federally, the senators said. Moreover, it flies in the face of earlier remarks from the prime minister that he was hoping for a more collaborative term of Parliament, where members and senators from across party lines could come together to genuinely improve conditions for Australians. Review Reveals Parliamentary Staff Struggling With Workload The independents also rejected Prime Minister Albaneses comments saying electorate office staff could assist with parliamentary duties. The Jenkins Review was clear that parliamentary offices are under-resourced and staff struggle to keep up with the significant workload, they said. This cut will only further deteriorate conditions in Parliament, and make it impossible for crossbench senators to carefully interrogate legislation, hold the government to account, and ensure we are supporting laws that are in the best interests of our communities and our nation. They also claimed the Albanese government had significantly damaged relationships with the crossbench. Independent MP Zali Steggall in a thread posted on Twitter echoed the senators comments and accused Labor of trying to muzzle independents. Is the PM ignoring the fact Labor has a slim majority in the [House of Representatives] and no majority in the Senate? To so drastically cut staff would delay and compromise the course of legislation by leaving crossbench members without the resources to review and adequately assess legislation, she wrote. Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivers a speech via video link to the opening ceremony of the Bo'ao Forum For Asia in southern China's Hainan Province on April 21, 2022. (Huang Jingwen/Xinhua via AP) As Chinas Economy Slides, CCPs Militarism Grows Commentary The tone of Chinese diplomacy and its international relations have markedly changed since 2019. Several factors are driving these changes in Chinas relations with the world. They include shifts in the global political and economic climate as well as other factors that are internal in nature. However, both are driving communist Chinas emerging militaristic rhetoric and behavior. Eliminating Rivals and Economic Growth The past several years have seen Chinese leader Xi Jinpings systematic removal of any potential challengerswhether political, economic, or culturalfrom Chinese life. That process dampens the spirit and energy of the nation and distorts the internal climate to new levels of fear and suspicion. This political paranoia within the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accompanied by an even larger role of the Party. In particular, the CCP is expanding the coordination of state-owned enterprises with private firms. That wont enhance economic performance, but rather deepen the Partys control over businesses. A screen shows news coverage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivering a speech during a Chinese Communist Party and World Political Parties summit, as people walk outside a shopping mall in Beijing on July 7, 2021. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images) But such actions are viewed as necessary for such a political structure thats inherently unstable. No real or imagined challenges or contradictory influences are tolerable because its all personal to the Partys and countrys sole leader, Xi. Therefore, in a reversal of a longstanding policy, political control over powerful technology firms and other highly profitable and independent firms trumps economic growth and innovation. The Caprice, Instability of One-Man Rule By consolidating more power to himself than any ruler since Mao Zedong, Xi has become the center of gravity of virtually all Chinese life. Such concentration of power into a single person allows for a series of ill-advised decisions. Worse, it engenders erratic behavioral loops, as poor decisions are corrected by overreaction or other poor decisions borne of personality, paranoia, incomplete knowledge, and insufficient consideration. How much and how often is any adviser willing to question the judgment of a man who disappears those who stand in his way? The result of such a ruling structure is rising internal instability. As were seeing, that internal instability translates into growing external adventures. The motivations are as predictable as they are self-serving. They are framed as necessary to resist an imagined or historical foreign aggressor or protect the national interest. But the necessity is to help unify the nation, eliminate internal Party criticism, and divert the peoples attention from a long and growing list of external and internal policy failures. Ukraine War Driving Manufacturers From China Many policy decision errors have led to the worlds decoupling from China. Recall how the CCPs hardball economic policies, one-way tariffs, Belt and Road Initiative debt traps, and IP theft finally began to boomerang back on the Beijing regime during the Trump administration. Western firms that operated in China for years began reshoring and nearshoring their manufacturing to minimize shipping costs, IP theft, and rising labor costs in China. Then from late 2019 to 2021, COVID-19 and its devastating economic impact reverberated worldwide. National lockdowns in much of the world and the economic costs increasingly led the international community to view Beijing and the CCP with deep suspicion and even revulsion. Employees are working on an assembly line at the third auto plant of Dongfeng Honda in Wuhan, China, on Nov. 27, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) But it was Chinas unquestioned and unlimited support of Russias devastating invasion of Ukraine that continues today that has triggered a mass exodus of Western companies from China. Predictably, Chinas economy has sufferedand continues to sufferfrom the growing loss of Western business. Concurrent lockdowns from Beijings zero-COVID policy have multiplied Chinas growing economic woes. Economic Slide Is Irreversible As noted, the factors that directly led to Chinas rapid rise to an economic powerhouse are no longer as powerful as they once were. The numbers tell the story, as The Atlantic pointed out last year. From 2007 to 2019, growth rates fell by more than half, productivity declined by more than 10 percent, and overall debt surged eightfold, the article said. Whats more, Chinas aging population is accelerating its economic decline. From 2020 to 2035 alone, it will lose 70 million working-age adults and gain 130 million senior citizens, according to The Atlantic. A Weakened US Invites Challenges Beijings aggression is also a result of external conditions. Namely, U.S. weakness on the world stage has been evident throughout the Biden administration. As a result, it has emboldened Beijings belligerent rhetoric toward the United States and other nations. The mishandled and tragic United States withdrawal from Afghanistan not only helped to undercut the prestige of American power, but it left a power vacuum. China (and Russia)the main adversaries of the United Stateswere happy to fill that void. Passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 as part of the evacuation from Afghanistan at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images) Furthermore, in the Ukraine war, the United States is leading from behind. The Biden administration has shown that it cant positively impose its will or influence the policies of Beijing or, for that matter, Moscow. As a result, Chinas behavior is growing increasingly militant in the Asia-Pacific region. A Rise in Regional Maritime Disputes The Chinese regimes militarism isnt seen just in its almost daily intrusions into Taiwanese airspace by Peoples Liberation Army warplanes, but in the regimes comprehensive expansion of war rhetoric and naval activity throughout the region. A thinly veiled threat of nuclear attack against Australia for agreeing to acquire nuclear-powered submarines is just one of many rhetorical escalations by Beijing. Chinas continuing naval buildup is enabling it to expand its naval threats all the way to Japan, where it has recently encircled the Japanese archipelago in response to a maritime dispute. As Chinas economic conditions worsen, Beijing will be bolder in its actions, particularly in its own region. Diminishing U.S. power and political will is certainly a factor in Beijings policy calculations, but so is the growing internal instability that the CCP leadership is promoting. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Fishing boats set sail for the East China Sea from a port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province , China on Aug. 1, 2021. (Chen Yongjian/VCG via Getty Images) Biden Pledges to Combat Illegal Fisheries; China Cited as a Prominent Violator President Joe Biden signed a National Security Memorandum on June 27 focused on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and associated labor abuses. To combat illegal fisheries and harmful fishing practices globally, the United States will increase coordination with both domestic agencies and foreign countries. An Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Action Alliance among the United States, the UK, and Canada is a pledge to take urgent action to improve the monitoring, control, and surveillance of fisheries, according to the White House statement release. A five-year strategic plan engaging Senegal, Ecuador, Panama, Taiwan, and Vietnam will directly combat IUU fishing on the ground. This is the first national security memorandum addressing IUU fishing. Communist China Leads in IUU Fishing Worldwide At a White House press briefing on June 27, three U.S. senior administration officials explained the background and purpose of the memorandum. IUU fishing can be interconnected with a web of other troubling security challenges and criminal activities such as trafficking in persons, forced labor, trade in illicit goods, wildlife trafficking, and other violations of law. One official said that the memorandum is not about any one specific country; but The PRC is a leading contributor to IUU fishing worldwide, and it has impeded progress on the development of measures to combat IUU fishing and overfishing in international organizations. The effort will coordinate with the Department of Labor, Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and other enforcement agencies as well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will work closely with Congress on the implementation of the memorandum. A protester holding a sign during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in the financial district of Makati, metropolitan Manila, Philippines, to mark Independence Day on June 12, 2019. The Philippine defense secretary says an anchored Filipino fishing boat has sunk in the disputed South China Sea after being hit by a suspected Chinese vessel, which then abandoned the 22 Filipino crewmen. (Aaron Favila/AP) Chinas Overpowering Distant Water Fleet The Communist regime has constantly claimed itself to be a responsible fishing country that adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards IUU fishery. According to a JSTOR research report, Chinas massive distant water fleet has ventured to all seven seas, and the waters of more than 90 countries both legally and illegally. To deal with the global illegal fishing problem, 70 countries have joined the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, approved by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference, and entered into force on June 5, 2016. China was not among them. Dai Furuo contributed to this report. Ed Gonzalez testifies before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on his nomination to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Washington, on July 15, 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Bidens ICE Nominee Ed Gonzalez Withdraws From Consideration Amid Process Delays Ed Gonzalez, President Joe Bidens nominee for director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has withdrawn himself from consideration for the role amid a delay in the confirmation process. In a series of posts on Twitter late Monday night, Gonzalez said he informed the Biden administration of his withdrawal on Sunday. More than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, he said. Under President Donald Trumps administration, the agency was led by acting officials. I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering whats best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as Sheriff, he continued. I am grateful to President Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nations border. Frankly, the dysfunction threatens Americas heart and soul. Gonzalez, who is the Harris County Sheriff in Texas, was initially nominated in April 2021 to direct ICE, an agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The mission of ICE is to address cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten U.S. national security and public safety. The Homeland Security Committee advanced Gonzalezs nomination in a party-line vote in August 2021. But a vote to confirm him in the then-Republican-controlled Senate was never brought to the Senate floor by the end of the legislative session, causing the nomination to expire. In January 2022, Biden resubmitted his nomination for Gonzalez, and in February, the Homeland Security Committee advanced the nomination for a second time. Delays Amid Domestic Abuse Allegations Before a Senate floor vote to confirm Gonzalez was due to happen, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)the lead Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Managementasked Democrat leaders to delay the vote to allow time for an allegation of domestic abuse to be investigated. The allegation was in an affidavit filed in July 2021 (pdf), from a former Houston Community College police officer. It stemmed from an unrelated case involving Houston Community College, where Gonzalezs wife Melissa served as vice chancellor. The affidavit involved allegations that Gonzalez became physical or violent with his wife because of her romantic relationship with the Chancellor. Lankford said in a letter (pdf) to Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), Because of the severity of these allegations, the vote on his nomination should be postponed until it can be determined whether or not these allegations are true. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the lead Democrat on the Homeland Security panel, said in March he decided to postpone the vote to probe the allegations. Jason Spencer, a former spokesman for the sheriffs office, said at the time that no evidence was found to suggest the claims in the affidavit were true. Gonzalez and his wife have both denied the allegations. In a statement to CNN in March, Gonzalez said, The allegations are false, all politics. Melissa Gonzalez wrote in a letter provided by the White House in March, Any suggestion that I filed or made a complaint against my husband is false and defamatory. To be clear, the assertions referenced in the affidavit, as they relate to me, my husband, or my marriage, are completely false. The White House at the time also issued a statement in support of Gonzalez. Sheriff Gonzalez is an extraordinarily qualified law enforcement professional with 30 years experience. He has a proven track record of implementing progressive solutions to difficult problems, while coordinating with federal partners, including ICE, to make Harris County Texas safer, and he should be confirmed without delay, a White House official said. The Houston Chronicle later published a report from the inquiry by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs into the allegations, which were debunked. The report stated there were discrepancies in the claims laid out in the affidavit. Critical of Some ICE Policies Gonzalez worked for the Houston Police Department for nearly two decades before he was elected sheriff of Harris County, Texas, in 2016. Prior to when the domestic abuse allegations became more prominent, Republicans were critical of Gonzalezs previous actions regarding illegal immigration. Gonzalez had made previous statements criticizing certain ICE immigration policies under the Trump administration. The Texas sheriff had also in 2017 decided to withdraw Harris County out of an ICE program known as 287(g) that would allow local law enforcement to be deputized by ICE to enable them to enforce federal immigration law, including to deport criminals who were screened in county jails and found to be illegal immigrants. In a confirmation hearing on July 15, 2021, Gonzalez said he had no intention to end the program if he were to become ICE director. Gonzalez had also previously declined to cooperate with an ICE operation in 2019, saying on Twitter, I do not support #ICERaids that threaten to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, the vast majority of whom do not represent a threat to the U.S. The focus should always be on clear & immediate safety threats. Not others who are not threats. [Harris County Sheriffs Office Texas] does not participate. A view of one of two areas being used for boats intercepted in the English Channel by the UK's Border Force at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent, on July 27, 2021. (Gareth Fuller/PA) Boat Pilots Ferrying Illegal Immigrants to UK Face Life Imprisonment Helmsmen of the small boats bringing illegal immigrants to the British shore can face life sentences, the Home Office said on Tuesday as parts of the new Nationality and Borders Act takes effect. Under the new law, those who assist unlawful immigrants entering the UK will face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment instead of 14 years. Highlighting the new rule on Twitter, the Home Office said it applies to people smugglers as well as small boat pilots. Coastguard-coordinated rescuing of migrants when they are in danger or distress at sea is exempt from the rules. Since 2019, crossing the English Channel in flimsy small boats from France has become the main mode of illegal entry into Britain detected by the authorities. A total of 153 migrants on four boats were intercepted by the UK authorities on Monday, bringing the total of small-boat-arrivals this year to 12,312 compared to 5,654 by this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020. Also came into effect on Tuesday was the increase in the maximum sentence for illegally entering the UK or overstaying a visa from six months to four years. Those who did not come to the UK directly, did not claim without delay, or did not show good cause for their illegal entry or presence, may be given a shorter grant of permission to stay with a minimum of 30 months instead of five years. Immigrants serving a prison sentence no longer have to serve their full sentence before being deported. They can now be removed after serving half of a sentence, or a year before the full sentence is served, whichever is longer. Immigration officers are given new powers to search containers for illegal immigrants, while the home secretary has the power to impose visa penalties if a country poses a risk to international peace and security or doesnt cooperate in taking back its citizens who have no right to be in the UK. Home Secretary Priti Patel hailed the law as one of the most crucial milestones in taking back control of the British borders. While there is no single solution to the global migration crisis, these reforms which come into effect today play a vital role in overhauling the broken asylum system as we put our New Plan for Immigration into action, she said. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that we offer protection and sanctuary to those in genuine need; but these new measures will enable us to crack down on abuse of the system and the evil people-smugglers, who will now be subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment as a result of this law coming into force. PA Media contributed to this report. A couple sit on a bench looking out across the River Wye towards Wales, from the village of Brockweir, western England, on Oct. 15, 2020 (Geoff Caddick /AFP via Getty Images) Britains Most Iconic Waterways and Lakes are Dying Say Campaigners Britains most iconic waterways, including the jewel in the crown of its freshwater lakes, are dying say leading campaigners, because government agencies are failing to crack down on sewage and slurry polluters, posing a risk to health and wildlife. Campaigners say years of swingeing cuts have fatally weakened the environment agencys role in protecting Englands celebrated Lake Windermere in the north-west of the country, once inspiration for Romantic poet William Wordsworth of Daffodils fame. Environmentalists accuse the agency of not using its enforcement powers to prevent water companies from discharging effluent from wastewater treatment works into the lakes catchment area. The outflow from privately-owned septic tanks near the popular lake is also an issue. The Environment Agency insists that monitoring data indicate levels of pollution in the lake are starting to drop but scientists have now ramped up their warnings saying toxic algal blooms are feeding off nutrients from the fecal matter in the water. Sewage is bad in terms of the different bacteria it introduces but most importantly it introduces phosphorous which acts as fertiliser for algae, ecologist Matt Staniek told The Epoch Times. Blue-Green Algae Can Kill a Dog Not only do algal blooms kill off fish by starving the water of oxygen, explained Staniek, but he says he would not swim in the lake. Blue-green algae is actually toxic to people. It will kill a dog if it drinks water with blue-green algal bloom in it and if you were to drink it youd most likely end up in hospital, he emphasised. Staniek, 26, who grew up in the area, is appealing for government intervention despite Windermeres twin status as a world heritage site inside a national park named for the lakes. It is a failing of government that water companies are still discharging sewage into our rivers, says Staniek. The public made it more than clear they dont want that. They [the government] didnt make it a legal mandate that they have to stop. A spokesman for the Environment Agency told The Epoch Times the issues surrounding the health of the lake were complex. We have been pressing [water company] United Utilities to make progressive improvements to its treatment works on the lake. The spokesman said rules and permits existed to minimise the risk of pollution from privately-owned septic tanks. But Staniek said dippers and kingfishers had moved away north to less polluted waters, and fish numbers were being eroded. Hardly any Arctic char were left, he insisted, adding that salmon, lamprey, and freshwater eels were all in decline. He was concerned, too, for another flagship species, the otter. If thousands of fish are killed because of depleted oxygen in the lake then there wont be any food for the otters to survive, the ecologist said. Stanieks warnings chime with the findings of a cross-party parliamentary report published in January which found chronic underinvestment and multiple failures in monitoring, governance and enforcement leading to poor water quality. No River in England Meets Standards In its report, the parliamentary group found a chemical cocktail of sewage, slurry, and plastic in rivers, concluding not a single river in England met chemical environment standards while a mere 14 percent achieved ecological requirements. In the last week alone, it was reported the 12-year-old son of one of the UKs newest MPs, Richard Foord, had fallen sick after swimming in the River Culm close to the family home near Tiverton in Devon, south-west England. Nor are the scatological problems confined to Englands river systems. Some 200 miles south-west of Lake Windermere, the River Wye rises in the Welsh mountains dropping into a valley officially classed as of outstanding natural beauty. But algal blooms living off phosphates and nitrates in fecal matter are having a profound effect on the Wye, too, say environmentalists. If it continues to deteriorate in the way it is, says wild swimmer and campaigner Angela Jones, the river could end up like an open sewer. Its dying, said Jones simply. We havent got a year left for the Wye. Even if we stopped tomorrow it would take at least 10 years. Yet its the nations favourite river. Jones, who sometimes sleeps on the river bank, and whose long flowing locks have earned her the nickname of the Wild Woman of the Wye, has even tried swimming downriver towing a coffin to draw attention to the Wyes plight. She wants all rivers given the same protection as seas. Jones insists a main factor is the run-off of slurry from what she says is a growing number of intensive poultry units producing eggs for the UKs handful of big retailers. Jones said nearly 77 percent of eggs for one main chain, Tesco, come from the Wye catchment. Charles Watson of River Action UK agrees. The excrement of chickens has four times the nutrient content of that of cattle, humans, or pigs. Then go back to the collapse of environmental protection. The regulation of those industries has effectively collapsed. Watson is also concerned about large quantities of the antibiotics in chicken slurry being washed into rivers. What would that do to the reproduction of fish, he asks. But the farmers union in Wales, NFU Cymru, disputed poultry farms were to blame for the pollution. Great Strides to Reduce Phosphate Run-Off A spokesman told the Epoch Times that farmers along the Wye catchment have made great strides in recent decades in reducing phosphate pollution run-off from agriculture. The spokesman said improvements included changes to soil management, planting cover crops to stop erosion, using vegetation as a buffer to stop run-off into the water, and air scrubbers. Watson is adamant, saying the Farming Rules for Water set up in 2018 to stop the polluting of rivers had not worked. By the governments own admission there has not been a single enforcement of these rules since they were introduced, he said. As a solution, Watson proposes the development of a circular economy. It would see the chicken manure produced each year processed and transported to where it was needed, such as arable farms in the east of England, avoiding them the need to import chemical fertilisers. Jones says she would like to drop back into the quietness of her life but is spurred on by her yearning to see the river flourish once more. Staniek, mulling the future of Lake Windermere, is every bit as determined: Why shouldnt Windermere be the most pristine water that the country has to offer? I think people should be able to come and look into the waters and be inspired by the abundance of life, he said. A spokesperson for the water services regulator, Ofwat, told The Epoch Times: We share the concerns of the public on sewage pollutionthe current situation cannot continue. They said the regulator was conducting a live investigation into potential non-compliance in all wastewater companies. The Epoch Times approached United Utilities for a comment. A spokesperson said the factors affecting Windermere were varied and complex. The spokesperson said significant investment had been made to improve the sewage system in recent years so there were fewer storm overflow spills. They also said the lakes four designated bathing waters were rated excellent. The Epoch Times also contacted Tesco for comment. Tesco did not respond directly but provided background information on its engagement with suppliers, saying it had signed a commitment looking at reducing water pollution in the Wye and encouraged all its suppliers to do the same. Tesco said it had directly funded the work of the Wye and Usk Foundation, a charity, which works with suppliers to implement nature-based solutions such as the creation of wetlands to reduce river pollution. The Epoch Times approached the Wye and Usk Foundation for comment. British Doctor That Ran Online Transgender Clinic Placed Children at Unwarranted Risk of Harm: Tribunal A doctors actions amounted to serious misconduct as she did not discuss risks to fertility at a consultation before prescribing puberty blockers to an 11-year-old, a medical tribunal has found. The tribunal inquired into allegations that Dr. Helen Webberley, founder of Gender GP, was accused of failing to provide good clinical care in 2016 to three patients aged 11, 12, and 17. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) runs hearings to make independent decisions about whether doctors are fit to practice medicine in the UK. On Tuesday, the panel found that Webberleys fitness to practice is impaired on wider public interest grounds. The tribunal is still to decide whether to impose sanctions on her. Misconduct Her husband, Dr. Michael Webberley, was struck off the medical register, the most severe sanction, on May 25. On Tuesday, an MPTS panel found Dr. Helen Webberleys fitness to practice was impaired by reason of her misconduct, which included failing to discuss risks to fertility with a patient, and on wider public interest grounds. The tribunal found Webberleys actions amounted to serious misconduct in failing to provide adequate follow-up care to two patients, aged 12 and 17, who were prescribed testosterone. In its findings, the panel said it was satisfied Webberley had since obtained insight and would implement changes if she returned to practice. But it said: The tribunal has found that Dr. Webberleys misconduct in this regard did put Patients A and B at unwarranted risk of harm. In the tribunals view an informed member of the public would be surprised if a finding of impairment on public interest grounds were not made in those circumstances. It therefore finds that Dr. Webberleys fitness to practice is impaired on wider public interest grounds. The panel found Webberley failed an 11-year-old, referred to as Patient C, by not discussing risks to fertility at a consultation before prescribing GnRH analogues, or puberty blockers. Puberty blockers are drugs used to postpone puberty in children. Increasingly, brakes are being put on such physical interventions to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the UK, Sweden, Finland, and France. Puberty Blockers The tribunal did not consider that Dr. Webberley has developed sufficient understanding as to the significance of how she failed Patient C in regard to discussing fertility, and as to how she can be sure that this will not be repeated, wrote the panel. Earlier, this year, the panel found more than 30 allegations brought by the General Medical Council against the doctor were proved. However, the panel said the doctor was competent to provide treatment to transgender people and found 83 allegations not proved. Webberley, from Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales, was convicted in 2018 of running an independent medical agency without being registered. The tribunal found her fitness to practice was also impaired by reason of her conviction. In evidence to the tribunal, Webberley said: The impact of having the conviction on myself was huge, it affected many things in my life, from my mortgage to my car insurance. I also know that the public were concerned about it because it was heavily reported in the press, but I hope that I have been able to show that at all times I acted with the best interests of my patients at the forefront of my actions, she said. The Epoch Times contacted Gender GP and Webberley for comment. PA Media contributed to this report. Conservative leadership hopeful Scott Aitchison takes part in the Conservative Party of Canada French-language leadership debate in Laval, Quebec on May 25, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz) Canada Should Recognize Taiwan as a Sovereign State, Says Tory Leadership Candidate Scott Aitchison Time to recognize the 'One China' policy has failed, he says Conservative leadership candidate and MP Scott Aitchison says its important to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, and that the One China policy has been a failure. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy right next door to the behemoth communist regime of China. Theyre constantly under [the regimes] bully tactics and threats, and yet, thats a beacon to the world, Aitchison told The Epoch Times in an interview. We need to stand with those beacons. If we really do believe in freedom, then we need to stand up for their freedom as well. Aitchison, who represents the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka in Ontario, says the One China policy which sought to acknowledge the Chinese Communist Party as the sole legitimate government of China and says that Taiwan is a part of China, simply doesnt work. Its also time for us to recognize that the One China policy has been a failure, he said. For the better part of 50 years, Canadas and Western foreign policy was premised on the basis that increased trade and prosperity with China would lead to greater adherence to human rights and liberalization of communisms harsh edges, he said in a statement on June 21. We were wrong. Canadas current policy with Taiwan does not acknowledge its sovereignty and does not maintain official diplomatic relations with it. Consistent with its One China policy, Canada maintains unofficial but valuable economic, cultural and people-to-people ties with Taiwan, the government said on its website. In his statement, Aitchison said he would work with Canadas allies and trade partners to welcome Taiwan into trade agreements and support the countrys efforts to join international organizations should he be elected prime minister. Aitchison stressed that Canada shouldnt be naive when dealing with authoritarian states, and should instead act boldly to ensure the freedom of future generations to come. China is a threat to the liberal international order. Thats a fact, he said in the interview. And unless Canada and countries that share our values come togetherunless we stand up against the Chinese Communist Partys aggression and human rights abusesour security and prosperity is under threat as well. Our Allies Are Forming New Alliances Without Us Aitchison criticized the Liberal government for its weak response, and delayed ban on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies from Canadas 5G network. Things like the banning of Huaweiall our allies had done that some time ago, and it took us too long, he said. Our allies are forming new alliances without us because were not a reliable partner. Canadas ban on Huawei was announced on May 19. The move came after all its Five Eyes intelligence partners had either banned or announced a phasing-out of Huaweis equipment by their domestic wireless carriers. The Five Eyes alliance includes Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. On Sept. 15, 2021, the White House announced the establishment of AUKUSa defence pact between Australia, the UK, and the United Statesto deepen diplomatic, security, and defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau downplayed the exclusion of Canada from the pact during an election campaign stop in Montreal the next day. We continue to be strong members of the Five Eyes, and continue to share information and security approaches with our partners, Trudeau said when asked if Canada will lose in terms of defence intelligence if its not part of the alliance. This is a deal for nuclear submarines, which Canada is not currently or any time soon in the market for; Australia is, Trudeau said. Aitchison says the job of a prime minister is to foster healthy relationships with allies and partners. Things like meeting the 2 percent of GDP spending on our armed services, meeting our commitments to NATO, meeting our commitments as a partner in NORADCanada has fallen behind in all these areas, he said. On June 20, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced that the federal government will invest $4.9 billion over the six years to upgrade NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), a joint command system for Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning and protection to the continent. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Andrea Charron, one of Canadas top experts on NORAD and an associate professor at the University of Manitoba, said officials in Washington have been at the end of their patience waiting for Ottawas plans on continental defence, particularly in light of Russias invasion of Ukraine. Online Censorship, Divisive Politics Aitchison says he is opposed to the Liberals online streaming act, Bill C-11. In the previous parliament, I served on the heritage committee, and we fought back against their online censorship. And were continuing that fight now, he said. Bill C-11 passed the third reading in the House of Commons on June 21 with a vote of 208117, with the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc defeating the Conservatives and Green MP Mike Morrice, who voted against it. The bill is now before the Senate. In a tweet on June 16, Sen. Leo Housakos said the senate will conduct a full study of the bill regardless of the Liberals push to rush it through parliament. The Trudeau govs attempts to circumvent the democratic process and ram through flawed censorship Bill #C11 with no discussion or debate should outrage every Canadian, Housakos said. Aitchison, who joined federal politics in 2019 noted that Canadians are desperate for leadership that delivers solutions instead of engaging in divisive politics. Its one of the things that Ive been calling out regularly since getting to Ottawa, that the partisan bickering back and forth and the vitriol we hear in Ottawa, Canadians are sick and tired of [it], he said. They actually want to hear solutions to the problems they face every single day, not calling each other names. With economic growth and affordability as his top priorities, Aitchison said if elected, his government will look into creating more jobs for Canadians, attracting immigrants with the right skills to the country, and exporting Canadas ethically produced oil and gas to the international market. So we need to lead with respect and show Canadians a better way to govern and that we can be trusted to do it, he said. Omid Ghoreishi and The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during the closing news conference at the G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau on June 28, 2022. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press) Canada to Expand Infrastructure to Help Europe Quit Russian Energy, Trudeau Says Canada will help Europe reduce its dependency on Russian oil and coal by expanding infrastructure among other measures, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on June 28 at the G7 meeting in Germany. Canada, obviously, as an oil and gas producer, is ensuring that in the short term were doing what we can to alleviate pressures, Trudeau said in a press conference. Were also looking in the medium term at expanding some infrastructure, but in a way that hits that medium-term and long-term goal of accelerating transition not just off Russian oil and gas, but off of our global dependence on fossil fuels because of the impacts of climate change. The G7 communique released after the concluding meeting on June 28 addresses at length the current issue of energy security, fuel prices, and Russias ability to sell its hydrocarbons to sustain its economy and the war in Ukraine. While Western countries have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia, its been business as usual for many other countries, with some such as India increasing their purchase of discounted Russian oil. We are working to make sure Russia does not exploit its position as an energy producer to profit from its aggression at the expense of vulnerable countries, says the communique. The G7 says it will address the current market pressures on oil by increasing production in the short term, using energy reserves, and encouraging OPEC countries to increase production. The communique also talks of putting a cap on the price of Russian oil. Trudeau said this is not just to deprive Putin of the revenue hes using to continue to wage an illegal war in Ukraine, but to put downward pressure on fuel prices around the world. Exceptional Circumstances The G7 also noted the importance of increased deliveries of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to accelerate the phasing out of the dependency on Russian energy, but that it was a temporary response. In these exceptional circumstances, publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response, subject to clearly defined national circumstances, and if implemented in a manner consistent with our climate objectives and without creating lock-in effects, for example by ensuring that projects are integrated into national strategies for the development of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen, says the communique. Trudeau was asked during the press conference if he wants Canada and Germany to strike an LNG deal, but he didnt answer directly, saying he would continue discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on how Canada can be helpful in the short term while ensuring the transition to cleaner energy in the medium and long term. The conversations around LNG are centred around the fact that LNG infrastructure is the same type of infrastructure that is going to be needed as we transition towards hydrogen, he said. Trudeau also announced new financial support for Ukraine with a $200 million loan to meet its urgent liquidity needs, as well as an investment of $150 million for humanitarian development and peace and security support. Part of that will include agricultural aid, Trudeau said. In Canada, our farmers typically face big challenges and have been proven to be inventive and creative. So well bring this expertise to Ukraine to help as much as we can. The prime minister also noted new sanctions imposed on over 80 individuals and entities linked to Russias invasion, as well as the ban on the import of certain gold products from Russia, in coordination with the U.S., the UK, and Japan. Wong Tai Sin Temple built a flag-raising platform for the first religious place in Hong Kong. (From the website of Sik Sik Yuen) CCP Flag Rises in Hong Kong Temple Scholar: Religions Follow Political Ideology of CCP Soon Wong Tai Sin Temple, the most popular Taoist temple and one of the famous tourist attractions in Hong Kong, built a flag-raising platform and became the first major religious venue in Hong Kong to hold the flag-raising ceremony. Scholars said that religions in Hong Kong having to follow the political ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is only a matter of time. Sik Sik Yuen, the management organization of Wong Tai Sin Temple, announced on its website on June 26, 2022, that they are the first religious place with a flag-raising platform in Hong Kong, and that the platform was completed because this year marks the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kongs sovereignty, It is planned that the flag-raising ceremony will, in future, also be held on major days such as handover day July 1 and on National Day, October 1. It is the first major religious place in Hong Kong to have a flag-raising platform and hold the flag-raising ceremony. A scholar said that religions in Hong Kong having to follow the political ideology of the CCP, is only a matter of time. Hundred of Priests Marching The initial ceremony was held on June 26, with the Hong Kong Adventures Corps serving as the flag-raising team, and nearly 100 directors and members marching, led by the Sik Sik Yuen leader of Wong Tai Sin Temple. The District Officer of Wong Tai Sin area and a representative of the CCP Hong Kong Liaison Office took lead in the opening ceremony, while the Commissioner of Police, Raymond Siu Chak-yee, delivered a video speech. Government officials and representatives of the disciplined services, leaders of uniformed groups, representatives of the six religions, leaders of the community, and representatives of various groups were also present. CCP Chooses Tulku to Control Tibet The management organization of Wong Tai Sin Temple, Sik Sik Yuen, not only worships Wong Tai Sin, but also worships Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.It is the first Taoist temple authorized by the Hong Kong government to hold Taoist ceremony weddings and issue marriage certificates. It was one of the busiest places of worship because of the support and respect of the people for Wong Tai Sin, who cured diseases and saved lives, and his virtues were known to many families. But in Mainland China, it is a fact that religion must follow the political ideology of CCP. On February 9, 2021, the CCP State Administration of Religious Affairs of in mainland China announced the Administrative Measures for Religious Clerics, CCP is a rolling-out grid management and localization of religions to monitor religious clerics. Among them, Articles 35-39 stipulate the training, education, appointment, assessment, reward and punishment of religious clerical personnel by religious groups, and the establishment of personnel profiles for the religious affairs department to monitor the words and acts of the clerics. Article 15 covers regulations such as Inheritance and Succession of Tulku in Tibetan Buddhism, including the application for the reincarnation of Tulku, the process and method of searching, and the identification of the reincarnated youth of Tulku, to be approved by the CCP rubber stamp legislature. According to reports, the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Cho Nyima, identified in 1995 by Dalai Lama, and his family were forced to be disappeared. Then CCP chose the Panchen Lama identified by itself and tried to control Tibetan religion. Subsequently, the CCP political ideology officials directly took over the management committees of monasteries in Tibetan areas, and controlled the application and search for the reincarnation of Tulku in various parts of the Tibetan area. Religions Follow Political Ideology of CCP After the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law on July 1, 2020, when pro-democracy groups and camps were forced to disband one by one or unwillingly disbanded, an unnamed scholar once predicted to the Epoch Times, the next step of the national security is definitely the control of religions in Hong Kong. As for the flag-raising ceremony of Wong Tai Sin Temple, he was not surprised, but felt that it came so quickly. He also said that religions following the political ideology of CCP is just a matter of time. The reporter had interviewed several Taoist groups, and found that there are many people who are patriotic for the country and the party. While the Epoch Times mentioned to the scholar that religious groups such as Sik Sik Yuen already had some pro-CCP members. The scholar said, some? You are too polite. He also pointed out, before the Election Committee was reformed, there were already too many people from the Hong Kong Taoist Association on the electoral committee, and there are more now. Wong Tai Sin Temple built a flag-raising platform for the first religious place in Hong Kong. (From the website of Sik Sik Yuen) Wong Tai Sin Temple built a flag-raising platform for the first religious place in Hong Kong. (From the website of Sik Sik Yuen) The American frontier and the pioneers who settled it are emblematic of the American spirit. From east to west, our country brought determined people of all backgrounds together in pursuit of the American dream. In showing how past generations of Americans shaped the land and how the land shaped them, the tale of Paul Bunyan, Sarah, Plain and Tall, and O Pioneers! will foster in young readers an appreciation for our country. These books are great to introduce to your children this Fourth of July. Pass on the story of a beloved figure of American folklore, with Steven Kelloggs entertaining picture book, Paul Bunyan. The book provides readers with a biography of the lumberjack, beginning with his youth as a larger-than-life baby with a dream of helping in his familys logging business. As Paul Bunyan grows (and grows), his adventures include grappling with grizzly bears and adopting Babe, his faithful blue ox. Paul Bunyan moves west, taking a logging camp and Babe with him. His travels take him all over America, introducing readers to the Appalachian Mountains, the plains of the Midwest, and the heat of Texas and Arizona. Kelloggs book depicts Paul Bunyan as an American hero who loves flapjacks and helping early American settlers. Special highlights of the story are the explanations of how the Great Lakes and the Grand Canyon came to be, and as it turns out, Paul Bunyan is responsible for both! With action-packed illustrations that make the tall tale come alive, this silly book will be a hit with readers aged 4 to 8. (HarperCollins, 2004, 48 pages) Another classic childrens story, which features a character leaving Maine and going west, is Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Charming in its gentle simplicity, this book tells the story of Anna and Caleb, two children growing up on a prairie homestead, as they come to love a newcomer in their lives, Sarah. A mail-order bride who might marry their Papa, Sarah arrives with an independent spirit, a cat named Seal, and stories of the sea. Sarahs affection for her old home is clear and the landscape she describes is so different from Anna and Calebs home, that the children worry that she may miss the sea too much to ever be content with living amid endless hay fields. Although Sarah, Plain and Tall touches on themes of loss, the story abounds with love, both within Anna and Calebs family and in the way the prairie and coast are described. MacLachlans writing poignantly communicates Sarahs love of the sea and also shows the beauty of the prairie as if seen through eyes as fresh and honest as Sarahs. Love and affection are also emphasized between Anna and Caleb and their father, and the hopeful attitude with which they look forward to Sarahs arrival is a refreshing alternative to the meanness often present in stories that feature a possible stepmother. A well-written, heartwarming chapter book for young readers, this book will appeal to both girls and boys aged 7 to 10. (HarperCollins, 2015, 112 pages) Set on the Nebraska prairie, the narrative of Willa Cathers novel O Pioneers! stretches over decades to show the hardships and successes of Alexandra Bergson, who, as a teenager, was charged with working the land her immigrant father sacrificed for. Although the novel starts slowly, readers will soon become invested in Alexandras story and the stories of those around her. While practical-minded Alexandra was always well equipped to handle the droughts and snow storms that threatened her homestead in her youth, as she ages, the conflicting desires of those around her and the reappearance of a childhood friend pose challenges that she feels less confident in overcoming. This novel brings together many elements of American culture worth celebrating. Alexandra is a heroine admirable for her industry and determination, belief in innovation, and unshakeable moral compass. O Pioneers! provides readers with a glimpse into Americas diverse roots. The plains of Nebraska that Cather describes are populated by Norwegians, Bohemians, and the French; the different communities, although characterized by unique traits, all seem to complement each other. Willa Cathers O Pioneers! is a fresh-feeling, engaging read that neednt be approached with apprehension just because of its status as a classic. Teenage girls will be most likely to enjoy the work because of its strong female main character and the books romantic elements. (SMK Books, 2009, 128 pages) China Concepts Stock in Desperate Situation Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions News Analysis The American dream of Chinese business owners was shattered when more than 200 China Concepts Stock left the United States, the worlds largest capital market, due to Chinas rejection of U.S. regulatory requirements as well as the U.S.-China geopolitical tensions. June 10 was the last day Didi Global (DIDI) was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), only 11 months after its IPO. Didis share price fell to $2.29, 84 percent lower than its IPO share price of $14. An app-based ride-hailing service Didi made its public debut on the NYSE on June 30 last year. It successfully raised $4.4 billion at a share price of $14. However, it was subjected to a cybersecurity probe by the Cyberspace Administration of China and had its app taken down. New users were banned from registering, citing serious violations of laws and regulations regarding the collection and use of personal information. Didis share price has since plummeted. In December last year, Didi announced that it planned to delist from the NYSE. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeted Didi because the Chinese cyber-watchdog wanted Didi to postpone its IPO, but the company went ahead as planned. Contrary to Didi, another similar internet giant that obeyed Beijing and abandoned its IPO plan in the United States was ByteDance, TikToks parent company. ByteDance was valued at $180 billion in a fund-raising round in December 2020. The company was considering an IPO in the United States or Hong Kong, but in late March 2021, founder Zhang Yiming was asked to have a chat with the CCPs cybersecurity regulators and securities regulators. Afterwards, the company put its plans for a listing abroad on hold indefinitely. The blocking of ByteDances entry into the U.S. market is not surprising. In 2020, the Trump administration demanded ByteDance sell TikTok to a U.S. company, fearing that TikTok would give the data collected from its users to China. China responded by adjusting its catalog of prohibited and restricted export technologies to include TikToks core technologies. Conflict Between Chinese and US Laws The China Concepts Stocks listed in the United States also face the potential danger of being delisted. On the surface, the reason seems to be the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA) passed by the U.S. Congress in December 2020. But the root cause is the CCPs refusal to comply with U.S. regulatory requirements. The HFCAA has two key elements. First, foreign companies listed in the United States will be reviewed or investigated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). If they fail to meet this requirement within three years after 2021, they will be delisted. Second, foreign companies listed in the United States will be required to disclose their relationship with foreign governments to demonstrate that they are not owned or controlled by foreign governments. Notably, the Act directly named the CCP, requiring the disclosure of the names of the CCP officials on the board, as well as whether the articles of incorporation of the issuer (or equivalent organizing document) contain any charter of the Chinese Communist Party. Beijings law directly conflicts with those of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. The Securities Law of the Peoples Republic of China, passed in 2019, stipulates that foreign securities supervisory and regulatory authorities are not allowed to conduct direct investigation and evidence collection activities in China. Without the consent of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and relevant departments, no unit or individual may provide documents and information relating to securities business activities abroad. On December 24, 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) and Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments). These again required domestic entities and individuals to provide relevant documents and information, in accordance with the requirements of the overseas securities regulatory authorities, for investigation and collection of evidence, to report to the CSRC and provide them only after consent of the CSRC and the relevant departments. The CCPs laws explicitly declare its power over state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The Guiding Opinion on Deepening Reform of the State-Owned Enterprises issued in 2015 claimed that the CCPs leadership of SOEs should be strengthened and improved, such that the CCPs role should be written into the SOEs corporate charter and the Chairman of the Board should generally be the party secretary. Chinese companies listed in the United States include the following eight CCP SOEs: China Life Insurance Company (LFC), PetroChina (PTR), Sinopec (SNP), Aluminum Corporation of China Ltd (ACH), China Eastern Airlines (CEA), Huaneng Power International (HNP), Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Ltd (SHI), and China Southern Airlines (ZNH). Even for private enterprises, the CCP laws require the establishment of its Party organization in the company. Article 19 of the Company Law states that In companies, Communist Party organizations shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, be set up to carry out activities of the Party. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler is pessimistic about Chinese stocks staying in the United States because of the conflicts between China and the United States. He said that it might be difficult for the CCP to comply with the Foreign Company Accountability Act, especially since it hasnt allowed this to happen for years. It will be especially difficult for those companies deemed sensitive by the CCP to remain in the United States. In a speech in May, YJ Fischer, director of the SEC Office of International Affairs, revealed one possible option for resolving the impasse over China Concepts Stock. The CCP could ask the companies it deems sensitive to delist, while allowing the rest to comply with PCAOB standards. China Concepts Stock Enterprises Dont Want To Leave the US But most China Concepts Stock Enterprises dont want to be delisted from the United States. In fact, being listed on U.S. stock exchanges has long been a dream of many Chinese entrepreneurs and businessmen. In 2014, Jack Ma led a group of eight Alibaba customers and employees to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the launch of the company in the United States. The bell ringers wore T-shirts sporting a quote from Jack Ma: You have to dream, what if it comes true! Jack Mas America dream has been widely recognized by Chinese entrepreneurs for decades. To date, there are 261 Chinese companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a total capitalization of approximately $1.32 trillion. After Alibaba, 48 Chinese companies, including Pinduoduo, Qutoutiao, Farmmi, Bilibili, IQIYI, and NIO, debuted on the U.S. stock market at the end of 2018, raising a total of nearly $9.86 billion. After the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act came into force in 2021, the pace of Chinese companies going public in the United States did not slow down. As of December 31, there were 41 Chinese companies going public in the United States in 2021, raising a total of approximately $14.27 million. Why are Chinese companies rushing to list in the United States? It has to do with firms demands for financing and the CCPs policy of restricting foreign investment. According to Davy Jun Huang, an economist living in the United States, private enterprises in China, especially internet enterprises, are severely short of capital in the early stages and bank loans are difficult to get, hence they usually rely on angel investing, venture capital, and private equity. But in the early years, these investment institutions were mainly outside China. For example, Alibabas investor was Japans Softbank. However, the CCPs law imposes restrictions on foreign investment in Chinese enterprises, particularly in the telecommunications and internet sectors, making it virtually impossible for joint ventures to be approved. To overcome this problem, Chinese issuers adopted a variable interest entity (VIE) structure to circumvent this layer of regulation and raise capital abroad. The VIE structure refers to a business entity outside China that controls a domestic business entity by way of an agreement. If these companies want to list in China, the China Securities Regulatory Commission will consider the VIE structure to be a circumvention of legal policies and of questionable legality, and will not approve it. Therefore, enterprises, such as Alibaba and Jingdong, have little chance of listing in mainland China and can only go to Hong Kong or the United States. In addition, listing in China requires three consecutive years of profitability and an accumulated profit of more than RMB 30 million (about $4.47 million), whereas in the United States there is no such requirement. This is enough to push more than 90 percent of internet companies to the United States. Examples include IQIYI, with a three-year loss of nearly RMB 10 billion (about $1.49 billion), raised $2.1 billion on the day of its U.S. IPO; Pinduoduo, with a three-year loss of RMB 1.3 billion (about $190 million), raised $1.64 billion on the day of its U.S. IPO; and NIO, with a three-year loss of RMB 10 billion (about $1.49 billion), raised $1.01 billion on the day of its U.S. IPO. The U.S. capital market has capital from all over the world, so the opportunities and scope for financing are huge. As of July 2021, the United States accounts for more than half of the global equity market, at around 55.9 percent, followed by Japan at 7.4 percent, China at 5.4 percent, and the UK at 4.1 percent. The U.S. equity market is 10 times larger than Chinas. Davy Jun Huang said that from the perspective of the companies themselves, especially from the corporate managers and investors view, they would prefer to stay in the United States. The capital capacity, the maturity of the market, the degree of regulation, and the management incentive bonus are unmatched by China. But in the case of Didi, which was forced to return to China, Beijings attitude is decisive in determining whether Chinese companies stay or go. In addition, the situation between the United States and China is a decisive factor. A People's Liberation Army Navy submarine sits in dry dock in Huludao Port in Liaoning province, China. Image captured by Planet Labs PBC, 3 May 2022. (Courtesy of Planet Labs) Chinas New Aircraft Carrier Uses Catapult Tech Stolen From US Beijing readies to drive the US from Asia, including with hypersonic missiles Commentary Chinas newest aircraft carrier and missile defense systems include a qualitativeand stolentechnological leap that brings Beijing closer to driving the United States from Asia. The new military capabilities offer the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) both a sword against its neighbors and a shield against U.S. strategic forces. The combined carrier and missile defense technologies put peaceful countries in the region under increased military threat, made all the more real by Vladimir Putins aggression in Ukraine and his no limits friendship with Xi Jinping. Over the past few years and in tandem with Russias parallel aggression in Europe, Beijing has accelerated its military pressure against the United States, India, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Chinas other closest alliesIran and North Koreaact in a similarly aggressive manner that pulls the United States and its allies in multiple directions at once. Smaller Asian nations like Cambodia and the Solomon Islands offer Beijing military basing. Others like Malaysia, Brunei, and Laos try to stay silent and out of the fray, but in their silence and sometimes more, is complicity. Chinas Stolen Military Tech Beijings power in Asia is based on its growing military and economic power, matched with an aggressive pursuit of improved military technology. Yet some mainstream media, including Foreign Policy, The Associated Press, and NPR, downplay the threat or give credence to Beijings story that its latest military technological advancements are indigenously produced rather than stolen from the United States and Europe. China steals up to $600 billion annually in U.S. intellectual property aloneand naval technology is no exception. Chinas IP theft allows its navy to gain on the United States so swiftly. Bloomberg News noted that Chinas new carrier technology represents a watershed moment in the modernization of the PLA and burnishes Xis military credentials ahead of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership conference where he will seek an unprecedented third term as the countrys dictator-in-chief. The propaganda video about the launch is dedicated to the CCPs upcoming congress. The video stated, Offense is our mission, according to Bloomberg. The PLA Navy (PLAN) launched the carrier on June 17. While a diesel engine will likely power the ship rather than more advanced nuclear propulsion, it uses the latest electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), according to Capt. James Fanell (U.S. Navy, Ret.), former director of Intelligence for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. EMALS was initially developed by the U.S. Navy for its aircraft carriers and was first successfully tested in 2015 on the USS Gerald R. Ford. The U.S. Navy, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), is seen underway on its own power for the first time in Newport News, Va., on April 8, 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via Getty Images) While an analyst quoted uncritically by The Associated Press claimed that Chinas new carrier technology is entirely China-developed, this is an obvious falsehood, according to Fanell. Consider how long it took the United States to develop the technology and that China jumped a prior technology, steam catapults, entirely. Beijings Military Espionage The PLAN is rapidly catching up with U.S. military technologies only because it can use cyber, industrial, academic, and other forms of espionage. As a result, the PLAN is keeping pace with the United States technologically and is already ahead in some ways, including its anti-ship missiles and the greater number of its navy ships. Fanell wrote in an email, Given the PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] past espionage activities surrounding its first aircraft carrier, there is no question that the PRC has once again stolen EMALS technology from the US Navy. Anyone who suggests otherwise is only providing cover for the PRCs espionage programs. It would be wise for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate leaks from [within] the USG [U.S. Government] surrounding this very sensitive program. Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in the Washington area, wrote in an email, Academic exchanges with the West provided the basis for Chinas electromagnetic launch (EML) development, which is why the democracies must revive the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) to block such access by China. Type 003s New Tech The larger size of Chinas new carrier, known as the Type 003 or Fujian, will allow it to launch not only fighter jets, but also delivery transport and airborne early warning and control airframes. The carrier will likely employ two starboard lifts to move planes to the upper deck, according to experts cited by the South China Morning Post. Chinese J-15 fighter jets being launched from the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier during military drills in the South China Sea on Jan. 2. 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The Type 003 is Chinas third carrier, but with the fourth, according to the Post experts, China will likely move to nuclear propulsion systems. China aims to have a true blue-water navy by 2035, with a fleet of 6 aircraft carriers, according to the Post. Complementary Missile Systems To avoid getting sunk, modern naval ships require effective anti-missile technology. On June 19, Chinas defense ministry claimed to have conducted another ground-based anti-ballistic missile (ABM) test. The test used a high-speed interceptor to hit a target missile in space, which would have created a large field of debris that threatened other objects in space, including satellites and manned space missions. The PLA has conducted ABM tests since at least 2010, including in cooperation with Russia. China is also deploying hypersonic missiles that can destroy U.S. carriers. While the United States has researched hypersonic missiles for approximately seven decades, China is ahead of the United States in testing and deployment of such missiles, including because of Chinas more advanced wind tunnels. Beijing claims to be developing artificial intelligence-enabled anti-missile defenses against hypersonic warheads, according to Indian media. If true, such defenses would give its naval ships a shield to blunt next-generation U.S. and allied hypersonic deterrence against its ongoing military aggression against Taiwan, Japan, India, and in the South China Sea. Nuclear Propulsion The PLAN already operates submarines that use nuclear propulsion, including both attack and ballistic missile variants. Adapting those propulsion systems for its aircraft carriers should not be too difficult technologically. Chinas failure to do so for the Type 003 carrier, one of the few areas in which the United States still outcompetes China, could be due to any combination of causes: naval engineers may have wanted to decrease the number of technological challenges for the Type 003; Xi may have rushed the carrier to burnish his credentials ahead of the CCP congress, where he seeks an unprecedented third term; or PLA planners might have sped development in an attempt to project immediate military power against Taiwan, India, and in the South China Sea. While the PLA has traditionally been a land army, its rapidly expanding blue water capabilities are meant to project power globally. This is consistent with the CCPs ambitions of global hegemony, detailed in Rosh Doshis book, The Long Game: Chinas Grand Strategy to Displace American Order (Oxford University Press, 2021). Chinas new super carrier flattop and improving missile defenses are tools for regional and then global hegemony, wrote Fisher. A satellite image shows what appears to be the construction of a third Chinese aircraft carrier at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China, on April 17, 2019. (CSIS/ChinaPower/Maxar Technologies 2019/Handout via Reuters) A third and perhaps soon fourth carrier before the end of this decade will serve to overwhelm U.S. naval forces forward deployed in Asia, while improved Chinese missile defenses will blunt the effects of soon to be deployed U.S. theater missile systems, wrote Fisher. Chinas third carrier, within two years, will join the first two in intimidation exercises around Taiwan that prepare for a major attack expected this decade, he predicted. The new PLAN carrier will join other elements of the PLA in threatening neighbors, including India, against which the PLA is engaged in ongoing territorial aggression. India will have to closely watch Chinas new aircraft carrier and missile defense systems because these mark a qualitative boost to Chinese naval reach and strike power, Subir Bhaumik, an India-based military analyst, wrote in an email. India has to take [seriously] its maritime diplomacy of developing naval alliances with other Asian nations equally worried over Chinas military boost and assertiveness. PLA Demonstrates Confidence Fanell called the Type 003 another important milestone in the modernization of the PLA Navys blue water capabilities. He noted that skipping from the old ski-ramp flight deck directly to EMALS, without the intermediate step of steam catapults, underscores the confidence PRC Central Military Commission (CMC) and PLA Navy planners have in the pursuit of Xis stated goal of having a world class military by 2035. Sailors stand on the deck of the new type 055 guided missile destroyer Nanchang of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy as it participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Chinas PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern Chinas Shandong Province on April 23, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images) The PLAN thus demonstrates its skip echelon strategy, according to Fanell, to not only catch up to the United States Navy technologically and by skipping intermediate steps, but to rapidly exceed it in tonnage and number of navy ships. Just think about it, in the past 10 years the PRC has commissioned three aircraft carriers to just one for the U.S. Navy, Fanell wrote. While the first two PLA Navy aircraft carriers are smaller and less capable than their U.S. Navy counterparts, the fact is there is now 160,000 tons of PLA Navy steel at sea compared to just 100,000 for the U.S. Navy. Fanell argued that Chinas pursuit of carriers, at a time when the United States is dithering over its own carrier force, shows confidence on the part of Beijings military planners. While there is a great debate going on within the U.S. Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill regarding the future of aircraft carriers in the face of the PLAs anti-carrier ballistic missile (ACBM) threat (like the DF-21D and DF-26), the PRC has made it abundantly clear they are not deterred from pursuing a much larger carrier force, wrote Fanell. These PRC military planners are confident their aircraft carriers will fare much better in a war-at-sea against the U.S. Navy, which is relatively underprepared for blue-water naval warfare. He pointed out that the PLAN is reaching toward naval superiority with their mix of technologies, including ACBMs. U.S. Navy carriers are threatened by PLA Rocket Forces ACBMs, while PLAN carriers will operate with relative impunity, allowing them to project naval power farther and farther from the Chinese mainland, Fanell wrote. This capability will be useful in a Taiwan invasion scenario where PLAN carriers will operate and launch strikes east of Taiwan, thus complicating U.S. and Taiwan defense strategies. Resupply of Taiwan with military materiel, so obviously critical to the Ukraine war effort, would be difficult if China controls not only the Taiwan Strait, but the seas east of Taiwan as well. The bottom line is that the CCP is using Western technology and moneygained through trade, espionage, and academic interaction with the United States and Europeto rapidly expand its navy to the point of overtaking and defeating the United States in Asia and ultimately the world. American and European governments must wake up and take action before it is too late. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 30th anniversary of the spiritual discipline's introduction to the public, in New York on May 13, 2022. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Chinese Regime Killed Falun Gong Adherent for His Liver, Witness Says A former Japanese criminal gang member says he was a witness of Chinas live organ trade, having seen an anesthetized Falun Gong adherentwith tendons cut to prevent his flightshortly before the man was placed on an operating table to have his liver carved out. That was in August 2007, when Ushio Sugawara, now 58, was still a member of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumiJapans largest crime syndicate. He left the gang in 2015 and is now an economic commentator in Japan. His friends brother was desperate for a new liver to sustain his life. With strict regulations, high costs, and long waiting times in the United States and Francetwo of the few countries offering liver transplant surgeries at the timethe struggling patient turned to what appeared to be his only alternative: China. At the time, Beijings General Hospital of the Armed Police Forces, a state-run military hospital, had risen to become a national leader in liver transplant surgery. A Chinese broker who facilitated medical tourism with Japan put the brother in touch with the Beijing hospital. Within a month, they had a suitable donor, telling the patient to fly over for surgery anytime. The price was 30 million yen (roughly $255,000)not even half the cost of what theyd been told in the United States and France. Contribution Before His Death Sugawara, in an interview with The Epoch Times, recounted how he became involved after the family found that the quality of the hospitals albumin, a protein produced by the liver that is infused during the surgery, wasnt up to par. He helped them buy the solution in Japan to smuggle into Beijing, with the sanction of the Chinese hospital. The day before the scheduled surgery, Sugawara visited the patient and learned that the donor was in the next room. Would you like to have a look? suggested a Chinese doctor fluent in Japanese, drawing back the curtain to reveal a 21-year-old man. The man was unresponsive due to being anesthetized. Hes very young. The liver is very healthy, the doctor told Sugawara. What kind of a person is he? Sugawara asked. The doctor, in response, claimed the man to be a bad person and a death row prisoner. That was when I realized that China uses prisoners for organ harvesting, Sugawara said. Ushio Sugawara, during an interview with The Epoch Times on June 20, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times) He will die sooner or later, and this way, he can make some more contribution before his death, the doctor said. He then branded the man as a terrorist group member. Pressed by Sugawara on what the man did, the doctor answered that he was Falun Gong. The spiritual discipline Falun Gong, whose teachings are based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, was vastly popular in China in the 1990s but came under a nationwide persecution under the Chinese Communist Party in 1999. In the decades since, millions of adherents have been arrested and subjected to various forms of abuse designed to decimate their faith. Concerns that the regime may have been harvesting organs for profit first surfaced in 2006. Multiple whistleblowers that year approached The Epoch Times offering testimony about the illicit practice. Annie (a pseudonym), who worked at a Chinese hospital in northeastern China, said that her ex-husband, who was a brain surgeon at the same facility, and other doctors removed corneas and other organs from living Falun Gong practitioners before throwing the bodies into incinerators, sometimes while they were still alive. A 2019 London-based independent panel, known as the China Tribunal, concluded beyond reasonable doubt that the regime had been killing prisoners of conscience and selling their organs. Falun Gong practitioners, they found, remained a primary victim group. In early May, the European Parliament approved a resolution condemning the regimes organ harvesting, calling it persistent, systematic, inhumane. The doctor said that with so many people in China, they can find as many donors as needed, Sugawara said. China has a lot of bad people, the doctor told him. They will have to die anyway, so we should make good use of them. The surgery ultimately failed, and the patient died during the operation, along with the donor. Two doctors perform surgery in southwest Chinas Chongqing, on Aug. 9, 2013. A patient received a matching liver and kidney for transplant surgeries within only a month in Tianjin City, according to NTD Television. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images) Special Treatment Sugawara was escorted out of Beijing airport by a senior official and four armed police officers when he landed with the albumin. He had been held for several hours by customs officers who had detected the albumin solution in his checked luggage, since it wasnt allowed into the country without a special permit. A customs official came to stamp his passport as he was taken through a VIP immigration lane. He was then whisked away in a black luxury Lexus. The special treatment he received was one sign of the active part that Party officials played in the regimes organ harvesting industry, Sugawara said. The broker said that they couldnt proceed without officials participation, he said. Theres no way they could balance the complicated relationships. Medical Barbarism The man who Sugawara saw had bandages around his hands and feet. He remembers the doctor saying they had cut the tendons on the donors limbs a day earlier, in part to keep him from fleeing. The cutting of the mans tendons reflects the brutality of the doctors, according to Torsten Trey, executive director of the medical ethics advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting. No doctor who follows the medical oath would do that, he told The Epoch Times. If they can cut tendons, they can also remove organs without consent. It is a medical barbarism.' He believes its possible that the doctors wanted to avoid application of muscle relaxants to ensure better quality of the organs. Cutting the tendons, he said, could suppress the resistance of the muscles, which makes it easier to remove the organs. The fact that the doctor was initially framing the donor as a terrorist in order to justify his act of harvesting organs is despicable, in particular as he later admitted that it was a lie and that it was a healthy Falun Gong practitioner, Trey said. By cutting the tendons, the doctors were basically creating an artificially created paralysis, Trey said, adding that such an act is cruel and should induce in any doctor a strong reaction of dismay. The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), a New York-based human rights group, has identified the General Hospital of the Armed Police Forces as one of the worst offenders involved in many suspected cases of organ harvesting crimes. In WOIPFGs undercover phone calls, at least one transplant surgeon from the hospital admitted to sourcing organs from Falun Gong practitioners. We have plenty of organs, said Wang Jianli, the deputy chief surgeon for the hospitals organ transplant research institute, when asked by one investigator posing as a patients family member in search of a liver. He said that one to two weeks was about right for them to arrange a surgery. Right, right, right, Wang said in November 2018 when asked whether the organs they used were the Falun Gong healthy organs. Falun Gong practitioners gather in a park in Chengdu City, China, for morning exercises some time in the 1990s, before the persecution against the meditation practice began. (Faluninfo.net) Falun Gong practitioners perform Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands, the first of the Falun Gong standing exercises, at Foley Square in New York on May 12. They are celebrating 21 years since the ancient meditation discipline was introduced to the general public in China by Mr. Li Hongzhi. In subsequent years, May 13 has come to be known as World Falun Dafa Day. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times) The short timeframe for securing a suitable organ in Chinasuch as matching a liver within one month, as in the case of the brother of Sugawaras friendshould also raise alarm bells, Trey said. Its a very short time frame that is unusual for an altruism-based organ donor program in the West, yet quite common in Chinas transplant market, he said. The passage of time hasnt lessened the sense of cruelty that Sugawara felt about what he witnessed. They thought they were doing the right thing. They were all brainwashed, he said. The Japanese edition of The Epoch Times contributed to this report. Chipmakers Will Abandon Plans for US Plants Unless Congress Passes $52 Billion Funding, Warns Raimondo U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo urged lawmakers to quickly approve $52 billion in funding for chipmakers as multiple companies have stalled their expansion plans in the country. Mark my words if Labor Day comes and goes and this Chips Act isnt passed by Congress, these companies will not wait and they will expand in other countries, Raimondo said in an interview with CNBC. The CHIPS Act was passed by Congress in January 2021 but there has yet to be any funding budgeted for it. The act will provide companies with financial incentives to build chipmaking plants in the United States, thereby making such investments more attractive. Taiwans GlobalWafers announced plans to build a silicon manufacturing plant in Sherman, Texas, at a cost of $5 billion. However, the companys CEO informed Raimondo that the investment was contingent on Congress approving the $52 billion incentive package. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), the largest contract chip manufacturer in the world, announced a $12 billion plant in Phoenix back in 2020. CEO Mark Liu stated that the company is hoping for U.S. federal and state governments to make up TSMCs running costs difference between the United States and Taiwan, according to Reuters. In June, TSMC called for Washington to extend the CHIPS support package, which is aimed at domestic companies, to cover foreign firms as well. Intel has also pushed for passing the CHIPS Act. As the world comes to grips with chip shortages due to supply chain disruptions and ripple-effects from the global pandemic, Intels leaders are urging Congress to fund the CHIPS for America Act to create a more stable future for the U.S. tech industry, the company said in a June 8 news release. Passing the Legislation Business lobbyists who pushed for the bill are said to be frustrated with the Biden administration, according to Bloomberg. Republican supporters of the bill claim that Bidens team has been less forceful on House Democrats with regard to the bill. The $52 billion funding sits inside broader bills aimed at boosting Americas economic competitiveness amidst growing competition from other nations like China. Though the matter of semiconductor subsidies has strong support in both chambers, disagreement crops up when it comes to other issues in these bills. In a letter written to Senate and House leaders on June 15, chief executives of over 100 tech firms warned that the rest of the world is not waiting for the U.S. to act. Our global competitors are investing in their industry, their workers, and their economies, and it is imperative that Congress act to enhance U.S. competitiveness. Semiconductor companies wanting to invest in the United States are being courted by nations like South Korea and Germany, which are already offering many subsidies. People stand outside a hospital after toxic gas leak from a storage tank in Jordan's Aqaba port on June 27, 2022. (Abraham Farajian/Reuters) Chlorine Gas Leak Kills 12, Injures 251 at Jordan Port At least 12 people died and 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank at Jordans Aqaba port, officials and state media reported on Monday. The leak came after a tank filled with 25 tonnes of chlorine gas being exported to Djibouti fell while being transported, officials said. A video posted on state televisions Twitter page showed a storage tank falling from a winch and slamming into the deck of a ship, followed by yellow-colored gas rising into the air as people ran away. Health ministry officials said they expected only a handful of people to remain hospitalized by Tuesday. Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and water purification agent, but if inhaled, the gas turns to hydrochloric acid, which can lead to internal burning and drowning through a reactionary release of water in the lungs. Jordans Aqaba grain silos halted work to allow inspection of its grains and for any signs of contamination, but maritime traffic at Aqaba ports continues, officials said. There were no vessels unloading any grains cargo at the time of the incident, they added. Aqaba port at the north end of the Red Sea has long been a major transit route for Iraqi imports and exports. Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh arrived at Aqaba and headed to a hospital where some of the injured were being treated, state TV reported. Al-Khasawneh also formed an investigation team into the incident chaired by the interior minister, state TV cited the information minister as saying. Counterproductive California Environmental Bills Commentary Back in March, Capital & Main ran a really biased headline, Will Californias Fossil Fuel Industry Use the Ukraine War to Undermine Oil and Gas Legislation? Subhead, Three bills may fall victim to a new push for more oil drilling. Lets look at those bills today, three months later, and with gas prices now surpassing $7 a gallon in many areas of the Golden State. Senate Bill 1173 is by state Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). It would prohibit the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) from making additional or new investments or renewing existing investments in the 200 largest fossil fuel companies. It passed the Senate on May 25. Currently, its in the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Public Employment and Retirement. It would do precisely nothing about global or even national oil supplies and production. Other people will invest in these companies, which currently are making record profits due to the global oil shortage. It only would harm CalPERS and CalSTRS equities positions by taking away potential investment opportunities. Taxpayers would be forced to pick up any shortfalls. Senate Bill 1322 is by state Sen. Bill Allen (D-West Los Angeles). It would require each oil refinery operator in the State to submit the following information to the [California Energy Commission] within seven days of the end of each month: a) The volume of crude oil refined into gasoline in the prior calendar month. b) The average price paid for each barrel of crude oil that is refined into gasoline in the prior calendar month. c) The gross and net refining margin per barrel of gasoline sold in the prior calendar month. It passed the Senate on May 23, and currently is in the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. SB 1322 is pointless meddling that only will add red tape to oil production. Its supposed to threaten oil companies so they dont increase profits as prices go up. It would have the opposite effect, with the red-tape costs passed to consumers. Right during a gas and diesel price spike pushing prices higher than ever. Senate Bill 953 is by state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine). Its original wording would have required the State Lands Commission to terminate all remaining oil and gas leases under its jurisdiction in tidelands and submerged lands within state waters by December 31, 2023, killing thousands of energy jobs during an energy crisis, and raising prices at the pump even higher. That was a bit too socialist even for Senate Democrats. The new wording says its to conduct an amortization study of the oil and gas leases in state waters for which it is the lessor in order to determine the market value of these leases and provide recommendations to phase out the production of oil and gas production. Thats the old Study It Till Its Irrelevant routine. Since May 19, SB 953 has been in the Senate Committee on Appropriations under submission. Which in Capitol Speak means, An action taken by a committee when a bill is heard in committee and there is an indication that the author and the committee members want to work on or discuss the bill further, but there is no motion for the bill to progress out of committee. This does not preclude the bill from being set for another hearing. Full disclosure: In Nov. 2020, Min defeated state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), the pro-capitalist, pro-consumer advocate, when I was working for him as press secretary. The voters preferred socialism and now theyre getting itgood and hard. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. People wear face masks as they walk along a street in Montreal, on Dec. 5, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) COVID Measures Should Have Been Targeted, Says Laval University Immunology Prof Whose Article Was Abruptly Pulled A professor of infectious diseases and immunology is questioning Quebecs COVID-19 pandemic management with an analysis of provincial data, saying risks were overstated and measures uncalled for. The threat from COVID-19 was very real, but was it as significant as reported? said Patrick Provost in the piece published in Quebecor media company platforms on June 22. Provost is a full professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Laval University, with his current research focusing on Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). He noted that the mortality rate is 1.44 percent for COVID-19, but he said the rate is overestimated due to the inclusion of deaths with COVID and the underreporting of cases. The professor said there was no excess mortality in the province since the beginning of the pandemic, except for people over 70 years old and mostly after the first wave (April-June 2020) and shortly after the holiday lockdowns and curfews that coincided with the vaccine booster campaign (January 2022). Provost reported that over 90 percent of deceased individuals over 70 years old, who died with or from COVID, had two or more pre-existing medical conditions, and 69.2 percent were over 80. As for younger folks, he pointed to data showing that five individuals or fewer under the age of 40 (with one or no preexisting medical condition) died with or from COVID. Patrick Provost, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Laval University. (Courtesy of Patrick Provost) Analysis of official government data revealed early on the two main risk factors of complications and death from COVID-19: advanced age and the number of preexisting medical conditions, particularly obesity, wrote Provost. Based on this data, Provost asked if restrictions such as vaccine passports and vaccine mandates were justified. For example, was it justified to impose such severe and wide-ranging health measures instead of targeted ones, to contain the threat for a well-defined category of individuals? he said. Or was it justified to muzzle the professionals and academics who criticized the health measures, by way of pressures from their professional orders or institutions, under threat of losing their license to practice or their employment? Provost called for a review of pandemic management, which he says revealed the limits, the flaws even, of our system and democratic life. Article Pulled Provosts article was taken down by Quebecor one day after its publication. Even though were in favour of debating ideas, weve decided to remove this letter from our websites, wrote Journal de Quebec editor-in-chief Sebastien Menard in a tweet on June 23. Journal de Quebec belongs to Quebecor. After checking, some of the elements it contained were inaccurate or could mislead the public, and we cant subscribe to that. Provost provided The Epoch Times with a copy of Menards email in response to the professors inquiry as to why his article was pulled. The email does not point out the inaccuracies and Menard said he would not discuss the issue further. Provost said the removal of the article is censorship. Why has what Ive presented not been covered by mass media for the past 27 months? he said in a June 24 email to The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times reached out to Menard for comment but didnt hear back by publication time. Provosts article can still be accessed via the Internet Archive. It was also republished by independent media company Libre Media. Suspension The removal of the letter after its publication is not the first blow to the professor, who is currently serving an eight-week suspension without pay from Laval University for saying there are risks associated with COVID-19 vaccination of children. The mid-June suspension was a result of public comments he made back in December in which he said the risks of vaccinating children outweigh the benefits. Not only are there risks of myocarditis [heart inflammation] and other side effects, but theres no real benefit to vaccinate children because they are not inclined to develop complications from COVID, Provost told The Epoch Times. The professor says Laval University is accusing him of having only presented one side of the issue. Provost counters that he could make the same argument against the government and some media, who have maintained the position that vaccines are safe and effective despite evidence of risks. Laval University declined to comment on Provosts suspension. Provost says his union is supporting him to remove the suspension, adding it has filed a grievance and an arbitrator will weigh-in in the fall. Im dismayed by all thats happening, that I would be suspended for exercising my academic freedom, that my paper that was accepted and published, after having been approved by two people from the Journal de Montreal, would be pulled without a valid explanation Im dismayed and extremely worried about the state of democracy in Quebec. Cyberattack Forces Iran Steel Company to Halt Production DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesOne of Irans major steel companies said Monday it was forced to halt production after being hit by a cyberattack that also targeted two other plants, apparently marking one of the biggest such assaults on the countrys strategic industrial sector in recent memory. The Iranian government did not acknowledge the disruption or blame any specific group for the assault on the state-owned Khuzestan Steel Co. and Irans two other major steel producers, which constitutes just the latest example of an attack crippling the countrys services in recent months amid heightened tensions in the region. An anonymous hacking group claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, saying it targeted Irans three biggest steel companies in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic. The group, calling itself Gonjeshke Darande, shared what purported to be closed-circuit footage from the Khuzestan Steel Co. factory floor that showed a piece of heavy machinery on a steel billet production line malfunction and cause a massive fire. These companies are subject to international sanctions and continue their operations despite the restrictions, the group said, citing their links to Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. A steel mill in the central Iranian town of Mobarakeh said that its system was struck too, while the state-run IRAN newspaper reported that another factory in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas was targeted in the cyberattack. Neither plant acknowledged any damage or work stoppage as a result. Khuzestan Steel Co., meanwhile, said the factory had to stop work until further notice due to technical problems following cyberattacks. The companys website was down on Monday. However, CEO Amin Ebrahimi, claimed that Khuzestan Steel managed to thwart the cyberattack and prevent damage to production that would impact supply chains and customers. He said nothing of the explosion shown in the hacker groups footage. Fortunately with time and awareness, the attack was unsuccessful, the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Ebrahimi as saying, adding that he expected the companys website to be restored and everything to return to normal by the end of Monday. A local news channel, Jamaran, meanwhile reported that the attack failed because the factory happened to be non-operational at the time due to an electricity outage. Cyberattacks have become increasingly common in Iran in recent years. The country, long sanctioned by the West, has been slow to update its networks to counter the rising use of ransomware by criminals, as well as intrusions by state actors. In a major incident last year, a cyberattack on Irans fuel distribution system paralyzed gas stations across the country, leading to long lines of angry motorists. The same anonymous hacking group, Gonjeshke Darande, claimed responsibility for the attack on fuel pumps. Train stations in Iran have been hit with fake delay messages. Surveillance cameras in the country have been hacked. State-run websites have been disrupted. Footage showing abuse in the countrys notorious Evin prison has leaked out. Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, a principal threat researcher at SentinelOne, said its still unclear who is behind the recent cyberattacks against Iran. But he said its an escalation if the same groups are behind the alleged attack on the steel plants industrial control system. Something has changed in the tone of these attacks, he said. Lior Tabansky, a cybersecurity expert at Israels Tel Aviv University, said that in the murky world of cybersecurity, its often difficult to separate genuine claims of responsibility from false flags. If it was indeed a cyberattack, suspicion would likely fall on Israel or the United States, he said. However, if I were an Iranian senior official and I had problems in my ministry of steel or whatever, the best way out is to say well, the Zionists or American imperialists are cyber-attacking me. Iran has previously accused the United States and Israel for cyberattacks that have impaired the countrys infrastructure. Iran disconnected much of its government infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer viruswidely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creationdisrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the countrys nuclear sites in the late 2000s. Khuzestan Steel Co., based in Ahvaz in the oil-rich southwestern Khuzestan province, has a monopoly on steel production in Iran along with two other major state-owned firms. Founded before Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution, the company for decades afterward had some production lines supplied by German, Italian and Japanese companies. Service has been continuous except during the catastrophic Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sent his army across the border. However, crushing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program have forced the company to reduce its dependence on foreign parts. The government considers steel a crucial sector. Iran is the leading producer of steel in the Middle East and among the top 10 in the world, according to the World Steel Association. Its iron ore mines provide raw materials for domestic production and are exported to dozens of countries, including Italy, China, and the United Arab Emirates. Irans crude steel production, however, was only 2.3 million tons last month, the WSA said. Its concurrent drop in exports has been largely attributed to sanctions-hit Russia flooding Irans Chinese buyers with discounted steel after losing access to Western markets amid the war on Ukraine. By Isabel Debre Cyberattack Hits Lithuania After Sanctions Feud With Russia VILNIUS, LithuaniaA cyberattack temporarily knocked out public and private websites in Lithuania, the countrys Defense Minister said Monday, with a pro-Moscow hacker group reportedly claiming responsibility. A distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attack targeted a secure national data network. The State Tax Inspectorate and Migration Department were also among the public agencies forced to suspend online services for several hours. They came online again later the same day. The incident came a week after Russian officials threatened to retaliate because Lithuania restricted the transit of steel and ferrous metals under EU sanctions. The ban on goods under European Union sanctions was announced by Lithuanian authorities earlier this month and prompted a flurry of angry retorts from Moscow, with the Kremlin denouncing the move as unprecedented and unlawful. Moscow has accused Lithuania and the EU of violating international agreements, threatening a non-diplomatic response. Local authorities in Lithuania had warned that cyberattacks were likely to follow. The ministry didnt name the hackers but the Baltic News Service said the pro-Kremlin group Killnet had claimed the attack. Palau President Surangel Whipps speaks as he greets tourists from Taiwan during their arrival in Koror after Taiwan and Palau launched a rare holiday travel bubble as the two diplomatic allies try to kickstart their battered tourist industries after successfully keeping COVID-19 infections at bay on April 1, 2021. (Richard W. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images) Deep-Sea Mining Rejected by Palau, Fiji, and Samoa The Pacific nations of Palau, Fiji, and Samoa have formed a new alliance to call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, citing the industrys potential hazards to ocean ecology. We believe it is not worth the risk. We ask all of you to support that deep-sea mining increases the vulnerability of the seabed floor and marine life, Palaus President Surangel Whipps Jr. said at the U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon on Monday. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said that while Fiji has adopted a measure to ban deep-sea mining by 2030 and expanded its maritime protected areas by 8 percent, he believes that more could be done to prevent the industry if other countries follow suit. We wont be able to replace the potential discoveries that seabed mining could grind into dustwe have to put knowledge first, Bainimarama was quoted as saying by Pacific Island Times. Deep-sea mining uses heavy machinery to suck up off the ocean floor potato-sized rocks or nodules that contain cobalt, manganese, and other rare metals mostly used in batteries. Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Frank Bainimarama attends a meeting on day three of COP26 at SECC in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021. (Phil Noble/Pool/Getty Images) Environmental group Greenpeace said the International Seabed Authority (ISA) would meet in July and August to develop regulations that, if adopted, would see deep-sea mining commence by July 2023. The International Seabed Authority has been rushing headlong into the risky industry while ignoring its mandate to protect the oceans, Greenpeace oceans project lead Arlo Hemphill said in a statement. Even stranger, it is preparing to join those who would be tearing up the ocean floor in search of minerals. The deep ocean, one of the worlds largest, most fragile, and important ecosystems, must remain off-limits to the mining industry, Hemphill added. Moratorium on Deep-Sea Mining Chile on June 17 called for a 15-year moratorium on adopting regulations for deep-sea mining, urging state parties to extend the deadline for adopting regulations and obtaining more evidence and scientific certainty to ensure the protection of the marine environment. The deep seabed is one of the most sensitive ocean ecosystems, for which there is insufficient scientific knowledge and limited understanding of the potential impacts of ocean activities, especially in relation to its role as a carbon sink, it said in a letter to the U.N. (pdf). Last month, the Group of Seven nations agreed that stringent environmental controls should govern deep-sea mining and would only approve such projects if they did not harm the marine environment. But not all nations are against it. China is a major proponent and even smaller nations like the Pacific island of Nauru, for instance, asked the ISA last year to fast-track the adoption of seabed mining regulations. Reuters contributed to this report. DeSantis Vetoes Alimony Bill, Voicing Concern at Retrospective Elements PUNTA GORDA, Fla.Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have altered the states alimony laws in a controversial push that critics say threatened to impoverish older ex-spouses who have been homemakers and depend on the payments. It is an emotionally charged issue that has a long history dating back to Rick Scotts tenure as governor between 2011 and 2019. On June 24, DeSantis decided he was not going to overhaul the alimony law that has now been up to bat three times and has had its third strike. The bill would have nixed permanent alimony and set up maximum payment based on the duration of marriage. In the past, the measure has drawn emotional debate among legislators during the session that ended in March. DeSantis expressed concern over the bill allowing ex-spouses to have existing alimony agreements amended. If CS/CS/SB 1796 were to become law and be given retroactive effect as the legislature intends, it would unconstitutionally impair vest rights under certain pre-existing marital settlement agreements, the governor wrote in his veto letter. During the legislative process, many ex-spouses turned out to tell legislators that they did not want the bill because they agreed to give up assets at the time of their divorce in exchange for permanent alimony awards. Those in favor of the bill said that the bill would modernize Floridas alimony laws by making the process more equitable and predictable for those seeking a divorce. In a written statement Marc Johnson, a Tampa lawyer and also the president of Florida Family Fairness released a prepared statement expressing disappointment in the governors decision to veto the bill. We are incredibly disappointed by the veto of this much needed bill. Today, Gov. DeSantis chose divorce lawyers over Floridas families and parents who love their children and who want to be a part of their lives, Johnson wrote. If the bill had passed, it would have cut eligibility to alimony payments for those married for fewer than three years, but those who had been married 20 years or longer could receive payments for up to 75 percent of the terms of the marriage. In addition, the bill would have required judges in divorce cases to begin with a presumption that children should split their time equally between parents. At the time, then-governor Rick Scott pinned his 2016 veto of an alimony bill on a similar child-sharing provision. The Family Law section of the Florida bar lobbied against the bill and thanked the governor for understanding the bad precedent the retroactivity of the measure would have established. If signed into law, this legislation would have upended thousands upon thousands of settlements, backlogging the courts and throwing many Floridians lives into turmoil, Philip Wartenbert, the chairman wrote on Facebook. Advocacy groups on both sides of the issue had lobbied DeSantis office. In a June 24 Tweet First Wives Advocacy group said that it had delivered a petition bearing more than 2,000 signatures asking for the veto. In support of the bill, the governors office reported they had received 5,939 emails and 1,250 opposing the bill. Phone calls supporting the bill tallied 349 with 289 against the measure. Some of the telephone transcripts and emails were released by the governors office where some were pleading with the governor to veto the bill because it would hurt women and families and force some into poverty. The likely consequences are that women will largely be impacted, particularly women who divorced after long marriages where they might have put their careers on hold to support their now ex-husbands, Felice Schulaner, a concerned citizen told the governors office in a recorded message. How many women will lose their homes? he asked. Murielle Fournier, another concerned Florida resident, wrote to the governor and described her settlement as a good faith contract that was amicable between her and her ex-husband where he is not allowed to modify his payments, and the bill could potentially affect her nest egg. Its a contract that I made under the current law, she wrote. I work and have to rent a room because I cant afford to rent my own placeI dont own a home, no retirement plan, no nest egg. This bill will devastate me financially. Drug Traffickers Arrested With 150,000 Fentanyl Pills Set Free Just Days After Arrest: Police Two drug traffickers who were arrested during a traffic stop in California last week after they got allegedly busted with 150,000 pills of fentanyl have been released back onto the streets, officials said. Detectives arrested Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, both from Washington, during a fentanyl bust in Tulare County on June 24, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. The two were booked into the countys pre-trial facility on charges of possession, transportation, and selling of illegal drugs. In an update on Monday, the sheriffs office said they received a court order releasing both suspects from custody on their own recognizance. We felt it necessary to clear up any confusion there might be about the release process when it comes to our jail system, police said. All inmates booked into Tulare County jails are sent through what is known as the Risk Assessment Process through the Tulare County Probation Department, it explained. That Risk Assessment is then sent to a judge with the court, who, then, determines whether or not the individual arrested is held on bail or if they are to be released. Police found 150,000 fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $750,000. (Courtesy of Tulare County Sheriffs Office) Police said although Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County, strongly disagrees with the judges decision to release the alleged traffickers, citing public safety concerns, his office is forced to comply with the court order. Boudreaux told Fox News that Californias system of justice is failing us all, adding that he was infuriated after he found out about the release of the men. The network reported that Tulare County Court Commissioner Mikki Verissimo signed the order to release both men. Detectives with the Tulare County High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA) found 150 packages, each with 1,000 pills, hidden inside the suspects vehicle during last weeks traffic stop. The confiscated drugs have a street value of around $750,000, as each pill sells for about $5. According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, fentanyl, a deadly opioid 50100 times stronger than morphine, was linked to the most overdose deaths in 2021, with 71,238. Fentanyl is increasingly cut into other drugs to cut costs. Some experts have noted that drug overdoses have been steadily increasing every year. However, in recent years, fentanyl, much of which is brought into the country via Mexican cartels from China, has triggered the recent spike in deaths. Earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning about a surge of fentanyl overdoses and mass overdose events. From NTD News O sleep! O gentle sleep! Natures soft nurse, how have I frighted thee? That thou no more wilt weigh mine eyelids down and sleep my senses in forgetfulness?William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act 3, Scene 1 The state of worldly affairs is enough to keep anyone awake, but when our sleep is regularly disrupted, it sets off a vicious cycle of fatigue and anxiety. Luckily, there are ways out of this loop besides sleeping pillsand you likely dont even need the mythic eight hours of sleep per night. There are some rarely discussed factors surrounding sleep that we can use to get the rest we need without having to alter our brain chemistry with drugs. Television commercials may suggest that a sleeping pill can help you get a night of restful sleep and return to your more energetic self, but the fact that the side effect warnings for these drugs can take up most of the ads air time is telling. However, if youre desperate for sleep, its all too easy to ignore the potential side effects and pretend that the small print doesnt apply to you. However, this is a deadly serious area of concern, according to sleep researcher Dr. Daniel F. Kripke, a licensed physician certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego. Kripke has been studying sleep for years, including doing research in his earlier years for pharmaceutical companies. That changed, however, as he recounted in a comprehensive guide to the dangers of sleeping pills that he released online. Sleeping pills are hazardous to your health and could cause death from cancer, infections, overdoses, respiratory failure, other illnesses, or accidents., he wrote in The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills. Kripke wrote in his final acknowledgments at the end of the book how he stopped accepting any fees from pharmaceutical manufacturers years ago so that he could freely report what he was discovering in his research. I also stopped accepting fees from tort lawyers or class-action attorneys. It is important that readers understand for whom an author works. Being supported largely by public funds, I have felt responsible for explaining the research results in the public interest, he wrote. Fortunately, there are many options insomniacs can explore before resorting to pills. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), bright light therapy, and meditation are a few of the proven ways to relax the mind. Common Sleep Deterrents Its important to remember that lying in bed worrying wont help. If you dont feel sleepy, why not sit in meditation or use CBT-I to reframe the anxious thoughts you may be experiencing? Removing caffeine and alcohol before bed is also important. Caffeines effects can last for up to five hours. Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but also has the tendency to wake people up mid-sleep when their blood alcohol level falls. People who drink early may also experience difficulty initially falling asleep. Limiting alcohol intake and not drinking every night is key to making sure youre getting restful sleep regularly. Combining alcohol with sleeping pills can be very dangerous because both drugs can alter breathing, brain function, and heart rate via suppression of the central nervous system. Other common sleep deterrents are eating sugary or processed foods before bed and staying up late staring at screens. The blue light from our screens can trick the brain into thinking its morning. Use a filter on your screens or wear glasses that filter blue light. Before taking medications, consider supplementing with l-Tryptophan, valerian, magnesium, vitamin B12, chamomile tea, or other relaxing herbal teas or fragrances, such as lavender oil. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Few things can keep us up at night as easily as errant thinking. Negative thoughts can have wide-ranging effects on our health and well-being. To the extent that we believe and identify with our thoughts, they can be surprisingly destructive. CBT-I helps a person to question harmful thoughts and replace them with something constructive. In a study, Management of Insomnia Disorder, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers wrote, Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) improved global outcomes and nearly all sleep parameters in the general adult population, older adults, and adults with pain. The researchers didnt find evidence of any adverse effects. While they were hesitant to compare CBT-I to sleeping medications, they did write that observational studies suggest that hypnotics (sleeping medications) may be associated with dementia, fractures, and major injury. The American College of Physicians even recommends CBT-I as a first-line treatment for insomnia over prescription medications. Bright Light Therapy Whether you think of yourself as a morning person or a night owl, you may have a circadian rhythm timing disorder in which your body clock is moving either too fast or too slow. Advanced sleep phase is the term given to people whose body clock is running too fast. Common in the elderly, advanced sleep phase involves getting up and going to bed earlier than is socially normal. It may be caused by the deterioration of vision and less light intake because of cataracts, smaller pupils, glaucoma, and other causes of macular degeneration. Advanced sleep phase can be problematic if the person finds that they fall asleep unintentionally or cant get enough sleep because of waking too early. Bright light therapy, using an LED light box or other bright lamp, can stimulate people in the evening and help to keep them in a more normal circadian rhythm. People whose body clock is moving too slow have a delayed sleep phase in which theyre receiving wake/sleep signals too late. Insomnia related to a delayed sleep phase involves a person not being able to get to sleep until very late at night. This may involve spending hours in bed trying to get to sleep and then struggling to wake up at the desired time. Delayed sleep phase is commonly associated with oversleeping and depression. Abnormal drowsiness and fatigue in the morning can result in a person being overly dependent on stimulants or being more susceptible to accidents when theyre rushed to get somewhere. Associated with rebellious behavior, delayed sleep phase is more commonly experienced by young adults, although it does also affect older adults and some elderly people. People experiencing this timing disorder can use bright light therapy to get more light early in the morning. According to Kripke, delayed sleep phase can be a stubborn condition and can require the person to expose themselves to a very bright light for one to two hours each morning. Arranging to receive that light may be hard to fit in with daily habits, Kripke said. I usually find that people with delayed sleep phase need one of the bright fluorescent light boxes. One convenient way to get a strong dose of morning light is to use a light box (maybe a box arranged for 10,000 lux) for 30 min at breakfast time. For people who work at a desk, placing the light box on the desk and turning it on all morning might be effective, even if one cannot sit at the desk all of the time. Kripke said sitting near a window or just opening the curtains rarely offers enough light to treat the condition. To learn more about bright light therapy and its uses, consult Kripkes free online book, Brighten Your Life. Mindfulness Meditation When were really stressed or worried about something, it can be very difficult to sleep. Getting out of bed to sit in meditation can help resolve troubled thoughts and feelings. Whats causing the feeling? Fear? Uncertainty? Feel the feeling and allow the thoughts to pass without engaging in them. After sitting for a while, youll either dissipate the feeling or be ready to sleep. Only when you feel youre ready to sleep should you return to bed. Dont worry about the number of hours youre going to get. Youll get what you can. Relaxing is the priority. Light some incense or play some soothing music if you want. Meditation has the power to put one in touch with a deeper aspect of oneself. In that place of peace, our worldly concerns can lighten and a sense of calm can soothe the nervous system. Meditation in and of itself can be deeply restful. According to a study published in the Sleep Research Societys journal, Sleep, doctors wrote, Given that insomnia disorders are defined by nocturnal sleep disturbance and waking dysfunction, the present findings demonstrate the efficacy of mindfulness meditation to improve both nocturnal symptoms and waking distress in those patients with elevated sleep-related arousal. Interventions featuring mindfulness meditation have positive patient-reported benefits and could be a viable treatment option for chronic insomnia. Do We Really Need 8 Hours? It may be surprising to learn that people who sleep less on average, about 6 1/2 hours per night, may actually live longer and be less depressed than people who sleep eight or more hours. The folk belief that we should sleep 8 hours seems to be incorrect. Numerous studies have shown that self-reported sleep longer than 7.5 hours or shorter than 6.5 hours predicts increased mortality risk, Kripke and other researchers reported in a study. People who sleep five or six hours may be reassured. Short sleepers may actually live longer in many cases than people who sleep eight or more hours per night. Surprisingly, people who say they have insomnia are also less likely to be depressed because depression is generally correlated with oversleeping. Spend Less Time in Bed? Excessive worry about the fallacies surrounding sleep can cause people to force themselves to bed even when they arent sleepy. Whatever your bedtime is, Kripke said that you should not go to bed if you do not feel sleepy. It seems like common sense when you think about it. Moreover, if you awaken at night and no longer feel sleepy, get out of bed, and do not go back until you are sleepy again and expect to fall asleep, he said. Even after being up during the night, you should get out of bed by your regular awakening time, because sleeping late tends to make the problem worse. Sleeping Pill Dangers In The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills, Kripke wrote that American Cancer Society data from over one million people showed that use of sleeping pills was associated with more deaths within six years, but insomnia by itself was not associated with any death risk. Writing about a study that he conducted with other researchers from Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center, he said, From electronic medical records, we studied over 10,000 patients who took sleeping pills and over 20,000 matched patients who did not take sleeping pills. The patients who took sleeping pills died 4.6 times as often during follow-ups averaging 2.5 years. Patients who took higher doses (averaging over 132 pills per year) died 5.3 times as often. Even those patients who took fewer than 18 pills per year had 3.6 times the deaths of patients who took no hypnotics. While this correlation doesnt prove causation, Kripke goes on to suggest that if sleeping pills cause even a small portion of the excess deaths and cancers associated with their use, they are too dangerous to use. He said doing large, randomized, controlled trials posed ethical challenges and would also run counter to the interests of pharmaceutical companies. If sleeping pill companies believed that such trials would prove that their products were safe, they would have done such controlled trials many years ago, Kripke said. According to his work, the following sleeping pills are associated with significant mortality risk: Zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo, and Zolpimist) Temazepam (Restoril) Eszopiclone (Lunesta) Zaleplon (Sonata) Triazolam (Halcion) Flurazepam (Dalmane, Dalmadorm) Estazolam (Prosom) Quazepam (Doral) Barbiturates (especially phenobarbital) Antihistamines, mainly diphenhydramine Cancer Shockingly, Kripke found that those who averaged two to three sleeping pills per week or more were 35 percent more likely to develop a new cancer within an average of 2.5 years. As of July 2018, there were at least 42 published studies of the mortality risks of sleeping pills, he said. Of the 42 studies which reported either greater or lesser mortality associated with sleeping pills, 40 studies showed that people taking sleeping pills died sooner. A population-based cohort study in Taiwan compared users and nonusers of zolpidem (Ambien), which is the most popular hypnotic in Taiwan and the U.S., according to Kripke. After an eight-year follow-up period, reseachers found a significantly larger cancer hazard associated with those who took high-dosage zolpidem (300 or more milligrams per year). High-dosage of 300 or milligrams would equate to roughly 60 doses per year for women and as little as 30 doses per year for men, according to Mayo Clinic dosage recommendations for regular tablets (extended release is a higher concentration and therefore would require fewer tablets still). The highest cancer risk was for oral cancer, which had a related hazard ratio of 2.36. That means that people taking zolpidem were, on average, 2.36 times as likely to develop oral cancer as opposed to people not taking the medication over an eight-year period. Kidney, esophageal, breast, liver, lung, and bladder cancers had a related hazard ratio of 1.6 with men being at higher risk than women. The Taiwanese researchers concluded that the use of zolpidem may be associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer. Further large-scale and in-depth investigations in this area are warranted. Other Serious Risks Depression, worsened sleep apnea, and a strong association with suicide are other risk factors to consider when considering sleeping medication. Modern hypnotics were associated with an increased incidence of depression in data released by the FDA, Kripke said. Suicide is also strongly associated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that sleeping pills shouldnt be taken by people with sleep apnea because of the risk of making it worse. Kripke has studied the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among people aged 40 to 64 years old and among community-dwelling elderly. His findings raise concerns about the widespread likelihood of people with sleep apnea also taking sleeping pills. In The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills, he wrote, The problem is that almost everybody above age 40 has some sleep apnea, and the majority of people over 65 would meet commonly-used criteria for a diagnosis of sleep apnea. Therefore, a large proportion of people taking sleeping pills are making their apnea worse. Over a period of many years, anything which makes sleep apnea worse would be expected to cause high blood pressure, and therefore, to increase the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. Complex Sleep Behaviors The bizarre risks of some sleeping medications are often most publicized because theyre rare and seem highly improbable to the average person. These complex sleep behaviors include sleepwalking, sleep driving and engaging in other activities while not fully awake, such as unsafely using a stove. This gives serious meaning to the drugs classification as hypnotics. Its important to be aware of the warnings so that you can monitor any potential side effects. If you have any of these strange reactions in any form, the FDA has said in a statement that you shouldnt be taking sleeping pills, including eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata), and zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo, and Zolpimist). As of April 2019, the FDA announced the use of their most prominent warning on the drugs listed above. Then-Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said, These incidents can occur after the first dose of these sleep medicines or after a longer period of treatment and can occur in patients without any history of these behaviors and even at the lowest recommended doses. The risk of complex sleep behaviors is very rare but increases when sleeping medications are combined with even small amounts of alcohol. Getting Off Sleeping Pills On top of the significant risks of these medications, it appears that they provide very little benefit. The recommended doses objectively increase sleep little if at all, daytime performance is often made worse (not better), and the lack of general health benefits is commonly misrepresented in advertising, peer-reviewed research by Kripke reads. Nevertheless, its important that you consult your prescribing doctor before discontinuing a prescribed sleeping medication, especially when considering withdrawing from larger doses. Many experts feel that patients who have been taking higher doses or a modest regular dosage for a long time may need to slowly taper off the medication, reducing their dosage by a small portion every week or two, Kripke said. Even with slow tapering, withdrawal from sleeping pills can cause at least a few nights of insomnia, anxiety (both day and night), tremulousness, and other symptoms. People will have much less difficulty withdrawing from sleeping pills if they first begin CBT-I treatment. A police officer in the Brooklyn borough of New York City in a file photo. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) ER Actress Mary Mara Dies Aged 61 in Apparent Drowning: Police American actress Mary Mara has died after apparently drowning in the St. Lawrence River over the weekend, according to reports. Mara drowned while she was swimming in the river, according to a statement from New York State Police on June 27, citing its preliminary investigation. The television star, 61, had been visiting her sister, according to her brother-in-law Scott Dailey. Her body was discovered by troopers at around 8 a.m. on Sunday after they received a call for a possible drowning. The preliminary investigation into her death showed no signs of foul play, officials said. Her body was taken to the Jefferson County Medical Examiners Office in New York for an autopsy. Mara, who lived in Cape Vincent, was a Syracuse native. She appeared on the television series ER, Hope & Gloria, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Ray Donovan, Law & Order, Star Trek: Enterprise, Lost, and Shameless, along with dozens more. She has also appeared in the television films In the Blink of an Eye on CBS and Indictment, while her feature film credits include Mr. Saturday Night, True Colors, Blue Steel, Just Looking, Love Potion #9 in which she appeared opposite Sandra Bullock, and The Hard Way, where she starred alongside Michael J. Fox. Mara also had an extensive stage repertoire which included performances in Kindertransport, Dream of a Common Language, and Mad Forest for the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, as well as in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, which co-starred Hollywood giants Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum. She Will Be Missed Mara also established the theater company HART (Haight Ashbury Repertory Theatre), according to her IMDb page. The actress most recently starred the 2020 movie Break Even, which follows a group of four friends who discover millions of dollars in cash on a remote island, only to find out later that it was left by the Drug Enforcement Administration for a cartel in a rogue deal. Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met, Craig Dorfman, her manager, said in a statement to Variety. I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in Mad Forest off-Broadway. She was electric, funny, and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed. American actor and director John Lindstrom said in a statement on Monday that he was crushed to learn of Maras untimely passing and revealed that the actress had gone through chemotherapy to treat cancer. We performed together back in 2008 in Malcolm Danares In Heat at the Lost Playhouse in LA, Lindstrom wrote. She was plowing through the aftereffects of Chemo. Brave, brilliant, Uber-talented. Earth will be much less-colorful without her. R.I.P. Federal Vaccine Mandate Blocked Again as Appeals Court Dissolves Earlier Ruling The vaccine mandate for federal employees will remain blocked at least until a September court hearing. The vaccine mandate for federal employees will remain blocked at least until a September court hearing. A Texas appeals court is dissolving a previous decision that upheld the Biden administrations vaccine mandate for federal employees. On Monday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to request a full court to rehear Feds for Medical Freedom v. Biden (pdf), effectively dissolving the courts April decision. This means that President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate, which he introduced via Executive Order 14043 in September 2021, will remain blocked as long as the court does not issue a decision otherwise. The court has tentatively calendared the en banc oral arguments for the week of Sept. 12. Feds for Medical Freedom, the plaintiffs, first challenged Bidens vaccine mandate in a district court in Texas in December 2021 and alleged that the president exceeded his authority in imposing the vaccine mandate for federal employees. The federal judge, Justice Jeffrey Brown, sided with the plaintiffs and issued an injunction order in January to block Bidens federal vaccine mandate, which was in effect nationwide. So is submitting to a COVID-19 vaccine, particularly when required as a condition of ones employment, workplace conduct? The answer to this question became a lot clearer after the Supreme Courts ruling earlier this month, J. Brown said, referencing the Supreme Courts finding in early January that Bidens vaccine mandate for private businesses falls outside a presidents powers of authority. Government lawyers stated in the lawsuit that federal law says the president may prescribe regulations for the conduct of employees in the executive branch, and that the act of becoming vaccinated is plainly conduct. In April, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the lower courts January ruling and lifted the injunction, siding with the Biden administration and allowing the mandate to be reimposed nationwide. The court once again vacated this overturn with Mondays order. Americas Frontline Doctors and Airline Employees for Health Freedom filed amicus briefs in June supporting the Feds for Medical Freedoms in the case. Progressive Disciplinary Action After Biden introduced the vaccine mandate last year, the administration made clear that federal workers failing to comply would face disciplinary consequences. If a federal worker fails to comply, they will go through the standard [human resources] process, which includes counseling, and face disciplinary action, face progressive disciplinary action, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time. As of Dec. 8, 2021, 92.5 percent of the 3.5 million U.S. federal employees in the country and worldwide had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the White House said. The order was subjected to criticism from health freedom groups who alleged federal overreach and was challenged in court by organizations representing federal workers, including the 700,000-member American Federation of Government Employeesthe largest union representing federal workers. The main thrust of the argument is that the president doesnt have the authority to issue an order like this, pursuant to the powers granted him in Article Two of the United States Constitution, and thats the same argument that won the day in the Supreme Court regarding the 100 or more employees; the president doesnt have that authority, Attorney Bruce Castor Jr. of the law firm Van Der Veen, Hartshorn & Levin, who represented the union, told The Epoch Times in February. Instead of going through the checks and balances of congressional approval, which includes feedback from the public, the executive order cuts all that out. It just says, My way or the highway. Certainly, the Constitution grants powers like that to the president in foreign affairs and protecting the nation from aggression from foreign powers. But he doesnt have the authority, with a sweep of the pen, to affect the lives of millions of people, bypassing Congress, he added. Katabella Roberts contributed to this report. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses the media in Miami, in April 2022. (Courtesy, The Florida Governor's Office) Florida Judge Says Governors Stop Woke Act Can Go Forward PUNTA GORDA, Fla.Florida Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled on June 27 that the state can enforce the Stop Woke Actbut did not rule on its constitutionality, nor a piece affecting colleges and universities. The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and became chief justice in 2018, ruled that HB 7or what Gov. Ron DeSantis branded as the Stop Woke Actcan move forward and regulate how race can be taught in the classroom and the workplace. The new law is part of DeSantis education agenda that targets ties to Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the state school system as well as corporate training at companies surrounding white privilege. The governors press secretary Christina Pushaw said DeSantis is not planning to comment on the ruling, but she said, generally we are confident that this law will ultimately survive all legal challenges and protect Floridians from the harmful effects of discriminatory woke ideology. In past press conferences DeSantis has said he did not want children to be taught now to hate one another. The ruling by Walker gives DeSantis a win, as the judge has frequently ruled against him, allowing the law to move forwardbut made it clear that he was not ruling on the constitutionality of the law nor was his decision an endorsement of the law. This court is not determining whether the challenged regulations are constitutional, morally correct, or good policy, Walker wrote in his ruling. And this order should not be interpreted as endorsing the [legislation] or the related Board of Education regulation. In March, lawmakers passed HB 7 after strong debate on both house floors. After the governor signed the measure a group of plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on April 22 claiming that it violated First Amendment rights. They also contested rules by the State Board of Education that banned the use of CRT. The judge said that four of the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to obtain a preliminary injunction. Those four were identified as a high-school government and economics teacher in Manatee County, a Leon County substitute teacher, a Nassau County child entering kindergarten, and a consulting firm that provides diversity and inclusion training. He said the teachers, student, and consultant had not shown any injury-related proof needed to establish standing. The judge said in his 23-page opinion that the Florida Board of Education, a defendant in the case, can withhold funding from school districts that do not comply with the measure. However, Walker said teachers did not demonstrate how that would directly injure them. Plaintiffs logic goes like this: pursuant to its statutory authority, the Board of Education will withhold funding from the teachers school districts if they violate the challenged provisions, the judge wrote. In turn, members of the school board will withhold money from the teachers individual schoolsor, perhaps, put pressure on officials at those schools to discipline the teachers. In other words, the teachers theory of traceability and redressability flows from the board to the school district, from the school district to the teachers school, andonly thento the teachers. Thus, plaintiffs argument requires the court to stack multiple layers of inferences. In the case of the consultant, he said she did not establish injuries by the law. [She] does not claim that she has lost clients, that clients have told her they will no longer hire her, or that clients have even expressed trepidation about hiring her, Walker wrote. Left unresolved by the judge is the preliminary injunction requested by Robert Cassanello, an associate history professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The request from Cassanellofiled the week of June 20pointed to a proposed rule that is scheduled to go before the state university systems Board of Governors on June 30. The rule that was proposed by universities would direct how the law should be carried out. In other words, the concern is that it raises the possibility that faculty members could be disciplined for non-compliance with university regulations on the issue. The judge ordered attorneys on both sides to file briefs by noon June 28 on whether the proposed rule could affect Cassanellos legal standing in the case. The week of June 20 a separate lawsuit challenging the law was filed by two Florida businesses and a consultant who conducts workplace training. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Tallahassee. The case is currently pending. An undated photo of professor Wang Gang in front of Whampoa Military Academy, also known as Huangpu Military Academy, in China. The military academy was officially opened on May 1, 1924, under the Kuomintang, the then-ruling party of China, on June 16, 1924. The inauguration was on Changzhou Island offshore from the Whampoa (Huangpu) dock in Guangzhou, thus earning its name. (Courtesy of Wang Gang) Former Chinese Professor Secretly Arrested by Police for Demanding Democracy and Political Reform A former Chinese professor disappeared on June 6 after being invited by local police for a talk in Handan city in Chinas northern Hebei Province. Wang Gang has been an active critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In 2012, he published an open letter to decision-making CCP officials, calling for action against corruption, demanding democracy, and asking netizens to repost his open letter if they agreed with him. Last year, he drafted an outline of the establishment of a federal republic of China. Wang, 64, was an associate professor at the Medical College of Hebei University of Engineering. He was fired by his employer in 2018 allegedly for his criticism of the Chinese regime and calling for political reform in his open letter to the CCP, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA). [In 1945], when you [the CCP] negotiated with the Kuomintang Nationalist government, you said that you wanted to establish a democracy with multiple ruling parties, but now you claim that democracy is not in line with Chinas national conditions, reads Wangs open letter. Which saying of yours is correct? Dont tell us both are correct, which is a trick used by political hooligans! His letter was soon removed from his blog on a Chinese social media platform, and he was twice placed under administrative detention, which is a form of punishment invented by the CCP in which a person is held without charge or trial for periods from 15 days to four years. In September 2021, he drafted Fundamentals of National Reconstruction of the Federal Republic of China [or the Fundamentals for short] and Calls to Arms Against the CCP and he was detained by local police for 10 days, according to Wang in an interview with the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times in May 2022. His posts were soon removed from Chinese social media by Chinas cyber police and he did not find time to send them overseas, he said. He was detained for 10 days as a light punishment, as the posts were silently censored and didnt spark much controversy in China or elsewhere, Wang said. Lin Shengliang, a dissident living in exile in the Netherlands, told the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times on June 25 that hed been in touch with Wang on WeChat. He left me a message on WeChat, saying that he was taken to the Lianxi Police Station in Congtai District, Handan city, Hebei Province, said Lin. Wangs ideal state is one of a federal republic, with multiple parties ruling the country jointly in a democratic way. He called on Chinese people to use non-violent forms to stand up against the CCP. There are about 1.5 billion Chinese in the world. When 150 million people sign [the open letter], China will have hope. This will be the best outcome and is the only way to avoid social unrest, he wrote in his letter. Wang himself sensed danger before his disappearance. He told The Epoch Times earlier in May that the police had been investigating his activities in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, and Hainan. In a WeChat message to Lin dated May 21, Wang said: A policeman from the Lianxi Police Station told me to come to his office at 10 a.m., saying that the newly appointed political instructor wanted to see me, alongside the deputy captain of the anti-terrorism, anti-infiltration, and anti-subversion brigade. In an earlier online post by Wang, he said that if he disappears for 15 days, he has most likely ended up in a detention center or a mental hospital. A friend of Wang, who wanted to stay anonymous for safety reasons, told The Epoch Times on June 25 that Wang was secretly arrested by local police in Handan for his draft of the Fundamentals and is currently detained in Congxi Police Station, Handan city. Wangs family has received no official documentation on his arrest, the friend said. The Epoch Times reached out to the local police station and the officers that answered did not give any information about Wangs location, case or his well-being. Wang has previously told The Epoch Times that he is not afraid of dying. I am already 64 years old; Im not afraid of dying. I have written a will, he said, I just want to speak out my true feeling and speak up for justice, even at the cost of my life. Li Yun and Li Xi contributed to the article. Then-ICE Deputy Director Tom Homan at the National Press Club at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, on June 5, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Former ICE Chief on Mass Smuggling Deaths: No One Deserves to Die That Way The death of 50 illegal immigrants being smuggled in the back of a tractor-trailer in San Antonio on June 27 brought up tragic memories for Tom Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Homan had seen it beforein Victoria, Texas, in 2003. A tractor-trailer with as many as 80 illegal immigrants crammed inside with no water and no way to escape. It was a refrigerated truck in which the smugglers had turned off the refrigerationthe same as in San Antonio. Nineteen people died in the 2003 incident. I know in my case, he didnt use [refrigeration] because he didnt want to draw attention to himself, because if he ever got stopped, he claims its empty, theres no reason to check, Homan told The Epoch Times. He said it was 170 degrees inside the truck. Its a steel box in a Texas summer, Homan said. The temperature in San Antonio had topped 100 degrees on June 27 when a nearby worker heard a cry for help coming from an abandoned truck and went to investigate, according to William McManus, San Antonio police chief. The person opened the doors and found a number of deceased individuals inside, McManus told media. Forty-six people were already dead inside the truck and a further 16 were transported to the hospital, including four pediatric cases, said Charles Hood, San Antonio fire chief. The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, Hood told media on June 27. Were not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there. None of us come to work imagining that. As of June 28, 50 people had died, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. McManus said three people were in custody and the investigation had been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of ICE. ICE didnt respond by press time to a request for more information about the illegal aliens, in whose name the truck was registered, where it was going, or what the smugglers were being paid. Homan said that in the 2003 Victoria case, all the victims had stripped to their underwear, trying to get some relief from the heat. The crime scene was kept secure until I got there. I actually walked into the back of that tractor trailerI was surrounded by 19 dead aliens laying around me, that suffocated in the back of the tractor-trailer, Homan said in a previous speech. One, a 5-year-old boy. That haunts me to this day. He said those who survived in that case recounted to him the last thing the 5-year-old boy said to his father: Daddy, Daddy, Im dying. It just breaks your heart. That little boy didnt deserve to die that way. No one deserves to die that way. So thats why I get so emotional about this issue, because Ive seen so much death. This is the worst, he said. Bigger Payload Homan said smuggling via tractor-trailer is on the rise in Texas and Arizona as the volume of illegal immigration continues to break records. Theres so much trucking in South Texas and south Arizona, he said. Trucks are all over the highways, these big tractor-trailers, they think they can blend in. So tractor-trailer smuggling is on the rise, which is going to result in more tragedies like this. I guarantee this: This alien smuggling organization that moved these people, theyre not missing a beat. I guarantee you, theyre already setting up the next truck. These people dont care. Its all about the money. Homan said hes been told that there were at least 80 people crammed into the San Antonio truck. The smugglers make a lot more money if they can move in large groupsthe payday is bigger, he said. Law enforcement officers in Texas have told The Epoch Times that drivers are paid anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per person to smuggle illegal aliens to San Antonio from the border in a car. Homan said the truck was most likely headed to a stash house in San Antonio or Dallas, where the illegal immigrants are kept until they pay the smuggling fee. The fee often increases once the illegal aliens are held in the stash house and are able to call their families for extra money. Very vulnerable people take the risk and pay criminal cartels who dont give one cent about these people, Homan said. These [people] are a commodity; they are like a product they get from point A to point B. They dont care about their lives. And last night is another example. The illegal immigrants who are smuggled by vehicle are gotaways who have evaded Border Patrol, often because they dont have a legitimate asylum claim, or because they are convicted criminals. Border Patrol counts the illegal aliens they detect at the border but dont catch as gotaways. So far this fiscal year, about 800,000 known gotaways have been recorded, according to Homan and several Customs and Border Protection sources. On top of the 800,000 gotaways, Border Patrol has apprehended more than 1.5 million illegal immigrants in the same time period. When that many people come across the border, its just a matter of math. You increase those that come across the border, you increase those that put themselves into the hands of the criminal cartels. You are certainly going to increase the deaths at the border, Homan said, adding that authorities have recorded 700 illegal immigrant deaths since President Joe Biden took office, most often by drowning while crossing the river or being abandoned in the desert. More migrants have died during Joe Bidens leadership than anytime I can remember in my 35-year career, Homan said, saying the president has blood on his hands. You increase illegal immigration, you increase the reliance on criminal cartels, its going to result in more migrant deaths. Former lawyer of former President Donald Trump, John Eastman, appears on screen during the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, on June 21, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Former Trump Advisor John Eastman Claims He Was Frisked by FBI Agents Who Seized His Phone John Eastman, the lawyer who was hired by former President Donald Trump to look into alleged election issues, has claimed that he was frisked by federal agents and had his cellphone seized while he was leaving a restaurant last week. Eastman filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in New Mexico on Monday asking for the seized belongings to be returned to him, arguing that the search warrant officers had used was unlawful and violated his Fourth Amendment rights. According to the motion, federal agents served a search warrant on Eastman on June 22 while he was leaving a restaurant which allowed them to seize any electronic or digital device of his, including cell phones, iPads, USBs, and computers. The motion does not state exactly where the alleged frisking incident occurred but CNN reported that it took place in New Mexico, Eastman asked the federal agent to show him the warrant but the officer declined, according to the motion. He was then forced to unlock his phone for officers. Federal agents served a search warrant (Exhibit 1) on movant while movant was exiting a restaurant. Movant asked to see the warrant, but the executing officer refused. Movant was frisked. Movants phonean iPhone Pro 12was seized. Movant was forced to provide biometric data to open said phone, reads the filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. He was only given a copy of the search warrant but not the supporting affidavit referenced in it. Unlawful The motion goes on to state that the federal agents identified themselves as members of the FBI but that they appeared to be executing a warrant issued at the behest of the Department of Justices Office of the Inspector General. Eastman argues that the search warrant was unlawful because the Department of Justices Office of the Attorney General outstripped its mandate by targeting a person outside of the DOJ, and because the warrant issued does not describe with particularity the items to be seized, is overboard and provides no probable cause link to any criminal activity which violates the requirements of the fourth amendment. The lawyer adds that the warrant violated his fifth and sixth amendment rights and fundamental privacy interests because officers forced him to unlock the iPhone with face ID, which effectively forced him to testify. By its very breadth, the warrant intrudes on significant privacy interests, both of [Eastman] and of others whose communications with him are accessible on the seized cell phone, his lawyers wrote in the motion. The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment. Advising Donald Trump Eastman, a former conservative legal scholar at Chapmans Fowler School of Law, began advising Trump in August 2020, according to court papers. He begin working closely with Trump in December 2020, after it was declared that President Joe Biden had won the election. The attorney had sought to use alternative electors to overturn the election results in favor of Trump, his emails allegedly showed, and argued that then-Vice President Mike Pence could block the certification of the electoral votes. He also appeared on stage alongside Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani at the Stop the Steal event on Jan. 6 where he claimed that election fraud had taken place in the 2020 elections. Due to his close ties with Trump, the lawyer has become the latest individual ordered by a judge to hand over his communications amounting to roughly 19,000 emails sent from his Chapman email account between Nov. 3, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021to the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Eastman had initially sued to block a congressional subpoena, asserting his Fifth Amendment right. The attorney ultimately resigned from Chapman University in January 2021 following backlash over his appearance on stage on Jan. 6, however, he claims he did not enter the Capitol building on the day of the breach. Tamara Lich (R), organizer of the Freedom Convoy protest by truckers and supporters demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, smiles during a news conference in Ottawa, on Feb. 3, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Freedom Convoy Organizer Tamara Lich Arrested in Alberta Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich was arrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta, on June 27. Ottawa Police confirmed the arrest in a post on Twitter on June 28, saying it was due to breach of court conditions. She will be returned to Ottawa to appear in Court, Ottawa Police Service said. Eric Granger, a criminal defence lawyer who is representing Lich, said very limited information related to her arrest is available at this time. We look forward to receiving further information in due course, Granger told The Epoch Times in an email. Given that Ms. Lichs conditions were relaxed to some extent at a recent bail review where her strong performance on bail was noted by the judge, we look forward to learning more details in relation to this matter so that we can determine the appropriate next steps in her defence. Lich was charged with counselling to commit mischief and obstructing police, among other charges, when she was first arrested in Ottawa on Feb. 17. She was denied bail on Feb. 22 in a decision by Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois, who said that Lichs detention was necessary for the protection and safety of the public. Lich appealed the decision, and on March 7, Ontario Superior Court Justice John M. Johnston overturned Bourgeoiss decision by granting her bail. Johnston said Bourgeoiss ruling was too subjective in its assessment of the gravity of Lichs offences, weighing them against the impacts on Ottawas residents rather than other offences in the Criminal Code. Lich was released after being in custody for 19 days on a $25,000 bond with several bail conditions, including avoiding contact with fellow convoy organizers and refraining from using social media or having someone do so on her behalf. Tamara Lich, an organizer of the Freedom Convoy that demonstrated for over three weeks in downtown Ottawa to oppose federal COVID-19 mandates, embraces supporters as she leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after being granted bail, on March 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) On June 16, Lich attended a ceremony in Toronto where she received the annual George Jonas Freedom Award presented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. Prior to the award ceremony, crown prosecutors argued that Lich had breached her bail conditions by agreeing to accept the award. But Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips ruled on May 25 that she hadnt violated her bail terms, saying his decision was based on how well Lichs surety has supervised her, that she had followed her bail conditions, and that she had a low risk of reoffence after having had a taste of jail. Phillips also said that the courts are not a thought police, adding that the objective was to keep a highly problematic street protest from reviving or reoccurring No court would ever seek to control the possession or manifestation of political views. Tom Marazzo, a military veteran who acted as a spokesperson for the Ottawa Freedom Convoy protest in February, urged supporters to remain calm in reaction to Lichs arrest. I know Tamara well enough to know that she would expect us to remain calm, Marazzo said on Twitter. Yes, her arrest is shocking. However, we cannot use this as an excuse to behave poorly or break laws in defiance of her arrest. We are, and have always been, a peaceful group. Well prove it yet again. The Freedom Convoy protest started as a demonstration against the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on cross-border truck drivers in January, but expanded into a bigger movement with many joining the cause to protest various COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The protests in Ottawa lasted for around three weeks, and ended after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, with police clearing the protests in an escalated operation in a few days. Andrew Chen and The Canadian Press contributed to this report. Editors note: This article was updated in the morning of June 28 to add more details and comments from Lichs lawyer. Seven world powers are looking to counter China with a new project and hundred-billion dollars in funding. Its designed as an answer to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. We take a closer look at why some call Beijings Belt and Road Initiative a form of debt-trap diplomacy. Chinese state media outlets are publishing reports on the Belt and Road Initiatives growth. Some of them are highlighting its cross-continental train line. Communist Chinas Belt and Road Initiative has expanded rapidly since its first launch. A useful tool is its cross-continental freight train. The United States is stepping up engagement in the Indo-Pacific in an attempt to counter Chinas growing influence, ahead of the next NATO meeting. A Chinese ambassador told reporters that Beijing is ready to sell aircraft parts to Russia. But Chinese media have largely blocked the story. Topics in this episode: G7 Aims to Raise $600 Billion to Counter Chinas BRI Is Chinas Belt and Road Initiative a Debt Trap? Chinese State Media: Belt and Road Initiative Expanding China-Europe Rail Service U.S. to Strengthen Presence in Indo-Pacific H&M Closes Flagship Shanghai Store China: Ready to Supply Aircraft Parts to Russia AG Amicus Brief Supports Falun Gong Q&A: Why Did Youtube Demonetize Our Channel? Hong Kong Diaries: a Record of the Handover New Textbooks Deny HK was a British Colony Tom Cruises 1st $1 Billion Film Chinese Ministry Article: U.S. Defaming China Have other topics you want us to cover? Drop us a line: chinainfocus@ntdtv.org And if youd like to buy us a coffee: https://donorbox.org/china-in-focus Subscribe to our newsletter for more first-hand news from China. Follow China in Focus on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChinaInFocusNTD Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@chinainfocus Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/chinainfocus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTDChinainFocus Gab: https://gab.com/ChinaInFocus Telegram: https://t.me/ChinainFocusNTD Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP Photo) Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison NEW YORKGhislaine Maxwell, who was once an international, jet-setting socialite, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 28 for trafficking young women to be used for the sexual exploits of her employer and one-time romantic partner, Jeffrey Epstein. The 60-year-old was convicted on Dec. 29 in federal court on five of six counts of sex trafficking, including one count of trafficking a minor. During the trial, an expert witness testified about the grooming techniques Maxwell and Epstein used to lure their victims. One such victim known to the court as Kate, referenced those techniques in a written statement submitted to the court prior to the sentencing hearing, saying in part, It was the very skilled grooming perpetrated on me intentionally and consistently, that instilled in me the belief that I could not say no to Ghislaine Maxwell or Epstein. I witnessed on many occasions, over many years, Ghislaine Maxwell trying to recruit other girls making consistent and insistent demands on me and others to do the same. I witnessed her relentless and insatiable drive to meet the sexual needs of Epstein, at any cost to the vulnerable girls and women upon whom she preyed and fed to Epstein and other powerful men to whom she wished to ingratiate herself. She ended with, In becoming a mother I have learned that forgiveness is important, but so are consequences. Victim Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Maxwell victim, said in her written victim statement, Ghislaine, 22 years ago, in the summer of 2000, you spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida and you made a choice. You chose to follow me and procure me for Jeffrey Epstein. Just hours later, you and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you damaged me physically, mentally, sexually, and emotionally. Together you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day. Giuffre ended with, I will never give up. I will never go away. If you ever get out of prison, I will be here, watching you, making sure you never hurt anyone else again. Another victim, Annie Farmer submitted a written statement saying, For a long time, I wanted to erase from my mind the crimes that Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein committed against me and pretend they hadnt happened. I blamed myself for believing these predators actually wanted to help me. I felt tremendous survivor guilt and when I heard what other girls and young women had experienced at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein, I saw how my sisters concern about me weighed on her and felt guilty about that as well, Farmer added. Farmer said Maxwell had many opportunities to come clean, but instead continued to make choices that caused more harm, and how Farmer feared being on Epstein and Maxwells radar because of their previous lies and threats. She ended with a plea to the presiding Judge Alison Nathan. I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwells unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and well-being for much too long now. These things cannot be replaced. Last week, Maxwells defense team filed two memorandums with the court asking for Nathan to be lenient in her sentencing, citing in one the 2003 guidelines the courts used before they were modified in 2004. The prosecution responded with the reasons why the harsher, 2004 guidelines should be used instead. A logo of Google at its exhibition space, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 15, 2022. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters) Google Hit With Antitrust Complaint by Danish Job Search Rival BRUSSELSGoogle faces an antitrust complaint on Monday by Danish online job-search rival Jobindex, which told European Union regulators the Alphabet-owned business had allegedly unfairly favoured its own job-search service. The complaint could reinvigorate EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestagers scrutiny of the service, Google for Jobs. Three years ago, Vestager said she was looking into the issue but she has yet to take any action. The European Commission said it would assess the complaint according to the standard procedures. Jobindexs action comes four years after German media group Axel Springers jobs portal Stepstone filed a similar complaint against Google. Google, which has been fined more than 8 billion euros ($8.4 billion) by Vestager in recent years for various anti-competitive practices, says it partners with job providers to direct people to websites with job listings relevant to them. Any jobs provider, big or small, is able to take part and companies are seeing increased traffic and job matches as a result of this feature, a Google spokesperson said. Launched in Europe in 2018, Google for Jobs triggered criticism from 23 online job-search websites in 2019. They said they had lost market share after the online search giant had allegedly used its market power to push its new service. Big technology companies use their market dominance to push their own products, getting an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals and spurring antitrust complaints. Googles service links to postings aggregated from many employers, allowing candidates to filter, save and get alerts about openings, though they must go elsewhere to apply. Google places a large widget for the tool at the top of results for ordinary web searches. Skewing the Market Jobindex, one of the 23 critics three years ago, said Google had skewed what had been a highly competitive Danish market towards itself via anticompetitive means. Founder and CEO Kaare Danielsen said Jobindex had built up the largest jobs database in Denmark by the time Google for Jobs entered the local market last year. Nevertheless, in the short time following the introduction of Google for Jobs in Denmark, Jobindex lost 20% of search traffic to Googles inferior service, Danielsen told Reuters. By putting its own inferior service at the top of results pages, Google in effect hides some of the most relevant job offerings from job seekers. Recruiters in turn may no longer reach all job seekers, unless they use Googles job service, he said. This does not just stifle competition amongst recruitment services but directly impairs labour markets, which are central to any economy, Danielsen said. He urged the Commission to order Google to stop the alleged anti-competitive practices, fine the company and impose periodic payments to ensure compliance. Free Riding Jobindex said it had seen examples of free-riding, with some of its own job ads copied without its permission and marketed through Google for Jobs on behalf of Jobindexs business partners. It also cited privacy risks to job applicants and its clients. Jobindexs complaint could gather momentum among peers, much like UK price comparison website Foundem, whose complaint against Google spurred scores of rivals to come forward and triggered a decade-long investigation that ended with a hefty fine for Google. Google has been sued several times for a range of issues from pushing mobile phone makers to favour its own apps to distorting internet search results to favour its shopping service. In February, Swedish price comparison firm PriceRunner sued Google for about 2.1 billion euros, saying nothing had changed even after Google was fined 2.42 billion euros in 2017 for favouring its own price comparison shopping service. ($1 = 0.9475 euros) By Foo Yun Chee A man attends an Anaheim City Council meeting while holding a sign against Anaheim's pending Angels Stadium deal in Anaheim, Calif., on May 24, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Grand Jury: Anaheims Stadium Deal Rushed, Lacked Transparency ANAHEIM, Calif.A grand jury report found the citys handing of the $320 million Angel Stadium deal was rushed, lacked transparency, and betrayed constituents. The City Council majoritys inappropriate handling of the Stadium Property transactions betrayed its constituents, the Orange County Grand Jury said in the report (pdf) released on June 27. Beyond that, the FBI alleged in a court filing that at least two people tried to hide records from the grand jury and allegedly engaged in witness tampering regarding the investigation into the citys stadium sale, according to the report. The city said it would use the grand jurys findings to develop a new public process. We appreciate the grand jurys review, the city said in a statement. With recent events and new information brought to light, those issues now are being thoroughly discussed as part of a new, extensive public process for our city. Anaheims city council voided the sale of Angel Stadium in May after the FBI released an affidavit, written by Agent Brian C. Adkins, that described alleged corruption by then-Mayor Harry Sidhu during the sale to team owner Arte Morenos development company SRB Management. Sidhu has not been criminally charged or indicted. The grand jury found several problems with the way the city council handled the stadium sale, according to the report. The citys lack of transparency and rushed decisions regarding the lease and sale agreements contributed to the publics distrust of the City Council majority, the report said. When heated council discussions came up about the stadium property transactions, the council majority changed its own rules, requiring three council members to support placing an item on an agenda. By doing this, they intentionally precluded other council members from placing items on the agenda for discussion, according to the report. The grand jury also found the city council made uninformed decisions after failing to timely disseminate critical information and documents to its members. The city was cited in December by the states Housing and Community Development Department, which issued Anaheim a violation for reportedly not meeting Californias Surplus Land Act. The law requires public entities to first offer surplus land to affordable housing developers before selling it. Anaheim began negotiating with SRB Management to sell the 153-acre stadium property. The two parties reached an agreement in December 2019 but that was postponed during legal wrangling over the violation. The city settled with the state in April, agreeing to place $96 million into a local housing trust fund for the construction of new affordable housing, and allocate $27 million for affordable housing units at the stadium site. The grand jury performed the city after a public outcry over the FBI investigation. The city was also sued by a local concerned-citizens homeless advocacy group for allegedly conducting closed council meetings in possible violation of the Brown Act open meetings law. The grand jury contends that the city council failed to uphold the spirit of the Brown Act during significant decisions relating to the lease and/or sale of the Stadium Property. The city council held a special meeting at an earlier-than-usual time on Dec. 20, 2019, to approve the sale, according to the jury. The Peoples Homeless Task Force Orange County filed a lawsuit, which was thrown out, alleging the city council took action to approve the sale in closed session and limited public participation in other meetings. The task force also claimed the city held multiple meetings of the sale negotiating team in violation of the Brown Act. The advocacy group filed an appeal to the ruling in May, which remains pending. The grand jury recommended that a future sale of the stadium property could benefit the city by incorporating affordable housing for minimum-wage earners. The jury also recommended the city council implement a minimum 30-day period for the public and city leaders to discuss sales or leases of public land in the future. A major fire at St. Colman Catholic Church in West Virginia is being investigated as arson. (Courtesy of Beaver Volunteer Fire Department) Historic Catholic Church in West Virginia Burned to the Ground in Suspected Arson A Catholic Church in Raleigh County, West Virginia, burned to the ground over the weekend and authorities are now investigating the incident as arson. The Beaver Volunteer Fire Department said in a news release that units were notified on June 26 about a structural fire at the Saint Colman Catholic Church on Irish Mountain Road in Shady Spring. Upon arrival, we found the structure was already burned to the ground and smoldering, officials said. At this time the fire is considered suspicious in nature and is being investigated as arson. No further details about potential suspects or the cause of the blaze were released. Authorities are asking anyone who could have information regarding the fire to contact West Virginia State Police at (304) 256-6700, the West Virginia State Fire Marshals Arson Hotline at 1 (800) 233-3473, or Raleigh County Crime Stoppers at 304-255-STOP. Saint Colman Catholic Church, which was built in 1878, has not held services since it was officially declared a historic site in 1984, FOX News reported. The building was also known as the Little Catholic Church on Irish Mountain. A major fire at St. Colman Catholic Church in West Virginia is being investigated as arson. (Courtesy of Beaver Volunteer Fire Department) The latest suspected arson attack happened as a string of Catholic Churches across the United States and Canada have faced a series of vandalism and arson attacks in recent years. At least 142 incidents involving the targeting of Catholic sites have occurred across 36 states and Washington D.C. since May 2020, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. According to the organization, the incidents include arson, destroying and defacing of statues, and defacing of gravestones along with burned American flags left next to them, among other forms of destruction and vandalism. The fire also comes as Catholic Churches and pregnancy help centers in California were warned of possible violent attacks in the wake of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Diocese of Stockton sent an urgent memo on June 23 to warn its clergymen, parish, and pastoral staff that Jesse Rangelan agent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitytold them a manifesto has been found by federal law enforcement officials, of an extremist group calling for a Night of Rage beginning at 8 p.m. on the day of the ruling. According to the memo, which was posted on Twitter, Rangel said that the unnamed group is calling for extreme violence against Catholic churches and pregnancy centers, and that large groups with cells nationwide have been found already casing parishes, including some in California. The head of communications for the Diocese of Orange, Jarryd Gonzales, told The Epoch Times they didnt receive any direct threat, but they were warned by another diocese about this. He said local parishes and centers are heightening safety and security awareness following the threats. Despite claims made by some pro-abortion activists, the overturning of Roe v. Wade does not itself end legal abortion across the country, but rather returns the matter to the states to enact their own abortion policies. Epoch Times reporter Julianne Foster contributed to this report. From NTD News HKU Warns New BA2 Omicron Variant Might Damage Childrens Brains and Nervous System Death rate is almost 3 times higher than flu In a University of Hong Kong team research project, it was found that children at or under the age of 11, who are infected with Omicron BA.2 subtype new mutant virus strain, their mortality rate is higher than those suffering from influenza or parainfluenza. It also indicates there might be signs of complications in the upper respiratory tract and nervous systems, such as laryngotracheobronchitis, which is also called croup, or an acute necrotizing encephalitis, which is far more severe than losing the sense of taste and smell during the second wave of the pandemic. Kwan Yat-wah, Clinical Honorary Associate Professor at the Pediatric and Adolescent Department at the University of Hong Kong, pointed out that there has been an increased number of infected children admitted to the hospital recently. Kawn urged family members to seek professional help at the hospital immediately without delay or hesitation if they observe any sign of symptoms in their children. During an interview with Radio and Television Hong Kongs program Millenium on June 24, 2022, Dr Kwan stated that the team led by professor Lau Yu-lung, of the pediatric and adolescents department at the University of Hong Kong, had recently analyzed over 1000 children aged 11 or under, who had been hospitalized during the fifth wave of the pandemic, between February 5 to 29. The team found that most of the cases containing Omicron BA.2 subtype new mutant virus strains display two severe complication symptoms in children, including nervous system complications and acute upper respiratory tract complications. Among the cases, 1.8 percent or 21 children had to be treated in the intensive care unit, while 2 of them passed away from encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain. According to Dr Kwan, the mortality rate of BA.2 new virus strains is 2.7 times and 4.7 times higher than influenza and parainfluenza respectively. As for cerebral complications, it is also 1.6 times and 1.9 times more than influenza and parainfluenza respectively. For upper respiratory tract complications, acute necrotizing encephalitis, BA.2 cases are at double the rate of influenza, while the impact of Acute necrotizing encephalitis triggered by parainfluenza is similar. Kawn further analyzed that during the first two waves of the pandemic, the side effects on the neuro systems were only loss of taste and smell. however, during the fifth wave of the pandemic, deadly complications started to appear, such as spasms, epilepsy, acute necrotizing encephalitis, and the like. Hence Kwan emphasized that BA.2 not only attacks the respiratory system but also the central nervous system. Even after a patient is recovered, he or she might still suffer from sequelae, causing the condition of Long-Covid, memory, and cognition issues. The professor also mentioned that the children who contracted BA.2 in other Asian regions, also suffer from encephalitis, spasms, and acute necrotizing encephalitis. Publications from overseas also concluded that the pandemic can cause serious complications in children; as their magnetic resonance imaging, that is MRIs show the impact the virus has on the brain structures. Professor Kwan suggested children should follow the standards of good personal hygiene measures, such as wearing masks and washing hands thoroughly. Furthermore, as more children are being sent to the hospital due to infection, Kwan urged family members to be diligent in observing related symptoms or warning signs. If a child is displaying high-pitched wheezing or panting noises, which could be signs of having acute necrotizing encephalitis or having a high fever in addition to spasms for over 30 minutes, the child should be sent to the hospital immediately without delay. So the complications can be dealt with promptly by medical professionals. He also encourages the family to observe the patient for two to six months upon their recovery, for signs of pediatric systemic inflammation syndromes. Chinese leader Xi Jinping buttons his jacket at a ceremony to honor contributions to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China on April 8, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Hong Kong Confirms Xi Jinpings Visit for July 1 Handover Anniversary Amid Conflicting Reports Hong Kong police announced on June 28 that preparations are underway for Chinese leader Xi Jinpings possible visit next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the citys handover from Britain to China. Hong Kong Assistant Police Commissioner Lui Kam-ho told reporters at a press conference that Xi will attend a series of official events in person, including the inauguration of Hong Kongs next leader, John Lee, on July 1. However, Beijing has not confirmed Xis trip to Hong Kong. Its been five years since Xi last visited the city, and it would be his first trip out of mainland China since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold about two and a half years ago. Xis last overseas trip was made in January 2020 when he visited Burma (commonly known as Myanmar). Chinese leader Xi Jinping, right, and Hong Kong Chief Executive-elect John Lee pose for a photo before their meeting in Beijing, China, on May 30, 2022. (Li Xueren/Xinhua via AP) Conflicting Reports Hong Kong police released a statement on June 28, alerting residents about road closures, temporary traffic and pedestrian diversions, security zones, and COVID policies at the venues for the handover anniversary ceremonies. The statement described Xis visit as possible. However, The Associated Press quoted Lui on June 28, saying that Xi will visit the city in person. Chinese state-run media Xinhua said in its one sentence report on June 25: Xi Jinping will attend the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. After Xinhuas report, several Hong Kong politicians told local media that Xi might attend the events via video conference. Water-filled barriers have been installed by police outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center where the inauguration ceremony of the newly-appointed Chief Executive John Lee will take place in Hong Kong, on June 27, 2022. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo) A few Hong Kong officials recently tested positive for COVID, raising concerns about Xis visit. Lau Suk-yee, a member of Hong Kong Executive Council and Legislative Council, said that Xi will visit the city but he will have no contact with any officials who recently tested positive for COVID. Hong Kong announced on June 23 that Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang and Director of the Chief Executives Office Eric Chan, who will become the next Chief Secretary for Administration, had both tested positive for COVID. Before they were diagnosed, Chief Executive Carrie Lam and incoming leader John Lee met with Chan a few days ago. Lee also met with Tsang. Hong Kong authorities confirmed that Lam and Lee tested negative. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a non-official member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, told HK01 on June 25 that its hard to say whether Xi would attend the ceremony in person. The same report quoted Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the Standing Committee of Chinas rubber stamp legislature, as saying that Xi might not visit Hong Kong. Some Chinese media reported that Xi doesnt want to visit Hong Kong due to alleged assassination plots by his political rivals. There is an ongoing struggle among political factions within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)mostly between Xi and former leader Jiang Zemin. A view of the Hong Kong skyline is pictured on March 26, 2022. (PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images) CCP Erodes Hong Kongs Freedoms July 1 will mark a milestone of Hong Kongs development. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over the city in 1997, it promised Hongkongers and the British government that it would respect the citys political and economic freedoms for the next 50 years under the one country, two systems framework. However, in the past two and a half decades, the CCP has eroded Hong Kongs freedoms. On June 30, 2020, the CCP passed the National Security Law, which gives Hong Kong authorities (Beijing loyalists) the right to detain and sentence pro-democracy activists. In addition, some Hong Kong media companies that refused to comply with the CCP were forced to close under the security law, including Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News. Without the protection of the political system, Hong Kongs business environment has deteriorated. According to official data, in 2020, the city lost 93.6 percent of overseas tourists, its GDP decreased by 6.5 percent, and retailers revenue decreased by 24.3 percent. In 2021, 30,000 residents left Hong Kong, the majority of whom immigrated to other countries. French state-run Radio France Internationale commented in its Chinese language channel on June 25: [This 25th anniversary] marks the end of Hong Kongs semi-autonomous status. A woman adjusts banners in support of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, a group banned in mainland China, in Tung Chung, an area popular with tourists from the mainland, in Hong Kong on April 25, 2019. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) Hong Kong Falun Gong Practitioner Wins Court Case Defending Herself Falun Gong adherents in Hong Kong have been protesting peacefully against the Chinese regimes persecution of the meditative practice by displaying banners and boards on the streets for many years. However, in May last year, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal ruled that practitioners exhibits must be approved by the local government in accordance with the Public Health and Municipal Ordinance. A few days later, authorities forcibly removed the exhibits and issued fines to several practitioners for displaying posters without permission. Ms. Dong, who was among those receiving a fine, denied the charges and defended herself. On June 22, the court declared her not guilty. Dong was alleged to have displayed a vertical banner and a placard on a trolley at the Tung Chung bus terminal on May 28, 2021. The banner read: Falun Dafa is great. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great. An hour after she set up, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) confiscated her trolley, banner, placard, and other items, and took her to the FEHD office for investigation. Dongs case was tried twice at the Eastern Magistrates Court on May 27 and 31, 2022. Dong defended herself without a legal representative. Some Degree of Permanence and Habitual Regularity Magistrate Jason Wan Siu-ming said when announcing the ruling that the defendant testified that the last time publicity materials were displayed at the bus terminal was in 2018, which was several years before the present case. According to the interpretation by the Court of Final Appeal of Section 104A of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance prohibiting the display of posters without permission, if the display does not reach some degree of permanence and habitual regularity, the act of display does not constitute a crime. Considering the statements from the prosecutor and defendant, it was difficult to prove that the defendants exhibits were regular, therefore, the defendant was ruled not guilty. The prosecutor demanded that Dongs trolley, banner, and placard be confiscated, but the magistrate ruled that the FEHD must return the items. However, the prosecutors legal representative told Dong after leaving the court that she would not be able to return her belongings until a month later, because she had to report to the Department of Justice first to confirm that the department would not appeal. Four Falun Gong practitioners in front of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong on April 25, 2021, to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of a historical appeal for freedom of belief in mainland China. (Song Bilong/The Epoch Times) Dong did not call for witnesses but chose to testify in court. When asked by the magistrate why she went to the bus terminal, Dong said that she had been practicing Falun Gong since 1997. Ever since then-Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, the persecution hasnt stopped and there is even the crime of live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. Dong said her parents were arrested for practicing Falun Gong and died as a result of the persecution. She wanted to seek justice, hoping that the public will help stop the persecution. Dong also said that Falun Gong is a meditation practice with healing and fitness effects. With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc, she wanted to tell the public about the benefits of Falun Gong, so that people can enjoy a safe and healthy life. When asked by the counsel for the prosecution whether she had applied to the FEHD for the display of exhibits, Dong replied, The FEHD did not instruct me to apply, nor did it have any channels for me to apply. Asked for Permission She explained that a few years ago, she asked FEHD staff how to apply for permission, and the staff said to apply to the Lands Department. When she called the Lands Department, the person who answered the phone replied that only Hong Kong councilors can apply for exhibit permits. Central to the case was whether Section 104A of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance is limited to exhibits with some degree of permanence and habitual regularity, and that the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal did not define some degree of permanence and habitual regularity. The prosecutor believed that, except for exhibits displayed during parades and assemblies for which organizers asked for permission, all other exhibits are regulated by Section 104A. Dong, on the other hand, said in her closing statement that her banners and placards were placed on a trolley and could be moved away at any time. They were not permanent, habitual, or regular in nature, so there was no need to apply for a permit from the government. Falun Gong practitioners take part in a march in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019. (Yu Gang/The Epoch Times) She also emphasized that the law must not deviate from common sense and human nature. In her case, she displayed a small banner at the bus stop without bothering anyone. She questioned the FEHD: Why are you spending so much human and financial resources to hunt me down? The murders [in mainland China] killed my brothers and sisters. Why is it some people believe that I should keep silent and do nothing to redress the injustice? After the trial, Dong told The Epoch Times that the ruling was what she expected. I am innocent to begin with. The judge did the right thing and justice is served, she said. Persecution in China Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, was made public in 1992. According to official statistics from the CCP, as of 1999, there were about 70 to 100 million practitioners. In 1999, Jiang Zemin initiated a nationwide campaign to defame Falun Gong and persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioners subsequently suffered from harassment, illegal detention, and forced labor. In June last year, 12 independent U.N. human rights experts issued a joint statement saying that they were extremely alarmed by reports of alleged organ harvesting targeting minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Christians. [June 28, 2022] Audience Closes $10M Series A Funding Round, Leverages Robots to Send Handwritten Notes as Digital Marketing Gets Personalized Audience, a robot-powered outbound marketing platform, today announced the closing of $10 million in Series A funding led by Next Coast Ventures. The growth capital empowers Audience to fast-track its platform to become the leading personal direct mail marketing choice for businesses and professionals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005428/en/ Personalized handwritten notes written by a Robot (Photo: Business Wire) The funding round brings the total raised to $12.8 million since its founding in 2019. The Miami-headquartered startup had initially raised a pre-seed round in July 2021. The capital from this round will help Audience better serve its existing customers with integrated customer relationship management (CRM) functionality, a more robust user platform across new verticals and new robot optimizations and app abilities with unique add-ons unavailable elsewhere. Audience allows businesses and individuals to reimagine these campaigns by abandoning email altogether and creating an innovative platform that sends personalized messages to better generate leads and boost return on marketing investment by up to 380%. In addition to the enhanced platform features, implementing a larger fleet of handwriting robots means a faster order-to-mail process, which is already done within one business day. "Audience combines robotic handwritten notes with a powerful targeting database and digital-marketing follow-up," said Jesse Stein, CEO and founder of Audience. "This unique combination helps companies close more deals, form deeper bonds with prospects and customers and remove friction from the follow-up process." Combining Personalization with Automation to Boost ROI and Lead Generaion Important notes from clients and business prospects are often obscured by countless daily messages sent to digital and physical mailboxes. Breaking through to prospects in meaningful and authentic ways has posed challenges for direct mailing campaigns. Audience robots write letters at scale with consistent penmanship and work with unique software to measure ROI, keep track of notes sent, configure campaigns and automatically personalize each note. With pre-built templates and unlimited personalization, Audience creates an experience for recipients that garners a 90% read rate and six times the response of standard direct mail. Agents from the largest real estate companies in the United States, including Keller Williams, Sotheby's and Douglas Elliman, use Audience to engage prospects, close deals and retain customers. "I am blown away by the results from using Audience. So far, I've run two campaigns that have completely transformed my business," said Jacqueline Marks of Douglas Elliman. "I love the attention to detail each campaign specifies, which allows me to build and cultivate my network, find pocket listings and establish myself as an expert agent along the coast of South Florida." The company also is gaining traction in the insurance industry, where brokers and agents often compete for the same clients and need a better solution than email, cold-calling and social media. "Audience does all the heavy lifting - printing our stationary on demand, populating notes with text templates and custom variables such as first name, writing the note, including an insert or gift, stamping, sending, tracking," said Mike Bodack, president of York International. "It takes a thorn in my side and turns it into something I don't even think about." Investor Perspective on $10M Series A Funding Round "Audience represents the evolution of the digital marketing landscape toward hyper-personalized customer engagement, and we couldn't be happier to partner with them," said Thomas Ball, co-founder and managing partner of Next Coast Ventures. "The combination of an incredible team, robotic hardware and easy-to-use software made the investment in Audience incredibly attractive." About Audience Audience is a Miami-headquartered outbound marketing company that helps grow businesses with robotic handwritten notes with automated email and LinkedIn follow-up to each recipient. It provides businesses with an opportunity to break through to prospects, drive conversions, increase retention and deliver a personal, one-on-one experience. A turn-key solution of lead generation, text templates, front-of-note graphics, an app for sending one-off notes, QR labels with real-time tracking and a dedicated account manager allow businesses to see results in their direct mailing campaigns and to build more trusted relationships with prospects and customers. To learn more about Audience's direct mailing solutions, visit https://www.audience.co/. About Next Coast Ventures Next Coast Ventures is an Austin-based venture capital firm that partners with bold entrepreneurs building innovative companies in big markets. It provides early-stage capital to high-growth startups in "Next Coast" markets, using macro trends and themes to guide its investment strategy. Next Coast provides its growing group of portfolio companies with hands-on help, Company Building Playbooks, a robust Expert Network, and the founders' own experiences as entrepreneurs and operators. Next Coast ETA, founded in 2020, invests in the best and the brightest future CEOs, helping them find, run and grow a business to outsized returns in the lower- to middle-market. Learn more at nextcoastventures.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005428/en/ [ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ] Following changes to textbooks, this entire page on the Legislative Council's website that originally recorded the history of the Legislative Council was recently deleted after it was discovered that it described Hong Kong as a "British colony". (Screenshot of the Legislative Council website) Hong Kong Legislative Council Attempts to Conceal Colonial Past There are further signs the CCP continues to purge Hong Kong of its colonial past. After the Hong Kong government changed textbook contents, the Legislative Council website follows in unison. Lately, the website is found to have removed the entire page of all recorded history of the Legislative Council, which had previously described Hong Kong as a British colony. Lau Yung Wai, a pro-democracy Tai Po District councillor who recently posted the discovery on his Facebook page, said that even taking into account the official response from the Legislative Council, it proves that the Legislative Council has officially recognised Hong Kong as a British colony at least 24 years after the handover of sovereignty. He believes that todays society is full of lies and calls for constant vigilance from all to distinguish right from wrong, in order to preserve conscience and justice. Just as the Citizenship and Social Development textbooks approved by the authorities stated that Hong Kong is not a (former) colony, causing an uproar, Lau posted on his Facebook page on June 21, an image of the page of the Legislative Councils website introducing the history of the Legislative Council. It shows the background of the establishment of the Legislative Council during the British rule, in wordings like this: Hong Kong was a British colony from Jan. 26, 1841, to June 30, 1997, and its first Constitution was promulgated by Queen Victoria in the form of a Letters Patent, conferring The Royal Charter of the Colony of Hong Kong, promulgated at the Governors House on June 26, 1843. It was this Charter that provided for the establishment of the Legislative Council. At the same time, Lau Yung Wai also criticised the Legislative Council members and officials who rush to the Hong Kong July 1 commemorative celebration but did not attend the LegCo meeting. Before they try to butter up their boss in Beijing by saying that Hong Kong was not a colony, they had attempted to whitewash what was there as history of the Legislative Council. He added, sarcastically, Its a really ugly sight. He also pointed out, What had happened is what had happened. Yes is yes. No is no. It will never flip from yes to no, or vice versa. On the next day (June 22) morning, the above-mentioned page was promptly deleted after being reported by the media. The current statement to introduce the history of the Legislative Council has been changed to On June 26, 1843, Queen Victoria promulgated the Royal Charter of the Letters Patent at the Governors Office. This Charter approved the establishment of the Legislative Council. On his Facebook page, Lau questioned the above text in deleting the entire line Hong Kong was a British colony from Jan 26, 1841, to June 30, 1997, and blurred the Hong Kong colonial Charter as this Charter. He asks, What does this behaviour show? Even for such a small issue, the official text could be falsified into something that meets their current requirements so blatantly. Is it so obvious by changing the details bit by bit, it is able to achieve the aim of erasing memory and obliterating history? Lau told The Epoch Times that he came from a history major, so he has a fond memory of the official history of the Legislative Council showing that Hong Kong was a British colony. This is not a deliberate search, rather he could not stand the behaviour of such a bunch of officials and legislators who suddenly came out and attempted to overturn the history displayed by the governments official documents for so long. Therefore, he used the content of the official website of the Legislative Council as evidence to prove the weird official position of this government. Apparent Admission for at Least 24 Years The Legislative Council Secretariat pointed out that the website of the Legislative Council had been fully updated in January 2022, but it is still possible to search for outdated old pages through online search engines. Lau responded to the above statement, saying that this cannot verify whether the page has not yet been deleted by the Legislative Council, or whether it has been suddenly deleted. However, the statement further corroborates the official stance of the Legislative Council. As of Dec 31, 2021, it still held the position that Hong Kong was a British colony. On this Lau asked further: If not, then why is there still such a statement displayed on the official website after a full 24 years? The government needs to respond. If one were to go through the web page inventory website Web Archive, the page about Hong Kongs former British colony status can still be seen existing on the Internet on the afternoon of June 15, 2022, while the archive on June 22 started to show something like Cannot find the page, on the Legislative Council website. As a district councillor, when asked what can be done at the district council level, and whether it is possible to move a motion to be discussed there, Lau lamented that the current district council has been castrated to pieces by the government, pointing out that current district council regulations require only issues related to affairs of the local district itself can be discussed, otherwise it would not be accepted for discussion. For example, he recently sent a letter to the District Council requesting a discussion on the MTR Corporations extension of the East Rail Line. He was then asked by the District Council Secretariat to add convenience to residents of Tai Po on the topic before it was considered within the council meetings. Without that tag, they will be regarded as territory-wide issues and will not be allowed there. Constant Vigilance Urged to Safeguard History After the page disappeared, Lau published a post on his Facebook page titled Who is tampering with the plot?, quoting one of Czech writer Milan Kunderas saying, The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting. Lau reprimanded, Authoritarian governments use their power to control official writing, aiming to completely eradicate generally accepted knowledge and facts of the past, with the intention of making history annihilated and obliterated. To conclude he made such advice. The current society is full of lies every day. Calling black white is not just a textbook story and is happening in front of our eyes on a daily basis. Against all these fickle lackeys and lousy officials, who always talk nonsense, what we can do now is not to become bored and indifferent to what is happening around us, or blindly believe in the information we come across. We need to think critically for anything we doubt, record the facts, and always be vigilant. Only in this way can we discern right from wrong and preserve our conscience and justice. George Westinghouse combined technical brilliance and a big heart while creating inventions, jobs, and companies When the 1893 Columbian Exposition opened on the shores of Lake Michigan, visitors to the fair were treated to a glimpse of the future. Chicago, the great classical White City by day, at night became a magically illuminated world of colored lights. President Grover Cleveland opened the exhibition by pushing a button that set the great dynamo engine in motion with its alternating-current generator providing power to thousands of incandescent bulbs. At that moment, America first saw the promise of electricity on full display. Thomas Edisons incandescent bulb was the great invention that would change the way people lived. No longer would the waning daylight mean the end of the working day. But Edisons bulb was powered by direct currentand direct current couldnt travel very far from the source of its generation. Before America could be electrified, it was necessary for there to be the battle of the currents. Alternating current would ultimately be victorious because it allowed for the remote and efficient generation of power that we take for granted today. George Westinghouse had pioneered the idea of alternating current (AC), while Edison promoted direct current (DC). The two mens companies had vied for the contract to provide electric power for the worlds fair. Seeing it as an opportunity to market his ideas, Westinghouse bid low and won the contract. He told his workers to provide work of the highest quality as it would be an exercise in demonstrating the potential of AC. George Westinghouse was well-beloved for his genius and generosity, circa 1906. (Public Domain) Edison lawyers discovered that the bulbs Westinghouse planned to use were very similar to those Edisons company had patented, so Edison brought a lawsuit against his competitor. Westinghouse responded by manufacturing a plug and stopper version of the light bulbnot quite as good as Edisons, but different enough to avoid a patent violation. Workers in Westinghouses factories worked feverishly to produce enough bulbs to light the fair. This loyal workforce was willing, it was said, to march through fire for George Westinghouse to meet his production deadline. History is quick to point out the greedy exploits of Americas 19th-century captains of industry, but often forgets the noble contributions of men like Westinghouse. His ethic goes back to his early life, his war years, and his early fascination with steam powered devices. Paul D. Cravath, the young lawyer who represented Westinghouse during the current battles, said this about his client: The qualities of George Westinghouse which, it seems to me, gave him the supreme quality of genius, were the qualities of imagination, faith, and courage. We know many men of great mental vigor; we know many men of strong character. Those qualities are, of course, the background of any successful career, but I am sure none of us has ever known a man who combined the qualities of faith, imagination, and courage as they were combined in George Westinghouse. Brilliant and Decent In our day, the development of great works and human decency are oftenbut sometimes mistakenlyconsidered to be mutually exclusive. Westinghouse was a brilliant man, an innovator, and a captain of industry. He was worth millions of dollars, but he never forgot his humble beginnings. Workers operate the 100-hp Westinghouse synchronous alternator at the Ames power plant in Colorado, 1891. (Public Domain) As a youth, Westinghouse was not someone you would have thought likely to succeed. School bored him, and he preferred being in his fathers machinery shop, where he eventually found himself working at a very young age. He built a working steam engine that he would later patent in 1865. His fascination with steam, flow, and pressure would continue to inform him for his entire working life. One Saturday, young Georges father gave him an assignment to cut down equal lengths of pipe. The task would have kept him busy all day (in those days, factories worked six days a week), but Georges scout group had planned an afternoon hike. George created a jig that enabled him to cut the pipe handily in the morning, enabling him to go on the hike in the afternoon. His father was not pleased, but George was now inspired with the knowledge that innovation could improve the quality of life for people. He would discover that it could also save lives. He Gave Them a Brake George served in the army during the Civil War, an experience he credited with teaching him how to work with all kinds of people. When the war ended, the great growth of railroads and the western expansion of the United States would create new opportunities for this inventive young man. At that time, trains were stopped by men hand-turning brake wheels on top of the train cars. As trains grew longer, these brakemen would run along the tops of the cars to turn each wheel by hand. As you might imagine, it was a dangerous job. Many brakemen died by slipping off the tops of train cars. Bad weather only made it worse. An 1888 engraving of the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Public Domain) Westinghouse developed a new braking system, made possible by compressed air, that changed the world of railroading by decreasing the number of railroad accidents that had previously filled newspapers across the country. It is said that novelist Charles Dickens had a phobia about traveling by train, and that fear was not unfounded. Westinghouse had a railway engine and several cars set up to demonstrate his invention, and he arranged for railway executives to ride on this newly equipped train. The day of the test started with the train pulling out on what was to be a day-long excursion. Early in the journey, the train passed through a tunnel, emerging to a grade crossing where a terrified driver was trying to free a horse-drawn wagon that had become stuck on the tracks. The brakes were appliedhardand the train stopped just short of the wagon. The railway officials were so impressed that they said they needed to go no farther: the Westinghouse Air Brake had so quickly and efficiently proved itself. Generous, Moderate, Temperate While most of us remember that George Westinghouse invented air brakes for trains, few remember that when he built his great air brake factory outside of Pittsburgh, he also built beautiful houses for his workers and set up a monthly payment plan so they could buy them. He even insured the houses so that if a family were to lose its breadwinner, it would not lose its home. And while other inventors like Thomas Edison accumulated many patents based on the work of their employees, Westinghouse assembled around him the best and brightest he could find and insisted that they receive attribution for their own patents. It is said that he would have well over a thousand patents had he registered them all in his own name. An 1888 engraving of the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Public Domain) His brilliant engineers were not all men, either. Because of his generous patent attribution policy, we know that he had in his employ one Bertha Lamme, whom the New York Herald called the only woman electrical engineer in the country in 1896. Westinghouse went on to develop his AC electrical generation capability, which he spectacularly demonstrated at the 1893 Columbian Exposition worlds fair in Chicago. He continued to pioneer improvements in railway equipment, including electric locomotives and sophisticated block control systems, which greatly enhanced railroad safety. He was inspired by his contemporary Nikola Tesla, the Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist, who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern AC electricity supply system. Westinghouse looked to Teslas work as he sought to make AC practical for powering Americas developing industries. During his lifetime, Westinghouse founded over 40 different companies and made possible many of the appliances we take for granted in our homes today. He practiced the Golden Rule in his management style, and he firmly believed in the freedom of his workers. He chose to live out his beliefs by example rather than by preaching. He was a modest and temperate man, always devoted to his wife, Marguerite Erskine Westinghouse. This quote says volumes about the man: If someday they say of me that in my work, I have contributed something to the welfare and happiness of my fellow man, I shall be satisfied. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine. A voter fills out his ballot in Palos Hills, Ill., on June 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) Illinois Voters Head to Polls for 2022 Primary PALOS HILLS, Ill.Four days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the impact of that far-reaching decision is already palpable at a primary day polling site just southwest of Chicago. Alice Mister, a resident of Palos Hills, told The Epoch Times that abortion is now her top concern and that she thinks more people will be energized around this issue throughout the midterm election cycle. We have had it for over 50 years and now they just took it away. I believe a woman should be able to decide what they are going to do with their body, Mister told The Epoch Times. Alice Mister stands outside of a polling site in Palos Hills, Ill., on June 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) She planned to vote for Marie Newman, a Democratic candidate running to represent Illinoiss 6th congressional district, which encompasses Palos Hills. Newman, the incumbent of the nearby 3rd district, was moved out of her district after Illinois lawmakers redrew the map last year. She chose to run for reelection in the 6th district instead, facing two-term House Rep. Sean Castenthe only primary fight among incumbent Democratic House members in the state. Both incumbents support abortion and are endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America. The 6th district is a competitive congressional seat considered winnable by Republicans in a midterm year when the presidents party typically loses ground. Of the 40 midterms held since the Civil War, the presidents party lost House seats in 37 of them. Veronica Khachatryan stands outside of a polling site in Palos Hills, Ill., on June 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) For Veronica Khachatryan, abortion is also her top issue, and it is an issue that she thinks will energize people on both sides. Khachatryan is of Armenian descent, and treasures American freedom, she told The Epoch Times. Personally, I support abortions. And I feel lucky to be in America where people can have different ideas, debate them, and respect each other, Khachatryan said. She said she voted for Democratic candidates in the primary. Elevera Werr, on the other hand, is a pro-lifer and voted straight Republican ticket in the primary. We really need whole new blood, a whole new regime here. Look at the crime in Chicago, I would not walk on the streets in Chicago even if someone pays me $1,000, Werr told The Epoch Times. In 2022, the total number of shootings and murders went down in Chicago compared to 2021, according to Chicago police statistics. But a few high-profile, never-happened-before shootings in the renowned Theatre District and tourist sites downtown had people on edge. Elevera Werr stands outside of a polling site in Palos Hills, Ill., on June 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) Werr is a supporter of former President Donald Trump. Trumps endorsements played an important role in her consideration of candidates, she said. She voted for Darren Bailey, a conservative state senator running for Illinois governor. She made up her mind on this one after Trump endorsed Bailey on Saturday at a southern Illinois rally. Bailey is contending in a six-way Republican primary race, the winner of which will face Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the fall. It is one of the most expensive midterm races the nation has seen this year. Three billionaires played big, with shipping supplies magnate Richard Uihlein putting in at least $17 million in support of Bailey, and Illinoiss richest man Ken Griffin putting in $50 million in support of moderate Republican Richard Irvin, according to filings with the Illinois Board of Elections. Plus, according to multiple media outlets, the Pritzker-supported Democratic Governors Associations put in tens of millions in support of Bailey, the rationale being that Pritzker could easily beat pro-Trump Bailey in a blue state like Illinois. Pritzker, a billionaire member of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, contributed $90 million to his reelection campaign in January, according to a quarterly report filed with the state. Charles McCloud stands outside of a polling site in Palos Hills, Ill., on June 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) As for local resident Charles McCloud, he has lost faith in both parties for decades. I have not voted for a jackass or an elephant for 40 years. It is time for big changes. Things would not get any worse, McCloud told The Epoch Times. He said his biggest problem with the Democratic or Republican politicians is that they lie too much and indulge in personal attacks. He voted for Libertarian candidates in the primary. Honesty matters most to me. If either party has an honest candidate, Ill vote for him, he said. The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Dec. 29, 2020. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images) Jan. 6 Defendants Face Despicable Conditions: Jan. 6 Advocacy Group Founder, Top Attorney In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Cynthia Hughes, founder of the Jan. 6 defendant advocacy group Patriot Freedom Project (PFP) and top Jan. 6 attorney Joe McBride discussed their experiences, describing despicable conditions and a pressing desire to ensure that the rights of these defendants are respected. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, Stop the Steal rally in Washington, the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Attorney General Merrick Garland undertook one of the largest manhunts in DOJ history to round up anyone implicated in the Capitol breach. The resource-intensive hunt, which is still ongoing after 17 months, has stirred a great deal of controversy in the wake of disturbing reports about the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants. Many Republican lawmakers have refused to touch the issue, while no Democrat has made any comment on the allegations. A few lawmakers, prominently Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), have spoken out against the treatment of these detainees, but they have been unable to make serious progress in bettering the situation. Many remaining in captivity have continued to report mistreatment and abuse by facility staff and guards. Theyre Denied Every Basic Human Right Frustrated by the mistreatment and lack of information about one of her family members that had been arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 rally, Cynthia Hughes founded PFP. In an interview, Hughes described the treatment of her nephew, Tim Hale-Cusanelli, in detainment, saying that Hale-Cusanelli and other Jan. 6 detainees have been mistreated by the justice system and have faced deprivation of every basic human right you can think of. I started the Patriot Freedom Project after my nephew was arrested in January of 2021 on nonviolent charges, Hughes said. After being bounced around several jails in New Jersey, Hughes said, Hale-Cusanelli ended up being placed in the D.C. Metropolitan Jail, where detainees have described horrendous conditions. The deputy warden of the jail, Kathleen Landerkin, has also been under scrutiny by conservatives for her past online comments decrying President Donald Trump and his supporters, which they say shows that she is prejudiced against the Jan. 6 defendants. In the D.C. jail, Hughes said, Hale-Cusanelli got COVID. Since then, he has remained there. About three weeks ago, Hughess nephew was convicted by a D.C. jury on all counts he had been charged with. He is currently awaiting sentencing. He has been held in detention since January 2021 when he was arrested. In past press conferences, Hughes has called for the trials of Jan. 6 defendants to be taken out of D.C., where she says juries are too biased to judge the facts of a case fairly. In the case of her nephew, Hughes said, they made an effort to have the trial moved, citing these biases, but the request was turned down. Its very biased in D.C., Hughes said. Nobodys gonna get a fair trial, nobodys gonna be granted a change of venue motion. Denied Access to the Outdoors After entering the D.C. jail in January 2021, Hughes said, her nephew and other Jan. 6 defendants were held in solitary confinement and only allowed outside of their cells one hour per day. Defendants still dont get to go outside, they dont get to see the sun, Hughes added. I anticipate many will have serious health issues. If you have a medical problem, youre not seeing a doctor, she continued. Tim has had two very significant ear infections, so bad that it caused bleeding from the ear, and he never got to see a doctor. He got to see a nurse practitioner, and they flushed his ear out with peroxide and gave him some penicillin. Hes got significant hearing loss in both of his ears right now, Hughes added. Hughes described other conditions faced by detainees as well. Until very recently, Hughes said, detainees who met with their lawyers were confined to solitary confinement for two weeks, purportedly on grounds of COVID. However, Hughes judged that the measure was more intended to be punitive than anything. Detainees have faced other indignities as well: Lots of strip search, their cells get raided, theyre mocked, theyre spoken down to, you cant mail packages [to detainees]. She added, I think the biggest thing of all that people should know: theyre denied religious services. Spiritual Needs Ignored Hughes said that she and her nephew are Catholic, a denomination of Christianity that places a great deal of emphasis on priests and rituals conducted by clergy, which has made the absence of any priest particularly difficult. But protestants, Muslims, and adherents of the Jewish faith have also been denied services, Hughes noted. Tims been in jail for 18 months and he hasnt had any religious services, Hughes said, noting that defendants had banded together to form their own religious services in the absence of any clergy. Thats very disturbing, Hughes added. Though many defendants have been held at D.C. Metropolitan Jail and Northern Neck Regional Jail, Hughes noted that others have been held in jails all over the country, though these have gotten less attention. Joe McBride, a top Jan. 6 attorney, said that the treatment of defendants in other jails has varied, but that the worst excesses have taken place in Washington and at Northern Neck. The treatment in both of those facilities is despicable, McBride said. Theyre going out of their way to make the January Sixthers experience much more painful, much more difficult than anybody else. Prosecutors and jail officials, McBride added, are abusing [Jan. 6 defendants] because they know theyre not going to be called out about it. We Have to Do Something During the interview, Hughes described her motivation in founding PFP. The early days of Tims detention were a whirlwind of confusion and misdirection by authorities, Hughes said. At the time, Tim was relying on a public defender, and it was difficult for either Hughes or her nephew to learn details about the case. You couldnt get information. You had to rely onat that time we had a public defenderyou had to rely on your lawyer, Hughes said. Then, Hughes said, she saw a report by Julie Kelly on the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants. Amid all the frustration that the system had dished out to them, [we] see this incredible woman come out and shes reporting on all this, Hughes said. It just really motivated me. I said to Tim, We have to do something, we cant sit like this anymore, Hughes recollected. Initially, the organization was begun as a support group for families of Jan. 6 defendants, who have also suffered from the loss of spouses, siblings, parents, and others in the wake of the Jan. 6 rally. However, the organization began to grow, Hughes said, And before I knew it I was getting a phone call from Dinesh DSouza, a major conservative figure and commentator. DSouza donated $100,000 to PFP, greatly increasing the groups scope and reach. That really was the moment Patriot Freedom Project was born, Hughes said, describing the lengths she had to go to to ensure that the organization made no mistakes that could place it in the sights of the federal government. Family Support Still, the organization has also stuck to its roots as a family support group even as it has expanded. It was good to have a place where people could go and connect with each other, she said. Its nice to talk to people that know what youre going through, they understand what youre dealing with, and its comforting. The organization has connected family members with support groups and mental health professionals, among other things. Hughes emphasized that the cost has not just been emotional: several mothers with children have found that their households main source of income was suddenly cut away, forcing many who did not work before to scramble to make up for the lost income. People in this country need to know the collateral damage in this and the serious fallout, Hughes said. Innocent women and children are going to suffer for the federal governments politically-motivated war against Jan. 6 defendants, Hughes reemphasized. The situation, and the deprivation of rights that the group of Jan. 6 defendants have faced, should terrify anybody in this country, she added. Reports of Mistreatment Have Long Circulated Even as Hughes and a handful of GOP lawmakers have sought to improve conditions for Jan. 6 defendants, the treatment that they have faced has long been public information. During a recent PFP-hosted press conference, one speaker, who introduced herself only as Angela, described the horrendous conditions faced by her sona U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistanat the D.C. jail and Northern Neck Regional Detention Facility, including an alleged sexual assault by guards. Before his incarceration, she said, her son was on track to become a history teacher, though still suffering from both the physical and mental scars of his combat tours in Afghanistan. He had never been charged with a crime, she noted. Moving on to a discussion of the conditions he has faced, Angela said, The conditions at the D.C. jail are horrendous. His rations often smell like cleaning fluid, she said. There were pubic hairs included in [some] portions of his food. The drinking water was visibly dirty. Mold was visible in cells. And roaches lived among them. Her son was ultimately moved out of the facility in November 2021 after an unprovoked assault by facility guards. The unprovoked assault, by no less than five guards, the defendants mother said, voice breaking, included graphic sexual components and resulted in his transfer. This, she said, happened despite her son having received no infractions for bad behavior during the entirety of his detention. It was believed that this assault was in retaliation for meeting with his representation, she added. While incarcerated, she said, her son has organized religious services for defendants, including Bible studies and celebrations on Easter and Christmas. Various motions to have her son released in advance of his trial have been deniedsuggesting, she said, that the pretrial detention of her son has been completely punitive. Sharing the Truth With the World In December 2021, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and a handful of other Republican lawmakers held a press conference where they unveiled a report on the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants, who have faced nothing short of human rights violations, the lawmakers said. Greene listed a series of examples of mistreatment. According to Greene, Jan. 6 prisoners held in the D.C. jail have been beaten by guards and prison staff, have been unable to speak with their attorneys, have been denied haircuts or razors to shave, and have not been given proper medical treatment when they needed it, among many other examples. Greene noted another peculiarity of the Jan. 6 defendants. Usually, Greene said, members of Congress have no problem in gaining access to jails when they make the request. In this case, however, Deputy Warden Kathleen Landerkin denied Greene and her coalition access to the facilities on several occasions before finally allowing access to the representatives. In fact, [Landerkin] locked us out before, said Greene, adding, Its clear that there was a lot to hide. Whats happening to these people being held in custody is wrong, its unconstitutional, its a violation of their rights, and it is an abuse that I call on every member of Congress to pay attention to, she said later during the press conference. The D.C. jail, Greene said, has been known as a despicable place since the 1970s, and she noted a decision from a U.S. District Judge who ruled that the prevailing conditions in the jail violate the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Treated Worse Than Terrorists Little has changed since this decision, Greene said, citing a 2015 report that found that the jail was plagued by mold, vermin, and water leaks. More recently, Greene added, the U.S. Marshals Service in 2021 found the jail to be inhospitable. Despite the well-documented problems with the building, the Jan. 6 defendants have been forced to reside in the jail for months on end. But the Jan. 6 defendants are being treated differently on a whole other level, Greene said. They have been beaten by the guards, they are called white supremacists, they are denied religious services, haircuts, shaving, the ability to trim their fingernails. Greene continued, Theyre denied time with their attorney, they are denied the ability to even see their families and have their families visit there, theyre denied bail and are being held there without bail. Many of these people have never been charged with a crime before, Greene said. Some of them are veterans. Aside from all these alleged violations of their liberty, Greene reported, the defendants have been told that they have to denounce President Donald Trump and that their views are the views of cult members. In sum, Greene ruled, the Jan. 6 defendants have been treated worse than we treat terrorists in [Guantanamo Bay]. Just weeks after Greenes December 2021 press conference, an unannounced inspection by the U.S. Marshals Service seemed to corroborate her claims about the treatment and conditions these defendants have faced. In the inspection, Marshals identified deficiencies in the D.C. jail including evidence that water had been shut off to prisoners as punishment. If true, this would be a major violation of the law on the part of D.C. jail staff. (LR) Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), vice chairwoman, listen during a hearing of the Jan. 6 committee in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington on June 13, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Jan. 6 Panel Schedules Last-Minute Hearing for June 28, Former Meadows Aide Set to Testify The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol will hold a sixth hearing on Tuesday, June 28, after previously stating that it would not be holding more hearings for the remainder of the month. The decision comes as the committee plans to present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony according to an advisory released June 27. The hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Eastern time. No further details were provided. The House committee had previously been scheduled to take a break from hearings until July. Weve taken in some additional information thats going to require additional work. So rather than present hearings that have not been the quality of the hearings in the past, we made a decision to just move into sometime in July, Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters on June 22. According to multiple reports, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former special assistant to President Donald Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows, is set to testify publicly at the hearing. Her planned appearance, which would mark the first time a White House employee testifies publicly before the committee, was first reported by Punchbowl News. Hutchinson has already met with the committee on three separate occasions behind closed doors and video testimony from her deposition has been used during earlier panel hearings. Voter Fraud Concerns In March, Hutchinson told the committee that Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), and other members of the House Freedom Caucus had met with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to discuss ways to legally prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election due to concerns of voter fraud. That discussion allegedly included considering having then-Vice President Mike Pence refuse to accept the votes from battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona, where the results of the election had been contested. Ultimately, that strategy was not pursued. They felt that he had the authority topardon me if my phrasing isnt correct on this, butsend votes back to the states or the electors back to the states, she said, according to a partial transcript of her March 7 testimony (pdf), which was publicly released on April 22. Most recently, the former Trump administrations special assistant named several lawmakers who allegedly sought pardons from Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. Hutchinson named Jordan, Gaetz, Gohmert, and Perry, as well as Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) as lawmakers who had sought pardons from the outgoing president. Perry has vehemently denied that he sought a pardon, and Gohmert, Biggs, and Greene have also rejected that claim. The committee, which includes seven Democrats and two Republicans, has so far held five hearings on the 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol in which supporters of Trump stormed Congress to call for voting transparency amid reports of widespread fraud and irregularities. Joseph Lord contributed to this report. Alberto Carvalho, then Miami-Dade Schools superintendent, is seen during a school board meeting in Miami, Fla., on March 1, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) LA Unified Approves Student-Focused $18.5 Billion Budget Amid Enrollment Decline, Teacher Shortage Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho earned unanimous support from the districts Board of Education last week on both his 202223 budget of $18.5 billion and his long-term vision for K12 schools in Los Angeles. The LAUSDthe second-largest school district in the nationcurrently faces several challenges, such as student academic gaps brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, declining enrollment and funding, teacher and staff shortages, and student safety concerns in the wake of several mass shootings. Carvalhos strategic plan will focus on addressing these issues, with the next school years budget as the first step, including $1.9 billion in targeted investments to close learning gaps. This budget is values-based, enabling Los Angeles Unified to fund and support the critical priorities of this Board, even during a period of economic downturn, Carvalho said in a statement. Guided by our strategic plan, we will continue to implement strategies that enhance and inspire student achievement, support our highly effective workforce and protect taxpayers investments. A bus containing Los Angeles Unified School District students drives in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) During the June 21 board meeting, where the budget (pdf) was approved, Carvalho noted that the district is getting less funding and will have to stay vigilant in its spending in the coming years. This is in part due to enrollment decline, which is expected to drop by 30 percent over the next decade, according to a recent projection by the district. A one-percent decline in enrollment can result in a loss of approximately $55 million in funding for the upcoming school year, according to the budget report. In addition, Carvalho is preparing the districtwhich received about $5 billion in federal pandemic aid last yearfor the time when such funding is no longer available. The approved budget devotes critical resources toward long-term renewal and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrates a clear commitment to equity, achievement and sustainability, Board President Kelly Gonez said. Through this budget, our District is investing in key priority areas, including support for our highest-need students, early education opportunities for our youngest learners and social emotional learning to meet our students holistic needs. Students and parents arrive masked for the first day of the school year at Grant Elementary School in Los Angeles, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Closing Learning Gaps To boost academic performance, the district allots $122 million for extended instruction days such as summer school programs. Additionally, the following allocations are to ensure students with different needs can learn better in school: $100 million for high-needs students $100 million for special education $13 million for early education $6 million for English learners $4 million for tutoring Over a four-year period, the district aims to raise third-grade students average English proficiency score on the Smarter Balanced Assessment by 30 points, algebra pass rates in elementary and middle schools, and math proficiency in grades 35 and 68 by 40 points on average. A child wears a face mask as they attend an online class at a learning hub inside the Crenshaw Family YMCA during the Covid-19 pandemic in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 17, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) The budget also designated $24 million for the Black Student Achievement Planlaunched in the 20212022 school year to address disparities between black students and their peersand $200,000 to support other programs for black and indigenous students. To promote hands-on, engaging learning for elementary school students outside of regular instructions, the states Expanded Learning Opportunities Program provides the district with $579.9 million to support the following activities: $112.6 million for summer school programs $92.6 million for afterschool programs $5.4 million for arts, music, and cultural experiences $335,000 for social-emotional learning, wellness, and mental health programs $300,000 for outdoor field trips Elementary school children have a water break during a field trip to the Grand Park Earth Day celebration in downtown Los Angeles on April 22, 2016. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Student Safety As part of Carvalhos plans to boost safety operations in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, an additional $5 millionon top of the original $179.6 millionwill go into campus security. The superintendent stressed that the allocation would not go directly to the Los Angeles School Police Department, but to campus security aides and equipment to strengthen the perimeter of schools. Despite calls from the local teachers union, United Teachers of LA, to further defund the school police department, Carvalho opted to keep the police budget at $13.2 million for the upcoming school year, roughly the same as the previous years. In 2020, the Board of Education voted to reduce the schools security and safety budget by one-third following the Black Lives Matter movement. The funds were then reallocated to the districts Black Student Achievement Plan for the 202021 school year. Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles supporters protest outside the Unified School District headquarters calling on the board of education to defund school police in Los Angeles on June 23, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Teacher and Staff Shortages Amid a nationwide teacher shortage, Carvalho said the district is expanding its recruitment. Carvalhos strategic plan aims to ensure that teacher vacancies at high-needs schools do not exceed 6 percent. Meanwhile, it prioritizes professional development for current teachers and better preparedness for new hires by increasing training. LAUSD officials told The Epoch Times earlier this month that the district is looking to fill about 1,000 staff positions and 1,500 teaching positions before the fall semester starts in August. The district hosted four hiring fairs for graduating LAUSD high school seniors earlier this month in hopes of filling staff positions and is working with school leaders to fill teaching vacancies by fall, according to officials. Hollywood High Special Education teacher Shirley Woods conducts class remotely in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2020. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) This comes after the district fired more than 800 staff members during the 202122 school year for non-compliance with its COVID-19 staff vaccine mandate, which was enacted in November, according to the parent and teacher advocacy group Los Angeles Educators & Parents United. In addition, about 600 teachers were forced to move out of classrooms to teach remotely in the districts online learning program, City of Angels, according to the advocacy group. The district was short of about 420 in-classroom teachers this spring semester, which prompted the superintendent to direct non-teaching district staff who held teaching credentials or who formerly held teaching positions to fill in the gap for the rest of the school year. The district hasnt confirmed the number of teachers who were fired because of being unvaccinated after multiple requests for comment. A group of teachers and parents gathered in protest outside the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) headquarters in Los Angeles on May 16. (Courtesy of Los Angeles Educators & Parents United) Where Are the Cuts? The new budget is $1.5 billion less than the previous years $20 billion, which is due to significant cuts in the following areas: Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of the Freedom Convoy protest, delivers a statement during a news conference in Ottawa on Feb. 3, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Lichs Real Crime Is That She Embarrasses the Government Commentary While the Canadian justice system is reluctant to incarcerate the most violent of criminals, it is determined to crack down in the harshest of ways on the crime of mischief. Yes, Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich has been arrested again and will be transported to Ottawa. Hardly a day seems to go by when we dont hear of police warnings of violent, dangerous offenders being released into the public. A quick search online finds police warnings about violent offenders being released across the country. For example, Christopher Watts in Kingston, Ontario, who was convicted of raping and killing a 13-year-old girl along with repeatedly violating past release conditions, was released last week. Police feel he is at a high risk to re-offend, but apparently it is impossible to keep him behind bars. Winston George Thomas, a violent sex offender, was released into the population in Winnipeg on June 18. The Winnipeg Police Service says he is at high risk to re-offend in a sexual and/or sexually violent manner against all females, both adults, and children. Those are just two examples from the last 10 days. We are constantly releasing violent offenders into the public and putting citizens at risk. In Alberta in less than a year, three mothers have been murdered in separate incidents and all by violent offenders who had been released. What can we expect when our courts continue to give weak sentences to dangerous people? On June 13, Alek Minassian was sentenced on 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. He drove a van down a sidewalk in 2018 and slaughtered innocent people. His sentences will be served concurrently rather than consecutively, meaning he will be eligible for parole in 25 years. Its something of a volume discount on violent crimes that Canada offers for mass murderers. In most nations, such a crime would warrant a life sentence with no chance of parole, if not execution. Perhaps if Minassian could be tied to organizing some sort of protests we could ensure he stayed in prison forever. Canadas courts also recently ruled that extreme intoxication is a valid defence for violent crimes. While Lich has never shown any propensity for violence, perhaps she should claim she was drunk during the entire truckers Convoy protest. It is contemptible that we cant seem to keep dangerous people behind bars while all the stops are being pulled to try and keep a peaceful protester in jail. Not all protesters are treated like Lich, however. Protesters set up a structure blocking construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. last year and 27 of them had to be forcibly removed by police. They were all released shortly afterward. Since then, charges have been laid against 15 of them. They will be free on bail as the case works its way through the courts. On almost all justice fronts, Canada takes a soft-on-crime approachexcept with participants in the Freedom Convoy. Canadas remand centres and courts are overloaded. Only the most violent and dangerous of offenders tend to be kept incarcerated without bail while they await trial. Tamara Lich is an exception. She is not a flight risk, she has never been violent, and unless there is another convoy waiting in the wings, there is no way she can re-offend. She presents no risk to the public at large, yet the Crown has pursued her with a vigour that could be called obsessive. As facts are determined through committee hearings in Parliament, the governments case for invoking the Emergencies Act has been falling apart. Its becoming clear that the government went into panic mode over a protest that could have been managed by police, and lost control. They want to distract from this. Lichs real crime is that she embarrasses the government. Lich is but one of many organizers of the Freedom Convoy but she presents a sympathetic symbol that the government cant abide. The narrative of the protests being led by violent white nationalists crumbles when one hears this soft-spoken Metis woman speak, thus the government is pulling out all the stops in trying to keep Lich from reaching the public. The government has proven itself willing and capable to exert political pressure on the justice system in the past, and it appears to be doing so now. Whatever offence Lich may have committed leading to her re-arrest is likely of a small and petty nature. She has been incarcerated for political reasons, and that should send chills down the spines of us all. Canadas drift into authoritarianism didnt stop with the pandemic restrictions and invocation of the Emergencies Act. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flies over the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport as President Joe Biden also arrives to visit Poland, near Rzeszow, Poland, on March 25, 2022. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters) Lockheed Wins $2.3 Billion Contract to Build Black Hawk Helicopters WASHINGTONLockheed Martin Corp. won a $2.3 billion contract to build at least 120 H-60M Black Hawks as the U.S. military continues its search for a next-generation helicopter, the Pentagon said on Monday. The five-year contract includes options for an additional 135 aircraft which will be available to the Army as well as other U.S. agencies and allies, pushing the potential total contract value to $4.4 billion with options, the Army said in a statement. This multi-year agreement allows the Army to meet current and future capability needs through upgrades, remanufacturing, replacement, and technology insertions, said Colonel Calvin Lane, the Utility Helicopters project manager. Lockheeds Sikorsky business continues to invest in the Black Hawk platformfrom sustainment to digital transformation and modernizationin order to provide our customers with the competitive edge they require, said Nathalie Previte, vice president of Sikorskys Army and Air Force programs. The U.S. Army is searching for its next-generation helicopter. Textron Inc.s Bell unit as well as a Sikorsky-Boeing Co. team are in the competition. The Armys Future Vertical Lift competition is aimed at finding a replacement as the Army looks to retire more than 2,000 medium-class UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters built by Sikorsky since the 1970s. By Mike Stone Los Angeles Developer Convicted in Ex-Councilman Huizar Bribery Case LOS ANGELESA real estate developer was found guilty on June 27 of paying a $500,000 bribe to then-Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar in order to grease the wheels for the approval of a downtown condominium project. Dae Yong David Lee, 57, of Bel Air, was the first defendant to go on trial in the City Hall corruption scandal surrounding Huizar and his associates. Lee and his 940 Hill companynamed for the address of the proposed downtown retail and residential projectwere convicted of bribery, honest services fraud, and obstruction. U.S. District Judge John Walter scheduled a Sept. 19 sentencing hearing, at which time Lee will face up to 40 years in federal prison for the fraud and obstruction counts, and up to 10 years for bribery. His company faces a fine of $1.5 million or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offense. The verdict came just hours after the federal criminal jury began deliberating in downtown Los Angeles. Evidence at the nine-day trial showed Lee used Huizar associate Justin Kim to transfer bags of cash on behalf of his company to the councilmans aide, George Esparza. Within days of payment, Huizar smoothed out a bureaucratic tangle that had halted the proposed mixed-use development from going forward, according to testimony. At the time, Huizar was head of a powerful city planning committee that reviewed the citys biggest development projects. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Palmer told the jury during her opening statement that Huizars vote was needed to grease the wheels for approval of Lees project. Palmer said Huizars vote mattered, and the defendant knew his vote mattered. They needed Jose Huizar on their side. Defense attorney Ariel Neuman argued that his client had been conned by Kim, who told the developer the cash was needed to pay administrative fees. He made the mistake of trusting the wrong person, Neuman said of Lee. He was taken advantage of by a liar and a thief. David Lee did not knowingly or intentionally bribe anyone. He thought he was paying a consulting fee. Kim admitted to facilitating the payment from Lee and pleaded guilty to a federal bribery offense. Lee and 940 Hill were also convicted of falsifying accounting and tax records to cover up the bribethe basis for the obstruction charge. Both Kim and Esparza took the stand for the prosecution at Lees trial. The judge instructed the jury Monday morning before the case was handed to the jury. Walter broke up the complex six-defendant indictment involving Huizar and his associates into three separate criminal trials after finding that the size of the case against Huizar alone would likely overshadow evidence against the co-defendants. Huizar and former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, who was general manager of the Department of Building and Safety before becoming the citys deputy mayor of economic development, are scheduled to be tried together on racketeering conspiracy, bribery, honest services fraud, and other charges in February. Huizar, the central figure in a six-year probe of suspected corruption in City Hall politics, is accused of receiving $1.5 million in cash and benefits as part of a pay-to-play scheme in which developers were shaken down for cash and campaign donations in exchange for help getting downtown real estate projects through the citys approval process. Huizars lawyers deny the allegations against their client, claiming the former councilman was mere an evangelist for robust development in downtown and Boyle Heights, which he represented from 2005 to 2020. An October trial date is scheduled for Shen Zhen New World, a company owned by a fugitive Chinese billionaire developer who is also a defendant. The company, which acquired the L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown in 2011, planned to redevelop it into a 77-story tower, allegedly in a quid pro quo arrangement with Huizar. The developer, Wei Huang, is believed to be in China and has never appeared for a court date in the case. An artists vision led to carving four presidents faces into Mount Rushmore, combining art and history A plane buzzed over the Black Hills of South Dakota in the summer of 1927. It swooped and dove through the air, entertaining President Calvin Coolidge and his family below. The pilot dropped a wreath of flowers to this little crowd and sped away. The Coolidges had chosen the large Game Lodge in Custer State Park as their summer retreat, where they tried to keep a quiet schedule. However, an ambitious sculptor nearby had other ideas. Gutzon Borglum needed to promote his planned colossal historic art sculpture on Mount Rushmore. A visiting president seemed too great an opportunity to pass up. Borglum had hired the pilot to fly by the presidents Summer White House in an attempt to convince Coolidge to make a speech at Rushmore, and he was rewarded for this effort. On a bright, sunny August day, Coolidge faced a large crowd gathered at Mount Rushmore to announce the start of Borglums project. A signed photograph of Gutzon Borglum, 1919. (Public Domain) The union of these four Presidents carved on the face of the everlasting hills of South Dakota will constitute a distinctly national monument. Here in the heart of the continent, the people of the future will see history and art combined to portray the spirit of patriotism, Coolidge proclaimed. If coming generations are to maintain a like spirit, it will be because they continue to study the lives and times of the great men who have been leaders in our history and continue to support the principles which those men represented. It is for that purpose that we erect memorials. Coolidges grand purpose for the memorial matched perfectly with Borglums vision for what his giant sculpture should be. The Men on the Mountain Doane Robinson is known as the Father of Mount Rushmore. He loved history and he loved South Dakota. While serving as the states historian, Robinson decided that South Dakotas granite would provide an excellent place for a historical sculpture that could attract people to his state and generate revenue. The eminent sculptor Lorado Taft declined the job because of poor health, so Robinson reached out to Borglum about the idea. The charismatic Borglum came to South Dakota in 1924 to find the perfect site for this project of a lifetime. Borglum was a controversial man with many faults, but none of those faults involved thinking too small. My one great desire as a boy was to rebuild the worldand I have never outgrown it, he said. Robinson initially wanted the carvings to represent western heroes such as John Fremont, Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, Lakota Sioux leader Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill Cody. He and Borglum dreamed up several plans for Mount Rushmore, but eventually it was decided that four presidents would generate more interest and should grace the mountain: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. A model of Borglums intended design for the National Memorial before his funds ran out. (Public Domain) Borglum chose to carve Washington first. As leader of the Continental Army and the first president, Washington represented the founding of the United States. His face was completed in 1930. Because of the Louisiana purchase and his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, Borglum believed Jefferson signified the growth of the country. His first attempt to carve Jefferson failed, so instead of placing him on Washingtons right as originally intended, Borglum carved him on Washingtons left. Abraham Lincoln was next. As one of Borglums heroes, he had even named his son Lincoln. He had also previously created several sculptures of the 16th president for various commissions before carving him on Mount Rushmore. Lincoln represents the preservation of the nation because of his leadership during the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt may be the most controversial of Borglums subjects, but Borglum knew Roosevelt personally and enthusiastically supported him throughout his entire political career. Because of Roosevelts role in the economics of the country, including the building of the Panama Canal, he was included to represent the development of the United States. Mount Rushmore in 1905, before the construction began. (Public Domain) Mount Rushmore was declared complete in October 1941, seven months after Borglums death following complications from surgery. During construction, monetary struggles had constantly plagued the endeavor. However, Borglum and the men who believed in his talent saw the project through. After the sculptors death, Lincoln provided the leadership to complete his fathers massive dream. This historic monument remains an object of controversy for Native Americans today. In 1948, a Lakota elder, Henry Standing Bear, commissioned sculptor Korczah Zilolkowski to begin carving a competing sculpture out of a mountain 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. The Crazy Horse Memorial remains unfinished, but dwarfs its Rushmore rival by 27 feet. The Hall of Records In addition to the faces carved on the front of Mount Rushmore, Borglums vision included a Hall of Records. You may as well drop a letter into the worlds postal service without an address or signature, as to send that carved mountain into history without identification, Borglum said. His solution to this identification problem was the Hall of Records. Borglums original ideas for the hall were much grander than what exists at the mountain today. In 1938 and 1939, crews excavated a tunnel in the mountain for the hall, but Borglum was then ordered to halt that construction and finish his work on the faces. The construction of George Washingtons sculpture, circa 1932. (Public Domain) Though he never completed the hall, in 1998 Borglums vision was partially fulfilled when a repository of records was placed in the tunnel he had excavated. This repository is now composed of panels inscribed with information about Mount Rushmore and a brief history of the United States. Borglum intended his carvings to last for generations, and the repository helps to ensure that the meaning of the memorial and the identities of the men he carved will never be lost. We erect memorials to remember the past. Borglums greatest hope for his masterpiece was that it would remind Americans of the great men who had built their nation and who would continue to inspire generation after generation. This colossus is our mark. Cut in the backbone of this western world, high in the heavens, fearless we have carved it, defying the elements, he wrote. I am assured that these carvings will endure as long as the Rocky Mountains endure. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine. Move to Conserve 30 Percent of US Land Sparks Eminent Domain Fear for Those Living Near Federal Lands America the Beautiful is more than a famed patriotic song; its the name of a national environmental effort to restore, connect, and conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Sometimes called the 3030 plan, its part of an executive order that President Joe Biden signed on his first day in office. To date, much of what we do know about the administrations plans comes from the environmental groups who invented this goal, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts wrote in opposition to the plan in a July 2021 statement. While President Bidens adoption of this goal may have been surprising to some, the concept is not new. The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, which first convened in 1992, had set a worldwide goal of conserving 17 percent of the worlds land by 2020 and recently set a new goal of 30 percent by 2030. Here in the United States, the Center for American Progress (CAP) published a report in 2019 titled How Much Nature Should America Keep? In the report, CAP not only endorses the 30 percent goal, but also advances arguments that 50 percent should be secured by 2050. Read More The Environmental Movements Ulterior Motives Indeed, the Half-Earth movement, founded by the late Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard biodiversity researcher, holds that only by dedicating half the earths surface to nature can we prevent the mass extinction of species, including our own. This month, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced a congressional resolution in support of the Half-Earth initiative. In the United States, only about 12 percent of land is formally protected, according to a Half-Earth statement applauding America the Beautiful. We herald the U.S. for taking this important step towards Half-Earth, and for joining other countries in caring for our planet by adopting this goal, the statement said. There are several movements with similar goals to rewild large swaths of the nation, making more space for animal habitat. The Wildlands Network aims to build a connected network of wild communities across North America. We preserve and restore key ecosystems, allowing wildlife to move across their historic habitat ranges, its website says. Wildlands Network envisions three wildways, including an eastern one originating in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada, down into New England, along the Appalachian Mountains and coastal eastern United States, ending in Florida. What About Humans? The consequences to the people living in targeted areas havent been made clear in most conservation plans. To meet the America the Beautiful goal of 30 percent conservation, a report introducing the plan says all lands will be considered, not solely public lands. It will require incentivizing voluntary stewardship efforts on private lands. Full details of how America the Beautiful will work and where it will be implemented are not sketched out yet. The Measurement Committee, co-chaired by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is collecting data for an interactive map, called the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, that will be used to measure the progress of conservation and restoration efforts across the country over the next decade. Our goal is to release a beta version of the Atlas by the end of the year, a representative from the Department of Interior told The Epoch Times in an unsigned email. Conservation Neighbors While its implications are nationwide, folks in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Mountains in New Jersey are worried that, considering how the goals of America the Beautiful line up with a plan to expand and redesignate the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park and preserve, some of their private lands are in the crosshairs of another massive federal land grab. The plan would expand the park, located just 70 miles from New York City, from its current 77,000 acres to 200,000 acres by adding nearby state parks and game lands, and maybe some of the privately owned properties between those large swaths of land located on both sides of the Appalachian Trail. The problem is, citizens who would be affected are having a tough time getting details about the proposal to create the Delaware River National Park and Lenape Preserve, because the plan is being pushed by a nongovernmental organization, the Sierra Club, which isnt obligated to provide the public with records. The plan was written by retired federal employee John Donahue, former National Park Service superintendent of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, who is now a private citizen outside the reach of public records requests. John Kashwick of the New Jersey Sierra Club told The Epoch Times in an email, The New Jersey Chapter, Pennsylvania Chapter, and Atlantic (New York) Chapter of the Sierra Club are supporting the effort and are encouraging our members and volunteers to get involved in the redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap as a National Park and Preserve. He referred other questions to Donahue, who didnt respond. In his proposed plan, Donahue makes the case that the national park designation would be best for all Americans. The national park and preserve is authorized to accept or acquire additional lands from willing sellers and donors to enhance large landscape scale connectivity, to address climate adaptation, to create wildlife corridors, and watershed protection, and to provide recreational equity for the millions of Americans living in urban and suburban areas within a days travel, Donahue wrote. I got a copy of the proposal, and it was pretty scary, Sandy Hull of Sandyston Township, New Jersey, told The Epoch Times. Hull lives near the border of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. How are they going to get this property? One of two ways. The first way is through donations. I can see [New Jersey] Gov. [Phil] Murphy flipping over High Point, Stokes, and Worthington state parks to the National Park Service, Hull said. It would save the state maintenance and liability and staffing funds. The second way they would acquire property is through willing sellers. So, what makes a willing seller? If somebody from the government or any agency knocks on your door and says Hi there, were taking your property. Heres the offer we have for you. If you take the offer, obviously youre a willing seller. Those who dont take the offer would face the eminent domain process in federal court. Thats what happened during the Tocks Island Dam. I guarantee thats going to happen this time, Hull said. Either take it or you leave it. If you take it, youre a willing seller. Bingo, they have your property. Lets move on to your neighbor. Thats the way theyre going to do it. Painful Legacy of Tocks Island Dam To understand the fear of eminent domain in this region, it helps to understand how the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was formed. After deadly flooding along the Delaware River in 1955 from massive rainfall from hurricanes Connie and Diane, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed building the Tocks Island Dam to prevent future disasters. The dam was to create a reservoir lake 40 miles long and a mile wide. It required taking, by eminent domain, the land of about 600 families, including small villages, churches, cemeteries, and prime river-front farms that had been worked by the same families for centuries. The government acquired much of the land between 1964 and 1971. Hull lived on property that the government wanted at the time, and she was involved in the vigorous fight for landowners to hang on to their land. Ultimately, the project was halted, but the land couldnt be given back to the people, so it was designated a recreation area. Today, many of the buildings acquired through eminent domain are rotting from lack of attention, angering former owners who drive by. Nationally, the National Park Service has a $21 billion maintenance and repair backlog. It would take an act of Congress to change the Delaware Water Gaps designation to a national park, but it could be a simple matter and happen with little advanced notice for residents. In recent examples, free-standing legislation designating a National Park has been subsequently attached to omnibus legislation: The New River Gorge designation in West Virginia, (HR 4610) was attached to the 2020 CARES Act, while in the Indiana Dune National Park legislation (HR 1488) was included in the 2019 federal budget, Donahue wrote in his proposal. Although the plan is being advanced by a private citizen and a nongovernmental organization, the change would be implemented by the National Park Service with little effort in Congress. Hull and another concerned citizen, Kristin Albrect, started a Facebook group No National Park in February and have more than 3,000 followers seeking information about the effort that could change their region. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures as he speaks during a press conference to preview the NATO Summit in Madrid at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 27, 2022. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images) NATO Set to Call China a Systemic Challenge in New Strategy: Report NATO will cite China as a concern in its new strategy brief that will be endorsed at the summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29-30. This will be the first NATO strategy brief in a decade to cite the Chinese regimes growing threat. NATO diplomats told Reuters that the United States and the United Kingdom want to use tough wording, but France and Germany are more cautious. The main subject of this weeks summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is addressing the increasing threats posed by China and Russia. As the worlds second-largest economy, Beijing brought more concerns to the world because it supports Moscow amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. In addition, Chinas military ambition continues to grow in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, threatening the navigation freedom for ships and Taiwans territorial integrity. The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite Taiwan being a de facto independent country with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution. A Systemic Challenge NATO has labeled China as a threat in its new strategy document. The NATO strategic report will speak in ways that are unprecedented about the challenge that China poses, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the Group of Seven Summit on June 27. He said the competition between the United States and China does not mean confrontation or conflict. A day ago, a White House official told Reuters that the NATO strategic report would include strong language on China. John Kirby, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters on June 23: I think its a reflection of our allies equal concerns over the effect of Chinese economic practices, use of forced labor, intellectual theft, and coercive aggressive behavior not just in the region but elsewhere around the world. That they believe its important to factor China into the new strategic concept. A June 27 Reuters report quoted NATO diplomats who said that the United States and Britain have pushed for more forceful language to reflect what they see as Chinas increasing military ambitions and growing concern that the regime could attack Taiwan. The diplomats requested to remain anonymous since the strategic report is in the process of being finalized. Meanwhile, France and Germanygiven their major industrial investment in Chinafavor more measured references, said the NATO diplomats. One diplomat said a compromise was taking shape under which China would be described as a systemic challenge while balancing language referring to a willingness to work on areas of common interest with Beijing. The Pentagons latest annual report to the U.S. Congress also underscored the importance of meeting the pacing challenge presented by the Peoples Republic of Chinas increasingly capable military and its global ambitions. Negotiators are fine-tuning how to describe the relationship between China and Russia, with the Czech Republic and Hungary strongly opposed to the phrase strategic convergence to define it, one of the diplomats said. NATO Summit Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea were invited to the NATO summit for the first time. NATO is not taking our eye off the ball in China, Reuters quoted a NATO official on June 27. Its firmed up the democratic world on both Russia and China. NATO cant afford to ignore China, A European official told Reuters. Europe was a bit behind in recognizing this, but views have definitely shifted in light of Hong Kong, referring to Beijings security crackdown on the Asian financial hub. Kirby, the NSC Coordinator, said: Instead of distracting us from the Indo-Pacific and China, the presidents leadership with respect to supporting Ukraine has actually galvanized leaders in that region and effectively linked our efforts in Europe and in Asia and those Asian countries that will be participating in the NATO summit, I think speak volumes about that fact. G-7 Counters Beijings Debt Traps The G-7 rich industrial democracies also addressed Chinas threats. On June 26, the G-7 nations decided to raise $600 billion over the next five years for a global infrastructure programthe Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII)that will serve as a positive alternative to models that sell debt traps. Its broadly known that the Chinese regime makes debt traps around the world. It uses the Belt and Road Initiative to lend money to infrastructure projects in developing countries. Beijing uses the debts to take over the ownership of these projects once these countries cant pay back the loans. Reuters contributed to this report. Karissa Lords of Spanish Fork, Utah, kneels beside a monument to her older sister, Kiplyn Davis, who went missing on May 2, 1995 and is presumed dead. Her remains have yet to be found. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Nearly Three Decades After Utah Girl Goes Missing, Her Family Longs for Closure SPANISH FORK, UtahThe day 15-year-old Kiplyn Davis went missing in May 1995, her family turned on the porch light to serve as a beacon of hope. Its been on ever since. Weve gone through a lot of light bulbs, Kiplyns father, Richard Davis, said. We wont turn that light bulb off until we have her body underneath [her] monument at the cemetery. Four days before Kiplyns 43rd birthday on July 1, her dad still hopes to locate her remains and finally be at peace. I dont care about anything else now. I care about bringing [Kiplyns] body home, Davis said. The worst of it is knowing the man who killed his daughter may know where she is but refuses to talk. And in 2026, Timmy Brent Olsen, convicted in 2011 of Kiplyns death, will be set free from prison after serving a 15-year sentence for manslaughter. A memorial plaque to Kiplyn Davis remains on permanent display at Spanish Fork High School in Spanish Fork, Utah. Kiplyn went missing on May 2, 1995. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Through his attorney, Olsen claimed he saw an unnamed person hit Kiplyn in the head with a rock, killing her, and that he helped bury her body in Spanish Fork Canyon. Despite a massive search of the remote canyon area, authorities have yet to locate the girls remains. Theres not much more we can do unless someone comes forward and tells us something. We never give up hope, Davis told The Epoch Times. In February 2011, Olsen pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter rather than go on trial for first-degree murder. Prosecutors agreed to the plea bargain provided Olsen revealed where he buried Kiplyns body. Davis said Olsen reneged on the deal even though he begged him to honor the agreement. He told [authorities] I dont have anything to give. Thats the way it ended, Davis said. Fiteen-year-old Kiplyn Davis was a student at Spanish Fork High School in Spanish Fork, Utah when she disappeared on May 2, 1995. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) You always have things running through your mind. I think [Olsen] is protecting somebody. I dont think its one of the people he was with when he took her. I dont know why hed want to stay in jail to protect somebody unless they were close. Police charged four other men with lying to authorities in connection with Kiplyns death. She knew them. She trusted them. She wouldnt have gone with them [otherwise], Davis said. There was a rumor [Spanish Fork Canyon] is where they took her and left her up there. They did a massive search for herclosed off the road, dug for her, but nothing came forward. Kiplyn was last seen on May 2, 1995, when she failed to attend her fourth and fifth-period Spanish Fork High School classes. Her parents grew concerned when she didnt return home by 4 p.m., and went out looking for her. Early that morning, Richard Davis said that Kiplyn was late getting ready for a drivers education class and didnt want to go to school. She began to argue with her parents Richard and Tamara. Kiplyn Davis was known as a bubbly personality who made friends easily. (Davis family photo) Youre going to school. Get your makeup and get to school,' Davis told her, which made her angry. While authorities thought Kiplyn ran away at first, months went by before the investigation into her whereabouts moved forward with the help of federal investigators. She was happy. She had no intention of running away. She always told us where she went, Davis said. I talk about the last thing I said to my daughter, and I have to live with that. Karissa Lords was nine years old when her older sister disappeared. She remembered Kiplyn as a bubbly person who made friends quickly. She made people feel welcome. She was that kind of person who was a social butterfly. I looked up to her. Lords, now 36, admitted when her sister went missing, I took it pretty hard. Kiplyn Davis (L) with her sisters Karissa (B), Haley (R), and brother Rory. (Davis family photo) Its not been easy for me knowing what happened. I suffered from depression because of it. It wears on you. Christmas comes and thats super hard. Its hard reality being a little kid thinking, maybe, just maybe, youre going to get this wish, but its not going to happen. Desperate for answers, the family even contacted psychics hoping they might lead them to Kiplyns remains. We followed what we could. You follow that lead. You follow that rumor, Lords said. She could be anywhere. On May 2, 2018, the family held a candlelight vigil in memory of Kiplyn. It was raining, just like the day she went missing. But like her personality, the clouds eventually went away, Lords said. Kiply Davis (L) with her youngest sister Karissa (R). (Davis family photo) Karissa set up a website, Find Kiplyn Davis, to keep her sisters memory alive with the hope that someday, someone will come forward with information that leads to Kiplyns remains. People ask me questions, Have you looked here? I [tell] my dad we should check that out. Mostly nothing, Lords told The Epoch Times. Lords said in spite of her years of pain and anguish she has forgiven her sisters killer. It wasnt easy, but I did it for her, she said. Her father, however, hasnt reached that point yet. Therell never be any forgiveness. [Olsen] hurt my daughter. But theres nothing I can do about it, Richard Davis said. At Spanish Fork Cemetery, the family has placed a monument to Kiplyn embossed with her pictureher dads favorite. Her memory, and his faith, keeps him hopeful. I know Kiplyns OK. Shes happy. Shes not being hurt anymore [but] therell never be peace in our home [nor] any closure until we bring her home, Davis said. The Federal Reserve building is seen through a fence in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) New Bill Would Require Federal Reserve to Prioritize Racial and Economic Justice The House of Representatives approved a bill on June 15 that would require the Federal Reserve to address social justice concerns, expanding the scope of the central banks mandate beyond its traditional priorities of price stability and economic well-being. The House voted in favor of H.R. 2543, the Racial and Economic Equity Act, which would amend the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 to expand the mandate of the central bank, which has traditionally consisted of maintaining price stability and full employment, adding a clause which would oblige the Fed to promote racial and economic justice. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee shall exercise all duties and functions in a manner that fosters the elimination of disparities across racial and ethnic groups with respect to employment, income, wealth, and access to affordable credit, reads the proposed section 2C of the Federal Reserve Act. The bill also introduces new provisions for inclusive lending practices, promoting diversity in financial institutions, and reducing sexual and racial discrimination in housing, all of which the Federal Reserve would be responsible for under the new rules. The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and five other Democrats, passed the House by a slim margin of 215207. Though the bill has the support of President Joe Biden, who campaigned on expanding the Feds mandate to include provisions for social justice, analysts consider it unlikely to pass through the Senate, with the analytics company Skopos Labs giving the bill a mere 11 percent chance of being enacted into law. Nonetheless, the Racial and Economic Equity Act reflects the growing calls from progressives to make the Federal Reserve more proactive in the pursuit of left-leaning social justice causes. Powell Pressured by Democrats These concerns were aired earlier in 2022 during the most recent confirmation hearings of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who faced questions from progressive Democrats about his commitment to using his position to advance equality for women and racial minorities. Do you agree that when all workers, including women, including black and brown workers, are able to fully participate in the workforce, that our economy grows, and do you think that its important for the Fed to understand and proactively, proactively address racial and gender disparities in wealth and income and employment in our country? asked Sen. Sherrod Brown. Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2022. (Tom Williams/AP Photo) Powells response emphasized his focus on economics over politics, and the Chairman claimed that sound monetary policy would have distributional benefits for marginalized groups, though he maintained that racial justice and climate regulation were outside the scope of his authority. As the labor market tightened, the benefits began to go more broadly to those at the lower end of the income spectrum and to groups that have been more marginalized from an economic standpoint. Our tools do not generally have direct distributional effects, but I do think that we see now the great benefits that a strong labor market can bring right across the whole population and the whole economy. Critics warn that binding the Federal Reserve to activist concerns could undermine its crucial political independence, with potentially disastrous economic consequences to follow. While the bill under consideration is unlikely to go into law in this session, it is nonetheless demonstrative of growing pressures on the Federal Reserve to promote political ends concerning racial, sexual, and climate issues, among others. Test tubes labeled "Monkeypox virus positive and negative" are seen in this illustration taken on May 23, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters) NYC and Washington Run Out of Monkeypox Vaccines: Officials New York City and Washington have run out of monkeypox vaccine doses on the same day they began to offer them to gay and bisexual men, officials say. In less than one day, New York Citys 1,000 monkeypox vaccine doses were allocated to eligible New Yorkers, according to a letter sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul by New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and city council member Erik Bottcher. We are writing to urgently request that you work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to procure additional doses of the monkeypox vaccination for New York City, the letters authors said. The officials said they were grateful that a monkeypox vaccination site opened in Chelsea, but the two hundred doses available was entirely inadequate to meet the demand. The monkeypox vaccine booking system in New York shows no appointments available, on June 28, 2022. (MedRite/Screenshot by The Epoch Times) The online appointment booking system registers no available appointments at the time of publication, and the officials said many eligible New Yorkers were turned away from the clinic where wait [times] were extensive. Clearly, New York City has the greatest need in the country for monkeypox vaccines, and the State must do everything in its power to stop the spread and protect all New Yorkers, they said. Washington similarly ran out of vaccine doses, according to the districts Department of Health. When additional doses become available, the vaccination scheduling portal will reopen, the D.C. health department said on Twitter. Stay tuned to DC Healths social platforms for updates. When additional doses become available, the vaccination scheduling portal will reopen. Stay tuned to DC Healths social platforms for updates. DC Health (@_DCHealth) June 27, 2022 LGBT Community At-Risk: Officials New York City has more than 700,000 LGBT people, the largest population of any large metropolitan area, and with monkeypox being primarily transmitted among gay and bisexual men, the New York officials told the governor there was an urgent need to secure more doses. With such a substantial at-risk population, the fact that New York City has received a one-time allocation of merely 1,000 doses (being distributed over five days) is unacceptable, they said. Figures from the CDC show that New York state has a large number of cases nationally, with state health data showing that 30 of the 32 cases are clustered in New York City. Although anyone can contract monkeypox, it is currently mostly spreading among the LGBT community, particularly men who have sex with men. Paddle boarders move in front of the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, Calif., on April 7, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Ocean Institute Provides Camp for Ukrainian Refugees DANA POINT, Calif.Gregory Hardy, 8, once had a passion for shipwrecks, especially the Titanic. Now, he is worried more about the friends he left back in Ukraine as the conflict with Russia continues. His mother, Nadiia Hardy, hopes an upcoming camp for Ukrainian refugee children offered by the Ocean Institute can help her son get back to thinking about ships and having fun, instead of geopolitics. I hope this will return him to being a kid again, Hardy said. A file photo of a Ukrainian flag on April 27, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The nonprofit ocean education center will host about 40 Ukrainian refugee children at a summer Sea Explorer camp where they can go out onto a research vessel, the Sea Explorer, spend time in laboratories, and pan for gold, among other activities. The scholarship program is so popular that it had to pause taking in applications, according to the institutes president and CEO Wendy Marshall. So far, the institute has spent about $24,000 on the program, translating paperwork and safety speeches for the boat, Marshall told The Epoch Times. Beyond the teambuilding and maritime experiences, Marshall said she hoped the children will also see how much people care about them. I dont know if theyll learn this directly, but there are people who really care and open their arms and welcome them, she said. She challenged other organizations to find ways to help the Ukrainian community. Its pretty heartwarming, Marshall said. I hope other nonprofits will think about what role they can play. The Hardys host, Susie Campbell of Laguna Beach, came up with the camp idea and got in touch with the institute. She and Marshall developed a plan together. Gregory and his mother left Ukraine for the United States just before the war began at the end of February. They expected to be in America for six months, but the conflict continued and they applied for protected status as refugees. It was obvious the war would happen, Nadiia Hardy said. I could not risk myself. Even though they went through stressful times, leaving everything they owned behind, the relocation was a fun experience for Gregory at the time because he didnt realize they were running from war, Nadiia said. But since then, he has heard about the conflict back home. Now, the third-grader focuses on geopolitical news and the history of the world and America, instead of shipwrecks, Nadiia said. He worries about his friends in Ukraine, Nadiia said. He found answers in his own way and thats why he digs deep into geopolitics and history, which is too much for an 8-year-old, in my opinion. At the camp, Gregory will be able to connect with other children and translate for them. My son is a cheerful, loving, and happy boy who speaks English, so for him its easy, Nadiia said. I can imagine there will be other kids who are exhausted, tired, scared, and dont understand the language. Even in the worst situation, it will be a new experience. A Ukrainian child plays in the arts and crafts area at a refugee camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 27, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The Department of Homeland Securitys Citizens and Immigration Services opened its Uniting for Ukraine program in April to create a pathway for up to 100,000 Ukrainian citizens and their families to come to the U.S. and stay for up to two years. Orange County resident Oksana Pashko, who helps administer a Facebook group for Ukrainians in Orange County, has seen the group grow four times larger as the local community expands, she told The Epoch Times. The Ocean Institute asked Pashko to post information about the camp to the Facebook page. The camp is a good way to keep the children connected and allow them to speak their own language, especially for those who are traumatized by the war, Pashko said. They are refugees from an active war zone, she said. Theyve lived through an invasion with their cities being bombed and invaded. They were making their way through Europe for weeks and months sometimes. Definitely, they do need a lot of support here. The group will also host a community day Aug. 21 for Ukrainian refugees, host families, and supporters. A group of parents and community members in southwestern Ohio's Bethel Township are seeking to remove three school board members for continuing to allow a boy to use the girls' restrooms at school who is transgendering. The group, which is called Guardians of The Hive, collected the signatures needed on petitions to file a complaint with the Miami County Court of Common Pleas to have the school board members removed by a judge. A hearing date is pending. (Photo courtesy of Bethel Schools) Ohio Judge to Consider Removing School Board Members Who Backed Unisex Bathroom at K-12 School An Ohio county court judge will consider whether to remove three members from the Bethel School Board in Tipp City, Ohio, for continuing to allow a boy to use the girls restroom at his school as he transgenders. A vocal group of parents spearheading the effort to remove school board members Danny Elam, Lori Sebastian, and its president, Lydda Mansfield, filed a civil complaint with the Miami County Court of Common Pleas on May 26, citing malfeasance, misconduct, abuse of power, and other issues. The group collected about 650 signatures on petitions or about 100 more than the 10 percent of registered voters required to move forward with the complaint. The parents are asking the school district to return to its original policy of providing transgender students a private restroom or remove the board members. The initial in Judge Jeannine Pratts courtroom is yet to be scheduled after the families fired an attorney and withdrew their complaint in order to file a revised version. During its first school board meeting of the year on January 10, then-Bethel Schools Superintendent Justin Firks announced a policy relating to the restrooms he later called a stance. The measure allows the biological male to use the restroom of his choice. The boy was a middle school student but will be a freshman at high school this year. First-year Bethel School Board Member Jessica Franz and her fellow school board member Natalie Donahue oppose the boy going into the girls restroom, which the school district allowed for the second half of the school year, from January to late May. So far, his use of the girls school restroom has caused five families to remove their children from the school, and about 20 girls to request the use of a private restroom on campus, according to Beam. Firks implemented the restroom policy without a vote of the school board citing Title IX and the schools non-discrimination policy, Franz and Beam told The Epoch Times. The opposition parent group formed two days later to start its efforts to remove the school board members, Beam said. Title IX is the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. Our community is clearly not in favor of this, Beam said. Its a safety and privacy issue. Girls are very uncomfortable about a boy coming into their restroom. We contacted more than schools in the area to see what their policy was, and they do not allow someone to use a restroom of their opposite sex. We are not just fighting for the rights of our children, Beam added. We are fighting for the rights of all children. A date and time for such a hearing have not been set because of scheduling conflicts, according to a school official. There currently are no provisions in Ohio to recall school board members like other elected officials, so the group is somewhat pioneering an effort to remove them, which is permitted under the Ohio Constitution. On June 23, Bethel Township resident Nick Brusky who is a parent in the Bethel Schools District located near Dayton started collecting signatures for a statewide petition to implement a provision allowing Ohio residents to recall school board members. Beam told The Epoch Times on June 22 that the school districts former superintendent (Firks) began considering an alternative other than the private restroom for transgenders when the family of the boy identifying as a girl threatened to sue the school sometime between September and December 2021. Beam, who has lived in Bethel Township near Dayton for 42 years, said she has two grandchildren in Bethel Schools and nieces and nephews who attend there. Her three children graduated from and her husband graduated from Bethel, and her daughter teaches at the middle school. She stressed to The Epoch Times that the community and parents strongly oppose allowing a student to go into a restroom of the opposite sex. We are a conservative rural area, Beam said. A lot of people come to this area to raise their family because of its core values. We knew this was going to be a battle, but were in this for the long haul. Bethel Schools spokesman Jacob Watson told The Epoch Times on June 21 that he was not aware of the complaint filed seeking to remove the three school board members. Watson said that the district did not have any comments on the situation at this time. Mansfield, Elam, Sebastian, and Firks did not return phone messages to The Epoch Times seeking comment. Both Franz and Donahue were sworn in as school board members at the meeting on Jan. 10 when Firks announced the policy allowing the transgender to use the girls restroom. Franz told The Epoch Times that she started considering running for a seat on the Bethel School Board when she had concerns over the school districts mask mandates during the COVID pandemic, and over critical race theory. It was a rude awakening, Franz told The Epoch Times of Firks announcing what she describes as a unisex bathroom policy. I was totally blind-sided by this as was the board. Franz said that when the hearing is held in court over the possible removal of the board members, the judge could decide to remove all three board members or one. If the judge were to remove one board member, the remaining members of the board would appoint a new one. Firks resigned from his job on May 19 after he accepted a job as principal of Elida High School near Lima, Ohio. The Bethel School Board voted to accept his resignation during a special meeting on May 20. Firks contract expires July 31. In his resignation letter, Firks alluded to receiving pressure on the bathroom issue that caused him stress as a contributing factor to his decision to leave Bethel. Beam went on to say that the Guardians of the Hive have been called bigots, racists, a hate group, and even homophobes. Weve been called everything, Beam said. Our goal through all of this is to have the school board call back or return the original policy of providing a private restroom to transgender students. Or we want the three school board members being removed for going along with this. Its not right. We know that transgenders have rights, but not when they infringe upon the rights of others. Oklahoma Republican U.S. Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin talks to reporters and voters at a primary day campaign event on June 28 in Oklahoma City. (Jeff Louderback/Epoch Times) Oklahoma Voters Cast Their Ballots in Multiple High-Profile Races Standing outside Hideaway Pizza in Oklahoma Citys historic Automotive Alley district, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and 2nd Congressional District Rep. Markwayne Mullin moves from one TV news interview to another on primary day afternoon. One videographer asks the entrepreneur and former professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter to provide comments as if he had just won the race so the interview can air tonight. The affable Mullin smiles and politely declines, saying I cant talk about something that hasnt happened yet. According to polls, Mullin is the frontrunner in the race to replace 87-year-old Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, who took office in 1994 and was elected to a fifth term in 2020. He announced in February 2022 that he would retire, effective January 3, 2023. Thirteen candidates are on the GOP primary ballot. If no Republican candidate surpasses 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election between the top two vote-getters will take place on Aug. 23, 2022. Inside Hideaway Pizza, Mullin and his campaign team hosted an election day kickoff party that stretched from late morning to early afternoon. Mullin thanked a crowded room of supporters and, in interviews with the media, encouraged Oklahomans to head to the polls. When there is a race with 13 people on the ballot, every vote literally counts. We are going to be out talking to people until the polls close (7 p.m. CST), Mullin said. I know people are busy. Its the middle of summer, and families have their commitments, but we have a duty to show up and vote. Its the only way we will take this country back from President Biden and his Socialist agenda. Among the multiple businesses Mullin operates is Mullin Ranch, where he raises cattle, so he is accustomed to early mornings. On June 28, the lifelong eastern Oklahoma resident woke up, made the 90-mile drive to Tulsa, stopped a few times to visit with voters, and then embarked on the 106-mile trek to Oklahoma City for the gathering of supporters. I spent every minute on the phone on the way here, and Ill spend every minute on the phone on the way backtalking to mayors across the state, and to as many voters as I can, said Mullin, who was accompanied in Oklahoma City by his wife and three of their six children. If the polls are accurate, Mullin and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon will advance to an August 23 runoff to determine the Republican nominee. If I was in second place, I would love the idea of a runoff, Mullin said with a grin when he was asked about the concept of runoffs. Its a different story when you are leading in the polls, and if you finish in first. If a runoff happens, and we are there, it is like starting a new campaign, Mullin explained. You only have one opponent instead of 12, and it is even more important to reach as many people as possible since, typically, runoffs have a lower voter turnout. While Mullin was hosting a midday event in Oklahoma City before starting his drive back to Tulsa, where he will hold a watch party tonight, top challenger T.W. Shannon cast his vote around noon CST and encouraged Oklahomans to head to the polls before they close. A former Oklahoma Speaker of the House who is one spot behind Mullin in the polls, Shannon will have his watch party in Oklahoma City and hopes, at the least, that he will advance to the runoff. State Sen. Nathan Dahm, who placed third behind Mullin and Shannon in the most recent poll on June 23, is endorsed by Sen. Rand Paul (RKy.), who posted a Tweet with encouraging words for his candidate of choice. Its #ElectionDay Oklahoma! Vote @NathanDahm for US Senate! We need more fighters dedicated to defending and restoring liberty! https://t.co/Rc6mBDXQeg Rand Paul (@RandPaul) June 28, 2022 Whether the GOP race is determined on June 28, or in a runoff on August 23, the winner will face Kendra Horn in Novembers general election. Horn, who represented Oklahomas 5th Congressional District from 2019 to 2020, is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Across Oklahoma, voters are also casting their ballots for the states other Senate seat, which is occupied by Republican Sen. James Lankford. He is opposed by Tulsa area pastor and businessman Jackson Lahmeyer in the Republican primary. Interestingly, Joan Farr is running in the GOP primary, as well. She is simultaneously on the ballot in the Kansas U.S. Senate GOP primary, which federal law allows. The Democratic primary includes six candidates. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to easily win the June 28 primary and the general election in November. There are two candidatesState Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, and former Oklahoma State Sen. Connie Johnsonin the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Fourteen candidates are on the ballot in Oklahomas Republican 2nd Congressional District GOP primary. That seat opened when Mullin decided to run for Senate. Oklahoma is a deep red state. Republicans are heavily favored to prevail in the general election, making the GOP primary especially significant since the winners are virtually assured a victory in November. Voters head to the polls in Harrah, Oklahoma, for the states June 28 primary election day. (Jeff Louderback/Epoch Times) In Harrah, a town of 6,620 located 30 miles east of Oklahoma City, a steady stream of traffic poured into the voting precinct at the Harrah Board of Education. Outside, Mike and Bernice, a retired married couple, agreed that American values are on the line in this election. Values centered around God and family still matter here, and that is why its important to get out here and vote, said Mike, a former teacher. If only the rest of the country was like Oklahoma, then we would be fine. On the edge of town, Harrahs Barber Shop is emblazoned with a large American flag mural. A Trump 2024 flag waves on a pole. Donald Trump won Oklahoma with 65 percent of the vote in 2020. In nearby downtown Harrahwhich consists of a single street lined with the chamber of commerce, a few shops, an old theater, and a grain elevatora railroad engineer named Kelly walks out of a fitness center and eagerly talks about his hometown. Im not much into politics, but I know people here are true conservatives who just want America to be what it was when Trump was president, he said. This is a small town where people know and support each other. We kinda like being left alone so we can mind our own business. Orange Countys 2 Water Agencies Should Merge Despite Difficulties: Grand Jury A recent report released by the Orange County Grand Jury called for the countys two water agencies to join as one voice to manage water resources more efficiently, but some officials said consolidating the two might be too difficult to be beneficial. The countys water currently comes from two sources: the Orange County Water District, which draws water from a basin beneath north and central county, and the Municipal Water District of Orange County, which imports water from the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles. The Grand Jurywhich is made up of a group of citizens selected by Superior Court judges as a watchdog to the county governmentargued in the June 22 report (pdf) that the single leadership could be established by either merging the two agencies or creating a new water authority altogether. Either, according to the report, would require a combination of governance and local and state legislative changes. The report stated that [m]ultiple water experts agree it is time to coordinate strategies in water conservation, development of new supply and infrastructure, and preparation for the possibility of continued drought, disaster, and State-mandated water cutbacks, despite potential political, administrative, and operational challenges. The Orange County Water District plant in Fountain Valley, Calif., on April 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The OC Water District expressed its support for consolidation on June 22, shortly after the Grand Jurys report was released. With the drought and dwindling water supply the Grand Jury Report accentuates that Orange County needs to have one voice to regional, state and federal lawmakers on critical water supply issues and regulations, the agencys President Steve Sheldon said in a statement. The agency plans to meet with water managers countywide to discuss an inclusive and open process to create a unified, strong voice for Orange County, according to the statement. The Orange County Water District plant in Fountain Valley, Calif., on April 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) On the other hand, Municipal Water District spokesperson Damon Micalizzi said that the grand jury has issued reports (pdf) recommending the two agencies join forces in the past, but that never happened because consolidation would not provide better service, reduced costs for customers, or more efficiency. The grand jury makes consolidation seem like a simple venture, but in the past, weve looked at it, and it just wouldnt work, Micalizzi told The Epoch Times. In addition, Micalizzi said, consolidation would lead to a larger board with less accountabilitywhile the county would lose a seat on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, an umbrella agency made up of 26 local water agencies across Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Diego, and Riverside counties. The Municipal Water Districts board plans to discuss the Grand Jury report during its July 5 board meeting. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to the media during a press conference at the Israel Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 24, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Over 100 Georgia Sheriffs Condemn Democratic Gubernatorial Challenger Over Defund the Police A total of 102 sheriffs in Georgia have joined Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who is seeking a second term, in a statement condemning Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams over her support of soft-on-crime policies. The statement, released on June 27, also criticized Abrams for advancing the Defund the Police movement with her position as a board member at the Marguerite Casey Foundation, a Seattle-based grant-making group, which the sheriffs called an anti-police organization. Stacey Abrams has repeatedly shown complete disdain for law enforcement and the risk we take every day putting our lives on the line to serve our communities, the sheriffs wrote. Ms. Abrams actively serves on the governing board ofand has profited froman anti-police organization which openly advocates for abolishing prisons and stripping local police departments of their funding, they added. Georgias governor race is a rematch between Kemp and Abrams. In 2018, Kemp edged Abrams by 54,723 votes with over 3.9 million voters casting a vote. This year, Kemp defeated former Sen. David Perdue to win the GOP nomination. So far it has been a tight race between the two candidates. According to a recent poll from Easter Carolina Universitys Center for Survey Research, Kemp led Abrams 50 percent to 45 percent. The poll surveyed 868 registered voters in Georgia from June 6 to June 9. Abrams became a board member of the foundation in May 2021. Less than a month later, she was one of the board members supporting the foundations roll-out of an anti-police initiative. The foundations 2020 financial filing (pdf), available on its website, shows that it has given grants to groups including the Movement for Black Lives and Louisville Community Bail Fund. The foundation is vocal in its support for the #AbolishthePolice and #DefundthePolice movements, as evidenced by the frequent mention of the two Twitter hashtags on its social media account. One recent example involved a post promoting the foundations book event. Stacey Abrams also supports proposals that put criminals back on our streets and clears their criminal record, and she opposed legislation to crack down on human trafficking when she served in the state legislature, the sheriffs added. Abramss decision to skip voting twice on an anti-sex trafficking bill (HB 341) was a contentious issue leading up to the 2018 race. At that time, Abrams was the minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives. These policies and Ms. Abrams role in advocating for them put Georgias law enforcement officers and the communities we serve at risk, the sheriffs wrote. We call on Stacey Abrams to disavow the dangerous policies she supports. The Epoch Times has reached out to Abramss campaign for comment. The sheriffs applauded Kemp for what he has done in the last four years. Governor Kemp has championed legislation to recruit and retain more officers into the profession, strengthen penalties for criminals and help keep Georgias streets safe, and prevent rogue local governments from stripping critical funding and resources from police, they wrote. In these uncertain times, it is critical to our profession that Georgias leaders stand firmly behind the men and women in law enforcement who keep Georgia families safe, they added. The sheriffs remarks came just days after Kemp issued a statement calling for Abrams to resign from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Pennsylvania Budget: University of Pittsburgh Must End Research on Aborted Babies or Lose Funding Pennsylvania House Republicans have put a condition on providing funding for four universities: University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Temple University, and Lincoln University must certify that they are not engaging in research or experimentation using fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions. The University of Pittsburgh, commonly known as Pitt, attracted criticism in 2021 when the public became aware that the school uses tissue from aborted human babies in its research. A 2020 article in the journal Nature detailed, in words and photos, how Pitt researchers grafted scalps of human babies onto the backs of lab rats and mice and grew patches of hair. There has been no evidence that the other three schools used aborted babies in their research, but they were lumped in with Pitt when the Pennsylvania Senate passed a funding bill to the House covering these four schools. Pitts cut is $151.5 million, a healthy portion of its total $2.6 billion operating budget. Pennsylvania state Rep. Jerry Knowles, a Republican. (Courtesy of Jerry Knowles) Last year it was a problem for many of my colleagues, including me, because of what we had heard was being done at the University of Pittsburgh, state Rep. Jerry Knowles, a Republican, told The Epoch Times. As a result of that, last year when we talked about it, we were told that OK, weve got to work with it and deal with it over the course of the next year. Unfortunately, that never happened. So what I did was I introduced [the] amendment. A New Requirement The amendment added the requirement that, to get their funding, the schools must certify that they are not using aborted babies from elective abortions for research. The amendment required a simple majority, and on June 27, it passed in a 10892 vote, with four Republicans voting against. Now the amended bill must pass the House with a two-thirds super majority. If it passes, it will go back to the Senate for approval and then on to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. Even if we get every Republican, we do need some Democrats, Knowles said. Im hoping they are thinking that its more important to get money out to the students than it is to sit back and watch baby hair being sewn on the back of rats. Knowles stressed that the move has nothing to do with the legality of abortion and is not restricting abortion in any way. There are constituents who do not want tax dollars going to abortion-related activities. Gov. Tom Wolf speaks in Pittsburgh on Feb. 18, 2022. (Commonwealth Media Services) Knowles said he hopes to meet with Wolf to discuss the measure. The governor is a decent human being, Knowles said. Hes certainly a bright man. I mean, hes got more degrees than I do fingers. I would love to sit down with him and appeal to his compassion for unborn children. Wolfs office did not respond to The Epoch Times about his intentions. Time is short The University of Pittsburghs fiscal year 202223 starts July 1, but it cannot set its budget until the state appropriation is finalized. The school did not respond to questions from The Epoch Times, including whether it would stop the controversial research in order to save the funding. It was also asked to provide examples of what science this research has advanced. In reports, Pitt has said that all funding it gets from the state goes toward reducing tuition for in-state students, but Knowles is not swayed by that argument. My answer to that is, you can give me $50 and I put it in my right pocket. And now I turn around and I take money out of my left pocket and use it to do horrible things. And then I take the money that you gave me from the right pocket, I put it over to the left pocket to fill in for the money that Ive used on these horrible things, Knowles said. If you are doing gruesome, grisly, inhumane, grotesqueif youre doing these kinds of experiments on unborn children, you shouldnt get any money from the people of Pennsylvania, he said. Pentagon Moves to Wrest Rare Earths Control From China News Analysis The battle for control of the global rare earths supply chain is heating up, with the U.S. Department of Defense investing in a new processing plant in a bid to challenge Chinas chokehold over the critical minerals. The Pentagon has agreed to fund the entire $120 million cost of a heavy rare earths separation facility to be built in Texas by Australias Lynas Rare Earths, advancing a program launched in 2020, the company announced on June 14. Located on the Gulf Coast, the new facility will give the United States access to domestically produced heavy rare earths that are essential to industries such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, and electronics, according to the company, which is the largest processor of rare earths outside of China. The Texas facility that landed Pentagon funding will process heavy rare earth carbonate mined in Australia, forming a production cycle that bypasses China entirely. Lynas Rare Earths plans to combine the upcoming plant with a proposed light rare earths separation facility that is being co-funded by the company and the Defense Department. The project was first announced in July 2020 as part of the U.S. governments strategyunder a 2017 executive order signed by former President Donald Trumpto reduce dependence on foreign imports of critical minerals. The Pentagon is also funding a heavy rare earths processing and separation facility in Mountain Pass, California. Chinas Dominance in Rare Earth Production Rare earths are a group of 17 elements with unique properties used in virtually every piece of modern technology, from smartphones to jet engines. Although the United States pioneered the industry during World War II, China now controls over half of global rare earths mining and 80 to 90 percent of intermediate processing. Chinas dominance of the industry represents a major risk to the United States, which currently has only one active rare earths minethe Mountain Pass mine in Californiaand zero commercial-scale processing capability. Americas dependence on Chinese rare earths processing gives the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dangerous leverage over the U.S. economy and military. For example, the Chinese regime obliquely threatened to limit exports of rare earths to the United States after Washington placed Chinese telecom giant Huawei on a trade blacklist in 2019. It is believed that if the U.S. increasingly suppresses the development of China, sooner or later, China will use rare earths as a weapon, the state-run Global Times newspaper warned in May of that year. A technician stands at the entrance to a Huawei 5G data server center at the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital in Guangzhou, in southern Chinas Guangdong Province, on Sept. 26, 2021. (The Canadian Press/AP-Ng Han Guan) Its unclear how much damage Beijing could do if it chose to pull the trigger on that threat. A Chinese embargo would send shockwaves through the global marketas happened in 2010 when China temporarily restricted exports of rare earth minerals to Japan over a territorial dispute. A 2021 study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that a one-year export ban on rare earths by China could cause a 40 percent drop in magnet production outside of China as metals would become harder to obtain. Dysprosium oxide, a key component of the neodymium magnets used in a vast array of technologies from wind turbines to electric vehicles, is particularly vulnerable to price shocks from a Chinese embargo, the study found. But Chinas ability to harm the U.S. economy by weaponizing the rare earths supply is probably more limited than its industry dominance would suggest. A research note published by investment bank Raymond James in 2019 argued that the impact of a Chinese embargo on rare earths exports to the United States would be mild, according to a report by CNBC. The analysts pointed out that the United States spent only $160 million to import rare earths for manufacturing in 2018 and accounted for only 9 percent of global demand for rare earth inputs in the manufacturing process. Most of the high-tech products that would be affected by a rare earths embargoincluding PCs, electric vehicle batteries, and fiber opticsare manufactured in Asia rather than the United States. US Dependence on Chinese Rare Earths The U.S. militarys dependence on Chinese rare earths is a far more serious vulnerability. The defense supply chain relies heavily on rare earths, from disk drive motors in tanks to fin actuators in missile guidance systems. Suppose a large-scale conflict breaks out between the two powers. In that case, a Chinese rare earths embargo could hobble the U.S. military, for example, by making it impossible to replace depleted stockpiles of air-to-air missiles. Much as the lack of secure access to oil was crippling to the Germans at the end of World War II, rare earths could play a similar, pivotal role in a future conflict with China, wrote Colonel Charles J. Butler in a 2014 paper. The CCP has explored the possibility of limiting the export of rare earth minerals that are used in American F-35 fighter jets and other advanced weaponry, the Financial Times reported last year. Government officials allegedly questioned industry executives about how badly U.S. and European defense contractors would be affected by such a move during a bilateral dispute. Wheel loaders fill trucks with ore at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2020. (Steve Marcus/Reuters) US Responds to China Threat The United States, in recent years, has begun to piece together a strategy for addressing the national security concerns involving rare earths. For example, U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced a bill this past January to ban the use of Chinese rare earths metals in sensitive military systems by 2026 and create a one-year strategic reserve of rare earth elements and products by 2025. Legislation put forward by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) in April would create a Department of Energy investment program to spur the development of rare earth production facilities in the United States, with the aim of reducing Americas dependence on China. People walk by a CVS pharmacy store in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Nov. 17, 2021. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters) Pharmacies Limiting Purchases of Emergency Contraception Pills Amid Increased Demand Retail giants CVS Health Corp. and Walmart Inc. have announced that they will be limiting the number of purchases of emergency contraceptive pills amid increased demand following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. is also limiting purchases of the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill, which is typically taken within 72 hours after a woman engages in unprotected sex or after birth control failure. Plan B works by temporarily delaying ovulation or the release of an egg from the ovary, effectively preventing a pregnancy from happening. The pills are not the same as medication abortion pills, which require a prescription and involve administering the medicines mifepristone and misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy. CVS was limiting purchases of over-the-counter emergency contraceptives to three per customer, while Walmart limited pills available to four or six per customer, The Wall Street Journal reported. Walmart had some pills available without limits, but only in cases where they wouldnt ship until next month, according to The Wall Street Journal. A CVS spokesperson told The Epoch Times: We have ample supply of Plan B and Aftera across all of our CVS Pharmacy stores and CVS.com. To ensure equitable access and consistent supply on store shelves, weve implemented a temporary purchase limit of three on these products. A Walmart spokesperson told The Epoch Times: Many of our products have online purchase limits in place. During times of fluctuating demand, these limits may change. The spokesperson noted that it is standard practice for Walmart to have online limits to prevent stockpiling and reselling at higher prices. Additionally, while the company does not have limits in-store at this time, it may make decisions based on demand to help ensure availability. A Rite Aid spokesperson told The Epoch Times, Due to increased demand, at this time we are limiting purchases of Plan B contraceptive pills to three per customer. Growing Demand Walgreens Boots Alliance, the holding company that owns the Walgreens drugstore chain, initially had a limit in place for the pills on its website too, according to The Wall Street Journal, but a spokesperson said the restriction was an error and would be corrected while an investigation is being conducted into why and how that happened. Limits on the amount that can be purchased come as the pills were in short supply or out of stock the morning of June 27 across major retailer websites amid an uptick in purchases following the Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1973 precedent that legalized abortion in the United States. The court, in a 63 ruling, upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturned Roe v. Wade, handing the power back down to states when it comes to making the rules around abortion laws. Following the ruling, abortion bans in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Alabama went into immediate effect, and more states are expected to ban or severely restrict abortions in the near future. The Supreme Court decision caused mixed reactions across the country, with proponents, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and former Vice President Mike Pence praising the move. However, pro-abortion demonstrations quickly formed across the country, including outside the homes of the Supreme Court justices. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which has filed lawsuits in Idaho, Utah, and Kentucky to block those states total abortion bans, has urged women not to stockpile emergency contraception. Keep in mind that stockpiling or hoarding emergency contraception can limit the ability of people in your community to get it, Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Megan N. Freeland told The New York Times. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki leaves after providing an update on the ongoing investigation and arrest of RCMP official Cameron Ortis at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa on Sept. 17, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Chris Wattie) Political Interference Plaguing RCMP, Say Retired Canadian Mounties Latest allegations against RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki tied to federal governments pending gun control legislation in 2020 Some retired RCMP officers say political interference has long been a problem for the force and that the latest scandal involving Commissioner Brenda Lucki is only one indication. Lucki is alleged to have pressured the Nova Scotia regional RCMP division to release information to the media about the types of firearms used in the April 1819, 2020, mass shooting in that province in order to fulfill a promise she made to the public safety minister and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). The commissioner, who is appointed by the prime minister, allegedly told the regional division that this was tied to pending gun control legislation. This was according to handwritten notes by RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell documenting an April 28, 2020, conference call between Lucki at national headquarters and the regional division in Nova Scotia. A second RCMP staff member had the same recollection from the meeting, according to documents released on June 28, 2022. At the time the federal government was about to ban 1,500 firearms it described as assault-style. Rob Creasser had a 28-year career with the RCMP in British Columbia before retiring in 2010. He helped spearhead efforts to form the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC), which represents the force in collective bargaining. He says politicization and dysfunction remain ongoing problems for the force. One of the things that the association always pushed for was a separation of church and state between the RCMP senior leadership and the government of the day, Creasser told The Epoch Times. We always felt it was an inherent conflict for the prime minister of Canada to appoint the head of Canadas national police service, and we even proposed some alternatives. Its a situation that results in the politics of the RCMP matching that of the ruling party, Creasser said. The operations and priorities of the RCMP were the operations and the priorities of the government of the day, he said. Creasser says since the Trudeau government was elected, theres been more of a drive toward certain directions, such as having a more feminist approach. He adds that the preoccupation with political considerations undermines officers best judgment. I had the unfortunate experience of being shot at quite close range in my career. And I know what I went through after that because the gentleman that pulled the trigger on the other end was a visible minority, and it made me think twice, he said. It makes you second-guess yourself as to whether you want to pull that gun. And I dont think thats a good frame of mind to be at when your life or the life of others is involved. RCMP investigators search for evidence at the location where Const. Heidi Stevenson was killed along the highway in Shubenacadie, N.S., on April 23, 2020. Court documents describe the violence a Nova Scotia mass killer inflicted on his father years before his rampage on April 18 19, 2020, in Nova Scotia, as well as the gunmans growing paranoia before the shootings and killings. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) Documents Withheld In February, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC), an independent public inquiry created to examine the 2020 Nova Scotia attack, subpoenaed the notes by senior RCMP officers from April 19 to June 16, 2020. However, the Justice Department initially withheld four pages of notes by Campbell regarding the April 28, 2020, conference call. According to the notes, Lucki stated that she had promised the minister of public safety and the Prime Ministers Office that information about the firearms used by the killer would be released and that this was tied to pending gun control legislation that would make officers and [the] public safer by or through this legislation. The Justice Department told The Epoch Times it didnt release the missing pages until May 31 due to deliberations on whether the contents were privileged. Retired RCMP officer Andrew Brooke, whose career began in 1980, doesnt believe that. What more do you need to see knowing that theres something going on here? Brooke told The Epoch Times, calling the situation a snowball gathering size coming down the mountain. The PMO is doing everything it can to prevent this thing from becoming bigger than it has to be, an avalanche, he said. This has now risen to a level of corruption without a doubt in my mind, and Im a hard sell on that one. Brooke, who is trained in forensic interviewing, says Campbells notes showed that Lucki seemed unusually intense during the conference call. Look at her in parliamentary testimony before the Emergencies Act committee. Shes very mousy and non-committal and evasive and quiet-spoken, he said. But during the conference call, she is so intense that you have people being reduced to tears, and a deputy has to intervene. Thats not coming from within her. Thats her acting, in my view, to external forces. People carry placards bearing the faces of the victims of Flight PS752, in Toronto on Aug. 5, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young) Investigations Brooke said he believes Lucki and political interference also have involvement in a separate mass casualty incident. In January 2020, Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 176 people, including 57 Canadian citizens. Brooke filed a complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP as part of the Coalition for Criminal Accountability for Flight PS752, saying the RCMP needs to investigate the issue. Were demanding a Canadian criminal investigation into the downing be opened. The second thing is that all the circumstances surrounding her decision be investigated, he said. If there was no standing to this complaint, if it had no merit whatsoever, they would have bounced that back to us. We put in there evidence of political interference. Rae Banwarie served in the RCMP in British Columbia from 1997 to 2017 and was the MPPACs first national president. He says other investigations declined under Luckis leadership helped the Liberals contain scandals. What was their criminal investigation into the SNC Lavalin situation? Was there a criminal investigation into the WE Charity fiasco? Why not? Banwarie said in an interview. Banwarie says he believes Luckis alleged behaviour in the wake of the Nova Scotia mass shooting is reason enough for her dismissal. When I see things like that it just disgusts me, he said. The RCMP said in an email that its operations are entirely independent and completely free from any government influence. We are aware of the perception of bias associated with our dual mandates of protecting Canadian dignitaries as well as our investigative mandate with respect to politically sensitive matters, a spokesperson said. The RCMP takes all reports it receives very seriously and any decisions taken are reflective of the thoroughness, diligence and independence of our actions. The spokesperson added that when it comes to the issue of SNC Lavalin and WE Charity, the police force continues to examine these matters carefully with all available information and will take appropriate actions as required, adding that since these are ongoing matters, we cannot provide any more comments at this time. Lucki has said that she didnt interfere with the investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting, that the federal government has expressed confidence in her, and that the government didnt exert any political influence. We did not put any undue influence or pressure, Trudeau said on June 23. Editors note: This article was updated to add statements from the RCMP. Ben Franklin is to thank for this time-honored proverb, which applies to so many aspects of life An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is one of those proverbs that many only half-know. In fact, probably most people can only recite, An ounce of prevention. The story behind this proverb and its potential for diverse application are fascinating. In my first piece on proverbs, I talked about proverbs as a sort of dying art. They are something that the generations before us have preservedin some cases for a millennium or two. And they contain so much wisdom that can help guide our lives. Some may feel that scripture alone can serve that function. Yes, for sure. But the neat thing about proverbs is that many originate from scripture. They are pithy encapsulations of truth that are meant to be incorporated into daily speech. They are a way of keeping these truths alive in our thoughts and words, and especially a way of educating the next generation. So from that perspective, they are well worth reflecting on and, even more, using. Otherwise, they may disappear, along with many of the other treasures of our culture that are being expunged. And now for the story behind how this proverb came to be. It traces back to Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, and an anonymous letter he sent to a newspaper. But though the letter was initially signed with a simple A.A., Franklin was ultimately credited with it. In 1733, Franklin, a Philadelphian at the time, had visited Boston and was impressed with one of its features: fire preparedness. So the original use of the proverb wasnt about disease prevention, but about fire. Franklin, being a reflective person who wanted the best for his then-city of residence, observed the methods of fire prevention that Boston had developed, and hoped that Philadelphia could adopt the same. So he wrote his letter to a newspaper he owned, The Pennsylvania Gazette. One of Americas most prominent papers at the time, the Gazette had been bought by Franklin and a partner when it was floundering, and they turned it into a success. Benjamin Franklin has been called the Founding Father of Firefighting. (Library of Congress) His letter, published on Feb. 4, 1735, was titled Protection of Towns from Fire. It admonished that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and then went into the ways the city should prepare for fire. Here is an interesting excerpt of his letter, oozing with the humble charm of the day. Note that the city in a neighboring province refers to Boston. As to our Conduct in the Affair of Extinguishing Fires, tho we do not want Hands or Good-will, yet we seem to want Order and Method, and therefore I believe I cannot do better than to offer for our Imitation, the Example of a City in a Neighbouring Province. There is, as I am well informd, a Club or Society of active Men belonging to each Fire Engine; whose Business is to attend all Fires with it whenever they happen; and to work it once a Quarter, and see it kept in order. Some have termed Franklin the Founding Father of firefighting, as his recommendations led to the founding of a fire companyPhiladelphias Union Fire Co.that became the standard for volunteer fire company organization. So for yet another reason, we owe this founding father a debt of gratitude. (And of course also the firefighters that have our backs today wherever we may live!) Thinking about how prevention plays a role in life, there is of course fire, and the use of cure in the proverb naturally calls to mind illnesslike those annual checkups with your doctorbut prevention also comes into play in so many other areas of life. When youre brushing your teeth, isnt that an ounce of prevention? And changing your cars oil or attending to that peeling exterior paint before the rain gets through to the wood, and so on. But, as in my last piece, I once again cant help but think about the importance of this proverb in guiding the next generation. There is the restricting of kids use of technology, educating them about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, or even limiting who they get to spend time with, and the list goes on. Those little moments of discomfort where you apply an ounce of prevention, in terms of their upbringing, are just so incredibly worth it in the end. If its too little, too late, the situation can be hard to turn around. Just like Franklin was getting at, its better to prevent fires than spend time and effort putting them out. Much less clean up and repair after a disaster. So the next time youre wondering whether to take that awkward step and draw that awkward line with the little onesor teensin your life, think of Franklins words of wisdom, and you may find you have the strength to do so. Tamara Lich, an organizer of the "Freedom Convoy" that demonstrated for over three weeks in downtown Ottawa to oppose federal COVID-19 mandates, embraces supporters as she leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after being granted bail, on March 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) Rearrested Convoy Organizer Tamara Lich to Appear in Court on June 29 Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich who was rearrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat in Alberta is scheduled to appear in an Ottawa court on June 29, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) says. Lich was arrested for breach of court conditions, the police service said, adding that the warrant was sought by the OPS. The OPS is returning her to Ottawa where she is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow, the service said on Twitter on June 28. Lich was initially arrested in Ottawa on Feb. 17 shortly after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to clear convoy protesters from the nations capital. She was charged with counselling to commit mischief and obstructing police, among other charges. (L-R) Lawyer Keith Wilson, former RCMP officer Daniel Bulford, and Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Benjamin Dichter hold a press conference in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times) A spokesperson for the Medicine Hat Police Service said Lich was arrested on June 27 on a Canada-wide warrant. The warrant was extended from the jurisdiction of Ontario for one count of fail to comply with a release order. Ms. Lich was held in custody and participated in a Judicial Interim Release (JIR) Hearing at approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning where a six-day remand was ordered by the Justice of the Peace, Rita Sittler said in an email on June 28. Sittler confirmed that Lich will be taken to Ottawa on June 29 to appear before a justice to answer to the charge. Lich was initially denied bail after her first arrest in February, and was detained for 19 days before another court ruled that it was not warranted to keep her in jail given the nature of the charges against her. Lichs bail conditions include avoiding contact with fellow convoy organizers and refraining from using social media or having someone do so on her behalf. On June 16, she appeared at an award ceremony in Toronto where she received the George Jonas Freedom Award presented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. People gather on Parliament Hill as the truckers Freedom Convoy protesting COVID-19 mandates and restrictions stages demonstrations in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times) Before her appearance at the event, crown prosecutors had argued that she had breached her bail conditions by agreeing to accept the award, but the presiding judge dismissed their claim, saying courts are not a thought police, and that the objective of Lichs prosecution was to keep a highly problematic street protest from reviving or reoccurring. No court would ever seek to control the possession or manifestation of political views. Eric Granger, a criminal defence lawyer who is representing Lich, told The Epoch Times in an email on June 28 that not much information is currently available regarding Lichs arrest, saying the court documents simply reflect a warrant in the province of Ontario alleging a breach of a non-communication condition. We look forward to learning more details and taking the appropriate steps to defend Ms. Lich once she is returned to Ontario to deal with the matter. It is presently unclear precisely when that will be, Granger said. The Freedom Convoy was formed to protest COVID-19 vaccine requirement for cross-border truck drivers that came into effect in January. The protest movement expanded as more people opposed to various COVID mandates and restrictions joined the cause, forming vehicle convoys and converging in Ottawa in late January, with many staying in the nations capital until they were cleared by police in late February. Some groups have said they are planning to hold peaceful protests calling for freedom during the July 1 festivities in Ottawa. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has said police are taking precautions to respond to any situation. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. The Rite Aid log is displayed on the exterior of a Rite Aid pharmacy in San Rafael, California, on Sept. 26, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Rite Aid, CVS Issue Product Restrictions After Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade Decision Several national pharmacy chains said theyre imposing purchase limits on emergency contraception known as morning-after pills after a surge in demand after the Supreme Courts ruling striking down Roe v. Wade. CVS and Rite Aid told the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets on Tuesday that they will place limits on buying Plan B, One-Step, and Aftera medicationswhich are brand-name products for the drug Levonorgestrel. Walmart also said it would place limits on the drugs. Walgreens website initially stated that there would be limits on the drugs as well. The firm later told the WSJ that the restriction was an error. Deliveries of the drugs arent available at this time due to demand, a spokesperson told The New York Times. A Walmart spokesperson said the company is limiting emergency contraception medication purchases to four to six per customer. The pills work by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus or by preventing ovulation. Theyre sold over the counter without an ID or prescription and differ from abortion pills, which require a prescription and take several weeks to terminate a pregnancy. After the ruling, some on social media claimed that women should stockpile morning-after pills. Planned Parenthood, one of the leading abortion groups in the United States, issued a statement Monday warning not to stockpile the drugs because they have a short shelf life. The Supreme Court in a 54 ruling on June 24 struck down Roe v. Wade, with the majority arguing that only states and legislatures should have the power to enact or restrict abortion. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the Constitution makes no reference to abortion and argued the 1973 landmark decision was flawed from the start. We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question, Alito wrote. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority, referring to the 1992 decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which was also struck down Friday. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, he added in the opinion. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. Following the decision, protesters turned up in front of Supreme Court justices homes, with left-wing activist groups announcing more plans to protest on Monday. The U.S. Capitol Police arrested two people Saturday for destruction of property amid protests at the Supreme Court Adil Khan (left) and Qari Abdul Rauf, after their arrest in Rochdale, England, pictured in 2010. (Greater Manchester Police) Rochdale Sex Grooming Pair Argue Deportation Is Not Fair Because Gang Leader Avoided It Two men who were convicted of being part of a gang that groomed and sexually exploited under-age girls in the town of Rochdale, near Manchester, have told a tribunal it is unfair for them to be deported to Pakistan because the gangs leader is safe from deportation. Last week Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, began their final attempt to avoid deportation, at an immigration tribunal in London. Khanwho was jailed for eight years for conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation after he fathered a baby with a 13-year-old girltold the tribunal his son would be robbed of a role model if he was sent back to his native Pakistan. On Monday lawyers for the pair pointed out the gangs leader, Abdul Azizwho was referred to as The Masterhas been told by the Home Office he will be allowed to remain in Britain. Khan, Rauf, and Aziz were among nine members of the Rochdale gang jailed for child sex offences in 2012. Sentencing the gang Justice Gerald Clifton said they were driven by lust and greed and told the men they had treated the girls as though they were worthless and beyond respect. Conducive to the Public Good to Strip Them of UK Citizenship The then Home Secretary Theresa May said it would be conducive to the public good for them to be stripped of their UK citizenship and deported but that kicked off a legal saga. Aziz renounced his Pakistani citizenship in July 2018, days before the Court of Appeal ruled he could be stripped of his UK citizenship and deported to Pakistan. But because he had renounced his citizenship the Home Office decided he could not be sent back to Pakistan. Two months later Rauf and Khan renounced their Pakistani citizenship. Khan told the hearing, through an interpreter: I have a question for the Home Secretary, whether Mr. Aziz was an angel and I am a devil? Lawyerswho cannot be named for legal reasonsfor Rauf said the law demands consistency and they said deportation would also breach his right to a private and family life under the European Convention on Human Rights. The hearing was adjourned and Judge Charlotte Welsh is expected to make a final decision on whether the pair can be deported later this year. The Rochdale case, along with similar Asian grooming gangs in Rotherham, Oxford, Telford, and Huddersfield who targeted white girls often in care homes, led to accusations that politicians, social workers, and senior police officers turned a blind eye to the abuse for fear of being accused of being racist. In April, Greater Manchester Police apologised to three of the girls for failing to protect them from the gangs and paid them substantial damages. PA Media contributed to this report. Flannery OConnors stories shows moral corruption in dark narratives A short drive from downtown Milledgeville, Georgia and back a long, gravel lane lined with towering pine trees sits Andalusia, the former home of Southern American author Flannery OConnor. Perched on 520 acres of rolling hills and forests, the property has been restored and operated by Georgia College since 2017, serving as a cultural and historical landmark. A visit to the house gives a glimpse into the authors tragically short life and the surrounding natural environment that inspired a vast majority of her work. Being alive and writing before the Civil rights movement, in Georgia, her characters and situations reflect the prejudices, poverty, and violence of that socio-historical era; however, the narratives always include a deep propensity for redemption, morality, and mercy even during the darkest of times. The Pious Versus Impious OConnor, born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1925, wrote countless short stories and two novels. A devout Catholic, she focused on the rural American South in the early to mid-20th century. Often her stories employ humor, satire, and witty dialogue in describing colorful caricatures of people that move from mundane daily life and encounter darkly ironic narrative turns. These characters are sometimes described as grotesque and are often depicted as outcasts and misfits whose actions and development are utilized to ultimately reveal a religious epiphany for the reading audience. In some of the works, characters are shown to be morally corrupt or physically disabled to emphasize OConnors overall philosophy that individuals can have spiritual duality or internal struggle between religiously pious thinking and impious acts. For instance, in her famous short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find a vacationing family is besieged on a deserted country road by a small group of violent criminals. The grandmother, whose selfishness lands the family in the dire situation, must bear witness to the results of her actions while morally absolving the villains of their evil deeds. Often the characters are shown the wickedness of their conduct through unsavory means that lead to religious enlightenment. In another story entitled, Good Country People, a vehemently atheist woman with a wooden leg is led astray by a traveling Bible salesman who later is exposed to be a con-artist who steals the womans leg for fun. The Faithful in a Secular Society What OConnor exposes in her writing reflects her own spiritual struggles and background being a devout Catholic raised in a predominantly Southern Baptist setting. Often in her correspondences to friends, she notes how characters are employed to illustrate heavy religious allegory for a non-religious society. In a 1956 letter to Father James H. McCown, OConnor notes darker tendencies in her writing as being the ability to speak through her art as a devout Catholic to a society becoming increasingly more secular: At least this is practical in these times when most writers are pagans and, if you are going to talk to them at all, you have to talk in terms they can understand. The pious style is a great stumbling block to Catholics who want to talk to the modern world . For OConnor, American society was growing too materialistic and immoral, which is a recurrent theme in her novel Wise Blood. In order to accurately illustrate the corruptive path modernity had been leading America, in OConnors view, her writing needed a sense of ironic wit and dark humor. Andalusia Farm, Milledgeville, Georgia, where OConnor lived from 1952 until her 1964 death. (Stephen Matthew Milligan /CC BY-SA 3.0) An Enduring Illness Another side to her writing reflects her own secluded life at Andalusia due to terminal illness. In 1951 at the age of 26, OConnor was diagnosed with lupus, the same disease that took her fathers life in 1945. She moved in with her mother at the family farm outside of Milledgeville, where she lived and wrote in pseudo-isolation for the remainder of her life. She wrote many of her stories during this time, and some feature young women living with mothers in isolated Southern settings such as: Good Country People, A Temple of the Holy Ghost, and The Life You Save May be Your Own. In her final 10 years, she underwent countless surgeries, blood transfusions, and eventually needed the aid of crutches to walk. Still, her deeply held religious beliefs and sense of humor kept her spirits high even in the darkest of times, and when health allowed still managed several speaking engagements and lectures. In a letter to her friend Ward Allice Dorrance composed only a few months before her inevitable death, OConnor reflects on the nature of her condition and lightly jokes about cleaning her desk before she passes: I think I envy youthe amount of notice of death anyway. I hope I get as much. My desk is a buzzards nest. Itll take me a week or two to get it in a state I can properly leave it in. She further notes that she purchased an electric typewriter (a new invention at the time) because it takes less energy to write throughout the day. This type of sardonic tone runs throughout OConnors letters and illustrates a woman at peace with the reality fate had dealt her. In the letters to friends and colleagues, her humor and love for humanity shone through until the end. Flannery OConnor passed away on August 3, 1964, at the age of 39 and was buried at her family plot in Memorial Hill Cemetery outside of town. Andalusia still stands and is now in the loving hands of her alma mater that is attempting to educate future generations on the work and life of one of Americas great authors. Although not for the faint of heart, her stories and novels represent an American South seemingly disregarded and brushed aside by its contemporaries. This was the legacy she left behind, and can be still discovered outside of Milledgeville, Georgia. Schools Woke Agenda Causes Children Climate Change Anxiety: Australian Senator An Australian Liberal Senator has accused the education department of pushing children into experiencing climate change anxiety, claiming there is a strong left-wing bend across the school system. The comment comes as radical climate protesters caused mass disruption in Sydneys Hyde Park after bringing the CBD to a standstill on Monday, aggravating the police force in Sydney and the New South Wales (NSW) government. Police on Monday arrested ten Blockade Australia protesters, including a 22-year-old woman who used a bike lock to chain herself to the steering wheel of her rental car to block traffic at the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Blockade Australia spokesman Jonah Sabtay told the Australian Associated Press that the protests were meant to demonstrate the disruption caused by the climate collapse, as he blamed Sydneys economy for the problem. Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes condemned the activists actions as completely irresponsible and disruptive. It was almost laughable when you saw the girl that put a bike chain around her neck to then drink from a non-reusable water bottle and Im pretty sure she wasnt driving an EV. So the hypocrisy is alive and well with these people, she told Sky News Australia on Tuesday. Left-Wing School Agenda Driving Activism Hughes, who got into trouble last week for saying the education system is run by Marxists, attributed young peoples climate change anxiety to the woke agenda across the school system. She said its dangerous for students to be told of the assumed catastrophic impacts that are about to occur on their lives or their futures are doomed. There is a very strong left-wing bend, anyone that denies that either doesnt have kids at school or arent saying whats happening even with the curriculum. The outspoken Liberal senator added that such school content results in students voting for the left-wing Greens when they leave school. Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite echoed Hughes sentiment on the Blockade climate protesters disruption but disagreed that the groups actions are a result of the school system. Theres absolutely no evidence of that at all, he told Sky News Australia, I see from the teachers that are teaching my kids in the community that I represent that they work very, very hard. I think that you and your party have learned the lesson from the election and that is that Australians do want stronger action on climate change. They want greater integrity and politics and women want more rights. In response, Hughes said while many people consider climate change actions very important, a lot of people dont want to pay for it either. We could have affordable, reliable baseload power through a renewable system. Thatd be great. But the technology just doesnt exist and no one is being honest and upfront about that. Environmental Activists Continue to Protest in Sydney Meanwhile, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet criticised the climate activists actions as disrespectful and warned they wont be tolerated. It has to stop, the police are out in force today and theyll make the arrests and my expectation is they will face the full force of the law, he told Sydney radio 2GB. NSW Police Minister Paul Toole called the protesters professional pests. Im furious. The public are furious, he told the Nine Network. Blockade Australia spokesman James Woods said on Tuesday the protest will continue all week. Resistance will continue. Blockade Australia will again take to the streets tomorrow, to continue disrupting Australias destruction where it began, he said in a statement. Scottish Government Sets Date for Second Independence Referendum Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans to hold a second independence referendum on Oct. 19, 2023. In the first independence referendum held in 2014, the Scottish electorate voted 5545 percent to reject independence and remain part of the UK. Sturgeon kicked off a new campaign for independence on June 14, as she claimed her government has an indisputable democratic mandate for another referendum. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK government will not grant the Section 30 Order, which is required to hold a second vote. Sturgeon, who is also leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), said her government would look for a way to hold another vote despite the UK governments opposition. Addressing the Scottish Parliament on June 28, the first minister emphasised she wants the referendum to be indisputably lawful, and will ask the UK Supreme Court to rule on the potential legal issues around holding a vote without UK government approval. In the event the court rules the proposals are outside of the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, the next general election will become a de facto referendum, she said. She told members of the Scottish Parliament: If it does transpire that there is no lawful way for this Parliament to give the people of Scotland the choice of independence in a referendum and if the UK Government continues to deny a Section 30 order, my party will face the UK general election on this single question: should Scotland be an independent country? Selfish Obsession Following Sturgeons announcement, Johnson said the UK government will study it very carefully and will respond properly. But he said the focus of the country should be on building a stronger economy and well be able to have a stronger economy and a stronger country together. Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Sturgeons selfish obsession with another divisive referendum has taken precedence over issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and hospital waiting times. A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland, he said. We wont play Nicola Sturgeons games. We wont take part in a pretend poll when there is real work to be done. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the SNP had asked people to vote for it in the recent local elections on the promise of prioritising recovery from the pandemic. He said: Isnt it the case that the pandemic Nicola that said she wanted us to pull through is gone and the partisan Nicola Sturgeon that wants to divide our country is back, pursuing a referendum that two-thirds of Scots dont want right now? Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asked Sturgeon why her fixation with breaking up the United Kingdom will always trump the needs of the people in the country. PA Media contributed to this report. Lia Scanlan, director of strategic communications for the Nova Scotia RCMP, testifies at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia on April 1819, 2020, in Truro, N.S., on June 8, 2022. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press) Second RCMP Staffer Alleges Political Interference in Nova Scotia Shooting Probe A second RCMP employee has alleged that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki was under political pressure to reveal the types of firearms used in the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. The Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) looking into the tragedy released additional documents on June 28, one of which was an email letter to Lucki from the Nova Scotia RCMP strategic communications director at the time, Lia Scanlan. The letter is dated April 14, 2021, a year after the April 1819, 2020, shooting, and touches on the teleconference that occurred on April 28, 2020, between the RCMP H Division (Nova Scotia) and RCMP headquarters in Ottawa. The reason for the meeting was unclear, although I suspected it may have had to do with guns, given I was asked if Darren could speak about the guns less than two hours before the press conference was scheduled to take place, Scanlan wrote. Darren is a reference to RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell. The MCCs publication of his handwritten notes a week prior to releasing Scanlans letter to Lucki ignited the controversy about potential political interference in the investigation. Campbell wrote that Lucki had made a promise to then-minister of public safety Bill Blair and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) that the RCMP would release to the public information about the types of firearms used in the shooting. This was allegedly to support pending gun control legislation. Scanlan corroborated this in her letter to Lucki. After addressing Luckis behaviour during the April 28, 2020, meeting, which Lucki herself said she regretted in her June 21 statement on the controversy, Scanlan raised the issue of politicization. Eventually, you informed us of the pressures and conversation with Minister Blair, which we clearly understood was related to the upcoming passing of the gun legislationand there it was, wrote Scanlan. I remember a feeling of disgust as I realized this was the catalyst for the conversation and perhaps a justification for what you were saying about us, she said, adding that the political lens was not our sole focus. According to Campbell and Scanlan, Lucki berated H Division and said it disrespected her for failing to follow the directive to provide the information to the media. You personally attacked me, the work we had done and told us that you perceived our actions as a blatant sign of disrespect, wrote Scanlan. The commissioner went on at length saying that she was sad, disappointed and that we disrespected her by not providing these details to the media, Campbell wrote in his retelling of the events. When the tragedy occurred in Portapique, Nova Scotia, the Liberal government was about to announce a ban on 1,500 types of firearms it called assault-style. Two of the firearms used by the killer were eventually banned. All four of the firearms had been acquired illegally, three of which had been smuggled from the United States. Campbell said in his notes that H Division was resisting the request to release information about the types of firearms used in order to avoid jeopardizing the cross-border investigation. Scanlan said Lucki told H Division staff that they had let the boys down, in reference to two young boys whose parents were murdered in front of them during the shooting. To have anyone in the RCMP say we/I let the boys down. There is nothing that makes that acceptable, especially that it was said by the person, who by rank, is at the top of our organization. It was a revealing moment, one where I realized we were not aligned, Scanlan wrote. Our focus was on the families and on the boys not on the legislation being passed on May 1, 2020. The government denies it interfered in the investigation. At no point did our government pressure or interfere with the operational decisions of the RCMP, Blair said on June 22. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on June 23 that his government did not put any undue influence or pressure on the RCMP. Lucki, in a statement on June 21, denied interfering in the investigation but did not directly dispute the claim that she asked for the information on firearms to be released. South Africa Detains 51 Illegal Immigrants Held in Inhumane Conditions in Chinese-Owned Factory South African authorities recently arrested 51 illegal immigrants who were held in inhumane and unspeakable conditions at a Chinese-owned plastic factory located in the city of Alberton. The Home Affairs inspectorate visited the factory in Alrode, Alberton, on June 20 after receiving information from a whistleblower, but was denied entry by security, The Bulrushes reported. The inspectorate returned to the factory on June 22 in a joint law enforcement operation with other authorities and arrested 51 illegal immigrants, including the factory manager, who is a Chinese national. According to the department, the detained immigrants from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and China were allegedly forced to work, eat, and sleep in the plastic factory. The 51 [immigrants] were subjected to inhumane and unspeakable working and living conditions in a factory owned by a Chinese national, the department stated. All the detained immigrants were charged under the Immigration Act, whilst the factory owner has reportedly fled the country. Authorities were also investigating the possibility of human trafficking at the factory. As much as Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi is strongly against the breaking of immigration laws, in the same vein, he equally condemns the abuse and exploitation of any human being, the department said. South Carolina Rep. Krystle Matthews has been recorded in leaked audio strategizing about illegal fundraising methods. (Courtesy of Project Veritas) South Carolina Lawmaker in Leaked Audio Strategizes Sleepers, Dope Money to Finance Senate Campaign A South Carolina state lawmaker who was on the June 28 ballot in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary runoff has been heard in leaked audio strategizing on how to utilize Democratic sleepers to run as Republicans in local elections, as well as requesting drug money from a state prison inmate. Project Veritas, the watchdog organization that obtained the recording, confirmed to The Epoch Times that it verified state Rep. Krystle Matthews was the person speaking with Perry Correctional Institution inmate David Solomon Ballard. When we get enough of us in there, we can wreak havoc for real from the inside out, Matthews is heard saying in the recording, dated Feb. 15. Inmate phone calls are recorded, and those making the call are notified by an operator that calls are recorded. Its unclear what the relationship is between Matthews and Ballard, who in 2018 began a four-year sentence for threatening the life and family of a public official, and a 10-year sentence for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, with multiple disciplinary actions taken against him since his incarceration. He also has an extensive arrest record. Ballard had been jailed for threatening the life of Aiken County Sheriff Mike Hunt and his family, according to The State. While in custody at the Aiken County Department of Public Safety, Ballard then assaulted a State Law Enforcement Division agent. Secret Sleepers Matthews was elected to state office in 2018 as a representative of District 117. We need some secret sleepers, she is heard saying. Like, you need, we need them to run as the other side, even though they for our side, and we need them to win. We need people to run as Republicans in these local elections. Ballard agrees, saying, Right, right. After discussing how sleepers could change the dynamics in South Carolina, Matthews goes on to complain about raising money for her campaign, saying she doesnt care if she obtains dope money. Gimmie that dope boy money, Matthews says, before telling Ballard to find her someone from his family to donate money to her campaign in their name. Matthews then alluded to types of black people. I dont recognize these black people, Matthews said, and referred to herself as a [racial slur] at heart. Matthews also said there needs to be people who can take yard signs down at night while people are sleeping. Matthews didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Traditional Chinese medicine and Korean medicine are attracting attention as way to deal with post-COVID conditions. The picture shows a Korean medical clinic in a Korean folk village. (lamoix/Wiki Plaza) South Korea to Survey Post-COVID Conditions as Traditional Eastern Medicines Attract Interest Its been more than two years since the novel coronavirusthe pathogen that causes COVID-19broke out in China and went on to leave a sick and deadly trail around the world. Even as people continue to be infected by emerging variants, scientists from multiple countries have begun investigating post-COVID conditions and possible remedies. While South Korea intends to conduct a large-scale investigation of the disease, traditional Korean medicine is attracting attention as a treatment. Since COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019, the world has suffered through the aggressive Delta variant to the more infectious but less severe and deadly strain of Omicron. Now scientists are paying more attention to the long-term effects of these variants which are being referred to by a number of names including long COVID, post-COVID conditions (PCC), and chronic COVID-19. South Koreas prime minister, Han Duck-soo, recently announced that during the second half of this year his government will conduct a large-scale survey on the post-COVID conditions of over 10,000 previously infected people of all ages. The results will be used as the basis for formulating treatment guidelines starting in the first half of 2023. South Korea is the first country to conduct such a survey. Scientists acknowledge their understanding of post-COVID conditions and treatment methods is limited. Getting a firm grip on these details is essential and South Koreas survey could be very enlightening. Number One Challenge In August of 2021, the worlds leading medical journal, The Lancet, included an article that said dealing with the long-term symptoms of COVID-19 is modern medicines number one challenge. The virus and its variants have the potential to debilitate millions of people. It not only impairs their daily lives but also jeopardizes their work and financial wellbeing when faced with rising medical and insurance costs. A standardized description of post-COVID symptoms has not yet been finalized. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), at least four weeks after the infection is the start of when post-COVID conditions can be identified. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines long COVID as when at least one symptom occurs within three months of diagnosis and lasts at least two months, and cannot be explained by other medical diagnoses. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty breathing, decreased memory and concentration or brain fog, changes in taste and smell, depression, headaches, and diarrhoea. The most common symptom by far is extreme fatigue. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the results of multiple post-COVID surveys found that 20-79 percent of the subjects reported experiencing after-effects. These surveys were conducted by the National Institute of Health, National Central Medical Center, Kyungpook University Hospital, and Yonsei University Hospital. People walk in the Namdaemun market area of Seoul, South Korea on March 17, 2022. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Modern medicine has yet to identify an effective treatment for the viruss multiple after-effects. Meanwhile, many scientists are saying traditional Chinese and Korean medicines are worthy of investigation as a remedy. Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe that while their treatment methods are unique, they have proven effective in easing the symptoms of post-COVID conditions. The Korean medical community agrees with this finding since much of Korean medicine is based in part on Chinese medicine which is rooted in traditional Taoist culture. But as this article explains, some aspects of Korean medicine are also unique and could be beneficial in treating post-COVID conditions. Treating Patients As the Korean government prepares to launch its post-COVID survey, the medical community there is also leaping into action. In speaking with The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for The Association of Korean Medicine said they are collecting effective treatment cases and analyzing relevant data for treatment of the post-COVID conditions. Go Seong-bae, the director of Koreas Uekkaedongmou Oriental Medical Clinic, told The Epoch Times his clinic has been accepting patients with post-COVID conditions since April. Among the 10 patients he treated, they mostly complained about fatigue, breathing difficulties, coughing spells, indigestion, loss of appetite, and some experienced depression and memory loss. But after using traditional Korean medicine treatment, all 10 of these patients had recovered and were back to normal. Go refers to the successful treatment he uses as a four-phase typology which is a theory unique to Korean medicine. It allows the diagnosis and treatment to be customized to the physique of each patient, rather than on symptoms alone. It focuses on improving the immunity of the body and restoring the body to normal. Go gave an example of the treatment of a patient, named Wen, with serious symptoms of post-COVID conditions. Wen is a 70-year-old patient from Seoul. Prior to being infected by the epidemic in February this year, he had been in good health and was living a normal life. The severity of his infection necessitated him being hospitalized in a critical care unit. One month after being released from the hospital, Wen was still physically weak. He had difficulty even walking and breathing with the slightest movement, said Go. Wens treatment was customized with weekly acupuncture sessions and a month of oral herbal medicine. According to Go, After two weeks, the patient reported relief of the symptoms, and after one month, the patients condition had improved significantly and his daily life had returned to normal, allowing him to discontinue treatment. He said even without acupuncture, oral herbal medicine alone is very effective. How the 1876 world expo in Philadelphia announced Americas industrial arrival When President Ulysses S. Granthelped by Don Pedro II, emperor of Brazilhand-cranked the 40-foot-tall, 600-ton engine to life, he was opening the first large-scale international exhibition ever to be hosted by the United States. It was May 1876, and this was the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The massive Corliss engine, which the American president had just cranked on, had already won the top prize at the Paris Exhibition nine years earlier; now, it was the main attraction of Americas own Centennial expo. The engines inventor was a machinist named George H. Corliss. Corliss had left school at age 14, working a variety of jobs until, in his early 20s, he began experimenting with machines. His was a natural gift. By his mid-20s, Corliss was awarded a patent for his first practical invention: a machine that could automatically stitch boots. But before he could mass produce and market the boot-stitcher, Corlisss attention wandered to steam power. After a few years working at a steam engine (and boiler) manufacturing company, where he was given the freedom to experiment on his own designs, he started his own business. Corlisss massive steam engine, with its unique valves regulating steam and exhaust, reduced heat loss and operated with significantly better fuel efficiency than those of his competitors. The interior of the Horticultural Hall. (Public Domain) His Corliss Steam Engine Company, based in Providence, went on to ship engines all over the country, and soon, the world. Indeed, Rhode Island became the most important steam engine manufacturing hub on Earth. So large was the Centennial Engine displayed at the Centennial Exhibition that its multiple stories could only be accessed by a series of steel ladders. Virtually all of the machinery at the expo was powered by Corlisss steam-powered invention. Awards and recognition were showered upon Corliss from the most prestigious mechanical associations the world over. McCormicks Reaper, Bells Telephone, Edisons Telegraph But Corlisss engine wasnt the only marvel at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. McCormicks reaper, now world-famous, was on display, too. Already long a business titan, Cyrus McCormick was the son of a blacksmith. Having spent much of his childhood laboring in his inventive fathers smithy, and building on his fathers design, McCormick spent decades improving (and patenting) his unique reaper. With its levers, cranks, fingers, boards, blades, gears, and teeth, the mechanical, horse-drawn McCormick reaper revolutionized the harvesting process, which had always necessitated large numbers of paid laborers or slaves. McCormicks reaper is to the North what slavery is to the South, declared Secretary of State Edwin Stanton. Not only did the machine drive down the need for slave labor, but it freed up hundreds of thousands of young men to leave their western farms and enlist in the Unions armies. When McCormicks reaper factory burned down in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, he opted to follow the admonition of his wifeRebuild!and managed to erect a thriving business out of the ashes. He was, in the words of one biographer, a great commercial Thor. But Corlisss engine and McCormicks reaper were just the grand tip of the technological iceberg. The same day that the exhibition opened, a Scotsman and professor of physiology at Boston University named Alexander Graham Bell, on site at the expo, impressed the Brazilian Emperor with his telephone display. My Godit talks! the emperor is reported to have exclaimed. Bells mother was nearly deaf, and for years hed been employed as an instructor in schools for the deaf. All the while, Bell had experimented with electricity to transmit sound. Now, here at Philadelphia, his success suddenly brought him widespread fame. Bells telephone was set up on opposite ends of sprawling Machinery Hall. A drawing of the Arnhem perfume fountain designed by Pierre Cuypers. The fountain was displayed inside the expositions main building. (Public Domain) To Corlisss engine, McCormicks reaper, and Bells telephone should be added Thomas Edisons automatic telegraph technology, which sped up transmission for telegraphed messages many times over. When the Centennial expo opened, Edison was still in his 20s, but he had since childhood been experimenting with chemicals and electricity. After saving a 3-year-old boy from death by a runaway train, the toddlers grateful fathera telegraph operatorhad rewarded the (then-teenage) Edison with a job. In this way, Edison learned the ins and outs of telegraphy. By the time of the Philadelphia event, Edison had already invented an electric vote recorder, a telegraph system that could send two messages at once, and an automatic telegraphy system. This last he placed on display at the exhibition. Edisons invention made the transmission of long messagesnews articles, for examplefar more practical and less laborious. Edisons automatic telegraphs even included a typewriter-like keyboard, upon which messages could be punched out in the form of holes on tape. The tape was then inserted into a transmitter apparatus. Unfortunately for the exhibition, Edison was still a year away from inventing his phonograph. An engraving of the Kimbel & Cabus display. (Public Domain) Monorail and Other Wonders A visitor to the exhibition would have hopped aboard the elevated, steam-powered Centennial monorail, or spent hours in Machinery Hall, with its countless wondersColt revolvers and Winchester lever-action repeating rifles, sewing machines, early versions of the typewriter, newfangled farm equipment. He would have marveled at George Grants calculating machine, or new screw-cutting technology that produced more than 100,000 bolts and screws per day (a massive improvement on the standard 8,000), or the arc lamp system powered by Farmers and Wallaces new electric dynamo. This latter display inspired Edison to begin experimenting with the light bulb. He subsequently bought an early version of the bulb from Farmer, and Edison used the Wallace-Farmer dynamo to power his early light bulb demonstrations. Spread out over many buildings erected on fields and woodlands next to the city, the exhibition was divided into areas with names like the Womans Pavilion, the Horticultural Hall, Horse Car Depot, Photographic, the State of Kansas, the British Government, Sawyers Elevator & Belmont Mansion, plus fountains, restaurants, hotels, avenues, bridges, and railroads built specially for the event. There was even a parade of butchers! For all the post-Civil War sectional strife and Reconstruction pains in the United States, the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition seemed to put the world on notice that America was nevertheless a powerful new centerperhaps the worlds top centerof industry and innovation. Corlisss engine, the largest and most powerful on earth at the time, vividly underscored this dawning realization. Somehow, those 13 original, backwater American colonies had grown to 38 mighty states and, having endured a bloody civil war, had emerged the international leader of a budding Second Industrial Revolution. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine. Wong Tung-hon, a 75-year-old survivor of the sent-down youth who escaped to Hong Kong, recalls the memories of fleeing to Hong Kong, and how he works hard with other fleeing survivors to commemorate the lost lives. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) Story of a Cultural Revolution Sent-Down Survivor Who Escaped to Hong Kong for Freedom Wong Tung Hon is a 75-year-old survivor who escaped China during the cultural revolution. He was one of the students who got sent down to the countryside. Wong gave an audience to the sounds of the bristly waves rippling at the reefs; on the opposite shore were the gravitating buildings of Shenzhen. He was deep in his thoughts. The flashback of Wong fleeing and lifting anchor on a dark cold night is vividly evoked after 50 long years. Under the Hong Kong National Security Law, many Hongkongers have been forced to leave their homes, the only homes they ever knew, to seek freedom overseas. Interestingly, fifty years ago, there was also a group of Chinese who fled to Hong Kong to escape the communist disaster. Most of them were middle school students who were sent down to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, known as sent-down youth,or educated youth, or rusticated youth. Many died trekking on the long journey from hunger, falling off cliffs, drowning, being eaten by sharks, and being killed by armed soldiers. The hair of fortunate survivors escaping to Hong Kong has turned grey; the silvered fighters toss worship paper, with tears across their wrinkly faces, calling on their comrades who climbed through the hills and traversed rivers together. Wong, the former sent-down youngster, could only do one thing to save the history, which was to document every true story with pen and paper, leaving 30,000 words in a book called Anchor. Wong also worked with other survivors to build monuments and commemorate the loss of their friends. Wong Tung-hon commemorated his lost friends using a fabric-made memorial banner on an outlying island in hong kong (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) Wong never imagined that he would no longer have the freedom one day to erect a monument for the victims and commemorate the souls of the dead. Wong also didnt expect to be at risk of being silenced at such old age. Again. On June 15, 2022, the names of the sent-down victims were inscribed on the monument and inaugurated in New York, United States. (Jenny Zeng/The Epoch Times) A preparatory group for the monuments of the sent-down victims escaping to Hong Kong was established in the United States in July 2021. The group has been intensely going around collecting a full list of the names of victims in the tragedy. A year later, a monument of Sent-Down Victims from The Great Escape to Hong Kong was erected. The inscription of the victims stories and experiences will continue to spread and share through the wind across the seas. On June 15, 2022, the names of the sent-down victims were inscribed on the monument and inaugurated in New York, United States. (Jenny Zeng/The Epoch Times) The Cultural Revolution Crushed the Dreams of University Education In 1968, Wong Tung Hon was a flourishing senior three graduate. He was studying at Guangzhou Fourteen Middle School, intending to go to university. Unfortunately, Wong met with an absurd era. As soon as his final exam was over, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution swept over the entire country. Mao Zedong called on the educated youth to go to the countryside and receive re-education from the poor lower-class farmers. It was the same year that Wong was assigned to the Peoples Nantou Commune at Baoan to help with the oysters farm unit, which was adjacent to the border of the New Territories, Hong Kong. This particular border was also the very same border that many would cross if they were to flee to Hong Kong. From the time Wong learned about the Sent-Down Movement, his mind was set: he had to escape from the mainland and flee to Hong Kong. The reason for his escape was simple, The revolution had completely crushed my dream of studying at a university. At the time, farmers living standards were equivalent to prison. Sending us to farm in the rural countryside had turned my life upside down. Wong explained. Escape Wong Tong-hon seized every chance to practice steering the wooden boat. Six months later, an opportunity to flee finally arrived. Wong still recalled that on a night in January 1970, he was guarding the oyster boat alone. He and three other young people had already agreed to run away that day to Hong Kong. It was a windy and wavy night, Wong was not the only one planning to escape the farm. The local militiamen were watching closely, going for a huge manhunt inside the villages. On the sea, patrol boats were looking around diligently with their searchlights blazing. When a patrol boat got close to Wongs boat, he could hear the captains voice. That made his heart drop. I was prepared to be arrested. I threw the only five Hong Kong dollars my mother gave me into the ocean. I was worried about being accused of conspiring during a potential search. Wong recalled the tension of the moment. To his relief, his boat was never discovered by the patrols despite how close they were to each other. On the way, he and three other people were terrified. Everyone knows that there were two forts on the east and west, sitting in Chiwan, which is where we must pass through. Next to it was the camp of the Peoples Liberation Army. Opposite Ling Ding Island, there was a customs office. Plenty of run-away wooden boats got intercepted there at night, not to mention ours was a motor boat. Fortunately, when they sailed through Chiwan, the howling winds were so loud that they masked the sounds of their motor. Wongs boat successfully slid past the most dangerous location. Shekou They abandoned their motor boat and rowed with every ounce of their energy to the shores of Hong Kong in a tiny boat. As their feet grounded on a beach in Hong Kong, Wong described the moment as being a dream. He thought to himself, I am safe! I am free! The sent-down youth risked their lives to escape the mainland on the rough seas and only when they touched the land of Hong Kong, a sense of freedom and safety were realized. (Courtesy of the Preparatory Team for the Monument of Sent-Down-Youth) Since retirement, he has been writing for ten years to make sure the history of the great escape will be remembered. Wong thought he was a lucky one. As soon as he arrived in Hong Kong, his relatives went to pick him up. Three days after his arrival, he started a new job at a print production company, of which his relatives held shares. Over the years, Wong Tung-hon still cannot forget his classmates who were sent down to the countryside with him. We should not forget the history of this era. We should write things down, not forget the history of this generation, we should document these happenings. If the history is told by us oldies, it will be more accurate. However, it wont be as real if we rely on the young ones to collect the stories little by little. So I should do it myself. Since 2009, Wong has been organizing and collecting the history of the sent-down youth, told by the survivors. He collects stories from the old days and continues to write stories for Anchor. Every story told by a survivor has bloodshed and tears. Wong has been writing for ten years and has documented over 20 real-life events in about 300,000 words, but time seems to have passed like a blink of an eye, Caption: A seaside memorial at Dongping Chau in 2017. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) Building Monuments to Commemorate the Victims After Wong Tung-hon retired in 2012, he had more time to spare for writing and organizing the history of the runaways to Hong Kong. He remembered the escapees of that time fled to Hong Kong via three main routes. The first one was through Wutong Mountain. It would take you directly to the New Territories through a road but you had to climb through the barbed wire. The second route was to go through Deep Bay. Although the tides were low, the guards were heavy. The final one was to go from Dai Pan Bay to the shore of Tung Ping Chau. This route was full of high tides and violent wind; sharks often appear here. It was the most difficult path to take, and many people died there. The souls that were lost in the process of fleeing and finding freedom, have been weighing on his shoulders for a long while. That motivated him to begin building the monument for victims who once were trying to run to freedom in Hong Kong. Wong brought his idea of building a monument to a district councilor of New Territories North. Whenever he asked for assistance, all he got from the district council office was excuses and their decline of help. Eventually, they stopped picking up Wongs calls. Not Losing Faith At the time, Wong had already written about ten articles about his escape to Hong Kong. He shared one story with a friend of his, who is in the yacht business. The stories Wong shared touched his friend deeply and he immediately agreed to help with linkups. On May 1, 2014, after everyones wholehearted effort, the few silver-haired friends finally fulfilled their dream. The first monument had been erected for the fleeing victims on an outlying island near Tai Pang Bay. The monument itself might look shabby, but it didnt lack meaning. On an 80 x 60 cm stone steel carved: Over the Mountain. Across the Sea. Beyond the Border. Lay the Ones Lost Here. The people crossed and stood in Hong Kong. This was the first time that 59 people gathered for the memorial ceremony for the smuggling victims. Ever since then, it was agreed that every May 1, this is where they would gather. May 1, 2014. The first monument of the fleeing sent-down victims was erected on an outlying island near Tai Pang Bay. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) The Victims Memorial was Disrupted, Anonymous Build New Monuments In the following two years, more people went to participate in the ceremony after they learned about the event. Many of the survivors would take their families along to pay their respect too. The crowd drew media attention, as well as scholars and screenwriters to visit. Other than the past sent-down survivors, friends from Guangzhou and Sichuan, and even some of the American young intellectuals would make a trip to Hong Kong purposefully to visit the monument. The largest ceremony was attended by 300 people. After hearing the news about the monument for the fleeing youth, many came to pay their respect. The photo was taken on-site in 2018. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) In the third year of the island memorial, the local villagers were under pressure to stop entertaining large-scale worship ceremonies. The villagers even asked for the plaque to be removed. Wong Tung-hon was determined, Once it is built, it will never come down! However, to continue the ceremony visits, Wong and his associates began to wander around with a fabric banner they made themselves, with printed photos of the original monument they took themselves. They carried the fabric-made monument to different outlying islands in the New Territories to hold the commemoration. Wong was grateful for everyones persistence and thought his hard work had not been wasted. Instead, it brought more people together to learn about history. In June 2020, Wong received a photo. It was a photo of a similar plaque to the one he had built on a deserted island. On the top of the plaque, a golden sunflower was engraved. Everyone wanted to go for a visit. Interestingly, It was signed anonymous people. After commemorations were disrupted at the first monument, some anonymous people built a new one on a deserted island. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) As the pandemic came in waves and with the gathering restriction order in place, it became difficult for people to visit the monument in groups until October 2020. As soon as the mandate relaxed, the memorial preparatory committee Wong Tung-hon took immediate action and brought friends together for a memorial visit in three days. Soon 61 people signed up. As the stone plaque faces Tai Pang Bay, looking across the sea of Shenzhen, it reminded Wong that it was the place where many escapees would disembark. Wong recalled, A medium once told me during a memorial, that the spirits of the victims are very thankful. The medium suggested bringing along some fresh water next time for replenishment and washing off the seawater from their bodies. And so the next time he and his friends visited they took fresh water, and poured it onto the plaque and along the beach, to comfort the spirits of the victims. As the political situation deteriorates in Hong Kong, memorials events have also become low-key. The memorial preparatory committee would no longer announce the details of the ceremony, to ensure a smooth sail at the commemoration. In the past, many escapees would begin from Tai Pang Bay and go through obstacles to get to the outlying islands. (Courtesy of Wong Tung-hon) Everyone lit their candles and incense for the souls of the victims. (Courtesy of the Preparatory Team for the Monument of Sent-Down-Youth) Worship ceremony in 2022. (Courtesy of the Preparatory Team for the Monument of Sent-Down-Youth) New Yorks Take Over The challenges that Hong Kong memorials for the sent-down youth faced had brought tears to the now free and safe survivors in the U.S. In July 2021, sent-down youths from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, the United States, and Canada had a joint discussion and decided to establish the Monument for the Sent-Down-Youth Who Lost Their Lives in Escaping to Hong Kong. The objective of the group is to come up with a complete list of all the victims during the sent-down flee and build a monument in New Jersey Lafayette Cemetery, so the dead can finally have a permanent resting place in this free world. The monument is designed as a double-marble plaque monument on one foundation, which is modeled after the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Wall. It will mainly be inscribed as a memorial. At the moment the first marble slab has been cast with inscriptions on the front, while the names of 176 confirmed victims are engraved on the back. The group is still collecting more names for the second marble slab. Situated in New York, the U.S.A, inscriptions are seen on the front of the Sent-Down Youth Victims Memorial Monument. (Courtesy of Preparatory Team for the Monument of Sent-Down-Youth) Caption: On the back of the first stone stele marks the names of 176 confirmed sent-down victims. (Courtesy of Preparatory Team for the Monument of Sent-Down-Youth) Wong Tung-hon expressed thankfully, As soon as the news of building a monument in the U.S. traveled to Hong Kong, many people responded. Everyone is helping with the list of the victims proactively, so the victims can settle in their final resting place. Wong also said that Hong Kong used to be a free harbour with freedom of speech. That is no longer the same after the implementation of the National Security Law. Over the years, many old friends of Wong have passed away, he feels the need to document all the first-hand insights of those experiences. Wong also feels that he might soon die of old age. As he gets older, his health condition is also withering so he has been placed in a nursing home. Due to the pandemic, going out becomes harder, even though his heart is in recording the history, his body is telling otherwise. Wong Tung-hon is gratified by the new monument for the sent-down youth victims. Even though he cannot visit personally to get a glimpse of the marble monument, he still wants to send his blessings across the ocean, to remind our young generation to remember the history and the hard-earned freedom. A worker cleans a restored Roman-era mosaic ahead of its display in its hometown ahead of the inauguration of the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center, in Lod, central Israel, on June 23, 2022. (Oded Balilty/AP Photo) Stunning Roman Mosaics Return Home to New Israeli Museum JERUSALEMA series of exceptional 1,700-year-old Roman mosaics have returned home to Israel, where the collection went on public display for the first time Monday after more than a decade touring the worlds top museums. The mosaics were first discovered in the central city of Lod in 1996 but the Israel Antiquities Authority only fully unearthed the enormous, well-preserved artworks in 2009. The collection stretches 17 meters by nine meters (56 feet by 30 feet). The mosaics feature a menagerie of animals, from fish and fowl to beasts that would have been exotic to ancient residents of Lod: an African elephant, rhinoceros and giraffe. Archaeologists believe the mosaics adorned an affluent villa in the 3rd or 4th centuries, after Lod was rebuilt as the Roman city of Diospolis. But for more than a decade, while Israeli authorities raised funds for a museum, the mosaics had no permanent home. They went on display at museums around the globe, including New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre Museum in Paris and The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. The mosaics new home at the Shelby White and Leon Levy Mosaic Lod Archaeological Center features guided tours and interactive exhibits in Arabic, English and Hebrew. The museum is free for residents of Lod, a mixed ArabJewish city that saw bouts of sectarian violence in May 2021 during Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Like a mosaic which brings many pieces together to be one wonderful picture we are trying to bring all the local peopleJews and Arabs, the museums project manager, Raanan Kislev, told The Associated Press. The museum hopes it will be a key attraction for tour groups, as Lod is strategically situated between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and next to the countrys main international airport. The museum is designed to recreate an ancient Roman villa like one that would have housed the mosaics. Our dream for this cityitself a mosaic of culturesis being realized today right before of our eyes, as we dedicate this most important museum, placing Lod on the world tourism map, said Mayor Yair Revivo. By Emily Rose A general view from the rooftop veranda at the RH Atlanta: The Gallery at the Estate in Buckhead opening celebration in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 20, 2014. (Ben Rose/Getty Images for Restoration Hardware) Suburb Pushes to Secede From Democrat-Run City Amid Surge in Homicides The head of an Atlanta suburb, Buckhead, said Tuesday that his district is still trying to secede from the Georgia capital city amid surging violent crime rates. We are really feeling like this is a war zone, and I dont say that lightly, especially given what you experienced in a war zone, Buckhead City Committee CEO Bill White told Fox News. This is murder and mayhem We are dealing with a mayor who voted to defund the police. The wealthy Atlanta district has been attempting to become independent but has so far been unsuccessful. Earlier this year, both Republican Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Senate Majority Leader Geoff Duncan have said theyre opposed to legislation that would put a Buckhead cityhood referendum on the November 2022 ballot. White, however, said on Fox News that the district is still attempting to secede because its obvious that police officers do not want to come work for a mayor or a city that does not back them, adding, Buckhead wants to take things into its own hands. Were short 180 police officers, so what are we supposed to do? White said. They said this has never been done taking a part of a city out and making its own city from that, but were going to do it, and were going to absolutely love our police. Crime Increase Were going to pay them, were going to give them a take-home car, were going to welcome them, he added. Were going to honor them every day and make up for this dumbest move of the century, this defund the police, and turn that on its heels and put the smackdown on the crime here in Buckhead once and for all, and have a happy place to live. During an interview in January, White explained that Atlantas Democratic leaders dont care about the neighborhood at all and just want the money that comes from taxes in the wealthy area. Atlantas crime rate, including rapes and homicides, soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis from WalletHub. The city ranked No. 3 among large U.S. cities for the highest increase in the murder rate behind Cincinnati and New Orleans. It was just ahead of Baltimore and Memphis. As of mid-April 2022, Atlanta has the 17th highest increase in homicides when were just looking at the Q4 numbers, WalletHubs Jill Gonzalez told 11Alive-TV. So that is an increase not only from last year, but also up from 2019. So not only have we seen things increase from the pandemic, but also from pre-pandemic levels. Texas Gov. Abbott: Biden Responsible for Deaths of 50 Illegal Immigrants Found in Truck Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that the Biden administrations illegal immigration policies are to blame, in part, after dozens of people were found dead inside a truck near San Antonio. Hours after the bodies were found inside the back of an 18-wheeler truck on Monday, the Republican governor issued a Twitter post, saying, These deaths are on [President Joe] Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies, Abbott wrote on the social media platform. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. On Monday evening, local officials said that 46 people were found dead inside the tractor-trailer. On Tuesday, that number rose to 48 as two people died at a nearby hospital, a spokesperson with Baptist Health System confirmed to KSAT-TV. Its tragic, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told the station. We hope that those responsible for putting these people through such inhumane conditions are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The illegal immigrants most likely died due to heat stroke or heat exhaustion as they were trapped inside a tractor-trailer in 100-degree F weather, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told KSAT. Officials said the victims were mostly teens and young adults, and its not clear if any children were being transported illegally across the border. In 2021, more than 2 million illegal aliens were stopped as they attempted to enter the United States along the southern border, according to data provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this year. In October 2021, the agency said that border arrests rose to an all-time high for the 2021 fiscal year. Open Borders Republicans have often said that the spike in illegal border crossings is because of the Biden administrations failure to enforce federal immigration laws and its systematic rolling back of key Trump-era border policies, including rules that were created to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. Border Patrol union chiefs, meanwhile, have similarly criticized the Biden administrations policies and have praised Abbotts plans to curb illegal immigration in his state. Last year, Abbott issued a number of orders, including one that allows state troopers to pull over vehicles with illegal immigrants suspected of having COVID-19. Were at a breaking point. Weve got miles upon miles of border that just arent patrolled because we have to deal with, frankly, an invasion, Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told The Epoch Times earlier this year. When youre dealing with over 200,000 illegal border crossings per month, I dont know how you dont call it anything but that. Democrats instead have blamed an economic crisis in Central and South America for the surge in illegal migration, although Border Patrol agents have said that people from all over the world are arriving at the bordernot just individuals from Latin America. Police keep watch as pro-abortion protesters march in front of the U.S. Supreme Court during a Bans Off Our Bodies march in Washington on May 14, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Texas Judge Blocks Statewide Ban on Abortions Abortions can temporarily resume in Texas after a judge on Tuesday blocked officials from enforcing a law passed nearly a century ago that the state attorney general said is now back in effect following the Supreme Courts decision last week. Judge Christine Weems in Harris County issued a temporary injunction following a last-ditch lawsuit filed by pro-abortion groups to resume services after the nations highest court struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that argued women have a constitutional right to obtain abortions. The order allows clinics to resume services, for now, in a state where abortion was already restricted to only up to six weeks of pregnancy under a Texas law that took effect in September. A later hearing is scheduled for July 12. Other than Texas, about a dozen other states have trigger laws that either ban abortions entirely or severely restrict when they can be performed. Texass trigger law is slated to go into effect later in the summer after the Supreme Courts judgment is officially released, which is a separate order from the one that was issued on June 24. After the Supreme Court opinion was handed down, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an advisory that abortion providers could be criminally liable for providing abortions starting today based on Texass abortion prohibitions predating Roe. Trigger Laws The law Paxton was referring to was issued in 1925, although last year, the Texas Legislature passed a billthe Texas Heartbeat Actthat was signed into law that authorizes members of the public to file lawsuits against anyone who performs or facilitates an illegal abortion. An abortion can be deemed illegal in the state once embryonic or fetal cardiac activity is detected, which occurs normally after about six weeks. One of the groups that filed a lawsuit, the Center for Reproductive Rights, issued a statement Tuesday after the judges order. This decision will allow abortion services to resume at many clinics across the state because every hour that abortion is accessible in Texas is a victory, Marc Hearron, senior counsel with the left-wing group, said in a statement. Judges in Louisiana and Utah on Monday also temporarily blocked trigger law bans on abortion in those states, respectively. Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Robin Giarrusso granted the injunction in Louisiana, leading to resumptions of the procedure. Utah Third District Judge Andrew Stone granted a 14-day temporary restraining order that was requested by Planned Parenthood. Trigger laws are also being challenged in Idaho, Kentucky, Arizona, and Mississippi courts. Paxtons office has not responded to a request for comment. The Texas attorney general has not issued a public statement following Weemss order on Tuesday. Reuters contributed to this report. Art exploration for the young and young at heart The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness, by reasonable compact, in civil Society. George Washington, in a letter to Catharine Sawbridge Macaulay Graham, Jan. 9, 1790 Were living in the Great Experiment. Established less than 250 years ago, the United States is founded on the revolutionary conviction that independence, hard work, and honor can bear great fruit. Americans benefit from a prosperous legacy of faith, hope, and grit. The treasures of our heritage are a gift that each generation has the power to squander or save. On July 2, 1776, more than a year into the arms battle for sovereignty, the Continental Congress first approved a resolution declaring U.S. independence from Great Britain. The document, which came to be titled the Declaration of Independence, was drafted and presented by the Committee of Five, which included its primary author, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, as well as Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and John Adams of Massachusetts. In honor of its drafting, Adams sent a letter to his wife Abigail. He wrote: I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunkers Hill, June 17, 1775, 1786, by John Trumbull. (Public domain) George Washington Before the Battle of Trenton, 1792, by John Trumbull. (Public domain) A portrait of Alexander Hamilton, 1792, by John Trumbull. (Public domain) July 4 is the date emblazoned at the top of the Declaration of Independence because that day marked the final revision of the extraordinary document. Adamss predictions proved correct. The first commemorative festivities for freedom began in the following year, 1777. In Boston, on the first anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, there were fancy dinners, fireworks, and songs. In Philadelphia, ships pulled up and blasted their cannons 13 times for the original colonies to honor independence. There were military displays, small arms fired, fine patriotic colors donned, bells wrung, and more fireworks blasted. It was reported that the face of joy and gladness was universal. U.S. history recounts the trials, celebrations, and hopes of men and women for freedom. Though in truth, all history is a story of the human struggle for freedom, American history remains exceptional for its courageous success. The United States was created to stand firm against the age-old and inevitable overreach of avaricious government. Were the land promised to men and women of conscience, individuals devoted to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Along with our freedom and prosperity, the spirit of honorable people who blazed a trail to American liberty and independence is rightly commemorated on the Fourth of July. Deep thought and true action are a great portion of our inheritance. Lessons taught by freedom fighters are emblazoned in our minds and on our hearts. Letters, archives, art, and artifacts help us recall what were made of and what we were made for. John Trumbull A self-portrait, 1802, by John Trumbull. (Public domain) The work of one Early American artist serves to preserve history particularly well. While youll certainly recognize his commemorative work, have you ever been introduced to the character of John Trumbull? Born in Rhode Island in 1756, Trumbull lost the use of one eye in a childhood accident. Perhaps the accident contributed to his unique perspective. He was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and an aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington. He was at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he painted it! While serving in Boston, he sketched plans of the British and American battle lines to help his budding nation. Though he earned a less creative degree from Harvard and spent the first years of his adult career as a soldier, Trumbull proved so passionate about art that after serving in the U.S. Continental Army, he sailed to England to pursue painting. Trumbull took a serious risk entering the nation hed fought against, in order to study traditional methods of painting, and, while in London, his anti-British sentiments gained attention. On Nov. 20, 1780, in reprisal for the hanging of a British major by Americans for spying, Trumbull was arrested by British authorities on the charges of high treason. He was held in prison until June 1781. When the influence of powerful friends finally effected his release, Trumbull was given 30 days to leave England. Trumbull returned to Connecticut, where his father had served as governor between 1776 and 1784. While a painters profession was less than favorable in the eyes of the prominent Trumbull family, Trumbull pursued his chosen path with American determination. He became the portrait artist of American history. Today, the artist is better remembered than any politician among his once-powerful relatives. Do you know what Alexander Hamilton looked like? Think of the $10 bill. That iconic image hails from a Trumbull portrait. When one envisions the signing of the Declaration of Independence, its likely the imagination drafts in part from Trumbulls most famous work, accordingly titled Declaration of Independence. It took the artist almost five years and many meetings with American leaders, especially Jefferson, to gather working sketches of the signers. He completed the large painting in 1819. Though some believe his smaller images of the signing were better, Trumbulls Declaration remains a monumentally significant historical work of art. If history is the story of the events, ideas, and actions that have affected people in times past, art comprises the pictures and soundtracks of their tales. Trumbull was a soldier, secretary to statesmen, and a prisoner of war, but the most lasting contribution he made to his nation came in the form of art memorializing the American spirit. As Adams pointed out, the way we commemoratehow we remembermatters. The only part Adams seemed to mistake about American Independence was the date wed celebrate. Adams believed Independence Day should be honored on July 2. So staunch was he in that opinion that he would refuse invitations to celebrations held on July Fourth! Still, the Fourth was a powerful day in his life and death. Adams, signer and great defender of the Declaration of Independence, and second president of the United States of America, died on July 4, 182650 years to the day from the first American Fourth of July. Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence, and third president of the United States, also died on Independence Day, five hours before Adams. The two leaders had major differences and disagreements, but they were united in writing, hoping, and striving for a great nation. Perhaps divine providence pulled them together. Jefferson once wrote to Adams: The simultaneous movements in our correspondence have been really remarkable on several occasions. It would seem as if the state of the air, or state of the times, or some other unknown cause produced a sympathetic effect on our mutual recollections. Adamss last words were, Thomas Jefferson survives. He was right in the essentials. In Trumbulls work, the two giants can still be seen standing together with strong early Americans. Fine works memorialize fine lives. Through both, the vision of American independence survives. It falls to us whether we strip or invest the incredible inheritance of American freedom and prosperity. In the words of Ronald Reagan, a modern U.S. president who carried the torch, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. The Ruination of American Schools Teachers unions, progressive school boards are destroying education, says author Luke Rosiak In a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek spoke with Luke Rosiak, an investigative reporter at The Daily Wire and author of Race to the Bottom: Uncovering the Secret Forces Destroying American Public Education. The consequences of this destruction, Rosiak contends, will be devastating for society, not long in the future, but over the next five to 10 years. Jan Jekielek: I just finished reading Race to the Bottom, where you say that people back in 2019 made you rethink your whole concept of politics. Luke Rosiak: I was a reporter covering Capitol Hill when people started contacting me about problems in schools and how it affected them. I realized then that local government has an impact. I also realized that because most people werent paying attention to local politics, things could go wrong. I began to focus on school problems, which occur across all 13,000 local school districts. Mr. Jekielek: Some of these districts impact a huge number of people. The case you make in the book is that some people dont realize the radical agendas at play. Mr. Rosiak: I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, which has 1.2 million people. In 2019, one thing that woke me was learning that none of the 10 Democrats on the Fairfax County School Board had kids in the school system. So why would you run for school board if you didnt have kids? It turned out they all had their own political agendas and were using the schools as a vehicle, to gain access to children, to money, or to whatever. Mr. Jekielek: You heard from people because you were writing stories in other places? Mr. Rosiak: Yes, people were contacting me about schools. I saw that schools mattered and that no one was paying attention to them. Because of that, special interests had started colonizing these schools in places like Seattle and Minneapolis, and then in places you wouldnt expect. Once coronavirus hit, a lot of people began paying attention to schools. But I started working on this book before then, and I found that a lot of what happened during coronavirus, and with CRT (critical race theory), was what some people had already wanted to do. They used coronavirus to ramp it up. Mr. Jekielek: You contend in the book that the teachers unions werent fearing for the teachers safetythat some other agenda was at play to keep kids and teachers out of school. Mr. Rosiak: I live in Virginia, where the lockdowns were bad, but you could go out to eat; you could travel. Everyones working. You go to Target and youve got cashiers there. The only ones refusing to do their job were teachers. We all know that kids arent vectors of this disease. They shut down schools to get money, and got $80 billion in one bill alone. They got more money than the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe, and the schools werent even open. They were basically taking kids hostage. The thing to realize is, theyve always operated these schools as employment centers for adults, as much as places to educate children. Mr. Jekielek: What do you mean by taking kids hostage? Mr. Rosiak: They said, Were not going to open schools unless you meet our conditions. Primarily, the conditions were a lot of money they said they needed for safety, but it wasnt true. In Fairfax County, for example, they had a warehouse full of so many masks that they ran out of room. But the teachers union said, If you want us to go to school, youre going to have to give us money to buy masks. Mr. Jekielek: Lets talk about Fairfax. Mr. Rosiak: In Fairfax County, groups called PolicyLink and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity are two nonprofits that most people havent heard of, but theyre important in this effort to take over local governments and spread this radical agenda. Theyve been doing it for about a decade. One of them did a study on Fairfax County to determine, How can we take it over? Then they adopted a policy that said, Every decision must be made through the lens of equity. If you go into the documents about these two activist groups, theyre explicit about their methodologies. Well take over this county, then this town, and then this city. Theyve colonized a good portion of America with these radical policies. Mr. Jekielek: You mentioned in your book that they use the term equity. Mr. Rosiak: They realized that with equity, a lot of Americans were not paying attention. Americans thought equity was the same as equality, just because they sound similar. Mr. Jekielek: In practice, equity means equalizing around the bottom. Mr. Rosiak: The Obama administration was concerned about discipline disparities in schools, and they called it the school to prison pipeline, which essentially means that blacks are suspended more than others in schools. So Obamas Department of Justice sent a letter to the school system stating, Youre going to be investigated unless your discipline rates are the same for all races. The rate of Asians suspended for bringing knives to school had to be the same as the rate of blacks. But what if one group brings more knives to school than the other? What do you do? You wind up cooking the books and letting people off the hook for committing serious infractions. For example, in Los Angeles, over a couple years during the Obama administration, suspensions went from 75,000 a year to only 5,000 a year. Unfortunately, it wasnt because the kids became better behaved. Instead of changing behaviors, you just change appearances so the optics look better. Its also been incredible to see school systems devalue academic accomplishment. The teachers have turned against students who are working hard, doing homework, and getting the right answersall in pursuit of equal outcomes. Instead, theyve basically said, No, were just going to stop measuring. The result will be devastating for society, not long in the future, but over the next five to 10 years. Were not even trying to get the kids to be smart. Were spending $29,000 per student per year in New York City. How do you spend that much money and get such bad results? Equity is about giving up on helping minorities by just equalizing everyonenot by helping them, but by manipulating outcomes. Mr. Jekielek: So CRT is a way to avoid responsibility for failing to educate students. Mr. Rosiak: CRT is the cover-up. Theyre failing our kids, in particular, the poor and minority kids. The cover-up is the various excuses they have to conceal it. CRT is obviously the big one because, they say, Tests are racist. So this served the interests of the teachers unions and administrators, in the sense that they just concealed they were failing these kids and started ramming them through during coronavirus. It was essentially evil what they did to the kids. Coronavirus left 50 percent of the kids in Los Angeles truant. They dont come to school anymore. We lost them. Yet these are the people who are saying, The parents job is subordinate. We know what is best. Mr. Jekielek: In your book, you mention that in critical race theory, theres counter-storytelling. What is this, and how did you see it manifest? Mr. Rosiak: CRT is a takeover ideology that rejects objectivity. One of the ways they do that is by saying lived experience counts more than facts. So you can go into a courtroom and a district attorney could find you guilty, but you could say that youre innocent in some subjective way. A society cant function on some philosophical framework that rejects objectivity, but thats what CRT does. Thats what counter-storytelling is. Its when subjectivity preempts objectivity, but only if it furthers critical race theory. In the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, the top math school in the state, theyre saying math should be replaced by Mathmatx, which incorporates indigenous ways of knowing. In this framework, theres no such thing as the right answer to a math problem. Its insane. Its a total takeover ideology. What really bothers me is, we all just want our kids to be happy; having your kids focus relentlessly on this idea of negativity and oppression in America is bad. One thing people can do is run for their school board. You might think, Im just a regular parent. I dont have any background in education. Thats the point. It is much better to have outsiders. Dont be confused by all their jargon. If youre not going to run for school board, at least show up for these meetings with courage and confidence. There are very bad people coming for your kids. If you dont fight, then whos going to step up? This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Jan Jekielek Senior Editor Follow Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, "American Thought Leaders." Jans career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as website chief editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film "Finding Manny." No pause for mRNA COVID-19 shots occurred, but as of June 8, 2022, more than 5,000 cases of myocarditis following the injections have been reported In April 2021, U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Harry Chang predicted that U.S. officials were likely to pause the COVID-19 mRNA injection campaign in light of increasing cases of myocarditis following the shots Within about an hour of posting, the tweet was flagged as disinformation, Ben was locked out of his account and comments and sharing of the post were disabled In early 2021, a Twitter user named Ben, who runs a U.S. all-cause mortality site, posted a graph showing the eerily similar rise in disability and cumulative COVID-19 shots, with the number of disabled Americans rising from 30 million to 32.7 million The U.S. population, aged 16 years and over, with a disability remained stable from 2016 to 2020, but jumped sharply in early 2021, coinciding with the rollout of COVID-19 injections Data show a remarkable correlation between the COVID-19 shot rollout and sharply increasing rates of disability among Americans. Are the shots causing previously healthy adults to become permanently disabled? The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis runs FRED, a database of economic data that have been tracked since 1991.1 One of its categories is the U.S. population, aged 16 years and over, with a disability a population that remained stable from 2016 to 2020, but jumped sharply in early 2021,2 coinciding with the rollout of COVID-19 injections. In early 2021, a Twitter user named Ben, who runs a U.S. all-cause mortality site, posted a graph showing the eerily similar rise in disability and cumulative COVID-19 shots, with disabilities among Americans aged 16 years and older rising from 30 million to 32.7 million.3 Is this proof, that the COVID-19 vaccines might have caused 2.9M additional disabilities in the US? he wrote. Sharp increase from trend occurs early 2021, when vaccinations started. Within about an hour of posting, the tweet was flagged as disinformation, Ben was locked out of his account and comments and sharing of the post were disabled. Hard to see the problem with the data, wrote Substack user el gato malo. Clearly, their issue is with the conclusion.4 14,181 Permanently Disabled After COVID Shots The Substack article highlights two points on the disability population graph when 1% of the population had received COVID-19 shots and when 1% had received boosters. I chose this convention, the writer said, because each has a sort of long tail at a very low level leading in but rose rapidly after reaching 1% so it seemed like the best inflection point for maximum relevance. As can be seen, the timing is highly suggestive.5 Spikes in disability can be seen after each of the highlighted points, which make sense when you look at the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data for COVID-19 shots. As of May 27, 2022, 14,181 people reported being permanently disabled after receiving the shots. According to el gato malo:6 Seeing this without a rise in disability reports would be surprising. we see 14k permanently disabled in VAERS. and we see a rise in the disabled rolls of 1.8 million. thats pretty close to the 1-2% capture rate (more like 1%, but also likely capturing other categories as well, so hard to be precise) for reporting weve seen around other VAERS issues (besides death which seems to get better counted) so it feels like were in a ballpark here. Past investigations have shown only between 1%7 and 10%8 of adverse reactions are ever reported to VAERS, which is a passive, voluntary reporting system, so the actual number of resulting disabilities could be much higher than whats reflected. Remarkable Correlation Between COVID-19 Shots and Disability Using data from FRED and Our World in Data (OWID), el gato malo took it a step further, charting the percentage of population that received a COVID-19 shot in a month, to get an idea of the number of people at risk of vaccine adverse events at any given time. El gato malo did the same for boosters, then plotted it against disability. The resulting graph is below:9 The data are starting to get past suggestive here, el gato malo notes, explaining exactly what the numbers show:10 the vaccination series started to get steep in feb 21. disability got steep in april 21. vaccination peaked in may. disability peaked in june. vaccination started to rise again after august. disability began to rise again after october. then vaxx dropped off after jan 2022 and disability flattened out in mar 2022. 2 month lag, 1 month lag, 2 month lag, 2 month lag. 4 separate inflections all tracked in near identical and highly plausible timeframes for vaccine injury. were starting to get past suggestive here. this zigs, zags, then zigs again, then zags again all as predicted if it were causal and all with the sort of lag youd associate with reporting, 1-2 months. (all 2 mo save may-jun 21). The disability series can be a little noisy month to month, but the big trends are all there. based on what we know about side effects this looks to be an odds on hypothesis at this point. i can see no better fit to the data. Military Official Predicted Pause in mRNA COVID Shots The Epoch Times received 19 pages of email messages via a Freedom of Information Act request.11 Among them was an April 27, 2021, email from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Harry Chang to Tricia Blocher with the California Department of Public Health and other officials from California and the military. In it, Chang predicted that the U.S. FDA and the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were likely to pause the COVID-19 mRNA injection campaign in light of increasing cases of myocarditis following the shots:12 A pause of the Pfizer/Moderna administration (much like the J&J blood clot pause) will have an adverse impact on US/CA vaccination rates; assessed as unlikely due to causes of myocarditis can come from multiple sources (eg. COVID, other conditions, other vaccines/prescriptions, etc) However, increased reported #s & media attention is likely to trigger a safety review pause by ACIP/FDA. Increased cases of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis began to be reported in April 2021 after Pfizers and Modernas mRNA COVID-19 shots.13 These rare cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males, ages 16 years and older, within seven days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC.14 Changs email, in particular, was in response to April 2021 news that the Department of Defense was tracking 14 cases of heart inflammation in military patients following receipt a COVID-19 shot.15 Israel was also exploring cases of myocarditis following mRNA shots at that time. Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, part of the CDCs COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, was among those who received Changs warning, and he responded by asking colleagues for more data from Vaccine Safety Datalink, a CDC system that tracks vaccine safety. Dozens (24) of cases of myocarditis were flagged by the system but, according to The Epoch Times, The email chain ended there, with no indication that the officials probed further to see if there was a possible link between the vaccines and heart inflammation.16 An Early Red Flag Ignored The same day that Chang sent the email suggesting that a safety review pause of mRNA COVID-19 shots was likely, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told the media that the agency had reviewed data but did not believe myocarditis was occurring at an elevated rate: We have not seen a signal, and weve actually looked intentionally for the signal in the over 200 million doses weve given, she said.17 Weeks went by before the public was alerted to the higher-than-expected rates of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 shots, even though hundreds of cases had been reported to VAERS by the end of April 2021. As of June 8, 2022, more than 5,000 cases have been reported. The current evidence supports a causal association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis and pericarditis, Shimabukuro stated at a June 7, 2022, FDA meeting.18 In an email to The Epoch Times, Barbara Loe Fisher, cofounder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, explained that health officials had knowledge of an early safety issue with the shots but ignored it in order to protect the shots reputation to the public:19 The emails reveal there was an early red flag with post-mRNA COVID vaccine-related myocarditis reports in the U.S. and Israel but that officials were concerned that acknowledging the risk would have a negative effect on public perception of COVID vaccine safety and uptake. Healthy Young People Dying After COVID Shots The CDC has downplayed the seriousness of myocarditis following the shots, stating that preliminary data from surveys conducted at least 90 days after myocarditis diagnosis suggest most patients were fully recovered from their myocarditis.20 However, deaths among previously healthy young people have occurred, including a 36-year-old U.K. mother of two who died 11 days after receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 shot; her death was deemed to be caused by myocarditis due to the shot.21 Theres also Dr. Neil Singh Dhalla, a CEO of a major health clinic, who fell asleep four days after he got a COVID-19 booster shot and died from a heart attack.22 The autopsy stated myocarditis. He was only 48 years old and had never had heart problems in his life. In another example, epidemiologists confirmed that two teenage boys from different U.S. states died of myocarditis days after getting the Pfizer shot.23 Both had received second doses of the shot. In a study that examined the autopsy findings, its reported that the myocarditis described in the boys deaths is not typical myocarditis pathology.24 A study published in Scientific Reports further revealed that calls to Israels National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for cardiac arrest and acute coronary syndrome increased more than 25% among 16- to 39-year-olds from January to May 2021, compared to the same time period in 2019 and 2020.25 The researchers evaluated the association between the volume of the calls and other factors, including COVID-19 shots and COVID-19 infection, but a link was only found for the volume.26 Yet, its unlikely that youve heard about these additional red flags in the major media. Just as occurred on Twitter when someone tried to bring attention to a correlation between COVID-19 shots and disability, unfavorable statistics about these shots are quickly silenced and discredited. What we need now more than anything isnt more censorship its active investigation and research to uncover the truth, before more harm is done, that is desperately needed. Regarding whether COVID-19 shot rollouts correlate with the number of disabled Americans, el gato malo had this to say:27 i want to stress, this is still a hypothesis and this is my first run through with this data so i want to let people chew on it and see what else emerges before making claims that are too strong. but this is also REALLY provocative and unless i have really missed something, warrants research and explication, not censorship. Originally published June 28, 2022 on Mercola.com Sources and References Alice Hamilton dreamed of becoming a doctor but instead took a different route to improving peoples health Alice Hamilton was the leading expert of occupational health and industrial toxicology at the height of her career, but she traveled a long, hard road to get there. Hamilton was born in 1869 and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her grandfather had made money in the railroad industry, and the family was well off, but that didnt mean that little Alice had everything she wanted. Her parents homeschooled her and her siblings primarily in language and literature. They did not agree with public schools that put so much emphasis on science, history, and math. Also, the Hamiltons lived a rather isolated life, which inspired her dreams of becoming a doctor: She wanted the freedom to go wherever she pleased, and a career in medicine would allow her to work anywhere. Hamilton would eventually travel the country, pursuing research and helping those working in dangerous industries. In order to pursue medicine, Hamilton needed to overcome her lack of science education. She studied physics, chemistry, and biology first with a local high school teacher, and then at smaller medical schools before applying to the University of Michigan. It was there that Hamilton discovered that practicing medicine didnt truly suit her and instead decided to go into science and research. Hamilton traveled to Germany to study bacteriology and pathology, where she was eventually allowed to attend classes after overcoming the policies barring women from entry. After returning to the United States, Hamilton took a teaching position at the Womens Medical School of Northwestern University in Chicago and lived at Hull House, where she would return time and time again to help the local community. As the immigrant population burgeoned in cities, settlement houses like Hull House grew popular in the late 19th century, as they offered a variety of classes, healthcare, and childcare to urban communities. When she wasnt teaching, Hamilton got to know the urban, low-income communities of industrial Chicago. She started a clinic for infants and young children that provided baths and advised new mothers. It was in Chicago that Hamilton first encountered industrial disease and was inspired to look into the causes and treatments. Alice Hamilton graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1893 at the age of 24. (Public Domain) First Report In 1908, Hamilton published her first report on occupational disease, one of the only sources available on the subject in the United States. Her work caught the attention of those in the field, and she was appointed to the new Occupational Diseases Commission of Illinois in 1910. Over the course of the next year, the commission studied the high mortality rates of lead poisoning in various industries. Hamilton investigated enamelware, rubber, and paint production, all using lead, for the source of the deaths. The many cases of wrist drop or wrist paralysis instigated many of her investigations, but lead poisoning can also cause anemia, fatigue, infertility, convulsions, and senility. During her year on the commission, Hamilton went all over the city looking for the industrial uses of lead. She learned manufacturing processes on the fly in order to identify places where lead dust or vapors were being created. It was hard, frustrating work, but Hamilton found it rewarding and exciting to be involved in such a new field of medicine. Hamilton did not stop with just the state of Illinois. She went on to work for the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Commissioner of Labor, Charles Neill. Neill wanted Hamilton to branch out her investigations to all over the country. During this time, Hamilton learned to look for a lead-line, a deposit of black lead sulfide that built up under the gums of workers who breathed in lead regularly. Over the next decade, she traveled the country, investigating not only lead poisoning but also death due to carbon monoxide, benzene, mercury, hydrogen disulfide, and more. All of Hamiltons work for the Commissioner of Labor was done with no salary and very little supportexcept the governments promise to buy her final report. The economy at the time was based in laissez-faire, meaning the government did not over-regulate businesses and could not devote many resources to investigating their practices. But Hamilton did not shy away from the work that needed to be done. She favored shoe leather epidemiology and would personally visit suspected factories and search through extensive hospital records in order to make connections between industry and illness. Her work gained international recognition. The four Hamilton sisters in the 1890s (L to R): Edith, Alce, Margaret, and Norah. (Public Domain) Alice Hamiltons work shone a much-needed light on the dangers of industrial work, but that didnt mean businesses always listened to her. She was working in a new and unheard-of medical field. At a time when industrialization was extremely profitable and factory owners sometimes put greed before their workers health, her efforts were largely ignored. At the outset of her career, Hamilton believed that factory managers were merely ignorant of the dangers and personally tried to persuade them to adopt safer practices. Some, such as employer Edward Cornish, listened and improved the working conditions for their employees, but often her warnings were ignored. As a result, she hoped for government intervention, but Hamilton later commented that over the course of the 25 years from when she started in the field, almost no progress had been made when it came to industrial safety legislation. That being said, her work did inspire some state laws that required regular medical examinations for workers and basic safety gear for the smelting of hazardous metals. Hamilton died in 1970, at 101 years old, just a few months before the United States government passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the Department of Labor, which works with the private sector to ensure and support safety regulations and provide necessary health information to employers and employees. Additionally, an occupational safety laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio, is named in Hamiltons honor, and the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health offer an award each year in her name to scientists who have made great contributions to industrial toxicology and occupational safety. They are continuing the work started by Alice Hamilton over a century ago, who strove tirelessly for the health and safety of the blue-collar workers of the country. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures as he speaks during a press conference to preview the NATO Summit in Madrid at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 27, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images) Turkey Agrees to Allow Sweden and Finland to Join NATO: Officials Turkey has agreed to support Finlands and Swedens bids for NATO membership, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, in a move that is sure to ratchet up tensions between the bloc and Russia. I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO, Stoltenberg told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Madrid. Turkey, Finland, and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkeys concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism, he added. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto made a similar announcement Tuesday that Turkey would allow the two nations to join, removing a significant barrier for the two countries to join. The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO allies during the next two days, but that decision is now imminent, Niinisto said, adding that Turkey, Sweden, and Finland seek to extend their full support against threats to each others security. Earlier this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated he would not approve the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden because of the two countries support for Kurdish organizations that Turkey has deemed terrorist threats. All 30 NATO members have to sign off on approving both Finland, which shares a lengthy land border with Russia, and Sweden, which has a maritime border with Russia. As Sweden and Finland are both European Union members, both countries already meet most of the requirements to become NATO members. That includes a democratic system of government, the ability to make contributions to NATOs security forces, and more. Both countries leaders expressed a desire to join NATO following Russias invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Before the announcement Tuesday, Erdogan told reporters that he had spoken with President Joe Biden over the phone before leaving for Madrid, Spain, saying that Finlands and Swedens applications will be considered. The PKK will be on our agenda in my bilateral meetings, he said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party, a Marxist group that has been deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and a host of other countries. We will explain our position to Sweden and Finland once again. The PKK should be prevented from acting in these countries, Erdogan said, adding, If they are to become a member of NATO, they have to address Turkeys security concerns. We do not want dry words, we want results. Russian officials have not issued any public comments on the NATO membership bids as of Tuesday evening. Earlier this week, Kremlin officials said Moscow would bolster its nuclear and missile capabilities along its border with Finland. In the event of such an expansion of NATO, the length of its land borders with Russia will more than double, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a Russian state newspaper, adding that for the two Scandinavian countries, its not the best prospect for them to have our Iskanders, hypersonic missiles, warships with nuclear weapons on their doorstep. Reuters contributed to this report. Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe speaks during an interview with Reuters in Taipei, Taiwan on Nov. 21, 2019. (Fabian Hamacher/Reuters) Tuvalu Foreign Minister Opts Out of UN Conference After China Blocks Taiwanese Delegates Tuvalus foreign minister has pulled out of the United Nations Ocean Conference on June 27 after China blocked three Taiwanese delegates from attending. Tuvalus Simon Kofe diverted his flight to Brisbane, Australia and headed early to Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum in mid-July. The Pacific Islands Forum involves all Pacific nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Three members of Tuvalus delegation were Taiwanese nationals. China, who is on the credentials committee of the United Nations, demanded they be removed or else the delegation would be barred from joining. Kofe decided to remove himself and the trio but still encouraged Tuvalu to be present at the Conference, which is focused on the sustainable use of marine resourcesa key concern for Pacific Island nations. Tuvalu, along with Nauru, Palau, and the Marshall Islands, remain the only four Pacific countries to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. In response to the incident, Beijings Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian claimed in The Global Times media outlet that the Taiwanese delegates had degraded themselves by joining the Tuvalu party. Beijings Eyes on the Pacific The South Pacific remains a key focus of the Chinese Communist Party, with the regimes Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarking on an eight-nation tour in May to shore up alliances with Pacific leaders who are on friendly terms with Beijing, including the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. While there has been much fanfare around the apparent failure of Wang to convince those nations to sign-up to a sweeping Pacific security and trade bloc, Beijing did manage to sign a swathe of new bilateral deals to tighten cooperation. Details of the deals have yet to be made public. Meanwhile, the CCP looks set to continue its efforts to win over the South Pacific and disrupt the efforts of democratic nations to push back against it. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has learned that ministers from 10 Pacific nations have been invited to a virtual meeting with the Chinese foreign minister on July 14the same day the Pacific Islands Forum is due to hold its final meeting in Suva, Fiji. The Forum is working to maintain unity after a diplomatic spat in early June. Three Micronesian leaders began formally withdrawing from the group after disagreements over leadership roles in the Forum. The matter has been resolved temporarily. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks to MPs in the House of Commons, London, on June 27, 2022. (PA Media/House of Commons) UK Conservatives Back PMs Plan to Override Parts of Brexit Treaty British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons bid to tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament, with no Conservative MPs voting against it despite concerns the plans may break international law. MPs voted 295 to 221 to back the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which contains measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, though dozens of Conservative MPs abstained, including former Prime Minister Theresa May. Following the result, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the bill provides practical solutions to problems caused by the Protocol and protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. While a negotiated outcome remains our preferencethe E.U. must accept changes to the Protocol itself, she wrote on Twitter. Unnecessary Barriers Johnson signed the Northern Ireland Protocol with the E.U. in 2019 as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, with the measures aimed at preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland. But the protocol has been fiercely opposed by unionists in the British province, who complain that it effectively keeps Northern Ireland within the E.U. single market while erecting a border in the Irish Sea between the province and mainland Britain. Northern Ireland has not had a functioning local government since February, when the Democratic Unionist Party, then the largest party in the regional assembly, withdrew from the power-sharing executive in protest against the protocol. Talking to reporters at the G7 summit in Germany, Johnson said: What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. He said the UK is trying to get rid of the unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland whilst not in any way endangering the E.U. single market. Compromise Needed But the move is bitterly opposed by the E.U. The European Commission has accused Johnsons government of intending to unilaterally break international law, and has launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation. Truss said the bill has a strong legal justification and the UK remains committed to seeking a negotiated solution, but some Conservative MPs were not convinced. In the debate preceding the vote, Theresa May made clear she would not support the legislation as she warned it would diminish the UKs global standing. She told the Commons: I have to say to the government, this bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it. Julian Smith, a former secretary of state for Northern Ireland, called the bill a kind of displacement activity from the core task of doing whatever we can to negotiate a better protocol deal for Northern Ireland. He said the bill risks creating an impression to unionism that a black-and-white solution is available, when the reality is once this Bill has been dragged through the Lords, and courts, and E.U. responses and reprisals, compromise will ultimately be needed. PA Media contributed to this report. Rescuers work at a site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike, in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on June 28, 2022. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters) Ukraine: Dozens Still Missing After Russian Missile Strike on Mall Kills 18 KREMENCHUK, UkraineFirefighters searched on Tuesday for survivors in the rubble of a Ukrainian shopping mall, where authorities said 36 people were still missing after a Russian missile strike that killed at least 18. The attack, in the central city of Kremenchuk far from any frontline, drew a wave of global condemnation. Ukraine claimed Moscow had killed civilians deliberately. Russia said it had struck an arms depot and claimed the mall was empty. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targetting civilians in one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history. Russias defence ministry said its missiles had struck an arms depot storing Western weapons, which exploded, causing the blaze that spread to the nearby mall. Kyiv said there was no military target in the area, including at a nearby factory that was also hit. Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, at a summit in Germany, said the attack was abominable. Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible will be held to account, they said in a statement. Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, but so far have failed to curtail Moscows main source of income, oil and gas export revenue, which has actually increased as the threat of supply disruption has propelled global prices. Russia denies intentionally targetting civilians in its special military operation. The attack on Kremenchuk, which lies about 330 km (200 miles) from Kyiv, comes after days of increasing Russian missile strikes far from the frontline, including the first attacks on the capital Kyiv for weeks. Moscow has also stepped up shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city. The Kharkiv governor said five people were killed and 22 wounded in shelling on Monday. The U.N. Security Council, where Moscow wields a veto, will meet on Tuesday at Ukraines request following the Kremenchuk attack. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the missile strike was deplorable. Russians Attempt to Storm Lysychansk On the battlefields of the Donbass region, Ukraine endured another tough day following last weeks loss of the now-ruined city of Sievierodonetsk. A smoke rises over remains of a building destroyed by a military strike, as Russias attack on Ukraine continues, in Lysychansk, Luhansk region, Ukraine, on June 17, 2022. (Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters) Russian forces are trying to storm Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets River from Sievierodonetsk, to complete their capture of Luhansk Province, one of two eastern regions Moscow aims to conquer on behalf of separatist proxies. Eight residents were killed and 21 wounded by shelling, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said. Ukrainian forces still controlled the city but its loss was possible as Russia poured resources into the fight, he added. They really want this and a lot of reserves are being thrown just for this, he told Reuters. We do not need to lose an army for the sake of one city. Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador to Moscow of the Luhansk separatists, said Russian and separatist troops were advancing westward into Lysychansk and street battles had erupted around the city stadium. Fighting was going on in several surrounding villages, and the pro-Russian fighters had entered an oil refinery where Ukrainian troops were concentrated, he said. The advances in Luhansk have given Moscow its biggest victories in weeks, playing to Russias strength in overwhelming artillery firepower that can demolish cities in its path. But Ukraine still hopes to turn the tide with a counterattack once Moscow exhausts its invading forces in costly battles that yield slow gains. Kyiv has begun to receive more advanced Western weapons, including rockets that can hit targets far behind the front. By Simon Lewis Border Patrol agents detain a group of migrants near the border wall after they entered the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which shares a border with El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2022. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images) US Border Patrol Warns Illegal Immigrants About Deaths, Dangers of Crossing Border The U.S. Border Patrol has warned migrants attempting to illegally cross the southern border about the dangerous conditions prevailing in the region that have left many dead or in dire need of medical care. The most pressing danger while crossing the desert region is the extreme summer heat, with southern New Mexico and West Texas seeing at least 10 days of triple-digit heat, Border Patrol El Paso Sector Chief Gloria I. Chavez said during a June 22 press conference near the base of Mount Cristo Rey, according to the El Paso Times. In fiscal year 2022, border agents at the El Paso Sector have rescued more than 201 illegal immigrants, a big jump compared to 40 rescues during the entirety of 2020. There have been 17 illegal immigrant deaths. We have different types of border barrier in the 264 miles of border between El Paso, New Mexico and Juarez. Transnational criminal organizations continue to encourage people to climb that barrier. They use ladders to climb to the top and then they pull the ladder off leaving the person stuck at the top of that barrier to figure out how they are going to descend, the chief stated. Many of the illegal aliens tend to fall from the barrier, get injured and eventually get admitted to a hospital. Some of them have died as they could not find a way down the barriers, she added. Some illegals attempt to cross via U.S. canals. But the recent increase in water levels has already taken the lives of several migrants this year, Chavez said. Border Crossings and Criminal Immigrants Border Patrol agents along the southern border apprehended over 7,500 illegal aliens per day in May, much higher than the 4,700 daily apprehensions in January, data from Customs and Border Protection showed. Agents from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California, apprehended a total of 232,628 illegal border crossers in May, which is the highest monthly total in 23 years. An extra 34,547 individuals were identified as having illegally entered the country but were not apprehended. In addition, 79 illegal immigrants died while crossing the border in May. Government records also show that the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants has drastically fallen in the past year. The records confirm that Biden administration policies have caused a sharp decline in all removals, and in the removal of criminal aliens, Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, said in a blog post. Along the U.S. border with Mexico, about 90,000 illegal alien convicts were deported in fiscal 2019, which declined to 58,923 the next year and then to just 15,044 in 2021. US Coast Guard Rescues 3 US Sailors in Atlantic Ocean SAN JUAN, Puerto RicoThe U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it rescued three U.S. sailors whose vessel began taking on water during a trip from the British Virgin Islands to Bermuda. The rescue involved a three-day tow to Puerto Rico that covered some 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers) after officials said it took a U.S. Coast Guard cutter 15 hours to reach the scene. Authorities said the wife of one of the sailors called the Coast Guard on Thursday saying they were in distress. The Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 17, 2021. (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images) Utah Court Temporarily Allows Abortions While Trigger Ban Is Challenged A Utah court on Monday granted a temporary restraining order against the states trigger law that made most abortions in the state at any point in pregnancy a crime after last weeks Supreme Court ruling. Planned Parenthood of Utah filed the lawsuit directed at Utah Senate Bill 174 claiming the legislation violated Utahs constitution. Third District Judge Andrew Stone granted the temporary restraining order on Monday, which is in place for 14 days while the court hears the case. Stone said Utah was not prepared for the immediate change in the abortion law and that taking away the ability to have an abortion outweighs any policy issues of the state, local media KSL reported. With the restraining order in place, abortions can continue during the 14-day period, KSL reported. Planned Parenthood complained in its lawsuit that, since June 24, it had already been forced to cancel around a dozen abortions in Utah. Republican Utah Sen. Dan McCay, who sponsored SB 174, said he was confident the ban will be upheld and decried the restraining order as a death sentence. Statistically 8.2 babies are aborted every day in Utah, McCay said on Twitter on Monday. Sadly, Judge Stone sentenced 115 babies to death. Its disappointing that a law meant to protect the most vulnerable, the unborn, is delayed by one Judge with no support in the law. Statistically 8.2 babies are aborted every day in Utah. Sadly, Judge Stone sentenced 115 babies to death. Its disappointing that a law meant to protect the most vulnerable, the unborn, is delayed by one Judge with no support in the law. #utpol Daniel McCay (@danmccay) June 27, 2022 Utahs Trigger Law Utahs abortion law was passed in 2020 and was triggered on June 24 when a Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that made abortion legal in every state. Following the ruling, the power to make laws around abortions returned to the states. Around two dozen states are said to have had trigger laws in place, according to research. Under Utahs new law, abortions are only legal in the state if the mothers life is at risk, if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest, or if two physicians both determine that the fetus has a severe defect. Planned Parenthoods lawsuit in Utah argues that SB 174 forces women to carry pregnancies to term, travel to a state where abortion is legal, or self-manage an abortion. The abortion providers staff, which includes doctors, would be guilty of a second-degree felony if they violate the law. Planned Parenthood, as an abortion clinic, and individual doctors could also lose their licenses. Doctors also face 1- to 15-year prison terms and steep criminal fines, the lawsuit said. A lawyer representing the state of Utah has argued that protecting the rights of Utahns extends to its unborn citizens. The Supreme Court has been clear that states have a strong interest in protecting the rights of its unborn citizens, said Tyler Green, the lawyer representing the state of Utah. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Nov. 17, 2020. (Bill Clark/AFP via Getty Images) Utah Voters Head To Polls, Split Over Which Republican to Pick for Senate SPANISH FORK, UtahUtah County primary voters went to the polls on June 28 to choose between incumbents or to chart a new direction with candidates for change in the U.S. House and Senate. At the Spanish Fork Senior Centern in the heavily Republican county, voting was steady and consistent throughout most of the morning. Chris Merrill of Mapleton, a registered Republican, said he voted for incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) because, I like what hes done. Chris Merrill, a Republican, voted for incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Lee in Utahs June 28 primary. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Id like him to continue doing it, Merrill told The Epoch Times in an exit poll. I didnt feel a lot of sincerity in [Republican opponent] Becky Edwards. I feel that if its not broken, dont fix it. I feel hes doing good work. Merrill said he votes in every election, but in this election, the driving issue is the economy. I believe the economy is important. I think voting is important. Im not a big fan of red flag [gun control] laws. A red flag law allows someone to petition a state court to order the confiscation of firearms if a person is considered dangerous to himself or others. Merrill said hes also pro-life, which factored into his decision to vote in this election. A woman who didnt want her name used voted mail-in ballot for Lee as a Trump Republican. My daughter and I did it together. I did Republican all the way, the woman told The Epoch Times. The voter said there was no reason to vote for Edwards, a former Utah state representative, or business executive Ally Isom. [Lee] has been doing a pretty good job, she said. Im satisfied with everything. You want to know the truth [why I voted]? My daughter said so. The way I look at it, the way its going to be is the way its going to be, the voter said regarding Roe v. Wade, an issue which she considers crucial in this election. Still, violence from pro-abortion advocates is ridiculous. They ought to just be grown up enough to accept what is. Theyre not going to change it, the woman said. A Utah County voter, who wished to remain anonymous, said he switched from being an unaffiliated voter to Republican so he could vote for Edwards in the primary. Im not a Lee fan at all, he told The Epoch Times. The party is in a big mess. I think Becky Edwards is fantastic. I think there are a lot of good things happening, and a lot of change that needs to be made. I trust Becky. I know her personally and trust her completely. The voter sees this election as critical in this polarizing time. Craig, formerly party unaffiliated, said he switched to Republican in the June 28 Utah primary. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Utah County voter Justin Craig, said he cast his vote for Becky Edwards. Just kind of getting a change and little bit more of a moderate feel in the Republican Party is kind of the main thing there, he told The Epoch Times. Craig said he switched to the Utah Republican Party to vote in the statewide primary. Before that, I was unaffiliated, but with the rules in Utah most things are Republican to get your voice heard, Craig said. Craig said he also voted for Republican Jake Hunsaker for the U.S. House of Representatives over the incumbent Burgess Owens (R). I feel with the recent bipartisan gun bill that recently passed, there can be change and working across the aisle. Thats the hopefinding a good representative for Utah, Craig said. He considers voting a civic duty. I teach school. I tell my fourth-grade students [to] promise me that when they turn 18 theyll vote. Thats their right, and [their] responsibility. So [its] kind of giving that example and letting my voice be heard. Stanley Glazner (L), and his wife Valerie Glazner both hope for a change in political direction at the federal, state, and local levels. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) Utah County voters Stanley Glazner, a constitutional conservative, and his wife Valerie Glazner, also a Republican, said they voted for Lee to serve another term in the U.S. Senate to represent Utah. Oh, my gosh, not Edwards, Valerie Glazner said. She is pushing to vote on phone voting. Regarding voting straight-ticket Republican, she said shes concerned about the number of RINOs (Republican In Name Only) politicians in Congress. Although Utah election officials made it sound secure, mail-in voting was an issue. Stanley Glazner said hes hopeful positive change will come out of the mid-term election at the local, state, and federal levels. [But] if you have corrupt politicians in power, they arent going to do anything, Glazner said. There were no candidates from the Democratic Party standing in Utah County. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) speaks during a hearing at the Heritage Foundation in Wash., on June 21, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Trump-Backed Boebert Wins in Colorado; Hochul to Face Zeldin for New York Governor The latest on the June 28 primaries in Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Army Vet Wins Colorado GOP Bout Between Political Newcomers 11:36 p.m. ET A former U.S. Army officer and West Point graduate running for his first political office has won the June 28 Republican primary in Colorados Congressional District 7 (CD 7). Erik Aadland, an Iraq/Afghanistan combat veteran awarded the Bronze Star for valor, edged economist Tim Reichert and 2016 Jefferson County Trump campaign chair and 2020 Republican National Convention delegate Laurel Imer to win the GOP nod in CD 7. Aadland, who has worked as an oil and gas industry project manager for the last decade, will take on state Sen. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat, in Novembers general election. Pettersen was unopposed in the Democratic primary after qualifying for the ballot through the assembly process. Political parties in Colorado conduct preliminary county, district, and state-level assemblies to designate primary candidates. Candidates can also petition for direct access to the primary ballot. Read the full article here Trump-Endorsed Darren Bailey to Face Pritzker in Illinois Governor Election 11:02 p.m. ET Trump-Endorsed Darren Bailey on June 28 won the six-way Illinois Republican gubernatorial primary election. He will face Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, in the fall. Bailey drew 57 percent of the vote as of 10:57 p.m. on Tuesday, easily defeating the other Republicans in the race. A third-generation farmer and two-term state senator, Bailey runs on a conservative platform to fully free the state from COVID restrictions, protect the rights of the unborn, and support the Second Amendment. A staunch critic of Pritzkers COVID mandates, Bailey filed the states first lawsuit challenging the governors pandemic executive orders and was granted a temporary restraining order. Read the full article here Oklahoma Republican US Senate Primary to Be Resolved in August Runoff 10:43 p.m. ET Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on June 28 secured the most votes in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate but did not clear the 50 percent threshold necessary to avoid a runoff. With 73 percent of the votes reported at 10:33 p.m. on June 28, Mullin received 44 percent of the vote followed by T.W. Shannon, who advanced with 17 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ. The winner of the runoff is widely expected to win in the general election in the deep red state on Nov. 8 and fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) Kendra Horn, who served as a U.S. representative in Oklahomas 5th Congressional District from 2019 to 2020, was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face the winner of the runoff in November. Read the full article here Local Sheriff Ousts Incumbent Republican in Mississippi US House Primary Runoff 10:23 p.m. ET Mike Ezell, a local sheriff, defeated Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) in the June 28 GOP primary runoff for Mississippis 4th Congressional District, marking the end of a race that intensified after a June 7 primary election split the vote among multiple candidates. With 83.9 percent of the ballots counted at 10:04 p.m., Ezell had 53.1 percent of the vote and was declared the winner by The Associated Press. After Palazzo and Ezell finished first and second in the June 7 primary, every other candidate endorsed Ezell. The contest has been riven by dueling accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Ezell, the sheriff of Jackson County, highlighted an ongoing investigation of Palazzos alleged ethical lapses, including the personal use of money from his campaign to improve a riverfront property he expected to sell. Read the full article here Rep. Boebert Wins Colorado Republican US House Primary 10:09 p.m. ET Trump-backed Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) easily blasted past her challenger, a veteran state lawmaker, to win the Republican primary on June 28. By 9:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Boebert had corralled more than 63 percent of the vote with 60 percent of precincts reporting. The popular incumbent now hopes to defeat the winner of the Democratic primary and two others on November 8 in her bid for a second term representing Colorados sprawling 3rd Congressional District. One of the candidates ready to duel it out with Boebert is homebuilder and substitute teacher Adam Frisch of Aspen. He spent eight years on the ski-resort towns city council, focusing on water rights, affordable housing, and green energy. Read the full article here Hochul Wins, Zeldin Leads in New York Gubernatorial Primaries 9:53 p.m. ET New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who as lieutenant governor assumed office in Albany last August when Andrew Cuomo was forced to resign amid scandal, is one step closer to being the first woman ever elected as chief executive of the Empire State. The Buffalo native defeated moderate Long Island Congressional Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Brooklyn progressive Jumaane Williams in New Yorks June 28 Democratic primary to earn the partys gubernatorial berth in falls general election, Hochul will face the winner of the Republican primary in November. Four-term Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) was in the lead as of 9:49 p.m. ET on Tuesday, but the race was still too early to call. The June 28 primary was only for statewide offices and state assembly races, essentially serving as New York Primary Day Part 1. Primaries for the states 27 congressional districts and 63 state senate districts, will be staged on Aug. 23. Read the full article here Incumbent Fends Off Upstart in Mississippi GOP Primary Runoff 9:41 p.m. ET Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) on June 28 won the GOP primary runoff election for Mississippis 3rd Congressional District. With 84 percent of the ballots reported at 9:36 p.m., Guest drew more than 67 percent of the votes, defeating challenger Michael Cassidy. Guest will face Democrat Shuwaski Young in the Nov. 8 general election. Young won the June 7 Democratic primary in Mississippis 3rd district. Cassidy narrowly defeated Guest in the first round of the primary on June 7, earning 47.5 percent of the vote to Guests 46.9 percenta result in line with voter dissatisfaction over incumbents in many other races across the country. The June 28 result ends a contentious primary season in the district. Read the full article here Esther King Wins Republican Primary in Key Illinois US House District 9:30 p.m. ET Esther King on June 28 won Illinois Congressional District 17 (CD 17) Republican primary. She will face the winner in the Democratic primary, which was too early to call as of 9:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday. With 13 percent of the ballots reported at 9:30 p.m. ET on June 28, King earned more than 68 percent of the votes, besting Charlie Helmick. Illinois CD 17 is considered a competitive House seat that could go either way in the general election, based on its performances in the last two presidential elections. It was one of seven districts nationwide that went for former President Donald Trump while picking a Democrat to go to Congress in 2020. Last year, the Democratic-controlled state legislature redrew the district to make it more favorable to Democratic candidates. Read the full article here Utah Voters Split Over Which Republican to Pick for Senate 5:21 p.m. ET SPANISH FORK, UtahUtah County primary voters went to the polls on June 28 to choose between incumbents or to chart a new direction with candidates for change in the U.S. House and Senate. At the Spanish Fork Senior Centern in the heavily Republican county, voting was steady and consistent throughout most of the morning. Chris Merrill of Mapleton, a registered Republican, said he voted for incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) because, I like what hes done. Id like him to continue doing it, Merrill told The Epoch Times in an exit poll. I didnt feel a lot of sincerity in [Republican opponent] Becky Edwards. I feel that if its not broken, dont fix it. I feel hes doing good work. Merrill said he votes in every election, but in this election, the driving issue is the economy. I believe the economy is important. I think voting is important. Im not a big fan of red flag [gun control] laws. A red flag law allows someone to petition a state court to order the confiscation of firearms if a person is considered dangerous to himself or others. Merrill said hes also pro-life, which factored into his decision to vote in this election. A woman who didnt want her name used voted mail-in ballot for Lee as a Trump Republican. My daughter and I did it together. I did Republican all the way, the woman told The Epoch Times. The voter said there was no reason to vote for Edwards, a former Utah state representative, or business executive Ally Isom. [Lee] has been doing a pretty good job, she said. Im satisfied with everything. You want to know the truth [why I voted]? My daughter said so. The way I look at it, the way its going to be is the way its going to be, the voter said regarding Roe v. Wade, an issue which she considers crucial in this election. Still, violence from pro-abortion advocates is ridiculous. They ought to just be grown up enough to accept what is. Theyre not going to change it, the woman said. Continue reading the full article. Oklahoma Voters Cast Their Ballots in Multiple High-Profile Races 4:34 p.m. ET Standing outside Hideaway Pizza in Oklahoma Citys historic Automotive Alley district, Republican US Senate candidate and 2nd Congressional District Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) moved from one TV news interview to another on the afternoon of the primary election day. One videographer asked the entrepreneur and former professional mixed martial arts fighter to provide comments as if he had just won the race so the interview can air tonight. Mullin smiled and politely declined, adding that I cant talk about something that hasnt happened yet. Inside Hideaway Pizza, Mullin and his campaign team hosted an election day kickoff party that stretched from late morning to early afternoon. Mullin thanked a crowded room of supporters and encouraged Oklahomans to head to the polls. When there is a race with 13 people on the ballot, every vote literally counts, Mullin said. I know people are busy. Its the middle of summer, and families have their commitments, but still we have a duty to show up and vote. Its the only way we will take this country back from President Biden and his Socialist agenda. Among the multiple businesses Mullin operates is Mullin Ranch, where he raises cattle, so he is accustomed to early mornings. On June 28, the lifelong eastern Oklahoma resident woke up, made the 90-mile drive to Tulsa, visited a few stops to talk to voters, and then embarked on the 100-mile drive to Oklahoma City for the gathering of supporters. I spent every minute on the phone on the way here, and Ill spend every minute on the phone on the way back talking to mayors across the state, and to as many voters as I can, said Mullin, who was accompanied by his wife and three of their six children in Oklahoma City. Polls suggest Mullin and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon are likely to advance to an August 23 runoff to determine the Republican nomination. If I was in second place, I would love the idea of a runoff, Mullin said with a grin when he was asked about the concept of runoffs. Its a different story when you are leading in the polls, and if you finish in first. If a runoff happens, and we are there, it is like starting a new campaign, Mullin explained. You only have one opponent instead of 12, and it is important to reach as many people as possible since, typically, runoffs have a lower voter turnout. T.W. Shannon cast his vote around noon local time and encouraged Oklahomans to head to the polls before they close. Shannon will have his watch party in Oklahoma City and hopes, at the least, he will advance to the August 23 runoff. Oklahomans: There are still a few more hours left to vote! If you havent, please find your polling location & get to the polls, Shannon said in a tweet. Values Centered Around God and Family Still Matter Here, Oklahoma Voters Say 3 p.m. ET HARRAH, Okla.In Harrah, a town of 6,620 located 30 miles east of Oklahoma City, a steady stream of traffic poured into the voting precinct at the Harrah Board of Education. Outside, Mike and Bernice, a retired married couple, agreed that American values are on the line in this election. Values centered around God and family still matter here, and that is why its important to get out here and vote, said Mike, a former teacher. If only the rest of the country was like Oklahoma, then we would be fine. On the edge of town, Harrahs Barber Shop is emblazoned with a large American flag mural. A Trump 2024 flag waves on a pole. Donald Trump won Oklahoma with 65 percent of the vote in 2020. In downtown Harrah, which consists of a single street adorned with the chamber of commerce, a few shops, an old theater, and a grain elevator, a railroad engineer named Kelly walked out of a fitness center. Im not much into politics, but I know people here are true conservatives who just want America to be what it was when Trump was president, he said. This is a small town where people know and support each other. We kinda like being left alone so we can mind our own business. June 28 Primaries Oklahoma Republicans will sort through 10 candidates to select a candidate to run for U.S. Senator, two Mississippi GOP congressional incumbents face runoffs, and controversial Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) is being challenged by a party rival in her first re-election campaign. Those races are among the dozens of local, state, and congressional races on tap as voters in seven states head to polls for June 28 runoffs and primaries, capping a busy month of preliminary contests to set November general election ballots. Mississippi and South Carolina will stage runoffs to settle unfinished business from June primaries. In Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah, Republicans and Democrats are voting in party primaries. After the June 28 elections, 29 states will have completed inter-party rounds leading up to falls 2022 midterm elections. The primary pace slackens in July, with only Maryland on the docket before picking up in August. Of the 19 states with primaries still on tapLouisiana and Rhode Island do not have primaries15 will stage them between Aug. 2-23. New York is moving ahead with June 28 primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and state assembly, while preliminary contests for Congressional and state senate seats were shifted to Aug. 23 after the Democrat-controlled legislatures proposed electoral district maps were rejected and revised in May court rulings. A roundup of June 28 runoffs and primaries: State Lawmakers to Square Off in New Colorado Congressional District 2:44 p.m. ET Voters in Colorados new congressional district will see familiar names on their November ballot, with two state lawmakers set to square off after winning their June 28 primaries. Republican State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer edged three rivals in the Republican primary for the states newly created Congressional District 8 (CD 8) to advance to the general election. Kirkmeyer will face state Democrat Rep. Yadira Caraveo in November, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. A Weld County Commissioner for 20 years before being elected to the state senate in 2021, Kirkmeyers well-established ground game proved to be the difference in emerging victorious from a crowded field in the most competitive campaign of Colorados primaries. Read the full article here 10 GOP Candidates Seeking to Replace Inhofe in Oklahoma Ten GOP candidates are vying in the June 28 primary to replace 87-year-old Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, who took office in 1994 and was elected to a fifth term in 2020 before announcing his retirement in February. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is regarded as the frontrunner, but in the crowded field, it is unlikely hell secure the 50 percent threshold that will allow him to advance to November without a runoff on Aug. 23. A poll jointly conducted by Oklahoma Citys KWTV News 9 and Tulsas KOTV News on 6, released on June 23, indicated that Mullin stands in first with 38.7 percent, followed by top contender and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon at 13 percent. State Sen. Nathan Dahm is in third with 8.1 percent, followed by Luke Holland (5 percent), Scott Pruitt (2.4 percent), Alex Gray (1.8 percent), and Dr. Randy Grellner (1 percent). According to the poll, 30 percent of the likely Republican primary voters questioned are undecided. The winner will take on former Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), who represented the states CD 5 in 2019-20. She faces no opposition in the Democratic primary. Three candidates are challenging Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in the GOP primary. The victor will take on the winner of the Democratic primary between Joy Hofmeister and Connie Johnson. Stitt, the former CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group, is seeking his first reelection after winning his first-ever campaign as a political outsider with an endorsement from President Donald Trump in 2018. He is again endorsed by former President Trump, the National Rifle Association, and 68 GOP state lawmakers. Stitt is being challenged by naturopathic doctor and former Tulsa SWAT team officer Mark Sherwood, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Joel Kintsel, and stay-at-home mother, Moria McCabe. Meanwhile, 14 candidates are on the ballot in Oklahomas Republican CD 2 primary to succeed Mullin, including Quapaw Nation Secretary-Treasurer Guy Barker, former chair of the state GOP John Bennett, former state Rep. Avery Frix, Cherokee Nation tribal councilor Wes Nofire, state Rep. Dustin Roberts, and Muskogee chief of police Johnny Teehee. In Oklahomas CD 1, incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) is unopposed and will face Democrat Adam Martin and independent candidate Evelyn Rogers in Novembers general election. Hern is endorsed by Trump. Mississippi There are two runoffs on the ballot, including in Congressional District 3, where Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who voted in favor of forming the Jan. 6 commission, could be ousted from his seat by U.S. Navy veteran Michael Cassidy. Cassidy finished first in their June 7 GOP primary, edging Guest 47.5 percent to 46.9 percent but failing to capture the required 50 percent plurality to avoid the runoff. In Mississippis CD 4, Rep. Steven Palazzo is seeking a sixth term in the House but needs to shake off Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell to advance. In their five-candidate June 7 primary, Palazzo finished with 32 percent, with 25 percent going to Ezell. The other three candidates on the primary ballot have since endorsed Ezell. South Carolina There are more than 20 runoffs on tap for local and state offices, including for state Superintendent of Education and nine state House seats. The runoff generating the most attention is between two Democratic candidates vying for the partys nod to run against incumbent Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in November. Author and preservationist Catherine Fleming Bruce and state Rep. Krystle Matthews finished first and second in the June 14 Democrat primary but failed to secure the 50 percent plurality to avoid the runoff. Project Veritas has released an audio of Matthews strategizing on how to utilize Democrat sleepers to run as Republicans in local elections, as well as requesting drug money from a Perry Correctional Institution inmate in a February phone call. We need some secret sleepers, she is heard saying. Like, you need, we need them to run as the other side, even though they for our side, and we need them to win, the Senate primary candidate said. We need people to run as Republicans in these local elections. Illinois Voters will pick their partys candidates for 17 U.S. House seats, and one U.S. Senate seat, with Republicans set to select one of six candidates to challenge incumbent Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November. Darren Bailey, a pro-Trump conservative state senator and staunch critic of Pritzkers pandemic mandates, and Richard Irvin, mayor of Illinoiss second-largest city, Aurora, are among the Republican frontrunners. Pritzker, who contributed $90 million to his reelection campaign in January, does not face a serious challenger in the partys primary. In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is unopposed in the partys primary, while seven candidates seek the Republican nomination in the GOP primary. Duckworth will be the odds-on favorite to win a second term in November. Among the states 18 House seats, Cook Political Report rates five in Democratic-leaning districts as winnable for Republican candidates, including the states refashioned CD 13, where incumbent Republican Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) has opted not to run in, choosing instead to run in more Republican-friendly CD 5. Nikki Budzinski, a former union organizer and former chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget in the Biden administration, has emerged as the front-runner in the CD 13 Democratic primary. Her campaign has raised $1.7 million, far outraising any other candidate in the race, according to its June 8 filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). In the Republican CD 13 primary, Jesse Reising, founder of the Warrior-Scholar Project and a former federal prosecutor, and Regan Deering are running on a similar Republican platform, that of pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and border security. In CD 17, also redrawn to annex more Democratic-leaning urban centers into the district, the retirement of five-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) has spurred a bevy of candidates to seek the seat. Meteorologist Eric Sorensen and former Rockford Alderman Jonathan Logemann are among the leading contenders in the Democratic primary. The winner will likely take on Esther King, a real estate lawyer, and former U.S. Army captain, who is heavily favored to win the GOP CD 17 primary. She lost to Bustos by 4 points in 2020. CD 6s Democratic primary will feature one of the eight primary races nationwide where post-2020 Census redistricting has pit incumbents against each other. Two-term Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and first-term Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) are vying for the seat. The survivor will take on the winner of the Republican primary, where suburban mayors Gary Grasso and Keith Pekau have emerged as the top contenders. Colorado Voters will see a new congressional district in 2022 and competitive races across the board in this prickly purple state where the rural-urban divide is a vivid factor. Three congressional races are drawing the most attention, most notably in CD 3, where Trump-endorsed Republican incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) faces four challengers, including rancher and state senator Don Coram in the GOP primary. In the states newly-created CD 8, four contenders are seeking the Republican berth to take on Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo while in CD 7, GOP voters will select one of three candidates to face off with Democrat state Sen. Brittany Pettersen. Utah All four of the states incumbent Republican U.S. House representatives are being challenged by party rivals in primaries. In CD 1, Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) seeks a second term by defeating Andrew Badger and Tina Cannon. Moore voted against Trumps second impeachment, twice to keep Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as Republican House conference chair, and supported bipartisan legislation to form the commission to investigate the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) is seeking a sixth term in November but first must get by Erin Rider in the CD 2 Republican primary. Incumbent Reps. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Burgess Owens (R-Utah) also face June 28 inter-party tests. Jeff Louderback, Allan Stein, John Haughey, Nanette Holt, Nathan Worcester, Darlene Sanchez, and Cara Ding contributed to this report. The rate of hospitalization for COVID among children is so low, its basically zero. Then why is it so important to jab babies and toddlers two or three times, even though side effects of the injection could harm them for life or kill them? Statistics show the rate of COVID-19 associated hospitalization among children aged 5 to 11 is 0.0008%.1 In real-world terms, thats so close to zero you basically cannot lower it any further. Yet, despite such reassuring data, children in this age group are urged to get two to three doses of the COVID jab, even though side effects of the injection could harm them for life, or kill them. As noted by the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation in the video below, myocarditis one of the recognized effects of the COVID jab has a mortality rate of 25% to 56% within three to 10 years, owing to progressive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Sudden cardiac death is what the media and public health agencies are now glibly referring to as sudden adult death syndrome or SADS. The older and more appropriate description for SADS is sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, but they dont even want to use the word arrhythmic anymore, as that tells you what the death is really caused by, and many are now aware that the jab can cause heart inflammation. By avoiding the word arrhythmic, its easier for them to pretend as though people are dying for no apparent reason, and certainly not because of the COVID shots. Still, real-world facts tell us that SADS didnt take off until after the shots were rolled out, and the vast majority of young healthy people who suddenly die for no apparent reason have been jabbed.2 Also, understand that if your child or you are injured by the shot, you cannot sue the drug company for damages and, so far, the U.S. government has rejected all but one of the claims filed with the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).3 At the current pace of about 18 claims a month, it would take 38 years just to get through the current backlog, Reuters has noted.4 Basically, many may die before their case even gets through review. COVID Jab Authorization Granted for Babies As if the situation were not bad enough already, June 15, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously approved (21-0) to grant Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to both Pfizers and Modernas COVID shots for infants and young children.5 Pfizers EUA is for a three-dose regimen (3-microgram shots) for children 6 months to 5 years old, while Modernas EUA is for a two-dose regimen (25-microgram shots) for children 6 months to 6 years. In the video at the top of the page, Steve Kirsch, president of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, interviews reporter Toby Rogers, who endured the entire nine-hour day of the recent VRBPAC meeting. The day before that meeting, June 14, Rogers published6 a written summary of Pfizers trial on young children, which he referred to as an embarrassment. Any VRBPAC member who votes Aye on this junk science application should be removed from his/her job, he wrote. Apparently, they all need to go. In the interview, Rogers laments the fact that the VRBPAC members remain locked in their information bubble and wont allow any conflicting data to influence their preconceived biases. As noted by Rogers, they have a sacred duty to protect public health, and theyre being flippant about it. Theyre ignoring data, theyre ignoring the pleas of the vaccine injured, theyre ignoring serious questions, theyre ignoring everything except the flimsiest bits and pieces upon which their narrative is built. Rogers called the experience heartbreaking. VRBPAC Refuses to Answer Lawmakers Questions The VRBPAC members arent even swayed by concerns from lawmakers. They simply ignore their questions too. As reported by The Defender:7 The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) ignored pleas from experts, the vaccine injured and a congressman representing 17 other lawmakers to halt authorization until questions about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for the nations youngest children could be properly addressed Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said there are many unanswered questions Im deeply concerned that the push to vaccinate these children is nothing more than a dystopian experiment with unknown consequences, Gohmert told the committee. Some of us have outlined these questions in a letter8 to VRBPAC but have not received any answers, and I pose some of them here. Gohmert said: Number 1, why has the FDA refused to release the hundreds of thousands of pages of data from preapproval manufacturer studies, post-approval adverse events data and other post-approval manufacturer data? Number 2, what is the cardiac risk factor in administrating these COVID vaccines to children? Number 3, world-renowned immunologists have raised concerns about potential antibody-dependent enhancement, or ADE, resulting from COVID vaccines, and since ADE was a problem in prior unrelated respiratory vaccine trials, we need to know what studies, if any, the FDA has that its used regarding ADE from COVID vaccines in children 5 and under or any age group. Can the FDA affirm theres no risk of ADE for vaccinated children? Number 4, if widely approved among children 5 and under, how many lives, if any, does FDA estimate will be saved next year? Given the injuries reported in the FDAs VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] system, how will FDA evaluate serious vaccine injuries versus serious COVID outcomes? Number 5, is it possible the proposed COVID vaccines in young children could create increased risk in future novel COVID variants? Number 6, why has the FDA recently lowered the efficacy bar for COVID vaccines for youngest children? This change significantly lowers the expected benefits from any COVID vaccination for young children and its of particular concern given that over 70% of that age cohort already is seropositive. Gohmert said these questions and 13 other questions posed by lawmakers are critical and deserve answers from the FDA and VRBPAC prior to any EUA with the accompanied protection for liability for all harm done.' Trial Showed COVID Jab Increases Infection Risk in Babies In the video above, you can see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, with a forced grin on her face, claiming rigorous scientific review has proven the shots to be safe and effective in infants and young children. The video also features excerpts from a video in which Dr. Clare Craig, a diagnostic pathologist and lover of data,9 reviews what this rigorous scientific review actually found and what the FDA and CDC arent telling you. To hear Craigs full summary of how Pfizer twisted its clinical data for young children, check out the video below. Craig points out that of the 4,526 children, aged 6 months to 4 years, who participated in Pfizers trial, 3,000 didnt make it to the end of the trial. Why did two-thirds of the children drop out? Oftentimes, this happens when side effects are too severe for the participant to continue. Here, we dont know why two-thirds of the participants were eliminated, and on that basis alone, this trial should be deemed null and void, Craig says. Moreover: Six of the children, aged 2 to 4 years, in the vaccinated group were diagnosed with severe COVID, compared to just one in the placebo group. So, what this actually shows is that the likelihood the shot is causing severe COVID is higher than the likelihood that its preventing it. The only child who required hospitalization for COVID was also in the vaccinated group. In the three weeks following the first dose, 34 of the children in the vaccinated group and 13 of the unvaccinated children were diagnosed with COVID. That means the childrens risk of developing symptoms of COVID within the first three weeks of the first dose actually increased by 30%. These data were ignored. Between doses two and three, there was an eight-week gap, and the vaccinated arm again experienced higher rates of COVID. This too was ignored. After the third dose, incidence of COVID was again raised in the vaccine group, and this was ignored as well. In the end, they only counted three cases of COVID in the vaccine arm and seven cases in the placebo group. They literally ignored 97% of all the COVID cases that occurred during the trial to conclude that the shots were effective in preventing COVID. While they claim the triple-dose regimen reduced COVID, 12 of the children actually caught COVID twice in the two-month follow-up, and 11 of them were vaccinated. The confidence interval for Pfizers jab is -370% at the lower end of the 95%, which suggests children who get the jab are nearly four times more likely of getting sick with COVID than their unvaccinated peers.10 Unscientific and Unethical Behavior As reported by The Defender:11 Combining all ages together, Pfizer said its three-dose regimen for children 6 months to 5 years old was 80% effective at preventing illness from the Omicron variant based on preliminary data from its clinical trial. The 80% number was calculated 30 days after the third dose. As noted by committee members, the efficacy number is likely to go down after 30 days and post-approval monitoring was suggested. Moderna said its two-shot vaccine was about 51% effective against infection from Omicron in children under 2, and about 37% among kids 2 to 5 years old, citing different efficacy numbers than what was reported by the company in March. In a March 23 press release, Moderna said its vaccine in the 6-month to 2-year age group was only 43.7% effective. In the older age group, the company said its vaccine was 37.5% effective. A top official at Moderna has already said a booster will be necessary. As noted by the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, vaccinating infants and children who have no need for the shots and dont benefit from them, just to protect adults, violates medical ethics. And since those who are jabbed still readily transmit the virus, the children are actually put at risk for no reason at all. Its All About Securing Indemnification So Im guessing everyone is wondering why the FDA voted unanimously to give not one but THREE shots of the C@ViD to the youngest of children when theres N emergency. It is IMPERATIVE they have this approval. R. obert K. ennedy Jr. tells us why: pic.twitter.com/denjlTchMF NEWSNANCY (@NewsNancy9) June 15, 2022 So, how can we explain the irrational behavior of the FDA and CDC? Why dont any of the data matter? Why doesnt the science matter? Why dont any of the red flags matter? And why are they handing out EUAs when the criteria for EUA are satisfied? Products must satisfy four criteria in order to get EUA: There must be an emergency A vaccine must be at least 30% to 50% effective The known and potential benefits of the product must outweigh the known and potential risks of the product There can be no adequate, approved and available alternative treatments (drugs or vaccines) Unless all four criteria are met, EUA cannot be granted or maintained, yet here we are. COVID, by any reasonable measurement, is no longer an emergency, there are plenty of adequate alternative treatments, and the potential benefits in no way, shape or form outweigh the potential risks especially not in infants and children under 5. Thats three out of four criteria that, clearly, are not met. The short answer to the question, Why are the CDC and FDA acting so irrationally? is that both agencies are corrupt to the core and are no longer in the business of protecting public health. They are securing profits for the drug industry, and getting EUA for infants and young children is a crucial step toward securing permanent legal indemnity for the drugmakers. They need this last remaining age group to be included under the EUA, because once the emergency is finally declared over, the next phase of liability shielding requires that the shots receive approval by the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).Once the vaccine is on the childhood vaccination schedule, the vaccine makers are permanently shielded from liability for injuries and deaths that occur in ANY age group, including adults. As explained by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the short video clip above, they need this last remaining age group to be included under the EUA, because once the emergency is finally declared over, the next phase of liability shielding requires that the shots receive approval by the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This is the group that decides which vaccines are to be added to the childhood vaccination schedule. Once the vaccine is on the childhood vaccination schedule, the vaccine makers are permanently shielded from liability for injuries and deaths that occur in ANY age group, including adults. The only way to break that indemnity is by proving the vaccine maker knew about the safety issues and withheld that information. You can learn more about this indemnification process in The Real Reason They Want to Give COVID Jabs to Kids. So, the end goal is permanent immunity against liability for injury and death from the COVID shots in all age groups, and to get there, they first need the EUA to cover all children. After that, the ACIP approval becomes more or less a matter of rubber stamping. This is why theyre playing Russian roulette with the health of infants and young children. Murder Has No Statute of Limitation That said, if fraud can be proven, all indemnity falls by the wayside, and theres no statute of limitation when it comes to murder, which some insist is whats happening here. The video above features To The Lifeboats podcaster Sam Dodsons comments to the FDA VRBPAC during its open public hearing session to approve the COVID jabs for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. In a rapid-fire manner, he reviews several data points that ought to have put a halt to these injections, but didnt; several instances where the FDA knew harm was occurring from these shots, or would occur, and they did nothing. Another public comment was submitted by an as-yet unidentified individual. The submitted comment was provided to and reposted on Coquin de Chiens Substack. Here are some select pieces:12 This comment is NOTICE of possible criminal liability to Lauren K. Roth and members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee who owe duties of care, diligence, good faith, and loyalty in recommending for or against the EUA amendment for COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years of age. Only two deaths are listed herein to establish knowledge. If the amendment is approved, it will have been done by committee members knowing of felony crimes in context. Your investigation of these deaths should include death certificates, autopsy records, witness interviews, and immunization records. Massachusetts Death Certificate 2022 SFN 5980 is a 7yo girl died January 18, 2022 listed as died from U071 COVID-19, B49 unspecified mycosis, J450 predominantly allergic asthma, and R091 pleurisy. VAERS_ID 2038120 is a 7yo girl in Massachusetts, who received her 2nd dose 1/13/2022 and was reported to VAERS 1/15/2022. PRIOR_VAX states, Severe nausea and vomiting from 5 min post vaccination and for the next 8-10 hours. SYMPTOM_TEXT states, Spiked a 103 fever, severe stomachache, has not had a bowel movement since the day before vaccination, which makes today 3 days without one. First vaccine caused severe nausea and vomiting from 5 minutes post injection and for the next 8-10 hours. This little girl suffered immeasurably 4 to 5 days as her intestines shut down due likely to impeded blood vessels servicing intestines. Massachusetts Death Certificate 2021 SFN 56611 is a 48yo man died 11/16/2021 listed as died from U071 COVID-19 and E669 OBESITY. SFN 56611 is known to have died less than 24 hours after inoculation. In both cases, the Medical Examiners listed the cause of death as COVID-19, when it was clearly not COVID-19. And in both cases, the Medical Examiners omitted listing causes Y590 Viral vaccines and T881 Other complications following immunization, not elsewhere classified, when these clearly were proximate and actual causes. Death certificates from the state of Massachusetts are sent to the CDC, a federal entity. Thus, fraud on a state death certificate is a federal crime as it affects federal death records. Several federal felony crimes apply in this instance and are listed below. If you dismiss this NOTICE and recommend the EUA amendment without first investigating these two deaths, you become liable for inchoate crimes and the felony crime of misprision of felony. If a single person subsequently dies as a result of the amendment, all the elements will have been satisfied for you to face felony murder charges or involuntary manslaughter. Qualified immunity is not a valid defense There were found sixty likely C19 vaccine deaths in a 25-minute perusal of the 2021 and 2022 death certificates, which extrapolates to hundreds, probably thousands of C19 vaccine deaths in Massachusetts. Refusal to investigate these fraudulent records is a crime that, because of the felony murder aspect, has no statute of limitations. Five, ten, or twenty years from now, if a federal prosecutor were to learn of this NOTICE, he or she would have significant evidence to bring charges for felony murder. In summary, this NOTICE places you in a position requiring you to investigate these deaths prior to recommending the amendment. If you dismiss this NOTICE, you may be criminally liable for involuntary manslaughter, felony murder, and a list of federal crimes and inchoate crimes Comment Tracking Number l4d-m52d-ge4m. Florida Bucks the Trend My home state of Florida now stands out as the only U.S. state that is recommending AGAINST the COVID jab for 6-month-olds to 5-year-olds. Parents can still get their infants jabbed if they want, but the official state recommendation is not to do it, as theres simply no scientific or logical rationale for doing so. Florida also did not preorder any extra doses for this age group.13 In a June 18, 2022, Substack article, Dr. Robert Malone addressed the latest EUA authorization for infants and young children, and applauded Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to buck the trend. Its hard to believe he is the only governor in the U.S. who resisted this murderous threat to the children:14 Have you looked at the VAERS data lately? The CDC apparently has not. In the USA alone, there have been 831,801 adverse events, of which 12,776 are life threatening. There have been 63,978 hospitalizations. There have been 13,293 deaths and 14,232 permanent disabilities from these vaccines. True, these are unverified but previous research has shown that the VAERS system under-reported adverse events associated with vaccines, not over-reported Then there are the international post-vaccine adverse event summaries.15 The CDC, under Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) has now admitted16 that even though they had promised to analyze the VAERS data before advising about these vaccines for children, they did not. The VAERS data were NOT taken into consideration before the authorization of these genetic agents for babies and young children. Frankly, this is shocking. So shocking, it is hard for me to even write about it. Now, approximately 430 children with other severe illnesses have died with COVID in the last 2.5 years (that would be 172 per year). Plus there have been 2,600 hospitalizations of children, most with underlying conditions over that 2.5 year period. These numbers show that even before Omicron, in the case of children, COVID is less severe than flu Omicron in children is much less severe. We know this. The scientific evidence is clear. Yet the FDA goes back to data from the DELTA variant when discussing the effects of this virus Governor DeSantis again has it right. It is time to stop. Parents must stop. The time is now to just say no. Last but not least, if youre still unsure whether the COVID shot is the right choice for your child, please read through Dr. Byram Bridles COVID-19 Vaccines and Children: A Scientists Guide for Parents,17 published by the Canadian Covid Care Alliance. It goes through how the shots work, what the known side effects are, results from the clinical trial, the effects of the spike protein and much more. Originally published June 28, 2022 on Mercola.com References Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here. Will It Provoke a Civil War? The Supreme Courts Repudiation of the 1973 Decision on Abortion Commentary By illegally publishing the draft decision of the Supreme Court several months before the final version was released, someone within the Court unleashed a firestorm of controversy in the United States. Demonstrations and counter-demonstrations erupted all over the country. The homes of the justices believed to have supported the repeal of the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade were picketed. An alleged attempt was made on the life of one of them. When the final opinion was published on June 24, fierce outrage was expressed by radical advocates of abortion on demand. Yet theres reason to believe that, after the shouting has died down, the repeal of the 1973 decision will actually serve to defuse the issue and heal a deep and enduring wound in the American body politic that has become only more inflamed over the past half-century. That decision was nothing less than an exercise of raw judicial power, in the words of dissenting Justice Byron White at the time, and it sparked a national controversy that has embittered Americas political culture ever since. Anyone who cares about the abortion issue ought to read the more than 100-page decision. Its a scathing, uncompromising denunciation of Roe v. Wade as untenable on legal, constitutional, and rational grounds. It condemns the authors of the 1973 decision for much irrelevant discussion of ancient Greek and Roman policies respecting induced abortion, while saying hardly a word about the legislation in every U.S. state in the 19th and early 20th centuries. From reading the 1973 decision, no one would know that every single U.S. state treated induced abortion as a crime, with only a few exceptions. The current justices indict their predecessors for the egregious error of asserting that abortion was not a common-law crime. In fact, all the leading authorities on the common lawBracton, Coke, Hale, Blackstone, and a wealth of other authoritytreated post-quickening abortion as a crime. The authors of the current decision also point out that using viability as the criterion for when the state has a right to impose legal restrictions on abortion is unsustainable. Viability, meaning the age at which the unborn child can survive outside the womb is constantly shifting. In the 19th century it was 32-3 weeks. In 1973 it was defined as 28 weeks; today its 22-3 weeks, and it varies in different parts of the country, depending on the level of medical care to which a woman has access. Almost no other country uses viability as a criterion for when abortion is legal. The oft-repeated assertion by pro-choice advocates that abortion is safer than childbirth is not satisfactorily dealt with by the authors of the current decision. This mantra is based on one defectively researched article by Raymond and Grimes. They completely ignore irrefutable studies from four jurisdictionsDenmark, Finland, England, and Californiathat have established that childbirth is safer, far safer than abortion. Its a pity that the justices didnt refer to these international studies in their decision. Apart from that omission, the justices reasoning is morally and intellectually compelling. The majority argue persuasively that by returning the abortion decision to the states the court is striking a blow for democracy. Before 1973 every state had its own legislation on abortion. A few states had legalized it (virtually unconditionally)New York, California, and the other west-coast states for example. The direct and immediate consequence of the current decision is that these states, and most of those on the northeast coast, will immediately re-enact their statutes allowing unlimited access to abortion. The majority of American states, on the other hand, still had laws of varying degrees of restrictiveness before 1973. The immediate consequence of the current decision is that these statessuch as Texas, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, and a host of others, including all the Republican states, 28 in numberwill very likely re-enact laws ranging from an outright ban on abortion to allowing abortion up to various times of gestation, ranging from 6 to 24 weeks, or to preserve the mothers life or health, or for psychological, or socio-economic reasons. The reason why this will defuse the abortion issue is that each state will soon have the law that reflects the wishes of its citizens. Abortion will not suddenly become unavailable. Backstreet abortions will not return in massive numbers. Women will not kill themselves by trying to abort with a coat hanger. A woman determined to abort her child will easily be able to travel to a neighboring state if her home state doesnt allow the procedure. Thats why the repeal of Roe v. Wade is not a radical, still less a revolutionary move. No, its an authentic blow struck for democracy. Why? For the simple reason that it gives Americans the right to decide, on a state-by-state basis, what they want their abortion law to be. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The human nose is not usually considered an asset. Most humans are more concerned with how our noses look than how they function, unless, that is, were plagued with sinus infections or have lost our sense of smell due to COVID. While strange dogs will enthusiastically and unabashedly sniff each other when they first meet, we humans are more restrained. We may notice someones twinkling eyes or firm handshake. But we usually dont take stock of their smell. At least not consciously. Now a new study from a team of scientists based in Rehovot, Israel, which was published in the journal Science Advances on June 24, 2022, suggests that the human nose may be more important than we think, in terms of making friends. These scientistswho all work at the Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Researchhypothesized that smells matter when it comes to human friendship. Because people seek to make friends with others who are similar to them, the scientists thought that we humans may be unconsciously attracted to people who smell similarly as well. Friends at First Sniff To test their idea, the research team recruited pairs of same-sex friends and harvested their body odor. Finding friends who both described their first encounter as a click took six months of effort, which included social-media recruitment, phone interviews, and questionnaires. The scientists were looking for people who became friends right away. Their friendships started immediately after meeting andthough the friendships were platonicthe friends felt they had chemistry. They wanted to see if in these click friendships, where a strong sense of bonding happened almost instantly, there was, indeed, an olfactory component. They eventually identified 20 pairs of same-sex nonromantic click friends, as they called them: 10 pairs of male friends and 10 pairs of female friends, between the ages of 22 and 39. Then they asked the 40 participants to follow strict body odor donation protocols so the scientists could analyze their body odor. In one analysis, the body odors were sampled with an electronic nose: a German-made sensing device that could smell 10 different metal oxides and specific patterns associated with them. They found, in this experiment, that the chemical signature from body odors of click friends is significantly more similar than the chemical signature from body odors of random dyads, as they explain in the study. Still, because information from an eNose may not translate into how humans perceive smell, the researchers tested their hypothesis in another, more real-world way. They recruited 24 people to act as smellers. These smellers were given other tasks in different experiments, including smelling three dirty t-shirts (two from the click friends and one from an unrelated same-sex person) and smelling 40 t-shirts in a random order and being asked to describe them. While they were sniffing away, the participants wore a nasal cannula (a device that is inserted in the nose, usually to deliver supplemental oxygen) linked to a spirometer so that the researchers could precisely measure each sniff. There are thousands of molecules present in body odor. Human noses and eNoses, according to the researchers, will not necessarily pick up on the same chemical cues. Even so, both the electronic nose and the human sniffers found that the body odor of click friends was more similar than the odor of random pairs of people. Why the Similar Smell? After getting these results, the Israeli researchers explored the question of why click friends have similar body odor than people who arent friends. They offered three possible explanations. The similarity may be the reason for the friendship in the first place. After all, known similarities often predict friendships. People who are a similar age, have similar education, share the same religion, and even those who look similar, tend to gravitate towards each other. For example, one interesting Canadian study, published in the journal Personal & Social Psychology Bulletin in 2018, found striking physical resemblances among people in the same group and that similar-looking individuals are more likely to form groups with one another. An alternative explanation to this, however, is that the similarity in body odor may be a result of the friendship itself. People who live close together, eat together, and share beauty products may also share a similar odor. The researchers final explanation for the similarity in smell was that it is due to some independent and yet unknown and unidentified factor. To get closer to a definitive answer, the scientists did one more experiment. They recruited 17 strangers between the ages of 20 and 37 (10 women and 7 men) and collected their body odor. Next, they had the recruits play a game together without speaking to each other. After that they had to rate the quality of their interaction with the stranger, as well as whether they felt they clicked with their partner. This part of the study was blinded. Interestingly, the researchers found that partners who reported clicking were significantly more chemically similar than those who did not feel they had clicked. These results lend even more credence to the idea that we are more apt to immediately click with and become friends with people who smell similarly to us. Whats the Take-Away? The eponymous character in the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, who is shy about his schnoz, famously says, a great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul The human nose may well be more important than previously thought. In 2017 the neuroscientist John McGann, who has a Ph.D. from Yale University and is a professor of psychology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, published a review in the journal Science that details how the human sense of smell has been maligned. McGanns view is that our human noses are not inferior. In fact, our sense of smell is as good as other mammals. Humans can discriminate between 1 trillion different odors, McGann insisted. Whats more, our olfactory bulbs, which send signals to other parts of our brains, have a similar number of neurons as other mammals do. We can detect and discriminate an extraordinary range of odors, we are more sensitive than rodents and dogs for some odors, McGann wrote. We are capable of tracking odor trails; and our behavioral and affective states are influenced by our sense of smell. Other research has shown that female body odor during times of fertility can be highly attractive to men. Given the growing body of scientific information that shows the importance of smell, it may be high time for us to give our noses more credit. BOSTON (AP) Employees at Bostons Museum of Fine Arts ratified their first labor deal Tuesday, becoming the latest prestigious art institution to protect workers with a union contract. The collective bargaining agreement is the first since museum workers voted to join the United Auto Workers Local 2110 in November 2020, the union and management said in a joint statement. We are pleased to have reached an agreement on a union contract with the MFA that will provide a more equitable compensation structure and a democratic voice for the staff, union President Maida Rosenstein said in the statement. By establishing collective bargaining rights, the MFA staff is helping to bring about necessary systemic change for museum workers in general." The union represents 227 of the museums administrative, technical, curatorial and conservation employees. The agreement raises wages and minimum pay rates. Workers will receive at least a 5% increase on July 1, with some workers getting larger increases. Wages will be increased again by 3% on July 1, 2023, and again by 3% on July 1, 2024. The Museum has estimated the total cost of the changes in wages to be 13.5% over the three-year term of the contract. The New York-based UAW Local 2110 represents workers at dozens of cultural and educational institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, museums were forced to shut down and lay off workers, and many employees realized they had few legal protections, said Tom Juravich, a professor of sociology and labor studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Museum of Fine Arts eliminated more than 100 jobs early in the pandemic, about half through voluntary early retirements and half through layoffs, according to a statement at the time. Museums have treated their rank-and-file employees as little more than servants for years, and more workers have been unionizing as attitudes change among younger employees, especially, Juravich said. There's a new generation moving into the field, and they are not impressed by the prestige of simply working at the finest cultural institutions in the world, they need to pay the bills, he said, pointing out that many likely have advanced degrees and substantial student loans. Juravich said it's also difficult to justify working for subsistence wages when museum leadership is paid handsomely, and many museum boards of trustees are filled with society's wealthiest elite. The MFA's unionized workers held a one-day strike last November to protest what they said were stalled contract negotiations. The museum, which has about 500,000 pieces of art and draws more than 1 million visitors per year, stayed open during the strike. The museum said in addition to enhanced benefits for union workers, it has committed additional investments in compensation and benefits for all employees in the next three years. Our employees make the MFA what it is; they ensure the highest care for the treasures that we hold in trust for future generations as we strive to be a museum for all of Boston, museum Director Matthew Teitelbaum said. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) An Iranian appeals court upheld the eight-year prison sentence of a French tourist for taking photos in a prohibited area and asking questions about Irans obligatory Islamic hijab for women, his lawyer said Tuesday. Benjamin Briere, 36, was arrested in May 2020 and sentenced in January. He went on a hunger strike on Dec. 25 to protest his treatment in prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where he is being detained. His Iranian lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, said on Twitter that The sentence of eight years and eight months in prison for Benjamin Briere, French tourist was finalized. Paris-based lawyer Philippe Valent said at the time of Briere's sentencing that an Iranian revolutionary court sentenced him to eight years for espionage and eight months for anti-government propaganda. Under Iranian law, the longer part is applied in practice. Briere was detained for taking pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited and asking questions on social media about Irans obligatory Islamic headscarf for women. Rights groups accuse hard-liners in Irans security agencies of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West. Tehran denies it, but there have been prisoner exchanges in the past. Other French citizens detained in Iran include Cecile Kohler, 37, and Chuck Paris, 69, who were arrested on May 7 after meeting with protesting Iranian teachers and taking part in an anti-government rally. France identified the two as a teachers union official and her partner on vacation in Iran. Also in January, Iranian justice officials ordered the re-imprisonment of Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who was arrested in 2019. Adelkhah for a time had been allowed to serve a five-year prison sentence under house arrest. She had been accused of propaganda against the Islamic Republics political system and collusion to undermine national security. Briere had been charged for cooperation with a foreign hostile nation against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dehghan said in January. On Tuesday, the Iranian court again referred to France as a hostile nation. France, alongside other world powers, is in negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean prosecutors granted ex-President Lee Myung-bak a three-month release from prison over health concerns Tuesday after he served less than three years of a 17-year sentence for corruption. Lee, 80, could be sent back to prison at the end of that period, barring further health setbacks, but there is also the possibility that he might be pardoned before then by President Yoon Suk Yeol, a fellow conservative who recently expressed a reluctance to keep him behind bars. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office said in a statement to The Associated Press it decided to suspend the execution of Lees sentence for three months after a committee acknowledged the risk of a significant deterioration in his health. The office didn't elaborate on the health of Lee, who submitted a request for a stay of sentence earlier this month. Lee was sent to prison after the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence in October 2020, but he has regularly received outside hospital treatment for various health problems including diabetes. Lee did not immediately issue any statement regarding his temporary release. He is reportedly receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, which did not comment on his health problems, citing privacy rules. Yoon told reporters earlier this month that it would be inappropriate to keep Lee imprisoned for 20-something years, inaccurately describing his prison term while citing the precedent of former presidents who were released early from their sentences following criminal convictions. Theres speculation that Lee could be considered for a presidential pardon ahead of an Aug. 15 holiday celebrating Koreas liberation from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II. If the Yoon government is considering a pardon for Lee, a temporary stay of sentence would be the most convenient political setup, much less burdensome than granting a parole, said Han Sang-hie, a law professor at Seoul's Konkuk University. Lee, a CEO-turned-conservative hero before his fall from grace, was convicted of taking bribes from big businesses including Samsung, embezzling funds from a company that he owned, and other corruption-related crimes before and during his presidency from 2008 to 2013. A Seoul district court initially sentenced Lee in 2018 to 15 years in prison. He was released on bail several months later but was taken back into custody in February 2020 after an appellate court handed down a 17-year term and canceled his bail. Lee was released days later after he appealed his bail cancelation, but he was sent back to prison in October 2020 after the Supreme Court upheld the lower courts ruling. Lee, a former Hyundai CEO, won the 2007 presidential election on a promise to reinvigorate the countrys economy. But his five years in office were marred by the global financial crisis, massive public protests over a resumption of imports of U.S. beef amid fears of mad cow disease, and animosities with rival North Korea, including two attacks blamed on the North that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. Lees corruption case erupted after his conservative successor, Park Geun-hye, was removed from the presidency and jailed in 2017 over a separate corruption scandal that sparked massive protests. Park served less than a quarter of her 22-year sentence before former President Moon Jae-in, a liberal, pardoned her last December, citing her health problems and a need to promote unity in the politically divided nation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GENEVA (AP) The first 10 years of Syrias conflict, which started in 2011, killed more than 300,000 civilians, the United Nations said Tuesday the highest official estimate to date of conflict-related civilian deaths in the country. The conflict began with anti-government protests that broke out in March 2011 in different parts of Syria, demanding democratic reforms following Arab Spring protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and Bahrain that removed some Arab leaders who had been in power for decades. However, it quickly turned into a full-blown civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed large parts of the country. Tuesdays report published by the U.N. Human Rights Office followed what it said were rigorous assessment and statistical analysis of the available data on civilian casualties. According to the report, 306,887 civilians are estimated to have been killed in Syria between March 1, 2011 and March 31, 2021 because of the conflict. The figures released by the U.N. do not include soldiers and insurgents killed in the conflict; their numbers are believed to be in the tens of thousands. The numbers also do not include people who were killed and buried by their families without notifying authorities. These are the people killed as a direct result of war operations. This does not include the many, many more civilians who died due to the loss of access to healthcare, to food, to clean water and other essential human rights, said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The report, mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council, cited 143,350 civilian deaths individually documented by various sources with detailed information, including at least their full name, date and location of death. Also, statistical estimation techniques were used to connect the dots where there were missing elements of information. Using these techniques, a further 163,537 civilian deaths were estimated to have occurred. The conflict-related casualty figures in this report are not simply a set of abstract numbers, but represent individual human beings, Bachelet said. She added that the work of civil society organizations and the U.N. in monitoring and documenting conflict-related deaths is key in helping families and communities establish the truth, seek accountability and pursue effective remedies. The estimate of 306,887 means that on average, every single day, for the past 10 years, 83 civilians suffered violent deaths due to the conflict, the report said. It was based on eight sources of information including the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies, the Center for Statistics and Research-Syria, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Violations Documentation Center. ___ Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report. UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. political chief urged Libyas rival factions on Monday to agree on measures governing the transition to elections during talks in Geneva later this week, expressing hope this will lead to long-awaited voting at the earliest possible date. Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council that during talks in Cairo from June 12-20 the rivals reached a broad consensus on most of the contentious articles in the proposed 2017 constitution, which she called commendable. Oil-rich Libya has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country was then split by rival administrations, one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and a U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli. Each side is supported by different militias and foreign powers. The Cairo meeting was the first to see Libyas east-based parliament, the House of Representatives, and west-based High Council of State in Tripoli engage in a serious review of the constitutional proposal since its adoption in 2017, DiCarlo said. We are encouraged that the leaders of both chambers have accepted the invitation of (U.N.) special adviser Stephanie Williams to meet in Geneva from June 28-29 to discuss and reach agreement on the measures governing the transitional period leading to elections, she said. DiCarlo urged the Security Councils 15 member nations and all of Libyas international partners to call on the leadership of the two chambers to seize the opportunity presented by the agreement reached in Cairo and make elections happens. Libyas plan for elections last Dec. 24 fell through after the interim administration based in Tripoli, headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, failed to go ahead with the vote. The failure was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya. Dbeibah refused to step down, raising questions over his mandate. In response, the countrys east-based lawmakers elected a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, a powerful former interior minister who is now operating a separate administration out of the city of Sirte. The rival administrations are now claiming power, after tentative steps toward unity last year. DiCarlo called for national reconciliation efforts, warning that continued political divisions are contributing to a tense security environment in and around Tripoli. The issue of Libyas chief executive has not been resolved and she warned that as armed group position themselves to support Debebah or Bashagha the risk of escalation increases. After the recent Cairo meeting, Libyan media reports claimed that the main contested topic was the criteria for a presidential candidacy. According to the reports, the Tripoli-based council insisted on banning military personal from running for the countrys top post apparently a move directed at Hifter, a divisive military leader who announced his bid to run in December's elections, while the east-based lawmakers called for allowing military personnel to run. U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills called it appalling that small cabals of men, in most cases backed by weapons rather than popular legitimacy, have spent the last six months cutting deals and crafting schemes to determine who will be in power, and who will get which spoils while some three million Libyans are still waiting to exercise their right to vote for Libyas leaders. Libya has reached a critical moment, he said, and its leaders must choose a trajectory whether to build consensus and foster unity that can lead to free and fair elections and stability or to wallow in the status quo and consign the Libyan people to uncertainty, stagnation, and potential violence. Russias deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky blamed the Western aggression in 2011 which caused the Libyan state to collapse for the ongoing political crisis. He welcomed the progress at the Cairo meeting and expressed hope that this week's Geneva talks will resolve differences between the political rivals. But he warned that due to the persistent inter-Libyan differences and the egotism of our Western colleagues, the situation in Libya is liable to spiral out of control." President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja today, Tuesday, on a State Visit to Portugal at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the country's leader. This is contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, issued on Tuesday. Garba said the president will hold official talks with his Portuguese counterpart and will be conferred with the countrys National Honour and decorated with Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry. He said the two Presidents will chair an enlarged bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements bordering on issues of mutual concern. According to the statement, "President Buhari will also visit the Portuguese Parliament and hold discussions with its president, Dr Augusto Santo Silva, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal. During the course of the visit, the President is expected to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen and hold separate meetings with select Portuguese Chief Executive Officers and prospective investors to Nigeria. "President Buhari will also participate in the United Nations Ocean Conference, which began in Lisbon on Monday, June 27, and runs till July 1. "The Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based innovative solutions to challenges facing oceans and the global marine ecosystem. "The Nigerian leader is also expected to engage members of the Nigerian community in Portugal on matters affecting them and developments at home." He added that the President will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami. Others include National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd); Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Honorable Abike Dabiri-Erewa. The president is expected to return to Abuja on Saturday, July 2. The Director of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command of Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), Mr Abdul-Lateef Bello, has banned traffic operatives from forcefully removing vehicle number plates of traffic offenders in the territory. The Command's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Kalu Emetu, made this known to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, noting that the order was part of the agencys ongoing reforms. Emetu said Bello gave the directive while presenting the new operational order to personnel of the office recently. According to him, the operatives had rather been directed to make use of their telephone cameras to capture the number plates of such vehicles. He added that the image of the number plate was to be sent to the directorates control room, saddled with the responsibility of stipulating fines on defaulters, through telephone or email messages. The ban is in line with world best traffic regulation practices. Removal of plate numbers from vehicles is out of fashion, and the territory remains a model city in Nigeria. Officers are called to discharge their duties professionally, as this will go a long way to determine the respect an officer will receive from residents and motorists, Emetu stated. An organizations cultural dynamics either work for it, in such a way that the organization is moved towards success or work against it, like holding the organization back from achieving its desired results. Referencing several available researches on some of the worlds top-performing organizations, they are made up of people who think and act in ways that are aligned with achieving the organizations goals. Against the foregoing backdrop, it is therefore surprising to observe that some members of Ohaneze Ndigbo that are based in Lagos State are thinking and acting in ways that are not in any way aligned with aims and objectives that necessitated the establishment of Ohaneze Ndigbo as a socio-cultural organization. For the sake of clarity, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a non-partisan, non-sectarian pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization designed to provide a platform where Ndigbo, within and outside Nigeria, may come together for the purpose of nurturing better understanding and harmonious relations amongst themselves, with other ethnic groups in Nigeria, and with all communities wherever they reside. Its membership is individual and corporate. Beside direct individual membership Ohanaeze Ndigbo is an apex umbrella of various Igbo communities and interest groups. Also, it serves as a clearing house and a focal point of direction and collective leadership in matters affecting the interest and general welfare of Ndigbo in Nigeria and the rest of the world. Peace and fraternal love with all, especially our Nigerian compatriots, has always been a cardinal goal of Ohanaeze. Ohanaeze Ndigbo was founded in 1976. The founding fathers include great and revered leaders like Dr. M.I. Okpara, Chief Dennis Osadebe, Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief M.I. Ugochukwu, Dr. Pius Okigbo, Chief Jerome Udoji (the first Secretary-General), Prof. Ben O. Nwabueze, Ezeogo Dr. Anagha Ezikpe, Sir Onyeso Nwachukwu, Chief Bob Ogbuagu and the indomitable Dr. Akanu Ibiam (the first Chairman, in whose Enugu residence the first meeting in 1976 was held). As contained in the headline of this piece, the question, What is power struggle? cannot in any way be said to be a misnomer. However, power struggle, as defined by lexicographers, is A situation where two or more people or organizations compete for influence. A power struggle ensues, and the winner is the person who makes his structure prevail. Analyzed from the foregoing perspective, there is no denying the fact that Ohaneze Ndigbo has been dragged into the quagmire of power struggle if recent disagreements or rancor in the socio-cultural organization in its Lagos branch is anything to go by. For instance, the story that surrounds Ohaneze Ndigbo, Lagos Chapter, as a socio-cultural organization, and which has been trending online is that the facts are now in the open on how Chief Sunday Ossai was allegedly swindled millions of Naira by an Igbo group, known as Mafians, in order to be crowned as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos State, which has now turned to be a hoax. As gathered, according to the summation by the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, the alleged scam on Chief Ossai started after a group of thugs invaded Ohanaeze Ndigbo General meeting at Calabar Hall in Surulere, Lagos. The ignominious incident was reportedly led by Eze Uche Dimgba who attempted to disrupt the meeting over the valid consent judgment of the Lagos High Court by the warring parties, which ended the lingering crisis inherited by the current President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, Chief Aguene, over the years after he was elected. The group was said to have hired both Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State members and non-members and organized a kangaroo election, where Chief Ossai was declared the President of the apex sociocultural group. It was also gathered that while the tenure of Chief Solomon Aguene was yet to elapse, the group went and organized an election and declared Chief Ossai as President after he reportedly parted away with huge sums of money including money for purchase of forms for other aspirants, which ran into millions of Naira. It was gathered that after the election, with Chief Ossai being declared as the winner, he was not able to gain access to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Secretariat located at James Robertson Street, Surulere, Lagos. As if the humiliation was not enough, Chief Ossai and his executives having been sworn in, later realized that they have no office, from where they would operate and function as the executives of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State. Against the foregoing backdrop, it then dawned on them that they had actually goofed and had been swindled by getting involved in the non-existing positions of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State. It was learnt that Chief Ossai, having realized that there was a valid Court judgment, which extended the tenure of Chief Solomon Aguene, the only option left for him was to operate as parallel Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos, which many of the traditional rulers and Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State are not comfortable with and have dumped him to his fate. Amid the cloudy situation, particularly as Chief Ossai could not be reached to throw insight to the situation, the PRO of his group later issued press statements stating that they have been elected and the Igbo should deal with them as the new executives of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State. Be that as it may, by virtue of the consent judgment pronounced by the Lagos State High Court dated 12th April, 2022, Chief Solomon Ogbonna will now spend the next four years as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State. It would be recalled that in the suit filed in 2018 before the Ikeja High Court over the annulment of Ohanaeze Ndigbo election, Lagos State, by a faction led by Chief Mike Chidedelu on behalf of his group against Chief Solomon Ogbonnas faction, asking the Court to reinstate and recognized his faction, it was finally resolved with terms of settlement as consent judgment before the Court. Part of the judgment include, apart from Chief Solomon Ogbonna, who was retained as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, other Executive members elected with him were dissolved and fresh election was ordered for the vacant positions by the Court. The Court directed that the Electoral Committee set up by Chief Solomon Ogbonna led by Chief Oliver Akubueze be retained and conduct election for both the Local Government and State Executives with the bylaws of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State. This was confirmed by Chief Solomon Ogbonna, who expressed delight that peace has finally returned to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State, through his efforts to bring the Igbo together in the State. He explained that since he was elected as President, he had been going to Court and many factions came up but he was able to resolve and make peace that led to the consent judgment at the Court. In a media parley with Eze Uche Dimgba, he explained that it is impossible to have an extension for an Ohanaeze President because it runs contrary to the groups constitution. Eze Dimgba said that Ohanaeze legal experts led by Former President, Barrister Fabian Onwughala, have been briefed and had set up the process of vacating what he called the Kangaroo Tenure Extension Judgment in Court. Dimgba said Chief Aguenes tenure will elapse on 15th July 2022. However, the Court has not set aside the judgment and his tenure is yet to elapse before Dimgba and group were said to have organized an election, where Chief Ossai emerged as President of the faction. Without much ado in this piece, I am expressing my view that the ideals of Ohaneze Ndigbo should not for whatever reason be dragged into the mud through power struggle by just few people in Lagos state. They should find a way of making peace rather than portraying Ndigbo as power-hungry people. Aptly put, no one should use the inglorious instrument of Power Struggle to tarnish the image of Ohaneze Ndigbo, and by extension the entire Ndigbo in Lagos State. Anutin tests COVID positive on European return BANGKOK POST: Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul tested positive for COVID-19 on returning from meetings in France and Switzerland and was unable to attend the weekly cabinet meeting today (June 28). CoronavirusCOVID-19Vaccine By Bangkok Post Tuesday 28 June 2022, 03:32PM Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul gets the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Thailand, from Sinovac, at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi on Feb 28, 2021. Photo: Government House Anutin attended the 170th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris on June 20-21, where he affirmed Thailands readiness to host the 2028 Specialised Expo in Phuket, reports the Bangkok Post. After that he attended the 50th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 21-24. Anutin and his entourage, which included high-level officials from the healh and foreign affairs ministries, returned to Thailand on Sunday. Health permanent secretary Kiattiphum Wongrajit said that on his return Anutin had muscle pains and a sore throat. He took an antigen test, which showed positive for COVID-19. Doctors advised him to go into isolation for one week for treatment, Dr Kiatiphum said. Anutin said he had requested leave from the cabinet meeting. He believed he caught the virus during the trip as he had met many people who were not wearing face masks. While making speeches and chairing meetings he also had to take off his mask. Anutin was the first person in Thailand to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Local vaccination started on Feb 28, 2021, at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province. He received a dose of Sinovac. It is reported he had been vaccinated six times before being confirmed infected with the virus. Patong motorbike taxi riders told to be legal, polite and no fighting PHUKET: Patong Police Chief Col Sujin Nilabadee today called in Patong motorbike taxi drivers to make sure they understood they must be legally registered taxi drivers, and called on them to be polite, helpful hosts. patongtransporttourismpolice By The Phuket News Tuesday 28 June 2022, 06:16PM The reminder of what was expected of motorbike taxi drivers came at a meeting held at Patong Police Station today (June 29). The meeting was called following concern expressed by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikong, said an announcement released by Patong Police earlier today. The aim was for public motorcycle operators to build a good image and be a good host, the announcement said. Concerns about people being deceived by call centre gangs and the need to behave in a manner that supports the bid to host the Specialized Expo 2028, were also given as reasons for holding the meeting. Patong Police Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) Lt Col Phum Semworanon read out the requirements. Top of the list was, Let there be no quarrel or injure each other because Patong is a top tourist destination of Phuket. That point follows one motorbike taxi driver being involved in a fight with five tuk-tuk drivers on the Patong beach road on June 18. Patong Police later reported that the drivers had resolved their differences, despite the fight starting over a customer. The second point was for motorbike taxi drivers to beware call centre gangs, which had caused people to lose a lot of their assets from being deceived. Please be careful and dont be fooled, Lt Col Phum said. All motorbike taxi drivers were to be aware of and comply with the requirements of being legally registered, and were to abide by the required dress code. Operators of motorbike taxi queues, called win in Thai, are to compile complete, accurate amd up to date records of all their drivers. Also, taxi queues must not affect traffic conditions or infringe on rights or affect the interests of the public, such as parking on the sidewalk, obstructing traffic, etc, Lt Col Phum said. All motorbike taxi operators were asked to acknowledge and be ready to comply with the requirements set out at the meeting. The motorbike taxi drivers were also warned that their licences may be revoked if they breached any of the conditions. Phuket hotels await start of high season BANGKOK: Phuket saw an influx of travellers from India in the first six months of this year, accounting for 50% of foreign guests, but half of all hotels on the island remain closed as they await the start of high season. By Bangkok Post Tuesday 28 June 2022, 09:07AM Tourists take snaps in Phuket Old Town. Mr Suksit said the Indian market saw significant growth during the first half of this year. Photo: Dusida Worrachaddejchai / Bangkok Post Suksit Suvunditkul, president of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said the hotel business in Phuket gradually picked up in the first half with an average occupancy rate of around 40% in May, mostly driven by travellers from India, Singapore, Australia and the UK, reports the Bangkok Post. He said the Indian market saw significant growth during this period with over 52,227 travellers from May 1 to June 25, more than twice the size of the Singapore market in second place with 19,298 travellers. "The situation in Phuket has mostly returned to normal with tourists in some destinations, such as Patong, starting to take masks off after Thailand lifted the mandate last week. The spread of new subvariants doesnt impact sentiment at the moment," said Mr Suksit. Meanwhile, the outlook for the Indian market in July remains strong with direct flights from Thai Smile Airways, Go First Airlines and Indigo Airlines connecting Phuket with key cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. In July, Phuket will have 15 airlines flying 58 direct flights to the island, bringing tourists from India, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Qatar, Israel and the UK, with an average load factor of 80%. But since Thailand has been in low season since May, around 50% of Phuket hotels remain temporarily closed as demand from the long-haul market is softer. THA expects most hotels on the island to resume business with the start of high season in October when European markets, particularly chartered flights from Russia, start to travel again. He said that given Phuket received 3 million Chinese travellers in 2019, or one-third of all its foreign visitors, it was hard to see a strong recovery for all hotel segments without this market. "Chinese travellers typically generated revenue in all types of hotels in all locations, ranging from three-star hotels to luxury resorts, which was different from European guests, who are the main market for beach resorts and luxury hotels. This meant the hotel industry recovery was uneven," said Mr Suksit. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said Russian tour operators had told the agency that there was high demand in the eastern part of the country, led by Novosibirsk and Vladivostok, with at least 450,000 airline seats that are ready to take visitors to Thailand from October to December 2022. However, as scheduled flights are still largely frozen due to the Russia-Ukraine war, TAT has to work with airlines to help connect those cities to Thailand on a chartered basis. Phuket Immigration responds over visa extension scam PHUKET: More than 60 foreigners have been left in the lurch by a visa service company taking money from foreigners but failing to have their visas extended. immigrationpolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 28 June 2022, 11:49AM Phuket Immigration has launched a hotline to help foreigners caught out by visa agents. Image: Phuket Immigration Many complainst have now been filed at Phuket City Police Station. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Some of the foreigners have been waiting for more than three months, reported Kim Shanti, of Shantis Lodge in Chalong, who has been assisting the foreigners with their claims as a co-ordinator. Many of the foreigners have now filed complaints with Phuket City Police. Fearful of their immigration status, some of the foreigners have been reluctant to report their predicament to immigration, Ms Shanti said. Ms Shanti, who has lived in Phuket for decades, explained that many of the foreigners were initially stuck in Phuket due to the pandemic and had turned to using the visa service company to help them obtain their visa extensions. However, many of them are now left with no immigration stamps confirming that they may continue to stay in the country. Many of them still have not had their passports returned. Ms Shanti has been instrumental in helping the foreigners understand local legal processes. Some of the people who reported this to police were not aware that the officer only recorded their statements in the daily record log, she explained. As far as the police were concerned a formal complaint had yet to be filed, Ms Shanti added. Ms Shanti appealed to the media to highlight the issue, as now formal complaints have been filed, but still, no action has been taken against the visa agency. Thailand is open, and tourists are ready to travel to Thailand. But there are some people who do bad things like this. I dont think its okay, she said. Phuket City Police Chief Col Sarawut Chuprasit told The Phuket News that police were aware of the incident and that he had contacted Phuket Immigration about the visa agency. We have done a preliminary check and coordinated with the Phuket Immigration Chief about this case. We have held discussions with the relevant departments and commanding officers, and the conclusion is that tourists must apply for a visa extension at the immigration office in person, he said. Ensuring that your visa is current and valid is a responsibility that every tourist should know. In the event that the visa or extension is about to expire, you must hurry to contact the immigration office to submit your application to extend your stay," he added. In the event that a tourist has claimed to have been deceived, the police will conduct an investigation. If a tourist has been scammed, we will prosecute the agency and ensure that the tourist recovers any monies paid as well, Col Sarawut said. However, I would like to emphasise that tourists must be aware of how long they are allowed to stay in Thailand, and when their visa is about to expire they have to go to Immigration in person and apply to have their visa extended, he repeated. Phuket Immigration last night issued a notice urging any foreigners affected by a visa broker or visa renewal agency, by taking their passports, and their money, but failing to have their visa stays extended on their behalf to contact the Phuket Immigration Help Center at 086-4077763 or 076-221905 ext 10. The notice asks foreigners to have the following documents prepared before contacting the Help Center: Passport or copy of passport Evidence of action against the company/agent about the visa Evidence of legal proceedings such as documents, reports etc (if any) Other related information Foreigners may file a formal complaint through the hotline or make an appointment to receive assistance. Additional reporting by Chutharat Plerin Post-pandemic Day edges near BANGKOK: The Public Health Ministry is ready to usher in the post-pandemic era on Friday (July 1), permanent secretary for public health Kiattiphum Wongrajit said yesterday (June 27). CoronavirusCOVID-19healthtourism By Bangkok Post Tuesday 28 June 2022, 09:00AM More people visit the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok on Sunday (June 26) as the COVID-19 situation improved. Photo: Apichit Jinakul We will keep to our schedule to announce the post-pandemic era on July 1. And what we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control, Dr Kiattiphum said yesterday. He admitted that two new COVID-19 subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, had already arrived, but said there had not been any significant change in the number of severe cases admitted to hospitals, raising hopes neither will prompt a scare, reports the Bangkok Post. The ministry has opted to base its big announcement on a more optimistic premise, but only after the World Health Organization downgrades COVID-19 to endemic status, Dr Kiattiphum said. The ministry will then reconsider the states responsibility for treating those who continue to catch COVID-19, Dr Kiattiphum said. Meanwhile, deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul said yesterday the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted that the number of foreign visitors to Thailand could exceed 10 million this year, which is in line with the rising numbers of travellers to other countries that have relaxed their entry restrictions. She further said the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has asked all airlines and airport executives to increase flights and personnel to be ready to deal with an expected surge in international arrivals, as this Friday also marks the end of the Thailand Pass registration requirement. Ms Traisulee also called for a collective effort to get the industry back on its feet again. The government would like to invite operators of tourism-related businesses to join hands with state agencies to help revive the tourism sector by rolling out promotional campaigns to attract tourists. The relaxation of restrictions and the promotional activities will create a major impact and help revitalise the tourism industry more quickly, Ms Traisulee added. Between Jan 1 and June 26, Thailand welcomed 2.03 million foreign tourist arrivals as several entry restrictions were eased, she said. Most were from India (220,962), Malaysia (184,782), the UK (121,328), Singapore (121,264) and the US (102,964), she said. In other news, the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital posted on Facebook yesterday that a particular hereditary genetic variation had been proven to raise the risk of reinfection even after recovery, and also raise the risk of an individual suffering serious or life-threatening symptoms even if in prior good health. The variation, known as LZTFL1, doubles the risk of fatal lung inflammation, and is known to be present in around 14% of the population of Poland and up to 60% of people living in Bangladesh. However, the genome sequencing of DNA samples of more than 1,000 Thais showed that the variation was only present in 7% of the lab tests, according to the centre. It is important for those who have the gene variant to get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine to prevent them suffering the worst effects of the virus, concluded the post. There were 1,735 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and 15 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported yesterday as figures continued to fall. These did not include 2,425 positive results from antigen tests which would have taken the total to 4,160. According to the CCSA, the 15 people who died were aged from 55 to 102. Bangkok logged no new COVID deaths, and there was only one next door in Samut Sakhon. If you thought your kid was a little shit this weekend, spare a thought for Ben Affleck - whose 10-year-old son backed a $200,000 Lamborghini into a BMW that's just as expensive. And yep, the whole thing was caught on video. At the invitation of the Philippine government, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Vice President Wang Qishan will lead a delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on June 30 in Manila, the Philippines. CCTV: Could you share the arrangements for Vice President Wang Qishans trip to the Philippines and Chinas expectation for the trip? Zhao Lijian: China and the Philippines are close neighbors facing each other across the sea and important cooperation partners. China always sees the Philippines as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. With the concerted efforts of both sides, China-Philippines relations have been growing with a sound momentum, delivering tangible benefits to both peoples. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with President-elect Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos. They reached important common understandings on staying committed to good-neighborliness and friendship and pursuing shared development, which pointed the way forward for bilateral relations. Vice President Wang Qishans upcoming trip to the Philippines as President Xi Jinpings Special Representative for President Marcos inauguration ceremony fully demonstrates the great importance China attaches to the Philippines and bilateral relations. We believe this trip will help both sides to carry forward our friendship, cement mutual trust, expand cooperation, open up broader prospects for bilateral relations, and bring more benefits to both countries and peoples. Reuters: According to reports, China wants its own security company to guard its citizens and assets in Pakistan following recent attacks against its interest. Can the foreign ministry confirm if the Chinese Ministry of State Security asked Pakistan in June to allow a Chinese security company to operate in Pakistan? Pakistans Interior Ministry has objected to this request, saying instead that Pakistan security forces are able to protect Chinese nationals and assets in Pakistan. Can you comment about this? Zhao Lijian: I am not aware of what you mentioned. Between the responsible departments of China and Pakistan and between the Pakistani government and the Chinese embassy and consulates, there is close communication and coordination on protecting Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan. We have noticed that the Pakistani government has set up a special security division tasked with protecting Chinese personnel working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and inter-governmental cooperation projects. It also offers protection to other Chinese personnel in the country. Peoples Daily: China proposed establishing the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund and the global development promotion center at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development last week. Could you share more information on them, including how China plans to flesh out these two new concepts? Zhao Lijian: At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, President Xi Jinping announced the launch of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to support developing countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. On this basis, with a view to increasing input to global development cooperation, the Chinese government has decided to upgrade the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund and add $1 billion to the fund on top of the $3 billion already committed to support developing countries in implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Fund will serve the main purpose of expanding multilateral cooperation in global development, focus on priority programs under the GDI, and support the roles of UN development agencies and international organizations, to inject new impetus into implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The global development promotion center will mainly act as a platform for actions and mobilize resources for implementing the GDI. The Chinese side will develop a project pool covering key GDI areas and hold a Forum on Global Action for Shared Development to provide insights for GDI cooperation. These concrete steps are an important part of Chinas practical plan to substantiate the GDI. We believe that by pooling consensus on development worldwide and mobilizing global resources for development, they will surely contribute to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promoting global development. Global Times: It is reported that in recent days, two batches of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived in Afghanistan on civil and military aircraft. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Mr. Ghulam Ghaws Naseri, acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghan interim government, attended the handover ceremony. Can you share more details on this? Zhao Lijian: China feels deeply for the devastation endured by the Afghan people. Yesterday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi over the phone to express once again heartfelt sympathies to Afghanistan over the quake. Right after the earthquake, the Chinese government decided to provide 50 million yuan worth of emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Two batches of urgently-needed supplies such as tents, camp beds and sleep blankets have arrived in Afghanistan. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Mr. Ghulam Ghaws Naseri, acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghan interim government, attended the handover ceremony. The Afghan side thanked China for the assistance and said they will deliver the relief supplies into the hands of the people in earthquake-stricken areas to provide concrete help to those in need. China will continue to follow the situation on the ground and post-disaster reconstruction in Afghanistan. We are ready to offer more urgently-needed help to the country in light of its need. We believe the Afghan side will pull through in solidarity and rebuild from the disaster soon. Associated Press of Pakistan: Last week, Pakistan received a RMB15 billion loan from China, which will help Pakistan build up its foreign exchange reserve. Do you have any comment on that? Zhao Lijian: China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. China always supports Pakistan in developing the economy, improving peoples livelihood and maintaining financial stability. We stand ready to continue to work with Pakistan to follow through on the consensus between the leaders of both countries, deepen practical cooperation in financial and other fields, jointly address risks and challenges and build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in a new era. TASS: According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Iran and Argentina have submitted applications for their membership in the BRICS. I wonder if you have any comments on that? Zhao Lijian: Since its launch, the BRICS mechanism has been closely linked to the future of emerging markets and developing countries. In a world facing drastic changes and the pandemic unseen in a century as well as international hotspot issues, BRICS countries have agreed on the importance to strengthen cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries, enhance the representation of the BRICS mechanism, raise BRICS voice on major international and regional issues, and jointly safeguard the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries. We noticed that many countries including Iran and Argentina have favorably expressed their will to join BRICS. As the BRICS chair for this year, China actively supports BRICS in starting the membership expansion process and expanding the BRICS Plus cooperation. At the 14th BRICS Summit on June 23, BRICS leaders have spoken in one voice about BRICS expansion and expressed support for the discussion on the standards and procedures of the expansion. China will work with BRICS partners to steadily advance the expansion process so that more partners will join the BRICS family. Bloomberg: NATO is set to label China a systemic challenge when it outlines its new strategy concept this week, while also highlighting Beijings deepening partnership with Russia. How does the foreign ministry respond to this? Zhao Lijian: As a product of the Cold War and the worlds largest military alliance, NATO has long clung to the outdated security concept and become a tool for certain country to maintain hegemony. NATOs so-called new Strategic Concept is just old wine in a new bottle. It still has not changed the Cold War mentality of creating imaginary enemies and bloc confrontation. China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. It does not interfere in other countries internal affairs or export ideology, still less engage in long-arm jurisdiction, economic coercion or unilateral sanctions. How could China be labeled a systemic challenge? China has promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, advanced high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, put forward the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and provided a large number of public goods for the international community to address major issues such as peace and development. Chinas development presents an opportunity for the world, not a challenge for anyone. We solemnly urge NATO to immediately stop spreading false and provocative statements against China. What NATO should do is to give up the Cold War mentality, zero-sum game mindset and the practice of making enemies, and stop seeking to disrupt Asia and the whole world after it has disrupted Europe. Shenzhen TV: The Hudson Institute established a China Center in May this year, with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the chair of the Centers advisory board. What is your comment? Zhao Lijian: The Hudson Institute is a conservative think tank in the US. In recent years, it has provided a platform for US politicians including then Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to speak against China. The institute also received long-term funding from the Taiwan authorities and assisted the latter to spread Taiwan independence rhetoric. Academic institutions should be bridges of communication and mutual learning between countries, rather than build deep trenches or high walls. They should become bridges of understanding and cooperation, rather than a source of disinformation about China. I believe people will stay vigilant to the real purpose and the potential moves of the China Center, and will not pull chestnut from fire for certain anti-China elements. Hubei Media Group: High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian attended a joint news conference after holding talks on June 25. Josep Borrell said both sides agreed to restart the discussions between Iran and the US on the JCPOA in the coming days with the EUs facilitation. Abdollahian said the meeting was positive and comprehensive, where Iran reiterated its demands and that Iran is prepared to resume the talks in the coming days. On the same day, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that a nuclear deal is the best way to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons status. And we want to get them back into compliance. What is Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: China has noted that indirect negotiations will be held between the US and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue with the EUs facilitation. We appreciate the EUs efforts in restarting the negotiation on resuming compliance. Since the US started the Iranian nuclear crisis, it needs to fulfill its commitment of returning to the JCPOA, actively respond to Irans legitimate concerns and work toward an early resumption of the negotiation for progress to be made. All relevant parties need to be mindful of how the things they say or do can contribute to advancing the negotiations. Diplomatic negotiations are the only right way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. Safeguarding the JCPOA is in the common interest of the international community. China always remains committed to the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, and will continue to participate constructively in negotiations, bring the JCPOA back to the normal track as soon as possible, defend the international non-proliferation system, and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East. At the same time, we will not waver in defending our own legitimate rights and interests. Reuters: Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific Island states are meeting at a pacific islands forum next month. A source told Reuters that the International Department of the CPC wants to host the dialogue with the Pacific Islands on July 14, which happens to be the last day of the PIF. Can the foreign ministry comment on why China wants to meet the Pacific Islands on the same day as the Pacific Islands Forum? Related to this, the Pacific Islands Forum this year canceled the usual dialogue with observer nations which include China. How do you comment about this? Zhao Lijian: On your first question, China-Pacific Island Countries (PICs) relations enjoy sound development. We have maintained close exchanges and cooperation between government departments, legislatures, political parties, civil groups and local governments. As for the specific event you mentioned, I would refer you to the competent authorities. On your second question, China attaches great importance to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Since China became a Dialogue Partner of the PIF, China has actively participated in PIFs annual dialogue activities and has never been absent. We fully respect PICs decision against holding a dialogue this year and will stay in close communication with the PIF on follow-up arrangements. AFP: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will reportedly visit Myanmar in July for the 7th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting. Can you confirm whether its true or not? Zhao Lijian: We will release relevant information in due course. Please stay tuned. Beijing Daily: Japans Supreme Court has recently ruled that the government was not liable for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The ruling covers four separate damages lawsuits filed by residents affected by the nuclear meltdown. To date, about 12,000 people affected by the accident have filed around 30 class action lawsuits demanding compensation from the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company. It has been pointed out that the latest ruling could affect the outcomes of similar lawsuits filed across the country. Whats Chinas comment? Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. What happened at Japans Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is one of the worst nuclear accidents in history around the world. Large amounts of radioactive substances were leaked, which has a far-reaching impact on the marine environment, food safety and human health. For the Japanese government, the responsible thing to do is to properly handle the aftermath such as offering compensations, decommissioning the damaged reactors and disposing of the nuclear-contaminated water. I would like to stress that on the matter of disposing of the nuclear-contaminated water, the Japanese governments decision not only bears on the Japanese peoples basic human rights such as the right to health, but also concerns the rights and interests of people in all countries around the Pacific. Lately, the Japanese side, in disregard of the opposition at home and abroad, has expedited construction of facilities for discharging the nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and may soon secure approval for the ocean discharge plan, which can turn this bad plan into a fait accompli. China once again urges the Japanese side to take the legitimate concerns of various sides seriously, look for an appropriate means to dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water through full consultation with stakeholders including neighboring countries and relevant international organizations, and stop pushing through its ocean discharge plan. Bloomberg: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on his way to the NATO Summit that the Chinese government should learn the lessons from Russias strategic failure in Ukraine. In an apparent reference to any attempt to seize Taiwan by force, Albanese said that the war had shown attempts to impose change by force on a sovereign country meet resistance. How does the foreign ministry view Mr. Albaneses remarks? Zhao Lijian: We have elaborated on Chinas position on the Ukraine crisis on multiple occasions. We have also stressed many times that Taiwan is not Ukraine. A parallel cannot be drawn between them. Taiwan is not a sovereign country. We hope relevant politicians will stop making irresponsible remarks. MASTV: The US and Taiwan held a meeting of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade recently. The two sides discussed the development of a roadmap for negotiations with a view to reaching agreements with high-standard commitments and economically meaningful outcomes. Do you have any comment? Zhao Lijian: China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction between the Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China, including negotiating or concluding agreements with implications of sovereignty and of official nature. There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The US should abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-US joint communiques with concrete actions, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop negotiating agreements with implications of sovereignty and of official nature with the Taiwan authorities, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces. The DPP authorities need to give up on the idea that they could seek independence with US support, otherwise the higher they jump, the harder they will fall. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Sunny to partly cloudy. High 26C. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening followed by some light rain after midnight. Low 18C. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. A man who stored more than 1,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine or fentanyl in a childs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack in the Rhode Island apartment he shared with his three children has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison FILE Violent insurrections loyal to President Donald Trump break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. Over months, the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection has issued more than 100 subpoenas, done more than 1,000 interviews and probed more than 100,000 documents to get to the bottom of the attack that day in 2021 by supporters of former President Donald Trump. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California legislators on Monday approved Texas-style lawsuits over illegal guns, mimicking the Lone Star State's law aimed at deterring abortions and obliquely linking the two most controversial U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last week. The California bill would allow anyone to sue people who sell illegal firearms. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom sought the measure in part to tweak the conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court, which gave preliminary approval to the Texas law allowing citizens to sue anyone who provides or assists in providing an abortion. The California bill would automatically be invalidated if the Texas law is eventually ruled unconstitutional. Legislators acted days after the nation's high court allowed states to ban abortions, and separately expanded gun rights in states including California. What Texas did on abortion was dangerous, and we already know how disgusting the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court has been, said Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gipson. But California stands to lead the way in this space in a very powerful and dynamic way. This is about empowering everyday people who are at the blunt of gun violence. The California Assembly approved the bill Monday, 50-19, sending it back to the Senate for a final vote. Senators already passed a version in May on a 24-10 roll call. Newsom has said he expects lawmakers to send the bill to him as early as this week, before they leave for a monthlong summer recess. This puts power back in the peoples hands, said Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting. This creates a private right of action that allows almost anyone to bring a lawsuit against those who manufacture, distribute, transport, import or sell illegal assault weapons, rifles, ghost guns or ghost gun kits. No legislators spoke against the measure. But the bill faces unusual combined opposition from both gun owners' rights organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union, which separately have criticized creating a bounty to encourage people to bring civil actions to punish crimes. The California bill would allow people to sue anyone who distributes illegal assault weapons, parts that can be used to build weapons, guns without serial numbers, or .50 caliber rifles. They would be awarded at least $10,000 in civil damages for each weapon, plus attorneys fees. We cannot stand silently by while California leaders escalate an arms race ... by setting up bounty-hunting schemes on politically sensitive issues, the ACLU said in an opposition letter. It also opposes the Texas law, in part because both would set a dangerous legal precedent," since both are designed to skirt judicial review by empowering citizens to act in place of government officials. The bill is one of four that Newsom asked lawmakers to fast-track in response to recent mass shootings, including one that killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas in May. The other three bills all previously cleared the state Assembly and two of the three passed the Senate on Monday along with several other firearms bills. The second bill similarly empowers private citizens to take action, this time by suing gun makers or dealers who fail to follow precautions under a firearm industry standard of conduct. Violators could be sued by the attorney general, city or county attorneys, or anyone who suffered harm. Financial repercussions may finally push the firearms industry and dealers to be more responsible in improving their practices and obeying the series of gun laws that we have here in California, said Democratic Sen. Robert Hertzberg, who carried the bill in the Senate. Republican Sen. Shannon Grove objected that lawmakers should instead concentrate on those who obtain weapons illegally. I mean, we have car accidents," Grove said. "Thats not the car dealer or the car manufacturers fault, its the guy driving the cars fault. The bill passed the Senate, 25-9, sending it to Newsom. The third is aimed at untraceable ghost guns by requiring precursor firearms parts to have serial numbers. It passed the Assembly 63-0 and is awaiting a Senate vote. It would give Californians who have weapons without serial numbers six months to register them and add the numbers. Almost anyone can order these kits, said Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino. We must now eradicate the deadly untraceable weapons currently wreaking havoc in our communities. The measure passed the Senate, 30-0, and returns to the Assembly for a final vote on amendments. The fourth bill restricts advertising of firearms to minors. It, too, would allow people harmed by violations to sue for damages. EDWARDSVILLE A Granite City man faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from a June 22 accident on Morrison Road, Granite City. John T. Turcott, 68, of Granite City, was charged June 24 with failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, a Class 2 felony; aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to vehicle, failure to give aid or information in accident involving death or injury and operation of uninsured motor vehicle causing bodily harm, all Class A misdemeanors; and failure to report accident to police authority by driver, driving too fast for conditions and improper lane usage, all Class P misdemeanors. The case was presented by the Illinois State Police. According to court documents, on June 22 Turcott allegedly was driving a Chrysler vehicle without insurance when he was involved in an accident on Morrison Road in Granite City while driving too fast for conditions and weaving between lanes. He allegedly struck a person who suffered a broken leg. Turcott then fled from the scene and failed to report the accident to police. Bail was set at $75,000. Other felony charges filed June 24 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include: Jorge A. Barrios, 41, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Edwardsville Police Department. According to court documents, on June 22 Barrios allegedly stabbed a household or family member with a knife, causing great bodily harm. Bail was set at $50,000. Keyoshi K. McGraw Jr., 21, of Collinsville, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On June 23 McGraw allegedly discharged a firearm in a reckless manner, endangering another person. Bail was set at $15,000. Lemario L. Jones, 21, of Madison, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by Madison Police Department. On June 23 Jones allegedly had a loaded Stag Arms 5.56 mm rifle while not on his own land, home or business. Bail was set at $15,000. Andrew D. Trobaugh, 41, of Godfrey, was charge with resisting a peace officer, a Class 2 felony, as well as having no rear registration light and driving without a valid license in his possession. Bail was set at $10,000. So-called neonics add a much smaller amount of pesticides to the environment than widespread spraying, but they are absorbed by plants, which makes the entire plant deadly to some species. Endangered species in America from bees to birds can start breathing just a little bit easier. Earlier this month, the U.S EPA took an important step toward protecting numerous endangered species from hazardous insecticides. First, the technical stuff. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 16 said three neonic pesticides are likely to adversely affect from two-thirds to more than three-fourths of Americas endangered species 1,225 to 1,445 species in all. The three neonicotinoid insecticides, also known as neonics, are clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Now its up to the federal government, along with the states, to build on that decision. If they do, it will help protect endangered species in the future and help make farming more sustainable in states such as Illinois with strong agricultural bases. (The EPA ruling) is good news. It is a call for action by the federal government and state governments, Steve Blackledge, senior director of Environment Americas Conservation America Campaign, told us. Neonics are causing a whole lot of harm. Neonics are effective pesticides that are applied in small doses directly to the surface of seeds. They add a much smaller amount of pesticides to the environment than widespread spraying. But they are absorbed by plants, which makes the entire plant including the plants nectar, pollen and fruit deadly to some species, and they can linger in soil for years. Carried in runoff, neonics pollute waterways throughout the nation. Its kind of scary how completely (neonics) took over field crop agriculture, Bill Freese, scientific director of the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, told us. Because neonics are so effective, sustainable organic farming practices such as crop rotation and planting off-season cover crops have tended to fall by the wayside, Freese said. Neonics are banned in the European Union, but they are the most popular insecticides in the United States. The Illinois Public Interest Research Group has called for ending excessive use of the pesticides, including a ban on consumer use. Studies have showed neonics harm bees, birds, butterflies, freshwater invertebrates and mammals, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. As Lori Ann Burd, the centers environmental health director, said in a statement, Were in the midst of a heartbreaking extinction crisis, and neonicotinoids are playing an outsized role in driving it. Many species are struggling. The once-common American bumblebee has declined by about 89% in the past 20 years. A 2019 analysis found wild bird populations in the continental U.S. and Canada had declined by 29% or about 3 billion birds since 1970. Among the species the EPA found were likely to be adversely affected by neonics are the Chinook salmon, Florida panther, Indiana bat, whooping crane, California red-legged frog, Karner blue butterfly and yellow larkspur, the Center for Food Safety said. Its not just a matter of losing endangered species. Illinois PIRG says bees pollinate 71 of the top 100 crops that provide 90% of the worlds food. Killing off damaging insects with pesticides doesnt help as much as it should if plants dont get pollinated. Clearly, the threatened species need our help. The next step in the process of regulating neonics is for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to draw up safeguards for the use of neonics based on the EPAs ruling. Over the past year, Massachusetts, Maine, New York and New Jersey have banned the consumer sale of neonics. In Illinois, state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, in January introduced a bill limiting the use of neonics on public lands, but the bill remained stuck in the Rules Committee when the session ended. The science is very clear (neonics) pose serious environmental threats, Guzzardi said. We have been working on this for a few years, but the chemical industry is dug in on this issue. Farmers need to be productive, especially at a time when food supplies have been disrupted worldwide. But that productivity should not come at the cost of unnecessarily harming many of our native species. The ringleader of a plot that defrauded multiple Rhode Island banks out of tens of thousands of dollars through a counterfeit check scheme has been sentenced to five years in prison London Heathrow's boss has denounced plans to force the airport to reduce passenger charges over the coming four years. Under proposals by the UK Civil Aviation Authority published on Tuesday, the average maximum price per passenger Britain's busiest airport can charge airlines will be slashed from 30.19 now to 26.31 by 2026. This would be equivalent to a real-terms price reduction of 6 per cent each year up to 2026, by which time the cost will be more than a third below the 41.95 per passenger Heathrow wants to charge. Warning: Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said that the CAA's proposals would lead to a poorer quality of service for customers and discourage private investment The public body argues that 'affordable charges' for passengers and greater medium-term certainty for investors would help the airline industry's recovery. In addition, the CAA said the cap would still allow Heathrow to spend money on upgrades, including a new baggage system for Terminal 2 and next-generation security equipment. But the airport's chief executive John Holland-Kaye claims that the proposals would lead to a poorer quality of service for customers and discourage private investment. He said: 'The CAA continues to underestimate what it takes to deliver a good passenger service, both in terms of the level of investment and operating costs required and the fair incentive needed for private investors to finance it. 'Uncorrected, these elements of the CAA's proposal will only result in passengers getting a worse experience at Heathrow as investment in service dries up.' The aviation watchdog will now consider responses to its plans before a final verdict is published sometime in the autumn. Recommendation: Under CAA proposals, Heathrow would have the average maximum price per passenger it can charge airlines slashed from 30.19 now to 26.31 by 2026 Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss said the CAA's announcement was a 'positive step towards a price cap that puts customers first.' But he insisted the regulator 'can and must go further' to lower fees to reflect 'robust demand for travel this summer and beyond.' He added: 'With travel recovery under way, our collective focus should be on upholding the best possible experience for customers with fair charges, especially with consumers facing cost-of-living pressures and our global Britain aspirations at stake.' At the start of 2022, London Heathrow was allowed to increase the maximum average fees by over half from 19.60 to its current level. The CAA declared that the decision reflected the uncertain recovery in passenger travel, concerns about the costs of travel requirements, such as Covid testing, and the airport's relatively high passenger charges. Heathrow condemned the cap, alleging that it was made on 'rushed analysis' and contained 'material and basic errors' that, if unamended, would leave it without sufficient funds for investment. The airport has lost 4billion since the coronavirus pandemic began two years ago when onerous cross-border travel restrictions started being imposed. Though airline travel has bounced back following the successful mass rollout of vaccination programmes, enduring uncertainty and travel restrictions mean it remains far below pre-pandemic volumes. Last week, Heathrow said it expected 54.4 million travellers to come through its premises this year, compared to 19.4 million in 2021, which was its lowest figure in 50 years, but two-thirds down from 2019 levels. The dramatic rebound in passenger numbers has happened at the same time the airport has struggled with employee shortages, leading to widespread flight cancellations or long check-in delays. This disruption is set to continue over the summer after British Airways check-in and ground staff based at Heathrow voted last week to take industrial action in a dispute over pay. Water firms' shares have come under pressure as South West Water became the latest target of an Ofwat investigation into potential sewage dumping. The watchdog has already launched probes into how Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water manage their 'wastewater treatment works'. The new investigation into South West Water sent shares in its FTSE 250-listed owner Pennon Group 6 per cent lower to 10.08 in late trading. The watchdog has already launched probes into another five companies' wastewater works Fellow water firm Severn Trent was the top faller on the FTSE 100, with shares down 4 per cent to 27.39 towards market close. United Utilities, which provides water and wastewater services in the North West of England, also fell 0.9 per cent to 10.25. AJ Bell investment director, Russ Mould, explained that the fall in the two Footsie companies' share prices can be attributed to a broker downgrade. 'Utilities were out of fashion following a broker downgrade on Severn Trent,' he said. 'JPMorgan moved to an "underweight" position on the stock, triggering a decline in the share price. United Utilities fell in sympathy.' Most UK water companies have been embroiled in sewage dumping scandals in recent years, while hiking bills to customers and paying their executives hefty bonuses. The chief executive of Severn Trent, which serves customers in the Midlands, was paid nearly 4million last year as it hiked hiking customer bills by 7.1 per cent. In December, the company was also fined 1.5million for illegally dumping 80,000 gallons of sewage into Worcestershire watercourses. The firm's actions were described as 'completely unacceptable' by a West Midlands environment manager. Wastewater assets are the physical components of wastewater systems, they include pipes, manholes, pumps and storage tanks. Ofwat chief executive David Black said the regulator has now opened enforcement cases against the majority of wastewater companies in England and Wales. He added: 'From what we have seen so far, the scale of the issue here is shocking - companies must resolve any problems at wastewater treatment works and do so quickly.' 'As we gather and analyse more information, including data on storm overflow spills, our concerns have grown further about South West Water's operation of its wastewater assets and environmental performance. 'As a result, we have opened an additional enforcement case into South West Water.' In response, Pennon told investors on Tuesday the firm would 'continue to work openly and constructively with Ofwat to comply with the formal notice issued to South West Water as part of this ongoing investigation'. The chief executive of fund manager Jupiter, Andrew Formica, is quitting after just over three years in the top role, the company announced on Tuesday. Formica, who joined Jupiter in March 2019, will step down in October and will be replaced by the current investment chief, Matthew Beesley. His resignation comes after 'an extremely challenging period for the business and markets', during which Jupiter suffered outflows and a falling share price. Stepping down: Andrew Formica will leave the company in October this year Jupiter shares fell by 1.1 per cent to 155.6p in afternoon trading on Tuesday. They have lost around 40 per cent of their value over the past year. Formica has been openly criticised by former Jupiter executive, Jon Little, who last month said his appointment had been a 'mistake' in a letter to chairwoman Nichola Pease. He said Jupiter had 'lost its way' and needed to change its management and strategy. Jupiter reported net outflows of 1.6billion in the first quarter of this year, while assets under management decreased by 5.2billion to 55.3billion. This is partly down to British and European equities, which are Jupiter's core sectors, falling out of favour with investors. Announcing his resignation, Formica said: 'Jupiter is a client-led business and I am proud to have worked with such a fantastic and dedicated team as we navigated an extremely challenging period for the business and markets. 'Despite those challenges, we continued to deliver for our clients with strong investment performance and our focus on high conviction active management.' The London-listed group said Beesley, who joined Jupiter at the start of the year from rival manager Artemis, will be appointed to the board and promoted to deputy chief executive 'with immediate effect'. Beesley, 46, acknowledged the challenge of heavy outflows and pledged to maintain the asset manager's focus on overseas growth. 'Markets are challenging at the moment and are volatile. Activity creates opportunities for active managers and many of our strategies are performing well as you might expect in this environment,' Beesley told Reuters. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 91F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. From left to right: Rusty Bowers, Arizona House Speaker; Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State; and Gabriel Sterling, Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer, are sworn in prior to testifying during the fourth hearing on the Jan. 6 investigation in the Cannon House Office Building on June 21, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS) Firefighters and soldiers searched on Tuesday for survivors in the rubble of a shopping mall in central Ukraine after a Russian missile strike killed at least 18 people in an attack condemned by the United Nations and the West. Family members of the missing lined up at a hotel across the street where rescue workers set up a base after Mondays strike on the busy mall in Kremenchuk, in the region of Poltava, southeast of Kyiv. More than 1,000 people were inside when two Russian missiles slammed into the mall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. At least 18 people were killed and 25 hospitalised, while about 36 were missing, said Dmytro Lunin, governor of Poltava. Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies, at a summit in Germany, said the attack was abominable. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account, they said in a joint statement. Zelenskiy said in a Monday evening video address that it was not an accidental hit, this is a calculated Russian strike exactly onto this shopping centre. A survivor receiving treatment at Kremenchuks public hospital, Ludmyla Mykhailets, 43, said she was shopping with her husband when the blast threw her into the air. I flew head first and splinters hit my body. The whole place was collapsing, she said. It was hell, added her husband, Mykola, 45, blood seeping through a bandage around his head. Russia has not commented on the strike but its deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, accused Ukraine of using the incident to gain sympathy ahead of a June 28-30 summit of the NATO military alliance. One should wait for what our Ministry of Defence will say, but there are too many striking discrepancies already, Polyanskiy wrote on Twitter. The U.N. Security Council will meet on Tuesday at Ukraines request following the attack. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the missile strike was deplorable. BATTLE FOR LYSYCHANSK Elsewhere on the battlefield, Ukraine endured another difficult day following the loss of the now-ruined city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombardment and street fighting. Russian artillery pounded Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsks twin city across the Siverskyi Donets River. Lysychansk is the last big city held by Ukraine in eastern Luhansk province, a main target for the Kremlin after Russian troops failed to take the capital, Kyiv, early in the war. Eight residents including a child were killed and 21 wounded by shelling when they gathered to get some drinking water in Lysychansk on Monday, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said. There was no immediate Russian comment. Ukrainian forces controlled the city but its loss was possible as Russia poured resources into the fight, he added. They really want this and a lot of reserves are being thrown just for this We do not need to lose an army for the sake of one city, he told Reuters in an interview. Rodion Miroshnik, the ambassador to Moscow of the separatist Luhansk Peoples Republic, said Russian troops and their Luhansk Republic allies were advancing westward into Lysychansk and street battles had erupted around the citys stadium. Fighting was going on in several villages around the city, and Russian and allied troops had entered the Lysychansk oil refinery where Ukrainian troops were concentrated, Miroshnik said on his Telegram channel. Reuters could not confirm Russian reports that Moscows troops had already entered the city. Russia also shelled the city of Kharkiv in northeast Ukraine on Monday, hitting apartment buildings and a primary school, the regional governor said. The shelling killed five people and wounded 22. There were children among the wounded, the governor said. AS LONG AS IT TAKES Moscow denies targeting civilians in what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine, but Kyiv and the West have accused Russian forces of war crimes. The war has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing, and triggered spikes in global food and energy prices. read more During their summit in Germany, G7 leaders vowed to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and tighten the squeeze on Russias finances with new sanctions that include a proposal to cap the price of Russian oil. Zelenskiy asked for more arms in a video address to G7 leaders, U.S. and European officials said. He also requested help to export grain and for more sanctions on Russia. The White House said Russia had defaulted on its external debt for the first time in more than a century as sanctions have effectively cut the country off from global finance. Russia rejected that, telling investors to go to Western financial agents for the cash, which was sent but bondholders did not receive. SOURCE: REUTERS ALBANY Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe vs. Wade passionately and aggressively, promising to make New York a beacon for abortion rights in a country where they are now in doubt. "This is repulsive at every level," Hochul said Friday after the release of the court's decision, which she described as "turning back the tides of progress." Yet the court's ruling is also a major victory for a church and faith that Hochul has described as deeply important to her life. Few institutions in American life have been more consistent and forceful opponents of abortion than the Roman Catholic Church. "This just decision will save countless innocent children simply waiting to be born," said a statement released Friday and signed by New York's Catholic Bishops, including Michael Fisher, who is Hochul's hometown bishop in Buffalo, and Edward Scharfenberger in Albany. "Millions of Americans have worked tirelessly for almost 50 years towards this outcome," they added. "We thank them with every fiber of our being." The dichotomy is nothing new, of course. Catholic politicians including, perhaps most famously, former Gov. Mario Cuomo have long taken public positions on abortion that are seemingly at odds with their faith, often controversially so. But the overturning of Roe threatens to heighten those tensions, in part because it puts abortion laws directly into the hands of politicians and lawmakers. States are now free to restrict (and protect) abortion as lawmakers see fit. Even before the overturning of Roe, there was an obvious change in how many Catholic Democrats spoke about abortion. For example, the elder Cuomo, famously eloquent, was usually nuanced on the issue, making sure to acknowledge the heartfelt opinions of abortion opponents as he explained that his personal objections to the practice should not trump the choices of others. "Even a radically secular world must struggle with the questions of when life begins, under what circumstances it can be ended, when it must be protected, by what authority," Mario Cuomo said in a landmark University of Notre Dame speech that long provided a template, of sorts, for other pro-choice Catholic politicians. Hochul, reflecting the divided political realities of the moment and perhaps her being New York's first female governor, has not been so nuanced or sympathetic. Earlier this month, she even referred to abortion opponents as "Neanderthals." And yet that group of so-called Neanderthals includes the leaders of a Catholic faith that Hochul has frequently invoked since taking office last summer. "I feel that God has tapped me on the shoulder," Hochul said in September. "Everything I have done in life has been because of the Grace of God leading me to that place." According to the Pew Research Center, American Catholics are roughly divided on abortion, so there's nothing unusual or new about the governor's position or that of pro-choice Catholic Democrats such as President Joe Biden or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But there are still occasional confrontations. San Francisco's Catholic archbishop, for example, recently announced he would deny Pelosi communion because of what he described as "the grave evil she is perpetrating." Closer to home, Scharfenberger in 2017 called out a trio of Catholic politicians Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko for rhetoric used at a Planned Parenthood rally. Without directly naming the trio, the bishop issued a statement saying "it is inappropriate and confusing to the faithful to hold yourself out as a Catholic while also promoting abortion." On Monday, Scharfenberger told me it was unlikely he would use similar words anytime soon. "I just don't see that as an effective way to win more hearts and minds," he said, "and my priority is always to win more hearts and minds." Scharfenberger, echoing the joint statement released with other bishops, also talked about the need for programs that support mothers and their children through all stages of life. Those policies, areas in which the church is generally on the same page as its pro-choice Democrats, will be needed more than ever after the court's ruling, he said. Of course, the decision will do little to restrict abortion in New York and other blue states where lawmakers have enshrined protections in law. Hochul is vowing to keep it that way. "I want everyone to know that abortion remains safe, accessible, and legal in New York," the governor said Friday. "Our state will always be a safe harbor for those seeking access to abortion care." cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill Andy Van Der Poels man cave in the garage of his Kingston home has many of the usual trappings: a TV, a fridge for Heinekens, a workbench and tools. But its most remarkable feature is rows of shelving for his Hudson Valley brick collection. Van Der Poel, a retired high school physics teacher, custom-built the wooden display units, which hold one brick per compartment. Under each brick is a white, handwritten label with its manufacturer, the place it was made and its year of production, if known (most are late 19th or early 20th century). Michelle Falkenstein He identifies brickyards by the letters and/or symbols printed in a bricks frog, an indentation on the face of a brick. Some marks are easy to decipher WBC means Washburn Brothers Co, P.F.G. stands for Patrick F. Greaney. Other codes are trickier a single shamrock is the symbol for Dwyer Brothers, a skeleton key running through an inverted trapezoid was used by the Keystone Brick Company. These are my choice examples, said Van Der Poel, who was joined in his mantuary on a recent Saturday by fellow collectors Fred Rieck and Tom Kastner. If I find a better one, this is where it ends up. Van Der Poel directed a visitor to a tufted armchair in the corner of the garage, where you can get a full view. Michelle Falkenstein Van Der Poel, Rieck and Kastner are just a few of the many well, at least a couple dozen Hudson Valley brick enthusiasts who meet up for brick swaps and to hunt for bricks from an era when the region manufactured more of them than any other in the world. The history of bricks is really the history of the Hudson Valley, says Kastner, a retired nurse from New Paltz who started collecting about five years ago after getting curious about a pile of old bricks in his yard. Every brick tells a story. At the turn of the 20th century, 130 brickyards lined both shores of the Hudson River, where heavy deposits of clay were easily mined, from Mechanicsville to Haverstraw. It was the worlds largest brick-producing region, employing around 8,000 people, including immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Hungary, and workers from the American South. The largest concentration of brickyards was found in Haverstraw, now home to the Haverstraw Brick Museum. At its peak, the Hudson Valley produced an estimated 1 billion bricks a year, most of which were shipped downriver and used in New York City construction. In the 1800s, children worked the brickyards alongside the adults, and small hand and footprints can be seen on the bricks marked by human handling. Michelle Falkenstein The skyline of New York City used to be the landscape of the Hudson River Valley, Kastner said. Around 15 percent of the bricks produced were imperfect burned, warped or otherwise unusable for construction. These defective bricks, called clinkers and lamies, were dumped on the banks of the Hudson for centuries, as were bricks from defunct brickyards. All have been worn down by the tide or, in some cases, gathered by brick collectors, who ride in canoes along the shore or walk along the waters edge. Bricks with short production runs are the holy grails of collecting. These include Bichler, made for about a year in Glasco. Once youve got one, youre looking for another one you dont have, said Rieck, pointing to a WWP brick in Van Der Poels collection. Washburn, Worrall & Palmer, thats on my hit list. I have a partial. Michelle Falkenstein Bricks inspired collector and artist Julia Whitney Barnes to create a sculpture called Hudson River of Bricks. It features bricks, some glazed in watery colors, swirled across the floor in the shape of the Hudson River. Barnes places the bricks placed in the approximate location where they were made. In February, Barnes hosted a brick swap at her Poughkeepsie home. Stephanie LaRose Lewison, a geological consultant who lives in LaGrange, got hooked on bricks in 2011 while working at an excavation site in the Bronx where the bricks had many different markings. I have the collecting gene and an interest in local history, said Lewison, whose collection now numbers around 400. Van Der Poels interest in bricks was sparked by a 2003 book called The Great Hudson River Brick Industry: Commemorating Three and a Half Centuries of Brickmaking by George V. Hutton, the last owner of Hutton Brickyards in Kingston. Van Der Poel started brick hunting and posting questions on brickcollecting.com, a comprehensive resource for everything brick. All my questions were answered by one guy Rieck, whose own interest in bricks began in high school around 50 years ago. Sean Hemmerle While most brickyards were knocked down or left in ruins, Hutton Brickyards, in operation from 1865 to 1980, has been repurposed as a glamping site and wedding and events venue. Yet evidence of its former life can be found on nearby Kingston Point Beach, which at first glance looks like any other small, flat parcel of sand interspersed with beach volleyball nets. On closer inspection, however, splotches of orange appear in the sand, becoming more pronounced at the beachs north end. Just across a paved walkway, fragments of broken bricks appear until farther on theres nothing but bricks, broken and whole, filling the entire coastline, waiting for collectors to gather them before they are tumbled back to clay by the lapping waves of the Hudson River. Federal prosecutors have dismissed fraud charges against a fourth man indicted over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in northern Vermont using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors money raised through a special visa program. Jong Weon Choi, also known as Alex Choi, was a business man in South Korea when he was indicted in 2019 along with the former owner of Jay Peak and Burke Mountain ski resorts, a lawyer and the former president of Jay Peak. The three other men, former Jay and Burke resorts owner Ariel Quiros, former Jay Peak President William Stenger and Quiros' adviser, William Kelly, were sentenced in April to prison, wrapping up the largest fraud case in Vermont history. Choi has remained at large. The government requested evidence and testimony from the Republic of Korea in 2017 and has been unable to get what it now believes to be important evidence relating to the case against Choi, the U.S. attorney's office stated in the court motion signed by the judge Monday. Since Choi was charged, he has not entered the United States or appeared before the court, the filing states. "In light of these difficulties, as well as the resolution of the cases against the co-defendants, dismissal of the lndictment at this time is in the interests of justice," the filing states. Three years before the criminal indictment, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the state of Vermont alleged that Quiros and Stenger took part in a massive eight-year fraudulent scheme. The civil allegations involved misusing more than $200 million of about $400 million raised from foreign investors for various ski area developments through the EB-5 visa program, which encourages foreigners to invest in job-creating projects in the U.S. in exchange for a chance at permanent U.S. residency. Quiros and Stenger settled civil charges with the SEC, with Quiros surrendering more than $80 million in assets, including the two resorts. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's primary day the first of two state primaries this year and enrolled Democrats and Republicans will head to the polls to pick winners in key intraparty battles for governor, lieutenant governor and multiple Capital Region and Hudson Valley state Assembly districts. The polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Do you have questions about the primaries? Check out the Times Union's voter's guide. The two major parties are picking their candidates for November's general election. Gov. Kathy Hochul looks to hold off Democratic challengers New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-Long Island. On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Long Island, is the party favorite, but the race remains competitive with Andrew Giuliani, who has maintained high name recognition because of his father; Harry Wilson, a businessman pumping millions of dollars into his own campaign; and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. The race for lieutenant governor lives under the shadow of turmoil for the Democratic Party establishment following the federal indictment and resignation of former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who is accused of bribery and misusing campaign funds. He was charged months after being selected by Hochul as her second-in-command. Democrats in control of state government changed Election Law to allow Benjamin to be removed from the ballot and for Hochul to appoint a new lieutenant governor, then-U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado. The Schenectady native now faces progressive Ana Maria Archila and former New York City Council member Diana Reyes in the June primary. There is no Republican Party primary because Alison Esposito is the only GOP candidate. Several Assembly districts in the Capital Region have primaries too. Primaries for Congress and state Senate will be held on Aug. 23 after successful court challenge forced the state to redraw district maps. A group of abortion providers from around the Lone Star State filed a lawsuit Monday against Attorney General Ken Paxton and several other state and local officials over what they say are conflicting state laws banning the medical procedure. An initial hearing on the new legal challenge, filed in Harris Countys 269th state District Court, will be livestreamed at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on the courts website. Hours after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections Friday, Paxton issued a legal advisory arguing that Texas district attorneys could immediately file criminal charges based on an existing statute outlawing abortion that is technically still on the books in Texas, despite a court ruling questioning its validity. The law, originally passed in 1925, had since been ruled unconstitutional by the landmark Roe v. Wade, the same case overturned by the Supreme Court just days ago. The providers are asking 269th state District Court Judge Cory Sepolio to temporarily repeal the 1925 abortion ban so they can continue providing what were previously legal abortions before the states trigger laws go into effect 30 days after the Supreme Court officially releases its judgment. Once Paxtons advisory was released, abortion providers across Texas immediately canceled appointments in fear of being prosecuted, attorneys for the providers argued in their petition filed Monday afternoon. "Mr. Paxtons and the Texas Legislatures attempts to greenlight the immediate prosecution of abortion providers based on violations of the Pre-Roe ban must not stand," attorneys wrote in the suit. In 1973, the law was transferred from the Texas penal code to the states civil statutes and deemed unenforceable after Roe was decided. Ever since, it failed to appear in the states official record of statutes, called Vernons Civil Statutes, attorneys said. Indeed, an archived version of the record from February 2022 before the Supreme Court overturned Roe shows it was nowhere to be found. But an official version accessed Monday includes the 1925 law in the code. However, despite Paxtons urging for prosecutors to file criminal charges related to abortions, the code now also has an annotation announcing it was "impliedly repealed" by another abortion case in 2004 that has yet to be overruled. That case, McCorvey v. Hill, started when Roes original plaintiffwhose real name is Norma McCorveyasked the federal courts to reverse their decision in the landmark Roe. The Fifth Circuit of Appeals ruled McCorvey waited too long to request the case be reversed. Attorneys for the abortion providers argue that because the statue had been off the books and unenforceable for decades, it should be invalidated. They also claim the states trigger laws would be inconsistent with the 1925 law, creating a potential problem surrounding due process. The American Civil Liberties Union and its Texas counterpart, along with the Center for Reproductive Rights which won a temporary halt on abortion restrictions in Louisiana on Monday, helped filed the suit. Susan Walsh/Associated Press "Abortion services stopped immediately in Texas last week after the Supreme Courts crushing decision, but we will fight to maintain access for as long as we can," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "Every day, every hour that abortion remains legal in Texas is a chance for more people to get the care they need. The clinics we represent want to help as many patients as they can, down to the last minute." The list of plaintiffs includes: Whole Womans Health, Whole Womans Health Alliance, Alamo Womens Reproductive Services, Austin Womens Health Center, Houston Womens Clinic, Houston Womens Reproductive Services, and Southwestern Womens Surgery Center. As of Monday afternoon, the defendants which include Paxton, key members of the state's health and medical boards, and several district attorneys including Kim Ogg had yet to formally respond to the lawsuit, according to Harris County court records. Given that millions of Americans continue to distrust the 2020 presidential election results, thanks to the false claims made by a certain former president, this would be an especially apt time to reassure the public that our elections will remain secure and trustworthy. So as New York mulls whether to allow a substantial change in its voting machines, it really has two tasks: Making sure they are accurate and secure, and if so, ensuring that the public trusts them. The state Board of Elections is about to be put to both those tests soon. As reported by Sam Mellins of New York Focus for an article published in the Times Union, the board may soon approve voting machines that some experts fear are vulnerable to tampering. Well, you say, surely the Legislature would step in to prevent such a thing. Right? Not so. A bill with bipartisan support seeking to ban those machines passed in the state Senate last month, but the legislation died in the Assembly after lobbyists got involved and the elections committee chair, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, refused to let it come to a vote. The machines in question, including the ExpressVote XL, use a different process than the one most voters know. Rather than selecting candidates with a pen on paper before submitting the ballot to counting machines, voters make selections on a touchscreen. The machine then prints ballots pre-filled with the voters choices. Among the concerns is that the printed ballot encodes voters choices in barcodes. Although the chosen candidates are also listed, critics note that the voter can't be sure that the barcode correctly reflects those choices. Worse, election security experts say the machines are easier to hack, though ExpressVote XL's vendor, Election Systems & Software, says that they are not connected to the internet or Wi-Fi, that the USB sticks used in them are well-encrypted, and that the machines are subjected to rigorous security testing. They're also said to be more expensive per voter and take longer to use, potentially exacerbating lines at polling places. So what's the advantage? Well, the touchscreens do offer ballots in a multitude of languages, but that benefit shouldn't override security concerns. Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter. The state Board of Elections has indicated it may soon approve the machines, which would allow local elections boards to use them. New York City has already expressed an interest. This would be controversial at any time, but it's particularly so when trust in the integrity of elections is dangerously diminished. Perhaps that's why 41 out of 63 state senators voted for the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, that would ban the machines. The Democratic co-chair of the state Elections Board also supports the ban. With all that concern, it's vital that the board subject these machines to thorough, independent testing for reliability, integrity, and security. And then to be as transparent with the public as possible about the results of that review. If the Legislature still isn't satisfied, it should get the Myrie-Paulin bill to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk with all due speed. Election security is vitally important to a functioning democracy. So is voter trust. Neither should be put in jeopardy by machines that could break a system that doesn't need fixing. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY After 11 tumultuous years, New Yorks Joint Commission on Public Ethics conducted its final meeting on Tuesday. On July 8, the commission will cease to exist. The Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed in the budget passed in April to replace it with a new ethics and lobbying oversight body the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. JCOPE was created through an ethics reform agreement struck in 2011 principally by three former lawmakers: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Silver and Skelos were later convicted on federal corruption charges and forced from office. Last August, Cuomo resigned after a state attorney generals report concluded he had sexually harassed or acted inappropriately with multiple women, and the Legislature was poised to impeach him. In those instances and other scandals involving powerful lawmakers, JCOPE did not play a significant role in uncovering the wrongdoing. The commission was long dogged by accusations that its commissioners were too close to the lawmakers who appointed them. The panel's 14 commissioners were appointed by top state lawmakers, with the governor appointing six. And complex voting rules established in the legislation that created the embattled ethics commission gave authority to a few of the commissioners to veto investigations into powerful officials leading the legislative and executive branches. After Cuomo resigned, Gov. Kathy Hochul replaced five of Cuomos six appointees to the body. One of them was Commissioner Sharon Stern Gerstman, who was appointed in October. At Tuesdays meeting, Gerstman said that during her eight-month tenure, criticisms that JCOPE was ineffective or political had not been true, and she praised both the commissioners and staff. "The media has been wrong, at least with respect to this commission, these commissioners, as we are currently constituted," she said. Commissioner Gary Lavine who emerged in recent years as a critic of Cuomo and his appointees to the panel Z praised the Hochul-appointed chair of the body, Jose Nieves, for moving the body forward in recent months. Not everyone in attendance thought the praise was warranted. A strident critic of the commission, attorney David Grandeau, attended the meeting and brought along a mask bearing the word JJOKE, a derisive term he coined during years of blogging about the panel. Grandeaus work on behalf of a lobbying client is being investigated by the commission. The commissioners voted to adopt a transparency initiative and to publicly release a letter they are sending to the state inspector generals office. On top of Central Towers Walmart Police Station The hospital In the middle of the Hydetown gravel pit pond Pitt Titusville I'd give up and be zombie food Vote View Results A glimpse at the latest numbers from authorities . . . Investigators said that four people died, including the driver of a dump truck. Three of the victims were passengers on the trail. Two of those victims died at the site and one died later at a hospital. A total of 150 other passengers and crew were transported from the scene to 10 area hospitals. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . 4 dead, 150 injured in Monday's Amtrak derailment in Missouri MENDON, Mo. - The Missouri Highway Patrol provided an update Tuesday on the deadly Amtrak crash and derailment mean Mendon. Investigators said that four people died, including the driver of a dump truck. Three of the victims were passengers on the trail. Two of those victims died at the site and one died later at a hospital. Deadly Amtrak derailment leaves a small Missouri town grieving, and eager to help Four people were killed and dozens injured when an Amtrak train struck a dump truck and derailed Monday in rural Missouri. Ambulances and helicopters took 150 passengers to area hospitals, while some were brought to a local high school for first aid. Missouri farmer worried for years about steep crossing at site of Amtrak train derailment MENDON, Mo. - No gates, no warning lights and a steep crossing. One area farmer said he's been worried for years that there would be a scene just like the one Monday, a mangled truck in pieces and an Amtrak train full of people on its side. 'Upset that he couldn't do more': Boy scouts helped truck driver, passengers after deadly Amtrak derailment in Missouri Two Boy Scout troops found themselves in the middle of both a disaster and a teaching moment Monday when the Amtrak train they were on derailed in rural Missouri. Two troops from Appleton, Wisconsin were aboard the Amtrak Southwest Chief that derailed after slamming into a dump truck at an "uncontrolled" intersection near Mendon, Missouri.Mendon is a small town northeast of Kansas City. Developing . . . Check the aftermath of a horrific death and a painful admission. This one earned some media coverage but a statement from the prosecutor's office shares more deets . . . Conviction in 2019 murder results in 28-year prison sentence for man, 25 A Jackson County judge has sentenced 25-year-old man to 28 years in a Missouri prison for the deaths of Michael McLin and Kevin Waters in August 2019 in Kansas City, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today. Mario J. Markworth, dob: 10/25/1996, pleaded guilty to Murder 2nd Degree for the death of Kevin Waters and he pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter for the death of Michael McLin. The defendant was sentenced to 28 years for the Murder 2nd Degree conviction and 15 years for the Manslaughter conviction. The judge set those sentences to run concurrently. According to court records filed today, Kansas City Police responded on an emergency medical call to a parking lot behind a church in the 5700 block of Winner Road in Kansas City. Officers found a deceased man and several yards away, a second deceased man. The victims had several wounds from head trauma and sharp force. The Jackson County Medical Examiner determined they were the victims of homicide. One victim was Michael McLin, born 9/6/1992, while the other was Kevin Waters, born 8/1/1967. Both were determined by police to be transients known to associate with others in the northeast area of Kansas City. Information from witnesses led police to the defendant. who was taken into custody on Aug. 7, 2019. He told police detectives he and McLin had been in an altercation. When McLin started to walk away, the defendant picked him up and dropped him on the pavement. He said McLin hit his head on his axe. Then, the defendant said, he struck the victim more times in the head with the axe so he wouldn't tell anyone. As he was trying to hide McLin's shoes he saw another man hidden along the fence nearby, he told detectives, so he asked him if he had seen him and McLin. Then he struck him with an axe. The defendant told detectives he had been raised in a Christian home and knew right from wrong. He also knew his actions were not right. ################### Developing . . . Sorry, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes . . . I'm beginning to realize that Mayor Q might not be as brilliant as his fans & followers contend. Back when he first came on the scene my old friend Steve Glorioso sung the guys praises for hours upon hours . . . Sadly, Glorioso is busy pushing up daisies now and can no longer trumpet the genius of our current Mayor. To wit . . . MAYOR Q PROMISES TO FIGHT THE WILL OF MISSOURI VOTERS ALL OVER AGAIN AT THE OUTSET OF A LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR POLICE FUNDING!!! Remember . . . Mayor Q lost a police funding argument in court last year. Moreover . . . Here's the thing that I don't understand and I need a legal genius to explain it to me . . . How is a Missouri vote on police funding "taxation without representation" when, in fact, KC residents pay Missouri taxes AND Missouri state revenue helps, in part, to fund KCMO??? The answer seems obvious to me but I'm always willing to listen to a good fairy tale. Here's more of the story . . . If the measure is approved by voters in November, Kansas City would be required to allocate a minimum of 25% of its general fund each year to the KCPD. The hyperlocal angle . . . Mayor Quinton Lucas said the bill violates the state constitution and will be challenged in court. Thankfully, the women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are above partisan stunts, he said. I wish our state legislators and state appointees would follow their lead when it comes to the safety of our families. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . The level of violence on local streets continues to escalate . . . This time around gunfire hit a woman and two youngsters . . . Here's part of the story . . . The victim told police he was in the area when an unknown car drove by and started shooting at him.The victim, identified as a teen male was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police were then called to the 3300 block of Indiana Avenue on reports of more shooting victims. Officers found an adult woman and a boy under 10 years old with several possible graze wounds and were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Here's what I'm afraid of . . . And, just because the post title is silly . . . Empowered women aren't my greatest fear given that Brit super models doing their best Duke Nukem impression is a guilty pleasure of this blog. But I digress . . . Here's the scenario . . . SCOTUS has unwittingly unleashed one of the greatest threats to the Constitution this nation has ever seen. Allow me to explain . . . The rallying cry around the abortion issue has a decidedly anti-Constitutional feel and it also seems a bit vindictive. Senators & members of congress are calling SCOTUS illegitimate. And whilst many pundits are worried about abortion violence . . . They obviously don't really know much about women . . . Many ladies can be much more vindictive than just burning down a few gas stations when they get mad. Look closely and notice that outcry over abortion is somehow connecting to anti-gun sentiment. Here's a popular sign and a talking point that continues to earn attention . . . Accordingly . . . Here's a nightmare scenario that isn't altogether implausible . . . SINGLE-ISSUE VOTERS ADVOCATING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS COULD UNWITTINGLY WEAKEN THE 2ND AMENDMENT OR WORSE!!! On the surface this doesn't make sense . . . People who value LIBERTY should find common-ground against government interference with both healthcare and personal/home safety. However . . . There's precedent for this type of danger . . . Former Prez Obama was swept into office by a wave of voters who didn't care much about his dearth of experience or sketchy record but merely supported his identity. And now in hindsight and from the perspective of foreign policy . . . Prez Obama was one of the worst leaders this country has ever witnessed. He laughed off the threat from Russia. Prez Obama showed inconceivable weakness against Vlad amid the annexation of Crimea. And Just like Prez Trump . . . Prez Obama didn't have the courage to make tough decisions in Afghanistan. In a very real sense . . . Prez Obama deserves a great deal of blame for the current crisis between the U.S. and Russia and his foreign policy incompetence led to the U.S. restarting a Cold War with a super power. Still . . . Single-issue voters overlooked the many failings of Prez Obama because he satisfied their agenda that argued for diversity, inclusion and equity at all costs. Of course . . . Talking foreign policy is above the pay grade of a basement blogger so let's bring this back home. Women voters in Missouri are now confronted by a barrage of rhetoric focused on the issue of "reproductive freedom" in order to attack the Republican super-majority. Female voters are being told they're second-class citizens and they have no autonomy over their own bodies. These arguments are easy for people to believe in society that discounts just about every individual. Stirring discontent is remarkably simple. Now . . . This blog is a sausage fest and in general so many male pundits can't see it . . . BUT FEMALE SINGLE-ISSUE VOTERS ADVOCATING ABORTION "REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS" THREATEN TO BECOME THE MOST DISRUPTIVE POLITICAL FORCE THE U.S. HAS EVER WITNESSED!!! I know . . . I know . . . Brilliant people try to allay my fears and tell me that women vote with their wallet just like men . . . But that assumes that women voters act rationally. And again . . . We simply can't rely on women single-issue voters to behave with even a modicum of foresight. Accordingly . . . A scenario wherein outrage over abortion is co-opted by an agenda that champions anti-gun sentiment, horrific monetary policy, open borders, higher taxes & outrageous spending isn't just a possibility but a likelihood. Sadly . . . The solution is complex. The GOP can no longer afford to take their lady voters for granted. Meanwhile . . . Moderate Democrats would be ill-advised to let radical progressives co-opt outrage and lose an opportunity at real advances to the extreme-wing of the party that merely wants to burn it all down. In a world of increasing complexity . . . TKC imagines a niche for pro-gun Democratic Party candidates and Pro-choice Republicans to run campaigns that allow for voters another choice betwixt increasingly polarized and extremist points of view in American politics. At the very least . . . TKC advocating for more voter options seems like a better alternative than a growing cacophony of irresponsible voices arguing for civil war as a viable option to settle political differences. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Frustration at Biden and other Democrats grows among abortion-rights supporters subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast The rage among pro-abortion-rights protesters in front of the Supreme Court over the weekend was palpable. Plenty of that anger was aimed at the high court, but there was also quite a bit reserved for Democrats. "I'm not hopeful at this point that this is something that will be federally protected. As states outlaw abortion, tech companies will likely hand over user data When law enforcement authorities demand personal data belonging to those suspected of getting an abortion, tech firms will likely hand it over. Why it matters: Companies like Google and Facebook collect enormous volumes of personal data, including information about where we've been, what we've bought, who we've talked to and what we've said. CVS and Rite Aid limiting purchases of emergency contraception Some large drug store chains are limiting purchases of emergency contraception to three pills per customer, company representatives confirmed to CNN. Photos: June 24 reproductive rights protest on the Plaza Roe vs. Wade reproductive rights protest at the Plaza on Friday, June 24, 2022. // Photo by Jim Nimmo Last week's news was a dumpster fire of depression and outrage. On Friday, June 24 after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade was announced, a reproductive rights protest was organized at Mill Creek Park near the Country Club Plaza. There's another War Between the States coming over abortion The Supreme Court's abortion decision is likely to set off a wave of legal and political disputes among states and the federal government unlike anything seen since the years before the U.S. Civil War, legal experts say. Roe v. Wade ruling sees MSNBC, CNN, and more go full scorched earth: 'Civil War' Liberal media outlets, with most of the noise emanating from MSNBC and CNN, went full scorched-earth after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and send abortion back to the states. Journalists, pundits and guests quickly gave emotional reactions to the news, claiming that a "legal Civil War" was imminent and lamenting the Supreme Court as a partisan institution bent on destroying women's rights. With the end of Roe, the US edges closer and closer to civil war | Stephen Marche The cracks in the foundations of the United States are widening, rapidly and on several fronts. The overturning of Roe v Wade has provoked a legitimacy crisis no matter what your politics. For the right, the leaking of the draft memo last month revealed the breakdown of bipartisanship and common purpose within the institution. Developing . . . 3,700 Ontarians over 60 have died since mid-December, despite narrative that COVIDs worst was over, Toronto researchers reveal. Patrick Radden Keefes new book Rogues features his finest writing: on counterfeit wine, Anthony Bourdain and the hunt for El Chapo Keefes collection of New Yorker pieces offers a masterclass in how to write the very best and most compelling magazine stories The UNC says governments five-week revision programme for SEA students who underperformed is merely a quick fix and not a real solution. Speaking during their weekly Sunday media conference, MP Anita Haynes said this years results had little to do with the pandemic. Ukrainian soldiers successfully repulsed the enemy assault in the direction of Dovhalivka Zalyman. The occupiers retreated. This is stated in the latest report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Russian invasion as of 06:00 on June 28, published on Facebook. In Volyn and Polissya directions, the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus conduct scheduled communication exercises with the involvement of communication points of control points. In Siversky direction, the aggressor fired tube and rocket artillery in the areas of Pokrovka, Starykove, Porozok, and Verkhnya Pozhnia, Sumy region. The enemy used Orlan-10 UAV to reconnoiter the Ukrainian positions in the border areas of Chernihiv region. In Kharkiv direction, the enemy troops focus their main efforts on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops to the state border of Ukraine, continue to conduct assault operations to improve the tactical situation, and restrain the actions of units of Ukraines Defense Forces. The enemy launched an airstrike near Yavirske and fired artillery on the elements of infrastructure near Kharkiv, Ruska Lozova, Staryi Saltiv, Peremoha, Chepil, and Milova. In Slovyansk direction, the enemy assaults Dovhenke-Dolyna direction and creates conditions for an offensive on Slovyansk. The main efforts are focused on continuing the offensive in the direction of Izium Slovyansk. The invaders fired artillery and MLRS on the positions of Ukrainian troops, used UAV to reconnoiter the situation near the village of Hrushuvakha. The Ukrainian defenders resolutely stopped the enemy's attempted assault in the direction of Dovhenke Dolyna and pushed the enemy back. The enemy did not take active action in Kramatorsk direction. The invaders fired tube artillery on Mayaky and Tetianivka. In Lysychansk direction, in order to inflict losses, the occupiers fired mortars and artillery, launched airstrikes in the areas of Mykolayivka and Yakovlivka. The enemy conducts assault operations in the direction of Vovchoyarivka and southern outskirts of the Lysychansk oil refinery. Fighting continues. The enemy does not give up hope to take control of Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway. To detect the firing positions of the Ukrainian units, the invaders conducted combat reconnaissance in the direction of Mykolayivka Spirne, and later launched an offensive in that direction. Ukrainian soldiers successfully suppressed all those attempts and forced the enemy to retreat. In Bakhmut direction, the occupiers fired artillery on the areas of Kostiantynivka, Bilohorivka, Vyimka, Pokrovske, Bakhmut, and Soledar. The enemy also carries out assault operations in the direction of Myronivka Vuhlehirsk TPP, the fighting continues. In Avdiivka, Kurakhove, Novopavlivsk, and Zaporizhzhia directions, the enemy did not take active action, firing tube and rocket artillery on the areas of Vodiane, Avdiivka, Katerynivka, Komar, Shcherbaky, Zelenyi Hai, and Novodanylivka. The Russians launched air strikes near Kamyanka, Avdiivka, and Shevchenko. The Ukrainian soldiers repulsed the assault in the direction of Yehorivka Pavlivka. The enemy retreated, suffering losses. In the Southern Buh direction, the enemy focuses its main efforts on holding the previously occupied frontiers, preventing the Ukrainian troops from conducting counter-offensive operations in Kherson and Mykolayiv regions. In order to thwart the regrouping of units of Ukraines Defense Forces, the enemy fired artillery and MLRS on the Ukrainian positions. The aggressors launched an airstrike near the village of Potiomkyne. In the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Black Sea Fleet's naval group continues to block naval communications and reconnaissance. Two carriers of Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles are on alert. The assault aircraft of Ukraines Air Force launched powerful airstrikes on the positions of the occupiers. In virtually all directions, Ukrainian Su-25 assault aircraft and Su-24m bombers carried out up to twenty group combat sorties. ol In a joint video address to President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson pledged their unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. The address was published on the Twitter account of Justin Trudeau, Ukrinform reports. "Ukrainians have been standing up for the principles and the values that bind us together as democracies: the rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity. The principles that matter to everyone in the world," Trudeau said. He added that the G7 countries were working to increase sanctions against Russia, as well as to step up with economic, financial, and military support for Ukraine. In turn, Johnson underscored the support of Canada and Britain for President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. "We salute your fight. We believe it is wholly, wholly legitimate and essential for our world. We support you and we will stay the course," he said. In the end, the British PM said in Ukrainian: "Slava Ukraini! [Glory to Ukraine!]" Trudeau added: "Heroiam Slava! [Glory to the heroes!]" As reported, the prime ministers of Great Britain and Canada take part in the G7 summit, which is held under the chairmanship of Germany in the Bavarian Alps on June 26-28. ol In an attempt to sneak into the rear of Ukrainian Army units in Zaporizhia region on a sabotage mission, a Russian reconnaissance group lost six soldiers, while one was captured. The report was delivered via Telegram by the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration chief, citing data from Ukrainian intelligence, Ukrinform reports. "Recently, the defenders of the Zaporizhia direction annihilated a sabotage and reconnaissance group of Russian occupation troops, which tried to get into the rear of our units for sabotage purposes. During the firefight, six invaders were eliminated and one was captured," reads the post. The captive turned out to be a former prisoner who had been serving his sentence for serious crimes in a correctional establishment in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. Meanwhile, over the day, the enemy carried out 47 shellings of Ukrainian positions in Zaporizhia along the entire line of contact, employing jet and barrel artillery. Moreover, Russian invaders attacked civilian infrastructure around Huliaipole, Orikhiv, and Preobrazhenka. There were 19 reports of the destruction to civilian infrastructure as a result of shelling, the Regional Military Administration said. As reported, the movement of Russian equipment to and from eastern Ukraine via temporarily occupied Crimea and Melitopol was detected. One of six missiles fired by Russian invaders at Dnipropetrovsk Region has hit an industrial enterprise. Rescuers are searching for people trapped under the rubble. The relevant statement was made by Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Head Mykola Lukashuk on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Two enemy missiles hit the regional center. One missile struck a motor transport enterprise, causing damage to about 35 cars within the adjacent territory. Three stalls, several one-storey buildings and hangar were also damaged. The other missile struck an industrial enterprise, having destroyed some structures. The Ukrainian State Emergency Service is now conducting rescue works, dismantling the rubble and searching for survivors, Lukashuk wrote. According to Daryna Tsurkan, the representative of the Main Department of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service in Dnipropetrovsk Region, a total of 41 rescuers and 11 fire-fighting equipment units are working at the scene. A reminder that, on June 28, 2022, Russian occupiers fired six missiles at Dnipropetrovsk Region. The Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units shot down four sea-based Kalibr missiles: three of them over Synelnyykove District and one over the city of Dnipro. mk The U.S. Department of the Treasury jointly with the U.S. Department of State and other government agencies, announced sanctions against individuals and entities in the Russian Federation, as well as a ban on Russian gold imports. Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 70 entities, many of which are critical to the Russian Federations defense industrial base, including State Corporation Rostec, the cornerstone of Russias defense, industrial, technology, and manufacturing sectors, as well as 29 Russian individuals, reads the statement of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The designations were taken in tandem with the U.S. Department of State, which is imposing sanctions on an additional 45 entities and 29 individuals. Included in the State Departments action is the designation of Russian Federation military units and the re-designation of Russias Federal Security Service (FSB), which have been credibly implicated in human rights abuses or violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine. In addition, the Department of State further announced steps to impose visa restrictions on officials believed to have threatened or violated Ukraines sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence, including on more than 500 Russian Federation military officers and on Russian Federation officials involved in suppressing dissent. Concurrent with todays sanctions actions, OFAC prohibited the importation of Russian gold into the United States, reads the statement. The relevant structures of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a joint alert, advising vigilance against Russian and Belarusian export control evasion. Todays actions, taken pursuant to Executive Orders (E.O.s) 14024 and 14065, strike at the heart of Russias ability to develop and deploy weapons and technology used for Vladimir Putins brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, the U.S. Department of the Treasury underscored. Earlier, the White House stated that the United States, as well as other G7 countries, had made significant commitments to impose new sanctions on Russia in order to limit the opportunities for Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. ol The Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea rejected the main arguments of Russia and supported Ukraine's position in the lawsuit over the detention of Ukrainian warships and sailors in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. Weve won an important positive ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in case on warships & crew illegally detained by Russia in 2018. The Tribunal rejected major Russian arguments & upheld our position. The case continues. We will hold Russia to account for its current & past crimes, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba posted on Twitter on Monday evening. As reported, on November 25, 2018, Russian border guards fired on and seized three Ukrainian warships and detained 24 sailors off the coast of the occupied Crimea. The servicemen were accused of illegally crossing the Russian border (facing the punishment of up to six years in prison). Ukraine considers that Russia violated the immunity of warships. On May 25, 2019, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Russia to immediately release all seafarers and ships. On September 7, Ukraine and Russia held a 35-to-35 swap, during which, in particular, 24 captured sailors were released. On November 18, 2019, the Russian Federation handed over the Berdiansk and Nikopol boats and the Yany Kapu tug to Ukraine in the waters of the Black Sea. On November 20, they arrived in the port of Ochakiv. On April 1, 2019, Ukraine notified the Russian Federation of the dispute and the grounds of the lawsuit, underpinning the constitution of the Arbitral Tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. ol U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk. Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, Biden posted on Twitter on Monday. Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the U.S. along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraines defense. President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2022 He added that the U.S. along with its allies and partners would continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraines defense. In a series of other tweets, the U.S. president stressed that it was impossible to turn a blind eye to Putin's war for the sake of lower gas prices. We could have turned a blind eye to Putins barbaric war against Ukraine and the price of gas wouldnt have spiked the way it has, but America rose to the moment. We proudly stand with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/zF2XfkJjp7 President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2022 We could have turned a blind eye to Putins barbaric war against Ukraine and the price of gas wouldnt have spiked the way it has, but America rose to the moment. We proudly stand with Ukraine, Biden wrote. According to Biden, the G7 will continue to hit Putins military-industrial complex, prevent the central banks foreign reserves from propping up his ailing economy, and deprive Putin of the resources he needs to wage his illegitimate war. "Together, the G7 will deliver unwavering, unified commitment to support Ukraine and build on our unprecedented sanctions to hold President Putin accountable sanctions that will only compound over time to further isolate Russia from the world economy," Biden stressed. The U.S. leader published infographics on Twitter showing the areas of U.S. and G7 support for Ukraine. These include taking measures to target Russia's military production and supply chains; using tariffs on Russian goods to support Ukraine; restricting Russia's participation in the global market, cracking down on evasion attempts; imposing costs on those responsible for human rights abuses, including war crimes, profiteering, and illegitimate authorities; providing budgetary and other support for Ukraine. ol Canada imposed a new package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Restrictive measures are also imposed on Belarus. Canada is unwavering in the belief that Ukrainians deserve to live in peace. Vladimir Putin and his regime have caused untold pain and suffering in Ukraine and across the world. Together, with our G7 counterparts, Canada is stepping up our continuous and coordinated pressure to bring about the end of Vladimir Putins war of choice, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said during the G7 summit in Germany, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. The Prime Minister's Office notes that the new Canadian sanctions are imposed on six individuals and 46 entities linked to the Russian defence sectors, 15 Ukrainian individuals supporting the Russian occupation of Ukraine, and 13 government and defence individuals and two entities in Belarus. Canada will also take additional and immediate measures to ban the export of certain advanced technologies that could improve Russias domestic defence manufacturing capability, including quantum computers and advanced manufacturing equipment, associated components, materials, software, and technology, reads the statement. Canada also banned the export of advanced technologies and goods that could be used in the manufacturing of weapons to Belarus, as well as the import and export of a broad range of luxury goods between Canada and Belarus. Since Russias invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,070 individuals and entities from and in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. ol British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons called the Russian missile strike on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk a murderous act of the Russian Federation targeting civilians. Bombing a shopping mall in the middle of the day, when it would be at its busiest. Its a murderous Russian act that targets Ukrainian civilians. It adds to the rapidly lengthening justice tally sheet, Ambassador Simmons posted on Twitter on Monday evening. Read also: Death toll in missile strike on Kremenchuk rises to 18 As reported, at 15:50 on June 27, the Russians launched Kh-22 missiles on a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk with about 1,000 civilians inside. The area of the fire in the building reached 10,300 square meters. It is currently known about 18 people killed. At least 59 people were injured, 25 of them were hospitalized. ol In the last four months, Ukrainians have proven that Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic state as defined by its Constitution. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine stated this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports. "Article 1 of Ukraines Constitution: Ukraine shall be a sovereign, independent, democratic, social state governed by the rule of law. In the past four months, Ukrainians have proved this like never before. We stand with Ukraine and commend your courage and resilience, reads the tweet of US diplomatic mission. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Ukraine Melinda Simmons UK Ambassador Melinda Simmons also congratulated Ukraine via Twitter. Today is Constitution Day in Ukraine. It describes Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, democratic, social state governed by the rule of law. People talk passionately about the constitution in Kyiv. It defines their country. Now Ukraine fights to the death to defend it, wrote Simmons. Read also: Ukraine marks Constitution Day today As reported earlier, Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day on June 28. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops destroy infrastructure objects and carry out massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns. The US, the European Union and other countries of the world have applied sanctions against the aggressor country, and the international isolation of which is increasing every day. The heads of state and government of NATO member states will adopt a new comprehensive assistance package to Ukraine at the Madrid summit to help the country resist Russian aggression. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "We will agree a Comprehensive Assistance Package to Ukraine to help them uphold the right for self-defense. It is extremely important that we are ready to continue to provide support because Ukraine now faces brutality which we haven't seen in Europe since the Second World War," Stoltenberg said. He noted that the Madrid summit would be a pivotal summit as "we will agree a new Strategic Concept, the Madrid Strategic Concept, that will be the blueprint for NATO in a more dangerous and unpredictable world." "We will agree a fundamental shift of our deterrence and defense with more high readiness forces, with more forward defense, with more pre-positioned equipment. [] And then, we hope to make progress on the accession of Finland and Sweden. And then, of course, we will also state that to be able to defend in a more dangerous world we also need to invest more in our defenses," Stoltenberg said. Photo: President's Office The Group of Seven countries (the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Germany, the United States, France and Japan) will continue to support international efforts to bring Iran to justice for the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines plane. That's according to a joint communique issued by the heads of state and government of the Group of Seven (G7) countries after the summit in Elmau (Germany) on June 26-28. "We continue to support international efforts to hold Iran to account for the unlawful shooting-down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752," the statement said. G7 leaders also reiterated their clear commitment that "Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon." They said a diplomatic solution remains the best way to restrict Iran's nuclear program and urged Tehran to cooperate substantively with the IAEA. On January 8, 2020, after taking off from Tehran airport, a Boeing 737-800NG passenger jet was brought down by two surface-to-air missiles. All 176 people on board died in the crash, including 167 passengers and nine crew members. Among the victims are citizens of seven countries, including 11 Ukrainians (nine crew and two passengers). Iranian authorities initially claimed the crash was caused by a technical failure of the Boeing 737-800NG, which caused a fire in the jets engine compartment. In turn, the UIA management rejected the possibility of pilot error and called the minimum probability of technical failure of the aircraft. It was not until January 11 that the Iranian leadership acknowledged that PS752 had been mistakenly shot down by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It later became known that the UIA plane was shot down by two Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missiles, which Iran had received from Russia. This fact, as well as the fact that Tehran refused to hand over "black boxes" to Kyiv, raised doubts among some experts as to whether the Ukrainian plane was actually shot down by accident. Initially, Iran stated that it was not possible to decipher the information from the "black boxes" of the downed UIA plane, but they did not intend to hand it to other governments. However, on July 18, Iran sent "black boxes" to Paris. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine later reported that the PS752 "black boxes" had been successfully deciphered and that the transcript confirmed the fact of illegal interference in the flight. facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published June 28, 2022 CAPTION: Jamecia Washington (left) is the first student in Louisiana to receive a scholarship from a $100,000 Educators Rising grant from Regions Bank. ULM Assistant Professor of Education Dr. Amy Weems (right) created the Educators Rising pilot program called the Pre-Educator Pathway, which Washington successfully completed at Wossman High School. MONROE, LA A University of Louisiana Monroe professor won the Educators Rising Champion Award at the organizations conference on June 26 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Amy Weems is an assistant professor of education and launched the Louisiana Educators Rising pilot program three years ago at Neville, Oak Grove and Wossman high schools. The goal of Educators Rising is to encourage students to choose education as a career path by offering college credit opportunities, mentor relationships with college professors and leadership development sessions. Helping to repair our teaching workforce pipeline is one of the most challenging yet inspiring experiences of my entire career, Weems said. I have been collaborating with stakeholders across Louisiana and the US to advocate for sustainable workforce solutions for almost four years, and we still have many more years of work ahead. Weems developed a pilot program called the Pre-Educator Pathway for the Louisiana Department of Education. ULM was the first institution of higher education in the state to offer the program to high school students to give them an early start toward teacher certification upon graduation. Grow-your-own programs capitalize on participants having personal knowledge of communities and schools in which they serve. This is particularly important for promoting culturally responsive educational opportunities and for teacher retention, Weems said. Regions Bank saw the need for ULM to train more teachers and awarded a $100,000 grant to support scholarships for deserving education students who completed the Pre-Educator Pathway in high school. Incoming ULM secondary education freshman Jamecia Washington is the first student to receive a $6,000 scholarship from the fund. Washington joined Educators Rising during her 10th grade year at Wossman High School at the height of the pandemic. She attended every meeting virtually and found guidance from Weems. Dr. Weems was my mentor throughout the Educators Rising program. She had a huge impact on my education by giving me opportunities to learn more about childrens education. She showed me how teaching can be a wonderful job in the future, Washington said. I love helping others learn. Weems pilot program was so successful that she expanded the participating high schools to five districts: Caldwell, Franklin, Livingston, Richland, Monroe City and Ouachita. Now, other universities have followed the ULM School of Educations lead to inspire teenagers to become teachers. McNeese State University, University of Louisiana Lafayette and LSU Shreveport are now also using Weems Pre-Educator Pathway to increase the number of educators in the state. The award recognizes our Educators Rising champions who have consistently promoted Educators Rising in their area and are continuing to support the teaching profession through the Grow Your Own programs. We are happy to present this award to Amy for her commitment to inspiring, developing and supporting the next generation of educators, said Robyn Mintier, director of membership for Educators Rising. Ardo emerges from her shelter when she hears a truck delivering water, after several days of her and her livestock going without. Around five hundred internally displaced families are living at the makeshift Mara-gaajo site in Kebribeyah, Ethiopia's Somali Region, after fleeing their homes in search of water during the worst drought in decades. We have never seen drought like this, it has affected everyone. We have named it the unseen, said Ardo. Ardo walked about 260 kilometers from her village, Kabtinag in the Korehe zone, deep in the Eastern Somali region of Ethiopia, to reach Kebribeyah, a small township some 53 kilometers from the regions capital, Jijiga. The mother-of-four says she traveled with a group of people from her village. "I can't count the number of people that were displaced with us, she said. "Nearly everyone in the village had left." Ardo, like most of those now living in the Mara-gaajo site, embarked on a risky and exhausting journey in search of water and pasture for her livestock. "It was such a long journey [...] our cattle suffered horribly," she added. No one was willing to buy our livestock since they were extremely weak, she said. Ardo, a mother of four, sits inside her makeshift shelter in Mara-gaajo displacement site in Ethiopia's Somali region. UNHCR/Eugene Sibomana Abdullahi Gedi, a 55-year-old pastoralist also displaced to Mara-gaajo, gathered his cattle, goats and sheep, and left his village, Kabtinag in East Somali Region. However, the arid conditions along the route were too much for his animals, with less than half making it to the Babacada El-Bahay IDP site in Jijiga where he is currently living. "Except these three, all of my other cows have died, he said, pointing to the emaciated livestock next to him. "I also used to have 445 goats and sheep, but now I only have 190 as the rest have died", he added. Ethiopia is experiencing one of the most severe La Nina-induced droughts in the last forty years following four consecutive failed rainy seasons since late 2020. The drought is compounding a complex situation in the Somali region of Ethiopia that was already host to millions of internally displaced people, including those forced to flee because of conflict, as well as some 246,000 refugees from neighboring Somalia in eight camps, which have already received some 16,000 new arrivals. Other drought-affected regions in the country include Afar, Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP). Since September 2021, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has worked with local communities, regional disaster management offices and other partners to deliver water, shelter, warm clothes and household items to more than 7,200 drought-affected households in different IDP sites and host communities. However, as the drought worsens, peoples needs continue to rise. The most pressing issue here is a lack of water, as well as effective water management, says Abdullahi Sheik Barrie, Field Associate in UNHCRs office in Jijiga. "The assistance we have been able to provide is far below what is needed to meet the survival needs of the affected people. Together with the authorities and partners, we will continue to help make sure that those displaced have water, shelter and basic relief items and provide transportation for those who choose to return to their homes with their livestock." Facing a long and uncertain journey with little food or water, Abdullahi Gedi was forced to leave his wife and seven children behind in their village. He has not heard from his family in the 100 days since he arrived in the Mara-gaajo IDP site. "I don't know what happened to them and to the others from my village who stayed: children, women, the old, and other vulnerable people," he said. Internally displaced pastoralist Abdullahi Gedi, 55, stands next to the remains of his dead animals in Babacada El-Bahay IDP site in Jijiga. UNHCR/Eugene Sibomana Despite the perilous journey, Abdullahi like many other IDPs hosted at several sites in the Somali region told UNHCR he received a generous welcome from the local community, even though they themselves were struggling to cope with the effects of the drought. The famers who took in the displaced pastoralists shared their limited pasture with the IDPs. In Ethiopia, UNHCR and other humanitarian partners are scaling up assistance to meet the rising needs, in support of the Government of Ethiopia. Moreover, joint efforts have been undertaken within the UN Resilience Framework to support Ethiopia in building resilience against natural hazards, particularly recurrent droughts and floods. In the Somali region, humanitarian partners are supporting more than 2.4 million displaced people with food and working to deliver clean water to more than 859,000 people still in need. However, existing needs continue to surpass available resources. UNHCR is seeking US$ 22 million to deliver critical aid to over 1 million refugees, internally displaced people and their host communities affected by the drought in Ethiopia, part of a wider $42.6 million drought response appeal including Somalia and Kenya. Internally displaced Somali children Ali Abdulahi, Osman Abdulahi and Mohamed Abdulahi stand near the carcass of their dead livestock following severe droughts near Dollow, Gedo Region, Somalia May 26, 2022. Picture taken May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Feisal Omar UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for urgent support to help displaced people and local host communities affected by the catastrophic drought in the Horn of Africa. The drought, a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the global climate crisis, is the worst in the region in four decades and is the culmination of four consecutive failed rainy seasons. Water sources have dried up and crops and livestock have died, stripping people of their livelihoods and the ability to support themselves. Food shortages have been further exacerbated by rising food and commodity prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The cost of food staples, including grain and cereal prices, have risen significantly. Food ration cuts for refugees are also imminent as humanitarian needs multiply around the world, while funding struggles to keep pace. An estimated 18.4 million people in the Horn of Africa, now face severe hunger. As the crisis worsens, hundreds of thousands of people have also been forced to flee their homes in search of life-saving aid. To date, more than 800,000 people in Somalia have been internally displaced and nearly 16,000 have crossed the border into Ethiopia. Families fleeing affected regions in Somalia and arriving over the Ethiopia border told UNHCR they had to travel long distances in search of water and described increased tensions within their communities as the available resources were not enough to cover peoples needs. An analysis conducted among refugees in the country by UNHCR has also found that people with specific needs are disproportionately affected and the situation is expected to deteriorate further as the drought is set to continue in the coming months. An estimated 4,000 Somali refugees have also arrived in Kenya, fleeing a complex mix of conflict and drought. As of May 2022, over 286,000 people in Ethiopias Somali and Oromia regions, the hardest hit by the drought, have also been similarly displaced and hosted within existing settlements for the internally displaced. To deliver life-saving assistance and protection to some 1.5 million refugees, internally displaced people and local host communities affected by the drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, UNHCR is appealing for US$ 42.6 million. This appeal will cover critical humanitarian needs in refugee and IDP settlements until the end of the year including water, sanitation facilities, nutrition, healthcare and protection. It also seeks to provide cash assistance for those most vulnerable, enabling them to better meet their needs, and specific support for women, girls and children, including the provision of dignity kits and protective services from gender-based violence. UNHCR will also work with national authorities in the three countries to strengthen border monitoring activities and ensure that newly arrived refugees, including those with specific needs, are provided with appropriate assistance. Out of the US$ 42.6 million appeal, US$ 22 million is intended to support the needs of internally displaced people in Ethiopia in the Somali, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regions in the country, as well as Somali refugees hosted in eight camps in the Somali region. Another US$ 11.1 million would help UNHCR support refugees and their hosts in Kenyas Kakuma and Dadaab camps. An estimated US$9.5 million would also meet the needs of both internally displaced people and refugees in Somalia, where the multi-agency humanitarian response has already shifted to famine prevention and mitigation due to the intensity of the drought as well as constraints in humanitarian access to affected populations. See UNHCR's Regional Drought Appeal for Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. For more information on this topic, please contact: Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees visits the Regional Assistance Center for Aid to Ukraine in Usti nad Labem, Czech republic on June 26, 2022. UNHCR/Michal Novotny Prague I have just returned from the Czech Republic, where I met government representatives as the country prepares to take over the Presidency of the European Union (EU) on 1 July. It comes during a key period when the EU and its Member States, along with other countries, continue to show remarkable support to refugees from Ukraine and to neighbouring host countries, following the unprecedented decision in March to activate the Temporary Protection Directive. The response to the Ukraine refugee situation has highlighted Europes capacity for an organized and workable approach to asylum one that benefits states and safeguards the rights of refugees. The Czech Republic itself has been generously and effectively hosting one of the largest populations of Ukrainian refugees in Europe. As such, under its Presidency, the country has a unique opportunity to harness this experience and encourage further progress in EU asylum reform. I am hopeful that the incoming Presidency will build on the good work of the outgoing French EU Presidency, and the European Commission, which together have been instrumental in pushing forward the Solidarity Declaration. This voluntary scheme would provide for relocation places as well as financial support, and responsibility-sharing across the bloc with those EU Member States where most asylum seekers arrive. I trust that the Declaration and any forthcoming pledges will help to ensure greater responsibility-sharing for asylum seekers, and ultimately better protection for people fleeing war, violence and persecution. UNHCR encourages EU Member States under the Czech Presidencys leadership to translate this political commitment into prompt and practical action for those most in need. UNHCR remains ready to support the Czech Republic and other EU Member States to continue on this positive path towards a European Union that better protects refugees across the continent and beyond. For more information, please contact: In Geneva: Shabia Mantoo, [email protected] , +41 79 337 76 50 , +41 79 337 76 50 In Brussels: Maeve Patterson: [email protected] , +32 470 99 54 35, , +32 470 99 54 35, In Budapest: (For Czech Republic) Zoran Stevanovic, [email protected] , +36 305 309 633 UNHCR recommendations to the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU can be found here. Geneva The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency are shocked and deeply saddened at the deaths of dozens of people discovered in an abandoned tractor trailer in the US state of Texas yesterday. The organizations call for a vigorous investigation and prosecution of all those responsible. While the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, including nationalities of many of the deceased, are yet to be known, the bodies of at least 50 people have so far been recovered from a truck in San Antonio, roughly 250km (155 miles) from the border with Mexico. Media citing local authorities report survivors, including children, are recovering in hospital from heat stroke and exhaustion. "This is not the first nor will it be the last such tragedy as people smugglers continue to prey on migrants and other vulnerable people who are only seeking a better life for themselves and their families, said Michele Klein Solomon, IOM Regional Director for Central, North America and the Caribbean. We mourn with the families the loss of their loved ones and call on authorities on both sides of the border to vigorously investigate and bring to justice all those who, through their callous disregard for human life, contributed to this terrible incident. According to IOMs Missing Migrants Project, nearly 3,000 people have been reported missing or died trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States since 2014. This latest tragedy pushes the total number of deaths for the first six months of the year to 290. Without sufficient pathways to safety, vulnerable and desperate people will continue to be preyed upon by smugglers or forced to resort to desperate measures to cross borders. Among those taking these journeys are asylum seekers and refugees fleeing violence, persecution and human rights abuses, as well as migrants , victims of trafficking and others, said Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR Representative to the United States and the Caribbean. What is needed are safer alternatives to these dangerous irregular movements, ensuring expedient access to asylum procedures for those seeking international protection. Preventing the loss of life must be the priority for all. People traveling along this route are routinely exposed to grave human rights violations and exploitation by criminal gangs. IOM and UNHCR continue to call for concrete action to reduce loss of life along mi g ratory routes around the world by encouraging regional cooperation to protect the rights and lives of people on the move, while addressing the root causes of displacement and unsafe or irregular migration in line with the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. Recently the heads of nine UN agencies and three international organizations called upon governments and other actors to save lives and prevent migrants from going missing. The statement specifically called on States to respect obligations under international law, including human rights law, upholding the right to life and right to health for all individuals, irrespective of nationality, ethnic or social origin, gender, migration status or other grounds, the right to family life, the best interests of children, and the absolute prohibition of enforced disappearance or arbitrary detention, amongst others. For more information please contact: UNHCR IOM This is a test detector image from the NIRISS instrument operated in its single-object slitless spectroscopy (SOSS) mode while pointing at a bright star. Each color seen in the image corresponds to a specific infrared wavelength between 0.6 and 2.8 microns. The black lines seen on the spectra are the telltale signature of hydrogen atoms present in the star. NIRISS is a contribution from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to the Webb project that provides unique observational capabilities that complement its other onboard instruments. Credit: NASA, CSA, and NIRISS team/Loic Albert, University of Montreal One of the James Webb Space Telescope's four primary scientific instruments, known as the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph instrument (NIRISS) has concluded its postlaunch preparations and is now ready for science. The last NIRISS mode to be checked off before the instrument was declared ready to begin scientific operations was the Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy (SOSS) capability. The heart of the SOSS mode is a specialized prism assembly that disperses the light of a cosmic source to create three distinctive spectra (rainbows), revealing the hues of more than 2,000 infrared colors collected simultaneously in a single observation. This mode will be specifically used to probe the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets, i.e., planets that happen to eclipse their star periodically, momentarily dimming the star's brightness for a period of time. By comparing the spectra collected during and before or after a transit event with great precision, one can determine not only whether or not the exoplanet has an atmosphere, but also what atoms and molecules are in it. "I'm so excited and thrilled to think that we've finally reached the end of this two-decade-long journey of Canada's contribution to the mission. All four NIRISS modes are not only ready, but the instrument as a whole is performing significantly better than we predicted. I am pinching myself at the thought that we are just days away from the start of science operations, and in particular from NIRISS probing its first exoplanet atmospheres," said Rene Doyon, principal investigator for NIRISS, as well as Webb's Fine Guidance Sensor, at the University of Montreal. With NIRISS postlaunch commissioning activities concluded, the Webb team will continue to focus on checking off the remaining five modes on its other instruments. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA, will release its first full-color images and spectroscopic data on July 12, 2022. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's largest, most powerful, and most complex space science telescope ever built. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. (Photo : Denny Muller on Unsplash) Inventors rarely create new ideas. In most cases, they simply combine existing ones to create a technology or concept that performs a new function. Automatic license plate recognition combines high-resolution digital photography and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) into what we now know as an ALPR camera. Of course, since the original development of the technology, there have been, and no doubt will continue to be, enhancements to make it even more useful and versatile. Adaptive Recognition, a leading company in LPR cameras since 1991, is one of the primary forces in this ongoing development.This article will examine how all this came to be and attempts to predict how the technology might continue to advance in the future. The Building Blocks: OCR and High-Resolution Digital Photography In 1914, Emanuel Goldberg built a machine that recognized individual printed characters and converted them to telegraph dots and dashes. In the same decade, Edmund Fournier d'Albe developed a device that converted text to aural tones. He named this device the Octophone. These technologies were further developed and refined through the 20th century to become OCR (Optical Character Recognition) as we now know it, capable of converting images into data that can be read by computers. Digital photography was born in 1951 when an electronic image sensor was first digitized. Over the next decades, as photolithographic fabrication and semiconductor technology developed, we reached the current state of high-resolution digital photography. The First LPR Cameras The first license plate recognition cameras appeared in 1976 when the British Police Scientific Development Branch developed a relatively primitive LPR camera. It functioned only with expensive specialized computer software, under specific lighting conditions and with a very slow-moving target to produce a reliable image. The first recorded instance of the practical application of this budding technology was the identification of a stolen car in 1981. Continuing advancements in computer hardware and software and the further refinement of digital photography led to ALPR camera as we know them today. ALPR Camera Applications Present-day ALPR technology is adaptable to the needs of many different types of organizations. Integration of GPS, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies continues to expand the possibilities. In the following sections, we'll look at some of the ways LPR cameras have become integral tools for law enforcement and many types of commercial enterprises. Law Enforcement and Security Law Enforcement security organizations worldwide have embraced ALPR camera as valuable tools in: Speed control, one of the essential factors in traffic safety. Identification of stolen vehicles and license plates. Identification of vehicles involved in crimes. Control of access to high-security locations. Border control - ALPR combined with the sister technology, electronic ID scanners, form the backbone of modern international border control. Toll Collection Gone are the days when cars had to stop or slow to a crawl to pay tolls. Especially on busy highways, the benefits of high-speed toll collection are many: Improved safety - elimination of traffic jams at toll plazas. These obstructions were major causes of accidents and frustration. More efficient use of personnel. Human toll collectors had boring jobs and were inefficient compared to automatic high-speed collection. Elimination of the eyesores that were toll plazas. They always seemed to collect trash and car parts, and they weren't pretty, even when clean. Commercial Use of LPR Cameras Here are a few ways commercial enterprises have harnessed LPR camera technology. Copenhagen Hotel Amazes Guests with Automated Parking Integrated with Other Hotel Services When guests arrive by auto at Copenhagen's Tivoli Hotel, having made a reservation online and recorded their license plate number, they're automatically recognized. They're assigned a parking slot, and their entire stay uses automation linked to their plate number. Their room is ready for them, and all services are charged to an electronic file. When they check out, they can enter their credit card at an automatic terminal located on each hotel floor. There's no waiting in line at registration desks or for other services. New Zealand Landfill Smooths the Experience for all Customers Whether it's a car with a few bags of trash in the trunk or a commercial hauler dropping off several tonnes of garbage, everyone is treated the same at the Southern Landfill and Recycle Centre in Wellington, NZ. ALPR cameras, combined with automatic scales, identify each vehicle entering and leaving the site, record its arriving and departing weights, and allow for payment upon departure or automatic billing for those with established accounts. What's ALPR's Future? ALPR camera has come a long way since their development in the latter part of the 20th century. The innovative uses officials and businesses have found for them suggest that imagination is the only limit to where else they can be employed. Imagination will also find other ways to combine technologies not yet envisioned in adding to their utility and versatility. Adaptive Recognition has demonstrated its leadership in this industry with many innovations since 1991. Most recently, they developed ANPR Cloud, a SaaS application that allows flexibility for operators with capital cost sensitivity and those unsure what their permanent installation should look like. Since the last century, primitive technological innovations have been combined with each other and with new concepts first to invent, then develop, ALPR cameras to their current degree of sophistication, serving a wide variety of users. It seems inevitable that more developments will ensue, and more adaptations of the technology will come with them. Look to Adaptive Recognition for the latest developments in LPR cameras and discuss your ideas for your application with their experts. Visit the company's website soon. Omaha, Nebraska Even a company that has been in business more than 100 years can benefit from the experience of the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) consultants when it comes to navigating the often complicated and confusing requirements of government registrations. Universal Information Services, Inc. has delivered innovative media contact, news monitoring, and PR measurement services since 1908. The Omaha company is a comprehensive media monitoring service, providing a wide range of clients with all the print, web, social, TV, and radio news results they need to understand their earned media exposure and the impact of that exposure. Universals services include TV and radio monitoring in all 210 U.S. markets, web monitoring, social media tracking, press clippings, PR measurement, News Track Pro, media contact and distribution, construction leads and bids, and digital preservation. Universal searches nearly 5 million online stories per day from more than 100 countries in 75 languages. Universal also serves the nations growing Hispanic population, monitoring Spanish-language broadcasts in more than 50 U.S. television markets, including network and radio programming. When the companys System for Award Management (SAM) registration had expired, NBDC Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Consultant Harold Sargus stepped in to help secure Universals SAM renewal. Without it, Universal could not obtain payment for the invoices it had sent to its government clients, or be eligible for new business with government prospects. President James L. Murphy, who had more than 40 years of experience with the Army National Guard before retiring as a Brigadier General, had operated Universal since 1959. His son and the CEO, Todd Murphy, acquired the company in 2016. He has served on the committees of several international media monitoring organizations, and specializes in media measurement, copyright law, and U.S. legislation affecting the use of media. Todd Murphy says that although he was aware of the NBDC and its services, this was the first time Universal had benefitted from the expertise the NBDC provides its clients. Harold worked through the errors with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and SAM, managing the incomprehensible instructions from our federal government and leading us across the finish line, he says. We would not have been able to continue to do business with our government clients, nor be considered for future contracts, without Harolds knowledge and dedication. Murphy says he has since recommended the NBDC to other small business owners. I dont know how any small business could manage something that is supposed to be as simple as a SAM renewal without the professional help of a service like the NBDC, he says. Murphy says Universal is interested in continuing its relationship with the NBDC. One area that small businesses always need help is with responding to federal requests for proposals (RFPs), he says. They are difficult to put together, to say the least. If the NBDC helps us respond to RFPs, we think our potential to win more business would greatly increase. You can learn more about Universal Information Services, Inc. on their website. Hong Kong, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2022 ) :Modern-day Hong Kong is best known for its sprawl of skyscrapers and role as a bustling financial hub and regional trade conduit off the southern coast of mainland China. But the territory was once a quiet backwater of rural hamlets and fishing communities, where mountainous terrain dominated sparse human settlement. Twenty-five years since the city was handed back to China by colonial power Britain, here are key points in its evolution: - Ancient history - Remnants of burial grounds and early rock carvings show human life in Hong Kong as far back as the Stone Age. The territory is thought to have come into the fold of the Chinese empire under the Han dynasty between 206 BC and 220 AD. Increasing numbers of Han Chinese from the mainland began to settle in Hong Kong, alongside boat-dwelling communities also thought to have originated from southern China. - Trade boom - Hong Kong's sheltered main harbour became a place to replenish supplies for trading ships plying the maritime silk road between Asia, Africa and the middle East, flourishing from around the 7th century. As well as silk, China exported porcelain and tea and received everything from spices to plants and textiles. Hong Kong's outlying islands were also a haven for Chinese pirates -- its current territory includes 260 islands, many of them uninhabited. - European arrival - Portuguese, Dutch and French traders arrived on the south coast of China in the 1500s and Portugal set up a base in Macau, which neighbours Hong Kong. But in the 18th century, China imposed restrictions on the Europeans in a bid to contain their influence. Britain was angered after an imperial edict banned its trade in opium from India to China, which had led to the spread of addiction. After Chinese authorities seized a vast haul of the drug, Britain attacked in 1840 and reached northern China, threatening Beijing, in the First Opium War. To make peace, China agreed to cede Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1841. The Kowloon peninsula followed in 1860 after a second Opium War, and Britain extended north into the rural New Territories in 1898, leasing the area for 99 years. - British rule - Hong Kong was part of the British empire until 1997, when the lease on the New Territories expired and the entire city was handed back to China. Under British rule, Hong Kong transformed into a commercial and financial hub boasting one of the world's busiest harbours. Anti-colonial sentiment fuelled riots in 1967 that led to some social and political reforms -- by the time it was handed back to China, the city had a partially elected legislature and retained an independent judiciary. Hong Kong boomed as China opened up its economy in the late 1970s, becoming a gateway between the ascendant power and the rest of the world. - Return to China - After lengthy negotiations, including between former leader Deng Xiaoping and British ex-prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the two sides signed off on the future handover of Hong Kong in 1984. The Sino-British declaration said Hong Kong would be a Special Administrative Region of China and would retain its freedoms and way of life for 50 years after the handover date on July 1, 1997. Beijing says Hong Kong's One Country, Two Systems model remains intact. Wellington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2022 ) :NASA blasted a nanosatellite barely bigger than a microwave oven into outer space Tuesday, part of a landmark mission to return humans to the Moon. A rocket carrying the tiny CAPSTONE module successfully launched from New Zealand's eastern Mahia Peninsula to a deafening blast and a wash of fiery propulsion. "We have liftoff!" NASA said in a statement shortly after the 09:55 GMT launch, described by Bradley Smith, NASA's director of launch services, as "absolutely fantastic." "This incredible team has just sent CAPSTONE on a ballistic trajectory to the lunar orbit," he said. All being well, in four months CAPSTONE will be in a position to begin innovative surfboard-shaped "near rectilinear halo orbits" around the Moon. Weighing about as much as a suitcase, the satellite is trial-running an orbit for NASA's "Gateway" space station -- which will travel around the Moon and serve as a jumping off point for lunar exploration. The orbit passes within 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) of the Moon at its closest point, before catapulting to 43,500 miles (70,000 kilometres) away at the furthest. Scientists hope the orbit will be super-efficient, using the pull of both the Moon and the Earth to minimise fuel use. As part of the same project, the United States eventually plans to put the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon. NASA also plans to build a moonbase, and use the experience as a stepping stone to a crewed flight to Mars. Madrid, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jun, 2022 ) :Spanish public prosecutors said Tuesday they had opened an investigation into the deaths of at least 23 migrants during a mass attempt to cross from Morocco into Spain's Melilla enclave. The announcement came a few hours before the United Nations denounced what it called "excessive force" by authorities on the border between Morocco and Spain and demanded an investigation into the migrants' deaths. The tragedy happened at dawn on Friday when around 2,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, tried to break through the fence from Morocco into the tiny Spanish enclave. Moroccan authorities said some had fallen while trying to scramble over the fence, giving an initial toll of 18 dead, but later raising it to 23 after another five migrants died of their injuries. They said 140 Moroccan police were wounded. Very few details about the incident were available, but Spanish media showed images of many people lying on the ground, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes. "We want to know what happened so we can explain it to the relatives of those who died," said Ahmed, an Eritrean migrant who described Friday's incident as "a massacre". He was among around 50 migrants who held a protest on Tuesday in front of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) headquarters in the Moroccan capital Rabat, some raising signs reading "stop killing us". "They beat us inhumanely," said Omar, a migrant who said he was fleeing "war and prison" at home in Sudan. "We don't feel safe here, our lives are in danger," he told AFP. PASCOMS, an association for sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco, blamed the European Union, its member states and Morocco for what it called a "disaster". - 'Migrants beaten with batons' - The death toll was by far the worst recorded in years of attempts by migrants to cross into Melilla, one of Spain's two North African enclaves which have the EU's only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants desperate to escape grinding poverty and hunger. In a statement, the Spanish prosecutors' office said the decision was made by Attorney General Dolores Delgado in order "to clarify what happened at the Melilla border", citing the "seriousness and gravity" of the incident. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters in New York that the "use of excessive force by the authorities" was "unacceptable" an should be investigated. Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations' rights office had called for an independent investigation "as a first step towards establishing the circumstances of the deaths and injuries", spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said. While it remained unclear how they had died, Shamdasani said the office had received reports of "migrants beaten with batons, kicked, shoved, and attacked with stones by Moroccan officials as they tried to scale the barbed-wire fence" which is between six and 10 metres high. Meanwhile Morocco, locked in a worse-than-usual standoff with neighbouring Algeria, blamed its regional rival for "deliberately lax" control of their shared border, according to a statement from its Madrid embassy carried by Spanish media. Algerian diplomat Amar Belani, charged with the Western Sahara dossier that is at the heart of tensions between Rabat and Algiers, said Morocco was looking for "scapegoats to relieve itself of its responsibilities". The African Union has also called for an "immediate investigation", with AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat expressing "deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment" of migrants at the border. In Morocco, prosecutors are moving to press charges against 65 migrants, mostly Sudanese, who tried to storm the border, a defence lawyer in Rabat said on Monday. MARDAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2022 ) :Fake lumpy animal disease and congo virus vaccines worth thousands of rupees were seized during a joint action by the district administration and livestock department officials here on Tuesday. Habibullah Arif, Deputy Commissioner Mardan in a statement said that two accused were arrested and six shops were sealed. He said action was taken on a tip off that fake vaccines of lumpy disease and congo virus besides other diseases worth thousands of rupees were being prepared with different chemicals inside a house opposite Bilal Mosque Railway Pattak from where it was being supplied to market. He said action was taken and two accused were arrested. India has blocked access to Pakistan's Twitter accounts for its embassies in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and New York's Permanent Mission to the UN. On Tuesday, Pakistan raised alarm about India's decision to suspend the Twitter accounts of Pakistani embassies worldwide. The Foreign Office of Pakistan's official Twitter account expressed its concern about the situation. The Foreign Office tweeted, Deeply concerning that India has blocked the flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts. In the same tweet, they included the accounts that India has blocked. The statement went on to say that India has blocked access to Pakistan's Twitter accounts for its embassies in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and New York's Permanent Mission to the UN. Asim Iftikhar, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, appealed to Twitter to permit access to the Pakistani embassys accounts right away and to uphold the democratic right to free speech. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations on Tuesday watered down a key pledge on ending fossil fuel financing abroad, as the need to tackle global warming clashed with fears over energy shortages Elmau Castle, Germany, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2022 ) :Leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations on Tuesday watered down a key pledge on ending fossil fuel financing abroad, as the need to tackle global warming clashed with fears over energy shortages. The G7 countries -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- ended a summit in the Bavarian Alps by reaffirming their goal to reduce reliance on dirty fossil fuels and speed up the green energy transition. But after three days of haggling, they also agreed to allow public investment in new international fossil fuel projects under certain conditions, as countries scramble to break free from Russian oil, coal and gas following the Russia-Ukraine war. German Chancellor and summit host Olaf Scholz "promised a crucial boost for international climate action and he didn't deliver," said Friederike Roder, vice president at the non-profit group Global Citizen. An alliance of civil society organisations including Oil Change International also issued a scathing verdict, condemning the "loopholes" on gas that made it into the final communique. The text reiterates that G7 nations will still halt new public investments in overseas fossil fuel projects by the end of 2022. But given the "exceptional circumstances" of the Ukraine war, "publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response". Observers said Germany and Italy, heavily reliant on Russian energy, had pushed hard for the amended text. Like other European countries, they are racing to stockpile gas before winter and diversify suppliers as they brace for Russia to turn off the energy taps altogether after it recently slowed deliveries. University of South Florida aging studies student and U.S. Air Force veteran Rio Tate is being awarded a 2022 Tillman Scholarship through the Pat Tillman Foundation. Tate is among a prestigious group of 60 U.S. service members, veterans and military spouses to earn this recognition. He is the only student from a Florida public university in this years class. Founded in 2008, the Tillman Scholars program supports our nations active duty service members, veterans and military spouses by investing in education and professional development. Im just filled with gratitude and happiness with being named a 2022 Tillman Scholar, said Tate, a first-generation college student. Ive always had the Tillman Foundation in mind because I really think that they prioritize service, which is something Im extremely passionate about in addition to research. As a high school student, Tate was interested in cognitive research and knew he would need to earn a doctoral degree to achieve his goal. He completed his first associate degree, but lacked the financial resources to go any further. Thats when Tate turned to the Air Force, which helped pay for his second associate and bachelors degrees while he was on active duty at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. In 2019, around the time Tate completed his bachelors, he was deployed to Iraq in Operation Inherent Resolve. During my downtime, I searched for doctoral programs that would be a great fit for the type of research I wanted to do, he said. Tate applied and was admitted into USFs aging studies program and began working toward his doctoral degree, even before he was discharged in 2020 after serving four years. Tate plans to be a part of an organization that seeks to reduce the prevalence of dementia that will bridge health disparities, such as the federal government, academia, or industry when he graduates. The university is so grateful to the Tillman Foundation for supporting the academic goals of hardworking, driven and passionate student veterans, like Rio, so they can obtain an education that allows them to make additional contributions to our nation, said Wayne Taylor, director of the USF Office of Veteran Success. Founded in 2008, the Pat Tillman Foundation has invested more than $24 million in scholarships and named more than 800 Tillman Scholars at nearly 150 academic institutions nationwide, who are selected based on their service, leadership and potential. Since the first class of Tillman Scholars in 2009, 21 USF students have received the award. A Remembrance of the Distinguished Dr. Robin M. Overstreet Tue, 06/28/2022 - 13:19pm | By: Michael J. Andres and Reginald Blaylock Donate to overstreet endowment Robin (Bob) Miles Overstreet died 21-May-2022. He was born to Laura and Robin Overstreet in Eugene, Oregon on 1-June-1939. Bob spent his youth hunting, fishing, playing sports, and building/racing cars. After high school, he followed a path that relatively few academics follow today, enlisting in the US Navy. His time in the Navy ended up being formative as he was an assistant to an oceanographer onboard an Antarctic icebreaker. During this period, he was tasked with helping collect water samples and biological specimens using a variety of collection techniques. Many of the specimens he helped collect are still vouchered in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Many years later Richard Heard (SOSE Professor Emeritus and Bobs first PhD student) described a few of the specimens Bob collected while sailing in the Antarctic. Upon leaving the Navy, he returned to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon where he received his BA degree and ultimately met his late wife Kim. Kim and Bob would go on to have two sons, Eric and Brian, and two grandkiddos, Jackson and Maddison. His path again was not direct, first focusing on business before switching back toward spending time on vessels collecting specimens on the Oregon coast. There, he furthered his interest in marine biology, fisheries, and parasites. He choose to attend the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMS; then the Institute of Marine Science) to pursue his MS degree, in-part because of the opportunity to learn from faculty that were biologically oriented and in-part because of the rich diversity of organisms that would be at his fingertips. During his time there, he met many established and visiting ichthyologists who provided him the opportunity and guidance to pursue a study of fish parasites. His thesis helped lay the foundation for his work as a fish parasitologist with expertise in parasite ecology and taxonomy. Bob stayed at RSMS for his PhD, but took a very indirect route that seemed to guide his approach toward mentoring students later on. He largely directed his own PhD, traveling to other universities to gain expertise from a variety of parasitologists (Paul Beaver at Tulane, Raymond Cable at Purdue, and Harold Manter and Mary Lou Pritchard at Nebraska) that would ultimately culminate in his dissertation monograph in which he examined over 110 species of fish for parasites, erecting new genera and describing 13 species. His dissertation established him as one of his generations most prolific parasite taxonomists and one of the worlds experts on digeneans (parasitic flatworms). His monograph still serves as a foundational text for those studying fish parasitology. His next stop was a return to Paul Beavers lab, but this time as a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University Medical School. At Tulane, his fascination with nematodes began to grow, and he developed his idea that parasitologists should serve both their science and their communities. For the remainder of his career he always took the time to respond to and assist anglers, hunters, state officials, industry professionals, and everyday citizens concerned about animal (and occasionally human) health concerns. Many of his students and technicians have wondered why they were being asked to look at seemingly random specimens from the ends of the earth (and rear ends of an almost unfathomable variety of animals). In 1969, Bob was hired as Head of the Parasitology Section at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory where he quickly developed a highly influential Marine Parasitology course. Many young parasitologists, including his good friend and future colleague at Southeastern Louisiana University, the late Bill Font, were influenced by this course. While Bob held academic positions at many universities in the US and abroad, he remained at GCRL for his entire career and saw GCRL transition from a state marine lab to part of The University of Southern Mississippi. During his career at USM, he helped develop the toxicology and aquaculture programs. As a result of all his work, he became the first recipient of USMs Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Although his passion was always with marine parasites and systematics, he was a well-rounded biologist. He prided himself on being a solver of tricky problems that ultimately led to him acquiring more than $50 million in external funding from a variety of funding organizations both nationally and internationally. The advice he often gave his developing students when applying for funding or pursuing research questions was follow the cheese and work on good problems. This exact mantra led to him working with the catfish farming industry to help address major trematode infections occurring in their ponds. During his prolific career he served as an editor or associate editor for 12 journals, produced 22 graduate students (14 of which were PhD), produced nearly 400 publications, and received many international and national awards. Furthermore, more than 30 species have been named after him as a testament to his contributions to helminth taxonomy. Bob always held academic societies and their journals in special reverence, especially the American Fisheries Society and the American Society of Parasitologists, which he served in many capacities, most notably as president in 2003. He also was awarded the Societys Eminent Parasitologist Lectureship Award in 2014. Bob Overstreet (center) with his second Marine Parasitology course in 1980; his friend and colleague William Bill Font is second from the right. Bob demonstrating the proper way to eat ticks during his presidential address to the American Society of Parasitologists in 2003. Bob and Kim often hosted visiting scientists from all over the world in their home and in his lab. Many of his former students, USM collaborators, and our colleagues have fond memories of visiting GCRL and the long days/nights looking through a variety of animals in Oceanography room 137. Kim was often a lab mother to his students and was probably the only person that could correct his grammar. Bob retired from USM in 2014 and was awarded Professor Emeritus status. Although faculty meetings were much less entertaining without him, he maintained an active lab for several years after retirement. Throughout his life he maintained a passion for hunting birds (and collecting their parasites of course), spiders, and classic cars. His colleagues, friends, and former students will certainly miss him and his anecdotes. There is a certain sadness that goes with knowing future students of parasitology will not have the opportunity to use Oceanography 137 as a home base for conducting fieldwork along the Gulf Coast. Likewise, there is sadness in knowing we will never again feel the frustration of dealing with his scathing comments on a draft manuscript and, moreover, being able to work it all out over a Mello Yello in his office. He occasionally remarked that if you want to live forever, be a taxonomist (the authority, or person that described the species, is maintained with that organisms name), and he certainly will live on in our memories and through his contributions to the field of aquatic parasitology. A month after the Owo Pentecost massacre, Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province call for special prayers. Paul Samasumo Vatican City. As a month rolls by after the bloody crime against God and humanity perpetrated at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday 5 June 2022, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Ibadan, Gabriel Leke Abegunrin, has invited Catholic clergy, the religious and lay faithful to observe a day of prayer in commemoration of the tragic event and to pray for the departed souls. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ibadans suffragan dioceses include Ekiti, Ilorin, Ondo, Osogbo and Oyo. Praying for Nigeria We must do all in our power to bring our country back to the path of justice, peace and the fear of God. This cannot happen without an unflinching commitment to prayer, said Archbishop Abegunrin. He added, We earnestly urge all the faithful in our Ecclesiastical Province, therefore, to join this prayer crusade for the mercy of God and strength for the Church and all the faithful. Special prayers and fasting are to be observed on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, exactly a month after gunmen attacked parishioners during Pentecost Sunday Mass at St Francis Catholic church. Federal authorities suspect the Islamic State West Africa Province of carrying out the massacre. Some reports estimate the number of people killed to be well over 50. The Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have directed that the day of prayer and fasting conclude with Holy Mass or Adoration and Benediction. The Benin National Eucharistic Congress In the meantime, the Ibadan Bishops are also encouraging the faithful to make an effort and attend the forthcoming National Eucharistic Congress to be held in the Archdiocese of Benin from 11 November to 13 November 2022. The Bishops of the EU express sorrow over the deaths of at least 23 persons during a border crossing attempt between Morocco and Spain, and call for the respect of the human dignity and fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers. By Benedict Mayaki, SJ The Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has lamented the deaths of dozens of migrants and asylum seekers near Nador, Morocco, as they tried to cross the fence into the Spanish city of Melilla, as well as the deaths of two policemen. Reports say that between 1500 and 2000 migrants stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and the Spanish enclave on Friday, in hopes of crossing into Spanish territory. In the chaos that ensued, not less than 23 people died and dozens of others were injured. Melilla and Ceuta, Spains other tiny north African enclave, are the European Unions only land borders with Africa, making them a potential gateway into Europe for sub-Saharan migrants and refugees. This crossing attempt is the worst such tragedy that the two enclaves have seen. A view from the Moroccan side of the border fence with Spain's Melilla enclave Prayers for the dead In a statement issued on Monday and signed by COMECE General Secretary, Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, the bishops said are praying for the victims and for their families. The EU Bishops, however, did not fail to call for the identification of the victims and the return of the remains to their families, as well as for an independent and trustworthy investigation of what happened in this tragic episode. Pope Francis has also prayed for the victims of Melilla as well as for a group of 46 migrants who were found dead in a truck in Texas, USA on Tuesday. In a tweet, he called for prayers for these our brothers and sisters "who died following their hope of a better life;" and for ourselves, that the Lord "might open our hearts so these misfortunes never happen again." Read also 27/06/2022 Spanish Bishops appeal for better migration policies The Spanish Bishops Conference calls for an investigation into clashes that left over 23 people dead at Spains North African enclave of Melilla, and asks for new migration ... Respect for dignity and rights of migrants Fridays border crossing attempt has sparked growing calls from Human Rights groups who are calling for an investigation into the deaths of the migrants and asylum seekers, in the wake of reports of the use of force in the clash between Moroccan police and the people trying to cross the border. COMECE, in the statement, condemned the use of violence by people trying to cross borders and calls for a proportionate use of force by law enforcement agents. The bishops also insisted on the absolute respect of the human dignity and the fundamental rights of migrants and refugees, as well as the facilitation of appropriate screening of persons that are legitimate asylum seekers. The EU and its member states management of migration cannot consist in giving a blank check to neighbouring countries that dont respect the inalienable dignity of migrants and refugees, said COMECE. In a separate statement, the Spanish Bishops Conference also expressed their sorrow over the loss of lives at the border and called for the humanization and implementation of new migration policies that take into account the seriousness of the migratory pressure. The Spanish Bishops insisted that migrants are not invaders but human beings seeking to reach Europe, fleeing from wars and famine, aggravated by the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, drought and upheavals caused by climate change. Investors may want to change a company name for various reasons. This can be time-consuming given Vietnams regulations and the different requirements of provincial governments. Vietnam Briefing describes the process and what businesses need to be aware of when embarking on this process. Investors may choose to change their company name in Vietnam due to various reasons, which can be challenging and time-consuming. However, understanding Vietnams regulations on business name changes can help alleviate some of these challenges. Some common reasons for changing a company name include: A change in activities such as goods being produced or services that will be changed; A company being acquired or merged and going through an M&A process; Re-branding; or Current name is not suitable or confusing. Investors will also need to notify the relevant government agencies as well as update official documents, which include: Changing the companys Memorandum and Articles of Association; Notifying relevant government agencies in Vietnam as well as partners, clients, suppliers, and vendors; Updating the new company name to E-VAT invoices; and Changing the name on all official documents and company seal. Typically, the general procedure to update the company name is: (1) amend the enterprise registration certificate (ERC); and (2) amend the investment registration certificate (IRC). This is true, especially if the company name is indicated on the IRC as well. In the case of the M&A process, a pre-approval for the M&A is required before going through steps (1) and (2) as aforementioned. In this article, we will highlight how to change the company name in the ERC as a base for updating the IRC in a general case. What are the required documents? Investors must prepare the following documents when changing the business name for registration: An official notice of change in the business registration information with the signature of the legal representative of the business. The notice must be in the same format as the form in Appendix II found in Circular 01/2021/TT-BKHDT. Investors should note that they only need to select and fill in the relevant information related to the business name change in the Appendix; A decision of the investor(s) on the company name change which is: a decision of the company owner for single-member limited liability companies; or a company resolution and a copy of the meeting minutes of the members council of limited liability companies with two members and more, as well as partnerships; or a company resolution and a copy of the meeting minutes of the general meeting of shareholders for joint-stock companies. Letter of authorization from the company director to the representative who oversees the submission of the application. Online registration process According to Decree 78/2015 ND-CP, the business registration process can be implemented online on the National Business Registration Portal launched by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), and the hard copy of all the documents must be submitted to the local Business Registration Division (BRD) once the application for change is approved. However, as noted in Decree 01/2021/ND-CP, the application for change in the company name can be conducted online without physical copies required to be submitted. This digitization of the application process is part of Vietnams digital transformation and administration reform, bringing in a synchronous legal system for greater transparency and efficiency as noted by Phuc Duong, Business Advisory Services, Dezan Shira & Associates. What is the process for changing your business name online? Register an account on the National Business Registration portal managed by the MPI. This stage will require several steps of personal information verification of the company representative who will be responsible for the account; After the personal information of the company representative is verified, the user can select the type of change in the business registration information, which in this case will be the change in the content of business registration information; The user can then proceed to upload and attach the documents in the online form as required on the portal and double-check the application before submitting; An application receipt will then be issued, and the user will be notified via the email they provided when creating the account. In approximately three working days, the company will receive the result from the portal via the registered email. The results will be one of three options: In case the application is sufficient and approved, the BRD will issue a new ERC, which can either be received by post or collected physically at the BRD office. The company should contact the local BRD on how to receive the new ERC; and In case the application is not sufficient and does not meet all requirements, the government authorities through the portal will inform the user of the additional information or amendments to be made; and In case the application is rejected, the BRD will inform the involved company in writing clarifying the reasons for rejection. A point to note is that despite a change in the business name, the rights and obligations of the business does not change. Investors should note that while there are no charges for the online application for a new ERC, a small fee may be associated with the announcement of the change on the business registration portal. Pros and cons of changing a company name Businesses may change their name when they have outgrown their products or brand. Businesses may want to reposition themselves on the market or there is a change in the service or products. Changing a company name is common, even for major firms like Google formerly known as BackRub, Nike, and Facebook. However, it is advisable to weigh up the pros and cons before implementing such a major change. Pros: the new name may fit the brand better, especially after brand repositioning, potentially leading to larger target markets. Ultimately, the business name is what remains in customers and investors minds. Cons: a drastic change can cause confusion for either loyal or new customers and the process of adapting to the new name may take months, from changing the logo, website, and official documents. Branding and reputation are important factors for investors and a company name is significant as it can influence customer perception setting a foundation for a businesss products or services. Takeaways Changing the company name includes several stages of paperwork and post-registration adaption. However, thanks to recent admin reforms, the process can be completed in few working days. Investors can contact our experts should they encounter any problems with the legal procedure of changing their company name. The U.N. childrens fund says more than 266,000 violations were committed against children in armed conflict between 2005 and 2020. An analysis of more than 30 conflicts across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America finds children continue to bear the brunt of war and are forced to endure what it calls unspeakable horrors. Authors of a report on the subject say the figure in the report represents just a fraction of the violations believed to have occurred and does not reflect the magnitude of the crimes committed against children caught in conflict. Tasha Gill is UNICEFs senior adviser, Child Protection in Emergencies. She says children are victims of a staggering average of 71 verified grave violations every day. She says the report documents the killing and maiming of more than 104,000 children in conflict. Between 2016 and 2020, 82 percent of all verified child casualties occurred in only five situations: Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. It is also important to note that many children experience more than one violation, increasing their vulnerability," Gill said. She notes abduction often leads to other violations, such as recruitment and sexual violence. The report has verified at least 25,700 child abductions by parties to conflict and more than 93,000 children recruited as soldiers by all parties to conflict. Additionally, the report says children have been raped, forcibly married and sexually exploited, with at least 14,200 children also having been subjected to other forms of sexual violence. Gill calls sexual violence against children the most underreported of all violations. Sexual violence does occur against children. It is used as a tactic of war. It is one of the lowest numbers because of the access issue but also the stigma and fear attached to reporting in conflicts across the board Children are often used for many different reasons, which can be considered deliberate targeting. Our request is that all parties immediately cease and desist from using children in armed conflict," Gill said. She notes children are recruited as soldiers, and many also are used by the warring parties as porters, sexual slaves, and messengers. She says the violations must stop. UNICEF is calling on parties to conflict and states to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and implement concrete measures to protect children. Agency officials say they have met with success in preventing some violations against children and putting a stop to others by engaging with those responsible for the violations. For example, over the past two decades they say at least 170,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups. More than 100 people, including many women, have been murdered in a Syrian camp in just 18 months, the United Nations said Tuesday, demanding countries repatriate their citizens. The Al-Hol camp is increasingly unsafe, and the child detainees are being condemned to a life with no future, said Imran Riza, U.N. resident coordinator for Syria. Al-Hol, in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, was meant to be a temporary detention facility. However, it still holds about 56,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, some of whom maintain links with the Islamic State jihadist group, which seized swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The rest are citizens of other countries, including children and other relatives of IS fighters. Some 94% of the detainees are women and children, Riza, who has visited Al-Hol a handful of times, told reporters in Geneva. "It's a very harsh place, and it's become an increasingly unsafe place," he said. There have been "around 106 murders since January last year in the camp," and "many" of the victims were women, he added. "There's a great deal of gender-based violence. ... There's a lot of no-go areas." 'Innocent' children The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said violence was spiking in the camp, with another murder Tuesday the seventh since June 11. Out of 24 people murdered inside the camp this year, 16 were women, the Observatory added. Riza said there were around 27,000 Iraqi detainees, 18,000-19,000 Syrians and around 12,000 third-country citizens. While there have been some repatriations to Iraq, many other countries which "need to be accepting their people back" were refusing to do so. "The majority of the population there are children. They are innocent. If you leave them in a place like Al-Hol, you're essentially condemning them to not having a future," Riza said. Riza said that when boys turn 12, 13 and 14 years old, they are taken away from their families and placed in a different center, where their future is one of radicalization and joining a militia. "The only solution is emptying the camp," he said. 'Cascade of crises' Syria's civil war erupted in 2011 after the violent repression of protests demanding regime change. It quickly spiraled into a complex conflict that pulled in numerous actors, including jihadist groups and foreign powers. The war has left around half a million people dead and has displaced millions. Riza said the levels of need in Syria were unprecedented and increasing, with 14.6 million people requiring humanitarian assistance up 1.2 million since 2021 and the highest since the civil war began. Riza said the country was facing a "cascade of crises," with the key factor now the economic decline dragging down socioeconomic conditions. "The impact on Syrians is devastating, and families are increasingly pushed into destitution," he said. More than 90% of the Syrian population is estimated to live below the poverty line. For decades, the contentious issue of abortion rights has motivated American voters from both parties. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week to overturn the 1973 decision guaranteeing women a constitutional right to abortion could have a defining impact on upcoming congressional midterm elections, when Democrats attempt to hold on to their narrow edge in the U.S. House and Senate. Midterm elections traditionally do not drive voter turnout in the same numbers as presidential elections. But recent polling suggests the overturn of the nearly 50-year-old law could motivate voters. A May poll from American news network CBS found that 40% of Democratic voters said they would be more likely to vote if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Forty-eight percent of Democratic voters said in a May Monmouth University poll that they were basing their vote on candidates' positions on abortion rights. In the hours after the decision was handed down, sending the issue of legalizing abortion back to the state level, U.S. Democratic lawmakers warned this was just the beginning of the fight over reproductive rights. "We need to restore the protections of Roe as law of the land. We need to elect officials who will do that. This fall, Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms are on the ballot," U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday. A Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted after Friday's announcement found 40% of the American public strongly disapprove of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave abortion laws up to states. Former U.S. President Donald Trump was elected partly on the strength of his campaign promise to nominate Supreme Court justices who opposed abortion rights. In a 2016 debate with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Trump said, "I am putting pro-life justices on the court it will go back to the states." He eventually nominated three Supreme Court associate justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. All three told lawmakers in their confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was the settled law of the land. All three were confirmed and eventually overturned the law, becoming the key votes in the decision. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday the overturn of Roe v. Wade was the direct result of the election of Trump and warned that Trump's "Make America Great Again" wing of the Republican Party would result in further loss of reproductive rights if voters were not careful. "Elect more MAGA Republicans if you want nationwide abortion bans, the jailing of women and doctors, and no exemptions for rape or incest. Or elect more pro-choice Democrats to save Roe and protect a woman's right to make their own decisions about their body, not politicians," Schumer said at a press conference in New York. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned Friday that if Republicans gained control of Congress in November, they would move to even more serious action. "Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban. They cannot be allowed to have a majority in the Congress to do that. But that's their goal. This is deadly serious," Pelosi said. But outside the Supreme Court on Friday, 23-year-old abortion rights supporter Anabelle (whose last name was withheld by request), told VOA that electoral politics was not the solution. "Even if we codify Roe, it's pretty clear the Supreme Court is just going to rule it unconstitutional. So, I think in theory, Roe is on the ballot. In reality, it would require 60 Democratic senators who are willing to actually take action on cracking the code on ending the filibuster on making sure that this is here to stay," she said. Various public opinion polls show that about 70% of Americans support legalized abortion in some form. But some analysts say the Democratic Party needs to do a better job of developing an action plan. "There is this sort of fantasy of the apathetic, young voter who won't turn up for midterms," Sarah Clarke Kaplan, director of American University's Antiracist Research and Policy Center, told VOA. "But I think that really one of the things that we've seen in years is that actually what affects the turnout of young voters is how much they feel they are represented by the progressive bent of the Democratic Party." She added, "We're going to have to first see on the level of political parties a kind of progressive actionable stance around what the Democratic Party's response plans to be for maintaining access to abortion for young people and for all people." On the Republican side, the path forward is clearer. On Friday, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said the overturn of Roe v. Wade was the result of decades of hard work but added, "The work just begins now to go and protect life even more, because the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade, correcting that flawed decision, finally allows states and Congress to protect life in ways that we never were able to for the last 50 years." Anna Lulis, a digital engagement strategist for Students for Life of America, said outside the Supreme Court on Friday that this is the right approach. "I think it's super important to push pro-life legislation. What you're going to see with a post-Roe America is probably a polarization among the states. You're going to have some states ban abortion, and then you're going to have some states probably push radical pro-abortion laws. So, what we need to do, and what we hope to do, is go to those states, those radical pro-abortion laws, and educate them about the issue of abortion. But also, and hopefully, encourage them to push, eventually, pro-life legislation by cultivating a culture of life," Lulis said. Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones asDesperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. He did not know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint. Investigators traced the truck's registration to a residence in San Antonio and detained two men from Mexico for possession of weapons, according to criminal complaints filed by the U.S. attorney's office. The complaints did not make any specific allegations related to the deaths. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a lonely back road and found the gruesome scene inside, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground. More than a dozen people their bodies hot to the touch were taken to hospitals, including four children. Most of the dead were males, he said. The death count was the highest ever from a smuggling attempt in the United States, according to Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. "This is a horror that surpasses anything we've experienced before," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "And it's sadly a preventable tragedy." President Joe Biden called the deaths "horrifying and heartbreaking." "Exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy, and my administration will continue to do everything possible to stop human smugglers and traffickers from taking advantage of people who are seeking to enter the United States between ports of entry," Biden said in a statement. Authorities did not know the home countries of all of the migrants, nor how long they were abandoned on the side of the road. By Tuesday afternoon, medical examiners had potentially identified 34 of the victims, said Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Among the dead, 27 are believed to be of Mexican origin based on documents they were carrying, according to Ruben Minutti, Mexico consul general in San Antonio. Several survivors were in critical condition with injuries such as brain damage and internal bleeding, he said. At least seven of the dead were from Guatemala and two from Honduras, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, head of the North America department in Mexico's Foreign Relations Department, said on Twitter. About 30 people had reached out to the Mexican Consulate looking for loved ones, the officials said. Attempts to cross the U.S. border from Mexico have claimed thousands of lives in both countries in recent decades. U.S. border authorities are stopping migrants more often on the southern border than at any time in at least two decades. Migrants were stopped nearly 240,000 times in May, up by one-third from a year ago. Comparisons to pre-pandemic levels are complicated because migrants expelled under a public health authority known as Title 42 face no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Authorities say 25% of encounters in May were with people who had been stopped at least once in the previous year. South Texas has long been the busiest area for illegal border crossings. U.S. authorities discover trucks with migrants inside "pretty close" to daily, Larrabee said. Migrants typically pay $8,000 to $10,000 to be taken across the border and loaded into a tractor-trailer and driven to San Antonio, where they transfer to smaller vehicles for their final destinations across the United States, he said. Conditions vary widely, including how much water passengers get and whether they are allowed to carry cellphones, Larrabee said. Authorities say the truck discovered Monday may have had mechanical problems when it was left next to a railroad track in an area of San Antonio surrounded by auto scrapyards that brush up against a busy freeway. San Antonio has been a recurring scene of tragedy and desperation in recent years involving migrants in semitrailers. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a San Antonio Walmart. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. More than 50 migrants were found alive in a trailer in 2018, driven by a man who said he was to be paid $3,000 and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Other tragedies have occurred long before migrants reached the U.S. In December, more than 50 died when a semitrailer rolled over on a highway in southern Mexico. In October, Mexican authorities reported finding 652 migrants packed into six trailers stopped at a military checkpoint near the border. Some of the 16 people taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition. Those taken to the hospital were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer, said Fire Chief Charles Hood. "They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion," Hood said. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig." Temperatures in San Antonio on Monday approached 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before that, people paid small fees to get across a largely unguarded border. As crossing became much more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more perilous terrain and had to pay thousands of dollars. Some advocates drew a link to the Biden administration's border policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, wrote that he had been dreading such a tragedy for months. "With the border shut as tightly as it is today for migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, people have been pushed into more and more dangerous routes," he wrote on Twitter. Migrants largely from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have been expelled more than 2 million times under Title 42, the pandemic-era rule in effect since March 2020, which denies a chance to seek asylum. The Biden administration planned to end the policy, but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move in May. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 557 deaths on the Southwest border in the 12 months ending September 30, more than double the 247 deaths reported in the previous year and the highest since it began keeping track in 1998. Most were related to heat exposure. Police in Bangladesh have arrested two men over their social media posts criticizing a new multibillion dollar bridge that has been trumpeted by the government as a symbol of pride and its greatest feat. The Padma multipurpose bridge Bangladeshs longest bridge was inaugurated Saturday by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after eight years of construction plagued by delays, political conflict, high costs and allegations of graft. The 6.15-kilometer bridge, which cost a whopping $3.87 billion, is billed by Hasinas government as the jewel in its crown, and the fanfare over its completion has been matched only by the harsh response to any criticism of it. Police arrested one person Monday from the coastal district of Noakhali in southern Bangladesh for uploading a derogatory post about the Padma Bridge on his Facebook page. Abul Kalam Azad, 42, a former low-level leader of the countrys main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said in a post that he would like to take a photograph of himself urinating on the bridge. Azads post angered a lot of people in his native Companiganj town and was removed. Azad vehemently denied posting the remark, however, and insisted that his Facebook ID had been hacked. Rashidul Islam, a police officer in Companiganj, told VOA that Azad was sent to jail by the districts chief judicial magistrate on Tuesday morning. Controversy over TikTok videos Mohammad Bayezid Talha, 31, was arrested Sunday because of a viral TikTok video in which he showed he was able to unscrew nuts and bolts from the bridge with his bare hands. This is the Padma Bridge made of billions [of Bangladeshi taka], Talha said on the video as he unscrewed the nuts. Its unhinged screws are in my hands now. After Talhas arrest, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladeshs police said Talha had used tools to unscrew the bolts and insisted it could not be done with bare hands. He intentionally did that to denigrate the construction standard of the bridge, the CID said at a press conference. Talha was booked under the Special Powers Act, which criminalizes sabotaging or damaging government undertakings, and has previously been used to curb press freedom. Penalties under the act can range up to the death penalty. He was remanded for seven days. Police are still seeking another unidentified individual who also was seen in a viral video unscrewing nuts with his bare hands. RTV a local Bangladeshi channel aired interviews with construction workers who said they had been sent to tighten some nuts on the bridge that were not properly secured. The RTV report created an uproar in social media, with many people charging that Talha had been arrested for exposing a weakness of the bridge and questioning the CIDs claim that the nuts couldnt be unscrewed without tools. Talking with VOA, Ratul Mohammad, the spokesperson of Peoples Activist Coalition (PAC) a Bangladeshi political organization that promotes human rights said the arrests went against the spirit of peoples freedom of speech. By doing so, the government only curbs peoples democratic right, Mohammad said. Asif Nazrul, professor of law of Dhaka Universit,y told VOA that what Talha did could have motivated others to do the same, causing serious damage to the bridge. But booking him under Special Powers Act the highest punitive measure, which is capital punishment is way too much, Nazrul said. High Court ruling Bangladeshs High Court, meanwhile, ordered the government on Tuesday to form a commission within 30 days to identify people who have made up false stories about corruption involving the Padma Bridge project. A day earlier, the court said those who have criticized the bridge construction are enemies of the country and must be identified. If there was no conspiracy, then why did the World Bank suspend its funding? the court asked rhetorically. The World Bank and other donors withdrew financing for the project after allegations of corruption were brought against senior government officials and ministers a decade ago. Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin was accused of bribing top Bangladeshi officials overseeing the project and was banned from bidding on World Bank projects for a decade. Prosecutors in Canada eventually declined to pursue graft charges against company executives after a court ruled some wiretap evidence against them was inadmissible. Bangladeshs Anti-Corruption Commission also investigated the matter but found no clear evidence for the allegation. Constructing Padma Bridge is a massive achievement and success of the Hasina administration but what they are doing surrounding it is ignominious, law professor Nazrul said. At the end of the day, it is just a structure a mega one. But its nothing sacred, he said, adding that criticizing it is not blasphemy. Villagers in a western Cameroon town bordering Nigeria say armed men carried out a series of attacks from June 25 to 27, killing at least 30 people, including five Nigerians, and forcing hundreds to flee. Community leaders in the town of Akwaya say one of two communities fighting over land hired separatist fighters to carry out the shootings, which the rebels deny. Enow Daniel Kewong, the highest-ranking government health official in Akwaya, spoke to VOA via a messaging application. "Since the incident was very horrific, we never had the courage to go to the field, so the injured were actually transported by relatives and villagers to the Presbyterian Health Center where we attended to them," he said. "Most of the people that were brought had severe head injuries, chest injuries, while few had minor injuries. The severe injuries, we tried to stabilize them and referred them to neighboring Nigeria for continuation of care." Cameroon Presbyterian Church official Samuel Fonki said an unknown number of the injured died while being evacuated to Nigeria. VOA could not independently verify if any injured from the attack arrived at Nigerian hospitals. Fonki said the ethnic Oliti accused the Messaga Ekol people of hiring rebel fighters to carry out the attacks to try to force them from their land. Separatists deny they were responsible for the Akwaya killings and blamed unnamed armed groups operating across the border. Fonki said he was trying to organize peace talks between the communities to end the violence when the weekend attacks occurred. "We were planning on how we can have peace talks to end the matter and then this unfortunate incident took place where 30 people including children, women, young girls, men and the old were massacred with support from some armed men. Some were even burned in their houses," he said. "We want to plead that the government should put a very strong military base in Akwaya since that area is also near Nigeria." Cameroon's government said troops have been deployed to protect civilians in Akwaya but gave no further details. The intercommunal violence along the Nigerian border first broke out in April, when villagers say at least seven people were killed and plantations were destroyed. Local clerics, community leaders and village chiefs called a meeting to seek a solution to the conflict, but the disputing sides refused to attend. The allegation of rebels being hired guns will likely complicate peace efforts. English-speaking separatists in western Cameroon launched an armed rebellion in 2017 to break away from the country and its French-speaking majority. The government has blamed them for most atrocities committed in Cameroon's English-speaking western regions, while the rebels usually blame federal troops. The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than 750,000. Colombian officials said four people died and more than 300 were injured in Sundays collapse of a grandstand at a bullfight in the city of El Espinal. President Ivan Duque said he would order an investigation and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims. The collapse happened during a traditional event in which members of the public enter the ring to engage the bulls. Several officials, including president-elect Gustavo Petro, called for such events to be banned. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Confucius Institutes, the controversial Beijing-backed language and cultural learning centers most of which were closed throughout the United States after being designated a foreign mission by the State Department are rebranding and reopening, according to a report by the National Association of Scholars. Of the 118 Confucius Institutes that once existed in the United States, 104 were closed as of June 21 and four are in the process of shutting down, according to the report. Of these, at least 28 have replaced their Confucius Institute with a similar program, and at least 58 have maintained close relationships with their former Confucius Institute partner, according to the report. Perry Link, professor of Chinese language studies at the University of California Riverside, said he was shocked after reading the June 21 report, which updates a March 2018 report. Link told VOA Mandarin that he was struck first by how many Confucius Institutes have been shut. I didnt expect the rate of closures to be so high. Second, they still exist in another way with another name. I think this is expected. I just didnt expect it to happen so soon. VOA contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment on the rebranded Confucius Institutes but did not receive a response. The Chinese state-owned Global Times published an article in October 2021 citing the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Germany as saying China firmly opposes the politicization of academic and cultural exchange activities. Important to China In April 2007, Li Changchun, then chairman of the Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization under the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said in a report by Xinhua, the Chinese state-run newspaper, that Confucius Institutes were an "important part of the CCP's external propaganda structure. Confucius Institutes had many requirements for their partner Western universities, such as confidentiality agreements that meant schools could not disclose the amount of funding Confucius Institutes provided, according to the association report. Critics saw the institutes as an overseas propaganda machine for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as well as a tool to monitor and interfere with speeches and activities on campuses. For example, in 2009, North Carolina State University canceled its plan to invite the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, to speak on campus after objections by the Confucius Institute. Ten years later, in 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it would not provide funding for universities hosting Confucius Institutes. The U.S. State Department designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center as a Chinese foreign mission in the United States, saying, On August 13, 2020, the Department of State designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS), which serves as the Washington D.C.-based de facto headquarters of the Confucius Institute network, as a foreign mission of the Peoples Republic of China. The opacity of this organization and its state-directed nature are the driving reasons behind this designation. Organizations designated as foreign missions must submit reports to the U.S. government about funding, personnel, curriculum and activities that occur in the U.S. But beginning in July 2020, as U.S. schools were closing the programs even before the State Departments finding, the Chinese government reorganized and rebranded the Confucius Institutes parent department, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, also known as Hanban, as the Ministry of Education Center for Language Exchange and Cooperation (CLEC). The CLEC also spun off a separate organization, the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), to fund and oversee Confucius Institutes and many of their replacements, according to Xinghuanet, a state-controlled news outlet. Outflanking maneuver Rachelle Peterson, senior research fellow at National Association of Scholars and co-author of the report, said at a June 21 discussion hosted by the Heritage Foundation that the closures of the Confucius Institutes is a story of success because the United States recognized the threat posed by Confucius Institutes and it addressed that threat. However, she said, It's also a story of warning because right now the Chinese government is trying to sidestep those policies. In military terms, this would be called an outflanking maneuver. The Chinese government is betting that if it takes away the name, Confucius Institute, and tweaks the structure of a program, no one will realize that Chinese government influence remains alive and well in American higher education. On July 1, 2021, one day after its Confucius Institute closed, the College of William and Mary established the W&M-BNU Collaborative Partnership with Beijing Normal University, according to the school. The Chinese university was the American schools former Confucius Institute partner, providing the programs the Confucius Institute used to offer. According to Peterson, nothing changed but the name. U.S. Representative Jim Banks pointed out at the Heritage Foundation event that the Confucius Institutes are also overseen by Chinas United Front Work Department, whose mission is to influence foreigners and foreign institutions and especially those in America. And their work can be seen on college campuses all over the country. Link said that although the Confucius Institutes cant censor students, their influence on educators comes in other ways. If you are in the Confucius Institute and create some programs with CCP money, would you host a memorial event for the Tiananmen Square Massacre? Of course not. Are there written rules that stop you? No. Did someone above tell you not to? No. Its self-censorship, its psychological. Jonathan Sullivan is a China specialist and professor of political science at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. who participated in reviews of the Confucius Institutes in their original form. He told VOA Mandarin in an email that the scare around the Confucius Institutes is exaggerated, and the fears about what they are doing and able to achieve are overblown. He said students need to learn Chinese and have Chinese cultural competencies, but the governments in many nations havent stepped in to fund academic alternatives to the instruction offered through Confucius Institutes. The harsh reality is that Confucius Institutes/Confucius Classrooms stepped up to fulfill a need that governments were not and they were happy to accept a freebie, Sullivan said. Now that Confucius Institutes have been tainted by wider distaste and suspicion of the Chinese government, this freebie now has a cost. Delhi police on Monday arrested the Muslim co-founder of a fact-checking website, accusing him of insulting religious beliefs on Twitter, a network of digital media organizations said, condemning it as an attempt to harass him for his journalism. Mohammed Zubair, who co-founded Alt News and regularly tweets on rising marginalization of the Muslim minority in the country, was arrested under two sections of a law related to maintaining religious harmony, the DIGIPUB association said. Alt News's other co-founder, Pratik Sinha, said on Twitter no notice was given to Zubair before his arrest. "He is currently detained inside a police bus in Burari for more than an hour," Sinha said, referring to a Delhi neighborhood where Zubair was to be produced before a magistrate at his residence to authorize the journalist's remand. A Delhi Police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Calls to their office phone went unanswered. Reuters partner ANI reported, citing Delhi Police sources, that Zubair was arrested based on a complaint from a Twitter account that said he insulted Hindus in a 2018 post commenting on the renaming of a hotel after the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. Journalists demanded his immediate release. "Journalist Zubair who routinely busted fake news, exposed the hate machinery in India has just been arrested," said Rana Ayyub, another Muslim journalist who often invites the wrath of Hindu hard-liners. "The country is punishing those who reported, documented the decline." Ten human rights organizations said on World Press Freedom Day last month that Indian authorities were increasingly picking on journalists and online critics for their criticism of government policies and practices, including by prosecuting them under counterterrorism and sedition laws. NATO ally Turkey lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden's bid to join the Western alliance on Tuesday after the three nations agreed to protect each other's security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The breakthrough came after four hours of talks just before a NATO summit began in Madrid, averting an embarrassing impasse at the gathering of 30 leaders that aims to show resolve against Russia, now seen by the U.S.-led alliance as a direct security threat rather than a possible adversary. It means Helsinki and Stockholm can proceed with their application to join the nuclear-armed alliance, cementing what is set to be the biggest shift in European security in decades, as the two, long neutral Nordic countries seek NATO protection. "Our foreign ministers signed a trilateral memorandum which confirms that Turkey will ... support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement. "The concrete steps of our accession to NATO will be agreed by the NATO allies during the next two days, but that decision is now imminent," Niinisto said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkey's presidency confirmed the accord in separate statements, after talks between the NATO chief, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Niinisto. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, "Fantastic news as we kick off the NATO summit. Sweden and Finland's membership will make our brilliant alliance stronger and safer." Stoltenberg said NATO's 30 leaders would now invite Finland, which shares a 1,300 km border with Russia, and Sweden to join NATO, and that they would become official "invitees." "The door is open. The joining of Finland and Sweden into NATO will take place," Stoltenberg said. However, even with a formal invitation granted, NATO's 30 allied parliaments must ratify the decision by leaders, a process that could take up to a year. Terms of the deal Turkey's main demands, which came as a surprise to NATO allies in May, were for the Nordic countries to stop supporting Kurdish militant groups present on their territory and to lift their bans on some sales of arms to Turkey. Stoltenberg said the terms of the deal involved Sweden intensifying work on Turkish extradition requests of suspected militants and amending Swedish and Finnish law to toughen their approach to them. Stoltenberg said Sweden and Finland would lift their restrictions on selling weapons to Turkey. Turkey has raised serious concerns that Sweden has been harboring what it says are militants from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. Stockholm denies the accusation. The Turkish presidency statement said the four-way agreement reached on Tuesday meant "full cooperation with Turkey in the fight against the PKK and its affiliates." It also said Sweden and Finland were "demonstrating solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations." U.S. President Joe Biden, who arrived in Madrid before a dinner with his fellow NATO leaders, did not directly address the issue in his public comments with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe of Spain. But he stressed the unity of the alliance, saying NATO was "as galvanized as I believe it's ever been." Biden is to have a meeting with Erdogan during the NATO summit. Erdogan said before leaving for Madrid that he would push Biden on an F-16 fighter jet purchase. He said he would discuss with Biden the issue of Ankara's procurement of S-400 air defense systems from Russia which led to U.S. sanctions as well as modernization kits from Washington and other bilateral issues. The resolution of the deadlock marked a triumph for intense diplomacy as NATO allies try to seal the Nordic accession in record time as a way of solidifying their response to Russia particularly in the Baltic Sea, where Finnish and Swedish membership would give the alliance military superiority. In the wider Nordic region, Norway, Denmark and the three Baltic states are already NATO members. Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation," helped overturn decades of Swedish opposition to joining NATO. The congressional panel investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol last year is set to hear testimony Tuesday from Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was privy to key White House conversations as Trump sought to upend his 2020 election loss. Watch the hearing: Hutchinson's testimony is shrouded in secrecy and was hastily scheduled Monday, with the House of Representatives panel declining to identify her publicly and saying only that a surprise hearing would be held "to present recently obtained evidence." Multiple U.S. news outlets identified her as the new public witness, although the panel has previously shown snippets of her videotaped testimony from three private depositions she gave to the committee's investigators. In one brief segment, she testified that a half dozen Republican congressmen sought pardons against possible criminal prosecution from Trump before he left office. All had played roles in promoting his debunked claims that vote-counting fraud had cheated him out of a second term in the White House. Trump pardoned a handful of political aides as left office but not the House Republicans. The investigative panel, after five hearings earlier this month, had previously said its next public hearings would not be held until mid-July. One of those hearings is set to detail the involvement of right-wing extremists in the insurrection at the Capitol and the other to explore what Trump was doing at the White House as he watched the riot unfold on television for more than three hours, ignoring entreaties from family members and associates to tell the rioters to leave the Capitol. Previously, an array of witnesses, in taped testimony and in person before the panel, have described how Trump and his allies sought to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence, the Justice Department and state officials to upend the congressional certification of the election results on January 6, 2021. Trump staged a rally near the White House shortly before the mayhem at the Capitol, urging his supporters to "fight like hell" to block congressional approval of Democrat Joe Biden's victory. About 2,000 of Trump's supporters stormed past law enforcement officials into the Capitol, ransacking congressional offices, vandalizing the building and scuffling with police. More than 800 have subsequently been charged with offenses and more than 300 have pleaded guilty or been convicted in trials. Sentences have ranged from a few weeks in prison to more than four years. Some of the rioters shouted, "Hang Mike Pence!" in protest of the former vice president's refusal to block certification of the election results in several states Trump narrowly lost. Trump wanted the official results sent back to those states so state legislators could then name electors supporting Trump rather than Biden. During one of the hearings last week, the committee played a video clip of Hutchinson testifying that Meadows and a Trump attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, held conversations about putting together fake slates of electors supporting Trump, part of the former president's broad effort to change the election outcome. News outlets have also reported that during one of her interviews with the committee, Hutchinson said Trump had approved of the "hang Mike Pence" chants from the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and was dismayed that Pence's security detail had rushed him to safety as the rioters came within 40 feet (12 meters) of reaching him. Trump supporters erected a gallows on the National Mall within view of the Capitol. In the United States, presidents are effectively chosen in separate elections in each of the 50 states, not through the national popular vote. Each state's number of electoral votes is dependent on its population, with the biggest states holding the most sway. The rioters who stormed the Capitol tried to keep lawmakers from certifying Biden's eventual 306-232 victory in the Electoral College. While the House committee cannot bring criminal charges, the Department of Justice is closely monitoring the hearings to determine whether anyone, Trump included, should be charged with illegally trying to reverse the outcome. Last week, FBI agents raided the suburban Virginia home of a former assistant attorney general, Jeffrey Clark, who wanted Trump to name him attorney general in the last month of his presidency so he could advance Trump's erroneous claims of vote fraud. Trump appeared willing to make the appointment but backed off when top Justice Department officials said Clark, an environmental lawyer, was not qualified to be the country's top law enforcement official and threatened to quit en masse if he were named. In addition, FBI agents, in a separate encounter in the southwestern state of New Mexico, seized the cell phone of conservative lawyer John Eastman, a Trump supporter who pushed for the plan to name bogus electors supporting Trump in the states where Trump narrowly lost the vote counts. A prosecutor in Atlanta, the capital of the state of Georgia, has convened a grand jury to probe Trump's effort to overturn the vote in that state. Trump asked the state's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to find him 11,780 votes one more than Biden defeated him by out of 5 million ballots. The investigative panel has heard testimony that key Trump aides told him he had lost the election and that there were minimal voting irregularities, not enough to overturn Biden's Electoral College victory. In addition, Trump was told it would be illegal for Pence to unilaterally block Biden's victory as Pence presided over the congressional Electoral College vote count, as Trump privately and publicly implored the vice president to do. Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple who courted the rich and famous as they lured vulnerable girls as young as 14 and then exploited them. Prosecutors said Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade and couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion and onetime girlfriend. In December, a jury convicted Maxwell of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan, who also imposed a $750,000 fine, said "a very significant sentence is necessary" and that she wanted to send an "unmistakable message" that these kinds of crimes would be punished. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give her 30 to 55 years in prison, while Maxwell's defense sought a lenient sentence of five years. Maxwell, wearing a blue prison uniform and a white mask to conform with coronavirus rules, sat quietly before the sentencing, looking ahead as Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe recounted how Maxwell subjected girls to "horrifying nightmares" by taking them to Epstein. "They were partners in crime together and they molested these kids together," she said, calling Maxwell "a person who was indifferent to the suffering of other human beings." When she had a chance to speak, Maxwell said she empathized with the survivors and that it was her "greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein." Maxwell called him "a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who lived a profoundly compartmentalized life," echoing her defense attorneys' assertions, in court filings calling for a lenient sentence, that Epstein was the true mastermind. Maxwell, who denies abusing anyone, said she hoped that her conviction and her "unusual incarceration" would bring some "measure of peace and finality." Several survivors described their sexual abuse, including Annie Farmer, whose voice cracked several times as she said, "we will continue to live with the harm she caused us." Farmer said she and her sister tried to go public with their stories about Epstein and Maxwell two decades ago, only to be shut down by the powerful couple through threats and influence with authorities. Inside the crowded courtroom, three of Maxwell's siblings sat in a row behind her. Most of the others in attendance were members of the media. Epstein and Maxwell's associations with some of the world's most famous people were not a prominent part of the trial, but mentions of friends such as Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey. Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them. Many described Maxwell as acting as a madam who recruited them to give massages to Epstein. The trial, though, revolved around allegations from only a handful of those women. Four testified that they were abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands. Three were identified in court only by their first names or pseudonyms to protect their privacy: Jane, a television actress; Kate, an ex-model from the U.K.; and Carolyn, now a mom recovering from drug addiction. The fourth was Farmer, the sole accuser to identify herself in court by her real name, after speaking out publicly. They described how Maxwell charmed them with conversation and gifts and promises that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help fulfill their dreams. Then, they testified, she led them to give massages to Epstein that turned sexual and played it off as normal. Carolyn testified that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein's Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to massage him in exchange for $100 bills in what prosecutors described as "a pyramid of abuse." Maxwell made all the arrangements, Carolyn told the jury, even though she knew the girl was only 14 at the time. The allegations against Epstein first surfaced publicly in 2005. He pleaded guilty to sex charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail, much of it in a work-release program as part of a deal criticized as lenient. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender. In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court. Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019 and killed himself a month later. Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. A U.S., British and French citizen, she has remained in a federal jail in New York City since then as her lawyers repeatedly criticized her treatment, saying she was even unjustly placed under suicide watch days before sentencing. Prosecutors say the claims about the jail are exaggerated and that Maxwell has been treated better than other prisoners. Her lawyers also fought to have her conviction tossed on the grounds of juror misconduct. Days after the verdict, one juror gave media interviews in which he disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child something he hadn't told the court during jury selection. Maxwell's lawyers said she deserved a new trial. A judge disagreed. At least eight women submitted letters to the judge, describing the sexual abuse they said they endured because of Maxwell and Epstein. Six of Maxwell's seven living siblings wrote to plead for leniency. A fellow inmate submitted a letter describing how Maxwell has helped to educate other inmates over the past two years. Anne Holve and Philip Maxwell, her eldest siblings, wrote that her relationship with Epstein began soon after the 1991 death of their father, the British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell. They said Robert Maxwell had subjected his daughter to "frequent rapid mood swings, huge rages and rejections." "This led her to becoming very vulnerable to abusive and powerful men who would be able to take advantage of her innate good nature," they wrote. Prosecutors called Maxwell's shifting of blame to Epstein "absurd and offensive." Before her fate was announced, Maxwell looked down and scribbled on a notepad as Sarah Ransome an accuser whose allegations weren't included in this trial spoke of the lasting harm to her life, gazing directly at Maxwell several times. Ransome, who twice tried to die by suicide, finally drew a look from Maxwell when she said: "You broke me in unfathomable ways, but you did not break my spirit." The arrest in India of a prominent human rights activist accused of criminal conspiracy and fabrication of evidence against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has triggered outrage across the global human rights community. On Saturday, Gujarat police arrested activist Teesta Setalvad and former senior police officer and whistleblower RB Sreekumar. The two and another former police officer, Sanjiv Bhatt who has already been jailed for life in a case of custodial killing were named in a First Information Report (FIR) related to the Gujarat riots. Setalvad is known for her fight in support of the victims of the 2002 riots in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in communal riots when Modi was the chief minister of the western state. During the riots, Gujarat state police were accused of sitting idle while Hindu mobs hacked and burned Muslims to death. Indias National Human Rights Commission then blamed Modis Gujarat government for not taking basic steps to prevent violence and failing to respond to specific pleas for protection during the riots. In 2012, a court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a report noting that there was no prosecutable evidence against Modi and his officials and exonerated all of them from complicity in the riots. On Friday, Indias Supreme Court dismissed a petition that Setalvad and Zakia Jafri whose husband and former member of Indian parliament, Ehsan Jafri, was burned to death during the riots had filed challenging Modis exoneration by the SIT. The next day, Indias home minister Amit Shah accused Setalvad of giving false information about the Gujarat riots to the police with an intention to defame Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. The court has, in fact, established that the allegation that the riots were organized as part of a criminal conspiracy was a lie that was spread by a troika of NGOs, the opposition and ideologically driven journalists, Shah said. If those who leveled allegations have a conscience, they should apologize. Setalvad was picked up by the Gujarat police hours after Shahs accusation against Setalvad was broadcast on national TV. In dismissing the petition challenging Modis exoneration, the Supreme Court on Friday observed, At the end of the day, it appears to us that a coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the State of Gujarat along with others was to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. ... All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law, the court said. Citing observations by the Supreme Court, the police have justified the filing of the FIR and launched investigations against Setalvad and the two former police officers. Journalist-turned-activist Setalvad founded the rights group Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) to advocate for the victims of the Gujarat riots. In their petition, Setalvad, Zakia Jafri and CJP demanded a criminal trial of Modi and dozens of state officials, alleging criminal conspiracy to spread riots. Arrest reflects 'shrinking space for dissent, says supporter Standing in support of Setalvad, rights activists and groups have condemned her arrest and demanded she be released immediately. Calling her arrest outrageous, Govind Acharya, an India specialist at Amnesty International USA, said targeting human rights activists for their legitimate human rights work is unacceptable. The detention of Teesta Setalvad is a way to punish those who are brave enough to question India's human rights record. Her arrest is part and parcel of the shrinking space for civil society and dissent in India, Acharya told VOA. Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said Setalvad has long been recognized for her work supporting Muslim victims of the Gujarat riots and her pursuit for justice. It is her work, and those of other brave activists like her, that led to the Supreme Court monitoring the investigation and prosecution of scores of people that raped and murdered their neighbors during the riots, Pearson told VOA. It is unfortunate that Indias Supreme Court chose to ignore the work that Teesta has done, despite repeated raids and cases filed against her by Gujarat authorities, perhaps in retaliation or to cover up the failures of the state to protect minority rights. Setalvads arrest shows how religious minorities and those standing for justice for Muslims are being targeted in India now, New Delhi-based civil rights activist Kavita Krishnan said. Its also a shame that the Supreme Court of India for the very first time has not only failed to deliver justice to the Gujarat riots victims, but has encouraged the state to put the petitioners in the dock, Krishnan told VOA. The Supreme Court judgment instigating criminalization of the petitioners for justice, followed by the vindictive prosecution by the Gujarat police in collusion with the Modi-Shah regime, is an attempt to chill civil liberties and human rights activism in India, she said. Delhi University teacher and social activist Apoorvanand said the arrest of Setalvad based on the direction of the Supreme Court to proceed against her and others is a dangerous signal to all human rights workers fighting to secure justice for the marginalized sections of society. It subverts the basic principle of justice that you dont punish those who are fighting against the all-powerful state seeking justice. To criminalize the act of justice-seeking is a new low for the Supreme Court of India, Apoorvanand told VOA. Mary Lawlor, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights defenders, said in a tweet she was concerned by the news of Setalvads arrest. Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime. I call for her release and an end to persecution by #Indian state, Lawlor said. Indian immigration to Australia has surged, overtaking China, according to national census data released Tuesday. The survey, which is held every five years, also revealed a growing number of Australians identifying as indigenous. According to the new census data, Australias demographics are changing rapidly and it is becoming increasingly culturally diverse. More than half of its residents were born overseas or have an immigrant parent. Indians are now the second-biggest immigrant population after those from Britain, overtaking settlers from China and New Zealand. More than one million people moved to Australia since the last census in 2016. The vast majority about 850,000 arrived by the end of 2019 before the start of the pandemic and the closure of Australia's international borders. The research has shown the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased to more than 5.5 million people since 2016. Of those, 850,000 reported that they did not speak English well or at all. Australian Bureau of Statistics deputy statistician Teresa Dickinson told a news conference Tuesday the country is becoming increasingly multicultural. The number of us who are first-generation Australians those born overseas and second-generation Australians those with one or both parents born overseas, which includes me has grown and is now over half the Australian population. We have seen the largest increase in country of birth outside Australia being India with 220,000 additional people counted, making India now the second highest overseas born population after England and leapfrogging China and New Zealand. The proportion of Australians identifying as Christians has fallen below 50% for the first time. The number of people who identified as Hindu increased by 55% over the past five years, reflecting the flow of immigrants from India and Nepal. The survey has reported a growth in the number of indigenous Australians. Collectively, they speak 167 traditional languages at home. It was also the first time that non-binary was offered as an option to report an individuals gender. Completing the survey is compulsory. Those who do not comply can be prosecuted and fined up to $153 each day until the census is completed. There were 25.5 million people in Australia on census night in August 2021, excluding overseas visitors. This is an increase of more than two million people from 2016. Census data is used to develop policy about transport, schools, health care, and infrastructure. Record-breaking drought in Ethiopia has caused child malnutrition rates to soar in the northern Afar region, where the only referral hospital says babies are dying within hours of arrival. Ethiopia's war with Tigrayan forces has left less than 10 percent of the region's clinics functioning and hospitals struggling to cope. Doctors at the hospital in Afar say they have admitted 369 severely malnourished children in the past three months. With only two pediatricians serving an area of more than 1 million people, Dubti General Hospital is overwhelmed with weak children and desperate mothers. Aina Kadr's 1-year-old son has been on therapeutic feeding for two weeks. "When we came here, he wasn't eating food or drinking water," she said. "We were afraid he would die." The worst drought in the Horn of Africa in four decades has left millions of Ethiopians facing hunger and malnutrition. The U.N. says Afar's rate of admitted malnourished children jumped by 30 percent in March and then another 28 percent in April. The acting head of Dubti General Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Yusuf, said they've gone from admitting five children per month to five per day. "They come after the patient deteriorates. So, most of the patients die in our setup after arrival within two to three hours because they are already complicated. Since malnutrition is not the only problem. It's accompanied with other complications, like pneumonia, anemia, diarrhea," Yusuf said. Ethiopian authorities say the war with Tigrayan forces left Afar's clinics looted and destroyed, with less than 10 percent functioning. That has forced even more people to seek care at hospitals like Dubti's, where patients many of them children spill into the hallways and porches. Amina Adam Ibrahim has been at the hospital with her sick baby for over two weeks. "He's coughing. He has a high fever, and he cannot eat food," she said. "We do not know what's wrong with him." Michel Saad, head of the U.N.'s humanitarian office in Ethiopia, said there's a struggle to meet health care needs. "There's a need to either rehabilitate other health centers somewhere else within Afar or to create new ones even if momentarily," Saad said. "So, this is something that we are trying to work on. I can tell you, unfortunately, it's not as fast as we would like to, but it's definitely on the radar, and we are following up on this." Meanwhile, Yusuf said some staff have given up and abandoned the hospital, making it even harder for remaining health workers to cope. Nigerian churches are introducing armed security and entry searches after a deadly June 5 attack on a Catholic church blamed on the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). Security experts fear the attack in Nigeria's southwest Ondo state means the threat of terrorism is spreading and could soon reach the capital. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja. Nigerian churches are introducing armed security and entry searches after a deadly June 5 attack on a Catholic church blamed on the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). Security experts fear the attack in Nigeria's southwest Ondo state means the threat of terrorism is spreading and could soon reach the capital. Abujas police said they have often deployed officers to churches, mosques and public places. "These days people just become crazy and going to churches and start shooting," said Bishop John Praise Daniel, the presiding pastor of Dominion Chapel. "So I think the church must get to that level of arming themselves against any attack that would come, that is self-defense and there's no law against self-defense." On June 5th, heavily armed men invaded St. Francis Catholic Church in the southwest city of Owo and killed 40 worshipers using guns and explosives. Eighty-seven people survived but suffered serious injuries. Some of them described the attack as unimaginable horror. "For such incident to have occurred, lasted for more than 20 minutes and there was no police presence," said Stephen-Chuks Okonye, who survived a bullet to his chest. "It means there's no security in this country. Security is one area the government has to look into." Nigerian authorities blamed the Islamic state of West African Province or ISWAP for the shooting, but some experts say that was a hasty conclusion. Experts also said the attack was an indication that terrorism is spreading in Nigeria. Last week, gunmen in the Kajuru area of the northern Kaduna state attacked two churches, killed three people and kidnapped 36 others. On Sunday, gunmen killed two clergymen in separate attacks in Kaduna and Edo states. The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), raised concerns about the attacks, criticized authorities for a lack of protection and urged church authorities to take stronger security measures. "The church as a whole must be security conscious and be prepared. The next person to you is a suspect," said Joseph Daramola is the general secretary of CAN. Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, promised to address general insecurity and boost Nigeria's economy when he first won office in 2015. But as his second and final term comes to an end, gruesome attacks like the one in Owo will be remembered as the country prepares for next years elections. A regional envoy for the crisis in Myanmar has urged the country's military leaders to return deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest from her prison cell in solitary confinement. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), issued the appeal Monday ahead of his second trip to Myanmar. In a letter to Myanmar's military leaders, he urged them to "exercise compassion and facilitate the return of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the home where she was originally detained, in consideration of her fragile health and well-being." Military authorities moved Suu Kyi last week from an undisclosed location to a prison in the capital, Naypyitaw, and placed her in solitary confinement. "We all share the view that a peaceful national reconciliation cannot be expected when one party to the conflict is taken out of the resolution equation," Sokhonn said in his letter. Myanmar's military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun told VOA Burmese that Suu Kyi was charged in criminal matters. "No one is above the law," he said, adding that Suu Kyi is staying in prison "separate from other inmates, and comfortably." Suu Kyi has been charged with a range of crimes, including corruption, since her government was overthrown by the military in February 2021. She has denied all charges. ASEAN has led stalled diplomatic efforts to resolve the political fallout from last year's coup, which ousted Suu Kyi's government and sparked widespread protests. Sokhonn last traveled to Myanmar in March. He is visiting the country again on Wednesday. VOAs Burmese service contributed to this report. Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse. For the first time since 1918, when Vladimir Lenin repudiated the debts of the former Russian Empire, Russia has defaulted on its sovereign debt. It did so by failing to make a payment of approximately $100 million in dollars and euros to bondholders. The default came about not because Russia is short of cash Vladimir Putin's government is profiting handsomely from the recent surge in energy prices but because Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have made it virtually impossible for Russia access foreign currencies in the volume required to service its debts. The payments in question were due last month, but a 30-day grace period ended on Sunday, triggering the default. After Russia invaded Ukraine and widespread sanctions were applied to the Russian economy, the U.S. Treasury had allowed an exception to rules blocking Russia's use of international payment services to allow the Kremlin to make its debt payments. That exception expired in May. Russia blames sanctions Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has denied that the failure to make payments is a true default. Russia has paid the equivalent amount of money, in rubles, into accounts in Russian banks opened in the names of its creditors. However, because of international sanctions on Russian banks, it will be difficult or impossible for those creditors to access the funds. In a statement reported by Bloomberg News, Siluanov said, "Overseas counter-agents have refused to make payments in foreign currencies, which for us is a force majeure situation. And it's purely for this reason that we are switching to payments in rubles." The term "force majeure" refers to a clause common in many contracts that frees parties from liability if forces beyond their control prevent them from fulfilling their obligations. The obligations remain in place and must be fulfilled when it becomes possible to do so. Russia's claims seen as plausible Mitu Gulati, a law professor at the University of Virginia who studies sovereign debt issues, told VOA that Russia's situation is unique and that the claim that its default is merely "technical" has some basis in contract law. "I cannot recall any prior event where we have had a default on a sovereign debt that has been forced in this way," Gulati said. He said that Russia can rely on what is known in the law as the "doctrine of impossibility and impracticability." "The law is that, if the reason I'm not able to perform on my contract is that some external force has prevented me from performing for example, a legal restriction, like a sanctions regime then I'm not in default, so long as I pay when the external force is removed," he said. Imposing costs Gulati noted that the Biden administration appears to have made the decision to block Russia from paying its debts as a means of imposing costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. However, he said it's unclear that the move will have much of an effect beyond what the war has already done to Russia's international reputation. "My inclination is to think that the markets are actually not going to penalize Russia any more for this event, because the market is going to see that Russia is desperately trying to pay," he said. "Russia's reputation is in the mud because they have engaged in this horrible action vis-a-vis a neighbor by invading them," Gulati said. "But if we're just talking about the U.S. causing some additional penalty for Russia I think all that this strategy is going to do is (ensure) that U.S. creditors don't get paid." G-7 backdrop The discussion of Russia's difficulties in paying its creditors took place against the backdrop of an ongoing meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrialized democracies, where the topic of the war in Ukraine held center stage. "Our goal is to support Ukraine as best we can," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country currently holds the group's rotating presidency. "In order to do this, we must take all the decisions required a necessity in these difficult times." In addition to the U.S. and Germany, the other members of the G-7 are Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Japan. Among other things, the leaders discussed placing a cap on the price of Russian oil trading on global markets. The aim is to reduce the economic benefits to Russia of the huge spike in oil prices brought about by the war in Ukraine. However, it is unclear how such a restriction could be imposed. Also discussed was a plan to ban the importation of gold from Russia. After energy products, gold is Russia's most valuable export. Other measures announced The White House on Monday released a fact sheet detailing other measures the G-7 will take to increase pressure on Russia. They included further sanctions on companies involved in the manufacture of military equipment needed to continue with the war effort. The group of wealthy nations also proposed directing the income from tariffs now being collected on Russian goods to Ukraine as a means of forcing Russia to "pay for the costs of its war." In addition, the group agreed to seek sanctions against individuals involved in human rights abuses in Ukraine, including "war crimes, profiteering, and illegitimate authorities." Those placed on the list would include members of military units credibly accused of war crimes, people involved in the theft and sale of Ukrainian grain, as well as people who have taken positions of authority, including mayors and government ministers, in regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after Sudan's army claimed Ethiopian troops executed seven Sudanese soldiers. Sudan announced early Monday it would recall its envoy from Addis Ababa and summon the Ethiopian ambassador from Khartoum. The move comes a day after Sudan accused troops from Ethiopia of executing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian and displaying the bodies in public. Later Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa issued a statement expressing regret for the incident but said Ethiopia has been misrepresented. It said, The Government of Ethiopia categorically rejects the misrepresentation of these facts by the Sudanese defense forces that unjustly put the blame on Ethiopia, while it was the Sudanese army unit that crossed (over) the Ethiopian border, provoking the incident. It went on to urge restraint and de-escalation on the part of Sudan. Border clashes between Ethiopia and Sudan have been ongoing for years, especially in the vicinity of the al-Fashqa region. A high-profile dispute over the building of the Great Renaissance Dam, which Sudan says could limit its access to water, has also strained tensions between the two countries in recent years. The Sudanese military had said of the alleged executions, "This treacherous act will not pass without a response." More than 300,000 civilians were killed in Syria between March 1, 2011, when that country's civil war began, and the end of March 2021, the U.N. Human Rights office reports. A new statistical analysis based on available data has arrived at this figure. This is the highest estimate to date of conflict-related civilian deaths in Syria. Each of the civilian deaths in the report is documented, including the full name of the victim, and the date and location of death. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the conflict-related casualty figures in the report are not just a set of abstract numbers but represent individual human beings. Her spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, said the high commissioner believes monitoring and documenting these deaths is key in helping families and communities establish the truth about the fate of their loved ones. It will allow them to seek accountability and pursue effective remedies. "This analysis will also give a clearer sense of the severity and the scale of the conflict," Shamdasani said. "And let us be clear, these are the people who were killed as a direct result of war operations. And this does not include the many, many more civilians who died due to the loss of access to health care, to food, to clean water and to other essential human rights." The United Nations reports the war has forcibly displaced 13.5 million people as refugees and internally displaced. That is more than two-thirds of Syria's population of around 18 million people. The U.N. estimates 11 million people inside Syria need international humanitarian assistance to survive. The report by the high commissioner's office notes the extent of civilian casualties in the last 10 years represents 1.5 percent of Syria's population at the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Authors of the report say this large number of casualties points to a serious failure by the warring parties to respect international humanitarian law on the protection of civilians. They warn civilian deaths will continue to rise for as long as the war goes on. President Joe Biden's administration added five companies in China to a trade blacklist on Tuesday for allegedly supporting Russias military and defense industrial base, flexing its muscle to enforce sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. The Commerce Department, which oversees the trade blacklist, said the targeted companies had supplied items to Russian "entities of concern" before the February 24 invasion, adding that they "continue to contract to supply Russian entity listed and sanctioned parties." The agency also added an additional 31 entities to the blacklist from countries including Russia, UAE, Lithuania, Pakistan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to the Federal Register entry. However, of the 36 total companies added, 25 had China-based operations. Todays action sends a powerful message to entities and individuals across the globe that if they seek to support Russia, the United States will cut them off as well," Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Three of the companies in China accused of aiding the Russian military, Connec Electronic Ltd., Hong Kong-based World Jetta, and Logistics Limited, could not be reached for comment. The other two, King Pai Technology Co., Ltd and Winninc Electronic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hong Kong is considered part of China for purposes of U.S. export controls since Beijing's crackdown on the city's autonomy. Blacklisting of firms means their U.S. suppliers need a Commerce Department license before they can ship to them. The United States has set out with allies to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special operation," by sanctioning a raft of Russian companies and oligarchs and adding others to a trade blacklist. While U.S. officials had previously said that China was generally complying with the restrictions, Washington has vowed to closely monitor compliance and rigorously enforce the regulations. We will not hesitate to act, regardless of where a party is located, if they are violating U.S. law, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler said in the same statement. The Supreme Court recently struck down a 100-year-old law that restricted the carrying of concealed weapons in New York City. The decision eliminates the previous requirement that the gun owner must prove the need for having a concealed weapon in public for self-defense. Aron Ranen asked ordinary New Yorkers and law enforcement professionals what they think of the recent changes in the law and how will they affect public safety in America. Produced by: Aron Ranen South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will participate at the NATO summit in Madrid on Tuesday and Wednesday, reflecting what experts say is Seoul's expanded global role in dealing with threats from China, Russia and North Korea. South Korea, a non-NATO member, was invited as a partner nation to attend the summit of the military alliance of 30 countries. Other Asia-Pacific countries invited are Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Yoon is the first South Korean president to participate at the summit, and it is his first overseas trip since his inauguration in May. Bruce Klinger, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, said, "Yoon's participation in the NATO summit reflects his administration's willingness to expand the South Korean role in regional and international affairs." Yoon said May 10 in his inauguration speech that his foreign policy goal is to make South Korea a "global pivotal state" bolstering cooperation with like-minded countries to promote liberal democratic values of freedom, peace and prosperity. Ellen Kim, deputy director of the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Yoon's attendance will also "send a message of alignment with NATO members and other non-NATO partners in strengthening the rules-based international order." Seoul will also establish a diplomatic mission to NATO at its Brussels headquarters. South Korea is the only one of the four Asia-Pacific partner nations invited to the summit that has not set up a mission. Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Chair at Hudson Institute, said, "A South Korean mission makes dialogue with NATO constant rather than episodic." China and Russia Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at Brookings, said, "NATO's invitation to Indo-Pacific countries including (South) Korea indicates a realization of deeper linkage between trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific security, in part because of greater China-Russia cooperation." Ahead of the NATO summit, China and Russia vowed closer cooperation along with other BRICS members Brazil, India, and South Africa at the summit of the emerging economies on June 22. Only Brazil criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the U.N. General Assembly. Under this global security environment, Evans Revere, a former acting assistant secretary for the U.S. State Department's East Asian and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, said Yoon's participation at the NATO summit is crucial. "As a liberal democracy that shares a broad range of values with NATO member states, (South) Korea has a stake in the ongoing effort by liberal democracies to strengthen their security cooperation to deal with common threats and concerns, including Russia and China," Revere said. At the summit, South Korea and other Asia-Pacific countries will discuss with NATO how they can cooperate on both hemispheres to enhance security, according to Yeo. "NATO will seek support from Asian countries on the war in Ukraine, and likewise, they want to find ways to cooperate on policies in response to security concerns in the Indo-Pacific," Yeo said. South Korea's National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said at a news briefing June 22 that Yoon will seek to establish a "comprehensive security network" through the NATO summit "amidst unpredictable global situations," including Russias invasion of Ukraine Kim said the comprehensive security network involves not only military but also economic and human security. As Yoon told VOA Korean in April, these include advanced technologies, supply networks, climate change and health care. Kim said South Korea will announce at the summit additional humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. "On China threats," said Yeo, South Korea "may also seek to coordinate with NATO countries in securing supply chains and ensuring open maritime access." Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on June 23 that "the Asia-Pacific is beyond the geographical scope" of NATO, which is "flexing its muscles" trying to stir up "confrontation." A spokesperson for Yoon said June 25 that Seoul's NATO summit participation cannot be viewed as "anti-China or anti-Russian." VOA's Korean Service contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington seeking Beijing's response to Seoul's NATO summit participation but was referred to the Chinese embassy in Seoul and Chinese Foreign Ministry, which did not reply. North Korea Kim also said on June 22 that at the summit Yoon will discuss the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons. NATO and South Korea share a security interest in nuclear deterrence, said Markus Garlauskas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who served as the national intelligence officer for North Korea on the National Intelligence Council at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence from 2014 to 2020. Garlauskas said the use of nuclear weapons by Moscow could embolden Pyongyang to use them, setting off security alarms among NATO nations and South Korea alike, and discussions "on the future of nuclear deterrence around the globe." Russia has alluded to the use of nuclear weapons several times since fighting began in Ukraine. On June 25, Moscow said it would deploy missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Belarus, according to Reuters, in an apparent effort to counter Western countries' support for Ukraine and what Moscow sees as NATO's expansion. North Korea has increasingly stressed its nuclear ambitions, adopting unspecified military measures "to enhance the operational capabilities of the frontline units," according to its state media on Friday. Experts believe those measures include nuclear weapons aimed at South Korea. In April, Pyongyang said it could use nuclear weapons "preemptively" against "threatening moves." South Korea's Unification Minister Kwon Young-Se said Monday that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test "at any time." At a trilateral meeting among U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and Yoon expected to be held on the sidelines of the NATO summit, North Korea's nuclear weapons and steps to bolster deterrence are likely subjects, according to Christopher Johnstone, Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who recently served as director for East Asia on Biden's National Security Council. Johnstone said the trilateral meeting "would send a strong signal about their intent to move beyond historical issues and improve the relationship." The trilateral meeting will be the first in nearly five years as Seoul-Tokyo's historical disputes stemming from Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have been ongoing, often disrupting Washington's efforts to bolster cooperation between its two East Asian allies. Kishida is the first Japanese prime minister to participate at the summit. Referring to Seoul and Tokyo NATO summit attendance as "a game changer for NATO itself," Shihoko Goto, deputy director for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, said in addition to North Korea, there will be added expectations that the two "contribute fully to ensure the stability of Indo-Pacific" and "for greater alignment in dealing with Chinese incursion in the East China Sea in particular." China has increased the number of military flights into Taiwans air defense identification zone at sea. Analysts believe the move is designed to send a message to the U.S. rather than to threaten the island itself, analysts say. Since mid-2020, the Peoples Liberation Army-Air Force has flown a small number of fighters and bombers over part of the Taiwanese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) almost daily. But the islands Ministry of National Defense says China flew 29 flights on Tuesday and 22 on Thursday. Maps released by the ministry indicate that on both Tuesday and Thursday at least one plane arced around the Taiwan south coast, though well offshore, before doubling back. The planes all went through a corner of Taiwans air defense zone at sea west of the port city Kaohsiung. China has claimed Taiwan as its territory since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists lost to Mao Zedongs Communists and rebased in Taipei. Beijing says it will use force, if needed, to unite the two sides. The dominant narrative inside China is that the USA is increasingly promoting Taiwan independence as a way to contain China, said Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center think tank in Hawaii. The Chinese are now watching for evidence that would confirm this. Lacking a creative new approach, Beijing has doubled down on what has become its standard form of hostile military signaling. On June 13, Chinas foreign ministry said Beijing has sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait, drawing a rebuttal from the United States four days later. The United States further called on China on June 17 to end its provocative actions and to respect international law in the adjacent South China Sea. Washington considers the strait between Taiwan and China international waters that should be open to its Asia allies from Tokyo through Manila. The U.S. government informally supports Taiwan, though the pair lacks formal diplomatic ties. Beijing separately claims most of the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway disputed by Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries. Washington believes it too should be open to international traffic. A week earlier, Washington had approved plans to sell warship parts and related technical support to Taiwan worth $120 million. Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked. Analysts point to these exchanges as likely reasons for the surge in overflights. Other spikes over the past two years followed flashpoint events. For example, the presence of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine last year. Originally, when the PLA airplanes or fighters and the like started visiting the ADIZ, it was for a different reason, but nowadays the frequency has increased for a recent reason, said Lin Chong-pin, a retired strategic studies professor in Taiwan. Warily watching Taiwanese people have grown used to Chinese military movement nearby and often say Beijings 1995-1996 missile tests were more of a threat than the ADIZ flights. China conducted the tests in advance of Taiwans first democratic presidential election where Taiwanese people elected a leader who believed China and Taiwan should be separately ruled. Citizens on the island that lies just 160 kilometers from China are warily watching the events which follow a lack of Taipei-Beijing dialogue since 2016 and ex-U.S. President Donald Trumps tough stance on China, said Ku Chung-hua, a standing board member in Taipei with the advocacy group Citizens Congress Watch. He blamed Sino-U.S. competition for recent overflights. Here in Taiwan, the peoples attitude I think has changed to think that Taiwan-China relations cant go back (to before 2016) but doesnt seem to be worried so much that China would directly use weapons to unify Taiwan, Ku said. He said the scariest period of confrontation came during the 1996 missile tests which caused some Taiwanese citizens to emigrate out of fear. More than 90% of Taiwanese people told a government Mainland Affairs Council survey this month they oppose Chinas ADIZ flights, a council spokesperson told VOA on Monday. Dangerous escalation? On Friday, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Taiwan Strait and a day later the U.S. Navy sent a warship to the adjacent South China Sea. Chinas assertive acts followed by U.S. responses could spark another mishap like the emergency landing of a U.S. spy plane in 2001, said Andrew Yang, secretary-general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank in Taiwan. Escalation is a negative phenomenon, he said. Theres no dialogue negative and then you have very robust military action in this region. Its dangerous. Chinas embassy in Washington, D.C. did not reply Monday to a request for comment. Russia launched missiles Monday that struck a shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the number of casualties is impossible to even imagine. Zelenskyy said more than 1,000 civilians were at the shopping center at the time of the attack, and the mall was on fire. Initial reports say two people were killed and 20 wounded. The Ukrainian leader deplored the attack, saying the shopping center, in a city 300 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kyiv, was no danger to the Russian army, no strategic value. He said the shoppers were only attempting to live a normal life, which angers Russians so much. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted, The world is horrified by Russias missile strike today, which hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall the latest in a string of atrocities. We will continue to support our Ukrainian partners and hold Russia, including those responsible for atrocities, to account." Meanwhile, ahead of a NATO summit starting Tuesday in Madrid, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said the Western military alliance is declaring a sevenfold increase in the number of its troops on standby alert from 40,000 to more than 300,000. Stoltenberg said Russia has "chosen confrontation instead of dialogue. We regret that but of course, then we need to respond to that reality." He said that NATO will strengthen our forward defenses. We will enhance our battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance up to brigade levels." The United States and the other members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized economies meeting in Germanys Bavarian Alps imposed new sanctions Monday against Russia for its four-month invasion of Ukraine. These include measures to cut Moscow off from materials and services needed by its industrial and technology sectors. The White House said the U.S. will commit $7.5 billion as part of a G-7 effort to help Ukraine cover its short-term budget needs, and that the governments are making an unprecedented, long-term security commitment to providing Ukraine with financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support as long as it takes. In a joint communique, the G-7 said, We remain appalled by and continue to condemn the brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine by Russia and aided by Belarus. We condemn and will not recognize Russias continued attempts to redraw borders by force. The announcement came as G-7 leaders spoke by video link with Zelenskyy. Additional specific U.S. sanctions include blocks on Russian state-owned defense enterprises and defense research organizations, limiting Russias ability to replenish equipment it has lost in the war, and prohibitions on gold imports into White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the United States is finalizing a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes advanced air defense capabilities to help it shoot down incoming Russian missiles such as those deployed to target several Ukrainian cities over the weekend and the attack on Kremenchuk. In addition, he acknowledged the G-7 leaders are attempting to craft a cap on the price of oil Russia sells on the world market to deny revenue to Russia while at the same time ensuring a stable global energy market. Whether India and other nations that buy Russian oil would go along with a price cap is uncertain. Russian troops also carried out shelling in the eastern city of Lysychansk on Monday, trying to capture the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province after seizing control of neighboring Sievierodonetsk. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said the damage to Lysychansk has been catastrophic. Haidai urged the remaining civilians to evacuate the city that was home to 100,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Russia now controls virtually all of Luhansk province, part of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow is trying to take over, one of its major war aims. Russian forces on Sunday launched new missile attacks against Ukraines two biggest cities the capital of Kyiv, and Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in the city were hit, leaving at least one person dead and four others injured. Russia ramped up its use of cruise missiles, striking targets across northwestern Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared in several cities. Its more of their barbarism, U.S. President Joe Biden said of the Russian strike on Kyiv. Default Russia on Monday rejected that it defaulted on international debt payments for the first time in a century. Interest payments totaling $100 million on two bonds were originally due May 27 but carried a 30-day grace period. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had made the payments in May but that they were blocked by Western sanctions and thus were not our problem. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. Russia moved closer Sunday to defaulting on international debt payments for the first time in a century. Interest payments totaling $100 million on two bonds were originally due May 27, but carried a 30-day grace period. Russia has struggled to make such payments due to restrictions on its financial activities and sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February. Russia's attack on Ukraine continued on Sunday, when Russian forces launched new missile attacks on Ukraines two biggest cities, the capital of Kyiv and Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in the city were hit, leaving at least one person dead, and four others injured. Russia ramped up its use of cruise missiles, striking targets across northwestern Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared in several cities. Its more of their barbarism, U.S. President Joe Biden said of the Russian strike on Kyiv as he appeared at a G-7 welcoming ceremony with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. Russias invasion of Ukraine is a key focus of the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the meeting Monday. Biden said that the United States and the other G-7 economies will ban the import of Russian gold, the latest sanction imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth month. The leaders of the G-7 nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States are trying to maintain unity against Russia, even with the wars growing toll on the global economy, including in the U.S., which is confronting a four-decade high surge in consumer prices. The new attack on Kyiv came a day after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, a major victory for Russia after weeks of fierce fighting. Russia now controls virtually all of the Luhansk province, part of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow is trying to take over, one of its major war aims. Ukraine said Russian forces had fully occupied Lysychansk, a neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk, in the eastern Luhansk region. Moscow claimed it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian troops in the area. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. I pumped my fist a bunch of times in the air and I let out a big Yes! a beaming Alita Bryant said as she recalled her reaction Friday when she heard the momentous news she had been waiting so long to hear. The U.S. Supreme Court had overturned a constitutional right to abortion, leaving it up to states to decide whether to permit, restrict or ban the procedure that has been legal nationwide for nearly 50 years. Bryant spoke with VOA while attending a Sunday service at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dressed casually in jeans and an official black and white church t-shirt. From the outside, the place of worship looks more like a business than a typical church, having been converted from a pharmacy. Inside, however, palpable excitement coursed through the congregation of about 80 churchgoers. Nearly all, like Bryant, were African American. Many showed up early to worship before the service began. Were thankful - its a victory for us, Bryant said. Innocent children wont be murdered anymore, at least not in Louisiana. We still have work to do before its a national ban. Louisiana is one of several states with so-called trigger laws that were put in place to outlaw abortion the moment Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized the procedure, was overturned. Abortion rights proponents say banning the procedure in entire swaths of the United States will put womens lives at risk, especially those of poor and minority women. An NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Monday shows 56% oppose the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, with 40% supporting it and 4% unsure. Other polls have shown similar numbers. Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church, like many socially conservative places of worship in America, is part of a coalition that has been working to rescind abortion rights in America for decades. Many in the congregation stood, cheering in response to Pastor Mike Wicker as he alternated between reading bible verses projected onto screens and speaking at length about the evils of abortion. Every person in here, the pastors voice boomed, echoing off ceilings lower than youd expect in a place of worship, thank God your momma made the right decision and didnt bring you to the abortion clinic. Now, Bryant noted after the service, those clinics are closed. A personal history Several members of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship visited a Baton Rouge abortion clinic Monday and Tuesday of last week. There, they saw 40 women lined up, many alone. And nearly all of them were Black, Bryant added, her voice cracking with emotion. I felt angry, because these children were needlessly going to be murdered, sad because I dont think the mothers had all the information about their options, and desperate because I wanted to help. In the end, she said they convinced two women to go home and reconsider aborting their pregnancies, an option that disappeared in Louisiana after the Supreme Court decision, as the states three clinics ceased performing abortions. On Monday, a state judge temporarily blocked Louisiana from enforcing the trigger law, allowing clinics to resume, but the future availability of abortion services in the state remains murky. Tara Wicker is the pastors wife, known also as the first lady of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship. She also visited the clinic. For Wicker, who heads Louisiana Black Advocates for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy organization, the fight against abortion is deeply personal. I had an abortion myself when I was 16 years old, she told VOA after Sundays service. I was just a child and we didnt even talk about it. I was just kind of ushered off for an abortion. Ill never forget laying in the bed with my aborted fetus in a jar on the counter across the room. Mommas sorry, I remember saying. Wicker said for 30 years and until only recently, she tried to suppress her emotions about that day. It made me insecure as a mother of the six children I have now, she said, her eyes appearing serious and thoughtful. When someone doubts me as a mother, I get angry and defensive because I think about how I failed that baby three decades ago. Abortion rights advocates contend that women will continue to seek out the procedure regardless of what a states law says and may be forced to consider unsafe options for terminating a pregnancy. Wicker said that neednt be the case I look at the women lined up at the clinic and I remember being like them, she said. They dont have to kill those babies. They have so many options. As a sanctuary we need to help them understand those options because killing that baby will haunt the mother for the rest of her life. Just beginning Robert Sensley was also in attendance on Sunday. He is stout, standing 1.7 meters tall with fashionable rectangular glasses and a warm smile. He attended the service with his three young children and his wife. In addition to being a member of the church, Sensley is also the program assistant for Louisiana Black Advocates for Life. The last few days have been joyful for sure, he told VOA. Pastor Mike and Tara were so excited about the Supreme Court decision, they both called me at the exact same time from opposite ends of their house without realizing. Sensley, however, stopped short of calling the atmosphere celebratory. Were excited, but we also know we have a long way to go, he said. There are a lot of people in this country who dont agree with us. In data compiled by the Pew Research Center, in cases of pregnancies caused by rape or incest, for example, 69% of Americans believe abortions should be legal. A junior at Louisiana State University, Trinity Wicker said she hears from many friends and classmates particularly on social media who believe abortion rights should be protected. I understand where theyre coming from. Sexual assault is a horrible thing, Wicker said. The mother is a victim, but so is the baby; and that baby with limitless potential doesnt deserve to die. The younger Wicker, the daughter of the pastor and his wife, said she sees it as part of the churchs responsibility to help women in difficult situations understand their options. Adoption is always an option, of course, she said, before re-emphasizing that killing the fetus shouldnt be. Ive noticed a lot of women saying things like, My body, my choice as an excuse to have an abortion. But when your egg is fertilized, it is no longer your body. Its another body and you are the vessel. A sanctuary Many members of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship do not believe abortion should be prohibited in all circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is at risk. Everything should be done to save both the mother and the child, but I, of course, would want my wife saved if we had to make a choice, Sensley explained. Louisianas trigger law has no exceptions for rape or incest but does allow the procedure to save a pregnant womans life. The law does not punish women who terminate pregnancies but establishes criminal penalties for anyone who performs an abortion. Punishing abortion providers is as it should be, according to Tara Wicker. I think we have to be empathetic towards these women and try to help them, she said, but the medical professionals who complete the procedure should be tried for murder. Church leaders at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship say they wrestle with the fact that African American women disproportionally seek abortions and will be disproportionately affected by the new legal landscape governing the procedure. A 2020 study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that Black women have experienced induced abortions at a rate approximately four times that of white women. The solution, according to churchgoers, includes providing more access to employment and education to adults, as well as boosting health care and other services to help women bring their pregnancy to term and help them rear the children in their care. America does not have universal health care, nor does it guarantee access to child care for working parents. This is something we spend a lot of time talking about, Sensley said, recalling words from the service he just attended. If you only want to ban abortions without fighting to support that baby and its parents once the birth takes place, then youre not pro-lifeyoure just pro-birth. It all goes hand in hand, Tara Wicker agreed. The role of our church is to support the whole life of the people who walk through our doors from womb to tomb. The whole thing. We need to be supportive enough to help people do the right thing, but also forgive them when they dont. CAPE TOWN South African authorities say the owner of a bar where at least 17 teenagers were found dead and four others died while receiving medical care is expected to face charges. Police investigating the mysterious deaths in Eastern Cape province say they have not ruled out the possibility the teenagers were poisoned. South African police say they are investigating and awaiting autopsy results after the teenagers bodies were found at a bar early Sunday morning with no visible cause of death. Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana is a police spokesman. Whilst we understand the urgency of this matter and the anxiety of the public, in particular the affected families who want answers. We urge that we allow sufficient time for our detectives to finalize those investigations. I must also add that we have not made any arrests at this stage, he said. South African police say the owner is expected to face charges and have not ruled out the possibility that the teenagers were poisoned. Spokesman Kinana said half-a-dozen of the bodies were not immediately claimed. We are making an appeal to parents or relatives who may have not seen their children since the past weekend to please make time to make inquiries. We are also calling upon parents whose children who may have survived the tavern incident but are still feeling sick to please visit hospitals and clinics for medical check-ups, he said. Police were called to East Londons Enyobeni Tavern in Eastern Cape province, where local media reported the bodies were found slumped on the floor and tables. The taverns owner, Siyakhangela Ndevu, told AFP news agency that patrons had tried to force their way into the bar despite it already being packed. But safety authorities were quick to rule out a stampede because of the lack of injuries on the bodies, some as young as 13 years old. Eighteen is the legal drinking age in South Africa. Lucky Ntimane is Convenor of South Africas National Liquor Traders Council. The owner had workers working there, he had bouncers, they couldve seen, easily seen that there were minors in that establishment. But this was allowed to happen, the owner put the profits before the people. He should never ever trade in alcohol ever in his life. The license should be revoked with immediate effect, he said. South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed condolences for the families through his spokesman Vincent Magwenya. While the president awaits more information on the incident, his thoughts are with the families who have lost children. The president is however also concerned about the reported circumstances under which such young people were gathered at a venue which on the face of it should be off limits to people under the age of 18. The president expects the law to take its course following investigations into the tragedy, he said. He added that the deaths were even more tragic as they happened during South Africas youth month. Youth month developed from the June 16 National Youth Day when South Africa reflects on the massacre of students during the 1976 Soweto Uprising against apartheid. Some of the dead were also students celebrating the end of mid-year exams. Ministro de Transportes concreta acuerdos con representantes del transporte urbano de Lima y Callao 10 Liga 1: FBC Melgar empata ante Alianza Atletico y se corona campeon del Torneo Apertura 2022 8 Liga 1: Sport Huancayo vence 3-2 a Sport Boys por la fecha 19 del Torneo Apertura 9 TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- As she finished mowing the lawn of her home in Girard, Ohio, Amy Kren had a somewhat familiar feeling. The shortness of breath and tightness in her chest seemed like another asthma attack. She went into the garage and put a hand on a lawn chair to steady herself and placed her other hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. The symptoms didn't subside so she went into the house and took a couple puffs of her inhaler, hoping the medicine would help. Her husband, Brian, suggested calling 911. She refused, insisting the symptoms would pass. They didn't. Worse, she started to feel like a blood pressure cuff was squeezing her left arm. Now Amy was ready to call 911. The paramedics did an electrocardiogram and gave her nitroglycerin and baby aspirin. As tears streamed down her face, she thought, "Why would a 38-year-old be having a heart attack?" At the hospital, a team of health care workers rushed to her side. That prompted Amy to think about her children. She wondered, "What if I don't ever get to see them again?" Brian couldn't comfort her. This was 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from joining her inside the hospital. "You never think this is going to happen to you (and) you naturally think the worst," Brian said. "Not being able to be there with her contributed to the surrealness of the whole situation." Heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries. Usually, the blockages are caused by plaque. In Amy's case, the blockages came from blood clots. Doctors removed them via a catheterization procedure. Tests revealed the blood clots were linked to a genetic risk associated with her birth control pills. (Estrogen-based contraceptives do increase the risk of blood clots, and women with an inherited clotting disorder, family history of blood clots, surgery, obesity and extended travel are at higher risk). Amy didn't know any of that. It's a risk that won't impact her son but one that she'll eventually have to explain it to her daughters, now 13 and 9. They will need to have bloodwork done to look for the gene before going on birth control. She'll also teach them about the warning signs of a heart attack, something else she wishes she'd known sooner. For instance, weeks before her heart attack, she'd experienced extreme fatigue, back pain, swollen ankles and profuse sweating without realizing her body was sending her a message. "Those were signs that I ignored," she said. "Had I not experienced that great pain (in my left arm), I probably would've just taken some Tylenol or ibuprofen and gone about my day." After leaving the hospital, Amy felt leg pain and swelling. She called her cardiologist several times to make sure those were a normal part of recovery. She also feared having another heart attack. "I was happy to come home to see my kids, but the fear of it happening again and not having the medical team right there if anything were to happen scared me to death," she said. "I was a nervous wreck to leave the hospital." Since then, Amy has been eating healthier meals, cutting back on salt and caffeine. She lost 30 pounds. Her improved fitness also lowered her chances of another heart attack. Then, this past March, she felt heart palpitations and tightness in her chest. She went to the hospital and the symptoms turned out to be stress-related. Brian was grateful that she sought immediate medical care, just to be sure. "One of the things we learned through Amy's experience is that when you see the signs, don't hesitate to call," he said. Amy chose to share her story because she wants to encourage others to understand the importance of seeking immediate medical care. At first, she was reluctant to do so because it meant reliving the experience. The more often she tells her story, the stronger she feels. Her perseverance is fueled by responses from women who've heard her speak. Recently, a neighbor's mom experienced heartburn and heart palpitations and went straight to the hospital. "She told me afterwards that I inspired her to go," Amy said. "If I can help just one person, then what I went through is worth it." American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org. By Jodi Helmer, American Heart Association News TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Since January 2021, hospitals have been required to list online the prices for 300 common medical services, but new research has found that only 32% of hospitals have been fully compliant when it comes to knee and hip replacements. "Although pricing information was generally available, it frequently did not meet requirements established by the [government] and was oftentimes difficult to access," said study author Dr. Atul Kamath, of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Kamath spoke in a news release from the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, where the findings were published. Under the Hospital Price Transparency Rule, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires hospitals to provide five types of online price information for selected services. These are the total charge, the charges the hospital privately negotiated with insurers, the minimum and maximum negotiated charges, and the amount the hospital is willing to accept in cash. Services must also be identifiable by any billing code the hospital uses. The information must be available in a machine-readable file and free of charge. No personal identifying information should be required for access. The researchers chose knee and hip replacements for their search because the procedures are widely used, expensive and generally predictable in terms of cost. They sampled 400 hospitals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20, 2021. Only about 21% of hospitals provided all five types of information on knee replacements and 18% of hospitals for hip replacement. About 36% of hospitals provided information on the total charge for knee replacement and 31% for hip replacement. About 13% of hospitals violated the rule by not providing machine-readable files. About 21% violated it by requiring users to provide personal information. The research team noted that, though not required, the hospital websites also lacked consumer friendliness. Only 5% of websites provided price information in a language other than English. Only 33% of websites offered a phone number to call for assistance. The researchers spent more than 15 minutes trying to find information on 17% of websites. About 6% of websites provided files that were very large in nontraditional formats that required additional software to read. About 4% of websites did not allow searches by keyword, procedure code or diagnostic code. "It is possible that hospitals have delayed compliance with the hope that related requirements may change or that current delays in enforcement may continue," the researchers said in the release. CMS has begun issuing penalties to hospitals for noncompliance. On June 7, they announced the first two such penalties. Penalties will range from $300 to $5,500 per day, depending on hospital size. More information Healthcare.gov has more on health insurance. SOURCE: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, news release, June 24, 2022 The Ukrainian Parliament is expected to ratify a law prohibiting radio and television stations from broadcasting Russian music. An exception has been approved for Russian musicians who have condemned their countrys aggression against Ukraine. On the other hand, it applies to all classical Russian authors (Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and others). This law comes on the heels of the one censoring all books written in Russian, translated from Russian or published in that language. All radio and television programmes have already been placed under the control of the Security and Defense Council. Today is a dark day for our country. June 24th will long be mourned as the date the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision protecting womens right to choose. This devastating decision takes away the basic constitutional right to make decisions about their own bodies that women in our country have counted on for the past 50 years. This decision will have disastrous consequences as many states move to swiftly ban abortion. Thirteen states already have trigger laws, meaning abortion is immediately banned, and at least that many are poised to take away this fundamental right. The reversal of Roe v Wade is part and parcel of the extreme, radical Republican agenda to turn back the clock on reproductive rights. While a clear majority of Americans support a womans right to choose, a national abortion ban is on the wish list for key Republican leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. States VDP Chair Anne Lezak, Vermonters must act swiftly and in large numbers to counteract the great harm wreaked by the Supreme Courts decision. We must stand up for the rights of all people to privacy and the ability to make their own decisions about abortion and other deeply personal matters that affect their bodies and their lives. Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski said, The Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade is unacceptable and unconscionable. I am proud of the work weve taken in the legislature to ensure reproductive rights will remain safe and available in this new post-Roe world. In November we must pass the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (formerly known as Prop 5) to enshrine reproductive rights in our state constitution. Democrats are doing everything we can to keep abortion accessible in Vermont and protect the rights of Vermonters to access the care they need and deserve. What can we do? First, work to retain a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. In Vermont, this means ensuring Republican Christina Nolan loses in November. Mitch McConnell headlined a MAGA-heavy Republican fundraiser for her. She publicly opposed Vermonts reproductive liberty amendment; this was after the leaked SCOTUS memo, which made it clear that Roe v. Wade was on the verge of being overturned. Next, consider candidates positions on this crucial issue as you cast your vote this fall. The Vermont Republican Party has made it clear they are on board with the extremist MAGA anti-choice agenda. The platform they adopted in May reads, We value the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. The VDP is supporting strongly pro-choice candidates who will fight for reproductive rights up and down the ballot. Actively support Vermonts reproductive liberty amendment, which will guarantee every persons right to make their own reproductive decisions. This ballot measure comes to a vote in the general election this November. On its passage, Vermont will be the first state to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, which matters now more than ever. Finally, go public with your opposition to this inhumane, backwards decision. Attend rallies, write letters to the editor, share your outrage on social media and perhaps your own story of why reproductive freedom is so precious. VDP Chair Lezak states, We cannot sit by and let the Trump-emboldened Republican extremists erode reproductive choice and send us back to the cruel and dangerous times before Roe v Wade. We must actively fight this roll-back of fundamental rights, which is just one part of the Republican Trump-inspired agenda to interfere with peoples lives and their private decisions. Emmy Insider The Emmy race has begun! Vulture is taking a close look at the contenders until nomination-round voting closes on June 27. Photo: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Telivision Giancarlo Esposito has inhabited Gustavo Fring, off and on, for more than a decade. He played the Pollos Hermanos proprietor and drug dealer for three-plus seasons on Breaking Bad, then reprised the role for four seasons on Better Call Saul. But now that the prequel series is ending its run, Esposito wants more time with the character. Now I feel like, God, Im remorseful its done, the actor says of the series final run of episodes, which begin airing July 11 on AMC. What will I do without that guy? Its a different perspective from the early stages of Better Call Saul, when he wasnt sure he wanted to revisit Gus again. But as Esposito explained during our conversation, he found a lot of satisfaction in taking the character on a new emotional journey and, with season sixs Axe and Grind, getting to direct an episode himself. When Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould approached you about resuscitating Gus for Better Call Saul, did you feel like there was more to explore? I was hesitant; I felt that I had given my all. In reflection, my hesitancy came out of not wanting to play the same character again. When you are able to let your expectation of what might be go and listen to what is proposed, then you can create a new vision for yourself and see yourself walking in those shoes again. Out of my conversation with Vince came a certain revelation: I wanted to discover Guss backstory. I wanted to know if he did have a family. I wanted to know more about his Chilean roots. I wanted to know how he got here. The character comes out of circumstance, but it also comes out of behavior. In order for me to do the behavior, I have to think that certain things were prominent in Guss life, that he moved from and through them to become who he is now, that the events of his life created the behavior he exhibited in Breaking Bad. Now what are the events of his life that created his behavior six years or more before Breaking Bad? Vince said, Well, the overall feeling about Gus is that the less we know, the more were interested. I agreed with that. I didnt want to go back and play a cardboard cutout of myself. I didnt want a parody of what I think Gus is. I wanted to be where I am now in episode six, where Im not so self-assured. Im actually a little tweaked. Im actually a little worried not so much about facing death but about having lost a bit of control, having to be a little more vulnerable, having to think harder than I ever did on Breaking Bad, having to be ahead of who I consider to be a menace. Now the family Salamanca is a menace, but Lalo Salamanca is a true menace to Gustavo Fring. I have created what I believe is a Gustavo Fring who is a little less measured, a little more irked and nervous about what the future may hold. When I feel awkward on set because Im not completely in control of the chaos and I hate it, I hearken back to Gus who is in control, not only comported within himself but also within the world which he wants to control. When I felt awkward, I had to finally realize I am in the right place. This is how it would feel. Thats a good thing. What does it mean that you were thinking harder on Better Call Saul than you did during Breaking Bad? There were more components and more elements to deal with that werent as direct as they were on Breaking Bad. In Better Call Saul, we have moments early on where Nacho missteps and makes an attempt on Hector Salamancas life, very direct. Gus sees that, notices it, understands those pills Nacho had, and gets very upset inside. Because that revenge is Guss revenge. For Nacho to have even thought about doing that because of the threat the Salamancas pose to him and his father, that incenses Gus. It also gives Gus the opening to be able to clearly state, You are mine now. In this later incarnation of Gustavo, there are more than just those elements. Theres the elements of the cartel. Theres the elements that have been planted back in Breaking Bad of Juan Bolsa, whom Gus is controlling as well. Theres the element of Steven Bauers character, Don Eladio, looming because all these events happen before what we saw on Breaking Bad. Because Gus hasnt completely figured out all the pieces of the puzzle that pertain to him being able to take charge, hes still developing what that could be while having to deal with the situation in the moment. The thing that seems to animate him, at least in the part of season six weve seen so far, is that hes so certain Lalo is still alive even though theres no evidence of that. He takes that away from his interaction with Hector. Something tells him Lalos still out there. Its a great moment because that one little piece is so very telling. Tell me again, he says to Tyrus and Mike. Tell me again. Tell me again. Hes thinking it through, and this is what I love. If I were doing any other show, Id say, Look, if its not on the page, Im not going to play it because you havent given me the tools I need to play it. I used to think I was a great enough actor to put in all that stuff the writer didnt write. I realize Im an actor who honors what the writer writes. In this case, the writers write incredible stuff. He has the photographs, he has the body there, the tattoo is there, the teeth match, but theres something not right about it. I loved playing these beats because what did it lead to? What was the answer? The answer for Gus was, Im off. Im off to see Hector Salamanca because then I will know if Lalo is alive. When he goes to Hector and they have that conversation, he just has to look in a mans eyes. That is Gustavo Frings superpower. In looking into Hectors eyes, it was the last moment of that scene. Everything was good. Then he saw that hatred. He saw that Im going to kill you, and thats when he knew. The quality that defines Gus in so many ways is his sense of calm. How do you channel that? The thing that does it for me is to sit in silence and to be quiet. In the beginning, my yoga practice pulled me in because it allowed my mind to still and not think about anything but a one-pointed thought. Im trying to let all my thoughts go and think my highest possible thought, which is nothing, so that my mind can ease and relax. That is a practice Ive had for years. In returning to Gustavo Fring, it deepened and reignited that practice. I once again realized this was the only thing that was going to give me pause. Because my energy is very different from that of Gustavos. So people are mirrors. Someone smiles at you, you smile back. Someone says, Oops. You go, Oops. Its cute; you laugh. Someone says something they get tickled by, you want to be tickled, too. But what if you dont really feel tickled? What if youre just honoring what their emotion is? It reminded me that in acting, when youre with a scene partner, you can jump to their level of hysteria or their level of ecstasy or not. When people look at you, you can look them back in the eye and give them your truth not what theyre reflecting to you, which is what we normally do as human beings. I would play against that because when youre rooted and grounded, all youre taking in is your present moment. That really helped me. In this case, Im acting but not acting because Im in such a place where, as an actor, all I have to do is listen. Whether it be your voice, who Im talking to, or whether it be the voice inside me and maybe thats the key that Ive never, ever talked about. Its the voice inside Gus. Like with Lalo Salamanca: Its the voice inside Gus that tells him thats an untruth. Now, we all have a sense of how we can feel in the universe. Im hypervigilant. I dont like anybody right behind me because its harder for me to put that energy back there, yet I can feel when someones behind me. I went to military school, wanted to go to battle in the war because I knew I was at home there. I was one man of many. I believe you are unable to lead unless you can follow. I say that because Gus is a leader in his own world. I also feel that Gus came from a military background. You dont leave your flank open. Is Gus being in the military part of the backstory you constructed for him? Absolutely. It points to the moment in Breaking Bad where he walks out and theres a sniper. Hes just killed one of his men by the Pollos truck. He walks out and he has his arms wide open into the desert and just says, Shoot me. That moment was very telling. I carry that with me because hes a made man. Hes not afraid of dying, but you cant touch him. That made me think, Oh, where does he come from? Well, I think he probably came up as a son of some military leader who may have taken over via coup. Because what hes doing now is basically a coup of the Salamanca organization. Hes an outsider. Hes from Chile. They look down on him. Its a racist, jealous attitude they have toward Gustavo because he came from a different background. Hes not the Spanish they are. In my brain, hes much classier, much more appropriate, and on a whole different level than they are. I think he was offered a position in Chile to run for office and lead the country, and he felt like he was of the people. If you go back to the coyote story about this animal taking the fruit off the tree and Gus captured this animal with a broken leg and kept it alive and nursed it because that represented capturing what was threatening his food supply it related to his poverty when he was growing up. I think hes someone who worked his way through the ranks all the way to the top. Then when it all came down, he was offered the position, he said, No, I dont want it. He realized he would have to do someone elses bidding and he didnt want that. Then he left Chile and he came to America to create his own empire that he could control and be proud of. Gus is a businessman, which is why he really chides Walter for being involved with a drug addict. He does not condone that. His standards are very high, and this is just like he could be selling toothpaste. That gave me some distance and something to work with. All these different nuances of Gustavo in two different shows and two different incarnations I still attest that the greatest victory is season six because I was able to do something original. It would have been easy to go back and try to play what Ive already played. Its in the DNA, but how do you play someone youve already played but whos having fresh and new emotions each and every time? Thats when I realized Gustavo Fring isnt done. Why dont you feel done with him? As I get older, I get younger somehow. With each year, my biggest worry was, Am I getting too old to have the energy to play a guy thats putting a cap on his emotions and still able to be alive? As I get older, I feel a bit refreshed, different than I felt last year, when I was going, Oh my God, everything hurts. What am I going to do? This year I feel more enthused that there is a possibility. I mean, Ive always had a dream even before Better Call Saul that there would be some show that would reflect Gustavos past. Im dying to play the vision in my mind that inspired and informed the Gus you see but dont know. I would like you to know that Gus. Its intriguing to know where he came from. I still hold out for that possibility. Its not up to me; its up to Vince Gilligan and his team and partners. Could that ever be realized? I think it could be something good. What is the likelihood of that happening? Youve talked about it before, but have there been more serious conversations that suggest this will go forward? None at all. But a part of me has become Gustavo because a part of Gustavo was me before it was Gus. Before Gus owned me, I owned me. I say that only because I believe what you think grows. I believe that our thought form is a direct, energetic channel to the universe. When I say it, Im not saying it to get fans casting and have them inundated with the idea that everybody wants that. Im saying it because its a direct connection to the energy of the universe and the energy of me. Somewhere, Im not done with it. If I could think that thought, then Im not finished. I could be finished Id still be fulfilled. I was fulfilled the first time after it was done. It was a godsend for it to come back. I thought it was going to be a burden. It turned into a challenge and a godsend, but here we are. Time flies, man. Ive done what? four years on this thing. Its really been 13 years. I never expected to carry a character this long in my life. Obviously for me, you can see Im still excited. Im still like a kid in the candy store. This year, I had the opportunity to do something I hadnt done before. Rhea Seehorn and I were the first actors from the show to direct. To be asked put me in an ecstatic position. Once you get that call, you have to live up to it. So I was also very nervous. Ive directed before, but thats a great honor. Its not lost on me that they asked me. Its different from a director for hire who comes in and does an episode in season six as the new It director in the world. For an actor whos been working with these people for six years and seeing how the machine works and seeing their habits, seeing their tics, seeing their tells, then I can go, You know, just the way you did that leg out there, thats a little telling. What were you thinking when you put your leg out? Bob might go, I wasnt thinking anything. Rhea might go, Well, what do you think I was thinking? I said, Well, your leg went one step toward the door, although thats where youre going. Are you in anticipation? Were you a little anxious about going that way? Maybe thats it. Maybe I was anxious about going that way. I think you nailed it. I say, Well, whatever that is, its great. Sometimes I dont even say anything because I want them to do it again. In episode 606, Axe and Grind, theres a young Kim. I want that young Kim to be reflective of older Kim. I want to see the stream from young Kim to old Kim, and I want you to be that same person. I was blessed with great acting and great actresses to play Kims mom and a young Kim who even studied the voice of Rhea. That was amazing casting for that episode. These are the things I look for because Im more seasoned than I was years ago. Directing is not about me. As an actor, God, it becomes all about me, and I dont want it to be about me anymore. Ive had enough of me. I had a T-shirt made up that is in my home out west. It says, I am so over me. Its a picture of Gus. I gave it to some of my close friends. I want it to be more about the creation itself. If Ive learned anything on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, its that, as a director, you rely on those artists who do their best work to have you look good, to have you bring your dream to fruition. My job is to go in and say, Heres how I see it. I dont want to get in the way of the look of the show. I dont want to re-create the wheel. But I see this as this. I believe, because I come from theater, that the writers intention is what is most important. The words are important, but the intention is of even greater importance. My job is to interpret that. As an actor, Im an interpreter and a channeler. As a director, Im able to interpret and then channel something original, infuse it with an original energy that extends and tells the story even more clearly. Like Kim Yun-jins Lost before it, Kim Yun-jins Money Heist: Korea uses flashbacks to reveal how each of our characters ended up on the island er, in the Unified Korea Mint. In this episode, we get further insight into Rio, who has previously been characterized as a phenomenal hacker and a pretty immature dude. Now, we have a bit more context for his behavior. Hes also a recovering rich kid! (Every show needs at least one, I guess?) Everyone, even that asshole Berlin, is risking their lives here, Tokyo tells Rio, who spends most of the episode letting other people make decisions for him. And were all here for our own reasons, whether its money or something else. But youre here because you cant escape? Thats what makes you a kid. The concept of what makes someone an adult is a culturally specific one. In American society, traditionally, growing up entails getting married, having kids, and owning property though younger generations have started challenging that definition for many reasons. For Rios parents, the definition of growing up has been clear for all of his life: It means becoming a doctor, like his father and grandfather before him, and starting a successful career. Rios dad doesnt care that his kid cannot look at blood without fainting or throwing up. He sees his hemophobia as a weakness to be overcome rather than something to support his son through. In Episode 4, Tokyo and the Professor give Rio a much simpler goal: stop running away. Rio may not be destined to become a doctor, but he does learn to stop running. Yes, he still throws up after performing lifesaving surgery on poor Mi-seon, but he does what he has to save her life. And now that hes no longer running away, he starts thinking about what he might want to run toward. Its not just Rio we see in this episodes flashbacks; its also the Professor and Tokyo as they try to convince Rio not to run away from the heist. For Tokyo, who grew up in a much poorer North Korea, she doesnt even understand how a family could have a $3 million home without stealing something. If class is inherited in North Korea, in the South, wealth is inherited, Professor explains. Its a rough translation of a complex issue and one that Tokyo would probably already have a handle on, given her Robin Hood routine but the point stands. Whether youre from the North or the South, the family youre born into determines if your life will be one of struggle or one of success, and its not particularly fair. Rio might not have a developed class analysis of the situation, but he doesnt judge the people around him like his rich parents would. While characters like Berlin or Young-min may be tied to the familiarity of existing hierarchy systems, Rio has no such loyalty. When Tokyo implies they would have to kill his family if he blabbed about the heist, he drunkenly wishes for that outcome. I dont think he wants his parents dead, but he does understandably wish he could be free of them. While Rio spends most of the episode trying not to vomit at the sight of blood, the task force and Professor are busy negotiating a plan so that Young-min doesnt die which would be bad for both sides of this standoff. When the Professor agrees to allow a small team of medics into the Mint, Captain Cha sees a chance to gain an advantage. He gets Woo-jin to agree to send him in under the guise of the medic, one part of a larger plan that would see his special-forces team infiltrating through a system of vents. (Um, maybe they should have tried this sooner?) The scenario allows some cultural specificity, as Berlin recognizes Captain Chas dialect as Munhwao, a.k.a. the North Korean standard dialect. Captain Chas decision to double down and admit he is a cop is a bold one respect but ultimately doesnt pay off, as the Professor already recognizes him from his visit to the task-force tent. A quick mask switcheroo and a phone modified to be a listening device swings the balance of power back in the direction of Team Heist. But things get complicated when the Professor successfully woos an exhausted Woo-jin into bed. The closer these two get, the more complicated the Professors plan will become. This is easily the most romance-forward episode yet. No one else is knocking boots (that we know of), but Denver and Mi-seon grow closer after Denver risks his life to keep Berlin from shooting Mi-seon and then literally gives her the blood from his body. Elsewhere, Rio sweetly admits that he loves Tokyo and wants to move to a private island with her after all of this is done hes found what he is running toward. After the first episode ignored the sexual relationship blueprinted for Rio and Tokyo in La Casa de Papel, I thought Money Heist: Korea might forgo the love story altogether. But now we know that is not the case this show was just doing it K-drama-style by holding off on the sex in favor of a more chaste romance. Im totally willing to go with it. Tokyos post-surgery conversation with Rio is the first time weve seen Tokyo smile since her days bopping along to BTS in flashback. Tokyo deserves some joy after all she has had to put up with, both inside the Mint and before. Episode 4 isnt quite as strong as the last one, which gave nuance to Moscow and Denvers dynamic without ever having to spell it out for us. Rios growth feels a bit too bold and a bit too easy. Weve only just met the kid, and the episode has too much else going on to make his development feel earned. But its far from a weak episode. From Nairobi proving to Tokyo she was right to trust a con woman to Woo-jin breaking down at her kitchen table when her mother fell deeper into dementia, this show is putting its characters first and its doing it with the help of some phenomenal actors. Banknotes Young-min persuades the heist team to let him call his wife, whom, despite the affair, he seems to love. I like that this show isnt interested in making any character irredeemable or without relatable human qualities. Woo-jin is about to face some consequences for making the call to shoot Young-min, which she probably should. When Captain Cha tries to take responsibility during their smoke break, she makes it clear that, ultimately, it was her call. Berlin ends the episode duct-taped to a chair but seems intent on causing trouble. Meanwhile, a random special forces soldier is wandering the building. Two loose cannons in an operation proven to be vulnerable to surprise. I cant wrap my head around that crap. Do you need to? Tokyo calls Denver out on his burgeoning feelings for Mi-seon. Upon finding out Young-mins phone password is 1234, Berlin muses, Its amazing you never got caught cheating. It really, really is. Established cinephile Denver has seen Troy. Berlin teases Rio (and us) that Tokyo didnt come here for the money. We know Tokyos backstory as a North Korean kid growing up in love with the Hallyu, and her stint as a vigilante in South Korea, stealing from those who abuse immigrants, but something tells me there is more to her story. The fear doesnt work if she is alive. Berlin is really committed to keeping the hostages fearful. As if getting shot in the leg and almost dying without makeshift surgery performed by one of your hostage-takers isnt also scary. I cant side with someone who wants to kill someone who managed to stay alive. Nairobi admires Mi-seons resilience. Same. En su intervencion, el Canciller Landa reafirmo el compromiso del Peru con la Presidencia del #IYAFA2002 y destaco la importancia de la pesca y la acuicultura artesanales para el Peru, como actividades que constituyen el medio de subsistencia de mas de 45,000 pescadores. pic.twitter.com/6xJFHkxfKU According to the Space Foundation's annual report, the global space economy netted $447 billion in 2020. Commercial space activity alone rose to nearly $357 billion, representing 80% of the total space economy. Launch attempts, which totaled 145, were the highest in history. The formation of a campus--a "space college," if you will--committed to expanding humanity's progress beyond Earth could reimagine who gets a chance at an aerospace career and accelerate timelines for future missions. These figures highlight a five-year trend of uninterrupted growth, encompassing space tourism, research on Mars, and major steps towards sending a crew to the Moon again. Interest in the cosmos appears unwavering, and experts estimate the industry will generate $1 trillion or more in 2040. These efforts require highly skilled and enthusiastic workers. From programming the self-driving Perseverance rover to designing more durable spacesuits, immense skill goes into every aspect of off-world exploration whether it is done by humans or robots--or both. That's why the space industry needs a dedicated university for aerospace studies and related career paths. The formation of a campus--a "space college," if you will--committed to expanding humanity's progress beyond Earth could reimagine who gets a chance at an aerospace career and accelerate timelines for future missions. By nurturing a new generation of astronomers, scientists, engineers, and business leaders in one place, a centralized college, with a global reach to anyone who is interested, would serve an important role in launching a truly spacefaring economy. Oh yes, when the word "campus" is used it is done so in a 21st century context. In a post-pandemic world, where you are physically located no longer need limit who you can work with. When you take into consideration that the exploration and utilization of space will span distances where interaction is limited by the speed of light, various modes of interaction--many asymmetric--need to be factored into how the space economy operates. As such, this "space college" needs to be wherever you are. As with any training that involves technology and travel, the hardware you train on and the places where you use it can require you to be physically present. As such, a virtual space college must be paired with a physical one. If you do it right, you can connect nearby and remote locations to function as one. In many cases existing capabilities can be brought together to act as one, with an emergent property being a space college that is both personal and distant. And instead of being wholly limited by "bricks and mortar," such a space college would be open to anyone, anywhere with an Internet connection--even a slow one. Continue reading at The Space Review Also - have a look at SpaceCollege.org Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. ? El Consejo de Ministros aprobo un proyecto de ley que crea un credito suplementario de 2 mil millones de soles para el otorgamiento de un bono alimentario, dirigido a la poblacion en situacion de vulnerabilidad ante la subida de precios de alimentos. ??? https://t.co/DRoiXnHpJM pic.twitter.com/TkcBf1AsMR Marymount International School is seeking a part time (80%) Italian teacher for the Elementary Schools Italian as a Second Language program. August 2022 start. Qualified native Italian speakers, fluent in English, are asked to visit the School's website www.marymountrome.com to download the Application Form and send to essecretary@marymountrome.com. Fire fuelled by strong winds during hottest June day on record. Rome firefighters battled a vast wildfire on the north-west outskirts of the city on Monday afternoon amid the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the capital in June. The fire, which broke out in the Casalotti area near the Via Aurelia, devoured a large area of farmland and vegetation, leading to the emergency evacuation of a children's summer camp and a number of private homes. Several people were treated for smoke inhalation. A massive fire on the north-west outskirts of Rome sends ashes raining down on the city centre. pic.twitter.com/Ic8DyWaz9Q Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) June 27, 2022 The blaze was exacerbated after the explosion of 50 gas cylinders in storage and driven by high winds on a day when the city's temperatures topped 40C, beating Rome's previous June record of 38C in 2019. Smoke from the fires blanketed the capital in a thick haze as ashes fluttered down over the city centre on Monday evening. #Roma, #incendio Aurelia zona Massimina: prosegue intervento #vigilidelfuoco, fiamme abbassate ma ancora attive e alimentate dal vento che favorisce la ripresa. Squadre a protezione delle abitazioni [#27giugno 17:00] pic.twitter.com/MQDZ4j8cBO Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) June 27, 2022 "Today is a very difficult and critical day for Rome: unfortunately there have been several fires whose causes are being ascertained" - mayor Roberto Gualtieri wrote on social media - "The exceptional heatwave and gusts of hot wind have fuelled fires in various areas of the city." Photo credit Casolotti Roma #Comunicado | Informamos a la ciudadania sobre la atencion que brindamos al paciente Alberto Fujimori Fujimori, expresidente de la Republica, y su estado de salud.#Prensa pic.twitter.com/1txICdvzJq Placeholder while article actions load You might expect to find skeptics of capitalism in sociology or anthropology departments and lets be honest, capitalism doesnt have so many fans lately. But you would think the basis for our great American economic system could at least count on the endorsement of business students. As one recent recipient of a Masters of Business Administration degree put it, getting an MBA should be the purest expression of capitalism. A business schools mission is to train capitalists people who own and run businesses. And yet recently, the former dean of Columbia Business School, Glenn Hubbard, wrote that his students were skeptical of capitalism. In 2019, Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria said his biggest challenge is lack of faith in capitalism. Several economists who teach in business and economics departments have told me they are getting similar push back in their classes. It could be the changing profile of the average student. Business schools are accepting more women and more international students from left-leaning countries. Top business schools used to be populated with people who worked in finance and consulting, but now the student body includes people with less traditional backgrounds who have worked at non-profits and in government. Advertisement One professor described the change: There were always some students who came here wanting to change the world. Ten years ago, they hoped to do this by making lot of money and then becoming a philanthropist. Now they come from the NGO [non-governmental organization] world and want to take those ideals to big corporations. The data on Harvard MBAs suggests many candidates still have finance, consulting and private equity backgrounds compared with 10 years ago. One professor told me he sees the biggest change in the students coming from the consulting industry. Their attitudes may reflect how that sector has evolved. Traditionally, management consulting firms were unapologetic that their objective was to help companies become more profitable. Now, they help companies implement stakeholder capitalism, where profits are sometimes secondary. Young candidate MBAs spent years stewing in an environment where enthusiasm for unbridled capitalism is no longer good business. And some MBAs coming from consulting sincerely believe a different way is not only possible, its better. Harvard Business School offers a class called reimagining capitalism, taught by an accounting professor. Advertisement I talked to one self-described capitalism skeptic who is getting ready to attend Harvard Business School after starting his career in consulting and then working in finance. He says his disillusionment comes from seeing how capitalism has become (or has always been) about getting as much market power as possible. He doesnt support socialism and I havent found an MBA who does. But not many are calling themselves capitalists, either. One student told me that even students who do embrace capitalism are reluctant to admit it because of the political implications. At the very least, the capitalism skeptics are concerned about inequality. I was struck by all the talk about market power and inequality, but with no discussion of the trade-offs that might come with changing the system. For instance, more equality could also mean less growth and higher taxes. One professor told me that when hes raised that point, some students think less growth may be a good thing. They believe growth necessarily degrades the environment. One MBA candidate pointed to high drug prices as a failure of Americas brand of capitalism. When I asked if he thought that may be the price of innovation, he said he thought it would be better to have less drug innovation if it saved people from medical bankruptcy. The other thing that struck me was the students who see the capitalist economy as inherently zero-sum. If someone gets rich, someone else must be poorer. If there is more growth, it must be bad for the planet. I was taught something very different: that everyone benefits from rising prosperity, even if some rise more than others. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos got super rich, but they also built things that made us all better off. And that sustainable growth comes from gains in productivity, so we get more output from using fewer resources and that productivity also includes greener, better technology. But the students I spoke with equated Musk-level success with less competition and more corruption. Advertisement The difference in our outlook may also arise from differing life experience. I am old enough to remember the Cold War. Younger people may have less enthusiasm for capitalism because their memories are dominated by 9/11, the financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street. One skeptic told me he had never heard a good, credible defense of capitalism. Perhaps MBA students today are just much more idealistic than the average person. Inequality has become worse during their lifetimes. But its still remarkable that they are so concerned about it. An MBA from a good school is a golden ticket to the top 5% of earners. Surveys show the average American, who probably makes far less, doesnt list inequality as their top concern. But maybe they are also just acting like good capitalists. Rejecting capitalism can be a good career decision for them. There are more jobs today that pay well to define and implement stakeholder models in consulting and financial firms. Also, if you are in such a job, and can claim your value isnt limited to increasing your companys bottom line, your job performance is harder to evaluate. Advertisement While the economy may not be zero-sum, MBAs may believe its so because thats how the economy they inhabit works. There are just so many elite jobs at top companies and in the government. Finance doesnt offer the same enormous salaries anymore to people in the middle of the pack. MBAs may be destined for the top 5%, but achieving the top 1% or 2% is much harder and more ruthlessly competitive. One professor told me his students are shocked that earning $500,000 a year places them in the top 1%. They think it takes far more. That may be why the turn on capitalism is so pervasive in top 10 MBA programs and on the East and West coasts, without necessarily infecting students everywhere. I asked an economics professor at Texas A&M if his students are skeptical of capitalism, No, he said. Its Texas after all. If anything, I have to convince them that sometimes some regulation is warranted. More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion: Advertisement The College Grads Too Precious to Do Factory Work: Shuli Ren Britain Takes School Snobbery to New Heights: Therese Raphael The Rot at the Heart of Stakeholder Capitalism: Virginia Postrel This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering economics. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, she is author of An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load By overturning the abortion-rights decision Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Courts conservative majority has added fuel to calls among some Democrats to change the court itself. Some want President Joe Biden to pursue the idea of expanding, or packing, the court beyond its current nine seats. Others would replace the life tenure of Supreme Court justices with fixed terms to guarantee each president has equal opportunity to shape its makeup. In December, a commission appointed by Biden reported back on these ideas, among others. By all indications, Biden seems unenthusiastic about pursuing such radical steps. 1. Why is this being debated? Frustration among Democrats has risen since 2016, when the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, gave Democratic President Barack Obama the opportunity to move the court to the left. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, refused to consider Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland, on the grounds that a vacancy shouldnt be filled during a presidential election year. So it was Republican Donald Trump, rather than Obama, who wound up filling the vacancy, with Neil Gorsuch. Fast forward to 2020. A seat opened up just six weeks before Election Day with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the courts leading liberal voices. In that case, Republicans rushed to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett, bolstering the courts conservative majority. Ultimately, Trumps nominees supplied the votes needed to overturn Roe v. Wade. Advertisement 2. What has Biden done? He appointed a commission to study possible changes to the court, including term limits and more seats. Its report, released in December 2021, detailed the arguments for and against several suggested changes, including term limits and adding more seat to the court, but stopped short of making any recommendations for what Biden should do. In 2020, while a candidate for president, he ruled out term limits for justices, saying, Its a lifetime appointment. Im not going to attempt to change that at all. He also said hes not a fan of court-packing, which years ago he dismissed as a bonehead idea. To Americans angry about the Supreme Courts composition and rulings, Bidens response has been that they should elect more Democrats to Congress. 3. Isnt the courts size and justices tenure set in stone? Advertisement The Constitutions command that justices hold their Offices during good Behaviour has been interpreted to mean justices, like other federal judges, enjoy life tenure. Thats why many legal scholars, including some that support structural changes, say term limits would require passing an amendment to the Constitution, a difficult and rare feat. The number of seats, by contrast, has changed through the years. The Judiciary Act of 1789 created a six-member court. President John Adams tried but failed to shrink the court to five. For a time, the number of justices rose with the number of circuit courts, rising to a high of 10 in 1863. Congress reduced the number to seven in 1866, to deprive President Andrew Johnson of appointments, then raised the number in 1869 to nine, where its held ever since. 4. When did court packing become an issue? In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, proposed expanding the size of the court due to resistance to his policies by a conservative majority. He faced opposition within his own party, and the push to add seats lost steam after the Roosevelt administration landed on the winning side of three court decisions. The shift of one conservative justice in those cases went down in history as the switch in time that saved nine -- meaning, it saved the nine-member size of the court -- though whether that was his motivation has long been debated. Advertisement 5. What would it take to expand the court? Because the Constitution is silent on the courts size, expanding it could be done through the regular legislative process by which all laws are made. But that means Democrats would need a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate (where they control just 50 votes currently) or would have to do away with the filibuster, the unwritten Senate practice that requires 60 votes to pass major legislation. On the question of killing the filibuster, Democrats are not united. 6. How would term limits for justices work? Term limit proposals have been around since at least the 1970s, but theyve gotten new currency over the last five or 10 years due to people becoming dissatisfied with the court, said Suzanna Sherry, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who studies constitutional law. There are a number of possible ways to structure term limits. The leading proposal would create staggered, 18-year terms, which would mean that every president would get to nominate two new justices each four-year term. Even if enacted, term limits would take decades to take full effect, since they wouldnt apply to justices sitting at the time the change was implemented. Advertisement 7. What would term limits accomplish? Proponents argue that term limits would lessen the stakes of any given nomination, make the selection process more predictable by ensuring that each president gets approximately the same number of nominations during the course of a term, and ensure the selection process isnt a product of happenstance caused by a justices death or retirement. Term limits also could reduce the incentive a president might have to appoint younger justices, prevent justices serving into their older years, and make the court more democratic, said Daniel Epps, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who co-authored a paper on how term limits might be designed. 8. Whats the case against term limits? That they would undermine the independence of the justices, the bedrock of the American judicial system. The purpose of life appointment is to remove external and political pressures on the justices so that they can make the correct, though not necessarily the most popular, decisions. Some scholars say constant changes could also lead new justices to overturn the courts precedents on hot-button issues like abortion. Term limits would lead to instability and unpredictability in the law, said Sherry, who co-authored a paper exploring how having term limits for justices would have impacted the courts Roe decision over the years. Advertisement 9. What would it take to impose term limits on justices? At least some scholars see a possible way to get around the very high bar of trying to amend the Constitution. In this view, term limits could be implemented by traditional legislation so long as it gives justices the right to take senior status once their term is up, meaning they wouldnt continue to hear high court cases, but could still hear cases on lower federal courts or assist the judiciary in other ways. That is a distinct minority view among legal experts who have weighed in on the issue, Epps said. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Democrats are considering changes in their 2024 presidential-nomination calendar, with more than a dozen states vying to be added to the early portion of the sequence and possibly to replace Iowa as the first state to vote. Could it happen? Yes. Will it solve real problems if it does? Not necessarily.The general problem here is that both parties under-appreciate the advantages of stability, and many on the Democratic side overvalue the importance of which particular states go first. These two things are closely related. Stable rules and procedures are good for party coalition-building. The more they change, the greater the incentive for party groups and individual candidates to go it alone, hoping they can game the system to gain major advantages. Thats more or less how factional candidates George McGovern and Jimmy Carter captured Democratic nominations in 1972 and 1976. It may also have been a significant factor in how Donald Trump, another factional candidate, won the Republican nomination in 2016 (as explained in my chapter in The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2020). When rules and procedures stay mostly the same, party groups are forced to compete and cooperate on even ground, which pushes them to form broad coalitions to back the winning candidate. Since factional candidates are bad for their parties, bad for democracy, and bonus! also tend to be bad presidents, theres a lot to be said for keeping things mostly the same.Meanwhile, the problems with Iowa and New Hampshire as the first two states on the calendar are less than theyre made out to be. Many Democrats dont like those two states because they dont reflect the partys ethnic diversity. But presidential nominations are national processes, and the results in those two states are interpreted by party actors (and even the media) who are well aware of the electorates there. Thats why Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, neither of whom had demonstrated much appeal to Black voters, failed to get major bounces from doing well in those very white states and why Joe Biden, who had well-known support among Black voters, was able to survive doing poorly in both. Its also why Barack Obama benefited so much from winning in Iowa in 2008, since he needed to prove to party actors that he could win white voters.Enough Democrats realize all of this that it should be the end of the story, except for one thing: Rules and procedures cant be stable in a sequential nomination process if the first state to hold a nominating event cant manage to count the votes properly. The real problem with Iowa isnt that its not diverse enough. The real problem is that it cant get its act together.As rules maven Josh Putnam reminds us, that still may not prove to be a sufficient motivation to rearrange the calendar, mainly because its so hard to do. National parties have severely limited ability to control what states do, especially in those in which presidential primaries are set by law. State legislators dont have to listen to what national parties tell them to do even when theyre in the same party, and in states where the other party has a majority, its even harder to coordinate. So theres a complicated dance involving what the national Democrats want, what the national Republicans want, what the relevant state parties want, and what legislators and governors want. Over the past 50 years, the system has been shaped much more by what turned out to be workable pragmatic solutions than by any kind of idealized overall design. Yet the hodgepodge we have has actually done better than people think. So even though Iowa presents a real problem, Im not all that eager to see significant reforms at this point. Placeholder while article actions load One purpose of summitry in a time of war is the family photo or rather, the harmonious and resolute unity its meant to showcase. So it was at last weeks summit of the European Union in Brussels and at this weeks gathering of the Group of 7 in the Bavarian Alps, and so itll be again when NATO leaders meet in Madrid in the coming days. As with actual family photos, however, the real story is often about who stands where and with what body language. And sometimes its about who should be in the photo but isnt. The show of unity was easiest to stage at the G7 summit. The group representing rich democracies is small and homogenous, and the mountains made a suitably Brobdingnagian background. The photo signaled a strong and united front against Russian President Vladimir Putin who partook in these symposiums when they were still called G8, until he was excluded after his first attack on Ukraine in 2014. Advertisement Another photo from the summit needs a longer caption. It shows the same G7, but with the addition of leaders from partner countries in the so-called Global South. These are South Africa, Senegal and Argentina, as well as Indonesia and India the hosts this year and next, respectively, of the G20, a larger forum in which, awkwardly, Putin is slated to participate. The G7 host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, invited these guests to nudge their countries, and indeed their continents, to join the West in resisting Putin in particular, and the worlds autocrats in general. But getting them into the family photo isnt the same as eliciting that commitment. During the Cold War these countries were part of the non-aligned movement. Its nations sided with neither the free nor the communist bloc (the first and second worlds, as it were) and thus became known as the Third World, although that term later took on a wholly different connotation. Advertisement Today, again, many countries in Asia, Africa and South America arent exactly enthusiastic about helping to confront Putin over what they see as a distant regional war that doesnt concern them. As they see it, the G7 arent usually too fussed about regional wars in Africa or Asia either. The captions will also be complicated under the photos taken in Madrid when the 30 members of NATO congregate there. In staring down Putin, the transatlantic allies are more united than theyve been since the Cold War. For example, theyve reinforced their eastern flank and will adopt a new strategy to better protect Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. But, like other families, the alliance suffers from tensions. Turkey, in particular, has always been a difficult and mercurial ally it acts more like foe than friend toward fellow NATO member Greece. Since Putins assault on Ukraine this year, Turkey has also tried a diplomatic balancing act between Russia and Ukraine thats now become a tilt toward Moscow, according to Yevgeniya Gaber at the Atlantic Council, a think tank. Advertisement Worse, Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in effect holding two non-aligned but Western nations hostages. Sweden and Finland members of the EU but not yet of NATO, and potentially in Putins crosshairs want to join the alliance. NATO also wants them as members, because the well-armed Scandinavians could help defend the Baltic nations. But Erdogan, largely for the sake of domestic politics, is threatening a veto. This leaves the Swedes and Finns in a perilous no-mans-land. Theyve signaled their allegiance and intent to join NATO drawing Putins ire and yet they still miss the security of the alliances mutual-defense clause. Theyre neither in nor out. Owing to Erdogans myopia, Turkey is in a different sort of no-mans-land. Geopolitically, its neither fully in the West nor out, neither genuinely democratic nor totally autocratic, neither trustworthy nor hostile. What kind of ally if an ally at all will it be? Advertisement Other countries in the region are also in limbo. Several Balkan nations as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia want to join the EU but know theyll have to wait decades, provided the EU says yes even then. How will Serbia, say, position itself between Europe and its old friend Russia in the meantime? Then theres the whole rest of the world, from Asia to Africa and South America, home to most of the worlds population but represented so modestly in the Bavarian Alps this week. For now as during the Cold War these countries would rather hedge their bets and stay non-aligned. The Wests leaders, once theyre done jetting between summits and posing for pictures with one another, have a job to do. They must get the rest of the world out of this no-mans-land. So they should offer generous support in dollars, euros and other forms to countries that pledge help in defending global democracy against the autocrats in Moscow and Beijing. Advertisement They should also remind these nations that non-alignment isnt a permanent option. As the late Desmond Tutu, South Africas favorite archbishop, once said: If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. Today, Putin is the elephant, Ukraine the mouse. And no-mans-land is no place to be. More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion: To Save Democracy and Defeat Putin, Give Up the West: Andreas Kluth India Cant Afford to Lose the Worlds Trust on Trade: Mihir Sharma NATO Should Think Twice Before Accepting Finland and Sweden: Emma Ashford This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Handling bags of cash for a wrestler-turned-cocaine-trafficker is the kind of business you shouldnt do as an international wealth manager. Credit Suisse Group AGs criminal money-laundering conviction in Switzerland this week for exactly this is an embarrassment, though not a costly one with total penalties of little more than $20 million. The Swiss banks defense was the same as for recent revelations about dodgy clients or failures in due diligence: These are historic issues from when things were done differently. Its leaders have been telling us for some time the bank has already changed. That claim chimes awkwardly with its deep-dive into risk, compliance and technology presented to investors on Tuesday. The banks plan to improve these core functions contained tacit admissions of how poorly they were run until the shocks of its failures with Archegos and Greensill Capital last year. Advertisement Take one obvious part: Client risk management. The banks chief compliance officer, Rafael Lopez Lorenzo, outlined how it was going to ensure all the people it took on and the transactions they wanted to do were efficiently and effectively reviewed from now on. The key criteria to be examined included sanctions risk, politically exposed persons and convicted persons. It will also make sure it does ongoing know-your-client work and enhanced due diligence for the highest risk customers. He said this would bring Credit Suisse into line with best practice in the industry. That always sounds to me like a euphemism for being no worse than average. Ive written before about how working with the worlds richest people is always going to involve political and corruption risks. But Credit Suisse ought to have been making these kinds of checks for years, if not decades, already. The theme behind everything outlined on Tuesday is about changing the banks modus operandi from one where its bankers were given fairly free rein to chase fees and revenue wherever they could be found, to one where the Zurich head office is going to have much more control over what can be sold and to whom. Advertisement That promises more efficiency and better risk control but means foregoing some business. On top of getting out of prime finance the business of lending to hedge funds Credit Suisse has cut superyacht loans by more than 20% in the past year; reduced lending to private-equity buyouts by 25%; and curbed risk in share-backed margin lending. Some cuts should be cyclical: Leveraged loans are going through a bad patch for all banks, for example. But some is business permanently lost. Credit Suisses centralization of control should also ensure all its technology is bought and managed more consistently and efficiently. Joanne Hannaford, the chief technology officer who joined from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. this year, said she was very surprised at the cost-cutting opportunities she found in an audit of its spending. There will be roughly $200 million of savings this year and another $400 million in future, she said. However, analysts including Anke Reingen of RBC Capital Markets were disappointed there wasnt a new target to cut group costs. For investors, the question remains how long the rehabilitation of Credit Suisse takes. The trauma of 2021 has subsided, but it has a lot to rebuild in terms of technology, staff and business practices all of which will slow its normal operations initially. And while Credit Suisse is busy fixing things, rivals such as UBS Group AG or Morgan Stanley are investing in technology to give them better products and services that are faster and easier to use. Credit Suisse says 2022 will be its transition year. But for shareholders, it looks likely to be playing catch up for much longer than that. Advertisement More From Bloomberg Opinion: Wall Street Has a Big Buyout Loan Headache: Paul J. Davies Tiger Globals Day of Reckoning May Never Come: Shuli Ren Russian Oil Sanctions Upended the World. Gold Bans Wont: David Fickling This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load When partnerships decide to sell their firms into the public markets through an initial public offering, its always about the money even if it isnt only about the money. Big Four auditor Ernst & Young LLPs potential IPO of its consulting activities could trigger stock windfalls of as much as $8 million each for the consulting partners, according to the Financial Times. Even the partners in the audit firm left behind could get payouts too averaging about $2 million each, the Wall Street Journal reported. These numbers reflect the fact that the consulting practice is in large part being handed to its current partners but the audit partners need to approve the deal. Assuming the split goes ahead, most of the consulting activities (including strategy, deal and tax advice) would cease to belong to distinct national partnerships and become a company whose equity was divided among newly established shareholders, most of whom would be the current partners on the consultancy side. In time, they could cash in their stock. Advertisement The rump businesses which date back to the early 20th century would focus on audit activities and retain the current partnership structure. Ownership would therefore continue to pass down through successive generations of partners, each sharing the annual profits as equity holders while they worked at the firm. Of course, there are good business reasons for EY to consider a full separation of its audit and consulting practices. Each side would then be free of the potential conflicts of interest that irk regulators when the two sit under one umbrella, so they could operate more freely. Strategically, it makes sense. But the financial attractions of going public must also exceed the downsides for the partners disclosure requirements and the loss of the undiluted participation in profits through a partnership. So a lot of stars need to align. Notably, management consultant McKinsey & Co. hasnt gone public. Perhaps its partners make enough money already without having to cash in the firm. Advertisement An EY split creates the challenge of how to share the consultancy equity between the current top echelons. The newly independent company could have an enterprise value nudging $100 billion. Thats assuming revenue grows from a reported 2022 forecast of $26 billion and margins are at least as good as those of listed peer Accenture Plc, supporting a premium valuation. The non-audit activities dont have a very long history and the current consulting partners could argue that the bulk of the value creation has taken place over their careers, and so belongs to them. But consulting has benefited from the audit arms financial resources, brand and client relationships. An unknown startup consulting firm would not have grown so rapidly without these assets. The audit business is owed a return regardless of the fact the audit partners need incentivizing to vote for a split. Advertisement That requires cash to be found. An IPO could raise $10 billion in a sale of 15% of the business, plus $17 billion of debt, according to the Wall Street Journal. (A small portion of these proceeds would probably need to be retained by the listed consulting business.) On a purist view, the retired partners deserve something too. They helped build this business too and it would be galling for them to watch their successors clean up. The snag is that they have no concrete leverage to extract a payout. They do have soft power. Alumni networks can help provide new business and can influence a firms reputation. Giving retired partners some token equity would make some commercial sense. Whether thats feasible in such a big firm is another matter. Then theres EY staff just below partner level. They may feel robbed of the chance to enter the existing partnership. Even if the partner title endures, the conventional partnership economics wont. EY may keep back 15% of the equity to serve as incentive awards for non-partners, according to the WSJ. Whether thats enough remains to be seen. Advertisement A listed EY consulting arm will have to share its profits with outside investors, meaning theres less to pay the employees. The temptation of joining or starting a rival partnership will be heightened if pay is cut to fund dividends. Of course, the same issues have confronted other former partnerships that have dissolved ahead of IPOs or stake sales think of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in the US and Cazenove in the UK. Theres always one fortunate generation for whom everything comes together. Unfortunately, its often just tough luck for those who preceded them, and those who hoped to follow. More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion: Which Side of an EY Breakup Do You Want to Be On?: Chris Hughes London Banking Jobs, Bonuses Look Safe -- For Now: Mark Gilbert Your CEO Needs to Hear `No More Often: Paul J. Davies This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. Previously, he worked for Reuters Breakingviews, the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load If Russias invasion of Ukraine was supposed to weaken NATO and stop its eastward expansion -- one rationalization offered by President Vladimir Putin -- it seems to have backfired. Rather than exploit tensions within the 30-nation alliance, Russias war seemingly strengthened it, with Finland and Sweden, two close neighbors of Russia, seeking to join. 1. Whats the point of NATO? Founded in 1949 to protect Europe against Soviet attack during the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has come to represent a fundamental partnership between North America and Europe based on shared political and economic values. The pledge of collective defense spelled out in Article 5 of the NATO treaty establishes that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all. Membership has grown to 30 nations from 12. Advertisement 2. What is Russias concern? Putin and his government see NATO expanding into what they consider Moscows sphere of influence, which diminished after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, three former Soviet republics, are now NATO members; Russia, citing its own security, insists that NATO must never let additional ex-Soviet states join. 3. Is NATO anti-Russia? Not in the explicit way it used to be anti-Soviet Union. Since the collapse of the Soviet state, NATOs role has broadened to include bombing Serb forces during the Bosnia and Kosovo wars of the 1990s and enforcing an arms embargo on Libya in 2011. Russia moved itself to NATOs front burner with an initial incursion into Ukraine in 2014 and its full-scale invasion earlier this year. 4. How did the invasion solidify NATO? Advertisement Two-plus years after French President Emmanuel Macron fretted publicly about the brain death of NATO -- citing what appeared to be a waning commitment by the US under then-President Donald Trump -- the alliance pulled together to form a mostly unified front against Russia. In attacking a neighboring country, Russia gave NATO a renewed raison detre: to protect its members bordering the giant nuclear-armed power to their east. The alliance boosted its deployments of forces on the eastern flank, and several member nations supplied military equipment to Ukraine. Breaking years of reticence, Germany embarked on a major upgrade of its military and vowed to meet NATOs target of spending 2% of economic output per year on defense. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, while expressing gratitude for the support, said Western nations werent sufficiently united behind helping Ukraine defeat Russia. He cited NATOs refusal to establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine, a step that could put member countries in military conflict with Russia. 5. Who hopes to join? Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, applied in 2008. NATOs policy of not admitting countries with unresolved external territorial disputes weighs against their chances. Thats because, in addition to being present in Ukraine, Russian forces occupy Abkhazia and South Ossetia, internationally recognized parts of Georgia. Bosnia-Herzegovina has also applied, though domestic division there makes joining an unlikely prospect in the near future. Sweden and Finland expected little resistance to their sudden desires to join the alliance, but Turkey raised concerns over their relationships with Kurdish groups perceived as terrorists by Turkish officials. A country can join only with the unanimous consent of NATO members. Advertisement 6. Why werent Finland and Sweden already in NATO? They had bet that their national security after the Cold War was best protected by staying out. Finland has spent its 104 years of independence tiptoeing around Russia, with which it shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border; two wars against the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1944 were followed by a policy of deference and self-censorship toward the Soviets that came to be known as Finlandization. Sweden, neutral for some 200 years, stayed out of both world wars. Through the Cold War, continued neutrality was seen as the best way to ensure its independence. Public support for joining NATO soared in both Finland and Sweden as a result of Russias invasion of Ukraine. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Despite their orientation toward the US and western Europe, Finland and Sweden since the Cold War had bet that their national security was best protected by staying out of NATO. They aimed to avoid disturbing the military balance in the Baltic Sea region and provoking Russia. However, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its demands to stop NATO expansion have now pushed both countries to seek entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 1. Why arent Finland and Sweden NATO members? Both countries conduct military exercises with NATO and increasingly share intelligence with it. They are part of the alliances Partnership for Peace program, which fosters cooperation with non-members, and, along with Ukraine, are among six so-called Enhanced Opportunity Partners that make particularly significant contributions to NATO operations. But they didnt join the group earlier for historic reasons. Advertisement Finland has spent the 104 years since its independence tiptoeing around Russia, the giant to its east, with which it has roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of border. Two wars against the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1944 were followed by a policy of deference and self-censorship toward the Soviets that came to be known as Finlandization. After the Cold War ended, Finland began turning more toward the democracies of western Europe, joining the European Union and adopting the euro. But the ghost of Finlandization lingered and Finns held onto the cornerstone of their foreign policy: maintaining good relations with Russia. The countrys leaders didnt consider NATO a viable option, and popular opinion, until now, was firmly against joining. Sweden stayed out of both world wars, and as the two superpowers vied for influence during the Cold War, neutrality was seen as the best way of ensuring the countrys independence. Still, Swedens defense during the Cold War was designed to deter a Soviet invasion, and the country covertly cooperated with NATO. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Swedens policy was officially rebranded as military non-alignment, and its defense was significantly scaled down. But since Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula, Sweden has gradually ramped up military spending and sought ever closer cooperation with NATO. 2. What would their joining do for NATO? Advertisement Having Finland and Sweden in the alliance would arguably make it easier to stabilize the security of the area around the Baltic Sea and to defend NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those countries are often seen as a potential target for Russian aggression because they have substantial ethnic Russian minorities, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has used protecting such people as a pretext for interventions in Ukraine. Including Finland and Sweden would add to NATO two sophisticated, well-equipped militaries whose gear is already compatible with that used by the alliance. It would lengthen NATOs border with Russia, which now comprises just 6% of Russias land perimeter, and enable the alliance to improve its surveillance of the countrys western flank. 3. Whats required to join NATO? NATOs 30 participating countries have to be unanimous in welcoming a new member. The criteria for aspirant nations include a functioning democracy based on a market economy, fair treatment of minority populations, a commitment to resolve conflicts peacefully, and a willingness and ability to make a military contribution to NATO operations. Sweden and Finland are among the worlds most developed nations with stable democracies and highly trusted political institutions. Its not a requirement that citizens bless a move to join, but favorable public opinion lends legitimacy to a countrys bid for membership. Advertisement 4. How quickly could it happen? Sweden and Finland had expected no resistance to their applications, until Turkey suddenly raised objections. Then, on June 28, at the beginning of a NATO summit, Turkey dropped its opposition after both countries pledged to address its concerns, notably about their treatment of Kurdish groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Its likely the process of accession will be faster than for previous entrants. A dozen countries that have joined the alliance since 2004 have followed a gradual process under NATOs Membership Action Plan, but Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly said that the two nations meet NATO standards in most areas and that the process can go very quickly. Finland and Sweden estimate the timeline to be as long as a year, with ratifications in 30 countries. 5. How has Russia responded to the idea? Advertisement Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said May 12 that Finland joining NATO would definitely be a threat to Russia. Russia has previously warned of serious military and political consequences from Finnish and Swedish accession, requiring Russia to respond. In April, Russia said it would deploy nuclear weapons in and around the Baltic Sea region if the two joined. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda dismissed the threat as empty, accusing Russia of already placing tactical nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, its exclave on the Baltic. Russia had warned the Baltic states of serious consequences before they joined NATO in 2004, but that turned out to be a bluff. On the other hand, Montenegro in 2016 said it had foiled a Russia-backed plan to assassinate then-premier Milo Djukanovic over the countrys plans to enter NATO, which materialized a year later. A court in 2019 sentenced 14 people, including opposition leaders and Russian and Serbian nationals, to as many as 15 years in jail for staging the failed plot, though an appeals court last year annulled the verdicts. Finns expect to face more spying, cyberattacks, airspace breaches and influence operations by Russia should they become part of NATO. 6. How is this changing Finland and Sweden? They are increasing military cooperation between themselves and with other nations, work that began to accelerate in the run-up to the war in Ukraine. In early March, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto visited US President Joe Biden, who promised, in a joint phone call with Swedens Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, to deepen cooperation between the three nations, and later the US made security assurances to both. Theyve also signed security cooperation agreements with the UK. NATOs pledge of collective defense only applies to members, and an extended period on the doorstep of the alliance without a security guarantee would risk a backlash from Russia that the applicant would face on its own. They both intend to continue ramping up defense spending, with Swedens long-term plan increasing funding for the armed forces by almost 30% from 2021 to 2024. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Kim Stanley Robinson writes bestselling novels about a colony on Mars. Elon Musk talks of actually colonizing Mars. There is even a 30-page constitution, courtesy of a Yale political science class, for a Mars settlement. The actual prospects for a settlement remain uncertain, but the question of how it should be organized could stand some further scrutiny. The Yale proposal is about how to make a Mars settlement democratic, as is an earlier proposal published in Space Legal Issues. But I fear a harsher question needs to be addressed first: Should a Mars settlement allow for contractual servitude? When the New World was settled, it was common practice for workers to sign multiyear contracts, receiving passage across the ocean but giving up a share of their earnings and some of their freedom. Contractual servitude is distinct from slavery in the sense that it is chosen voluntarily. But once the contract is signed, the worker is in an uncomfortable position, in both an economic and democratic sense. And once these individuals land in the New World or, as the case may be, on Mars their protection by mainstream legal institutions cannot be assumed. Advertisement It is easy to inveigh against contractual servitude, but it has one valuable function: It creates incentives for someone to finance the voyage in the first place. If I had to finance my own passage to Mars, and then sustain myself when I got there, and pay off the travel costs, I would never go. But if a company can send a few thousand people, keep half the profits, and remain in charge, the voyage might stand a chance, at least decades from now when the technology is further along. That said, I am fine with banning contractual servitude on Mars, if that is what a democratic society decides. My point is that this is a more pressing question than what kind of new participatory rights the new Martians will have. Keep in mind the economic point about trade-offs: If poorer people are not allowed to sign up for these funded voyages, then maybe only billionaires will visit Mars. The tension is that most people have well-developed moralities for wealthy, democratic societies in which most citizens can earn their keep or be provided for by a well-funded social welfare state. Neither of those assumptions holds for Mars, which at least at the beginning will be a kind of pre-subsistence economy. Advertisement The upshot is that feasible Mars constitutions will probably offend the educated classes dearly. Another option for a Mars constitution is to have the U.S. government fund the voyage and apply some version of military law to the venture, as one might find on an aircraft carrier. Earlier NASA voyages were based on military command and involved no democracy. I support such a plan, but also note that governmental space exploration has slowed dramatically since its peak in the 1960s and 1970s. It is the private sector that has revived interest in a Mars settlement. Ideally I might like Mars to be settled by a religious group rather than by a government or a corporation. After all, various Puritan groups helped to settle North America, and they had the unity and sense of mission to pull off a very difficult and dangerous endeavor. Similarly, Mormons helped settle the American West. Advertisement Not surprisingly, many of these early governments had strong theocratic elements. While I dont view theocracy as either efficient or just, if the key question is motivating the settlers, then the religion option ought to be taken seriously. Like contractual servitude, it could serve a practical purpose. Yet religious settlements willing to go to Mars may be hard to come by. Relative religious freedom is available in many places on Earth. A victim of persecution in, say, North Korea, will find it far easier now and maybe forever to seek asylum in South Korea instead of Mars. I suspect that no feasible constitution for a Mars settlement would be very popular in the broad sense. Ages of exploration tend to encourage strong non-democratic or anti-democratic elements. Perhaps the best that can be hoped for is a very democratic philosophy for life on Earth, with the understanding that Mars will be very different. Advertisement Can we accept and indeed embrace such a dialectical and contradictory set of perspectives? Can the proper answer to such a fundamental question as how society should be organized so firmly depend on which planet we are talking about? Might some skeptics suggest that, with illiberal values ascendant on Earth, it would be better for Mars to offer an alternative? These are all valid questions. The debate over a Martian constitution is interesting, but it may also be premature. More From Bloomberg Opinion: To Reach Mars, the Human Body May Need Some Updates: Adam Minter Life on Mars: Our Cousins, or Something Entirely New?: Faye Flam Were Never Going to Mine the Asteroid Belt: David Fickling This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. He is coauthor of Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load 4 Vietnam veterans to get Medal of Honor Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight President Biden will award the Medal of Honor, the nations highest recognition for combat valor, to four U.S. Army veterans who fought through hellacious battles during the Vietnam War more than 50 years ago, White House officials said Monday. The recipients include Spec. 5th Class Dwight Birdwell, who led an armored unit through a bloody ambush in 1968; Maj. John J. Duffy, a Special Forces officer who fought off an attack on his fire base in 1972; Spec. 5th Class Dennis M. Fujii, who directed airstrikes on advancing forces while under fire in Laos in 1971 and after surviving a helicopter crash; and Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, who single-handedly cleared a trench of enemy fighters using grenades and a rifle in 1967. All four will have previous awards upgraded, with Kaneshiro receiving the honor posthumously. The ceremony is scheduled for July 5. Advertisement Birdwell, 74, said in a phone interview Monday that he received notification of his award from Biden last month, and that the president told him twice it was a big deal. He previously received the Silver Star, the U.S. militarys third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions Jan. 31, 1968. Others in his unit had sought the upgrade for years. Dan Lamothe Judge: Noncitizens can't vote in elections New York City cant allow noncitizens to vote in elections for mayor and other municipal offices, a judge ruled Monday. Earlier this year, the New York City Council passed a law that granted municipal voting rights to immigrants who legally work and live in one of the citys five boroughs. The move by the Democratic-led chamber would have allowed more than 800,000 legal residents, young undocumented immigrants known as dreamers and green-card holders to vote in local elections next year. To register, noncitizens must have lived in New York for 30 days, the same requirement for citizens, and have at least a work permit. Advertisement The law would have made New York the largest municipality in the country to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Under the law, noncitizens would not be allowed to vote in national or state elections including in presidential or congressional races. The historic move immediately ignited threats of legal challenges from Republicans. On Monday, Staten Island Judge Ralph Porzio sided with them, ruling that the law violated the states election law and its municipal home rule law. Mariana Alfaro Boy, 8, accidentally shoots and kills baby An 8-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed a 1-year-old girl and injured a 2-year-old girl at a Florida motel on Sunday, authorities said. The boys father left the gun holstered in his Pensacola motel room closet. After he left the room, his son found it and fired a round that passed through and killed the baby and struck the toddler, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said during a news conference Monday. The children who were shot belonged to the girlfriend of the father. Advertisement The toddler is expected to recover, Simmons said. The boys father returned to the room, took the gun and what investigators believe were drugs and left the room again, Simmons said. He is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of culpable negligence by storing a firearm within easy reach of a minor resulting in injuries, tampering with evidence and failure to store a firearm in a required manner. He was arrested and later released on $41,000 bond. Associated Press GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load LONDON The European Medicines Agency says it will begin reviewing data to decide if a smallpox vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic might also be authorized for monkeypox, amid a growing outbreak of the disease across the continent. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight In a statement on Tuesday, the EU drug regulator noted that the vaccine, known as Imvanex in Europe but sold as Jynneos in the U.S., is already cleared for use against monkeypox by American regulators. In Europe, the vaccine is only authorized in adults for the prevention of smallpox, which is related to monkeypox. The decision to start this review is based on results from laboratory studies suggesting that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies that target the monkeypox virus, the EMA said. The regulator said that supplies of the vaccine are currently very limited in Europe. Advertisement According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently more than 4,300 cases of monkeypox globally, of which the majority are in Europe. The vast majority of cases are in gay and bisexual men, and in other men who have sex with men, although scientists warn anyone who is in close, physical context with someone who has monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of infection. Several countries including Britain, Germany and the U.S. have already begun vaccinating those at highest risk of catching monkeypox using smallpox vaccines. Although the disease has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, vaccines have not been used to stamp out previous outbreaks there. Britain, which has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa, recently widened its vaccination policy to those at highest risk of monkeypox, which it defined as gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure, meaning those who have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attends sex on premises venues. Advertisement On Tuesday, Britains Health Security Agency said there were now 1,076 cases of monkeypox across the country, adding that they expected to see infections rise further in the coming days and weeks. Last week, the agency said the outbreak was spreading only in defined sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men. Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. Most people infected with monkeypox recover within weeks without needing medical care but the disease can be more severe in vulnerable populations, like pregnant women and children. The World Health Organization declined last week to declare monkeypox a global emergency, but has said it is working on a vaccine-sharing mechanism that some fear could see vaccines go to rich countries like the U.K. that already have their own stockpiles. Advertisement According to the health analytics firm Airfinity, Britain has 4.500 doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine and has ordered another 20,000 shots. The U.S. has received more than 1 million doses already and has ordered another 13 million. On Tuesday, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the first deliveries of vaccines were arriving to the continents most affected countries, with more than 5,000 doses arriving in Spain, out of more than 109,000 procured. The EU said in a statement that member countries with the most cases were being prioritized for deliveries; Portugal, Germany and Belgium will be the next countries to receive doses. To date, there have been more than 1,500 monkeypox cases in Africa, with at least 66 deaths. No deaths beyond Africa have been detected. ___ Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this report. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load TEHRAN, Iran An Iranian appeals court upheld the eight-year prison sentence of a French tourist for taking photos in a prohibited area and asking questions about Irans obligatory Islamic hijab for women, his lawyer said Tuesday. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Benjamin Briere, 36, was arrested in May 2020 and sentenced in January. He went on a hunger strike on Dec. 25 to protest his treatment in prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where he is being detained. His Iranian lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, said on Twitter that The sentence of eight years and eight months in prison for Benjamin Briere, French tourist was finalized. Paris-based lawyer Philippe Valent said at the time of Brieres sentencing that an Iranian revolutionary court sentenced him to eight years for espionage and eight months for anti-government propaganda. Under Iranian law, the longer part is applied in practice. Advertisement Briere was detained for taking pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited and asking questions on social media about Irans obligatory Islamic headscarf for women. Rights groups accuse hard-liners in Irans security agencies of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West. Tehran denies it, but there have been prisoner exchanges in the past. Other French citizens detained in Iran include Cecile Kohler, 37, and Chuck Paris, 69, who were arrested on May 7 after meeting with protesting Iranian teachers and taking part in an anti-government rally. France identified the two as a teachers union official and her partner on vacation in Iran. Also in January, Iranian justice officials ordered the re-imprisonment of Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who was arrested in 2019. Adelkhah for a time had been allowed to serve a five-year prison sentence under house arrest. She had been accused of propaganda against the Islamic Republics political system and collusion to undermine national security. Briere had been charged for cooperation with a foreign hostile nation against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dehghan said in January. On Tuesday, the Iranian court again referred to France as a hostile nation. France, alongside other world powers, is in negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, showcasing deep ties between the major trade partners. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight From the oil-rich capital of Abu Dhabi, Modi offered condolences on the death of the long-ailing late President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He congratulated Sheikh Mohammed on his elevation to power after nearly a decade as de facto leader, the UAEs state-run WAM news agency reported, without elaborating on discussions it said sought to push bilateral relations forward. Modi flew to the sheikhdom from the Group of 7 summit in Germany and was set to leave later Tuesday. The two countries have become mutually dependent over the years. For India, the Gulf Arab state is a significant source of oil and its third-largest export destination after the United States and China, with exports reaching nearly $16 billion for 2020-21. Indian wheat and other food exports are particularly important for the arid desert nation. Advertisement The UAE is also home to more than 3 million Indians who send home billions of dollars in remittances every year outnumbering its local population of 1 million Emiratis. The expat workers help power the federations economy, providing services ranging from cab-driving and child care to information technology and construction. In their meeting, Sheikh Mohammed praised the contributions of the Indian community in developing the UAE. Earlier this year, the two countries signed a free trade deal that is expected to roughly double bilateral non-oil trade to $100 billion within five years. India is already the UAEs second-largest trade partner. The deal aims to add $8.9 billion to the UAEs gross domestic product and boost its exports by 1.5% in the next decade, Emirati officials say. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load MEXICO CITY Four children in Mexico were buried in the years after the Spanish Conquest with rituals and grave offerings that suggest that pre-Hispanic customs lived on for some time after the Aztec empire fell. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The National Institute of Anthropology and History said Monday the burials of children ranging from a newborn, to a girl aged between 6 and 8, were found in a working-class district just north of Mexico Citys historic center. When the Spanish conquered the Aztec capital in 1521, they quickly expelled the Indigenous Mexica population to the citys edges, reserving the center for the homes of only Spaniards. Archaeologists estimate the children were buried in a layer of earth that dated to between 1521 and 1620. Even though the Spaniards quickly outlawed most pre-Hispanic ceremonies and religious practices, researchers found evidence the children were buried with Aztec style grave goods. Advertisement The youngest, the newborn, was buried inside a pot, with other pots around it. The bulbous shape of the pot was thought to imitate the form of a uterus, and it was not clear if the child died before or after birth. Another offering found at the site included the bones of a bird in ceramic pot with blue coloring, associated with water. The older girl was buried with a large clay Aztec-style figurine depicting a female figure holding a child. Her skull showed signs of possible anemia, malnutrition or infection, signs that suggest life was hard for the Indigenous population in the years following the conquest. In December, archaeologists announced they had discovered another house site on the outskirts of the citys center where 13 large clay ceremonial Aztec incense burners had been carefully buried, again after the Conquest, suggesting that pre-Hispanic beliefs and customs lasted on for some time. The incense burners had been carefully buried in a pattern that may refer to the Aztec calendar, and were covered with adobe bricks, as if to hide them. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load MADRID The Latest on the G-7 summit, the annual meeting of the leading democratic economies, which this year is being held in the Bavarian Alps in Germany; and on the NATO summit in Madrid, where leaders begin gathering later Tuesday: Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight ___ Russias war on Ukraine has dominated a gala dinner hosted by Spains King Felipe VI to welcome some 40 heads of state and government on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid. War has returned to Europe, he told guests Tuesday. Russias unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign State. No country is unaffected by this war. U.S. President Joe Biden sat to the kings right in the elaborately decorated dining room of the 18th century Royal Palace of Madrid. Felipe said the palace had never had such a large number of world leaders together. In all, some 60 people were at the table. Advertisement ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Turkey lifts objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO ahead of alliance summit How a G-7 ban on Russian gold would work Zelenskyy tells G-7 summit Ukraine forces face urgent moment The AP Interview: Spanish PM says NATO summit to show unity Tale of 2 summits: Americas back to Americas backsliding ___ OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says Tuesdays deal with Turkey on her countrys and Finlands membership of NATO will bring more security to the alliance. Its good for Finland and Sweden. And its good for NATO, because we would be security providers to NATO, Andersson told The Associated Press. She said completing the process of membership should be done the sooner the better, not only for Sweden and Finland but for other NATO countries, she said. Advertisement But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know, Andersson added. Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said Swedes will see that this is good for the security of Sweden. Andersson said that her countrys contribution to the alliance will potentially be a strong military and navy. She said that Sweden is in the midst of the largest military buildup since the 1950s. Andersson said she wasnt too worried about Moscows reaction to Tuesdays announcement: Russia has reacted rather mildly so far, Andersson said. Maybe they see the fact that we have been a partner to NATO for quite some time ... that maybe they dont see this as quite such a big step. Advertisement ___ A senior U.S. administration official says Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept the deal to drop its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The official said Tuesday that President Joe Biden made a deliberate choice to keep the U.S. from being a party to the negotiations or being in a position where Turkey could ask for inducements from the U.S. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, said Turkey never asked the U.S. for anything as part of the talks. But the official said the U.S. played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together. Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The leaders of Sweden and Finland reached out to Biden late Tuesday just before accepting the agreement. Advertisement By Zeke Miller in Madrid ___ Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent top-level talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the three countries leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday. Advertisement ___ Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has made a powerful plea for Western allies meeting in Madrid to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war in Ukraine. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko said Tuesday, addressing reporters at the venue in Madrid where NATO leaders are meeting. Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, were in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a defense think tank forum ahead of the 2-day summit. Klitschko, who said he had no plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO meeting, rejected the idea that Ukraine should make any territorial sacrifices to end the war. Bully the bully, its the only way how to stop it, he said. And in this case, Russia is the bully. Advertisement ___ U.S. first Lady Jill Biden, accompanied by Spains Queen Letizia, has visited a welcome center for Ukrainian refugees in Madrid and talked with several young people staying there. Speaking to CBS News, Biden said she had told Ukraines first lady, Olena Zelenska when she met her recently that I would carry forth her message, that we supported her. And so, Im continuing to meet with refugees no matter where I go. At the center, Biden and the queen looked at drawings by the refugees and talked with several of them. Jill Biden flew to the Spanish capital late on Sunday while US President Joe Biden arrived on Tuesday to attend a NATO summit that starts Wednesday. Biden said the first ladies of many countries were committed to helping Ukraine. ___ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging other NATO allies to increase their military spending -- but is being accused by his own defense minister of underfunding the U.K.s armed forces. Advertisement Britain is among nine of the 30 NATO countries that meets the alliances target of spending at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense. Johnson said Tuesday that the current figure is 2.3%, adding that he would be having a conversation about spending at this weeks NATO summit in Madrid. But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the military had been underfunded for years by successive governments and had been fed a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed-out formations and fantasy savings, when in the last few years threats from states have started to increase. Despite the increased spending, the size of Britains military is shrinking. The British Army is set to be cut from 82,000 troops to 72,500. Wallace told a think tank conference in London that there is a risk Russia will lash out against wider Europe and it is time to mobilize, be ready and be relevant. Advertisement ___ The United States and Spain have issued a joint declaration condemning Russia for invading Ukraine, emphasizing their defense partnership through NATO and pledging to promote safe and orderly migration. U.S. President Joe Biden is in Spain for the NATO summit. He met Tuesday with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The four-page declaration says Russias February invasion of Ukraine fundamentally altered the global strategic environment. It adds that the aggression constitutes the most direct threat to transatlantic security and global stability since the end of the Cold War. It says both countries will work to strengthen legal migration pathways, especially for people from the Caribbean and Latin America. The U.S. and Spain also recognize the importance of cooperating to address what the declaration calls irregular migration from North Africa -- a pressing problem for Spain. ___ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance will commit to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its forces at this weeks summit in Madrid. NATO is determined to set the gold standard on discussing the security challenges of climate change, Stoltenberg said Tuesday in Spains capital as world leaders arrived for two days of talks. Stoltenberg says that NATOs immediate goal will be reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of its military forces by 45% by 2030. He said climate change is a crisis multiplier, so it matters for security. ___ WASHINGTON The United States has announced new sanctions on 29 people and 70 Russian firms related to the Kremlins defense industry, as punishment for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The targeted companies include state-owned Rostec, a state-owned defense conglomerate, and its affiliated companies. The move came in combination Tuesday with the Group of Seven announcement to ban imports of Russian gold, and price caps on Russian oil. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions will degrade Putins capabilities and further impede his war against Ukraine, which has already been plagued by poor morale, broken supply chains, and logistical failures. ___ The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, are in Madrid and have met Spains King Felipe VI at a NATO Public Forum debate on the eve of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital. The two brothers were in the audience when the king made his address to the forum Tuesday and met the monarch as he left. The king said their presence was a very pleasant surprise and that he had conveyed to them Spains support and our deep thoughts and friendship with your nation, with your people. The brothers, both former heavyweight boxing champions, work together to keep Kyiv running during the ongoing war with Russia. NATO has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the summit, but it is expected that he will appear only by video conference. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says a U.N. plan to bring grain out of Ukraine via safe sea corridors could save as much as a month in emptying silos in time for the autumn harvest, since it doesnt require demining ports. Draghi said a briefing that G-7 leaders received from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the plan was one of the most important of the summit and was, all in all, good news. But he said it requires Russias swift approval. Draghi said Tuesday the key elements of the plan involve using existing safe corridors in and out of ports, ensuring cargo ships are protected by the U.N. from possible Russian attacks, and that the ships are then inspected to prevent weapons from arriving. Draghi said Putin had insisted on this. He said Russia had in principle accepted the three-part involvement in the project of Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N.. ___ Russias state space corporation Roscosmos marked the gathering of leaders for the NATO summit by publishing satellite images and the precise coordinates of a conference hall in Madrid where its being held. It also published on its messaging app channel Tuesday the coordinates of the White House, the Pentagon and of government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. It described them as the decision-making centers supporting the Ukrainian nationalists - a reference to Western nations support for Kyiv in the face of Russias invasion. The corporation noted that NATO allies were set to declare Russia an enemy at their summit in Madrid, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says G-7 leaders were concerned about Russian advances in eastern Ukraine but that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was optimistic about Ukraines ability to mount a successful counterattack. Zelenskyy addressed the Group of Seven meeting via video link. One of the things that President Zelenskyy told us was that a counter-offensive would be starting, which he was confident would succeed, Draghi said. Asked about reported doubts from the White House, Draghi said: Its not so much doubts expressed by President (Joe) Biden as concern for the Russian progress that has taken place. I cant say anything more on this. ___ Italian Premier Mario Draghi says the Indonesian presidency of the Group of 20 nations has ruled out in-person participation by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the November meeting of the group in Bali. The Nov. 15-16 summit risked awkward diplomatic encounters if Putin were to have come. The Kremlin had said earlier that Putin intended to go. But Draghi, whose country held the G-20 presidency before handing it off to Indonesia, said Tuesday the G-7 had rallied to support Indonesian President Joko Widodo to organize a successful summit. Asked about the Kremlins announcement that Putin would participate, Draghi said: President Widodo excludes it. He was categorical: (Putin) is not coming. What might happen I dont know what will happen but what might happen is perhaps a remote intervention. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on oil-producing countries to boost output and thereby lower world prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine. He said Tuesday the prices are putting European economies in an untenable situation. Speaking at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron welcomed the groups discussions on a price cap for oil as a very good idea, but added: The difficulty is technical. He said its crucial to include all major oil-buying countries in any cap agreement for it to be effective. Macron said he discussed boosting oil production with the president of the United Arab Emirates, and expressed hope that U.S. President Joe Biden gets a positive response in talks about oil in an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. Macron said oil producers have an immense responsibility given our collective dependence on them. He called for expanding Europes liquefied natural gas processing capacity and lashed out at speculation by energy traders he called war profiteers. ___ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called NATO plans to boost its rapid reaction force measured and proportional and not meant to provoke Russia. Speaking Tuesday at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany and before traveling to Spain for a NATO summit, Trudeau said Canada, is committed to making sure we continue to stand up against Russian threats and Russian posturing. According to the government, about 1,400 Canadian troops are currently deployed in central and eastern Europe as part of NATO assurance and deterrence measures. The response that we are taking to Russias illegal actions is measured and proportional, he said, adding it should not be considered a provocative move. We are looking at ensuring that Russia knows we will be there to defend democracies, Trudeau said. ___ French President Emmanuel Macron says Russia cannot and should not win the war in Ukraine, a day after a Russian missile strike killed 18 people at a Ukrainian shopping mall. Speaking at the end of the Group of Seven summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron said the seven developed economies have devised a plan to support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity. As fighting in Ukraine rages into the fifth month, Macron said its not clear when the war will end but the goal of Western democracies is, Russia must not win. His comments came as rescuers searched through the charred rubble of the shopping mall. Macron called the attack a war crime. ___ MADRID NATOs chief says Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in the alliances defense policy, and NATO members will have to invest more in military spending in what is now a more unstable world. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke as the alliances leaders began gathering Tuesday in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable word. Top of the agenda is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Moscows invasion. Stoltenberg said we hope to make progress at the gathering in breaking a logjam over applications by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. Turkey is blocking the move and says the Nordic pair must change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. The three countries leaders are due to meet in Madrid, alongside Stoltenberg, later Tuesday. ___ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is defending the decision by Group of Seven leaders to soften their commitments on ending public support for fossil fuel investments. The leaders say the war in Ukraine means time-limited support for new natural gas extraction projects may be necessary. The G-7 nations said in a statement Tuesday at the end of their three-day summit that in these exceptional circumstances, publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response. That contrasts in part with a previous pledge made last month by G-7 climate ministers, who said that the seven major economies would align official international financing with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Environmental campaigners, scientists and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have spoken out against any additional fossil fuel investments by rich, developed nations. But Scholz told reporters that gas will be needed temporarily and that is why there may be investments that make sense, in this transitional phase, and that therefore may need to be supported. One of the arguments made by German officials in favor of supporting new natural gas development projects is that it could spare them having to burn more polluting coal to meet their energy needs. Environmental groups argue that building additional pipelines and other infrastructure for surging U.S. LNG exports to Europe and for other fossil fuels will lock in increased carbon use for years to come. ___ Members of the Group of Seven major democratic economies have vowed to create a new climate club for nations wanting to take more ambitious steps on global warming. The move, championed by G-7 summit host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, will see countries that join the club agree on tougher measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century compared to pre-industrial times. Countries that are part of the club will seek to harmonize their measures so that they are comparable and avoid members imposing climate-related tariffs on each others imports. Speaking at the end of a three-day G-7 summit, Scholz said the aim was to ensure that protecting the climate is a competitive advantage, not a disadvantage. He said details of the planned climate club would be finalized this year. ___ Leaders of the worlds wealthiest democracies have taken a united stance to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, as Russias invasion of its neighbor grinds on for a fifth month. The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany said Tuesday the countries would explore far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from oil sales that are financing the war in Ukraine. The statement left out key details on how the fossil fuel prices caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to assess measures on barring the import of Russian oil above a certain amount. That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, ease the energy price spikes afflicting the global economy as a result of the war. Leaders also agreed to a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hard hit with food shortages by the blockage on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea. Unity in the seven democracies confrontation with Putin was a key theme of the summit at a luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps. The G-7 countries have set aside $29.5 in Ukraine assistance this year, on top of $60 billion since Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea region in 2014. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load JERUSALEM A series of exceptional 1,700-year-old Roman mosaics have returned home to Israel, where the collection went on public display for the first time Monday after more than a decade touring the worlds top museums. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The mosaics were first discovered in the central city of Lod in 1996 but the Israel Antiquities Authority only fully unearthed the enormous, well-preserved artworks in 2009. The collection stretches 17 meters by nine meters (56 feet by 30 feet). The mosaics feature a menagerie of animals, from fish and fowl to beasts that would have been exotic to ancient residents of Lod: an African elephant, rhinoceros and giraffe. Archaeologists believe the mosaics adorned an affluent villa in the 3rd or 4th centuries, after Lod was rebuilt as the Roman city of Diospolis. But for more than a decade, while Israeli authorities raised funds for a museum, the mosaics had no permanent home. They went on display at museums around the globe, including New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre Museum in Paris and The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Advertisement The mosaics new home at the Shelby White and Leon Levy Mosaic Lod Archaeological Center features guided tours and interactive exhibits in Arabic, English and Hebrew. The museum is free for residents of Lod, a mixed Arab-Jewish city that saw bouts of sectarian violence in May 2021 during Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Like a mosaic which brings many pieces together to be one wonderful picture ... we are trying to bring all the local people Jews and Arabs, the museums project manager, Raanan Kislev, told The Associated Press. The museum hopes it will be a key attraction for tour groups, as Lod is strategically situated between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and next to the countrys main international airport. The museum is designed to recreate an ancient Roman villa like one that would have housed the mosaics. Our dream for this city itself a mosaic of cultures is being realized today right before of our eyes, as we dedicate this most important museum, placing Lod on the world tourism map, said Mayor Yair Revivo. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load JERUSALEM The United Arab Emirates has canceled a death sentence issued earlier this year to an Israeli woman who was convicted of cocaine possession, her lawyer said Tuesday. The case was a potential test of ties between the two countries, which normalized relations in 2020, in the first of the so-called Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries brokered by the Trump administration. Fida Kiwan, a 43-year-old resident of the northern Israeli city of Haifa, was sentenced in April. The Israeli news site Ynet said at the time that Kiwan was arrested on March 21, 2021, with half a kilogram (over 1 pound) of cocaine that she claimed did not belong to her. Mordechai Tzivin, an Israeli lawyer representing her, confirmed that the death sentence was dropped on appeal. She still faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence. Advertisement Tzivin said the legal system in the UAE is built on the foundations of justice, honesty and compassion, and expressed hope that that would be reflected as the case proceeds. Israels Foreign Ministry welcomed the ruling, saying it was pleased that the efforts on the legal channels as well as other channels led to the cancellation of the death sentence. The ministry had earlier said it was following the case through its consular department and representatives in the UAE. There was no comment from Emirati authorities. Normalization has turned glitzy Dubai into a freewheeling Israeli tourist destination. Israels top leaders, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, have met with their counterparts in the Gulf state, and the UAE was part of an unprecedented meeting of Arab and Israeli foreign ministers in Israels Negev desert earlier this year. Advertisement Israeli media reported that Kiwan came to Dubai for work at the invitation of a Palestinian acquaintance. She was arrested a short while later after a search of her apartment turned up the drugs. The UAE is one of the worlds most restrictive nations when it comes to people importing and possessing drugs, including substances for personal use like cannabis and even over-the-counter medications like narcotics. Trafficking typically carries a life sentence and possession a shorter jail sentence. While UAE law allows for the death penalty in certain cases, capital punishment is rarely carried out. The last known executions were in 2011 and 2014, against two men convicted of murder. GiftOutline Gift Article YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Tourism sector in Armenia is gradually recovering after a certain decline connected with the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 war, President of the Armenian Tourism Federation Mekhak Apresyan said in an interview to Armenpress. The number of incoming tourists has reached around 250,000 in the first quarter of 2022, which, according to Apresyan, is 2,9 times more than the figure of the same period of the previous year. But, unfortunately, it is less compared to the first quarter of 2020 because, as you know, the pandemic has not started yet that time, he said. Every place in Armenia is interesting for foreign visitors. Apresyan says the most difficult question is that which direction is the most attractive for them. He says that each province and community has its attractions, and all tourists spending their vacations in Armenia are aware of this. Packages are formed based on the purpose of the visit to Armenia, as well as based on their taste and expectations, he notes. Mekhak Apresyan says that most of the tourists visiting Armenia are individuals, as the group tourism has not totally resumed yet. There are no group visits from Europe, Japan, China, US, etc. There is still caution connected with the instable situation in the region. As for the Russia-Ukraine relations, he said that many Russians visited Armenia in early March, but not for tourism purposes. Due to the Ukraine crises, nearly 115,000 visits have been registered from Russia, 4000-5000 from Ukraine and Belarus. The active season starts in mid-March. The visitors are mostly Iranians who prefer to celebrate their New Year in our country, he said. Now there are visits from Russia for tourism purposes. The Russian Ruble was stabilized, but in early March it depreciated, the tickets were quite expensive and were not favorable for tourism purposes, he said. Commenting on the question that many Russian and Ukrainian tourists complain over the high prices of renting an apartment in Armenia, Mekhak Apresyan said the prices of apartments for daily rent have not increased much. Apartments were mainly provided for daily rent, but when you multiply the daily rent by a month, you see that the amount is the same. Before the Ukrainian crisis, the price of apartments for daily rent in our country has been at least 10,000 drams. As the demand rose, there was a situation when they were removing locals living for a rent, and were increasing the prices. But this had no connection with tourism, the demand increased, and the people were ready to pay, he said. As for the marketing policy required for tourism development, Mekhak Apresyan said many important systematic measures need to be taken today such as reforms, personnel policy. Armenias legislation should be in accordance with todays challenges and developments, should meet todays conditions. It is necessary to improve the border passing procedures, he says. He called the mechanism existing before the pandemic good, as Armenia had a visa-free regime for more than 60 countries of the world. For the other countries the visa was also very simple, people were able to easily obtain it online. However, restrictions were imposed because of coronavirus, and these mechanisms started operating in a limited way, but now the opportunity of resuming them is being discussed, the President of the Armenian Tourism Federation said. Reporting by Liana Sargsyan Matildas wunderkind Mary Fowler has taken the biggest step of her fledgling career, joining English powerhouse Manchester City on a four-year deal. Fowler, who has scored seven goals in 24 games for Australia since her debut as a 15-year-old, has emerged as one of the top young talents in womens football. Mary Fowler signs for Manchester City. Credit:MCFC The 19-year-old striker joins City from Montpellier and is set to play in the Womens Super League and Womens Champions League alongside Matildas teammates Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy. Im really excited and proud to be joining this club - its a team that Ive always wanted to play for, so Im honoured to have this opportunity, Fowler said. Read more here. Former Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu knew that someone would knock him one day by sneaking up on him and putting a bullet in his head. Despite this, he boasted in 2019, he still went to the same barber, the same restaurants and the same mosque. Former Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu. Nazlioglu was fatally ambushed at a car park in Sydneys inner west on Monday night, where he was shot multiple times in the head and torso. Police and emergency services were called to Walker Street in Rhodes about 6.30pm, where they found the 40-year-old critically injured. Nazlioglu had just arrived home and was parking his car when he was approached by an unknown man, who fired several shots at him. The shooter fled the scene in a small silver hatchback that was later found on fire in a nearby car park. YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs said that the U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group discussed with counterparts the future of Nagorno Karabakh. The U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair spoke with her counterparts today to discuss the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. Its unfortunate the Russian Co-Chair did not accept the invitation. We look forward to the Minsk Groups continuing work, the DoS Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs said on Twitter. The Baldivis kangaroos were herded with all-terrain vehicles and by people on foot into a 4-hectare enclosure and then in smaller groups to a 25-square-metre area for sedation. The whole process went for three weeks, but the remaining kangaroos were released by members of the public on four occasions, including times where it appeared a car had been used to knock down fencing, meaning many had to be captured multiple times, adding to their stress. The consultant used by the developer was Terrestrial Ecosystems and its principal zoologist Dr Graham Thompson said the kangaroos should have been euthanised at the start. Our recommendation was initially that the animals need to be euthanised because they were stressed, he said. You couldnt get within 80 metres of the roos and they were gone. Thompson said the program should have been stopped because it was obvious the animals were not doing well. The developers managing director Bruce Young said the government had been told there could be a high death rate and it was only because of social media it had stepped in. What we hope comes out of it is a bit of realisation from the government; what I suspect will happen is not very much at all, he said. Both men said more planning had to take place at a state strategic level, so kangaroos were not getting trapped by urban sprawl in the first place. Whitby, who is now the states environment minister, stood by his push at the time for alternative options to culling. Loading It was incredibly disappointing for our community to see kangaroos perish due to the stress of capture myopathy, he said. However, the process had important legacies. It reinforced the importance of a more strategic and early approach to managing the impact of development on kangaroos, including the importance of leaving bush so kangaroos can move safely away without being trapped by suburbia. The protection of kangaroos and all our native fauna is a priority of the McGowan government and carefully managing development is critical. Prime habitat or prime real estate? Canning is next battlefront Similar situations are happening all over Perth. With lots of feed and water and no predators, kangaroo numbers can grow rapidly. Another potential cull in the City of Canning sparked a backlash in November. There are about 300 western greys estimated to live at a 67-hectare landfill and Bush Forever site which also neighbours bushland managed by the City of Melville and Jandakot Airport. About six hectares has been sold off to the state government for a Metronet project, some could eventually be turned into a sport facility and another part, including habitat for honey possums and black cockatoos, could be further fragmented by a new road. An environmental assessment suggested the land was overpopulated by the kangaroos and there was grazing pressure on vegetation which could be relieved through a management plan that could benefit quenda and threatened western brush wallabies there. Culling is off the table for now, however, after the council recently voted to undertake a trial where up to eight kangaroos were moved from the Canning Vale Waste Transfer Station to privately owned land. Canning councillor Amanda Spencer-Teo spearheaded the move and said there were plenty of examples of successful translocation but there just had not been studies published about them. She said flaws with the Baldivis translocation should not equal an excuse to cull kangaroos. Loading People say the western greys are a pest and breed too quickly. We were saying that about koalas a few years ago, she said If we had done something years ago we wouldnt be in this situation and also this is Cannings biggest land parcel of bush area. This is the last of the kangaroos we have basically in Canning all together. Ultimately Id love to keep them there and turn it into a bit of an attraction but its now considered prime real estate. Washington: Donald Trump was well aware of the potential for violence on January 6 as he tried to subvert the 2020 election and even wrestled with his Secret Service in a bid to join supporters as they descended on the Capitol that day, a former White House aide has testified to Congress. In another explosive hearing into last years riot, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows, said the then-president knew his supporters had weapons and body armour when he asked them to march to the Capitol building. Then-president Donald Trump speaks at a rally before a mob invaded the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Credit:AP I dont effing care that they have weapons, theyre not here to hurt me, Hutchinson told the committee Trump said before addressing his rally, furious that the Secret Service was screening people for guns, spears and other weaponry. Take the effing mags [metal detectors] away. Let my people in they can march to the Capitol from here. YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The ruling Civil Contract faction of the Parliament of Armenia will discuss the issue of stripping opposition MPs of their mandates over nonattendance in coming days, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan told reporters at a briefing today. We will discuss this issue in the faction, as well as with the Board in coming days, whether it is worth or not, because the law allows it. There are two opinions: according to one opinion, the opposition has largely deprived itself of its mandates. Frankly, I cant imagine how our colleagues will return back to his hall after setting such a high bar and then staying under that bar. The other opinion is that everything what they did should be worn out, the Speaker said. The Speaker said that currently there are 10 MPs, whose absences are more than allowed, which enables to strip them of mandates. He didnt rule out that oppositions may also be stripped of the positions of the Vice Speaker and the Chairmen of Standing Committees. Opposition is engaged in fight for power and is already doing this openly. Leaving everything aside, they are now interpreting and explaining why they should not be stripped of their mandates. This has been a fight for power from the very first day, this is a fight for power for the supporters of both the ARF and Robert Kocharyan, this is a matter of having a mandate in order to have immunity to go and hit the policeman and say that they are a Member of Parliament, he said. Commenting on comparisons with the parliamentarian disobedience in 2018, the Speaker said that neither Nikol Pashinyan nor any opposition lawmaker had filled the number of absences that which was required for stripping of mandates. He didnt consider these comparisons appropriate. YEREVAN, 28 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 28 June, USD exchange rate down by 1.25 drams to 408.39 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.57 drams to 431.95 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 7.72 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.84 drams to 499.79 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 62.20 drams to 23979.40 drams. Silver price up by 7.04 drams to 281.77 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams. Continued weapons deliveries from Washington to Kiev only tighten the conflict spiral and heighten the threat of the further aggravation with unpredictable consequences, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Monday, Tass informs. June 28, 2022, 09:57 Continued arms supplies from US to Ukraine increase threat of further escalation STEPANAKERT, JUNE 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The reckless and unanswered flooding of Ukraine with arms only tightens the conflict spiral and increases the threat of the further escalation with unpredictable consequences," the Russian Embassys Telegram channel quoted him as saying. "However, Washingtons ruling circles, blinded by the idea to weaken Russia, are still not capable to rationally assess the whole danger of their moves," the envoy added. "The administration increases the supplies of weapons to Kiev. If previously they were delivering MPADS and ATGMs, now it's on to heavy artillery, MLRS and, by all appearances, air defense systems," he noted. The diplomat emphasized that additionally, the US shares intelligence data with the Ukrainian side and consults as to "how to act on the battlefield." "Essentially, with its provocative moves the US is pushing the Kiev regime to commit mass murders of civilians. Additionally, here they are condoning the continued deployment of US mercenaries to Ukraine," he added. "Such a policy creates additional risks in relations between the largest nuclear powers," the ambassador emphasized. 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." Following this, the US and its allies announced the introduction of sweeping sanctions against Russia and stepped up arms deliveries to Kiev. Durga Puja Time : October Significance: Veneration to Goddess Durga Date: 11.10.2021 - 15.10.2021 Durga puja is performed during the nine days of Navaratri. According to the Hindu calendar it falls on the first nine days of the month of Ashwin (october). It is celebrated all over India, but with great zeal in the eastern part of India especially West Bengal. In West Bengal, it is celebrated in most households apart from the gaily-decorated puja mandaps that are erected in almost every locality. The puja pandals have beautifully decorated images of the goddess Durga and community pujas are organised. People gather here in large numbers to enjoy the festivities. Families visit each other to share feasts. The festivities start with the first day called Mahalaya, when people remember their ancestors (tarpan) and 'chakku dan' the ritual of drawing the eyes of the image is performed. The first day as well as the following days of Sashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami or Bijoya Dashami have their own unique rituals. On Sashthi, all mothers keep a fast and pray for the well being of their children. The religious ceremony starts on Saptami or the seventh day and are observed till Dashami, the tenth day. 'Bodhun' the ritual of infusing life to the Goddess (Pran Pratishta) is performed on Saptami, when a banana plant draped in a yellow saree with the leaves uncovered, symbolising the goddesses soul, is taken to a water source i.e a river or pond. Life is symbolically transferred from the water to the plant. The plant is brought back in a procession and placed in the Pandal near the Ganesh idol. On the 10th day, Bijoya dashami, the idols are taken in elaborate processions for immersion in the river or the sea. Legend behind the Origin of Goddess Durga: Most of the themes of Hindu mythology is the struggle between good and evil and the ultimate triumph of the good. Goddess Durga symbolizing divine energy (Shakthi), was created to slain the demon in the buffalo form; Mahishasura who attacked the Gods and conquered heaven. The Gods led by Brahma went to Shiva and Vishnu and prayed for help. The energies of the trinity of the Hindu Gods condensed to create the Goddess. She went to battle on her ferocious mount lion, armed with the weapons given to her by the other Gods. In the battle, she fought and killed the evil Mahishasura and restored heaven to the Gods. Since then the goddess is invoked for protection from the powers of evil. Durga Puja is observed in her honour, to celebrate her victory over evil. In north India, it is characterized by fasts and solemnity, in western India, it is marked by gaiety and the traditional and garba dances, and in the south, pujas are offered separately for three days to each of the three goddesses, Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi. In some parts of India, the first three of the nine days of Navratri are devoted for worshipping Durga (Goddess of valor), next three days for Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and the last three days for Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge). If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here. PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS Air Products and Chemicals Inc.'s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township's zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses. Chubby's of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name. Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township. Habitat for Humanity, which has "ReStores" that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall. Nat Hyman's bid to convert an old warehouse at 938 Washington St. in Allentown into 48 apartments did not win zoning hearing board approval this week after neighbors said more housing would make an on-street parking shortage worse. Members 1st Federal Credit Union opened a new branch this week at 5605 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown. It's one of five planned for the Lehigh Valley. A Turkish restaurant has relocated from one downtown to another, taking its fresh ingredients and cozy atmosphere from Nazareth to 200 Main St., Tatamy. The Tennessee Titans have chosen Allentown-based Shift4 Payments to handle payments at Nissan Stadium. Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St. The Wiz Kidz outlet at the Madison Farms residential/retail development in Bethlehem Township will hold a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting at noon on July 15. Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours. FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area. Hamid Chaudhry has said he no longer plans to move forward with pursuing a food truck park he previously proposed on the site of the former Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Exeter Township at 6600 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 East). The Maxatawny Township Planning Commission has OK'd a proposal for a Mavis Discount Tire store in the Kutztown Road shopping center that features a Giant supermarket. Valentino's Italian restaurant has gotten Maxatawny Township's approval to remain open when the state transportation department takes one-third of its parking lot to build a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane. Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, under new ownership, will hold a "Grand Re-Opening Bash" July 9 and July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sauce West End plans to open in a former Rita's Italian Ice, just off Route 209 across from the Tractor Supply store in Brodheadsville. The Surgery Center of Pottsville, which offered medical procedure services for 16 years in Cressona Mall. will close June 28. Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue. The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown. A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys 'R' Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9. Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg. Coal Winery and Kitchen at 81 Broad St., Bethlehem, has closed as its owner searches for a new location for the business, according to its Facebook page. Lowhill Township supervisors approved a 312,120-square-foot commercial warehouse and distribution center on a 43.4-acre tract on the west side of Route 100, south of the Kernsville Road intersection. The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a "well-known restaurant group" from Bethlehem. The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space. St. Luke's University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem. 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township. The Chick-Fil-A in Broadcasting Square shopping center in Spring Township was razed to make way for a new, expanded facility for the popular chicken sandwich restaurant. Plans for drive-thru locations of a Chipotle and a Starbucks at the intersection of Ivy League Drive and Kutztown Road were rejected by Maxatawny Township planners. Cumru Township plannes reviewed preliminary plans for NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a 738,720-square-foot warehouse to be built on 75.2 acres at Morgantown Road (State Route 10) and Freemansville Road. Kutztown University has plans to expand its historic Poplar House to 13,161 square feet with an addition around its side and back, but keep the 129-year-old structure intact. A wine store and beverage outlet could be coming to a new two-unit building along the commercial strip of Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, Carbon County. ChristianaCare, a Delaware health care organization, has announced it will buy the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County. Garden of Health Inc. celebrated the opening of the food bank's new warehouse at 201 Church Road, North Wales, in Montgomery County. Silverline Trailers Inc. opened its first location in Pennsylvania and in the Northeast at 223 Porter Road, Pottstown, where it sells utility, cargo, dump, equipment and car hauler trailers. A new smoothie and bowl restaurant, Sips & Berries, opened at 285 Maple Ave., Harleysville, in Montgomery County. Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown. Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St. While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30. If you're in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown. The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility. Ownership at Martellucci's Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years. Dr. Jacob Kasprenski's new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua. Josie's New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square. Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants' menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients. Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m. The former Iron Lakes Country Club, constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, will operate at 3625 Shankweiler Road in North Whitehall Township under its new name, The Club at Twin Lakes. Prologis, a titan in the logistics industry, will own and operate three warehouses proposed in Upper Macungie Township at the former Air Products headquarters campus at 7201 Hamilton Blvd. Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township. Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar's preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels. Firetree Ltd. wants to expand its in-patient rehab operation at the former Sands Ford auto dealership at 440 N Claude A Lord Blvd. (Route 61), Pottsville. A Dunkin' in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital. The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30. A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Arby's will be built on the site of the former Ahart's Market on Route 22 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce offices and the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship will be located at 119 Main St., Flemington. Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3. Dunkin' reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township will hold a grand opening June 4. Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg Steak and Steel Hibachi, a restaurant in the works at 44 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem, still plans on opening late this summer. Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St. Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven. Easton's new West Ward Market will open Wednesday and be open on Wednesday's through the summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market, created by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, will sell fresh produce on 12th Street, next to Paxinosa Elementary School. Ciao Sandwich Shoppe is adding a second location, this time on College Hill in Easton. Ciao plans to open at 325 Cattell St. in late summer. Ciao already operates in downtown Easton at 12 N. Third St Ma's Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m. Bethlehem's Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city's historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and "go back to its origins as a wholesale business." The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St. St. John Chrysostom Academy, an Orthodox school serving grades 1-9 starting this fall, held a grand opening at its St. Francis Center, Bethlehem, campus. Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem. Carbon County is getting a taste of Brazil at Uai Brasil BBQ at 315 Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton. The Keystone Pub in Bethlehem Township, at 3259 Easton Avenue, has reopened after a lengthy and expensive renovation. The Trading Post Depot opened at 401 Northampton St., Easton. The rustic furniture store makes custom tables for dining rooms, desktops, conference centers and more. The Easton area has a new gym: Homemade Fitness at 444 Cedarville Road in Williams Township. Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location. Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe to open second location on College Hill in Easton, replacing The Kettle Room Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading. Alter Ego Salon and Day Spa in Emmaus is holding a grand opening Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at noon. Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County. Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs. The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus. Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris's new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24. Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg. First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18. Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location. Pedro's Cafe in Emmaus to close SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. Elpedios Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday. Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option. Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine. Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton. King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches. On June 27, the participants of the "Voice of Living" literary and cultural days organized in Artsakh, on the initiative of the Artsakh Office of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Union visited the border community of Norshen, Artsakhs Martuni region. June 28, 2022, 11:52 A literary-musical event organized in Norshen as part of the "Voice of Living" project STEPANAKERT, JUNE 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: In an interview with "Artsakhpress", the director of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Union Hermine Avagyan, informed that events envisaged by the program are organized not only in the capital but also in the regions. We will have multi-content days-literary competitions, meetings, exhibitions, discussions, concerts. The events are open to everyone," said H. Avagyan. The guests visited the Leonid Hurunts Secondary School in Norshen, where the students organized a literary-musical event. At the end of the event, Armen Avanesyan, a literary critic and editor-in-chief of Armav Publishing House in Yerevan, donated books to the school. This project entitled The Voice of Living" means that our voice must be accessible without a microphone. I address our powerful generation by saying that if they want to make our voice heard, it must first be meaningful. Our future is in the hands of educated children. I understand that it is difficult to live on the border, but here I see strong eyes, due to which I begin to believe in a bright future," said A. Avanesyan. Today Mostly sunny and comfortable with low humidity. Tonight Becoming partly cloudy overnight. Another nice evening for 4th fireworks! Tomorrow Becoming mostly cloudy and turning more humid with a couple of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. A few strong to severe storms possible. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate or offensive posts may be removed by the moderator. Posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language or memes are automatically removed, to the best of its ability, by a pre-programmed algorithm. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. The Turkish company Baykar Makina announced that it intends to donate three Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine free of charge. June 28, 2022, 15:19 Turkish company intends to transfer three Bayraktar drones to Ukraine STEPANAKERT, JUNE 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: Businessmen and ordinary people have contributed funds - small and large - to achieve this goal over the course of several days. Baykar will not accept payment for TB2 and will send three UAVs to the Ukrainian front free of charge, the company said on Twitter, news.am informs. Last week, the head of the defense industry department of the Turkish presidential administration, Ismail Demir, said that the country is more cautious about supplying weapons to Ukraine. When asked if Turkey continues to supply Ukraine with weapons, in particular Bayraktar TB-2 drones, Demir said that something is happening. Ukrainian and Turkish officials declined to comment on further shipments of Bayraktar TB-2 drones. Care Pastor Awarded 'Public Citizen of the Year' by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) NEWS PROVIDED BY Valencia Hills Community Church June 28, 2022 SANTA CLARITA, Calif., June 28, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- Dan Broyles, Care Pastor for Valencia Hills Community Church, received the NASW "Public Citizen of the Year" award on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Washington, D.C., during the annual NASW awards ceremony and conference - recognizing individuals whose work has left an imprint in social work leadership, policy advocacy and social change. "Public Citizen of the Year" Award recipients significantly contribute to an area or population of concern to the social work profession, such as at-risk or vulnerable populations; quality of life in communities; social issues; act with courage; demonstrate outstanding leadership and exemplify social work values and ethics. "I am honored to receive this award and national recognition," said Dan. "I have a passion for bringing together churches to help them collaborate with their community. I have seen the benefits families and children in our communities receive when churches, non-profits, and government entities work together for a greater cause. I believe you don't have to always agree with someone to work together for the greater good." Both Larry Schallert, Administrator at College of the Canyons, and Stephanie Cotcher, LCSW, PPS Clinical Coordinator for the Hart School District, were instrumental in Dan receiving this award. "There is no one more deserving of this honor than Dan Broyles," said Larry. "His leadership, easy-going nature, intelligence, integrity, and listening skills are second to no one. In a real sense, he is a classic social worker and a leader in the community, not only with Human Trafficking but on other social and mental health issues making a major impact not only on the Santa Clarita Valley but also on the world at large." Dan has been working at churches since 2002. Previously, he was a social worker for the County of Los Angeles, where he helped children who were abused and neglected. Dan has an M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University at Northridge. In addition, he has received a B.S. in Biblical Studies and a B.S. in Human/Family Development from Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska. Dan is licensed as a pastor and as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Dan has been a guest speaker at many universities, non-profits, churches, and government organizations. For more information call 661-775-1885 or email spiritualcare@valenciahills.com. SOURCE Valencia Hills Community Church CONTACT: Dan Broyles, 661-775-1885, spiritualcare@valenciahills.com Moscow has imposed retaliatory sanctions on 25 US nationals, including President Joe Bidens family members, for their Russophobic line, TASS reported on Tuesday, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry. June 28, 2022, 16:41 Russia sanctions 25 US nationals, including Bidens family members STEPANAKERT, JUNE 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: Russia "has put 25 US nationals on a black list in response to the ever-expanding US sanctions against Russian politicians and public figures from among senators responsible for developing Russophobic policies, members of the so-called McFall-Yermak group that has been designing recommendations on anti-Russian restrictions, including President Joe Bidens family members," the statement reads Bidens wife Jill and his daughter Ashley, as well as Stanford University professor Francis Fukuyama, a prominent political analyst, are on the list. The complete list of US citizens permanently banned from entering Russia is available on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website. Russia-UK relations are unlikely to reach the point of direct hostilities, but it is necessary to respond to the alleged threat emanating from Russia, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with British reporters, broadcast by the Sky News TV channel on Tuesday, Tass informs. June 28, 2022, 17:38 British PM says no war between Russia and UK, but threats should be adressed STEPANAKERT, JUNE 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: "I don't think it will come to that and clearly were working very hard to make sure that we confine this to Ukraine," Johnson said when asked if the kingdom was preparing for war with Russia. At the same time, he said, the United Kingdom must increase defense spending when threats change. With COVID-19 vaccines now available for children under age 5, the Cayuga County Health Department is turning to local pediatricians to handle vaccination efforts among the youngest population. Nancy Purdy, the department's director of community health services, told the Cayuga County Board of Health on Tuesday that Auburn Community Hospital, through its pediatric practices, will offer the COVID vaccine for children under 5. April Miles, president and CEO of East Hill Medical Center, which operates Summit Pediatrics in Auburn, said they are "working out the logistics to safely provide these vaccines to children" in its practice. Purdy said she hasn't received a response from Finger Lakes Community Health, which has a clinic in Port Byron, about whether they will administer the vaccine at their offices. Auburn Community Hospital spokesman Matthew Chadderdon confirmed the vaccine will be available, with priority going to patients at the hospital-owned pediatric offices. "It's a very dynamic situation, just like it was earlier in the pandemic," he said. "As that plays out, we'll work with the county to explore other options with the general public." The pediatric offices could play a major role in this phase of the vaccination effort because the health department will not be offering doses for children ages 6 months to 5 years old at its clinics. Purdy said the Fingerlakes Mall Event Center, where the department has been holding vaccination clinics for ages 5 and older, "isn't really appropriate" for younger children. Additionally, the department's staff largely focuses on adult medicine. While there was training for when the clinics expanded to include ages 5 to 11, Purdy added that "we're not geared toward under 5." The state-run clinic at the New York State Fairgrounds won't be an option either. According to the state's COVID-19 vaccination website, the clinic will permanently close on Thursday. Pharmacies will have vaccines available for some children under age 5, but are limiting who they serve. Kinney Drugs, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, all of which have locations in Cayuga County, say they will vaccinate children ages 3 and older. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved, on an emergency basis, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for young children. Moderna's vaccine will be available for children ages 6 months to 6 years, while Pfizer's is approved for children ages 6 months to 5 years. The dosage differs depending on which vaccine a child gets. The Pfizer vaccine requires three 3-microgram doses, with the second dose scheduled at least three weeks after the first. The third dose will be administered two months after the second. For the Moderna vaccine, children receive two 25-microgram doses, with the second dose coming at least four weeks after the first. Clinical trials found the vaccines have varying efficacy rates. Pfizer's was 80.3% effective in preventing symptomatic infection in children under age 5, while Moderna's had a 51% efficacy rate among children ages 6 months to 2 years, and 37% effective among children ages 2 to 5. Purdy doesn't expect that the under 5 vaccination rate will be high in Cayuga County. Among ages 5-11, the next-oldest age group, the vaccination rate is 26.3% in the county. Overall, 59.6% of county residents are fully vaccinated. Nationally, Purdy said it's estimated that only 15 to 20% of eligible children under age 5 will get vaccinated. "We know we're sitting in a county where the vaccination rates are low, so we'll see how this goes," she said. Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Morning clouds and an early shower from the Delaware Valley to the shore, otherwise becoming partly to mostly sunny and turning less humid. . Tonight Mainly clear and comfortable. A nice night for firework displays! Williamson, WV (25661) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Beijing (Gasgoo)- On June 27th, the municipal government of Changchun, Jilin Province held a press conference stating the citys ambition to build a thousand-billion-yuan auto industry base with global competitiveness. Photo credit: Hongqi Earlier at the end of 2021, Changchun authorities proposed to build the city into an international auto town among other aspects. To be specific, the international auto town will be built around Changchuns mainstay auto businesses, FAW Group, and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles. The two companies have successively won Changchun several automotive and railway firsts in China. Changchun currently houses five complete vehicle makers, namely FAW-Volkswagen, FAW Hongqi, FAW Bestune, FAW Jiefang, and SFTM Changchun Fengyue. The companies help Changchun maintain its leading position regarding manufacturing capability. In the past years, the city helped facilitate several programs to inject new blood into its local auto industry, including the FAW Hongqi Fanrong Factory, FAW Jiefang J7 Intelligent Manufacturing Base, and FAW Bestune NAT production capacity expansion. The movements attracted multiple major projects to settle in the city, such as Audi PPE, BYD power battery, and Fulsciences industrial park. On June 15th, the city passed a development plan for the international auto town. By 2025, Changchun aims to support the aforementioned six complete vehicle bases to grow stronger, cultivate five hundred ten-billion-yuan level auto parts suppliers, and build one world-class rail equipment manufacturing base. With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information. Tencents onboard map to cover 100 Chinese cities in 2022 According to the vice president of Tencents smart transportation division, the companys road network collecting fleet is likely the largest one in China. Its high-precision map has covered 350,000 kilometers of highway and city expressways in the country, and expects the coverage to reach all the roads in the top 100 cities in China by the end of the year. Photo credit: Tencent Dongfeng AEOLUSs new models to go fully electric in 2024 Dongfeng Motor Group disclosed that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dongfeng AEOLUS aims to realize complete electrification among its new models in 2024. Photo credit: AEOLUS CPCA: China accounts for 31% of global auto market in Jan.-May period According to the secretary general of China Passenger Car Association, Cui Dongshu, China maintained a 31% share of the worlds auto market in the first five months of 2022, while North America and Europe both saw a decline in their respective market share. China-made Volvo C40 rolls off line The Volvo C40 has rolled off the production line in the automakers Taizhou factory. The model is expected to officially hit the market in early July. Presale of the C40 has been kicked off with a price range of RMB267,000-RMB328,000. GAC Group launch super iron lithium battery GAC Group introduced its new-generation super iron lithium battery built on microcrystalline technology (SmLFP) at the 2022 GAC TECH DAY on June 28th. Black Sesame Technologies partners with Uhnder for auto perception solution Black Sesame Technologies announced its partnership with US digital radar developer Uhnder on June 27th. The two companies will work to build perception solutions for ADAS technologies. Changchun to build thousand-billion-yuan level auto industry base On June 27th, the municipal government of Changchun, Jilin Province held a press conference stating the citys ambition to build a thousand-billion-yuan auto industry base with global competitiveness. ATLANTA (AP) A man was killed and two others were injured, including rap star Ludacris' manager, in a parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta on Sunday night. FILE - Record producer Chaka Zulu looks through material, created by his artists, to post to YouTube on Sept. 2, 2008, in Atlanta. Zulu, who manages rap star and actor Ludacris, was injured in a parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta on Sunday night, June 26, 2022. A man was killed and another man was also injured in the incident. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) ATLANTA (AP) A man was killed and two others were injured, including rap star Ludacris' manager, in a parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta on Sunday night. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the men were all taken to hospitals, where one was pronounced dead. The Fulton County Medical Examiners Office later identified the man as Artez Benton, 23, of Scottdale. Monday afternoon, Atlanta police confirmed one of the two injured men was Chaka Zulu, the longtime manager of rapper and actor Ludacris. The conditions of Zulu and the other man were not released. Atlanta police investigated the shooting in the 2200 block of Peachtree Road in Buckhead into the early Monday morning hours. Several restaurants and shops share the parking lot. The Free Press | Newsletter Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Police Lt. Germain Dearlove told local news media that the shooting was the "result of a dispute in the parking lot." He did not say if the three victims had visited any of the businesses before the shooting at around 11:35 p.m. Earlier Sunday, another shooting at an Atlanta sandwich shop left one employee dead and another injured after an argument over mayonnaise, police said. The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a Subway restaurant attached to a gas station in downtown Atlanta. Police said the man argued with the two female workers before shooting them. "This was a very tragic situation that did not have to occur," Atlanta police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. told reporters Monday. The woman who died was 26 years old. The other woman, 24, remained in critical condition Monday, Hampton said. He said a 36-year-old man believed to be the shooter was arrested Sunday evening after someone whom police are not identifying provided them with information. Hampton said police are not immediately releasing the suspected shooters name because of the ongoing investigation. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Koreans were working intensively to protect crops, factory equipment and other assets from potential damage from days of heavy rainfall, state media said Tuesday, as outside observers worry any flooding could aggravate the countrys economic hardships amid its COVID-19 outbreak. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, June 27, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Koreans were working intensively to protect crops, factory equipment and other assets from potential damage from days of heavy rainfall, state media said Tuesday, as outside observers worry any flooding could aggravate the countrys economic hardships amid its COVID-19 outbreak. Summer floods in North Korea, one of the poorest countries in Asia, often cause serious damage to its agricultural and other sectors because of its troubled drainage and deforestation. Typhoons and torrential rains in 2020 were among the difficulties leader Kim Jong Un said had created multiple crises at home, along with strict pandemic-related restrictions and U.N. sanctions over his nuclear weapons program. North Koreas weather authorities predicted this years rainy season would start in late June and issued alerts for torrential downpours in most of its regions from Monday through Wednesday. The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that authorities in the Norths central and southwestern regions "have concentrated all forces and means on the work to cope with possible flood and typhoon damage. The Free Press | Newsletter Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, June 27, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) Officials and workers were working to protect crops, equipment at metal and chemical industrial establishments, power plant facilities and fishing boats from heavy rains, KCNA reported. It said the countrys anti-disaster agency was reviewing the readiness of emergency workers and medical staff. KCNA said North Korean officials are urging residents and laborers to abide by pandemic-related restrictions during the countrys monsoon season. It said medical workers were ready to deal with any potential major health issues and officials were working to ensure epidemic control measures at shelters for people evacuated from flood-damaged areas. South Koreas weather agency said most of North Korea has been receiving heavy rains since Sunday. South Koreas Unification Ministry said later Tuesday it asked North Korea to inform the South in advance if it plans to release dammed water along the rivals border. Some of the Norths previous sudden, unnotified discharge of dam water caused deaths in frontline South Korean towns. The South Korean request was conveyed through a cross-border military hotline communication channel. Earlier Tuesday, South Korea said North Korea was unresponsive to its calls on another official communication channel but liaison officials from the two countries eventually had their regular call later in the day. Concerns about the heavy rains come after North Korea admitted last month to a domestic coronavirus outbreak. It has said about 4.7 million out of the countrys 26 million people became ill and only 73 died, but experts question whether North Korea's propaganda has given a true picture of the outbreak. MENDON, Mo. (AP) The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries. Workers watch Tuesday, June 28, 2022 as a freight train moves through the crossing where an Amtrak train derailed Monday near Mendon, Mo. The train derailed after hitting a dump truck Monday killing the truck driver and other people on the train and injuring several dozen other passengers on the Chicago-bound train. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) MENDON, Mo. (AP) The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries. A day after the deadly crash on Monday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said people were taken to 10 hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. By Tuesday afternoon, at least 15 people remained hospitalized. The dead three passengers and the truck driver have not been identified. Amtraks Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck the rear of the truck. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer L. Homendy said at a news conference that the truck was owned by MS Contracting of Brookfield, Missouri, and was transporting material to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project nearby. Homendy said investigators will download recorder information to determine the speed of the train, when the horn was blown and if the emergency brake was deployed. She said some of that information could be released as early as Wednesday. The speed limit at the crossing is 90 mph (145 kph). A worker watches as a freight train moves through a crossing Tuesday, June 28, 2022, a mile west of the crossing near Mendon, Mo., where an Amtrak train derailed after striking a dump truck Monday. Several people were killed, including the driver of the truck, and others were injured in the wreck. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train. Chariton County Presiding Commissioner Evan Emmerich said in an email to The Associated Press that resident Mike Spencer first brought his concerns about the crossing to a Dec. 2, 2019, commission meeting. He was told to contact the Missouri Department of Transportations Railroad Safety division. A week later, commissioners spoke with officials from the state agency and were told it is on their plans to repair, Emmerich said. After that, Emmerich cited other efforts by the commission. They included a March 2021 meeting with a state Railroad Safety division engineer at the crossing site; an email sent to the Railroad Safety division on May 23 to address concerns about visibility at the crossing; and a May 31 call to BNSF Railway, which owns the track, to express our concerns with the visibility issue at the crossing. In this photo provided by Dax McDonald, an Amtrak passenger train lies on its side after derailing near Mendon, Mo., on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Southwest Chief, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said. (Dax McDonald via AP) In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its State Freight & Rail Plan plan. It included a proposal to install lights and gates, along with roadway improvements. The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said that with limited funds available, it takes a while to get these prioritized. She said the project has received approval in a four-year plan that runs through fiscal year 2026. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent declined comment on specific conversations about upgrades to the crossing, citing the NTSB investigation, however, I can tell you that BNSF has a proactive vegetation management program across our network, she said. In this photo provided by Dax McDonald, debris sits near railroad tracks after an Amtrak passenger train derailed near Mendon, Mo., on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Southwest Chief, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said. (Dax McDonald via AP) Spencer told The Associated Press that he is among several people who have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. Spencer is on the board of a local levee district. He said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levee on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days. Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it. A worker tosses debris off railroad tracks alongside the wreckage of a dump truck that collided with an Amtrak train causing it to derail Monday, June 27, 2022, near Mendon, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields, Spencer wrote with the posting. We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back. Homendy said passive crossings like the one near Mendon make up about half of all crossings in the U.S. She said there are 130,000 passive crossings nationwide and 3,500 in Missouri. The NTSB has for years recommended actions such as closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other upgrades at passive crossings, Homendy said. She said the agency also has recommended technology to alert drivers to the presence of an oncoming train at crossings such as the one at Mendon that are on an incline. An Amtrak train lies derailed after the train hit a truck at a crossing, Monday, June 27, 2022, near Mendon, Mo. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP) Lives could be saved, she said. Kyle Bullard, a 21-year-old student at Lindenwood University in suburban St. Louis, was traveling from a friends home in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for a wedding. He fell 10 feet onto his back when his cab tipped over. Bullard and his friend escaped and returned to help others out of the train, but he said hes still bothered by the image of a woman buried in rubble. He said someone was holding her hand, and he realized he couldnt do anything to help her. A worker inspects the scene of an Amtrak train which derailed after striking a dump truck, Monday, June 27, 2022, near Mendon, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) We were grateful because we made it out alive, but were also sad because some people didnt. Were sorry for those families," Bullard said. "Yeah, I survived the train crash and I helped people, but its like, I did also see someone die. So its just like, it is what it is. And Im gonna have to move on from it. But its just gonna be always in the back of my head. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The incident in Missouri was among three fatal Amtrak accidents since Sunday. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. Also, on Monday in Detroit, two people died when their vehicle collided with an Amtrak train. Police Chief James White said officers were dispersing drag racers and one vehicle sped away and tried to beat the train. People have been injured or killed in at least six other accidents involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. ___ Ballentine reported from Columbia, Missouri. Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, contributed to this report. BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent COVID-19 policy compared to most other countries. A man and girl wearing face masks ride a pedal cart at a public park in Beijing, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday announced an easing of its quarantine requirement for people arriving from abroad but stopped short of lifting what remains a stringent COVID-19 policy compared to most other countries. Anyone coming from outside the country will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for seven days, followed by three days of home quarantine, the National Health Commission said in its latest pandemic response plan. The previous plan called for 14 days in a hotel plus seven days of home quarantine. Some cities, including Beijing, have already reduced the hotel requirement to seven or 10 days in recent weeks, according to Chinese media reports. A woman wearing a mask walks past a beauty salon, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China has kept tight restrictions on international travel under a zero-COVID strategy that seeks to keep the virus out and stop any infections from spreading through lockdowns and mass testing. Other countries including the United States and Japan have opened their borders at least somewhat as vaccination has reduced the risk of serious cases and death. In Europe, passengers are facing long lines and delays as a surge in summer travel has overwhelmed airlines and airports. Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China's National Health Commission, described the new plan as not a relaxation of the country's approach but an optimization to make it more scientific and precise. The Free Press | Newsletter Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Wang Liping, an infectious disease researcher for China's Center for Disease Control, said the change reflects the relatively short 2- to 4-day incubation period for the omicron variant, which means most cases can be detected within a week. Recent outbreaks in mainland China have largely eased. Just under 100 new cases were recorded on Monday, most among people who had arrived recently from overseas. None of the new cases were in Shanghai or Beijing. The Shanghai Disney Resort announced that its Disneyland theme park will reopen on Thursday after a closure of more than three months because of the virus. The number of visitors will be limited and a few attractions will remain closed, but most of the park will be open, Shanghai Disney said in a social media post. All guests will be required to show proof of a negative virus test taken within the previous 72 hours. Shanghai Disneyland closed on March 21 ahead of a citywide lockdown that would paralyze what is China's largest city and a major manufacturing, shipping and financial hub for two months. Beijing's Universal Studios theme park reopened last weekend after being closed for nearly two months because of an outbreak in the Chinese capital. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Farmers protested around the Netherlands as lawmakers voted Tuesday on proposals to slash emissions of damaging pollutants, a plan that will likely force farmers to cut their livestock herds or stop work altogether. Dutch farmers protesting against the governments plans to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia gather for a demonstration at Stroe, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Thousands of farmers drove their tractors along roads and highways across the Netherlands, heading for a mass protest against the Dutch governments plans to rein in emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula) THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Farmers protested around the Netherlands as lawmakers voted Tuesday on proposals to slash emissions of damaging pollutants, a plan that will likely force farmers to cut their livestock herds or stop work altogether. The government says emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia, which livestock produce, must be drastically reduced close to nature areas that are part of a network of protected habitats for endangered plants and wildlife stretching across the 27-nation European Union. As tractors gathered outside the parliament building, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said farmers have the right to protest but not to break the law. Freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate are a vital part of our democratic society, and I will always defend them," Rutte said. "But ... it is not acceptable to create dangerous situations, it is not acceptable to intimidate officials, we will never accept that. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSING? The ruling coalition wants to cut emissions of pollutants, predominantly nitrogen oxide and ammonia, by 50% nationwide by 2030. Ministers call the proposal an unavoidable transition that aims to improve air, land and water quality. They warn that farmers will have to adapt or face the prospect of shuttering their businesses. The honest message ... is that not all farmers can continue their business, and those who do will likely have to farm differently, the government said in a statement this month as it unveiled emission reduction targets. Livestock produce ammonia in their urine and feces. The government in the past has called on farmers to use feed for their animals that contains less protein as a way of reducing ammonia emissions. The problem is compounded in the Netherlands, which is known for its intensive farming practices, with large numbers of livestock kept on small areas of land. It is not only farmers being targeted. In the past, the government also has cut the national maximum speed limit on highways from 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour) to 100 kmh during the day as a way of reducing nitrogen oxide created by vehicle engines. The government has been forced to take action after a series of court rulings that blocked infrastructure and construction projects because of fears they would cause emissions that breach environmental rules. It is giving provincial authorities a year to work out ways to meet the emission reduction targets. WHAT ARE FARMERS DOING? Some 40,000 farmers gathered last week in the central Netherlands agricultural heartland to protest the government's plans. Many arrived by tractor, snarling traffic around the country. On Monday and into Tuesday, farmers again took their protests to crowded highways, driving slowly along the roads or stopping altogether. Some have dumped hay bales on roads, and small groups demonstrated at town and city halls, in some cases starting bonfires outside the buildings. Some farmers set hay bales ablaze Tuesday alongside highways, while others gathered in towns and cities, including The Hague. Farmers argue that they are being unfairly targeted as polluters while other industries, such as aviation, construction and transport, also are contributing to emissions and face less far-reaching rules. They also say the government is not giving them a clear picture of their futures amid the proposed reforms. WHAT ARE THE NATURE AREAS THAT ARE THREATENED? The Free Press | Newsletter Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The government has published a map with reduction targets across the country based on proximity to areas designated as part of the EU's Natura 2000 network of vulnerable and endangered plant and animal habitats. There are Natura 2000 sites across the 27 member states, covering 18% of the bloc's land area and 8% of its marine territory. On its website, the European Commission says conservation and sustainable use of Natura 200 areas is largely centered on people working with nature rather than against it. However, Member States must ensure that the sites are managed in a sustainable manner, both ecologically and economically. Dutch farmers argue that other EU countries are not clamping down on the agricultural industry as hard as the Netherlands. During a protest Monday, a group of farmers at a Dutch Natura 2000 region near the German border put up flags and a Welcome to Germany sign to symbolically make it part of the neighboring country. HOW IMPORTANT IS AGRICULTURE TO THE DUTCH ECONOMY? Agriculture from dairy farming to growing crops in fields and greenhouses is a significant part of the Dutch economy. According to a national farming lobby group, LTO, there are nearly 54,000 agricultural businesses in the Netherlands with exports totaling 94.5 billion euros in 2019. At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants. FILE - A health worker administers a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at the Keystone First Wellness Center in Chester, Pa., on Dec. 15, 2021. Government advisers are debating Tuesday, June 28, 2022, if Americans should get a modified COVID-19 booster shot this fall one that better matches more recent virus variants. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there's no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall especially since people who get today's recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19's worst outcomes. Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign. We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer, said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego. The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine. None of us has a crystal ball" to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what's circulating now rather than far older virus strains. It's not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy. Current COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call bivalent vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today's vaccine. Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much. Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines' proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic. The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said theyd have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicrons newest relatives might delay its version another month. Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that's recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one. Marks said that by tweaking the shots, we're hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave. The Free Press | Newsletter Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven't had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligible and it's not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA's advisers said it's important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too. And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change. Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people's cross-protection against multiple variants. We dont want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available, said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. SCHLOSS ELMAU, GERMANY - Canada is ready to help other countries transition away from Russian oil and coal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday at the end of G7 summit in Germany centred on the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chat prior to a meeting with Partner Countries and International Organizations at the G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Canadian prime minister and his G7 counterparts are expected to end their summit in Germany with a show of support for Ukraine on before all seven leaders will head to a NATO summit in Spain. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson SCHLOSS ELMAU, GERMANY - Canada is ready to help other countries transition away from Russian oil and coal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday at the end of G7 summit in Germany centred on the war in Ukraine. In their final communique for the meeting, the G7 leaders said they are working to make sure Russia suffers consequences for its invasion of Ukraine and does not exploit its position as an energy producer to profit from its aggression at the expense of vulnerable countries. "We will continue to impose severe and immediate economic costs on President Putins regime for its unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, while stepping up our efforts to counter its adverse and harmful regional and global impacts, including with a view to helping secure global energy and food security as well as stabilizing the economic recovery," said the document released on Tuesday. The G7 includes Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The conflict has squeezed energy markets in Europe and the security of the supply around the world. Over the course of the three-day summit, the leaders agreed to consider a cap on the price of crude oil and petroleum from Russia, and even a comprehensive ban on Russian oil and coal. "Canada, obviously as an oil and gas producer, is ensuring that in the short term we're doing what we can to alleviate pressures," Trudeau said at a news conference at the close of the summit. "We're also looking medium term at expanding some infrastructure, but in a way that hits that medium-term and long-term goal of accelerating transition, not just off Russian oil and gas, but off of all our dependence on fossil fuels." The leaders agreed compromising on climate and biodiversity goals was not on the table to address the growing energy crisis. The idea to ban Russian oil is still only in discussions, and would need to be implemented carefully to mitigate the potential fallout for vulnerable countries that rely on Russia for power. The success of a price cap would also likely depend on co-operation from as many countries as possible, including India, which has been buying up inexpensive Russian oil. On Monday, Trudeau met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to the G7 summit by the host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Canadian prime minister said he and Modi had a "broad-ranging conversation" and that he is aware that Canada and India do not share the same position on Ukraine. "I continued to impress upon him that we need to recognize the instability in the world right now was directly caused by Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and we're going to continue to have those conversations in a frank and direct way, because that's what the world needs," Trudeau said Tuesday. Trudeau also met Italys Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Tuesday, who said they would discuss solutions to the energy crisis. Canada is a big producer and so the perspective of Prime Minister Trudeau is important, he said. Trudeau also said Canada remains determined to support Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Sunday, just as the summit in Germany was about to begin, weeks of relative quiet in Kyiv were shattered when Russian missiles hit Ukraine's capital city. On Monday, a Russian missile hit a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. "It's important that the world doesn't lose its attention and focus over what's happening in Ukraine, we must and we will remain committed until Ukraine and democracy prevail," Trudeau told a news conference. He announced more money for Ukraine on Tuesday, including a $200-million loan through the International Monetary Fund. In addition to the loan to the Ukrainian government, Canada is giving $75 million in humanitarian assistance to help with operations in Ukraine and in the neighbouring countries. The aid will include the provision of in-kind food assistance, emergency cash and vouchers, protection, shelter and health services. "If and when President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and Ukrainians decide it's time to negotiate or move forward to resolving, to ensure that Russia faces defeat in Ukraine, they need to be able to negotiate from a position of force, a position of strength," Trudeau said. Earlier in the summit, Trudeau announced $52 million in agricultural aid including mobile grain storage equipment to increase grain storage capacity as well as help to provide speedy diagnostic testing and monitoring of animal diseases to allow for export certification. Unable to get crops to market because of Russian blockades at its ports, Ukraine needs to keep its grain viable because the potential revenue from its export would help fund the countrys defence. "Our farmers typically face big challenges and have been proven to be inventive and creative. So we'll bring this expertise to Ukraine to help as much as we can," Trudeau said. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has said that Canada is also sending seeds to Ukraine, including fast-growing buckwheat, to help out with the food crisis. By preventing Ukraines grain exports Russia has also intensified food scarcity, the leaders said in their final consensus agreement. The Free Press | Newsletter Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The leaders have also agreed to intensify their efforts to mitigate rising food prices and scarcity. They also plan to expand their resettlement programs to accommodate the millions of Ukrainian refugees who have been displaced by the conflict. Canada will also spend $15 million to help fund demining efforts and $9.7 million for those tracking human rights violations in Ukraine. The next stop for Trudeau in his three-summit tour is Madrid, Spain. Trudeau will meet with NATO allies there on Wednesday to discuss the military and defence implications of the war in Ukraine. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2022. Ronald P. Strohmeyer, 74, of Flagstaff, AZ passed away on June 18, 2022 surrounded by his family. Born on April 23, 1948 to Paul and Wilma Strohmeyer, he was the oldest of four siblings and grew up in Mesa until joining the Army and serving his country as a proud Vietnam veteran. He married his wife, Donna, in 1967 and after his military service later moved to Flagstaff working for Mountain Bell where they were blessed with two sons, David and Scott. He spent the better part of his career working for Black Mesa Pipeline until it shut down and he eventually retired from El Paso Natural Gas. Ron was a devoted family man who spent countless hours camping, hunting, hiking and enjoying the outdoors with those he loved. Ron leaves a lasting impact on those he knew due to his commitment to helping others. He touched many lives in his volunteer work for veterans and local organizations. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Donna, children, David (Kate) and Scott (Brenda), his grandchildren, Lyndsay, Heather, Amy, Jordan, Josh and Ron's siblings, Alan (Marilyn), Cyndy (Ivan), and Mike (Rikki). OTTAWA - The federal Liberal government has agreed to provide sensitive cabinet documents to the inquiry examining its use of the Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" protest. Protesters react as Toronto Police mounted unit charge to disperse as police take action to put an end to a protest, which started in opposition to mandatory COVID-19 vaccine mandates and grew into a broader anti-government demonstration and occupation, in Ottawa, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. The commissioner of the inquiry examining Ottawa's use of the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the so-called "Freedom Convoy" protest in February has granted standing to the organizers, police and representatives of all three levels of government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - The federal Liberal government has agreed to provide sensitive cabinet documents to the inquiry examining its use of the Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" protest. The Public Order Emergency Commission said Tuesday the government has agreed to a request not to claim cabinet privilege over the "critical" documents Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers considered in the decision. It said the government has committed to the extraordinary step of providing "all the inputs that were before cabinet" when it declared the emergency in February, weeks into the convoy protests that took over Ottawa's downtown and erupted at border crossings. Out of the 371 federal commissions of inquiry that have been called since Confederation, this is only the fourth that has received such access, the commission noted. It said it has not yet received the documents but expects them to come in "shortly." Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news came hours after commissioner Paul Rouleau released a list of participants to whom he has granted full standing in the inquiry, including convoy organizers, police forces and all three levels of government. Those granted full standing include the federal, Alberta and Saskatchewan governments, the cities of Ottawa and Windsor, Ont., the Ottawa Police Service, the National Police Federation and a group of 10 convoy organizers, including Tamara Lich, Tom Marazzo and Chris Barber. Full standing means they will be given advance notice on information submitted into evidence before the inquiry, as well as certain privileges, such as the opportunity to suggest or cross-examine witnesses. The Ontario Provincial Police was granted full participation with the exception of cross-examining witnesses or producing policy papers. Lich, who along with Barber is facing criminal charges related to the convoy, was arrested in Alberta on Monday for breach of her bail conditions, Ottawa police said. Rouleau granted standing to the convoy leaders, along with a not-for-profit corporation called Freedom 2022 Human Rights and Freedoms, because of their "key role in the events that led to the declaration of the emergency." But he denied standing to a variety of other convoy participants and supporters, some of whom had their bank accounts frozen under the act, saying that "simply being a witness to relevant events does not itself justify a grant of standing." He also dismissed the federal Conservatives application for standing. The party had sought to participate on the basis that the commission's work would have far-reaching impact on current and future members of Parliament, and said in its application that it had a "substantial and direct reputational interest" in the inquiry. Rouleau wrote in his decision that the CPC did not demonstrate how its interests on a range of factual and public policy issues differ from that of the public generally. The commissioner said the inquiry must remain an independent, non-partisan process, noting that a special joint committee of the House of Commons and Senate has been tasked with reviewing the use of the Emergencies Act's powers. Dane Lloyd, the Conservative party critic for emergency preparedness, said Canadians deserve complete transparency from the government to explain why the Emergencies Act was necessary. "Canadians need more than just the information cabinet had but how they used that information, and how the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was made," Lloyd said in a statement. So far transparency has not been forthcoming. The minister of public safety has lied to and misled Canadians in an attempt to deflect responsibility for invoking the Emergencies Act. We do not have confidence that the Liberals will behave any differently when it comes to the public inquiry." The Conservatives had been pushing for the Liberals to grant the inquiry access to cabinet documents. The commission has not yet indicated whether Trudeau or cabinet ministers will be asked to testify at the public hearings that are expected to begin in September. In addition to the groups that have been granted full status, other entities, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Ottawa business associations, industry groups and civil society organizations were granted partial standing allowing them to make only certain types of submissions. Former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly, who resigned his position the day after Ottawa invoked the Emergencies Act, will be allowed to produce documents, make submissions on factual, evidentiary and policy-related issues and examine witnesses, and the Manitoba government has been granted permission to provide written submissions. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Trudeau's government triggered the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, a week after protesters first blockaded the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador Bridge and several weeks into what he called the "illegal occupation" of downtown Ottawa by anti-lockdown protesters and their vehicles. It was the first time a government invoked the law since it passed in 1988. The temporary measures under the act gave authorities greater leeway to make arrests, impose fines, tow vehicles and freeze assets. Trudeau revoked the emergency declaration Feb. 23, two days after the NDP joined the Liberals in a House of Commons motion affirming his government's choice to use the exceptional powers. The commission, which the government was required to set up under Emergencies Act provisions, is mandated to provide a final report to Parliament by Feb. 20, 2023. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2022. MADRID - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to face tough questions at a major NATO summit this week as a new report released by the alliance ahead of the meeting shows Canada heading in the wrong direction when it comes to military spending. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during the closing news conference at the G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending Canadian military spending after a new NATO report this week showed Canada heading in the wrong direction. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MADRID - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to face tough questions at a major NATO summit this week as a new report released by the alliance ahead of the meeting shows Canada heading in the wrong direction when it comes to military spending. Members of the 30-member military alliance agreed in 2014 to increase their defence spending to two per cent of their national gross domestic product, and the target is expected to be front and centre when the summit begins on Wednesday. Trudeau met with NATO leaders Tuesday evening at a dinner hosted at the royal palace in Madrid by King Felipe VI, and will begin formal talks in the morning. The new report released by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg estimates Canadian defence spending will instead decline as a share of GDP to 1.27 per cent this year, down from 1.32 per cent last year and 1.42 per cent in 2020. The report did not specify the reason for the expected decline, or whether it includes $8 billion in new military spending that was promised in Aprils federal budget and whose purpose has not been clearly defined. Asked about the report during a news conference at the end of this years G7 meeting in Germany, as he prepared to head to Madrid for the NATO leaders summit, Trudeau said the government has announced several significant new investments. Those include $4.9 billion to upgrade Norad, the shared U.S.-Canadian system used to detect incoming airborne and maritime threats to North America, as well as plans to buy new fighter jets to replace Canadas aging CF-18s. The prime minister also said Canada has repeatedly proven its commitment to the NATO alliance by deploying troops and equipment on a variety of missions, including by leading a multinational NATO force in Latvia. Canada is always part of NATO missions and continues to step up significantly, Trudeau said. We know how important it is to step up and we will continue to do so to make sure that the world knows that it can count on Canada to be part of advancing the cause of democracy, the rule of law and opportunities for everyone, he added. Successive Canadian governments have shown little appetite for meeting the two per cent spending target, which the parliamentary budget officer has estimated would require an extra $75 billion over the next five years. They have instead emphasized Canadas numerous other commitments to the alliance, including the provision of 700 Canadian troops to Latvia along with several naval warships to assist with NATO patrols in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. That is despite Canada having agreed to the target, as well as repeated exhortations from Stoltenberg and criticism from American officials in Washington calling on Ottawa to invest more in its military and collective defence. The continuing decline in Canadian defence spending as a share of GDP will almost certainly lead to even more pointed questions for Trudeau in Madrid than was already expected, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. This is particularly true given confusion surrounding the governments announcement last week that it plans to invest in Norad modernization, with uncertainty around where the money is actually coming from, when it will be spent and on what. I would assume that they were hoping to send a message with the continental defence piece that irrespective of what's happening in Europe, Canada's got other defence commitments and that contributes to overall alliance security, Perry said. But the mechanics of how the continental defence piece rolled out would take away from some of that. That defence spending is on a downward track when Canada is facing pressure to contribute more overseas and struggling with significant military personnel and equipment shortfalls is also a concern, said Robert Baines of the NATO Association of Canada. I've always been amazed that Prime Minister Trudeau has facility for dancing over the very serious situation Canada is facing when it comes to defence, Baines said. Trying to do so much, and then having so many resource issues and challenges. To that end, Trudeau sidestepped a question over whether Canada is prepared to send more troops to Latvia, as NATO seeks to double the size of its forces throughout eastern Europe in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Latvias ambassador to Canada told The Canadian Press earlier this week that Canada is talking with allies about reinforcing the Canadian-led battlegroup in his country. The battlegroup in Latvia is one of four established by NATO in 2017, with Germany leading another such unit in Lithuania and Britain and the United States responsible for forces in Estonia and Poland, respectively. Germany and Britain have both said in recent weeks that they are ready to lead larger combat units in Lithuania and Estonia, but Canada has so far remained silent about its plans in Latvia. Trudeau also wouldnt say whether Canada is prepared to put more of the military on high readiness, as Stoltenberg announced on Monday that the alliance plans to increase the number of troops on standby from 40,000 to 300,000. We have been working closely with NATO partners, with the secretary-general of NATO, and especially with the Latvians, where Canada leads the (battlegroup) and is committed to making sure we continue to stand up against Russian, Trudeau said. We, like others, are developing plans to be able to scale up rapidly, he added. And those are conversations that I very much look forward to having over the next couple of days in NATO. Baines predicted whatever additional troops and equipment are added to the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia will predominantly come from other NATO members as Canada only recently deployed more troops to the region. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The government announced in February that it was sending an artillery unit and 100 additional soldiers to bolster the 600 Canadian troops already in the Baltic state. It also recently deployed two additional warships to the region. Perry said it remains unclear how much more the Canadian military, which is short about 10,000 service members, has to spare. Maybe there's an ability to find some more at the back of the cupboard, he said. But if the alliance is going to collectively be stepping up with some additional troop and equipment commitments, then I'm sure there'd be lots of pressure on us to be part of that as well. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2022. With files from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa On July 8, 2021, the Assembly of First Nations elected its first female national chief. Opinion On July 8, 2021, the Assembly of First Nations elected its first female national chief. For the historically male-dominated lobby group, the arrival of a woman at the helm suggested change was in the air. "The AFN made her-story today," RoseAnne Archibald announced during her victory speech. Apparently, some didnt want to hear it. On June 17, a collective of regional chiefs, chairs of special councils and members of the AFN board voted to suspend Archibald citing "public statements that breached her obligations to the AFN and are contrary to her oath of office." Over recent weeks, allegations emerged Archibald harassed and bullied staff, sparking an investigation under the AFN whistleblower policy (which Archibald herself introduced). Archibald denied the allegations, calling it a "smear campaign" to obscure from her claims financial and political corruption existed throughout the AFN. Specifically, she said, the impetus to her suspension came from her refusal to approve a "$1-million payout" for "four outgoing AFN employees." Now, after what was supposed to be one of the most progressive years in AFN history, the organization is leaderless and mired in a constitutional crisis and civil war. Things have gotten so petty Archibalds work cellphone has been cancelled, her email account closed and she has been instructed not to attend the AFN annual general meeting July 5-7 in Vancouver. Doug Cuthand, Indigenous affairs columnist at the Saskatoon StarPheonix, calls it "the worst crisis in the organizations 40-year history," resembling "a coup in a banana republic." At the very least, its an embarrassment and stain on what is supposed to be one of the most important Indigenous political organizations in the country. Since being elected, Archibald had vowed to bring what she has called "truth, transparency and accountability" to the AFN. According to a statement issued following her removal, she claims her efforts have encountered "extreme resistance In my efforts to clean up corruption within the AFN, Ive been undermined, discredited and attacked." She identified the AFN secretariat (corporate leadership) and regional chiefs as the main instigators. Things came to a head six months ago, in December, when Archibald proposed a resolution at a chiefs-in-assembly meeting to "restructure" the organizational makeup of the AFN and perform a "forensic audit" on the past eight years citing claims a "toxic" workplace had emerged during the time of national chief Perry Bellegarde. The resolution was met with resistance, led by certain AFN regional chiefs, who represent provincial chiefs organizations and act as a sort of co-governing "senate" to the office of the national chief. Regional chiefs, for example, handle many of the contracts and administration of their regions, as well as certain portfolios of the AFN. They have a lot of financial and political clout. In Manitoba, for example, the regional chief is Cindy Woodhouse (voted in at a meeting of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs). Woodhouse is a longtime Bellegarde supporter and Liberal party advocate. Bellegarde was widely considered to be very close to the Liberal party, too. For weeks, things have gotten more and more divisive, with Archibald claiming she has "internal documents" proving her allegations and has received "many" messages of support for her actions. She has promised to unveil these at the AFN annual general meeting. Whether she can speak at all though, is a question to be answered. By placing her on suspension, the AFN has manufactured a constitutional crisis, since only the 634 chiefs representing the member nations can remove the AFN national chief from office not the secretariat, regional chiefs, chairs of councils or anyone else. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Anyone wanting to remove Archibald could have convinced a single chief to put forward such a motion and only had to wait a few weeks suggesting the suspension is suspicious and, at least, highly irregular. Meantime, criticism for Archibald among chiefs is growing, too. Last week, the Chiefs of Ontario a body who supported her bid for national chief publicly endorsed the AFN suspension. This all seems headed to a court battle: with a democratically elected national chief carrying allegations of harassment on one side and employees and regional chiefs alleged to be corrupt on the other. The federal Liberal government needs the AFN to be a stable dance partner for its reconciliation agenda. It also stands to look bad if funds it provided to the AFN were misused or, worse, used to support corruption under its watch or to keep Liberal supporters in power. It all makes for one interesting annual general meeting next week. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca There was a time when Les Rattai would see a victim of a catalytic converter theft every now and then at the Fort Garry autobody shop he manages. There was a time when Les Rattai would see a victim of a catalytic converter theft every now and then at the Fort Garry autobody shop he manages. But lately, up to three people a week are coming to J Max Collision and Glass to get a new converter installed, amid a surge in thefts that police say is being fuelled by drug addicts. "There has been a large amount (of customers) this spring," Rattai said Monday. "We always had them, but not to this extent, especially the last four months. "Ive seen a few (customers) whove had theirs stolen twice." The device, part of a vehicles exhaust system, converts pollutants into less toxic material. DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Theres been such a large amount of thefts its hard to get parts, said Les Rattai. Its the availability of parts that is slowing down the repairs. Converters have become a target because they contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. Thieves can make hundreds of dollars per sale, if they find a buyer. Its not just a Winnipeg problem. Thefts have been on the rise across Canada and the U.S., hurting victims in other ways. "Theres been such a large amount of thefts its hard to get parts," said Rattai. "Its the availability of parts that is slowing down the repairs." He said thieves appear to be targeting SUVs and trucks because there is more space to crawl underneath with a saw. Ive seen a few (customers) whove had theirs stolen twice. Les Rattai For victims, their vehicle is undriveable for days or weeks until a new part is installed. The cost of replacing a converter and making related repairs can run into the thousands of dollars. For those who make a claim, Manitoba Public Insurance charges a betterment fee on top of a deductible when the new part is installed on a car with more than 80,000 kilometres. Rattai said some of his customers were quoted betterment fees as high as $2,500. Private owners arent the only ones whove been targeted. Converters have been stolen from 13 vehicles owned by the province, totalling almost $7,000 in claims costs, a spokesperson said. The City of Winnipeg has suffered eight converter thefts since December 2021, with deductibles amounting to $6,000, said spokesman Adam Campbell. DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Les Rattai said some of his customers were quoted betterment fees as high as $2,500. According to Winnipeg police statistics, reports of thefts and related incidents (mischief and break and enter) increased by 383 per cent in a year, from 336 in 2020 to 1,620 in 2021. Just 14 incidents were reported in 2015. The upward trend is continuing in 2022, based on MPI figures. The Crown corporation said a total of 1,248 claims were made in the first five months of 2022. Last years total was 1,564. The converter on Maria Buccinis 2004 Honda Pilot was cut off and stolen while she was at work in Grant Park on a cold February day. She was surprised when she heard a "deep rumbling noise," as she started the vehicle after work. "It sounds like a turbine engine going off," she said. Buccini, 42, took her vehicle to a mechanic, initially thinking there was a problem with the muffler. "He kneeled under the car and he knew. He said, They stole your converter. You can tell where they cut it out," she said. "He said I was his second customer of the day. "The way they cut the catalytic out, they really butchered it. They took the (oxygen) sensor and really did a lot of damage." The way they cut the catalytic out, they really butchered it. They took the (oxygen) sensor and really did a lot of damage. Maria Buccini Buccini filed a police report and a claim with MPI. Her deductible was $200, and the quote MPI gave her was about $1,800, she said. "It was an atrocious number," said Buccini. She ended up saving money by sourcing a replacement part through a connection at an auto repair shop. The total cost, including the installation, was about $500, she said. She would welcome a crackdown on scrapyards that knowingly buy and sell stolen converters for a profit. "Theres not justice for the people who go through it," said Buccini. "We still have to pay the deductible, we still have to pay the betterment fee. We still have to figure out how to get to work." "Theres not justice for the people who go through it." Maria Buccini After a four-month investigation called Project Precious, Winnipeg police officers raided a scrapyard in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, just east of the city, on June 2. Police allege the scrapyard was buying large quantities of stolen converters and selling them for a lucrative sum. Three men were arrested. A provincial Scrap Metal Act, which targets sellers and buyers of stolen auto parts, is expected to be proclaimed soon, as regulations are finalized. A private members bill introduced by NDP MLA Jim Maloway (Elmwood) would require auto dealers to etch vehicle identification numbers on converters to make it easier to identify owners of stolen parts. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A private members bill introduced by NDP MLA Jim Maloway (Elmwood) would require auto dealers to etch vehicle identification numbers on converters to make it easier to identify owners of stolen parts. A motion at Winnipeg city hall asks the public service to look at a task force and other ways to tackle thefts, as councillors receive complaints from victims. "Theyre the ones paying the price," Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona) said of residents. As people look for ways to protect their vehicles, some have considered cages that surround converters or spraying the parts with paint to discourage thieves, he said. There are root causes that need to be addressed. Drug addiction is the main reason thefts have increased in the city, said police spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon. The RCMP have also seen an increase in thefts, said spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Courchaine. Police encourage owners to park their vehicle in a garage, if possible, or in a well-lit area. People should report thefts or any suspicious activity to police. "The more reports that are recorded the more it can help with showing trends in a community and can lead to identifying a possible suspect or suspects," said Courchaine. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @chriskitching The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. THE Manitoba government has committed to funding a long-awaited surgical program for adult epilepsy patients. THE Manitoba government has committed to funding a long-awaited surgical program for adult epilepsy patients. On Monday, Health Minister Audrey Gordon said her government will spend $2.5 million annually to establish the adult initiative and to expand pediatric services. "Investing in a comprehensive adult epilepsy program that can provide monitoring and life-changing surgical intervention for patients will allow Manitobans to get the care they need here at home," Gordon said. According to the province, when the expanded epilepsy program at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg is operational, roughly 20 adult and 30 pediatric patients will receive surgeries in Manitoba. The program is expected to begin next spring, pending the recruitment of a neurosurgeon. Currently, adult epilepsy patients must go out-of-province to receive surgery, while approximately 15 pediatric patients have received surgery each year since 2017. HSC chief operating officer Dr. Shawn Young said an estimated 20,000 Manitobans have epilepsy and one in 10 Manitobans will have a seizure in their life. While some symptoms can be treated with medication, for thousands of people seizures continue despite pharmaceutical intervention, Young said. About 3,000 visit an emergency department in Manitoba each year as a result of seizures. "The resulting effect on the quality of life for these patients is significant," Young said. "Any second of any day, whether youre riding your bike or preparing a meal or out with your friends, and you have seizure, imagine how that would feel? "For these individuals in particular, todays announcement offers some hope." Young said the funding signals a commitment by government to strengthen neurology services in the province. Previously, the Manitoba government opened a new 28-bed acute stroke unit at HSC; hired six new neurologists and has recruited three more; and increased the clinical stipend for MS physicians to improve neurology services. "This support is crucial in our ongoing efforts to recruit and retain neurologists," Young said. The decision to fund adult epilepsy surgery is "better late than never," said Dr. Dan Roberts, acting co-head of neurology at HSC. "Theres been a lot of wasted opportunity." In September, Dr. Demitre Serletis, a neurosurgeon at HSC who led efforts to develop a proposal for a comprehensive pediatric and adult epilepsy program, left Manitoba for a job in the United States. At the time, he told the Free Press he had no option but to move on, after funding for the program failed to materialize. "Its been a rough go trying to exact resources from this government," Roberts said. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. However, Manitoba is an attractive destination for neurosurgeons and neurologists, so long as resources are in place to support them, Roberts added. "No matter how many there are, they wont come here if you cant compete with other locations in terms of not only income but providing them with office space, providing them with clinic space, providing them with clinical stipends," he said. "We can find (multiple sclerosis) neurologists, we can find stroke neurologists, but the reason that theyre not applying here is because they know we have not had the resources to support them." Getting the program running and increasing capacity may be slow at first, but the surgeries offered to patients will be life-transforming and save the health system money in the long run, Roberts noted. The new program is also being supported by the Childrens Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, which contributed $1.2 million to purchase a robotic stereotactic assistance guidance system to assist surgeons. danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca The provincial and federal governments have promised a further $600,000 in support of community projects in Manitoba. The provincial and federal governments have promised a further $600,000 in support of community projects in Manitoba. Municipal Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced Tuesday a $300,000 provincial investment in the Khalsa Diwan Society, an East Kildonan cultural centre that serves the Sikh community in Winnipeg. The society will use the money to create new programs and upgrade its building at 807 McLeod Ave., said president Gian Singh Hothi. Khalsa Diwan is among 430 Manitoba organizations that have received funds from the provinces building sustainable communities program this year. The program has put forward $26 million in community support so far to fund renovations and initiatives across Manitoba. Clarke announced the investment alongside a $157,000 grant to the Town of Arborg and a $25,000 donation to the Portage Pickleball Club. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Centro Caboto Centre (1055 Wilkes Ave.) received around $250,000 from a partnership between the government of Canada and the Italian Canadian League of Manitoba. The feds put in $100,000, while the league, which owns the Caboto Centre, contributed $150,000. The centre will use the money to upgrade its ventilation system and install new overhead lights, said Vincenzo Gabriele, executive director. Funding for the renovations came as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr, Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan and Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services Minister Reg Helwer made the announcement at a news event outside the centre. Manitoba has overseen nearly $700 million in such federal funds since 2019, financing 98 infrastructure projects, including 14 community, culture and recreation sites. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca A Winnipeg man is demanding answers after a suitcase containing his fathers ashes and precious heirlooms was lost for about two weeks following an Air Canada flight to Europe. A Winnipeg man is demanding answers after a suitcase containing his fathers ashes and precious heirlooms was lost for about two weeks following an Air Canada flight to Europe. Ben Benton and his wife, Michelle Kirkbride, were planning to fulfil one of the dying wishes of his father, Evan, who wanted his ashes to be taken to his native country of England. SUPPLIED Ben Benton holds a suitcase the couple was forced to buy in Europe after their luggage was lost. However, that wont happen on this trip, at least because the suitcase was sent back to Winnipeg once it was finally discovered at an airport near Paris. "It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime for my wife and I and to honour my dad, but its turned into a nightmare," Benton told the Free Press from a hotel in Athens, Greece on Tuesday. "Were emotionally exhausted." Benton and Kirkbride planned an almost five-week European tour for their 50th birthdays, but had to delay it due to his fathers poor health last fall and the Omicron-fuelled wave of COVID-19. After his 88-year-old father died of cancer in October, they decided to add a stop in the English county of Norfolk to spread the ashes alongside family members who live in England. Benton decided to put the ashes, which are stored in a stainless steel urn, in his checked suitcase rather than a carry-on bag when he left Winnipeg on June 8. The couples flight from Winnipeg and a connection in Montreal were both delayed. SUPPLIED Evan Benton died at 88 in October after battling cancer. After the pair landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris, Bentons heart sank when the couples suitcases failed to appear on a conveyor belt. "We were waiting at the luggage carousel and the line (of passengers) dwindled and dwindled, and we were still standing there until the bags stopped coming," said Benton. After filling out a lost baggage claim at the airport, they began their tour of France, expecting to be reunited with their suitcases within days. When the bags didnt turn up, they began calling Air Canada and airports for an explanation. "This is where the wall or void of information begins. Nobody seemed to be communicating with anybody," said Benton, who became increasingly worried and frustrated. "I was thinking, Where are my dads remains? Where are the heirlooms?" he said. "These are irreplaceable items." Benton and Kirkbride carried on with the trip, which included stops in Spain, Albania and Greece, but were forced to buy a new suitcase, clothes, toiletries and other items to replace those that were in the missing suitcases. They said Air Canada has promised to reimburse them for those expenses, which have amounted to about $2,000. They estimate theyve racked up hundreds of dollars in wireless fees for calls made from their Canadian cellphones. SUPPLIED Ben Benton (second from right) with his mother, Jan, father, Evan and wife, Michelle Kirkbride. Benton and Kirkbride said theyve spent up to 14 hours on the phone much of it on hold while trying to track down their bags. They said theyve had to cancel tours and other plans to focus on making calls. "Ive worked one to two hours a day tracking down the bags," said Kirkbride. "Its frustrating. Its just the communication, if they can improve that. Hopefully, well get some answers." In a cruel twist, their replacement bag was lost during a flight to Seville, Spain, on a different airline. The suitcase was found and returned to them about 36 hours later. As for the other bags, Benton was starting to lose hope after two weeks of searching. He was relieved when an online tracker stated a suitcase had been scanned. A June 24 email from an airport employee asked him to enter a forwarding address. Benton entered the address for a hotel in Athens, but the bag ended up being sent back to Winnipeg. "I was freaking out because I wasnt home to receive a bag, and I was just livid because these were not the instructions," said Benton. He didnt know it was the suitcase containing the ashes until it arrived in Winnipeg and was collected by someone he knows. "At least I can breathe a little bit because I know where the irreplaceable (items) are," said Benton. "Im relieved but angry because this whole process has robbed us of an experience. "Now, theyre not sure where my wifes bag is." Benton isnt going to ask Air Canada to collect the suitcase in Winnipeg and send it back to Europe. "I feel like Im inviting more aggravation and risk of loss into my life if I do," he said. "I dont expect a happy outcome if we go that path." Benton and Kirkbride are planning to scrap their visit to England and plan a future trip to fulfil his fathers wishes. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The unexpected trip will cost thousands of dollars, so theyre hoping to get a refund or flight credit from Air Canada. A spokesperson said Air Canada is looking into the matter and "will deal with the customer directly." With far more people travelling since COVID-19 travel restrictions were eased, there have been more instances of delayed bags, according to the airline. A spokesperson for Charles de Gaulle Airport was unavailable for comment. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @chriskitching A funding boost will ensure medical patients, families and caregivers in Manitoba will continue to contribute their input to health research. A funding boost will ensure medical patients, families and caregivers in Manitoba will continue to contribute their input to health research. A total of $6.6 million in funding for Phase 2 of the strategy for patient-oriented research initiative was announced at a news conference at the University of Manitobas Brodie Centre. It connects patients and researchers to improve service delivery and practice, led by the federally funded Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The five-year investment will expand the capacity of the Manitoba initiatives support for people and patient-oriented research and trials unit, which operates at the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation in Winnipeg. "Patient-oriented research wouldnt be where it is today without the ongoing support and contributions from all SPOR-funded entities and their steadfast commitment to patient-oriented research in each of their communities," said Dr. Michael Strong, president of CIHR. The additional contributions to the unit bring the total investment to $30 million, including $4.9 million from the government of Manitoba, $12.5 million from Shared Health, and $6.1 million from the U of M. "What weve seen is the ability and importance of the health system. Shared Health with the university and all of the researchers to come together because complex problems can only be solved by a collaborative approach and having the best minds working together. I think thats why this renewal of the funding is so incredibly important," said Dr. Terry Klassen, Centre for Healthcare Innovation scientific director and U of M professor. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The investment will support ongoing patient-informed research, said Monika Warren, Shared Health chief operating officer for provincial health services. "This project aligns with our commitment to include patient feedback and the patients voice in the development of health services that offer improved access, better outcomes and experiences for patients and improved opportunities for health-care provider learning." Patient and caregiver partner Thomas Baudry said the funding renewal is an important step to keep the unit going strong. "We want patients to be part of the process and to have a voice. We want them to feel like they arent just a checkbox," he said. "The funding will allow for more research potential and more participants." The initiative was established at the U of M in 2013, and has collaborated with patients in numerous research projects. bryce.hunt@freepress.mb.ca Its like suddenly realizing your country isnt what you thought it was; that your neighbours arent who you thought they were. Opinion Its like suddenly realizing your country isnt what you thought it was; that your neighbours arent who you thought they were. Last month, Abacus Data asked 1,500 Canadian adults about their trust in traditional sources of information, and the extent to which they agree with theories and beliefs that continue to circulate on social media. The results were startling. Forty-four per cent agreed that "much of the information we receive from news organizations is false." Canada has an adult population of about 29.5 million. That means that more than 13 million adults suspect much of the news they see and hear is fake. More than half of that same group 52 per cent agreed that "official government accounts of events cant be trusted." They dont believe what their governments are telling them. Forty-four per cent believe "big events like wars, recessions and the outcomes of elections are controlled by small groups of people working in secret against us." Almost as many feel that "much of our lives are being controlled by plots hatched in secret places." Thirty-seven per cent (almost 11 million adult Canadians) think "there is a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native born Canadians with immigrants who agree with their political views." One-fifth believe that "the World Economic Forum is a group of global elites with a secretive strategy to impose their ideas on the world." Another 37 per cent think it is possibly true or arent sure. But thats not all. Twenty-two per cent believe "secret societies control the world," and another 31 per cent say its possible or arent sure. Thirteen per cent believe Bill Gates is using microchips to track people and affect human behaviour. Another 21 per cent say its possible or arent sure. Nine per cent (2.7 million Canadian adults) believe it is definitely or probably true that "COVID was caused by rollout of 5G wireless technology as electromagnetic frequencies undermined immune systems." An additional 17 per cent feel it is possibly true or arent sure. Eleven per cent (3.25 million adults) think "COVID vaccines include secret chips designed to monitor and control behaviour," while another 14 per cent think its possible or arent sure. It gets worse. Twenty per cent of respondents thats almost six million Canadians believe the "9/11 attack was an inside job." Eighteen per cent believe the royal family killed Princess Diana, and another 35 per cent think it is plausible. Sixteen per cent believe "the U.S. election was stolen from Donald Trump," while another 29 per cent think its possible or arent sure. Thirteen per cent believe "climate change is a hoax," and another 16 per cent thinks its possible or are unsure. An astounding 11 per cent (3.2 million Canadian adults!) believe "the moon landing was faked and never happened," while another 22 per cent feel that statement is possibly true or arent sure. The survey also found "belief in these theories is higher among supporters of the Peoples Party" and that "those who feel Pierre Poilievre is the Conservative leadership candidate closest to their values and ideas are more likely to believe these theories." The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Focus on that last point, because many in politics and the media arent. They argue Poilievre has no hope of ever becoming prime minister because his message panders to an angry, suspicious splinter of Canadian voters that is too small to win an election. They could be wrong. The flaw in their argument exposed by Abacus is that the group of voters they discount and disparage as "fringe" is larger than many think, and it appears to be growing. Its well organized, well financed, and it has found its messenger in Pierre Poilievre. He doesnt appear to care whether those ideas, fears and suspicions are true, as long as the people holding them vote for him and donate to his campaign. And if Trump supporters are an accurate comparison, they are a fiercely loyal and determined group. The data are real. The politics is playing out in front of our eyes. As we celebrate Canada Day later this week, we should perhaps spend some time reflecting on the kind of a country we may be becoming. deverynrossletters@gmail.com Twitter: @deverynross MENDON, Mo. (AP) An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. In this photo provided by Dax McDonald, an Amtrak passenger train lies on its side after derailing near Mendon, Mo., on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Southwest Chief, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said. (Dax McDonald via AP) MENDON, Mo. (AP) An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. In this photo provided by Dax McDonald, debris sits near railroad tracks after an Amtrak passenger train derailed near Mendon, Mo., on Monday, June 27, 2022. The Southwest Chief, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said. (Dax McDonald via AP) It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust, Nightingale told The Associated Press. Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didnt hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying. Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. It was all over the tracks, said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. It's too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains won't be able to run on the track for a matter of days while they gather evidence, she added. A worker tosses debris off railroad tracks alongside the wreckage of a dump truck that collided with an Amtrak train causing it to derail Monday, June 27, 2022, near Mendon, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car," Couture told WDAF-TV. Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands." Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. A worker inspects the scene of an Amtrak train which derailed after striking a dump truck, Monday, June 27, 2022, near Mendon, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. Cheryl Benjamin was on her way home to East Lansing, Michigan, after an Alasksan cruise and a trip to Disneyland. She said she felt a bump, then heard a squeal, then looked out the window and saw the cars in front of her falling to the right. Then her car fell, the last to derail. It all took about 45 seconds. Benjamin told The Associated Press that the passengers organized themselves to escape the cars. Some of the Boy Scouts on board helped her climb out of the train and onto the ground. She was spending Monday evening in a local high school gym, where community members had brought in food for the passengers as they waited for buses to take them to hotels. Republican state Rep. Peggy McGaugh was at the high school. She said locals heard about the crash and started frying chicken, making sandwiches and delivering pallets of water. Being the small community this is, nobody wants to be the hero but everyone wants to help," McGaugh said. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on the land surrounding the intersection where the crash occurred, said everyone in Mendon understands that the intersection is dangerous, especially for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment. The approach to the tracks is on an inclining gravel road and its difficult to see trains coming in either direction, he said. Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF Railway, which owns the track, about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple days. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City. ___ Associated Press reporters Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Mo., Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Grant Schulte in Omaha, Neb., and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. __ This story has been corrected to show that the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. Monsoon rains that dropped onto the Pipeline Fire burn scar flooded multiple areas in and around Flagstaff on Sunday. These floods were not without warning city and county agencies had been cautioning residents of the potential for post-fire floods and helping to distribute sandbags and organize volunteer events but those efforts could not prevent some downstream impacts to residents beneath fire-impacted watersheds. Wupatki Trails resident Chase Wilson said he saw it coming. His neighborhood had seen devastating floods following the Schultz Fire over a decade earlier. After the Pipeline Fire burned through a similar area in the San Francisco Peaks, Wilson started to prepare. I knew it was going to happen again, he said. For Wilson, the first step was applying for flood insurance, a process he started immediately after the Pipeline Fire. His application was denied on the basis that he was not in a flood zone. When he further explained the heightened flood risk created by the Pipeline Fire, he was told by his insurance provider that they would get back to him. In the meantime, Wilson started working nights so he could he spend the day preparing his property with county-provided sandbags. Unfortunately, he only had a couple days to try and get things in place. The county has limited resources, he shrugged. His insurance provider still hadnt gotten back to him on Sunday, when monsoon storms bombarded Flagstaff with hail and rain. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Klimowski, west Flagstaff received up to an inch of rain in 15 minutes. Based on these measurements, Sundays storm had a calculated return interval of about 10-25 years. However to interpret this appropriately to the Flagstaff area on average well see a storm of this magnitude every couple years, Klimowski added. Further east, on the Lenox/Wupatki Trails watershed above Wilsons home, rain gauges measured roughly 1.5 inches of rain in an hour, said Coconino County public works director Lucinda Andreani. Sundays downpour was not the biggest the area has seen, but when combined with slick, water-repellent conditions of watersheds impacted by the Pipeline Fire, it was enough to send a significant amount of water and mud toward the Wupatki Trails neighborhood. First they hit some county flood mitigation infrastructure, including an alluvial fan on the forest above the neighborhood. During this storm, Andreani said this fan accumulated over four inches of sediment thousands of pounds worth of mud and debris but the waters moved on. In the drainages near the top of the neighborhood, thick mud flowed through culverts roughly three feet in diameter, nearly filling them with dark, ashy-smelling sludge. I clean it out every year, said Carrlos Velazquez of the culvert running through his property. He was glad to have cleared the drainage before the storm. Otherwise, the flood waters might have risen even further from the drainage. It was too close, Velazquez said. The fire was the same way. After the water spilled off the mountain, past the alluvial fan, and through the drainages, it headed for the lowest point in the neighborhood: Wilsons front door. All this was water, said Wilson, pointing up his driveway. It was like a river coming through our property. Wilson was returning home with his family when he first got word of the flooding. They could barely get off the highway. There was debris and water flowing across the road, so we couldn't get into the neighborhood at all, he said. So I sat out there and waited. After the water level came down, Wilson was able to make into his home. Roughly two feet of water had slammed into the front of his house. Mud splattered high onto the siding. The rose bushes on the front path were buried under heavy debris. The sandbags he had placed to guard the front door were overwhelmed. We he pulled them back and opened his door, water came pouring out. When asked where the water hit hardest, Wilson laughed. Everywhere, he said. The flood buckled the garage door and filled it with mud. The back door was also blown completely out." Everything piece of furniture on the ground floor was soaked and slathered in the foul-smelling mire. You walk in the door, and it doesn't feel like home, Wilson said. You really don't know what to do at that point. You feel like youre alone and just hoping youll figure out the right thing to do and move forward somehow. But Wilson and his family were not alone for long. People just started showing up, he said. As soon as people heard. They didn't even ask, they was just like We're here. What do you need? Friends, family, church members and neighbors descended upon Wilsons home as quickly as the flood that preceded them. Before Sunday had ended, they had squeegeed the water out of the house and begun removing damaged furniture. By midday Monday, floor tiles and damaged drywall had been cut away. Helping hands still swarmed over the property, sweeping rubble, shoveling mud, stopping only to refresh themselves with coffee from the stripped-out kitchen. It really has been a group effort, Wilson said. Ignace Drywall volunteered their time, effort and work. Same with Rain-Bo Rain Gutters. Standing in the middle of his transformed front room while volunteers busied themselves around him, he said solemnly, Its been amazing and humbling to see. Still, Wilson and his family have no idea when theyll be able to return home. Theyre staying in a friend's AirBnb for the time being. Its hard to be away from home, but Wilson said his military background has helped him keep a stalwart attitude. Theres no time in my life that has been just an easy time, he said. Theres always something happening. The biggest thing is to just keep moving forward. That outlook was hardest to maintain on Sunday night, Wilson said, when everyone was gone and the work had stopped, and he had the space to process the enormity of what lie ahead. When those times come, then it really is important to focus on the gratitude, he said. I look at my kids. I look at my wife. They're safe, they're happy, they're fine. He gestured around the wreckage of his ground floor. Whatever else happens, this is just stuff. I still have family. Looking ahead, Wilson hopes he can get some retroactive flood insurance and thats looking like a possibility. He also hopes flood mitigation efforts will be improved so that something like this doesnt happen again. But it might. The monsoon is here, Klimowski said, and its absolutely early. We're looking at deeper moisture moving into the area later this week, he said. Wednesday through Saturday could bring additional rounds of heavy rain. The county is currently in the process of evaluating Sundays event alongside recent data from the Pipeline Fire Burned Area Emergency Response report to make recommendations for further mitigation Andreani said. County crews were also on scene throughout the Flagstaff area Monday including at Wupatki Trails clearing out mud and debris from culverts and drainages, making sure existing flood mitigation will be ready to function as best it can. There's only so much government, the county can do, Wilson said, looking to the mountains of mud visible from his front window. They can't do everything. The biggest thing is to build your community, build your family, and make sure you're taking care of each other. Because when it does come down to it, we're all we have. And I really, truly believe that is the biggest thing I've taken away from this. Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 6 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON (AP) Just two years out of college, Cassidy Hutchinson watched as a valet mopped up the president's lunch after he smashed his plate against the wall. Donald Trump was in a rage because his attorney general had refuted his claims that the election he lost had been stolen. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, arrives to testify as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON (AP) Just two years out of college, Cassidy Hutchinson watched as a valet mopped up the president's lunch after he smashed his plate against the wall. Donald Trump was in a rage because his attorney general had refuted his claims that the election he lost had been stolen. The 25-year-old Hutchinson, who was an aide to Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, made several shocking revelations about Trump and Meadows in nationally televised testimony before a House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. An obscure aide prior to Tuesday's hearing, Hutchinson showed detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the Trump White House, including in the critical days that Trump and his advisers plotted to reverse President Joe Bidens election victory. The events in her testimony explained in new and vivid detail for the first time publicly are of potentially vital interest to both the committee and the Justice Department. She described how Meadows kept scrolling his phone in apparent detachment as a security official warned that many Jan. 6 rallygoers waiting to hear the president were armed with guns and other weapons, including spears attached to the end of flagpoles. She said she was close enough to Trump at one point to hear him demand that attendees not be screened, saying, "I dont effing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me." And she alleged Trump became so irate at being driven back to the White House after his speech when he exhorted rallygoers to "fight like hell" rather than the Capitol that he even tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limousine away from a Secret Service agent who was driving. "Im the effing president," Hutchinson said she was told Trump had said. She showed her proximity and familiarity with key Trump figures, referring at times to Meadows, security official Tony Ornato, and national security adviser Robert O'Brien by their first names. Meadows, in turn, called her "Cass," in her retelling of one story. Hutchinson has previously described meetings with the White House counsel's office in which participants discussed the legality of substituting electors for states that went for Biden, then the president-elect, with false "alternate electors" who would select Trump. The former president and his allies tried in vain to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was overseeing the certification of electors on Jan. 6. There was no widespread election fraud. Trump lost more than 60 court cases attempting to prove wrongdoing, and even his own attorney general, William Barr, said his claims were meritless. At one December meeting, Hutchinson has testified, lawyers for Trump advised lawmakers that the plan to replace electors was not "legally sound." She told the committee that at least five Republican members of Congress involved in plans to substitute electors sought pardons from Trump. She also testified about Meadows' surprise trip to Georgia weeks after the election to observe an audit of the vote and meet with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. And she has said Meadows knew of reports through a Secret Service agent warning of violence on Jan. 6. There's relatively little known about Hutchinson. Although the White House is perhaps the worlds most prestigious office building, much of the staff is young, sometimes even fresh out of college like Hutchinson. They often previously worked on the presidents campaign or the national party, and theyre distinguished by their ambition and willingness to work long hours for little pay. Theyre also critical to any administrations machinery. They help with the logistics of media coverage, prepare for public events and answer the phones. Because theyre often within earshot as the countrys most powerful people gossip and plan, discretion is expected. Trumps personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, was fired after imprudent comments at an off-the-record dinner with reporters. "The White House is fueled by young restless energy that works all days, hours, nights to keep the operation running," said Johanna Maska, the CEO of consulting firm Global Situation Room who served in the White House under former President Barack Obama. "Though most assistants wouldn't be in a decision-making role, they have eyes on sensitive information including schedules, notes, documents, private conversations." One sign of Hutchinson's possible willingness to cooperate with investigations is her choice of lawyers. She recently switched from a former Trump White House official to a veteran former Justice Department official who served as chief of staff to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and who emerged as a key witness for special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. Jody Hunt, the new lawyer, recounted for Muellers team the extent to which Trump berated Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation and the pressure he sought to exert on the department over the probe. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In a 2018 profile published by her undergraduate alma mater, Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, Hutchinson recalled being "brought to tears" when she received an email telling her shed been accepted to a White House internship program. "As a first-generation college student, being selected to serve as an intern alongside some of the most intelligent and driven students from across the nation many of whom attend top universities was an honor and a tremendous growing experience," she is quoted as saying. She says in the article that she attended numerous events hosted by Trump and often watched out her window as Marine One would depart the White Houses south lawn. "My small contribution to the quest to maintain American prosperity and excellence is a memory I will hold as one of the honors of my life," she said in the piece. ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump rebuffed his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., center, speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 23, 2022. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., left, and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., right, listen. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump rebuffed his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-known former White House aide, described an angry, defiant president who was trying that day to let armed protesters avoid security screenings at a rally that morning to protest his 2020 election defeat and who later grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol. And when the events at the Capitol spiraled toward violence, with the crowd chanting to Hang Mike Pence, she testified Tuesday that Trump declined to intervene. Trump doesnt think theyre doing anything wrong, Hutchinson recalled hearing from her boss, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinsons explosive, moment-by-moment account of what was happening inside and outside the White House offered a vivid description of a Republican president so unwilling to concede his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden that he acted out in rage and refused to stop the siege at the Capitol. It painted a damning portrait of the chaos at the White House as those around the defeated president splintered into one faction supporting his false claims of voter fraud and another trying unsuccessfully to put an end to the violent attack. Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is seen in a video of her interview with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, during a hearing on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Her testimony, at a surprise hearing announced just 24 hours earlier, was the sole focus at the hearing, the sixth by the committee this month. The account was particularly powerful because of her proximity to power, with Hutchinson describing what she witnessed first-hand and was told by others in the White House. Hutchinson said that she was told Trump fought a security official for control of the presidential SUV on Jan. 6 and demanded to be taken the Capitol as the insurrection began, despite being warned earlier that day that some of his supporters were armed. The former aide said that she was told of the altercation in the SUV immediately afterward by a White House security official, and that Bobby Engel, the head of the detail, was in the room and didnt dispute the account. Engel had grabbed Trumps arm to prevent him from gaining control of the armored vehicle, she was told, and Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Engel. FILE - After midnight on Jan. 7, 2021, following the attack on the Capitol, Vice President Mike Pence, left, is escorted to the House chamber by Senate Sergeant at Arms Mike Stenger, as lawmakers return to complete the certification of electors in the 2020 presidential election, at the Capitol in Washington. Stenger was in charge of Senate security the day of the Capitol riot and resigned following the attack. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) That account was quickly disputed. Engel, the agent who was driving the presidential SUV, and Trump security official Tony Ornato are willing to testify under oath that no agent was assaulted and Trump never lunged for the steering wheel, a person familiar with the matter said. The person would not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. As the events of Jan. 6 unfurled, Hutchinson, then a special assistant to Meadows, described chaos in White House offices and hallways. Trump's staff several of whom had been warned of violence beforehand became increasingly alarmed as rioters at the Capitol overran police and interrupted the certification of Bidens victory. Trump was less concerned, she said, even as he heard there were cries in the crowd to Hang Mike Pence! Hutchinson recalled that Meadows told aides that Trump thinks Mike deserves it." The president tweeted during the attack that Pence didnt have the courage to object to Bidens win as he presided over the joint session of Congress. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, arrives to testify as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) The young ex-aide was matter-of-fact in most of her answers. But she did say that she was disgusted at Trump's tweet about Pence during the siege. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American, and you were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie," Hutchinson said, adding that, I still struggle to work through the emotions of that. Trump denied much of what Hutchinson said on his social media platform, Truth Social. He called her a total phony and bad news. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, arrives to testify as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Members of the panel praised Hutchinsons bravery for testifying and said that other witnesses had been intimidated and did not cooperate. I want all Americans to know that what Ms. Hutchinson has done today is not easy, said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who led questioning. Some of Hutchinsons former colleagues, too, dcfended her account. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted that he knows Hutchinson and I dont think she is lying. Sarah Matthews, a former Trump press aide who has also cooperated with the committee, called the testimony damning. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testifies as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) As she described the scene in the White House after the election, Hutchinson depicted a president flailing in anger and prone to violent outbursts. Some aides sought to rein in his impulses. Some did not. At one point on Jan. 6, Hutchinson said, White House counsel Pat Cipollone barreled down the hallway and confronted Meadows about rioters breaching the Capitol. Meadows, staring at his phone, told the White House lawyer that Trump didnt want to do anything, she said. Earlier, Cipollone had worried out loud that we're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if Trump went to the Capitol after his speech at the rally, Hutchinson recalled. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, concludes her testimony as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Before the crowd left for the Capitol, Hutchinson said she also received an angry call from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who had just heard the president say he was coming. Dont come up here, McCarthy told her, before hanging up. Hutchinson told the panel that Trump had been informed early in the day that some of the protesters outside the White House had weapons. But he responded that the protesters were not here to hurt me, Hutchinson said. She quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who were gathering for his speech on the Ellipse, in back of the White House. In a clip of an earlier interview with the committee, she recalled the president saying words to the effect of: I dont f-in' care that they have weapons. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testifies about how former President Donald Trump reacted in his vehicle after being told he was not able to go to the Capitol from the Ellipse on Jan. 6, as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) As a White House insider, Hutchinson told stories of a raging president who was unable to acknowledge his defeat. At the beginning of December, she said, she heard noise inside the White House around the time an Associated Press article was published in which Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had not found evidence of voter fraud that could have changed the election's outcome. She said she entered a room to find ketchup dripping down a wall and broken porcelain. The president, it turned out, had thrown his lunch at the wall in disgust over the article. Trump denied it in his social media posts. In the days before the attack, Hutchinson said she was scared, and nervous for what could happen on Jan. 6 after having conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that things might get real, real bad, she said. Giuliani told her it was going to be a great day and were going to the Capitol. The Free Press | Newsletter Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Eventually, both men would seek pardons related to what happened that day, Hutchinson said. A person familiar with the matter denied that Meadows had ever sought a pardon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity. Hutchinson had already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators, sitting for four interviews with the panel behind closed doors. She detailed meetings in the runup to the insurrection where challenges to the election were debated and discussed at the White House, including with several Republican lawmakers. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Nomaan Merchant, Kevin Freking, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. ___ For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege. Gov. Tony Evers recently granted $264,000 to a group of rural Wisconsin schools amid the states battle with an educator shortage. The Grow Our Own (GROW) Cooperative began its work in March of 2022, comprising the Cambridge, Lodi, Sauk Prairie, and Wisconsin Heights School Districts as well as UW-Whitewater. The districts are working closely with students who want to pursue teaching careers. The grant money will be used to provide them with scholarships, the stipulation being that, once they complete college and receive their teaching certificates, they come back to any of the rural districts in the Cooperative to teach for at least three years. Lodi District Administrator Vince Breunig says the sort of continuity this will provide is huge for not only the prospective teachers, but for the students in each district as well. The people who are most likely to come back and work in a rural community are people who grew up in a rural community, said Breunig.If we can get somebody to come in and work in our district the chances of them staying are much higher. Aiding these efforts further are dual-credit courses, allowing high school students in the districts to kickstart their teaching careers, earning up to 12 credits through online programming provided by their high schools and UW-Whitewater. These measures, Breunig says, will allow the group to combat the educator shortages theyre facing, build their workforces, and provide support for college-bound students seeking careers in education all at once. We are all facing a shortage of qualified educators, said Lodi District Administrator Vince Breunig. We felt that either we could sit back and complain about it or we could try to be proactive and do something about it. According to Breunig, the Cooperative is currently looking at a number of scholarships it could offer to students: a couple of $1,000 grants for graduating high school seniors with plans to study education, $2,000 scholarships for 10 college freshmen and sophomores who are working toward a degree in education, and a $10,000 scholarship for college graduates working toward their teaching certificates. Jeff Wright, superintendent of fellow Cooperative member Sauk Prairie School District, added that while details are being worked out, scholarship funds will likely be distributed between the schools based on the number of applicants, keeping things as equal as possible. Beyond enticing qualified employees to participating districts, Breunig says the scholarships will allow the new teachers more financial stability than the position may have otherwise offered. The shortage of qualified employees is by no means unique to teaching. A report released by the Wisconsin Division of Workforce Development in January showed 209,000 unfilled Wisconsin jobs. In February, Gov. Evers reported the lowest unemployment rate and the fewest number of people unemployed ever in state history, at 2.8% The problem in the education field, according to Breunig, is multi-faceted, but money is certainly a big factor. You end up with some people getting $40,000 to $50,000 in student debt to get a job that pays $40,000 a year, said Breunig. That makes it very difficult. In recent years, the Lodi School District has utilized emergency teaching licensure, authorizing teachers who arent fully qualified out of necessity. Open position signs cover corkboards in many of the districts school buildings, further exemplifying the absence of applicants. I can remember when youd have an elementary position open and youd have 50 to 60 candidates, and it was hard to get through all of those, he said. Now were looking at sometimes 3 or 4 candidates, 5 or 6 candidates, some positions were lucky if we get 1 or 2 candidates. In Sauk Prairie, Wright says the situation is much the same. I think weve had fewer applicants in recent years, but weve had really high quality applicants, said Wright. We know that there are fewer people going into education-related fields. The Sauk Prairie School Districts involvement in the Cooperative, he added is something hes optimistic about, not only for the boost it will bring to his district and the others in the Cooperative, but for what it will mean to students who may otherwise have hesitated to pursue a teaching career. The fact that their own communities choose to invest in them because they believe in their gifts and talents and dedication, I think, will be really empowering, he said. The communities that raised you would love it if you would continue your education and then come back home and help raise another generation of kids. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Beaver Dam Fire Department was honored with the Safety Section Leadership Award on Saturday, June 25. The Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association presented the award during its annual conference held in Green Bay. The WSFCA selects one department each year out of the states 762 fire departments to receive this award. The award supports the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation and United States Fire Administration initiatives to reduce firefighter injuries and line of duty deaths. BDFD improved safety specifically by participating in the International Association of Fire Fighters Fireground Survival Train the Trainer Program, offering extensive training and educational opportunities, working with area fire departments to offer regional trainings and finalizing plans for upgraded training facilities. The department was also recognized for having an active cadet program. Beaver Dam Fire Chief Mike Wesle said he doesnt think that the BDFD focuses directly on safety, but that its focus is really more on training. When you look at our vision statement there are two things in there that really stick out, and thats training and education. We believe that through training and education that were going to be a safer department, he said when accepting the award. Theres all sorts of technologies and policies out there that we can utilize to enhance safety, but nothing is going to make us more safe than being proficient at our craft. Wesle, who became Beaver Dams fire chief last July, said he feels fortunate to have come into a strong organization that had strong leadership. He acknowledged retired BDFD Chief Alan Mannel and retired Deputy Chief Matt Christian for doing the background work and getting the funding for some projects the award identified. Were happy to bring it home for them, he said. Wesle thanked his leadership team at the BDFD and expressed gratitude on behalf of the department to the citizens of Beaver Dam, the Police & Fire Commission, the City Council and Mayor Becky Glewen. Without your support we would not be able to provide essential emergency services to the Beaver Dam community. Follow Kelly Simon on Twitter @KSchmidSimon or contact her at 920-356-6757. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Charges have been filed against a Pardeeville woman stemming from a 2019 traffic stop which would be the womans 5th OWI. Trisha Hiley, 46, is in custody and charged with 5th or 6th OWI offense. If convicted, Hiley faces five years in prison and five years of extended supervision. A criminal complaint states Hiley was convicted of a third and fourth OWI in early 2019. She was arrested three times, once in March and twice in August. Online records show Hiley was found guilty of her fourth OWI in Green Lake County and sentenced to 254 days in county jail in November 2020. At her initial appearance last week, Hileys cash bond was set at $4,500 by Judge Troy Cross. According to the criminal complaint: On March 15, 2019, a Columbia County Sheriffs Deputy stopped a car traveling on North Main Street in Pardeeville around 5:27 p.m. The registered owner of the car did not have a drivers license issued and an active warrant in Dodge County during a records check. During the traffic stop, the deputy allegedly could smell intoxicants from Hiley, who was driving the vehicle. The deputy also reported seeing a number of beer cans on the floor of the back seat of the car. Columbia County Dispatch informed the deputy Hileys license had been revoked due to an OWI conviction. The deputy asked Hiley to perform a number of field sobriety tests and Hiley allegedly exhibited intoxication during the tests. A preliminary breath test showed Hiley had a blood alcohol level of 0.154, almost twice the legal limit. The complaint included Wisconsin Department of Transportation records showing Hiley has been convicted of OWI four previous times: in 2008, 2011 and twice in 2020 stemming from two separate incidents in July 2019. Hiley is set to be back in court in August for a pre-trial conference. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised a bipartisan gun safety bill last week for making our country safer without making it less free. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called it commonsense legislation that will save lives without infringing on any law-abiding Americans Second Amendment rights. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, deemed the package a responsible and targeted step in the right direction. Theyre right. And all told, 15 Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison in voting for the legislation Thursday. The House quickly approved it Friday. Fourteen Republicans (sadly, none from Wisconsin) joined House Democrats in sending the bill to President Joe Biden, who signed it into law Saturday. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will be Congress most significant action on guns in 30 years. It makes modest yet meaningful improvements to background checks, school security and mental health services. It fights the illegal trafficking of guns. It disarms convicted domestic abusers. It encourages states to adopt red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily remove guns from individuals deemed likely to hurt themselves or others. So where is U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, in all of this? Right where he always seems to be: Doing nothing or trying to stop progress. While a handful of senators worked for weeks to accomplish something remarkable in todays political climate a bipartisan agreement to address the chronic tragedy of mass shootings Johnson was dismissive and hatching excuses for voting no. Johnson claims the bill infringes on peoples constitutional right to bear arms. Hes wrong. Even his own GOP leader and other Republican colleagues agree on that. What the bill requires is more scrutiny of teenagers seeking to buy incredibly lethal weapons. If they have long juvenile records of doing harm, a purchase can be denied. What the bill does is crack down on people who illegally buy guns for others who arent supposed to have them. What the bill does (and only in states that allow it) is secure the firearms of troubled people while their mental health and risk of violence are carefully assessed. Johnson claims the process was flawed because the bill didnt go through lots of committees. This comes from the same senator who sought to overturn the will of voters in the last presidential election. Johnson tried to pass a slate of false electors to Vice President Mike Pence, we learned last week. He has no credibility when it comes to good-government procedures. And by comparison, the gun safety law is honorable and transparent. The law even includes a provision that Johnson supported: A national program to share best practices for securing schools something that already existed but now is written into law. Johnsons anything-goes attitude toward guns even after another slaughter of elementary school students is disturbing. He seems to think his only shot at winning reelection this fall having broken his promise not to run again is to fire up the thinning Trump base by opposing just about everything. But members of Congress are called lawmakers for a reason. Their job is to make laws. Instead, Johnson has voted against rebuilding Americas roads and bridges. Hes trashed public health guidance in favor of conspiracy theories during the pandemic. He abandoned his advocacy for the free market and controlling Americas debt when former President Donald Trump launched trade wars and spending sprees. If Johnson cant do anything about gun violence not even something small yet worthy what can he do? Johnson is failing to represent Wisconsins values. Voters should remember his failure this fall. Young South African researchers take leading roles at the ATLAS experiment collaboration Wits young scientist (physicists) take front positions in the worlds largest scientific endeavour to generate new science and expand current knowledge. The ATLAS experiment, which is one of the largest collaborative efforts ever attempted in order to explore the secrets of the universe, hosts an internal conference in order to assess all aspects of the experiment including research, maintenance and its upgrade. Themed Atlas Week Getting Ready for Run-III, this event is attended by the entire collaboration spanning 243 institutes from 41 countries, including South Africa. South Africas talent groomed at Wits University, Dr Edward Nkadimeng chaired one of the plenary sessions on 21 June 2022 while Wits doctoral student Ryan Mckenzie has been chosen to undertake the roles of deputy run-coordinator and then run-coordinator of the ATLAS Hadronic Tile Calorimeter, both putting the continents contribution on the spotlight. Nkadimeng who was appointed in 2019 by the management of the Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment at CERN leads the team for the low voltage power (LVPS) project made up of physicists and engineers from the US and Europe. This international team will be delivering on critical electronics for the upgrade of the Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS detector. Nkadimengs session reviewed tasks including the detector operations, online data selection and processing, data monitoring, calibration and reconstruction, physics analysis, and the upgrade of the detector to the next stages of the experiment. All these tasks are linked, and their results, including any concerns. I am humbled by the recognition given the significance of being invited to chair a session at the ATLAS experiment's overview week at CERN. This is, of course, a result of the world-class contribution and the international leadership of Wits University in the field of particle physics, says Nkadimeng. Mckenzie, a postgraduate student at the High-throughput Electronics Laboratory within the Institute for Collider Particle Physics (ICPP), will take up his roles from 1 September 2022 up until 30 April 2023 and these encompass the control and management of the entire sub-detector including the co-ordination of over 100 physicists, engineers and technicians. The importance of this role is significant as ATLAS will be undertaking RUN-III data taking during Mckenzies tenure. Mckenzie chaired a session in 2021 ATLAS week focusing on the latest physics developments of the ATLAS collaboration as well as ongoing detector research amongst other topics. The session successfully covered the ATLAS Phase-II upgrade which is to commence in the year 2025 and is focused on preparing the ATLAS detector for the next energy frontier being ushered in by the High Luminosity-LHC. This event forms a key aspect of what allows the collaboration to span the entire globe and was truly a joy to behold. It was an honour to be selected to fulfil this role, I eagerly look forward towards being part of further contributions made by South Africa, says Mckenzie. South Africa in the knowledge community The SA-CERN programme contribution to the Phase-II upgrade takes the form of high-tech power supplies which provide power to the Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS detector. These electronic components are produced locally thereby illustrating the world-class ability of the South African electronics industry. The SA-CERN programme is also supported by the Department of Science and Innovation and it is hosted by iThemba LABS of the National Research Foundation. We are really proud that young South African scientists have grown to become leaders of our global community, says Bruce Mellado, Director of the ICPP and senior researcher at iThemba LABS. The South African electronics industry will manufacture and deploy radiation hard and fast high-throughput electronics to meet the requirements of the Phase-II upgrade occurring in 2025 . The detector measures the energy and position of energetic particles that emerge from collisions between particles in the Large Hadron Collider. These measurements were used for the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, for which the theorists that predicted the particle were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013. These activities and international partnerships represent an invaluable opportunity for South Africa to train students and to conduct technology transfer to local industry. South African students routinely graduate with training gained through their work at the Tile Calorimeter. Related articles Wits students showcase South African electronics research at top international workshop QnA with Dr Edward Nkadimeng @ATLASexperiment 73-year-old Wits Professor to take on the Amazon river to fight climate change Professor Kurt Sartorius and his colleague from the School of Accountancy, Wayne van Zijl, will set out on an expedition that nearly broke him 50 years ago. At 73 years of age, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kurt Sartorius, will set out on an expedition that nearly broke him 50 years ago. In July 2022, Accountancy professor Sartorius; his son, Benn Sartorius; and colleague, Professor Wayne van Zijl [CA(SA)], also of the School of Accountancy at the Wits Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, will set out to paddle over 1100 km down the Rio Madeira, one of the biggest tributaries of the Brazilian Amazon River. This is the second time in 50 years that Sartorius will be taking on this adventure. If you ask me how it was the first time, in 1972, I hated it, says Sartorius, who last paddled the river as a 22-year-old student. It nearly broke me. Sartorius and his team decided to take on this challenge again in order to raise awareness of the drastic impact of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest on climate change, and to raise funds in support for reforestation initiatives and related scientific and business research. We are also hoping to raise awareness among the accounting industry of the importance of the role that the profession has to play where it comes to climate change, says Sartorius. Accountants have the tools, skills and responsibility to report, not only on financial profits and losses, but also on environmental impact of the businesses they operate in, so they have immense power to make a crucial contribution when it comes to fighting climate change, says Sartorius. The Professors leave Johannesburg from OR Tambo International Airport on 1 July 2022 to begin the three-day journey to Porto Velho, in the State of Rondonia, in the upper Amazon River basin. From there, theyll have two days to arrange the needed food supplies and ready their two canoes for a dawn start on 6 July 2022. The journey is expected to take the team a minimum of 28 days to complete. At night, theyll string up tree hammocks to sleep in the jungle on the banks of the river. However, many times there are no places to camp and the team of four will have to paddle some night shifts. At some places, the river is 2 km wide, and at night it is completely dark, and the only thing you hear is the roar of insects on the banks and the gurgling sounds of the river which is alive with 900 species of river life, says Sartorius. Well need to be completely vigilant at all times, as it is extremely easy to get lost or separated from your group. Odd whirlpools can also be dangerous. Sartorius and his team have been funded by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and Wits University. Climate Change is one of the research focus areas of Wits University, which is celebrating its centenary celebrations in 2022. Sartorius challenge makes up part of Wits Centenary Campaign. All funds raised by the expedition will go towards reforestation and research projects. All donations will be administered by a panel of relevant experts on behalf of the Wits Foundation. Both scientific and business-related researchers can submit proposals for grants. Business-related research that accelerates developing the tools for companies to identify, measure and assure environmental impacts will be prioritised. Our support for the reforestation project emphasises that climate change is a borderless fight, says Van Zijl. The Amazon is our planets lungs. It plays a massive part in regulating Earths climate, so each of us, no matter where we live, benefit and relies on from the Amazons rainforest. We cannot leave its protection to Brazil alone. The teams progress during the 1 100 km paddle can be followed on social media Twitter at ResearchSoa and Instagram at WayneVanZijl. The Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation recently awarded over $5,000 in hospital related grant funding as part of a special program called Partner Mini-Healthcare Grants. An additional $200,000 will be awarded later this year to departments of Beatrice Community Hospital and community non-profit organizations as part of the BCH Foundations Annual Healthcare Grant awards. The 2022 BCH Foundation Partner mini-healthcare grants were awarded with the intent of using donor dollars to support innovative ideas, new and unique technologies and programs within Hospital departments." said Foundation Partner Program Coordinator Lindsey McKeever. Partner mini-healthcare grants are made possible through donations to the Centurian Endowment Fund. By giving to the Centurian Fund Endowment you become a BCH Foundation Partner and get to be a part of the decision making body that decides how grant funds are allocated. The BCH Foundation Partners selected five grants to be awarded. BCH Speech Therapy was granted $1,500 for an iPad Pro to assist patients who have experienced a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, and other types of acute changes. Our goal is to help our patients maintain maximum independence in daily living from communication, participation in work, home and social settings, and safely meet nutrition and hydration needs. said Ashely Lester, Speech Therapist. Additional grants were awarded to BCH Environmental Services for a portable steamer cleaner; BCH Acute Care for video monitors; BCH Specialty Clinic for a digital patient scale; BCH Diagnostic Imaging for a portable cell phone charging station. The charging dock will alleviate the worry of a low battery on their phone or device and keep the patient and their family entertained, informed and connected all while increasing the overall patient experience. said Shannon Stein, Director of Diagnostic Imaging. The BCH Foundation will award larger Healthcare Grants later this year with the intent of enhancing the medical and healthcare services in the region, Gina Heckey, BCH Foundation Senior Executive, said. The annual Healthcare Grant Award process, open to both BCH departments as well as local health-related non-profit organizations, aims to address issues of medical care, accessibility, social determinants of health and the patient experience. Grant applications and awards typically reflect the diverse health and wellness needs of our community. Rich Hovendick, president of the Foundations volunteer board of directors, said. The BCH Foundation provides a variety of grant funding options to help both the Hospital and our community partners to address frontline needs and improve employee and patient satisfaction. When the BCH Foundation was originally formed over 60 years ago, an endowment fund was established to address the ever-changing needs of healthcare in the area. The larger Healthcare Grant Awards are representative of the earnings from that endowment fund. Applications for the Annual Healthcare Grant Awards are currently open, and must be completed and received by July 29, 2022. Potential applicants must be registered non-profit organizations working to fill a healthcare gap in Gage County. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Trainees practice livestreaming promotion skills during an e-commerce training class in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 24, 2022. In recent years new media has played an important role in promoting the rural revitalization projects in Rongjiang County. Local authorities have provided new media skills training service for more than 12,000 people, including inheritors of local intangible cultural heritages, youths returning hometown to start business, relocated residents and local women. It is expected that more than 2,000 livestreaming promotion teams will be fostered in Rongjiang by 2023, which will create jobs for more than 10,000 people. [Xinhua/Wang Bingzhen] BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago, China-Guyana relations have achieved significant development, with political mutual trust continuously deepened and practical cooperation yielding fruitful results. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of the two countries have worked together with solidarity and mutual assistance, writing a new chapter of China-Guyana friendship, he said. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations, and is willing to work with Ali to take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to lift bilateral relations to new levels and bring benefits to the two countries and their people. For his part, Ali said that Guyana was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with China, and that the country firmly adheres to the one-China policy. Over the past 50 years, Guyana and China have always adhered to the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time, Ali said. He added that Guyana stands ready to take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to continuously deepen bilateral friendship. (Source: Xinhua) SAN ANTONIO (AP) Fifty people have died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. More than a dozen people had been taken to hospitals, including four children. A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck on a lonely San Antonio back road shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground near the trailer and bodies remained inside as authorities responded to the calamity. Forty-six people were found dead near the scene, authorities said. Four more later died after being taken to hospitals, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the county's top elected official, Among the dead were 39 males and 11 females, he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said those who died had "families who were likely trying to find a better life." "This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," Nirenberg said. It's among the deadliest of the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring the absolutely horrific and heartbreaking reports" from San Antonio. Jean-Pierre pushed back against some Republican lawmakers who blamed the administration for the deaths and said it was focused on the victims and holding human smugglers accountable. "The fact of the matter is, the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks," she said. "Our prayers are with those who tragically lost their lives, their loved ones as well as those still fighting for their lives. We're also grateful for the swift work of federal, state and local first responders." Full story here: *** Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporter Terry Wallace contributed from Dallas. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) "Only when the granary is full will people learn etiquette; only when people are well-fed and clothed will they know honor and shame." President Xi Jinping quoted the ancient Chinese adage when addressing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday. The saying comes from Shiji, or the Records of the Grand Historian, a monumental history book of ancient China compiled about 2,000 years ago. It highlighted that material conditions of life are the basis for the systems and morality of a society. In his speech, Xi recounted his experience of being a farmer on the Loess Plateau in the late 1960s, and how development had changed local villagers' life over the years. Only through continuous development can the people's dream for a better life and social stability be realized, Xi pointed out. (Source: Xinhua) The seaside town of Wellfleet is located along the Cape Cod peninsula in Barnstable County in the US State of Massachusetts. The harbors fill with a glamorous assortment of yachts, sailboats, and trawlers in the summer; when tourists flock to the area, the population grows nearly six times in size. Wellfleet is famed for its Oysters, which are plentiful in their harvest and richly flavorful. Moreover, shellfish have proven to be the most sustainable of Wellfleets commercial industries. With its long history as a fishing harbor, this nautical village is known today for its glistening freshwater ponds and deeply devoted wildlife conservation sanctuaries. Geography Of Wellfleet Uncle Tim's Bridge in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod peninsula trails off the east coast of North America, extending into the Atlantic ocean. Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, lies inland and to the north, while major centers Worcester and Springfield fall further to the west. Wellfleet is one of four towns including Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown, just 12 miles away that are collectively referred to as the Outer Cape or the elbow of the peninsula because they exist on the thinnest expanse of the land mass. The township of Wellfleet exists within Barnstable county, and the surrounding area is littered with freshwater kettle ponds that can be found hidden amid the Cape Cod National Seashore or obscured from view in the depths of pine-dense forests. Due to the nature of the peninsulas hook shape, Cape Cod Bay lies to the north of Wellfleet, while Nantucket Sound falls to the south. At the bottom of the Cape Cod peninsula lies Naushon Island, which sections off another chunk of the Atlantic into Buzzards Bay west of Wellfleet. Climate Of Wellfleet Wellfleet's warm season is windy and humid, lasting from June to September, with average temperatures above 69F. Temperatures remain relatively consistent over these months, and tourism scores indicate the entire warm season is a pleasant time to visit. The year's hottest months are July and August, when the average daily low is 65F, and the average high is 76F. Winters in Wellfleet are harsh and cold, with snowy conditions and high winds. The cold winter season lasts from early December to the end of March, and the average daily temperature only reaches as high as 45F throughout these months. The coldest month Wellfleet experiences is January, when the average high is 39F, and the average low is 27F. Wellfleet has considerable cloud coverage and precipitation throughout the year, with October the wettest month bringing 4.5 inches of rainfall and even July the driest month collecting 2.7 inches of rain over the month. Brief History Of Wellfleet Wellfleet Town Hall in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Image Credit: ToddC4176, via Wikimedia Commons. In 1644, the Court of New Plymouth issued land grants to settlers in Eastham, and between 1654 and 1674, these grants had grown to encompass the majority of the Outer Cape. Even then, Wellfleet Harbor held a reputation among fishers for being a great fishing spot though, at the time, the area was called Billingsgate, after a fish market in London. The inhabitants of the surrounding municipality, referred to then as the Hamlet of Billingsgate, were denied their petition to join together in the founding of an independent town in 1723. However, it was in this same year that the North Precinct of Eastham was established. When the General Court determined that the North Precinct be sectioned into a district called Wellfleet in 1763, the towns name was chosen to invoke the profits and wealth of eastern Englands well-known (and much-loved) Wellfleet oysters. Come 1707, Wellfleet had made an international name for itself as a result of its thriving whaling industry, which sent ships to such distant lands as Africa and was incredibly beneficial for the town up until the interruptions caused by the British naval blockades, which were introduced during the American Revolution. By the 1800s, Wellfleets fishing port was one of the most prosperous in Massachusetts. Local shell fishers farmed oysters by shipping them from Connecticut and the Chesapeake, as well as Buzzards Bay, then planting them in the Cape harbor, where they would be imbued with the classic Wellfleet flavor that was so aspired for. The Population And Economy Of Wellfleet Wellfleet is home to 3,662 people. The median annual income per household is $45,547 (approximately $8,000 below the estimated national average), and per family, the median income is $68,884. The average individual income is $34,979, which is more than $6,000 higher than the countrys national average. The racial composition of Wellfleet is roughly 83% white, 7% Hispanic, and another 10% of mixed races (two or more). There is a poverty rate of 11% in Wellfleet, with a 9% unemployment rate. Attractions In Wellfleet Storm clouds over a blue fishing boat tied to a dock in a harbor in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Wellfleet is said to be home to the tastiest, best-known New England oysters, and for a good reason; in fact, some consider them the very best in the world. The high salinity 28 parts per thousand of salt to water of the Wellfleet Harbor, where oysters continue to be farmed in addition to naturally harvested, offers a decadent brine that stands apart from other flavors. Additionally, the water temperature in Wellfleet harbor is lower than it would be in the south, where the same species of oyster can also be found. Cold waters are an advantage to the farming of tasty oysters: low temperature makes for a low metabolism in the oyster, meaning it stores more glycogen compounds, resulting in a sweet-tasting oyster. Finally, the refreshingly clean waters of Wellfleet Harbor produce pollution-free seafood. Greater and Lesser yellowlegs at Goose Pond in Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Few places are more peaceful in all of Massachusetts than the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, with trails and boardwalks suitable for walking with families and children. Complete immersion in this wilderness escape is possible through a stay in the Sanctuarys campground or by attending one of the many events and classes hosted here. The tiny town of Wellfleet is unique in its history, location, and reputation. Colonial settlers ventured to this region of North America earlier than most others. Various booms and busts in the fishing, agriculture, and commerce industries have seen the town through centuries of progress. As a community within the Outer Cape, the town still fosters a strong nautical culture, and the oysters for which the town was named continue to bring pride and renown to the people of Wellfleet. Although only 96.6m tall, Vernal Fall is one of Yosemite National Park's most impressive waterfalls. Like the Nevada Fall, it is one of the few waterfalls in the park that cannot be seen from the valley level by automobile. Intrepid tourists must climb to its base to feel the mist rising from its thunderous streams. The Mist Trail, which provides access to both these falls and the moist air that rolls from the foot of the falls to bathe passing hikers, is one of the best places to see this magnificent cascade. Geography Of Vernal Fall A view of the Vernal Fall and the Merced River from Washburn Point, Yosemite National Park, California. Vernal Fall is a 96.6m tall waterfall in Yosemite National Park located in east-central California that spans the Merced River about 6 km above its junction with Tenaya Creek. The waterfall is not visible from the main valley but is easily accessible via a well-known path beginning close to the Happy Isles Nature Center. The trail (the John Muir Trail, also known as the Mist Trail) begins flat but quickly becomes sandy and rocky, and it is frequently quite busy. It flows through forested territory just north of the Merced River, which is a fast-flowing, boulder-filled whitewater torrent with several minor rapids and cascades at this point. As the trail steadily ascends and turns east, the vista back into Yosemite Valley becomes more stunning. The waterfall runs all year. However, by the end of summer, it shrinks somewhat and then can break into many strands rather than a single curtain of water. Hiking Trail Mist Trail, Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park. The footbridge at 0.75 miles provides a fantastic view of Vernal Fall. The Mist Trail and the John Muir Trail split 0.2 miles after the bridge. One may also connect the Mist Trail and the John Muir Trail into a loop to reach the top of Vernal Fall (via the Clark Point shortcut) and Nevada Fall. To get to the Vernal Fall's top, one can use the Mist Trail for 0.8 km up a steep granite stairway with over 600 steps. In the spring and early summer, slick footing and a lot of waterfall spray may be experienced. The trail is usually open during the autumn season. In the winter, the Vernal Fall Mist Trail is closed, although access is possible through the John Muir Trail, which may be snowy. Hikers can continue 2.1 km up the Mist Trail to reach the summit of Nevada Fall from Vernal Fall. The John Muir Trail also ascends to Nevada Fall, bypassing Vernal Fall. In the winter, the section of the John Muir Trail between Clark Point and the top of Nevada Fall remains closed. The trail ascends a series of steep stairs alongside the waterfall before emerging into a huge, flat, open space at the top with a railing-protected vista right at the edge of the raging water. A big peaceful pond (Emerald Pool) lies just upstream, as is a remarkable cascade known as the Silver Apron, where the waters flow down a smooth 30 slope of polished granite, plunging around 50 feet. These appealing attributes are one of the reasons Vernal Fall is the most hazardous waterfall in Yosemite, with about 17 individuals reported to have perished (since 1924) after being pushed over the brink by strong currents while swimming, wading, boulder hopping, or sliding off the riverbank. Despite several warnings in multiple languages, the deadly circumstances persist. Brief History Of Vernal Fall People are hiking in Yosemite National Park at Vernal Falls on Merced River Mist Trail. Editorial credit: Benny Marty / Shutterstock.com Yosemite was colonized by the Miwok people by the late 18th century and, after that, by Mono Lake Paiute and Chukchansi Yokuts. The route to the summit of Vernal Fall was already in place when California took over Yosemite in 1864, but its actual beginnings are unknown. The state acquired the Mist Trail for $300 in 1882, and it has been upgraded and maintained over the subsequent 100 years with stone stairs, rails, and amenities. According to Lafayette Bunnell, the Yosemite Valley inhabitants called Vernal Fall Yan-o-pah, which means "little water cloud." Bunnell offered the current name because the mix of moss, mist, and strong sunshine striking the falls reminded him of Spring, and it derives from Lord Byron's poem. Hazards People climb the stairs to Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, California. Editorial credit: Mirko Chianucci / Shutterstock.com Vernal Fall is also one of California's most dangerous waterfalls. Since 1924, at least 17 individuals have been washed over the falls after getting too near to the river, and many more have died in the river below the falls. Most recently, in 2011, a party of three crossed the guard barrier at the fall's top to pose for a picture near the river, and all three lost their footing, plunged into the river, and drowned as hundreds of onlookers watched helplessly. One must obey all caution signs and stay within the guard rails provided when visiting Vernal Fall. This fall is unquestionably one of Yosemite's greatest marvels. If you want to spend a memorable and adventurous day trekking through the rocky paths, then the Vernal Fall is indeed the place to go. Weather Alert ...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Daily heat index values of 100 to 110 degrees expected. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Heat index values today will top out around 100 to 105 degrees. The peak of the heat will occur Tuesday through Thursday, when daily heat index values will reach 105 to 110 degrees. Daily chances for isolated thunderstorms will provide limited relief from the heat. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && The tripartite Baku Declaration on cooperation in the sphere of transport and communications will serve transport ties between Turkic countries, Azernews reports Azerbaijani MP Azer Badamov's remarks for Trend. Events in global politics have actualized the creation of new cooperation platforms. New opportunities for the formation of economic and political relations have appeared on these platforms. According to him, the transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan have become important routes of global relevance. International North-South Transport Corridor, East-West transport corridor, Baku International Sea Trade Port, and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line opened the way for Azerbaijan to become a center of international transportation, Badamov said. "The first meeting of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Kazakh foreign ministers and ministers of transport in a trilateral format, held in Baku on June 27, is a landmark event. This format created a new opportunity to discuss the possibilities of further expanding cooperation between the three fraternal countries in the sphere of transport and communications," the official added. "The tripartite Baku Declaration on cooperation in the sphere of transport and communications was signed as a result of the meeting," Badamov added. He went on to say that Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Kazakhstan cooperate on many international platforms. However, the newly created trilateral format allows us to talk about the formation of transport ties between the countries of the Turkic world with a future contribution to the global economy. MP noted that the trilateral meeting held in Baku by the foreign ministers and other officials of the fraternal countries also testifies to the message to the world about the unity of Turkic peoples. "The Turkic world is strengthening its place on the world stage as an influential and powerful force that the rest of the world must reckon with," he added. A 32-year-old Elk Creek man was arrested south of Lincoln on Sunday after he forced his girlfriend to drive along Nebraska 2 before assaulting her in a ditch after she tried to escape, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office. Cody Ringle had forced his 37-year-old girlfriend to drive a vehicle from Elk Creek toward Lincoln, Sheriff Terry Wagner said, and the woman stopped the car near 120th Street and Nebraska 2, where another man was changing his tire. After pulling over, Ringle went to help the man with his tire, Wagner said, and the woman took off running. Wagner said Ringle chased her down and was seen punching her in the face several times in the ditch near 120th and Nebraska 2. Another motorist stopped and gave the woman a ride to the nearby Sam's Club, where she called police, as Ringle fled the area on foot. He was arrested north of the area on suspicion of false imprisonment and third-degree domestic assault, along with an active Johnson County warrant, Wagner said. Ringle is being held at the Lancaster County jail. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Council U-turn to allow Welsh Independence march on Llwyn Isaf as Administration issue statement to set record straight Wrexham Council have changed their minds and will now allow a march to take place on Llwyn Isaf on Saturday following a review. Yesterday we reported how organisers of the All Under One Banner March for Independence event had been refused permission to use Llwyn Isaf as the council would consider the Independent March a political march and thus it contravenes a council protocol from 2011. The ban was explicit from Wrexham Council not only telling organisers the booking would be not permitted, but went as far as requesting organisers to please change your advertising of the March to reflect our decision. Following yesterdays article Wrexham.com is aware of several formal and informal meetings to discuss what exactly could be done over the matter, with the council appearing to be in a quandary over how to enforce an unenforceable policy, or if they should set a possibly concerning precedent to ignore a long standing councillor-backed protocol and allow the march. The detail of the protocol itself has also come into focus with some councillors now looking to bring it back for review. The current protocol was passed by a 2011 Executive Board (Made up of Ron Davies, David A. Bithell, R.J. Dutton, Mark Pritchard, Alun Jenkins, Arfon Jones, Joan Lowe, Neil Rogers, Rodney Skelland, Michael Williams with others present noted as Marc Jones, David Kelly, Carole OToole and Paul Rogers. Votes and views expressed are not recorded anywhere.) and has been in place, and referenced regularly by Wrexham Council ever since. Following further meetings today Wrexham Council have finally published a public response to the issue, opting to review the decision. The council indicate they have taken on board organisers initial arguments over Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which provides freedom of peaceful assembly, a point that appears to have been ignored first time around. The statement from Wrexham Council reads: We have reviewed the application to use Llwyn Isaf on Saturday 2 July. In line with our policy and usual approach, we would not usually agree the booking of Llwyn Isaf for marches and rallies. However, we recognise the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and in the circumstances we will not be taking any action to prevent the use of Llwyn Isaf on Saturday. Although we were told the decision to not permit the march was entirely operational and not political, a joint statement has also been issued by the Administration of Wrexham Council titled Setting the record straight. It is jointly signed by Independents Group Leader and Council Leader Mark Pritchard, Deputy Leader David A Bithell and Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr Hugh Jones. It is copied below in full: Setting the record straight Setting the record straight about the march for Welsh independence taking place in Wrexham on Saturday, July 2, organised by AUOB Cymru. A joint statement from: Councillor Mark Pritchard Leader of Wrexham Council Councillor David A Bithell Deputy Leader of the Council Councillor Hugh Jones Leader of the Conservative Group As political leaders at Wrexham Council, we want to make it clear that we fully support the right for Welsh independence campaigners to hold a peaceful march this weekend. The march has been organised by AUOB Cymru for this Saturday, July 2, starting from Llwyn Isaf green outside the Guildhall. The event has been in the headlines this week after claims the council was trying to ban the march. This isnt the case, and we want to set the record straight. An official request from the organisers to use Llwyn Isaf was turned down, and this was based on a council protocol that states the green should not be used for political rallies. The protocol was put in place in 2011 due to concerns about extreme-right groups who were very active back then wanting to use Llwyn Isaf for marches and rallies. The policy was supported by all political groups on the council at the time, and was seen as a common-sense approach to help prevent potential community tensions and disorder. However, the council has never said it would try and prevent the independence march this weekend, and we as political leaders at the council have never made any attempt to ban or stop the march going ahead. We fully support everybodys right to march and express themselves in a lawful and democratic way, and hope everyone who attends the event has an enjoyable day. We wish them well. As politicians weve been on marches ourselves over the years, and we believe the right for people to peacefully express themselves and gather together is a vital part of democracy. To sum up, we have no problem with the organisers using Llwyn Isaf green we never have and as councillors weve never intervened or made any attempt to stop this event. We hope everyone has a good day, and that they spend some money in our local shops and businesses, and have a positive experience in Wrexham. Top pic: Llwyn Isaf earlier today. First Minister accused of misleading the Senedd over strike comments The First Minister has been accused of misleading the Senedd after he told members that train staff had been deployed from Wales to run limited services in England during last weeks strikes despite Network Rail stating that no such thing had happened. Transport for Wales was not in dispute with the RMT union, however workers from various train operators and Network Rail were on strike many Welsh services did not operate. Last week, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Davies MS wrote to Mark Drakeford urging him to correct the record after a debate in the Senedd, saying I believe that a correction is fully warranted and that he was concerned that the comment inaccurate and used to justify some divisive, unjust language. In First Minister questions the following exchange took place Mr Davies MS asked the First Minister First Minister, the country today is gridlocked because of the rail strikes, the biggest strikes since the 1980s. Do you support the strikes, First Minister? The First Minister replied, There are no strikes in Wales. There is no dispute between Transport for Wales and the trade union. Where I am responsible for these things, workers are not on strike, because of the way in which the Welsh Government acts on a social partnership basis to bring people round the table together to make sure that conversations take place and solutions are reached. How very different from the entirely absent UK Government, who abandon their responsibilities and mean that thousands of people are unable to travel due to the dereliction of duty that is so apparent in their approach to industrial relations. A follow up question from Mr Davies MS asked, Nothing like winding up the payroll vote to the unions is there when your own are banging their desks. I didnt hear them banging their desks when they were supposed to be standing up for their constituents who were stuck on trains that couldnt provide a service, from Transport for Wales. And when you go to Cardiff Central station today, or the rail network in north Wales or mid Wales, there are no trains running, First Minister. I do note that you didnt say that you supported the strikes, which is to be welcomed, First Minister, but surely, in an era when we need the public transport system to come back to life after COVID, we need to move away from the 1950s working practices and move into the 2020spractices that see people not sharing vans to get to the same site to work, practices that rule on not using drones for health and safety, or the ability to use apps on phones to send messages to workers who are in vulnerable locations. Surely youll agree with me on that, First Minister, that working practices do need updating in our railways, whether thats in Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so that we have a safe and reliable rail network? The First Minister replied, Let me explain to the leader of the opposition why trains arent running in Wales: its because his Government has created a dispute with Network Rail, and Network Rail have removed some of the staff, who could have been available to make trains run in Wales, in order to keep trains running in England. I wonder if he supports that measure, which was a decision of his Government, to deny people in Wales the opportunity to travelwhere there is no disputeby removing those workers to look after what clearly is for them a higher priority than Welsh citizens will ever be. The trade unions. Llywydd, of course the trade unions want to negotiate and want to negotiate on safe working practices for the future, but the safe working practices. When you look at what Network Rail is currently proposing, I wouldnt want to be travelling on a train with a driver that has just worked for 16 hours in a row. I wouldnt want to be on a train where I couldnt be confident that the safety arrangements and signalling boxes are what they need to be. Llywydd, any dispute in the end is only ever settled by negotiation. What I want to see is the UK Government using the power that it has, the convening power that it has, the muscle of the funding arrangements that it has, to get people around the table and to make sure that those talks resume and head towards an agreed conclusion. It is the absence of the UK Government and their refusal to exercise those responsibilities that is responsible for the issues that people face while trying to travel today. The comment that has triggered the dispute is the claim by the First Minister Network Rail have removed some of the staff, who could have been available to make trains run in Wales, in order to keep trains running in England. Later that day, Network Rail Wales and Borders confirmed that no Network Rail staff have been redeployed from Wales to England during this industrial action. Adding Were continuing to work with our partners at Transport for Wales and other train operators to keep passengers moving where we can, they said. The Welsh Government later effectively disputed that saying, Network Rail have prioritised deploying their contingent signallers, some of whom normally work in Wales, to keep lines in England running as part of their revised route strategy to deal with the dispute. In response to a letter from the Welsh Conservative leader, the First Minister said: Let me confirm what I said in Plenary this week: Network Rails route strategy for managing the rail strike focuses almost entirely on lines in England. Whilst Transport for Wales staff have not undertaken strike action this week, the practical operation of the Transport for Wales timetable depends upon the priorities which Network Rail decides to deliver. They have decided that there is only one priority route in the whole of Wales. I have received a letter from Network Rail which provides further detail of its actions this week, including information that no staff were moved this week. Commenting on the response, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said: For someone who likes to present himself a standard bearer for honesty in politics, Mark Drakeford is veering off course wildly. I have had to write to him twice in the last couple months urging him to correct the record after he has misinformed the Senedd, yet he has doubled down again despite Network Rail setting him straight on the day of the infraction. Thousands of people across Wales were left unable to travel for work and school exams last week, potentially leaving many out of pocket at a time when the cost of living is in the up. Rather than stoking up division, the First Minister should be making sure people can get their jobs and exams. Nobody is perfect but when presented with chances to correct mistakes, it is a shame that Labours First Minister has chosen the route of denial in the face of facts. It is not too late for him to change his mind. New arrival hub to help Ukrainian nationals created at Wrexham railway stations New arrival hubs have been created at Wrexham and Cardiff railway stations to help Ukrainian nationals. Rooms within the stations have been refurbished and provide facilities including an area for children. Ukrainians fleeing war can use these facilities when arriving into the city before moving on to Welsh Government welcome centres or to family, friends or sponsors. The arrival hubs are fully supported by Wrexham County Borough Council and Cardiff Council and donations have been received from the Blackwood Community Sainsburys in Pontllanfraith. James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said: At TfW we are doing everything we can to support those seeking refuge and we hope the arrival hubs weve created in our major stations in the north and south of Wales will be beneficial to the people needing them. Theyll provide a safe and comfortable space for those arriving into Wales. Deputy Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said: Wales is proud to be a Nation of Sanctuary and Im pleased TfW have been able to offer arrival hubs for Ukrainian refugees escaping this terrible conflict, giving them the space to relax and collect their thoughts before moving on to stay with family, friends and sponsors. From 17th March 2022 all refugees, not just those fleeing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, have been able to travel for free on TfW rail services. Ukrainian nationals can claim free travel by showing a Ukrainian passport to conductors and station staff. All other refugees can travel for free on presentation of status documentation. Tesco makes it even easier for shoppers in North Wales to help local food banks and charities Tesco say they are making it easier than ever for shoppers in North Wales to give a helping hand to food banks and charities feeding people in their local community. The Tesco Food Collection is taking place in every large Tesco store across the UK from Thursday, June 30 until Saturday, July 2, and shoppers are being urged to donate long-life food to support local food banks in the Trussell Trusts network and thousands of frontline charities supplied by FareShare. Tesco say they will top up all food donations made during the collection with an extra 20% cash donation to support the two charities. Shoppers can also round up their bill at the checkout to make a small donation to both the charities, and pre-filled donation bags with some of the items that are most-needed will be available in selected stores. New permanent donation points are being placed in every Tesco Express store in the UK for the first time, meaning shoppers will now be able to donate at Express stores year-round. Shoppers can also donate their Tesco Clubcard points online to either of the charities. Tesco Head of Community Claire de Silva said, This collection marks ten years of us working with the Trussell Trust and FareShare. During that decade our customers have been amazingly generous, donating more than 100 million meals during our food collections and at permanent collection points in Tesco stores, but we wanted to make it even easier for customers in North Wales to donate this summer as we know that every can donated really does help. Donations are more important than ever as the charities have reported increasing need for food, Sarah Germain, CEO at FareShare Cymru, said: Our charities are telling us that the need for food has vastly increased as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and over the last year weve continued to deliver four meals every second to people facing food insecurity across the UK. Thats why we would be immensely grateful to anyone who is able to donate a bag of pasta or tin of vegetables over the Tesco Food Collection weekend your generous donations will help us continue providing vital support to families struggling to cope this summer. Danni Malone, Director of Network Programmes and Innovation at the Trussell Trust added: Every year, we are amazed by the generosity of Tesco customers who donate to the Food Collection. We know that many families on the very lowest incomes have been forced to the doors of food banks to get by, as the nation faces a rapid rise in the cost of living and continues to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic. So, once again, we are calling on shoppers to give generously and make a difference to people who need our support over the coming weeks and months. Wrexham AFC first in UK to offer match-day support in Makaton Wrexham AFC say they are delighted to announce the club Quiet Zone now has bronze Makaton Friendly Status, with the Club becoming the first in Wales to attain Makaton Friendly Status and the first in the UK to offer match-day support in Makaton. Staff across the Club underwent training, including those in the Club Shop, ticket office and media department, as well as our accessible entrance stewards, Quiet Zone friendly face stewards, Wrex the Dragon and club captain Ben Tozer. We also have an away steward trained, for any visiting supporters who may need support. Makaton is a language programme, which uses signs together with speech and symbols to enable people to communicate. Wrexham AFC Disability Liaison Officer, Kerry Evans, said: We are delighted to have attained bronze Makaton Friendly status and to once again be blazing a trail not just in Wales but across the UK for inclusivity. Alongside our Quiet Zone, we were pleased to have staff across a wide cross-section of the Club receive training in Makaton, including Club captain Ben Tozer. I would like to thank all staff for their efforts, as well as Amanda Glennon for her help and support. We look forward to welcoming fans using Makaton symbols to the Racecourse Ground for the 2022/23 season. Amanda Glennon, Makaton Ambassador and Tutor said: It has been wonderful to see the commitment to inclusive communication and use of Makaton throughout Wrexham AFC. The Quiet Zone has been an obvious focus for the team so that visitors who may need a helping hand with communication are included, but awareness and training has taken place across all areas and include a match day away steward and player. For more information on Makaton, visit the Makaton website here. Stockman Bank has delivered a check to the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation for $25,000 to assist those affected by record flooding last week. Within hours of the flood, Stockman established the Montana Flood Relief Fund and invited people and businesses around the state to contribute. Stockman Bank CEO, Bill Coffee, says the response has been overwhelming. We want to sincerely thank all who have joined us with donations to the Montana Flood Relief Fund. Because of the generosity of our fellow Montanans, we are able to begin distributing these funds where they are most needed, stated Coffee. Damage was extensive in our neighboring communities of Red Lodge, Fromberg and other areas in Carbon County. It was important to us to get needed funding to them as quickly as possible. On behalf of every community, Fromberg, Edgar, Luther, Joliet, Roberts, Bridger, Belfry, Roscoe, and Red Lodge who are affected by the flooding on Rock Creek, the Clarks Fork River, and many irrigation ditches, I am thankful for this generous contribution that Stockman Bank has inspired on behalf of Carbon County, stated Tracy Timmons, Executive Director of the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. These funds are desperately needed for immediate efforts to cover well water testing fees, sanitary landfill disposal costs, food security efforts, volunteer coordination to muck out homes, and identifying basic home remedies to return people to their homes as quickly as possible. Many things about this disaster will not be quick and we are committed to both the short-term and long-term recovery efforts. Their partnership is helping to make these goals possible. How to Donate Stockman Bank opened the Montana Flood Relief Fund with a $10,000 deposit and is matching donations up to a total of $15,000 through Aug. 1, 2022. You may bring your donation or mail your donation to any Stockman Bank location across Montana. Visit www.stockmanbank.com to find the location nearest you. Please make checks payable to the Montana Flood Relief Fund. Online, you may donate to the fund by using Zelle with your online banking app. The email address to add in Zelle to send your donation is To donate using Venmo, search @StockmanBankofMontana. If you are asked for a confirmation code, enter 3550. To learn more visit www.stockmanbank.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Hardly a day goes by in contemporary America without a mass casualty event produced by capitalist reaction. On Monday evening, a semi-truck trailer filled with bodiessome dead, some still clinging to lifewas discovered a stones throw from a busy interstate highway in San Antonio, Texas. Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies were discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. [AP Photo/Eric Gay] The truck was carrying undocumented immigrants fleeing desperate economic conditions in Central America and the legacy of over a century of US imperialist exploitation. The immigrants were forced to enter surreptitiously due to the anti-immigrant restrictions imposed by the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden. So far, the official death toll is 46, but this is expected to rise, as local officials say 16 others were hospitalized at varying stages of illness. This is the deadliest such event in US history. It doubles the death toll of the second highest mass immigrant asphyxiation, when 19 people suffocated in a truck trailer in Victoria, Texas, in 2003. Earlier Monday, temperatures in San Antonio hit 103 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius). It is difficult to imagine how those who perished in the trailer spent their last moments struggling to escape. One individual who lives near the spot where the trailer was found told the New York Times, Now Im hearing there are kids. Families often make the journey together. After discovering the trailer, police and Border Patrol reportedly deployed military-grade heat-seeking equipment to search for and detain any immigrants who managed to escape. This social crime is the responsibility of the Biden administration, which was elected on the basis of mass opposition to the fascist Donald Trump, but whose administration has carried out a ruthless attack on immigrants, arresting more in 2021 than Trump detained in any one year in office. Biden is on pace to arrest some 2 million immigrants this year, a new record. Two days ago, Biden ended all previous restrictions on ICE arrests, ordering agents to arrest immigrants regardless of arrest record or how many years they have been in the United States. The trailer was discovered in Texas hardly 24 hours after Spanish and Moroccan border police carried out a brutal melee attack on a crowd of African immigrants attempting to cross into the Spanish outpost of Melilla on Africas northern coast. At least 36 immigrants died, some after being beaten by police, some hanging from the barbed wire border fence, some in the stampede that followed the police assault. Both crimes expose the lie that the US and its NATO allies are waging war against Russia in Ukraine for humanitarian reasons. If these crimes had taken place in Russia, the imperialist governments would have used them as pretenses to justify further escalation of a war which threatens the world with nuclear catastrophe. It is already clear that the political establishment in the US will respond to the mass death in San Antonio by using the event to justify a further crackdown on immigration. An hour before the bodies were discovered in his district, Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales tweeted that immigration is incentivizing lawlessness and creating absolute chaos at our southern border. After the event, Gonzales blamed Democrats for being insufficiently iron fisted. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a fascist supporter of Trump, blamed Biden for the deaths, tweeting: They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. The corporate media will alternate between demands for a military-style crackdown on the border and denunciations of whichever criminal was driving and abandoned the trailer in the heat. But the existence of smugglers is a criminal byproduct of the bipartisan border policies of the US government which are fundamentally to blame. Deaths like these did not occur prior to the militarization of the US-Mexico border initiated by Democratic President Bill Clinton. In the 1990s, Clinton, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, enacted programs like Operation Gatekeeper and Operation Hold-the-Line, the aim of which was to militarize urban crossing zones and force migrants to cross in the uninhabitable deserts. In 2006, under the George W. Bush administration, Congress passed the Secure Fences Act, which facilitated the construction of hundreds of miles of border barriers and further militarized the border. Those voting yes for this law included then-Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Charles Schumer. In 2010, Obama signed legislation that deployed a fleet of drones to the border and 1,500 National Guard soldiers to block or arrest immigrants. In 2018, the Democratic Party caved when Trump illegally redirected congressionally-apportioned money to fund his deployment of the National Guard to the border. The Biden administration kept pandemic-related restrictions on all asylum applicants and kept Trumps Remain In Mexico policy in place, which barred all refugees from entering the US through Mexico. The trailer was discovered in southwest San Antonio, barely a mile from where nine immigrants were found dead of dehydration and asphyxiation in the back of a semi-truck trailer almost exactly five years ago, on July 17, 2017. At that time, the World Socialist Web Site wrote: The world is pulsing with people who are forced to flee their homes under the weight of decades of economic exploitation and war. According to a UN report from 2015, there are 65.3 million refugees in the world, more than the population of the United Kingdom, France or Italy. The refugee crisis is the product of the capitalist system and requires a socialist solution. Never in history has the contradiction between the ease with which capital flows across borders and the difficulty with which human beings flee across national boundaries been so acute. As the world economy becomes increasingly interconnected through the advent of the Internet, mobile phones and integrated global supply lines, the ruling classes of the so-called democratic countries are increasingly protecting themselves, as Leon Trotsky put it, by a customs wall and a hedge of bayonets. Socialists reject attempts to reconcile left-wing slogans with nationalist poison. Figures like Jeremy Corbyn in the UK and Bernie Sanders in the US expose their pro-capitalist outlook when they talk about reasonable management of migration (Corbyns Labour Party manifesto) and denounce open borders as a right-wing proposal that would make everybody in America poorer (Sanders interview with Vox, July 18, 2015). Socialists oppose the division of the world into nation-states and call for bringing the geographical organization of the world into harmony with the international character of the global economy. There is an accelerating drive to incorporate Australian universities into the military apparatus. The push for institutions to sign lucrative deals with defence contractors is part of the Australian ruling elites role in the US-led confrontation with China, which Washington is rapidly intensifying, even as it wages a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Rheinmetalls Mission Master autonomous unmanned vehicle [Credit: Rheinmetall AG] This drive is being deepened under Australias Labor government. During its first five weeks in office, Labor has already threatened Pacific Islands nations against turning to China and sought to line up countries throughout the region behind the US war preparations. A central component is AUKUS, a military pact with the US and Britain unveiled with bipartisan support last September. It involves a substantial expansion of offensive military capabilities, including Australias acquisition of nuclear-armed submarines and hypersonic missiles. The universities are playing a key role in developing these weapons of war. Founded in 2014 by the Australian Defence Departments Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group), the Defence Science Partnership (DSP) has now been signed by all 37 public universities. The DSP was set up to provide a uniform model for universities to engage with Defence on research projects. Universities are signing agreements with the worlds largest arms manufacturers at a rapid rate. In January, the Australian government announced a Defence Trailblazer Concept to Sovereign Capability programa $242 million package aimed at the commercialisation of universities through their partnership with military companies. The programs focus is researching quantum technologies, hypersonics, cyber warfare, robotics, artificial intelligence and space warfare. Among the first two universities to join the program in April was the University of Adelaide (UoA). Solidifying South Australia as a hub for Australian military research, the UoA in conjunction with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) will match the governments $50 million contribution for its military research and development alliance with companies. The program is chaired by the US-based Northrop Grumman, the worlds fourth largest military weapon company. Northrop Grumman Asia Pacific manager Christine Zeitz said: The Defence Trailblazer will transform the nature of the relationship between the academic sector, defence industry and the Department of Defence, compelling universities to pivot outwards towards entrepreneurial and commercial outcomes-driven collaboration. UNSW Vice Chancellor Attila Brungs boasted: We have a proud track record at UNSW of quantum, cyber, hypersonics, robotics and space technology research which are supporting Australias national capability. The UKs BAE Systems, the seventh largest global arms manufacturer, joined the trailblazer in April, pledging its Red Ochre Labs R&D centre, which employs 500 people across Australia, to develop air, land, sea, space and cyber technologies. The Defence Innovation Partnershipa collaboration between the DST Group and South Australias three public universitiesgranted $150,000 funding each for five research projects linked to military contractors. Among the projects is a one led by Flinders University and electronic warfare company DEWC Systems to address design challenges in war games. On January 25, the then Defence Minister Peter Dutton opened a new $14 million purpose-built hypersonic research facility in Brisbane, Queensland. With 60 staff, the centre is yet another joint venture between government, universities and defence companies. Hypersonic weapons travel up to five times faster than the speed of sound, allowing them to bypass existing missile defence systems, as well as hunt down long-range missiles. Research on hypersonic flight has been conducted for over a decade, through the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation program (HIFiRE), established in 2007. It involves the DST Group, the University of Queensland, the US Air Force Research Laboratory and defence contractors BAE Systems and Boeing. Following from HIFiRE, in 2020 Australia and the US began to test hypersonic cruise missile prototypes under the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE). The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) was in March granted membership to the federal governments Defence Industry Security Program (DISP). The university has already been involved in defence research into hypersonic propulsion systems, rocket fuel development, machine vision and advanced materials. USQ works with DST Group as well as the US Airforce and Navy, Boeing and BAE Systems. In an Australian article, USQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor John Bell wrote that all three of the universitys campuses are in close proximity to South East Queenslands strong defence presence enabling USQ to work directly with defence end-users and boost Australias sovereign space and defence capability. German defence company Rheinmetall announced late last year that, in partnership with Queensland University of Technology and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, it had developed a new Autonomous Combat Warrior Wiesel craft. According to the German magazine Europaische Sicherheit & Technik, the vehicle is designed to understand soldier behaviour, recognise terrain and make tactical decisions in combat situations. At the beginning of 2022, Victorias Deakin University signed a $5.13 million contract with the federal government to provide naval firefighting training. Deakin University has executed more than 165 contracts with the Australian Defence Department, highlighting the important role our regions institutions can play in driving innovation and generating cutting-edge capability in support of the ADF, Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson said. In mid-2021, Deakin University was awarded the Australian War College contract, taking over in January 2023 from the Australian National University (ANU) as the provider of the Australian Command and Staff Course and Defence Strategic Studies Course. Led by the University of Sydney, nine Sydney universities were last year awarded $2 million to work as part of the Australian-United States Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (AUSMURI). University of Sydney Deputy Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison said the program was one which the US and the Australian defence departments support and monitor at the highest levels because they are so targeted to our defence priorities. AUSMURI has already held talks with defence companies GE, AmericaMakes and world number one arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, as well as the DST Group and the US Department of Defense. Students and young people have to oppose the transformation of the universities into hubs of war preparation, which goes hand in hand with their commercialisation and an assault on learning, The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth wing of the Socialist Equality Party, is the only political tendency on campuses fighting to transform the widespread hostility to militarism into a conscious anti-war movement. Such a movement needs to be based in the working class, which is entering into struggle against the soaring cost of living, austerity and war. It must be directed against the source of conflict, the capitalist profit system itself, and based upon an alternative socialist and internationalist perspective. Contact the International Youth and Students for Social Equality today. The new head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, gave a blood-curdling speech Tuesday, insisting that the UK and its NATO allies must prepare to wage war against Russia. Sanderss keynote address to the Royal United Services Institutes (RUSI) annual Land Warfare Conference was broadcast live on Sky News. Also in attendance was Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, United States Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, Germanys Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Alfons Mais, and Oleksandr Danylyuk, former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Head of the British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders Sanders warned that Britain faced its 1937 moment, referencing Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery who wrote that year, two years before the outbreak of the Second World War, There is no need to continue doing a thing merely because it has been done in the Army for the last thirty or forty yearsif this is the only reason for doing it, then it is high time we changed and did something else. Sanders said, For us, today, that something else is mobilising the Army to meet the new threat we face: a clear and present danger that was realised on 24th February when Russia used force to seize territory from Ukraine, a friend of the United Kingdom. Sanders added, In all my years in uniform, I havent known such a clear threat to the principles of sovereignty and democracy, and the freedom to live without fear of violence, as the brutal aggression of President Putin and his expansionist ambitions. This cynical outburst is made by a veteran of every crime carried out by British imperialism for over three decades. Sanders commanded operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. It was transparent justification for his demand to strengthen the armed forces to wage offensive wars. What would be required from now on was an increased focus on readiness and combined arms training and a broader institutional renewal that creates the culture required to win if called upon. This process, given a name Operation MOBILISE, will be the Armys primary focus over the coming years. In Orwellian doublespeak, Sanders said the UK must mobilise to meet todays threat, i.e., wage war, in order to prevent war in Europe. This meant arming Ukraine to the teeth in NATOs proxy war against Russia. Sanders boasted, Defence has worked at a phenomenal pace to bring together a coalition of partners to provide materiel, intelligence and training to sustain Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invaders this year alone we have supplied 9500 anti-tank missiles, of which over 5000 were NLAW. We have already provided UK-based training for 650 AFU soldiers, and in the coming months, the British Army will deliver battle-winning skills to a further 10,000. Its just started. The UK must gear up to do whatever is necessary to win. The Russian invasion has reminded us of the time-honoured maxim that if you want to avert conflict, you better be prepared to fight And to make it crystal clearThis means focusing on winning the war, working with these allies, against this threat and in this location. In reference to the NATO summit Wednesday in the Spanish capital, Sanders declared, And we will see the first orders issued in Madrid tomorrow. With the help of RUSI, we will double-down on combined arms manoeuvre, especially in the deep battle, and devise a new doctrine rooted in geography, integrated with NATOs war plans and specific enough to drive focused, relevant investment and inspire the imagination of our people to fight and win if called upon. Defeating Russia would require a mass mobilisation of personnel as war in Ukraine also reminds us of the utility of Land Power: it takes an army to hold and regain territory and defend the people who live there. It takes an Army to deter. And this army, the British Army, will play its part alongside our allies. In conjunction with our NATO allies and partners, the UK must meet strength with strength from the outset and be unequivocally prepared to fight for NATO territory. In such a conflict, we would likely be outnumbered at the point of attack and fighting like hell. Standoff air, maritime or cyber fires are unlikely to dominate on their own. Land will still be the decisive domain Success will be determined by combined arms and multi-domain competence. And mass. Ukraine has also shown that engaging with our adversaries and training, assisting and reassuring our partners is high payoff activity. By now overwhelmed by bloodlust, Sanders concluded, The British Army must be prepared to engage in warfare at its most violent. Looking at his audience he saw, the faces of friends from previous campaigns where we have shared hardship and laughter, failures and victories. We have shed blood together. We remember those we left behind. And it is this, our willingness to shed blood to protect our common values and each others territory, that will see us prevail. Sanders references conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan that claimed over a million lives. This is nothing compared with the death toll that would result from the total war with Russia he now advocates and plans. Key sections of Sanderss speech were warnings to the government that to mobilise for war means a ramping up of human resources and weaponry. As we face a new reality, a race to mobilise, we must be honest with ourselves about Future Soldiers [the British Army transformation programme] timelines, capability gaps and risksand now our own diminished stockpiles as a result of Gifting in Kind to the brave soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Hinting unmistakably at the possible necessity of instituting a draft, he insisted, We should not be afraid of necessary heresies. Defence is only as strong as its weakest domain. And technology does not eliminate the relevance of combat mass. Sanderss claim that his plan has been necessitated by Russias invasion of Ukraine is a transparent lie. His entire speech only puts flesh on that delivered at a RUSI conference in 2018 by General Sir Nicholas Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff until November last year. He proposed that the British Army needed to be able to deploy overland by road and by rail. And our Strike concept seeks to project land capability over distances of up to some 2,000 km. This would involve aping the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941, carried out over a 2,900-kilometer front, with Carter saying, For example we are copying what the Germans did very well in 1940 when all of their prime movers, in terms of their tanks and armoured vehicles, had trailers; and by doing that, it reduces your logistic tail. Defence Secretary Wallaces presence alongside Sanders was meant to reinforce his own demands this week for a 20 percent hike in military spending to 2.5 percent of GDP. He told the conference, It is now time to signal that the peace dividend is over, and investment needs to continue to grow. At last weeks G7 summit in Germany, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Britains commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defence was a floor not a ceiling. This is only what the Tories are prepared to say in public. Military conflict with Russia and China would require defence spending on a truly vast scale combined with, as Sanders made clear, a militarisation of society that demands the waging of class war against British workers and the destruction of fundamental democratic rights. That is why striking railworkers have been denounced as Putins stooges, as the government prepares legislation to allow the use of agency workers as scabs and minimum service provisions that would effectively outlaw strikes in essential industries and services. In what NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War, the US-led NATO alliance has announced plans to build a massive standing land army in Europe, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Stoltenberg said NATO would increase its high readiness forces sevenfold, from 40,000 to 300,000, deploying tens of thousands of additional troops, as well as countless tanks and aircraft, directly to Russias border. The move will entail a massive diversion of social resources to NATOs ongoing war with Russia and planned war with China, draining treasuries throughout Europe and North America and fueling demands for the elimination of social services, the slashing of wages, and the gutting of workers pensions. Stoltenberg said the creation of this massive fighting force was a response to the new era of strategic competition with Russia and China. He called the plan a fundamental shift in NATOs deterrence and defense, embracing not only the war with Russia, but the challenges that Beijing poses to our security, interests and values. As a part of this massive expansion of its fighting force, NATO will increase the numbers of troops stationed in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to the brigade level, meaning approximately 3,000 to 5,000 troops. The Financial Times reported, based on an interview with Stoltenberg, that the plan will include new structures in which Western NATO allies, such as the US, UK and France, would pledge their ships, warplanes and a total of more than 300,000 troops to be ready to deploy to specific territories on the alliances eastern flank, with graded response times starting from the opening hours of any attack. Instead of troops deployed to the Baltics serving as a tripwire, the new plan would envision NATO fighting a war against Russia directly on the borders of these countries on NATOs eastern battlefront. Stoltenberg boasted that 2022 will be the eighth consecutive year of increases across European Allies and Canada, adding that NATOs target of two percent of economic output going to military spending will be considered a floor, not a ceiling. That same day, US officials previewed yet another massive weapons shipment to Ukraine, including the NASAMS medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile defense system created by Raytheon. In addition to advanced medium- and long-range air defense capabilities for the Ukrainians, the US would also provide ammunition for artillery and counter battery radar systems, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. Members of the NATO alliance, meanwhile, are openly using the language of war. In his first public speech as the chief of the general staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders will, according to the Telegraph, declare that the UK army must be ready to fight and win against Russia. Simultaneously, the US and its allies are intensifying the economic embargo against Russia. Over the weekend, participants in the G7 summit announced plans to ban imports of gold from Russia and are finalizing plans to try to put price caps on oil and gas sold by Russia. On Monday, Russia officially defaulted on its foreign debt payments, after European payments clearinghouses refused to process payments from the country. Russian officials insist that they have the funds available to make the payments, but that it has been effectively cut out from the European financial system and hence forced to carry out an artificial default. Regardless, this would be the first time Russia has defaulted on its debts since 1918, when the Bolshevik government, in the wake of the 1917 revolution, repudiated the foreign debts of the Tsarist regime. NATOs massive military escalation comes as the official position of the United States and NATOthat they are not at war with Russiabecomes increasingly untenable. This weekend, the New York Times reported that US forces are secretly operating on the ground in Ukraine, as well as forces from several other NATO countries, despite the denials of Biden and other NATO leaders. But even as the Biden administration has declared it will not deploy American troops to Ukraine, some C.I.A. personnel have continued to operate in the country directing much of the vast amounts of intelligence the United States is sharing with Ukrainian forces, the Times wrote. The newspaper reported that dozens of special forces from the UK, Canada, France and Lithuania have been operating inside the country. The revelation, the report continued, hints at the scale of the secretive effort to assist Ukraine that is underway and the risks that Washington and its allies are taking. The Times report is only the latest piece of evidence documenting the extent of US involvement in the war. Earlier this year, NBC and other media outlets reported that the United States was directly involved in Ukrainian targeted killings of Russian generals, as well as the sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet. Ukrainian commanders, according to these reports, are provided intelligence extracted from satellites which they can call up on tablet computers provided by the allies. The tablets run a battlefield mapping app that the Ukrainians use to target and attack Russian troops. Despite the massive degree of US involvement in the war, Ukrainian losses are surging, rivaling the number of US combat deaths at the deadliest point of the Vietnam war. On some days, Ukrainian forces have suffered between 500 and 1,000 casualties. Russia now controls more than 90 percent of the Donbass in East Ukraine and a total of one fifth of the entire territory of Ukraine. But despite the disastrous series of battlefield setbacks, the United States and its NATO allies are massively intensifying their involvement in the war, no matter the cost in Ukrainian lives or the trillions of dollars diverted from vital social programs. Russian officials are drawing the conclusion that open war between NATO and Russia is all but inevitable. In remarks last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: Hitler rallied a significant part, if not most, of the European nations under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union now, the EU together with NATO are forming anothermoderncoalition for a standoff and, ultimately, war with the Russian Federation. The deadly logic of the spiraling conflict raises the prospect that the proxy war in Ukraine will rapidly metastasize across the European continent, triggering the deadliest global military conflict since the Second World War. This reality makes clear the urgent necessity for the working class to intervene in the crisis, aiming to unite the struggles against the surging cost of living and attacks on democratic rights with the struggle against war. Within days of the reactionary Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to outlaw abortion, six states have done so, either through trigger laws that took effect automatically, or through certification of the high court action by state officials which activated such laws. According to Planned Parenthood, the states where abortion is already illegal and reproductive health clinics have ceased operating include: Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas, with a combined population of 50 million. Utah was blocked from similar action by a last-minute court injunction, now being appealed. Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) There are 15 states where the procedure is severely restricted and soon to be entirely illegal: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, with a combined population of 93 million. In four more states, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan and North Carolina, the legal status of abortion depends on impending court decisions or, in Kansas, a statewide referendum in August. Some 26 million people live in these four states, bringing the total number of people living in states where abortion is banned or under immediate threat to 171 million, just over half the US population. That leaves 24 states where the status of abortion remains on fairly strong legal foundations: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington. Geographically, the division of the United States is quite stark. Abortion is likely to remain legal in the northeast and Middle Atlantic states, and along the entire West Coast and portions of the Mountain states, and in a few spots in the Midwest. Across the entire South, most of the Midwest, and some of the Mountain states, it will be savagely proscribed. While the right to this vital medical procedure and fundamental democratic right is being taken away from women immediately, the response of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party as a whole is to view the issue purely as an opportunity to reverse their dismal poll numbers and mobilize support in the upcoming midterm elections on November 8. Biden made a perfunctory statement Friday in response to the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. White House sources told the press on background that the speech had already been written last month after the draft of the controlling opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to the media. It was only tweaked in response to the handing down of the actual ruling. The administration has convened a series of meetings to discuss what practical response it could carry out to aid women seeking abortions in the affected states, but nothing has happened so far except a joint letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, reminding insurance companies that they must continue providing coverage of contraceptive services under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Some 30 Democratic senators sent a letter to the White House over the weekend, urging Biden to take bold action and use every step available to your Administration, across federal agencies, to help women access abortions and other reproductive health care. Diplomatically, however, they did not actually spell out a single concrete action that Biden should take. The left wing of the Democratic Party has seized on the abortion issue as a means of voter mobilization in November, and rehabilitating the Biden administration in the eyes of millions who voted for Biden in 2020 to oust the hated Trump, but have seen the Democrats abandon their promises of significant social improvements and reforms. This includes such issues as voting rights, relief for student debt, serious protection against evictions and foreclosures, and a real fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been entirely abandoned. Speaking on separate Sunday television interview programs, two leading lights of the left liberals, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York said they expected aggressive action by the Biden administration well before the November election. Elizabeth Warren during the 2020 campaign [Photo by Gage Skidmore / CC BY 4.0 On the ABC program This Week, Warren called for sending resources to states like New Mexico, which border on the area where abortion is now illegal and will see an influx of women from those states seeking access. It also means asking the president of the United States to make abortion as available as possible with the tools he has, including medication abortion, including using federal lands as a place where abortions can occur, she said. But, she then continued, it was necessary to be focused like a laser on the election in November. And we get two more senators on the Democratic side, two senators who are willing to protect access to abortion and get rid of the filibuster so that we can pass it. This would increase the number of Democrats willing to overturn the filibuster to the necessary 50, since currently there are two Democrats, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who oppose this. Warren, however, like most Democrats, fully expects to lose control of the House of Representatives, which would end any prospect of passing abortion rights legislation, whatever happens in the Senate. And Biden is by no means committed to supporting an overturn of the filibuster. Instead, she offered a pie-in-the-sky proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court, from the current nine, so that Biden can nominate a group of liberals to outvote the current ultra-right majority. There is again no prospect of passing this through the closely divided Senate, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed again Sunday that Biden opposes any change in the number of justices on the high court. Ocasio-Cortez, appearing on NBCs Meet the Press, made the same proposals as Warren but with a bit more radical rhetoric. She backed Warrens proposal to explore opening health care clinics on federal lands in red states in order to help people access the health care and abortion services that they need. This proposal would be barred by the Hyde Amendment, a reactionary measure enacted in 1976 that prohibits spending federal dollars on abortion services, which successive Democratic-controlled congresses have refused ever to repeal. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. [AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite] Ocasio-Cortez went beyond Warrens proposal to expand the court, pointing to a crisis of legitimacy on the court. We have a Supreme Court justice whose wife participated in January 6th and who used his seat to vote against providing documents that potentially led to evidence of such to investigators in Congress. This is a crisis of legitimacy and President Biden must address that. She also suggested that several of the justices in the ultra-right majority had lied during their Senate confirmation hearings, when they denied any fixed intention to overturn Roe v. Wade and regarded the 50-year-old ruling as settled precedent. Lying at such a hearing is an impeachable offense, she said. Without mentioning Biden by name, Ocasio-Cortez criticized what she called nostalgia for a past era of bipartisan cooperation. You hear this very often when you hear certain Democrats say that they wished for a strong Republican Party. But the fact of the matter is that we have a new and very different Republican Party that was opposed to very, very critical underpinnings of our democracy. The congresswoman did not use the word fascist, but this was clearly the implication. Yet for all this verbal radicalism, Ocasio-Cortez proposed nothing more to fight the threat of fascism and dictatorship then a vote for the Democratic Party in November. Both she and Senator Warren were entirely silent on the intrinsic connection between the foreign policy of the Biden administration, based on war with Russia and alliance with ultra-right and fascist forces in Ukraine, and the growth of the fascist right within the United States (and for that matter in Germany, France and the other imperialist powers in the NATO alliance). Both have voted for the record military spending, including for the war with Ukraine, proposed by the Biden White House with bipartisan backing. Amid the US-led proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, a major focus of the NATO summit beginning today in Madrid will be the extension of the Atlantic military alliance to the Asia-Pacific, directed against China. NATOs agenda derives directly from Washingtons rapidly intensifying and aggressive confrontation with Beijing, which the US regards as the chief threat to its global dominance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference, after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in video format, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool) During a press conference yesterday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared that the summit would directly address China for the first time, and the challenges that Beijing poses to our security, interests, and values. He said NATO members would consider our response to Russia and Chinas increasing influence in our southern neighbourhoodthat is, the Indo-Pacific region, on the other side of the globe, thousands of kilometres from the nearest NATO member. While Stoltenbergs language was guarded, what is proposed is an extraordinary expansion of NATOs scope across the entire world, making clear that the escalating US-NATO proxy war against Russia is not a limited, episodic conflict in Europe, but global in character. The massive expansion of NATO military forces slated to be discussed at the summit is not just directed against Russia, but China as well. In preparation for the summit, Stoltenberg flew to the US in early June to hold talks with both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Not surprisingly, he is parroting Washingtons propaganda. Even as basic democratic rights are being eviscerated in the US and Europe, Stoltenberg, in a media forum hosted by Politico last week, painted the conflict with Russia and China as a rising competition between democracy and authoritarianism, adding Moscow and Beijing are openly contesting the rules-based international order. In reality, the US is seeking to preserve the post-World War II order, in which it set the rules, through military means. Like Washington, the NATO chief told the forum that he was concerned at the rise of China, the fact that theyre investing heavily in new modern military equipment, including scaling significantly their nuclear capabilities, investing in key technologies, and trying also to control critical infrastructure in Europe coming closer to us. The NATO summit will revise its Strategic Concept, which has been in place since 2010 and makes no mention of China. The new document, in line with the Pentagons strategic orientation, will be focussed, not only on the war on terrorism, but as NATO deputy secretary general Mircea Geoana, told a conference in Copenhagen on June 10, on great power competitionparticularly on Russia and China. Significantly, the leaders of four Asia-Pacific countriesAustralia, New Zealand, Japan and South Koreawill attend the NATO summit for the first time. Australia, Japan and South Korea are all formal US military allies, while Australia and Japan are part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, along with the US and India, that is targeting China. Recently-installed Australian Labor Party prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on landing in Madrid immediately reiterated his governments support for the NATO proxy war, and expressed concern about China becoming increasingly aggressive and its closeness to Russia. He said Australia would welcome increased military cooperation with other members of the Asia-Pacific Fourthat is, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. A meeting has been mooted of the leaders of those four countries on the sidelines of the summit. Since being sworn in last month, the Australian Labor government has been engaged in frenetic diplomatic activity in the Asia-Pacificincluding taking part in a Quad leaders meeting in Tokyo while barely in office, and despatching Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Pacific Island states in a bid to counter Chinese influence in the region. The new government has fully endorsed the AUKUS pact with the US and Britain, aimed against China, that will arm Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines. On Sunday, speaking at the G7 leaders meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a thinly-veiled swipe at China. He declared that a united front was necessary to prevent other countries drawing the wrong lessons from Russias war in Ukraine. Japan has joined the US and other allies in accusing China of preparing to invade Taiwan as the pretext for strengthening ties with the island which all nominally accept, under the One China policy, is part of China. Beijing is deeply concerned at aggressive US-led efforts to build military alliances, strategic partnerships and basing arrangements throughout the Indo-Pacific in conjunction with NATO. Speaking at the BRICS summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a rejection of Cold War mentality and warned against the type of crippling unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and allies on Russia. Last Thursday, Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin explicitly accused NATO of engaging in a highly dangerous effort to create hostile blocs in Asia. NATO has already disrupted stability in Europe. It should not try to do the same to the Asia-Pacific and the whole world, he said. The shift by NATO toward a confrontation with China as well as Russia is bound up with the sharp escalation in geo-political tensions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and growing economic and financial instability. Previously the European powers sought to balance their economic ties with China with their military alliance with the US. Now they have joined in the US-led war against Russia in Ukraine, while also preparing to play a far greater military role in the Indo-Pacific. In 2019, China was referenced for the first time in a NATO summit in a sentence declaring that Beijing presented both opportunities and challenges. In 2021, however, a joint NATO communique adopted a sharply different approach, accusing China of systemic challenges to the rules-based international order. Last year Britain joined the AUKUS alliance and has begun the deployment of warships to the South China Sea off the Chinese mainland. France and Germany also have despatched warships through these sensitive strategic waters. The NATO summit marks a sharp turning point in the accelerating proxy war with Russia, and the involvement of the US military allies in Europe in Washingtons aggressive confrontation with Chinaposing the very real danger of a global war between nuclear-armed powers. A backpacker was life-flighted from northwestern Wyoming on Monday after being severely mauled by a grizzly bear, according to the Park County Sheriff's Office. The 68-year-old Buffalo, New York, man was traveling across 13,158-foot-high Francs Peak on a multi-day trip when he surprised the bear at close range. The peak is west of Meeteetse in the Shoshone National Forest. Although the victim was carrying bear spray he didn't have time to deploy it before being mauled, according to information provided. The man was quickly reached by rescuers after activating a Personal Locator Beacon, usually used for boaters and not hikers. The signal was picked up by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center which notified the Park County Sheriff's Office at about 3:07 p.m. At first it was thought the signal may be from a downed aircraft before it was determined to be from a person at a high altitude. The beacon allowed the searchers to triangulate the man's location to within a few feet. Because of the remote location, the Park County Search and Rescue helicopter and Guardian Medical helicopter were dispatched. A UH-1H Huey from Sublette County Search and Rescue was also summoned to transport the Park County ground team. The victim was loaded into the Huey, flown to a landing zone in the Wood River area and transferred to the medical helicopter for transport to Billings, according to the Sheriff's Office. Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the incident. Based on initial findings the encounter appears to be a surprise so no management action is planned. Game and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and will make management decisions in the interest of public safety, the agency said. Love 5 Funny 3 Wow 1 Sad 6 Angry 3 The clinic hopes "to continue to provide abortion care in North Dakota as long as it's legal, and hopes to have little to no disruption and be able to see patients in Minnesota immediately after it's no longer available in North Dakota," Kromenaker said. She told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she couldn't immediately confirm whether the clinic would be open in Moorhead by July 28. A GoFundMe page set up Friday to benefit the transition had raised nearly $788,000 as of midafternoon Tuesday. The original goal of $20,000 has been increased to $1 million. Kromenaker on Monday said that the fundraising effort is breaking down so many barriers that will allow the transition to Moorhead become a reality, AP reported. It's humbling. We're grateful, she said. I think people feel powerless right now. Along with the GoFundMe we've had an inundation of people who want to escort and have offered all kinds of other resources. It has been an ongoing outpouring of tremendous support. Planned Parenthood has said it would offer abortion services at its clinic in Moorhead if the Red River Women's Clinic has not relocated by the time North Dakota's ban takes effect. As coronavirus cases rose in 2020 and overwhelmed the health care system, the number of patients seeking non-emergency treatments such as annual checkups and health screenings dropped. In April 2020, breast cancer screenings declined by 87% and cervical cancer screenings were down by 84% from the previous five-year averages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pandemic not only took a toll on those who contracted COVID-19, but also exacerbated timely medical preventive treatment for those with other health conditions. One studypublished in the October 2021 issue of Preventive Medicineexamined the impact of COVID-19 on screenings from the first half of 2020; it confirmed the decline in both cervical and breast cancer screening across geography, various ethnic and racial groups, and rurality. Results correlated with the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in spring 2020. As recommended by the CDC, mammograms and Papanicolaou test screenings (also known as Pap smear tests) are vital tools in the fight against breast and cervical cancer. The guidelines recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advise that women between the ages of 50 and 74 have a mammogram every two years. Additionally, screening for cervical cancer is recommended every three years for women ages 21 to 29. The USPSTF advises a Pap test every three years and/or HPV testing every five years for women ages 30 to 65. However, as awareness grows about the importance of these detection tools, one thing standing in the way of women getting their recommended screenings is access to quality care. Health disparities are a major public health concern and can hinder cancer screening and treatment. Patients who lack insurance, arent able to travel to doctor visits, and face language or cultural barriers often have worse health outcomes. To save lives and meet desired screening targets, these gaps must be addressed to ensure quality health care access. Citing data from the CDC, HealthMatch looked at screening rates for breast and cervical cancers in Montana and outlined the role of screenings in detecting early-stage cancers and improving survival outcomes. CDC reports this screening data is specific to women but does not detail whether the data categorizes people based on their gender identity or their sex assigned at birth. Montana breast cancer screening rates - Breast cancer screening rate in past 2 years, ages 50-74: 73.42% --- #8 lowest among all states --- 4.88% lower than national average Montana cervical cancer screening rates - Cervical cancer screening rate in past 3 years, ages 21-65: 75.05% --- #10 lowest among all states --- 3.25% lower than national average Just ten states are meeting mammography screening goals. Healthy People 2020 was a national public health goal to increase the percentage of women who receive breast cancer screening by 2020. Women between the ages of 50 and 74 were advised to have a mammogram every two years. According to State Cancer Profiles, 78.3% of women were screened in the U.S. by 2020, a median percentage that fell short of the target goal of 81.1%. There were, however, 10 states and territories that did meet the target goal (>81.1%): Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, New York, Louisiana, Maine, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Healthy People 2030 continues to aim towards percentage point improvement. The target goal is to have 77.1% of women screened for breast cancer in all states in this decade. States with the highest breast cancer screening rates #1. Massachusetts: 86.66% #2. Rhode Island: 84.81% #3. Hawaii: 83.8% #4. Maine: 82.88% #5. Louisiana: 82.24% States with the lowest breast cancer screening rates #1. Wyoming: 65.77% #2. Alaska: 70.09% #3. Utah: 71.43% #4. Idaho: 71.73% #5. Oklahoma: 71.92% No states meet Pap test screening goals. In 2019, 73.5% of women ages 21-65 were up-to-date with a cervical cancer screening. While this may look like a high percentage, it is important to note that this number has decreased sharply in the past 10 years. State Cancer Profilesan interactive map engine maintained by the CDC and National Cancer Instituteverifies that no states were able to meet the national target of having 93% screened by 2020. Connecticut had the highest percentage of screenings recorded at 82.4%. The median value for the U.S. is just 77.9%. The national goal for this decade is to strategically increase the number of cervical cancer screenings based on the most recent guidelines by working with both patients and providers. The target is to have 84.3% of women screened for cervical cancer by 2030. States with the highest cervical cancer screening rates #1. Connecticut: 82.42% #2. Mississippi: 82.39% #3. North Carolina: 81.76% #4. Kentucky: 80.75% #5. South Dakota: 80.69% States with the lowest cervical cancer screening rates #1. Alaska: 69.17% #2. Utah: 70.47% #3. Idaho: 71.18% #4. Illinois: 71.61% #5. Wyoming: 72.37% Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 Bismarck police will host Coffee with a Cop from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the Starbucks at 1229 W. Century Ave. Coffee with a Cop is an opportunity for the public to meet members of the police department and learn more about their work. Its part of a national initiative for police departments to build relationships with the communities they serve. The program is supported by the Justice Departments Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Results from a Bismarck School Board election recount should be finalized by the end of the week. Seven election workers will conduct the recount Wednesday and Thursday, according to Burleigh County Election Manager Erika White. The recount board, composed of Burleigh County States Attorney Julie Lawyer, County Commission Chairman Jim Peluso and County Recorder Missy Hanson, will then meet on Friday to confirm the results. Incumbent school board member Jon Lee and newcomers Josh Hager and Emily Eckroth were the projected winners in the June 14 election, getting 19%, 18% and 12% of the vote, respectively. North Dakota election law states that a recount must be conducted when any candidate fails to be elected by a margin of 0.5% or less. Amanda Peterson finished just three votes behind Eckroth, a margin of 0.00009%. White said a majority of the 13,417 ballots will have to be recounted. A sampling of 50 ballots will be counted by hand and then by ballot-tabulating machines to ensure the machines are recording the results correctly. Once those votes are verified, the rest of the ballots will be run through the machines. Bismarck Public Schools is responsible for the cost affiliated with the recount -- about $1,700 in wages for election workers, according to White. Superintendent Jason Hornbacher told the Tribune the money will be taken from the district's general fund. Hornbacher said in Mondays school board meeting that the new board members will be sworn into office before July 8. They will be seated at their first meeting on July 11. Reach Alex Kautzman at 701-250-8255 or alexandra.kautzman@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added the Dominican Republic and Kuwait to its list of high-risk COVID-19 travel advisories on Monday. The Dominican Republic was previously considered to be a moderate-risk destination for COVID-19 while Kuwait had a low risk, according to a web archive of the CDCs website. A CDC high-risk designation means potential travelers should not visit if their COVID-19 vaccines are not up to date. The CDC has a four-tier system to evaluate the level of risk of contracting COVID-19 in each country. The low and moderate designations state that travelers should be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling, while the special circumstances/do not travel designation states that people should not travel there unless it is unavoidable. No country currently has the do not travel designation. The CDC also has a list of more than 50 countries whose COVID-19 levels are unknown, so travelers should not visit unless they are up to date with the vaccines. The CDC updated its travel policy earlier this month to no longer require those flying into the United States to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flight. Johns Hopkins University data shows the 7-day rolling averages of cases in Kuwait and the Dominican Republic have ranged between a few hundred to more than a thousand during June. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner, U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, Kamran Khozan of CVMR, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson celebrate the groundbreaking of CVMR Monday at the Amarillo Club in downtown Amarillo. CVMR (Texas) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Monday with the Amarillo Economic Council (Amarillo EDC) to kick off a partnership with the city of Amarillo for a $1.5 billion critical minerals refinery, which would be the first of its kind anywhere in the United States. The 500,000-square feet facility is billed as being environmentally neutral and will bring more than 1,000 new jobs to the region, with other opportunities for jobs to be added when additional phases are completed. The Amarillo EDC along with Amarillo and Potter County were able to attract CVMR (Texas) here due to the centralization of the city within the country and by providing a 100% tax abatement incentive for 10 years. CVMR (Texas), which stands for Chemical Vapor Metal Refining, is a group of companies specializing in refining rare-earth metals, which is dominated by Chinese refineries. Currently, the United States has only one rare earth mine located in Mountain Pass, California, and no processing facilities such as the one to be built in Amarillo. More: Amarillo City Council approves tax incentives to incentivize $2.5 billion in investment Dignitaries from Amarillo and across the state attended the CVMR groundbreaking event Monday at the Amarillo Club downtown. With rare earth elements being a key component of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications especially high-tech consumer products such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and flat-screen monitors and televisions the need to process these minerals here reduces reliance on Chinas dominance in the field. It is even more crucial to the U.S. defense department in its use of rare earth elements, which are used in fighter jets, missile systems, radar, guidance, and multiple other combat-related uses. Present at the groundbreaking event were U.S. congressional colleagues Sheila Jackson Lee, representing the 18th Congressional District in Houston, and Ronny Jackson, representing the Panhandle and the 13th District. While representing opposite political parties, the representatives worked to bring this crucial business to their respective districts. Rare earth minerals will be brought in through the port of Houston and transported to Amarillo for processing. Story continues More: TxDOT, Andrea's Project hold forum with parents on how to deal with underage drinking Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Representative for the 18th District, spoke about her work with local representatives to bring CVMR to the region Monday at an event held at the Amarillo Club in downtown Amarillo. This shows what can happen when we work on behalf of America working together to solve problems, Jackson Lee said. Many of these precious metals come from nations that we are having difficulty with, such as China. China has a great deal of capacity for providing these precious metals, and this gives us some independence from that. This helps us with our own national security and gives us the capability to produce these elements here and have the ability to use a friendly supply chain, rather than relying on China. Jackson Lee said that it was imperative to be able to break the stranglehold that China has on supply issues that has impacted the United States with its ability to produce or receive certain products. Jackson also spoke about the importance of the ability of the United States to be able to process these minerals and its impact on Amarillo. We have to do something about Chinas dominance in this industry, Jackson said. This is a win-win for everyone involved. This will increase the efficiency of our market for rare earth minerals. That we were able to work together to make this happen just speaks to the unique opportunity that this project provides. More: Amarillo City Council approves funding for Santa Fe Depot Pavilion Kamran Khozan, chairperson and CEO of CVMR, talks Monday about his reasoning for bringing his company to Amarillo during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Amarillo Club downtown. Kamran Khozan, the founder chairperson and CEO of CVMR, spoke about the reasoning for moving this industry into the Amarillo area. This is going to be the first critical mineral refinery ever built in the United States, Khozan said. Right now, we do not have any such refineries in the United States. We are at the mercy of foreign countries to supply us with refined metals, and so thats what we want to do. Kevin Carter, President and CEO of the Amarillo EDC, spoke about the historic implications for the city of this project. Today, history is being made in Amarillo, Carter said. The addition of CVMR (Texas) to our city will have a tremendous impact on the local, national and international level. CVMR (Texas) is set to change the landscape of employment and business opportunities in Amarillo. This is the biggest project that Amarillo EDC has ever been a part of, and we are proud to welcome CVMR (Texas) to our great city. Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson spoke about the citys hard work in selling businesses on setting up in the area and the enormous impact of having the first rare earth element processing plant in the country. Amarillo is synonymous with opportunities for business; we have low taxes and a workforce with a strong work ethic, Nelson said. Our central location and our communitys willingness to partner with businesses create a unique season for growth and diversification for Amarillos economy. This project is proof of that, and Amarillo is anticipating the years of successful partnership it will have with CVMR (Texas)." She spoke about her role as ambassador for the city, trying to bring more employment opportunities for the citizens she serves. The jobs with CVMR (Texas) will pay an average salary of $97,000 to its workforce. Nelson feels that this project will put Amarillo on the global map since it will be the first in the United States and allow new supply chains to be developed. Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson speaks about the historic agreement with CVMR (Texas) Monday at the Amarillo Club in downtown Amarillo. Asked if she ever envisioned bringing this type of project to Amarillo, Nelson said that this type of opportunity has impact that she hoped to help bring to the city. This historic project impacts developing for Amarillo; this is the largest economic development deal we have ever brought to the city, Nelson said. This is an amazing opportunity for our city, which benefits Amarillo for years to come and is a unique opportunity for us. This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: CVMR (Texas) announces groundbreaking for processing plant in Amarillo U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia answers questions during a tour to brief local agricultural and University of Georgia leaders on his work to boost Georgias agricultural sector on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, on UGAs north campus in Athens. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff made a stop at the University of Georgia on Tuesday to talk about his new agricultural initiatives for the state and touched on the recent Dobbs abortion decision by the Supreme Court. Ossoff unveiled a new initiative to support Athens-based facilities, including the partnership between UGA and Fort Valley State University, UGA's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens-Clarke County. In case you missed it: UGA grads' food truck offers biscuits from their farm just make sure you get there early Ossoff discussed how that support will come via the appropriations bill that Congress will take up in 2023. Final funding amounts for these programs will be determined next year. However, the senior senator from Georgia has identified his goals, which include: $13.2 million for infrastructure improvements at the Richard Russell Center, located at the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens $7.3 million for the partnership between UGA and FVSU for its work in poultry science. $3.1 million for new equipment and technology at UGAs veterinary diagnostics labs in Athens and Tifton. $2.2 million for infrastructure improvements at the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, located at the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens It will depend upon the top-line funding levels available for agriculture in the appropriations bill next year. We do have goals that we're trying to hit, said Ossoff. During his visit to the university campus, Ossoff also touched on what he called the draconian abortion ban from the Georgia Legislature. Sad, angry, shocked, mad": Athens pro-abortion demonstrators grapple with the end of Roe Read more: ACC leaders react to SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe; rally for abortions rights Saturday Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Center decision from the Supreme Court that overturned Roe V. Wade, Georgia now has the ability to implement its six-week ban on abortion. Story continues Also: Hundreds rally in Athens to protest Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade Ossoff called on the legislature and governor to reconsider the abortion ban and said that abortion and womens privacy fall with state legislatures and Congress. I will continue to work with the U.S. Senate to establish federal standards for access to reproductive health care services, said Ossoff. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Sen. Jon Ossoff stops in Athens, talks agriculture, SCOTUS and Roe Designer Dilan Lurr declared this season his tabula rasa by digging through a treasure trove of historical references and filtering them through a futuristic lens. He pulled in Asian and Greek references in shapes and draping, mini-tunics over trousers and fuzzy floral knits with protective arm overlays. Japanese style geta shoes met slashed-up sweaters with removable arms; clingy bodysuits were topped with oversized blazers. More from WWD Outerwear had light militaristic touches, embodied in a leopard print coat with a single broad lapel that read as a sash, or a gray coat banded with contrasting straps. Traditional silver jewelry served as chains over conservative button-downs. Raffia hats came from Madagascar. It was a cultural smorgasbord. The Kurdish Swedish designer looked to his home country of Iraq and the ethnicities that have occupied the Middle East over time. The collection is a reflection on imperialism without judgment, he told WWD backstage after the show. Today we live in a world where we are getting bombarded with different images, different information everywhere, always, he said. What Im stressing with my background is that its the same thing, but it has just been stretched over the history of time. Everyone has left their traces in the area one way or another, so its looking at it from a different perspective. Hes careful not to get caught in the past with anything too prosaic, experimenting with rubberized smocks and cuts with sleeves that bind the arms to the body, cocoon style. It all played to a discordant soundtrack from Thomas Artiguenave. Lurr balanced the dissonance. Launch Gallery: Namacheko Men's Spring 2023 Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A Hendersonville police officer was shot and non-critically wounded during a chase in Madison on Monday night, MNPD said. Samuel Quinton Edwards, who was at the center of a manhunt after a Tennessee police officer was shot, died in a shootout with Kentucky State Police in Louisville, officials said. Edwards, 34, was wanted after Tennessee officials accused him of shooting a Hendersonville police officer during a chase on Monday night. Officer Cameron "Cole" Ferrell was non-critically wounded in the shooting, the Hendersonville Police Department said. The Metro Nashville Police Department reported that Edwards was dead just before 8 p.m. Tuesday. BREAKING: Samuel Quinton Edwards has been involved in an exchange of gunfire with Kentucky State Police in Louisville. He is deceased. Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) June 29, 2022 FROM LOUISVILLE: Tennessee man killed in shootout with Kentucky State Police on Dixie Highway SECOND BLUE ALERT: Blue Alert issued for man accused of shooting Erin police officer during traffic stop How the search, Kentucky shootout unfolded The manhunt began Monday night after Ferrell tried to pull over a black minivan Edwards was driving in Hendersonville, police said. Ferrell attempted the traffic stop at the West Main Street entrance of Vietnam Veterans Boulevard around 8 Police said Edwards fired shots at Ferrell and sped away on Vietnam Veterans Boulevard southbound. Nashville police joined the chase when it crossed into Davidson County. Ferrell was struck twice by rounds fired by Edwards, according to Hendersonville police. Police are searching for 34-year-old Samuel Quinton Edwards after a police officer was shot during a chase. Police said Edwards abandoned his van, fled on foot and stole a white Chevy Silverado pickup. Nashville police said Edwards abandoned the van in the 600 block of Gibson Drive and then fled on foot, armed with two guns. Police believe Edwards then stole a white 2009 Chevy Silverado pickup truck from Gibson Drive. The keys were left inside the truck, MNPD said. Officials widely shared details about Edwards and the truck, including its license plate number. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also issued a "blue alert" early Tuesday morning as the hunt for Edwards continued, saying he was wanted for attempted criminal homicide and evading arrest. Story continues The TBI alert went out via Twitter and also triggered messages on Tennessee Department of Transportation signs. An emergency cell phone alert did not go out until later in the day. A #TNBlueAlert has been issued for Samuel Q Edwards, wanted by Metro Nashville PD and TBI for Attempted Criminal Homicide and Evading Arrest. He should be considered armed and very dangerous. Please call 1-800-TBI-FIND if you know where he is. pic.twitter.com/kPtc50ICiY Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) June 28, 2022 BLUE ALERT ISSUES: TBI addresses 'frustrations' over multiple alerts pushed to phones over Tennessee manhunts The Millersville Police Department reported around 9 a.m. that the truck was found on Cycle Lane off Bethel Road. Just before 11 a.m. southbound lanes of Interstate 65 at Bethel Road in Robertson County were closed down as law enforcement searched the area, Millersville police said. Police tracking dogs led officers to the area, which was cleared just after 3 p.m. The interstate fully reopened ahead of the evening rush hour. All lanes of I-65 southbound are closed at the Bethel Road exit in Robertson County, TDOT maps show. Around 8 p.m. officials reported Edwards died in a shootout with Kentucky State Police troopers on Dixie Highway in Louisville. Several videos on social media showed a large police presence at Dixie Highway and Ashby Lane after shots were fired at the scene Tuesday night. KSP said an investigation is underway after troopers were involved in a shooting that left a person dead. The agency did not give a timetable for when more details will be released but said it is "committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation." Hendersonville police said Ferrell was one day shy of his first anniversary with the department when he was shot. He has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Ferrell is also a member of the Hendersonville SWAT unit and previously served with the Gallatin Police Department. The manhunt involved multiple agencies across two states, including the Hendersonville Police Department; the Metro Nashville Police Department; the Millersville Police Department; the Tennessee Highway Patrol; the Tennessee of Investigation; Kentucky State Police; and an FBI task force. TDOT: I-65 south closed by police activity in Robertson County BLUE ALERT: What is a Blue Alert and how are they applied in Tennessee? Records: Edwards shot officer while out on bond Out on bond, Edwards faced more than a dozen charges in Putnam County following a previous shooting incident on June 14, records showed. He and Erica Lynn, 31, are accused in a shooting on Interstate 40 in Cookeville. The Tennessee Highway Patrol began investigating the incident after receiving calls from motorists saying shots were fired from a blue Chevy Suburban into another vehicle traveling on I-40 west, officials said. THP Trooper Doug Foster then initiated a pursuit onto State Route 70 west after the vehicle failed to stop during stationary observation near the 291-mile marker westbound on I-40. Edwards lost control of the vehicle, striking a telephone pole and ejecting Lynn less than two miles onto SR 70, THP said. He fled the scene on foot and was quickly apprehended. Officials found handguns and meth in their possession leading to several felony gun and drug charges. Both are convicted felons. Edwards and Lynn were transported to a nearby hospital and treated for their injuries. Edwards was released on $79,800 bond on June 21 and was scheduled to appear in Putnam County General Sessions Court on July 20. THP investigators handed over the case to the FBI due to both suspects criminal history. Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner. Reach Katie Nixon at knixon@gannett.com or (615) 517-1285. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Blue Alert today: Man wanted killed by Kentucky State Police Y-12 National Security Complex The U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration will host a virtual job fair for the Nuclear Security Enterprise Wednesday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The NSE is looking for the next generation of nuclear security professionals and working to hire over 3,500 new employees in 2022 to join its workforce of over 50,000 strong, a news release stated. The virtual job fair will include hiring officials from NNSA and its National Laboratories, Plants, and Sites including: Kansas City National Security Campus (Missouri) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (California) Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico) Nevada National Security Site Pantex Plant (Texas) Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico and California) Savannah River Site (South Carolina) Y-12 National Security Complex (Tennessee). NNSA federal managers and NNSA Management and Operating (M&O) contracting partners will interview and hire professionals across a broad range of skills and in many locations to support the nations national security mission. Interested candidates are encouraged to register for the event at https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/NNSA/e/8PlB8. Its a new year and we are eager to bolster our strong workforce across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, said Lewis (Lew) Monroe III, NNSAs director of human resources in the news release. Recruitment opportunities like these virtual job fairs help us connect with talented and mission-oriented individuals who are ready to utilize their skills and serve this great country. The positions available include general engineer, physical scientist, quality assurance engineer and fire protection engineer. There are also contractor positions available including: business; science; computer science; cybersecurity (IT/R&D); skilled trades; electrical; mechanical and fire protection engineering; environment, safety and health; manufacturing; mathematics; nuclear facility and operations; technologists and technicians Story continues NNSA and its contractors are hiring in: Aiken, SC Albuquerque, N.M. Amarillo, Texas Kansas City, Mo. Las Vegas, Nev. Livermore, Calif. Los Alamos, NN. Oak Ridge, Tenn. Washington, D.C. Germantown, Md. During the online event, candidates will be able to have one-on-one message chats with hiring managers and human resources professionals regarding the NSEs open positions. Candidates can also visit virtual hiring booths, view information and videos about NSE locations, and apply directly for jobs of interest. Jobseekers can register and submit resumes up until the day of the event, but pre-registration is highly recommended. After the event, follow-up interviews may continue to take place for several days depending on the number of registrants and resumes received. This article originally appeared on Oakridger: NNSA hosting virtual job fair on June 29 The Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture on Thursday, July 29, 2021, at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Attendance at AirVenture is up from years past after the EAA canceled AirVenture 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. OSHKOSH - The Northwestern won a top award for reporting on public records and two other honors in this year's Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were presented Friday during the foundation's annual banquet in Madison, which honored newspapers from across the state, divided into classes by readership size, in a variety of categories, including reporting, photography, advertising, design and more. Stories up for consideration at this year's awards were published between September 2020 and August 2021. Former editor Nathaniel Shuda and reporter Alex Groth split a first-place win; photographer Bill Glasheen took a first place-award for his photography; and former reporter Lydia Slattery netted a second-place award for one of her stories. Shuda and Groth's first-place win was an Open Records/Freedom of Information Award for a story on the resignation and criticism of Oshkosh schools' superintendent, and the method by which the school board selected a successor. Wisconsin's open meetings law generally prohibits local government officials such as school boards from making decisions in closed session, with few exceptions, and state public records law requires governments to release the names of at least five finalists for local public offices and the identities of newly selected local officials in a timely manner. The board selected a new superintendent on May 24, 2021, during a closed session meeting, but told The Northwestern it would not identify the candidate for nearly a week. The Northwestern subsequently requested records associated with the board's decision, including the name of the person it selected, under the state's public records law. Photography of the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture convention netted The Northwestern its second first-place win, with Glasheen's gallery of images from the convention's fourth day. "Good use of blurred motion gives readers a sense of the speed of these flying machines," judges wrote. "A lot of non-traditional photographs of an airshow. The photographer did more than look up; he looked around." Story continues Slattery's second-place win was for business coverage, based on three stories: "I really enjoyed the original perspectives in this entry, but especially the article on homelessness," judges wrote. "It was a fresh and nuanced take on a complicated topic that provided context and compassion for the people it centered on. The accompanying articles all solidly written explored different issues in the area that, purposefully or not, better informed each other story. These are issues in every community, but the authors writing style, chosen subjects and attention to detail made them feel both universal and local at the same time." USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin wins six statewide awards In addition to the local awards collected by The Northwestern, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won six statewide awards, including three firsts. Here's more about those awards: Network staff, as a group, claimed first place in the Community Engagement Award Daily Division category for its school COVID-19 crowdsourcing. The judge wrote of the project: This is a clear example of the good newspapers are capable of fighting for on behalf of their communities. The easy-to-navigate database, accompanied by an explanatory, detailed story on the situation, certainly gave parents and community members tools they were missing to make the best decisions for their health and safety. I have no doubt this project was successful in building community trust. Reporters Natalie Brophy and Nusaiba Mizan won first place in the Ongoing/Extended Coverage category for their article series Businesses say finding employees is their top headache. This series explores the trends behind Wisconsins workforce woes. The judge wrote: Such a timely series. Many have hear about the worker shortage, but this gives an easy-to-understand look into the intricacies of what is actually happening and what some of the proposed solutions might entail. Wonderful work. Reporter Madeline Heim won first place in the Coronavirus Coverage category for her articles As Wisconsin hospitals fill up with COVID patients, front-line workers sound the alarm and Contact tracers were supposed to be key players in fighting COVID-19. But as Wisconsins cases surge, theyre overwhelmed. The judge wrote: Madeline Heim takes a deep dive into pandemic coverage, providing readers of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin with in-depth coverage and personal stories of the public health emergency. The quality of her work, and obvious time and energy invested into her articles, shows. Congrats. Reporter AnnMarie Hilton took third place in the Feature Story (Non-profile) category for her story Everything you need to know about Wisconsins water towers: The good, the evil, and the people who swim in your drinking water. The judge wrote: Through superb story-telling and fun anecdotes, this piece made waters towers water towers! one of the most interesting things in your town. Reporters Jeff Bollier, Brophy and Mizan won third place in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for their series Unaffordable: No place to call home. The judge wrote of the series: Ambitious project that used situations of a cast of characters as the vehicle to tell a story about the cost of housing. Those voices and their individual set of circumstances made the entire series of stories approachable and relatable. Nice concept, excellent execution. Reporter Frank Vaisvilas, a Report For America corps member who covers Indigenous affairs for the network, was awarded honorable mention in the Investigative Reporting category for his story American Indians incarcerated at among highest rates in Wisconsin, as many as half the inmates in some jails. The judge wrote: Excellent piece which illustrates the difficulties experienced by an often under-represented group of people. Author demonstrates strong research and storytelling skills. Solid piece. The Northwestern thanks its readers for their continued support, and aims to continue to serve Winnebago County and the surrounding communities with top-notch local journalism. To submit a tip for consideration or join the conversation, email oshkoshnews@thenorthwestern.com. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin staff contributed to this report. Reach Taima Kern at tkern@gannett.com or 920-907-7819. This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh Northwestern wins three awards in WNA Better Newspaper Contest The Danish royal family. Patrick van Katwijk / Contributor / Getty Images Prince Christian of Denmark has been attending an elite boarding school since August 2021. His parents, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, announced they were pulling Christian out on Monday. Reports of sexual abuse and bullying recently surfaced at the school. Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark announced they are pulling their son out of an elite boarding school after reports of sexual abuse and bullying at the institution surfaced. Frederik, 54, is the heir to the Danish throne. He and Mary, 50, have four children: Prince Christian, 16; Princess Isabella, 15; and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 11. In August 2021, Christian started attending Herlufsholm School, a boarding school in Denmark, as the royal family shared on Instagram at the time. But on Monday, Frederik and Mary released a statement on their website announcing Christian would no longer be attending Herlufsholm, as they were "deeply shaken" by reports of sexual abuse and bullying at the school. Christian is not connected to the allegations, according to People. Representatives for Frederik and Mary as well as the Herlufsholm School did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Frederik and Mary also said in the statement that Isabella would no longer be attending the school in the fall and that they would decide as a family over the summer where their children would go to school in the future. "It has been a difficult process for us as a family, but, based on the overall picture and our special position as Crown Prince Couple, we have chosen that Prince Christian will stop at Herlufsholm and that Princess Isabella will not start in 9th class at the school after the summer holiday," the statement said. The couple said they made their decision as a result of a preliminary report from Denmark's National Agency for Education and Quality that "directs a particularly harsh critique from a state authority against Herlufsholm and places demands on the school at several levels, not least the leadership level." Story continues According to The Times, around 50 Herlufsholm alumni accused the school of fostering an environment of bullying and hazing in a TV documentary. The former students said in the documentary that it was common for younger students to be attacked in the middle of the night, and one alumnus claimed they saw a bully sexually abusing another student in front of a group of peers, according to The Times. The Danish royal family first released a statement about the allegations on June 17 in which they said, "bullying, violence, and indignities are never acceptable," but that "we are parents of a son who is very happy to attend the school. And a daughter, who has long looked forward to starting at the same place." The statement went on to say they needed more information before making a decision. Christian and his siblings previously attended the Lemania-Verbier International School in Switzerland for a 12-week study abroad program in 2020, but the royal family had to cut the trip short because of the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, as they announced in a statement at the time. Read the original article on Insider FOND DU LAC - The Reporter has received five Wisconsin newspaper awards for its reporting on local business, political history, environmentally-conscious farming and a local teen who landed a patent for a new fishhook. The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest awards were presented Friday during the foundation's annual banquet in Madison. The awards honor newspapers from across the state, divided into classes by readership size, in a variety of categories, including reporting, photography, advertising, design and more. Stories up for consideration at this year's awards were published between September 2020 and August 2021. Daphne Lemke received a first-place award and a third-place award for her work, and Sharon Roznik received two first-place awards and one third-place award. The Little White Schoolhouse, also known as the Birthplace of the Republican Party, at 305 Blackburn Street in Ripon. Citizens met here in 1854 to discuss the beginnings of the Republican Party. Roznik, who has since retired, won a top award for a deep-dive on the history of the Republican Party amid former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in February 2021. Western Fond du Lac County factors in to the history of the political party, as a small white school house in Ripon is widely considered the party's birthplace. Roznik won in the Localized National Story category. "A wonderful perspective and commentary on our current political climate and how we can learn from the past," judges wrote. "The parallels drawn between the circumstances that brought about the formation of the party and climate it finds itself in today were very well composed." A monument stands outside the Little White Schoolhouse, also known as the Birthplace of the Republican Party, at 305 Blackburn St. in Ripon. Roznik also won first place in Environmental Reporting with a story focused on farming tactics undertaken in the opposite end of Fond du Lac County, along the east side of Lake Winnebago. The story discussed no-till farming methods, planting of cover crops and the use of low-disturbance manure injection, and she spoke with those behind the efforts. Chad Tasch plants corn seed in an untilled field of cereal rye along St. Paul Road near Pipe. Instead of plowing, the roots of the rye help to loosen the soil while the no-till planter makes a furrow and quickly covers up the seed. Meanwhile, Roznik's third-place win was for a feature story on a Fond du Lac STEM senior who landed a patent for a fish hook design that doesnt let worms get away. Story continues Lemke's first-place award was is for business coverage, based on a selection of her reporting on Fond du Lac County's economy. The pieces highlighted were: "This was a very well done, expansive look at labor and wellness challenges for one community," judges wrote. "It did a great, original job explaining the impact of the pandemic but also challenges that existed before and were exacerbated by it. The authors efforts in explaining why keeping young workers in the area is important was clear and effective. The articles were well sourced, tightly written and flowed nicely together despite being separate stories." Daphne Lemke Lemke also took third place in the daily newspaper division's "Rookie Reporter of the Year" competition, for which reporters early in their careers are judged in only daily and nondaily categories, rather than by newspaper size. Of her work, judges wrote: "While this is a rookie reporter nominee, the depth of stories she is handling is not rookie reporter stories. She has written stories which take a lot of research, finding about facts, and putting all that information into stories. The stories are not easy to write for general interest. A good reporter now and appears to be one who will continue her work." In addition to her wins in Fond du Lac County, Lemke also won two awards for stories she wrote while working for one of The Reporter's sister newspapers, the Door County Advocate. Her story "Amidst Door County's rich tourism industry, working families struggle to find suitable, affordable housing" received first place in Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting. Lemke also shared a second-place award in Business Coverage with fellow reporters Chris Clough and Isabel Koyama. Stories recognized as part of this award were: A tractor takes people across the causeway that connects the mainland to the 150-year-old 89-foot tall Cana Island Lighthouse in Baileys Harbor in Door County on Sunday, May 23, 2021. DRONE - Photo by Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin wins six statewide awards In addition to the local awards collected by The Reporter, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin won six statewide awards, including three firsts. Here's more about those awards: Network staff, as a group, claimed first place in the Community Engagement Award Daily Division category for its school COVID-19 crowdsourcing. The judge wrote of the project: This is a clear example of the good newspapers are capable of fighting for on behalf of their communities. The easy-to-navigate database, accompanied by an explanatory, detailed story on the situation, certainly gave parents and community members tools they were missing to make the best decisions for their health and safety. I have no doubt this project was successful in building community trust. Reporters Natalie Brophy and Nusaiba Mizan won first place in the Ongoing/Extended Coverage category for their article series Businesses say finding employees is their top headache. This series explores the trends behind Wisconsins workforce woes. The judge wrote: Such a timely series. Many have hear about the worker shortage, but this gives an easy-to-understand look into the intricacies of what is actually happening and what some of the proposed solutions might entail. Wonderful work. Reporter Madeline Heim won first place in the Coronavirus Coverage category for her articles As Wisconsin hospitals fill up with COVID patients, front-line workers sound the alarm and Contact tracers were supposed to be key players in fighting COVID-19. But as Wisconsins cases surge, theyre overwhelmed. The judge wrote: Madeline Heim takes a deep dive into pandemic coverage, providing readers of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin with in-depth coverage and personal stories of the public health emergency. The quality of her work, and obvious time and energy invested into her articles, shows. Congrats. Reporter AnnMarie Hilton took third place in the Feature Story (Non-profile) category for her story Everything you need to know about Wisconsins water towers: The good, the evil, and the people who swim in your drinking water. The judge wrote: Through superb story-telling and fun anecdotes, this piece made waters towers water towers! one of the most interesting things in your town. Reporters Jeff Bollier, Brophy and Mizan won third place in the Enterprise/Interpretive Reporting category for their series Unaffordable: No place to call home. The judge wrote of the series: Ambitious project that used situations of a cast of characters as the vehicle to tell a story about the cost of housing. Those voices and their individual set of circumstances made the entire series of stories approachable and relatable. Nice concept, excellent execution. Reporter Frank Vaisvilas, a Report For America corps member who covers Indigenous affairs for the network, was awarded honorable mention in the Investigative Reporting category for his story American Indians incarcerated at among highest rates in Wisconsin, as many as half the inmates in some jails. The judge wrote: Excellent piece which illustrates the difficulties experienced by an often under-represented group of people. Author demonstrates strong research and storytelling skills. Solid piece. The Reporter thanks its readers for their continued support, and aims to continue to serve Fond du Lac County and the surrounding communities with top-notch local journalism. To submit a tip for consideration or join the conversation, email news@fdlreporter.com. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin staff contributed to this report. Reach Taima Kern at tkern@gannett.com or 920-907-7819. This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: The Reporter wins awards in Wisconsin Newspaper Association contest The clinic hopes "to continue to provide abortion care in North Dakota as long as it's legal, and hopes to have little to no disruption and be able to see patients in Minnesota immediately after it's no longer available in North Dakota," Kromenaker said. She told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she couldn't immediately confirm whether the clinic would be open in Moorhead by July 28. A GoFundMe page set up Friday to benefit the transition had raised nearly $800,000 as of late afternoon Tuesday. The original goal of $20,000 has been increased to $1 million. Kromenaker on Monday said that the fundraising effort is breaking down so many barriers that will allow the transition to Moorhead to become a reality, AP reported. It's humbling. We're grateful, she said. I think people feel powerless right now. Along with the GoFundMe we've had an inundation of people who want to escort and have offered all kinds of other resources. It has been an ongoing outpouring of tremendous support. Planned Parenthood has said it would offer abortion services at its clinic in Moorhead if the Red River Women's Clinic has not relocated by the time North Dakota's ban takes effect. President Biden and international allies will contribute $4.5 billion to address global food security, the White House announced at the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Tuesday, with more than half of that commitment coming from the United States Biden will announce $2.76 billion in additional funding from the U.S. to help protect over 47 countries that are considered to have the worlds most vulnerable populations, and mitigate the impacts of the war in Ukraine on growing food insecurity and malnutrition. Up to 40 million more people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of the war in Ukraine, according to estimates from the White House. The most immediate needs will be in the Horn of Africa, where 20 million people could face starvation by the end of the year. Were working on it, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters at the G7 on Tuesday when asked about getting grain out of Ukraine. Biden appeared to not hear the shouted question. Senior White House officials on Tuesday said G7 leaders were focused on approaches to facilitate Ukraines grain to global markets, but didnt have specifics to share. Getting grain out of Ukraine to global markets is at the very top of the list of priorities that leaders have, with respect to addressing the food security challenge, an official told reporters. Of the additional funding from the U.S., $2 billion will be for emergency interventions and $760 million will be for sustainable near-term food assistance to help mitigate further increases in malnutrition in vulnerable countries impacted by high prices of food, fertilizer and fuel. The commitments to address global food security were made on the last day of the G7 Summit in Germany. Biden then left Germany for Spain on Tuesday, where he will attend a NATO meeting. In addition to the new funding, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will commit $2 billion in international disaster assistance funds for emergency humanitarian needs over the next three months. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. has provided $2.8 billion to scale up emergency food operations in countries impacted by the food security crisis. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona speaks at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Rep. Ruben Gallego says police were 'sent to be slaughtered' on Jan. 6 by Trump. An ex-aide testified that Trump knew there were not enough police at the US capitol. Gallego said the testimony of the former WH aide has shown Trump's involvement in the Jan 6 insurrection. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego said that 'US Capitol Police officers were sent to be potentially slaughtered' on January 6 after a former White House staffer testified that former President Donald Trump knew that protesters were armed and that there was not enough security at the US Capitol building. "If it wasn't because of this brave 25-year-old woman, we wouldn't even know what was happening," the Arizona lawmaker told reporters at the hearing on Thursday, referring to Cassidy Hutchinson. "This is a very sad moment in our country right now." Gallego, a former US Marine who instructed fellow lawmakers in how to don gas masks during the Capitol attack, was one of several witnesses to the attack in the Cannon Caucus room who expressed shock at the aide's sworn account of that day. Video: Biggest reveals from Jan. 6 hearings thus far His remarks came after Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified that Trump and his White House advisers were informed that protesters on the National Mall were armed and heading to the US Capitol building on Jan. 6 where lawmakers were formalizing the victory of Trump's political opponent. In gripping testimony before the House Jan. 6 select committee, Hutchinson testified that Meadows and Trump seemed indifferent about the armed and angry crowd and that Trump was "furious" that the crowd area for his speech wasn't filled with people, which he attributed to metal detectors that would deter people carrying weapons. At one point, she recalled Trump saying, "I don't effing care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the effing mags away. Let my people in; they can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in." Story continues During that same period, she also recalled the White House staffers being informed that there was not enough security on Capitol Hill to handle the hundreds of protesters making their way into the building. US Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell. Jim Bourg/Pool via AP US Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell told Insider that he felt betrayed after hearing Hutchinson recount how Trump and his staffers knew that the Capitol Police were outnumbered and how Trump wanted to march with his supporters. "Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know, he still didn't do anything to help us," he told Insider. "We wanted to lead the crowd according to the evidence put out today." Gonell was one of the many officers injured during the January 6 insurrection while attempting to stop the pro-Trump supporters from forcing their way into the US Capitol. An Army veteran who served in Iraq, Gonnell testified in 2021 before the same committee thinking, as he struggled to breath from the crowd's press: "This is how I'm going to die." More than 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the insurrection. Read the original article on Business Insider President Biden reportedly plans to announce the extended presence of American troops in Poland who were stationed there over the winter amid Russias war against Ukraine. Biden will officially make the announcement while in Europe for a NATO security alliance summit he is attending with other world leaders, NBC News reported on Monday, citing two former administration officials with the matter. Several hundred more troops could be stationed in Poland more permanently, according to the news outlet, which also discussed the move with a European official. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. The Defense Department first sent troops to Poland in early February in an effort to bolster Eastern Europes and NATOs defenses ahead of the expected Russian invasion of Ukraine, which came on Feb. 24. The Pentagon deployed at least 4,700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to Poland, which borders Ukraine, throughout February. Other American troops were also repositioned in Germany and Romania ahead of the invasion. In late March, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced he would extend the presence of the troops in Poland as the war in Ukraine dragged on. Nobody knows how long the need is gonna be there, the acute need for these deterrents and defense capabilities because we dont know how long this war in Ukraine is going to last, said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at the time. Biden visited the troops in late March to raise their spirits and champion the cause. During that visit, the White House said about 10,500 troops were in Poland. The Biden administration last week announced a $450 million security package for Ukraine that includes patrol boats, thousands of rounds of ammunition and tactical vehicles. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Not even 24 hours after Ole Miss knocked off Oklahoma to win their first-ever College World Series title, wild rumors regarding the Transfer Portal began to circulate. Three Razorbacks have announced their intentions to pursue other opportunities outside of Arkansas Baseball, with one of those announcing his decision Monday afternoon. However, a wild rumor regarding a fourth member of Arkansas special season that concluded in the College World Series semi-finals began circulating on social media Sunday, a rumor that has since been put to rest. Speculation regarding Peyton Stovalls intent to transfer began making the rounds, especially on Twitter. But, Stovall ended those rumors by joining the Out of Bounds radio show on 103.7 the Buzz in Little Rock on Monday afternoon, where he reaffirmed his commitment to the program. Razorback Baseball First Baseman Peyton Stovall says on Out of Bounds that HE IS NOT TRANSFERRING. He plans on being a Razorback for the next 2 years & excited to get after it next year. @1037TheBuzz John Nabors (@BuzzJohnNabors) June 27, 2022 I dont know how that got started, Stovall said to hosts John Nabors and Joe Franklin. I plan to be a Razorback for the next two years. Im excited for next year. Stovall, a freshman from Haughton, Louisiana, appeared in 52 games for the Razorbacks in 2022, In 200 at-bats, Stovall hit .295 with six home runs and 31 RBI. In the field, he recorded 413 putouts at first base. NV-GOP-Michael-McDonald.jpg Nevada Republicans Protest Mail-In Voting Bill In Las Vegas - Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Federal agents served multiple subpoenas on Wednesday morning related to the investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. FBI officials confirmed to The Washington Post that law enforcement had contacted several individuals who agreed to participate in schemes by the Trump campaign to secure a slate of fake Electoral College electors in an effort to keep Trump in power despite his loss in the 2020 presidential election. FBI agents subpoenaed David Schaffer, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, as well as Brad Carver, a Georgia lawyer who falsely attested to being a duly elected and qualified Electoral College elector. Carver is one of 16 signatories on a document now being investigated by the Department of Justice. More from Rolling Stone Nevadas 8 News Now reported later on Wednesday that authorities also seized the cell phone of Nevada Republican Chairman Michael McDonald as part of their investigation into the fake electors. In Dec. 2020, 8 News Now reported that six Nevada GOP electors signed paperwork pledging support for Donald Trump. The ceremonial signing coincided with the states official tally to determine the distribution of electoral votes. The Jan. 6 committee revealed on Tuesday that the Trump campaign helped organize sham electors from across battleground states to help overturn the 2020 election. The electors often signed false certifications which were submitted to the National Archives in a convoluted attempt to illegally loophole Trump into an electoral victory. Former Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox testified to the Jan. 6 committee to having been informed by a Trump campaign lawyer of plans for Michigan Republicans to hide overnight in the state Capitol in order to cast their votes. Story continues Findings by the Jan. 6 committee indicate that the effort to undermine the Electoral College vote reached all the way into the U.S. Senate. The committee revealed on Tuesday that Sen. Ron Jonsons (R-Wisc.) wanted to hand Vice President Mike Pence documents outlining an alternate, fake set of pro-Trump electors minutes before the VP was set to certify the election of Joe Biden. Shortly after the attempted handoff, the Capitol complex Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. NASA's CAPSTONE mission, which will chart a new orbit around the moon which will hopefully be used for a future crewed lunar space station, is underway after a successful launch on Tuesday morning. Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle delivered the CAPSTONE satellite, which is roughly the size of a large microwave oven, to Earth orbit for step one of its lunar journey. The Electron rocket took off from Rocket Lab's launch facility in New Zealand at 5:55 AM ET, marking Rocket Lab's 27th flight for its launch vehicle, and its first ever with the moon as the intended destination. The satellite will remain in low-Earth orbit for around six days, attached to a custom-designed Photon upper-stage created by Rocket Lab for this mission, after which Photon will ignite its engines a final time to leave Earth's orbit on a path toward deep space, subsequently releasing CAPSTONE to continue on for arrival at the moon roughly three months from now. The goal of the CAPSTONE mission is to use the small satellite to test a new orbit around the moon an elliptical path that will provide a stable enough orbit to maintain a permanent base of operations for excursions to the lunar surface in Gateway, NASA's planned moon space station, but also offer a good launch point for deeper space exploration at its furthest point. The lunar Gateway is a key ingredient for NASA's Artemis program, which will return astronauts to the surface of the moon. This is Rocket Lab's first deep space mission, but it won't be its last the company is aiming to deliver two orbital spacecraft to Mars as well for a science mission also on behalf of NASA. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York state gun control law, setting a major precedent that expands the reach of the Second Amendment and puts existing firearm restrictions in other states into immediate legal jeopardy. At issue in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen was a 1913 New York law that requires people to get licenses if they want to take guns outside of their homes. In order to get one of those licenses, a gun owner must show they actually need the weapon for self-defense. In a 6-to-3 ruling, with Republican-appointed justices in the majority and Democratic-appointed justices dissenting, the court determined that New Yorks licensing requirement violates the Second Amendments guarantee of a right to keep and bear arms. The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the lead opinion. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self-defense is no different. Back in 2008, the court had said that the Second Amendment protects the right to own a gun, while allowing for certain restrictions on firearms use. With this new ruling, the court has effectively said the Second Amendment also protects the right to carry that gun in public, which means it will be more difficult to defend restrictions in court. Nothing in the Second Amendments text draws a home/public distinction with respect to the right to keep and bear arms, Thomas wrote. In a concurrence, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh made clear the decision applies only to states like New York where officials can choose whether or not to issue carry permits or where people who want permits have to demonstrate a need for them. In other words, its fine if a state wants to require permits to carry a gun in public, just so long as getting that permit is nearly automatic. Story continues But the distinction may not be as meaningful as it seems. For one thing, the states with systems similar to New Yorks include California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Together, they account for about one-fourth of the U.S. population. In addition, Thomas wrote that lower courts need to be more vigilant about protecting Second Amendment rights by using a tougher standard tied to what governments have done in the past. That standard could create a foundation for challenging other gun limits in future, some scholars said on Thursday. The new test Thomas announces ... is likely to make it more difficult for state and local governments to defend their firearms regulations, Cardozo Law Professor and Strict Scrutiny co-host Kate Shaw told HuffPost. Among the regulations that could be tough to defend under Thomass new standard are key components of the bipartisan gun bill now under consideration in Congress. That bill would provide new funding for red flag laws, which allow courts to take guns away from people who pose immediate threats. It would also prohibit gun ownership by domestic abusers, closing whats come to be known as the boyfriend loophole, allowing restoration of those rights only after five years. The Courts Second Amendment ruling calls into question key parts of the Senate gun bill, Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor and expert on firearm rights, posted on Twitter. Thomas says only gun regulations consistent with historical regulation of guns are permissible. Red flag laws, however, are a modern invention. So too bans on domestic abusers. Of course, exactly what history says about gun laws is also contested territory. A major dispute in this case was over the relevance of prior restrictions on firearms, some of them going back hundreds of years to England and the meaning of common law there. Thomas in his opinion dismissed the significance of those earlier regulations, saying they did not justify New Yorks law or many other attempts to limit firearm possession. The Latest Legal Win In A Long Campaign Thursdays ruling represents the latest victory in the decadeslong campaign by conservatives to develop intellectual arguments justifying a more expansive reading of the Second Amendment and, then, to fill the federal courts with judges sympathetic to those arguments. Until relatively recently in American history, the dominant view among judges and legal scholars was that the Second Amendment was primarily about the right of states to maintain militias. In 1990, as conservatives were pressing the argument that it actually included a personal right to firearm ownership and possession, former Chief Justice Warren Burger called their argument a fraud on the American people. But a conservative majority on the Supreme Court endorsed that argument in its landmark 2008 decision, as Justice Samuel Alito emphasized in his concurring opinion to Thursdays ruling. Demonstrators march across the Brooklyn Bridge during the Demonstrators march across the Brooklyn Bridge during the "March for Our Lives" rally against gun violence in Brooklyn, New York, on June 11. (Photo: YUKI IWAMURA via Getty Images) The key point that we decided was that the people, not just members of the militia, have the right to use a firearm to defend themselves, Alito wrote. Thursdays decision drew sharply divergent reactions from elected officials, with prominent Republicans praising it and prominent Democrats condemning it. Among those weighing in were the lawmakers whose constituents are most immediately affected in other words, the ones from New York. Todays Supreme Court ruling upholds the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms and correctly declares New Yorks shameful attempt to shred Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers unconstitutional, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in an official release that also criticized the Far-Left and predicted the decision would allow law-abiding gun owners ... to protect themselves and their families. This is evidence that this is an activist Supreme Court, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) told HuffPost. Gillibrand went on to link the decision to other elements of the conservative agenda. You combine this decision and the reasoning with the draft decision on Roe, and you can see President Trumps intention from the beginning was to undermine not only precedent, but states rights and states laws that have really put public safety at the forefront. The Shadow Of Recent Massacres Thursdays ruling comes almost exactly one month after a gun massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and amid a rise in violent crime across the country, although overall the incidence of gun crimes remains far below what it was in the 1980s and 1990s. Supporters of gun restrictions say the threat of gun violence means that governments should restrict ownership and possession more aggressively, while opponents of gun restrictions say the threat means more people need to arm themselves. Justice Stephen Breyer opened his dissent by noting that more than 45,000 Americans died from gun violence last year. Alito, in his concurrence, responded directly by pointing out that New Yorks law did not prevent a mass shooting in Buffalo last month. The actual impact of permit systems and other gun laws remains the subject of great debate, much like the Second Amendment itself. A thorough 2020 literature review by the Rand Corporation found evidence on permits and related measures to be limited or inconclusive, depending on the kind of violence. But in general, the states with more aggressive gun laws have lower rates of gun violence. Overall, the U.S. is an international outlier when it comes to gun violence, with rates dramatically higher than in any other developed country. And Americans are far more likely to have guns than their counterparts in those other nations. Igor Bobic contributed reporting. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Brandon Colligan, 26, who died by suicide June 17, 2022, poses on the day of his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. On the evening of June 10, Tyler Colligan received a call from his grandmother about a note his brother Brandon left before he went missing. A week of searching later, Tyler's worst fears were confirmed: Brandon Colligan, 26, had died by suicide. "I knew by the way it was worded that it sounded like a suicide note to me," Tyler, 29, told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via text on Wednesday. Tyler is no stranger to crisis. He works in the Weyauwega area as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician when he isn't working his full-time job at an insurance company. Tyler called the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office while en route to his grandmother's home in the town of Royalton the night Brandon disappeared. Brandon lived with their grandmother. But the letter and the eventual news of his death came as a shock to his family and friends. Tyler told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Brandon had "no prior issues as far as any of our family or his close friends knew." Brandon was last seen getting coffee with a friend on the morning of June 10 in the Stevens Point area. His friend said Brandon left to get an item but never returned, according to a statewide missing persons report. An intense search by the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office dive team in the Little Wolf River produced no answers, but his car was found in Royalton where authorities discovered his wallet and phone. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Brandon was involved in UW Oshkosh College Democrats and, on his Facebook page, wrote he was "cultivating collaboration between Midwest communities to solve global challenges." The sudden loss of his younger brother has left a gaping hole, Tyler said, but he emphasized it doesn't have to come to that for other families. Brandon Colligan, 26, was found dead on June 17, 2022. The Waupaca County Sheriffs Office reported him missing June 10. "Reach out to somebody you trust, or if youre not comfortable with that, reach out to a stranger," Tyler said. "You truly dont know how many people love you or something about you; they may not tell (that to) you every day, but it leaves a hole in everybody that knows you." Story continues Grayson Bourke, Brandon's stepbrother, said the two of them had always been close. A rough-and-tumble boyhood in Waupaca turned to a mentor-mentee relationship. It was Bourke who introduced Brandon to politics and the political science faculty at UWO, where Bourke also attended as an undergraduate and was active in the college Democrat group. The news of Brandon's death has sent ripples through Bourke and Tyler's family. He described the phone call where he learned of Brandon's disappearance "like being in a documentary." "It really is just a shock to all of us," Bourke, 29, told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin in a phone call Thursday evening, after Brandon's wake. "He really had no signs of depression that were notable. He might have been hiding them. He hid them extremely well." Living with a secret is all too common for those who end their own lives, said Cindy Reffke, executive director of Prevent Suicide Fox Cities. Some suicide victims may have behaved in ways that sounded the alarms, but, as Reffke put it, "you don't know what you don't know." As a white man of working age, Brandon is in the highest risk group for suicide, Reffke said. That assertion is backed by the latest suicide data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that more white men die by suicide than any other group per year and that rate is only increasing. "Young men can very easily hide the things that they're going through," Reffke said. "It's possible he had mental health issues, but had to 'behave' a certain way and was too frightened to say 'I'm not feeling so well.'" Bourke said he started going to therapy this year for the first time in his life. For a long time, he was skeptical, he said, but it quickly became a lifesaver. "Men aren't encouraged to talk about their problems and it's really important that we do to develop healthy habits and to really just talk to people if you're struggling," Bourke, who works for the Denver nonprofit Lifespan Local, said. Tyler said anyone wishing to donate to a charity in Brandon's memory may give to any animal rescue. Tyler also wanted to bring attention to the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office dive team. "They're just starting up but were heavily involved in searching the Little Wolf River where (Brandon's) car was found," Tyler said. "They had huge turnouts with guys taking off of their full-time jobs and volunteering time to look." Bourke suggested donating to the American Civil Liberties Union because Brandon was committed to LGBTQ rights, people's access to ballots and fighting racism. 'You don't have to leave this world': Signs to look for in friends and loved ones Brandon Colligan, 26, died by suicide June 17, 2022, after the Waupaca County Sheriffs Office reported him missing June 10. To the trained eye, patterns of someone's distress can signal danger and can come in the form of an increase in alcohol and drug consumption, insomnia or even having a suddenly upbeat disposition. But it might not be obvious to someone without knowing what to look for. Prevent Suicide Fox Cities offers a 90-minute training session called QPR, which stands for question, persuade and refer. Often, Reffke recommends survivors of suicide victims take this free course because guilt over what they missed can become all-consuming. It adds layers to an already complicated grief. "People don't realize suicide grief is like no other grief," Reffke said. "It takes you to your knees." Some signs Reffke said friends and loved ones can look out for are changes in someone's personality, whether that means an outgoing person suddenly becoming introverted or the opposite, when a more wallflower-type person starts unleashing at parties as the center of attention. A depressed person who suddenly becomes very happy is a big warning sign, Reffke said, because it might mean they have solidified a suicide plan and won't be around for much longer. Sleep deprivation, Reffke said, is also a sign to watch. When you aren't sleeping, she said, you might start imagining things and lose resilience and rational thinking. Then, there's what Reffke calls "cleaning house," when a person gives away possessions, big and small. They might volunteer for the first time to throw a big party during this period. Anybody going through that, Reffke said, has access to copious crisis resources in Wisconsin, including Prevent Suicide Fox Cities. "We need to keep putting the message across that it is OK to ask for help when you need it," Reffke said. "You don't have to leave this world. You can get the help that you need." Crisis resources The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 1-800-273-8255. The Veterans Crisis Line and Military Crisis Line : connects veterans and service members in crisis and their families and friends with qualified U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs responders, available via a toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. 1-800-273-8255 Press 1. Crisis Text Line: a national and confidential text messaging service that connects individuals in crisis with trained listeners. Text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Central Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Brandon Colligan family urges those with suicidal thoughts to get help Three people have been killed and at least 50 injured when an Amtrak train carrying 275 people derailed after hitting a dump truck in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday. Lt Eric Brown of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a press conference that at least three people had died, two of whom were on the train and one of whom was in the truck. The Southwest Chief Train 4 was on its way from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck. The force of the accident caused the train to derail in the town of Mendon around 12:42pm on Monday, according to Amtrak. There were approximately 275 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, Amtrak said in a statement. It said that the company is deeply saddened to learn about the deaths of three people, two passengers and the truck driver. The incident is the second in two days for Amtrak trains. On Sunday, three people were killed and two others suffered severe injuries after a train carrying 85 passengers hit a vehicle in rural California. Key points Aerial footage shows train tipped on its side Three people hospitalised after train derailment What we know so far 06:00 , Io Dodds Heres what we know at midnight Missouri time. At least three people are dead and 50 have been injured, including 13 who were taken to hospital. The Amtrak train hit a dump truck that was crossing the rails, at a place where officials believe there were no warning lights or electronically controlled gates. The train was a Southwest Chief service making a two-day trip from Los Angeles to Chicago, derailing at about 1:42pm local time on Monday. Eight passenger carriages and two locomotives were derailed, most of them flipping onto their side so that passengers had to climb out upwards through the doors. The National Transportatation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a team to investigate the incident and has requested camera footage and other data from Amtrak, but the cause of the tragedy is not known. One passenger, Dax McDonald, said he remembered seeing two trucks approaching the rails just before the accident, and thinking to himself "this guy better slow down". Story continues Pelosi and other officials react to derailment 05:30 , Shweta Sharma House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted on Monday to express grief over the horrific train derailment in Missouri. My heart goes out to all those affected by todays horrific train derailment in Missouri, she said. While there are no words that can console those grieving lost loved ones, may it bring them comfort that so many Americans pray for them on this tragic day. Chuy Garcia, a Congressman who represents a part of Chicago, said his thoughts were with the families of the passengers who lost their lives, and those injured. Missouri governor Mike Parson said: We are saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon. @MoPublicSafety, @MSHP troopers, and other emergency management personnel are responding. We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted. My heart goes out to all those affected by today's horrific train derailment in Missouri. While there are no words that can console those grieving lost loved ones, may it bring them comfort that so many Americans pray for them on this tragic day. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 27, 2022 NTSB investigators say trains wont run on track for days 05:10 , Shweta Sharma National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said trains wont be able to run on the track for a matter of days while the investigators gather evidence. She said it was too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks. 'I thought, that guy had better slow down' 05:06 , Io Dodds Dax McDonald, the software engineer from Phoenix, Arizona who survived the derailment, told the Washington Post more details about his experience. He said he had been travelling from Flagstaff, Arizona to Iowa with his mother and two sisters to meet up with other family for the Fourth of July. The trio had decided to take a train rather than a plane due to the soaring cost of fuel. They were riding in the second last carriage when everyone was jolted forward with a loud bang. The real insanity happened a second after that. You could see it start to tip... I basically looked over to see [my two sisters] careening toward me," he said. His mother had been in the bathroom and had to climb on suitcases to escape. Afterwards the carriage was full of broken glass and gravel. One woman hit her head and had a seizure, requiring help from Mr McDonald and others. Then they began to clamber out of the windows, now facing upwards. Mr McDonald also shed some light on the circumstances of the derailment, saying that he saw two trucks through the train's windows approaching the rails. "This guy had better slow down," he thought about one of them. Missouri state highway patrol says investigation in preliminary stages 04:50 , Shweta Sharma The Missouri state highway patrol said in a detailed statement that first responders started to arrive at approximately 1.02pm. Preliminary investigation indicates an Amtrak passenger train traveling to Chicago, Illinois, struck a dump truck at the railroad crossing on Porche Prairie Avenue, it said. The train had approximately 8 cars, including a baggage car. Seven cars have derailed. There are multiple injuries and we can confirm there are 3 fatalities 2 on the train and 1 in the dump truck. Personnel are currently working to secure the scene. The train had approximately 207 passengers and crew members. All injured and uninjured occupants of the train have been transported from the scene, it added. Update on the fatal crash involving Amtrak train and truck. >> This investigation is in its preliminary stages and as more information becomes available it will be provided. pic.twitter.com/RQZyfvHqLz MSHP Troop B (@MSHPTrooperB) June 27, 2022 Hero teacher on first ever Amtrak trip helps rescue passengers in Missouri derailment 04:31 , Shweta Sharma Jason Drinkard, who was travelling with his students and his wife to Chicago in the train that derailed, tells The Independents Josh Marcus that it was chaos as people were bleeding and were banged up. My kids were super stoked about this, he said. As they got closer and closer, you could feel the excitement building. We were talking about what restaurants we were gonna go to, what sights we were going to see. Then he heard the jolt. I looked out the left window and you just see this cloud of brown dust, he said. The next thing you know, you feel the car start tipping. Once it went over, it was one of those, you think, I cant believe this is actually happening. For me everything was just in slow motion until it came to a rest. Read the full report. Hero teacher on first Amtrak trip helps save passengers in chaos of Missouri crash 'Looks like we're gonna be late to Chicago' 04:01 , Io Dodds ABC News has released video footage shared by a person involved in the crash, showing passengers sitting on top of the fallen train. "Well, looks like were gonna be late to Chicago," says the person filming the video, appearing breathless and possibly distraught. "We hit a truck. Someone was crossing the tracks." Passengers sit atop rail car after an Amtrak train hit a dump truck and derailed in Mendon, Missouri. Details: https://t.co/Des0V2T0dx pic.twitter.com/zRwEvOy1uK ABC News (@ABC) June 27, 2022 Kansas City mayor makes statement 02:55 , Io Dodds Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, has addressed the tragedy on Twitter. "Having relied on Amtrak to cross our state throughout my college years and long after, I remember the ride well. "My heart goes out to the passengers and all impacted by today's event, and I extend my thanks to those responding to today's derailment on the scene and at the hospital." Having relied on Amtrak to cross our state throughout my college years and long after, I remember the ride well. My heart goes out to the passengers and all impacted by today's event and I extend my thanks to those responding to today's derailment on the scene and at the hospital https://t.co/uK3DY28hdU Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) June 27, 2022 Investigators request camera and speed data from Amtrak 01:49 , Io Dodds The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said it will send a 16-member "go team" to investigate the derailment in person, expected to arrive at the scene tomorrow. In a news conference this evening, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, who will be part of the team, said the agency is requesting speed data from along the route and on-board recorder logs and camera footage from the train. The NTSB is launching a 14 member go-team to investigate Mondays Amtrak derailment near Mendon, Missouri. Chair Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team expected to arrive tomorrow. Check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom for updates. NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 27, 2022 With the team, well have specialists from mechanical, from signal systems from operations and survival factors, she said. We'll have a highway person, a drone operator, and some team members from NTSBs Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance to work with survivors and families of those who were involved in the derailment. The NTSB is a federal agency that investigates transport accidents, and has probed previous Amtrak derailments in Montana in 2021 and Washington state in 2019. Those reports dont always shed much light. In the 2021 accident, the NTSB concluded that the train was equipped with an automatic braking system that was properly switched on, but offered no clues on what exactly caused the tragedy. At least 13 victims in hospital Tuesday 28 June 2022 00:52 , Io Dodds At least 13 of the injured victims have been taken to hospital, according to ABC News. Hendrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Missouri, said that it had accepted four patients from the scene, while the University of Missouri Health Care hospital in Columbia said that it was treating nine patients as of around 4pm local time. Photos from the wreckage Tuesday 28 June 2022 00:17 , Io Dodds Dax McDonald, a software developer who was a passenger on the train, posted these photos from the crash site. In one of them, a huge pair of wheels on their axle seemingly from the dump truck, since they have tires lies twisted on the tracks. The train I was traveling on derailed on the way to Iowa near Mendon Missouri pic.twitter.com/YndSEEXkto Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022 Another shows passengersr and rescuers climbing on the side of the train's carriages, pulling people out of the now upward-pointing doorways all along the length of the train. According to Mr McDonald, the rescued passengers have been given shelter at Northwestern High School near Mendon. So thankful for the people here, safely at the Northwestern high school near Mendon. This town pulled together to help everyone pic.twitter.com/RYAVvQRlPm Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022 Aerial footage shows train tipped on its side Monday 27 June 2022 23:45 , Io Dodds Heres an aerial photo of the crossing where the dump truck was hit courtesy of KSHB 41 News. Heres a look at the emergency response from@the air: https://t.co/AK0KVILhN3 pic.twitter.com/XFjkL5nTa2 KSHB 41 News (@KSHB41) June 27, 2022 Other aerial news footage showed the train itself, tipped over on its side, its starboard flank turned into an impromptu floor for the passengers and rescuers. Three dead, including two train passengers Monday 27 June 2022 23:16 , Io Dodds Lt Eric Brown of the Missouri State Highway Patrol has just given a short press conference. He said that three people have died so far, two on the train and one in the truck that was hit. The truck, he said, was driving over the rails at a crossing without any lights or electronic control devices, on a gravel road. Patients being airlifted out Monday 27 June 2022 22:46 , Io Dodds At least eight helicopters are ferrying patients from the derailed train, according to The Associated Press. It all happened like slow motion' Monday 27 June 2022 22:27 , Io Dodds A local ambulance official has confirmed that there are multiple fatalities, according to CNN. Chariton County Ambulance Service superintendent Eric McKenzie told the news outlet that more than one person was dead and at least 50 were injured. Robert Nightingale, a passenger from New Mexico who was napping in one of the trains sleeper cars, said: "It all happened like slow motion. It started to rock and, and rock, and then flicker, and then it just all of a sudden all this dust was through my window. The window had slammed into the ground, meaning he could not get out that way. Instead he grabbed his backpack and climbed upwards into the corridor, eventually clambering out onto the side of the train, which was now pointing skyward. Amtrak issues statement Monday 27 June 2022 22:19 , Io Dodds Heres the latest statement from Amtrak: On June 27 at 12:42 p.m. CT, Southwest Chief Train 4, traveling eastbound on BNSF track from Los Angeles to Chicago, derailed 8 cars and 2 locomotives after striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri. There were approximately 243 passengers and 12 crew members onboard with early reports of injuries. Local authorities are currently assisting customers. Our Incident Response Team has been activated, and we are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs. Individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. Additional details will be provided as available. Some fatalities, local media reports Monday 27 June 2022 22:17 , Io Dodds ABC 17 News is now reporting that some people have been killed, citing local highway patrol troopers. Its not clear how many have died, nor whether those people were on the train or in the dump truck that was hit. Troop B confirmed to me there are fatalities but they do not yet have information on how many. #abc17news - @Leila_abc17 ABC 17 News (@ABC17News) June 27, 2022 Footage shows flipped train that derailed near Kansas City, Missouri Monday 27 June 2022 22:00 , Graig Graziosi KAKE News shared footage from the site where an Amtrak train derailed after striking a dump truck. The train was traveling between Los Anegeles and Chicago when it hit the truck and toppled off of the rails. BREAKING: An #Amtrak train has derailed after hitting a dump truck near Mendon in central Missouri. Amtrak says there were around 243 passengers onboard with "early reports of injuries." Video from Rob Nightingale#KAKEnews pic.twitter.com/rB9QP98mkh KAKE News (@KAKEnews) June 27, 2022 Missouri Governor issues statement on train derailment Monday 27 June 2022 21:53 , Graig Graziosi Missouri Governor Mike Parson has issued a statement after an Amtrak train derailed near Kansas City. The train was carrying 243 people and multiple injuries have been reported, including at least three people who have been transported to the hospital. Its a terrible situation, I do know that several cars have been derailed. We do believe there could be some fatalities, but again its way early on, Mr Parson said. Its very unfortunate any time you have a derailment of a train and multiple cars, its not a good day. Three people hospitalised following train derailment Monday 27 June 2022 21:47 , Graig Graziosi Three people have been hospitalised after an Amtrak train derailed near Kansas City, Missouri. The train struck a dump truck and toppled over off the track. A spokesperson from MU Health Care confirmed that three people have thus far been transported to the hospital after suffering injuries during the derailment. Video shows passengers recovering inside derailed Amtrak train Monday 27 June 2022 21:45 , Graig Graziosi A passenger on the Amtrak train that derailed near Kansas City, Missouri after it struck a dump truck shared footage from inside the train, showing other travelers in a state of disarray as they attempt to exit the overturned train. A view inside the train, nothing graphic pic.twitter.com/i38fgUbxm3 Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022 Welcome to the Liveblog Monday 27 June 2022 21:41 , Graig Graziosi Welcome to The Independents live coverge of the Amtrak train derailment in Missour. An Amtrak train carrying 243 people from Los Angeles to Chicago was derailed in Missouri after it struck a dump truck. Some injuries have been reported, but the extent of the injuries is unclear. North Dakota lawmakers will probe a $1.8 million cost overrun on a building leased by the Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Drew Wrigley on Tuesday told the Legislature's Budget Section that he learned in March of the problem that predates his tenure, and immediately sought to address it by gathering documentation and meeting with state officials, including the state auditor within 24 hours and legislative leaders on Monday. The Budget Section approved of two interim legislative committees looking into the lease. House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, likened it to "a discovery phase" to learn what happened. Separately, top Democratic lawmakers blasted the overrun, with House Minority Leader Josh Boschee saying, "It completely dumbfounds me that the highest-ranking attorney and his deputy blatantly ignored state procurement and contracting procedures to secure a lease." Wrigley took office Feb. 9 upon Gov. Doug Burgum's appointment to fill the remaining months of the term of longtime officeholder Wayne Stenehjem, who died Jan. 28 at age 68 from cardiac arrest. Wrigley must win election in November to continue serving beyond this year. He said Stenehjem and former Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel were told in January 2021 of "a very significant" cost overrun for the leased building in south Bismarck that houses several divisions of the agency, including the state crime bureau, fire marshal and lottery. The property managers made additions to the existing building at cost to the attorney general's office, including heavy communications cable and wiring that weren't needed and additional footings that could support four additional stories which aren't planned, according to Wrigley. Attorney general budget staff weren't informed of the cost overrun until June 2021, when payments would begin, according to Wrigley. The office in July 2021 paid off $1.4 million using its previous budget, and is now making monthly payments to cover the remainder, tapping salaries of vacant positions and holding back on certain budget items, Wrigley said. About $300,000 remains to be paid off. Wrigley said the office made no request to the 2021 Legislature to cover those remaining costs. "We have no choice but at this point to continue to meet the obligations that they entered into contractually," he said. The Tribune unsuccessfully attempted to reach Seibel through the attorney general's office, which he left in March. Democrats in a statement quickly denounced the cost overrun. Stenehjem was a Republican; so is Wrigley, who will face Democrat Tim Lamb, of Grand Forks, in the November election. Senate Minority Leader Joan Heckaman, D-New Rockford, said: "The state has well documented procurement and contracting procedures in place for North Dakotans to have trust that their tax dollars are handled appropriately. Learning about this situation raises many concerns about what other misuse of power occurred in the Attorney General's Office." Wrigley said his disclosure Tuesday was to be transparent with lawmakers and other officials. "It's possible" his office might have to ask the 2023 Legislature to cover the overage, he said. "We're going to do everything we can to mitigate this -- everything we possibly can," Wrigley said. Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 5 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its guidance on breastfeeding extending the recommended time for parents to breastfeed their children, while calling for policy change and "nonjudgmental support" for all families' feeding choices. In policy recommendations published on Monday, the AAP maintained its guidance to breastfeed infants exclusively in the first six months of their lives, before introducing other foods to complement nutrition. Now, the AAP is also urging pediatricians to support those who choose continued breastfeeding after solid foods are introduced for two years or longer. "We know that any breastfeeding is better than none... and the longer the total duration of breastfeeding the better," Dr. Joan Younger Meek, lead author of the AAP reports and a professor emeritus in clinical sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine, told USA TODAY, pointing to breastfeeding health benefits for both babies and their parents. Still, Meek and the AAP noted, persisting stigma, lack of support and barriers in the workplace can often be obstacles for parents who choose to breastfeed especially limiting those who want to breastfeed beyond one year. The authors of the new guidance also acknowledged that some parents can't breastfeed or prefer not to again advocating for health care professionals to support each family's needs. Voices: Support for breastfeeding moms is already abysmal. The pandemic is making it worse. Monday marked the first time the AAP's breastfeeding guidance has been updated in 10 years. Here's what you need to know about its new recommendations. Why is the AAP extending its recommended time for breastfeeding? In addition to providing key nutrients to infants, research has shown links between breastfeeding and decreased rates of lower respiratory tract infections, obesity, severe diarrhea, ear infections and decreased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the AAP says. Story continues "Breast milk is unique in its nutrients and protective effects, and really quite remarkable when you look at what it does for a childs developing immune system," Meek said in a statement with Monday's policy recommendations. Breastfeeding beyond one year and for up to two years has been associated with protections for the breastfeeding parent against high blood pressure, diabetes and breast and ovary cancers, according to the AAP. What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day Meek noted that the AAP's updated guidance aligns with the World Health Organization's recommendations on breastfeeding which similarly recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life and then continuing to breastfeed while supplementing nutrition with complementary foods for up to two years and beyond. Still, it's important to note that breastfeeding isn't an option for everyone and that many use infant formula or seek out breast milk banks instead, in addition to supplementing their child's nutrition with some solids after six months. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017, about 84% of infants started breastfeeding when they were born. However, around 58% were still breastfeeding at 6 months. What are safe substitutes for baby formula? Amid worsening shortage, avoid homemade recipes Meek underlined the importance of health care professionals supporting each family's decision and needs. "The ultimate decision about how to feed the baby is a family decision and health care providers need to really meet families where they are," Meek said. "We know that not every family is going to be able to do exclusive breastfeeding for six months. We know that not every family is going to continue breastfeeding for up to 24 months... For those families that, either for medical reasons or by choice, decide that breastfeeding isn't right for them, we need to equally support them and not make them feel shamed or bad because they made a different decision." More support needed for breastfeeding, 'chestfeeding' For parents who can and choose to breastfeed, obstacles from persisting stigma and lack of support, especially in the workplace, continue, the AAP notes. In Monday's recommendations, the AAP called for "policies that protect breastfeeding" including universal paid maternity leave, insurance coverage for breast pumps and lactation support, the right to breastfeed in public, universal break time at workplaces with private locations for expressing milk and on-site child care. The AAP views breastfeeding as a public health imperative and also as an equity issue, Dr. Lawrence Noble, co-author of the policy statement and technical report, said in a statement. Pediatricians and other medical professionals can help mothers meet their intended goals for breastfeeding and provide care that is inclusive, equitable, and culturally sensitive. Breastfeeding in public: This is why moms breastfeed on flights and in public ... not that we should have to explain The AAP also acknowledged the racial and socioeconomic disparities that persist in breastfeeding as well as inequities for some gender-diverse parents who may not be able to access breast milk because of both social or biological barriers. "The policy statement calls for addressing implicit bias, structural bias, and structural racism to eliminate disparities in breastfeeding and improve the health and well-being of all children and families," Monday's recommendations read. "When working with gender-diverse families, AAP suggests asking families what terms they use and that the term 'chestfeeding,' may be more accurate and inclusive as it concerns lactation and physiology in gender-diverse families." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AAP says breastfeed longer in new guidance, calls for policy change MILAN Unbridled creativity, imagination and innovation should be the North Stars leading the future development of the metaverse. So believes Federico Marchetti, who has more than once said innovation is what has always pushed him to seek new challenges. He has surely accelerated the entry of technology in the fashion industry by launching e-commerce platform Yoox in 2000, merging it with Net-a-porter in 2015 and introducing the YooxMirror artificial intelligence-powered virtual styling functionality, the Daisy avatar, and allowing customers to create their own avatar by taking a selfie or uploading an image. The functionality, called YooxMirror Reloaded, mixed AI and Augmented Reality technologies, and was developed in-house by the company. More from WWD In an interview with WWD here, Marchetti said he was not surprised by the interest in the metaverse but had nevertheless some words of caution for the industry. Marchetti, who left his role as chairman of YNAP in July last year and has since taken on the role of chair of the fashion task force as part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative launched by the Prince of Wales, sees some analogies with the onset of e-commerce in 2000. Nobody believed in it, brands were starting to experiment, dipping their toes to test the waters, and I think the same is happening now. They should show fantastical clothes in a parallel world, to reflect their technology and innovation, going beyond a mere T-shirt or a black top with a logos. They think they can attract young people and new territories, but I think they should be careful to avoid strategic mistakes. It takes time, just as it did for me to build Yoox, and brands need to form a precise strategy. Marchetti believes in a successful future for the metaverse, also because, in a general context, young people will have less freedom and there will be more travel restrictions, citing the existing limitations to go to Asia, Japan or Russia, for example. Story continues This will not change for five or 10 years and it has started with Brexit, which is preventing easy exchanges between Italy and the U.K. in terms of internships, for example. The metaverse, he contended, can be a way to take a breather and blow off steam. Some things cannot be achieved physically as going to Japan for example, but you may be able to get a taste of its culture through the metaverse. Its not the same thing but it will be increasingly relevant. However, the younger generations are used to excellent quality in terms of technology, he said, citing Netflix series, the sequel trilogy of Star Wars in 3D and high-fidelity vision effects, and DreamWorks top animation. This excellence, he claims, has yet to be reflected in the metaverse world and he lamented some technical snafus with Decentralands Metaverse Fashion Week in March, for example. That said, he did allow some leeway to the organization, as he recalled how the initial quality of the images and functionality of e-commerce stores were not as evolved as they are now. It was all new at the time, just as is the metaverse now. Marchetti would like to see more culture and creativity, more of the European aesthetics in the metaverse. The avatars now look all the same, like Playmobils. I wouldnt want to see a bad version of myself as an avatar, I could go with the image of a unicorn, he quipped. We must think of a parallel world but not replicate it exactly, exalting our imagination. The same is said for the clothes, I see a lot of basic outfits with logos. Fashion is self-expression and creativity, and well-being, but it also has cultural values, its not only commercial, standardized or mass market. We must be careful not to reason on volumes. Ive said this before, the new Coco Chanel is already born and she is a computer programmer. We need designers exclusively for the metaverse. With the Sustainable Markets Initiative, Marchetti is aiming to accelerate and ensure a circular future to fashion through innovation, as sustainability has long been a priority for the entrepreneur and he praised the metaverse as an obvious way to reduce overproduction and waste. Marchetti believes it may take two to five years to perfect the technology, but he thinks the metaverse will be an avenue for the fashion industry to experiment, but it should be the utmost expression of creativity. The Fourth of July weekend is less than a week away, and if you're looking for something special to commemorate the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there are plenty of options. Most of the events are scheduled for Saturday, two days before the Fourth of July. Here are a few events to help you plan your Fourth of July weekend. Firecracker 5K Don't miss out on the Firecracker 5K on Saturday at the Flying Tiger Brewery, 506 N 2nd St., Monroe. The race will start at 8 a.m. and will run through downtown Monroe. Participants who signed up by midnight June 29 will be guaranteed to receive their event T-shirt and medal. Kids ages 12 and under are free to participate but must be accompanied by an adult. However, kids will not receive a T-shirt, bib and medal without a paid registration. From last year: Before celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks, check out safety guidelines and laws From USA TODAY: Are you ambivalent about celebrating July 4? Youre not alone. Following the run, Flying Tiger will be hosting a free after party featuring live music, breakfast burrito and taco truck and a new beer release. Fireworks are not the only activity that will celebrate the Fourth of July this weekend. Monroe Downtown Block Party The City of Monroe is hosting a series of family-friendly events throughout Saturday for its second annual Downtown Block Party. The series of events runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 8 a.m.: Downtown Billiards Rib Cook-Off 10 a.m.: Healthy Funroe at Flying Tiger Brewery 11 a.m.: Creator's Fair La Bella, The Palace and Palace Park, 231 DeSiard St. 4 p.m.: 4th of July Pub Crawl. Route starts at La Bella on 231 DeSiard St. and ends on Downtown Billiard's. 4 p.m.: 2 Dudes Block Party, including bottle toss competition, jumpers for kids and much more 7 p.m.: City of Monroe Celebration at River Market including food trucks and local live music 9 p.m.: Fireworks on the River Flying Heart Brewing & Pub One-Year Anniversary Celebration Flying Heart Brewing & Pub, 204 Commerce St., West Monroe is celebrating one year in business with a party which will include a full day of live music starting at 11 a.m., including Jon Brakefield, Ian Smith, Will Maranto and the Usual Suspects and Cowboy Mouth. Story continues Miro's 4th of July Celebration Join Miro's, 201 Walnut St., Monroe for a celebration to commemorate Independence Day, starting at noon Saturday. The celebration includes food, drinks and live music from Grayson May, Clayton Maza, Lee Denton and Gin Mobsters. Photo gallery: Independence Day Fireworks 2021 Read this: Record number of people expected to take road trips for Fourth of July weekend, AAA predicts Red, Wine & Blue Thirsty Farmer Winery & Vineyard, 531 Louisiana 144, Calhoun is hosting a patriotic celebration from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. The celebration includes live music, food and wine. Fireworks The annual Monroe fireworks show will start at dark on Saturday, around 9 p.m. According to the Monroe-West Monroe Visitors Bureau, the fireworks are best viewed from either downtown West Monroe or downtown Monroe. The levee near Lazarre Park in West Monroe will be available for public viewing. Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinson and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3vln0w1. Support local journalism by subscribing at https://cm.thenewsstar.com/specialoffer. This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Fourth of July 2022: Your guide to events in Northeast Louisiana By Riham Alkousaa BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will return a goddess statue that was stolen from Cameroon 120 years ago, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation said on Monday, part of a growing trend to give back artefacts taken during the colonial era. The female figure, known as Ngonnso', will be returned to the kingdom of Nso' in northwestern Cameroon. It was taken by colonial officer Kurt von Pavel and donated to Berlin's Ethnological Museum in 1903. "Bring Back Ngonnso," a civil society initiative, has been campaigning for the statue's return for years, as the Nso people say they have suffered numerous calamities since the statue was stolen. "The Ngonnso' has a central role for the Nso', as she is considered a mother deity," the foundation said in a statement. It added the artefact was not removed by war looting from Kumbo, the capital of the Nso kingdom. However, Pavel was accompanied by armed soldiers in Cameroon, which would have intimidated the Nso', the foundation said. The foundation also announced that it will return 23 pieces to Namibia and is planning an agreement to repatriate objects to Tanzania. Germany, which lost all its colonial territories after World War One, was the third-biggest colonial power after Britain and France. However, its colonial past was ignored for decades while historians and politicians focused on the legacy of Nazi crimes, including the Holocaust. Last year, Germany announced its intention to return Benin Bronzes to Nigeria and apologised for its role in the slaughter of Herero and Nama tribespeople in Namibia more than a century ago. But its museums still host many of famous artefacts, such as parts of Iraq's Babylon gate, which is on display at Berlin's Pergamon Museum. Foundation President Hermann Parzinger said that objects do not need to have been taken in an unjust context, like looting, for them to deserve repatriation. "The special especially spiritual significance of an object for the society of origin can also justify a return," Parzinger added. Story continues Mbinglo Gilles Yumo Nyuydzewira, an Nso kingdom prince, said the news was received warmly in Cameroon. "After more than 120 years, we can only remain happy for it is a moment to commemorate and come closer to our ancestral links with love and togetherness," Yumo Nyuydzewira told Reuters. "The message remains that of reuniting spiritually and ancestral wise with the mother and founder of this great dynasty," Yumo Nyuydzewira said. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Additional Reporting by Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Editing by Josie Kao) After their videotaped appearances at the first public hearing of the House January 6 committee, it appears Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner traveled halfway across the globe to get out of the public eye for vacation. Where did they turn up? In Tel Aviv, Israel, where the paparazzi caught them in a very relaxed moment exiting a beachside restaurant on Sunday night. The couple, who were dressed casually and sported a glowing suntan from their holiday, held hands as they smiled at each other. (See the photos HERE.) Ivanka wore a sleeveless, dark-wash denim dress with white sneakers and oddly enough, dark sunglasses even though it was nighttime. Kushner kept it simple with black pants and a white t-shirt as he uncharacteristically showed some PDA by putting his arm around her shoulder. Their security guards tried to block the paparazzo, but according to Ynet News, it was Ivanka who instructed them to let him get the coveted snaps. More from SheKnows Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were reportedly very busy making plans in anticipation of the 2020 election results. https://t.co/MGfdg4eWJ7 SheKnows (@SheKnows) June 8, 2022 This photo opportunity might have been their way of showing that everything is OK in their world as Washington, D.C. continues to hear witness testimony about Jan. 6, 2021. Things arent so great in former President Donald Trumps orbit right now with Democrats like Rules Committee Chair Rep. Jim McGovern calling for Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute him. Trump was told the mob was armed. He sent them to the Capitol to kill us, the representative from Massachusetts tweeted. He wanted to go into the House Chamber to overturn the election. He assaulted a Secret Service agent who told him no. He must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Click here to read the full article. Ivanka and Kushner seem to be doing their best to keep their distance from Donald Trump, a practice they reportedly established after the November 2020 election was called for Joe Biden. They are probably trying to keep an air of calm around them as the former president swirls in a bubble of chaos from his final White House days. Lets see if this strategy works for Ivanka and Kushner, whose paparazzi photos make it look like they dont have a care in the world. Before you go, click here to see the biggest presidential scandals in US History. Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton Launch Gallery: These Trump Family Tell-All Books Are Impossible to Put Down Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn at a campaign event in Brunswick, Ohio on April 21, 2022. Dustin Franz/Getty Images Mike Flynn refused to answer when asked under oath whether he believes the violence on January 6 was justified. "Can we have a minute?" his lawyer immediately asked. Over a minute and a half later, after asking for clarification, Flynn said he pleaded "the fifth." The January 6 committee revealed on Tuesday that former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn pleaded the Fifth Amendment when asked whether he believed the violence on January 6, 2021, was justified. The revelation came amid former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony before the committee during a discussion about a pre-January 6 meeting taking place at the Willard Hotel near the White House. Flynn was present at the meeting. During that line of questioning, committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming aired a clip of Flynn appearing to struggle with the question. "General Flynn, do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified?" Cheney said in the clip. Flynn's lawyer immediately asked to consult with Flynn privately, which lasted for 1 minute and 36 seconds. "Could you repeat the question please?" the lawyer then asked. Flynn and his lawyer then asked Cheney to clarify whether she meant the question legally or morally. "I'm asking both," she tersely replied. 14 more seconds passed before Flynn responded. "I said, I said the Fifth," he said. Flynn, the country's former national security advisor and a retired three-star Army general, also declined to say whether he believed in the peaceful transfer of power. In the Trump administration's final weeks, Flynn publicly advocated for Trump to impose martial law and to use the US military to seize voting machines across the US; the US military has no constitutional role in state or federal elections. Read the original article on Business Insider Jun. 28MANCHESTER Monday, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01), a small business owner and co-chair of the bipartisan House Small Business Caucus, was joined by small business leaders at McDevitt Truck, Inc in Manchester to discuss his newly-introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate the 12% Federal Excise Tax (FET) on heavy-duty trucks and trailers. Repealing the 12% FET on heavy trucks and trailers will help small businesses, lower costs for consumers, encourage EV adoption, and strengthen America's supply chains and shipping infrastructure The FET is the highest percentage excise tax in America and was established more than 100 years ago to pay for World War I. "This bipartisan, common-sense legislation will help lower costs for consumers, address supply chain challenges, strengthen New Hampshire's small businesses, and pave the way for a newer, greener, safer fleet of trucks on the road," said Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01). "The stories I heard from these small business leaders underscore the importance of doing all we can to lower costs and support our small businesses, and repealing the 12% federal excise tax on trucks and trailers is a vital piece of that solution. As a small business owner, I know just how important lowering costs and cutting red tape is for our local businesses like the ones I met with in Manchester on Tuesday, and this legislation will go a long way to helping Main Street and our families here in New Hampshire." "I was pleased to welcome Congressman Pappas to McDevitt Trucks/Advantage Truck Group today to thank him for his leadership in working to repeal the Federal Excise Tax on trucks and trailers, and share first-hand how this repeal would benefit small businesses like mine and help lower costs for consumers across the country," said Jim Lagana, General Manager at McDevitt Trucks, Inc. "Congressman Pappas understands the challenges facing small business owners, and I appreciate his time and effort leading on this issue in Congress." "We greatly appreciate Rep. Pappas's leadership in taking on the repeal of the Federal Excise Tax," said Pete McNamara, New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association (NHADA) President. "For truck dealers in New Hampshire, the manual to go through the FET taxes is over 180 pages. Eliminating this tax would not only relieve a tremendous burden for countless small business owners, but it would also allow more money to come back to the consumer. Ultimately, this tax is passed on to consumers and makes it harder for truck dealers who want to be buying newer, greener, and cleaner vehicles. I want to thank Congressman Pappas for taking the lead on a repeal of the FET and for pushing this for quite a while, and we're eager to help see this through." "I want to thank Congressman Pappas for taking the time to listen to us on this issue, as well as for taking the lead in the repeal of the Federal Excise Tax in Washington," said Mary Beth Alosa, President/Dealer Principal at New England Kenworth. "This is vital not only to our small businesses but for the United States economy, which moves 70% of all freight by truck. We wholeheartedly support what you're doing." "Eliminating this tax would really be a benefit, especially to the small mom and pop truck owners in the state of New Hampshire," said Bob Sculley, President & CEO of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association. "We really appreciate what you're trying to do to bring costs down and help our economy here in New Hampshire." In 2020, Congressman Pappas led 54 lawmakers to call on Congressional leadership to support America's trucking industry and their workers, including a suspension of the 12% federal excise tax (FET) on the purchase of new heavy-duty trucks and trailers. He reiterated that call last summer, urging Congress to repeal the tax to help small businesses recover and help America's truck fleets replace older heavy-duty trucks with newer, safer, greener trucks. From left to right, Selah School Districts Shane Backlund, Grandview School Districts Jose Rivera and Yakima School Districts, Maria Santos Lucero won awards from the Washington Association of School Administrators in June 2022. Yakima City Councilman Danny Hererra reads the city's Juneteenth proclamation at Yakima's 31st Juneteenth Celebration Saturday, June 18, 2022, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Yakima, as Yakima County NAACP President Reesha Cosby looks on. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when U.S. troops entered Galveston, Texas, and declared that the state's slaves were now free under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation. Around 100 people attended the event at the park,which community activist Ester Huey said was celebrating inclusivity in the community. North Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday signed off on accepting the first funds to come into the state from the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Congress passed last fall. The Legislature's Budget Section approved several state agency funding requests, including ones from the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality to use the federal money. Mineral Resources will have $2.5 million of increased spending authority for its abandoned oil well plugging program. The money is part of a $25 million grant, from which $22.5 million will go into the Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Plugging and Site Restoration Fund, as already authorized by law. The program began in 2020 and plugged 380 wells using $66 million of federal CARES Act coronavirus aid; 186 wells remain. The $22.5 million will be used to fund contract work for well plugging and reclamation costs for the remaining wells. The $2.5 million is to administer the program. North Dakota's program became a model for a $4.7 billion national effort covered by the federal infrastructure package, to address thousands of abandoned wells in other states. The Budget Section unanimously approved Mineral Resources' request with a raft of others. The lawmakers separately approved about $1 million from the infrastructure law for Environmental Quality in a 28-6 vote. Rep. Jeff Delzer, R-Underwood, moved to vote on that item separately, citing concerns about adding four temporary, full-time-equivalent employees, who would administer future funding for drinking water projects and handle new federal requirements on lead and copper water lines. North Dakota could have available to it more than $1.1 billion of new money from the infrastructure package over the next five years, in addition to $1.3 billion in reauthorized, regular funding to the state in that same time frame, according to an April estimate from the Legislative Council, the Legislature's research arm. Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Police say eight people were wounded in a shooting after a music event and five people were shot, one fatally, in separate incidents around Tacoma To the editor It would be humorous to watch the bipolar political positions of local conservatives if it wasnt so glaringly hypocritical. Fourth District Rep. Dan Newhouse is flooding airwaves with political ads decrying the purchase of $2 billion of American farmland by China. The ad suggests President Biden is afraid to stand up to China as they take over Americas food supply, but Mr. Newhouse isnt. A quick check of the facts shows that American farmland is valued at more than $2.7 trillion dollars. Trillion. That means China owns less than one-tenth of 1% of our farmland. Way less. The foreign country holding the most U.S. farmland wont instill fear into a campaign ad, though. Canadians own more than 300 times the acreage of U.S farmland that China owns. Meanwhile, back in the world of reality, Washington apple growers have watched their millions of dollars in annual apple and cherry sales to China plummet over the past few years. The reason? China imposed retaliatory tariffs after another president the one before Biden imposed tariffs on Chinas imports to the U.S. Do you suppose Mr. Newhouse will do a campaign ad about that previous president hurting American agriculture? FRED BRIDGES Yakima To the editor The current bid of Yakima Memorial Hospital to join the west-side MultiCare Medical Group seems to beg explanation in the public's interests concerning the causes and facts of this hospital's challenges. Here's a reality fact-check to the point. National hospital revenue-composition reports "almost 67% private/self/other" pay (insurance/corporate, etc.) and 34.6% Medicare/Medicaid (statistica.com). Memorial's breakdown, I'm told by a hospital spokes-person, approaches 75% 'government pay. Keep in mind that "government-pay" dollars are near HALF of "private" or insurance pay. The U.S. population covered by Medicare and Medicaid rose from 13% in 1990 to nearly 19% in 2020. Add the first half of 2021 when 31.1 million people in the U.S. had NO health insurance. Additionally 75 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid in 2019 for 16% of the nation's health care bill third largest behind Medicare and private insurances. Repeating: Medicare/ Medicaid (gov't-pay) is nearly 75% of Memorial's billing HALF the cash-value of "private pay." Is our hospital-breakage problem somewhat clearer, Yakima? Could it be that a solution would be a larger "private payer" percentage? That would mean the city trying to attract "other" industry with PRIVATE PAY INSURANCE to our midst. That would require vision with development planning. Anyone? ROBERT CUMMINGS Yakima The inescapable fallacy that hangs like an albatross around the neck of the antiabortion movement is the misguided assumption that women will stop terminating their pregnancies if the procedure becomes illegal. America has been there, done that. Abortion was illegal in this country before the Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, yet millions of abortions were being performed. One quantitative analysis estimated up to 1.2 million illegal abortions were performed annually before Roe. So, what should we expect now that Roe has been overturned by a Republican-packed Supreme Court so drunk with power that it treated the 50-year-old precedent like a piece of stale bread to be tossed out like garbage? Legal or not, abortions will continue. But just as it was 50 years ago, many will be unsafe and harm women. Making the courts decision Friday even more egregious was the eager participation of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who in their Senate confirmation hearings said Roe should be upheld under the courts doctrine of stare decisis, which means the court stands by what it previously decided. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the justices of lying. Today, the Republican-controlled Supreme Court has achieved their dark, extreme goal of ripping away womens right to make their own reproductive health decisions, she said. Because of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party, and their supermajority on the Supreme Court, American women today have less freedom than their mothers. Just as disappointing was Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who earlier suggested he preferred leaving Roe intact while upholding the more restrictive Mississippi abortion law that was before the court. If Roberts didnt agree with his fellow conservatives, he should have voted with dissenting Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Apparently, that would have taken more bravery than he could muster. This court has thumbed its nose at every Supreme Court that preceded it and upheld Roe. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences, the court said in its majority opinion, which was written by Justice Samuel Alito. Thats sheer arrogance. Alito is suggesting that only the current court was capable of making an appropriate abortion ruling. In reality, the courts butchery of Roe has opened the door for similar assaults on other rights whose constitutionality had been considered settled, including affirmative action and gay marriage. Justice Clarence Thomas said in his concurring opinion that those rights, like Roe, are not liberties protected by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. So, are they next up for the trash heap? Opportunistic Republicans have exploited the abortion issue for decades to keep evangelical Christians and other abortion foes in their thrall. But their pro-life fervor has mostly been a ploy. Otherwise, they would have supported more medical and social programs over the past 50 years that could have helped both women who want to avoid abortion and their children. Instead, they have decried such programs as waste. The GOP hopes dismantling Roe will help it win elections, starting with the midterms in November. But a recent poll showed 62% of Americans did not want Roe overturned. Even 41% of Republicans said the law should stand. That means the political gain the extremist wing of the party has courted may not occur. The Supreme Courts Roe decision may instead help voters choose candidates who wont ignore their opinion. Thats how democracy should work. By Trend The importance of the Southern Gas Corridor for the security of supply for Europe is more than ever before, Romanian Minister of Energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu, who was on a visit to Azerbaijan, said in an exclusive interview with Trend. Azerbaijan plays a major role is ensuring the supply security of Europe. All eyes in Europe are now on Azerbaijan, there are talks with Azerbaijani government in this regard, said the minister. Popescu noted that Romania is one of the countries least exposed to Russian fossil fuel dependence. We have a total consumption of 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. We have been producing 8 billion cubic meters per year and now we have started offshore production in the Black Sea, which adds 1 billion cubic meters. We still need to import 2 billion cubic meters, so we have to find a solution. Azerbaijani gas is one of possible solutions for us, we hope to reach an agreement with the Azerbaijani government. If it is possible, we want to import the whole volume of our gas needs from Azerbaijan. We are in negotiations and when we finish, we will announce it. But we are on the right track, he explained. The minister also talked about different ways of getting access to Azerbaijani gas. Two years ago, we were thinking that we dont have any chance to have energy supply sources other than Russia and we developed the Reverse Flow Project on the Trans-Balkan Corridor that was constructed for supplying gas from Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Last year we finalized our reverse flow modifications and now we have a corridor that can bring in and out from Romania gas from Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine. From Turkey we can bring gas from Azerbaijan and from liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals. So, we have inter-Balkan corridor. The Vertical Corridor that was meant to be finished six years ago, is expected to the completed this summer. The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which should be completed in July, will give access to Romania to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). BRUA pipeline (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria) is another corridor that can bring gas from the Southern Gas Corridor, the Vertical Corridor to Romania, Moldova and the rest of Europe, he added. Moreover, Popescu noted that Romania imports 70 percent of its total oil consumption, with more than half accounting for Kazakhstan. The rest is imported from Russia and we have to find a solution to import it from other sources, the minister said. More opportunities for SOCAR in Romania During my first visit to Azerbaijan I mentioned that Romanian government wants Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR to be more involved in investing in Romania. SOCAR has a network of 67 petrol stations in Romania. But I think we can do more together. Were looking at investments in gas-to-power projects. SOCAR can be an electricity supplier in Romanian market, it can trade fertilizers, create joint ventures with Romanian companies to produce green energy, fertilizers. So, we invite SOCAR to be more active and we support any investment of Azerbaijani companies in Romania, said Popescu. Green Corridor between Caspian Sea and Black Sea The minister recalled that during his visit to Azerbaijan earlier this year, there were talks about a green bridge between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. We call it a Green Corridor, as we want to connect the offshore wind farms of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea with a submarine cable from Georgia to Romania. It can facilitate the export of green energy from Romania to the rest of Europe, since there is a great demand for energy in Europe now. This is a very interesting project between Azerbaijan, Romania and Georgia and many other countries also want to join it, Popescu concluded. A 14-page file documented allegations that Simons sexually harassed female legislators, staff and interns over a span of years. House leaders had taken him aside multiple times to discuss his conduct. Simons' expulsion didn't result from a harassment policy complaint, but from the release of the file to the media after his profane outburst to fellow lawmakers when they requested he wear a face mask in the Capitol's cafeteria. He denied any wrongdoing and said he wasn't given due process. Harassment policy No complaints have been filed under the four-year-old harassment policy, Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said Monday. The policy outlines how a "contact person" -- a legislative leader or designee -- receives a complaint and completes intake requirements and refers the complaint to an appointed, five-member review panel of lawmakers to look into or forward to an outside investigator. An investigation must follow the policy's requirements and may take no more than 75 days to complete. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Mr Speaker, High Chamber. Today I have the honour to appear before you in a very formal and very significant role - as the plenipotentiary of the Committee of the Citizens' Legislative Initiative "Legal Abortion Without Compromise". Today, I represent not only myself, but also the more than two hundred thousand people who have signed the project to introduce health care standards similar to those in civilised countries. I come to you with a bill which changes Polish law so that it meets European and world standards in the area of the protection of women's life and health. I come to you with a bill which adapts Polish law to the reality in which we all and everyone live - our reality and your reality, including your daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and friends. All of us. I come with a bill whose regulations are based solely on hard data, which is based solely on facts, which is based on what it should be based on: the science that is medicine. REKLAMA I come here with a bill which is not only in line with the Constitution but, above all, removes from legal circulation regulations which are contrary to our Constitution, which are not in line with science, which are not in line with European and world standards and, above all, which removes the effects of the recent extra-constitutional actions of Ms Przyebska's team sitting in the building of the former Constitutional Tribunal. Our entire bill is simply a repair programme. One of many that we need - in terms of protecting the health of people in Poland, which, firstly, introduces a substantive, scientific and legal standard for the protection of women's health in terms of access to a medical service which abortion basically is. It is a remedial programme which, secondly, eliminates widespread abuse and the massive ongoing practice of violating women's right to access health care. When we talk about standards, we mean really basic things. We are talking about the fact that a pregnant woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy up to the 12th week of its term. It is up to the woman herself to decide whether she will make use of a medical service such as abortion during this period. This is what women do in countries such as: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary and Italy (and these are only European Union countries) - in countries where World Health Organisation standards are in force, in countries which comply with international standards of health protection and with the obligations assumed by them in the area of human rights. Poland is not currently such a country. Let us put this right. This must be rectified! This is what our project guarantees. Polands abortion ban is torture We are talking about a pregnant woman having the right to terminate that pregnancy up to the 24th week in qualified cases. What cases are these? Those which create the reality of a real, practical ban on abortion in Poland. They create a dead law. REKLAMA After the statement by Mrs Przyebska's team sitting in the building of the former Constitutional Tribunal, hospitals in Poland are condemning women to torture by denying them medical services, such as abortion, in the case of irremovable defects in the foetus. We are losing, and will continue to lose, cases before the European Court of Human Rights - each time because of torture and inhumane treatment. And women will die. Let us put this right. Our proposal ends this sadistic practice. Under a 1993 law, it is the prosecutor in Poland who decides whether a pregnancy resulting from a crime can be terminated. And he decides on it with passive resistance, refusing for weeks to issue the certificate necessary to benefit from a medical procedure such as abortion. The result of the fact that pregnancies which are the result of a crime are not terminated within the framework of the law in force is that this takes place, obviously, outside the system - despite the fact that the law (theoretically!) guarantees such a procedure. Let us put this right! Our project puts an end to a dead law. Doctors are paralyzed by fear In theory, Poland also has a provision which is supposed to save the life and health of pregnant women by guaranteeing them an abortion in the event of a threat to that life and health. Izabela from Pszczyna and Agnieszka from Czestochowa have experienced how it works in the current anti-abortionist practice. Women who end up in hospitals, where doctors are paralyzed by fear and who miraculously succeed, have seen how it works. Above all, people in Poland who do not get pregnant know how it works - we have the lowest birth rate since the Second World War, because women know the risks involved. Let us put this right! Our project puts back the protection of the health and life of pregnant people by guaranteeing them, in danger, the abortion they need. Not. One. More. REKLAMA A key question: how can we ensure that access to abortion, which is legal, safe and free, is not a dead law and does not depend on whims, ideology or politics? We all know what it looks like now - abuse of the religious clause, unlawful formal barriers, unnecessary examinations, fictitious commissions, systematic playing for time, for weeks. To harm. To humiliate. To make things difficult. To make the law dead. Let us fix it! Our project introduces the obligation to provide a medical service, which abortion basically is, within 72 hours of the request introducing a uniform procedure for providing this service and a guarantee of considering an objection to a refusal to provide the service within 24 hours. Our draft introduces the obligation to have the ability to provide a medical service, which abortion basically is, even if all doctors in the institution invoke the religious clause by contracting with an appropriate subcontractor (who will provide such a service). Our proposal abolishes the unlawful use of the religious clause by doctors for activities that are not medical services (such as writing prescriptions). Its 2022, isnt it high time to change the law? These are all solutions in line with the recommendations made to Poland by the UN Human Rights Committee back in 2016 - they concern access to legal, safe, free abortion. They say that placing a provision according to which the provision of medical services (in any case) is a crime and is punishable, in the Criminal Code - is absurd, it is a confusion of orders. Providing a medical service is not, cannot be and will never be a crime. Its 2022, isnt it high time? Dont you think? Ladies and gentlemen, you have got a great, great opportunity to do something completely ordinary. Something completely normal, completely standard. The obvious. 66% of Polish citizens support access to legal, safe, and free abortion up to the 12th week. 97% of female and male voters on the Left support the right to legal, safe and free abortion up to the 12th week. 88% of voters in the Civic Coalition are in favour of legal abortion. I know that the Civic Coalition club supports our project, and the parties that make up the Civic Coalition support legalising abortion up to the 12th week. Thank you all very much for that. Changing your mind is very difficult, it takes time, work and courage, and I am very grateful to you. 83% of the voters of Poland 2050 are in favour of legal abortion. Will you listen to those whom you represent in the Sejm (I am asking the members of this group)? 52% of the female and male voters of the Polish People's Party are in favour of legal abortion. Will at least half of you vote 'yes'? 44% of Confederation voters are in favour of legal abortion. Here, too, I expect almost half of the votes "for". Also in favour of legal abortion are 34% of the female and male voters of the Law and Justice Party. One third of the votes "for" - that's how it would translate. That's an increase of 10% in a year and a half. I wonder what has happened? A ban on abortions does not mean the end of abortions Today we are asking a very simple question: yes or no? Ever more people in Poland realize that a ban on abortions does not mean the end of abortions. Ever more people in Poland believe that medical services should be decided by medical standards alone. Ever more people in Poland believe that women know what they are doing. I would like to quote one of the promises about how citizens' projects will always go to committee, that they will always be there at second reading. Perhaps there are people who believe in this, so perhaps on their behalf: my dear Law and Justice party, you made such a promise, so perhaps this is the one you will keep. I am just one person here. Nobody has to listen to me. Nobody has to listen to Marta Lempart. But what you see in the polls, what you see on the streets of Poland from 2016, what you saw in 2020 - this is the voice of the sovereign. Your sovereign. A voice that I know well and can advise you - do not ignore it. *** Every day, 400 journalists at Gazeta Wyborcza write verified, fact-checked stories about Polish politics and society, keeping a critical eye on the ruling camps persistent assault on democratic values and the rule of law; the growing cultural tension between religious fundamentalism and human rights; and the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine. Our journalists are on the front lines in 32 Polish cities, reporting from the streets, hospitals, and courtrooms about issues that move public opinion. We decided to make our service available to everyone free of charge in order to provide access to high quality journalism for expats and English speakers interested in Polish affairs. The access to information should be equal for all. Budapest is speeding up its energy-saving investments, Gergely Karacsony, the citys mayor, has said. He pledged that by 2030 the citys public utilities would run on the energy they produce. The capital held its first Energy Summit in City Hall, he noted on social media. Given the precarious situation on the energy markets, energy-saving and renewable energy investments must be accelerated, the mayor said. Proposals include upgrading public lighting and the floodlighting of buildings, and shortening the latter by two hours in the summer. Buildings operated by the city will be cooled to no less than 25 C. in the summer and heated to no more than 20 C.in the winter, he said. Further investments will be made in transport, with certain vehicles replaced and other changes made to reduce energy and fuel consumption, he added. MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak The roof and upper part of the facade of a five-storey building collapsed onto the street at the corner of Aradi and Jokai utca in the Sixth District at 9:45 on Monday morning. Several people were injured, many cars were damaged and five vehicles were completely crushed. Fire-fighters examined the damaged cars with sniffer dogs but found nobody in them, nor in the damaged flats. Four people who happened to be on the street, two of them dancers at the nearby Operetta Theatre, were injured and were taken to hospitals by paramedics. One dancer was hospitalised with spinal injuries. She was operated on, but may be paralysed from the waist down. Her boyfriend, a male colleague, sustained light injuries. Residents will have to move out of the building, at least temporarily, as it might collapse, HVG reports. District mayor Tamas Soproni said 201 people live in the building. He said those affected could move to empty council flats temporarily, if necessary, but it is hoped that the building can be restored within a short time. Construction work has recently been carried out on the attic, where luxury apartments are to be built. Budapest Police are investigating. More from Hungary Matters: Budapest Operetta Dancer Seriously Injuried After Roof, Wall Collapses A dancer suffered serious injuries on her way to the Budapest Operetta on Monday when segments of a rooftop under construction and building frontage collapsed onto the pavement at the corner of Jokai Street and Aradi Street morning. The dancer has been taken to hospital, the Operetta said. Pal Gyorfi, the spokesman of the National Ambulance Service, told public TV that four injured received treatment. At the construction site, a 50m wall segment fell to the pavement from the top of a five-floor building. Debris fell onto pavement and several cars parked in Jokai Street. MTI Photo: Zoltan Mihadak Hungarys government will help Hungarian-owned businesses to expand in foreign markets by all means at its disposal, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told a foreign trade conference in Budapest. Drawing investments and support of exports, as well as that of the foreign expansion of companies, is even more important in the current economic climate, the foreign ministry cited Szijjarto as saying. At the conference organised by the foreign ministry, Szijjarto signed cooperation agreements with five Hungarian companies as part of the governments KEPP priority exporter partnership programme, including B+N Referencia Ipari, BioTech USA, Continest Technologies, Ganz Holding and Videoton Holding. MTI Photo: Zsolt Burger Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Hungarian-born US geopolitical strategist George Friedman in Budapest. Friedman presented his latest book, The Storm before the Calm, published in Hungarian by MCC Press. They discussed the protracted war in Ukraine and the latest stages of the deep economic crisis triggered by the war. About the Storm before the Calm One of Bloombergs Best Books of the Year The master geopolitical forecaster and New York Times bestselling author of The Next 100 Years focuses on the United States, predicting how the 2020s will bring dramatic upheaval and reshaping of American government, foreign policy, economics, and culture. In his new book, noted forecaster and bestselling author George Friedman turns to the future of the United States. Examining the clear cycles through which the United States has developed, upheaved, matured, and solidified, Friedman breaks down the coming years and decades in thrilling detail. American history must be viewed in cyclesparticularly, an eighty-year institutional cycle that has defined us (there are three such examplesthe Revolutionary War/founding, the Civil War, and World War II), and a fifty-year socio-economic cycle that has seen the formation of the industrial classes, baby boomers, and the middle classes. These two major cycles are both converging on the late 2020sa time in which many of these foundations will change. The United States will have to endure upheaval and possible conflict, but also, ultimately, increased strength, stability, and power in the world. Friedmans analysis is detailed and fascinating, and covers issues such as the size and scope of the federal government, the future of marriage and the social contract, shifts in corporate structures, and new cultural trends that will react to longer life expectancies. This new book is both provocative and entertaining. More: penguinrandomhouse.com/books MTI / PM's Press Office Photo: Zoltan Fischer There was never any question whether Dr. Susan Christensen would be a dentist she was raised to be one. Counting numbers and the ABCs weren't the only things she learned early on in life. Christensen's mother, who worked as a dental hygienist, taught her how to sew, cross stitch and write upside down and backwards all fine motor skills that her mother said would help her become a great dentist. "I felt like I was kind of groomed for it," she said. Now with more than 40 years of experience, Christensen works to instill the same lifelong passion for dentistry in other women. I'm a big supporter of encouraging women to do anything, Christensen said. Go for your dreams and remember you can still do it all. You can have a wonderful career, wonderful home life and a wonderful family all at once. Dont let anyone tell you what your limits are. Christensen comes from a long line of male dentists in her family, including her grandfather and father. Eastview Family Dental now at 5640 South St. was first opened by Christensen's grandfather in 1922 and celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this month. Christensens father later owned the practice. She teamed up with her father at Eastview Family Dental immediately following her graduation from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in 1981 and they became the first father-daughter practice in the Midwest. "It has been such a privilege to work here," Christensen said. "I am so proud of my family. I just absolutely adore them. I got to watch my dad and grandfather love dentistry and that made it really easy for me to do the same. When she first started her career, the profession was heavily male-dominated. The rate of female graduates from the UNMC College of Dentistry has steadily increased from 9% in the early 80s to 56% this year, according to UNMC. In the beginning, not everyone was willing to allow a woman to work on their teeth, she said. But that didn't stop her. "People would call and say, 'Wait, is this a woman? I'll wait a year to see your dad instead,'" Christensen said. "But now I really feel like it's flipped blocks." Christensen focuses on empathy, compassion and kindness, which she believes has been a big factor in the change in narrative. Her niece by marriage, Erika Etzelmiller, who will graduate from dental school in 2024, agreed. I think it's little things where people might not think you're as qualified because you're a woman in dentistry, but as soon as you're able to do a good job on them a lot of times they realize that women do make great dentists because we are naturally very empathetic and good caregivers, Etzelmiller said. Etzelmiller plans to join her own father at Pine Lake Dental once she graduates from UNMC and is also following in her grandfathers footsteps just like Christensen. While Etzelmillers class is over half female unlike Christensen, who graduated with eight other women she has still experienced people doubting her choice to become a dentist. When you tell people as a girl that you're in dental school, they automatically assume you mean hygiene school or dental assisting school, she said. I think that while the numbers of applicants in dental school right now reflect more girls than boys, society still thinks of a dentist as being a male. Outside of the office, Christensen travels across the world to lecture on orthodontics and is an adjunct professor for UNMC, Spear Education visiting faculty and a fellow in the International College of Dentists. She is also a member of the Nebraska Dental Association, American Academy for Cosmetic Surgery and American Dental Association. Oftentimes when lecturing, she has women ask how she has managed to maintain a successful career and a tight-knit family. The key, Christensen said, is finding balance. Somethings got to give, the mother of three and now grandmother said. So what if the laundry isn't always done on time and you didnt fix the perfect meal for your family? Something's got to give if you want to be a great wife, mother, practitioner and family member. Joann Herrington has been a patient at Eastview Family Dental for more than seven years and said she's stuck with Christensen because of her kindness, background and interest in others. She cares about her patients, Herrington said. I am very, very much in awe of what she has done in her life especially in a field that was totally dominated by men when she entered it. But its also obviously her skill that drew me to her. Shes one of the best dentists. I don't just let every nice person drill on my teeth. Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com YORK -- A hug, a kiss on the cheek and a whisper of the words, I love you were shared between children and their moms at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women on Saturday. Fifteen children arrived at NCCW on Saturday morning for a hearty breakfast with their mothers, followed by educational activities provided by Nebraska Game and Parks. The event lasted from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For some children, it was the first time seeing their moms; for others it was the third or second time. Inmates shared how they experience loneliness, loss and anxiety from being away from their children too long, which is why yearly events like the one on Saturday are so important. Inmate Shavontae Green said her daughter has been going on visits since she was seven years old; the daughter is now 13. Visits at NCCW are unique for children and their moms. Green and moms who are a part of the Parenting Rec Program and Survivors Club at NCCW put together activities for the children. We try really hard to be eventful rather than just having our kids sit in a room, doing nothing, said Green. It helps us moms not feel so excluded. This year, they had Nebraska Game and Parks come out to teach children and their moms about wildlife. Nebraska Game and Parks brought snakes, turtles and tortoises for the families to see and touch. Brianna Nugent, an intern from the Nebraska Master Naturalist program, said, Its cool to see the children touch the animals after the moms touched animals because they feel safe knowing their mom is there to protect them. Wonder, excitement and lots of love was felt Saturday afternoon. Children enjoyed the sweetness of cherry flavored snow cones and the sweetness of their mothers affection. Some families played cornhole, and others sprawled out on blankets in the green grass, basking in the sun. Little girls giggled as their moms tickled their sides, and the boys shouted as their moms chased them across the playground at NCCW. Inmate Tori Jolliffe said, This was extravagant. We went on a scavenger hunt and played some games. Then each kid got a back pack and blanket since we cant take them back-to-school shopping. We like days like today. Groups of inmates watched the moms embrace their children from a distance. Angela Folts-Oberle, the warden of NCCW, said inmates enjoy observing the kids and moms. Angela said events like Saturdays, create a sense of peace in the environment. Katie Hanquist, the Parenting Program coordinator, said this was her first time coordinating this event. I think its great. I think its really important to promote the bond between kids and their parents. Working with the moms and the Survivors Club takes a lot of work, but is worth it. Oberle added, These moms and kids get to interact with one another as if they were at home. They get to play games, play outside and have those conversations to maintain their relationships. Itll be another year or so before some children get to see their mom again, but one thing is for certain, the children and their families will always remember that day. North Dakota is getting about $26 million in coming years through a federal program that aims to create a network of electric vehicle fast-charging stations around the country. The state Department of Transportation is asking the public to comment on priorities and preferences as it develops a Statewide Electronic Vehicle Infrastructure Plan. The plan is a federal requirement to obtain National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program funding through the federal infrastructure bill that Congress passed last fall. The program intends to create a fast-charging network across the nation that eventually is to include 500,000 stations. North Dakota will get $25.9 million from the program through fiscal year 2026. The first phase of the program in the state is to build chargers no more than 50 miles apart and less than a mile off exits along Interstates 94 and 29, according to DOT. A self-guided public input meeting is available on the department's website at dot.nd.gov/evplan until July 18. Provided input will be used to identify potential locations and amenities of EV fast-charging stations around North Dakota. For any questions, help, or to request hard copy materials, contact Steve Salwei at ssalwei@nd.gov. North Dakota has just several hundred electric vehicles and is among the last states in the nation to install fast-charging stations. Momentum has built in recent years to expand charging infrastructure, and a number of cities including Bismarck now have a few stations. DOT and Capital Electric Cooperative on Tuesday held an "EV Tailgate Party" on the state Capitol grounds for the public to learn more about the vehicles and charging options. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 YORK The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) has announced the recipients of $115 million in grant funding under the Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act (LB566). Among them is the Yorkshire Playhouse. Introduced during the 2021 legislative session and signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts, the Shovel-Ready program allocated state and federal funds to support the resumption of nonprofit capital projects delayed due to COVID-19, and which are anticipated to have a positive economic impact in Nebraska. Funding for the Shovel-Ready program was provided by $100 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and a $15 million allocation from the State General Fund. In all, 76 nonprofit organizations are recipients. The State of Nebraska and our Department are privileged to support so many impactful organizations whose work is serving to build and enhance our communities, improve lives and further economic prosperity, said DED Director Anthony L. Goins. The award to the Yorkshire Playhouse is $6,000. The Delhi airport began testing a full-body scanner on Terminal 2 that can find objects on travellers without the need for a pat-down search. As part of the study, the authorities placed the scanners at the airport. It should be noted that India's aviation security regulator BCAS ordered the installation of body scanners by March 2020 at 84 hypersensitive and sensitive airports, including the Delhi airport, to replace the current door frame metal detectors, hand-held scanners, and pat-down passenger searches for metallic objects. "Full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which are hard to detect with the conventional door frame metal detector," Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a statement. "The trials would be conducted on a real-time basis, i.E. Passengers would have to pass through it during their security check before moving to the security hold area," the statement said. Also read: Mumbai Airport introduces Integrated Security Check Point for passengers The trials of a full-body scanner at the Delhi airport would be carried out for a period of 45 to 60 days, the statement said. "During this period, feedback of all the stakeholders, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the airport operator DIAL, and passengers -would be taken, examined, and evaluated," it said. Upon completion of trials, the findings would be shared with regulatory bodies for evaluation, and the further course of action would be decided accordingly, it mentioned. An ONGC helicopter carrying nine people, including two pilots, plunged into the water off the coast of Mumbai while attempting to land on a company's rig in the Arabian Sea. The helicopter in question was carrying 9 people including 3 ONGC employees. Based on PTI's report 4 of the people on-board have died in the incident. The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard joined the rescue effort. For the rescue of the ONGC helicopter's passengers and crew, which was 60 nautical miles from Mumbai, the Navy sent out the Seaking and ALH helicopters as well as the Indian Naval Ship Teg. The Coast Guard also diverted a ship to reach the spot, while another ship sailed out from Mumbai with dispatch to join the rescue operations. The Coast Guard aircraft also dropped life rafts for survivors, and the international safety net was activated by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (Mumbai), the defense official said. The ONGC chopper was attempting to land at the rig, located some 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast when the incident took place. About 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig, the chopper fell into the sea, a company official said. Also read: Helicopter Crash: ONGC helicopter crashes in the sea The circumstances that led to the incident were not immediately clear. Other details, too, were awaited, he said. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has several rigs and installations in the Arabian Sea that produce oil and gas from reservoirs below the seabed. With inputs from PTI To boost Vietnam's Da Nang presence across the subcontinent, the Vietjet airline announced on June 27 that it will connect five Indian cities to the coastal city. The airline will connect New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru with the Vietnamese coastal city Da Nang. The new services will start within the third quarter of 2022 with four to seven return flights per week, the airline said in a statement. Vietjet currently operates four services between Vietnam and India, including New Delhi/Mumbai - Hanoi and New Delhi/Mumbai - Ho Chi Minh City. It has already announced its plans to launch two more routes, connecting New Delhi and Mumbai with the island city of Phu Quoc in September 2022. The announcement to commence five new routes was recently made at the Da Nang Investment Forum 2022, Vietjet said. Also read - 2022 Kawasaki Versys 650 launched in India at Rs 7.36 lakh: Deliveries start next month The event also marks Vietjet's announcement to incorporate Da Nang's tourism symbol on its fleet to promote the city globally. "Vietjet believes that the new routes announced today (June 27) will continue to contribute to opening more opportunities, promoting economic, trade, and business investment between Da Nang and other Vietnamese cities and regional destinations," said Vietjet Vice President Nguyen Thanh Son. Da Nang is one of Vietnam's most attractive destinations for international tourists. Vietjet has transported nearly 22 million passengers from and to Da Nang so far and currently operates eight domestic and five international routes from and to the coastal city, he said. With many positive activities and connections with Da Nang along Vietnam's 'Central heritage road,' Vietjet has constantly opened more routes, offering more flight options with diversified flight schedules and a happy experience for passengers on its new and modern fleet, the airline said. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: WhiteHat Jr, which is owned by BYJU, has laid off roughly 300 staff in its latest cost-cutting move. The startup began the layoff process last week, and his team has been reduced across multiple verticals, including sales, marketing, and operations. 80 people worked in the company's office in Brazil, where Byju's launched its 'Future School' programme in April. In August 2020, Byju's paid $300 million for WhiteHat Jr, a company that teaches coding to youngsters. Read More: Massive layoffs at Udaan! Company fires 180 employees to cut costs According to a report, the company said the terminated employees were given a month's salary as part of their severance package. Read More: Pizza chain staff pushes homeless children out of shop, heartbreaking video goes viral, netizens slam outlet -Watch According to regulatory filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, WhiteHat Jr reported a total loss of Rs 1,690 crore in FY21. For the fiscal year, the company's revenue from operations was Rs 483.9 crore, while its expenses were Rs 2,175.2 crore. The layoffs at WhiteHat Jr come as global macroeconomic factors continue to have an impact on financing opportunities for Indian businesses. Unacademy Group, Lido Learning, Vedantu, and other edtech startups have laid off employees in recent months to increase their runway. Meanwhile, Udaan, a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace has laid off 180 to 200 staff members, or around 4-5 percent of its total workforce today. There are about 4,000 people working for the company. The layoff is part of an attempt to increase efficiency. New Delhi: According to a regulatory filing made on June 28, the board of Reliance Jio, the telecom division of the oil-to-retail giant Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), has named Akash Ambani as its chairman. The board of Jio was joined by Akash Ambani in 2014, the son of RIL CEO Mukesh Ambani. His appointment as board chairman was made public simultaneously with Mukesh Ambani's resignation as Jio's director. Read More: Pizza chain staff pushes homeless children out of shop, heartbreaking video goes viral, netizens slam outlet -Watch Jio informed the stock exchanges that the board of directors noted Mr. Mukesh D. Ambani's resignation as a director of the firm at its meeting on June 27, 2022, effective as of the end of business hours on that day. Read More: Massive layoffs at Udaan! Company fires 180 employees to cut costs Additionally, it stated that the board had "accepted the nomination of Akash M. Ambani, Non-Executive Director, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company." The company added that the appointment of Raminder Singh Gujral and KV Chowdary as additional directors, each designated as an independent director, for a five-year term beginning on June 27, 2022, has been approved by the board. It further stated that Pankaj Mohan Pawar's nomination as managing director of Jio had been authorised. However, approval from shareholders would be needed before the decision could be made. In Q4FY22, Jio, which has assumed the top spot in the Indian telecom market, posted a net profit of Rs 4,173 crore, up from Rs 3,615 crore in the third quarter. When compared to the same time last year, the standalone revenue from operations increased by 20.4 percent, to Rs 20,901 crore. New Delhi: As many as 15 companies, including Adani Copper Tubes, LG Electronics and Wipro Enterprises, with committed investment of Rs 1,368 crore, have been selected as beneficiaries under the PLI scheme for the white goods sector, the government said on Tuesday. In March, the commerce and industry ministry had reopened the application window for its Rs 6,238-crore PLI scheme for white goods -- air-conditioners (ACs) and LED lights-- with an aim to accommodate more players as several firms had expressed interest in the initiative. Read More: Last year, as many as 46 firms, including Daikin, Panasonic, Syska and Havells, with committed investment of Rs 5,264 crore were selected in the first round of the scheme. Read More: In the second round, 19 companies had applied. "After evaluation of the 19 applications received in the second round...15 applicants with committed investment of Rs 1,368 crore have been provisionally selected as beneficiaries," the commerce and industry ministry said. Four applicants -- Zeco Aircon with a committed investment of Rs 100 crore; EMM ESS Aircon (Rs 52 crore); Speedoffer India (Rs 18 crore); and SIMOCO Telecommunications (South Asia) Ltd (Rs 10.63 crore) -- are being referred to the Committee of Experts (CoE) for examination and its recommendations, it added. The 15 firms selected include six for manufacturing AC components with committed investments of Rs 908 crore and nine for LED light components with committed investments of Rs 460 crore. "These 15 companies will have total production worth Rs 25,583 crore over five years and generate additional direct employment of 4,000 persons," it said. The production linked incentive (PLI) scheme on white goods is designed to create a complete component ecosystem for ACs and LED light industry in India and make India an integral part of the global supply chains. The ministry said the scheme is expected to lead to total production of AC and LED lights components of about Rs 1,22,671 crore over five years. Briefing media on this, Anil Agrawal, Additional Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said that as a result of PLI, the domestic value addition in these segments is expected to grow from the current 15-20 per cent to 75-80 per cent. He said the scheme and other regulatory measures including quality control orders, standards and labels had given a big boost to Make In India and Atmanirbhar Bharat in ACs and LEDs. The ministry said for ACs, companies will be manufacturing copper tubing, compressors, control assemblies, heat exchangers, among others. Similarly, for LED lights, chip packaging, drivers, light management systems and metallized films for capacitors will be manufactured in India. On April 7, 2021, the Union Cabinet gave its approval to the scheme for these goods, to be implemented over 2021-22 to 2028-29 with an outlay of Rs 6,238 crore. The scheme extends an incentive of 6-4 per cent on a reducing basis on incremental sales for a period of five years subsequent to the base year and one year of gestation period. Applicants provisionally selected for the scheme include Adani Copper Tubes (with committed investment of Rs 408 crore), LG Electronics India (Rs 300 crore), Mitsubishi Electric India and Kaynes Technology India (Rs 50 crore each). The list also includes Jindal Poly Films (Rs 360 crore), Sahasra Semiconductors Pvt Ltd (Rs 20 crore), Wipro Enterprises (Rs 12 crore), and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals (Rs 10.15 crore). All the 61 applicants approved in both the rounds are expected to bring investments in component manufacturing ecosystem of ACs and LED Lights industry to the tune of Rs 6,632 crore and generate about 46,368 direct employment opportunities. Out of the 46 applications, which were approved in the first round, six applicants who had proposed FDI (foreign direct investment) from countries sharing land border with India were advised to submit their applications for approval. Informing about this, Agrawal said that out of the six, two have been approved and remaining four are pending. The approved ones are - Midea India Pvt Ltd (with committed investment of Rs 250 crore) to manufacture compressors; and Chenfeng Tech (Rs 100 crore) for making printed circuit boards, mechanicals- housing, heat sinks and diffusers. New Delhi: Parliamentary panel on Tuesday suggested a reduction in Goods and Services Tax (GST) for drugs and making available indigenous vaccines for affordable treatment of Cancer patients in the country, sources said. Officers from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were present before a panel chaired by Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, Professor Ramgopal Yadav to discuss the critical issue of affordable treatment for cancer in India. Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Indian Council of Medical Research DG Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General Health Services Atul Goyal were among the officers present in the meeting. A detailed presentation was made before the committee by the Ministry of Health. It said that out of 22 AIIMS that were working in the country, only six had facilities for cancer treatment. It was also being understood, sources said, that at least three of facilities for cancer treatment were available only on paper. Only in 13 centrally operated medical colleges, government ran cancer treatment facility. Sources said that a member of Parliament raised how the Chittaranjan National Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal was practically defunct. Now, despite the fact that there is an inflow of patients, it refuses to decline. Members also raised concerns about the increased price of cancer-related drugs and medicines. Despite the fact that the government claims that under certain conditions, these drugs are available at a subsidised rate, the members communicated to the Health Ministry that the situation on grassroots was not the same as being proclaimed. There was an urgent need to reduce the GST on such drugs and medicines, as suggested by the members. Members expressed their concern about the availability for facilities and urged to conduct a PET scan which is a crucial way to detect cancer. The members also urged the officers present in today`s meeting to declare cancer as a Notifiable Disease at the earliest because it is turning out to be a huge concern for the common man with the increased treatment price and the stigma associated with it. A Notifiable Disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks. Further, it was discussed that counselling for Cancer patients and their family members is the most important focus that the central government needs to look at. This has been suggested by some members in this meeting. Members were also informed by the officials that the HPV vaccine for treatment of cancer had reached its third trial stage. However, at this point, this matter is sub-judice. All the members in unison requested the central government to encourage the development of indigenous vaccines so that the treatment can be affordable and the availability of the vaccines can be ensured. The discussion is meeting will continue on Tuesday morning when some organisations including National Cancer Institute, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jhajjar, Haryana along with Dr Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati, Assam; Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, West Bengal; and National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh will present their suggestions before the committee. The Committee is already in receipt of research from Dr Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati and as furnished by Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata.The background note on the subject also received from the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Replies to Questionnaire on the subject as furnished by TATA Memorial Hospital, Mumbai during the study tour of the Committee to Mumbai on 28t April, 2022 have been circulated to the members. In India, too, cancer is the leading cause of death, with 7.84 lakh deaths recorded in 2018, and 13.92 lakh cases reported in 2020, according to World Health Organisation. At the national level, an average total cancer care expenditure was around Rs 1,16,218, says an expert. In private hospitals, the total cost of cancer care was estimated to be Rs 1,41,774, whereas it was comparatively lower at Rs 72,092 in public hospitals. The state-wise pattern shows that the overall cost of cancer care in India varies from Rs 74,699 in Odisha to Rs 2,39,974 in the state of Jharkhand. In eight states, namely, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana, the overall cost of cancer treatment was under Rs 1 lakh. However, cancer patients spent from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh on treatment in Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, cancer treatment cost over Rs 1.5 lakh. An important aspect that needs to be highlighted is the percentage share of medical and non-medical expenditure. About 90 per cent of the total cancer care expenses relate to medical care, which include expenses on doctors` consultancy, medicines, diagnostic tests, bed charges, and other medical services like blood transfusions and oxygen supplementation. The residual 10 per cent is on non-medical heads, which includes transportation, food, escort and transport for other family members. The state-wise pattern suggests that in two states, namely Chhattisgarh and Bihar, non-medical expenses contributed to over 20 per cent of all cancer expenditure, whereas, in nine states--Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, over 10 per cent of the expenses were on non-medical services. The National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) has developed safety guidelines about battery swapping and charging infrastructure as EV battery fires persist unabatedly in the nation. Installing a black-box-like feature to monitor battery systems and pinpoint the problems that cause battery failure is another solution made. The organization has published 12 guidelines, one of which is to use an identification device to identify battery failure concerns and battery fire hazards. "Four recommendations regarding regulatory aspects were also made. These are identification of battery failure issues, volatile thermal behavior, and associated risks with an identification device to understand the root cause of failure, real-time verifiable exchange value for battery swapping, net metering of charging stations from Discoms, and financing (by bank and NBFCs) of only those batteries that meet government standardization," the NHEV said in a statement. The NHEV meeting was attended by a Niti Aayog Member and Honorary Chair NHEV Knowledge Group, V.K. Saraswat, and key stakeholders from the EV industry. Also read: This Chinese battery pack for electric vehicles can deliver 1000 km on a single charge "NHEV Working Group decided to place these 12 recommendations before the policy think tank and government along with four new short-term pilots announced," said Abhijeet Sinha, National Project Director, NHEV. In another meeting, the charge point operator`s (CPO) society also announced that 4,000-5,000 EV chargers will be installed at 2,000 locations in the central Delhi district. The recommendations come as the government has ordered a probe into Tata Motors` Nexon EV fire incident in Mumbai. The company termed it an "isolated thermal incident". The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was earlier tasked with investigating electric two-wheeler fire incidents by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, is leading the probe into the Nexon EV fire. The DRDO probe had earlier found serious defects in the EV two-wheeler batteries. These defects occurred because the electric two-wheeler manufacturers like Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric, and Boom Motors may have used "lower-grade materials to cut costs". The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued new performance standards for lithium-ion batteries to safeguard the consumers amid the rising EV fire episodes in the country. The BIS, which comes under the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry, published the "performance standards for electronic vehicle batteries" in a bid to keep strict control over the manufacturing of EV batteries. The new BIS standard called "IS 17855: 2022" has been designed for lithium-ion traction battery packs and systems of electrically-propelled road vehicles. The standard for these battery packs and systems is harmonized with `ISO 12405-4: 2018`. With inputs from IANS How can the attitude and behavior influence a future when disaster comes? Behold of dreams details the experiences of two New York City families during the 2008 financial Crisis. An immigrant poor family was from Cameroon, the Jonga family, and heir wealthy employers, the Edwards family were Wall-Streeter. Jende and Neni came to the U. S. to create a better life for their son Liomi. Jende is a driver for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clarks first son gave up his degree in Columbia law school to India to seek the truth of life. Mrs. Edwards became furies because she regarded it as a disaster. She came from a poor family with a raped mother and never saw her father. She was fear of poverty but forgot how she worked hard to get a good life. Mr. Edwards thought it was cool. Clark went to a hotel to seek relaxation from girls during his time to find a new job and his wife saw a scandal of a wall street top elite corrupted for buying sex. She became crazy because she believed her husband betrayed her. She hated Jende to refuse to spy Mr. Edward, because Jende singned a contract of keeping secret. In spite of Jendes hard work and loyalty, Mr. Edward fired him to avoid divorce. Without a legal status, Jende couldnt find a job to support his family. He had to raise Neni who wanted to become a pharmacist with a son and a newborn girl. How to deal with difficult? Neni went to a church where was good to immigrants. She went to ask help from Mrs. Edwards who once promised to answer for her life-saving action. Jende found his back almost broken by hard work in restaurants to clean dishes and uncertain of too much pressure of life. Africa is a poor country but has a lot of friends ,relatives and good resource , while America is a developed country but has no job opportunity for Jende to live. He decided to go back to his country to build his dreams for his family. After Mrs. Edwardss suicide, Mr. Edwards realized how important a family to him, and he quit his high salary and long hours job in the Wall Street and lived near his family members. A new life with beloved family members is before the Jonga family and the Edwards family after the economic disaster, both families is happy to their choice. Elon Musk, who turned 51 on Tuesday, decided to postpone Tesla's debut into India, and Chinese state media has characterised the decision as strategic given that the electric car manufacturer will still be keeping an eye on the Indian market for its potential. The suspension may just be used by Tesla as a " business strategy to further promote the negotiation," according to a report in Global Times. Musk firmly stated last month that Tesla will not produce cars in India until it is permitted to market and service its electric automobiles. The team Musk hired in India last year has now been diverted to focus on the Middle East and the larger Asia-Pacific markets. Manuj Khurana, the policy and business development executive at Tesla in India and who led lobbying efforts in India, has resigned. He was hired in March 2021 and lobbied the Indian government for more than a year to slash the import tax on electric cars to 40 per cent from as high as 100 per cent. Also read: Mahindra's Pininfarina-styled Viritech Apricale hydrogen-powered hypercar unveiled with 1,072 hp Chinese state media said that the suspension of Tesla`s entry plan in India is a typical representation of a number of multinational enterprises, "reflecting a business environment in need of improvement for the South Asian nation to win more foreign investment". "India`s business market environment is still relatively conservative and closed rather than opening up, resulting from the rising economic nationalism," said Liu Zongyi, Secretary-General of the Research Center for China-South Asia Cooperation at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. India has been seeking to build an industrial chain with the US under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) "by trying to exclude and limit China`s development in manufacturing and forcing multinational enterprises in China to shift to other markets including India... the cost for such move is still high and will not be paid by the US government", Liu was quoted as saying. India is rich in labour resources with affordable lower costs, but it currently can`t fully undertake the development of mid-and high-end industrial chains to boost its exports. "India will be able to achieve more rapid and stable development if it can strengthen industrial chain cooperation with China from a realistic perspective," Liu told Global Times. After Musk confirmed Tesla`s arrival in India, then Karnataka Chief Minister B.S Yediyurappa declared in February last year that the US-based electric vehicle and clean energy company will set up its production unit in the state. Tesla then registered its office in Bengaluru. The electric car-maker has not launched any of its electric cars in India or any other country in South Asia yet. The only Asian market where Tesla has a presence in China. With inputs from IANS New Delhi: Within four days of the registration process getting underway, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has received 94,281 applications under the Agnipath recruitment scheme. "A total of 94,281 Agniveer Vayu aspirants have registered till 10:30 am (Monday, June 27). Registration closes on July 5," Defence Ministry Spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu said on Twitter. Till Sunday, the IAF had received 56,960 applications under the scheme. After the scheme was unveiled on June 14, violent protests against it rocked several states for nearly a week and several opposition parties have been demanding its rollback. Under the scheme, the government had said youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service. The government had on June 16 increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022, and subsequently announced a slew of placatory steps like a preference for Agniveers in central paramilitary forces and defence public sector undertakings upon their retirement. Many BJP-ruled states also declared the 'Agniveers' - as the soldiers inducted under the Agnipath scheme will be known -- will be accorded priority in induction into state police forces. The armed forces have, however, made it clear those who had indulged in violent protests and arson against the new recruitment scheme will not be inducted. Agnipath recruitment 2022 for IAF: Key dates - The last date to Apply for Agniveer in Indian Air Force is July 5, 2022 - The exam will take place on 24th July 2022 Indian Air Force (IAF) started the registration process for recruitment through the Agnipath scheme 2022 from June 24, 2022. Eligible candidates, who are interested in joining the Indian Air Force under this scheme, can apply online by going directly to their official website- careerindianairforce.cdac.in. Agnipath recruitment 2022: Age Limit Candidates born between 29 December 1999 and 29 June 2005 (both days inclusive) are eligible to apply. "In case, a candidate clears all the stages of the Selection Procedure, then the upper age limit as on date of enrolment is 23 years," read the IAF's official notification. Agnipath recruitment: Selection process Candidates will be selected through Phase I and Phase II examinations. Candidates who qualify Phase I examination will be eligible to appear for Phase-II examination. Shortlisted candidates who qualify for the online test shall have to appear for PFT followed by a medical test. (With PTI inputs) Asansol: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair and social activist Teesta Setalvad for "trying to expose the truth." The Trinamool chief alleged that those who spread hatred are roaming free and accused the Centre of suppressing the voices of those who criticise it. Addressing a party gathering in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, Banerjee also attacked the Centre over the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme, calling it a major scam and another example of Jumla politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Why have you arrested Mohammed Zubair and Teesta Setalvad? What wrong have they done? Does speaking out the truth or exposing the truth a crime? Those who are speaking out against this government are either harassed by using agencies or are arrested, Banerjee said. In an apparent reference to controversial remarks by suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad, she alleged that those who spread hatred and violence in the country are not being arrested. Those who spread hatred and violence in the country are not being arrested; no action is being taken. Those who create animosity among communities are not even touched by them (BJP). But those who fight against such people are being harassed, she said. Speaking on the Agnipath scheme, Banerjee said the Centre must extend the retirement age of soldiers recruited under it to 60 years, claiming that they would stare at an uncertain future at the end of the four-year contract. "Recently I received a communication where I was requested that those Agniveers, after four years, should get the opportunity in state government jobs. It is a mess created by the Centre, and they have to clean it. We will not take the onus, she said. Meanwhile, the ruling BJP today lashed out at the opposition, especially the Congress, for protesting against the arrest of activist Teesta Setalvad and Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking portal Alt News, alleging that they were working as part of a "poisonous ecosystem" where one offender protects another if anyone is caught. Slamming the Congress for joining the protest against Setalvad's arrest, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused it of supporting and opposing judicial actions as per its convenience and asked if the opposition party has any faith in the judiciary or not. Criticising Zubair, BJP leader Bhatia said if somebody is doing a fact-check, then he can't be selective. If he posts content which suits some political party or a community, then he is not objective, Bhatia claimed. If protests against Zubair's arrest are linked with similar criticism of action against Setalvad, then it is clear that there is a "poisonous" ecosystem, the BJP spokesperson said. He also suggested that the accused "used" foreign powers for selfish political reasons and asserted that nothing is bigger than the country's sovereignty. "The world's strongest judicial system exists in the country, and it will do its work," he said. All major opposition parties and media organisations have condemned Zubair's arrest on Monday by the Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets, officials said. The Editors Guild of India on Tuesday termed it "extremely disturbing" and demanded his immediate release. Rahul Gandhi alleged that every person exposing the BJP's "hate, bigotry and lies" was a threat to them. "Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more. Truth always triumphs over tyranny," he said in a tweet. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Amid the Covid-19 fourth wave scare in India, the BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron has been found in some samples collected from central, south and southeast Delhi between May and June 16, official sources said on Monday (June 27, 2022). The findings were discussed at a meeting on June 17 by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), which reviewed the Covid-19 data to check the possibility of any new emerging variant or sub-variant and ascertain the reasons behind the breakthrough infections. Almost five per cent of the samples genome sequenced from central and south east Delhi tested positive for the BA.5 sub-variant and nearly two per cent samples from south Delhi showed its presence. Most of the samples were found to have the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron. According to experts, BA.5 is highly transmissible. It, however, does not lead to severe infection. Sources said a few samples from Delhi that were sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for genome sequencing tested positive for the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains of Omicron, which had triggered the surge in the number of cases in January. They also said two of the 30 samples of genome sequenced at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences showed the presence of the BA.5 sub-strain. The samples were sent to the laboratory between June 1 and June 16. "BA.4 and BA.5 are the offsprings of BA.2 and BA.1 and they have undergone mutation. The mutation that has happened has given them a more pronounced characteristic of evading the immunity generated by Omicron that had triggered the infection surge in January," Lalit Kant, the former head of the epidemiology and communicable diseases department in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said. He said the mutation has increased the transmissibility of the virus by 10 to 15 times. "If Omicron was faster spreading than Delta, then these are more transmissible. This is the information we have got so far from the work done outside India. In South Africa, it started in January and by March-April, BA.4 and BA.5 replaced the entire original strain. Even in the US and Europe, BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading fast and replacing the previous sub-variants," Kant added. The senior scientist said the experiences of other countries show that these sub-variants do not cause severe infection or lead to an increase in hospitalisation. These are also able to escape the immunity generated by vaccination. "BA.5 spreads faster and in some cases, it is also replacing BA.4. Vaccinated people fare better than unvaccinated people but the immunity starts declining six-seven months after immunisation," Kant said. Delhi seeing surge in daily Covid-19 cases Delhi has been witnessing a rising number of Covid cases with the single-day figure breaching the 1,000 mark on June 14. The city logged 1,118 fresh cases of the infection on June 14 with a positivity rate of 6.5 per cent and two fatalities. Since then, the national capital has been logging more than 1,000 cases every day barring last Wednesday, when it logged 928 new coronavirus infections. At that time, it was indicated that new sub-variants BA.2.12 (52 per cent samples) and BA.2.10 (11 per cent samples) were showing high transmission and were found in over 60 per cent of the samples from Delhi sequenced. AP EAMCET 2022: Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, APSCHE has released AP EAMCET Hall Tickets 2022. Candidates who will appear for state Engineering, Agriculture, and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test- 2022 (AP EAPCET-2022) can download the admit card through the official site of AP EAMCET on cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. Candidates will require their registration number, qualifying examination hall ticket number, and DOB. ALSO READ: UPSSSC PET 2022 Recruitment Notification OUT AP EAMCET 2022: Important Details The AP EAMCET 2022 Hall Ticket has been released on the website on 27 June 2022 by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Anantapur on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE). AP EAMCET 2022: Here is a Direct link to download EAMCET 2022 Admit Card AP EAMCET 2022: Here is how you can download the admit card -Visit the official website of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. - Click on the link that states Download AP EAMCET Hall Tickets on the homepage. - Enter your application number and other details correctly to log in to your registered account. - Your AP EAMCET hall ticket will be displayed on the screen. - Download the admit card from the website and keep a hard copy of the same for future reference. AP EAMCET Exam Dates - AP EAMCET Examination (Engineering): July 4 to July 8, 2022. - Time of Engineering Examination: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. - AP EAMCET Examination (Agriculture & Pharmacy): July 11 to July 12, 2022. - Time of Agriculture Examination: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. New Delhi: Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the country, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will chair a review meeting with states on Tuesday. A source said that the Health Secretary will review the current Covid situation and the vaccination status with states through video conferencing. With over 80,000 new infections, fresh Covid-19 cases in the week ending Sunday surged to the highest in nearly four months. However, the deaths from the virus have remained low compared to previous outbreaks. As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs, the nation recorded 11,793 fresh Covid infections in a span of 24 hours, which is less than the previous day`s count of 17,073. In the same period, the country reported 27 more deaths, taking the nationwide toll to 5,25,047. Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate has also declined to 2.49 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 3.36 per cent. As of Tuesday morning, India`s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 197.31 crore achieved via 2,56,30,111 sessions. In a horrific incident, two Muslim extremists beheaded a Hindu man in Rajasthan's Udaipur today. His fault - writing a post on social media in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma's remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The man, Kanhaiya Lal, was a poor shopkeeper in Udaipur, who used to run a tailoring shop. The two extremists entered the shop as customers and killed the man when he was taking their measurements. Not only this, the two Muslim men even made a video of the incident and posted the same on social media. In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan makes an analysis of the Udaipur incident and the rising extremism in the country. There were a few takeaways that should be noted - 1. The two Muslim men entered disguising themselves as customers. They were placing an order, and as seen in the video, Kanhaiya Lal was taking their measurement. However, it was clear from their attire that they were Muslims. Still, Kanhaiya Lal didn't deny taking their order on the basis of their religion. This proves that Kanhaiya Lal was indeed not an extremist. A few days ago, when violent protests were taking place against Nupur Sharma's comments, some extremist groups had given a very provocative slogan - "Gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sir tan se juda" (Only one punishment - beheading); and today, the same happened. Government action The state of Rajasthan is currently ruled by a Congress government. There were huge protests against the incident in Udaipur today. People also expressed their anger against the government. A curfew has been imposed across the state and internet services have also been suspended to avoid any untoward incidents. However, what's surprising is Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's statement where he is blaming PM Narendra Modi for the incident. In a nutshell, politics has also started over the incident. Watch DNA with Sudhir Chaudhary to understand in detail the incident of brutal killing in Rajasthan's Udaipur. Mumbai: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Monday termed the relief by the Supreme Court to him and other dissident Sena lawmakers as the victory of Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and the ideals of his mentor Anand Dighe. The Supreme Court has kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly till July 11 and sought responses to pleas by rebel MLAs questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification. The top court also refused to pass any interim order on the plea of the Maharashtra government that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly and said they can always approach it in case of illegality. "This is the victory of Hindu hridaysamrat Balasaheb's Hindutva and the ideals of (the late) Dharamaveer Anand Dighe," Shinde, who is camping with the dissident MLAs in Guwahati, tweeted in Marathi. In Thane, Shinde's son and party MP Shrikant Shinde said Maharashtra Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal had sent the disqualification notice to his father and 15 other dissident legislators under pressure which is evident from the top court's order. "The speaker has rights in the Assembly. He has the power if anyone goes against the whip in the legislature. It does not apply to anyone not coming for any meeting. The 'tughlaqi farman' (the disqualification notice) was issued (by him) under pressure and the court has shown that today," the Kalyan MP said. Shinde and a sizable number of Maharashtra MLAs rebelled against the leadership of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 21 and are currently in Guwahati in Assam. Their main demand is that the Sena withdraws from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which also comprises the Congress and NCP. Shinde moved the Supreme Court on Sunday against the disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker to him and 15 other rebel legislators, calling the action "illegal and unconstitutional" and seeking a stay on it. ALSO READ | After Maharashtra, crisis on cards for Jharkhand, Rajasthan; Mamata Banerjee govt will also fall: BJP The petition had sought directions to the deputy speaker to not take any action in the Disqualification Petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules pending before the Speaker of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly and not take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of deputy speaker is decided. The Maharashtra legislature secretariat on Saturday issued "summons" to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. SRINAGAR: Just three years ago not many people could have even thought that Jammu and Kashmir would host the G-20 summit. However, time has changed and has changed for the good. J&K known as "terror capital" of India till August 5, 2019 when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate the so-called special status of the Himalayan region and bifurcated it into two Union Territories has emerged as the tourism capital of India.Tourists from across the world have visited J&K during the past two and a half years and their number is swelling with each passing day. Peace returning to the erstwhile princely state has done wonders. The Centre`s decision to "bite the bullet" and merge J&K completely with the Union of India broke the ice. Encouraged by the tourist footfall and international business houses showing keen interest to invest in J&K, the Government of India has decided to hold the G-20 summit in the Union Territory. The G-20 is a politico-economic alliance comprising 19 countries, including the S, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Russia, China, India, Japan and the European Union. Other member nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. Its summits are also attended by representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). Earlier, in November 2020, G-20 leaders had announced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that India would host the summit of the high-profile grouping in 2023 with the delay of one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The J&K government has constituted a 5-member committee of bureaucrats under Principal Secretary Housing & Urban Development Dheeraj Gupta for overall coordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory. The process to host the high profile summit has commenced. The G-20 will be the first major international summit to be held in J&K in the past three and a half decades. Message is loud and clearBy choosing J&K as the venue for G-20 summit the Government of India has sent a clear message to the international community that normalcy has returned to the Himalayan region and Pakistan sponsored terrorism is on its last legs. The peace has opened up J&K to the world. The Union Territory is fast turning into one of the most developed regions in the world.After the abrogation of Article 370 temporary provision in the Constitution of India, Kashmir has not witnessed any shutdowns, street protests and stone-pelting incidents. A common man in J&K has heaved a sigh of relief as there have been no disruptions in his life. The elements inimical to peace have been taken care of as their entire ecosystem has been shattered. They have been left with no resources to orchestrate street protests and force people to shut their shops. The strikes and violence have become history. Also Read: PM Modi's gifts to G7 leaders showcase India's rich art and crafts - See pics New Delhi once again shows its sincerity, People have realized that the ones who used to sponsor shutdowns, protests and processions and violence on streets were the biggest enemies of Kashmiris. They don`t want the painful era of violence to return. But there are still a few miscreants left who are creating hurdles in the way of peace at the behest of Pakistan.A common man in J&K needs to understand that peace is a prerequisite for development. He has to realize that the terrorists and their supporters have to be isolated for J&K to reach new heights. New Delhi has once again proven its sincerity towards the people of the Himalayan region by announcing that the G-20 summit would be held in J&K. It`s an honour for the J&K natives as their land would host such an important international meet which will be attended by the representatives of the most powerful countries in the world.Pak reacts sharply, G-20 members ignoreJammu and Kashmir gearing up to host the G-20 meet has led to Pakistan reacting sharply. At first place, Pakistan is not a part of the G-20 group as it`s a poor country and secondly its claim that the Himalayan region is a disputed territory stands punctured yet again. After India`s August 5, 2019, decision Pakistani leaders had knocked the door of every country in the world to pressurize New Delhi to reverse its call to abrogate J&K`s special status. No nation, including Islamic countries, entertained the leaders of the neighbouring country. They made it amply clear that they cannot interfere in the internal matters of India. Reacting to India`s move to host the G-20 summit in J&K, a spokesman of Pakistan`s foreign office stated that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognised "disputed" territory between Pakistan and India and the G-20 summit cannot be held there. Pakistan`s reaction should serve as an eye-opener for such Kashmiris who still believe that Pakistan is their well wisher. Had Pakistan been the friend of Kashmiris it would not have turned them into cannon-fodder, nor would it have opposed the development and prosperity of J&K. The foreign office spokesman stated: "Contemplating the holding of any G-20-related meeting or event in J&K, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged disputed status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances. He urged the G-20 members to reject the idea of holding the summit in J&K. However, none of the member countries reacted to the statement issued by Pakistan`s foreign office thus driving home a point that no one takes Pakistan seriously and considers it as a failed state that has no credibility. In 2-years, J&K received business proposals worth crores. During the past two years, J&K has received business proposals worth thousands of crores from the foreign investors. It had never happened in the past 70-years.In May this year the Jammu and Kashmir Government signed six agreements with the business houses based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business groups that signed MoUs included Al Maya Group, MATU Investments LLC, GL Employment Brokerage LLC, Century Financial, and Noon E-commerce. Letters of Intent were signed with Magna Waves Private Limited, Emaar Group and Lulu International. These business houses would be investing in real estate, infrastructure, tourism, healthcare and manpower employment sectors in J&K. UAE turns its back on Pakistan The foreign investments have already started pouring into J&K and the UAE has emerged as a major partner in the development of the Union Territory. Dubai making an entry into J&K for the first time in the past seven decades is an indication that the world has recognized the pace with which J&K is traversing on the development bandwagon. Pakistan always used to count on UAE but it has turned its back towards Pakistan and are ignoring it as no developed country in the world would like to support a nation that has turned into a breeding ground for terrorists. The Muslim countries by endorsing India`s stand have sent a strong message to Pakistan that they have no second thoughts about J&K being an integral part of India. The J&K hosting G-20 summit would be a big victory for India and a major setback for Pakistan as G-20 comprises the world`s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world`s population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product, 80 per cent of global investment and over 75 per cent of global trade. New Delhi: India on Monday (June 27, 2022) banned several official accounts of Pakistan Embassies on Twitter for allegedly spreading fake news. The official accounts of the Pakistani Embassy in the UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt have been withheld by Twitter in India. The account of the national public broadcaster in Pakistan - Radio Pakistan has also been withheld on the microblogging site. "Account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand," an error message displayed while opening these accounts. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed that it is "deeply concerning" that India has blocked the "flow of information" to Indian Twitter by withholding access to these official accounts. Deeply concerning that #India has blocked flow of information to Indian @Twitter by withholding access to following official accounts @PakinIran @PakinTurkey @PakinEgypt @PakistanUN_NY. These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked. Spokesperson MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) June 27, 2022 Earlier in April, India's Ministry of Information & Broadcasting had blocked sixteen YouTube-based news channels, including six from Pakistan. "It was observed that these channels were used to spread fake news over social media on matters related to national security, Indias foreign relations, communal harmony in the country, and public order. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021," an official statement said. "YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and Indias foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine, etc. The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, and Indias friendly relations with foreign states," the statement read. "Government of India remains committed to ensure a safe and secure information environment in India across print, television, and online media," it added. Indonesia Confirms President Jokowis Trip to Russia, Ukraine https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/indonesia-confirms-president-jokowis-trip-to-russia-ukraine/ By Sebastian Strangio June 23, 2022 Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the Indonesian leader will visit the two warring nations in the spirit of peace. Credit: Facebook/Presiden Joko Widodo The Indonesian government has confirmed earlier reports that President Joko Jokowi Widodo will pay visits to Ukraine and Russia next week to push for a resolution to their ongoing war, the first such visit by any Asian leader. The announcement was made yesterday by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who said that Jokowi will travel to Kyiv and Moscow after attending the G7 Summit in Germany on June 26-28, and will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian near-namesake and nemesis Vladimir Putin. The president is showing compassion on the humanitarian crisis, will try to contribute to dealing with the food crisis caused by the war, and the impact felt on all countries, especially the developing and low-income ones, Retno told a news conference, as reported by Reuters. She added, And hell keep pushing for the spirit of peace. Retno did not elaborate on the subject of the talks with Putin and Zelenskyy, nor when those would take place, though an earlier report from the Russian state media organ TASS said that the meeting between Jokowi and Putin would take place on June 30. An Indonesian government official quoted by the Jakarta Post on June 20 claimed that the purpose of the trip was to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to, among other things, allow Ukraine to export the globally needed wheat amid the ongoing war between the two countries. DIPLOMAT BRIEF Jokowi will make the visits not just as president of Southeast Asias most populous nation, but also as this years chairman of the Group of 20 (G20) economic bloc. Russias inconvenient membership in the grouping has threatened to overshadow Indonesias G20 chairmanship, which has been based on the theme of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Western nations have threatened to boycott the G20 meetings, including its November summit in Bali, if Putin is allowed to attend. Some have argued that Russia should be kicked out of the G20 altogether, much as it was ejected from the G7 after its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Indonesia has studiously avoided taking a side in the conflict, pledging to keep the focus of its chairmanship on the economic issues that form the G20s traditional focus and refusing to retract its invitation for Putin to attend the Bali summit. To counterbalance its position, and douse Western criticisms, Jokowi has also extended an invitation to Zelenskyy to attend, either in person or (more likely) by videolink. The threat of a G20 derailment at least partly explains Jokowi's entree into international conflict mediation, something that he has generally eschewed in the eight years of his presidency. Whether he will have much success in convincing Putin to give up perhaps his main form of leverage over the West the ability to engineer a global food shortage remains to be seen, but as I argued last week, the Indonesian leader should be given a certain degree of credit for making the attempt. India Post Recruitment 2022: The applications for the begins for Staff Car Driver positions on the official website of India Post. Interested and eligible candidates should apply online at indiapost.gov.in, the India Post's official website. This recruitment drive will fill up to a total of 24 positions. The application deadline is July 20, 2022. Candidates who apply for the position will not be able to withdraw their applications later," according to the official notice. For more information on the India Post Recruitment 2022, candidates are advised to visit the official website. IndiaPost Recruitment 2022: Important Dates Last Date to apply- 20 July 2022 India Post Recruitment 2022: Vacancy Details Staff Car Driver- 24 Posts India Post Recruitment 2022: Eligibility Criteria 10th Standard pass from a recognized Board or Institute A valid driver's license for light and heavy motor vehicles is required. Understanding of motor mechanisms. Driving experience in the lightweight and heavyweight vehicles for at least three years. India Posts Jobs 2022: Selection Process Candidates can go through the official notification to get information regarding selection procedure. India Post Jobs 2022: How to apply via official website Candidates interested in applying should visit the official website, indiapost.gov.in. Candidates must send their application to "The Senior Manager (JAG), Mail Motor Service, No. 37, Greams Road, Chennai- 600006." Candidates can find out more information on the India Post's official website. Kochi (Kerala): Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the prime accused of the Kerala gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh, here on Tuesday, after interrogating her for five and a half hours on Monday. Suresh was interrogated for at least 11 hours on two consecutive days in the last week. "I am no one to give the counter (to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan). Let the interrogation get over... they (ED) have a lot of proof with them. There is a questioning tomorrow as well," Suresh told ANI on her way back from the ED, reacting to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan`s denial of the allegations. Suresh had accused CM Vijayan, along with his wife and daughter of their involvement in the matter, claiming that the baggage containing currency was sent to Vijayan when he was in Dubai in 2016 on the instructions of Sivasankar. Earlier this year, Swapna Suresh had alleged that she was exploited and manipulated by M Sivasankar, principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The statements came after Sivasankar in his upcoming autobiography "Aswathamavu: Verum Oru Aana" alleged that Swapna had trapped him by gifting him an iPhone. "Way back in 2016, Sivasankar contacted me while the Chief Minister was in Dubai. At that time, I was the secretary at the consulate. Sivasankar told me that the CM had forgotten a bag which should be delivered to Dubai immediately. As per the instruction of the consulate general, the bag was handed over to a diplomat at the consulate. When the bag was brought in by the consulate official, we realised that it contained currency. We have a scanning machine in the consulate. Then we have to scan whatever parcel arrives there. That`s how it all started," she had said. In her address to the media persons on Monday, the prime accused of the gold smuggling scam said, "Crime Branch has summoned me today based on the complaint of KT Jaleel and based on the statements of dignified personalities like Saritha S Nair. But I will not be able to go today because ED is questioning me today as well. I am going to ED now. Once they finish their interrogation, after that I will go to Crime Branch. I have already informed the Superintendent of Police and the concerned authorities." Thiruvananthapuram cantonment police have registered a case against Swapna on Jaleel`s complaint on June 8 this year seeking a probe into the charges made by Swapna Suresh against him in the gold smuggling case and alleged that she conspired and made defaming statements against him.The police registered the case under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with an intent to cause riot) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) against her. ED interrogated her with respect to her 164 statements at the court and allegations against Vijayan and his family became controversial.An affidavit submitted by Swapna Suresh alleged that 17 tonnes of dates imported to Kerala from UAE `went missing` with Vijayan and former Minister KT Jaleel`s knowledge. The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2020. After spending 16 months behind bars, Swapna was released from jail in November last year. The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the customs department. Sivasankar was arrested on October 28, 2020, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition. Sivasankar was released on bail on February 4, last year. No need to respond to allegations every time: Kerala CM Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, said there was no need for him to respond to allegations against him each and every time regarding the gold smuggling case. His remark came in response to queries from reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, regarding the allegations made against him and his family in the revelations by prime accused Swapna Suresh in the gold smuggling case. The CM said that similar charges were levelled before the 2021 assembly elections and there was widespread speculation regarding his involvement. The probe by investigative agencies, however, found nothing incriminating against him, he said and added that despite all those allegations against him, the public did not believe the same and his government was elected to power again. "The public does not believe all this as our lives are an open book before them," he told PTI. Regarding the allegations against his family members in connection with the gold smuggling case, Kerla CM Vijayan said he knows there were people actively encouraging such accusations, but was confident that it would not malign his public life as the people know the intention behind the same. On why he did not opt for litigation if he believed the 164 statement by Suresh was not accurate, Vijayan said, "Let me worry about that". Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, alleged that the LDF government had different rules for the different accused in the case. Satheesan claimed that while one accused -- M Sivasankar -- was reinstated in service and permitted to write a book making revelations about the case, a case of conspiracy was lodged against Suresh for making revelations in her 164 statement. Satheesan further alleged that the CM was worried he might be implicated in the case and that is why P S Sarith, another accused in the case, was suddenly picked by Vigilance officials and his phone seized after the revelations by Suresh. (With ANI/PTI Inputs) Mumbai: A core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party`s Maharashtra unit discussed the state`s political situation and decided to follow the "wait and watch" approach amid the crisis faced by the MVA government due to the revolt in Shiv Sena. The meeting was held at the residence of former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and other BJP leaders. "BJP core committee meeting was held. After the Supreme Court`s order, the state`s political situation was assessed and discussed. Eknath Shinde said that his faction is the original Shiv Sena, this too was discussed. We discussed what role should we assume in future in the current scenario," Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters after the meeting. On the other hand, rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, are likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, said an ANI report citing sources, adding "Rebel Maharashtra MLAs likely to stay for more days at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, Assam. The hotel was booked till July 5 and the booking can now be extended as per requirement." "After discussion, it was decided that we will wait and watch and a core team will come for a meeting once again, depending on the situation in the coming days. BJP will then take a decision in the interest of the people, in the interest of Maharashtra," ANI quoted a source. On Sunday, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant of Uddhav Thackeray camp joined the rebels led by Eknath Shinde at Guwahati. The Thackeray group on Monday removed Shinde as leader of the legislative party and appointed a new chief whip, while supporters of Shinde wrote to the state Governor that he continues to be the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature group, and appointed a chief whip. The battle between the groups has now reached the Supreme Court which on Monday granted interim relief to Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, the Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by Monday, 5.30 pm. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, in its order on Monday, said, "As an interim measure, the time granted by the Deputy Speaker, to the petitioners or other similarly placed MLAs to submit their submissions today by 5.30 pm, stands extended till July 12. The petitioners or other MLAs are at liberty to submit their reply without prejudice to their rights in the writ petition." The apex court heard the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The SC bench also issued notices to the Deputy Speaker, Secretary of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, the Centre, Ajay Chaudhary, and Sunil Prabhu and asked them to file a reply within five days. On the request of providing security to 39 MLAs alleging threats to them, the Supreme Court recorded the statement of the standing counsel of the Maharashtra government, Rahul Chitnis, that adequate steps have already been taken and the state government will further ensure that no harm is caused to the life, liberty, property of the MLAs. Appearing for Eknath Shinde and others, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul told the Supreme Court that the Deputy Speaker cannot proceed with the disqualification proceedings when the resolution seeking his removal is pending. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. On June 25, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. Earlier on June 26, two MLAs called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar`s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs. In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court, adding "The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn`t have the majority and they can`t disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court." Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn`t have a Speaker since February 2021. Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party Shiv Sena in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde, who called the appointment illegal. Chaudhary`s name was proposed by the "minority faction" as he represents the "real Sena", Shinde added. Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena`s legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati. In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on June 20 and camped in Surat. The rebel MLAs later shifted their base to a hotel in Guwahati. (With ANI Inputs) New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Tuesday sought a five-day further remand of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who has been arrested in connection with an "objectionable" tweet hurting religious sentiments. The cops also claimed that Zubair was not cooperating with authorities in the investigation against him in connection with an "objectionable" tweet and had formatted his phone intentionally. Delhi Police seeks a 5-day further remand of Mohammed Zubair. Police say, other FIRs also registered against him in different matters. ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 It may be noted that Zubair was arrested on Monday for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community in a Twitter post he had written in 2018. Zubair`s objectionable tweet had led to a Twitter storm with hate speeches, detrimental to communal harmony. Two things including technical gadget and intention was important. He was evasive on both, the phone was formatted. This formed grounds for his arrest," KPS Malhotra, DCP IFSO said, according to ANI. Malhotra said that Delhi Police will seek more remand time to question him. Refuting reports that Zubair`s arrest was "politically motivated, he said, "If someone is booked in several cases it`s our right to question him in all. Judiciary is involved, custody is given, bail not granted, there must be some substance to the case. Calling it politically motivated doesn`t stand right. We`ll ask for more remand." If someone is booked in several cases it's our right to question him in all. Judiciary is involved, custody given, bail not granted, there must be some substance to case. Calling it politically motivated doesn't stand right. We'll ask for more remand: KPS Malhotra, DCP IFSO pic.twitter.com/Y0XFtSzToC ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 KPS Malhotra is posted as DCP IFSO (Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations) unit of the Delhi Police. Zubair was arrested and sent to one-day police custody after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him based on a Twitter posting, which another Twitter handle alleged "hurt Hindu sentiments." Delhi Police said that Zubair was evasive during questioning and did not cooperate in the investigation. "He was evasive on the questions and neither provided the necessary technical equipment for the purpose of the investigation nor cooperated in the investigation," said senior Delhi Police officials. The officials also mentioned that the conduct of Zubair was found questionable, which warranted his custodial interrogation to unravel conspiracy in this matter. The contentious tweet by Zubair was posted in March 2018. "The said post of Zubair containing pictures and words against a particular religious community are highly provocative and done deliberately which are more than sufficient to incite hatred among people which can be detrimental for the maintenance of public tranquillity," the Delhi Police said in a statement. DCP Malhotra said, "If you endorse a view on social media, it becomes your view. Retweeting and saying I don`t know, doesn`t stand here. The Responsibility is yours. Time does not matter, you only have to re-tweet and it becomes new. The police action was taken on basis of when the matter came to our cognizance." The FIR against Zubair was lodged on June 20 based on the complaint filed by the Duty Officer of the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell which tackles cyber crimes. Zubair was booked under Sections 153A (promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Delhi Police said. Pratik Sinha, another co-founder at Alt News, commented on his colleague`s arrest and wrote on Twitter on Monday, "Zubair was called today by special cell, Delhi for investigation in a 2020 case for which he already had a protection against arrest from High Court." However, today at around 6.45 pm we were told he has been arrested in some other FIR for which no notice was given which is mandatory under law for the Sections under which he has been arrested. Nor FIR copy is being given to us despite repeated requests," Sinha said in a statement on the microblogging site yesterday. (With ANI Inputs) Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday presented the AAP government's first budget for 2022-23, announcing 300 units of free electricity to households from July 1, but remained silent on giving Rs 1,000 to each woman in the state. The Bhagwant Mann-led government's budget also announced to setting up of 117 Mohalla Clinics and upgrading of 100 schools as 'schools of eminence' in the state among other proposals, besides setting up cyber-crime control units in all districts of the state while keeping its focus on health, education, agriculture and police modernisation. The Punjab Finance Minister did not announce any new tax in the budget for 2022-23 and chose to rely on an expected jump in revenue receipts and buoyancy in GST collections by plugging loopholes for funding the proposed expenditure in the budget. Cheema, however, remained silent on giving Rs 1,000 to each woman in the state, adding that the state government will soon fulfil this "guarantee". The budget of the government led by AAP, which came to power while making poll promises in the form of "guarantees", stressed that the government will fulfil its promise of giving 300 units of free electricity per month to each household from July 1, saying it has already planned to finance this scheme by cutting wasteful expenditure and through enhancement of own tax revenue. Cheema said that providing 300 units of free power will put an additional burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer, adding that out of five, four "guarantees" giving 300 units of free electricity, quality education, improving health infrastructure and raising compensation to families of martyred soldiers" have been fulfilled. Cheema presented the first paperless budget in the ongoing assembly session and this step is expected to save Rs 21 lakh per annum. Key highlights of the Punjab budget for 2022-23 are: 1- Cheema announced setting up of modern digital classrooms in 500 government schools to bring quality education to villages, upgrading 100 existing schools as "schools of eminence" and posting estate managers for a cluster of schools for the upkeep of government schools and a comprehensive scheme for installation of rooftop solar panel systems in government schools. 2- Cheema proposed to start a Punjab Young Entrepreneur programme for encouraging class 11 students to propose their business ideas. The state government will provide seed money of Rs 2,000 per student under this start-up programme. 3- To augment additional resource generation, the budget proposed to establish a Tax Intelligence Unit which will equip the finance department to improve tax compliances under GST through taxpayer facilitation and communication. 4- The government will set up 16 new medical colleges over five years, taking the total number of colleges in the state to 25. The Punjab government will establish 117 "Mohalla Clinics", for which Rs 77 crore has been earmarked. 5- The government has taken a breakthrough decision by approving fresh recruitment of 26,454 people and regularisation of 36,000 contractual employees. 6- To strengthen the police force and equip them with the latest gadgets, technology and tools to tackle crime, and maintain law and order, an allocation of Rs 108 crore is proposed during the FY 2022-23. 7- On the stubble burning issue, Cheema said various possibilities and solutions will be explored and for this Rs 200 crore has been earmarked in the budget. Cheema also stressed on increasing farmers' income and promoting crop diversification and earmarked Rs 11,560 crore for the agriculture sector. The AAP government pledges to stand by its farmers and shall continue providing free power for the agriculture sector and allocated Rs 6,947 crore for the same. 8- Stating that his government was sensitive to the cause of the poor and downtrodden, the FM said door-to-door delivery of well-packaged 'atta' in place of wheat to 1.58 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act will be ensured. 9- Cheema also announced 'Farishtey' scheme on the pattern of Delhi whereby the road accident victims will be given free treatment and the helper would be felicitated. 10- The focus in the first year will be to restore deteriorating fiscal health, deliver on the promises of good governance by ensuring effective use of public funds and concentrate on health and education. The minister said, "I propose a budget expenditure of Rs 1,55,860 crore for 2022-23, which reflects 14.20 per cent growth as compared to 2021-22." 10- The government has launched a new project namely Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Hariawal Lehar, under which 50,000 saplings would be planted in all Vidhan Sabha constituencies on the 115th birth anniversary of martyr Bhagat Singh. 11- For industries, the FM announced the setting up of a special commission with only traders and businessmen as its members for collaboration with the government in decision making. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been allocated for setting up and strengthening focal points to promote the industry, he said. 12- Cheema said the state government will issue this year the Gender Responsive Budgeting Guidelines, setting out the strategy to promote the goal of gender equality and mainstreaming for bringing in social transformation and eliminating inequality. 13- According to the budget at a glance, the state's effective outstanding debt is expected to be Rs 2,84,870.03 crore by end of the current fiscal as against Rs 2,63,265.41 crore (revised estimates) for 2021-22. Cheema proposed a revenue deficit and fiscal deficit of Rs 12,553 crore and Rs 23,835 crore respectively. The FM proposed revenue receipts of Rs 95,378 crore as against Rs 81,458 crore of 2021-22 (revised estimates). The finance minister said that the Janata budget (people's budget) has been prepared after receiving 20,384 suggestions on the government portal and through e-mails. The budget also lays provisions for introducing Fiscal Risk Management. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the first budget as balanced, development-oriented and reflective of the pro-people policies of the state government, hailing the budget for FY 2022-23, which proposes no new taxes, as a roadmap for "New Punjab". Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was among those present in the visitor's gallery of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Opposition dubs AAP govt's 1st budget 'bunch of lies' Opposition parties in Punjab called the AAP-led government's maiden budget a "bunch of lies" and claimed it "disappointed" every section of the society. Reacting to the budget, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, "Budget is not just a financial statement, but also a means to set the course for future progress and was the best chance for the government to show what 'badlaav' (change) it envisioned for the state and it has miserably failed on that." "Not a single promise that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made before the elections has been touched in the budget," PTI quoted Punjab Congress chief as saying. He further said there is no clarity about the "300 units of free power". Other than the token announcement, he said, the finance minister did not elaborate as to from where the government will get the money as there is no budgetary allocation made for the scheme. Taking on the AAP government over the poll promise of Rs 1,000 to each woman per month, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said, "The government of Punjab has made no announcement regarding the Rs 1,000 per month to every woman above 18 years." Issuing a statement, he said, "This promise I fear will not be seen till the last six months of the AAP government in 2027. This is a serious breach of trust committed by the government of Punjab. It clearly shows that their big promises are untenable under proper scrutiny." BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said after facing a humiliating defeat in the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election, the AAP has presented a budget which has made a "mockery" of the common man in Punjab. Chugh added that the budget has disappointed all sections of the society be it traders, farmers or the service class. (With PTI Inputs) New Delhi: On the occasion of PV Narasimha Rao's birth anniversary, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also known as KCR, on Tuesday (June 27, 2022) paid rich tributes to the former Prime Minister and called him the architect of modern India. KCR hailed Narasimha Rao, who was born in Telangana, as the 'Son of the Soil' and said that he saved India from the economic crisis by introducing path-breaking reforms. "Indian economy was back on growth path thanks to the reforms introduced by Sri PV," he stated. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief said that PV Narasimha Rao, as the PM, increased the nation's wealth manyfold through his innovative policies. "In this regard, Telangana Government draws inspiration from Sri PV's tenure," he said. CM hailed the 'Son of the Soil' as the architect of Modern India who saved India from the economic crisis by introducing pathbreaking reforms. Indian economy was back on growth path thanks to the reforms introduced by Sri PV, he stated. Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) June 28, 2022 "The former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao also proved that Telangana leadership showed a path to the country, and the State would move forward inspired by Narasimha Rao, he added. Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921, near Karimnagar in Telangana. Guwahati: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who has been staying in Guwahati, on Tuesday said he will soon return to Mumbai. He also rubbished Shiv Sena's claim that as many as 20 MLAs of his group are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Talking to reporters outside the luxury hotel where he and his group of MLAs are lodged since last week, Shinde also said he has the support of 50 MLAs. "All these MLAs have come here on their own and to take forward Hindutva," Shinde said. Senior Sena leaders have been claiming that around 20 MLAs of the party, now with Shinde in Guwahati, are in touch with them and want to return to Maharashtra. The political crisis triggered by Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde's rebellion with a majority of MLAs of his party entered the next phase with the Supreme Court on Monday (June 27) keeping in abeyance the disqualification proceedings of 16 rebels before the Deputy Speaker till July 11 and also refusing to pass any interim order on the state government's plea that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena on Tuesday refuted reports which claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had called BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to save the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. In an official statement, Shiv Sena spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said, "Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray called Devendra Fadnavis to save the government some such news is going on but this news is only to mislead. Whatever, Uddhav Thackeray has to say, he speaks publicly. "Earlier, sources had claimed that Thackeray was in touch with BJP leaders to find a way out of the political crisis facing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that includes the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress apart from Shiv Sena. The sources had also said that Thackeray was ready to resign on June 22 at 5 pm after it was clear that there was "no way out" of the political crisis facing the Maharashtra government but MVA allies convinced him not to resign. A core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state's political situation. New Delhi: The Mumbai Press Club on Tuesday condemned the arrest of Mohammed Zubair, journalist and co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News, by the Delhi police. Zubair was arrested on Monday over a tweet of 2018 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. In a statement, the Mumbai Press Club said, "Zubair should be released immediately. We also request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's immediate intervention in this matter." Many other journalists' organizations have also condemned Zubair's arrest by the police in the national capital. Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha has alleged that Zubair was arrested in a case for which no notice was given by the police, which is mandatory under law for the sections under which he has been held, the Mumbai Press Club noted in the statement. Also Read: Mohammed Zubairs post was highly provocative and deliberately done to incite hatred: Delhi Police Earlier this month, a case was registered against Zubair under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). But as per Delhi Police, he was arrested in connection with one of his tweets that had a questionable image with a purpose to deliberately insult the god of a particular religion. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Live TV The Calcutta High Court has taken a big initiative to recover the money of the depositors of S The court directed SEBI, CBI, ED and the state that the money recovered from the properties sold by Saradha should be immediately disclosed and submitted to the one member commitee headed by S.P Talukdar. The properties that have not yet been sold should also be handed over to the one-member committee immediately.aradha. A division bench of Justice Indra Prasanna Mukherjee and Justice Subhendu Samanta on Monday directed the state government and central agencies like CBI, SEBI and ED to return the money together in a series of cases brought by the depositors of chit fund company Saradha. The court directed SEBI, CBI, ED and the state that the money recovered from the properties sold by Saradha should be immediately disclosed and submitted to the one member commitee headed by Justice S.P Talukdar. The properties that have not yet been sold should also be handed over to the one-member committee immediately. The division bench also made it clear that as per the deposit refund scheme, the one-member committee will take the initiative to return the money of the defaulters. The court also ordered that the three properties in the hands of SEBI should be immediately auctioned and the money recovered from it should be handed over to the committee. After the closure of the Shyamal Sen Commission, the High Court's order has given rise to new hopes of returning the money of the duped depositors of Saradha. In the Saradha case, lawyer Subhashis Chakraborty's plea was that the central investigating agency CBI had started the investigation in the Saradha case on the orders of the Supreme Court, later sebi and ED entered the case. Some properties were recovered even when the state was earlier investigating. The lawyer also alleged that so far no company has taken the initiative to return the depositors' money to the depositors in the case, i.e. the loss of depositors' money. The court passed the order on Monday. Subhashis said around Rs 140 crore recovered by Saradha is still in the hands of the state government. Sebi, CBI, ED have around Rs 1200-1300 crore in hand. In all, about Rs 1,500 crore will have to be returned to the depositors. The depositors hope that the money will be available this time after a long period of complications. Sangrur (Punjab): Simranjit Singh Mann, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) candidate who won the by-election from Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, has stirred a controversy! Mann claimed that Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's lessons were behind his success. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann said, "It's a win of our party workers and of the teachings that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has given." Notably, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was a religious leader. He led a violent Pakistan-backed campaign for a separate Sikh state. In 1982, he moved into the Golden Temple complex, gathered like-minded followers and allegedly stocked weapons. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star to check these activities. This led to a confrontation with the military in 1984 and he and several others were killed. Simranjit Singh Mann won the by-poll defeating Aam Aadmi Party's candidate in Sangrur, the home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. After winning the Lok Sabha by-election, Mann said he would raise the "atrocities of the Indian Army in Kashmir" in Parliament. He will also talk about the killing of tribals in Bihar and Chhattisgarh."The tribal people in Bihar and Chhattisgarh are being shot dead calling them Naxalites. I will meet the candidate who is contesting for the presidential poll and discuss this," Mann said. Simranjit Mann's comments have made Congress angry, with the party strongly objecting to his statement of supporting the separatist leader. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Punjab cannot go back to those dark days of terror. If what has come to the fore is true, then democracy has lost in Sangrur today." Meanwhile, Mann won the bypoll with 2,53,154 votes thus defeating the ruling party's candidate on a Lok Sabha seat held last by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann."This is a great win for our party. We have defeated all national parties in this bypoll. My priority will be to raise the issue of the poor economic condition of Sangrur including the condition of farmers under debt. We will work with the Punjab government," said Mann."I am grateful to the voters of Sangrur for having elected me as your representative in parliament. I will work hard to ameliorate the sufferings of our farmers, farm labour, traders and everyone in my constituency, he added. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal congratulated Mann and said, "I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann and his party on their electoral victory in Sangrur parliamentary bypoll and offer them our best wishes and cooperation. We bow before the mandate of the people in a true democratic spirit." On the other hand in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati's role behind the Samajwadi Party's defeat in the bypolls to Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh has become clear. According to the anti-BJP camp, Mayawati had fielded a candidate to divide the Muslim vote in Azamgarh. The Samajwadi Party suffered the consequences. The BJP has benefited. Mayawati's party did not field a candidate to benefit the BJP from getting Dalit votes in the Rampur constituency. Which has played a big role in the victory of the saffron camp. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted Akhilesh Yadav after the Samajwadi Party's defeat in these two constituencies. "The results in Uttar Pradesh have shown that the Samajwadi Party is incapable of defeating the BJP." Targeting Akhilesh, Owaisi said, "Akhilesh has such arrogance that he has stopped going to people. My appeal to the Muslims of the country is to create their own political identity." (With ANI inputs) Jury nullification is when one or more members of a jurors find a defendant not guilty even though they believe the defendant broke the law. Lawyers spend a lot of time choosing who sits on a jury because they know many people have beliefs that override laws. In 1990 a San Diego newspaper ran a jury nullification ad placed by an anti-abortion group aimed at potential jurors in a trial against three activists charged with trespassing on an abortion clinic. The ad said: "The most important rule is, don't let the judge and prosecutor know that you know about this right. It is unjust and illegal for them to deny you this right. So, if you have to, it's perfectly all right for you to make a 'mental reservation.' "Give them the same answer you would have given if you were hiding fugitive slaves in 1850 and the 'slave catchers' asked if you had runaways in your attic. Or if you were hiding Jews from the Nazis in Germany. The second rule is, educate the other jurors about jury nullification and, if possible, persuade them to vote 'not guilty.'" According to the LA Times article, Deputy City Atty. Steve Miller said "the only time he knew of its having been used was in the South, at a time when Ku Klux Klan members were on trial for having murdered blacks, who, in Miller's words, 'were trying to exercise their rights, by registering to vote.'" But now jury nullification is being mentioned again as a way to acquit abortion clinics and women who've had abortions in states with forced-birth laws. If the idea spreads widely, it could make prosecutors less likely to move ahead with some cases. From Dorf on Law: Consider Texas's "trigger" law on abortionsa near total banset to automatically go into effect 30 days after Roe is overturned. What is the likelihood of drawing a juror who would consider nullification in a prosecution under this statute? In many, many possible cases, the likelihood seems high. Nearly 93% of abortions occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. Thus, in 93% of casesnearly all potential prosecutionsover 40% of potential jurors, on average, will view the prosecution as unjust, no matter the other facts. And an additional 22%for a total of over 60%might view it as such, depending on the circumstances. The odds of nullification rise commensurately as the prosecution becomes more extreme. In cases involving rape, serious fetal disability, or serious maternal health risk (though falling short of death or major disability), almost all jurors will view conviction as either certainly or potentially unjust. Prosecutors will take note. This is critical. It is not the rate of actual nullifications that matters, but rather the equilibrium effects that the probability of nullification generates. Actual nullification may happen rarely precisely because prosecutors foresee its possibility and adjust their behavior accordingly. Given the above polling, how likely are prosecutors to ask a jury to convict a doctor for performing a 6th-week abortion of a fetus with a deadly chromosomal disorder? If prosecutors apprehend the likelihood of nullification, we think it unlikely. What about prosecuting a 14th week abortion to allow the mother treatment for a serious, but likely non-fatal, cancer discovered during the course of the pregnancy? Here again, if prosecutors understand the possibility of nullification, we think it would be unlikely. Prosecutions are more likely regarding abortions performed for family planning reasons. Though even here, early-term cases may be hard to win. And contrary to the idea that it's against the law to tell potential jurors about nullification, the ACLU says "It's perfectly constitutional to talk about jury nullification." Even Supreme Court Justice Atonin Scalia thought jury nullification was an appropriate way for citizens to fight back against unfair laws. From a 2011 NY Times opinion piece: In October, the Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, asked at a Senate hearing about the role of juries in checking governmental power, seemed open to the notion that jurors "can ignore the law" if the law "is producing a terrible result." He added: "I'm a big fan of the jury." TS Inter Results 2022: The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) announced the TS Inter Results 2022 today, June 28, 2022. Telangana state education board declared the results for Intermediate 1st and 2nd year exams 2022 at 11 am in a press conference. Approximately 9 lakh students appeared for the TS Intermediate Exams 2022 from May 6 to May 24. of which % passed the TS Inter exams 2022. Students can now check their scorecards or TSBIE IPE marks memo on the board website tsbie.cgg.gov.in once. TS Inter result 2022: Official websites to check your TSBIE marks memo tsbie.cgg.gov.in results.cgg.gov.in examresults.ts.nic.in TS Inter result 2022: How to check your TSBIE Result Visit the board website, tsbie.cgg.gov.in. Click on the "TSBIE IPE 2022 Mark's Memos" link on the home page. Login with hall ticket number and date of birth, your scorecard will be displayed on the screen Download the mark sheet and save it for future use. Inter 1st year result 2022 TS Via SMS Students can check their Telangana Intermediate 1st year results 2022 by sending a text message TSGEN1 on 56263 Inter 2nd year result 2022 TS Via SMS Students can check their Telangana Intermediate 2nd year results 2022 by sending a text message TSGEN2 56263 Check your TS Inter Result 2022 via Mobile App Go to the google play store On the search bar type T App Folio and download the app After the app is downloaded fill the required details like candidates name, roll number, and date of birth (DOB). Check the details once and click on submit, your will appear on the screen TS Inter Result 2022 via Digi locker Step 1: Visit digilocker.gov.in Step 2: Key in your registered mobile number on the login page Step 3: Under the education section, click on the designated link to TS Inter results Step 4: Then submit the year, name, and roll number Step 5: TS Inter results will now be flashed on the screen This year, the Board conducted the TS 1st year exams between May 6 to 23, 2022 while the TS Intermediate 2nd year exams were held from May 7 to 24, 2022. Around 9 lakh students appeared for the TS Intermediate Exams 2022. The exams were conducted offline in two shifts. The 1st-year exams were conducted in the forenoon and 2nd-year exams were held in the afternoon. For more details, check the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education official website at tsbie.cgg.gov.in. Live TV In Rajasthan, a man was strangulated to death by two men at Maldas Street under Dhanmandi police station area of Udaipur city in broad daylight. It is being told that the 8-year-old son of the deceased man had posted on social media in support of Nupur Sharma. Enraged by this, the accused brutally murdered his father. The shocking incident has created a sensation in the area. Orders to shut down the internet have been issued. The internet will be shut down for the next 24 hours. On information, police from Dhanmandi and Ghantaghar police stations rushed to the spot and took stock of the incident. The police has kept the body in the mortuary of MB Hospital. According to information, the eight-year-old son of the deceased Kanhaiyalal had posted on social media in support of Nupur Sharma from his mobile. After this, some people got angry and the two accused brutally killed the man with a sharp weapon. There is outrage among the Hindu organizations after this incident. The man was murdered by two Muslim accused by slitting their throats with swords. In this case, the accused have also taken responsibility for the murder by releasing the video. People say that the killers should be hanged so that such an act does not happen again. In protest against the killing, the locals have closed shops in Maldas Gali area after the incident. Udaipur Murder: Police raid the house of the accused The police are raiding the houses of both the accused. The Udaipur police are on the lookout for accused Riyaz Mohammed. Riyaz has been living in Udaipur for the last 10 years. According to sources, Riyaz is said to be from Asind area of Bhilwara. The second accused has been identified as Gaus Mohammed. Both of them were residents of Khanjipar area of Udaipur. According to sources, the police have detained two suspects in the case. Nupur Sharma Comment Row: CM Gehlot appeals for peace over the incident At the same time, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted about the incident and said that he condemns the heinous murder of a youth in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all the culprits involved in the incident. "I appeal to all parties to maintain peace. Every person involved in such a heinous crime will be given the strictest possible punishment," he said. Prophet Comment Row: BJP hits out at Gehlot government BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore tweeted that the Gehlot government was responsible for this dastardly incident in Udaipur as this government left the main rioter of the Karauli riots in the open. In Tonk, the Maulana had threatened to take off the necks of Hindus, however, no action was taken. This killer also kept threatening genocide by making videos, but the government remained silent. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted that two Muslims in Udaipur killed Hindu shopkeeper Kanhaiya Lal inside his shop. He also took responsibility for it by releasing a video. PM Modi has also been threatened by showing weapons. CM Ashok Gehlot, however, promised to investigate the matter. , , RajyavardhanRathore (@Ra_THORe) June 28, 2022 In this case, Vasundhara Raje tweeted that the brutal murder of an innocent youth in broad daylight has made it clear that due to the behest of the state government, the spirits of the criminals are high and a situation of communal frenzy and violence has arisen in the state. The criminals are so bespoken that they have made violent statements about the Prime Minister. All the culprits involved in the incident should be arrested immediately and severely punished. Those behind the incident should also be exposed and arrested by the state government. Udaipur Murder: Asaduddin Owaisi condemns the killing I condemn the gruesome murder in Udaipur Rajasthan. There can be no justification for it. Our partys consistent stand is to oppose such violence. No one can take law in their own hands. We demand that the state govt takes strictest possible action. Rule of law must be upheld 1/3 Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 28, 2022 AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, "I condemn the killing in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Our party opposes such an incident. No one can take the law into their own hands. We demand that the state government take the strictest possible action. The rule of law must be maintained. Udaipur Murder: The Summary Of The Whole incident The post on social media was posted 10 days ago i.e. on June 18. On June 18 itself, whatsapp status was put on the mobile of the deceased Kanhaiyalal. He had been receiving threats since he posted this post. Today, between 3 pm and 3:30 pm on June 28, the accused youth came to the shop of Tailor Kanhaiyalal. He first engaged in the conversation. He then said that the clothes have to be measured. As soon as Kanhaiyalal turned around while taking the measurement of the accused, the accused attacked him with a sharp weapon from behind. The deceased, Kanhaiyalal, died on the spot. Angry people took to the streets after Kanhaiyalal's death. After the incident, police from Dhanmandi and Ghantaghar police stations rushed to the spot and kept the body in the mortuary of MB Hospital. Due to the tense atmosphere in Udaipur, the internet was shut down for 24 hours. Kanhaiya Lal Sahu, the tailor who was murdered today by two muslim men in Udaipur today, was issued a scary threat around 5 days ago. He had filed an FIR against the treat and had even kept his shop closed the for five days, some locals said today. However, he was not given any protection by Rajasthan police, and today, he was brutally murdered by the assailants who even recorded the brutal incident on camera. The man was attacked with sharp-edged weapons and brutally murdered in the Udaipur city of Rajasthan on Tuesday over a Facebook post in support of BJP leader Nupur Sharma who has now been suspended after making a controversial remark on Prophet Muhammad. The gruesome murder of the victim, a tailor by profession, in broad daylight inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur, has triggered huge tension in the Lake City after the murderers posted a video on social media claiming to ''teach a lesson to the victim'' for putting up a social media post. According to reports, the victim was attacked by sharp-edged weapons. The video of the gruesome murder has gone viral on social media, which is being termed as a ''Taliban-style murder.'' It has now emerged that the middle-aged victim, identified as Kanhaiyalal, was hacked to death for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a social media post over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today wrote a letter to rebel MLAs and asked them to speak to him. "Many of you are in touch with us...Let's talk, we'll find a way," Uddhav Thackeray said in the letter. "It is not too late. I appeal to you to return and sit with me and remove the confusion (created by your actions) among Shiv Sainiks and the public," a statement by Thackeray's aide quoted him as saying. "If you return and face me, some way could be found. As party president and family head, I still care for you," he said. Thackeray's statement comes in the backdrop of rebel goup leader Eknath Shinde daring the party to disclose the names of some of the MLAs camping in Guwahati who were reportedly in touch with the party leadership. Mamata Banerjee congratulated the people of Asansol in a meeting at Asansol on Tuesday. She thanked Shatrughan Sinha for his victory. She said, "Khamosh! People have crushed the BJP." Speaking in Asansol, Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Centre. The Chief Minister called the Agnipath project a major corruption by the BJP. She questioned the appointment of the Agniveers for 4 years. Mamata Banerjee said, "80,000 posts have been removed in the railways. How do you get a job? The BJP is lying. They are showing Lollipops ahead of the 2024 polls." Also Read: Bangla Awas Yojana will continue, if needed I will...', Mamata Banerjee raises her voice against Centre Mamata said, "For four years, the Centre has claimed to recruit 20,000 people all over India and then 40,000 people again. If you see, a thousand children in one state will not get a chance! Even if he gets a chance, his life span will be 4 years, then what will happen?" Mamata Banerjee further added, "After four years, the state is being asked to give jobs to Agniveers. Why should we take the responsibility of your sins? I have received a letter, one of my colonel brother has written. Give us a job in the state government after 4 years." The chief minister also pointed out one flaw after another in Agnipath. She said, "It's another trick. The real trick is to give four months of training. Who will get the training? Four out of 100 people will not get it. They will find their people for their branches. Then for four years they will say you get a job... The fire is burning in the country." The BJP had promised to pay Rs 15 lakh before coming to power. You didn't get it. Railways, SAIL, Air India, Coal India cannot be shut down. Attempts are being made to shut down the locomotive. Why they are not filling vacancies? The Chief Minister asked the question. Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik has added more discomfort for the Modi government over the new army recruitment scheme 'Agnipath'. He on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the Agnipath scheme. In his words, 'Who will marry Agniveers if they retire without pension." The Governor said, "The Agnipath scheme is never in the interest of the youth of the country. On the contrary, due to this scheme, the distance between the government and the village will increase." Incidentally, this is the first time that a Governor of a state has come out against the Agnipath scheme. However, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have also come out against the project brought by the BJP government. Nitish Kumar's United Janata Dal has also raised its voice against 'Agneepath' scheme. On June 14, the Ministry of Defence had launched the 'Agnipath' project for contractual recruitment in the Army. And then the fire of unrest has ignited across the country. Protests in 14 states of the country, including Bihar, have led to a fiery situation. Several trains and cars were burnt in the protests. One protester lost his life in police firing. SRINAGAR: Two individuals were shot dead by the security forces in the Keran Sector and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from them. According to the J&K Police, both individuals had come to receive a cache of arms and narcotics and to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists. The two individuals were shot dead by the armed forces near the fence at the general area of India Gate-Bichu in the Keran sector of North Kashmir's Kupwara district. In a statement, the police said, as reported by Army at approximately 0015hrs, on 28th June some suspicious movement was observed close to the fence in general area India Gate Bichu in the Keran sector of Kupwara by own fence patrol party. The suspected movement was challenged by Armys patrol party. On being challenged, fire was drawn on own party from the fence side which was retaliated. During the search, two individuals were found dead close to the fence in possession and 04 AK rifles, 08 Magazines and 02 packets of narcotics, while 02 more AK rifles along with magazines and 04 grenades were found on the other side of the fence. The statement further stated that it is believed that both the individuals identified, as Majid Chechi & Samsudin Beigh, had come to receive a cache of arms and narcotics and to facilitate infiltration of terrorists in the general area of Rauta Nar at the fence. The war-like store has been recovered in the operation which includes AK 47 & 56 rifles - 05, AK rifle Short gun 01, Magazines-15, 7.62mm API rounds 128 rounds, 7.62mm Ball rounds - 177 rounds, Grenades- 04, and Narcotics - 2 packets. Mumbai: The death toll after a four-storey building, which had been declared as dilapidated once but later held to be reparable', collapsed in Mumbai's Kurla area around Monday midnight has risen to 19. Following the incident, another building in the complex of four buildings, Naik Nagar Housing Society, was evacuated as it too was deemed dangerous, and was later demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). According to senior BMC officials, residents of the building, constructed in 1973, had undertaken to carry out repairs, but apparently, no repairs were carried out. The Fire Brigade, police, civic officials as well as two teams of the National Disaster Response Force carried out search and rescue operations. NDRF's deputy commandant Ashish Kumar told PTI that the search and rescue operation ended around 6.30 pm, but the work of clearing debris was still continuing. A total of 33 persons were rescued from the debris since Monday midnight. Of those injured, four persons were still undergoing treatment at hospitals, while others were discharged, BMC officials said. Those rescued from the debris were taken to civic-run hospitals including Rajawadi hospital and Sion Hospital. Most of those deceased were declared dead before admission. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared ex gratia aid of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased from the CM's Relief Fund. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief at the loss of lives and announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Pained by the building collapse in Mumbai. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families and prayers with the injured. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM Modi PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 28, 2022 Maharashtra Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray also visited the spot. This is the third major building collapse incident in the metropolis this month. The BMC will carry out a probe into how the building's classification changed, and who carried out the last structural audit, said municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. The building was declared a dilapidated `C1' category structure in 2016 which meant it was unfit to live in. The civic body had even initiated legal action as the society did not carry out repairs. In May 2016, its water and power connection were cut. But the building was included in the C-2B category on June 30, 2016, on the basis of structural audit report received from Sachdeva and Associates, an authorized audit firm. A C-2B classification means a building need not be demolished and it can be repaired. "We took an undertaking from them (residents) that they would do necessary repairs. Since the building was in the C2-B category, it went out of our radar," commissioner Chahal said. Ashwini Bhide, the additional municipal commissioner, told PTI that the BMC had been issuing notices to the building repeatedly under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act since 2013, initially asking for repairs and then for vacating it and demolition. "Even prosecution for non-compliance was initiated. Later the residents got structural audit redone, and got it categorised as repairable, but didn't carry out actual repairs," Bhide said. The residents stayed put despite constant efforts by the BMC to get the building vacated, she added. New Delhi: Amid political uncertainty in Maharashtra, former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis reached Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. According to ANI, Fadanavis has come to the national capital hours after a core committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party`s Maharashtra unit was held on Monday to discuss the state`s political situation. Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde today said that he will soon return to Mumbai, and rubbished Shiv Sena's claim that as many as 20 MLAs of his group are in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Talking to reporters outside the luxury Radisson Blu Hotel where he and his group of MLAs are lodged since last week, Shinde also said he has the support of 50 MLAs. All these MLAs have come here on their own and to take forward Hindutva, Shinde said. Senior Sena leaders have been claiming that around 20 MLAs of the party, now with Shinde in Guwahati, are in touch with them and want to return to Maharashtra. A total of 48 rebel MLAs of Maharashtra including 39 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena are staying at Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati since June 22. Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had warned the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis to not get involved in the crisis unfolding in the MVA government. "If they do, then their party (BJP), Fadnavis and PM Modi`s names will be tarnished," Raut said. The political tussle in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena and the rebel group led by Eknath Shinde has now reached the Supreme Court. The pleas filed by the breakaway camp challenge the disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs. On Monday, a separate plea was filed by Shinde in the top court regarding the safety of the legislators who have challenged party chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala heard the pleas on Monday. The Supreme Court granted interim relief to rebel Shiv Seva leader Eknath Shinde and other MLAs to file their reply to disqualification notices issued to them by the Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly by July 12, 5.30 pm. "This is the win of the Hindutva of Balasaheb Thackeray and the ideas of Anand Dighe," Eknath Shinde tweeted after the Supreme Court deferred the disqualification proceedings of rebel MLAs till July 11. Meanwhile, attacking rebel MLAs of the party, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused them of "betraying" the party and said, "the dirt has gone out of Shiv Sena". Thackeray, who was addressing Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai said the party rebels were "enjoying" in Guwahati when Assam was dealing with floods in parts of the state. Thackeray also claimed that 15 to 20 MLAs, who are in the Eknath Shinde`s rebel camp were in touch with the Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. He said the leader of the rebel group Eknath Shinde was offered the post of Chief Minister in May but "he did drama". It may be mentioned that after BJP managed to secure a majority in the 2019 Assembly election, Fadnavis took oath as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra, but he soon tendered his resignation after his deputy and NCP leader Ajit Pawar quit. After Fadnavis quit, a post-poll alliance of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) and the Congress picked Uddhav Thackeray as their nominee for the chief minister`s post. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44. (With ANI inputs) NEW DELHI: As soon as Alia Bhatt broke the news of her pregnancy on Monday, her fans, family and well wishers flooded her Instagram post with numerous congratulatory messages. While Ranbir Kapoor's sister Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and mom Neetu Kapoor were extremely happy and expressed their excitement over social media, Alia's mom Soni Razdan was no where behind. Sharing a gratitude post after Ranbir-Alia shared the pregnancy announcement, her mom shared two unseen photos from their South Africa vacation and congratulated the couple. Sharing the pics on her Instagram handle, she wrote, "Gratitude May your tribe increase..." In the unseen pics, Ranbir and Alia can be seen taking selfie together and in another pic the duo can be seen sitting in a car while they are off for a jungle safari. Both can be seen in their winter attire. For the unaware, congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Alia and Ranbir ever since the former announced that she is expecting her first child. "Our baby ..... coming soon," Alia wrote on Instagram, adding a picture from her ultrasound appointment. She also posted a picture which features a lion and a lioness and their cub. Earlier today, in an interview Soni has expressed her happiness and shared, "Im simply overjoyed. We all are. Bringing a new life into this world, creating a new life is the most important powerful and life affirming moment for two people so, so happy for Ranbir and Alia! Cannot wait to welcome the little one and cant wait to be a grandmother as well. Its all to overwhelming." When news of Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming retirement hit the internet, young and old animation fans felt pangs of sorrow as the curtains began to close on the acclaimed director's career. With a copious amount of classics under his belt- including Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle Miyazaki isn't just one of the most famous names in Japanese animation but a living benchmark in the medium on a global level. Although the prospect of losing new Miyazaki films still stings in the breast of his fans, several announcements over the last year prove the director's work will continue to enrapture fans for decades to come. Earlier this year, the Tokyo Imperial Theater announced a stage version of Spirited Away that runs through July. Now, according to Deadline, Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company and Jim Henson's Creature Shop are joining forces to create a stage version of Miyazaki's beloved My Neighbour Totoro. New Delhi: In an effort to reduce fraud, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, or PM Kisan, guidelines have recently been amended. Only a particular class of farmers profit from the PM Kisan scheme. States have, however, reported a number of fraudulent farmers who used the scheme to claim benefits and then pocketed Rs 6,000 in unauthorised payments each year. Farmers must exchange their ration card information in order to be eligible for PM Kisan incentives in an effort to prevent further fraud. All farmers will now be required to provide their ration card information while registering for the PM Kisan programme, in accordance with the new law. When you sign up for the programme, you must now upload a soft copy of your ration card to the PM Kisan portal. The government has also made it necessary to complete the scheme's e-KYC. However, the government no longer requires the production of paper copies of documents like bank passbooks, Aadhaar cards, and land information. Once you have submitted all of your paperwork and they have been confirmed, you will only then start to reap the benefits of PM Kisan. Read More: NPS Pension Calculator: Now you can get Rs 2 lakh per month, heres how Eligibility Any government programme has eligibility requirements that must be met before payments can be paid out. Indian citizens who are poor and marginal farmers are eligible for the PM Kisan scheme. In addition, all landholding farmer families who are named as owners of cultivable landholding are entitled to receive benefits under the programme. In addition to this, in order to receive the benefits of the plan, you must now complete a PM-Kisan eKYC. Read More: Indian Billionaire Pallonji Mistry dies at 93: Here is all you need to know about the Shapoorji Pallonji Group Chairman To continue enjoying the advantages of PM KISAN, qualified farmers must complete an eKYC, which is now required by the government. For PM-KISAN Registered Farmers, eKYC is REQUIRED. On the PM-KISAN Portal, OTP Based eKYC is accessible, according to a website remark. This year's PM Kisan eKYC completion date has been extended till July 31. To keep getting your allowance, you should do it as soon as you can. The Narendra Modi administration launched the PM Kisan Scheme in December 2018 to offer pensions to these struggling farming families. In February of the following year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme. The programme is fully supported by the government and is available to all farming families that own property. Landholding farmers who participate in the PM-KISAN programme are given an allowance of Rs 6,000 annually, which is distributed three times during the course of the year, each time with a gap of four months. For the sake of farmers, the government has already invested more than Rs 2 lakh crores in the PM-KISAN programme. UDAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday strongly condemned the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur over a social media post in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rising communal violence in the country. It's a sad & shameful incident. There's a tense atmosphere in the nation today. Why don't PM & Amit Shah ji address the nation? There is tension among people. PM should address the public and say that such violence won't be tolerated and appeal for peace, Rajasthan CM said on the Udaipur murder incident. It's a sad & shameful incident. There's tense atmosphere in the nation today. Why don't PM & Amit Shah ji address the nation? There is tension among people. PM should address the public&say that such violence won't be tolerated & appeal for peace: Rajasthan CM on Udaipur murder pic.twitter.com/rkX0VRJPk0 ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2022 The Rajasthan Chief Minister also appealed to the people to maintain peace. "I condemn the heinous murder in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in the crime and the police will go to the bottom of the case. I appeal to all the parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to those involved in such a heinous crime," he said. On Twitter too, CM Ashok Gehlot appealed to people to maintain peace and asked them not to share the videos. "The guilty will not be spared. The entire police team is working on it with full alertness. I can imagine the anger which is there among people due to the murder. We are taking action accordingly," he later told reporters in Jodhpur. : Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 28, 2022 The remarks from the Chief Minister came shortly after a tailor, identified as Kanhaiya Lal, was attacked with sharp-edged weapons and brutally murdered in the Udaipur city of Rajasthan on Tuesday over a Facebook post in support of BJP leader Nupur Sharma who has now been suspended after making a controversial remark on Prophet Muhammad. The gruesome murder of the victim in broad daylight inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur has triggered huge tension in the Lake City after the murderers posted a video on social media claiming to ''teach a lesson to the victim'' for putting up a social media post. The video of the gruesome murder has gone viral on social media, which is being termed as a ''Taliban-style murder.'' It has now emerged that the middle-aged victim was hacked to death for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a social media post over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. As the news spread, the police reached the spot and began their investigation into the murder. The attackers later released a video in which one of the two accused could be heard saying, "I will make the video viral when I accomplish my goal to teach a lesson to the accused who has shown disrespect to our God." In their video, the killers also threatened PM Narendra Modi with dire consequences and used highly objectionable words against him. Police sources said that the plot to murder this man was chalked out some 10 days ago. The police also said the tailor had received threats from certain organisations over his post. The state government has sent additional reinforcement to Udaipur and temporarily suspended the internet services for the next 24 hours in view of the incident. Hawasingh Ghumta, the Additional Director of Law and Order, told reporters that arrests will be made soon and they have received orders "not to spare anyone". He added that searches are on for the alleged killers who not only filmed the murder inside the tailor's shop but also gloated about the crime on the video and issued threats. Meanwhile, the local traders have shut their shops in protest against the brutal murder. Shopkeepers stopped police from taking away the body, saying they will allow the removal of the corpse only after the murderers are arrested and compensation - Rs 50 lakh and a government job - given to the victim's family. The main Opposition party in Rajasthan, the BJP, has strongly condemned the murder and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. "I have spoken to the Chief Minister, the Superintendent of police and asked that arrests be made as soon as possible so the anger simmers down," said Opposition leader Gulab Chand Kataria. Jaipur: The Rajasthan government on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders and suspended mobile internet service across the state in view of communal tension after the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur over his social media in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma. States Chief Secretary Usha Sharma directed officials to suspend mobile internet service across the state for 24 hours and impose section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) - preventing the assembly of more than four people - in all districts of the state for a month. Leaves of police and administration officials have also been cancelled. Sharma chaired a high-level meeting with senior officers, including Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Abhay Kumar, Director General of Police M L Lather and others, to review the situation. The chief secretary has directed all divisional commissioners, inspector generals of police and district collectors to take special vigil across the state, an official statement said. Meanwhile, the Centre, which is treating the gruesome killing of a tailor in Udaipur as a terror attack, dispatched a team of the anti-terror probe agency NIA on Tuesday night, the officials said. Prima-facie it looks like a terror attack, an official said on condition of anonymity, according to PTI. A team of the National Investigation Agency has been sent to Udaipur, officials said here. The case is likely to be handed over to the NIA for probe after the registration of a case under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The men who allegedly carried out the daylight murder and posted videos online admitting to the crime were taken into custody by police. In a video clip, one of the purported assailants said that they had beheaded the man and then threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well. Indirectly, the assailants referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader suspended from the party over a remark on Prophet Mohammad. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday strongly condemned the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur over a social media post in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rising communal violence in the country. It's a sad & shameful incident. There's a tense atmosphere in the nation today. Why don't PM & Amit Shah ji address the nation? There is tension among people. PM should address the public and say that such violence won't be tolerated and appeal for peace, Rajasthan CM said on the Udaipur murder incident. The Rajasthan Chief Minister also appealed to the people to maintain peace. "I condemn the heinous murder in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in the crime and the police will go to the bottom of the case. I appeal to all the parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to those involved in such a heinous crime," he said. On Twitter too, CM Ashok Gehlot appealed to people to maintain peace and asked them not to share the videos. "The guilty will not be spared. The entire police team is working on it with full alertness. I can imagine the anger which is there among people due to the murder. We are taking action accordingly," he later told reporters in Jodhpur. The remarks from the Chief Minister came shortly after a tailor, identified as Kanhaiya Lal, was attacked with sharp-edged weapons and brutally murdered in the Udaipur city of Rajasthan on Tuesday over a Facebook post in support of BJP leader Nupur Sharma who has now been suspended after making a controversial remark on Prophet Muhammad. The gruesome murder of the victim in broad daylight inside his shop on a crowded street in Udaipur has triggered huge tension in Lake City after the murderers posted a video on social media claiming to ''teach a lesson to the victim'' for putting up a social media post. The video of the gruesome murder has gone viral on social media, which is being termed a ''Taliban-style murder.'' It soon emerged that the middle-aged victim was hacked to death for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a social media post over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. New Delhi: Garena Free Fire releases redeem codes on everyday basis. The 12-digit redeem code consists of alphabets and numbers. Players can get rewards such as skins for in-game weapons and characters to improve their gaming experience. Garena Free fire is banned in India. However, if you are located outside India, you can access the reward codes and redeem them. For that you will be required to visit official Garena Free Fire reward site and log in to your Facebook, Google, Twitter IDs to access the Free Fire redemption page. (Also read: Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro features listed on ecommerce website: Details here) Check out the Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for June 28, 2022 VXSBEN4K56I9 Y8H7B6V5C4XS 3EAWQSD2CV3G TER5F43ESWAS WEYVGQC3CT8Q GCNVA2PDRGRZ J3ZKQ57Z2P2P B3G7A22TWDR7X 3IBBMSL7AK8G 8F3QZKNTLWBZ SARG886AV5GR X99TK56XDJ4Z 4ST1ZTBE2RP9 FF7MUY4ME6SC FJK8SL6WQ203 9ER8FG7HBYU4 JVK9DS2WQJ2U Y54ERF3GBE4E F6C5X4SA3QWE 2DF3GHRTUG76 5FD4SQED2FV3 B4J5TIY8H765 DR8SF2VBN4J5 KTIY8H76B8V5 CDRSF5EV456I FH3RNFIBVD8S A52EQ12Q6E3D SCX4VB21HD85 EY645RF3GB7D 6TRGFBH4NJCK IX8S765Y4QE2 DCV3BH4EJRFI G6VT5RSFAV7W BG4NEJ4K5L6O (Also read: Shocking! Ex-Amazon Web Services engineer hacked data of 10 crore customers) How to Redeem Garena Free Fire codes for today, 28 June 2022 Step 1: Go to the official Garena Free Fire redemption portal Step 2: Log in on the portal with either your Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Google, VK, or Huawei ID. Step 3: Enter a redeem code in the designated text box. Step 4: Click on the Ok button to get free rewards in your game account. (Disclaimer: Garena Free fire is banned in India. Hence we advise people to adhere to government rules) San Antonia (US): The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border. A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found "stacks of bodies" and no signs of water in the truck, which was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city's southern outskirts. Sixteen other people found inside the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said. "The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told a news conference. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer but there was no visible working A/C unit on that rig." Temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles (250 km) from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) on Monday with high humidity. The city's Police Chief William McManus said a person who works in a nearby building heard a cry for help and came out to investigate. The worker found the trailer doors partially opened and looked inside and found a number of dead bodies. McManus said this was the largest incident of its kind in the city and said three people were in custody following the incident, though their involvement is not yet clear. Also read: Explained: Roe v Wade overturned - Abortion rights struck down by US Supreme Court A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that its Homeland Security Investigations division was investigating "an alleged human smuggling event" in coordination with local police. Record Crossings The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border, which have reached record highs. The issue has proven difficult for US President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office in January 2021 pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Republicans have criticized Biden`s border strategy ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November. Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the "tragedy in Texas" on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help "however possible." A spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry told Reuters the country`s consulates in Houston and Dallas would be investigating the incident. Ebrard said two Guatemalans were hospitalized and Guatemala's foreign ministry said on Twitter that consular officials were going to the hospital "to verify if there are two Guatemalan minors there and what condition they are in." The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE`s investigative unit who retired in December. In July 2017, 10 migrants died after being transported in a tractor-trailer that was discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr., was sentenced the following year to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation. Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident. "It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again," he said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Moscow: Russia on Tuesday responded to widening sanctions against Moscow by banning the wife and daughter of US President Joe Biden from entering the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said 25 names were being added to the country's stop list including Biden's wife Jill and daughter Ashley. It also banned entry to four senators whom it identified as responsible for the formation of the (US) Russophobic course: - Republicans Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Ben Sasse and Democrat Kirstin Gillibrand. The list also includes prominent academics including Francis Fukuyama, noted for his book The End of History and the Last Man that posited the spread of liberal democracies could mark the ultimate development of society. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliances would put 300,000 troops at high readiness in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Stoltenberg said the military alliance`s forces in the Baltic states and five other frontline countries would be increased "up to brigade levels", doubled or trebled to between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, the Guardian reported. That would amount to "the biggest overhaul of our collective defence and deterrence since the cold war", he said before the meeting of the 30-country alliance, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week. The rapid-reaction NATO Response Force currently numbers up to 40,000, and the proposed change amounts to a broad revision in response to Russian militarisation. Under the plans, NATO will also move stocks of munitions and other supplies farther east, a transition due to be completed in 2023, the Guardian reported. The Secretary-General conceded he could not make any promises about the progress of applications by Sweden and Finland to join NATO, because objections raised by Turkey to their membership remained unresolved. Stoltenberg said Turkey`s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had agreed to meet Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Finland`s President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday in Madrid to try to resolve the issue. But he played down hopes of a breakthrough at the meeting on the margins of the NATO event. Cholera is on the rise in neighbouring country Nepal. This time Pani puri (also called Gol gappa or Phuchka) is banned in Kathmandu. In fact, the bacteria of cholera has been found in the water of Pani Puri. Since then, the administration has been cautious. And so that's the decision. At least 12 people have already been diagnosed with cholera. In this situation, Lalitpur Metropolitan City has informed that steps have been taken to ban Pani Puri after the discovery of cholera bacteria in the water used in it. It is to be noted that during the rainy season, various types of infections are detected in the water. Among them are diseases like cholera and diarrhea. In this situation, the administration in Kathmandu believes that if the sale of Pani Puri or Phuchka is not stopped quickly, the infection can spread more quickly from there. If you can't control it from the beginning, the problem will increase. So it has been decided to carry out surveillance to ensure that Phuchka is not sold in urban areas as well as in suburbs or elsewhere for the time being. Chamanlal Das, head of the epidemiology and disease control department under Nepal's health ministry, told an all-India media outlet that five people were diagnosed with cholera in Kathmandu. Apart from this, the infection has also been detected in Chandragiri Municipality and Bhabani Kanta Municipality. If someone is diagnosed with cholera in his body, he should be immediately taken to the hospital. The victims are undergoing treatment at Sukhraj Tropical Hospital. Earlier, five people were diagnosed with the infection in Kathmandu. Two of them have already been released. In general, Pani Puri or Phuchka is a very popular food in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. This time, the food was banned to prevent the spread of cholera. In addition, guidelines have been issued asking everyone to be careful of cholera, diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. Mendon: An Amtrak passenger train travelling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck Monday in a remote area of Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more as rail cars tumbled off the tracks and landed on their sides, officials said. Two of those killed were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 patients from the crash and were expecting more. Amtrak's Southwest Chief was carrying about 207 passengers and crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls, according to the highway patrol. Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people aboard. Seven cars derailed, the patrol said. Rob Nightingale said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth. "It was like slow motion. Then all of a sudden I felt it tip my way. I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust," Nightingale told The Associated Press. "Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didn't hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying." Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window. The collision broke the dump truck apart, he said. "It was all over the tracks," said Nightingale, an art gallery owner from Taos, New Mexico, who said he rides Amtrak regularly to Chicago. It's too early to speculate on why the truck was on the tracks, said National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. A team of NTSB investigators will arrive Tuesday, she said. Trains won't be able to run on the track for "a matter of days" while they gather evidence, she added. At one point, KMBC-TV helicopter video showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients. Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical helicopter services responded, Dunn said. The first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes of receiving a 911 call, he said. Passenger Dian Couture was in the dining car with her husband celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she heard a loud noise and the train wobbled and then crashed onto its side. "The people on our left-hand side flew across and hit us, and then we were standing on the windows on the right-hand side of the car," Couture told WDAF-TV. "Two gentlemen in the front came up, stacked a bunch of things and popped out the window and literally pulled us out by our hands." Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. No one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said. Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous US state and parts of Canada. It was the second Amtrak collision in as many days. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said. Kiev: Vladimir Putin has less than two years to live as he suffers from multiple "grave" illnesses, according to the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service, multiple media outlets reported. Major General Kyrylo Budanov said Kiev spies who infiltrated the Kremlin made the claims based on "human intelligence", Daily Mail reported. "Putin doesn`t have a long life ahead of him," Budanov was quoted as saying by USA Today reported. Putin`s health has been subject to fierce rumour for months, escalating after he was pictured gripping a table during a meeting with defence minister Sergei Shoigu. Earlier this month, the 69-year-old President`s legs appeared to buckle during a speech in Moscow, adding to the growing rumours of the Russian leader`s health woes. ALSO READ | Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau, other G7 leaders mock Vladimir Putin over his bare-chested horse-riding pic Putin was attending an awards ceremony at the Kremlin when he looked unsteady on his feet, Daily Mail reported. He swayed back and forth before his speech as Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accepted a prize. It came just days after a Kremlin insider claimed Putin had been advised by doctors not to make any "lengthy" public appearances, having fallen ill amid recent discussions with his military chiefs. The Russian President felt "a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness" while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders, Telegram channel General SVR reported. Putin`s poor posture and seemingly bloated face and neck sparked speculation about the leader`s health, which is said to have ailed since the invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin leader was said in April to be in need of an "urgent" cancer operation. Putin also reportedly suffers from Parkinson`s and "schizophrenic symptoms", according to a self-styled Kremlin "insider". (Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed) America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani is still complaining to anyone within earshot about the vicious attack he suffered when a man slapped him on the back. And new details have emerged! Very stable genius Rudy went on NewsMax to share the earth-shattering revelation: NewsMax host: This person with the hand on your back I gotta be honest, it doesn't look that bad. But I understand that looks can be deceiving. America's Mayor: You know that was the woman who was rubbing my back, not the guy, in that video you're watching. So that woman gave a statement to the police, that the guy hit me so hard, that she herself almost fell from the reverberation of it. Watch the video to see the woman that America's Mayor is referring to. As the man hits Rudy with a thunderous blow, you can see a tremendous shockwave emanate in all directions. The quick-acting woman is nearly knocked over but is able to regain her balance and stay on her feet, but just barely. I hope America's Mayor gives her a ticker-tape parade and a key to the city! A Buffalo man was arraigned Friday in Erie County Court on an indictment charging him with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of unlawfully wearing a body vest, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said Joshua Gotthart, 29, was the subject of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department Intelligence Unit. On April 28, investigators saw Gotthart drive away from his Wright Avenue home and was taken into custody following a subsequent traffic stop. Police recovered a loaded "ghost gun," an illegal handgun, in a holster on his right hip. Gotthart also is alleged to have been wearing a bullet-resistant body vest. A search at his residence yielded three unregistered handguns, 17 long rifles, eight shotguns and magazines, as well as gun-making tools and a large amount of ammunition. One of the long rifles was found partially disassembled, but fit the definition of an assault weapon once reassembled, prosecutors said. Gotthart is scheduled to return to court on July 11 for a pre-trial conference. He remains held on $150,000 cash bail, bond or partially secured bond. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 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. Six vehicles have been reported stolen from East Aurora in the last two weeks, the town and village's police department confirmed. All six incidents shared one factor in common: At the time they were stolen, the cars were unlocked with the keys or key fob inside. Hong Kong: Police prep for presidential visit Police today said they are preparing for a possible visit to Hong Kong by President Xi Jinping and will take appropriate measures to ensure his safety and the security of the events he will attend. President Xi is scheduled to attend a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. At a press conference this afternoon, Police Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Lui Kam-ho said the department is duty-bound to ensure President Xi's personal safety and security, and make sure that the official events he will attend and other related functions are conducted in a safe, orderly and secure manner. As such, Police will put in place a series of security measures, including the provision of motorcade escorts and personal protection to the President, ensuring the venue security of those official and celebration events, and setting up core security zones at the venues where he will stay, visit and pass by as well as security zones outside the venues. Road closures and temporary traffic and pedestrian diversions will also be arranged, such as the temporary closure of footbridges and flyovers during the passage of President Xi's motorcade. Mr Lui noted that Admiralty and the Wan Chai North area will be affected the most between June 30 and July 1, urging motorists to avoid driving to those areas. The Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre peninsula to the north of Convention Avenue will be closed. All guests and vehicles entering the area will be subject to security screening. The MTR Exhibition Centre Station will be temporarily closed. It is believed that traffic congestion is very likely in the Wan Chai North area. As there will be frequent flying tasks deployed by the Government Flying Service and Police throughout the security operation, the Civil Aviation Department will designate temporary restricted flying zones in the vicinity of Victoria Harbour and several designated areas. Aircraft and flying objects will be restricted from entering such areas. After conducting a risk assessment, the force also decided to designate the entire area in Hong Kong as a small-unmanned aircraft restricted flying zone temporarily. Mr Lui added that Police have not received any application for public meetings so far, but the department will set up designated public activity areas outside the security zones to facilitate members of the public to hold such events. This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Trend The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) International Association presented the concept of a joint venture with the participating state structures of TITR member states, Gaidar Abdikerimov, Secretary General of the Association told Trend. He said currently this concept is at the stage of consideration at the level of the profile ministries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. "After the mutual agreement between the parties is reached, we can expect a full-fledged launch and operation of the joint venture. The process of forming a joint venture has already begun and we hope to launch it soon, as there is great interest in the TITR from international carriers," he said. Abdikerimov added that this venture will simplify the process of cargo flow management, as well as expand the possibility of attracting additional cargo volumes to the corridor. A prosecutor described Bryam D. Bassett's actions as "nothing short of torture." The victim's stepfather called what the 31-year-old did "incomprehensible and despicable." The judge called the Buffalo man "nothing but pure evil." Bassett, convicted in a jury trial last month of two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, on Tuesday received the maximum sentence for his crimes. Erie County Judge Sheila A. DiTullio sentenced Bassett to 50 years in prison for the three-day attack on his girlfriend in her Riverside apartment in May 2019. Police conducted a welfare check on May 7, 2019, after receiving a 911 call from an employer who notified police that she had not reported to work for two days. Officers encountered Bassett inside of the apartment and found the woman in a bedroom. Her eyes were swollen shut and her head was shaved. She had been stomped and suffered a fractured vertebra. The victim's injuries were so severe a veteran Buffalo police detective keeps photos of them on his phone to remind himself why he does the job, he testified at a pre-trial hearing. "He tied her up like an animal," the woman's stepfather said in court, asking DiTullio to impose the maximum sentence. Bassett humiliated and abused the victim and then stayed silent for 45 minutes as police knocked on the apartment door, trying to check on her, said Assistant District Attorney Noha Elnakib, who with Justin Caldwell prosecuted the case. The woman testified at Bassett's trial that she didn't think she'd make it out of the apartment alive. In contrast, Bassett described himself as "a decent person" and a "generally good guy" to the investigator who conducted the presentencing report and also in a memo prepared by a defense attorney, the prosecutor said. "There isn't a drop of remorse" expressed by Bassett in those documents, she said. Bassett spoke for several minutes before the judge issued the sentence, responding to the comments of the victim's stepfather and reading a prepared statement. He told the judge he did not rape the victim. Bassett plans to appeal his conviction and, because of that, was instructed not to make any statements that may indicate culpability, defense attorney Robert Cutting said. Cutting described the case as "very troubling and problematic" because prosecutors charged his client "with offenses he did not commit." Before the trial, two predatory sexual assault charges on which Bassett was indicted were reduced to first-degree rape charges. The case "should have been" an assault case, Cutting told the judge, acknowledging the attack was both "vicious" and "horrific." "But it was an assault, and it was only an assault," he said. This is one of the most horrific cases of intimate partner violence that has been prosecuted by my office," said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn. "This defendant was found guilty for his crimes that involved physical imprisonment and sexual violence. I hope that this defendant serving maximum period of incarceration provides the victim with justice and allows her to continue to heal. While I understand that it takes a great deal of strength to come forward, I encourage anyone who is a victim of intimate partner violence to ask for help." Reach Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602. 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. One week into the school year at McKinley High School, a student threatened a teacher, grabbing her so hard that he left bruises on her arm. Teacher stabbing, student assault fuel safety concerns in Buffalo schools More examples of violence involving Buffalo Public Schools have come to light following the stabbing and shooting at McKinley High School on Feb. 9. Another student bit a McKinley teacher in January when he tried to break up a fight among students, according to Buffalo police reports. Students kicked another teacher after she fell to the ground during the melee. Two weeks later, a security guard was shot and a student was stabbed just outside the school in an incident that made national headlines. McKinley plan to resume in-person classes stresses security to 'create safe environment' Security guards and administrators will be strategically placed, and Peacemakers will be stationed at the front corners of the building, helping students with safe passage, said McKinley Principal Moustafa Khalil. But the public would never know any of that happened by reviewing records of violent incidents that schools are required to keep. None of that was documented in McKinleys reports in the days after they occurred. Reporting discrepancies such as those at McKinley call into question the effectiveness of a state law that requires schools to record and tally dangerous incidents. Such omissions are not merely paperwork glitches. The state uses those incident reports to determine which schools are persistently dangerous. Students at those schools are supposed to be given the option to transfer to a safer school. But that rarely happens. Throughout the three years before the Covid-19 pandemic began, a total of only nine of the 4,800 public schools across the state were designated as persistently dangerous. One of those was The Academy School, Buffalos alternative high school, which primarily serves students with discipline problems. The State Education Department used to post each year's list of persistently dangerous schools on its website, with the lists from past years available for public review. Now, the state agency puts only the most recent year's list on its website. Currently, that's 2020-21, a pandemic year when many students learned remotely. The state did not designate any schools as persistently dangerous that year. Its very problematic In first meeting as interim superintendent, Williams addresses the pandemic and school violence Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Tonja Williams announced plans to partner with a security company after the district came under fire for what some see as inadequate safety measures at some district schools. Interim Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Tonja Williams acknowledged last week that the district had failed to document some violent incidents that it was required to, including the student who bit a McKinley teacher and the stabbing and shooting at McKinley. Its very problematic, she said. It certainly says that there is more training that needs to happen. But Williams also defended the district, pointing out that some incidents that resulted in police being called to schools to intervene were not violent enough for the district to be required to report them to the state in a Violent and Disruptive Incident Report. This year, schools are required to report assaults and other incidents only if they meet the criteria for a felony. The case involving the student who left bruises on a McKinley teachers arm, she said, did not rise to the level of a felony, so it did not have to be reported. Compliance with law questioned Anxious parents had to wait hours for children to be released from McKinley High School Parents were left to stand outside well after nightfall waiting for their children who were being released one by one. Buffalo isnt the only school district in New York State that has had questions raised about the accuracy of its violent incident reporting. Two decades ago, New York enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act, requiring schools to document violent incidents and report tallies to the state. Based on that information, the state determines each year which schools are persistently dangerous. Any school receiving that designation must, within 10 days, offer students the opportunity to transfer to a safer school. It also must submit to the state a plan for improving safety. Because the process depends on schools to self-report violent incidents, some schools have complained that they were labeled persistently dangerous merely because they were diligent in reporting incidents accurately. Other schools have escaped being labeled persistently dangerous because they failed to report all of their assaults, weapons incidents and other problems. As many as 14 schools avoided the designation in 2005 because they failed to fully disclose violent incidents, auditors from the State Comptrollers Office found. Those schools avoided having to develop a plan to improve safety in the building, auditors noted. In addition, the parents in those districts may believe that the schools are safer than they actually are, auditors wrote. A year later, the state education commissioner questioned why only 17 schools were deemed persistently dangerous in 2006. We are going to make sure were looking at real results, and not bogus results, then-Commissioner Richard Mills said at the time. Buffalos Burgard High did not comply Burgard student arrested for bringing BB gun to school A Burgard High School student was arrested Thursday for bringing a BB gun to school. The arrest came a day after the State Comptrollers Office released an audit stating that Burgard could have been labeled a persistently dangerous school if it hadnt improperly reported its incidents of school violence in 2011-12. During daily rounds, a student was discovered to One Buffalo high school should have been designated as persistently dangerous, but was not, according to an audit by the State Comptrollers Office seven years ago. Burgard High School used the wrong methods to record and report violent incidents in 2011-12, auditors found. It also classified some incidents as less severe as they were. For example, a robbery was incorrectly classified as harassment. Auditors recalculated Burgards school violence index, the number that the State Education Department uses in determining which schools are persistently dangerous. They found that Burgards index was 2.91 nearly double the score at which a school is designated as persistently dangerous. Buffalo Public Schools officials at the time acknowledged the problems and told state officials that they would provide training to central office administrators, as well as school administrators, to ensure they knew how to correctly record and report violent incidents. Williams said in a recent interview that she remembers the training that was prompted by the problems at Burgard. Weve had a lot of training since then, she said. The Academy School After The Academy Schools designation as persistently dangerous in 2019, based on incidents the previous two years, 24 students there requested a transfer to another school, according to Buffalo Public Schools officials. But only six of them got one. Eighteen of the 24 students who requested a transfer were receiving special education services, which made it more complicated to transfer them to other schools, according to Williams. Some special education students have to be placed in smaller classrooms, with only six or eight students to one teacher. After families at The Academy School learned they had the right to transfer their students, school staff met with each of them and talked about the supports the school offers, including smaller classes, she said. Some kids work better at The Academy School and may not have wanted to leave. They like it, Williams said. It looks like in this case, only six decided that yes, at the end of the day, we want to leave The Academy School. We dont know why the other 18 didnt, but perhaps they didnt have seats in other schools that met their needs. An email between district officials in July 2019 indicates that they accommodated only six of the transfer requests. So far only 6 have gotten placed, the email states. Some of the non-placed ones are special ed which have to be placed by the Special Ed office." When a school is designated as persistently dangerous, the State Education Department also requires school officials to create a plan to ensure that safety improves. The Academy School never did that, Williams said. The Academy School successfully appealed to be taken off the persistently dangerous list for 2019-20, according to a letter from state officials to the Buffalo Public Schools, which the district provided to The News. But that did not affect the school's designation in 2018-19. The Academy School is still listed as one of two schools in the state deemed persistently dangerous in 2018-19, according to information provided by the State Education Department. The principal basically said that she believed they did the appeal, the state came in and did a review of the school, and then they were removed from the list, Williams said. So they did not file a plan. Williams defends McKinley High Seven weeks after the Feb. 9 shooting and stabbing at McKinley, The Buffalo News requested copies of all incident reports from all the high schools in Buffalo. At that time, McKinley officials still had not entered a violent incident report for the shooting and stabbing. Williams said last week that is because schools cant file a violent incident report until they know for sure the identity of the student or students involved. But it took Buffalo police only five days to arrest two suspects, not seven weeks. I dont know how long that took, but Im just saying that whenever we got the release from the police, thats when we were able to put it in, Williams said. We did not have it in when its required, but it is now, suffice it to say. Police say 17-year-old in custody in connection with stabbing at McKinley High School Buffalo Police said late Thursday that they had a 17-year-old male in custody in connection with an incident that occurred a day prior at McKinley High School in which a 14-year-old boy was stabbed and a security guard was shot. In the three days after she made that statement, she did not respond to requests for a copy of that report. Nearly five months after the incident in which a student bit a teacher, and another was kicked while on the ground, McKinley officials still had not entered a report for it. A new principal was named at McKinley High School in March, and this happened in January, Williams said. Were not blaming anyone, you know, but it certainly says that there is more training that needs to happen. Since February, the district has provided enhanced training to the staff at McKinley, according to Ebony Bullock, chief accountability officer for the Buffalo Public Schools. We will make sure they are putting things in appropriately, Bullock said. So this wont happen again. Williams noted that she has been interim superintendent only since March, prior to the McKinley incidents that were not properly reported. Under her leadership, she said, school safety and security is a priority. We dont want data thats not accurate, she said. When we find out that something hasnt been done, were going to work quickly to correct it. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The two Democrats challenging New York Gov. Kathy Hochuls bid to keep her job criticized her Tuesday for her past backing from the National Rifle Association and the deal she reached to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer money on a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Hochul, appearing in her first debate Tuesday night, defended the stadium deal and said she her positions on guns had evolved in the 10 years since she got a favorable rating from the NRA. She is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island and New York Citys elected Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The introduction of early voting has not attracted many new voters but merely given existing voters more flexibility, Erie County Board of Elections commissioners Ralph M. Mohr and Jeremy J. Zellner agreed Tuesday. That's one explanation for why voter turnout among the 440,000 eligible voters in Erie County was described by officials as light through Tuesday afternoon. The Cheektowaga Senior Center welcomed just 49 voters in the first seven hours polls were open. The Unitarian Universalist Church on Elmwood Avenue had significantly more, with an estimated 300 submitted at 1 p.m., but that did little to boost the overall numbers. "It just seems like the interest isn't really there anymore," said May Bauer, a poll worker in Cheektowaga. "I just wish we had a bigger percentage people of being involved," said Gene Walek, a Vietnam War veteran who voted Tuesday at the senior center. "You hear a lot of people complain, and you ask if they voted, and they say no." Registered voters from Republican and Democratic parties cast their ballots Tuesday in state primary races for governor, headlined by county native Kathy Hochul among the Democrats and a quartet of candidates vying for the Republican bid, as well as lieutenant governor, plus an intriguing race for Erie County Clerk between incumbent Mickey Kearns and challenger Melissa Hartman. Theories among voters and officials to explain low turnout centered on the low number of races; a lack of familiarity with gubernatorial candidates beyond Hochul, the only contender for either party from Erie County; the recent move of the state race to June; a general dearth of local intrigue; and the fact that primaries almost always pale compared to general elections. "I think a lot of people just assume that because were a very Democratic state and all of that, its just assumed that Kathy Hochul, the incumbent is going to win," said Samantha Nephew, who was working on behalf of Hartman's campaign. Mohr, the Republican Board of Elections commissioner, thought Hochul with the chance to become the first governor elected from upstate would be the major draw. "You would think the interest would have been more," he said. Some Hochul supporters hit the polls, though. "I would like a lady governor for a change," said Marcia Szmania, who voted in Cheektowaga. "Somebody homegrown, not someone from Long Island or downstate." Compared with the last gubernatorial election, when Andrew Cuomo defeated Cynthia Nixon in a "bitter primary contest" in 2018, the difference in turnout was stark. While 27% of eligible county voters cast their vote in that race, just 7% had by 2 p.m. Tuesday, Mohr said. While the commissioner thought a dinnertime surge would boost numbers, he predicted they would land around 20%. Mohr said early voting numbers were down this year, too, with just over 11,000 people casting their vote in the 10-day window that ended Sunday, compared to 27,000 in the first year it was instituted. Light turnout has the potential to produce surprise results, Mohr said, citing India Walton's win over incumbent Byron Brown in the Democratic primary last June. "You're always disappointed when the turnout is less than what you hoped for, and I think it makes the elections more unpredictable as well as you saw in the mayor's race last year," Mohr said. Zellner said he believed the switch to a June primary for state races which were held in September before a 2019 change sought to unite them with federal races in June was responsible for the low turnout. "Folks are not engaged right now," said Zellner, who also serves as Erie County Democratic Party chairman. "They're not used to being engaged in this community for a summertime election." Tuesday is primary day. There's another one in August. And voters have lots of questions Thanks to a long and testy path to determine New York's new congressional and legislative districts, the Erie County Board of Elections must host two primary elections for voters this summer. Many county residents are learning this fact for the first time. Mohr said that he thought voters were more accustomed to the June date, but a beautiful summer day and choice of activities now that kids are out of school could have made voting less of a priority. But was Tuesday's light turnout a product of a lethargic voter base or a lack of notable races? Mohr said it will be telling to review what happens on Aug. 23, the second primary when State Senate and Congressional races are held. More familiar candidates such as Brian Higgins, Nick Langworthy, Carl Paladino and Joel Giambra on the ballot could spark greater general interest, the commissioner thought. For the voters who did turn out Tuesday, a sense of responsibility was the overarching reason. I think its a duty and, you know, if we care about the kind of society we live in, the least we can do is to vote, said Cheryl Bell, a Buffalo resident at the Elmwood Avenue polling location. Mildred Pijacki, who rode with Szmania to vote at the Cheektowaga Senior Center, said nothing would stop her. "I can't drive no more but I make sure I get here," the 93-year-old said. Buffalo News reporter Haajrah Gilani also contributed to this story. Ben Tsujimoto can be reached at btsujimoto@buffnews.com, at (716) 849-6927 or on Twitter at @Tsuj10. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a Clarence woman missing since March but who was reported missing to the Erie County Sheriff's Office only on Monday, Sheriff John C. Garcia said in a statement Tuesday. Lindsey Wozniak was described as 5-foot, 4-inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds. She has a nose piercing, a tattoo on her left shoulder and one on her left forearm that read "Faith." Sheriff's officials said she was last "believed" to have been seen in Buffalo. Authorities did not explain why it took three months for her to be reported missing. Investigators asked anyone with information about the missing woman to contact the sheriff's office at 716-858-2903. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Mark Talley is grieving. He has been since May 14 when his mother, Geraldine Talley, became one of the victims of the mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue. It's just not the kind of grieving other people can see. Family, friends remember Geraldine Talley as a 'beautiful soul' Family and friends remember Geraldine Talley, 62, as a friendly person eager to help others in need and someone who loved to cook. She and her fiance went to Tops on Saturday afternoon for a quick shopping trip. People want you to grieve how they think you should grieve, so people expect me to be just tearing down," he said. "But instead they just see me out walking with a smile on my face and they think somethings kind of off, like hiding my pain. Talley said hes not hiding anything; he's channeling it to turn it into something positive to help others and to help the community where he was raised. He continues to volunteer with Friends of the Night People. He has been a regular presence at Tops as people stop to mourn and reflect. He is trying to start his own nonprofit organization with help from Buffalo Urban League and National Action Network. And he is holding a barbecue next week to provide food for people affected by the tragedy. April Baskin, chair of the Erie County Legislature, said she sees his involvement in the community as a testament to the strength of how loss and grief can turn into something that can be for the betterment of the community. Its people like him getting up in the midst of his pain and trauma and just working through it by giving to others that lets me know that Im doing the right thing and that if he can do it, theres absolutely no reason why I, nor my daughter, nor our neighbors should not be doing the same, she said. For Talley, 33, his goodwill is nothing new. If anything, the tragic events that took place that Saturday afternoon only accelerated his desire to effect change. Helping the community was a trait his mother had as well. He wonders if her influence set the stage for what he was destined to do: help others. His mother Geri, as she is known by family and friends, raised Talley and his sister as a single mother living on various streets on the East Side, most in the vicinity of the Tops on Jefferson Avenue. Talley went to Seneca Vocational High School but stayed for only his freshmen year. His mother was worried that he had fallen in with the wrong crowd after his academic performance began to decline. So she decided to send him to Canisius High School, despite the cost of private school tuition. My mother wouldnt allow me to become a product of my environment, he said, adding: I dont know what she did, or how it happened but I ended up going to Canisius that second year, and that was a big big turning point for me throughout high school. He said his teachers at Canisius took an interest in helping him on his way to college and helped open his eyes to issues of social injustice, the lopsided distribution of wealth and the racial segregation that persists in Western New York. From Canisius, he went to SUNY Buffalo State College, where he received a bachelor's degree with a double major in economics and urban planning and with a minor in economic policy analysis. He eventually went to work at Erie County Medical Center. He worked in patient registration in the ER department before transferring to the hospitals behavioral health department, where he worked as a public safety assistant. Talley said he was getting off a shift from ECMC when he learned there had been a shooting at Tops and quickly learned his mother was one of the victims. It was just a surreal moment," he said. He said time is making it easier to cope with his mothers death. When it first happened, it was constantly on every social media platform, it was constantly in the news, so thats all you heard hour by hour, he said. He said he was able to compartmentalize his emotions so that he could begin to focus on the next steps, which for him was not anger but service to others. His wife, Roshneke Taylor-Thomas, 33, said they have been leaning on each other to cope with their loss. Im supporting him, using this as a driver to do what he wants to do, what hes always wanted to do, said Roshneke. And he said he has always wanted to help people. The need for help didnt just come from May 14, but the events of that day accelerated his desire to help the community. Talley is in the process of starting his own nonprofit to continue the work he is doing with other organizations and has been receiving advice and guidance from the Buffalo Urban League and National Action Network. He said he feels guilty, though, about the opportunities hes received since his mothers death. Because of this tragedy Im getting so many important connections with people," he said. "Im really honored and grateful for it, but all this came at the expense of a tragedy. His Community Barbecue and Prayer will be held July 7 at Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street across from the Tops. The barbecue will start at 2 p.m. with plans to hand out hot food and nonperishable items to those in need. In addition to his new endeavors, Talley is continuing to volunteer regularly with Friends of Night People, an organization dedicated to feeding the homeless and providing outreach to those in need. He started there in February 2019 and continues to support the organization by providing food vouchers, hot food, appliances and clothes things donated to him that he says he doesnt need. "His mother was involved in the community too, so I'm not surprised that he is," said Patty Krehbiel, relationship manager at Friends of Night People. "He's a kind and generous soul. Just a lovely person." Talley is accepting donations for nonperishable items such as canned goods, baby formula and diapers. Those interested in donating can reach Talley at Talleyml01@mail.buffalostate.edu Reach out to me at apreston@buffnews.com The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump rebuffed his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-known former White House aide, described an angry, defiant president who was trying that day to let armed protesters avoid security screenings at a rally that morning to protest his 2020 election defeat and who later grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol. And when the events at the Capitol spiraled toward violence, with the crowd chanting to Hang Mike Pence, she testified Tuesday that Trump declined to intervene. Trump doesnt think theyre doing anything wrong, Hutchinson recalled hearing from her boss, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinsons explosive, moment-by-moment account of what was happening inside and outside the White House offered a vivid description of a Republican president so unwilling to concede his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden that he acted out in rage and refused to stop the siege at the Capitol. It painted a damning portrait of the chaos at the White House as those around the defeated president splintered into one faction supporting his false claims of voter fraud and another trying unsuccessfully to put an end to the violent attack. Her testimony, at a surprise hearing announced just 24 hours earlier, was the sole focus at the hearing, the sixth by the committee this month. The account was particularly powerful because of her proximity to power, with Hutchinson describing what she witnessed first-hand and was told by others in the White House. Hutchinson said that she was told Trump fought a security official for control of the presidential SUV on Jan. 6 and demanded to be taken the Capitol as the insurrection began, despite being warned earlier that day that some of his supporters were armed. The former aide said that she was told of the altercation in the SUV immediately afterward by a White House security official, and that Bobby Engel, the head of the detail, was in the room and didnt dispute the account at the time. Engel had grabbed Trumps arm to prevent him from gaining control of the armored vehicle, she was told, and Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Engel. That account was quickly disputed on Tuesday, however. Engel, the agent who was driving the presidential SUV, and Trump security official Tony Ornato are willing to testify under oath that no agent was assaulted and Trump never lunged for the steering wheel, a person familiar with the matter said. The person would not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. As the events of Jan. 6 unfurled, Hutchinson, then a special assistant to Meadows, described chaos in White House offices and hallways. Trump's staff several of whom had been warned of violence beforehand became increasingly alarmed as rioters at the Capitol overran police and interrupted the certification of Bidens victory. Trump was less concerned, she said, even as he heard there were cries in the crowd to Hang Mike Pence! Hutchinson recalled that Meadows told aides that Trump thinks Mike deserves it." The president tweeted during the attack that Pence didnt have the courage to object to Bidens win as he presided over the joint session of Congress. The young ex-aide was matter-of-fact in most of her answers. But she did say that she was disgusted at Trump's tweet about Pence during the siege. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American, and you were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie," Hutchinson said, adding that, I still struggle to work through the emotions of that. Trump denied much of what Hutchinson said on his social media platform, Truth Social. He called her a total phony and bad news. Members of the panel praised Hutchinsons bravery for testifying and said that other witnesses had been intimidated and did not cooperate. I want all Americans to know that what Ms. Hutchinson has done today is not easy, said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who led questioning. Some of Hutchinsons former colleagues, too, dcfended her account. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted that he knows Hutchinson and I dont think she is lying. Sarah Matthews, a former Trump press aide who has also cooperated with the committee, called the testimony damning. As she described the scene in the White House after the election, Hutchinson depicted a president flailing in anger and prone to violent outbursts. Some aides sought to rein in his impulses. Some did not. At one point on Jan. 6, Hutchinson said, White House counsel Pat Cipollone barreled down the hallway and confronted Meadows about rioters breaching the Capitol. Meadows, staring at his phone, told the White House lawyer that Trump didnt want to do anything, she said. Earlier, Cipollone had worried out loud that we're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if Trump went to the Capitol after his speech at the rally, Hutchinson recalled. Before the crowd left for the Capitol, Hutchinson said she also received an angry call from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who had just heard the president say he was coming. Dont come up here, McCarthy told her, before hanging up. Hutchinson told the panel that Trump had been informed early in the day that some of the protesters outside the White House had weapons. But he responded that the protesters were not here to hurt me, Hutchinson said. She quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who were gathering for his speech on the Ellipse, in back of the White House. In a clip of an earlier interview with the committee, she recalled the president saying words to the effect of: I dont f-in' care that they have weapons. As a White House insider, Hutchinson told stories of a raging president who was unable to acknowledge his defeat. At the beginning of December, she said, she heard noise inside the White House around the time an Associated Press article was published in which Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had not found evidence of voter fraud that could have changed the election's outcome. She said she entered a room to find ketchup dripping down a wall and broken porcelain. The president, it turned out, had thrown his lunch at the wall in disgust over the article. Trump denied it in his social media posts. In the days before the attack, Hutchinson said she was scared, and nervous for what could happen on Jan. 6 after having conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that things might get real, real bad, she said. Giuliani told her it was going to be a great day and were going to the Capitol. Eventually, both men would seek pardons related to what happened that day, Hutchinson said. A person familiar with the matter denied that Meadows had ever sought a pardon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity. Hutchinson had already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators, sitting for four interviews with the panel behind closed doors. She detailed meetings in the runup to the insurrection where challenges to the election were debated and discussed at the White House, including with several Republican lawmakers. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Nomaan Merchant, Kevin Freking, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Adjunct faculty in New Yorks colleges and universities have long been among the most exploited employees in higher education. They often teach classes that have the largest enrollments, and their pay far below a living wage is based only on the time they spend teaching. Additional hours spent grading, preparing for their classes or holding office hours for students are just rolled under one per-course payment of a few thousand dollars. This exploitation extends to adjuncts exclusions from the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows borrowers with federal student loan debt to apply to have their loans forgiven once they make 120 payments while working for a qualifying nonprofit employer, or while serving in programs such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps. But theres a catch. Public service loan forgiveness requires full-time employment of at least 30 hours a week, and few adjuncts are credited with meeting that minimum. The result is the exclusion of thousands of hard-working adjuncts from a program offering much-needed debt relief. Recently, the state Legislature approved a bill, sponsored by Senator Kevin Thomas and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, that addresses this inequity by requiring employers to credit adjuncts with 3.35 hours of employment for each hour spent teaching. The bill also standardizes the calculation of hours worked, giving adjuncts a much greater chance of qualifying for loan forgiveness. The bill awaits Governor Kathy Hochuls signature. Given her long record of advocacy on behalf of working New Yorkers, were hopeful she will see the necessity of quickly signing it into law. My union, United University Professions, fights tirelessly for greater funding of public higher education, which would support the hiring of more full-time faculty. Today, just 56 percent of college faculty members are full-time employees, according to the Department of Education. But even as we press for more full-time faculty positions, we must also acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our adjunct faculty members. Once law, this bill will level the playing field for adjuncts when it comes to qualifying for PSLF. At UUP alone, where Ive led student debt clinics for several years, hundreds of our members achieved nearly $1 million in debt relief through PSLF. The PSLF program should be available to as many higher education faculty as possible. UUP and our allies in higher education hope that New York will follow the lead of California, Washington and Oregon, and make it easier for adjunct faculty to qualify for federal loan forgiveness. The Legislature has done their part by passing the bill. Now, we urge the governor to sign it into law. This is one long-overdue way to tell adjunct faculty throughout the state not only that their work counts, but that all of their work will be counted. Jeri OBryan-Losee is statewide Secretary/Treasurer of United University Professions. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Based on the order of Azeraluminium LLC, ADY Container delivered anode blocks from China to Azerbaijan, which are strategic raw materials for the aluminum industry, Azernews reports. Cargo on the Gudzhin-Ganja route was transported in 50 forty-foot containers. After arrival at the Aktau port, the containers were loaded onto the feeder vessel Barys and delivered to the Baku port, from where they were sent by train to the Ganja Aluminum Plant. The project is being implemented in accordance with the memorandum of understanding on joint transportation signed between ADY Container and Azeraluminium. Azeraluminium LLC, which plays an important role in the development of the countrys non-oil sector, will supply 30,000 anode blocks this year. To date, 400 containers have been imported from Turkey to Azerbaijan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway within the framework of cooperation between ADY Container and Azeraluminium. The parties are aimed at further expansion of cooperation. ADY Container LLC is a fully-fledged subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC with the mission of providing high-quality, dependable freight transportation in the country. ADY Container LLC, which operates exclusively within Azerbaijan, provides a wide range of services, from multimodal transport to custom brokerage and storage facilities, all of which can be conveniently managed through our online customer portal. Recently, on a warm late-spring evening in the beautiful village of Saratoga Springs, a reunion postponed by Covid unfolded. We five boomers, friends for forty-plus years, had gathered at Bobs bachelor apartment for reminiscence and cocktails. A concert was scheduled nearby and Bobs was the designated point of departure for our crew (We can walk there from my place). A bit of pre-gaming was in order. Vodka and wine appeared, along with sandwiches and pretty decent chicken wings. It was a nice spread. Wed met in our Long Island high school days, golden times of fun and discovery set against the surreal backdrop of the 70s. With Vietnam raging, a president resigning and other crises, there was no shortage of bad news. But in our group of privileged pups, the common denominator was laughter. The kind of out-loud, soul-satisfying laughter that lifts one soul to a higher plane of joy. Above all else, laughter bound us together as we stumbled into young adulthood. Ours were antics that define the phrase you had to be there. Most would be bored by the tales recounted hilariously in Bobs apartment. We survived an astonishing number of misadventures undertaken in the spirit of reckless fun with comrades. There were run-ins with local police, fireworks detonated in ornamental cannons, clandestine nighttime swims in local pools. And then there was the memorable night Bobs life was threatened in Passaic, New Jersey. That last one doesnt sound particularly funny but, years later, the story is priceless. Pre-game prep over, it was time to head to the concert venue. Buoyed by booze and the sheer joy of being together again, we began our trek. Our jabbering quintet included wife Teresa, best-man Jamie, Navy vet Bob and IT maven Jeff. As a talisman to ward off predicted thunderstorms, I brought along my trusty big black umbrella. This brought howls of derision from the gang (except for Teresa, who thought it prudent).Leave that thing! Its not gonna rain, how could it?? What a wuss! Such good pals. Excitement built as we neared the venue. Other concertgoers began filtering in around us, initially small groups of 10 or 15. Then 50, then 100, and finally we were five souls in a sea of thousands, all moving toward what we hoped would be a fine time. Our most important guy was Jamie (the tickets were on his phone). Keeping him in sight as he bobbed and weaved toward the gates was challenging, especially when we hit a concession stand and refueled with fresh cold IPAs! Then we were through all the checkpoints and at our seats. We looked at each other with wonder: wed finally made it to this twice-postponed show that was about to begin! I felt fully alive in that moment, grateful to be with these unique people Id known for so long. The concert was superb: a whirling kaleidoscope of sound, color and incredibly tight, vibrant music. This was no nostalgic, off-key rendering of stale old tunes. It was a virtuoso performance that shimmered with energy, love and pure excellence. The vocals (from guys in their 70s) were so strong and vital, they took our collective breath away. After the show, flashing fireflies lit the path as we navigated back to Bobs place for a nightcap or two. The night ended as it had begun, with love and laughter. Martin Courtemanche has been waiting for employment insurance benefits since December 2021. (Radio-Canada - image credit) The last few months have been trying for Martin Courtemanche. After suffering from depression last summer, he left his job on Dec. 6, 2021. What followed, he says, was an "infernal spiral." "I'm at the end of my rope," he said. More than six months have passed since he submitted his employment insurance application, and he has yet to receive a payment. "I have to ask myself how I'm going to pay my rent, my groceries," he said. "I'm lucky to have some savings. I maxed my credit cards. This is how we manage to survive." At a time when Service Canada is mired in passport processing setbacks, delays in obtaining employment insurance are also increasing. Many unemployed people say they haven't received a penny, several months after filing a request. The Service Canada representatives who spoke to Courtemanche first explained to him that the pandemic caused the delays, before letting him know that a document was missing from his file: a termination of employment letter. "I ended the call and just wanted to cry," he said. "It wasn't progressing, and I didn't know how to get out of there." Delays for thousands of Canadians Courtemanche finally turned to the Mouvement Action-Chomage de Montreal. The organization tried to help him and confirmed he isn't the only person in this situation. "It's chaos," said Pierre Cere, spokesperson for the Conseil national des chomeurs et chomeuses, who has been working in the field for nearly 40 years. "Delays have always been part [of the equation]," he added. "Bureaucracy is complicated, we don't always understand why, but here it takes on extravagant proportions." The Ministry of Employment and Social Development says as of June 18, 128,739 applications for employment insurance benefits were pending. From April 1 to May 31, the majority of them 71.8 per cent were settled in less than 28 days. But for more than 20,000 Canadians, the delay for receiving a first payment exceeds three months, according to data obtained by the Bloc Quebecois through an access to information request. Story continues "Is there a lack of resources? Possibly. What is clear is that the files are not processed in time," Cere said. Karina Gould, the minister of children, families and social development and is responsible for Service Canada, argues that more complex cases require verification and that many cases of identity theft have slowed down the process. "The situation in Quebec in particular is the result of fraud in the private sector," she told Radio-Canada. The challenges of teleworking Judith Cote, national vice-president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, an organization that represents thousands of officials, says staffing shortage isn't an issue. "We have never had as many employees as we currently have at Service Canada, and yet, I think we have rarely been so inefficient," she said. Some employees are also being called on to support colleagues in other public service departments. "We all received an email asking if we had passport experience to lend a hand," Cote said, referring to the long queues of travellers anxiously waiting for their passports. "The employees work really hard," she said. "We have never done so much overtime." Service Canada told Courtemanche in the past few days that his employment insurance application had been processed and accepted. He recently got a job, but he's still waiting for the thousands of dollars owed to him. "I have no intention of dropping [the job] to go back to see my friends from employment insurance," he said laughing. ELMAU, Germany, June 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada is committed to standing in unity to support the government and people of Ukraine in their fight for a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future. We will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine as it seeks to defend itself from Russian aggression. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that Canada will be imposing additional sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations, and the Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations. These new actions, which build on the Government of Canada's already extensive sanctions regime, include: Imposing restrictions on six individuals and 46 entities linked to the Russian defence sectors, Sanctioning 15 Ukrainian individuals supporting the Russian occupation of Ukraine, and Sanctioning 13 government and defence individuals and two entities in Belarus. The Prime Minister also announced Canada's intention to introduce sanctions against state-sponsored disinformation and propaganda agents and entities controlled by senior Russian government officials, to counter the Kremlin's disinformation, which it has used to attempt to excuse its unjustifiable and unprovoked war in Ukraine Canada will also take additional and immediate measures to ban the export of certain advanced technologies that could improve Russia's domestic defence manufacturing capability, including quantum computers and advanced manufacturing equipment, associated components, materials, software, and technology. Canada has also banned the export of advanced technologies and goods that could be used in the manufacturing of weapons to Belarus, as well as the import and export of a broad range of luxury goods between Canada and Belarus. Finally, in coordination with the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, the Prime Minister announced Canada's intent to impose a ban on the import of certain gold goods from Russia, shutting the commodity out of formal international markets and further isolating Russia from the international financial system. Story continues Quote "Canada is unwavering in the belief that Ukrainians deserve to live in peace. Vladimir Putin and his regime have caused untold pain and suffering in Ukraine and across the world. Together, with our G7 counterparts, Canada is stepping up our continuous and coordinated pressure to bring about the end of Vladimir Putin's war of choice." The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Quick Facts Since Russia's illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,500 individuals and entities. Many of these sanctions have been undertaken in coordination with Canada's allies and partners. Since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 1,070 individuals and entities from and in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Associated Links This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca SOURCE Prime Minister's Office Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/27/c5596.html Prince Charles speaking at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Kigali. (Getty) In a year that saw other royals disastrously bulldoze their way past opportunities to prove their ability to modernise and take accountability for past actions, it has only been Prince Charles who has successfully demonstrated the art of diplomacy and compassion to less able family members. During last weeks visit to Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Prince of Wales chose not to shy away from uncomfortable conversations about Britains imperialist past and historic role in the slave trade. Though CHOGM has often seen painful legacies such as these swept to one side, the heir instead made it his priority to describe the depths of his personal sorrow at the suffering of so many. While he stopped short of the apology that many are still waiting for, his words and acknowledgement of the growing list of countries planning to drop the monarchy showed a willingness to support realms choosing to break away from colonial roots. Each members Constitutional arrangement, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each member country to decide, he stated. It was a stark contrast to the failed Caribbean visits by Princes William and Edward, who both caused offence by handling those same conversations with such little tact. Widening the gap between his peers even further, Charles also admitted he is deepening his own understanding of slaverys enduring impact, later letting it be known that he wants the difficult history of the transatlantic slave trade to be taught in British schools. He believes there is a fundamental gap in national awareness of the trade, despite Britains direct involvement in it, a source said. About damn time. Read more: Other royals cant match the success and popularity of the adored Queen. The jubilee proved it Watch: Charles speaks of 'treasured' friendships at CHOGM opening ceremony The steps may be small compared to the speed at which society has evolved in recent decades, but Charles efforts seem authentic. And while there is an argument that the prince needs to tone down his political views as a future king, I have always found it admirable that, despite the constrictions of his role, he has been unafraid to address issues that others consider too politicalfrom the environment and Islamophobia to youth unemployment. Story continues Most recently, sources close to the next-in-line revealed that he is disgusted at the UK governments policy to send migrants to Rwanda, calling the deportation plans appalling. Though palace representatives later backtracked on the leak, it was clear that Charles wanted his views to be heard. To him it was not about politics, it was about human rights. So its a great shame that the attributes that could potentially make him a great king are being undermined by a series of terribly poor decisions made by himself and the people he chooses to keep around him. The recent news that the prince accepted 3 million from Qatars former Prime Minister and billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani shows incredibly poor judgment given Qatars record on human rights. Read more: 'Could have fooled me': How Prince Williams 40th was wasted taking pot shots at Harry Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is a former prime minister of Qatar. (Getty) The details of the donation also beggar belief. The Sunday Times revealed how Charles accepted a private delivery of plastic Fortnum & Mason shopping bags stuffed with 500 notes after meeting with the man Londons financial circles call HBJ. During another private one-on-one meeting at Clarence House in 2015, Charles accepted a suitcase containing 1 million cash. HBJ is also known as the man who bought London after he reportedly oversaw massive Qatari investment in major landmarks including Harrods, the Shard, Londons Olympic Village, No1 Hyde Park and the London Stock Exchange. Though legal - and all the money went to Prince of Waless Charitable Fund - the incidents demonstrate a total lack of awareness of the way in which such deals were done. How can a senior royal believe accepting a suitcase of cash is a sensible way to fund a charity? Particularly one who already receives an income of 21 million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall to help fund his philanthropic endeavours. Isnt that enough? The news also comes in the shadow of an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation into the fundraising practices of his foundation, after it was revealed last year that Charles right-hand man, Michael Fawcett, had offered to help a Saudi billionaire obtain a knighthood and give support for his British citizenship application in exchange for generous donations. Charles was not aware of the offer, according to Clarence House, yet it shows more poor judgement in relation to those he chooses as his closest aides. While turning down donations from political figures can cause issues of their own, Charles and his close aides may not find themselves in these situations if they were simply a little more careful about the controversial characters being granted access to the prince in the first place. Theres a reason why we havent heard stories about the Queen in these situationsthe senior aides and courtiers around her dont allow them to happen. The Prince of Wales popularity as a future king has always been mixed. His past infidelities, appalling treatment of Princess Diana, and questionable professional judgement has lost him support both in and outside of the palace. The Platinum Jubilee year was a final chance for the Prince of Wales to turn some of that negativity around. But with rumours of more embarrassing revelations on the horizon (yes, the sources behind the most recent leaks claim to have more), Charles appears to have well and truly blown it. G7 leaders after a March meeting in Brussels. Henry/Nicholls/Pool/AFP G7 leaders including the US, UK and Germany met Sunday to discuss a price cap on Russian oil. The talks are continuing Monday and will include other nations, such as India and South Africa. "We want to make sure the goal is to target Russia and not to make our life more difficult and more complex." G7 leaders met Sunday in the Bavarian Alps to discuss a possible price cap on Russian oil as a way to further squeeze Moscow, which is continuing to reap hefty energy revenues. The talks are continuing Monday and will include other nations like Argentina, South Africa, Senegal, Indonesia, and notably, India which has been buying up huge amounts of Russian oil on the cheap since the war in Ukraine began. Under the plan, Europe would leverage its global dominance in shipping and insurance services by restricting availability to them unless importers of Russian oil observe the price caps. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the approach would need wide-spread buy in from other nations, though if accomplished, it could send a clear signal of "unity and decisive action," according to the Financial Times. Meanwhile, crude prices have surged this year, and Russia continues to rake in huge profits from its oil and gas exports. Bank of America has forecasted that prices could hit $150 if more EU sanctions slam Russian supplies. In May, the EU agreed to a ban on seaborne Russian crude imports which will be implemented throughout the year. EU sanctions on insurances services would also hit buyers of Russian oil outside the trading bloc. The US has already banned Russian crude, and the UK is also aiming to phase out barrels by the end of the year. Still, the the targeting of Russian energy supplies has helped further boost prices, contributing to Europe's energy crisis. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said the bloc was prepared to discuss a price cap but maintained that a "clear vision" was necessary to move forward. "We want to make sure the goal is to target Russia and not to make our life more difficult and more complex," Michel said, per the FT. Read the original article on Business Insider The 100% owned Thunder Bay North Project hosts the twin magma conduit bodies that host the Current and Escape deposits, forming the basis for the robust preliminary economic assessment Clean Air Metals Inc (TSX-V:AIR, OTCQB:CLRMF) has announced new assay results from the 2022 drill campaign from both the Escape and Current PGE-Cu-Ni deposits at the company's Thunder Bay North Project near Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. The Escape and Current deposits continue to perform," Abraham Drost, CEO of Clean Air Metals said in a statement. "Potential peer leading mining head grades and proximity to infrastructure near the City of Thunder Bay and support of the affected First Nation and Metis communities for this sustainable green energy metal mix position the project well. These factors combined with DRA's work targeted on improving ore payabilities are critical to the success of the project," he added, referring to DRA AMERICAS Inc, which successfully bid for pre-feasibility metallurgical testing and process plant design for the Thunder Bay North Project. New assay highlights from the Escape South deposit area include: Infill Hole ELR22-140, which intersected 70.5 metres (m) grading 1.18g/t Platinum (Pt), 1.52g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.54% Copper (Cu) and 0.31% Nickel (Ni) from 341.0m-411.5m downhole, including 14.0m grading 2.65g/t Pt, 3.46 g/t Pd, 1.28% Cu and 0.72% Ni from 392.0-406.0m downhole and increases the known dimensions of the Escape South High Grade Zone (HGZ). Infill Hole ELR22-143, which intersected 60.0m grading 2.05g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.74g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.01% Copper (Cu) and 0.51% Nickel (Ni) from 373.0m-433.0m downhole, including 20.7m grading 3.90 g/t Platinum (Pt), 5.36g/t Palladium (Pd), 1.97% Copper (Cu) and 0.97% Nickel (Ni) from 402.0-422.7.0m downhole (Figure 1) and increases the known dimensions of the Escape South HGZ. Under the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) mine plan reported on January 12, 2022, initial production on the Escape Deposit commences at year 4.5 of the life of mine on the Escape South HGZ on 2,323,948 tonnes grading 9.99g/t PtEq insitu. The Escape Deposit has now undergone an additional 55,651m of expansion drilling in 2021 and 2022, which has yet to be included in the project mineral resource. This additional drilling has established continuity between the Escape South HGZ and the Escape North Zone and may add materially to the total Thunder Bay North Project Indicated insitu mineral resource (effective November 1, 2021), including the Current Deposit, averaging 8.12 g/t PtEq in 14,553,324 million tonnes insitu (reported December 1, 2021). New assay highlights from the Current deposit area include: Infill Hole CL22-043, which intersected 25.0m grading 2.01g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.57g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.94% Copper (Cu) and 0.52% Nickel (Ni) from 325.7m-373.0m downhole, including 8.0m grading 3.08 g/t Platinum (Pt), 2.97g/t Palladium (Pd), 0.63% Copper (Cu) and 0.39% Nickel (Ni) from 147.0-155.0m downhole (Figure 2) and which improves the grade profile of the Beaver Lake Zone down plunge from the main PEA production areas Under the PEA mine plan reported on January 12, 2022, the first 3.7 years of mining at Current Deposit on 4,835,410 tonnes of material insitu averages 4.49g/t 4E PGE or 10.04g/t PtEq insitu at Lower Current and Bridge Zones, immediately up plunge from the Beaver Lake Zone. The company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the cooperating participants in a Memorandum of Agreement and Exploration Agreement. The 100% owned, high-grade Thunder Bay North Project is located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Thunder Bay North Project hosts the twin magma conduit bodies that host the Current and Escape deposits, forming the basis for the robust preliminary economic assessment. Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com The Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Center provides services and programs for Wisconsin residents living in Chippewa, Dunn and Eau Claire counties. But the center does more than organize events and educational experiences. It provides a sense of community for LGBTQIA+ locals. Staff are also working to distribute a census for the second year in a row. The first LGBTQ+ census was conducted in the area last year and now the 2022 census is live. The census asks people to self-report on a number of issues: how they identify, their employment status, demographics, experiences with local schools and workplaces and how accepting the region is, are a few of the many questions the census addresses. That work is ongoing, said the centers new executive director, Kayla Johnson. A lot of that is getting people in this area to respond and to say whats going on in the area, what matters to them, what affects their lives, but that also can then extend out into remote areas, she said. We want to know, in these smaller towns, what do people need, what would they like to see? Johnson said in some ways the information that the census provides can help organizations identify what they should be doing to help locals. The idea for the census came from Vice President of Library Resources at the Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ center, Matt Klein. Klein made the census forms, and the center staff have been working to spread those as far as possible across the region. We got help from the Eau Claire County Health Department in sharing it this year and theyre helping us develop it a little more, said Vice President of Media, Charles Payseur. Payseur said the County Health Department encouraged the center to include more health information in the census questions. That way we can sort of help each other so that the census will be a resource for more than just us. It was always the intent that other organizations can look through the data and see the needs in the area, he said. Census respondents live in a diverse region and the hope is that more respondents from small towns will take the time to complete it this year. We have some respondents from pretty far out in the most remote areas, Payseur said. We saw people responding from Cadott and other really small towns which is encouraging. Payseur and Klein have been working on most of the number crunching with the surveys. The survey does not require answers to any of its questions, which can make interpreting the data a more rigorous process. Matt Klein was very adamant about making none of the information we seek required, Payseur said. Youre able to answer as much as you want because we do not want to create a barrier. People can answer only what theyre comfortable with sharing and its also an anonymous survey. Payseur said that despite the challenges of data interpretation its still very interesting to go through the responses, find the big picture and identify who might be struggling and who might be facing more discrimination. Addressing discrimination and isolation is paramount to the centers work, especially now. What we keep on hearing, basically at every level is that discrimination has gotten acutely worse in the last two years, as rhetoric at the political level has sort of funneled outrage and hate at our most vulnerable communities, Payseur said. Johnson said there are a lot more people reacting more publicly and more negatively to LGBTQIA+ individuals in recent times than in years before. Even though the scale of rights has expanded and visibility has increased, and people can more easily find accepting communities if youve looked at any of the data its easy to see theres a lot of mental health issues, especially with LGBTQ+ youth, Johnson said. I mean its still a very deadly time to be queer, unfortunately. Johnson said that the more they progress forward the more pushback appears. Youre seeing a lot of specific pushback against the transgender community particularly and against gender nonconforming communities as well, she said. A lot of that public backlash is based around protecting children. Theres anger and hate from people who dont want to see an extension or continuation of a lot of our rights. In an effort to extend services and create understanding, the center is expanding its work in Chippewa County. It has a larger presence now than in past years in Chippewa Falls, thanks to Transforming The Valley a sibling organization dedicated to transgender issues in downtown Chippewa Falls, Payseur said. We are known as an organization located in downtown Eau Claire, but it is something we are trying to be more intentional about forging partnerships in more other areas, Johnson said. Johnson said the center routinely gets people participating in events such as Pride In The Park from all over the region, and many of their volunteers come from small towns. Payseur said the Chippewa Falls YMCA has recently reached out to the center to work on programming. Other organizations like the ACLU Wisconsin Chippewa Valley Chapter recently partnered with the center on an educational panel about censorship. Locally, its about making connections with organizations and libraries so that we can sort of be a part of the resources that people are aware of, Payseur said. So that they can refer to us and that we can refer to other places. Going forward the center is hoping to launch a resource guide, which will cover resources, businesses, people and organizations throughout the region. It will help people connect with places and organizations in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls and the more remote towns in Chippewa and Dunn counties. For questions, requests, or feedback on the census please email library@cvlgbt.org. See the full results of the 2021 census here. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The former state Supreme Court justice leading the GOP-ordered review of Wisconsins 2020 election faces a new lawsuit following recent comments he made indicating that he deletes records he deems irrelevant to the taxpayer-funded probe. Liberal watchdog group American Oversight on Tuesday filed a lawsuit and emergency motion seeking to stop the the deletion of public records related to the inquiry by Michael Gableman. Two Dane County judges have already ordered Gablemans Office of Special Counsel to halt the deletion of any records responsive to American Oversights requests. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, points to comments Gableman made in recent testimony that he has deleted emails from his government email account. Gableman also said last week he had a staffer delete the personal email account he used in the early months of his review last year, making those records inaccessible. With respect to any given missing record, either the (Office of Special Counsel) has failed to conduct the required search of existing records in which case it has violated the Open Records law or the OSC has conducted the required search, but come up empty-handed because the OSC had already deleted those texts or e-mails in which case it has violated the Public Records Retention Law, American Oversight attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. While testifying last week in a separate open records case focused on the first few months of his review, Gableman said, did I delete documents? Yes, I did. If I had to keep every scrap of paper, I would do nothing else, Gableman told reporters on June 10 while in court for another case. I would need a warehouse. In April, an attorney representing Gableman indicated in court filings that the office routinely deletes documents, including emails and text messages, that are deemed irrelevant or useless to the investigation. Attorneys have claimed Gableman is exempt from state record retention laws. An October memo prepared by Legislative Council deputy director Dan Schmidt indicated that the states public records law generally applies to records created or maintained by Gablemans office. State lawmakers are exempt from Wisconsins record retention law, allowing them to regularly delete records, though requested documents must be retained if they exist at the time of a formal request. Schmidt wrote in the memo that such an exemption does not apply to Gableman. The OSC has deleted public records that dont suit the faux election-fraud narrative, unabashedly flouting Wisconsin law, American Oversight senior adviser Melanie Sloan said in a statement. Citizens should have the opportunity to evaluate the OSCs report for themselves based on the entire record, not just on the documents Gableman wants people to see. Multiple lawsuits The lawsuit is the fourth filed by American Oversight related to the GOP-ordered review of the 2020 election and the second filed against Gableman. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who hired Gableman last year, and the state Assembly, have also been sued by American Oversight over requests for public records. American Oversight is represented by Democracy Forward and Madison firm Pines Bach in the case filed Tuesday. Gablemans office and attorneys who have represented him in another American Oversight lawsuit related to public records did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In an affidavit filed by Gableman in a separate case Tuesday, the former justice said he has searched for and provided all documents relevant to American Oversights requests. Gableman was hired by Vos under pressure from Donald Trump to review the election the former president lost to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. While the probe was originally allocated $676,000 in taxpayer funds, invoices have shown that ongoing court battles surrounding the review have pushed the cost to nearly $900,000. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin. Vos earlier this year paused Gablemans probe to allow time for pending lawsuits related to the review to play out in court and halved Gablemans monthly salary from $11,000 to $5,500. In the courtroom Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington earlier this month held Gablemans office in contempt, offering a scathing rebuke of the former justices behavior in court a week earlier, when Gableman accused the judge of being a partisan advocate. Remington ultimately held Gablemans office in contempt for failing to adequately respond to the requests and ordered Gableman be fined $2,000 a day until he complies. He also directed Gablemans sneering conduct in Remingtons courtroom to the office that regulates attorneys and judges in Wisconsin to take possible action against his license to practice law. Gableman has appealed the ruling and is seeking a review by a three-judge panel in Wisconsins District 2 Court of Appeals in Waukesha. In a separate case, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn last week ruled that Vos will not be penalized for a previous contempt order related to the case, but said she will decide later if Vos should face penalties related to how his office handled requests for records related to Gablemans review. A hearing has been scheduled for July 28 in the matter. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Paul Walker's daughter has revealed she had an abortion in the wake of the Roe v Wade overturning. Model Meadow Rain Walker, 23, joined the army of other females sharing personal stories and outrage at the Supreme Court's rejection of the landmark 1973 ruling, leaving terminations illegal for millions of women in America. She branded the decision "a huge setback in history" and "a profound injustice to women across the United States", before revealing she had an abortion. Walker added: "There are countless women who have struggled with making the decision to have an abortion. "I too battled with the choice in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion. It is a very private and personal experience - the way it should be." Walker, who runs her late 'Fast and Furious' actor father's foundation set up after his 2013 death in a fiery car crash following a fiery car crash, said she had been "lucky enough to have a great doctor" who "supported" her through the "debilitating process", which has left her "able to be the happy and healthy person" she is today. But she warned Friday's ruling will have tragic and disastrous consequences for other women. She hit out in a lengthy Instagram post: "Now, knowing even more women won't have the opportunity to seek safe termination and choose their bodies first is absolutely heartbreaking. "In a world that constantly marginalises females, this feels like the biggest assault of them all. Banning abortion doesn't prevent abortions, it prevents safe abortions." It comes after 'Dancing with the Stars' pro Cheryl Burke, 38, opened up about having an abortion aged 18. She said on TikTok: "I am saddened by the news this morning, and it weighs heavy in my heart because I had an abortion when I was 18 years old. "If it wasn't for places like 'Planned Parenthood', I would be a mother I got an abortion while I was going through a really huge transition in my life. "I was practicing safe sex, I was using protection, and I was on birth control, but s*** happens." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WASHINGTON (AP) Cassidy Hutchinson, a key aide in Donald Trump's White House, told the House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on Tuesday that Trump was informed that the supporters he addressed that morning had weapons but he told officials to "let my people in" and march to the Capitol. Trump demanded to accompany them, she said, and at one point he aggressively grabbed the steering wheel in the presidential limousine after he was told by security officials that it wasn't safe. Hutchinson, who was an aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, said she was told that by Meadows' deputy. She said she wasn't sure what he would have done at the Capitol as a violent mob of his supporters was breaking in. There were conversations about him "going into the House chamber at one point," Hutchinson said. Hutchinson quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who'd gathered in Washington. In videotaped testimony played before the committee, she recalled the former president saying words to the effect of: ""I don't f-in' care that they have weapons." "They're not here to hurt me. Take the f-in' mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here," Hutchinson testified. As Trump spoke to thousands of supporters on the Ellipse behind the White House and more gathered on the Washington Monument grounds, Hutchinson said, she received an angry call from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who had just heard the president say he was coming to the Capitol. "Don't come up here," McCarthy told her, before hanging up. In the days before the attack, Hutchinson said that she was "scared, and nervous for what could happen" ahead of the riot after conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that "things might get real real bad," she said. Giuliani told her it was going to be "a great day" and "we're going to the Capitol." She described Meadows as unconcerned as security officials told him that people at Trump's rally had weapons - including people wearing armor and carrying automatic weapons. A month earlier, Hutchinson said, she heard noise inside the White House around the time an Associated Press article was published in which then-Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had not found evidence of voter fraud that could have affected the election outcome. She said she entered a room and noticed ketchup dripping down a wall and broken porcelain. The president, it turned out, had thrown his lunch across the wall in disgust over the article and she was urged to steer clear of him. The 25-year-old, who was a special assistant and aide to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, has already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators and has sat for four interviews behind closed doors. But the committee called the hearing this week to hear her public testimony. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's chairman, said that in recent days, the panel had received information about what Trump and his aides were saying during critical hours of Jan. 6 and that it was critical for the American people to hear that information immediately. The committee's vice chairwoman, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, said the hearing would shed light on Trump's conduct at the time, the "actions and statements" of senior advisers and also what they knew about the prospect of violence in the days before the violent attack. She told the panel in earlier interviews that Meadows was warned about possible unrest. Her appearance was cloaked in extraordinary secrecy. The committee announced the surprise hearing with only 24 hours' notice, and Hutchison's appearance was only confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter. While it is unclear what new evidence she might provide Tuesday, Hutchinson's testimony is likely to tell a first-hand story of Trump's pressure campaign, and how the former president responded after the violence began, more vividly than any other witness the committee has called in thus far. In brief excerpts of testimony revealed in court filings, Hutchinson told the committee she was in the room for White House meetings where challenges to the election were debated and discussed, including with several Republican lawmakers. In one instance, Hutchinson described seeing Meadows incinerate documents after a meeting in his office with Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., Politico reported in May. She also revealed that the White House counsel's office cautioned against plans to enlist fake electors in swing states, including in meetings involving Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Attorneys for the president advised that the plan was not "legally sound," Cassidy said. During her three separate depositions, Hutchinson also testified about her boss' surprise trip to Georgia weeks after the election to oversee the audit of absentee ballot envelope signatures and ask questions about the process. She also detailed how Jeffrey Clark a top Justice Department official who championed Trump's false claims of election fraud and whom the president contemplated naming as attorney general was a "frequent presence" at the White House. The plot to remove the then-acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, unraveled during a Jan. 3, 2021, meeting in the Oval Office when other senior Justice Department officials warned Trump that they would resign if he followed through with his plan to replace Rosen with Clark. The House panel has not explained why it abruptly scheduled the 1 p.m. hearing as lawmakers are away from Washington on a two-week recess. The committee had said last week that there would be no more hearings until July. The precise subject of Tuesday's hearing remained unclear, but the panel's announcement Monday said it would be "to present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony." A spokesman for the panel declined to elaborate and Hutchinson's lawyer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The person familiar with the committee's plans to call Hutchinson could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The nine-member committee's investigation has continued during the hearings, which started three weeks ago into the attack by Trump supporters. Among the evidence, the committee recently obtained footage of Trump and his inner circle taken both before and after Jan. 6 from British filmmaker Alex Holder. Holder said last week that he had complied with a congressional subpoena to turn over all the footage he shot in the final weeks of Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, including exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and then-Vice President Mike Pence. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the panel's Democratic chairman, told reporters last week that the committee was in possession of the footage and needed more time to go through the hours of video. The panel has held five hearings so far, mostly laying out Trump's pressure campaign on various institutions of power in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, when hundreds of the Republican's supporters violently pushed past police, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory. The committee has used the hearings to detail the pressure from Trump and his allies on Pence, on the states that were certifying Biden's win, and on the Justice Department. The panel has used live interviews, video testimony of its private witness interviews and footage of the attack to detail what it has learned. Lawmakers said last week that the two July hearings would focus on domestic extremists who breached the Capitol that day and on what Trump was doing as the violence unfolded. Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant and Kevin Freking contributed to this report. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad The chairman of the board of the Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Business Development, Orkhan Mammadov, has said that SMBs in Azerbaijan, as well as throughout the world, contribute to employment, economic growth, and sustainable development, Azernews reports. He made the remarks at the conference on "Sustainable development and reconstruction: SMBs for sustainable development" which was held at the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs day on June 27. Speaking at the conference, Mammadov noted that the level of development, diversification, and innovation of SMBs is an indicator of the level of development of countries. Noting that 99 percent of entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan are small and medium-sized businesses, he briefed on the activities of SMBs and measures taken to support them. It should be noted that Azerbaijan was represented at the event by the leadership of the Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Business Development. The conference was organized by the International Council for Small Business with the support of the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the Organization for Industrial Development. We should note that according to the UN General Assembly resolution on the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as its contribution to sustainable economic development, June 27, is celebrated since 2017 under the slogan "The Big Impact of Small Business". The head of the University of Richmond board of trustees, Paul Queally, will step down from his position Thursday at the conclusion of his term. Last year, Queally was at the center of debate regarding the names of two campus buildings and their ties to racism. At the time, Queally was opposed to changing the names of Ryland Hall and Freeman Hall, despite protests from students and faculty. Robert Ryland owned slaves and Douglas Southall Freeman supported segregation and eugenics. Altering the names would be equivalent to submitting to cancel culture, Queally said, according to professors. Faculty and staff criticized his comments. Professors said he referred to students as Black, brown and regular students, and a former UR staffer, Jessica Washington, accused him of interrupting and condescending toward her. She called it the single most horrific and traumatizing work experience I have ever had. The faculty censured Queally and ratified a vote of no confidence in him, saying the board had perhaps fallen out of step with the university community. Queally did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In March 2022, the board reversed its decision and changed the building names. Queally also came under fire in 2014 for comments he made at a secret Wall Street fraternity induction ceremony in New York. According to New York Magazine, Queally made fun of Hillary Clinton and Barney Frank, a former member of Congress who is gay. The jokes were described as sexist and homophobic. Queally later said the remarks were made in the spirit of the event and do not reflect my views or my values. A 1986 UR graduate, Queally was co-president of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York private equity firm. He has donated millions of dollars to the university, and his name is on three buildings. He has served on the board since 2010. Replacing him as rector is R. Lewis Boggs, a current board member. Also stepping down from the board are vice rector Susan G. Quisenberry, Louis W. Moelchert Jr., Gregory S. Rogowski and Michael P. Walrath. Four new members have been elected this year: Stephen J. Aronson, Dr. Stacy Garrett-Ray, Ajay Nagpal and Kevin R. Seth. Aronson, a UR alumnus, returns to the board after a three-year absence. He retired from British banking giant Barclays, where he was head of campus recruiting for distribution and senior executive ally for LGBTQ employees. Garrett-Ray, a UR alumna, is a vice president for Ascension, a St. Louis-based private health care system, and a family medicine physician. Nagpal, a parent of a UR student, is chief operating officer at Millennium Management, a New York-based global investment firm. Seth is a partner at Edgewood Management, a Maryland-based property management company, and the parent of two UR students. A late night fire at the Philomath Frolic & Rodeo grandstands has left organizers scrambling to pivot plans with just over a week until the annual event. Chris Workman, member of the Frolic & Rodeo Board of Directors, said he got the call about the fire at around 11:10 Monday night, June 27. The timing couldnt be worse, Workman said. Weve got a rodeo next week. How do we make it happen this year? Quick meetings, decisions As of now, the event, scheduled for July 7-9, will still go on. Workman said Tuesday morning he would be meeting with a structural engineer, contractors and more later in the day to assess the damage and figure out plans for replacing the portion of the grandstands that burned. The southern end of the grandstands sustained heavy damage, and about three of the bleacher sections are seemingly unusable, according to Workman. In an announcement posted to the event's Facebook page Tuesday afternoon, organizers said a demolition crew led by Dennis Gibson Construction would begin removing the southern section of the grandstands Wednesday morning, June 29. Temporary stands may be placed in the opening to accommodate for the loss of seating. Regardless of seating, the rodeo performances will all go on as planned. "The grandstands and overhead structure were inspected this morning, and the Board feels confident it can safely have fans on the rodeo grounds for next week's festivities," the Facebook post says. Those looking to help with the eventual rebuilding of the stands can donate through the Oregon State Credit Union's Philomath branch either in-person or by calling 541-714-4000. Donations will also be accepted through the event's website at www.philomathfrolic.org. The call and response The call came in to Philomath Fire and Rescue at 10:45 p.m. Monday night, according to Philomath Fire and Life Safety Officer Rich Saalsaa. He said some explosions were heard by a witness. Saalsaa was on the scene Monday night. He said he stepped outside of his home and could see the flames in the sky before even arriving at the scene. It was a good size fire, probably about 100 feet in size, he said. The flames were pretty high. Philomath fire personnel responded along with Philomath police, Corvallis Fire Department, Monroe Fire, Blodgett Fire and Kings Valley Fire. Were very grateful for our area fire departments, Saalsaa said. Because the real world doesnt stop when theres fires. The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes, Saalsaa said, but crews were on the scene until around 1:20 a.m. No injuries were reported. The cause Early investigations suggest the cause of the fire was a propane torch. Saalsaa said an individual was using a propane torch within an hour of the fire to clear weeds in the area. Its likely with the recent heat and wind, it caught some combustibles on fire, Saalsaa said. He added that these were ideal conditions for embers to smolder and reach ignition. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The cause of the fire seems to be accidental and not malicious, Saalsaa added. Propane torches should not be used around combustible materials, Saalsaa said. This is the second fire caused by this in a few months. Officials estimate the damage at about $500,000. The area underneath the grandstands was being used for storage, Workman said, housing a riding lawn mower, combustible materials, other barrels for storage and some items used for the Frolic & Rodeo. We still want to put on a show, Workman said. The community has been great, offering help, funds and more. In a statement issued earlier to the events Facebook page, the organizers asked community members to be patient as they worked with their insurance company and engineers. Its the frolic, not just a rodeo, Workman said. Its huge for Philomath. Workman said online sales have been really good, and hes hopeful crowds were still turn out. Im kind of devastated on one hand, he said. But on the other hand, I feel good about the sense of community here coming out to support us. 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_ Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Franklin K-8 and Cheldelin Middle School in Corvallis will have new administrators, beginning July 1. Amy Wright will be the new Franklin K-8 principal, filling the vacancy left by Craig Harlow, who now works with the Salem-Keizer school district. Wright has worked in education for 22 years, both for the Corvallis School District as a middle and high school teacher and Greater Albany Public Schools as an assistant principal at North Albany Middle School. Amy brings strong leadership skills to her role at Franklin, Superintendent Ryan Noss said in a news release. Her experience as a teacher at all three levels provides her with a broad perspective on the skills students need to be successful. This is an asset for Amy as the principal of a K-8 school. Dennis Foster Jr. will be the new Cheldelin assistant principal, filling the vacancy left by Jon Strowbridge, who is now the interim principal. Foster has worked in education for 15 years, as a special education teacher in Eugene and Corvallis. Dennis is a charismatic leader who connects well with students, Noss said in a statement. He has a great deal of middle school experience which will enhance the school's culture. I am excited to see him connecting with students and supporting their successes. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Northglenn and Adams County economic development officials said prost Tuesday after Denver-based Prost Brewing Co. announced it would move its headquarters to Northglenn and build a German-style biergarten at 104th Avenue and I-25, similar to its biergarten in Highlands Ranch. Prost means cheers in German. The 10-year-old brewery was looking to possibly move its headquarters to San Antonio but was likely swayed by millions in economic incentive tax credits offered by local and state officials. We are a family-owned business and sixth-generation Coloradans. Northglenn was clearly the best choice for Prost Brewing, and were excited to be able to make this important move for the future of our business while staying in Colorado, President David Deline said in a news release. It is incredible to feel so supported by the State of Colorado, Adams County and the City of Northglenn, and we know the talent pool, cost of doing business and proximity to the supply chain will all help us to stay competitive in the craft beer industry. Colorados Office of Economic Development and International Trade offered up to $1.2 million in Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for the company to create up to 203 full-time jobs, with an average salary of $88,443. It has about 100 employees now, mostly in Colorado. The tax credits are coupled with almost $6 million in incentives and tax credits from Adams County, Northglenn and Hutensky Capital Partners, which owns the Northglenn Marketplace. Having the patience to wait for just the right redevelopment project is a signature of the Northglenn Urban Renewal Authority (NURA) Chairwoman Rosie Garner said in the release. NURA partnered with HCP to incentivize them to revitalize, reinvent and bring something special to the Marketplace. We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition and are excited to witness the synergy Prost Brewing will bring to the City and entire north metro area. The brewery plans $25 million in construction projects over the next 10 years for its corporate headquarters, a regional production facility, distribution center and the companys largest biergarten, according to the release. The biergarten could attract 250,000 visitors to Northglenn Marketplace annually. Company officials said they outgrew their Denver facility at 2540 19th St. It also has a taproom in Fort Collins. Coloradans are proud of the states craft brewing tradition, and innovative breweries like Prost Brewing Company not only create quality new jobs in the economy but also raise the bar for environmental stewardship and sustainability, Patrick Meyers, the state's economic development director, said in the release. Plans include building one of the most sustainable, unique and technologically advanced breweries in the country by investing in state-of-the-art equipment and processes, according to the release. Company officials plan production levels of 20,000 barrels per year at first and could grow to 40,000 to 50,000 over time. That would make it one of the top five biggest craft breweries in Colorado. This exciting addition to Colorados nation-leading craft brewery industry is bringing over 200 good-paying jobs to Coloradans, and we are proud to congratulate Prost Brewing Company on this expansion, Gov. Jared Polis said in the release. Colorado is one of the best places to do business in the country, and our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation continues to make Colorado the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Twenty new laws will go into effect on Friday, including three of the most significant bills to come out of the 2022 legislative session. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad As part of his working visit to the USA, representatives of Azerbaijan's Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Business Development visited the Turkish House in New York, Azernews reports. As part of the visit, the meeting was held between Agency Chairman Orkhan Mammadov and Consul-General at the Consulate General of Turkiye in New York Reyhan Ozgur. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on opportunities for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkish businessmen in the United States. They also discussed the consular support in this area. Azerbaijan and Turkiye collaborate in a variety of economic sectors and have completed major energy and infrastructure projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and TANAP. Turkiye imports Azerbaijani natural gas through the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and TANAP. Azerbaijan supplies gas to Turkiye only from the Shah Deniz field. In 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkiye signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defense cooperation, promoting regional stability and prosperity, and establishing new transportation routes. The two countries set up a goal to bring the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023. As of 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.6 billion. So far, Turkiye is Azerbaijans second-largest investor followed by the UK. Additionally, Turkiye was one of the first countries that expressed its interest and readiness to participate in the restoration of Azerbaijans liberated territories. On the morning of June 27, Boulder County Communications Center received a report of a 47-year-old female climber who had gotten off route while free solo climbing, ending up on a totally different rock formation. Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Mexican conglomerate Alfa has proposed the spin-off of its entire stake in operator Axtel, a move it claimed will unlock the underlying value of the group. The proposal was approved and authorised by the Alfa board but is now subject to the approval of shareholders at the companys next shareholders' meeting on July 12. We are convinced that the proposed spin-off is the best step forward. Alfa shareholders continue to gain autonomy as we streamline the conglomerate structure to unlock the great value potential of our company, said Alfa chairman of the board Armando Garza Sada. Alfa detailed it will create a new company called Controladora Axtel to which it will transfer all shares of the operator, and it will be listed on the Mexican stock exchange. Axtel has a solid financial and competitive position as a leading provider of managed information and communication technology solutions. We trust in Axtel's great capacity to capitalise on attractive growth opportunities as an independent business. Axtel will have the full support of Alfa to ensure an orderly transition, added Alfa president Alvaro Fernandez Garza. Mexican regulator IFT (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones / Federal Telecommunications Institute) has cleared a financing deal that will see ALTAN Redes (Red Compartida) become a public-private partnership funded by the Mexican Development Bank. Under the financing structure, ALTAN Redes will receive a loan of US$161 million from the Mexican Development Bank, alongside US$50.5 million from its other shareholders. Accordingly, the wholesale operators shares will be places into a trust in which the Mexican Development Bank will take a 61% holding, while the other shareholders will own 39%. CommsUpdate reported that the Mexican Development Bank will have the highest portion of trustee rights, granting it the most power over appointments to the operators Board of Directors. However, as the loan is paid back its share of trustee rights will reduce gradually, with the other shareholders eventually taking the lions share. The IFT stated that the length of the public-private partnership contract had been amended from 20 years (with the option to extend) to 40 years (without this option). The regulator also confirmed that the coverage obligations originally agreed in February 2022 remain in place, meaning the operators network must cover 85% of the population by 24th January 2027 and 92.2% by 24th January 2028. Red Compartidas open access 700MHz 4G network has been available across Mexico since March 2018, and is currently used by 114 MVNOs to provide mobile and fixed wireless access services. At present, the network covers 70.97% of the population. Indias Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has laid out the rules for building captive non-public networks (CNPNs) or private 5G networks. Enterprises seeking spectrum directly from the DoT are to be given a renewable licence for 10 years against a non-refundable application charge of Rs 50,000 (about US$633). Such companies wont need to pay any entry or licence fee. To apply for spectrum any private group involved needs to have a minimum net worth of Rs100 crore (about US$12.65 million), be registered under the Companies Act and, says the DoT, be an occupant of the geographical area/property on which it intends to establish the CNPN. The DoT will then undertake demand studies, and seek recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for direct assignment of spectrum to such enterprises. DoT officials have said this process could take one to two years. Indias Economic Times adds that, according to the DoTs guidelines, an enterprise can establish an indoor/within premise isolated CNPN for its own use. The CNPN licence cannot be used for commercial telecommunications or connect the captive users network to public networks in any manner. Another, possibly quicker, approach could be for enterprises that want to set up a private 5G network to obtain spectrum on lease from operators or get the operators to set up the networks for them. That would no doubt suit operators, though there are strict rules requiring, among other things, a detailed summary of the spectrum band, the amount of spectrum, the period of lease, the geographic area, and the use of the spectrum, all of which have to be input on the Saral Sanchar Portal within 15 days of entering the agreement. Saral (Simplified Application For Registration and Licenses) Sanchar, a web-based portal for issuing of various types of licenses and registration certificates, is part of various digital initiatives being taken by the DoT. There may be something to appeal to everyone here but its equally possible there could be something to annoy everyone. Already TV Ramachandran, President of the Broadband India Forum (BIF), has complained that the high net worth criterion would bar smaller companies. Not surprisingly, he likes DoTs decision not to charge independent enterprises any licence or entry fees for setting up captive 5G networks. Operators seem less pleased about the relatively cheap allocation of 5G spectrum to enterprises given that they are soon likely to be spending billions of dollars on spectrum. TeleGeography's CommsUpdate points out that, while the DoT claims that easier access to self-run private networks will support the development of new use cases for 5G in a number of industries, it could also undermine the hope of many operators that they will be able to supply a revenue-generating service. Of course, this doesnt stop operators from offering a service, especially given the length of the process if enterprises decide to go it alone. Nevertheless, there has been speculation that the DoTs approach to licensing for CNPNs could negatively impact bidding in the upcoming 5G spectrum auction. June 6th 2022 marked the third anniversary of the issue of commercial 5G licences in China. To mark this milestone, ICT news site C114 held a series of events entitled Thrive with 5G, which aimed to explore the technologys success and look towards its future. Ma Hongbing, General Manager, Technology Innovation Division, China Unicom, said that following three years of activity, Chinas 5G networks have lived up to the worlds expectations. In terms of scale, number of users, range of services, deployment of SA architecture, 5G patents and industrial applications, China has been in a leading position. The MIIT 5G Action Plan has identified 15 key industries for 5G deployment, providing direction for 5G development. This top-level design is strong but also allows local government to take account of factors that are specific to their areas, with a lot of provinces and cities developing their own plans. There have been many achievements across the past three years in wide-scale 5G applications, with 5Gs contribution to Chinas GDP up 30% between 2020 and 2021. 5G is driving growth in the ICT industry, including component manufacturing, and is creating new value through deep integration into other industry verticals. However, Wang Zhiqin, Vice President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), noted that there are still challenges, including the high cost of industrial application innovation and promotion. She added that the support system is still relatively fragmented, with better cross-industry business models, as well as operation models, still required. Wang noted that scaling 5G industrial applications is a complex process that requires a more holistic solution for digital transformation to provide a foundation for further innovation across a wider range of vertical industries. 5G will be integrated with other next-gen digital technologies, including big data, cloud computing and AI, across various industry verticals. Adoption of industrial 5G applications has accelerated, driven by demand and the degree of digitalisation specific to each industry. In the initial phase, the solution is adapted to the scenario, and then in the growth phase the final adaptation can be delivered directly to the industry. Currently, the leading industries for 5G adoption include industrial internet, power, ports, mining, healthcare, and media. Ma added that while Chinas success with 5G had lived up to expectations, it is still important for operators to consider how 5G will be developed in the future. He noted that China Unicom has been communicating with industries, establishing benchmarks around the world, and had found that in vertical industries including consumer business there are still many challenges. Different industry applications have different needs in terms of uplink or downlink speed, bandwidth, latency and reliability, with big data and AI increasingly essential and we must address how these challenges are to be met, said Ma. Ma explained that with the progression from 3G to 4G to 5G, traffic tends towards downlink transmission it accounts for around 20 times that of uplink transmission. The advent of the intelligent connectivity era will create a new industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but this will require the uplink capacity to be significantly enhanced, which requires the uplink and downlink traffic setup to be reversed, in that the uplink speed may reach 20 times the downlink speed. Providing enough bandwidth and speed to achieve this requires several elements; multiplication in the time domain, optimisation in the frequency domain, and consolidation in the space domain. Through the combination of these techniques, spectral resources of different bands are optimised and adjusted between uplink and downlink time slots, optimising and consolidating limited resources. Chen Yunqing, Vice President of China Telecom Research Institute, also talked up the impact of 5G on industries, and noted that the foundation of the digital economy is evolving from connected network infrastructure to digital information infrastructure with cloud network synergy. Chen argued that this was an industry trend for which the main driving force is the comprehensive evolution of business digitalisation technology convergence and data value. To capitalise on this trend, we believe that cloud network synergy should be used to fully integrate IT and CT connections and computing capabilities. On top of this, we can develop intelligent and comprehensive digital information infrastructure capabilities to achieve the goals of ubiquitous high speed internet, cloud network synergy, security and controllability, intelligent agility, and green/low-carbon development, said Chen. The operator believes that building a customised 5G network is the best practice for achieving cloud network synergy. Achieving this involves strengthening the foundation of the entire 5G and transport network, and to this end, Chen explained that China Telecom has developed a small cell that supports high reliability, low latency and higher uplink bandwidth. With this, the operator has achieved BBU cloudification and opened the fronthaul interface between RRU and BBU. In this way, the small cells support the downward extension of the 5G customised network. Autonomy and intelligence are also key features, and China Telecom has constructed a system that covers the knowledge graph of the entire network as well as decision-making simulation, and plans to incorporate this into its new generation operation system. We use a network intelligence analysis module generated by 3GPP embedded in the core network to further increase next-generation network intelligence by forming a closed loop from analysis to decision-making, explained Chen. We are trying to incorporate standardised modules into our intelligent system and use AI technologies to link them to improve operational efficiency. When a new generation arrives, terminals tend to lag behind, but with 5G the simultaneous development of terminals and networks has been achieved for the first time. Chinas terminal and network development has played a huge role in driving this; out of the worlds 800 million 5G terminals, 500 million were made in China, and Chinese-made 5G base stations account for more than 50% of the global total. Wang Hengjiang, Deputy General Manager, China Mobile Terminal Company, said: China Mobile will roll out a 700MHz network this year, and will reach 1.1 million base stations by the end of 2022. We have achieved effective coverage in key towns as well as developed villages. The popularisation of 5G terminals provides a foundation for improving the experience of basic services there are now 500 million 5GH terminals in China, so internet services such as video and gaming can be further developed, while existing services can be upgraded. Wang noted that this will present many new business opportunities, such as cloud office and AR/VR services. The digital economy generates massive amounts of data both on the cloud and terminal sides, and processing this is hugely challenging - particularly when the terminals computing power is limited - but breaking this bottleneck is very important in order to offer applications to consumers. Liu Hong, Head of Technology, China, GSMA, was upbeat about this prospect. As long as 5Gs cost per bit is lower, its ARPU is higher and its user experience is better, leading to a faster increase in user adoption. If operators are willing to use 5G to refarm existing frequencies, and users are willing to switch to 5G services more quickly, then 5G to consumers can be considered a success, he argued. At the beginning of last year, we hoped the number of 5G connections worldwide would reach 1 billion by the end of 2023; however, this milestone was reached earlier this year. By the end of 2025, global network operators will spend around US$530b on 5G networks, which shows their confidence in 5G. Office of the Commissioner Email Subscriptions | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Vimeo The mission of the Department of Family and Community Services is "To provide support, safety, and personal well-being for vulnerable Alaskans." The Department of Family and Community Services (DFCS) will oversee and improve our child welfare system and 24/7 facilities providing direct services to Alaskans. Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) and the Alaska Pioneer Homes (AKPH) provide care for patients and elders, and when eligible can bill Medicaid for the services provided in much the same way that hospitals and clinics work. The Division of Juvenile Justice works to rehabilitate youth offenders while holding them accountable. Its a difficult prospect to come up with a logo that accurately portrays the critical services performed by DFCS Divisions. The Executive Leadership team researched and looked at other states and found that child welfare and social service agencies dont usually have an image in their logo, as its a difficult subject area to display. Taking that input the graphics team came up with a strong alternative logo that differentiates itself from other Alaska department logos. Instead of being formatted in a circle, it is a horizontal layout to clearly display the name of the department, but also bold lettering to highlight the letters DFCS. The words are adjacent to an image representing families and communities working hand-in-hand and showing the diversity both in peoples and geography of our great state. For if we are to achieve our mission of providing support, safety, and personal well-being for vulnerable Alaskans, then it will take all groups to work together to make it so. Streng thening the System: Alaskas Compre hensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan The 2020-24 plan for achieving the vision of Alaskans receiving comprehensive prevention, treatment and support services at the appropriate level of care across the lifespan, leading to meaningful lives in their home communities. The 2020-24 plan for achieving the vision of Alaskans receiving comprehensive prevention, treatment and support services at the appropriate level of care across the lifespan, leading to meaningful lives in their home communities. Requests for scheduling appointments or invitations for the Commissioner can made by sending an e-mail to: scheduling.dhss@alaska.gov Mailing & Physical address: 3601 C Street, Suite 902 Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5923 Phone: (907) 269-7800 Fax: (907) 269-0060 By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that the next meeting of Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Iranian foreign ministers will be held in Iran, Azernews reports. Cavusoglu stated that the meeting of the foreign ministers will be held within the framework of the tripartite mechanism that exists between Ankara, Baku and Tehran. He added that the parties are planning to organize the meeting by the end of 2022. The Turkish foreign minister noted that specialists from both countries will meet to discuss the pertinent problems, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between Turkey and Iran on environmental matters. Cavusoglu added that Turkey has deep-rooted and historical relations with Iran and that they are determined to develop these relations in every field and have them in a way that will benefit both countries. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is among several voices in Congress currently arguing that the U.S. Department of Labor overstepped its authority earlier this year in cautioning 401(k) and retirement plans against adding cryptocurrency to investment plans. The Alabama senator has gone so far as to introduce a bill that would prohibit the department from issuing such guidance. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds introduced companion legislation in the House. In a statement last month, Tuberville called the departments directive government overreach at its finest. The government has no business standing in the way of retirement savers who want to make their own investment choices, Tuberville said. When youve earned your paycheck, how you invest your money should be your decision. Back in March, the department issued its compliance assistance, citing a need to protect the retirement savings of workers. It cautioning retirement plan custodians to exercise extreme care in adding cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. According to the department, as of 2019, private pension plans held an estimated $6.2 trillion on behalf of about 91 million defined contribution 401(k) plan participants. Since 2020, the cryptocurrency market has seen tremendous highs and devastating lowssurging to about $3 trillion in total assets last November, then crashing to less than $1 trillion, according to Bloomberg. In April, Fidelity Investments announced an option to invest 401(k) funds in Bitcoin. But the DOL says cryptocurrencies carry significant risks of fraud, theft, and loss... Tuberville, however, says the DOL guidance undermines the ability of retirement plan participants to personally control how their assets are invested through brokerage windows. In Roll Call, Tuberville is quoted as saying he is not telling people to invest in cryptocurrency. Nobody should have the ability to say, listen, were going to try to protect you and keep you out of these certain avenues that you might want to get into, and thats not the federal governments business, Tuberville said. The United States said Monday it would step up cooperation with Vietnam among others to combat illegal fishing. As a major U.N. conference opened in Portugal on restoring the planet's ailing oceans, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that aimed to step up coordination and enforcement within the U.S. government against illegal fishing and the use of forced labor. The White House said the United States also plans new engagement with Ecuador, Panama, Senegal, Taiwan and Vietnam on fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, dubbed "IUU" in environmental jargon. An administration official said, without further detail, that the cooperation would include "capacity building" as part of a strategic plan. The United States identified the five "not because they are the primary offenders of IUU fishing but because they have expressed a willingness to work with the United States to combat IUU fishing in their countries," she told reporters on customary condition of anonymity. Another official said that, while the new U.S. effort does not target any country, China "is a leading contributor to IUU fishing worldwide and has impeded progress on the development of measures to combat IUU fishing and overfishing in international organizations." A recent report by the Environmental Justice Foundation said that China by far has the world's largest fleet capable of fishing in distant waters and that there have been frequent complaints of abuse. The British advocacy group said that crew members from Indonesia and Ghana in interviews recounted Chinese captains imposing excessive hours without pay, meting out threats or actual violence and providing low-quality food that led to diarrhea and other maladies. It is okay if vaccines expire, it is okay to get rid of them. With Covid-19 in decline, vaccination mandates are no longer needed. Indonesia became a Covid-19 epicenter last year, even surpassing hotspots like Brazil and India. Its healthcare system was on the verge of crumbling when vaccines came to the rescue. Some Vietnamese workers in Indonesia told me they had no other option but to self-isolate because they could not find a single dose of vaccine. But the situation is different now. There is still an issue with Covid vaccines, but it is no longer about people not getting them; it is about the fact they are going to expire soon. At the end of May Indonesia began to dispose of millions of vaccines after giving 96 percent of its population at least one shot. Around 80 percent received a second and 22 percent also got a third. Other countries are doing the same. To address the problem of vaccine oversupply and the risk of expiration, the U.S. has included 500 million doses in its national vaccination program this year, twice the number originally planned. Some 620,000 doses had to be disposed of by Switzerland as it could not give them away to other countries. Denmark got rid of 1.1 million doses, while the U.K. threw away 4.7 million doses. The U.N. said developing nations refused to receive 100 million doses it tried to donate. There were times when vaccination had to be made mandatory. Some governments imposed travel restrictions on the unvaccinated or simply fining them. Vaccination mandates are usually made in the case of severe outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, a moral imperative in the interest of public health. They are especially relevant when rising incidence could eventually overwhelm the healthcare system, leading to even more deaths. Those who choose not to be vaccinated not only endanger their own lives, but also that of the community and medical workers. At the height of the pandemic, some governments resorted to lockdowns. There are naturally hefty costs that come with such a decision, and mandatory vaccination was a cheaper but effective alternative. But now that the coronavirus has been put under control, a vaccine mandate has become obsolete. Covid-19 is gradually becoming something like a cousin to the flu. No country has any requirement for percentages of their population to be vaccinated against the flu. Of course, there are some who are vulnerable to it and are encouraged to get shots. Many willingly do so. As of June 23 Vietnam had given over 228.4 million Covid vaccines to its population, with virtually everyone aged 12 and above getting at least two shots. Around 64 percent of adults have got a third shot and 6 percent have received a fourth. Vietnam has now seemingly achieved herd immunity. People are still getting infected, but the numbers have dramatically reduced from what they used to be. Vaccination is also slowing down in several regions. As the expiration dates of vaccines loom, the Ministry of Health has called on 20 southern localities to use them up before June ends. Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Phuoc have begun to tell people to "take responsibility" if their decision not to get vaccinated results in an outbreak. Sure, Covid vaccination is important, both in the past and now. But should it be mandated for every member of the population? Why cant we categorize people into priority groups and encourage them to get voluntarily vaccinated? Studies have shown that the elderly are much more vulnerable to Covid. For example, the death rates among people aged above 80 is nearly 8 percent, while it's only 0.0016 percent for children aged below 10. That means old people should be among those prioritized for vaccination. Other vulnerable groups include people with underlying conditions and those who work in areas that require frequent contact, like health workers and cashiers. To persuade them to get vaccinated would require time and education and trust. I believe that should be the way to go. We need to accept the fact that vaccines are going to expire. It is okay, the same is happening in many other countries. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters at all stages of a pandemic is public health. It is okay if the vaccines expire, it is okay if we need to dispose them of. *Tran Van Phuc is a doctor at St. Paul Hospital in Hanoi. The opinions expressed are his own. The code has been copied to your clipboard. width px height px A historic drought is threatening millions of lives in the Horn of Africa. To bring immediate relief to the most vulnerable people, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is providing nearly $105 million in humanitarian aid. This is the fourth consecutive failed rainy season, which is increasing the likelihood of famine for hundreds of thousands of people in the Horn of Africa. A fifth rainy season is forecast to be drier than average, further devastating livelihoods for families who depend on crops and livestock for food to survive. As a result, more than 16 million people need immediate humanitarian assistance. The number is expected to rise to unprecedented levels, with up to 20 million people in need of help by September. The additional funding will enable USAID partners to provide food, health and nutrition services, and access to clean water. The funding also supports safe spaces and case management for women and girls displaced by drought. Russias brutal, unprovoked war on Ukraine is deepening the food crisis in the Horn of Africa, as food, fuel, and fertilizer prices soar, and shortages worsen. Like other regions in the Middle East and Africa, the Horn can no longer import wheat and other grains from Ukraine due to Russias full-scale invasion, putting millions of women, men, and children at risk of death if they do not find sufficient food. Almost 70 percent of Somalias grain and almost ten percent of Kenyas comes from Ukraine. The United States is the largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa, providing more than $507 million across the region since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022. But more funding is urgently required from other donors. Given the severity of the drought and the scale of humanitarian needs, the U.S. government is urging other donors to increase their assistance to prevent famine and save the lives of millions of people. The United States cannot meet the needs in the region on its own. It is time for the donor community to come together to prevent more suffering and save lives. Workers process pineapple for export at the factory of the An Giang Agriculture and Food Import - Export Company. (Photo: VNA) Exports from Vietnam to Hungary increased eight-fold to 1 billion USD in 2020 from 124.2 million USD in 2016. The figure stood at 842.7 million USD in the first 10 months of 2021, up 5% year on year, according to data from the European country. Though shipments of agricultural and food products remain modest, the revenue posted a strong increase in the recent past as seen in some key exports. Vietnam exported almost 4.4 million USD worth of processed coffee to Hungary in 2020, surging 38-fold from four years earlier, and 7.13 million USD during January - October of 2021, up 85.6% year on year. Cashew nut exports grew 27.7% to nearly 2.4 million USD in 2020 compared to 2016, and 11.6% year on year to 2.2 million USD in the first 10 months of last year. Rice shipments also increased 4.6-fold from 2016 to 198,000 USD in 2020 and 9-fold year on year to 700,000 USD in the 10-month period of 2021. Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian country exported 1.49 million USD worth of processed noodles in 2020 and another 1.4 million USD during January - October of 2021, respectively rising 119.1% from 2016 and 9% from the same period of 2020. Processed coffee, cashew nut, rice, and processed noodles of Vietnam are making up about 12.6 percent, 39.8 percent, 0.5 percent, and 20.5 percent of Hungarys total imports of these commodities, respectively. Hungary mainly imports goods from other EU countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and France. Despite strong competition from these rivals, some Vietnamese commodities like cashew nut, peppercorn and coffee will have their own advantages and are expected to maintain good exports growth in Hungary. Though Hungary is not a major market in the EU, its import demand has still been rising and stands at some 100 billion USD annually. Taking effect in August 2020, the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is said to have opened even greater opportunities for Vietnamese firms to boost trade and investment ties with the bloc, including Hungary, in the time ahead. Vietnamese goods, foods introduced in UK Vietnamese products introduced at the event (Photo: VNA) A programme to introduce Vietnamese goods and foods in the UK is underway at Longdan Supermarket in Crawley town, about 45km south of London, reported Vietnam News Agency. The week-long event, which started on June 26, is hosted by the Vietnam Trade Office under the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK in collaboration with the Vietnam Business Association in the UK (VBUK), and Longdan and EUTEK groups. As part of activities in the trade promotion programme of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the event aims to promote Vietnamese high-quality products which are benefiting from the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), to British retailers and consumers. Handicraft products, coffee, fresh and dried fruits, canned fruit juice, vermicelli, dried noodle, rice papers, cashew nuts, and fragrant rice of reputable export enterprises of Vietnam are being displayed at the supermarket and Vietnamese markets in Nottingham city. At the event, Sao Thai Duong JSC became the first Vietnamese enterprise to set up a showroom in the UK to introduce its herbal healthcare and beauty products. At the opening ceremony of the programme. (Photo: VNA) Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that the programme will promote the image of Vietnams culture and people to UK friends, and help Vietnamese businesses in the UK bring more Vietnamese products to the European country. According to Trade Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy Nguyen Canh Cuong, the programme attracted the attention of many British retailers and consumers. Huynh Xuan Long, Chairman of Longdan the biggest importer of Vietnamese goods in the UK, said the event offers a good chance to promote the image of Vietnam as a country with many good quality and diverse agricultural products. Vietnamese manufacturers and exporters need support from the State, and should develop long-term market development strategies, so that Vietnamese goods can strengthen their foothold in the UK market in particular and the world in general, Long stressed. As a major Vietnamese product distributor in the UK for many years, Longdan has a lot of experience in market development and is ready to act as a bridge to help domestic businesses promote their export to the UK market, he added. Young Entrepreneurs Startup Incubator launched in Ho Chi Minh City Strategic partners sign agreements to sponsor the Young Entrepreneurs Startup Incubator. (Photo: NDO) Doanh Nhan Tre E-magazine (Young Entrepreneurs) and OneBit Investment Fund jointly launched the Young Entrepreneurs Startup Incubator in Ho Chi Minh City on June 26, reported Nhan Dan Online News. The incubator aims to promote the startup movement for young Vietnamese entrepreneurs and support startups based on blockchain technology applications. Director of the Young Entrepreneurs Startup Incubator Ngo Hoang Dong said that the incubator will focus on finding and investing in technology and blockchain startups, nurturing startup ideas, and providing orientation for Vietnamese investors on blockchain technology, knowledge and experience. The Young Entrepreneur Startup Incubator is expected to be a bridge between businesses and global investors, providing opportunities for cooperation in the early stages of raising funds and connecting capital for startups and businesses. It is also a hope to become a leading consulting centre for blockchain technology application solutions and a prestigious destination for technology startups in Vietnam. A digital technology incubator is a place to create seeds for digital technologies, suitable for each type of production and business. This is also a place to guide and create conditions for entrepreneurs to get acquainted and participate in technology improvement to make production and business more efficient, said Prof. Dr. Vu Van Hien, chairman of the Advisory Council of the Young Entrepreneurs Startup Incubator. Over 70% of Vietnamese population use internet The rate of internet users in Vietnam has increased to 70.3% of the population over the last two decades, heard a recent forum themed The future of Internet hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communications, reported Vietnam News Agency. A panoramic view of the forum (Photo: http://www.hanoimoi.com.vn) Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Duc Long underlined the need for Vietnam to speed up internet development in a quick, modern and sustainable manner towards narrowing digital gap and universalising the internet to all people. Attention should be paid to developing core network infrastructure and domestic internet network through expanding domestic internet connections and converting the entire Vietnamese internet networks to the next-generation Internet Protocol (IPv6), he said, underlining the need for a modern and open policy in the field. Participants agreed that the internet has become an essential need of the people, which is the foundation for developing digital economy and digital society in Vietnam. At the forum, representatives of management agencies, local and international experts discussed challenges to the integration process; general development trends; internet technology; and solutions to internet development in the country./. By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that the Azerbaijan-Turkiye-Kazakhstan trilateral format will play an efficient role in strengthening regional security, stability, and cooperation, Azernews reports. Bayramov made the remarks at the first trilateral meeting of the foreign and transport ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Kazakhstan on June 27 in Baku. Against the background of growing threats to global security, our trilateral cooperation is of great importance. Transport and communication are areas where we will interact more closely, Bayramov said. The minister stressed that Azerbaijan's new goal is to achieve stability in the region. Underlining the importance of the first meeting of the foreign and transport ministers, Bayramov stated that the meeting gave an opportunity to explore the potential for furthering cooperation in the fields of transportation and communications between the three nations, which have a strong bilateral and multilateral collaboration. "During the discussions, we focused on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) and the existing freight traffic in this direction. We paid special attention to the existing problems, the directions of expanding our transport and communication cooperation in this region in order to eliminate the narrow straits, on the other hand, very interesting new valuable ideas and proposals were voiced," the minister said. He added that the parties discussed regional issues and exchanged views, especially in the field of transport and communications. "In the context of the discussions, the potential expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi gas pipeline was also discussed. Various projects with the European Union, including the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic project, were put forward. Transport issues in Eastern Zangazur and Karabakh were also discussed. It is in this context that the full support to this project was given. The Baku Declaration signed today will make a great contribution to the development of serious cooperation," Bayramov highlighted. Addressing the event, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi stated that efforts would be made to further promote and facilitate transit traffic through the Trans-Caspian to increase the role of the Middle Corridor. He stressed the importance of the achievements in cooperation aimed at attracting additional volumes of cargo to the Middle Corridor, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway. Speaking about the importance of developing relations between the three brotherly countries in the region, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the trilateral meeting is very important in terms of creating new opportunities. Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye are developing in all areas. We want to further expand opportunities in the energy sector with Azerbaijan," he stressed. A joint Baku Declaration was signed at the end of the trilateral meeting. It was noted that the Baku Declaration will bolster cooperation between the three countries in the field of transport and communications, as well as contribute to expanding the transit potential of our countries. The new trilateral format, created by the joint efforts of the three countries, will prove to be an efficient mechanism for strengthening security, stability and cooperation at both the regional and broader levels, the ministers emphasized. The first trilateral meeting of the foreign and transport ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkiye was held in Baku on June 27, at the initiative of Azerbaijan. The next trilateral meeting between Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Kazakhstan will be held in Kazakhstan. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor was established in February 2014 with the participation of relevant structures of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. Later, Ukraine, Romania, and Poland joined the project. At present, the route starts at the Chinese-Kazakh border, passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and extends to Europe. A single tariff, the "one-stop-shop" principle is applied along the entire route. In the current context of growing threats to global security, stability, and economic development, strengthening cooperation between the three countries in the transport and communications sectors is of great importance in terms of preventing and reducing risks and challenges at the regional level. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) receives Tamas Uri, Head of CEE Region at Egis Pharmaceuticals PLC (Photo: VNA) At the meetings with a leader of Gedeon Richter Company Hungarys multinational company operating in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology research and development (R&D), and representatives of Egis Company - a leading pharmaceutical company in the Central Eastern Europe, Hue appreciated the results of their activities in Vietnam, adding that pharmaceuticals is the countrys potential field of cooperation with many preferential policies. Leaders of Gedeon Richter and Egis showed their hope that Vietnam will speed up and simplify administrative procedures for drug registration so that many new products can be supplied to the Vietnamese market; issue a longer pharmaceutical distribution license; and find solutions to some problems related to drug registration. Noting their recommendations, the Vietnamese NA Chairman stated that not only the Ministry of Health but also other ministries and sectors are stepping up administrative procedure reform in order to reduce troubles and expenses, as well as create favourable conditions for businesses of all economic sectors operating in Vietnam. The Vietnamese legislative body has a plan to amend and supplement the Law on Pharmacy, and the adjustment will conform to international law and commitments, he said. Legal regulations on pharmaceutical management in Vietnam are being applied equally to both foreign-invested and domestic enterprises, with no discrimination, he added. At the meeting with Robert Forintos, Co-Chairman of the Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP) which is carrying out several clean water projects in Vietnam, Hue appreciated the role of the company in orienting its affiliates to research and learn about water supply and treatment in the Southeast Asian nation. Forintos expressed his hope that the Vietnams relevant agencies will pay attention to removing some obstacles in administrative procedures to facilitate the completion of its two on-ongoing projects in Quang Binh and Vinh Long provinces. He welcomed HWP and its affiliates to cooperate in transferring advanced and modern technologies in the water sector, as at present, Vietnamese people's demand for using water treatment equipment is huge, especially in rural and remote areas, and the Mekong River Delta. Within the framework of NA Chairman Hues Hungary visit, on the same day, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho Le Quang Manh had a working session with Katalin Bihari, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. The two sides agreed on close coordination to step up the progress of the Can Tho Oncology Hospital Project which is using Hungarys official development assistance (ODA)./. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian parliament Istvan Jakab (Photo: VNA) At his meeting with the deputy speaker of the Hungarian parliament, Hue thanked him for spending time to accompany the Vietnamese delegation to Albertirsa and a processing factory of Mirelite Mirsa, an outstanding local enterprise in clean and green agriculture. The two parliament leaders agreed that the two sides should focus on cooperation in agriculture, especially when Hungary has strengths in supply chains from cultivation, processing to marketing and distribution. They affirmed that there remains ample room for the two countries cooperation, and shared the belief that the visit of the Vietnamese NA Chairman will contribute to promoting the Vietnam-Hungary comprehensive partnership, of which the ties between the two parliaments are an important pillar. The Hungarian parliament leader said despite fluctuations in the world and regional situations, Hungary is ready to share its development experiences with Vietnam given the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two countries. Visiting the processing factory of Mirelite Mirsa, Chairman Hue stressed that agriculture, farmers and rural development are always strategic issues for Vietnam. He said although agriculture accounts for just 12% of Vietnams economy, it is a pillar of the national economy. The country exported more than 48.5 billion USD worth of agricultural products in 2021, but the added value of Vietnamese farm produce remained low due to the low rate of processing. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue welcomed the companys plan to expand business to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam./. At the reception (Photo: P.H) So said Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member and HCMA President, during his reception for Ms Penny Wong, Australian Foreign Minister, on June 27. During the reception, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang reviewed the achievements and effective cooperation programs between the two countries over the past time, emphasizing that in 2018, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded to a strategic partnership, helping the cooperation between the two countries develop more comprehensively, especially in economic cooperation. In the midst of numerous difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, the two sides have made efforts to bring bilateral trade turnover to a record high, surpassing the threshold of USD12.4 billion for the first time, an increase of more than 49% over 2020. This is a very impressive number, he said. He affirmed that the strategic partnership is concretized into economic cooperation and new fields, adapting to the requirements of growth based on innovation in science and technology, especially in digital transformation. This is a priority area of the Australian Government, meeting the practical development needs of Vietnam in the period of synchronous and comprehensive promotion of the renewal process. Prof.Dr. Phan Xuan Thang gives a present to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. (Photo: P.H) According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, the cooperation programs and projects being implemented between the two sides are very meaningful to Vietnam. Typical is the implementation of the project bringing human rights content into educational curricula in the national education system, inviting Australian experts to teach extra-curricular topics at the HCMAs political theory classes, or the results of joint research cooperation on the approach to women's institutions and the right to participate in leadership and management of Vietnamese women. In addition, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang proposed to promote and expand a number of potential areas of cooperation such as innovation, green energy, digital transformation, and preventing and combating climate change. For her part, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she hopes the cooperation would be further increased in the coming time, especially in increasing the ability for Vietnamese future leaders. In addition to economics and human resources training, Ms. Penny Wong shared the two sides' interest in promoting cooperation in areas such as clean energy, climate change adaptation, environmental protection and gender equality. Ms. Penny Wong affirmed that as Australia's new Foreign Minister, as well as personally, she will make every effort to deepen the strategic relationship between Vietnam and Australia. Delegates at the debut of website of the Vietnam Australia Center. (Photo: P.H) On the same day, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang and Minister Penny Wong attended the debut of website of the Vietnam Australia Center. Speaking at the debut ceremony, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang affirmed that the Vietnam-Australia Center is an important highlight in the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia. This is also a practical activity marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (February 26, 1973-February 26, 2022). The center will contribute to helping Vietnam access Australian knowledge, skills and professional experience in the fields of training and scientific research, helping to increase understanding and deepen the cooperative relationship between the two countries in general, as well as expanding the cooperation in training and scientific research between the HCMA, the highest educational institution of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, and its Australian partners./. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Consultant Henrik Bork of Asia Waypoint said that more and more Chinese consumer electronics manufacturers such as Luxshare Precision Industry, Goertek and Pegatron have recently set up new factories in Vietnam. In its article in early June, Nikkei Asia wrote that for the first time ever Apple is moving some iPad production out of China and shifting it to Vietnam. German English-language news site DW reported that companies, especially those operating in the electronics industry, are investing much in Vietnam. In February, the Republic of Korea's leading electronics group Samsung announced that it would invest an additional 920 million USD in the Southeast Asian country. According to assessments, global companies like Apple are moving production to Vietnam mainly due to high wages in China and intense US-China trade competition. The administration of US President Joe Biden is looking to diversify the global supply chain, and Vietnam is considered to have an important role in this policy. In addition, Vietnam currently has a young labour force and a competitive manufacturing industry, and also boasts a sea route easy for exports, which has made many European Union (EU) and Asian countries sign free trade agreements with it. DW quoted Daniel Muller, manager at the German Asia-Pacific Business Association, as saying: "It currently looks as if, in particular, medium-sized companies are increasingly striving to enter the Vietnam market. Vietnam has become a more attractive destination for investors, Raphael Mok, head of Asia Country Risk at Fitch Solutions, told the news site./. Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VNA) The visit will be made at the invitation of Lord Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle. The parliaments of Vietnam and the UK have recorded cooperation strides in the recent past. They have maintained delegation exchanges at all levels, including the visits by Vietnams NA Chairman Nong Duc Manh in 1994, Nguyen Van An in March 2005 and Nguyen Sinh Hung in December 2011, and the trip by Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons Eleanor Laing in October 2016. The two sides have also frequently held mutual visits between their parliaments committees, and by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Vietnam and the Vietnam - UK Parliamentary Friendship Group. Most recently, an NA delegation led by Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and the Environment Le Quang Huy attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)s pre-COP26 parliamentary meeting and met with the head of the British parliamentary delegation there. On October 2020, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the APPG held the first virtual dialogue on cooperation for developing a post-COVID-19 green economy. Both sides have also maintained contact and consultation at multilateral parliamentary forums, particularly the IPU and the Asia - Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) meetings. The fruitful cooperation between the two parliaments is believed to be an important factor in fostering the Vietnam - UK strategic partnership. Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the NAs Committee for External Relations, said the visit by the high-ranking NA delegation led by Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue aims to continue implementing the foreign policy set at the 13th National Party Congress, intensify bilateral cooperation, strengthen mutual trust with partner countries, and affirm the importance Vietnam attaches to the strategic partnership with the UK. It also looks to promote the implementation of the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and create a new impulse for the countries relations in politics - diplomacy, economy - trade, security - defence, education - training, climate change response, and other potential areas. The delegations meetings with officials, enterprises, and the Vietnamese community in the UK are also hoped to help attract more resources for post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development, Ha noted. He added as part of the visit, a forum on educational cooperation will also be held with the participation of leading universities, businesses, and organisations from both countries in order to bolster collaboration in education - training, particularly training high-quality human resources to help with Vietnams development and international integration. For his part, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward said the countries strategic partnership is solid, and much room remains for them to expand ties. He added that the visit by Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will help fuel parliamentary cooperation./. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kover (Photo: VNA) Welcoming the Vietnamese top legislator and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to Hungary, Kover affirmed that Hungary considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia. He highlighted that the friendship and cooperation between the two countries have been tested in difficult times during COVID-19 period. He thanked the Vietnamese NA for giving Australia sincere support in the first days of COVID-19 outbreak. NA Chairman Hue congratulated Hungary on the successful organisation of the parliamentary election in April, as well as Kover on being elected as the Speaker of the Hungarian NA for the fourth time. As a close friend of Hungary, Vietnam always follows the countrys developments and congratulates Hungary on its socio-economic achievements as well as rising position and prestige in the region and the world. Both sides shared pleasure at the sound traditional friendship and all-round cooperation over the past 70 years, and agreed that despite a long geographic distance, the two countries share many similarities in cultural tradition and common values, which is a foundation for them to deepen their multifaceted partnership. Regarding regional and international issues, they agreed on the need to respect the independence and sovereignty of states, settle disputes in international relations through peaceful measures, uphold the law and protect the interests of countries and nations in line with international law. The two countries have shared the viewpoints and showed close coordination at international forums, they added. NA Chairman Hue affirmed that the State, NA and people of Vietnam always remember the effective support that Hungary has given Vietnam during the past struggle for independence as well as the current national construction, defence and development. Hungary, one of the first countries to recognise and set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam, has helped Vietnam train many officials, including many senior leaders, he noted, stressing that Vietnam always treasures and hopes to further foster the all-round partnership with Hungary - the first comprehensive partner of Vietnam in the central eastern European region. An overview of the talks between NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Hungarian NA Laszlo Kover (Photo: VNA) He thanked Hungary for providing Vietnam with COVID-19 vaccines and medical equipment, helping it overcome difficulties and put the pandemic under control. Thanks to the support from the international community, including Hungary, from a country facing a shortage of vaccines, Vietnam has become one of the leading countries in COVID-19 vaccine coverage, he added. The two NA leaders briefed each other of the political, socio-economic situation and the NA operations in each country. NA Chairman Hue said that after putting COVID-19 under good control, Vietnam has switched to a new period of opening and recovering with the aim of reaching an economic growth of 6.5-7 percent. For his part, Kover said that Hungary is enjoying good recovery and growth, and is willing to share its experience with Vietnam. The two sides highly valued positive progress in the bilateral relations over the years, reflected through meetings of high-ranking leaders and officials at all levels. Particularly, during the Hungarian visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2018, the two countries lifted up their ties to a comprehensive partnership, they noted. Economic cooperation between the two countries has also developed despite COVID-19 impacts, with increasing two-way trade, they said. NA Chairman Hue thanked the Hungarian NA and Government for actively supporting the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Hungary has been the first EU member to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), creating favourable conditions for businesses of both sides to expand their partnership. Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge connecting Hungary with ASEAN and the region, NA Chairman Hue stated. Meanwhile, the top Hungarian legislator proposed that Vietnam strengthen trade ties with the group of four Central European countries (VISEGRAD) and Europe in general. The two sides agreed to develop the bilateral trade ties in a balanced and sustainable manner. They concurred that it is necessary for the two countries to expand their science-technology collaboration in areas of environmental protection, climate change response, especially green agriculture, high-quality and clean farm produce processing. Regarding development cooperation, NA Chairman Hue thanked Hungary for giving Vietnam a priority in the field over the years. The two sides agreed to hasten the two governments to remove the remaining barriers for the Can Tho Oncology Hospital project funded by Hungarian ODA, striving to complete the humanitarian project as soon as possible. Mentioning cooperation in culture and people-to-people exchange, they underlined the need to promote tourism collaboration. They will work together for the establishment of a Hungarian cultural centre in Hanoi. The 200 Hungarian scholarships have contributed to training high human resources for Vietnam, they said. NA Chairman Hue took the occasion to thank the Hungarian State for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to settle down in Hungary and contribute to fostering the friendship and partnership between the two countries. The two NA leaders also spent much time discussing the relationship between the two NAs, and shared delight at their growing ties that have become a model of parliamentary cooperation between Vietnam and European countries. They agreed to coordinate with and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums, while maintaining the exchange of high-level delegations, those of specialised NA committees and Friendship Parliamentary Groups, aiming to exchange information and experience in parliamentary activities, and promoting coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, including the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP). On the occasion, the two leaders signed an agreement on cooperation between the two NAs in the next period with deeper and more extensive contents that are suitable with the new context and situation. Under the deal, both sides will work together to organise a seminar on improving the legal framework on greenhouse gas emission reduction, renewable energy and green economy. NA Chairman Hue also invited the Hungarian NA Speaker to visit Vietnam, and received his acceptance. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Hungarian NA Laszlo Kover sign an agreement on cooperation between the two parliaments (Photo: VNA) Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the Vietnamese and Hungarian Ministries of Justice. After that, they had a meeting with the media, during which they affirmed that their talks were successful. The Vietnamese and Hungarian NAs commit to work closely together for the practical interest and prosperity of both nations, they said. I and my Hungarian counterpart had a very successful conversation, not only on the relations between the two parliaments but also on orientations and measures to promote the comprehensive partnership between the two countries in the time to come. Along with bolstering and bettering political and diplomatic ties, we agreed that the two parliaments will continue to strengthen government and parliamentary cooperation to enhance the efficiency of our collaboration in economy, trade, investment, education-training, labour, science-technology as well as other areas that Vietnam and Hungary boast high potential for development, stated NA Chairman Hue. He stressed that with the newly signed agreement, the Vietnamese legislature hopes to make its ties with the Hungarian NA a model of parliamentary cooperation between Vietnam and European countries and in the world and an important pillar in the Vietnam-Hungary comprehensive partnership. He expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Hungary ties will further thrive. Earlier the same day, NA Chairman Hue and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation laid a wreath at the Heroes' Square in Budapest./ At the event (Photo: tienphong.vn) The event drew the participation of a lot of youth union members and young people. They are excited with rescue drills related to fire and explosion situations in the residential areas, training skills to identify drugs, struggle, prevent and control drug crimes, especially young crimes. On the occasion, the youth union members visited and handed over gifts to Vietnamese heroic mothers, and performed healthcare examinations for youths and residents after they had been infected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Thu Duc Youth Union and the district unions also organized many activities in response to the Youth Day focusing on the development of urban civilization and anti-drug./. By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov Azerbaijan has established a new interstate council with Kyrgyzstan, Azernews reports. A bill on the approval of the memorandum On the establishment of the Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan was discussed at an extraordinary meeting of Azerbaijani parliament, the report added. The bill was voted on and passed. The trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan amounted to $3.4 million in the first five months of 2022. The two countries have agreed to boost ties by activating the work of the joint intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, and by paying attention to the issues of mutual exports and imports of goods and products from Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan. Earlier, Kyrgyz ambassador Kairat Osmonaliyev said that the two countries will sign a strategic partnership declaration in 2022. According to Osmonaliyev, relations between the two countries are reaching a higher level of strategic partnership. "Besides, from 2022, it is planned to intensify cooperation in all areas, such as education and transport sectors, preparation and approval of joint projects, the establishment of an investment fund, construction of an oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan, and others," he said. Furthermore, in her address to the 11th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking countries (TURKPA), which was held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan on June 24, Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova stressed that the growing geographical and strategic importance of the Turkic states also highlights the importance of close unity and cooperation between Turkic peoples. International parliamentary organizations, according to Gafarova, are an excellent instrument for establishing a coordinated response to a wide variety of challenges. Parliamentary unions should be seen as a functional tool for ensuring political unity of states. In this regard, the cooperation within the assembly has created conditions for the further deepening of political, economic, cultural and other relations, as well as an atmosphere of trust and partnership between the member countries, she emphasized. DTEK Energy has categorically denied the information disseminated by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation about the presence of weapons and armed persons on the territory of its Kryvy Rih TPP in Dnipropetrovsk region. "The information disseminated by the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country about the presence of armed persons on the territory of DTEK's Kryvy Rih TPP is an absolute fake. There are no weapons on the territory of the industrial enterprise and never have been. Only employees of the TPP are present at the station, who ensure its operation," the report says. According to the company, such statements by officials of the aggressor country are justification for the possibility of another terrorist act organized by the occupying forces on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine. "The company once again draws attention of the world community to Russia's war crimes in Ukraine and targeted attacks that are being prepared against critical infrastructure facilities," DTEK Energy stressed. Earlier, Russian media, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that armed formations were deployed on the territory of Kryvy Rih TPP. In a few days, Ukraine will start exporting electricity to the synchronous zone of Continental Europe, Volodymyr Kudrytsky, Board Chairman of NPC Ukrenergo, has said on his Facebook page on Tuesday. "ENTSO-E confirmed on June 27 that Ukrenergo, together with TSOs [Transmission System Operators] of neighboring countries, has successfully met six technical conditions for opening the first 100 MW of electricity exports from Ukraine to Europe. Ukraine can also import this amount of European electricity if necessary," Kudrytsky wrote. According to him, today Ukrenergo will hold an open auction for access to the interstate section, at which all electricity producers and other participants will be able to participate. "This decision finally breaks the 'aquarium' of the closed Ukrainian energy market and at the same time brings us closer to full integration into the European energy space," the head of Ukrenergo stressed. He noted that in terms of the timing of the opening of exports from the power system newly attached to ENTSO-E, this is an unprecedentedly quick decision. Under the 2017 synchronization agreement, commercial exports from the Ukrainian power grid were to open only one year after the trial synchronization. Ukraine has reached an agreement to open commercial electricity exchanges in three months. Kudrytsky also saw a certain symbolic coincidence in the date of the ENTSO-E decision on Ukrainian exports. "Exactly five years ago, Ukrenergo signed the historic agreement with ENTSO-E, thanks to which the Ukrainian energy system is now synchronized with the European one. This agreement set the conditions for future integration with the continental European energy grid, which was to take place in 2023. We achieved the result a year and a half earlier," the head of Ukrenergo summed up. Andriy Gerus, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Utility Services, said at a press conference on Tuesday that Ukraine would start exporting electricity to the synchronous zone of Continental Europe from July 1. At the same time, Minister of Energy Herman Haluschenko specified that the export of electricity would start on June 30. The same information was posted on its website by ENTSO-E. "The start of commercial electricity exchange with the Ukraine/Moldova power system is scheduled for June 30 at the Ukraine-Romania connection. It is expected that electricity trading on other connections [Ukraine-Slovakia, Ukraine-Hungary and Moldova-Romania] will start later," the network said in a release on Tuesday. According to him, the total trading capacity at the first stage will be set at 100 MW. After this initial phase, a gradual increase in trading capacity will be regularly assessed based on grid stability and security considerations, ENTSO-E explained. Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group considers it necessary for the government to start the economy by reducing taxes, deregulating and encouraging investments, and notes a number of positive steps on the part of the state to stimulate business in war conditions. According to Metinvest CEO Yuri Ryzhenkov in an interview with the European Business Association (EBA) project Let's talk, the company was sure that there would be no war, although they took a number of actions, fearing the aggravation of the situation in Donbas. However, the reality turned out to be worse than expected. "The business had to be rebuilt because we lost two large enterprises. More precisely, we have not lost them yet we hope that we will return them, we will be able to restart. Even our shareholders said that they would do everything for Mariupol to exist, for Azovstal and Illich Iron and Steel Works to work," the top manager said. At the same time, he pointed to the blocked Black Sea ports, traditional for exports not only to Asia, but also to Europe. Therefore, the company now uses land border crossings to the west. The company also continues to take care of people, pay salaries, and help in finding employment in the cities where it operates. At the same time, due to the reduction in business, about 45% of the administrative and management company staff had to be cut. Ryzhenkov added that currently the main problem for exporters is logistics, as well as the economic feasibility of transportation: "Ukrainian railway tariffs are already quite high, plus we have railway tariffs in Europe that are even higher than Ukrainian ones. If we add up all this, then it is simply unprofitable for us to supply ore to China." Therefore, if the situation does not change, the company will not mine ore. "There is no other recipe. We have European consumers to whom we send it. And here, of course, we will work at maximum capacity. But they will not be able to take all the ore that we can produce. Everything else needs to be exported somewhere either to the Middle East, or to Asia. And here the question of economic feasibility arises," the head of the company explained. At the same time, he considers it necessary for the EU and Ukraine to decide whether we want to earn big money on logistics services provided to producers of ore and grain. Or we want to restart the economy and provide an opportunity to export. Then privileges for these transportations are required. Therefore, this is a joint work between the state, logistics companies and companies such as Metinvest, that have this ore, grain or something else that needs to be supplied to foreign markets. Ryzhenkov agreed with the thesis that it is necessary to produce more finished products in Ukraine in order to extend the processing chain and export more expensive products. At the same time, he pointed out another problem will the company be able to supply these products somewhere? Europe has enough of its own manufacturers, and it may not be economically feasible to transport products to European ports in order to later deliver them to some distant markets. The way out is to develop the economy. It is necessary not only to tell the metallurgists: you must process ore and produce products of greater added value, but also to stimulate those sectors of the economy in Ukraine that will buy these products. But for this it is necessary to end the war, restore the economy, "Ukraine must become stronger, it must win, and then it will develop." "It is impossible to invest in strategic things when you don't understand what will happen to the country in the long term. Yes, we believe in Ukraine's victory, but we don't understand when it will be," the head of Metinvest stressed, adding that the group has adjusted its investments, "we are making as much investment as necessary to maintain the status quo." Regarding destroyed and seized facilities, the company is currently documenting all of this. As part of the global strategy, the company has business outside of Ukraine: two factories in Italy, a factory in Bulgaria, a factory in the UK, mines in the USA. There is also a large trading company that sells the products of the group around the world. At the same time, the company is considering the prospect of building a new plant in Bulgaria or Italy. But in order to do this, you need to be sure that the group will be able to deliver ore from Kryvy Rih. "Now it can be, but not guaranteed. That is, we are considering different scenarios. Our technology strategy involves investments both in Ukraine and in other countries. Over the past eight years, we have invested the most in Ukraine," the CEO specified. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities need not only to talk about starting the economy, but also to do what they say. Because there is a lot of talk about deregulation or lowering taxes, encouraging investment, but in reality the opposite is being done. He also recalled that until recently there was a problem of VAT refunds. This problem is always there, but here it was the most serious, because since February the VAT refund for all exporters has been stopped. This is a problem not only for metallurgists, but also for farmers and other exporters. As of Tuesday morning, 18 people were killed and 36 went missing as a result of Russia's missile attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk on Monday, June 27, Head of Poltava Regional Military Administration Dmytro Lunin has said. "Regrettably, according to the latest updates, 18 people were killed as a result of Russia's attack. Thirty-six people went missing. We continue the search operations. Those injured are being provided with necessary help," he said on the Telegram channel. The official said that the debris management operations continue at the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk. "More than 1,000 people rescuers, police, medical workers, and volunteers worked on the debris all night. I am grateful to everyone who have been working tirelessly and everyone who helps us," Lunin said. The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, notably by imposing new sanctions, U.S. President Joe Biden has said. "Together, the G7 will deliver unwavering, unified commitment to support Ukraine and build on our unprecedented sanctions to hold President Putin accountable sanctions that will only compound over time to further isolate Russia from the world economy," he said on Twitter. The U.S. "could have turned a blind eye to Putin's barbaric war against Ukraine and the price of gas wouldn't have spiked the way it has, but America rose to the moment. We proudly stand with Ukraine," he said. The G7 will continue to hit Putin's military-industrial complex where it hurts the most, prevent the central bank's foreign reserves from propping up his ailing economy, and deprive Putin of the resources he needs to wage his illegitimate war, Biden said. As reported, the G7 leaders condemn Russia's missile attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 26. Russia has become the largest terrorist organization in the world, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on a video address on Monday night. "And this must be a legal fact. And everyone in the world must know that buying or transporting Russian oil, maintaining contacts with Russian banks, paying taxes and customs duties to the Russian state means giving money to terrorists," he said. "I also said today, addressing the leaders of the G7, that our common potential is absolutely enough to defeat the Russian army," Zelensky said. According to the head of state, "it [the Russian army] does not know how to fight. All the operations we carry out to deoccupy our territories show one thing: the occupiers are crumbling when we have something to put pressure on them. They do not know how to resist. They are capable only of such vile strikes as those in Kremenchuk." "Therefore, the war may not drag on, if we can really push together and drive the occupiers out of our Ukrainian land. The sooner this happens, the more lives will be saved," Zelensky said. President of Lithuania says Ukraine should be supplied with more air defense systems President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda calls for increasing the supplies of air defense systems to Ukraine following the Russian missile attack on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, on June 27. "Russia striking a shopping mall in Kremenchuk with hundreds of civilians is a disgrace to humanity, another horrific Russia's war crime. Ukraine needs larger supply of air missile defense systems. Delivered in larger quantities and faster," he said on Twitter on Monday. In turn, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis said that President of Russia Vladimir Putin again made it clear he has no regard for civilian lives and called for providing Ukraine with necessary weapon. "We must now give the brave people of Ukraine all the weapons they need to defend their lives and their freedom," he said. Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas stressed that Russian war criminals must face justice. "Yet another horrifying news from Ukraine. Russia bombed a shopping center in Kremenchuk with over 1,000 peaceful people inside. Russia continues to terrorize civilians and destroy life in Ukraine. This cannot be tolerated - they can never win and war criminals will face justice," she said on Twitter. Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics said Russia must be fully isolated and more sanctions should be imposed on it. "Another horrible Russian war crime- missile strike on shopping center in Kremenchuk, a day will come when those responsible will be brought to justice, until then lets stop calling Kremlin, they must be fully isolated, more sanctions imposed. My condolences to all concerned," he said on Twitter. An operation to return the bodies of killed Ukrainian servicemen was conducted in Zaporizhia region, the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine has said. "Ukraine has returned the bodies of 46 defense heroes in order to bury them properly. Twenty-one of them are Azovstal defenders," the ministry said on the Telegram channel. In a telephone conversation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on his birthday, Azernews reports, citing Azertac news agency. The president wished the prime minister the best of health and success in his activities, the report adds. In his turn, Garibashvili thanked the president for the attention and congratulations. During the conversation, the two men hailed the successful development of friendly relations between the two countries in various spheres and expressed their confidence that bilateral ties would continue strengthening. Further, they exchanged views on prospects for bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest. Azerbaijan and Georgia are collaborating in a variety of economic spheres. The two nations signed a number of cooperation agreements in 2021 as part of a meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. Simultaneously, as part of the trilateral business forum in Baku in December 2021, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey signed five memorandums and agreements on cooperation. In 2021, the two countries' trade turnover totaled $763.6 million, with exports accounting for $661 million and imports accounting for $102.6 million. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received a new request from the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for the acquisition of Bayraktars, so in the near future, almost all the capacities of the Baykar Makina plant will be focused on meeting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said. "Ukraine's plans to acquire Bayraktars are also ambitious. Since February 24 alone, the Ministry of Defense has put into service with our military up to fifty aircraft. Several more have already been contracted and paid for by the Ministry of Defense, and we expect them in July. We also received a new request from the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and thus, in the near future, almost all the capacities of the Baykar Makina plant will be focused on meeting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are talking about orders for dozens more drones," Reznikov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. He recalled that the Baykar Makina company, a manufacturer of Bayraktar drones, is handing over its "birds" to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the second time absolutely free of charge. "And so, literally in two days, our citizens around the world and volunteers raised the funds necessary (even more!) To purchase three UAVs. Then the Ministry of Defense had to contract this 'purchase.' But Baykar Makina is united in the desire of the Ukrainian people to win and it decided to make a good gift for the Constitution Day of Ukraine - three "birdies" for our Armed Forces. So all the funds raised by volunteers can be used by them for other useful and important things," the minister said. He stressed that today Bayraktar is a respected member of the "ammunition club" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Reznikov also noted that Ukraine and Turkey continue to work on the implementation of the project for the construction of a plant for the production of Bayraktars in Ukraine. "Thanks to the strong cooperation of Presidents of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, our military received the first Bayraktars on the battlefield back in 2021. They proved to be very successful in the battle. In the same year, agreements in principle were reached on the construction of a joint plant for the production in Ukraine. Currently, communication continues between the defense departments of Ukraine and Turkey, and we continue to work on the implementation of the plant construction project. These are medium-term plans. And they will be implemented," he said. Reznikov thanked everyone who joined the initiative of volunteers to raise funds for the victory of Ukraine. UN in Ukraine Resident Coordinator Osnat Lubrani said the attack on the mall in Kremenchuk is one of the examples of Russian aggression in Ukraine and called it "utterly deplorable," urging those responsible to be brought to justice, the UN press service said. "The United Nations strongly condemns the impact on civilians of these latest attacks, and I call for an independent investigation to hold those responsible accountable. I will not get tired of repeating that the parties to the conflict have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. This includes respecting the principle of proportionality on any military operation, which prohibits attacks which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects," the UN said in the statement. She said "this is only one more example of the massive suffering that Russias war on Ukraine is causing on the people of this country. During the weekend, we saw the disturbing reports of a new wave of airstrikes and shelling hitting, once again, civilian infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine. Many civilians have been killed or injured, and homes, health facilities and other civilian infrastructure were reportedly damaged." Lubrani said "whatever the number is, an attack that hits a shopping mall is utterly deplorable." The Constitution of Ukraine is our "detailed portrait," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message dedicated to Constitution Day. "The norms of the Constitution make it possible to decipher the genetic code of our nation. Find the answer to two main questions: what is Ukraine and who are the Ukrainians? This is our detailed portrait. And especially now, during a full-scale war, its main features are clearly visible," he said. "We passed the Basic Law of the state 26 years ago. 26 years later, defending our state is the basic law for us," the president said. According to him, "the principles of its adoption 26 years ago are the principles of our struggle now. They explain why and what we are fighting for. This is the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination, the universally approved independence of Ukraine, the irreversibility of the path to Europe. This is the responsibility to God, to one's own conscience, to previous, present, and future generations." "We didn't start the war, we were not the first to shoot and we were not the first to attack. We defend Ukraine, which is a sovereign, independent, democratic, social and legal state. Taking up arms, we did not hesitate, as at a crossroads. We did not choose whether to defend the first article of the Constitution or to adhere to the first commandment of God. God is on our side, he says that defending your home from evil is not a sin," Zelensky said. "Our sovereignty extends to the entire territory. We are a unitary state. Our territory within the existing borders is integral and inviolable. That is why in the east and west, in the south, in the north and in the center, our people are heroically fighting for these principles and for the second article of our Constitution. Repelling the second army of the world. Which is indifferent to all the threats and risks of World War III," the president said. "We will fight for every meter of our land to the last breath. Because only the people can change the constitutional order in Ukraine, the president said, noting that "we know the term democracy well, so we don't know what the fifth term is." "Our right to protest, assembly and manifestation is a constitutional article, and for others it is a criminal one," Zelensky said. According to him, state symbols are not symbolic or formal for us. "Our coat of arms is a sign of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great. This is a trident. Not two-headed birds. Because this is not going to fly here." He remembered the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, which is 300 years old. "It will be translated from Latin into Ukrainian, and tens of thousands of copies will be sent to Ukrainian schools! We are sure that sooner or later the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, the Constitution of independent Ukraine, and other subjects of the Ukrainian school will be studied by our happy and smiling children - in Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kherson, Crimea!" The European Union is starting to supply more than 90 cross-country trucks to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the EU delegation in Ukraine reported. "The logistical equipment is part of a broader Assistance Measure worth EUR 31 million adopted on December 2 to support Ukraine. The EU has started to deliver more than 90 off-road trucks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the European Peace Facility. The trucks will support medical, engineering and logistic units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, " a press release posted on the website of EEAS on Tuesday reads. It is emphasized that this assistance measure will increase the overall stability of Ukraine and help strengthen the ability of its Armed Forces. In particular, its about the provision of medical equipment, including a field hospital, engineering equipment, including mine clearance tools, items for logistics units, including trucks and other means, and equipment to enhance cyber defense capabilities. G7 countries declare their readiness to help Ukraine as long as it takes The leaders of the G7 countries announced their intention to provide Ukraine with financial, military and humanitarian assistance as much as needed. "We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, providing the needed financial, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support in its courageous defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to the communique, following the G7 summit in Germany. The G7 countries also expressed their intention to intensify assistance to Ukraine in establishing the production and export of its goods. According to the document, in 2022 the G7 states provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the amount of more than $2.8 billion. In addition, they intend to allocate and have already sent Ukraine $29.5 billion as budgetary assistance. In addition, the leaders of the G7 countries announced plans to hold an international conference to collect assistance in the restoration of Ukraine, as well as to extend the restrictive measures against Russia. Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity welcomed on Tuesday the election of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) as a member of the Governing Board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for the first time in decade. Head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II congratulated on Sunday President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, state officials and Islamic leaders ahead of Eid El-Adha, which starts this year on 9 July. The Libyan Constitutional Track Committee, which comprises rival Libyan officials, has made "great progress" in the latest round of UN talks held in Cairo, an Egyptian official said, adding that the Libyan parties have "reached consensus on most of the articles" in the Libyan constitution draft. Cairo hosted the third round of UN-mediated talks on 12-20 June, bringing together lawmakers from Libya's east-based parliament and the High Council of State, an advisory body from western Libya. Ahmed Hafez, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Monday that Egypt welcomes the outcomes of the round and hopes the committee will continue its efforts to "finalise the limited remaining articles as soon as possible." The round was a new bid to end the split between the eastern and western camps over the constitutional and legislative framework for holding the long-awaited presidential and parliamentary elections. However, the UN special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said on Monday the round concluded "without a breakthrough." Libya's presidential elections were due to be held in December 2021, but wete adjourned over differences between rival factions on laws governing the elections and the eligibility of presidential candidates. The latest Cairo talks sought to establish a constitutional framework for elections in Libya, but the two sides failed to agree on "the measures governing the transitional period" leading to the vote, Williams said in a statement reported by AP. Williams called on both sides to convene within 10 days to try and bridge the gaps between the two sides. Cairo, meanwhile, is also hosting the meetings of the Libyan 5+5 military commission, which kicked off on Wednesday. The meetings aim at settling the Libyan crisis and restoring the unity of the Libyan military institution. The oil-rich country has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and murdered longtime president Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments. The 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), which comprises five military officials from the eastern and western sides of the Libyan conflict, was one of three tracks in the settlement process that emerged from the Berlin Conference on Libya in mid-January 2020. The new round of talks of the JMC looks at efforts to unify the Libyan military institution and shore up the ceasefire across the country. It also discusses means of the simultaneous and unconditional withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libyan territory. The meetings come days after clashes erupted last week in Tripoli between rival militias, leaving at least one person dead and causing significant material damage, according to AFP. Authorities in Tripoli said an investigation has been opened into the incident, which has raised fears of reviving violence in the conflict-torn country. Search Keywords: Short link: The United Nations said Thursday it will broker new talks between rival institutions from war-torn Libya next week to try to break a deadlock on the rules for long-awaited elections. "(Parliament speaker) Aguila Saleh and President of the High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri have accepted my invitation to meet at the UN Office at Geneva 28-29 June to discuss the draft constitutional framework for elections," the UN's top Libya official Stephanie Williams tweeted. "I commend the heads of the two chambers for committing to seek consensus on the remaining issues after last week's Joint Committee meeting in Cairo." Presidential and parliamentary elections, originally set for December last year, were meant to cap a UN-led peace process following the end of the last major round of violence in 2020. But the vote never took place due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls' legal basis between rival power centres in the east and west of the country. A week of talks between the Tripoli-based council and Saleh's eastern-based House of Representatives (HoR), aimed at agreeing on a constitutional basis for a vote, ended on Monday without a deal. The prospect of elections appears as distant as ever since the HoR, elected in 2014, appointed a rival government to replace that of interim prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, arguing that his mandate has expired. After failing to enter Tripoli in an armed standoff in May, the rival administration has taken up office further east in Sirte -- hometown of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, whose overthrow in a NATO-backed revolt in 2011 plunged the country into years of often violent chaos. HoR-backed premier Fathi Bashagha said Wednesday in a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres that he would "now be leading all efforts to bring elections to Libya at the earliest possible opportunity". Recent weeks have seen repeated skirmishes betwen armed groups in Tripoli, prompting fears of a return to full-scale conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there can be no return to the pre-Ukraine war relationship with Russia. Scholz said at the Group of Seven summit on Monday that with its attack on Ukraine, Russia has broken ``all the rules, all the agreements we have made with each other on countries' cooperation.'' He said G-7 leaders agree that it has led to long-term changes ``which will mark international relations for a very, very long time. So it is clear that, in relations with Russia, there can be no way back to the time before the Russian attack on Ukraine.'' Scholz was speaking after hosting the leaders of five leading democratic emerging economies at the G-7 summit in the Bavarian Alps. He noted that those countries, India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Argentina, ''see the war in Ukraine from different perspectives, everyone knows that.'' He said that ''that's why it's important that we speak to each other about it and exchange our respective points of view.'' Scholz didn't say whether their differences narrowed as a result of Monday's discussion and took no questions. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met here on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues to promote regional security and stability, according to the report. Al-Kadhimi landed here on Saturday and concluded his visit to the kingdom on Sunday before traveling to Iran. Before the trip, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported al-Kadhimi would discuss several issues, including diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Saudi and Iranian leaders. To ease regional tensions, Baghdad hosted four rounds of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, and held the fifth round in April this year. Ukraine has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Russian strikes on civilian targets, the UN body said, scheduling the event for Tuesday at 1900 GMT. A missile strike Monday on a shopping centre in central city of Kremenchuk "is the main focus" of the meeting, said a spokesman for the Albanian mission, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency. The "shelling all over Kyiv" on Sunday, which hit a residential complex, will also be discussed at the meeting, the spokesman said. Thirteen people have been confirmed killed in the Kremenchuk strike, which has already brought condemnation from the United Nations and world leaders. Ukraine officials have accused Moscow of targeting civilians after reports of two other strikes in the east of the country Monday that killed at least 12 civilians in all. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, has denied that strikes Sunday on the Ukrainian capital hit a residential area, saying it targeted a weapons factory. Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitchko said the Sunday strikes killed one person and wounded six, including a seven-year-old girl, in Russia's first strikes on the city in nearly three weeks. Search Keywords: Short link: The Israeli parliament unanimously approved early Tuesday a draft bill to dissolve parliament, a key legislative step that pushes the country closer toward its fifth election in less than four years. Members of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's outgoing coalition and the opposition led by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu have been sparring in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, since last week over a dissolution bill. The coalition said it wanted quick approval of the law after Bennett announced last week that his year-old, ideologically divided eight-party alliance was no longer tenable. But Netanyahu and his allies have been holding talks seeking to form a new Netanyahu-led government within the current parliament, which would avert new elections. The sides have traded legislative jabs but finally agreed late Monday to advance a bill that would be finalised as law by the end of Wednesday. The opposition's readiness to dissolve parliament suggested that Netanyahu's efforts to form a new government had stalled. Early Tuesday, the Knesset House committee approved the bill. It was then brought to the plenum for its first reading, which it passed 53-0. According to the bill, parliament would dissolve, with new elections to be held on October 25 or November 1, with the date to be set after further negotiations. The bill must then be approved in two further full Knesset votes. At midnight after the bill's secures final approval, Bennett will hand power to Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, in accordance with the power-sharing deal they agreed on following inconclusive elections last year. The Bennett coalition, a motley alliance of religious nationalists, secular hawks, centrists, doves and Arab Islamists, was imperilled by its ideological divides from its outset. The final straw, according to the premier, was a failure to renew a measure that ensures Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank lived under Israeli law. Bennett, the former head of a settler lobby group, said the measure's expiration on June 30 would have brought security risks and "constitutional chaos". Dissolving parliament before the expiration date means the so-called West Bank law will remain in force until a new government takes office. Search Keywords: Short link: A drone strike by the U.S.-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group, Syrian opposition activists and the U.S. military said Tuesday. The attack on the suspected militant, who was riding a motorcycle at the time, came shortly before midnight on Monday, the latest in a series of strikes over the past years targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants in northwestern Syria. The U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted ``a kinetic strike'' in Syria's Idlib province, targeting Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Horas al-Din group. Al Yemeni was traveling alone at the time of the strike, it said, adding that initial review indicates no civilian casualties. The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said the attack occurred just south of the rebel-held city of Idlib. The White Helmets said there were no other fatalities except the man on the motorcycle, adding that they have handed over the man's body to morgue officials in Idlib. Syrian opposition activists did not identify the slain man while the U.S. Central Command statement indicated he was a Yemeni citizen. Members of Horas al-Din, Arabic for ``Guardians of Religion,'' are hardcore al-Qaeda elements who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in Idlib, the last major rebel enclave in war-torn Syria. In June 2020, the U.S. military killed Khaled Aruri, a top Jordanian commander with Horas al-Din, also in Idlib. A drone strike in December 2019 killed a senior Horas al-Din commander, the Jordanian citizen Bilal Khuraisat, also known as Abu Khadija al-Urduni. CENTCOM said in its statement that violent extremist organizations, including Al Qaida-aligned organizations such as Horas al-Din, ``continue to present a threat to America and our allies.'' It added that al-Qaeda-aligned militants use Syria as a safe haven to coordinate with their external affiliates and plan operations outside of Syria. ``The removal of this senior leader will disrupt al-Qaeda's ability to carry out attacks against U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians around the world,'' CENTCOM said. Brett McGurk said at the time when he was the top U.S. envoy for the coalition battling the Islamic State group, that Idlib is the largest al-Qaida haven since bin Laden's days in Afghanistan. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaeda's second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017. In February, the U.S. military killed the latest IS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in Idlib province near the Turkish border. The first leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also killed in a U.S. strike in Idlib, in 2019. Search Keywords: Short link: President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik have stressed that the security and stability of Yemen are of a maximum importance within the framework of the security of the Arab region and the Red Sea states. Related President Sisi holds talks with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in first Gulf stop In a meeting in Al-Alam Palace in Muscat on Tuesday, the leaders highlighted the importance of enhancing coordination between Egypt and Oman to support Yemeni unity, sovereignty, and the integrity of its national institutions, Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement. This should lead to reaching a sustainable political settlement in the sisterly country that would end the suffering of the Yemeni people and fulfill their aspirations, El-Sisi and bin Tarik affirmed. Egypt and Oman have been both pushing for a peace settlement in the war-torn Yemen and the consolidation of the UN-sponsored truce that is currently in effect. Regional issues, Arab work The two executives also discussed a number of international issues of mutual concern, especially the Russian-Ukrainian War and its implications on the region, as well as the Arab regions response to them, the statement said. Furthermore, El-Sisi hailed the ongoing coordination between Egypt and Oman on issues of mutual concern and their keenness to enhance joint Arab work in a way that contributes to facing the multiple challenges currently facing Arab nations. Moreover, the president highlighted the Egyptian-Omani consensus regarding supporting efforts to maintain navigational security in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, countering terrorist and extremist organisations. For his part, Omans sultan hailed Egypts prominent role in enhancing mechanisms of joint Arab work in the face of the current challenges and crises in the region. bin Tarik also praised Egypts role in preserving stability and advancing developmental, economic, and social progression in the Arab world. Additionally, the two parties discussed the upcoming GCC+3 Summit between the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council along with Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and the US in Saudi Arabia. Economic relations, trade The meeting also covered means of enhancing bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Oman, especially economic and commercial ties and joint investments, the statement said. This comes in light of the outcome of their joint business council and the Egyptian-Omani Joint Committee that was held in Muscat last January. In January, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi signed six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation and conclude the 15th session of the Egyptian-Omani Joint Committee. The MoUs aimed to boost bilateral cooperation in political, economic, industrial, judicial, and development projects, according to a joint statement by both foreign ministries. Furthermore, El-Sisi held a meeting today with Omani Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said in which he affirmed Egypts aspiration to develop economic and strategic cooperation with Oman. This comes especially amid the huge security, economic, and social challenges facing the region, the statement explained. For his part, Al-Said stressed Omans mutual keenness to boost cooperation with Egypt and willingness to benefit from the successful Egyptian experience in implementing development projects and comprehensive economic reforms. Boosting Omani investments Additionally, El-Sisi held today a separate meeting with Omani top officials and businessmen, who all said they look forward to discussing the capacity to maximise cooperation between Egypt and Oman in light of the multiple promising investment opportunities available in Egypt, Rady said. This especially includes opportunities in the sectors of renewable energy, ports, shipping, transportation, tourism, construction, real estate development, and the automotive industry, the officials and businessmen said. This is in addition to the possibility of benefiting from the free trade agreements linking Egypt with Africa and the EU so that Oman can access those markets, they added. Moreover, the heads and representatives of Omani companies attending the meeting welcomed the intensified cooperation with Egypt to achieve joint interests, explaining their investment plans in Egypt. They also stressed the importance of enhancing communication between representatives of the private sector of the two countries to advance bilateral economic relations. El-Sisi then affirmed Egypts keenness to advance business and trade cooperation with the Omani business community and to boost joint investments in support of the path of economic development in each country. The president also detailed the diverse investment opportunities offered by the mega projects being implemented in Egypt, on top of which is the Suez Canal axis development project. He added that the qualitative leap recently witnessed in the various development sectors in Egypt will positively contribute to enhancing Egyptian-Omani bilateral relations by paving the way for maximising future Omani investments in various sectors. Trade exchange between Egypt and Oman amounted to $500 million in 2020, according to previous statements by Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea. Moreover, Omani investments in the Egyptian market reached $77.5 million through 92 companies in the fields of industry, tourism, construction, and agriculture. Meanwhile, Egyptian investments in Oman recorded $680 million, with 142 companies specialised in the fields of infrastructure, road projects, and real estate investment. El-Sisis two-day visit to Oman is part of a Gulf tour that also includes Bahrain. The president is scheduled to leave Oman for Bahrain later on Tuesday, where he will meet with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. Egyptian-Gulf ties El-Sisis Gulf tour comes less than three weeks before the GCC+3 Summit, which will be held in Saudi Arabias Jeddah on 15 July and will bring together leaders of the GCC in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the US. In the lead-up to the summit, El-Sisi received the UAEs Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Sunday. The meeting discussed enhancing bilateral relations and means to boost Emirati investments in Egypt in various fields, especially energy, transportation, ports, and tourism. The president also met on Friday with Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who visited Egypt for the first time since Cairo and Doha resumed diplomatic relations last year after signing the Al-Ula Declaration that ended an over three-year-long diplomatic rift. During the meeting, Emir Tamim affirmed his keenness to continue boosting Egyptian-Qatari cooperation in various fields by maximising investments in Egypt. Additionally, last Monday, the Egyptian president received Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo. During the visit, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed 14 investment agreements valued at $7.7 billion in several fields, including petroleum, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and cyber security. Moreover, Saudi Arabia plans to make investments worth $30 billion in Egypt, according to a joint Saudi-Egyptian communique issued in light of the crown princes visit. Search Keywords: Short link: Ferraris official launch in Egypt was celebrated with a grand opening event on Monday following an agreement with the Ezz Elarab Group, known for representing the worlds most high-end, premium and luxury vehicles in the country. Ferrari is opening an official service centre and approved showroom in Egypt with the Ezz Elarab Group The brand-new facility stands on an area of 574 square metres in the Sheikh Zayed District The Ezz Elarab Group and Ferrari commit to delivering the superior service quality level that Ferrari customers expect. The new collaboration will reignite the enthusiasm for the brand in Egypt. The Ezz Elarab Group will be servicing the cars of current owners and fans of the iconic Italian brand in Egypt providing an immersive brand experience. The Ezz Elarab Group also plans on attracting new customers and buyers for Ferrari through this state-of-the-art facility in Egypt. Featuring Ferraris latest global CI and utilising the most modern technologies in the new facility, Ezz Elarab will reassert its dedication and commitment to offering the finest retail concepts and the highest service levels that all Ferrari customers expect. Strategically located in the heart of the prominent Sheikh Zayed district, the highly qualified, dedicated Ferrari team will offer a luxurious customer experience from start to end. The brand-new 574-square-metre facility is home to a service centre with three bays, one of which is responsible for repairing electric/hybrid cars, a dedicated service reception area and a spare parts warehouse. The facility also has a special showroom for up to five cars, a customer lounge, eight dedicated parking slots and a special outdoor area for events. The facility has now opened its doors and has started welcoming Ferrari customers at Dahsour Road, Sheikh Zayed. The official Ferrari presence with a service centre in Egypt is one important step to further bolster our network and boost customer satisfaction. We expect that the partnership with the Ezz Elarab Group will deliver a more exclusive and unique Ferrari experience to Egyptian customers, said Michele Comelli, head of Ferrari South Europe. Mr. Hisham Ezz Elarab, chairman of the board of directors at the Ezz Elarab Group, added: I am very pleased and excited to celebrate this extraordinary success. The efforts of my team at Ezz Elarab to land this prestigious partnership with Ferrari deserve full recognition and appreciation. Through this latest partnership, the Ezz Elarab Group is fulfilling its long-term vision. We believe that super-luxury brand customers are unlike any others. That is why the Ezz Elarab Group provides top premium services that set us apart from all other dealerships in Egypt. The Ezz Elarab Group and Ferrari commit to delivering the superior service quality level that Ferrari customers expect. Search Keywords: Short link: Russia is working actively to "normalise" the situation in Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday during a visit to neighbouring Tajikistan, evoking Moscow's responsibilities in the area. "We are doing everything to normalise the situation (in Afghanistan) and we are trying to build relations with the political forces that control the situation," Putin said during talks with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon. But their starting point was that Afghanistan's ethnic groups should take a full part in running the country, he added, in comments broadcast by Russian media. "Here, you know best... what needs to be done to ensure that the situation in the region, in this zone where we have a common responsibility, is stable and threatens no one," he told Rakhmon. This is Putin's first trip abroad since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Russia has a major military base in Tajikistan, one of its allies in the region. Tajikistan as a 1,200-kilometre (750-mile) long border with Afghanistan and Tajik forces regularly clash with Afghan drug smugglers. The return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan last August has led some observers to fear that Tajikistan, the poorest of the former Soviet states, could be destabilised. The country remains economically very dependent on Russia. Search Keywords: Short link: Almost eight months after the elections in Iraq, the countrys political blocs have failed to form a new government to face up to the crisis in the country, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti in Baghdad The Iraqi people were waiting for steps to be announced by the strong and popular Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr to form a national and reformist government and not a consensual government, Jinan Ali, an activist who participated in the Tishreen (October) protests in Iraq in 2019, told Al-Ahram Weekly. The protests forced changes in the Iraqi elections law and Independent Higher Electoral Commission and obliged the government of former prime minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi to resign in December 2019. One of the demands of the Tishreen protests was to put an end to the policy of muhasasa [power sharing by sectarian quota] or what they call consensual government that has achieved nothing since the first general elections in 2006, Ali said. This policy has led to chaos and corruption and increased the percentage of Iraqis living under the poverty line, she added. Ali is not optimistic that the kind of government the protesters wanted to see will now be formed after the resignation of the Sadrist Bloc, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament after last years elections, and the formation of the Save the Nation Alliance with the Siyada (sovereignty) Alliance of Parliamentary Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi, a Sunni Muslim, and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) of Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. The Coordination Framework (CF) led by former prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki includes all Iraqs Shia political parties and movements except the Sadrist Bloc, and the Sunni Al-Azm Alliance and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of late Iraqi president Jalal Talbani wants to form a consensual government with it. However, the deadlock began when CF MPs boycotted the presidential election session in the parliament, and there was no quorum for a vote to take place. The MPs said that the Kurds should agree on one candidate for the presidency, occupied by the PUK since 2006 and now insisted on by the KDP. Up to now, the Kurds have still not agreed on a candidate. The Sadrist Blocs 73 MPs resigned to pave the way for the CF to form a government after it became the largest bloc in the parliament after their resignation. Following the resignations, the second-place vote winner from last Octobers elections in each now vacant district took the empty seat in parliament last Thursday and swore the parliamentary oath in an extraordinary session called by the CF. There was a quorum, although Al-Sadr called on all the blocs to stand bravely for the sake of reform and the saving of the nation and not to give in to sectarian pressures, as they are bubbles which will disappear. Yet his Sunni and Kurdish allies attended the session. The CF began meetings with Al-Sadr allies Siyada, the KDP, and independent MPs to negotiate the formation of a new government called the government of services in their statements. I do not expect the CF to be able to form a new government because the demands of the Siyada Alliance of Al-Halbousi and the KPD of Barzani are too hard to be fulfilled, Abdel-Ameer Majar, a political analyst, told the Weekly. The Iraqi street could not accept those demands, and if the CF makes concessions, the people will stand up against them. The people who carried out the Tishreen Revolution and put an end to sectarian power-sharing will not accept it, he said. Many Iraqi politicians have confirmed that there cannot be a successful new government in Iraq without the Sadrist Bloc, among them Ayad Allawi, a former prime minister. He was quoted as saying that proceeding with the formation of a new government without the presence of the Sadrist Bloc that won the elections, proving that it is not looking for positions as much as for the formation of a national government, will only make matters more complicated. Although Muqtada Al-Sadr has withdrawn from the political process, he is still directing the situation in Iraq, said Ahmed Omer, an Iraqi teacher who spoke to the Weekly, adding that Al-Sadrs withdrawal looks like a trap for others. At the end of this there could be early general elections. Samira Auf, a Baghdad housewife, told the Weekly that the political blocs behave as if there were no people suffering from unemployment, high food prices, dust storms, climate change, electricity shortages, shortages of water, and many other problems. They are just looking to their own benefits and agendas, she added. Al-Sadr said in a tweet that his bloc had resigned as a sacrifice for the Iraqi nation. He said this in order to end the political deadlock in the country, because others had stated that his bloc was hindering the formation of a new government, according to Iraqi media reports. But it seems that the deadlock will continue as long as the Kurds do not agree on one candidate for the presidency and the CF does not agree on a candidate for prime minister. The parliament will hold its first session after the Eid by the end of its recess, when another nine new MPs will be sworn in. In the earlier extraordinary session only 64 replacement MPs arrived to swear the oath. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Once the Jeddah summit between US President Joe Biden and nine Arab heads of state became certain, media outlets have been pressing for answers about its purpose and what it will cover. Many eminent professors and experts from Arab capitals have ventured various opinions, but they all shared a passionate belief that the forthcoming meeting represented a unique, historic moment the Arabs must seize as a unified front. One expert held that, as long as the world order was in flux, with some powers on the rise and others declining, this was the right time for an Arab pole to coalesce and make its mark. Many encouraging views, hopes and intentions were inspired by history, supporting an idea that I have advocated in this column and elsewhere, namely a new Middle Eastern regionalism. The concept is premised on my conviction that the time has come for the countries and peoples of this region to depend on themselves and that this self-reliance rests on profound and comprehensive reform processes that are underway in Arab countries, instituting changes that were inconceivable just ten years ago. The concept is thus motivated not by the US exit from the region or the Russian entry into it but by the determination to build and advance the progress of the modern nation state. Perhaps the most salient event to have boosted this trend was the AlUla Declaration adopted by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit on 5 January 2021. The declaration laid the foundations for a restoration of calm in the region beginning with a rapprochement between Qatar and the quartet of Arab countries that had severed relations with Doha several years ago. Also as a result of the declaration, political and diplomatic channels were opened with Iran and Turkey. The declaration gave impetus to a new approach to Israel that, drawing on the spirit of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, resulted in the Abraham Accords followed by the Negev summit between four Arab states, the US and Isreal with the purpose of promoting cooperation while drawing attention to the Palestinian question, which remains pressing. Many other developments favour the new Middle Eastern regionalism. First is the agreement that Egypt and Israel signed with the EU to supply the latter with liquified natural gas (LNG) to compensate for shortages in Russian gas against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the precipitous downturn in Western-Russian relations. Second is the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian agreement to supply Lebanon with LNG. So far, it has enabled the Lebanese to have an additional four hours of light at night. A third important development is the ceasefire in Yemen and then the start of negotiations, which made it possible to renew the ceasefire. It should be stressed that the ceasefire and its renewal would not have been possible had it not been for international support as well as Tehrans green light. Fourthly, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans recent tour of Egypt, Jordan and Turkey was not only an important affirmation of close bilateral relations and economic cooperation with Riyadh but also a means to prepare for and coordinate Arab positions in advance of the forthcoming Jeddah summit as well as an opportunity for the crown prince to familiarise himself with circumstances surrounding the war unfolding in Europe so close to the Turkish jugular vein. The significance of Prince Bin Salmans tour can not be overstated. High-level Saudi visits usually result in a broad array of political consensuses and cooperation agreements the groundwork for which will have been laid during previous consultations. The Egyptian-Saudi case serves as an example. It began with the visit of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz to Egypt in 2016, during which 60 bilateral agreements were signed. This was followed by the crown princes visit in 2018, during which another ten agreements were signed. Then, during his last visit, the two sides concluded 14 more agreements. The new regionalism will be founded on a weft and warp of actual and carefully cultivated mutual interests. Its function will be to respond to, advance and broaden those mutual interests with the overall aim of augmenting the power of affiliated states and raising the happiness of their peoples. In the process, it will generate a new power balance based, not on hollow slogans about an undefeatable unity or an unprecedented great awakening but on autonomous sources of strength and a growing ability to tame, absorb and channel regional and international forces. The concept thus features a form of strategic patience in tandem with the ability to build bridges calmly but resolutely. In it, the Arab ship is visible and firm but not provocative. It does not seek to intimidate, but rather to give and take and find common ground. The forthcoming meeting between Biden and nine Arab heads of state will demonstrate to what extent the balance of power in the region is changing, not only militarily and economically but also culturally. The process of ideological renovation here embraces not just the moderation of religious thought but also the assimilation of the broader concept of progress and its prerequisites. The new regionalism is about restoring sanity to a region that fascist and reactionary forces had sought to drive mad. But obstacles are not difficult to detect. We are still living with the crises unleashed by the so called Arab Spring in Syria, Libya and Yemen and, in other forms, in Sudan, Iraq and Lebanon. In the larger regional environment we find many challenges. Some concern Iran 43 years down the line from the Islamic Revolution and still exporting it. Perhaps the price the Iranian people have paid for this may propel them towards the rise of the civil state to replace the revolution which has sapped so much of that countrys energies. Turkey, after the great progress it had achieved in the first decade of this century, now seems on the verge of abandoning its dream to become part of the EU. Geopolitically, it is flanked by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the conflicts in Central Asia, yet it continues to entertain a dream of a post-Ataturk order informed by a neo-Ottoman expansionist vision. Turkey will only emerge from its predicament when it resolves to abandon its militaristic foreign policy and reconcile itself with the reality of the emergent regionalism in which there will be no place for arms against neighbours. Israel will remain the Gordian knot given its location in the middle of the Arab region and its immense power, which is both autonomous and derived from its close relationship with the US and the West in general. Surplus power has a tendency to produce folly, abuse of power and abuse of time. In this case, blindness to such factors and their costs continued until eventually right-wing fascist trends resurged, charged with antisemitism and Islamophobia. So far, the new regionalism has woven some new cooperative relations in various fields and given fresh impetus to previous forms of cooperation. But it has so far been unable to bring Israel down to earth in order to resolve the Palestinian question. As difficult as the foregoing problems and challenges are, they also create opportunities. The most important is the prospect of forging a new order that does not require a heavy dependence on the US. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: A Sohag Criminal Court issued a verdict sentencing seven people up to 15 years of prison on Tuesday in the trial of the deadly train collision in March 2021 leaving 21 people dead and dozens wounded, in addition to estimated losses of more than EGP 25 million. The case dates back to 26 March 2021 when a Spanish train (manufactured in Spain), crashed into the back of another standing train in the southern province of Sohag. The court sentenced the first defendant, the Spanish train's driver, and the second defendant, his assistant, to 15 years in prison and pay a total of EGP 28,9 million compensation along with administrative expenses. Furthermore, the court sentenced the third defendant to five years in prison and to pay a EGP 10,000 fine. The fourth and fifth defendants were also sentenced to five years in prison each while the seventh and the eighth defendants were sentenced to two years in prison. The Sohag Criminal Court dropped the charges against the sixth defendant after his death. Earlier, the prosecution accused the defendants of mistakenly causing the death of 21 people as a result of their negligence, carelessness, and ignoring laws and regulations. Egypts railway sector, the second-oldest in the world with 9,570km of track running across the country and transporting around 500 million passengers annually, needs to be radically upgraded, according to experts. Egypts Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) indicated that while the number of train accidents in 2010 was 1,057, it increased to 1,863 in 2019. Following the Sohag collision, the Egyptian government started a renovation and upgrade process for the railway network. Search Keywords: Short link: Mansoura Criminal Court issued a preliminary verdict sentencing Mohamed Adel to death on charges of premeditated murder of student Nayera Ashraf in Mansoura last week. The court sought the non-binding opinion of Egypts Grand Mufti on the verdict, as per Egyptian penal code. The verdict is not final yet with the possiblty of an appeal. During the trial, the prosecution presented to the court 25 eyewitnesses, including students and university guards who witnessed the stabbing of the 21-year-old student outside the gates of Mansoura University on 20 June. Furthermore, the prosecution presented the testimonies of the victim's friends and colleagues, all of whom testified that the accused stalked and threatened the victim after rejecting his marriage proposal. The prosecution also stated that Nayera's family had previously filed several complaints at local police stations against the accused. The state also presented to the court the detailed confessions of the accused as evidence, in addition to the victim's cell phone records and text messages that included death threats messages to Ashraf. It also introduced into evidence footage of the incident from CCTV cameras around the university. The court issued in its first session on Sunday a media gag order regarding the trials proceedings and sessions except for the sentence hearing. The crime gained widespread media attention and social commentary from various segments of Egyptian society, including womens rights advocates and controversial comments from clerics. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend U.S. President Joe Biden "may well" meet President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit this week to discuss Turkey's concerns about bids by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. "Nothing is scheduled at the moment, but they may very well have the opportunity to see one another at the NATO Summit. Let's see how the next 24 hours unfold," Sullivan told reporters in Germany. The summit is set to begin on Tuesday. Sullivan said he was not suggesting all issues involved would be resolved by the NATO summit in Madrid later this week but said the goal was to "try and resolve as many of them as possible so that Madrid gives a boost to their candidacies even if there remain some concerns on the part of Turkiye." "There is a flurry of diplomatic activity occurring," he added. Egyptian officials denied on Tuesday rumors that Egypt banned the entry of Sudanese people after a fake directive document went viral in Sudan. Egypt's Ambassador to Khartoum Hossam Eissa denied the rumor on Tuesday saying that Egypt has always welcomed Sudanese people at any given time, stating that the viral document is fake. Eissa asserted Egypt's keenness to boost relations between Egyptian and Sudanese peoples, explaining that the rumors 'aimed to impact the joint links and close coordination between the two countries in all aspects'. A fake document went viral on social media stated "that Egypt would prevent the entry of Sudanese people through air and land, with the exception of medical cases, starting from Thursday 30 June due to unstable internal conditions in Sudan". The document that is dated to 26 June and written in Arabic was reviewed by Ahram Online and is actually a clear fake. Aside from Arabic spelling mistakes and usage of various fonts, the document has the stamp of the Egyptian Consulate in Houston instead of Khartoum. The alleged handwritten signature of Ambassador Hossam Eissa presents him as the "General Consul" despite him being introduced in the same document as the "Egyptian Ambassador to the neighbour country". The current Egyptian General Consul in Sudan is Ambassador Ahmed Adly. Search Keywords: Short link: The first batch of Egyptian pilgrims that registered through tourism companies, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The national carrier EgyptAir announced earlier that 11 flights are operating on Tuesday carrying pilgrims to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The first flight from Cairo International Airport to Jeddah took off at 2:05 am (local time). EgyptAir announced that four flights will operate to Jeddah and seven to Medina. Upon their arrival, the pilgrims were received by a delegation from the Tourism and Antiquities ministry and members of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, according to the ministry's statement. The ministry has allocated phone numbers that are operating around the clock, for pilgrims and tourism companies to communicate directly with the ministrys inspection committee located in Mecca, on the number 0558835153, and in Medina on the number 0551731706. Earlier, Egypts Social Solidarity Minister Nevine El-Qabbaj stated that the first batch of lottery pilgrims travelling under the sponsorship of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday. This batch included 225 participants with the remaining batches to follow on 2 July. Hajj is one of the world's largest religious gatherings. In 2019, about 2.5 million people performed Hajj. The number of pilgrims Saudi Arabia will receive in 2022, however, will decrease by 40 percent, almost a million people less, Saudi and non-Saudi alike due to the outbreak. Saudi Arabia announced earlier that it would resume receiving non-Saudi pilgrims who want to perform the Hajj following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to participate. In 2021, the total increased to 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents chosen through a lottery. The Hajj season is expected to start on 7 July and will conclude on 12 July. All capable Muslims are required to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, once in their lifetime. The Hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and the surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Bahraini capital Manama on Tuesday for a two-day official visit in the second stop of his Gulf tour, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady has announced. President El-Sisi was received an official reception ceremony by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa upon his arrival at Manama Airport and the Royal Al-Sakhir Palace. The Egyptian President is set to hold talks with Bahrains King Hamad to discuss regional and international issues of mutual concerns that require concerted efforts to protect Arab national security and confront attempts to destabilise and interfere in domestic affairs of Arab countries, Rady said in a previous statement. El-Sisi started his Gulf tour on Monday with a two-day visit to Oman, where he met Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The two leaders stressed that the security and stability of Yemen are of maximum importance within the framework of security of the Arab region and Red Sea states. On 18 June, El-Sisi received the Bahraini King in Sharm El-Sheikh, where both leaders reviewed prospects of cooperation in economic and investment fields and discussed regional and international issues. The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Bahrain recorded $917.2 million in 2021, according to Egypts Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), up from $401 million in 2020. Bahrains investments in Egypt stand at $3.2 billion through 216 projects, according to the Bahraini ambassador to Cairo in June 2021. During King Hamad's visit, El-Sisi hosted a trilateral summit with the participation of Jordanian King Abdullah II, who arrived a day later. During the summit, President El-Sisi affirmed Egypts keenness to expand cooperation with both countries and boost joint Arab action to face regional and international challenges. Egyptian-Gulf ties El-Sisis Gulf tour comes less than three weeks before the GCC+3 Summit, which will be held in Saudi Arabias Jeddah on 15 July. The summit will bring together leaders of the GCC in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the US. In the lead-up to the summit, El-Sisi received the UAEs Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Sunday. The meeting discussed enhancing bilateral relations and means to boost Emirati investments in Egypt in various fields, especially energy, ports, and transportation. The president also met on Friday with Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who visited Egypt for the first time since Cairo and Doha resumed diplomatic relations last year after signing the Al-Ula Declaration that ended an over three-year-long diplomatic rift. During the meeting, Emir Tamim affirmed his keenness to continue boosting Egyptian-Qatari cooperation in various fields by maximising investments in Egypt. Additionally, last Monday, the Egyptian president received Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo. During the visit, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed 14 investment agreements valued at $7.7 billion in several fields, including petroleum, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and cyber security. Moreover, Saudi Arabia plans to make investments worth $30 billion in Egypt, according to a joint Saudi-Egyptian communique issued in light of the crown princes visit. Search Keywords: Short link: Tunisian actor Hichem Rostom, who starred in The English Patient and dozens of films across Europe, died on Tuesday at the age of 75, the culture ministry said. Rostom, seen as the most influential Tunisian actor of his generation, had started his career during his studies in France, where he worked as a presenter at the People's National Theatre. He moved into cinema in the mid 1970s, going on to star in dozens of Tunisian, French, Italian, English and German films. They included Alain Berberian's 1998 comedy Paparazzi and Jean-Jacques Annaud's 2011 drama Or Noir (Black Gold), filmed in Tunisia. He returned to Tunisia in 1988 and worked on a string of films and local television shows. Search Keywords: Short link: Today is the ninth anniversary of the 30 June 2013 Revolution, with media outlets, senior officials, and political figures vying to celebrate an event which saved Egypt from becoming an Islamist state. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi is expected to deliver a statement on the occasion. On the eighth anniversary, he said the 30 June Revolution was not just a passing moment in which Egyptians expressed their anger, indignation, and resentment at an extremist regime, but was an expression of a sense of belonging to the homeland and loyalty to its values: As we celebrate the anniversary of our glorious revolution, he said, I send a precious message to all those who sacrificed their lives by rejecting extremism and terrorism. We will never forget you. Al-Ahram political analyst Hassan Abu Taleb argues that the impact of the 30 June Revolution continues to reverberate across the Arab world. We have seen regimes supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam movements in countries like Libya, Morocco, and Sudan collapse in the last two years. In June 2021 came the dramatic fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia, and even in Turkey the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opted to distance itself from the Muslim Brotherhood after an eight year honeymoon. The 30 June Revolution created an anti-political Islam trend all over the Arab world where most people now view the faction as a source of economic trouble, sectarian strife and political mayhem. Political analysts agree that when millions of Egyptians took to protest against a year of Muslim Brotherhood rule in 30 June 2013 Egypt was on the brink of war, its economy in tatters, and ties with the outside world in disarray. Nine years on and the picture has completely changed. Al-Ahram political analyst Gamal Abdel-Gawad wrote Egypt began to stabilise only after Al-Sisi was elected president in May 2014, and even then the country was forced to fight the remnants of terrorist groups and help the state stand on its feet again. Abdel-Gawad noted that despite its defeat on 30 June 2013, the Brotherhood resumed its war against the new regime, resorting to terrorism and assassinations and launching a media war. In October 2015, when the Islamic State blew up a plane carrying more than 200 Russian tourists above Sinai, huge damage was done to the tourist sector and to the economy in general. But because people believed in the 30 June Revolution, they gave President Al-Sisi a blank cheque to contain the damage. President Al-Sisi was able to make a successful deal with the IMF which helped stabilise the economy and ensure it could withstand the economic shock of the pandemic in 2020 and the economic damage of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Abdel-Gawad argues that President Al-Sisis recent call for a national dialogue to set Egypts political and economic priorities is a natural extension of the 30 June Revolution. The call reflects the strength of the Egyptian state as it was reconstituted after the revolution, said Abdel-Gawad. One of the ideals of the 30 June Revolution was to end the mixing of religion with politics and underline that Egypt is a civilian state. While political reform was forced to take a back seat during a period in which the priorities were to defeat terrorism, restore internal stability, achieve economic reform, and recover Egypts role in the Arab world, Africa, and the Middle East, now these objectives have been achieved political reform has climbed to the top of agenda. The national dialogue which will start in the first week of July will prioritise one of the goals of the 30 June Revolution, the full democratisation of Egypt. Gamal Zahran, professor of political science at Suez Canal University and a former independent MP, agrees that the 30 June Revolution helped restore Egypts role in the Arab world. Even Qatar, which supported the Muslim Brotherhood after its regime in Egypt was removed in 2013, now admits the 30 June Revolution was positive, says Zahran. The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani even visited Egypt last week and congratulated President Al-Sisi on the ninth anniversary of the 30 June Revolution. Zahran says that while the 30 June Revolution caused tensions with the US, nine years later most American politicians have recognised the overwhelming impact of the uprising. US President Joe Biden will visit the region in July and is scheduled to meet with leaders of Arab Gulf countries, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. He will be here to contain the damage that has been done to Americas relations with these countries since he came to office, and to recognise their influential role in the region and capacity to keep their nations safe in an increasingly troubled world, says Zahran. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: An initiative to encourage couples to save on marriage expenses to cope with the rising cost of living was recently launched by Al-Azhar. Marriage comes at a high price in Egypt, for everyone, including low-income families, due to traditions and social habits. But these long-held customs are being severely tested by tough economic times. As such, Al-Azhar, the foremost centre of religious learning in the Muslim world, has launched an initiative to encourage reasonable spending on weddings and marriages and thereby facilitate wedlock for youths, many of whom cannot afford the extravagant demands of the brides family. Mohamed Wardani, director of the media centre at Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy said the initiative was devised after its Al-Azhar committees dealing with fatwas (religious edicts) across the country started receiving inquiries about the escalating cost of marriage, and people asking for a religious ruling on how to respond to excessive demands by the bride or grooms family. Another often asked question seeking a ruling is what bridal presents are acceptable religiously. Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy is calling the initiative Letaskono Elayha (To Feel Secure). According to Wardani, the name is from Verse 21 of Surah Al-Rum in the Quran. And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts) according to a translation by Quran4all.net. Wardani said many women are currently in prison because they were in debt beyond their means to meet the demands of their children wanting to get married. He said that the situation existed even before the downturn in the global economy that has led to increases in prices in Egypt. He said people are finding that following traditions in preparing for marriages is a big burden, thus the birth of the initiative. Raising awareness among people to change habits may be difficult but not impossible, Wardani told Al-Ahram Weekly. He said the initiative addresses issues that come up during the engagement period when there should be understanding between the bride and groom and between their families. It also decides how much the dowry will be, limiting expensive presents and restricting the engagement and marriage ceremonies to relatives to cut expenses. A third phase is concerned with marriage and wedding expenses. He recommended that arrangements take place between the bride and the groom without interference from the families so as to avoid disputes which often turn into fights, he added. According to Wardani, in five governorates, change is taking place on the ground through the cooperation between preachers and families to raise awareness among people to concentrate on the aspects that lead to successful marriages, apart from materialistic matters. This is not Al-Azhars first attempt to help Egyptian families. Since October 2018, four million people have been addressed in universities and youth and cultural centres to help those about to get married by teaching them how to choose their life partner. Osama Al-Hadidi is executive manager of Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Centre, which provides Muslims and non-Muslims with fatwas and answers to questions about Islam. Al-Hadidi, told the Weekly that Lam Al-Shaml (Reunion) unit, which tackles divorce, resolved around 90 per cent of some 87,000 cases. Another family-related initiative by Al-Azhar is Qorat Ein (Apple of the Eye) which aims to provide solutions to problems often encountered by families raising children. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Arab Nasserist Party Chairman Mohamed Al-Nimr, who last week presented the partys proposals for the agenda of the national dialogue to the National Academy for Training, speaks with Gamal Essam El-Din about the partys priorities. How did you receive President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis call for national dialogue? We welcomed the invitation to the national dialogue and hope it will open a new chapter in Egypts political history and lead to greater political freedoms. We want it to be a success, and want its recommendations to be implemented on the ground.. What issues did the Arab Nasserist Partys proposals address? The global economic crisis, triggered by the war in Ukraine, was the main factor behind President Al-Sisis call for a national dialogue, and the Nasserist Party believes the dialogue should focus on economic issues in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Egyptian economy. The Nasserist Party believes Egypt has to change priorities in order to weather the economic storms ahead. The war has shown that Egypt must focus on productive sectors, particularly industry and agriculture. We need to discuss how we can boost industrial and agricultural exports, reduce imports, rationalise spending, and introduce fiscal discipline and austerity measures. The Ukraine crisis has also shown we need to do more to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production. The party fears that recently announced plans to privatise state-owned entities will adversely affect the poor and as a party committed to social justice we want the dialogue to address ways of protecting the most vulnerable in society from the burden of economic reforms. The focus on economic issues, however, should not be allowed to overshadow political reform. The dialogue needs to turn the page on political stagnation. What is needed for the dialogue to succeed? To be a success the dialogue should be held under the direct auspices of President Al-Sisi. The organisers need to ensure all participants are treated on equal basis, without discrimination. The dialogue cannot be restricted to the elite. It must include loyalist and opposition forces, elite and populist forces, and address the day-to-day issues of direct concern to people in the street. It cannot be confined to the air-conditioned corridors of Cairo but should extend to all of Egypts governorates. Invitations should not be limited to political forces and the intellectual elite, but be extended to trade unions and professional syndicates. Representatives from every sector of society should participate, voicing their concerns and proposing solutions. But you have suggested that the number of participants be limited to 100, with other forces participating through the media No. We want a national dialogue in which all political and economic forces participate. It should be clear from the start how long the dialogue will last, and what the mechanisms will be to implement its recommendations. The dialogue should, of course, be covered in detail by the media, and ordinary citizens be allowed to voice their opinions about its agenda. What elements of political reform should the dialogue address? How political reform is addressed will be central to the success of the dialogue. The current election law, which adopts a mix of the individual and party list systems, is a mess and should be scrapped. The laws regulating the performance of political parties should be also amended to give parties more freedom in the area of funding and organising activities and rallies. The dialogue also needs to open the door to greater media freedoms. How do you feel about the National Academy for Training (NAT) organising the national dialogue conference? We have no objection to the NAT. But the dialogue itself needs a highly qualified secretariat-general able to manage it in an efficient, professional, and neutral way. It needs to make the dialogue the talk of every citizen in Egypt, and be able to summarise the dialogues recommendations succinctly and coherently. And how do you view the reactivating of the Presidential Pardon Committee? This is a progressive step. We have repeatedly called for the file of political prisoners to be reopened. We want all those detained for political and freedom of opinion reasons to be released. It is necessary to amend laws regulating pre-trial detention. No one should face detention for voicing opposition to the status quo. We have suffered too long from the authorities detaining opposition figures and need to move beyond such practices. Let me make it clear, though, that we support constructive opposition. Groups branded as terrorist organisations cannot be considered opposition forces. Indeed, the greater the margin of freedom for constructive and objective opposition, the greater the opportunity to protect the nation from terrorist ideologies and movements. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: This week President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi met with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Cairo. Tamims two-day visit, which started on Saturday, coincided with the ninth anniversary of 30 June demonstrations that prompted the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi, a close ally of Doha, and with Tamims own ascent to power. Until recently, Doha was viewed as a major political opponent of Cairo and its closest Gulf allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. According to an Egyptian diplomatic source, Tamims visit turns a page on this recent history of animosity, media wars and diplomatic tensions between Cairo and Doha, and opens the doors to closer economic cooperation. Up to $15 billion of Qatari investments in Egypt are expected in the next three to five years. In June 2017 Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Manama imposed a boycott on Doha which was only reversed during a Gulf Cooperation Council summit which convened, with Egyptian participation, in January 2021. According to the diplomatic source, while the groundwork for the emir of Qatars visit to Cairo had been progressing steadily but slowly since the January 2021 summit in the Saudi city of Al-Ula, it would be wrong to assume that Egypt and Qatar are now aligned in terms of their regional priorities. The rapprochement, he said, has more to do with creating a balance in bilateral/regional relations at a time when Qatar realises any plans to support a wide regional political sphere of Islamist rule is a non-starter, and Egypt is facing an economic crunch and is keen to attract as many foreign investments as possible. The visit came days after the influential Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman met with President Al-Sisi in Cairo. The two leaders discussed Saudi investments in Egypt and coordination between the two countries ahead of the scheduled visit of US President Joe Biden, his first to the region since being inaugurated in January 2021. According to a Gulf-based diplomatic source, the sequence of meetings illustrates a desire to move beyond recent conflicts on the part of key Arab capitals. While Cairo is looking to move beyond the narrow confines of its alliances with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates those bonds still hold, whatever the dissimilarities in their political views, said the Gulf-based source. He added that, overall, Egypt is seeking a greater degree of balance in its relations with GCC members, though within the established parameters that its closest allies remain Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, on Monday President Al-Sisi arrived in Muscat for talks with Omans Sultan Haitham Ben Tarek. The talks, according to the Gulf-based source, focused on upscaling economic cooperation between the two countries. It is very significant that the minister chiefly assigned to accompany President Al-Sisi during his two-day visit to Muscat was the Omani minister of finance and not the minister of foreign affairs as would be customary, he said. Oman, he explained, has a traditional policy of pursuing close relations with Egypt and a policy of steering clear from taking sides with or against any country in the region. Egyptian and Gulf-based sources note that Al-Sisis series of meetings were held against the backdrop of the emergence of a soft alliance between Israel and Arab Gulf states who share worries over Irans regional agenda. According to the Egyptian diplomatic source, Cairo is sending clear indirect messages that while it supports its Gulf allies consolidating their own security it is not at all keen to court any animosity with Iran. The diplomatic source declined to say whether President Al-Sisi had passed reassuring messages to this effect to Tehran through the rulers of Qatar and Oman, saying simply that the Iranians clearly know where we stand. On Monday, while in Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Irans Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran and Egypt have some joint interests in common. The flurry of diplomatic activity comes less than three weeks before Bidens visit which will begin in Israel on 15 July, then take him to Saudi Arabia on 16 July for a meeting with GCC leaders and the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The idea of an Arab NATO security alliance including the US and Israel is unlikely to amount to more than a US project for the region. There has been increasing talk of US-sponsored Arab-Israeli security cooperation in advance of US President Joe Bidens visit to the region in mid-July. Once again, we are hearing speculation regarding the creation of an Arab NATO that would include Israel. The Arab parties, according to this speculation, would consist of the countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel and others that do not have treaties yet. The latter are believed to include Saudi Arabia. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz lent credence to such talk recently when he spoke of the creation of a US-led Middle East Air Defence Alliance (MEAD) that would help defend its members from hostile missiles and drones. However, the Arab countries denied that they would be part of any such alliance for or against another state in the region, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reports of a meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh between Saudi and Israeli military officials fired renewed speculation, and all eyes turned to Cairo with questions regarding its role in this process. Although Cairo has issued no formal statement, an informed source said that Egypt merely hosted the meeting but did not take part in it. The source did not disclose any further details on the substance and results of the meeting. At the same time, Cairo does not seem to be interested in joining an anti-Iranian alliance, according to observers. Iran has shown no hostility towards Egypt, and Egypt does not view Iran as a hostile state, they say. While Cairo has reservations regarding Irans interventionist policies in the region, Iran is not the only non-Arab regional power to exhibit such behaviour. According to another Egyptian source, Saudi Arabia would not engage in a so-called Abraham Accord peace process with Israel without some guarantees of significant gains for the Palestinian cause. Cooperative military arrangements with Israel cannot be ruled out, but at the moment they are primarily motivated by the US repositioning itself in the region following its military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of its combat mission in Iraq. As such, they would also be informed by Washingtons realisation that emergent powers such as Russia and China might challenge US interests in the region. This could serve Arab interests, but many Arab countries believe it is important to balance this with their relations with other world powers. They should not have to sacrifice longstanding relations and the interests they have developed with these powers in order to preserve their strategic relations with the US. For its part, Washington is keen to assimilate Israel militarily into the region, now that Israel has been absorbed into US Central Command and is no longer the responsibility of US European Command. This means that if the Arab countries engage in military exercises alongside Israel, they will be doing so under the CENTCOM umbrella as opposed to in the framework of joint Arab-Israeli exercises. Developments regarding the Iranian nuclear programme should also be taken into consideration. Israel has been targeting this programme with increasing frequency at a time when the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has expressed renewed optimism about an eventual return to the nuclear accord. There are indications that Qatar may host a fresh round of negotiations towards this end. Relations between the Gulf and Saudi Arabia in particular and Iran have also experienced relative calm in recent months. So far, Baghdad has hosted five rounds of reconciliation talks, and although these have yielded no concrete outputs as yet, the existence of the dialogue mechanism is an indication of a significant change in this relationship. Important to consider in this regard is the fact that the Iranian-backed Ansarullah (Houthi) Movement in Yemen has ceased its missile attacks against Saudi Arabia in the framework of the truce that began in early April. This lends added value to the Iraqi-sponsored Iranian-Saudi dialogue mechanism, all the more so now that the US and UN are eager to promote a more durable ceasefire agreement in Yemen and initiate a new peace process. It appears that talks are accelerating towards this end in Oman, and Egypt may play an increasing role in these peacemaking efforts that were likely a main point on the agenda of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis visit to Muscat this week. This is consistent with Egypts ongoing drive to help douse the many fires in the Middle East and to promote reconciliations and peace processes whenever the opportunities present themselves. The Arab countries insist that they are not party to the confrontation between Israel and Iran over the latters nuclear programme. Some Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have also initiated nuclear programmes of their own for peaceful purposes. They believe that the Iranian-Israeli antagonism is as much about Irans drive to become a nuclear power as it is about the two countries geopolitical rivalry. Israel believes that Iran is encircling it from Syria and Lebanon and wants to counter this via a front in the Gulf region, but the Gulf countries do not want to lend themselves to such a strategy. They believe it would court a needless threat in the event of an escalation between Iran and Israel, a conflict to which the Arab countries are not party. Evidently, there are opposing views inside Israel on the question of Iran. According to an article in the Israel Hayom newspaper this week, the Israeli army supports a return to the nuclear accord while the security agency Mossad is opposed. This divergence could signify an inclination not to escalate tensions further after Mossads recent strikes against the Iranian nuclear programme and its personnel. If Israel is integrated into regional security arrangements, which is a distinct possibility in the light of the peace accords and recent security-related developments, this would still be governed by the CENTCOM framework and the mutual interests it would serve. These interests would not include a military confrontation against Iran, and it is most unlikely that the Arabs would approve arrangements that would make it possible for Israel to attack Iran from Arab territory. As for the notion of an Arab NATO, this will probably remain an idea that the US will bring with it on visits to the region, though it will not be translated into the form some have imagined. Military and security arrangements with Israel will remain minimal, and it will take a long time before Israel can be more fully incorporated into some kind of regional security order. Even then, the Arabs would not fight alongside Israel against Iran. In fact, Arabs appear to be taking another, less adversarial tack towards Iran, which is the policy of containment. Of course, Tehran will have to reciprocate by making concrete changes in its regional behaviour, especially that which jeopardises Arab interests and national security concerns. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Hong Kong: Facilitation measures benefit HK, SZ Chief Executive Carrie Lam today warmly welcomed the announcement of nine Hong Kong-related facilitation measures by the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone in Shenzhen. The measures, covering areas such as youth innovation and entrepreneurship, technology development, financial services, legal services and medical services, will support Hong Kong people and enterprises developing in Qianhai, and bring greater convenience to young people of Hong Kong and Macau seeking to build their career in Shenzhen, the Government said. Mrs Lam supplemented: As one of the major co-operation platforms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Qianhai has positioned its development as the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone with specific focuses on Hong Kong. Collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has yielded remarkable achievements in areas like innovation and technology, asset and wealth management, legal services and youth development, she noted. Moreover, Hong Kong and Shenzhen have been proactively seizing the opportunities brought about by the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform & Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone promulgated by the central government last September. Under the planning concept of twin cities, three circles in the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, Qianhai and the north-western part of Hong Kong will form the Shenzhen Bay Quality Development Circle. Citing President Xi Jinpings remarks that Shenzhen is entrusted with new historic missions to deepen the reform and opening up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone as well as to forge ahead the development of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Co-operation Zone in the Loop, the Chief Executive stressed: I hope Hong Kong will make the best use of the advantages of one country, two systems, capitalise on our market-oriented and internationalised business environment that is underpinned by the rule of law, continue to promote high-level collaboration with Shenzhen in different areas and proactively serve as the dual engines in the bay area under the spirit of complementarity and mutual benefits, so as to contribute to the developments of the bay area and of the country. This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Trend Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Indonesias invitation to take part in a summit meeting of the Group of 20, but the details are still being specified, presidential aide Yury Ushakov told the media on Monday, Trend reports citing TASS. "Yes, we have confirmed. Our participation is due," he said. At the same time, he was uncertain whether Putin would attend the meeting in person or participate by video link. "I do not know. For now, they have invited to participate personally, but there is much time left. I hope that the pandemic situation will permit to hold this important forum face to face. Id like to avoid guessing," he said. Some countries, he remarked, remained closed in the context of the pandemic. "We have received an official invitation, which is very important in the light of the pressure the Indonesians have been and still are exposed to," he added. Ushakov stressed that this issue would be on the agenda of the Indonesian President Joko Widodos visit to Moscow on June 30. "We thanked him for the invitation and said that we would be interested to participate. There is much time left. Well see," Ushakov concluded. He recalled that Widodo had invited Putin to participate in the G20 summit on Bali on November 15-16. If Russia takes control of Odessa, Ukraine will become a landlocked country, which makes it difficult to export food products to Africa and the Middle East. The war in Ukraine is growing more complicated by the day. For the past four months, more Ukrainians have been displaced or had to seek refuge due to the fighting, while Russia advances, slowly but surely. Moscow is pursuing a strategy of slow control over eastern and southern Ukraine, rather than rapid and complete control over the entire country, in which some 30 out of the countrys 44 million population live in cities. Ukraine provides more than 40 per cent of the worlds needs of cooking oil, six per cent of its wheat, and a significant portion of the corn market. Some 30 million hectares of corn are grown in Ukraine. Moscow and its allies in Donbas took control of many strategic and important cities, beginning with those of the eastern region, which are industrial and rich in iron and steel production, such as Luhansk and Donetsk. But soon the forces moved to control Mariupol, a large port on the Sea of Azov (an inland part of the Black Sea) and an industrial area since Soviet times. Western media has recently reported that Mariupol, captured by Russian forces after fierce battles, is vulnerable to an outbreak of cholera. Since Russias strategy shifted in April to focus first on the east of the country, Moscows forces have taken control of the city of Kharkiv, close to the northern Russian-Ukrainian border. Kharkiv is a city of extraordinary symbolic weight. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kharkiv is proof that Ukraine was part of Russia. The city was also the first capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic during the Great Civil War (1919-1922), when the Ukrainian Republic was formed and Kyiv was declared its capital. The second largest city in Ukraine in terms of population, Kharkiv was inhabited by 1.5 million people before the war broke out on 24 February, and it is a major transportation hub linking the east of the country to the west and to the Russian highway and railway networks. In Mariupol, Russia and Ukraine fought for several weeks over the city, its port, steel factories and some residential suburbs, until the Russian forces won the battle. Russias control of the coast of the Sea of Azov is intended to create a land corridor between Russian territory and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. A few days ago, Russian forces took control of Sievierodonetsk, one of the strategic cities in Donbas and the gate to the Dnieper River, which divides Ukraines east and west, said Walid Mirghani, a Moscow-based Sudanese expert. With the Russian control of Kherson city, the path is open to the port of Odessa, the largest port in the country and Ukraines gateway to the world, from which it exports its valuable food products such as wheat, corn, and cooking oil. If Russia takes control of Odessa, Ukraine will become a landlocked country, which makes it difficult to export food to Africa and the Middle East, which are suffering from food price hikes. The slow albeit fierce war has turned millions of Ukrainians into refugees in neighbouring countries and Europe. According to figures on the UNHCR website, more than eight million people have crossed the Ukrainian border to neighbouring countries, the vast majority of whom are women and children. Almost half of these went to Poland, 1.3 million to Russia, 814,000 to Hungary, 691,000 to Romania, more than 500,000 to Moldova, more than 500,000 to Slovakia, and 16,000 to Belarus. In Europe, Germany received the largest share of Ukrainian refugees (780,000) followed by the Czech Republic (379,000), Turkey (145,000), Italy (137,000), and Spain (124,000). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the total number of Ukrainian refugees received by non-neighbouring European countries amounted to 2.5 million, that is in addition to people who fled their homes in cities and villages for fear of battles. With the war now nearing 130 days, peace seems miles away, and the Ukrainians suffering and food insecurity are growing more than ever before. Dozens of countries in Africa and the Arab world will suffer more because of the Ukraine war, said Khaled Ismail, professor of agricultural economics in Khartoum. In Sudan, for example, it has become difficult to buy a loaf of bread, and millions of middle-class families have turned to the traditional Sudanese food, which is millet and sesame oil, produced in abundance in Sudan. Sudans food problem can be resolved temporarily, despite many challenges in areas of armed conflict, but the war in Ukraine raised fuel prices, and Khartoum is a net importer of most types of energy, he added. The same goes for the entire African Sahel, which is one of the poorest regions in the world. Fear of starvation and the subsequent fall of regimes and insecurity, which in some cases may lead to civil war and even secession, is a justified and legitimate fear. According to Mirghani, if Russia maintains the same strategy, it will not control all the lands it wants before winter, then Europe will have to decide its real position. But the reality on the ground seems much more complicated than Mirghani suggests. The price of a barrel of oil and a cubic metre of natural gas have already skyrocketed to an extent that even industrialised nations cannot afford. Indeed, several countries, such as Japan and France, have stressed the need to ration electricity and energy consumption even amid unprecedented waves of high temperature, fearing that they may have to introduce power cuts a few hours every day in a matter of weeks. Fuel price surges prompted the US president to visit the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, to help him secure the midterm elections, Mirghani pointed out. The war will go on until Russia achieves its goals, which are the neutralisation and disarmament of Ukraine, and ridding it of neo-Nazism. It is going to be difficult for Europe to maintain its consensus over Ukraine for a long time, particularly because alternatives to Russian gas, for Germany and Italy and other European countries, will not be forthcoming. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The Arab countries participating in the forthcoming Jeddah summit with US President Joe Biden should prepare an Arab agenda presenting their common priorities and concerns. Over the last few days, Egypt has hosted several Egyptian-Arab summits with various Gulf and Arab leaders whose countries have been invited by the Saudi government to participate in an unprecedented summit next month with US President Joe Biden. In my article published last week in Al-Ahram Weekly, I went over the US agenda for this significant summit, one that reflects the strategic priorities of the Biden administration and corresponds to a great extent with Israeli concerns and priorities. The Arab countries that are participating in the Jeddah summit with the US President should prepare an Arab agenda for it and one that reflects a common Arab vision for the Middle East over the next few years and at least until the next US presidential elections in 2024. I believe this was the main objective of the Egyptian-Arab summits that have been held in Egypt. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has hosted four, the first with the king of Bahrain at Sharm El-Sheikh and the second a tripartite summit that brought together the king of Bahrain, King Abdullah of Jordan, and Al-Sisi. The third summit was with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohamed bin Salman, who paid an official visit to Egypt from 20 to 22 June, and this was followed by another official visit by a Gulf ruler, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The leaders welcomed the Jeddah summit, and besides discussing bilateral questions they formed joint positions on questions that would be raised in the summit with Biden. It goes without saying that from the standpoint of Arab priorities, three main questions merit special attention. The first is how to move ahead on the Palestinian issue. The status quo is untenable, and the Arab leaders will want to encourage the US administration to push for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The plan for an economic peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis advocated by former US president Donald Trump and ignoring the national rights and aspirations of the Palestinians the two-state solution will not guarantee security and stability in the Occupied Territories or in the larger Middle East. To put this differently, discussing and deciding on future security arrangements in the Middle East without integrating a viable and acceptable solution to the Palestinian problem in such arrangements would prove futile and self-defeating in the long run. The second question of importance to Arab leaders is how to manage expanding regional integration, in White House terminology, which means the recognition of Israel by Arab countries including Saudi Arabia in a way that does not perpetuate the Israeli occupation of Arab territories including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. It would be interesting to hear from Biden whether the US administration still abides by the decision of former president Trump to admit Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights when this is against international law and UN resolutions. The third question, related to the previous two, centres around how to deal with Iran, which according to international experts is now approaching the ability to manufacture a nuclear device while perfecting its arsenal of long-range missiles. That might be the most intricate and complicated question facing the participants at the Jeddah summit in July. There are competing approaches to it on the Arab side. In the wake of the on-and-off negotiations that have been taking place for more than a year now to push the Iranians into recommitting to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) the Iran nuclear deal and the US rejoining it after it officially withdrew in May 2018, the Arab governments will be interested to hear what Biden has to say on how his administration plans to deal with Iran under two different scenarios. The first scenario is where both the US and Iran rejoin the nuclear deal, bearing in mind what this would mean for US policies on the destabilising role played by Iran and its Arab proxies in the Middle East and the Gulf. The second scenario is the failure of the negotiations and the consequent result of Iran progressing rapidly and almost secretly in shortening the breakout period to obtain a nuclear weapon. Unquestionably, this second scenario would be the worst case from an Arab point of view. The Arab countries would face a dilemma on the best way to deal with this unprecedented threat to Arab national security interests, including those of the Gulf countries. There are those who believe that some Arab countries would seek to obtain a nuclear weapon if Iran possesses one. Maybe this scenario has been encouraging talk of setting up some kind of security alliance between the Arab countries and Israel, with the US providing an umbrella to contain Iran and, in the worst case, launching an attack on its nuclear installations. However, it is doubtful that all the Arab countries would accept such an alliance. It also brings up the question of the regional fallout of a solo Israeli attack on Iran, which would set the Middle East on a highly uncertain, unpredictable, and dangerous path. The three questions mentioned above will define the Jeddah summit and reshape the Middle East for years to come against the background of a volatile regional and international scene exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. In the meantime, and as far as this war is concerned, I believe that the Arab leaders will reiterate their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the resumption of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to reach a negotiated solution that will guarantee the political and security interests of both countries. The writer is former assistant foreign minister. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: I received a phone call from Egypts Ambassador to Belgium Badr Abdel-Atti, following the publication of an article of mine about a gas export deal between Egypt and the EU. At the time, the agreement had not been made public. It was subsequently signed during the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyens recent visit to Egypt. The ambassador confirmed the information I had conveyed about the agreement which, as I had written, would bring Egypt into the club of gas-exporting nations. Egypt had once been a gas importer until it achieved self-sufficiency in 2018. Describing the agreement as a landmark, Egypts Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek Al-Molla said that it would clear the way for Egypt to export gas extracted from the recently discovered reserves in our territorial waters in the Mediterranean to other European countries suffering from the halt in exports of Russian gas. He added that the agreement was effectively an official recognition that Egypt had become an international hub for transportation and trade in gas. Egypt already has two gas liquefaction plants. After processing, the liquified natural gas (LNG) will be exported to Europe aboard LNG carriers or through trans-Mediterranean pipelines. The plants, which are located in the Beheira and Damietta governorates, each have a capacity to produce around two billion cubic feet of LNG a day, or 12 million tons per year. This will make Egypt the 13th largest LNG exporter in the world, the fifth largest in the region and second largest in Africa after Algeria. With this accomplishment, Egypt will have acquired a new source of hard currency revenues that is both stable and growing in value given the rising prices of energy against the backdrop of the political upheavals from the Russian-Ukrainian war. In addition to the huge economic benefits it will bring, the agreement will have important political ramifications for the future of the Middle East and for strategic cooperation in energy security between the Mediterranean North and South. It will also ensure a more influential role for Egypt in its regional environment, strengthening its position vis a vis rival powers such as Turkey. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Since its establishment in 1939, Marvel Comics has been one of the top production companies that created fantasy stories for children and teenagers focused on mystery, adventure and action. Characters like Spider Man, Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk were widespread among the readers and then viewers when they were transferred into films or TV series. For over seven decades the dramatic and characterisation structures which were adopted by Marvel (and also the other comic production companies) were based on the traditional conflict between good and evil, in that case the conflict between superheroes and supervillains. Their main goal was to focus directly on the imaginative aspects of the story to create an artificial, dazzling ambience and striking characters without paying much attention to the depth of the drama, the development of the characters or the importance of acting. Eventually, the early superheroes productions suffered from being generally shallow. Perhaps the production companies thought that, since the largest percentage of their audience are children and teenagers, then the depth of the story, the strength of direction, or the reality of acting was of less importance in the production equation. This was not the case after the beginning of the 21st century when Marvel produced in 2002 Spider Man directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. Although the story is from Marvel Comics, the direction, the shooting and the acting in this film was much closer to reality more than before. The new artistic approach gained appreciation from the audience and the critics as well, one year after Ang Lees Hulk was produced, based on Marvel Comics, with the same new goal. This became a new trend in the superhero world, but perhaps the most significant change happened in 2005, when Warner Bros also changed its approach and produced Batman Begins, based on DC Comics, directed by Christopher Nolan. The development of the Superheroes stories and films continued throughout these years. Recently Marvel Studios launched a new superhero TV series titled Moon Knight. The six episode-series which broadcast on the Disney Plus platform was directed by Mohamed Diab (four episodes, with the two others by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead). The series starred Oscar Isaac who is also an executive producer with Diab and others. Created by Doug Moench, Moon Knight is based on ancient Egyptian mythology. There are similarities among superheroes, regardless of the production company, that were obviously taken into consideration when the series creator came up with the details of the main characters personality: he is an ordinary person who suffers from loneliness; he is innocent, as can be seen in Peter Parker in Spiderman or Clark Kent in Superman. In the first episode of Moon Knight we are introduced to the main character, Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac, who is also the executive producer along with Diab and few others), an ordinary employee in the gift shop of an ancient Egyptian museum in London. The introductory scene shows that although he seemed to be a simple Englishman living alone, there is something creepy about his life as he ties his leg to the bed while sleeping and wraps scotch tape round the door of his apartment. Such precautions show that he suffers from a kind of mental disorder or a sleepwalking condition. However, it becomes clear in later episodes that Grant suffers from more confusing problems. The first episode, as in most thriller TV series, contains an important gripping scene which includes a major twist that will change the life of this ordinary person for good. That is when Grant discovers that the blackouts he suffers are periods of time when his body is possessed by another personality whose name is Marc Spictor, an American person with superpowers. That is when he wakes up to himself in another city being chased by the armed followers of Ammit. The reference of the plot uses the mythical nature of the goddess Ammit, who is a funerary deity, as a mythological creature with a crocodiles head, a lions torso and the legs of hippopotamus. She can be found under the Scales of Justice in the Duat realm (the underworld in the ancient Egyptian mythology), where the dead person is judged with his heart on the right scale and a feather on the other. When the scales show that the heart is heavier than the feather, Ammit devours the heart and the person is not allowed to continue his voyage to immortality. The drama of the series used this nature of Ammit as an equivalent to ordinary evil when the intentions of the supervillain, Ammit followers leader Arthur Harow (Ethan Hawke) wanted to resurrect Ammit so that she can eradicate those who are capable of making mistakes or committing crimes before the do. However, this cult uses violence and terrorism to punish humans on their intintions. Against this abusive force there is Khonsu, the God of the Moon who tries through his avatar, Marc, to fight the Ammits followers just to give humans the freedom of choice and the ability to learn from their mistakes. The series gets its vibes not only from the exotic mystery of the ancient Egyptian mythology itself but also from revealing some of the storys secrecy gradually, where a part of the puzzle is nearly solved each episode. As in the first episode, when Grant was chased by a mythical Egyptian Jackal in the museum, when he saw his other personality in the mirror, Marc asked him to surrender his body to him then transformed into the superhero Moon Knight to kill the Jackal. A few things make this series face more challenges than any other superhero productions. The main character is not like Spiderman, Hulk or Thor, who were known to the audience from the comic books before they were seen on screen. The case with Moon Knight is that it is an innovative production not only in terms of the character of the superhero but also in the use of the ancient Egyptian mythology. This may cause some confusion in the drama, especially in the fifth and sixth episodes where the creators try to cast the real life of the main character as if he is suffering from a severe schizophrenic condition with hallucinations, then the change the line of drama again to favour the conflict between the Egyptian gods Khonsu and Ammit. One of the most fascinating features of this series is that the series director, Diab, manages to transfer the usual chase scenes which are iconic in suspense-thriller Hollywood films to the streets of the poorest and deprived neighbourhoods of Cairo. Diab wasnt the only Egyptian to work in this production: Khaled Abdallah played a significant role as Selim Osiris Avatar in three episodes, while Ahmed Dash Played the role of a young thug and Ammit follower in a few scenes. The editing too is by an Egyptian, Ahmed Hafez, working with two others, and the music was done by the talented composer Hehsam Nazih. Beside the beautiful score of the series, he probably also selected some Egyptian songs: in the scene when Grant is about to go on a date with his colleague, Nagats song Bahlam Maak (Dream With You), which was famous in the 1980s, was played in the background. In another episode also the audience will recognise a different mix of Wardas famous song Batwanis Beek (I Enjoy Your Company) at the beginning of the third episode. The importance of using this song is to link Marc-Grant with Egypt when he wakes up in front of the pyramids of Giza while Marcs wife Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy, who is also a Palestinian-Egyptian actress) is looking for him. Calamawys performance in this series can be described as charismatic, since she is an experienced Hollywood actress. In fact most of the acting couldnt be more captivating, especially when it comes to the two Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke as the villain with his firm and confident expressions and Oscar Issac who plays the protagonist with his two identities and their contradictory reactions: the Englishman who has a sense of humour and the American who is a classic, serious hero. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: What does it mean to be from somewhere? Which traditions stay alive and which die with their upholders? What stories make it to the screen, and why? Those are some of the questions that come to mind when watching From Meir, To Meir. Shot between 2008 and 2020, Morgan's film follows the directors journey to the Upper Egyptian town of Meir in the governorate of Assiut, where her grandparents were born and lived up until they left for Alexandria. From Meir, To Meir premiered at the 2021 Aswan International Womens Film Festival, where it won the Award for Best Egyptian Film Supporting Womens Work. The film was most recently awarded the Jury Prize for Best Film at the National Film Festival and will be made available on Netflix as of 7 July. It was also shown as part of Zawya Art House Cinemas annual Cairo Cinema Days programme (25 May-21 June). The screening was followed by a Q&A with the director, who introduced her work with a word of advice to the audience: that the films we see at Zawya are not films we see on TV or at commercial venues, and the people we see on screen at Zawya are not people we see on screen anywhere else. In addition to her work as a filmmaker, Morgan teaches film studies at the American University in Cairo, where I was fortunate to take her class on cinema in Egypt and the Arab world. To those of us in the audience who were students of hers, her introductory words called to mind to the markers of her course and of the AUC film department more broadly: exposure to alternative films, frequent trips to venues like Zawya, and a theory-intensive curriculum through which we were offered the tools to help us read films like her own. One thing I learned in Morgans class is that many contemporary Egyptian documentaries fall within a tradition pioneered in the 1970s by Ateyyat El Abnoudy. By turning the camera from institutional experts to the subjects themselves manual workers, street performers, her own family and friends El Abnoudys films set the stage for more personal, candid, and reflexive documentaries. In From Meir, To Meir, Morgan does not seek to distance herself from her subject or audience. From the onset, viewers see and hear the director on screen, introducing the town of Meir and her family roots through personal archives. She declares that her decision to make a film about Meir is one which she cannot fully explain. In a sense, this admission makes the film doubly participatory. As viewers, we are invited to embark both on the physical journey through the town and the metaphorical journey of the question: why make a film about Meir? Maybe the answer lies in the towns history: from a series of interviews, we learn that Meir was once home to Benjamin Behman, founder of the Behman Psychiatric Hospital, now run by the children of his son-in-law, Fathy Loza. Meir was also once home to the Greiss family, owners of a majestic residence separate from their home for the purpose of receiving prominent visitors. Members of the Greiss and Loza families feature in the film and express great pride in their origins. Yet, as the director herself notes in a voiceover, these families still chose to leave. And From Meir, To Meir is less preoccupied with the people who used to live in Meir than with the lives of its remaining inhabitants. Beyond the Greiss familys luxurious residence, in 2008, Meir looks like most towns in rural Egypt, with unpaved roads, exposed brick buildings, and a withered agricultural landscape. The people who live there are predominantly Christian and from modest backgrounds. They are also the keepers of local customs: weddings, church services, and annual rituals like the mouled of the Virgin Mary. The making of kishk, a traditional Upper Egyptian dish, is another communal activity in which many of the towns inhabitants participate. Viewers are introduced to these customs through the filmmakers recording of events and interviews with locals. Three siblings in particular Romany, Kirolos and Mariam: the children of Am Abdeltawab feature prominently throughout the film and offer their views on what goes on in the town. In a sense, the children become the viewers unexpected guides. A second thing I learned from Morgans class is that film can become a means to record cultures eroded by imperialism. This value is often discussed in relation to Palestinian cinema, epitomised in films like Michel Khleifis Wedding in Galilee (1987), which dedicates ample screen time to portraying traditional Palestinian weddings. However, the same is also true in postcolonial contexts, such as the one in which From Meir, To Meir unfolds. In one sequence, Romany smokes shisha with his father and gives a comical lesson on different types of maassel tobacco. In the same interview, he and his brother talk about their desire to leave the country, one shared by most of Meirs inhabitants, who dream of leaving for the United States, Kuwait, or anywhere other than home. One of the towns most anticipated annual events is the green card lottery, in which the people of Meir are said to be luckier than most. From Meir, To Meir therefore archives a culture which is at risk of disappearing as its keepers emigrate. It is perhaps noteworthy that most of Meirs inhabitants belong to a religious minority, and that the US financial crisis was ongoing at the time of filming, further colouring the forces at play in the erosion of traditions shown on screen. The director is not the only one in the film to undertake this archival project. Among those interviewed is Samir El Qommos, whose family has lived in Meir since the fourth century, and who serves as the towns archivist, chronicling every birth, marriage, death, or other event in Meir. His intervention makes the archival process triple: the directors documentation of Meir through interviews with its inhabitants, her own documentation of the filmmaking process, and the archivists documentation of comings and goings in Meir including, presumably, Morgan and the film teams presence. When a gruesome suicide by self-immolation takes place in the course of filming, these extensive archives also unveil a shocking phenomenon. We learn that Shenouda, the recently deceased, is one of many predominantly young people to have taken their own lives in Meir. Different interviewees offer their views on the matter: some believe the suicides are due to poverty; others that they are due to lack of piety, mistreatment among family members, or marital abuse. Romany comments that suicide is more common among young people because old people stubbornly cling to life, even though suicide by insecticide is available for the cheap price of one pound. Shenoudas mother cannot seem to explain or understand why her son would choose to die. A third thing I learned in Morgans class is that alternative films do not offer clear delineations of good and evil, of heroes and villains. From Meir, To Meir does not overtly comment on its subjects stances, but it does invite viewers to question their own. By reflecting openly on the filmmaking process, the film challenges its audience in more ways than one. Some are obvious: the drastic shift between Um Shenoudas visceral grief and Romanys comical views on the issue; or the shift from Romanys assertion that old people hang onto life with their hands and teeth to his elderly grandmothers smile. Some are more subtle: the discrepancy between the Greiss family residence and other houses in Meir; or the fact that some of Morgans interviewees respond to the questions in English, a language which is not accessible to most people in Meir, nor to all viewers of the film. The final moments of From Meir, To Meir recall the initial question of why Morgan chose to make the film, and her introductory words to the audience: the people we see on screen at Zawya are not those we see on screen anywhere else. The sudden death of one of the films characters prompted the director to resume filming in 2020, a decision which she noted was also encouraged by creative consultant Taghreed Al-Asfouri. In those twelve years, many of the towns inhabitants had left home. The buildings now stand empty, because while people spend years struggling to leave Meir, no one ever moves to the small town. The film nonetheless ends with the hopeful sentiment that places and buildings are less important than people, and perhaps this is one answer to its initial question: why make a film about Meir? Because the stories of Meirs people are worth telling, they live on even if the town becomes deserted or vanishes altogether. Film journeys typically lead less to a location than to a metaphorical answer. In Abu Bakr Shawkys Yomeddine (2019), Bishays cross-country journey to Upper Egypt leads to his ultimate acceptance of his leprosy. In Hala Lotfys Coming Forth By Day (2012), the protagonists tumultuous journey through Cairo paves her way to accepting her fathers imminent death. But a fourth thing I learned from Morgans class is that there are no easy answers. During the Q&A, which was moderated by filmmaker Bassam Mortada and in which Al-Asfouri also participated, one audience member asked if the film had been screened in Meir. The director explained that, while those featured in the film had seen it, holding a screening in Meir would be difficult because there are no cinemas or appropriate public spaces. She also noted that while many of the characters enjoyed telling their stories on screen, they were unsure that anyone else would take an interest in hearing them. This answer seems to raise more questions: why are films like From Meir, To Meir not more widely disseminated? How many of us will remember the characters names after leaving the cinema? How could this film be made accessible to those who would never forget, and maybe need to see it the most? Maybe one answer lies in the growing reach of streaming services: From Meir, To Meir is soon to be made available on Netflix, hopefully meaning the stories it portrays can be brought to a much wider audience. But the question stands of how accessible such platforms are to most people in Egypt, their affordability, the discrepancies in internet penetration across the country and, more simply, why films like these do not typically enjoy the same breadth of commercial distribution. Perhaps the most important thing I learned in Morgans class is that truthful, unpretentious films call for truthful, unpretentious writing. I cannot claim to bring any answer to the questions posed by the film. But I do know that films like From Meir, To Meir matter because they force us to confront the fact. Because they leave their viewers with more questions than answers, and because the stories of Meirs inhabitants need to be told not by researchers or experts, but by themselves, and to as wide an audience as possible. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The naming of Cairo as this years ICESCO Capital of Culture of the Islamic World is an opportunity to look again at the citys contributions to Islamic civilisation, historian Nezar Al-Sayyad tells Dina Ezzat. In the third week of June 972 CE, exactly 1,050 years ago, Al-Muizz li-Din Allah arrived in Egypt from North Africa to become the first ruler of Egypts Fatimid Dynasty and the first to govern the country from the city he built to outdo all those of the countrys previous rulers. This city, Al-Qahera, or Cairo, has been named this years Capital of Culture of the Islamic World by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO), an agency of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) concerned with education, science, culture, and communication in the Islamic countries. Cairos appointment was originally scheduled for 2020 but was put off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Culture has been holding a series of events including seminars and art performances and the screening of documentaries that reflect on Cairos Islamic heritage. After the Arab-Muslim takeover of Egypt in 640 CE, the new rulers of the country had built three consecutive capitals prior to Al-Qahera, namely Al-Fustat, Al-Askar, and Al-Qataa. Some historians would argue that the new Fatimid capital of Al-Qahera, originally a walled city containing two palaces and a mosque, inevitably absorbed all the previous capitals of Egypts Arab Muslim rulers, creating what was to become the conurbation of Cairo. Throughout the subsequent decades of Muslim rule, however, Cairo was never the capital of the Islamic caliphate. But it was always a city enjoying a significant presence in Islamic civilisation. For Nezar Al-Sayyad, a professor of architecture and urban history at the University of California, Berkeley, in the US, this years naming of Cairo as the ICESCO Capital of the Culture of the Islamic World is an opportunity for hard work to make sure that the citys place in Islamic culture is appropriately remembered. Author, co-author, or editor of some 20 titles on the history of Cairo, Al-Sayyad said in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly that Cairos naming this year should honour the heritage of this almost 11-century-old city and its links with Islamic civilisation. It was an opportunity to revisit many ideas about the concept of an Islamic city, something which he said related more to the urban norms of the time rather than to any dominant religion or the elements of Islamic civilisation. There is no single definition of Islamic civilisation, just as there is no single definition of any other civilisation, because inevitably a civilisation is the product of a set of ideas and norms that controls peoples lives, Al-Sayyad said. The case of Islamic civilisation was particularly interesting because it saw the metamorphosis of Islam from a religion to a whole set of cultural norms reflected in all aspects of life, including the architecture of Egypts Mamluk period, considered by many historians to be the gems of Cairos association with Islamic civilisation. This was so given that the peak of urban development is often also a moment of cultural prominence, Al-Sayyad added. But the high points of the development of Cairo cannot exclude the work done under the khedive Ismail in the 19th century either, Al-Sayyad said, since this took the city from being one from the Middle Ages to modern times. In fact, it was the pursuit of modernity, he added, that had given the city its most important urban moments from its foundation under the Fatimids to the rule of the Free Officers after the 1952 Revolution. What was built under the khedive Ismail could also not be seen in terms of an Islamic city, he added. Today, Al-Sayyad said, many of monuments from the periods of Cairos architectural flourishing are being compromised, whether those built under the rulers of the Middle Ages or under the later Mohamed Ali Dynasty from the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries. Cairo has been made this years Capital of Islamic Culture, while at the same time some of the gems of Islamic architecture in the city are being compromised or destroyed, both in the vicinity of the historic cemeteries or even in the heart of what was once the Fatimid gated city, he said. Over the past decade, and especially during the past three to four years, some irreparable harm had been done, he added. DAMAGE The damage was not only about the destruction or the falling into disrepair of some buildings, Al-Sayyad said. There was also the building of new constructions in the historic zones. Why should we tolerate the construction of a parking lot in the heart of Fatimid Cairo? Why should cars be allowed into this zone to start with? When we talk about the original plan of Fatimid Cairo, we are actually talking about a single square km, he said, adding that this could at least be saved from cars. While it was a good idea to mark Cairos year as Capital of Islamic Culture through art and other performances, it would be an equally good idea to look again at the changes taking place in the historic areas of the city, either by addition or destruction. Al-Sayyad acknowledged that Cairo was not new to losing historic areas and buildings. It had happened many times before, starting especially with the modernisation schemes of the rulers of the Mohamed Ali family, among them the khedive Ismail. However, he said that what should be done before any changes are introduced is to carry out a careful process of documentation, something that is easier to execute today than it once was. Equally, he said, maintaining historic buildings or even having them moved and reassembled is much easier today than before. In the early 20th century, some historic buildings were moved and reassembled to make way for new developments, he said, and this could happen again today. As part of this years celebrations, plans need to be made and implemented to help preserve historic Cairo, especially its original quarters. There is no shortage of examples taken from other cities worldwide that could be used as references in the elaboration of such a scheme. But, as Al-Sayyad said, the history of Cairos development has never been smooth. This original capital of the Fatimids was built above and in part upon three consecutive capitals that were never fully designed as cities but were more like temporary administrative bases. After the fall of the Fatimids and the end of the gated city under subsequent Ayoubid Dynasty rule, Cairo underwent unplanned development that then had to be addressed under subsequent Mamluk rule. The uneven roads challenged Mamluk architects as they built the architectural gems of the time. Some of the empty lots the architects had to work with were very complicated to handle, and this became exactly the core of the brilliance of Mamluk architecture, not just in the buildings but also in the plans as well, Al-Sayyad said. It was also part of the unique design of Cairo as a city with a layered urban plan. This years celebration of Cairo should be an opportunity to recapture some of the aspects of the city in the Middle Ages, he said. With the exception of the Fatimid mosques, the mosques of the city for the better part of its history were never exclusively prayer spaces, for example. Instead, they were more like educational institutions, and the concept of the mosque-school dominated, he added. In the case of the mosque-school of Al-Saleh Najmuddin Al-Ayoubi, there were areas to teach all four schools of Islamic Law. Other elements of Islamic culture were reflected in the architecture of the city, he said, including the kuttab-sabil complexes, buildings made up of elementary schools and water fountains, which were a dominant feature of Cairo architecture during Mamluk rule. This was far more the case in Cairo than in other cities under Muslim rulers during the Middle Ages, he said. The modernisation of Cairo that Mohamed Ali began in the early 19th century did not disconnect the city from architectural expressions of Islamic culture. There is an organic development to culture, Al-Sayyad said, which was reflected in the city even with the significant shifts that came in building design and urban planning. The expansion of Cairo that took place in the second half of the 19th century under the khedive Ismail certainly took place using the architectural parameters of the time. This could have amounted to a rupture, especially since the architects involved were mostly European, even if they worked with Egyptian construction workers and masons. It was at this point that the historic part of the city, the city of the Middle Ages built under the Islamic rulers, started to be left behind. But it is important to remember that some architectural elements persisted, as one can see in the building of the Islamic Museum in the late 19th century and the Al-Rifaai Mosque, Al-Sayyad noted, both of which use a Neo- Mamluk style of architecture, making this for a time the Egyptian national style. This style later inspired many examples of 20th-century architecture, Al-Sayyad added, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But this continuity is in itself powerful testimony to the glory of this architectural style that gave historic Cairo some of its most precious buildings. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: There is history and meaning in the intricate and exquisite embroidery of tulle-bi-telli, one of Egypts best-known traditional fabrics, writes Khaled El-Ghamry The French city of Tulle may take the credit for first making hand-made tulle, a very fine, light-weight fabric, in the 18th century. However, traces of tulle and similar fabrics date back to ancient Egypt, meaning that the ancient Egyptians were making a similar fabric though calling it by a different name. Fast-forward to the 1930s in Egypt where the dresses of belly dancers were elegant, smooth, and exquisite, each a hand-made masterpiece made of tulle-bi-telli. The fabric was often made of silk or cotton and was delicately embroidered with golden or silver thread. Tulle-bi-telli was not popularised at the time as much as it might have been because the public associated it mostly with belly dancers. It was not until the 1990s that it regained popularity, this time among the general public, due to the efforts of heritage aficionados and handicrafts and plastic artists who worked on reviving this type of Egyptian art and presenting it in handicrafts exhibitions and establishing training schools for those wishing to make it. Aziza Abdel-Hamid, who owns a tulle-bi-telli workshop and lives on Shandawil Island in Sohag in Upper Egypt, said that she started working in embroidery at the age of 12 in schools run by the Cultural Palaces Organisation and at tulle-bi-telli workshops. She was passionate about handicrafts such as sewing, khayamiya, embroidery, and making shoes and bags, though when she started such things were a hobby. It was only later that she started developing her own products and coming up with new ideas for tulle-bi-telli. Sohag is the most famous governorate for the tulle-bi-telli industry because of an English visitor who took a photograph of a tulle-bi-telli dress in one of the museums on Shandawil Island in the late 1980s. She showed it off when she got home, attracting international interest to this traditional Egyptian form of art and increasing the demand for it, Abdel-Hamid said. Tulle-bi-telli is a difficult type of embroidery because the thread used is thick, being covered with a layer of gold or silver. During the embroidery process, the fabric should be tight and the knit is done several times so that the end result is soft, Abdel-Hamid explained, adding that in the making of tulle-bi-telli different fabrics can be used, including tulle, silk, and linen to make cloaks, shawls, and evening and wedding attire. All tulle-bi-telli designs are derived from Egyptian nature and culture, and they include palm trees, camels, brides, knights, closed triangles, mosques, and crosses. The figures have a Pharaonic air about them, even if the tulle-bi-telli thread is imported from France, Germany, or China, proving that the craft is originally Egyptian, despite some contradictory claims, Abdel-Hamid stated. The majority of tulle-bi-telli buyers are women of different nationalities, but demand has recently increased, and it has also started to appeal to some men. I started by making ties, which gave me the idea of making jewellery and accessories such as chains, necklaces, earrings, buttons, pendants, bags, and shoes all made of tulle-bi-telli, she added. Although these crafts are limited to women in Upper Egypt, my husband, son, and 18-year-old daughter Khadiga assist me in marketing my products. One of the most important ways of doing this is through handicrafts exhibitions, where people and companies buy the products and then export them. She added that she feels she is responsible for teaching the people of her village the art of tulle-bi-telli. Together with her daughter, Abdel-Hamid has taught more than 100 women and girls this art of embroidery, and today Khadiga is an experienced teacher and girls as young as 10 compete to learn and perfect the art. Referring to some obstacles in marketing her products, Abdel-Hamid said that some thread may be unavailable, or only at high prices. The latter had increased by about 30 per cent, she said, adding to the cost of final products and delivery times, especially when taken in addition to the high rentals charged for spaces in exhibitions. The banks and the Social Fund should do more to provide soft loans for workers in the tulle-bi-telli industry to help them to preserve this authentic art, she said. DESIGNS: Doaa Mustafa, a businesswoman and fan of the art of tulle-bi-telli, explained that the prices of cloaks and dresses made in the fabric could range from LE1,500 to LE5,000, while wedding dresses could cost up to LE10,000, depending on the amount of the embroidery, its quality, and the type of fabric used. Special designs should be developed that retain their Egyptian character to match modern tastes. More fabrics should also be used to suit different age groups and be worn on different occasions, Mustafa said. Workers in the tulle-bi-telli industry should be given training courses in marketing, design, and customer service to learn the importance of maintaining relations with their customers when it comes to pricing and deadlines, she added. Sidra Khaled, an 18-year-old student, believes that her generation does not know much about tulle-bi-telli and that it does not suit her in its current form. Perhaps if it was used in a simpler way and in different forms she could wear outfits made of it, especially on special occasions such as weddings, she said. Shaimaa Al-Naggar, a resident of Shandawil, said that she had learned about the tulle-bi-telli industry by chance at the age of 12. I was playing with friends in front of the house when we met a neighbour who asked me to accompany her to buy tulle-bi-telli embroidery thread. I was intrigued, and then I learned the craft at the hands of the daughter of our neighbour, she said. Al-Naggar was a quick learner, mastering knitting in classes at her elementary school, for example. She then worked in several tulle-bi-telli workshops in her village before deciding to work in the business independently. She added that she had lost money several times because she had found it difficult to market her products. Upper Egyptian customs forbade women to travel alone without their parents, and her father insisted that she should not attend exhibitions held outside the village to display her work. When an exhibition of handicrafts was held by the Ministry of Local Development in Cairo, Al-Naggar tried to pressure her father into letting her go to it. My friends told him that they would not leave me alone and that it would be the only time I travelled alone. He eventually agreed, she said. The event was a breakthrough for Al-Naggar. The exhibition was opened by then president Hosni Mubarak, and Al-Naggar was captured on television shaking hands with the president. All of Al-Naggars pieces were sold, and she was contracted to do more tulle-bi-telli work. In 2000, the ministry was preparing another exhibition and asked Al-Naggar to attend. Her father refused, however, even with the attempts of her friends and brother to convince him that she would have to pay a fine if she missed it. It was only when the other villagers showed him a video of his daughter shaking hands and talking with Mubarak at the previous exhibition that her father agreed. He knew his daughter would go places with her talent, as indeed she did. Al-Naggar went on to participate in handicrafts exhibitions in Italy, France, India, and the UAE, among other countries. HISTORY: Al-Naggar explained that tulle-bi-telli was famous during the era of Mohamed Ali in the early 19th century as he was personally very interested in handicrafts and fine art. He used to present royal visitors and Egyptian princesses with clothes embroidered with tulle-bi-telli thread of pure gold and silver. Princesses wore it and considered it a fine example of Egyptian heritage. Queen Nazli, the wife of Egypts king Fouad, used to wear dresses embroidered with tulle-bi-telli. Today, Paris museums exhibit unique embroidered tulle-bi-telli pieces. Al-Naggar added that tulle-bi-telli can vary in quality. Metal thread is the cheapest for the embroidery because it rusts, while thread plated with silver or gold is more expensive. The most expensive fabrics of all are those that are embroidered with thread made of pure silver or gold. Pieces can range from LE300 to LE7,000 for cloaks and dresses depending on the quality, the type of thread, and the days spent embroidering the piece. The latter can range from one to 15 days. Some pieces, such as wedding dresses embroidered with silver thread, can cost up to LE30,000 and take about six months to make. Al-Naggar said that most of her clients are from the upper classes, not because her products are expensive, but because these clients appreciate this kind of embroidery and the time and effort put into it. They know that hand-made work is different from that embroidered by machine. I also receive foreign clients that know the value of tulle-bi-telli, she said. Clothes made in this way tend to be worn by older women, or at least women over 30 years of age. But after developments to the fabric, women in their early 20s have started to wear tulle-bi-telli too, and I also make denim trousers and cotton blouses embroidered with modern, simple, and delicate designs, which is what younger women prefer, Al-Naggar said. She has also taught hundreds of women and girls from her village and surrounding areas, saying that her house is open to anyone who wants to learn the handicraft for free. Some women she has taught are now exhibiting their work, and she is helping them to market their products. Torathna and Diarna (Our Heritage and Our Home) are two of the most important exhibitions for handicrafts in Egypt today, Al-Naggar continued. She added that due to high rents at exhibitions and the prices of fabrics, I have opened a store in Nasr City to market my products and those of other women. Jana Walid, 20, said she did not wear clothes embroidered with tulle-bi-telli. Although it is a beautiful art and needs great efforts in its manufacture, I think it is not suitable for my age group, she said. It was old-fashioned, she said, though it could be worn for wedding and evening gowns. Afaf Mohamed, 70, likes to wear clothes embroidered with tulle-bi-telli on formal occasions and events that call for elegant attire. She believes its price deserves to be higher than for other embroidered materials, given the amount of work that goes into it. Businesswoman Riham Mustafa said tulle-bi-telli embroidery could add elegance to any gown and that clothes made with it could be worn on different occasions depending on the amount and type of the embroidery. Amal Sayed, 70, believes tulle-bi-telli clothes can be over-priced, saying that some manufacturers may lie about the material used whether metal, silver, or gold because the business is not closely monitored. I contracted a woman at an exhibition to make me a tulle-bi-telli cloak and I paid her a down payment, but she missed the deadline by months and used less thread, claiming that the prices had gone up. Had she delivered the dress on time, the prices would have been much less, Sayed said. But it is not the price of the outfit that matters. What is important is the colour coordination and choosing the right dress for the right occasion, she concluded. A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The U.S. is planning to buy and send more medium- to long-range missile systems to Ukraine, a move officials hope will help Ukrainian forces hold onto the last remaining segments of land in the eastern Donbas that Russia has not yet been able to capture. A senior defense official said Monday that Ukrainian forces are already effectively using advanced rocket systems, and that more of those will go into Ukraine with trained troops soon. A new plan for the U.S. to buy and send NASAMS, an advanced surface-to-air missile system, to Ukraine, is also in the works and would add to its longer-range rocket and missile strike capabilities. President Joe Biden is expected to announce soon that the U.S. is purchasing NASAMS, a Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft system, to provide medium- to long-range defense for Ukraine, according to an administration official familiar with the matter. NASAMS is the same system used by the U.S. to protect the airspace around the White House and Capitol in Washington. Both the defense official and the administration official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. military assessments and plans that have yet to be announced. Russia has been mounting an all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, the city of Lysychansk, from the ground and air, the local governor said Monday. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were pummeling Lysychansk after capturing the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk in recent days. It's part of a stepped-up Russian offensive to wrest the broader Donbas region from Ukrainian government control in what Western experts say has become the new main goal of President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, now in its fifth month. The defense official said the U.S. continues to see morale and other command and control problems among the Russian forces, and that some local Russian officials in Ukraine have been assassinated in recent days. The U.S. has sent four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, into Ukraine, which already are being used. Four more will go in soon. Officials said the U.S. also expects to send additional aid soon, including more ammunition for Ukrainian artillery, as well as counter-battery radars, to help counter the Russian assault in the Donbas. The administration official said Biden is also announcing a $7.5 billion commitment to help Ukraine's government meet its expenses, as part of a drawdown of the $40 billion military and economic aid package he signed into law last month. Search Keywords: Short link: Bulgaria will expel 70 Russian diplomatic staff, the EU country's prime minister announced on Tuesday, the biggest number ordered out in one-go from the Balkan nation. "Bulgaria is going to expel 70 Russian diplomats... Our services identified them as people who worked against our interests," Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told reporters. "Everyone who works against the interests of Bulgaria will be called upon to return to their country. We expect a full 70-seat plane to fly back to Moscow," Petkov added. Those identified to be a "threat to national security" must leave by July 3, the foreign ministry said. Multiple European countries have expelled Russian diplomats following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with Russia responding in kind. Bulgaria's foreign ministry said it had summoned Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova on Tuesday to inform her of Sofia's decision. Bulgaria expects Russia to temporarily close its consulate general in Ruse in northern Bulgaria, while Bulgaria will temporarily close its consulate in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, it said. Bulgaria already expelled 10 Russian diplomats in March over the war in Ukraine. The EU and NATO member, a once staunch ally of the Soviet Union under communism, still has close cultural, historic and economic ties with Russia. But a series of espionage scandals since 2019 has soured relations between the two countries and seen some 20 diplomats and a technical assistant expelled. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity welcomed on Tuesday the election of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) as a member of the Governing Board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for the first time in decade. The ERC was elected to one of the five seats allocated to Africa during the IFRCs 23rd General Assembly in Geneva on 19 June, the ministry said in a statement. The ERC will hold the seat for a term of four years 2021-2025. In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said the step will enhance the humanitarian role played by the Egyptian Red Crescent globally. The ministry added that the election coincides with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's declaration that 2022 would be the Year of Civil Society in Egypt. El-Sisi has directed the ministry to support the governments humanitarian work and represent Egypt in humanitarian decision-making seats globally, the ministry noted. During the 23rd General Assembly in Geneva, President of the IFRC Francesco Rocca was reelected for a second four-year term; and four new vice-presidents and 20 governing board members representing each of the IFRCs geographic regions were also voted into office. Representatives of National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from 192 countries attended the assembly. The delegation of the Egyptian Red Crescent was represented at the Geneva event by Ramy El-Nazer, the CEO of the ERC; Amal Imam, the director of the ERC's Youth and Volunteer Development Department; Ali Mubarak, the ERC's treassurer; and Mahmoud Tharwat, the director of the ERC's Health and Care Department. The International Red Crescent and Red Cross movement is the largest humanitarian association in the world. It exists in 192 countries and has the largest volunteers network at 12 million. Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are auxiliary bodies to assist public authorities in their countries in humanitarian work. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Monday said "we will also deepen our cooperation with NATOs closest partners", Trend reports citing 1TV. And we will adopt new packages of support for our partners Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Moldova, he went on. NATO Sec Gen vowed the 2022 NATO Summit to be transformative with many important decisions. The NATO Summit is slated for Madrid, Spain, on 28-30 June 2022. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili will also partake in the Summit. The African Union Commission chief has voiced shock at the "violent and degrading" treatment of African migrants trying to cross from Morocco into Spain after 23 people died, and called for an investigation into the incident. About 2,000 migrants stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Friday. At least 23 migrants died and 140 police officers were wounded in the ensuing violence, according to Moroccan authorities. It was the heaviest toll in years from such attempts to cross the frontier at Melilla. "I express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from Morocco into Spain," AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement on Twitter late Sunday. "I call for an immediate investigation into the matter and remind all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritise their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force." Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, said a UN Security Council meeting would be held behind closed doors to discuss the violence African migrants face in Melilla. According to diplomats, the session, originally planned for Monday, was postponed to Wednesday. Kenya, Gabon and Ghana -- the African non-permanent members of the Security Council -- called for the meeting, Kimani added. "Migrants are Migrants: whether from Africa or Europe, they do not deserve to be brutalised in this way," he wrote on Twitter. Speaking at a regular press briefing, UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: "We very much deplore this tragic incident and the loss of life." 'Tragic symbol' Spain on Monday thanked Morocco for its "collaboration" in the defence of Spanish borders and once again blamed "international mafias that traffic human beings" for the incident. But calls for a probe have increased, with around 50 migrant rights groups calling the Melilla deaths "the tragic symbol of European policies to externalise the European Union's borders". "The death of these young Africans... alerts us to the deadly nature of the security cooperation on migration between Morocco and Spain," they added. Spain's rights ombudsman said it accepted a complaint from several non-governmental groups on the incident and has requested information from the relevant administrative bodies. Moroccan justice will prosecute 65 migrants, mostly Sudanese, who took part in the attempt to force their way into the Spanish enclave, a defence lawyer in Rabat said Monday. The prosecutor's office in Nador, which borders Melilla, has charged 37 migrants with "illegal entry into Morocco", "violence against law enforcement officers", "armed gathering" and "refusal to comply", their lawyer Khalid Ameza told AFP. A second group of 28 migrants will be tried for "participation in a criminal gang with a view to organising and facilitating illegal immigration abroad", Ameza added. The lawyer said the majority of the defendants were from Darfur, in western Sudan, which is in the grips of a food crisis and has seen recent violence that has left more than 125 people dead and 50,000 displaced. The others charged are Chadian, Malian and Yemeni. The migrant rush in Melilla came after Madrid and Rabat normalised their diplomatic relations following an almost year-long crisis centred on the disputed Western Sahara territory. For Spain, the main objective of the diplomatic thaw was to ensure Morocco's cooperation in controlling illegal immigration. Spain's enclaves in Morocco, Melilla and Ceuta are the only land borders the European Union shares with Africa. Search Keywords: Short link: A federal court Tuesday allowed Tennessee to ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, while a Texas judge temporarily blocked enforcement of that state's decades-old ban on virtually all abortions, in a flurry of activity set off at courthouses across the U.S. by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Statewide bans or other restrictions that were either left on the books for generations, tied up by legal challenges or specifically designed to take effect if Roe were to fall are now in play as a result of last week's Supreme Court ruling eliminating the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. Roughly half the states are expected to prohibit or severely limit the procedure now that the high court has left it up to them. Since Friday, judges have agreed to allow bans or other restrictions to take effect in Alabama, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee. But abortion bans remained temporarily blocked in some states, including Louisiana, Texas and Utah. Decisions are pending in other places, including Florida and Indiana. Abortion rights advocates also dropped some of their legal efforts in Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri. Some clinics initially turned patients away soon after the high court ruling came down, but then reopened as judges ruled in their favor. That happened in Louisiana on Tuesday. In Houston, a Democratic city in a conservative state, a judge blocked enforcement for now of a statewide ban on virtually all abortions. Abortions in Texas are still prohibited at about six weeks because of a law that took effect last year. But after Tuesday's ruling, Texas clinics, which stopped providing services on Friday, received assurances they can resume operations for at least a few more weeks without risking prosecution. At least one provider reopened to patients. In Tennessee, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday allowed a six-week ban to take effect at the state's request. An even more restrictive ban, prohibiting nearly all abortions, is set to take effect in a month. Both measures would make performing an abortion a felony and subject doctors to up to 15 years in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision opened the gates on a wave of litigation. One side is seeking to put statewide bans into effect swiftly, while the other is trying to stop or at least delay such measures. Much of the court activity focused on ``trigger laws'' adopted in 13 states that were designed to take effect quickly upon last week's ruling. Additional lawsuits could also target old anti-abortion laws that were left on the books in some states and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling are also coming back into play. In Wisconsin, the Democratic attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging an abortion ban that has been on the books for 173 years. With Roe struck down, abortion opponents said the old law is now in effect, and abortion providers in the state have stopped offering the procedure. But Attorney General Josh Kaul argued that an abortion-friendly law passed in 1985 supersedes the older law. Abortion rights supporters gathered at the South Carolina statehouse Tuesday. Merritt Watts, who moved to South Carolina from California last year, said if she still lived in California, she would have ``completely different rights.'' ``I used to think of red states as someone else's problem, but it's not,'' the Charleston resident said. ``They deserve what Californians have.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Only if all the relevant agencies work together can the Investment Authority be successful in its efforts at attracting foreign investment to Egypt. Over the last few weeks, I have been observing the various efforts made by the authorities to attract investment into Egypt, particularly the visit by the Saudi crown prince and his accompanying delegation which resulted in the signing of agreements for Egyptian-Saudi investments estimated at more than $7 billion followed by further high-level visits from Qatar and the UAE. Of course, I was happy to see the growing Arab investments in Egypt because of my firm belief that they are the most connected to this country and the most willing to persevere and even expand their presence in difficult circumstances. But I was also particularly delighted to see the Egyptian Investment Authority (EIA) at the forefront of such moves. Not only did the signature of the recent Saudi investment agreements take place at the authoritys headquarters, with the appearance of its director, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, in the newspapers and on television despite his reluctance to appear in the media but also the signature of these agreements testified to the great efforts made by the authority and its leadership to communicate with investors, especially Arab ones, addressing their problems, supporting them with information and incentives, and paying attention to their needs in order to restore confidence in the Egyptian market. But do the agreements, worth $7 billion, mean that money will now flow into Egypt and achieve the desired increases in production, employment, and exports? They do not. This so-called direct investment unlike hot money does not aim to buy financial instruments and government bonds that can be exited from in an instant. Rather, it seeks to establish or acquire genuinely productive and service assets that will require years of hard work and risk before they yield results. However, such investment is able to add production capabilities, job opportunities, and the capacity to export goods and services in the longer term, in addition, of course, to rewarding the investors. Direct investment is characterised by its tendency to stay in the country, a situation where its owners have little option but to settle down no matter how fluctuating the circumstances. This is precisely why attracting direct investment is so difficult and requires a lot of patience and perseverance on the part of those entrusted with this task. We return to the original question. Does signing agreements to invest billions of dollars in Egypt mean that funds will flow into the country? The answer is still no. Each of the agreements supported and sponsored by the Investment Authority will start on a journey of obtaining the land required, the industrial, environmental, and construction licences, permissions to import machinery, equipment, and raw materials, and then recruiting, appointing, and training the necessary labour force. They will need to obtain the necessary financing, start operations, open files with the Tax Authority and the social insurance and export control authorities, and then deal with the sectoral regulator whether in the industrial, commercial, or services field. All these stages are beyond the control of the Investment Authority, except to the extent that it seeks to facilitate the lives of investors and to strengthen and support them when problems or obstacles arise. All the steps I mentioned are in the hands of various other government agencies, and the final decisions rest with ministers, governors, the heads of authorities, and officials of various ranks. The result is that the Investment Authority may be able to attract the attention of investors, efficiently promote various sectors in Egypt, provide information, arrange visits, and urge government agencies to perform their roles efficiently. But the desired result of actually setting up factories, employing people, and producing goods and services will not take place successfully unless all government efforts come together and submit to the same orientation, being convinced that they are part of the same team working to achieve the same goal and not individual players disrupting the efforts of the rest. There has been growing discussion about encouraging investment and improving business in recent weeks, and this is all to the good. But the most important thing is for this conversation to turn into integrated and harmonious team work carried out by all the parties, because one weak link in the chain will be enough to waste everyones efforts. This article also appears in todays edition of the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm (30 June). A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would meet US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid for talks on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the bloc's expansion into two Nordic states. Analysts believe the meeting could play a crucial role in breaking down Turkey's resistance to bids by Sweden and Finland to join the Western defence alliance in response to the war. The two leaders have had a chilly relationship since Biden's election because of US concerns about human rights under Erdogan. Biden and Erdogan last met briefly in October on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Rome. "We spoke with Mr Biden this morning and he expressed his desire to get together tonight or tomorrow. We said it was possible," Erdogan said. He was speaking to reporters before flying to Madrid for talks that will start with his meeting with the leaders of the two Nordic countries and the NATO secretary general. Erdogan said he wanted to see the results of preparatory talks held on Monday in Brussels before deciding whether Sweden and Finland had done enough to lift his objections to their membership of the military alliance. Turkey is a NATO member and could veto both countries' applications at the summit. "We are a 70-year-old member of NATO. Turkey is not a country that randomly joined NATO," Erdogan said. "We will see what point they (Finland and Sweden) have reached," he added. "We do not want empty words. We want results." - 'Open mind' - Ankara has accused Finland and more particularly Sweden of offering a safe haven to Kurdish militants who have been been waging decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The Turkish leader has also called on the two countries to lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey in 2019 over Ankara's military offensive in Syria. The two countries went into the NATO meeting open to the possibility that Turkey might only lift its objections after the summit concludes on Thursday. "We have made progress. That is definitely the case," said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde. "We are prepared for something positive to happen today, but also for it to take more time," she added. "We must be patient and continue discussions even after the summit." Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said that he was neither "optimistic nor pessimistic at this stage". "We will go into this afternoon's discussion with Erdogan with an open mind," he told Finnish media. - Fighter jet talks - Erdogan's ability to maintain a close working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin while supporting Ukraine's war effort has made him an important player in the conflict. But those ties have also complicated his relations with Biden and the NATO bloc. Washington has sanctioned Ankara for taking delivery of an advanced Russian missile defence system in 2019. The purchase saw the United States drop Turkey from the F-35 joint strike fighter programme and impose trade restrictions on its military procurement agency. But Washington has signalled that it may be willing to move past the dispute. Biden's administration has dangled the possibility of supplying Ankara with older-generation F-16 jets that could replenish Turkey's ageing air force fleet. "The most important issue is the F-16 issue. It is still on the table," Erdogan said of his upcoming talks with Biden. Search Keywords: Short link: Male infertility diagnoses have increased 2.5 times over the last 10 years, partly because of changing marriage patterns and partly because of growing awareness. The number of men diagnosed with infertility rose from 26,682 in 2008 to 67,270 in 2018, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. But the number of women diagnosed with infertility dropped to 135,268 last year after peaking at 162,921 in 2015. Health officials attribute the increase to people getting married later and planning their families more carefully. The average age of first marriage for men rose from 27.8 years in 1990 to 30.1 years in 2003 and 33.2 years in 2018. "Men normally maintain peak fertility until their mid-40s, but it drops as they get older," said Prof. Choi Young-sik at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul. Other reasons include stress and exposure to various environmental hormones. But growing awareness is also a factor. An increasing number of single men visit hospitals to check their sperm count or viability these days as infertility is now seen as a problem of both men and women. "In the past, many couples tended to assume infertility was the woman's fault and only found out that the man was the cause when they went to hospital for artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization, but now men also consult doctors more actively," said Prof. Bae Woong-jin at St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul. Stoltenberg said Russia has "chosen confrontation instead of dialogue. We regret that -- but of course, then we need to respond to that reality." He said that NATO "will strengthen our forward defenses. We will enhance our battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance up to brigade levels." Meanwhile, ahead of a NATO summit starting Tuesday in Madrid, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said the Western military alliance is declaring a sevenfold increase in the number of its troops on standby alert -- from 40,000 to more than 300,000. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted, "The world is horrified by Russia's missile strike today, which hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall -- the latest in a string of atrocities. We will continue to support our Ukrainian partners and hold Russia, including those responsible for atrocities, to account." Zelenskyy said more than 1,000 civilians were at the shopping center at the time of the attack, and the mall was on fire. Initial reports say two people were killed and 20 wounded. The Ukrainian leader deplored the attack, saying the shopping center, in a city 300 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kyiv, was "no danger to the Russian army, no strategic value." He said the shoppers were only attempting "to live a normal life, which angers Russians so much." Russia launched missiles Monday that struck a shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the number of casualties is "impossible to even imagine." The United States and the other members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized economies meeting in Germany's Bavarian Alps imposed new sanctions Monday against Russia for its four-month invasion of Ukraine. These include measures to cut Moscow off from materials and services needed by its industrial and technology sectors. The White House said the U.S. will commit $7.5 billion as part of a G7 effort to help Ukraine cover its short-term budget needs, and that the governments are making "an unprecedented, long-term security commitment to providing Ukraine with financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support as long as it takes." In a joint communique, the G7 said, "We remain appalled by and continue to condemn the brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine by Russia and aided by Belarus. We condemn and will not recognize Russia's continued attempts to redraw borders by force." The announcement came as G7 leaders spoke by video link with Zelenskyy. Additional specific U.S. sanctions include blocks on Russian state-owned defense enterprises and defense research organizations, limiting Russia's ability to replenish equipment it has lost in the war, and prohibitions on gold imports into the United States. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the United States is finalizing a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes advanced air defense capabilities to help it shoot down incoming Russian missiles such as those deployed to target several Ukrainian cities over the weekend and the attack on Kremenchuk. In addition, he acknowledged the G7 leaders are attempting to craft a cap on the price of oil Russia sells on the world market "to deny revenue to Russia while at the same time ensuring a stable global energy market." Whether India and other nations that buy Russian oil would go along with a price cap is uncertain. Russian troops also carried out shelling in the eastern city of Lysychansk on Monday, trying to capture the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province after seizing control of neighboring Sievierodonetsk. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said the damage to Lysychansk has been "catastrophic." Haidai urged the remaining civilians to evacuate the city that was home to 100,000 people before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Russia now controls virtually all of Luhansk province, part of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow is trying to take over, one of its major war aims. Russian forces on Sunday launched new missile attacks against Ukraine's two biggest cities -- the capital of Kyiv, and Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in the city were hit, leaving at least one person dead and four others injured. Russia ramped up its use of cruise missiles, striking targets across northwestern Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared in several cities. "It's more of their barbarism," U.S. President Joe Biden said of the Russian strike on Kyiv. Russia on Monday rejected that it defaulted on international debt payments for the first time in a century. Interest payments totaling $100 million on two bonds were originally due May 27 but carried a 30-day grace period. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had made the payments in May but that they were blocked by Western sanctions and thus were "not our problem." In a joint communique, the G7 said, "We remain appalled by and continue to condemn the brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine by Russia and aided by Belarus. We condemn and will not recognize Russia's continued attempts to redraw borders by force." The announcement came as G7 leaders met in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, where they spoke by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The White House said the U.S. will commit $7.5 billion as part of a G7 effort to help Ukraine cover its short-term budget needs, and that the governments are making "an unprecedented, long-term security commitment to providing Ukraine with financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support as long as it takes." The United States and the other members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized economies imposed new sanctions Monday against Russia for its four-month invasion of Ukraine. These include measures to cut Moscow off from materials and services needed by its industrial and technology sectors. Additional specific U.S. sanctions include blocks on Russian state-owned defense enterprises and defense research organizations, limiting Russia's ability to replenish equipment it has lost in the war, and prohibitions on gold imports into the United States. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the United States is finalizing a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes advanced air defense capabilities to help it shoot down incoming Russian missiles such as those deployed to target several Ukrainian cities over the weekend. In addition, he acknowledged the G7 leaders are attempting to craft a cap on the price of oil Russia sells on the world market "to deny revenue to Russia while at the same time ensuring a stable global energy market." Whether India and other nations that buy Russian oil would go along with a price cap is uncertain. Russian troops carried out shelling in the eastern city of Lysychansk on Monday, working to try to capture the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province after seizing control of neighboring Sievierodonetsk. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said the damage to Lysychansk has been "catastrophic." Haidai urged the remaining civilians to evacuate the city that was home to 100,000 people before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February. Russia now controls virtually all of Luhansk province, part of the eastern Donbas region that Moscow is trying to take over, one of its major war aims. Russian forces on Sunday launched new missile attacks against Ukraine's two biggest cities, the capital of Kyiv and Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two apartment buildings in the city were hit, leaving at least one person dead, and four others injured. Russia ramped up its use of cruise missiles, striking targets across northwestern Ukraine. Air raid sirens blared in several cities. "It's more of their barbarism," U.S. President Joe Biden said of the Russian strike on Kyiv. Default Russia on Monday rejected that it defaulted on international debt payments for the first time in a century. Interest payments totaling $100 million on two bonds were originally due May 27 but carried a 30-day grace period. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had made the payments in May, but that they were blocked by Western sanctions and thus were "not our problem." Finland and Sweden support the YPG, as do some NATO members, including the United States, in the war against the Islamic State group. Erdogan wants Sweden and Finland to end their support of the Syrian Kurdish fighters of the YPG, which is linked to the PKK group that has been fighting the Turkish forces for decades, and which the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization. Kalin said Turkey has brought negotiations to a certain point and it is not possible for Turkish leaders to take a step back. He said Turkish diplomats told this to their counterparts and made it clear the next step is up to them. Ankara is warning it's not ready to lift its veto threat of their NATO membership bid ahead of the alliance's summit in Madrid on Tuesday. Erdogan's chief adviser Ibrahim Kalin, speaking on Turkish TV Sunday, said Turkish demands had not been met. Ankara also accuses Stockholm of giving sanctuary to people it says were responsible for the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Local Turkish media reported Monday the Turkish government has submitted a list of people it wants extradited from Sweden and Finland. Turkey's growing list of demands is a sign that Ankara has a broader agenda, said Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Turkey wanted clearly a more expanded big grand bargain with NATO. It's not getting that," Aydintasbas said. "Instead, it's getting a more bilateral conversation (among) Sweden and Finland (and) Turkey, and this has been a source of frustration. Erdogan wanted President (Joe) Biden himself to come into this conversation and put some incentives on the table. This hasn't happened." Aaron Stein of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia said despite Turkey's potential veto, Sweden's and Finland's security will still be assured from any Russian threat. "Turkey can hold back, but they are not going to hold back the alliance. Things will move forward," Stein said. "And let's be clear here: The most important NATO member country is the United States. It's the country that guarantees the security of them all. So, If the U.S. gives security to these two countries -- which Joe Biden has effectively done -- well, we've reassured in terms of what the U.S. will do: It will be to increase allied presence in Finland and Sweden." Erdogan is due to hold a series of meetings at the Madrid summit aimed at resolving the impasse. Analyst Aydintasbas said a deal can still be reached. "It can drag on, or it can be resolved at the NATO summit. Depends on how (much) bigger reward NATO member states and NATO itself wants to put on the table," Aydintasbas said. "Also depends on how much pressure there will be on Turkey. I think what Erdogan is seeking is at least visibility with NATO leaders, that he can present to the Turkish public as the global leader that has brought a big diplomatic victory for Turkey." Analysts say Erdogan is falling behind in the polls and needs a boost as he faces reelection a year from now. They also say the president knows that standing up to NATO plays well with his voting base and he may want to retain leverage over his alliance partners beyond the Madrid summit. Riverside pools in the Han River Park in Seoul have reopened for the first time in three years after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are six pools in the Han River Park -- in Gwangnaru, Jamwon, Nanji, Ttukseom, Yanghwa and Yeouido -- and they started welcoming visitors from last Friday. The pools serve as cool -- and very affordable -- summer getaways in the city. Adults can enjoy a pool for around the price of a coffee at just W5,000 (US$1=W1,287). The admission fee is W4,000 for teenagers and W3,000 for children. Those under the age of 6 can visit them free of charge. The crime action film "The Roundup" passed the 12-million-viewer mark on Sunday, according to the Korean Film Council. The film starring Ma Dong-seok, a sequel to his 2017 hit "The Outlaws," sold 318,864 tickets over the weekend, taking accumulated sales to 12.04 million since its release on May 18. That made the flick the 14th-biggest box-office hit of all time among Korean films, behind "A Taxi Driver," which drew 12.19 million viewers in 2017. "The Roundup" attracted more than 1 million viewers in just the first two days after its release, 5 million in 10 days, 10 million in 25 days and 11 million in 31 days. It is the first movie to cross the 10-million-viewer mark since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Also starring Son Suk-ku, the film revolves around a maverick policeman who heads to Vietnam to extradite a vicious hired killer who preys on tourists. By Trend The regular meeting of special representatives for the normalization process between Turkiye and Armenia will be held in Austria's Vienna on July 1, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye. Three meetings have already taken place between Turkish and Armenian special representatives, respectively, Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan. The last meeting was held in Vienna on May 3, and the special representatives confirmed their intention to continue the normalization talks without preconditions. U.S. Representative Christopher Smith is demanding a "thorough audit" of the hasty repatriation of North Korean fishermen who washed up in South Korea in 2019. Smith has convened a hearing of the House of Representatives' Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the issue of North Korean defectors. Shin Hee-seok, a legal expert at the Transitional Justice Working Group, described to the commission how two North Koreans who had arrived in South Korea by sea and were blindfolded and driven to a location unknown to them under the escort of South Korean police in November 2019. "Although the fishermen wished to defect to South Korea in handwritten statements, they were blindfolded and handed over to North Korea. When their blindfolds were finally removed before the repatriation, the fishermen reportedly collapsed to their knees in terror." "Standing before the two North Korean escapees were North Korean officials who would take them into custody," he added. The Moon Jae-in administration here at the time was desperate to appease North Korea after a flurry of ultimately fruitless summits. Smith told the Chosun Ilbo, "It is absolutely a breach of the spirit that animates the principle of non-refoulement to send people back into harm's way. I could just imagine the terror that they felt when the blindfolds were removed... If they had done anything wrong, then there should be a process for addressing that, but they should not be refouled against their will." President Yoon Suk-yeol has mentioned the possibility of an investigation into the incident. "Regardless of the domestic political implications of this in Korea, I would think that the people would want to demand accountability -- how did this happen, who gave the order, and why," Smith said. "In my opinion, I think there should be a thorough audit, and any necessary policy changes made." "I don't think this should have happened, certainly not in a country that has aspirations to leadership in the field of human rights, which is one of the reasons I was so critical of former President Moon, because he was previously a human rights activist and lawyer." "President Moon was a real disappointment... and sought to placate despots like Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping." Meanwhile, Shin also reminded the commission of the murky case of a South Korea fisheries official who was brutally murdered by North Korean soldiers while the South Korean Navy looked on. "When the North Korean Navy executed Lee Dae-jun, an unarmed South Korean citizen that drifted into North Korean-controlled waters, reportedly as part of its brutal COVID-19 quarantine measure in September 2020, the Moon administration did its best to direct the blame away from Pyongyang, even making an [implausible] claim that he tried to defect to North Korea." While inflows dropped dramatically from the 1 million mainly Syrians who spilled into the country during the 2015 refugee crisis, an estimated 1,000 migrants make illegal crossings every day. That's about 20-percent higher than last year. "There is a clear attempt by Turkey to instrumentalize migrants in creating a crisis with Greece," said Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi. And the numbers, he added, speak for themselves. Greece began extending the security fence along its rugged border with Turkey last year, a decade after Athens initially built a 13-kilometer fence in the region to stem the tide of illegal migration. But a sudden surge in refugee flows has authorities concerned now. Greece is set to further seal its land frontiers with rival neighbor Turkey, tripling the length of a soaring fence built to block illegal migrants trying to enter. The plan comes as Greece faces a sudden surge in refugees, both along its land and sea frontiers, as relations with its age-old foe deteriorate. Hundreds of additional border guards have been deployed along the so-called Evros frontier in recent weeks to bolster patrols. But with fears of a bigger migratory push looming, Mitarachi said Greece is wasting no time in moving ahead with plans to add 80 additional kilometers of barbed wire and steel to the existing 40-kilometer fence. How soon the project will begin remains unclear. But until it gets under way, Greece must deal with heightened migratory flows along its sea borders too... mainly in the massive Aegean waterway that divides Greece and Turkey. Nikos Spanos, an admiral with the Greek Coast Guard, spelled out the threats posed by this latest surge. "Let's not kid ourselves," he said. "Turkey regulates all migratory flows into Greece and Europe... and if the floodgates open farther, it will be very difficult for us to block these inflows from inundating many Greek islands." In June, Migration Ministry officials counted nearly three thousand migrants who tried to illegally cross into Greece from Turkey in a total of 82 attempts made. Only 72 asylum seekers managed to evade interception. With relations between Greece and longtime foe Turkey sinking to their lowest point in years, authorities here are preparing for the worst: Massive inflows like those seen in 2015 in the biggest migratory push to Europe since World War II. Although they are NATO members, Greece and Turkey have been competing over air and sea rights in the Aegean for decades. In recent weeks though, Turkey has threatened to challenge Greece's sovereignty, claiming that more than 100 Aegean islands are its own, not Greece's. Ankara is also increasingly accusing Athens of building a military presence on some of them in breach of international treaties, allegations that Greece strongly denies. Government sources told VOA Greece will raise what it calls Turkey's provocative stance at a meeting of NATO leaders this week in Spain. By Noriyuki Suzuki, KYODO NEWS - Jun 29, 2022 - 05:21 | Japan, All Japan will host a Group of Seven summit under its presidency in Hiroshima between May 19 and 21 next year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday in Germany. Next year's summit is intended to send a message of peace from Hiroshima, one of the two nuclear-bombed cities in Japan during World War II, as Russia has dangled the threat of nuclear weapons since it invaded Ukraine in late February. Hiroshima, located in western Japan, will host a gathering of G-7 leaders for the first time. The group includes three nuclear powers -- Britain, France and the United States -- as well as Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, plus the European Union. The announcement came after this year's G-7 summit concluded in Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in southern Germany, with the Ukraine crisis dominating the discussion. "I would like to make the summit a place for the leaders to show a strong commitment from Hiroshima to never repeating the horrors of nuclear weapons and opposing military aggressions," Kishida told a press conference. "At the upcoming summit, the G-7 will show we will be leading efforts to create a new order based on universal values and rules," he said. Kishida told his G-7 counterparts there is "no other fitting place than Hiroshima to commit to peace," a Japanese official quoted him as saying. It will be the seventh G-7 summit to be held in Japan, following the group's previous gathering in Mie Prefecture in 2016. As a longtime House of Representatives member elected from a constituency in Hiroshima, Kishida is pushing for a world free of nuclear weapons. He expressed his resolve to accelerate talks among the G-7 toward that goal. "The G-7 reaffirms the commitment to the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all, achieved through concrete, practical, and purposeful steps," the group said in a communique released after the conclusion of the three-day summit. The leaders underlined the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, as the "foundation" of pursuing nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Kishida plans to attend a U.N. conference on nuclear nonproliferation to be held in New York in August, where he is expected to deliver a speech. At the previous review conference, held in 2015 during Kishida's tenure as foreign minister, a consensus document was not adopted due to differences between nuclear weapons states and others. Hiroshima was devastated by the first atomic bombing by the United States, which took place on Aug. 6, 1945, and was responsible for an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of that year. A second atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki in southwestern Japan three days later. U.S. President Joe Biden backed Japan's selection of Hiroshima as the summit venue during his visit to Tokyo in May. KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2022 - 20:00 | All, Japan The ruling Liberal Democratic Party remains in the lead with the highest support rate ahead of the July 10 House of Councillors election, a Kyodo News survey showed Tuesday. In the nationwide telephone survey conducted from Sunday through Tuesday, 28.3 percent of respondents said they will vote for the LDP led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida when casting ballots under proportional representation, up 1 point from the previous poll conducted June 18 to 19. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was second at 8.2 percent, up 1.2 points. Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the LDP, was at 7.2 percent, up 1 point, and the Japan Innovation Party at 6.1 percent, down 1.6 points. Voters will cast two ballots -- one to choose electoral district representatives and one under proportional representation. In the election for the upper house, where the LDP and Komeito currently have a majority, 125 of the 248 seats will be contested. Among prominent election issues, 79.8 percent said the Kishida government has not taken adequate measures to curb rising living costs, while 15.3 percent said its measures were adequate. "The government will bear full responsibility in pushing forward measures against rising prices," Kishida said Saturday in a stump speech before he left for an overseas trip, adding he has already set up a task force for dealing with the issue and protecting people's lives from its adverse effects. "Of Japan's price increases, 60 percent is energy price rise and nearly 40 percent is a rise in food prices. We need to prepare measures that fit such characteristics," Kishida said. Japan is in the midst of efforts to pull the economy out of the COVID-19 economic fallout, but challenges such as rising commodity prices exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict and a weak yen are weighing on the world's third-largest economy. Measures for price rises was selected as the most important issue in the election by the largest share of respondents at 41.8 percent, followed by 17.6 percent for pension, medical and nursing policies, and 8.5 percent for childcare and declining birthrate policies. In the survey, 36.3 percent said the defense budget should be maintained at its current level, up 4.8 points from the previous poll. Those in favor of raising the defense budget to 2 percent of the country's gross domestic product fell 3.1 points to 34.1 percent. The budget has been limited to around 1 percent of GDP with the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy under the pacifist Constitution. But the LDP is looking to lift the defense budget in the face of China's growing military assertiveness and North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Respondents were evenly split on whether the Constitution should be revised under Kishida's leadership, with 44.8 percent in favor and 44.7 percent opposed. As for the upper house election in general, 69.3 percent of respondents said they had some interest, up 4.4 points from the previous survey, while 30.5 percent said they had little to no interest whatsoever. The approval rating for the Kishida Cabinet increased 0.1 point from the previous poll to 57.7 percent, while the disapproval rating increased 1.8 points to 35.8 percent. Regarding the government's response to the pandemic, 65 percent found it adequate, while 32.2 percent were not satisfied. The survey reached 620 randomly selected households with eligible voters on landline phones and 2,210 mobile phone users, receiving 505 and 742 responses, respectively. Related coverage: Campaigning heats up for Japan's July 10 upper house election Japan ruling bloc to secure majority in July upper house race: poll 64% of Japanese unhappy with gov't response to rising prices: poll KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2022 - 13:23 | All, Japan Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday he will visit Manila to attend Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s inauguration ceremony later this week. Hayashi is also scheduled to hold meetings with Marcos and incoming Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, during his planned three-day trip to the Southeast Asian nation through Friday, he told reporters. Hayashi's attendance at Thursday's inauguration comes as Tokyo aims to build a close relationship with the new Philippine administration amid China's growing maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas, where Tokyo and Manila are respectively challenged by Beijing's territorial claims. "We will make sure of our cooperation toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and further strengthen bilateral relations," Hayashi said, calling the Philippines a "strategic partner sharing basic values and strategic interests" with Japan. Hayashi will be the first Japanese foreign minister to attend a Philippine presidential inauguration since 2004 when Yoriko Kawaguchi was among the dignitaries. KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2022 - 14:39 | All, World At least 18 people died and 59 people were injured Monday when a Russian missile hit a busy shopping mall in central Ukraine, officials said Tuesday. More than 1,000 people were reportedly at the shopping mall in Kremenchuk at the time of the missile strike, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who posted a video online showing what appeared to be the shopping mall engulfed in flames and said the site had no strategic value. The death toll was expected to rise, with Zelenskyy quoted by CNN as saying, "The number of victims is impossible to imagine." The incident prompted the Group of Seven leaders at their gathering in Germany to condemn what they called the "abominable attack" on the shopping mall, noting that indiscriminate strikes against innocent civilians constitute war crimes. "We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this brutal attack," the leaders of the G-7 nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union -- said in a statement. During the three-day G-7 summit that started Sunday, the countries have been working to increase pressure on Russia to stop its military campaign in Ukraine, which it launched in late February. "We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes," the G-7 statement said. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Germany that the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden is in the process of finalizing fresh military aid for Ukraine, such as an air defense system. In the face of Ukraine's strong resistance, the Russian military has recently stepped up its missile attacks throughout the Eastern European country. Related coverage: Japan PM warns G-7 of danger of "wrong lessons" from Russian invasion G-7 seeking price cap on Russian oil amid energy cost surge Less than 3% of Japan firms exiting Russia, lowest among G-7: survey KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2022 - 16:41 | All, 3/11 Fukushima, Japan The government decided Tuesday to lift an evacuation order on part of a town hosting a crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, allowing residents to return home for good this week for the first time since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Restrictions in a zone specified as a reconstruction and revitalization base in Okuma will be lifted at 9 a.m. Thursday, the first such case for a municipality hosting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan. "Ending restrictions on an area, which used to be downtown (Okuma) before the disaster, will be a significant first step in reconstruction," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said. "We will create an environment where residents can return home without worries," Hagiuda said at a press conference. Restrictions in the specified reconstruction and revitalization base zone of the town of Futaba, which also hosts the Fukushima Daiichi plant, are also expected to end soon. Okuma will be the second municipality in Fukushima Prefecture, after the village of Katsurao, to see people coming back to an area once designated as difficult to return to due to high levels of radiation. Restrictions in part of the village were lifted on June 12. With decontamination work reducing radiation levels and infrastructure being prepared in Okuma, restrictions will end in the 8.6-square-kilometer area that was once the center of the town. Residents have been able to stay overnight in the area since December in preparation for their full-scale return. A total of 5,888 people in 2,233 households, accounting for about 60 percent of the town population, were registered as residents of the area as of Monday, according to the Okuma town government. Three other municipalities where residents are still not allowed to return -- Tomioka, Namie and Iitate -- are expected to see restrictions lifted around next spring. Related coverage: Residents of Fukushima village allowed to move back in after 11 years IAEA chief says transparency key to Fukushima water release Japan nuclear regulator OKs plan to release treated Fukushima water Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang (C, front) meets with Principal and Vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh Peter Mathieson (not seen in the picture) in Edinburgh, Scotland of Britain, June 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Han Yan) EDINBURGH, Britain, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Scottish officials and university heads have said that they are willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China. Cooperation between Scotland and China has achieved progress in various areas in recent years. The Scottish government attaches great importance to the exchanges and cooperation with China, Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture of the Scottish Government, said during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang on Thursday. Scotland has carried out fruitful cooperation with China in economy and trade, education, culture and tourism, Robertson said, noting that more and more Chinese students are coming to Scotland to study and that the Chinese community has become an important part of Scotland's diverse society, making positive contributions to local economic and social development. The Scottish government is willing to further enhance friendly communication and cooperation with China to bring more benefits to both peoples, he added. In response, Zheng said that in recent years, Scotland has established friendly partnerships with China's Shandong Province and a few cities, with fruitful exchanges and cooperation in trade and investment, education, and culture. China stands ready to continue to strengthen communication and exchange, and expand friendly cooperation with Scotland, Zheng added. At another meeting on Wednesday, Jacqueline McLaren, Lord Provost of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, told Zheng that in recent years, Glasgow has made positive progress in the mutually beneficial cooperation with Dalian, Tianjin, and some other Chinese cities. Strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China is crucial to promoting Glasgow's international development strategy and Glasgow welcomes more investors, students and tourists from China, McLaren added. In recent years, Chinese and Scottish universities have also enjoyed strong ties. The University of Edinburgh, for example, has developed practical cooperation and exchanges with top Chinese universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University. During a meeting on Tuesday, Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, told Zheng that China is an important partner of the university and he welcomes more outstanding Chinese students. He looks forward to further deepening the exchange and cooperation in the fields of teaching and scientific research. Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow Antonio Muscatelli said at a meeting on Wednesday with Zheng that academic exchanges with Chinese universities are mutually beneficial and in the interests of both sides. Guo Xiangying checks his notes on Dazu Rock Carvings in southwest China's Chongqing, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Enli) CHONGQING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- From remote counties in China to far-flung corners of the world, 86-year-old Guo Xiangying has been on the move throughout his career. His efforts have been for one purpose: conserving and popularizing more than 50,000 rock carvings dating back between the 9th and 13th centuries, which lie in the grottoes of Dazu District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. "At first, I didn't like the carvings that much. But later, I saw them as my lifeline. This sense of devotion was cultivated through a long period of loneliness," he said. Guo, a conservator at the Dazu Rock Carvings UNESCO World Heritage site and the first president of the Chongqing Art Museum of Dazu Rock Carvings -- now the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings -- has been protecting the site for nearly five decades. Born and raised in Chongqing, he was admitted to a secondary teachers' school in Dazu County, now Dazu District. After graduating, he learned traditional Chinese realistic painting techniques and worked as an art teacher in different primary schools for 10 years. Guo was 37 when he began developing a passion for ancient carvings. It was in 1974 that Guo came to work in the county cultural relics depository. Although the carvings were already listed among the key cultural relics sites under national-level protection, many locals in the city didn't know that Dazu was home to such treasures. More than 50,000 statues are scattered across 75 sites in Dazu. They are mostly concentrated on Baoding Mountain, Beishan Mountain, Shizhuan Mountain, Nanshan Mountain and Shimen Mountain. Guo was dispatched to Beishan in 1974. Upon receiving the notice, he packed all his belongings and left for the mountaintop. After he arrived, he realized that things were different from how he had expected them to be. There was no electricity or running water nearby -- he didn't even have a neighbor. "I had to wait for rainy days so that I could carry and store up to 100 kg of water at a time for everyday use." Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to make most of the opportunity. He took about six months to settle in, drilling wells, growing vegetables, planting trees and patrolling the area to prevent vandalism and theft. "Even though life was bitter, I felt happy to be accompanied by the noble works of art." As time went by, his primary focus switched from patrolling to exploring the carvings. He thought about how the stone carvings were chiseled and what the stories behind the relics were. He devoured books in search of answers. In 1980, the National Cultural Heritage Administration launched a project to build archives for national cultural relics units, with filing image data becoming an indispensable component of this work. Without a camera or professional surveying and mapping personnel, Guo volunteered to help file the site by sketching. Without measurement apparatus, he crafted and repaired tools by himself. When measuring statues over 20 meters in height, he would tie colored strips of cloth to the end of a rope, with red representing one meter and white representing half a meter. Guo led a busy life. He measured the statues during the day and sketched images under a kerosene lamp at night. His nostrils were blackened by the smoke. Two paintings of the carvings were finished two years later, measuring a total of over 40 meters in length and featuring more than 10,000 statues. Tourists visit the Dazu Rock Carvings scenic spot in southwest China's Chongqing, Feb. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) The site gradually gained fame. Many tourists from home and abroad visited the site, so did academic experts. "Many officials and experts had said for years that we needed to make the carvings 'go global,' but in what way could we achieve this aim?" Guo said. A conversation gave him his direction. In 1987, Guo first heard about the World Heritage List while chatting with relics protection professionals. He learned from them that the carvings had been included on a preliminary world heritage declaration list drafted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. In 1990, Guo established the Chongqing Art Museum of Dazu Rock Carvings. To fully prepare for the application, he visited and studied almost all the major grottoes across China. "After comparison, I found that the Dazu carvings have distinctive features, integrating Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism with Chinese folk culture." And with the help of city and county-level governments, the foul-smelling pools, cluttered stalls and heavily polluted pigpens in the site were renovated. These joint efforts paid off. In December 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings were listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List following several rounds of assessment, becoming the second grotto world cultural heritage site in China after the Mogao Grottoes. According to the UNESCO website, the Dazu Rock Carvings are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. They provide evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. After returning to China, he continued with his conservation efforts. Guo retired in 2003, but has since been stationed near the site, conducting research on the statues, teaching classes and authoring books. In 2007, one of the site's best-known Buddhist statues, an 800-year-old sculpture of bodhisattva Qianshou Guanyin with some 1,000 hands, was found to have suffered severe erosion and weathering. The statue's color had faded, some of its gold foil covering had peeled off, cracks had appeared and part of the statue's fingers had fallen off. He joined a team of experts from across China to draft customized restoration plans for the statue after thorough research. It took the team nearly eight years to restore the work, utilizing various materials and some 440,000 pieces of gold foil. "People engaged in cultural relics work should not only think about the present, but also the future, so that our future generations can see these relics," he said. Following Guo's retirement, others have taken the baton and marched ahead. "We will further improve the site's protection, perfect its monitoring and early warning system to ensure the safety of the Dazu statues, and continue to tell their stories," said Li Fangyin, president of the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, protesting against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov The Azerbaijani armys rocket and artillery units are conducting live-fire tactical drills under the combat training plan for 2022, Azernews reports per the Defense Ministry. During the drills, artillery units were deployed to assembly zones and took up positions for firing at selected locations, the report added. The drills are designed to improve participants' fire control capabilities in collaboration with different types of troops, as well as the command staff's quick decision-making abilities, as well as military personnel's field and practical skills, the ministry underlined. The report added that the units carried out successfully the task of eliminating fictitious enemy targets with precise fires. Azerbaijan undertakes drills on a regular basis to strengthen the combat readiness of its military personnel. The drills also seek to strengthen servicemen's interaction and combat coordination during operations, as well as to improve commanders' military decision-making and unit management skills. The G7 summit opened Sunday in Schloss Elmau amid protests as hundreds of people took to the streets in the southern German town. In Madrid, thousands of demonstrators rallied on Sunday to call for peace and protest against a NATO summit to be held this week. Produced by Xinhua Global Service BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has underscored the exemplary role of large-scale grain growers in encouraging more farmers to contribute to the country's food security. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks Monday in a letter replying to Xu Congxiang, a veteran grain farmer in Taihe County, east China's Anhui Province. Xi said he is pleased to learn that Xu has reaped a bumper wheat harvest and Xu's offspring have followed in his footsteps to work in agriculture. Noting that people will feel assured when having an ample supply of food, Xi said he has always paid close attention to grain production. In recent years, the CPC Central Committee has rolled out a slew of policies to support grain production, aiming to make sure the Chinese people hold their rice bowls firmly in their own hands, and farmers earn tangible benefits and make their lives better, Xi said in the letter. Xi expressed the hope that large-scale grain growers can leverage the advantages of scale operation, actively apply modern agricultural technologies and encourage small-scale farmers to contribute to the country's food security by expanding grain production and improving grain quality. Xu recently wrote Xi to report his experience of growing grain and efforts to help villagers get rid of poverty in the past 10-plus years. Xu has been keen on studying agriculture science and technologies. He became a large-scale grain grower and won several national honors after setting up an agricultural cooperative in 2010. Xi learned about local wheat planting from Xu and other villagers during his visit to Xu's village in April 2011. MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that an additional 25 U.S. citizens have been indefinitely barred from entering Russia in response to the sanctions repeatedly imposed by Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden's wife Jill Biden and his daughter Ashley Biden are among the newly blacklisted. According to a full list published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, over one thousand Americans are now subject to the entry ban, including the previously named U.S. President, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. ISTANBUL, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Twenty Syrians have been arrested across Turkey over a money laundry network financing the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, local Sozcu newspaper reported on Monday. The network has set up shell companies in several Turkish cities, including Istanbul, to transfer large sums of foreign currency to their foreign bank accounts since 2011, with a money trail extending to countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Kuwait, said the report, citing Turkey's financial intelligence Financial Crimes Investigation Board. Approximately 55 million Turkish liras (about 3 million U.S. dollars) in assets were seized in intelligence operations, according to the report. The arrested Syrians are either under refugee status or holders of residence permits. The network also smuggled money into Syria through their militants in Turkey's southeastern city, Hatay, the newspaper said. Turkish counter-terrorism units have been conducting operations against the IS, which has repeatedly launched deadly attacks in the country since 2015. Photo taken on June 22, 2021 shows an exterior view of the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) The initiative (Belt and Road Initiative) is essentially a connectivity project, connecting China with nations in Asia, Europe and Africa through building roads, rails, ports and bridges. "It's also connectivity between people. It was connectivity through dialogue of civilizations," said a U.S. scholar. CHICAGO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- It is the interest of the whole world to see China growing, a U.S. scholar has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Khairy Tourk, professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, named eradication of absolute poverty the greatest achievement China has made in the past decade. As an economist studying development for many years, Tourk said he has learned to accept that extreme poverty will always exist. Thanks to the vision on eradicating extreme poverty of the Communist Party of China (CPC), "I've changed my mind." Tourk said the leadership of the CPC is one of the major reasons behind China's success. Tourk has been a visiting scholar at Renmin University of China since 2013. During his summer teaching and research over the years, Tourk wrote a book titled "The Belt and Road Initiative -- Chinese solution to a deficient global order," published in January 2022. An electric multiple unit (EMU) train of the China-Laos Railway crosses a major bridge over the Yuanjiang River in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen) The initiative is essentially a connectivity project, connecting China with nations in Asia, Europe and Africa through building roads, rails, ports and bridges. "It's also connectivity between people. It was connectivity through dialogue of civilizations," Tourk said. Noting many developing nations lack infrastructure, the scholar said: "Here comes China. It has both the funds and experience to build infrastructure in a record time." Tourk said the initiative is "leading the foundation" for Africa's industrialization. Regarding his visits to China, Tourk said, "I really enjoy my stay at Renmin. The students were hard-working. I formed close friendships with my academic friends." "And these visits have allowed me to see firsthand how fast China is changing," he said. However, he said two things have not changed: "the kindhearted nature of the Chinese people and the delicious Chinese cuisine." HONG KONG, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), which celebrates its 25th anniversary on July 1, is set to write a new chapter in its success story with the strong support of the central government and the hard work of more than 7 million Hong Kong residents. In the past 25 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, development in the SAR has come along in leaps and bounds under "one country, two systems." Facts and figures speak volumes. In 2021, Hong Kong's economy grew to 2.86 trillion Hong Kong dollars (about 364 billion U.S. dollars), up from 1.37 trillion Hong Kong dollars in 1997. During the period, its total foreign trade in goods more than tripled to 10.27 trillion Hong Kong dollars. Hong Kong has emerged stronger as an international financial, shipping, and trade center. It has been consistently rated by global institutions as one of the freest and the most competitive economies with a world-class business environment. An opinion letter published in the South China Morning Post said Hong Kong remains resilient, fearless and proof of what a progressive, cosmopolitan financial center can be. Some foreign media outlets have also noted that Hong Kong has retained its status as a financial hub, and some of the top finance executives here are banking on a bright future. People's well-being has also improved steadily. Hong Kong residents have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Average life expectancy in Hong Kong in 2021 stood at 83.0 years for males and 87.7 years for females, compared to 76.8 years and 82.2 years, respectively, in 1997. These achievements won't be made without the hard work of Hong Kong people who have shown their love of the motherland and Hong Kong, their perseverance, the pursuit of excellence, and adaptability. An increasingly prosperous motherland is a source of strength for Hong Kong to overcome difficulties and challenges; it also presents a reservoir of opportunities for Hong Kong to break new ground in development. "One country, two systems" has proved to be the best solution to the historical question of Hong Kong and the best institutional arrangement to ensure Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability after its return. "'One country' is like the roots of a tree. For a tree to grow tall and luxuriant, its roots must run deep and strong," President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said on the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland five years ago. Xi has always stressed the need to fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems," stay committed to the basis of "one country" and well leverage the benefits of "two systems." "Hong Kong's development has always pulled at my heartstrings," Xi said. Over the past decade, significant policies were rolled out to bolster Hong Kong's economy, improve people's livelihood, and ensure the maximum number of local people benefit from Hong Kong's development. The Hong Kong SAR can share the benefits of the mainland's vast market and progress opportunities while also gaining a head start in future growth as China is bringing its comprehensive opening-up to a new level. The role of the mainland as a staunch supporter of Hong Kong has been given full play to, and Hong Kong's competitiveness has been enhanced. Development needs institutional and legal guarantee. The enforcement of the national security law in Hong Kong has brought stability back to society. With the successful elections of the Election Committee, the Legislative Council, and the new chief executive, as well as the formation of the sixth-term Hong Kong SAR government, Hong Kong's new electoral system has been fully implemented, and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" has been consolidated. The facts consistently demonstrate that "one country, two systems" is a workable solution welcomed by the Hong Kong people. China's reform and opening-up has provided the SAR with a massive platform, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and other national initiatives are bringing about new opportunities. According to a 2021 survey, the vast majority of Hong Kong residents acknowledged that the development of the Greater Bay Area would inject new development momentum into Hong Kong. Today's Hong Kong is advancing from order toward further prosperity. The practice of "one country, two systems" is a success story, and people have every reason to believe the success will continue. ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday, discussing the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit, Turkey's presidency said. The two leaders also discussed bilateral issues and some regional matters, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. Speaking to a press conference before departing for the summit in Madrid, Spain's capital, Erdogan said he would hold a meeting with Biden on the sidelines, and would discuss the U.S. military "support" to Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, a group outlawed by Turkey. "What did NATO do after all these arms were delivered to these terrorists? Truckloads of weapons came from the United States. I will raise it once again in our meeting," Erdogan told reporters. Another issue of their talks in Madrid will be Turkey's demand to purchase 40 new F-16 warplanes and 80 modernization kits for its exiting fleets, he said. BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The State Council announced the appointment and removal of officials Tuesday. Sun Guangyu was appointed as vice minister of emergency management. Zhen Zhanmin will no longer serve as vice president of the National Academy of Governance (NAG) and was appointed vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Yu Bin was appointed as deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council. Xie Chuntao was appointed as NAG vice president (minister level), who will be in charge of daily operations, replacing Li Shulei. Zhang Xiaoming was removed from the post of deputy director in charge of daily operations of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. LISBON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A global drive to map 80 percent of the seabed by 2030 should be launched to protect the world's oceans, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday. Speaking at the opening of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference here in the Portuguese capital, Guterres called on governments around the world to "increase their ambition to recover the oceans." Pollution of all kinds must be reduced in order to protect "people whose lives depend on the sea from the impact of climate change," he said. New, climate-resilient coastal infrastructure must be created, he added, and the maritime transport sector must commit to reducing carbon emissions to zero "by 2050." Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also called for the mapping of maritime territory, as well as more investment in environmental education. De Sousa said: "This Lisbon conference has to be not only a sign that there is room for peace, multilateralism, dialogue, cooperation, but also a sign that we are going to act faster." Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa today made a commitment to classify 30 percent of the national marine area by 2030, and to bring all national fishery stocks within sustainable biological limits. The Portuguese government "will continue to invest in the Air Center initiative, as a network of scientific collaboration between countries and research institutes in areas such as space, observation of the atmosphere, oceans, climate and energy," Costa said. "By the end of this year, we will create the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development office," he added. Portugal will also "ensure that 100 percent of the maritime space under Portuguese sovereignty or jurisdiction is evaluated in good environmental condition." Protecting the oceans is crucial to combating climate change, promoting biodiversity and sustainable development, and ensuring maritime safety and freedom of movement, Costa said. "We need a global ocean agenda, focused on practical solutions, based on science and endowed with the necessary financial resources," he added. The United Nations Conference on the Oceans is taking place in Lisbon until July 1, attended by heads of state and government from across the globe. The meeting began on Monday with the nomination of the heads of state of Portugal and Kenya as presidents of the conference. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian attend a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on June 27, 2022. Turkey is against the unilateral sanctions on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, voicing hopes for the nuclear deal to be restored. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) ANKARA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is against the unilateral sanctions on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, voicing hopes for the nuclear deal to be restored. "We have always been against unilateral sanctions against Iran and we do not find it right. We hope that all parties will take the necessary steps to make the nuclear deal work again. This will contribute a lot to the region," he made the remarks at a joint press conference with the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the capital Ankara. Cavusoglu also vowed further cooperation with Iran against terror groups. "Our cooperation in the fight against terrorism is important. We need to continue to work together on this issue because terrorism is our common enemy," he said. For his part, the top Iranian diplomat noted that Tehran wants to strengthen relations with Turkey, particularly in the fields of security, military and economy. "We want stronger relations with neighbors within the framework of good relations. This is the most important axis of our new government," added Amir-Abdollahian. He also said "Turkey's security concerns in Syria should be resolved immediately and permanently," adding "we understand maybe a special operation might be needed." The Iranian minister's visit came four days after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid had talks in Ankara, who thanked Turkey for security cooperation at which the "Iran conspiracy was prevented." Turkish security forces brought down an Iranian intelligence cell operating in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul, and detained its members for allegedly preparing to attack Israelis, the Ihlas News Agency reported on June 22. Iran rejected the claims raised by the Israeli minister. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday the allegations were "aimed at sowing discord between the two neighboring Muslim countries." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shake hands at a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on June 27, 2022. Turkey is against the unilateral sanctions on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, voicing hopes for the nuclear deal to be restored. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shake hands at a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on June 27, 2022. Turkey is against the unilateral sanctions on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, voicing hopes for the nuclear deal to be restored. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova Baku hosted the 11th session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under the topic "Role of Local Communities in Tourism Development", Azernews reports, citing the State Tourism Agency and Azertac. The session focuses on advancing the Roadmap for the Development of Islamic Tourism in the OIC Member States in the wake of decline in international tourism flow amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 160 delegates from 39 countries including tourism ministers of the OIC countries, heads of tourism associations, and other officials attended the conference. Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Fuad Naghiyev read out the address of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the conference participants. The conference discussed the date and place of the next conference, as well as nominees for the ECO Tourism City Award for 2023-2024. The participants in the meeting also adopted a draft document of the final resolution of the conference and the Baku Declaration. In his remarks, Fuad Naghiyev noted that many tourists from OIC member-states visited Azerbaijan before the pandemic. However, the ongoing pandemic struck the tourism sector. The chairman of the State Tourism Agency stressed the importance of joint proposals to restore tourism in Azerbaijan during the post-pandemic. Fuad Naghiyev noted that the tourism industry in Azerbaijan has started to recover rapidly in the post-pandemic period, and the number of foreigners visiting Azerbaijan in the first five months of the year increased by 118 percent compared to last year. He emphasized that Azerbaijan's tourism relations with OIC member-states are developing, the number of tourists from Islamic countries to Azerbaijan has reached 55 percent of the total number of tourists. Fuad Nagiyev also informed the meeting participants about Azerbaijan's religious and cultural monuments destroyed as a result of the Armenian occupation. Currently, the Azerbaijani state is carrying out large-scale work to restore Karabakh and other liberated territories. The chairman of the State Tourism Agency invited the guests to Shusha to observe the restoration work carried out on Azerbaijan's liberated territories. Bangladesh's Minister of Aviation and Tourism Shahjahan Kamal expressed confidence that Azerbaijan will soon become a major tourist destination. The meeting continued with sessions. The conference participants will pay a visit to Shusha on June 29. BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Under China's newly-updated COVID-19 control protocol, close contacts and inbound travelers will be under medical observation in isolation at designated sites for seven days plus three days of in-home health monitoring. This is an obvious length cut compared with 14 days of medical observation in isolation at designated sites plus seven days of health monitoring at home stipulated by the previous edition of the protocol. Also according to the ninth edition of the protocol released Tuesday, individuals deemed to have had close contact with COVID-19 close contacts will face seven days of medical observation under home quarantine, instead of seven days of medical observation in isolation at designated sites. Under the new protocol, China will increase the frequency of nucleic acid tests for individuals with direct contact with inbound travelers, goods and environments to one time a day. Photo taken on June 14, 2022 shows the cityscape of Doha, capital of Qatar. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen) TEHRAN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Monday night that the Iranian negotiating team will depart for Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday for talks to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, according to the official IRNA news agency. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani arrives at the venue of Iranian nuclear deal talks in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 3, 2021. TO GO WITH "Iran says presents draft proposals on sanctions removal, nuke restrictions at Vienna talks" (Xinhua/Guo Chen) Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani will still lead the Iranian negotiating team, Kanani added. Earlier on Monday, the ministry said the upcoming negotiations will be held indirectly with the United States, and facilitated by the European Union (EU). Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, is expected to arrive in Doha on Monday, according to Western media reports. Iran and the EU announced on Saturday that the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, will be resumed in the coming days. The nuclear talks began in April 2021 in Vienna, but have been suspended since March over political differences between Tehran and Washington. ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will hold a four-way meeting with Sweden, Finland and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Spain on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference in Ankara before departing for the two-day summit starting Wednesday in the Spanish capital of Madrid, Erdogan said Turkey does not want empty words but results from the two Nordic countries to address Turkey's concerns. Turkey, as a NATO member, has been blocking the pursuit of Finland and Sweden of the alliance's membership, citing their support for the Kurdistan Workers Party, and its Syrian branch, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, both listed by Turkey as terrorist groups. "On the occasion of the summit, I will clearly explain our rightful stance once again," Erdogan said, noting Turkey's expectation was that the two outlawed groups "should be prevented from moving freely in these (two) countries." UNITED NATIONS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday voiced deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, and called on the international community to take urgent and decisive actions to prevent the Palestinian-Israeli issue from being totally derailed. It is concerning that the continued expansion of Israeli settlements "has encroached upon Palestinian land and natural resources, undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. "Every brutal inch of expansion of settlement is making the prospect of a two-state solution much harder to achieve. We urge Israel to stop its contempt for Resolution 2334, stop all settlement activities, and stop further undermining the foundation for the two-state solution," Zhang said. Noting that recently the security situation in the occupied territory has continued to be volatile, Zhang said China strongly condemns the continued violence by Israeli security forces and the settlers, which has resulted in heavy Palestinian casualties, including children. The envoy urged Israel to launch as soon as possible a criminal investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and release its findings in order to ensure accountability. "The question of Palestine is a litmus test of the international justice and fairness," Zhang said, stressing that piecemeal crisis management cannot substitute for a comprehensive and just settlement. He added that limited economic and humanitarian measures cannot erase political and security deficit, and individual national policies cannot replace long established international consensus and multilateral process, including resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly one after another. "What is needed for the time being is urgent and decisive actions, so as to prevent the train of Palestinian-Israeli situation from totally falling off the track," he said. Zhang said that China calls upon the international community, especially those having key influence on the parties concerned, to make genuine efforts for the peace process in the Middle East. This would mean promoting the two-state solution with the utmost urgency, he said, rather than waiting for so-called conditions for dialogue to mature. "This would mean adhering to the concept of indivisibility of security, giving equal importance to the security concerns of both Palestine and Israel, rather than allowing tacitly that the security of one side be built on the insecurity of the other," he said. "This also means persevering in a responsible attitude, rather than allowing policy flip-flop to further complicate the peace process," he said, emphasizing that it also means to ditch the double standard and uphold an objective and impartial position, rather than being engaged in long-term practice of setting roadblocks for the Security Council's handling of the Palestinian-Israeli question. As a responsible member of the international community, China will be always on the side of peace and justice, on the side of human conscience and fairness, and on the right side of history, he said. "We will firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and will continue to make unremitting efforts for achieving comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East," said Zhang. KIEV, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and the two countries' prospects for joining the European Union (EU), Zelensky's press service reported. At a news conference after the talks, Zelensky said that Ukraine and Moldova have all opportunities to deepen their partnership in the humanitarian sphere, economy, politics, and cross-border cooperation. The parties also discussed the partnership in the transport sector, in particular Ukraine's assistance in the reconstruction of the Moldovan railway, as well as strengthening energy cooperation. Zelensky also urged Sandu to deepen security cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova. For her part, Sandu said that obtaining the status of candidates for EU membership is a historic event for Ukraine and Moldova. The Moldovan president added that her country is ready to assist Ukraine in the post-conflict reconstruction and in transiting goods. Sandu arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for her first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in late February. Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after the conflict began, and was granted, along with Moldova, the status of candidate for EU membership last week. Jing Haipeng (1st L), head of the Astronaut Corps, describes the Shenzhou-13 crew's recovery and follow-up plans at a press conference in Beijing, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 crewed mission met the press and public on Tuesday, the first such appearance after returning to Earth in April. At the press conference held in Beijing, Jing Haipeng, head of the Astronaut Corps, described the Shenzhou-13 crew's recovery and follow-up plans. According to Jing, the astronauts have completed the stages of quarantine and recuperation and switched to the observation stage. At present, they are in good physical and mental conditions with normal medical examination results. The crew have basically restored their cardio functions, said Jing, adding that their muscle strength, endurance and bone density have been well recovered. Jing said the three astronauts will resume their regular training after completing the health assessment. Launched on Oct. 16, 2021, the Shenzhou-13 spaceship sent Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu to China's space station core module Tianhe, where they lived for six months, setting a new duration record for Chinese astronauts staying in space. The three returned to Earth safely on April 16, 2022. They have completed a series of innovative, ground-breaking scientific experiments and space applications in a state of well-being they describe as "feeling good." Zhai Zhigang is the first Chinese astronaut to perform a spacewalk and has conducted more extravehicular activities than any other Chinese astronaut. He said that the state of "feeling good," both in space and during training, benefits from the development of the country's manned space endeavors. Wang Yaping is China's first female astronaut to conduct an extravehicular spacewalk and the country's first "space teacher," conveying information on space-related topics to young people. She expects young people to participate in the construction of China's space station. The Shenzhou-13 mission is Ye Guangfu's first space mission. He said China's space station welcomes foreign astronauts. The three astronauts said they are always ready to return to space again. Ye Guangfu, one of the three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, meets the press in Beijing, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Ye Guangfu (2nd L), Zhai Zhigang (2nd R) and Wang Yaping (1st R), astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, meet the press in Beijing, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Wang Yaping, one of the three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, meets the press in Beijing, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Zhai Zhigang, one of the three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, meets the press in Beijing, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in London, Britain. College students from across the United Kingdom (UK) showcased their command of the Chinese language through speeches and cultural performances in the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held at the University College London on Monday. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua) LONDON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- College students from across the United Kingdom (UK) showcased their command of the Chinese language through speeches and cultural performances in the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held at the University College London on Monday. The contest consisted of four parts: a prepared speech on the theme "One World, One Family;" a knowledge quiz about China; a three-minute talent show; and an impromptu quiz. William Hart, a student who majors in medicine at the University of Manchester, finished first among 10 contestants after his fluent Chinese, smooth delivery and broad knowledge of the Chinese culture impressed the judges. Together with three other contestants, he will represent the UK in the "Chinese Bridge" global finals later this year. "Mastering the (Chinese) language and appreciating the (Chinese) culture will certainly help you better understand the past, present and future of China," Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang said in his opening remarks. "We all share the duty to expand cooperation between China and the UK," he said, adding that countries must make concerted efforts to tackle challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. To highlight the importance of learning Chinese, Professor Alistair Fitt, vice chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, quoted Nelson Mandela, the late president of South Africa: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Launched in 2002, "Chinese Bridge" is an annual competition aimed at arousing the enthusiasm of students in various countries to learn Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of the Chinese language and culture. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang speaks at the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in London, Britain, June 27, 2022. College students from across the United Kingdom (UK) showcased their command of the Chinese language through speeches and cultural performances in the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held at the University College London on Monday. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua) Professor Alistair Fitt, vice chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, speaks at the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in London, Britain, June 27, 2022. College students from across the United Kingdom (UK) showcased their command of the Chinese language through speeches and cultural performances in the regional final of the 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held at the University College London on Monday. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua) Video: Hundreds of people took to the streets of Los Angeles on June 25, 2022, protesting against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights. (Xinhua) The United States was in a "national battle," and "we will not further imperil the rights and access points of anyone in New Mexico," says New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. HOUSTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A wave of protests and lawsuits has swept the United States after the Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. A judge on Monday blocked southern state Louisiana from enforcing the abortion ban, while a governor signed an executive order to protect women seeking abortions in New Mexico and an attorney general was accused of illegally threatening abortion providers with criminal prosecution in Texas. Protesters rally outside the Los Angeles City Hall, downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, on June 25, 2022. Robin Giarrusso, an Orleans Parish civil district court judge, on Monday issued a temporary restraining order blocking Louisiana, one of 13 states which passed "trigger laws" to ban or severely restrict abortions once the supreme court overturned the 1973 ruling. The plaintiffs in the suit there do not deny that the state can ban abortion. Instead, they contend Louisiana has multiple and conflicting trigger mechanisms in law, according to local media reports. A hearing to decide whether to further block enforcement of the ban has been scheduled on July 8. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in Houston on behalf of several health care providers, the American Civil Liberties Union accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of illegally threatening abortion providers before relative state laws take effect. Local media outlet KXAN reported that the lawsuit asked a state court to temporarily block Texas' pre-Roe laws on the books, which Paxton said are now enforceable after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. "Mr. Paxton's and the Texas Legislature's attempts to greenlight the immediate prosecution of abortion providers based on violations of the Pre-Roe Ban must not stand," the lawsuit said. Texas law banning most abortions will not take effect for approximately two months or longer since the trigger ban is scheduled to take effect 30 days after issuance of the judgment from the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, according to local media reports. The Supreme Court has only so far issued its opinion. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed an executive order aimed to protect women seeking abortions and providers of the service in the southwestern U.S. state. "We will not further imperil the rights and access points of anyone in New Mexico," the Democratic governor said at a news conference, "Residents seeking access will be protected, providers will be protected, and abortion is and will continue to be legal safe and accessible, period." Protesters march through downtown Chicago, the United States, on June 25, 2022. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua) Also on Monday, attorneys generals in 21 states and Washington, D.C. issued a joint statement promising to "leverage our collective resources" to help women in states where abortions are banned. "Abortion care is healthcare. Period," announced the statement, which was signed by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. "While the U.S. supreme court's decision reverses nearly half a century of legal precedent and undermines the rights of people across the United States, we're joining together to reaffirm our commitment to supporting and expanding access to abortion care nationwide," they said in the statement. Over the weekend, a branch of Planned Parenthood sued in Utah over a trigger ban while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and an abortion-rights group filed an emergency motion in Arizona in a bid to block a state law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. Abortion rights advocates in Ohio also plan to challenge a ban on abortions after six weeks, which took effect on Friday, said local media, noting that a Florida ban on abortions after 15 weeks is also the subject of a request for a temporary block. As of Saturday, abortion providers had reportedly stopped services in at least 11 states. The United States was in a "national battle," New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told a news conference on Monday. Though the latest 6-3 ruling does not outlaw abortion but leaves the decision to states, 26 states are "certain or likely to ban abortion," while 16 states, including New York State, provide protection for abortion rights in law or in their constitutions, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. The overturning of Roe v. Wade also drew criticism from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who described the decision as "a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality," and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said "the news coming out of the United States is horrific." GENEVA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday delivered a joint statement together with over 90 countries at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the importance of promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivering the joint statement at the session, Chen Xu, head of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, said that by compounding the existing socio-economic challenges, COVID-19 has enlarged the structural inequalities within and among states, and those in vulnerable and marginalized situations disproportionately bearing the brunt of the negative impacts. "Unfortunately, global economic recovery from the pandemic is unbalanced. Constrained by an increasing liquidity crunch, developing countries are literally struggling to recover their economies, alleviate poverty, counter discrimination and improve livelihoods, with a risk of reversing the progress that has been made to achieve SDGs," Chen noted. Energy and food insecurity have also posed grave challenges to the efforts of states for recovery, he said, adding that with its unremitting, adverse impacts on human lives, needs, and dignity, the pandemic "is far from over." Therefore, Chen said, there is a clear human rights imperative for the UN human rights machinery to act and play its role in facilitating a sustainable, equitable and resilient recovery from the pandemic. "We emphasize that the COVID-19 pandemic can be countered effectively only through international cooperation, unity, solidarity and collective action, based on a multilateral approach, and strong international institutions," he concluded. By Trend An extraordinary meeting of Azerbaijans Parliament (Milli Majlis) will be held on June 29, Trend reports. A total of 16 issues are included in its agenda: 1. Draft resolution on amendments to the resolution of the Milli Majlis On the appointment of members of the commission of the Azerbaijan Republic for combating corruption. 2. Draft resolution on amendments to the parliamentary resolution On the election of heads of working groups for inter-parliamentary relations of Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Republic . 3. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the state budget of the Azerbaijan Republic for 2022 (third reading). 4. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the budget of the State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) of Azerbaijan Republic for 2022 (third reading). 5. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the budget of the Unemployment Insurance Fund of Azerbaijan Republic for 2022 (third reading). 6. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the establishment of orders and medals of Azerbaijan in connection with the establishment of the jubilee medal 20th anniversary of the institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Republic (2002-2022) (third reading). 7. Draft constitutional law on amendments to the constitutional Law On the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Republic (third reading). 8. Draft law on amendments to the law On the Constitutional Court (third reading). 9. Draft Law on amendments to the Law On Courts and Judges (third reading). 10. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the status of a deputy of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Republic (third reading). 11. Draft law on amendments to the Law On the Accounts Chamber (third reading). 12. Draft law on amendments to the Tax Code (third reading). 13. Draft law on amendments to the Civil Code (third reading). 14. Draft law on amendments to the Code of Administrative Procedure, Code of Administrative Offenses (third reading). 15. Draft law on amendments to the law On the National Archival Fund (third reading). 16. Draft Law on Amendments to the Law On State Registration and the State Register of Legal Entities (third reading). BOGOTA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 49 inmates died and 30 were injured after a fire broke out during an overnight riot in a prison in the southwestern Colombian city of Tulua, the country's prison agency said on Tuesday. "The inmates lighted some mats, and a conflagration occurred that unfortunately triggered the death of 49 prisoners," said Tito Castellanos, the director of the state National Penitentiary and Prison Institute. The Tulua fire department was able to control the fire in the unit which houses some 180 inmates and evacuate the injured inmates to local health centers, Castellanos said. Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows villagers working in terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Villagers work in terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province, June 27, 2022. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows villagers working in terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows lands under transformation in Liugezhuang Village of Shuangwang Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on May 18, 2022 shows villagers working in terraced fields in Honghuayu Village of Shuangwang Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on May 18, 2022 shows terraced fields in Honghuayu Village of Shuangwang Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Villagers work in a terraced field in Liugezhuang Village of Shuangwang Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province, June 28, 2022. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) A villager works in a terraced field in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province, June 27, 2022. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Villagers work in a terraced field in Liugezhuang Village of Shuangwang Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province, June 28, 2022. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Aerial photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows terraced fields in Huojiagou Village of Shimen Town in Lulong County, north China's Hebei Province. Recent years Lulong County has implemented the land transformation of barren hills and wild grass land into terraced fields. Farming facilities including field paths and drainage channels have been constructed to improve agricultural production conditions. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) An injured man is treated at a hospital in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) AMMAN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. Jordan opened a large field hospital in Aqaba to treat those injured in the toxic gas leakage as the Red Sea port city's hospitals have reached full capacity, according to the state-run Al Mamlaka TV. Director of Aqaba Health Department Jamal Obeidat said those injured are in moderate to serious medical conditions, according to Al Mamlaka TV. He warned Aqaba residents to remain at home, saying that the danger of the toxic gas leakage is still there. Kamal Kreisha, a receptionist at the Prince Hashem bin Abdullah Military Hospital in Aqaba, said all staff in the hospital were working hard to handle the flow of the injured. "All Aqaba hospitals are full... we have enough medical equipment and oxygen supply at hospitals, but there is panic and the relatives of the injured are flocking to hospitals," he told Xinhua. Samer Zbeideh, a resident of Aqaba who works as a teacher, told Xinhua that the situation is scary. "I am staying home with my wife and two daughters. We closed the windows and the doors and we are watching the news... we hope this will be solved very soon. It is a tragic incident," he told Xinhua. Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh arrived in Aqaba Monday evening to follow up firsthand on the efforts to deal with the repercussions of the explosion of a gas tank, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Khasawneh expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. Khasawneh has directed Interior Minister Mazen Faraya to lead a team to investigate the incident, according to a statement by the Prime Ministry. An injured man is treated at a hospital in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An injured man is treated at a hospital in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Experts investigate at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Experts investigate at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An expert investigates at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An expert investigates at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An expert investigates at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Experts investigate at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak f rom a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An expert investigates at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Experts investigate at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Experts investigate at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) An expert investigates at the site of the chemical gas leakage at the port in Aqaba, Jordan, on June 28, 2022. Twelve people were killed and 251 others injured on Monday in a chemical gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port, Jordan state TV reported. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health official on Tuesday pledged continuous efforts to promote vaccination among the elderly. Approximately 220.2 million elderly people aged 60 or above, or 83.41 percent of the country's senior citizens, have been fully vaccinated as of Monday, said Lei Zhenglong, an official from the National Health Commission, at a press conference. Among that number, over 172.5 million have received a booster shot, Lei added. Lei noted that by Monday, a total of over 3.4 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered on the Chinese mainland, with approximately 1.26 billion people, or 89.41 percent of the total population, fully vaccinated. Of that number, a total of over 790 million people have received a booster shot, Lei said. JERUSALEM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Ministry of Health on Monday reported 11,483 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily figure in the country since March 30. The number of active cases in Israel has risen to 60,559, while the number of patients in serious condition currently stands at 275, according to the ministry. Earlier on Monday, the Israeli parliament's Health Committee approved regulations according to which home antigen tests, monitored remotely by video, would be recognized by the ministry. The recognition will also apply to PCR tests that will be conducted at kiosks for self-sampling, said a statement from the Israeli parliament. The decision is intended to ease queues for tests, which are often held indoors and in crowded places, it explained. GAZA/JERUSALEM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Monday said that the health condition of an Israeli captive in Gaza has recently deteriorated. Abu Obeida, the spokesman of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing, said in a short tweet that the health of one of their Israeli hostages has deteriorated. The tweet did not give further details, but said evidence would be published in the coming hours. On Monday night, Israeli Prime Minister's office blamed Hamas for the state of the captured civilians, saying "Israel will continue its efforts, mediated by Egypt, to bring home the captives and the missing, with responsibility and determination." An Israeli security official told Israel Radio that Hamas' announcement "appears to be an attempt to pressure Israel within the framework of negotiations for a prisoner swap deal." The Spokesperson's Unit of the Israel Defense Forces was not immediately available to comment for Xinhua. Israel believes that Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group that runs the coastal Palestinian enclave, holds the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, two soldiers that were killed in Gaza during Israel's military offensive in 2014, as well as two civilians who are believed to be alive, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed. In 2016, the military wing of Hamas announced for the first time that it keeps four Israeli soldiers in its captivity, without specifying their fate. Hamas has sought to trade the prisoners in exchange for relief in the blockade on Gaza that Israel has imposed since 2007. Israel maintains it will not lift the blockade until the prisoners are freed and the Gaza Strip is demilitarized. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, chairs a symposium during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for stronger efforts to accelerate economic recovery to shore up market entities, ensure employment stability and safeguard people's livelihoods. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to two state organs on Monday. While paying a visit to a technical guidance center for employment training of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Li urged efforts to further catalyze entrepreneurship and innovation and provide equal support for market entities of all types, including those in the private sector and self-employed individuals. Vocational training must adapt to market demand, Li said, underscoring the importance of maximizing the country's advantages in human resources. After hearing a report on the country's current employment situation, Li said that stable employment is a vital sign that the economy is functioning within an appropriate range. China's economy has made progress in recovery, but the fundamentals for recovery are not yet sufficiently solid and the tasks to stabilize employment remain arduous. Noting that development is key to solving all problems facing the country, Li said that bolstering employment by propping up market entities is of great importance amid efforts to stabilize the economy. Efforts should be made to increase market-based job opportunities, improve career services for university graduates, and expand employment for migrant workers as a form of social relief, Li said. During his visit to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the premier was provided with information about the low-income population and the implementation of social assistance policies. He called for efforts to coordinate social assistance policies with employment policies and to encourage people to work hard for better lives. Li said that the current COVID-19 resurgence and natural disasters have triggered an increase in the number of people facing difficulties. He stressed the urgency of incorporating people in need into social assistance systems, expanding the scale of social assistance and relief, and preventing China's once-impoverished population from falling back into poverty in large numbers. Efforts should also be made to ensure that pensions are paid in full and on time, and government work on compulsory education and basic healthcare and housing must be carried out well, Li said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, chairs a symposium during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks with staff members during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China's civil aviation transport has recorded a notable rebound since June amid the country's improvements in pandemic control and a slew of measures to support the industry. From June 24 to 26, the number of flights exceeded 10,000 daily for three consecutive days, rebounding to about 60 percent of figures before the pandemic, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China. In the week ending June 26, the number of single-day flights averaged 9,860 compared with around 6,500 at the beginning of the month, said an official with the administration. The average daily passenger traffic reached 804,000 trips in the same week, nearly doubling that at the beginning of June, the official said, stressing the steady recovery of the sector and increasing market confidence. China has taken multiple measures to help the civil aviation sector tide over difficulties, such as offering financial support through emergency loans and bonds and deferring social insurance premium payments for civil aviation companies. KUNMING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 300 tonnes of raw coffee beans have recently left Pu'er City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, onboard a China-Laos Railway international cargo train. The goods were then transported to Europe via a China-Europe freight train after they arrived in Chongqing Municipality, southwest China. It was the first batch of coffee beans exported from Pu'er to Europe by rail. In the past, Pu'er's coffee beans were exported to Europe by road and sea. After the opening of the China-Laos Railway, 30 percent of logistics time can be saved by rail transport. As a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the 1,035-km China-Laos Railway was launched in December 2021. Half a year into its operation, the railway has delivered more than 4 million tonnes of freight as of June 2. The transport volume of cross-border cargo came in at 647,000 tonnes during the period. "Thanks to the launch of the China-Laos Railway, our company has a new export channel, bringing us more orders," said Wang Hai, general manager of the purchasing station in Pu'er, Nestle's subsidiary in Dongguan City. "The company's export orders this year have increased by 30 percent year on year," added Wang. Pu'er City is known as China's "coffee capital." With the unique quality of strong and lasting aroma and slightly fruity taste, Pu'er coffee enjoys a good reputation both at home and abroad. Currently, the area of coffee plantations in Pu'er has reached about 46,667 hectares and the annual coffee bean output hits 55,000 tonnes, both accounting for over 50 percent of the national total. Statistics showed the export of Yunnan coffee beans this year has reached 18,000 tonnes, worth 550 million yuan (about 82.3 million U.S. dollars), a surge of 2.3 times and 3.8 times, respectively. Aerial photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the second phase of Wangmei Overpass in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second phase of Donghu Overpass and Wangmei Overpass Tuesday opened to traffic in Hangzhou. The two overpasses will facilitate commuters by easing traffic congestion and cutting travel time between Linping District and the city's main urban area. (Xinhua/Jiang Han) Aerial photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the second phase of Donghu Overpass in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second phase of Donghu Overpass and Wangmei Overpass Tuesday opened to traffic in Hangzhou. The two overpasses will facilitate commuters by easing traffic congestion and cutting travel time between Linping District and the city's main urban area. (Xinhua/Jiang Han) Aerial photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the second phase of Donghu Overpass in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second phase of Donghu Overpass and Wangmei Overpass Tuesday opened to traffic in Hangzhou. The two overpasses will facilitate commuters by easing traffic congestion and cutting travel time between Linping District and the city's main urban area. (Xinhua/Jiang Han) Abu Dhabi Exports Office (Adex) has signed a financing deal with the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (Ebid), whereby a line of credit of $20 million will be opened between the two entities to boost trade. The deal will enhance strategic cooperation, leading to an increase in the volume of trade between the UAE and Ecowas member states. The agreement also supports the establishment of additional credit lines and the provision of easier means for joint financing, thus boosting Emirati exports in the African market. Supporting exports The agreement was signed virtually by Khalil Al Mansoori, Acting Director General of Adex, and Dr George Agyekum Donkor, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ebid. Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and Chairman of the Exports Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi Exports Office (Adex) and Khalifa Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADFD, were present at the event, alongside other officials from both sides. Al Suwaidi said: The agreement signed with Ebid underscores Adexs effort to support the UAE in developing the export sector, diversifying the economy, and enabling Emirati companies to expand their footprint into Africa. He added that the agreement would enable Adex to offer a credit line to the bank to refinance their lending to importers from its member countries for purchase of emirati goods and services. This will strengthen relations between the two entities, leading to fulfilment of common interests and acceleration of economic growth in West Africa and the UAE. Flexible and reliable financing Al Mansoori stated: The agreement is a continuation of Adexs effort to expand the scope of its partnerships with African countries. It complements the agreement signed last year by Adex with the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB). The latest partnership agreement will consolidate our effort to support and develop national exports through the provision of flexible and reliable financing, thereby strengthening the presence of emirati companies in West Africa. He added that the provision of credit facilities and innovative solutions will benefit exporters and importers alike, apart from reducing challenges facing exporters over the availability of liquidity and cash. Dr Donkor commented: This novel partnership between Ebid and Adex is a further illustration of the Banks continued efforts to mobilise and diversify its resources to amplify economic activities within the Ecowas sub-region as well as between the region and the rest of the world. This agreement with Abu Dhabi Export Office will facilitate strategic relations between West Africa and the UAE. Our partnership will contribute to charting a course for further economic development and enhanced trade between the two sides. We will work together to take advantage of available opportunities and Adexs financing facilities to enable importers in Africa to acquire goods and services from the UAE in an easier and safer way. He pointed out that the agreement would enhance economic and commercial sustainability benefiting both the banks Member States and the UAE.-- TradeArabia News Service Twenty-five years after its return to the motherland, Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, remains one of the world's most dynamic cities. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong has kept a steady financial system, free-flowing capital, abundant human resources, a fine legal environment, and a unique gateway connecting the mainland and the world. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service A congratulation ceremony is held for the successful launch of the first cargo train from Turkey to China in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) More and more Chinese companies have been investing in Turkey, supporting its development, especially in infrastructure, transportation, high technology and banking, Sedat Aybar, professor of economics and finance at the Istanbul-based Bahcesehir University, told Xinhua. ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), inspired by the global vision of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has bolstered the living standards of the Turkish people, according to an expert. More and more Chinese companies have been investing in Turkey, supporting its development, especially in infrastructure, transportation, high technology and banking, Sedat Aybar, professor of economics and finance at the Istanbul-based Bahcesehir University, told Xinhua. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway linking Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, completed in 2017, has reduced cargo travel time between China and Turkey to 12 days from one month, the expert noted. Turkey's first train loaded with goods for the Chinese market reached the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an at the end of 2020, starting a new era in rail freight transport between Asia and Europe. The train schedules have grown exponentially over time, boosting trade relations between Turkey and China, Aybar noted. China has also contributed to the construction of Turkey's 1915 Canakkale Bridge, with China's Sichuan Road and Bridge Construction Group winning the steel box girder hoisting project bid. The bridge, which spans the Dardanelles Strait and connects Europe and Asia at the western end of the Marmara Sea, was inaugurated in March. Aerial photo taken on April 14, 2022 shows a view of the Emba Hunutlu power plant in Sugozu village in south Turkey's Adana Province. (Photo by Wang Zequn/Xinhua) Beyond infrastructure and transportation services, China has also invested in high technology and the financial sector, said Aybar. Huawei Turkey launched operations in the country in 2002 to support the development of Turkey's information and communication technology ecosystem, including 5G and augmented reality. Chinese smartphone makers, such as Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo, have also directly invested in Turkey, generating thousands of job opportunities. The establishment of the Turkish subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has financed several major projects under the BRI since 2015, supporting Turkey's economic, industrial and social development. Meanwhile, Aybar highlighted the breakthroughs that China has achieved in environmental protection, space, big data, global peace and stability and the fight against global poverty. China's increased life expectancy, modern infrastructure, growing levels of education and increased access to health services are "all massive developments," he said. "China's incredible developments would not be possible without the CPC's tremendous efforts," said Aybar. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech in Ankara, Turkey, on May 18, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday, discussing the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit, Turkey's presidency said. The two leaders also discussed bilateral issues and some regional matters, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. U.S. President Joe Biden (R) speaks during an event on reducing high-speed internet costs, at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Speaking to a press conference before departing for the summit in Madrid, Spain's capital, Erdogan said he would hold a meeting with Biden on the sidelines, and would discuss the U.S. military "support" to Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, a group outlawed by Turkey. "What did NATO do after all these arms were delivered to these terrorists? Truckloads of weapons came from the United States. I will raise it once again in our meeting," Erdogan told reporters. Another issue of their talks in Madrid will be Turkey's demand to purchase 40 new F-16 warplanes and 80 modernization kits for its exiting fleets, he said. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, chairs a symposium during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for stronger efforts to accelerate economic recovery to shore up market entities, ensure employment stability and safeguard people's livelihoods. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to two state organs on Monday. While paying a visit to a technical guidance center for employment training of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Li urged efforts to further catalyze entrepreneurship and innovation and provide equal support for market entities of all types, including those in the private sector and self-employed individuals. Vocational training must adapt to market demand, Li said, underscoring the importance of maximizing the country's advantages in human resources. After hearing a report on the country's current employment situation, Li said that stable employment is a vital sign that the economy is functioning within an appropriate range. China's economy has made progress in recovery, but the fundamentals for recovery are not yet sufficiently solid and the tasks to stabilize employment remain arduous. Noting that development is key to solving all problems facing the country, Li said that bolstering employment by propping up market entities is of great importance amid efforts to stabilize the economy. Li stressed further implementation of all policies to steer the economy back on track as soon as possible. Efforts should be made to increase market-based job opportunities, improve career services for university graduates, and expand employment for migrant workers as a form of social relief, Li said. During his visit to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the premier was provided with information about the low-income population and the implementation of social assistance policies. He called for efforts to coordinate social assistance policies with employment policies and to encourage people to work hard for better lives. Li said that the current COVID-19 resurgence and natural disasters have triggered an increase in the number of people facing difficulties. He stressed the urgency of incorporating people in need into social assistance systems, expanding the scale of social assistance and relief, and preventing China's once-impoverished population from falling back into poverty in large numbers. Efforts should also be made to ensure that pensions are paid in full and on time, and government work on compulsory education and basic healthcare and housing must be carried out well, Li said. Governments at all levels need to practice fiscal frugality and shoulder their responsibilities for safeguarding people's basic livelihoods, Li added. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, chairs a symposium during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks with staff members during an inspection tour to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, June 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) The screen shot of a video footage released by Hamas shows Israeli hostage Hisham al-Sayed lying on a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask, in Gaza, on June 28, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday called for international help in releasing an Israeli citizen held by the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following Hamas' release of a video of the Israeli captive lying in a hospital bed while wearing an oxygen mask. The man, identified as 34-year-old Hisham al-Sayed, has been held incommunicado since he wandered across the security fence into the Palestinian enclave in 2015. The video was released a day after Hamas announced the deterioration of his medical condition. "The State of Israel holds Hamas accountable for the health of the captured civilians," Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said in a statement, referring to al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, another Israeli civilian who is also believed to be held in Gaza after crossing into the Palestinian enclave in 2014. Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement that Hamas is holding al-Sayed in violation of international law. "I call on the international community, including the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the organizations dealing with people with mental conditions, to condemn Hamas for its inhuman behavior and demand it act in accordance with international law and release the civilians," Lapid said. Israel and Hamas, which are sworn enemies that have fought several rounds of war, have been engaged in the Egyptian-brokered talks for a swap deal, which have so far made little progress. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007 when Hamas took over control of the enclave. Israel maintains that it will not lift the blockade until the Israeli prisoners are freed and the Gaza Strip is demilitarized. TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian commander on Tuesday slammed the U.S. military presence in the Islamic world for leading to divisions among the nations, prolonged wars, destruction of houses, displacement of people, insecurity, poverty, and underdevelopment. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), made the remarks in a meeting with Pakistan's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Nadeem Raza in the Iranian capital Tehran, reported the official news agency IRNA. Both Iran and Pakistan are suffering from the irreparable adverse impacts of "destructive" U.S. interferences and presence in Afghanistan, the Iranian commander cited. Under the pretext of combating terrorism, the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001. After 20 years of occupation, the last batch of U.S. troops departed the country on Aug. 30, 2021. Salami expressed satisfaction with the U.S. retreat from the Islamic world, hoping that Islamic states would regain their independence through self-confidence. He also said that Iran sees Pakistan's security as important as its own, calling for further enhancement of cooperation in different sectors, particularly in ensuring security along their common borders and fighting terrorism. Raza, for his part, also blamed the U.S. and Western plots for the divisions within the Islamic world, noting that the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years without managing to establish security in that country. He emphasized the necessity of intelligence and operational cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in protecting the security of the joint border. ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called on African countries to remain vigilant against the spread of the monkeypox virus. The Africa CDC in a statement issued late Monday warned that the technical and financial resources required to effectively respond to monkeypox in Africa are not yet optimally mobilized. According to figures from the Africa CDC, since the beginning of 2022, some 1,715 cases and 73 deaths of monkeypox have been reported from eight endemic and two non-endemic African Union (AU) member countries. The Africa CDC, specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the case fatality ratio of monkeypox in Africa this year stands at 4.3 percent. During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, from February 2020 to date, the African continent has documented 12,141 cases of monkeypox, with a case fatality ratio of 3 percent, according to the agency. "Monkeypox remains a public health emergency in affected African countries, and is a high risk pathogen for other neighboring countries," the Africa CDC said. It warned that the number of monkeypox cases has continued to rise on the continent. The Africa CDC said it has continued to monitor the situation of monkeypox on the African continent and globally, while supporting AU member countries in their efforts to strengthen surveillance systems in-country and across borders. It, however, said the tools required to contain the expanding outbreak, which include diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics "all of which are currently not easily accessible to AU member countries." The World Health Organization (WHO) had on Saturday said the latest monkeypox spread in over 50 countries does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest level of alert the WHO can issue. Meanwhile, the Africa CDC urges countries to establish laboratory diagnostic and genomic sequencing capacity for orthopoxviruses, including monkeypox, as well strengthen existing monkeypox surveillance efforts, including cross-border surveillance. It further called on countries to develop and distribute both general and tailored risk communication messages for the community at large as well as specific populations currently impacted and at risk. The agency said its Emergency Operations Centre remains in alert mode and is closely monitoring the situation globally and in Africa. The Africa CDC further urged AU member countries, partners and friends of Africa to support the monkeypox emergency support efforts across the continent while coordinating closely with the Africa CDC and the AU. It further called for more tools, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, be made available in Africa so as to ensure that the outbreak does not spread further nor grow more severe. Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis belonging to the Poxviridae family, the same viral family that caused smallpox. Monkeypox can be transmitted via direct contact with infected body fluids or lesion material from humans or animals, or indirect contact with contaminated material, according to the agency. The first human case of monkeypox was reported in 1970 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The virus is thought to be maintained primarily in wild rodent populations. Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, malaise, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed a few days later by a rash. UNITED NATIONS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' priority in Libya remains to facilitate a return to the electoral process, a senior UN official said on Monday, urging leaders in Libya to resolve outstanding issues to let the long-awaited presidential and parliamentary elections be held. "We are firmly convinced that elections are the only path to settle the disagreements over the democratic legitimacy of all Libyan institutions," Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council in a briefing. DiCarlo commended recent progress following a final round of UN-facilitated consultations on the constitutional basis for the vote, which has been delayed since December. The talks were held in Cairo, Egypt, and brought together representatives from two rival legislative chambers, the House of Representatives and the High State Council, regarding a constitutional basis for elections. Delegates reached broad consensus on most of the contentious articles in the 2017 Constitutional Proposal, though differences remain on measures governing the transitional period leading to the elections. "The meeting was the first time the House of Representatives and the High State Council engaged in a serious review of the Constitutional Proposal since its adoption in 2017," said DiCarlo. The outcome marked "a step in the right direction", she said, noting that leaders will meet in Geneva this week in efforts toward resolution. "It is my hope the upcoming meeting in Geneva between the heads of the House of Representative and High State Council will lead to a final and implementable agreement that would lead to the elections at the earliest possible date," she said. "I encourage this Council and all of Libya's international partners to call on the leadership of the two Chambers to seize the opportunity presented by the agreement reached in Cairo. It is high time to agree on outstanding issues and make the elections happen," said DiCarlo. KHARTOUM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Monday decided to file a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Ethiopia over "the killing of seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen held as captives." Sudanese Foreign Ministry also decided to immediately recall its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations, and to summon the Ethiopian ambassador in Khartoum to inform him of Sudan's condemnation. In a statement, the ministry condemns "in the strongest terms the heinous crime committed by the Ethiopian army, which violates all principles of international humanitarian law, by killing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian after they were kidnapped from inside the Sudanese territory." "The ministry embarked on filing a formal complaint to the UN Security Council and the concerned international and regional organizations," it added. On Sunday, the Sudanese Armed Forces said the Ethiopian army "executed" seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen who were held captive, which Ethiopia denied. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter that the incident taking place on the "common border" with Sudan on June 22 was a "tragedy," adding it was the result of skirmishes between the Sudanese army and "a local militia." Since September 2020, the Sudan-Ethiopia border has been witnessing rising tensions and deadly skirmishes between the two sides. Sudan has accused the Ethiopian military of backing the farmers' seizure of Sudanese lands at the disputed Fashaga district on its border with Ethiopia. LUSAKA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of people joining the labor market in search of employment in Zambia has risen to about 350,000 per year, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Situmbeko Musokotwane, the Minister of Finance and National Planning said most of the people seeking employment and other opportunities in the labor market were young people. In remarks delivered at a 2023 national budget consultative meeting, the minister said this has put increased pressure on the government to provide job opportunities through putting in place favorable taxes that promote economic growth. According to him, there was a need to have taxes that promote economic growth in order to create job opportunities for citizens, adding that taxes were important in attracting investments into the economy. The ministry, he said, has been holding consultative meetings in order to get views from stakeholders on the type of incentives required to attract more investments into the economy. UAE-based developer Arada has opened the first retail cluster, East Boulevard at its fast-growing Aljada community, welcoming a range of global brands and local favourites to Sharjah for the first time. The 75,000-sq-ft space represents the first section of East Boulevard to be opened. One of two main avenues located within the megaproject, East Boulevard stretches for 2.2km offering a range of retail, dining and services options along a wide, walkable tree-lined street. According to Arada, the newly-opened section of East Boulevard is located on the ground floor of the four premium Misk buildings, and is anchored by a Spinneys supermarket, its fourth store in Sharjah, as well as an outlet from the worldwide coffee house company Starbucks. Among the international brands making their Sharjah debut in East Boulevard are: Five Guys, the well-known US burger house; Turkish restaurant chain Bosporus; and British cookie brand Bens Cookies. Famed Lebanese ice cream brand Bachir is also opening its first outlet in the UAE at the Aljada location, while Japanese lifestyle department store Mumuso will also have a shop there, stated the developer. Welcoming the brands, Group CEO Ahmed Alkhoshaibi said: "East Boulevard is another step forward in our mission to provide the ideal lifestyle for residents and visitors at this rapidly growing destination, and we have worked hard to secure an exciting range of brands, many of which are entering the Sharjah market for the first time." "This carefully curated mix of tenants has been designed to support the thousands of residents who are now moving into Aljada, but visitors from across Sharjah and further beyond as well," he stated. Alkhoshaibi pointed out that in addition to the global brands, there were also a number of locally-owned ones opening their doors in Misk Boulevard including: Japanese outlet Origami Sushi; Moon Slice Pizza; Life Pharmacy; and the popular Sharjah-based cafe Hoof Cafe. Further brands and services scheduled to open in the coming months include: Canadian nursery Maple Bear; Virtuality, a virtual reality space; Racks Cafe, which contains a collection of board games; popular Saudi vegan restaurant Wabi Sabi; Indian restaurant brand Gazebo; flower shop Seasons Floristry; and local coffee shop brand Late Lounge. The remaining sections of East Boulevard, which run past the Nest student housing complex and the East Village district, will both open in the first quarter of 2023, it added.-TradeArabia News Service BANGKOK, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's two deputy prime ministers, Anutin Charnvirakul and Jurin Laksanavisit, have tested positive for COVID-19 after overseas visits, local media reported Tuesday. Anutin, who is also the country's public health minister, and Jurin, who is also the commerce minister, were both confirmed as being infected days after they returned from abroad. Anutin returned to Thailand on Sunday after attending the 50th meeting of the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board in Geneva, Switzerland, while Jurin returned from a trip to Britain, according to local media reports. Anutin reportedly had muscle pains and a sore thoat. Jurin is working from home and he said the infection was not due to the face mask mandate, according to local media. Both were recommended for a one-week isolation, according to local media. On Tuesday, Thailand reported 1,761 new confirmed cases and 13 additional fatalities, said the country's Ministry of Public Health. YANGON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Mr Zheng Zhihong, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar on Tuesday attended the launching ceremony of Year 2022 Donation Project to Mary Chapman School for the Deaf. At the ceremony, Zheng said this year, the embassy will provide more than 20 million kyats (10,810 U.S. dollars) worth of daily food supplies to the school. He also pledged that the embassy will continue to join hands with caring people from all walks of life in Myanmar to share love and support to the children of Mary Chapman school and to Myanmar's social welfare cause. Daw Khin Thida Nyunt, Principal of Mary Chapman School for Deaf expressed thanks to the Chinese embassy for donating the needed things for the school. Since 2018, the school has been receiving the assistances from the embassy after the signing ceremony of MoU in November 2017, she said. Mary Chapman School for the Deaf was founded in 1920 in Myanmar. Photo taken on June 26, 2022 shows food aid donated by a Chinese firm in Khost province, Afghanistan. The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm has reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) KHOST, Afghanistan, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm has reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. The food aid donated by MCC-JCL Aynak Minerals Company Ltd. (MJAM) reached Khost city, capital of the eastern Khost province on Sunday, Mohammad Salim Haqqani, an official responsible for planning and policy at the office of the state minister for disaster management and humanitarian affairs, told Xinhua. "We are thankful to all aid agencies, domestic and international organizations which provided aid to us at this difficult time when we are facing an emergency situation, we are grateful as they delivered a lot of assistance," Haqqani said. The 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan Wednesday is the deadliest in more than 20 years, causing at least 1,500 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries while destroying more than 3,000 houses. Haqqani noted that in order to help the calamity-affected people, the disaster management authorities need more relief items and supplies including tents, carpets, mats, tarpaulin, blankets, medicine, foodstuff as well as medical equipment. Haqqani said the aid will be transported to communities in worst-hit remote districts in Khost and neighboring Paktika provinces at the earliest time. The food aid included 800 sacks of flour, 800 sacks of rice, 800 bottles of cooking oil, and 800 packages of tea, according to Ahmad Jawad Saleh from the Chinese company MJAM. China has pledged to provide 7.5 million U.S. dollars in emergency humanitarian aid for victims of the deadly earthquake in Paktika and Khost provinces. A flight carrying the first shipment of the aid including tents and folding beds would reach Afghanistan on Monday. Photo taken on June 26, 2022 shows food aid donated by a Chinese firm in Khost province, Afghanistan. The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm has reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 26, 2022 shows food aid donated by a Chinese firm in Khost province, Afghanistan. The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm has reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) People receive food aid donated by a Chinese firm in Khost province, Afghanistan, June 26, 2022. The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm has reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) TOKYO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday extended its advisory for power shortages Tuesday calling on businesses and residents in Tokyo and nearby areas to conserve energy as searing summer temperatures have increased demand. Businesses and residents served by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) have been asked to conserve energy by limiting the use of power-zapping electronics and taking commonsensical steps such as turning off lights when not needed. According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the government is asking people in the service region to reduce power consumption as much as possible between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time and particularly from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., when demand tends to spike intensely. Due to a concerted effort by the businesses and the public a day earlier, however, TEPCO said there were no power shortages or outages on Monday. The utility also said that other power companies supplying power, including solar energy, also helped to avert a power shortage on Monday in its service area, which comprises Tokyo and eight nearby prefectures including those in the Kanto region. With the rainy season here being the shortest in the Tokyo area since records became available in 1951, the broader region has been experiencing a heatwave, with the mercury soaring to 35 degrees centigrade and above. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said, thus, there is a continued high demand for electricity in the evenings and requested that the public cooperate. Hagiuda also said after a cabinet meeting Tuesday that is "important" for Japan to restart its nuclear power stations, many of which were taken offline in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, so the nation can avoid a power crunch. The government has said that as Japan is now facing a protracted heatwave, the potential supply shortage is now expanding and affecting a number of areas in eastern Japan and concerns are growing that the reserve supply capacity rate in the region will drop below 5 percent. This could happen as soon as Wednesday, as the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned that temperatures will continue to rise Wednesday, meaning the increased use of air-conditioners. TEPCO officials said that if the temperature rises by one degree higher than forecast, the demand for electricity will surge by 1.5 million kilowatts. In light of this, the industry ministry will decide Tuesday afternoon whether to issue another advisory on Wednesday, as the lowest level necessary for a stable power supply is 3 percent. Along with other power companies pitching in to avert a potential power crisis in Japan, JERA Co. Inc.'s thermal power station in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, will be restarted on Wednesday, with the reboot brought forward from a previously planned restart on Friday, the company said. A video screenshot shows the second shipment of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arriving at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, June 28, 2022. The second shipment of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport on Tuesday and has been handed over to the Afghan side. (Xinhua) KABUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The second shipment of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport on Tuesday and has been handed over to the Afghan side. Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman of the Taliban-led government, wrote on social media that two Chinese cargo planes delivered the humanitarian supplies on Tuesday morning. A strong earthquake rocked southeastern Afghanistan days ago, killing more than 1,000 people and injured nearly 2,000 others while destroying tens of thousands of houses. On Monday night, after the arrival of the first batch of supplies, Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Ghulam Ghaws Naseri, acting minister of state for disaster management and humanitarian affairs of Afghanistan's Taliban-led caretaker government, attended a handover ceremony at the airport. At the ceremony, Wang said the Chinese government decided to provide 50 million yuan (about 7.5 million U.S. dollars) in emergency humanitarian assistance supplies to Afghanistan, and the first batch of supplies included tents, folding beds and blankets. Wang said six more Chinese airplanes would deliver relief supplies to Afghansitan in the next three days, adding that all the food supplies China promised have arrived earlier. Naseri thanked China for offering emergency assistance supplies to his country immediately after the earthquake, and said the move demonstrated the longtime friendship between the peoples of the two countries. The first batch of food aid donated by a Chinese firm had reached the earthquake-hit region in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan disaster management official said on Monday. The food aid donated by MCC-JCL Aynak Minerals Company Ltd. (MJAM) reached Khost city, capital of the eastern Khost province on Sunday, Mohammad Salim Haqqani, an official responsible for planning and policy at the office of the state minister for disaster management and humanitarian affairs, told Xinhua. "We are thankful to all aid agencies, domestic and international organizations which provided aid to us at this difficult time when we are facing an emergency situation. We are grateful as they delivered a lot of assistance," Haqqani said. The 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Wednesday is the deadliest in more than 20 years, causing at least 1,500 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries while destroying more than 3,000 houses. Haqqani noted that in order to help the affected people, the disaster management authorities need more relief items and supplies including tents, carpets, mats, tarpaulin, blankets, medicine, foodstuff as well as medical equipment. Haqqani said the aid will be transported to communities in the worst-hit remote districts in Khost and Paktika provinces as soon as possible. The food aid included 800 sacks of flour, 800 sacks of rice, 800 bottles of cooking oil, and 800 packages of tea, according to Ahmad Jawad Saleh from the Chinese company MJAM. A video screenshot shows the first batch of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arriving at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, June 27, 2022. The first batch of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport on Monday night and was handed over to the Afghan side. (Xinhua) A video screenshot shows the first batch of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arriving at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, June 27, 2022. The first batch of earthquake relief supplies donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport on Monday night and was handed over to the Afghan side. (Xinhua) MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Swedish Institute (SI) must immediately stop their activities in Russia. Johannes Danielsson, Swedish charge d'affaires ad interim in Russia, was summoned on Tuesday and informed about the termination of activities of the two Swedish state organizations in Russia, the ministry said in a statement. If the Swedish diplomatic and consular offices continue to promote the projects of the SIDA and the SI, their staff members will be expelled, the statement said. The two Swedish organizations are involved in implementing the "Strategy for Sweden's support for democracy, human rights and the environment in Russia 2020-2024," according to the Russian ministry. The projects of the SIDA and the SI in Russia "do not meet the stated goals of promoting the development of bilateral humanitarian and environmental cooperation, but focus on efforts to destabilize the Russian society," the ministry said. COPENHAGEN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) launched a new national campaign on Tuesday to encourage energy savings all year round. It cited high energy prices, climate concerns and pressure on the European gas market caused by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. "This is a serious situation that we are following closely," DEA Director General Kristoffer Bottzauw said in a statement. "We can all make an effort to save energy, and we put ourselves in a better situation for every kilowatt-hour we save -- both for reasons of economy, climate and security of supply. " Under the slogan "One thing is certain and it's green," the campaign aims to encourage Danes to save energy by "turning down a little, spending a little less, renovating the home energy systems, and finding alternatives to oil and gas for heating." The DEA offers simple tips to reduce energy use, such as turning off heating in the summer, taking shorter showers, drying clothes on a clothesline instead of in a dryer, disconnecting home appliances before going on vacation, measuring home electricity consumption or investing in energy-saving renovation. The DEA expects the campaign to contribute to a more secure and ultimately greener energy supply. "We see that Danes have realized that simple measures can save a lot of energy without compromising their quality of life," Stine Leth Rasmussen, deputy director of the DEA, was quoted in the statement. LONDON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A bill that overrides parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a Brexit trade deal between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), passed the first hurdle on Monday night in the House of Commons, the lower house of UK parliament. The bill, which contains measures to remove checks on goods moving to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, was passed 295 to 221. The bill must now go through line-by-line in-depth scrutiny by lawmakers and a further Commons vote and then pass to the House of Lords, the upper house, before becoming law. The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trade solution agreed by London and Brussels to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the neighboring Republic of Ireland. Under the protocol, Northern Ireland is part of the UK's customs territory but is subject to the EU's customs code, value-added tax (VAT) rules and single market rules for goods. However, a de facto Irish Sea border was thus created between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, meaning goods transported to and from Northern Ireland are subject to border controls. Recently, the need to solve the disputes over the protocol has been made even more urgent after Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party, was in early May declared winner in elections for the devolved assembly in Northern Ireland. Coming second in the elections, the pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party has said it would not sit in the Assembly, citing its opposition to the protocol. Speaking at the G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, ahead of the vote, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected the bill would come into force by the end of the year if the parliament cooperates. "You've got one community that feels things really aren't working in a way they like or understand, you've got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland," Johnson said. "All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market," he told reporters. The Conservative government's efforts to rewrite the Northern Ireland Protocol have attracted opposition from not only the EU but within its own party. Joao Vale de Almeida, EU's ambassador to the UK, said Sunday that the bill is both "illegal" and "unrealistic." "It is illegal because it is a breach of international law, a breach of EU law, UK law and international law," he said. "We also believe it is unrealistic because it does not provide a real alternative to the protocol," he added. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her disapproval of the bill. "I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it," she said. BRUSSELS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Council of the European Union (EU) on Monday adopted a regulation aiming to ensure that gas storage capacities in the EU are filled before the winter season and can be shared between member states. The regulation provided that underground gas storage on member states' territory must be filled to at least 80 percent of their capacity before the winter of 2022/2023 and to 90 percent before the following winter. Overall, the EU will attempt collectively to fill 85 percent of the total underground gas storage capacity in the bloc in 2022. Some member states do not have storage facilities on their territory, and so the regulation provides that they should store 15 percent of their annual domestic gas consumption in stocks located in other member states and thus have access to gas reserves stored in other member states. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson told a press conference following a meeting of the bloc's energy ministers held in Luxembourg that it was imperative that countries updated their contingency plans and turn to alternative means to save on gas. "The situation is deteriorating. While the gas supply to the Member States is currently guaranteed, the security of supply risks is greater than ever..." she said. She said last week, Gazprom reduced the gas supply to companies in five Member States, with 12 of the bloc's 27 Member States being directly affected. Some no longer receive any gas from Russia, with exports from the country dropping by half over a year ago. The European Commission will next month present a plan for EU countries to coordinate their preparations for further gas shocks, she said, urging governments to reduce their gas use to ensure enough storage for any further supply shocks in winter. Simson said the EU energy ministers had reached an agreement on both the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive. "It is imperative that we continue to rapidly move forward with the Fit for 55 proposals, to make sure that we never again face this risk to our security of supply that we find ourselves in today," she said. WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A federal agency announced on Monday evening the launch of a team to investigate the deadly Amtrak derailment in the U.S. state of Missouri. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tweeted that a 14-member investigation team is traveling to the scene near Mendon, Missouri, and is expected to arrive on Tuesday. Amtrak said in a statement that a train with 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard derailed on Monday afternoon after striking a dump truck "that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon." The Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters that two people on the train and one person in the dump truck had died. At least 50 people were reportedly injured. The crossing was said to have been uncontrolled without lights or other electronic barriers. The train traveling eastbound from Los Angeles to Chicago had eight cars and two locomotives derailed, according to Amtrak. Local authorities were assisting the passengers and an Amtrak incident response team had been activated, the company said in the statement. "We are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees, and their families with their needs," the statement added. Governor Mike Parson of Missouri tweeted they were "saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon." Emergency management personnel were responding, wrote Parson while asking "Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted." The Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted that numerous agencies had responded to an injury traffic crash involving "a train & a dump truck" southwest of Mendon in Chariton County. "Local & surrounding agencies are on scene providing mutual aid assistance," it reported. Mendon is about 160 kilometers northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. The derailment in Missouri occurred just a day after an Amtrak train collided with a car in Brentwood, California, killing three people and injuring two others. Amtrak provides medium and long-distance inter-city rail service in the contiguous United States and to nine cities in Canada. In the last decade, Amtrak has averaged 24 derailments annually, according to data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation. UAE-based Azizi Developments has announced the release of 120 more residential units across 18 floors at its Beachfront project in the third phase of Riviera, the developers French Mediterranean-inspired residential and commercial waterfront community in Dubai. Azizi pointed out that all of these units will get to enjoy direct views of its crystal lagoon. Offering beachfront living in the heart of Dubai, the latest three 14-storey developments, with 252 studios, 84 one-bedroom apartments, 84 two-bedroom homes and 19 retail spaces totalling 439 units, are highly sought-after, said Azizi in a statement. This move comes in light of the project selling out rapidly to local and international investors, with Azizi having to release new, previously withheld and unseen units to satiate the surging demand. Beachfront had sold out nearly 40% within just one month of being launched, it added. Commenting on the release, CEO Farhad Azizi said: "It excites us to see this exceptional high-end project sell out so rapidly. We take great pride in responding to the surging demand with the release of 120 more units. This is a testament to the success of Beachfront, and Riviera as a whole, with it representing a distinguished value-add to Dubais awe-inspiring skyline." "Riviera is truly one of the if not the most growth-inclined, strategically located, well-connected, and highly esteemed addresses of the emirate," stated Azizi. "It is a premium community for which no expense was spared, one with a build quality that will meet and far surpass investor expectations, and with a remarkably wide range of amenities, including its vast beach-like lagoon. Riviera is a manifestation of all our values from customer centricity and investor friendliness all the way to sustainability and sophistication in design," explained Azizi. "Each of the buildings, set on the shores of Azizis 2.7-km-long swimmable crystal lagoon, features direct beach access, its own swimming pool, vast landscaped areas, a fully equipped gym, a barbeque area, a childrens playground and games, as well as a yoga space," he added. Following the release, Azizi is now gearing up for the remainder of its 2022 deliveries, comprising a total of 8,895 units across 42 projects.-TradeArabia News Service CHICAGO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed following an Amtrak passenger train derailment after the train struck a dump truck in the U.S. state of Missouri Monday afternoon, U.S. media reported, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Amtrak train, with 243 passengers and 12 crew members aboard, hit a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri, when it was traveling eastbound from Los Angeles to Chicago, the Washington, D.C.-headquartered passenger railroad service company said in a statement. Eight cars and two locomotives were derailed, according to the statement. Local authorities were assisting the passengers and an Amtrak incident response team had been activated, the company said. "We are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs," the statement added. Governor Mike Parson of Missouri tweeted they were "saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon." Emergency management personnel were responding, wrote Parson, while asking "Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted." The Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted numerous agencies had responded to an injury traffic crash involving "a train & a dump truck" southwest of Mendon in Chariton County. "Local & surrounding agencies are on scene providing mutual aid assistance," it reported. The derailment in Missouri occurred just a day after an Amtrak train collided with a car in Brentwood, California, killing three people and injuring two others. Amtrak provides medium and long-distance inter-city rail service in the contiguous United States and to nine cities in Canada. In the last decade, Amtrak has averaged 24 derailments annually, according to data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration, an agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation. HOUSTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 46 people, believed to be undocumented migrants, on Monday were found dead inside an 18-wheel tractor-trailer in San Antonio, a major city in south central U.S. state Texas, authorities said. Sixteen others, including 12 adults and four children, have been transported to area hospitals, with at least five of them reportedly in critical condition, according to San Antonio police and fire officials. The identity of the victims and their country of origin are not immediately clear. Those who were found alive were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, and there was no sign of water in the refrigerated tractor-trailer and no visible working air conditioning unit, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. About 60 firefighters were on the scene. Temperatures in San Antonio climbed to 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees centigrade) on Monday, while the heat in a packed trailer was likely way higher than that, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. The U.S. National Association of Medical Examiners has recommended that bodies with a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 degrees centigrade) or greater at the time of collapse be certified as heat-related deaths, local media said. Three people are in police custody, but it's unclear if they are involved in the tragedy, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told a briefing Monday night. Police received a call on Monday evening from a person working nearby, who heard a cry for help from the 18-wheeler in the southwest of the city, approached and saw bodies inside the trailer with its doors partially open, said McManus. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is leading an investigation on an alert by San Antonio police to "an alleged human smuggling event," a spokesperson from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday. "There are, that we know of, 46 individuals who are no longer with us, who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life. And we have 16 folks who are fighting for their lives in the hospital," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told the briefing. "Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we're facing a horrific human tragedy," he tweeted earlier. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking a second reelection in November, on Monday night slammed U.S. President Joe Biden for the tragedy, tweeting: "These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies." In 2017, 10 migrants died in a packed truck carrying 39 people in San Antonio in summer. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of the city. ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has decided to make contact with G20 nations in an effort to prevent India from hosting a summit or event of the group in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Any attempt by India to make such a claim has been vehemently denied by Pakistan's foreign ministry "Jammu and Kashmir is a recognised international boundary dispute between India and Pakistan. Since 1947, India has been occupying the region forcibly and illegally, and this conflict has been on the UN Security Council's agenda for more than seven decades ". In a statement, the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "Considering the holding of any G20 related meeting or event in J&K, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged disputed status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances." The statement further said that it is anticipated that the G20 members would flatly reject any such request from India. Pakistan has also demanded the release of Yasin Malik and all other political detainees held in Indian prisons. source said, Pakistan would specifically speak with nations like China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia to express its concerns. In order to oppose Indian ambitions, Islamabad would also communicate with the US, the UK, and other G20 members. Pakistan PM links CPEC success to vibrant, strong navy Guterres highlights cities' role in sustainable development Toyota teased the looks of its Urban Cruiser Hyryder KHARTOUM: Sudan will officially complain about Ethiopia to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on "the killing of seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen kept as a captive." The foreign ministry in this country also decided to summon the ambassador in Khartoum to advise him of Sudan's censure and to immediately recall its ambassador there for consultations, as per reports. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which it expressed its "strongest condemnation" of the "heinous crime committed by the Ethiopian army, which violates all principles of international humanitarian law, by killing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian after they were abducted from within Sudanese territory." The UN Security Council and the relevant international and regional organisations were addressed formally by the Ministry. The Ethiopian army, which Ethiopia denies, allegedly "killed" seven troops and a citizen who were held captive on Sunday, according to the Sudanese Armed Forces. The incident that occurred on the "shared border" with Sudan on June 22 was described as a "tragedy" by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, which also noted that it was the consequence of clashes between the army and "a local militia." The Sudan-Ethiopia border has seen escalating tensions and violent clashes between the two sides since September 2020. The Ethiopian military is allegedly supporting the farmers' seizure of Sudanese farmland in the contentious bordering Fashaga district, it said. Presidents of Ukraine, Moldova discuss EU integration Shanghai Disneyland to reopen on June 30 Xi encourages grain farmers to contribute to national food security Ukrainian special ops team carries out several successful raids on Russian territory The Times 27 June, 03:10 PM Ukrainian special ops team carries out several successful raids on Russian territory (Photo:REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak) A military unit of Ukraines special operations division has been conducting raids on the territory of the Russian Federation to undermine the military capabilities of the Russian army, UK newspaper The Times has revealed. The newspaper obtained interviews with anonymous fighters participating in these operations, known by their call-signs Adonis and 22. Its unclear to The Times what are the ultimate goals of Ukrainian military operations on the Russian territory, but evidence suggests that sabotage actions at Russian oil refineries, munition storage facilities, and communication infrastructure are undermining Russias offensive capabilities. The UK newspaper mentions Ukraines Shaman Battalion is involved in these operations and is going deeper into Russia. Its been known that Shaman Battalion is the name for the 10th special operations division, which is usually assigned to conduct intelligence operations and assist in short-term offensives. The Shaman Battalion accepts only those servicemen who have gone through advanced training, including diving, parachuting, and mountain climbing. Excellent physical condition is a mandatory prerequisite for joining this military group. At this stage of the war, the Shaman Battalion is focusing on damaging the Russian infrastructure used for the invasion of Ukrainian territory. For this, the Shaman fighters have accomplished several raids on Russia that havent been announced publicly. The Shaman Battalion relies on helicopters to transport its fighters to the Russian territory, using tactics of flying as close to the ground as possible to avoid being noticed by Russian air defenses. Operations on the enemys territory are the most interesting missions, the Shaman fighters told the Times. We use explosives during them, after crossing the frontlines and the state border. Adonis, says the Russians usually cant believe that the Ukrainian army is actually behind these raids. Most of the time, they just cant believe weve paid them a visit, he says. Both, Adonis and 22 have been fighting against Russia since 2014, when it invaded Crimea and the Donbas. To join the special operations division, they went through a complicated training program. But raids on Russian territory are not the only missions for the Shaman fighters. Besides those assignments, they do training sessions for newly recruited soldiers, focusing on tactical technologies. During the initial stage of the war, the Shaman Battalion participated in Ukraines defensive operation in Hostel, which was one of the biggest battles of Russias war against Ukraine when it still had plans to conquer Kyiv, using paratrooper groups to land as many Russian troops in northern Ukraine as possible. After the Hostomel operation, Shaman was deployed to Moshchun, a village to the west of Kyiv that is an important geographical location, sitting near the bridge over the Irpin River and the neighboring swamps. This route could have been used by the Russian army to invade Kyiv from the west, but the Russian advance was stopped there in the course of several weeks. When Russian troops started retreating from the Kyiv outskirts, Shaman fighters followed them all the way to the Belarus border, hitting their positions and speeding their retreat. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News Description Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Summer Films 2022 This summer, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is pleased to announce its continuation of The Finest in World Cinema program. Every Tuesday and Wednesday night from June 7 to August 31, the WHBPAC will present a carefully curated program of first run, independent and foreign films for the enjoyment, edification, and enrichment of the community. Andrew Botsford of Quogue will once again introduce our summer films each Tuesday night and discuss them afterward, often with guest commentators, followed by an informal audience discussion. Most recently a visiting professor and communications consultant for the graduate arts program at Stony Brook Southampton, Andrew was for 20 years the associate editor of The Southampton Press and editor of its Arts & Living section. He has written extensively about film, theatre, and the arts. The host of the annual Hamptons Doc Fest in Sag Harbor, he has been an actor, director and producer with the Hampton Theatre Company in Quogue since 1985. This is Andrews 16th year of hosting the WHBPAC summer film series. Please note: due to a prior commitment, Andrew will not be leading the discussion on August 23. All screenings will have subtitles in English, no matter the language presented by the actors. APPLES June 28 & 29 @ 7:30pm Directed by Christos Nikou Amidst a worldwide pandemic that causes sudden amnesia, middle-aged Aris (Aris Servetalis) finds himself enrolled in a recovery program designed to help unclaimed patients build new identities. Prescribed daily tasks on cassette tapes so he can create new memories and document them on camera, Aris slides back into ordinary life, meeting Anna (Sofia Georgovasili), a woman who is also in recovery. Through images deadpan, strange and surreal, Greek writer-director Christos Nikou posits a beguiling reflection on memory, identity, and loss, exploring how a society might handle an irreversible epidemic through one mans story of self-discovery. 91 minutes | Greek | NR Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqhZUhdQmDI\ Prussic acid toxicity explained as recent drought ramps up risk Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Editorial Communications Coordinator | 405-744-9152 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu Ranchers turning cattle onto pastures with new forage growth this season should watch out for prussic acid toxicity, a condition fatal to livestock and commonly linked to consumption of Johnsongrass. In counties of Oklahoma that recently suffered from extreme drought conditions, ranchers are reporting cattle deaths suspected from prussic acid toxicity. One of our producers found a calf and cow dead on a small patch of Johnsongrass, said Dana Bay, Oklahoma State University Extension agriculture educator in Ellis County. Weve gotten a lot of calls about testing, and several grass samples have tested positive, resulting in ranchers not moving cattle to new pastures. Barry Whitworth, DVM, OSU Extension southeast district area food and animal quality health specialist, said when temperatures rise and the ground dries out, certain plants in the sorghum family become toxic and can kill cattle at a rapid rate. Johnsongrass is one of Oklahomas most invasive plants. Hydrocyanic acid, which is also referred to as cyanide or prussic acid, is a toxin created when the harmless hydrocyanic glycosides in plants are stressed or break down, he said. Once a plants hydrocyanic glycosides are damaged, they quickly convert to prussic acid. When cattle ingest the plants high in hydrocyanic glycoside and break them down by chewing, prussic acid is released in the rumen and absorbed into the blood stream. Whitworth explained that once prussic acid reaches the circulatory system, the toxin prevents cells in the body from taking up oxygen. The blood becomes saturated with oxygen that cannot be absorbed by cells, and cattle perish from asphyxiation within minutes. Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, OSU Extension beef cattle specialist, explains what happens in more detail in this video from SUNUP, OSU Agricultures television show. Clinical signs of prussic acid toxicity are: Muscle tremors Increased respiration rate Excess salivation Staggering Convulsions Collapse Producers should note prussic acid levels are highest in the leaves of young plants, and the upper leaves contain the most toxin. Stress from drought or frost increases prussic acid as well as fertilizing with large amounts of nitrogen and nitrogen/phosphorus soil imbalances. While Johnson grass is high in prussic acid, the toxicity of other sorghum plants such as Foxtail millet is low. Ranchers should first identify the toxicity level of any sorghum variety intended for grazing purposes. Forage samples can be submitted to any OSU Extension county office for testing at OSUs Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory in Stillwater. Once a sample of grass is collected, producers should immediately take it to the local Extension office for testing. Bay said a county Extension educator can also meet the rancher on site and perform a test at the field. When moving cattle from one pasture to another along a road, she also advised to take caution with the Johnsongrass that often grows in roadside ditches. Take the following steps to prevent prussic acid toxicity: Never turn hungry cattle into onto a new pasture Take soil samples and fertilize accordingly Graze mature plants Wait until plants are cured before grazing after frost (at least seven days) Rotate pastures to keep cattle from consuming lush regrowth Place one or two cows in a pasture and observe for problems before turning in all cattle When an animal displays signs of prussic acid toxicity, the producer should immediately remove all animals that appear to be normal to a new pasture and contact their veterinarian. Sick animals can recover if treated quickly with sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate to reverse the toxicity. Additional OSU Extension resources are available through SUNUP: * Seeks entry to group including India, Brazil, S.Africa * Argentina also applied to join BRICS, Russia says * Russia says applications show West failing to isolate it (Adds Argentine government source) By Parisa Hafezi and Guy Faulconbridge DUBAI/LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Iran, which holds the world's second largest gas reserves, has applied to join the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that Beijing and Moscow cast as a powerful emerging market alternative to the West. The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim ONeill in 2001 to describe the startling rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The BRIC powers had their first summit in 2009 in Russia. South Africa joined in 2010. Iranian membership in BRICS "would result in added values for both sides", Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. Russia said Argentina had also applied to join. Russia cast the applications as evidence that the West, led by the United States, was failing to isolate Moscow over what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. "While the White House was thinking about what else to turn off in the world, ban or spoil, Argentina and Iran applied to join the BRICS," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, currently in Europe, recently reiterated his desire for his country to join BRICS. An Argentine government source said there was no "formal process" to do so as yet but that was the country's intention. "Argentine authorities have already publicly expressed their willingness to join. It is a process that has only just begun," the source said, asking not to be named. China has by far the largest economy in the BRICS grouping, accounting for more than 70% of the group's collective $27.5 trillion economic might. India accounts for about 13%, with Russia and Brazil representing about 7%, according to IMF data. Story continues BRICS account for more than 40% of the world's population and about 26% of the global economy. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that swept U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from power, Iran has been ostracised by the West and its economy crippled by a myriad of sanctions. It holds around a quarter of the Middle East's oil reserves. CHINESE POWER Chinese President Xi Jinping joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders for a virtual summit last week. Xi criticised "the abuse" of international sanctions, while Putin scolded the West for fomenting global crisis, with both leaders calling for greater BRICS cooperation. Putin has said relations with China are the best they have ever been and touts a strategic partnership with Beijing aimed at countering U.S. influence. U.S. President Joe Biden has said the West is locked in a battle with autocratic governments such as China and Russia. The United States and European powers cite Putin's decision to invade Ukraine as the reason relations with the West have sunk to the lowest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis - including the severest sanctions in modern history. But Putin says the West wants to destroy Russia, that the economic sanctions are akin to a declaration of economic war and that Russia will build ties with other powers such as China, India and powers in the Middle East. Putin, who casts the Ukraine war as a "special military operation", accuses the United States of having humiliated Russia in the aftermath of the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and threatening Moscow by enlarging the NATO military alliance. Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 to degrade its southern neighbour's military capabilities, root out people it called dangerous nationalists and defend the Russian-speakers of two eastern Ukrainian regions. Ukraine says Russia has launched an imperial-style land grab and will never surrender its territory to Moscow. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; additional reporting by Nicolas Musculin in Buenos Aires; editing by Richard Pullin, Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) Izpisua Belmonte is recognized for his innovative work in programming cellular rejuvenation SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, PhD, was announced today as the recipient of the 2022 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize by Gladstone Institutes. Izpisua Belmonte is director of the San Diego Institute of Science of Altos Labs, a new life sciences company focused on restoring cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte receives the 2022 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize for his innovative work in programming cellular rejuvenation. Photo: Sandy Huffaker Izpisua Belmonte was chosen for the honor because of his work leading to innovations in cellular rejuvenation programming and its promise for the improvement of aging and age-associated diseases. His team has discovered that cell programming can reset a cell's aging clock, allowing organs to regenerate and rejuvenate, disease progression to improve, and healthy life span to increase in mammals. In 2018, TIME magazine included Izpisua Belmonte on its list of the "Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Healthcare" for his research on growing and regenerating human organs. "We are pleased to award this year's prize to Dr. Izpisua Belmonte," says Deepak Srivastava, MD, a member of the selection committee and president of Gladstone. "Aging is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today and is a major risk factor for many of the unsolved diseases that Gladstone investigators are working to address. Dr. Izpisua Belmonte's work could lead to new therapies for age-related illnesses and increasing health span." The Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize was established in 2015 by a generous gift from the late Hiro and Betty Ogawa. By creating this award, the Ogawa family sought to motivate and support individual scientists or doctors conducting groundbreaking work in translational regenerative medicine using reprogrammed cells. The prize is supported by Gladstone and Cell Press group. The prize also recognizes the groundbreaking work of Gladstone Senior Investigator and Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, who first discovered the potential of reprogramming adult cells to a stem cell fate. Izpisua Belmonte's work builds directly on this discovery, utilizing the "Yamanaka factors" to rejuvenate aged cells. Story continues "It is a privilege and honor to receive the Ogawa-Yamanaka prize for my research on novel stem cell models of human organ generation and regeneration," says Izpisua Belmonte. "I am deeply humbled that our work on genetic and epigenetic editing, as well as regenerative and stem-cell techniques, is helping inform a better understanding of how to program and regenerate cells' function. I'm hopeful that when combined with the work of many other researchers, our discoveries will contribute to the elimination of disease and improve human health span." For nearly 30 years, Izpisua Belmonte was a faculty member at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, attaining the rank of professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory and holding the Roger Guillemin Chair. He received an MSc in pharmacology from the University of Valencia and a PhD in biochemistry and pharmacology from University of Bologna and the University of Valencia. After postdoctoral positions at the European Molecular Biology Laboratories in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the University of California, Los Angeles, he joined Salk Institute in 1993 and later also became the director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. Izpisua Belmonte was selected by an independent committee of international stem cell experts from a highly competitive pool of nominees. A ceremony will be held on November 17, 2022, at Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, during which he will give a scientific lecture and will be presented with the award, along with an unrestricted prize of $150,000 USD. About Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte A biochemist and developmental biologist, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, PhD, is director of the San Diego Institute of Science of Altos Labs, a life sciences company focused on restoring cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming. Previously, he was the Roger Guillemin Chair and a professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, as well as director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. He received an MSc in pharmacology from the University of Valencia and a PhD in biochemistry and pharmacology from University of Bologna and the University of Valencia. He completed his postdoctoral training at the European Molecular Biology Laboratories in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at Salk, Izpisua Belmonte pioneered innovations in developmental biology, organ and tissue regeneration, and aging research. At Altos Labs, he is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of human life, with the objective of uncovering universal health therapeutics to restore cellular resilience, overcome human fragility and disease, and ultimately increase health span. Over the course of his career, Izpisua Belmonte has published over 500 scientific papers. He was named one of the "50 Most Influential People in Healthcare" in 2018 by TIME magazine, and received several awards in recognition of his research, including medals from the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Spain and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Spain, the Gold Medal of the Board of Castilla-La Mancha, several honorary doctorates, the National Science Foundation Creativity Award, the National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award, and the President William Clinton Career Award. About the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize The Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize recognizes individuals whose original translational research has advanced cellular reprogramming technology for regenerative medicine. Supported by Gladstone Institutes, in partnership with Cell Press group, the prize was established in 2015 through a generous gift from the late Betty and Hiro Ogawa and has been maintained through their sons, Andrew and Marcus Ogawa. It honors the Ogawas' memory by continuing the philanthropic legacy they shared during their 46-year marriage. It also recognizes the importance of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), discovered by Gladstone Senior Investigator and Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. Past recipients include Masayo Takahashi, MD, PhD, in 2015; Douglas Melton, PhD, in 2016; Lorenz Studer, MD, in 2017; Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, in 2018; and Gordon Keller, PhD, in 2019. The 2022 selection committee was composed of George Daley, MD, PhD, dean of Harvard Medical School; Hideyuki Okano, MD, PhD, dean of the School of Medicine at Keio University; Deepak Srivastava, MD, president of Gladstone Institutes and director of the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center at Gladstone; Lorenz Studer, MD, director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Fiona Watt, FRS, FMedSci, director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King's College, London; and Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, senior investigator at Gladstone and professor in the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University. About Gladstone Institutes To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impactunsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco. Media Contact: Julie Langelier, Associate Director, Communications, julie.langelier@gladstone.org, 415.734.5000 Gladstone Institutes logo (PRNewsfoto/Gladstone Institutes) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-2022-ogawa-yamanaka-stem-cell-prize-awarded-to-juan-carlos-izpisua-belmonte-301577276.html SOURCE Gladstone Institutes New laws or provisions of existing laws will take effect Friday, including an expansion on who can perform abortions, certain protections for people who obtain abortions, an increase to the state minimum wage, and some prohibitions on the sale of catalytic converters. The following are summaries of some of the new measures that take effect July 1: Abortion In light of the leaked Supreme Court draft decision released in early May that would overturn Roe v. Wade (subsequently officially released with some minor modifications last Friday), the state legislature passed a measure that expands who can provide aspiration abortions to include advanced practice registered nurses, nurse midwives and physician assistants. The new laws also authorize those providers to perform medication abortions. In addition, a new law protects individuals privacy by preventing the disclosure of medical information related to reproductive health that is legal in Connecticut. The law prohibits the extradition to anti-abortion states of anyone who seeks, provides or assists others who seek reproductive health care that is legal in Connecticut. Finally, the law enables individuals to recover costs incurred defending an out-of-state action based on reproductive health care services that are legal in the state. Minimum wage increase Following a state law that passed in 2019, the minimum wage in the state is set to increase to $14 an hour. Its the fourth increase since 2019, when the minimum wage was $10.10 an hour. The minimum wage under the law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont three years ago will increase one more time, to $15 an hour on July 1, 2023. Further increases will be automatic starting in 2024 and will be tied to an index calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor. Critics of the measure say its unduly burdensome on businesses, particularly smaller ones. With a tightening pool of labor, employers have also been paying workers at rates higher than the minimum wage. Story continues School-based childrens health measures The legislature passed several sweeping laws to increase access and resources for childrens mental health services. Among the provisions that take effect is that the state Department of Education, over the next three years, will provide grants to boards of education to hire and retain more school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors, marriage and family therapists and nurses. Further, the state education department must, by Sept. 1, 2023, develop for school boards a truancy intervention model that takes into account mental and behavioral health. Also by Sept. 1, 2023, the education department, along with the Department of Children and Families, must issue best practice guidance to school boards relating to intervention in certain behavioral health situations and when its appropriate to contact the 2-1-1 program or use alternative interventions. Starting Friday, classroom teachers of record may request a behavior intervention meeting with the schools crisis intervention team for any student whose behavior has caused a serious disruption to the instruction of other students, or caused self-harm or physical harm to such teacher or another student or staff member in such teachers classroom. The crisis intervention team must then convene a behavior intervention meeting concerning that student to identify resources and supports to address the students social, emotional and instructional needs. Law enforcement body and dashboard cameras A provision of the states Police Accountability Act that went into effect in 2020, and takes effect Friday, expands the use of police body cameras and dashboard cameras. State law already requires state police, municipal police departments that have received reimbursement for body camera purchases under the states grant program and college police in the course of their duties to use body cameras. The measure that starts Friday requires all sworn members of law enforcement units and members of those units who perform police duties to wear body cameras. In addition, the act requires each law enforcement unit to use dashboard cameras in each police patrol vehicle. The law also contains provisions that, among other things, prohibits editing, erasing, sharing, altering or distributing camera recordings or data except as required by law. Employee protections A new law provides protections to employees who refuse to attend employers meetings where employees are asked to listen to speeches or view communications concerning religious or political matters, including on whether to join or support unions. The law provides exceptions for employers to communicate information required by law or that the employees need to perform their jobs. A portion of the states existing Family and Medical Leave Act also takes effect Friday requiring employers to provide their employees notice of their rights under the FMLA. For example, employers must notify their employees at the time of their hiring, and every year thereafter, about employees right to family and medical leave and family violence leave and the terms under which the leave may be used. The employer must also notify employees that retaliation is prohibited for applying for or using family and medical leave. Employers must also tell employees that they may file a complaint with the Department of Labor. Catalytic converters A rash of catalytic converter thefts in the state and nationwide led the legislature to change the existing law to prohibit anyone other than a motor vehicle recycler or motor vehicle repair shop from selling more than one converter to a scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junkyard owner or operator in a day. The provision also establishes recordkeeping requirements for motor vehicle recyclers. Solitary confinement A new law limits the amount of time and circumstances that an incarcerated person may be held in solitary confinement. Under the law, the Department of Correction is prevented from holding minors in solitary confinement altogether. Further, the law requires that incarcerated people in solitary confinement be allowed out of their cells for four hours per day. The amount of time increases to four-and-a-half hours per day starting Oct. 1, and increases again to five hours per day on April 1, 2023. The law also requires that any use of solitary confinement keep the least restrictive environment necessary for the safety of incarcerated individuals, staff and facility security. School indoor air quality The state budget includes $150 million $75 million from American Rescue Plan funds and $75 million in bonding to reimburse school boards for the cost of installing, replacing or upgrading the HVAC systems or other air quality improvements in schools. The law also requires school boards to conduct a uniform inspection and evaluation of the HVAC system in each of their school buildings every five years and take any necessary corrective actions. Increased mandatory reporting A new law expands the list of mandatory reporters to include paid youth camp staff ages 21 and older and requires school boards every year to distribute electronically the boards mandated reporter policy to all school employees. Leading UAE developer Aldar has announced that its pioneering brand for flexible workplace solutions, Cloud Spaces, has formally launched its second location in the capital at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), owing to the regions growing demand for flexible working solutions. This comes following the success of its first unit in Abu Dhabi's retail destination, Yas Mall. Cloud Spaces ADGM is designed to appeal to creative entrepreneurs, freelancers and SMEs by creating an environment to work, connect and collaborate. Tenants can enjoy panoramic views of the city in a variety of co-working zones, said Aldar in a statement. The innovative concept includes an array of tastefully designed workstations, ergonomic boardrooms, private meeting spaces and chic co-working lounges across two floors in Al Sarab Tower, it stated. Saoud Khoory, Chief Retail Officer at Aldar Investment and Chairman of C2i, the Aldar subsidiary that launched Cloud Spaces, said: "Cloud Spaces is more than just an office. The co-working space bridges the gap between traditional working environments and the growing demand for flexibility, agility, and connectivity in business." "Consumer behaviours are shifting, and our shared working space model is designed to meet and exceed customer expectations. Cloud Spaces Yas Mall has proven that this model can be a success and we are delighted to be launching a second location in ADGM," he noted. Khoory said Cloud Spaces was Aldars pioneering brand for flexible workplace solutions aimed at complimenting and adding value to Aldars diverse portfolio. Cloud Spaces was first launched in Yas Mall in October 2020, making it the GCC regions first mall-based, business and lifestyle co-working space. It caters to both local and international companies and entrepreneurs, with existing Yas Mall retailers making use of the creative space and associated services, he noted. Cloud Spaces General Manager Malak Smejkalova said: "We are thrilled to give local and international businesses, entrepreneurs and freelancers a state of the art branch at ADGM, right in the heart of the UAE capital." "Since we first opened a few weeks ago, we have already reached 90% capacity and are looking to expand further within Al Maryah Island. We offer our partners a variety of co-working and flexible payment options as well as meeting rooms and offices of all sizes," he noted. "Since the launch of Cloud Spaces Yas Mall, we have seen increased interest from freelancers, small businesses and the UAEs creative community. We look forward to introducing new locations across the country," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Serabi Gold plc For immediate release 28 June 2022 Serabi Gold plc (Serabi or the Company) AGM Statement Serabi Gold plc (AIM:SRB, TSX:SBI), the Brazilian focused gold mining and development company, advises that at 2:00 pm today (UK time), it will be holding its Annual General Meeting. The following is the text of the statement that will be made by Mr. Mike Hodgson, the Chief Executive of the Company. Highlights of the statement are: Optimistic to deliver full year production in excess of revised guidance for 2022 Coringa being re-risked with confirmation of metallurgical recovery of 96% in full process plant testing and excellent ore-sorting results Brownfield exploration during 2021 identified some excellent mine-site discoveries, especially around the current Palito deposit, Initial results from drilling of Matilda target have been encouraging in the search for large, near surface, low grade mineralization, which could be amenable to bulk surface mining. Text of statement As we move into the second half of 2022, I am pleased to say that we are putting the issues of the after-effects of the pandemic and difficulties at Sao Chico behind us. The production decisions we took earlier this year are beginning to bear fruit with some much-improved grades and monthly gold production for March, April, and May, has shown consistent improvement. The improvements at Sao Chico through a change in mining method and with the arrival of additional mining fleet, gives me optimism that we are in a good position to maintain this path and to deliver full year production in excess of our revised guidance of 30,000 gold ounces for 2022. This transition to the more selective mining method going forward with emphasis on quality over quantity, means an increased focus on reducing costs, moving less volume, and optimising the operation rather than just chasing scale. The real scale change will be driven by the successful start-up of Coringa. Coringa Development The development of our Coringa project remains our immediate growth priority and it is very pleasing to see the continued progress that we are making. We are now developing three veins in the Serra Zone of the Coringa Mine on both the 340 metre and 320 metre levels. Approximately 200 metres of ore development has now been completed and with the increased use of split blasting where ore and waste can be blasted separately, we have been able to generate a higher-grade stockpile, and this material is being transported to the Palito plant for further process test work, most specifically ore sorting. Story continues The results to date have been excellent and demonstrate that ore sorting works very well and furthermore, we have achieved a very impressive metallurgical recovery of 96% from the processing of the first 600 tonnes of ore. While these processing results are in line with our expectations from significant historical metallurgical test work, achieving gold recovery of 96% on a bulk sample through our full-scale processing facility is a major step in further de-risking Coringa. The ability to sort the Coringa ore also brings significant economic benefits, reducing the waste material passing through the plant and therefore processing cost and the volume of tailings generated. We will continue transporting the high-grade stockpiled ore to Palito to generate additional gold production and revenue. On the permitting side, all the current development operations are being carried out under a trial mining licence (GUIA) that allows us to undertake mining activities and perform some initial processing of the ore and further test work at the Palito Complex. We remain optimistic regarding the award of the Installation Licence which is required before we can start construction of the plant and the rest of the site infrastructure. Ongoing dialogue with the relevant agencies involved with issuing this licence, continues to be very positive and has not highlighted any concerns with the project. Having received the Preliminary License at the end of 2020, the next step to obtain the installation license has been delayed with the request that we undertake the indigenous study to confirm the needs of the indigenous populations have been properly considered. This study, which is a third-party report, goes beyond the requirements of the law is now expected to be submitted during the third quarter of 2022. The various stakeholders for the Coringa project, SEMAS (the state environmental agency), ANM (the ministry for mineral resources and mining), FUNAI (the Federal Agency for Indigenous People) and the indigenous tribes themselves have all confirmed full support for the project. Discussions regarding the additional funding that will be required for the longer-term development of Coringa, including the construction of the plant and the necessary site infrastructure, remain on-going with a variety of providers. Exploration Brownfield exploration during 2021 identified some excellent mine-site discoveries, especially around the current Palito deposit, which is allowing us to open further mining areas to support production during the latter half of 2022. The Ipe and Mogno veins in the Chica da Santa sector, which was a key part of the Palito production during 2021, have demonstrated the depth potential and continued high grades of the sector. Lateral extensions of the deposit comprising the Piaui sector to the southwest and Pele sector to the northeast also bode well with both sectors expected to support resource replenishment, growth, and future production at the Palito Mine while ensuring a successful future for this long-life asset. The drilling into Piaui has opened up the deposit to the southwest. The Piaui sector hosts two veins, which have now been drilled over a strike length of 500m and 200m vertical depth. Plans are now being finalised to crosscut to this sector from the Senna Vein later this year. The potential of Palito both along strike, at depth and now laterally is very evident. From Pele in the east and Piaui in the west, the deposit now comprises a series of veins within a 1,000m wide corridor. Over the next 12 months, we will be expanding the Palito orebody considerably as we access these new sectors. Greenfield exploration has focused upon larger scale anomalies that flank the regional Mato Cobra magnetic anomaly that traverses the Palito Complex property. Airborne geophysics has been followed up with soil geochemistry and eight large scale anomalies found. The type and scale of mineralization being targeted is quite different to the veins being mined at Palito, Sao Chico and Coringa. We are targeting large, near surface, low grade mineralization, which could be amenable to bulk surface mining. The first such target, Matilda has recently been drilled with three holes. Not all results are yet available, but the Company is very encouraged by the initial assays. Obviously, the reduction in revenues that we have experienced in in the early part of 2022 does mean that we are having to be even more careful with our exploration expenditure, so our approach remains very much one of risk reduction and achieving maximum value for money. Whilst the last two years have been tough operationally due to global supply chain issues and impacts of Covid, we are confident in Serabis future. The Palito complex remains the engine room to our production base but with the growth from Coringa, our strategy remains to turn Serabi into a very profitable multi-asset gold miner. The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Clive Line, Director. Enquiries: Serabi Gold plc Michael Hodgson Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 Chief Executive Mobile: +44 (0)7799 473621 Clive Line Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 Finance Director Mobile: +44 (0)7710 151692 Email: contact@serabigold.com Website: www.serabigold.com Beaumont Cornish Limited Nominated Adviser and Financial Adviser Roland Cornish / Michael Cornish Tel: +44 (0)20 7628 3396 Peel Hunt LLP Joint UK Broker Ross Allister / Alexander Allen Tel: +44 (0)20 7418 9000 Tamesis Partners LLP Joint UK Broker Charlie Bendon / Richard Greenfield Tel: +44 (0)20 3882 2868 Camarco Financial PR Gordon Poole / Emily Hall Tel: +44(0) 20 3757 4980 Copies of this announcement are available from the Company's website at www.serabigold.com. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents of this announcement. See www.serabigold.com for more information and follow us on twitter @Serabi_Gold GLOSSARY OF TERMS Ag means silver. Au means gold. assay in economic geology, means to analyse the proportions of metal in a rock or overburden sample; to test an ore or mineral for composition, purity, weight or other properties of commercial interest. CIM means the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. chalcopyrite is a sulphide of copper and iron. Cu means copper. cut-off grade the lowest grade of mineralised material that qualifies as ore in a given deposit; rock of the lowest assay included in an ore estimate. dacite porphyry intrusive a silica-rich igneous rock with larger phenocrysts (crystals) within a fine-grained matrix deposit is a mineralised body which has been physically delineated by sufficient drilling, trenching, and/or underground work, and found to contain a sufficient average grade of metal or metals to warrant further exploration and/or development expenditures; such a deposit does not qualify as a commercially mineable ore body or as containing ore reserves, until final legal, technical, and economic factors have been resolved. electromagnetics is a geophysical technique tool measuring the magnetic field generated by subjecting the sub-surface to electrical currents. garimpo is a local artisanal mining operation garimpeiro is a local artisanal miner. geochemical refers to geological information using measurements derived from chemical analysis. geophysical refers to geological information using measurements derived from the use of magnetic and electrical readings. geophysical techniques include the exploration of an area by exploiting differences in physical properties of different rock types. Geophysical methods include seismic, magnetic, gravity, induced polarisation and other techniques; geophysical surveys can be undertaken from the ground or from the air. gossan is an iron-bearing weathered product that overlies a sulphide deposit. grade is the concentration of mineral within the host rock typically quoted as grams per tonne (g/t), parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb). g/t means grams per tonne. granodiorite is an igneous intrusive rock similar to granite. hectare or a ha is a unit of measurement equal to 10,000 square metres. igneous is a rock that has solidified from molten material or magma. IP refers to induced polarisation, a geophysical technique whereby an electric current is induced into the sub-surface and the conductivity of the sub-surface is recorded. intrusive is a body of rock that invades older rocks. "Indicated Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. "Inferred Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Inferred Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. mineralisation the concentration of metals and their chemical compounds within a body of rock. mineralised refers to rock which contains minerals e.g. iron, copper, gold. "Mineral Resource is a concentration or occurrence of diamonds, natural solid inorganic material, or natural solid fossilized organic material including base and precious metals, coal, and industrial minerals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a Mineral Resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured or Indicated Mineral Resource demonstrated by at least a Preliminary Feasibility Study. This Study must include adequate information on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic and other relevant factors that demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that economic extraction can be justified. A Mineral Reserve includes diluting materials and allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mine Mo-Bi-As-Te-W-Sn Molybdenum-Bismuth-Arsenic-Tellurium-Tungsten-Tin monzogranite a biotite rich granite, often part of the later-stage emplacement of a larger granite body. mt means million tonnes. ore means a metal or mineral or a combination of these of sufficient value as to quality and quantity to enable it to be mined at a profit. oxides are near surface bed-rock which has been weathered and oxidised by long term exposure to the effects of water and air. ppm means parts per million. Probable Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of an Indicated and, in some circumstances, a Measured Mineral Resource demonstrated by at least a Preliminary Feasibility Study. This Study must include adequate information on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, and other relevant factors that demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that economic extraction can be justified. Proven Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource. A Proven Mineral Reserve implies a high degree of confidence in the Modifying Factors saprolite is a weathered or decomposed clay-rich rock. sulphide refers to minerals consisting of a chemical combination of sulphur with a metal. vein is a generic term to describe an occurrence of mineralised rock within an area of non-mineralised rock. VTEM refers to versa time domain electromagnetic, a particular variant of time-domain electromagnetic geophysical survey to prospect for conductive bodies below surface. Assay Results Assay results reported within this release include those provided by the Company's own on-site laboratory facilities at Palito and these will not have been independently verified. Serabi closely monitors the performance of its own facility against results from independent laboratory analysis for quality control purpose. As a matter of normal practice, the Company sends duplicate samples derived from a variety of the Company's activities to accredited laboratory facilities for independent verification. Since mid-2019, over 10,000 exploration drill core samples have been assayed at both the Palito laboratory and certified external laboratory, in most cases the ALS laboratory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. When comparing significant assays with grades exceeding 1 g/t gold, comparison between Palito versus external results record an average over-estimation by the Palito laboratory of 6.7% over this period. Based on the results of this work, the Company's management are satisfied that the Company's own facility shows sufficiently good correlation with independent laboratory facilities for exploration drill samples. The Company would expect that in the preparation of any future independent Reserve/Resource statement undertaken in compliance with a recognised standard, the independent authors of such a statement would not use Palito assay Qualified Persons Statement The scientific and technical information contained within this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, a Director of the Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training with over 26 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology, University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of UK, recognising him as both a Qualified Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identied by their use of terms and phrases such as believe, could, should envisage, estimate, intend, may, plan, will or the negative of those, variations, or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors current expectations and assumptions regarding the Companys future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reect the Directors current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general economic and business conditions, competition, environmental and other regulatory changes, actions by governmental authorities, the availability of capital markets, reliance on key personnel, uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward looking statements. ENDS ReportLinker Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market Research Report by Type (Artificial Cornea and Human Cornea), Disease Indication, Transplant Type, End User, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market Research Report by Type, Disease Indication, Transplant Type, End User, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286827/?utm_source=GNW The Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market size was estimated at USD 421.23 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 471.69 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 12.23% to reach USD 841.95 million by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Type, the market was studied across Artificial Cornea and Human Cornea. Based on Disease Indication, the market was studied across Fuchs Dystrophy, Fungal Keratitis, and Keratoconus. Based on Transplant Type, the market was studied across Endothelial Keratoplasty and Penetrating Keratoplasty. Based on End User, the market was studied across Hospitals and Specialty Clinics & Ambulatory Surgical Centers. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market, including Addition Technology, Inc., Advancing Sight Network, AJL Ophthalmic S.A., Aurolab, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Bayer AG, Cornea Biosciences, CorneaGen Inc., DIOPTEX GmbH, EyeYon Medical, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Florida Lions Eye Bank, L V Prasad Eye Institute, LinkoCare Life Sciences AB, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Mediphacos, Pfizer, Inc., Presbia plc, San Diego Eye Bank, and SightLife. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Artificial Cornea & Corneal Implant Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286827/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Market Research Future Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Trends and Insights by Type (Centralized Automated Dispensing System, Decentralized Automated Dispensing System), End User (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, Home Healthcare), Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030 New York, USA, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Overview According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Automated Pill Dispenser Market Information by Type, End-User, and Region - Forecast till 2030, the Automatic Pill Dispenser Market is expected to reach USD 5.71 Billion at CAGR of 8.5% from 2022-2030. Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Synopsis An automatic pill dispenser can be described as an advanced system that dispenses correct medication and helps handle complex medication production. Automatic pill dispenser brings down the chances of the human error factor in medicine distribution among patients affected by medical conditions. These devices are extremely useful for elderly patients, given the importance of the right dosage of medicine. Automatic pill dispensers are used in medication counting, medicine management, and inventory control for nurses, doctors, patients, caretakers and pharmacists. Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8008 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size USD 5.71 billion CAGR 8.5% Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Types and End User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increasing prevalence of diseases like cancer, diabetes, chronic diseases lunch of new devices, technological advancement and increasing investments in the homecare centers Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Competitive Landscape: The affluent firms in the automatic pill dispenser are Story continues Cerner Corporation McKesson Corporation Baxter International Inc Yuyama Co.Ltd Talyst, Inc Capsa Healthcare Swisslog Holdings AG ScriptPro LLC Becton, Dickinson, and Company Omnicell Inc Automatic Pill Dispenser Market USP Covered: Market Drivers: The surge in technical innovations in automatic pill dispensers will most likely propel the market growth rate in the years to come. The emergence of automatic pill dispensers equipped with barcode scanning facilitates correct medication dispensing and also prevents the production of wrong medication. These devices also help deliver extra safety precautions with respect to high-risk drugs. The Bluetooth connectivity helps the users connect the devices to any type of device including phone to receive audio and visual notifications, which also enhances the product demand. Nowadays, the majority of the automatic pill dispensers contain a digital detachable timer made for individuals with cognitive or memory disabilities that require frequent medication reminders. Therefore, the market demand has been surging rapidly owing to the emergence of novel devices that allow users to set up timings for dispensing multiple medications at the right time. Cerner Corporation, InstyMeds Corporation and Hero Health, Inc are some of the most renowned companies in the market known for adopting strategic measures like product development, distribution agreements business expansion and commercial expansion. These industry participants spend considerably on the development of novel products, which in turn fosters the worldwide markets revenue generation. Market Restraints: Strict government regulations and policies pertaining to the manufacturing as well as sales of automatic pill dispensers can be a restraining factor for the worldwide market. On the contrary, the rapid surge in peoples disposable income, especially in emerging countries will provide a strong impetus to the worldwide market in subsequent years. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (90 Pages) on Automatic Pill Dispenser: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automatic-pill-dispenser-market-8008 Automatic Pill Dispenser Market COVID 19 Analysis The COVID-19 outbreaks significant impact has led to numerous severe repercussions on peoples health status across the world. The aftermath is linked with the significant social and economic burden on people worldwide. While the major policymakers are implementing new frameworks and industries are adopting advanced models of expansion to maintain their relevance, people are facing a series of mental trauma. Around the world, the rising cases have spurred mental, and economic issues, especially among the elderly. Additionally, the younger populace has been dealing with challenges owing to loss of livelihoods and is opting for family care to address the repercussions. The focus is largely on the treatment of COVID-19 and the development of a vaccine, which steers attention away from other markets. These factors will most likely be unfavorable for the automatic pill dispenser market in the years to come. Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Segmentation By Type Different types of automated pill dispensers in the market are centralized automated dispensing system and decentralized automated dispensing systems. The centralized automated dispensing system types are robotic automated dispensing systems as well as carousels. The types of decentralized automated dispensing systems are automated unit-dose dispensing systems, ward-based automated dispensing systems and pharmacy-based automated dispensing systems. The centralized automated dispensing systems segment takes the lead in the worldwide market owing to the various benefits these offer including the ability to control storage & distribution, maintain records of medicines and point-of-care availability. On the other hand, the demand for decentralized automated dispensing systems will soar at a rapid pace in the future, thanks to their benefits such as preciseness, accuracy, and safe usage for improved healthcare results. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=8008 By End-User Industry end-users are retail pharmacies, home healthcare, as well as hospital pharmacies. The hospital pharmacies form the biggest share of the automatic pill dispenser market. The hospital pharmacy segment will remain in the lead throughout the forecast period on account of the rising need for accurate and fast dispensing of medicines in hospitals as well as pharmacies. Automatic Pill Dispenser Market Regional Insights The US is currently heading the North American market for automatic pill dispensers owing to the expanding elderly population combined with the surging burden of chronic diseases. In 2020, the population between the ages of 45-64 shot up to 85.5 million in the U.S. The American Heart Association report said that in 2018, nearly 45.9 million people over the age of 60 years suffered from one or more cardiovascular disease types. This statistic shows the rising number of people being admitted to medical facilities and hospitals as well as the surging pressure on the pharmaceutical system. This augments the market value in the country. Share your Queries @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/8008 Given the rising requirement for a variety of drugs, Europe could expect to see notable growth in the years to come. Heightened focus on the up-gradation of the medical system stemming from the rising consumer disposable incomes will benefit the regional market as well. The development of the automatic pill dispenser market in the region will also be aided by the surging uptake of technologically innovative medical gadgets. The rising cases of various ailments, like chronic illnesses such as osteoarthritis, and Alzheimer's bolster the need for automated equipment in the healthcare sector. Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry , by Market Research Future: Fibromyalgia Treatment Market Research Report: By treatment (targeted (antidepressant, anti-seizure drug), symptomatic treatment, diagnosis (laboratory evaluation, presence of central sensitization), end user (hospital & clinic) - Forecast till 2027 Bladder Cancer Market : By Type (Transitional Cell Carcinoma, Invasive Bladder Cancer), by Treatment (Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Immunotherapy), by Diagnosis (Urine Lab Tests, Imaging Test), by End-User (Hospital, Clinic) - Global Forecast to 2027 Bone Cancer Market Research Report: Information by Type (Ewing Sarcoma and Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma and Chordoma), Diagnostic Test & Treatment (CT, MRI, Cisplatin, Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide), End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Diagnostic Centres and Academic & Research Organizations) and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2027 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com California teen celebrates special high school graduation while hospitalized at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. A Southern California high school student, Dylen Damico-Rager, recently received his high school diploma while hospitalized at Dignity Health St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Arizona with paralyzing injuries from a diving accident. While undergoing intensive neuro-rehabilitation at Barrow Neurological Institute located at Dignity Health St. Josephs in Phoenix, Damico-Rager celebrated with his Cypress High School faculty, friends and family who traveled from California for the special cap and gown graduation ceremony. Here Damico-Rager is pictured with St. Josephs trauma surgeon, Dr. Jordan Jacobs (left), and Dr. Matthias Linke (right), director of spinal cord injury rehabilitation at Barrows Neuro-Rehabilitation Center. PHOENIX, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Southern California high school student recently received his high school diploma while hospitalized in Arizona with paralyzing injuries from a diving accident in March. Dylen Damico-Rager, who is currently undergoing intensive neuro-rehabilitation at Barrow Neurological Institute located at Dignity Health St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, was greeted by his high school faculty, friends and family who traveled from California for the special cap and gown graduation ceremony. Its really cool and special that my high school faculty and my medical team are doing this for me, says Damico-Rager, 18. Its not the way I planned my graduation, but Im so grateful for their support and the opportunity to wear my cap and gown and receive my diploma. Damico-Rager was scheduled to graduate with his class at Cypress High School in Cypress, California on May 25. However, on March 25, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and became paralyzed after making a shallow dive into a river near Yuma, Arizona while on vacation. After the impact of the dive, Dylen lost movement in his arms and legs, was carried in the current and nearly drowned, says Sarah Samayoa, Damico-Ragers mother. Thankfully, his friends were able to find him and begin CPR. Paramedics on scene resuscitated him. Damico-Rager was airlifted to the Level-I Trauma Center at St. Josephs in Phoenix. St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center trauma surgeons worked to stabilize him and neurosurgeons from the hospitals Barrow Neurological Institute performed a cervical spinal fusion surgery to fuse his spinal cord. After spending three weeks in the hospitals ICU, Damico-Rager began neuro-rehabilitation at Barrows inpatient Neuro-Rehabilitation Center where he is currently undergoing intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Story continues Dylen is a brave young man showing incredible courage and determination as he takes on this challenge of rehabilitation after a spinal cord injury, says Matthias Linke, DO, director of spinal cord injury rehabilitation at Barrows Neuro-Rehabilitation Center. Fortunately he has sensation below his neck injury and therefore has a good prognosis to continue to recover. Not wanting Damico-Rager to miss out on his high school graduation, his high school guidance counselor worked with hospital staff to plan a cap and gown graduation ceremony at the hospital. The momentous occasion featured a special video produced by Cypress High School, the official diploma presentation, turning of the tassel, and speakers including Damico-Rager, his high school principal, and his medical team. Dylen is the epitome of a Cypress High School Centurion, says Kevin Hodgson, Ed.D, principal of Cypress High School. He is well liked by his peers, teachers, and staff and is a big part of our Cypress High community. We know that he has a strong resilience to him and look forward to his recovery. I'm so thankful that Ms. Vaughn, Dylen's guidance counselor spearheaded this special event as he is well deserving of this ceremony. We can't wait for him to come home. Damico-Rager and his family are optimistic for the future and grateful for all the support they have received throughout his recovery. Dylens injury has been heartbreaking but we are very grateful he survived, says Samayoa. The kindness and support from our friends, family, medical team and his high school have been incredible. We are forever thankful. ### Attachment CONTACT: Carmelle Malkovich Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center 602-406-3319 carmelle.malkovich@dignityhealth.org Canacol Energy Ltd. CALGARY, Alberta, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canacol Energy Ltd. ("Canacol" or the "Corporation") (TSX:CNE; OTCQX:CNNEF; BVC:CNEC) is pleased to provide the following information concerning its ESG Strategy & 2021 ESG Integrated Report (the ESG Report). Charle Gamba, President, and CEO of the Corporation stated: As the world navigates the complexities of climate change and other political and economic challenges, we continue to believe in the vital role natural gas has to play in displacing more carbon intensive energy options. Specifically, in Colombia, we maintain our commitment to contribute to the countrys goal of 51% emissions reduction by 2030. As indicated in our ESG Report, Canacol currently leads the industry as one of the cleanest oil and gas producers in both Colombia and North America with Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions that are 80% lower than our oil producing peers and 50% lower than our gas producing peers, on average. Our ambition is to continue to lead the oil and gas industry in Colombia in terms of suppling the increasing energy demands of Colombians while reducing carbon emissions, exploring avenues for renewable energy generation, fostering national energy self-sufficiency, and catalyzing the growth and development of Colombias economy and its people." The move away from oil production in 2018 has positioned Canacol to become a proactive leader in Colombias energy transition and GHG reduction initiatives. Our primary objective is to generate value for all our stakeholders in a sustainable, collaborative, responsible, respectful, and transparent way. We support our neighboring communities through beneficial social investment projects that improve public and community infrastructure as well as provide access to educational opportunities. Canacols actions are based on our corporate values, strategies, and objectives. Within our focus on sustainability leadership, continuous improvement has become a fundamental axis of effort. The methodologies and standards that Canacol uses include: GRI Oil & Gas G4 Sector Disclosures, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Corporate Sustainability Assessment S&P Global, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2021 ESG highlights for Canacol include the following: A Cleaner Energy Future Reported scope 1 and 2 GHG emission intensities that are more than 50% lower on average than gas focused peers (and more than 80% lower on average than oil focused peers) in North and South America. Increased solar energy usage by 32% with the installation of photovoltaic systems in 100% of new well sites and at the offices of three gathering facilities. In our continuous commitment to identify and decrease fugitive emissions, we performed periodical in-house and third-party inspections to detect and repair leaks. Developed a long-term strategy to implement circular economy practices with the ambition to divert more than 34% of total direct waste from landfill and achieve a Zero Waste Certification (a global initiative, in partnership with ICONTEC Colombia). Strengthened the protection of biodiversity in the Cordoba and Sucre regions by establishing ten conservation agreements and seven community environmental projects with local stakeholders. A Safe and Committed Team Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR: 0.9) for employees and contractors was 72% better than the target (3.16). Increased diversity and inclusiveness in the work environment including: The establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Corporate Policy and Committee. The implementation of a Gender Equality Management System to identify and eliminate gender gaps. Women make up 35% of the total workforce, 8% above the average of Colombias female workforce in the petroleum industry. Women represent 27% of top management positions. A Transparent and Ethical Business Formalized a Share Ownership Policy and specific ESG related KPIs linked to short-term and long-term compensation of the executive team. Updated the company-wide ethics and compliance system including a focus on anti-competitive practices. Guided by Sustainable Development Created opportunities through local employment and development substantially exceeding regulatory requirements. 60% of Canacols skilled labor and 100% of Canacols unskilled labor were hired locally. Canacol purchased 95.1% of all goods and services locally, regionally, and nationally, representing an economic stimulus of $151 million. Implemented more than 60 social projects that have benefited over 25,000 community members across 13 municipalities. The Corporation executed the second phase of its gas massification project, which aims to reduce energy poverty and serve societal needs by constructing a local utility gas distribution network to replace firewood with a cleaner and more efficient fuel, benefitting hundreds of additional households. All social investment projects were aligned with National Development Plans and 11 projects included a gender focus. To read the full report, visit our website www.canacolenergy.com or click the following link: https://canacolenergy.com/site/assets/files/3732/2021_esg_integrated_report.pdf About Canacol Canacol is a natural gas exploration and production company with operations focused in Colombia. The Corporation's common stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OTCQX in the United States of America, and the Colombia Stock Exchange under ticker symbol CNE, CNNEF, and CNE.C, respectively. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, including without limitation statements relating to estimated production rates from the Corporation's properties and intended work programs and associated timelines. Forward-looking 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 and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Corporation cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. They are made as of the date hereof and are subject to change and the Corporation assumes no obligation to revise or update them to reflect new circumstances, except as required by law. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These factors include the inherent risks involved in the exploration for and development of crude oil and natural gas properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological and geophysical data, fluctuating energy prices, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs or delays and other uncertainties associated with the oil and gas industry. Other risk factors could include risks associated with negotiating with foreign governments as well as country risk associated with conducting international activities, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Corporation. For more information please contact: Investor Relations South America: +571.621.1747 IR-SA@canacolenergy.com Global: +1.403.561.1648 IR-GLOBAL@canacolenergy.com http://www.canacolenergy.com FILE PHOTO: Workers arrange steel rims for export at a wheel factory in Lianyungang BEIJING (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry said on Tuesday it would extend anti-dumping tariffs on certain steel fasteners imported from the European Union and United Kingdom for five years. The anti-dumping tariffs will be imposed from June 29, the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Emily Chow in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) (Bloomberg) -- China installed Wang Xiaohong as minister of public security, handing a former colleague of President Xi Jinping control of the nations hard power before a twice-a-decade leadership congress. Most Read from Bloomberg Wang, 64, was appointed Friday, according to a statement posted on the website of the National Peoples Congress, and replaces Zhao Kezhi who at 68 has reached retirement age. Wang also became a deputy director of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the partys top legal body, according to its official website. Fujian-province native Wang overlapped with Xi when he served as a deputy police head of Fuzhou, when Xi was the citys party chief from 1990 until 1996, and then provincial deputy party secretary until 2002. When Xi took power in 2012, Wang was shortly after transferred to Henan province as police chief, marking the beginning of his rapid promotion up the security ranks. Two years later, Wang became Beijing police chief -- entrusted by the Communist Partys top leaders to secure the nations political center -- and, in 2016, was named a deputy minister of public security. His appointment as the ministrys party secretary in November signaled hed take over from Zhao. Making his ally police chief is a strong indicator that Xi remains firmly in charge, despite rumors of discontent, Trivium China analysts wrote in a Tuesday newsletter, referencing reports of a split in the Communist Partys upper echelons over the economic impact of the Chinese leaders staunch Covid Zero policy. Wangs promotion also bucks a trend: at least five former deputy ministers of public security have been purged by Xis anti-corruption campaign since it began in 2012, although two fell from grace in subsequent roles. Story continues On Saturday, Wang launched a 100-day campaign to crack down on crime, according to a statement on the ministrys website. He urged police to diffuse all kinds of safety risks and resolutely safeguard social stability in preparation for the 20th National Party Congress, the date for which has not yet been set. Xi is widely expected to clinch an almost-unprecedented third term in office at the meeting. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Are you hungry? The hellos, how are yous and welcomes can wait. When you step into the house of someone with Ukrainian heritage, this is how they greet you. We just want to feed you. Cooking is how we share our love, says Vasyl Lemberskyy, who came to the U.S. from Kyiv, Ukraine, just months before Sept. 11, 2001. And sharing that love is something he does for his wife and daughter in a northern suburb of Milwaukee as well as diners from all around the area. Growing up in a poor family, Lemberskyy was hungry a lot growing up, which is why he started cooking. In fact, he says its something cant not do. As a pizza chef at Santinos Little Italy, 352 E. Stewart St. in Bay View, and the opening chef for Transfer Pizzeria, he loves using fresh, local ingredients. It turns out that fresh and local are two of the characteristics that also make Ukrainian food so special. For us, everything is farm to table, he says. No matter what you eat, its going to be flavorful and fresh. Even as their home country is under siege from a Russian invasion, the Ukrainian community in Milwaukee continues its hospitable ways, with events such as after-church meals at St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church on the south side. Related: 'These people care about each other.' Dining at Ukrainian church leaves an unforgettable impression. St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church member Nadiya Kavyuk readies traditional Ukrainian dishes at St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church on South 11th Street in Milwaukee on May 15. Nearly each week after services parishioners are treated to an assortment of traditional Ukrainian dishes. Ukrainian staples When asked what Ukrainian foods are the most common, Ukrainian-Americans will mention borsch and varenyky, dumplings similar to pierogi. Borsch, commonly called borscht in the U.S., is a hearty soup with beets, which give it its distinctive bright red color. Its made with pork stock, potatoes and cabbage and includes a dollop of sour cream on top. We have so many varieties, and family to family it can be something different, Lemberskyy says. But one thing they have in common? No matter what makes a familys borsch different, its difficult to find a recipe. No one uses recipes. You add this, and you add that. You just add it, he says. Story continues Nadiya Kavyuk of Franklin, who was born in Ukraine and moved to the U.S. in 2005, describes Ukrainians love of dumplings like this: We have a silly song about a guy who falls in love with a girl who knows how to make a delicious pierogi. Some other guy came and stole the girl, and that guy was crying, You can keep the girl, but please return the pierogi! The final line is a warning for all boys to never trade love for pierogis! Kavyuk says the potato filling is her favorite, and sauerkraut is also common. Lemberskyy recalls the fillings his grandmother used to stuff hers with: pork and beef with onion and garlic; potato with farm cheese and cabbage; and just plain cabbage. I would make the exact same pierogis as her, but what she made tasted different, he says. Everything she made tasted great because of the love she put into it. Pierogis are food, but theyre more than food. People pray to the soldiers with pierogis and bring it to them. They put their whole heart into it, Lemberskyy says. He also shared that soldiers have been cooking borsch for themselves as the war in Ukraine rages on. Even in war, he said, they still have such a strong connection to their food and culture. Ukrainian and Polish cuisines have a lot of similarities, said Illna Shpachuk of St. Francis, and she often shops at Polish grocery stores to get the Ukrainian items she needs such as holodets, jelled meat they eat during holidays and celebrations. As in Ukraine, borsch is extremely popular in Poland, but there it's white, she said. Pierogi are also a staple there. Shpachuk has been in the U.S. for the past two years, but she and her husband eventually want to go back to Ukraine. One thing she misses is the food. Its all fresh fruits and vegetables, soups and salads. Soups are so important to us. We eat them every day, she said. Things taste different here, like the dairy and sour cream, she said. In the summer, we have lots of fresh strawberries and raspberries. Here, they taste totally different. They are more natural back home. Even the leaves from the salads smell so good. You can feel the taste before its even in your mouth. All together now One thing prevalent in Ukrainian culture is everyone getting in the kitchen to cook together. When my grandma cooks, my mother helps her. And growing up, my brother and I would help my mother, Shpachuk said. When someone comes over, we wait for everyone to get there before we cook in the kitchen. In Ukraine, its a lifestyle. Kavyuk recalls her grandmothers making sausages from scratch, other types of meat, and preparing foods with vegetables and berries. It was all so delicious, she says. When I make either meats or desserts, I think about them. Theyre not here anymore, but they will always live in my heart through the food. Cooking food from their home country is also how Ukrainians keep their traditions alive while living in America. Milania Stupnyckyj of Milwaukee long made the dinners for parishioners at St. Michaels Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1025 S. 11th St. in Milwaukee, consisting of cabbage rolls, borsch, beef and paska, an Easter bread. This is what I used to eat when I was a little girl, said Stupnyckyj, who came to the U.S. in 1958. Im glad that I can make things people like to eat. Kavyuk echoed the sentiment after making a meal for St. Michaels parishioners after service one Sunday. Its like in 'Ratatouille' when the food expert brought ratatouille to the back door when he came home, she said. Thats what its like eating Ukrainian food here. It reminds me of home. Alysha Witwicki is a freelance writer living in Whitefish Bay. Contact her at alyshawitwicki@hotmail.com ***** RECIPES Vasyl Lemberskyy says most Ukrainian families dont have a recipe written down for their borsch, but we created the measurements and instructions together to get it as close as possible. Most Ukrainian families don't have a written recipe for borsch, instead handing down traditions from generation to generation. Ukrainian borsch Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki Makes 8 servings For the broth: 2 pounds pork shoulder 10 cups water 3 bay leaves 10 whole peppercorns For the soup: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small onion, diced 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded 2 small beets, peeled and shredded 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoons sugar 3-4 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 small cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups) Salt and pepper to taste Fresh parsley, chopped fine, and sour cream for garnish Ukrainian rye bread for serving To make the broth, place the pork, water, bay leaves and peppercorns in a stock pot, bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Take out the meat, let cool and shred it, removing any bones or fat. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding any solids. Return the liquid to the stock pot and reserve until ready to use. To make the soup, in a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat and add onion; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add the carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beets, tomato paste, sugar and 1 cup of the reserved pork stock. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the reserved stock pot of pork broth, add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beet, carrot, onion mixture to the broth and potato mixture; boil for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and reserved shredded pork and boil for an additional 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and pour the soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and chopped parsley and serve it alongside a slice of Ukrainian rye bread. ***** This recipe is from Nadiya Kavyuk of Franklin, who is part of the Sisterhood of St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Milwaukee. Each week, one of their 14 members brings food and coffee for the parishioners after Sunday Mass. One dish Kavyuk brought was nalysnyky, a traditional Ukrainian crepe with assorted fillings. Although hers was filled with sauerkraut, carrot and onion and served with mushroom gravy, you can also fill them with meat, jam or poppy seeds with sugar to make it savory or sweet. Nalysnyky with mushroom gravy Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki Makes 6 servings For the nalysnyky: 2 eggs cup milk 3 tablespoons water cup sifted flour teaspoon salt Butter 1 14-ounce can sauerkraut Small onion, diced cup grated carrots 2 tablespoons olive oil Beat the eggs until light. Add the milk, water, flour and salt, and beat until smooth. Butter a small frying pan lightly and heat well. Pour a few tablespoons of the batter into the pan, just enough to give it a thin coating. Tilt the pan back and forth to spread the batter evenly. Cook the cake over moderate heat. When lightly browned on the bottom and firm to the touch on top, remove the cake to a warm plate and keep warm. Continue until all of the batter is used, buttering the pan lightly each time. To make the filling, bring a small pot of water to boil. Drain the can of sauerkraut into a colander and rinse the kraut. Place the kraut into the pot and let it boil for five minutes. Drain it and rinse with cold water, squeezing any of the excess out. In a frying pan, cook the sauerkraut with onions and carrots in oil on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread the cakes with filling and roll up. Arrange the rolled cakes in a buttered baking dish. Before serving, dot with butter and heat in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes. For the mushroom gravy: 1 stick butter 10 ounces sliced button mushrooms 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon onion powder Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup heavy whipping cream cup flour 1-1 cups water, divided In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add mushrooms and stir occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Add heavy whipping cream and, stirring occasionally, let mixture come to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together flour with cup water. Slowly whisk into mushroom mixture. If needed, add water (up to a cup) to thin sauce. Stirring frequently, continue cooking the gravy for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and stir occasionally for another five minutes. Serve warm over nalysnyky. ***** Author Olia Hercules first tried this salad in southern Ukraine. Its from her book Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences From Every Corner of Ukraine (2020, Weldon Owen International, $35). You can substitute or add any crunchy vegetable you have, such as carrots, cabbage, cucumber or lettuce. Butter bean, red onion and celery salad is from Olia Hercules' book Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences from Every Corner of Ukraine. Butter bean, red onion and celery salad Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki Makes 4 servings 1 red onion, peeled 3 celery ribs, sliced 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only 3 tablespoons mild vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 1 15-ounce can of butter beans, drained Sea salt and black pepper to taste Crusty bread for serving Cut the onion in half, then slice it thinly, going with the grain rather than cutting across it. Put the sliced onion in a colander in the sink and pour some boiling water over it, then briefly refresh under cold running water and drain well. Add the onion to a bowl and add the celery and thyme. In a small bowl, mix salt with vinegar until completely dissolved, then stir in the honey and black pepper to taste. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning to taste. Pour the dressing over the onions, celery and thyme and toss to coat everything well, then add the beans and mix well. Eat with a crusty piece of bread. Sign up for our Dish newsletter to get food and dining news delivered to your inbox. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's Ukrainian community shows love through foods, culture Adelaide continues innovating attention measurement with the integration of DISQO's Brand and Outcomes Lift measurement into its AU metric, enabling more efficient advertising outcomes LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Customer experience (CX) platform DISQO today announced that its advertising measurement products, Brand Lift and Outcomes Lift, have been selected by Adelaide to improve its media quality measurement capabilities and help advertisers drive better outcomes. DISQO's lift measurement will enhance Adelaide's omnichannel AU attention metric, which enables brands to move beyond viewability with increased transparency into media quality. Adelaide selects DISQO to improve media quality measurement capabilities and help advertisers drive better outcomes. With this integration, Adelaide will realize two benefits. First, DISQO's insights will empower advertisers to understand and demonstrate the full-funnel impact of high-quality attentive media, from brand awareness to intermediate digital behaviors, like search, and ultimately to sales. Second, Adelaide will use DISQO's platform to train its machine learning models that generate AU ratings. AU predicts a placement's likelihood of driving attention and subsequent impact on advertiser KPIs. With the addition of DISQO's full-funnel Outcomes Lift measurement, Adelaide's AU algorithm can provide even more precise measures of media quality. "The adoption of attention metrics is skyrocketing as brands seek new ways to plan and optimize their campaigns," said Marc Guldimann, Co-founder and CEO of Adelaide. "With DISQO's scaled behavioral insights integrated into our AU model, our clients will be better able to understand media quality and value, and achieve more efficient outcomes." With the largest, fully permissioned proprietary audience in the United States, DISQO's CX platform empowers marketers to measure total lift Brand Lift and Outcomes Lift across all media platforms, including TV, CTV, mobile, social, and digital. This includes the ability to see into siloed social and e-commerce platforms for an independent view of campaign performance, even on mobile. With Outcomes Lift, brands can understand advertising impacts on behaviors such as search (brand, category, competitors), site visitation (brand, competitors, review sites), and e-commerce behaviors. Story continues "DISQO and Adelaide are like-minded companies that fuel brand growth with transparency and evidence-based measurement of advertising effectiveness," said Stephen Jepson, EVP Sales, Advertising Effectiveness, DISQO. "At DISQO, we believe every brand should have the ability to question, test, and measure every decision, and our work with Adelaide will help brands and publishers understand media quality and advertising effectiveness in new ways." Adelaide and DISQO will explore the relationship between attention and consumer behavior, including how brands leverage these insights to maximize ad performance, at the Association of National Advertisers' virtual Attention Metrics Conference . DISQO's Stephen Jepson and Adelaide's Benjamin Lowe will lead the session, "How Attention Impacts Behavioral Outcomes, Including Search" on Wednesday, June 29 at 11:10am EDT, joining an impressive line-up of industry leaders including LinkedIn, Mars, ARF, Unilever, Teads, and TVision Insights. To learn more about DISQO's Ad Measurement solutions, see here . To learn more about Adelaide's AU Measurement, see here . About DISQO DISQO is a customer experience (CX) platform empowering businesses, from SMBs to enterprises, to make the right decisions for their customers by testing and measuring every product and brand experience with speed. DISQO's insights, agile testing, and advertising measurement applications connect to the company's fully consented consumer data platform. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Los Angeles, DISQO is recognized as a hyper-growth tech startup and one of the best places to work in the US, with more than 500 team members globally. Follow @DISQO on LinkedIn and Twitter . About Adelaide Adelaide is the leader in the rapidly growing field of evidence-based media quality measurement. Adelaide's metric, AU, helps advertisers make better media investment decisions. AU is an omnichannel metric that evaluates thousands of signals to predict attention and drive more efficient outcomes. Since 2019, Adelaide has enabled the world's top brands to understand media quality across their entire media spend and uncover valuable optimization opportunities to reduce waste and drive better results. Named after the global epicenter of evidence-based marketing in southern Australia, Adelaide is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.adelaidemetrics.com . Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/disqo-selected-to-enhance-adelaides-attention-metric-enabling-brands-to-more-accurately-measure-and-predict-medias-impact-on-lower-funnel-outcomes-301576365.html SOURCE DISQO NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. NOT FOR GENERAL RELEASE IN THE UNITED STATES SEE FURTHER INFORMATION BELOW. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly (in whole or in part) in, into, or from any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction, including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Japan. HEERLEN, Netherlands and GENEVA, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 31 May 2022, DSM and Firmenich announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement to establish the leading creation and innovation partner in nutrition, beauty and well-being. The merger is to be effected through a public offer for all issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the capital of DSM in exchange for DSM-Firmenich shares (1:1 exchange ratio) (the "Offer") and contribution of Firmenich shares to DSM-Firmenich in exchange for DSM-Firmenich shares and 3.5bn in cash (subject to potential adjustments). Pursuant to Section 7, paragraph 1 sub a of the Netherlands Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft), which requires a public announcement containing a status update on an intended public offer within four weeks after its initial public announcement, DSM and Firmenich provide the following joint update on the Offer, also on behalf of DSM-Firmenich. DSM and Firmenich confirm that they are making good progress on the preparations for the Offer. It is expected that an offering circular that will serve both as an offer memorandum for the Offer and as a prospectus for the offering and admission to listing and trading of DSM-Firmenich shares on Euronext Amsterdam (the "Offering Circular") will be submitted for review and approval to the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiele Markten, the "AFM") in August and in any event no later than 23 August 2022, which under the applicable Dutch rules is the last permissible date for submitting the offer memorandum for the Offer to the AFM for approval. Story continues DSM and Firmenich currently anticipate that the proposed combination will close in H1 2023. About Firmenich Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company and has been family-owned for 127 years. The Swiss company specializes in perfumes, flavors, and ingredients and is renowned for its world-class research as well as leadership in sustainability. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.5bn of sales in the calendar year 2021 with Adjusted EBITDA margin of c. 20%. About DSM DSM has transformed during its 150+ year history into today's Health, Nutrition & Bioscience global leader. The Dutch-Swiss company specializes in nutritional ingredients for food and feed with proven world-leading bioscience capabilities and an international network of high-quality manufacturing sites that underpin a business model of global products, local solutions and personalization and precision. For Health, Nutrition & Bioscience (excluding Materials), DSM delivered 7.3bn of sales in the calendar year 2021, with adjusted EBITDA of 1.4bn and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19%. Transaction website Please visit www.creator-innovator.com for additional material on the proposed combination. DISCLAIMER This is a joint press release of DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich. This joint release includes the information required pursuant to Section 7, paragraph 1 of the Netherlands Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft) in connection with the Offer. This announcement does not constitute an offer, or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities in DSM. Any offer will be made only by means of the Offering Circular approved by the AFM. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly (in whole or in part) in, into, or from any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction, including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Japan. NO OFFERING IS BEING MADE TO ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY NOT BE USED FOR, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE, OR FORM PART OF, AN OFFER BY, OR INVITATION BY OR ON BEHALF OF, DSM, FIRMENICH, DSM-FIRMENICH, OR ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH, TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES OR AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE, OR THE SOLICITATION TO BUY SECURITIES BY ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION. NO ACTION HAS BEEN OR WILL BE TAKEN IN ANY JURISDICTION BY DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH THAT WOULD PERMIT AN OFFERING OF THE ORDINARY SHARES OR POSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF A PROSPECTUS IN ANY JURISDICTION, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT EXPLICITLY DISCLOSED BY DSM, FIRMENICH OR DSM-FIRMENICH. This announcement is for information purposes only it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided "as is", without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation and DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich expressly disclaim liability for any errors or omissions. This announcement is not intended to be, and shall not constitute in any way a binding or legal agreement, or impose any legal obligation on the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or DSM-Firmenich. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this announcement shall vest in the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or DSM-Firmenich, as the case may be. No part of it may be redistributed or reproduced without the prior written permission of the DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich. This announcement speaks only as of this date. Additional information for US holders This announcement relates to the proposed combination of a Dutch public company and a privately-held Swiss corporation. This announcement, the Offering Circular and other documents relating to the proposed combination have been, or will be, prepared in accordance with European and Dutch law and European and Dutch disclosure requirements, format and style, all of which differ from those in the United States. The proposed transactions referred to herein and the information to be distributed in connection therewith, including the proposed Offer and related shareholder vote and any related corporate transactions, are subject to disclosure, timing and procedural requirements and practices applicable in Europe and the Netherlands, which differ from the disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy solicitation rules, provided that the Offer will comply with the relevant US tender offer rules set out in Regulation 14E under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and the rules thereunder. The securities referred to herein and to be issued pursuant to the proposed Offer have not been, and are not presently intended to be, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under any laws or with any securities regulatory authority of any state, district or other jurisdiction, of the United States, and unless so registered may only be offered or sold pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state and other securities laws. There is not presently expected to be any public offer of any securities in the United States. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. Further details of which US holders are eligible to receive the securities referred to herein, and the procedural steps required to be taken by such persons to so receive such securities, as well as the procedures for those US holders who do not so qualify to receive such securities (if any), will be set forth in the Offering Circular. Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nor any US state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities referred to herein to be issued in connection with the proposed Offer or any related corporate transaction, or determined if the information contained herein or in the Offering Circular to be prepared in connection with the proposed exchange offer is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and are not presently expected to be listed on any US securities exchange or quoted on any inter-dealer quotation system in the United States. None of DSM-Firmenich, DSM or Firmenich presently intends to take any action to facilitate a market in such securities in the United States. Financial statements, and all financial information that is included in the information contained herein or that may be included in the Offering Circular and any other documents relating to the securities referred to herein, have been or will be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or other reporting standards or accounting practice which may not be comparable to financial statements of companies in the United States or other companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (US GAAP). It may be difficult for US holders to enforce their rights and claims arising out of the US federal securities laws, since DSM is incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands and DSM-Firmenich and Firmenich are incorporated under the laws of Switzerland, and in each case the majority or all of their respective officers and directors are residents of non-US jurisdictions. Judgments of US courts are generally not enforceable in either the Netherlands or Switzerland. US holders may not be able to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in a non-US court for violations of US securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's judgment. In addition, original actions, or actions for the enforcement of judgments of US courts, based on the civil liability provisions of the US federal securities laws, may not be enforceable in the Netherlands or Switzerland. Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. This announcement includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's and the Combined Group's control and all of which are based on the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's or the Combined Group's current beliefs and expectations about future events. Forward-looking statements are sometimes identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "aim", "annualized", "anticipate", "assume", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "goal", "hope", "intend", "may", "objective", "plan", "position", "potential", "predict", "project", "risk", "seek", "should", "target", "will" or "would" or the highlights or the negatives thereof, other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this publication and include statements that reflect the DSM Group's, Firmenich Group's or the Combined Group's intentions, beliefs or current expectations and projections about the their respective future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, anticipated growth, targets, strategies and opportunities and the markets in which they respectively operate, and the anticipated timing of the proposed combination. These forward-looking statements and other statements contained in this announcement regarding matters that are not historical facts involve predictions. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved; actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks and uncertainties facing the DSM Group, Firmenich Group or the Combined Group. Such risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to vary materially from the future results indicated, expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this announcement speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by applicable laws and regulations, DSM, Firmenich and DSM-Firmenich expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statements are based. Transaction conditions. Completion of the proposed combination is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions as more fully described in the announcement of 31 May 2022. Consequently, there can be no certainty that completion of the proposed combination will be forthcoming. DSM refers to Koninklijke DSM N.V. and the DSM Group refers to DSM and its subsidiaries. Firmenich refers to Firmenich International SA and Firmenich Group refers to Firmenich and its subsidiaries. DSM-Firmenich refers to Danube AG, which upon completion of the proposed combination will be renamed DSM-Firmenich AG. The Combined Group refers to DSM-Firmenich and its subsidiaries following completion of the proposed combination (including the DSM Group and Firmenich Group). SOURCE Firmenich RTHK: Metropolitan Police put under special monitoring London's Metropolitan Police Service was put in a special monitoring and improvement program by a watchdog on Tuesday and told to come up with an improvement plan after criticism over its handling of a string of high profile cases. Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said in a statement that the Met was being monitored through its "Engage" process. The process "provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements," the watchdog said. The statement did not detail what had triggered the move. "A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems but have damaged the confidence of Londoners in the capitals police service," the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement. "The decision by the HMIC to now move the Met into special measures has laid bare the substantial performance failings by the force." The force was shaken last year by the abduction, rape and murder of a woman, Sarah Everard, by one of its officers. Its policing of a vigil for the victim was later found to be unlawful by a London court and it has been beset by revelations of a culture of bullying, racial discrimination and misogyny. The Met said it recognised the cumulative impact of events and problems it faced. "We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the Inspectorate about next steps," it said in a statement. In February, London police chief Cressida Dick resigned after Khan told her he was not satisfied she could root out the problems that existed within the force. Her successor has yet to be appointed. The watchdog's website sets out that the "Engage" process is used when a force is not responding to a cause of concern, or is not successful in addressing it. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Bahrains first stand-alone dialysis centre for treating kidney diseases and conditions has been launched with support from the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB). The $1.4 million Al Bayrooni Dialysis centre includes a full-spectrum of high-quality kidney care services focused on the needs of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. It is dedicated to treating chronic kidney disease as well as a vast range of kidney conditions, including hemodialysis, transplantation referrals, and holiday dialysis. Al Bayrooni also includes programs to prevent or postpone admission to dialysis. Dr Sandra Carmody, Administrative Director at Al Bayrooni, said: Through the launch of the centre, our goal is to improve quality of life by providing the best care. We ensure this through our state-of-the-art technology and outstanding customer service. Bahrains healthcare sector has exciting growth opportunities and a workforce ripe for development. With our international team of specialists, we look forward to sharing our experience with the Bahraini medical community, Dr Carmody said. Munther Almudawi, Executive Director of Investment Development Education and Healthcare, at EDB, said: Healthcare is a promising sector and a critical focus area for our government. With the planned $30 billion strategic projects under the Economic Recovery Plan, we aim to elevate the quality of healthcare for Bahraini citizens, amongst other long-term sustainable results. Unique projects like Al Bayrooni drive our healthcare sector forward, moving Bahrain a step closer towards becoming a leading centre for modern medicine. We hope to see their facility grow and serve more patients in Bahrain and the wider GCC, said Almudawi. The healthcare market in Bahrain has been growing at an annual average rate of 5.7%, from an estimated $1.1 billion in 2018 to an estimated $1.3 billion in 2021, reflecting the growing investment opportunity within this key sector. Bahrain has a long history in healthcare and today it has more than 800 licensed healthcare facilities. -TradeArabia News Service 'Future of Work Florida' Invites All to Embrace Career and Technical Education PR Newswire TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 28, 2022 Florida Chamber Foundation, Florida Department of Education launch new workforce initiative TALLAHASSEE, Fla. , June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Florida Chamber Foundation and Florida Department of Education launched the Future of Work Florida -- a new initiative to galvanize support for Career and Technical Education (CTE) among businesses, parents, grandparents and students. Florida is fortunate to have a thriving economy; however, this comes at the cost of more jobs looking for people than people looking for jobs. Our workforce needs are significant but there is a solution: encourage more Floridians to embrace Career and Technical Education as a fast, affordable path to a growing variety of high-wage, high-demand careers. Future of Work Florida That was the key message at Tuesday's kickoff of Future of Work Florida at the 2022 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit in Tampa. Learners to Earners is an annual event, hosted by the Florida Chamber Foundation, of state business leaders, elected officials, and education and workforce advocates to discuss the importance of investing in early and lifelong learning, and closing skills gaps in Florida's current and future workforce. "Talent has clearly replaced the tax incentive as the economic development tool of choice," said Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation. "For Florida to become a top 10 global economy by 2030, building a trained, diverse and competitive workforce is essential. Florida's job creators must unite with workforce education organizations to create complete career awareness for our future workforce." Future of Work Florida is an aligned, multi-year effort by the Florida Chamber Foundation and the Florida Department of Education. The initiative is showing job creators, parents, grandparents and students that Florida has a dynamic, long-term plan to fuel the future through the best workforce education effort in America, which fills market needs with talent supply. Story continues Florida has more jobs available than people looking for work and too few candidates are properly qualified, even though many of these openings are high-wage and high-demand. A recent snapshot showed 499,371 open jobs in the state, with Florida on pace to add 3.5 million net new residents by 2030. From 20152020, Florida created one in every 11 net new U.S. jobs, but the top concern among Florida's job creators was the inability to find qualified talent to fill open positions. High school graduates who are not university-bound now have opportunities to train in a rigorous, fast and affordable CTE program for either a skilled trade or professional career pathway. "These are top-notch programs in high-skill sectors that don't require a four-year degree fields like artificial intelligence, engineering technology, healthcare, IT, robotics and more," said Florida Commissioner for Education Manny Diaz, Jr. "A low-cost credential with high-wage potential offers a phenomenal return on investment." "In our growing state economy, there are so many opportunities for businesses to thrive and Floridians to connect to education and training that leads to valued credentials and strong career pathways," said Michelle Dennard, President and CEO of CareerSource Florida, the state's workforce policy and investment board. "This new initiative represents another meaningful way Florida's business community and our state's talent development pipeline will collaborate to close skills gaps and support a bright future for today's learners pursuing a path to economic success through workforce education programs." Learn more about the Future of Work Florida Initiative at FutureOfWorkFL.com. Through the Future of Work Florida Initiative, the Florida Chamber Foundation and Florida Department of Education have developed a multi-year plan to unite and harness the power of thousands of Florida businesses, local chambers and economic development groups, education and workforce partners, HR leaders, hiring managers and more, to turn Florida's workforce crisis into a competitive strength. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/future-of-work-florida-invites-all-to-embrace-career-and-technical-education-301577265.html SOURCE Future of Work Florida TORONTO, June 28, 2022 /CNW/ - Gamelancer Gaming Corp. (CSE: GMNG) (OTCQB: WDRGF) (FRA: 64Q) ("Gamelancer" or the "Company"), a mobile-focused entertainment company providing brands access to the global gaming audience through its owned and operated channels, is excited to announce that its common shares ("Common Shares") are now eligible for book-entry and depositary services through Depository Trust Company ("DTC") in the United States. As the largest securities depository in the world, DTC manages electronic clearing and settlement for securities of publicly traded companies in the United States. DTC eligibility will simplify the process of trading and transferring Common Shares, enhancing liquidity in the United States by accelerating the settlement period for transfers and reducing costs for investors. Gamelancer Gaming Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Gamelancer Gaming Corp.) "With 56% of our audience in the United States, achieving DTC eligibility allows US investors an enhanced ability to support the largest network in gaming on TikTok. Founded in Los Angeles, Gamelancer has ushered in a new era of gaming immersed in social media. The size and scope of our network underpins the mass migration of social media users to TikTok, the #1 downloaded app, and most popular website in the United States." Jon Dwyer, Chairman & CEO, Gamelancer Gaming Corp. About Gamelancer Gaming Acquired by Wondr Gaming, Gamelancer Gaming Corp. is a growing mobile-focused social media network in gaming - generating over 1.2 billion monthly video views across its 27 owned and operated channels. With over 28,200,000 followers on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, predominantly located in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, Gamelancer sells direct and programmatic media across its network to the world's largest brands. With advanced user data analytics, we provide our audience curated content relevant to the GenZ & Millennial gaming community, which allows brands unparalleled access to the largest media inventory in gaming across TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Gamelancer also monetizes across its variety of Snapchat Discover channels with monthly recurring revenue in partnership with Snapchat. Gamelancer.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. Forward Looking Information This news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information relating to the future business of the Company, the potential of the Company's products and services, further business from the Company's clients, industry outlook and potential and other matters. The forwardlooking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forwardlooking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forwardlooking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forwardlooking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forwardlooking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forwardlooking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gamelancer-announces-dtc-eligibility-301576731.html SOURCE Gamelancer Gaming Corp. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/28/c0524.html ReportLinker Ultra-mobile devices can be referred to a category of compact and lightweight computing devices. These devices are designed with mid-size dimensions with a display size spanning between 7 inches to 13. New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Ultra-Mobile Devices Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Vertical, By Type, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289297/?utm_source=GNW 9 inches. The weight of these devices usually lies under 3.5 pounds or 1.6kg. In addition, these devices are very easy to carry. Some examples of ultra-mobile devices include thin and lightweight PCs, convertibles, tablets, and smartphones. The manner of engaging with the rest of the world has changed dramatically due to technological advancements. The user can access information and content at any time using ultra-portable internet devices. With the emerging trend of mobility, a growing number of end-users are migrating from traditional PCs and related devices to the latest and most advanced devices. These gadgets are utilized for both personal and professional reasons and are ideal for meeting the evolving demands of customers. A digital media adaptor connects a computer to a residential media system, allowing digital files and audio information to be transferred between the media and electronic devices. Surfing expenses and data consumption have increased over the world as a result of improved network coverage, innovative technologies, and a reduction in internet usage. Internet data usage has also been dominated by video and audio traffic. More people are engaged in the utilization of these devices as the internet conglomerates, such as Amazon Prime and Netflix make their own extremely popular series. In addition, a significant number of users of these applications are ready to watch video advertising in order to continue watching shows on television, fueling demand for internet-connected gadgets like digital media adapters. Fresh video content, particularly recent films, has an advantage over other types of content. This rising demand for DMAs is beneficial since it makes it easier for them to connect to home media systems. In addition, numerous electrical gadgets and equipment are connected to the residential network in smart homes, allowing them to interact with each other. Digital audio and video-on-demand services can observe a lot of activity in the future. Digital media adaptors are increasingly being used in smart homes, which are accelerating the markets growth. COVID-19 Impact The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on enterprises all across the world. Due to government-imposed lockdowns, a majority of the people was compelled to stay at home. Many individuals, businesses, and educational institutions have adopted a work-from-home policy. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the global import of mobile phones has increased. As online learning continues, demand for cellphones has increased significantly in emerging markets, resulting in increased mobile device manufacture during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Moreover, various industrial verticals are focusing on sophisticated technologies, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, as well as IoT across industries, to address this scenario. Market Growth Factors The increasing availability of the internet all over the world Governments all over the world are encouraging people to use the internet more as a part of their digitization strategy. A significant proportion of the worlds population would have access to the internet in the coming years due to increasing urbanization and technological breakthroughs. Technological advancements, increasing young working population, a reduction in bandwidth, and improvements in internet speed are all contributing to the growing internet user base. Moreover, long-term evolution, or LTE, and 3.5G communication technologies have increased the adoption of social networking sites across mobile devices since they offer faster internet connections. Increasing volume of data generated through social networking sites Social media programs, as well as social networking sites, are accountable for a considerable amount of data generation, which would continue to grow in the future. Data generated by enterprise applications, as well as freshly generated social network data, cloud-based data, and device data, are all key corporate data sources. As an extension of the corporate information structure, this data must be accessible and made available for evaluation and decision-making. Businesses rely on social media to understand client requirements in order to achieve a competitive advantage. As a result, there is a higher demand for social business intelligence software along with collaboration tools that enable data analysis. Market Restraining Factors Risk of manufacturing faults in these devices In the modern era, tablets are widely becoming popular in both personal and professional applications. However, the composition of these devices is fragile and can be damaged. Tablet defects can occur during the production, storage, or transportation procedures. These visual flaws can impair the products acceptability and effectiveness among users. The body of these devices can be damaged by even a single fall. Moreover, certain devices are water-resistant. However, a majority of these devices are not water-proof and can be damaged due to any kind of fluid insertion. There are several sockets within these devices, where a short circuit can take place. Vertical Outlook Based on Vertical, the market is segmented into Consumer Electronics, Telecom & IT, Retail, Healthcare, and Others. In 2021, the telecom and IT segment garnered a significant revenue share of the ultra-mobile devices market. The increasing growth of this segment is attributed to the rapid adoption of advanced ultra-mobile gadget systems. IT and telecom companies employ ultra-mobile device systems within their operations for a variety of purposes, including monitoring and security. Furthermore, key IT & Telecom businesses are more likely to engage in technology innovation to produce telecom solutions that are safer, network-savvy, and energy-efficient, which could give lucrative growth prospects for the IT & Telecom sector. Hence, the growth of this segment is estimated to flourish over the forecasting years. Type Outlook Based on Type, the market is segmented into Premium, Basic, and Utility. In 2021, the premium segment acquired the largest revenue share of the ultra-mobile devices market. The growth of this segment is rising due to higher living standards, more technological awareness, and increased disposable income in developing as well as developed countries. Furthermore, the growth of this segment is also owing to the developments, government initiatives regarding technology development, and increased awareness about technology along with cost-effective consumer electronics. Regional Outlook Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. In 2021, North America witnessed the highest revenue share of the ultra-mobile devices market. Emerging technologies, lower consumer electronics prices, industrialization, as well as government initiatives are all contributing to the rapid growth of the regional market. Moreover, developing markets also provide a large potential customer base, attracting multinational manufacturers. Furthermore, Canadas IT and telecommunications industries are booming, while Mexicos electronics market is predicted to expand rapidly. These factors would play a major role in driving the growth of the regional ultra-mobile device market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include HTC Corporation, Google LLC, Dell Technologies, Inc., Sony Corporation, ASUSTeK Computer, Inc., Lenovo Group Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HP Development Company L.P.), Microsoft Corporation, and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.(Samsung Group). Recent strategies deployed in Ultra-Mobile Devices Market Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements: Sep-2021: Honor partnered with Microsoft, an American multinational technology corporation. Under this partnership, the companies would integrate their efforts in developing ground-breaking AI and devices along with integrated solutions that support the 1+8+N strategy of Honor. Product Launches and Product Expansions: Apr-2022: Sony announced that it is launching Xperia 1 IV, on 11 May. The new product aimed to offer the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 6.5-inch display along with a quad-camera with a dedicated periscope module. Mar-2022: Apple rolled out iPad Air. The new Apple-designed M1 chip-built iPad Air aimed to offer an enhanced customer experience to its users. In addition, the new product features an ultra-wide front camera along with a center edge for a more realistic video conferencing experience. Furthermore, It also reduces charging time with USB-C port fast charging. Feb-2022: Samsung introduced the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Ultra, and Galaxy S22+, the most premium flagships of the company, in India. The new Galaxy S22 Ultra incorporates the robust capabilities of the Note series as well as the iconic S-Pen along with the pro-grade camera. In addition, the enhanced performance of the S series would set new standards in the premium smartphones arena. Jan-2022: ASUS introduced the Flow Z13, its most powerful tablet in the world. The new product would enable the Z13 to stay incredibly slim and light, weighing 1.1 kg and 12 mm thick. Nov-2021: Microsoft rolled out the Surface Go 3 in the Indian market. The new product would support touchscreen technology and can be used in various modes, such as tablet mode, laptop mode, and stand mode. Moreover, the new product also integrates a digital pen and is preloaded with Windows 11. Aug-2021: Samsung released Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. The new Z Fold 3 can be unfolded horizontally and make itself equivalent to an 8-inch tab, while the Z Flip 3 can be unfolded vertically to offer the same screen estate like other smartphones. Aug-2021: Google released the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. With this launch, the company aimed to emphasize on incorporating a new SoC, or System on Chip, within the new Pixels. Oct-2020: Apple unveiled iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Through this launch, the company aimed to offer a robust 5G experience along with other advanced technologies that accelerates innovations. Moreover, the new models are built on an edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays to deliver enhanced durability. Oct-2020: ASUS unveiled the new ROG Phone 3. Through this launch, the company aimed to allow staggering multi-gigabit 5G connectivity along with advanced WiFi 6 performance, professional-quality high-resolution photography, desktop-level gaming with ultra-realistic graphics, and intuitive AI experiences. Scope of the Study Market Segments covered in the Report: By Vertical Consumer Electronics Telecom & IT Retail Healthcare Others By Type Premium Basic Utility By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled HTC Corporation Google LLC Dell Technologies, Inc. Sony Corporation ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. Lenovo Group Limited Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HP Development Company L.P.) Microsoft Corporation Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.(Samsung Group) Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289297/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 ReportLinker Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market Research Report by Product Type (Power Operated Vehicle and Powered Wheelchairs), Payment Type, Sales Channel, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market Research Report by Product Type, Payment Type, Sales Channel, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286935/?utm_source=GNW The Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market size was estimated at USD 1,395.23 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 1,590.00 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 14.21% to reach USD 3,097.30 million by 2027. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Product Type, the market was studied across Power Operated Vehicle and Powered Wheelchairs. Based on Payment Type, the market was studied across Out-of-Pocket and Reimbursement. Based on Sales Channel, the market was studied across Direct Sales (excluding VA), E-commerce, Retail, and Veteran Affairs. Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict: We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Competitive Scenario: The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market, including 1800wheelchair.com Inc., Aetna Inc., Drive Medical Spv, LLC, EZ Lite Cruiser, Freedom Mobility Center, Inc., GF Health Products Inc., Golden Technologies, Hoveround Corporation, Invacare Corporation, Karma Medical Products Co., LTD., Karman Healthcare, Merits Health Products Co., Ltd., National Seating & Mobility, Inc., Ottobock, Permobil, Inc., Pride Mobility Products Corporation, Redman Power Chair, Shoprider Mobility Products, Inc., United Seating and Mobility, LLC, and WHILL, Inc. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Group 2 Powered Mobility Devices Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286935/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 iStock The same social media groups and communication apps connecting Ukrainian refugees with shelter and information are being leveraged by bad actors to exploit and traffic women fleeing the country. Experts say companies can do more to push back. Meanwhile, former President Trumps media and tech company is facing more legal scrutiny threatening to further delay the completion of a merger. This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hills Rebecca Klar, Chris Mills Rodrigo and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Exploitation, trafficking concerns amplified Bad actors are leveraging social media groups and communications apps to sexually exploit and traffic Ukrainians seeking shelter and information, amplifying concerns about those dangers in an already high-risk region. As the war continues and millions of Ukrainians, especially women and children, transition to border nations, potential traffickers are using the same digital spaces where refugees are looking for assistance to spread misinformation or pose as well-meaning volunteers to house those fleeing the conflict. Experts say tech companies could be doing more to protect Ukrainians from those threats amid an apparent rise in demand for trafficking victims from the besieged country. I find it really heartbreaking that at the moment when so many people are trying to protect vulnerable women and children, one of the first measurable reactions to the crisis was that men were going online in record breaking numbers trying to figure out how to sexually access those women, said Val Richey, special representative and coordinator for combating trafficking in human beings at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Data on upticks in human trafficking of Ukrainian women are only starting to emerge since Russia invaded four months ago. But a Thomson Reuters analysis found spikes across Europe for terms related to online demand for sex with Ukrainian women as news about the war spread across Europe. Story continues The analysis found a 200 percent increase in Google searches for Ukrainian escorts in the United Kingdom between Feb. 27 and March 5 compared to the prior six months. The term Ukrainian porn increased 600 percent in Spain and 130 percent in Poland over the same period. Read more here. More legal trouble for Trumps tech biz The firm that merged with former President Trumps social media company received federal grand jury subpoenas last week, the company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Monday. A grand jury in the Southern District of New York issued subpoenas to each member of the board of directors of the special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that merged with the Trump Media and Technology Group. The latest subpoenas add to growing scrutiny of the deal. Federal regulators launched investigations into the merger between Trumps company and Digital World Acquisition Corp, the SPAC, in December, just weeks after the merger was announced. The new subpoenas seek some of the same documents as federal regulators, as well as requests for communications with or about multiple individuals, and information about Rocket One Capital, a Miami-based venture capital firm, according to Mondays filing. The investigation from the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is seeking information about events that took place before the public announcement. SPACs, also known as blank check companies, are formed to raise capital through an initial public offering for the purpose of acquiring or merging with a company. But they are not supposed to have an acquisition target in mind as they raise money from investors. Read more here. LITHUANIAN WEBSITES HIT BY RUSSIAN CYBERATTACKS Several public and private sector websites in Lithuania were temporarily down on Monday following a cyberattack reportedly carried out by a Russian-backed hacking group. Lithuanias acting director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Jonas Skardinskas, said the disruption was an ongoing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that targeted the countrys Secure National Data Transfer, as well as other governmental institutions and private companies. It is highly probable that such or even more intense attacks will continue into the coming days, especially against the communications, energy and financial sectors, Skardinskas said. A Russian-backed hacking group, known as Killnet, has claimed responsibility for the hack against Lithuania, according to multiple news reports Read more here. BITS & PIECES An op-ed to chew on: Its time to forge a transatlantic clean technology alliance Notable links from around the web: The #1 Period Tracker on the App Store Will Hand Over Data Without a Warrant (Motherboard / Samantha Cole) With clock ticking, battle over tech regulation intensifies (The Washington Post / Cat Zakrzewski, Will Oremus, Gerrit De Vynck and Cristiano Lima) The Biggest Privacy Risks In Post-Roe America (The Verge / Russell Brandom, Nicole Wetsman, Corin Faife, and Mary Beth Griggs) Lighter click: Planetary conjunction One more thing: Back at it The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol announced a last-minute hearing for Tuesday after previously saying it would pause its series of meetings until July. An advisory sent Monday said they would convene to present recently obtained evidence but provided no other details. The committee last week said they would pause their hearings for two weeks given a wealth of new evidence. Weve taken in some additional information thats going to require additional work. So rather than present hearings that have not been the quality of the hearings in the past, we made a decision to just move into sometime in July, Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters last Wednesday. Read more here. Thats it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hills Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. Well see you tomorrow. VIEW FULL VERSION HERE For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BOSTON, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NIC+ZOE, the Boston-based women's clothing brand, is adding another industry standout to its team by appointing Jennifer Hudner Vice President of Marketing. Jennifer Hudner, Vice President of Marketing at NIC+ZOE Boston-based women's clothing brand, NIC+ZOE, adds industry standout, Jennifer Hudner, to its team. Hudner is a seasoned industry veteran with more than twenty years in fashion and retail: a multi-channel marketing executive known for brand building, consumer-led strategy, and creative development. Her previous position was Head of Direct-To-Consumer and Integrated Marketing at New Balance where she spearheaded phenomenal digital and retail growth. NIC+ZOE's founder and Chief Creative Officer, Dorian Lightbown, sees the acquisition of Hudner as a coup for the female-led fashion brand. "Jen brings such creative talent to NIC+ZOE. I am so excited to work with her and look forward to building our brand vision together." Just as thrilled is NIC+ZOE President Avra Myers, who had previously worked with Hudner at Myers' own A Ruby from 2013-2015. "I had such a lovely experience working with Jen. She brings an infectious passion to her work and everywhere she's been, well, the results speak for themselves. When the opportunity to bring her to NIC+ZOE presented itself, I had no hesitation. Her energy, creativity, and shrewd business sense is a perfect fit. I can't wait to get started!" For her part, Hudner is just as enthusiastic about the reunion and the opportunity. "I am thrilled about joining NIC+ZOE. First off, I am excited to be returning to a female focused apparel brand with an important mission. With a solid team already in place, I look forward to accelerating the brand's forward momentum by driving greater awareness and acquiring new customers who don't yet know it's their new favorite label. And second, I will be reuniting with Avra: a mentor who shares my passion for product." A brand that prides itself on a personal touch and devotion to detail, Hudner's blend of creativity and industry insight leaves the label poised for further success. Under her guidance, the company can look forward to helping women feel like their best selves with the perfect balance of style, comfort, andnaturallyjust the right amount of fun. Story continues About NIC+ZOE: Founded in 2006 by expert knitwear designer, Dorian Lightbown, NIC+ZOE is a brand that distinguishes itself by designing high-quality clothing that strikes the balance between comfort and style. Their mission is to create collections of clothing that enhance the lives of busy, multi-faceted women everywhere; offering clothing that is versatile, easy to wear, and stylish. NIC+ZOE is proud to partner with notable wholesale brands like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Stitch Fix as well as over 800 specialty stores across the country. Their collections are also available at NIC+ZOE stores and nicandzoe.com. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jennifer-hudner-joins-niczoe-301577319.html SOURCE NIC+ZOE /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ VANCOUVER, BC, June 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Kadestone Capital Corp. ("Kadestone" or the "Company") (TSX-V: KDSX) (OTCB: KDCCF), a vertically integrated property company, is pleased to announce that the board of directors (the "Board") has appointed Dr. Anthony Holler as Chair of Board following the Company's annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") held on June 24, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Meeting"). Kadestone Capital Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Kadestone Capital Corp.) Dr. Holler was CEO of ID Biomedical from 1999 until 2005 when the company was sold to GlaxoSmithKline for $1.7 billion. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Perimeter Medical Imaging AI Inc. and CEO and Chairman of the Board for Sunniva Inc. Previously, Dr. Holler was Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRH Medical from December 2005 to March 2020. Dr. Holler was also Chairman of Corriente Resources Inc., which sold for approximately $700 million to CRCC-Tongguan Investment Co. in 2010. Before his involvement in public markets, Dr. Holler served as an Emergency Physician at University Hospital at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Medical Degree from the University of British Columbia. At the Meeting, the Shareholders elected to the Board, by ordinary resolution, Brent Billey, David Negrin, Norm Mayr, Jacqueline Tucker and Dr. Anthony Holler, to serve in office until the next annual meeting of Shareholders or until their successors are duly elected or appointed. In addition, at the Meeting, the Shareholders approved: (i) the re-appointment of Davidson & Company LLP as auditors of the Company; and (ii) the Company's amended and restated stock option plan. About Kadestone Kadestone was established to pursue the investment in, development, acquisition, and management of residential and commercial income producing properties and procurement and sale of building materials within major urban centres and high-growth, emerging markets in Canada. The Company operates five complimentary business lines spanning building materials procurement and supply, property development and construction, construction finance, asset ownership, and property management. These synergistic business lines have solidified Kadestone's vision to become a market leading vertically integrated property company. Additional information can be found at www.kadestone.com . Story continues For further information please contact David Negus, CFO, Kadestone Capital Corp., dnegus@kadestone.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD (signed) "Brent Billey" President, CEO and Director Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward- Looking Statements Certain information in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's vision to become a leading vertically integrated property company, may constitute forward looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements), which can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "intend," "continue" or "believe" (or the negatives) or other similar variations. Because of various risks and uncertainties, including those referenced below, actual events or results may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. As a result, you should not rely on such forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying assumptions, risks and uncertainties relating to Kadestone is contained in Kadestone's filings with the Canadian securities regulators available at www.sedar.com. These risks include those described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's final prospectus dated September 2, 2020 and in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. The forward-looking statements in this press release are applicable only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the relevant forward-looking statement. The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Kadestone Capital Corp. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/27/c7499.html There is no doubt that being a member of the royal family is a daily pressure cooker because of the constant scrutiny by the media and the divided royal fans. Yet Kate Middleton might be in the hardest position of all because one day she will be the Princess of Wales once her father-in-law Prince Charles takes the throne, which is only going to invite more comparisons to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. One royal expert, Daniela Elser, noted that the attention has already ramped up in recent months with media headlines pitting the two women against each other. Its what Elser calls the relentless Diana-ing of Kate in her recent New Zealand Herald column. The Duchess of Cambridge cant wear a single article of clothing without reporters combing through the photo archives to see if Diana wore something similar. More from SheKnows Kate Middleton looked stunning in her polka-dot dress at Royal Ascot despite the major heatwave.https://t.co/RQTkjAd5f9 SheKnows (@SheKnows) June 17, 2022 Elser is sounding the warning bells because she believes the issue is bigger than just a wardrobe choice; she thinks Kate is no longer being judged on her own merit as aroyal family member. But the issue here is that no matter what Kate does, says or wears she is endlessly compared to Diana, she writes. Ten years, three children, 33 foreign trips, and one Royal Foundation of her very own later and Kate is still held up against Diana with a bilious regularity. Its a game that Kate can never win. Click here to read the full article. The royal watcher is asking everyone, including the press, to rethink how they are covering Kate because it is only going to become magnitudes worse when in the next few years she assumes Dianas title and becomes the Princess of Wales. Its honestly a refreshing take on the Duchess of Cambridge who is a very different woman than Diana, and each woman has earned their own place in history as a part of the royal family. Its long past time to break this addiction to reading everything Kate-related through a Diana-shaped lens, Elser summed up. She deserves that much. Story continues Before you go, click here to see Princess Dianas most scandalous royal moments. Princess Diana Launch Gallery: Our Favorite Photos of Kate Middleton Doing Regular Mom Things Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Amanda Anderson, left, organized a protest after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade turning over abortion rights issues to the states. In Louisiana, abortion was immediately banned, except in cases where the pregnant person's life is in danger. "We're here to say that we are guaranteed bodily autonomy. We are fighting for it. And this isn't just about abortion," Anderson said. "We want reproductive justice for all women in the United States. And we want body autonomy just like everybody else in this country." A new Louisiana law that makes it a criminal offense for a company to send abortion pills through the mail puts the state at the forefront of the battle over drug-induced abortions. Louisiana's trigger law could make most abortions illegal, including those induced by the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, but Slidell Republican Sen. Sharon Hewitt's bill signed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards allows the prosecution of companies that send it through the mail. The drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for 20 years to be used to safely abort pregnancies up to 10 weeks. Last year the FDA dropped its requirement for the drug to be dispensed during an in-person visit to a medical professional. Hewitt emphasized her bill exempts pregnant women who take the abortion pills from being prosecuted. "The next battle is over abortion pills," Hewitt told USA Today Network. "With my bill on the books, Louisiana is able to immediately shut down dangerous, do-it-yourself mail order abortion pills from being sent directly to moms." More: Abortion in Louisiana is illegal immediately after Supreme Court ruling: Here's what it means Last week's Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade set the stage for the battle. A Louisiana trigger law briefly banned abortions immediately, but a New Orleans state judge temporarily blocked that ban Monday pending a hearing. President Joe Biden's administration indicated it will try to stop states from banning the pill used for a drug-induced abortion. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said: "States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDAs expert judgment about its safety and efficacy." But Hewitt said the new law doesn't ban the drug for other legitimate uses, "just for illegal abortions." Read this: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest Louisiana already required women to take the drugs in the presence of the doctor who prescribes and dispenses them, but Hewitt said her bill "puts teeth into the criminal and civil penalties" for companies who send the pills through the mail. Story continues She conceded enforcement will be difficult, but Hewitt said investigative units like Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's cyber crime unit could be effective. There are 19 states like Louisiana that require women to make an in-person visit to obtain the drugs rather than through telehealth prescriptions online, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A nonsurgical medication abortion involves swallowing mifepristone, which causes an embryo to detach from the uterine wall. A second pill, misoprostol, is used two days later to cause contractions and push the embryo out of the uterus. Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1 This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana at forefront of abortion pill battleground with new law SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Automotive Personal Assistant System - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" . The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace. With Market Size Valued at 15.1 Million Units by 2026, it`s a Healthy Outlook for the Global Automotive Personal Assistant System Market FACTS AT A GLANCE What's New for 2022? 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: 5; Released: January 2022 Executive Pool: 413 Companies: 46 - Players covered include Aptiv Plc; BMW AG; Continental AG; DENSO Corp.; Flex International USA, Inc.; Magna International Inc.; Mobileye N.V.; Nuance Communications Inc.; Panasonic Corporation; Robert Bosch GmbH; Tata Elxsi Ltd.; Valeo SA; Wipro Limited; ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Segment (Automotive Personal Assistant System) 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 Automotive Personal Assistant System Market to Reach 15.1 Million Units by 2026 Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Automotive Personal Assistant System estimated at 3.5 Million Units, is projected to reach a revised size of 15.1 Million Units by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 27.1% over the analysis period. Story continues The U.S. Market is Estimated at 1.2 Million Units in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach 3.6 Million Units by 2026 The Automotive Personal Assistant System market in the U.S. is estimated at 1.2 Million Units in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of 3.6 Million Units by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 33.7% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 21.5% and 24.8% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 23.3% CAGR. 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: ZA@StrategyR.com 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./ Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/marketbytes Journalists & Media Info411@strategyr.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/with-market-size-valued-at-15-1-million-units-by-2026--its-a-healthy-outlook-for-the-global-automotive-personal-assistant-system-market-301575573.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc. In a bid to unlock more opportunities for further industrial growth, Kanoo Energy, a division of The Kanoo Group, has signed an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the Taziz programme with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). The Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zonea joint venture between Adnoc and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC (ADQ), a sovereign wealth fund located in Abu Dhabiaims to produce new industrial chemicals in the UAE for the first time, replacing chemicals currently imported, while also exporting to meet the growing demand for these chemicals globally. Unlocking opportunities The signing, during the Make it in the Emirates forum on June 21, 2022, aims to acknowledge the interest to locate activities at Tazizs Light Industrial and Services Zones. The Taziz Zones promise to unlock opportunities for manufacturers and service providers, which will enable a wide variety of everyday products to be made locally in the UAE. The Kanoo Groups Area Executive Hesham Nass and Kanoo Energys General Manager Raman Marwaha participated in the EoI signing, together with Khaleefa Al Meheiri, the acting CEO of the Taziz programme. Aside from Kanoo Energy, expressions of interest were signed with over 20 other investors. The Make it in the Emirates, held from June 21 to 22, examined the UAEs potential to become a global industrial hub. It tackled various opportunities in technology, hydrogen, petrochemicals and renewable energy, which have supported the UAEs rise as a global hub for clean energy. It was organised by the Ministry of industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), in association with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added).-- TradeArabia News Service SHERBROOKE, QC, June 28, 2022 /CNW/ - The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, will be in Sherbrooke, Quebec to announce funding to support the Canadian wine sector's continued growth. Prior to the announcement, at 9:45 a.m., media will be invited to tour La Halte des Pelerins. Date Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Time 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Location for on-site participation: La Halte des Pelerins 693 Chem. du Sanctuaire Sherbrooke, QC J1H 0E1 Access by video conference or telephone line (for media only) Please contact the AAFC Media Relations team at aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@agr.gc.ca for details on how to participate. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/28/c0035.html GATINEAU, QC , June 28, 2022 /CNW/ - Employment and Social Development Canada Today, Minister of Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., met virtually with provincial and territorial labour ministers to discuss priorities in workplaces across Canada and collaboration with all levels of government to better support workers. Minister O'Regan spoke with his counterparts about the changing labour market and the challenges that labour shortages are creating across all jurisdictions. He welcomed a presentation from the Labour Market Information Council, an arms length organization whose mandate is to improve the accessibility of reliable labour market information, on current labour mobility issues. Minister O'Regan informed partners of the Government of Canada's various initiatives to address labour shortages and also noted the importance of investing in skills development and building a plan for sustainable jobs in Canada. Minister O'Regan provided an update on the government's implementation of 10 days of paid sick leave for workers in the federally regulated private sector. The Minister informed his counterparts that amendments to the Canada Labour Code will come into force no later than December 1, 2022. Discussions regarding paid sick leave for all workers across the country are ongoing. Finally, Minister O'Regan highlighted the importance of partnerships with the provincial and territorial governments, unions, and industries when working to address the needs of Canadian workers, particularly as the global economy and today's workplaces change. Associated Links Budget 2022 Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation News Release: February 25, 2022, Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Labour Ministers Follow us on Twitter SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/28/c5795.html Akash Ambani, the eldest son of Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani, has been named as the chairman of Reliance's digital empire Jio in what analysts view as a clear illustration of a leadership transition in one of Asia's wealthiest families. Reliance Jio said in an exchange filing that Mukesh Ambani has resigned from his director role at the unit, though he will continue to serve as a chairman. Jio, which is India's largest telecom network with over 420 million subscribers, made global headlines in 2020 when it raised about $20 billion from scores of investors, including Google and Meta. The leadership transition has been in the works for several years. The 30-year-old has delivered several keynote product announcements at the company's recent annual general meetings, slowly becoming the public face of the conglomerate's digital empire. As compared to many patriarchs who refused to leave the chair, Mukesh Ambani at age 65 resigning from Jio is a huge step forward. Anupam Gupta (@b50) June 28, 2022 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Akash's appointment follows Reliance Industries, a $217 billion firm which makes a significant portion of its profits from oil, making an aggressive push to broaden its digital offerings. Earlier this month, Viacom18, backed by Reliance and James Murdoch's Bodhi Tree, outbid Disney to secure the digital streaming rights of Indian Premier League's cricket tournament for five years. Tata Group and Adani Group, two other Indian conglomerates, are deliberating similar digital expansions. Mukesh Ambani, 65, has credited his children for the inception of Jio five years ago. The firm says Akash has been involved with several of Jio Platforms' strategies, including recent merger and acquisition moves. Reliance units have backed a number of startups in recent months, including investments in hyperlocal delivery startup Dunzo and mobile platform Glance. WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Capital Bank (NCB) announced today that Bradley J. Duncan and Sean A. Biehl have joined the Banks lending team Brad as Senior Vice President, Construction Lending Director and Sean as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005861/en/ National Capital Bank, Senior Vice President, Construction Lending Director, Brad Duncan With 29 years of real estate lending experience, Brad will be responsible for managing NCBs construction portfolio and developing new lending opportunities focused on new construction, renovation and expansion for the home building, multi-family, office, retail and industrial sectors. Originally from Alabama, Brad has both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Business Administration from Auburn University and completed the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He now resides in Northern Virginia. Seans banking career spans more than 16 years, starting with management positions in branch banking, before transitioning to a credit analyst and commercial loan officer. Building on his experience in the Northern Virginia market, Sean will be responsible for cultivating new C&I client relationships. Sean has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Business Administration from University of Maryland. He is a graduate of Leadership Loudoun and Leadership Fairfax Emerging Leaders Program. He lives in Loudoun County. "We are thrilled to have Brad and Sean join NCBs outstanding team of local commercial lenders. Their industry experience fits perfectly with the Banks strategic plan to expand our business lending activities," said Richard B. (Randy) Anderson, Jr., Chief Executive Officer. "Our team is now better positioned to meet the financing needs of more local businesses in the Metropolitan Washington market," continued Anderson. Story continues National Capital Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Capital Bancorp, Inc. (OTC Pink: NACB), was founded in 1889 and is Washingtons Oldest Bank. NCB is headquartered on Capitol Hill with offices in the Friendship Heights community in Northwest D.C., the Courthouse/Clarendon community in Arlington, Virginia and the Fox Hill senior living community of Bethesda, Maryland. NCB also operates residential mortgage and commercial lending offices and a wealth management services division. NCB product and service offerings include personal and business deposit accounts, robust eBanking, sophisticated treasury management solutions, remote deposit capture and merchant processing all delivered with top-rated personal service. NCB is well-positioned to serve all the banking needs of those in our communities. For more information about NCB, visit www.nationalcapitalbank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005861/en/ Contacts Richard B. (Randy) Anderson, Jr., Chief Executive Officer James (Jimmy) Olevson, President Company: National Capital Bank Phone: 202-546-8000 ReportLinker The rise in demand for cloud services, surging demand for resilient network monitoring systems to quickly resolve downtime issues along with need for continuous monitoring due to rise in network complexities and security concerns is expected to fuel the growth of the network monitoring market. New York, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Network Monitoring Market by Offering, Bandwidth, Technology, End User and Geography - Global Forecast to 2027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05589889/?utm_source=GNW However, availability of free network monitoring tools is a prominent factor limiting the growth of the network monitoring market. Network monitoring equipment with 1 & 10 Gbps bandwidth to hold largest share of network monitoring market during the forecast period. The network monitoring market for equipment with 1 and 10 Gbps bandwidth held the largest market share in 2021 and is expected to retain its dominant position throughout the forecast period.Monitoring equipment with 1 and 10 Gbps bandwidth is widely deployed across various end-users such as enterprises, telecom, government organizations, and service providers. Currently, network monitoring equipment with higher bandwidths is gaining traction in the market. As a result, the prices for monitoring equipment with 1 and 10 Gbps bandwidth have been declining, which, in turn, drive the adoption of these type of equipment for optimum network development. Market for software & services segment is expected to witness higher growth during the forecast period The software & services segment is expected to witness significant growth in the network monitoring market during the forecast period.Network monitoring software systems are used to perform some of the functions of monitors and analyzers, identify errors, run diagnostic tests, monitor an entire network, compile statistics, and prepare real-time management reports. Network performance monitoring software improves IT operations by reducing the consequences of performance issues, processes, policy creation, and network operations and resolving network performance issues. The expanding popularity of monitoring solutions, the widespread use of IoT and BYOD devices, and the growing demand for long-lasting network monitoring systems to fix downtime issues swiftly contribute to the markets growth. Market for ethernet technology to dominate during the forecast period Ethernet held the largest share of the said market in 2021 and is expected to retain its dominant position throughout the forecast period.The expansion of data centers and an increase in the adoption of virtualization technology boost the demand for network monitoring equipment with higher bandwidths. Ethernet-based networks deliver more agile and low-latency solutions with increased scalability.The migration from low bandwidth to high bandwidth with Ethernet technology is not only cost-effective but is also possible without any disruption. Thus, it is widely adopted by several industries for data transfer, which, in turn, drives the growth of Ethernet-based networking equipment. Europe to hold a significant share of the network monitoring market during the forecast period Europe is expected to hold a significantly large share for network monitoring market during the forecast period.The countries that constitute a major portion of the network monitoring market in Europe include the UK, Germany, France, Italy. The UK and Italy are leading the way in the network monitoring market, due to their widespread network infrastructure.The market competition in the region is expected to be very high, as companies are competing in the domestic space as well as the EU. Thus, to streamline business processes, organizations in the region have been adopting network monitoring solutions, and the trend is expected to continue in the near future. In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews have been conducted with key industry experts in the network monitoring space. The break-up of primary participants for the report has been shown below: By Company Type: Tier 1 40%, Tier 2 40%, and Tier 3 20% By Designation: C-level Executives 40%, Directors 40%, and Others 20% By Region: North America 40%, Asia Pacific 30%, Europe 20%, and RoW 10% The report profiles key players in the network monitoring market with their respective market ranking analysis. Prominent players profiled in this report are include Gigamon (US), NETSCOUT (US), Keysight Technologies (US), Viavi, APCON (US), and Garland Technology (US), Cisco (US), Broadcom (US), Arista Networks (US), Juniper Networks, Inc. (US), Zenoss (US) are among the leading companies in the network monitoring market. Apart from these, Network Critical (UK), CALIENT Technologies (CALIENT) (US), Netgear (US), Motadata (US), Riverbed Technology (US), Accedian Networks (US), Datadog (US), Kentik (US), Auvik Networks (Canada), LogicMonitor (US) and Paessler (Germany) are among a few emerging companies in the network monitoring market. Research Coverage: This research report categorizes the network monitoring market on the basis of offering, bandwidth, technology, end-user industry and region.The report describes the major drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to the network monitoring market and forecasts the same till 2027 (including analysis of COVID-19 impact on the market). Apart from these, the report also consists of leadership mapping and analysis of all the companies included in the network monitoring ecosystem. Key Benefits of Buying the Report The report would help leaders/new entrants in this market in the following ways: 1. This report segments the network monitoring market comprehensively and provides the closest market size projection for all subsegments across different regions. 2. The report helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities for market growth. 3. This report would help stakeholders understand their competitors better and gain more insights to improve their position in the business. The competitive landscape section includes competitor ecosystem, product developments and launches, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. 4. The analysis of the top 31 companies, based on the market rank as well as the product footprint will help stakeholders visualize the market positioning of these key players. 5. Patent analysis, trade data, and technological trends that will shape the market in the coming years has also been covered in this report. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05589889/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker 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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 From Peru to Uganda, activists call on Deutsche Bank to drop fossil finance Activists meet Deutsche Bank to voice concerns about energy project in Amazon By Tom Sims and Marta Orosz FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Climate activists from Peru to Uganda are descending on Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt this week to call on Germany's largest lender to stop financing fossil fuel companies. The demand comes as Deutsche Bank markets itself as a lender that firms can turn to as they transition to a greener future, a strategy it views as key to delivering its own turnaround and boosting profits. On Monday, two leaders of indigenous Peruvians and several climate activists met with Deutsche Bank staff in the sustainability department to demand it stop working with Peruvian state oil company Petroperu, which they say is harming wildlife and waterways in the Amazon. On Tuesday, Fridays for Future activist Luisa Neubauer from Germany and Evelyn Acham from the Rise Up Movement in Uganda will also meet with Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing to insist he distance the bank from an oil pipeline plan in Africa. Sewing has said sustainability is "at the core of our strategy", but for many activists, the bank isn't doing enough. In a blow to its green credentials, Deutsche Bank's fund unit DWS is facing allegations of so-called "greenwashing" for allegedly misleading investors over how sustainable its investments are. DWS has denied the allegations. Deutsche Bank declined to discuss the meetings or its dealings with Petroperu, but said it understood and appreciated demands and views of activists. "We are committed to reducing our own CO2 emissions and in particular those of our loan portfolio to net zero by 2050," it said. In Peru, the government wants to ramp up oil production in some of its dormant Amazonian fields as global crude prices soar on supply fears linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Deutsche is a lead bank for a $1.3 billion loan for Petroperu and played a key role in recent talks with creditors to extend a deadline for the energy firm to provide its 2021 audited financial statements, according to Petroperu. Story continues Missing that deadline prompted credit agencies to downgrade Petroperu to junk status and sent its bonds tumbling. The bank financing has helped Petroperu modernise a refinery to increase its ability to process more crude oil. Shapiom Noningo Sesen, an indigenous leader of the Wampis Nation and part of Monday's meetings, said he asked Deutsche to reevaluate its role, and that activists would keep the pressure on the bank until it drops Petroperu. He said locals couldn't eat fish anymore due to pollution and toxins were ending up in their blood. "These companies are just playing with our lives, our culture and our history," he said through an interpreter. Petroperu didn't respond to a request for comment. It said this month it was "committed to caring for the environment through responsible practices". Ricardo Perez, an official with Amazon Watch, said he would also visit other banks to pressure them to end dealings with Petroperu. But for now his focus was on Deutsche, which Perez said "has invested in the biggest driver of new oil production in the Amazon for the next decade". (Additional reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima; Editing by Mark Potter) STRATEGIC MARKET RESEARCH LLP The Global Remote Patient Monitoring Market was worth USD 1.3 billion in 2020 and, with a CAGR of 12.1%, is expected to reach a market value of USD 4.07 billion by 2030. New York, United States, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The key factors driving the Remote Patient Monitoring Market are the rising number of chronic diseases, increased awareness and a rising geriatric population. Pivotal Insights into the Remote Patient Monitoring Market: North America had the highest market share, which stood at 41.67% of the market By product, the vital signs monitoring devices held the highest market share at 38.89% of the market. By End-users, hospital-based patients held the highest market share at 79.4%. By application, diabetes held the largest market share at 12.8%. To get a first-hand overview of the report, Request a Sample at https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/request-sample/remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market Factors Driving the Market Rising Chronic Diseases Chronic diseases are those that last one or more years and require medical care for a prolonged period. Diseases such as cancer, arthritis, dementia and diabetes are examples of chronic diseases. According to the CDC, six out of ten citizens suffer from a chronic disease, and four out of ten have two or more chronic diseases. According to Canadian government statistics, 44% of adults over 20 suffer from at least one chronic disease. According to Eurostat, more than one out of three people above the age of 16 suffer from a chronic disease. According to WHO, chronic diseases cause 41 million deaths each year. Monitoring devices are essential in the treatment plan for chronic conditions. Therefore, with an increasing number of chronic conditions, there will be a rise in remote patient monitoring devices. Rising Geriatric Population The geriatric population is on the rise globally. According to the WHO, China has one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the world; by 2040, over 28% of the population is expected to be above the age of 60. In Canada, over 861,000 people were above the age of 85, 2.3% of the total population. According to the US Census, over 46 million adults are over 65. According to Eurostat, the number of people above 80 is expected to double by the start of the next century. With an ageing population, the number of patients with various diseases also increases; hence, further remote patient monitoring devices would be required to monitor those conditions. Story continues Increased Awareness People have become far more aware of their health and well-being due to the pandemic and have been focusing on physical and mental health during the pandemic. There has been an increase in the number of sales of fitness devices, an increasing number of telehealth checkups and an increase in the number of visits to psychologists and psychiatrists. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services(HHS), there has been a 63-fold rise in the number of Medicare-funded telehealth visits, being 840,000 in 2019, rising to 52.7 million in 2020. 20% or one in five people use a fitness device frequently in the US. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the number of psychologists receiving referrals more than doubled in 2021. Thus with patients and healthcare providers being more aware, we would see a further rise in the use of remote patient monitoring devices. Detailed Segmentation Analysis of the Remote Patient Monitoring Market as conducted by Strategic Market Research: By Product Vital signs Monitors Special Monitors By End-User Hospital-based patients Ambulatory Patients Home Healthcare By Application Cardiovascular diseases Diabetes Cancer Bronchitis Sleep Disorder Weight Management and Fitness Monitoring Other Conditions/Diseases By Region North America Canada USA Europe Germany France United Kingdom Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Australia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America, Middle East and Africa Argentina Brazil South Africa Nigeria UAE Saudi Arabia Turkey Rest of LAMEA Make a Direct Purchase of the latest Remote Patient Monitoring Market Latest Report. Click the below link to initiate the purchase: https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/buy-now/remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020-2030 Forecast Period 2020 to 2030 CAGR 12.1% 2030 Value Projection USD 4.07 billion Base Year 2020 Market Size in 2020 USD 1.3 billion Historical Data for 2015 - 2019 No. of Pages 135 Companies Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd,Smiths Medical,Nihon Kohden Corporation,Koninklijke Philips N.V.,Omron Corporation,F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd,American Telecare,Welch Ally,OSI Systems, Inc.,Boston Scientific Corporation,GE HealthCare, Johnson& Johnson,Drager Medical,Masimo,Vitls, Inc,Abbott,CareValidate,Biotronik,LifeWatch,Cerner Corporation Honeywell Leading Segment Based on Product Vital signs monitor segment Leading Region Asia-Pacific Segments covered Based on Product, Based on End-Use, Based on Application and Based on Region Growth Drivers Increasing Number of Chronic Complaints and Increasing Need to Expand Healthcare Access By product, the vital signs monitoring system had the highest market share. These devices are critical to healthcare providers' information regarding the patients physiology and biochemistry. The specialities of cardiology, neurology and Neonatology dominate the segment. According to the CDC, 6.7% of the population above the age of 20 is suffering from coronary artery disease. Over 20 million Americans also suffer from one neuropathy. In the US, there were over five deaths per 1000 live births in 2020. With the rising number of diseases and conditions requiring higher monitoring levels, we would see an increase in the number of remote patient monitoring devices. By End-User, Hospital-based patients make up the largest market share. The devices used in hospitals can track more factors of the patient's health and hence, form the majority of the segment. According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), there were over 33 million admissions in all US hospitals as of January 2022. With the rising number of hospitalisations, there will be an increase in the demand for remote patient monitoring devices. By application, the diabetes monitoring system had the largest market share, standing at 12.8%. There has been an increasing number of patients with diabetes, and patients and care providers alike must be able to monitor the disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, over 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes in 2022. According to the Canadian health stastistics, 5 million citizens, or approximately 12.1% of the population, will be diabetic by 2025, showing a 44% increase in number between 2015 and 2025. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of diabetes in adults in China increased from 8.3% in 2019 to an estimated 12.4% in 2021. Thus, with rising cases of diabetes, the need for disease and patient monitoring devices would increase. By Region, North America held the highest market share. This is due to the rapidly advanced medical infrastructure in the region and the high prevalence of diseases requiring periodic monitoring, such as respiratory and sleep disorders. According to the CDC, over 8.4% of the population above 18 suffer from asthma. 6.4% of Canadians have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Thus, with rising numbers of sleep and respiratory disorders, there would be a surge in demand for related monitoring devices. Before initiating a purchase, make a Pre-order enquiry and get a detailed overview of the content of the report. https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/pre-order-enquiry/remote-patient-monitoring-devices-market Key Players in the Market: The major companies involved in the remote patient monitoring devices market are: Abbott American Telecare Biotronik Boston Scientific Corporation CareValidate Cerner Corporation Drager Medical F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd GE Healthcare Honeywell Johnson & Johnson Koninklijke Philips N.V. LifeWatch Masimo Nihon Kohden Corporation Omron Corporation OSI Systems, Inc. Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. Smiths Medical Vitls, Inc Welch Ally Kindly go through and get access to our comprehensive coverage of myriad number of Healthcare reports published in the last three months: https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/reports/healthcare Recent Developments in the market: In June 2022, Livindi expanded its remote patient monitoring program to assist patients in complying with their care plan, improve monitoring of biometric readings and provide monthly charts based on real-time data. In June 2022, Memorial Hermann Health System partnered with Contessa to provide new care options for patients. Through this partnership, the System would be able to provide post-discharge expert nursing care, acute hospital care, and palliative care for their patients. In June 2022, GE Healthcare developed new, wireless, portable sensors that would aid physicians in monitoring patient data without regular walk-in checkups. In June 2022, Withings Health Solutions, a firm manufacturing remote patient monitoring devices and offering allied services, is joining the Athenahealth marketplace program. The membership aims at improving the monitoring of patients without physical checkups. Related Reports: Global Diagnostic Electrocardiograph (ECG) Market The Diagnostic Electrocardiograph (ECG) Market report as designed by SMR is a comprehensive report covering the market drivers, market opportunities and market restraints. In 2020, the market was worth USD 5.11 billion and, with a CAGR of 5.58%, is expected to grow to 8.79 billion by 2030. The market drivers are the increasing number of cardiovascular diseases and the increased accuracy of the devices over other forms of diagnosis. The major firms involved in the market are ACS Diagnostics, Allengers Medical Systems, Ltd., Ambu A/S, Bionet Co., Ltd., BPL Medical Technologies, BTL, Cardioline SpA, Eccosur, Edan Instruments, Inc., FUKUDA DENSHI, GE Healthcare, Hill-Rom Holdings (a subsidiary of Baxter International), Innomed Medical, Koninklijke Philips NV, Medtronic, Midmark Corporation, Nexus Lifecare, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Norav Medical, OSI Systems, Inc., SCHILLER, SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS Co., Ltd., Suzuken Co. Ltd, and VectraCor, Inc. Global Spinal Fusion Devices Market The Spinal Fusion Devices Market report, as developed by SMR, is an all-encompassing report that includes the market drivers, opportunities in the market and the market restraints. In 2020, the market was worth USD 6.61 billion and, with a CAGR of 3.83%, is expected to grow to USD 9.63 billion by 2030. The market drivers are increasing cases of spinal disorders and the emergence of robotic spinal surgeries. The key players in the market are Medtronic, NuVasive, Inc., Stryker, Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc., Zimmer Biomet, Globus Medical, ATEC Spine, Inc., DePuy Synthes (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Inc.), B. Braun Melsungen AG, Orthofix Medical, Inc., SeaSpine, Spinal Elements, Inc., Spine Wave, Inc., Captiva Spine, Inc., Spineology, Inc. Global Drug Delivery Devices Market The Drug Delivery Devices Market report is a comprehensive report formulated by SMR that includes the market drivers, the future scope of the market and the market restraints. In 2020, the market was worth USD 230 billion and, with a CAGR of 4%, is expected to attain a value of USD 340.45 billion by 2030. The market drivers have increased spending by the firms on R&D, a rise in chronic and acute diseases and improved healthcare access. The major firms involved in the market are 3M, Antares Pharma, Inc, AstraZeneca PLC, Bayer AG, Becton Dickinson, Boehringer Ingelheim group, Consort Medical plc (Recipharm Group), F. Hoffmann-La Roche, GeneTech Company. Ltd. (Hubei Tongji Benda Ebei Pharma), GlaxoSmithKline plc, Insulet Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc, Medtronic Plc, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc.Shenzhen (SiBiono), Sulzer Ltd. and uniQure N.V . Global Soft Tissue Allografts Market The Soft Tissue Allografts Market report designed by SMR is an all-encompassing report that includes the market drivers, opportunities and restraints. In 2020, the market was worth USD12.35 billion, and with a CAGR of 4.72%, it is expected to grow to a value of USD 19.58 billion. The factors driving the market are the rising old age population, increasing sports-related injuries and higher success rates of the procedures. The key players in the market are Alliqua BioMedical, Inc., AlloSource, Alon Source, Arthrex, and Bard, Inc. (Davol, Inc.)Braun Melsungen AG, Conmed Corporation, Globus Medical, Inc., Integra Life Sciences Corporation, Lattice Biologics Ltd., MiMedix Group, Organogenesis, Inc., Osiris Therapeutics, RTI Surgical, Inc., Straumann Holding AG, Xtant Medical and Zimmer Biomet. About Us: Strategic Market Research facilitates the organizations globally in taking pivotal business decisions by furnishing the Syndicated and Customized Research Reports, which are highly precise in terms of market numbers. We believe that every firm, whether it is a startup which is in the Introduction stage of the Product Life cycle or an established one which is at the growth stage, requires market research services in order to streamline its key business blueprint. It may be related to Product Launch, Go to Market strategies, Competitive Analysis or new geographical penetration and expansion. Contact Us: Strategic Market Research LLP. Sunil Kumar US: +1-8317045538 UK: +441256636046 India: +91-8260836500 Email: info@strategicmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com Blog: https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/blog Press Release: https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/press-releases Connect Us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strategic-market-research/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smrstrategic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrategicMarketResearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategicmarketresearchsmr/ ORNSKOLDSVIK, Sweden, June 28, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Slovakia has selected the CV90MkIV as its new Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005726/en/ The CV90 during firing demonstrations. (Photo: BAE Systems) The joint bid from the Government of Sweden and BAE Systems was filed earlier this year by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and BAE Systems Hagglunds. Following the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republics feasibility report last month, the CV90 was placed in both first and second position (in two different turret variants) when measured against all requirements for the IFV program. Negotiations will now begin to finalize a production contract before the end of the year. With the CV90MkIV, the Slovak Army will acquire the most advanced CV90 available. Together with Slovak industry, BAE Systems is prepared to deliver the program on time and on budget. Slovakias requirements call for multiple variants of the CV90MkIV, including several turreted versions and both engineer and recovery vehicles. The program also includes training and education, tactics, and future vehicle development. This selection brings Slovakia into the CV90 User Club, which currently consists of seven countries, including four members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "The joint Swedish FMV and BAE Systems team confirms the Swedish governments support for Slovakia and further strengthens government-to-government relations," said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hagglunds in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. "Our approach is built on strategic collaboration with local Slovak suppliers, enabling them to play a high-value role throughout the production and lifecycle of the CV90 and all its variants." BAE Systems Hagglunds has delivered multiple CV90 export programs to European and NATO customers and has a strong track record of highly successful industrial cooperation that goes beyond the mechanical assembly of the vehicles. By working with local Slovak industry across all aspects of the contract, BAE Systems will ensure a significant level of collaboration during production to support defense industrial cooperation, jobs, and economic growth. BAE Systems is committed to exceeding the mandated requirement for Slovak content and to work closely with the countrys industry to deliver the most capable IFV on the market today. Story continues The CV90 is available in 15 variants and designed to provide optimum mobility, with the highest level of protection in any terrain or tactical environment. The CV90MkIV combines improved battlefield speeds and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth capabilities as the complex battlefield evolves. Today, there are nearly 1,300 CV90s in operation in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220628005726/en/ Contacts For additional information, please contact: Ola Thoren, BAE Systems Hagglunds Office: +46 660 80506; Mobile: +46 708 335000 ola.thoren@baesystems.se www.baesystems.com @BAESystemsInc The AVPN Global Conference puts under-represented Asian voices on a world stage to form new partnerships; with Asia holding 63% of the world's population and 42% of its wealth. "This is the decade for action, the decade for decision," says Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO AVPN Western models don't adequately address local issues - Asian leaders need to step up Investors must allow investees to decide where best to utilise funds - local communities must be part of solutions Impact investment is on a growth trajectory in SE Asia says Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan BALI, Indonesia, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest networking event for Social Investors in Asia, the AVPN Global Conference, has concluded in Bali, with the recommendations from the event to be handed to world leaders attending the G20 in Bali in November this year. One of the strongest themes to emerge from the event was that Asian voices have been under-represented on the world stage, despite Asia holding 63% of the world's population and 42% of its wealth, and that this has to change now if the world has any hope of reaching its SDG goals. Pictured: Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President, Program Strategy at The Rockefeller Foundation, addressing the crowd at the AVPN Global Conference. Naina Subberwal Batra, AVPN CEO said it was time to rethink how capital is accumulated and deployed in Asia because Western models of philanthropy don't adequately address local issues. The funding gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has doubled since the pandemic, with Asian nations disproportionately aected, so she urged Asian funds to ll the gap and said the power dynamic must move to the frontline with those who best understand how to create impact in developing communities. Declaring the Asian revolution has arrived, she called on Asian leaders to step up and leapfrog the world, saying, "This is the decade for action, the decade for decision. This is our decade - the Asian decade." Story continues Ms Batra's speech was followed by an opening address from Minister Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, who said that blended and sustainable nance would be key to developing back better from the pandemic. He also highlighted the importance of collaboration to ensure outcomes. "This year is the starting era for the revival of the global and national economy, especially for the tourism and creative economy sector," Minister Sandiaga Una said. "I believe through our collaborations, we could use some of the opportunities of this philanthropic network to subdue the devastating impacts of the pandemic." The event was held with the support of Kemenparekraf (The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy), with Minister Uno saying he hoped the conference would provide solutions and opportunities in terms of a sustainable and inclusive economy, to create a safe environment, increase productivity, stability and security and also to strengthen global leadership, especially in Asia. Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Aairs and Investment of Indonesia, said, "Over the last few years, impact investing in Southeast Asia has been on a growth trajectory Southeast Asia secured 298 deals with over USD 6 billion. Indonesia remains the largest market compared to other countries in Southeast Asia with 28% of the total deals by volume and 21% by value." Professor Bambang Brodjonegoro, Co-Chair of the T20 think tank, said the G20 was still dominated by its developed nation members but it was time to shift this dynamic. "We hope by being the host of the G20, we can share a vision that is closer to the needs of developing nations," he said. With pooled funds key to solving major issues, AVPN, with its partners, announced several new funds during the course of the Conference including: USD 25m Gender Fund - which will be launched at the G20 USD 3m Sustainability Seed Fund with Google.org and Asian Development Bank to help combat climate change through technology USD 1m Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition Fund with Chevron, Johnson & Johnson, Quantedge Advancement Initiative and Vitol Foundation to provide a healthy start for vulnerable babies and children USD 1m STEM Fund with Lenovo Foundation, XTC Markets and BHP, to close the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and ensure women and girls have greater engagement in these courses and careers. The Conference also saw the launch of new platforms and collaborations to ensure that the recommendations made during the event lead to action that will continue to drive change: The Asian Gender Network (AGN) who will work towards a more gender equitable world by mobilising capital to improve outcomes for girls and women; The Asian Impact Leaders Network (AILN) , launched in collaboration with Rockefeller Foundation, bringing together leaders from government, private sector and NGOs to provide a platform to collectively maximise their impact; and The Youth Opportunities Platform which will unlock and mobilise resources towards youth promotion in Asia and give young people a seat at the table in creating the future they want to see. In collaboration with Economist Impact, AVPN launched Advancing Impact: A Road Map for Social Investing in Asia, a report oering 10 new principles of social investment to provide direction for social investors looking to incorporate the SDG Impact Standards into their work. One of the key learnings that emerged from the event is that social investors must give greater autonomy to investees to use funding where and how it is needed, rather than just in 'safe' projects The greatest lessons is that investors need to be more audacious and bold and need to trust the people on the ground to understand where the greatest impact can be made. There was also a focus on mental health, with Asian nations seeing an increase in mental health issues, while stigma around mental wellness prevails in the region. Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive, British Asian Trust said, "There are diculties in measuring success of mental health initiatives. This is where philanthropists and social investors have a huge role to play where they support these developing ideas." Neerja Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET) said,"The big challenges that we face in our world [on mental health is] is lack of awareness: [either] you're not aware what mental health is, ...[or] you don't want to accept it, which comes from stigma and taboo." With AVPN celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, delegates were excited to be back to face-to-face meetings after two years of virtual events and the buzz and energy at the event were palpable. To keep up the momentum from the conference, AVPN will continue to host events throughout the year, and encourage new members to join to become part of the network. For more information on the conference: https://avpn.asia/conference/ About AVPN AVPN is the world's largest network of Social Investors in Asia, with over 600 diverse members across 33 markets. Their mission is to increase the ow of nancial, human, and intellectual capital towards closing SDG gaps in Asia. Through enabling collaborations between policy makers, family oces, foundations and the private sector; bringing to bear the eld needs, knowledge, and policy environment; AVPN improves the eectiveness of capital deployed. As organisers of the AVPN Global conferencethe world's largest networking event for Social Investors in Asiatheir focus is to put Asian voices at the forefront of global discourse; with the output of the convening to be added to the main agenda of the upcoming G20. The event is also leveraged by the Social Investor ecosystem to form and announce new partnerships, innovate catalytic funding vehicles, and ultimately move more capital towards impact. Pictured: Dato' Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director & Trustee of Hasanah Foundation, giving an address at the AVPN Global Conference, about accelerating change through innovative partnership models. Quotes from high-prole speakers at the AVPN Conference: Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister, Maritime and Investment Aairs of Indonesia - "AVPN plays a vital role in this mission by bringing together public and private sector leaders from across the world to pool capital, technical assistance and policy inuence to unlock urgently needed resources in Asia." Odo R.M Manuhutu, Deputy for Tourism and Creative Economy Coordination, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Aairs and Investment - "Key is how to take advantage of a crisis and turn it into opportunity. We need to be open minded and build trust with the private sector and the philanthropy world to drive solutions." Angela Tanoesoedibjo, Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy - "AVPN Global Conference 2022 has encouraged a lot of discussions and collaborations that connect many stakeholders to move collectively towards fostering sustainable and inclusive growth." Elizabeth Gillies, CEO, Menzies Foundation - "Deep collaboration involves moving out of silos. That's why uncovering new ways of working requires a deep level of trust. To be a founder in that space, you need to nd all those places that are unsexy and build that foundation." Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President, Program Strategy and Chief of Sta, the Rockefeller Foundation - "We can fail fast, x fast and get back out there again.None of the challenges that we face today are easy. We need to turn the impossible to probable." Wei Neng Wu, Executive Director, Chandler Institute of Governance - "All governments and nations have their unique characteristics and capabilities, but there are similarities and it is important to learn and adapt best practices from dierent governments." Yibin Chu, Head of Community Investing and Development, Asia Pacic, Citi - "We need to invest in youth at an ecosystem level. Right now the work being done to support youth is in silos." Chris Anderson, Curator, TED - Creativity. Audacity. Collaboration - "These are the three keys to infectious generosity. We ask changemakers to be really bold and audacious and ask them to think about their dream project if money were not a hurdle. Then we pool together groups of donors - 20-30 people at a time. They have 2.5 days together. We preserve these plans on videos and pick the projects they are most inspired by." Nicola Forrest, Co-Founder, Minderoo Foundation - "Most communities have the idea that they know what their answers are. But perhaps they need those capabilities to build their capacity to help them realize their dreams. And I think that's the place for philanthropy." Vidya Shah, Executive Chairperson, EdelGive Foundation - "We mistook mistakes as failures. ...[but] you make small mistakes and you learn along the way.................................. and that's how you become catalytic." Veronica Colondam, Founder & CEO, YCAB Foundation - "Our commonality is that all of us work across the whole spectrum [of social investment]." Romy Cahyadi, Chief Executive Ocer, Instellar - "I told my colleagues, now that covid is clearing there will be more conferences, but if we were only to go to one conference, go to AVPN." Anna Skarbek, Chief Executive Ocer, Climateworks Centre/Monash University - "The drivers of demand will be the net zero commitments and high quality transparent credits. Now the role of philanthropists and investors is to kick start a high quality supply of carbon credits." Harvey Koh, Senior Advisor, FSG - "We needed more exible capital to come in, particularly at the early stage of the development of [new] models before things were proven right, to really underwrite their early development and prove them out, so more mainstream capital could come in." Adrienne DiCasparro, Director - Donor Community, The Audacious Project, TED - "If we are failing some of the time, are we being audacious enough." Arnav Kapur, Lead-Partnerships, India and Southeast Asia, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - "Three trends that are seen in the post pandemic times - Increase in collaboration, increase in digitisation and young entrepreneurs joining the giving bandwagon." Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder & CEO, Acumen - "We need to use our capital and move it to where it's most needed and not just to where it's safest." Dato' Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Trustee and Managing Director, Yayasan Hasanah - "What is most signicant is the value that we bring to the recipients in any partnership and collaboration. We should let go of egos and logos." Geraldine Chin, Head, Impact Networks, Singapore International Foundation: - "There is a huge amount of potential in young people in Singapore. Harnessing this potential is what we need to do in order to drive change across dierent areas, from climate change to culture." SOURCE AVPN Spain's Santander hires Credit Suisse, Goldman to look at Citibanamex bid - sources FILE PHOTO: Santander bank branch in Guernica By Jesus Aguado MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Santander has hired Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs to look at a potential bid for Citibanamex, Citigroup's retail bank in Mexico, two sources familiar with the process said on Tuesday without providing further details. Both Santander and Goldman Sachs declined to comment and a Credit Suisse representative was not immediately available for comment. Santander had previously submitted a non-binding bid for Citibanamex, another source with direct knowledge of the process said, adding that binding bids were expected later this year. Spanish newspaper Expansion, which first reported on Tuesday that Santander had hired the banks, said the sale process could be outlined before the end of the summer. Mexicos Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV has also submitted a non binding offer and hired Bank of America as advisor, one source with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. Analysts at Credit Suisse, in a note on Tuesday, said a sale could be worth up to 9 billion euros ($9.54 billion). "Our updated scenario analysis suggests a purchase price range of 6.8 billion-9 billion euros," the analysts said. Santander Executive Chairman Ana Botin said in February that the bank would look at Citibanamex but would pursue a disciplined approach and not issue new shares to fund any such deal. However, some financial consultants and investment bankers believe that Citibanamex is too good an opportunity not to be considered, given its high profit margins. Earlier this month Santander, the euro zone's second-biggest bank in terms of market value, named Mexican Hector Grisi as its new chief executive, who will take on the role next January. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has in the past pledged to "Mexicanize" the unit, floating names of Mexican billionaires and bank owners, but he has no direct control over the process. Citigroup has said nationality will not be the deciding factor in the transaction. Story continues "Having a Mexican national leading the group could be a positive for the Mexican administration and make a foreign owner more palatable," broker Nau Securities said recently. Last Friday, Citigroup Latin America Chief Executive Ernesto Torres Cantu said that the bank did not expect to reach a deal to sell its Mexican consumer banking arm Citibanamex until January 2023. Cantu said the bank was engaged with potential buyers, but declined to provide more details about the process. Other potentially interested parties include Mexican Grupo Financiero Inbursa .[nL2N2WR282] (This story refiles to remove repetition of Banorte in para 15). ($1 = 0.9438 euros) (Reporting by Jesus Aguado, additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; editing by Louise Heavens, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson) The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is organising the Mission to Brazil Economic Forum 2022, a six-day networking and business tour to Sao Paolo, starting from July 3, 2022. This will also include participation in the Economic Forum Brazil and Arab Countries, which will be held on July 4, 2022. The key goal of the Mission to Brazil Economic Forum 2022 is to highlight the importance of cultural, social and trade relations between Brazil and Arab countries. The delegation of executives from Arab countries will identify new technologies and best practices, while networking with public and private stakeholders in the Brazilian market. Executives will have the opportunity to connect with potential buyers, importers and distributors for their sector. Feasibility study They will also examine the feasibility of different Arab products in Brazil and learn the process and regulations needed to be fulfilled to enter the Brazilian market. Meetings on topics such as Consumption trends and International Market, Doing Business in Brazil, Business Environment and Taxation, among others, will be held to educate executives on the Brazilian market and its regulatory matter, including a guided technical visit to the Port of Santos to gain insight on the Brazilian port infrastructure and its significance in the market. Osmar Chohfi, President of Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce said: The recent pandemic has put forward a need for innovation to modernise economies. The Ellos Platform implemented by ABCC takes all Brazil-Arab trade transactions to a digital platform using blockchain technology. 70th anniversary of ABCC The fourth edition of Economic Forum Brazil and Arab Countries not only addresses the importance of innovation, but it also will mark the celebration of the 70th anniversary of ABCC. The key goals of the Mission to Brazil Economic Forum 2022 is to raise awareness among authorities in Brazil and Arab countries on the relevance of trade between these two regions. The executives agenda will be also including a participation in the fourth Economic Forum Brazil and Arab Countries Legacy and Innovation organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce on July 4. This forum brings together Arab and Brazilian delegates and serves as a platform to promote Arab companies to the Brazilian business community. Held at the Renaissance Hotel in Sao Paulo, this forum will present innovative attributes of the Brazilian markets, including digital platforms, marketing and networks. Along with the mission of connecting the 22 countries through this forum, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will also celebrate its 70-year anniversary along with the event.-- TradeArabia News Service (Bloomberg) -- Sudanese and Ethiopian forces exchanged fire at their disputed frontier after Sudanese soldiers were reported killed, an official said, escalating a feud between the African nations that risks turning into all-out war. Most Read from Bloomberg Repeated shelling struck three areas in the contested territory of al-Fashqa on Monday, Alrashed Abdul Gadir, a member of Sudans border development committee, said by phone. Reinforcements have arrived from the southeastern Sudanese town of Gedaref, he added. Sudans military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited troop positions in al-Fashqa and vowed to protect his countrys land and honor, the army said in a statement. A Sudanese military spokesman declined to comment on further clashes, while a representative for Ethiopias army didnt answer a call seeking comment. Al-Fashqa, a stretch of fertile plains over which Sudan and Ethiopia have clashed repeatedly in the past two years, is seen as a potential powder-keg in a simmering dispute between the Horn of Africas most populous countries. They are also at odds over Ethiopias plans to fill and operate a giant dam it has built on a Nile River tributary. Sudans army late Sunday accused its neighbor of abducting seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian on its territory on June 22, before killing them in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government said the deaths resulted from a skirmish between a local militia and Sudanese forces that had crossed the two nations frontier, rejecting what it called a misrepresentation of the facts. Ethiopias government has promised an investigation into the incident soon. Sudans Foreign Ministry said it was recalling its ambassador from Ethiopia for consultations and would summon Ethiopias envoy in Khartoum. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Telecure Technologies Inc. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telecure Technologies Inc. (TELE or the Company) (CSE: TELE) on May 2, 2022, announced a delay in the filing of its audited annual financial statements and management discussion & analysis for the financial years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the CEO and CFO certificates, all as required by National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations and National Instrument 52-109 - Certification of Disclosure in Issuers Annual and Interim Filings (collectively, the Filings). The Filings were required to be made with the relevant securities regulatory authorities on or before May 2, 2022. The delay of the Filings is due to fact that the Company is having difficulty accessing various documents and information required in order to respond to the auditor-prepared provided by client list. The Company continues working diligently to complete its audit procedures. Additionally, as a result of the delay in the Filings, the Company was unable to file its interim financial statements, its management's discussion and analysis and related officer certifications for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 (the Interim Filings) by the filing deadline of May 30, 2022. The Company anticipates filing the Interim Filings forthwith upon completion of the Filings. The Company has applied to the relevant securities regulators for a management cease trade order as contemplated by National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (NP 12-203) of the Canadian Securities Administrators and has received such management cease trade order. The Company will comply with the requirements of the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203. The Company is not subject to any insolvency proceedings. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words may, would, could, should, potential, will, seek, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, including statements with respect to the MCTO in respect of the Company and the Filings, are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Examples of such risk factors include, without limitation: credit; market (including equity, commodity, foreign exchange and interest rate); liquidity; operational (including technology and infrastructure); reputational; insurance; strategic; regulatory; legal; environmental; capital adequacy; the general business and economic conditions in the regions in which the Company operates; the ability of the Company to execute on key priorities, including the successful completion of acquisitions, business retention, and strategic plans and to attract, develop and retain key executives; difficulty integrating newly acquired businesses; the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities; disruptions in or attacks (including cyber-attacks) on the Company's information technology, internet, network access or other voice or data communications systems or services; the evolution of various types of fraud or other criminal behavior to which the Company is exposed; the failure of third parties to comply with their obligations to the Company or its affiliates; the impact of new and changes to, or application of, current laws and regulations; decline of reimbursement rates; a novel business model; dependence on key suppliers; the overall difficult litigation environment; increased competition; increased funding costs and market volatility due to market illiquidity and competition for funding; the availability of funds and resources to pursue operations; critical accounting estimates and changes to accounting standards, policies, and methods used by the Company; the occurrence of natural and unnatural catastrophic events and claims resulting from such events; and risks related to COVID-19 including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession; as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Companys disclosure documents filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com . Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Story continues THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM) shareholders have seen the share price descend 18% over the month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been very strong. In fact, the share price is up a full 203% compared to three years ago. After a run like that some may not be surprised to see prices moderate. The thing to consider is whether the underlying business is doing well enough to support the current price. Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns. See our latest analysis for Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile was able to grow its EPS at 44% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is remarkably close to the 45% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that sentiment and expectations have not changed drastically. Au contraire, the share price change has arguably mimicked the EPS growth. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). It is of course excellent to see how Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile, it has a TSR of 230% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. Story continues A Different Perspective We're pleased to report that Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 105% over one year. And that does include the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 26% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile . If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. SINGAPORE, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the aim of restoring trust in phone calls, and in a move that aligns with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) initiatives to combat scams, Toku has joined the AB Handshake community, which will help to eliminate 100% of call frauds and safeguard people from scams for telco service providers that have also joined this community. A new survey of 1,000 consumers in Singapore by Toku revealed that 87% have received a scam call, of which 86% have answered said call. 10% of consumers surveyed have fallen prey to scams and suffered monetary loss. Excerpt from Toku Consumer Engagement Report 2022 Toku , Asia Pacific's dedicated cloud communications and Singapore-licenced telecom service provider, today announces that it is the first telco-service provider in Singapore, and Southeast Asia, to join the global AB Handshake Community. Toku is currently the leading provider of virtual numbers in Singapore, providing 60% coverage of all virtual numbers in the country. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) welcomes Toku's move to join the AB Handshake Community , which is an effort made by Toku to proactively fight against fraudulent calls. It represents a timely intervention within the Singapore telco space. According to the Singapore Police Force , victims lost at least S$633.3 million to scams in 2021. Many of these scams relied on voice calls to dupe victims, such as banking-related phishing scams, fake friend call scams and impersonating foreign government officials. New survey reveals people in Singapore still largely vulnerable to phone scams In a new survey commissioned by Toku, findings have shown that: Out of the 1,000 respondents in Singapore, 87% of respondents have received a scam call recently, and 75% actually answered the call. 10% of all the respondents have fallen prey and suffered monetary loss. While 59% of people have shown a higher reluctance to pick up numbers with a local country code displayed on their phone screens, 41% will still answer the call. Story continues This means that people in Singapore are still largely vulnerable to phone scams if they are not vigilant. Thomas Laboulle, Founder and CEO of Toku said, "As a Singaporean company, we are committed to finding new ways of protecting the Singapore community from fraudulent calls that are affecting almost everyone. Call frauds are responsible for the loss of personal information, and the loss of billions of dollars for companies. As phone scammers are increasingly using sophisticated tactics to run their call scams, we strive to restore trust back in phone calls by eliminating fraudulent calls. As we gain momentum and work towards building a stronger, safer and fraud-free telco community, we strongly urge other telco players in Singapore to join in the ongoing efforts." Thomas Laboulle, Founder and CEO of Toku continues, "Looking beyond Singapore, we are prepared to take this initiative to the other countries in the region where we operate, starting with Malaysia and Vietnam. With the telco players in these countries on board, we would be able to ensure that 179.58 million numbers are protected from fraud calls by the end of 2024." Creating an ecosystem for increased transparency and integrity to eliminate call fraud This growing AB Handshake global community helps to serve the ever-evolving call fraud concerns by uniting telecom service providers to provide the scale needed for cross-authentic call registries. Within this community, telco-service providers are ensured that all voice traffic exchanges will be free from major types of voice fraud. Ultimately, this creates an ecosystem for telecom service providers to enable a safer call environment for their customers, which will lead to increased overall trust in their call services. Nadejda Papernania, Founder of AB Handshake said, "We are pleased to be joining forces with Toku to expand the fraud-free global community to prevent fraudulent scam calls in the telecom industry, particularly in the Southeast Asia region. Our partnership with Toku will leverage the company's industry expertise and in-market knowledge to encourage a growing community for other telecom players to join the community, which is an important step towards achieving a fraud-free community." As the Asia Pacific region is a highly fragmented telco market, Toku is currently in discussions with other telco players and regulatory bodies to build a framework that will provide an additional layer of validation to prevent call frauds, and instil trust in the system for users and businesses to interact seamlessly without worry or concerns. Toku's business in Singapore is already adhering to local telco regulations and licensing requirements. The InfoComm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore has recognised Toku as a Tier 1 Aggregator, which permits Toku to handle commercial SMS traffic. This includes anti-spoofing protocols for protected SMS. To find out more about the Toku Customer Engagement Report 2022, access the article here or download the infographic here. Notes to the Editors: Survey methodology : 1,000 respondents who are based in Singapore, aged 18 - 65, were surveyed between 21 March and 1 April 2022. The survey recorded a mix of Singaporeans (85%) and foreigners and permanent residents living in Singapore (15%). Information about AB Handshake solution : AB Handshake enables an out-of-band 'handshake', or a separate channel communication that travels over the usual data stream, between the telco that originates the call and the telco that terminates the call. This means that every voice call is cross-validated by the originating and terminating telcos, making it impossible to commit fraud that relies on traffic manipulation by intermediaries. Technical information about the technology: Leveraging robust technologies such as HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) with TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption, telcos can verify call authenticity between active call registries which are maintained by the individual telcos, without compromising security. About Toku Headquartered in Singapore, Toku is Asia Pacific's only dedicated cloud communications provider helping businesses overcome the complexity of digital transformation in the region, enhance their customer experience and cater to the growing demand for hybrid work. Toku has combined local expertise, in-country infrastructure and bespoke UCaaS, CPaaS and CCaaS solutions into one compelling package empowering the region's biggest enterprises to streamline their communications. Since its inception in 2018, Toku has worked with organisations as diverse as Gojek, JCDecaux, Waitrr and foodpanda. With Toku, moving to the cloud has never been easier. Learn more at toku.co and LinkedIn. About AB Handshake AB Handshake - a global system for call validation - was founded by a team of professionals with 20+ years of experience in the telecom field and expertise in establishing and successfully growing innovative hi-tech companies. Our telecom and engineering background made it possible to take an idea for preventing voice fraud by call validation and turn it into a universal solution working for all types of networks. Striving for fraud-free communication - that's how we see our mission. To facilitate the adoption of AB Handshake, we are establishing a trusted community of telecom service providers that share the common goal of eliminating fraud through call validation. Inside this community, all voice traffic exchange is free from major types of voice fraud. The result is a radical improvement of customer experience and boosted profitability of the community members. The efficiency of the solution was verified by numerous tests and by clients in the integration stage. Learn more at AB Handshake website . SOURCE Toku According to a new Guinness World Record, Tom's Donuts Original, the 53-year-old donut shop in Angola, Indiana has made and sold 8,558 donuts in 8 hoursmore than any other donut shop in history. Angola, IN, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It's official! According to a new Guinness World Record, Tom's Donuts Original, the iconic beloved 53-year-old donut shop in Angola, Indiana has made and sold 8,558 donuts in 8 hoursmore than any other donut shop in history. It is now affectionately referred to as The Donut Capital of the World. Tom's Donuts Tom's Donuts Todd Saylor, the owner of Toms Donuts and the author of the books the brand and the attitudinal disorder Wired Differently, marketed his little business to a budding household name and now is known officially as the The Donut Capital of the World. We believed it , We proclaimed it , then we went and did it says Saylor. Its more than a donut around hereits our joy, our place, our generational traditionour source of unique pride that nowhere else in the world can be matched or recreated. Its so very special here. Saylor built his business on a simple idea: that everyone loves donuts. He didnt want to just sell donuts; he wanted to create an traditional experience. Saylor is also a passionate speaker and teacher, who has given presentations in many cities across the nation about being "wired differently" and achieving massive gains by being true to oneself and living with a clear sense of purpose. Tom's Donuts shattered the Guinness World Record for most donuts sold in a day, selling 8,558 donuts at one location in Northwestern Indiana on Saturday May 28th 2022. In order to ensure their accuracy, Mike Marcotte from the Guinness World Records was on hand to count each and every donut sold by Tom's Donuts team. "We're so excited about being able to offer our customers not only amazing donuts but also an experience they'll never forget," said Shane Saylor partner and brother of Todd Saylor. Story continues With the help of 50 employees and thousands of visitors from around the country, Saylor led a campaign to make Angola Lake James the Donut Capital of the World. Indiana family-owned Toms Donuts Indiana family-owned Toms Donuts Tom Saylor, the founder of the establishment in 1970, and father of sons Todd and Shane Saylor explained "We want everyone who comes out to this event to understand that they are a part of our historical community record. They are the real record, and story." Tom Saylor turns 80 this July. The first customer arrived at 3:50 a.m., and several hundred had already gathered by 4:15. By 8:30, the crowd knew that it had been part of something record-setting. As more people showed up to buy donuts from the shop, some from as far as Detroit, Chicago and Kentucky. "The day was a huge success," says Heather David, operation leader and stakeholder behind all the Wired Differently brands which Saylor owns. "It brought together the people and smiles of Angola and its surrounding areas to celebrate what makes this area special." Thanks to the hard work of Tom's Donuts employees, who kept up with the never-ending demand for fresh donuts throughout the day, and volunteers who helped keep things running smoothly, thousands of people left excited and satisfied before the day ended. Tom's Donuts - Angola, Indiana Tom's Donuts - Angola, Indiana The treasured Indiana family-owned Toms Donuts ended the day with a massive rock concert featuring RockHouse and fireworks to celebrate the record evening. We too were privileged to be a part of this extraordinary day. It turned out that everything you've heard about Tom's Donuts is true. People went crazy over the hot donuts; the service was impeccable; and there was so much camaraderie among customers and employees alike. Want to learn more about Todd Saylor and Tom's Donuts visit: https://toddsaylor.com/ or https://www.tomsdonutsoriginal.com/ ### Media Contact: Tom's Donut 807 N Wayne St, Angola, IN 46703 (260) 665-3632 newsroom: news.38digitalmarket.com Verizon Sourcing LLC BOULDER, Colo., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon and the Verizon Frontline Response Team received a Sheriffs Commendation from the Boulder County Sheriffs Office yesterday for their work in supporting public safety agencies during December 2021s Marshall Fire. During the response to the blaze, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes and burned more than 6,000 acres, the Verizon Frontline Response Team provided public safety agencies in the impacted areas with a variety of Verizon Frontline voice and data solutions. The commendation specifically highlights the Verizon Frontline Response Teams role in providing emergency assistance to the incident not only at the fire itself, but at the EOC [Emergency Operations Center] to support the call center with additional LTE connectivity. Solutions provided ranged from network extenders and wireless routers, to in-building cellular repeaters and mobile hotspots. The team also supported Red Cross efforts in the area by providing charging stations for use by local residents. Support was offered at no cost to local agencies, helped enhance communications capabilities across the county, and provided mission-critical support to six government emergency response agencies, including the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Additionally, as soon as it was safe to enter the area, members of the Verizon Network team were at the site assessing damage and making restoration plans. Within 24 hours, Verizon had a portable satellite on site to restore service and get the site up as quickly as possible. After service was restored, the Verizon team established a microwave path from the impacted site to an adjacent site and migrated the traffic. The team also faced extreme weather changes while working to restore the network, going from 60 degrees and sunny the first day, to blizzard conditions the following two days. It is an honor to be recognized for our support of the first responders willing to put their lives at risk to protect our communities, said Cory Davis, Verizon Frontlines Director of Public Safety Operations. As public safety agencies continue to deal with everything from wildfires like the Marshall Fire to hurricanes, the Verizon Frontline team stands ready, around the clock, to help ensure first responders - in Colorado and across the country - have the network and mission-critical communications support they need to get the job done. Story continues The Verizon Frontline Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7 basis. Verizon Frontline Response Team members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance. Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines to meet their unique and evolving needs. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the worlds leading providers of technology and communications services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $133.6 billion in 2021. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control. VERIZONS ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/. Media contact: Eric Durie Eric.durie@verizon.com 516-382-8219 Shopping for cannabis can be overwhelming for new consumers. Ngiste Abebe, vice president of public policy for Columbia Care, which operates Cannabist and gLeaf dispensaries in Virginia, offers some helpful information and tips to simplify the process. Abebe is also a volunteer board member at Virginia NORML and the vice chair of the Public Health Advisory Council for Virginias Cannabis Control Authority. How do patients get a Virginia medical cannabis card? The first step is to talk to a doctor, nurse practitioner or other medical provider who is registered with the states boards of pharmacy and can issue you a patient certification. Virginia NORML maintains a patient-friendly, searchable database to help you find a provider and a step-by-step guide to follow, and telehealth makes appointments more accessible than ever. Next, youll submit the certification online to the Board of Pharmacy. Once approved, youll receive an email confirmation and later a physical card to present when shopping at dispensaries. After July 1, the process with the Board of Pharmacy will be changing and updates will be sent out accordingly. Are cannabis products available for sale without a health care practitioners certification in Virginia? Only registered patients are currently allowed to purchase medical cannabis in Virginia. Adult use (or recreational use) is still being considered by the state legislature. Does a patient need to have a specific medical condition to qualify as a medical cannabis patient? There is no list of required conditions; the decision is made between you and your health care practitioner. A conversation with your provider can help determine whether medical cannabis is a good option for you. For those new to medical cannabis, how do they figure out which product is best? When you visit a medical cannabis dispensary, youll be met by well-trained pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who can answer any questions and alleviate concerns. There are a lot of different product formats flower, vapes, tinctures and more. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are there to help you navigate the options and talk through suggested doses based on potency and strain lineage (sativa, indica or hybrid). How do patients know whether a product is safe? When visiting a state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary, rest assured that all products are third party-tested and approved by the Board of Pharmacy. These requirements (third party testing and verification by a regulator) are not applied to many of the Delta-8 THC or CBD products that you might find in grocery stores or gas stations. No other cannabinoid sales outlet in Virginia meets the same level of safety testing, accurate labeling and third party review. What is Delta-8? Delta-8 THC is a type of cannabinoid produced naturally by the cannabis plant. Typically processed at higher concentrations, it is not regulated or tested. The FDA recently issued a warning about the potential health effects of Delta-8 THC products. Whats the best way to store cannabis at home? Products sold at state-registered medical cannabis dispensaries come in child-resistant packaging. If you dont finish the product once its been opened, its always a good idea to store the remainder in a secure stash/lockbox out of childrens reach. LOCKGREEN, a 100 percent Black-owned, Virginia-based company, offers some great options. About Columbia Care One of the largest and most experienced cultivators, manufacturers and providers of cannabis products and related services, Columbia Care maintains licenses in 18 U.S. jurisdictions and the EU. In Virginia, the company operates retail dispensaries called Cannabist and gLeaf. For more information, visit col-care.com. Information provided is for educational and informational purposes only by the advertiser and does not supersede any medical advice given by a physician. Cannabis is still considered a schedule 1 controlled substance and is illegal under federal law. Adults who consume cannabis must keep cannabis products away from animals and out of reach of children. Note that the intoxicating effects of cannabis can sometimes be delayed, so do not operate a vehicle or machinery after consumption. Use of cannabis during pregnancy or while breastfeeding may be harmful. By purchasing cannabis from a dispensary, you are assuming the risk of any damage or loss that occurs during its use. This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com. A former teacher in Stafford County pleaded guilty to three felony charges Monday for an illegal online relationship he had with a Texas teenager. Marcus L. Salley, 33, was convicted in Fredericksburg Circuit Court of three counts of indecent liberties. He will face the possibility of up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 24. Salley was a drama teacher at Colonial Forge High School when he was arrested last year in connection with activities involving a 16-year-old girl. Court records state that an investigation began in September when Stafford Deputy David Flues received an anonymous email claiming that Salley was in an improper relationship with the girl. An affidavit states that Flues determined that the girl met Salley on a social media app called Discord. Court records state that the two had been involved for more than two years in a BDSM relationship in which Salley was the dom and the girl was the submissive. The girl sent pornographic pictures of herself at the request or demand of Salley, who would then praise, reprimand or degrade the girl. Flues received screenshots of the conversations between the two and determined that most of them occurred outside school hours. Flues turned the case over to Fredericksburg detective Nikki Lovett after learning that Salley was at his home in the city when most of the conversations took place. 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. While prices at the grocery store continue to rise, so are the number of free breakfasts and lunches being given out this summer by the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank. Its on track to set a record and more than double the meals distributed this year through its Summer Food Service Program, said Dan Maher, president and CEO of the Food Bank. Based on current levels of interest, the program could distribute more than 60,000 meals during 10 weeksalmost twice as many as the 32,000 meals given out last summer. Higher prices at the grocery store and gas pump have created a tremendous challenge for people in so many ways, Maher said. Kim Castillo, who picks up meals for seven childrenthree of her own and four in another familyknows what he means. Prices have gone up drastically, said the Spotsylvania County mother who goes to both meal distribution sites in her county, each time theyre open. This is a great help for the kids. Increasing food prices are straining everyones budget, said Elizabeth Borst, director of Virginia Community Food Connections, a group of regional agencies that come together to meet the need. This is particularly hard on families with limited incomes and individuals with fixed incomes, she said. Within our region there are many community resources that can help, including free summer meals for kids, meal delivery for seniors, farmers market programs that make local produce more affordable and free food pantries that welcome all neighbors. Borst suggested that anyone who is struggling with food contact their local Social Services department or the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank at 540/371-7666 or online at fredfood.org for assistance. Before the pandemic, many area schools provided sit-down lunches at schools or community buildings where children could have a sit-down meal and participate in a learning activity. But the pandemic forced agencies, like the regional food bank, to pivot and offer whats called Grab-and-Go distributions. Curtis Dickerson, the Food Banks coordinator of childrens programs, and Candy Morgan, truck driver, arrive at sites, unload coolers and set up distribution tables. At the Snow branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library at Spotsylvania Courthouse last week, they were joined by volunteers Amy Clodius and Susan Carter who greeted everyone who drove through the pick-up line. Theyre always so kind and helpful, said Nicole Empie, whose two daughters in the back seat started munching on Pop-Tarts and muffins as soon as they got their bags. Thats really, really thoughtful of them to do this. Shes been grateful for the supplemental meals and the accent on fresh, nutritious foods. Recent lunches have included salads made with quinoa and kale, fresh broccoli and carrots, white peaches and blood oranges. I think its so cool they are introducing these really healthy things, Empie said. Dickerson, who resembles actor Eddie Murphy to the point one person calls him Buddy Love, said the accent on quality food makes him feel great as well. We know were providing something good, nutritious and tasty, he said, adding that people even called the Food Bank, asking for the recipe for the quinoa-kale salad. Volunteer Clodius is a special education teacher in Spotsylvania and many of her students come from economically challenged families. She emailed them about the summer food program but wasnt sure how many understood the message because a number arent native English speakers. The Food Bank provides the meals for children up to age 18 through a federally funded program, and no registration is needed. Each child gets a bag packed with two breakfasts, two lunches and four single servings of white and chocolate milk. Offerings for a recent distribution included Pop-Tarts, blueberry muffins, tangerines, apples, chicken salad, broccoli, bologna and cheese sandwich and a package of DunkAroos, cookies to be dipped in frosting. Meals are provided on a first-come, first-served basis through Aug. 5. Thousands of Virginia students rely on nutritious free or reduced-priced meals during the school year. The Summer Food Service Program ensures that students receive proper nutrition, even when they arent in school, said Jillian Balow, superintendent of public instruction for the Virginia Department of Education. I am appreciative of all our summer meals sponsors and partners who work to help reduce food insecurity when school is not in session. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Crime is one of those issues most always in the mix around campaign time. This year will be no exception. Its a truly bipartisan issue. New Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is flexing his newfound muscles as a tough-on-crime attorney general, and Democrats across the country, recovering from fallout over the defund the police movement, are also addressing concerns in major cities around crime, as a June 3 story in the New York Times recently described. A little closer to home, its not crime per se thats been in the spotlight, but the ways in which the justice system is run. The Free Lance-Star has highlighted three serious problems in the past two months alone. A piece in Sundays edition profiled the high fees that the Rappahannock Regional Jail system imposes on inmates for things like writing emails (25 cents per word), making phone calls ($6 for a 15 minute call, per the example in the story), and a medical copay to receive treatment ($15 per the example provided). Additional perks like watching movies and ordering food from the commissary also carry fees. Such fees brought in almost $2.8 million in revenue for RRJ in 2019. In 2020 that number was $3.7 million, more than any other city, county or regional jail in the state. The funds, per state law, are to be used for educational, recreational, or other beneficial purposes. In 2019 and 2020, however, less than 1.5% of those fees were so applied at RRJ. Thats a disservice to the inmates, as well as the families who sometimes go into debt to pay these fees for their loved ones. In an editorial on June 21, we shone a light on the gross disparity in pay between prosecuting attorneys and public defenders. Depending on where in the state you are, that disparity can be measured in multiple tens of thousands of dollars. The result? If you are poor and convicted of a crime, your right to quality representation suffers. High turnover rates in public defenders offices across the state means younger, less-experienced attorneys are frequently pitted against better-paid, more experienced prosecutors. A poor person can be deprived his shot at fair play, we opined, because we sometimes seem to care more about prosecuting criminals than ensuring that the innocent dont get falsely accused. Thats a disturbing reality when one considers that according to the Innocence Project, a low estimate for false convictions is 1%. Thats about 20,000 souls, at minimum, wrongly imprisoned. Finally, a recent announcement that a significant number of prisoners would be released sparked a fierce backlash from Miyares and Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Under a 2020 reform law signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam, prisoners were eligible to earn up to 15 days off their sentence for every 30 days confined by attending select programs and staying out of trouble. As many as 1,000 people who followed the rules and earned the right to earlier release will now stay in, thanks mainly to Miyares and Youngkin. All of which brings us back to crime and politics. For more than 40 years, Democrats and Republicans from the highest of national offices to the lowest of elected officials have beat a steady drum for putting more people into jail as a path to curb crime. The result has been an unprecedented surge in incarceration rates. In 1980, 310 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. were in prison. By 2008 it was 1,000 people out of 100,000 citizens. The country has come off that highin 2019 the rate was 810 people per 100,000, according to Pew Research Centerbut we still incarcerate more people than any other nation on the face of the earth. We put 300,000-plus more people behind bars than does China. All in the name of safety. Crime, however, has plummeted over the past nearly 30 years, according to an analysis by Pew Research Center. So why are we continuing to harp on crime? Whether its because criminals generate a lot of revenue for places like the RRJ, or because its an easy way to manipulate voters, or a combination of both, its past time for the political posturing and unethical treatment of prisoners to stop. As these three highlighted pieces show, the solutions are complex and will require change at many levels. Its time there was some bipartisan support for doing so. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Tarabut Gateway, the largest Open Banking platform in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has been selected by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) as its preferred technical platform partner for its new Open Finance Lab. The Open Finance Lab, which will formally launch on June 28, 2022 at DIFCs Innovation Hub located in the citys Gate Avenue, aims to ultimately unlock economic benefits, financial wellness and financial inclusion. Tarabut Gateways participation is the latest milestone in the companys leading and enabling role at the heart of the regions Open Banking ecosystem and follows the consistent support it has received from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). It also follows the recent announcement of Tarabut Gateway being the first regulated Open Banking platform to be licensed by the DFSA. Banking sector participants The Lab also includes a select list of banking sector participants to explore and unlock Open Finance growth opportunities. Participating banks include: Commercial Bank of Dubai, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mashreq Bank, National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah, and Zand, a digital bank in the final stages of obtaining its banking license from the Central Bank of UAE. Abdulla Almoyaed, Chief Executive Officer of Tarabut Gateway, said: We are honoured to have been selected by DIFC as its preferred platform partner for the regions first Open Finance Lab. The UAE's commitment to shaping the future of finance and establishing itself as a major global FinTech hub is reflected in the support we've received from regulators such as the DFSA. We are committed to contributing to the countrys vision and look forward to enabling a new world of financial services in collaboration with the various ecosystem players. Forum to educate The Lab will include a forum to educate and engage banks, regulators and FinTechs. It will also be a live testbed to showcase Open Finances positive impact on businesses, customers, and the wider economy via use cases, implementations, and live demonstrations. These activities and stakeholder engagement will take place in December 2022, at which stage use cases and impact will be presented to government officials and the participating bank executives. Tarabut Gateway plays a vital role in building the Open Finance ecosystems infrastructure. Using the companys platform-agnostic solutions, traditional financial institutions and Fintechs can connect and build their own apps on top of Tarabut Gateways platform, offering payment services, digital wallets, and multiple other use cases, in addition to a unified and easy-to-use developer portal. Connectivity for data Working closely with regulators, Tarabut Gateway provides the connectivity for data to flow between banks and Fintechs, support the creation of a thriving ecosystem, sector growth, and ultimately a better consumer experience.-- TradeArabia News Service SAN DIEGO (AP) A $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. The 348-foot-long (106-meter-long) Amadea flew an American flag as it sailed past the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway and under the Coronado Bridge. The Department of Justice said the Amadea was safely docked after a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers) and will remain in the custody of the U.S. government, pending its anticipated forfeiture and sale. The FBI linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, and the vessel became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies. The U.S. won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland. The successful seizure and transport of Amadea would not have been possible without extraordinary cooperation from our foreign partners in the global effort to enforce U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russias unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine, the Justice Department said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tesla owners traveling across Nebraska on Interstate 80 will soon be able to charge their cars while grabbing a meal at the south Runza in North Platte. Josh Catlett, whose family has owned the south Runza on Dewey and Leota streets for 21 years, said he reached out to Tesla about three years ago. It took some time, but Tesla decided to install a supercharger station at the south Runza and two other Runza locations in Nebraska as well. There are going to be eight superchargers, Catlett said. From what Im hearing from Tesla is this is the fastest setup theyve done so far. Installation of the superchargers began June 14 and Catlett said they will go online in a couple of days. The city of North Platte has been super good about having everything ready, Catlett said. Tesla just reached out to Runza and had a couple locations they thought were good traffic areas, and we were one. Three or four years ago Catlett sent an email to Tesla suggesting the partnership. I said, hey, Ive think Ive got a good spot, Catlett said. I didnt know what the whole process was and it took awhile, but its happening. Catlett said he was told the supercharger should fully charge a Tesla in 30 minutes or less. Its a perfect time to charge a car, grab a burger and fries, and enjoy being out of the car for a little bit and then go cruising again wherever the next destination is, Catlett said. Its going to be great. Down the road Ill see if I can get a good deal on a Tesla, but right now well just go with this. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Futures and Commodity Market News Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Share 2022 Global Business Industry Revenue, Demand and Applications Market Research Report to 2028 Jun 28, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market provides In-Depth analysis on the market status of the Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag manufacturers with best facts and figures, overview, definition, SWOT analysis, expert opinions and the latest developments across the globe. The Report also calculate the market size, Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share, Size, Forecast, cost structure and growth rate. The report considers the revenue generated from the sales of This Report and technologies by various application segments. Get a Sample PDF of report - https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/request-sample/21019029 About Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market size is estimated to be worth USD million in 2021 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD million by 2028 with a CAGR of % during the forecast period 2022-2028. Fully considering the economic change by this health crisis, the Europe Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market is estimated at USD million in 2022, while the United States and China are forecast to reach USD million and USD million by 2028, respectively. The proportion of the United States is % in 2022, while Chinese percentage is %, and it is predicted that China market share will reach % in 2028, trailing a CAGR through the analysis period. As for the Europe Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag landscape, Germany is projected to reach USD million by 2028. and in Asia, the notable markets are Japan and South Korea, CAGR is respectively for the next 6-year period. Sealed Type accounting for of the Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag global market in 2021, is projected to value USD million by 2028, growing at a revised CAGR from 2022 to 2028. While Coffee and Chocolate segment is altered to an CAGR throughout this forecast period and will hold a share about % in 2028. The global major manufacturers of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag include Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd., Baltimore Innovations, BN Packaging, LOFTEN, Novelis, SHU Packaging, StarsPacking, Sunkey Packaging and Wapo, etc. In terms of revenue, the global 3 largest players have a market share of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag in 2021. This report focuses on Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag volume and value at the global level, regional level, and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market size by analysing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan, etc. Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market: Segment Analysis Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Size (sales, revenue) forecast by regions and countries from 2022 to 2027 of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag industry.The detailed information is based on current trends and historic milestones. This section also provides an analysis of the volume of production about the global market and about each type from 2017 to 2027. This section mentions the volume of production by region from 2017 to 2027. Pricing analysis is included in the report according to each type from the year 2017 to 2027, manufacturer from 2017 to 2022, region from 2017 to 2022, and global price from 2017 to 2027.Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Share, distributors, major suppliers, changing price patterns and the supply chain of raw materials is highlighted in the report. Get a Sample Copy of the Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Report 2022 Here is List of BEST KEY PLAYERS Listed in Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Report are:- Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Baltimore Innovations BN Packaging LOFTEN Novelis SHU Packaging StarsPacking Sunkey Packaging Wapo Webpac Zxpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Segmentation By Type: Sealed Type Unsealed Type Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Segmentation By Application: Coffee and Chocolate Pet Food Cereals Others Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market: Scope of the Report This report provides an all-inclusive assessment of the analysis for the Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market. The market estimates provided in the report are the result of in-depth secondary research, primary interviews and in-house expert reviews. These market estimates have been considered by studying the impact of various social, political and economic factors along with the current market dynamics affecting the Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market growth Along with the market overview, which comprises of the market dynamics the chapter includes a Porters Five Forces analysis which explains the five forces: namely buyers bargaining power, suppliers bargaining power, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition in the Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market. It explains the various participants, such as system integrators, intermediaries and end-users within the ecosystem of the market. The report also focuses on the competitive landscape of the Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market. Inquire more and share questions if any before the purchase on this report at - https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/21019029 Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag in these regions, from 2017 to 2027, covering North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market: Competitive Landscape The market analysis entails a section solely dedicated for major players in the Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market wherein our analysts provide an insight to the financial statements of all the major players along with its key developments product benchmarking and SWOT analysis. The company profile section also includes a business overview and financial information. The companies that are provided in this section can be customized according to the clients requirements. The global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market Growth is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2022 and 2027. In 2022, the market was growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Forecast by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2022 to 2027. Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Report also mentions market share accrued by each product in the Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market, along with the production growth.Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Trend for Development and marketing channels are analysed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed and overall research conclusions offered. Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Analysis Report focuses on Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market key trends and Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market segmentation (Types,Application),and all the regions. Study Objectives of this report are: To study and analyze the global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market size (value and volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2017 to 2020, and forecast to 2027. To understand the structure of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag market by identifying its various subsegments. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). Focuses on the key global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To project the value and volume of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries). To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies. Key Stakeholders Raw material suppliers Distributors/traders/wholesalers/suppliers Regulatory bodies, including government agencies and NGO Commercial research and development (RandD) institutions Importers and exporters Government organizations, research organizations, and consulting firms Trade associations and industry bodies End-use industries This Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Research/Analysis Report Contains Answers to your following Questions Which Manufacturing Technology is used for Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag? What Developments Are Going On in That Technology? Which Trends Are Causing These Developments? Who Are the Global Key Players in This Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market? What are Their Company Profile, Their Product Information, and Contact Information? What Was Global Market Status of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market? What Was Capacity, Production Value, Cost and PROFIT of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market? What Is Current Market Status of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industry? Whats Market Competition in This Industry, Both Company, and Country Wise? Whats Market Analysis of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market by Taking Applications and Types in Consideration? What Are Projections of Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industry Considering Capacity, Production and Production Value? What Will Be the Estimation of Cost and Profit? What Will Be Market Share, Supply and Consumption? What about Import and Export? What Is Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Chain Analysis by Upstream Raw Materials and Downstream Industry? What Is Economic Impact On Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industry? What are Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis Results? What Are Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trends? What Are Market Dynamics of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market? What Are Challenges and Opportunities? What Should Be Entry Strategies, Countermeasures to Economic Impact, and Marketing Channels for Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industry? Purchase this report (Price 2900 USD for a single-user licence) https://www.marketreportsworld.com/purchase/21019029 Detailed TOC of Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Report 2022 1 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Overview 1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag 1.2 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Segment by Type 1.2.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales Growth Rate Comparison by Type (2022-2028) 1.2.2 Sealed Type 1.2.3 Unsealed Type 1.3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Segment by Application 1.3.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales Comparison by Application: (2022-2028) 1.3.2 Coffee and Chocolate 1.3.3 Pet Food 1.3.4 Cereals 1.3.5 Others 1.4 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Size Estimates and Forecasts 1.4.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue 2017-2028 1.4.2 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales 2017-2028 1.4.3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Size by Region: 2017 Versus 2021 Versus 2028 2 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Competition by Manufacturers 2.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales Market Share by Manufacturers (2017-2022) 2.2 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers (2017-2022) 2.3 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Average Price by Manufacturers (2017-2022) 2.4 Manufacturers Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Manufacturing Sites, Area Served, Product Type 2.5 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Competitive Situation and Trends 2.5.1 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Concentration Rate 2.5.2 The Global Top 5 and Top 10 Largest Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Players Market Share by Revenue 2.5.3 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3) 2.6 Manufacturers Mergers and Acquisitions, Expansion Plans 3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Retrospective Market Scenario by Region 3.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Retrospective Market Scenario in Sales by Region: 2017-2022 3.2 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Retrospective Market Scenario in Revenue by Region: 2017-2022 3.3 North America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Facts and Figures by Country 3.3.1 North America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales by Country 3.3.2 North America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue by Country 3.3.3 United States 3.3.4 Canada 3.4 Europe Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Facts and Figures by Country 3.4.1 Europe Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales by Country 3.4.2 Europe Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue by Country 3.4.3 Germany 3.4.4 France 3.4.5 U.K. 3.4.6 Italy 3.4.7 Russia 3.5 Asia Pacific Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Facts and Figures by Region 3.5.1 Asia Pacific Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales by Region 3.5.2 Asia Pacific Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue by Region 3.5.3 China 3.5.4 Japan 3.5.5 South Korea 3.5.6 India 3.5.7 Australia 3.5.8 China Taiwan 3.5.9 Indonesia 3.5.10 Thailand 3.5.11 Malaysia 3.6 Latin America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Facts and Figures by Country 3.6.1 Latin America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales by Country 3.6.2 Latin America Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue by Country 3.6.3 Mexico 3.6.4 Brazil 3.6.5 Argentina 3.6.6 Colombia 3.7 Middle East and Africa Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Facts and Figures by Country 3.7.1 Middle East and Africa Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales by Country 3.7.2 Middle East and Africa Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue by Country 3.7.3 Turkey 3.7.4 Saudi Arabia 3.7.5 UAE 4 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Historic Market Analysis by Type 4.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales Market Share by Type (2017-2022) 4.2 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue Market Share by Type (2017-2022) 4.3 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Price by Type (2017-2022) 5 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Historic Market Analysis by Application 5.1 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales Market Share by Application (2017-2022) 5.2 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Revenue Market Share by Application (2017-2022) 5.3 Global Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Price by Application (2017-2022) 6 Key Companies Profiled 6.1 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. 6.1.1 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Corporation Information 6.1.2 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Description and Business Overview 6.1.3 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.1.4 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.1.5 Ningbo Hongyan Packing Material Co.,Ltd. Recent Developments/Updates 6.2 Baltimore Innovations 6.2.1 Baltimore Innovations Corporation Information 6.2.2 Baltimore Innovations Description and Business Overview 6.2.3 Baltimore Innovations Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.2.4 Baltimore Innovations Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.2.5 Baltimore Innovations Recent Developments/Updates 6.3 BN Packaging 6.3.1 BN Packaging Corporation Information 6.3.2 BN Packaging Description and Business Overview 6.3.3 BN Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.3.4 BN Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.3.5 BN Packaging Recent Developments/Updates 6.4 LOFTEN 6.4.1 LOFTEN Corporation Information 6.4.2 LOFTEN Description and Business Overview 6.4.3 LOFTEN Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.4.4 LOFTEN Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.4.5 LOFTEN Recent Developments/Updates 6.5 Novelis 6.5.1 Novelis Corporation Information 6.5.2 Novelis Description and Business Overview 6.5.3 Novelis Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.5.4 Novelis Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.5.5 Novelis Recent Developments/Updates 6.6 SHU Packaging 6.6.1 SHU Packaging Corporation Information 6.6.2 SHU Packaging Description and Business Overview 6.6.3 SHU Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.6.4 SHU Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.6.5 SHU Packaging Recent Developments/Updates 6.7 StarsPacking 6.6.1 StarsPacking Corporation Information 6.6.2 StarsPacking Description and Business Overview 6.6.3 StarsPacking Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.4.4 StarsPacking Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.7.5 StarsPacking Recent Developments/Updates 6.8 Sunkey Packaging 6.8.1 Sunkey Packaging Corporation Information 6.8.2 Sunkey Packaging Description and Business Overview 6.8.3 Sunkey Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.8.4 Sunkey Packaging Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.8.5 Sunkey Packaging Recent Developments/Updates 6.9 Wapo 6.9.1 Wapo Corporation Information 6.9.2 Wapo Description and Business Overview 6.9.3 Wapo Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.9.4 Wapo Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.9.5 Wapo Recent Developments/Updates 6.10 Webpac 6.10.1 Webpac Corporation Information 6.10.2 Webpac Description and Business Overview 6.10.3 Webpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.10.4 Webpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.10.5 Webpac Recent Developments/Updates 6.11 Zxpac 6.11.1 Zxpac Corporation Information 6.11.2 Zxpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Description and Business Overview 6.11.3 Zxpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin (2017-2022) 6.11.4 Zxpac Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Product Portfolio 6.11.5 Zxpac Recent Developments/Updates 7 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Manufacturing Cost Analysis 7.1 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Key Raw Materials Analysis 7.1.1 Key Raw Materials 7.1.2 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials 7.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure 7.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag 7.4 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industrial Chain Analysis 8 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers 8.1 Marketing Channel 8.2 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Distributors List 8.3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Customers 9 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Dynamics 9.1 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Industry Trends 9.2 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Drivers 9.3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Challenges 9.4 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Restraints 10 Global Market Forecast 10.1 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Estimates and Projections by Type 10.1.1 Global Forecasted Sales of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Type (2023-2028) 10.1.2 Global Forecasted Revenue of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Type (2023-2028) 10.2 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Estimates and Projections by Application 10.2.1 Global Forecasted Sales of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Application (2023-2028) 10.2.2 Global Forecasted Revenue of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Application (2023-2028) 10.3 Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag Market Estimates and Projections by Region 10.3.1 Global Forecasted Sales of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Region (2023-2028) 10.3.2 Global Forecasted Revenue of Food Grade Aluminum Foil Bag by Region (2023-2028) 11 Research Finding and Conclusion 12 Methodology and Data Source 12.1 Methodology/Research Approach 12.1.1 Research Programs/Design 12.1.2 Market Size Estimation 12.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation 12.2 Data Source 12.2.1 Secondary Sources 12.2.2 Primary Sources 12.3 Author List 12.4 Disclaimer Continued. 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Storey said she was wrongly punished for simply asking a client in a divorce case to pay her, and for ultimately using money from the marriage toward her bill a common practice in such proceedings. The Foundation for a Better Life promotes positive values to live by and pass along to others. Go to PassItOn.com. For starters, it's crucial to note that there's no such thing as an 'easy' fourteener hike. Every route to the top of one of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks carries deadly risk and should be taken seriously. That being said, fourteener climbs vary greatly in terms of difficulty, with some less complicated and less strenuous options being great for early season climbing and reestablishing an understanding of one's personal capabilities. PepsiCo, the worlds leading food and beverage company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Irrigation Organisation (SIO) to enhance scientific cooperation efforts related to water conservation strategies. This step will introduce best practices in the field of irrigation and resolve water sustainability challenges in the kingdom, aligning the two organisations strategies and raising their contributions to the kingdom's Vision 2030 for the sustainable use of water in agriculture. PepsiCo will contribute to supporting conventional and non-conventional water use programmes. The MoU has been signed in the presence of SIO President Dr. Fuad bin Ahmed Al Sheikh Mubarak and PepsiCos Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Mena and Pakistan, Wael Muhammad Ismail. Sponsored initiatives Based on the MoU, PepsiCo will participate in sponsored initiatives and projects that support water usage programmes with modern water-saving agricultural technologies. The MoU will also develop the expertise and skills of Saudis by transferring knowledge and building capacity through practice. This will also significantly aid ongoing development in irrigation technology. The agreement places a focus on conducting studies and research to gain new, all-important insights and empower Saudi farmers with an understanding of best practices. This collaboration will help pioneer innovative products, services, and approaches, highlighting how modern technologies can be applied across the country to positively impact Saudi communities through sustainable practices. Sustainable agriculture PepsiCos Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Mena, and Pakistan, Wael Ismail welcomed this step, which will contribute positively to enhancing water sustainability in the kingdom. Through our cooperation with SIO, we will be able to positively contribute to sustainable agriculture and consider water usage responsibly, spreading regenerative agriculture practices and improving the livelihoods of people in the agricultural supply chain in the Kingdom. Bolstering underserved populations is essential to making the entire food system stronger and we look forward to showcasing the impact of this strategic partnership with SIO, he added. SIO President Dr Fuad bin Ahmed Al Sheikh Mubarak stressed the importance of the MoU, which seeks to ensure the sustainability of water resources, food security and expand agricultural areas in the kingdom.-- TradeArabia News Service Colorado Springs police and fire departments could see new funding in the coming years to build stations from proposed fees that could also drive up the cost of housing and development. The Colorado Springs City Council debated the proposed impact fees Monday after hearing about the enormous needs of the police and fire departments. Mayor John Suthers said the community will likely need five new fire stations and two police substations requiring tens of millions of dollars that cannot be covered by the existing dedicated sales tax for public safety, annexation fees or other sources of revenue. "The bottom line is we have to move forward with a new structure for police and fire impact fees to deal with the issues the city is going to be facing in the years ahead," he said. The existing annexation fees have raised $2 million since 2008 while the city invested $32 million in fire and police buildings, such as the new Sand Creek police substation and the Stetson Hills fire station, Chief Financial Officer Charae McDaniel said. The new proposal would raise fees to cover 70% of the expected cost of new infrastructure, to take into account the sales and use taxes developers also pay to the city, Suthers said. The change would mean a substantial increase for projects that will be passed on to tenants or homebuyers, he said. "This is going to contribute to the cost of buying a house in Colorado Springs," Suthers said. For example, a 27-acre development with both commercial space and housing could see fees increase from $72,000 to about $149,800 under the new structure. The fees would be higher for commercial and multi-family projects because police officers and firefighters spend more time responding to calls at those places. The fees are lowest for single-family housing. If a developer is planning a redevelopment project fees would also be owed if the use of the property is changing, McDaniel said. The fees could also be adjusted upward as the price of construction increases, she said. If a development has particular economic benefit, the city could waive or reduce the fees. Compared with seven other Front Range cities, such as Greeley and Aurora, the city would have the lowest impact fees on individual single-family homes, at $586 per house. It would have the highest fees per square foot of retail space at $1.54, a city presentation showed. The city is proposing new fees at a time when the cost of housing has skyrocketed. The Gazette previously reported monthly rents averaged $1,497.84 in the January-thru-March period, up $2.13 from the previous record of $1,495.71 in the third quarter of last year, according to a report by Ron Throupe, an associate business professor at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, and Jennifer Von Stroh of Colorado Economic & Management Associates in Denver. At the same time, the city is way behind on needed police and fire investments, such as an expansion of the crime lab. Councilmembers Bill Murray and Nancy Henjum both called for higher fees to help cover more of the full cost of police and fire services. "We arent at the standard that we want to be at right now," she said. The council may revisit and vote on the fees in July and they would take effect in January. Two motorcyclists were killed in separate traffic crashes that occurred on June 18, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a press release Tuesday. Officers responded on that date to a crash at the intersection of South Chelton Road and Zebulon Drive involving a Chevrolet sedan and a motorcycle. Police said the sedan was traveling east on Chelton and made a left turn onto Zebulon when the motorcycle, traveling west on Chelton, struck the sedan's front passenger side. Members of the Colorado Springs Fire Department and American Medical Response treated the motorcyclist for serious life-threatening injuries on scene before transporting him to a hospital. The motorcyclist, identified by police as 36-year-old Michael Adeyanju, died of his injuries a day later. In a separate incident on June 18, police responded to the area of Espanola Street and North Nevada Avenue around 11 p.m. for a crash involving a truck and motorcycle. Police said the motorcycle was traveling south on Nevada without lights on and struck the left front fender of a pickup traveling east on Espanola in the intersection. Members of the CSFD and AMR attempted to provide aid to the motorcyclist, identified as 24-year-old Jacob Kuhel-Heinzel, who was pronounced dead on scene. Police said the motorcycle's speed and lack of lights are considered factors in the investigation, which was assumed by the Major Crash Team. The fatal crashes are the 21st and 22nd fatal traffic crashes this year, 12 of which have involved motorcycles, police said. Colorado Springs saw 20 traffic fatalities by this time last year. Voters still wishing to cast their ballots in Colorado's primary election on Tuesday must return their completed ballots through a drop box or a voting center in order for them to count, according to state and local elections officials. It is too late to return ballots by mail. Clerks must receive all ballots by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots postmarked after the deadline will not be counted. Colorado voters will decide who will earn the Democratic and Republican nominations for the Nov. 8 election in several races. Gov. Jared Polis is running unopposed in the Democratic primary while Greg Lopez and Heidi Ganahl seek the Republican nomination for the seat. In the primary race to represent Congressional District 5, which covers most of El Paso and Teller counties, Republicans Andrew Heaton, Rebecca Keltie and Dave Williams are running against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn. Lamborn was first elected in 2006. Democrats Michael C Colombe and David Torres seek their partys nomination. In El Paso County, a slate of Republican political newcomers is looking to earn the GOP nomination in several races, many of which other established Republican office-holders are also vying for. Some of them are: Incumbent District 1 County Commissioner Holly Williams will face military wife Lindsay Moore for the Republican nomination. In District 5, U.S. Marine Corps veteran David Winney hopes to gain the nomination over incumbent County Commissioner Cami Bremer. The Republican primary race to become El Paso County's next top law enforcement official and succeed outgoing Sheriff Bill Elder pits Undersheriff Joe Roybal against former U.S. Border Patrol agent Todd Watkins and The Broadmoor's director of security, Greg Maxwell. Watkins and Maxwell are running on the platform they will be "constitutional sheriffs" if elected. Clerk and Recorder candidate Peter Lupia, who has proposed sweeping election changes such as a return to hand-counting ballots and doing away with automatic tabulation machines, faces Steve Schleiker for the Republican nomination. Schleiker is currently serving as El Paso County assessor. Incumbent Dr. Leon Kelly, a forensic pathologist, is up against primary challenger Dr. Rae Ann Weber, a self-proclaimed "freedom doctor," in the race for coroner. More information on the races and candidates in this year's state and El Paso County Democratic and Republican primaries is available in The Gazette's 2022 primary election voter guide, online at tinyurl.com/2mke973t. Nine voter service and polling centers were opened in El Paso County for Monday and Tuesday voters, the county Clerk and Recorder's Office said. Voters can use any voter service and polling center in the county. El Paso County voters can also drop off their ballots in one of 39 secure 24-hour drop boxes across the county through 7 p.m. on Election Day. For a full list of El Paso County ballot drop box and voter service and polling center locations and operating hours, visit epcvotes.com and click on the "2022 Elections" tab. In Teller County, three secure 24-hour drop boxes are open through 7 p.m. Tuesday: at the Teller County Clerk and Recorders motor vehicle office, 800 Research Drive, Suite 200, Woodland Park; the Teller County Courthouse, 101 W. Bennett Ave., in Cripple Creek; and the Divide Marketplace/Venture Foods, 11115 U.S. 24, Divide. Teller voters can vote in person or drop off their ballots at the Woodland Park Library, 218 E. Midland Ave. Location hours are Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The voter service and polling center will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Teller County Clerk and Recorders Office in Cripple Creek was opened to voters Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Voters may receive replacement ballots and submit their ballots at this location via drop box only. For a full list of ballot drop box and voter service and polling center locations and operating hours in Teller County, visit co.teller.co.us/CR/default.aspx and click on the "Primary Election June 28, 2022 Information" link. Slightly more than 18% of the states 3.7 million active, registered voters have returned their ballots as of 11:30 p.m. Sunday, state election officials said. County clerks had received 687,880 ballots, according to figures released by the Secretary of States Office Monday. In El Paso County, 26,370 ballots were cast by Democrats and 49,490 were cast by Republicans, according to the data. This includes ballots cast by registered Democrats and Republicans, as well as unaffiliated voters participating in both primaries. Another 5,347 ballots had been received in both primaries but were waiting to be processed Monday. In Teller County, Democrats had cast 1,044 ballots and Republicans had cast 2,310. Another 411 were waiting to be processed. Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country Sign Up View all of our newsletters. FILE PHOTO: Ed Gonzalez testifies on his nomination as director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Samaco Marine & Powersports Company has celebrated the launch of the long-awaited Ducati bikes in Saudi Arabia after becoming its official distributor. The launch came in response to the desire of motorcyclists in Saudi Arabia, who love adventure and have a passion for advanced motorbikes. Mohamed Ibrahim Sharbatly, CEO of Samaco Marine & Powersports, said: "Ducati is one of the motorcycle industry's best-known brands and continues to develop day after day while preserving its unique Italian character in the streamlined design and remarkable performance, as well as using cutting-edge technologies." He added: "As part of its research into the motorcycle market in Saudi Arabia, Samaco decided to become Ducatis distributor after discovering a high demand for the motorcycles in Saudi Arabia. The partnership will provide a full range of Ducati bikes to its customers, as well as after-sales services, spare parts, and accessories."-- TradeArabia News Service FILE PHOTO: Steam rises from the cooling towers of the coal-fired power plant at Duke Energy's Crystal River Energy Complex in Crystal River, Florida, U.S., March 26, 2021. REUTERS/Dane Rhys/File Photo The arrest of Padma Shri awardee Mumbai-based activist Teesta Setalvad has been widely condemned. Muhammed Nihad P V | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles NEW DELHI The detention of prominent civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Gujarat police at her home in Mumbai on Saturday has been condemned widely by international rights groups and United Nations officials. Setalvad was booked in a first information report (FIR) registered against her by Ahmedabad (Gujarat) crime branch. She was subsequently brought to Ahmedabad and arrested on Sunday. The FIR against her was filed after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to then-Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 Godhra riots case. A United Nations official expressed concern over her arrest and demanded her release. Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor said on Twitter. Amnesty India described her arrest as a direct reprisal by the Indian authorities against those who question their human rights record, while Frontline Defenders, an international organisation in support of human rights defenders, said, it was alarmed by attempts to arrest Teesta Setalvad. Gujarat Anti Terror police forcibly entered her home and detained her without reason. We call for her immediate release and an end to her legal persecution for her peaceful human rights work, Frontline Defenders said. Deeply concerned by reports of #WHRD Teesta Setalvad being detained by Anti Terrorism Sqaud of Gujarat police. Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime. I call for her release and an end to persecution by #Indian state. Mary Lawlor UN Special Rapporteur HRDs (@MaryLawlorhrds) June 25, 2022 Who is Teesta Setalvad? Teesta Setalvad, a journalist and an activist, serves as the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), a group established to legally and financially support the survivors of the Gujarat Muslim genocide in 2002. She, along with her husband Javed Anand, also a journalist and a civil rights activist, co-edits Communalism Combat a monthly magazine by Sabrang Communications. Both of them were co-petitioners in the Zakia Jafri case. Jafris husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were killed by the Hindutva mob during the pogrom. The petition demanded that the then chief minister Narendra Modi and other 63 top politicians and officials be held accountable for their role in the entire chain of events, citing a criminal conspiracy to inflame communal tensions in the state in the wake of the Godhra train burning incident. Setalvad spoke at the United Nations Commission on International Religious Freedom on June 10, 2002, a few months after the Gujarat pogrom, criticising the Gujarat government, which was then led by Narendra Modi, for its role in the violence. Active involvement in the case made her be on the radar and several attempts were made to stop her. Setalvad was charged in November 2004 with coercing Zaheera Sheikh, a crucial witness in the Best Bakery case, into making certain statements. Later, in August 2005, the Supreme Court of India committee cleared her of the inducement accusations made against her by Zaheera and sentenced the latter to one year in prison for perjury. Setalvad became a prominent face in the fight against the culprits in the Gujarat massacre and forced the Supreme Court into launching a new probe. Apart from the Gulbarg trial on the killing of Ehsan Jafri and 68 others, Zakia Jafris petition aided by CJP asked for the criminal trial of top politicians and officials including then chief minister of Gujarat Modi, other cabinet ministers, VHP leaders Praveen Togadia and Jaideep Patel, as well as the then DGP PC Pandey. Setalvad had also sought an FIR against Modi for his complicity in the conspiracy. In response to the petition, the Supreme Court-appointed an SIT in 2009. After three years, in 2012, a trial judge noted that the SIT had not discovered any evidence to bring charges against Modi or any other prominent government figures or bureaucrats in relation to the case. In 2013, Zakia Jafri and Setalvads CJP filed a protest petition. Fourteen years after the incident, in 2016, the trial was concluded convicting 24 persons. 11 people were convicted for life, one convicted for 10 years, and the remaining 12 given seven years of rigorous imprisonment. However, the court and the SIT both emphasised that Ehsan Jafris private shooting enraged the mob, which is why it became out of hand, therefore the verdict was not a victory for Zakia Jafri or the CJP. They filed a lawsuit to contest the SITs conclusions. The Supreme Court finally consented to consider the request for a review and investigation of the SITs clean chit after years of struggle. The accusations of a larger conspiracy by high-ranking state officials, including Narendra Modi and others, were rejected by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, leading to the petitions dismissal. In the judgement, the court referred to the statement made by the state government that Setalvad, a co-petitioner in the case, exploited the emotions of Zakia Jafri. Quoting the SC order clearing Modi, Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Teesta Setalvad. The arrest out of vendetta took place hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the role of Setalvads NGO in the case against Modi in an interview with ANI. Teesta Setalvad was earlier continuously troubled with accusations of manufacturing fake evidence, trespassing on burial places, tutoring witnesses, and misusing the legal system by framing people. She had previously been under attack by the BJPs defamation campaign against her for vilifying Narendra Modi without substantial evidence. It was also alleged that Setalvads Sabrang Communications, which was not registered under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA), accepted donations from the US-based Ford Foundation without first receiving permission from the authorities. The current detention is based on an FIR registered on Saturday which named her and two former IPS officers R B Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt. She has already raised her speculations regarding the nature of custody in a complaint lodged at the Santa Cruz police station soon after the arrest. In her detailed statement, she reveals that before the arrest; a person from CISF Noida had called her colleague and asked about her security arrangements. Within half an hour from the strange call, two armed CISF officers from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Ranes bungalow, situated in the same neighbourhood, reached the gate. They were soon followed by eight to ten ATS officials who had barged into the compound of Setalvads residence. They assaulted her and forcefully took her into custody without stating the reason or producing a warrant. I fear seriously for my life given the animosity of the Gujarat state police, she added in the Handwritten complaint. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) handed her over to the Ahmedabad crime branch early on June 26 in connection with a new case of forgery, criminal conspiracy, and insulting criminal proceedings to cause injury filed against her. Setalvad has received numerous national and international honours over the years, including the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Media person in 1993, the Hakim Khan Sur Award from the Maharana Mewar Foundation in 1999, the Human Rights Award from the Dalit Liberation Education Trust in 2000, the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 2003, and a Padma Shri from the Indian government in 2007. Muhammad Nihad PV is a sociology student at the University of Hyderabad. He tweets at @nihadbinnisar FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured) after Iran delivered to Venezuela the second of four Aframax-sized oil tankers, with a capacity of 800,000 barrels, ordered from the Iranian company SADRA, in Tehran, Iran, June 12, 2022. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS Colorado's two U.S. senators are urging the Air Force to address water contamination from "forever chemicals" in El Paso County. In a letter, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper on Friday said polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated the Widefield aquifer, which provides drinking water to thousands of residents in Security, Widefield and Fountain, and supplies surface water to area ponds, some of which are used for recreational fishing. The two senators asked the Air Force to expand a pilot program that seeks to remove PFAS from water and cover contaminated areas in the county. They also requested the Biden administration to partner with Colorado in taking additional steps to address PFAS contamination resulting from military activities. We understand that multiple pilot projects are ongoing at Peterson Space Force Base to test technologies that can remove PFAS from groundwater and soils, Bennet and Hickenlooper wrote. Given the contamination discovered in the surface water of El Paso County linked to Air Force operations, we request that a pilot project be conducted at Willow Springs pond to test technologies which may be used to remove PFAS from surface water bodies. PFAS contamination in the Widefield aquifer south of Peterson Space Force Base affects some 80,000 people in the Security-Widefield-Fountain area. Discovered in 2016, more than $50 million in funding for Air Force environmental restoration and remediation has been spent, primarily on protecting drinking water for the affected communities. The senators' letter followed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's warning this month that concentrations of forever chemicals in drinking water that are much lower than previously believed may pose negative health effects. The EPA announced the advisory, which drastically lowered the agencys recommendations on safe limits for drinking water, a day after another federal agency said residents of the Security-Widefield area in El Paso County near Peterson Space Force Base showed elevated levels of forever chemicals in their blood, compared to the national average. Studies suggest that high levels of PFAS ubiquitous chemicals used in industry that can be found in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets and cosmetics might lead to increased cholesterol levels, decreases in infant birth weights and higher risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women, as well as increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer. In Colorado, the Fountain-Widefield-Security area is one of the states biggest PFAS contamination sites due to the long-term use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Peterson Air Force (now Space Force) Base beginning in the 1970s. Water and soil testing in 2016 by the Air Force revealed PFAS levels of 240,000 parts per trillion in soil samples and more than 88,000 parts per trillion in groundwater at seven locations on the base. The base is now a designated EPA Superfund site. Other PFAS contamination sites include Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and the Suncor Refinery in Commerce City. Manufacturing of firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals ended in the early 2000s, but tens of thousands of gallons still remain stored in fire departments nationwide and can still be used because the federal government has not issued regulations banning its use. In a victory for historic neighborhoods, the city of Colorado Springs will not pursue a study of the extension of Constitution Avenue to Interstate 25 as part of an upcoming ballot question. The city administration decided to take it off the list of projects that voters will consider as part of an extension of a portion of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax, City Council President Tom Strand announced Monday. The portion of the sales tax voters will consider could fund major road projects such as the expansion of Marksheffel Road and the northern extension of Powers Boulevard. Councilmember Nancy Henjum said the residents' concern of the project could have hurt the campaign to extend a portion of the 1-cent sales tax. "It just wasn't worth it to sacrifice $550 million of road projects for a $2.7 million study," she said. Numerous residents were afraid of the road extension and disruptions that weren't planned. "The fear was far, far, far too great. People were afraid their houses were going to be condemned and taken by eminent domain," she said. City Engineer Gayle Sturdivant previously said the road was not expected to need right of way through homes or connections to Cascade Avenue, Nevada Avenue or Weber Street. The study of the Constitution connection from Paseo Road to the Fontanero/Interstate 25 interchange is the second controversial east-west corridor plan the city has taken off the sales tax ballot question. Earlier this year, the city decided not to ask for funding to implement major changes to the Platte Avenue and Boulder Street area after major pushback from residents. A much smaller Platte project to address the aging bridges over the road is still planned. City officials had proposed turning Platte Avenue into a one-way eastbound from Wahsatch Avenue to its intersection with Boulder Street. Boulder Street would carry the westbound traffic from its intersection with Platte to Wahsatch Avenue. City traffic engineers expect more people to use east-west corridors as hundreds of thousands of new people move to Banning Lewis Ranch, an area expected to absorb 85% of the area's growth. "We have to find a way to come together and work on this collaboratively for a genuine need and not be at war with the process," Henjum said. Old North End Neighborhood President Dutch Schulz said his group was pleased with outcome and had not intended to hurt the overall tax-extension effort. "At no time did we wish to endanger approval the PPRTA overall list, that is vital for the overall community," he said. He did not see a way to compromise on the extension of Constitution Avenue since this group is opposed to the entire idea, but more study of east-west transportation is needed. "Clearly the issue is not dead, just delayed," he said. As a child in upstate New York in the 1950s, Marty Felix relished Sunday drives through the country with her dad. Take us by some horses, went her request. I was a horse-loving girl, she says. And so she remained, all the way through college graduation in 1969, when she moved to Colorado upon learning the horses ran wild here. She moved to Grand Junction, drawn to what is now Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area. Felix recalls one fateful Jeep drive up the rugged roads through folding canyons. It took me from 1969 to 1973 to find them, she says. We saw a band of seven. Then we screamed so loud they ran off. That can be one response to the sight around the states four herd management areas, as listed by the Bureau of Land Management. It really impacts people, says Cindy Day, speaking of those who visit Piceance-East Douglas Area outside of Meeker. It makes them think of the Wild West. Its the romanticism. Its the wild horse. Felix and Day are volunteers representing friends groups that have partnered with the BLM at Colorados herd management areas. The others are at Sand Wash Basin beyond Craig and Spring Creek Basin in the states southwest corner like Little Book Cliffs and Piceance-East Douglas, sprawling swaths of public land to behold the nostalgic scene. The impact of the horses is hard for Cindy Wright to pinpoint. She represents Wild Horse Warriors for Sand Wash Basin. Everything from tears to screams of joy to very subtle, serene kind of ... I dont know how to explain it, Wright says. It really just grabs your heart. It does something to our souls. Thats for those bold and savvy enough to venture potentially long hours to see the horses. Four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicles are recommended across all herd management areas, with some also requiring navigation skills and an awareness of rains that make roads quickly impassable. It is not for everyone, Wright says. She drives visitors in a Jeep across those 225 square miles of northwest Colorado, the high mountain desert that rises to Lookout Mountain. Ideally the tours get there, for a view thats like a mini Grand Canyon, Wright says. And, ideally, horses are spotted. Day considers Piceance to be relatively accessible compared with the states other herd management areas. Chances of seeing the horses are good too, she says. At Little Book Cliffs in the summer, the horses arent as readily seen off the exit from Interstate 70. Many from the herd of about 170 venture to higher ground in the hot months, Felix says. With the right vehicle and preparedness, she recommends plotting a course to the Indian Park and North Soda areas from DeBaque/Winter Park Road. The areas are heaven on earth, Felix says. Its country she has toured for the better part of 50 years. These days, her miles and hours in the backcountry arent as long. Now Im 74, Felix says. But I have an Xterra with big, 10-ply tires. Im not throwing in the towel yet. Read more: A crowd of about 200 people took to the streets on Sunday evening to "fight for bodily autonomy," in the wake of the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe vs. Wade. Demonstrators marched down North Washington Avenue, or Highway 65 North, to the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse where a handful of people spoke to the crowd. One woman said she had attended one of the first pro-choice marches in the 1960s, and still stands with the movement. Chair of the Democratic Wing Ding Randy Black spoke before the event, calling for attendees to go to the polls in November. His sentiment was somewhat rebuffed by event organizers who said voting is one tool, but community activism was the key to changing laws. The event didn't go without incident, as a tense interaction unfolded between a protester and a driver unhappy about a traffic hold-up as demonstrators crossed the street at the intersection of Third Street Northwest. The driver briefly exited his vehicle and yelled obscenities at the pedestrians, ultimately leaving without further incident. Last week in Cedar Rapids, a truck drove through a crowd of demonstrators, leaving several injured. That incident remains under investigation. On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a repeal of the nearly 50-year-old law, allowing individual states to determine the legality of abortions. While several states had legislation already on the books to ban abortions, Iowa's outlook has yet to be determined. However, a statement issued by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) seemed to indicate the state would head in a similar direction. The Supreme Courts greatest moments have come when it allows America to embody more perfectly the enduring truth on which it was founded: that all human beings, without exception, are created equal. By that measure, todays historic decision is clearly one such moment. But the fight for life is not over. As governor, I wont rest until every unborn Iowan is protected and respected, Reynolds said Friday. Lisa Grouette is the Local News Editor and Photo Editor at the Globe Gazette. Reach her at 641-421-0525 or lisa.grouette@globegazette.com. Follow Lisa on Twitter @LisaGrouette Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. See a list of the counties with the highest unemployment rate in Iowa using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A judge ruled Monday that a man accused of beating to death a woman with a board must undergo a competency evaluation following a hearing last week where he accused his lawyers of incompetency and wouldn't answer most of the judge's questions. In her ruling, 6th Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover said "there is a substantial question of Arthur Flowers' competency to stand trial" based on his testimony during Friday's hearing and earlier comments he made to a mental health professional. Hoover suspended proceedings for Flowers, 62, whose first-degree murder trial was set to start Tuesday, and ordered him to have a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he has a mental disorder that would prevent him from understanding the charge and proceedings or assisting in his defense. She ordered the mental evaluation should be set for July 29. Flowers asked Hoover on Friday to represent himself at trial and appoint a standby lawyer to assist him. He said his current public defenders didn't have experience with murder charges and their caseload was too large to devote time to his case. Flowers, who contradicted himself at times during Hoover's questioning, said he had represented himself three times before in murder trials and he understood the criminal justice system because he had been arrested numerous times. "I'm telling you I got over 90 arrests but I got over 400 arrests I ain't even been charged with being an international drug cartel member and it ain't me," Flowers said in court, according to Hoover's ruling. Hoover, in the ruling, said despite the multiple inquiries from the court on his level of formal education, Flowers would not answer how much education he had or at which colleges or schools he studied. He could recall only one. He then said he was self-taught by reading books. Flowers read the trial information to the court but didn't show that he understood the charge or has the ability to assist with his defense, Hoover noted in the ruling. Flowers hasn't "knowingly, intentionally and voluntarily" waived his right to have a lawyer, as required by law, and his lawyers' motion to withdraw from the case is denied, she stated. Hoover also ordered that public defenders will continue to represent Flowers. If Flowers is found competent, his current public defenders may renew their motion if needed. Arrest Flowers called 911 on April 2 and when officers arrived at his home in southeast Cedar Rapids after 6 p.m., he told them a woman, later identified as Emily Leonard, 22, of Cedar Rapids, had overdosed on heroin. According to a criminal complaint, Flowers initially attempted to leave when officers arrived but then took them to a bathroom where they found Leonard with "obvious head injuries and blood spatter all over the bathroom." The woman's clothing was in disarray, and police found a bloodied 1-by-6-inch board, which investigators believed was the murder weapon based on the woman's head injuries, the complaint stated. Investigators said they found blood evidence in another area of the home where Leonard was likely killed and then her body moved. During an interview with police, Flowers said he was alone with Leonard, a person he had known for many years, from Friday through Saturday, when he called 911, according to the complaint. Flowers provided details about the incident that were not consistent with the crime scene, police said. He also appeared to have blood on his hands and was wearing "what he described as" Leonard's pants when officers arrived, the complaint stated. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Having already spent $5.5 billion and more than four years building a natural gas pipeline through Southwest Virginia, the developers are now asking for another four years to finish the job. In a letter Friday to federal regulators, Mountain Valley Pipeline requested that it be given until Oct. 13, 2026, to complete a 303-mile pipeline that has encountered fierce opposition at every turn since it was first proposed in 2014. Court rulings striking down government-issued permits for the pipeline, prompted by lawsuits from environmentalists, made it clear that construction would not be completed by this Oct. 13, a deadline set two years ago by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Due to the ongoing litigation, Mountain Valley wrote in a letter to FERC, it is requesting an extension to allow it to work cooperatively with all affected stakeholders and permit agencies to complete construction and achieve final restoration. Despite a continual barrage of attacks from Project opponents, Mountain Valley remains committed to completing this critical infrastructure project, Matthew Eggerding, assistant general counsel for the company, wrote in the letter to FERC secretary Kimberly Bose. Although Mountain Valley is seeking another four years, spokeswomen Natalie Cox said that the joint venture of five energy companies still hopes the pipeline will be in service by late next year. Opponents say time has already run out on a flawed concept. Construction of the buried 42-inch diameter pipe has marred scenic landscapes and clogged pristine streams with muddy runoff, they say, and its environmental footprint will only deepen when it begins to deliver natural gas that will help fuel a climate change crisis. This project is a dinosaur and should go extinct in 2022, said David Sligh, conservation director of Wild Virginia. When plans were first announced for the pipeline which will run from northern West Virginia through the New River and Roanoke valleys to connect with an existing pipeline near the North Carolina line in Chatham the goal was to have it completed by the winter of 2018, at a cost of $3.7 billon. The projected cost has now grown to $6.6 billon, and the expected completion date has been pushed back more than a half-dozen times. With key permits thrown out by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, construction is currently stalled, with the exception of erosion control and stabilization of the pipelines 125-foot wide right of way. Mountain Valley is in the process of seeking renewed authorizations from several government agencies. Despite the mounting problems, Mountain Valley indicated in its letter to FERC that it still has the support of its partners and investors. A deadline extension from FERC would provide necessary clarity and certainty to stakeholders and benefit the landowners, the environment, project shippers and end-users of natural gas, the letter stated. In addition, the project remains fully subscribed under binding long-term agreements. FERC first approved the pipeline in 2017, finding there was a public need for the 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas that it would transport at high pressure. Mountain Valley was given a three-year certificate, which expired Oct. 13, 2020. After lawsuits began to slow construction, the company was given another two years, which runs out in October. It asked FERC to rule on its second request to extend the deadline another four years by Aug 8. Similar delays have been approved for other natural gas projects, it said. Mountain Valley stands ready to complete the remaining construction as soon as practicable, it said in the letter. The company says construction is 94% complete, although opponents dispute that figure and contend that an overly optimistic picture is being painted for regulators and investors. Mountain Valley Pipeline does not deserve another pass to harm the communities and water resources of Appalachia, said Jessica Sims, Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, which has joined Wild Virginia and other groups in legal challenges. MVPs request for a 4-year certificate extension runs counter to May 2022 statements from a major equity holder in the project, Equitrans, which touted project completion in 2023, Sims said in a statement. No matter how much time MVP asks for, it does not change the likelihood that the project can be built legally or safely, so FERC should deny this extension request. Mountain Valley counters that geo-political forces such as the war in Ukraine have only increased an existing demand for natural gas. As our nation transitions to a lower-carbon future, natural gas infrastructure will continue to play a critical role in transporting our abundant supply of domestically produced energy, supporting our current energy needs, and helping to solidify Americas energy independence, Cox wrote in an email. As you and your family spend more time outdoors this summer, there are several plants you should know about that you might want to avoid. Plants such as hogweed and parsnip grow easily in and around the Carolinas and its important to know the difference between harmless flora and toxic plants native to the area. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend that you stay away from these six dangerous plants found in North and South Carolina. Giant hogweed Species: Heracleum mantegazzianum Details: Giant hogweed is an invasive species that can cause blisters, rashes, scarring, irritation and even blindness. They typically grow to be between 6 and 18 feet tall with thick, hollow stems and ridges, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Poison hemlock Species: Conium maculatum Details: Contact with poison hemlock, even in small amounts, can cause death. According to the USDA, the extremely poisonous plant is invasive to North Carolina and South Carolina and grows as high 8 feet long. The plant feature stems that are hairless and hollow and its ridges typically contain purple spots. Spotted water hemlock Species: Cicuta maculata Details: This highly toxic biennial varies in color and pattern, sometimes making it difficult to identify. Color variations include solid green or purple, or green with purple spots and stripes, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If ingested, spotted water hemlock can cause abdominal pain, convulsions, delirium, nausea and seizures. All of these symptoms often lead to death. The plant is native to the Carolinas. Cow parsnip Species: Heracleum maximum Details: Although this common parsnip isnt as deadly as some of the other plants on this list, those who come in contact with it can still suffer uncomfortable symptoms. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says coming in contact with this plant can cause skin irritation, blisters, rashes, and skin discoloration. The USDA also says the plant is native to North Carolina and can grow to be between 4 to 10 feet tall with fuzzy, grooved stems. Wild parsnip Species: Pastinaca sativa Details: Like cow parsnip, wild parsnip can cause skin irritation, blisters, rashes, and skin discoloration on those who come in contact with it. However, this plant is invasive to both North Carolina and South Carolina. It features hairless stems. Queen Annes lace Species: Daucus carota Details: Contact with this invasive plant may only cause irritation for those with sensitive skin. However, its resemblance to the other plants on this list is what makes it dangerous because mistaking a more toxic plant for Queen Annes lace can have deadly consequences. This plant usually grows to be somewhere between 1 and 2 feet tall and sometimes grows with a small, red flower at its center, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bryan Series subscriptions on sale today GREENSBORO New subscriptions for the 2022-23 Guilford College Bryan Series will go on sale today at bryanseries.guilford.edu. Subscriptions include reserved-seat tickets for five events at the Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts beginning in October. They are priced by seating section: $350 for orchestra, $295 for grand tier and $250 for loge. Speakers will be tennis star Venus Williams (Oct. 20), neuroscientist Daniel Levitin with Rosanne Cash (Nov. 10), viral immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett (Feb. 6), chef Jose Andres (Feb. 28) and journalist Ronan Farrow (April 4). Monkeypox case found in Mecklenburg County CHARLOTTE An incidence of monkeypox has been discovered in Mecklenburg County just days after state officials announced North Carolinas first case of the rare but potentially serious viral illness. Monkeypox typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash. Though this is the first confirmed case in the county, we know there are likely other cases, county health director Dr. Raynard Washington said in a statement. The Mecklenburg resident with monkeypox is at home and in isolation, Washington said in a Monday afternoon news conference. The person is thought to have come into contact with the illness from an out-of-county resident, he said. County health officials have identified close contacts of that person and are working to vaccinate them. Raleigh stops companys hyperbaric treatment RALEIGH The Raleigh Fire Department has ordered a wellness company to stop offering an oxygen therapy treatment because of the fire risk. Company representatives of Restore Hyper Wellness say they are working with city and state fire marshals to bring back the service, called mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The city shut the service down after a fire inspector visited the clinic and said there was no fire suppression system. The business disputes that one is needed. Regulators across the country have taken varied stances on the therapy, which is increasing in popularity. Proponents say the treatment is valuable for healing wounds and other conditions, although critics say its benefits are unproven. The treatment halted in Raleigh involves an infusion of oxygen and air pressure, which can increase the risk of severe fire. Charlottes fire department blocked the therapy earlier this month as well. Staff and Wire Reports Staff and Wire Reports GREENSBORO A fox found in Greensboro tested positive for rabies on Monday, according to a news release from the Guilford County health department. The fox was found on Jolson Street and it is the 14th confirmed case of animal rabies in Guilford County this year, the release said. North Carolina law requires that all domestic pets (cats, dogs, and ferrets), 4 months or older be vaccinated for rabies. Animals that are confined in outdoor fenced areas should have current rabies vaccinations. Supervising pets when they are outdoors could prevent contact with wild animals and lessen the possibility of rabies exposure, the health department said. Rabies circulates within the wildlife population throughout the year. Here are some tips to help prevent you or your family from being exposed to the rabies virus: Avoid direct contact with wildlife, dead or alive. If you find a sick or injured animal, contact Animal Control at 336-641-5990. Avoid any animal displaying unnatural behavior. Wild animals are not usually friendly so be very careful if they approach you. Do not try to separate fighting animals. Feed your pets indoors. Leaving food outside will attract dogs, cats, and other wildlife into your yard. Report all stray animals to Animal Control at 336-641-5990 in Greensboro and 336-883-3224 in High Point. If a person is bitten by an animal (domestic or stray), wash the bitten area immediately with soap and water, seek medical attention and report the bite to Animal Control. For more information on rabies prevention, contact Guilford County Animal Services at 336-641-2506 or visit www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/animal-services. GREENSBORO The National Park Service will host an Independence celebration this weekend at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Events will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the park, 2332 New Garden Road. Park rangers, volunteers and historians will offer programs and hands-on demonstrations that connect the public to the history of the battle at Guilford Courthouse. It directly led to the surrender of the British Army at the Battle of Yorktown, securing United States independence from Britain in 1783. At 1:30 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, author and former Guilford Courthouse park ranger Scott Culclasure will offer guided tours of the battlefield. Also, reenactors representing the Guilford Militia will provide living history and historic weapon demonstrations at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at tour stop 6. On Sunday, the Guilford Fife and Drum Corps will conduct a special Independence Day themed performance at 2 p.m. near the Visitor Center. Park rangers encourage visitors to wear red, white, blue OR green to show your patriotism. Please note that the park grounds will be accessible, but the visitor center will be closed on Monday. For more event details, including times for the weapons demonstrations, visit facebook.com/guilfordnps or nps.gov/guco. Event information will be posted as it becomes available. The top elected officials for Greensboro and Guilford County issued a joint statement about the latest news on the ACC's plans for its headquarters, which has been in Greensboro since the league was formed. The conference has been considering a possible move, with Charlotte and Florida as other contenders for the headquarters. GREENSBORO Women leaders from across Guilford County Schools gathered on Monday for a tea-time dialogue on the challenges they face in educational leadership. Superintendent Sharon Contreras and Deputy Superintendent Whitney Oakley brought together about 120 educators for the event held at UNCGs Alumni House in Greensboro. I look around the room and I am reminded how much I enjoy events like this where women celebrate each other and where leadership is lifted up as a fundamental pillar of the community, she said. GCS Women Superintendent Sharon Contreras chats with Denise Francisco and her daughter Rachel Francisco before the Dialogue with Women in Education tea Those invited included district administrators, principals, teachers who are leaders in their schools and members of the superintendents teacher advisory council. The guests also included some UNCG administrators and academic leaders and at least one school board member. Guests were encouraged to speak with others at their table about the issues faced by women in educational roles. At one of the tables, women discussed challenges around maternity leave among other concerns. One of the participants said she is sometimes asked to do things that wouldn't be required of a man, but she didn't feel that those were purposeful slights. She suggested that maybe training could help people to learn what to avoid. Participants also talked about the stresses faced by principals, with one new principal saying she wasnt sure how many years she would be able to take in the role. A principal with decades of experience told her that she had been able to deal with some of the stress by developing a team of leaders to whom she could delegate and rely on over the years. Contreras said she got the idea for the event after attending a tea at N.C. A&T, where female students had a chance to talk with leaders in the community. She said she thought it would be fun to give women leaders in the district an opportunity to dress up and socialize together. Contreras said she is a fan of fascinators the fancy partial-head coverings favored by young women of the British royal family, among others. Almost all the women in attendance wore fascinators only to confronted by the deluge of Monday afternoons rainstorm after the tea concluded. The event came as Contreras nears the end of her time leading the district. Tuesday will be her last Guilford County Board of Education meeting. The district is on vacation next week. After that, Oakley will become acting superintendent while school board members continue their search for a new leader. Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A former White House aide has told House investigators that former President Donald Trump dismissed the presence of armed protesters among his supporters headed to the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year. She testified that he even endorsed their calls to hang Mike Pence, his vice president. Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The sentencing Tuesday was the culmination of a prosecution that detailed how Epstein and Maxwell flaunted their riches and associations with prominent people to groom vulnerable girls and then exploit them. Fifty people died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in the sweltering Texas heat. It's the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The toll from the Missouri railroad crossing where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck rose to four deaths and 150 injuries on Tuesday. President Joe Biden is opening his three-day visit to a NATO summit by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe. And Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. The man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 has apologized for his actions in a televised interview. John Hinckley Jr. said he doesnt remember what he was feeling when he attacked the president and wounded three others. Recent Oscar winners Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur and Billie Eilish are among the 397 individuals who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A federal court has allowed Tennessee to ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, while a Texas judge temporarily blocked enforcement of that states ban on virtually all abortions. The moves come as both sides continue to make their case in courts around the country days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Michigan Supreme Court has thrown out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal. The court says a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power to issue indictments. Ohio families that have called rural land home for generations are lamenting the loss of their property to a massive development project. The property in central Ohio sits on a 1,000-acre site destined to become an Intel Corp. semi-conductor manufacturing center. Two decades old, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival strives to create a greener, more energy efficient and less wasteful music experience. But last year, record rainfall in Tennessee created flooding that forced organizers to cancel. Climate experts say Bonnaroo and similar outdoor live events are more vulnerable than ever to unpredictable and extreme weather. RALEIGH North Carolina Republican legislative leaders have reached an agreement on adjustments to the second year of the two-year state government budget approved last fall, officials said Monday. House Speaker Tim Moore and Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger, confirmed the agreement separately, but neither provided details about it, saying they'd likely come on Tuesday. Moore said the actual legislation would be filed by Tuesday night, with two affirmative votes in the House and Senate required by the end of the week before it could head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The new fiscal year starts Friday. Berger and Moore began meeting late last week to hash out differences that their respective budget and tax-law writing lieutenants could not. Horsch said the two chamber leaders spoke on Sunday with Cooper who would be asked to sign any budget legislation into law on Medicaid and the budget. Cooper spokesperson Ford Porter made a similar comment, writing in an email Monday that the governor is having discussions with House and Senate leaders about budget and health care issues. Last November, Cooper signed his first comprehensive state budget into law since getting sworn in 5 1/2 years ago, saying the good inside of it outweighed the bad. The measure in part included a multi-year plan to reduce the personal income tax from 5.25% to 3.99% and eliminate the corporate income tax, currently at 2.5%. The General Assembly's annual work session began in mid-May. The chief challenge for GOP legislators who control the General Assembly has been to figure out what to do with an additional $6.2 billion in projected revenues above and beyond what they anticipated state government would receive this fiscal year and the next year that begins July 1. The enacted budget already tells state government how to spend about $27 billion for the next 12 months. Negotiators this month have been working through differences on additional tax cuts and pay raises beyond what is in the already-approved budget law. The possibility of expanding Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults in North Carolina surfaced again as negotiations near their end although under different dynamics than in previous years. Berger, a longtime expansion opponent, has changed his mind. He embraced legislation this spring that would expand Medicaid while making several other changes to nursing licensure and hospital construction that he said would help increase both health care access and professionals. The bill passed the Senate in early June, but House Republicans were cool to the measure. Moore pitched a competing expansion bill last week that would direct Cooper's administration to develop an expansion plan by mid-December after which legislators would take an up or down vote on all or parts of it. Berger dismissed the House measure as essentially another expansion study. As in previous years, Cooper proposed expansion in his budget proposal in May. With a Friday deadline to get its candidates on the ballot, the North Carolina Green Party is now facing another obstacle on top of a string of setbacks: the Democratic Party. The Green Party is a leftist, anti-capitalist organization that advocates for free health care, housing as a human right and a host of other progressive changes. For this reason, some Democrats fear that having the Green Party on the ballot would split the vote between the two parties, making it easier for Republicans to win. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee confirmed to The News & Observer of Raleigh that it has begun contacting voters who signed a petition for the Green Party a progressive third party that has never won a major election in North Carolina and is asking them to retract their signatures. Since the North Carolina Green Party hired a petition gathering firm with a documented record of committing fraud, were reaching out to voters to ensure they have not been deceived, said Amanda Sherman Baity, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The firm Baity refers to is First Choice Contracting, which the N.C. Green Party briefly worked with early in its campaign to access the ballot. The owner of First Choice Contracting, Shawn Wilmoth who pleaded guilty to election fraud in 2011 in Virginia now is involved in a scandal over allegations of election fraud in Michigan. North Carolina Green Party leaders said they were approached by First Choice in December 2021 and were unaware of any past fraud. After two months of petitioning, First Choice had only turned in 109 signatures, said Green Party Secretary Michael Trudeau half of which the party later deemed to be unusable. Shortly after, the party voided its contract with First Choice and received a refund for its payment, campaign finance records show. The ironic thing here is the insinuation that this so-called fraudulent firm collected all these signatures for us and in reality, the reason why we severed the contract with them is because they didnt turn in any, Trudeau said. The report in Michigan was not made public until May 2022, several months after the N.C. Green Party voided its contract with the firm. The State Board of Elections meets Thursday to decide whether to certify the Green Party for the ballot. A Democratic-affiliated law firm, Elias Law Group started by Marc Elias, former general counsel for Hillary Clinton and John Kerry submitted a public records request to the State Board of Elections asking for all documentation related to the Green Partys petition drive. Matthew Hoh, the Green Partys presumptive nominee for U.S. Senate, said that the Democratic Partys efforts to prevent the Green Partys certification only prove his point about the corruption of the two-party system. They do not want to have someone on the ballot who represents working people, and theyll do whatever they can to keep us off, Hoh said. The party announced earlier this month that it had collected more than 20,000 signatures to qualify for official recognition and a spot on the 2022 ballot, surpassing the states requirement. However, the State Board of Elections didnt announce a meeting to certify the party until this week, frustrating party leaders who are scrambling to meet filing deadlines for the election. This is the reason why not just in North Carolina, but across the United States, you see so few successful grassroots campaigns, Hoh said. The system of getting on the ballot is deliberately constructed to be onerous, to be exclusionary, to cause such difficulties that a grassroots campaign is not going to have the resources to overcome them. The State Board of Elections will consider whether to certify the N.C. Green Party Thursday giving the party just one day to nominate and file candidates before the July 1 deadline. The Green Partys lawyer, Oliver Hall, told the News & Observer that he had been assured by the state boards counsel that they would have enough time to file for candidacy after certification. A spokesman for the state board confirmed this and stressed the need for due diligence. It is important that the state boards process for examining the sufficiency of the petitions not be rushed, to ensure that the ultimate decision is justified, spokesman Pat Gannon said by email. The Green Partys campaign to appear on the 2022 ballot has been fraught since the beginning. Despite being officially recognized in 2018, the party lost its status in 2021 after it failed to receive 2% of the vote for its gubernatorial or presidential candidates in the 2020 general election. This meant the party had to collect signatures to get on the ballot 13,865 signatures, to be exact. The party spent months campaigning across the state and, according to leaders, collected nearly all of its 22,500 signatures by paid volunteers not petition-gathering firms. According to Hoh, they had all their signatures submitted by May 17. Then, county boards were supposed to verify the signatures by June 1. Many of these boards did not meet the deadline, leaving party leaders in the lurch. Gannon said that because the party filed most of its sheets on the May 17 deadline, which coincided with primary Election Day, it was difficult for county boards to meet deadlines. Regardless, the State Board of Elections petition database showed in early June that, even without some of the signatures from county boards, the Green Party had already surpassed the verified requirement by over 2,000. Yet the state board hadnt called a meeting to certify the results. After weeks of back-and-forth communication, party leaders said they were asked to meet Wednesday with investigators from the state board who had questions about a handful of signatures. Some of the signatures the board had questions about were collected by First Choice Contracting, according to Hall, the lawyer for the Green Party. Those signatures were a moot factor, Hoh said. They were never validated or verified to begin with, so were frustrated at the delay in this because this has had a real effect on our ability to do the necessary next steps that come procedurally as well as for us to run campaigns. Theres nothing that weve been told that would give us any indication that there is any reason why we would be precluded from being certified as a political party in North Carolina, Hoh said. Less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Courts overruling of the 50-year-old decision that had granted federal pre-viability abortion protections, the Montana Department of Justice is asking the states high court to consider the ruling as it decides whether to lift a temporary hold on three new laws restricting abortion in Montana. The U.S. Supreme Courts recent ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, finding that the U.S. Constitution did not confer a right to an abortion. That leaves the question to state constitutional law and comes as litigation plays out over several new laws restricting abortion in Montana. In 2021, Planned Parenthood of Montana challenged a trio of new laws and requested a preliminary injunction, meaning the laws do not go into effect while litigation plays out. The laws being challenged would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age; require a woman to be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion; and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion and block providing the medication through the mail. A fourth law, prohibiting health insurance plans sold on the federal exchange from covering abortion, was not part of the preliminary injunction request. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael Moses issued the injunction, finding that the laws impeded access to pre-viability abortion in Montana. The right to a pre-viability abortion was established under the 1999 Montana Supreme Court case Armstrong v. State, citing the state constitutions privacy protections. With Armstrong in place, abortion remains legal in Montana despite the federal ruling. In January, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen appealed the judges preliminary injunction levied against the three new abortion laws. The filing makes several legal arguments, including that the ruling misapplied legal standards, but devotes significant time arguing for the justices to overrule Armstrong altogether, characterizing the landmark case as judicial activism. This case is about integrity. The integrity of unborn human lives and the medical profession, to be sure. But the integrity of the judiciary, too, DOJ writes in court filings. Judges neither make nor unmake democratically enacted laws. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood argue that the preliminary injunction stage is the improper time for the state high court to consider Armstrong. They argue that the ruling should be re-affirmed as a defense of personal privacy and government intrusion into health care decisions. Armstrong was correct in holding that Montanas right to privacy includes a right to pre-viability abortions, they write in court documents. The unmistakable intent of the Constitutional Convention was to explicitly protect citizens from legislation and governmental practices that interfere with the autonomy of each individual to make decisions in matters generally considered private. Last month, the Montana Supreme Court classified the appeal of the preliminary injunction for a decision. But on Monday, the state justice department asked the high court to allow for additional briefing in light of the Dobbs decision. Among the arguments, attorneys argue that the Armstrong decision relies heavily on the federal courts previous interpretation of privacy rights, stating Armstrong inextricably linked Montanas right to privacy to the decision in Roe. The state further argues that the Montana Supreme Court accepted the federal 20-week viability standard established in Roe, stating Armstrong incorrectly understood Roe to have settled when a person becomes a person. This story has been changed to correct the date of the lawsuit. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 10 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. The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation recently gave $1 million to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to support a new career and technical education initiative in Montana. Through the donation, the Montana University System will be able to promote career opportunities in welding, construction, health care and many other fields with Montanas Future at Work initiative. On behalf of the MUS, I am incredibly grateful to the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation for its investment in the Montanas Future at Work initiative, as well as its continuing commitment to improving lives through education and workforce opportunity in Montana, said Clayton Christian, Montanas Commissioner of Higher Education. Two-year campuses will be eligible to apply for grants to receive funding to bolster their CTE offerings. Grants will be awarded based on the projects goals of developing a pipeline of students in CTE fields as well as raising awareness about opportunities in those areas. OCHE is expected to award four-to-six grants between $30,000-$50,000 to eligible campuses and programs. The focus of the Montanas Future at Work initiative on student success and specialized business needs aligns with our long-standing interest in supporting education and economic development in Montana, said Mike Halligan, the executive director of the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation. We are excited about this investment and the direct connections it will provide between high school students, communities, two-year college campuses and Montanas businesses, Halligan continued. The initiative aims to address workforce needs across the state by connecting students to training opportunities in CTE-related fields while they are still in high school. By working with students during their high school experience and into their professional careers Montanas Future at Work will expand the pipeline of new graduates who are ready to meet the unique needs of specific industries and businesses, OCHE wrote in the announcement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Vague policies and poor training due to high turnover resulted in more than $50,000 misspent from the state prison's inmate welfare fund, legislative auditors reported Tuesday. The Montana Department of Corrections manages the inmate welfare fund, which sees revenues from the cost of telephone calls made by inmates and their purchases at canteens in prison facilities around the state. The funds can then be used for inmates and their families through an application process. The total of questionable or inappropriate expenses from that fund presented to lawmakers on Tuesday was $51,297. The true total could be higher: state Legislative Audit Division took a narrow sample, 141 of 3,566 expenses from the inmate welfare fund from 2019 to 2021. However, Amber Robbins, an analyst supervisor with the audit office, told the Legislative Audit Committee these expenses were selected because they had the potential to be questionable. "It was definitely a targeted sample," she said. The audit largely chalked the misspending up to vague policies and inconsistent interpretation of those policies across different prison facilities. The inappropriate expenses, the audit states, leaves less money in the account to benefit inmates and creates equity issues, which in turn could result in higher costs to the state and local communities through higher recidivism rates. Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin told lawmakers his office concurred with the audit's findings and policy changes were already underway. Natalie Smitham, the department's new chief financial officer, said the funds would be returned to the inmate welfare fund through the fiscal year end processes that will take place next month. The audit found "most" expenses were appropriate, although several were "questionable" and a few others were clearly inappropriate. Inappropriate expenses included a washing machine and dryers ($1,992); hotel room for an employee transporting an inmate ($107); and an ice and water dispenser for the infirmary ($5,200). Questionable expenses, in which policy was unclear on whether or not the state was responsible for the cost, included 13 computers and printers for inmates to access prison policy and legal research at a cost of $12,000. The audit states "it is well-established that adequate access to the courts for inmates is a state responsibility," although the welfare fund pays for a portion of monthly costs for access to legal reference materials. Items for inmates who can't afford hygiene or legal supplies have also been paid for by the inmate welfare fund, another point the auditors listed as "questionable" and could fall under the state's responsibility. The audit sample found $9,450 in expenses on items for indigent inmates, although the department told auditors the estimated annual expense across all facilities is closer to $28,000. The audit includes a response from the Department of Corrections, which states the department is not funded for indigent kits and will request funding from the Legislature in the 2023 session. Sen. John Esp, R-Big Timber, asked Gootkin Tuesday to clarify that the department will bear that cost whether the Legislature funds it or not. "If it isn't funded through the Legislature than we have to reevaluate and look at our own budget," Gootkin assured him. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. For 54 days in 1972, 100 Montanans convened in the states most beautiful meeting place, the chambers for its House of Representatives. With Charlie Russells awe-inspiring painting reminding them of Montanas past, they created a template for our future. Earlier this month, the same delegates, or their descendants, returned to those chambers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the constitution they produced. Various panels explored various provisions, but the most important takeaway from the event was not in any constitutional article. It was between the lines. Only eight of the original delegates were present to answer the roll call. The oldest, Arlyne Reichert of Great Falls, spoke with the same graciousness and conviction that has characterized every day of her 96 years. I close my eyes and I can still see them, she recalled. My 99 fellow delegates. We came from all walks of life. The one thing we had in common was our love of MontanaThat love just permeated the whole convention. Next to Arlyne sat the Con-Cons youngest delegate, Mae Nan (Robinson) Ellingson of Missoula. When her name was called, she simply responded, Present. Then she confessed she was still stinging from the note President Graybill would send her when she waxed a bit too loquacious on the floor: You can wrap it up now, Mrs. Robinson. Her seatmate burst out laughing. It was a time for stories, told with smiles and tears. The son of Manhattan Delegate Grace Bates recalled that in her later years, Grace had trouble sleeping. One night, instead of sheep, she counted delegates, reciting the occupants of desks front to back and side to side repeatedly, but only coming up with 99. At about 5 a.m., she realized she hadnt counted herself. So like her. C. Louise Crosss son told of his pride in this visionary stateswoman from Glendive who chaired the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. She was a force to be reckoned with. Years after the convention, a Montana rancher pooh-poohed her question about the constitutionality of a particular proposal. The constitution is probably too technical for her, he explained. Big mistake. I helped write it, she replied. Betty Babcock of Helena died in 2013, but fellow delegates credit her work as crucial to getting the constitution ratified. It came about in a funny way. She was playing hostess to a group her husband, former Governor Tim Babcock, was entertaining. The men all agreed the constitution would go down in flames. Betty put down the coffee pot, took off her apron, and told Tim she was needed elsewhere. Her advocacy from that day on was indefatigable. Im sure our dads are laughing up in heaven, Shannon Cate Schweyen chuckled after Elizabeth Campbell addressed the assembly with the same puckish expression her father, Delegate Bob Campbell of Missoula, always displayed. In true Montana style, Shannon continued, she and Elizabeth had met in a grocery store a few weeks earlier. It wasnt until they sat next to each other that morning that they realized they shared a deeper connection. Helena attorney Raph Graybill rose to represent Convention President Leo Graybill, Jr. Yes, its an honor to represent his grandfather, he acknowledged, but its also an honor to practice law today with Emily Cross, the granddaughter of Louise Cross, and Jeffrey Dahood and Mick McKeon, the sons of Anaconda delegates Wade Dahood and Mick McKeon. Love for the law may be in the DNA. Toward the end of the roll call, Lisa Skari, daughter of Chester Delegate Carman Skari, rose. Her father did not live to see the constitution ratified, she said, but the people in this room wrapped their arms around my family and gave us love and warmth and comfort when we needed itThis is a beautiful document, and I think it happened because beautiful people wrote it. Permeating the chambers at that moment was the lesson those 100 delegates wrote between the lines 50 years ago: The deep love of Montana simply cannot be separated from an abiding faith in fellow Montanans, warts and all and the fervent hope that future generations will share that faith, that hope, and that love. Amen to that. Mary Sheehy Moe is a retired educator and former state senator, school board trustee, and city commissioner who writes a weekly column for the Lee Newspapers. To commemorate the golden anniversary of Montanas constitution, she will devote several columns to that subject throughout 2022. This is the first. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 DECATUR Decatur school district leaders are in talks with the Decatur Park District about potentially building a new facility in Lincoln Park on the city's west side. In a statement issued Monday, the district said it is exploring replacing the district's oldest buildings, Dennis Lab School's dual campus facilities. The Illinois General Assembly granted a waiver on April 9 that would allow the district to build a new school using federal pandemic relief funds, it said. "The use of federal funds to pay for a new school building will not impact the local tax levy," the district said. "Seeking this authority streamlined the process for building the new DPS facility and will assist the District in meeting the stringent timeline of grant funding." State law allows school districts to build without a referendum if half or more of the project's funding comes from sales tax. The district said it asked lawmakers to apply the same concept using federal funds, including Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER, or more commonly known as CARES) grant funds, of which the district received over $76 million. The announcement comes after weeks of rumors about the deal. A final decision has not been made, the district said. Dennis School was expanded to two campuses during the 2020-21 school year as part of the BOLD Facilities Plan created under former Superintendent Paul Fregeau. They are Mosaic, the original building at 1499 W. Main St., and Kaleidoscope, in the former French Academy building at 520 W. Wood St. The original Dennis building was not big enough to serve all the students within the school's boundary and the school had a long waiting list, forcing re-assignment of students to other district buildings. Grades 2,3,6,7 and 8 are housed at the Mosaic Campus and grades Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1, 4, and 5 are at the Kaleidoscope Campus. The staff chose this configuration to allow older students to act as mentors to younger ones at each building. Dennis is a lab school, with partnerships with Millikin University and Illinois State University. Using a model of project-based learning, students apply lessons learned in the classroom to hands-on experiences. The district's full statement is below: "On April 9, 2022, District #61 was granted a waiver by the Illinois General Assembly giving DPS the authority to build a new school using federal pandemic relief funds. DPS is in discussions about building a new facility to replace District 61s oldest school buildings, Dennis Lab Schools dual campus facilities. DPS has considered several locations for a new school facility. In partnership with the Decatur Park District, District 61 is currently considering a portion of the Lincoln Park area. However, no final decision has been made. "State statute currently allows school districts the authority to build without a referendum if 50 percent or more of the projects funding comes from sales tax. DPS and another district petitioned the legislature to apply this same concept to using federal funds and it was approved. These funds include Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER, or more commonly known as CARES) grant funds, of which District 61 has received $76,304,698. The use of federal funds to pay for a new school building will not impact the local tax levy. Seeking this authority streamlined the process for building the new DPS facility and will assist the District in meeting the stringent timeline of grant funding. "We will, of course, keep our families and community updated if a decision is made to move forward with a new school building." Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. RTHK: Death toll rises in Texas trafficking incident The death toll from a human trafficking incident on Monday in which migrants suffered under extreme Texas heat inside a truck rose to 50, US and Mexican officials said on Tuesday, in one of the most fatal incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border in recent history. The migrants died inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, where temperatures swelled to a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius). Local authorities responded on Monday afternoon to a remote area in the city's southern outskirts and found the truck parked next to railroad tracks. Bodies were strewn over a couple of blocks after it is believed that the back door of the trailer was opened, a local law enforcement official told Reuters on Tuesday. Local and U.S. authorities said there were no signs of water and no visible working air conditioning inside the truck. "It's unspeakable," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on MSNBC, noting that his community depends on migrants while there is a labour shortage. "It's a tragedy beyond explanation." US President Joe Biden in a statement on Tuesday called the incident "horrifying and heartbreaking." Calling out the multibillion-dollar criminal smuggling industry, Biden said that "exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful," and said that his administration was working to crack down on these networks. Biden has struggled with a record number of migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border since he took office in January 2021. Some 22 Mexicans, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans were identified among the dead, Mexico Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter on Tuesday. There was no information on the nationality of the other 19, Mexican officials said. More than a dozen people were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the San Antonio Fire Department said. The Baptist Medical Center in San Antonio on Tuesday said that three of the five patients brought there had died. The truck may have been carrying around 100 migrants, but the exact number remains unclear, according to a law enforcement official and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official briefed on the investigation. The migrants were sprinkled in a pungent substance, said the two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity. In past incidents, smugglers have used different substances to disguise the smell of human cargo and evade canine detection. A spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry told Reuters that the country's consulates in Houston and Dallas would be investigating the incident. Mexican officials are assisting the families of the victims and the transfer of the bodies, said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who offered condolences "to the relatives of this catastrophe." Ebrard on Tuesday said Mexico was opening an investigation into the tragedy. The city's police chief, William McManus, on Monday said a person who works in a nearby building heard a cry for help and came out to investigate. The worker found the trailer doors partially opened, looked inside and found a number of dead bodies. It appeared that the migrants had recently crossed the US-Mexico border and were picked up by the truck to be taken to where they would work, a Mexican official said. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the death toll and said that its Homeland Security Investigations division had detained three individuals "believed to be part of the smuggling conspiracy." The local law enforcement official said one suspect was arrested by the truck and two were found at a house after police tracked a vehicle an eyewitness described leaving the scene. The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings for Biden, a Democrat who came into office pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. Republicans have criticised Biden's border strategy ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November. Lopez Obrador on Tuesday said he will meet with Biden in Washington on July 12 to discuss migration. The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE's investigative unit who retired in December. In July 2017, 10 migrants died after being transported in a tractor-trailer that was discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr., was sentenced the following year to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation. A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Monday's incident "distressing," adding that it illustrates again the need for safe pathways for migration and accountability for those involved in human smuggling. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Syrian Catholic Bishops Highlight Complex Challenges in Middle East Syriac Catholic bishops meet for their annual synod June 20-25 in Lebanon. Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan (center) presided. ( Syriac Catholic Patriarchate) BEIRUT -- Although security issues in the Middle East have declined in recent years, the challenges that remain are "getting more complex, as we have entered a tunnel whose darkness has not yet subsided," Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan told the world's Syriac Catholic bishops. The patriarch said an atmosphere of "anxiety and bewilderment over the future" has clouded the atmosphere because "living conditions have deteriorated." "But we remain a people of hope in the Lord Jesus and in his life-giving word," the patriarch said as he opened the June 20-25 synod. In their final statement, the Syriac Catholic bishops said they discussed "the suffering of their children as a result of the difficult conditions, persecutions, acts of violence, terrorism, displacement, killing and destruction, and the uprooting of a large number" of their faithful from the land of their forefathers. Regarding "the catastrophe" in Lebanon, the bishops decried the suffering of the Lebanese people amid "the frightening political, security, economic, financial and social crises they are enduring." With the ongoing political crisis and the 2020 Lebanon bomb blast, Lebanon's economy has tanked, and nearly 90% of Lebanese now live in poverty. The bishops expressed their satisfaction with the election of the new Lebanese government May 15 and the assignment of a new prime minister June 23, and they called on all officials "to work on alleviating the pain of citizens, the majority of whom are now languishing below the poverty line, and to carry out the required reforms and implement the economic recovery plan" as well as to restore the confidence of the International Monetary Fund. The bishops also called for the election of a new president of Lebanon within the constitutional deadline, in order to avoid a presidential vacancy and constitutional vacuum. President Michel Aoun's term expires in October. The Syriac Catholic bishops lamented "the deteriorating economic situation in Syria and the increasing rate of poverty, unemployment and suffering" and expressed hope that officials would work together to rebuild their country. They also demanded sanctions against the Syrian people be lifted. The European Union, the United States, the Arab League, Switzerland, Canada and Australia have imposed sanctions on Syria for a variety of reasons, including terrorism and repression of Syrian citizens. The bishops addressed the exodus of Syriacs, particularly from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, and their increasing numbers in the countries to which they are moving -- in Europe, the Americas and Australia. Although the faithful now live "their national human rights," the bishops said, "they face the challenge of preserving their faith and heritage of their parents and grandparents." "We feel our common responsibility and the urgent need to continue serving the displaced spiritually, pastorally and socially," the Syriac Catholic bishops said. Because providing mission priests and preparing seminarians was of great importance, they designated the third Sunday after Easter as a day of prayer for priestly and monastic vocations. DECATUR Macon County health officials are recommending additional precautions after the Centers for Disease Control has designated its COVID community level as high. The designation is based on a combination the weekly metrics case rate per 100,000 population (300.94 cases for Macon County), new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (16), and percent staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 (4.3%). In its latest weekly update, which provides statistics for June 16-22, the Macon County Health Department reported 296 new cases and seven hospitalizations. Macon County joins nearby Champaign, Douglas, Montgomery and Tazewell counties with the high designation. All of the counties that border Macon are designated as medium. Based on the high community level, it is recommended that individuals: Wear a well-fitted mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status. Stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines, including booster doses. Get tested if you have symptoms. Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19. Contact Scott Perry at (217) 421-7976. Follow him on Twitter: @scottperry66 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PANA Pana Community Hospital will work with its other transport partners to ensure continued around the clock availability for patients after Decatur Ambulance Service closes. The hospital sent a statement to the Herald & Review on Tuesday, after news of the closure broke on Monday. Decatur Ambulance Service serves the Decatur, Pana and Shelbyville areas. It is the only ambulance provider in Decatur. The care of our patients is always our top priority. We are extremely fortunate to have several transport resources available in the Pana area. We will continue to work with our other partners to ensure 24-hour coverage to transport patients," said Trina Casner, Pana Community Hospital president and CEO, in the statement. Pana Community Hospital served more than 5,000 patients in its emergency department last year. Patients had 1,438 ambulance rides and 56 patients were transported by helicopter, the statement said. Decatur Ambulance Services will close as of Sept. 1, its parent company confirmed on Monday. It was bought by Hospital Sisters Health System in 2018. HSHS also operates St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur. The ambulance service was founded in 1959. Pana Community Hospital has had a long-standing relationship with Decatur Ambulance to provide transport of our patients for many years. We are saddened to see Decatur Ambulance services dissolve," said Greg Hager, nurse outpatient services manager. Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter:@connorkwood Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. There are virtually no precedents in American law in which a right declared fundamental by the Supreme Court was erased. While the court has overhauled constitutional protections before, the complete retraction of the right to abortion sets the nation on a course it has never seen. From 1910 to 1937, the court recognized a right to freedom of contract, but this rarely functioned as a liberty for workers often, the court used this right to strike down laws protecting workers. And in the 1970s, four years after ruling that the death penalty as applied in the U.S. was unconstitutional, the court reinstated capital punishment after states revised their laws to meet the courts requirements, leading to the executions of more than 1,500 people in the decades since. But the court has never so clearly recognized a constitutional right and then simply wiped it away. We often think of courts as expanding rights such as protection from racial discrimination in public schools in 1954, or the right to use contraception in 1965, or marriage equality in 2015. It might be no surprise that when we think of the protection of rights, we tend to think of courts. But the rise and fall of Roe tells a more complicated story about where our rights come from, and what we can do to defend them. Historically, the Supreme Court has almost never acted in a vacuum. The decisions we attribute to the court, good or bad, have come in the middle of broader social movement mobilizations, with strategies that unfolded not just in the courts but in the legislatures and on the streets. The view of Roe the public knows best now one centered on womens rights was not articulated by the Supreme Court in 1973. At that time, the justices focused as much on the rights of doctors as on the rights of women. Feminists promoted a different interpretation of Roe, one based on self-determination for patients, that caught on with the public, with politicians, and with the court. There has been half a century of work by the antiabortion movement to change the Republican Party, rework the way campaign spending works, and make sure that a different kind of justice was nominated to the Supreme Court one who was more conservative, more ideologically committed, and less afraid of controversy. The reality is that our rights have never just come from the court, and that wont change now. Whether people in America can access abortion will not depend on six conservative justices. It will depend on the support progressive states provide, the ingenuity of people who support abortion access, and the ability of conservative states to shut down those avenues. Whether there is a right to abortion, too, will depend on all of us whether there is a progressive movement large and committed enough to match what conservatives have accomplished in changing a political party and the court. And whether that movement is operating in a country democratic enough to respond to popular will. For decades, polls have shown that a majority of Americans did not want abortion rights to be eliminated. Now, we will see what they are willing to do about it. Mary Ziegler is a professor at the UC Davis School of Law. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In last week's issue of New York magazine, two photos of Sen. Dianne Feinstein are laid out side by side. In the first, from 1971, she is smiling broadly, hair bobbed, wearing pearls the first female president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She's about 38 years old. On the facing page is Feinstein today, half a century later, in almost the same pose and pearls, but now her face is deeply lined, her shoulders hunched, her expression substantially less joyous. She looks irritated. The caption: "The oldest sitting U.S. senator." It should go without saying, of course, that there's no shame in getting old. Each of us, if all goes well, will someday get wrinkles and our hair will thin and, over time, our strength and vitality will decline. But Feinstein, who turned 89 last week, has kicked off a heated national debate by refusing to step down from her job even as people begin to clamor about her age and competence. And she is hardly alone among her peers in clinging to power as she ages. Famously, Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat unbudgingly on the Supreme Court until she died at age 87. (Remember how she fell asleep during the State of the Union address in 2015?) There's House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is 82 and apparently going strong. Sen. Mitch McConnell is 80, and he's waiting to become Senate majority leader again if Republicans win control in November. Incumbency turns out to be a very pleasant place, and power an aphrodisiac that is difficult to give up to the point that the word "gerontocracy" has suddenly become common. Is this a problem? I think it is. In Feinstein's case, it is especially so because of the parade of reports on her cognitive diminishment, including a San Francisco Chronicle article in which sources described her memory as "rapidly deteriorating" and a New York Times story that described her increasing "befuddlement." But even beyond the issue of cognition, isn't there a point at which we all become slower, less relevant and less attuned to the changing world around us? It's troubling to be led by so many people who came of age in a distant, nearly unrecognizable era. At some point, government becomes sclerotic, stagnant and backward-looking and requires new blood. The two most prominent exemplars of the trend are Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In 2017, Trump was the oldest person ever to become president. He was 70. Four years later, that record was smashed by his successor, Biden, who was 78 when he was sworn in. And now and this is the mind-boggling part both Trump and Biden are thinking of running again. Call me ageist, but I'm not the only one worrying about this. A recent article said that Democratic leaders all over the country are concerned about Biden's age, vigor and political viability and that many don't want him to seek another term. If he were to win, he would be 86 at the end of it. Trump would be 82. And it's not just the presidency. Eleven sitting U.S. senators were born while Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. Thirty-three senators are 70 or older. Only one is under 40. (The median age in the U.S. is 38.1 years.) One way to address these problems would be to enact an upper age limit for public officials. The Constitution already sets lower limits. You have to be at least 25 to become a member of the House of Representatives, 30 to be a senator and 35 to be president. Or maybe that's going too far. Maybe we don't want to force out people who are still performing at a high level. In that case, we could simply require candidates or sitting government officials to undergo a thorough nonpartisan medical review to assess their physical and mental health after, say, 70. Or we could enact term limit laws. Senators, for instance, might be held to two six-year terms. That wouldn't be an age restriction, but it would clearly reduce the number of older senators. In 2019, former President Jimmy Carter who is still legally entitled to one more term if he chooses to run again pointed out that presidents need to be intellectually flexible and attuned to new ideas and acknowledged that he couldn't have handled the job even at age 80. Which is why, for the moment, we have to rely on the good sense of our leaders to know when they've served long enough, and to get out of the way when the time is right. Nicholas Goldberg is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Partly cloudy skies. Hot. High 99F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear early, then a few clouds later on. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. " " This is Sessho seki, the "killing stone" on the plains of Mount Nasu in Japan after it split March 5, 2022. Miyuki Meinaka Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 4.0) In early March 2022, all hell broke loose on the internet when a Japanese-language tweet went viral. The tweet from user @Lily0727K featured a picture of a sizable dark stone at a sightseeing spot in Japan that had fractured into two pieces along with the following translated text via Google: "I came alone to the killing stone, where the legend of the nine-tailed fox remains." After some additional details, the tweet ominously concludes: "If it's a manga [Japanese comic book or graphic novel], it's a pattern that the seal is broken and it's possessed by the nine-tailed fox, and I feel like I've seen something that shouldn't be seen." The "nine-tailed fox" is a reference to the devious fox spirit, known in Japan as Tamamo-no-Mae. As news outlets reported at the time, Tamamo-no-Mae had allegedly been trapped for centuries in a volcanic rock on the plains of Mount Nasu in Japan. The stone was called Sessho seki, or the "killing stone" in English. With the stone split in half, internet denizens and scholars began to speculate about what might happen now that the spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae was potentially let loose in the Japanese countryside, free to terrorize unsuspecting citizens. But it seems there's more to this story than the media initially reported. "I was a bit dismayed at how so many Western media sites got the facts wrong and didn't seem to look beyond Twitter for the actual story behind the superstition," says Matthew Meyer, a folklorist based in Japan who runs yokai.com, which is an illustrated database of Japanese ghosts and monsters. As it turns out: An evil spirit probably didnt escape from the stone after all. "Tamamo-no-Mae was never 'trapped' in the stone. She was the stone," Meyer says. Advertisement Who Is Tamamo-no-Mae? "Tamamo-no-Mae is one of the three 'greatest evils' to befall Japan," says Emerald L. King, a lecturer in humanities at the University of Tasmania and a cosplayer who researches Japanese literature and popular culture. There are numerous versions of her story, but the most relevant one for our purposes concerns the 74th Japanese emperor Toba, who ruled the nation from 1103 to 1156 C.E. As the legend goes, the fox spirit Tamamo-no-Mae disguised herself as a woman to bewitch the emperor as part of a scheme to overthrow his rule. The emperor was so enthralled that he did nothing but pay attention to Tamamo-no-Mae, neglecting his rule. " " Detail of a late 1820s woodblock print showing the warrior Miura-no-suke confronting Tamamo-no-mae as she turns into an evil fox with nine tails (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) "This is again a tale as old as time. A powerful, beautiful woman comes to court and bewitches a king and is accused of witchcraft or magic," King says. According to Peter Durfee's English translation of the book "Folktales of Nasu" by Matsumoto Takeo, the emperor fell gravely ill around this time, but a Japanese soothsayer known as Abe no Yasunari suspected Tamamo-no-Mae of wrongdoing. Revealing her true identity, Tamamo-no-Mae fled into the lands around Mount Nasu. "Legend says that Tamamo-no-Mae was slain in that plain, and her body turned into that stone," Meyer says. To be clear: Instead of being trapped in a rock as some news outlets suggest, it turns out that Tamamo-no-Mae actually turned into a rock herself. "Because she was such an evil spirit in life, in death her evil lingered on the stone, turning it into the 'killing stone.' Advertisement The Politics of Tamamo-no-Mae Folklore often intersects with real life in complex ways, and some scholars think the tale of Tamamo-no-Mae may reflect the turbulent nature of Japanese politics during the Hogen Rebellion a time period that marks the power transition from noble to samurai rule in Japan. "The year this story takes place, 1156, is an extremely important year in Japanese history," says Nick Kapur, historian of Japan and author of the book "Japan at the Crossroads," who tweeted about the stone splitting incident when it occurred. Meyer says that monsters often terrorize the imperial court in Japanese folklore, perhaps as a way to suggest that the emperor's power is so divine that monsters would attack him. So Tamamo-no-Mae's story isn't necessarily unique in that sense. "Monsters have always targeted the emperor, and heroes have always been called upon to slay them, so she can be counted as part of a long tradition of powerful spirits targeting the political center of Japan," Meyer says. Advertisement Tamamo-no-Mae in Japanese Culture King says that Japanese locals in Togichi prefecture are likely very familiar with Tamamo-no-Mae, whose legend helps support the local tourist industry. "Japan has a strong history of contents-based tourism come to this obscure spot to see this one famous thing so the rock in the plains of Nasu and its surrounding volcanic activity would be well known," King says. But the story of Tamamo-no-Mae isn't just local legend, but also a tale told throughout Japan, appearing in many video games, anime and manga. King says Tamamo-no-Mae has become an "incredibly popular" figure in the mobile games "Fate GO" and "Onmyoji," among others. "Tamamo-no-Mae is almost universally known in Japan," Meyer says. The long-lasting legacy of the stone probably has partly to do with the fact that many scholars and artists have written about it over the years in plays and a Japanese travelogue by haiku poet Matsuo Basho titled "The Narrow Road to the Deep North." "The stone has been consistently well documented in Japanese literature," Kapur says. That being said, Tamamo-no-Mae's role in Japanese culture has shifted over time as views on women have changed. "In the original stories, Tamamo-no-Mae is pretty much pure evil, as a woman attempting to usurp power from male emperors, but over the centuries her image has shifted and now she is often portrayed in pop culture as a kind of proto-feminist anti-hero," Kapur says. Advertisement Why Is This Rock Considered the "Killing Stone"? The infamous "killing stone" or Sessho seki is a 6-foot-tall (nearly 2-meter-tall) volcanic rock spanning a whopping 26 feet (8 meters) in circumference, which sits on the slopes of Mount Nasu in Nikko National Park. The park is located in Togichi Prefecture in Japan, which is roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Tokyo, according to The New York Times. But how did this particular stone become known worldwide as the "killing stone"? It has to do with its location on a volcanic plain near Mount Nasu as well as its large size, which people could easily spot among the smaller stones. Sulfurous hot springs surround the area, contributing to the idea of deadly gases in the rocks though they're not really harmful. "There actually are some poisonous gases that seep out of the ground in the area and people have been known to find dead small animals nearby in the past, although the stone and the gases in the area are not actually dangerous to human beings," Kapur says. Especially since Tamamo-no-Mae was rumored to have died in this area, Meyer says, "it's easy to see how people might have viewed it as an evil object or spirit with the power to radiate death." Advertisement Is the Stone Splitting Really That Serious? Despite all the internet doom-and-gloom surrounding Sessho seki, seemingly not much evildoing has happened since the stone split as far as we can tell. In fact, some experts suggest it was always internet hype pushing the idea of an evil spirit being released into the world rather, than concerned Japanese citizens. Meyer says that while people in Japan were amused by a story connected to a famous legend like Tamamo-no-Mae, he adds that "nobody truly feared that an evil spirit was loose, and nobody really believed it was a bad omen." King suggests that our increasingly negative expectations of the world spurred on by a global pandemic and the online presence of gamers familiar with Tamamo-no-Mae's story contributed to it going viral online. Blaming our worldly ills on a curse unleashed by Tamamo-no-Mae was "more like a way to laugh at our collective pain," Meyer says. But there's always the chance that Tamamo's spirit could be out there causing mayhem again. "I guess, keep an eye out for a beautiful and alluring new aide-de-camp standing too close to powerful world leaders in the next few years," King says jokingly. Now That's Interesting Fox spirits or "kitsune" are "some of the most numerous and ubiquitous creatures in Japanese folklore," according to Meyer, who will soon be releasing a book titled "The Fox's Wedding: a Compendium of Japanese Folklore." Kitsune were traditionally seen as messengers of the gods. These fox spirits aren't just wicked like Tamamo-no-Mae but can be benevolent as well. "The idea of the wicked fox spirit who disguises itself as a woman to prey upon men was imported much later from China, and blended into local Japanese fox lore," Meyer adds. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step, according to a well-known Chinese proverb. To keep pace with global competitors on a recent trade agreement tear, U.S. dairy farmers may not have 1,000 miles to go, but they do need to see progress in the right direction and soon! On May 24, Washington leadership embarked on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), an initiative to build and strengthen economic relationships in Asia. The jury is still out on whether it will represent a baby step forward or a strong stride. Be assured that the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) are working to get as much value out of the undertaking as possible for the U.S. dairy industry. The United States launched IPEF with 13 other countries: Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The collection of countries includes seven of our top 10 export markets, of which only two are U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) partners . . . Australia and South Korea. Negotiations are scheduled to kick off this summer and tackle four pillars of various economic interests. One of the biggest interests for dairy farmers is called connected economy the code words for trade. But unlike traditional FTAs, IPEF is not designed to deal with tariffs, which remain a touchy topic and one on which dairy is giving its best effort to push the Biden administration to reconsider that approach. Still, even an agreement that doesnt directly tackle tariffs could hold meaningful benefits for dairy, and NMPF and USDEC are advocating for action on specific topics that could help improve trade flows. Among those are: Reduce trading partners tariffs by alternative routes. Refusing to take no for an answer, were touting a different way to tackle tariffs. Even if the United States omits its own tariffs from the talks, USTR could try to secure foreign tariff cuts that benefit all exporters that are World Trade Organization (WTO) members, including the United States. The U.S. government secured similar cuts with Vietnam within the last two years to help dairy and other agricultural exports. Refusing to take no for an answer, were touting a different way to tackle tariffs. Even if the United States omits its own tariffs from the talks, USTR could try to secure foreign tariff cuts that benefit all exporters that are World Trade Organization (WTO) members, including the United States. The U.S. government secured similar cuts with Vietnam within the last two years to help dairy and other agricultural exports. Safeguard use of common cheese names. After generations of exporting its citizens and culture around the world especially to the United States the EU has been working to roll back the clock and ban its New World competitors from using well-known cheese names like Parmesan and Asiago. IPEF offers an EU-free zone to fight back against Europes protectionist tactics by protecting the use of those terms. After generations of exporting its citizens and culture around the world especially to the United States the EU has been working to roll back the clock and ban its New World competitors from using well-known cheese names like Parmesan and Asiago. IPEF offers an EU-free zone to fight back against Europes protectionist tactics by protecting the use of those terms. Cut red tape by streamlining regulatory import requirements. Its pretty simple to export most dairy products to the United States. In contrast, its harder than it needs to be to ship into some other IPEF markets. For instance, Indonesia has a dairy plant registration process that can take two to three years. Through IPEF, the United States could secure a more workable regional approach to dairy import regulatory systems. Bipartisan allies in Congress have also been encouraging USTR to explore how to translate IPEF into something that helps advance agricultural exports. The route ahead for the IPEF may be long and arduous, and the outcome is uncertain. But the economic prospects for dairy in this fast-growing region are simply too consequential to ignore. And although there are miles to go in IPEFs development, dairy must seize this opportunity to get started on making headway down the road. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2022 June 23, 2022 The heart and soul of federal milk marketing orders are often thought of as the classified pricing system and pooling, and the complexities of those tools make them both popular and not. But there are other benefits of federal orders that would have to be recreated in a new system if we were to drastically alter or get rid of the federal order system, reminded Mark Stephenson. The most important piece would likely be price discovery, the University of Wisconsin-Madison economist explained on the June 15 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream. Price discovery is one of the things they do to be able to enforce classified pricing, he explained. Stephenson described federal orders as a neutral third party, and when they announce monthly prices, dairy buyers and sellers can agree on those standards for their contracts. This makes the futures market possible for dairy, Stephenson continued. Since milk is a perishable, fluid, bulky product to transport, delivery markets were not a good option. Dairy needed cash settled markets, and the action of the federal orders made it possible to have a good idea of prices and milk usage. If youre going to run a truly competitive market, you have to have reliable information, emphasized Mike Brown, who oversees the entire dairy supply chain for the more than 2,000 grocery stores operated in the U.S. by the Kroger Company. He said the need for data is undebatable in order to allow for fair marketing decisions. One of the beauties of the work federal orders do on that part of the business is we understand production levels, we understand components, we have prices for the base commodities . . . thats all very, very useful, Brown expanded. Whether you regulate a pound or not, that kind of information needs to continue to happen to have a market that works. How we regulate it is the big discussion. In addition to data on prices, federal orders are responsible for much measuring and testing across the industry, Stephenson added. This encompasses everything from identifying milk components to tracking processing plant activity so all production is accounted for. There are many conversations about desired changes to federal order systems, and Stephenson acknowledged it is time to have those discussions. As that occurs, though, we will have to consider everything our current system handles. It wont be a simple line to walk. All of those things I think would have to be recreated if we just decided we didnt like or didnt want federal orders anymore, Stephenson concluded. The industry needs something like that in order to function. To watch the recording of the June 15 DairyLivestream, go to the link above. The program recording is also available as an audio-only podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and downloadable from the Hoards Dairyman website. Register to continue receiving updates The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, July 20 at 11 a.m. CT. As of January 2022, we moved to a new system. If you have not yet, you will need to re-register to continue receiving email updates and links to the webcasts. You can sign up here now. Registering once will sign you up you for all future events. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2022 June 27, 2022 New CBD surveillance systems may be threatening Australians personal privacy, but a new analysis of online privacy practices suggests you probably dont even know about the most intrusive ways profit-minded companies are tracking your every move online. Fully 74 per cent of the more than 1,000 consumers surveyed in Deloittes latest Australian Privacy Index survey said they believe the companies they interact with online are collecting information about their browsing activities with 83 per cent of Australias top 100 online brands seemingly doing so, based on an analysis of their privacy policies. Yet apart from burying scant detail within those often-voluminous policies, only 2 per cent of brands are actively disclosing the way they track your activities online leaving most consumers unaware of how their data is being used by companies and shared with their business partners. That data is being collected in ever greater amounts by increasingly intrusive trackers as online brands lean on data to reshape post-COVID retail environment around personalised services. With ANZ businesses expecting 60 per cent of their revenues to come from digital channels within two years, according to a new Salesforce survey of over 4,100 commerce professionals, 90 per cent of online sellers now rely on customer data to build their business plans. Firms like Woolworths and Kmart have credited data collection activities with growing success as retailers work to adapt Amazons data-driven commerce model to reshape their own activities. Yet consumers are far less happy about personalised services than companies make out, Deloitte found, with just 43 per cent of respondents happy to share their personal information even when aware of how their data will be used and 51 per cent uncomfortable with their online activity being tracked. Despite the retail industrys personalisation mantra, young Australians (age 18 to 34) were the only demographic that sees value in online personalisation with other age groups seeing it as going too far without adequate transparency. During the last two years consumers have shared more personal data than ever before, said Deloitte National Privacy and Data Protection lead partner Daniella Kafouris as the new figures were released, in exchange for various freedoms and access to products and services. A disconnect remains between consumer expectations and how brands collect and use personal data, Kafouris added, noting that personalisation is not for everyone. The older the demographic, she said, we found that increasingly more consumers perceive personalised experiences as crossing what we call a creepy line that hinders the customer experience and, by extension, a brands ability to build trust and engage with them. The results are a blow for companies that are investing heavily in data-driven business models in which harvesting data about consumers and their behaviour has become standard practice. Such companies, Kafouris said, need to take their customers on a transparency journey throughout the customer experience, rather than relying on legal documents like their privacy policy, to build trust before things get creepy. Toeing the creepy line The findings come amidst a flurry of announcements that suggest privacy is being rapidly eroded in everyday situations. Recent reports from Adelaide, for example, noted that the South Australia Police are proceeding with plans to use a new network of CBD surveillance cameras for mass facial recognition that will allow them to identify individuals of interest and track their movements across the monitored areas despite Adelaide City Councils objections and requests for safeguard measures. Coming on the heels of revelations that Bunnings, Kmart and The Good Guys stores have been using facial recognition technology to track their customers, its clear that the post-pandemic world is being rapidly filled with technologies designed to track you in the real world as easily as they do online. In the wake of the recent controversial US Supreme Court abortion ruling, concerned Americans are even reported to be deleting health apps they fear could be used to attract authorities unwanted attention and have already been used to secure criminal convictions. And while widespread collection of consumer facial information was enough to attract massive penalties and business restrictions for facial-recognition firm Clearview AI, businesses are walking a privacy tightrope as they embrace technologies most notoriously affiliated with Chinas surveillance state. Even the humble loyalty program has become weaponised, the Deloitte figures found, with 54 per cent of the studied brands offering no tangible incentive to consumers that are forced to create accounts to access their services. Tellingly, only 30 per cent of consumers are happy with companies current personalisation practices. It is evident that consumers are seeing the value brands can get from use of their information and want to receive a fair value exchange sharing their personal information, the report notes. [But] brands should consider whether their current offerings to consumers adequately represent the value of the information they are requesting, and ensure they provide proper transparency to consumers before sign-up on the use of their information. India and Bangladesh to work together to reduce silver smuggling By Isabelle Crossley Published Jun 28, 2022 Bangladeshi authorities are working with Indian authorities to stop silver smugglers bringing the precious metal from India to Bangladesh without paying any duties, which is affecting the countries economies. Silver smuggling is affecting both India and Bangladesh Over 2,000 kilograms of silver goods are smuggled from India into Bangladesh each year, an official in Bangladesh told Indo-Asian News Service. Indias is Bangladeshs main international silver jewellery and ornament supplier ahead of countries including China and Vietnam. In Bangladesh, we also have a 5% VAT on jewellery, another official source in Bangladesh told Indo-Asian News Service. Unscrupulous jewellers dealing in smuggled ornaments make customers pay this but do not reveal it in their records as the items they are dealing with are unaccounted for. Hence, they are making a killing both ways. Discussions have been held with India on joint operations to stop this smuggling. As Indian businesses should be paying export duties on silver, smuggling is also affecting the Indian economy. The North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal has been identified as a key smuggling border region but the South Bengal Frontier of the Border Security Force lacks adequate resources to effectively police the area. Over its past five operations in the area, the BSF seized over 28 kilograms of silver goods. As numerous Indian districts share borders with Bangladesh, there are expected to be more, as yet undiscovered, smuggling hubs. For the typical farmer, grain markets range from exhilarating to aggravating. There may be five minutes in between. Or five months. Or maybe more than a year, which has been the recent case. Of the two major players in the market, one looks at the markets as a way to feed the family. The other player looks at it as a way to build wealth, and create a comfortable retirement. They dont see eye to eye, and while the farmer might despise the investor, the investor could care less what the farmer thinks. There are a lot of miles between Rural Route 4 and Fort Myers. And they rarely meet. Currently, the farmer may see the end of a long ride to corn and soybean price levels that were never imagined a year ago, and certainly never by the prior generation which managed the farm and thought $3 corn and $5 beans were reasons for high fives. The lack of understanding between the farmer and the speculative investor is based on their use of the grain market. Farmers may have visited the elevator three or four times, selling grain when cash was needed, beginning when the 2021 crop reached $5. And maybe sold more at $5.50 and emptied their bins when it reached $6, not wanting to wait until it returned to $4. Investors bought contracts as the market climbed, selling them to pocket the money, buying more as the market climbed, and continued buying and selling until it reached over $8. Few famers sold few bushels at that level, while the investor was fueling the market with speculative trades. Sure, corn prices pushed toward record levels, but most farmers were sold out of corn a long time before prices peaked. After December 2022 corn prices topped at $7.50 on June 17, they have lost about $1 per bushel in the past five trading days. For the folks on Rural Route 4 whose corn looks like a Dole plantation on Maui, there does not seem to be any reason for corn prices to falter. For the investors, know the market needs to retreat followed by another run up to provide money-making opportunities. Such a precipitous decline is just another way to speculate on the way down. Farmers have always been followers of fundamentals in the market. Acres planted. Crop conditions. Chinese purchases. Brazilian weather. Ethanol policy. Cattle on feed, and the 1,700 other factors that will drive the market up or down. Investors could care less about keeping up with those, just too many that could turn on a dime and cause the market to lose a dollar. The speculative investors just watch the market action, buying and selling and adding a few cents or a few dollars to their bank account. Right now, they see the market going down, they have quit buying contracts and are now cashing out. Sell a corn contract today at $6.50, buy it back tomorrow at $6, and pocket the 50 cents. They dont worry about how much corn will be harvested. Let farmers worry about the fundamentals. Stu Ellis is an observer of the Central Illinois agriculture scene. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 MATTOON Entrepreneurs Mark and Pam King are novices at social media, so they needed help to grow the online presence of their relatively new businesses, Decals Plus Laser. They did not have to look far for assistance. Pam King, of Mattoon, said she has turned to Get it Gone co-owner Chelsy Lorance of Oakland, as they are both members of the grassroots Mattoon Area Business Networking group. This group brings small-business owners together to socialize, share information, and hear guest speakers on a variety of topics. Lorance, who is adept with social media, is one of the upcoming guest speakers. "It's just such a great group. Everyone is ready to help each other out. It has been a real blessing for us," King said. Melissa Harden, owner of Studio 21 photography in Mattoon, founded the Mattoon Area Business Networking group in 2019. It now has a self-named group page on Facebook with more than 400 members. Harden said learning about a Champaign area business networking group inspired her to start a similar effort in the Mattoon area, beginning with a variety of meeting times and locations. She said about six months ago they set a regular meeting schedule of 6 p.m. on the second Monday of every month at the Elevate entrepreneur development center at the Cross County Mall in Mattoon. "I really wanted to network with other businesses and see how we can help each other out, and it has really taken off," Harden said. "We are like a support system for Mattoon area businesses." Harden, who coordinates the meetings with the help of local entrepreneur Kari Jones and Amy Patrick, said they have hosted guest speakers on branding, finances, marketing, trouble shooting and many other business topics. The guest presentations occur between a meal, $10 per person, and networking time at Elevate. Harden said the meetings take place in an informal, personalized setting that complements the long standing business support services offered by the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce. Get it Gone co-owner Spencer Ridley said he and Lorance recently joined the Mattoon Chamber, after becoming members of the Charleston and Oakland ones, to get their name out to those who have not seen them on Facebook. He said they have used posts and videos, including one that drew 30,000 views, to promote their driveway friendly trash bin rentals, junk removal, and home clean out services. Ridley said he is a veteran hauler in the waste removal industry, but had no experience as an entrepreneur prior to Get it Gone starting. Ridley said he has appreciate the information shared by the Mattoon Area Business Networking group, including how to value a business' services so that its pricing can be affordable while covering service costs. King said she and her husband have been adding to the technology for their Decals Plus Laser gift personalization business since starting it five years ago, including acquiring a vinyl cutter, sublimation printer, and laser engraver. They can place personalized images and messages on vinyl decals and lettering, flags, signs, magnets, banners, cups, door mats, key chains, signs and more. Decals Plus Laser has been a member of Mattoon Area Business Networking since this group's early days. King said they appreciate being able to meet with other entrepreneurs in a relaxed setting, get to ask questions of guest speakers and "actually get the answers," and get introduced to Elevate's support services. "I just thought if we could get together with other business and we could network with each other, it's a plus for all of us," King said of joining. Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MENDON, Mo. A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in Missouri on Monday after hitting a dump truck that was blocking a public crossing, Amtrak said. Some people aboard were injured, but it was not immediately clear how many, according to Amtrak and local officials. The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the collision happened near Mendon at 1:42 p.m., Amtrak said. Eight cars and two locomotives derailed. Helicopter video shown by KMBC-TV in Kansas City from the scene showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. The video also showed six medical helicopters parked nearby waiting to transport patients. Three passengers were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, hospital spokesman Eric Maze said. He did not have information on their conditions. Passengers on the train included high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 PORTER A man who entered Lake Michigan on Monday morning to help a teen swimmer in distress died, Indiana Department of Natural Resources said. Thomas Kenning, 38, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was visiting with family and observed the teen swimmer in distress. He reached the teen and helped her to safety before going underwater and not resurfacing. Kenning was transported to Northwest Health Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will determine an exact cause. Porter and Chesterton firefighters were called out to the beach at 10:28 a.m. for swimmers in distress. "A female teen in the water was in distress and the gentleman went into the water and attempted to rescue her," Porter Fire Chief Jay Craig said. "She made it out with the assistance of lifeguards from (Indiana) Dunes State Park, but he got sucked under," Craig said. "Once they got her out they went back looking for the man." Chesterton Fire Chief Eric Camel estimated the man may have been in the water 15 minutes before the lifeguards found him in the waves approximately 20 to 30 feet from shore, just west of the Indiana Dunes State Park beach. "The man was brought on shore and CPR immediately begun," officials said. "The lifeguards were the true miracle workers today," Craig said. "They did the best job they could under difficult conditions. They never gave up. They did a phenomenal job." At the time of the incident, the Indiana Dunes State Park beach, immediately east of Porter Beach, was closed to swimming because of dangerous conditions, he said. Craig estimated Monday's waves to be 3 to 5 feet. Porter Beach is an unguarded beach and is considered "swim at your own risk." Staff Writer Annie Mattea contributed to reporting. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A 38-year-old motorist is accused of shooting at an Indiana State Police officer during a high speed chase Monday that resulted in the alleged gunman abandoning his vehicle with his weapon and then swimming naked for a while in the Little Calumet River before being taken into custody. The accused was identified by police as Carlos R. Santiago, of Milwaukee, who was cleared medically before being taken to the Lake County Jail. A state trooper said he stopped around 3:20 p.m. Monday to check on what he thought was a disabled vehicle along the Indiana Toll Road near the Calumet Avenue exit ramp. As he noticed the 1993 Ford Escort did not have a license plate, the driver sped away initiating a pursuit, according to state police. The pursuit continued into Hammond before returning eastbound on the toll road from Calumet Avenue to Cline Avenue where the driver briefly left the highway. The driver, later identified as Santiago, then headed eastbound in the westbound lanes of the toll road, police said. "As the driver was turning, shots were fired by the suspect out the window at the trooper," ISP said. "The trooper initially pursued the vehicle, however due to the traffic conditions, he terminated the pursuit." A crash involving vehicles was reported a short time later in the westbound lanes of the toll road east of Cline Avenue and Santiago was spotted fleeing his vehicle with a handgun, according to police. State police, joined by officers from Lake County, Gary and Hammond, all took part in the pursuit. Santiago was spotted under a bridge near the crash site and then jumped into the Little Calumet River while carrying the handgun, police said. He was seen swimming across the river and attempting to hide in weeds. "The Lake County Aviation Helicopter was able to observe the suspect from their overhead location and maintained visual contact as the suspect attempted to swim away from the officers," ISP said. Santiago eventually left the river and was taken into custody and faces charges. "Mr. Santiago was also wanted for questioning involving a police investigation in Milwaukee, WI," police said. Lt. Deven Hostetler, Area II investigative commander for the Indiana State Police, said he was, "Extremely appreciative of the effort made by all the responding agencies, in particular the Lake County Aviation Pilot, in locating this violent individual and removing him from the streets in a quick amount of time. The helicopter was instrumental in maintaining eyes on the suspect." Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said, "I am extremely proud of all the hard work everyone played in bringing this dangerous individual into custody. I thank God that everyone is safe and went home to their families. It is collaborative efforts like these that make Lake County safer for our citizens." Others involved in the crash were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Women and LGBTQ people woke up on Friday to a world in which their rights to prevent pregnancies, have sex and marry could vanish with the stroke of a Supreme Court ruling. This dystopian, Handmaids Tale scenario isnt just liberal hyperbole, I hate to say. The U.S. Supreme Court opinion reversing Roe v. Wade released Friday took away the constitutional right to an abortion, leaving states to decide the issue. The 200-plus-page package delivered by the court also contains something even more chilling: a concurring opinion penned by Justice Clarence Thomas arguing the court should reconsider other rulings that codified rights to same-sex relationships and marriage as well as access to contraception. The court based Roe v. Wade and these other rulings Griswold v. Connecticut, Lawrence V. Texas, and Obergefell v. Hodge on the 14th Amendments due process clause. Under Thomas reasoning, Fridays ruling elicits the revision of all similar precedents. He wrote that ...we have a duty to correct the error established in those precedents. He spoke for himself, not the other five conservative justices, but his opinion is an implicit invitation for red states to pass laws that run afoul of those precedents in hopes of reversing them. His writing confirms fears that the overturn of Roe v. Wade is just the first shoe to drop in the courts usurpation of rights we thought were woven into the fabric of our society. The courts three liberal justices echoed that concern, writing in their dissenting opinion that no one should be confident that this majority is done with its work. For women who couldnt care less about the end of Roe v. Wade thinking theyd never have an abortion, anyway its time to start caring. Thanks to the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut ruling, the middle-aged men who run most state capitols cannot prohibit you from accessing birth control. But, cmon, women take the pill like they take vitamins nowadays. Who would ban contraception? Probably people like the governor of Mississippi, who wont rule that out, or Republicans who tried to stop Missouris Medicaid agency from paying for the morning-after pill and IUDs. These are the kinds of politicians in control of many state legislatures, which, without constitutional protections, would be in charge of deciding what happens to contraceptives, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. That would create a divide in America, where your liberties are dictated by the state in which you live. Things could get even more absurd. In 2003s Lawrence v. Texas, the court ruled that a Texas law that made same-sex sexual activity a crime violated the 14th Amendments due process clause. Not surprisingly, Thomas dissented. Without that precedent, states would be allowed to arrest and prosecute people who engage in gay sex. That seems unlikely to happen in 2022. But its not paranoia to wonder what could happen in red states when you read the Texas Republican Partys 2022 platform: Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior. A world in which our rights could be taken so quickly used to feel like the stuff of literary fiction. But Thomas opinion reads more like a bad omen. Isadora Rangel is a member of the Miami Herald editorial board. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A former detention officer at the Forsyth County Jail was arrested Tuesday after she was accused of providing marijuana to an inmate, authorities said. Carmen Nicole Tillman, 42, of Salisbury is charged with providing contraband to an inmate, a felony, according to an arrest warrant. Tillman also was fired from her job Tuesday, a position she began on Nov. 15, 2021, the sheriffs office said. Tillmans arrest came after an internal investigation, the sheriffs office said. Tillman was being held Tuesday in the jail with her bond set at $75,000, the sheriffs office said. Tillman is scheduled to appear Wednesday in court. We will pursue truth and justice no matter what or who it affects, Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said in a release. We continue to stand on what is moral, what is legal, and what is right even when it impacts an FCSO staff member. We are a law-abiding law-enforcement agency and will continue to conduct ourselves with integrity and transparency. Even though it is disappointing and sad when one of own breaks our trust, we will pursue truth and justice no matter what. Authorities said anyone with information related to the investigation or any criminal activity should contact the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office directly at 336-727-2112 or call Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800. A Greensboro man accused of running a scam in which he collected more than $54,000 in rent from places he didnt own was sued last year for allegedly doing the same thing to a Forsyth County man. Khalil Nadir Rynes, 29, of Nighthawk Place in Greensboro, was arrested June 18 by Winston-Salem police and charged with six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of felony breaking and entering. Arrest warrants list a Winston-Salem address for Rynes, but a police news release lists the Greensboro address. In the news release, Winston-Salem police said Rynes targeted Hispanic people. Between Dec. 1, 2019 and Feb. 1, 2022, police allege Rynes entered into either a housing rental or a rent-to-own agreement with six Hispanic victims and collected a total of $54,830 in rental payments. Winston-Salem police said Rynes didnt own the properties he rented out and didnt have permission to sell them. The victims spent $63,200 on renovations to the properties, police said. Police detectives have said they believe there are other victims who were afraid to come forward because Rynes threatened to call law enforcement. Attorney John Combs filed a lawsuit in Forsyth District Court on July 20, 2021, on behalf of Juan Nolasco against Rynes. According to the complaint, Rynes entered into a lease with option to purchase real estate with Nolasco on Feb. 7, 2020 for a property at 841 N. Cameron Ave. Nolasco paid $5,000 as a down payment and then paid $500 a month for three months for a total of $6,500. Nolasco also spent $30,000 in labor and materials to renovate the property, the lawsuit said. After three months, Henrietta Floyd and Barry Campbell, who owned the property, contacted Nolasco and told him that Rynes was not authorized to sell the residence, the lawsuit said. Nolasco sought more than $30,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Rynes never filed a written a response to the lawsuit, and on April 5, 2022, District Court Judge George Cleland IV issued a default judgment against Rynes for $35,000, according to court documents. Combs said Thursday that his client hasnt decided yet whether to pursue criminal charges against Rynes. Combs said he wasnt aware when he filed the lawsuit that Rynes was alleged to have done the same thing to other people. After the lawsuit was filed, a Winston-Salem police detective did reach out, Combs said. Nolasco has not yet received any money from the default judgment. The judgment is the first step civilly in collecting the money Rynes now owes Nolasco, Combs said. It seems (Rynes) affected a lot of people and took money from them fully knowing that he wouldnt be providing those people what he had promised them, Combs said. Rynes does not face any criminal charges stemming from the allegations in the civil lawsuit. Rynes is out on a $102,500 bond on the criminal charges announced this month by police. He did not respond to a voice message left on his cellphone on Wednesday. Winston-Salem police said the patrol division received its first report about Rynes on Aug. 17, 2020. An arrest warrant alleged that from June 1, 2020, to Aug. 17, 2020, Rynes collected $4,330 from a woman with whom he entered into a rental agreement for a residence at 1900 East Third St. He was charged with felony obtaining property by false pretenses. He also was charged with felony breaking and entering. He is accused of breaking into a house on Waverly Oak Drive in Kernersville. In one instance, according to a search warrant, Winston-Salem police were called to a house at 3038 Colgate Drive on July 19, 2021. Police were responding to a report that people were squatting or illegally living at the house. Police investigators talked to a woman there who told them that she had rented the house from a family friend named Khalil, the search warrant said. Police investigators later found the owner of the house who told police that she had not authorized anyone to live in the house or sell it. She told police that she was in the process of selling the property herself when she learned that people were living there, the search warrant said. The woman who was living in the house told police that she had entered into an agreement with Rynes, whom she identified from a photo lineup, and that she paid him $5,000 and then paid $500 a month after that. She told police that Rynes had placed the house for rent on Facebook Marketplace. According to arrest warrants, Rynes collected $15,000 from the woman in rent payments. Winston-Salem police detectives were able to get a search warrant for Rynes account at Summit Credit Union. Arrest warrants allege that Rynes got as much as $13,000 from one victim and $11,500 from another victim. He collected between $4,330 to $6,000 from the other victims, arrest warrants alleged. On Tuesday, Kira Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Winston-Salem Police Department, said she could not release any additional information, including why Rynes is alleged to have targeted Hispanics. Rynes is scheduled to go to Forsyth District Court on July 7. 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. Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder is coming back to his hometown to join Wake Forest Universitys African American Studies program, the school announced Tuesday. 9th Wonder, whose real name is Patrick Douthit, has worked with many of the countrys biggest stars, including Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z. 9th Wonder graduated from Glenn High School and enrolled at N.C. Central University, where he helped form the hip-hop group Little Brother. Douthit will be professor in residence in African American Studies for fall 2022. He will teach an undergraduate seminar called, Where It All Began: A History of Hip Hop. In a statement, Douthit said hes happy to return to Wake Forest. Ive been connected to Wake Forest since 1989 by way of Ernest Wade, former director of minority affairs at the University, he said. Douthit said when he was 14, he was selected to be part of Project Ensure, a college prep program for academically gifted minority students from Winston-Salem who were going into the ninth grade. I spent every summer there until I graduated from high school in 1993, Douthit said in the statement. Wake Forest was my very first taste of what college life could and would be. I am excited about this opportunity, and how everything has come full circle. Also coming to Wake Forest is poet Brenda Marie Osbey. She will be the Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Residence in African American Studies for spring 2023. She will teach the undergraduate seminar, Modernist Africana Poetry of the Americas, which will examine the origins of modernism among African authors of the Americas and poetry, poetics and poetry movements in Brazil, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. Douthit became a fellow at Harvard University and has been teaching hip-hop at Duke University and N.C. Central. He is also a member of the Kennedy Centers Hip Hop Cultural Center, along with such luminaries as Questlove, Common and Fab 5 Freddy. In 2019, 9th Wonder was inducted into the N.C. Music Hall of Fame. Wake Forest University said Douthit and Osbey will participate in special programming for both Wake Forest and the wider Winston-Salem community during their teaching semesters. We are so fortunate to be able to welcome these two extraordinary visiting scholars to Wake Forest, said Dean of the College Michelle Gillespie. Each will help our students and entire community conceptualize the multiple relationships of the arts to teaching and research in African American Studies in powerful new ways. Both Osbey and Douthit exemplify the too-little acknowledged centrality of artists in shaping history, society and culture. Corey D.B. Walker, Wake Forest professor and the founding director of the Program in African American Studies, said, We are excited to have these two tremendous talents join our intellectual community. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Elizabeth City State University, AeroX and Piedmont Flight Training have created an online aviation degree and flight-training program that will be based at Smith Reynolds Airport. The groups announced the 10-year collaboration, an extension of the universitys Aviation Science and Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree program, on Tuesday. The local online program will be the same as the four-year aviation degree offered in person at ECSU. The initial online degree program will concentrate on flight education for students from Forsyth, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. Students will complete the flight portion of the online degree at Piedmont Flight Trainings facilities at the airport, with graduates earning a pilots license. The university said that a potential student is required to apply for admission. Once accepted, the student can enroll in the aviation science degree program. We anticipate that students will begin applying for the online aviation degree this fall, and are hoping for about 100 students in the first year in the online program, ECSU said in a statement. Its expected well continue to add about 100 online aviation degree students each year thereafter from the 10-county region. Through the N.C. Promise Tuition Plan, in-state students pay $500 a semester in tuition at ECSU. It was unclear on Tuesday when students could begin to apply for the program. Piedmont Flight Training will provide flight-training services for ECSUs aviation science degree. AeroX is a non-profit organization formed in 2021 with the goal of creating and expanding unmanned aviation technology in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Winston-Salem is where I was born and raised, and its an honor and privilege to match the love of my hometown with my passion for higher education, ECSU Chancellor Karrie Dixon said in a statement. Thanks to this new collaboration, were able to offer this opportunity to other regions of North Carolina. Were diversifying the workforce, giving our students a bright, stable economic future, and supporting the aviation industry and our state all at the same time. One of the leaders of the effort is David Mounts, who retired April 15 from Inmar Intelligence after 12 years as chief executive and eight years as chairman. Mounts, 58, has been one of Winston-Salems top corporate executives and an influential community leader in digital technology. He is the owner of Piedmont Flight Training and serves on AeroXs board of directors. AeroX is creating Americas first urban air mobility system that will attract companies and create technology jobs, while Piedmont Flight Training and ECSU are preparing students for aviation careers, Mounts said in a statement. Our partnership with ECSU will help us prepare our local workforce and expand access to high-potential job opportunities right here in our communities. AeroX role In December, AeroX received $5 million in funding from the General Assembly toward its drone technology platform. The group is focusing on what it calls next-generation technologies, including the commercialization of unmanned aircraft systems and electric vehicle takeoff and landing. ECSU will provide student and faculty resources and expertise to help create this low-altitude air traffic control system. AeroX will offer two paid advanced air mobility summer internships to provide experience in the aviation industry and support AeroXs STEM-related activities. We are currently seeing the biggest change in aviation since the jet engine, said Basil Yap, AeroXs president. Over the past five years, North Carolina has established itself as a leader in drones with the first routine drone delivery operations in the nation happening here in our state. In addition, we conducted the first public air taxi or flying car demonstration in the nation. AeroXs mission is creating a national model ecosystem for advanced air mobility and a testbed for pioneering companies seeking to leverage emerging UAS technologies to grow their companies. Yap said the collaboration ensures we are giving our communities the education and training to benefit from these advancements in aviation to help our state maintain its leadership role. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Whenever the Supreme Court comes down with a particularly momentous decision, its customary to look at the majority opinion. After all, the majority makes the law. Sometimes, though, its the dissenting opinions that are more interesting, more shocking, more passionate and in a very small number of cases, more influential. John Marshall Harlan was nicknamed The Great Dissenter because he disagreed with so many of his courts decisions during a storied lifetime on the bench. In some very important instances, his dissenting views became the basis of future majority opinions. The most famous example is the 7-1 majority in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding the separate but equal standard used to support legal segregation. Harlan was the only holdout, writing in dissent that the Constitution was color blind and that in this country, there is no superior, dominant ruling class of citizens. Fifty-eight years later, in Brown v. Board of Education, the Warren Court overruled Plessy. Justice Harlan was posthumously vindicated. Then you have the dissenters who regularly file opinions that run counter to common sense, words that reflect a backward view of the Constitution and a very personal animus toward certain groups, certain principles and certain perspectives. Thats why I wanted to focus on the dissents in a case handed down last week, because they carry very little of the wisdom and prescience found in Harlans work. In Carson v. Makin, a majority composed of Chief Justice Roberts, along with Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, ruled that it was a violation of the Free Exercise Clause to deny public funds to parents who want to send their children to a religiously affiliated secondary school. The controversy arose out of Maine, which had a program that provided money to parents who lived in school districts that didnt have high schools. The taxpayer money was designed to allow these children to obtain the equivalent of a public education by attending private institutions of their choice. However, private sectarian schools were the only schools specifically excluded from the program. Enter the dissenters. Justice Stephen Breyer penned a disingenuous opinion joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor where he tries to gaslight us into thinking that he wants to honor religion by making sure he starves religious schools. In a particularly ironic passage, Breyer writes that As a result, in just a few years, the Court has upended constitutional doctrine, shifting from a rule that permits States to decline to fund religious organizations to one that requires States in many circumstances to subsidize religious indoctrination with taxpayer dollars. You can feel the sneer in religious indoctrination. Sotomayer writes: Today, the Court leads us to a place where separation of church and state becomes a constitutional violation. She is doing what the majority in Plessy did years ago, turn people of faith into second-class citizens who dont have a right to the same benefits that secular folk can claim. Its really quite repugnant, but not surprising. Of late, shes been increasingly strident in her attacks on a society that doesnt agree with her philosophically or politically. The good news is that her dissent was joined by one person: her. It will not have the impact that Justice Harlans dissent in Plessy had, and although I cant be sure, I suspect that future generations will look at her words as a desperate attempt to keep religion marginalized, behind a wall that exists only in the minds of the prejudiced and intolerant. Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com. You can read the full text of this article if you: Select an option Log In Buy Article Content & Permissions Access through Ovid The Lincoln City Council on Monday gave a nod of approval to the latest redevelopment plan for the Golds Building at 1033 O St., a project that would turn the old department store into a hotel. The $24 million project is the first phase of a plan to renovate the building, which takes up about 75% of the block bounded by 10th, 11th, O and N streets the third such attempt to save the historic building, which is now vacant. Developer Mike Works is proposing to renovate the six-story northern part of the building into 110 hotel rooms with 6,000 square feet of retail or restaurant space on the first floor. It also includes 40 underground parking spaces. That portion of the building, built in 1924, is historically significant, both because of its history as a department store and its Gothic revival architectural detailing. Additions were added in 1929, 1947 and 1951. The project would also include the demolition of the building at 1023 O St., directly to the west of the Gold's Building, with the space then used as either a hotel entrance or open space. Councilwoman Sandra Washington said she likes that developers are trying to maintain as much of the facade of that building as possible, something she said is important to avoid a gap in buildings along O Street. To have a missing tooth would be weird, she said. A second phase of the plan involves demolishing the southern four-story portion of the Gold's Building. The developers did not go into detail about their plans for the space but said the demolition is necessary to renovate the northern portion. The inability to get historic tax credits to add windows to the southern portion of the building scuttled an earlier redevelopment plan. Andrew Willis, the attorney representing the developers, told the council that that portion of the building was in such disrepair it would be hard to fix. To preserve the original tower (on the northern portion of the building) ... you need to tear down the south tower, Willis said. The developers did a market study that confirmed there is demand for additional hotel space, and Willis said lodging tax revenue has increased beyond pre-pandemic levels. He said the project will add 65-100 jobs. Among the many moving parts of the project is leasing a portion of the basement area under the sidewalks owned by the city. Developers are working through the paperwork to lease those areas, as well as moving LES power lines that run underground along portions of the building. The project also requires moving the much-debated StarTran transfer station now located at 11th and N streets something critical to the project moving forward, Willis said. Willis and Works said theyve found a potential location for the transfer station but didnt say where because the deal hasnt been finalized. Willis said they are "optimistic" they will reach an agreement with the landowner. He said it will be better than the existing transfer station, which has been problematic for years and has no public restrooms or other facilities for those waiting for buses. Federal transportation law requires the city has a transfer station, and riders would have access to a transfer station during a move, said Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott. The city has applied numerous times for federal grants to build a new transfer station, and one is pending that would if a grant is approved would possibly be located at the County-City Building parking lot at Ninth and K streets. The relocation being negotiated with the city and a landowner would presumably be used until a new station is built one day. The City Council unanimously approved a resolution finding that the first phase of the Gold's plan conforms with the city-county comprehensive plan. The project would seek about $4.2 million in tax-increment financing, which would allow the future property taxes the redevelopment generates to pay for certain upfront costs. The developer also is considering seeking to have it designated as an Enhanced Employment Area, which would allow for a 2% occupation tax on general retail and hotel revenue and a 1% occupation tax on restaurant and bar revenue, with the proceeds reinvested in the development. Two small-business owners told the council they were concerned about adding an occupation tax, which might not be a burden to large franchises but would be difficult for them. The council would need to approve the designation needed to allow them to access an occupation tax and it wasnt before the council Monday. But Willis said if the developer seeks that designation for the second phase of the project, an occupation tax would only affect businesses in the Golds Building and the footprint of the project not other downtown businesses. He said he hopes to be before the council with plans for phase 2 of the project in the next months. Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 10 Angry 0 The Rev. Andrew Schwenka stood in front of Pope Francis at the Vatican. On a Wednesday in mid-June, Schwenka held the cornerstone of the new Saint Michael Catholic Church in southeast Lincoln. The sweltering heat made Schwenka feel as if he might pass out plus, the young priest was nervous to meet the head of the Catholic Church. They shook hands. Then, an alert crowd watched as the pope gave his blessing. Afterward, Pope Francis told Schwenka gently in English: Please pray for me. Its rare that a Catholic church would send someone to Rome for the Popes blessing, the Rev. Kenneth Borowiak of Saint Michael said, and it may be unheard of in Nebraska. It's the only church he knows of thats done it, and it's done it twice Pope Benedict XVI blessed the school's cornerstone in 2011. But a major project calls for a special anointing. The new building is more than a century in the making. Saint Michael was founded in 1909 and had been celebrating Mass in a different building until its school opened at 78th Street and Yankee Woods Drive in 2011. The parishs 3,000 members have been gathering inside the school building since, but soon, theyll have a place of their own. The 32,000-square-foot church is expected to be completed in early August. It will have specialty artwork and a display for its sacred cornerstone. Its ceiling will feature a grand mural of the Holy Trinity surrounded by saints. Roman columns, gold-and-teal details and another mural of Christ at Calvary will adorn the sanctuary. Getting to stand next to and even speak with the Pope was an unforgettable experience, Schwenka said. He was very gentle and very just receptive and joyful to be able to meet with, he said. It was just for a few moments, but in the Pope, I think every Catholic finds a father. Schwenka had already planned to take a spiritual history trip to the Vatican with several students from Bishop Neumann and other high schools before Borowiak asked him to bring the cornerstone along. Schwenka is an assistant pastor of Saint Wenceslaus Church in Wahoo, but his first assignment was at Saint Michael. To arrange the papal meeting, Borowiak had to make a few phone calls. He reached out to the bishop, who talked to the archbishop, who gave Schwenkas group tickets to meet the pontiff. Schwenka said the encounter confirmed the hard work many men and women put in to grow the parish. Having the cornerstone blessed by the Pope is just kind of an affirmation from the Universal Church of what's going on at Saint Michael in particular, Schwenka said. To represent them in front of the Holy Father was a tremendous honor for me. Nick Cusick, chair of stewardship and fundraising for the church, said the donation efforts for the campus began in 2009. Cusick and his wife launched three capital campaigns the first of which provided funding for the school. The new church building was a $10.5 million project. The entire campus, including the school, cost $25 million. Cusick said the fundraising process has taken countless hours of hard work by several families, and he acknowledges the efforts generations of Saint Michael members have made to bring the church to its current state. It's kind of a capstone and blessing to all of our parishioners who have contributed so heavily for so many years to finally get us to this point, Cusick said. To get the blessing of the Pope is just more solid evidence of the blessings that our parish has gotten from God. Reach the writer at 402-473-7241 or jthompson@journalstar.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A 40-year-old Lincoln woman is out $40,000 after she provided her bank account information to an Instagram user who for months had chatted with her, purporting to be the actor Henry Cavill, according to police. Lincoln Police Capt. Todd Kocian said the fraudster first made contact with the woman via social media in February and eventually told the woman he had sent her a briefcase with $10 million and diamonds, but the baggage was held up by a customs agent. The man posing as Cavill told the woman she needed to provide her bank account information so he could pay the customs agent with Bitcoin to release the package, Kocian said. The woman provided the information, Kocian said, and is now missing $40,000 from her account. Kocian urged residents to err on the side of caution when deciding to disclose personal financial details. "If there's ever any doubt, please contact your financial institution, who can assist in verifying the validity of a request," he said. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. A 22-year-old Roca man was arrested after he arrived at a meeting with a 14-year-old girl in Hall County on Monday but instead encountered Nebraska State Patrol investigators, the agency said. Hector Tercero had used social media to arrange a sexual encounter with a State Patrol trooper who was posing as the girl, the agency announced in a news release. Tercero was arrested without incident on suspicion of child enticement, a felony, when he showed up for the meeting. He was taken to the Hall County jail. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. A number of employee groups at Lincoln Public Schools would see salary increases over the next two years under proposed agreements before the Lincoln Board of Education. The negotiated contracts outline salary and benefit increases for various classified employee groups including paraeducators, nutrition services workers, office staff and technicians as well as administrators. In the 2022-23 school year, office professionals, technicians and administrators would see a 3.7% salary increase, followed by a 3.32% jump in 2023-24. Paraeducators and nutrition services employees would see a pay increase of about 6.5% next year and 3.32% the following year. Increases in Social Security and retirement costs and a 5.84% jump in health insurance premiums paid by the district are also accounted for in the contracts. The proposals also include increases to longevity stipends essentially compensation based on years of service of anywhere from 5 to 15 cents per hour, depending on the employee group. In April, the board approved a 4.11% total salary and benefits increase for teachers in the 2022-23 school year, including a $1,250 base salary increase and raises based on longevity and education. And last month, the board approved a 3.7% pay increase for substitute teachers. The contracts are on first reading at Tuesday's Lincoln Board of Education meeting. Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump rebuffed his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-known former White House aide, described an angry, defiant president who was trying that day to let armed protesters avoid security screenings at a rally that morning to protest his 2020 election defeat and who later grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol. And when the events at the Capitol spiraled toward violence, with the crowd chanting to Hang Mike Pence, she testified Tuesday that Trump declined to intervene. Trump doesnt think theyre doing anything wrong, Hutchinson recalled hearing from her boss, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinsons explosive, moment-by-moment account of what was happening inside and outside the White House offered a vivid description of a Republican president so unwilling to concede his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden that he acted out in rage and refused to stop the siege at the Capitol. It painted a damning portrait of the chaos at the White House as those around the defeated president splintered into one faction supporting his false claims of voter fraud and another trying unsuccessfully to put an end to the violent attack. Her testimony, at a surprise hearing announced just 24 hours earlier, was the sole focus at the hearing, the sixth by the committee this month. The account was particularly powerful because of her proximity to power, with Hutchinson describing what she witnessed first-hand and was told by others in the White House. Hutchinson said that she was told Trump fought a security official for control of the presidential SUV on Jan. 6 and demanded to be taken the Capitol as the insurrection began, despite being warned earlier that day that some of his supporters were armed. The former aide said that she was told of the altercation in the SUV immediately afterward by a White House security official, and that Bobby Engel, the head of the detail, was in the room and didnt dispute the account at the time. Engel had grabbed Trumps arm to prevent him from gaining control of the armored vehicle, she was told, and Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Engel. That account was quickly disputed on Tuesday, however. Engel, the agent who was driving the presidential SUV, and Trump security official Tony Ornato are willing to testify under oath that no agent was assaulted and Trump never lunged for the steering wheel, a person familiar with the matter said. The person would not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. As the events of Jan. 6 unfurled, Hutchinson, then a special assistant to Meadows, described chaos in White House offices and hallways. Trump's staff several of whom had been warned of violence beforehand became increasingly alarmed as rioters at the Capitol overran police and interrupted the certification of Bidens victory. Trump was less concerned, she said, even as he heard there were cries in the crowd to Hang Mike Pence! Hutchinson recalled that Meadows told aides that Trump thinks Mike deserves it." The president tweeted during the attack that Pence didnt have the courage to object to Bidens win as he presided over the joint session of Congress. The young ex-aide was matter-of-fact in most of her answers. But she did say that she was disgusted at Trump's tweet about Pence during the siege. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American, and you were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie," Hutchinson said, adding that, I still struggle to work through the emotions of that. Trump denied much of what Hutchinson said on his social media platform, Truth Social. He called her a total phony and bad news. Members of the panel praised Hutchinsons bravery for testifying and said that other witnesses had been intimidated and did not cooperate. I want all Americans to know that what Ms. Hutchinson has done today is not easy, said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who led questioning. Some of Hutchinsons former colleagues, too, dcfended her account. Mick Mulvaney, who preceded Meadows as Trumps chief of staff, tweeted that he knows Hutchinson and I dont think she is lying. Sarah Matthews, a former Trump press aide who has also cooperated with the committee, called the testimony damning. As she described the scene in the White House after the election, Hutchinson depicted a president flailing in anger and prone to violent outbursts. Some aides sought to rein in his impulses. Some did not. At one point on Jan. 6, Hutchinson said, White House counsel Pat Cipollone barreled down the hallway and confronted Meadows about rioters breaching the Capitol. Meadows, staring at his phone, told the White House lawyer that Trump didnt want to do anything, she said. Earlier, Cipollone had worried out loud that we're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if Trump went to the Capitol after his speech at the rally, Hutchinson recalled. Before the crowd left for the Capitol, Hutchinson said she also received an angry call from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who had just heard the president say he was coming. Dont come up here, McCarthy told her, before hanging up. Hutchinson told the panel that Trump had been informed early in the day that some of the protesters outside the White House had weapons. But he responded that the protesters were not here to hurt me, Hutchinson said. She quoted Trump as directing his staff, in profane terms, to take away the metal-detecting magnetometers that he thought would slow down supporters who were gathering for his speech on the Ellipse, in back of the White House. In a clip of an earlier interview with the committee, she recalled the president saying words to the effect of: I dont f-in' care that they have weapons. As a White House insider, Hutchinson told stories of a raging president who was unable to acknowledge his defeat. At the beginning of December, she said, she heard noise inside the White House around the time an Associated Press article was published in which Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had not found evidence of voter fraud that could have changed the election's outcome. She said she entered a room to find ketchup dripping down a wall and broken porcelain. The president, it turned out, had thrown his lunch at the wall in disgust over the article. Trump denied it in his social media posts. In the days before the attack, Hutchinson said she was scared, and nervous for what could happen on Jan. 6 after having conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Meadows and others. Meadows told Hutchinson that things might get real, real bad, she said. Giuliani told her it was going to be a great day and were going to the Capitol. Eventually, both men would seek pardons related to what happened that day, Hutchinson said. A person familiar with the matter denied that Meadows had ever sought a pardon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity. Hutchinson had already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators, sitting for four interviews with the panel behind closed doors. She detailed meetings in the runup to the insurrection where challenges to the election were debated and discussed at the White House, including with several Republican lawmakers. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Nomaan Merchant, Kevin Freking, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LOS ANGELES Flanked by his wife, trailed by a priest, a former staffer and five of his attorneys, Jeff Fortenberry descended a hill outside the federal courthouse in downtown L.A. on Tuesday. It was a much different place, and a much different vibe, than just three months ago, when Fortenberry defiantly strode into the courthouse to challenge charges that he lied to federal agents investigating the injection of foreign money into his campaign. For one, the courthouse with its courtyard nouveau design, complete with gleaming glass and babbling brook water features had transformed into a fortress. An imposing green fence akin to those surrounding a construction zone or a jail's exercise area lined its perimeter, erected to keep abortion rights protesters out and courtgoers in. For another, Fortenberry entered through the makeshift gate a convicted felon. Three times over. He faced up to five years of prison or five years of probation on each count. Andy Braner, Fortenberrys former chief of staff, kept his chin lowered as he followed his one-time boss through metal detectors. Asked how he was doing, Braner said: Its the worst. It doesnt get any worse. As it turns out, it could have. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld declined to give Fortenberry prison time. Instead, Blumenfeld gave the 61-year-old former congressman from Lincoln two years of probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service. And a bit of a tongue lashing. What is clear is that Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the information he was clearly provided, Blumenfeld said. The evidence clearly supports the finding by the jury that Mr. Fortenberry was not blind and he was not deaf. He chose the wrong path. He decided to respond with dishonesty rather than honesty. And lying, especially in this context, is certainly a serious matter. Prosecutor Mack Jenkins, an assistant U.S. attorney, said its so serious that it deserved six months in prison. Jenkins urged the judge to reconsider the probation sentence, noting that Fortenberry lied to federal agents about his relationship with Dr. Eli Ayoub, a former Creighton doctor who held a dirty fundraiser for Fortenberry in an L.A. suburb in February 2016. Then, he lied again when Jenkins himself met with Fortenberry and an attorney. During that interview, Fortenberry asserted that he knew Federal Elections Commission regulations backward and forward and denied that Ayoub had ever told him that the money he received was cash funneled through a Nigerian billionaire. Without prison, Jenkins told the judge, other elected officials wont be deterred. Fortenberry had choice after choice after choice to live up to his oath, Jenkins said. Each time, he chose the wrong way. Blumenfeld said he appreciated the need for deterrence. However, an analysis of the past three years showed that more than 80% of federal defendants of the same age and with the same education as Fortenberry have received probation for the same class of crimes, the defense said. And the judge argued: I find it difficult to believe that anyone fully familiar with the facts of this case will think that its worth taking the risk that Mr. Fortenberry took here. Blumenfeld said he also had to consider Fortenberrys conduct against his overall character. Fortenberrys defense team submitted 64 letters on his behalf. Of them, Blumenfeld said he found the letters from Fortenberrys wife, Celeste, and his five daughters particularly compelling. By all accounts, one thing that every witness impressed upon is that he is a person of good, honest, moral character, Blumenfeld said. Even (a Democratic congresswoman) testified that Fortenberry is a man whose word can be counted upon and is generally trusted in the halls of a place where trust is not always something that can be relied upon. This does not mean that the path he took was appropriate or that the court is in any way condoning it. It simply is measuring the conduct in the context of his history and his characteristics. Even without prison, it was an incredible fall from grace for Fortenberry, a 17-year Republican representative whom a staffer once described as Americas last great statesman. He had faced up to 15 years in prison after a jury swiftly convicted him in March of two counts of lying and one count of concealing the source of illegal campaign donations. A Nigerian billionaire had steered $30,000 in cash to Fortenberrys campaign at a fundraiser in suburban Los Angeles. It is illegal for foreigners to donate to U.S. politicians. Despite several warnings that the money was dirty, Fortenberry didnt disgorge it from his campaign until 40 months later. Fortenberry declined to address the judge in court Tuesday but asked to address him afterward. Observers couldnt hear what Fortenberry said, but Blumenfeld told the courtroom that Fortenberry thanked him for reading the 64 letters submitted in support. All I wanted to do was serve my country, Fortenberry said, according to the judge. Post-sentencing, Fortenberry walked outside holding his wifes hand. He called the whole ordeal, including his resignation from Congress, traumatic. Asked if he had slept the night before, Fortenberry chuckled and searched for his words. We slept like a baby, Celeste Fortenberry chimed in. When you have a clean conscience, you sleep well. Randall Adkins, a University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor, said Tuesday was historic. In Nebraskas 155-year history, Fortenberry is the only federally elected official to be convicted of a felony, let alone three of them. The only similar case in state history was the 1985 perjury conviction of a Nebraska attorney general who tried to cover up his dealings with an insolvent bank. His legacy is one of scandal, Adkins said of Fortenberry. The thing I think thats dangerous about that is this: Were in a time where trust in elected officials is at an all-time low. If thats how we remember a member of Congress, it doesnt bode well for our future. Fortenberry vowed to appeal, though overturning a jury verdict is the longest of long shots, especially in federal court. The trial was the first of a sitting congressman since Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, was convicted of bribery and other felony charges in 2002. Both the sentencing hearing and eve-of-trial briefs revealed some new nuggets about U.S. v. Fortenberry: * Countering the defenses image that Fortenberry is circling the drain financially, the U.S. Probation Office indicated that Fortenberry has a net worth in the neighborhood of $1.1 million. And prosecutors noted that, even post-conviction, Fortenberry is now in a job making $144,000 a year. The report didnt specify the job, though Fortenberry worked for Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln before his congressional career. * It is not clear whether Fortenberrys felony conviction has cost him his federal pension. The defense wrote that he might end up losing it, but prosecutors say the government has given no indication that it has stripped him of it. * Fortenberry ignored even more warning signs than originally reported. Followers of the case already knew that Fortenberry didnt act on several suggestions, even his own instincts, that something was amiss with the $30,000 in donations he received at that Los Angeles fundraiser in February 2016. Add this to the picture: In 2017, a year after the fundraiser, Fortenberry texted Toufic Baaklini, the man who helped set up the fundraiser. Baaklini responded curtly that he had hired a criminal defense attorney and Fortenberry ought to hire one, too. And then the four of them could get together and talk about options. Despite that dire text, Fortenberry didnt seek out an attorney or a meeting with Baaklini to find out what was up. Instead, the congressman sought to set up another fundraiser. * Fortenberry could have avoided charges if he had purged the dirty money. An FBI agent testified that they kept checking to see if Fortenberry had cleansed his campaign war chest. Prosecutors noted in their sentencing brief that Fortenberry could have avoided charges had he gotten rid of the money. In the end, 40 months passed before he finally got did so. By then, he had told too many lies and given the feds too many misdirections. Adkins, the political scientist and associate dean at UNO, said disgraced politicians seem to fall into three categories: those who are corrupt to begin with, those who make a mistake and admit it and those who simply cant admit they do anything wrong. Adkins said Fortenberry falls into that last camp, along with former President Donald Trump. How else to explain why Fortenberry wouldnt just get rid of the $30,000, especially when he had a campaign war chest of about $2 million? He couldnt admit he was wrong, Adkins said. He still hasnt. Adkins said there are a few reasons why denial works for Trump but not Fortenberry: * Fortenberry is not as skilled an orator as Trump. * Nebraska doesnt have a history of embracing or forgiving personal, moral wrongdoing in local leaders. No matter what some may think about their politics, Adkins said, todays Nebraska Republicans typically quickly dispatch with wrongdoers. As proof, Adkins pointed to Gov. Pete Ricketts railing against a man Trump supported, Charles Herbster, in the governors race this year. Similarly, Ricketts dispatched with Fortenberry after his case first emerged. The governor threw his support behind state Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who on Tuesday took on state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in a special election to complete the remainder of Fortenberry's term. * Lies, even misdirections, dont fly with federal agents, and they dont fly in court. That is perhaps the most important factor in Fortenberrys fall. Fortenberry dug himself deeper and deeper with his denials and the bumbled way he handled his interviews with federal agents. Fortenberry became incensed that FBI agents had shown up at his Lincoln house unannounced in March 2019. He pulled rank, calling then-Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister to make sure the federal agents were who they said they were. He then compounded the mistake. Any lawyer will tell you to not talk to police without an attorney present, except in cases where youre a victim. Instead of calling an attorney, Fortenberry insisted that the Lincoln police officers stay at his home during the interview. And then he proceeded to deny knowing the man in the photo that FBI agent Todd Carter held up for him: Ayoub, the former Creighton doctor now practicing in Los Angeles. Ayoub had held a fundraiser for Fortenberry at a suburban L.A. home in February 2016. People at the dinner had raised $36,000 and Fortenberry called it a rousing success. While Fortenberry initially was oblivious to it, the fundraiser followed the A, B and C of a scandal: Ayoub had taken a bag of cash provided by Baaklini, the founder of In Defense of Christians, a group set up to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. That bag of cash arrived in L.A. via the son of Gilbert Chagoury a billionaire linked to one of the most corrupt regimes in Nigerian history. Fortenberry sensed something was wrong, noting to his fundraising consultant that the bulk of the checks came from people with the same last name. He didnt act on that instinct. His Republican colleagues did. Chagoury also had attempted to funnel money to the campaigns of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska and current California congressman Darrell Issa. Upon learning the donations were from a foreigner, those three disgorged the money from their campaign coffers by donating it to charity. Fortenberry took more than three years and two FBI interviews to do so. That led prosecutors and FBI to wonder: Was Fortenberry just oblivious? Or was there something more sinister? Did he want the donations as validation for his help in a cause that he had long been concerned with? And, did he plan to do it again? In 2018, Fortenberry called Ayoub about a second fundraiser. During that phone call, Ayoub told him they could do it, but it wouldnt be as lucrative because the cash from the first fundraiser probably came from Chagoury. From there, FBI agents kept checking Fortenberrys campaign forms to see if he had disgorged the money. He hadnt. On the eve of sentencing, prosecutors essentially acknowledged in a 30-page indictment that Fortenberry could have avoided all of this, including maybe even charges, if he had simply come clean. They came to think that Fortenberry not only knew the money was questionable, but also that he embraced it as validation for his work with In Defense of Christians. Fortenberry had helped to secure passage of a resolution of condemnation of IS for genocide in the Middle East which Baaklini described as an important milestone for the movement to protect religious minorities. Photos showed Fortenberry beaming beside Baaklini and Anna Eshoo, a California Democratic congresswoman, after being presented with plaques from In Defense of Christians. He was a featured speaker at the group's fundraising dinners, once asking for a show of hands for anyone who had been able to say no to Baaklini. Seeing none, he joked that the only person who could say no to Baaklini was Baaklinis wife. Fortenberry was one of the few congressional members who had constituents directly affected by persecution in the Middle East. Lincoln is home to one of the largest resettlements of Yazidis, a religious sect from Iraq. Over the past decade, IS members have abused the Yazidis, raping, torturing and killing them. Many of them settled in Lincoln and other U.S. cities. Fortenberry attended one of their first rallies in Lincoln, where he met a bright teenager who spoke little English. Despite her language limitations, Fortenberry hired the young woman as an intern in his Lincoln office. She said she was forever grateful for Fortenberrys involvement in what advocates referred to as the cause. The cause had perks, causing prosecutors to look sideways at Fortenberrys advocacy. He twice had dinner with the billionaire Chagoury once in Washington and once in Paris. He constantly asked Baaklini to pass along fond greetings to Gilbert. The weekend of the dirty fundraiser, the Lebanese Catholic community in L.A. bestowed an award on Fortenberry that gave him lifetime permission to, of all things, ride a horse into any Lebanese Catholic church. Again, Fortenberry could be seen beaming in pictures. Prosecutors pointed to Fortenberrys lack of remorse and accountability. With his public comments and public relations strategy to make himself the purported martyr of a political hit job by California prosecutors and a biased FBI agent, it remains to be seen what lessons defendant has taken from his prosecution and convictions, Jenkins wrote. Fortenberrys defense primarily focused on character testimony including Eshoos assertion that Fortenberry is a man of integrity and a person devoid of arrogance. Supporters said Fortenberrys forte was in his efforts to protect human dignity. Hence his bill to provide funding for support for those afflicted with ALS. Hence his desire to help religious minorities who have been oppressed in the Middle East, including the Yazidis. One of those refugees testified at trial that Fortenberry listened to them and fought for them. The conviction in this case devastatingly impacted Mr. Fortenberrys life, Fortenberry attorney John Littrell said. Once a public servant, Mr. Fortenberry resigned from Congress. Stripped of the rights to vote and possess a firearm, Mr. Fortenberry cannot even participate in our democracy. Outside court after sentencing, Fortenberry maintained his innocence and said his appeals will ensue. Asked if he had been worried that he was going to prison, Fortenberry paused. Well, you dont know the outcomes here, Fortenberry said. Were in a very strange place here, arent we? He put his palms up and motioned toward the bustling city. Its not Nebraska. When he reaches Nebraska, the former congressman will check in with the probation office to begin serving his two years. With that, Fortenberry, his wife and his lead attorney walked the marble steps away from the courthouse. They exited the same green gate he had entered Tuesday morning. In a sense, free. Except for the felonies. Except for the legacy. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1 Nebraska's unemployment claims system is offline after the vendor that built and manages it was hit by a cyberattack. NEworks, the website Nebraskans use to file for unemployment benefits and search for new jobs, has been offline since Sunday, Geographic Solutions told the Nebraska Department of Labor on Monday evening. "Geographic Solutions experienced a cyberattack that required our state labor exchange and unemployment claims system to be taken offline," the company wrote to the state agency. The Florida-based company said its team "is working around the clock to restore these systems to all users as soon as possible." The NEworks website, however, states the system is undergoing "scheduled maintenance" and will be back online shortly. In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Labor said Geographic Solutions indicated the attack only affected access to online systems, and that there was no evidence user data had been compromised. "(Geographic Solutions) has not provided a projected date for when the outage will be resolved," the news release states, "but indicated the site will be down for at least the next two days." Individuals needing to file unemployment claims for the week of June 19-25 would have until Saturday to do so, labor department spokeswoman Grace Johnson said. Those filing claims also have until Saturday to file their reemployment activities with the department things such as job searches and interviews required to maintain their benefits but aren't required to use NEworks in order to do so. "We will issue further information to customers as we learn more details on the outage, as well as instructions as needed," Johnson said in an email. In Iowa, a similar system built by Geographic Solutions was also down Sunday and Monday, and the website was expected to remain down through at least part of Tuesday, according to Iowa Workforce Development. SDworks, the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation's unemployment and reemployment system, is also down, according to a message on the agency's website. Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PORTLAND, Ore. On any given day in Oregon jails, 40 or so people remain in custody without a public defender to represent them in court. Some have waited weeks for a lawyer, others have waited months. Several hundred more people charged with crimes but not in jail also await their constitutional right to counsel. The crisis is severe, and not limited to Oregon there are similar reports throughout Wisconsin. Even before the pandemic, many court systems nationwide were unable to meet demand for public defenders, but the crunch worsened after COVID-19 slowed courtroom operations. In New York City, for example, hundreds of lawyers who work for public defense agencies have quit their jobs in the past year, citing low pay and severe overwork. In Oregon, the problem is so acute that civil rights advocates filed a lawsuit this spring to force a response from Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the state agency that oversees a $339 million public defense budget. The lawsuit demands that the state either fulfill its legal obligation to provide counsel to all defendants who request a public defender, or dismiss the cases if it cannot provide lawyers. At least 274 people in Multnomah County, which includes Portland and is the states largest, were unrepresented by lawyers when the suit was filed in May. These indefinitely pending charges take a terrible toll on peoples lives, said Ben Haile, a lawyer with the Oregon Justice Resource Center, a legal rights organization that focuses on representing low-income and underserved people. The center and other groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of people awaiting attorneys. Delays impede investigations and the gathering of evidence or witness statements, too. Surveillance footage, for example, can be overwritten in as little as a week. The disruptions also force people to arrange for child care or transportation and for time away from work. People go to court over and over often on a four- to six-week cycle, Haile said. Theyre just given a new hearing date, and they come back and each time the judge just says, Sorry, we dont have an attorney for you. We dont know when we will. And theyre sent away with another hearing date. A report released in January by the American Bar Association suggested that Oregon has only about a third of the defense attorneys necessary to represent criminal defendants. Public defenders are not state or county employees in Oregon, which contracts out public defense work to nonprofit agencies and consortiums of private defense attorneys or individual lawyers. The state is among many that are failing to meet the promise of equal justice under the law, the report warned. The bar association has conducted similar studies of caseloads and systemic weaknesses in Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Rhode Island. Under the Sixth Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Courts 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright decision, anyone accused of a crime who cannot afford a lawyer is entitled to an adequate attorney at government expense. The American Civil Liberties Union and other legal organizations have challenged the quality of public defense in recent years, with success in some states. After a decision in a 2020 lawsuit in Missouri, the state legislature pumped $3.6 million into the public defense system. A 2015 lawsuit in Idaho remains in progress, but it already has prompted major changes to the states public defense system, said Jason Williamson, executive director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at the New York University School of Law. He also represents the plaintiffs in the Oregon case. Nationwide, an estimated 80% of people facing criminal charges in state courts use court-appointed public defenders, said Emily Galvin-Almanza of Partners for Justice. Her New York-based organization trains non-attorney advocates around the country to supplement public defenders by helping their clients navigate the court system and social services. We often make the mistake of thinking of mass incarceration as an other people problem, Galvin-Almanza said. But the truth is that we have reached a point, a saturation point of mass incarceration, where wealth and privilege really no longer gives one the excuse of thinking this is an other people problem. Its an all of us problem. It is a problem that we created, that belongs to us, that arises directly from our legacy of slavery. The Oregon lawsuit argues that the lack of representation disproportionately harms black people facing criminal charges. Thats because black defendants rely on court-appointed attorneys at a higher rate than their white counterparts in the state. In 2014 and 2019, for example, court records show that 91% of white defendants prosecuted in Multnomah County were represented by court-appointed counsel. That compares with 98% and 97% of black defendants during those same years. For the state to continue charging people, when the prosecutors know that there are not attorneys to represent these people, Haile said, its just an egregious violation of rights that are protected by the Constitution but also that are just fundamental to our whole concept of justice. Since the bar association report, the Oregon legislature has allocated an additional $100 million to the Office of Public Defense Services, said state Rep. Jason Kropf, a Democrat involved in the working group. More fixes will come in the 2023 legislative session, Kropf said. The system is in a state of emergency with crisis-level conditions, Kropf wrote in an email. It is unacceptable that there are people in our state who do not have access to quality legal representation. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 It might be time to buy a power generator, just in case. There almost certainly will not be wide-scale power blackouts in Wisconsin this summer, but they are perhaps more likely in 2022 than they have been at any time since the modern energy grid was implemented. Blackouts occur when power plants, wind turbines, solar panels and other contributors to the power grid are not making enough electricity to power everything they normally do. So, power is temporarily and intentionally cut off to certain areas to keep output below capacity, preventing potentially more catastrophic unintentional shutdowns. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned last month that parts of the upper Midwest, including all of Wisconsin, face a high risk of energy emergencies under certain conditions. Those conditions could include extreme heat, unexpected generator outages, incredibly low wind and/or lots of cloud cover all coming in conjunction, or some other unforeseen disaster such as the abrupt shutdown of an existing power plant. In April, the Midwest grid operator the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) warned that generation capacity in the region including Minnesota and Wisconsin will be about 1,230 megawatts short of possible peak demand. With above-average temperatures forecast, MISO said it may need to rely on imports or emergency measures to maintain the grid. MISO again said earlier this month that Wisconsin is to remain at high risk for blackouts throughout the summer, which has never happened before. Lets roll If blackouts occur this summer, they are likely to be what are considered rolling blackouts. Rolling blackouts are when the operators of the power grid (in southeastern Wisconsin, thats We Energies) cut power in specified areas over a short period, and then do the same thing in another area. This prevents whole swaths of land from losing power all at once over a long period, while inconveniencing many for a few minutes or hours at a time. Blackouts are more likely in summer during stretches of extreme heat, when most every home has its air conditioning turned on, thus greatly increasing demand across the whole energy infrastructure. If members of the community by-and-large reduce power consumption by not using air conditioning or having it at a higher temperature that uses less power, rolling blackouts could be reduced or prevented. Why is this a worry now? The reason for concern is that the extra power capacity Wisconsin and the rest of MISO has is not quite as big as it was before. MISO mandates that every power producer in its grid be able to produce 10% more energy than anticipated peak load, said Brendan Conway, a spokesperson for WEC Energy Group, We Energies parent company. Conway said the reason MISO and NERC are more worried now than in past years is the result of the closure of some power plants within MISO but outside of Wisconsin, decreasing the amount of extra power beyond anticipated peak loads that the whole grid can produce. Peak load is the max power demand the power grid can expect at any one time. Conway referred to peak load situations as an everyone using their air conditioning nonstop kind of day. Demand on the system is growing too, in part likely due to climate change making temperatures hotter and thus increasing the usage of air conditioning. As WTMJ-TV reported earlier this month, the max temperature during summers in Milwaukee averaged 79.9 degrees Fahrenheit from 1991-2020, 1.9 degrees higher than 1981-2010. Climate Central, a nonprofit news outlet, reported that average summer temperatures in Milwaukee have risen 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit between 1970 and 2021. About 6% of all U.S. electricity produced each year goes toward air conditioners, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Not everyone is in agreement about the likelihood of blackouts in Wisconsin this summer, however, with some saying MISOs and NERCs warnings have caused undue fear. Little need to worry, officials say Conway said Wisconsinites should not expect any blackouts. There has never been one since MISO was founded in 1998. He added that, before blackouts would be scheduled, We Energies would first call for the public to decrease power use asking customers to turn off lights as much as possible, turn off the air conditioning, that kind of thing. Thats never happened before in We Energies history, Conway said. What Im seeing is that the likelihood of that (blackouts in Wisconsin) is unlikely, said Michael Vickerman, policy director of RENEW Wisconsin, a Madison nonprofit that encourages implementation of renewable energy sources. If there are blackouts, they certainly wouldnt originate in Wisconsin, Vickerman said. If Wisconsins energy producers fall short of demand, power could be imported from neighboring power grids, too. Wind turbine power generated in Iowa could fill Wisconsins gaps, and vice versa. Thats thanks to the system in place through MISO. Vickerman pointed to how, last week, We Energies and Alliant Energy (which powers much of central and southwestern Wisconsin) extended the lives of three in-state coal plants by several years. That will help stabilize power in the state. Two of the four units in We Energies Oak Creek plant, located just north of Caledonia, were due to shut down in early 2023 and the other two were to close in early 2024. Now, they are due to retire in May 2024 and November 2025, respectively. Wisconsin Public Service Commission member Ellen Nowak likewise downplayed warnings. While pointing out that there is always a risk of blackouts, Nowak said it would take a perfect storm such as unplanned generator shutdowns combined with extreme heat or catastrophic weather to trigger forced outages. Im not hitting the panic button, but it is a wakeup call. I think its a good reality check about how the system works, said Nowak, the only Republican appointee on the three-member PSC, during an online meeting organized by Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce. She also called for continuing to delay the retirement of fossil fuel generators. Remember Texas? Unexpected, unprecedented blackouts contributed to the deaths of hundreds of Texans in February 20221 when the state was hit by a winter storm that froze natural gas pipelines, leading to blackouts that prevented millions from being able to consistently use heat even as temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit the coldest day some parts of the state had experienced in more than 70 years. That kind of disaster isnt really possible in Wisconsin, since generators here are winterized. Wind power and other renewable energy sources played little-to-no role in the disaster, despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott trying to blame them for the problems rather than traditional-fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure. Texas also is not part of a multistate power grid like MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). It didnt have the chance to import in power from another state, which Wisconsin and other Midwestern states can do thanks to MISO. To prevent blackouts, MISO has lots of tools at their disposal, said Brendan Conway, We Energies spokesperson. Reporting from Chris Hubbuch of Lee Newspapers contributed to this article. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CALEDONIA A group home employee was allegedly found passed out in his car from taking fentanyl after his shift. Brian V. Smith, 57, of the 200 block of Ohio Street, Racine, was charged with two felony counts of possession of narcotic drugs. According to a criminal complaint: At 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, an officer was sent to a rescue call at the 3100 block of Navajo Trail. A man was unresponsive in his vehicle, and it was learned he was an employee at the Good Life at Home group home. The officer arrived and spoke to a man who identified the unresponsive man as Smith. The officer removed Smith from the vehicle and placed him on the ground. Smith's body was sweaty and clammy, his eyes were rolled back in his head and he was breathing every 30-45 seconds. Rescue arrived and placed Smith on the cot after giving him Narcan. Officers searched the vehicle and found a folded up piece of paper in the center console. Inside was a white/tan powdery residue that tested positive for fentanyl. A man told the officers that Smith got off work at 11 p.m. and he arrived at work at around 11:31 p.m. He saw Smith sleeping in his car when he arrived. He tried to wake Smith up several times before calling the police. An officer spoke to Smith who said he was working until 11 p.m. and then he snorted "1 bump" of what he believed to be heroin. He said he purchased $20 worth of "heroin" from a guy he knows as "Zeke." Smith was given a $400 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing is on July 14 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 RACINE A Racine man has been accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 8. Christopher N. Lindeke, 39, of the 800 block of College Avenue, was charged with a felony count of first degree sexual assault of a child under age 12. According to a criminal complaint: On June 7, an investigator began an investigation into a sexual assault allegation. An investigator spoke with Lindeke who denied any assault at first, but then admitted to taking a female child into a bathroom and sexually assaulting her. Lindeke was given a $20,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing is on July 6 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show. UNION GROVE The new face of Union Grove village government should look familiar to many people. Kerry Bennett, who has been serving as village treasurer for the past three years, has been named the new village administrator. Bennett succeeds Mike Hawes, who stepped down in March after three years to take a similar position with a larger community in Milwaukee County. Bennett has been serving as interim village administrator the past few months. Village Board members voted to hire Bennett on Monday night, choosing her over four other applicants with experience in local government outside of Union Grove. Board members said they were happy to find the most qualified candidate already on the village staff. She is what we were looking for, Village Trustee Jennifer Ditscheit said. Bennett, 42, said she feels honored to be selected for the job, and she looks forward to working with residents and business owners in the community of about 5,000. We all have one common goal, she said. Its to continue to make Union Grove a great place to live, work and play. Bennetts salary as village administrator will start at $85,000 a year. Hawes was getting $93,000 a year when he stepped down. The other finalists for the job were Will Kolschowsky, a management analyst for Urbana, Illinois; Todd Willis, economic development coordinator for Brookfield; Theresa Loomer, village administrator for Fontana; and Chris Bennett, neighborhood services director for Whitewater. Chris Bennett is not related to Kerry Bennett. The Union Grove Village Board Personnel Committee interviewed all five finalists before the Village Board made its choice. Village Trustee Patrick Brinkman said hiring an insider like Kerry Bennett offers the opportunity for a smooth transition to new leadership. Brinkman said he also was impressed that Bennetts years of working in Union Grove had given her a strong understanding of the villages needs and its future potential. Its the experience of knowing the village, he said. The only way you know that is by working in it. The Village Board vote to hire Bennett was unanimous. Ditscheit said she was pleased to learn that Bennett and her family are making plans to relocate from Greenfield in Milwaukee County to a new home in Mount Pleasant in Racine County. Kerry has shown a great commitment to the village, Ditscheit said. Village President Steve Wicklund said Bennett has the right skill set and experience to lead Union Grove in the villages top non-elected government position. I have found her to have strong leadership, financial, and communication skills, Wicklund said. She really has the adaptability and drive to make even the most challenging situation work. Before joining the Village of Union Grove, Bennett worked as deputy clerk and treasurer for Big Bend, as a clerk typist and payroll specialist for Greendale and as a finance administrative assistant for Brookfield. Bennett said her first order of business as administrator will be filling other vacancies on the village staff, including the village clerk position vacated recently by Rebecca Wallendal. Officials offered the clerks job to Michelle Filz, administrative department secretary for the Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Department. Filz turned down the offer for reasons she is declining to discuss. The other finalists for village clerk include Ashly Ratz, a legal secretary in the Wisconsin Public Defenders Office in Kenosha; Shai Demers, a customer service representative for the manufacturing firm MTI in Pleasant Prairie; and Jolene Lusha, a customer service manager/plant manager for the manufacturer National Technologies Inc. in Oak Creek. Bennett, however, said another applicant has since come forward and has been offered the job, but has not yet accepted. Bennett declined to identify the new candidate. To fill Bennetts old village treasurer position, officials have promoted deputy treasurer Roberta Campbell to the position of treasurer/court clerk. Bennett said she does not plan any immediate operational changes as village administrator. She plans to focus on getting back to full staff, then turn her attention to the business of crafting a new village budget for 2023. She said she will begin to consider new ideas or changes once the budget process is underway. I hope next year I can definitely look outward, Bennett said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 1. Yes. It could give residents a reason to travel downtown and help revitalize the area. 2. Yes. It is, but only if the city commits to bringing in nearby restaurants and shops. 3. No. The city would be better served moving the annex to a more accessible part of town. 4. No. The proposed downtown location is in a blighted area. Consider other options. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. It depends on what the city, county and architect come up with. Vote View Results SAN ANTONIO (AP) Fifty people have died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. More than a dozen people had been taken to hospitals, including four children. A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck on a lonely San Antonio back road shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground near the trailer and bodies remained inside as authorities responded to the calamity. Forty-six people were found dead near the scene, authorities said. Four more later died after being taken to hospitals, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the county's top elected official, Among the dead were 39 males and 11 females, he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said those who died had "families who were likely trying to find a better life." "This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," Nirenberg said. It's among the deadliest of the tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring the absolutely horrific and heartbreaking reports" from San Antonio. Jean-Pierre pushed back against some Republican lawmakers who blamed the administration for the deaths and said it was focused on the victims and holding human smugglers accountable. "The fact of the matter is, the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks," she said. "Our prayers are with those who tragically lost their lives, their loved ones as well as those still fighting for their lives. We're also grateful for the swift work of federal, state and local first responders." Full story here: *** Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press reporter Terry Wallace contributed from Dallas. The Xcel Energy Foundation has awarded $305,000 to 58 nonprofits in Wisconsin and Michigan to help provide funding for critical programs in their communities. At Xcel Energy were doing our part to support our customers and communities, said Mark Stoering, president of Xcel Energy, Wisconsin and Michigan. Our mission is to provide our customers safe, clean, reliable energy services, but we also know that the quality of life in our communities is equally important to their continued success. Some of the recipients this year included: Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley, Embrace Services in Ladysmith, Gogebic Community College, Ironwood, Mich., Bridge for Community Life in Hudson, La Crosse Community Theater, Barron County Historical Society, Family Support Center in Chippewa Falls, Independent Living Resources in La Crosse and the Mabel Tainter Literary, Library, and Educational Society in Menomonie. Earlier this year the Foundation announced the launch of a new grant program called Energizing the Future. This new giving plan better aligns Xcel Energys business priorities to reflect diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, while creating a stronger community. The Foundation has also increased annual grant funding in 2022 to $4.4 million, from $3.8 million in 2021, for the companys eight state service area, strengthening the companys overall community impact. Applications for area grants are invitation only and are accepted online once a year. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Beaver Dam High School alum has returned to town and is working with a downtown studio to create a lasting clay mural that will be later placed on the outside of the building. Jeremiah Jacobs is a Class of 2002 graduate and had art teacher Kris Schumacher-Rasmussen. Jacobs said Schumacher-Rasmussens ceramics class opened him up to his life goals. She exposed to me the idea that people did this professionally, Jacobs said. Before this I thought everyone had careers like welder or carpenter. Jacobs attended the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. He said he has also apprenticed under Joel Huntley, from Columbus, along with other potteries in the U.S. In 2011, he was named a resident artist at the Craftsman House Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida, and later worked as a house gaffer, the chief electrician in a motion-picture or television production unit,at the Morean Glass Studio & Hot Shop. Schumacher-Rasmussen is the owner of Art on the Town Wisconsin: The Studio in downtown Beaver Dam. Schumacher-Rasmussen said that she had fond memories of having Jacobs as a student. He lived on the pottery wheel in the ceramics room, Schumacher-Rasmussen recalled. The two reconnected over Facebook and started talking about the project a while back for Jacobs to work on when he returned to the area to visit family. The community is welcome to participate in the clay mural project, Schumacher-Rasmussen said, adding that it is also an opportunity for the community to see the caliber of artists created by Beaver Dam schools. Jacobs began the community clay event last week. Community members are invited in to the studio when it is open to work on the project. It will eventually be hung on the back of the studio building, Schumacher Rasmussen said. Jacobs said after the piece is completed it will be glazed and take at least a month to dry. In the end it will be hung up in pieces on the back of the building. We are trying to do a unique and different approach, Schumacher-Rasmussen said. Beaver Dam has lots of fantastic murals, but we wanted to do one using another approach. Jacobs said he appreciated all the recent arts that have been added to Beaver Dam. Its such a good time for the town, Jacobs said. It is great that the city is moving in this direction. Jacobs will also be teaching the "Raku Experience" on Saturday, July 2. Raku is a Japanese style of pottery originating in the 1580s. The practice is characterized by the removal of a clay object from the kiln at the height of the firing and causing it to cool very rapidly to reveal unique and beautiful colors. Those who attend the event that day will be able to choose a pot that will be glazed before the process begins to create the Raku fired clay. Prices vary between $25 and $75, but those doing the art work can take the items home. To find out more visit: artonthetownwi.com Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The La Crosse Tribune earned five awards in the 2021 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundations Better Newspaper Contest over the weekend, including one first-place award. Awards from the statewide contest were announced at a banquet last Friday in Madison. Each year, entries are judged by another newspaper association, and this years contest was judged by the West Virginia Press Association. The Tribune was bumped up to Division A for this years contest, the top division in the state. Local government reporter Olivia Herken earned first place for Localized National Story for her coverage of President Joe Bidens visit to La Crosse last July. Herkens coverage spanned across the political impact Bidens visit to La Crosse had to his trip to the iconic Pearl Ice Cream Parlor and many details in between. The depth in the reporting both during and after Bidens visit was exceptional, a judge for the contest wrote. Herken also received two second place awards in the contest. For Investigative Reporting, she earned second place for her story on congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden, who pushed back against staff at the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library for its Pride Month display. Judges described it as incredible work, saying that it was both timely and impactful. Author gives the sense that they told a story that would not have been told without them, they said. Herken also received a second place award for her ongoing coverage of controversial priest Father James Altman. Herken was the first to report on Altman, who has since become a national and international conservative figure. She wrote a story in September 2020 on a video where he declared Democrats were Godless hypocrites who were going to hell, and has continued to follow the story and push the Diocese of La Crosse for answers. A story of the perseverance and tough skin a journalist has to have. Props to the author to not only exposing the story to the world, but to her continued efforts to bring it into the spotlight, the judge wrote. Health reporter Emily Pyrek earned an honorable mention for General News Story for a story about Gundersen Health System nurses leading a protest over the hospitals COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff. The story reported that, at the time, 85% of staff had been vaccinated, and painted a picture of the opposition to vaccines that was spreading across the country while also providing the facts about the pandemic and vaccines. Tribune editor Bob Heisse also took home an honorable mention for his editorial pieces covering new solar initiatives on schools, the back-and-forth redevelopment of the former Kmart, and the ongoing debate over police in La Crosse schools. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A man who shot and killed a passenger on a San Francisco subway commuter train will be charged with gun crimes but not homicide in what was clearly" a case of self-defense after he was attacked with a knife, his attorney said Monday. Javon Green, 26, will face charges of having a concealed weapon in a public place and having a loaded gun in a public place, both felonies that possibly could be reduced to misdemeanors, attorney Randy Knox told the San Francisco Chronicle. Green was scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office declined to comment to the paper Monday. Messages from The Associated Press seeking comment weren't immediately returned. Green shot to death Nesta Bowen, 27, last Wednesday on a Muni train, his attorney said. Knox told the paper that his client was a security guard who carried a gun for protection because he had twice been shot, and that he had twice tried to move away from a man on the train who is believed to be Bowen. The man had been sitting next to Green. According to his client's account, the man was mumbling and saying aggressive things" to Green, who got up and walked away from him, but the man followed him and took a knife from his pants, Knox said. According to Knox, Green said to him, what are you going to do, stab me? And thats when he started to run away, Knox said. Its a clear case of self-defense. Surveillance footage obtained by the Chronicle appeared to show the man pulling something from his pocket and charging at Green, swinging at his face with his fist and what appears to be a knife, the paper said. Green backs up but as they approach the end of the train car, Green shoots the man, the paper said. Police said the shooter fled when the train stopped in the Castro neighborhood. Green was arrested the next day in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Pittsburg. A 70-year-old passenger on the train was wounded and received non-life threatening injuries. Knox said Green apologized to the man and to other train passengers. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BOISE, Idaho (AP) An Idaho public utilitys nearly two-decade effort to renew its license for a three-dam hydroelectric project on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon Border is moving forward with federal regulators announcing plans to update an environmental study. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this month said it will prepare a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to consider new developments since it completed the 2007 document for Idaho Powers Hells Canyon Project. The commission expects to complete the supplemental review that includes a draft and public comments in late 2023. Brett Dumas, director of Environmental Affairs for Idaho Power, said the company wanted the supplemental impact statement to bolster the process against potential lawsuits. We felt if they didnt take this step, they would be taking some legal risk, Dumas said. Hells Canyon is a mile-deep canyon carved by the Snake River, much of it popular for recreation but inaccessible by road. The Hells Canyon Complex includes Hells Canyon Dam, Brownlee Dam and Oxbow Dam built from the late 1950s through the 1960s. The commission issued a 50-year license for the project in 1955, which expired in 2005. Idaho Power, starting in 2003, began trying to obtain a new 50-year license from the commission and submitted a relicensing application. It has been operating on annual renewal of the existing license since it expired. The dams blocked salmon and steelhead from traveling upstream, eliminating about 80% of spawning habitat for Snake River fall chinook and steelhead. The company compensates by paying for salmon and steelhead hatchery programs below the dams. Kevin Lewis, a consultant for Idaho Rivers United, said the 1955 license was created before environmental laws. So, clearly, its time for a new license and some mitigation on the project, he said. Dumas said obtaining a 50-year license would provide certainty to allow the company to begin on long-planned projects that include recreation and restoration work. Among the events that have happened since the 2007 impact study, Idaho and Oregon in 2019 reached an agreement that requires Idaho Power to spend $312 million on water quality and habitat improvements, and Idaho and Oregon each issued water quality certifications for the project under the Clean Water Act. Idaho Power had been caught in the middle of a fight between Oregon and Idaho. Oregon insisted on returning federally protected salmon and steelhead above the dams. Idaho officials didnt want salmon and steelhead, listed under the Endangered Species Act, above the dams that could lead to environmental lawsuits and force expensive mitigation work. The finished deal the two states reached involves a 20-year study with fish moved above Hells Canyon Dam, the lowest dam in the complex, but not above the other two dams that would allow fish into the middle section of the Snake River and into southern Idaho. After the 20-year study, officials will consider returning salmon and steelhead to that area. That section is considered poor habitat because it flows through environmentally degraded agricultural areas. Pollution leaving those agricultural areas, which are not controlled by Idaho Power, accumulates at the Hells Canyon Complex, elevating levels of methylmercury that accumulates in organisms and works its way up the food chain to fish. Methylmercury also travels downstream from the dams. Idaho Power ends up on the receiving end of a lot of pollution coming down from further up the basin, said Lewis. But their project is what collects and concentrates it, so they bear some responsibility here. He said he'd like to see the supplemental impact statement include more robust mitigation requirements than what is contained in the 2007 document. Idaho Power in July 2020 supplemented its license application to include an analysis of fish-related enhancement measures. In October 2020, the company also filed draft biological assessments with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The supplemental Environmental Impact Statement will consider all those new details in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to analyze environmental effects of proposed actions before making decisions. Idaho Power has more than 600,000 customers in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. The company has 17 hydroelectric facilities on the Snake River and its tributaries, with the Hells Canyon Complex on the Snake River providing about 70% of the companys hydroelectric generating capacity and 30% of the companys total generating capacity. Idaho Power has a stated goal of providing 100% clean energy by 2045 while keeping prices low and reliability high. Getting a new license for Hells Canyon is critical for that, Dumas said. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The former state Supreme Court justice leading the GOP-ordered review of Wisconsins 2020 election faces a new lawsuit following recent comments he made indicating that he deletes records he deems irrelevant to the taxpayer-funded probe. Liberal watchdog group American Oversight on Tuesday filed a lawsuit and emergency motion seeking to stop the the deletion of public records related to the inquiry by Michael Gableman. Two Dane County judges have already ordered Gablemans Office of Special Counsel to halt the deletion of any records responsive to American Oversights requests. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, points to comments Gableman made in recent testimony that he has deleted emails from his government email account. Gableman also said last week he had a staffer delete the personal email account he used in the early months of his review last year, making those records inaccessible. With respect to any given missing record, either the (Office of Special Counsel) has failed to conduct the required search of existing records in which case it has violated the Open Records law or the OSC has conducted the required search, but come up empty-handed because the OSC had already deleted those texts or e-mails in which case it has violated the Public Records Retention Law, American Oversight attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. While testifying last week in a separate open records case focused on the first few months of his review, Gableman said, did I delete documents? Yes, I did. If I had to keep every scrap of paper, I would do nothing else, Gableman told reporters on June 10 while in court for another case. I would need a warehouse. In April, an attorney representing Gableman indicated in court filings that the office routinely deletes documents, including emails and text messages, that are deemed irrelevant or useless to the investigation. Attorneys have claimed Gableman is exempt from state record retention laws. An October memo prepared by Legislative Council deputy director Dan Schmidt indicated that the states public records law generally applies to records created or maintained by Gablemans office. State lawmakers are exempt from Wisconsins record retention law, allowing them to regularly delete records, though requested documents must be retained if they exist at the time of a formal request. Schmidt wrote in the memo that such an exemption does not apply to Gableman. The OSC has deleted public records that dont suit the faux election-fraud narrative, unabashedly flouting Wisconsin law, American Oversight senior adviser Melanie Sloan said in a statement. Citizens should have the opportunity to evaluate the OSCs report for themselves based on the entire record, not just on the documents Gableman wants people to see. Multiple lawsuits The lawsuit is the fourth filed by American Oversight related to the GOP-ordered review of the 2020 election and the second filed against Gableman. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who hired Gableman last year, and the state Assembly, have also been sued by American Oversight over requests for public records. American Oversight is represented by Democracy Forward and Madison firm Pines Bach in the case filed Tuesday. Gablemans office and attorneys who have represented him in another American Oversight lawsuit related to public records did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In an affidavit filed by Gableman in a separate case Tuesday, the former justice said he has searched for and provided all documents relevant to American Oversights requests. Gableman was hired by Vos under pressure from Donald Trump to review the election the former president lost to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. While the probe was originally allocated $676,000 in taxpayer funds, invoices have shown that ongoing court battles surrounding the review have pushed the cost to nearly $900,000. A recount, court decisions and multiple reviews have affirmed that Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin. Only 24 people out of nearly 3.3 million who cast ballots have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin. Vos earlier this year paused Gablemans probe to allow time for pending lawsuits related to the review to play out in court and halved Gablemans monthly salary from $11,000 to $5,500. In the courtroom Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington earlier this month held Gablemans office in contempt, offering a scathing rebuke of the former justices behavior in court a week earlier, when Gableman accused the judge of being a partisan advocate. Remington ultimately held Gablemans office in contempt for failing to adequately respond to the requests and ordered Gableman be fined $2,000 a day until he complies. He also directed Gablemans sneering conduct in Remingtons courtroom to the office that regulates attorneys and judges in Wisconsin to take possible action against his license to practice law. Gableman has appealed the ruling and is seeking a review by a three-judge panel in Wisconsins District 2 Court of Appeals in Waukesha. In a separate case, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn last week ruled that Vos will not be penalized for a previous contempt order related to the case, but said she will decide later if Vos should face penalties related to how his office handled requests for records related to Gablemans review. A hearing has been scheduled for July 28 in the matter. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An attorney involved in the effort to pass then-Vice President Mike Pence documents falsely stating Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020 is a victim of the radical left who needs to be supported, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Friday in newly revealed audio. Johnsons comment came as the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection continues to unpack a wide-ranging scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which appears to involve former Dane County Circuit Court Judge James Troupis, whom Johnson defended on Friday. Cleta Mitchell is a hero, Johnson said on Friday at the Wisconsin Statewide Election Integrity Summit, referring to an attorney who advised Trump during his failed attempt to stay in power. There are so many people. The latest victim is Jim Troupis there are so many victims of the radical left that need to be supported. The Oshkosh Republicans comments came the same week texts revealed Troupis, who represented Trump in a failed effort to overturn Wisconsins 2020 election results, tried to get Johnson to pass documents falsely stating Trump won Wisconsin to Pence on Jan. 6. The Jan. 6 committee has revealed Trump was told repeatedly by his campaign advisers and Justice Department officials that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Yet Trump continued to lie to his supporters. Meanwhile, his attorneys were orchestrating false slates of electors in key swing states, including Wisconsin, to give Pence the pretext to disrupt the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6. Pence refused to go along with the scheme. Asked why and how Johnson considers Troupis a victim, Johnson spokesperson Alexa Henning said Monday, The corporate media and the radical left are engaging in politics of personal destruction and its sick. Henning did not directly answer two questions about whether Johnson has been interviewed by the FBI or subpoenaed by any law enforcement entity. Troupis did not respond to the same question Monday. Text messages released last Tuesday by the Jan. 6 committee revealed Johnsons chief of staff told Pences aide that Johnson needed to pass those documents along to Pence as the vice president was set to confirm Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Johnson initially denied any involvement in the attempt to hand off the documents. But the fallout continued when text messages revealed Troupis had first texted Johnson to pass along those documents to Pence. We need to get a document on the Wisconsin electors to you for the VP immediately, Troupis told Johnson at 11:36 a.m. Jan. 6, 2021, according to texts provided to conservative media outlet Just the News. Is there a staff person I can talk to immediately. Thanks Jim T. Johnson then put Troupis in touch with chief of staff Sean Riley before Riley contacted and was subsequently rebuffed by Pences aide. Those revelations came before Pences former chief of staff, Marc Short, told CBS Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan that Johnson was not directly involved in the scheme to pass those documents along to Pence. But Johnsons decision to connect Troupis and Riley after Troupis alluded to the Wisconsin elector document contradicts that claim. In a message to the Wisconsin State Journal on Sunday, Henning referred to Shorts comments and said, This is an extremely relevant piece of information that a senior aide more senior (than) the aide that our COS was corresponding with who is saying it was a staff-to-staff conversation and Sen. Johnson didnt have involvement. She did not explain the contradiction between Shorts statement and the Troupis-Johnson text messages. The only victims in this saga are the Wisconsin voters who Ron Johnson and the Trump campaign tried to disenfranchise by pressuring Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brad Bainum said in a statement about Johnsons comments on Friday. Ron Johnson keeps proving hes totally untrustworthy and unfit to represent Wisconsin in the Senate. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Baraboo investigators have identified a man in connection with the June 7 break-in at Ochsner Park Zoo where 15 enclosures were left open and four animals initially went missing from the zoo. Aaron Wayne Hovis, 34, of West Lafayette, Indiana, is the main suspect in the vandalism, according to a statement Monday from Lt. Ryan La Broscian of the Baraboo Police Department. Interim Police Chief Rob Sinden said investigators have not discovered any connection between Hovis and any animal rights groups. Police have recommended he be charged with criminal damage to property, though no charges have been filed as of 4 p.m. Monday in Sauk County Circuit Court. Hovis is currently being held in Jasper County Jail in Indiana after being charged June 9 with felony counts of bribery, theft and tax evasion, and on June 17 with felony intimidation and resisting an officer, according to court records. Police were dispatched to the zoo around 8 a.m. June 7 after staff arrived to find the outside doors broken in and locks to enclosures severed with a tool. Four animals, including a pair of river otters and great horned owls who live at the zoo, had left their habitats and gone out into the city, likely over the early morning hours. The river otters were found that afternoon when kayakers on the Baraboo River spotted the pair playing near the water. Staff members were able to load them into carriers and take them back to their zoo enclosure. Two great horned owls, Linda and Jerry, also escaped. Both birds were brought to the zoo by a local wildlife rehabilitation center because, despite being able to fly and having good eyesight, they were imprinted on humans, making them unlikely to survive in the wild. Jerry was found June 9 in a field roughly 4 miles north of the city along County Highway A. He was spotted by passersby who called police and was recovered. He was taken to the zoos UW veterinarian, who was able to identify him. Jerry had two wing fractures as well as a small eye injury, said director of the Baraboo Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department Mike Hardy. After staying overnight, Jerry was brought back to Ochsner Park Zoo, but is undergoing a month of quarantine to heal from his injuries. Jerry was likely injured by swiping a vehicle mid-flight or running into a sign, Hardy said, though there is no way to know how it happened. Linda, the second great horned owl, has been spotted near the zoo in recent days. She is likely staying close to her food source, seen once in a tree above the llama enclosure at the zoo, though too high for staff to recover her. She may eventually become too weak to fly and be lying on the ground in the neighborhood. Zoo staff have encouraged members of the public to call the non-emergency police line to report any such sighting. Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513. In response to an increase in traffic fatalities, the Winona County Sheriffs Office will be joining Minnesota law enforcement statewide in July for additional speed patrols. Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said speed has been a major contributing factor in the rise of traffic fatalities and serious injuries over the past two years. He said some drivers fell into poor driving habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and those bad decisions continue as restrictions end. Speed is the one poor choice driving overall traffic fatalities to numbers the state hasnt seen in more than a decade, Ganrude said. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating the campaign with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As part of the effort, local law enforcement is also participating in the Hwys. 14 and 19 Border-to-Border Speed Patrol Saturation on Friday, July 1. There were 497 traffic fatalities in Minnesota during 2021, the highest number since 2007. Speed was the largest contributing factor in fatal crashes, accounting for 162 of the deaths. La Crosse Tribune reporter Steve Rundio can be reached at steve.rundio@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision last week to overturn Roe v. Wade, the battle for abortion rights has now moved to state courts and legislatures around the country. Thirteen American states, mainly in the South and Midwest, had laws ready that would ban abortion once Roe v. Wade was overturned. Abortion is a medical operation that ends a pregnancy. The Guttmacher Institute is an organization that supports abortion rights. It says 26 American states are likely to ban abortion now that Roe has been overturned. Opponents of abortion rights are now seeking to ban abortion across all 50 states. Abortion-rights supporters are trying to block or delay such measures in state courts. Many cases center on so-called trigger laws. These are laws that ban abortion but only become enforceable after the overturn of Roe. Other legal actions target old anti-abortion state laws that were unenforced under Roe, known as zombie laws. Nancy Northup is head of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She said last Friday, Well be back in court tomorrow and the next day and the next day to argue these cases. Brigitte Amiri of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the organization is looking at all options to protect access to abortion. Questions on trigger laws As of Saturday, abortion services had stopped in at least 11 American states either because of state laws or questions about them. In Louisiana, the states Republican attorney general wrote Friday on Twitter that the states trigger law was in effect immediately. And the three health centers providing abortions in the state closed that day. On Monday, abortion rights supporters took legal action hoping to delay the ban in Louisiana. They argued that state laws are unclear on when a ban can take effect and what is considered an exception to the law. Hours later, a judge in New Orleans temporarily blocked enforcement of the states trigger law. At least one of the states abortion clinics said it would restart performing abortions on Tuesday. In Utah, the states Planned Parenthood group has challenged a trigger law with narrow exceptions in the state. Laura Herner is a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. She told The Associated Press that other challenges might argue whether state laws fully and clearly protect the life or health of a pregnant woman. Although the high court ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion, abortion rights supporters argue that some state constitutions protect the right. In Florida, abortion rights supporters asked a judge to block a new state law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, with few exceptions. The law is set to take effect this week. The ACLU of Florida has argued that it violates the Florida Constitution. In another legal action, a Jewish group said the Florida law conflicts with the separation of church and state. And the ACLU of Arizona and an abortion-rights group are seeking to block a 2021 state law they worry can be used to halt all abortions. What about zombie laws? Abortion rights supporters are also looking into bans under zombie laws now that there is no federal protection for abortion. For example, the state of Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 banning abortions except to save the life of the mother. Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he does not believe the law is enforceable. But abortion opponents have called on state lawmakers to establish a new ban. In Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood said the state immediately suspended all abortions, even though law enforcement officials suggested that they would not enforce the ban. In Michigan, Planned Parenthood challenged a 1931 abortion ban ahead of last weeks Supreme Court ruling. In May, a judge said the ban could not be enforced because it violates the states constitution. Abortion rights supporters are now trying to get a proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to protect abortion and birth control. Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas have passed laws that permit people to seek bounties against those who help others get abortions. A bounty is an amount of money given to someone as a reward for catching a criminal. These laws have raised questions over whether people can be followed across state lines under the law. Legal challenges are also likely to come up in cases of abortion medicine sent to patients. The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed a bill Thursday to protect abortion providers and volunteers in the state from civil judgments put in place by other states. And in Massachusetts, Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order Friday barring state agencies from helping other states investigations into anyone who receives a legal abortion in Massachusetts. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press reported this story. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. _______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story option - n. a choice or possibility access - n. a way of getting at, near or to something challenge - v. to question the action or authority The American space agency NASA has launched a satellite designed to test a new orbit around the moon. The satellite launched Tuesday from New Zealand on a rocket built by American space company Rocket Lab. The satellite is called a CubeSat. CubeSats are small research spacecraft also known as nanosatellites. They provide a low-cost way for scientists, governments and private organizations to carry out space experiments. The CubeSat launched Tuesday weighs about 25 kilograms. The satellite is owned by the U.S.-based company Advanced Space. NASA is calling its CubeSat mission CAPSTONE. The small satellite will be the first to take a new path around the moon. NASA said the mission is meant to support research for the agencys Artemis program. Artemis aims to land American astronauts on the moon by 2025. It would mark the first human visit to the moon since NASAs Apollo 17 landing in 1972. NASA reported the launch of the CAPSTONE CubeSat went well. Getting the satellite into orbit will take more than four months and will be done in three stages. Over the next five days, Rocket Labs Lunar Photon upper stage booster rocket is expected to raise the CubeSats orbit further and further from Earth. After that, Photon's engines will fire a final time, permitting CAPSTONE to escape Earth's orbit and head for the moon. The CubeSat will then use its own propulsion and the suns gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon, NASA said in a statement. This gravity-driven path is expected to greatly reduce the amount of fuel the CubeSat needs to get to the Moon. NASA calls the orbiting path CAPSTONE will test a gravitational sweet spot in space. The path represents a point where the pull of gravity from Earth and the Moon interact to allow for a nearly-stable orbit. In the future, NASA plans to build a lunar space station called Gateway in this same orbital path. The station could be a launching point for astronauts to travel to the moon's surface as part of its Artemis program. The CubeSat is expected to collect and send data about its orbiting activities back to Earth for at least six months. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press and NASA reported 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. ____________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mission n. an important project or trip, especially involving space travel stage n. a period of development, or a particular time in a process booster n. an engine on a spacecraft that gives extra power for the first part of a flight propulsion n. the force produced by a system for moving, or propelling, a vehicle navigate v. to find the right direction for traveling by using maps or other equipment allow v. to permit stable adj. not likely to change or end suddenly The largest-known bacterium is changing researchers' ideas about what is possible for bacteria, Earth's most ancient life form. The organism was discovered on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and is big enough to be seen with the human eye. Scientists said recently that the bacterium, called Thiomargarita magnifica, is unusual for its size -- up to about two centimeters long. It is also notable because its structure is unlike other bacteria. The DNA, an organism's genetic information, is not free-moving inside the cell like in most bacteria. Instead, the DNA is contained within many small membrane-bound sacs. Membrane-bound structures in cells are called organelles. Jean-Marie Volland was a co-leader of the study that appeared in the publication Science. Volland said of the bacteria, "It is thousands of times larger than regular-sized bacteria. Discovering this bacterium is like encountering a human being as tall as Mount Everest. Researchers have found the bacterium in several places in Guadeloupe, a French island group in the Caribbean. Study co-leader Olivier Gros first discovered the bacterium in the sulfur-rich seawater of a Guadeloupe swamp - land that is wet and partly covered with water. Gros described finding long white materials attached to a leaf of a mangrove tree. He brought the materials back to the lab to study. "Big surprise for me to have so huge a bacterium living in the mangroves of Guadeloupe," he said. A normal bacteria measures one to five micrometers long. A micrometer is one millionth of a meter. This species averages 10,000 micrometers or one cm long. Some Thiomargarita magnifica are double that length. Volland said the bacterium is bigger than what we thought was the maximum possible size for a single bacterium." He added, "They are about the same size and shape of an eyelash." The largest-known bacterium until now had a maximum length of around 750 micrometers. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that live nearly everywhere on Earth. Bacteria are thought to have been the first organisms and remain very simple in structure billions of years later. The bodies of humans are filled with bacteria. Only a small number of these cause disease. Caribbean mangrove swamps are filled with organic material. Microbes break down this material and produce sulfur. The sulfur-rich environment offers an energy source for bacteria like Thiomargarita magnifica. The researchers named its DNA-holding organelles "pepins" after a French word for small seeds inside fruits. "Aside from two exceptions, there were no other bacteria known to keep their DNA inside a membrane-bound organelle. That is, in fact, a characteristic of more complex cells which have a membrane-bound nucleus, such as human cells, or animal and plant cells," Volland said. A genome map showed that Thiomargarita magnifica has lost some genes needed for cell division and has more than the usual number of copies of genes responsible for cell lengthening. "The genome is also very big and contains three times the average number of genes that are usually found in bacteria. Half of those genes, we have no idea what are they for," Volland said. This bacterium shows how life on Earth still has surprises awaiting discovery, he said. "Life is fascinating, very diverse and very complex," Volland added. "It's important to stay curious and have an open mind." Im John Russell. Will Dunham reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. _______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story sac n. a part inside the body of an animal or plant that is shaped like a bag and that usually contains liquid or air; a hollow, flexible structure organelle n. a specialized cellular part that has a specific function mangrove n. a tropical tree that has roots which grow from its branches and that grows in swamps or shallow salt water species n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants maximum n. the largest number or amount that is possible eyelash n. any one of the hairs that grow along the top of the eyelid characteristic n. a quality that makes something different from other things fascinating adj. very interesting or appealing Russia is carrying out a major offensive on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk area. The local governor said Russian troops are pouring fire on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were attacking Lysychansk after recently capturing the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk. The Russian offensive aims to capture the larger Donbas area from Ukrainian government control. Western experts say capturing the Donbas has become the new main goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. The war has now lasted five months. After the takeover of Sievierodonetsk, the enemy army has concentrated all its forces on capturing (our) last stronghold in the Luhansk region: Lysychansk, Haidai told The Associated Press. Over the past week, the Russian army has captured several villages and towns southeast of Lysychansk. It is launching air strikes and artillery fire from those towns. The office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least six civilians were killed and 31 others injured during Russian attacks on several cities in the past day. Kyiv and some cities in the south and east also came under attack. Russian forces continued to target the southern port of Odesa. A missile attack there destroyed apartment buildings and injured six people. In Lysychansk, at least five buildings in the city and the last road bridge were damaged over the past day, Haidai said. An important highway connecting the city to government-held territory further south could not be used because of shelling. But the highway has not been captured yet, he said. The fighting is also making the evacuation of civilians more difficult, Haidai said. The city had a pre-war population of around 100,000, about half of whom remain. Lysychansk is on the Siverskiy Donets River and is a large area covered with hills. This gives an advantage to Ukrainian troops, military experts say. The Siverskiy Donets River borders Lysychansk on the north and east. The Ukrainian army continues to hold territory west of the city which it uses to supply arms and humanitarian aid. Russian forces have now moved to block Lysychansk from the south. To the west, in the government-controlled city of Sloviansk, local officials accused Russian forces of using a cluster bomb Monday. They said it hit a civilian neighborhood. A cluster bomb is a kind of explosive that contains many smaller bombs and is considered very deadly. Officials say the number of dead and injured has not yet been confirmed. The shockwave from a big explosion Monday in Sloviansk destroyed most of the windows in the surrounding apartment buildings and nearby cars. Monday, a Russian missile struck a crowded shopping center in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk, officials said. Dozens of civilians were feared killed or wounded. Officials said there were more than 1,000 civilians inside the shopping center at the time of the attack. Meanwhile, leaders of the Group of Seven countries meeting in Germany appeared willing to provide Ukraine with air defense systems. Russia hit Kyiv with long-distance missiles on Sunday. The U.S. appeared ready to announce the purchase of a surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story stronghold n. a protected place where the members of a military group stay and can defend themselves against attacks concentrate v. to cause attention, effort or strength to be used or directed in one place evacuate v. to remove someone or to be removed from a dangerous place apartment building n. a large building with several or many separate living areas within it advantage n. something that helps or puts a person or group in a good position shock wave n. a movement of high pressure air that results from an explosion In honor of Independence Day, Lebanon Express is providing unlimited access to all of our content from June 28th-July 4th! Presented by Western Interlock LEXINGTON With drought conditions holding firm across the area, local fire departments are urging residents to use caution when discharging fireworks during this dry season. The Lexington Volunteer Fire Department stated, As July 4 approaches we ask that people stay aware of our conditions. We have had minimal moisture and things still remain very dry. It might look nice and green where you are lighting them but the amber's carry. Please use caution and be responsible. Please stay safe everyone. The Elwood Fire and Rescue Department recently announced that the community fireworks would not be occurring this year due to the dry conditions and they urged residents to use extreme caution when discharging their personal fireworks. All of Dawson County and the northern portion of Gosper County remain under severe drought conditions, as they have for the past several weeks. No more than .25 inches of rain is expected through the end of June. Firework Sales Shotkoski Fireworks, located in the Lexington Sale Barns parking lot, noted they had a good opening day, due to opening on a Saturday. It was noted they may see more sales with local public firework displays not occurring and the higher gas prices may lead people to celebrate at home. Grand Pop 2 Fireworks is located in the parking lot of Dollar Fresh and is managed by Tanner Follett and Cory Urban. Follett said this was their first year being located along Plum Creek Parkway and only their second year in Lexington. He said their turnout over the first weekend had been great, with a lot of children within walking distance visiting the trailer. Follett said with local shows being called off, people might purchase more fireworks to put on their own shows at home. At Bellino Fireworks, on the corner of Plum Creek Parkway and Prospect Road, marked by the large inflatable gorilla, Phillip Garr said they had a decent turnout for the first weekend. Garr has managed the Bellino location for the past three to four years. He said sales may be boosted due to the canceled shows and despite the dry conditions, he thinks it will be a good year for firework sales. At their trailer located in the parking lot of Plum Creek Market Place, Pat Valish said their sales were up after the weekend and business continued to be steady on Monday. Valish said it was sad that there would be few public shows in the area over the July 4 weekend, but expressed a sentiment many were likely holding, I wish it would rain. Over at the parking lot of Change Clothing, Kim Schuster said it was their first year operating a stand, but felt like they had a good first weekend. She said it has been enjoyable meeting with other people who are passionate about fireworks. Discharge Times Residents are also asked to note the appropriate hours to discharge fireworks and to be respectful of their neighbors. In Lexington, sale of fireworks began on Friday, June 24. The city itself does not have specific regulations on when fireworks can be discharged, but people are asked to be considerate of their neighbors during the lead up to Independence Day. If noise from fireworks becomes an issue, it falls under the noise nuisance code and offenders can be charged with disturbing the peace. Lexingtons legal discharge of fireworks ends promptly at midnight on July 4. The Lexington Police Department Chief Tracy Wolf said, "There are no specific times laid out for the discharge of fireworks in city code. We work through the complaints received using the general noise prohibition. We ask that people be respectful to their neighbors during this time and understand that people work different shifts and have different sleep patterns associated with their jobs." Wolf continued, "The Lexington Police Department encourages parental supervision and strict adherence to the safety guidelines from the manufacturer during the discharge of fireworks. Citizens are also required to clean-up and properly dispose of discharged fireworks on their streets and sidewalks." The sale and use of fireworks in Cozad began on Thursday, June 23, according to the City of Cozad. Discharge times during the ten day period in the 100th Meridian community are between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. except on July 4, when it is extended from 10 a.m. to midnight. Over in Gothenburg, the sale and discharge of fireworks also began on June 24, according to the Gothenburg Police Department. During the 10 day period discharge times are allowed from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on the Fourth it is extended from 8 a.m. to midnight. Those living in Dawson County can discharge fireworks ten days before the Fourth of July, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. On July 4, discharged is allowed until midnight. In Gosper County, Elwood follows Nebraska state fireworks laws and they can be sold and used from June 24 to July 4. Those who reside outside of any municipalities are subject to the Nebraska fireworks laws as well and can be discharged 10 days before July 4, as well as the holiday itself. Sources indicated that guns and ammunition have already been removed from dumps and placed with UVF units across Northern Ireland UVF units have been put on a war footing as terror chiefs await outcome of new Protocol bill UVF leaders have authorised arms dumps to be broken open as they prepare for a Protocol doomsday. Units across the country have been placed on standby as they await the verdict on controversial legislation due to go through parliament which, if passed, will effectively rip up parts of the EU Withdrawal Treaty. The Sunday World understands terror chiefs are prepared to put the organisation on a war footing. Well-placed sources have indicated that guns and ammunition have already been removed from dumps and placed with UVF units across Northern Ireland. It had been thought the leadership had rowed back from continuing with a campaign of violence against the Protocol after community groups in loyalist areas were warned state funding would be put at risk. The Irish government has already initiated a full-scale audit of all grant aid issued by Dublin since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Seized loyalist weapons but many others got through The British indicated there are no plans for them to follow a similar path but loyalist leaders have been left in no doubt that civic disruption will have consequences for their community. And at time when communities are struggling with the cost of living crisis and with many families reliant on foodbanks, they risk alienating their own people. But the Sunday World understands the leadership feels it has little choice, having taken the position that the Protocol must go. There is a strong likelihood the controversial legislation put before parliament at the start of the week will not garner enough support to pass into law. The bill sets out green and red channels for good flowing between the North and GB, with the government stating it also protects the EU open market. But it has drawn stinging criticism from all but the unionist parties at Stormont as well as the Labour Party in Westminster, all of whom have accused Boris Johnsons administration of flagrantly breaking international law. The UKs international isolation was further underlined with condemnation from the US and with the EU issuing legal action. It is against this backdrop that the UVF leadership is preparing for armed action. They feel they have no choice, said our source, and, as we all know, they have access to guns. There might have been decommissioning back in the day but not everything was handed over and they have been re-arming for years. There has even been speculation that weaponry from a huge arms consignment smuggled into the country from South Africa in 1988 could be broken out. The cache, which was split between the UVF, UDA and Ulster Resistance, was partially intercepted but it is estimated a third of the consignment got through and was concealed in sealed dumps. Largely in the hands of the shadowy Ulster Resistance, the guns and ammunition are being preserved for a doomsday scenario. That could be closer than we think, said our source, if the Irish Sea border is not removed Northern Ireland is effectively cut off from the rest of the UK if thats not a doomsday scenario for loyalists, I dont know what is. The DUP has stated there is no prospect of a return to Stormont while the Protocol remains in place, but with the prospect of legal action from the EU and no guarantees of enough support in the House of Commons and even less so in the House of Lords, the best they can hope for is negotiated change. But the UVF and the loyalist paramilitary umbrella group the Loyalist Communities Council stating that nothing but its abolition will do, observers believe a return to some form of violent campaign is inevitable. The rise in tensions come at the end of a week in which two prominent loyalists appeared in court on charges relating to the seizure of an arms cache in Belfast earlier this month. Belfast Magistrates Court heard that police believe a man accused of firearms offences transported a haul of weapons to a meeting with high-profile loyalist Winston Irvine. Robin Workman (51), from the Shore Road in Larne, was denied bail. Workman, along with Irvine, 46, from Ballysillan Road in Belfast, were arrested the previous week as police were investigating a security alert that led to Irish government minister Simon Coveney being evacuated from a peace event. Irvine appeared in court charged with firearm offences last Saturday. Workman was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of a handgun without a certificate and possession of ammunition without a certificate. A PSNI detective inspector told the court that he could connect Workman to the charges. During the hearing, a defence lawyer asked the officer if it was accurate that during Irvines weekend court appearance, his counsel had suggested he was acting as some form of decommissioning interlocutor. The officer said that had been implied by Irvines lawyer. Irvine was arrested in Disraeli Street after police officers observed meeting the driver of a red VW van, and officers discovered a number of firearms, magazines and more than 200 rounds of ammunition in a holdall in the boot of hi scar. Workman was arrested in Ballymena later the same day. The police case is this has the hallmarks of a paramilitary operation, a police officer told the court. The quantity of what is found includes a large range of different calibre ammunition. Our concern would be that we have recovered a wide range of ammunition with weapons that they are not compatible with so believe there are other weapons available that this ammunition would marry up with. Our case is that the applicant transported them to the meeting with his co-accused to be handed over. He therefore has knowledge of the storage locations of other weapons where this arms cache was recovered from. A defence lawyer said Workman had denied during three days of police interview that he was the individual whod met Irvine in Belfast. He added: This case should be distinguished entirely from his co-accused. His co-accused is somewhat of a high-profile individual. He made the case that he will be calling a galaxy of witnesses to attest to his efficacy and his works in the peace process. This man is not like that, is a self-employed joiner with no criminal record whatsoever. The district judge denied bail. Both men have been remanded in custody to appear again on July 1. richard.sullivan@sundayworld.com KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) The African nations of Gabon and Togo have been admitted into the Commonwealth group of nations. We welcome them, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose government hosted a summit of Commonwealth leaders this week, told reporters Saturday. Gabon and Togo are Francophone countries that actively tried to join the bloc of 54 nations. The Commonwealth's titular head is Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Charles represented his mother at the summit in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. The admission of the two new members was a highlight of the summit. The meeting, which closes later Saturday, also raised more than $4 billion in pledges toward the fight against malaria and other tropical diseases. The summit took place place at an uncertain time for the British monarchy as well as the Commonwealth, whose relevance is sometimes questioned. Even as the Commonwealth appears attractive to prospective members, some existing member nations are discussing whether to remove the queen as their head of state. Elizabeth is the head of state of 14 Commonwealth realms, but Barbados cut ties with the monarchy in November. Several other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, say they plan to follow suit. Charles told the summit Friday that free nations can make such decisions calmly and without rancor. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. In honor of Independence Day, Madison Media Partners Inc., madison.com is providing unlimited access to all of our content from June 28th-July 4th! Presented by Stoughton Health A 16-year-old boy charged last week with attempted homicide after a homeowner said the boy fired a gunshot at him during a brief struggle at a Southwest Side home is seeking to have his case transferred to juvenile court. A judge ruled Tuesday that there was enough evidence to find Quamaine Kelly, of Calumet City, Illinois, likely committed the crime. Kelly was charged last week with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for firing a gunshot inside the garage of a home in the 7500 block of Crawling Stone Road on Jan. 15, while allegedly trying to steal a car. Kelly was also charged last week with possession of a firearm by a person adjudged delinquent and armed burglary. Because the preliminary hearing for Kelly on Tuesday was also considered the first of a two-step process sought by Kellys lawyers to try to move his case to juvenile court, Dane County Circuit Judge Mario White was required to specifically find probable cause that Kelly committed the attempted homicide. Normally, at preliminary hearings, a judge only must rule there is probable cause that a person committed any felony. The second part of the reverse waiver process, when the defense must prove that the case belongs in juvenile court, will be set before White at a later date. A criminal complaint alleges, and testimony in court Tuesday from Madison Police Detective Lisa Fahrenbruch stated, a man had started his car in the garage of his home in order to warm it up. A person later identified as Kelly got out of a sedan that pulled up outside and went into the garage, then opened a door into the home in order to grab the car keys from a wall just inside the door. Kellys lawyers, state assistant public defenders Guy Cardamone and Mitchell Cooper, did not make an issue of Kellys identification. The man saw Kellys arm reaching inside and pulled the door open wider, grabbed Kelly by the throat and pushed him back into the garage and onto the hood of the car. The man said that after two or three seconds, Kelly reached one of his arms around the back of the man and fired a gunshot, Fahrenbruch testified. The man said he did not see a gun before the shot was fired. The shot left a hole in a garage wall and entered the home. Security footage Kellys arrival at the home, along with the sound of the struggle and the gunshot, was picked up by a security camera outside the mans home, Fahrenbruch said. Kelly was later identified, Fahrenbruch said, by the security images and through other means, including video taken by a friend. Kelly, who was an absconder from juvenile correctional supervision, remained at large after the incident but was one of five juveniles who was arrested on June 15 after a car crash on the Beltline, after which the group all fled into Marcus Point Cinema to elude police, Fahrenbruch testified. Fahrenbruch said police searching the crashed stolen car found a .380-caliber handgun in the car, the same type of gun that fired the shot at the mans home in January. Cardamone argued that evidence that Kelly intentionally tried to kill the man was woefully lacking, in part because the gun was fired behind the mans back and the shot went into a wall that was also behind the man. But Deputy District Attorney William Brown argued that because the situation was dynamic, it was hard to say where the gun was being aimed. But because the gun was only inches from the mans back at the time, it could be reasonably inferred that the trigger was pulled in an attempt to kill the man, Brown argued. White said that while different reasonable inferences could be drawn about the gunshot, including an accidental firing or a warning shot, all reasonable inferences at a preliminary hearing weigh on the prosecutions side. 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. Madison police have identified three men arrested following reports of a shooting between vehicles and a car crash on the South Side early Saturday morning. At about 2:50 a.m. Saturday, police were sent to the 300 block of South Park Street on a report of shots fired, Sgt. Cindy Deering said in a statement. Officers initially couldnt locate any signs of a shooting at the scene, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in an update to Deerings statement. Minutes later, an officer reported seeing a shootout between vehicles at Fish Hatchery Drive and Carver Street. One of the vehicles ended up crashing and three people were spotted running from the crash scene, Fryer said. The car that crashed was damaged by a bullet and a gun was found outside of the vehicle, Fryer said. A police dog and drone were used in the search for the three who fled the vehicle, with the dog able to track a suspect to a nearby wooded area. Then using a heat sensor, the drone operator was able to locate and direct the dog to the other two suspects, Fryer said. Dazjon J. Thompson, 18, was arrested on tentative charges that included second-degree recklessly endangering safety, operating a motor vehicle without consent, resisting or obstructing and bail jumping. Maurice L. Washington, 24, was arrested on tentative charges that included felon in possession of a firearm, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, resisting or obstructing and operating a motor vehicle without an owner's consent (party to a crime). Shondrell R. Evans, 25, was arrested on tentative charges that included felon in possession of a firearm, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, operating a motor vehicle without an owner's consent, resisting or obstructing and bail jumping. No injuries were reported. The Violent Crimes Unit is leading the investigation, which remains active, Fryer said. Police ask that anyone with information on the incident contact them at 608-255-2345. Tipsters may remain anonymous by contacting Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or P3Tips.com. Individuals contacting Crime Stoppers can receive a reward of up to $1,000 for tips that lead to an arrest. 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. 1849 law (1) Any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty of a Class H felony. (2) Any person, other than the mother, who does either of the following is guilty of a Class E felony: (a) Intentionally destroys the life of an unborn quick child; or (b) Causes the death of the mother by an act done with intent to destroy the life of an unborn child. It is unnecessary to prove that the fetus was alive when the act so causing the mother's death was committed. (5) This section does not apply to a therapeutic abortion which: (a) Is performed by a physician; and (b) Is necessary, or is advised by 2 other physicians as necessary, to save the life of the mother; and (c) Unless an emergency prevents, is performed in a licensed maternity hospital. (6) In this section unborn child" means a human being from the time of conception until it is born alive. MADRID (AP) Finlands president says Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid. President Sauli Niinisto says the three countries leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday. He said the memorandum confirms that (Turkey) will at the Madrid Summit this week support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. MADRID (AP) Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a fundamental shift in NATOs approach to defense, and member states will have to boost their military spending in an increasingly unstable world, the leader of the alliance said Tuesday. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke as U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders arrived in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years. The summit was kicking off with a leaders' dinner hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI at the 18th-century Royal Palace of Madrid. Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance in a more dangerous and unpredictable world. To be able to defend in a more dangerous world we have to invest more in our defense, Stoltenberg said. Just nine of NATO's 30 members meet the organizations target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Spain, which is hosting the summit, spends just half that. Top of the agenda for leaders in meetings Wednesday and Thursday is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden, who arrived with the aim of stiffening the resolve of any wavering allies, said NATO was as united and galvanized as I think we have ever been. Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24 shattered European security and brought shelling of cities and bloody ground battles back to the continent. NATO, which had begun to turn its focus to terrorism and other non-state threats, has had to confront an adversarial Russia once again. Ukraine now faces a brutality which we havent seen in Europe since the Second World War, Stoltenberg said. Russias invasion has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO. But they are being blocked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has insisted that he will only allow the Nordic pair to enter if they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Stoltenberg said we hope to make progress on the issue in Madrid but that was far from certain. Diplomats and leaders from the three countries have held a flurry of talks in an attempt to break the impasse. The three countries leaders met for more than two hours alongside Stoltenberg on Tuesday. The Turkish leader showed no sign of backing down as he left Ankara for Madrid. We dont want empty words. We want results, Erdogan said. Erdogan is critical of what he considers the lax approach of Sweden and Finland toward groups that Ankara deems national security threats, including the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension. American support for Syrian Kurdish fighters in combatting the Islamic State group has also enraged Turkey for years. Turkey has demanded that Finland and Sweden extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkeys 2019 military incursion into northeast Syria. Sinan Ulgen, director of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Istanbul, was pessimistic about a breakthrough in Madrid. He said the issue of the Kurdish groups was the main block, but there are other demands, and the involvement of other actors like the U.S. could facilitate a deal. Biden is due to meet Erdogan Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the Nordic nations dispute would not be the central focus of the meeting and the U.S. was not going to take on a brokering role. Ankara has been upset with the U.S. since the Americans kicked Turkey out of its F-35 stealth jet program after Turkey bought Russian-made S-400 missiles. Turkey is waiting to hear back on a request for upgraded F-16s from the U.S. Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official who is an associate at the Chatham House think tank, said the Madrid meeting, with national leaders present in the media glare, is the moment of maximum pressure for compromise. Its either at Madrid or its likely to go on for a long while, he said. Ending the deadlock would allow NATO leaders to focus on their key issue: an increasingly unpredictable and aggressive Russia. A Russian missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was a grim reminder of the wars horrors. Some saw the timing, as Group of Seven leaders met in Germany and just ahead of NATO, as a message from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is due to address NATO leaders by video on Wednesday, called the strike on the mall a terrorist act. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traveled to Madrid to urge the alliance to provide his country with whatever it takes to stop the war. Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye, Klitschko told reporters at the summit venue. Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies will agree at the summit to increase the strength of the alliances rapid reaction force nearly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries on NATOs eastern flank, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition. Beneath the surface, there are tensions within NATO over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make to end the fighting. There are also differences on how hard a line to take on China in NATOs new Strategic Concept its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last document, published in 2010, didn't mention China at all. The new concept is expected to set out NATOs approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change and the growing economic and military reach of China, and the rising importance and power of the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand are attending the summit as guests. Some European members are wary of the tough U.S. line on Beijing and dont want China cast as an opponent. Stoltenberg said last week that we dont regard China as an adversary, but added that it poses some challenges to our values, to our interests, to our security. In the Strategic Concept, NATO is set to declare Russia its number one threat. Russias state space agency, Roscosmos marked the summits opening by releasing satellite images and coordinates of the Madrid conference hall where it is being held, along with those of the White House, the Pentagon and the government headquarters in London, Paris and Berlin. The agency said NATO was set to declare Russia an enemy at the summit, adding that it was publishing precise coordinates just in case. Associated Press Writers Aritz Parra, Ciaran Giles and Sylvie Corbet contributed from Madrid. Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. BERLIN (AP) A 101-year-old man was convicted in Germany of more than 3,500 counts of accessory to murder on Tuesday for serving at the Nazis' Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Neuruppin Regional Court sentenced him to five years in prison. The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S., had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. In the trial, which opened in October, the centenarian said that he had worked as a farm laborer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question. However, the court considered it proven that he worked at the camp on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing, the German news agency dpa reported. "The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years," presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann said, according to dpa. He added that, in doing so, the defendant had assisted in the Nazis' terror and murder mechanism. "You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," Lechtermann said. "You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years." Prosecutors had based their case on documents relating to an SS guard with the man's name, date and place of birth, as well as other documents. The five-year prison sentence was in line with the prosecution's demand. The defendant's lawyer had sought an acquittal. Defense attorney Stefan Waterkamp said after the pronouncement of the sentence that he would appeal the verdict, dpa reported. Germany's leading Jewish group welcomed the ruling. "Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison sentence due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed," said Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. "The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, so they should take responsibility for it," Schuster added. "It is bitter that the defendant has denied his activities at that time until the end and has shown no remorse." For practical reasons, the trial was held in a gymnasium in Brandenburg/Havel, the 101-year-old's place of residence. The man was only fit to stand trial to a limited extent and was only able to participate in the trial for about two and a half hours each day. The process was interrupted several times for health reasons and hospital stays. Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's office in Jerusalem, told The Associated Press that the sentence "sends a message that if you commit such crimes, even decades later, you might be brought to justice." "And it's a very important thing because it gives closure to the relatives of the victims," Zuroff added. "The fact that these people all of a sudden feel that their loss is being addressed and the suffering of their family who they lost in the camps is being addressed ... is a very important thing." However, Zuroff expressed concern that S. might serve only part of the sentence or none at all because of his planned appeal and his advanced age. Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new site after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories. More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing. Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate. The headlines on the newsstands in Seoul blared fresh warnings of a possible nuclear test by North Korea. Out on the sidewalks, 28-year-old office worker Lee Jae Sang already had an opinion about how to respond to North Korea's fast-growing capacity to lob nuclear bombs across borders and oceans. Our country should also develop a nuclear program. And prepare for a possible nuclear war," said Lee, voicing a desire that a February poll showed was shared by 3 out of 4 South Koreans. Its a point that people and politicians of non-nuclear powers globally are raising more often, at what has become a destabilizing moment in more than a half-century of global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, one aggravated by the daily example of nuclear Russia tearing apart non-nuclear Ukraine. That reconsideration by non-nuclear states is playing out in Asia. The region is home to an ever-more assertive North Korea, China, Russia and Iran three nuclear powers and one near-nuclear power but is unprotected by the kind of nuclear umbrella and broad defense alliance that for decades has shielded NATO countries. Vulnerable countries will look to the lessons from Ukraine especially whether Russia succeeds in swallowing big pieces of Ukraine while brandishing its nuclear arsenal to hold other nations at bay as they consider keeping or pursuing nuclear weapons, security experts say. As important, they say, is how well the U.S. and its allies are persuading other partners in Europe, the Persian Gulf and Asia to trust in the shield of U.S.-led nuclear and conventional arsenals and not pursue their own nuclear bombs. For leaders worried about unfriendly, nuclear-armed neighbors, they will say to their domestic audiences, Please support our nuclear armament because look what happened to Ukraine, right? said Mariana Budjeryn, a researcher with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvards Kennedy School of Government. As a schoolgirl in 1980s Soviet-era Ukraine, Budjeryn drilled on how to dress radiation burns and other potential injuries of nuclear war, at a time that country housed some 5,000 of the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons. Her country renounced nuclear weapons development after the Soviet Union shattered, opting for economic assistance and integration with the West and security assurances. Ultimately, I think a lot is riding on the outcome of this war in terms of how we understand the value of nuclear weapons," Budjeryn said. Around the world, the U.S. military is reassuring strategic partners who are facing nuclear-backed rivals. Near the North Korea border this month, white-hot ballistic missiles arched through the night sky as the U.S. joined South Korea in their first joint ballistic test launches in five years. It was a pointed response to North Korea's launch of at least 18 ballistic missiles this year. In Europe and in the Persian Gulf, President Joe Biden and U.S. generals, diplomats and troops are shuttling to countries neighboring Russia and to oil-producing countries neighboring Iran. Biden and his top lieutenants pledge the U.S. is committed to blocking nuclear threats from Iran, North Korea and others. In China, President Xi Jinping is matching an aggressive foreign policy with one of his country's biggest pushes on nuclear arms. For those hoping North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons, the example provided by Russia's invasion of Ukraine is another nail in that coffin," Terence Roehrig, a professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College, said at another defense forum in April. Ukraine is going to be another example to North Korea of states like Iraq and like Libya, that gave up their nuclear capability and look at what happened to them, Roehrig said. Ukraine never had detonation-ready nuclear bombs at least, none it could fire on its own. The Soviet Union's collapse left Ukraine with the worlds third-largest nuclear arsenal. But Ukraine didnt have operational control. That left it with a weak hand in the 1990s when it negotiated with the U.S., Russia and others on its place in the post-Soviet world, and the fate of the Soviet arsenal. Ukraine got assurances but no guarantees regarding its security, Budjeryn said. A piece of paper, is how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to one such assurance, signed in 1994. The U.S. itself has given nuclear and nuclear-curious countries plenty of reasons to worry about forgoing the world's deadliest weapons. The West compelled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to give up his country's rudimentary nuclear weapons program in 2003. A couple of years later, Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam shared with researcher Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer his father's biggest worry about that that Western nations would support an uprising against him. And lo and behold, a few years later, get to 2011, you saw what happened," said Braut-Hegghammer, now a University of Oslo nuclear and security strategy professor. What happened was NATO, at U.S. urging, intervened in a 2011 internal uprising against Gadhafi. A NATO warplane bombed his convoy. Rebels captured the Libyan leader, tortured him and killed him. In Iraq, the U.S. played a central role in forcing Saddam Hussein to give up his nuclear development program. Then the U.S. overthrew Saddam in 2003 on a spurious claim he was reassembling a nuclear weapons effort. Three years later, with Iraq still under U.S. occupation, Saddam plunged through a gallows. Russia's invasion of Ukraine now only highlights to some countries, at least, that if you have a nuclear weapons program, and youre sort of far along with that, giving it up is a terrible idea, Braut-Hegghammer said. As a young woman in Ukraine, Budjeryn realized at one point after the 1990s accords that her own job, then in business development, was funded by the Clinton administration, as part of the West's rewards to Ukraine for the nuclear deal. If Ukraine prevails," she said, " then it will communicate that nuclear weapons are useless. But if Ukraine falls, the story will look very different, she said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LANSING, Mich. Michigan lawmakers approved a $101 million incentive package for Ford Motor Co. for a planned project that will create 3,030 jobs and $1.16 billion in manufacturing facility investments throughout the state. The tax-funded incentive will be paid in increments and is contingent on Ford hitting promised employment targets. The state Senate Appropriations Committees approval last week was the final step for the funds to start being distributed to Ford. It comes just weeks after the company announced plans to add 6,300 new jobs in the Midwest and invest $3.7 billion in manufacturing facilities across Michigan, Ohio and Missouri. Gabby Bruno, director of economic development for Ford, said the new investments will allow for the automaker to nearly double the production of Fords all-electric truck, the F-150 Lightning, in Dearborn. Public-private partnerships like the one that were discussing here today are important to keep Michigan at the forefront of automotive manufacturing, Bruno said at the committee meeting. The money will come from the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund, which was created in December to attract and retain businesses in the state. Lawmakers approved a $666 million transfer from the fund to General Motors earlier this year. The creation of the fund followed an announcement from Ford that it was planning to invest $11.4 billion in Tennessee and Kentucky to build an electric truck plant, three battery plants and a supplier park. State Rep. Jim Yaroch, a Richmond Republican, expressed his concern about the large packages being given to motor companies during a House Appropriations Committee meeting on June 15. The House committee approved the package prior to the Senates approval. Theres been multiple offers to Ford, GM, Chrysler to stay in Michigan and we pay the big fish to stay, Yaroch said. Is this what were left with? That were going to have to pay companies to stay? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HEYBURN The city police chief released the names of the victim and the suspect in a Thursday homicide on Monday. The victim was identified as Karina Palomares, 37, and the suspect was Fabian Silva, 39, Heyburn Police Chief Ryan Bertalotto wrote in a statement. Silva later died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Oneida County, Bertalotto said. Both Palomares and Silva were Heyburn residents. Both incidents remain under investigation. Police and emergency medical services responded Thursday to a call regarding the homicide at Elk Meadows Subdivision. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 13 Angry 6 Q: Are there any photos of Castleford in the librarys collection? A: The only one we have is of the elementary school, said Jennifer Hills, Adult Services Department head at the Twin Falls Public Library. Our information says this was taken in the 1930s (unknown photographer). The building does still exist in Castleford, though it is now a private residence, I believe. Early History of Castleford, Idaho compiled by the Castleford Community Mens Club reported, A grade school was built on the present school site, and in the fall of 1914 two classrooms were used. Mareda and Cecil Wrights The Knowledge Box: Country Schoolhouses to Current Schools of Twin Falls County, Idaho reported the grade school was built in 1914. On August 14, 1914, the Twin Falls Times reported, Castleford had begun construction of a $5,000 building. High school had its beginning in an upstairs room of the grade school building in 1921, reported Early History of Castleford, Idaho. The Wrights wrote, The Castleford 1914 grade school was moved one block north and a little east of the original site, and made into a home.It is now located on Jonathan Avenue. The current school was built in 1952 with a gym built in 1961. Have a question? Just ask and well find an answer for you. Email your question to Kimberly Williams Brackett at timesnewscuriousmind@gmail.com with Curious Mind in the subject line. Have a question? Just ask and well find an answer for you. Email your question to Kimberly Williams Brackett at timesnewscuriousmind@gmail.com with Curious Mind in the subject line. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I moved to Wyoming a few years ago for its outdoor recreation, but I also liked the states history of championing equal rights for women. As early as 1869, it codified womens voting rights, 50 years before the 19th Amendment did the same thing. Western women in the 19th century quickly proved their mettle, helping to build communities in rugged and isolated landscapes. But now, sadly, Wyoming has agreed to subjugate women. In March, Wyomings governor signed a trigger bill that would ban abortions in the state five days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which it did June 24. Around the West, other states including Idaho, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma also passed bills restricting womens reproductive health soon after the Supreme Court acted. Texas had a tough law that banned virtually all abortions since 2021, although their new law, set to take effect in the next month, introduces even harsher measures a near-total ban, even after incest and rape. Fortunately, some Western states recognize the needs of women, and are already being sought out by women seeking abortions who are blocked at home. Colorado passed an act in March giving anyone pregnant the fundamental right to continue the pregnancy or to have an abortion. Three coastal states, California, Washington and Oregon, said they would be havens for women seeking abortions. In addition, Oregon allotted $15 million to help cover abortion costs even for non-residents. Corporations are also becoming allies. Apple, Citi, and Yelp adjusted their corporate policies in Texas to include travel for abortions as part of health insurance packages. Lyft and Uber have promised to pay legal fees if their drivers are charged with the crime of assisting abortion patients. Ironically, when Covid-19 was rampant, I often heard Westerners express a common sentiment about getting vaccinated, or not: Its my body and my choice. I almost laughed, as thats the cry of women who want the choice of becoming a mother, or not. Before the Supreme Court decision was announced, I began talking to people about their views on access to abortion, and as you would expect, reactions were mixed, though no one I spoke to for this opinion agreed to be quoted by name due to privacy concerns. At a block party, a 22-year-old Jackson man, who self-identified as Hispanic, said he thought of abortion as one of the worst sins. Then he surprised me by adding, But a woman should be able to make that decision. At a pizza joint, a fourth-generation Jackson resident Ive gotten to know, said, I dont think the government should have a say about your individual body The government should be building roads. We dont believe in big government. An Indigenous man in his late 20s said, Humans should be able to make choices for their own human bodies. Otherwise, were going back to slavery. Still, I get the sense that many well-intentioned men, trying to be supportive of the women around them, are opting to step back and let women fight this battle. This reticence has started to feel like men are saying, Not my body, not my problem. Perhaps our state legislators recognize this reluctance to get involved, thus freeing them to vote against womens rights. Sometimes an abortion is unwanted but necessary for a womans health. Sometimes an abortion is wanted but will now be illegal. I think whatever a woman decides must be her decision, not a ruling from the out-of-touch Supreme Court or from a male-dominated state legislature. Five years ago, a friend was forced to travel to a Wyoming clinic to get an abortion after a doctor in Idaho told her that abortion was wrong. She was angry, and later when she told her father, he said he was proud of her for sticking up for herself. It was the best money Ive ever spent, my friend told me later. I wouldnt be half the person I hope to be without making that decision. Men retain control over their bodies, but in too many parts of this country, women no longer can. Deciding whether to bear a child is perhaps the biggest decision in any womans life. Controlling and criminalizing a womans choice is a tragic mistake. Rebecca (Bex) Johnson is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She works and writes in Jackson, Wyoming. Love 4 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 A Martinsville man was presented with the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Sunday morning at Pace Airport in Ridgeway. Walter Penn III was honored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and recognized by about 30 of his peers in the local aeronautical community at a breakfast at the airport. Walter has been a mainstay in the flying community here for a while, said Tracy Gasperini. In fact this past Friday he celebrated 65 years as a licensed pilot. The Master Pilot Award is named in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright who were two American aviation pioneers credited with inventing, building and flying the worlds first successful motor-operated airplane. The Wright Brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on Dec. 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, according to the FAAs website. The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. FAASTeam Program Manager Tim Haley out of the Greensboro office was on hand to present Penn with the award. He got his student pilot certificate in 1956 and his private pilot license in 1957, said Haley. He also has a multi-engine, helicopter and glider rating. Haley held up a stack of papers that he said constituted the FAAs official file on Penn, which was considerable in size because of his many qualifications and longevity in aeronautics. After Walter got his license he did some crop spraying and some charter flying, said Gasperini. He also became a licensed sky diver and has jumped with some of the pioneers in the sky diving community. Gasperini said after Penn graduated from college he went into the Army as an officer and was deployed to the Dominican Republic in 1965. After that he went to Special Forces qualification training and became a Green Beret, said Gasperini. He went to Vietnam and served us proudly there. When Penn returned home he studied at UVA and became an attorney. Walter worked with the Attorney Generals Office in Virginia and then moved in the Commonwealths Attorneys Office, Gasperini said. He retired from there and continued to work with the National Guard and taught law and aeronautics at Averett University, in Danville. Penn and his wife, Melinda, were presented with the Master Pilots certificate from the FAA and pins to wear. I want to thank everybody here because without your help and support over the years, I would have never gotten this thing or even been considered for it, said Penn. I want to thank every one of you. Its just a little bit too much to think about right now. Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 2360. Follow him @billdwyatt. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Marion Fire Districts new and improved rating with the N.C. Department of Insurance will help residents and businesses alike save on insurance costs. The Marion Fire Departments latest review by the state Department of Insurance shows that the department has enhanced the fire suppression services they provide to residents and businesses in the city of Marion, according to a news release. In a Monday announcement from the state DOI, Marions Municipal Fire Districts North Carolina Response Rating System (NCRRS) score improved from a 5 to a 3. The Marion Area Fire Districts NCRRS score improved from a 6/9E to a 3/9E. Those are improved ratings which can make a big difference for local residents and property owners. This achievement was a joint effort between our department, mutual aid departments, the city of Marion, McDowell County government, McDowell County 911/Emergency Management, and numerous other departments and agencies, said Marion Fire Chief Ray McDaniel. Marion Fire Department is the first department in the county to receive this score and there are only 189 fire departments in the state that have this score. The new fire rating scores will take effect Oct. 1. The NCRRS rating system ranges from one (highest) to 10 (not recognized as a certified fire department by the state), with most rural departments falling into the 9S category. A news release from the state DOI stated that while lower ratings do not necessarily indicate poor service, a higher rating suggests that a department is overall better equipped to respond to fires in its district. Higher ratings can also significantly lower homeowners insurance rates in that fire district. Ratings are calculated based on how a fire department performs during an inspection by officials with the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Among other things, the routine inspections look for proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment and proper maintenance of equipment, communications capabilities and availability of a water source. Id like to congratulate Chief McDaniel for the departments performance and for the hard work of all the department members, said State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. The citizens in the town of these districts should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency. State law requires OSFM officials to inspect departments serving districts of 100,000 people or less, which makes up all but 12 of the states fire districts, according to the news release. Egypt is currently negotiating with Qatar on new investments ranging between $2bn-3bn, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait announced on Monday, Zawya reports. Maait did not provide details but the announcement comes after Qatars ruler Sheikh Tamim al Thani visited Egypt over the weekend and pledged an increase in Qatari investment. During the visit, both Egypts leader Abdelfattah al-Sisi and his guest discussed developing cooperation in various fields, especially in the energy and agriculture sectors, and in trade and investment, particularly the flow of Qatari investments towards Egypt. In March, Egypt announced that the Gulf country will invest $5 billion in its economy. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) signed two agreements with Sierra Leone in the field of recruitment of public and domestic workers, reports say. The agreements aim to set a regulatory framework for all necessary procedures for the effective employment of Sierra Leonean workers in the Kingdom, protect the rights of the worker and the employer, regulate the contractual relationship between them, and establish mechanisms for follow-up and joint implementation of the provisions of those agreements. Saudi Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for the Labor Sector Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain, and Sierra Leone Minister of Labor and Social Security Alpha Osman Timbo signed the deals at the ministrys headquarters in Riyadh, The Saudi Gazette reports. The agreements come in the context of the ministrys efforts to build and strengthen international relations with counterpart ministries, and discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation to achieve common goals for all parties. The northwestern part of Nigeria is increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs who loot and kidnap the inhabitants. To counter this scourge, Zamfara State is calling on civilians to arm themselves to protect themselves. This strategy demonstrates the absence of the state in the region. In this state, which borders Niger, bandit attacks have become almost daily. In an attempt to deal with them, the state government has not only decided to close down markets in several districts and ban motorbike traffic, but has also chosen to call on the civilian population to defend themselves by equipping themselves with arms. We made this declaration because of the return of bandit attacks in some parts of the state, and with the onset of the rainy season, many farmers want access to their farmlands to produce food for the public. We have exhausted all measures to protect the lives and property of the citizens, according to Ibrahim Dosora, spokesperson for the Zamfara government. This highly controversial initiative illustrates the disarray of local actors in the face of the absence of the federal state. It also echoes the proliferation throughout the country of vigilante groups created to protect the population. A phenomenon that worries the International Crisis Group (ICG). At least 26 villagers were killed in an attack over the last week-end in the Akwaya district of Cameroons South West region, where Anglophone separatists have been fighting the Cameroonian army since 2017. The attack occurred in the village of Ballin, near the border with Nigeria. The villages health centre was set on fire. According to Dr. Enow Daniel Kewong, Akwaya District Medical Officer, 26 bodies have been recovered so far and many are still missing. According to an elected official in the area, MP Aka Martin Tyoga, 32 people were buried in a mass grave, including six Nigerians. The local military authorities could not immediately be reached for comment. According to two local sources, the attack was linked to an ongoing land dispute between the Ugare ethnic group in Ballin and the Olitis in the neighbouring village of Mavass, aggravated by the alliance of separatist fighters with the Olitis. The attackers stormed a house where a wake was being held and shot indiscriminately at the mourners, according to one source. Civil society groups say it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between inter-communal conflicts and confrontations linked to secessionist aspirations. A priest was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday by a court in Blantyre, southern Malawi, in the case of an albino killed and dismembered in 2018. Relatives had promised to introduce him to his future wife, but MacDonald Masambuka, a 22-year-old albino, was ambushed, killed, dismembered and had his bones removed for sale. A total of 12 people were convicted in this case. Five, including the victims brother who set the trap, were sentenced to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty. The murder was motivated by the deceaseds disability, namely albinism, said Justice Dorothy NyaKaunda Kamangadu in her ruling. Catholic priest Thomas Muhosha, who ran the parish to which the town of Machinga, about 100km east of Blantyre, is attached, violated the trust of the community, the judge ruled. He was found guilty of attempting to sell body parts. In this poor southern African country, albinos are targets of attacks. Their body parts are used in witchcraft rituals, believed to bring wealth and health. At least 40 murders and 145 assaults have been reported during the wave of targeted violence against albinos in the country since 2014. Sudan on Monday said it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa, accusing the Ethiopian army of executing seven of its soldiers and a civilian taken prisoner and vowing to retaliate for the cowardly act. In an act that contravenes all conventions of war and international law, the Ethiopian army executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen, the Sudanese army accused on Sunday night. These men had been abducted on 22 June in Sudanese territory and then taken to Ethiopia, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Monday. The army warned that this perfidious act will not pass and Sudanese diplomacy said it would immediately recall its ambassador to Ethiopia and summon (Monday) the Ethiopian ambassador to Khartoum to convey Sudans condemnation of this inhuman act. Sudan also said it would file a complaint with the UN Security Council and regional organizations. Ethiopia did not immediately comment on the accusations. According to a Sudanese military official, the soldiers were captured in a border area near Al-Fashaga, an area of fertile land in the eastern Sudanese state of Gedaref that is the subject of a border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia. Clashes, sometimes fatal, occur regularly in this area. They intensified in 2020 with the war between the Ethiopian federal government and the regional authorities of Tigray, a region neighbouring Sudan, which caused tens of thousands of Ethiopians to flee to eastern Sudan. Although Ethiopian farmers have been settling in the El-Fashaga area for decades, Sudanese troops only deployed there after the outbreak of conflict in Tigray. Moroccos migration governance is shaped by a humanistic logic, but is unfortunately perverted by the criminal actions of trafficking networks, said Director of Migration and Border Surveillance at the Ministry of Interior, Khalid Zerouali. The Kingdoms vision of the migration issue has a passionate sensitivity as its stakes, beyond mobility, incorporate a core paradigm focused on the human being in the sanctity of his fundamental rights, said Zerouali at a meeting on migration that brought together officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior and ambassadors and representatives of the African diplomatic corps accredited in Morocco. The meeting was held in the wake of the storming by some 2000 migrants of the fence of Melilla, a Spanish occupied enclave in Northern Morocco, last Friday. The illegal migrants coming from sub-Saharan countries attempted to storm the metal fence, resorting to very violent methods and causing a huge stampede and fatal falls from the top of the fence. This attempted forced entry, which left 23 migrants dead and 140 law enforcement agents injured, was marked by the use of unprecedented violence by would-be illegal migrants. Armed with stones, clubs and sharp objects, these would-be illegal migrants resisted violently the law enforcement officers, who were mobilized to prevent them from crossing the fence, as shown by the photos and videos circulating on the web and social networks since last Friday. Zerouali underlined that this humanistic logic frames todays migration governance in Morocco under the National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum initiated in 2013 and which has enshrined the inclusive and supportive approach in line with the Kingdoms African vacation. Unfortunately, Zerouali deplored, this noble and virtuous dimension of migration is perverted by the criminal actions of trafficking networks, which exploit the vulnerability of victims and push them into dangerous and deadly adventures. These networks use strategies of great violence, particularly during planned attacks, with militia-like and ex-military attackers from countries destabilized by war and conflict. The National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum is an unprecedented initiative at the regional level, he said, highlighting two powerful actions that have consolidated the continental dimension of migration, namely the African Migration Observatory and the African Agenda for Migration. Under the National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum, more than 50,000 nationals of African countries have been regularized and have seen their administrative situation stabilized, Zerouali recalled. He noted that the regularized people have also benefited from a national integration plan allowing them full access to social, educational, medical and economic services, just like nationals. The humanistic dimension of migration management in Morocco is also reflected in the voluntary returns offered to migrants who wish to return to their countries of origin. Since 2018, more than 8,100 African nationals have benefited from these voluntary returns organized and funded by the Ministry of the Interior both by air and land, the official said, adding that with the IOM, the voluntary return program is working well as it allowed the return of 2,400 people in 2021 and more than 1,100 in 2020. In 2020, Morocco adopted a reference framework of standard procedures for the guidance and care of migrants rescued at sea or apprehended at the borders, he added. The official described the events that took place in Nador on Friday as a real tragedy that we deplore. The Moroccan authorities are conducting a merciless fight against these trafficking networks with over 1,300 networks dismantled in the last five years (256 in 2021 and 100 until May 2022), he explained. According to Zerouali, over 145 attacks have been repelled around Sebta and Mellilia since 2016 (50 in 2021 and 12 until May 2022). Several members of law enforcement forces, which always acted with professionalism and in full compliance with the laws and regulations, were injured during these assaults, he said. More than 360,000 irregular emigration attempts have been aborted since 2017 (63,000 in 2021 and 26,000 until May 2022), he stated. Zerouali also noted that the regional environment, the post-Covid context, the war in Ukraine and the looming food crisis exacerbate the migration challenge, which requires concrete actions in terms of active solidarity and plural support. Morocco is also ready to cooperate fully with its African friends and brothers through the exchange of expertise and training, he stressed. The countries of the North must focus on a balanced approach that should not be security-driven, but rather based on structural solutions for the sustainable development of the countries of origin and on fostering legal mobility between the two shores, Zerouali said. The participating African diplomat have expressed support to Morocco and hailed the Kingdom as being the only country in Africa with a migration policy permeated by a humanitarian approach. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In the Chicago area, pediatric mental health Emergency Department (ED) visits increased 27 percent at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a 4 percent increase monthly through February 2021, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the journal Academic Pediatrics. The authors found increased ED visits for suicide, self-injury and disruptive behaviors, as well as higher admission rates for these children. "During the pandemic, we found fewer ED visits for depression and anxiety and more visits for suicide or self-injury," said lead author Lavanya Shankar, MD, MS, a hospitalist at Lurie Children's and Health System Clinician of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Our findings suggest that emergency care is increasingly reserved for more severe cases of mood disorders involving risk of self-harm. We also found increased pediatric ED visits for disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders, which may have worsened because of inability to access outpatient services or because of psychosocial stressors imposed by the pandemic." The study analyzed mental health ED visits by children age 5-17 years in the Chicago area from March 2018 to March 2021 at a 10-hospital academic medical system (one academic medical hospital and nine community hospitals) and Lurie Children's. "Our study is unique in its examination of trends in pediatric mental health ED visits at community hospitals," said senior author Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, Emergency Medicine physician at Lurie Children's and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We observed a relative increase in the proportion of children presenting to community hospitals compared to a children's hospital and academic medical ED. Given that most pediatric emergency care occurs at non-children's hospitals and the declaration of a national emergency in pediatric mental health by the American Academy of Pediatrics, all EDs should be equipped with adequate resources, policies, and staff training to manage pediatric mental health needs." Explore further Long wait times increase for children seeking emergency care for mental health More information: Lavanya G Shankar et al, Mental Health Emergency Department Visits by Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Academic Pediatrics (2022). Journal information: Academic Pediatrics Lavanya G Shankar et al, Mental Health Emergency Department Visits by Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.05.022 Credit: CC0 Public Domain How much is an "acceptable dose" of a pollutant? Are existing studies to measure safety adequate? A systematic literature review by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) suggests that the current system of chemical risk assessment is inadequate and contradictory. The result, say the authors, is an underestimation of the levels of flame retardants and other pollutants needed to cause harmful health effects. The journal Reviews on Environmental Health published the findings in May. The authors, who included a Canadian environmental research analyst, reviewed 74 toxicology studies (42 in vitro and 32 in vivo) and 74 epidemiological studies. These research works analyzed chemical groups that at high enough levels are linked with disruption of the endocrine system (such as the thyroid) and increased risk of neurodevelopmental deficits (such as autism). "Our study originated in response to increasing trends in the environmental presence and human body burdens of several types of flame retardants used in products such as televisions, drapes and mattresses," said study corresponding author Raymond F. Palmer, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. "These trends were emerging parallel to an expressed increase in prevalence and burden of thyroid and neurodevelopmental deficits." The team sought to test the hypothesis that a method called Margin of Exposure (MOE) to determine acceptable dose is inadequate and potentially harmful because MOE may underestimate human risk. The researchers conducted a review of studies associating levels of pollutant dose with harmful effects in vivo (in the body), in vitro (in a test tube or petri dish), and in epidemiology in animal and human study populations. The study focused on chemicals classified as non-thyroid endocrine disruptors, developmental neurotoxins and thyroid disruptors. "Overall, our results suggest a systematic toxicology vs. epidemiology difference that is to the detriment of regulatory agency efforts to establish standards for safety in people," Dr. Palmer said. The authors seek to kindle dialogue toward reform of safety standards. The 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) considered approximately 62,000 chemicals as "existing" and not subject to testing or regulation unless proven to "present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment," said co-author Joel E. Michalek, Ph.D., professor of population health sciences at UT Health San Antonio. More recent reports put the number of chemicals at 83,000 and assert that the TSCA laws are outdated and need reform. Explore further Safer chemical recommendations for reliable test methods to identify endocrine disruptors More information: Tom Muir et al, Determination of safe levels of persistent organic pollutants in toxicology and epidemiology, Reviews on Environmental Health (2022). Tom Muir et al, Determination of safe levels of persistent organic pollutants in toxicology and epidemiology,(2022). DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2021-0105 Screenshot of the EMBED app. Credit: Yale University Emergency departments (EDs) are an important point of care for people with opioid use disorder. But EDs in the United States have been slow to meet patient needs for opioid use treatments like buprenorphine, past research shows. A new tool developed by Yale researchers aims to close this gap by helping physicians feel more prepared to offer these medications. In a recent trial, the researchers found that the toolcalled EMergency department-initiated BuprenorphinE for opioid use Disorder (EMBED)increased the number of physicians initiating buprenorphine treatment in the ED. Their findings were reported June 27 in the BMJ, a global medical journal. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002, buprenorphine can relieve withdrawal symptoms from opioids, like heroin or fentanyl, and prevent opioids from having effects on the body. Research has shown it is effective for treating withdrawal, retaining patients in opioid treatment, and reducing cravings, transmission of infectious diseases, and overdose deaths. EDs, however, have been slow to adopt the treatment for several reasons, including limited education on use, perceptions of lack of time and resources, and stigma. "While EMBED can't address all of these concerns, it can help with workflow and technical barriers and help physicians with less experience in this area feel more equipped to provide treatment," said Ted Melnick, associate professor of emergency medicine and lead author of the study. EMBED is fully integrated in the ED's electronic health record (EHR) system workflow. Previous technology solutions to change clinical practice have incorporated pop-up alerts or reminders. Melnick explains that these sorts of alerts can arrive at the wrong time or in the wrong situation, and in an already busy environment, they can quickly become a nuisance. "They often get dismissed or ignored instead of achieving their intended effect," he said. Melnick and his team didn't want EMBED to add to physician burden, so there are no pop-up alerts or reminders built into the tool. Instead, physicians have the option to engage with EMBED, and when they do, the tool provides as much or as little support as the physician wants. Support offered by EMBED covers three areas: diagnosing opioid use disorder, assessing withdrawal severity, and motivating patients to accept treatment. EMBED then automates several EHR activitiesvisit documentation, treatment orders, prescriptions, discharge instructions, and referrals for ongoing treatmentstreamlining workflow. "It was important to us that we build something that doctors would love to use. We wanted to make the technological solution one that people would seek out," said Melnick. "The support EMBED offers lowers the barrier to entry if physicians are unfamiliar with this type of treatment. But even as physicians become more comfortable, EMBED is still a one-stop shop to get all of the EHR tasks done and make it simple to do the right thing for these patients." Melnick and his colleagues conducted their study in 21 EDs across five health care systems and five states. They found that in the EDs where EMBED was available, significantly more physicians initiated buprenorphine treatment than in those EDs without the tool. Further, while not every physician used EMBED even when it was available to them, when the tool was used it was associated with high rates of treatment initiation. Going forward, Melnick says, it will be important to find ways to steer more physicians toward using tools like EMBED, because when they do, it has the intended effect. And boosting use could have major impacts on treating this population. "If we can get to a point where we initiate these treatments with every patient with opioid use disorder that comes to the ED, I think we can make big inroads in narrowing the gap between treatment need and access to care," said Melnick. In the study, the percentage of patients receiving opioid-related treatments was similar between EDs with and without EMBED. This, Melnick said, suggests EMBED needs to be one part of a more comprehensive strategy to meet the needs of patients with opioid use disorder, one that also addresses stigma, community resources, and post-ED treatment. Yale researchers have shown in past research that when patients receive buprenorphine in an ED, they are far more likely to engage in outpatient addiction treatment and less likely to use unprescribed opioids. "We also know that when patients come to the ED after an opioid overdose, there's a 5% mortality risk within the following year, which is higher than a lot of medical conditions we see where we wouldn't dream of not offering treatment," said Melnick, noting how critical these treatments are for patients with opioid use disorder. "EMBED offers a major opportunity to increase treatment initiation in EDs by providing a simple, automated, rapid solution," said Gail D'Onofrio, the Albert E. Kent Professor of Emergency Medicine and senior author of the study. "This tool could be just what is needed to accelerate adoption of this life-saving practice." Explore further Diverted buprenorphine may help prepare people with opioid-use disorder for treatment More information: Edward R Melnick et al, User centered clinical decision support to implement initiation of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in the emergency department: EMBED pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial, BMJ (2022). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Edward R Melnick et al, User centered clinical decision support to implement initiation of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in the emergency department: EMBED pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial,(2022). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2021-069271 A health worker administers a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at the Keystone First Wellness Center in Chester, Pa., on Dec. 15, 2021. Government advisers are debating Tuesday, June 28, 2022, if Americans should get a modified COVID-19 booster shot this fall one that better matches more recent virus variants. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it's time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there's no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fallespecially since people who get today's recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19's worst outcomes. Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign. "We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer," said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego. The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine. "None of us has a crystal ball" to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But "we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what's circulating" now rather than far older virus strains. It's not clear who would be offered a tweaked boosterthey might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy. Current COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its genetically distinct relatives. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call "bivalent" vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today's vaccine. Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much. Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines' proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic. The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said they'd have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicron's newest relatives might delay its version another month. Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that's recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one. Marks said that by tweaking the shots, "we're hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave." The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven't had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligibleand it's not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA's advisers said it's important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too. And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change. Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people's cross-protection against multiple variants. "We don't want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available," said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee. Explore further Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Neuroscientists have been trying to understand for decades how the human brain changes over the lifespan. This could ultimately help to devise more effective treatments for neurological and cognitive disorders primarily observed in the elderly. Researchers at Drexel University and Villanova University have recently carried out a study investigating the relationship between age and the functional coupling between specific neural networks in the brain. Their paper, published in Psychology and Aging, shows that the connectivity between certain brain regions can predict people's chronological age with a high level of accuracy. "A long-standing question in the literature on aging and cognition pertains to individual differences in cognitive performance as a function of age," Dr. Evangelia Chrysikou, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told MedicalXpress. "More specifically, What are the factors that determine why younger and older adults differ in their ability to perform all sorts of memory, attention, or cognitive regulation tasks?" The differences in cognitive functioning among people of different ages are well documented. The idea that these differences are associated with changes in brain connectivity (i.e., the way in which brain regions and networks communicate with each other) was introduced and discussed in many neuroscience papers. "Although most of prior literature has focused on how such neural connectivity differences are related to how well younger and older adults do on different cognitive tasks, in our paper we thought to turn the question on its head, so to speak," Chrysikou said. "We asked: Can we use patterns of brain connectivity when people are not doing any tasks to predict their age?" As part of their study, Chrysikou and her colleagues, Dr. Irene Kan and Dr. Meghan Caulfield, analyzed data collected from a large cohort of 547 participants between 18 and 88 years old, part of a publicly available brain imaging dataset compiled by the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience (CamCAN). By analyzing these data, the team firstly investigated whether connectivity between the executive control network (ECN) and default mode network (DMN) regions in the brain can predict age. "To do this, we used a well-established statistical technique called multiple regression analysis," Chrysikou explained. "We further examined how connectivity between ECN, DMN, and another region, the salience network (SN)which is thought to mitigate how ECN and DMN regions talk to each otherimpacts the strength of the connections between ECN and DMN areas." The analyses carried out by Chrysikou and her colleagues yielded many interesting findings. Most notably, the results showed that the functional connectivity between large-scale brain networks can predict age with good accuracy and that it varies across the lifespan. More specifically, they found that the connectivity between ECN and DMN brain regions accounts for a significant portion of age variability. Interestingly, the researchers found that when they also included the SN (a set of brain regions that selects salient external or internal stimuli for the brain to focus its attention on) in their analyses, they could predict a person's age with even greater accuracy. In the future, their work could help to better understand the brain connectivity patterns associated with the decline in cognitive abilities observed in older age. "Additional age cohort analyses we conducted further highlighted that these relationships vary across the lifespan," Chrysikou added. "We believe that these findings expand on our current understanding of the variations in large-scale intrinsic network connectivity as a function of healthy aging. Our next step will be to examine these relationships in the context of task performance." Explore further How brain networks change with age More information: Evangelia G. Chrysikou et al, Large-scale network connectivity as a predictor of age: Evidence across the adult lifespan from the Cam-CAN data set, Psychology and Aging (2022). Journal information: Psychology and Aging Evangelia G. Chrysikou et al, Large-scale network connectivity as a predictor of age: Evidence across the adult lifespan from the Cam-CAN data set,(2022). DOI: 10.1037/pag0000683 2022 Science X Network Clinicians typically use a sphygmomanometer to monitor blood pressure, an important indicator of heart health. Credit: Centers for Disease Control. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Florida State University, University of Washington and The Ohio State University have discovered previously unknown chemical changes in a protein that contribute to a heart's ability to function. The team published their findings in the journal eLife. "Our study examines the origins of heart failure and provides new tools and targets that can be used to alter function of a protein that drives contraction of the heart," says Michelle Parvatiyar, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at the FSU College of Health and Human Sciences. The team focused on what's called a beta myosin protein. These proteins make up chains that give muscles, including the heart, the power to contract. Using special detection methods available through FSU's Translational Science Laboratory, researchers discovered chemical changes called post-translational modifications occurring in the beta myosin proteins. Generally, post-translational modificationsalso called PTMsplay an important role in the body because they help proteins perform their functions. However, researchers believe that the PTM in the beta myosin protein is affecting the protein's ability to interact with other proteins in the heart, ultimately interfering with the way the heart contracts as it pumps blood. The team compared the quantity of PTMs in human hearts from donors who had experienced heart failure compared to non-diseased donors. They noticed that in donors that had experienced heart failure, there were fewer PTMs in the beta-myosin protein, which may contribute to the functional decline of individuals with heart disease. Future research is planned to investigate how these modifications impact the contractile ability of these critical proteins. Understanding this dysfunction will help researchers develop future therapies to counter the effects of heart failure and improve the quality of life of those suffering from heart disease. The FSU team was comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members from the College of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Medicine, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Other study authors included FSU College of Medicine graduate student Maicon Landim-Vieira, Matthew Childers from University of Washington and Amanda Wacker, an FSU undergraduate researcher, all of whom were instrumental in getting the project off the ground, Parvatiyar said. "From my viewpoint, I felt very lucky to work directly with Maicon, Matt and Amanda," she said. "They were very much a dream team." Explore further Beta-blockers reduce heart proteoglycan content potentially providing newly discovered health benefits More information: Maicon Landim-Vieira et al, Post-translational modification patterns on -myosin heavy chain are altered in ischemic and nonischemic human hearts, eLife (2022). Journal information: eLife Maicon Landim-Vieira et al, Post-translational modification patterns on -myosin heavy chain are altered in ischemic and nonischemic human hearts,(2022). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.74919 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Mount Sinai-led researchers have shown that tiny, robust immune particles derived from the blood of a llama could provide strong protection against every COVID-19 variant, including Omicron, and 18 similar viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1, which was responsible for the 2003 SARS outbreak. In a paper published in Cell Reports on June 28, the team suggests that these "super-immunity" molecules, known as nanobodies, could be precursors to a fast-acting, inhalable antiviral treatment or spray that could potentially be stockpiled and used globally against the evolving pandemic and future viruses. Compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, llamas, camels, and alpacas have unique immune systems: they produce antibodies with a single polypeptide chain instead of two. This construct results in antibodies that are roughly one-tenth the size of normal ones, are exceptionally stable, and can firmly bind to disease targets. Because of these unique properties, researchers can readily link multiple nanobodies like a daisy chain, so if a virus attempts to escape by mutating, another nanobody is ready to keep it in check. "Because of their small size and broad neutralizing activities, these camelid nanobodies are likely to be effective against future variants and outbreaks of SARS-like viruses," says lead author Yi Shi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacological Sciences and Director of the Center of Protein Engineering and Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Their superior stability, low production costs, and the ability to protect both the upper and lower respiratory tracts against infection mean they could provide a critical therapeutic to complement vaccines and monoclonal antibody drugs if and when a new COVID-19 variant or SARS-CoV-3 emerges." As a critical part of their study, Dr. Shi's team immunized the llama, named "Wally," with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD), the short fragment or spike of the virus that latches onto the protein on the surface of human cells to gain entry and spread infection. They found that repeated immunization with the RBD resulted in Wally producing nanobodies that recognized not just SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but a vast array of other coronavirusesconferring what researchers referred to as "super-immunity." From this discovery, the team isolated and validated a large repertoire of highly potent antiviral nanobodies effective against a broad spectrum of SARS-like viruses. "We learned that the tiny size of these nanobodies gives them a crucial advantage against a rapidly mutating virus," explains co-author Ian Wilson, Ph.D., Hansen Professor of Structural Biology and Chair of the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. "Specifically, it allows them to penetrate more of the recesses, nooks, and crannies of the virus surface, and thus bind to multiple regions to prevent the virus from escaping and mutating." From this structural information, the team designed an ultrapotent nanobody that can simultaneously bind to two regions on the RBD of SARS-like viruses to prevent mutational escape. The resulting molecule (PiN-31) is extremely stable and, in its aerosolized form, can be used as an inhaled treatment or spray, which the same team showed in previous work can be effective against SARS-CoV-2. "While more research is needed, we believe that the broad protection, ultrapotent nanobodies we were able to isolate in the lab can be harnessed for use in humans," says Dr. Shi, who conducted most of the research at the University of Pittsburgh before moving his lab to Icahn Mount Sinai. Increasing the attractiveness of this potential form of treatment, these highly versatile antiviral agents can be rapidly produced virtually anywhere from microbes such as E.coli or yeast cells, he adds. In the past, nanobody therapies have been clinically proven as safe and effective against human diseases, such as a blood clotting disorder and cancer. "Winning the race against the current pandemic, as well as future viral outbreaks, will depend on fast development and equitable distribution of an arsenal of cost-effective and convenient technologies," Dr. Shi emphasizes. "We strongly believe that the novel, inhalable, and extremely potent nanobodies we've discovered can meet that demand on a global scale, particularly in developing countries that are most vulnerable to viruses and the lack of therapies to treat them." In addition to Scripps Research, experts from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, the University of Pittsburgh, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv University in Israel contributed to this study. More information: Yufei Xiang et al, Superimmunity by pan-sarbecovirus nanobodies, Cell Reports (2022). Journal information: Cell Reports Yufei Xiang et al, Superimmunity by pan-sarbecovirus nanobodies,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111004